Poker News

John Hennigan – Poker Player Bio

In his thirteen-year poker career, John Hennigan has been just as successful as many of the top players in the game. He is recognized by his peers as an astute and difficult player, capable of anything on the felt. Even though he has this reputation, however, he is perhaps one of the most underrated players in the poker world because of his low-key demeanor.

The Philadelphia, PA, native who now calls California home has been part of the poker world since the late 1990s, when he earned his first cash at the World Poker Finals at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut. Since that time, Hennigan has moved on to become one of the most feared players in the game, with none other than Daniel Negreanu admitting he was a formidable foe. In an interview with PokerLizard.com, Negreanu is quoted as saying, “I most like to play with John Hennigan because when he is focused, he is the best I’ve ever played with. He thinks on another level that few could understand.”

Prior to stepping into the tournament arena, Hennigan made a name for himself grinding the cash games of Atlantic City’s casino scene. He quenched his thirst for competition (Hennigan early in life was a professional pool player) by earning a nice living from those cash games. Although he was successful, John still craved more adventurous battles on the felt, which led him to tournament action.

Known as “World” because of his propensity to gamble on pretty much anything in the world, Hennigan has had significant success in several disciplines of poker, from No Limit Hold’em to Seven Card Stud to H.O.R.S.E. His first World Series of Poker cash came in 1999, when he finished 19th in the $10,000 Championship Event, and he has been able to take home two prized WSOP bracelets. He won his first in 2002 (in the $2000 H.O.R.S.E. event) and picked up his second in 2004 in the $5000 Limit Hold’em tournament. His last cash at the WSOP came this year in the $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship, which was the eleventh career cash at the WSOP.

On the World Poker Tour stage, Hennigan has been able to maintain his history of success. He made his first WPT final table in 2002 at the Five Diamond World Poker Classic at the Bellagio – where he finished fourth – and finally broke through to win his first WPT event in 2007 at the Borgata Winter Open in Atlantic City. His $1.79 million in earnings on the WPT place him among the Top Fifty in WPT history in money won. All totaled, Hennigan has earned over $3.2 million in his tournament poker career.

On the felt, Hennigan uses his quick analytical skills to size up his table and their play. Not above making a play against his opponents, he also normally will be quite strong when in a hand. His unassuming style is perhaps the main reason why he has not drawn much attention from poker fans or the media.

PokerStars Champions Reception

Hosted by 2005 World Series of Poker Main Event Winner Joe Hachem, PokerStars held a “PokerStars Champions Reception” and invited select media to attend. Hachem acted as the host and gave a speech about the site and how important the relationship is for him. He went on to talk about how many players that PokerStars sent to the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event (the number was over one thousand) and how the site is still going strong.

Later in the speech he welcomed 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Joe Cada, who admitted he’s not much of a speech guy but thanked PokerStars for their sponsorship and to the media for attending the event. He talked about what winning the WSOP Main Event meant for him and how PokerStars has supported him every step of the way.

Cada then handed off the microphone to the first of the two newest members of Team PokerStars Pro in David Williams. Williams, who won the World Poker Tour‘s Five Diamond Championship at the Bellagio in Las Vegas earlier in the year, was able to opt out of his contract with his former sponsor at Bodog. He then went on to sign with the world’s largest poker site and become part of the team. Off the record it was overheard that Hachem, upon seeing Williams at the party for the first time, shook his hand and said with a big smile, “Welcome to a REAL poker site!” as Williams returned the handshake and smile, obviously excited for his new sponsorship.

Finally, the second new member of Team PokerStars Pro, Vanessa Selbst, came on the stage to say a few words. She talked about her win at the NAPT which was much publicized and how she came out of semi-retirement to play again full time once PokerStars made an offer for her to come aboard the team.

This reception speech was filmed just prior to the start of the 2010 WSOP Main Event from the Palms Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. We will be bringing interviews from this reception with members of Team PokerStars all through this week.

BoostedJ Banks WPT London High Roller Win

After over 12 hours of final-table action, including 8.5 hours of eight-handed play, the 22-year-old Floridian, who now calls Los Angeles home, beat Tony G heads-up to win £141,000.

“It is brilliant to finally get a first place on the WPT after my near misses at the Bellagio,” said Smith. “This was quite some battle – the line-up was so tough. I am satisfied, but completely exhausted.”

Smith finished second and third, respectively, at the WPT Bellagio Cup the past two years.

“For me it wasn’t about the money it was about the pride of taking first place but what will be will be,” said runner-up Guoga.

French poker legend Bruno Fitoussi bubbled the money while Freddy Deeb finished third.

A day earlier, 22-year-old Jake Cody won the inaugural WPT London Poker Classic main event for £273,783. Cody is now two-thirds of the way towards winning poker’s Triple Crown after the UK native won EPT Deauville earlier this year.

The star-studded PartyPoker.com World Open V is now underway at the Palm Beach Casino.

Online high-stakes pro Andrew Robl has already won his opening heat, defeating a lineup that included Tom ”durrrr” Dwan, Brandon Cantu and Roland de Wolfe.

Sam Trickett was victorious in a heat that included James Akenhead and Neil Channing.

Phil Laak won the event last year.

Bruno Fitoussi – Poker Player Profile

Frenchman Bruno “King” Fitoussi, born September 21, 1958 in Paris, can often be found playing in the biggest poker games in the world. But Fitoussi isn’t your regular high-stakes card shark. An architect by trade, Fitoussi was also a music producer before founding the consulting firm VIP Gaming, where he still holds a position as President. He also created the poker magazine 52, which can be found in casinos all over Europe.

The entrepreneur has said in interviews that he isn’t a professional poker player, but that is certainly debatable based on his results. Fitoussi first made his mark in the poker world by defeating legendary pro Amarillo Slim at the 2001 World Heads-Up Championship in Vienna, Austria. He earned $101,727 for his first title on the circuit, amplifying his love for the game that has continued into the next decade.

In 2004, Fitoussi was voted into the European Poker Hall of Fame, joining superstars like David “Devilfish” Ulliott, Carlos Mortensen, Marcel Luske, and Surinder Sunar. The honor not only rewarded his talent at the tables, but also his contributions to the emergence of Texas Hold’em in France, especially through the Aviation Club. Fitoussi helped bring in some of Europe’s top players to the famous poker club, including David Benyamine, Tony G, Ram Vaswani, Joe Beevers, and the Boatman brothers.

In 2005, Fitoussi made his first final table at the World Series of Poker (WSOP), finishing second in a $1,500 Seven Card Razz event for $70,275. He made another final table at the 2006 WSOP, taking fifth in a $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha event for $54,486.

Fitoussi’s biggest achievement came at the $50,000 HORSE World Championship at the 2007 WSOP, where he faced off against 147 of the best poker players in the game. After five days of play and a 14-hour final table, he came within a few hands of winning his first bracelet, finishing as the runner-up to Freddy Deeb for a cool $1,278,720. The tournament was aired by ESPN and put Fitoussi on the poker map, helping lead to his appearance on more television shows in the future.

Since then, Fitoussi has found a lot of success on the World Poker Tour (WPT). He took second place in a $5,000 event at the WPT Five Star World Poker Classic at the Bellagio in Las Vegas in 2008, collecting $205,385. He then took 10th at the $25,000 WPT Championship in 2009 for $98,050, an event ultimately won by internet phenom Yevgeniy “Jovial Gent” Timoshenko. In total, Fitoussi has more than $2.4 million in live tournament earnings.

Despite his success, Fitoussi still isn’t one of the more recognizable faces in the world of high-stakes poker. He isn’t flamboyant like Daniel Negreanu, obnoxious like Mike Matusow, or temperamental like Phil Hellmuth. His quiet, polite behavior on the felts hasn’t helped land him any sponsorship deals with major online sites, but the cool-headed “pro” seems to be just fine with that.

Annie Duke Breaks Down Bellagio Poker Tournament Structures, UBOC 5

Poker News Daily: What have you been up to poker-wise since the conclusion of the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP)?

Annie Duke: Trying to slack off. My goal has to been to shirk all responsibility and I’ve been doing a pretty good job of that. The WSOP is a lot. It’s six weeks of playing every day and I am burned out from it. I still have been doing my part and went to Washington DC to testify in front of the House Financial Services Committee. I’ve been spending time with my kids before school starts. I was going to hit The Bike, but it conflicted with UBOC, which I wanted to play a lot of.

