Poker News

Bubble Bursts as Dunst Seizes Main Event Lead

Those who were sweating their shorts stacks on the bubble had to wait an extra 90 minutes as tournament officials made the controversial decision to break for dinner only four slots shy of the money.

Frank Kassela sealed up his WSOP Player of the Year win by finishing in the money. All four Mizrachi brothers found a way to cash as well, perhaps ushering in a new era of dominance for "Team Mizrachi."

Only 574 of the 1,203 players that started the day are still remaining. Some of the unlucky players to be sent home before making money include Dan Harrington, Kathy Liebert, Annie Duke, Barry Greenstein and Robert Varkonyi.

Among those sent home in the money were Gavin Smith, Eric Mizrachi and Frank Kassela but perhaps the most painful elimination spot was reserved for Tim McDonald, who ended up filling that unwanted bubble spot and just missing out on a payday.

It wasn't all doom and gloom for McDonald though as he was awarded a Main Event seat for next year, so he has at least one more epic journey ahead of him.

David Chiu was another player to bust - although he made it to just inside the money.

"I am exhausted and totally burnt out,” Chiu said of a draining Main Event for him.

“I’ll probably take one whole week to catch up on sleep!”

By the end of play, there were a number of well known players occupying the top spots, Matt Affleck, Phil Galfond and Theo Jorgensen all in the top ten.

However it was the sharply-dressed Tony Dunst who trumped them all, slicing his way through to the chip lead, and anyone with designs on the title will have to create a few creases in Dunst's otherwise flawless suits if they are to create history and win the 2010 Main Event.

(With files from Jason Phillips.)

For a full account of how the day panned out, click through to PokerLIstings' WSOP 2010 coverage, including news, videos and blogs.

Jesper Hougaard, Johnny Chan Among WSOP Main Event Day 2A Chip Leaders

The marathon that is the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event rolled along on Friday, with 2,412 players returning from Days 1A and 1C to take part in Day 2A.

1987 and 1988 Main Event champion Johnny Chan sat just a few spots in back of chip leader Corwin Cole to begin the day, with $50,000 Player’s Championship winner Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi and England’s Barny Boatman also in the top ten. Although there was a festive atmosphere in the Amazon Room at the start of play, over half the field would not survive to bag up chips at the end of the night.

The early action consisted of many players who were looking to double up or go home with their meager chip stacks. One of the players able to succeed on that front was 2008 WSOP Main Event final tablist Dennis Phillips, who made Big Slick work against an opponent’s pocket jacks to earn an early chip up. Phillips would continue to drive his stack upwards, reaching 45,000 late Friday night. However, the popular St. Louis poker pro would Tweet his demise before the end of action: “The search for the next November Nine goes on… unfortunately was just eliminated & will not be in the hunt.”

Phillips wasn’t the only one to face his WSOP mortality on Friday. World Poker Tour host and Poker Hall of Fame member Mike Sexton saw pocket kings vanquished when he was looking for a triple up, being outdrawn by pocket nines on a 2-9-8 rainbow flop. Also departing the Rio on Friday were 2009 November Niner James Akenhead, Rincon Circuit champion Bryan “badbeatninja” Devonshire, Ted Lawson, Liz Lieu, and UB.com’s “Hollywood” Dave Stann, who commented on Twitter about his defeat at the hands of Jennifer “Jennicide” Leigh: “That was fun. Guess I’m headed back to LA early… Straights don’t beat flushes here apparently. nh Jennicide.”

Several top pros rode the elevator the opposite way on Day 2A. Chan, who started action stacked with 163,700 in chips, continued to be a force at the tables. “The Orient Express” was able to build on his Day One play, ending Day 2A in tenth place on the leaderboard with 281,600 in chips.

Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke was also able to mount an assault. Starting the day with 67,000 in chips, the current National Heads-Up Poker Championship winner rode a roller coaster throughout the day before getting into an epic hand late in the evening. Holding on a board, the UB.com pro was able to get her opponent to commit the remainder of their chips with an offsuit 4-2.

A nondescript nine hit on the turn, but the crowd was stunned when the hit, making Duke’s opponent a boat, which many railbirds inaccurately assumed gave her tablemate the hand. According to WSOP.com reports, Duke calmly pointed out, “I have the straight flush,” earning her the pot in stunning fashion. Duke used that hand to skyrocket to 176,600 in chips.

Making the most noise in the Rio on Friday was Denmark’s Jesper Hougaard. The only person to ever win Las Vegas and European WSOP bracelets in the same year (2008), Hougaard started Friday with the 51,000 chips he built on Day 1C and attacked his tablemates throughout the day. By the time the smoke cleared on Friday night, Hougaard had amassed 316,200 in chips, good for third place behind Boulos Estafanous. According to WSOP statistics, 1,192 players have reported chip counts and will be back for play on Day 3.

Those who come to the felt on Saturday will have a significant challenge ahead of them. Day 2B – the combination of Days 1B and 1D – will be composed of slightly more than 2,700 players. James Danielson is the leader of Day 2B at 201,050 in chips, but he is pursued by WSOP bracelet and gold ring winner Steve “MrSmokey1” Billirakis (187,150). Other top professionals stepping to the felt on Saturday include tenth place Jason DeWitt (149,950), Full Tilt Poker’s David Benyamine (130,800), Team PokerStars pro Vanessa Rousso (111,050), Phil “OMGClayAiken” Galfond (107,100), and English powerhouse James “Flushy” Dempsey (106,175).

Sunday will be a rest day for the survivors of the WSOP Main Event. The field will come together for the first time on Monday, when Day 3 will consolidate the field at the Rio. Expect the field to number approximately 2,500 by that point, with the latest incarnation of the “November Nine” to be determined one week from today.

Poker Community Reacts to Phil Hellmuth WSOP Entrance

“I’m glad I’m not playing today so I won’t see Hellmuth make a fool out of himself with his entrance. I can’t help thinking it’s terrible.” That was the Tweet of 10-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Doyle Brunson shortly before UB.com pro Phil Hellmuth made his grand entrance to the Main Event on Wednesday. This year, Hellmuth dressed as an MMA fighter.

Hellmuth’s entrance was scheduled for around 1:15pm PT in front of the doors to the Rio Pavilion, site of the 2010 WSOP. A media representative told the assembled crowd to “watch for the stage” and, to our amazement, one rolled in being towed by a black pickup truck from the valet area. A group of male and female dancers put on a rather elongated show before Hellmuth finally turned out dressed in a black and yellow UB.com hooded robe.

Brunson in part recanted his controversial Tweet, saying, “I got scolded by PH for my last Tweet. Sorry Phil, but I got 103 responses. 99 agreed with me, 4 didn’t. I love you anyway, gl in the WSOP.” Brunson played in the WSOP Main Event on Thursday for Day 1D, ending the session with 62,000, or twice the starting stack. On July 3rd, “Texas Dolly” was spotted railing Dan “djk123” Kelly in the $25,000 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max final table; Kelly ultimately took down the bracelet and became the newest Brunson 10 member.

Watching the Hellmuthian-sized entrance on Wednesday were a variety of pros including Joe Sebok, Sam Chauhan, Gavin Smith, and Mike Matusow, the latter of whom jokingly told the crowd that he had been paid $50,000 to show up. Smith and Sebok, meanwhile, contemplated what the reaction would be if they showed up to a major tournament like the Main Event in the same fashion as Hellmuth.

On his way up to the Pavilion doors, Hellmuth picked up two escorts, his mom and his dad, who watched their son start his Main Event run. UFC’s Bruce Buffer, donning Full Tilt Poker logos, introduced Hellmuth to the crowd before his microphone stopped working. Then, girls holding up cardboard cutouts of WSOP bracelets trailed Hellmuth down the hallway to the Amazon Room as a mass crowd pursued.

Despite his titanic-sized introduction, Hellmuth was sent packing from the Main Event on Day 1C. Bluff Magazine painted the picture of the scene on Twitter inside the Rio when the 11-time bracelet winner’s run ended: “Phil Hellmuth has been eliminated from Day 1C of the Main Event. Entire Pavilion room applauded as it was announced over the PA.”

For his part, Hellmuth seemed rather calm about being ousted from the $10,000 buy-in tournament, Tweeting, “Out! Still feel calm (not freaking out); did autographs + pics 4 45 mins str8 after busting. 2010 WSOP: played great, cards were not great.” Hellmuth finished the 2010 WSOP with four cashes and one final table for a total haul of $110,000.

While Sebok snapped Twitpic after Twitpic of the sea of poker media and fans enduring 110-degree heat to watch Hellmuth enter, tournament reporter B.J. Nemeth objectively guessed, “I’d bet that >50% of the media reports on Hellmuth’s entrance are negative or mocking in tone. What more needs to be said?” Meanwhile, Annie Duke, who also began her Main Event journey on Day 1C, noted, “Damn. I think I am in the wrong room for Phil Hellmuth’s entrance. Bad beat.”

Perhaps the best summary of the scene, appropriately, went to the always insightful Sebok, who succinctly Twittered: “Holy effing eff. Phil Hellmuth entrance. Wow. Just wow.” With reigning WSOP Main Event champ Joe Cada seated at the feature table, Hellmuth took his spot at Table 2, facing the room that his legacy has, in part, helped to fill. Hellmuth ate sushi with his parents on the dinner break, when his stack had dwindled to around 12,000, and he exited shortly thereafter.

Around 2:30pm PT on Wednesday, Poker News Daily caught up to Hellmuth inside the UB.com suite at the Rio to discuss his entrance. Click here to watch.

Liv Boeree and UB.com Renegotiating Contract

Rumblings around the Amazon Room, site of the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, have Liv Boeree and UB.com parting ways. However, Poker News Daily can independently confirm that the two sides are actively renegotiating Boeree’s contract.

Boeree made waves in April after taking down the European Poker Tour’s (EPT) San Remo Main Event for $1.7 million. She bested the largest European EPT field ever of 1,240 in the process and defeated Sweden’s Jakob Carlsson heads-up. Boeree’s win was the latest in the so-called Year of the Woman, which also included Annie Duke winning the National Heads-Up Poker Championship and Vanessa Selbst taking down the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Mohegan Sun Main Event.

Poker News Daily has learned that Boeree’s contract has expired, but the two sides are pursuing a new deal. A UB.com spokesperson explained on Thursday, “Liv’s contract has expired. We are in contract renegotiation discussions now.” The negotiations are expected to come to a head within a week.

Meanwhile, the 2010 WSOP Main Event is playing out at the Rio in Las Vegas. Boeree played on Day 1B on Tuesday, running into a set of kings during the first level to cripple her stack. Then, she was poised for a much-needed double up with pocket jacks, but an opponent with pocket eights found a set. Boeree has never cashed in a WSOP tournament with a buy-in greater than $2,000. This year, she turned in three in the money finishes for $8,000 total.

Boeree, who is dating fellow poker pro Allie Prescott, still appears on UB.com’s website as a sponsored pro. The U.K. native was born in 1984 and, 21 years later, appeared on “Ultimate Poker Showdown.” There, she received instruction from Annie Duke, Phil Hellmuth, and David “Devilfish” Ulliott and the rest, as they say, is history. Duke and Hellmuth now front Team UB, while Ulliott serves as the namesake behind the Entraction Network site Devilfish Poker.

In May 2008, Boeree took down the Ladbrokes Poker European Ladies Championship for $42,000. Then, she final tabled a preliminary event held during the Aussie Millions in 2009 for another $13,000. The same year, Boeree took 37th in the World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship at the Bellagio for $40,000, nearly doubling her $25,000 buy-in. Her crowning glory remains her win in San Remo, where she became just the third woman ever to win an EPT title, joining Vicky Coren (EPT London in 2006) and Sandra Naujoks (EPT Dortmund in 2009).

Besides Hellmuth, Duke, and Boeree, UB.com’s roster of sponsored pros also includes former “Poker2Nite” host Joe Sebok, “Amazing Race” contestant Tiffany Michelle, two-time bracelet winner Brandon Cantu, and Anthrax’s Scott Ian. In early June, Cantu re-signed with UB.com for one year. UB.com pros were spotted at the site’s get-together at the Mandarin Oriental bar at CityCenter in Las Vegas on Monday. The night ended with a shotgun wedding as part of a site-sponsored prop bet contest.

Recent player signings include David Williams and Vanessa Selbst inking agreements with PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker site. In addition, PokerStars is sponsoring the stable of pros belonging to Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy and Eric “sheets” Haber during the Main Event, which includes well-known players like Nick “fu_15” Maimone, and Jamie “TheNew” Robbins. Back in May, Amanda Musumeci joined the ranks of Bodog, which parted ways with Williams, Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, and Jean-Robert Bellande.

