Posts Tagged ‘charity’
Historic WSOP Africa Kicks Off
History is being made this week as the World Series of Poker (WSOP) is holding tournaments on the continent of Africa for the first time. A stop on the WSOP Circuit, “WSOP Africa” is currently underway at the Emerald Resort and Casino in Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng, South Africa and will run through the end of the month.
WSOP Africa consists of two events. The first, which started Monday, October 25th, is a $1,100 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha tournament with $300 re-buys for the first three hours and a single $400 add-on available at the end of the re-buy period. Starting stacks were 2,500 chips with blinds beginning at 25/50 and increasing every 60 minutes. This is a three day event with a maximum registrant cap of just 200 players.
The $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em freezeout Main Event kicks off on Thursday, October 28th with a maximum of 500 players starting with 40,000 chips. Once again, blind levels increase every hour and blinds start out at 50/100. Antes will make their initial appearance at level five. This will be a four day event; the field will be narrowed to the final nine by the end of day three, with the final table competition beginning at 10:30am local time on October 31st.
While WSOP Africa is part of the World Series of Poker Circuit, the winners of each of the two events will not be awarded gold rings like the winners at other WSOP Circuit stops. The tournaments also do not count in the WSOP Circuit points rankings – only stops in the United States count – so nobody will earn an automatic spot in the WSOP Circuit National Championship, to be held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas prior to the start of the World Series of Poker next year.
Also taking place during WSOP Africa is the Gus Hansen Charity Event, scheduled for October 27th. R2,000 (USD $287) gets one into the event, while R3,500 (USD $502) gets one a VIP seat at the Great Dane’s table. The Full Tilt Poker pro has had success in World Series of Poker events outside of the United States, winning the £10,000 High Roller Heads-Up tournament at WSOP Europe last month and placing tenth in the £10,000 WSOP Europe Main Event in 2007. All told, Hansen has won $908,782 in World Series of Poker events, just under half ($444,925) coming from that lone bracelet win this past September. Hansen, of course, is scheduled to compete in the WSOP Africa Main Event.
The Emerald Resort and Casino is located on the banks of the Vaal River in Vanderbijlpark, about an hour south of Johannesburg. The casino’s regular poker room is small, housing just six tables, although only four of those are what poker players would actually consider “real” poker tables. Those four feature good, old No-Limit Texas Hold’em, while the other two are really casino games: Casino Hold’em Progressive and River Poker. Two of the tables are reserved for daily cash games starting at 10:00pm, while we presume the other two are for Sit-and-Go tournaments. The Emerald poker room also holds a larger tournament every Sunday at 2:00pm for a minimum of 10 players and a maximum of 40 players. The buy-in is R300 ($43), but the tournament can also be entered for 3,000 Emerald Rewards points.
WSOP Africa comes right on the heels of the WSOP Circuit Regional Championship, which commenced on Monday, October 25th, at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana. 226 competitors hit the felts in the $10,000 buy-in event to battle it out for the $525,000 first prize. The final nine players, in addition to receiving attractive paychecks, will earn seats in the WSOP Circuit National Championship.
Poker Players Alliance Welcomes New Board Member
On Monday, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the 1.2 million member strong lobbying voice for poker players in the United States, welcomed a new Board member into its ranks. Patrick “Skallagrim” Fleming, who manages the PPA’s Litigation Network, will bring insight to the Board as the organization heads into 2011.
PPA Chairman Alfonse D’Amato commented in a press release sent by the lobbying organization on Monday, “Patrick is one of the poker community’s staunchest champions, donating his time and legal expertise to help PPA members navigate the often murky waters regarding poker’s legal status. I am so pleased that he will be joining the Board of Directors as we work together to guide the organization’s efforts to provide a safe, regulated environment for poker players in the U.S.”
Fleming is an attorney by trade and, according to the same press release, got his start in the organization following the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in 2006: “Dismayed at the government’s effort to restrict his right to play online poker by passing the UIGEA, Fleming joined the PPA and began leveraging his legal expertise to post about legal challenges on various poker forums.” Two years ago, Fleming pitched the idea of a Litigation Network, which matches online poker players needing legal assistance with pre-screened local counsel.
PPA Executive Director John Pappas is also looking forward to welcoming Fleming into the fold: “Without Patrick’s guidance and expertise, the PPA would not be nearly as well positioned from a legal perspective to provide support and testimony in the legal cases impacting poker across the nation… It is a true pleasure to work with Patrick and I look forward to the ideas and insights I am certain he will bring in his role on the Board of Directors.”
Fleming’s compatriots on the PPA’s Board of Directors include D’Amato, Pappas, former World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champ Chris Ferguson, Women in Poker Hall of Famer Linda Johnson, Full Tilt Poker front man Howard Lederer, 2004 Main Event champ Greg Raymer, and PPA Kentucky State Director Rich “TheEngineer” Muny.
Fleming hails from New Hampshire and will join the Board of an organization that continues to press for licensed and regulated online poker in the United States. The PPA is in the midst of pushing Congressman Barney Frank’s (D-MA) HR 2267, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act, which was marked up by the House Financial Services Committee in July. HR 2267 sports 70 co-sponsors on both sides of the aisle, but will be deemed “dead” if not acted on by the end of the current Congress in January.
The PPA’s Litigation Network has been instrumental in arguing poker cases in states like South Carolina and Pennsylvania. Pappas posted on TwoPlusTwo that Fleming was in the midst of attending a charity event in his home state of New Hampshire: “I actually have the privilege of being with Skall at this very moment. We are in Plaistow, NH at the Granite State Poker room for a charity event. New Hampshire native Howard Lederer will be here too, as well as special guest Congressman Paul Hodes, who is running for the U.S. Senate.” Hodes is running against former New Hampshire Attorney General Kelly Ayotte, who signed a letter opposing internet gambling legislation in 2007.
The PPA recently released its 2010 Congressional Ratings Guide in advance of next week’s general elections in the United States. The organization assigned letter grades to each Congressman running to give players guidance on who to vote for. In addition, Poker PAC, the PPA’s political action committee, recently announced endorsements of 58 lawmakers. Visit ThePPA.org for more information.
Tags: 2010, 2011, Barney Frank, charity, full tilt poker, legal, Online Poker, poker player, Poker Players Alliance, women, WSOP
Jason Mercier, Gary Payton Trump Million Dollar Challenge Contestants
It was another rough week to be a contestant on the PokerStars-sponsored “Million Dollar Challenge.” The poker game show, which airs around NFL coverage on FOX every other Sunday, pits online qualifiers against celebrities and PokerStars pros with a chance at $1 million on the line. Longtime sportscaster Chris Rose serves as its host.
After defeating football legend John Elway in the first round to earn a $5,000 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure package, Lauren Gallant moved on to face PokerStars pro Jason Mercier. At stake this time around was $25,000 in cold, hard cash. “Million Dollar Challenge” front man Daniel Negreanu was moved to an isolation booth, where he could communicate with Gallant via an earpiece. In addition, Mercier could invoke the dreaded “Dome of Silence” twice during the match, cutting off all communication between Negreanu and the challenger.
To say that Gallant struggled would be putting it lightly. After raising pre-flop, Gallant bet out 3,000 with K-5 on a flop of 10-9-A with two spades. The challenger had whiffed completely and Mercier called her continuation bet holding A-5 of spades for top pair and the nut flush draw. The turn was the four of spades, filling Mercier’s flush, and the action went check-check to a deuce on the river. Mercier, holding the nuts, invoked the “Dome of Silence,” moved all-in, and Gallant got out of the way. In the process, she shipped one-quarter of her chips to the bracelet winner.
