Poker News

ESPN WSOP Main Event Ratings Even with 2008

The 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event kicked off on cable station ESPN on Tuesday night. Late Wednesday, ratings released for the two-hour program were even with 2008 figures.

The signing of former Green Bay Packers and New York Jets quarterback Brett Favre by the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday afternoon delayed the start of the WSOP Main Event on ESPN by 20 minutes. The two-year, $25 million contract followed Favre’s adamant statements that he would remain retired and was one of the biggest sports stories of 2009. It continues to carry the day on television and radio broadcasts around the world. ESPN airs Monday Night Football during the NFL season and had reporters on site covering the Favre drama. Consequently, poker took a back seat to football despite Tuesday night marking the premiere of the 2009 WSOP Main Event.

ESPN’s George McNeilly told Poker News Daily that the first hour of Main Event coverage, which followed the action on Day 1A, received a 0.8 rating. Last year, the opening hour of the Main Event also posted a 0.8 rating. The second hour of poker recapped play on Day 1B of the $10,000 buy-in feature tournament and scored a 0.9 rating, down slightly from 1.0 in 2008, or 10%. All told, aggregate ratings for the first two hours of programming were roughly even year over year. Last year, ESPN’s coverage of the Main Event did not begin airing until September 2nd.

After the first two weeks of ESPN WSOP programming, which featured the $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP and the Champions Invitational, ratings slid by 8% year over year. In addition, the total number of household impressions after two weeks was 714,000 in 2009, down from 750,000 in 2008.

In the kickoff episode featuring the $40,000 commemorative tournament, figures obtained by Poker News Daily revealed that the number of male viewers age 18 to 34 was up 2%. Among men age 25 to 54, the number of viewers was up a commanding 16%. All told, the number of male viewers age 18 to 49 tuned into the opening episode on July 28th was even with 2008’s tally.

This week, ESPN and WSOP officials forged an agreement for the popular sports and entertainment network to carry poker’s most prestigious tournament series for at least seven more years. In a press release distributed by Harrah’s, which owns the rights to the WSOP, it was revealed that 82 million people tune into the WSOP every year. A minimum of 32 hours of coverage will emanate from the WSOP every year, the same length of programming seen by viewers in 2009.

ESPN has carried the WSOP since 2003. Next year marked the final year of its current agreement, leading to this week’s extension. In 2009, Jack Link’s Beef Jerky signed on as a presenting sponsor of the WSOP on ESPN and receives extensive promotion and on-air mention throughout the show. Most notably, a Jack Link’s Beef Jerky Wild Card Hand masks the hole cards of one player at the table so viewers at home can play along. ESPN announcers Norman Chad and Lon McEachern are not told the hands held either, making for a lively segment.

Here is the remaining ESPN WSOP schedule for its Tuesday night broadcasts:

August 25th to September 22nd: 8:00pm to 10:00pm ET
WSOP Main Event, Episodes 7-18

September 29th: 8:00pm to 11:00pm ET
WSOP Main Event, Episodes 19-21

October 6th to October 13th: 9:00pm to 11:00pm ET
WSOP Main Event, Episodes 22-25

October 20th: 10:00pm to 11:00pm ET
WSOP Main Event, Episode 26

October 27th to November 3rd: 9:00pm to 11:00pm ET
WSOP Main Event, Episodes 27-30

November 10th: 9:00pm to 11:30pm ET
WSOP Main Event Final Table

Brett Favre Signing Delays WSOP Main Event Coverage on ESPN

The signing of quarterback Brett Favre by the Minnesota Vikings delayed the premiere of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event by 20 minutes on Tuesday night, with action from Day 1A and Day 1B taking center stage.

The $10,000 buy-in feature tournament began with Full Tilt Poker pro Jennifer Harman narrating, “Someone has to win it, right? So why not you or me?” Highlights of past Main Event winning moments aired, with a player rounding out the montage by saying, “All you need is a ticket and a dream.” The feature table of the first hour, Day 1A of the 2009 WSOP Main Event, included 2006 final table participant Allen Cunningham, Eli Elezra, and Lex Veldhuis, the boyfriend of Evelyn Ng who was featured in ESPN’s coverage of the $40,000 buy-in event commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP.

ESPN announcer Norman Chad fired up viewers by claiming, “This is it. It’s the greatest event in the galaxy. Anyone can win. We could bound and gag Lon [McEachern], stick him in a potato sack, and roll him into the Amazon Room and he may make the final table. I love the Main Event.” Table Two featured 2009 dual bracelet winner Greg “FBT” Mueller and poker pro Sammy Farha, who finished as the runner-up to Chris Moneymaker in the 2003 WSOP Main Event, igniting the modern poker boom.

The 40th Annual Moments featured Johnny Chan winning the 1987 and 1988 Main Events before landing as the runner-up to Phil Hellmuth in 1989. Chan also turned in a seventh place performance in 1992. Joining Chan in the Day 1A field were Phil Laak, Jennifer Tilly, Orel Hershiser, Dewey Tomko, Steven Paul-Ambrose, and Gus Hansen. “Seinfeld” star Jason Alexander and “Everybody Loves Raymond” actor Brad Garrett were seated together, making for a lively table.

At the feature table, Veldhuis rolled over his competition, showing a bluff against Elezra, who labeled him the best player in the field on Day 1A. Veldhuis then represented a flush on a four club board to take down a pot against a player who held two pair. In the Jack Link’s Beef Jerky Wild Card Hand, Simon Muenz raised to 900 with pocket tens, Velduis called with unknown cards, and Cunningham called with A-J. The flop came 4-3-2 with two hearts. Muenz checked, Velduis led out for 2,300, Cunningham got out of the way, and Muenz called. The turn was the nine of hearts. Veldhuis bet 6,000, leaving Chad to comment, “I still think Lex has air.” Muenz called and the ace of spades fell on the river. Veldhuis pushed and Muenz folded. As it turned out, Veldhuis held K-6 for a bluff.

