Poker News

Pam Brunson to Oversee DoylesRoom Brunson 10

Like father, like daughter. Doyle Brunson’s daughter, Pam Brunson, will manage the Brunson 10, according to officials from DoylesRoom. The stable of up-and-coming poker pros numbers four, with six men and two women yet to be named.

A press release distributed by DoylesRoom in recent days notes, “As Manager of the Brunson 10, Pam Brunson will be responsible for overseeing PR requests, handling scheduling and managing the Brunson 10 internally. As the world's biggest poker legend continues to fill spots on his team of poker professionals, Pam Brunson will be tasked with managing their relationship with one of the fastest growing online poker sites and its players.” The younger Brunson is a regular in the online poker site’s weekly Bounty tournament, which offers a refund of the $27.50 buy-in for first-time players.

Amit “amak316” Makhija, Dani “ansky451” Stern, Zachary “CrazyZachary” Clark, and top online poker pro Chris “moorman1” Moorman currently comprise the Brunson 10. Stern is the group’s newest addition, having joined the clan during final table play in the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event in Las Vegas. A press conference was held at the Wynn for Stern’s introduction, with “2 Months, $2 Million” housemate Jay Rosenkrantz on-hand to witness the festivities.

Meanwhile, former Brunson 10 member Alec “traheho” Torelli departed the online poker site to join Victory Poker, whose roster of pro players includes Antonio Esfandiari, Andrew “good2cu” Robl, and Full Tilt Poker defects Paul Wasicka and Lee Markholt. The site is set to debut on February 1st on the merged Everleaf/UPN network, with a launch party to occur after the Trash Talk Championship of the World Straddle Tournament at the Hard Rock on February 6th.

On replacing Torelli, DoylesRoom officials told Poker News Daily that a fifth member of the Brunson 10 will be named no later than mid-March. In addition, the forthcoming announcement may include the introduction of two new faces to the Cake Poker Network site that welcomes action from the United States. The newest additions will fall under Pam Brunson’s wings.

According to the traffic ranking site PokerScout.com, the Cake Poker Network is the 10th largest worldwide, offering a seven-day running average of 2,100 real money ring game players. During its peak hours, which occur in the evening across North America, nearly 3,000 cash game players call the network home. Besides DoylesRoom and Cake Poker, other sites on the network include City Poker, Lock Poker, PlayersOnly, Poker Host, Red Star Poker, Stryyke, and Phil Laak’s Unabomber Poker, which was added to the family this week.

The 2010 calendar year also saw DoylesRoom unveil its very own online store, which offers unique items like a limited edition Doyle Resitol Cowboy Hat. Other goods available in the DoylesRoom Store include DoylesRoom apparel, laptop bags, Brunson autographed merchandise, GPS systems, iPod accessories, digital cameras, Nintendo Wiis, and “the hottest lifestyle enhancing accessories.” Gold Chips are the currency of the DoylesRoom Store, which can be accessed from the online poker room’s website.

The recent World Poker Tour (WPT) Southern Poker Championship featured DoylesRoom pro Hoyt Corkins coming out on top to claim his second WPT title. Corkins earned $739,000 for his efforts and defeated a final table that also included Jonathan Kantor (second place for $366,00), Jerry Vanstrydonck (third place for $197,000), Jared Jaffee (fourth place for $135,000), James Reed (fifth place for $106,000), and Tyler “Tydean” Smith (sixth place for $87,000). The Southern Poker Championship marked Corkins’ sixth WPT final table appearance. The tournament will air as part of Season 8 on Fox Sports Net.

Pam Brunson finished 364th in the 2007 WSOP Main Event for $34,000. That year, she won a ladies’ event held during the Legends of Poker for the same amount.

Hoyt Corkins wins second WPT title at Biloxi

Two-time World Series of Poker bracelet-winner and now two-time WPT champion Hoyt Corkins added to his honours last night with a victory at the World Poker Tour Southern Poker Championship.

Hoyt Corkins Wins Southern Poker Championship, Earns Second WPT Title

In the wee hours of Thursday morning, Hoyt Corkins defeated Jonathan Kantor heads-up to win the 2010 WPT Southern Poker Championship at the Beau Rivage casino in Biloxi, MS. Corkins pocketed $739,486 for his win along with a WPT bracelet and a...

Hoyt Corkins Wins WPT Southern Poker Championship

With his win in the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Southern Poker Championship, "The Alabama Cowboy" Hoyt Corkins claimed his second WPT title. The DoylesRoom pro banked $739,000 for his efforts at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Donning an all-black outfit with a bright green DoylesRoom patch, Corkins told WPT Live Updates Hostess Amanda Leatherman following the win in the Deep South, “It’s been so frustrating. I’ve finished second twice, third once. It is frustrating to get down there and finish second or third.” Corkins’ last WPT title came during Season 2, when he brought home the bacon in the Foxwoods World Poker Finals for $1.1 million. He was the runner-up in the Season 2 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure and Season 6 Gold Strike World Poker Open.