Then, Gallant got it all-in before the flop with A-6 of hearts. Mercier, however, woke up with A-10 and made the call. The flop of 2-Q-9 didn’t change matters, but Gallant spiked a six on the turn to move ahead with a pair. The river was a dagger, as a 10 hit to give Mercier a higher pair with the re-suck. Just like that, Gallant was eliminated, but still earned a 2011 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure prize package for her run to the second round of the “Million Dollar Challenge.”
The next challenger was Loren Watterworth, an ICU nurse who faced off in the first round against nine-time NBA All-Star Gary Payton. Negreanu sat by Watterworth’s side throughout her abbreviated match, which saw her raise to 5,000 before the flop with A-2, only to see a raise to 8,000 from Payton, who held A-K. Watterworth called for time to discuss the bet with Negreanu, who contended that she had too much money in the pot to fold. Consequently, Watterworth called and the flop came 10-4-7, missing both players. Payton bet 3,000 and Watterworth laid it down, falling to just 5,400 in chips after starting with 20,000.
Watterworth ultimately doubled up to 10,000 after her A-K withstood Payton’s 9-7. Watterworth flopped trips and never looked back, giving the nurse some life. However, the trash talking Payton prevailed after Watterworth errantly moved all-in on a flop of Q-7-Q holding just 6-2 of spades for six-high. Payton, who seemed unwilling to lay any hand down, called with K-2 and, once again, a contestant was drawing to a six. This time, the turn was a four and the river was an ace, sending Watterworth home empty-handed. Payton claimed $5,000 for the Gary Payton foundation, a charity that helps keep kids off the street.
Sunday marked the second straight week in which no challenger advanced to the third round. The next new episode of the PokerStars “Million Dollar Challenge” will air on November 7th on FOX. Check your local listings for more information.
October 22 – PND Weekly Update
Hello and welcome to the Weekly Recap on Poker News Daily. This week, we congratulate Dan Harrington and Erik Seidel on entering the Poker Hall of Fame, witness an implausible twenty-three way chop in a live tournament, and more. I’m your host, Sean Gibson.
The Poker Hall of Fame Class of two thousand ten was announced this week. Nineteen ninety-five World Series of Poker Main Event champ Dan Harrington and eight-time bracelet winner Erik Seidel will be enshrined during a ceremony on November eighth at the Rio in Las Vegas. Harrington’s back-to-back runs in the two thousand three and two thousand four Main Events and valuable contributions to poker literature earned him one of the Hall of Fame spots. Seidel is a favorite of the poker industry and may be best remembered for his runner-up finish to Johnny Chan in the nineteen eighty-eight WSOP Main Event.
It’s not every day you see a twenty-three-way chop in a live poker tournament. The unlikely deal happened in a four hundred dollar No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack event held during the Foxwoods World Poker Finals this week. John Agelakis ultimately came away with the win, earning a commemorative leather jacket, a championship trophy, and twelve thousand dollars in cash. That was just nineteen percent more than the 23rd place finisher received and only eleven dollars more than second place. The winner of the tournament WOULD have taken home over $68,000, meaning that the deal resulted in the top prize being shaved by over eighty percent.
On Monday night, a brand new week of the PokerStars-sponsored “Big Game” kicked off on FOX. The newest cycle featured Elizabeth Houston as the “Loose Cannon.” Houston ended Monday’s kickoff episode up eighteen thousand dollars in large part due to taking down a major pot with pocket aces. There was a total of one point two million dollars on the table to start with, the most in “Big Game” history. Daniel Negreanu ended Monday’s “Big Game” episode up over a hundred thousand dollars and the big loser of the night was David “Viffer” Peat, who lost seventy-seven thousand. If you missed any of the “Big Game,” go to TheBigGame.PokerStars.net.
Dutch Boyd is being sued by TwoPlusTwo Interactive for “cyber squatting,” which means owning a website that intends to profit off a trademark belonging to someone else. In a post on TwoPlusTwo last week, site owner Mason Malmuth gave an update:
“TwoPlusTwo sued Boyd for cyber squatting, trademark infringement, and other claims after Boyd registered the domain name TwoPlusTwoPoker.com. The complaint was only served on Boyd after his numerous refusals to negotiate with TwoPlusTwo in good faith.”
The conflict started last year and it is still unclear whether Boyd profited from the disputed domain name. The lawsuit now moves into the discovery phase.
This November, the World Poker Tour will once again head to the historic and picturesque city of Marrakech, Morocco for its second ever poker tournament in the North African country. Co-sponsored by Chili Poker and the WPT, the event will begin on November 20th with a five hundred Euro Deep Stack tourney. Chili Poker pro Liz Lieu will attend this event along with Irish pro Andy Black and EPT champions Sandra Naujoks and Liv Boeree. The Main Event of the 2010 WPT Marrakech will be a five thousand Euro No Limit Hold’em tournament that will begin on November twenty-seventh. Since this is an official WPT stop, the victor will earn the bracelet awarded to all WPT champions along with a $25,000 seat to the 2011 Championship event at the Bellagio in April.
Mixed Martial Arts legend Randy Couture will host the third annual “Operation All In” charity poker tournament and auction fundraiser at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas on October thirtieth. The tournament and auction will benefit the Xtreme Couture G.I. Foundation, which honors the veterans of America’s armed forces. Confirmed attendants include MMA fighters Couture, Tyson Griffin, and John Alessio along with poker pros like Howard Lederer, Lacey Jones, and Matt Savage. The buy-in for the tournament is $225 with hundred dollar rebuys. The event will also feature auctions offering MMA memorabilia and dinner and a one-hour personal MMA lesson with Couture.
These were the top poker news this week. Don’t miss us next Friday for another executive recap of the week in poker. May the flop be with you.
Tags: 2010, 2011, bellagio, charity, charity poker, Daniel Negreanu, poker player, pokerstars, tournament, usa, vegas, WSOP
Couture Goes All-in for Charity
The charity poker tournament is set to take place Oct. 30 with MMA fighters Tyson Griffin, Ryan Couture, Martin Kampmann, Gray Maynard, Jason Ron, Ray Sefo, Mike Pyle and John Alessio and actor David Zayas scheduled to play.
The event will benefit Xtreme Couture GI Foundation which offers financial assistance to injured veterans and their families. Couture served in the U.S. military for six years before getting into MMA.
Open to the public, the No-Limit Hold’em tournament will begin at 2 p.m. on Oct. 30 at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas.
The buy-in will be $225 and rebuys will be available for $100. First place will be $10,000.
In addition to the poker tournament there will be a silent auction, raffles and a Halloween after party.
No stranger to poker, this is the third year that Couture has hosted Operation All-In and he even played in one of the $1,000 buy-in WSOP events this summer.
For more information check the Xtreme Couture website.
Visit PokerListings.com
Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2010 to be Announced Tuesday
Poker News Daily has learned that the Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2010 will be announced on Tuesday. Two players will be enshrined during the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event November Nine festivities in three weeks after garnering a majority vote.
Last year, World Poker Tour (WPT) host Mike Sexton was the Poker Hall of Fame’s lone inductee. In 2009, Sexton’s enshrinement ceremony took place as part of a private dinner during the November Nine’s play down day. This year, the schedule will change slightly, as the two individuals who make up the Class of 2010 will be officially inducted during Monday night’s conclusion of the Main Event. After the ceremonies are held, heads-up play will commence inside the Penn and Teller Theater at the Rio in Las Vegas.
