Poker News

WSOP on ESPN Ratings Down 8% After Two Weeks

Poker News Daily has learned that ESPN’s coverage of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) has experienced an 8% dip in television ratings through two weeks to 0.72. Last year, the mark was 0.78.

In addition to ratings seeing an 8% slide, household impressions also fell, albeit a modest 5%. The total number of household impressions through two weeks of the 2009 WSOP was 714,904, compared with last year’s tally of 750,315. Four one-hour episodes have aired so far, with 26 more comprising coverage of the Ante Up for Africa charity tournament and the prestigious $10,000 buy-in Main Event.

ESPN media contact George McNeilly told Poker News Daily that, despite the ratings slip, he remained optimistic: “These are very small declines and we’re just four telecasts into the season. We have almost 30 more episodes to go, so it’s way too early to start drawing any conclusions. One interesting trend we are watching is how ratings are flat among men 25 to 54, which bodes well for the rest of the season.”

Figures released after the July 28th kickoff telecast revealed that viewers were up 2% among men age 18 to 34. The number of viewers age 25 to 54 was up a commanding 16% after the first episode of the 2009 WSOP debuted on ESPN and the number of viewers age 18 to 49 was on par with the 2008 broadcast. The first telecast of the 2009 WSOP on ESPN featured the $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP. In the end, Vitaly Lunkin dominated the 201 player field en route to a $1.9 million first place prize. He defeated Isaac Haxton heads-up in a star-studded final table that also included Greg Raymer, Ted Forrest, Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, and Alec “traheho” Torelli.

On August 4th, the weekly Tuesday timeslot saw the WSOP Champions Invitational come to life. In one of the first non-bracelet events ever broadcast by ESPN, the Champions Invitational featured 20 former Main Event winners take to the felts. The unconventional 10-handed final table saw 1983 champ Tom McEvoy come out on top, taking home a vintage red 1970 Corvette Stingray and the Binion Cup. McEvoy defeated 2002 Main Event winner Robert Vakonyi heads-up in a final table that also included Peter Eastgate, Carlos Mortensen, Doyle Brunson, Huck Seed, and Dan Harrington.

Next week, the Ante Up for Africa charity poker tournament will headline ESPN coverage and begins at 8:00pm ET. The gala featured a veritable “who’s who” of the celebrity world, including “Rounders” star Matt Damon, “Pearl Harbor” actor Ben Affleck, “Celebrity Apprentice” candidate Herschel Walker, “Seinfeld’ star Jason Alexander, “Everybody Loves Raymond” star Brad Garrett, rapper Nelly, and legendary boxer Mike Tyson. The latter has developed a cult following stemming from his cameo in the blockbuster hit “The Hangover.” Tyson did not bring his tiger to the red carpet.

Poker stars who turned out to the charity event included Ante Up for Africa co-founder Annie Duke, Greg Raymer, Erik Seidel, Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, Jennifer Harman, Joe Hachem, Jason Mercier, and Andy Bloch. ESPN Coordinating Producer Jamie Horowitz told Poker News Daily what makes airing the charity gala unique: “We are excited to present a different type of poker tournament. In the Ante Up For Africa event, the story is more about the journey (the celebrities, the stars, and the pros) than the destination.”

Twenty-four hours of coverage of the 2009 WSOP Main Event will air on ESPN beginning on August 18th. The Main Event final table is scheduled to air on November 10th beginning at 9:00pm ET. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest WSOP news.

Poker’s march on Washington works

July 19-25 was the first National Poker Week organized by the Poker Players Alliance and the results speak for themselves.

Over the span of the week the PPA collected over 375,000 signatures on a petition to President Barack Obama supporting the legalization of online poker, nearly 200,000 letters/emails were sent to U.S. representatives and members of the PPA attended over 100 congressional meetings.

Even radio host Howard Stern signed up as a member of the PPA.

"I think we made a very strong impression on lawmakers who weren't aware of online poker or maybe even opposed it," said PPA executive director John Pappas. "We raised the overall understanding of the situation."

Pappas, PPA Chairman Alfonse D'Amato, 33 PPA state directors and seven poker pros including Andy Bloch, Annie Duke, Jan Fisher, Howard Lederer, Dennis Phillips, Linda Johnson and Greg Raymer all made the trip to Washington, D.C. to show their support for legislation that would legalize and regulate online poker in the United States.

"I truly feel we are winning on this issue and the time is ripe for pro-poker legislation to pass into law," said the aforementioned Bloch.

It has been an uphill battle, according to Pappas, but the group finally seems to be making some headway.

"There is obviously a great fear when it comes to online gambling," he said. "People are concerned about having a casino in every home. That's not necessarily the case as we are bringing a skill game into people's homes.

"This isn't anything new. People have been playing poker in their homes for their entire lives. This way the government would be able to collect tax revenue from it."

The organization put a great deal of support behind Rep. Barney Frank's Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act (HR 2267) which was originally scheduled for a hearing in July.

The proposed hearing was postponed to September, but the PPA was still able to convince seven more representatives to co-sign the bill, which is now up to 54 co-sponsors. Rep. Betsy Markey, Rep. Bill Pascrell and Rep. Russ Carnahan were all among the recent co-sponsors.

"We had several goals in Washington and I think we exceeded them all," Pappas said. "It was a great success. The only thing we weren't able to do is actually meet with President Obama and present him the petition with signatures. We hope to accomplish that later this year."

Despite the fact that National Poker Week is over, the PPA will continue to educate politicians about the game.

"We will continue to talk to people and promote the game," said Pappas. "We hope to set the stage for Frank's bill in early to late September.

"We also have the short-term goal of getting poker excluded from the current Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which will officially be enforced as of Dec. 1, 2009. We want them to leave poker out of that legislation because poker is a skill game."

Pappas went on to say that New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez will finally be dropping his long-awaited poker-only bill tomorrow (August 6).

In the end, when it comes to the future of online poker, Pappas was optimistic.

"I think it's going in the right direction," he said. "For the first time we are on the offensive when it comes to legislation. We're seeing numerous pro-poker bills and I haven't seen a single anti-poker bill introduced for months.

"The bills that have been introduced lately have all been about extending poker player's rights."

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Poker News in Brief: July 27-Aug. 2, 2009

As part of an ongoing feature we recount some of the top poker stories that didn't make the front page during the week but still deserve a mention.

This week we look at Phil Ivey having the chance to take down even more money, ESPN airing even more poker, Italians getting moved from PokerStars.com and several other stories.

Here we go:

More money for Ivey

Wicked Chops has a story about Andy Bloch betting Phil Ivey $10,000 to win the Main Event at 200-1 odds with 2,500 players remaining. That equals $2 million if you're keeping track at home.

Supposedly Ivey also stands to make an extra $10 million from FTP if he wins, in addition to the $8.5 million for first place.

It's getting to the point where if Ivey wins he will suddenly represent approximately 50% of the poker economy.

Poker returns to ESPN

The first episode of the 2009 WSOP aired on ESPN this week with Russian Vitaly Lunkin triumphing over Isaac Haxton in the $40,000 No-Limit Hold'em.

No word on the ratings but considering the always popular Greg Raymer went deep it wasn't a bad way to kick off the season. Next up is the special Champions Invitational event won by Tom McEvoy. The episode airs on Tuesday at 8 p.m.

Italian poker players bumped from PokerStars main site

Numerous poker sites are reporting that Italian players have been bounced from PokerStars' international site. Apparently the Italian government has enacted a new law where online poker rooms must have their servers located in the country.

It's not a total loss for Italian players as they were simply re-routed to the Italian-only version of PokerStars. There's a good chance, however, they will be missed by the rest of the poker world.

Deep stack mistake?

Tournament director Matt Savage has a great piece over on 2+2 detailing some of the issues regarding deep stack tournaments.

According to Savage deep stacks offer a lot of play in the early stages of play but can be a crap shoot in the later stages.

Definitely worth a read.

World Poker Tour releases positive Q2 numbers

For the first time in a long while, the World Poker Tour actually had some good news regarding their latest financial statement.

Income from continuing operations tipped the scales at $370,000, which is a massive improvement from the $3.3 million the WPT lost in the same quarter last year. The company also reported Q2 earnings per share of $.02, which was better than the forecasted $.01.

The WPT's next big event is Legends of Poker at the Bicycle Casino in L.A. It kicks off on Aug. 22.

PokerStars offering "Extreme" satellites for 2009 WCOOP

The WCOOP is the biggest online poker series of the year and PokerStars announced this week they are offering some "Extreme" ways to get a virtual seat in one of the events. The "Extreme Satellites" will sometimes offer more than 100 seats into various WCOOP events with players qualifying for as little as $7.50.

The 2009 WCOOP kicks off on Sept. 3 and will run all the way until the two-day main event on Sept. 30. You can check out the complete schedule for Extreme Satellites here.

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ESPN 2009 WSOP Ratings Fall 4%

The 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) debuted on cable station ESPN on Tuesday with a $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament commemorating the 40th running of the prestigious series. In the end, ratings fell by 4%, but were up in several key demographics.

In 2008, the WSOP on ESPN began airing one week earlier than this year’s festivities. Nevertheless, ratings in 2009 were off by 4% for the premier episode and household impressions were down 2%, according to ESPN Media Contact George McNeilly. However, numbers for two key demographics increased year over year, an encouraging sign for the Bristol-based cable network. McNeilly told Poker News Daily that viewers were up 2% among men ages 18 to 34. In addition, the number of men ages 25 to 54 who tuned into the 2009 WSOP on ESPN grew by an astonishing 16%. Meanwhile, in men ages 18 to 49, the number of viewers was on par with last season’s telecast. Six players at the $40,000 buy-in tournament’s final table were in their 20s, with 2004 WSOP Main Event Champion Greg Raymer serving as its elder statesman at 44 years-old.

Despite overall ratings being down, McNeilly remains optimistic about the remainder of the 2009 WSOP on ESPN schedule. He commented, “We have a long season of outstanding events and great storylines to go.” Last year, the finale of the 2008 WSOP Main Event, which occurred after a 117 day delay at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, turned in a 1.9 rating, up 46% from the rating that conclusion of the 2007 Main Event received (1.3). The latter tournament featured Jerry Yang defeating Tuan Lam. In total, pushing the final table of the Main Event back to coincide with its television broadcast paid off. Instead of viewers asking how a player won, they were left wondering who would win poker’s most prestigious title.

