Posts Tagged ‘2009’
UB.com Cancels 2010 Aruba Poker Classic
The annual UB.com Aruba Poker Classic will take a leave of absence in 2010, according to officials from the USA-facing online poker site. Instead, UB.com plans to increase its presence at other live events and expand its online tournament offering.
In 2009, Brandon "AreTheseUtz" Hall defeated a field of 475 players in the UB.com Aruba Poker Classic Main Event to collect a $753,000 first place prize. The $5,500 tournament’s prize pool swelled to well over $2 million and a throng of online poker players flocked to the Radisson Aruba Resort and Casino to partake in the annual pilgrimage. Now, the tournament will be put on the shelf for 2010.
In lieu of the annual gala in paradise, UB.com will focus its efforts on expanding its live and online tournament schedules. In the virtual world, a monthly $500,000 Guaranteed is in the works. As it stands now, UB.com and its sister site, Absolute Poker, hold a weekly $200,000 Guaranteed that regularly draws over 1,000 entrants. Last week, 2008 PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) winner Carter “ckingusc” King took down the contest and earned $48,000.
The Ultimate Bet Online Championship, or UBOC as it’s commonly referred to, will be expanded to run twice per year. It last appeared in January and featured two $1 million prize pool events, the first of which saw its purse grow to $1.5 million. When a second UBOC would occur is not yet clear. Full Tilt runs its Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) four times per year, while PokerStars’ WCOOP and Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) take place in September and May, respectively. The $500,000 guaranteed UB.com tournament may ultimately grow to become a $1 million event.
Tokwiro COO Paul Leggett commented in a press release on Wednesday, "It is with great regret that we are announcing that the Aruba event will not run this year, but 2010 is going to be an exciting year for UB and its players. Over the last year, we've been redefining the UB brand in every way. We love the Aruba Poker Classic event, but we think we can do a lot more for our players by investing in new events and rewards." Tokwiro is the parent company of UB.com and Absolute Poker. Both sites happily accept customers from the United States.
UB.com will also continue to qualify players for land-based tournaments on the World Poker Tour (WPT) as well as the World Series of Poker (WSOP), which kicks off in late May from the Rio in Las Vegas. In addition, “major WSOP incentives and additional loyalty benefits for top players” are being planned, according to the same press statement.
In 2002, Juha Helppi defeated Phil Gordon in the first ever running of the UB.com Aruba Poker Classic, which appeared as part of the WPT schedule during Season 1 in 2002. One year later, Erick Lindgren took down the $500,000 top prize in a final table that also featured Barry Shulman. During Season 3, Eric Brenes tangled with Layne Flack and came out on top for $1 million, with Mike Matusow and John Juanda also reaching the final table. In 2005, Freddy Deeb took down the Aruba Poker Classic title in the tournament’s final year as a stop on the WPT circuit.
The 2006 installment featured Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy battling heads-up against Devon Miller. The pro ultimately fell short and Miller banked $775,000. In 2007, Travis “TravestyFund” Rice emerged victorious, while Matt Brady took down the 2008 UB.com Aruba Poker Classic. Whether the tournament will reappear in 2011 remains to be seen.
Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest on this breaking story.
Tags: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, absolute poker, Online Poker, poker player, pokerstars, tournament, UBOC, usa, vegas, WSOP
Hometown Hero Takes Hold at Bay 101
Faraz "The-Toilet" Jaka picked up the game in the dorms at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign while earning a degree in economics and business management.
He soon started playing live here at Bay 101 when he was at home and online while at school, quickly taking to the game, booking massive scores and winning packages to play in high-stakes events all over the world.
However, a year and a half of following the PokerStars European Poker Tour and his first half a dozen shots at WPT glory did not bear even a single cash.
Then suddenly, one year ago right here at home, things turned around in a big way.
He booked his first WPT cash at the 2009 Bay 101 Shooting Star before moving on to make third at the hotly contested 2009 World Series of Poker $5k Six-Max event.
Then, when Jaka finished second at the Bellagio Cup this past summer and third at December's Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic, he took the lead in the World Poker Tour's Player of the Year race and hasn't given it up yet.
Add in a final table appearance at the inaugural PokerStars North American Poker Tour's $25k High Roller Bounty Shootout and the San Jose native has cashed for almost $2 million in live tournaments over the past 12 months.
"It's kind of ironic, considering I played so many of these tournaments and then all of the sudden I start doing really well, but it's really just variance," he said. "Obviously I'm constantly improving a little bit, but I don't think there's been anything drastic."
Despite the rough start, having played thousands of tournaments earning over $1 million online before he ever stepped foot on the high-stakes live tournament stage, a 24-year-old Jaka says his confidence never wavered.
"I always thought I was good enough to be at the top of these things and win a few," he said. "It's always been just a matter of time."
Now in the midst of the kind of successful run that would turn even the most seasoned pro green with envy, he's still missing one thing: A major tournament victory.
"I'm definitely ready for a win," he said. "It's frustrating getting second and third so I'm definitely hungry."
Yet he seems to understand opportunities like this won't last forever.
"I'm obviously running amazing this year and it's not going to keep going, I understand that," he said.
In the end, Jaka's just hoping to keep playing his best and let the chips fall where they may, especially here at home.
"This is my hometown," he said. "So this tournament is a little more personal for me. I grew up playing here. It brings back so many memories and I still recognize so many of the dealers here from like four or five years ago.
"It would be really nice to do well here."
Action at the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star continues through March 12. For comprehensive coverage, tune in to PokerListings' Live Updates and News.
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Eugene Katchalov Leads WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star After Day 1B
A total of 196 players took to the felts in San Jose, California for Day 1B of the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Bay 101 Shooting Star tournament. Eugene Katchalov came out on top after the second starting day, earning a $10,000 cash bonus.
Katchalov finished with 131,500 chips, which will be the third largest stack after the survivors of Day 1A and Day 1B are combined for Day 2. When the cards hit the air today in the West Coast casino, 126 players will be seated. Overall, the tournament drew 333 entrants, down 15% from last year’s tally of 391. In 2009, Kathy Liebert took second to Steve Brecher and heading into Day 2, another female leads the way, Vanna Tea.
Shooting Stars, who have $5,000 bounties on their heads, doubled up left and right to close play on Tuesday at Bay 101. Full Tilt Poker front man Howard Lederer was all-in with A-J of diamonds and up against pocket kings, but flopped one jack and turned trips to advance to Day 2. Lederer will have a stack of 20,600 chips when play resumes, the 109th largest tally.
Also doubling up late in the day was 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion Jerry Yang, whose 74,300 chips make up the 27th largest stack. Yang is fresh off an Elite Eight appearance in the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, where he fell to eventual champion Annie Duke.
Not as fortunate was 2008 WSOP Europe Main Event winner John Juanda, whose pocket fours could not hold up against the A-K of Tyler Cornell. When the smoke cleared, Cornell made a Broadway straight to collect Juanda’s $5,000 bounty and autographed Shooting Star shirt.
Also falling short on Day 1B was Victory Poker pro Antonio Esfandiari, who was all-in pre-flop with a wired pair of nines against the pocket kings of Betfair pro Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi and the A-3 of another player. The board ran out J-8-8-5-3, ultimately giving Mizzi a king-high flush, and Esfandiari was relegated to the rails. "The Magician" had tripled up earlier in the day with pocket kings against A-K and pocket nines. Meanwhile, Mizzi busted two players in the hand and owns the ninth largest chip stack entering Day 2.
UB.com pro and 11-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth was all-in on a flop of J-5-3 with two spades holding A-Q of spades for the nut flush draw and two overcards. His opponent held 4-5 for a pair. The turn came a queen, saving the day for “The Poker Brat,” and a harmless nine fell on the river. Hellmuth ended the day with a stack of 62,800 chips, the 42nd largest tally in the WPT tournament. His talented company at Table 22 on Wednesday will include Phil Laak, Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka, Justin “Boosted J” Smith, and Corwin “mig.com” Mackey. Talk about a tough draw.
Here are the top 10 chip stacks in the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star event as play enters Day 2:
1. Vanna Tea – 143,900
2. Greg “FBT” Mueller – 132,800
3. Eugene Katchalov – 131,500
4. Timothy McDermott – 118,100
5. Grantland Hillman – 115,100
6. David Sands – 106,900
7. Oddie Dardon – 105,500
8. Scotty Nguyen – 99,900
9. Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi – 97,600
10. Yevgeniy “Jovial Gent” Timoshenko – 97,600
The winner of the event will take home an $878,000 grand prize, with the top 36 players finishing in the money. Here are the payouts for the six-handed feature table:
1st Place: $878,500
2nd Place: $521,200
3rd Place: $292,800
4th Place: $234,300
5th Place: $175,700
6th Place: $117,000
Other notable names appearing in the top 50 after two starting days include:
13. J.C. Tran – 93,100
15. Hasan Habib – 89,700
16. Nick Schulman – 88,100
18. Scott Montgomery – 84,800
19. Chris “Fox” Wallace – 84,100
26. “Miami” John Cernuto – 76,700
27. Jerry Yang – 74,300
30. Phil Laak – 72,700
35. Chau Giang – 68,500
41. Steve “gboro780” Gross – 64,200
42. Phil Hellmuth – 62,800
45. Matt “All In At 420” Stout – 61,000
47. Brandon Cantu – 58,100
The WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star tournament will crown a champion on Friday. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest WPT results.
Isildur1 grinded 1,4 million last night!
Isildur1 is back! He has made 1,4 million dollars in the last 24 hours on Full Tilt Poker - playing PLO. He has now won the most in 2010. Pretty insane guy.
