Poker News

The PokerNews Mailbag: Annie Duke’s NBC Heads-Up Poker Championship and EPT Berlin

It's been a busy week in poker, with Annie Duke winning the NBC Heads-Up Poker Championship this past weekend, and a major robbery taking place at the PokerStars.net European Poker Tour Berlin. Both topics were on the minds of our readers, and we...

Eugene Katchalov Leads WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star After Day 1B

A total of 196 players took to the felts in San Jose, California for Day 1B of the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Bay 101 Shooting Star tournament. Eugene Katchalov came out on top after the second starting day, earning a $10,000 cash bonus.

Katchalov finished with 131,500 chips, which will be the third largest stack after the survivors of Day 1A and Day 1B are combined for Day 2. When the cards hit the air today in the West Coast casino, 126 players will be seated. Overall, the tournament drew 333 entrants, down 15% from last year’s tally of 391. In 2009, Kathy Liebert took second to Steve Brecher and heading into Day 2, another female leads the way, Vanna Tea.

Shooting Stars, who have $5,000 bounties on their heads, doubled up left and right to close play on Tuesday at Bay 101. Full Tilt Poker front man Howard Lederer was all-in with A-J of diamonds and up against pocket kings, but flopped one jack and turned trips to advance to Day 2. Lederer will have a stack of 20,600 chips when play resumes, the 109th largest tally.

Also doubling up late in the day was 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion Jerry Yang, whose 74,300 chips make up the 27th largest stack. Yang is fresh off an Elite Eight appearance in the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, where he fell to eventual champion Annie Duke.

Not as fortunate was 2008 WSOP Europe Main Event winner John Juanda, whose pocket fours could not hold up against the A-K of Tyler Cornell. When the smoke cleared, Cornell made a Broadway straight to collect Juanda’s $5,000 bounty and autographed Shooting Star shirt.

Also falling short on Day 1B was Victory Poker pro Antonio Esfandiari, who was all-in pre-flop with a wired pair of nines against the pocket kings of Betfair pro Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi and the A-3 of another player. The board ran out J-8-8-5-3, ultimately giving Mizzi a king-high flush, and Esfandiari was relegated to the rails. "The Magician" had tripled up earlier in the day with pocket kings against A-K and pocket nines. Meanwhile, Mizzi busted two players in the hand and owns the ninth largest chip stack entering Day 2.

UB.com pro and 11-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth was all-in on a flop of J-5-3 with two spades holding A-Q of spades for the nut flush draw and two overcards. His opponent held 4-5 for a pair. The turn came a queen, saving the day for “The Poker Brat,” and a harmless nine fell on the river. Hellmuth ended the day with a stack of 62,800 chips, the 42nd largest tally in the WPT tournament. His talented company at Table 22 on Wednesday will include Phil Laak, Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka, Justin “Boosted J” Smith, and Corwin “mig.com” Mackey. Talk about a tough draw.

Here are the top 10 chip stacks in the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star event as play enters Day 2:

1. Vanna Tea – 143,900
2. Greg “FBT” Mueller – 132,800
3. Eugene Katchalov – 131,500
4. Timothy McDermott – 118,100
5. Grantland Hillman – 115,100
6. David Sands – 106,900
7. Oddie Dardon – 105,500
8. Scotty Nguyen – 99,900
9. Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi – 97,600
10. Yevgeniy “Jovial Gent” Timoshenko – 97,600

The winner of the event will take home an $878,000 grand prize, with the top 36 players finishing in the money. Here are the payouts for the six-handed feature table:

1st Place: $878,500
2nd Place: $521,200
3rd Place: $292,800
4th Place: $234,300
5th Place: $175,700
6th Place: $117,000

Other notable names appearing in the top 50 after two starting days include:

13. J.C. Tran – 93,100
15. Hasan Habib – 89,700
16. Nick Schulman – 88,100
18. Scott Montgomery – 84,800
19. Chris “Fox” Wallace – 84,100
26. “Miami” John Cernuto – 76,700
27. Jerry Yang – 74,300
30. Phil Laak – 72,700
35. Chau Giang – 68,500
41. Steve “gboro780” Gross – 64,200
42. Phil Hellmuth – 62,800
45. Matt “All In At 420” Stout – 61,000
47. Brandon Cantu – 58,100

The WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star tournament will crown a champion on Friday. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest WPT results.

Annie Duke Breaks Down National Heads-Up Poker Championship Win

Over the weekend, UB.com pro and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke became the first female winner ever of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, which will air next month on NBC. Duke sat down to discuss her monumental win.

Poker News Daily: Your breakthrough match came against 2007 National Heads-Up Poker Championship winner Paul Wasicka, which featured you drawing out with A-10 against pocket aces and 8-5 against pocket jacks. Talk about the roller coaster of a match.

Annie Duke: I had Paul Wasicka ground down and then he doubled through me. We were about even in chips and then I was slightly behind before I won with A-10 against aces. I sucked out and made a Broadway straight and he was crippled. I was horrified when I won that hand. It was an epically long battle. He said that whichever way this goes, we could both sleep well. He was so gracious and it was an amazing match.

PND: In a Guest Column on Poker News Daily, you lamented that neither Erik Seidel nor you had much success in the invite-only tournament. How surreal was it to be playing against each other for the title?

Annie Duke: That was storybook. After I won my match against Wasicka and Erik won his match, we talked on the phone. I realized how close we were to playing each other in the finals. What an incredible feeling to know that you’re in the finals and whatever the result was, you’d be very happy. He said that this was the happiest he’s ever been coming in second and I’d have felt the same way. It was a very relaxing feeling and not the same as in the other matches. Erik Seidel might have the best poker mind out there.

PND: You drew 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event runner-up Darvin Moon in the second round. How is Moon’s game?

Annie Duke: Darvin Moon was really nice. He’s just a good guy and he was talking about how happy he was to be there and how he’s living the dream. It was really pleasant to play with him. He knows that he doesn’t have the game of a player like Huck Seed. I was happy to draw him, of course, but he wasn’t a pushover.

PND: You’re a former WSOP Tournament of Champions winner and have also captured a bracelet. Where does this rank among your various poker accomplishments?

Annie Duke: This is second to the Tournament of Champions. I’ve always ranked the Tournament of Champions above the bracelet and I would put this above the bracelet as well. It’s the timing. Given that I had just taken five months off, the timing was big. I feel like I’m standing with some pretty cool winners of this event, so I am pretty happy. I’m standing shoulder to shoulder with Huck Seed, Phil Hellmuth, Ted Forrest, Chris Ferguson, and Paul Wasicka. To have gotten to play Erik in the final was a really memorable experience.

In the Tournament of Champions, I was three-handed with my brother and Phil Hellmuth. Now, being able to play with one of my best friends and be among those winners is incredible. I think I needed the win and have been really focused since I got back into poker. I had a nice run at the L.A. Poker Classic leading up to this.

PND: In the L.A. Poker Classic High-Roller event, you were seated alongside Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka. Tell us about his poker skill set.

Annie Duke: Playing heads-up against him helped me in the event I won. He’s very good at leveraging the chip stacks of his opponents. He’s good at changing up his play and I watched what he was doing. I learned a lot from my match with him.

Poker In Twitter: The EPT Berlin Robbery, The Oscars, and Annie Duke Wins the NHUPC

It was quite a weekend in the world of poker and some of the best in the game kept their fans up to date through their Twitter accounts. Whether across the Atlantic taking part in the European Poker Tour (EPT) stop in Berlin or the National Heads Up Poker Championship in Las Vegas, there was action not only on the felt, but also away from the tables.

In Berlin, a field of 945 players came to the tables for battle in the latest EPT championship, with defending champion Sandra Naujoks attempting back-to-back wins. What made worldwide news, however, was the attempted robbery on Saturday when play was down to 24 players. The reports zoomed around the globe, with accompanying footage, and the players tried to let their fans know through Twitter what was occurring.

Noted online and live player Shaun Deeb found a report from a German outlet that showed some of the attempted robbery in progress. While he wasn’t in Berlin for the event, the video Deeb found showed that security at the event was vigilant in repelling the audacious attack. “Most badass security guy taking the money back from robbers,” Deeb Tweeted along with the Tweetvid he provided of the incident.

One of the players who was in Berlin for the tournament was English poker professional Vicky Coren. At first, she apologized to her followers for a lack of an article in The Observer (the English newspaper she writes for) by tweeting, “No Observer column from me today, I was away in Berlin and nothing much happened there to write about.” Scant moments later, Coren chirped again, “- apart from the million-dollar armed raid. It only just occurred to me today that might be news. I'm such a bad journalist.”

Fortunately, no one was seriously injured and the money taken was far less than some media outlets’ estimates. The United States’ Kevin "ImaLuckSac" MacPhee went on to capture the title on Sunday, defeating Finland’s Ilari Tahkokallio for the €1 million first place prize.

While the poker world was keeping up on the happenings in Berlin, the National Heads-Up Poker Championship was in full swing throughout the weekend. The 64 player invitational tournament was the main focus of several of the poker players on Twitter and they kept their fans fully updated throughout the run of the tournament.

Playing injured for the first round of the event was last year’s runner-up in the tournament, Vanessa Rousso. What she thought was a sprained foot was much worse. “I went for x-ray just now and turns out my foot is broken, right fourth metatarsal... bummer,” “Lady Maverick” Tweeted to her followers. As of yet, Rousso hasn’t stated if the injury will affect her poker schedule.

Another player who was playing at less than 100% was the legendary Doyle Brunson. Originally, it was believed that the two-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event winner would have to bypass the event due to recent dental surgery, but the longtime Texas road gambler felt strong enough to compete. He went on for one of the best runs he has had in the history of the tournament and was followed on Twitter by many in the poker community.

“Down to the sweet 16 in the NBC heads up tourney. Going to play Annette, I hate playing against women. Hope she doesn’t bat her eyes at me,” Brunson jokingly Tweeted prior to meeting up with the 2007 WSOP Europe Main Event champion Annette Obrestad. After vanquishing the young phenom, the Brunson clan erupted with Tweets. Son Todd, who was in attendance for the tournament, chirped, “Doyle beats Annette 15 for a third time!,” while daughter Pamela responded with, “My Dad @texdolly is final 8 in the NBC heads up! Go Dad Go!” Unfortunately, the Elite Eight was as far as “Texas Dolly” would go, falling to Dennis Phillips in that round.

The final match of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship was a dream for those who follow Twitter. On one side was Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke, who uses Twitter constantly, versus eight-time WSOP bracelet winner Erik Seidel, whose Twitter account is one of the most notable in the industry. The battle over the Twitterverse started off with a jewel from Seidel about the Caesars Palace tournament room as he Tweeted, “Temps so cold in room… guessing this event is part of NBCs extended Winter Olympics coverage.”

Other players in the Twitterscape provided their thoughts to the event as it unfolded, with Alex Outhred commenting, “There are few combinations of 2 players that have a greater mutual respect for each others poker minds than @Erik_Seidel and @RealAnnieDuke.” Seidel’s Full Tilt Poker stable mate, Andy Bloch, noted in his Tweet, “Whether he finishes 1st or 2nd, @Erik_Seidel will have earned over $10M in tournament poker, the 9th player to do so.”