In 2008, the average rating for the 32 episodes that made up the WSOP broadcast was 0.9. That figure represents 919,000 households and 1.55 million viewers, which were up 13% and 15%, respectively, in comparison to 2007 figures. Next Tuesday, the WSOP Champions Invitational will air. The invite-only tournament attracted 20 former Main Event winners to the Rio to battle for a vintage Corvette from the Imperial Palace car collection and the Binion Cup. The tournament’s final nine include Dan Harrington (1995 Main Event Champion), Carlos Mortensen (2001), Huck Seed (1996), Tom McEvoy (1983), and Doyle Brunson (1976 and 1977). The spectacle kicks off at 8:00pm ET on ESPN and runs for two hours.

ESPN’s poker offering will also include the annual Ante Up for Africa charity tournament. The $5,000 buy-in event that raises money and awareness for the crisis in Darfur will pan out on television screens around the country on August 11th at 8:00pm ET. The tournament featured a “who’s who” of the celebrity world, including Mike Tyson, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Sarah Silverman, Doug Benson, Nelly, and Jason Alexander, whose “Seinfeld” reunion on HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” later this year has been the talk of the television industry.

ESPN will air 24 hours of the 2009 WSOP Main Event between August 18th and November 3rd. On November 10th, the conclusion of the $10,000 buy-in feature tournament will play out, with chip leader Darvin Moon taking on a final table that also includes Full Tilt Poker pro and 2009 two-time bracelet winner Phil Ivey and controversial CardPlayer Magazine Editor Jeff Shulman. The latter has threatened to trash his bracelet should he win due to an ongoing rift with Harrah’s, which owns the rights to the WSOP. Other members of the November Nine are James Akenhead, Kevin Schaffel, Steven Begleiter, Eric Buchman, Joe Cada, and Antoine Saout.

Barney Frank’s Internet Gambling Bill Breaks 50 Co-Sponsors

This week saw Congressman Barney Frank’s (D-MA) HR 2267, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act, officially break 50 co-sponsors. The bill establishes a complete licensing and regulatory framework for internet gambling outfits to solicit U.S. customers.

The addition of two Congressmen officially pushed the support to over 50 co-sponsors. On July 27th, just a few days removed from the conclusion of National Poker Week, Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA) lent his name to the bill to become co-sponsor #50. One day later, Congressman Dan Maffei (D-NY) joined on. Flanking Thompson and Maffei are Congressmen from both sides of the aisle. Each has come out to support legalizing the internet gambling industry in the United States and reaping tax revenue in return. Here is a full list of HR 2267’s co-sponsors, as given by the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative (SSIGI), along with the political party each belongs to (Democrat or Republican):

Alaska
Don Young (R)

Arizona
Raul Grijalva (D)

California
Michael Thompson (D)
George Miller (D)
Michael Honda (D)
Linda Sanchez (D)
Bob Filner (D)

Colorado
Jared Polis (D)
Ed Perlmutter (D)

Connecticut
Joe Courtney (D)

Florida
Robert Wexler  (D)
Alcee Hastings (D)

Hawaii
Neil Abercrombie (D)

Idaho
Walt Minnick (D)

Illinois
Luis Gutierrez (D)
Bill Foster (D)

Indiana
Andre Carson (D)

Massachusetts
James McGovern (D)
Barney Frank (D)
Michael Capuano (D)
William Delahunt (D)

Michigan
John Conyers (D)

Nevada
Shelley Berkley (D)

New Hampshire
Paul Hodes (D)

New Jersey
Robert Andrews (D)
Frank LoBiondo (R)
John Adler (D)
Steven Rothman (D)

New York
Tim Bishop (D)
Steve Israel (D)
Peter King (R)
Carolyn McCarthy (D)
Gary Ackerman (D)
Joseph Crowley (D)
Jerrold Nadler (D)
Edolphus Towns (D)
Mike McMahon (D)
Charles Rangel (D)
Paul Tonko (D)

North Carolina
Melvin Watt (D)

Ohio
Steve Driehaus (D)
Tim Ryan (D)

Oregon
Earl Blumenauer (D)

Tennessee
Steve Cohen (D)

Texas
Ron Paul (R)
Ciro Rodriguez (D)

Virginia
Bobby Scott (D)
Tom Perriello (D)
James Moran (D)

Washington
Jim McDermott (D)

HR 2046, introduced during the last Congressional session and labeled the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act, garnered 48 co-sponsors. Frank unveiled it to the world in April of 2007, but it was not acted upon. The new version forbids gambling on any event that would violate the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. However, Poker Players Alliance (PPA) Executive Director John Pappas noted during National Poker Week that sports leagues are seeking clearer language in the bill. He explained, “Changes need to be made to explicitly outlaw sports betting.”

HR 2266 was introduced on May 6th, the same day as HR 2267, and calls for industry compliance with the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) to be delayed by one year to December 1st, 2010. The measure is dubbed the Reasonable Prudence in Regulation Act and is up to 32 co-sponsors. On its sister bill reaching the milestone 50th co-sponsor, SSIGI spokesperson Jeff Sandman commented in a press release, “Reaching this milestone illustrates that momentum is growing for a shift in U.S. policy and a rewrite of U.S. internet gambling laws. We also expect an increased spotlight on internet gambling as a way to augment federal revenues and help cover the cost of necessary policy initiatives.”

During a Fly-In orchestrated by the PPA as part of National Poker Week, over 100 meetings were held with Congressmen and their staffs from around the United States. Attendees included 33 PPA State Directors and a handful of poker’s elite, including Poker News Daily Guest Columnists Annie Duke and Linda Johnson, PokerStars pros Dennis Phillips and Greg Raymer, Full Tilt Poker pros Andy Bloch and Howard Lederer, and online poker sensations Chris “Fox” Wallace and Jordan “iMsoLucky0” Morgan.

Over 375,000 concerned players signed an online poker petition, which was presented to U.S. President Barack Obama last week. In addition, nearly 200,000 letters and e-mails were sent to Representatives and Senators during National Poker Week. The PPA’s Randy Law admitted that just 80,000 were sent during the entire 2008 calendar year. The organization currently has over 1.2 million members after boasting only 50,000 in mid-2006.

Vitaly Lunkin Shines in First 2009 WSOP on ESPN Broadcast

The kickoff event of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) on ESPN played out on Tuesday night, with Russian Vitaly Lunkin taking home $1.9 million from the record $7.7 million prize pool.

Fans of poker on ESPN noticed several stark changes in the 2009 WSOP broadcast compared to years past. 2008 WSOP Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate now appears in the opening credits of the broadcast, which are otherwise the same as last year. The show began by highlighting the 40th running of the WSOP, featuring comments by several pros, including Doyle Brunson, Howard Lederer, Daniel Negreanu, Mike Sexton, Johnny Chan, Chris Ferguson, Annie Duke, Erick Lindgren, Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer, Jennifer Harman, Joe Hachem, and Scotty Nguyen. Eastgate’s banner, which hung above the Amazon Room floor at the Rio during the WSOP, was then unveiled.

Jack Link’s Beef Jerky, the presenting sponsor of the 2009 WSOP, received a slew of product placement throughout the show. The foodstuff’s logo appears on the center of the ESPN featured table, on video monitors above it, and in a bevy of graphics during the broadcast. Everest Poker’s name continues to appear in the ring of the table. Commemoration of the 40th WSOP consisted of a series of “40th Annual Memories” vignettes, which honored players who have won three bracelets in one year (Jeffrey Lisandro won a trio in 2009) and Greg Raymer’s deep run in the 2005 Main Event after winning the tournament in 2004.

The hole card camera now bears the presenting sponsor’s name and a Jack Link’s Wild Card Hand of the Day allows viewers at home to see one player’s hand, but not their opponent’s. In one, Raymer held 8-7 of hearts and raised to 250,000 under the gun. Isaac Haxton, whose cards were unknown, asked for a count and then made the call. The flop came 7-7-9 and the action went check-check. The turn came a nine, leading ESPN poker commentator Norman Chad to note, “If Isaac has a small pocket pair or an ace, he’s playing the board.” Haxton checked, Raymer led out for 350,000, and Haxton called. The river was another nine. Haxton checked, Raymer bet 750,000 after seeing his full house counterfeited, and Haxton called, showing A-Q for a chopped pot. On the Wild Card Hand of the Day, Chad noted, “That was fun. We’ve found a whole new way for me to sound stupid.”

For an event featuring a $40,000 buy-in, the average age of the final table was lower than many expected. Six of the nine players were in their 20s, while Raymer, who finished third, was the elder statesman at just 44. Noah Schwartz, who finished eighth, was labeled McLovin during the broadcast due to his striking resemblance to a character in the movie “Superbad.” Lex Veldhuis was cheered on by his girlfriend, Evelyn Ng, as well as Team PokerStars Pro member Maridu Mayrinck and Karina Jett. Raymer’s wife and mother turned out to support him, while Bodog pro Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo’s mother and stepfather rooted him on from the rails.

Two one-hour episodes aired on Tuesday night. The second focused on a prop bet by Bonomo that at least one of 43 poker players who live in Panorama Towers in Las Vegas would win a bracelet during the 2009 WSOP. Bonomo gave 7:1 odds on the bet and watched in agony as heads-up action between Lunkin and Panorama Towers’ own Haxton featured several double-ups by the player on the short stack. Besides Haxton and Bonomo, Panorama Towers residents include David Williams, Ng, Barry Greenstein, Joe Sebok, Antonio Esfandiari, Phil Laak, and Veldhuis.

In one of the most memorable heads-up matches in WSOP history, which left viewers on the edge of their seats, Lunkin finally prevailed and banked $1.9 million. Even Chad was rooting his fellow American along. After one double-up by Haxton with K-10 against Lunkin’s aces, Chad yelled, “Take that, you Commies!” Chants of “Russ-i-a” permeated the Amazon Room following Lunkin’s win and WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack presented the commemorative bracelet to the Russian at the end of the first 2009 WSOP on ESPN broadcast. Here were the final payouts:

1. Vitaly Lunkin - $1,891,012
2. Isaac Haxton - $1,168,566
3. Greg Raymer - $774,927
4. Dani Stern - $548,315
5. Justin Bonomo - $413,166
6. Alec Torelli - $329,730
7. Lex Veldhuis - $277,940
8. Noah Schwartz - $246,834
9. Ted Forrest - $230,317

Other vignettes included Brunson, Adam Schoenfeld, and David Plastik battling in 40th Annual WSOP Trivia during the traditional segment “The Nuts.” Nine questions in three categories were asked, including Main Men, Dynamic Duos, and Famous Firsts. In the end, Schoenfeld prevailed and advanced to the next round.

Poker News Daily has learned that future WSOP episodes will feature sponsored vignettes from PokerStars (called “Straight from the Pros”) and Full Tilt Poker (called “Deal Me In”). Pros from each online poker site will explain why they played a hand a certain way, giving the viewer unique insight. The Wild Card Hand of the Day will also continue to appear in each episode.

Stay tuned for the latest from the 2009 WSOP on Poker News Daily.

