Posts Tagged ‘deepstack’
Robert Croak of DeepStacks Live Interview
Robert Croak recently announced that he’s joining DeepStacks Live as a partner. Croak has gained huge acclaim as the creator and CEO of SillyBandz. He brings his expertise as a master marketer and brand manager to take the DeepStacks brand to the next level.
In this exclusive interview with Poker News Daily, Croak explains first how he got involved with DeepStacks and how the relationship first developed.
“Well I think it all comes back to a hand in poker I had against Mike Matusow about three years ago. We were playing against each other in a cash game at the Bellagio. He was trying to bully the table and I don’t get bullied very well. He raised pretty big pre-flop, I called in the dark, the story goes he bet on the flop and I then looked to see I flopped the boat. I just shipped it all in and he called, and got runner runner for a royal flush. It was a sick, sick hand that nobody believed and some guys from Full Tilt where there too and took some pictures. From that, a gentleman that works with Mike that’s a good friend of mine … he introduced Chris (Torina) and I and the rest is history. I have a long history in business development, marketing and brand building and poker so I thought it was a good marriage.”
When asked to comment about leveraging some of the big name pros that are associated with the DeepStacks brands, such as Michael Mizrachi, Adam “Roothless” Levy and Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, Croak explained, “They are definitely paramount to the growth of this thing … but what we’re going to be able to do is create a better product … and try to pick up on key markets throughout the country that are looking for more of a marquee tournament.”
Croak also discusses in the interview what his role will be and confirms that he will have day-to-day responsibilities as part of his new role with DeepStacks Live and their other entities. His final comments talk about how the 2011 schedule is shaping up.
Silly Bandz Creator Partners with DeepStacks Live
In one of the most intriguing business pairings in recent years, Robert Croak, the creator of Silly Bandz, a popular line of toy bracelets, will become the newest partner in DeepStacks Live. If you’re not familiar with Silly Bandz, Business Week called the product “the biggest success in modern day toy selling,” while during a segment on “Ellen,” show host Ellen DeGeneres comically labeled them “rubber bands.”
Silly Bandz has sold over $200 million of the product according to “Ellen,” which includes Bandz themed for Facebook’s FarmVille, teen heartthrob Justin Beiber, Hershey’s, Barbie, SpongeBob Squarepants, and Dora the Explorer. The traditional Silly Bandz run about $6 per bag and the company also sells watches and other wrist wear.
Croak commented in a press release distributed by DeepStacks officials on Wednesday, “Much like SillyBandz, which I’ve often said is the right product at the right time, DeepStacks Live is an optimal product, coming of age at the perfect time. The company has gained serious momentum in the last year. It’s my goal to make DeepStacks Live an even more valuable franchise.” Croak is an avid poker player, which may have helped pique his interest in joining the DeepStacks Live team.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect about Silly Bandz is its rabid Facebook following. Its page has over one million fans on Facebook, where the company is currently touting its end of the year holiday blowout: “Seasonal Silly Bandz BlowOut! Only $2 per pack! Holiday I, Holiday II, Rudolph, and Halloween packs are on sale for $2 each! Now through Jan. 31st.” Its Facebook page also touts sea creature bandz, Rad bandz, and Build-A-Packs.
The SillyBandz Twitter account (@sillybandz) has over 16,000 followers and posts similar messages as its Facebook feed. In all likelihood, Croak will bring his experience in social marketing to DeepStacks Live in 2011.
DeepStacks Live’s team of instructors includes several top live pros including Mike Matusow, Michael Mizrachi, Justin “Boosted J” Smith, Adam “Roothlus” Levy, and 1983 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champ Tom McEvoy, a PokerStars pro. Mizrachi made waves in 2010 by taking down the all-new $50,000 Poker Player’s Championship and following up that performance with a final table appearance in the Main Event. The two cashes were good for nearly $4 million combined.
DeepStacks Live has not yet announced its 2011 live training schedule, which the site promises is “coming soon.” In the interim, DeepStacks Live CEO Chris Torina is looking forward to working with his newest investor: “Robert’s success is unparalleled. He will be a hands-on partner. I am eager for him to bring his enormous business, marketing, and design resources and unique approach to DeepStacks Live. This is a recipe for huge success.”
Affiliated with DeepStacks Live is DeepStacks University, which provides top-tier poker training instruction to eager students online. Besides the five aforementioned poker pros, Team DeepStacks’ stable of instructors includes T.J. Cloutier, online poker wunderkid Matt “mattg1983” Graham, Tristan “Cre8ive” Wade, Alex Outhred, and Jennifer “Jennicide” Leigh, who has appeared in FHM Online and Playboy.
The online version of DeepStacks runs $99, which includes the first two months of poker training. Then, the price drops to $29.95 per month.
Margets Makes Good at Full Tilt Poker Masters Series
An 888 Poker ambassador and the last woman standing in the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event, Margets collected the €100,000 first prize outlasting 31 of Spain's best players, all of whom had all pre-qualified for the invitation-only event.
The three-day tournament series featured a varitey of poker challenges, including deepstack, shootout and turbo tournaments.
The title completed what was a remarkable year for Margets, beginning with a third-place finish in the Aussie Millions Six-Max side event and ending now with victories in two invitation-only events on the Spanish Poker Tour and Full Tilt Poker Series.
Margets now has well over half a million dollars in career tournament earnings.