As the battle wore on, Bloch was able to note a way for Duke to gain an edge over the unflappable Seidel. “Annie takes a 1-0 lead over Erik Seidel. If she wants to put Erik on full tilt she should get an orange,” Bloch Tweeted in reference to Seidel’s famous battle with Johnny Chan during the 1988 WSOP Main Event. After tying up the match, Seidel would eventually fall to Duke, but he was gracious in defeat. “Ended 2nd to Annie Duke in the NBC Heads Up. She played an outstanding match. Easiest loss of my career, very happy for her,” Seidel Tweeted at the conclusion of the tournament.

Following the activities on the poker tables this weekend, many players sat back to watch the festivities surrounding the Academy Awards. With the expanded Best Picture category and a battle between Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep for the Best Actress Oscar among the intriguing stories, the television program captured poker players’ attention. Most remarkable in the opinion of poker player Maria “Maridu” Mayrinck, however, was the appearance of 47-year-old actress Demi Moore. “"Demi Moore... what a spectacle!,” Mayrinck admired via a Tweet. “She has drank from the fountain or made a pact with the devil. I want too!” High roller Patrik Antonius also weighed in on his Oscar preferences: “rough weekend overall, but at least avatar didn't win the awards that counted at the oscars.”

The world of poker through Twitter has become one of the best ways for fans to keep up with their favorites. Poker News Daily also is a part of the action on Twitter, so be sure to sign up to follow us at @pokernewsdaily.

Annie Duke Wins 2010 National Heads Up Poker Championship

The first female champion of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship was crowned on Sunday as UB.com pro and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke took down the title and its corresponding $500,000 top prize.

Duke defeated eight-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Erik Seidel in the finals. She was nearly sent packing against Paul Wasicka in the round of 16, but trumped pocket aces with A-10 and pocket jacks with 8-5 of diamonds to move on. Duke beat Wasicka to face 2007 WSOP Main Event winner Jerry Yang in the Elite Eight. In the five previous installments of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, Duke had only made it out of the opening round once.

Against Yang, a bevy of all-ins occurred, as her opponent doubled up with 3-6 against K-9, pocket threes against J-7, and even A-4 against A-K. Yang was finally sent to the rails holding J-3 against Duke’s A-8. The flop came A-J-2, giving Yang middle pair and Duke top pair. The turn and river were a 10 and nine, respectively, missing Yang and handing Duke a ticket to the Final Four against 2008 WSOP Main Event November Nine member Dennis Phillips.

After falling behind, Phillips doubled up after pushing pre-flop with K-J of diamonds. Duke called with a baby ace, A-5, and watched as the flop came K-Q-6, pushing Phillips out in front with top pair. No help came on the turn for Duke and the river improved Phillips to trips. In the final hand of the battle between Phillips and Duke, the former committed his chips with A-8 and was up against pocket sevens for a race. The board fell 9-3-2-6-4 and Duke advanced to the finals. Phillips earned $125,000 for his efforts in the invite-only poker tournament.

The finals were held in a best of three format and Duke quickly jumped out to a 1-0 lead on the Full Tilt Poker pro. Seidel was all-in on a flush draw with 8-6 of spades on a board reading 7-K-J with two spades. Duke had A-K for top pair, top kicker and dodged spades on the turn and river to claim the first match against Seidel.

In the second match, a sizable pot brewed when Seidel flipped up the Doyle Brunson, 10-2, on a board of 2-8-K-2-4. Then, Seidel took down match number two after Duke committed her chips with K-5 against Seidel’s 7-8. The flop came 9-6-4 with two hearts and the five of hearts on turn gave Seidel a straight. Duke could win if a heart fell on the river, but instead a black nine hit to set up the rubber match.

In the final hand of the third match, Duke’s pocket nines held against Seidel’s A-2. Duke banked a half-million dollars for winning the 2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship, while Seidel earned a $250,000 consolation prize. Seidel had never made it out of the first round of the unique bracket tournament.

In a Guest Column two weeks ago on Poker News Daily, Duke seemingly forecasted the final match-up of the 2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship: “Erik Seidel and I were joking that we have bad records in that event. He’s a brilliant player, but has never won a match, and I’ve won one. I don’t care who I draw; I just want to win my [first round] match.”

Here were the final payouts:

1st Place: Annie Duke - $500,000
2nd Place: Erik Seidel - $250,000
3rd Place: Scotty Nguyen - $125,000
4th Place: Dennis Phillips - $125,000
5th Place: Jerry Yang - $75,000
6th Place: Doyle Brunson - $75,000
7th Place: Jason Mercier - $75,000
8th Place: Peter Eastgate - $75,000
9th Place: Paul Wasicka - $25,000
10th Place: Eli Elezra - $25,000
11th Place: Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad - $25,000
12th Place: Barry Greenstein - $25,000
13th Place: Gabe Kaplan – $25,000
14th Place: Phil Laak - $25,000
15th Place: Chris Moneymaker - $25,000
16th Place: Jamie Gold - $25,000

A total of 13 former WSOP Main Event champions entered. Amazingly, nearly half of them, or six, made the top 16. Other former Main Event winners who played included Joe Cada (2009), Huck Seed (1996), Joe Hachem (2005), Johnny Chan (1987, 1988), Chris Ferguson (2000), Phil Hellmuth (1989), and Greg Raymer (2004).

You can catch the 2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship on NBC beginning on Sunday, April 18th at Noon ET. We're sure that the tournament will come up on this Sunday's webcast of the Kevin Pollak Chat Show, which will feature Duke in a broadcast sponsored by Poker News Daily.

Image courtesy NBC Sports.

Annie Duke Claims NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship

After three long days, the NBC Heads-Up Poker Championship has concluded with Annie Duke taking down the coveted title and $500,000. Annie Duke didn't have an easy road to the winner's circle of the 2010 National Heads-Up Championship. Over...

Annie Duke is National Heads Up Champ

Annie Duke has money many tournaments but the most recent game she won put her in the record books as the first woman to become the NBC Heads Up Champion.

Annie Duke wins NBC Heads-Up Championship

It’s nice to play a major tournament without an armed robbery – Annie Duke weaved her way through a field of 64 elite players – mostly – and defeated multiple WSOP bracelet-winner Erik Seidel in the final match to take down the 2010 NBC National Heads-Up Championship.

Full Tilt Poker Hosts PokerGives.org Charity Tournament

On April 4th, Full Tilt Poker and PokerGives.org will team up for a $5+$5 charity tournament. Half of each player’s buy-in will build the tournament’s prize pool, while the other half will be donated to charity through PokerGives.org.

World Poker Tour (WPT) Host Mike Sexton, Jan Fisher, Lisa Tenner, and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Linda Johnson founded PokerGives.org, which is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. PokerGives.org is the charity of choice for the Women in Poker Hall of Fame and offers an avenue for the poker community to give back. Beneficiary organizations include the Special Olympics, Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and the Step by Step Foundation.

Poker players interested in entering the $5+$5 buy-in tournament should log into Full Tilt Poker, click over to the “Tournament” lobby, and then select “Private.” The event is listed in red and takes place on April 4th, about three weeks from now, and has the Tournament ID 137275439. The event’s password is “PokerNations,” which is sponsoring the charity contest along with the Twitter Poker Tour. Full Tilt Poker happily accepts action from the United States.

Johnson was already looking forward to bringing PokerGives.org to the virtual felts of Full Tilt, telling Poker News Daily, “You will be able to play and chat with many celebrities including Andy Bloch, T.J. Cloutier, Jena Delk, Jan Fisher, Susie Isaacs, Eric ‘Rizen’ Lynch, and me. To reward you for your donation, participants will have a shot at winning lots of bonus prizes, which currently have a value of more than $3,900.” The event kicks off at 2:00pm ET and promises to attract quite a crowd.

There are many prizes up for grabs, including poker sunglasses from Blue Shark Optics, a home game set from DB Dealer, a one-year subscription to Bluff Magazine, six months of poker coaching from Deuces Cracked, poker books, card protectors, a $200 gift certificate to Andrew Shirley and Company, and private coaching sessions with Johnson, Delk, PokerXFactor’s Chris “Fox” Wallace, and Michael "tuna_fish_tank" Stroh.

If that weren’t enough reason to play, entrants can also receive a one-month CardRunners Gold Subscription, Texas Hold’em strategy cards, a one-year membership to the Down to the Felt Club, a one-year subscription to Australia Poker Weekly, and a PMS PokerWear prize pack.

In order to be eligible for the barrage of bonus prizes, players should visit the PokerNations forums and post their Full Tilt user name in the tournament’s associated thread. Every player who participates will receive a one-month membership to the Down to the Felt Club, which has a retail value of $25.

This isn’t Full Tilt Poker’s first venture into the world of charity. In February, the industry’s second largest online poker site sponsored the Kandy Masquerade Charity Event at the Playboy Mansion. The gala had a price tag of $1,000 and its proceeds benefited the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The site also sent over $650,000 to the American Red Cross to benefit the victims of the massive earthquake that struck Haiti after matching $330,000 in player donations. In total, the online poker industry shipped more than $1.5 million to earthquake survivors.

In December, Full Tilt hosted the Justin Shronk Memorial Poker Tournament, which drew a crowd of 359 players to pay homage to the late poker media personality. In addition, during August’s running of the Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS), a $120 Ante Up for Africa charity event was run. Actor Don Cheadle, who co-founded the organization along with UB.com’s Annie Duke and Norman Epstein, hosted the online poker tournament.

Visit PokerGives.org today to see how you can donate.

National Heads-Up Poker Championship: Elite Eight Set

Eight players remain in the 2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship, which will begin airing on NBC on April 18th at Noon ET. Among the survivors are poker veterans Doyle Brunson and Annie Duke.

Duke faced off against 2007 National Heads-Up Poker Championship winner Paul Wasicka in the round of 16. The seesaw match featured the short stack doubling up time after time. Finally, Duke shoved with A-10 pre-flop and Wasicka made the call with pocket aces. The flop came A-2-J, giving Wasicka what seemed like an insurmountable lead. However, Duke spiked a queen on the turn and king on the river to make a runner-runner Broadway straight and double through.

Coverage found on PokerNews described the scene during Duke’s miracle double-up: “The gallery went absolutely berserk. Duke, standing over the table, held her hands up to her face in utter disbelief. She then walked to Wasicka's side of the table and whispered something in his ear before re-taking her seat.” Wasicka was the runner-up to Jamie Gold in the 2006 WSOP Main Event, earning $6.1 million.

The hand crippled Wasicka, who promptly doubled with A-9 against Duke’s K-10. In the final hand of the match, Wasicka committed his chips with pocket jacks and Duke made the call with a meager 8-5 of diamonds. The flop came 8-2-7, giving Duke top pair, and a five on the turn improved the UB.com pro and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist to two pair. Wasicka needed a two, seven, or jack on the river to stave off elimination, but a nine fell and Wasicka was ousted. Next up for Duke is 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion Jerry Yang, whose supporters had a less-than-cordial run-in with Jennifer Harman earlier in the day.

Brunson’s miracle run continued. In 2008, Brunson defeated Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad two matches to none in a prelude to the WSOP Europe Main Event. In the Sweet 16, the two Caesars Cup participants squared off once again. They sat at the feature table and Brunson shoved all-in on a flop reading 7-5-J. Obrestad held 6-4 for an open-ended straight draw, while Brunson flipped up J-5 for two pair. The turn was a king, leaving Obrestad needing to hit a straight on the river to avoid doubling up the 10-time bracelet winner. However, a jack hit, giving Brunson a boat and a critical double-up.

