Poker News

Corkins Cashes in with Second WPT Title

He outlasted all 208 entries and beat up-and-comer Jonathan Kantor heads-up to claim the first place prize of $739,486 at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Corkins, who won his first WPT title at the World Poker Finals in 2003, now finds himself as one of the 12 players that have won two WPT titles. It’s an elite group that includes players like Erick Lindgren, Howard Lederer and Barry Greenstein.

“It’s wonderful,” said Corkins about his win. “It’s been so frustrating coming in second twice, third once and sixth at another final table.”

Corkins cruised to three-handed play but after losing a series of hands became the short-stack. He had to get extremely lucky to win an all-in situation with A-J versus Jerry Vanstrydonck’s pocket kings.

He went on to bust Vanstrydonck and take back the chip lead, carrying it into heads-up play against Kantor. It took Corkins just 19 hands to end the match.

With his victory Corkins also topped 4,000 WPT points, which puts him in a very select group of players that includes just Gus Hansen, Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu. Corkins now has over $5 million in lifetime tournament earnings.

The WPT will now head to sunny L.A. for both the WPT Celebrity Invitational on Feb. 20-21 and the L.A.P.C., which takes place Feb. 26-March 4.

The complete final table results from the Southern Poker Championship are as follows:

1. Hoyt Corkins - $739,486
2. Jonathan Kantor - $366,643
3. Jerry Vanstrydonck - $196,829
4. Jared Jaffee - $135,079
5. James Reed - $106,134
6. Tyler Smith - $86,837

 

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Justin Bonomo (ZeeJustin) No Longer a Bodog Poker Pro

Two months after Jean-Robert Bellande lost his status as a sponsored pro of the online poker room Bodog, Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo also appears to be out. Bonomo is no longer listed as a member of Team Bodog on the poker room’s website.

David Williams and Evelyn Ng are the lone survivors of Team Bodog, whose numbers have been cut in half since mid-November. Bonomo owns more than $1.2 million in career earnings from World Series of Poker (WSOP) and Circuit Events and brought Bodog a considerable amount of exposure after final tabling the $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP in 2008. Bonomo claimed fifth place for $413,000 in the event, which aired on ESPN. One month prior, he captured his first Circuit gold ring by winning the Caesars Palace Championship tournament for $227,000, defeating Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi heads-up.

Bonomo appeared on the UB.com-sposored poker news show “Poker2Nite” last week, breaking down a hand from a $5,000 Mixed Hold’em event during the 2008 WSOP. In the segment, dubbed “In the Tank,” Bonomo wore no Bodog logo and, as taped rolled from the event two years ago, the Bodog logo on Bonomo’s white shirt was blurred out. In the end, Bonomo finished as the runner-up to Full Tilt Poker pro Erick Lindgren and banked $230,000.

Bonomo is still listed on Bodog’s website in a Heads-Up TLB Records console. In addition, Bonomo’s Twitter page continues to boast a Bodog logo. Now, Williams and Ng will serve as the face of the USA-friendly online poker room, sports book, and casino. According to the traffic ranking outlet PokerScout.com, Bodog is the 15th largest site or network worldwide with a seven-day running average of 840 real money ring game players. During its peak hours, nearly 1,500 cash game enthusiasts call the site home. Bodog is the fifth largest site to accept players from the United States, trailing PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, the CEREUS Network, and the Cake Poker Network.

During November’s running of the Bodog Poker Open, three sponsored online pros took to the field in the Main Event. They included Smith “nevertilt22” Collins, Jonathan UFPokerStar Westra, and Ari Engel, who ultimately took third in the 257-player tournament for $16,000. A total of 2,646 players showed up for the 11 events that comprised the Bodog Poker Open’s Championship and Contender series, creating a total prize pool of $368,000. The online poker site added another $65,000 to the kitty.

Bonomo’s image was removed from Bodog’s website during the day on Saturday. Williams appeared during a high-stakes home game as part of the G4 online poker reality show “2 Months, $2 Million,” which starred Dani Stern, Jay Rosenkrantz, Emil Patel, and Brian Roberts. Williams lost $50,000 during the game, which took place at the Las Vegas home of the “2 Months, $2 Million” cast and also featured Team PokerStars Pro member Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier and David “Viffer” Peat.

In November, Bellande lost his status as a Bodog pro. Last February, Bellande renewed his sponsorship agreement with the online poker room. However, it was not picked up once it expired, as a Bodog Poker Room Manager told Poker News Daily in November, "Jean-Robert Bellande’s deal with Bodog Poker expired at the end of October and the decision was made not to renew the deal. It has been an absolute pleasure having Jean-Robert as one of Bodog.com’s Poker pros and we wish him all the best."

Ads running on Bodog’s poker website promote betting on the Fiesta Bowl, which pits Texas Christian University (TCU) against Boise State. At the time of writing, TCU sits as an eight point favorite. Wagering is also open on the Orange Bowl, GMAC Bowl, and Thursday’s BCS Championship game.

Golf Magazine Features High-Stakes Golf with Poker Players

It is well-known that top poker players do not limit their bets to just the green felts. Many players like to step to the pits in a casino and hit the table games, like 2009 November Nine member Phil Ivey, whose craps exploits were featured in a recent issue of “ESPN: The Magazine.” Others like to make outlandish proposition bets to feed their adrenaline rush of high-stakes betting. A recent magazine article focused on one of the other betting outlets that poker players have flocked to.

In the November 2009 edition of “Golf Magazine,” an article entitled “The Golf Sharks” by Josh Sens documents a foursome that, if seen on the poker tables, would send most players heading for cover. Phil Hellmuth, Layne Flack, Erick Lindgren, and Gavin Smith are the featured players as they play at stakes of $10,000 per hole. The game is a two-man best ball event, with Hellmuth and Flack taking on Lindgren and Smith.

Because the focus of the article is on the quartet’s golfing abilities, Sens dissects each player’s style with an unwavering eye. For Hellmuth, Sens comments, “His stance is shut, his backswing is a spasm and he sways through impact.” Hellmuth is confident, though, that he and Flack can take the match, commenting, “(We’ll play) well enough to win.”

Flack was able to get the athletic Lindgren (who won almost $350,000 in a golf bet during the 2007 World Series of Poker) and the former hockey player Smith to give two shots a side. In addition, Hellmuth would hit off the white tees, which feature a shorter route to the green than the more difficult pro tees. Lindgren comments, “They (Hellmuth and Flack) have no shame.”

Sens then documents the historical connection between golf and poker (and its high-stakes wagering). He mentions the now-defunct Professional Gamblers Invitational, which was active in the 1970s, was run by Jack Binion and featured some of the top golfing gamblers from across the country. He also invokes the names of two of the legends of the game, Dewey Tomko and Doyle Brunson, as connections among golfing, gambling, and poker.

In the end, the match looks as if it is going to end “all square,” the golfing vernacular for tied, when Hellmuth pulls off an incredible shot into the wind and over water. Landing it ten feet from the pin, he guarantees that his team will hold onto its one-hole edge and take home the money. “How’s that for clutch,” Sens quotes Hellmuth as saying as the round ends with no money exchanged. “We’ll wait until the poker tables,” Smith says, “and pay them with chips.”

What was surprising about this outing is that one of the most golf-mad poker players around, Daniel Negreanu, wasn’t part of it. His attempts to perfect his game have led to a never-ending series of jokes from Brunson on his blog, such as the oldie but goodie, “Daniel: Do you think it’s a sin to play on Sunday? Caddie – The way you play, it’s a sin on any day.” Negreanu can often be found during poker tournaments pantomiming his swing, searching for tips in his approach.

With such events as the World Series of Golf and the continued escapades of foursomes like the ones Sens features in “Golf Magazine,” it is easy to see that the connection between golf and poker isn’t going away anytime soon.

Poker After Dark Season 6 Kicks off January 4th

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Grand Prix de Paris Returns to World Poker Tour

From May 8th to 13th, the World Poker Tour (WPT) will return to the Aviation Club for the Grand Prix de Paris. The €10,000 buy-in tournament will be filmed for television and beamed around the world.

The Aviation Club opened back in 1907 and makes its home on the Champs-Elysées in Paris, the city’s famous boulevard. The cozy club’s poker consultant, Bruno Fitoussi, commented in a press release distributed by the WPT, "The Aviation Club de France is delighted to welcome back a WPT event in Paris. The WPT Grand Prix de Paris is guaranteed to be a high-class tournament in the highlights of the international poker scene and will, for sure, attract players from all around the world."

The 2010 visit to the Aviation Club marks the first WPT event in Paris since 2006. That year, Christian Grundtvig defeated Finnish poker player Jani Sointula to take home the Grand Prix de Paris title and its corresponding €712,500 first place prize. Sointula earned a €356,250 consolation prize and others at the final table included Thomas Wahlroos (third place for €243,750), Henrik Witt (fourth place for €168,750), Phil Yeh (fifth place for €131,250), and Pat Schuhl (sixth place for €93,750). A total of 232 players entered and the top 27 finished in the money.

Land-based satellites for the 2010 WPT Grand Prix de Paris will kick off on May 1st at the Aviation Club. Adam Pliska, President of the WPT, told Poker News Daily, "France is an important part of WPT's world and will continue to be key for WPT as it expands across Europe and beyond. While WPT's television shows continue to expand their global reach, the introduction of non-televised events will also provide WPT and its partners with even more opportunities to connect with its consumers.” Earlier this year, the WPT was sold to Party Gaming, the parent company of the popular site PartyPoker.