Who the two inductees into the Poker Hall of Fame are remains to be seen. The 16 living members of the Hall along with a 17-member media panel, which includes this author, cast 10 votes each and could select up to three finalists. Each voter’s ballot had to add up to 10 votes; otherwise, our opinions were discarded. Ballots from the 33 voters were due on October 1st and the Poker Hall of Fame Governing Council tabulated the results. The top two individuals who received the majority of the votes will make up the Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2010.
There are five criteria for a player to be considered for the Poker Hall of Fame. According to WSOP.com, “A player must have played poker against acknowledged top competition; played for high stakes; played consistently well, gaining the respect of peers; stood the test of time; or, for non-players, contributed to the overall growth and success of the game of poker, with indelible positive and lasting results.”
The 10 candidates appeared in alphabetical order on the ballot as follows: Chris Ferguson, Barry Greenstein, Jennifer Harman, Dan Harrington, Phil Ivey, Linda Johnson, Tom McEvoy, Daniel Negreanu, Scotty Nguyen, and Erik Seidel. This author cast four votes apiece for Harrington and Johnson and allocated the remaining two to McEvoy.
Harrington quite literally wrote the book on poker, as his “Harrington on Hold’em” series is one of the top strategy guides of all-time. Harrington won the WSOP Main Event in 1995 and amazingly turned in back-to-back final tables in 2003 and 2004 in field sizes topping 800 and 2,500, respectively. McEvoy is a former Main Event winner who took down the Champions Invitational during the 2009 WSOP. The PokerStars pro has four bracelets and owns over $1.3 million in career WSOP earnings.
Johnson owns an open WSOP bracelet by virtue of taking down a $1,500 buy-in Limit Razz tournament in 1997. Her involvement with CardPlayer Magazine, Card Player Cruises, the WPT, and the Tournament Directors Association has led to Johnson having an indelible impact on the felts. Away from the live scene, she serves as a co-founder of PokerGives.org, which provides an outlet for players to give back to charity.
We’ll have the Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2010 inductees for you on Tuesday right here on Poker News Daily.
Tags: 2009, 2010, Barry Greenstein, charity, Daniel Negreanu, high stakes, Jennifer Harman, Phil Ivey, pokerstars, tournament, vegas, WSOP
MMA Fighter Randy Couture to Host Charity Poker Event
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) legend Randy Couture will host the third annual “Operation All In” charity poker tournament and auction fundraiser at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas on Saturday, October 30th. The tournament and auction will benefit the Xtreme Couture G.I. Foundation, which honors the veterans of America’s armed forces.
The event is open to the public and will include a celebrity charity poker tournament featuring professional players and MMA and Hollywood celebrities. There will also be live and silent auctions offering MMA memorabilia, dinner and a one-hour personal MMA lesson with Couture, autograph sessions with photo opportunities, and a Halloween after party inside Gold Diggers.
The buy-in for the tournament is $225 with $100 rebuys. Tournament participants will also receive free entry to the first annual Randy Couture Halloween Bash starting at 8:00pm inside Gold Diggers nightclub overlooking the Fremont Street Experience. For those not wishing to participate in the poker tournament, general admission tickets to the Halloween bash will be available for $25 at the door.
The winner of the tournament will take home $10,000 in cash and top finishers will win valuable prizes from a handful of sponsors. “Operation All In” is sponsored and supported by Deepstacks, the Poker Players Alliance, Full Tilt Poker, Xtreme Couture MMA, Lord Griffon, Godard Art, and the Golden Nugget.
Confirmed participants for the event include MMA fighters Couture, Tyson Griffin, Ryan Couture, Martin Kampmann, Gray Maynard, Jason Ron, Ray Sefo, Mike Pyle, and John Alessio. Professional poker players taking part include Howard Lederer, Andy Bloch, Layne Flack, Gavin Smith, Perry Friedman, Antonio Esfandiari, Todd Brunson, Nick and Michael Binger, Dutch Boyd, Lacey Jones, Matt Savage, and “Donk Down Radio” personality Bryan Micon.
Couture is an army veteran himself, having served in the 101st Airborne Division. Together with his wife, Couture started the Xtreme Couture G.I. Foundation to raise money and awareness for troops wounded in action and their families. The Foundation’s goal is to help these brave men and women fulfill any of their unmet needs as they return to civilian life.
Couture has been involved in poker for years now. He first hit the tables during the inaugural “Operation All In” charity tournament, which was emceed by Jamie Gold in 2008. He began getting more involved with Full Tilt, holding charity tournaments on the site to support his foundation, and then during his fight against Brock Lesnar in November 2008, Couture switched brand of clothing from Affliction gear to Full Tilt Poker. The MMA legend has since been regularly linked to the site, even making an appearance on NBC’s “Poker After Dark” decked out in Full Tilt Poker logos during the show’s airing in August.
Poker News in Brief: Oct. 11-17, 2010
As a result, there were a few stories that didn't get the attention they deserved. Thankfully, we had a little space in our weekly Poker News in Brief feature and have thrown them in below.
This week Full Tilt signs a tennis star, an MMA legend hosts a charity tournament, poker might be Bad for Your Wealth and more.
Tilt Signs Blake
Full Tilt Poker signed US tennis star James Blake as a Friend of Full Tilt this week.
Since turning pro in 1999, Blake has consistently been ranked amongst tennis' elite and has led the US Davis Cup team since being selected in 2001.
He was also named the world's "sexiest athlete" in People Magazine's 2002 Sexiest Man Alive Issue.
Blake is an avid poker player.
London Calling
PKR's London Calling poker festival kicked off this week at the The Fox Poker Club in London's West End.
The PKR sponsored 28-day tournament series runs through Nov. 7 with 57 tournaments, the majority of which range in buy-ins from £20 to £100.
The festival will conclude with a £300 buy-in main event.
Nicolak Joins Cardrunners
John "Nicolak" Kim joined the poker training site CardRunners as a mid to high stakes cash instructor this week.
A winning pro since 1998, his first video for the site features Kim four-tabling $5-$10 six-max No-Limit Hold'em.
Kim was already co-host of the site's bi-weekly strategy podcast Cash Plays, along with Jeremiah Smith.
Bad For Your Wealth
A new book claiming to provide scientific evidence that tournament poker is a losing proposition was released this week.
Bad for Your Wealth: A Scientific, Evidence-Based Study of Why You Should Avoid Playing Poker Tournaments, written by Ramy C. Tadros, includes calculations verified by Minimax Statistical Consulting, LLC.
Publishers claim the book is a must read for struggling players trying to understand why they cannot beat the game,
MMA Star Hosts Charity Event
Mixed Martial Arts legend Randy "The Natural" Couture will host the third annual "Operation All In" charity poker tournament and auction fundraiser benefiting the Xtreme Couture G.I. Foundation Oct. 30.
Held at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, the event is open to the public and will include a celebrity charity poker tournament featuring pro players, MMA and Hollywood celebrities; live and silent auctions; autograph sessions with photo opportunities; raffle prizes; and a Halloween after party inside the Nugget's Gold Diggers club.
Already confirmed are Tyson Griffin, Ryan Couture, Martin Kampmann, Gray Maynard, Jason Ron, Ray Sefo, Mike Pyle and John Alessio, David Zayas of "Dexter" and "The Expendables," and poker pros Howard Lederer, Andy Bloch, Layne Flack, Gavin Smith, Perry Friedman, Antonio Esfandiari, Todd Brunson, Nick and Michael Binger, Dutch Boyd and Lacey Jones.
The buy-in for the tournament is $225 with $100 multi re-buys. The winner will receive a $10,000 prize. Proceeds will benefit injured US soldiers.
Double Up October
Titan Poker is offering players a chance to increase their bankrolls at its popular Double Up Sit 'n' Go tournaments through its $150,000 Double Up October promotion.