Most of his winnings came from Cole South and Brian Hastings. South lost $785k and Hastings $556k. After this session the Swedish sensation is now the biggest winner of the year with over three million dollar in winnings.
Isildur1 makes a nice check/raise on the river and wins a $382k pot:
Isildur1 ($242,980)
Brian Hastings ($190,988)
Brian Hastings raises to $3,000, Isildur1 raises to $9,000, Brian Hastings calls $6,000
FLOP ($18,000) 2h 6d Qh
Isildur1 checks, Brian Hastings checks
TURN ($18,000) 2h 6d Qh 7d
Isildur1 bets $18,000, Brian Hastings calls $18,000
RIVER ($54,000) 2h 6d Qh 7d 8h
Isildur1 checks, Brian Hastings bets $43,000, Isildur1 raises to $183,000, Brian Hastings calls $120,988
Isildur1 shows As 3d Ah Kh
Isildur1 wins $381,975
Without no doubt the Swede is going to play until he is broke or has won all the money from everyone. If you believe some rumors, Isildur1 made about 7 million dollars last year but lost everything. Now everything looks the same, except the games have been a bit smaller.
Let’s see how far the Swede can fly this time.
Source: Highstakesdb
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UB Cancels Aruba Poker Classic
A statement from Tokwiro CEO Paul Leggett says the online poker rooms also has plans to develop a monthly $500k Guaranteed Tournament with an eye on building it into a million-dollar event, create more pro-related competitions and run its UB Online Championship twice a year.
"It is with great regret that we are announcing that the Aruba event will not run this year, but 2010 is going to be an exciting year for UB and its players," said Leggett. "Over the last year, we've been redefining the UB brand in every way. We love the Aruba Poker Classic event, but we think we can do a lot more for our players by investing in new events and rewards."
UB will continue to offer players access to events like the World Series of Poker and major World Poker Tour events through ongoing online satellites.
Players will also see benefits in the form of major WSOP incentives and additional loyalty benefits for top players.
"I, for one, am excited about what this shift in focus means for UB and what this will add to the experience for our players," said Joe Sebok.
The 2009 Aruba Poker Classic drew 475 players to the Caribbean island creating a $2,303,750 prize pool. Brandon Hall took the title after a heads up chop with then chip leader Robert Mizrachi, giving Mizrachi the lion's share of the cash.
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Annie Duke Breaks Down National Heads-Up Poker Championship Win
Over the weekend, UB.com pro and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke became the first female winner ever of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, which will air next month on NBC. Duke sat down to discuss her monumental win.
Poker News Daily: Your breakthrough match came against 2007 National Heads-Up Poker Championship winner Paul Wasicka, which featured you drawing out with A-10 against pocket aces and 8-5 against pocket jacks. Talk about the roller coaster of a match.
Annie Duke: I had Paul Wasicka ground down and then he doubled through me. We were about even in chips and then I was slightly behind before I won with A-10 against aces. I sucked out and made a Broadway straight and he was crippled. I was horrified when I won that hand. It was an epically long battle. He said that whichever way this goes, we could both sleep well. He was so gracious and it was an amazing match.
PND: In a Guest Column on Poker News Daily, you lamented that neither Erik Seidel nor you had much success in the invite-only tournament. How surreal was it to be playing against each other for the title?
Annie Duke: That was storybook. After I won my match against Wasicka and Erik won his match, we talked on the phone. I realized how close we were to playing each other in the finals. What an incredible feeling to know that you’re in the finals and whatever the result was, you’d be very happy. He said that this was the happiest he’s ever been coming in second and I’d have felt the same way. It was a very relaxing feeling and not the same as in the other matches. Erik Seidel might have the best poker mind out there.
PND: You drew 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event runner-up Darvin Moon in the second round. How is Moon’s game?
Annie Duke: Darvin Moon was really nice. He’s just a good guy and he was talking about how happy he was to be there and how he’s living the dream. It was really pleasant to play with him. He knows that he doesn’t have the game of a player like Huck Seed. I was happy to draw him, of course, but he wasn’t a pushover.
PND: You’re a former WSOP Tournament of Champions winner and have also captured a bracelet. Where does this rank among your various poker accomplishments?
Annie Duke: This is second to the Tournament of Champions. I’ve always ranked the Tournament of Champions above the bracelet and I would put this above the bracelet as well. It’s the timing. Given that I had just taken five months off, the timing was big. I feel like I’m standing with some pretty cool winners of this event, so I am pretty happy. I’m standing shoulder to shoulder with Huck Seed, Phil Hellmuth, Ted Forrest, Chris Ferguson, and Paul Wasicka. To have gotten to play Erik in the final was a really memorable experience.
In the Tournament of Champions, I was three-handed with my brother and Phil Hellmuth. Now, being able to play with one of my best friends and be among those winners is incredible. I think I needed the win and have been really focused since I got back into poker. I had a nice run at the L.A. Poker Classic leading up to this.
PND: In the L.A. Poker Classic High-Roller event, you were seated alongside Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka. Tell us about his poker skill set.
Annie Duke: Playing heads-up against him helped me in the event I won. He’s very good at leveraging the chip stacks of his opponents. He’s good at changing up his play and I watched what he was doing. I learned a lot from my match with him.
Greg “FBT” Mueller, Yevgeniy Timoshenko Among WPT Bay 101 Day 1A Leaders
Two players on recent hot streaks are among the chip leaders after Day 1A of the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Bay 101 Shooting Star tournament. A total of 17 bounties took to the field on Day 1A, with 25 more expected today.
Greg “FBT” Mueller won two bracelets during the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP), coming out on top in the $10,000 World Championship of Limit Hold’em for $460,000 and a $1,500 Limit Hold’em Shootout for another $195,000. Moreover, he made a third final table, taking seventh place in the World Championship of Seven Card Stud for $53,000. All told, Mueller logged one of the most successful WSOP showings in history and is up to his winning ways once again in San Jose, California, the site of Bay 101.
Mueller sent Shooting Star and recent WPT Southern Poker Championship winner Hoyt Corkins out on Monday. The DoylesRoom pro was all-in before the flop with A-K, but Mueller, who is also a Shooting Star, picked up pocket aces. The board ran out Q-8-4-9-9 and Corkins signed over a commemorative shirt. Mueller also laid claim to the $5,000 cash bonus. The former hockey player has the second largest chip stack after Day 1A at 132,800, trailing only chip leader Vanna Tea’s 143,900.
Yevgeniy “Jovial Gent” Timoshenko is the reigning WPT Championship winner and also took down the 2009 PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) Main Event for $1.7 million. In 2008, Timoshenko found the winner’s circle of the Asian Poker Tour’s (APT) Macau Main Event for $500,000. Timoshenko, a Shooting Star, owned the fourth largest stack when play wrapped up for the night on Monday at 97,600. A total of 53 players remained of the 136 who entered.
Timoshenko dropped a portion of his stack late in the day. He led out for 6,900 into a pot of 10,000 on a board reading K-8-4-6-5. Team PokerStars Pro front man Daniel Negreanu made the call and turned over 5-4 of hearts for two pair. Timoshenko had K-J for top pair and was a victim of a less-than-stellar river card. The hand boosted Negreanu to 50,000 in chips, but he ended the day with just 19,600, the 48th largest stack.
The first Shooting Star to depart was T.J. Cloutier, who shoved on a flop of A-J-4 holding pocket queens. Wade Griffith held A-J in the hand for top two pair and Cloutier failed to improve on the turn or river. Griffith finished in 42nd place after Day 1A with a stack of 30,000 chips.
Besides Mueller, Timoshenko and Negreanu, the Shooting Stars who survived the day were Mike Matusow (39th place with 35,100), Freddy Deeb (41st place with 30,800), and Steve Brecher (51st place with 10,800). Here are the top 10 chip stacks after the first of two starting days at Bay 101:
1. Vanna Tea - 143,900
2. Greg Mueller - 132,800
3. Oddie Dardon - 105,500
4. Yevgeniy “Jovial Gent” Timoshenko - 97,600
5. Joseph Elpayaa - 87,300
6. Scott Montgomery - 84,800
7. Chris “Fox” Wallace - 84,100
8. Bruce Kramer - 81,200
9. Daniel LaFrance - 79,400
10. Tyson Marks - 74,000
When play wrapped up for the day, the action was in Level 9, where the blinds were 300-600 with an ante of 75. No Shooting Star has ever won Bay 101 since it became part of the WPT in 2004.
As an added bonus, Tea pocketed a $10,000 cash prize for leading the pack after Day 1A; the leader after Day 1B will also collect $10,000. The cards hit the air at 10:45am PT this morning.
Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest WPT results.
Bounty Hunting at Bay 101
Created by Bay 101 owner Marko Trapani 14 years ago, tournament director Matt Savage says the concept was based on the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, which draws some of the best golfers in the world, a host of celebrities and thousands of spectators to the Northern California coast every year.
Trapani's original plan was to try and draw the world's best rounders to a fan and player friendly $1k buy-in event in the Bay Area.
When it first started, the bounties were a bunch of Trapani's friends, but it slowly grew and when the World Poker Tour came along seven years later, Savage says they bumped up the buy-in and had a perfect fit.
"It's great for TV and the fans because it's a really unique tournament," he said. "With the $5k bounties, $10k for the chip leader at the end of the first day and six-handed play with 36 left, it's unlike any other tournament in poker."
Unique tournament structures also make for unique tournament strategies.