PND: You told us earlier that you’re not a big fan of the Bellagio’s tournament structures. Can you explain your point of view?

Annie Duke: When you can sign up on Day 2 and it’s not a bad choice, that’s not a good structure. If I show up on time, I’m playing in a structure where the average stack at the end of Day 1 is 10% higher than the starting stack. Overall, it seems like a waste of a day. If you show up on Day 2, you’re going to lose out on people who are willing to explode, so I also feel like you miss out on opportunities if you start late.

You shouldn’t have a good choice to sign up on Day 2. In the WSOP, signing up two hours late is reasonable to me. The third level in should be good relative to the starting stack. At the Bellagio, you’re signing up eight or 10 levels in. You shouldn’t be able to do that and still have a decent starting stack.

You want to have a lot of play, but at some point, you have to think about people’s play and their health. You should be getting into the money early on Day 2. The pendulum has swung so far partly because of events like the Venetian Deep Stack tournaments. Those go fast because they start you with a lot of chips, but the rest of the structure is pretty fast.

PND: The fifth Ultimate Bet Online Championship, or UBOC, recently played out on UB.com and Absolute Poker. Heading into the series, what were you looking forward to the most?

Annie Duke: I just like the variety. I feel like online it’s always No Limit Hold’em unless it’s one of these big tournament series. To figure out our UBOC schedule, we look at what’s done well in the past. We also want to preserve the integrity of the series itself. It might look like a good strategy to have all No Limit Hold’em events because they’re the most popular, but that hurts your series overall. When the Bellagio went all No Limit Hold’em, their attendance started dropping. People came in for a few tournaments here and there and then left. If you offer a big variety of games, people come in and camp out for a month to play.

It’s all about balancing what does well with what people will sign up for. The pros on UB.com definitely get asked about what they like. They have a good beat on what’s becoming popular. A year or so ago, people started pushing for Pot Limit Omaha Eight or Better and that’s a great game.

PND: Tell us about testifying in front of the House Financial Services Committee on July 20th in Washington, DC.

Annie Duke: Since the trip, HR 2267 got out of committee, which is amazing. We’re now in a situation that during the lame duck session when the spending bills are being passed, you’ll have people that know they won’t be retuning to Congress in 2011 and may not have a problem backing an online gaming bill. There’s a decent chance of the bill passing this year. I wouldn’t make it a favorite, but we have the best chance we’ve had in the last five years.

The big thing for me is overwhelming disappointment in the Commerce Casino’s position. They’ve taken an anti-competitive stance in regard to online gaming. Unless the Commerce is the only operator, they don’t want to share. That’s ridiculous for poker players. They want the version where they’re the only hub that offers online gaming in California.

If there’s a bill that allows gaming in California, it doesn’t help someone in Iowa or Delaware. Those states would have to pass their own bills, but look at the population difference. At the Commerce, I can gamble with people from all over the world. I feel like the Commerce Casino’s position is anti-competitive and their customer base consists of poker players. In the end, the poker players fund their commercial interests.

Also, I’m concerned by the comparison of the operators of online sites to the drug cartels. We know that’s not true. These sites may not be licensed in the U.S., but foreign governments that are friends of our government license them. France isn’t in the business of licensing drug dealers and terrorists.

PND: Tell us about Liv Boeree and UB.com parting ways.

Annie Duke: The issue was that she had a really good result that increased her value and wanted something we couldn’t come to terms with. It was very amicable.

PND: What are your Labor Day plans?

Annie Duke: I don’t have any plans, but I’ll probably cook out with my kids. We don’t do big Labor Days or Memorial Days. I feel like every day is a party at the Duke household.

September 1st – Daily Deal

On today’s edition of the Daily Deal, Barney Frank may step down as Financial Services Committee Chairman; the World Poker Tour and Fox Sports Net extend a partnership; and Gus “The Great Dane” Hansen gets taken to the cleaners by Phil Ivey and Cole South.

Hello, I’m Sean Gibson and welcome to the Daily Deal by Poker News Daily.

In November, the United States will hold its general elections. On Capitol Hill, the entire House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate will be determined. If after the elections Republicans gain control of the House, then Congressman Barney Frank’s time as the Financial Services Committee Chairman may come to an end, and in the worst case scenario he would be replaced by notoriously anti-gaming Congressman Spencer Bachus.

Frank has been one of the strongest supporters of the legalization of online poker and he is currently promoting HR 2267, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act. The bill was marked up in the Financial Services Committee in late July and has received the support of seventy co-sponsors. Frank has been in the House since 1980 and served as the Financial Services Committee Chairman since 2007.

The World Poker Tour and Fox Sports Net announced this week that they will continue their broadcast and promotional relationship, settling on an agreement that will stretch until 2013. The World Poker Tour’s ninth Season will begin airing in January two thousand eleven, starting with the Bellagio Cup.

The broadcast will have several improvements, including new anchor Kimberly Lansing and the introduction of the beautiful Royal Flush Girls. Season nine will also debut a yet-to-be-named new analyst who will host a recurring segment called “The Raw Deal.”

New World Poker Tour CEO Steve Heller said: “This season promises to be unlike any previous incarnations of the WPT … The shows will be faster-paced and edgier, featuring the biggest names in poker mixing it up with more up-and-coming stars, pre-final table action, and, as always, poker’s greatest and most recognizable play-by-play commentary team of Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten.”

HighStakesDB.com has reported that hyper-aggressive pro Gus Hansen lost over one million dollars last Sunday… to just two opponents.

Cole South of CardRunners fame and eight-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Phil Ivey took Hansen for more than one point one million dollars, almost half of the “Great Dane’s” net losses on the year. HighStakesDB – which tracks the action at high-stakes online poker tables – reported that Hansen’s losses Sunday came primarily in two and four thousand Fixed Limit Omaha Hi-Lo. He lost nearly $400,000 to Ivey in that game along with $99,000 to South, and an additional three hundred and thirty five thousand in Omaha Eight or Better when it was part of a Seven Game rotation.

All told, Hansen is down $2.3 million dollars for this year, while Ivey has cashed $3.5 million on online play. South is up eighty thousand due to a recent downswing.

Guess we should be asking for holiday gifts from Ivey, South and Jungleman this year!

Thanks for watching The Daily Deal once again, and as always be sure to bookmark Poker News Daily for the latest in poker news. Be sure to add us to your twitter feed at http://twitter.com/pokernewsdaily. I’m Sean Gibson and may the flop be with you!

WPT, FSN Enter Into Multi-Season Deal

The World Poker Tour (WPT) and Fox Sports Net (FSN) announced Monday that they will continue their broadcast and promotional relationship, settling on an agreement that will stretch until 2013. Seasons 9, 10, and 11 of the highly popular WPT broadcasts will feature prime time national premiere airtimes of 8:00 PM and 11:00 PM on Sunday nights, as well as multiple repeat airings throughout the week on FSN.

WPT’s Season 9 will begin airing in January 2011 and kick off with Bellagio Cup IX. Several changes and enhancements will be made to the broadcast, including new anchor Kimberly Lansing; a new tour stop at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida; and the introduction of the beautiful Royal Flush Girls, who will serve as on-air fixtures during every show. Season 9 will also debut a brash, yet-to-be-named new analyst who will host a recurring segment called “The Raw Deal.” The WPT held auditions for the new position during the WPT Legends of Poker tournament on August 19 at the Bicycle Casino.

“This season promises to be unlike any previous incarnations of the WPT,” said Steve Heller, CEO of WPT. “The shows will be faster-paced and edgier, featuring the biggest names in poker mixing it up with more up-and-coming stars, pre-final table action, and, as always, poker’s greatest and most recognizable play-by-play commentary team of Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten.”

Sexton and Van Patten return for their ninth season in the WPT broadcast booth and are excited about adding “The Raw Deal” host to the team. “We’re looking for sort of a Simon Cowell kind of character that’s not afraid to bring down even a Phil Ivey, a Phil Hellmuth, a Daniel Negreanu, if he feels like they made a bonehead play,” Sexton said to Poker News Daily’s Sean Gibson. “They need to have poker experience and knowledge to be capable of critiquing an excellent, superb poker player.”

