Poker News

Doyle Brunson in Back to Back All-In Pots on High Stakes Poker

Largely playing small ball in prior episodes, 10-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Doyle Brunson found himself in back to back all-in pots during this week’s edition of High Stakes Poker. The show airs on GSN on Sunday nights at 9:00pm ET.

The same eight players who took to the felts of High Stakes Poker last week returned on Sunday night. In their first hand, Eli Elezra put on a live straddle of $1,600, Phil Laak called with A-10 of clubs, David Peat bumped the price of poker to $6,500 with Q-J, Tom Dwan called the raise with A-7 of diamonds, Alan Meltzer called with A-10 of hearts, and Laak called. Four players saw the flop, which fell 5-3-8 with two clubs. The action checked around, with the turn coming the deuce of hearts. Peat led out for $20,500 with “squadoosh” and the action folded around to Laak, who made the call with the nut flush draw. The river was the five of diamonds. Laak checked, Peat bet $50,000, and Laak clutched a stack of $100 bills before finally folding. Laak was allowed to flip over one of Peat’s cards, which wound up being the queen. Seated next to Peat, Dwan correctly guessed that the other card was a jack.

Brunson and Peat squared off in the first all-in pot. Peat held J-9 of diamonds and made it $2,500. Brunson peeked down at pocket rockets and raised to $10,500, a bet Peat promptly called. The flop came A-10-2 with two diamonds. As you’d expect, fireworks went off, as Peat check-raised Brunson for $125,000, Brunson pushed for $171,000, and Peat called the extra $46,100. The pair agreed to run it twice, with the queen of clubs and nine of clubs falling on the first board, shipping half the pot to Brunson. The second board came the queen of spades and six of clubs, once again keeping Brunson’s set of aces out in front. The win was worth $366,000.

The second all-in hand saw Brunson battle against Italian poker sensation Dario Minieri. The flop in the hand came 9-10-3 with two spades. Minieri, who held 9-10 for top two pair, led out for $3,700. “Silent” Mike Baxter called with A-2 and Brunson raised to $25,000 with 4-3 of spades for a flush draw and bottom pair. Minieri pushed over the top for $98,100, Baxter folded, and Brunson tanked before electing to call. Once again, the all-in pot was run twice. Both times, Minieri spiked one of his hole cards on the turn for a full house, leaving Brunson drawing dead on the river. Minieri saw his High Stakes Poker bankroll grow by $205,500 as a result.

The largest pot of the night also featured an all-in, with Peat and Dwan vying for their share of $400,400. Minieri started the action by calling the $800 big blind with Q-9. Laak also called holding pocket fives, Peat limped with pocket kings, and Dwan made it $6,300 with A-J of hearts. The action folded back around to Laak, who called Dwan’s raise. Peat then threw in a bet of $20,800, Dwan called, and Laak called. The flop came 7-3-7 with two hearts, keeping Peat out in front with an overpair and giving Dwan the nut flush draw. Peat bet $50,000, Dwan raised to $150,000, Laak got out of the way, and Peat pushed for $167,300. Dwan called the extra $17,300 and the board was run twice for the third time during the episode. The first board came the queen of clubs and eight of hearts, making Dwan’s flush. The second board came the seven of clubs and deuce of hearts, giving Peat a boat. The two players chopped the $400,400 pot, one of the largest this season on High Stakes Poker.

In the final hand of the night, Baxter bumped it to $3,000 pre-flop with A-K of hearts, Dwan raised to $11,700 with Q-9 of hearts, Baxter re-raised to $31,700, and Dwan asked for a count of his opponent’s stack before calling. The flop came 3-5-9 with no hearts, giving Dwan top pair and eliminating the possibility of a flush. Baxter checked out of turn and Dwan also checked. The action went check-check when the eight of spades fell on the turn. The river brought the jack of diamonds. Dwan bet $34,300 and Baxter called, looking fairly puzzled with Dwan flipped up a pair of nines. The pot was worth $134,400.