"Some people chase the bounties," Savage said. "The local players sometimes are just out here to get the bounties. They think, 'Hey, I won my way in through a $200 satellite, now I have the chance to pick up five thousand,' so they might make a loose call.
"That's why one or two of the shooting stars make the final table every year, because people are going after them and if they pick up chips, they're tough to get."
Team UB Pro Brandon Cantu loves the format and actually won the event in 2009, collecting a record six bounties on his way to the title.
"This is one of my favorite tournaments," he said. "And I actually do hunt the bounties. It's nice to try and get the buy-in back, so I'm really a fan of going after the bounties."
Cantu went wire-to-wire in 2008, taking the chip lead on his Day 1 and the $10k prize it came with.
He says that's the kind of thing that really makes the event fun to play and keeps the fans on the rail entertained throughout.
"I was actually going for it," he said. "When I was 8,000 behind late in the day, I really went for it. I wanted it."
What Cantu didn't enjoy was being a bounty for the first time last year.
"People played really differently against me," he said. "It seemed like they were up to no good all the time and it just changed my whole mindset.
"I didn't know where I was in a hand as much as I usually do. I didn't like it."
Phil Laak has a bounty on his head and says it changes just about everything.
"I love it, but it really sucks as a bounty when your chip stack starts diminishing," he said. "You are forced to get real hands, because people are going to call you down, often correctly.
"But it is nice when you have some chips, because people are going to take some incorrect lines to try and chase you."
Like it or not, with a rail full of fans watching the biggest names in the game here in San Jose this week, Trapani's plan has worked.
Action at the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star continues through March 12. For comprehensive coverage, tune in to PokerListings' Live Updates and News.
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Face the Ace Lawsuit Dismissed in Nevada’s Eighth District Court
On Monday, Poker News Daily learned that the Eighth District Court in Nevada dismissed a lawsuit filed by Brandon McSmith, who claimed ownership of the idea for the NBC poker game show “Face the Ace.”
McSmith can now file an appeal or seek the intervention of a federal court. McSmith told Poker News Daily that while he was disappointed in the decision, he’s optimistic an appeal will be successful: “Judge Michelle Leavitt dismissed the case on the basis that I didn't state a claim. Leavitt has her fair share of appeals that have gone against her.”
McSmith purportedly created a show dubbed the “All Star Poker Challenge” in which five pros would take on contestants in a series of heads-up matches similar to the structure of “Face the Ace.” Each match was worth $2,000 in prize money and players who fought through all five pros would take home a trip to the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. On “Face the Ace,” the top prize was $1 million and only three matches were held.
On why Leavitt may have dismissed his case, McSmith told Poker News Daily, “She didn't want to listen to any of the evidence before her. Under Nevada procedures, you state a claim that's plausible. I'm trying not to be negative, but it looked like it was stacked against me. I will either appeal it or file in federal court. It gives the FBI a little more time to investigate.”
The FBI became involved in the copyright infringement case late last week, when McSmith successfully contacted Arlo Devlin-Brown of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Devlin-Brown was one of the primary forces behind a $30 million online poker funds seizure last July that affected more than 24,000 players. It’s speculated that Devlin-Brown’s interest in the case may stem from the involvement of Full Tilt Poker, which sponsored “Face the Ace” and lent its pros to the program. 2009 WSOP Main Event November Niner Phil Ivey was the series’ very first pro challenger.
Poker PROductions brought “Face the Ace” to life. The production company also creates new episodes of GSN’s “High Stakes Poker” and NBC’s “Poker After Dark” and is headed by Mori Eskandani. On a timeline for his next move, McSmith forecasted, “I have my people working on it right now. It’ll be less than three weeks. We’re pulling everything together. I won't sit back and wait, but I want to make sure to cross my T’s and dot my I’s first. I'm not too worried about going to federal court. The big decision is if I want to get [Judge Leavitt's] decision overturned.”
McSmith sent a package to an FBI Special Agent containing hard copies of e-mails and other correspondence related to his claims to “Face the Ace.” The agent actually asked him why he didn’t file his copyright infringement case in federal court in the first place, an avenue that McSmith may now take. The plaintiff is a security worker at a casino in Las Vegas by trade.
“Face the Ace” debuted with a paltry 0.4 rating and a 2 share, equating to nearly 1.6 million viewers. It squared off against “America’s Most Wanted” on FOX, the Rachel McAdams movie “Red Eye” on ABC, and a re-run of “Numb3rs” on CBS, falling short in the ratings against all three programs. The series, which featured host Steve Schirripa of “The Sopranos” fame, has not yet been renewed for a second season. McSmith noted that despite the relative failure of the show, its worldwide syndication and being its creator make a lawsuit worthwhile.
Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest developments in the “Face the Ace” lawsuit.
Loses posted for Party Gaming
Isildur1 Steps on Sahamies
Ilari "Ziigmund" Sahamies would be the first player to take on the unknown Swedish pro.
After 451 hands of $300/$600 Pot-Limit Omaha, with Sahamies losing over $487k, the two moved their game to $500/$1,000 PLO, where they remained for 40 minutes.
By the end of the 259-hand nosebleed session, Sahamies logged off, down another $290,965.
With Sahamies gone, Isildur1 went on the hunt for his next opponent, finding him in Justin "ZeeJustin" Bonomo. The two played $200/$400 NLHE for 791 hands with Bonomo finishing up $187k.
Looking to bounce back after that NLHE loss, Isildur1 took on the CardRunners team, playing both Cole South and Brian Hastings heads-up at the same time.
Despite starting the year off with a white-hot streak of wins, South lost $334k over his 825 hands, while Hastings made $330k over a shorter 224-hand match, all at $300/$600 PLO.
Hastings, who holds the online record for most money made in a single session after crushing Isildur1 for $4.2 million on Full Tilt late in 2009, tried to repeat his feat, convincing Isildur1 to move their game back up to $500/$1,000, where they played for another 468 hands.
Although Hastings was unable to make anything close to $4.2 million, he came away from the nosebleed session with another $219k, up over half a million total on the day.
After some small sessions at smaller stakes games, Isildur1 sat for his final heads-up sessions, giving South a chance to get even on the day.
After 565 hands of $100/$200 PLO, and South getting himself suck another $222k, the two doubled the stakes, finishing their session with 344 hands at $200/$400.
Although he wasn't able to get completely out of the hole, South managed to make back $77,958 before the end of the match.
In total, Isildur1 added $572,746 to his roll, putting him up well over $1 million in 2010 so far.
Below you can find Isildur1's three largest hands of the day. To see more hands from Isildur1, including the $1.3 million dollar largest-ever online pot, head to MarketPulse.
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Women Rule the Day at Bay 101
After all, Bay 101 has seen deeper runs by women than any other venue on the World Poker Tour.
At the 2007 edition of the popular bounty event, Joanne Liu made runner-up to Ted Forrest in an attempt to become the WPT's first female champion.
Then last year, veteran pro Kathy Liebert matched the feat, finishing second to 2009 champion Steve Brecher.
Liebert's runner-up finish helped push her up and over $5.6 million in career tournament earnings, making her far and away the number one earning female poker player of all time.
Being the number one female player in the game is not exactly the reason Liebert plays the game, but it's certainly an honor she cherishes.
"Being a top poker player is more important to me than being a top female poker player," she said. "But being the top woman in poker is something I'm proud of. There are a lot of women trying to catch up to me."
One of the women chasing Liebert is two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner and respected high-stakes cash game pro Jennifer Harman.
Though Harman, who currently sits fifth on the all-time female money list and made the final table at Bay 101 in 2008 finishing third, really sees herself as just one of the boys.
"I look at myself as a poker player," she explained. "I don't believe in the whole gender thing because this is a co-ed sport.
"You shouldn't get kudos for being a woman or a man, you should get kudos for being a great poker player and that's all."
International Women's Day is about celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past.
But even as women like Liu, Liebert and Harman continue to achieve in poker, it appears many men on the felt refuse to treat them as equals.
"I think some men treat women with no respect at the table and some men treat women with too much respect," said Harman. "For me, since I'm like old furniture in this business, they just treat me the same as anybody else. They don't play any differently against me because I'm a woman, but I know with some women they do."
Regardless, Harman, who booked her first major cash in a poker tournament 16 years ago, says the game is changing all the time and more women are flocking to it every day.
"When I first started, I would walk into a poker room and there would be me," she said. "Now you walk into a poker room and there are one or two women at every table.
"I think it's grown and it will continue to grow. A lot of women are still intimidated, but I know they enjoy the game and they want to do it, they just need to take that next step, because poker can be a lot of fun."
Liebert says she feels a lot of love and support from female fans of the game, many of whom she sees following her lead.
"I always have women coming up to me and telling me they are rooting for me," she said. "And they feel like if I'm a woman and I can do it they can do it to."
Action at the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star continues through March 12. For comprehensive coverage, tune in to PokerListings' Live Updates and News.
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Dwan adds to his lead in the “Durrrr Challenge” against Antonius
The “Durrrr Challenge” continued earlier today and Tom Dwan managed to increase his lead against Antonius by 342.000 dollars. He is now almost 1,8 million dollars ahead.
It doesn’t look that shabby for Patrik Antonius at the moment, although they have only played 33,242 hands of the total 50k hands so anything can happen. Dwan leads by $1.755.708 now.
You can find the biggest hands of the session here.
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Dwan adds to his lead in the “Durrrr Challenge” against Antonius
Annie Duke Wins 2010 National Heads Up Poker Championship
The first female champion of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship was crowned on Sunday as UB.com pro and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke took down the title and its corresponding $500,000 top prize.
