Poker News

Poker in Twitter: Biloxi, Aussie Millions and the MA Senate Race

Now that the poker community has returned from the Bahamas and are no longer racking up expensive roaming charges on their cell phones, they have been posting on the social networking website Twitter with a newfound dedication.  In the past couple of days, players have been dropping Tweets about the Massachusetts Senate race, Biloxi and Australia prelims, their latest big scores and, of course, current events ranging from politics to television.  With so many Tweets and so little time, we know you might be feeling a little twitterpated, so Poker News Daily has taken the time to cull the best Tweets from the past few days for your reading pleasure:

The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) may be over and done with, but the poker community never rests.  Players have already arrived at both the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi and the Crown Casino in Melbourne Australia for the Southern Poker Championship and Aussie Millions, respectively.  Some of the players who headed South for the winter and some action at the tables are Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier, Brent “Astrolux85” Roberts, Full Tilt’s Gavin Smith and Allen “The Chainsaw” Kessler.

According to Mercier’s Twitter feed (@JasonMercier), his hot streak has continued into 2010, as he already made not one, but two final tables so far in Biloxi.  Mercier filled in his followers on his progress on the 19th, writing, “Beau Rivage event 24 final table 5th place finish.” He followed up his impressive showing in the $500 Pot Limit Omaha with rebuys event with another final table run in the $1,000 No Limit Hold’em event.  When Mercier last posted late Wednesday afternoon, he was poised to book his first win of 2010: “Goin to heads up. I have 1.3 vs guys 900k 68k for first!!!”

Another player who notched their first victory of the year is Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad. The Norwegian online poker sensation headed down under following the PCA and was rewarded with a win in the Aussie Millions Pot Limit Omaha event.  Obrestad posted her tournament progress throughout the event on her Twitter feed (@Annette_15) and let everyone know the event was over with a simple, “yayyyyy i won!!!!” Jon "pokertrip" Friedberg had an idea about one way Obrestad could spend her tournament winnings: “are u playing in the 100k...assuming they r running if this yr? Glgl.” Friedberg is referring to the High Rollers event at the Aussie Millions, which boasts an entry fee of AUD $100,000.

While many players had poker on the brain, a number of pros had their attention fixed on the Massachusetts Senate race.  The election determined which Senator would fill the seat previously occupied by the late Ted Kennedy and many poker players expressed frustration and disappointment over the contest’s results.  The always outspoken Alex Outhred (@alexpokerguy) was quick to post his thoughts on Republican Senator Scott Brown’s victory: “Congrats to Dems for putting in a complete scrub. Well done. Idiots. Congrats to Repub's for beating a complete scrub. Well done. Idiots.”

Annie Duke (@RealAnnieDuke), on the other hand, took the win with a grain of salt and could not resist injecting some humor into her Twitter post reacting to the news: “Upon learning that Mass elected a republican senator I glanced out my window and saw 4 scary looking characters riding in on 4 horses.”

A number of members of the poker community seemed more concerned with another battle taking place, namely for control of “The Tonight Show.” Poker Twitterers seem to be loyal members of Team Conan and several of them have Tweeted about how much they enjoy the redheaded funnyman’s treatment of what is a very awkward, uncomfortable and sensitive situation.  World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Live Updates Hostess Amanda Leatherman made it very clear whose side she is on in a post on her @mandaLeatherman Twitter account Wednesday evening: “Conan is f***king amazing. #teamconan.”

Finally, we will leave you on a positive note with a Tweet that just might be the most random thing we’ve seen the past few days.  Online poker player Shannon Shorr previously tweeted that he was skipping out on the PCA in order to support his alma mater, the University of Alabama, and its football team.  Shorr was one of the thousands of people in attendance at the BCS National Championship game at the Rose Bowl during which the Alabama Crimson Tide bested the University of Texas Longhorns to win the title.  While that may give you some inkling as to how loyal a fan Shorr may be, his most recent Tweet on his @shannonshorr feed revealed his dedication as a fan is on a whole different level: “Impulse bought an Alabama Snuggie from CVS Pharmacy.”