2009 WSOP on ESPN Debuts Tuesday

Tonight marks the return of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) on ESPN. At 8:00pm ET, the network will air the $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP.

A star-studded final table will take to the felts in the event, which was the second on the 2009 WSOP schedule. It attracted 201 entrants and, as has been heavily touted in commercials for the program, generated a $7.7 million prize pool. The final table features some of the top names in live and online poker. Here’s how the chip stacks will look when final table play in Event #2 of the 2009 WSOP kicks off on ESPN this evening:

1. Isaac Haxton - 5,955,000
2. Vitaly Lunkin - 4,565,000
3. Lex Veldhuis - 3,805,000
4. Greg Raymer - 3,345,000
5. Alec Torelli - 2,340,000
6. Justin Bonomo - 1,685,000
7. Dani Stern - 1,300,000
8. Noah Schwartz - 660,000
9. Ted Forrest - 560,000

Lunkin won a $1,500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event during the 2008 WSOP and banked $628,000, defeating Brett Kimes heads-up. Raymer won the 2004 WSOP Main Event, becoming the third amateur in a row to take down the feature $10,000 buy-in tournament. Torelli, who recently signed with the Cake Poker Network site Doyle’s Room, is fresh off a fourth place showing at the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Bellagio Cup V for $271,000. Bonomo is a Bodog pro making his third WSOP final table appearance. Forrest owns five bracelets and was famously shut out of the Main Event this year after Day 1D sold out at over 2,800 runners. Finally, Stern will compete as part of G4’s “2 Months, $2 Million,” a poker reality show that debuts on August 16th.

With the all-star cast lined up for the final table of the kickoff WSOP on ESPN event, show producer Jamie Horowitz commented in a conference call last week, “This is the most excited I’ve ever been for a season of the WSOP, not just because we get to kick it off with new events we’ve never done before, but also because we’re doing a record number of hours of [the Main Event] this year.” In fact, ESPN will broadcast 24 hours of the world’s most prestigious poker tournament. The final table will take place on November 10th and air just hours later on the Worldwide Leader in Sports.

Tuesday is once again poker night on ESPN. Here’s the schedule for when you can tune in to catch the action in high-definition. All times are Eastern:

July 28th from 8:00pm to 10:00pm: $40,000 Special Anniversary Tournament
August 4th from 8:00pm to 10:00pm: WSOP Champions Invitational
August 11th from 8:00pm to 10:00pm: Ante Up for Africa Charity Tournament
August 18th to September 22nd from 8:00pm to 10:00pm: WSOP Main Event
September 29th from 8:00pm to 11:00pm: WSOP Main Event
October 6th from 10:00pm to 11:00pm: WSOP Main Event
October 13th to November 3rd from 9:00pm to 11:00pm: WSOP Main Event
November 10th from 9:00pm to 11:30pm: WSOP Main Event Final Table

This year’s November Nine, who comprise the final table of the Main Event, include two brand name pros, Full Tilt Poker’s Phil Ivey and CardPlayer Editor Jeff Shulman. Ivey has already won two bracelets at the 2009 WSOP, while Shulman threatened to throw his piece of hardware in the garbage if he won. Horowitz explained the allure of this year’s group: “It’s long been discussed in the modern era of poker if a pro could win the Main Event. Having Phil Ivey as part of our November Nine has added a new level of interest to poker. There’s an elevated sense of excitement for this season.”

Ivey is ESPN poker commentator Norman Chad’s perennial pick to win the $10,000 buy-in Main Event. He explained to reporters why Ivey has become one of the industry’s staples: “Anytime you’re playing with a pro, there’s going to be a sense of intimidation, but there’s some mystical magical quality about Phil Ivey that actually elevates him above the rest. He has an amazing table presence that’s unequaled in the game.” Chad told Poker News Daily on the Ante Up for Africa red carpet that he expected Ivey to win the charity tournament as well.

We’ll look forward to seeing the $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP unfold tonight on ESPN and ESPN HD.

Biggest Surprises of National Poker Week

National Poker Week attracted 33 State Directors from the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) plus a throng of the game’s elite to Washington, DC. In the end, over 100 meetings were held on Capitol Hill. Poker News Daily was on-hand for the festivities and reviews several of the surprises of National Poker Week.

Prepare to Meet with Aides

If poker players take the time to visit their Congressmen, they should be prepared to meet with staff members. Being a Congressman means running frenetically between meetings, votes, and other pressing matters. Although conferencing with constituents is important, Congressmen have a full plate. Staffers are extremely influential, a point echoed by lawmakers like Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL) and former three-term Senator Alfonse D’Amato (R-NY) during National Poker Week. Congressmen regularly defer to aides for insight on both critical issues and those that may not receive front-page headlines. Therefore, don’t be discouraged meeting with Congressional staffs.

Poker Really is a Game of Skill

A study by Cigital and PokerStars performed in December studied 103 million cash game hands on the world’s most popular online poker site. The results revealed that 75% of pots did not go to showdown. Instead, the process of betting and bluffing took down hands. It’s one thing for industry representatives to say that poker is a game of skill; it’s completely different to hear the sentiment from an American lawmaker. Congressmen Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA), for example, told online poker forum PocketFives.com in an interview, “Poker is a sport of skill. If you don’t believe that, you need to watch some of the tournaments on television and understand that these are very talented people. They can win a hand with a lot worse cards than anybody else. It is a game of skill and not just what cards fall.” Well said.

Importance of Personal Stories

When you meet with Congressmen or their aides, be sure to share your personal story. This was the number one point emphasized by the PPA. The rationale behind sharing your personal story is breaking the stereotype that poker players are shady individuals, far from being law-abiding citizens. Instead, poker players are students, housewives, firefighters, soldiers, doctors, and teachers. They’re just like you and me. Formulate your personal story prior to calling, e-mailing, or visiting your Congressmen. While knowledge of the issue is of paramount importance, it was surprising to learn that the personal story is even more critical.

Generosity Makes the World Go Round

Poker players are an extremely generous group. Churches, synagogues, and other institutions around the world regularly employ poker tournaments as fundraising vehicles. The turnout at the PPA’s charity event was extremely impressive. Some of the world’s top pros were in attendance, including “Celebrity Apprentice” runner-up Annie Duke, who came armed with a fistful of $100 bills in order to rebuy wounded warriors at her table. 2004 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Greg Raymer imparted knowledge of the game to his tablemates and Howard Lederer (Duke’s brother) tried to out-rebuy his sibling. Generosity really is a quality of poker players. I’ve seen it first-hand.

Poker’s Role Models

The roster of pros that turned out to the PPA’s Fly-In as part of National Poker Week was truly impressive. In addition to Raymer, Duke, and Lederer, the movement to legalize and regulate online poker in the United States also attracted “The First Lady of Poker” Linda Johnson, Women in Poker Hall of Fame member Jan Fisher, former MIT Blackjack Team member Andy Bloch, online poker star Jordan “iMsoLucky0” Morgan, PokerXFactor instructor Chris “Fox” Wallace, and Team PokerStars Pro member Dennis Phillips. Even talk show host and poker veteran Montel Williams turned out, fresh off a trip to Africa.

I’m an economics major, so I’m familiar with opportunity cost. These pros came to Washington, DC voluntarily to help advance the game in the United States. There are plenty of opportunities they passed up in order to attend. My hat is off to each of them. They are truly poker’s role models.

Linda Johnson, Jan Fisher Attract Female General to PPA Charity Event

Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Linda Johnson and former World Poker Tour (WPT) statistician Jan Fisher spent Monday during National Poker Week visiting the Pentagon accompanied by Brigadier General, Army National Guard Sandi Dittig. One of the country’s highest-ranking females, Dittig donned civilian attire to play in a charity poker tournament benefiting the USO of Metropolitan Washington.

Playing alongside one of the most influential Army females were around 35 soldiers from nearby Walter Reed Army Medical Center, who, for one night, put their ailments aside for an uplifting game of poker. The electricity was readily apparent in the Ticonderoga Room of the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill when Ivan Neville took to the podium to sing the National Anthem of the United States. The troops in attendance received a 30 second standing ovation from the gathered crowd; many clapped with the masses in salute of their fellow man. It sent shivers up the spines of all who took part in Tuesday’s festivities.

Dittig was one of 150 starters and 30 alternates who took to the felts to raise $35,000 for the USO. She joined brand name players like 2004 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Greg Raymer, “Celebrity Apprentice” runner-up Annie Duke, former MIT Blackjack Team member Andy Bloch, and talk show host Montel Williams. Right before the “Shuffle up and deal” command was issued, Poker News Daily caught up with Dittig, who, very much like Johnson and Fisher, is a female on top of a male-dominated industry.

Poker News Daily: Tell us about why you came to the PPA charity poker tournament tonight.

Dittig: I’m very happy that the PPA is supporting the USO and paralyzed veterans of America. That’s where my heart and soul is: soldiers who have given so much and have allowed us to come here and play poker in peace and security.

PND: What’s it like being a top female General in today’s Army?

Dittig: It is a great honor. I will tell you that when I was promoted, all I could think about was that there are millions of women across the world who will never have an opportunity for anything in their lives, not in their families, not in their communities, and not within their governments. For me not to seize this opportunity that my government offered me would have been wrong, so I took this star for all of my girlfriends around the world.

PND: Has the reception been positive from your male counterparts?

Dittig: It’s been nothing but supportive. In fact, I have never had an issue in my 24 years of service. I have always been treated with respect. I have had every opportunity to do anything I have ever wanted. Granted, you have to have some thick skin, but I think you need thick skin regardless of what you do in life. Things will evolve with time and I think always for the better. I have no gripes or complaints. The Army has always been very good to me and I’m always happy to serve.

ESPN loves Ivey

"This is the most excited I've ever been," said ESPN coordinating producer Jamie Horowitz. "There are new events we've never televised before and a record number of hours of the Main Event."

Coverage will begin Tuesday, July 28, at 8 p.m. ET with the final table of the 2009 WSOP $40,000 40th anniversary event featuring 2004 Main Event champ Greg Raymer, 2008 WSOP bracelet winner Vitaly Lunkin and a series of top young pros.

Running every Tuesday from July 28 through November 10, the coverage will also feature action from the WSOP Champions Invitational, the star-studded Ante Up for Africa charity tournament and, for the first time ever, 24 hours of Main Event footage.

"That was the most common comment from fans," Horowitz said. "More Main Event; it's what they want."

ESPN's coverage will culminate with the final table of the Main Event airing November 10 and Host Norman Chad said he is particularly pleased with the November Nine lineup that will contest for the title this year.

"Each final table is like a snowflake; they're all different and I love them all," he said. "But if you've got the greatest player in the world and you have a logger, whose whole business is lumber and logs, at the same final table; Phil Ivey and Darvin Moon are the Main Event in a nutshell."