Duke defeated eight-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Erik Seidel in the finals. She was nearly sent packing against Paul Wasicka in the round of 16, but trumped pocket aces with A-10 and pocket jacks with 8-5 of diamonds to move on. Duke beat Wasicka to face 2007 WSOP Main Event winner Jerry Yang in the Elite Eight. In the five previous installments of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, Duke had only made it out of the opening round once.
Against Yang, a bevy of all-ins occurred, as her opponent doubled up with 3-6 against K-9, pocket threes against J-7, and even A-4 against A-K. Yang was finally sent to the rails holding J-3 against Duke’s A-8. The flop came A-J-2, giving Yang middle pair and Duke top pair. The turn and river were a 10 and nine, respectively, missing Yang and handing Duke a ticket to the Final Four against 2008 WSOP Main Event November Nine member Dennis Phillips.
After falling behind, Phillips doubled up after pushing pre-flop with K-J of diamonds. Duke called with a baby ace, A-5, and watched as the flop came K-Q-6, pushing Phillips out in front with top pair. No help came on the turn for Duke and the river improved Phillips to trips. In the final hand of the battle between Phillips and Duke, the former committed his chips with A-8 and was up against pocket sevens for a race. The board fell 9-3-2-6-4 and Duke advanced to the finals. Phillips earned $125,000 for his efforts in the invite-only poker tournament.
The finals were held in a best of three format and Duke quickly jumped out to a 1-0 lead on the Full Tilt Poker pro. Seidel was all-in on a flush draw with 8-6 of spades on a board reading 7-K-J with two spades. Duke had A-K for top pair, top kicker and dodged spades on the turn and river to claim the first match against Seidel.
In the second match, a sizable pot brewed when Seidel flipped up the Doyle Brunson, 10-2, on a board of 2-8-K-2-4. Then, Seidel took down match number two after Duke committed her chips with K-5 against Seidel’s 7-8. The flop came 9-6-4 with two hearts and the five of hearts on turn gave Seidel a straight. Duke could win if a heart fell on the river, but instead a black nine hit to set up the rubber match.
In the final hand of the third match, Duke’s pocket nines held against Seidel’s A-2. Duke banked a half-million dollars for winning the 2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship, while Seidel earned a $250,000 consolation prize. Seidel had never made it out of the first round of the unique bracket tournament.
In a Guest Column two weeks ago on Poker News Daily, Duke seemingly forecasted the final match-up of the 2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship: “Erik Seidel and I were joking that we have bad records in that event. He’s a brilliant player, but has never won a match, and I’ve won one. I don’t care who I draw; I just want to win my [first round] match.”
Here were the final payouts:
1st Place: Annie Duke - $500,000
2nd Place: Erik Seidel - $250,000
3rd Place: Scotty Nguyen - $125,000
4th Place: Dennis Phillips - $125,000
5th Place: Jerry Yang - $75,000
6th Place: Doyle Brunson - $75,000
7th Place: Jason Mercier - $75,000
8th Place: Peter Eastgate - $75,000
9th Place: Paul Wasicka - $25,000
10th Place: Eli Elezra - $25,000
11th Place: Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad - $25,000
12th Place: Barry Greenstein - $25,000
13th Place: Gabe Kaplan – $25,000
14th Place: Phil Laak - $25,000
15th Place: Chris Moneymaker - $25,000
16th Place: Jamie Gold - $25,000
A total of 13 former WSOP Main Event champions entered. Amazingly, nearly half of them, or six, made the top 16. Other former Main Event winners who played included Joe Cada (2009), Huck Seed (1996), Joe Hachem (2005), Johnny Chan (1987, 1988), Chris Ferguson (2000), Phil Hellmuth (1989), and Greg Raymer (2004).
You can catch the 2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship on NBC beginning on Sunday, April 18th at Noon ET. We're sure that the tournament will come up on this Sunday's webcast of the Kevin Pollak Chat Show, which will feature Duke in a broadcast sponsored by Poker News Daily.
Image courtesy NBC Sports.
Tags: 2008, 2009, 2010, Annie Duke, Barry Greenstein, Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth, tournament, trips, WSOP
Women Rule the Day at Bay 101
After all, Bay 101 has seen deeper runs by women than any other venue on the World Poker Tour.
At the 2007 edition of the popular bounty event, Joanne Liu made runner-up to Ted Forrest in an attempt to become the WPT's first female champion.
Then last year, veteran pro Kathy Liebert matched the feat, finishing second to 2009 champion Steve Brecher.
Liebert's runner-up finish helped push her up and over $5.6 million in career tournament earnings, making her far and away the number one earning female poker player of all time.
Being the number one female player in the game is not exactly the reason Liebert plays, but it's certainly an honor she cherishes.
"Being a top poker player is more important to me than being a top female poker player," she said. "But being the top woman in poker is something I'm proud of. There are a lot of women trying to catch up to me."
One of the women chasing Liebert is two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner and respected high-stakes cash game pro Jennifer Harman.
Though Harman, who currently sits fifth on the all-time female money list and made the final table at Bay 101 in 2008 finishing third, really sees herself as just one of the boys.
"I look at myself as a poker player," she explained. "I don't believe in the whole gender thing because this is a co-ed sport.
"You shouldn't get kudos for being a woman or a man, you should get kudos for being a great poker player and that's all."
International Women's Day is about celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past.
But even as women like Liu, Liebert and Harman continue to achieve in poker, it appears many men on the felt refuse to treat them as equals.
"I think some men treat women with no respect at the table and some men treat women with too much respect," said Harman. "For me, since I'm like old furniture in this business, they just treat me the same as anybody else. They don't play any differently against me because I'm a woman, but I know with some women they do."
Regardless, Harman, who booked her first major cash in a poker tournament 16 years ago, says the game is changing all the time and more women are flocking to it every day.
"When I first started, I would walk into a poker room and there would be me," she said. "Now you walk into a poker room and there are one or two women at every table.
"I think it's grown and it will continue to grow. A lot of women are still intimidated, but I know they enjoy the game and they want to do it, they just need to take that next step, because poker can be a lot of fun."
Liebert says she feels a lot of love and support from female fans of the game, many of whom she sees following her lead.
"I always have women coming up to me and telling me they are rooting for me," she said. "And they feel like if I'm a woman and I can do it they can do it to."
Action at the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star continues through March 12. For comprehensive coverage, tune in to PokerListings' Live Updates and News.
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Duke Dominates in NBC Heads-Up Win
"I'm so excited to win such a prestigious event and join the likes of Huck Seed, Chris Ferguson and Phil Hellmuth as Heads-Up Champion," said Duke, who became the first-ever woman to win the NBC Heads-Up title.
"I came into this tournament really focused and it feels great to finally break through in this event."
The road to victory at Caesars Palace was not an easy one for the UB sponsored pro. She beat 2008 runner-up Andy Bloch in the first round before getting past 2009 WSOP Main Event runner-up Darvin Moon in the round of 32.
Next up was 2007 champion Paul Wasicka who looked to have the best of Duke when she was all in with ace-ten against his pocket aces at one point. Miraculously, Duke went runner-runner to make a straight, take the lead and eventually move on.
"I would have loved all of my matches to be easy," said Duke. "I'm sure (Producer) Mori (Eskandani) is happy though, because it's going to give the show some serious drama.
"One thing's for sure, I can never complain about bad beats again after hitting that runner-runner king-queen against Paul Wasicka."
In the end, Duke beat eight-time WSOP bracelet winner Erik Seidel in the best-of-three final to bank the $500,000 first-place prize.
"Annie was my number one pick to win," said Seidel. "She played very tough. She had no fear. She really played the way you're supposed to play in this sort of structure."
A mother of four, Duke took some time off from her career as a professional poker player to film The Celebrity Apprentice last season.
Now she says a little time away from the game did her a world of good.
"I know what my main priority is and that's my family, so I'm never going to play as much poker as everyone else, but it's really nice to come back with a bang," she said. "I took the time off, I readjusted and now I've had some good results."
Vanessa Rousso made runner-up at the Heads-Up Championship in 2009, the deepest finish by a woman in the event before this year.
Duke said it's great to see so many female poker players rising to the top.
"I think it's great that a woman came in second last year and a woman finished first this year to really represent woman players," she said. "There are some great female poker players out there."
NBC's coverage of the 64-person event will air Sunday's at 12 p.m. ET beginning April 18 through May 23.
- With files from Matthew Showell
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Poker News in Brief: March 1-7, 2010
Between the LAPC and WPT Invitational winners, Isildur1 getting busy online and the start of the NBC National Heads-Up Championship there was nary a dull moment for poker fans.
As usual, we’re going to list some of the poker stories you might have missed as part of our ongoing Poker News in Brief feature.
This week we’re going to take a look at online gambling in Iowa, a WSOP all-star game, Roland de Wolfe winning a London tournament and more.
Legal Online Gambling in Iowa?
Iowa is the latest U.S. state apparently looking at legalizing online gambling.
Rep. Doug Struyk of Council Bluffs told the Quad City Times that 50,000 people in Iowa already participate in online gambling and the government could provide better protection for them if the industry was legalized and regulated.
Struyk’s proposal would regulate the practice through the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission.
If the proposal goes through Iowa would become the first state in the country to allow online gambling.
Tiger Woods Turns Down Paddy Poker Deal
Many of Tiger Woods major sponsors have dropped him since his sex scandal broke but at least one online poker room seems to have no problem with the golfer.
