Poker News

Hachem Hunts Aussie Millions Glory

But make no mistake about it, when the main event begins Sunday, 2005 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Joe Hachem would rather keep the Aussie Millions for himself.

“I look forward to it ever year,” the Team PokerStars Pro and Crown Casino Ambassador told PokerListings. “But it’s like a love-hate relationship. I’d love to win it and I’ve been close three or four years now, but I just haven’t been able to get there. Maybe it’s because I would love to win it so much.”

An Australian poker icon and worldwide superstar, Hachem’s $10,856,216 in career live tournament earnings puts him sixth on poker’s all-time leading money winners list.

Of course, he has the WSOP main event bracelet and his December 2006 win at the World Poker Tour’s Five Diamond World Poker Classic gave Hachem a WPT title, making him one of only five players to have both.

But earning a third jewel in his very own triple crown is what Hachem truly desires.

“That would really seal the deal for me,” he said. “I mean, I’d love to win an EPT, but to win the Aussie Millions; it would be unbelievable.”

In fact, the Lebanese-born, Melbourne-raised Hachem wants to win on his home soil so badly, he can almost taste it.

“I have to make a final table there, I just do, and if I do, I promise you if I make the final table there, I will win it,” he said.

A chiropractor in Melbourne for more than a decade before a rare blood disorder affecting his hands forced him to give up his career, Hachem actually started taking poker seriously playing tournaments at Crown a decade ago.

The Aussie Millions itself began when the Crown Australian Poker Championship moved to January in 2001 with just 40 entrants putting up the AUD$5,000 buy-in.

The event, along with the game of poker in Australia, has grown infinitely since, attracting a truly international field and peaking in 2008 when 780 players ponied up the now AUD$10,000 buy-in.

His 2005 WSOP win was a major catalyst for the poker boom in Australia, but Hachem believes the game itself has always been a perfect fit for Aussie culture.

“I think Australians really have that competitive nature and poker, especially tournament poker, it brings that out in you,” he said.

In 2009, the Aussie Millions title was kept on home soil for the first time when Adelaide chef-turned-poker player Stewart Scott beat a field of 681.

This year, with poker as popular as ever Down Under, organizers are estimating the field could reach as many as 800 players.

To follow all the action, tune into PokerListings’ Live Updates beginning at 12:30 p.m. Melbourne time Sunday.

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Everest Poker Announces Live the Dream Team

The online poker site Everest Poker has awarded 10 of its most talented and active players with a $100,000 contract as part of its Live the Dream promotional event in Vienna, Austria. The winners outlasted 190 other hopefuls in a series of live tournaments, cash games, and interviews to lock up a one-year sponsorship contract.

Over 50,000 players participated in the Live the Dream online qualifications from September to December, with 200 making the cut to take part in the final live event on January 9th and 10th. Participants were judged on a series of tests evaluating their live and online poker skill levels and brand ambassador qualities. At the final event, a judging panel comprised of players, press, and poker professionals awarded each finalist points for online poker skills, live poker abilities, ambassador quality, and a newly added criteria of popular voting.

The 10 Live The Dream winners will represent Everest Poker at tournaments all over the world in 2010, including the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event in Las Vegas, and will receive over $30,000 in travel expenses as part of packages totaling $100,000.

Here are the 10 members of the Everest Poker Live the Dream team:

Fabien "SchumyFab" Perrot (France): A financial advisor who switched from cash games to No Limit Hold'em tournaments and had immediate success. Perrot has wins in Everest's largest-ever online guaranteed tournament – the $500,000 Guaranteed – and the $50,000 Guaranteed during Everest Poker’s Winterfest.

Leonard "leoledingo" Truche (France): A former physical education teacher for special needs and disabled children, Leo honed his tournament game and actually qualified for Live the Dream twice via the All-France Live the Dream direct entry. He recently finished third in the Everest Poker $100,000 Guaranteed and has also won the $30,000 and $25,000 Guaranteed tournaments.

Julien "Garrincho54" Claudepierre (France): After graduating with an engineering degree, Claudepierre took a shot at a poker career and can now be found playing as high as $25/$50 No Limit Hold'em cash games on Everest.

Ronny "Spadesman" Pickard (Germany): His dream is to play in the WSOP Main Event. Now, he'll get his chance. Pickard is a banker that spends a good part of his free time playing online poker. He qualified for the Live the Dream Team via the Summit Point Leaderboard.

Tobias "Tobestar11" Wagner (Germany): At 26-years old, Wagner began his poker career online with Everest just two years ago, grinding away at the lowest cash game levels, eventually graduating to higher-stakes ring games and the top of the VIP Summit Club. He is a student majoring in English and Physical Education.

Koen "koendb" de Bakker (Netherlands): Earned his spot on the Live the Dream Team by topping the sit and go leaderboards. Koen travels the poker circuit already and made trips to 10 different international events in 2009. He is also working on completing an Economics degree.

Javier "elflacokanu" Martinez (Spain):  A civil engineering student who put his academics on hold to pursue a poker career. He still plans on finishing his degree within the next few years. Martinez cashed in a WSOP event in 2008 and made the final table of multiple stops on the Spanish Poker Tour.

Sigurd "TheBigViking" Eskeland (Norway): A 23-year-old teacher, Eskeland got some press during the 2008 WSOP Main Event by holding the tournament chip lead on Day 3. He finished 241st for $35,383.

Thomas "DannyMcCoy" Froslev (Denmark): Will graduate with a Financial Economics degree next June, but spends a good majority of his time playing online at Everest Poker. Froslev is primary a cash game player, but looks forward to cutting his teeth on the tournament circuit in 2010.

Viktoria "SexyGirl" Szlasi (Hungary): The only female member of the group, Szlasi gained live poker experience by qualifying for a $1,000 WSOP event in 2009. She has spent two years sharpening her tournament skills on Everest Poker.

Everest’s Live The Dream Winners Announced

Over 50,000 players participated in the Live the Dream online qualifications from Sept. to Dec. 2009 with two hundred making the cut to take part in the final live event at the Palais Auersperg Jan 9-10.

The 200 finalists were then judged through a series of tests evaluating their live and online poker skills and brand ambassador qualities.

Points were awarded for online poker skills, live poker ability, ambassador quality and a popular vote.

The ten winners chosen include Fabien "SchumyFab" Perrot, Leonard "leoledingo" Truche and Julien "Garrincho54" Claudepierre from France, Ronny "Spadesman" Pickard and Tobias "Tobestar11" Wagner from Germany, Koen "koendb" de Bakker from The Netherlands, Javier "elflacokanu" Martinez from Spain, Sigurd "TheBigViking" Eskeland from Norway, Thomas "DannyMcCoy" Froslev from Denmark and Viktoria "SexyGirl" Szlasi from Hungary, the only female winner.

The ten Live The Dream winners will now represent Everest Poker at the biggest tournaments in the world over the next 12 months including the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event.

Each will receive over $30,000 in travel expenses and buy-in packages totaling $100,000.

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Top 5 of 2009: Phil Ivey Makes the November Nine

With an eye on the great poker personalities that have made the scene and the interesting fodder they’ve provided for us over the past 12 months, we’ve come up with our very own Top Five Poker News Stories of 2009.

The plan was to present them to you every other day from until New Year’s Eve and we conclude today with No. 1: Phil Ivey Makes the November Nine.

You simply can’t have a bigger story than the consensus best player on the planet making the final table of the biggest tournament in the world.

After finishing 23rd in 2002, a heartbreaking 10th in 2003 and 20th in 2005, Phil Ivey finally reached the final table of the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event this summer.

And, as if making the November Nine was not enough, he brought with him a shot at a third bracelet on the year.

Within minutes of the final table being set, pundits predicted poker would be the big winner, that the game’s biggest superstar would help sell poker to a whole new audience through the mainstream media and do more to convince the U.S. government that poker is a skill game, and should be legal online, than ever before.

But, weaned on the game in Atlantic City casinos playing with fake ID before he was old enough to legally play, Ivey had always been a bit standoffish with the media.

With the bright Main Event spotlight on him for four months before the final table played out, however, he appeared to at least partially embrace a role as an ambassador for the game, helping poker make a few strides further into the mainstream.

Despite sitting seventh in chips heading into the final, online betting sites saw huge dollars bet on Ivey, pushing the odds down and practically making him the favorite to win before November.

And as the final table date drew closer, it began to look as if the entire poker world was rooting for him, even those who probably shouldn’t have.

When there were 2,400 players left in the Main Event, fellow Team Full Tilt Pro Andy Bloch bet Ivey $20,000 at 99-1 that he wouldn’t win.

Faced with paying Ivey $2 million if he did, Bloch said he still couldn’t help but pull for him.

“It was quite a sweat,” he said. “But no matter how much it would have cost me, a part of me still wanted to see him win.”

Although Ivey’s presence did not increase ratings for ESPN’s final table coverage, it still appeared interest in the Main Event and the game of poker was as high this November as it’s ever been, and poker has Ivey to thank for that.

In the end, when his ace-king could not get past Darvin Moon’s ace-queen, Ivey bowed out seventh, helping pave the way for 21-year-old Joe Cada to become the youngest Main Event champion in history.

But even his bustout appeared to draw as much attention as Cada’s win.

He may not have won the Main Event, but the impact of Ivey just making the final table was enough to turn the heads of people who had never paid attention to poker before and secure a spot as the No.1 story on PokerListings’ Top Five Poker News Stories of 2009.

 

PokerListings' Top Five Poker News Stories of 2009:

• No. 5: The Emergence of Luke Schwartz
• No. 4: Yevgeniy Timoshenko’s Year
• No. 3: The durrrr Challenge
• No. 2: Isildur1 and the Seven-Figure Pots

Visit PokerListings.com

2009 Poker News Story of the Year

What is the poker news story of the year for 2009? Is it Swedish online poker pro Isildur1 igniting the high-stakes cash game world? Is it the World Poker Tour (WPT) being sold to Party Gaming? Is it something else? Poker News Daily’s staff evaluates the nominees.

In a poll posted on Poker News Daily asking readers to choose which of five news stories was the most important of 2009, an overwhelming majority picked the high-stakes cash game action featuring Isildur1. Others selected Joe Cada becoming the youngest winner of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, while many readers picked the delay of mandatory compliance with the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). Also receiving votes were Party Gaming’s purchase of the WPT and the sudden closure of several high-profile poker rooms.

We asked each of our writers to select one option and argue why it is the top poker news story of 2009. Here’s what they had to say. Don’t forget to voice your choice in the poll to the right of this article.

Isildur1 Ignites High-Stakes Poker Scene
By Brett Collson

With the Durrrr Challenge moving at a crawl and the rest of the nosebleed games on Full Tilt Poker lacking in attendance, it appeared that the online high-stakes action was deteriorating in the fall of 2009. That all changed when an unknown Scandinavian with a seemingly bottomless bankroll appeared out of nowhere to take on anyone up to the challenge. Isildur1 shocked the world when he exploded onto the scene in November, recording multi-million dollar wins over Tom "durrrr" Dwan, the man we all perceived to be unbeatable. Phil Ivey, Patrik Antonius, and many others took notice and sat down with the Swede, resulting in swings that the online poker world had never witnessed before. At one point, Isildur1 had a profit of around $5 million, but after a number of losing sessions and a record-setting match against Brian Hastings, he was stuck nearly $3 million in a matter of weeks. While his masked emergence may have been brief, the mysterious Isildur1 changed the dynamic of high-stakes poker on the internet.