If you are as addicted to Twitter as we are, be sure to follow us @PokerNewsDaily so you can stay up to date on all the breaking news in the poker world and be a part of some PND Twitter exclusives in the coming weeks.

Poker in Twitter: PCA Bahamas, Haiti Relief, and the Brunson NFL Jinx

Twitter has revolutionized social networking, and the poker world was not immune to its 140-character charms. Poker News Daily has been following poker’s hot young stars such as Maria Ho and Jennifer "Jennicide" Leigh along with more established players including Annie Duke and Andy Bloch, and even some of poker’s greatest legends – septuagenarian Doyle Brunson tweets on a daily basis,– to offer our readership an overview of what the most popular poker players are up to on Twitter.

These have been the most interesting Tweets since last Friday, encompassing players’ parting impressions from the Bahamas, their last goodbyes to the late Amir Vahedi, the drives to raise funds for Haiti relief and some NFL quandaries.

The end of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) involved many players complaining about the Bahamas prices, while others complained about the weather and a few even complained about customs on the way out. Vicky Coren had a late departure, and she tried to make the most of it: “Mmm, sunshine and cocktails. And who needs a book when you can listen to the on-hold music at Nassau Airport for only $200 a minute?" Fellow Brit Liv Boeree shared a sunny beach picture: “http://twitpic.com/yk7dh - photo from Bahamas... on the one good day of the whole trip.”

Vahedi was present in many poker player’s minds and Twitters as his funeral took place last Friday. Tournament director supreme Matt Savage summed everyone’s feelings in a poignant Tweet: “Spent the short fight to Burbank thinking about Amir and how his BIG personality will be missed! Hoping to say a few words today.”

The NFL kept a number of players glued to the television, especially those who had money on the line like Phil Hellmuth: “I liked Colts & Saints, but didn't bet, then Vikings (what poker player gets up that early?), finally bet $500 on Jets money line 3.15 to 1”. DoylesRoom Brunson 10 member Amit "amak316" Makhija had a hard time choosing his allegiances: “Done working out, goin to grind Sundays and watch football! Do I root for the jets (love underdogs) or chargers (love awesomeness)?” Alex Outhred enjoyed a last laugh: “#fondmemories of the Cowboy fan last night who scoffed at my purpotion that the Vikes had 'a chance' today”.  And Brunson bemoaned his wife jinxing his favorite team: “it happened again. my wife walks in the room....BOOM, touchdown for the team i'm betting aganist... geeeez”

The humanitarian disaster in Haiti brought up many initiatives to raise awareness and funds. Shannon Elizabeth made a heartfelt appeal to remind all of the tragedy: “Good morning guys-we made it to the end of the week, but not everyone was so lucky-take a moment 2 remember those who didn't....” Adam “Roothlus” Levy voiced a more ambiguous opinion: “It's remarkable how the average American is facing financial hard times but yet, there's an outpouring of donations to #Haiti. Just awesome!” Andy Bloch donated time and money and played a lot of poker to aid the cause: “Just registered for the last 11 Aid for Haiti tournaments on FTP... may need a lot of caffeine. Sending autographed DVDs as extra bounty.”

Some players used Twitter for its original purpose of keeping friends and family informed of what they were up to. Beth Shak commented on her recent move: “Haha my decorator said no large men in my bedroom in NY..I wntd a king bed!!thnk gd my bf is small”, while Ho complained of health issues: “Dear Immune System, Why do you insist on taking days off without notifying me first? Please come back soon. *cough* Thanks.” Justin “BoostedJ” Smith revisited an old hobby: “Going to the gun range..something I haven't done in a long time and is so much fun,” and Leigh introduced her new love: “I'm SO in love.... Here's her picture! http://tinyurl.com/ygk7jpm =)” Liz Lieu enjoyed stirring up some suspense with the cryptic remark “I've just said "I WILL" ”