Ireland-based Paddy Power Poker reportedly offered the disgraced sports star a five-year deal worth $75 million to represent the site.
Although Woods has already turned the offer down, Paddy Power Poker has claimed it is planning on coming back with an even better offer in the future.
It’s not the first time a poker organization has offered a deal to a fallen sports star. Last summer the Asian Poker Tour invited Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps to its Macau event.
A picture of Phelps holding a bong surfaced on the internet in early 2009, which led to several sponsors dropping the multiple gold-medalist.
Check Paddy Power Poker for more.
Roland de Wolfe Wins London Open
Full Tilt pro Roland de Wolfe outlasted 110 players to win the 2010 Mansion Poker Les A London Open last week.
De Wolfe overcame a final table of mostly unknown players to win the £77,000 first place prize. The Hendon Mob’s Ross Boatman came in eighth place for £6,600.
The inaugural £2,000+£200 buy-in Mansion Poker Les A London Open ran February 23-24.
WSOP to Introduce All-Star Tournament?
It appears Harrah’s is interested in hosting some form of an all-star tournament at the 2010 WSOP.
Harrah’s released a cryptic message via the WSOP Twitter account this week that read:
“Which 20 WSOP Bracelet-Holders would you like to see compete in an All-Star game? Stay tuned…”
Last summer the WSOP held the 40th Anniversary Champions Invitational, which was open to every player that had won the Main Event. The tournament was won by 1983 World Champion Tom McEvoy.
In previous years, Harrah’s held a Tournament of Champions that featured a large number of notable pros. Annie Duke, Mike Matusow, and Mike Sexton were all winners of that event.
More Gold for Cake Poker Players in March
Cake Poker is giving its players two exclusive promotions during the month of March.
The first is the Cake Poker Turbo Gold Cards March Madness event that features Gold Cards dropping four times more often.
Gold Cards randomly appear in your account when you are playing ring games on Cake Poker. The cards are redeemable for cash or tournament entries depending on what card you receive.
Cake Poker will also be offering more satellites to the 2010 Irish Open, starting March 14.
"Dublin is a wonderful town and when you bring a major tournament there with the accompanying insane side action, it's hard to beat,” said Cake Poker room manager Lee Jones.
To learn more visit the Cake Poker website.
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Tags: 2009, 2010, aced, Annie Duke, cake poker, legal, legalizing, Mansion Poker, Online Poker, poker player, tournament, WSOP
Poker Predictions for 2010 by Mike Sexton
2009 was an amazing poker year. The first thing that jumps out at me is the continuing trend of young guys doing so well in live events. The two biggest events of the year were won by 21 year-olds. Yevgeniy Timoshenko captured the World Poker Tour (WPT) World Championship and Joe Cada won the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. They were the youngest players to ever win those events. By now, you must recognize that internet poker has developed a tremendous crux of terrific poker players and they continue to prove themselves in the biggest live events in the world.
I carried the torch for the old guys in 2009, the highlight being my induction into the Poker Hall of Fame on November 7th. The Poker Hall of Fame is the one area in poker that old guys have a big edge.
I am happy to point out that two well-known, experienced, high-stakes players had the best WSOP in 2009. Three bracelets and the best all-around player award went to Jeff Lisandro and poker superstar Phil Ivey won two bracelets and made the final table of the Main Event. You have to salute both those guys.
A real buzz was created in 2009 by the nosebleed high-stakes games online. It's difficult to follow the swings these guys take, which amounted to millions of dollars per week. These guys have moxy (a polite way of saying “balls”) that is hard to believe.
It's always exciting to think about what's ahead for the poker world. Here are some things I believe will happen in 2010:
1. The young guys will continue to dominate the big events in poker. I say that because the big events take at least four or five days to play and I believe the younger guys can handle those long, tough, consecutive sessions better than the older guys. Generally speaking, when stamina plays a role in something, young guys fare better.
2. The direction of online poker will finally come out of the "gray area." I believe that legislation will finally come forth in some fashion, so we'll know whether or not online poker will become regulated. If it's not on the federal level, I believe you'll see individual states, starting with California, attempt to legislate and regulate online poker.
3. More countries around the world will individually regulate online poker like Italy and France are doing. For those who may not know, those countries are legalizing online poker, but you can only play against players from your own country. This is the model I believe that individual U.S. states will follow.
4. The WPT will expand its brand worldwide with more live tournaments in more countries around the world. Party Gaming purchased the WPT, which bodes well for poker players around the world. Players can qualify online for these events at PartyPoker.com and, hopefully, other sites as well.
5. The enforcement of Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) will come to an end.
6. Here's a good thing: Far more money will be raised through poker charity events than has been in the past. PokerGives.org is designating September "Poker Charity Month," where numerous live casinos as well as online sites will hold charity events for PokerGives.org. In my mind, benefiting worthwhile charities is a big plus for the entire poker industry and players, management, and casinos should all do more to support charity events.
7. Two players will win two bracelets at the 2010 WSOP and no one will win three. I don't know who they will be, but I know who I'd bet on to do it.
8. I'm afraid that the trend will continue for women on the WPT. They won't win a $10,000 buy-in or higher event in 2010. There just aren't enough aggressive women in poker to favor them winning a WPT event. Incidentally, I hope I'm wrong about this prediction. Go ladies!
9. Two people will be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2010. The top candidates are Erik Seidel, Barry Greenstein, Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, and Tom McEvoy. Who do you like?
10. Championship poker events will continue to thrive and television will continue to play a major role in bringing more players into the poker world.
Best of luck to everyone in 2010!
Tags: 2009, 2010, Barry Greenstein, charity, Daniel Negreanu, ladies, legal, legalizing, Online Poker, Phil Ivey, poker player, tournament, women, WSOP
Tiger Woods Turns Down $75 Million Paddy Power Poker Sponsorship
Recently, gossip site TMZ reported that embattled professional golfer Tiger Woods, fresh off a highly publicized marital tiff, turned down a $75 million sponsorship offer from the online sports book, casino, and poker site Paddy Power.
As its name implies, Paddy Power makes its bread and butter off the Irish poker market. TMZ explained that the multi-faceted online outlet approached the 14-time major champion with an offer it thought Woods couldn’t refuse. TMZ recounted, “Tiger Woods just blew off a $75 million endorsement offer from an Irish gambling company – and that is how you know you’re rich.” The offer was reportedly for five years, but Woods snubbed the lucrative proposition despite its long-term potential.
The news comes one day after five-time NBA champion Dennis Rodman became the official celebrity endorser of the Cake Poker Network site Only Poker. Despite being dumped on the first round of negotiations, Paddy Power will apparently return to the bargaining table with another offer, according to TMZ. Paddy Power is a member of the massive iPoker Network, which is the fourth largest worldwide according to the traffic ranking site PokerScout.com. The network does not accept members from the United States.
Despite not accepting action from the populated North American nation, Paddy Power Poker could have used Woods’ recognition around the world to attract customers to its site. Woods has won golf tournaments across Europe, Asia, and Australia in addition to his domination on the links in North America. He’s arguably the most recognizable name in the world of golf.
In late 2009, disaster struck for Woods. A purported past of infidelity finally caught up to the golf superstar, leading to an infamous run-in featuring his wife Elin Nordegren, a Cadillac Escalade luxury SUV, a golf club, a fire hydrant, and a tree in front of his Florida home. As news of Woods’ crash spread around the internet like wildfire, major sponsors began questioning their relationship with the 34 year-old.
Among the first Fortune 500 companies to cut bait with Woods was Accenture, followed by AT&T, Gatorade, and Gillette. According to a study released by the University of California – Davis in late December, Woods’ extracurricular activities could have cost shareholders of associated companies between $5 billion and $12 billion. The study examined businesses including Accenture, AT&T, Electronic Arts, Gillette, Nike, Gatorade, TLC Laser Eye Centers, and Golf Digest. The study added that Woods raked in $100 million annually from endorsements, “more than any other athlete.”
Woods spoke to the media in mid-February about the incident and may return to golf. The Masters, which Woods has won four times, will kick off from Augusta National Golf Course outside of Atlanta on April 6th. He last took down the high-profile tournament in 2005.
Paddy Power Poker has a bevy of promotions taking place, including Cashpoint, whose format is similar to PartyPoker’s Gladiator. Paddy Power Poker players who rack up 100 points for 10 days or more during the month of March are eligible to win cash prizes. The site will take a player’s 10 highest earning point days during the month and match $1 for every 20 points earned on the lowest day. The minimum payout is $5 and players can also qualify for a $2,000 Cashpoint freeroll.
Other sites on the massive iPoker Network include bet365, CelebPoker, Chili Poker, Mansion Poker, Noble Poker, Sun Poker, Titan Poker, and William Hill. The publicly traded company Playtech owns and operates the network. Playtech is traded on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol “PTEC.”
Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest poker gossip on Woods and other celebrities.
Doyle Brunson Advances to Round 2 of National Heads-Up Poker Championship
Round 2 of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship plays out today from Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and will see the field trimmed from 32 to 16. Among those players still in contention is Doyle Brunson.
There was a question as to whether Brunson would even be able to play in the unique heads-up tournament after undergoing extensive dental surgery shortly after the Super Bowl last month. However, the DoylesRoom front man did more than just show up to the event in his backyard, he advanced to the second round. After an upset by GoDaddy Girl Vanessa Rousso in the opening round in 2009, Brunson defeated Brock “t soprano” Parker to advance in 2010.