Obrestad, the 2007 WSOP Europe Main Event champion, then shoved pre-flop with Q-5 of hearts for her remaining stack. Brunson, who underwent extensive dental surgery two days after the Super Bowl, woke up with A-8, which held on for the win. Brunson’s Elite Eight opponent is 2008 WSOP Main Event November Nine member Dennis Phillips, who bested high-stakes cash game pro Eli Elezra in the round of 16. Phillips’ National Heads-Up Poker Championship opponents have included Chris Ferguson and Kara Scott.

Eight-time bracelet winner Erik Seidel will face off against 2008 WSOP Main Event winner Peter Eastgate in the round of eight. Seidel bested another former World Champion to punch his ticket to the Elite Eight, Chris Moneymaker. Seidel doubled up after flopping a straight with Q-J against Moneymaker’s K-2. The flop came 9-10-K, giving Seidel the nuts, and a running 6-9 didn’t help matters for Moneymaker. The former Tennessee accountant was then all-in with 10-8 of diamonds against Seidel’s A-Q. The board came 3-5-7-3-7 and Seidel’s two pair with an ace kicker scooped the pot and sent Moneymaker packing.

The winners of the clubs and spades brackets will face off against each other in the Final Four. Similarly, the survivors of the hearts and diamonds brackets will play each other. Here is how the field shapes up:

Clubs Bracket
Erik Seidel vs Peter Eastgate

Spades Bracket
Scotty Nguyen vs Jason Mercier

Hearts Bracket
Dennis Phillips vs Doyle Brunson

Diamonds Bracket
Jerry Yang vs Annie Duke

A winner will be determined today. The action kicks off at 11:00am PT from Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest National Heads-Up Poker Championship coverage.

Poker News in Brief: March 1-7, 2010

Between the LAPC and WPT Invitational winners, Isildur1 getting busy online and the start of the NBC National Heads-Up Championship there was nary a dull moment for poker fans.

As usual, we’re going to list some of the poker stories you might have missed as part of our ongoing Poker News in Brief feature.

This week we’re going to take a look at online gambling in Iowa, a WSOP all-star game, Roland de Wolfe winning a London tournament and more.

Legal Online Gambling in Iowa?

Iowa is the latest U.S. state apparently looking at legalizing online gambling.

Rep. Doug Struyk of Council Bluffs told the Quad City Times that 50,000 people in Iowa already participate in online gambling and the government could provide better protection for them if the industry was legalized and regulated.

Struyk’s proposal would regulate the practice through the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission.

If the proposal goes through Iowa would become the first state in the country to allow online gambling.

Tiger Woods Turns Down Paddy Poker Deal

Many of Tiger Woods major sponsors have dropped him since his sex scandal broke but at least one online poker room seems to have no problem with the golfer.

Ireland-based Paddy Power Poker reportedly offered the disgraced sports star a five-year deal worth $75 million to represent the site.

Although Woods has already turned the offer down, Paddy Power Poker has claimed it is planning on coming back with an even better offer in the future.

It’s not the first time a poker organization has offered a deal to a fallen sports star. Last summer the Asian Poker Tour invited Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps to its Macau event.

A picture of Phelps holding a bong surfaced on the internet in early 2009, which led to several sponsors dropping the multiple gold-medalist.

Check Paddy Power Poker for more.

Roland de Wolfe Wins London Open

Full Tilt pro Roland de Wolfe outlasted 110 players to win the 2010 Mansion Poker Les A London Open last week.

De Wolfe overcame a final table of mostly unknown players to win the £77,000 first place prize. The Hendon Mob’s Ross Boatman came in eighth place for £6,600.

The inaugural £2,000+£200 buy-in Mansion Poker Les A London Open ran February 23-24.

WSOP to Introduce All-Star Tournament?

It appears Harrah’s is interested in hosting some form of an all-star tournament at the 2010 WSOP.

Harrah’s released a cryptic message via the WSOP Twitter account this week that read:

“Which 20 WSOP Bracelet-Holders would you like to see compete in an All-Star game? Stay tuned…”

Last summer the WSOP held the 40th Anniversary Champions Invitational, which was open to every player that had won the Main Event. The tournament was won by 1983 World Champion Tom McEvoy.

In previous years, Harrah’s held a Tournament of Champions that featured a large number of notable pros. Annie Duke, Mike Matusow, and Mike Sexton were all winners of that event.

More Gold for Cake Poker Players in March

Cake Poker is giving its players two exclusive promotions during the month of March.

The first is the Cake Poker Turbo Gold Cards March Madness event that features Gold Cards dropping four times more often.

Gold Cards randomly appear in your account when you are playing ring games on Cake Poker. The cards are redeemable for cash or tournament entries depending on what card you receive.

Cake Poker will also be offering more satellites to the 2010 Irish Open, starting March 14.

"Dublin is a wonderful town and when you bring a major tournament there with the accompanying insane side action, it's hard to beat,” said Cake Poker room manager Lee Jones.

To learn more visit the Cake Poker website.

Visit PokerListings.com

Doyle Brunson Advances to Round 2 of National Heads-Up Poker Championship

Round 2 of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship plays out today from Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and will see the field trimmed from 32 to 16. Among those players still in contention is Doyle Brunson.

There was a question as to whether Brunson would even be able to play in the unique heads-up tournament after undergoing extensive dental surgery shortly after the Super Bowl last month. However, the DoylesRoom front man did more than just show up to the event in his backyard, he advanced to the second round. After an upset by GoDaddy Girl Vanessa Rousso in the opening round in 2009, Brunson defeated Brock “t soprano” Parker to advance in 2010.

In the pairing’s final hand. Parker was all-in with a wired pair of eights and Brunson showed A-Q of diamonds, setting up a race situation. The queen came as the window card and Brunson never looked back. Now, he’ll play actor and Ante Up for Africa co-founder Don Cheadle in the round of 32. Cheadle bested J.P. Kelly in the first round. Kelly won bracelets on both sides of the Atlantic last year after taking down a $1,500 Pot Limit Hold’em event in Las Vegas and a £1,000 No Limit Hold’em event in London.

In a clash of the titans in the first round, Full Tilt Poker’s Howard Lederer faced off against UB.com troublemaker Phil Hellmuth. Like the match-up between Parker and Brunson, this one came down to a race. Lederer moved all-in pre-flop with pocket tens and Hellmuth made the call with A-K of hearts. The flop came K-5-2, giving Hellmuth top pair, top kicker and a running 9-K sealed Lederer’s exit. This was Lederer’s fourth straight first round elimination in the National Heads-Up Poker Championship.

Next up for Hellmuth is another industry giant, Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad. The winner of the 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe Main Event, Obrestad outlasted former baseball great Orel Hershiser in first round action on Friday. The 2010 cycle of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship is Obrestad’s first appearance on the program, which will air on NBC. Obrestad Twittered on her next foe: “Won my match. Guess who im playing tomorrow.... Thats right... @philhellmuth. Sigh lol.”

Also advancing to the second round is 2009 WSOP Main Event runner-up Darvin Moon. Coverage found on PokerNews noted that the table featuring Moon and Caesars qualifier Bill Huntress was “the quietest table on set.” Huntress was all-in after a flop of Q-4-A with three clubs and showed J-8 of spades for what ESPN poker announcer Norman Chad would dub “nuclear squadoosh.” Moon showed K-10, including the ten of clubs, for straight and flush draws. He also, rather amazingly, held the best hand. The turn and river fell a nine and seven, respectively, ending any hopes of the qualifier making it through to the next round. Moon’s second round opponent is Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke.

All but one qualifier of the seven who entered was eliminated in first round play, as Stephen Quinn upset Ted Forrest yesterday. Here are the second round match-ups for the 2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship:

Clubs Bracket
Chris Moneymaker vs Leo Wolpert
David Williams vs Erik Seidel
Erick Lindgren vs Peter Eastgate
Stephen Quinn vs Jamie Gold

Spades Bracket
Phil Ivey vs Scotty Nguyen
Joe Hachem vs Gabe Kaplan
Jason Mercier vs Pieter de Korver
Phil Gordon vs Phil Laak

Hearts Bracket
Allen Cunningham vs Eli Elezra
Chris Ferguson vs Dennis Phillips
Doyle Brunson vs Don Cheadle
Phil Hellmuth vs Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad

Diamonds Bracket
Barry Greenstein vs Sammy Farha
Jennifer Harman vs Jerry Yang
Darvin Moon vs Annie Duke
Paul Wasicka vs Gus Hansen

The action resumes inside Caesars Palace in Las Vegas at 1:00pm PT and will play down to a field of 16. The winner of the 2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship will be determined on Sunday. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest.

2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship Bracket Set

The field of 64 is set in the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, which will air on NBC. One of the highlights of the opening round is a titanic showdown between PokerStars pros Jason Mercier and Daniel Negreanu, who have both been on a hot streak.

Mercier and Negreanu made the final table of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe Main Event last year. Mercier finished fourth in the £10,000 buy-in poker tournament, while Negreanu fell heads-up to CardPlayer Magazine owner Barry Shulman after entering as the short stack. Mercier and Negreanu collected £267,000 and £495,000 for their efforts, respectively. Both are bracelet winners and members of Team PokerStars Pro.

Mercier enters the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, which is emanating from Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, on a high note. Last week, the Florida native took third in the L.A. Poker Classic’s High-Roller event for $141,000. In December, Mercier won a $5,000 HORSE event during the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic for $100,000. Negreanu made waves during the recent PartyPoker Premier League, finishing fourth at the final table. Heading into Thursday’s draw party, Negreanu Tweeted his desired first round opponent: “Headed down to Pure for the NBC HU draw party and I'm hoping to NOT draw one of the 7 qualifiers or a woman. Record going into #6 is 7-5.”

Meanwhile, two titans of the online poker industry will tangle, as 13 bracelets will meet when Full Tilt Poker front man Howard Lederer takes on UB.com bad boy Phil Hellmuth. Lederer was fourth on Bluff Magazine’s recent Power 20 list, while Hellmuth leads the all-time bracelet count with 11. Both have crafty nicknames, as “The Professor” will take on “The Poker Brat” in a high-stakes first round encounter.

In an all-female first round showdown, Full Tilt Poker’s Jennifer Harman is paired up with actress Jennifer Tilly. A total of seven women will make their way to Caesars Palace in Las Vegas today for first round action. Joining Harman and Tilly to add estrogen to the field are Annie Duke, Annette Dworski, Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad, Vanessa Rousso, and Kara Scott. Six women took to the field in 2009, including Rousso, who finished as the runner-up to Huck Seed.