Visit www.pokerlistings.com
Ultimate Bet announces schedule for UBOC 6; $4.6m guaranteed
Marc Foggin wins Dusk Till Dawn Deepstack for over £30,000
Tags: deepstack
2011 English Deepstack Championships announced
Las Vegas Life with Kristy Arnett: November Nine and More
The Nightly Turbo: Mizrachi Teaches, Rosenkrantz and Caby Filming Poker Documentary, and More
Tags: deepstack
MMA Fighter Randy Couture to Host Charity Poker Event
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) legend Randy Couture will host the third annual “Operation All In” charity poker tournament and auction fundraiser at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas on Saturday, October 30th. The tournament and auction will benefit the Xtreme Couture G.I. Foundation, which honors the veterans of America’s armed forces.
The event is open to the public and will include a celebrity charity poker tournament featuring professional players and MMA and Hollywood celebrities. There will also be live and silent auctions offering MMA memorabilia, dinner and a one-hour personal MMA lesson with Couture, autograph sessions with photo opportunities, and a Halloween after party inside Gold Diggers.
The buy-in for the tournament is $225 with $100 rebuys. Tournament participants will also receive free entry to the first annual Randy Couture Halloween Bash starting at 8:00pm inside Gold Diggers nightclub overlooking the Fremont Street Experience. For those not wishing to participate in the poker tournament, general admission tickets to the Halloween bash will be available for $25 at the door.
The winner of the tournament will take home $10,000 in cash and top finishers will win valuable prizes from a handful of sponsors. “Operation All In” is sponsored and supported by Deepstacks, the Poker Players Alliance, Full Tilt Poker, Xtreme Couture MMA, Lord Griffon, Godard Art, and the Golden Nugget.
Confirmed participants for the event include MMA fighters Couture, Tyson Griffin, Ryan Couture, Martin Kampmann, Gray Maynard, Jason Ron, Ray Sefo, Mike Pyle, and John Alessio. Professional poker players taking part include Howard Lederer, Andy Bloch, Layne Flack, Gavin Smith, Perry Friedman, Antonio Esfandiari, Todd Brunson, Nick and Michael Binger, Dutch Boyd, Lacey Jones, Matt Savage, and “Donk Down Radio” personality Bryan Micon.
Couture is an army veteran himself, having served in the 101st Airborne Division. Together with his wife, Couture started the Xtreme Couture G.I. Foundation to raise money and awareness for troops wounded in action and their families. The Foundation’s goal is to help these brave men and women fulfill any of their unmet needs as they return to civilian life.
Couture has been involved in poker for years now. He first hit the tables during the inaugural “Operation All In” charity tournament, which was emceed by Jamie Gold in 2008. He began getting more involved with Full Tilt, holding charity tournaments on the site to support his foundation, and then during his fight against Brock Lesnar in November 2008, Couture switched brand of clothing from Affliction gear to Full Tilt Poker. The MMA legend has since been regularly linked to the site, even making an appearance on NBC’s “Poker After Dark” decked out in Full Tilt Poker logos during the show’s airing in August.
Foxwoods World Poker Finals Tournament Ends in 23-Way Chop
It’s not every day you see a 23-way chop in a live poker tournament. 23 ways! However, that’s exactly what happened in a $400 No Limit Hold’em Deepstack event held during the Foxwoods World Poker Finals this week. A whopping 23 players divvied up the prize pool, each taking home at least $10,000. Seriously, there was a 23-way chop in a major live poker tournament. We couldn’t make this up if we wanted to.
John Agelakis ultimately came away with the win in the Deepstack event, earning a commemorative leather jacket, a championship trophy, and $12,011 in cash, just $1,920 (or 19%) more than the 23rd place finisher and $11 more than second place. Meanwhile, Armen Hejinian, Kent Bowley, and Fabrizio Sarra, all from the East Coast, pulled down exactly $12,000 each for finishing second, third, and fourth, respectively. The fifth through 23rd place finishers earned $10,091.
On the poker forum TwoPlusTwo, word of the enormous chop spread like wildfire, with one poster painting the scene of how the deal came to be: “At first they wanted to do $5,000 each and play $100,000 on the final table and 29 agreed and one guy didn’t like it. Then, he got ambushed by seven guys running up to him begging to chop. At the time, they were guaranteed $1,700 each (the guy who said no had 1.1 million chips). Another hour of arguing over chopping and they finally came up with $10,500ish each and the top four chip leaders each got $12,000.” The top 101 players finished in the money.
The same poster added, “Worst thing I have ever witnessed. I can’t believe it happened. It was entertaining to listen to the bickering back and forth.” Another poster tried to rationalize the mega deal: “Chip leader had 30 big blinds and was offered fourth place money. Tourney was turning into a turbo and it’s still a good payday.” Two tables were eight-handed when the deal was struck, while the third table was seven-handed.
The $400 Deepstack event drew a field of 956 and generated a prize pool of $324,000. A total of 73 players survived to see Day 2 and the field was set to see a champion crowned. The winner of the tournament would have taken home over $68,000, meaning that the 23-way deal resulted in the top prize being shaved by over 80%.
The Foxwoods World Poker Finals ends with the annual World Poker Tour (WPT) tournament that begins on October 28th. The televised event retains its $10,000 buy-in this year and will crown a champion on November 2nd, Election Day in the United States. In the interim, tournaments featuring No Limit Hold’em, Omaha High-Low, Seven Card Stud High-Low, Limit Hold’em, and HOSE will play out.