FSN is composed of 16 regional television stations that reach over 80 million homes throughout the United States. The network acquired the rights to Season 7 of the WPT after GSN declined to pick up its option following Season 6. The first five WPT seasons aired on The Travel Channel.

“As a leader in sports programming, FSN has been a great champion of the WPT and we are thrilled to make this long-term commitment as we celebrate a new day for the WPT,” said WPT President Adam Pliska. “The better airtimes, improved promotion, and the increased number of repeat episodes promise to be a boon for fans and the perfect showcase for the exciting changes coming to the WPT starting in Season 9.”

Season 9 saw the first-ever WPT stop in London get underway Monday with a surprisingly low turnout as only 72 players entered Day 1a of the £5,300 buy-in event. Thirty-six players made it through the day, including Full Tilt Pros Phil Ivey, Praz Bansi, Huck Seed, and chip leader Erik Seidel. The tournament wraps up with the final table on Saturday.

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest news on the World Poker Tour.

Andy Frankenberger Leads WPT Legends of Poker Final Table

Andy Frankenberger owns a slight chip lead over the rest of the pack entering the final table of the World Poker Tour (WPT) Legends of Poker. His stack of 3.02 million represents the lone tally at the table over three million. At stake are a $750,000 grand prize and a seat into the end-of-season WPT Championship at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

The Bicycle Casino in nearby Los Angeles is playing host to the Legends of Poker. Since WPT final tables are played six-handed, the distinction of Bubble Boy went to Steve Reitzfeld, who busted in seventh place for $45,000. Reitzfeld moved all-in on a flop of 5-4-3 holding A-7 for two overcards and a gutshot. Tom Lee looked him up with a wired pair of nines and a running 3-J cemented the six-handed finale.

Online poker player Wade Woelfel hit the rail in eighth place after running pocket tens into the pocket queens of Lee. Following the back-to-back eliminations, Lee vaulted to 2.92 million in chips, good for second place at the Legends of Poker final table behind Frankenberger. The chip leader told WPT hostess Kimberly Lansing, “My strategy has been consistently inconsistent, so I’ll try to keep that up.”

Tyler “brainwash” Cornell was ousted from the WPT Legends of Poker in 11th place and picked up $24,000. Cornell open-shoved all-in pre-flop with A-8 and received a call from Frankenberger, who held pocket rockets. No help came for Cornell, who picked up his second WPT in the money finish. Cornell’s elimination set up the unofficial final table, as the 10 players remaining combined into one group.

Victory Poker’s Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little was gunning for his record-tying third WPT title on Tuesday. However, his bid ultimately came up short, as Little found the exit in 12th place. In his final hand, Little called all-in on a board of Js-6h-2d-7s-10s. Frankenberger flipped over 8s-6s for a runner-runner flush and Little exited stage right. He Twittered after the fact, “Ran into runner-runner flush of the table clown twice. Guess I just suck.”

The good news for Little is that, according to his Twitter feed, he won $1,500 in the Los Angeles airport while waiting for his Southwest Airlines flight back to Las Vegas: “Flying to LAS. Wheeeee. Somehow won $1,500 online in the airport despite being on monster tilt. Shiiiiippp.” Little has 11 cashes in WPT tournaments and was the Season VI Player of the Year after logging two final tables and bubbling a third.

Perhaps the most memorable ride on Tuesday belonged to Adam Schiffer. In a span of just three hands, Schiffer lost pocket queens to Lee’s A-Q and pocket kings to Jared Jaffee’s A-Q of clubs. In the latter hand, Jaffee flopped a pair of queens, but rivered a flush to deliver the bad beat. One player at the table noted, “[Schiffer] built up this great image where everyone thinks he’s bluffing, and then he traps them with strong hands – and loses.”

Here are the chip stacks of the six players remaining in the hunt for the WPT Legends of Poker title:

1. Andy Frankenberger – 3,015,000
2. Tom Lee – 2,915,000
3. Kyle Wilson – 2,854,000
4. Jared Jaffee – 1,006,000
5. Tom Braband – 968,000
6. Franco Brunetti – 800,000

The experienced final table includes Jaffee, who made the finale of the WPT Southern Poker Championship in January. Kyle Wilson took sixth in the Legends of Poker two years ago, while Lee finished sixth in this tournament 2004. For Frankenberger, Tom Braband, and Franco Brunetti, this year’s Legends of Poker marks their first WPT final table.

We’ll have full results from the WPT Legends of Poker on Thursday right here on Poker News Daily.

Vanessa Selbst Interview

Vanessa Selbst is interviewed at the PokerStars cocktail party from the World Series of Poker at the official gathering announcing that she is now a member of Team PokerStars Pro. She joins the team along with David Williams, who was coming off a win at the WPT Championship at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Selbst herself was coming off a win at the PokerStars sponsored North American Poker Tour, otherwise known as the NAPT which was aired on ESPN from the Mohegan Sun. Her first place finish in that $5,000 tournament earned her a cool $750,000. Back in 2008 she won the Los Angeles Poker Classic WPT Ladies Event ($1,000 entry), defeating fellow pro Erica Schoenberg. A professional poker table with numerous final tables to her name, Selbst won the 2008 World Series of Poker $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha event. She plays online at PokerStars under the name “V. Selbst” often found in the major tournaments at PLO tables.

Selbst is a native of New York and graduated from Yale University. She is currently attending Yale Law School with the intention of becoming a lawyer in the field of civil rights law, all the while playing poker professionally. Selbst is known to many online players through her many training video series, specifically ones for Pot Limit Omaha, at Deuces Cracked where she is an Executive Producer.

In this interview with Sean Gibson, Selbst talks about the notoriety she receives at tables due to her coaching videos and how it’s come to bite her, specifically in the $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha WSOP tournament this year. She also discusses how the deal with PokerStars came about and what it means to be a part of their list of sponsored pros.

To date, Selbst’s total live tournament earnings amount to slightly more than $1.67 million and her seven cashes in World Series of Poker events amount to just over $600,000 of that amount.

WPT Hires Vegas Vets to Run London Classic

Two veteran Bellagio floor people will be running the show when the WPT London Poker Classic hits the Palm Beach Casino, Mayfair Aug. 30- Sept. 4.

Jack McClelland, Bellagio's longtime tournament director, will be handling those duties in London, while Bellagio's director of poker operations Doug Dalton will be in charge of the cash games at nearby Crockfords.

"There's a real buzz about the WPT London Poker Classic and it fits that we have chosen to partner with two of the best in the business to oversee the action," said Genting Casinos London poker manager Simon Tomsett.

"Jack and Doug bring experience and stature to the event and cash games. We may not have the water features of Bellagio but we're expecting top tournament action at The Palm Beach Casino and some Bobby's Room magic at Crockfords.

"The WPT London Poker Classic kicks-off the biggest poker month in British history where across all the major events and games we're estimating that £100 million will be wagered through the poker tables in the capital."

Phil Ivey, Tony G, Dave 'Devilfish' Ulliott, Alexander Kravchenko, Annette Obrestad, Sorel Mizzi and James Akenhead are already scheduled to play in the £5,000+£300 main event.

The tournament will feature two starting days beginning Aug. 30 and a Sept. 4 8-handed final.

In addition, the WPT and PartyPoker are hosting a £15,000 televised high rollers event Sept. 3-5.

Satellites into the main event at The Palm Beach Casino are already running.

August 16th – Daily Deal

Topics: PokerStars WCOOP Satellites, Nevada Gambling Revenue Numbers and Full Tilt Poker Doubles Poker Championship on GSN.

On today’s edition of the Daily Deal, PokerStars announces WCOOP Extreme Satellites, Nevada’s gambling revenues fall once again, and the Full Tilt Doubles Poker Championship premieres on GSN.

Hello, I’m Sean Gibson and welcome to the Daily Deal by Poker News Daily.

Starting on August 21st, PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker site, is putting up more than five-hundred thousand dollars in seats to its annual World Championship of Online Poker, or WCOOP. These WCOOP Extreme Satellites will run all the way through August 29th, with three opportunities to win your way in daily. Extreme Satellites are available for players of all budgets and range from $5.50 all the way up to $260. Each Extreme Satellite pays out tournament tickets that can only be used in WCOOP events and a total of thirty will take place.