A brand new segment dubbed “Deal Me In” aired and featured Full Tilt Poker pros reliving key hands in live tournaments. Chris Ferguson was the focus of the inaugural segment, recapping a hand where he turned quad aces against Prahlad Friedman. The punch line, according to Ferguson: “You don’t always want to slow play.” Contrastingly, “The Nuts” featured PokerStars pros Greg Raymer, Vanessa Rousso, Chad Brown, Joe Hachem, Hevad Khan, and Dennis Phillips trying to hit a wiffleball thrown by Hershiser. In the end, Raymer laid down a bunt, only to have Hershiser blow it foul.

ESPN’s second hour of coverage, which kicked off around 9:20pm ET on Tuesday night, included a feature table with Mike Matusow. He chimed, “Life is all about the power of positive thinking.” Flanking him was John Dodge, whose grandfather started the automobile company of the same name. Also in the field was Jack Ury, the oldest player in the Main Event at age 96, and poker legend Amarillo Slim, who hasn’t cashed in the tournament since winning it in 1972.

The Wild Card Hand during the Day 1B episode featured Doyle Brunson raise to 675 with A-J of hearts. James Kier called, holding the elusive Wild Card hand. The flop fell 2-4-K rainbow and the action went check-check. The turn was a three and Kier led out for 1,500. Brunson called to watch a four hit the river. Kier once again bet out, this time for 2,500, and Brunson called with just ace-high. Kier sheepishly revealed J-9 for air and another player at the table quipped, “Were you really just trying to bluff Doyle Brunson?”

Matusow gave autographed copies of his book, “Check-Raising the Devil,” to his tablemates, while another Mike, Mike Caro, was featured in an ESPN vignette talking about his “Mad Genius” moniker. Others in the field included Raymer, Ferguson, Barry Greenstein, Joe Sebok, Chris Moneymaker, Todd Brunson, and Pam Brunson. A “Straight from the Pros” segment, in which PokerStars sponsored players gave their take on hands, aired and featured Moneymaker.

Next week, Moneymaker’s colleague at PokerStars, Daniel Negreanu, will take center stage along with Hellmuth. The action takes place from 8:00pm to 10:00pm ET barring any more Favre news.

Tom McEvoy Trumps WSOP Champions Invitational Field on ESPN

Tuesday night saw the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Champions Invitational play out on ESPN. A rather subdued final table competed for a vintage 1970 Corvette and the title of “Champion of Champions.”

The taking of the now-storied photo of 20 former WSOP Main Event champions kicked off the ESPN telecast on Tuesday and the final table began with an unconventional 10 players taking to the felts. Up for grabs was a red 1970 Corvette Stingray that formerly appeared in the Imperial Palace car collection. The WSOP Champions Invitational winner would also take home the Binion Cup, an oversized trophy with the inscription, “The Champion of Champions. The 40th Annual World Series of Poker ‘Champions Invitational’ Winner in Honor of Poker’s First Family.” The cup also bore the date that the final table played out, June 1st, 2009.

1989 Main Event Champion Phil Hellmuth came armed to the final table with a stack of 1,125, or just 1% of the chips in play. In fact, he held just three chips, which promptly went into the middle with 10-5 of spades against Carlos Mortensen’s pocket twos. The flop came 4-Q-J with no spades, but an ace on the turn gave Hellmuth a gutshot straight draw. Needing a 10, 5, or 3 to fall on the river to double up, Hellmuth watched as an 8 hit. Hellmuth holds the record for the most number of WSOP bracelets won with 11.

2008 Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate’s exit in ninth place meant that the two youngest winners of the $10,000 buy-in feature tournament had been eliminated. Eastgate’s 8-7 ran into “Action” Dan Harrington’s pocket aces and an open-ended straight draw on the flop failed to materialize. A bevy of poker authors remained in the final eight players, including Tom McEvoy (“Championship Hold’em”), Doyle Brunson (“Super System” Volumes I and II), and Harrington (“Harrington on Hold’em”).

Eastgate’s departure set up the first Jack Link’s Beef Jerky Wild Card Hand. The cards of one player are not revealed, leaving the viewing audience and ESPN announcers Lon McEachern and Norman Chad to guess what they may hold. Harrington raised to 1,800 with A-Q of diamonds and Mortensen made the call after his cards were obscured by the logo for the popular beef jerky brand. The flop came 3-3-8 and the action went check-check. A four fell on the turn and the action again went check-check. The river was a nine. Mortensen bet out 2,500 and Harrington called. Mortensen sheepishly turned over 6-7 of clubs for what Chad called “squadoosh.”

Watching the action in the WSOP Champions Invitational were several notable poker pros. “The Mad Genius of Poker” Mike Caro looked on as Brunson called all-in on a draw. Chad quipped, “He’s priced in, but he’s calling off all of his chips on a draw. I don’t remember that being mentioned in ‘Super System’ 1 or 2.” Brunson’s draw never hit and he was ousted from the televised table. McEvoy celebrated his elimination of Brunson with poker pro Kathy Liebert, who railed him throughout the finale.

The first installment of ESPN’s “40th Annual Memories” vignette was a tribute to Stu Ungar featuring comments by Joe Hachem, Howard Lederer, and Steve Zolotow. Ungar died in 1998 after winning 10 of 32 $5,000 buy-in events he had entered. Then, Berry Johnston, who won the 1986 Main Event, busted in seventh place. The 73 year-old has cashed in every WSOP since 1982, when he took third in the Main Event for $104,000.