Last year, Cornel Andrew Cimpan took down the WPT World Poker Finals to the tune of $910,000, outlasting Soheil Shamseddin heads-up. The final table also featured Matt “All In At 420” Stout, Eric Froehlich, Curt Kohlberg, and Lee Markholt. The tournament drew 353 players for a $3.4 million prize pool, down about 14% from 2008.
Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest live tournament headlines.
Matt Myford is Mediterranean Deepstack Champion
WPT Marrakech: Run It Twice
After a succesful run in 2009, the WPT is going back the Casino De Marrakech for a €4,250+€750 tournament Nov. 27-30.
The first major poker tournament in North Africa, the inaugural WPT Marrakech presented by Chilipoker was a sell out featuring 416 players from 32 different countries.
France’s Christophe Savary took down a final table that included Eoghan O’Dea, Ludovic Lacay and Benny Spindler to grab the title and €379,014.
This year, sponsor Chilipoker has made the WPT main event the center piece of the Chilipoker Marrakech Festival, kicking off with a €500+€50 Deepstack Open event Nov. 20.
"Marrakech is a magic and relaxing place so we are delighted to be bringing the WPT back to the mystical town in November," said Chilipoker CEO Alexandre Dreyfus.
"We were so encouraged by turnout last year as well as the flawless organization and competitive hotel rates that in 2010 we have built the Chilipoker Marrakech Festival around the prestigious WPT event.”
WPT’s Executive Tour Director Matt Savage will act as Tournament Director.
“WPT Marrakech takes place in an amazing setting and if last year is anything to go by you can expect a loose aggressive field,” said Savage.
“Casino de Marrakech is world renowned for its hospitality and WPT players can look forward to an experience unlike any other.”
Online qualifiers are already running at Chilipoker.
Visit PokerListings.com
This Week in Tournament Poker: Chilipoker Deepstack Open, PokerStars Prague Open and More
Poker News in Brief: Sep. 27- Oct. 3, 2010
So busy, in fact, the PokerListings news team may have let a few stories slip through the cracks.
Fortunately, we've collected them all in our weekly Poker News in Brief feature below.
This week, UB gives away Anthrax tickets, Cake offers some fun in the sun, an Italian wins the latest PokerStars IPT stop and a whole lot more.
Irish Masters Last Chance
Paddy Power Poker is giving players one last chance to qualify for the Irish Winter Festival.
The site’s final group of online super satellites for the Irish Masters will guarantee a specific number of Irish Masters entries, including 20 packages up for grabs Oct. 10.
The IWF Last Chance Saloon will run through Oct. 21.
"The Last Chance Saloon satellites have always been a favorite for our players but now there's an even bigger incentive to get involved with an enormous 60 seats guaranteed over the 12 day period." said Paddy Power, Communications Manager for paddypowerpoker.com.
The Irish Winter Festival 2010 will take place in the Burlington Hotel, Dublin Oct. 22-25.
UB Anthrax Giveaway
UB has branded Anthrax frontman and Team UB pro Scott Ian’s tour bus and is giving away two tickets to every concert on the Anthrax tour through Oct. 21.
At 1 p.m. local time at each tour stop, UB will ask followers to throw a specific picture up on the UB Facebook wall. Fans will have 90 minutes to do so and a winner will be randomly selected to receive the tickets.
UB shwag is also up for grabs for the first three people to post a picture of themselves standing in front of the tour bus on each stop.
Titan Sending Winners to Vienna, Marrakech
Titan Poker is offering players the chance to win seats in the DeepStack Open Vienna 2010 and DeepStack Open Marrakech 2010.
Titan Poker is hosting an online qualifier satellites series to both events, with Stage 3 Sit & Go satellites starting from €0.22 + 0.02.
Packages include cash for flights, accommodations and buy-ins.
The DeepStack Open Vienna 2010 tournament will be held at the Montesino Casino in Vienna, Austria, Oct. 14-17, while the DeepStack Open Marrakech 2010 tournament will be held at the Casino de Marrakech in Morocco, Nov. 20-22.
UB Gets Low
October promises to be a boon for low-limit online poker players on UB.
Tagged as the Perfect Play, UB's month-long line-up of micro-stakes tourneys and contests is offering up to $100,000 in prizes to small stakes players.
There is a wide range of promos including a tournament leaderboard, deposit bonus; double loyalty rewards points on designated cash game tables and more.
For more information check out UB.
Cake Offers Punta Cana, Aussie Millions Seats
Cake Poker is running satellites for the Punta Cana Poker Classic and the 2011 Aussie Millions this month.
The $250,000 guaranteed Punta Cana Poker Classic is set for Nov. 10-14 in the Dominican Republic and Cake is offering the chance to win a $3,100 prize package, including the $1k buy-in, $1,000 in cash to help with travel expenses and four nights hotel accommodations at the Moon Palace Hotel and Casino,
Plus, Cake is also offering seats to the 2011 Aussie Millions held at the Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia this January.
These $14,000 packages include the main event buy in, ten-nights at Crown Promenade and $2,500 for travel expenses.
"With the weather turning cooler, we're all thinking about getting away to warm places,” said Cake Card Room Manager Lee Jones “Punta Cana and Melbourne, Australia have great weather with fantastic poker action.”
For more information check out Cake Poker.
Italian Wins IPT Nova Gorica
A 23 year-old Italian took down the PokerStars Italian Poker Tour Nova Gorica main event Tuesday.