Tale of Two Days for Team UB

Two flights of the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event Day 1 are in the books, and while there have been plenty of ups and downs for the 2,600 players so far, it has been a story of contrasting days for the members of Team UB.

Day 1A drew 1,125 runners, two of whom were members of Team UB: Tiffany Michelle and Matthew Graham.  Michelle, who has become a crossover celebrity after competing on “The Amazing Race,” was never far from the roaming eyes of the ESPN cameras.  If she was involved in an all-in, particularly if it was all of her chips at stake, chances were that camera crews would rush over to her table.  In fact, at one point she tweeted, “Listen ESPN cameras: Stop hoarding around my table like I’m a lamb being led to the slaughter, not giving you an exciting bust anytime soon!”

Watching her chip stack crumble from the get-go, Michelle did have her chips at risk on more than one occasion, but she managed, as she put it, to “grind grind grind” and keep herself in the competition.  With only around 20 big blinds left, she is going to need to make a move early on Day 2, but she’s still alive, and that’s what matters.  Hopefully for her sake, she’ll have a better run of cards.  On Twitter, she said, “I keep thinking that good cards HAVE 2 come. Playing 10hrs & I’ve had Aces twice, jacks, 8s, AK AQ & AJ once. Not exaggerating. That’s it.”

Also on Day 1A, Team UB member Matthew Graham had a very nice go of it, ending the day with 58,450 chips, just a bit fewer than twice as many as what he started with.  That chip count put him about in the middle of the pack after that first flight.

So, Team UB was 2-for-2 after Day 1A.  Regardless of whether the players had 200,000 chips or 2,000, they were batting 1.000, so that’s something to hang their hats on.

And then the calendar turned to Tuesday.  Four Team UB players took to the felts on Day 1B: Brandon Cantu, Liv Boeree, Joe Sebok, and Mark “P0ker H0″ Kroon.

Kroon was eliminated early on, getting unlucky when his Queens slammed into Kings.  That wasn’t the knock out blow, but it crippled him and shortly thereafter he headed home when he lost a race with A-K against, of course Queens.

Sebok couldn’t gain any traction all day.  During the first level, he had Kings against Eights against A-Q, but the flop came A-8-A, giving him virtually no shot at the pot.  He was smart enough to get out of there, though, so the damage was minimal.  He later lost with two pair against a better two pair and eventually sunk as low as 6,000 chips.  He was able to chip back up to keep hope alive, but slipped back again when he called an all-in with A-Q, losing to Jacks.  At dinner, he had just 3,500 chips, all of which he lost on the first hand back from the break when his Fives lost to A-6.  He just couldn’t win a race.

Philosophical about the whole thing, Sebok Tweeted, “there’s something so brutally final about not doing shit during the wsop and busting out of the main. like, it’s over. see you next year…”

Liv Boeree, winner of the 2010 EPT San Remo Main Event, ran into a set of Kings during Level 1 and was never able to recover after her stack fell to almost 5,000 so early.  She was eliminated when her opponent turned a set of 8′s, sucking out on her pocket Jacks.

It wasn’t all doom and gloom for Team UB on Day 1B, though.  Brandon Cantu, a two-time WSOP bracelet winner, advanced to Day 2 with a healthy 65,000 chip stack.  Always brief, yet prolific, with his Twitter updates during tournaments, Cantu let his followers know that he was down slightly from his starting stack at the first break, but soon climbed to 33,000, then 42,000, and then about 52,000 by dinner.  He peaked at 71,000 going into the last hour, but despite the small drop in chips to close out the night, he called it a “great day.” Cantu admitted that he was getting cards left and right, but at the same time, he was playing his “A game.” Not a bad combination.

All in all, with the amount of luck needed just to get past the first day, a 50 percent success rate for Team UB is pretty solid, even though the first two days had very different feels.  The big stars of Team UB – Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth – will play Wednesday, as will Adam “Roothlus” Levy and Hollywood Dave Stann.  The rest of the team members have not publically announced which of the last two starting days they will play, but no doubt they will be at the Rio, ready to make a run to the November Nine.?

UB.com Sends Team Pros, Online Satellite Winners To WSOP Main Event

The World Series of Poker’s Championship Event is now halfway through its four Day Ones, with UB.com sending its stable of pros from Team UB to battle. Joining the crew from UB.com are a slew of online players who won their way into the event through satellites on the site.

According to a spokesperson for UB.com, 158 players won their way to Las Vegas through the variety of means provided by the site. “Until the final Day One (Day 1D), we won’t have an accurate count of how many have actually made the journey to the WSOP,” the spokesperson stated. To encourage players to make the trek to the Rio, UB.com has created a stake for those players to share, even if they don’t cash in the WSOP Championship Event.

For players who have won their way to Sin City through satellites on UB.com, there is a guaranteed $1000 awaiting them if they wear UB.com apparel. This guaranteed money goes up on a graduated scale to a minimum of $3750 if more than 52 of the qualifiers heads to Vegas to take their shot at the World Championship. If a UB.com branded player makes it to the money, they will earn substantially more, depending on how many of the qualifiers show. If more than 52 UB.com qualifiers show up and no one makes the money, the players will each earn $5000 just for going to the WSOP.

As to Team UB.com, several players have already been in action on the felt at the Rio. On Monday’s Day 1A, two of the top players from the squad, Matt “mattg1983” Graham and Tiffany Michelle stepped up to carry the UB.com banner. Of the 1125 players who took part in action on Monday, only 762 will come back for action on Day 2A, with Matt and Tiffany both still alive; Tiffany is significantly below her starting stack of 30,000 in finishing the day with 12,950 chips, while Matt has been able to add to his starting stack and will enter Day 2A with 58,450.

Tuesday saw a few more of the Team UB.com pros enter the fray at the Rio. WSOP double bracelet holder Brandon Cantu was joined by Mark “PokerH0” Kroon and Joe Sebok for play, with two of them not making the cut. “PokerH0,” according to the UB.com blog from “Mean” Gene Bromberg, was cooled on two occasions, once running pocket Queens into pocket Kings, then being shown the door when his Big Slick couldn’t catch up with the Queens he once held.

Sebok, who had one mini-cash during the run of the 2010 WSOP, was a bit more fortunate than “PokerH0.” Joe made the dinner break and, as accurately stated by Bromberg, “…and one hand beyond.” With a dwindling stack, Sebok made a stand with pocket fives and was looked up by A-6. Once his Presto had been vanquished, Joe headed for the door of the Rio.

Cantu, who has picked up a couple of cashes over the WSOP schedule for just under $10K, has had the best run of Team UB.com members in the Championship Event to this point. Of the 1489 runners who came to the line on Tuesday, Cantu is a part of the of the 1017 who will live to play on Day 2B (Days 1A and 1C take Day 2A, while Days 1B and 1D will take Day 2B). According to WSOP statistics, Cantu finished 189th for the day, with a chip stack of 65,025.

The rest of the Team UB.com stable will be storming the WSOP castle over the next two Day One’s. On Wednesday, Phil Hellmuth will make his usual grandiose WSOP entrance as an MMA fighter, with actual MMA warrior Wanderlei Silva as a part of his entourage. In the past, the eleven-time WSOP bracelet winner has made his entrance as General George Patton and Julius Caesar, just to pick some memorable ones.

Entering the Rio much more subtly will be the remaining members of Team UB.com. Led by Poker News Daily guest columnist Annie Duke, Billy “Patrolman35”  Kopp, defending CardPlayer Magazine Player of the Year Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin, Anthrax guitarist extraordinaire Scott Ian, WSOP Circuit Rincon champion Bryan Devonshire, the always dangerous Michael Binger, Adam “Roothlus” Levy and Gary “Debo34” DeBernardi will all be on the tables on Wednesday afternoon. UB.com has also tapped former Miss USA Shanna Moakler for a seat at the WSOP Championship Event; “Hollywood” Dave Stann will also be a part of the fray, but his decision between Days 1C and 1D isn’t known at this time.?

Daniel Alaei Claims Third Bracelet; Huck Seed Wins TOC

With the World Series of Poker Main Event just hours away, Sunday was originally intended to be a quiet day at the Rio Hotel and Casino. But with constant schedule changes to the Tournament of Champions and two events adding an extra day of play, it turned out to be a rather eventful day in the Amazon Room as two of poker’s most talented players walked away with titles at the day’s conclusion.

Poker pro Daniel Alaei won his third career bracelet and a prize of $780,599 by winning the $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha Championship. Alaei bested 346 players, a field that included Tom Dwan, Phil Hellmuth and Jason Mercier, all of whom busted just before the final table. An extra day was added to the event, as the final table wasn’t reached until after midnight the day before, so players recharged their batteries and returned at 4:00 p.m. to play down to a winner.

Much of the day was led by France’s Ludovic Lacay, who entered second in chips but was able to chip up despite not eliminating a player at the final table. At the dinner break, Lacay had more than twice the chips of Alaei, who was in second, but he lost the lead with four players remaining. Ville Mattila got his chips in on a flop of 10h-9h-6c with Js-Jc-6s-6s against Lacay’s flush and straight draws. Mattila’s hand held up to give him the lead, but it wouldn’t last for long.

Minutes later, Mattila and Alaei wound up in a preflop raising war that saw nearly 5 million chips end up in the pot before their hands were revealed. Alaei was all in with As-Ah-Kc-7h against Mattila’s Jc-7c-9d-5s, and after the board came Qh-8h-8c-3s-Ac Alaei took over the chip lead, with Mattila now second, Lacay third and Miguel Proulx fourth.

It took a couple more hours for the next player to hit the rail, but Daniel Alaei found a great spot to eliminate Lacay. The short-stacked Frenchman moved all in with Ks-Jh-9d-2s but was in rough shape against the Ah-Kc-Qd-Js of Alaei. Lacay’s hand failed to improve and he collected $262,208 for his fourth place finish.

Mattila was the next to go, running aces into Alaei’s trip kings to send him on his way in third place. That gave Alaei a substantial lead over Proulx, who won the $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha Event earlier in the summer. His attempt at bracelet #2 would fall short, as he got his last chips in with Ac-Kh-10h-2h against Alaei’s 7s-6c-5s-5h, and Alaei would make a set of fives on the flop to eliminate Proulx in second and give him bracelet number three.

Alaei’s first WSOP win came in the $5,000 buy-in Deuce-to-Seven Draw Lowball event in 2007. He won gold bracelet number two last year in the $10,000 buy-in Omaha High-Low Split championship.

1. Daniel Alaei — $780,599
2. Miguel Proulx — $482,265
3. Ville Mattila — $354,218
4. Ludovic Lacay — $262,208
5. Trevor Uyesugi — $195,631
6. Stephen Pierson — $147,138
7. Dmitry Stelmak — $111,524
8. Alexander Kravchenko — $85,180
9. Matthew Wheat — $65,578

The WSOP Tournament of Champions finally decided on a day to play down to a winner on Sunday and a large crowd gathered to watch the biggest names take to the felt in the Amazon Room. Mike Matusow began the day with the chip lead but most of them went to Daniel Negreanu, who flopped a set of kings against Matusow’s top pair, sending “The Mouth” out in 16th. Negreanu led the way going into the final table, with Johnny Chan, Joe Hachem and Huck Seed all lurking.

After several hours of play and the stacks growing shallower by the minute, Negreanu, Hachem and Chan had fallen and Howard Lederer was heads up with Seed for the title. The short-stacked Lederer moved all in with Qc-8c and Seed made the call with As-2s. Seed made a pair on the flop and used it to claim his first TOC title and the $500,000 prize.

1. Huck Seed — $500,000
2. Howard Lederer — $250,000
3. Johnny Chan — $100,000
4. Joe Hachem — $25,000
5. Barry Greenstein — $25,000
6. Daniel Negreanu — $25,000
7. Jennifer Harman — $25,000
8. Annie Duke — $25,000
9. TJ Cloutier — $25,000

Two more prelims will play down to a winner on Monday as the $1,000 No Limit Hold ‘em Event #54 and the $2,500 No Limit Hold ‘em Event #56 will crown champions. Online superstar David “DPeters17″ Peters takes the chip lead into the final day of Event #54, eyeing a first place prize of $570,960, while PokerStars Team Pro Salvatore Bonavena leads Event #56, which has a reward of $825,976. Both final tables will begin at 3:00 p.m. local time.

And, of course, the highly anticipated Day 1a of the Main Event will get underway at Noon Pacific Time on Monday. Another late schedule change was made by Harrah’s, as players will take to the felts for 4 1/2 levels on Days 1 and 2, adding an extra hour of play to each day. Everyone who advances on Days 1a and 1c will play on Day 2a, and Days 1b and 1d will form Day 2b.

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for continuous updates from the 2010 WSOP Main Event!

Pros Put Bad Beat on Cancer

The Bad Beat on Cancer Initiative began as an idea between poker professionals Phil Gordon and Rafe Furst at the 2003 World Series of Poker event to fund cancer prevention research.

