Poker News

Poker and the Availability Heuristic

I’m afraid of the ocean.  I love to swim; in fact, I was a pool lifeguard for years and still swim laps three times a week, but the ocean freaks me out.  I tell people it’s because it’s dirty, crowded, and polluted, but if I’m being honest, there’s one other reason why I resist going into open water.

Jaws.

It’s one of my all-time favorite movies, but it pretty much ruined the ocean for me forever.  And I’m not the only one – after the film’s premiere in 1975, there was a noticeable drop in tourism in many beachfront communities.  It turns out that people would prefer not getting eaten by a giant killer shark on a vacation with the kids.

According to Wikipedia, guess how many fatal shark attacks there have been in the last six years in the United States?  Three.  That’s half a person eaten per year (pun definitely intended).  Compare that to the roughly 300,000 deaths in fatal car accidents during that same period!  And yet I climb into my car every day without a second thought, but the ocean gives me a case of the screaming willies.

There’s a psychological phenomenon behind this and if you bear with me, I’ll show you its relevance to poker.  It’s called the Availability Heuristic and it says that the more easily an event is recalled in our memory, the more frequently we assume it occurs.  In the case of Jaws, I can remember with extraordinary detail the grisly deaths and panic of a shark attack.  My brain takes the ease with which I remember the event and erroneously concludes that sharks attack people more often than they really do.

The brain is actually pretty bad at assessing risk and probabilities, so it takes shortcuts based on direct experience.  If your parents split up, you probably think the divorce rate is higher than someone whose parents stayed together.  If your grandfather drank 15 martinis a day, but lived to be one-hundred, you probably think that alcohol has only minor health risks.  And if you were the victim of a violent crime, you might think there are criminals down every alley and side street.  News reports of bizarre, sensational crimes also distort our perception of what really happens out in the world.

So what does this have to do with poker?  Let’s switch from sharks to fish…

I can remember with great clarity the worst beats I’ve ever taken at the poker table and I bet you can too.  The adrenaline, stakes, and crushing disappointment helped sear the memory into my mind like a cattle brand.  Given the ease with which we can recall those beats, the Availability Heuristic tricks us into thinking that bad beats happen more frequently to us than they really do.  Objectively speaking, you’re only getting drawn out on as often as pot equities and probability dictate.  But man, it sure feels like it happens all the time!

The important thing to remember here is that it’s an illusion.  The universe doesn’t hate you and you aren’t being singled out to receive an unfair number of bad beats.  You can prove this to yourself through detailed record keeping.  Over a large enough sample size, your Holdem Manager or PokerTracker stats should show that you’re not running significantly worse or better than anyone else.  Trust the numbers and beware of the serpent in your head hissing that you’re an unlucky player.

So now you’re aware of the problem and hopefully can minimize its effects on your perception of the game.  Are there ways that we can exploit this tendency in our opponents?  Absolutely.

To maximize our profits at the table, game theory dictates that we should be mixing in enough bluffs with our value bets (and vice versa) so as to remain unpredictable to our opponents.  If a shove on the river always means we have it, an opponent can confidently fold to every shove and we lose value.  Likewise, if a shove on the river is always a bluff, an opponent can confidently call with virtually any reasonable holding and, again, we lose value.  But mixing up our play puts our opponents to a much tougher decision; putting our opponents to tough decisions is how we profit.

But if the Availability Heuristic says that we often mistakenly assume that easily remembered events happen more frequently than they do, then if we can somehow make our opponents remember some big crazy bluffs, we actually don’t have to bluff very often to reap the benefits.

We call it “advertising,” which is when professional makes a big bluff and then shows it to the table, making them remember it.  Then, the pro can sit back and play a tight, solid game while benefiting from the illusion that he’s a maniac.  And it’s all due to the Availability Heuristic.

Years ago on “High Stakes Poker,” “Yukon” Brad Booth pushed Phil Ivey off of kings with four-high and a gutshot straight draw.  He made a 10x raise to $300,000, forcing Phil to fold his overpair.  Interestingly, Brad didn’t show his monster bluff to the table –he didn’t have to.  They were on TV and he knew that each and every one of those players would eventually see that he shipped it with the nut low.

Even better, he knew that tens of thousands of poker players around the world would also see that he shipped it with the nut low.  I certainly remember that hand and bet a lot of other people do too.  In one instant, Brad cemented his image as a crazy person in our minds and has likely been cashing in on it for years by getting called down light.  It’s a questionable game play, but a brilliant meta-game strategy.

If you find you’re getting too much respect at the tables by the observant regulars, try making a gigantic, crazy bluff.  And I’m not talking about shipping it with flush, straight, and overcard outs.  I’m talking about getting it in for 200 big blinds pre-flop with 9-3 offsuit.  If you draw out on the guy, it’s a bonus.  But even if you don’t, I guarantee you that the regulars will immediately open up their notes on you and record the hand so they can recall it more easily the next time you play.

Which is exactly what you want.

Joe Sebok Wraps Up First Year at UB.com

In his personal blog on PokerRoad.com, Joe Sebok wrapped up his first year as a sponsored player with UB.com and closed the book on his personal investigation into the prior misconduct on the site.

Sebok begins the heartfelt posting by saying, “Roughly one year ago, I signed with UB and pledged to put in as much effort as was possible to do three things: 1) Get the account names involved in the super-user scandal released; 2) Get all the hand histories out to those who requested them during the cheating scandal; and 3) Attempt to get out the physical names of the actual cheaters, and those who helped them cheat, released to the public.” Over the past year, Sebok has spent an inordinate amount of time on the above issues and notes some of the success he has had as well as some of the pitfalls.

“We were able to accomplish #1 fairly quickly,” Sebok stated, but he also indicated that he had difficulties with the other two goals on the list. The hand history requests, he notes, “have proven more difficult for a number of data reasons on the CEREUS Network side. It seems there were many issues when the network was began and the old data/servers were migrated/changed/what have you.” Sebok says that Paul Leggett, the Chief Operating Officer of the CEREUS Network, will be addressing the issues on his blog at a future date.

Sebok said that legal issues beset the final part of the UB scandal – naming those who were actually behind the situation: “To say that the information was murky and many individuals who were directly involved would never talk to us is certainly an understatement.” Through the efforts of “Mookman” from the Two Plus Two forum and the online blog Wicked Chops Poker, Sebok’s investigation revealed the names of those allegedly responsible for a case that ended up costing UB.com millions of dollars in restitution to those who were affected.

In the Wicked Chops exposé, the previously alleged mastermind, former World Series of Poker Main Event champ Russ Hamilton, is named as the main player in the game. Other names associated with Hamilton, including software developer Greg Pierson, former Ultimate Bet fraud manager Carolyn Heick, and associates Bonnie Leinhos and Travis Makar, were implicated as alleged cohorts in the scam.

Those that have been cleared of wrongdoing through Sebok and Wicked Chops’ multi-part story include two of UB’s most prominent faces, 11-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth and reigning National Heads-Up Poker Championship winner Annie Duke, as well as Freddy Deeb, David “Devilfish” Ulliott, Antonio Esfandiari, Layne Flack, and Robert Williamson III.

As a part of Sebok’s work on the investigation of the scandal, he released to Wicked Chops a list of players who were a part of the Ultimate Bet scam. These “super users” – called that because of the program that allowed them to see hole cards of their opponents – featured 117 user names among 23 different accounts. All totaled, it is estimated that those involved in the scam took $22 million from recreational players to top pros such as Mike Matusow, Prahlad Friedman, and Brad Booth.

Although Sebok has been able to discover who was behind the UB scandal, he notes that there is little chance those involved will ever be punished for the crime. “I wish we were a police force, but we are not,” Sebok writes. “I wish we could really round up all of these people and interrogate them, but we can’t. I believe we did as much as we possibly could to this end though. I also wish we were a court and we could try them all and jail the convicted, but again, we cannot do this. The poker community would be a better place if we could, but as of right now this just isn’t possible. If it was, believe me, I would be working on it.”

Sebok closes his blog by saying, “With that said, I am excited to be able to hopefully close this chapter and move onto the next. Now, if anything else pops up I will be happy to get back into it and delve further, but as of right now, as of August 2010, I don’t see any deeper I can get into this scandal or any more we can do to close it.”