“The Nuts” once again featured 40th Annual WSOP Trivia. Lederer, Jennifer Harman, and Bodog pro David Williams participated this week, answering questions from three categories: “2008,” “Poker Feats,” and “Is Poker a Sport?” In the end, Harman advanced to the next round, joining Adam Schoenfeld, who won last week. Huck Seed’s exit in sixth place and Mortensen’s departure in fifth rounded out the first of two one-hour episodes on Tuesday night.

The “40th Annual Memories” in the second installment of the WSOP on ESPN, which aired at 9:00pm ET, focused on Harrington’s back-to-back Main Event final tables in 2003 and 2004 after winning the feature tournament in 1995. Harrington took third in the former for $650,000 and finished fourth in 2004 for $1.5 million. A quiet Harrington remained in contention in the Champions Invitational.

The second Wild Card Hand featured McEvoy raising to 3,000 with unknown cards. 2002 Main Event Champion Robert Varkonyi called from the big blind with A-5 of clubs. The flop came 10-4-A. Varkonyi bet out 5,000 and McEvoy called immediately to see a queen fall on the turn. Varkonyi checked, McEvoy bet 12,000, and Varkonyi folded. Chad commented, “I originally thought Tom had pocket eights. Now, I think he had pocket fours and flopped a set.” Instead, McEvoy held A-6 offsuit.

I can’t recall very many three-handed final tables as silent as the one that took to the felts on Tuesday night. The survivors represented Main Event champions from the last three decades: Varkonyi (2002), Harrington (1995), and McEvoy (1983). McEvoy’s K-Q of diamonds finally sent Harrington to the rails in third and, in the final hand of the WSOP Champions Invitational, McEvoy turned a 10-high straight to take down the title. He told Chad following his monumental win, “I hadn’t won much lately and I think I was losing some respect from my peers… I was just determined that I was going to win it and I did.”

Tune into ESPN next Tuesday night at 8:00pm ET for the $5,000 buy-in Ante Up for Africa charity poker tournament.

“Boosted J” Inks Deal With Full Tilt Poker

After an excellent performance at the World Poker Tour’s first stop of their eighth season at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, longtime online professional Justin “Boosted J” Smith has signed a deal to be a Full Tilt Poker sponsored professional.

Smith, who finished third at the Bellagio Cup behind runner up Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka and eventual champion Alexandre “allingomes” Gomes, has a long history of success in the online game and has recently been transferring those skills over to the live poker world. At the most recent World Series of Poker, “Boosted J” finished with a highly respectable five cashes with his best finish an eighth place final table in the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo World Championship. After his debut at the World Series of Poker Europe last year, Smith has earned almost $700,000 in live tournaments and has earned much more in the online game.

Although a young player that has been weaned on the online game, Justin has shown a propensity for all the disciplines of poker. In fact, his five cashes at the World Series ranged across the board, including Pot Limit Omaha, Seven Card Stud, Lowball and heads up Texas Hold’em. Befitting of his skills in multiple games and his new status as a sponsored Full Tilt pro, Smith has three tables of high stakes (one $1000/$2000 and two $400/$800) Mixed Game tables named in his honor.

“Boosted J” will have to drop his famous online moniker in exchange for seeing his real name in red on Full Tilt alongside perhaps the best stable of poker players in the game today. The “Friends of Full Tilt” encompass such notable celebrities as “Ocean’s Eleven” star Don Cheadle, Ultimate Fighting Championship ring announcer Bruce Buffer, “Poker After Dark” announcer Ali Nejad and author Jim McManus. There are also other levels of poker superstardom on Full Tilt Poker.

Full Tilt boasts one of the best poker training crews in CardRunners, made up of 2007 Online Player of the Year Isaac Baron, recent $25,000 Full Tilt Heads Up Poker Champion David Benefield and Taylor Caby (just to name a few). For those interested in international players, Full Tilt is the home of “The Hendon Mob,” the legendary English crew consisting of the Boatman brothers, Barny and Ross, as well as Joe Beevers and Ram Vaswani. When it comes to the Full Tilt sponsored pros, “Boosted J” will join the ranks including such players as Gavin Smith, 2008 WSOP Women’s Champion Svetlana Gromenkova and Chip and Karina Jett.

Finally, there are the players that are recognized as “Team Full Tilt.” The players who make up this group comprise thirteen of the finest players nowadays. Their combination of 36 WSOP bracelets is unequaled on any other online site and their resumes speak for themselves. Some of the players who make up “Team Full Tilt” include former World Champion Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, defending WSOP-Europe champion John Juanda and 2009 “November Nine” member Phil Ivey.

Congratulations to Justin on his new status as a Full Tilt pro and good luck on both the virtual as well as the physical poker tables worldwide.

Poker Superstars Walk the Red Carpet at WSOP Ante Up for Africa

The 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Ante Up for Africa tournament was chalk full of poker’s top names, including Phil Hellmuth, Andy Bloch, and Howard Lederer. Poker News Daily was on the scene as the game’s elite made their way into the charity poker tournament.

Eleven-Time WSOP Bracelet Holder Phil Hellmuth

On the cast of celebrities in attendance:
“I love it. The bigger the better. It’s such a great event. Look at all of the media here. To have all of this media tuned onto charity and poker is fabulous. I’ve emceed almost every Ante Up for Africa, whether it’s been in Europe or here in Las Vegas. It’s great to raise $1 million in one night.”