Last year's delayed final table created an unparalleled level of interest and ESPN saw ratings for the Main Event final jump by 50 per cent.

Horowitz believes the presence of Ivey may have a similar effect.

"It's long been discussed in the modern era of poker; could a pro ever win the Main Event?" he said.

"Having Phil Ivey as a part of our November Nine has added a new level of interest in poker. It's an elevated sense of excitement for this season."

Chad could not agree more.

"There's an air of him unequalled by the other pros," he said. "There's some mystical, magical quality that actually elevates him above the rest. He has an amazing table presence unequalled in the game."

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PPA Charity Poker Tournament Raises $35,000 for USO

On Tuesday night as part of National Poker Week, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) held a charity tournament to raise money for the USO of Metropolitan Washington. In the end, the event generated $35,000, including a generous $25,000 donation by the PPA.

The cards were in the air on Tuesday night at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill at 7:00pm ET for a special charity poker tournament sponsored by the PPA benefiting the USO of Metropolitan Washington. A capacity crowd of 150 players turned out as well as 30 alternates who eventually found their way onto the tournament’s tables. Poker pros in attendance included Jan Fisher, Poker News Daily Guest Columnists Linda Johnson and Annie Duke, Full Tilt Poker pros Howard Lederer and Andy Bloch, and PokerStars pros Greg Raymer and Dennis Phillips. Talk show host and 20 year poker veteran Montel Williams also lent his name to the tournament, which was free to enter and featured $100 rebuys.

Ivan Neville kicked off the festivities by signing the National Anthem, while a representative from the USO issued the traditional “Shuffle up and deal” command to begin play. Two tables called for rebuys in the first four minutes of action, while Lederer was responsible for rebuying four times in the first 20 minutes. Many of the pros in attendance financed rebuys for the 35 veterans from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center who played. Each person was issued a starting stack of 10,000 and blinds began at 50-100, escalating every 15 minutes. The price of poker ultimately went up every 10 minutes towards the end of play.

The grand prizes at stake were two round trip tickets to Las Vegas plus a three night stay at Caesars Palace as well as a $1,900 gift certificate to the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Academy. Other parting gifts included two autographed Daniel Negreanu poker books, a copy of Microsoft Office, VISA gift cards, Nickelback tickets, a copy of HALO 3, a signed Washington Capitals hockey jersey, a JAQK Cellars package, and two six-inch LCD picture frames. Also awarded to two players were one year subscriptions to the training site PokerXFactor.com. One of its instructors, Chris “Fox” Wallace, played in the event and told Poker News Daily, “We thought it would be a nice thing for the bubble person and the first person eliminated to receive PokerXFactor subscriptions. We wanted to show our appreciation for the people who played and, at the same time, help out the PPA and USO.”

Credit cards and cash were accepted for rebuys. In addition to the poker pros in the Ticonderoga Room, a bevy of Congressmen also turned out. They included Shelley Berkley (D-CA), Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Ed Perlmutter (D-CO), and Xavier Becerra (D-CA). In one pot, Raymer explained the concept of a string bet to tablemates, but folded in the hand when his opponent showed A-J on a rag board. Duke came armed to her table with a stack of $100 bills and told Poker News Daily that she contributed around $1,500 to the cause. Duke and PPA Executive Director John Pappas were seated together, as were PPA Kentucky State Director Rich Muny and Bloch. Phillips and his agent also met as foes at the same table.

Several players had bounties on their heads, including former PokerStars Marketing Director Dan Goldman and tournament emcee Bryan Spadaro, who also serves as the PPA’s Memebrship Director. The Interactive Gaming Council (IGC) funded rebuys for the first 10 players who busted out, while a flurry of exciting hands took place. When five tables remained, Goldman’s pocket kings defeated pocket queens and another player with pocket kings after four diamonds hit the board. Wallace lost a $50 last longer bet with online poker pro Jordan “iMsoLucky0” Morgan after his K-9 suited lost to A-10. The final board included two aces and Wallace was sent to the rails.

All in all, the tournament marked a successful fundraiser for the USO of Metropolitan Washington. For those involved, it represented a unique opportunity to play alongside 35 wounded veterans. After the tournament, Johnson told Poker News Daily that those in uniform hold a “special place in my heart.”

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from National Poker Week.

PPA begins National Poker Week with Howard Stern

PPA chairman Alfonse D'Amato went on the air to discuss the PPA's plight and after the show, the popular radio host and TV personality decided show his support for the cause by joining the PPA.

"I can't think of a more fitting way to kick off National Poker Week than having my friend, Howard Stern, become a member of the PPA," said D'Amato.

"I thank him for having me on his show this morning and supporting the PPA's efforts to protect the freedom of American citizens to play the great game of poker at the time and place of their choosing - a freedom Congress voted to take away."

National Poker Week runs from July 19-25 and over 30 of the PPA's State Directors and several established poker pros are scheduled to meet with representatives in Washington, D.C.

Players like Greg Raymer, Andy Bloch and Howard Lederer have already met with Rep. Robert Wexler and many more meetings are scheduled for later this week. Recent Celebrity Apprentice runner-up Annie Duke will also be making an appearance.

Many players are championing Rep. Barney Frank's H.R. 2267 bill, which would see online poker officially legalized, regulated and taxed.

In support of National Poker Week the PPA has also run full page ads in Roll Call and Politico advocating the legalization and regulation of online poker.

"National Poker Week is a way to shine the spotlight on this injustice and educate my former colleagues on why licensing and regulation of Internet poker is a much more effective - and revenue generating - alternative than an outright ban of this great American pastime," D'Amato said.

PPA Executive Director John Pappas is also scheduled to be on BBC Radio later today to discuss National Poker Week.

The driving force of National Poker Week, however, is an online petition that asks U.S. President Barack Obama to exempt poker from the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), license and regulate internet poker in the America and respect the rights of law-abiding Americans who wish to play the game.

You can sign the petition here. You can also learn more about National Poker Week by visiting the PPA's official website at www.theppa.org.

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Robert Wexler Speaks at PPA National Poker Week Fly-In Dinner

On Monday night at the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) Fly-In held as part of National Poker Week, a working dinner featured Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL), PPA Chairman Alfonse D’Amato, and PPA Executive Director John Pappas.

A host of poker pros were in attendance at the Capitol Room inside the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. They included 2004 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Greg Raymer, Full Tilt Poker pros Andy Bloch and Howard Lederer, Tournament Directors Association Co-Founder Linda Johnson, former World Poker Tour (WPT) statistician Jan Fisher, and “Celebrity Apprentice” runner-up Annie Duke.

D’Amato kicked off the festivities by noting, “One person at the forefront… and has stood up specifically for… player versus player, and not versus the house, games – No one has been stronger than Bob Wexler.” The audience of about 50 people erupted into a chorus of applause after Wexler’s name was spoken. The Florida Congressman and former author of the Skill Game Protection Act last session called D’Amato a “class act in the finest sense of the word.” Wexler then outlined the goal of National Poker Week and the PPA Fly-In: “To put a face on the issue is very important.” He continued, “It’s an apple pie issue. Poker is a game that has been played in the White House, the Supreme Court, and… by some of the biggest names in American history.”

Wexler also reminded Fly-In attendees, which included 30 of the PPA’s State Directors, that follow-up contact is critical: “When you go meet with your Congressmen, your job is only half done. When you get back home, follow up with your local office. You can’t imagine how important that is. Spend 15 minutes with the director of the local office.” Wexler called the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), which was passed in 2006 and attached to an unrelated port security measure, an “absurd law” and labeled Congressmen Barney Frank an “important ally.” He then hit up the buffet to grab a snack before exiting with a staff member.

D’Amato then returned to the podium to rally the troops: “I’m very hopefully we’ll be able to get one of the staunchest allies we have to be supportive of legislation that will give you the right to play poker on the internet.” He labeled an unspecified meeting this afternoon a “major breakthrough.” The PPA’s Chairman emphasized the importance of letting Congressmen and staffers know how many members the organization boasts. D’Amato added, “This is about civil rights and civil liberties.” A hearty round of applause followed that comment. He also recalled a bad beat story in which he was busted from a seniors’ poker tournament with pocket jacks after an opponent spiked an ace on the river. He concluded with, “Thank you for coming. Don’t get discouraged. We are making progress.”

An overview of briefing packets given out to Fly-In attendees followed. Stats highlighted included that 10 million Americans play online poker, while 70 million compete in poker. Guests were encouraged to arrive 10 to 15 minutes before their scheduled Congressional meetings in order to go through security. Pappas encouraged attendees to convey their personal story and ask support for HR 2267, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act, which was introduced in May. Pappas also gave updates on upcoming Senate legislation to legalize online poker in the United States, over-blocking by credit card companies of internet transactions, and the Southern District of New York seizing over $34 million from more than 27,000 online poker players.

We’ll have more for you from the Fly-In, including complete coverage of Tuesday’s charity tournament, right here on Poker News Daily.

Kevin Schaffel - Poker Player Profile

Kevin Schaffel is from Coral Springs, FL, and is the oldest member of the 2009 “November Nine” at 51 years old. When play resumes on November 7th, Schaffel will be in the middle of the pack in sixth place with 12,390,000 in chips. Kevin Schaffel will be sponsored by PokerStars at the 2009 WSOP Main Event final table and calls the Seminole Hard Rock Casino and Hotel in Hollywood, FL, his home casino.

A divorced father with two college-aged children, Schaffel owned and operated several businesses prior to taking up poker and his run at the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event. In 2006, after his printing and direct mail businesses took a downturn, Kevin Schaffel increased the number of poker tournaments that he played and began moving around the country chasing the poker circuit. While his name is not immediately recognizable to the casual poker fan, Schaffel actually has had a great deal of success in the WSOP Championship Event.

Kevin Schaffel first cashed in the 2004 Main Event, which was eventually won by Greg Raymer, when he finished in 42nd place. He has gone on to cash in the 2008 WSOP Main Event, a European Poker Tour event (2008 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure) and two World Poker Tour events. Schaffel has earned $1.4 million dollars at the tables, including his payout for being a member of the November Nine.

Schaffel pointed out that two things that helped him reach this point in the 2009 WSOP Main Event were words he heard from tennis champion Serena Williams. In describing attributes that helped her in pressure situations, Williams said that “calm” and “patience” got her through tough circumstances. Schaffel has put those theories into his poker game and will be quite deliberate at the table. With these skills, Kevin Schaffel could be expected to drive deep into the action when the “November Nine” pick up play later this year to determine poker‘s next World Champion.