Joe Cada Becomes Youngest WSOP Main Event Champ Ever
By Jessica Welman

While Isildur1’s online run was impressive and the UIGEA delay was important, ask the casual poker fan what happened this year and they’ll likely cite the 2009 WSOP Main Event final table. This year’s November Nine had everything - big names, great stories, broken records, and a lot of suckouts. Fans were surely sad to see Phil Ivey bust in seventh place, but young Joe Cada has proven to be a more than adequate ambassador, as he brought poker to the mainstream media with appearances on the “Late Show with David Letterman,” CNN, “WWE Monday Night Raw,” “ESPN SportsCenter,” and Time Magazine. “The Kid” and his fellow November Niners captured the attention of people who typically didn’t give poker a second thought and took huge strides towards taking the game out of the backrooms, out of cyberspace, and into the spotlight, which no other poker headline was able to achieve in 2009.

WPT Sold to Party Gaming
By Earl Burton

There are several reasons why the sale of the WPT to Party Gaming is the top story of 2009 in poker. The most important reason is that, for the first time in its illustrious history, the WPT is now on a firm financial footing with an organization that can promote it to the fullest. In the future, with Party Gaming’s financial backing, there shouldn’t be problems securing tournament venues or television contracts. With the ability of Party Gaming, through its online poker site PartyPoker, to provide satellites for players to earn their way into events, tournament fields will probably grow in the coming year, potentially even returning to the “glory days” of a few years ago before the UIGEA. These and many other reasons should continue to keep the WPT in the same stratosphere as the WSOP and makes the sale of the WPT to Party Gaming the top story of 2009.

UIGEA Compliance Deadline Delayed
By Dan Cypra

I wonder whether I would even be here right now if the UIGEA regulation compliance date of December 1st had stood. The online poker industry in the United States, which feeds live tournaments around the world, could have potentially come to a screeching halt. Although nobody knows for sure what the real-world implications of the delay will be, the actions by U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke essentially preserved the status quo for another six months until June 1st, 2010. The delay marked the most important legislative development since the UIGEA was passed in 2006 and should be the most important poker news story of the year.

Pitbull Poker/Eurolinx/BetOnBet Closures
By Tom Jenkins

The closures of a handful of notable online poker sites represented a dark chapter of 2009. Pitbull Poker, Eurolinx, and BetOnBet all shut their doors to the general public, with thousands of poker players potentially out money as a result. Given the circumstances surrounding their closures, one can easily see why the very foundation of the online poker world could be disrupted going forward. Players must be able to trust that their money is safe when they deposit online given that very little punishment exists for wrongdoing by poker rooms. The wave of closures may ultimately lead to industry consolidation in 2010 and beyond, making this one of the top news headlines of the 2009 calendar year.

PartyPoker Cash Machine Returns, Features Booster Bonus

In January, PartyPoker, one of the world’s longstanding online poker sites, returns the popular Cash Machine promotion. This time, hardcore grinders will earn additional cash as part of a Booster Bonus.

The Cash Machine promotion last ran during the month of September and shelled out a bevy of added funds to PartyPoker players. The promotion returns on January 4th and will run through the end of the month. All players have to do is earn 10 or more PartyPoints on at least 10 days during the 28-day period. Then, PartyPoker officials will take a look at the PartyPoint totals of the 10 highest-earning days and match the lowest one at the rate of $1 per point.

As an example, if a player’s 10 highest PartyPoint total days were 100, 100, 100, 150, 150, 150, 200, 200, 200, and 200, PartyPoker would award a $100 cash bonus, matching the lowest amount. The minimum payout is $10 and there is no maximum amount that PartyPoker will match. For those players who are unable to meet the $10 minimum, a generous consolation prize exists. Text found on PartyPoker’s website explains, “If you can achieve 10 qualifying days of one PartyPoint or more, but fail to earn the minimum cash reward, we’ll give you a seat in our $25,000 Cash Machine freeroll, which takes place at 15:00 ET on Wednesday, 3rd February.”

The Cash Machine Booster Bonus is available to players who earn at least 1,000 PartyPoints per day on 20 out of the 28 days of the promotion. Players who earn between 1,000 and 1,500 PartyPoints for 20 days will earn a $500 Booster Bonus. Players who rack up between 1,500 and 2,000 PartyPoints for 20 days will get a $1,100 Booster Bonus. Players who amass between 2,000 and 2,500 PartyPoints for 20 days will take home a $2,000 Booster Bonus. Players who earn between 2,500 and 3,000 PartyPoints will receive a $3,000 Booster Bonus and those able to surpass 3,000 PartyPoints for 20 days will nab a colossal $5,000 Booster Bonus.

The Cash Machine is an opt-in promotion and players can register for it at any time prior to its conclusion. Once they opt in, PartyPoker will credit players with all PartyPoints earned during the 28 days, regardless of when they sign up. Each qualifying day runs from 00:00 ET to 23:59 ET and days do not have to be consecutive in order to count. All funds earned will be dropped into players’ accounts within 48 hours of the Cash Machine promotion ending.

One day prior to the Cash Machine promotion kicking off, the PartyPoker Monthly Million will play out. The $640 buy-in tournament takes place on the first Sunday of every month and boasts a Championship blind structure. Players begin with 20,000 chips and blinds start at 25-50. The price of poker increases every 20 minutes and antes kick in at Level 6, when blinds are 250-500.

Qualifiers for the Monthly Million run constantly on PartyPoker. Popular ways to enter include a daily Monthly Million Qualifier, a $70 buy-in satellite with at least 19 seats on the line. A Mega Friday Satellite also takes place weekly, featuring a $55 buy-in and 20 seats guaranteed. On Saturdays, two qualifiers take place on PartyPoker offering a combined 18 seats. Country-specific freerolls and daily player point qualifiers also send players to the Monthly Million. Mark your calendars for Sunday, January 3rd, the next running of the Monthly Million.

According to the traffic ranking site PokerScout.com, PartyPoker is the fourth largest site worldwide, with a seven-day running average of 4,500 real money ring game players. It is the second largest not to accept players from the United States, trailing only the massive iPoker Network.

PartyPoker claims World Poker Tour Host and new Poker Hall of Fame inductee Mike Sexton as its ambassador and is currently qualifying players for the L.A. Poker Classic.

Top Ten Poker Stories of the 2009: #9, Mike Sexton’s Election Into the Poker Hall of Fame

Considered by many within the industry to be the game's top ambassador, Mike Sexton's election as 38th member of the Hall of Fame was a no-brainer and the fact that he was the only player elected this year is a testament to how much of an impact...

Joe Cada in the eye of a hurricane

It has been quite busy month for the fresh World Champion of Poker, Joe Cada. Media has been throwing him all around and he has been invited to participate in some of the biggest talk shows in USA. Surprisingly though, Cada seems to be happy about all the fuss.

Pokerlistings.com interviewed Cada some time ago and he told them that the media fuss is only a good thing: “I don’t get as much sleep as I used to, but it’s not so bad. I’ve had the chance to meet a lot of famous people, so that’s cool.”

You can tell that the fresh Champion has a very busy schedule as he hasn’t found time to play poker or even spend any of his WSOP earnings ($8,546,435): “I’ve played online here and there, but I really haven’t had that much time to play. I’ve haven’t really done anything with the money, I gave my family some money, but that’s about it.”

Cada has been very happy to promote poker in media as the new Ambassador of Poker: “I’ve just been doing my best to help poker grow and be the best ambassador that I can.”

Source: Pokerlistings

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Joe Cada in the eye of a hurricane

Joe Cada: ‘It’s Been a Whirlwind So Far’

And apparently it’s been quite a ride.

“It’s been a whirlwind so far,” Cada told PokerListings on a break from play at the WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic in Las Vegas Monday, his first major tournament since booking the $8,546,435 win in November.

“I’m still trying to get used to things. It’s just a lot of media requests and stuff.”

With mainstream media appearances on CNN American Morning and The Late Show with David Letterman in the month since the Main Event table played out, Cada has certainly been busy.

But the Shelby Township, Michigan native doesn’t appear to mind.

“It’s been pretty good,” he said. “I don’t get as much sleep as I used to, but it’s not so bad. I’ve had the chance to meet a lot of famous people, so that’s cool.”

The one thing the college dropout turned Team PokerStars Pro hasn’t had much time to do, is ply his trade.

“I’ve played online here and there, but I really haven’t had that much time to play,” he said.

He also hasn’t had much time to spend his winnings.

“I haven’t really done anything with the money,” he explained. “I gave my family some money, but that’s about it.”

A WSOP Main Event title seems to bring more than fame and riches to those who win it, as a seemingly inevitable debate over the newly crowned champion’s skills ensues.

Cada made a miraculous comeback from a severe short stack seven-handed to win the Main Event, getting lucky in several spots.

And although detractors have criticized his win as pure luck, Cada seems to take it all in stride.

“Everyone is entitled to their opinion,” he said. “I did get lucky at the final table, but I’m not really mad about the way I played the hands. Sometimes that’s just what happens.”

Rather than focus on the negative, Cada is simply taking the time to further his personal goals and those of the game he loves.

“It’s been pretty cool so far,” he said. “I’ve just been doing my best to help poker grow and be the best ambassador that I can.”

The WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic continues through Dec. 19. For comprehensive coverage click through to PokerListings’ Live Updates.

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PokerStars Launches Team Pro Tuesdays

This week marks the second installment of Team Pro Tuesdays on PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker site. Every Tuesday through December 29th, PokerStars sponsored pros will be hitting the virtual felts in earnest.

Team PokerStars Pro includes the reigning champion of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, Joe Cada, who became the youngest winner ever of the $10,000 buy-in tournament in November. Cada shattered fellow Team PokerStars Pro member Peter Eastgate’s standing record by a full year, as the site boasts the last two WSOP Main Event champions. Chris Moneymaker, widely considered to be the man responsible for starting the modern poker boom, is also a card-carrying member of Team PokerStars Pro. Moneymaker took down the feature tournament in 2003 as a little-known accountant from Tennessee, defeating established pro Sammy Farha heads-up.

In 2004, Greg Raymer became poker’s newest star and Aussie Joe Hachem followed in 2005. Both are now sponsored by PokerStars and are benevolent ambassadors for the game. Text found on PokerStars’ website explains what players can expect as part of Team Pro Tuesdays: “On this day every week, scores of our pro players will be logging on and playing at the tables, covering everything from cash games to tournaments across a wide range of games and buy-in levels. You’ll be able to watch your favorite players in action and talk to them from the rail.”