In the pairing’s final hand. Parker was all-in with a wired pair of eights and Brunson showed A-Q of diamonds, setting up a race situation. The queen came as the window card and Brunson never looked back. Now, he’ll play actor and Ante Up for Africa co-founder Don Cheadle in the round of 32. Cheadle bested J.P. Kelly in the first round. Kelly won bracelets on both sides of the Atlantic last year after taking down a $1,500 Pot Limit Hold’em event in Las Vegas and a £1,000 No Limit Hold’em event in London.
In a clash of the titans in the first round, Full Tilt Poker’s Howard Lederer faced off against UB.com troublemaker Phil Hellmuth. Like the match-up between Parker and Brunson, this one came down to a race. Lederer moved all-in pre-flop with pocket tens and Hellmuth made the call with A-K of hearts. The flop came K-5-2, giving Hellmuth top pair, top kicker and a running 9-K sealed Lederer’s exit. This was Lederer’s fourth straight first round elimination in the National Heads-Up Poker Championship.
Next up for Hellmuth is another industry giant, Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad. The winner of the 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe Main Event, Obrestad outlasted former baseball great Orel Hershiser in first round action on Friday. The 2010 cycle of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship is Obrestad’s first appearance on the program, which will air on NBC. Obrestad Twittered on her next foe: “Won my match. Guess who im playing tomorrow.... Thats right... @philhellmuth. Sigh lol.”
Also advancing to the second round is 2009 WSOP Main Event runner-up Darvin Moon. Coverage found on PokerNews noted that the table featuring Moon and Caesars qualifier Bill Huntress was “the quietest table on set.” Huntress was all-in after a flop of Q-4-A with three clubs and showed J-8 of spades for what ESPN poker announcer Norman Chad would dub “nuclear squadoosh.” Moon showed K-10, including the ten of clubs, for straight and flush draws. He also, rather amazingly, held the best hand. The turn and river fell a nine and seven, respectively, ending any hopes of the qualifier making it through to the next round. Moon’s second round opponent is Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke.
All but one qualifier of the seven who entered was eliminated in first round play, as Stephen Quinn upset Ted Forrest yesterday. Here are the second round match-ups for the 2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship:
Clubs Bracket
Chris Moneymaker vs Leo Wolpert
David Williams vs Erik Seidel
Erick Lindgren vs Peter Eastgate
Stephen Quinn vs Jamie Gold
Spades Bracket
Phil Ivey vs Scotty Nguyen
Joe Hachem vs Gabe Kaplan
Jason Mercier vs Pieter de Korver
Phil Gordon vs Phil Laak
Hearts Bracket
Allen Cunningham vs Eli Elezra
Chris Ferguson vs Dennis Phillips
Doyle Brunson vs Don Cheadle
Phil Hellmuth vs Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad
Diamonds Bracket
Barry Greenstein vs Sammy Farha
Jennifer Harman vs Jerry Yang
Darvin Moon vs Annie Duke
Paul Wasicka vs Gus Hansen
The action resumes inside Caesars Palace in Las Vegas at 1:00pm PT and will play down to a field of 16. The winner of the 2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship will be determined on Sunday. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest.
2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship Bracket Set
The field of 64 is set in the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, which will air on NBC. One of the highlights of the opening round is a titanic showdown between PokerStars pros Jason Mercier and Daniel Negreanu, who have both been on a hot streak.
Mercier and Negreanu made the final table of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe Main Event last year. Mercier finished fourth in the £10,000 buy-in poker tournament, while Negreanu fell heads-up to CardPlayer Magazine owner Barry Shulman after entering as the short stack. Mercier and Negreanu collected £267,000 and £495,000 for their efforts, respectively. Both are bracelet winners and members of Team PokerStars Pro.
Mercier enters the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, which is emanating from Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, on a high note. Last week, the Florida native took third in the L.A. Poker Classic’s High-Roller event for $141,000. In December, Mercier won a $5,000 HORSE event during the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic for $100,000. Negreanu made waves during the recent PartyPoker Premier League, finishing fourth at the final table. Heading into Thursday’s draw party, Negreanu Tweeted his desired first round opponent: “Headed down to Pure for the NBC HU draw party and I'm hoping to NOT draw one of the 7 qualifiers or a woman. Record going into #6 is 7-5.”
Meanwhile, two titans of the online poker industry will tangle, as 13 bracelets will meet when Full Tilt Poker front man Howard Lederer takes on UB.com bad boy Phil Hellmuth. Lederer was fourth on Bluff Magazine’s recent Power 20 list, while Hellmuth leads the all-time bracelet count with 11. Both have crafty nicknames, as “The Professor” will take on “The Poker Brat” in a high-stakes first round encounter.
In an all-female first round showdown, Full Tilt Poker’s Jennifer Harman is paired up with actress Jennifer Tilly. A total of seven women will make their way to Caesars Palace in Las Vegas today for first round action. Joining Harman and Tilly to add estrogen to the field are Annie Duke, Annette Dworski, Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad, Vanessa Rousso, and Kara Scott. Six women took to the field in 2009, including Rousso, who finished as the runner-up to Huck Seed.
Those in the hunt for the title range between 21 (Obrestad) and 76 years-old (Doyle Brunson). The tournament hits television airwaves on NBC beginning on April 18th and will run for six consecutive Sundays. The ultimate survivor of the single elimination heads-up tournament pockets $500,000, while its runner-up takes home a cool $250,000. Here’s a look at the first round match-ups in the 2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship:
Clubs Bracket – Top Half
Patrik Antonius vs Chris Moneymaker
Leo Wolpert vs Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin
David Williams vs Joe Cada
Erik Seidel vs Huck Seed
Clubs Bracket – Bottom Half
Dan Ramirez vs Erick Lindgren
Peter Eastgate vs Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier
Stephen Quinn vs Ted Forrest
Dario Minieri vs Jamie Gold
Spades Bracket – Top Half
Gavin Smith vs Phil Ivey
Richard Edwards vs Scotty Nguyen
Shawn “westtexasman” Rice vs Joe Hachem
Gabe Kaplan vs Johnny Chan
Spades Bracket – Bottom Half
Daniel Negreanu vs Jason Mercier
Pieter de Korver vs Mike Sexton
Phil Gordon vs Tom “durrrr” Dwan
Phil Laak vs John Juanda
Hearts Bracket – Top Half
Jesper Hougaard vs Allen Cunningham
Eli Elezra vs Greg “FBT” Mueller
Annette Dworski vs Chris Ferguson
Kara Scott vs Dennis Phillips
Hearts Bracket – Bottom Half
Brock “t soprano” Parker vs Doyle Brunson
J.P. Kelly vs Don Cheadle
Howard Lederer vs Phil Hellmuth
Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad vs Orel Hershiser
Diamonds Bracket – Top Half
Barry Greenstein vs Vanessa Rousso
Sammy Farha vs Antonio Esfandiari
Jennifer Harman vs Jennifer Tilly
Jerry Yang vs Mike Matusow
Diamonds Bracket – Bottom Half
Darvin Moon vs Bill Huntress
Andy Bloch vs Annie Duke
Andrew Wilson vs Paul Wasicka
Gus Hansen vs Greg Raymer
Rice and Huntress both qualified for the National Heads-Up Poker Championship at the host casino, while Dworski, Edwards, Quinn, Ramirez, and Wilson all won online satellites. The tournament’s first round will play out today, while the second round will take place on Saturday. The quarterfinals, semifinals, and championship match will all pan out on Sunday. Here are today's start times:
Clubs Bracket - 1:30pm PT
Diamonds Bracket - 4:00pm PT
Spades Bracket - 7:00pm PT
Hearts Bracket - 9:30pm PT
Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from Caesars Palace.
WSOP May Hold All Star Game
In a Tweet posted on Wednesday by officials from the World Series of Poker (WSOP), it was revealed that a special All Star Game may be in the works. Its format and players involved are currently unclear.
A Tweet from the WSOP cryptically questioned, “Which 20 WSOP Bracelet-Holders would you like to see compete in an All-Star game? Stay tuned... #WSOP.” Last year, the WSOP held its first ever Champions Invitational, which featured 20 former Main Event winners vying in a made-for-television tournament for a vintage car. 1983 WSOP Main Event winner Tom McEvoy, a PokerStars sponsored pro, ultimately came out on top and drove home in a classic 1970 Corvette.
The tournament aired on ESPN, which owns the exclusive rights to the annual Las Vegas spectacle. Others who participated in the grand event included WSOP Main Event champs Amarillo Slim, Berry Johnston, Jim Bechtel, Huck Seed, Scotty Nguyen, Carlos Mortensen, Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer, Joe Hachem, Jamie Gold, and Jerry Yang.
When prompted for comment by Poker News Daily, Harrah’s officials were equally vague, saying about the Tweet, “It was cryptic for a reason. I’m intrigued, are you?” In December, Harrah’s released the 2010 WSOP schedule, which kicks off with the annual $500 Casino Employees No Limit Hold’em event on May 28th. On the same day, a brand new $50,000 buy-in Player’s Championship will begin. The event will be televised by ESPN and take on an eight-game format: Limit Hold’em, Omaha High-Low Split Eight or Better, Seven Card Razz, Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud High-Low Split Eight or Better, No Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha, and 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball.
Although no word has been handed down, it appears that 20 players, according to a fan vote, will compete for a grand prize during the 2010 WSOP. Given the internet vote, many posters on TwoPlusTwo questioned the makeup of the field. TwoPlusTwo member “Kevmath” explained, “If they allow voting on the internet, I'm sure someone not as deserving could sneak their way into the field.”
