Poker News

Poker2Nite: Annie Duke Discusses Heads-Up Poker Championship Win

The UB.com poker news show “Poker2Nite” aired its second episode of Season 2 on Wednesday. National Heads-Up Poker Championship winner and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke joined the Versus franchise.

Appropriately, the 30-minute show kicked off with discussion of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, which featured four former World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champions in the final eight. In addition, the Final Four were all over the age of 40. “Poker2Nite” host Joe Sebok told viewers, “In a game dominated by youngsters, it seemed not to be that way in this tournament.” Sebok also questioned the need to have seven online qualifiers join the field of 64; six were eliminated in the first round.

“Poker2Nite” also touched on the robbery of the European Poker Tour (EPT) Berlin Main Event, where Sebok remarked that thieves made off with $272,000, although that figure has varied widely. Results from the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Celebrity Invitational and L.A. Poker Classic aired along with a recap of professional golfer Tiger Woods turning down a $75 million sponsorship offer from Paddy Power Poker.

Following footage from the National Heads-Up Poker Championship draw party, which included interviews with Erick Lindgren, Jennifer Tilly, Joe Cada, and Jamie Gold, Duke joined the set. The UB.com pro is fresh off a deep run in the L.A. Poker Classic and a $500,000 win in the National Heads-Up Poker Championship. She told Sebok and co-host Scott Huff, “I took from October to February off mainly because I realized that when I was going into a lot of tournaments, I was taking an attitude of resenting poker because it was taking away from time with my kids.”

Duke noted that being mentally prepared to play poker is critically important: “When you’re not in the mood to play, you lose some of those small edges.” The UB.com pro was on her way to San Jose, California for the Bay 101 Shooting Star event, explaining that a fundamentally solid performance was important: “This is going to be a big test of how hungry I am because I’m really tired.” Duke ultimately busted on Day 1B after committing her stack with A-K on a flop of 10-6-3 and running into Yukinori Yamazaki’s pocket aces.

Duke faced a gauntlet of poker talent in the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, including Full Tilt Poker math whiz Andy Bloch, her first round opponent. On getting past the former MIT Blackjack Team member, Duke commented, “Once I got past him, it was a huge confidence boost, like a monkey off my back.” Duke then bested Darvin Moon, Paul Wasicka, Jerry Yang, and Dennis Phillips before battling eight-time bracelet winner Erik Seidel in the finals. Duke dubbed Seidel “really good.”

Snowboarder Hannah Teter, who won a silver medal in the women’s halfpipe during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, joined “Poker2Nite” via Skype to discuss her love for poker. She explained that the game was an integral part of her preparations for the Winter Olympics: “We played poker while training this summer, but during the winter, we’re in the zone.” Instead of cash, Teter and company typically played for candy. She added that she’d like to head to the WSOP this year to play in a charity event.

“Poker2Nite” host Dana Workman did not have an in-studio guest this week for the “Girls of Poker” segment, but presented the “Poker2Nite Online” vignette highlighting the groundbreaking Tweets and online news of the week. They included Scotty Nguyen, Brian Balsbaugh, and Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad blasting Twitter messages about the National Heads-Up Poker Championship and a picture that appeared on PokerListings of Lindgren and Erica Schoenberg getting cozy. Also addressed during the update was whether Sebok should continue to rock his beard.

Next week, PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) hostess Joanna Krupa will join “Poker2Nite.” You can catch the series every Wednesday at 11:00pm ET on Versus.

Annie Duke Breaks Down National Heads-Up Poker Championship Win

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Duke Dominates in NBC Heads-Up Win

"I'm so excited to win such a prestigious event and join the likes of Huck Seed, Chris Ferguson and Phil Hellmuth as Heads-Up Champion," said Duke, who became the first-ever woman to win the NBC Heads-Up title.

"I came into this tournament really focused and it feels great to finally break through in this event."

The road to victory at Caesars Palace was not an easy one for the UB sponsored pro. She beat 2008 runner-up Andy Bloch in the first round before getting past 2009 WSOP Main Event runner-up Darvin Moon in the round of 32.

Next up was 2007 champion Paul Wasicka who looked to have the best of Duke when she was all in with ace-ten against his pocket aces at one point. Miraculously, Duke went runner-runner to make a straight, take the lead and eventually move on.

"I would have loved all of my matches to be easy," said Duke. "I'm sure (Producer) Mori (Eskandani) is happy though, because it's going to give the show some serious drama.

"One thing's for sure, I can never complain about bad beats again after hitting that runner-runner king-queen against Paul Wasicka."

In the end, Duke beat eight-time WSOP bracelet winner Erik Seidel in the best-of-three final to bank the $500,000 first-place prize.

"Annie was my number one pick to win," said Seidel. "She played very tough. She had no fear. She really played the way you're supposed to play in this sort of structure."

A mother of four, Duke took some time off from her career as a professional poker player to film The Celebrity Apprentice last season.

Now she says a little time away from the game did her a world of good.

"I know what my main priority is and that's my family, so I'm never going to play as much poker as everyone else, but it's really nice to come back with a bang," she said. "I took the time off, I readjusted and now I've had some good results."

Vanessa Rousso made runner-up at the Heads-Up Championship in 2009, the deepest finish by a woman in the event before this year.

Duke said it's great to see so many female poker players rising to the top.

"I think it's great that a woman came in second last year and a woman finished first this year to really represent woman players," she said. "There are some great female poker players out there."

NBC's coverage of the 64-person event will air Sunday's at 12 p.m. ET beginning April 18 through May 23.

- With files from Matthew Showell

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship Bracket Set

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NBC Releases 2010 Heads-Up Bracket

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

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

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

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

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

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

Clubs:

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

Spades:

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

Hearts:

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

Diamonds:

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

 

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NBC Heads-Up Field Released

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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PokerStars North American Poker Tour Venetian Event Draws 872 Players

The inaugural PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Main Event on U.S. soil kicked off on Saturday at the Venetian, drawing a field of 872 players, according to PokerStars officials. The tournament had a cap of 890 entrants.

A total of 89 tables were set up at the Venetian in Las Vegas and a bevy of PokerStars-sponsored pros and celebrities were in the mix. “Seinfeld” actor Jason Alexander, who finished 17th in the Ante Up for Africa event during the 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP), was among the most visible players in the room. Joining Alexander were the likes of baseball great Orel Hershiser, Darus Suharto, Bill Chen, reigning WSOP Main Event champ Joe Cada, Daniel Negreanu, Joe Hachem, Chris Moneymaker, 2009 Bluff Player of the Year Jason Mercier, Dennis Phillips, Steve Paul-Ambrose, Tom McEvoy, and Vanessa Rousso. Also in the house was Scotty Nguyen, a five-time bracelet winner.

One of the hot topics of debate leading into the $5,000 Main Event of the NAPT Venetian was whether Full Tilt Poker pros would turn out to the PokerStars-sponsored tournament. Sure, enough, several were spotted in the field, including Gavin Smith. Also to be found was Full Tilt Poker’s Justin “Boosted J” Smith, whose pocket kings held up against another player’s pocket jacks to scoop a sizable pot and get the day started off on the right foot. However, no Team Full Tilt members appeared to be in attendance.

Eliminated on Day 1 was Kevin “BeL0WaB0Ve” Saul, who ran pocket kings into another players’ pocket aces. Also sent packing was Billy “Patrolman35” Kopp, a UB.com pro. Kopp flopped a boat with pocket threes on a 6-6-3 board and his opponent held 6-4 for trips. However, a four peeled off on the turn to give Kopp’s opponent a better full house and a three failed to hit the river. Kopp finished 12th in the 2009 WSOP Main Event, ultimately exiting in a dramatic flush over flush situation against eventual runner-up Darvin Moon.

On a board of A-K-7-8-Q, Hevad “RainKhaN” Khan called all-in with A-K for top two pair. However, Danny Wong showed pocket sevens for a set to send Khan to the rails. Khan, a PokerStars-sponsored pro, finished sixth in the 2007 WSOP Main Event and cashed for $956,000. In the process, a rule regulating excessive player celebrations was established in his name.

Also making waves on Saturday was online poker star Andy “BKiCe” Seth, who had a pile of 120,000 chips by 5:15pm PT. Seth final tabled the Full Tilt Poker Sunday Brawl in November for $19,000. His big claim to fame in the live world is finishing second in a $1,500 No Limit Hold’em tournament during the 2009 WSOP for $372,000.

A total of 128 players will finish in the money and the prize pool amounted to just over $4 million. First place is scheduled to take home $827,000 and the minimum payout is $7,200. According to PokerNews, those who are well on their way to earning the top prize include Wong, Nam Le, and Full Tilt's “Miami” John Cernuto, who hold 89,00, 81,000, and 75,000 chips, respectively. Also among those sitting pretty at the time of writing is Cada, who amassed a stack of 67,000, more than double the starting total of 30,000.

There were 650 players remaining during Level 7, with select chip counts given below. All numbers are according to the official website of PokerStars:

Andy “BKiCe” Seth – 120,000
Erica Schoenberg – 90,000
Andreas Hoivold – 70,000
Christian “charder30” Harder – 61,000
Joe Cada – 50,000
John “The Razor” Phan – 48,000
Adam “Roothlus” Levy – 45,000
Darus Suharto – 45,000
Jimmy “gobboboy” Fricke – 42,000
Eric Levesque – 42,000
Steve Paul-Ambrose – 41,500
Kevin Schaffel – 41,000

Eight one-hour levels will be played on Saturday. Starting on Sunday, each blind level will run for 75 minutes. We’ll have NAPT coverage for you right here on Poker News Daily.