Joe Sebok Wraps Up First Year at UB.com

In his personal blog on PokerRoad.com, Joe Sebok wrapped up his first year as a sponsored player with UB.com and closed the book on his personal investigation into the prior misconduct on the site.

Sebok begins the heartfelt posting by saying, “Roughly one year ago, I signed with UB and pledged to put in as much effort as was possible to do three things: 1) Get the account names involved in the super-user scandal released; 2) Get all the hand histories out to those who requested them during the cheating scandal; and 3) Attempt to get out the physical names of the actual cheaters, and those who helped them cheat, released to the public.” Over the past year, Sebok has spent an inordinate amount of time on the above issues and notes some of the success he has had as well as some of the pitfalls.

“We were able to accomplish #1 fairly quickly,” Sebok stated, but he also indicated that he had difficulties with the other two goals on the list. The hand history requests, he notes, “have proven more difficult for a number of data reasons on the CEREUS Network side. It seems there were many issues when the network was began and the old data/servers were migrated/changed/what have you.” Sebok says that Paul Leggett, the Chief Operating Officer of the CEREUS Network, will be addressing the issues on his blog at a future date.

Sebok said that legal issues beset the final part of the UB scandal – naming those who were actually behind the situation: “To say that the information was murky and many individuals who were directly involved would never talk to us is certainly an understatement.” Through the efforts of “Mookman” from the Two Plus Two forum and the online blog Wicked Chops Poker, Sebok’s investigation revealed the names of those allegedly responsible for a case that ended up costing UB.com millions of dollars in restitution to those who were affected.

In the Wicked Chops exposé, the previously alleged mastermind, former World Series of Poker Main Event champ Russ Hamilton, is named as the main player in the game. Other names associated with Hamilton, including software developer Greg Pierson, former Ultimate Bet fraud manager Carolyn Heick, and associates Bonnie Leinhos and Travis Makar, were implicated as alleged cohorts in the scam.

Those that have been cleared of wrongdoing through Sebok and Wicked Chops’ multi-part story include two of UB’s most prominent faces, 11-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth and reigning National Heads-Up Poker Championship winner Annie Duke, as well as Freddy Deeb, David “Devilfish” Ulliott, Antonio Esfandiari, Layne Flack, and Robert Williamson III.

As a part of Sebok’s work on the investigation of the scandal, he released to Wicked Chops a list of players who were a part of the Ultimate Bet scam. These “super users” – called that because of the program that allowed them to see hole cards of their opponents – featured 117 user names among 23 different accounts. All totaled, it is estimated that those involved in the scam took $22 million from recreational players to top pros such as Mike Matusow, Prahlad Friedman, and Brad Booth.

Although Sebok has been able to discover who was behind the UB scandal, he notes that there is little chance those involved will ever be punished for the crime. “I wish we were a police force, but we are not,” Sebok writes. “I wish we could really round up all of these people and interrogate them, but we can’t. I believe we did as much as we possibly could to this end though. I also wish we were a court and we could try them all and jail the convicted, but again, we cannot do this. The poker community would be a better place if we could, but as of right now this just isn’t possible. If it was, believe me, I would be working on it.”

Sebok closes his blog by saying, “With that said, I am excited to be able to hopefully close this chapter and move onto the next. Now, if anything else pops up I will be happy to get back into it and delve further, but as of right now, as of August 2010, I don’t see any deeper I can get into this scandal or any more we can do to close it.”

Gavin Smith, Matthew Jarvis to Play in Canadian Open Poker Championships

Three top Canadian players – 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) November Niner Matthew Jarvis, 2010 bracelet winner Gavin Smith, and 2009 WSOP double bracelet winner Greg “FBT” Mueller – will play in the $5,000 Heads-Up Main Event of the Canadian Open Poker Championships.

The 2010 Canadian Open Poker Championships begin on Thursday in Calgary, Alberta, and are comprised of 13 events over the 11 days. Three casinos (Deerfoot Inn and Casino, Grey Eagle Casino, and Cash Casino) will play host to several preliminary events, which are reaching their maximum player limits through pre-registration, according to Kelly Kellner, the CEO of the Canadian Poker Tour (CPT) and promoter of the tournament schedule.

“I am very pleased to have seen the Canadian Open grow since our first event in 2006, where we hosted a single event with only 64 players,” Kellner stated earlier this week as pre-registrations continued to flood in. “This year, we expect over 2,000 entries over the entire series.” Events include a $2,000 No Limit Hold’em tournament, the CPT’s Ladies’ National Championship, and the $5,000 Heads-Up Championship. All totaled, it is expected that $3.5 million in prize pools will be generated.

“We are also extremely pleased to have added a number of new sponsors for the tournament schedule, including Big Rock Breweries and Dank Energy Drink,” Kellner reported. For those who play in the tournaments but don’t run well, the Canadian Open Poker Championships is looking to entertain – or at least ease the pain. Every night of the Championships, there will be an Ultimate Players Party at the Calgary hotspot the Rusty Cage.

Jarvis burst onto the scene this year with his remarkable run to the WSOP Main Event final table. He will enter the 2010 WSOP November Nine final table in fifth place, holding 16.7 million in chips, and has already guaranteed his largest cash ever with the $811,823 paid to all Main Event final table participants.

One of the most gregarious characters in the poker world, Smith has also been one of the most consistent poker players of the last decade. A former World Poker Tour Player of the Year (2006), he eliminated the “best player to not have won a WSOP bracelet” title from his name when he took down the $2,500 Mixed Hold’em tournament at this year’s WSOP. In his career, the Full Tilt Poker pro has amassed over $5.4 million in tournament earnings over a span of 12 years.

A former hockey player, Mueller brought his aggressiveness over from the rink to the felt in 2003 and hasn’t looked back. Known as “FBT” – an acronym for “Full Blown Tilt” – he has earned 19 cashes during play at the WSOP, with his best years coming from 2007 to 2009. In 2007 and 2008, Mueller put together nine cashes, yet was unable to make the winner’s circle. He corrected that in 2009, picking up two bracelets in Limit events. Mueller will be looking to add on to his $1.78 million in career earnings with a victory in the Heads-Up Championship.

The only major tournament schedule that crowns its Main Event champion in a Heads-Up competition, the Canadian Open Poker Championships has routinely drawn some of the top poker talent since it first played out in 2006. Such players as former Canadian Open Poker Championships Heads-Up Champion Huck Seed, former Main Event champs Phil Hellmuth and Joe Hachem, Canadian poker pro Brad Booth, Antonio Esfandiari, Phil Laak, and Jennifer Tilly have all played in Canadian Open Poker Championships events.

With the confirmation of three top Canadian players in Smith, Mueller, and Jarvis, the field for the $5,000 Heads-Up Championship Event will be one for the ages.

Lonesome Shark Week Continues on Poker After Dark

Six of poker’s most eligible bachelors took to the felts as part of Lonesome Shark week on the NBC franchise “Poker After Dark.” The series airs nightly on NBC at 2:05am ET and each player began with a stack of 20,000 in chips. The winner of the six-man sit and go will pocket $120,000, enough to trick out any man’s bachelor pad.

Newly minted PokerStars pro David Williams raised to 600 pre-flop with pocket aces and Victory Poker’s Antonio Esfandiari 3bet to 1,700 with pocket queens. Williams made the call and the flop came 5-8-8, giving both players two pair. Esfandiari led out for 2,600 and Williams called, bringing a king on the turn. This time, Esfandiari check-called a bet of 4,200 and a ten hit on the river. Esfandiari checked, Williams continued firing, and Esfandiari got out of the way. The pot was worth 22,200.

Then, Williams bet 1,000 with Q-J and the board showing 10-J-6-8. Brad Booth, with 10-9 in the hole, called with second pair and the river was another eight. Both players checked and Williams won his second straight hand to move north of 30,000 in chips. Williams is a former “Poker After Dark” winner and joined PokerStars at the same time as Vanessa Selbst.

With four-way action and the board reading 8-J-7-4, Booth bet out 900 holding K-4 and Full Tilt Poker pro Erick Lindgren made the call with J-10 of hearts for top pair. Booth struck gold on the river, as another four hit to give him trips. He bet 1,600 and Lindgren mumbled, “You do bluff a lot,” before Booth asked if he wanted to see one of his cards. Lindgren picked the king and instantly called, shipping the small but entertaining pot worth 5,800 to Booth.