Bernard Lee at the 2009 WSOP

The 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is underway.  Already, most of this year’s 57 WSOP bracelets have been awarded.  If you have never been to the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino during the summer, you owe it to yourself to attend one year to witness the spectacle that is the WSOP.  Table after table jam-packed with poker players.  A symphony of shuffling chips permeates through air.  A room overflowing with hopes and dreams of becoming the next WSOP bracelet winner.  Does it get any better than this?

On any given day, up to six different bracelet events were played.  Each day started off with a new WSOP bracelet event at Noon, while another often commenced at 5:00pm.  Meanwhile, the other WSOP bracelet events reassembled for Day 2 and final tables kicked off at 2:00pm and 4:00pm.  Additionally, two multi-table non-bracelet tournaments were played (7:00pm and 11:00pm), while two multi-table WSOP Main Event satellites were offered daily (3:00pm and 8:00pm).  All the while, there were single table satellites that occurred all day ranging from $65 to $1,030 down the hallway in the Brasilia Room.

This year, the WSOP started off with a bang, as 201 players registered for the first major event - the $40,000 No Limit Hold‘em tournament.  It was created as a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the WSOP and won by Russian Vitaly Lunkin.  Outlasting poker professionals Greg Raymer (2004 WSOP Main Event Champion) and Isaac Haxton, Lunkin took home the coveted WSOP bracelet in addition to almost $1.9 million.  Also during the first weekend, the Stimulus Special (Event # 4, $1,000 No Limit Hold‘em) had a record turnout.  The 6,012 participants made up the largest non-WSOP Main Event field in the history of poker. In the end, the tournament was won by poker professional Steve Sung, who took home $771,106.

However, one of the most anticipated events of the 40th annual WSOP was not even a bracelet event.  On Sunday, May 31st, the WSOP Champions Invitational brought together all of the past WSOP Main Event winners.  Although 34 different players have won the WSOP Main Event (remember, there have been players with multiple titles such as Doyle Brunson, Stu Unger, and Johnny Chan), there are 25 current living champions.  Of these, 20 former winners came together in the Amazon Room, making this winner-take-all event one of the most competitive fields in the history of poker.

The winner of this unprecedented Champions Invitational would take home a vintage red Corvette from 1970, marking the inaugural year of the WSOP.  More importantly, the winner would have the ultimate bragging rights as “The Champion of Champions.”

At the beginning of the tournament, Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack announced each player’s name one by one, culminating in a historic picture of all of the living WSOP champions.  The massive crowd was electric with anticipation for this once-in-a-lifetime event.

After 10 champions were eliminated on Day One, the final 10 players reassembled on June 1st. The field was comprised of a mix of old school and new style online aggression: Two-time champion Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson (finished 8th), “Action” Dan Harrington (finished 3rd), reigning WSOP Main Event champion Peter “Icegate” Eastgate (finished 9th), and 11-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth (finished 10th).  Overall, this final table would be one for the ages.

In the end, Robert Varkonyi, the 2002 Champion, succumbed to the winner of the WSOP Champions Invitational, Tom McEvoy.  McEvoy, the 1983 WSOP Main Event champion, is a four-time bracelet winner in his own right and author of 12 books, mainly on poker. However, he is best known as the first WSOP champion ever to have earned his seat into the Main Event via a satellite. By laying the groundwork, the majority of the players can today earn their seats in satellites, whether online or in live casinos.

Clearly emotional after his victory, McEvoy commented, “This is the toughest field I have ever played against.” After the grueling final table, McEvoy received the Corvette and the first-ever Binion Cup from its namesake and poker patriarch, Jack Binion.

I have known Tom for several years.  When I first began taking tournament poker very seriously back in 2004, the first book I read about playing No Limit Hold’em tournaments was Tom McEvoy’s and T.J. Cloutier’s “Championship No Limit and Pot Limit Hold’em.”  Before every tournament, I still re-read the book to prepare and focus on the upcoming event.  This book truly helped set the foundation of my game.  I even own a signed copy that I carry with me to every tournament.  Congratulations Tom on your historic victory.  In the end, the Champions Invitational is an event that all fans alike will enjoy and I will look forward to seeing later this fall on ESPN.

As for my WSOP, I could not have gotten off to a worse start.  I played in six preliminary events during the second week, starting with the Stimulus Event.  Originally, I was shut out of the $1,000 No Limit event because it was sold out.  However, on Day 1B, it was announced that there were six available seats, as several pre-registrations were voided.  Thus, I was fortunate to get into the event.  However, my K-K ran into A-A during Level 7 and I was sent packing.

The rest of the week did not go much better, as once again my K-K faced A-A (Event #7), Ah-Qh went up against K-K on a Qs-9h-7h flop (Event #11), 10-10 lost to 9-9 on a nine-high board (Event #13), and my A-2 (I had checked my option from the big blind) got tangled with A-8 on an A-10-8-A-9 board (Event #15).  Finally, playing in the $1,500 Seven Card Stud event (my only non-No Limit Hold‘em tournament), my aces and eights got run down by a two-outer.  On 7th street, my opponent, holding only a pair of nines, hit trips and I could not improve.

Finally, don’t forget to listen to my radio show, “The Bernard Lee Poker Show,” on RoundersRadio.com and 1510 AM in the Boston area on Tuesday nights from 7:00pm to 8:00pm ET and repeated throughout the week.  Recent and upcoming guests include Tom McEvoy, Mike Matusow, and Brandon Cantu.

Warren Zackey Leads as 2009 WSOP Main Event Day Six Begins

Playing as if they had a plane to catch, the 407 players who came back for Day Five of the Main Event of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) wasted little time in whittling the field to fewer than 200 players.

The plan on Sunday was for the players, already guaranteed a payday of at least $27,469, to play for five two-hour levels or down to 175, whichever came first. After the carnage on Saturday - where the field went from 789 players to 407 - it was thought the field would be more deliberate as the money moved up. That was not the case, as the battle cry of “all in and a call” was heard immediately on the first hand and echoed throughout the Amazon Room frequently as the afternoon wore on.

The actual statistics from Sunday were mind-boggling with the stakes being played for. Over three levels of poker, the field was chopped from the 407 who walked through the doors Sunday afternoon to 185 players. This breaks down to a player being eliminated every 90 seconds, an unheard of casualty rate for a prestigious tournament.

Even with the significant number of departures, the notable players who remain in the tournament are perhaps the strongest in several years. Making a run reminiscent of Greg Raymer’s performance in the 2005 WSOP Main Event, defending champion Peter Eastgate is still in contention. Despite being down to the felt in the early going of this year’s WSOP Main Event, Eastgate has been able to pull himself up and will enter Day Six with 927,000 in chips.

Fellow former World Champion Joe Hachem is also demonstrating his skills in large field poker, as he is the only other former Main Event champion still in the running. He will start off Day Six with 540,000 in chips. Those former World Champions who didn’t make it through Sunday’s carnage were Bobby Baldwin (352nd) and Dan Harrington (252nd).

Along with Eastgate, another member of the “November Nine” is making a run at returning to this year’s final table. Dennis Phillips, who finished third last year, is over one million in chips as today’s play starts. Phillips is scheduled to be in St. Louis this evening for a charity event at Lumiere Place (his home casino) in conjunction with the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, which occurs tomorrow night. With $8.5 million on the line, Phillips may not be able to make his event this evening!

Others in the field include Day Three chip leader Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, Joe Sebok, Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari, and Fabrice Soulier. Phil Ivey, who has consistently been around the top of the leaderboard, has 1.38 million in chips.

2007 WSOP Player of the Year Tom Schneider, who has had a miserable run at the 2009 WSOP (one cash), has altered his fortunes and charged to the top of the leaderboard. Stacked with 3.17 million in chips (good for sixth place), Schneider is poised for a potential run at being among the next “November Nine.” Noah “Exclusive” Boeken, the young professional from the Netherlands, is keeping pace with Schneider and is just outside the Top 10 with 2.34 million (12th place).

Leading the pack is South Africa’s Warren Zackey, who has pulled 4.87 million in chips in front of him over the first five days. A plumbing supply salesman from Johannesburg who earned his way to his first WSOP with a second place finish in the All Africa Championship, Zackey admits he hasn’t done anything special to reach this moment in his poker career. “I got some really good hands,” Warren understated. “I tripled up on the first day and I doubled up again and again (over the next two days). I think I started with 730,000 today and then went up from there.”

With his wife in the Rio with him and his children keeping track through the internet back in Johannesburg, Zackey is not letting his run at the WSOP Main Event go to his head. When asked if he would drop his sales job if he won the title, Warren commented, “No. I have a family. I’d go back to it.” He also has a solid strategy for today’s action, saying, “I am going to take it easy unless I get some decent cards.”

Day Six will kick off at Noon Pacific Time and it could be a significantly longer affair. The plan is to work down to the final 63 players and, with the larger stacks, play could last deep into the night. Poker News Daily will be on site and have a complete recap of the action as the next “November Nine” is determined later this week.

Linda Johnson Heads to Washington for National Poker Week

The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) held a press conference at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino during the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) to announce several of its latest projects including National Poker Week, a national poker petition, and a new website called mypokerstory.com. I hope you will check out some of these projects.

Please log into pokerpetition.com and sign the online poker petition that will be presented to President Barack Obama during National Poker Week, asking his support to exempt the game from the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) and for its legalization and regulation. To date, almost 300,000 people have signed and we are hoping to have 200,000 more signatures in the next 10 days. You should also log onto mypokerstory.com and listen to average Americans talk about their love of poker and how much it fulfills their lives.

Midway through the press conference, Greg Raymer and I were called up to make a short speech to the media and attendees since we are members of the PPA Board of Directors. I didn’t know in advance that I would be asked to speak and although I like to be prepared and rehearsed, I had to adlib about how appalling it is that in this great country, we do not have the same rights that people in other countries do regarding playing online poker.

I spoke about an elderly friend of mine who is going through very tough chemotherapy whose enjoyment in life right now comes from playing online poker. I spoke about the fact that there are many handicapped and disabled citizens who can’t travel to card rooms, but can have fun playing poker in their own homes.

I spoke about the need to get involved by contacting our Congressional representatives and letting them know that we don’t need them to legislate what we do in our free time with our own money. I also committed to going to Washington, DC during the July 19th to 25th National Poker Week to meet with members of Congress and ask them to help protect my right to play poker online.

I’m looking forward to returning to Washington, DC. It’s been a year since I was there to attend a charity event to benefit the Paralyzed Veterans of America. While I was there, I met and befriended two very high-ranking military personnel who gave me a nighttime tour of our Capitol. This time, they have invited me to the Pentagon for lunch and a behind-the-scenes tour. We will also be going to the 9/11 Memorial and to Arlington National Cemetery.