Luca Topazio, whose previous best cash was for €2k at a tournament in Sharm el Sheikh, got the better of the 384-player field to collect a €190,000 first-place prize.
He beat fellow Italian Luciano Prevedello Dellisanti heads-up, leaving Dellisanti with €120,000 for second.
Sixty-one players won their seats to the event on PokerStars and with 384 players total; the prize pool reached €744,960.
The next stop in the IPT’s second Season is in San Remo Oct. 13-19.
Visit PokerListings.com
Tags: 2010, 2011, Australia, buy-ins, cake poker, deepstack, Online Poker, poker player, pokerstars, small stakes, titan poker, tournament
Taylor Caby Heads Up Match Part 2
In this second installment of the Heads Up match between Taylor Caby and Sean Gibson, the match continues with commentary from Caby. Both are tangled in a tough $5 No Limit Hold’em Deepstack Sit & Go game of life and death as the loser has to fulfill their end of the epic prop bet.
Taylor Caby is also known online as “Green Plastic” or “Tay” and has won a ton of money playing online poker in his career. He now focuses more of his efforts running popular poker training site CardRunners. Caby started his poker career donking up the $5 Sit & Gos and quickly mastered the game all the way up to the $50-$100 No Limit Hold’em cash game tables.
The prop bet in question is this – if Gibson wins, then Caby has to overcome his hatred for cameras in his face and report in for an upcoming episode of a news show here at Poker News Daily. If Caby wins, Gibson will dress up in CardRunners gear for the entire episode.
If you are interested in learning more about Cardrunners, you can receive CardRunners for free through Truly Free Poker Training. Earn 5,500 points in a month playing on Full Tilt Poker and you’ll receive a free month of CardRunners. Earn a free week for only 1,375 points. No points are deducted and there is no impact on rake.
If you missed the start of this video, check out the Taylor Caby Heads Up Match Part 1.
John D’Agostino leads WPT Borgata Open Day 3
Tags: deepstack
£750 deepstack at The Mint tonight
Pot Limit Omaha Theory with CardRunners
Pot Limit Omaha is one of the most exciting and action-packed poker games you can possibly play. However, the game involves four cards and not just two like in Texas Hold’em, so many players find difficulty adjusting to new table dynamics. Our latest CardRunners strategy video dives into Pot Limit Omaha play and theory, by looking at some hands using Hold’em Manager.
The official CardRunners teaser:
Mindcirkus is here to analyze his own mind. Tune in as he goes over hands from his database and determines whether his play was optimal or if he changed his mind.
Comments from Mindcirkus about the video:
In some of my past videos I tried to speed things up and people told me not to, but I’m learning and getting better with each video. I think I’m going to do my next video at 2/4, either 4 or 6 tables. I was thinking about doing 20-50bb tables this time since my other vids have all been deepstacked, but if you guys prefer normal/deep tables just let me know.
I have always personally preferred to watch live play videos myself, but I wanted to show some hands in a replayer with the intent of showing some creative lines that would help players add some new things to their game beyond the basics and the standard lines that so many players take over and over again.
Tags: deepstack
Macau Poker Cup Set to Begin
The tournament series, running Sept. 1-5, will be highlighted by a HKD $2,000,000 guaranteed main event.
Tournament officials are hoping to build on the success of the recent Macau Millions, which boasted a record-breaking prize pool.
"As we enter the eleventh Macau Poker Cup we have a chance to make it ten consecutive MPCs of growth and prize pool records," said PokerStars Macau marketing manager Fred Leung.
"It's a special and exciting time to be part of the PokerStars team in Macau and work with the amazing organization at Grand Lisboa."
The Macau Poker Cup will be made up of six events including a $2,000 Knockout Bounty tournament, a $1,000 charity event, a $3k No-Limit Hold'em event, a $1,500 deepstack and finally the $10,000 Red Dragon main event. All the events will take place at the Grand Lisboa hotel in Macau and all buy ins are in Hong Kong dollars.
All events at the Macau Poker Cup count towards the Asia Player of the Year (APOY) race. The winner of the APOY will receive a one-year sponsorship from PokerStars Macau. Raymond Wu is currently leading the competition with 2,604.
Team PokerStars Pros Bryan Huang, Celina Lin and Tae Joon Noh have all been confirmed to play the Macau Poker Cup as well as notables like Nam Le, J.C. Tran and Quinn Do.
"Macau Poker Cup and the Red Dragon event have really built a name for itself," said Huang. "Playing the MPC at PokerStars Macau really means playing the best in Asia. The person who eventually wins the Asia Player of the Year will certainly deserve the trophy. I'm obviously hoping that person is me."
Last year Kenichi Takarabe of Japan outlasted 295 players to take home a HK$617,700 first place prize in the main event of the Macau Poker Cup.
Visit PokerListings.com
WPT Legends: The Not-So Anonymous Final Six
And while the names are not the most recognizable in the game, it's filled with veteran players looking to take the next step in their career.
Headlining the final is Canadian Kyle Wilson, who will be looking to better the sixth place finish he managed at Legends two years ago with a win here.
"I really feel like last time I was ready to take that next step and make a major final table," he told PokerListings. "Now I'm ready to take it even further and win this thing.
"I've played under the lights before and in front of the cameras and I'm ready to take that next step."