In 2005, Roland de Wolfe bested Juha Helppi in the Grand Prix de Paris, outlasting a field of 160 players. That year, Alan Goehring also made the final table, taking sixth place for €74,950. The 2004 installment was perhaps the most memorable, as it featured runner-up Tony G lambasting eventual winner Surinder Sunar. The Club’s layout was unique in that the assembled audience watched the action from the final table in an adjacent area via television monitors.

Lyndsay Lagree, Senior Public Relations Manager for the WPT, added, “We're thrilled to be back in France for the WPT Grand Prix de Paris. WPT looks forward to building on its longstanding relationship with Aviation Club de France and to welcoming many poker fans through its doors.” The first WPT Grand Prix de Paris took place in 2003 and saw David Benyamine best Jan Boubli for the title. Also at the final table was Full Tilt Poker pro Erick Lindgren, then a relative unknown. Lindgren recorded his second WPT cash at the Paris poker tournament, earning €53,600 during the Season 2 stop.

The Grand Prix de Paris comes one month after the WPT Championship at the Bellagio, the $25,000 buy-in end-of-season event, and the French feature tournament includes two starting days. In March, WPT staff will head to Bucharest for an event at the Regent Casino. The WPT Bucharest Main Event boasts a €3,300 buy-in and begins on March 27th.

Also to be held during the Grand Prix de Paris is a €20,000 buy-in High Roller event that begins on May 15th and runs for three days. WPT representatives noted that French gaming regulations were to blame for the tournament series’ absence from the Aviation Club for the last three years.

Face the Ace: Brian Twitty Wins $40,000

We had a chance to catch last weekend’s installment of the NBC poker franchise “Face the Ace.” In the end, Brian Twitty, a real estate appraiser and band member, walked away with $40,000 after defeating Jennifer Harman.

The first contestant to take to the “Face the Ace” stage was Anathan Thangavel from Beverly Hills, California. The recent law school graduate selected the ace of clubs because he was out at a club partying until 5:00am the night before taping. Out strolled 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Player of the Year Erick Lindgren, who has appeared on “Face the Ace” multiple times. Each player began with 20,000 chips and blinds kicked off at 200/400.

Holding 7-9, Thangavel called pre-flop and Lindgren rapped the table with 7-J. The flop came 2-3-7, giving both players top pair, but Lindgren held a better kicker. The Full Tilt Poker pro led out for 1,000, Thangavel raised to 3,000, and Lindgren shoved for 15,200. Lindgren told the challenger that he could see one of his cards and Thangavel picked the jack. Upon seeing the paint card, he quickly sent top pair into the muck.

In a key moment in the match, Thangavel picked up pocket jacks and called the big blind, while Lindgren raised to 2,000 with A-K of hearts. An all-in and call put Lindgren at risk and the assembled crowd on the “Face the Ace” stage watched the drama unfold. The flop came A-3-A, giving Lindgren trips and leaving the challenger drawing thin. The turn and river came a 10 and three, respectively, and Thangavel was down to just four big blinds.

In the final hand between Lindgren and Thangavel, the latter was all-in with J-3 and Lindgren made the call with 9-10. The flop came 6-9-K, giving Lindgren middle pair, and the turn came a 10 to improve him to two pair. Needing a queen on the river to make a straight, Thangavel watched as a seven hit, sending him home.

The next contestant was Twitty, who hails from Cypress, California. Twitty told “Face the Ace” host Steve Schirripa that he wanted to play against Phil Ivey, but instead found himself up against Jennifer Harman. Twitty was the victim of a bad beat late in his match against Harman after the pro raised to 3,100 with K-J. Twitty moved all-in with A-9 and Harman called with her tournament life on the line. The flop came 8-3-7, keeping Twitty’s ace-high ahead, and a seven on the turn changed nothing. However, Harman spiked a king on the river for a six-outer to double up.

Then, Harman made it 6,000 pre-flop with A-3 and Twitty pushed with A-Q. Harman called to put Twitty at risk, but the flop came queen-high to keep Twitty out in front for good. In the final hand between Harman and Twitty, the Full Tilt Poker pro was all-in with Q-8 of diamonds and Twitty called with K-J. The flop came 10-10-10, keeping Twitty in the lead, and a jack on the turn improved him to a boat. Harman needed the nine of diamonds for a straight flush or a queen for a better full house on the river to win the hand, but watched as an ace hit. Twitty earned $40,000 for defeating his first pro.

When asked if he wanted to take the money and run or play another pro for $200,000, Twitty selected the cash. The episode, which aired on Saturday, marked the second to last for “Face the Ace,” which will air its season finale on January 2nd. “Face the Ace” makes its home on NBC.

Overheard at High Stakes Poker Season 6 Taping

Last week, the sixth season of GSN’s cash game franchise “High Stakes Poker” was filmed at the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas. Some of the game’s best turned out for the three days of taping and sat down with Poker News Daily to discuss their thoughts headed into the suite.

Barry Greenstein will once again raise money for charity during Season 6 of “High Stakes Poker,” which will feature tournament hostess Kara Scott conducting interviews from the floor and Gabe Kaplan flying solo in the booth sans A.J. Benza. Greenstein is set to utter the most feared three words in all of poker sometime during the sixth season, “bing, bang blaow,” for charity. He told Poker News Daily, “One of the problems with it is that it’s like trash talking. Normally, it’s not classy to beat someone in a big pot and then talk trash. Each of the last couple of years, with the ‘Math is idiotic,’ I beat Tom Dwan and drew out. With the ‘lol donkaments,’ I told Erick Lindgren ahead of time that I was going to do it.” For uttering popular phrases throughout the years, Greenstein has truly earned his nickname as the “Robin Hood of Poker.”

Besides “High Stakes Poker,” Daniel Negreanu has taken to the television airwaves for the “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge,” which returns this Sunday following NFL football on Fox. Negreanu discussed how the show has been received so far: “We couldn’t be happier. It came in off ‘Face the Ace,’ which got bad ratings. ‘Million Dollar Challenge’ was one of the highest rated shows and did amazingly well. The time slot is perfect following football and the production quality is so much better. Everything has a game show feel.”

On the mind of “High Stakes Poker” newcomer Dennis Phillips was the win by fellow Team PokerStars Pro member Joe Cada in the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. Phillips finished third in the $10,000 buy-in feature tournament last year to the tune of $4.5 million; Cada’s win this year was worth $8.5 million. Phillips explained, “He was 21 and just won $8.5 million. He has a good head, talks well with the media, and wants to promote poker. We just need to make sure it goes the right way and he and I will be talking off and on.” PokerStars has produced several recent WSOP Main Event champions, including Chris Moneymaker (2003), Greg Raymer (2004), Joe Hachem (2005), Peter Eastgate (2008), and Cada (2009).

Phil Laak, who was an alternate for the sixth season of “High Stakes Poker” and wound up filming, told Poker News Daily about his experience at the 2009 WSOP Main Event final table, which unfolded at the Rio: “It was the second time in 10 years that I went to see it. I had never been in the Penn and Teller Theater in my life and I haven’t seen the show either.” Laak and Antonio Esfandiari instigated a number of prop bets during Season 5 of “High Stakes Poker,” one-off events that producer Mori Eskandani has apparently frowned upon during the show’s most recent installment.

Besides Phillips, another newcomer to the GSN poker series this time around is Lex “RaSZi” Veldhuis, who final tabled the $40,000 buy-in tournament commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP in 2009. Veldhuis told Poker News Daily how he stacks up against the talented competition: “I’ve played with these guys before, so I’m comfortable with them and I’m comfortable with my game. I just hope I can win some money because the show is a small sample. There’s going to be really high variance and I won’t have a lot of hands. It’s gambling, so in that respect, I think it’s higher stakes.”

Season 6 of “High Stakes Poker” will begin airing on Sunday, February 14th on GSN.

Face the Ace: Andrew Weinstein, Adam Drescher Leave Empty-Handed

The challengers continued to struggle on the NBC poker franchise “Face the Ace.” On Saturday, tax attorney Andrew Weinstein and poker novice Adam Drescher each left the show’s Las Vegas set with nothing to show for their efforts except some network television face time.

Weinstein, a 40 year-old from Washington State, selected the ace of clubs for his $40,000 match. Out strolled Erick Lindgren, a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner whom Weinstein has played with before. Each player received 20,000 chips in the opening round and blinds escalated quickly, beginning at 200-400.

Weinstein came out firing, raising pre-flop with gems like 5-10, 7-3, and 2-6 before getting his chips in with A-7 against Lindgren’s A-4. However, the two chopped the pot when the first four cards came 8-A-10-8, giving both players the Dead Man’s Hand with a 10 kicker.

Weinstein doubled after calling all-in with A-10 against Lindgren’s K-Q of diamonds. The ace was the door card, keeping Weinstein in the lead in the hand for good, and the challenger built his stack to over 31,000. Then, Lindgren doubled with pocket sixes against Weinstein’s J-5 of hearts. On the match’s final hand, Lindgren shoved with Q-7, including the seven of clubs, but ran into Weinstein’s A-6, including the ace of the suit. Four clubs came and Weinstein earned the nut flush and a win in the $40,000 match.

The Full Tilt Poker qualifier could play on for $200,000 or take his money and run. He chose the former option after very little debate, selecting the ace of diamonds. Jennifer Harman emerged from the smoky “Face the Ace” façade and, in a hand that had the audience buzzing, Harman was dealt 10-8 and raised to 3,000 pre-flop with a starting stack of 100,000 and blinds at 500-1,000. Weinstein peeked down at Q-9 and made the call. The flop came J-Q-5, giving Weinstein top pair, and he check-called a 4,000 bet from Harman. The turn was a three and Weinstein once-again check-called a bet from the pro, this time totaling 13,000. The river was a nine, giving Harman a miracle straight, and Weinstein check-called a small bet of 12,000. Harman sheepishly scooped the pot and the mood of the match changed dramatically.