There’s a lot of lobbying that needs to be done for our cause as part of National Poker Week. From July 20th to 22nd, professional poker players including Annie Duke, Greg Raymer, Howard Lederer, Dennis Phillips, Jan Fisher, and Andy Bloch will be joining more than 30 PPA State Directors to meet with members of the House of Representatives to ask them to co-sponsor HR 2267, introduced by Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank. We’ll also be meeting with Senators and asking them to support online poker legislation. We’ll be on a panel to educate Congressional staffers on the need for regulation and licensing of online poker. We’ll be helping to host a charity poker tournament to benefit the USO and the Malone House at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where the pros and State Directors will play alongside members of Congress and at least 35 wounded servicemen and women. The PPA is underwriting the whole tournament so that 100% of the proceeds will go to the charity.

All poker players are invited to visit the PPA website and send a letter to their member of Congress during National Poker Week asking for their support of licensing and regulation. Also, please go to MyPokerStory.com and record your own poker video. Let’s all get involved to protect this game we love!

Marc Rizzo, Team Lacey Jones Winners of WSOP Media Event

On a rare day off at the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP), the annual Media Charity Event took place on Thursday afternoon using the Dream Team Poker format.

While many were resting up to continue the fight in the Main Event, which resumes this afternoon, the media took their traditional day to demonstrate their skills (or lack thereof) on the same tables they have covered for the last seven weeks. A total of 165 players came together in three-man squads, making for a 55 team battleground. At stake was a contribution to charity from not only the victorious player, but also the winning team in the points-based competition.

There was plenty of fun to be had, but there was also a competitive gene that drove many to strive for their best. After the points were added up, Team Lacey Jones, led by the namesake professional poker player, captured the Dream Team Poker title over the Chonch Chowders and Team Mutt. Tao of Poker came in with a fourth place finish in the 55 team field, with ESPN.com rounding out the Top Five.

As expected, many of the top teams had individual players who made the final table and earned a contribution for their favorite charity. Julio Rodriguez (Chonch Chowders, tenth place), Lana Maier (Team Lacey Jones, fourth place) and Pauly McGuire (Tao of Poker, third place) all drove deep in the media event, but it eventually came down to Marc Rizzo from “Overfed & Underwashed” and Amanda Rosenfeld from “Luckbox Inc.” In the end, it was Rizzo who captured the individual title.

For the first time in this year’s Main Event, the entire field will be seated inside the Amazon Room for Day 3 on Friday. After the carnage of Day 2B, where over half of the field was eliminated from contention, only 2,044 lucky souls come together to battle it out for the riches of the largest poker tournament in the world. Overall, 648 people will walk off with at least the minimum payout of $21,365 and the next World Champion will take the prestigious Main Event Bracelet and $8,546,435.

Leading the 2,044 player field is Amir Lehavot, who will start the day with 610,500 in chips. Day One leader Troy Weber is solidly in the Top 10 with 453,200, with notable professional player Mikael Thuritz of Sweden holding down sixth place with 395,400.

2009 double bracelet winner Phil Ivey currently is sitting in the Top 20 and is the top American professional in the field. Defending champion Peter Eastgate, who willed his way through a difficult Day Two and still has a chance to defend his title, will join other former Main Event Champions Phil Hellmuth, Joe Hachem, Greg Raymer, and Chris “Jesus” Ferguson in their pursuit of a second World Championship.

Action begins in the Amazon Room at the Rio this afternoon and there will not be another break until the final table is determined on July 15th. After that, the remaining players will once again enter into the delayed final table scenario and become the second version of poker’s “November Nine,” set to play the final table out from November 7th to 10th.

Greg Raymer, Chris Ferguson, Andy Bloch Speak on PPA Fly-In

The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) will host a fly-in in two weeks as part of National Poker Week. Greg Raymer, Chris Ferguson, and Andy Bloch are among a handful of poker pros that will meet and greet representatives of Congress in an effort to legalize and regulate the game in the United States. Poker News Daily caught up with the trio at the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP).

2004 WSOP Main Event Champion Greg Raymer

On Washington lobbyists:
“The whole thing is such a joke. If you look at the people who say they’re against gambling on moral grounds, the money funding those groups is from other gambling interests that are against online poker or online gambling. The horse lobby, which wants people to come to the physical racetracks, is giving money to the conservative Christian group that says they’re anti-gambling.”

“Online poker is easier to regulate than live poker. It’s impossible for the live venues to do some of the things you can do online in terms of tracking. On PokerStars, we can save every hand you’ve played and know how much money you put into the pot, how much you won or lost, and the hours you’re playing. We can even track the IP addresses to know where you logged in from. There’s so much tracking we can do, so if you’re worried about minors slipping in or problem gamblers who want to be stopped, the online sites can deal with those issues. We can do it more effectively than a brick-and-mortar casino.”

On why the issue is important: “I’m a Libertarian in terms of my general philosophy. I don’t think the government should ever tell me what to do with my own time and money. If you’re committing a crime against me, that’s where the government is supposed to stop you, but if you’re going to be at your own home doing something by yourself, the government shouldn’t have anything to say no matter what you’re doing. If a child is there, the government should step in and make sure you’re not doing something that’s harmful. The child is not old enough to give their consent to certain activities.

“Even things that I find totally ridiculous like methamphetamine, the government shouldn’t be stopping people from doing it. I think you’re a total idiot if you do that, but if you’re an adult and you want to do something stupid, it’s not the government’s job to step in.”

Full Tilt Poker Pro Andy Bloch

On the PPA Fly-In:
“It’s going to be a busy couple of weeks for me. Hopefully I’ll make it to the WSOP Main Event final table. If not, I’m flying to London for a poker event and then on the way back, I’m stopping in Washington, DC for four days. The PPA did a fly-in last year and it was a great success. I think we’re going to bring in more people and be able to talk to more Congressmen this year.”

On why being active politically is important:
“I went to law school because I thought I wanted to get involved in politics or human rights. If the government can stop you from playing online poker in your own home, what can’t they stop you from doing? That’s one of the reasons why Barney Frank is one of our biggest supporters: He believes in personal freedoms. That’s why we have Ron Paul and other Republicans supporting us. If the government can come in and say you can’t play $0.05-$0.10 poker or $5 sit and gos in your living room, what can’t they stop? Where does it end? They can tell you what you can do, what you can buy, what clothes you can wear, and what kind of food you can eat. I don’t want to live in a world like that.”

Full Tilt Poker Pro Chris Ferguson

On the PPA Fly-In:
“There has really been an attack on poker, particularly on online poker, during the last few years. We really think it’s unjustified. We think poker is a wonderful game and everyone should have the right to play it. We have casinos all over the United States where you can play poker. Why can’t you play online? What we’re doing is very good for poker and it’s going to bring the game to thousands of people all over the world.”

WSOP Day 3 preview

2,044 of the original field of 6,494 are still dreaming about a return to Las Vegas in November and a payday of $8,546,435. Among those still in the hunt are former World Champions Bobby Baldwin, Phil Hellmuth, Jim Bechtel, Dan Harrington, Chris Ferguson, Carlos Mortensen, Greg Raymer, Joe Hachem and Peter Eastgate.

Ivey, Dwan headline Hall of Fame nominee list

This year, for the first-time ever, the public was invited into the nomination process and asked to vote on WSOP.com for the player they believed most deserving of the honor.

Voting was open from May 29th to July 2nd, and now after a month of collecting votes, WSOP.com has released the names of the top 10 most-nominated players.

The nominees are (in alphabetical order):

• Tom Dwan
• Barry Greenstein
• Dan Harrington
• Phil Ivey
• Tom McEvoy
• Men Nguyen
• Scotty Nguyen
• Daniel Negreanu
• Erik Seidel
• Mike Sexton

Once these nominations have been vetted by the Poker Hall of Fame Governing Council, a final list of candidates will be compiled.

The final vote will then be done by the 15 living members of the Hall of Fame along with a 15-person media panel, with the chosen player or players announced at an induction ceremony in concert with the WSOP Main Event Final Table in November.

In total, over 41 different names received multiple nominations during the public process including:

• Patrik Antonius
• Humberto Brenes
• Mike Caro
• Norman Chad
• Allen Cunningham
• Ivan Demidov
• Eric Drache
• Annie Duke
• John Duthie
• Sam Farha
• Chris Ferguson
• Ted Forrest
• Andy Glazer
• Bertrand Grospellier
• Gus Hansen
• Jennifer Harman-Traniello
• Jay Heimowitz
• Rob Hollink
• Jesper Hougaard
• Phil Laak
• Howard Lederer
• Marcel Luske
• Mike Matusow
• Chris Moneymaker
• Luca Pagano
• Greg Raymer
• Matt Savage
• David Sklansky

To be considered, a poker player must have the following qualifications:

• Must have played poker against acknowledged top competition
• Played for high stakes
• Played consistently well, gaining the respect of peers
• Stood the test of time
• Or, for non-players, contributed to the overall growth and success of the game of poker, with indelible positive and lasting results.

All of the above names remain eligible for future consideration.

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2009 WSOP Main Event Field Combines on Friday for Day 3

Due to the large crowds that turned out for the final two Day Ones in the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, there were 2,924 players that congregated throughout the Rio at the start of play on Wednesday.

WSOP officials were concerned that there wouldn’t be enough eliminations to be able to allow everyone to be seated in the Amazon Room when the Main Event begins Day 3 on Friday. Adding into those fears was that Day 2B would only be playing four levels of action to be able to mesh up with Day 2A (which had played five levels on Tuesday).

After the four scheduled levels had been completed, all questions were comfortably answered. In a stunning development, out of the 2,924 players who started Day 2B, more than half the field was ejected from the Rio; only 1,437 survived the day. Combining those players with the Day 2A group of 607 survivors means that 2,044 players will take to the felts for Day 3 on Friday.

Troy Weber, who ended up as the overall chip leader once the four Day Ones were completed, continued to play excellent poker and paced himself over the course of the day on Wednesday. While he was “only” able to move his stack up to 453,200, it was good enough to land him in third place on the overall leaderboard. Although no first day leader has ever gone on to win the $10,000 Main Event at the WSOP, Weber seems to be in good shape to break that curse.

Leading the 2,044 player field that remains is San Francisco’s Amir Lehavot, who is stacked with 610,500 in chips. After starting the day with only 80,000, Lehavot earned a large portion of his chips in a hand he played right after a table change. “Thirty minutes before we ended for the day, I had a huge hand,” Lehavot recalled to WSOP officials. “I had just moved to this table and sat down with about 350,000 in chips. There was this other big stack that had 250,000. I had pocket threes and flopped a set against his high pocket pair.”