The group of six bachelors shared several interesting stories about why they might not be hitched. Lindgren, for example, told his tablemates, “I always tell my mom that I’m waiting for the right stripper.” Mike Matusow relayed a story about taking his girlfriend to Australia. Matusow flew first class and made his girlfriend camp out in coach because he didn’t realize you could trade a first class ticket in for two business class tickets. Matusow neither wanted to sit in coach nor pay to upgrade his girlfriend to the front of the plane.

Back on the felt, Williams raised to 800 pre-flop with 9-7 of clubs and Booth made the call with A-2 suited to hearts. The flop came 4-9-4, giving Williams nines-up, and he led out for 1,200. Booth called and the turn was a three. Williams once again fired, this time 1,700 in chips, and Booth once again called behind to bring a jack on the river. The action went check-check, sending the sizable 7,850-chip pot to Williams, who was sporting a Bodog logo since the show was taped prior to signing with the world’s largest online poker site.

In the final major pot of Monday night’s kickoff episode, Lindgren called the big blind pre-flop with K-10 and 2009 World Series of Poker November Niner James Akenhead raised to 900 with K-Q. Lindgren called and the flop came K-J-9, giving both players top pair. Lindgren check-called a bet of 1,400 with a worse kicker and an ace hit on the turn. Lindgren checked, Akenhead pushed out a bet of 2,700, and Lindgren deliberated before making a well-timed laydown. Akenhead, a former train conductor, was making his “Poker After Dark” debut and was largely quiet throughout Monday’s episode.

Lonesome Shark week continues nightly at 2:05am ET on NBC. Check your local listings for more details.

Canadian Poker Tour Exceeds Revenue Expectations, Prepares For Canadian Open Poker Championships

One of the major players in the Canadian poker scene, Heads Up Entertainment – which owns the Canadian Poker Tour and will host the upcoming Canadian Open Poker Championships in August – is the subject of good news on the financial front in a time when such reports are rare for various poker tournament schedules and companies.

Heads Up Entertainment (listed under the stock ticker “HDUP” on the OTC Pink Sheets)  last week reported that their revenues for tournament entries and corporate sponsorships have exceeded their expectations. Their July tournaments, including the recently completed Stampede Poker Classic, saw a 30% increase in total player registrations. According to Kelly Kellner, the president and Chief Executive Officer of Heads Up Entertainment, the growing success of the CPT should only extend up to the upcoming COPC.

“Right now, we’re ahead of schedule with player registrations for the COPC compared to past years,” Kellner stated in an exclusive interview with Poker News Daily. “Everything is looking very good for the COPC, but there’s always some concerns that you have directing such a big event. I constantly am thinking, ’what if no one shows up,’ and then the next minute thinking, ’what if everyone shows up’. There’s no point of happiness until the tournament goes off,” Kellner said with a laugh.

The news from player registrations has been exceptionally good. Heads Up Entertainment expects a complete sell out for the COPC, which will put total revenues from just the COPC and the Stampede Poker Classic at around $250,000 (Canadian dollars). Overall revenues from events that have been held by the CPT have passed $400,000 to this point in 2010.

Several corporate sponsors have stepped up to support the COPC in August. Kellner stressed the importance of those sponsors in not only being critical to the bottom line, but also important in working with the local community. “We have lined up three major sponsors for the COPC,” Kellner told Poker News Daily. “Big Rock Brewery is a local Calgary company and one of their best products, Gopher Lager, is also a part of the COPC. Joining those companies is another quality sponsor in Dank Energy Drink.” Kellner also stated that he is “continuously” looking for other sponsors that want to be a part of such a prestigious tournament.

With the fields for the COPC tournaments quickly filling up, Kellner stressed the importance of early registration to ensure players can get into the events they want. “Pre-registering for tournaments can be done on the tournament’s website and players don’t have to prepay for any event other than the Heads Up Championship,” Kellner says. “It is definitely looking like this year’s COPC will surpass everyone’s expectations.”

Kellner also noted that Heads Up Entertainment is looking to improve its standing as a publicly traded company. “We are going through the processes to become a fully reporting member (reporting in-depth financials quarterly is a must for any publicly traded company) and, as such, to be able to move from the pink sheets to a higher level of investment,” Kellner reported. “Heads Up Entertainment is a solid organization and a good opportunity for investors.”

The COPC is Canada’s version of a national championship, with their penultimate event, the $5000 Heads Up Championship, serving as their Main Event. From August 19th to the 29th, eleven events will take place (including the $5K) over three casinos located in Calgary. The Deerfoot Inn and Casino, the Grey Eagle Casino and the Cash Casino will all be running events during the COPC. Satellites will run at all three casinos, with different events during the COPC schedule to be held at each casino. Buy ins range from $170 for satellite tournaments to the $5000 Heads Up Championship.

The COPC has been popular with everyone in the poker world, from grinders looking for an inexpensive event to top pros looking for a major championship. Over the past few years, such players as former COPC Heads Up Champion Huck Seed, former World Champions Phil Hellmuth and Joseph Hachem, Canadian poker professionals Brad Booth, Gavin Smith and Greg Mueller, and other poker pros such as Antonio Esfandiari, Phil Laak and Jennifer Tilly have played in COPC events. Because of the strength of the fields throughout the ten day schedule – and the entertainment organized by Heads Up Entertainment during off nights – it is extremely likely that this year’s COPC will be one of the largest poker festivals in Canadian poker history.

Lacey Jones New Face of Canadian Poker Tour

The Canadian Poker Tour (CPT) continues to grow and expand and its latest addition is none other than Absolute Poker pro Lacey Jones.  The tour recently announced that the model, poker player and media personality is going to be the new face of the CPT.  The tour will also be gaining more media exposure thanks to the launch of CandianPokerPlayer.tv, an online television network devoted entirely to the game of poker.

Jones struck up talks with the CPT during last year’s World Poker Showdown and CPT sponsored event, the Costa Rica Poker Showdown.  Jones took third place and apparently made a lasting impression on CPT executives.  She will now serve as the tour’s spokeswoman, with her duties beginning right away.  Jones will be featured on the cover of Canadian Poker Player Magazine’s February issue, which will arrive in casinos, newsstands, and bookstores later this month.

CPT President Kelly Kellner believes Jones is a perfect hit for the tour.   “Here is a girl that loves hockey, loves Canadian beer, and is an amazing poker player to top it off.  I told her she has been picked up off waivers and claimed by Canada and the CPT," joked Kellner in an official press release from CPT.  “We believe that by having Lacey attend many of our events and the fact that she is about to move to Vancouver, the partnership couldn’t be stronger.”

Jones attended the CPT Kickoff Poker Series at the Deerfort Inn and Casino in Alberta last month and is planning to join the tour again when it ventures to Calgary for the Winter Freezeout from February 24th to 28th.  The series is set to be held at the Cash Casino and will feature a $760 buy-in Main Event.

Like Kellner, Jones is excited by the new partnership. “I truly love Canadians and am so happy to be a part of the Canadian Poker Tour,” Jones enthused to the media.  Jones is no stranger to publicity.  In the past, she has taken on hostessing duties for the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and the British Columbia Poker Championships.  She has also done a number of on-air interviews and commentary sessions in tandem with the WSOP.

Jones and the CPT will be prominently featured in a new website from the parent company of the CPT, HeadsUp Entertainment.  Last year, HeadsUp announced plans to launch a poker-themed online television network and it appears those plans are finally coming to fruition.  The online network will bear the name of HeadsUp’s magazine, Canadian Poker Player, and will feature footage from a number of Canadian Poker events.

The channel is set to launch on March 5th and feature content like the heads-up bout between “Yukon” Brad Booth and Huck Seed in the title match of the Canadian Poker Open, the final table of the Stampede Classic, and documentary footage of several 2007 CPT events.  Kellner, who also serves as President of HeadsUp, assured skeptics there would be plenty of Canadian-related poker content to keep the channel running for the foreseeable future: “There are so many amazing players and stories that we find on tour.  Both the magazine and our online network will give players from across the country a forum and showcase as we strive to build new poker superstars.”

HeadsUp Entertainment is not the only group with its eyes on the CPT and burgeoning Canadian poker scene.  When PartyPoker signed player and media personality Kara Scott, it was announced that she would be making the rounds on the CPT as well, promoting the site in her home country.