2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship Features Joe Cada, Phil Ivey

2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion Joe Cada and seventh place finisher Phil Ivey will headline the 2010 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship field. Play gets underway on March 5th at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

After weeks of speculation as to which players would comprise the field of 64 in the 2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship, tournament officials tossed out seven confirmed participants on Tuesday. Cada became the youngest WSOP Main Event winner ever last year at the tender age of 21, defeating logger Darvin Moon heads-up. A self-proclaimed heads-up specialist, Cada will have his work cut out for him in the talented field at Caesars.

Cada took 11th in the $25,000 No Limit Hold’em High Roller event during the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA), banking $51,000. His win in Las Vegas in November was worth $8.5 million and he instantaneously hit the television circuit, appearing on programs like the “Late Show with David Letterman” and ESPN’s “SportsCenter.”

Ivey returned to the GSN franchise “Poker After Dark” for Season 6, which began airing on Sunday night on the cable station. In the recent Aussie Millions $100,000 Challenge in Melbourne, Ivey’s spectacular results continued, as he finished as its runner-up for $553,000. By virtue of finishing second to Dan Shak, Ivey became poker’s all-time tournament money leader at $12.8 million. He is a sponsored pro of Full Tilt Poker.

Also headlining the National Heads-Up Poker Championship field is Huck Seed, who owns the top overall record in the annual event at 18-4. Last year, Seed defeated Vanessa Rousso to take down the title and is the only player to have cashed in every running of the heads-up event. In 2009, Seed also defeated Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little, Gus Hansen, Glen Corny, David Oppenheim, and Sammy Farha en route to victory.

In 2005, Seed fell to UB.com front man Phil Hellmuth in the round of 16 before reaching the Final Four one year later. In 2007, Team PokerStars Pro member Humberto Brenes trumped Seed in the round of 16. In 2008, Seed fell to Full Tilt Poker pro Andy Bloch in the semi-finals. Seed is one of the top names in all of poker and a force to be reckoned with in a heads-up format. The poker pro commented in a press statement, “It takes a lot of skill and mental toughness to get through a field of such exceptional players, but I look forward to defending my title and trying to win it again.”

Jon Miller, Executive Vice President of NBC Sports, commented in a press release distributed by network officials on Tuesday, "We’re excited to bring this annual tradition back to Caesars Palace. The National Heads-Up Poker Championship’s compelling poker action has become a must-see for the casual and hardcore poker fan alike.” Hellmuth, who won it all in 2005, will return to the felts this year. He made waves last year by facing off against World Poker Tour (WPT) host Mike Sexton in the first round and Tom “durrrr” Dwan in the third round.

Daniel Negreanu, Rousso, and Chris Ferguson will also return to the National Heads-Up Poker Championship stage. The festivities kick off on March 5th and conclude on the 7th. “Poker After Dark” hostess Leeann Tweeden will once again serve as a sideline reporter during the tournament, while Craig Hummer and Ali Nejad will provide commentary.

On March 4th, the combatants will assemble at the Pure Nightclub at Caesars Palace for a special draw party. The web hosting service GoDaddy sponsors the tournament, which will air on NBC according to the following schedule:

April 18th: Noon to 1:00pm ET
April 25th: Noon to 2:00pm ET
May 2nd: Noon to 2:00pm ET
May 9th: Noon to 2:00pm ET
May 16th: Noon to 2:00pm ET
May 23rd: Noon to 3:00pm ET

Jennifer Tilly, Jason Alexander to Play in National Heads-Up Poker Championship

Unconfirmed reports have actress Jennifer Tilly and “Seinfeld” star Jason Alexander playing in the 2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship, which will air on NBC. Officials from Poker PROductions have not released an official cast list.

Tilly’s better half, Unabomber Poker namesake Phil Laak, commented in a blog entry this week, “Opened my e-mail this morning and couldn’t have been happier. I was cc’ed on an e-mail to Jennifer and she is officially in. This will be her fourth year to play the NBC heads up tournament at Caesar’s this March 4th – 7th.” Laak added that he awoke before Tilly saw the e-mail and chose a creative way to share the news: “I said, ‘Your only hints are that it's good news and it has to do with an e-mail that I read this morning.’ She thought for about 10 seconds and then said, ‘Am I playing the NBC Poker Heads Up?’ and I said, ‘Wow, 1 question and you nailed it.’”

Laak claims that 2010 will mark Tilly’s fourth appearance in the National Heads-Up Poker Championship. However, it will actually be her fifth, as Tilly has competed in each running of the event since 2006; she has never made it out of the first round. Four years ago, the Academy Award nominee faced off against World Poker Tour (WPT) titleholder Paul Phillips in the first round, ultimately falling. Phillips, however, did not survive past the second round.

In 2007, it was a clash of the titans in the opening match of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, as Tilly battled then-reigning World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion Jamie Gold. Tilly once again dropped her first round match and Gold succumbed to Full Tilt Poker’s Phil Gordon in the round of 32. In 2008, Tilly battled fellow female pro Clonie Gowen in the first round, but could not come out on top. Gowen went on to lose to Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi in the second set of matches.

Last year, Tilly drew 2009 WSOP Main Event November Nine member Phil Ivey in the first round. The match ended with Ivey taking down the title, but falling to Team PokerStars Pro member and 2009 National Heads-Up Poker Championship runner-up Vanessa Rousso in the second round. Rousso stormed through opponents that included Doyle Brunson, Ivey, Victory Poker pro Paul Wasicka, Daniel Negreanu, and Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier to reach the finals against eventual champion Huck Seed.

On the February 3rd installment of the UB.com poker news show “Poker2Nite,” actor Alexander revealed that he’ll return to the National Heads-Up Poker Championship felts in 2010. Alexander relayed to show hosts Joe Sebok and Scott Huff what he tells his pro opponents: “If I lose to you, no big deal. If you lose to me, your career will never be the same.” Alexander has only appeared in the Heads-Up’s 2008 edition and fell to Seed in the first round. Seed owns the best record in National Heads-Up Poker Championship history at 18-4 and is the only player to cash in every season.

Two years ago, National Heads-Up Poker Championship officials established automatic bids to the invite-only tournament. Although not every person who qualifies will make time in their schedule to play, here’s how the bids stack up for the series’ 2010 running:

Previous five National Heads-Up Poker Championship winners: Huck Seed (2009), Chris Ferguson (2008), Paul Wasicka (2007), Ted Forrest (2006), Phil Hellmuth (2005)

Previous two National Heads-Up Poker Championship runners-up: Vanessa Rousso (2009), Andy Bloch (2008)

Defending National Heads-Up semifinalists: Sammy Farha, Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier

Any player who has cashed in the past four consecutive years of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship: Huck Seed

Previous three WSOP Main Event Champions: Joe Cada (2009), Peter Eastgate (2008), Jerry Yang (2007)

Defending WSOP Main Event runner-up: Darvin Moon

Multiple WSOP bracelet winners from the previous year: Phil Ivey, Jeffrey Lisandro, Brock “t soprano” Parker, Greg “FBT” Mueller

Defending WSOP Player of the Year: Jeffrey Lisandro

Defending WSOP Heads-Up Champion: Leo Wolpert

Defending WSOP Europe Main Event Champion: Barry Shulman

Reigning World Poker Tour (WPT) Player of the Year: Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier

Reigning European Poker Tour (EPT) Monte Carlo Grand Final Champion: Pieter de Korver

Reigning CardPlayer Magazine Player of the Year: Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin

Reigning Bluff Magazine Player of the Year: Jason Mercier

Reigning All In Magazine Player of the Year: Phil Ivey

Online and NBC qualifiers

Host venue qualifiers

ESPN Inside Deal Airs First Show of 2010

The ESPN poker franchise “Inside Deal” returned on Tuesday with the first episode of 2010. Joining the series, which emanated from a new set, were Poker Players Alliance (PPA) Executive Director John Pappas and 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Joe Cada.

The show began with a discussion of the CardPlayer and Bluff Player of the Year awards for 2009. CardPlayer named UB.com pro Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin as its winner, while Bluff crowned PokerStars’ Jason Mercier. On which publication was more accurate, “Inside Deal” host Bernard Lee explained, “Understand that this is not apples to apples. These are two completely different Player of the Year formulas. If you had to look at it, I think CardPlayer has it a little more open for most players.”

Lee noted that poker pro Amnon Filippi bumped him from the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) Main Event, while Cada staked co-host Laura Lane into the ladies’ event. Now, Lee and the rest of the poker world have their sights set on the PokerStars-backed North American Poker Tour (NAPT), which resumes on February 20th at the Venetian: “I’ve said from the beginning that being able to qualify online is going to increase registration, prize pools, and interest in any tournaments. So far, over 160 players have qualified for the Venetian event. That’s more than some of the WSOP Circuit Events had all last year.”

Pappas joined “Inside Deal” via phone to catch listeners up on the good word from Capitol Hill. The Executive Director of the one-million member lobbying group explained the biggest challenge of 2010: “There is this continuing cloud of grayness as to what is legal and what is not legal. We have a six-month reprieve to get that Congressional clarification to make sure that it is clear that playing poker over the internet is not an unlawful internet gambling transaction.” The PPA is pushing for a markup of Congressman Barney Frank’s (D-MA) HR 2267 in February.