PokerStars pros will take to the felts during two separate time blocks each Tuesday, from 12:00 to 15:00 ET and again from 19:00 to 22:00 ET. In order to figure out which pros are online, visit the “Team Pro” link at the bottom of the PokerStars lobby. You can also click “Requests” on the top menu bar and then hit “Find a Team PokerStars Player.” The concept of playing with the pros is similar to the main marketing message of rival online poker site Full Tilt, whose stable of players includes Howard Lederer, Gus Hansen, and Tom “durrrr” Dwan, the newest member of the team.

In addition to being able to play with pros in cash games, PokerStars is running a pair of Outlast the Pro tournaments. The first installment takes place at 13:00 ET on Tuesdays, while the second running issues its “Shuffle up and deal” command at 20:00 ET. Each tournament has a buy-in of $11 along with $1,000 in cash added to the prize pool. Players who remain in each tournament longer than every single one of the pros in the field will divvy up the $1,000 in added funds. For example, if Cada were the last pro standing and knocked out in 83rd place, the remaining players would each pocket $12.20, or $1,000 split 82 ways. The Outlast the Pro tournaments can be found by visiting “Tourney” and then “All” in the PokerStars lobby.

Other members of Team PokerStars Pro include “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge” front man Daniel Negreanu, Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, and Humberto Brenes. Its roster also includes top female pros like GoDaddy Girl Vanessa Rousso, Vicky Coren, Barry Greenstein, Chad Brown, Gavin Griffin, and Maridu Mayrinck, who was featured in this year’s WSOP Main Event coverage on cable station ESPN.

According to PokerScout.com, which keeps tabs on online poker room traffic, PokerStars is the largest site worldwide with a seven-day running average of 28,600 real money ring game players. During its peak hours, well over 40,000 cash game aficionados call the site home. It happily accepts customers from the United States.

Joe Cada Meets with More than 10 Lawmakers on Capitol Hill Visit

As the newest ambassador of the game, 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion Joe Cada met with more than 10 Congressmen on Capitol Hill on Monday in a visit sponsored by the Poker Players Alliance (PPA).

Cada could be found speaking with Representative Linda Sanchez (D-CA), Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Representative Allen Boyd (D-FL), Representative Kendrick Meek (D-FL), Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN), Representative Candice Miller (R-MI), Representative Joe Barton (R-TX), Representative Dean Heller (R-NV), Representative Gary Peters (D-MI), Representative Shelley Berkley (D-NV), and Senator Carl Levin (D-MI). Cada hails from Michigan and met with his two Senators and local Representative throughout the whirlwind one-day affair.

PPA Executive Director John Pappas told Poker News Daily, “There were a number of really good visits with lawmakers like Joe Barton and Linda Sanchez, who are avid poker players, so they got to talk a little poker and a little policy. Throughout the day, he probably met another half-dozen members of Congress.” Congressman Heller brought Cada onto the floor of the House of Representatives during a vote, giving the youngster a unique opportunity to witness the democratic process first-hand.

On Capitol Hill, Cada and his entourage bumped into Senator John Ensign (R-NV) and had a five-minute long conversation. Ensign serves as the counterpart to Harry Reid (D-NV), the current Senate Majority Leader. On Cada’s parade around Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, Pappas commented, “He doesn’t have the recognition that other pros we bring do, but he's just becoming a face on the scene. He was great from our perspective. He wasn't here to do the hard sell on public policy; he was here to give a good face to poker and tell his story.”

Cada became the youngest WSOP Main Event winner ever at age 21 in November, eclipsing Peter Eastgate’s standing record by one year. Cada and Eastgate are both card-carrying members of Team PokerStars Pro, which also includes other World Champions like Chris Moneymaker (2003), Greg Raymer (2004), and Australian Joe Hachem (2005). A bevy of news outlets met with Cada during the day, including Politico, The Hill, and Roll Call, popular Capitol Hill publications.

On the future of Cada’s relationship with the PPA, Pappas told Poker News Daily, “When we do fly-ins and other events, we want to be able to work with him and have him be a face for us in Washington, D.C. We'd love for him to continue to promote the PPA to the poker playing community, particularly to the younger online players who look up to Joe. He recognizes the importance of what we’re doing.” Cada’s post-WSOP Main Event media appearances have included the “Late Show with David Letterman” and ESPN’s “SportsCenter.” He’s also featured on the current cover of Bluff Magazine.

Next up for Cada is a trip to Las Vegas, where he will donate a two-hour training session to the prize pool of the All In For CP charity poker tournament, which will be held at the Hard Rock. Cada told Poker News Daily, "The PPA really treated me like a champion and made my stay very enjoyable. It was awesome meeting various politicians, especially the ones from Michigan. I placed third in John Pappas' home game, which was a huge cash for me of $110. I'm looking forward to supporting the PPA in the fight. Next stop: Bellagio."

Next up for the PPA is a push to pass legislation to legalize and regulate online poker in the United States. Pappas revealed, “We've built a lot of momentum at the end of the year and anticipate a Committee vote on HR 2267 in late January or early February. Right now, we're focusing on the targets we need to get this legislation through.” HR 2267, proposed by Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), provides a framework for online gaming companies to solicit U.S. customers. It boasts 63 co-sponsors.

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest headlines from Capitol Hill.

Mr Cada goes to Washington

Unlike certain – cough Jerry Yang cough – previous winners of the World Series of Poker Main Event, 21-year-old Joe Cada seems to be doing a Peter Eastgate. The $25/$50 cash game regular is taking his role as “poker’s ambassador” seriously, travelling to Washington in order to discuss the legality of the game.

Bernard Lee Recaps the 2009 WSOP Main Event Final Table

It was certainly a memorable World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event final table.  From Doyle Brunson announcing “Shuffle up and deal” to Joe Cada putting on the coveted bracelet, I was present in the Penn and Teller Theater to cover all of the festivities for ESPN Inside Deal.

Sadly, I could not play in the World Poker Tour (WPT) World Poker Finals Main Event at Foxwoods Resort and Casino.  The event has had significant personal meaning.  Not only did I have consecutive runs in the Main Event dating back to 2004, I also entered the 2009 World Poker Finals with three preliminary titles in the last three years ($5,000 in 2006, $2,000 in 2007, and $600 shootout in 2008).  I gave myself an opportunity to make it four in a row by making the final table of the $1,500 event, but I came up a little short, finishing in eighth place.  Oh well, I guess I will try to start another streak next year.

Nevertheless, the 2009 November Nine definitely had its share of memorable moments.  Right after the final table, I shared my thoughts with my radio show audience during my WSOP final table wrap-up, which lasted about three hours.  Guests included 2009 November Niners Darvin Moon, Steven Begleiter, and Kevin Schaffel, as well as recent Poker Hall of Fame inductee Mike Sexton, PokerNewsDaily.com’s own Dan Cypra, and Heartland Poker Tour announcer Fred Bevill.

The week after, I also produced an audio blog of the WSOP Main Event final table from start to finish.  Some of the interviews even included talks with players during the breaks to hear how they felt they were playing at the time.  If you would like to hear these shows or any past interviews with any member of the November Nine, you can download the podcast of “The Bernard Lee Poker Show” via iTunes or visit RoundersRadio.com.

Of course, congratulations to Joe Cada.  A year after Peter Eastgate broke Phil Hellmuth’s 19 year-old record for youngest WSOP Main Event champion, the 21-year old online player from Shelby Township, Michigan rewrote history once again by winning the $8.5 million first prize and the 2009 WSOP Main Event bracelet.  Cada went on a media blitz after his victory that included a ringside seat at a WWE event, appearances on several ESPN shows, and topped off with an interview with David Letterman.  I hope he continues to be a true poker ambassador during his reign.  Congratulations once again to our new WSOP Main Event Champion, Joe Cada.

Looking back, here are some of my additional thoughts about the WSOP final table:

1) Slow Early Play:  Based on the prize structure, I was surprised at how slow the play was at the beginning.  With the money difference between ninth and eighth only being $37,000 and the next jump being only $104,000, many analysts expected the short stacks to push early.  With players needing to finish in fourth place or better to at least double their guaranteed $1.26 million, I was even amazed that it took 59 hands to eliminate our first player.  However, after James Akenhead (ninth) and Kevin Schaffel (eighth) were eliminated, it took over 100 hands to dismiss Ivey from the final table in seventh place.

2) Atmosphere:  Unable to attend the inaugural November Nine last year, I previously heard all of the stories about the crowd excitement and noise.  This year, I got to experience it first-hand and it definitely did not disappoint.  Inside the Rio’s Penn and Teller Theater, the packed house was truly deafening and involved from hand one.

3) The Best Fans:  Many of the players brought their own cheering sections:

a. Schaffel: His fans wore white shirts that read “Schaffel up and Deal”
b. Moon: His family and friends had cut out faces of Darvin and shirts that read “Bad Moon Rising”
c. Saout: His cheering section wore France’s home team colors and chanted like soccer (or football as they say in Europe) fans
d. Ivey: The entire audience was cheering for him

However, the best fans were, without a question, Joe Cada’s gang.  Although there was a fight among their group, the majority of Cada’s group never let their guy down.  They cheered with every hand, sometimes even when he lost a hand.  One time, his group reacted so loudly that I was confused, thinking that he might have actually won the hand.  They really kept his spirits up and never let him give up.

4) Worst Bad Beat:  This year’s final table may be known as the Year of the Bad Beat.  Amazingly, every player eliminated from eighth place to third had the lead pre-flop and lost.  Here are a couple of the worst ones:

a. Schaffel versus Buchman:  Schaffel’s Ah-Ac got cracked by Buchman’s Kh-Kc when Buchman flopped a king and turned quads to eliminate Schaffel in eighth place.

b. Ivey versus Moon:  Pre-flop Ivey (Ac-Ks) had Moon (Ad-Qs) dominated, but Moon flopped a Qd.  Ivey could not catch up and was eliminated in seventh place, deflating his fans and the room in general.

However, the worst beat had to be when Cada shoved all-in versus Antoine Saout on the very first hand of three-handed play.  Saout’s Qs-Qh was poised to eliminate Cada’s 2s-2c; however, a 9s-7s-2d flop destroyed Saout’s hopes of the WSOP Main Event title.

5) Emerging Poker Star: Besides Cada, the one player that surprised many people was Antoine Saout.  An unknown player before the 2009 WSOP, this online qualifier final tabled the WSOP Europe Main Event final table prior to the November Nine.  Then, the second short stack ended up finishing in third place and could have been playing heads-up versus Moon.  Had Cada not flopped a set (see #4 above), the Frenchman would have brought a 110:70 million chip lead to the mono-a-mono battle.

For a limited time only (until December 25th), all PokerNewsDaily.com readers are invited to a special pre-holiday sale.  Click Here to receive a 20% discount for ordering my books, The Final Table, Volume I and II.  Both books make perfect holiday gifts for all poker fans.

Finally, in the coming weeks, “The Bernard Lee Poker Show” will interview two champions: 2009 WSOP Europe Main Event champion Barry Shulman and the Godfather of Poker himself, two-time WSOP Main Event champion Doyle Brunson.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday season.