Poker Pro Canada Magazine Announced

It is only five years old, but Poker Pro Magazine has already established itself in the poker world with a circulation in excess of 150,000 copies per month.  The publication is already available in the U.S. and Canada, but the company is now offering a something special for its Canadian readership.

Poker Pro Media recently announced it will be a launching a regional version of its popular magazine entitled Poker Pro Canada.  The Canadian edition will feature in-depth profiles of Canadian players, updates and news from the growing Canadian poker scene and, of course, strategy and tips from the pros.

Canadian Poker Pro Executive Editor magazine John “JohnnyQuads” Wenzel elaborated on the motivation behind launching the new magazine in an official press release:   “Some say this is a time of contraction for print media, but we’re bullish on the Canadian market.  The game is exploding in Canada and we intend to provide enthusiasts with a slick, upscale magazine that will be fun to read and will also improve their bottom line at the tables.”  Wenzel also serves as Editor-In-Chief of Poker Pro Magazine.

Wenzel makes a valid point, as there have been a number of popular events in Canada in the past few months, including the British Columbia Poker Championship (BCPC) and, more recently, the Fallsview Poker Classic in Niagara Falls, Ontario.  Several big names turned out for the respective events, including Full Tilt Poker’s Gavin Smith, UB.com pro Tiffany Michelle, Maria Ho, Scott “BigRiskky” Clements, Mike “SirWatts” Watson, and Brad Booth.  Smith had an exceptionally good showing at Fallsview, where he won a $2,500 buy-in event and placed fourth in a $5,000 buy-in tournament won by Simon “pokerbrat13” Charette.

“The Canadian poker scene is fascinating, but it doesn’t get a lot of publicity. We’re going to change that,” explained Wenzel.  The long list of top Canadian players includes Smith, Booth, Watson, Team PokerStars Pro member Daniel Negreanu, Full Tilt’s Greg “FBT” Mueller, Michael “Timex” McDonald, Nenad Medic, former European Poker Tour (EPT) Monte Carlo winner Glen Chorny, Steve Paul Ambrose, Evelyn Ng, Betfair pro Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi, and Shawn Buchanan.  The country is also home to the popular Canadian Poker Tour (CPT) and the newly launched PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) also has plans to expand its tournament schedule into Canada.

This is not the first time that Poker Pro has branched out with a new publication.  The media company also produces Poker Pro Europe and Online Poker Pro, the latter of which is a publication dedicated entirely to the internet poker scene.  Poker Pro Canada will be sold at bookstores and convenience stores alike, gracing the shelves of stores 7-Eleven, Wal-Mart, Costco, Indigo/Chapters, and Shoppers Drug Mart.  It will also be available in casino poker rooms across the country.  The new magazine is set to launch in March and an accompanying website should debut in the coming weeks.

Poker Pro Magazine is not the only publication betting on Canada.  Back in September, Canadian Poker Player Magazine announced that it was planning to expand its media operation by launching a 24-hour online television station dedicated to the Canadian poker scene.  Modeled after the popular Poker Channel in the U.K., the site is supposed to feature poker-themed movies and television plus television coverage of past Canadian tournaments like the Canadian Open Poker Championships.

To date, the site has not gone fully live, but the project itself is another indication that many poker companies are setting their sights on the Canadian Poker scene.  Another indication is the recent announcement by PartyPoker that Kara Scott was joining its slate of sponsored pros.  Scott is supposed to promote the room in her home country of Canada by taking part in a number of CPT events.

Luke “FullFlush” Schwartz Added to PartyPoker.com Premier League IV Roster

As the PartyPoker.com Premier League IV draws closer, the field of 12 continues to take shape.  On Tuesday, PartyPoker.com announced that poker's newest bad boy, Luke "FullFlush" Schwartz, has been confirmed as the fifth player for the February contest.  Schwartz joins Premier League III winner J.C. Tran, 11-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, World Poker Tour (WPT) Season 7 world champion Yevgeniy "Jovial Gent" Timoshenko, and "Triple Crown" winner Roland de Wolfe in the exclusive event, which will take place February 11th to 18th in Las Vegas.

Schwartz caught the attention of the poker world in 2009 by racking up seven-figure profits online, all the while beating an impressive list of players.  Phil "OMGClayAiken" Galfond, Brad Booth, Tom "durrrr" Dwan, and David "Raptor" Benefield were among his victims.  Perhaps more than his poker skill, it was his "in your face" personality that really turned heads.  Known to trash talk to his heart's content, Schwartz cemented himself as one of online poker's most controversial figures when he called Dwan and Di "Urindanger" Dang "gay" in a public interview.

In October 2009, Schwartz took his behavior to another level, stealing a sandwich from a food stand after busting out of the European Poker Tour (EPT) London event.  Having been previously banned from Grosvenor Casino properties for not obeying the dress code only to have the ban lifted in time for EPT London, he was banned once again for his actions.

Schwartz may be young, but he is far from intimidated by the already strong field.  "For sure there are some big names playing but I have to be a huge favorite," he told PartyPoker.com.  "They need to know that I’m coming with my sharky hat on and it's gonna be a whole week of soul owning from Full Flush."

"He is poker's new villain, no question about that," Daniel Negreanu once wrote in his blog.

Seven players are yet to be determined and all but one will be hand picked by PartyPoker.com.  The final competitor will be a PartyPoker.com online qualifier.  A total of 16 qualifiers will square off in Las Vegas, battling it out in a series of sit and go tournaments to determine which skilled player will receive the final (and free) seat in the PartyPoker.com Premier League IV.  In addition, PartyPoker.com will evaluate each of the 16 qualifiers and select one to receive a $100,000 sponsorship deal from the site.  While one would assume that the winner will have a leg up on the competition, PartyPoker.com will also consider personality and marketability in addition to poker skill, so even those who do not win the 12th seat will have a chance at the sponsorship deal.

The PartyPoker.com Premier League has a unique format.  The 12 players will compete in a series of six-handed sit and gos, or "heats," with points awarded based on the order of finish.  Once all the heats are completed, the top four point winners will advance to the six-handed Grand Final.  The next four players will face off in heads-up matches to determine the fifth and sixth members of the final table.

With a $100,000 buy-in and $300,000 added by PartyPoker.com, the prize pool for the Premier League IV will be a whopping $1.5 million.  The action, including the battle for the 12th seat, will be televised in Europe, with Team Party's newest member, Kara Scott, serving as host.

Mohsin Charania (chicagocards1) Interview with Poker News Daily

Poker News Daily: How did you get into poker?

Mohsin Charania: I never saw “Rounders.”  I never saw poker on television.  I was a junior in college [at the University of Illinois] and I went over to one of my friend’s places.  He was going to play poker at a home game in a dorm room and I was bored, so went with him.  That is literally what happened.  I met Ravi “govshark2” Raghaven and some other people. I started playing $0.10/$0.25 and $0.25/$0.50 with them once or twice a week.  Then, we started going every day making money and paying rent off these rich kids.

PND: You were paying rent off of a $0.25/$0.50 poker game?

Mohsin Charania: Well, we would play $0.10/$0.25 and buy in for $20 or $25 and there would be eight of us.  There’d be $250 worth of buy-ins on the table and everyone would bust, so there would be $500 on the table.  We’d be five- or six-handed and up it to $0.25/$0.50, then $1/$2, and then at some point, there would be two or three people who cashed out.  Eight people would never cash out.

Then, I started playing $1/$2 with Faraz “The-Toliet” Jaka and Andy “BKiCe” Seth at this thing called The Poker House.  At the time, I thought Jaka was some super-aggressive monkey, but then I figured out he was actually really good at poker.  I don’t know, I just went to the home game and played.

PND: When did you start playing outside of the home games around campus?

Mohsin Charania: I turned 21, went to the casino, made a couple thousand dollars, and felt super excited.  You don’t want to know how I lost $200,000 in my first three months playing poker, do you?

PND: Of course we do.

Mohsin Charania: That was in January of my junior year I think, 2006.  That summer, I had a couple thousand dollar bankroll from the home game, went to the casino, and built it up to $10,000.  I met this Asian kid at the home game who took me to Las Vegas for a week.  I had $10,000, played $2/$5, and grinded it up to $20,000.  Then, I played $5/$10 and grinded it up to $40,000 and then played $10/$20 and got it up to $100,000.  Then, I started playing $25/$50 and $50/$100.

PND: You did all of this in the span of a week?