Next week, Elezra has a chance to win a huge pot with a flush draw, and Dwan once again leaves Baxter talking to himself. New episodes of High Stakes Poker air at 9:00pm ET on Sundays on GSN.

High Stakes Poker Televises New Line-Up

High Stakes Poker reshuffled the line-up of the new series again this week. While Tom Dwan and Eli Elezra remain at the tables, a host of new faces arrived including young Italian sensation Dario Minieri.

Tom Dwan, Dario Minieri Dominate High Stakes Poker

This week, a new group of eight players took to the High Stakes Poker felts. The two youngest combatants at the table, Dario Minieri and Tom “durrrr” Dwan, stole the show, which is in its fifth season and airs on GSN.

On the first hand of the night, poker pro Eli Elezra took a stand against Dwan’s aggressive nature. Dwan held 8-6 offsuit and made it $3,000 pre-flop. Radio executive Alan Meltzer called holding K-9 of clubs and Elezra made the call with A-2 of diamonds. The flop came 10-5-4 with two diamonds, giving Elezra the nut flush draw. He led out for $16,000, Dwan raised to $46,200, Meltzer got out of the way, and Elezra shoved for $196,800. Dwan promptly folded and Elezra scooped the pot, hoping to slow down the youngster. The two played together during the first heat of High Stakes Poker Season 5.

A few hands later, David Peat, a brand new face on High Stakes Poker Season 5, held Q-9 of spades and called the big blind. Doyle Brunson called with 5-4 of clubs and Minieri checked his option in the big blind with 9-5 of hearts. The flop came Q-3-9 with two hearts, giving Peat top two pair and Minieri middle pair a flush draw. Minieri led out for $2,600, Peat raised to $9,000, and Minieri made it $23,500. High Stakes Poker host Gabe Kaplan commented, “This is a fairly unusual move here to put in that third bet with a queen-high flush draw.” Peat came over the top of Minieri’s bet for $105,000, prompting the Italian World Series of Poker bracelet holder to get out of the way.

Minieri would also come up on the short end of a hand against Elezra. In it, Elezra peaked down at pocket kings and bet $4,000 pre-flop. Minieri raised it up to $13,000 with A-9 of hearts and Elezra just called. The flop came 8-8-K, improving Elezra to a boat, and the action went check-check. A queen fell on the turn. Elezra checked, Minieri bet $14,500, and Elezra made the call. The river came an ace, giving Minieri aces-up. Elezra bet $35,000, which was about half the pot, and Minieri promptly folded. Elezra added $93,600 to his stack by virtue of the win.

Peat and Minieri tangled once again in a hand where Elezra made the first live straddle of the evening for $1,600. Minieri looked down at pocket tens and raised to $5,500. Peat, who held A-4 of diamonds, re-raised to $16,500 and Minieri made the call. The flop came J-A-2, giving Peat the lead in the hand, but the action went check-check. A five fell on the turn, again leading to both players checking. On the river, which was a six, Peat bet $25,000 and Minieri tossed his cards into the muck. It was one of several top-notch reads by Minieri throughout the episode, which drew praise from Kaplan.

Meltzer and Mike Baxter locked horns late in the show. In the hand, Dwan made the price of poker $3,000 holding A-10, Meltzer called with A-7 of diamonds, and Baxter called holding Q-J. The flop came 9-3-6 with two hearts. Meltzer led out for $6,000, Baxter raised to $16,000, Dwan got out of the way, and Meltzer called the extra $10,000. The turn was a king. Meltzer checked this time, Baxter bet $25,000, and his opponent folded, giving the man nicknamed “Silent” his first pot of High Stakes Poker Season 5.