$30,000 in weekly prizes will be awarded to the site's leading Double Up Sit 'n' Go players all this month.
Plus there will be an additional $30,000 in prizes awarded to players on top of the monthly leaderboard.
Visit PokerListings.com
Tags: 2010, buy-ins, charity, charity poker, full tilt poker, high stakes, Hollywood, no-limit, poker player, titan poker, tournament, vegas
Commerce Casino To Host Charity Poker Tournament Benefiting Children’s Institute
The normally cutthroat world of poker once again will show its heart at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles by stepping up for a charity event later this month.
On October 23rd, the Commerce will play host to the Second Annual Children’s Institute Poker For A Cause. The event will start at 11:30AM with the opportunity for fans to greet the participants and take photos. Following the red carpet walk, the players will adjourn to the Commerce Casino tournament rooms at 12:30PM to battle it out for a prize pool of more than $15,000, a seat in the 2011 World Poker Tour (WPT) Celebrity Invitational on February 18th at the Commerce, and many other prizes.
The Children’s Institute is an organization that advocates for children in violent situations, such as domestic violence, child abuse, and/or neglect. The organization’s website states that there are more than 50,000 reports of child abuse/neglect reported annually in the city of Los Angeles and over 43,000 police calls for domestic violence issues that often affect children.
These children sometimes will fall victim to the circle of violence, usually reflected in poor performance in school, becoming criminally active, or repeating the trend of violence against loved ones. The Children’s Institute serves more than 17,000 children and their families in the city’s most challenged neighborhoods and has trained more than 60,000 professionals in the realm of child development, mental health, and welfare.
Taking on the hostess duties for the second year in a row for the “Poker For A Cause” festivities is acclaimed actress Camryn Manheim, an Emmy award winner who has also showed her skills on the poker tables. Joining Camryn for this year’s event will be noted Seinfeld actor and Friend of PokerStars Jason Alexander, the voice of The Simpsons Hank Azaria, actress Joely Fisher, legendary Days Of Our Lives performer Deirdre Hall, Curb Your Enthusiasm‘s Cheryl Hines, talk show host Ricki Lake, former Saturday Night Live standouts Kevin Nealon and Cheri Oteri, and actors Mimi Rogers, Sara Rue, and Tuc Watkins. Joining them will be a fleet of poker pros.
Also on tap during the action on the felt will be a silent auction featuring one-of-a-kind merchandise for bidding including items such as an extravagant four-night stay at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, Hawaii, a guitar signed by teen singing sensation Miley Cyrus, a year of unlimited dining at Johnny Rockets, and a tennis match with Bush singer Gavin Rossdale.
The inaugural Poker For A Cause event last year was a huge success, drawing a star-studded field while raising over $80,000 for the Children’s Institute’s philanthropic efforts. 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion Jamie Gold and fellow poker pro Alex Outhred were in attendance and helped Manheim with the emcee duties for the tournament. Last year’s field included many of the celebrities listed above and also included baseball slugger Jose Canseco, former Beverly Hills, 90210 actress Jennie Garth, The Ghost Whisperer’s Jennifer Love Hewitt, actor Mekhi Phifer, and The Biggest Loser host Alison Sweeney. The tournament was won by Tuc Watkins, who donated a large portion of the $5,000 first place prize in the tournament back to the organization.
Tickets for the Children’s Institute’s charity event are available on the organization’s website. To play in the tournament, a $250 donation is requested. For those that wish to attend the tournament as a spectator, a $75 donation is requested.
The Sin City Series: Visiting the New Hard Rock Poker Lounge
Qualifiers Blanked on PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge
It was a rough week to be a contestant on the PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge, which flanks NFL coverage on FOX. On Sunday, both contestants failed to reach the third round of the show, which pits qualifiers against celebrity defenders and PokerStars pros for a chance at $1 million. Chris Rose serves as its host.
Comedian Mark Britten was the episode’s first contestant and faced off against Sara Jean Underwood, a Victory Poker pro, in the first round. Underwood came out donning a PokerStars patch in lieu of advertising her home site and proceeded to make mincemeat of the amateur. Each player began with 20,000 in chips in the turbo format, ensuring fast-paced action.
Underwood kept the pressure on throughout the match, at one point leading out for 2,400 with J-9 of clubs on a flop of Q-Q-A with two hearts. Britten called time to consult with PokerStars pro and show front man Daniel Negreanu, who told him to call with a flush draw. Consequently, Britten came along to an offsuit king on the turn. Underwood immediately shoved all-in despite holding air and Britten released his cards into the muck.
In the final hand of Britten’s match against Underwood, he called all-in before the flop with 7-6 and Underwood tabled Q-J. Britten was drawing dead to the river when the first four cards came A-8-Q-10 and Underwood earned money for charity.
The second challenger of the evening was Joe Sticco, a 26-year-old financial planner who wanted to fund his mother’s breast cancer treatments. Sticco squared off against “Dancing with the Stars” host Brooke Burke in the first round. Burke doubled up after leading out for 4,000 with the nut flush draw on a flop of 5-3-10, all clubs. Sticco, who held the queen of clubs, called time to consult with Negreanu and “Kid Poker” told him to shove all-in.
Sticco did exactly that and Burke called all-in for her Million Dollar Challenge life. The turn was a red 10 and the river brought in Burke’s ace-high flush for the double up. The stacks were about even as a result.
Then, Sticco flopped a wheel with A-5 on a board of 2-3-4. Burke bet 4,000 with K-2 for a pair of deuces and Sticco put in a check-raise to 8,000. Burke called and the turn was a jack. Sticco moved all-in and Burke called drawing dead. Sticco earned a $5,000 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure prize package after disposing of his celebrity defender.
In the second round, PokerStars pro Vanessa Rousso was Sticco’s opponent. This time, Negreanu moved to an isolation booth, where he could see Sticco’s hole cards and communicate with him via an earpiece. To counter, Rousso could shut off all chatter between Sticco and Negreanu by invoking the “Dome of Silence” twice during the match. On the line was $25,000 in cash and a chance to play Negreanu heads-up for $100,000.
In a devastating hand for Sticco, he raised to 4,000 pre-flop with A-9 and Rousso shoved over the top with A-6. Sticco called and was ahead, but a board of Q-K-Q-2 gave Rousso plenty of outs to a chop on the river. Sure enough, an ace hit, giving both players aces-up with a king kicker and the pot was divvied up.
On the final hand of the evening, Rousso peeked down at K-4, asked Sticco if he had already looked at his hand, and invoked the “Dome of Silence.” Sticco called all-in with J-9 suited to hearts and was drawing dead by the time the river was dealt.
The next new episode of the PokerStars-backed Million Dollar Challenge will air on October 24th. The series airs before or after the NFL on FOX, so check your local listings for full details.
Poker News in Brief: Oct. 4-10, 2010
Add in a ton of high-stakes action online and several live events beginning across Europe and the United States and it was another busy week in the PokerListings news room.
A few stories may have fallen through the cracks as a result, but we've sorted them below in our weekly Poker News in Brief feature.
This week PokerStars signs a Russian pro, a WSOPE bracelet winner joins Team PKR, the FTOPS XVIII schedule is released, an NFL legend is hosting a charity event and even more.
PokerStars Signs Lykov
PokerStars inked 2009 EPT Kyiv champ Maxim Lykov to a Team Pro contract this week.
The Russian pro is in the top ten on Russia's all-time money winners list with just under $1 million in career tournament earnings and has a WSOP final table on his resume.