Cada, donning a festive array of PokerStars logos, told “Inside Deal” viewers that the pressure for him to perform has ramped up dramatically: “There is definitely more pressure now, especially because of the way I won my final table.” Cada hit the deck hard during the final table of the 2009 WSOP Main Event and defeated Maryland logger Darvin Moon heads-up.

One of the rumors flying around the poker world during the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure was that Cada was dating former Playboy Playmate of the Year Jayde Nicole. The rumors ultimately proved false, but Cada is still trying to wrap his head around his celebrity status: “I am still trying to get used to everything. The rumors are not so great. All my friends back home asked me about it and there are so many rumors going on.”

A comprehensive breakdown of a hand between Moon and Cada heads-up aired featuring Lee and ESPN.com Poker Editor Andrew Feldman dishing out strategy. The crew then asked Cada to reveal his mentality headed into heads-up play in poker tournaments: “I start off slow when I start heads-up because I don’t know how they play. A lot is their frequency of calls pre-flop and stack sizes. If the stack sizes are deeper, then you’re able to raise more from the button.” Cada was an online heads-up specialist prior to his win last November to become the youngest WSOP Main Event champion ever.

A new segment called “Snap Calls” featured discussion of Huck Seed’s chances to make it eight cashes in a row in the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, the number of new girlfriends Cada will have this year (Cada said under 1.5), the future of online poker legalization, whether Bernard Lee would claim a title in 2010, and whether Cada would win another bracelet in this year’s WSOP.

Darvin Moon to Attend NFC Championship with Jimmy Buffet, Kenny Chesney

This weekend, the New Orleans Saints will host the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:40pm ET on Sunday and the game will air on Fox. Among those in attendance will be 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event runner-up Darvin Moon.

Moon will be seated in a luxury box in the Louisiana Superdome, home of the Saints, alongside several top-tier names. Headlining the list is singer Jimmy Buffet, whose bevy of hit singles include "Margaritaville," "Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude," "Cheeseburger in Paradise," and "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere," which he recorded with country superstar Alan Jackson. Buffet’s career has spanned 40 years and resulted in a bevy of chart-topping hits. He even has his own restaurant chain, Margaritaville, which has a location inside the Flamingo on the Las Vegas Strip.

Speaking of country music, Kenny Chesney will also be seated in the same suite as Moon, according to Saints officials. Chesney, from East Tennessee, has been cranking out hits since 1993. He struck it big in the late 1990s with "She's Got It All" and then released two more hit singles before the decade was through, "How Forever Feels" and "You Had Me from Hello.” In the 2000s, Chesney became a staple of the country music scene, pumping out memorable tunes like "Young," "The Good Stuff," "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems,” and "Living in Fast Forward." His 2009 hit "Out Last Night" hit number one on the U.S. country charts.

Not all of Moon’s new pals hail from the world of music. Joining Moon, Buffet, and Chesney will be Avery Johnson, the head coach of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks since 2004. Johnson, the NBA Coach of the Year in 2006, saw his team fall to the Miami Heat in that year’s NBA Finals. Johnson won a championship ring in 1999 as a member of the San Antonio Spurs. In fact, the Spurs retired his number in 2007 and the current Mavericks coach became a member of the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame one year ago.

Wrapping up Moon’s star-studded company is Ronnie Lott. A standout from the University of Southern California (USC), Lott was drafted in 1981 and spent most of his career with the San Francisco 49ers. Lott is a four-time Super Bowl Champion and became a member of the illustrious Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio in 2000. He briefly joined the broadcast team of the “NFL on Fox” in the mid-1990s and currently resides in California. Lott is one of the top defensive players in NFL history and rounds out Moon’s cheering section during Sunday’s encounter.

The Saints received a first-round bye in the NFL playoffs and pummeled Kurt Warner and the defending NFC champion Arizona Cardinals last weekend by a final score of 45-14. Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns as the team cruised to victory. Brees led the NFL in touchdowns during the 16-game regular season with 34, one more than Minnesota Vikings signal caller Brett Favre and Indianapolis Colts gunslinger Peyton Manning. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman will likely have the call for Fox from New Orleans.

The Saints’ opponent, the Minnesota Vikings, flattened the Dallas Cowboys last week and also received a first-round bye in the post-season. Favre, whose decision whether to retire or play has dominated off-season headlines for the last half-decade, threw for 4,202 yards and 33 touchdowns during the NFL regular season. He hasn’t tossed an interception since December 20th and has just nine turnovers all season. Favre is 40 years-old and played college ball at Southern Mississippi.

No in game or on air recognition of Moon is planned, according to Saints media relations staff.

Poker2Nite Pays Homage to Amir Vahedi

Wednesday night’s installment of the Fox Sports Net poker news show “Poker2Nite” featured a stirring tribute to the late Amir Vahedi. Layne Flack paid a visit to the UB.com sponsored series, which airs at 11:00pm ET on Wednesdays.

“Poker2Nite” host Joe Sebok recapped his trip to the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) in the Bahamas. When asked by fellow host Scott Huff where he finished in the Main Event, Sebok jokingly explained, “They don’t keep finishes in the first three hours.”

Two key hands were recapped. In the first, Sebok held 7-8 on a flop of 7-7-5 and was up against a player with pocket sixes. His opponent bet 1,200 and Sebok made it 4,000. The player with the wired pair of sixes called and the turn was a four. His opponent check-called a bet of 8,000 to a six on the river. Sebok’s foe had made a boat and fired out a bet of 11,000. Sebok called with a straight and promptly lost two-thirds of his stack.

In Sebok’s final hand at the 2010 PCA Main Event, the player in the small blind raised to 1,900 and the “Poker2Nite” host, in the big blind, shoved for 8,500 with pocket tens. However, his opponent made the call and flipped up pocket aces. The board ran out 5-6-7-J-9 and Sebok was eliminated from the $10,000 buy-in tournament.

Attention then turned to the passing of Vahedi. Footage of Vahedi was shown and Sebok commented, “Amir Vahedi was one of the sweetest men in poker. He was always there with a laugh and always there with a word of encouragement. In my poker infancy, he was always there.” “Poker2Nite” closed with Huff telling viewers that Vahedi was the first player he ever interviewed. A portion of the 2005 questioning then aired, with Vahedi noting, “This is my job. I’m having fun while I’m doing it. That’s my personality.”

Flack opened his segment by squaring off against Huff in an arm wrestling match. The six-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner is also a two-time Montana state arm wrestling champion. Flack gave Huff a spot before quickly polishing off the broadcaster. Flack won two bracelets in 2002 and two more the following year before going on a dry spell until 2008. On his streakiness, Flack told his “Poker2Nite” fans, “I used to be such a strong offensive player. When the internet became involved, we had these younger players who were firing hard and going at it. I had to devise a defensive strategy.”

2009 WSOP Main Event runner-up Darvin Moon, donning a blurred out New Orleans Saints cap and a gray hoodie, went “Into the Tank” to recap a hand against eventual winner Joe Cada heads-up in last year’s tournament. Cada flopped top pair, but Moon turned a higher pair to give him the chip lead momentarily.

A segment called “High Stakes, Low Profile” reviewed several highly successful live and online poker players who receive little to no hype. First up was Amnon Filippi, who was the runner-up to Vadim Trincher in the World Poker Tour (WPT) Foxwoods World Poker Classic last April. Huff explained, “He shares information with some of the biggest and best minds in poker and it’s paid off.” Next up was Justin Young, who was the runner-up to Chino Rheem in the 2008 WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic. Sebok noted, “Sneaky, good player. Another guy with a brain trust.”

Scott “BigRiskky” Clements already owns two WSOP bracelets and two WPT titles, yet his name is overlooked in many poker circles. Sebok added, “I don’t know why everyone and their mother doesn’t know who he is.” Last up was DoylesRoom Brunson 10 member Amit “amak316” Makhija, who Sebok boasted might have “the most No Limit Hold’em potential out of all of these guys.”

Finally, Dana Workman dished out the “Weekly Misdeal,” featuring a satirical look at the week’s poker news. Topics included rumors of former Playboy Playmate of the Year Jayde Nicole dating Cada, PCA amfAR charity tournament participants, and the L.A. Kings alumni poker tournament.

“Poker2Nite” airs on Wednesdays at 11:00pm ET on Fox Sports Net. Check your local listings for more information.

PokerStars Offers Chance to Meet WSOP Champion Joe Cada

American poker fans who are intrigued by the newest - and youngest - World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion can now play for a chance to spend a day in Las Vegas with Joe Cada, sponsored by PokerStars.

Starting a new year is always daunting - resolutions, dieting, recovering from big-time spending. PokerStars is offering U.S.-based players a break from the January blues with a promotion that features a five-night trip to Las Vegas, spending money, a seat in a live PokerStars event, and a day hanging out with young WSOP champ Joe Cada. The best part is that this promotion is completely free of charge: freerolls will be held every day between January 6 and February 12 at 21:00 ET; the top 45 players will advance to the Weekly Finals, to be played on January 10, 17, 24 and 31 as well as February 7 and 13 at 17:30 ET. The weekly finals will award 18 seats to the Grand Final each, and the final 108 players will face off on February 13 at 21:00 ET for a once-in-a-lifetime Las Vegas trip and the opportunity to spend some time up close and personal with the youngest WSOP Main Event Champion to date, Joe Cada.