Ultimate Bet Star Player Tiffany Michelle

On the tournament as a break from the WSOP grind:
“As a professional poker player, it’s exciting to sit down and play with celebrities. There are bragging rights to say, ‘I knocked Montel Williams out.’ It’s a lot of fun. As professional poker players, we get so sucked into bad beats and being stuck in casinos all day. To remember that there’s another world beyond ours means a lot.”

On the marriage between charity and poker:
“There are a lot of people who have skills. They can go overseas and work with the Red Cross. Sitting in Las Vegas or Los Angeles, if you don’t feel like you have nursing skills or political skills, you can donate money. It’s something that we throw around like crazy. We’ll spend a few thousand dollars on a table at a club or we could be potentially winning millions of dollars. I love that the WSOP is behind this event, but also Annie [Duke] and Don [Cheadle]. It’s probably one of the most fun charity events I’ve ever played in.”

Team PokerStars Pro Member Humberto Brenes

On turning out for Ante Up for Africa:
“I feel good and today is more relaxed. I’ve played for the last 30 days here in tournaments with thousands of people.”

Former MIT Blackjack Team Member Andy Bloch

On being among Hollywood’s elite:
“This event was great a couple of years ago when Annie [Duke] got the idea. She was able to bring in A-list celebrities and lots of money to the event. Every year, it seems to grow and get better. This year, with the television coverage they’re going to have of the event, I’m really looking forward to not just raising money, but also raising a lot of awareness.”

2009 WSOP Dual Bracelet Winner Greg “FBT” Mueller

On whether the Ante Up for Africa event is a good break from the WSOP:
“It’s fun. It’s a lot of crazy and exciting people. Ante Up for Africa is a great cause and I’m always happy to donate to good causes, especially when things are going well.”

Full Tilt Poker Pro Jennifer Harman

On the Ante Up for Africa atmosphere:
“It is a wild event. It’s nice to see people come out and support this cause. It shows that poker is a way of giving and we all really love that part of it.”

On her fundraiser for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals:
“That went really well and we raised about $150,000. The most important thing is raising awareness and we did that. I did another charity event for the National Kidney Foundation in Reno and it had the largest turnout ever for a poker tournament in Reno history. I’m proud to be part of the giving and to help people in this world.”

Professional Poker Player Barry Greenstein

On being surrounded by celebrities:
“It’s pretty interesting. It shows you how much poker is a part of everyday life. These people play poker around the kitchen table like the rest of us. They’re happy to come out and make fools of themselves for a good cause.”

On celebrities’ games:
“Some are better than others. I’m not really intimidated by anyone’s game, professional or amateur. I’m certainly not thinking, ‘That guy is coming from Hollywood and he’s really going to show me some moves.’”

Professional Poker Player Robert Williamson III

On lending his name to the Ante Up for Africa tournament:
“With the WSOP being such an international tournament, it’s only right that we champion such a great cause. It’s shining a spotlight on an international catastrophe that needs more exposure and attention. It’s a fantastic event to be involved with. I look forward to many more years of supporting it.”

On whether he’d raise Mike Tyson’s blind if they were seated at the same table:
“He may be a champion boxer, but I’m one of the champions on the green felt. He’s going to have to call me down because I’ll be moving on him. I know he’s an aggressor too, so it should be an interesting match.”

2005 WSOP Main Event Champion Joe Hachem

On how important his attendance is:
“I think being at this sort of charity event with the amount of publicity it’s getting is fantastic.”

Bracelet Winner Howard Lederer

On the WSOP Main Event’s longstanding appeal:
“It’s the original event. It’s the most important poker tournament of the year. It’s the tournament everyone thinks about. It’s just a poker tournament, but the history, anticipation, and money make it something way beyond that. Everyone who sits down in the Main Event is connecting in some way with everyone who has ever played and that’s electrifying.”

ESPN Announcer Norman Chad

On sitting next to Allen Cunningham in a WSOP Stud tournament:
“When I play in a tournament and sit next to someone like Allen Cunningham, it’s a thrill. You know that they’re the best in the world. I would never yell out, ‘It’s Allen Cunningham’ because he’s such a quiet and classy guy.”

On ESPN covering the Ante Up for Africa event:
“It’s tremendous. It can do a lot of good for this cause. To have this for two hours on ESPN - we know we’re going to be able to raise so much more money than we would have otherwise.”

On his pick to win the Ante Up for Africa event:
“Even though he doesn’t speak to me, I’m going to say Phil Ivey. He’s the best poker player in the world. I expect him to win the Main Event every year and I expect him to win this.”

On his future:
“You never know. Things change, but this has been like an angel dropping out of the sky for me. It’s great work and it’s fun work. I’d love to do it as long as I can.”

All Hail Hellmuth at WSOP Main Event Day 1c

Hellmuth, who is notorious for over-the-top entrances at the Main Event, decided to enter this year's event dressed as Roman Emperor Julius Caesar, with nearly 100 supporting characters decked in Roman gear.

"I came here to conquer like Caesar!" said Hellmuth as he entered the Rio. "I'm here to win my 12th bracelet."

The Poker Brat was carried by four Roman Guards to the red carpet at the convention room entrance as he waved to fans from atop his platform.

The production also included 11 female gladiators in body paint (to represent each one of his WSOP bracelets), two male trumpeters, one male announcer and 50 female muses dressed in white togas.

The procession, which began at 1:45, went all the way through the Rio hallways, with the muses dropping rose petals wherever Hellmuth walked before he finally took his seat in the Amazon Room with his 11 gladiators still standing next to him.

Hellmuth was one of approximately 2,000 runners on Day 1c of the 2009 Main Event.