For example, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, born in 1986, was nominated by the general public through an online vote to become a nominee for the Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2009. A nominating committee was quick to squash his bid, charging that Dwan had not yet stood the test of time, one of the criteria required for entry. Instead, names tossed out by TwoPlusTwo members as possible participants in a WSOP All Star Game include 11-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth and popular female pro Jennifer Tilly.
Others called for several side events during the All Star Game, similar to the Slam Dunk Contest and Three-Point Shootout held during basketball’s All Star Weekend. “TheCanoe” explained some possible diversions: “Chip Stacking with Carlos Mortensen, Beer drinking with Scotty, [and] Scooter races with Doyle.”
One poster even tossed out an idea whereby players could rebuy according to the number of bracelets they own, meaning that Hellmuth could buy back in 11 times. Players who would be well off under this setup include Doyle Brunson (10 bracelets), Johnny Chan (10 bracelets), Erik Seidel (eight bracelets), Phil Ivey (seven bracelets), and Billy Baxter (seven bracelets).
TwoPlusTwo posters also clamored for the women of poker to join the All-Star fray like GoDaddy Girl Vanessa Rousso, UB.com pro Liv Boeree, and Tilly, who has long been associated with Unabomber Poker namesake Phil Laak. Other possibilities include Annie Duke, Linda Johnson, Kara Scott, Tiffany Michelle, Isabelle Mercier, and Maria Ho.
Not everyone was optimistic about the end product. TwoPlusTwo poster “ptartaglio” explained the mindset of some in the online poker community: “These types of tournaments are always horrible. They never have the better players, only the recognized players, and they always turn them into crapshoots. The Tournament of Champions that Mike Sexton won wasn't too bad for TV, but other than that they [are] horrible.” The first Tournament of Champions was held in 2004 and featured Duke earning the winner-take-all $2 million prize. Sexton won the event in 2006.
We’ll keep you posted on the latest WSOP news on Poker News Daily. Who would you like to see in a Poker All Star Game? Leave us a comment here and let us know.
PartyGaming PLC Announces 2009 Financial Report
As most companies in the online gaming world continue to roll out their 2009 fiscal reports, many have reflected last year’s softer economy in their revenues. On Wednesday, PartyGaming PLC was the latest to announce its 2009 fiscal reports and demonstrated that the company was affected by the fiscal roller coaster of 2009.
For the year that ended on December 31st, 2009, PartyGaming showed a slight decline in overall net revenues for the year. In 2009, PartyGaming was able to show a net revenue of $446.2 million, a 5.7% decline from $472.9 million in 2008. What was intriguing about the breakdown of revenues is that the online poker room was nearly eclipsed by the online casino operation.
What is considered the linchpin of PartyGaming, the highly popular online poker operation PartyPoker showed a significant decline in net profits for the year. In 2009, PartyPoker drew net revenues of $196.7 million, which is a 28.3% decline from $274 million in 2008. Other gaming options were able to make up for this drop, however.
The online casino arm of the company, PartyCasino saw net revenues of $196.2 million, a 12.1% increase over its 2008 net revenues of $175 million. Two other areas of the PartyGaming operation, PartyBingo and the online sports book, each outpaced 2008 earnings by bringing in $32.8 million (an astounding 555% increase over the $5.9 million earned in 2008) and $19 million (a slight increase of 5% over its $18 million in 2008), respectively.
Two actions by PartyGaming during 2009 had a noticeable effect on the bottom line of the company. In April 2009, PartyGaming resolved its dispute with the U.S. Department of Justice as to its online gaming activities in the United States prior to the enactment of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006. In that settlement, PartyGaming agreed to pay $105 million over the next 3½ years in semi-annual payments. Over the remainder of 2009, PartyGaming held to the settlement and issued $15 million in payments to the U.S. government.
The second action that influenced the PartyGaming was their acquisition of two components that should have a tremendous influence on the company’s future. In July, PartyGaming was able to acquire Cashcade, a successful online bingo and casino operator, for a reported £95.9 million. This acquisition made an immediate impact on the 2009 fortunes of PartyGaming, as reflected by the year-end results of PartyBingo. The second acquisition, the purchase of the venerable World Poker Tour for $12.3 million at the end of 2009, has not yet had a significant impact on PartyGaming’s bottom line, but the future of the long-running poker tournament series seems secure in the hands of PartyGaming.
Jim Ryan, PartyGaming's Chief Executive Officer, stated during the announcement, “We delivered a solid performance during 2009, which demonstrated the resilience of our business model that continues to generate strong cash flow, even in the most challenging of circumstances.” As to the businesses that PartyGaming acquired in 2009 and the outlook for 2010, Ryan said, “With some acquisitions and major B2B (business-to-business) deals already under our belt, we plan to do more in 2010 and I believe we are on course to meet our objective of becoming the world’s most valuable online gaming company.” Reuters reports that PartyGaming is still looking for other companies to either acquire or merge with to continue to drive their impact in the online gaming market.
Following the announcement of PartyGaming’s 2009 performance, the company's stock price rose nicely. Traded on the London Stock Exchange under the prefix “PRTY.L,” thee stock closed at 303 pence on Wednesday. At the open of trading today, PartyGaming’s stock started at 300.5 pence and rose to 310.1 pence by the close of trading on Thursday evening in London.
Ryan is extremely confident about the outlook for PartyGaming in 2010, stating, “While the macroeconomic environment remains uncertain, we remain focused on executing our stated strategy and are confident about the Group’s prospects.”
PartyGaming Poker Revenues Drop
"Whilst the macroeconomic environment remains uncertain, we remain focused on executing our stated strategy and are confident about the Group's prospects," said PartyGaming CEO Jim Ryan.
The Gibraltar-based company, which runs PartyPoker, dropped from a $66.9 million profit in 2008 as total revenue declined 6% to $446.2 million.
The loss is being blamed partly on the $105 million settlement the company signed with the U.S. Attorney's Office in April to avoid prosecution for providing Internet gambling services to U.S. customers prior to the enactment of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA).
Under the terms of the agreement, PartyGaming agreed to stay out of the U.S. Internet gambling market under current legislation and is hoping, should the legislation change, it would be in a prime position to move back in.
"We believe that at some point the U.S. will regulate online gaming and we want to be ready to take that opportunity," said Ryan. "We have a number of organizations who are willing to do business with us. It is our ticket back."
While the weakness of the English Pound was a factor in the loss, a fall in poker revenues to $196.7 million from $274.0 million in 2008 also played a large role.
However, Ryan is pointing to the fact revenues have already turned around in the first two months of 2010 as a reason for continued optimism.
New player sign-ups on PartyPoker increased to an average of 1,700 per day with 55,900 active players on the site every day generating average gross daily poker revenues of $709,000 throughout January and February 2010.
"We delivered a solid performance during 2009 which demonstrated the resilience of our business model that continues to generate strong cash flow, even in the most challenging of circumstances," Ryan added. "We plan to do more in 2010 and I believe we are on course to meet our objective of becoming the world's most valuable online gaming company."
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No more “2 Months, $2 million”!
According to PokerNewsDaily (PND), the cable station G4 will not renew the reality poker show “2 Months, $2 Million”.
Jay “Krantz” Rosenkrantz told the bad news to PND. Now “Krantz”, Dani Stern, Emil Patel and Brian Roberts are wondering what they are going to do in the future.
The half-hour episodes of “2 Months, $2 Million” was broadcasted in last Autumn. The four poker players had a task to win 2 million dollars in 2 months. They eventually won only $676.000 after the show was finished.
Source: PokerNewsDaily
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Isildur1 wins $112k
Swedish Isildur1 is trying to make yet another comeback at Full Tilt Poker. Last night he won 112k dollars from $50/$100 and $100/$200 CAP PLO games.
Let’s see what he is up to next. He won almost 1,6 million dollars in two days last month, but then lost a bit over $900k and moved to smaller stakes.
Brian Townsend has lost the most in the last 24 hours. He has lost about $200.000 now.
Source: Highstakesdb
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Dennis Rodman Joins Only Poker: The Bad Boy is Back
Five-time National Basketball Association (NBA) champion Dennis Rodman has officially signed with Only Poker. An anonymous employee of the site confirmed the news to Poker News Daily and Rodman now appears on Only Poker’s website.
As first reported by Poker News Daily in February, Rodman will become the latest celebrity spokesman for an online poker site. Only Poker is part of the USA-facing Cake Poker Network and seeks to make a big-time splash by landing the 6’8” NBA superstar. A graphic that appears on Only Poker’s home page shows the tattooed marvel donning an Only Poker hat and black polo shirt. The headline above his image reads, “The Bad Boy is Back.”
The site’s motto is, appropriately, “No Bullshit, Only Poker.” It offers a 110% sign-up bonus and makes its home on the massive Cake Poker Network alongside sites like Cake Poker, DoylesRoom, Lock Poker, and Red Star Poker. The Cake Poker Network is the 10th largest worldwide by the number of cash game players according to the traffic ranking site PokerScout.com. It boasts a seven-day running average of 1,920 real money ring game players and its traffic is on par with that found on the Entraction and Microgaming Networks.
An anonymous employee at Only Poker leaked the signing to Poker News Daily in February, cryptically explaining that a “major sports celebrity who has won numerous championships during their career” would soon be inking an agreement to represent Only Poker. That figure was widely speculated to be Rodman, whose magical runs with the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls in the 1990s earned him five NBA championship rings. Rodman was an NBA All-Star in 1990 and 1992 and led the league in rebounding for seven years. He last appeared in the NBA in 2000 as a member of the Dallas Mavericks.