In figures released by the Nevada Gaming Control Board last week, state casinos pulled in revenue of $763.8 million dollars in June, a drop of nearly seven percent year over year. It marks the largest drop in revenue compared to the same month the year before since October two-thousand nine, when win fell more than eleven percent. Revenues statewide in Nevada topped eight-hundred million dollars in June of last year.

Las Vegas Strip casinos pulled in revenue of $382.9 million dollars in June, a dip of 7% year over year. The Strip plays host to a bevy of poker tournaments held in casinos like the Bellagio, Venetian, and Caesars Palace.

On Saturday night, the Full Tilt Doubles Poker Championship premiered on GSN, taking the place of the Aussie Millions, whose Main Event aired last weekend. A one million dollar first place prize is up for grabs in the Doubles Championship and thirty-two players coughed up fifty-thousand dollars each to enter. The unique show was taped at the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas and featured Brandon Adams and David Tuchman on the call.

Two heats were shown in the premiere. Vivek “Psyduck” Rajkumar and Johnny Chan defeated Toto Leonidas and Howard Lederer in the first heat. Then, Phil Ivey and Nick Schulman bested Carlos Mortensen and Gavin Smith in heat number two. A regular season, semi-finals, and finals will play out before a Full Tilt Doubles Poker Championship winning team is determined. Catch the show every Saturday at 9p.m. Eastern Time on GSN.

That wraps up today’s Daily Deal and be sure to check back with us all week long for the latest in poker news. You can also add us to your twitter feed at http://twitter.com/pokernewsdaily. Until tomorrow, I’m Sean Gibson hoping you crush your opponents at the tables!

Unabomber Poker Hosts Phil Laak Bounty Freeroll on August 31st

Just weeks removed from a high-profile ATV mishap, Phil Laak and his online poker site, Unabomber Poker, will host a special Unabomber Bounty Freeroll on August 31st. As its name implies, the player who knocks out Laak from his very own tournament takes home a prize, an autographed Unabomber hoodie.

Laak has been preoccupied with recouping from his accident that occurred on August 5th in the wilds of Oregon. He Tweeted on Wednesday to his 11,000-plus followers, “Today I figured out a way to lay on my stomach. Divine. Manana getting new cast to isolate the wrist smash deal. PT on elbow then begins.” Laak posted a multitude of images of the accident and added via Twitter, “Jennifer is the best. Cuddling with her is better for the pain then even my Percocet pain medicine.” Cute.

Despite the swag up for grabs, text found in an e-mail distributed to the media last week cautioned, “The receipt of the sweatshirt might be somewhat delayed due to the fact that Laak also broke his writing hand.” The top seven finishers on the Unabomber Bounty Freeroll will receive Gold Chips as an added bonus for playing, with the amount ranging from 50 Gold Chips for seventh to 300 for first. Registration for the Unabomber Bounty Freeroll will open 60 minutes prior to its 8:00pm ET start time.

Laak broke down his injury in the same press release and then found time to talk smack about the August 31st bounty tournament on Unabomber Poker: “I easily could have lost my eye or had soup for brains. I got lucky and only have seven broken bones in my arm and 34 stitches around my eye. With Nurse Jennifer taking care of me well, I now have plenty of time now for online poker. While I am definitely battered and bruised physically, my brain is razor sharp. Just try and take me down on August 31st.”

Laak is fresh off setting the world record for longest continuous poker session at 115 hours in June at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. His lively personality and propensity for prop betting has landed him airtime on several of the industry’s staple television shows, including NBC’s “Poker After Dark” and GSN’s “High Stakes Poker.”

Laak won the Season 2 World Poker Tour (WPT) Invitational at the Commerce Casino for $100,000, one of three WPT final tables for “The Unabomber.” He’s made one final table during his World Series of Poker (WSOP) career, lodging a second place finish in a $2,500 Pot Limit Hold’em event five years ago for $156,000. He won the 2009 PartyPoker World Open for $250,000 and has two victories in “Poker After Dark” tournaments.

Unabomber Poker is a card-carrying member of the Cake Poker Network, whose roster of sites includes Cake Poker, DoylesRoom, and Power Poker. The Network is the 16th largest worldwide in terms of real money ring game traffic, boasting a seven-day running average of 850 cash game players according to PokerScout.com. The Network’s sites gladly accept players from the United States.

Laak and Victory Poker pro Antonio Esfandiari Tweeted throughout the ATV ordeal, keeping their jovial spirits despite the circumstances. Numerous pictures were submitted via Twitter, including several memorable ones of Laak lying battered, bruised, and shirtless in a hospital bed.

Visit Unabomber Poker for more information. All of us here at Poker News Daily wish Laak a speedy road to recovery.

Nevada Casino Gambling Revenues Dip 6.65% in June

In figures released by the Nevada Gaming Control Board this week, state casinos pulled in revenue, or “win,” of $763.8 million in June, a drop of 6.65% year over year. It marks the largest drop in revenue compared to the same month the year before since October 2009, when win fell 11.56%. Revenues statewide in Nevada topped $800 million in June 2009.

In Clark County, which includes the city of Las Vegas, revenues were $640.1 million in June, a slide of 6.91% from the same month a year earlier. Every single area within the county posted a loss year over year, including the famed Las Vegas Strip, whose gigantic casino resorts pulled in revenue of $382.9 million in June, a dip of 7.62% from the $414.5 million posted in June 2009. The Strip plays host to a bevy of poker tournaments held in casinos like the Bellagio, Venetian, and Caesars Palace.

In Downtown Las Vegas, where shows like “Face the Ace” and “High Stakes Poker” are taped at the Golden Nugget, revenues of $40.2 million represented an 11.67% fall year over year, the second largest decline of any area in Nevada. In North Las Vegas, revenues were off 7.98% year over year to $23.4 million. Out in Laughlin, which also sits in Clark County, casino win was down nearly 5% to $36.6 million, while on the Boulder Strip, revenues of $62.0 million represented an 8.85% slide year over year.

Washoe County was hard hit in June. The scorching summer heat failed to send would-be gamblers to air conditioned casinos, as the county’s gambling revenues slid 9.17% to $63.5 million. In Reno, “The Biggest Little City in the World,” gambling win dove 8.32% year over year in June to $47.1 million. Nearby Sparks reported the largest decline two months ago of any area in Nevada at 13.23%, as its revenues of $9.4 million fell well short of last year’s tally of $10.8 million.

South Lake Tahoe casinos owners were dancing a jig in June, as area gambling establishments posted a 13.52% gain in win year over year to $19.8 million. Over the fiscal year to date, however, revenues in South Lake Tahoe are still down nearly 17% to $219.7 million. In North Lake Tahoe, casino revenue sank 10.58% in June to $2.2 million.

In Elko County, which includes the city of Wendover, casino revenues were off 10.11% to $19.8 million. In Wendover, which accounts for the bulk of the revenue the county pulls in, win slipped by 9.72% to $12.1 million. Finally, the Carson Valley Area was the second jurisdiction to post a gain year over year, as its $8.6 million in casino win marked a rise of 5.15%.

The State of Nevada pulled in $42.9 million in fees from its licensed casinos in July based on revenues recorded in June. The figure represented a 5.94% drop from the previous year, or $2.7 million in real money.

Las Vegas will next host a major tournament series in October, when the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Festa al Lago comes to town. The Bellagio event kicks off on October 15th and boasts a $10,300 buy-in. The WPT will return to the Strip casino two months later for the annual Five Diamond World Poker Classic in December. The World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit, which begins next week in Iowa, won’t come to Las Vegas until next April at Caesars Palace.

In November, the off-Strip Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino will play host to the November Nine of the WSOP Main Event. Charity tournaments, an elaborate Poker Hall of Fame induction ceremony, and other side events are also planned surrounding the November 6th weekend. Check out the full Nevada Gaming Control Board revenue report.

Top 10 Las Vegas Shows by Linda Johnson

Although I love being entertained, I’ve never really thought of myself as a show critic. When my editor sent me an e-mail suggesting that my next blog be about the top 10 Vegas “must-see” shows, I didn’t realize what hard work it would be to narrow it down to 10 since there are so many terrific shows here. After making my list and adding, deleting, and crossing some off, here are the best shows Las Vegas has to offer. Remember, the opinions expressed in this blog are mine and mine alone!