This is the third time Hellmuth has staged an elaborate entrance to the Main Event. In 2007 Hellmuth came dressed as a race car driver with 11 models in tow.

In 2008 Hellmuth came dressed as a general as part of the UB Army promotion that was going on at the time. There was some minor controversy at the time due to the ongoing U.S. war in Iraq.

Despite the controversy, Hellmuth had a very successful Main Event, going deep but eventually bowing out in 45th for $150,000.

Hellmuth wasn't the only player to use theatrics on Day 1c. Although it was much more subtle, Dennis Phillips had about 20 friends and family decked out in his now-famous white shirt and red St. Louis cap.

The "Phillipians," as media scribes called them, sweated Phillips throughout the day.

Visit PokerListings.com

Seniors event breaks WSOP records

Aside from the Main Event it's usually the $1,500 No Limit Hold'em events that draw these kinds of fields with internet players entering in masse.

The biggest event at the Rio Convention Center on Monday, however, doesn't have too many internet kids in the field.

The $1k Seniors No Limit Hold'em World Championship shattered expectations, drawing a record 2,707 entrants for the three-day event. A record $2.4 million prize pool has also been raised for the event with first place paying out an impressive $437,000.

The event drew all kinds of legends from the poker world. "Amarillo Slim" Preston, T.J Cloutier, Tom McEvoy and Humberto Brenes all bought in. Other big names in the event included PPA Chairman Alfonse D'Amato and legendary ring announcer Bruce Buffer.

"It's fantastic," said Cloutier. "This turnout is a lot more than what I expected."

"I don't know how many played last year but I know it was a decent turnout. But this is fabulous."

Preston shared the same opinion about the event but argued the buy-in should have been larger.

"Why didn't they make it a $2,500 entry fee like everything else?" Preston said.

"Everyone here would buy in for $2,500, why not make it like the other tournaments? This is a good event."

Preston said he's gearing up to bring back his signature event to Las Vegas soon, perhaps increasing the number of seniors events.

"I'm fixing to activate the Super Bowl of Poker next year," Preston said. "We'll play down at Binion's. It'll be homecoming from where all this started."

Cloutier's tough day at the tables came to an end when his pocket nines were cracked by AJ, but he's sweating one of his good friends the rest of the way.

"I'll tell you who I'd like to see win - Tom McEvoy," Cloutier said. "He's my best friend, and I'm pushing for him to get into the Hall of Fame this year. There are a lot of us pushing for him, Hall of Famers pushing for him."

The pace has been conservative and relaxed around most of the tournament tables, a change from the usual frantic pace in the early rounds of most WSOP events, when aggressive players are gambling and trying to build a deep stack early.

Visit PokerListings.com

“The Bernard Lee Poker Show” Celebrates Second Anniversary

May marks many special occasions in the world of poker. It originally marked the end of the World Series of Poker for several years, and for the past couple of years, it has marked the start of the WSOP, for which thousands of players will make a pilgrimage. This year, in addition to the start of the WSOP, poker fans can also celebrate the continuation of one of the most popular pieces of poker programming in any form of media today.

May marks the second anniversary of “The Bernard Lee Poker Show” on 1510AM The Zone in Boston. Hosted by poker professional and Poker News Daily guest columnist Bernard Lee, the show has entertained many in the Massachusetts area as well as those who listen over the internet. Featuring the latest poker news, poker strategy discussions, tournament reports and interviews with the movers and shakers of the poker industry, Lee’s show airs on The Zone from 7-8PM (Eastern Time) on Tuesdays, is simulcast on Rounders Radio (where it is one of the most downloaded podcasts in its first year on the station) and rebroadcast on both outlets throughout the week.

“At the time when we started the show on The Zone, there were no poker broadcasts on radio in the local area”, Lee stated during a phone conversation with Poker News Daily. “Even today, there aren’t that many around. With Foxwoods Resort Casino in the area and its recognition as THE poker destination due to its excellent tournaments and ties with the World Poker Tour, I felt that there would be a tremendous interest from poker fans in the area for such a program on the radio.”

Lee, who earned his poker notoriety with his thirteenth place finish at the 2005 WSOP and has earned over $1 million in tournament winnings in his career, was able to parlay that success into other areas including his show with The Zone. “I have become a part of the poker media and not just a poker player”, Bernard laughed. “With my column in the Boston Herald, my work on ESPN and Poker News Daily and the radio show, I have achieved what I wanted…a life with poker involved in it. I don’t see myself ever stopping!”

Celebrating the second anniversary along with Bernard earlier this month have been former World Champion Greg Raymer and Gavin Griffin, who is the only man to have captured poker’s mythical Triple Crown (EPT, WPT and WSOP championships). Tonight on the program, WPT announcer and WSOP bracelet holder Mike Sexton will be a part of the festivities and – as players prepare for the trek to Las Vegas – next Tuesday’s broadcast will feature the Commissioner of the World Series of Poker, Jeffrey Pollack.

To further engage the listeners in the second anniversary celebration, Lee will be holding two freeroll tournaments at the end of May. One will be a live event at Rockingham Park in Salem, N.H. and the other will be an online tournament. People who would like to partake of either or both tournaments can learn further details through listening to “The Bernard Lee Poker Show” throughout this month.

Lee will continue to broadcast his show during the WSOP and is planning to step to the felt for several events. “I am looking at playing 9-12 events and, if I go deep in some of them, as few as six”, Bernard said. “I may be playing, but I am a part of the media and it will be part of my future shows.” Congratulations to Bernard for the second anniversary of his poker show and may there be many more celebrations in the future, both for the show and for his success on the tables.