Although he's quite close, Wilson will be looking up at a very confident chip leader Andy Frankenberger - A Wall Street trader turned poker player with $198,438 in cashes, the majority from a win in the Venetian Deepstack this summer.
"I'm not (nervous) about poker, that's for sure," he said. "I can't reveal too much of my plan, but these guys don't have a good read on me. I'll say that."
Also slightly above Wilson in the counts is Tom Lee, who also finished sixth here back in 2003.
The 66-year-old Lee, who has over $230k in earnings total, has battled illness over the past six years, but is back with a bang now and said he feels extremely confident.
The group of three players behind the leaders all sit within striking distance and includes a suddenly very experienced sounding Jared Jaffe, who made second at the Wynn Classic this year and fourth at the WPT Southern Poker Championships in Biloxi this past January, accounting for most of his almost $500k in career cashes.
"I'll definitely be feeling more comfortable having been there before," said Jaffe. "You never know how you're going to react to playing on TV the first time."
Playing under the lights for the first time will be Tom Braband, who has almost $200k in career earnings, with his biggest score a 23rd place finish here at Legends last year.
"I'm just going to try and focus on the players at the table and pick my spots," he said. "I feel like I have a good read on these guys. I know it's going to be loud in there and I've never played in front of the cameras before but I'm not going to confuse nervousness with excitement. I'll be ready to play."
Plus, L.A. restaurateur Franco Brunetti, who has over $600k in mostly Californian live tournament cashes dating all the way back to 2003, is in the same boat.
"I'm not nervous now, we'll see tomorrow," he said. "I've played in big tournaments before. I'm just going to do my thing."
The $5k main event at WPT Legends drew a total of 462 entrants this year, creating a $2,151,072 prize pool with $750,000 reserved for first.
The final six will play to a winner in L.A, beginning at 4 p.m. PT Wednesday.
For chip counts, live updates and photos from Legends; click through to PokerListings' WPT Live Updates.
Visit PokerListings.com
2010 WPT Legends of Poker Begins Friday
This Friday, August 20th, marks the start of the Main Event of the World Poker Tour (WPT) Legends of Poker at the famed Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles, California. The $5,000 ($4,800 + $200) No-Limit Hold’em Championship is slated to run through August 25th, with Day 1 split into two flights.
This is the first year since 2005 that the WPT Legends of Poker Main Event buy-in will be less than $10,000, a change that needed to be made to boost attendance at WPT events. At 279 players, last year’s Legends of Poker field was 25% smaller than in 2008. Despite the precipitous drop, though, first place still paid just over $1 million and the top five finishers all made at least six-figures.
Poker pro Prahlad Friedman won the 2009 WPT Legends of Poker, besting 2009 World Series of Poker November Nine member Kevin Schaffel heads-up. All things considered, it was not that long of a final table, lasting just 127 hands (keep in mind that WPT final tables are six-handed). Friedman was the third largest stack going into final table play, in fairly comfortable shape with 1,476,000 chips. He sat behind Schaffel and Todd Terry, who were in a virtual dead heat with 2,234,000 chips and 2,219,000 chips, respectively.
But Friedman knocked out Mike Krescanko, Toto Leonidas, and Terry over the course of final table to enter the heads-up portion of the competition with a sizeable 7:2 chip advantage. Schaffel battled his way back to even, but Friedman eventually ruled the day, eliminating Schaffel with A-Q versus K-J. For his runner-up finish, Schaffel won $471,670.
The WPT Legends of Poker is more than just the No-Limit Championship. There have already been 22 preliminary events with buy-ins ranging from $225 to $545. Most events have featured No-Limit Hold’em, but there have also been Limit Hold’em, HORSE, Pot-Limit Omaha 8 or better, Limit Omaha 8 or better, half Stud half Omaha Hi-Lo, and Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo tournaments in Shootout, Deepstack, and Re-entry formats. After the Main Event, there will be three more events before the entire poker festival wraps up on August 29th.
For those in the Los Angeles area, there will be satellites held on Wednesday and Thursday at the “Bike” for the No-Limit Hold’em Championship. Super Satellites will cost $120 to enter, while Mega Super Satellites will run $535. Players must register in person, as online registration is now closed.
Matusow Teaches a Win at Florida Championship
The $1,100 buy-in event drew more than 400 players, outpacing the $250,000 guaranteed prize pool.
Matusow was in town to host a DeepStacks Live clinic at the Isle Casino and Racing in Pompano and decided to stick around to play the event.
He wasn't the only big name to get in on the action, as 2010 November Niner Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi turned up, as did 2008 November Niner David "Chino" Rheem.
However, Matusow outlasted the entire field to claim the $103,000 first-place prize.
"Early on in the day 1 there were a lot of weak players but as the day moved on and the field dwindled and the players got better and I had to play my A game to beat a lot of good players," Matusow told the local Sun-Sentinel Newspaper.
"I would say on a scale from 1-10 I played 9.5. Even though the field had some solid players, I played really, really well and think that when I'm on my A game I can't be beat."
A three-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner and two-time WSOP Main Event final tablist, the Full Tilt pro said the title means a lot.
"This title, even though, it may not be the WSOP Main Event or WPT event, was very important to not only me but for my company, DeepStacks Live," he said.
"I came down here to put on one of my famous one-day power poker courses to help Florida players adjust better to the new limits and, in turn, I proved to people that when you are well trained and prepared you can expect to win.
"People need to know that when they take a DeepStacks Live camp they can expect to learn the same strategies I used to become the 2010 Florida State Poker Champion."