The pair had been raising money for the cause prior, but knew they had hit the jackpot when they came up with the idea to ask poker players to give one percent of their winnings to the foundation as a tax-deductable donation.

Since 2003, participation in the initiative has only grown and to date over $3.2 million has been raised for the Prevent Cancer foundation, proving just how charitable the poker community is.

Some of the more notable names on the pledge list this year include Phil Ivey, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, Annie Duke, Chris Moneymaker, Andy Block, Phil Hellmuth, Adam Levy, Phil Gordon and Toby Maguire.

"Poker players lead very lucky lifestyles, so it is good to give back when you can," said Adam Levy, an accomplished Ultimate Bet pro.

It is clear many share Levy's generous outlook with 94 players already listed on the Prevent Cancer Foundation's pledge list.

"It's important for all of us to realize that there is a lot of people in unfortunate situations... a lot of us have relatives or might even have cancer ourselves," said Andy Bloch, Full Tilt pro and former member of the MIT blackjack team.

"I didn't go to school thinking I was going to be a poker player; I thought maybe I'd be an engineer or a lawyer. I wanted to help save the world and this is one way I can do that by still being a poker player."

Prevent Cancer's CEO Jan Bresch Mahrer mentioned how impressed she was with the players.

"I think it's terrific because poker players are not known for their philanthropic endeavors but in reality they are very philanthropic," she said. "They go out of their way for us."

Players at the 2010 World Series of Poker aren't the only one's contributing to this worthy cause. By building awareness through the use of social media tools, such as Twitter and MySpace, there are now weekly events on Full Tilt, home games and tournaments all benefitting the cause.

However, if you are looking to spot a do-gooder on the tournament floor who has already donated they're wearing a green 1% pledge badge.

With files from Crecia Page and Geoff Fisk

The 2010 WSOP continues through July 17. For comprehensive coverage of the WSOP tune in to PokerListings' Live Updates and News.

Independence Day Weekend In Las Vegas From Poker In Twitter

Whether it was for the various parties going on, the fireworks or the start of the World Series of Poker Championship Event on Monday, the Independence Day weekend brought all the pros to Las Vegas. The Twitterverse was abuzz with their activities as they worked towards the biggest day of the poker year.

One of the big events over the weekend was the Doyle’s Room party held at the Blush nightclub. UB.com’s Bryan Devonshire had an adventure prior to arriving at the Blush bash, tweeting, “Last night on my way to Doyle’s party I set my phone in a margarita. It doesn’t work anymore.” The Brunson family turned out to be great hosts for the party as Pamela Brunson chirped Sunday morning, “Got in @ 6am from Doyle’s room Blush party and after party @Surrender. I don’t remember WHY I used to enjoy doing that! I’m POOPED!” Even Doyle was stung by the party atmosphere when he recounted his night:  “I’m trying to recover from the Doyle’s Room party at Blush. I’m not going to drink anymore except for an occasional beer until New Years Eve!”

The Fourth of July celebrations saw many of the players hitting various spots around Sin City. “Happy Fourth of July,” Justin “BoostedJ” Smith tweeted on Sunday. “Steak dinner at aria then going to club bank at Bellagio. Should be awesome night…Vegas is packed for the weekend!” Allen Kessler seemingly made a tour of the city when he Tweeted his schedule for the day:  “3 parties tonite. First @fkassela bbq, then @twoplustwoforum forum party at aria, now at bluff party at sapphire.”

Some went for a more low-key Independence Day celebration. Tiffany Michelle included a Twitpic of her activities, adding, “What better way to spend the 4th than in the pool with your girlfriends?” Lacey Jones was reflective when she tweeted her thoughts to her followers, “If there is anything I love w my whole heart it’s our Troops. Thank you to all the men & women who have served our country proud. Happy 4th!” Finally, Kara Scott missed some of the action when she tweeted, “Watching fireworks in a cab. Can juuuuust about see through the gaps in the buildings as we drive past.”

For some over the Independence Day weekend, poker took center stage over the parties and fireworks. The “Ante Up For Africa” charity poker tournament at the WSOP had many on Twitter talking, including eventual champion Phil Gordon. “129,000 in prize money going to a worthy cause,” Phil tweeted after his win and his donation of the first place bounty. “That and a big hug from runner up Shannon Elizabeth made this a great day!” For her part, Shannon Elizabeth was pleased with her performance when she chirped, “So happy! I just got 2nd in Ante Up For Africa! I had lots of lucky hands today-& was so fun!” Annie Duke issued her heartfelt thanks to those who participated when she tweeted, “Great day for @Anteupforafrica. Raised nearly $300K. Thank you so much to everyone who played.”

In one of the more comical exchanges following Gordon’s win in the charity event, fellow Full Tilt Poker members Rafe Furst and Andy Bloch took turns razzing Gordon. After Furst offered his congratulations (“Congrats @PhilNoLimits in your first WSOP tournament win at Ante Up for Africa!”), Bloch jabbed at Gordon’s WSOP record by tweeting, “Does it count as a bracelet?” Furst stuck the knife in a bit deeper when he replied, “I think we should make him an honorary one.”

The WSOP Tournament of Champions wrapped up play on Sunday night and the Twitterscape was buzzing with activity. “Gave it my best in the TOC,” Duke tweeted upon finishing ninth. “Short stacked all day and got my money in as good as I could hope for. Thanks @WSOP for the freeroll.” Jennifer Harman was playful with her exit Tweet, saying, “I’m out 7th. The last hour I feel like I played like a goof ball. Next tourney Main Event.” Daniel Negreanu enjoyed his stay at the TOC final table, although he reported, “Just busted to Hachem. AA vs 55 flop came 652. Oh well, it was a fun tournament but in the end my cards ran out of gas.”

Once Huck Seed and Howard Lederer reached heads up play, Duke began to pay more attention to the play. Although she tried to stick with the action (“Still rooting @HowardHLederer on in TOC. No sleep till he wins!”), Duke eventually gave up, tweeting, “I’m giving up. I need to sleep. Hoping I wake up to find that @HowardHLederer won the TOC. If not Huck is a great back up! Go Bub and Huck!”

Lederer was quite prolific with his tweets as he reported the action. “Just got head up with Huck,” tweeted Howard. “I have 468 to his 342. Given his HU record, I feel like a small dog.” Howard did well for himself, forcing the action for almost two hours before busting out in second place. “Disappointed,” Lederer tweeted at the conclusion. “Huck played great and deserved to win. Thanks much to Harrah’s for the freeroll and the voters for opportunity.”

One of the things that was going on outside of the tables was players noticing the structure of this year’s Championship Event. Andy Bloch was on the case when he chirped, “Warning: when choosing main event starting day, day 1b plays on 2b and day 1c plays on 2a. WSOP has done an appalling job getting word out.” After reviewing the structure of play for the early part of the Main Event, Bloch noted, “Just looked at the main event structure sheet. Playing only 4 levels days 1-5 with a 90 minute dinner break after level 2? Seriously? To the people who decided to have dinner breaks at 4:20: what were you smoking?”

This launched further discussion from Allen Kessler and Pamela Brunson. “Wow I just found out day1a main event players can be in the event 10 days and still not cash,” Kessler tweeted. “Only playing 4 levels/day should be looked at.” Brunson thanked Bloch for his warning, tweeting, “Wow…..that’s stupid! Thanks for tweeting to let us know. I need to recheck my appointments!”

On the lighter side of poker in Twitter, it seems that Joe Reitman might need to start wearing a name tag around the Rio. “Guy on a rascal said ‘Jeff can u sign my hat?,” Reitman tweeted after once again being confused with Jeff Shulman. “Had to tell him ‘I’m not Jeff.’ He was disappointed. Could have lied. But he was on a rascal.” The always endearing Vicky Coren noted upon her arrival in Las Vegas, “Passing the blackjack area, I’d know I was in Vegas with my eyes shut. ‘Please translate for Mr. Wong: the cards must STAY ON THE TABLE.’” Finally, Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin reminisced about his Fourth of July memories:  “Next year I want lawn chairs, coolers, and fireworks in the front yard. Some of my best memories are running around trees with sparklers.”

Seed Flowers In WSOP Tournament of Champions

Mike Matusow entered the day with a healthy chip lead and it was expected Matusow would have received a boon from watching Tom Dwan's bracelet bid crash and burn the evening before.

Having booked extensive action against "durrrr", Dwan's failure to win a bracelet saved Matusow an expensive liability, but he proved unable to use this to spur him on to victory - dropping out as one of the first eliminations of the day.

Daniel Negreanu was Matusow's main tormenter - crippling then eliminating his fellow high-stakes player with pocket kings both times.

This provided a springboard for Negreanu to enter the final table as the chip leader - but a day of large chip swings saw Negreanu also crash out in 6th spot, following the dismissals of TJ Cloutier, Annie Duke and Jennifer Harman.

"In the end my cards ran out of gas," said a slightly disappointed Negreanu following his dismissal.

With Barry Greenstein and Joe Hachem next to bust, we were left with Johnny Chan, Huck Seed and Howard Lederer contending the title.

With three WSOP Main Event titles, 16 bracelets and a wealth of hard-earned experience between the three, it was always going to be an absorbing contest and so it proved with no man willing to cede ground.

Eventually though something had to give, and that something was 10-time bracelet-winner Johnny Chan, paving the way for a Lederer/Seed face-off.

Once the obligatory dollar bricks had been deposited on the felt, Lederer and Seed tore into each other, eventually Seed coming through to secure the title and claim his place in history.

"“There were a lot of great players in this event," said Seed following his hard-fought victory. 

"It was fun to compete.  It was like a reunion of the old school players.”

Phil Gordon Wins WSOP Ante Up for Africa Event

In a relatively subdued atmosphere compared to previous cycles, the Ante Up for Africa event at the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) drew 83 players. The $5,000 charity poker tournament benefiting victims of the crisis in Darfur raised nearly $300,000.

Ante Up for Africa founders Don Cheadle and Annie Duke were the first two down the red carpet, stopping at each of the dozens of media outlets in attendance to relay why they founded the charity along with Norman Epstein. Actor Ben Affleck, one of the tournament’s leading celebrities, did not walk the red carpet due to a migraine and instead went directly to the tournament room. Among those media outlets reporting on Affleck and others in attendance were Fox 5 Las Vegas, Celebrity Update, and 888.

“Everybody Loves Raymond” actor Brad Garrett followed Duke and Cheadle down the red carpet around 1:00pm at the Rio in Las Vegas. At one point, the extremely tall actor stood behind the much shorter Jennifer Harman, holding her shoulders while delivering an Oscar acceptance speech as if the Full Tilt pro were a small trophy.

Other celebrities who took time to speak with the media included boxing legend Evander Holyfield, Carbon Poker pro Shannon Elizabeth, Pittsburgh Steelers great Jerome Bettis, comedian David Alan Grier, and talk show host Montel Williams. Pros lending their thoughts included Andy Bloch, Greg Raymer, and Rafe Furst.

With Affleck sidelined from the red carpet, fellow actor Matt Damon took up the reigns. In an exclusive video interview, Damon told Poker News Daily how he became involved with the movie “Rounders,” which turned many in the industry on to the game: “Harvey Weinstein had the script at Miramax and said, ‘I have this really great script.’ I was doing ‘Saving Private Ryan’ at the time and he sent it over to England. I read it and thought, ‘This is fantastic.’ It’s this crazy little subculture that nobody ever talks about.” Damon did not rule out the possibility of a follow-up to “Rounders,” which has been rumored to be in the works.

In the end, it was Full Tilt Poker pro Phil Gordon coming out on top in the Ante Up for Africa tournament, defeating Elizabeth heads-up. The “American Pie” actress and runner-up candidly told WSOP officials following the gala, “I wish the rest of my WSOP had gone the way this tournament went.” 2009 WSOP Main Event November Niner Phil Ivey hustled through the red carpet and did not take many interviews. Notably absent was UB.com’s Phil Hellmuth, who finished 15th in the $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha World Championship that took place concurrently.

Chris Ferguson, Howard Lederer, and Erik Seidel did not walk the red carpet, although all three participated in the event. Seidel finished in fifth place after his 8-5 could not draw out on Gordon’s Q-10. Gordon flopped top pair on a 10-high board and never looked back. Ferguson bubbled the final table, also exiting at the hands of Gordon. This time, “Jesus” held pocket twos, which failed to outrace Gordon’s K-Q of diamonds.