Lehavot has a host of professionals to contend with. Former World Champions who are still alive include Bobby Baldwin, Phil Hellmuth, Jim Bechtel, Dan Harrington, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Carlos Mortensen, Greg Raymer, Joe Hachem, and defending champion Peter Eastgate, who had to fight from the felt during Day 2B to remain alive. Eastgate enters Day 3 with an average stack.

Even with all of the champions still alive, 2009 double bracelet winner Phil Ivey continues to demonstrate why he is considered one of the best in the game. Sitting on 346,200 in chips, the Full Tilt Poker pro is in the Top 20 on the leaderboard and is making strides to claim the WSOP Main Event as his third bracelet of 2009. Other bracelet winners from this year’s tournament schedule still battling include Jeffrey Lisandro, Ville Wahlbeck, Vitaly Lunkin, and Greg “FBT” Mueller.

Thursday is well-deserved day off for the 2,044 Main Event gladiators. The media charity event, set up to play in a Dream Team Poker format, will take center stage today. After today’s rest and relaxation, the drive to the final table will take place over the next week. By July 15th, we will know who the next members of the “November Nine” are.

607 Players Survive WSOP Main Event Day 2A

Day 2A of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event began with 1,478 players, compared with the 2,922 prepared to play on Day 2B. However, it ended with only 607 survivors.

Andrew Gaw, from the Philippines, was the overall chip leader at the end of the night with 386,000, while Eric Cloutier is right on his heels with 383,000. Amazingly, Cloutier began play with only 15,000 chips after a clerical error that reported him as being the chip leader after Day 1A. It has been confirmed this time that the former professional hockey player is near the top of the leaderboard after going on an unimaginable rush on Day 2A.

Several big names advanced to Day 3, including former world champions Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Greg “Fossilman” Raymer, and Carlos Mortensen. Other bracelet winners moving on were Greg “FBT” Mueller, Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Mike Sexton, Thor Hansen, Vitaly Lunkin, Burt Boutin, Tom Schneider, Sam Farha, Farzad Rouhani, Erik Seidel, Bill Edler, Ted Lawson, and Roland de Wolfe.

Mueller has the most chips of any former bracelet winner heading into Day 3. He won two bracelets at this year’s WSOP and finished the day with a stack of 287,000. Both of his wins came in Limit Hold’em and combined for more than $650,000. Poker pro Kyle Wilson, a good friend of Mueller’s, ended the day with 306,000.

Notable celebrities who resumed play on Day 2A included actor and comedian Jason Alexander, world famous cricket player Shane Warne, actor and comedian Brad Garrett, and music manager Rene Angelil. Alexander, seated with Greg Raymer on the ESPN featured table for all of Tuesday, joins Warne as the only survivors of that group heading into Day 3.

With more than half of the field disappearing on Tuesday, there were several prominent names sent home. One of the first was Gus Hansen, who was unable to repeat his deep run in the Main Event last year. Hansen got his entire stack in on the turn with the nut straight against an opponent’s set of threes, but the board paired on the river to give the other player a full house and eliminate Hansen.

Others sent home early on Day 1A were former two-time Main Event champion Johnny Chan, Tony G, Barry Greenstein, Todd Brunson, John “World” Hennigan, Mike Matusow, and Amarillo Slim.

A horde of cameras and media members made their way over to Phil Laak’s table when his tournament was on the line during the second level of the day. A short-stacked Laak moved all-in with Q-9 and was called by a player with pocket eights. After Laak spiked a Queen on the flop, his opponent made a flush on the river to send him to the rail. Laak’s girlfriend, actress Jennifer Tilly, also made her exit on Day 1A.

Here’s a look at some notables who advanced to Day 3 of the 2009 WSOP Main Event:

Greg ‘FBT’ Mueller - 287,300
Andy Black - 215,700
Mike Sexton - 169,000
Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi - 166,400
Vitaly Lunkin - 135,900
Tom Schneider - 123,700
Joe Sebok - 122,800
Greg Raymer - 95,900
Jason Alexander - 73,700
Farzad Rouhani - 70,000
Sam Farha - 67,500
Carlos Mortensen - 57,900
Bill Edler - 57,300
Erik Seidel - 55,600
Roland de Wolfe - 21,200

Day 2B will get underway at Noon Pacific Time on Wednesday. Troy Weber holds an overwhelming lead over the rest of the field with 353,000 chips; no other player has hit the 200,000 mark. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for updates on all of today’s happenings at the 2009 WSOP Main Event.

WSOP Main Event Day 1B report

It may have been the smallest starting day field since 2003 bit it was one chock full of former World Champions. Greg Raymer, Chris Ferguson, Carlos Mortensen, Amarillo Slim Preston and Jim Bechtel all celebrated Independence Day by making it through to day two. There’ll be no third Main Event bracelet for Doyle Brunson though who busted out in the early afternoon as did the 2003 champion Chris Moneymaker.

Raymer reminisces on WSOP Main Event Day 1b

It was a significant feat, but a far cry from more recent WSOP fields, which have come close to 10,000.

"It's grown tremendously," said Raymer on a break on Day 1b of the tournament Saturday.

"Even though we tapered off a little because of the stupid UIGEA bill that got passed, it's still a massive tournament."

Raymer was one of over 900 players that bought into the second Day 1 of the historic tournament this year, making the total so far a little over 2,000 players registered with two more Day 1s to come.

Exact numbers for Day 1b won't be known until 8 p.m. Saturday, but it appears the current field is down by nearly 500 players compared it to the first Day 1s of last year.

The former World Champion cited a recent cashout problem for online poker players and the economy as the two major factors to blame for attendance this year.

"Before we had this problem with the Southern District in New York freezing funds I would have guessed there would be 7,800 players," Raymer said. "I know there are players who won their seat on PokerStars and were cashing out to come play, but got caught up in this whole mess.

"Even if players found another way to get money out they might be too worried to take it out. That's going to hurt our numbers. The economy obviously can't help. If the economy hadn't tanked I would have guessed we would have broken the record set in 2006."

According to Raymer, if numbers are going to get that high again, it's imperative that one of the pro-online poker bills, like the one introduced by Rep. Barney Frank, get passed in the near future.

"If we get a law passed that makes it clearly legal, regulated, licensed and taxed then we will have another huge poker boom," he said. "I don't understand how there are people in government who think it shouldn't be done. It's going to raise billions of dollars in taxes for them."

Either way, the event has been forever changed since Chris Moneymaker's victory in 2003 and Greg Raymer's win the subsequent year.

"If I don't start playing better I'm going to be gone in the second level," Moneymaker said.

Raymer could only chuckle as he had himself lost a decent chunk of his 30,000 starting stack in the first level.

"The players have gotten tremendously better," he said. "The average player in the Main Event is much, much better than when I won in 2004. Now I'm playing three times as many players that are three times better than they were five years ago. The challenge of winning has grown exponentially."

The 2009 WSOP is scheduled to run from July 3 to July 15 with the final nine players returning in November to play out the final table.

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Pros gear up for 2009 WSOP Main Event

Thousands of hopeful rounders have swamped the Amazon Room at the Rio for the first of four Day 1s of this WSOP's $10,000 buy-in flagship event.

And the pros are licking their chops.

"This is the biggest tournament of the year," Full Tilt's Gavin Smith told PokerListings.com. "This is the one I always look forward to!"

Irish pro Andy Black echoed Smith's sentiments.

"It's the biggest tournament in the world and the best one. It's a great day, Day 1 of the Main Event."

The tournament is expected to attract more than six thousand players in search of a multi-million dollar first prize and a shot at poker immortality.

Last year, Denmark's Peter Eastgate defeated 6,843 other entrants to claim a $9,152,416 first prize.

In 2007, meanwhile, Jerry Yang came from nowhere to beat out 6,357 players, taking $8.25 million for first before disappearing from the poker landscape once more.

Yang is back for 2009 and told PokerListings he's eager to reclaim the top spot.

"I've been waiting for so long, waiting for one year," he said. "I'm going to play my best and see what happens."

Neither Yang nor Eastgate's purses hold a candle to the $12 million 2006 champ Jamie Gold earned for topping a field of more than 8,700 competitors.

But the former champs will have both have their work cut out for them if they want to make another deep run.

Since 2003, only Greg Raymer has been able to replicate his tournament-winning success in a later year, finishing 25th in the 2005 Main Event after winning in 2004.

Among those players to show up for Day 1a action are former L.A. Dodger Orel Hershiser, PokerListings blogger Jason Mercier, actors Jason Alexander and Brad Garrett and rapper Nelly.

This year's Main Event will see the field divided into four flights on Day 1 and two flights on Day 2, with the survivors coming together for the first time on Day 3 next Friday.

Tournament organizers have tweaked the structure and given players 30,000 in chips compared to last year's 20,000, but despite the deeper stacks the field will only play four two-hour levels on Day 1.

As in 2008, the Main Event will play down to a nine-handed final table before the tournament is suspended until November.

The new "November Nine" will then reconvene at the Rio to play out the tournament's climactic hands in what promises to be another raucous spectacle of an event.

PokerListings.com will have live and comprehensive coverage of the 2009 Main Event in the WSOP section.

Tune in throughout the tournament for live updates, chip counts, video features and cutting-edge blogs from the Rio.

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Alex Bolotin Wins WSOP Ante Up for Africa; Mike Tyson Enters

The 2009 installment of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Ante Up for Africa charity tournament brought out Hollywood’s elite and poker’s biggest names. In the end, Alex “Diesel” Boloton emerged victorious, winning $176,000 and donating half of his earnings to the ENOUGH Project and International Rescue Committee.

A total of 137 players took to the felts inside the Amazon Room for the Ante Up for Africa event, one of four tournaments that will be televised as part of ESPN’s coverage of the 2009 WSOP. In 2007, the charity gala attracted 167 runners, while just 88 turned out last year. Prior to the festivities kicking off on Thursday, Ante Up for Africa Co-Founder and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke told reporters, “I knew how effective poker was as a fundraising tool. However, you can throw as much money at a problem as you want, but ESPN will help get awareness of things going on.” The Celebrity Apprentice runner-up added, “Poker players know how fortunate they are. We have a different view of money and what money is for. A lot of poker players are very socially responsible.”

A red carpet entrance preceded the festivities, with a bevy of stars lending their names to the $5,000 buy-in charity event. Among the first entrants down the red carpet was “Everybody Loves Raymond” star Brad Garrett, who told reporters that he’d want his tombstone to read, “I could smell it from here.” Following Garrett was former professional basketball star and current NBA on TNT analyst Charles Barkley, who explained that he was frustrated after poor performances in the Ante Up for Africa event over the past two years. He told People Magazine that the Cleveland Cavaliers acquiring Shaquille O’Neal was “a really good pickup.”

