Posts Tagged ‘european’
EPT Berlin Poker Robbery: No New Leads, No Suspects
Although the entire incident was caught on tape and broadcasted around the world through social media outlets like Twitter and YouTube, German police still have no leads and no suspects in the European Poker Tour (EPT) Berlin armed robbery.
According to the Berlin-based Berliner Zeitung newspaper, the suspects may have fled the scene in a swank black Mercedes. The Associated Press, a global media goliath, added that the crooks escaped through a nearby shopping mall before hopping into a getaway vehicle in a rare “Oceans 11”-like daytime casino heist. Meanwhile, as the story has gained attention around the world, the Toronto Star reported that the bandits looted EPT Berlin to the tune of $335,000. However, all prize money was ultimately paid out.
According to Bild.de, there are no new clues and no suspects in the case, which featured four gunmen assault the registration desk at EPT Berlin. No one was harmed during the incident, which marked one of the most bizarre series of events in modern tournament poker history. According to Berliner Zeitung, police in the German metropolis were busy examining every shred of evidence they could get their hands on, including footage from hotel surveillance cameras at the Grand Hyatt and a bevy of player and staff cell phone cameras.
Meanwhile, according to the same German news outlet, witnesses claimed that the gunmen threatened tournament staff with a hand grenade, although the PokerStars Blog reported that only pistols and a machete were present. Even claims of an inside job surfaced after The Local and the New York Times both reported that an accomplice inside of the Grand Hyatt might have tipped the assailants off as to the timing of the attack.
The German news media quoted a police spokesperson as saying that it was obvious from flyers and publicity material when the end of registration was and therefore an “inside job” may not be likely. The attack occurred at 2:15pm local time on Saturday as a roomful of poker players competed for a €1 million top prize in the EPT’s first visit to Berlin.
Meanwhile, Bild.de noted that a security guard who tackled one of the thieves was 6’8” tall and had a shoe size of 14. Tournament participant Frank Betsch told local media, "I could see everything very well since, at the time, I stood on the side of the room because I wanted to watch the ladies game that had just started. I have never seen such a crime scene. I heard a sound and thought, ‘That was a gunshot.’”
The Star revealed that German Police Chief Rainer Wendt chastised PokerStars, the tournament’s organizers, for not having enough security. Purportedly, its guards were unarmed and a bevy of cash was on-hand at the registration area.
A unique insight into the poker robbery came from 10-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Doyle Brunson, who commented in a recent blog on DoylesRoom that he’s been through five heists during his lifetime: “The guys that robbed the EPT in Berlin made a nice score. They took 800,000 Euros at gunpoint. I’ve been there and done that 5 times in my life and believe me, it’s no fun. I’ll bet everybody that was there will remember it for the rest of their lives.”
American poker player Kevin “ImaLuckSac” MacPhee took down the EPT Berlin Main Event for €1 million. Then, MacPhee appeared in interviews on CBS’ “The Early Show,” BBC, and CNN. The burglary even received face time on ESPN’s original series “Around the Horn.” Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest on the EPT Berlin robbery.
The PokerNews Mailbag: Annie Duke’s NBC Heads-Up Poker Championship and EPT Berlin
Hometown Hero Takes Hold at Bay 101
Faraz "The-Toilet" Jaka picked up the game in the dorms at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign while earning a degree in economics and business management.
He soon started playing live here at Bay 101 when he was at home and online while at school, quickly taking to the game, booking massive scores and winning packages to play in high-stakes events all over the world.
However, a year and a half of following the PokerStars European Poker Tour and his first half a dozen shots at WPT glory did not bear even a single cash.
Then suddenly, one year ago right here at home, things turned around in a big way.
He booked his first WPT cash at the 2009 Bay 101 Shooting Star before moving on to make third at the hotly contested 2009 World Series of Poker $5k Six-Max event.
Then, when Jaka finished second at the Bellagio Cup this past summer and third at December's Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic, he took the lead in the World Poker Tour's Player of the Year race and hasn't given it up yet.
Add in a final table appearance at the inaugural PokerStars North American Poker Tour's $25k High Roller Bounty Shootout and the San Jose native has cashed for almost $2 million in live tournaments over the past 12 months.
"It's kind of ironic, considering I played so many of these tournaments and then all of the sudden I start doing really well, but it's really just variance," he said. "Obviously I'm constantly improving a little bit, but I don't think there's been anything drastic."
Despite the rough start, having played thousands of tournaments earning over $1 million online before he ever stepped foot on the high-stakes live tournament stage, a 24-year-old Jaka says his confidence never wavered.
"I always thought I was good enough to be at the top of these things and win a few," he said. "It's always been just a matter of time."
Now in the midst of the kind of successful run that would turn even the most seasoned pro green with envy, he's still missing one thing: A major tournament victory.
"I'm definitely ready for a win," he said. "It's frustrating getting second and third so I'm definitely hungry."
Yet he seems to understand opportunities like this won't last forever.
"I'm obviously running amazing this year and it's not going to keep going, I understand that," he said.
In the end, Jaka's just hoping to keep playing his best and let the chips fall where they may, especially here at home.
"This is my hometown," he said. "So this tournament is a little more personal for me. I grew up playing here. It brings back so many memories and I still recognize so many of the dealers here from like four or five years ago.
"It would be really nice to do well here."
Action at the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star continues through March 12. For comprehensive coverage, tune in to PokerListings' Live Updates and News.
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EPT Berlin Robbery: Kevin MacPhee Appears on Early Show
The weekend robbery of the European Poker Tour (EPT) Berlin event has garnered headlines around the world. On Monday morning, the tournament’s champion, Kevin “ImaLuckSac” MacPhee, appeared on CBS’ “Early Show” to break down the heist.
In one of the most bizarre events ever to take place during a poker tournament, masked gunmen stormed the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Berlin, nabbing a portion of the EPT’s prize pool. According to a Monday update issued by the Associated Press, the four thieves are still on the run and police have “no clear leads.” The perpetrators robbed the poker tournament’s registration area just after 2:00pm local time on Saturday in a midday assault and, according to the news outlet, escaped with a "low six-digit figure" of cash into a nearby mall. No one was harmed.
MacPhee told the millions of “Early Show” viewers live from Berlin, “It was one of the craziest days that I’ve ever experienced. There was a lot of panic in the room that day and then we were asked to come back and play for €1 million. It was very unusual.” Video of the robbery aired concurrently with MacPhee’s interview. A few hours later, participants returned to the tournament room and resumed their pursuit for the €1 million top prize.
MacPhee was seated at the feature table with the scuffle began and recalled, “We weren’t really sure what was going on. I just saw a wave of people headed for the back exit. There was a lot of panic and the actual TV stage started to collapse. When that started to happen, all of the players got up out of their seats to see what was happening.” The commotion began out in the hallway and players made their way to safety in the tournament room, some seeking cover under tables.