Visit PokerListings.com
World Series of Poker Main Event Begins Airing on ESPN
On Tuesday night, the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event began airing on ESPN with a pair of one-hour episodes highlighting Days 1A and 1B. A stirring introduction by reigning Main Event champ Joe Cada touted the feature table as “the table where dreams come true.”
The first one-hour episode covered Day 1A of the Main Event, with a feature table that included Full Tilt Poker pro Mike Matusow and bracelet winner Jason Lester. Every player received 30,000 in chips and Matusow donned an “I Am McLovin” shirt for his kickoff day. “The Mouth” has recorded four top 100 finishes and two final tables in the Main Event since 2001. Christopher Mintz-Plasse, who plays McLovin in the movie “Superbad,” turned 21 two weeks prior to the Main Event kicking off this year.
Out in the field were a variety of pros, including former Main Event champs Bobby Baldwin, Chris Moneymaker, and Greg Raymer, the latter of whom doubled up John Bennett with top pair against a set. The hand dropped Raymer to just 1,200 in chips and he was later eliminated with pocket eights all-in pre-flop. Raymer, who gave the Day 1A “Shuffle up and deal” command, signed over his signature fossil and departed the Amazon Room at the Rio in Las Vegas.
Ted Forrest, in the midst of competing in a $2 million weight loss prop bet against Matusow, doubled up and, over at Table 2, eight-time bracelet winner Erik Seidel tangled with Taylor Larkin. Seidel 3bet to 2,325 with A-6 and Larkin, holding A-K, made it 6,500. Seidel responded by 5betting to 17,000, or over half of the starting stack, and Larkin moved all-in for 17,000 more. Seidel thought briefly before laying his hand down.
Hands featuring Scott Seiver, Isaac Haxton, Peter “Nordberg” Feldman, Dallas Mavericks star Shawn Marion, and Abe Mosseri were shown and, back at the feature table, ESPN displayed Matusow’s vital stats. “The Mouth” boasted a VPIP (Voluntarily Put Money into the Pot) of 32% and an Aggression Factor of 40%. However, he promptly dropped half of his stack to former World Poker Tour Southern Poker Championship winner Allen “AawwNutz” Carter when he whiffed on a diamond flush draw.
After T.J. Cloutier and Ray Romano were shown the door, Matusow followed suit by running top pair into Carter’s middle set. Just prior, a dealer error had resulted in Matusow’s dealt ace being exposed. After looking at his other hole card, which was also an ace, Matusow became quite perturbed.
The second episode profiled Day 1B of the 2010 WSOP Main Event. The feature table hosted Gavin Smth and Ivan Demidov, while Table 2 sported 2007 WSOP Europe Main Event champ Annette Obrestad, who was playing in her first WSOP Main Event on U.S. soil. Obrestad’s run featured multiple exclamations of “So sick,” as she flopped a boat and ran into a higher boat in one hand. Then, Obrestad doubled up with pocket nines after check-raising all-in on a 10-high board. She received a call from an opponent with pocket jacks, but hit a nine on the turn to stay alive.
Former UB.com pro Liv Boeree, cancer survivor Thuy Doan, and Erick Lindgren’s better half Erica Schoenberg were all in the field. The comment of the night belonged to ESPN commentator Norman Chad, who introduced Schoenberg as follows: “Like me, she is a former model and personal trainer.” Lindgren hit the rail immediately after Chad’s intro, raising all-in on the flop with a flush draw against a player with two pair. Lindgren hit his flush on the turn, but his opponent rivered a full house.
Elsewhere in the field were Jean-Robert Bellande, Unabomber Poker pro Phil Laak, and Deepstacks instructor Tristan “Cre8ive” Wade. At the feature table, Smith doubled up after check-raising all-in with middle set on a flop of 7-9-Q. Smith turned a full house and the river was no help to his opponent.
The exits of Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, Joe Sebok, Jennifer Tilly, and Boeree on Day 1B were highlighted. Then, Obrestad moved all-in less the chip protecting her cards with A-J on a flop of 2-2-9. Two-time bracelet winner Chris Bjorin called with pocket queens. A jack hit on the turn and an eight came on the river, sending Obrestad into the Las Vegas night. The internet whiz finished with four cashes and no final tables in the 2010 WSOP.
Action from the Main Event continues next Tuesday on ESPN at 8:00pm ET. Once again, two one-hour episodes will air.
Tags: 2010, abe mosseri, deepstack, full tilt poker, Jennifer Tilly, Online Poker, poker player, vegas, WSOP
Daniel Phillips wins Dusk Til Dawn Deepstack for £26,764
Tags: deepstack
August 9th – Daily Deal
Topics: Mizrachi joins Deepstacks Live, Atlantic City Summit, Ameristar Casino results and Aussie Millions results.
On today’s Daily Deal, Atlantic City hosts a major gambling summit, Ameristar Casinos turns in its second quarter financial results, and the Aussie Millions Main Event wraps up on GSN. Plus, Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi signs on with Deepstacks Live. It’s all coming your way… right now!
Hello, I’m Sean Gibson and welcome to the Daily Deal by Poker News Daily.
Last Friday, a “who’s who” in the New Jersey gambling world turned out to the Atlantic City Convention Center. The topic: how to rejuvenate the city’s fledgling casinos and, at the same time, preserve the storied horse racing industry in the northern part of the state. Economists, representatives of organized labor, and other key industry leaders gathered on Friday and among them was Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association Chairman Joe Brennan.