Long gone are the days when a 24-year-old Phil Hellmuth held the record as the youngest Main Event winner. Cada has set a nearly unbreakable record by winning the WSOP at the age of 21, ousting last year's young champion, Peter Eastgate, who was 22 at the time of winning the much-coveted Main Event bracelet.

Cada dropped out of Macomb Community College in his native Michigan to pursue a full-time poker career and was quickly rewarded for his courage by becoming part of last year's November Nine, facing tough competition that included the famous and universally dreaded Phil Ivey. After a long final table and 88 hands of heads-up play, Cada defeated Darvin Moon to win $8,546,435, a place among champions, and a new WSOP record.

Top 5 of 2009: Phil Ivey Makes the November Nine

With an eye on the great poker personalities that have made the scene and the interesting fodder they’ve provided for us over the past 12 months, we’ve come up with our very own Top Five Poker News Stories of 2009.

The plan was to present them to you every other day from until New Year’s Eve and we conclude today with No. 1: Phil Ivey Makes the November Nine.

You simply can’t have a bigger story than the consensus best player on the planet making the final table of the biggest tournament in the world.

After finishing 23rd in 2002, a heartbreaking 10th in 2003 and 20th in 2005, Phil Ivey finally reached the final table of the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event this summer.

And, as if making the November Nine was not enough, he brought with him a shot at a third bracelet on the year.

Within minutes of the final table being set, pundits predicted poker would be the big winner, that the game’s biggest superstar would help sell poker to a whole new audience through the mainstream media and do more to convince the U.S. government that poker is a skill game, and should be legal online, than ever before.

But, weaned on the game in Atlantic City casinos playing with fake ID before he was old enough to legally play, Ivey had always been a bit standoffish with the media.

With the bright Main Event spotlight on him for four months before the final table played out, however, he appeared to at least partially embrace a role as an ambassador for the game, helping poker make a few strides further into the mainstream.

Despite sitting seventh in chips heading into the final, online betting sites saw huge dollars bet on Ivey, pushing the odds down and practically making him the favorite to win before November.

And as the final table date drew closer, it began to look as if the entire poker world was rooting for him, even those who probably shouldn’t have.

When there were 2,400 players left in the Main Event, fellow Team Full Tilt Pro Andy Bloch bet Ivey $20,000 at 99-1 that he wouldn’t win.

Faced with paying Ivey $2 million if he did, Bloch said he still couldn’t help but pull for him.

“It was quite a sweat,” he said. “But no matter how much it would have cost me, a part of me still wanted to see him win.”

Although Ivey’s presence did not increase ratings for ESPN’s final table coverage, it still appeared interest in the Main Event and the game of poker was as high this November as it’s ever been, and poker has Ivey to thank for that.

In the end, when his ace-king could not get past Darvin Moon’s ace-queen, Ivey bowed out seventh, helping pave the way for 21-year-old Joe Cada to become the youngest Main Event champion in history.

But even his bustout appeared to draw as much attention as Cada’s win.

He may not have won the Main Event, but the impact of Ivey just making the final table was enough to turn the heads of people who had never paid attention to poker before and secure a spot as the No.1 story on PokerListings’ Top Five Poker News Stories of 2009.

 

PokerListings' Top Five Poker News Stories of 2009:

• No. 5: The Emergence of Luke Schwartz
• No. 4: Yevgeniy Timoshenko’s Year
• No. 3: The durrrr Challenge
• No. 2: Isildur1 and the Seven-Figure Pots

Visit PokerListings.com

Phil Ivey Files for Divorce

In breaking news from TMZ, 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) November Nine member Phil Ivey has filed for divorce from his wife of seven years, Luciaetta. Ivey finished seventh in the $10,000 buy-in tournament this year and earned $1.4 million.

On Tuesday, a report that appeared on TMZ read in part, “Ivey and Luciaetta filed the joint petition in a Nevada court on December 22 ... three days before Christmas. The divorce was granted today - both parties were present for the ruling.” The couple wed in 2002 and has no children. TMZ added that Ivey has made $12 million over the course of his poker career. The “Tiger Woods of Poker” appeared on the cover of “ESPN: The Magazine” in November.

Ivey earned two WSOP bracelets during the 2009 tournament series to ratchet his total up to seven. Interestingly, none of the seven has come in Hold’em, as he has instead taken down Pot Limit Omaha, Limit Seven Card Stud, Limit Seven Card Stud High-Low, Limit SHOE, Deuce to Seven Draw Lowball, and Omaha/Seven Card Stud High-Low events. In the latter, his most recent bracelet win, Ivey trumped Ming Lee heads-up in a final table that also included Carlos Mortensen, November Nine member Eric Buchman, Jon “PearlJammer” Turner, and Dutch Boyd.

TMZ was quick to point out the irony of Ivey being compared to Woods. Its news story detailed, “Ivey is known in the card community as the ‘Tiger Woods of Poker’ - [insert your own joke here].” Woods was involved in a now-famous auto collision with a tree in front of his home. His wife purportedly smashed the SUV’s window with a golf club to help Woods exit safely. What led to the incident is anyone’s guess, but a handful of women are alleged to have had extra-marital affairs with the professional golfer.

Earlier this month, Woods announced that he was taking a leave of absence from golf. In addition, companies like Accenture and Gillette ended their advertising and sponsorship agreements with Woods. In fact, a Reuters article released on Tuesday noted that Woods’ infidelity could costs the shareholders of companies he endorses up to a colossal $12 billion. Researchers explained the enormous loss of value: "Our analysis makes clear that while having a celebrity of Tiger Woods' stature as an endorser has undeniable upside, the downside risk is substantial, too."

Ivey’s first eight in the money finishes on the World Poker Tour (WPT) were all for final tables and he picked up a win in the Season VI L.A. Poker Classic for $1.6 million. All told, Ivey has just under $3 million in career earnings from the WPT circuit.

Meanwhile, posters on the popular online poker forum PocketFives.com reacted to the TMZ story. “33mikemcg” noted, “I had no idea he was married. Nice life for that ex-wife I am sure she will get plenty to last a lifetime.”

Poker players, who travel around the United States and the world to live tournaments, seemed to be able to sympathize with Ivey. “ImaLuckSac” explained that the pro’s lifestyle may not have been conducive to a stable marriage: “All jokes aside, who can really be that surprised? These guys are constantly traveling, stressed, and still making the big bucks. Personally I think they deserve a lil' strange.” Others jokingly speculated as to whether Ivey had any prop bets on how long his marriage would last.

Ivey is a member of Team Full Tilt, a group that also includes poker pros like Howard Lederer, Andy Bloch, Erick Lindgren, Mike Matusow, and Jennifer Harman. He was the inaugural opponent on the NBC poker game show “Face the Ace” and seemed to strike up an accord with Maryland logger Darvin Moon at the final table of the 2009 WSOP Main Event.

Poker2Nite Welcomes CardPlayer Player of the Year Eric Baldwin (basebaldy)

Poker players traveling home on Sunday night could finally catch the latest episode of the Fox Sports Net poker news show “Poker2Nite,” sponsored by UB.com. Poker News Daily fired up our DVR to watch last week’s installment.

Coverage of the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic kicked off “Poker2Nite,” featuring interviews with Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka, Scotty Nguyen, Josh Arieh, and eventual champion Daniel Alaei. The latter earned $1.4 million for his victory, but “Poker2Nite” focused on the allegedly inappropriate behavior of Nguyen.

In a hand where Chad “lilholdem954” Batista was eliminated after not hearing an all-in and a call before he acted because he had headphones on, Nguyen began to laugh. According to Jaka, Nguyen “laugh[ed] in his face,” but the former Expekt Poker pro defended himself: “He’s the one who made the mistake, not me. I laugh because he say all-in, but I didn’t know that he didn’t know.” “Poker2Nite” host Joe Sebok responded, “I’m not buying this from Scotty anymore. He’s out of line.” Nguyen famously berated Rio floor staff and fellow players on national television during the 2008 World Series of Poker’s (WSOP) $50,000 HORSE Championship.

Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin, the winner of the 2009 CardPlayer Player of the Year title, then joined the show. On whether luck or skill played a bigger part in his run during the calendar year, Baldwin told Sebok and “Poker2Nite” co-host Scott Huff, “Obviously, I ran above expectations, but you have to play well and have luck on your side.” Down the stretch, Baldwin admitted that he focused on the factors he could control: “I tried my best not to look at what the people behind me were doing because it’s not going to help me play my hand better.”

Baldwin inked a sponsorship agreement with UB.com last week and explained that his strengths include being a good judge of people, he takes a situation for what it is, and he is able to adapt with ease. On the importance of the latter trait, Baldwin remarked, “Adaptability is just huge in poker. The game has evolved so much and you have to stay on top of it and continue trying to learn.” Baldwin won a $1,500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event during the 2009 WSOP for his first bracelet. A week later, he took third in the $10,000 buy-in World Championship of Pot Limit Hold’em. The two cashes were worth $780,000 combined.

A segment called “All-In Blind” pitted Sebok and Huff against each other in a debate over three unknown news topics. The first focused on Darvin Moon’s tournament series at the Wheeling Island Casino. The second dealt with the 2010 WSOP schedule, which was released in recent days. The final banter was whether Isildur1 or the XFL represented the bigger flash in the pan. After being taken for more than $4 million by Brian Hastings, Isildur1 has largely disappeared.