Some Tweets remain unclassifiable and they are arguably the most fun of all. Anthrax's Scott Ian talked about music: “Song of the day: Pussy don't fail me now. Any one know who that is?” Kevin Smith talked about religion (and several other unpublishable topics): “I never cram my religion down anybody's throat, so I ask you don't cram atheism down mine. My life's so blessed I GOTTA believe in God.” Meanwhile, Duke's boyfriend, Joe Reitman, complained about his phone service: “Dear AT&T...if u are going to have huge billboards in a stadium my iPhone should get a signal in said stadium” "Poker2Nite" host Scott Huff takes the prize for the most random Tweet of this edition, with: “This morning NASA found cocaine near the space shuttle Discovery. Come on, guys, space isn't high enough?”

Visit Poker News Daily every Monday and Thursday for an overview of the best Tweets in the poker world.

Dream Team Poker Ends 2009 at the Bicycle Casino

It was a big year for Dream Team Poker.  In addition to holding successful events at Caesars Palace and as part of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) festivities, Dream Team ended the year on a high note with a tournament at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles that awarded its winners a couple thousand dollars and tickets to the 2010 Super Bowl.

The recent tournament was held as part of the casino’s Ho Ho Hold’em Series and featured a $67 buy-in for each individual.  If players could not form their own team of three players, the casino helped to group them into teams.  In total, 162 runners took part, generating an individual prize pool of $3,561 and a team prize pool of $5,340.  That amounted to $8,901, including $2,000 and four Super Bowl tickets added by the casino.

WSOP Academy coach Alex Outhred’s team, “Voltron,” was one of 54 that took part in the event.  Of those, six walked away from the tournament with money in their pockets and the winning team, “Met,” took down the top prize of $2,190 and three Super Bowl tickets.  Tony Hinojos was the highest finisher on the “Met” squad, coming in 12th place, while teammate Eric Lucero was hot on his heels in 13th.  The team’s third player, Michael Leidelmeyer, fared less well, busting out in 120th, but thanks to the strong showing by the other two, the team was able to beat out second place finishers “777” for the title.  On the individual front, Iris Gomez of “Team Come and Get It” took top honors along with $1,086 and a Super Bowl ticket of her own.  The top 12 finishers in the individual contest each won at least $105.

This past year may not have been Dream Team’s first year on the scene, but it was certainly the year that the team poker concept really took hold and gained popularity.  After holding its first tournament at the Hard Rock Casino in November of 2008, Dream Team returned to Las Vegas in March for a tournament at Caesars Palace.  A number of top poker pros and celebrities turned out for the event, which featured a $550 per person buy-in.  UB.com’s Phil Hellmuth and Joe Sebok, Full Tilt Poker pros Paul Wasicka and Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, T.J. Cloutier, Jerry Yang, and Team PokerStars Pro Dennis Phillips could be found on the felts.

It was a recognizable face in the winner’s circle as well, as 2006 WSOP Main Event champ Jamie Gold captained “Team Aced” to victory and the top prize of $59,940.  Danny Nelson of “Team BikerHaven.net” took the individual honor, while Gold’s girlfriend and teammate Ashley Nataupsky finished in fourth.

Just a few months later, Dream Team held an exhibition tournament as part of the WSOP festivities.  Although there was no bracelet on the line for the winners, the tournament provided a little fun and entertainment for players who had already busted out of the Main Event.  The pros once again took part and it was PokerHost’s Kenna James who took down the individual title and $16,473.

The team event was won by “Tao of Pokerati,” a trio comprised of Tao of Poker’s Dr. Paul Maguire, Pokerati’s Dan Michalski, and Lana Maier of CardRunners.  The trio had a little extra practice for the team event, as they were all members of the WSOP media, who took part in a Dream Team event of their own just a few days prior.  The media tournament did not offer the lucrative payouts of the other Dream Team events, but it did help raise money for charity.