1. Drum roll please… Jersey Boys! Jersey Boys is the story of how Frankie Valli, Tommy DeVito, Bob Gaudio, and Nick Massi joined together to attain fame and stardom as the Four Seasons. They take turns telling their stories through their incredible music. It’s hard to believe how much great music they created. I read that they had 71 songs on the charts and eight of them shot to #1. If you’ve been around long enough to remember who shot JR, how to use a typewriter, rabbit ears, and 45 records, you’ll probably know the words to most of the songs in this production. I promise you that on your way out, you’ll want to buy the soundtrack!

Show details: Showing Thursday to Tuesday at the Palazzo, Jersey Boys is dark on Wednesday. Ticket prices go from about $75 to well over $200 for this two-hour production. There isn’t a bad seat in the house. Be sure you make a reservation early if you want premium seats since they often sell out.

2. Love – A Cirque du Soleil production showing at the Mirage. If you love Beatles music, then you’ll love Love (that’s a lot of love, isn’t it?). There are approximately 25 Beatles hits showcased on the stage through amazing performances by the cast of 60. There is so much going on that it’s hard to know where to look. I’ve been to see Love five times and see new things each time. My favorite scene is “Help,” in which four amazing skaters take to the stage and perform incredible athletic twists, jumps, and flips on specially made ramps. My second favorite act is performed to the song “Revolution/Back in the USSR” and features amazing trampoline feats. I was lucky to score a backstage pass and got to see the hydraulic lifts, secret doors, lighting, and rigging involved in producing this theater in the round.

Show details: There are two shows nightly at 7:00pm and 9:30pm Thursday to Monday. Prices range from $93 to $150. I would recommend seats no lower than the tenth row since you want to be able to see everything happening at once.

3. O – A Cirque du Soleil production at Bellagio. O is a spin-off from the French word eau, meaning water. At one time, O was my number one pick, but I guess I’ve become a bit jaded from living in Las Vegas and having access to the latest technology when it comes to stages. The stage will keep you in awe, as it is instantly transformed from a solid surface to a 30-foot deep, one million gallon swimming pool. The cast of 85 performers consists of high divers, contortionists, acrobats, and synchronized swimmers. More than 150 stagehands are needed to keep the special effects working seemingly effortlessly. All the while, there is a haunting soundtrack performed by live musicians and singers. You’ll want to buy the DVD!

Show details: There are two performances nightly at 7:30pm and 10:00pm and the show is dark on Mondays and Tuesdays. Ticket prices are a bit steep at between $130 and $200. Reservations are suggested since O often sells out.

4. Viva Elvis – Surprise, another Cirque du Soleil show. Viva Elvis showcases the life and music of Elvis Presley through authentic video clips, gymnastics, dance, and, of course, music. One thing I really liked about this production is the amount of dancing in it. You will love the scene featuring what must be some of the best trampoline acrobats in the world. The sound system in the theater is of the highest quality and the seats were very comfortable. I particularly enjoyed the actual footage from newsreels of Elvis going into the Army and his wedding to Priscilla.

Show details: Viva Elvis is performed at Aria twice nightly at 7:00pm and 9:30pm. It is dark on Mondays and Tuesdays. Ticket prices are in the $115 to $175 range.

5. Penn and Teller – Poker fans will be familiar with the Penn and Teller Theater at the Rio since this was the setting for the final table of the 2008 and 2009 WSOP Main Event final tables. How do you describe the Penn and Teller show? It’s a zany combination of magic and comedy. Performing together for about 30 years, this two-man act keeps the show fresh by adding new tricks and routines all the time. They have a great partnership, with Penn doing the hilarious narration while Teller carries out the tricks.

Show details: Prices are about $85 or you can have dinner at Buzio’s and the show for about $30 more. There is one performance nightly at 9:00pm and the show is dark on Thursdays and Fridays.

6. Mystere – Back to Cirque du Soleil. Mystere has been featured at Treasure Island since 1993 and is a fun, entertaining production that will keep you smiling. You will be reminded of being at a circus. Clowns are abundant, as are remarkable athletes who perform amazing acts of strength and agility. There is a strongman act that will blow you away. I never get tired of Mystere!

Show details: Performances are twice nightly at 7:00pm and 9:30pm. Mystere is dark on Thursdays and Fridays. Ticket prices are in the $80 to $130 range.

7. Lion King – The Lion King had a tough act to follow after Mamma Mia left Mandalay Bay, but it has met all expectations. The Lion King is the story of Simba, the young lion, who will be king of the jungle one day. The costumes and music will grab you. This play won Tony Awards on Broadway and will surely win awards for its Las Vegas rendition.

Show details: Lion King is dark on Fridays and features matinees at 4:00pm on Saturdays and Sundays as well as an 8:00pm show these days. It plays at 7:30pm Monday to Thursday. Ticket prices range from $75 to $200.

8. Carrot Top: I was reluctant to see Carrot Top because I thought it would be a silly, corny show. Well, it is a bit silly and corny, but I’ve seen it many times because it’s also laugh-out-loud funny! Carrot Top uses lots of props for his one-liners and occasional groaners. Each performance is different and you never know what will happen next. Go see this show if you are in the mood for a good time. Be sure to get there a few minutes early to watch some funny videos and catch the opening comedy act.

Show details: Carrot Top shows at 8:30pm at the Luxor every night except Tuesday. Tickets are in the $60 to $70 range, providing a good value for this 90-minute show.

9. Le Reve – Le Reve, at the Wynn, is amazing! It is very fast-paced and features a multitude of acts involving gymnasts, synchronized swimmers, high divers, and dancers performing amazing feats. The stage is constantly transforming from water to a solid platform and the backstage lifts and technology create awesome effects. The theater is unique and was built to allow attendees to be seated very close to the nonstop action. Don’t miss this show!

Show details: Le Reve is dark on Wednesdays and Thursdays and has two shows nightly Friday to Tuesday at 7:00pm and 9:30pm. Tickets in the splash zone start at $110.

10. Gordie Brown – Rounding out the top 10 list is Gordie Brown, one of the best impressionists I’ve ever seen. He’ll make you laugh with his comedic lines and musical renditions. You’ll love his Michael Jackson routine!

Show details: Gordie Brown performs Tuesdays to Saturdays at 8:00pm at the Golden Nugget. Prices are $60 to $80 for this one-man, 80-minute act.

Remember, show venues, times, and prices are subject to change, so please call the various showrooms to confirm the information I’ve given you here. Then, have a great night out on the town at one of my favorite shows.

Check out Linda Johnson‘s top Las Vegas attractions and Las Vegas restaurants.

Michael Mizrachi Joins Deepstacks Live

One of the first members of the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event November Nine to make a splash following the final table being determined in July is Full Tilt Poker pro Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi.

Mizrachi signed on with Deepstacks Live to teach three courses over the next three months, largely in events held in his home state of Florida. The Sunshine State recently saw its gambling limits eased on July 1st, potentially opening the door for major tournament series to be held within its borders. In addition to “The Grinder,” Florida is home to players like PokerStars pro Jason Mercier and Jason “Jaspuduf” Lee.

In a press release distributed last week by Deepstacks officials, Mizrachi detailed the impetus to joining the popular training outfit: “I had a lot of options after the WSOP, but DeepStacks Live was the right fit for how I play and how I want to teach others to play. They are the most innovative and hands-on training company. The other Team DeepStacks pros I’ll be teaching with include Hall of Famers and poker legends, guys who I’ve really respected for a long time, and joining their team was a no-brainer for me.”

DeepStacks CEO Chris Torina, who was instrumental in bringing “The Grinder” onboard, touted the arrival of Mizrachi to Deepstacks Live’s team of sponsored pros. Torina commented in the same release, “DeepStacks Live has the best instructors in the business. Adding ‘The Grinder’ just distances us even further from everyone else in the arena. He’s a true champion and it’s a boost to poker players all over the country that they’ll be able to learn from him.” Deepstacks Live has tweaked its courses with the opening of the Florida poker market in mind.