Tyler “Tydean” Smith was the first casualty of the WPT Southern Poker Championship final table. After doubling up Jonathan Kantor, Smith committed the rest of his chips with J-3 and was up against Jonathan Jaffee’s A-Q. With the hometown favorite on the cusp of elimination, the crowd watched as the flop fell K-10-6, keeping Jaffee out in front. The turn came a four and, needing to catch a three on the river, Smith saw a six instead fall. He earned $86,000 for his second straight final table appearance in the $10,000 buy-in tournament. Smith lives ten minutes from the casino, an easy commute.

James Reed hit the skids in fifth place for $106,000. Reed shoved with 7-5 pre-flop and received a call from Jaffee, who held pocket eights. The flop of A-Q-5 paired Reed, but a running 6-4 sent him packing. Jaffee pushed his way to third in chips as a result, with Corkins, who had entered as a massive chip leader, continuing to pace the field. The WPT Southern Poker Championship marked Reed’s first WPT in the money finish.

Twenty-two hands later, Jaffee was eliminated in fourth place. Jaffee pushed with K-Q pre-flop over the top of a raise by Corkins, who came along with pocket jacks to set up a race. The flop came a benign 7-6-3, while a four on the turn left Jaffee calling for a king or queen on the river to stay alive. However, the final card was a nine, dashing his WPT Southern Poker Championship title hopes.

In a key pot three-handed, Corkins doubled up with A-J against Jerry Vanstrydonck’s pocket kings. The board of 9-8-8-5 was looking grim until Corkins spiked a three-outer on the river to stay alive and the pot once again made him the chip leader. Vanstrydonck could not withstand the blow to his stack and was ousted shortly thereafter. Vanstrydonck’s 9-8 was up against Corkins’ K-Q pre-flop and the board blanked out for both players. Corkins was a 3:2 chip leader entering heads-up play against Kantor.

Kantor battled to even after shoving on the river on a board reading 8-5-3-4-3. Corkins tanked before folding and Kantor turned over 10-6 for “nuclear squadoosh,” as the legendary ESPN announcer Norman Chad would say. Corkins then won a 1.7-million chip pot before the final hand of the WPT Southern Poker Championship occurred. Kantor pushed with K-10 and Corkins made the call with A-7. The flop came ace-high, preserving Corkins’ lead in the hand. By the river, Kantor was rooting for a club to remain in the hunt for the $739,000 first place prize, but the five of hearts hit to give Corkins his second WPT title. Here are the payouts from the final table in Biloxi:

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

The WPT Southern Poker Championship will air as part of Season 8 on Fox Sports Net. Next up for the WPT is a cross-country flight to Los Angeles, site of the WPT Celebrity Invitational and L.A. Poker Classic. The tournaments kick off on February 20th and 26th, respectively, from the Commerce Casino.

Corkins Cashes in with Second WPT Title

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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Hoyt Corkins Leads WPT Southern Poker Championship Final Table

DoylesRoom pro Hoyt Corkins will take a commanding chip lead into the final table of the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Southern Poker Championship. The tournament marks Corkins’ sixth WPT final table.

Corkins sent Andy Philachack packing on the final table bubble. Philachack pushed his chips in with A-K and found himself ahead of Corkins’ A-Q. However, the flop came A-Q-4, giving Corkins top two pair and leaving Philachack rooting for a king or running cards for a straight. It was not meant to be, as the board ran out 6-10 to set up this afternoon’s televised six-handed final table, which will air as part of Season 8 of the WPT on Fox Sports Net. Philachack took home $67,000 for his seventh place showing at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi, the site of the Southern Poker Championship.

Corkins won the Season 2 Foxwoods World Poker Finals and was also the runner-up in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. Three seasons later, Corkins returned to a final table at the Bicycle Casino’s Legends of Poker and, during Season 6, Corkins claimed second in the Gold Strike World Poker Open in Tunica. His most recent final table appearance came in December 2008, when Corkins finished sixth in the prestigious Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic.

Corkins, decked out in DoylesRoom attire following Tuesday’s play, told WPT Live Updates Hostess Amanda Leatherman, “I want to get first or second because that would give me 4,000 WPT Points. There are only three people in that club – Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, and Gus Hansen.” Corkins has $2.6 million in career WPT earnings and is one of the most recognizable faces in the game today.