One of this author’s fondest memories of Rodman occurred in early 1997, when he kicked courtside cameraman Eugene Amos in the groin after chasing a loose ball. Rodman was suspended by the NBA for more than 10 games as a result of the incident, which sent shockwaves through the Chicago market. Rodman was briefly married to Carmen Electra and won Season 4 of ABC’s “The Mole.”
The new Only Poker pro was a contestant on NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice,” appearing on the same cycle as UB.com pro and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke. Rodman was fired in the fifth week of the show after a real-life boardroom intervention. The basketball star’s apparent alcohol abuse led to his demise on the show.
Following his stint on “Celebrity Apprentice,” Rodman appeared in the third installment of “Celebrity Rehab” with Dr. Drew Pinsky. Others who appeared on Rodman’s season of the VH1 show were “Pearl Harbor” actor Tom Sizemore, Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss, and country music artist Mindy McCready. Rodman was scheduled to play in the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Ante Up for Africa event hosted by Duke, but did not turn out.
This isn’t Rodman’s first poker rodeo. He appeared on Bravo’s “Celebrity Poker Showdown” in 2004, winning his first match over “Third Watch” actor Bobby Cannavale, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, “Curb Your Enthusiasm” actress Cheryl Hines, and comedian Ryan Stiles. “E.R.” doctor Mekhi Phifer ultimately took down the championship tournament, defeating Rodman, “Friends” actor Matthew Perry, former “Saturday Night Live” comedian Kevin Nealon, and “Doogie Howser, M.D.” namesake Neil Patrick Harris.
Only Poker gives no further information as to Rodman’s involvement with the site. An official press release about the signing is scheduled to go out on Thursday. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest poker rumblings.
New Poker Pair: Erick Lindgren and Erica Schoenberg
Not all the interesting news in the world of poker occurs at the tables or in the halls of government. Sometimes, it is simply people themselves that catch our attention. Case in point: the budding romance between Team Full Tilt member Erick Lindgren and fellow pro Erica Schoenberg.
Our friends over at PokerListings.com were the first to provide the evidence to the general poker public. At the WPT L.A. Poker Classic, Lindgren was spotted "railing Erica as she played deep in the LAPC main event," was the first to console her after she busted out, and most notably, they were seen kissing.
Schoenberg, a model turned poker pro, had previously formed half of one of poker's power couples, as she was once engaged to recent PartyPoker Premier League IV champion and "High Stakes Poker" fixture David Benyamine. Their relationship was one of the central themes of the September 6th, 2009 episode of G4TV's "2 Months, 2 Million," a show in which four online poker pros - Dani Stern, Jay Rosenkrantz, Brian Roberts, and Emil Patel - lived together in Las Vegas and attempted to win $2 million playing poker in two months. Rosenkrantz, one of the founders of the poker coaching site DeucesCracked.com, had once played Benyamine online when, to his disappointment, Benyamine left for a higher stakes table. Upset about the apparent "hit and run," Rosenkrantz berated Benyamine in the chat box, calling him a "fish." Schoenberg then proceeded to stand by her man, calling Rosenkrantz "just a typical NL a**-clown" in her blog.
In the "2 Months, 2 Million" episode, Rosenkrantz saw Schoenberg at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Pool and reached out to mend fences. The two let bygones be bygones and Schoenberg set up a time for the two men to play heads-up online. Benyamine ended up winning $60,000 from Rosenkrantz.
The details behind the Schoenberg/Benyamine break-up are not known, but their relationship was rumored to have ended in October.
Schoenberg's new companion is no step down at the poker tables. Lindgren has won two World Poker Tour (WPT) titles and was named WPT Player of the Year in 2004. In 2008, he finally earned his first World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet, capping a fantastic WSOP in which he made three final tables, cashed five times, and was named 2008 Player of the Year. On the live tournament circuit, Lindgren ranks 22nd on the all-time money list.
Schoenberg, while perhaps best known for being one of the most attractive poker players in the industry, is no slouch on the felts, either. Even though she is relatively new to the game, she has three six-figure tournament cashes. The first was for a 16th place at the 2006 $25,000 WPT Championship ($117,165) followed by a victory in the $2,500 No Limit Hold'em event at the 2007 Mandalay Bay Poker Championship ($105,875). Her largest cash to date is $261,646, earned by placing third in a $1,500 No Limit Hold'em event at the 2007 WSOP.
Andras Koroknai Leads WPT L.A. Poker Classic Final Table
Hungarian poker player Andras Koroknai leads the final table of the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) L.A. Poker Classic. Koroknai has nearly five million in chips and the final table will play out on Thursday.
Jim Casement was bestowed the title of Final Table Bubble Boy on Tuesday. He shoved pre-flop with A-4 of clubs for 14 big blinds and received a call from Koroknai, who held A-9. The flop came Q-10-5 with one club, leaving Casement drawing to a runner-runner flush or straight. He’d also win if a four hit. However, the board filled out A-2 and the final table of the 2010 WPT L.A. Poker Classic was determined. Casement earned $185,000 for his efforts.
On the 160th hand of the day, about 30 hands prior to his elimination, Casement doubled up Jean-Claude Moussa. The race situation featured Moussa’s pocket eights against Casement’s A-Q of hearts. The board fell 9-5-4-4-J and Moussa doubled up. The Canadian ended the day with a stack of 1.36 million, the fifth largest overall entering the final table. Moussa finished 503rd in the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, collecting $25,000 for his efforts.
WSOP bracelet winner Steve Sung was bounced in eighth place from the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles. Sung moved all-in over the top of a bet by Koroknai on a flop of 8-2-2. Sung flipped up pocket queens, only to see Koroknai turn over kings. After one of the two remaining queens in the deck failed to hit on the turn or river, Sung was sent packing from the tournament. Eighth place was worth $135,000.
Another big gun was ousted just before the final table bubble, as 2001 WSOP Main Event champion Carlos Mortensen hit the rails in ninth. Mortensen committed his final seven big blinds with A-4 of clubs and received a call from Casement, who held a wired pair of tens. The flop came 9-6-5, all red, and no ace came on the turn or river. “The Matador,” who owns two WPT titles and two WSOP bracelets, earned $100,000 for his five-day run.
UB.com pro and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke was eliminated in 19th place from the $10,000 buy-in WPT tournament. Short-stacked, Duke picked up A-8 and pushed. Timothy Begley made the call from the big blind with pocket fours, which held. Duke, who has never made a WPT final table, earned $45,000. Begley, who turned in a strong run through the L.A. Poker Classic, ended up in 10th place for $67,000.
Who is left, you ask? Here are the chip stacks of the six players remaining in the WPT L.A. Poker Classic:
1. Andras Koroknai - 4,995,000
2. Raymond Dolan - 3,300,000
3. Tri Huynh - 2,565,000
4. Gevork Kasabyan - 2,000,000
5. Jean-Claude Moussa - 1,360,000
6. Michael Kamran - 680,000
In a tournament dominated by American poker players, two Canadians and a Hungarian will head to the final table. Moussa hails from Toronto, while Huynh resides in the home of the 2010 Winter Olympics, Vancouver. Koroknai calls Debrecen, Hungary home. The three American poker players are all from California.
The six-handed televised final table of the L.A. Poker Classic won’t play out until Thursday. Today, the six survivors of the WPT Celebrity Invitational will take to the felts to play down to a champion. The eclectic group of players features former “Real World: Las Vegas” star and current Absolute Poker pro Trishelle Cannatella along with ClubWPT qualifier LeRon Washington. The veteran of the table is Thor Hansen, a dual WSOP bracelet winner. The final table stacks up as follows:
1. Sean Urban - 2,090,000
2. Neev Baram - 1,900,000
3. LeRon Washington - 1,790,000
4. Trishelle Cannatella - 1,540,000
5. Steven Elliott - 1,520,000
6. Thor Hansen - 1,480,000
Thursday’s conclusion of the WPT L.A. Poker Classic gets underway at 4:00pm PT.
Dwan vs. South: The $1.2 Million Dollar Day
Ever since his massive string of losses to Isildur1 in late 2009, Dwan's online results have been inconsistent at best, leading many skeptics to believe he no longer had what it takes to beat the biggest games online.
In a mid December interview with PokerListings Dwan seemed confident and unfazed by his negative results, addressing his skeptics who had been anonymously flaming him across multiple poker forums.
"It hasn't been the best year," he said. "But if anyone doesn't think that it's a downswing then they are welcome to cross book me in any game I play in. That's all I have to say."
It's beginning to look like Dwan was telling the truth, stealing fifth spot on the 2010 high stakes leaderboard last night after taking a massive bite out of South, the year's top performer so far.
South, who had been leading all high-stakes comers with $3.5 million in profit, lost a total of $1.2 million yesterday across two sessions, one in the early morning and the other late last night.
Out of the $1.2 million, Dwan is responsible for over $800k, won mostly playing heads-up Pot Limit Omaha.
Last night's heads-up match on Full Tilt came after Dwan lost $156,386 playing $200/$400 Cap-PLO, and South dumped $25,418 from a variety of PLO games.
The two moved to $200/$400 heads-up PLO where Dwan proceeded to crush South for $457,852 over a 668-hand session.
The largest pot of the session came in at over $130k after both players got it all in with straight draws and over-pairs. Even though South led on the flop with a pair of kings, one of Dwan's many outs came through on the river as he spiked a nine for the nut straight.
The two-hour heads-up session would be the last hands either player would play on the day.
Below are three of the largest pots of the match. To view more high-stakes online hands, head to MarketPulse.
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