Since finishing 13th in the 2005 WSOP Main Event, Bernard Lee has cashed in numerous tournaments, capturing three titles and earning over $1.35 million.  He is the host of ESPN’s poker show, ESPN Inside Deal.  He is a columnist for the Boston Herald and ESPN.com and the radio host of “The Bernard Lee Poker Show.”  Listen every Tuesday night from 7:00pm ET to 8:00pm ET on 1510 AM in Massachusetts and also on 1510thezone.com and RoundersRadio.com.  The show is replayed several times during the week and also available on podcast. Visit BernardLeePoker.com for the latest news regarding Lee.

ESPN Ranks Top Poker Players; Phil Ivey Number One

Who is the top all-around poker player in the world? Online or live, cash games or tournaments, whose game reigns supreme over the rest of the industry? According to a panel of experts organized by ESPN.com, the answer is Phil Ivey.

The voting block consisted of ESPN’s Andrew Feldman, Gary Wise, and Bernard Lee, along with Bluff’s Lance Bradley and Michael Friedman, Poker News Daily’s Dan Cypra, and PocketFivesLive.com Tournament Reporter Court Harrington. Each of us was asked to name our top ten players in the poker world irrespective of whether we were talking about online or live play, tournaments, cash games, or game type. In the end, the first ever list of “The Nuts” was compiled.

Topping the chart was Ivey, the seventh place finisher in the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. Ivey won two bracelets in preliminary tournaments leading up to the $10,000 buy-in Main Event, one in Deuce to Seven Lowball and one in Omaha/Seven Card Stud High-Low. He owns seven bracelets and over $5 million in career WSOP earnings. Coupled with nearly $3 million in high-stakes cash game winnings off Swedish poker pro Isildur1 alone, Ivey makes a strong case as the top name in the business. Out of the seven pollsters, six chose Ivey as their top dog. The lone exception was yours truly.

My pick for best poker player today was Yevgeniy “Jovial Gent” Timoshenko. While players like Ivey have been successful, Timoshenko has dominated high-profile events. In April, Timoshenko took down the World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship for $2.1 million, one year after winning the Asian Poker Tour (APT) Macau Main Event. He finished 25th in the 2009 WSOP Europe Main Event and proved his online prowess by winning the PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) Main Event for $1.7 million in September. He followed that performance up with a victory in the Full Tilt $1K Monday. His stakes aren’t as high in cash games as Ivey’s, but he’s also not a member of Team Full Tilt.

Second overall on “The Nuts” was Patrik Antonius. Another participant in the high-stakes games against Isildur1, Antonius lays claim to winning the largest pot in online poker history, $1.3 million, set last month. Friedman noted, “I know this may be controversial, but I think Antonius may be the best online cash game player out there at the moment.” Going against Antonius is his lackluster performance in tournaments; he has not turned in a live score of over $20,000 since May of 2008, according to HendonMob.com.

Rounding out the top three was Daniel Negreanu, who was not ranked by Poker News Daily. Negreanu has final tabled the Main Event of WSOP Europe in back-to-back years and recorded eight in the money finishes in the Las Vegas series in 2009. Negreanu has been actively involved on televised poker programs like “High Stakes Poker” and the “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge,” serving as one of the game’s top ambassadors. His cash game accolades seem less obvious than Ivey’s and Antonius’, who Poker News Daily ranked as #3 and #6, respectively.

So who did the seven pollsters rank in the first ever edition of ESPN’s “The Nuts”? Here is the illustrious list of today’s top poker players:

1. Phil Ivey
2. Patrik Antonius
3. Daniel Negreanu
4. Tom “durrrr” Dwan
5. Barry Greenstein
6. Jason Mercier
7. Jeffrey Lisandro
8. Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier
9. Phil “OMGClayAiken” Galfond
10. Yevgeniy “Jovial Gent” Timoshenko

Others who received votes included Tommy Vedes, Isildur1, J.C. Tran, Allen Cunningham, Steve “gboro780” Gross, Scott “BigRiskky” Clements, Michael Binger, Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little, David “The Dragon” Pham, Phil Hellmuth, Doyle Brunson, Dan “djk123” Kelly, Antoine Saout, Brian Townsend, Brock “t soprano” Parker, and Matt Hawrilenko. Check out the full ESPN list for more details on each player selected.

What do you think? Should Ivey have been number one? Leave a comment here and let us know!

Lacey Jones, Leo Margets Join KSINO

Both Lacey Jones and Leo Margets will act as ambassadors for the brand as they travel the world on the International poker circuit.

“To say that I am thrilled to have Lacey and Leo as brand ambassadors is an understatement,” said Alex That, President of KSINO.

“They are two very beautiful women who are also very talented poker players. They turn heads at the tables not only for how they look, but for how they play. That’s what KSINO is about, playing great and looking hot while doing it.”

Margets, a Barcelona native, exploded onto the poker scene this summer when she became the last woman standing in the 2009 WSOP Main Event by finishing 27^th for $352,832.

She received considerable media attention and was immediately signed as by 888.com as a member of their pro team.

Meanwhile Jones has been involved in almost every aspect of the poker industry including playing, reporting and presenting. This summer she also joined Absolute Poker as a team pro.

“I really love being part of the KSINO family, it’s about more than just great looking clothes, it’s a fun lifestyle,” said Jones. “It’s my lifestyle.”

KSINO markets itself as a premiere clothing provider for the gaming industry with a variety of clothing for sale on its website including T-shirts, jackets, hats and more.

Visit PokerListings.com

BetClic Signs Isabelle Mercier

Mercier will act as a consultant for the site, which is a part of the Mangas Gaming group, and will be involved with developing a strategy for BetClic Poker.

“I am delighted to be working with BetClic and the Mangas group,” Mercier said.

“I am super impressed by the energy and ambition of this young company which is really going places. As with poker I’ve always made decisions based on both analysis and instinct, and this project has a great feel to it. I know it will be really exciting.”

Mercier brings years of experience from the poker industry, where she originally started as a poker room manager at the Aviation Club de France.

She was also a successful player and her big break came in 2004 when she won the WPT Ladies Night Out II event. Since then she has won over $1 million on the tournament circuit including a final table in the 2006 WSOP where she finished fifth for $175,404.

 “We are proud to welcome Isabelle to our team as an ambassador and advisor,” said BetClic managing director Nicolas Béraud. “She will give us new vision and excitement in this fast growing sector.”

Although Mercier will be a consultant for the company she will also continue to play poker, joining the rest of the sporting ambassadors at BetClic including footballers Marcel Desailly, Deco, Arrigo Sacchi, Mateusz Borek and Stefan Effenberg.

BetClic was created in 2005 and has grown from a start-up to a major player in the online gaming world. The company operates across 15 countries with over 1.5 million customers.

Although the site is known primarily for sports betting it has started to push its poker offering. BetClic also recently acquired Bet-At-Home and Expekt, both of which offer online poker rooms.

Mercier was rumored to have joined BetClic back in September, but she denied the claims at the time.

Visit PokerListings.com

Clothing Brand KSINO Signs Lacey Jones and Leo Margets

Clothing apparel company KSINO announced Monday that it has signed exclusive agreements with two of poker’s up-and-coming female players, Lacey Jones and Leo Margets. The brand, which is building a reputation as the top clothing line for those living and loving a fast-paced lifestyle, chose Jones and Margets as two players who speak to that standard of living.

“To say that I am thrilled to have Lacey and Leo as brand ambassadors is an understatement,” said Alex That, President of KSINO. “They are two very beautiful women who are also very talented poker players. They turn heads at the tables not only for how they look, but also for how they play. That’s what KSINO is about, playing great and looking hot while doing it.”

Jones, a fashion model and poker pro, signed on with Absolute Poker in July after hosting interviews at the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) for ESPN 360, WSOP.com, BluffMagazine.com, and PKR.com. She posed for the cover of Bluff Magazine in its November 2008 issue, one of only three Bluff covers featuring women in the history of the magazine. Jones is also a traveling tournament reporter for Fox Sports Net’s new show “Poker2Nite,” hosted by PokerRoad’s Joe Sebok and Scott Huff.

“I really love being part of the KSINO family,” Jones said about her new role with the company. “It’s about more than just great looking clothes; it’s a fun lifestyle. It’s my lifestyle.”

Margets’ fame came during the 2009 WSOP Main Event, where she finished 27th place out of nearly 6,500 players, earning the title of “Last Woman Standing.” Margets collected $352,832 for her deep finish in what was the first WSOP cash of her poker career. In 2008, she won the University Poker Championship in her hometown of Barcelona, and, as a result, 888.com offered her sponsorship for national events.

“I’m excited about being a part of KSINO,” said Margets. “I feel like I identify with the brand and can now sit down at a poker table and compete in style… I love it! KSINO is not only a clothing line. They are creating and redefining the game… It’s a whole new lifestyle!”

The KSINO clothing brand was created by Anthony Tuozzo to provide premium designer apparel to the multi-billion dollar gaming industry. The brand’s styles include graphic t-shirts, hoodies, button-downs, jackets, and accessories. KSINO clothing is now available at D.Fine at the Bellagio, The Men’s Store at the Mirage, and at KSINO.com.

On November 24th, KSINO entered into a merchandise distribution agreement with HeadsUp Entertainment International Inc., operators of the Canadian Poker Tour and Canadian Poker Player Magazine. KSINO apparel will be marketed throughout Canada in Canadian Poker Player Magazine, on all upcoming Canadian Poker Tour television broadcasts, and into the websites, social communities, and player databases from coast to coast.

Clothing Brand KSINO Signs Lacey Jones and Leo Margets

Clothing apparel company KSINO announced Monday that it has signed exclusive agreements with two of poker’s up-and-coming female players, Lacey Jones and Leo Margets. The brand, which is building a reputation as the top clothing line for those living and loving a fast-paced lifestyle, chose Jones and Margets as two players who speak to that standard of living.

“To say that I am thrilled to have Lacey and Leo as brand ambassadors is an understatement,” said Alex That, President of KSINO. “They are two very beautiful women who are also very talented poker players. They turn heads at the tables not only for how they look, but also for how they play. That’s what KSINO is about, playing great and looking hot while doing it.”

Jones, a fashion model and poker pro, signed on with Absolute Poker in July after hosting interviews at the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) for ESPN 360, WSOP.com, BluffMagazine.com, and PKR.com. She posed for the cover of Bluff Magazine in its November 2008 issue, one of only three Bluff covers featuring women in the history of the magazine. Jones is also a traveling tournament reporter for Fox Sports Net’s new show “Poker2Nite,” hosted by PokerRoad’s Joe Sebok and Scott Huff.

“I really love being part of the KSINO family,” Jones said about her new role with the company. “It’s about more than just great looking clothes; it’s a fun lifestyle. It’s my lifestyle.”

Margets’ fame came during the 2009 WSOP Main Event, where she finished 27th place out of nearly 6,500 players, earning the title of “Last Woman Standing.” Margets collected $352,832 for her deep finish in what was the first WSOP cash of her poker career. In 2008, she won the University Poker Championship in her hometown of Barcelona, and, as a result, 888.com offered her sponsorship for national events.