The tournament’s eventual winner knew that someone with a gun was likely to blame for the near riot: “My first instinct was just to get down on the ground. I figured that only someone with a gun in the room could cause that kind of panic. The gunmen didn’t even enter the poker room. They stayed near the tournament registration area, which was where the cash was. Thankfully, they didn’t come into the poker room and make it worse than it already was.” The Main Event drew nearly 1,000 players.
News of the rare casino heist has made waves across the world’s largest media outlets. Media outlets including the Sydney Morning Herald, Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, and Toronto Star have all reported on the story, as have a variety of poker news outlets. According to The Local and reprinted in the New York Times, another assailant may be to blame: “Because the well-timed heist bore the signs of an amateur job, police told Berlin daily Berliner Zeitung that they now believe there was at least one other accomplice already inside the hotel who gave a signal to begin the raid.” Whether the accomplice worked for the Grand Hyatt Hotel remains to be seen.
Despite the financial loss, all players received their prize money and the tournament carried on to a conclusion. As for what MacPhee did to celebrate his rather eventful live win, the online poker player told “Early Show” viewers, “Sundays are our busiest day, so… I celebrated by playing more poker. I think I’ll get out in Berlin the next couple of nights and try to celebrate a little bit more.”
Check out the complete CBS News interview with Kevin “ImaLuckSac” MacPhee.
Berlin Poker Robbery Committed by Small-Time Crooks
In an article authored by the German news outlet Spiegel, Police Chief Rainer Wendt labeled the four armed gunmen who plundered the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) stop in Berlin over the weekend “small-time crooks.”
New details on the buzz worthy event have dribbled in since the incident took place on Saturday afternoon at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in the German metropolis. Text found on the PokerStars Blog shed light on the weaponry used in the high-stakes heist, which has captured worldwide headlines: “The police investigation so far has shown that the suspects had a handgun and a machete. Contrary to tabloid reports, no Kalashnikov assault rifles or hand grenades were used.” The tournament’s organizers added that the amount of cash removed was “substantially less” than numbers circulating cyberspace.
According to Spiegel, the security force at the casino was unarmed and those who responded to the distress call were small in numbers. Despite ending with no injuries, the robbery may spark a revamp in casino security. Wendt offered up the following helpful advice to the German news media: "A few guards and a hotel intern are not enough. That was really quite negligent.”
EPT Berlin Main Event winner Kevin “ImaLuckSac” MacPhee echoed the questionable security practices in a post on the popular poker forum PocketFives.com: “I honestly thought we should have stopped play. It was a pretty freaky thing to have happen, especially considering the poor planning of the tournament area... no exits, lots of panic, stampeding, screaming, and crying.” It was the EPT’s first stop in Berlin.
A 36 year-old security guard on the premises in Berlin, Roman, told another German news outlet that he made the attackers pay for their misgivings: “That guy for sure has trouble swallowing now.” Another attacker, purportedly armed with a machete, ran at Roman, who threw him to the ground. Roman recounted the media: “He did not say a word. As a civilized Middle-European, you don’t just break the necks of people like this, so I tried to [keep] him on the ground.” Roman added that he wasn’t carrying a weapon at the time because tournament officials asked him not to.
A separate Spiegel articled hinted that €800,000 may have been lifted from the scene and a PokerNews.com reporter dubbed the event “The blackest day in the history of German poker. Probably the biggest nightmare at a poker event that world has seen so far.” Claudia Sommerey, who was outside of the tournament room at the time, explained to Spiegel that security personnel subdued the bandits with ropes making up the line in the tournament registration area. She hid under a table before frantically calling police.
An article that appeared on CBS News revealed that following the robbery, the gunmen exited through a shopping mall. Appearing on CBS’ “The Early Show” on Monday morning, MacPhee recalled, “There was a lot of panic in the room that day and then we were asked to come back and play for €1 million. It was very unusual.” MacPhee was seated at the television table when the skirmish occurred. He noted, “The actual TV stage started to collapse.” Hands were brewing when the robbery took place, leading to chips being strewn about the tournament area as bedlam erupted. The robbery was also discussed on Monday's edition of ESPN's "Around the Horn."
After a three-hour delay, the EPT Berlin Main Event resumed sans EPTLive, whose transmissions were cut off for the day. MacPhee went on to defeat Ilari Tahkokallio in the finals of the tournament on Sunday.
Police were able to collect DNA samples from one of the robbers and a bag containing €500,000 was reported to be found by a Hyatt staff member. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest EPT Berlin robbery coverage. Read more about the EPT Berlin robbery.
Poker In Twitter: The EPT Berlin Robbery, The Oscars, and Annie Duke Wins the NHUPC
It was quite a weekend in the world of poker and some of the best in the game kept their fans up to date through their Twitter accounts. Whether across the Atlantic taking part in the European Poker Tour (EPT) stop in Berlin or the National Heads Up Poker Championship in Las Vegas, there was action not only on the felt, but also away from the tables.
In Berlin, a field of 945 players came to the tables for battle in the latest EPT championship, with defending champion Sandra Naujoks attempting back-to-back wins. What made worldwide news, however, was the attempted robbery on Saturday when play was down to 24 players. The reports zoomed around the globe, with accompanying footage, and the players tried to let their fans know through Twitter what was occurring.
Noted online and live player Shaun Deeb found a report from a German outlet that showed some of the attempted robbery in progress. While he wasn’t in Berlin for the event, the video Deeb found showed that security at the event was vigilant in repelling the audacious attack. “Most badass security guy taking the money back from robbers,” Deeb Tweeted along with the Tweetvid he provided of the incident.
One of the players who was in Berlin for the tournament was English poker professional Vicky Coren. At first, she apologized to her followers for a lack of an article in The Observer (the English newspaper she writes for) by tweeting, “No Observer column from me today, I was away in Berlin and nothing much happened there to write about.” Scant moments later, Coren chirped again, “- apart from the million-dollar armed raid. It only just occurred to me today that might be news. I'm such a bad journalist.”
Fortunately, no one was seriously injured and the money taken was far less than some media outlets’ estimates. The United States’ Kevin "ImaLuckSac" MacPhee went on to capture the title on Sunday, defeating Finland’s Ilari Tahkokallio for the €1 million first place prize.
While the poker world was keeping up on the happenings in Berlin, the National Heads-Up Poker Championship was in full swing throughout the weekend. The 64 player invitational tournament was the main focus of several of the poker players on Twitter and they kept their fans fully updated throughout the run of the tournament.
Playing injured for the first round of the event was last year’s runner-up in the tournament, Vanessa Rousso. What she thought was a sprained foot was much worse. “I went for x-ray just now and turns out my foot is broken, right fourth metatarsal... bummer,” “Lady Maverick” Tweeted to her followers. As of yet, Rousso hasn’t stated if the injury will affect her poker schedule.