Weinstein avoided disaster in a hand with A-7 against Harman’s pocket kings. Harman raised pre-flop to 3,000, Weinstein made it 11,000, Harman bumped the action to 22,000, and Weinstein called to see the flop come 10-6-Q. Harman led out for another 30,000 and Weinstein quickly released his hand.

Harman’s A-K of hearts withstood Weinstein’s A-9 offsuit on the match’s final hand after the pro made a flush, sending Weinstein home from Sin City with nothing. Harman, a 73% favorite pre-flop, called feverishly for a nine to hit, but the board of 5-2-Q-6-8 with three hearts ensured that no upset would occur.

Drescher then took to the stage. The poker player from Bethesda, Maryland had only been playing the game for six months and his inexperience proved fatal. He selected the ace of diamonds, Huck Seed, who won the 2009 National Heads-Up Poker Championship over Vanessa Rousso. Only a few hands into play, Drescher open-shoved with 10-9 for 19,400 chips into a pot of only 600 and Seed picked up pocket kings. Seed was an 83% favorite to send Drescher packing and the board ran out 3-7-2-9-3. Drescher made top pair, but it wasn’t enough, as the qualifiers were blanked on the November 14th episode of “Face the Ace.”

The show, which is sponsored by Full Tilt Poker, aired preceding golf coverage on NBC and went head-to-head with multiple college football games. “Face the Ace,” hosted by Steve Schirripa, will return on December 12th. Check local listings for more information.

Mueller wins own event in FTOPS XIV

The Full Tilt pro also beat respected online grinder James "P0KERPR0" Campbell in heads-up play to secure the $36,081 first place prize.

The former professional hockey player became just the second Full Tilt pro to win his own FTOPS event.

Team Full Tilt member Erick Lindgren was the first player to perform the feat when he won a $300+$22 No-Limit Hold'em event he hosted during FTOPS VII in 2008.

It's been a good year for Mueller who won two bracelets in the 2009 WSOP after a series of heart-breaking runner-up finishes. Both of his wins came in Limit Hold'em.

Mueller is also not the first Full Tilt pro to take down an event at FTOPS XIV.

David Pham, who has two WSOP bracelets to his name, won the $500+$35 H.O.R.S.E. event on Tuesday for $69,570.

FTOPS XIV wraps up this weekend with Tom "durrrr" Dwan hosting the $2.5 million guaranteed main event on Sunday. Qualifiers for the $500+$35 event are currently running on Full Tilt.

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Tom Dwan (durrrr) Joins Team Full Tilt

The elite group of 13 poker pros that comprise Team Full Tilt Poker has a new member joining its ranks.  The online poker room just announced that its 14th member of the team will be 23-year old high-stakes online poker pro Tom “durrrr” Dwan.

Full Tilt Poker recently added Dwan to its roster, but Dwan has been a noticeable presence on the site for quite some time prior to the new sponsorship deal.  Full Tilt has been hosting Dwan’s “Durrrr Challenge” cash game tables since the epic bet first came to light in February and the youngster is a mainstay on all of the highest stakes cash game tables on the site as well.

Prior to Dwan, the last addition to the squad was Patrik Antonius, who joined Team Full Tilt in the summer of 2008.  The other members of the exclusive group are Howard Lederer, Jennifer Harman, Allen Cunningham, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Gus Hansen, Mike Matusow, Andy Bloch, Erik Seidel, Phil Ivey, John Juanda, Phil Gordon, and Erick Lindgren.  The group has a collective 37 World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets and is widely considered to represent some of the best tournament and cash game players in the world.  Dwan is now the youngest member of the group, but in his brief career, he has made an indelible impression on both the online and live poker communities.

In a press release announcing the news, Lederer spoke about the young pro and why they decided to include him on the team: “Team Full Tilt doesn’t take adding a team member lightly, but Tom Dwan has proven, through skill and dynamic play, that he will be a force to be reckoned with for many years to come. We are proud to count Tom as one of our own.”

Dwan’s list of accomplishments include over $1 million in tournament poker winnings, three WSOP final tables, a World Poker Tour final table, and several successful appearances on poker television shows like “Poker After Dark” and “High Stakes Poker.”  Dwan holds the record for both the largest pot in “High Stakes Poker” history as well as the largest pot in televised poker history, which he recently won off of Ivey during the filming of the “Full Tilt Poker’s Million Dollar Cash Game.”  Dwan won the $1.1 million pot when he turned a seven-high straight against Ivey’s five-high straight and the two players got it all-in.  The big hand is scheduled to air as part of the show on U.K.’s Sky Sports in January of 2010.

Now that Dwan is a member of Team Full Tilt, he will be facing off against his fellow team members as action continues in his “Durrrr Challenge” bet.  Dwan and Antonius have played a little over 27,000 hands of the 50,000 required.  Dwan currently holds a $779,248 lead over Antonius.  Once Antonius finishes his 50,000 hands against Dwan, fellow Team Full Tilt member and recent seventh place finisher in the 2009 WSOP Main Event, Ivey, will step up, as will David Benyamine.

Dwan is set to take part in the upcoming season of “High Stakes Poker,” which will be filming at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas from November 11th to 13th and will likely be sporting a Full Tilt Poker patch as part of his duties.

Tom Dwan is the newest member of Team Full Tilt

There has been some speculation about Tom Dwan and Full Tilt Poker. Well, now it’s official, Tom Dwan is the latest addition to Full Tilt Poker’s Pro Poker Team.

Full Tilt Poker announced about their newest Team Full Tilt member. FTP’s announcement was praising Dwan quite highly:

“Dwan, best known by his online player handle “durrrr”, is one of the most influential and successful players in online poker history. Known for his prolific play in high-stakes games at Full Tilt Poker, he has proven himself to be an unstoppable force any time he sits down at a table.”

Dwan has won $1.1 million from live tournaments, these include 3 WSOP cashes and one WPT final table.

Dwan became the youngest member of the Team Full Tilt. Other members are: Phil Ivey, Chris Ferguson, Howard Lederer, John Juanda, Jennifer Harman, Phil Gordon, Erick Lindgren, Erik Seidel, Andy Bloch, Mike Matusow, Gus Hansen, Allen Cunningham and Patrik Antonius.

You can visit Dwan’s team page here.

Source: PR Newswire

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Tom Dwan is the newest member of Team Full Tilt

durrrr signs with Team Full Tilt

The site is calling the 23-year-old  New Jersey native and former Boston University English major "one of the most influential and successful players in online poker history," and there's really no doubt about it.

While he's down around $1.8 million playing in online's biggest games this year, Dwan took over $5.4 million off the virtual tables in 2008.

Plus, there is whatever he's been raking in at the biggest live cash games around the world, $1.1 million in live tournament earnings, and some of the biggest pots and largest winning sessions in televised poker history to consider.

After dominating the last season of GSN's High Stakes Poker, this past September he raked in a $1.1 pot at million at Full Tilt Poker's Million Dollar Cash Game in London - the largest ever.

Since much of Dwan's online work has been done on Full Tilt's tables and his $1.5 million durrrr Challenge has been one of the biggest railbird draws in online history, he is an obvious choice for the team.

But while the site has a large stable of Red Pros sponsored to play on the site, Team Full Tilt is a group largely made up of the game's most elite players, including Phil Ivey, Chris Ferguson, Howard Lederer, John Juanda, Jennifer Harman, Phil Gordon, Erick Lindgren, Erik Seidel, Andy Bloch, Mike Matusow, Gus Hansen, Allen Cunningham and Patrik Antonius.

"Team Full Tilt doesn't take adding a team member lightly," said Lederer. "But, Tom Dwan has proven, through skill and dynamic play, that he will be a force to be reckoned with for many years to come.

"We are proud to count Tom as one of our own."

While he will continue to prowl Full Tilt's highest stakes games, Dwan will also be lending his knowledge to the Full Tilt Poker Academy and blogging for the site.

Dwan is now Team Full Tilt's youngest member.

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Patrik Antonius, Howard Lederer and Erick Lindgren vs The MMA Champions!

Patrik Antonius, Howard Lederer and Erick Lindgren have been playing against many people and that must include very strange personalities. But probably never have these three played against people who get their paycheck from hitting people in the face.

Randy Couture - One of the greatest MMA fighters

The three pros will be facing their dreaded opponents in a special Poker After Dark sit & go tournament. On the MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) corner will be the former UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) heavyweight champion Randy Couture, Dan Henderson (former champion in two weight classes) and none other than the UFC announcer Bruce Buffer.

Dan Henderson with his two title belts

Full Tilt Poker has been doing some very apparent co-operation with UFC lately and Bruce Buffer and Matt Hughes have a red status on Full TIlt. Bruce Buffer is known to be a very blazing personality, so we are probably going to get treated with some of the most memorable moments of PAD.

It will be Antonius’ ninth appearance on PAD, Lederer has visited the show 13 times, from which he has been able to win three. This special tournament has been filmed already, but the airing date hasn’t been announce yet.

Want to play with the pros or against some of the MMA superstars? Join now and get 27% rakeback and a great first deposit bonus offer. Click here.

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Patrik Antonius, Howard Lederer and Erick Lindgren vs The MMA Champions!

Face the Ace: Charles Campbell, Will Liberman One and Done

The Halloween installment of the NBC poker franchise “Face the Ace” saw two contestants go one and done. Savannah firefighter Charles Campbell and cell phone salesman Will Liberman both failed to win $40,000.