“I’m excited about being a part of KSINO,” said Margets. “I feel like I identify with the brand and can now sit down at a poker table and compete in style… I love it! KSINO is not only a clothing line. They are creating and redefining the game… It’s a whole new lifestyle!”

The KSINO clothing brand was created by Anthony Tuozzo to provide premium designer apparel to the multi-billion dollar gaming industry. The brand’s styles include graphic t-shirts, hoodies, button-downs, jackets, and accessories. KSINO clothing is now available at D.Fine at the Bellagio, The Men’s Store at the Mirage, and at KSINO.com.

On November 24th, KSINO entered into a merchandise distribution agreement with HeadsUp Entertainment International Inc., operators of the Canadian Poker Tour and Canadian Poker Player Magazine. KSINO apparel will be marketed throughout Canada in Canadian Poker Player Magazine, on all upcoming Canadian Poker Tour television broadcasts, and into the websites, social communities, and player databases from coast to coast.

Joe Cada Recaps WSOP, David Letterman on PocketFives Podcast

This week, the online poker forum PocketFives.com welcomed 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event winner Joe Cada, who signed up for a PocketFives.com account using the moniker “jcada99.”

Check out the audio:

Cada appeared on the “Late Show with David Letterman” on Tuesday night in a four-minute segment following actress Penelope Cruz. On his interview with the longtime CBS host, Cada told the PocketFives.com Podcast, “It was very exciting. I was probably more nervous to do that than the final table. It was cool to meet Dave. He’s a funny guy.” Letterman and Cada covered a substantial amount of ground during the terse interview, with topics ranging from Cada’s backers to his beginnings in the game.

Preparing for November’s resumption of the $10,000 buy-in tournament meant over 100 days of waiting for play to kick off. While several at the table sought coaching and some escaped on vacation, Cada relayed how he spent the downtime: “I just tried to remain focused and not think about the money. I wanted to play the best poker that I could and not play scared either.” As a result of his win, Cada will parlay his fame into continued involvement with the poker world. He noted, “I’ll continue to play poker and I’ll always play poker. We have a few big tournaments coming up, the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas and the Five Diamond at the Bellagio. I’m going to continue to play big tournaments and play online.”

His parents, though initially gun shy about his poker endeavors, have ultimately come around to support the new millionaire. Cada revealed, “My family has been very supportive and my friends have been very supportive too. There have been a lot of people helping me through this and I’m very appreciative of all of that. I’ve been really busy, so I haven’t had too much time to talk to them yet.” His girlfriend served as his ambassador at the Rio during the Main Event final table, answering Cada’s phone and keeping him company throughout the off-day before heads-up play.

Cada is a heads-up online poker specialist and, holding better than a 2:1 chip lead when play was down to two against Maryland logger Darvin Moon, was considered to be favored by most. However, Moon put up a fight, leaving Cada to admit, “Darvin Moon did impress me with his heads-up play. He played really well and put me to a lot of tough decisions. He wanted to play very aggressively, which he did, and put me in a lot of tough spots. Darvin played excellent heads-up poker and took it to me for the beginning part of the match.”

Moon showed down monsters leading up to the nine-handed final table, developing an image as a rock in a table full of experienced poker players. Cada picked up on the same image, telling PocketFives.com Podcast Host David Huber, “Darvin came to the final table with an image that he didn’t bluff too much, barely at all. He always had a monster and tried to use that image to his advantage at the final table. He put in a lot of big raises and tried to put people in a lot of tough spots.”

While Moon turned up the tempo at the final table, poker pros Jeff Shulman and Team Full Tilt member Phil Ivey clamped down, playing mostly ABC poker. On the tightness of the two pros, Cada commented, “I was very surprised, especially when I saw the video. I was surprised that Shulman folded nines on the button when Ivey shipped. I was also surprised to see Ivey fold jacks when he got 3bet. Those hands surprised me and they were playing really tight throughout the 17 hours. Shulman opened up more as we got shorter-handed and I had 18 big blinds, which was my reason to ship with threes.”

Finally, after watching the WSOP Main Event unfold on ESPN, Cada relayed his thoughts on the network’s coverage, which will continue until at least April of 2018: “I wish they would have shown more hands that I was involved with, but they did a good job. There was a ton of footage, so it was hard to see a lot of the interesting hands. They didn’t show a few of my 4bets and there was a crucial hand against Darvin heads-up that I thought they were going to show where he 3bet and I 4bet with 10-3 and he ended up folding fours.”

Cada has looked and sounded professional throughout his various media appearances, coached in interviewing by PokerRoad’s Joe Stapleton and Top Set Management. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest Joe Cada interviews.

Poker2Nite Debuts on Fox Sports Net

Wednesday night marked the first episode of the UB.net poker news show “Poker2Nite.” The new franchise stars PokerRoad personalities Joe Sebok and Scott Huff and airs at 11:00pm ET on Wednesdays on Fox Sports Net.

Last night’s show began with a discussion of the major news item of the week, the win by Joe Cada in the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. Cada became the youngest champion ever of the $10,000 buy-in feature tournament at age 21 and turned 22 on November 18th. In the final hand of the tournament, which was replayed on “Poker2Nite,” Cada shoved with pocket nines and Maryland logger Darvin Moon made the call for his tournament life with Q-J of diamonds. The two were off to the races with $3 million in real money on the line. In the end, Cada emerged victorious. He told “Poker2Nite’s” Lacey Jones after play had concluded, “I knew the odds of winning it were a long shot.”

Huff gave his take on the emergence of Cada: “The kid immediately goes out and does a lot of live interviews. He’s accepted a number of mainstream media appearances and it feels like he’s ready to step into the spotlight and be an ambassador for the game.” Huff and Sebok then debated whether it was fair that the winner of the Main Event had a “job” to promote the game. Sebok stated, “It’s an opportunity. I would snatch up that job in a second.” Sebok took 56th in the 2009 Main Event, earning $108,000.

Attention then turned to the departure of WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack, who resigned from his post just days after Cada was crowned the newest World Champion. Pollack’s legacy includes the introduction of the $50,000 buy-in HORSE Championship, the November Nine, and a reduction in the number of player complaints. Sebok, who was one of several pros who weighed in following Pollack’s departure on social media sites like Twitter, told “Poker2Nite” viewers, “Jeffrey Pollack definitely changed the game for the better.”

UB.net logos appeared in the background and in commercials during each break. The new site was launched earlier this week replacing Ultimate Bet, which was long known by the two-letter acronym. “Poker2Nite” is featured on the front page of UB.net and UB.com and a press release announcing the new site called the series “a new television show that is truly about poker, not just another reality or game show.” Huff and Sebok are veterans of the media side of poker through their work with PokerRoad Radio. Both bring an energetic demeanor to the silver screen and looked at home in front of Fox Sports Net television cameras.

Dana Workman, who has appeared in various sitcoms on ABC and FOX, gave her Weekly Misdeal and Huff and Sebok examined which fans at the tournament in Las Vegas were the rowdiest. Cada’s won the contest, as the youngster’s cheering section came decked out in yellow shirts and screamed loudly throughout the marathon festivities. The younger age of Cada’s fans may have contributed to their excitement, as supporters of Antoine Saout and Steven Begleiter, who were dressed in blue, appeared to be of an older age.

Joining the show as its first guest was San Jose native and ESPN poker announcer Lon McEachern, about whom Huff jokingly claimed, “I brought him on to force him to pass the torch.” McEachern, who first broadcasted the WSOP on ESPN in 2002 alongside Gabe Kaplan, told “Poker2Nite” fans, “It’s an event now. To have that many people watching nine guys sit and play cards was incredible. To come from the obscure beginnings to where it is now has been the ride of a lifetime.”

In addition to its 11:00am ET debut each Wednesday night, “Poker2Nite” re-airs on Thursdays at 4:00pm ET and Fridays at 11:00am ET and 6:00pm ET. Check local listings for full details.

WPT, Party Gaming Officials Discuss Acquisition

Recently, PartyGaming, the parent company of PartyPoker, completed the acquisition of the World Poker Tour (WPT). Despite a last-minute proposal from Mandalay Media, a mobile gaming company, WPT shareholders rubber-stamped the sale for $12.3 million plus a percentage of future gaming revenues.

Poker News Daily sat down with WPT General Counsel Adam Pliska, WPT Host and Poker Hall of Fame member Mike Sexton, WPT Founder Steve Lipscomb, and PartyGaming Chief Marketing Officer Chris Welch to break down the sale.

Poker News Daily: Talk about why the WPT is a good fit for PartyGaming.

Pliska: Party Gaming was an initial tour stop sponsor of the WPT. We’ve had a long relationship starting from the beginning that was mutually beneficial.

Welch: PartyPoker wouldn’t have been the success it is today without the WPT. The fact that Mike Sexton was a PartyPoker ambassador and WPT host shows you the depth of the relationship.

PND: A last-minute proposal submitted by Mandalay Media was dismissed. Talk about the offer.

Pliska: As defined in our proxy statement, I can attest that there was an analysis of the offers. I can tell you that the company was pleased with the offer on the table from PartyGaming. When you look at the up front parts of it and the future revenue part parts of it, it made it very attractive. Throughout this process, I have come to never be surprised and I’m pleased with the results.

Lipscomb: The process was driven by our Board of Directors. They carefully did what they needed to do based on their duties to shareholders. It was an honor to have multiple parties that were interested. The final result, which was being with PartyGaming, really was the best for us.

PND: Will WPT regulars see any changes when Season 9 begins filming next year?

Pliska: What you’re going to see in Season 9 is business as usual. We’ll continue to be creative and innovate. I think, for the most part, you’re not going to see any interruptions.

PND: PartyPoker does not accept customers from the United States. Talk about being able to expose the WPT brand to the site’s customer base.

Sexton: One of the primary advantages of this whole situation is that we can expand the WPT brand worldwide. It’ll be in many more countries than it is now.

Welch: We are very excited by the partnership with the WPT. We are predominantly a European business, but we view this as one of the steps to coming back into the U.S. PartyPoker has 12 million members in the U.S. that we can cross-sell Club WPT to.

PND: Why is it important to be able to cross-sell to U.S. players?

Welch: We’re set up to take advantage of any U.S. developments. You can bet that when the market opens up, we’ll be at the forefront of it. The acquisition of the WPT will give us a substantial asset that we can leverage in the U.S.

Club WPT is a very successful subscription service and PartyPoker gets 2,000 to 3,000 downloads a day from the U.S. even though we don’t market there. As you would expect, we have a powerful marketing scheme that we will use to leverage the WPT brand across Europe.

PND: Will it be tough to bring more land-based tournaments to Europe, where you can already find series like the European Poker Tour (EPT)?

Lipscomb: We’re far from a new tour. There was no such thing as a poker tour since we launched the first once. We’ve been global since Season 1. If you are trying to launch one of the many additional tours starting to spring up in the marketplace, I wouldn’t want to be in that position, but I wouldn’t lump us in with that crowd.