Those in the hunt for the title range between 21 (Obrestad) and 76 years-old (Doyle Brunson). The tournament hits television airwaves on NBC beginning on April 18th and will run for six consecutive Sundays. The ultimate survivor of the single elimination heads-up tournament pockets $500,000, while its runner-up takes home a cool $250,000. Here’s a look at the first round match-ups in the 2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship:

Clubs Bracket – Top Half
Patrik Antonius vs Chris Moneymaker
Leo Wolpert vs Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin
David Williams vs Joe Cada
Erik Seidel vs Huck Seed

Clubs Bracket – Bottom Half
Dan Ramirez vs Erick Lindgren
Peter Eastgate vs Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier
Stephen Quinn vs Ted Forrest
Dario Minieri vs Jamie Gold

Spades Bracket – Top Half
Gavin Smith vs Phil Ivey
Richard Edwards vs Scotty Nguyen
Shawn “westtexasman” Rice vs Joe Hachem
Gabe Kaplan vs Johnny Chan

Spades Bracket – Bottom Half
Daniel Negreanu vs Jason Mercier
Pieter de Korver vs Mike Sexton
Phil Gordon vs Tom “durrrr” Dwan
Phil Laak vs John Juanda

Hearts Bracket – Top Half
Jesper Hougaard vs Allen Cunningham
Eli Elezra vs Greg “FBT” Mueller
Annette Dworski vs Chris Ferguson
Kara Scott vs Dennis Phillips

Hearts Bracket – Bottom Half
Brock “t soprano” Parker vs Doyle Brunson
J.P. Kelly vs Don Cheadle
Howard Lederer vs Phil Hellmuth
Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad vs Orel Hershiser

Diamonds Bracket – Top Half
Barry Greenstein vs Vanessa Rousso
Sammy Farha vs Antonio Esfandiari
Jennifer Harman vs Jennifer Tilly
Jerry Yang vs Mike Matusow

Diamonds Bracket – Bottom Half
Darvin Moon vs Bill Huntress
Andy Bloch vs Annie Duke
Andrew Wilson vs Paul Wasicka
Gus Hansen vs Greg Raymer

Rice and Huntress both qualified for the National Heads-Up Poker Championship at the host casino, while Dworski, Edwards, Quinn, Ramirez, and Wilson all won online satellites. The tournament’s first round will play out today, while the second round will take place on Saturday. The quarterfinals, semifinals, and championship match will all pan out on Sunday. Here are today's start times:

Clubs Bracket - 1:30pm PT
Diamonds Bracket - 4:00pm PT
Spades Bracket - 7:00pm PT
Hearts Bracket - 9:30pm PT

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from Caesars Palace.

NBC Releases 2010 Heads-Up Bracket

The two PokerStars pros have both been hot over the last 12 months with millions of dollars in combined tournament earnings.

Some of the other marquee first round matches include Phil Hellmuth vs. Howard Lederer, Peter Eastgate vs. Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, Brock Parker vs. Doyle Brunson and Phil Ivey vs. Gavin Smith.

In total there will be 32 heads-up matches played in the first round.

NBC once again separated the players into four brackets – Hearts, Clubs, Spades and Diamonds – with the winner of each bracket booking a seat in the semifinals.

The tournament begins today at 1 p.m. PT. Be sure to check out our live updates of the event.

Here is the complete line-up for the first round of the 2010 NBC National Heads-Up Championship:

Clubs:

Patrik Antonius vs. Chris Moneymaker
Leo Wolpert vs. Eric Baldwin
David Williams vs. Joe Cada
Erik Seidel vs. Huck Seed
Dan Ramirez vs. Erick Lindgren
Peter Eastgate vs. Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier
Stephen Quinn vs. Ted Forrest
Dario Minieri vs. Jamie Gold

Spades:

Gavin Smith vs. Phil Ivey
Richard Edwards vs. Scotty Nguyen
Shawn Rice vs. Joe Hachem
Gabe Kaplan vs. Johnny Chan
Daniel Negreanu vs. Jason Mercier
Pieter de Korver vs. Mike Sexton
Phil Gordon vs. Tom Dwan
Phil Laak vs. John Juanda

Hearts:

Jesper Hougaard vs. Allen Cunningham
Eli Elezra vs. Greg Mueller
Annette Dworski vs. Craig Ferguson
Kara Scott vs. Dennis Phillips
Doyle Brunson vs. Brock Parker
JP Kelly vs. Don Cheadle
Howard Lederer vs. Phil Hellmuth
Annette Obrestad vs. Orel Hershiser

Diamonds:

Barry Greenstein vs. Vanessa Rousso
Sam Farha vs. Antonio Esfandiari
Jennifer Harman vs. Jennifer Tilly
Jerry Yang vs. Mike Matusow
Darvin Moon vs. Bill Huntress
Andy Bloch vs. Annie Duke
Andrew Wilson vs. Paul Wasicka
Gus Hansen vs. Greg Raymer

 

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WSOP May Hold All Star Game

In a Tweet posted on Wednesday by officials from the World Series of Poker (WSOP), it was revealed that a special All Star Game may be in the works. Its format and players involved are currently unclear.

A Tweet from the WSOP cryptically questioned, “Which 20 WSOP Bracelet-Holders would you like to see compete in an All-Star game? Stay tuned... #WSOP.” Last year, the WSOP held its first ever Champions Invitational, which featured 20 former Main Event winners vying in a made-for-television tournament for a vintage car. 1983 WSOP Main Event winner Tom McEvoy, a PokerStars sponsored pro, ultimately came out on top and drove home in a classic 1970 Corvette.

The tournament aired on ESPN, which owns the exclusive rights to the annual Las Vegas spectacle. Others who participated in the grand event included WSOP Main Event champs Amarillo Slim, Berry Johnston, Jim Bechtel, Huck Seed, Scotty Nguyen, Carlos Mortensen, Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer, Joe Hachem, Jamie Gold, and Jerry Yang.

When prompted for comment by Poker News Daily, Harrah’s officials were equally vague, saying about the Tweet, “It was cryptic for a reason. I’m intrigued, are you?” In December, Harrah’s released the 2010 WSOP schedule, which kicks off with the annual $500 Casino Employees No Limit Hold’em event on May 28th. On the same day, a brand new $50,000 buy-in Player’s Championship will begin. The event will be televised by ESPN and take on an eight-game format: Limit Hold’em, Omaha High-Low Split Eight or Better, Seven Card Razz, Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud High-Low Split Eight or Better, No Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha, and 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball.

Although no word has been handed down, it appears that 20 players, according to a fan vote, will compete for a grand prize during the 2010 WSOP. Given the internet vote, many posters on TwoPlusTwo questioned the makeup of the field. TwoPlusTwo member “Kevmath” explained, “If they allow voting on the internet, I'm sure someone not as deserving could sneak their way into the field.”

For example, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, born in 1986, was nominated by the general public through an online vote to become a nominee for the Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2009. A nominating committee was quick to squash his bid, charging that Dwan had not yet stood the test of time, one of the criteria required for entry. Instead, names tossed out by TwoPlusTwo members as possible participants in a WSOP All Star Game include 11-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth and popular female pro Jennifer Tilly.

Others called for several side events during the All Star Game, similar to the Slam Dunk Contest and Three-Point Shootout held during basketball’s All Star Weekend. “TheCanoe” explained some possible diversions: “Chip Stacking with Carlos Mortensen, Beer drinking with Scotty, [and] Scooter races with Doyle.”

One poster even tossed out an idea whereby players could rebuy according to the number of bracelets they own, meaning that Hellmuth could buy back in 11 times. Players who would be well off under this setup include Doyle Brunson (10 bracelets), Johnny Chan (10 bracelets), Erik Seidel (eight bracelets), Phil Ivey (seven bracelets), and Billy Baxter (seven bracelets).

TwoPlusTwo posters also clamored for the women of poker to join the All-Star fray like GoDaddy Girl Vanessa Rousso, UB.com pro Liv Boeree, and Tilly, who has long been associated with Unabomber Poker namesake Phil Laak. Other possibilities include Annie Duke, Linda Johnson, Kara Scott, Tiffany Michelle, Isabelle Mercier, and Maria Ho.

Not everyone was optimistic about the end product. TwoPlusTwo poster “ptartaglio” explained the mindset of some in the online poker community: “These types of tournaments are always horrible. They never have the better players, only the recognized players, and they always turn them into crapshoots. The Tournament of Champions that Mike Sexton won wasn't too bad for TV, but other than that they [are] horrible.” The first Tournament of Champions was held in 2004 and featured Duke earning the winner-take-all $2 million prize. Sexton won the event in 2006.

We’ll keep you posted on the latest WSOP news on Poker News Daily. Who would you like to see in a Poker All Star Game? Leave us a comment here and let us know.

Dennis Rodman Joins Only Poker: The Bad Boy is Back

Five-time National Basketball Association (NBA) champion Dennis Rodman has officially signed with Only Poker. An anonymous employee of the site confirmed the news to Poker News Daily and Rodman now appears on Only Poker’s website.

As first reported by Poker News Daily in February, Rodman will become the latest celebrity spokesman for an online poker site. Only Poker is part of the USA-facing Cake Poker Network and seeks to make a big-time splash by landing the 6’8” NBA superstar. A graphic that appears on Only Poker’s home page shows the tattooed marvel donning an Only Poker hat and black polo shirt. The headline above his image reads, “The Bad Boy is Back.”

The site’s motto is, appropriately, “No Bullshit, Only Poker.” It offers a 110% sign-up bonus and makes its home on the massive Cake Poker Network alongside sites like Cake Poker, DoylesRoom, Lock Poker, and Red Star Poker. The Cake Poker Network is the 10th largest worldwide by the number of cash game players according to the traffic ranking site PokerScout.com. It boasts a seven-day running average of 1,920 real money ring game players and its traffic is on par with that found on the Entraction and Microgaming Networks.

An anonymous employee at Only Poker leaked the signing to Poker News Daily in February, cryptically explaining that a “major sports celebrity who has won numerous championships during their career” would soon be inking an agreement to represent Only Poker. That figure was widely speculated to be Rodman, whose magical runs with the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls in the 1990s earned him five NBA championship rings. Rodman was an NBA All-Star in 1990 and 1992 and led the league in rebounding for seven years. He last appeared in the NBA in 2000 as a member of the Dallas Mavericks.

One of this author’s fondest memories of Rodman occurred in early 1997, when he kicked courtside cameraman Eugene Amos in the groin after chasing a loose ball. Rodman was suspended by the NBA for more than 10 games as a result of the incident, which sent shockwaves through the Chicago market. Rodman was briefly married to Carmen Electra and won Season 4 of ABC’s “The Mole.”

The new Only Poker pro was a contestant on NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice,” appearing on the same cycle as UB.com pro and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke. Rodman was fired in the fifth week of the show after a real-life boardroom intervention. The basketball star’s apparent alcohol abuse led to his demise on the show.

Following his stint on “Celebrity Apprentice,” Rodman appeared in the third installment of “Celebrity Rehab” with Dr. Drew Pinsky. Others who appeared on Rodman’s season of the VH1 show were “Pearl Harbor” actor Tom Sizemore, Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss, and country music artist Mindy McCready. Rodman was scheduled to play in the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Ante Up for Africa event hosted by Duke, but did not turn out.

This isn’t Rodman’s first poker rodeo. He appeared on Bravo’s “Celebrity Poker Showdown” in 2004, winning his first match over “Third Watch” actor Bobby Cannavale, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, “Curb Your Enthusiasm” actress Cheryl Hines, and comedian Ryan Stiles. “E.R.” doctor Mekhi Phifer ultimately took down the championship tournament, defeating Rodman, “Friends” actor Matthew Perry, former “Saturday Night Live” comedian Kevin Nealon, and “Doogie Howser, M.D.” namesake Neil Patrick Harris.

Only Poker gives no further information as to Rodman’s involvement with the site. An official press release about the signing is scheduled to go out on Thursday. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest poker rumblings.

Poker In Twitter: Winter Olympics Wrapup, WPT LAPC, and a New Hostess For Poker2Nite

With the advent of the world of Twitter, people can fill you in on their lives in quick, 140-character bursts. Poker’s royalty have taken to the medium to inform their fans of their latest activities as well as their views on different issues. Poker News Daily continually tracks these Tweets to let you know what the latest buzz is in the poker community.

Last weekend, poker players were torn between performing their jobs on the felt and following the end of the Winter Olympics. Of particular interest to many was the gold medal hockey game between the favored Canadian national team and the upstart Team USA. A week prior to the game Sunday, the Americans had surprised the Canadians by defeating them 5-3 in pool play and the gold medal match – which was also the last medal awarded at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver – was a chance at redemption for the boys from the Great White North.