Campbell, whose initials affectionately earned him the nickname “CC,” donned a jacket that said, “Face the Ace? I am the Ace” on the back. Campbell selected the ace of spades and, desiring to face Mike Matusow, watched as Phil Gordon emerged. Each player received 20,000 in chips and blinds began at 200/400. The match saw small-ball poker played, as Campbell and Gordon both carefully guarded their chip stacks. In one hand, Campbell called pre-flop with pocket sevens and Gordon made it 2,400 with pocket eights. Campbell pushed it to 5,400 and Gordon shoved all-in for 17,400. Campbell tanked before electing to fold face up and Gordon commented, “That was a great laydown,” showing the higher pocket pair.

Campbell doubled through Gordon holding A-K, including the king of clubs, against K-10. With the studio audience of about two-dozen gathering in wait, the flop came J-2-A with two clubs. The turn was the queen of clubs, giving Gordon the nut straight, but another club on the river improved Campbell to a flush. However, the challenger would drop most of his chips back to the pro when his A-Q could not hold up against Gordon’s Q-10. Gordon flopped top pair on a 4-10-3 board and quickly pushed. Given the number of chips in the pot, Campbell called with ace-high. The board ran out 7-2, giving Gordon all but 400 of the 40,000 chips in play, or 99%.

Campbell doubled up from 400 to 800 before ultimately falling with J-7 to Gordon’s K-5 of diamonds. The board came 6-8-3-9-9 and Gordon earned $10,000 for his charity, PreventCancer.org. He agreed to place the grant to the organization in Campbell’s mother’s name, as she is a two-time cancer survivor. Host Steve Schirripa, of “The Sopranos” fame, applauded the gesture.

The second contestant to take to the “Face the Ace” stage in Las Vegas was Liberman, who hails from Atlanta after moving from Russia a decade ago. Liberman selected the ace of clubs and faced Erick Lindgren, who, like Gordon, was making his second appearance on the poker television show. Lindgren was the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Player of the Year after earning his first bracelet in the $5,000 buy-in Mixed Hold’em event. He also took third in that year’s $50,000 buy-in HORSE Championship for $781,000.

In a key hand, Lindgren made the call pre-flop with 7-4 of spades and Liberman raised to 1,200 with K-Q. Lindgren obliged and the flop came 6-7-Q, giving both players a pair. The action, however, went check-check to another seven on the turn, improving Lindgren to trips. Lindgren led out for 1,500 and Liberman called to see a king on the river. Liberman checked, Lindgren bet 3,800, and Liberman called with top two pair, shipping a pot of 13,000 to “E-Dog.”

In the match’s final encounter, Liberman called with 7-4 of spades hoping to get lucky with the same hand as Lindgren did and the pro checked his option with 10-8. The flop came J-8-2 with two spades and Liberman pushed for his last 3,500 in chips. Lindgren called and the turn and river blanked out. Lindgren earned $10,000 for his charity, giving the pros a sweep of the “Face the Ace” Full Tilt Poker qualifiers for the first time this season.

“Face the Ace” will return on Saturday, November 14th at 3:00pm ET on NBC. The series will then air one month later on December 14th, also at 3:00pm ET, and then on January 2nd at 2:30pm ET.

WSOP Main Event on ESPN Features Day 8

Day 8 of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event played out on cable station ESPN on Tuesday night. The two-hour broadcast featured future November Nine members Phil Ivey, Jeff Shulman, and Darvin Moon.

ESPN announcer Norman Chad opened Day 8 coverage with a timely Bible metaphor: “Moses never made it to the Promised Land, but my man Phil Ivey will make it to the November Nine.” A total of 27 players remained in the hunt for the $8.5 million first place prize and Moon began the day as the chip leader. Ivey’s rocky Day 8 started by dropping a 2.3 million chip pot with pocket twos against the A-9 of Jordan “scarface_79” Smith.

Ivey, seated at the feature table, would witness Nick Maimone go four-for-four on double-ups, the first time chopping a pot with Moon holding Q-10 against Q-J. The second time, Maimone was all-in for less than nine big blinds holding Q-5 of clubs against Ivey’s pocket jacks. Maimone spiked a queen on the turn to stay alive and then recorded his third double-up at the expense of Smith, who pushed with pocket tens on a flop of 8-Q-4. Maimone held pocket sevens and needed to catch lightning in a bottle to stave off elimination. Sure enough, the turn gave him a set.

A rare lapse in judgment plagued Ivey in a hand at the feature table. Ivey held pocket eights, including the eight of spades, and raised to 320,000 pre-flop. Smith pushed the price of poker to one million and Ivey made the call. The action was checked down to the river with the board showing four spades, giving Ivey a flush. Smith flipped over A-9 and Ivey shook his head before mucking. As expected, Chad did not approve, telling his horse, “Phil, you had a flush. Five suited cards is a flush. You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Ivey’s tumultuous run continued, as Marco Mattes was all-in for 2.5 million with pocket queens and Ivey made the call with jacks, telling Shulman that he thought Mattes had tens. The board ran out five cards 10 or lower, doubling Mattes up. All told, Ivey had lost 30% of his stack on the two misreads. Contrastingly, Maimone’s run of luck continued. This time, he called all-in with pocket queens against Mattes’ A-K for a race situation. The board ran out 8-9-8-J-3, doubling him up for a fourth and final time.

Antonio Esfandiari officially recorded his first WSOP Main Event cash to close out the first of two one-hour episodes on ESPN. “The Magician” pushed over the top of a raise by Steven Begleiter with pocket fives and Begleiter made the call with K-10 after the flop came 2-4-10. The turn was a six and the river was an ace, sending Esfandiari out in 24th.

Ivey continued to bleed chips, dropping one-sixth of his stack to George Caragiorgas, who was all-in with pocket deuces against Ivey’s A-10. The board came 6-J-3-9-4, doubling up Ivey’s opponent. Away from the feature table, two future November Nine members tangled, as Antoine Saout raised to 425,000 pre-flop with pocket aces and Begleiter called with K-10. The action checked to the turn on the A-3-8-8 board and Belgeiter led out for 450,000. Saout called with his boat to see the river come a jack. Then, the fireworks went off, as Begleither bet 1.15 million, Saout raised to 3.25 million, and Begleiter promptly funneled his cards into the muck.

Warren Zackey hit the rail in 22nd place when his pocket twos could not hold up against Ian Tavelli’s Q-J. Other late eliminations included Caragiorgas and World Poker Tour (WPT) Festa al Lago champion Tommy Vedes, who finished in 20th and 19th, respectively.

Returning this week were the “Deal Me In” and “Straight from the Pros” segments. The former is sponsored by Full Tilt Poker and featured Erick Lindgren recapping a hand during the 2008 WSOP Main Event. The latter saw Daniel Negreanu rehash a pot against Poker Hall of Fame member Mike Sexton during the 2006 WSOP Tournament of Champions. Negreanu identified Sexton’s hand on the river, pocket kings, and then called his bet despite being beat to show Sexton he had a read on him.

The 2009 WSOP November Nine will be determined next Tuesday beginning at 9:00pm ET on ESPN. On November 10th, the final table will play out just hours after a champion is determined in Las Vegas.

Full Tilt Poker Sued Over Bot Use

The legal woes keep piling up for Full Tilt Poker, as the site now has a third lawsuit on its hands to go along with pending legal action from former pro Clonie Gowen and former employee Jason “JDN” Newitt.  Unlike the previous two cases, this suit comes from a customer rather than someone with inside knowledge of how the company works.

Heads-up online poker player Lary “pokergirl z” Kennedy and former Full Tilt customer Greg Omotoy filed their complaint on October 1st and levied accusations of fraud, libel, slander, false advertising, and racketeering against the popular online poker room.

Kennedy and Omotoy sought legal action after Full Tilt Poker confiscated more than $80,000 spread across the two players’ accounts because the site believed they were using bots, which is against its Terms of Service.  Shortly after her account was frozen in 2007, Kennedy posted her story on the popular TwoPlusTwo online poker forum seeking advice.  As the thread developed, news broke that Kennedy was multi-accounting, logging into Full Tilt on Omotoy’s account in an attempt to elicit more action at the heads-up tables.

The official complaint against Full Tilt alleges that a player known on the site as “TheComplainer” accused Kennedy of being a bot and suggests that his good standing with Full Tilt resulted in her being booted off the site.  TheComplainer, known among the TwoPlusTwo community as “Crazy Mike” and “Gatorade,” had a reputation as an anti-bot poker crusader and accused several other players of being bots as well.

In addition to seeking restitution and damages in relation to the confiscated funds, the lawsuit accuses the site of a number of other crimes and makes insinuations about the inner workings of its management team.  The suit is filed against the companies Full Tilt Poker and Tiltware as well as several individual members of Team Full Tilt.  The list of individuals named in the claim includes Howard Lederer, Raymond Bitar, Phil Gordon, Chris Ferguson, Andy Bloch, Perry Friedman, Erick Lindgren, Erik Seidel, Phil Ivey, Patrik Antonius, John Juanda, Gus Hansen, Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, and Allen Cunningham.

Within the claim, Kennedy and Otomy’s representation explains that Full Tilt originally consisted of two separate companies, Tiltware and Vert Enterprises.  It suggests that, despite Full Tilt’s assertion that they are separate entities operating out of California and St. Kitts and Nevis, respectively, the two companies are one in the same and even suggests that Vert Enterprises actually ran an office out of Los Angeles for over two years.  When describing the roles of the individuals named in the suit, the claim also argues that Bitar, Lederer, and Ferguson all play major executive positions in the company.