Dana Workman doled out the “Weekly Misdeal,” offering a satirical look at the biggest poker news headlines of the week. Then, attention turned to a variety of pros shaving their heads in support of Thuy Doan, who is in the midst of a health care crisis resulting from her battle with cancer. Those who went bald included Eli Elezra, Doyle Brunson, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi, and Doan’s boyfriend. Huff summed up the segment by saying, “We are all proud of you, Thuy.”

“Poker2Nite” airs on Wednesday nights at 11:00pm ET on Fox Sports Net. Because the show is often pre-empted for local sports and other programming, check your local listings for more information.

Wheeling Island Casino to Host Darvin Moon Poker Challenge

World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event runner-up Darvin Moon may not be up for representing an online poker site, but he seems content to lend his name to a brick-and-mortar room.  After wearing the Wheeling Island Hotel and Casino logo during his appearance at this year’s Main Event final table, Moon is playing host at an upcoming tournament series at the West Virginia poker room.

Moon will serve as host and loan his name to the Darvin Moon Poker Challenge.  The tournament series will run from January 14th to 18th and include five No Limit Hold’em tournaments.  The events will feature buy-ins ranging from $125 to $550, culminating in a WSOP satellite with a $130 buy-in.

There is also an added incentive for players to take part in all of the events.  The casino will be awarding points to the top 20 finishers in each tournament.  The person who accumulates the most player points across the first four events gets to face off against Moon in the Ultimate Challenge, a heads-up match in which the winner will walk away with $2,000 offered up by the casino.

The tournaments will feature starting stacks of at least 10,000 chips and none of the Moon events will include rebuys.  However, there will be satellites for the $500 tournament, more than one of which features an optional rebuy.  All of the satellites will take place in the casino’s poker room, while the Challenge events will be held in the casino’s feature showroom.

It has been widely documented that Moon won his seat into the WSOP at a qualifier held at Wheeling Casino and it seems to be the lone exception to Moon’s otherwise stringent no endorsement policy.  Although Moon hails from Maryland, the West Virginia casino is just a couple of hours from his hometown of Oakland.  The property is best known for its greyhound racing track, which is the most profitable dog track in America based on purses paid, but it also offers table games, slots and, of course, poker.

The Jim Beam Poker Room at the Wheeling Island Casino offers a range of cash games year-round, including Seven Card Stud, Hold’em, and Omaha.  The stakes range from $1/$5 to $40/$80 for Stud, $2/$4 to $40/$80 for Limit Hold’em, and $1/$2 to $5/$10 for Pot Limit Omaha, No Limit Omaha, and No Limit Hold’em games.  The room is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and features 20 tables.

Pre-registration for the Darvin Moon Poker Challenge will open up on January 1st at 12:00pm.  The complete schedule of events is included below. All times are local:

Thursday, January 14th
1:00pm - Satellite for the $500 event - $65 buy-in (one optional rebuy)
7:00pm - Event #1 NHL - 10,000 in Tournament Chips - $125 buy-in (no rebuy)

Friday, January 15th
1:00pm - Satellite for the $500 event - $65 buy-in (one optional rebuy)
7:00pm - Event #2 NHL - 10,000 in Tournament Chips - $125 buy-in (no rebuy)

Saturday, January 16th
10:00am - Turbo satellite - $40 buy-in (no rebuy)
1:00pm - Event #3 NHL - 12,000 in Tournament Chips - $230 buy-in (no rebuy)

Sunday, January 17th
10:00am - Turbo satellite - $65 Buy-in (no re-buy)
1:00pm - Event #4 NHL - 15,000 in Tournament Chips - $550 buy-in (no rebuy)

Monday, January 18th
10:00am - The Ultimate Challenge - $2,000 added
1:00pm - WSOP Super Satellite NHL - 10,000 in Tournament Chips - $130 buy-in (no rebuy)

Poker2Nite Welcomes Poker Hall of Famer Mike Sexton

The UB.net sponsored poker news program “Poker2Nite,” which makes its home on Fox Sports Net, welcomed Mike Sexton this week. The World Poker Tour (WPT) host is also a member of the Poker Hall of Fame after being inducted one month ago.

“Poker2Nite” began with Absolute Poker pro Lacey Jones interviewing players at the WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic in Las Vegas. Among those to appear on-camera was dual World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Jeff Madsen, who told Jones, “What it comes down to is the skill level of the players, the structure is good, and the Bellagio atmosphere is good to players in general.” Jones also spoke with Robert Mizrachi and 2009 WSOP November Nine member Kevin Schaffel. The $15,000 buy-in tournament crowns a champion on Saturday.

Next up was UB.net pro Phil Hellmuth presenting Phil’s Best Blow-Ups. There are a multitude of meltdowns to choose from, but Hellmuth recapped his explosion against Cristian Dragomir during the 2008 WSOP Main Event. Dragomir called Hellmuth’s raise pre-flop with 10-4, only to flop top pair. Hellmuth explained, “Of course, this joker gets rewarded for his donkey play and that just did not sit well with me.” His tirade against Dragomir featured lines such as “He’s the worst player in history and they’re cheering” and “To you, it’s poker. To me, this is my life.”

After recapping Sexton’s Poker Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which took place during the dinner break of the 2009 WSOP Main Event, the bracelet winner joined the “Poker2Nite” crew. On being elected to the Poker Hall of Fame, Sexton told “Poker2Nite” hosts Joe Sebok and Scott Huff, “To me, it’s the ultimate career achievement award. To reach this level, it’s a pretty big honor.” Sexton was the only member of the Class of 2009 and, in order to be elected, had to receive 75% of the vote of a panel of media members and current Hall of Famers.

So-called “Sextonisms” have become a staple of modern poker lingo, but the WPT host noted that one of his favorites is, “You can only slide so far on barbed wire.” This author would have preferred “Bingo, bango, bongo,” but laughed nonetheless. Sexton also discussed PokerGives.org, which he founded along with Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Linda Johnson, Jan Fisher, and Lisa Tenner. Sexton commented, “It’ll be a way the poker world can give back to worthwhile charities.”

A new segment called Coin Flipping aired, pitting Sebok and Huff against each other to see what option had a slight mathematical edge. First up was who was the better No Limit Hold’em cash game player, Phil Ivey or Patrik Antonius. Sebok remarked, “I’m going with Phil because he looks scarier.” Also discussed was whether winning the $50,000 HORSE Championship or WSOP Main Event was more prestigious, as was whether Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin or Cornel Andrew Cimpan should be the Player of the Year. On the latter, Sebok gave his two cents: “I don’t think this one is really that close” and chose Baldwin, who effectively has already taken down the CardPlayer Player of the Year title for 2009.

Dana Workman dished out the Bluff Magazine sponsored Weekly Misdeal segment, poking fun at WSOP Main Event runner-up Darvin Moon’s conspiracy theory about ESPN crews sharing information, champion Joe Cada taking to Capitol Hill in support of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), Montel Williams facing a lawsuit from the International Team Poker League, and Marcel Luske’s new album.

“Poker2Nite” airs on Wednesdays at 11:00pm in each market on Fox Sports Net. However, the show is often pre-empted for local sporting events, so viewers are advised to check their local listings for airtime and channel information.

Darvin Moon Hosting Poker Challenge

The Wheeling Island Hotel and Casino will be hosting The Darvin Moon Poker Challenge Jan. 14-18 featuring a series of four No-Limit Hold’em tournaments with buy-ins ranging from $125 to $550.

Points will be awarded to the top 20 finishers of each of the events and the leading point winner during the series will get the chance take on Moon heads-up with $2,000 in added-money on the line.

The poker room will also be hosting a number of satellites for the events and a $130 WSOP Super Satellite.

Moon himself turned a $130 Wheeling Island satellite into $5,182,601 when the 46-year-old Western Maryland logger shocked the poker world finishing second to 21-year-old champion Joe Cada.

The Wheeling Island Hotel and Casino is in West Virginia. It was Originally created as a site for thoroughbred and harness racing in 1866, but now includes a full-service hotel and banquet center, restaurants, video lottery terminals, table games, a poker room and more

For the full Darvin Moon Poker Challenge schedule, check out the Wheeling Island Hotel and Casino website.

Visit PokerListings.com

The Nightly Turbo: ANZPT Season 2, Everest Poker Sold, and Darvin Moon’s Poker Tournament

Tonight's Nightly Turbo is bringing you the schedule for season 2 of the Australia New Zealand Poker Tour, news on Everest Poker's sale, and Darvin Moon's next tournament. In Case You Missed It

Annie Duke on the 2009 WSOP Main Event, Phil Ivey’s Table Presence

Fresh off watching the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event final table pan out, Ultimate Bet pro Annie Duke discusses the wild action that unfolded from the Rio in Las Vegas and aired on ESPN.

Poker News Daily: Now that you’ve had a chance to check out the 2009 WSOP Main Event final table, give us your thoughts on what occurred.

Duke: The Main Event was really interesting. On the one hand, I don’t think there’s any question that it was the most skilled final table we’ve seen in a long time. Some of the play was brilliant, but at the same time, it also had some of the worst play we’ve seen. There were some very ill-advised plays at the final table.