As the game began on Sunday, poker players announced their allegiances across the Twitterverse. Unlike many who watched the gold medal game on television, poker player Terrence Chan was one of the fortunate who saw the game live at Canada Hockey Place in Vancouver. “Sec 120 row 4 seat 106. Ten feet from (Canadian goalie Roberto) Luongo,” Chan Tweeted prior to the start of action, drawing a reaction of, “So jealous you’re there,” from fellow pro Shaun Deeb. Lining up on the Americans’ side were poker players such as Deeb, Eric Mizrachi, and Joe Sebok, while the Canadians held a rooting section that included Chan, Brad “Yukon” Booth, and Isabelle Mercier.

As the game played out, Tweets flew nearly as fast as the pucks and Canada moved out to a 2-0 lead. Playing in the L.A. Poker Classic at the time, UB.com pro Annie Duke took the time to jokingly Tweet, “LOL! I'm a little surprised team USA can't find a goalie fat enough to block the entire net.” The Americans grinded their way back and, with less than 30 seconds to go in the game, tied the score at 2-2. Even L.A. Poker Classic tournament director Matt Savage was sidetracked by the gold medal game as he Tweeted, “Tournament room @LAPokerClassic went crazy when USA tied the game 2-2. @RealKidPoker (Daniel Negreanu) not happy!”

As the sudden death overtime period played out, many of the top names in poker were on pins and needles as the game continued. “High Stakes Poker” hostess Kara Scott alluded to this when she Tweeted, “Ugh, so tense with the Hockey. Come on CANADA.” After Canada’s Sidney Crosby slipped the game winner past Team USA’s Ryan Miller almost eight minutes into overtime, the victorious Canadian poker players/fans had much to say. “Yaaaaaaaaa!!!! What a game. Canada continues to reign supreme on the ice. Oh that was so awesome!,” Daniel Negreanu fired out over the Twitterscape after the win. “Poker2Nite” host Scott Huff was less than impressed when he Tweeted, “Oh come on. Canada celebrating winning the gold in hockey is like me celebrating paying my bills on time.”

Poker’s best also found some time to play in the L.A. Poker Classic while the Winter Olympics were wrapping up. Duke, who played deep into the WPT championship tournament, noted in her Tweet, “HowardHLederer just got drawn to my table. Luckily he's on my right lol.” Adam “Roothlus” Levy admired the chip stacking skills of Full Tilt’s Carlos Mortensen in his Tweet and accented it with a picture, saying, “Carlos Mortensen's stack. He should be an architect. Such vision.”

Negreanu lamented his table on Sunday when he Tweeted, “Brutal seat @lapokerclassic Steve Sung on my right Carlos Mortensen on my left, and to his left the guy who crushed me yesterday.” The table must have been difficult, as soon after “Kid Poker” came back and Tweeted, “Very disappointed on how I played the last hand. Going to cool off by chilling in LA for a bit. Weather is awesome. Should have shoved!” The pros didn’t do badly during the LAPC WPT Main Event, with Negreanu cashing in 66th place, Duke dropping out in 19th place, and Sung and Mortensen falling short of the WPT final table in eighth and ninth place, respectively.

On the lighter side of Twitter, players Lacey Jones and Alex Outhred bantered about Outhred potentially having to sit in for Jones on “Poker2Nite.” With Jones facing flight delays in Canada and potentially missing the taping of the popular poker show, Outhred volunteered to take her place. “@Poker2Nite get me a wig, razor, man-spanx, and make-up. I think I could double for @LaceyJones,” Alex Tweeted to the producers. Lacey was quick to fire back, “@alexpokerguy Ur a life saver. But don't forget to stuff your bra! Haha.”

Twitter continues to provide entertainment for millions around the world and the poker community just makes it better. Poker News Daily follows poker in Twitter and adds to the enjoyment itself. Be sure to follow @pokernewsdaily on your Twitter account for all the latest news and information from the world of poker.

Andras Koroknai Leads WPT L.A. Poker Classic Final Table

Hungarian poker player Andras Koroknai leads the final table of the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) L.A. Poker Classic. Koroknai has nearly five million in chips and the final table will play out on Thursday.

Jim Casement was bestowed the title of Final Table Bubble Boy on Tuesday. He shoved pre-flop with A-4 of clubs for 14 big blinds and received a call from Koroknai, who held A-9. The flop came Q-10-5 with one club, leaving Casement drawing to a runner-runner flush or straight. He’d also win if a four hit. However, the board filled out A-2 and the final table of the 2010 WPT L.A. Poker Classic was determined. Casement earned $185,000 for his efforts.

On the 160th hand of the day, about 30 hands prior to his elimination, Casement doubled up Jean-Claude Moussa. The race situation featured Moussa’s pocket eights against Casement’s A-Q of hearts. The board fell 9-5-4-4-J and Moussa doubled up. The Canadian ended the day with a stack of 1.36 million, the fifth largest overall entering the final table. Moussa finished 503rd in the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, collecting $25,000 for his efforts.

WSOP bracelet winner Steve Sung was bounced in eighth place from the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles. Sung moved all-in over the top of a bet by Koroknai on a flop of 8-2-2. Sung flipped up pocket queens, only to see Koroknai turn over kings. After one of the two remaining queens in the deck failed to hit on the turn or river, Sung was sent packing from the tournament. Eighth place was worth $135,000.

Another big gun was ousted just before the final table bubble, as 2001 WSOP Main Event champion Carlos Mortensen hit the rails in ninth. Mortensen committed his final seven big blinds with A-4 of clubs and received a call from Casement, who held a wired pair of tens. The flop came 9-6-5, all red, and no ace came on the turn or river. “The Matador,” who owns two WPT titles and two WSOP bracelets, earned $100,000 for his five-day run.

UB.com pro and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke was eliminated in 19th place from the $10,000 buy-in WPT tournament. Short-stacked, Duke picked up A-8 and pushed. Timothy Begley made the call from the big blind with pocket fours, which held. Duke, who has never made a WPT final table, earned $45,000. Begley, who turned in a strong run through the L.A. Poker Classic, ended up in 10th place for $67,000.

Who is left, you ask? Here are the chip stacks of the six players remaining in the WPT L.A. Poker Classic:

1. Andras Koroknai - 4,995,000
2. Raymond Dolan - 3,300,000
3. Tri Huynh - 2,565,000
4. Gevork Kasabyan - 2,000,000
5. Jean-Claude Moussa - 1,360,000
6. Michael Kamran - 680,000

In a tournament dominated by American poker players, two Canadians and a Hungarian will head to the final table. Moussa hails from Toronto, while Huynh resides in the home of the 2010 Winter Olympics, Vancouver. Koroknai calls Debrecen, Hungary home. The three American poker players are all from California.

The six-handed televised final table of the L.A. Poker Classic won’t play out until Thursday. Today, the six survivors of the WPT Celebrity Invitational will take to the felts to play down to a champion. The eclectic group of players features former “Real World: Las Vegas” star and current Absolute Poker pro Trishelle Cannatella along with ClubWPT qualifier LeRon Washington. The veteran of the table is Thor Hansen, a dual WSOP bracelet winner. The final table stacks up as follows:

1. Sean Urban - 2,090,000
2. Neev Baram - 1,900,000
3. LeRon Washington - 1,790,000
4. Trishelle Cannatella - 1,540,000
5. Steven Elliott - 1,520,000
6. Thor Hansen - 1,480,000

Thursday’s conclusion of the WPT L.A. Poker Classic gets underway at 4:00pm PT.

LAPC Final Table Set

As well known players like two-time World Series of Poker Main Event champion Johnny Chan, Celebrity Apprentice star Annie Duke, three-time WPT final table participant Steve Sung and 2001 Main Event champ and two-time WPT title winner Carlos Mortensen all fell throughout 14 hours of poker Tuesday, a final six all making their televised table debut emerged.

The final table will begin Thursday at 4 p.m. PT inside the Commerce Casino in East Los Angeles with Hungarian Andras Koroknai holding the chip lead.

Although he has just one small live cash from the Austrian Classics in 2008, Koroknai will bring with him a rather boisterous group of Hungarian supporters from the L.A. area.

Fountain Valley, California resident Raymond Dolan currently sits second in chips and while two small cashes including a 12th place finish at a prelim in this series is all Dolan can count on for experience, he is the brother of Tim Phan, who made the final table at WPT Legends in 2005.

Coming in third in chips is Canadian Tri Huynh looking to add to his $30k in career earnings that includes a final table appearance at an L.A. Poker Classic prelim in 2007.

Armenian American Gevork (George) Kasabyan has half a million in career earnings from a boatload of small tournaments in the L.A. area and will come into the final fourth in chips.

Canadian Jean-Claude Moussa brings three WSOP cashes worth almost $60k and the experience of playing regularly online as high as $50/$100 to the table while currently fifth in chips.

And finally, the short stack is L.A.'s own Michael Kamran, happy to be through to his first final six after making seventh at WPT Bay 101 last year.

A $1.7 million first-place prize and the chance to join an illustrious group of LAPC champs including Phil Ivey, Antonio Esfandiari, and Gus Hansen hangs in the balance.

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Carlos Mortensen Leads WPT L.A. Poker Classic with 22 Left

A total of 22 players remain in the L.A. Poker Classic, a stop on the World Poker Tour (WPT). 2001 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champ Carlos Mortensen leads the way with 1.67 million chips.

Mortensen sent Michael Woo to the rails in 23rd place. Woo pushed all-in on a board of J-8-4-3 with three clubs, flipping over pocket queens. Mortensen made the call and showed pocket jacks for top set. Needing to catch one of the two remaining queens in the deck on the river to stay alive, Woo watched as an ace hit, sealing his exit. He picked up $45,000 for his efforts in the $10,000 buy-in poker tournament.

Thirty minutes prior, Mortensen had doubled up through Raymond Dolan. Mortensen held pocket aces in the hand and Dolan held jacks. The hand boosted Mortensen to 960,000 in chips, kicking off “The Matador’s” last–minute surge to the top of the pack. Mortensen has two WPT titles under his belt. He won the Season 3 Doyle Brunson North American Poker Championship for $1 million and also came out on top in the Season 5 WPT Championship for nearly $4 million. He’s second all-time to Daniel Negreanu with $5.26 million in WPT earnings and would become just the second three-time WPT event winner, the other being Gus Hansen.

Mark Newhouse, who held the chip lead entering Day 4 on Monday, finished with the second largest stack at 1.31 million. Newhouse doubled up through Dan “Wretchy” Martin late in the day. On a board of 7-5-3-J-Q, Newhouse pushed all-in for 561,000, nearly the size of the pot, and Martin made the call, flipping up pocket kings for an overpair. Newhouse, however, showed J-7 of spades for a turned two pair, pushing his chip stack to 1.5 million. Martin, meanwhile, dropped to 500,000 after his aces were cracked, but finished the day with 684,000, good for seventh place on the leaderboard.

Also doubling up late in the day was UB.com pro and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke. The top female pro picked a prime spot to shove with A-K pre-flop, as Masa Kagawa called and showed A-Q. The flop came ace-high and no queen came for Kagawa, doubling Duke to 266,000 in chips. She ended the day at 241,000, the second shortest stack in the room next to John Cautela’s 219,000.