The suit accuses Ferguson and Bloch of creating bots to populate slow cash game tables on the site and increase the profits of the company.  The bot accusation and the contention that Team Full Tilt and Full Tilt Red Pros are playing with “house money” are used in the claim to depict Full Tilt as an online casino rather than cardroom and, as such, in violation of California state law as well as online gaming laws in several other states.

These illegal online gambling charges are joined by accusations of fraud, unfair competition, and false advertising.  The complaint also invokes the Racketeer-Influenced Corrupt Organization Act (RICO), which has historically been used to levy criminal charges against organized crime syndicates, but is used in private suits as well in part because it enables plaintiffs to receive triple the amount of damages.  Kennedy and Otomy’s claim suggests that Full Tilt has willfully committed hundreds of illegal gambling transactions that fall under RICO’s definition of racketeering.

Full Tilt has yet to issue a response to any of the charges issued in this most recent suit or in the pending litigation involving Newitt and Gowen.  While the latter two are remaining mum about their cases against the company, Kennedy has taken her story to the Web and posting the complaint against Full Tilt on her official pokergirl website.

Hellmuth, Michelle headline Aruba Poker Classic

In fact, tournament organizers are expecting a record number of pros to make the trip to sunny Aruba.

"This is one of my all-time favorite poker tournaments," said Annie Duke, UltimateBet's Cardroom Consultant and member of Team UB.

"While the UB community is famous for gathering together at all sorts of other poker tournaments like the WSOP, Aruba is all about celebrating the successes of UltimateBet's online poker players. I can't wait to meet the people I play against online, party with old friends on the beach and make some new ones."

The entire Team UB roster is scheduled to appear including Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke, Joe Sebok, Adam Levy, Billy Kopp, Bryan Devonshire, Brandon Cantu, Hollywood Dave Stann, Live Boeree, Matt Graham, Mark "P0ker H0" Kroon, Scott Ian, Michael Binger, Gary "debo34" Debernardi and Shawn Rice.

Also confirmed to play are Amazing Race stars Tiffany Michelle (who is also a UB pro) and Maria Ho.

Michelle mentioned she was looking forward to the event when interviewed by PokerListings regarding her Amazing Race experience.

"We've been doing a lot of press to support the show so it will be exciting to go to Aruba," said Michelle. "I'm excited to sit back down at a poker table and see if I still got it."

Lacey Jones and Matt Vengrin, who represent Absolute Poker on UB's CEREUS network, will also make an appearance at the tournament.

The Aruba Poker Classic began in 2002 and has since seen a number of high profile winners including Juha Helppi, Erick Lindgren, Freddy Deeb and Travis Rice.

Last year, online pro Matt Brady outlasted 550 players to win $1 million out of a prize pool of over $2.6 million.

Taking place at the Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino & Spa, the 2009 Aruba Poker Classic will run Oct. 3-10 with the $5,500 main event starting Oct. 5. For the complete schedule go to the Aruba Poker Classic website.

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Crown releases 2010 Aussie Millions schedule

The schedule includes a total of 20 events running Jan. 14-31, 2010, at the Crown Casino in Melbourne with the $10,500 Main Event taking place Jan. 24-30.

In releasing the schedule, tournament organizers took the time to set some lofty goals in terms of prize pool and attendance.

"Crown is also announcing an expected first prize of $2.5 million for the No-Limit Hold'em main event which will further entrench Crown's Aussie Millions Poker Championship as one of the most prestigious poker tournaments in the world," said Crown CEO David Courtney.

Courtney went on to estimate the two-week series would draw more than 2,500 players with 1,000 for the main event alone. Courtney cited the growing popularity of poker in Australia as the main reason for expected growth.

Last year participation in the main event dropped by 99 players, but organizers still awarded the largest payout in Aussie Millions history with winner Stewart Scott taking home $2 million.

In the past, the Aussie Millions has had one of the most diverse tournament tournament schedules in the world and this year is no exception.

The series will offer Pot-Limit Omaha, H.O.R.S.E., Heads-Up, Seven-Card Stud, Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo and team-based events in addition to numerous No-Limit Hold'em tournaments.

Perhaps the most notable tournament on the schedule, outside of the main event, is the elite $100,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em event on Jan. 23. Former winners include Erick Lindgren, Howard Lederer, John Juanda and most recently David Steicke.

The Aussie Millions is always a magnet for high profile celebrity players and Jennifer Tilly, Shannon Elizabeth, Michael Vartan, Shane Warne, Brian McFadden, Ruby Rose and Brendan Fevola have all made appearances at the event in the past.

The Aussie Millions will be filmed and developed into a TV show on Fox Sports Network for an international audience of over 100 million.

For a complete look at the 2010 Aussie Millions schedule visit the Crown Casino website.

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Lock Poker Signs 12 Non-US Online Poker Pros

Lock Poker, a site on the popular Cake Poker Network, has inked 12 non-U.S. online poker pros to grow its player base worldwide. Poker Players International’s Randy Kasper orchestrated the signings.

The new fleet of Lock Poker pros includes Stephen “allinstevie” Devlin (Ireland, United Kingdom), Bjorn Andre “bjolla” Hovden (Norway), Dan “danloulou” Smyth (Ireland, United Kingdom), Vincent “Diamond8” Gabel (Belgium), Elmar “EmmiV” Masson (Iceland), Joe “Conno!!y” Connolly (United Kingdom), Francisco Costa (Portugal), Robert Jan Hoogendoorn (Netherlands), Brendon “brendoor” Rubie (Australia), Maximilian Bassil (Norway), Bolivar Palacios (Latin America), and Jose Raul Severino (Latin America). Last month, Lock Poker signed Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Eric “Rizen” Lynch to be its Director of Product Development. Lynch hails from the United States.

On the impetus behind growing the Lock Poker brand around the globe, Kasper told Poker News Daily, “Ever since Lock Poker and I started talking about signing Eric, they’ve picked my brain about what I thought would be our next move. They said that international signings were the next step and I agreed. You see a good cross-section here. Most of those players are pretty good online. There are also a couple of guys who have more business-related contacts.” Lock Poker burst onto the online poker scene in March, when the USA-friendly site hosted the Bluff Online Poker Challenge, a one month-long promotion won by Brian “SNo0oWMAN” Hawkins.

Lock Poker is now charged with utilizing its one-dozen non-U.S. pros to the most profitable extent possible. On what the online poker site has planned, Kasper speculated, “Lock is going to come up with something creative. They have different ideas with what will work in each area. Lock is focused on making sure they can cater to each player’s experience, which means different things in each region. They’re not afraid to strike out boldly and create workable relationships with these fantastic players.”

In addition to its non-U.S. signings, Lock Poker has also brought onboard three more American players, headlined by Brett “gank” Jungblut, a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner. Jungblut was in the winner’s circle in the $5,000 buy-in World Championship of Omaha High-Low Eight or Better during the 2004 WSOP for $187,000, besting a competitive final table that also included “Miami” John Cernuto, Huck Seed, and Erick Lindgren.

Also new to Lock Poker is Vinny Pahuja, who finished as the runner-up in a $2,000 buy-in tournament held during a WSOP Circuit stop in Las Vegas in April. Pahuja banked $41,000 for his efforts in that event, about the same amount as he earned for recording a fifth place finish during last July’s Venetian Deep Stack Extravaganza. Pahuja took 28th in the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Borgata Poker Open last September for $21,000.

The third and final American to hop onboard the Lock Poker bandwagon is David Zeitlin, who won a deep stack event at Mohegan Sun for $136,000 in July. He also made a deep run in the 2009 WSOP Main Event, earning $32,000 for his 262nd place finish out of 6,494 entrants. In 2007, he was the runner-up to Jason Warner in a $1,500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em Six-Handed event during the WSOP for $269,000. On the trio of Americans, Kasper commented in a press release distributed by Lock Poker, “Lock is fortunate to add such great players of great character to their ranks. These three are truly top-notch, both on and off the felt. These players are also fortunate to find a truly innovative room to partner with.”

The Cake Poker Network is the 10th largest worldwide according to the traffic ranking site PokerScout.com, boasting a seven-day running average of 1,820 real money ring game players. Joining Lock Poker on the Network are sites such as Cake Poker, Doyle’s Room, Players Only, and PokerHost.

Face the Ace to Return Saturday Afternoon

After a month-long absence from the airwaves, the NBC game show “Face the Ace” will return to the networks line-up this Saturday. Several changes are in store for the program, which struggled in the ratings when it first debuted back in August.

Most notably, the show is no longer airing on a weekly basis, but will instead be shown once a month on Saturday afternoons as part of the NBC Sports lineup. Previously, the show aired in a primetime time slot on Saturday evenings. For those who may not be familiar with the show, the basic premise offers contestants a chance to square off against some of the top poker pros in the world over a series of three matches. If the contestant is able to get the best of the first pro, they have the option to either take $40,000 or risk it all by playing a second pro in a match worth $200,000. Should the contestant win the second match, they will again be offered a chance to leave with the money or go for broke in a third and final showdown worth $1 million.

The first two episodes saw contestant Don Topel defeat both Erick Lindgren and Howard Lederer only to lose to Gavin Smith in the final million dollar match and walk away empty-handed. Over the course of the first two episodes only one contestant has actually won any prize money, opting to walk away with $40,000 after defeating November Nine member Phil Ivey in the first round.

Mori Eskandani, who produces “Face the Ace” spoke about some of the alterations to the show in a statement on NBC Sport’s official website. “Viewers of this week’s show will see that we’ve made some changes from the first two episodes which are designed to create even more excitement. For instance, the live audience, which is comprised mostly of the other qualifiers and their friends or spouses, will be far more vocal and have a greater role in maintaining a high energy level on the set”, Eskandani explained. “There are some other subtle changes also, and we think the viewers will like them.” Eskandani’s production company Poker PROductions also produces the popular NBC series “Poker After Dark” and Game Show Network’s “High Stakes Poker.”