Gordon donated his $130,000 first place payday to Ante Up for Africa in a highly generous gesture. Gordon got the best of Elizabeth with Q-3 against K-10 after flopping a queen to seal the win. The tournament marked Elizabeth’s first in the money finish in a WSOP event in three years. Here were the final results from the 2010 running of the Ante Up for Africa event:

1. Phil Gordon – $130,641
2. Shannon Elizabeth – $80,737
3. Alex Filatov – $56,516
4. Carter “BdyBldngpkrplyr” Phillips – $41,166
5. Erik Seidel – $30,287
6. Jerome Bettis – $22,624
7. Barry Hartheimer – $18,146
8. Kyle Carlston – $15,125
9. Claire Renaut – $12,998

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest headlines from the 2010 WSOP.

Image courtesy WSOP.com

DoylesRoom Brunson 10 Candidate Dan Kelly Wins WSOP $25,000 Six-Max NLHE

In the $25,000 Six-Handed No Limit Hold’em event at the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP), six players came back on Saturday to determine a champion. Eliminated on Friday evening were favorites Carlos Mortensen (17th), Daniel Negreanu (11th), and Isaac Haxton (9th), but the final table still provided exciting action. Leading the tournament when six-handed play began was DoylesRoom Brunson 10 candidate Dan “djk123” Kelly, who held a nearly 2-1 lead over 2010 WSOP double bracelet winner Frank Kassela.

In what was the quickest final table at this year’s WSOP at 4.5 hours, Kelly was able to hold off the charge of some highly skilled pros. Eugene Katchalov was the first to depart and, while he wasn’t able to take the bracelet, Katchalov’s finish marked his fourth final table at this year’s WSOP. Eugene has banked over $500,000 for his performances over the last six weeks.

Another top player, Mikael Thuritz, was dismissed in fifth. After making the final table of the $50,000 Player’s Championship, Thuritz’s performance at this final table marked his third cash of his WSOP, with no cash lower than 13th place.

Kassela was dispatched from the final table in third place, ending what would have been a historic run at a third WSOP bracelet this year. With his finish, Kassela surged into the lead of the WSOP Player of the Year race. He currently sits with 285 points, 60 more than John Juanda and 75 more than Vladimir Shchemelev. Since only the Main Event remains, Juanda would have to finish at least third to tie Kassela; Shchemelev would have to finish second.

Canada’s Shawn Buchanan was the runner-up to Kelly, but he has to be happy with his performance at this year’s WSOP. His second place finish was his eighth cash of the year, tying him with Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler for the lead.

With the victory in Event #52, Kelly also has the chance at a very special reward. His sponsor, DoylesRoom, is currently running a battle featuring Kelly, David “Doc Sands” Sands, Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka, and Michael “Martine23” Martin for the next position with the powerful Brunson 10. Whoever garners the most points in all events at the WSOP will take the seat alongside such notable young players as Amit “amak316” Makhija, Zachary “CrazyZachary” Clark, and Chris “moorman1” Moorman:

1. Dan “djk123” Kelly (Potomac, MD) – $1,315,518
2. Shawn Buchanan (Abootsford, British Columbia) – $812,941
3. Frank Kassela (Rossville, TN) – $556,053
4. Jason Somerville (Stony Brook, NY) – $386,125
5. Mikael Thuritz (Las Vegas, NV) – $272,084
6. Eugene Katchalov (New York, NY) – $194,559

The highly popular Ante Up for Africa charity event also played out during action on Saturday. The non-bracelet event, created by Poker News Daily guest columnist Annie Duke, acclaimed actor Don Cheadle, and Norman Epstein four years ago to raise awareness about the issues in Darfur, drew in 83 players, including several top pros and many celebrities. Players such as former Main Event champion Joe Hachem, Erik Seidel, Player’s Championship winner Michael Mizrachi, and Duke joined celebrities such as talk show host Montel Williams, boxing legend Evander Holyfield, Australian footballer Shane Warne, NFL great Jerome Bettis, and “Rounders” actor Matt Damon to raise money for the cause.

Seidel and Bettis both made the final table and went out in fifth and sixth place, respectively. The final duo that battled for the championship were Carbon Poker’s Shannon Elizabeth and top pro Phil Gordon, both veterans of the Bravo poker series “Celebrity Poker Showdown.” Gordon was able to defeat Elizabeth during heads-up play and then immediately turned around and donated his winnings back to Ante Up for Africa. All totaled, the charitable tournament raised over $275,000 to support the cause that Duke and Cheadle have brought to the poker world’s attention.

1. Phil Gordon (Henderson, NV) – $129,086
2. Shannon Elizabeth (Los Angeles, CA) – $79,776
3. Aleksey Filatov (Norwood, MA) – $55,843
4. Carter Phillips (Las Vegas, NV) – $40,676
5. Erik Seidel (Las Vegas, NV) – $29,926
6. Jerome Bettis (Roswell, GA) – $22,355
7. Barry Hartheimer (New York, NY) – $17,930
8. Kyle Carlston (Henderson, NV) – $14,945
9. Claire Renaut (London, United Kingdom) – $12,843

Although the Main Event begins tomorrow, there are still four tournaments in progress. In the final $1,000 No Limit Hold’em event, David Peters leads the field into Day 3. With 47 players remaining, the final nine will be the target late this evening and the final table will play out on Monday.

The final $10,000 World Championship event (#55), Pot Limit Omaha, will determine a champion today with a staunch final table. Ludovic Lacay leads an international field that includes second place pursuer Daniel Alaei and 2007 WSOP Main Event fourth place finisher Alexander Kravchenko.

Event #56, $2,500 No Limit Hold’em, will also play deep into the night to determine a final table. Corwin “mig.com” Mackey holds a 2-1 lead over Sweden’s Christian Jeppsson when play continues this afternoon. Other notable players on the leader board include Jon “PearlJammer” Turner, Dan Shak, and Court Harrington.

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from the 2010 WSOP.

Actors, Athletes and Amateurs Unite For Africa at WSOP

All facetiousness aside, today's $5k Ante Up For Africa tournament supports the admirable non-profit organization bearing the same name that is dedicated to raising money and awareness for Africans in need.

The tournament marks the second to last event on the 2010 WSOP calendar and has predictably drawn a crowd of celebrities, pro poker players and curious railbirds.  

Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Shannon Elizabeth, David Alan Grier, Evander Holyfield and Montel Williams headline the list of celebrities who've made an appearance.

Brad Garrett, best known for his role on the TV show Everybody Loves Raymond, is keeping the Pavillion Room lively with his play-by-play and one-liners.  

"Phil Gordon everyone," Garrett said introducing the poker player and announcer. "Only one person clapped for you, Phil, I think it might be your mom."

"Shannon Elizabeth, who looks great in women's clothing, is playing today," Garrett deadpanned.

Much of the buzz in the room involved Phil Ivey's early exit for the tournament. David Alan Grier took credit for the knockout. "I gave it to him right on the chin!" Grier said. "All in and all out, baby." Then Grier admitted he wasn't actually in the hand at all and has a tendency to embellish.

Crowd favorite Matt Damon has managed to stick around and double up a couple of times. One of those double ups found Damon coming from behind in the hand and rivering a full house on his opponent. "That's what happens when you're Matt Damon, ladies and gentleman," Garrett quipped. "If you're Brad Garrett, then you're in a cab by now."

Players can donate whatever portion of their earnings they choose to charity, but at least 50% is standard. Last year John Hennigan won the tournament and donated all of his winnings to charity. Upon recognizing Hennigan for last year's donation, Garrett was overcome with kindness. "I'm going to kiss Howard Lederer because of your generosity," Garrett said before making good on his act of man love.

There were 80 players who put up the $5k buy in for today's event. Annie Duke, Phil Ivey and Montel Williams were some of the first players to be knocked out.

More information on the charity led by Cheadle and Duke is available at http://anteupforafrica.org.

UB.com July Second Sundays to Benefit Crystal King Foundation

This month’s running of the UB.com Second Sundays charity poker tournament will donate its funds to the Crystal King Benefit Foundation. The $10 buy-in tournament will pan out at 14:45 ET on July 11th and former “Amazing Race” contestant Tiffany Michelle, a member of Team UB, will host.

UB.com will match all of the proceeds raised from the tournament and then donate the entire prize pool to the Crystal King Benefit Foundation. In addition, those who play will be in the running for over $2,000 in added prizes.

What is the Crystal King Benefit Foundation, you ask? The fund came about when mother Crystal King and her three-year-old twins Camrea-Rose and Caden were involved in a major traffic incident two months ago. Caden died in the wreck with a semi, while Camrea-Rose and Crystal survived, albeit with a multitude of life threatening injuries. UB.com got wind of the family’s plight through PokerRoad.com and PokerPlayersUnite.org and decided to get involved.

Michelle, who has traveled the world as part of her participation in “Amazing Race,” commented in a press release distributed by UB.com on why she chose to host July’s event: “There is a lot of money thrown around in poker on a regular basis and it’s causes like this and the ability to help that make what I do for a living worthwhile. I’ve seen first hand the emotional and financial stress that comes from awful accidents like this one. Being a friend or bystander, it’s hard not to feel completely helpless. This is such a significant way to lend a hand.”

The top 10 on the leaderboard in July 11th’s running of the Second Sundays event will walk away with prizes. In addition to helping out a cause near and dear to Michelle’s heart, participants will also be vying for entries into UB.com’s $200,000 Guaranteed weekly flagship event and a wireless poker controller. The player who eliminates Michelle from the charity event will claim a $66 ticket to the UB.com $7,000 Guaranteed, redeemable at 21:30 ET the same day as the Crystal King Benefit Foundation tournament.

PokerRoad personality and UB.com pro Joe Sebok hosted the June Second Sundays tournament, which resulted in nearly $5,700 being raised for the National Tay-Sachs and Allied Diseases Association. The player who knocked Sebok out, “Bob5Bob,” claimed the $66 bounty and promptly took third in the $7,000 Guaranteed for $800 – not a bad way to spend an evening. A total of 284 players bought in.

For those who don’t have time to partake in a multi-table tournament, but still want to donate to the Crystal King Benefit Foundation, funds are being accepted through the UB.com player account “CHARITIES.” The account has a first name of “Charity.” Members of Absolute Poker, which makes its home on the USA-friendly CEREUS Network alongside UB.com, can also participate in the Second Sundays fundraising efforts.

The inaugural Second Sundays event took place in March and benefited the San Antonio Aids Foundation. UB.com and Absolute Poker happily accept real money action from the United States. Besides Michelle and Sebok, UB.com pros include reigning National Heads-Up Poker Championship winner Annie Duke, 11-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, and blackjack guru “Hollywood” Dave Stann.

Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke Vying for WSOP Tournament of Champions Title

While the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Tournament of Champions (TOC) takes a break until July 3rd, the leaders of Team UB.com, Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke, find themselves right in the thick of things.

With 17 of the original 27 players remaining, Hellmuth and Duke are back-to-back in the middle of the pack.  With 44,100 chips, Hellmuth is in eighth place, while Duke is right behind him in ninth with 42,600.  If they hold those same positions throughout the rest of the tournament, they will both earn $25,000.  Undoubtedly, though, they each have their eyes trained on the $500,000 grand prize.

Duke has not had any success at this year’s WSOP, as she is still without a cash, so a win in the TOC would be a great boost for the 2009 “Celebrity Apprentice” runner-up.  It will also be quite an accomplishment to beat such a stacked, albeit small, field after recently winning the similarly challenging National Heads-Up Poker Championship.  Duke was one of five automatic qualifiers for the TOC, earning her spot by winning the inaugural Tournament of Champions back in 2004.  Coincidentally, she defeated Hellmuth heads-up in that event to win the $2 million purse.

While Hellmuth prides himself on holding the most WSOP bracelets of anyone in the history of poker, he would still love to win the TOC, even though it would not technically count as his 12th bracelet.  Hellmuth has had a disappointing run at the WSOP so far, with just three cashes for $70,622.  He does have two top-15 finishes, including a final table, but for Hellmuth, also the all-time leader in number of cashes at the WSOP, it has been frustrating.  Last night, he Tweeted, “Feeling so TORTURED right now!! Busted on level 15, in 59th place… 45 get paid. Four times I played till level 14 or later, and didn’t cash.”

Hellmuth earned his seat in the Tournament of Champions through the online fan vote.  He was the fourth-leading vote getter of the 20 players who qualified via balloting, garnering 12,673 votes.  Ahead of him were Phil Ivey (16,267), Daniel Negreanu (16,239), and Doyle Brunson (13,796).

The TOC has a dash of past UB flavor, as well, as ex-UB pro Antonio Esfandiari (now with Victory Poker) is 16th place and Scotty Nguyen, who was once sponsored by UB, is in fourth place.

The TOC is slated to pick back up on July 3rd and play down to a final table, which will be contested the following day.  If any player is still alive in events happening on July 3rd, however, the TOC will not resume at all until July 4th, when it will start bright and early at 9:00am local time.