IPO Set To Draw Big Names
Despite its rather small €180+€20 buy-in, names like Irish Open and GUKPT winner Neil Channing, WSOP main event finalist Andy Black, WSOP main event finalist and UKIPT winner Padraig Parkinson, poker TV legend Jesse May, Irish Open and WSOP bracelet winner Marty Smyth and WPT and WSOP finalist John O'Shea are all set to play in the Boylepoker International Poker Open Oct. 15-17 at the Regency Hotel in Dublin, Ireland.
Day 1B of the event is already listed as a 600-player sell out and the event is expected to create a €200,000 prize pool.
Last year the IPO attracted a record-breaking field of 1,440 players and was won by German Markus Sippe.
FTOPS XVIII Schedule Released
The schedule for the eighteenth Full Tilt Online Poker Series has been released including more than $19 million guaranteed over 34 events.
FTOPS XVIII begins Nov. 10 with a $200+$16 No-Limit Hold'em event with an $800,000 guarantee and culminates with the $3 million Guaranteed $600+$40 Main Event Nov. 21.
For more information, check out the FTOPS Gateway page.
WSOPE bracelet Winner Joins Team PKR Pro
Scott Shelley, the PKR employee that won the £1k event at the 2010 WSOPE last month, is now a member of Team PKR Pro.
The 24-year-old North Londoner is the first member of Team PKR Pro to win a World Series of Poker bracelet.
"The last two weeks have been life changing and joining Team PKR Pro has been the icing on the cake," he said.
Shelley will make his debut at the upcoming PKR London Calling festival and will then join other PKR Team Pro members at PKR Live V in November.
To celebrate the signing, PKR will hold a Scott Shelley themed week beginning Oct. 18 offering players the chance to win a PKR Live, London Calling and $500 Heads-Up tournament buy-ins.
PokerStars Granted Estonian License
After being granted an activity license in Estonia this past August, PokerStars has now become one of the first online poker sites to also receive an operational license.
PokerStars.ee now complies fully with Estonian law.
"There are thousands of good poker players in Estonia and I am very glad that the license enables them to continue competing at the largest poker site with players all over the world," said PokerStars Nordic & Baltic Director of Marketing Michael Holmberg.
Swede wins IPF
The 2010 Ladbrokes Irish Poker Festival saw some 632 players compete for a €75,000 top prize in Killarney, Ireland last week.
But in the end, it was London based Swede Lars Torngren who outlasted them all to take the title.
Ladbrokes' pro and WSOP Main Event finalist Jon Kalmer was the early favorite and chip leader going into the final table but could do no better than fourth.
The tournament ended with a rare three way all-in.
"I have been playing poker for about 8 years and this is my first big tournament win so I am absolutely delighted," said Torngren. "I am already looking forward to next year's Ladbrokes poker festival."
NFL Legend to Host Charity Event
New York Giant legend Carl Banks is hosting a Celebrity Golf and Poker Tournament to raise funds for autism Oct. 12.
Among those expected to attend are Anthony Anderson, Michael Strahan, Maury Povich, Geraldo Rivera, Ed Lover, John Starks, Darryl Strawberry, Harry Carson, Zeke Mowatt, Alan Houston, Herb Williams, Ron Harper and several members of the current New York Giants.
Hackensack University Medical Center’s Institute of Child Development will be the beneficiary of the event, set to be held at the Alpine Country Club in Demarest, New Jersey.
Bodog Inks MLS Ad Deal
Bodog has signed an advertising deal with Major League Soccer's LA Galaxy.
Bodog.net will now be seen advertising on all the LED field boards, corner section banners, stadium scoreboards and in-stadium TVs as a result.
"Both the LA Galaxy and Bodog brands are recognized around the globe, making this partnership not only mutually beneficial, but a perfect synergy between brands across the United States and beyond," said Bodog PR director Ed Pownall.
Visit PokerListings.com
Tags: 2009, 2010, bodog, buy-ins, charity, no-limit, Online Poker, poker player, pokerstars, Russia, tournament, usa, WSOP
Scotty Nguyen Adds Heartland Poker Tour Stops to Schedule
As part of his fan tour around the United States, Scotty Nguyen has announced that he will be making stops at two Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) events in November. The “Prince of Poker” will take part in the festivities at the Meskwaki Bingo Casino Hotel in Tama, Iowa from November 1st to 7th, followed by the HPT Championship at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Michigan from November 12th to 21st.
Nguyen skipped the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe completely in order to begin his own tour around the States, allowing fans to play with one of the world’s top players while shelling out a reasonable buy-in. Nguyen began his excursion by participating in the inaugural T.J. Cloutier Classic Main Event in Durant, Oklahoma in September. The event attracted 191 players and was won by Sudhakara Kattamuri for $73,127. Nguyen was eliminated early from the tournament.
At Meskwaki Bingo Casino Hotel, Nguyen will host a media-only tournament and play cash games in addition to the televised Main Event. Tami Wallace, Director of Sales and Marketing at Meskwaki, has already noticed a boost in interest for the upcoming event. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to play against this poker great,” Wallace said. “Meskwaki is honored to host such an event.”
At the year-end Championship Open at Soaring Eagle Casino Resort in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, Nguyen will take part in all of the festivities, including a charity tournament to benefit Disabled American Veterans and a private reception for 2010 HPT champions. Nguyen will join guest celebrity players Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho of “The Amazing Race” fame for the charity event before taking his seat at the $1,500 HPT Championship.
“We’re looking forward to introducing our players to a poker legend,” HPT Commentator Fred Bevill said of Nguyen. “Scotty has been entertaining us all on TV for years.”
Also attending the Championship Open in November will be Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Bernard Lee. A highly regarded personality in poker media, Lee attended the event last year, but fell short of the money. “I enjoyed myself last time from the champions’ dinner all the way to the Main Event,” Lee said. “Hopefully, I can get a little deeper (in the Main Event) than I did last year.”
Both November stops will be produced into pairs of hour-long episodes and broadcast on a syndicated network. HPT is available in over 100 million U.S. households and throughout Europe and the Caribbean, airing 52 weeks each year. Schedules and structures for all upcoming events are available at HeartlandPokerTour.com.
Attracting well-known pros will be a new experience for the HPT. With the mission statement “Real People, Unreal Money,” the HPT aims to get casual players out of their home games for an opportunity to play for “life-changing money” on national TV. Said Tour President Todd Anderson, “Our events are even more exciting for the players when they get the chance to play with the celebrities they see on TV, and all players have a shot at playing on TV themselves.”
October 8 – PND Weekly Update
PND presents our weekly news update of all the top poker headlines for the week of October 4th through the 8th.
Hello, I’m Sean Gibson and welcome to the Poker News Daily Weekly Update!
On Monday night, 23 year-old Brit David Vamplew took down the European Poker Tour’s London Main Event for 900,000 Pounds, which works out to nearly one and a half million dollars. And for extra bragging rights, he defeated Full Tilt Poker pro John Juanda, who cashed for the second straight year. Juanda was chip leader during most of the final table, but Vamplew managed to cripple him through several hands. The decisive hand had Juanda all in pre-flop with King-Deuce suited and knocked out by Vamplew’s Ace-Three. Prior to Monday, Vamplew’s largest live cash was a meager … SIX thousand dollars. Well done, David!
The eighteenth edition of the Full Tilt Online Poker Series, or FTOPS, will kick off on November 10th. Once again, Full Tilt Poker will host 34 FTOPS tournaments, culminating in a six hundred and forty-dollar buy-in Main Event on November twenty-first that will shell out at least three million dollars. All told, Full Tilt is guaranteeing over nineteen million dollars in this installment of FTOPS. During FTOPS seventeen, which ran throughout the month of August, over 4,500 players turned out for the kickoff event, creating a prize pool approaching one million bucks. Brent Roberts was the champion of the first tournament and pulled down one hundred and sixty four thousand dollars.