Once the WSOP wrapped up, Dream Team rolled out a weekly series of events hosted by the Bicycle Casino.  The nine-week series began in October and the Ho Ho Hold’em Dream Team tournament served as the series’ championship event.  Teams that took down the weekly events earned the prize money and a free entry into the December 19th tournament.

There has been no official announcement about the future of Dream Team at the Bike, but considering the rave reviews it got from pros like Gold, Lacey Jones, and James, it seems like it will continue to be a presence on the live tournament circuit in 2010.

Poker Community Comments on Tiger Woods Infidelity

Much like the rest of the world, the poker community can’t help but comment on professional golfer Tiger Woods’ recent personal problems.  The world is buzzing about Woods’ car accident and various personal problems, including allegations of infidelity with at least a dozen different women.  While Woods has been busy issuing public apologies to his wife, Elin Nordegren, as well as his family, the poker community has been passing the time by poking fun at his unfortunate circumstances.

Ten-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Doyle Brunson has been leading the online conversation about Woods with round-the-clock jokes about the golfer on his Twitter feed (@TexDolly).  Brunson took a break from his now infamous string of dumb blonde jokes to post a series of Tiger Woods-related barbs.  “Ping just made Elin an endorsement contract for a set of drivers to be named Elin Woods… ‘Clubs you can beat Tiger with.’” Brunson, an accomplished golfer in his own right, even got into the festive holiday spirit with his most recent Tiger-related post: “Santa said, ‘Ho, Ho, Ho’…Tiger said, ‘Where, Where, Where.’”

Full Tilt Poker pro Erik Seidel also got in on the fun via his own Twitter account (@Erik_Seidel).  The accomplished poker pro, who is renowned for having one of the funniest poker-related Twitter accounts on the web, has posted a couple of Tiger Woods Tweets of his own.  “Breaking News,” Seidel deadpanned on December 5th, “Las Vegas Review Journal reports rumors of a VIP hostess from Vegas who has not slept with Tiger Woods.”    Other people who couldn’t resist getting in a jab or two include Howard Lederer, Alex Outhred, and “Poker2Nite” co-host Scott Huff.

The online poker crowd got in on the fun as well.  When asked to comment on the Tiger Woods scandal, Adam “akat11” Katz couldn’t help but crack a joke.  “With a name like Tiger Woods, how could he not have a chick in every state and be well-endowed,” he joked with Poker News Daily.

Poker Savvy instructor Justin “jurollo” Rollo finds the Tiger jokes entertaining, but also expressed a little remorse over making fun of a man’s personal life.  “I'm conflicted on the Tiger issue,” Rollo explained to Poker News Daily.  “Part of me thinks he deserves the media blitz for what he did to his family, considering that he makes about 90% of his income from hawking products to the public. The other part of me feels bad for him and his family because they have to go through a terrible situation in front of cameras.”

Whether or not the media spotlight will let up on Woods any time soon is still up for debate, although it appears that the cable news networks’ obsession with the golf pro is not going to let up any time soon.  Perhaps the more interesting bet will be how long Brunson will keep up with the Tiger jokes before reverting back to the dumb blonde ribs that have become a trademark for him these days.

Poker Community Weighs in on Poker2Nite

The third episode of the Fox Sports Net show “Poker2Nite” is in the books and co-host and UB sponsored pro Joe Sebok’s recent posts on Twitter indicate that the series is starting to get in a groove.  Admittedly, Sebok is a bit of a biased source, so we here at Poker News Daily decided to scour the internet for other reactions in order to gauge how people like the program, which is hosted by Sebok and Scott Huff and also features actress Dana Workman and Absolute Poker’s Lacey Jones.

If Twitter and the major poker forums are any indication, several people have not had the chance to see the show because of its somewhat erratic scheduling.  Since Fox Sports Net has different schedules for each of its regional stations, the 11:00pm ET Wednesday time slot posted on the show’s website is not always when it airs in certain parts of the country.  Viewers eager to watch the show are not completely out of luck if the program does not air in the area or they don’t have cable.  UB.com posts each of the episodes on its website shortly after they air and, so far, the first two have each netted around 3,000 online views.