Mohsin Charania: No, we kept extending our flights because we were making so much money, so it was more like two weeks.  After two weeks, I’d run a couple grand up to $180,000.  Then, I lost two $100,000 pots and that was the first time ever that I was super tilted.  I lost all the rest of the money.  I had to use my mom’s debit card to fly home.  Then, I got a credit card under my name because I was 21, deposited on Bodog, and won the site’s $100,000 Guaranteed.  I got really lucky, I deposited $500, won that tournament, and then got third in it the next week.

PND: So you didn’t start playing online until after that ill-fated Vegas trip?

Mohsin Charania: Yeah.  I was a live pro.  I remember the pots I lost.  I was sitting there with bundles of cash in front of me and I got it all-in with K-Q on an A-J-10 board.  I remember telling the kid I had a straight and I was willing to take the pot right now.  He said, “I’ll gamble with you,” and called with a set of jacks; the board paired on the turn.

PND: Were you playing $50/$100 with people you know?

Mohsin Charania: It was Brad Booth, Kenny Tran, and Mimi Tran.  I want to say Jaka was there also, but I don’t know if he was in the game.  I was crushing the game because I was running so good.  I won a $50,000 pot when I had aces to kings.

PND: Did that trip teach you the importance of bankroll management?

Mohsin Charania: Well, I don’t really play cash games anymore.  I play tournaments now.  Online cash games are too hard.  I used to play a lot of $5/$10 and $10/$20 on PokerStars.  Two summers ago, I made $80,000 playing cash games on PokerStars, but then I started running really bad.  I didn’t have the roll to play $10/$20 and I can’t play $5/$10 disciplined.

PND: Would you say online cash games are the toughest form of poker around right now?

Mohsin Charania: Oh yeah.  They’re unbeatable.  PokerStars $2/$4 - you have to be really good to beat that.

PND: You put off law school at Northwestern University to play full-time.  When do you plan on going back?

Mohsin Charania: If I continue to struggle the way I have the past couple of months, I’ll go back.

PND: Do you like the idea of being a lawyer as much as being a poker player?

Mohsin Charania: Yeah, I hate being a poker player.  Poker playing is very bipolar.  I love it when I’m winning, but it is absolutely the worst feeling in the world when I’m losing.  If you asked me the same question last January or February when I was crushing, I would have told you I was never going back.

Poker After Dark Season 6 Kicks off January 4th

Fans of the popular NBC poker franchise “Poker After Dark” won’t have to wait long after the clock strikes Midnight this evening to catch the show’s sixth season, which debuts on Monday night, January 4th, at 2:05am ET.

Ali Nejad and Leeann Tweeden will reprise their “Poker After Dark” announcing and hosting roles, respectively, as the show enters season number six. The first week is entitled “Commentators III” and, while the name isn’t very catchy, the action on the felt should be nail biting. Howard Lederer, Gabe Kaplan, Joe Sebok, Nejad, Mark Gregorich, and Kara Scott will all play in “Poker After Dark’s” Season 6 premiere. Sebok, who hosts UB.com’s “Poker2Nite,” and Scott, the new floor reporter for GSN’s “High Stakes Poker,” are making their “Poker After Dark” debuts. You can catch “Commentators III” beginning on January 4th.

A total of 13 shows were filmed for Season 6 of “Poker After Dark,” including six-handed freezeouts and three different buy-in cash games. Followers of 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe Main Event champion Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad will be able to catch the youngster on a special “Nicknames” episode that also features Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari, Erick “E-Dog” Lindgren, Phil “The Unabomber” Laak, and Phil “The Poker Brat” Hellmuth. Obrestad, a Betfair pro, turned 21 in September and is finally old enough to gamble legally on U.S. soil.

A $50,000 buy-in cash game features a star-studded lineup of Brandon Adams, Todd Brunson, Chris Ferguson, Matusow, Esfandiari, and Hellmuth. A press release distributed by Poker PROductions notes, “Any time Matusow and Hellmuth play against each other in a cash game, the insults alone make for must-see-television.” A high-stakes $150,000 buy-in cash game will see Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Patrik Antonius, David “Viffer” Peat, Eli Elezra, Kaplan, and Alan Meltzer take to the felts. The six are staples of “High Stakes Poker” and one mounts the comeback of the century.

One of the more notable freezeout themes is “Lonesome Shark,” which features Lindgren, James Akenhead, Esfandiari, Matusow, David Williams, and Brad Booth. What do they all have in common, you ask? All six are poker’s most eligible bachelors and the heads-up battle in this episode is one of the longest of the season. Mixed Martial Arts will take center stage shortly thereafter in a show featuring UFC announcer Bruce Buffer, Antonius, Strikeforce fighter Dan Henderson, former UFC champion Randy Couture, Lederer, and Lindgren.

Here is the schedule through April for new episodes of Season 6 of “Poker After Dark” according to NBC.com:

Week of January 4th - Commentators III
Howard Lederer, Gabe Kaplan, Joe Sebok, Ali Nejad, Mark Gregorich, Kara Scott

Week of January 11th – Nicknames
Annette Obrestad, Mike Matusow, Antonio Esfandiari, Erick Lindgren, Phil Laak, Phil Hellmuth

Week of March 15th - Cash Game $50,000 buy-in, Part 1
Chris Ferguson, Phil Hellmuth, Antonio Esfandiari, Brandon Adams, Todd Brunson, Mike Matusow

Week of March 22nd – Cash Game $50,000 buy-in, Part 2
Todd Brunson, Mike Matusow, Phil Hellmuth, Brandon Adams, Antonio Esfandiari, Chris Ferguson

Week of April 19th - My Favorite Pro
Craig Ivey, James Ashby, Steve Bartlett, Phil Hellmuth, Jens Voertmann, Chris Ferguson

Week of April 26th - He Said, She Said
Erica Schoenberg, Jean-Robert Bellande, David Grey, Karina Jett, Mike Matusow, Annie Duke

Additional dates for new episodes will be announced in the future and re-runs of popular shows will also air over the first four months of 2009. “Poker After Dark” will take a hiatus during the weeks of February 15th and 22nd due to the Winter Olympics, which NBC owns the rights to.

“Poker After Dark” and “High Stakes Poker,” both products of Poker PROductions, were filmed in October at the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas. The latter begins airing on GSN on Sunday, February 14th.

Brad Booth: “One or more $500/$1000 player will go broke soon”

Brad “yukonbrad” Booth lost his Full Tilt Poker Red Pro status just recently and now he speaks about the big online games.

Booth begins his blog estimating how big bankroll you should have on the recent nosebleed games people have been playing on Full Tilt Poker. His estimation is roughly 30-50 million dollars and he can think of only one person who has this kind of money. (Phil Ivey? -Editorial note)

He ponders the reasons why many top pro is willing to play these kind of games with inadequate bankroll. Why would they take this kind of huge risk? Do they think they have that big edge over other players or is it only some “clash of the egos”. Don’t they respect the value of money?

Booth believes that the above is true for most of the nosebleed players. He also predicts that one or more nosebleed pro will go broke if the games continue like this.

Booth uses Tom “durrrr” Dwan as an example: Dwan lost over half of his online winnings to Isildur1 in a short period and now Dwan needs to grind his bankroll up from the smaller games.

Even though durrrr’s games have gone well in the smaller games, Booth thinks that the winning can be a lot harder for him now as Dwan is a very known player and many players knows his playstyle and moves.

Source: Bluffmagazine

You just read Poker News from HighStakesNews.com

Brad Booth: “One or more $500/$1000 player will go broke soon”

Returns

Filming of 13 different shows concluded in October at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas featuring a mixture of well-known regulars from previous seasons and thirteen players making their Poker After Dark debut.

Ali Nejad, returns to provide commentary and Leeann Tweeden is back for her third season as the show’s host.

Seven of the new shows will follow the traditional Poker After Dark week-long six-handed winner-take-all freezeout format while the remaining six will feature cash games of varying buy-ins that will each air over a two-week period.

Producers say there are first-time winners, matches that end in dramatic fashion, huge swings, plenty of laughs and many other memorable moments.

The season will kick-off Jan. 4 with a Poker After Dark staple: The “Commentators” episode, featuring Nejad and High Stakes Poker host Gabe Kaplan along with newcomer Joe Sebok from Poker2Nite and Kaplan’s new co-host Kara Scott.