One player who will be featured on Saturday’s episode is French native Nicholas Mamy who won his way onto the show via a satellite on Full Tilt Poker, the program’s sponsor. Mamy was urged by fellow online poker players David “The Maven” Chicotsky and “Bodog” Ari Engel to give the satellite a shot. Next thing he knew he was flying to Las Vegas for a July taping of the show where he rubbed elbows with Schirripa, co-hosts Ali Nejad and Megan Abrigo as well as the host of Full Tilt Pros on hand to participate in the show. The identity of Mamy’s first opponent has not been disclosed, as the surprise reveal of the pro is a major part of the show.

Saturday’s episode of “Face the Ace” is scheduled to air at 2 PM, preceding coverage of the BMW Championship golf tournament. The following episode is set to air on Halloween, October 31st, at 3:30 PM.

WSOP Coverage on ESPN Spotlights Hellmuth and Ivey

Last night’s episodes of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) on ESPN spotlighted the two most recognizable Phils in poker: Phil Hellmuth and November Nine member Phil Ivey. Hellmuth was seated at the feature table for the coverage of Day 2B while the secondary feature table boasted a strong line up of Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi and PokerStars Pros Dennis Phillips and Maria “Maridu” Mayrinck. Over the course of the two episodes the show included updates on cancer patient Kent Senter, actor Lou Diamond Phillips and NBA star Jordan Farmar amongst others, but perhaps the most interesting aspect of Tuesday’s show was the unorthodox play of Hellmuth. As co-host Norman Chad aptly put it, it was, “as if Phil’s body and soul has been occupied by some idiot from Northern Europe.”

The episode began by reminding the audience of Hellmuth’s epic entrance in full Roman regalia for Day 1 of play and Chad assured viewers that the 11-time bracelet winner would be full of surprises during Day 2.  Chad got the inside scoop from Hellmuth, who told the poker commentator he was, “going to be more active and not back down from big raises.” While ESPN chose not to air the verbal confrontation between Hellmuth and internet poker pro Todd “Dan Druff” Witteles regarding the Ultimate Bet cheating scandal, Chad did make mention of each player’s role in the scandal and subsequent investigation as part of his commentary.

Hellmuth stuck to his word during the first featured hand of the night when he called a raise from 22-year old Ben Sprengers holding 7c 8c and got it all-in against Sprenger’s two pair when the Jd-6c-5c flop brought him an open-ended straight flush draw. After Hellmuth hit his flush to double up, Sprengers, who would prove to be Hellmuth’s nemesis throughout the day, questioned the Ultimate Bet Pro’s play and Hellmuth responded by saying, “I didn’t come to lay down son. I came to play.”

A member of last year’s November Nine, Phillips, also came to play and did not take long to clash in a pot with his tablemate Mizrachi. It would be Mayrinck, not Mizrachi who would be featured in the most pots with Phillips, as Mizrachi hit the rail midway through Day 2B play. Phillips picked up pocket aces against the Brazilian pro twice and managed to get her to pay him off both times.

Phillips was not the only November Niner profiled. The show also featured a segment discussing year’s winner Peter Eastgate besting Hellmuth’s record of youngest Main Event Champion. Hellmuth won his Main Event title at age 23 while Eastgate was just 22-years old when he won the Main Event last year. The 2008 Player of the Year Erick Lindgren also made the coverage, as the cameras caught his pocket queens getting cracked by Craig Ivey’s pocket jacks to eliminate the Full Tilt Pro early on Day 2B.

Some of the other players featured last night included Robert Williamson III, Scotty Nguyen, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Ville Wahlbeck, 2009 WSOP Player of the Year Jeffrey Lisandro, Hevad “Rain” Khan, Howard Lederer and Frankie Gay, who was playing in the Main Event to honor his late son who was a soldier killed in action overseas. While Gay did not survive to Day 3, he and his family felt the trip was an appropriate tribute to their beloved son.

Senter, whose dying wish was to play in the WSOP Main Event, fared better than Gay did on the felt and survived to Day 3 despite doubling up Billy Gazes late in the day. Some of the other players to survive Day 2B included Hachem, Phillips, Mayrinck, JC Tran, Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian, Eastgate and Phil Ivey.

Ivey did more than just survive Day 2B. He ended the day as one of the big stacks in the room thanks in part to a huge hand in which he got it all-in preflop holding pocket kings to Jonas Molander’s A-K. The kings held to give Ivey the 223,700 chip pot and vault him to the top of the chip counts.

This week’s “The Nuts” segment featured a chess game between Chad and Lederer. Chad didn’t have much time to interview Lederer, as his opponent made quick worth of the TV personality on the chess board. The PokerStars’ Straight From the Pros segment highlighted a hand Khan played against Jon Kalmar in the 2007 Main Event and the Full Tilt Poker-sponsored piece Deal Me In had Jennifer Harman offering insight on a hand she played in a WSOP Circuit event against Jean-Robert Bellande.

Next week’s episodes will feature coverage of Day 3, the first day the entire field will converge on the Rio at the same time.

Ultimate Bet to Give Away Mercedes at Aruba Poker Classic

The Ultimate Bet-sponsored Aruba Poker Classic is only a month away and the online poker room recently announced a new incentive to persuade players to take a Caribbean vacation come October. As part of the tournament festivities celebrating the site’s tenth anniversary and the eighth year of the Aruba event, Ultimate Bet added a ten-handed Sit & Go in which the winner will walk away with a brand new Mercedes Benz ML-350 sport utility vehicle.

For players interested in participating in the Mercedes-Benz tournament, there are a couple of different ways to earn a seat. Ultimate Bet will be hosting a $200 + $15 online satellite at 9:30PM ET on Sunday September 27th that will award seats to the top five finishers. In addition to winning an entry into the live event, the five satellite winners will also receive $2,000 to go towards travel expenses. This is an open event available to every customer on Ultimate Bet.

Four other seats will be doled out to those players that have already won a prize package into the Aruba Poker Classic Main Event. The satellite for those who have already won their way to Aruba will also be held on the 27th and will kick off at 5:30PM. The buy-in is $500 + $30 and only the top four finishers will earn entry into the Mercedes giveaway tournament. Each seat in the special live event is valued at $6,200.

The tenth and final spot in the Sit & Go has already been procured by an unnamed Ultimate Bet customer who was willing to fork over 1.5 million UltimatePoints in order to buy their way directly into the unique event.

The Mercedes Giveaway tournament is set to take place on October 9th at the Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino and Spa. It will run the same day as Day 4 of the $5000 + $500 buy-in Main Event. There are several other side tournaments taking place at this year’s event. The preliminary events kick off on October 3rd with a $500 + $40 No Limit Hold’em event in addition to round the clock satellite events. The first of the two starting days for the Aruba Poker Classic Main Event is Monday October 5th and the final table is set to play out on Saturday October 10th. Noted tournament director Matt Savage will be overseeing the Main Event action.

Ultimate Bet is also offering some Aruba contestants the opportunity to win an extra $10 million. Any player who is able to conquer all ten of Ultimate Bet’s STEPS satellites and manages to win the Aruba Main Event as well will earn $10 million in addition to the first place prize money. Step 1 is a Sit & Go with a $.10 buy-in while a victory in Step 10 will earn players an Aruba prize package valued at $8,500.

Last year’s Aruba Poker Classic Main Event drew 551 entrants and featured a final table lineup that included Allie Prescott, online pro Jeff “jpapola” Papola, Swedish player Johan Storakers and the event’s 2008 Champion Matt Brady. Brady earned a cool $1 million for his victory which is his largest career score to date. Other past Aruba winners include Freddy Deeb, Juha Helppi, Full Tilt Pro Erick Lindgren and Travis “TravestyFund” Rice.

Daniel Negreanu, Erick Lindgren Struggle on ESPN WSOP Coverage

In Tuesday night’s broadcast of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on ESPN, Daniel Negreanu and Erick Lindgren struggled in front of a national viewing audience as Days 1C and 1D of the Main Event unfolded. This article contains language that may not be suitable for all audiences.

Daniel Negreanu and Ultimate Bet pro Phil Hellmuth were featured during the first hour of coverage on ESPN, which tracked Day 1C of the 2009 WSOP Main Event. Negreanu, plagued by sinus problems, was seated at the feature table, while Hellmuth found himself at Table Two. Hellmuth arrived in typical grand fashion, dressed as Emperor Hellmuth and flanked by scantily-clad women, drummers, and a throng of poker fans armed with cameras. ESPN announcer Norman Chad quipped, “If Tom Brady came to the Super Bowl like this, the NFL would shut down, but we embrace this.”

Even Negreanu took notice of Hellmuth’s entrance, telling his tablemates, “[Hellmuth] loves to show us his nipples. If you watch ESPN, you’ll notice that there are a lot of nipple shots. He’s either meditating with his tiny nipples or doing something.” ESPN recapped Lindgren and Negreanu’s Player of the Year competition, where poker pros could pick any partner except for Phil Ivey and compete based on Player of the Year Points. Barry Greenstein selected Jeffrey Lisandro, who promptly won three bracelets during the 2009 festivities. Negreanu and Lindgren noted that they stood to lose around $1 million as a result of the bets.