While many poker players polled had not had a chance to watch the show, several notable names sent congratulations to Sebok and company on the new program. CardPlayer Player of the Year contender Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin noted the marked improvements in the show between the first and second episodes on his Twitter account (@basebaldy):  “@Poker2Nite showing improvement already in the 2nd episode! Watch for it on FSN on Wednesday nights.”

Alex Outhred echoed those sentiments on his Twitter feed (@alexpokerguy), congratulating those involved with a “good start y’all.”  Posters on the poker forum TwoPlusTwo also received the show with enthusiasm, but their optimism was a little more tepid.  Comments generally implied that the group had low expectations and were pleasantly surprised.  The poster “FreakShow” offered his take on the first episode: “Huff was awesome…Sebok looked a little rigid/nervous (like he was very focused on sitting up straight).”  Several posters agreed that their biggest problem with the first episode was the general uneasiness of Sebok as a host.

The longtime poker commentator agreed with those assessments of his performance and commented on it on his own Twitter account (@JoeSebok).  Shortly after the first episode aired, Sebok wrote, “final @Poker2Nite thought: certainly painful to see myself tense and nervous on tv. luckily that’s easiest thing to fix tho. ty everyone! .”

Since then, he seems to be working on relaxing, but the comments on TwoPlusTwo have grown increasingly critical.  Poster “LOLNHDONKWP” was particularly unimpressed by Sebok’s analysis of the record-setting online poker hand between Isildur1 and Patrik Antonius: “Awful ‘analysis’ by Joe Sebok.  Only thing he got right was that Isildur was 45% to win the hand.  He neglected to consider what he has already committed to the hand so it was amazingly standard getting the rest on flop, with 4 cards to make the stone cold nuts.”

Critics aside, the general sentiment about the show appears to be that it is good for poker, so most people are sending their best wishes to the show’s cast and crew as they continue their initial 13 episode run.

Alex Outhred Discusses Deepstacks University

Known as “The Insider” for his efforts in cataloging hands at every final table of the early years of the World Poker Tour (WPT), Alex Outhred went on to create the curriculum for and become one of the preeminent instructors for the WPT Boot Camp, which has taught the intricacies of poker to thousands of players. Then, he moved on to the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Academy, where he was critical in the implementation of its study guide. Outhred now has some other “pots on the stove,” both inside and outside of the poker world, including a new teaching outlet.

One of his latest endeavors, Deepstacks University, had been keeping him in the recording studios. Deepstacks University is an online and live poker school slated to open at the beginning of November. What makes Deepstacks University different is that it offers players poker instruction for a cost that is vastly less than the various boot camps that are available. It was easy to see Outhred’s enthusiasm for the new teaching tool after only a few moments of talking to him.

“Deepstacks University, in my opinion, is truly a quality product,” Outhred stated immediately. “We have some of the best minds in the game in Tom McEvoy, T.J. Cloutier, Mike Matusow, and the Binger brothers (Michael and Nick). I have played and worked with everyone involved with Deepstacks University and it’s truly an honor to work beside them.”

Outhred’s desire to teach poker stems from his background, which included everything from studying psychology at the University of Michigan to being exposed to the wealth of teachers and psychologists within his family. “It is really a great feeling when you see someone who benefited specifically from your instruction win a big tournament or a WSOP bracelet or Circuit ring. To illuminate poker concepts and theory that play a factor in taking down a title is definitely a point of pride for me, for the student, and the process itself.”

He’s also quick to note, however, that there is something in it for himself. “When I am teaching my courses on Deepstacks University, it does help me out,” Outhred said. “All of the things that I tell students help to reinforce the same ideas in my head, which then run over into my play at the tables. By keeping these ideas and concepts fresh and accessible in my head, I can only play better. An important aspect of this cycle that has developed lately has been bringing fresh lessons that I’m learning at the live tables directly to the Deepstacks University videos.”