To say that Mizrachi turned in a historic 2010 WSOP would be an understatement. He won the $50,000 Player’s Championship, a tournament that recently aired on ESPN, and earned $1.6 million. He defeated Russian poker player Vladimir Shchemelev heads-up in the five-figure buy-in event and sent his brother, Robert Mizrachi, packing in fifth place.

“The Grinder” wasn’t done there, however, recording two more final tables in two $10,000 events en route to a 2010 WSOP November Nine birth. He finished sixth in the Seven Card Stud World Championship for $69,000 and landed in eighth in the Limit Hold’em World Championship for another $49,000. In the Main Event, Mizrachi is guaranteed a minimum of $811,000, with a top prize of $8.9 million on the line. His career WSOP earnings will top $3 million when the Main Event concludes.

Mizrachi’s only session with Deepstacks Live that has been announced so far will be held on September 10th at the Mardi Gras Casino in Hallandale Beach, Florida. The cash game session comes with a $495 price tag and will also feature online poker studs Matt “mattg1983” Graham and Tristan “Cre8ive” Wade. Topics will include bankroll management, game selection, advanced betting techniques, floating your opponent, playing in and out of position, and picking off bluffs.

The Deepstacks training team includes Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, recent World Poker Tour Bellagio Cup runner-up Justin “Boosted J” Smith, UB.com’s Adam “Roothlus” Levy, T.J. Cloutier, former WSOP Main Event champ Tom McEvoy, and former UB.com pro Liv Boeree. The Deepstacks Live crew has events coming up in Florida, California, Nevada, Oklahoma, New York, Alberta, British Columbia, and Australia.

When the 2010 WSOP Main Event resumes on November 6th, Mizrachi will hold the seventh largest stack at 14.4 million. The chip leader, Jonathan Duhamel, has 4.5 times that amount at 65.9 million. Mizrachi is the only bracelet winner to grace the final table.

Visit Deepstacks.com for full details.

World Poker Tour Searching for the Simon Cowell of Cards

The World Poker Tour (WPT) has one slot available on its broadcast team. For Season 9, an Average Joe can join the likes of Poker Hall of Fame member Mike Sexton, WPT Co-Host Vince Van Patten, and floor reporter Kimberly Lansing on the WPT’s broadcast team.

One lucky fan will appear in an on-air segment called the “Raw Deal.” A press release distributed by WPT officials on Friday details what the roving tournament series is looking for in its newest on-camera talent: “If you’re opinionated, fearless, watch and play hours of poker, and find yourself offering brilliant insight from the comfort of your couch, it’s time for you to take a new seat – right next to WPT stars Mike Sexton, Vince Van Patten, and Kimberly Lansing. Plus, get your chance to share the screen with the stunning WPT Royal Flush Girls.”

The Royal Flush Girls were a new addition to the WPT for Season 9, which kicked off its U.S. leg last month at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, site of the annual Bellagio Cup. Lansing also re-joined the crew after a two-season hiatus. Tour staff will next head to the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles for the Legends of Poker, which plays out from August 20th to 25th.

Only poker fans who are 21 years of age or older are eligible to host the “Raw Deal.” There are two ways to enter. First, aspiring poker commentators can head to the Bike in Los Angeles on August 19th from 11:00am to 8:00pm. During the nine-hour window, WPT officials will be feverishly setting up for the Legends of Poker and a bevy of poker aficionados will be testing their skills on the small screen.

If going to the Bicycle Casino isn’t in the cards, then you can make your way online to the WPT’s website and watch a hand between UB.com pro Phil Hellmuth and Andy “BKiCe” Seth that took place at the Bay 101 Shooting Star event in March. In it, Hellmuth limped pre-flop with pocket queens and Seth, holding A-J of clubs, raised to 80,000. Hellmuth re-raised to 280,000 and Seth, after a brief tanking, moved all-in.

Hellmuth’s out-loud thinking began: “I have a bad feeling you have kings. I just don’t know what I can do about it.” Hellmuth ultimately made the call for his tournament life and the flop came K-6-5. The turn was a 10, adding a straight draw for Seth, and the river was an ace. Then, the Hellmuth meltdown commenced. The UB.com pro, dressed in all black, held his head in his hands and walked offstage before crouching down on the ground in agony in what Van Patten dubbed a “fetal, jailhouse kind of position.”

Interested “Raw Deal” candidates are asked to create a 45-second video about the eventful hand and Hellmuth’s ensuing theatrics in an editorial format. Then, they should upload the video to the WPT’s Facebook page or its “Raw Deal” landing page for consideration. The top 10 vote-getters will receive automatic callbacks for the open position, while the top 25 will receive a gift pack. Videos will be accepted until August 15th at 11:59pm PT.

The finalists will be announced on August 17th and videos began being pouring in three days ago. Text found on the WPT’s website notes that the ideal candidate will be “opinionated and outspoken” and the job is not a union position. Additionally, all submissions must have the phrase “on the World Poker Tour” at least once.

Besides the additions of Lansing and the Royal Flush Girls, the WPT also signed Matt Savage as its Executive Tour Director for Season 9. Savage is a co-founder of the Tournament Directors Association and orchestrates high-profile events like the Bay 101 Shooting Star tournament and the L.A. Poker Classic. Party Gaming purchased the WPT last August.

Visit the official landing page of the “Raw Deal” for more information.

All In Energy Introduces New Pro Team

The aforementioned players, along with company co-owner Johnny Chan, will form the energy drink company's new Team All In.

"This is a positive step for poker as there are not a lot of endorsement deals for players beyond the poker playing websites", said Johnny Chan, "This relationship is extremely beneficial for both groups and it is an honor to be in the company of such a prestigious group of poker players."

Chan is coming off an exceptional run at the 2010 WSOP Main Event, where he eventually finished in 156th for $57,102.

All In teammate Maria Ho is also coming off a solid performance on the World Poker Tour where she came in 10th place at Bellagio Cup VI taking home $40,783.

All In Energy, which is fully owned by Kore Nutrition, produces a variety of sugar-free energy drinks including Citrus, Grape and Acai Berry. In 2009, All In was the official energy drink of the World Series of Poker.

Maria Ho – Poker Player Profile

Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Maria Ho moved to the United States with her family when she was four years old. As she grew up in Arcadia, California, it looked as if her future career would be in music, as she played piano and violin and sang. At the University of California, San Diego she sang in an a capella group, performed in musicals, and even performed with her sister’s band around Los Angeles.

But she got bitten by the poker bug while in college and once she graduated with a degree in Communications and a minor in Law and Society, there was no looking back.

She first caught the attention of the poker public in 2007 when she was the last woman standing in the World Series of Poker Main Event, finishing 38th and winning $237,865. That was actually her third of eight career WSOP cashes; her next best performance came in 2009 when she placed 11th in the $10,000 Limit Hold’em Event. After three small cashes in the 2010 WSOP, she once again turned heads while the Main Event was going on by placing 10th in the $10,000 Championship at the World Poker Tour‘s Bellagio Cup VI.

All told, Maria Ho has won $400,000 on the live tournament circuit, ranking her 38th on the women’s all-time money list.

Already a poker celebrity, Maria became a crossover celebrity in 2009 as she teamed up with friend and fellow poker pro, Tiffany Michelle, to compete on the 15th season of the hit CBS reality show, “The Amazing Race.” The poker duo placed 6th out of 12 teams.

Away from poker, Maria enjoys working in her family’s real estate business. She is also involved with several charitable organizations, including the Ronald McDonald House, the One Step Closer Foundation, and the National Kidney Foundation.

Moritz Kranich Takes Bellagio Cup VI

With the WSOP Main Event in full swing, the Bellagio event didn't garner the kind of attention WPT tournaments usually receive but it was a notable final table with Phil Ivey and Justin "BoostedJ" Smith looking to make some noise.

Ivey was perhaps the biggest story of the tournament as he made his record ninth WPT final table and was looking to win his second WPT title.

He put in an impressive run at the final table building a large chip lead in the early stages, after busting Rob Akery in fifth place

Ivey was eventually ousted in third place, barely missing out on the chance to play heads-up for his second WPT title.

The WPT Bellagio Cup VI final table was all too familiar for Justin "BoostedJ" Smith who came in third place last year.