Ten-time WSOP bracelet winner Johnny Chan remains in contention and doubled up on Monday with pocket aces against DoylesRoom pro Hoyt Corkins’ pocket kings. The board came 7-7-6-9-8 and Chan moved to 450,000 in chips. He ultimately ended with 406,000, the 17th largest stack entering Day 5. Chan and Doyle Brunson are tied with 10 bracelets each, trailing only Phil Hellmuth’s tally of 11 for most all-time.

When play resumes today at Noon PT at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles, the blinds will be 6,000-12,000 with an ante of 2,000. The following 22 players remain in the hunt for the top prize of $1.8 million:

1. Carlos Mortensen - 1,669,000
2. Mark Newhouse - 1,308,000
3. Raymond Dolan - 1,229,000
4. Masa Kagawa - 1,129,000
5. Andras Koroknai - 1,002,000
6. Tri Huynh - 942,000
7. Dan “Wretchy” Martin - 684,000
8. Jean-Claude Moussa - 672,000
9. Steve Sung - 671,000
10. Jim Casement - 609,000
11. Tim Begley - 603,000
12. Gevork Kasabyan - 594,000
13. Jamie Brown - 552,000
14. Mari Lou Morelli - 456,000
15. Dylan Linde - 447,000
16. Bob Kairnes - 421,000
17. Johnny Chan - 406,000
18. Danny Fuhs - 379,000
19. Michael Kamran - 327,000
20. Connor Allisen - 324,000
21. Annie Duke - 241,000
22. John Cautela - 219,000

Each player left is assured a $45,000 payday, while the top nine will take home at least $100,000. Despite the tournament already being down to 22 runners, the final table will not take place until Thursday. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest WPT coverage.

Mark Newhouse Leads WPT L.A. Poker Classic After Day 3

During Season 5 of the World Poker Tour (WPT), Mark Newhouse took down the Borgata Poker Open to the tune of $1.5 million. Entering Day 4 of the L.A. Poker Classic, Newhouse is the chip leader and poised to make a run at his second WPT title.

Sunday marked a major day of television viewing for players remaining in the WPT L.A. Poker Classic, which is being held at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles. The United States hit a last-second goal to send the gold medal game in the 2010 Winter Olympics into overtime, where Canada ultimately prevailed. By nightfall, Canadian Daniel Negreanu, who held the chip lead in the $10,000 buy-in tournament entering Day 3, watched himself take second to Barry Shulman in the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe Main Event on ESPN2.

Despite the diversions, Newhouse came out on top of the field after Day 3 with a stack of 498,000 chips. Newhouse sent Danny Wong to the rails on Sunday with pocket jacks against A-K, building his arsenal of chips up to 250,000. Newhouse started the day with a stack of 68,000 and told WPT Live Updates Hostess Jacque, “The biggest pot of the night, I got lucky. I beat two kings with A-K.” The hand occurred against Jason Smith and an ace hit on the flop to send Newhouse’s chip stack flying high.

2010 L.A. Poker Classic Heads-Up champion Chris Moore stole a sizable pot off GoDaddy Girl Vanessa Rousso during Sunday’s action. The flop came 9-4-2 with two diamonds. Rousso bet, Moore put in a raise, and Rousso called to bring a third diamond on the turn. Rousso bet 45,000 and Moore came over the top all-in for 150,000. Rousso tanked before finally folding 5-6 of diamonds for a flush face up. Moore scooped the pot and promptly turned over pocket nines for a set. Thanks in part to Rousso’s donation, Moore owns a stack of 489,000 chips entering Day 4, the second largest tally in the room.

One of the final eliminations yesterday went to Full Tilt Poker front man Howard Lederer, who was all-in with A-K against pocket queens for a classic race situation. The flop came queen-high, giving his opponent a set, and Lederer failed to catch up. Other pros who found the exit on Day 3 included Barry Greenstein, Gavin Griffin, Jonathan “FatalError” Aguiar, Jason Mercier, Adam “Roothlus” Levy, Steve Zolotow, Todd Brunson, and Allen Cunningham.

Play ended on Sunday with the money bubble bursting at 72 players remaining. Thomas Fuller, who had been near the top of the chip counts throughout much of the event, was the unfortunate 73rd place finisher. Fuller was all-in pre-flop with A-K, but ran into pocket aces. The flop of Q-Q-10 gave Fuller an inside straight draw if a jack hit, but the board filled out Q-7 and everyone remaining had made the money. The top prize in the WPT L.A. Poker Classic is $1.8 million.

Here are the top 10 chip counts entering Day 4 of the Commerce Casino tournament:

1. Mark Newhouse - 498,000
2. Chris Moore - 489,000
3. Masa Kagawa - 432,000
4. John Cautela - 417,000
5. Shawn Pilot - 400,500
6. Millad Jorshari - 386,000
7. Gevork Kasabyan - 378,000
8. Tim Begley - 369,500
9. Tri Huynh - 353,000
10. Dan “Wretchy” Martin - 335,000

A stacked field of 72 players remains in the hunt for the L.A. Poker Classic title. Other notable names still alive include:

15. Annie Duke - 321,000
17. Carlos Mortensen - 305,000
19. Steve Sung - 285,000
25. Eugene Katchalov - 235,000
29. Daniel Negreanu - 222,500
30. Peter “Belabacsi” Traply - 221,500
32. Johnny Chan - 218,000
35. Prahlad Friedman - 208,000
36. Hoyt Corkins - 206,500
39. Erica Schoenberg - 189,000
47. Vivek “Psyduck” Rajkumar - 157,500
51. Robert Mizrachi - 139,500
60. Surinder Sunar - 83,500
64. Vanessa Rousso - 46,000
69. Jon “PearlJammer” Turner - 31,500
72. David “Bakes” Baker - 17,000

Sunday also marked the beginning of the $25,000 High-Roller tournament, whose top prize is $425,000. Twenty-three players remain in the event, with Andrew “luckychewy” Lichtenberger and Daniel Alaei out in front after one day of play.

Daniel Negreanu Second in WPT L.A. Poker Classic After Day 2

Online poker player Taylor “tramp$d0pray” Paur and Team PokerStars Pro member Daniel Negreanu lead the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) L.A. Poker Classic after two days of play. The $10,000 buy-in tournament wraps up on Thursday.

Negreanu committed his chips with 4-3 of clubs in a major hand after a flop of 5-3-2 with two clubs. William Jesse James, who won his seat to the L.A. Poker Classic Main Event through the WPT’s subscription-based online poker site ClubWPT, held 8-3 in the hand for a better kicker, but a four on the turn improved Negreanu to two pair. The river was a king, crippling James and sending Negreanu barreling up the chip counts. In the waning moments of Saturday’s action, Negreanu scooped a pot at the expense of Benjamin Zamani with quad eights to move to 319,000 in chips.

Paur ended Day 2 with a mountain of 318,400 chips, while Negreanu was hot on his heels at 316,500. They are the only players in the WPT event to have crossed the 280,000-chip plateau. Paur’s company at Table 44 on Sunday will include Shawn Buchanan, Bryan “badbeatninja” Devonshire, and Victory Poker pro Paul Wasicka. A total of 186 players remain and the field will likely burst the money bubble at 72 sometime during play on Sunday. The event’s six-handed finale will be filmed for television and air on Fox Sports Net as part of Season 8 of the WPT.

Sitting in fifth on the leaderboard entering Day 3 is another PokerStars sponsored big gun, Vanessa Rousso. The GoDaddy Girl owns a stack of 221,700 and crossed the 200,000-chip threshold late in the day despite being seated a talented table alongside UB.com poker pro Annie Duke and two-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Josh Arieh. Of the 186 players left in the hunt for the $1.8 million top prize, 14 are women.

2005 WSOP Main Event champ Joe Hachem was sent packing during Saturday’s action, as was Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka, who is fresh off a final table appearance in the PokerStars North American Poker Tour’s (NAPT) $25,000 High-Roller Bounty Shootout. Jaka came out on the losing end of a race with pocket sevens against Q-J of spades when a jack hit on the flop. Fellow online poker pro Mike “SowersUNCC” Sowers was eliminated after running 10-8 of diamonds into pocket kings. His girlfriend, Lauren Kling, remains in the hunt and holds the 51st largest stack in the room.

Absolute Poker pro Mark Seif, who was second in chips after Day 1, currently owns the 10th spot in the chip counts. The Day 1 leader, Masa Kagawa, is right behind Seif in 11th place. Here’s a look at the top 10 on the leaderboard entering Day 3 of the L.A. Poker Classic at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles:

1. Taylor Paur - 318,400
2. Daniel Negreanu - 316,500
3. Eugene Katchalov - 279,000
4. Michael Woo - 250,000
5. Vanessa Rousso - 221,700
6. Danny Fuhs - 218,300
7. Paul Niemela - 216,000
8. John Cautela - 198,500
9. Gevork Kasabyan - 197,400
10. Mark Seif - 187,000

Other notable names in the top 50 include:

19. Steve Sung - 155,800
24. Vivek “Psyduck” Rajkumar - 137,400
26. Howard Lederer - 128,700
35. Shawn Buchanan - 116,300
36. Johnny Chan - 113,800
37. Lisa Hamilton - 107,400
38. Erica Schoenberg - 107,000
39. Steve Zolotow - 106,500
42. Surinder Sunar - 105,500
43. Robert Mizrachi - 104,600

All players who reach the money will take home at least $18,000 and the top nine will collect a six-figure payday. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest WPT coverage.

Poker In Twitter: NAPT Bounty Shootout, Matusow Versus Bellande, and Hellmuth in Playgirl

For many in the poker world, the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) stop at the Venetian has been their home base for the past week. While the Main Event wrapped up last night with Tom Marchese taking the championship, the $25,000 High Roller Bounty Shootout was in full swing and many top pros were a part of the action. The Tweets from those involved let the poker community know how they were doing while the tournament was in play.

Two UB.com pros let their fans know who they would be facing during the Shootout tournament. “Poker2Nite” host Joe Sebok seemed ready for action when he Tweeted, “my tbl for 25k tomorrow: Phil Laak/Justin Bonomo/David Williams/Joe Cassidy/Yevgeny Timoshenko/Tommy Vedes. lots of potential for fireworks.” Unfortunately for Sebok, he was unable to make a run at the Shootout table, where the eventual winner has to defeat his or her entire table to move on, and was knocked out early by Bonomo. “ZeeJustin” was eventually busted by Cassidy, who moved on to the final table by eliminating four of his six opponents.

Annie Duke was at the felt for the $25,000 Bounty Shootout and found it strange that all the ladies in the event were on the same table. “Of the 3 women entered into tomorrow's $25K event 3 are at the same table. Weird,” Duke said in her Tweet. “I am playing with Jennifer Tilly and Vanessa Rousso.” Duke would have a strong run at the table, battling with Bellagio Cup V runner up Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka for quite some time before succumbing. “The-Toilet” was responsible for knocking out all three ladies and top pro J.C. Tran on his way to the final table.

One player who tweeted his way to victory was 2010 World Poker Tour (WPT) Southern Poker Championship winner Hoyt Corkins. Corkins has been on a roll as of late and Tweeted on his opponents, “Phil Hellmuth and Greg Raymer at my table.” While Corkins didn’t tweet during the event, Hellmuth picked up the slack with running reports. “Doubled up to average stack blinds 300-600,” informed the “Poker Brat.” “I open 1700 on button w/ A-K, Hoyt shoves w/ 6-4 in BB for my last 13k, K-9-3-5, then 6, whew!” Hellmuth was quite critical of his play later in the event, however, Tweeting, “Bad laydown!! Bad reads 2day! JDuthie had 10h-9h when I mucked A-K pre-flop! I let them steal my blinds & made a stand w KJ when JD had AK.” Duthie would make a run at winning the table, but Corkins defeated him to move on to the final table.