Sexton: Recognize that the WPT is on television worldwide. People know who we are and what we do.

PND: Talk about the ongoing eighth season of the WPT.

Lipscomb: Seldom in the world of television do you have an eighth season of anything. It’s uncommon to have an eighth season when you’re working with the same people and they all still like each other. I truly believe that the joining of the WPT and PartyGaming is pretty exciting. Mike is the voice of poker and to have him in this great new synergy is an opportunity we’ve dreamed of.

PND: What does the future hold for WPT Enterprises, now Ante4?

Lipscomb: What we’ve announced is that we’re going to be looking for an opportunity as a publicly traded company to find businesses to join, acquire, or merge with to maximize shareholder value.

Yang says Cada got lucky to win WSOP Main Event

Jerry Yang, who won the 2007 WSOP Main Event, is certainly one.

Yang watched it all go down on ESPN the very next night from his newly opened Pocket 8's Sushi & Grill restaurant in Merced, California and enjoyed every minute of it.

"It was very interesting," Yang told PokerListings from Harvey's Lake Tahoe, where he had come to play in the WSOP Circuit event this weekend. "Overall I think it was a great tournament. It was very exciting."

Yang has always admitted his path to the 2007 title and its $8.25 million prize was paved with a lot of luck.

What he saw on this year's ESPN broadcast appeared no different to him.

"I think all the guys played really well and obviously two of them got really lucky," he said.

"Joe Cada is a good player, but he got incredibly lucky. Especially with the pocket threes (all in pre-flop against Jeff Shulman's pocket jacks) and the pocket deuces (all in pre-flop against Antoine Saout's pocket queens). I'm happy it worked out for him.

"Moon had a good shot, but I think he made a couple of mistakes and I'm sure he's thinking about them right now."

Yang was criticized by some in the poker media for not playing as many major tournaments as they would have liked in the year following his win.

However, the father of six children, who escaped war-torn Laos as a child and spent four-and-a-half years in a Thai refugee camp before immigrating to the United States, makes no apologies for following a different path.

"Since winning I have personally helped raised more than $700,000 for charity, namely the Make-A-Wish foundation, the Ronald McDonald House and Feed the Children, so that took a lot of my time away," he said.

"I made a promise that I would donate a lot of my time and money to charity. That's what I'm passionate about; giving back to the community, especially underprivileged kids."

If he has any advice for the new World Champion, it's that he follow his heart as well.

"Just follow your passion," Yang said. "If poker is your passion, then hey, you know what, be a good ambassador. Do whatever you can to promote poker and carry the game to the next level.

"I know a lot of young players today look up to somebody like me or Joe Hachem, or whoever the champion is and they want to follow in our footsteps. So do whatever you can to really help that community."

Yang's victory came in the final year before the WSOP began delaying the final table four months, creating what is now known as the November Nine.

The 2007 World Champion says he loves the idea and the boxing-style hype that is created during the four-month break.

"I wish they had done it a couple of years before I won, although it may have changed my results," he laughed. "I think it will only help poker grow, survive and thrive even more."

These days, Yang spends the majority of his time at his restaurant, with his family, playing poker for charity and putting the finishing touches on his biography, All In: The Jerry Yang Story, expected to be published sometime in early 2010.

But a passion for the game still got him out of bed at 4 a.m. Sunday to make the drive to Lake Tahoe from his Fresno home to play a little poker on the World Series Circuit.

"The bottom line is I love poker," he said.

To follow Yang and all the action from the Lake Tahoe World Series of Poker Circuit championship event, click through to PokerListings' Live Coverage.

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Trishelle Cannatella Signs with Absolute Poker

The Absolute Poker family just became a little larger. The USA-facing site on the CEREUS Poker Network welcomed former 2002 “Real World” star Trishelle Cannatella as a sponsored pro. Poker News Daily sat down with Cannatella to discuss her new role.

Poker News Daily: Congratulations on signing with Absolute Poker. Besides “Real World,” some of our readers will recognize you from stints on “Punk’d,” “Fear Factor,” “Criminal Minds,” “Ninja Cheerleaders,” “The Dukes of Hazard: The Beginning,” “The Surreal Life,” and “Dr. Steveo.” How’d the signing come about?

Cannatella: One of my friends manages poker players. She was getting me gigs like going to charity tournaments and doing appearances. I started playing and she talked to someone at Absolute Poker. They asked me to be their ambassador.

PND: How did you get started in poker?

Cannatella: I started off in home games. They gave me a “Poker for Dummies” set and it’s how I learned. I taught myself how to play like that and began beating the guys at their own game. Then, I decided to play a live tournament at Caesars Palace, around an $80 buy-in event, and I won. I didn’t think I could actually do that and so I started playing a little bit more. I don’t have the bankroll to play very high stakes.

When I first started playing, it was on Paradise Poker. I used to play $1 tournaments online all night long. Now, I go from that to getting to play with people I used to see play on television. I am serious about it and am really looking forward to it.

PND: What can we expect from you on Absolute Poker?

Cannatella: I’m going to be playing on the site as “Trishelle_C” and am going to do blogs, both video and written. I’ll be going to events like charity tournaments and Aruba. I also spent the whole summer in Las Vegas for the WSOP. I really love poker, so it’s exciting to be part of the site.

PND: Who were you railing at the WSOP?

Cannatella: Phil Galfond was there. I became friends with Tom Dwan and Jeff Madsen. While I was there, I played a satellite and was the only girl at the table. The other players all have their iPhones and their sunglasses on and I got no respect at the table. All of a sudden, Chris Ferguson comes over, climbs over the rope, and told me that he was watching me play. Then, I started getting respect at the table.

PND: What’s next for your television career?

Cannatella: I took a little bit of a break after the Hulk Hogan wrestling show. Now, I’m getting back into things. I auditioned with a new show that’s like “Curb Your Enthusiasm” meets “Sex and the City.” I’ve also been in talks with more reality television show producers.

PND: Talk about fellow female Absolute Poker pro Lacey Jones. Have you met her before?

Cannatella: She’s gorgeous and I met her in Las Vegas. We have a lot of mutual friends and I’m excited to work with everyone. I’m also friends with some of the poker girls and I love Tiffany Michelle.

PND: Who in the poker community have you gone to for advice?

Cannatella: I ask Phil Laak a lot for help and he tells me to go to CardRunners and study. He told me that he’d give me a month of free training if I go to CardRunners every day. So far, I haven’t had time.

WSOP Final Table Logos: Inside Perspective

As you probably know, WSOP Final Table logos are big business. Players routinely secure six and seven figure multi year deals from the big online poker sites. The 2009 World Series of Poker November Nine were no exception. Except for the nine players, agents and poker sites, very few people ever get to look inside how logo deals happen. Poker News Daily sat down with Paul Leggett of Ultimate Bet. Leggett is the COO at Tokwiro, the owner of Ultimate Bet, and is ultimately the one responsible for making logo deals on behalf of the site. While Ultimate Bet did not have a player wearing a logo at the 2009 WSOP Final Table, the site did have significant ESPN exposure in the coverage during the run up to the final table. In addition, Leggett and UB were heavily involved in multi-month attempts to sign players at the final table.

Who were you targeting as good candidates for Ultimate Bet logos in this year’s WSOP?

Leggett: Coming down the stretch I really wanted Joe Sebok, Antonio Esfandiari and Prahlad Friedman. To determine who to go after, we usually look at televised tables, chip counts, etc. We also focused in on Billy Kopp and Joe Cada because they fit with our pro team and they had good chip stacks. Once they got the final 27 we liked their experience from online poker and we went after both of them. Unfortunately Billy busted out a bit short of the final table and Joe ended up signing with PokerStars but we felt good about who we were going after.

When it got down to the final table the only person I really wanted was Joe Cada because he represented the young online poker player really well. We went after Joe Cada and Stars went after Darvin Moon. Cada and his agent were holding us off and delaying so I put an expiration date on the offer.

After Cada signed with Stars, I realized that Stars was going after Moon while we were going after Cada and that was one reason Cada was holding off on making a decision. Stars was insisting on a long-term pro deal with Moon but he wouldn’t budge on doing anything beyond a one-day deal because he didn’t want to have any commitments after the series. Stars wouldn’t do a one-day logo deal with Moon so they came in and signed Cada. I don’t blame Cada for holding out for a big deal. Our deals work on a sliding scale and Stars offers much larger flat multi-year deals.

So after not getting Joe Cada in September did you pursue anyone else?

Leggett: We went after Moon. He made it obvious to us that he only wanted a single-day logo deal which is worth a lot less to us. There’s still value in the logo but if he did well we obviously want him to become a part of our team. We want someone to be an ambassador and represent our site at other tournaments. So we saw a lot less value in it but we were still in back and forth discussions with his agent until the day before the final table. We made a lot of different sorts of significant six-figure offers for the one day logo deal but in the end we weren’t able to reach an agreement.

(Editors Note: Leggett declined to provide specific figures during our interview but a number of industry sources have stated that Moon was looking for $350k for a one-day logo deal at the final table. We can obviously presume that Ultimate Bet did not offer that much or else Moon would have taken it.)

How hard is it to do this when you’re competing with the Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars’ of the world?

Leggett: It’s very hard because negotiating and making these deals is a unique skill set and you have to learn from scratch and get experience. One reason it’s so difficult to make these deals is because it’s hard to put an estimate on what these deals are worth. They can backfire on you badly. There are a number of WSOP champions who we don’t want to have representing us. On the other hand, guys like Joe Cada are perfect for us.

But it’s really us just trying to put ourselves in a position to find the next Moneymaker dream winner and reap the rewards from that. We learned a lot this year and I pretty much guarantee we’ll have a logo at the final table next year.

How do Ultimate Bet’s deals generally work?

Leggett: Before the final table, it depends on whether the player is at a primary televised table or a secondary table. Based on that, they get a flat amount. In addition, they get paid for TV incentives after it airs usually based on TV exposure of full and partial logos. There are a few requirements for what qualifies as a logo exposure. In addition, should they make the final table, we offer a scaling final table deal which is relatively small for 9th and quite large for 1st. The deal for 1st is a multi-year Ultimate Bet pro deal.

What do you think about diminishing returns on logos? How important is the first logo for a site versus the second and the third?

Leggett: I care a great deal about the first especially if it’s a great player and a great story. I thought Cada and Moon had great stories and I really wanted to get at least one of them. Both of them appeal to a certain demographic. We’re selective about who we’ll spend a lot to put a logo on. We definitely want to have a logo at final tables but we’re also shooting for first or second place players to be our long-term representative. A lot of people don’t remember who finished 3rd, 4th, etc after a few years so we really want someone who has a great story and can get to heads up. That’s our goal in this process.

Do you think the 3 logo rule is a good one?

Leggett: I really do think it’s a good one. It makes sense for the WSOP because the brand is the WSOP and it isn’t the PokerStars series. It can look overwhelming and silly.

What do you think their reasoning was for that?

Leggett: Probably to combat a single site dominating.

Do you want to talk about your strategy for next year?