Today, UB.com poker pro Joe Sebok rappelled down fifty-one stories at the Masquerade Tower at the Rio Las Vegas to raise money for Special Olympics Nevada. The Over the Edge fundraiser allows participants to rappel fifty-one stories in exchange for raising a minimum of one thousand dollars for charity. Another poker celebrity who showed interest in the cause is adult star and UB celebrity Samantha Ryan. This year, the Over the Edge event has raised nearly forty thousand dollars.
Bodog announced that it has signed an advertising deal with the LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer, led by world recognized superstars David Beckham and Landon Donovan. The agreement gives Bodog.net additional exposure through ad placements on the LA Galaxy’s stadium. Ed Pownall, Global PR Director at BodogBrand.com, declared:
“Both the LA Galaxy and Bodog brands are recognized around the globe, making this partnership not only mutually beneficial, but a perfect synergy across the United States and beyond.”
The Galaxy are in their 15th season in the MLS and coming off a runner-up finish in the two thousand and nine MLS Cup, losing on penalty kicks to Real Salt Lake.
WELL – Want a Caribbean poker holiday? Ya, who wouldn’t! Each Sunday this month, Doyle’s Room will be awarding valuable prize packages for the Punta Cana Poker Classic, which will be held at the Hard Rock Cafe and Casino in the Dominican Republic. The Classic will take place Wednesday, November tenth through Sunday, November fourteenth in the popular resort city on the eastern tip of the Caribbean nation. Doyle Brunson WILL be there, as will many of the site’s top pros.
After a pretty poor run at the EPT London, Tom Dwan is back in style. According to HighStakesDB.com, Dwan hit the tables against Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies on Sunday night at Full Tilt Poker. They were playing at the nosebleed stakes of five hundred – one thousand Pot Limit Omaha. Sahamies dropped a grand total of over one point two MILLION dollars in roughly one thousand hands against Dwan. Counting his action against “Ziigmund” and other play, “durrrr” finished off the night with over one and a half million dollars in profit.
Well, these were the top poker headlines this week. Don’t miss us next Friday for another executive recap of the week in Poker. I’m Sean Gibson and all of us at Poker News Daily wish you a great poker week!
Tags: bodog, charity, Doyle Brunson, european, full tilt poker, Online Poker, poker player, Tom Dwan, tournament, usa, vegas
EPT charity event raises £20,000
The Nightly Turbo: Joe Sebok Rappels for Charity, PokerStars Gets Estonian License, and More
Joe Sebok Rappelling Down Rio for Special Olympics Nevada
On Friday, UB.com poker pro Joe Sebok will rappel down the Masquerade Tower at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas to raise money for Special Olympics Nevada. Whereas much of Sebok’s experience at the Rio has been inside the convention center for the annual World Series of Poker (WSOP), his Spiderman-like abilities will be showcased on the building’s exterior tomorrow.
The Over the Edge fundraiser allows participants to rappel 51 stories in exchange for raising a minimum of $1,000 for charity. For Sebok, dropping over 500 feet in a sturdy harness is child’s play. This month, the former “Poker2Nite” host and current PokerRoad personality will jump out of an airplane with a qualifier from UB.com. The tournament, which was dubbed “Leap of Faith” and took place as part of UB.com’s Pro Freeroll Challenge in February, had a $2,000 prize pool and its winner would jump alongside Sebok.
At the time of writing, Sebok has raised nearly $1,200 for the Special Olympics Nevada. You can add to the cause by clicking here and visiting Sebok’s personal fundraising page. This year, the Over the Edge event has raised nearly $40,000.
The Rio is no small hotel to tackle. According to its website, the Rio weighs in at over 2,500 suites, each of which encompasses over 600 square feet. The Masquerade tower features larger suites that offer 180-degree views of Sin City and its outlying areas. The Harrah’s property is located off the famed Las Vegas Strip on Flamingo and opened for business in 1990.
Despite jumping out of airplanes and being the general life of the party, Sebok told Poker News Daily on Thursday that he’s a tad apprehensive about rappelling down the Rio: “I’m actually scared of heights, so I am a little nervous, but it ends up being a no-brainer to come out and help people. I’m not going to sit out because I’m scared.” Sebok added that he’s more comfortable jumping out of a plane than doing low-to-the-ground stunts like bungee jumping: “I think bungee jumping is scarier than skydiving. When you’re in a plane and you look out, it’s like a cartoon. It’s not really real.”
Fundraising runs deep in Sebok’s family. Take his stepfather, Barry Greenstein, for example. Greenstein is a 2010 Poker Hall of Fame nominee that may earn his nod into the prestigious club in part due to his fundraising efforts away from the felts (not to mention his three WSOP bracelets). Sebok noted, “All of us are heavily involved in fundraising in my family. We feel lucky and I have the most incredible life. Whenever people need help, you should help them out. The Rio rappel is a no-brainer. I get to do something cool and raise money.”
Sebok recently returned from a trip to Costa Rica, where UB.com is located. While there, an earthquake struck, but Sebok, a San Francisco native, remained calm. “It wasn’t that big of a deal, but it was a decent-sized earthquake,” admitted Sebok. “We were on the fourth floor of the UB offices and I was with a few people who worked in Toronto. Those people were pretty panicky.” He added that if you ever find yourself in an earthquake, head for the nearest doorway.
The 2010 WSOP Main Event is exactly one month away from resuming at the Penn and Teller Theater at the Rio. Sebok told Poker News Daily that his pick to win the nearly $9 million first place prize is John Racener. The man they call “$JMONEY$” will enter the November Nine with the fourth largest stack at 19.1 million, although he’s still a ways off chip leader Jonathan Duhamel’s 65.9 million. Sebok argued, “’The Grinder’ is a popular pick too, but all of us who have played with John Racener know he has a lot of game. He has a nice chip stack and knows what he’s doing.”
Play with Sebok at UB.com, which happily takes action from the United States.
Montel Williams Interview
Montel Williams is best known for his long running daytime talk show “The Montel Williams Show” as well as his many philanthropic activities. In this interview with site editor Dan Cypra, Williams joins us from the red carpet at the 2010 World Series of Poker during the Ante Up for Africa charity tournament.
Williams enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and later was selected for training at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He was discharged as a Corporal in the Marines and in 1980 graduated with a degree in General Engineering. After 22 years of service in the military he left as a Lieutenant Commander.
This year, Montel Williams became the chief spokesperson for the Poker Training Network, which is an MLM based poker instruction and play money website. He participates in the World Series of Poker Main Event regularly and in 2007 pledged to donate any winnings to families affected by the war in Iraq. During that event, Williams spoke out against the UIGEA.
During this interview, Williams discusses why he’s at the World Series of Poker in 2010, what his level of participation will be and how much he enjoys the world of poker. He also discusses the importance of big stars involving themselves with great causes like Ante Up for Africa, which assists in efforts around that continent to assist those in dire need and dilapidated conditions. We also find out that this was actually taped on his birthday and as a present, planned to win the charity poker tournament.
Charity poker night raises £270,000
Irish TV host aims to raise €10,000 for charity at International Poker Open
Tags: charity
Beth Shak Hosting Charity Poker, Bowling Event on October 12th
On October 12th, poker pro Beth Shak will be hosting a fundraising event in conjunction with AOL at the Luxe Lounge at Lucky Strike in Manhattan. The gala will benefit the charity of the winner’s choice and several affordable ticket options are available.