Chad and fellow ESPN commentator Lon McEachern dubbed Hellmuth “Pokerus Bratus” and “Hellmuthicus.” The 11-time bracelet winner lived up to his reputation after teeing off on tablemates early on. An opponent who made three kings after calling a raise with K-8 when Hellmuth had jacks received the brunt of the anger. Hellmuth lamented, “What the fuck? Calling a fricking raise with K-8?” Hellmuth then spouted four expletives in a row followed by the word “man.” He sat back down and vented, “Fucking moron players.” No penalty was shown despite a stricter player conduct rule.

2008 WSOP November Nine member Dennis Phillips brought an entourage of look-a-likes with him, including David Tucker, who was charged with blowing a portable truck horn every time Phillips scooped a pot. Also in the field was “Celebrity Apprentice” runner-up and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke, who was sent to the rails early on. Chad exclaimed, “Annie, you’re fired” when the Ultimate Bet face was ousted from the $10,000 buy-in tournament.

The “Straight from the Pros” segment featured Team PokerStars Pro member Joe Hachem squaring off against Steve Dannenmann on Day 5 of the 2005 Main Event. Dannenmann flopped a set in the hand, while Hachem flopped the nut flush draw. After Dannenmann put in a check-raise, Hachem folded, which he called “the biggest laydown of my life.” ESPN viewers then watched Negreanu get trumped during the Jack Link’s Beef Jerky Wild Card Hand, in which the hole cards of one player are unknown.

Meanwhile, Hellmuth and an opponent each bet $20 that they had the best hand. In the end, Hellmuth showed A-Q, while his opponent flipped over pocket fours. The money was given to a friend on the rail to “buy drinks,” an activity Hellmuth deemed worthy of another $40 contribution. Then, Hellmuth learned the crew was from Aruba, the site of the annual Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic, and tossed another $100 their way. The situation quickly turned dark. Hellmuth ran into a rivered flush, which caused him to lament, “Is this some kind of fucking joke? I can’t even fucking believe what I’m seeing.” Again, no penalty was assessed.

Day 1D of the 2009 WSOP Main Event featured 2008 Player of the Year Erick Lindgren. Joining Lindgren at the feature table was Joe Hardie, the former owner of the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles. Also in the field on Day 1D, which saw more than 500 players turned away, were “I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here” winner Lou Diamond Phillips and third place finisher John Salley. Others playing included Ray Romano, Ivan Demidov, J.C. Tran, Jennifer Harman, Marco Traniello, Chad Brown, Vanessa Rousso, Jordan Farmar, Phil Ivey, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, and 2006 Player of the Year Jeff Madsen.

Lindgren’s tentative play at the feature table was the theme of the second episode. Chad explained, “I hope the tape of this telecast is destroyed before Lindgren sees it. It’ll set him back 15 years.” The Wild Card Hand featured four-way action to the turn on an A-J-7-8 board with two diamonds. Serge Pouliott bet out 450 and the action folded around to Lindgren, who made the call. The river was the four of hearts. Lindgren checked, Pouliott bet 825, and Lindgren called. Pouliott turned over A-Q, out-kicking Lindgren’s A-6 of diamonds. The Full Tilt-sponsored “Deal Me In” featured Lindgren breaking down a hand that transpired during Day 1 of the 2008 WSOP Main Event.

Day 2 of the 2009 WSOP Main Event will air next Tuesday on ESPN at 8:00pm ET and runs for two hours.

Tournament Director Matt Savage Returns to Aruba Poker Classic

For the consecutive third year, Tournament Director Matt Savage will supervise the Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic, which is slated for October 3rd through 10th from the luxurious island nation.

Ultimate Bet pro Phil Hellmuth has the Aruba Poker Classic circled on his calendar each year. The 11-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner and de facto host in Aruba commented in a press release distributed by the online poker site, “Matt’s natural ability to run a smooth and fair tournament and his talent for making it feel more like a party than a poker room is one of the many reasons why our Aruba event is still one of the most popular on the annual calendar.” The Main Event in Aruba comes with a $5,500 price tag and kicks off on October 5th with the first of two starting days.

In addition to marking Savage’s third straight year overseeing action in the prestigious poker tournament, it also marks Ultimate Bet’s 10th year in operation. Savage commented in the same release, “In celebrating UB’s 10th Anniversary, I am honored to once again be part of the Aruba Poker Classic. With an extended tournament schedule, plus a group of floor staff and dealers that is second to none, 2009 is shaping up to be one for the scrapbook.” Savage will direct the action over the course of the eight-day poker extravaganza, which is expected to draw a total of 500 runners and see a prize pool topping $6 million.

Last year, Matt Brady trumped a 550-player field en route to a $1 million payday. In 2007, Travis “TravestyFund” Rice defeated 548 entrants and earned $800,000. In 2006, Devon Miller went toe-to-toe to former Team UB member Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy to earn $774,000 from the 512-player field. 2005 marked the final year that the Aruba Poker Classic served as a stop on the World Poker Tour. Freddy Deeb outlasted 647 runners that year to earn a $1 million first place prize.

The 2004 WPT Aruba Poker Classic featured one of the toughest final tables ever assembled, as Eric Brenes defeated Layne Flack heads-up. Also reaching the six-handed finale were Mike “The Mouth” Matusow and 2008 WSOP Europe Main Event Champion John Juanda. In 2003, Erick Lindgren beat Daniel Larsson heads-up in Aruba for $500,000 after 436 players entered. Also at that year’s final table was CardPlayer CEO Barry Shulman, whose son, Jeff Shulman, is a member of the 2009 WSOP November Nine. The younger Shulman has threatened to throw out the bracelet should he win. The very first Aruba Poker Classic was held in 2002 and won by Juha Helppi, who bested Phil Gordon heads-up.

Savage has directed a bevy of tournaments held around the world, including the WSOP, WPT, and the Aussie Millions. Along with David Lamb, Jan Fisher, and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Linda Johnson, Savage founded the Tournament Directors’ Association. In 2003, he was inducted into the Poker Room Manager’s Hall of Fame.

On August 30th, Ultimate Bet will hold a 25 seat guaranteed tournament to send its players to Aruba. The event boasts a $530 buy-in and a bevy of qualifiers are available. In addition, direct satellites take place on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays and award $8,500 prize packages. Each includes the $5,500 Main Event buy-in plus $3,000 to use for travel and hotel.

The Radisson Aruba Resort and Casino serves as the host venue and Ultimate Bet has rooms available at a rate of $209 plus 20% tax per night, which includes internet. STEP tournaments have been a popular way for players to claim their spot in Aruba.

We’ll have full updates on the 2009 Aruba Poker Classic right here on Poker News Daily.

Gavin Smith - Poker Player Profile

Gavin Smith is a Canadian poker pro from Guelph, Ontario. At a young age, Gavin’s father taught him cribbage and rummy, which no doubt later facilitated his interest in poker. After earning a bachelor’s degree in economics, Smith got a job as a poker dealer, a position that would truly shape his future in the game. In 1998, after dealing for a year, and then running his own poker club for the year after that, Gavin Smith decided to take the plunge and play poker for a living.

In his initial stages as a pro, Gavin befriended fellow player Erick Lindgren, who helped him with both the strategic and financial aspects of the game. This friendship would later lead to the two men signing with Full Tilt Poker, where they’re both currently sponsored pros. After focusing on cash games for the first part of his career, Smith has since dedicated his game to tournament play after having success as early as 1999, winning events in No Limit Holde’m and Seven Card Stud in ’99 and 200 at the World Poker Finals hosted by Foxwoods Resort Casino. In 2005, Gavin Smith finally broke through, winning the WPT Mirage Poker Showdown for a cool $1.1 million, and finishing 3rd and 4th at two other WPT final tables. These accomplishments earned Smith World Poker Tour Player of the Year honors for Season 4.

In addition, Gavin Smith is credited with 14 WSOP cashes – his best finish is a 2nd in the 2007 $1500 Pot Limit Omaha – and a $500K win at the World Pro-Am Challenge event at the Poker Dome Challenge. In May 2006, Smith famously made a bet with Allie Prescott at the World Series of Poker circuit event, offering to pay her $70K for ten years if she won, on the condition that he’d get $100K for ten years from her should he win. Smith went on to finish 2nd for $294K, but the bet prompted a RawVegas.tv to hire himself and Joe Sebok to host a show called “Prop Bets.” On the show, the two pros go head-to-head in various ridiculous competitions, with the loser having to pay an equally crazy price, such as getting a tattoo, or wearing a bear suit to a live poker tournament.

Gavin Smith now resides in Las Vegas, but he still maintains his roots back in Canada, returning home a few times a year. And whether he’s playing poker, giving back to the community, or yakking it up on his show, Gavin is ever the gentleman, humanitarian and friend.

Face the Ace: Episode 2

Face the Ace, which returned for its second episode this past Saturday night was hyped as potentially bringing us our first millionaire in Don Topel, a truck driver who beat both Erick Lindgren, and Howard Lederer before deciding to risk it all...

Face the Ace: Don Topel Loses $1 Million Match

Full Tilt Poker pro Gavin Smith was the executioner of “Face the Ace” contestant Don Topel on Saturday night in the $1 million match; Topel walked away with nothing. The NBC poker show returns on September 12th.

A spoiler posted on Poker News Daily last week stated that Topel picked the door marked with the ace of clubs, which turned out to be Gavin Smith. Sure enough, Topel selected the ace of clubs and the World Poker Tour (WPT) Player of the Year during Season 4 strolled out. On his opponent for the monumental $1 million match, Topel commented, “I like Gavin. I like the way he plays. We’re one in the same. I’m expecting a tough match.” Blinds began at 2,000-4,000, with Topel and Smith starting with stacks of 500,000.