ESPN Inside Deal Features Vanessa Rousso, Dean Hamrick

This week, the ESPN.com poker news franchise “Inside Deal” welcomed recent World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Dean Hamrick and top-tier female pro Vanessa Rousso. New episodes of “Inside Deal” are released every Tuesday exclusively on ESPN.com.

Hamrick finally got over the proverbial hump in 2010, taking down a $1,500 No Limit Hold’em event for $604,000 and his first bracelet. He’ll take that money and head back to Michigan, telling “Inside Deal” hosts Laura Lane and Andrew Feldman, “It felt amazing. It was a little weird because it was 6:30 in the morning when I won, so I was as excited to finally get to sleep as I was to win the bracelet. It’s a pretty surreal moment. Everyone is around you and they’re dealing that last river card and you know if it goes right, you’re going to be the champ and get everything you ever wanted.”

Hamrick made deep runs in the 2007 and 2008 Main Events. However, the $1,500 No Limit Hold’em tournament marked just his second WSOP final table. He reflected, “When you’ve been close a couple of times, you realize how hard it is to get back. A final table is very tough, especially in the bigger fields. You don’t want to make a mistake and every decision is crucial.” Hamrick also revealed that the skill level of the field has gotten considerably tougher, a sentiment that many pros in the tournament series have echoed.

Rousso joined “Inside Deal” and discussed whether she considered 2010 to be the Year of the Woman: “I think that whole Year of the Woman thing is just to have something cool to say marketing-wise. Yeah, some women have had some great results this year. I don’t think there’s anything unique about 2010. Women will have great results in years to come. Truth is, we just have a lot of great women players now.” Annie Duke, Vanessa Selbst, and UB.com’s Liv Boeree have been among the females to win major tournaments since 2010 began.

In an interview-heavy episode, “Inside Deal” then welcomed Unabomber Poker front man Phil Laak, who is fresh off a 115-hour marathon poker session that set a Guinness World Record. The previous mark, held by Paul Zimbler, was just 78 hours. Why did Laak feel the need to obliterate Zimbler’s record by two full days? “When I got to 80 hours, I hadn’t made a plan of when I’d stop. I just figured I’d stop soon after that because I’d be so exhausted. What I didn’t expect is that I was supercharged.” Laak profited nearly $7,000 from the $10/$20 cash game table at the Bellagio.

Laak added that he has a renewed outlook on life following his weeklong affair: “Since the challenge, I have become super human. I think better, I play poker better, I have more patience, I’m more empathetic, I work harder at the gym, and things are more effortless. It’s crazy.” Laak’s record may have been broken by a group of European young guns; however, the validity of the attempt appears to be in doubt.

Finally, a viewer e-mailed asking Rousso whether she thought the WSOP Ladies Event should offer up a bracelet despite not being open to the general public. Rousso’s response: “I don’t really get that freaked out about it. I know a lot of pros have a very strong opinion one way or the other. For me, it’s up to the WSOP. If they choose to put it on the schedule, it’s a bracelet event. It’s as simple as that.” Shaun Deeb, David Sesso, and other males entered the tournament this year, but none survived Day 1.

Catch ESPN’s “Inside Deal” weekly on ESPN.com.

WSOP TOC: Mike Matusow leading, Huck Seed as second

Mike “The Mouth” Matusow finished the second day of the WSOP Tournament of Champions in a great way: in chiplead. The loudmouth collected exactly 85,500 chips which is a bit more than Huck Seed’s 73k.  

-Matusow won the Tournament of Champions in 2005 and was third in 2006. 

A few big names were eliminated during the day - for example Doyle Brunson, Joe Cada and Mike Sexton had to leave the tournament table.

Below all the remaining 17 players and their exact chipstacks:

1. Mike Matusow          85,500
2. Huck Seed         73,000
3. Johnny Chan         68,600
4. Scotty Nguyen         64,700
5. Joe Hachem             64,300
6. Erik Seidel         58,900
7. Allen Cunningham     58,900
8. Phil Hellmuth         44,100
9. Annie Duke         42,600
10. Daniel Negreanu     39,900
11. TJ Cloutier         38,800
12. Jennifer Harman     34,200
13. Howard Lederer         30,800
14. Chris Ferguson         30,100
15. Barry Greenstein     29,900
16. Antonio Esfandiari     24,400
17. Bertrand Grospellier     21,400

There are also some changes in the tournament schedule as the tournament has proceeded much slower than expected: still 17 players are competing for the $500,000 dollar main prize, although according to the estimates we should already know the finalists.

Originally it was meant to be that the nine finalists would return to the table on 4th of July, but since there are still this many players left, the tournament will continue already on July 3rd.

However, the Ante Up for Africa tournament can still mix the schedules, so it remains to be seen when we finally know the winner of this year’s TOC…   

Source: PokerNews and TheHendonMob

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WSOP TOC: Mike Matusow leading, Huck Seed as second

Sigurd Eskeland Captures First World Series of Poker Bracelet

Norway’s Sigurd Eskeland earned his first ever World Series of Poker (WSOP) gold bracelet on Tuesday morning, defeating Steve Sung heads-up in the $2,500 Mixed Event.  The former school teacher won $260,497 in his third career WSOP cash.

The Mixed Event features eight different games: No Limit Hold’em, Fixed Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha, Omaha 8/b, Razz, Stud, Stud 8/b, and 2-7 Triple Draw.  Day 3 began with 20 players still remaining and Eskeland had a ways to go, sitting in 12th place.  Aside from the chip leader, Nikolai Yakovenko, who had 310,000 chips, it was a fairly tightly grouped field.

Eskeland waited patiently through several eliminations before surging into the chip lead thanks to a series of double-ups.  After eliminating Alex Wice in third place, Eskeland went into heads-up play with a 2-to-1 chip advantage over Sung.  He expanded his lead quickly, but after about 40 minutes, Sung had pulled to even and looked like he was poised to make a run at the bracelet when he took the lead shortly thereafter.

Sung’s lead didn’t last long, though, and just over two hours into the heads-up match, he had all of his chips in the middle in a No Limit Hold’em round with Qd-Qs against Eskeland’s Ac-9s.  The flop was harmless – 3d-9c-4c – and it looked like Sung still just needed to dodge an ace to double-up.  The Jc on the turn gave Eskeland a flush draw, though, and the river was heartbreaker for Sung: 2c.  That brought Eskeland a flush and the title.

2010 WSOP Event #48 $2,500 Mixed – Final Table Results

1. Sigurd Eskeland – $260,497
2. Steve Sung – $160,952
3. Alexander Wice – $102,314
4. Nikolai Yakovenko – $73,776
5. Stephen Su – $54,032
6. Scott Seiver – $40,175
7. Jared Jaffee – $30,319
8. Kirill Rabtsov – $23,223

Elsewhere around the Rio, the Tournament of Champions (TOC) wrapped up Day 2, albeit behind schedule.  The plan was to play Day 1 last Sunday and Day 2 on Monday, at which point the final nine players would be determined.  Play would then resume on July 4th.  However, after Monday’s action, there were still 17 players left.  Therefore, WSOP officials decided to bring everyone back on July 3rd to play down to the final table, which will still be played on July 4th.  The schedule may be modified even further, though.  There are two events taking place on July 3rd – the Ante Up for Africa charity tournament and the $25,000 Six-Max – so there is a chance that one or more of the TOC players will already be playing in an event.  If that is the case, the TOC will resume on July 4th at 9:00am so that there is enough time to determine a champion.  Here is a look at the current standings:

1. Mike Matusow – 85,500
2. Huck Seed – 73,000
3. Johnny Chan – 68,600
4. Scotty Nguyen – 64,700
5. Joe Hachem – 64,300
6. Erik Seidel – 58,900
7. Allen Cunningham – 58,900
8. Phil Hellmuth – 44,100
9. Annie Duke – 42,600
10. Daniel Negreanu – 39,900
11. T.J. Cloutier – 38,800
12. Jennifer Harman – 34,200
13. Howard Lederer – 30,800
14. Chris Ferguson – 30,100
15. Barry Greenstein – 29,900
16. Antonio Esfandiari – 24,400
17. Bertrand Grospellier – 21,400

There were three other tournaments running on a busy day at the Rio on Monday.  Event #47, $1,000 No Limit Hold’em, completed its second day with just 33 of the original 3,128 players remaining.  Manuel Davidian tops the field with 889,000 chips, 176,000 more than his next closest competitor, Adam White.  Of note is recent bracelet winner Scott Montgomery, who in 24th place is gunning for his second win of the 2010 WSOP.  Here is what the top ten looks like:

1. Manuel Davidian – $889,000
2. Adam White – $713,000
3. Jason Riesenberg – $635,000
4. Owen Crowe – $607,000
5. Justin Young – $449,000
6. Laurence Stein – $442,000
7. Paulus Valkenburg – $439,000
8. Pekka Ikonen – $435,000
9. Shawn Busse – $432,000
10. Olivier Busquet – $377,000

Event #49, $1,500 No Limit Hold’em, is entering its second day with 315 of 2,543 players remaining, so the field is still 45 players away from the money.  Giuseppe Zarbo leads the chase to the $609,493 first prize with 156,500 chips.  Other players of note are still alive, including George “Jorj95″ Lind III (96,400), David “The Dragon” Pham (83,300), J.P. Kelly (61,600), Mark Gregorich (55,600), Shane Schleger (54,800), Liv Boeree (43,400), Roland de Wolfe (38,400), Matt Matros (36,600), and Andy Bloch (35,000).  Play will resume at 2:30pm local time.

Finally, Event #50, $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha, also concluded its first day.  Almost half of the original 460-player field is still alive, so it is a long way until the cash bubble bursts.  Kevin Schaffel, a member of last year’s November Nine, leads all players with 178,900 chips.  Also among the leaders are Jarred Solomon, who just made the final table of the $2,500 Mixed Hold’em event, 2005 Main Event final tablist and this year’s $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha champ John “Tex” Barch, 2010 $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha 8/b runner-up Dan Shak, and inaugural WSOP Europe Main Event champ Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad.  First place pays over $500,000.  The players will be back at 3:00pm local time to continue their quest for a bracelet.

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for more updates from the 2010 World Series of Poker.

Don’t Be Such a Drag

When I read about Shaun Deeb, David Sesso, and other men playing in the Ladies Event at the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP), I just shook my head.  It was the same sort of slow, disappointed head shake that I would use while watching my daughter poke and prod my dog’s face for the 500th time only to get snapped at.  Both are just bad ideas that make me wonder what they were thinking.

I’m not so offended by the stunt that I’m going to call the guys idiots or draw some odd comparison to the BP oil spill like Dusty “Leatherass” Schmidt did in his blog.  But to me, it is still pretty unbelievable that some people would actually think that doing this was a good idea.  I know Deeb explained in a video message that he did it because he supports women in poker and was protesting gender segregation in tournaments, but I just don’t buy it.

At the beginning of his statement, which corresponds to published news reports, Deeb said that he lost a prop bet with his friends and, as a result, had to play in the Ladies Event dressed in drag.  So what was it?  Did you lose a bet or did you have some greater mission?  In my opinion, it appears to be the former.  It looks like Deeb, Sesso, and friends basically considered the Ladies Event a joke, which is why their punishment in the bet was to play in it.

I will give Sesso some credit, though.  In an interview with Poker News Daily, Sesso admitted that he realized it was wrong to infiltrate the women’s tournament and apologized for it.  But Deeb, in his video, tries to make us believe that, despite his saying so earlier, the prop bet was not the reason why he entered the tournament, but rather he wanted to stand up for gender equality.  Come on.  Over 1,000 women played in the tournament – obviously people like it.

It is so tilting to me when people complain about the Ladies Event, saying that women are just as capable and intelligent as men and don’t need a separate tournament.  For instance, Annie Duke, a well known opponent of women’s events, told this website, “Poker is not like tennis. Men are not mentally stronger than we are, so it makes no sense to separate it out. If there were a men’s-only event, people would be encouraging women to play.”

Women’s events do not exist because women can’t compete with men in at the WSOP.  They exist because, in general, women don’t compete with men at the WSOP.  I think we all know that the ratio of women to men at the WSOP is tiny.  So, one way to get more women involved is to have a tournament that caters to them.  It’s obvious and everyone has heard this reasoning before, but there are still people who discount it.

Women don’t need the Ladies Event, people over 50 years old don’t need a Seniors Event, and poker players in general don’t need a Hold’em/Omaha hybrid event.  But you know what?  They like them, and that’s what matters.  Of course, opponents will make the argument that just because people like something doesn’t mean it should exist.  Sure, but this is a poker tournament.  A women’s-only event doesn’t hurt anyone.  If it becomes unwanted, then the registration numbers will dwindle and the WSOP will do away with it.