In the final hand, Dwan and Elezra once again went at it. Dwan made it $6,000 to go with 7-3 of diamonds pre-flop, Meltzer made the call with A-3 of clubs, and Elezra called with A-10 of spades. The flop came 8-4-A with two diamonds, giving Dwan a flush draw against Elezra’s and Meltzer’s top pair. Dwan made a $14,000 continuation bet, Meltzer called, and Elezra bumped the action to $45,000. Dwan asked for a count before calling and Meltzer mucked. The turn was the jack of hearts and the action went check-check. A king on the river led Kaplan to conclude that Dwan is “very likely to bet here because he is Durrrr, he has seven-high, and he knows that Eli’s hand probably isn’t very strong.” Dwan fired out $57,300, which was less than half the pot, and Elezra called. The dealer shipped the $246,600 in the middle to Elezra in the richest pot of the episode.

New episodes of High Stakes Poker air at 9:00pm ET on GSN every Sunday night.

Full Tilt presents FTOPS XII Schedule

FTOPS XII (Full Tilt Online Poker Series) is here! This most exciting of online Tournaments is back to banish the credit crunch blues – terrific! This FTOPS is even better with the introduction of miniFTOPS – a series that mimics FTOPS with 25 Events, just the same, but with buy ins at 1/10th of the price. Satellites are running to miniFTOPS now and start at just 60c, brilliant!

The action started on May 6th and continues until the Main Event on the 17th, there are 25 events, all hosted by a professional poker player. There is a guaranteed prize pool of $18m+ and super cool Full Tilt merchandise to be won.

Satellites are running NOW for FTOPS XII from just $2.25, go into the lobby click Tournaments and then FTOPS to see the satellites on offer.

The Satellite Challenge is running again, try and win as many entries as you can and Full Tilt will credit you with the cost of the buy in for every double entry you win. Win more entries than any one else and you will be win the price of two buy ins, second place gets one extra credit.

The Bouncebackabilty Freeroll is back again, exclusively for those players who finished on the bubble, this freeroll is on Saturday May 23rd at 8.00pm UK time (3pm New York). The generous prize is a seat at the Main Event of FTOPS XIII.

On the final table, in any of the events, every player will be given a cool FTOPS jacket. The victors of each event also get a FTOPS jersey and an exclusive gold avatar to be used whilst playing online at Full Tilt Poker.