Another player who was playing at less than 100% was the legendary Doyle Brunson. Originally, it was believed that the two-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event winner would have to bypass the event due to recent dental surgery, but the longtime Texas road gambler felt strong enough to compete. He went on for one of the best runs he has had in the history of the tournament and was followed on Twitter by many in the poker community.
“Down to the sweet 16 in the NBC heads up tourney. Going to play Annette, I hate playing against women. Hope she doesn’t bat her eyes at me,” Brunson jokingly Tweeted prior to meeting up with the 2007 WSOP Europe Main Event champion Annette Obrestad. After vanquishing the young phenom, the Brunson clan erupted with Tweets. Son Todd, who was in attendance for the tournament, chirped, “Doyle beats Annette 15 for a third time!,” while daughter Pamela responded with, “My Dad @texdolly is final 8 in the NBC heads up! Go Dad Go!” Unfortunately, the Elite Eight was as far as “Texas Dolly” would go, falling to Dennis Phillips in that round.
The final match of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship was a dream for those who follow Twitter. On one side was Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke, who uses Twitter constantly, versus eight-time WSOP bracelet winner Erik Seidel, whose Twitter account is one of the most notable in the industry. The battle over the Twitterverse started off with a jewel from Seidel about the Caesars Palace tournament room as he Tweeted, “Temps so cold in room… guessing this event is part of NBCs extended Winter Olympics coverage.”
Other players in the Twitterscape provided their thoughts to the event as it unfolded, with Alex Outhred commenting, “There are few combinations of 2 players that have a greater mutual respect for each others poker minds than @Erik_Seidel and @RealAnnieDuke.” Seidel’s Full Tilt Poker stable mate, Andy Bloch, noted in his Tweet, “Whether he finishes 1st or 2nd, @Erik_Seidel will have earned over $10M in tournament poker, the 9th player to do so.”
As the battle wore on, Bloch was able to note a way for Duke to gain an edge over the unflappable Seidel. “Annie takes a 1-0 lead over Erik Seidel. If she wants to put Erik on full tilt she should get an orange,” Bloch Tweeted in reference to Seidel’s famous battle with Johnny Chan during the 1988 WSOP Main Event. After tying up the match, Seidel would eventually fall to Duke, but he was gracious in defeat. “Ended 2nd to Annie Duke in the NBC Heads Up. She played an outstanding match. Easiest loss of my career, very happy for her,” Seidel Tweeted at the conclusion of the tournament.
Following the activities on the poker tables this weekend, many players sat back to watch the festivities surrounding the Academy Awards. With the expanded Best Picture category and a battle between Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep for the Best Actress Oscar among the intriguing stories, the television program captured poker players’ attention. Most remarkable in the opinion of poker player Maria “Maridu” Mayrinck, however, was the appearance of 47-year-old actress Demi Moore. “"Demi Moore... what a spectacle!,” Mayrinck admired via a Tweet. “She has drank from the fountain or made a pact with the devil. I want too!” High roller Patrik Antonius also weighed in on his Oscar preferences: “rough weekend overall, but at least avatar didn't win the awards that counted at the oscars.”
The world of poker through Twitter has become one of the best ways for fans to keep up with their favorites. Poker News Daily also is a part of the action on Twitter, so be sure to sign up to follow us at @pokernewsdaily.
Tags: Annie Duke, Doyle Brunson, european, full tilt poker, gamble, poker player, tournament, vegas, women, WSOP
BLOG – Playing under the gun – PokerStars EPT Berlin robbery.
Kevin MacPhee wins EPT Berlin and €1,000,000
MacPhee Wins Robbery-Delayed EPT Berlin
The 29-year-old from Idaho beat Finnish player Ilari Tahkokallio heads-up to take down the largest poker tournament in German history and its massive €1 million first prize.
A star in the online game that broke the PokerStars record for most Tournament Leader Board points in April 2008, accruing more than $100,000 in profits that month, MacPhee has previously played in 15 European Poker Tour events, satelliting in through PokerStars for 14 of them.
He was one of 243 players who won their seats online to EPT Berlin, but until now a big score had eluded him.
"Winning an EPT was a real goal of mine," he said." I have worked very hard for this. It feels awesome."
A total of 945 players from 48 countries entered the €5,300 Main Event creating a total prize pool of €4,725,000.
EPT Berlin was interrupted on the event's penultimate day when armed robbers stormed the registration desk outside the tournament area at the Grand Hyatt Hotel.
No one was seriously injured and the suspects fled after a security guard intervened. The tournament resumed after a few hours and a police investigation is continuing.
Next up for the EPT is EPT Snowfest set for March 21-26 in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria.
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Poker Players Stunned by EPT Berlin Robbery
As reported yesterday, up to six armed gunmen robbed the Grand Hyatt Hotel’s casino during the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) stop at Berlin. While nobody was seriously hurt, the incident caused havoc, as the thieves made away with a portion of the EPT High-Roller tournament prize money.
PokerStars, the official sponsor of the EPT, released an update about the incident on Sunday: "Yesterday at approximately 2:15pm (local time), an armed robbery took place at the European Poker Tour (EPT) event in Berlin. Nobody was seriously injured. Four armed men were involved in the robbery, which targeted the tournament registration desk outside the tournament area.”
The poker site added, "No shots were fired and the suspects quickly fled after a security guard intervened. The police investigation so far has shown that the suspects had a handgun and a machete. Contrary to tabloid reports, no Kalashnikov assault rifles or hand grenades were used. The suspects did not enter the tournament area and the money taken was substantially less than what has been reported."
After the terror on the scene settled, players were asked to continue play only a few hours later, including the 20 remaining players in the EPT Berlin Main Event. One of the competitors was American pro Kevin "ImaLuckSac" MacPhee, who commented about the incident on PocketFives.com. "I honestly thought we should have stopped play," said MacPhee, who eventually reached the final table as the chip leader of the Main Event. "It was a pretty freaky thing to have happen, especially considering the poor planning of the tournament area… no exits, lots of panic, stampeding, screaming, crying.
"The EPTLive.com people shut down because of it, but we somehow were expected to play on," MacPhee continued. "I thought it was a little unfair to put that upon the players after something like that happens, especially without any player input on how to handle the situation."
EPTLive was broadcasting the Main Event as the hotel was robbed and caught footage of the panic in the tournament area. Mickey Dinsen Peterson, a professional poker player known as "mement mori" online, was among the dozens of people in the poker room when the break-in occurred. "I sat at one of the outer tables and all of a sudden 10 people came storming into the poker room with more following all heading for the exit screaming something about robbery and bombs," explained Peterson on the TwoPlusTwo forum. "At this point, there is an absolute panic where everyone is pushing you towards the exit and even though we can't see any robbers, they could enter the room at any second for all we knew."