With a wealth of players around him (in addition to the professionals listed before, other top pros such as Adam “Roothlus” Levy, Andrew “Browndog19” Brown, Jon “pokertrip” Friedberg, and Liv Boeree round out Team Deepstacks), Outhred has found that there is always room to improve his game. “It’s tough to pick just one (of my associates), but Nick Binger is someone I learn from because I believe we have a uniquely similar style of play,” Outhred said. “We both seem to have that knack for going with our reads and knowing when to drop a big hand or kick into that purely aggressive mode that it takes to do well in tournament poker. Seeing his style of play and the corresponding results embolden my confidence in my own game and my likelihood for future success.”

In the past three years, Outhred has pulled in approximately $300,000 from tournament poker (he was 54th in last year’s WSOP Main Event) and also earned $500,000 from the FOX television game show “Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?” The money earned has allowed him to become part owner in a restaurant, Stout Burgers and Beer, in Hollywood, California. The establishment is set to open next month.

“I’ve been thinking about the future and the restaurant was something I wanted to do,” Outhred admitted. “I have been on a bit of a bad streak results-wise since the WSOP last year and I really wanted to see the restaurant and Deepstacks University get off the ground. To be able to do that, I really put my attention on them and put playing high buy-in poker events on hold until next year.”

Starting the restaurant while maintaining a place in the poker world was critical for Outhred: “I wanted to be able to take care of my future and be secure. By getting these things in line, I’ll be able to do that. People sometimes forget that poker will always be there and I didn’t want to be one of the people who forgot that.”

Outhred seems to be demonstrating that someone can combine life and poker and be successful at both. With Deepstacks University and his restaurant set to open for business within a couple of weeks, “The Insider” will be busier than ever and we can only hope to see him back on the felt soon.

Kenna James Wins Dream Team Poker WSOP Event

“Cowboy” Kenna James won the third Dream Team Poker event, held at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas down the hall from the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP). Tao of Pokerati emerged victorious in the team competition.

Tao of Pokerati was the lone team to boast two members in the final 27 players. Dr. Pauly McGuire recorded a 13th place finish, while Dan Michalski earned 17th. Michalski showed prowess of the Dream Team Poker concept after folding pocket kings face up to assure moving on when his team had a chance to secure the first place prize. In the end, Tao of Pokerati earned $33,000 for the win. In Dream Team Poker, each squad’s two best finishes are recorded and the lowest score wins. For Tao of Pokerati, a score of 30 (the sum of 13th place and 17th place) was good enough to take home the title.

Here’s how the team competition stacked up. The buy-in for the third Dream Team Poker tournament was $560 per player, or $1,680 per team:

1. Tao of Pokerati - $33,017
2. Team Simpletrak - $18,106
3. Diaboloco’s - $10,651
4. Machine Team - $7,988
5. Team Puerto Rico - $7,455
6. 7 Kings - $6,923
7. 2 Kings - $6,390
8. The Maven VT 4 - $5,858
9. The Maven VT 3 - $5,325
10. Min Cash Masters - $4,793

In an interview after the tournament with Dream Team Poker emcee Alex Outhred, James explained, “I have to hand it to the Dream Team Poker team, they really run a class event. From all the information they provide, to having them out there, to having the music in the background, they really know how to generate the feeling that this event is all about. It was really special.” In the end, it was a gender versus gender clash, with James defeating Judy Tejwani of SOCRR heads-up. James, who played as part of Poker Host, banked $16,000 for the win, while Tejwani earned $7,800 for her runner-up showing.