Billiards, a hip DJ, a one-hour open bar featuring ZYR Vodka, numerous poker tables, and a massive HD projection screen atop the bowling lanes are just a few of the attractions that will bring charity dollars in. Shak told Poker News Daily in an exclusive interview, “We’re charging for ticket sales and all of the money will go to the winner’s charity of choice. Even if you don’t play poker, you can go there and pay a $40 general admission. You can bowl, play pool, and have a good time.” The open bar will become a cash bar after the one-hour mark.
Unlike other events, the Luxe Lounge fundraiser does not have a designated beneficiary for the money raised. Instead, the winner of the charity poker tournament will be able to donate funds to an organization near and dear to their heart. Shak explained the reasoning behind the decision: “I thought it was better to let people play for what they care about. Most people have a charity that they care about, so whoever wins will get money for it.”
Four AOL blogs are funneling readers to Shak’s fundraising effort: Asylum, Lemon Drop, Luxist, and Gadlin. Poker seats are available for $100 per person and prizes surrounding the theme of the “ultimate bachelor pad” will be given away. Instructor tables will also be available for those who aren’t versed in the game of poker. You can purchase tickets to the charity gala on October 12th in New York City by clicking here.
Shak has been a staple of the fundraising world, sinking a considerable amount of time and energy into raising money for a variety of worthwhile causes, including the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Shak explained why she continues to be actively involved in the charity scene after so many years: “A big thing that drives me is giving back to the world. As much as I like pretty things, I give back as much as I possibly can. As long as I have time, I go to any fundraiser I can. Unlike other poker players out there, I don’t charge anyone or take first class tickets. I don’t take anything. I’m there because I think it’s a good cause.”
On Shak’s horizon is a trip to Gauteng, South Africa for the World Series of Poker’s (WSOP) first ever Circuit stop on the continent. On the reason for taking the trans-Atlantic trip, Shak told Poker News Daily, “I thought a change of scenery might help. For whatever reason, I haven’t been doing well around here.” According to the Hendon Mob database, Shak has not cashed for five-figures in a major live poker tournament since late 2008.
Shak is one of the top female poker players in the industry. Accordingly, we asked her to give us the names of the top two women in poker, in her opinion. Her response: “I think it has to be Kathy Liebert and then Vanessa Selbst. Kathy has about $6 million in tournament winnings and completely flies under the radar. She is one of the most patient and amazing players out there. Vanessa won an open World Series of Poker bracelet. That’s big. Otherwise, you’re known for winning a women’s event. If I could emulate either of them, I’d be happy.”
Visit the Asylum, Lemon Drop, Luxist, and Gadlin AOL blogs for more information.
Charity poker tournament tonight
The Nightly Turbo: Online Payment Processor Back in Jail, Jamie Gold Hosting Charity Tournament, and More
Evander Holyfield WSOP Interview
Evander Holyfield is considered to be one of the best heavyweight boxers of all time and was a decorated champion during his career. Hailing from the United States, he is a multiple world champion which earned him the nickname “The Real Deal” which is the moniker for his online poker site skin, RealDealPoker. Holyfield is also an Olympian, winning a bronze medal in the Light Heavyweight division at the 1984 Summer Games. He currently stands at the only boxer in history to win the World Heavyweight title four times. Some of the big names in boxing history he’s defeated include George Foreman, Larry Holmes and twice beat Mike Tyson.
Holyfield joins site editor Dan Cypra from the red carpet just moments before the start of the World Series of Poker‘s annual charity event, Ante Up for Africa. The two talk a little bit about boxing and also about Holyfield’s passion for poker.
The Ante Up for Africa charity helps those in need in the continent of Africa and his hosted annually by the World Series of Poker. Both Annie Duke and Don Cheadle, two of the three people that started up this worthy cause, were in attendance at the red carpet event and tournament. Some of the other notables in the field were Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Ray Romano.
Phil Hellmuth Enters The WSOPE And Dwyte Pilgrim Wins WPT Borgata From Poker In Twitter
The World Series of Poker Europe (WSOP) Main Event is in full swing, with many of the world’s best poker players in attendance. For all of the action on the felt, however, many in the Twitterverse have been discussing the latest entrance by Phil Hellmuth into the Casino at the Empire in London on Thursday.
“Today maybe my best entrance ever!,” Hellmuth chirped to his followers as he headed to the tables for Day 1A. “Video soon: Red double decker bus, 16 member big band, 11 models dressed like Lady Gaga singing Poker Face.” The usual Hellmuthian parade was captured by several members of the media, including the unfortunate finale, which drew catcalls from those who viewed it in London. “After whole Hellmuth charade, he and the Lady Gagas all walked into the wrong building… The theater next door,” noted poker journalist Eric Ramsey.
The reaction to Hellmuth’s latest entrance was predictably harsh by both the media and his fellow players. “Some of the Hellmuth ‘girls’. Or boys?,” queried poker journalist Tatjana Pasalic. Ramsey also pointed out, “Nothing like broad public displays that perpetuate negative American stereotypes abroad.”
One of the players who had the harshest reaction was Jonathan “FatalError” Aguiar, who Tweeted, “Phil Hellmuth couldn’t possibly be any more of a self absorbed a**clown if he tried, why are we forced to put up with this s**t in a £10K?” After Hellmuth Tweeted about his entrance, Aguiar suggested his next grand performance: “@phil_hellmuth no you’re a self absorbed idiot, every1 h8s u, maybe your next entrance can be on a NASA rocket pointed at sun.” Even the normally quiet Andy Bloch piled onto “The Poker Brat” by playfully Tweeting, “Phil Hellmuth, making his grand entrance, walked into a theatre instead of Empire Casino. Good thing he wasn’t driving a race car.”
While much of the attention was on Hellmuth’s entrance, there was some poker played Thursday and during the morning hours on Friday. Of the Day 1A participants, some who could Tweet about their success included Isabelle Mercier (“Bagging chips! Will be returning on Saturday at noon London time with my 34,725 chips.. Could be better.”), Scott Montgomery (“Felt like crap during day 1a of the wsope main event, and didn’t play much better. wish this cold would go away. 40k going into day 2.”) and Day 1A chip leader Nicolas Levi (“Chip Leader au jour 1A. Titre honorifique mais on pouvait pas mieux demarrer!,” which translates as “Chip Leader Day 1A. Honorary title, but could be better start!”).
For those that weren’t in London for WSOP Europe, the Borgata was the place to be for the final table of the World Poker Tour’s Borgata Poker Open. Of particular note was WSOP Circuit terror Dwyte Pilgrim, who took down the title. Tournament director extraordinaire Matt Savage was on hand, providing his followers with updates via Twitter. “Prematurely @DwytePilgrim celebrates WAAAAY too early after flopping 2 pair and Ofir Mor turns and rivers a higher 2 pair… Wow!,” noted Savage after one of the more exciting hands. “Like the football player that celebrates before crossing the goal line, @DwytePilgrim needs to score first.”
Pilgrim was quite chatty during the final table, as noted by WPT reporter Jessica Welman. “Dwyte just told one of the FTP patch-wearers, Ofir Mor, ‘It’s just my opinion, but I think Full Tilt should’ve picked me,’” Welman reported from the final table. Pilgrim also was caught saying at one point to the remaining players, “Quote @DwytePilgrim “You do know I am #1 in the world!,” according to a Savage Tweet. The bluster must have worked, as Pilgrim won the largest WPT event in history (1,042 players), causing ninth place finisher Lee Childs to Tweet, “So happy 4 Dwight & so glad I was one of the first 2 shake his hand & hug him. Much respect! I hope the broadcast shows all positive things.”