Away from the Shootout, players were on the cash game tables, with Mike Matusow and Jean-Robert Bellande going to battle. Matusow sought out Bellande, Tweeting, “How is it that idiot @brokelivingjrb seems to be winning everyday? I have to go see what kind of SUPER IDIOTS he's playing against.” Apparently “The Mouth” found Bellande and had a tough night on the felt. Bellande Tweeted later in the night, “@themouthmatusow is lecturing Eli after a brutal beat. Lol. "You play so f'n bad!" Eli giggling. He he. Poker is great.”

While not participating in any of the action in Las Vegas, Lacey Jones and “Hollywood” Dave Stann made notable Tweets this week. In a personal note to her Tweeps, Lacey commented, “Lacey fact: 1 year in Girl Scouts I sold more cookies than any other girl in Texas. I got 3 badges and bragging rights! Girl Scouts rock!” Stann made his way home from playing, but wasn’t particularly pleased.  “Hollywood” noted in his Tweet, “Thanks, 4 am Hollywood Park valet guy, for smoking so much g**d**n weed b4 getting my car that I'm driving home getting a contact high.”

Finally, offering up their knowledge in Tweet form was Poker Royalty’s top poker agent Brian Balsbaugh. Apparently in response to critiques of this year’s National Heads-Up Poker Championship lineup, Balsbaugh gave the poker community insight into the selection process when he Tweeted, “If U R wondering how players with razor thin poker achievements make NBC Head's Up, it's b/c their sponsor's buy commercials.” Balsbaugh also had perhaps the scariest Tweet of the Week when he let his Tweeps know, “@Phil_Hellmuth told me he’d listen to a Playgirl offer “I’d get in best shape of my life, it might be fun.”

With the L.A. Poker Classic starting on Friday, the poker world should be hopping this weekend and the Tweets should be flowing. Poker News Daily continues to watch out for the top names in the game and gather their various thoughts. Poker News Daily is a part of the world of Twitter also, so be sure to add @pokernewsdaily for the latest information on the world of poker and the Twitter scene.

Peter Eastgate, Scott Seiver Reach NAPT Bounty Shootout Final Table

Scott Seiver stormed through the competition on Day 1 of the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) $25,000 High-Roller Bounty Shootout at the Venetian. Seiver ousted all six opponents at his starting table to move on to Day 2.

Seiver collected a $5,000 bounty for each player knocked out, or $30,000 total. In addition, his appearance at Thursday’s final table in the $25,000 buy-in event is worth another $75,000. All told, he’s a very happy camper heading into the finale, which will air as part of ESPN2’s coverage of the NAPT beginning in April. Seiver didn’t knock out a bunch of amateurs, either. Instead, he defeated Betfair pro Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi heads-up. Also a victim of Seiver’s bloodbath was Season 7 World Poker Tour (WPT) Festa al Lago winner Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier.

Seiver sent Team PokerStars Pro member and “High Stakes Poker” regular Barry Greenstein to the rails first, followed by Victory Poker front man Antonio Esfandiari, cash game specialist Chau Giang, and online poker pro Brian “tsarrast” Rast. Seiver won his first World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet in 2008, when he took down a $5,000 No Limit Hold’em event for $755,000.

Joe Cassidy defeated Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo heads-up at Table 1 to move on to Thursday’s finale. Cassidy knocked out four of his six opponents, including reigning WPT Championship winner Yevgeniy “Jovial Gent” Timoshenko, Bodog poker pro David Williams, and Unabomber Poker namesake Phil Laak. Cassidy finished 13th in the inaugural $50,000 HORSE Championship during the 2006 WSOP for $137,000. Also eliminated from Table 1 were “Poker2Nite” host Joe Sebok and Tommy Vedes.

2008 WSOP Main Event champ Peter Eastgate emerged victorious from Table 2. Eastgate defeated fellow young gun Isaac Haxton heads-up to collect his $5,000 bounty. Haxton sent Alec “traheho” Torelli and poker bad boy Tony G packing in third and fourth places, respectively, to give Eastgate a run for his money. The table also featured James Calderaro, Italian stud Dario Minieri, and WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic winner Daniel Alaei.

Ashton Griffin outlasted 2003 WSOP Main Event winner Chris Moneymaker at Table 3 to advance. Moneymaker eliminated fellow Main Event champion Joe Cada along with Hasan Habib and Jason Mercier before Griffin took out the former Tennessee accountant. Griffin finished 12th in the 2009 WSOP Europe £5,000 Pot Limit Omaha tournament for £15,000.

Over at Table 4, Brett Richey defeated three consecutive players down the stretch for the win, including Victory Poker’s Lee Markholt. Richey also sent Phil “OMGClayAiken” Galfond home in third place and Andrew “good2cu” Robl out in fourth. Markholt, meanwhile, eliminated rumored new DoylesRoom Brunson 10 member Alex “AJKHoosier1” Kamberis and poker veteran John “World” Hennigan.

An epic battle between Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka and UB.com’s Annie Duke unfolded at Table 5, with the former finally reigning supreme. Jaka busted four players from his table, including Jennifer Tilly, Vanessa Rousso, and 2006 World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) Main Event winner J.C. Tran. Oddly enough, only three women competed in the 49-player event; all of them were seated at the same table and eliminated by Jaka. You can check out Annie Duke’s evaluation of Jaka’s poker game.

Finally, DoylesRoom pro Hoyt Corkins, fresh off of taking down the WPT Southern Poker Championship in Biloxi, bested European Poker Tour (EPT) founder John Duthie at Table 7 to move on to the finale. Corkins amassed five bounties in the process, including Adam Richardson, Hevad “RaiNKhaN” Khan, 2004 WSOP Main Event champ Greg Raymer, and Steven Paul-Ambrose (who now goes as Steven Paul).

PokerStars is awarding $100,000 to the player with the most number of bounties when the tournament concludes. As it currently stands, Seiver leads the way with six and Corkins has five. Cassidy and Jaka each own four bounties.

The tournament resumes at Noon PT on Thursday, as all eyes today are focused on the Main Event of the NAPT Venetian. The winner of the Bounty Shootout will earn $460,000 in addition to the $75,000 reward for making the final table.

Annie Duke Discusses NAPT, Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader

This month, poker pro and “Celebrity Apprentice” runner-up Annie Duke breaks down the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) $25,000 High Roller Bounty Shootout at the Venetian, the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, and her appearance on the television game show “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?”

Poker News Daily: Thanks for joining us. We saw that Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka bested your table in the NAPT High Roller Bounty Shootout. Tell us about your table, which also featured Joe Hachem, Jennifer Tilly, Vanessa Rousso, and J.C. Tran.

Annie Duke: I got heads-up with Faraz at my table. He’s an excellent player plus he’s clearly been playing his best lately because he’s been final tabling everything. He’s the last person I wanted to end up heads-up against. Even though Vanessa has been playing everything and doing well, I’ve played with her and know her. Faraz is a guy who has been playing everything and I don’t know anything about his game.

PND: Evaluate Faraz Jaka’s game for us. What makes him so successful?

Annie Duke: He’s very good at gearing differently and is good at gearing against different stack sizes. He does not play fast or play super small ball. That’s a harder person to deal with because they’re going to play against your stack effectively. Faraz played brilliantly heads-up. I managed to get a chip lead on Faraz and then lost two big pots.

There were a couple of draws I chose to play slow and didn’t hit and a couple I played fast as a semi-bluff and didn’t hit. I said to Phil Hellmuth afterward that it’s a no-win situation. When you play it slow and don’t hit, you regret that you didn’t try to bluff. If you play it big, then you regret that you didn’t play it slow. I don’t know if I could have won them playing differently, but I feel like I didn’t reverse well.

PND: Are you looking forward to the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, which will be filmed in March and then air on NBC?

Annie Duke: Erik Seidel and I were joking that we have bad records in that event. He’s a brilliant player, but has never won a match, and I’ve won one. I don’t care who I draw; I just want to win my match. I played against Brad Garrett last year and he had all of the better hands. When I find out who I play against, I try to think about their game, but I don’t like to come into matches with a set strategy. People play differently on different days and against different opponents. I’m just trying to improve my record in that event.

PND: Has it been refreshing to return to playing poker?

Annie Duke: I realized when I played the $25,000 NAPT event that I hadn’t played since October. I have been prioritizing differently. It’s nice to have all of this poker coming up and then I am going to Mexico with the kids. The World Series of Poker starts after that. It’s the part of the year where I play a lot of poker and I like to get back to my roots. I don’t regret that I choose to do other things because I like what else I’m doing. Poker players can get really myopic and just think about poker. I don’t remember ever feeling that way coming up.

PND; Tell us about your appearance on the syndicated game show “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?”

Annie Duke: I played for Decision Education Foundation. It’s the daytime version of the show where you have to clear 10 questions. I got every question right and used the help one time because I wanted to make sure. The question was asking who the Volunteers were and I was pretty sure it was Tennessee, but thought it could also be Kentucky since I am not a big college basketball person. I peeked at the girl’s answer and she put Tennessee.

I got all 10 questions right and had $25,000. Then, there’s a bonus round question that you’re getting laid 10:1 on. If I thought I could answer it right 10% of the time, there was an overlay. I went for it and didn’t know the answer. If you get the question wrong, you go down to $2,500, so you’re risking $22,500 to win $250,000. That’s an easy decision even though it didn’t work out.

Kevin Pollak’s Chat Show to Feature Annie Duke on March 14th

Top female poker pro Annie Duke will join Kevin Pollak’s Chat Show live on Sunday, March 14th at 5:00pm PT for an in-depth interview. The internet series is coming up on its one-year anniversary and has featured guests including “The Man Show” host Adam Carolla, “Anchorman” actor David Koechner, and Dave Coulier of “Full House” fame. Duke's appearance will be archived after its live airing.

Pollak was formerly the host of Bravo’s “Celebrity Poker Showdown” and is a regular in some of Hollywood’s richest home games. Pollak hosted six episodes of the first season of the celebrity poker show alongside pro Phil Gordon before comedian Dave Foley assumed the role. Pollak started his chat show last April and the franchise has become a major hit. We sat down with the talk show host to preview the March 14th episode, which will be sponsored by Poker News Daily.

Poker News Daily: Thanks for joining us. Why bring Annie Duke on Kevin Pollak’s Chat Show?

Kevin Pollak: The choice of Annie Duke was simple and easy. I’ve played with her. I’ve admired her skill and success. Hers is a great story and one worth sharing. My chat show is always about having interesting people on from as many walks of life as possible.

PND: Tell us about your poker background.

Kevin Pollak: I’ve been playing against the pros since 1995 in casinos. Bravo asked me to help them launch “Celebrity Poker Showdown” by hosting the first six episodes. It was an easy choice, but the notion was that I’d just be on six episodes. Bravo didn’t have much original programming at the time other than “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” so they replayed it for a year. When I bowed out, people would come up to me and say, “I’m sorry that you got fired.” That was funny. Through Phil Gordon and other players, I got to meet some of the pros and played in cash games with Annie and a few others. I’ve also been in a few higher stakes home games with pros.

PND: You mentioned that Duke has a great story that’s worth sharing. What about her life will be interesting to listeners?