A “Nicknames” episode will follow that includes Annette “The Huntress” Obrestad’s Poker After Dark debut and great names like Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari, Erick “E-Dog” Lindgren, Phil “The Unabomber” Laak, and Phil “The Poker Brat” Hellmuth.

The first cash game episodes to air will feature a $50,000 minimum buy-in and players including, Todd Brunson, Chris Ferguson, Matusow, Esfandiari, and Hellmuth.

In what could be the first win for an amateur on Poker After Dark a “My Favorite Pro” episode will air including online qualifiers Craig Ivey from Australia, James Ashby from Alabama, Jens Voertmann from Germany, and 2009 Howard Lederer Charity Event winner Steve Bartlett playing alongside Hellmuth and Ferguson.

In a match similar to the “Battle of the Sexes” theme of Season 2, a “He Said, She Said” episode will include Erica Schoenberg, Jean-Robert Bellande, David Grey, Matusow, Annie Duke and Karina Jett, making her Poker After Dark debut.

The next cash game show has a $100,000 minimum buy-in and includes some of the biggest cash players in the world. Here Hellmuth will take on Eli Elezra, Doyle Brunson, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Gus Hansen, and Laak.

A “Lonesome Shark” show will feature bachelors Lindgren, James Akenhead, Esfandiari, Matusow, David Williams, and Brad Booth and there is a “Mixed Martial Arts” show featuring Bruce Buffer, Dan Henderson, Randy Couture and Patrik Antonius.

The third and final cash game has a $150,000 minimum buy-in and includes Dwan, Antonius, David Peat, Elezra, Kaplan, and Alan Meltzer.

Finally, the season wraps up with a “Charity in Mind” show, highlighting the charity work of players including Phil Gordon, Jennifer Harman, Andy Bloch, Duke, Lederer and Ferguson.

Season 6 begins Jan. 4 in Poker After Dark’s regular 2:05 a.m. timeslot on NBC.

For more information and the entire schedule, check out the Poker After Dark page on NBC’s website.

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The Nightly Turbo: World Series of Poker 2010 Schedule, Brad Booth Talks Full Tilt Poker, and More

Tonight's Nightly Turbo is giving you the scoop on the 2010 schedule for the World Series of Poker, Brad Booth's thoughts about Full Tilt Poker, Kentucky trying to add names to the Internet gambling domain seizure list, and more. In Case You...

British Columbia Poker Championship Winner Sophon Sek Arrested

Less than a day after winning this year’s British Columbia Poker Championship and earning the first place prize of $364,364, 30 year-old Sophon Sek was arrested on charges of manslaughter and breaking and entering.  As a result, his prize money is being held at the casino at the request of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and there is a chance it will be confiscated from Sek altogether.

Sek is the sixth person arrested in connection with the Surrey Six murder case.  In October of 2007, six people were shot in the head and killed in the Surrey area high rise apartment building Balmoral Towers.  The murders are believed to be an act of gang violence, as four of the six victims were known to be part of the British Columbia drug trade.  The men suspected in the murders are members of the Red Scorpions, one of the largest and most influential gangs in British Columbia.  The Surrey Six slayings are considered to be one of the worst instances of gang violence in modern British Columbian history.

The Vancouver Sun newspaper reported that Sek is believed to be an associate of the Red Scorpions as well.  Statements from Corporal Dale Carr of the police force gave little insight on why Sek was arrested and faced lesser charges than the other five men previously detained in the killings, but the Sun reported that Sek is not believed to be one of the murderers. According to the paper, the RCMP believe that it was Sek who let the perpetrators into the high rise, though it is still unclear whether or not he was aware of their intentions.

Howard Blank, Vice President of the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation, reported that the RCMP requested Sek’s winnings from the $2,700 (CDN) buy-in event.  Sek outlasted a field of 679 players including poker pros Gavin Smith, “Yukon” Brad Booth, Mike “SirWatts” Watson, Tiffany Michelle, Maria Ho, Greg “FBT” Mueller, and Scott “BigRiskky” Clements, who made the final table, finishing in seventh place.

Sek was set to return to River Rock Casino in Vancouver, the site of the event, to pick up his winnings Monday, but his arrest prevented him from doing so.  He is currently being held in custody until his trial date on November 30th.  His lawyer, Alan Ip, spoke to the British Columbia Globe and Mail about the seizure of Sek’s winnings.  According to Ip, unless the money was taken as evidence in the case, it was unjustly seized.  Carr told the Sun he was not aware of the RCMP’s request for the casino to hold the funds and could not provide an explanation as to why the money would be seized in relation to the case.  Ip also emphasized how saddened his client was at the prospect of losing his tournament earnings, as he planned to pursue his love for poker and play in other events in the future.

One of the five other suspects in the case, Dennis Karbonavec, has already pled guilty and was sentenced to life in prison.  Following his admission of guilt, three others were arrested in relation to the case in April of 2008 and have been in pretrial custody ever since.  The charges against the men include first and second degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and various firearms-related charges.

This is not the first time Sek has had a run in with the police.  He was previously charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm in July of 2008.

Poker goes indie short

"The film shows a glimpse into the lives of two young men struggling to come to terms with their addictions to the game of poker" explained Juan Riedlinger.

"It explores both sides of the game so often misrepresented in film - the bliss and the bleakness. I felt that the demand for a good story about poker was so high in comparison to what's out there, so I wanted to jump on that while I could."

Along with its dark and moody look and feel - thanks in part to it being shot on a state-of-the-art RED digital camera - Shark Out of Water sports cameos from "Yukon" Brad Booth and 11-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth.

Riedinger said getting such a recognizable poker figure as Hellmuth to appear in the short was relatively simple.

"I called him up and told him what we were doing and after reading our script, he was interested in coming on board so we scheduled our entire shoot around him," he said.

The film recieved rave reviews after being screened at film festivals around North America, and Reidlinger believes that part of its appeal comes from the film's ability to capture and relate some of the more subtle aspects of poker while remaining entertaining.

"I'm so sick of seeing straight flushes beat four of a kind in poker movies," he said. "It's such an unrealistic scenario and has no place in a poker film that wants to be taken seriously."

You can see the trailer for the film in our blog section.

The film itself is available for purchase on the Shark Out of Water website.

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2009 BC Poker champion arrested

The 30-year old Surrey man has been charged with manslaughter and break and enter in relation to the gangland murders of six people, including two innocent bystanders, in 2007.

The incident is referred to locally as the Surrey Six Slaughter.

Sek made an appearance in Surrey Provincial Court today, but was sent back into custody to await continuation of his trial Nov. 30.

He could still face additional charges in connection to the murders, according to Cpl. Dale Carr of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Integrated Homicide Investigation Team.

Sek outlasted 679 players to win this year's $2,700 (CDN) buy-in BC Poker Championships late Sunday night at the River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond, a suburb of Vancouver.

Sek's $364,364 (CDN) in prize money is being held by the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation at the request of the RCMP, according to Howard Blank, vice president of media, entertainment and responsible gaming at the GCGC.

This is the fifth year the BC Poker Championships have been held in the current format and the tournament continues to draw world-renowned poker players.

This year Amazing Race stars Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho played as well as Gavin Smith, Liz Lieu, Lacey Jones, "Yukon" Brad Booth, Greg "FBT" Mueller and Scott Clements. Clements made the final table but eventually busted seventh.

Last year Daniel Negreanu, who is perhaps the biggest name in Canadian poker, outlasted all 688 players to win the event for $371,910 (CDN).

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Poker News in Brief: Nov. 16-22, 2009

 

The 21-year-old generated some major mainstream press coverage this week by appearing on the Late Show with David Letterman and CNN's American Morning.

There was plenty of news that didn't involve Cada, however, and as part of our ongoing Poker News in Brief Feature we're going to break some of it down for you today.

This week we'll look at another man winning a ladies event, the end of Fair Poker, more support for an online poker bill, an upgrade for Cake Poker and more.

Man wins Ladies Championship at Lake Tahoe

Greg Sessler became the latest man to enter and win a female poker tournament last week.

Sessler won the Ladies Championship at the World Series of Poker Circuit stop in Lake Tahoe by outlasting all 95 players that entered the tournament. Of that total, four were men.

Although organizers encourage only women to play, Harrah's cannot exclude any player based on gender. After winning the tournament Sessler defended his decision to play.

"Me playing in this tournament really had nothing to do with trying to take advantage of the ladies or thinking it was a softer field," he said.