Brennan told Poker News Daily about the attendees’ attitudes towards intrastate internet gambling: “There wasn’t one sense either way. The bigger issue was North Jersey versus South Jersey economic developments issues. The question: How do we save the horse racing industry in the North and preserve the gaming enterprises in the South?”
In other land-based casino news, Ameristar Casinos reported lower than expected financials for the second quarter of 2010 and cited heavy construction work near one of its properties as the reason for poor performance. The casino giant reported that consolidated net revenues were down $15.9 million dollars versus the same period in 2009. Construction on a major artery connecting the city of Chicago to Ameristar’s East Chicago, Indiana property cut into the company’s profitability in the second quarter.
On Saturday night, the two-thousand ten Aussie Millions Main Event wrapped up on GSN with Tyron Krost taking down the title and one point eight million dollar first place prize. Krost defeated Frederik Jensen heads-up. On Saturday, August 14th, the Full Tilt Doubles Poker Championship will begin airing on GSN at 8pm Eastern Time. The $50,000 buy-in tournament features sixteen teams.
One of the first members of the 2010 World Series of Poker November Nine to make a splash following the final table being determined in July is Full Tilt Poker pro Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi. Mizrachi signed on with Deepstacks Live to teach three courses over the next three months, largely in events held in his home state of Florida. You can catch Mizrachi on September tenth at the Mardi Gras Casino in Hallandale Beach, Florida. The cash game session comes with a four-hundred ninety-five dollar price tag and will also feature online poker studs Matt Graham and Tristan Wade.
That does it for today’s edition of The Daily Deal and be sure to check back in with us every week day for a new episode featuring the top news in the world of poker. Also be sure to add us to your twitter feed at twitter dot com slash poker news daily. I’m Sean Gibson, wishing you great sessions at the tables all week long!
UBOC 5 Begins August 18th on UB.com, Absolute Poker
In nine short days, the fifth Ultimate Bet Online Championship (UBOC) will kick off on the virtual felts of the CEREUS Network sites UB.com and Absolute Poker. This month marks the second UBOC installment of 2010, as the first panned out in January and featured David “DoubleDave22” D’Alesandro taking down the Championship Event.
UBOC 5 will award at least $4 million in prize money across 20 online poker tournaments. The series, which runs concurrently with a MiniUBOC counterpart, culminates in a $1,050 buy-in Championship Event on August 29th. The feature tournament, hosted by 11-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, will guarantee at least $1 million, ensuring potentially life-changing money for whoever comes out on top of the pack. In January, 1,307 players entered the Championship Event and D’Alesandro banked $279,000.
The CEREUS Network is running several promotions in conjunction with UBOC 5, including a Single Event Satellite Contest that awards Tournament Dollars to the players who rack up the most satellite wins to each UBOC 5 tournament. In addition, the Network is holding three $5,000 freerolls for players who satellite into more than one UBOC 5 event. Anyone who manages to satellite into 17 or more of the 20 UBOC 5 events automatically wins a seat in the $1,050 Championship Event.
Finally, the Bubble Buster promotion rewards players for cashing in UBOC 5 tournaments. Anyone who makes the money in two UBOC tournaments will claim a $10,000 freeroll entry. Prizes escalate all the way up to $1 million, which will go to players who manage to cash in 11 or more UBOC 5 events.
Here is the schedule of events for the fifth UBOC:
Event #1: August 18th at 20:05 ET
$320 Sniper NLHE ($30 bounty)
$200,000 Guaranteed
Event #2: August 18th at 20:05 ET
$267 PLHE/PLO Mix
$100,000 Guaranteed
Event #3: August 19th at 20:05 ET
$320 NLHE Four-Max
$100,000 Guaranteed
Event #4: August 20th at 20:05 ET
$162 Sniper NLHE ($20 bounty)
$100,000 Guaranteed
Event #5: August 21st at 14:00 ET
$1,050 NLHE Heads-Up
$128,000 Guaranteed
Event #6: August 21st at 16:00 ET
$215 Pro Bounty ($200) NLHE Turbo 2X Chance Short Stack
$100,000 Guaranteed
Event #7: August 22nd at 14:00 ET
$215 PLO Cubed (One Rebuy Plus One Add-On)
$100,000 Guaranteed
Event #8: August 22nd at 16:00 ET
$1,050 Deepstack NLHE Six-Max
$500,000 Guaranteed
Event #9: August 23rd at 20:05 ET
$215 NLHE ($200 Rock Star Bounty on Scott Ian and Shanna Moaklar)
$200,000 Guaranteed
Event #10: August 23rd at 20:05 ET
$320 PLO Eight or Better
$100,000 Guaranteed
Event #11: August 24th at 20:05 ET
$215 NLHE Cubed (One Rebuy Plus One Add-On)
$150,000 Guaranteed
Event #12: August 24th at 20:05 ET
$215 HORSE
$50,000 Guaranteed
Event #13: August 25th at 20:05 ET
$530 NLHE Deepstack
$200,000 Guaranteed
Event #14: August 25th at 20:05 ET
$320 PLO Six-Max 2X Chance
$100,000 Guaranteed
Event #15: August 26th at 20:05 ET
$320 Sniper NLHE ($30 bounty)
$150,000 Guaranteed
Event #16: August 26th at 20:05 ET
$215 Limit Omaha Eight or Better
$50,000 Guaranteed
Event #17: August 27th at 20:05 ET
$162 Sniper NLHE Six-Max ($20 bounty)
$100,000 Guaranteed
Event #18: August 28th at 14:00 ET
$109 NLHE Turbo with Rebuys
$100,000 Guaranteed
Event #19: August 28th at 16:00 ET
$320 Eight Game Mix
$100,000 Guaranteed
UBOC 5 Championship: August 29th at 16:00 ET
$1,050 Monster Stack NLHE
$1 Million Guarantee
Click over to UB or AbsolutePoker for full details on UBOC 5’s tournaments and promotions.