The top individual finishers at the Rio were as follows:

1. Kenna James (Poker Host) - $16,473
2. Judy Tejwani (SOCRR) - $7,810
3. Stephen Nelson (I Love it When a Plan Comes Together) - $5,680
4. Peter Mavro (Min Cash Masters) - $4,260
5. Ricardo Felix Matos (Machine Team) - $3,621
6. Bojan Miljkovic (Juzni Vetar) - $3,160
7. Terresa Gallagher (Wicked Chops Poker II) - $2,485
8. David Hornsby (The Hangover) - $1,775
9. James Page (The Maven VT 3) - $1,598
10. Adam Wege (NLP FREE) - $1,598

The event brought out some of poker’s brightest stars. David Williams, Evelyn Ng, and Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo competed as part of Team Bodog. Barry Greenstein and Joe Stapleton joined forces on Team PokerRoad.com. Jerry Yang, Christina Lindley, and Eric Aude formed Team Six Hands, Four Nutz, and a Rack on Tilt. Marsha Waggoner, James Worth, and Young Phan made up Team True Poker and Barbara Enright, Paul Darden, and David Levi brought Team Bookmaker Poker to life. “Captain” Tom Franklin and Poker Hall of Fame member T.J. Cloutier competed under the Captain Krunch banner, while Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Linda Johnson, Jan Fisher, and Rick Fuller battled as part of Bike.com.

A total of 122 teams and 366 players entered the Rio event, down sharply from the 148 teams and 444 runners who turned out for Dream Team Poker’s last competition, held at Caesars Palace in March. Among those in attendance was newly-minted Absolute Poker pro Lacey Jones, whose team took down the WSOP media event held last week. Jones commented in a press release, “This is my third time playing a Dream Team Poker event and I have had the most fun playing these events than any other poker tournament. I can’t think of any better way to enjoy the game of poker than to play with your friends and have them cheer you on!”

Visit the official website of Dream Team Poker for more information.

Dream Team Poker CEO Discusses WSOP Tournament

Beginning on July 12th, the third Dream Team Poker tournament will kick off. This time, it originates from the home of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, which will be taking place down the hall at the Rio in Las Vegas.

Poker News Daily sat down with Dream Team Gaming CEO Daniel Delshad for his thoughts just a few days out from the tournament, which boasts a $1,680 buy-in per three-man team.

Poker News Daily: You have Jose Canseco and a fleet of poker pros already registered for the event, which is now less than a week away. How excited are you for your WSOP debut?

Delshad: We’re all very excited and I’m looking forward to July 12th. After the Caesars event in March, it has been a fast turnaround until now.

PND: Has registration been better than, worse than, or about what you expected?

Delshad: We’re excited where we’re at. We already have 300 people pre-registered for the event. Poker players like to sign up late, so we’re in line with what we expected the numbers to be. We’ve had a lot of big names register, so that’s a good sign.

PND: Talk about the logistics for registration on the morning of the Dream Team Poker tournament at the Rio.

Delshad: Everybody will go to the cage to buy into the event. They’ll get a seat assignment and then go to our registration area down the hall to pick up their scorecards and jerseys.

PND: Are there any notable teams or entrants that you can share with us?

Delshad: Daniel Negreanu is in. Jamie Gold, Kenna James, David Williams, Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, Liz Lieu, and Pam Brunson have all signed up. We have a really good list of people and we’re excited to have them out. Alex Outhred is back as our emcee. He’s very well-liked and he’s a great guy.

PND: You’ve done a spectacular job of one-upping yourself for each Dream Team Poker event ever since your debut at the Hard Rock. What’s next on the horizon?

Delshad: We’re continuing to grow. I think we’re getting a lot of demand for us to go international and we’ll take a look at it. There are a bunch of events overseas for us to partner with and we’re going to find the ones that are the best fit for us. We like to work with companies that are the leaders in their industries and we’re in active discussions with international events right now.

PND: Can you comment about the WSOP Main Event shutting out over 500 players on Day 1D? Does Dream Team Poker have any provisions in place to prevent a similar occurrence?

Delshad: We’ll be in the Brasilia Room, which will give us more space than being in the Amazon Room. We can fit a pretty good field in there. The WSOP has been run so smoothly from Day 1. It was just an unfortunate event on Monday. It happens, but they still had the third largest field in history. It shows that, despite the economy, poker is alive and well.

PND: Talk about the feedback you received from spectators and players alike who visited PokerPalooza and your booth outside the Amazon Room?