The robbery not only terrified those playing the EPT event in Berlin. News broke quickly across the world and players were eager to share their thoughts and prayers via Twitter and other social networks. Here’s a sample of the reaction:
Shaun Deeb: "Wow EPT Berlin got robbed by 6 armed gunman they got close to a mil in euros glad I didn't go to this one."
Bodog pro Evelyn Ng: "OMG!! ARMED ROBBERY at EPT Berlin, 6 gunmen take off with $1M in highroller buyins."
Jon "pokertrip" Friedberg: "Wish I was at EPT during the heist!!! Woulda been a great experience! Glad nobody got hurt."
Jeff "YellowSub" Williams: "Ept Berlin raided by armed robbers, hope everyone is ok."
Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest updates on the robbery at EPT Berlin.
EPT Berlin Interrupted After Armed Robbery
When the final 24 players of the European Poker Tour (EPT) Berlin Main Event met today to play down to the final table, players were ready for action. After a couple of hours, however, the EPT Main Event was paused and players were ordered to leave the room. The tournament was stopped at approximately 2:00pm local time and players were not immediately informed of the reason why, although information has now come to light as to what happened to cause the suspension of play.
Apparently, the Grand Hyatt Hotel's casino was attacked in an armed robbery while the tournament was in action. An announcement by Kristy Thompson, a spokesperson for the EPT, stated, “An armed robbery by six men took place today at EPT Berlin. Nobody was seriously injured. We hope to restart all events at 4PM local time. A police investigation is underway. If you have video footage or photographs that could help the police, please contact the EPT organizers as soon as possible.” Video of players streaming out of the venue has appeared on YouTube, possibly even showing the attempted robbery as it was occurring.
Other reports outside of the EPT have speculated that the attackers carried various, but unconfirmed, weaponry. One report by German venues stated that the attackers were armed with pump-action shotguns, while witnesses said to another German outlet that the attackers were armed with Soviet era Kalashnikovs semi-automatic assault rifles and hand grenades. Of the various reports, a woman named Claudia Sommerey witnessed the event and stated, “I then went into the hall and saw three masked men, armed with rifles… security tried to keep the men at bay. I heard someone shout, ‘down, down,’ then I (got) under one of the tables. In the hall, there were still sounds of conflict.”
The happenings at the EPT Berlin are almost unheard of in the world of tournament poker. Last year, a Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT) event in Mexico, another PokerStars live tournament, was suspended due to conflicts with local police over whether the venue held the proper legal documents. The event picked up its play months later at another LAPT event, but the occurrence of a robbery to suspend play has rarely been seen in tournament poker history.
Although there was about a four-hour delay, play resumed in EPT Berlin with 20 players remaining, although there were disputes as to chip counts and how to continue with play of hands that were in action prior to the disruption. Also suspended for the day were any live online video webcast updates. Nevertheless, by the end of the day, the eight-handed final table was determined. Here are the chip counts:
1. Kevin MacPhee - 6,070,000
2. Ketul Nathwani - 4,685,000
3. Ilari Tahkokallio - 3,940,000
4. Marc Inizan - 3,655,000
5. Marcel Koller - 3,590,000
6. Artur Wasek - 3,530,000
7. Marko Neumann - 2,185,000
8. Nico Behling - 960,00
Poker in Twitter: Palin on “The Tonight Show,” National Heads-Up Poker Championship Draw
In the world of poker, one of the best ways to keep up with your favorite players is through their Twitter feeds. These 140 character comments from the best in the game today can be sometimes shocking, sometimes hilarious, but always entertaining. Poker News Daily peruses the Twitterverse to capture the latest hijinks from all of your favorites.
Earlier this week during the taping of “Poker2Nite” for the Versus network, host Joe Sebok and recent World Poker Tour (WPT) Invitational final table player Trishelle Cannatella apparently had quite the argument, which ended with Cannatella storming off the set of the show. Video of what occurred has not only appeared on Twitter, but also has been picked up across the internet. While some may say that the argument was staged, on Twitter both sides made it seem serious.
Cannatella popped a Tweet aimed at Sebok, saying “Such a jerk face!!” Sebok seemed to be more than apologetic when he Tweeted in reply, “omg! I'm sorry! Didn't mean it!.” Perhaps alleviating the tension was poker player Alex Outhred, who chirped to the “Poker2Nite” producers the potential reasons for Cannatella's hissy fit, “a) @joesebok called @TrishelleC Lacey... Or b) she only came bc she heard I was there in Lacey drag. She's disappointed.”
Outside of the “Poker2Nite” studios, other poker players were partaking of the return of comedian Jay Leno to “The Tonight Show.” Leno, who reappeared on the legendary late night television show on Monday, has had A-list celebrities appearing this week in an attempt to draw back his late night audience. Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin was the featured guest on Wednesday evening and the poker world was quick to grade her.
“Lord Jesus, I never knew watching Sarah Palin do 'comedy' on the Tonight Show could be this painful. Team CoCo 4 life, yo,” was the reaction over Twitter from “Hollywood” Dave Stann after watching the former Republican Vice Presidential nominee on the show. Brad “Yukon” Booth was also a bit dismissive of Palin when he Tweeted, “Watching Jay Leno interview Sarah Palin is like watching a scene of 'Dumb & Dumber' except it's sad not funny.”
As the weekend approached, the poker community was focused on two ongoing events. In Berlin, the European Poker Tour (EPT) was in full swing with two of the top female poker players in the game today Tweeting the proceedings. England's Vicky Coren was torturing the players at her table, Tweeting, “One guy threw his jacks away so angrily and violently I couldn't resist showing the bluff. I feel bad now. I never do that.” It seemed that Germany's Katja Thater was in a giving mood during the tournament when she Tweeted, “I am the master of doubling up the short stacks...now I look myself for a double up.” Unfortunately, neither lady was able to last into Day Three of the event, which will crown a champion this weekend.
Thursday evening brought the draw party for the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, which will also be contested this weekend. “Headed down to Pure for the NBC HU draw party and I'm hoping to NOT draw one of the 7 qualifiers or a woman. Record going into #6 is 7-5,” Tweeted Daniel Negreanu as he prepared for the draw. “Kid Poker's” luck wouldn't be good, as he learned he would play one of the hottest players in the game today in the first round. “Super tough match for me in Jason Mercier. I have a tough bracket Gavin (Smith), Ivey, Scotty (Nguyen), Hachem, Chan, Durr, Laak, Juanda, Sexton, deKorver,” Negreanu later Tweeted. A winner will be crowned on Sunday.
As for Tweet of the Week, two contenders battle it out. Poker Royalty super agent Brian Balsbaugh was in attendance for the National Heads-Up Poker Championship draw and pointed out a shocking bit of trivia for his followers, Tweeting, “Overheard at NBC HU draw party: I just realized if a bomb went off here, (Hustler magazine founder) Larry Flynt would be the best poker player in the world.” Anthrax's Scott Ian handed out a bit of poker wisdom over his Twitter account as he played late last night. With an accompanying Tweetpic, Ian stated, “Just took this sick beat @ultimate_bet. Did I cry? Did I bitch? Did I quit poker? Nope. It's poker. Get over it.”