"If Jennifer Harman would have come and played in the ladies event, she would have been much tougher competition than me. I came here because I only had one day and I really like the structures and the payout."

Back in September Abraham Korotki entered a ladies event at the 2009 Borgata Poker Open and went on to win it. Former baseball star Jose Canseco also famously entered a women's tournament a few years ago.

 

 

More support for Frank's pro-online poker bill

The U.S. bill that would both legalize and regulate online poker has another co-sponsor.

Rep. Anthony D. Weiner of New York's 9th district signed on board this week as the 63rd co-sponsor of the legislation.

Rep. Barney Frank originally introduced the bill last spring but it has yet to be heard before committee.

Frank's bill would essentially repeal the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act that was passed in 2006 and put a regulatory system in place for the online gambling industry.

Unfair outcome for Fair Poker

Lesser-known online poker room Fair Poker disappeared this week, but its players found a new home at Noble Poker.

Both sites were members of the iPoker network and were merged into one site earlier in the week. Fair Poker players had their account balances and the iPoints they had earned transferred to Noble Poker.

iPoker remains one of the busiest online poker networks in the world with Titan Poker, ChiliPoker, Bet365, CD Poker, William Hill, Mansion Poker and numerous others all under the iPoker banner.

 

 

HeadsUp Entertainment to televise BC Poker Championships

HeadsUp Entertainment, operators of the Canadian Poker Tour and Canadian Poker Player Magazine, will help televise coverage of the 2009 BC Poker Championships in Vancouver.

"We are very pleased to be part of Canada's premier poker tournament," said HeadsUp President Kelly B. Kellner. "We consider it a privilege to be able to cover the event through both our magazine and on television."

HeadsUp Entertainment made a deal with The Score Television Network, which is the exclusive broadcast partner of the Canadian Poker Tour, to show highlights from the tournament.

The 2009 BC Poker Championships began this week with 606 runners. The event received the attention of some big name poker players including Tiffany Michelle, Liz Lieu, Maria Ho, Greg "FBT" Mueller, Gavin Smith and Brad Booth.

Last year Canadian poker super-star Daniel Negreanu outlasted 689 players to win the 2008 BCPC for $300,708.

Cake Poker adds players, synchronized breaks

Cake Poker had a busy week adding synchronized breaks to its software and taking players from Third Bullet Poker.

Third Bullet was already a member of the Cake Network and the company's executives made the decision to merge the player base onto Cake Poker for better technical support and customer service.

Meanwhile, Cake's synchronized breaks will let multi-table tournament players take a break no matter how many tables they are running. The breaks will occur at 55 minutes past the hour, every hour.

The breaks do not affect Sit 'n' Go tournaments with less than 30 players.

The feature is quickly becoming an industry standard as Absolute Poker and UltimateBet recently added synchronized breaks as well.

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Shark Out of Water Poker Movie Released

Over the weekend, a brand new poker movie debuted, “Shark Out of Water.” The film, which stars Matty Finochio and Artine Brown, also features poker pros Brad Booth and Ultimate Bet front man Phil Hellmuth.

“Shark Out of Water” is a Made in the Shade and Strangeways production showing the ups and downs of professional poker life. Producer Andrew Halliwell told Poker News Daily how the flick came to fruition: “The director and I worked on a small project before this, a television pilot. He approached me with a script he had written. He’s an avid player and he wrote a script for a short film and asked if I would produce it. I gave it a read and we went to work on it. That was two years ago.”

“Shark Out of Water” was nominated for Leo Awards for Best Short Drama, Best Direction, Best Performance, and Best Musical Score. It weighs in at 18 minutes and its DVD is available for purchase via Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and PayPal for $9.95. It will ultimately be released through iTunes to ensure wider distribution, but is currently only available through the “Shark Out of Water” website.

In the movie’s trailer, Hellmuth, clad in Ultimate Bet attire, is seated next to Brown. Upon seeing his opponent’s shark card protector that looks like a keepsake Humberto Brenes would use, Hellmuth inquires, “That’s a nice shark you have there. Is that what you are, a shark?” According to Halliwell, Booth sucks out in a hand against one of the protagonists and Hellmuth gives the viewing audience a top-tier “Poker Brat” moment.

Hellmuth requested a fee to appear in “Shark Out of Water” and his part of the movie was recorded in a casino in Vancouver. Halliwell recalled, “Phil Hellmuth was in town to do an event with Annie Duke. We sent a taxi to bring him to a local casino. After we finished shooting his scenes, we got one of our directors (Juan Riedinger) to play him heads-up for a fee. You have to watch the DVD’s bonus features to find out what happened.” Hellmuth is the all-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner with 11, one more than Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan. His last piece of hardware came in 2007 in a $1,500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event.

On Finochio’s and Brown’s performances in the film, Halliwell noted, “They brought the realism of poker to life. It’s a double-edge sword and that’s what we were trying to convey with the film. A lot of people enjoy the game and have no problems, while others get too deep.” The 50-second trailer available on the movie’s official website includes such memorable quotes as “I guess sometimes luck comes into play” and “I’m having a bad run. It happens.”

“Shark Out of Water” was an Official Selection at the Miami Short Film Festival, the Edmonton International Film Festival, the Tacoma Film Festival, the Mississauga Independent Film Festival, and the Nevada City Film Festival. Despite its 18-minute runtime, the movie’s bonus features add a considerable amount of content. Its website explains, “The DVD is jam-packed with bonus features which include behind-the-scenes footage of ‘Yukon’ Brad Booth and Phil Hellmuth.”

“Shark Out of Water” isn’t Hellmuth’s first gander onto the silver screen. The pro also appeared in “All In,” Woody Harrelson’s “The Grand,” and the Eric Bana classic “Lucky You.” He could be spotted on the NBC reality franchise “Celebrity Apprentice” earlier this year supporting Duke and has also appeared on a variety of poker television programming including NBC’s “Poker After Dark” and GSN’s “High Stakes Poker.”

Poker News in Brief: Nov. 9-15, 2009

Although poker legend Phil Ivey didn't win his eighth bracelet, fans were still treated to a thrilling final table that saw 21-year-old Joe Cada become poker's youngest world champion.

There was plenty of poker news that nearly slipped through the cracks, however, and as part of our ongoing Poker News in Brief feature we've compiled a list of the lesser-known stories below.

This week we'll take a look at Fox Sports en Español picking up the LAPT, Tom "durrrr" Dwan starting his own blog, Joe Sebok passing the one million mark in Twitter and more.

Fox Sports en Español Broadcasting Latin American Poker Tour

Fox Sports en Español and PokerStars reached an agreement this week that will see the network broadcast the Latin American Poker Tour in Spanish.

The Fox Sports en Español broadcast will feature highlights from tour stops in Costa Rica, Chile, Uruguay and Argentina.

"It's amazing to see how poker has become one of the most popular sports in Latin America, it has taken off like wildfire," said Team PokerStars Pro Humberto Brenes. "To think that the prize pool has nearly doubled in just one year is a testament to the power of poker."

Coverage is scheduled to air on Friday nights at 8:00 ET on Fox Sports en Español.

Joe Sebok hits one million twitter followers

Pokerroad.com president and UltimateBet pro Joe Sebok hit over one million Twitter followers this week.

It's an impressive feat considering if you combined the followers for Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth you still wouldn't have even 25% of Sebok's following.

To put things in perspective Sebok also has more Twitter followers than Tom Cruise (153,905) and Lindsay Lohan (142,474).

UltimateBet is celebrating the occasion by offering a $5.50 tournament with $24,000 in added prizes and a $1,500 bounty on Sebok. The event is scheduled to take place Dec. 13 at 3 p.m. ET.

Tom "durrrr" Dwan starts blogging

Noted high stakes online player Tom "durrrr" Dwan is giving fans an inside look at his life thanks to a new blog launched this week.

One of the few players without a training site or blog, Dwan did mention in his first post that he was officially blogging for Full Tilt Poker, which he recently joined as a team member.

In his first post, Dwan discussed taking a helicopter ride with Patrik Antonius to see a Jay-Z/Coldplay show in London and skydiving while inebriated.

He also said he would be recapping some of the action at the live durrrr heads-up challenge scheduled to take place in London later this week.

You can check the blog out here.

Annie Duke to host "Use Poker Skills for Life"

UltimateBet.com poker pro Annie Duke will be hosting a special presentation on how to use skills learned in poker in real life settings.