“But Dan, if you think a women’s event is fine, do you think a men’s event is fine?”  That’s not the same thing, and you know it.  Live poker is already basically a men’s club, so take those inappropriate arguments somewhere else.

It is just mind-boggling to me that there are people who care so much about trying to make such an unimportant statement that they want to ruin something enjoyable and harmless like a poker tournament.  Put your energies and outrage into something that could really use some attention, not a fake women’s equality issue.  And for guys like Shaun Deeb who feel like crashing a party because they think they are better than the attendees, don’t get upset when people call you out on it.  You knew what people would think of you; don’t try to make us think you were making some heroic statement.

Matusow Running Hot - Day 32 WSOP Recap

Day 32 was a showcase for poker's elite, as Day 2 of the Tournament of Champions played out on the WSOP feature table stage.

Mike "The Mouth" Matusow had perhaps his best day of the 2010 WSOP, emerging as the TOC chip leader and also running to a great start in $5k PLO.

Norway's Sigurd Eskeland also picked up his first bracelet in the $2.5k Mixed Event.

Here's a look around Day 32:

WSOP Tournament of Champions 2010

Day 2 was very much like Day 1 in the 2010 Tournament of Champions, with just five players hitting the rail for the second straight day.

The pace of the TOC has been slower than expected through the first eight levels, as 17 of the original 27 players still remain.

The event was supposed to play down to the final nine Monday, with the final table played at 1 p.m. July 4.

The WSOP is now discussing two alternate scenarios, with one having players come back at 7 p.m. July 3, and the other option having players come back at 10 a.m. July 4 for an early-morning start.

Mike "The Mouth" Matusow came out of Day 2 as the chip leader, with Huck Seed, Johnny Chan and Scotty Nguyen right behind.

The WSOP will determine which scenario will play out for the TOC based on entrants' commitments to other bracelet events on July 3, so stay tuned.

Event 47 - $1k No-Limit Hold'em

3,128 players came out for Day 1 of this event, and it was 476 returning for Day 2 with an eye on the $485,791 first prize.

Antonio Esfandiari created a mini-spectacle in the Amazon Room, as the headband-clad Victory Poker spokesman ran back and forth multi-tabling this event and the Tournament of Champions.

Esfandiari didn't survive the day in this event, but made the payout structure, finishing 73rd.

Scott Montgomery went on a big heater on Day 2 and comes back amongst the chip leaders when play resumes at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Event 48 - $2.5k Mixed Event

The day's only bracelet was awarded in this event, as Norwegian Sigurd Eskeland emerged from the field of 453 players to take the championship and $260,497.

Todd Brunson came up just short of a final table bid, finishing 11th for $18,045, while Alex Kravchenko came up right behind at 11th and Dario Minieri finished 14th.

Kirk Morrison and Vitaly Lunkin also posted cash finished, as did Mike "The Grinder" Mizrachi, who added to his Player of the Year total.

Event 49 - $1.5k No-Limit Hold'em

The large turnout pushed the first-place prize in this event to $609,493, as 2,543 players entered the latest $1.5k No-Limit event on Day 1.

David Pham and JP Kelley were amongst the chip leaders as the first day came to end, with 315 players advancing to Day 2, which commences at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Andy Bloch and Liv Boeree are also amongst the notables coming back for Day 2.

Event 50 - $5k Pot-Limit Omaha

The TOC might have been the biggest spectacle of the day, but this event was packed with poker superstars on Day 1.

Jeff Lisandro, Ted Forrest, Carlos Mortensen, Annette Obrestad and Annie Duke were just a few of the names that signed up, with 460 players in the field overall.

2009 November Niner Kevin Schaffel had a huge first day, and comes back as one of the chip leaders with 178,900 when Day 2 kicks off at 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Just under 200 players made it to Day 2 and Dan Shak and Annette Obrestad are also amongst the chip leaders.

For a more in-depth look at how the day played out, along with news, blogs and videos, visit PokerListings' WSOP 2010 section.

WSOP Live!

Check out PokerListings' WSOP Live! The most star studded and entertaining daily WSOP recap in the industry:

Chris Bell Wins First World Series of Poker Gold Bracelet

It’s always great to watch one of the good guys come through when they need it most. That’s exactly what happened early Monday morning as poker veteran Chris Bell outlasted a field of 284 players to win the $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha Eight or Better Event at the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP).

At one of the toughest final tables seen at this year’s WSOP, Bell went from short stack to hero to win his first gold bracelet. Rob Hollink, Leif Force, Erik Seidel, Dave “Devilfish” Ulliott, and Dan Shak each had their shot at the title, but after nearly 11 hours of play, it was Bell and Shak heads-up with several supporters still in attendance.

Shak had the lead going into heads-up play and increased it by chipping away early on, but Bell doubled up to fight his way back into the match. Then, on the final hand of the tournament, Bell limped his button and Shak checked his option. On the Kc-8h-2h flop, Shak check-raised to 460,000 and Bell called. The Kh paired the board on the turn and Shak fired out a bet. Bell moved all-in and Shak called. Bell tabled Ks-Tc-9s-8d for a full house, while Shak had Ah-9h-8s-7s for the nut flush. Shak was looking for a three, four, five, or six on the river to secure the low and half the pot, but the 9c sent him to the rail in second place.

Bell, meanwhile, collected $327,040 for first place, a huge sigh of relief after a long stretch without a big win for the longtime pro. He admitted after the tournament that he had contemplated leaving the game due to the risks involved in bringing up children while playing poker professionally. But, it was the support of a friend – who provided the financial backing Bell desperately needed – that changed his mind.

“I want to thank Erick Lindgren. I would not be in Las Vegas right now if it weren’t for Erick,” Bell said after his big win. “A lot of people had given up on me the last year or so. But Erick didn’t. He’s never told me ‘no.’ He will beg and borrow for his friends. I appreciate him giving me this opportunity. Without a friend like him, I would not be here right now.”

1. Chris Bell – $327,040
2. Dan Shak – $202,142
3. David Ulliott – $150,925
4. Joe Ritzie – $113,444
5. Erik Seidel – $85,800
6. Leif Force – $65,311
7. Rob Hollink – $50,014
8. Perry Green – $38,549
9. Jeremy Harkin – $29,886

The other bracelet awarded on Sunday in was the $1,500 No Limit Hold’em Event #45. A handful of big names, including Sam Trickett and Stephen “stevie4444″ Chidwick were in contention for the title when play began, but each fell short of the final table. That left nine players in search of their first bracelet with a $721,373 first place prize on the line.

Finally, at nearly 4 a.m. local time, Jesse Rockowitz was declared the winner, defeating online poker pro Ray Coburn. Rockowitz, a 24 year-old online pro himself, had two pair against Coburn’s open-ended straight draw when the chips went in on the turn and his hand held up on the river to clinch the title:

1. Jesse Rockowitz – $721,373
2. Ray Coburn – $446,274
3. Thiago Nishijima – $315,828
4. Kevin Odell – $228,614
5. Michael Goldfarb – $167,405
6. Steven Brown – $124,006
7. Shaun Malough – $92,900
8. Justin Conley – $70,365
9. Johan Jakobsson – $53,892

The Amazon Room will be flooded with star-gazing fans again on Monday when Day 2 of the Tournament of Champions gets underway at Noon PT. The tournament began with 27 players Sunday and after four one-hour levels, 22 bagged their chips ready to return on Monday. Among those sitting atop the leaderboard are Erik Seidel, Jonny Chan, and Mike Matusow, while Annie Duke, Joe Cada, and Doyle Brunson are nursing short stacks. The plan is to play another four levels on Monday and then conclude the tournament on July 4th. However, the schedule has yet to be finalized. Here’s a look at the top stacks going into Day 2:

1. Erik Seidel – 72,075
2. Johnny Chan- 71,325
3. Mike Matusow – 70,575
4. Barry Greenstein – 56,775
5. Joe Hachem – 55,650
6. Huck Seed – 51,875
7. Bertrand Grospellier – 51,575
8. Allen Cunningham – 49,300
9. Scotty Nguyen – 48,900
10. Dan Harrington – 38,250

One event will play down to a winner on Monday. Twenty-one players will return at 3:00 p.m. local time to crown a champion in the $2,500 Mixed Event, which will award $260,497 for first place. Nikolai Yakovenko is the chip leader going into the final day, but notables Matt “Plattsburgh” Vengrin, Kirk Morrison, Scott Seiver, and Steve Sung are close on his heels.

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the continuous updates from the 2010 WSOP.?

WSOP Tournament of Champions Begins from Poker in Twitter

Gavin Smith‘s first World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet over the weekend nearly melted down the Twitterverse. After Smith made his breakthrough victory in the $2,500 Mixed Hold’em event on Saturday, congratulations flooded in for the popular Canadian. UB.com pro Joe Sebok was excited over Smith’s first WSOP bracelet win, Tweeting, “Congratulations @olegsmith. Love you friend. You worked hard for this and you deserve it. Happy to share this moment with you, bud.”

The accolades continued to come in for Smith throughout the day on Sunday. “Congrats on the bracelet @OleGSmith!,” Tweeted “Hollywood” Dave Stann. “Awesome to see one of the good guys come out on top – you rock, dude!” PokerStars pro Daniel Negreanu had an ulterior motive with Smith’s win, but was thrilled nonetheless: “Congrats @olegsmith you brought it home! That win helped me beat Matusow for 10k woot.”

The revived WSOP Tournament of Champions was also a hot topic over the weekend. “Good luck to the wonderful Mike Sexton in the TOC today, a great ambassador for the game and a champion!,” PartyPoker pro Kara Scott tweeted as the 27-player tournament began. John Juanda, one of the players voted in by fans, Tweeted his starting table to his followers: “Seed, Ivey, Harman, Cada, Seidel, Ferguson, me, Chan, Barton. Wish me luck, guys! I’ll need it!”

Apparently the poker gods weren’t listening to Juanda because, not even one hour later, he reported his demise: “Just like that, I’m out of TOC. Tried to get Harman to lay down 2nd set and it didn’t work!” Others did much better and will move on to Day 2 of the TOC, including Erik Seidel (“Day over TOC. I finished w 72k.”), Howard Lederer (“Finished day 1 of WSOP TOC with 25,800. Slow day, no cards, deep stacks. Tomorrow the action should pick up.”) and Barry Greenstein (“End of today’s session. I didn’t play too well toward the end. 22 left. Average is 37k. I have 57k.”)

A considerable amount of attention was paid to the $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo event on Sunday night. Once the action in the event became heads-up, it featured two of the most respected players in the game, Dan Shak and Chris Bell. “Dan Shak and Chris Bell now heads-up for the bracelet,” Annie Duke chirped from tableside. “Freeroll on who wins. Both of them are deserving and great guys.”

Notable pros lined up to cheer on their horse. Noted tournament reporter B.J. Nemeth caught one particularly interesting exchange when he Tweeted, “Chris Bell to the TD: ‘This isn’t fair. Dan has Shannon Elizabeth rooting for him, and I’m stuck with Gavin Smith.’” After Bell was able to defeat Shak for the bracelet, Smith Tweeted his feelings: “Chris Bell, one of my closest friends just won his first bracelet, I think I am as happy now as I was last night!

For the best Tweets of the Week, we’ll start with Negreanu. While playing in the Mixed Game tournament at the WSOP, Negreanu posed the question, “Weird question was raised: what are the odds that at an 8 handed stud table, all 8 players are rolled up?” Leave it to the author of “The Mathematics of Poker” and double bracelet winner Bill Chen to know the answer, as Negreanu Tweeted, “Bill Chen just told me it’s 1 followed by about 20 zeros.”

Finally, the World Cup has drawn the attention of poker players. “Up early to sweat soccer,” Shannon Shorr Tweeted. “Need Germany to upset England as my only other team, Slovakia, is drawing dead against Holland tomorrow.” Scott Huff commented on the shoddy officiating when he chirped, “If I was from Mexico I’d be livid right now. As it is, I’m curious why FIFA even bothers having a rule book.” Perhaps it wasn’t the World Cup, but Full Tilt‘s Ali Nejad stepped up to play soccer rather than watch it: “Played rooftop soccer all day @nikemontalban. Or based on the way my body feels… rooftop soccer played me.”

WSOP Tournament of Champions continues - Ivey, Juanda and Farha out

The WSOP Tournament of Champions started yesterday. 20 poker professionals chosen by a public vote and seven other players who qualified in the tournament started the chase for the million dollar prize pot.

The first day already demanded five big names - John Juanda, Barry Shulman, Greg Raymer, Sam Farha and even Phil Ivey himself were all eliminated from the tournament.

The tournament lead, instead, was taken by Erik Seidel (72,075), Johnny Chan (71,325) and Mike Matusow (70,575).

Below all the remaining players and their chips:

So who will eventually be the champion of this ultimate high-level tournament?