Enjoy FTOPS XII and miniFTOPS, here is the schedule:-

Event	UK	New York	Host	Game	Guarantee
1	Thursday May 7th 2.00am	Wednesday May 6th 9.00pm	Eric Lindgren	$200 + $16 NL Hold ‘em6-max	$1million
2	Thursday May 7th 7.00pm	Thursday May 7th 2.00pm	Rolandde Wolfe	$240 + $16 PL OmahaKnockout	$250,000
3	Friday May 8th 2.00am	Thursday May 7th 9.00pm	Greg Mueller	$500 + $35 NL Hold ‘em3xShootout	$300,000
4	Friday May 8th 7.00pm	Friday May 8th 2.00pm	Trond Eidsvig	$200 + $16 NL Hold ‘em1 rebuy and 1 add-on	$500,000
5	Saturday May 9th 2.00am	Friday May 8th 9.00pm	Esther Rossi	$200 + $16 Stud/8	$100,000
6	Saturday May 9th 7.00pm	Saturday May 9th 2.00pm	Ben Roberts	$500 + $35 PL Omaha6-Max	$400,000
7	Saturday May 9th 9.00pm	Saturday May 9th 4.00pm	Joao Barbosa	$100 + $9 NL Hold ‘emRebuy	$600,000
8	Sunday May 10th 7.00pm	Sunday May 10th 2.00pm	Christian Kruel	$240 + $16 NL Hold ‘emKnockout 6-max	$750,000
9	Sunday May 10th 9.00pm	Sunday May 10th 4.00pm	Huck Seed	$500 + $35 NL Hold ‘emHeads Up	$500,000
10	Sunday May 10th 11.00pm	Sunday May 10th 6.00pm	Erik Seidel	$300 + $22 NL Hold ‘em	$1,5million
11	Monday May 11th 7.00pm	Monday May 11th 2.00pm	Martin Klaser	$200 + $16 PL Omaha/8	$200,000
12	Monday May 12th 2.00am	Monday May 11th 9.00pm	Steve Brecher	$1,000 + $60 NL Hold ‘em6-maxAnte From Start	$1,5million
13	Tuesday May 12th 7.00pm	Tuesday May 12th 2.00pm	Markus Golser	$300 + $22 NL Hold ‘em4xShootout 6-max	$300,000
14	Wednesday May 13th 2.00am	Tuesday May 12th 9.00pm	Edward Lederer	$500 + $35 HEROS	$300,000
15	Wednesday May 13th 2.00am	Tuesday May 12th 9.00pm	Jordan Morgan	$200 + $16 NL Hold ‘emTurbo	$500,000
16	Wednesday May 13th 9.00pm	Wednesday May 13th 2.00pm	Johan Storakers	$200 + $16 HA (half PL Hold ‘em, half PL Omaha)	$200,000
17	Thursday May 14th 2.00am	Wednesday May 13th 9.00pm	Cole South	$300 + $22 NL Hold ‘em 6-max Rebuy	$1million
18	Thursday May 14th 7.00pm	Thursday May 14th 2.00pm	Mike McDonald	$200 + $16 PL Omaha Heads Up	$150,000
19	Friday May 15th 2.00am	Thursday May 14th 9.00pm	Artie Cobb	$300 + $22 Razz	$150,000
20	Friday May 15th 7.00pm	Friday May 15th 2.00pm	Fabrice Soulier	$200 + $16 NL Hold ‘em	$400,000
21	Saturday May 16th 2.00am	Friday May 15th 9.00pm	Eli Elezra	$200 + $16 Mixed Hold ‘em6-max	$150,000
22	Saturday May 16th 7.00pm	Saturday May 16th 2.00pm	Patrik Antonius	$2,500 + $120 NL Hold ‘em 2 Day Event	$2million
23	Saturday May 16th 9.00pm	Saturday May 16th 4.00pm	Robert Williamson III	$100 + $9 PL Omaha Rebuy	$350,000
24	Sunday May 17th 7.00pm	Sunday May 17th 2.00pm	Svetlana Gromenkova	$120 + $9 NL Hold ‘em Knockout	$1million
Main Event	Sunday May 17th 11.00pm	Sunday May 17th 6.00pm	Jennifer Harman	$500 + $35 NL Hold ‘em	$2,5million

Remember to use our Full Tilt Bonus Code FTPGOLD for a sign up bonus up to $600 plus entry into exclusive freerolls - see our Full Tilt Referral Code page for more details.

Dwan Takes $221,000 Pot off Negreau on High Stakes Poker

Sunday night saw Tom “durrrr” Dwan once again take center stage on GSN’s High Stakes Poker. This time, he took down a $221,000 pot against Team PokerStars Pro member Daniel Negreanu. Next week, a new group of eight players takes to the felts.

Several hands into Sunday’s episode, Antonio Esfandiari peeked down at pocket nines and called the big blind of $800. Patrik Antonius, who had already posted the big blind due to missing several hands, made it $4,800 with A-J of clubs and Esfandiari called. The flop came A-6-10 with two clubs, giving Antonius top pair and a flush draw to boot. Esfandiari checked, Antonius fired out a bet of $7,000, and Esfandiari called. The turn was the five of hearts and Esfandiari once again check-called a bet from Antonius, this time of $19,000. High Stakes Poker Host Gabe Kaplan noted, “Antonio is kind of stumped.” The river was the ace of spades, improving Antonius to trips. Esfandiari checked and Antonius bet $41,000, inducing a fold and scooping the $105,800 pot.