Smith lost to Kranich after a fierce session of heads-up play to once again fall short of victory. Smith picked up $594,755 for his second place finish although he is still awaiting his first major live tournament win.

Finally Kranich, who won EPT Deauville in 2009 for $1.1 million, added another huge win to his poker resume.

An online poker pro, Kranich now has two major titles to his name and over 10 cashes in tournaments around the globe.

With the victory Kranich rockets into second place on the German all-time tournament earnings list with $2,161,083. First place is WSOP and EPT winner Sebastian Ruthenberg with $3 million.

Bellagio Cup VI was the first tournament of a new season of the WPT, which saw a return of former video hostess Kim Lansing, who now has a more involved role with the tour, and the debut of the Royal Flush girls.

Moritz Kranich Wins World Poker Tour Bellagio Cup VI

In a tournament ripe with history, Germany’s Moritz Kranich took down the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Bellagio Cup VI title. Kranich earned $875,000 and tasted victory on the first U.S. stop of the 2010-2011 WPT season.

Eric Afriat was the first casualty of the WPT Bellagio Cup VI final table. After an ace was inadvertently flipped up during the deal, Afriat shoved with pocket fives before the flop and Justin “Boosted J” Smith, who finished third in this tournament last year, made the call with pocket jacks. Neither player improved when the five community cards were dealt and Afriat earned $118,000 for his efforts.

Four hands later, it was Rob Akery’s witching hour. Akery pushed all-in pre-flop with A-J, but ran into the buzz saw that is Phil Ivey, who turned over A-Q. Neither player improved and Akery banked $169,000. Ivey made an appearance at a record-setting ninth WPT final table. The 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) November Niner and 2010 bracelet winner has a dozen in the money finishes in WPT tournaments; nine are for final tables.

John Caridad was the WPT Bellagio Cup’s fourth place finisher. After doubling up Kranich when his A-Q could not withstand A-9, Caridad shipped his four big blind stack with J-6. However, his timing was far from stellar, as Smith made the call with pocket queens. Caridad hit a six on the river, but it was still not enough to scoop the pot and he found the rail with a $237,000 bankroll boost.

On the 149th hand of final table play, Ivey hit the skids in third place. The crowd favorite and hometown poker pro dropped a 3.3 million chip pot to Kranich after being out-kicked only to commit his chips pre-flop with Q-4 offsuit. Smith made the call with K-8 and promptly flopped an eight to retain the lead in the hand. Kranich took better than a 2:1 chip lead into heads-up play against Smith, 9.2 million to 4.9 million.

It took 10 hands for Smith to scoop his first pot of heads-up action against Kranich. The German was up 4:1 at that point and it seemed to be only a matter of time before he’d close it out. However, Smith brought a wealth of heads-up expertise to the table after dominating the poker format in the online world coming up in the game. Smith doubled with K-10 against A-4 to make matters interesting, drawing to within 2:1 in chips.

On the 186th hand of the final table, Smith called all-in pre-flop with a wired pair of jacks. Kranich turned over K-10, but flopped a gutshot straight draw. Then, he hit lightning in a bottle on the turn, as the king of diamonds hit the board to send him into the lead for good with a pair. No help came on the river and Kranich was crowed the champion of the WPT Bellagio Cup VI.

Here’s how the final six cashed out in the $10,000 buy-in tournament:

1. Moritz Kranich – $875,150
2. Justin “Boosted J” Smith – $594,755
3. Phil Ivey – $363,650
4. John Caridad – $237,902
5. Robert Akery – $169,930
6. Eric Afriat – $118,950

Kranich caught up with our very own Sean Gibson following his big win and talked about facing off against Smith and Ivey three-handed: “I think they respect me also. We didn’t have a lot of fights with three of us until we had to.” On the final hand of the tournament, Kranich candidly admitted, “He trapped me. He played it well. I sucked out.”

Hasan Habib – Poker Player Profile

Longtime poker pro Hasan Habib posted a deep run in the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. A resident of Downey, California, Habib was born in Pakistan and is a former tennis champion. Habib took down a coveted WSOP bracelet in 2004 after winning a $1,500 Seven Card Stud High-Low Eight or Better event, wading through a quaint field of 213 players. His competition at the final table of that event included fellow bracelet winners Blair Rodman and “The First Lady of Poker” Linda Johnson.

Habib was the runner-up to Michael Sohayegh in a $2,500 Limit Omaha High-Low tournament at the 2000 WSOP for $80,000. The same year, he final tabled the Main Event, the prestigious $10,000 buy-in feature tournament, and took home a $326,000 consolation prize. Much of his success at the WSOP has come in non-Hold’em tournaments, as he has finished in the money in Razz, Stud, Omaha, and Triple Draw contests in the annual Las Vegas tournament series.

Habib has also dominated the World Poker Tour (WPT) circuit, finishing as the runner-up to Martin De Knijff in the Season 2 Championship event at the Bellagio and cashing for $1.4 million. Amazingly, Habib returned to the final table of the WPT Championship one year later, this time bowing out in third place for nearly $900,000. After a five-year hiatus from a WPT final table, Habib finished fourth in the Bay 101 Shooting Star bounty tournament for $234,000. Through the first eight seasons of the WPT, his total earnings approached $3 million.

Habib has single-handedly served as the flag bearer for poker in Pakistan and, according to the WPT, Habib won his first tennis championship at the tender age of 14. He attended the University of Redlands in California and played tennis while pursuing a business degree.

Theo Jorgensen – Poker Player Profile

Theo Jorgensen is currently one of the final 27 players in this year’s World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. After Day 6 of the $10,000 buy-in tournament, the Copenhagen, Denmark, poker professional – who has been playing the game since the early 1990s – held nearly a two million chip lead over the field.

Jorgensen has traveled the world, playing in some of the biggest games around, and took up tournament poker in 2004. His first splash on the tournament poker world was a large one, finishing third in the $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha event during the schedule of the Five Star World Poker Classic at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Since that time, Jorgensen has been one of the most prolific tournament players in Europe, earning over $2.3 million in his poker career. Between 2007 and 2010, Jorgensen has made a major impression on the non-U.S. poker scene with major championships in the United Kingdom and France.

In 2007, Jorgensen made final tables in both the Las Vegas and European versions of the WSOP, winning his first bracelet in 2008 in a £5,000 Pot Limit Omaha event. In that tournament, he defeated Titan poker pro Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi, Max Pescatori, and Chris “Jesus” Ferguson to win the bracelet.

In May 2010, Jorgensen became the champion of the resurrected World Poker Tour (WPT) stop at the Rendezvous à Paris at the Aviation Club. The $848,736 payday from the 247-player field was the largest cash of his career, something he will eclipse by driving deep in the 2010 WSOP Main Event.

Sponsored by online poker room Bet24, Jorgensen will step to the higher levels of cash games on many sites. He is mostly seen at Full Tilt Poker, playing stakes up to $200/$400 under the name “THEDONKEYNO1.” Jorgensen once faced off against Full Tilt Poker pro Gus Hansen in a boxing ring, coming out victorious. The two Danes squared off in a promotional match for GusHansenTV.com.

Moritz Kranich WPT Bellagio Cup Interview

Moritz Kranich joins us after winning the World Poker Tour‘s Bellagio Cup. He came into the final table with an impressive resume, having already won $1.2 million at the EPT Deauvile event as well as a 3rd place finish at a PokerStars WCOOP event. This might have been the most difficult final table in recent memory for the WPT with both Phil Ivey and Justin “BoostedJ” Smith in the mix. In the end though, the German’s mix of great reads and heads-up aggression paid off for the win. He joins us and answers questions about how he maintained his confidence against Ivey and Smith as well as how well he handled the two bad beats he took before delivering one of his own on the fateful final hand.

July 15th – Daily Deal

Topics: WSOP Main Event update, WPT Bellagio Cup Update.

On Today’s Daily Deal, Sean Gibson reports in from the Rio in Las Vegas, the site of the World Series of Poker Main Event. We get an update from the floor as play was winding down to the final 81 players. In addition, Gibson updates us about the amazing final table over at the World Poker Tour‘s Bellagio Cup which featured Phil Ivey and Justin “BoostedJ” Smith.