The tournament continues today and then on the 4th of July, and the whole event will be broadcasted as a part of ESPN’s WSOP 2010 TV-broadcasts.

Source: PokerNews

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WSOP Tournament of Champions continues - Ivey, Juanda and Farha out

Gavin Smith Wins First World Series of Poker Bracelet

In the $2,500 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Mixed Event – featuring levels that alternate between Limit Hold’em and No Limit Hold’em – nine players came back on Saturday afternoon to determine a champion. Jarred Solomon held a slim lead over Full Tilt Poker’s Gavin Smith when play began, with WSOP Circuit terror Dwyte Pilgrim sitting on the short stack. Starting with Limit Hold’em, the players wasted little time in getting down to business.

Within the first three hours, three players were dispatched from the event. Pilgrim could never get any traction to make a drive at a WSOP bracelet, departing the final table in eighth place. 2007 British Columbia Poker Championship victor Daniel Idema, who came to the felt as the second shortest stack, was also a victim of the early action before leaving the event in seventh place.

Solomon was felted prior to the dinner break by Danny Hannawa and finished in sixth place. After dinner, Hannawa held a 240,000-chip lead over Timothy Finne, Jamie Rosen, Smith, and Michael Michnik. With the game changed to No Limit, several players became more aggressive, attempting to be the last man standing.

Hannawa dumped Rosen in fifth place, at which time Smith took over play. The Canadian aggressively took chips from Michnik and, in a key hand, assumed the chip lead from Hannawa when Smith, holding A-Q, flopped a queen and Hannawa couldn’t beat him. He continued to pound the pot with bets as the game switched to Limit, when he was able to vanquish Michnik in fourth.

After Hannawa was able to defeat Michnik at the end of the Limit level, heads-up play began in No Limit with Smith holding a 400,000-chip edge over Hannawa. After decimating Hannawa with a pair of eights on a 4-2-8-K-10 board, Smith saw fortune fall his way on the final hand. Hannawa committed the remainder of his chips holding a 10-8. After Smith called with his suited A-Q and the board ran A-K-2-J-J, he dropped the “best player to never win a bracelet” tag from his name by winning Event #44:

1. Gavin Smith (Las Vegas, NV) – $268,238
2. Danny Hannawa (Farmington Hills, MI) – $166,050
3. Timothy Finne (Fanwood, NJ) – $110,324
4. Michael Michnik (Hollywood, FL) – $81,871
5. Jamie Rosen (Las Vegas, NV) – $61,441
6. Jarred Solomon (Johannesburg, South Africa) – $46,562
7. Daniel Idema (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) – $35,601
8. Dwyte Pilgrim (Brooklyn, NY) – $27,438
9. Mike Santoro (Egg Harbor, NJ) – $21,304

In Event #45, another $1,500 No Limit Hold’em tournament, 35 players will return on Sunday afternoon to determine a champion. Sam Trickett, who was the runner-up to Jason DeWitt in the $5,000 No Limit event, holds the chip lead with several notable names in the mix behind him. 2010 WSOP bracelet winner Dutch Boyd sits in fifth, with Paul “X-22” Magriel, Alex Outhred, and Tim “tmay420” West just off the top 10.

Twenty-one players will return for Day 3 in the $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo event, which will probably run deep into Monday morning to determine a champion. Sergey Altbregin leads the tournament when the cards fly this afternoon, but a host of top pros are still in the mix. In second place is David “DevilFish” Ulliott, with Dan Shak and Chris Bell also in the top five. A blast from the past in the top 10 is Leif Force, who is known for his 11th place finish in the 2006 WSOP Main Event. Add in other pros such as Rob Hollink, Dan Heimiller, Allen Kessler, Andy Black, “Miami” John Cernuto, and Erik Seidel and the final day of this tournament will be one to watch.

Two tournaments opened up play on Saturday, with the first Day 1 of the latest $1,000 No Limit Hold’em event pulling in 1,759 entries. 310 players survived the carnage on Saturday to come back for Day Two on Monday. The final size of the field will be determined with the second Day 1 taking place on Sunday.

In Day One of the $2,500 Mixed Event, 453 players stepped up to test themselves against one of the toughest formats in poker. 192 will come back for Day 2 today, with Jared Jaffee holding the overnight chip lead. $50,000 Player’s Championship winner Michael Mizrachi is in fifth place, with other stars of the game such as Luca Pagano, Brandon Cantu, Steve Billirakis, Dario Alito, Alex Kravchenko, Scott Seiver, Andrew Robl, and 2010 double bracelet winner Frank Kassela all in the top 20.

While these tournaments all are featuring a great deal of star power, they will be dwarfed by the only tournament that starts today. The WSOP Tournament of Champions, which features 27 of the biggest names in the poker world, opens up play Sunday at Noon PT.

It looks to be a battle of the online poker rooms, as nine members of the Full Tilt Poker stable (Phil Ivey, Chris Ferguson, Allen Cunningham, John Juanda, Seidel, Jennifer Harman, Huck Seed, Howard Lederer and Mike Matusow) will hit the felt against six PokerStars pros (Daniel Negreanu, Barry Greenstein, Greg Raymer, Joe Hachem, Joe Cada, and Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier). Team UB sends its most prominent representatives in Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke, while Doyle Brunson represents DoylesRoom. Defending Tournament of Champions titleholder Mike Sexton will carry the PartyPoker banner as he attempts to repeat.

It all makes for one of the busiest Sundays during the run of this year’s World Series of Poker.

Stars Headline 2010 TOC

20 of the 27 players seated for the start of the TOC Sunday were voted in by fans on WSOP.com, and this year's TOC is the equivalent of an All-Star game from any major sport.

A ballot of 50 names was released by the WSOP on March 15, and the public had until June 15 to vote.

The top 20 players receiving the highest vote total earned a TOC, along with seven other qualifiers.

The result is an field that includes names like Phil Hellmuth, Mike "The Mouth" Matusow, Sammy Farha and Scotty Nguyen, seated with Barry Greenstein, Allen Cunningham, Mike Sexton and Barry Shulman.

All of those big names are sitting around just one table at the TOC.

"All in all I think it's great for the game, and I think all poker players should appreciate the fact that somebody's putting up a million dollars for a freeroll, for players to put that back in the poker community," Sexton told PL.com on a break.

"Obviously it's a phenomenal field. I predicted the final table will be the greatest final table in the history of poker. I think it'll be that strong."

The TOC is back for the first time since 2006, and the formula was overhauled for 2010, allowing the public to vote in the first-ever event of it's kind.

Daniel Negreanu is seated right next to Annie Duke at the ESPN feature table.

 

"Any time you have a voting process, people are going to talk about it," Sexton said.

"That's the way it is. It's like any major sport. All-Star baseball game, basketball, it doesn't matter. If the fans vote on it, they vote for people that they recognize, that are popular."

The event is definitely creating a buzz in the Amazon Room, with all three feature tables offering a spectacular lineup.

Top vote-getter Phil Ivey is in the field, along with Daniel Negreanu, Annie Duke, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson and Erik Seidel.

"It's a tough field," said Sammy Farha with a grin.

"I like that though, it's better for me. They're all good players. There's no strange move or something like that. I'd rather be in a field like this than against different faces that I haven't seen before."

The TOC will play four levels Sunday and wrap up early in the afternoon, allowing multi-tabling pros to fulfill other bracelet-event commitments later in the day.

Action will resume in the TOC at 12:00 p.m. on Monday with the goal of playing down to a final table of nine. The final table will play out on July 4.

Farha told PL.com that he's done playing bracelet events for the summer, with the $10k Omaha Hi-Lo bracelet already in the bag for the 2010 WSOP.

Nonetheless, Farha says the TOC title is meaningful to the pros.

"You know what you hear, we're having fun, we're socializing," Farha said.

"That means nothing. The play, it's very competitive. We're all going to try to beat each other."

The 2010 WSOP continues through July 17. For comprehensive coverage live from Las Vegas tune in to PokerListings' Live Updates and News.

Full Tilt Poker Launches WPT Bellagio Cup Qualifiers

Starting on Sunday, June 27th, players on Full Tilt Poker can win their way into the upcoming World Poker Tour (WPT) Bellagio Cup VI. Direct and Step Sit and Go qualifiers will be available on the world’s second largest online poker site until July 4th.

The Bellagio Cup VI kicks off on July 11th from the Bellagio in Las Vegas and crowns a champion five days later. The $10,300 buy-in for this year’s Bellagio Cup has been drastically reduced from last year’s $15,400 price tag. Full Tilt Poker is awarding $12,000 prize packages, which includes the $10,300 Bellagio Cup seat plus $1,700 in spending money to use for travel and lodging. The Bellagio Cup runs concurrently with the end of the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, which emanates from the nearby Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino.

Three direct qualifiers will be held on Full Tilt Poker, the first of which takes place on Tuesday, June 29th at 21:00 ET. The first qualifier comes with a $322 buy-in. The second direct satellite to the WPT Bellagio Cup VI plays out on Thursday, July 1st and features a high-stakes $1,060 buy-in. The final direct qualifier occurs on Independence Day in the United States – July 4th – at 16:30 ET and has a $640 buy-in. Satellites are available for as low as $1 or 50 Full Tilt Points (FTPs). In each direct qualifier, at least one $12,000 WPT prize package is up for grabs.

Step 7 Sit and Gos will also award prize packages to the Bellagio Cup and begin on June 28th. Every Step 7 Sit and Go comes with a $2,100 buy-in, while the first step costs only $3.30. For players who qualify for the Bellagio Cup through Full Tilt Poker, discounted room rates at the hallmark Las Vegas Strip hotel are available. Everyone who qualifies must be at least 21 years of age, which is the legal live gambling age in the United States.

Meanwhile, Full Tilt Poker has awarded 1,257 seats to the 2010 WSOP Main Event, which begins on July 5th with the first of four starting days. Only one day of qualifiers remains for those looking to punch their tickets to poker’s largest tournament. Last Sunday, Full Tilt coughed up 150 Main Event seats as part of a $640 satellite and is awarding a colossal $10 million bonus for qualifiers who go on to win it all.

In 2000, Full Tilt Poker pro Chris Ferguson won the WSOP Main Event for $1.5 million, besting poker veteran T.J. Cloutier heads-up in a final table that also included Hasan Habib, author Jim McManus, 2009 November Niner Jeff Shulman, and Mickey Appleman. 2000 also marked the year that UB.com pro and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke bubbled the Main Event final table, finishing 10th for $52,000.

Full Tilt recently kicked off the second season of its España Poker Series. Casino Castell de Peralada in Gerona hosted the first event in April, which boasted a €1,500 buy-in. Earlier this month, Málaga’s Casino Torrequebrada was the venue for event #2 of the España Poker Series, while Madrid’s Casino Gran will host the third stop in August. The Grand Final will occur at the Gran Casino de Barcelona from December 2nd to 5th.

Full Tilt happily accepts players from the United States. According to PokerScout.com, which keeps tabs on online poker room activity, Full Tilt is the second busiest site worldwide in terms of real money ring game traffic with a seven-day running average of 13,800 players. It weighs in at about half of the cash game traffic of PokerStars, the world’s largest site.

Head to Full Tilt Poker to qualify for the WPT Bellagio Cup VI.

June 25th – Daily Deal

Today’s Topics: 2010 WSOP Update, Survivor and the Women in Poker Hall of Fame Nominees.

Happy Friday! On today’s edition of the Daily Deal by Poker News Daily, we’ll take a look back at a busy day in the two thousand ten World Series of Poker. Also, we’ll figure out whether a poker player may be on the newest cycle of Survivor and review the Women in Poker Hall of Fame nominees. It’s all straight ahead on the Daily Deal!

Well there was almost huge news from the Rio as another top pro made a final table. This time it was Phil Hellmuth looking for bracelet number twelve as he made the final table of Event number forty one, which was the fifteen hundred dollar omaha eight or better tournament. As you might know, all eleven of Hellmuth’s bracelets are in No Limit Hold’em, but he wasn’t able to go the distance and finished a very impressive seventh place. The winner of this one turned out to be Steve Jelinek who became the fifth person from the UK to win a bracelet in the 2010 WSOP.

According to a rumor, poker players will make their return to the popular CBS reality series Survivor next season. Survivor: Nicaragua, which is in the midst of filming, will apparently feature a high-stakes poker player. Who that is has yet to be determined. A mystery poster on TwoPlusTwo who goes by the name “HeyIzDro” first reported the news, saying that producers had called him to gauge his interest. He initially turned down the offer in order to play in the World Series of Poker, but later notified readers that he was headed to Nicaragua to film.

Posters broke down players they’d like to see on the show, including Tom Dwan,Jamie Gold, and Huck Seed. Those who have been relatively absent from the WSOP and are possibilities to appear are Johnny Chan, Peter Eastgate, Prahlad Friedman, Patrik Antonius, and Clonie Gowen. Survivor: Nicaragua will air later this year on CBS.