Poker News Daily adds to the chirping on Twitter, so add @pokernewsdaily to keep in touch with the world of poker on Twitter.
PokerStars.net EPT Berlin Day 2 Recap: Huber On Top
PokerStars EPT Berlin sees 557-strong Day 1b
Day 1a of PokerStars EPT Berlin completed
PokerStars Starts Luxury Ladies Poker Club, Offers Shot to Play in Monte Carlo
While the European Poker Tour’s sixth season Grand Final doesn’t come around until April 27th, tour sponsor PokerStars is already at full speed for the festivities around the event. Starting today, PokerStars has announced a new poker club for women only that will give them an opportunity to be at the tables when the Grand Final rolls around in Monte Carlo.
The PokerStars Luxury Ladies Poker Club is the newest promotion that PokerStars has unveiled and it will give several fortunate women a chance to participate in the world-class event in Monte Carlo. The Luxury Ladies Poker Club will be running daily and weekly satellites will send women to participate in the €1,100 Ladies Championship, which will run during the schedule of the Grand Final at one of Monte Carlo’s finest hotels, the Columbus Monaco. These satellites are priced for any female poker player’s budget and should offer excellent competition for the ladies involved.
Starting today and running daily, the Luxury Ladies Poker Club will offer a freezeout tournament as well as a rebuy. The freezeout is a €22 buy-in that will award at least one seat to the Weekly Final and the rebuy event will be a €5.50 buy-in (with rebuys), which also guarantees at least one seat into the Weekly Final. On Saturdays through April 18th, a freeroll will be offered that will earn three players their seat in the Weekly Final. The Weekly Finals – a €215 buy-in for players who do not make it through a satellite – will run on March 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th, and April 4th, 11th, and 18th. Each tournament guarantees a minimum of one seat to the Monte Carlo event.
Up for grabs is a very impressive package to participate in the action in Monte Carlo. The prize package is worth €3,500 and includes several amenities for the lucky ladies who win one. The €1,100 Ladies tournament buy-in is included as well as five nights’ accommodation at the Columbus Monaco, which is worth €1,300. Players will be awarded €700 in cash for travel expenses and will also participate in PokerStars pro Vanessa Rousso’s Ladies Boot Camp, a prize worth €300. The winning women also receive a ladies’ goodie bag containing PokerStars women’s apparel and will be a part of an exclusive party in Monte Carlo. Players who want to get away from the poker action will also have the opportunity to watch the seventh Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, a historic series of auto races featuring vintage Formula One cars, which will run on May 1st and 2nd.
For those men who want to take a shot at playing in the Luxury Ladies Poker Club satellites or Main Event, PokerStars is warning them not to even try. In the Terms and Conditions of the promotion, PokerStars states, “Men who enter the online satellite qualifiers will be ineligible to win any prizes, and will be disqualified from the target events without compensation.” Of particular interest is the “any prizes” quote, which means that, even if a male who was playing in the tournament won cash, he would not receive it, as the tournaments are established for women only.
The Luxury Ladies Poker Club has held two events prior to this stop at the Grand Final in Monte Carlo. The most recent event was held during the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, with Rousso defeating a field of 91 women to take the championship. Last October, Poland’s Dagmara Aleksandrowicz defeated a field of 119 women in London to win the first EPT Ladies Championship event.
The Luxury Ladies Poker Club is an opportunity for women to get in the world of poker and, at the same time, win a valuable prize package through PokerStars and travel to the exotic locale of Monte Carlo. For more details on the special tournaments happening between now and April 18th, visit PokerStars.
Mark Seif, Ben Zamani Among WPT L.A. Poker Classic Day 1 Leaders
Absolute Poker pro Mark Seif and online gamer Ben “xthesteinx” Zamani are among the leaders after one day of play in the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) L.A. Poker Classic. Day 2 takes place today at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles.
A total of 745 players entered the $10,000 buy-in tournament, up a solid 7% from last year’s count of 696. A tent was set up outside the casino to accommodate the extra demand in a scene that was likely reminiscent of the 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. The top 72 players will finish in the money when the final cards are dealt on Thursday and first place will pocket $1.8 million. The minimum payout is over $18,000.
A field of 477 players will assemble on Saturday in Los Angeles. Defending champion Cornel Andrew Cimpan was one of the casualties of Friday’s action. Taking his place at a table featuring Full Tilt Poker pro Mike Matusow was none other than 11-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth. Upon the UB.com pro arriving at his new digs, Matusow welcomed him with the following line: "Welcome to the table. You're now the worst player at the worst table in the room."
The Commerce Casino spent the day buzzing about the now-infamous prop bet with Gavin Smith, “Poker2Nite” host Joe Sebok, and Jeff Madsen. The trio agreed on a creative last longer bet in which the first player to bust from the L.A. Poker Classic had to adorn tattoos of the other two players’ faces. The second player to bust had to ink a tattoo of the remaining player’s face. Sebok saw his aces cracked during Level 3 play and was the first musketeer eliminated. Then, it was Madsen’s turn to go. Accordingly, Smith came out on top of one of the wildest prop bets ever conducted. Whether a buyout of the bet will occur remains to be seen.
Heading into Day 2, Masa Kagawa paces the field with a stack of 124,000 chips. He’ll head to Table 4 on Saturday and will be keeping a watchful eye out for Seif, who holds 122,000 chips. Seif, a sponsored pro of the CEREUS Network site Absolute Poker, is a two-time bracelet winner whose last piece of hardware came in 2005 in a $1,500 No Limit Hold’em event. Seif’s company will include Victory Poker pro Keith Gipson, European Poker Tour (EPT) founder John Duthie, Nick Binger, and 2009 WSOP Europe bracelet winner J.P. Kelly.
Team PokerStars Pro front man Daniel Negreanu, fresh off helping promote the site’s first ever North American Poker Tour (NAPT) stop on U.S. soil at the Venetian, doubled up with pocket kings at the Commerce Casino on Day 1. His cowboys held against an opponent’s pocket jacks to move him to 40,000 in chips. Negreanu finished the day with a stack of 29,075, good for 223rd in the room. He appears on the leaderboard in elite company, however, as also holding around 29,000 chips are Erik Seidel, Gavin Griffin, Matt Glantz, Tuan Le, and NAPT High-Roller Bounty Shootout third place finisher Joe Cassidy.