Dwan and Negreanu squared off in a hand that served as an omen of things to come. Dwan made it $3,000 pre-flop with K-Q and Negreanu made the call with A-6. The flop came A-9-J and Negreanu check-called a $5,700 bet from Dwan. The turn was a queen, pairing Dwan and meaning the youngster would need to catch a K, Q, or 10 on the river in order to win the hand. Negreanu bet $11,000 and Dwan called. The river came a 10, giving Dwan a straight. Negreanu checked, Dwan bet $28,800, and Negreanu folded. Dwan raked in the $70,200 pot, prompting Kaplan to comment, “Dwan has played excellent on High Stakes Poker, but he’s also gotten lucky.”

Dwan showcased his skills again. This time, Phil Laak called the $800 big blind with J-10 of hearts and Dwan, who held pocket eights, bumped the action to $4,000. Laak called and the flop came 6-9-6 with two hearts. Laak checked, Dwan bet $6,300, Laak raised to $21,300, and Dwan called. On the action on the flop, Kaplan explained, “It’s very possible in Tom Dwan’s mind that Phil Laak is slow-playing an overpair.” The turn was a six, giving Dwan a boat. Laak checked and Dwan asked for a count before also checking. The river was the eight of hearts, giving Laak a flush, but also improving Dwan’s full house. Laak checked and Dwan bet a scant $9,400 into a pot of over $60,000. Laak asked to see both of Dwan’s cards if he folded and Dwan agreed. Then, “The Unabomber” flashed one of his cards, prompting Dwan to inquire if the hand was dead. Laak eventually called, shipping the $72,200 pot to Dwan.

The very next hand featured Negreanu against Laak. Pre-flop, Negreanu, who held K-J, made it $2,500, Laak called with 8-5 of spades, and 2005 World Series of Poker Main Event Champion Joe Hachem called with pocket fours. The flop came K-5-8. Hachem checked, Negreanu bet $6,500 with top pair, Laak called with bottom two, and Hachem got out of the way. The turn was a nine. Negreanu checked, Laak bet $18,500, and Negreanu raised to $43,500. Kaplan explained, “I think Daniel Negreanu decided to check-raise here because he feels Phil might be steaming from the last hand.” Laak made the call to see a deuce fall on the river. Negreanu checked, Laak bet $54,200 immediately, and Negreanu folded. The pot was worth $163,700.

In the largest pot of the episode, Laak called the big blind with K-Q, Howard Lederer called with pocket sixes, Dwan bet $5,400 with A-Q, Negreanu called with A-8 of hearts, and the table called around. The flop came Q-A-2, giving Dwan top two pair. The action checked to Dwan, who bet $14,300; Negreanu called with top pair and Laak and Lederer both folded. The turn came a deuce. Negreanu checked, Dwan bet $34,600, and Negreanu raised to $84,600. On Negreanu check-raising an opponent for the second straight hand, Kaplan commented, “If Dwan had anything but the kind of hand he has, it would be a good play by Daniel.” Dwan called to see the river come a four. The action went check-check, giving the $221,400 pot to Dwan.

Next week, a new heat of players will take to the High Stakes Poker felts. It includes Doyle Brunson, David Peat, Dario Minieri, Eli Elezra, and two holdovers from the current group of eight: Dwan and Laak. New episodes of High Stakes Poker air at 9:00pm ET on Sundays on GSN.

Jennifer Harman Charity Poker Tournament Returns for Third Year

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Eli Elezra Interview with Poker News Daily

Poker News Daily: You're a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, a World Poker Tour (WPT) event winner, and have successfully played in some of the largest cash games around. In your opinion, what's your biggest poker accomplishment?

Elezra: Over the last five years, I have been invited to all of the shows on GSN like “High Stakes Poker” and on NBC, like the National Heads-Up Poker Championship. I love poker, but it is not my main source of income. I have several big businesses in Las Vegas and my family runs a lot of them, so I give myself to poker. I played last night until 6:00am with Sammy Farha, Doyle Brunson, David Benyamine, and all of the big names. I love the action. It moves me every time. The WPT tournament was a big win and this year, I'm gong to try to win another WSOP bracelet.