Finally, seven ladies have received nominations to be enshrined in the Women in Poker Hall of Fame.

Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke, Jennifer Harman, Kathy Liebert, J.J. Liu, Phyllis Caro, Nani Dollison, and Betty Carey.

The general public can visit Women In Poker Hall of Fame dot com before July fifteenth to vote. Two players will be inducted into the Hall in August.
Finally, don’t forget to sign up for UB.com through Poker News Daily before July thirtieth, deposit, and rack up one Status Point. When you do, you’ll be automatically entered into a freeroll on August fifteenth. The winner of the freeroll heads to sunny, warm Las Vegas in November to watch the final table of the Main Event play out. Plus, everyone who makes the freeroll’s final table gets seats to the UB.com two hundred thousand dollar guaranteed Sunday Major.

Two more prize packages for the Main Event final table will be given out in points races held in June and July. Whoever amasses the most number of Status Points each month will head to Sin City to soak up the November Nine and witness poker history. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see one player take down what is expected to be a top prize of between eight and nine million dollars.

I’m Sean Gibson. Have a great weekend and I’ll see you again on Monday.

2010 Women in Poker Hall of Fame Nominees Announced

The Women In Poker Hall of Fame has announced the names of seven ladies nominated for induction in 2010, of which two will be enshrined during ceremonies in September.

The Women in Poker Hall of Fame, founded by the Ladies International Poker Series and sponsored by CardPlayer Magazine, is designed to honor women who have acquired prominence and made contributions to the poker world. The Hall, which  inducted its charter members in 2008, also recognizes those who have contributed significantly to promoting women in poker through their involvement in the gaming industry.

The qualifications for women to be named to the Hall are quite rigorous. Potential candidates must meet three criteria to be considered by voters:  a candidate must have been active as a player or industry leader for a minimum of 15 years. The lady, whether a player or an industry leader, must have contributed to the world of poker in some significant way. This person can qualify by either winning major poker tournaments or making significant contributions to the industry. Finally, a person must be a proponent of women’s poker. Even is she does not play in women’s events, she must support them.

With these criteria, popular female players who have made waves recently, including  PokerStars’ Vanessa Rousso, Full Tilt Poker’s Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad, Vanessa Selbst, and UB.com’s Liv Boeree, are not eligible for the Hall yet. “They will have their time to shine in the near future,” stated Women in Poker Hall of Fame Board Member Karina Jett. “The criteria set by the Board ensures inductees are well established players or industry professionals.”

The seven women who have been nominated feature representatives from every era in  the history of the game. “Some of these candidates are better known than others, but they are all worthy of induction,” said Lupe Soto, the Hall’s Founder. The seven women who have been nominated for induction are led off by Poker News Daily’s guest columnist Annie Duke.

Duke has been one of the top female players in the game for nearly two decades. The current National Heads-Up Poker Championship titleholder, she has earned over $4.2 million dollars in her career. In addition to being an excellent player, Duke has also been at the forefront of the poker community, advocating in the halls of Congress on several key issues.

Duke is joined by Jennifer Harman, the only woman to have won two open World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets and a fixture in some of the biggest cash games in the world. Harman has used her poker success to drive attention to several charitable causes, including the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and has earned over $2.3 million in tournament earnings during her career.

Kathy Liebert is another contemporary of Duke and Harman who has had a successful career in poker. Liebert is the all-time leading money winner among women with well over $5.6 million in earnings. She was the first woman to win a $1 million first prize in a poker tournament when she captured the 2002 PartyPoker Million.

Joanne “J.J.” Liu has quietly made her impact on the poker world. While playing in some of the most difficult cash games around the world, Liu has also been a formidable foe in the tournament arena. A graduate of Bradley University, she has earned over $2.1 million from tournament poker, including a third place finish in a $1,500 No Limit Hold’em event and a seventh place finish in a $2,500 Six-Handed Limit Hold’em event at this year’s WSOP.

Involved in poker since 1979, Phyllis Caro has been a part of nearly every aspect of the poker world. Working her way up from being a dealer, Caro has become one of the preeminent women in the gaming industry. Today, she works as the Director of Poker Operations at Hollywood Park in California. She has also assisted her husband Mike Caro with some of his best known works.

Nani Dollison is one of only three women – 2008 Women in Poker Hall of Fame charter members Barbara Enright and Susie Isaacs are the other two – who have won the Ladies’ Championship at the WSOP twice in their career. One of the most aggressive players on the felt, Dollison has earned almost $800,000 in her poker career and has played in venues that span the globe.

One of the pioneers for women in poker is Betty Carey. She was considered one of the most feared players – male or female – in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She consistently battled against some of the legends of the game, including “Amarillo” Slim Preston, Johnny Moss, and Doyle Brunson, and more than held her own. She was one of the first women to play in the WSOP and is someone whom all the nominees above have to thank for blazing the trail.

Out of this exceptional list, only two will earn nominations. The voting process is open to the public at the Women in Poker Hall of Fame website until July 15th, with the two players elected to the Hall announced in August.

Phil Hellmuth Vying for 12th WSOP Bracelet in Omaha High-Low Split Event

A win for UB.com pro Phil Hellmuth in Event #41 of the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP), $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha High-Low Split Eight or Better, would be monumental on several levels. First, a “W” would mean Hellmuth’s 12th bracelet, a new record. Also, it would mark the “Poker Brat’s” first win in a non-Hold’em tournament, getting the proverbial monkey off his back. Hellmuth owns the fourth largest stack with 15 players remaining.

Hellmuth already has two deep runs at this year’s World Series. The 11-time bracelet winner finished 15th in Event #8, $1,500 No Limit Hold’em, and cashed for $25,000. Nine events later, it was back to the cage after finishing 50th in a $5,000 No Limit Hold’em tournament for $14,000. Given that all of his hardware has come in No Limit Hold’em, many consider Hellmuth to be the top player in the world in that genre of poker.

Hellmuth may have felt the heat earlier this week from Full Tilt Poker pro Phil Ivey, who said he’s gunning for 30 bracelets after taking down his eighth in a $3,000 HORSE event. Hellmuth responded with a deep run in Event #41, dispatching Cody Culp in 17th place. Hellmuth flopped top set, which held for the win.

Twitter was ablaze on Wednesday with Hellmuth giving updates on his progress during the second day of play in the Omaha High-Low Split event. Perhaps facetiously, he called his shot entering Wednesday’s action: “Ended Day One of Omaha 8/b with $31,600… another Day Two, but this feels different to me, maybe a cash, maybe a final table, maybe more…” Then, word of a Hellmuth sighting in the top 100 spread like wildfire around the internet: “Wow! I Ah-3h-3s-8d, flop Qd-Qh-3d, p1 bet, p2 call, p3 all in, I call $20,100, fold, fold, p3 had Q-J-10-10, I win; have over 60k!! 98 left.”

Hellmuth’s final chirp came just before 3:00am PT on Thursday morning after play had concluded for the day: “15 left in Omaha 8/b, and I am 4th in chips w $331,000, blinds will be 6k-12k tomorrow. All I can do is focus on playing great poker.” Hellmuth will have to contend with a talented lineup that includes three-time bracelet winner and PokerStars sponsored pro Barry Greenstein. Here’s how the final 15 shake out:

1. Ryan Karp – 564,000
2. Steve Jelinek – 538,000
3. Joel Ettedgi – 419,000
4. Phil Hellmuth – 331,000
5. Ben Lamb – 320,000
6. John Gottlieb – 277,000
7. Michael Chappus – 260,000
8. Jeffrey Baker – 247,000
9. Barry Greenstein – 204,000
10. Anders Taylor – 202,000
11. Darren Sprengers – 144,000
12. Bryan Andrews – 122,000
13. Igor Gotz – 105,000
14. Amanda Thomas – 60,000
15. Anthony Cousineau – 22,000

Elsewhere, UB.com pro Annie Duke finished Day 1 of the $10,000 HORSE Championship in 39th place with a stack of 61,600. Russia’s Sergey Altbregin and the World Poker Tour’s all-time money leader, Carlos Mortensen, lead the way with stacks of 143,000 and 125,800, respectively. A field of 169 will take to the felts today. Duke took a sizable hit to her stack during Hold’em play after she turned two pair with A-Q. However, close friend Perry Friedman, who was instrumental to Duke’s fundraising efforts on NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice,” held pocket fives for a set and scooped a mammoth pot.

Duke one-outed Ivey in Omaha, making quads against Ivey’s trip aces. According to coverage found on WSOP.com, Duke exclaimed, “Oh my god! I just hit a one-outer on Phil Ivey! I had three queens in Omaha, and he had three aces, and I made quads!” In case you’re wondering, Ivey did not reach Day 2 of the HORSE Championship.

Will it be bracelet #12 for Hellmuth today? Stay tuned to Poker News Daily to find out.

Magnificent Montgomery - Day 27 WSOP Recap

It was a breakthrough day for one Scott Montgomery, who tallied his first WSOP bracelet win, while Frank Kassela snagged his second bracelet of the summer in $2.5k Razz.

In a strange turn of events the Rio also suffered a blackout around 2:00 a.m. which saw the lights go out in the entire Amazon Room and Pavilion Room.

Here's a look around the Rio on Day 27 of the 2010 WSOP:

Event 36 - $1k No-Limit Hold'em

Scott Montgomery already had an impressive WSOP resume, but now the 28-year-old Canadian has a gold bracelet all his own.

Montogomery broke through for his first career WSOP bracelet win, outlasting the field of 3,102 players and cashing for a first-place prize of $481,760.

The win brings Montgomery's career WSOP winnings total to more than $3.5 million, mostly thanks to his 2008 WSOP Main Event final table.

Svletlana Gromenkova was amongst the notables in the money, finishing 33rd.

Event 39 - $1.5k No-Limit Hold'em Shootout

The final table was a slugfest in the $1.5k Shootout, and it was relatively unknown Steve Kelly coming away with the bracelet victory and first-prize cash of $382,725.

Kelly had only cashed once in a WSOP event so to say it was a big score for him was an understatement.

1,397 players came out for the event, with Annette Obrestad appearing primed to make a final table run.

Luck didn't shine on the 21-year-old phenom near the final table bubble however, and Obrestad took an 11th place finish. She will have to wait another day to book her first WSOP final table appearance.

Event 40 - $2.5k 7-card Razz

The bracelet and first-place prize of $214,085 went to Frank Kassela, who outlasted the field of 365 players for the win. It was Kassela's second bracelet of the summer which should put him in contention for the 2010 Player of the Year.

Although the day began with some big names chasing WSOP glory, including arguably the best female poker player in the world Jennifer Harman and upstart Russian Vladimir Schmelev they were all relegated to the rail before getting even a sniff of the bracelet.

Heads-up proved to be a brutal marathan affair that eventually saw Kassela emerge unscathed at nearly 5 a.m.

Event 41 - $1.5k Pot-Limit Omaha Eight or Better Hi-Lo

157 of the original 847 entrants survived to play on Day 2, and the money bubble broke today at 80 players.

Chris "Jesus" Ferguson was amongst those making the payout structure, sneaking in just past the bubble with a 75th place finish.

Mike "The Mouth" Matusow also made a nice showing, finishing 40th.

Ryan Karp will head into Day 3 with the chip lead but big-time players Phil Hellmuth and Barry Greenstein are also in the running.

Play was originally scheduled to go down to a final table Wednesday, but instead 15 players will come back tomorrow as play resumes at 2:30 p.m.

Event 42 - $1.5k No-Limit Hold'em

It was another big turnout for another $1.5k No-Limit Hold'em event, as 2,521 rounders registered for this event.

The vast majority of that number was eliminated on Day 1, as we played all the way down to 297 players.

270 places get paid in this tournament, so the money bubble will come early in the day Thursday when play resumes at 2:30 p.m.

Tom Dwan, Humberto Brenes, Carter Phillips and Dan Skolovy are amongst the notables coming back for Day 2.

Event 43 - $10k H.O.R.S.E. Championship

We're almost done with this year's slate of $10k Championship event, with just three more to play in the 2010 WSOP.

$10k H.O.R.S.E. began Wednesday, and Chris "Jesus" Ferguson made a quick move to the top of the leader board, where he stayed much of the day.

241 players came out for Day 1, including Marco Traniello, Annie Duke, Ted Forrest and Jeffrey Lisandro who all made it to Day 2.

A total of 169 players including Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, Scott Seiver and Matt Glantz will come back for Day 2 as we continue to whittle down to the money in this event.

Play resumes at 3 p.m. Thursday.

For a full account of how today played out at the World Series of Poker, click through to PokerListings WSOP coverage.

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