Kevin Pollak: I don’t really like to editorialize who is interesting and why. It’s easy for me to say who is interesting, but it’s all objective. To say how they’re interesting would not do justice. Her relationship to her brother as a pro and how she came to decide to play professionally will be good to hear about. Also, we’d want to discuss what it’s like to be considered the top female player in the game. I can’t wait to hear her take on other pros and their play and how the game has evolved and changed through television.

PND: Does having Duke on help broaden the demographic of your show?

Kevin Pollak: As long as we continue to diversify, which is another reason I’m excited about Annie, I think our so-called demographic will continue to reach further and further and no longer be secular or even specific. I would love for our demographic to be all over the place.

PND: You’ve been hosting the show for nearly one year now. Talk about some of the memorable moments and guests so far.

Kevin Pollak: We’ve tried to hone down interviews to 90 minutes each. Eddie Izzard holds the record at two hours and 31 minutes. I started to realize that we were getting the most in-depth interviews anywhere simply because of the time allotted, so we had two hours with Seth MacFarlane and two hours with Kevin Smith. We’ve had six Academy Award winners on and comedians like Jim Gaffigan, Doug Benson, Paul F. Tompkins, and Dana Carvey. I’m looking forward to more.

Eric Blair Leads NAPT Venetian Main Event Entering Day 4

What started as a mammoth field of 872 players in the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Venetian Main Event has now shrunk to just 24. Eric Blair leads the pack with a mountain of 3.7 million chips; two days remain.

Blair leads fellow poker pro Sam Stein, who finished second in a $5,000 No Limit Hold’em tournament during the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure for $168,000, falling to Swiss star Stefan Huber heads-up. Stein has 3.4 million chips after three days of play at the Venetian in Las Vegas and all players are in hot pursuit of the $827,000 top prize. The tournament will play down to its final table today in Sin City and the survivors will return to determine a winner on Wednesday.

Team PokerStars Pro member Vanessa Rousso, a GoDaddy Girl, was the final casualty of Day 3. Rousso open-shoved with K-6 and received a call from Tom Marchese, who was seated in the big blind and showed pocket sevens. The board fell 10-3-J-A-J and Rousso headed to the exit. She’ll be one of 64 players to hit the felts of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, which will play out at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas beginning on March 5th. The tournament will air on NBC, which is currently carrying the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Steve “MrTimCaum” O’Dwyer hit the rails in 28th place in the NAPT Venetian Main Event. O’Dwyer finished sixth in December’s World Poker Tour (WPT) Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic for $202,000 and committed his chips on Monday with a wired pair of jacks. However, Blair picked up pocket aces and sent O’Dwyer out. O’Dwyer just edged out UB.com pro Michael Binger, who dropped in 29th place.

The money bubble burst in the $5,000 buy-in event on Monday when Daniel Schreiber was eliminated in 129th place. Schreiber shoved with queen-high, but ran into Kyle Zartman’s pocket rockets. Shortly thereafter, pros began dropping like flies from the inaugural NAPT event on U.S. soil, with Jon “PearlJammer” Turner and Greg Raymer soon sent out. Raymer ran pocket sevens into pocket nines and, just like that, the 2004 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champ was knocked out in 102nd place.

Who is left in the NAPT Venetian Main Event, you ask? Here are the 24 players remaining and their chip counts:

1. Eric Blair – 3,700,000
2. Sam Stein – 3,409,000
3. Steve “MrSmokey1” Billirakis – 2,372,000
4. David Miscikowski – 1,839,000
5. Tom Marchese – 1,795,000
6. Thomas Fuller – 1,540,000
7. Kyle Zartman – 1,483,000
8. Yunus Jamal – 1,074,000
9. Daniel Cossette – 1,033,000
10. Daniele Nestola – 872,000
11. Daniel Clemente – 805,000
12. Joseph Cutler – 742,000
13. David Paredes – 706,000
14. Jason “TheMasterJ33” Dewitt – 622,000
15. Blair Hinkle – 614,000
16. Jonathan “FatalError” Aguiar – 567,000
17. Andrew Chen – 539,000
18. Andrew “luckychewy” Lichtenberger – 539,000
19. “Miami” John Cernuto – 473,000
20. Mark Ketteringham – 470,000
21. Michael De Gilio – 385,000
22. Steve Stolzmann – 365,000
23. John Franciosi – 286,000
24. Christina Lindley – 103,000

Each one of the 24 Day 4 starters is assured at least $20,000, with members of the eight-handed final table collecting $60,000 or more. Besides the tail end of the NAPT Venetian Main Event, Tuesday marks the start of the $25,000 High-Roller Bounty Shootout. The tournament, as expected, features 48 of the game’s greats, including Yevgeniy “Jovial Gent” Timoshenko, 2008 WSOP Main Event winner Peter Eastgate, reigning champ Joe Cada, Victory Poker front man Andrew “good2cu” Robl, UB.com’s Annie Duke, and DoylesRoom pro Hoyt Corkins. One qualifier will join the stacked field of 48 sharks.

Both the High-Roller Bounty Shootout and Venetian Main Event will air as part of ESPN2’s coverage of the NAPT, which begins in April. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest NAPT results.

NAPT $25k High-Roller Shootout Set

The 49-player field will be pitted against each other in a seven-table shootout format with the winners going on to the final table Thursday. There will also be a $5,000 bounty on every player's head throughout the first round heats and the final.

Interestingly, there are just three female players registered for the event, Annie Duke, Vanessa Rousso and Jennifer Tilly, and they drew seats next to each other on the same table.

2003 World Series of Poker Main Event champ Chris Moneymaker will get the chance to take on 2009 WSOP Main Event champ Joe Cada in a heat that also includes PokerListings Blogger and Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier.

Plus, Daniel Negreanu, who drew the names out of the hat Monday, will have his work cut out for him at a table with some of the brightest young minds in the online game, including Phil "OMGClayAiken" Galfond, Andrew "Good2CU" Robl, and Alex "AJKHoosier1" Kamberis.

The self-proclaimed best No-Limit Hold'em player in the world, Phil Hellmuth, will have to prove it against a table featuring fellow WSOP Main Event champ Greg Raymer and EPT Founder John Duthie, while young guns like Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier and Sorel Mizzi will take on old-school Big Game pros Barry Greenstein and Chau Giuang.

The first round of play will be filmed in two sessions Tuesday inside the Venetian's Belleni Ballroom. The event is being filmed for broadcast on ESPN2.

For the full table lists check the chart below.

Visit PokerListings.com

NBC Heads-Up Field Released

Familiar faces like Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth and Chris "Jesus" Ferguson will be back to compete in the bracket-style head-to-head format for $1.5 million in combined prize money Mar. 5-7.

Plus, several newcomers including PokerListings Blogger and Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier, 2009 World Series of Poker champion Joe Cada, 2009 WSOP Main Event runner-up Darvin Moon, and High Stakes Poker host Kara Scott will be in the field of 64 trying to take down last year's champ Huck Seed.

"The lineup of competitors for this year's event is the best yet," said Jon Miller, executive vice president of NBC Sports.

"Continually bringing together the best of the best to compete in this unique format has made the National Heads-Up Poker Championship one of the most anticipated poker events of the year."

The event will be taped for broadcast on NBC over six consecutive Sundays in April and May.

The first round opponents for the brackets will be chosen at random during the GoDaddy.com Draw Party held at PURE Nightclub at Caesars Palace Mar. 4.

Below is a list of the entire 64-player field less seven spaces for online qualifiers.

Patrick Antonius               Eric Baldwin               Andy Bloch               Doyle Brunson
Joe Cada                         Johnny Chan              Don Cheadle            Allen Cunningham
Pieter De-Korver              Annie Duke                Tom Dwan               Peter Eastgate
Eli Elezra                         Antonio Esfandiari       Sam Farha               Chris Ferguson
Ted Forrest                      Jamie Gold                 Phil Gordon              Barry Greenstein
Bertrand Grospellier         Joe Hachem                Gus Hansen             Jennifer Harman
Phil Hellmuth                    Orel Hershiser            Jesper Hougaard       Phil Ivey
John Juanda                     Gabe Kaplan              J.P. Kelly                  Phil Laak
Howard Lederer                Erick Lindgren            Mike Matusow           Jason Mercier
Dario Minieri                     Chris Moneymaker     Darvin Moon             Greg Mueller
Daniel Negreanu               Scotty Nguyen           Annette Obrestad      Brock Parker
Dennis Phillips                  Greg Raymer             Vanessa Rousso        Kara Scott
Huck Seed                        Erik Seidel                 Mike Sexton             Gavin Smith
Jennifer Tilly                     Paul Wasicka             David Williams          Leo Wolpert
Jerry Yang

 

Visit PokerListings.com

Doyle Brunson in Good Spirits Following Dental Surgery

Poker News Daily has learned that 10-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner and DoylesRoom namesake Doyle Brunson is in good spirits following dental surgery on Tuesday. He is expected to make a full recovery.

The procedure lasted six hours and Brunson returned to his Las Vegas home afterward. A source close to Brunson told Poker News Daily that the industry icon “sailed” through surgery, is in good spirits, and will play in tonight’s Bounty Tournament on DoylesRoom. In a blog posted on the official website of DoylesRoom dated February 4th, Brunson told readers that he’d be undergoing “a 5 1/2 hour surgery on my teeth and gums. That is going to require a lot of change in my schedule.” Brunson was originally slated to play in this weekend’s PartyPoker Premier League; Phil Laak will serve as a last-minute replacement.

Brunson also hinted at axing appearances at the Commerce Casino for the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Celebrity Invitational and L.A. Poker Classic as well as the North American Poker Tour’s (NAPT) stop at the Venetian. Despite the possibility of being sidelined until the 2010 WSOP in May, Brunson quickly returned to his blonde joke-telling self on Wednesday, Tweeting the following: “A blonde's house caught fire and she called the fire department. They said ‘calm down, how do we get there?’ blonde.. duh, in a big red truck.”

On Monday, Brunson told Poker News Daily in an e-mail, “2 hours and counting. Not looking forward to it,” referring to his procedure. Brunson’s final Tweet prior to the surgery came on Monday and was directed at UB.com pro and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke: “Palin used cheat notes written on her hand. Obama uses a teleprompter for everything:-) I'm not supporting her by the way.”

Brunson had previously found himself in hot water for a President Barack Obama-related Tweet that read, “The Democrats say ‘give Obama time.’ Us Republicans agree, 25 to life seems appropriate!” The gaffe was posted on January 20th and led to an outcry from some customers on DoylesRoom who preferred that Brunson refrain from commenting on the political arena.

Tonight, Brunson will return to the virtual felts of his USA-friendly online poker site to compete in the weekly $50,000 Bounty Tournament. The Bounty takes place every Wednesday night and this evening’s installment features Brunson, recent WPT Southern Poker Championship winner Hoyt Corkins, and “The Mad Genius of Poker” Mike Caro. First-time Bounty players can receive a full refund of their $27.50 buy-in and the festivities kick off at 9:30pm ET. Knocking out a single bounty earns a player $1,000, while eliminating two bounties means a $10,000 bankroll boost. Finally, knocking out all three bounties results in a $50,000 jackpot.

When we will next see Brunson on the live felts is anyone’s guess. In the same blog post, the poker pro noted that he didn’t want to invest time and money while not feeling up to snuff: “There is no use playing unless you are at your best. The competition has gotten so good you need to feel good physically as well as mentally to have a chance to win.” Brunson is tied with Johnny Chan for the second highest number of bracelets all-time at 10, trailing only Phil Hellmuth’s tally of 11. Brunson has nearly $3 million in career WSOP earnings dating back to 1976.