Full Tilt lands Don Cheadle

Full Tilt Poker announced Thursday it was welcoming actor, charity fundraiser and activist Don Cheadle to their team as a Friend of Full Tilt.

Don Cheadle may not have much, if anything, for major tournament cashes, but he's no stranger to poker. He's played in televised events such as the NBC National Heads-Up Championship and Celebrity Poker Shoot-Out.

The poker world sat up and took notice in 2007 when he was paired against Phil Ivey in the first round of the NBC National Heads-Up Championship and managed to defeat one of the game's best pros. He went on to lose in Round 2 to Scott Fischman.

NBC invited him back in 2008 and 2009 to participate again. In 2008, Cheadle was out in the first round after losing to Gus Hansen, but in 2009 he held his own against David Pham in the first round before being defeated in Round 2 by Paul Wasicka.

"I've done alright in the televised tourneys I've participated in, and I've won several tournaments around town," Cheadle said. "I have yet to play in the WSOP events, but I hope my schedule will permit me to do so in the future."

One event he has played in during the WSOP each year has been the Ante Up for Africa charity poker tournament he co-founded with Annie Duke and Norman Epstien. The tournament was created in 2007 and takes place during the WSOP each year to help raise money for Darfur relief.

Ante Up for Africa has raised more than $2 million to help support humanitarian aid to the crisis in Sudan.

The event draws top celebrities such as Ben Affleck and Matt Damon and top pro poker players like Team Full Tilt's Phil Ivey, Chris Ferguson and Andy Bloch.

Team Full Tilt is a select group of some the world's best professional poker players who represent the poker site at live events and on the site. Friends of Full Tilt also include celebrities such as UFC fighter Matt Hughes, UFC announcer Bruce Buffer and author Michael Craig.

For more information about the poker site, visit Full Tilt Poker.

Visit PokerListings.com

Mike Sexton Renews Association with Party Poker

Mike Sexton is back at PartyPoker. Once upon a time, Sexton was the face of PartyPoker. The WPT announcer and Tournament of Champions winner was the site's top pro, but he hadn't been seen sporting the PartyPoker gear all that much recently, after the publicly traded PartyGaming, which...

Christer Johansson Captures 2009 Irish Open Championship

After three grueling days of battle through the second largest field in the history of the event, Sweden’s Christer Johansson defeated poker announcer and player Kara Scott to win the 2009 PaddyPowerPoker.com Irish Open on Monday evening.

The PaddyPowerPoker.com Irish Open, held this year at the City West Hotel in Dublin, is the longest running tournament on the European continent, with its inaugural event having played out in 1980, and is second only to the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in longevity. This year’s event brought in 700 of the top poker players in the world, which made for the second largest field in the history of the tournament (2007 saw 706 runners come to the line).

Among those who entered the event was its defending champion, England’s Neil “Bad Beat” Channing, who was joined by former WSOP Main Event winners Dan Harrington and Jamie Gold. Noted cash game player Brian “sbrugby” Townsend represented the online world. Several Irishmen, including WSOP bracelet holder Ciaran O’Leary and “Mad” Marty Smyth, vied to bring the title back to the Emerald Isle. On the first day of play, however, it was an American who made the most noise.

Day One saw professional Phil “The Unabomber” Laak streak to the Top Ten of the leader board, but he had significant competition. Joining Phil among the leaders was European professional Julian Thew, but neither would be around when the final table started on Monday. The Day One leader, Bradley Verburg, and Andrew Pantling would make the final table after bursting out of the gates well, with Pantling holding the lead as final table play began:

Seat 1: Lee Brooke-Pearce — 998,000 chips
Seat 2: Andrew Pantling — 2,286,000 chips
Seat 3: Andrew Bradshaw — 351,000 chips
Seat 4: Kara Scott — 701,000 chips
Seat 5: William Kassouf — 569,000 chips
Seat 6: Bradley Verburg — 217,000 chips
Seat 7: Christer Johansson — 906,000 chips
Seat 8: Atanas Gueorguiev — 990,000 chips

With a plethora of chips among the players, it was expected that the final table would be a drawn-out affair. This wasn’t meant to be, however, as Bradshaw was eliminated in eighth place on the second hand when his A-Q couldn’t top Gueorguiev’s pocket Kings. Pantling eliminated Verburg in seventh a few hands later and, when Scott moved all-in and wasn’t called, there were three different all-in situations in the first ten hands of action.

Both Pantling and Gueorguiev continued to apply pressure to the final table, with Gueorguiev eliminating Kassouf in sixth and Pantling dispatching Brooke-Pearce in fifth. With four players remaining, the chips were evenly spread out and the action calmed down. With play subsiding, both Scott and Johansson began to climb up the leader board.

It took approximately an hour and a half before another member of the final table would be dismissed. After raising the pre-flop pot, Gueorguiev found himself re-raised by Pantling. Scott, who held a slight chip lead on the table, promptly moved a 500,000 chip bet to the center. Gueorguiev immediately popped the remainder of his stack into the pot and, after Pantling folded, faced the call from Scott. Gueorguiev’s pocket Kings were ahead of Scott’s A-Q, but a cruel Ace on the river stole the hand from Atanas and eliminated him in fourth place.

After administering the bad beat, Scott held nearly two-thirds of the chips in play. Known for her poker announcing across the European continent, Scott was attempting to become the fifth woman to win the Irish Open poker crown. After Johansson eliminated Pantling to reach heads-up play when he rivered a Queen against Pantling’s pocket sevens, Scott still held the chip lead, albeit by only 400,000 chips.