PND: Barry Greenstein gave you 10:1 odds that you'd win a bracelet in 2007, which paid off. Talk about the bet.

Elezra: Chip Reese and I were playing at the Bellagio and someone asked what the odds of winning a bracelet were. We went back and forth making bets with Barry, Phil Ivey, and Doyle. It was ranging between 3.5:1 and 5:1. Barry said that he'd give me 10:1 odds and I grabbed it. The bet was for $25,000, so I won $250,000. That year, I was the only one of them who won a bracelet.

That win was also big because every place you go, they don't necessarily know much about the WPT, but everybody asks how many bracelets you have. Finally, I can say I have one.

PND: Whose tournament game do you respect the most?

Elezra: Whoever plays No Limit Hold'em can tell you that the best player is Phil Hellmuth. As much as people don't like him, he can play the game better than everyone else. Gus Hansen has improved his game so much it's scary. He's proven that he can compete in big tournaments. You also have to look at the accomplishments Daniel Negreanu has.

PND: What about the player with the best cash game? Is it still Hellmuth?

Elezra: Phil hardly plays with us anymore since he started playing online. In cash games, you have Jennifer Harman, who is really good. At 75 years-old, Doyle can still play like he's 28. He plays much better now than when I played with him 15 years ago. David Benyamine is one of the biggest winners our cash game.

PND: Have you been able to travel back to Israel to play poker? Is the game booming there?

Elezra: I've never played in Israel. They tried to start a $10,000 buy-in tournament, but it didn't work. Poker has become so popular there that I'm getting calls now. High Stakes Poker started airing in Israel eight months ago and now they know they have an Israeli boy on the show. I go almost every year to Israel and get a lot of requests to appear on shows or talk in schools.

PND: What advice do you have for newcomers in the game?

Elezra: Patience, patience, patience. Play tight and play online. When you play online, play very low-limit cash games. You have to spill a lot of blood in order to see the fruits of your labor. You're going to lose a lot. When I started, I lost millions of dollars. Seven or eight years ago, I wasn't a big winner. Of course, people coming up will see guys like Phil “OMGClayAiken” Galfond, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, and Justin “BoostedJ” Smith, but no one knows about the tens of thousands of kids who didn't make it. I used to tell people to go to college first, but the biggest suggestion I can give is to take your time and be patient.

Negreanu continues his ugly run in High Stakes Poker!

Daniel Negreanu is a world class poker player, but somehow everything seems to go wrong in the High Stakes Poker! He has lost three times to quads and in this season he had to reload second time in last episode, after he collided with Eli Elezras pair of aces with a flush draw and missed.

High Stakes Poker and Daniel Negreanu don’t match well.

Daniel watched the latest episode yesterday and writes about it in his blog:

I woke up about 7:00pm and watched High Stakes Poker on GSN. Yup, some great memories I got from that show, I’ll tell you what! I counted the number of hands I won in the last two episodes. The grand total is two: one where I flopped trip queens and the other in a limped pot where I flop the nut flush, bet the flop, and get NO action! Brutal.

Well if you put it that way it sounds quite brutal. The way how Daniel played the hand seemed quite brutal as well, but Negreanu explains that also in his entry:

Now here is what a lot of viewers don’t get. Most people on the show run it twice in all in pots. Knowing that, when you do have a drawing hand you can be a bit more aggressive with it since even if you are called, you will usually have a decent chance to chop the pot. It makes aggressive plays with draws easier to make, and allows you to semi-bluff more pots away from an opponent. Essentially it makes semi-bluffing slightly less risky.

Daniel missed this time and had to reload again, second time in this season and he is probably stuck the most in fifth season of HSP, at least $400k. Lates episode included also a really nice move by Barry Greenstein, who bluffed Elezra off the pot with just a six high!

If you haven’t watch the show, you can find it find at the pokertube. Daniel’s blog can be found here.

You just read Poker News from HighStakesNews.com

Negreanu continues his ugly run in High Stakes Poker!