Moritz Kranich wins WPT Bellagio Cup VI - Ivey third

Kimberly Lansing on Rejoining the World Poker Tour

At a press conference held to kick off the Bellagio Cup, officials from the World Poker Tour (WPT) welcomed back Kimberly Lansing, who first appeared during Season 6. Lansing will return to her hostess role on-air and also film interviews with players during events. Lansing sat down with Poker News Daily from the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

Poker News Daily: Thanks for joining us. Talk about what went into you rejoining the WPT.

Kimberly Lansing: The WPT wanted to revamp the whole show and change it up. They haven’t had the host position in a couple of years and I think they just wanted to add a different dynamic. It felt right because if you look at it, I managed to get to know a lot of poker players and establish friendships with them during Season 6. It was really the perfect fit bringing me back.

I’m still doing interviews like I did before and keeping people up to speed on Live Updates. I’ve also been shooting interviews throughout the event for broadcast. We’re trying to give viewers an idea of what happened in the days leading up to the final table.

PND: The WPT has undergone an overhaul of sorts since Season 6 and is now under new management. Is there a noticeable difference?

Kimberly Lansing: It’s definitely a noticeable change. There are a lot of the same people here that I know well from traveling with them during Season 6. There have been changes here and there like ownership and who my boss is, but they’ve all been wonderful to work with. While it’s different, though, it has the same feel as before.

PND: Can you expand on what your role with the WPT will be?

Kimberly Lansing: I’m the anchor of the show, so I have a separate area where I’ll be sitting. My back is going to be to the final table, so it’ll be playing out behind me. I think I’m also opening the show and talking about what’s going on in the tournament and what’s happened in the first few days. I’ll do interviews with fans and family in the audience and bust out interviews too.

PND: From watching Live Update videos you’ve done with players like Justin “Boosted J” Smith and Liv Boeree at the Bellagio Cup, you seem much more comfortable in front of the camera. Talk about your on-camera presence.

Kimberly Lansing: I worked a lot over the past two years writing and hosting my own show five days a week. I was reading off the prompter and I’m not trying to be anything else than what I am. That’s what’s important as an on-camera person – to be yourself and listen to who you’re interviewing. This is me – take it or leave it. I’m very comfortable in my own skin.

PND: What daily show did you host?

Kimberly Lansing: I’ve been hosting a show off AOL called “Moviefone Minute.” I was the first host that had ever written and presented the show. It was one-minute long gossip and entertainment show that I wrote every day. It was a great experience for me because it was daily. It kept me on my toes and kept my brain working.

I also contributed to the TV Guide Network. I did entertainment expert pieces and went to shows like “Hollywood 411” and reality chats. I just gave my opinion and my entertainment knowledge.

PND: What is your favorite poker moment to date, whether with the WPT or not?

Kimberly Lansing: Taking eighth in the WPT Celebrity Invitational. I was really bummed because I didn’t make the final table or the money, but it was such an amazing experience. All I did was get lucky and suck out. I hit my one-outers on the river and it was amazing. That tournament is like a Turbo, though, so you have to get lucky.

PND: What do you do away from poker?

Kimberly Lansing: I just moved in with my fiancé, Zach Hyman, who I met during the WPT, so I can thank the WPT for contributing to my personal life. Overall, I’m getting used to a new time in my life. I’m also traveling to Italy and France next week for WPT events and planning a wedding, which is next April in Santa Barbara right after our tournament in Indiana.

Phil Ivey eager for winning the WPT Bellagio Cup - already his 9th WPT final

Phil Ivey is doing pretty well at the moment: from this year’s WSOP he won his 8th bracelet and a nice sum of money from his side bets. Now the WSOP 2010 has hardly ended, but Ivey is already chasing the victory of the WPT Bellagio Cup.

This is already the ninth WPT final for Ivey. One of these he has also won - namely in 2008 he conquered WPT L.A. Poker Classic and earned huge 1,59 million dollars. In 2008 Ivey also profited big amounts of money with his side bets.

Besides Ivey Daniel Negreanu and Scotty Nguyen have made their way to the WPT final nine times. But so far the top man is Gus Hansen with his awesome ten WPT finals.  

So will Ivey succeed in winning tomorrow? If he won, his earnings from the live tournaments would exceed 14 million dollars.

Below the finalists and the prizes:

Seat 1: Phil Ivey – 1,595,000
Seat 2: Justin “Boosted J” Smith – 2,100,000
Seat 3: Rob Akery – 1,980,000
Seat 4: Eric Afriat – 620,000
Seat 5: Moritz Kranich – 2,715,000
Seat 6: John Caridad – 5,120,000
…
1. $875,150
2. $594,755
3. $363,650
4. $237,902
5. $169,930
6. $118,950

Source: WPT and TheHendonMob

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Phil Ivey eager for winning the WPT Bellagio Cup - already his 9th WPT final

Phil Ivey Headlines WPT Bellagio Cup Final Table

Phil Ivey will take his seat at a record-setting ninth World Poker Tour (WPT) final table on Thursday, when the Bellagio Cup VI wraps up from Las Vegas. A top prize of $875,000 is up for grabs and Ivey, despite registering at the last possible moment for the $10,000 buy-in event, owns the fifth largest stack entering the final table.

Zach Hyman was eliminated in seventh place, becoming the final table bubble boy. Hyman, who is engaged to WPT host Kimberly Lansing, called all-in pre-flop with A-Q offsuit, which did not hold up against the meager 5-3 of Rob Akery. The flop gave Akery a pair of threes and no ace or queen came on the turn or river. Hyman picked up $85,000 for his efforts, which can probably purchase an entire garden of flowers for the wedding next April in Santa Barbara.

Full Tilt Poker pro Justin “Boosted J” Smith is making his second straight final table at the Bellagio Cup. Last year, he finished third and tore his ACL in the process while celebrating a critical double up. This time around, he’ll enter the six-handed televised finale in third place with a stack of 2.10 million, less than half of chip leader John Caridad’s 5.12 million. Smith Twittered to his loyal minions on Thursday morning, “2,100,000 going into WPT TV final table… 6 people left… back to back years at this WPT final table… gonna try to win it this time.” Good strategy.

Ivey took down three straight pots late in the day on Wednesday to stamp his ticket to the final table, although he’ll be one of the short stacks at 27 big blinds. Counting the Bellagio Cup, Ivey has a dozen WPT cashes to his name; amazingly, nine are for final tables. He has one title to his credit, a win in the Season 6 L.A. Poker Classic for $1.6 million. The Bellagio Cup marks Ivey’s first trip to a WPT final table since his win two years ago.

Ivey also owns eight World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets, the most recent of which came in a $3,000 HORSE tournament this year in which he defeated a final table that included Bill Chen, John Juanda, 2009 WSOP Player of the Year Jeffrey Lisandro, and PokerStars pro Chad Brown.

Former “Amazing Race” contestant and World Team Poker Team China member Maria Ho was bumped in 10th place after losing a race with pocket tens against Caridad’s A-J of clubs. Caridad flopped the nuts and no help came for Ho on the turn or river. Ho recorded just her third in the money finish ever at a WPT event and turned in her first top 10 cash. In case you missed it, our own Sean Gibson caught up with Ho at the 2010 WSOP to discuss her cash game prowess.

Also falling by the wayside on Wednesday were former WPT champion Vadim Trincher, 2005 WSOP Main Event winner Joe Hachem, online poker whiz Cory “UGOTPZD” Carroll, Ravi “govshark2” Raghavan, and Lisandro. Here are the chip stacks of the six players left in the WPT Bellagio Cup:

1. John Caridad – 5,120,000
2. Moritz Kranich – 2,750,000
3. Justin “Boosted J” Smith – 2,100,000
4. Robert Akery – 1,980,000
5. Phil Ivey – 1,595,000
6. Eric Afriat – 620,000

The cash prizes up for grabs for the six final table players are as follows:

1st Place: $875,150
2nd Place: $594,755
3rd Place: $363,650
4th Place: $237,902
5th Place: $169,930
6th Place: $118,950

The action picks back up today at 4:00pm PT. Keep it tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest WPT coverage of the Bellagio Cup.

World Poker Tour Bellagio Cup: Phil Ivey Takes Center Stage at TV Final Table

Phil Ivey through to Day 4 of WPT Bellagio Cup IV