The thing I worry about is that I’m involved with the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) and spend a lot of time arguing that poker is a game of skill. I understand that when someone gets their money in with deuces against jacks, they’re going to hit it 18% of the time. I have a concern that on a national stage, we came out on the weird end of variance. People are going to look at that and conclude that poker is a game of luck.

Darvin Moon did some crazy things and everyone could see that. Joe Cada got his money in with deuces and threes and hit both times. We can have arguments that he overplayed his hands, which proves that poker is a skill game. Because we can argue about it, it’s a skill game. The fact is he hit both of him and to the viewing public, it’s just luck. I actually think in that sense, it was unfortunate.

PND: Can you comment on a few of the other players at the 2009 WSOP Main Event final table?

Duke: Phil Ivey aside, who never got anything going, and Kevin Schaffel aside, it looked like Antoine Saout was playing amazingly well. I was impressed with him. I was also impressed with Eric Buchman and I think Steven Begleiter benefited from the coaching he received. You saw someone change the way they play because of the coaching in between. If you have four months and you’re a player who needs a lot of help, coaching is a good thing for you. If you’re already a really good player, coaching will hurt you. After four months, you’re trying to feel your way around the changes and trying to see where things apply. It’s not a good idea.

PND: What about Buchman impressed you? What were your thoughts on Cada?

Duke: When Ivey was there, people weren’t playing poker. Ivey is a huge presence and no one wanted to be the person to double him up. The other players didn’t want to get their chips in play because they were afraid of giving them to Ivey. Cada and Buchman were the only two playing during this period. They took advantage of that situation and did a good job of taking down the blinds and antes. That shows Cada has something going on. He recognized the situation and played accordingly.

PND: Did Ivey play too tight?

Duke: Ivey folding jacks is the big question. Everything else he did made sense. My guess is that Ivey was sitting there with Moon to his right and felt that he didn’t want to put his chips at risk. If he could double up, he had all of these chips sitting to his right. He was raising in early position in relation to Saout, who wasn’t playing aggressively and pushed in. Saout hadn’t been out there skating and Ivey probably would have called Cada or Buchman. Would I have called? Probably, but I’m speaking in retrospect and I don’t think I’m as good of a player as Ivey is.

PND: What makes Ivey so talented?

Duke: Ivey is the top-winning player in the history of online poker. He’s amazing in cash games. It doesn’t matter if it’s Mixed Games, Stud, or Pot Limit Omaha; pick a game and he’s good at it. His weakest game is probably Limit Hold’em and he’s still really good at that. He’s worked really hard and he puts in the time and hours. He’s good at the math and he’s also good at the feel. He has ridiculous heart and he has the follow-through.

PND: Does Ivey have the same intimidating table presence that your Ultimate Bet colleague, Phil Hellmuth, does?

Duke: Hellmuth’s advantage comes from somewhere else. Ivey terrifies people. No one wants to give him chips. Hellmuth has a different presence. People are so emotionally wrapped up in him that they cease to be able to think. People will throw chips at Hellmuth because they’re so pissed off at him. They want to beat him so badly. You try to avoid him because you’re afraid of getting yelled at or you want to show him up.

PND: What have other players you’ve talked to said about Jeffrey Pollack leaving his post as the WSOP Commissioner?

Duke: The community agrees that it may be bad for the players. What that speaks to, whether it’s true or not, was that he was a big friend to the players and that’s his legacy. What an amazing legacy for someone to have.

PND: What are your Thanksgiving plans?

Duke: I’m celebrating Thanksgiving on Saturday as opposed to Thursday. My brother and everyone are converging on my house. I’m doing a small thing on Thursday as well. I love the cooking: turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top, and all sorts of desserts.

2009 WSOP Year in Review

When the late gaming legend Benny Binion brought the World Series of Poker (WSOP) on the world, little did he know what it would become. What began 40 years ago as a gathering of Texas road gamblers in a quaint Las Vegas hotel has grown to become a behemoth that now spans an entire calendar year. By 2009, the WSOP was no longer a week-long reunion, but rather a year-long caravan that traverses the United States and ventures across the Atlantic to play in England.

While many may still think the WSOP begins in June, it truly takes place year-round with the WSOP Circuit. Now in its fifth year, the WSOP Circuit was created to combat the drawing power and success of the World Poker Tour (WPT) and, for the most part, has been successful. In 2009, many Circuit events took place that brought special moments.

The WSOP Circuit could be considered the minor leagues of poker, offering previously unknown players a chance to make their name in the game. In addition, such professional players as Gavin Smith, Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi, Men “The Master” Nguyen, Matt “All In At 420” Stout, and Alex Bolotin made final tables during the run of the 2009 WSOP Circuit schedule prior to the start of the Las Vegas WSOP in May. Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo and Los Angeles poker veteran Jean “Prince” Gaspard took home WSOP Circuit championships, but perhaps the person who can say he “pwns” the Circuit is Dwyte Pilgrim.

Pilgrim began an unprecedented run by capturing the title at Harrah’s Rincon in San Diego in April and rolled off four consecutive cashes in WSOP Circuit Championship Events, something that no other player had ever done. With this performance, the Brooklyn, New York poker player established himself as one of the up and coming stars of poker.

Days after Gaspard’s triumph at the New Orleans WSOP Circuit Championship Event, the 40th Anniversary WSOP kicked off in Las Vegas at the Rio. With a new sponsor in Jack Links Beef Jerky, the 57 bracelet events drew combatants from around the world, with over 120 nations represented. While it wasn’t known when the cards first flew in late May, the 40th WSOP would go down as arguably one of the best of all time.

For the first time ever at the WSOP, a No Limit Texas Hold’em event was held that exceeded the traditional $10,000 Championship Event. The $40,000 Anniversary Special drew some of the top names in the game. Former World Champion Greg Raymer drove deep into the event before falling in third place. Eventual champion Vitaly Lunkin bested Isaac Haxton to take down the once in a lifetime championship.

In such a combative field over the multitude of events, there were an astounding four multiple bracelet winners during the 2009 WSOP. Full Tilt Poker could claim two in Phil Ivey and Greg “FBT” Mueller and Brock Parker announced his arrival on the poker world with his two bracelet victories. Making history, though, was poker veteran Jeffrey Lisandro; his three bracelet wins in different Stud disciplines were enough to enable him to capture the 2009 WSOP Player of the Year award.

The $10,000 Main Event drew a substantial field of 6,494, which would have been larger except for a Day 1D fiasco that prevented an estimated additional 500 players from participating. After two weeks of play, the poker world was once again set for the November Nine, with amateur poker player Darvin Moon leading a pack of players that included Ivey and fellow poker notable Jeff Shulman.

The £10,000 WSOP Europe Main Event drew 334 players and saw two members of the 2009 “November Nine,” Antoine Saout and James Akenhead, make the final table. Eventual champion Barry Shulman, the father of Jeff, defeated crowd favorite Daniel Negreanu via a stunning, rivered two-outer on the next to last hand of the tournament.

After the furor of WSOP Europe calmed down, the November Nine came back to the felt on November 7th to determine the next World Champion. Moon held his own at the final table, as Ivey was dismissed in seventh and Shulman departed in fifth. Saout made a stirring run at the title, starting as the short stack, but battling through adversity to finish third. The true story of the November Nine, though, was Joe Cada.

Cada rode a roller coaster through the final table, his chip stack surging up and down throughout the 14-hour battle. At one point, his stack was at 2.5 million, but he began a comeback for the ages.

With a tremendous chip lead, the youthful Cada, who was weaned on online play, seemed to be the odds-on favorite to take out Moon, who eschewed sponsorship from online poker rooms. It took a rousing two and a half hours of play, with the chip lead shifting back and forth, before Cada emerged as the champion. With the victory, Cada eclipsed the record for youngest WSOP Main Event champion ever, set in 2008 by Peter Eastgate.

The most stunning development of the year in the WSOP occurred after the completion of the November Nine. Longtime WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack announced on November 13th that he would step down as the leader of the penultimate event in poker after a four-year run. During his time as Commissioner, Pollack increased the visibility of the WSOP, brought huge sponsorships to the tournament, and introduced the November Nine concept to the Main Event. While there were some low points in his tenure as commissioner, Pollack helped to enrich the history of the WSOP and left his mark on the venerable institution. As of December, there has been no move to replace Pollack in the position of WSOP Commissioner.

As the calendar turns to 2010, the WSOP continues to roll along. Even now, people are already in preparation for the event, much as it has been for the past 40 years and will continue to be for decades to come.

Did ESPN feed information on hands to November Nine coaches? Darvin Moon thinks so.

One of the biggest talking points at the final table of this year’s WSOP was a big lay down made by Darvin Moon. The eventual runner up folded a KQ hand against Steve Begleiter but proceeded to tell his wife that he in fact had queens, despite the ESPN cameras showing otherwise. Did he misread his hand or did he tell his wife a big porkie?

The Nightly Turbo: Darvin’s Poker Conspiracy Theory, Poker2Nite, and More

Yes, the site has been down most of the day, but at least we made it back up. We apologize for the inconvenience, so here's the day's top poker stories. If you missed Poker2Nite last night, there's a recap, we tell you about Darvin Moon's conspiracy...

Bernard Lee Recaps the 2009 WSOP Main Event Final Table

It was certainly a memorable World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event final table.  From Doyle Brunson announcing “Shuffle up and deal” to Joe Cada putting on the coveted bracelet, I was present in the Penn and Teller Theater to cover all of the festivities for ESPN Inside Deal.