Tags: 2010, absolute poker, deepstack, freeroll, Online Poker, Phil Hellmuth, tournament, UBOC, WSOP
Michael Mizrachi Joins Deepstacks Live
One of the first members of the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event November Nine to make a splash following the final table being determined in July is Full Tilt Poker pro Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi.
Mizrachi signed on with Deepstacks Live to teach three courses over the next three months, largely in events held in his home state of Florida. The Sunshine State recently saw its gambling limits eased on July 1st, potentially opening the door for major tournament series to be held within its borders. In addition to “The Grinder,” Florida is home to players like PokerStars pro Jason Mercier and Jason “Jaspuduf” Lee.
In a press release distributed last week by Deepstacks officials, Mizrachi detailed the impetus to joining the popular training outfit: “I had a lot of options after the WSOP, but DeepStacks Live was the right fit for how I play and how I want to teach others to play. They are the most innovative and hands-on training company. The other Team DeepStacks pros I’ll be teaching with include Hall of Famers and poker legends, guys who I’ve really respected for a long time, and joining their team was a no-brainer for me.”
DeepStacks CEO Chris Torina, who was instrumental in bringing “The Grinder” onboard, touted the arrival of Mizrachi to Deepstacks Live’s team of sponsored pros. Torina commented in the same release, “DeepStacks Live has the best instructors in the business. Adding ‘The Grinder’ just distances us even further from everyone else in the arena. He’s a true champion and it’s a boost to poker players all over the country that they’ll be able to learn from him.” Deepstacks Live has tweaked its courses with the opening of the Florida poker market in mind.
To say that Mizrachi turned in a historic 2010 WSOP would be an understatement. He won the $50,000 Player’s Championship, a tournament that recently aired on ESPN, and earned $1.6 million. He defeated Russian poker player Vladimir Shchemelev heads-up in the five-figure buy-in event and sent his brother, Robert Mizrachi, packing in fifth place.
“The Grinder” wasn’t done there, however, recording two more final tables in two $10,000 events en route to a 2010 WSOP November Nine birth. He finished sixth in the Seven Card Stud World Championship for $69,000 and landed in eighth in the Limit Hold’em World Championship for another $49,000. In the Main Event, Mizrachi is guaranteed a minimum of $811,000, with a top prize of $8.9 million on the line. His career WSOP earnings will top $3 million when the Main Event concludes.
Mizrachi’s only session with Deepstacks Live that has been announced so far will be held on September 10th at the Mardi Gras Casino in Hallandale Beach, Florida. The cash game session comes with a $495 price tag and will also feature online poker studs Matt “mattg1983” Graham and Tristan “Cre8ive” Wade. Topics will include bankroll management, game selection, advanced betting techniques, floating your opponent, playing in and out of position, and picking off bluffs.
The Deepstacks training team includes Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, recent World Poker Tour Bellagio Cup runner-up Justin “Boosted J” Smith, UB.com’s Adam “Roothlus” Levy, T.J. Cloutier, former WSOP Main Event champ Tom McEvoy, and former UB.com pro Liv Boeree. The Deepstacks Live crew has events coming up in Florida, California, Nevada, Oklahoma, New York, Alberta, British Columbia, and Australia.
When the 2010 WSOP Main Event resumes on November 6th, Mizrachi will hold the seventh largest stack at 14.4 million. The chip leader, Jonathan Duhamel, has 4.5 times that amount at 65.9 million. Mizrachi is the only bracelet winner to grace the final table.
Visit Deepstacks.com for full details.
Tags: 2010, Australia, bellagio, deepstack, full tilt poker, Online Poker, poker player, pokerstars, Russia, tournament, WSOP
The Nightly Turbo: Mizrachi Joins DeepStacks Live, Ivey’s Still the Nuts, and More
Matusow Takes DeepStacks to So-Cal
Set for Aug. 14-22 at the Pala Casino Spa & Resort in Southern California, the Pala Poker Open includes a full schedule of tournaments and an advanced tournament training course taught by Matusow.
Matusow's DeepStacks Live advanced tournament course will go off from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 20, one day before the Pala Poker Open main event begins.
The $295 entry fee covers one-on-one instruction, table analysis, advanced odds and outs and player perception training.
Daily and weekly Pala tournament winners throughout August will also receive a seat in the course.
DeepStacks Live trainers including World Series of Poker Main Event Champion Tom McEvoy and UB Pro Adam "Roothlus" Levy are also expected to attend, teach and compete in the Pala Poker Open two-day final event.
Beginning Saturday Aug. 21, the No Limit Hold'em DeepStack $300+$40 event will start players with 25,000 in chips plus a $15 optional bonus buy for additional 5,000.
A prize pool of $30,000 is guaranteed.
Visit PokerListings.com
Win a trip to the Vilamoura Deepstack
Tags: deepstack