The "Use Poker Skills for Life" presentation will take part in conjunction with the Annie Duke Celebrity Poker Night which benefits the Decision Education Foundation. Both events will take place on Nov. 19 at the Commerce Casino in L.A.

The free presentation will start at 6:30 p.m. and guest entry is on a first come, first serve basis, for up to 80 attendees.

Duke won't be the only famous poker player speaking as Howard Lederer, Andy Bloch and Ali Nejad will all take the podium during the evening.

The presentation is sponsored by Stakes Supper Club.

Brad Booth joins GR88.com

Former Full Tilt poker pro "Yukon" Brad Booth has signed with new gaming site GR88.com as their official spokesperson and head of poker development.

Primarily a cash game player, Booth is perhaps most well-known for buying into High Stakes Poker for $1 million and pulling off a risky bluff against Phil Ivey.

Although he now resides in Vancouver, Canada, Booth earned his nickname by playing underground games in the Yukon.

Booth made his biggest tournament score when he came in third place in the 2006 WPT Mandalay Bay Championship for $319,180.

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2009 BC Poker Championships hits in November

One of Canada's largest poker events, the 2009 BCPC will host five events and offer an estimated prize pool of $2.5 million.

The centerpiece of the series is the $2,700 No-Limit Hold'em main event, which will run Nov. 19-22.

Last year Canadian super star Daniel Negreanu stole the show by outlasting all 689 opponents and winning the first place prize of $371,910.

Poker pros Lacey Jones, Brad Booth, Gavin Smith, Dennis Phillips, Steve Paul Ambrose and Liz Lieu also took part in the event.

"It is truly an honor to have BCPC take place at the River Rock Casino as it attracts a group of talented and brave poker players," said Howard Blank, vice president of media and entertainment with the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation.

"Like every year, BCPC features an action-packed week where all players can test their poker face skills and connect with many other great poker players."

Any player 19 and older can play in the 2009 BCPC. For more information visit the River Rock website here.

Check below for the complete schedule for this year's BCPC:

Date:	Event:
Nov. 12-14	$550 No-Limit Hold'em
Nov. 15	$120 Super Satellite with Rebuys
Nov. 16-17	$1,100 No-Limit Hold'em
Nov. 18	$120 Super Satellite with Rebuys
Nov. 19-22	$2,700 No-Limit Hold'em

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Canadian Poker Tour launches online TV network

CanadianPokerPlayer.tv will work closely with the CPT to provide a comprehensive video resource for players based in Canada, according to owners HeadsUp Entertainment.

"Players and fans alike will have an innovative and effective means to pursue their interest in the sport and we couldn't be more excited," said HeadsUp Entertainment president Kelly B. Kellner.

Set to begin broadcasting in the fourth quarter of 2009, the network will feature coverage of major Canadian poker events from across the country.

In addition, the network will provide a behind the scenes peak at life on the Canadian poker tournament circuit in documentary-style segments.

Kellner mentioned launching the video site was a key step in HeadsUp Entertainment's plan to expand to international markets and build on an existing partnership with the World Poker Showdown.

In the coming months, the Canadian Poker Tour will also be launching an entirely newly web interface with a social community element for its player membership base.

The biggest tournament on the CPT - the Canadian Open Championship - continues to build a solid reputation witha number of elite poker players attending.

This year Canadian Benjamin LaBlond outlasted pros like Phil Hellmuth, Jeff Madsen and Brad Booth to win the heads-up event for a first place prize of $100,000.

In 2008, former WSOP world champion Huck Seed won the tournament.

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Pros fall in Canadian Open

Coming from behind to defeat 2006 WSOP wunderkind Jeff Madsen in their best-of-three final heads-up match, Benjamin LaBlond took down the 2009 Canadian Open Poker Championship in Calgary Sunday.

LaBlond's path to the $100,000 win saw him go through no less than 11-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth in the quarterfinals, sucking out huge when he rivered a set of sixes against Hellmuth's pocket nines to end a six-hour match.

He also beat Canadian great Brad Booth in the semis.

Other big names who made the trip to Western Canada included Gavin Smith, semi-finalist Terrence Chan, Antonio Esfandiari and last year's winner, Huck Seed, who was defeated in the first round of the heads-up championship.

An amateur from Hull, Quebec, who plays regulalry online, LaBlond told local media he was going to parlay part of his winnings into a seat in the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event.

A total of 93 players ponied up the $5,000 buy-in for a shot at the Canadian Open Poker Championship title.

Madsen took $50,000 for his second place finish.

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Jennifer Harman Charity Poker Tournament Returns for Third Year

Jennifer Harman and her many friends are back to raise money for a good cause.

The third annual Jennifer Harman Charity Poker Tournament will be held at The Venetian Poker Room on Friday, April 17, in Las Vegas. The event, which benefits the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA), raised more than $130,000 for the organization last year alone.

Poker celebrities that have already reserved seats for the charity tournament include Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, Barry Greenstein, Chris Ferguson, Hoyt Corkins, Jerry Yang, Andy Bloch, David Williams, Eli Elezra, David Oppenheim, Lee Watkinson, Jeff Madsen, Karina Jett, Todd Brunson, Brad Booth, Joe Sebok, and many others. Defending champion Seth Dupre, a recreational player from Las Vegas, will also participate. The event is open to the public.

A red carpet walk featuring players accompanied by animals from the NSPCA shelter is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m., while emcee Matt Savage will kick off the $300 No Limit Hold'em tournament at 5 p.m. The tournament will include unlimited $100 rebuys for the first three levels and then a $100 add-on worth twice the starting stack.

The grand prize of a seat in the $10,000 World Series of Poker Main Event, along with a Curtis & Co. watch, will be awarded to the winner. Each player will receive a generous gift bag courtesy of the Nevada SPCA and its sponsors. The silent auction, hosted by Nevada SPCA and Triumph Sports, will feature autographed sports and poker memorabilia items. The auction will run from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m.

The following sponsored prizes will be awarded to those that reach the final table:

1st Place -- $10,000 World Series of Poker Main Event seat, Legacy Alliance custom designed crystal trophy, Curtis & Co. sports watch, Life’s A Bluff autographed Limited Edition Lithograph.

2nd Place -- WSOP Academy certificate, Legacy Alliance custom designed crystal trophy, Curtis & Co. sports watch, Life’s A Bluff autographed Limited Edition Lithograph.

3rd Place -- WSOP Academy certificate, Legacy Alliance custom designed crystal trophy, Curtis & Co. sports watch, Life’s A Bluff autographed Limited Edition Lithograph.

4th Place -- Two nights luxury accommodations at the Venetian, dinner for two at a Delmonico Steakhouse (pending approval), certificate to Venetian’s Canyon Ranch Spa Club (pending approval), Life’s A Bluff autographed Limited Edition Lithograph.

5th Place -- Autographed complete home poker chip set, tickets for two to David Spade Live at the Venetian (pending approval), Quad Queens all-in-one cushion backpack, Life’s A Bluff autographed Limited Edition Lithograph.

6th Place -- Tickets for two to Phantom at the Venetian (pending approval), autographed complete home poker chip set, Quad Queens all-in-one cushion backpack, Life’s A Bluff autographed Limited Edition Lithograph.

7th Place -- Tickets for two to Wayne Brady at the Venetian (pending approval), autographed complete home poker chip set, Quad Queens all-in-one Cushion Backpack, Life’s A Bluff autographed Limited Edition Lithograph.

8th Place -- Tickets for two to Madame Tussauds (pending approval), autographed complete home poker chip set, Quad Queens all-in-one cushion backpack, Life’s A Bluff autographed Limited Edition Lithograph.

9th Place -- Tickets for two to Jersey Boys (pending approval), autographed complete home poker chip set, Quad Queens all-in-one cushion backpack, Life’s A Bluff autographed Limited Edition Lithograph.

10th Place -- Tickets for two to Blue Man Group, SuperSystem leather-bound autographed by Doyle Brunson, Doyle Brunson autographed cowboy hat, Quad Queens all-in-one cushion Backpack, Life’s A Bluff autographed Limited Edition Lithograph.

There will also be a “Last Woman Standing” prize and “Jennifer Harman Bounty” prize sponsored by 2-Step Images. More information, including tournament structure, prizes, and contacts, can be found at http://www.jenniferharmancpt.com.