It only took 13 hands to determine a champion. Johansson, who had been steady throughout play at the final table, gradually began to impose his will against Scott until he built a solid lead. On the final hand, Scott raised the stakes to 140,000 and was flat-called by Johansson. After a J-7-K flop, the remainder of Scott’s chips found their way into the middle and Johansson called. When the cards were turned up, Johansson held the lead with K-3 for top pair against Scott’s J-9 for second pair. No saving card came on the turn or river and Johansson captured the 2009 Irish Open.

With the championship, Johansson, who previously had won a major title on the World Poker Tour at the inaugural Grand Prix de Paris, surpassed the $2 million mark in career earnings. Scott, who finished 104th last year in the WSOP Main Event, took home her best finish ever in a tournament and showed that her poker skills are just as prominent as her announcing duties.

The final table paid out as follows:

1st Place: Christer Johansson - €600,000
2nd Place: Kara Scott -  €312,600
3rd Place: Andrew Pantling -  €205,200
4th Place: Atanas Gueorguiev - €163,300
5th Place: Lee Brooke-Pearce - €130,600
6th Place: William Kassouf - €100,800
7th Place: Bradley Verburg - €74,600
8th Place: Andy Bradshaw -  €56,000

NBC Broadcast of National Heads Up Poker Championship Begins Sunday

Sunday certainly seems to be the time for poker fans to get their fill of televised poker action. As the World Poker Tour continues its seventh season run on Fox Sports Network on Sunday nights and new episodes of “High Stakes Poker” are aired on GSN simultaneously, national television network NBC will begin its broadcasts of the 2009 National Heads Up Poker Championship sponsored by GoDaddy.com this Sunday at noon Eastern time.

The NHUPC, contested between 64 of the biggest names in the poker world, was completed last month at Caesars in Las Vegas. NBC, as they have done since the inception of the tournament in 2005, was there to capture all of the action from the felt. The first two-hour broadcast of this year’s event features top professionals that should draw viewers to their televisions for something other than NASCAR or baseball.

This Sunday’s two hour broadcast will feature play in the Spades and Clubs brackets and offers plenty of action around the Caesars floor. In the Clubs bracket - which will be the featured bracket of the first hour - there are several pairings taking place on the side that would normally be “featured battles.” While poker legend Doyle Brunson takes on PokerStars and GoDaddy.com sponsored pro Vanessa Rousso and 2008 WSOP H.O.R.S.E. champion Scotty Nguyen takes on Hevad “Rain” Khan on the sidelines, the featured matches will have Daniel Negreanu’s fight with 2003 WSOP champion Chris Moneymaker and the intriguing battle between Full Tilt Poker’s Mike “The Mouth” Matusow and Italy’s poker prodigy Dario Minieri.

The second hour of the broadcast will feature play in the Spades bracket. Much like the first hour, there are solid matches that will be seen but aren’t the featured match-ups of the broadcast. Such matches as Gavin Griffin’s face-off with online ace Tom “durrr” Dwan and current WSOP Europe champion John Juanda vs. 2005 WSOP Main Event champ Joe Hachem’s will be taking place around the featured tables. At the featured tables, “High Stakes Poker” announcer Gabe Kaplan’s battle with former World Champion Chris “Jesus” Ferguson takes center stage alongside the match up of two venerable poker champions: WPT announcer Mike Sexton and eleven-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth.

NBC’s broadcast of the NHUPC will continue to take place each Sunday over the next six weeks. The two remaining brackets - the Hearts and Diamonds brackets - will be on the air next Sunday and future broadcasts of the NHUPC will work down to the best-of-three championship, which will be broadcast on May 6th.

Over its five year history, the NHUPC has featured some of the best poker action that has been seen on television. Because of its unique format - a NCAA style bracket tournament and a multitude of the top players in the poker world - the airings of the NHUPC have traditionally drawn strong audiences. Perhaps because of the challenges of having to win seven times to take the title (the Championship match is a “best two of three” affair), the former champions of the tournament read like a Who’s Who of poker:  Inaugural champion Hellmuth (2005), Ted Forrest (2006), Paul Wasicka (2007) and defending champion Ferguson.

To see who will become the latest name to join these preeminent players, be sure to tune in to NBC’s coverage of the National Heads Up Poker Championships beginning this Sunday at noon Eastern time.

Tom Dwan Scoops Largest High Stakes Poker Pot Ever

The fifth season of High Stakes Poker is currently airing on GSN and, in the final episode featuring Tom Dwan, the 22 year-old scooped a $919,600 pot, the largest ever won on the show. The win came at the expense of Barry Greenstein.

The second hand of High Stakes Poker, which airs on Sunday nights at 9:00pm ET on GSN, featured a $2,000 straddle by Peter Eastgate and a $4,000 double straddle by Doyle Brunson. Straddles have been used sparingly throughout the course of the show so far, a trend that was bucked this weekend. Greenstein made it $15,000 pre-flop holding As-Js. 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate called with Ks-7s and Brunson called with J-9. The flop came J-3-7 with one spade, giving Greenstein top pair with the best kicker. Eastgate checked, Brunson bet $35,000, and Greenstein called. High Stakes Poker announcer Gabe Kaplan noted, “Barry knows Doyle and if Doyle had a better hand than him, he'd check.”

After Greenstein called Brunson's bet, Eastgate raised to $104,000. Brunson got out of the way and Greenstein called. The turn came the 10 of spades, giving both players a flush draw, although Greenstein would have the nuts if a spade fell on the river. Greenstein bet $175,000 and Eastgate went into the tank before folding. Kaplan commented, “Barry did not want Peter Eastgate to say 'All in.'”