Here are the top 10 chip stacks in the WPT L.A. Poker Classic heading into Day 2:
1. Masa Kagawa - 124,575
2. Mark Seif - 122,025
3. Charles Dolan - 120,500
4. Benjamin “xthesteinx” Zamani - 115,000
5. Naoya Kihara - 104,100
6. Chansung Choi - 100,350
7. Shawn Buchanan - 100,225
8. Hieu Luu - 98,250
9. Cary Katz - 97,475
10. Eugene Katchalov - 95,675
Notable names that appear in the top 50 include:
21. David Singer - 73,525
24. Marco “CrazyMarco” Johnson - 72,125
31. Robert Mizrachi - 68,575
32. Darus Suharto - 68,275
39. Peter “Belabacsi” Traply - 64,200
40. Chau Giang - 63,250
41. Jimmy “gobboboy” Fricke - 63,075
44. Keith Gipson - 61,175
45. Vanessa Rousso - 60,900
46. David “WhooooKidd” Baker - 60,725
Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest L.A. Poker Classic coverage.
bwin Announces Preliminary Fourth Quarter And Financial Year 2009 Reports
Following its acquisition of an Italian online gaming asset, the European gaming giant bwin was able to show a profit in both its fourth quarter gross revenues as well as for the Financial Year 2009.
In an announcement released this week, bwin demonstrated its dominance in the European market in all areas of its product. While the financial numbers reported would have been excellent standing alone, bwin – which acquired the Italian gaming operation Gioco Digitale in September of 2009 – was able to reap further benefits from the addition of the Italian company. From the information released, the addition of Gioco Digitale, which gave bwin a seat of operations in the Italian gaming market, will continue to be a strong part of the company.
For the fourth quarter of 2009, bwin showed increases in every area of the company. Total gross gaming revenue was up 12.9% to €132.9 over the fourth quarter of 2008’s profits of €117.7 million. The best increases came in the online poker operations, where a 35.8% increase in gross revenues to €37.6 million (over 2008’s €27.7 million) led all areas of the company. The sports betting arm of the company (up 3.3% to €66.6 million) and its casinos (up 4.8% to €20.2 million) added in to make up for the fourth quarter increase.
For the financial year 2009 overall, bwin was able to show increases in most areas of the company despite the global economic issues throughout the year. Gross gaming revenues for the year were up 6.1% to €446.6 million, vastly outpacing 2008’s final revenues of €420.9 million. Online poker once again led the way for the company, earning 26.1% more in 2009 (€118.8 million) than bwin did in 2008 (€94.2 million). While casino gaming gross revenues were up for the year in total (up 5.4% to 73.7 million), sports betting was the only area that showed a downturn, falling 3.8% for 2009 and earning €226.3 million versus 2008’s €235.4 million.
All of the numbers reported include the additional income of Gioco Digitale’s Italian citizens. Even if you take away the numbers generated by Gioco Digitale, bwin was still able to show a profit for the overall financial year of 2.8%. Where the addition of Gioco Digitale will most be felt perhaps is in the online poker room, where the company was able to push bwin’s fourth quarter numbers out of the red.
Back in September, the announcement of bwin’s purchase of Gioco Digitale rocked the online gaming world. The purchase, rumored to be in the neighborhood of €100 million (roughly $140 million U. S. at the time), was initiated by bwin to establish a foothold in Italy, where the country requires that an online gaming organization has a dedicated site for Italians to play at and must abide by established Italian gaming laws. Gioco Digitale reportedly held over 20% of the Italian market and, with the added 7% that bwin captured, makes for a formidable operation in Italy.
Estimates for the company in the future look very good, according to Yahoo! Finance UK. Through analysts’ estimates, bwin looks to earn €553.02 million in 2011, which would be approximately a 20% increase over 2009 numbers. At the close of trading on Friday on the Vienna Stock Exchange, bwin’s stock – traded as BWIN – was slightly down from yesterday at €40, down €1.7 from Thursday’s action.
NBA Star Tony Parker Signs with BetClic
"A great adventure begins," said Parker. "BetClic is a leading company with big ambitions and I am very happy to contribute to its development in the sport during the coming years."
Three-time NBA champion Parker was born in Bruges, Belgium to an American father and a Dutch mother but raised in France. He began his professional basketball career in Paris and played with the French national team before joining the San Antonio Spurs in 2001.
The 27-year-old point guard won the NBA Finals MVP award in 2007 and married Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria in the same year.
Parker and Longoria have taken part in several high-profile poker charity poker nights over the past few years and Parker has proven to be an avid player, so the leap to BetClic is a natural one.
Created in 2005 by Nicolas Beraud, BetClic has risen to prominence in the European online gaming market over the past five years.
After signing former Team PokerStars Pro Isabelle Mercier in 2009, the company has made a push into the ever-growing European poker market by purchasing both the Expekt and Everest Poker brands.
Now, the company is hoping that having a high-profile star like Parker in an ambassador role will help it grow even further, particularly in France, where new legislation is expected to open up the French poker market.
"We are delighted to welcome Tony Parker in the team BetClic,"said Beraud. "He is a great ambassador for the brand. Tony represents the strong values of excellence and ethics in sports that we share. This new partnership reflects our commitment to continue our development in the sport by adding great champions to our team."
-With files from Fred G.
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Peter Eastgate, Scott Seiver Reach NAPT Bounty Shootout Final Table
Scott Seiver stormed through the competition on Day 1 of the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) $25,000 High-Roller Bounty Shootout at the Venetian. Seiver ousted all six opponents at his starting table to move on to Day 2.
Seiver collected a $5,000 bounty for each player knocked out, or $30,000 total. In addition, his appearance at Thursday’s final table in the $25,000 buy-in event is worth another $75,000. All told, he’s a very happy camper heading into the finale, which will air as part of ESPN2’s coverage of the NAPT beginning in April. Seiver didn’t knock out a bunch of amateurs, either. Instead, he defeated Betfair pro Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi heads-up. Also a victim of Seiver’s bloodbath was Season 7 World Poker Tour (WPT) Festa al Lago winner Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier.
Seiver sent Team PokerStars Pro member and “High Stakes Poker” regular Barry Greenstein to the rails first, followed by Victory Poker front man Antonio Esfandiari, cash game specialist Chau Giang, and online poker pro Brian “tsarrast” Rast. Seiver won his first World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet in 2008, when he took down a $5,000 No Limit Hold’em event for $755,000.
Joe Cassidy defeated Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo heads-up at Table 1 to move on to Thursday’s finale. Cassidy knocked out four of his six opponents, including reigning WPT Championship winner Yevgeniy “Jovial Gent” Timoshenko, Bodog poker pro David Williams, and Unabomber Poker namesake Phil Laak. Cassidy finished 13th in the inaugural $50,000 HORSE Championship during the 2006 WSOP for $137,000. Also eliminated from Table 1 were “Poker2Nite” host Joe Sebok and Tommy Vedes.
2008 WSOP Main Event champ Peter Eastgate emerged victorious from Table 2. Eastgate defeated fellow young gun Isaac Haxton heads-up to collect his $5,000 bounty. Haxton sent Alec “traheho” Torelli and poker bad boy Tony G packing in third and fourth places, respectively, to give Eastgate a run for his money. The table also featured James Calderaro, Italian stud Dario Minieri, and WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic winner Daniel Alaei.