Sadly, I could not play in the World Poker Tour (WPT) World Poker Finals Main Event at Foxwoods Resort and Casino.  The event has had significant personal meaning.  Not only did I have consecutive runs in the Main Event dating back to 2004, I also entered the 2009 World Poker Finals with three preliminary titles in the last three years ($5,000 in 2006, $2,000 in 2007, and $600 shootout in 2008).  I gave myself an opportunity to make it four in a row by making the final table of the $1,500 event, but I came up a little short, finishing in eighth place.  Oh well, I guess I will try to start another streak next year.

Nevertheless, the 2009 November Nine definitely had its share of memorable moments.  Right after the final table, I shared my thoughts with my radio show audience during my WSOP final table wrap-up, which lasted about three hours.  Guests included 2009 November Niners Darvin Moon, Steven Begleiter, and Kevin Schaffel, as well as recent Poker Hall of Fame inductee Mike Sexton, PokerNewsDaily.com’s own Dan Cypra, and Heartland Poker Tour announcer Fred Bevill.

The week after, I also produced an audio blog of the WSOP Main Event final table from start to finish.  Some of the interviews even included talks with players during the breaks to hear how they felt they were playing at the time.  If you would like to hear these shows or any past interviews with any member of the November Nine, you can download the podcast of “The Bernard Lee Poker Show” via iTunes or visit RoundersRadio.com.

Of course, congratulations to Joe Cada.  A year after Peter Eastgate broke Phil Hellmuth’s 19 year-old record for youngest WSOP Main Event champion, the 21-year old online player from Shelby Township, Michigan rewrote history once again by winning the $8.5 million first prize and the 2009 WSOP Main Event bracelet.  Cada went on a media blitz after his victory that included a ringside seat at a WWE event, appearances on several ESPN shows, and topped off with an interview with David Letterman.  I hope he continues to be a true poker ambassador during his reign.  Congratulations once again to our new WSOP Main Event Champion, Joe Cada.

Looking back, here are some of my additional thoughts about the WSOP final table:

1) Slow Early Play:  Based on the prize structure, I was surprised at how slow the play was at the beginning.  With the money difference between ninth and eighth only being $37,000 and the next jump being only $104,000, many analysts expected the short stacks to push early.  With players needing to finish in fourth place or better to at least double their guaranteed $1.26 million, I was even amazed that it took 59 hands to eliminate our first player.  However, after James Akenhead (ninth) and Kevin Schaffel (eighth) were eliminated, it took over 100 hands to dismiss Ivey from the final table in seventh place.

2) Atmosphere:  Unable to attend the inaugural November Nine last year, I previously heard all of the stories about the crowd excitement and noise.  This year, I got to experience it first-hand and it definitely did not disappoint.  Inside the Rio’s Penn and Teller Theater, the packed house was truly deafening and involved from hand one.

3) The Best Fans:  Many of the players brought their own cheering sections:

a. Schaffel: His fans wore white shirts that read “Schaffel up and Deal”
b. Moon: His family and friends had cut out faces of Darvin and shirts that read “Bad Moon Rising”
c. Saout: His cheering section wore France’s home team colors and chanted like soccer (or football as they say in Europe) fans
d. Ivey: The entire audience was cheering for him

However, the best fans were, without a question, Joe Cada’s gang.  Although there was a fight among their group, the majority of Cada’s group never let their guy down.  They cheered with every hand, sometimes even when he lost a hand.  One time, his group reacted so loudly that I was confused, thinking that he might have actually won the hand.  They really kept his spirits up and never let him give up.

4) Worst Bad Beat:  This year’s final table may be known as the Year of the Bad Beat.  Amazingly, every player eliminated from eighth place to third had the lead pre-flop and lost.  Here are a couple of the worst ones:

a. Schaffel versus Buchman:  Schaffel’s Ah-Ac got cracked by Buchman’s Kh-Kc when Buchman flopped a king and turned quads to eliminate Schaffel in eighth place.

b. Ivey versus Moon:  Pre-flop Ivey (Ac-Ks) had Moon (Ad-Qs) dominated, but Moon flopped a Qd.  Ivey could not catch up and was eliminated in seventh place, deflating his fans and the room in general.

However, the worst beat had to be when Cada shoved all-in versus Antoine Saout on the very first hand of three-handed play.  Saout’s Qs-Qh was poised to eliminate Cada’s 2s-2c; however, a 9s-7s-2d flop destroyed Saout’s hopes of the WSOP Main Event title.

5) Emerging Poker Star: Besides Cada, the one player that surprised many people was Antoine Saout.  An unknown player before the 2009 WSOP, this online qualifier final tabled the WSOP Europe Main Event final table prior to the November Nine.  Then, the second short stack ended up finishing in third place and could have been playing heads-up versus Moon.  Had Cada not flopped a set (see #4 above), the Frenchman would have brought a 110:70 million chip lead to the mono-a-mono battle.

For a limited time only (until December 25th), all PokerNewsDaily.com readers are invited to a special pre-holiday sale.  Click Here to receive a 20% discount for ordering my books, The Final Table, Volume I and II.  Both books make perfect holiday gifts for all poker fans.

Finally, in the coming weeks, “The Bernard Lee Poker Show” will interview two champions: 2009 WSOP Europe Main Event champion Barry Shulman and the Godfather of Poker himself, two-time WSOP Main Event champion Doyle Brunson.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday season.

Since finishing 13th in the 2005 WSOP Main Event, Bernard Lee has cashed in numerous tournaments, capturing three titles and earning over $1.35 million.  He is the host of ESPN’s poker show, ESPN Inside Deal.  He is a columnist for the Boston Herald and ESPN.com and the radio host of “The Bernard Lee Poker Show.”  Listen every Tuesday night from 7:00pm ET to 8:00pm ET on 1510 AM in Massachusetts and also on 1510thezone.com and RoundersRadio.com.  The show is replayed several times during the week and also available on podcast. Visit BernardLeePoker.com for the latest news regarding Lee.

Poker2Nite Recaps UIGEA Compliance Delay

The six-month delay in compliance with the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was featured on Wednesday night’s episode of the UB-sponsored poker news show Poker2Nite.

The series, hosted by PokerRoad’s Joe Sebok and Scott Huff, opened with a discussion of the reprieve until June 1st, with the former explaining, “I don’t think we should start lying to ourselves and telling ourselves that all of the sites are going to start popping up. All this did is maintain the status quo.” Huff added, “The only way this was going to occur was if the message was being heard by more and more people.” Horse racing interests, members of Congress, and banking associations joined forces with the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) to petition U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke for a delay, which was granted last week.

A trip to a poker home game in Los Angeles revealed that few people understood what the PPA or UIGEA were. The segment served as a lead-in to an appearance via Skype by PPA Executive Director John Pappas, who told Huff and Sebok, “It gives us six months to work with Congress to try to clarify the law so it won’t affect people who want to play poker in the internet… What we’ve done is put the onus back on Congress. We’ll be pushing Congress to move quickly.” He ardently told Poker2Nite viewers who question the legality of online poker, “There is no Federal law that says playing online poker is illegal.”

Dana Workman’s “Weekly Misdeal” came with a sponsorship from Bluff Magazine this week. Her satirical news segment focused on the arrests of 75 to 85 year-old women in Cypress for playing poker as well as a new Irishman signing with PokerStars. She also took a shot at California State Senator Margarita Prentice, who is considering proposing a new video keno bill after serving as a major proponent of a law that made playing online poker in the Northwest state a Class C felony. Finally, Workman recapped the ESPN: The Magazine Body Issue featuring four nude poker players, including UB.com’s Phil Hellmuth.

A new segment called “All in Blind” featured six topics sealed in white envelopes. Both Sebok and Huff had no idea what they were and the duo selected three to discuss. Up for debate first was whether 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event runner-up Darvin Moon’s appearance on ESPN’s Monday Night Football or the 16-0 New England Patriots team was better. Huff chose Moon because “he actually got something,” while Sebok selected the Pats because “they got a little bit of history.” The Patriots lost to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII.

The second topic discussed on the Poker2Nite “All in Blind” segment was innerpsy’s short-lived online poker record of 40,088 hands played in a 24-hour period. Finally, Huff and Sebok debated whether they preferred James McManus’ poker history tale “Cowboys Full” or Doyle Brunson’s new autobiography “The Godfather of Poker.” Huff resoundingly selected McManus: “The New York Times says it’s good, so it’s good enough for me.” Contrastingly, Sebok emphatically chose Brunson, the figurehead for the poker industry..

Finally, the Poker2Nite Dictionary came to life. The show’s hosts discussed the meaning of “stacks ‘em off,” which translates to “to bust someone, or knock them out,” and “button,” which originally used to be called the “buck.” Huff claimed that phrases like “Pass the buck” President Harry Truman’s “The buck stops here” originated in poker.

Poker2Nite’s air time varies by market, but according to UB.com, the series begins at 11:00pm ET each Wednesday. When Poker News Daily caught the show, it was scheduled for 1:00am ET. Repeats are available on Fox Sports Net on Thursdays at 4:00pm ET and Fridays at 11:00am ET and 6:00pm ET.

Visit UB.com for more information and to view online clips.