The biggest hand of the night came in a pot where Eastgate made it $3,500 pre-flop with A-K. Greenstein peeked down to see pocket aces and raised to $15,000. Dwan called with Ks-Qs and Eastgate also saw the flop of 2-4-Q with two spades. Kaplan made an elaborate Star Spangled Banner reference before Dwan led out and bet $28,700. Greenstein raised to $100,000 as a 50% favorite to win the pot and Dwan re-raised to $244,600. Greenstein shoved enough to put Dwan all-in and the two agreed to run it just once. Greenstein offered to let Dwan to take back $200,000, but the youngster declined. The turn was a queen, leaving Greenstein drawing to the case ace, which didn't come on the river. Dwan scooped the largest pot in High Stakes Poker history.

Sunday's installment of High Stakes Poker also saw Team PokerStars Pro member Daniel Negreanu go broke once again. He had the misfortune of running into quads earlier this season and, in his final hand, Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies raised to $4,500 with J-6 and Negreanu called with K-Q. The flop came Q-6-3, giving Negreanu top pair. Sahamies bet $8,000 and Negreanu elected to slow play his hand by just calling. The turn came another six and Sahamies bet $27,000, this time with trips instead of middle pair. Negreanu pushed for $102,400 and Sahamies quickly called. Negreanu quipped, “I'm just going to quit.” The river came a three, giving the $232,500 pot to Sahamies. Negreanu left the set, the first exit on High Stakes Poker this season.

One of the final hands for this group of seven players saw Eastgate raise to $3,500 with J-9. Dwan called with A-3 and David Benyamine raised to $16,000 with pocket nines. Both Eastgate and Dwan called, seeing the flop of 9-Q-Q. In the background of the hand was a heated discussion between Dwan and Sahamies over who owed who money, which took away a bit of the luster of this hand. Benyamine bet out $28,000 with his flopped full house, Eastgate called with two pair, and Dwan folded. The turn came a six and Benyamine once again led out for $38,000. Eastgate called and the river came an eight, which Kaplan noted “could save Eastgate some money.” Benyamine bet $75,000 and Eastgate called, losing the $331,200 pot.

The High Stakes Poker set at the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas will welcome seven new faces on Sunday, April 12th. They include “The Simpsons” producer Sam Simon, Phil Laak, Joe Hachem, Howard Lederer, Patrik Antonius, and Antonio Esfandiari. In addition, Negreanu will return looking to reverse his luck.

Daniel Negreanu Appears in X-Men Origins: Wolverine

In the upcoming release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, poker players may be able to catch a glimpse of one of the game's top stars. According to various sources that have viewed a pirated copy of the movie, there is a scene involving a game of Texas Hold'em featuring Wolverine, Gambit, and Daniel Negreanu.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine officially premieres on May 1st in the United States and Canada. In the meantime, editors in Hollywood will be busy paring down the film from its length of two and a half hours. The scene lasts for less than one minute and Negreanu is featured twice. While he offers no dialogue, the member of Team PokerStars Pro is seated a table playing a game of poker with the film's namesake and Gambit. The scene has been described to Poker News Daily as “nothing more than a quick cameo” and whether it will make the final cut upon its opening in the United States is unknown.

According to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB), X-Men Origins: Wolverine is described as follows: “Wolverine lives a mutant life, seeks revenge against Victor Creed (who will later become Sabertooth) for the death of his girlfriend, and ultimately ends up going through the mutant Weapon X program.” The film stars Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, and Liev Schreiber as Sabretooth. Negreanu appears uncredited.

This isn't Negreanu's first trip to the big screen. In 2007, he appeared in the movie Lucky You, which featured Eric Bana, Robert Duvall, and Drew Barrymore. The movie contained a wealth of poker players, although IMDB users graded it just 5.9 out of a possible score of 10. In addition to Negreanu, other members of the industry appearing in Lucky You included Sam Farha, Chau Giang, Barry Greenstein, Ted Forrest, Minh Ly, and Erick Lindgren. Poker icons Jack Binion, Doyle Brunson, and Johnny Chan also had cameos and are all officially credited in the movie.

Negreanu and the poker playing community also appeared in ESPN's short-lived series “Tilt,” which aired in 2005. ESPN World Series of Poker announcers Lon McEachern and Norman Chad were featured during the show, which starred Michael Madsen as Don “The Matador” Everest. Negreanu also took to the silver screen in the 2007 movie “The Grand,” which was released exactly two years ago on April 4th. The movie was described as an “improv comedy” and featured Woody Harrelson, Shannon Elizabeth, Mike Epps, Chris Parnell, and Ray Romano, among others. Three poker “Phils” – Laak, Gordon, and Hellmuth – also appeared in the movie.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is one of the most anticipated movies of the 2009 calendar year and the newest installment of the comic book franchise. The movie is directed by Gavin Hood, who was behind such films as Rendition and Tsotsi. It's written by the man who brought The Kite Runner, Troy, and 25th Hour to life. An article released by Reuters on Thursday noted that the pirated copy had been released online one month prior to its official release. However, “it included temporary sound and music and was missing effects and some scenes, with other scenes unedited.” The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) are seeking to uncover the source of the unauthorized copy.

TorrentFreak noted that X-Men Origins: Wolverine had been downloaded 75,000 times on BitTorrent, which the website equated to the release of The Dark Knight, which won an Academy Award for the late Heath Ledger as The Joker. The pirated version references Rising Sun Pictures, an Australian company. TorrentFreak speculated that the reason for the high number of downloads may be because “X-Men’s target audience are tech-savvy people who are likely to have heard about BitTorrent.”

Gold’s crew takes Dream Team title

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Visit PokerListings.com