Leggett: We can’t do that, it’s too important. But we did learn a lot this year and we will be able to get a logo next year. We did get a ton of coverage on ESPN this year and we’re really happy with the TV exposure that we got. Our coverage was probably better than Stars even in the period leading up to the final table. We’re very happy with our exposure even though we didn’t sign Cada and we’re looking forward to getting a logo on the final table next year.

Joe Cada Supported by 150 Friends and Family at 2009 WSOP Main Event

The squeaky wheel gets the grease, or in the case of Joe Cada, the squeaky wheel gets $8.5 million. After nearly 90 hands of heads-up play in the overnight hours on Monday, Cada emerged as the youngest WSOP Main Event Champion ever.

His 22nd birthday is one week from Wednesday and we suspect that his party will be one for the ages. Last year, Peter Eastgate shattered Phil Hellmuth’s longstanding record to become the youngest winner of the $10,000 buy-in feature tournament, a distinction Hellmuth held for 19 years. Cada had over 150 of his closest friends and family rally behind him at the Penn and Teller Theater at the Rio. On his troops, Cada told WSOP officials, “They meant everything to me. They cheered me on when I was very low on chips. Then, I got down by 3:1 tonight and they were still sitting there cheering and going crazy. That helped me to get back in this and focus. Momentum is a big thing in poker. A lot of these people took off of school and work and came out here just to support me and I am so grateful.”

Cada’s faithful were decked out in neon yellow long sleeve shirts and hats in a scene reminiscent of a University of Michigan football game. Many had questioned whether Moon, a logger from Maryland, would be a viable ambassador for the game. On his new role as the face of the 2009 WSOP, Cada told reporters, “I will embrace it. I hope to help poker grow and represent it well.”

Cada donned a PokerStars logo throughout the Main Event final table after holding out for a logo deal from the world’s largest online poker site. In July, he could be spotted in images with Ultimate Bet gear on. Since Chris Moneymaker in 2003, PokerStars has procured four Main Event Champions to its ranks: Greg Raymer (2004), Joe Hachem (2005), Eastgate (2008), and now Cada.

Rallying him over the weekend were Cada’s parents, Ann and Jerry. The latter could be found taking pictures in earnest in a WSOP press conference on the Masquerade Stage at the Rio on Monday afternoon. His mother, Ann, shared her thoughts following her son’s $8.5 million score and WSOP bracelet win: “I’m elated. I’m dumbfounded. It’s just a dream. We wanted him to get his education first but when he started doing well, we wanted him to follow his dream. He loves it. How many people can say they love what they do?”

Amid rising unemployment and a professional football team that is 1-7 in 2009 and went a record 0-16 last year, Cada’s win marks a watershed moment for the state of Michigan and city of Detroit. Cada’s father echoed the point and added why his son has been so successful on the live and online poker felts in such a short amount of time: “I think where he really has talent is in the math area. When he was a kid, we used to just throw numbers at him and he would give us the answer right back. He knew percentages. Then, he got into poker and bang! It all came together.”

Among those thrilled for Cada is PokerStars, which asked Cada about playing Moon heads-up. Moon had run hot for much of the tournament, but, like his fortunes at Texas Hold’em Bonus at the Rio on Monday, his luck finally turned for the worse. Cada told PokerStars, “Darvin played a great game. He put me in a lot of tough spots. He did really well. Props to Darvin. He played great. He had my back against the wall, but luckily I came through.”

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from the 2009 WSOP Main Event results and coverage.

Moon, Cada focus on winning the WSOP Main Event

"If you was playing would you be happy with second? I'll let you answer that one yourself," Moon, a 46-year-old logger from Oakland, Maryland, told reporters at a press conference a little less than nine hours before the heads-up match was set to begin Monday.

"I don't even know how much second place pays. I know its five million, but I don't know what the other part is. I don't care about that. I don't care, I don't even know. First place is eight something; I don't know the exact figure. Anybody that plays anything competitive wants first and first only. The rest doesn't matter."

For those that are interested, first place pays a massive $8,546,435 while second is a respectable $5,182,601.

But winning poker's most prestigious title has become about more than money and a gold bracelet.

With a World title comes a bright spotlight and what some believe is a responsibility to act as an ambassador for the game of poker itself.

Cada, who at 21 years old would become the youngest Main Event champion in history with a win, says he would definitely embrace that role.

"I hope I can help poker grow as much as possible," he said. "I love the game and I'll play it my whole life. I'll try to represent poker as best I can. Before I wasn't a big fan of the cameras, but I don't care. Whatever is good for poker?"

A somewhat defiant Moon, the only player in the final nine not to wear a sponsor's patch from an online poker room, said he would accept some of the responsibilities that come with winning the Main Event, but on his terms.

"I'm not used to this and I'm uncomfortable as hell and that's the way it is," he explained. "I'm going to play some more tournaments, win or lose, but I'm going to do it on my terms, when I want to be there and do my thing."

Cada, who hails from Shelby Township, Michigan, will bring a better than 2:1 chip lead with him to the heads-up match, plus a boatload of experience having played online poker since he was a teenager.

"I kind of got into it because I enjoyed the game and I enjoy the competitiveness - the decision making, the math, the logic and the psychology," he said. "It's just something I enjoy to do and when I find something I enjoy to do, I strive to be the best at it.

"Every day I play I try to get better and this will be one stepping stone in trying to become the best. I know I'm not nearly close to the best, there are hundreds better than me, but it's a good stepping stone."

When the heads up match begins tonight, Cada said he will try to use what he's learned about Moon from play in the final nine, and whatever he can pick up early on, to systematically dismantle him.

"I think I have a little better understanding of how he plays," he explained. "And it won't take too many hands for me to get a good line on how he's playing. I just need to stay focused, pay close attention to everything and how he plays every hand."

Moon, on the other hand, started playing $20 and $30 live tournaments with fields of 30 to 40 people four years ago.

He won a satellite into the Main Event at a local casino, has never played online, counts his limited experience at the tables as his only teaching tool, and is planning a more pedestrian strategy.

"My strategy is to win; that's it," he said. "I haven't read no books about poker. My strategy is all in my head."

To follow the action in the Main Event heads-up match from the call to shuffle up and deal until a champion is crowned, tune into PokerListings' 2009 Main Event Live Coverage beginning at 10 p.m. PT.

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Mike Sexton Inducted into Poker Hall of Fame

Doyle Brunson kicked off the Poker Hall of Fame induction ceremony dinner at the Brasilia Room at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino. The festivities honoring Mike Sexton occurred during the dinner break of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event final table at 7:00pm PT.

The guest list read like a “who’s who” of the poker community, including Howard Lederer, Phil Hellmuth, Jack Binion, Ali Nejad, David Singer, and Dewey Tomko. Also in the house was World Poker Tour (WPT) Co-Host Vince Van Patten, who told Poker News Daily, “I couldn’t miss this. Mike is such a great champion and a great friend of mine. What we share together on the WPT is one of the most important parts of my life. So many laughs and Mike is such a great guy. He is the real thing.”

The WPT is currently filming its eighth season. In fact, The Foxwoods World Poker Finals, the November WPT stop, is currently playing out at the Connecticut casino. On Van Patten and Sexton’s chemistry after eight seasons, the Poker Hall of Fame nominee’s co-host told us, “We could go for 25 years. We don’t get bored with it, we love it, and we’re not faking it. We’d probably do it for no money. We love it that much and we enjoy each other’s company. He’s one of a kind, a great family man, and the real thing in poker.”

Those on stage were Brunson, Jack Binion, Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2009 candidate Tom McEvoy, and T.J. Cloutier. The latter told the assembled crowd of about 175, “We both went broke plenty of times… This man would bet on anything… Mike always thought he was the best split pot player of them all. He could always play those eight or better games.” In fact, Sexton’s lone WSOP bracelet came in 1989 in a Seven Card Stud High-Low Split tournament.

McEvoy then took to the podium and admitted, “This man holds a grudge,” referencing a story from the first WSOP Pot Limit tournament ever held. Binion, a Poker Hall of Fame member who helped popularize the WSOP, commented, “Mike was the one who got PartyPoker started, the one who got the software started. He’s the one who really made poker.” Sexton currently serves as the ambassador for PartyPoker, whose parent company, Party Gaming, recently completed the purchase of the WPT for $12.3 million plus a percent of future gaming revenues.

WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack formally presented Sexton’s trophy and his speech was preceded by an emotional speech from Tom Sexton. The new Poker Hall of Fame member’s brother stated, “Mike has the gift of vision, where he can see things that others can’t in the poker world.” Sexton’s brother also referenced the WPT host testifying in a poker court case in South Carolina and serving as the spokesperson for approximately 500 players shut out of Day 1D of the 2009 WSOP Main Event when the contest reached capacity.

One of Tom Sexton’s most memorable quotes came when referencing the “Daddy Hall of Fame,” which he revealed, “If there were a Daddy Hall of Fame, Mike would be in it.” Young Ty Sexton, whose nursery has overrun the Sexton home’s dance floor, is just 15 months; Mike is 62 years-old.

Sexton received a 30 second standing ovation upon being introduced and recognized each of the other eight candidates for the Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2009: Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Erik Seidel, McEvoy, Dan Harrington, Scotty Nguyen, Men “The Master” Nguyen, and Barry Greenstein. Ivey, who was one of seven players remaining in the WSOP Main Event at the time, even stopped by, flanked at the door to the Brasilia Room by Layne Flack, Lacey Jones, and Nejad.

Sexton took the time to recognize a bevy of individuals, including Linda Johnson, Steve Lipscomb, and Brunson. He also recalled a phone call received over Christmas in 2000 from Ruth Parisol, co-founder of Party Gaming, who asked him to fly to India to launch the then-nascent online poker site. After eight months, PartyPoker was born, quickly challenging Paradise Poker for tops in the industry.

JAQK Cellars presented the two-hour affair, which wrapped up at 9:00pm PT. The living Hall of Fame members then took to the stage of the Penn and Teller Theater to resume play in the WSOP Main Event final table, with Sexton issuing the evening session’s “Shuffle Up and Deal” command.

All eyes on Ivey: The legend speaks

They call this the November Nine, but as ESPN's George McNeilly suggested last week, in the minds of many, it's just Phil Ivey and eight other guys.

Consensus is Ivey is the greatest player in the world and this coming Saturday he will have a legitimate shot at poker's most prestigious title.

In an exclusive interview with PokerListings, Ivey himself said no one wants it more.

"It would be a dream come true to win it," the Team Full Tilt Pro said. "Making it to the final table is great, yes, but I really, really want to win it.

"It's very important to me. I remember the first time I watched poker on TV I saw Scotty Nguyen win the Main Event. That was the very first time I watched, I thought then that it would be cool to win that tournament and now I have a chance."

While Nguyen's 1998 win was the first time Ivey watched poker on TV, it certainly wasn't his first introduction to the game.

"I just always loved to play cards," he said. "I started playing I Declare War when I was four or five years old and then my grandfather taught me how to play poker, he kind of like taught me the rules and everything. We used to play with pennies. I loved to play every chance I got."