Ashton Griffin outlasted 2003 WSOP Main Event winner Chris Moneymaker at Table 3 to advance. Moneymaker eliminated fellow Main Event champion Joe Cada along with Hasan Habib and Jason Mercier before Griffin took out the former Tennessee accountant. Griffin finished 12th in the 2009 WSOP Europe £5,000 Pot Limit Omaha tournament for £15,000.
Over at Table 4, Brett Richey defeated three consecutive players down the stretch for the win, including Victory Poker’s Lee Markholt. Richey also sent Phil “OMGClayAiken” Galfond home in third place and Andrew “good2cu” Robl out in fourth. Markholt, meanwhile, eliminated rumored new DoylesRoom Brunson 10 member Alex “AJKHoosier1” Kamberis and poker veteran John “World” Hennigan.
An epic battle between Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka and UB.com’s Annie Duke unfolded at Table 5, with the former finally reigning supreme. Jaka busted four players from his table, including Jennifer Tilly, Vanessa Rousso, and 2006 World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) Main Event winner J.C. Tran. Oddly enough, only three women competed in the 49-player event; all of them were seated at the same table and eliminated by Jaka. You can check out Annie Duke’s evaluation of Jaka’s poker game.
Finally, DoylesRoom pro Hoyt Corkins, fresh off of taking down the WPT Southern Poker Championship in Biloxi, bested European Poker Tour (EPT) founder John Duthie at Table 7 to move on to the finale. Corkins amassed five bounties in the process, including Adam Richardson, Hevad “RaiNKhaN” Khan, 2004 WSOP Main Event champ Greg Raymer, and Steven Paul-Ambrose (who now goes as Steven Paul).
PokerStars is awarding $100,000 to the player with the most number of bounties when the tournament concludes. As it currently stands, Seiver leads the way with six and Corkins has five. Cassidy and Jaka each own four bounties.
The tournament resumes at Noon PT on Thursday, as all eyes today are focused on the Main Event of the NAPT Venetian. The winner of the Bounty Shootout will earn $460,000 in addition to the $75,000 reward for making the final table.
European Court of Justice Opinions Question National Monopolies On Online Poker
The landscape of the European online poker and casino gaming world continues to get murkier as two recent opinions from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) question the legalities of the Austrian and Swedish gaming laws.
In the first opinion, Advocate General Jan Mazak ruled on a case involving Ernst Engelmann, a German citizen who operates two online casinos in Austria. Engelmann was found guilty of unlawfully organizing games of chance in Austria and the case was appealed to the regional court of Linz. This regional court sought the opinion of the ECJ on three points of Austrian gaming laws and whether they violated the European Union (EU) treaty that allows for freedom of trade across national boundaries.
Mazak, after reviewing the case history, ruled on the three points that the regional court had requested clarification on. Mazak stated that the requirement that companies needing to be physically located in Austria is a restriction on freedom of establishment and is a violation of the EU treaty. Mazak ruled that this direct discrimination prohibits companies with their seat in another Member State from being holders of a license to operate a casino.
Part of the reason for that segment of the Austrian law – that Austria was looking to protect its citizens through having gaming operations located in the country and bound by its laws – was unfounded in Mazak’s opinion. Mazak ruled that companies that are a part of the EU are bound by the laws of the EU treaty. The decision stated, “In fact, any undertaking established in a Member State can be supervised and penalties imposed on it, regardless of the place of residence of its managers.” Thus, Mazak ruled against the location of operations argument used by the Austrian government.
In the other opinion, Advocate General Yves Bot was asked by the Stockholm Court of Appeals to rule on the case of two editors of national newspapers. Otto Sjöberg and Anders Gerdin were the editors-in-chief and publishers of two Swedish newspapers who accepted advertising from gaming companies located outside of Sweden. In late 2003 and 2004, they published advertisements for lotteries offered on such gaming sites as Expekt, Unibet, Ladbrokes, and Centrebet, all of which are established in Malta and the United Kingdom. They were convicted of violating Swedish gaming laws through promotion of companies not located in Sweden and were fined SEK 1,000 (approximately $137).
While Bot opinion stated that the punishment for the violation was appropriate as to the Swedish law, he did question the decision in the Swedish courts. At issue is a question of discrimination, according to Bot. In his opinion, Bot stated, “In the present case, although Swedish legislation prohibits, without distinction, the promotion of gambling organized abroad and the promotion of gambling organized in Sweden without a license, the penalties laid down for infringement of that prohibition are different. Thus, whereas penalties of a fine and imprisonment for up to six months are laid down for persons who advertise gaming organized abroad, those who advertise gaming organized in Sweden without a license do not incur equivalent criminal penalties, but only administrative penalties.”
The opinions laid out by Mazak and Bot are not binding, however. They are simply opinions and must go in front of the full ECJ before a decision is rendered on either case. At this time, there has been no date set for a final decision on the two cases.
The European Betting and Gaming Association (EGBA), which has been battling the movement towards the nationalization of online gaming in Europe, has hailed the opinions of the two Advocates General as potentially groundbreaking in the online gaming industry. Sigrid Ligné, the Secretary General of the EGBA, was especially pleased with the Austrian ruling when she said, “(With AG Mazak’s opinion) In this context, there is no acceptable justification to prevent reputable European competitors from offering online poker and casino games to Austrian players.”
Ligné appealed to free market economic theory when she said about the Swedish opinion, “It is remarkable that leading national newspapers, which are financed through and very much dependent on the sale of advertising, are unfairly deprived of substantial sources of revenue.” Ligné also noted that the two Swedish companies that conduct the country’s online gaming operations, Svenska Spel and ATG, advertise heavily inside Swedish borders and also use other EU member states in advertising on television to draw customers.
European Poker Tour crowns champ
EPT Copenhagen Day 5: Anton Wigg Kisses the Trophy
Anton Wigg wins PokerStars EPT Copenhagen
Swede Wigg Wins EPT Copenhagen
"It just feels so wonderful right now," said the 22-year-old pro. "I was in real trouble many times, but I kept my cool and told myself never to give up and I am so proud to have come through."
The 22-year-old bested a field of 423 players and an eclectic mix of a final table that included two-time EPT Copenhagen finalist Magnus Hansen and Danish mechanic Morten Guldhammer, who won his seat for just $1 in a tournament organized by the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet.
Wigg, who won his seat in a €500 satellite on PokerStars, actually defeated Italian Francesco de Vivo for the title after a four hour heads-up battle.
Notably, famous Danish actor and musical theatre singer Stig Rossen, playing is his first ever live tournament, finished 19th earning €10,750.