Smaller pots between Smith and Topel characterized play in the early going. In one hand, Topel picked up pocket queens and raised to 30,000. Smith looked down at Q-10 and made the call. The flop came 10-8-K and the action went check-check. An ace hit the turn, a scare card for Topel’s queens, and the action once again went check-check. The river was a seven. Smith led out for 35,000 and Topel remarked that he thought the Full Tilt pro had a pair of 10s and made the call. “Face the Ace” commentator Ali Nejad called the move “a great read and a terrific play.”

Topel folded 2-9 pre-flop in a hand where Smith held pocket kings to avoid disaster. However, the Canadian sensation made his stand shortly thereafter. Topel picked up Q-9 pre-flop and called, while Smith checked his option with Q-10. The flop came 5-Q-10, giving Smith top two pair and the challenger top pair. Smith checked, Topel bet 15,000, Smith put in a check-raise to 43,000, and Topel called. The turn was a three, leaving Topel drawing dead. Smith led out for 86,000 and Topel quickly released his hand. Smith asked whether Topel wanted to see one or both of his cards and flipped up the winning hand.

An segue to commercial called Smith a “dream crusher,” a title he held true to after putting Topel all-in with A-6 against K-5. Nejad came to the table to explain the situation as “Face the Ace” host and former “Sopranos” star Steve Schirripa watched intently. The flop came A-3-4, leaving Smith as an 82% favorite to win the hand. A nine on the turn and four on the river didn’t change the situation and Topel departed with nothing. On his opponent, Smith commented, “I think he played great. I got hit on the head with the deck. I wouldn’t miss. If you always have the best hand, it’s hard to lose.” Topel defeated Erick Lindgren and Howard Lederer last week to set up Saturday’s match against Smith.

Marcia Owens was the third contestant to take to the felts on “Face the Ace.” An ER nurse from Troy, Illinois who played poker live and online, Owens selected the ace of diamonds, Gus Hansen. By the way, Hansen was voted one of People Magazine’s sexiest men of the year in 2004, something new I learned today. In the defining moment of the $40,000 match, the overly star-struck contestant put in min-raise with A-10 against Hansen’s pocket tens pre-flop. The flop came 3-3-10 and the action went check-check. The turn came a six and Owens bet 4,000. Hansen made the call with a boat and the river was an ace, improving Owens to aces-up. Owens bet 4,000, Hansen made it 10,000, and Owens called, leaving herself with just three big blinds.

After a double-up with A-8 against Hansen’s pocket fives, Owens was all-in with Q-8 against Hansen’s A-4. The flop came K-6-6, leaving Owens calling for a queen or an eight. However, the turn and river fell a nine and six, respectively, giving the $40,000 match to “The Great Dane.”

“Face the Ace” will now take a one month hiatus, returning to fill an afternoon timeslot on September 12th at 2:00pm ET. Here’s a look at the remaining schedule for NBC’s “Face the Ace”:

September 12th, 2009 – 2:00pm ET
October 31st, 2009 – 3:30pm ET
November 14th, 2009 – 3:00pm ET
December 12th, 2009 – 3:00pm ET
January 2nd, 2010 – 2:30pm ET

Don Topel Wins $200,000 on Face the Ace Premiere, Will Play for $1 Million

Saturday night marked the debut of the NBC poker show Face the Ace. Two contestants took to the felts during the premiere, headlined by truck driver Don Topel, who won $200,000 after defeating Full Tilt Poker pros Erick Lindgren and Howard Lederer. Next week, Topel will play for $1 million.

Face the Ace’s set is a lounge at a Las Vegas casino, boasting the tagline, “Think you’re a poker shark? Then prove it.” A montage of Face the Ace pros – all from Full Tilt Poker – then hit television airwaves. In fact, the logo of the NBC show bears a striking resemblance to the logo of the world’s second largest online poker site, Full Tilt. Contestants face one “ace” for $40,000. If they’re successful, they can take the money and run or battle against another top-tier pro for $200,000. Win a second match and a player can walk away six-figures richer or square off against a third “ace” for $1 million. If a contestant loses at any time, they’ll walk away with nothing and the pro banks $10,000 for the charity of their choice.

The first contestant was Jonathan Nygaard from Jonestown, Pennsylvania. Show host Steve Schirripa, of HBO’s The Sopranos, fame, noted that Nygaard served in both the U.S. Marines and Navy and was shot in the line of duty. Each of four smoke-filled doors held one “ace” and Nygaard selected the ace of spades. Schirripa gave a brief biography of the “ace” in question and 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) November Nine member Phil Ivey strolled onstage after his door was opened by Deal or No Deal model Megan Abrigo.

On the first hand between Nygaard and Ivey, the Full Tilt Pro raised to 1,400 with A-8 and Nygaard looked down at pocket rockets, making it 3,400. Ivey made the call to see a flop of J-9-4 with two diamonds. Nygaard bet out 4,500 and Ivey surrendered, causing Nygaard to comment that it was a “tough fold.” In the match’s deciding hand, Ivey made it 1,400 pre-flop with A-4 and Nygaard re-raised to 5,400 with pocket queens. Ivey promptly pushed and Nygaard called, putting the November Nine member at risk. The board ran out J-8-J-3-7, giving Nygaard his first win and $40,000. A somewhat bashful Ivey commented, “He played real aggressive. I didn’t think he had a hand, so I moved all-in and I was wrong.”

Nygaard opted to take the $40,000 and walk instead of facing off against a second ace. In his place came Topel, a 41 year-old from Midlothian, Illinois whose mother and sister live with him. Topel selected the ace of diamonds, who was revealed as 2008 WSOP Player of the Year Erick Lindgren. On the first hand, Topel made the call with J-10 and Lindgren checked his option with Q-5. The flop came 4-10-3 and the action went check-check. The turn was a deuce. Lindgren checked, Topel bet 600 with top pair, and Lindgren’s 11 outs appeared across the top of the screen: four aces, four sixes, and three queens. Lindgren raised to 2,100 and Topel called. The river was a six, giving Lindgren a straight. The pro bet 4,000 and Topel quickly released his hand.

Lindgren won the match’s first three hands before Topel flopped top pair and a flush draw with K-J of hearts to take down his first pot. In a key hand between the two foes, Lindgren made the call pre-flop with A-5 of clubs and Topel raised to 2,800 with A-9 of diamonds. Lindgren shoved and offered Topel the opportunity to see one card, exposing the five of clubs. Topel called and found he was ahead to the flop of 10-7-2 with two diamonds. Topel was 85% to win before a five hit the turn, dropping the challenger to a 27% underdog. However, the river was the jack of diamonds, doubling Topel up.

In the final hand between Topel and Lindgren, the challenger raised to 2,000 pre-flop with J-5 of hearts and the pro made the call with 9-7 of diamonds. The flop came 9-2-2 with two hearts. Lindgren checked, Topel bet 3,500, and Lindgren pushed all-in for 5,100 more. Topel made the call and a four of hearts on the turn gave him a flush and a $40,000 payday. Schirripa joked, “You got one step out of the basement.” Despite making $60,000 per year as a truck driver, Topel elected to risk his newfound winnings, choosing the ace of hearts, Howard Lederer.

Lederer and Topel each started with 100 big blinds and the Full Tilt icon came out swinging, taking down the first two major pots shown. In the match-up’s deciding hand, Lederer looked down at A-Q of spades and raised to 10,000. Topel picked up pocket kings and made it 30,000. Lederer pushed and Topel called, creating a pot of 188,000, or 94% of the chips in play. The flop came J-3-10, giving Lederer a gutshot straight draw, but the board bricked out, doubling Topel up. Lederer doubled up once before ultimately falling with 2-4 of diamonds against Topel’s Q-9 after Lederer’s flush and straight draws failed to hit. Lederer commented, “He played well. He has a reasonable chance [to win $1 million].”

Topel elected to risk his $200,000 payday and play on for $1 million. Face the Ace returns next Saturday, August 8th, at 9:00pm ET on NBC.

NBC’s <i>Face the Ace</i> premiers Saturday

NBC's prime-time poker-themed game show Face the Ace is set to premier this Saturday night Aug. 1 at 9 p.m. ET with a group of facetheace.com and Full Tilt Poker qualifiers taking on the some of the world's best poker players with $1 million on the line.

Hosted by The Sopranos Steve Schirripa, contestants on the show will first select a pro from behind four smoked-glass doors and then play that pro in a heads-up No-Limit Hold'em match with $40,000 up for grabs.

Should the contestant prevail, they can keep the $40,000 or choose another pro to play for $200,000. Contestants moving on to the third round will play for the $1 million top prize.

If the contestant loses at any point, they walk away with nothing and the winning pro takes $10,000 for their charity of choice.

"Most people don't get to compete against their favorite athletes in sports like football or basketball," said Schirripa.

"This show gives contestants an incomparable opportunity to test their skills against some of the best poker players in the world.  The same people they've read about or have watched on TV are the ones they have to defeat for chance at winning life-changing money."

The series will premiere with back-to-back shows Saturday evening and continue its seven-episode run on Saturday afternoons beginning in September.

Fifteen Full Tilt pros were chosen as "Aces," including Patrik Antonius, Andy Bloch, Allen Cunningham, Chris Ferguson, Phil Gordon, Gus Hansen, Jennifer Harman, Phil Ivey, John Juanda, Howard Lederer, Erick Lindgren, Mike Matusow, Huck Seed, Erik Seidel, and Gavin Smith.

Collectively, the group has won 41 World Series of Poker bracelets, 11 World Poker Tour titles, and nearly $100 million in live tournament winnings.

Poker After Dark host Ali Nejad will act as the tournament director and provide additional commentary.

Plus, Deal or No Deal Briefcase Model Megan Abrigo will serve as the hostess.

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