Daniel Negreanu Rebuys Again on High Stakes Poker

Two weeks removed from going broke when his pocket jacks ran into David Benyamine's quad fours, Daniel Negreanu was forced to rebuy once again this week on GSN's “High Stakes Poker.” This time, his gamble against Eli Elezra did not pay off, and the Team PokerStars Pro member saw his luck in the ring game continue to slide.

This was the fifth episode of the new season of High Stakes Poker, which airs on GSN at 9:00pm ET on Sundays. Last week's show featured Tom “durrrr” Dwan's aces cracked by Barry Greenstein's J-9 when Greenstein turned two pair. The hand sparked the catch phrase, “Math is idiotic,” which is now a staple of the show. Greenstein opened this week's episode with wins in two smaller pots, one against 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate and one against both Negreanu and Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies.

Several massive pots occurred in this week's episode. In the first, Negreanu raised to $3,000 with 9-10 of clubs and was called by Dwan, who had 8-7. Elezra made it $11,000 holding pocket aces and both of his opponents called. The flop came Q-2-4 with two clubs and Elezra bet out $17,000. High Stakes Poker Host Gabe Kaplan noted, “A small bet. He's hoping someone has a big queen and would raise him.”

Holding a flush draw, Negreanu raised to $44,100, Dwan got out of the way, Elezra made it $119,100, and Negreanu shoved for $226,300. Elezra called, saying, “I hope you're on a draw.” Sure enough, Negreanu was. The combatants agreed to run the board twice, meaning in order to scoop the entire pot, a player must win both boards. The first came the five of diamonds and six of spades, a win for Elezra. The second board ran out the three of spades and jack of spades, giving Elezra the massive $487,100 pot. Negreanu promptly reloaded.

Elezra turned up the aggression with his newfound chips. In one hand, he raised to $4,500 with A-9 of diamonds. Eastgate raised to $20,000 with pocket queens, and Doyle Brunson quickly folded pocket tens. On the latter move, Kaplan commented, “I don't understand that.” Sahamies called the raise with pocket fours and Elezra also called. The flop came K-2-7 with two diamonds and Elezra bet $55,000. Kaplan noted, “That's a pretty big bet. I think Peter is savvy enough to realize that when Eli had aces, he bet half the size of the pot.” Eastgate called and the turn came a non-diamond three. The action went check-check and the river was a non-diamond jack. Both Elezra and Eastgate checked and the reigning WSOP Main Event Champion took down the $174,100 pot.

Greenstein and Elezra locked horns in a hand that saw four-way action to a flop of J-K-A with two diamonds. Greenstein, who was the hand's initial pre-flop raiser, led out for $7,000 with 6-5 of diamonds, Elezra made it $19,000 with A-2, and the action folded back to Greenstein, who called. The turn came a non-diamond eight. Greenstein checked and Elezra bet $45,000. Kaplan remarked, “I don't know what Eli is putting Barry on, but I know one thing: Eli wants Barry to fold his hand right here.” Instead of laying down his draw, Greenstein fired back and raised to $200,000, prompting a quick fold from Elezra.

Dwan continued being active at the table. In a hand that occurred early on in the show, Negreanu raised to $5,600 with K-Q, Dwan called with A-J, and Elezra called holding 3-2 suited. The flop came 8-2-J, giving Dwan top pair, top kicker. He led out for $13,200, Elezra folded, and Negreanu made the smooth call with king high. The turn came a four, Dwan bet $34,200, and Negreanu waved the white flag and folded. On the $74,400 hand, Kaplan commented, “Dwan confuses everybody. He gets them to play hands that they wouldn't otherwise play.”

Next week's episode promises to have the poker world buzzing. The preview reveals, “Barry Greenstein and Tom Dwan have battled all season long. Next week, they will lock up in what will be one of the most talked about hands in High Stakes Poker history.” Check out High Stakes Poker on Sundays at 9:00pm ET on GSN.