WSOP Main Event Runner-Up Darvin Moon to be Featured During Patriots/Saints Game

On Monday night, Week 12 of the National Football League (NFL) will conclude with the 7-3 New England Patriots visiting Louisiana to take on the undefeated New Orleans Saints. Featured during the game will be 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event runner-up Darvin Moon.

Kickoff is scheduled for 8:30pm ET and the contest will air on cable station ESPN in the United States. It was believed that Moon would be present for the on-field coin toss, when teams choose whether to kick or receive and which goal to defend. However, the rumor ultimately proved to be false. Instead, Moon will be present in the Saints locker room during pre-game festivities and will be recognized on both ESPN as well as the Superdome’s massive screen. The stadium holds 70,000 rabid fans and is completely sold out for the primetime contest.

The game marks one of two Monday night tilts for the Saints this season. The club defeated the division rival Atlanta Falcons earlier this month 35-27 in front of a national viewing audience. Greg Bensel, Saints Vice President of Communications for the NFL team, told Poker News Daily, “Darvin is a guy that we have followed while he made his miraculous run in the Main Event. He first came to our attention as the lone guy in the tournament that refused money so he could keep his Saints hat on. He is a typical Saints fan – passionate and in love with his team – and we are proud to call him a friend of our team and a true Saints fan.”

In the early morning hours of November 10th, Moon fell to Michigan pro Joe Cada heads-up in the finale of the $10,000 buy-in tournament. In the process, Cada became the youngest WSOP Main Event champion ever at the tender age of 21, eclipsing Peter Eastgate’s standing record, set in 2008, by one year. Moon banked $5.2 million in the process and outlasted all but one player in the field of 6,494. He elected not to sign any logo deals for the final table or throughout the tournament, instead wearing a Saints hat and a Wheeling Island Hotel Casino shirt. Moon purportedly requested a one-off logo deal for $350,000, but could not reach an agreement with any company.

Moon will be seated in Bensel’s box during the game. The Maryland logger has been discussing the event with the media for some time now and also claimed that the Saints granted him season tickets. The Saints have been a juggernaut on offense this year, reminiscent of Moon’s run down the stretch in the Main Event. The club has scored 30 points in all but three games this season and bested the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week by 31 points. Quarterback Drew Brees, a Purdue product, is sixth in the NFL in passing yards with 2,746 and first in touchdowns with 22. He was the first quarterback taken in many fantasy football leagues this season coming off a career best 34 touchdown performance in 2008; he’s on pace for 35 this year.

Monday Night Football airs on ESPN, the same station that owns the broadcast rights to the WSOP. The longtime football staple formerly aired on ABC before making the move to its sister station, ESPN; Disney owns both. ESPN formerly carried Sunday Night Football, which now makes its home on NBC.

We look forward to seeing Moon on Monday night. Are you ready for some football?

Steven Begleiter on Bloomberg: “I’m probably a one tournament a year guy”

Last Friday, former Bear Stearns executive Steven Begleiter joined Bloomberg news hosts Mark Crumpton and Lori Rothman to discuss his sixth place finish in the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event and his future in the game.

Crumpton incorrectly stated that the WSOP Main Event was a $10 million buy-in poker tournament, but, nevertheless, Begleiter turned out in a coat and tie with no logos for Full Tilt, which he represented in Las Vegas earlier this month. On his skill level compared to the eight others at the final table of the $10,000 buy-in tournament, Begleiter explained, “I thought I was pretty good for the guys I played against [in my home game]. I didn’t think I’d go toe to toe with Phil Ivey. That’s the great thing about the Main Event: it allows humble amateurs and pros to go side by side and they can’t use their big money skills to pressure you.”

Many in the industry have wondered what will happen to the 2009 version of the WSOP Main Event November Nine. Main Event champion Joe Cada, now five days removed from his 22nd birthday, has vowed to remain a regular in the online tournament scene and build his presence in live events. Runner-up Darvin Moon will likely return to the forests of Maryland and continue logging. Begleiter told Bloomberg what to expect in the future from the financial guru: “When I made the final table in July, my partners were very good in allowing me to have the time I needed to play a few more tournaments, but now that it’s over, I’m probably back to being a one tournament a year guy.”

Begleiter’s experience in the financial services industry may have helped fuel his run in the WSOP Main Event. With 6,494 players entering, Begleiter outlasted all but five and earned $1.6 million. He revealed the corollaries between the two industries to Crumpton and Rothman: “There are definitely some. You need to have an affinity for understanding your probabilities pretty quickly, but really your opponents are telling you stories. You either have to believe them or not. A lot of us in the investment business, we hear a lot of stories. We decide whether we believe them or not and we put our chips to work in one way or another.”

Today’s poker world is full of players in their 20s. According to Begleiter, some in the industry could excel in the world of Wall Street: “I got to meet a lot of people in their 20s who were very good card players that, were we still at Bear Stearns, I would have tried to get them to come join the firm. One of them coached me, Jonathan Little, who is a very accomplished player. People like him would do very well here on Wall Street.” Little is a two-time World Poker Tour (WPT) champion, having taken down the Season VI Mirage Poker Showdown and Season VII Foxwoods World Poker Finals. In Season VI, he captured Player of the Year honors.

Bloomberg’s hosts then asked if the 47 year-old amateur poker player was present at Bear Stearns for its eventual collapse and sale to J.P. Morgan. Begleiter responded, “It was really my only job. I started right out of college and I was there until we closed. I had a pretty good seat on what was happening and it was really my second family. It was a great disappointment the way things ended.” After his WSOP Main Event run in July, Begleiter took ninth in the WPT Legends of Poker for $39,000.

The five and a half minute segment ended with an uninformed Rothman asking if Begleiter had ever played “electronic poker.” The poker world will now wait and see if Begleiter truly becomes a one tournament per year player or if he’ll be more of a staple on the circuit.

Joe Cada Recaps WSOP, David Letterman on PocketFives Podcast

This week, the online poker forum PocketFives.com welcomed 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event winner Joe Cada, who signed up for a PocketFives.com account using the moniker “jcada99.”

Check out the audio:

Cada appeared on the “Late Show with David Letterman” on Tuesday night in a four-minute segment following actress Penelope Cruz. On his interview with the longtime CBS host, Cada told the PocketFives.com Podcast, “It was very exciting. I was probably more nervous to do that than the final table. It was cool to meet Dave. He’s a funny guy.” Letterman and Cada covered a substantial amount of ground during the terse interview, with topics ranging from Cada’s backers to his beginnings in the game.

Preparing for November’s resumption of the $10,000 buy-in tournament meant over 100 days of waiting for play to kick off. While several at the table sought coaching and some escaped on vacation, Cada relayed how he spent the downtime: “I just tried to remain focused and not think about the money. I wanted to play the best poker that I could and not play scared either.” As a result of his win, Cada will parlay his fame into continued involvement with the poker world. He noted, “I’ll continue to play poker and I’ll always play poker. We have a few big tournaments coming up, the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas and the Five Diamond at the Bellagio. I’m going to continue to play big tournaments and play online.”

His parents, though initially gun shy about his poker endeavors, have ultimately come around to support the new millionaire. Cada revealed, “My family has been very supportive and my friends have been very supportive too. There have been a lot of people helping me through this and I’m very appreciative of all of that. I’ve been really busy, so I haven’t had too much time to talk to them yet.” His girlfriend served as his ambassador at the Rio during the Main Event final table, answering Cada’s phone and keeping him company throughout the off-day before heads-up play.

Cada is a heads-up online poker specialist and, holding better than a 2:1 chip lead when play was down to two against Maryland logger Darvin Moon, was considered to be favored by most. However, Moon put up a fight, leaving Cada to admit, “Darvin Moon did impress me with his heads-up play. He played really well and put me to a lot of tough decisions. He wanted to play very aggressively, which he did, and put me in a lot of tough spots. Darvin played excellent heads-up poker and took it to me for the beginning part of the match.”

Moon showed down monsters leading up to the nine-handed final table, developing an image as a rock in a table full of experienced poker players. Cada picked up on the same image, telling PocketFives.com Podcast Host David Huber, “Darvin came to the final table with an image that he didn’t bluff too much, barely at all. He always had a monster and tried to use that image to his advantage at the final table. He put in a lot of big raises and tried to put people in a lot of tough spots.”

While Moon turned up the tempo at the final table, poker pros Jeff Shulman and Team Full Tilt member Phil Ivey clamped down, playing mostly ABC poker. On the tightness of the two pros, Cada commented, “I was very surprised, especially when I saw the video. I was surprised that Shulman folded nines on the button when Ivey shipped. I was also surprised to see Ivey fold jacks when he got 3bet. Those hands surprised me and they were playing really tight throughout the 17 hours. Shulman opened up more as we got shorter-handed and I had 18 big blinds, which was my reason to ship with threes.”

Finally, after watching the WSOP Main Event unfold on ESPN, Cada relayed his thoughts on the network’s coverage, which will continue until at least April of 2018: “I wish they would have shown more hands that I was involved with, but they did a good job. There was a ton of footage, so it was hard to see a lot of the interesting hands. They didn’t show a few of my 4bets and there was a crucial hand against Darvin heads-up that I thought they were going to show where he 3bet and I 4bet with 10-3 and he ended up folding fours.”

Cada has looked and sounded professional throughout his various media appearances, coached in interviewing by PokerRoad’s Joe Stapleton and Top Set Management. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest Joe Cada interviews.