The end of the WPT Borgata Poker Open did cause some problems for one of the best in the poker media, B.J. Nemeth: “I just had a run-in w/ airport security when they wanted me to push my bags thru the X-ray machine before they were ready to scan me.” Apparently Nemeth cracked the code to getting further inspection when he followed up with, “The line that set them off: “If you can’t guarantee the security of my stuff, then I have to guarantee the security of my stuff.” Apparently Nemeth got through the security line in good shape, although he did Tweet, “Security punished me by ‘randomly’ selecting me for a full search of my bags and person.”
For the funniest Tweets of the past few days, we go first to Joe Reitman, who was in a charity event on Wednesday with his better half, Annie Duke. “At poker charity event. Knocked @AnnieDuke out. Then she made me double rebuy to put her back into game. Clearly my all-in call was bad EV.” The charity event must not have gone well for Reitman, as he later chirped, “Dear Joe. Next time a 70yr old woman @ a charity event who limps every hand decides 2 reraise u, even if its a min raise, fold. Do not shove.”
Tiffany Michelle came up with an observation from some of her television viewing, Tweeting, “I haven’t spent much time in air ducts, but from what I see in the movies they seem to be very clean, large spaces, easy for crawling thru.” Lauren Kling decided to hit the cash tables in Las Vegas and found some notoriety: “Just sat down at a cash game at Aria and the dealer thought I was Avril Lavigne… so random!” Finally, Shannon Shorr, in action at the WSOP Europe Main Event, noted the generation gap: “Current topic of conversation at table is South Park. Jeff Lisandro asked, ‘What is South Park?’”
Tags: Annie Duke, charity, Phil Hellmuth, poker player, Tiffany Michelle, tournament, vegas, woman, WSOP
PokerStars EPT London to host Charity Event
Poker players will have a chance to take part in a very worthy cause when the European Poker Tour (EPT) makes its next stop on London September 28 to October 5. PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker room, will host a two-day £100,000 guaranteed charity event for Cancer Research UK, an organization that supports researchers, doctors, and nurses throughout the United Kingdom in the fight toward ending cancer. The event will begin October 2 at the Hilton Metropole Hotel.
The re-entry charity tournament has a £100+10+10 buy-in and a guaranteed prize pool of £100,000. £10 of every entry goes to Cancer Research UK and PokerStars has agreed to match both the £10 charity contribution and all additional player donations. Players wishing to make a donation can transfer funds from their account to the “CancerUK” account on PokerStars.
Online registration for the event is available now under the “Events” tab in the PokerStars lobby. From there, players can find the charity tournament by clicking “EPT,” then “Qualifiers,” and then “EPT7-London: Event 25.”
PokerStars has always been the charitable type, offering poker tournaments to help give back to those in need all over the globe for years. The site helped raise more than €160,000 at the EPT Season 5 stop at Monte Carlo, where it held a charity event benefiting Ante Up for Africa. It also raised more than $250,000 for AIDS research via the 2007 Life Ball and the 2010 PCA amfAR Charity Tournament and another $150,000 following the earthquake that struck China in April.
In the United States, PokerStars hosted a charity event to raise money for the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund following the shooting rampage at Virginia Tech in 2007. From the $20 buy-in, $0.01 went toward the tournament’s prize pool. The remaining $19.99 from each entry was matched by PokerStars and then sent to the Fund. The tournament drew 281 players and raised $11,285 for those who needed help with grief counseling, memorials, communication expenses, comfort expenses, and incidental needs following the tragedy.
Cancer Research UK is another foundation that PokerStars is pleased to offer support to. The organization is the world’s leading charity dedicated to beating cancer through research. It has saved millions of lives by discovering new ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer and supports over 4,800 scientists, doctors, and nurses across the UK to investigate all aspects of the disease.
EPT London is one of the more popular stops on the tour and should attract a large field this year, as it gets underway just after the completion of the World Series of Poker Europe Main Event, which is also taking place in London. Last year, USA’s Aaron “aguskb” Gustavson won the EPT London Main Event for £850,000 after outlasting a strong field of 730 players. Several of the world’s top names are expected to take part again this year, including Team PokerStars Pro members Daniel Negreanu, Greg Raymer, Vanessa Rousso, Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, and Vicky Coren.
Tags: 2010, charity, Daniel Negreanu, european, Online Poker, poker player, pokerstars, tournament, usa, WSOP
PokerStars to host EPT London charity event
Charity event at Crockfords Casino tonight
Tags: charity
New Zealand Group Gunning for Phil Laak’s Endurance Record
About a year ago, Britain’s Paul Zimbler played poker for over 72 consecutive hours at the World Series of Poker Europe, making his stamp on the Guinness Book of World Records. Then, this June, Phil “The Unabomber” Laak crushed Zimbler’s mark, playing $10/$20 Hold’em at the Bellagio in Las Vegas for 115 hours straight. Many thought it would take someone with no fear to attempt to best Laak. It looks like this November, there may be as many as 80 someones.
A New Zealand group called NZ Poker Tours is organizing an event in which it hopes that at least two people will set a new Guinness World Record for poker endurance. Unlike Laak, who played cash games for his record, the NZ Poker Tour group will make its attempt by playing in a tournament. The organization is looking for 80 players to participate in the event, which will begin on November 22nd at the Grand Hotel in Wanganui, New Zealand.
The No Limit Hold’em tournament will donate all proceeds to charity. It will feature unlimited rebuys for $20 each. The blinds will not increase until the record has been broken and to help prevent players from busting out, each stack will have a specially marked chip that will remind players that their stack is getting low.
And while it is a poker endurance record setting attempt, it is obviously unreasonable to expect someone to sit at the table for five days straight without getting up. Therefore, every player is allowed one five-minute break each hour. These breaks can be banked, so if someone doesn’t take a break for four hours, he will be able to leave the table for 20 minutes. Food and drink will be permitted at the table as long as they do not interfere with the flow of the game. After all, if there’s a significant pause for dinner to be served, then poker is not being played and a record can’t be set. Those who plan to imbibe to excess, however, need not attend – event organizers will not tolerate drunks. The same goes for drugs. No stimulants or illegal narcotics are permitted.
Side games will also be running during the big tournament, although they do not count towards the world record. They are simply for anyone who wants to be close to the action and play some poker at the same time. Prizes will be offered to the winners of these “Mini Tournaments,” including seats in the main event. Of course, anyone who takes a seat partway through won’t qualify to be in the pages of the Guinness Book of World Record, but it will still be a thrill to be part of the fun.
As mentioned earlier, this is a charity tournament, with proceeds going to a number of children’s charities, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Starship Children’s Hospital. Even though there isn’t a big cash purse to win, the eventual champion will still receive a glass trophy handmade by local artist Vicky Rodgers. All players will also receive a certificate indicating how many hours they survived. Those interested in participating can visit PokerWorldRecord.co.nz for all the details.
As for Laak, the current world record holder, his sleep deprivation apparently did not hurt his poker abilities. The front man for Unabomber Poker won his first World Series of Poker bracelet last week, taking the first event, No Limit Hold’em Six-Handed, at the 2010 World Series of Poker Europe. For his efforts, Laak took home £170,000 ($266,207).
EPT London Hosting Cancer Research UK Event
£10 of each £100+£10+£10 buy-in will go to the cause, guaranteeing at least £10,000 will be raised.
Plus, PokerStars has pledged to match both the £10 charity contribution any additional funds donated by the players.
Cancer Research UK is the world’s leading charity dedicated to beating cancer through research.
Players can register online for the EPT London Cancer Research UK event on PokerStars.
Plus, they can donate directly to the charity by transferring funds to the ‘cancerUK’ account on the PokerStars client.
PokerStars expects a number of the games top names and celebrities to play.
The two day event is scheduled to wrap up Oct. 4.
Visit PokerListings.com