The California born and New Jersey raised Ivey started playing small cash games in High School, got himself a fake ID and soon hit the casinos in Atlantic City.

When he turned 21, he started flashing his real ID and began to take the game a little more seriously.

"I was playing in casinos before that, but I wasn't really trying to make a living at it," he said. "I just liked to play. It was something I would just do as a hobby. I would sneak down there and play because I loved it. I just thought it was a fascinating game. I didn't really think too much about making a living at it.

 

 

"But then when I started making money and I started looking at the other players that were playing, I just said 'wait a second, I could beat these guys,' and that's when I said 'let me put everything I have into this and see where it goes.'"

Success came relatively quickly, as Ivey won his first WSOP bracelet in 2000 at age 24, final tabled another event and narrowly missed a third.

He made a another final table at the WSOP in 2001, but 2002 was truly his breakout year. Ivey won three bracelets, tying the record for the most wins in a single series.

Another WSOP win and more final tables, million dollar scores in Europe, and a win after an amazing eight WPT final tables would soon follow as Ivey developed into one of the most feared tournament players on the planet, while also taking on all comers in the biggest cash games in the world.

This past summer, he added two more WSOP bracelets to his wrist, becoming the youngest in history to hold seven at age 33.

He also became poker's third leading money winner all-time with more than $12 million in career tournament earnings.

But despite the fact he's done almost as much as anyone in the game's history, Ivey seems to have a keen understanding that poker is more about losing than winning.

"I don't like to lose, but poker, it humbles you, because you realize that no matter how good you are, you are going to have losing days, you are going to have losing weeks and you are even going to have some losing months," he said. "I haven't had a losing year yet, thank God. But you are going to have to learn how to deal with losing in order to become a better winner.

"That's why I think poker is such a wonderful game. There are guys that play certain sports that hardly ever lose, but in poker, you are just going to have to lose."

Through both the winning and losing, Ivey says he's learned some valuable lessons.

 

 

"You learn about yourself," he said. "You teach yourself how to deal with the ups and downs, and also how to control your thoughts, your negative thoughts, how to control what you're thinking and realize why you think what you're thinking. You really realize a lot about yourself if you get deep into poker.

"You have to learn a lot about yourself in order to become one of the best players in the world."

Ivey's road to Main Event glory is actually littered with missed opportunities.

He finished 23rd in 2002, a heartbreaking 10th in 2003 and 20th in 2005.

Although he's a little short on chips coming into Saturday's final, he truly believes this is his time.

"Now I have a shot," he said. "I'm seventh in chips, but you know what, I feel pretty comfortable with the close to ten million that I have. I don't feel like I'm in a rush. I can just take my time and get a hold of some chips. If I have to go all in I will. But whatever comes to me, I'm just going to take it."

While the rest of the November Nine is a good mix of seasoned pros and surprisingly savvy amateurs, Ivey is the only one who really puts fear into the hearts of his competitors.

In fact, chip leader Darvin Moon told PokerListings if Ivey even looks at him the wrong way, he's likely to muck his hand.

Part of what creates that fear is that Ivey is a bit of mystery to the poker world.

He doesn't do a lot of interviews, but says that's more of a personal choice than an attempt to help cultivate an imposing image at the table.

 

 

"It's not like I'm against interviews," he said. "I'm not. I don't mind doing interviews. I don't mind sitting down and talking to you about poker and other things. But there are things I'd rather be doing besides talking about poker when I'm playing poker 15 to 16 hours a day."

Ivey says the average player just simply isn't logging the hours that he is.

"These guys that do all these interviews, they're able to do all these interviews because they don't play as much poker as I do." He said. "When I get knocked out of a tournament, I'm rushing to the Bellagio to play poker. I'm rushing to the Internet to play poker, or going to the golf course, or going to play blackjack or whatever, because that's what I'd rather be doing."

Regardless, the fear his opponent's feel works to his advantage, although Ivey claims he hasn't made any deliberate attempt to create it.

"When I sit down and play with someone, it's not like they say 'Hey, Phil, I fear you,'" he said. "Maybe some people do, but it's not like they say it. So you've got to kind of figure it out, and you figure it out by how they're playing hands against you and everything else.

"The thing is, people try to create these table images, but that hurts them because you can't really create a table image. It has to be based on your results and how you do. People try, some people want to talk, they want to do this, they want to that, I just think people more or less know that my image is, if you mess with me, and you play a certain way against me, I'm going to get your money."

Ivey hasn't written any how-to books. He doesn't make the training videos that have become so popular with so many other professional players.

But again, he says it's not an attempt to conceal his strategy or perpetuate his dominating table image.

He's just too busy playing poker.

"I play poker all the time and I think that's what gives me my edge and what keeps me as sharp as I am when I'm playing," he said. "I love to play poker, I still do. I think a lot of these guys, they wonder why their games are suffering and everything else. It's because they don't work as hard as I do."

 

 

But despite the fact he has deliberately avoided the spotlight in the past, finally winning the WSOP Main Event title this weekend might change all that, as he learns to embrace a role as an ambassador for the game.

"As far as me being an ambassador for poker, I don't know; maybe if I win the Main Event it'll be something that is forced upon me and I don't really mind that," he said. "As I'm getting older I'm starting to understand how important my place in history, in poker and doing the right things by everyone, is.

"But at the end of the day, you have to make yourself happy too. I have to be a happy person. I'll take the interviews and I'll do the things to help grow poker as a sport, I have no problem doing that, but I'm also not going to give up my life to do that.

"I want to keep some type of balance and I think that's important."

To follow Ivey and the entire November Nine, tune into PokerListings 2009 WSOP Main Event Live Coverage beginning at 12 p.m. PT Saturday, Nov. 7.

If you want to hear everything Ivey had to say check out the full video interview in the blog section.

Visit PokerListings.com

PartyPoker offering 2010 Aussie Millions seats

The online poker room introduced qualifiers for the 2010 Aussie Millions this week with packages worth $15,000 up for grabs.

The ultimate goal is to emulate the success of PartyPoker Australia Ambassador Scott, who took home $2 million AUD by winning the 2009 Aussie Millions.

"These great packages are an amazing opportunity for other players to play in this huge tournament," said Scott. "The Aussie Millions title has been the highlight of my career and I'd love to see another PartyPoker.com player take the title."

PartyPoker will offer several special qualifiers hosted by Scott himself leading up to the 2010 Aussie Millions.

Players can take part in the Stewart Scott Bounty Hunt with a $70 bounty on Scott, the Stewart Scott Aussie Millions specials, which cost only $6+$1 to enter, and the Stewart Scott Highroller Aussie Millions Invitational, which awards a $12,000 package to the Aussie Millions.

In total, PartyPoker will be giving away 25 seats to the 2010 Aussie Millions with five designated for Australian and New Zealand based players.

The 2010 Aussie Millions will once again take place on the Crown properties in sunny Melbourne. The tournament series is scheduled to run Jan. 14-31, 2010, with 20 events. The $10,500 No-Limit Hold'em main event will run Jan. 24-30.

To view the complete schedule go here.

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Doyle Brunson Autobiography “Godfather of Poker” Debuts November 11th

On November 11th, “The Godfather of Poker” will hit bookstores and online retailers. The autobiography of “Texas Dolly” himself, Doyle Brunson, includes 372 pages of indelible tales and never-before-seen images of poker’s marquee ambassador. Poker News Daily reviews an advanced copy.

The publication officially runs $26.95 in the United States and $34.99 in Canada. It opens with a bang, literally, as Brunson recalls a fateful day, April 19th, 1998. He began, “When a man points a gun at your head, you’ve got to take stock of things quickly.” The day after winning his eighth World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet, Brunson returned home to his gated Las Vegas community only to be robbed by two men at gunpoint on his doorstep. The attackers flung Brunson inside his house, where he yelled, “I’m having a heart attack!”

The alarm went off, causing its company to call in order to ensure that all was normal. He explained, “I mumbled some false numbers because I knew the alarm was probably my best chance, if not my only chance, to summon help.” His wife Louise was also at home and came downstairs into the fray, telling the security company under duress, “This is Mrs. Brunson, everything is all right.” The end of “Book 1” leaves readers in suspense, with Brunson admitting, “I knew Louise and I could die at any moment.”

Brunson’s father was a poker player, making the game the family pastime. However, his elder never spoke of it to his family. Brunson explained, “Dad had played poker for years and years and helped support us with his winnings, but never talked about it.” Brunson’s college, Hardin-Simmons University, also frowned upon his extracurricular activity: “Hardin-Simmons disapproved of my poker playing, and I eventually wound up in front of the disciplinary board five times for gambling.”

Brunson was destined for the NBA’s Minneapolis Lakers before a freak accident derailed the dream. Consequently, he entered the world of poker, then a backroom game with ties to organized crime and Wild West. Brunson recalls countless transgressions, including, “Another night I saw a man get stabbed in a bar [and] one day I saw what looked like an ‘OK Corral’ shootout on Exchange Avenue. All the shooters were behind cars and firing away, and I saw two of them gunned down. Both died, and both were friends of mine.”

In 1958, Brunson became exposed to Hold’em. He noted, “Hold’em was a fun poker variation, and it moved faster than most games. That’s why it eventually became so popular. I know I enjoyed it right away.” The same year, when he was just 25 years-old, he lost his father, brother, grandmother, and two aunts. He lamented, “It was a tragic merry-go-round that year, going back and forth to Longworth and all the family funerals.” When family members would ask young Brunson what his profession was, his answer was working for Convair, an aircraft manufacturer in Dallas.

In 1962, Brunson was told that he was on the verge of death due to melanoma. He recalled, “Melanoma cancer had spread through my body like wildfire… They said it was too widespread to even consider further surgery.” The cancer had emanated from a mole that Brunson had removed one year prior and he learned that “there was no chance I would live to see our baby born.” Brunson underwent a 15-hour “radical head and neck surgery” and, soon after, the cancer had miraculously disappeared. However, Brunson was warned that the disease could strike at any moment in the future.

Ten years later, Brunson entered the festivities at the 1972 WSOP. However, with media and television cameras roving the event, Brunson questioned whether winning would be the optimal strategy: “I was afraid of the publicity that winning this event would bring, and the terrible shame it would bring to my family.” Many interviews with Brunson in the present day reveal how surprised “Texas Dolly” is that poker has become a legitimate sport and profession; from reading “The Godfather of Poker,” you can easily grasp why.

Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder coined the term “Texas Dolly” when Brunson refused to allow him to use his last name. Instead, he was referred to as “Texas Doyle,” which later became “Texas Dolly.” The new nickname appeared in an Associated Press article and the rest is history. Besides the two-word nickname, Brunson is also immortalized in the starting hand 10-2. He candidly admitted, “I didn’t particularly like the ten-deuce being immortalized in my name because it isn’t a quality hand.”

“The Godfather of Poker” includes a foreword by Mike Cochran and its cover features endorsements from Bluff Magazine, Nolan Dalla, Mike Sexton, Mike Caro, and Allyn Jaffrey Shulman. Look for “The Godfather of Poker” on November 11th.