WSOP bracelet winner Jason Mercier, fresh off inking a sponsorship agreement with PokerStars, explained, “This feels really weird. I’m here with celebrities and stars of the poker world.” When asked what celebrity he ogled the most, Mercier responded, “Charles Barkley – I watched him play basketball since I was a little kid.” Mercier then joked, “Watch me take this down.” Others who followed Mercier down the red carpet included comedian Sarah Silverman, NBA on TNT analyst Kenny Smith, actor Dean Cain, “Seinfeld” star Jason Alexander, Ben Affleck, “Rounders” star Matt Damon, and rapper Nelly.

One of the surprise turnouts to the 2009 WSOP Ante Up for Africa charity poker tournament was legendary boxer Mike Tyson, who has recently gained a cult following as a result of his cameo in the box office blockbuster “The Hangover.” Tyson told Poker News Daily that he does not regularly play poker, but was looking forward to competing. A tiger did not accompany him down the red carpet. Media outlets in attendance included US Weekly, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the L.A. Times, ABC Radio, the Hollywood Reporter, the Associated Press, and a variety of local television stations and Hollywood photo services.

Poker’s elite dominated the final standings, with Rafe Furst, Full Tilt Poker pro Erik Seidel, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Phil Gordon, Jennifer Harman, Steve Zolotow, and Ultimate Bet pro Matt “mattg1983” Graham all making the money. Other poker stars that turned out included 2008 WSOP Main Event Last Woman Standing Tiffany Michelle, Andy Bloch, Brandon Cantu, Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, Greg “FBT” Mueller, Barry Greenstein, Greg Raymer, Robert Williamson III, Dennis Phillips, Ylon Schwartz, Peter Eastgate, and Victor Ramdin.

The tournament ran for 10 hours, about twice as long as WSOP officials had estimated prior to the event. At the end of the day, $362,000 was raised for charity. The top 10 finishers were as follows:

1. Alex Bolotin - $176,449
2. Adam Richardson - $109,194
3. Rafe Furst - $72,308
4. Erik Seidel - $51,601
5. Chris Ferguson - $38,550
6. Phil Gordon - $30,760
7. John Hennigan - $25,900
8. Matt Kay - $22,970
9. Jennifer Harman - $21,439
10. Phillip Tom - $15,713

Jason Mercier joins PokerStars

This year’s WSOP bracelet winner Jason “treysfull21″ Mercier has signed a deal with PokerStars.

Mercier, who is only 22-years-old, have had a great tournament career this far. After winning the 2008 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure he has won over three million dollars in live tournaments, including two EPT events and one WPT event among others. Mercier is considered to be one of the young phenomenons of Poker and is highly respected within the poker community.

Mercier’s SuperNova Elite status at PokerStars shows his dedication to online play. PokerStars was the first poker room where he ever played on and he is very excited to join their highly ranked team.

“Becoming a member of Team Poker Stars Pro means a lot to me. I’m so excited to be playing for the site I first started playing on. I feel like this solidifies my standing as one of the top poker players’ around.” Mercier says.

Mercier joins a pro team that already includes Vanessa Rousso, Daniel Negreanu, Greg Raymer, Joe Hachem, Barry Greenstein, Peter Eastgate and the other new signing Marcel Luske to list a few.

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Jason Mercier joins PokerStars

Poker Petition Nearly at 200,000 Signatures

The petition organized by the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) calling for the legalization of the great American pastime is at nearly 200,000 signatures. Overnight on Sunday, an additional 6,000 players lent their names.

The poker petition has been the talk of the town in Las Vegas, where players from the United States and around the world have turned out in droves for the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP), which is emanating from the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino. At Sunday night’s Cake Poker gathering at the Palms, Poker Room Manager Lee Jones told Poker News Daily that his site was one of several urging players to sign the PPA’s petition: “We’re very happy to be a part of this. We’re offering weekly $3,500 freerolls and are excited to see that the petition is doing so well.”

On PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker site, weekly freerolls began on June 27th and run through July 25th. The petition is scheduled to be delivered to U.S. President Barack Obama on July 22nd, the conclusion of the PPA’s National Poker Week. Signing the petition qualifies a person to take part in a $3,500 freeroll on one of several major online poker sites, including Cake Poker and PokerStars. On the latter site, freerolls are capped at 20,000 players each and run at 2:30pm ET every Saturday. The four-figure prize pool events have helped fuel the growth of the petition.

The petition asks for the following: “Please: 1) exempt poker from the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) and 2) license and regulate internet poker in the US. 3) Respect the rights of law-abiding Americans who love to play this great game of skill.” It also cites the Citizens’ Briefing Book, which was hosted by Change.gov and asked American citizens to identify their top national concerns. When the smoke cleared, the legalization of online poker emerged as the top technology issue after a coordinated effort by the PPA.

As of midday on Monday, 194,795 poker players and other concerned citizens have virtually signed the petition. A person’s first name, last name, e-mail address, mailing address, city, state, and zip code are required. In addition, petitioners are asked to input a special authentication code that consists of a five-digit number. Jones told Poker News Daily that Cake Poker receives a list of new petitioners each week and cross-checks them against account information in order to determine who is eligible to participate in the special $3,500 freerolls.

Last week, 2004 WSOP Main Event Champion Greg Raymer, who made the final table of the $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP this year, authored an e-mail to PokerStars members urging their involvement. It begins, “President Obama – Poker is Not a Crime. I am a voter and a fellow poker player asking for your support of my right to play games of skill like poker on the Internet.”

The first ever National Poker Week runs from July 19th to 25th and includes a fly-in of the PPA’s 30 State Directors to meet with lawmakers. In addition to its own regional heads, the PPA is also bringing in professional poker players Howard Lederer, Andy Bloch, Annie Duke, Jan Fisher, Linda Johnson, and 2008 WSOP November Nine member Dennis Phillips. For more information, visit the PPA’s official website of National Poker Week.

Greg Mueller Wins Second Bracelet of 2009 WSOP

With only scant days remaining until the start of the $10,000 Main Event at the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP), the race for the remaining bracelets is heating up in the Amazon Room at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

The final table of the $1,500 Limit Hold’em Shootout, Event #50 on the WSOP schedule, played out deep into the evening on Sunday. A total of 571 players started the event on Friday, with the final eight survivors having won their way to the final table by winning two sit and gos over the previous two days. As with the shootout format, the players all started with the same number of chips (450,000 at the final table) and there were plenty of strong players in the mix.

Bodog’s David Williams, who famously finished second to Greg Raymer in the 2004 Main Event and has since captured his own WSOP bracelet, was joined by two other bracelet winners from this year’s play. Marc Naalden, who won only the second bracelet in WSOP for his home country of the Netherlands, and Full Tilt Poker’s Greg “FBT” Mueller, the former Canadian hockey player who picked up his first bracelet this year, led a contingent of players from around the world. Millie Shue, who was the runner-up in the Ladies’ event in 2004, the Netherlands’ Joep Van Den Bijgaart, Argentina’s Jose Barbero, Italy’s Flaminio Malaguti, and the United States’ Matt Sterling rounded out what was truly an international table.

The three bracelet winners got off to fast starts and, within two hours, had separated themselves from the pack. Mueller pulled into the chip lead when he drew the first blood at the table with the elimination of Barbero in eighth place. Prior to the table taking the dinner break, the two Scandinavians battled it out, as Naalden took out Van Den Bijgaart in seventh place.

After the dinner hiatus, Williams tried to mount an attack on Mueller’s chip lead. He vanquished Malaguti in sixth when he turned a five to match his A-5 against the Italian’s Big Slick, but couldn’t seem to find any traction after that point. He slowly slid down the leaderboard and was eventually eliminated by Shue in fourth place. Even with the knockout, Shue, who played conservatively through the final table, was eventually ousted in third place.

Heads-up play began between Mueller (who had dismissed Sterling from the tournament in fifth place) and Naalden, with the Canadian holding a 4:1 lead over the Scandinavian. With the two men reaching heads-up, it also guaranteed the fourth double bracelet winner of this year’s WSOP, setting a new record for most multiple bracelet winners.

Naalden attacked Mueller from the start of heads-up action and, through skillful play, was able to pull to even within 30 minutes of play. Over the next hour and a half, Mueller and Naalden, who both won their bracelets in Limit events this year, would swap the lead approximately a half dozen times before Mueller was able to go on a run. That run enabled Mueller, once his five kicker played over Naalden’s deuce after both paired a King on the final hand, to capture his second WSOP bracelet and the $194,854 top prize.

Most of the attention of the crowd at the Rio was focused on play in the Players’ Championship, the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. tournament. A total of 53 players came back to attempt to work down to the cashout level (the final 16 players), but were unable to do that as 19 remained by the time play ended for the day.

Vitaly Lunkin, who captured the title in the $40,000 Anniversary Event, leads the field with 1.5 million in chips. He is joined by internet legend Erik “Erik123” Sagstrom, 2007 H.O.R.S.E. champion Freddy Deeb, and David Bach as players who have all eclipsed the million chip mark. Lurking just under that level is Ville Wahlbeck, who captured his first bracelet earlier this month in the World Championship Mixed event. They are joined by such professionals as eight-time WSOP champion Erik Seidel, former World Champion and current National Heads-Up Champion Huck Seed, 2009 Pot Limit Hold’em World Champion John Kabbaj, and Gus “The Great Dane” Hansen, who has no WSOP jewelry in his career. The 19 remaining players returning for Day 4 will play through to a final table tonight and a champion determined tomorrow.

A championship will be determined tonight in Event #51, another $1,500 No Limit Hold’em tournament. Thirty-five players remain from the 2,781 who started the tournament, with newcomer Durand Thibaud holding the chip lead. He is joined by Owen Crowe as the only players over the million chip mark, with Josh Schlein on the verge of cracking that mark.

Two tournaments enter into Day 2 action today, the $3,000 Triple Chance No Limit Hold’em tournament (Event #52) and the $1,500 Seven Card Stud High-Low tournament (Event #53). Jeffrey Lisandro, who has already captured three WSOP bracelets this year, is looking for an unprecedented fourth in the Triple Chance event, although there are still 149 players left. Currently Lisandro holds a healthy stack of 113,800 and is in pursuit of Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari, who has 127, 900. In the Seven Card tournament, Marcel Luske, Daniel Negreanu and Annie Duke are a few of the top names that have survived to play Day 2, with Allie Prescott holding the lead over the 143 runners remaining.

Two events will kick off action with their Day 1s that begin at Noon today. Event #54, another $1,500 No Limit Hold’em tournament, should draw a sizeable crowd and Event #55, the $2,500 Deuce to Seven Triple Draw Lowball tournament, should be stocked with top professionals. Poker News Daily will be on top of this and all of the rest of the action at the Rio as the poker world prepares for the start of the Main Event later this week.