Delshad: It’s pretty amazing. We had a big registration area near the jersey wall. For so many people, this was their first time seeing our product.

PND: Talk about today’s media tournament taking on a team format. Will its winners be entered into the feature Dream Team Poker event?

Delshad: For us to have media event in the Dream Team Poker format is special. I love that the media has this opportunity because they can play the game themselves. The experience on the inside is completely different than beyond the rail. The media is battling against each other anyway in the real world and we’re expecting about 150 people to play.

The winning team will have a charity donation made in their name. We can’t give away seats into our events because the media can’t accept gifts.

WSOP Academy offers Main Event primer

Now, the World Series of Poker Academy is offering these first-timers a Main Event Primer with some of the most respected players in the world sharing pearls of wisdom to help them make the most of the experience.

From June 29 to July 1 at Caesars Palace, past WSOP Main Event champions Phil Hellmuth and Greg Raymer, WSOP bracelet winners Annie Duke and Mark Seif, WPT title winner Phil Gordon, and Alex Outhred will be among the instructors at the tournament primer.

"Like the WSOP Main Event itself, our Main Event Primer only comes around once a year and is unrivaled in its level of instruction as well as the interaction participants have with the biggest names in poker," said Brandon Rosen of Post Oak Productions

"It truly is a unique opportunity to learn optimal strategy from the pros who have won it all."

What does the $2,499 tuition fee buy you? Three days of seminars with Q&As, video analysis of WSOP tournament footage and private multi-table tournaments.

The focus will be No-Limit Hold 'em strategy, advanced tournament stage strategy, pre-flop and post-flop strategy, table dynamics, intimidation and control of your opponents and heads-up strategy.

Ex-FBI counter-terrorism specialist and author Joe Navarro will also present an advanced poker tells seminar on decoding poker tells and on reading the nonverbal communications that people exhibit when they are lying.

Space is limited, and the event is expected sell out.

Additional details for the Main Event Primer and all other Academy events are available at www.wsopacademy.com.

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Gold’s crew takes Dream Team title

Gold and girlfriend Ashley Nataupksy both made the final table, meaning Team Aced had locked up the team portion of the event long before the individual winner was crowned.

The 2006 WSOP Main Event champ would end up busting in ninth place, leaving Nataupsky to fight on.

"It looks like your girlfriend has outlasted you again, this time in poker," announcer Alex Outhred quipped after Gold's elimination.

With 60% of the prize pool going to the top seven teams and the other 40% being doled out based on individual standing, team strategy became a big factor at the final table.

This was especially true for the two teams battling for second place and the $33,300 that went with it.

With five players remaining, Team Claddagh's Philip Rousseaux had to finish fourth or better to guarantee his team silver over Team Clones.

Despite the fact that the Clones had no player at the final table, they were on the rail cheering vehemently against Rousseax and his teammates.

Gold agreed this was a novel consequence of the team format.

"It makes it really interesting because people have a stake in it even if they're not in the tournament any longer," he said.

Much to the chagrin of the Clones, Rousseaux eliminated John Regis of Team Poker Masters to clinch second place. Rousseaux fought on and made it heads-up before losing to Danny Nelson of Team Bikerhaven.net.

In accordance with a three-way chop between Nelson, Rousseaux and Gerald Percival, each took $13,000, with an additional $6,000 and the trophy eventually going to Nelson.

But even after Nelson's win, the spotlight was shining directly on Jamie Gold and Team Aced.

A fact Nelson, no stranger to the Caesars Palace pits, had no problem with.

"The way I look at it, Caesars is giving me a refund," he said with a smile, holding up the silver tray of cash to the cameras.

The unbelievably pro-heavy turnout here at Caesars gave Dream Team Poker quite a kick-start, and with a former World Champion like Jamie Gold winning it all, it appears to be on the path to success.

"It's the most fun you can have without $12 million on the line," said Gold. "My WSOP bracelet is in a vault, but my Dream Team Poker trophy will be on my mantel for all to see."

For a full rundown of all the action click through to the live update blog.

 

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