"EPT Copenhagen has seen so many personalities during this week and the atmosphere has just been intense," said EPT spokesperson Kirsty Thompson. "Everyone from car mechanics to opera singers and of course the world's best poker players came together to create the upsets and fairy tales we've come to expect from the Danish leg of the European Poker Tour."
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EPT Copenhagen Day 4: All-European Final Table Deadlocked at Nine
Tags: european
Petition to Bring Back A.J. Benza to High Stakes Poker Gains Steam
The current season of GSN’s “High Stakes Poker” is off to a flying start, with one important change. Prior to the recording of the program in Las Vegas last November, longtime host A.J. Benza was dropped in favor of having analyst Gabe Kaplan run solo in the booth and veteran poker announcer Kara Scott interviewing players from the floor. This has led to a petition to return Benza to the program.
An online petition to bring Benza back to the popular cash game show is currently garnering a great deal of support from its fans. To many viewers, “High Stakes Poker,” which is now in its sixth season, was a program that didn’t need any changes to make it more appealing. Furthermore, the idea of following the trend of other poker shows - which normally have a female hostess who interacts with players or commentators - was something that many viewers didn’t want to see happen, especially at the cost of Benza being in the booth.
At this point, over 400 people have stated in a thread on TwoPlusTwo that they have signed the petition for Benza’s return or sent their opinions to GSN. In a poll regarding the decision, almost 600 people responded overwhelmingly (nearly 9:1) against the dismissal of Benza, even though Scott is a highly respected broadcaster in her own right. Scott has extensive broadcasting experience on the European Poker Tour (EPT) and currently can be seen on ESPN's production of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe. The general mood of the crowd regarding the change at “High Stakes Poker” seemed to be “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
The comments indicate that the dismissal of Benza and the addition of Scott have weakened a previously strong show. Poster “Golfing_Stud” commented, “I love Gabe. He’s by far the best poker announcer there is but A.J. was his straight man… we need him back. Kara can stay or go she doesn’t add a lot.” Fellow poster “EGarrett” agreed, stating, “Please don't mess with success in entertainment. It's so easy to screw things up. And do not make the show more like Poker After Dark by adding an interviewer. Something about PAD is lifeless and boring... apparently designed to get you to fall asleep in front of the TV and give them long term ratings.”
The “High Stakes Poker” Season 6 premiere aired last Sunday on GSN and, whether intentional or not, there was what seemed to be a “tip of the hat” to Benza. As the program opened, Kaplan stood alone on one side of the shot - as if he were making room for a second person - instead of being centered in the frame. This, for longtime viewers of “High Stakes Poker,” was quite odd. Poster “Dromar” saw this peculiarity and wrote, “It’s too overt to anyone who’s ever seen HSP before, and just looks weird to anyone who hasn’t. I would be delighted if AJ walked in at the beginning of the next episode and they were like 'lol just kidding, why the f*** would we copy PAD?'" “Dromar” finished off his post by stating, “I’m not holding my breath, though.”
Back when the change from Benza to Scott was announced, GSN Vice President of Programming and Development David Schiff told Poker News Daily, “We’re into the sixth season and we felt like it was time to freshen it up. Our feeling was that we wanted viewers to be in the room with the players. Gabe and A.J. did a good job, but they were disconnected from the action.” With the addition of Scott, who handles floor interviews, GSN has apparently achieved that goal. Whether viewers stick with future episodes of “High Stakes Poker” without Benza in the booth remains to be seen.
Full Tilt Poker Pros Can Play in Any Competitor’s Open Event
According to a source close to Full Tilt Poker, the site’s pros are able to play in any competitor’s open event. The squad’s ability to enter this weekend’s PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Main Event appeared to be in doubt.
Whether members of Team Full Tilt or the site’s Red Pros will turn out for the $5,000 buy-in NAPT feature tournament remains to be seen. However, contrary to an article that appeared on ESPN.com, pros of Full Tilt are apparently more than welcome to buy into PokerStars-sponsored events. A source close to the world’s second largest online poker site told Poker News Daily, “Any Full Tilt pro, Red or member of Team Full Tilt, can play in any competitor's open event.”
Currently, Full Tilt sponsored pro Roberto Romanello is second in chips at the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Copenhagen event with 39 players remaining. Players like Phil Ivey and Andy Bloch, both members of Team Full Tilt, competed in last year’s World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe Main Event, which is title sponsored by Betfair. In 2008, Full Tilt Poker pro John Juanda took down the prestigious tournament for £868,000.
Full Tilt Poker pros turned out in droves to the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event in the Bahamas last month. Full Tilt’s Peter “Nordberg” Feldman took 35th in the $10,000 buy-in Main Event, while Eric “E-Fro” Froehlich finished in 41st. Full Tilt sponsored pro and reigning National Heads-Up Poker Championship winner Huck Seed landed in the 49th spot on the leaderboard and Ivey also cracked the top 100.
An article posted by ESPN columnist Gary Wise earlier this week asserted, “Now we're hearing word that you won't be seeing Red Pros at the North American Poker Tour stop at the Venetian this weekend.” Wise explained the dangerous precedent that could be set by Full Tilt instructing its pros not to compete in the NAPT: “By pulling their pros from the NAPT, FTP is playing a dangerous game with the one industry entity that can outspend them… Once FTP has poked the bear, does the bear really have a reason to not start poking back?”
Also in question is whether Full Tilt Poker pros will play in the $25,000 NAPT High Roller Bounty Shootout, which will receive three hours of coverage on ESPN2 beginning on April 16th. Meanwhile, Full Tilt Poker pro David Benyamine took down the PartyPoker Premier League IV title last night, defeating Luke “Full_Flush” Schwartz, and Full Tilt pro Roland de Wolfe also competed. Players from PartyPoker, PokerStars, and UB.com all appeared in the Premier League, which airs throughout Europe and is organized by Matchroom Sport.
Complicating the puzzle even further is the running of the World Poker Tour (WPT) Celebrity Invitational on Saturday and Sunday, which will compete head-to-head with the NAPT Main Event in nearby Las Vegas. According to WPT officials, Full Tilt pros Howard Lederer, Bloch, David “The Dragon” Pham, Erik Seidel, Allen Cunningham, and Bill Edler are all confirmed to play in the invite-only event, meaning that they likely won’t be making an appearance at the NAPT feature tournament.
Full Tilt received quite a bit of heat for only using its pros on the poker game show “Face the Ace,” which struggled mightily in the ratings. Meanwhile, the Full Tilt backed “Poker After Dark,” which airs on NBC, features a bevy of pros from other brands. Full Tilt also sponsors the WPT on Fox Sports Net.
Team Full Tilt member Mike Matusow was in Los Angeles shooting commercials for the online poker site and attending a Lakers game, according to his Twitter account. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest NAPT coverage.
Tags: 2008, 2010, David Benyamine, european, full tilt poker, Online Poker, Phil Ivey, pokerstars, tournament, vegas, WSOP