Knocked out in eighth place was top female pro J.J. Liu. In her final hand, Liu moved all-in over the top of a raise by Jonathan Kantor. James Reed called, Kantor re-shoved, and Reed got out of the way. Kantor flipped up pocket aces, while Liu showed pocket eights. The board ran out 9-6-4-K-J and that was all she wrote for Liu, who has two WPT final tables to her credit. Liu finished fourth in the Season 4 Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic and took second in the Season 5 Bay 101 Shooting Star event.

The top 18 players in the WPT tournament finished in the money and the title of Bubble Boy went to Sam Rashid. As has been a theme in the Southern Poker Championship, Rashid ran into a higher pocket pair, as his kings could not draw out on Narinder Khasria’s aces. The board came 9-3-2-Q-10 and the field rejoiced as Rashid exited empty-handed in 19th place.

Players were jolted awake in the early morning hours today by the hotel’s fire alarm after smoke was reported on the ninth floor. Jared Jaffee, who made Wednesday’s final table, commented to the WPT’s B.J. Nemeth, "I knew the world would end if I ever made a final table." The Beau Rivage is the tallest building in Mississippi at 32 floors and features 1,740 guest rooms.

Among those still remaining in the WPT Southern Poker Championship is Mississippi native Tyler “Tydean” Smith. He was the executioner of James Guinther, who was eliminated in 10th place for $25,000. Guinther was all-in pre-flop with pocket tens, but ran into Smith’s pocket jacks. He couldn’t dig himself out of the 4:1 hole and Smith boosted his chip stack to 750,000 as a result. Smith reached the final table of the Southern Poker Championship for the second straight year; he took fifth in 2009.

Heading into today’s finale in Biloxi, Smith sits in second place on the leaderboard with a stack of 1.17 million, trailing Corkins’ pile of 2.07 million:

1. Hoyt Corkins - 2,069,000
2. Tyler Smith - 1,169,000
3. Jerry Vanstrydonck - 1,044,000
4. Jonathan Kantor - 894,000
5. Jared Jaffee - 762,000
6. James Reed -377,000

The six remaining players are competing for a top prize of $739,000, while each is assured an $86,000 payday for making the final table:

1st Place: $739,486
2nd Place: $366,643
3rd Place: $196,829
4th Place: $135,079
5th Place: $106,134
6th Place: $86,837

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest WPT coverage.

Corkins Guns for Second WPT Title

Corkins will attempt to join an elite group of players who have won two WPT titles when the final table plays out from the Beau Rivage in Biloxi Mississippi.

 “It is a big deal,” said Corkins. “I want to get first or second because that would give me 4,000 WPT points and only Daniel Negreanu, Gus Hansen and Phil Ivey are in that club.”

It’s been a long time coming for Corkins, who won his first WPT title at the World Poker Finals at Foxwoods in 2003. Since then Corkins has cashed 12 times on the WPT and made four final tables.

To make his way into the WPT record books, Corkins will have to beat a relatively unknown but skilled final table that includes Tyler Smith, Jonathan Kantor, Jerry Vanstrydonck, James Reed and Jared Jaffee.

Both Jaffee and Kantor recorded wins in the Southern Poker Championships’ preliminary events and Smith has over $300,000 in life-time tournament earnings.

A trio of notable poker pros fell just short of the final table. WSOPC winner Andy Philachack came in seventh, bubbling the final table, WPT Ladies Night winner J.J. Liu came in eighth and Jason Mercier horse Dan O'Brien came in ninth place.

The final table begins at 4 p.m. CT. Here are the current chip counts:

Hoyt Corkins – 2.06 million
Tyler Smith – 1.1 million
Jerry Vanstrydonck – 1 million
Jonathan Kantor – 894,000
Jared Jaffee – 762,000
James Reed – 377,000

 

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Jared Jaffee Leads WPT Southern Poker Championship with 27 Left

Twenty-seven players remain in the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Southern Poker Championship. Jared Jaffee leads the way entering the play down day on Tuesday, with Tyler Smith hot on his heels.

Smith made the final table of last year’s Southern Poker Championship, which featured Allen “AawwNutz” Carter coming out on top. Smith finished fifth and earned $134,000, the first and only WPT cash of his career. Smith told WPT Live Updates Hostess Amanda Leatherman following Monday’s action, “I started the day with 90,000 and early, I got crushed. The first level, I dropped down to 45,000 and then I won a race with nines against A-10, which doubled me up to 100,000. Right after that, I pulled off a full house and got action from four people, so that catapulted me to 230,000.”

Smith amassed a healthy stack at the expense of WPT Season 6 Player of the Year Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little. Smith was all-in pre-flop with A-K against Little’s A-Q. The board ran out K-K-Q-2-J and Smith’s trip kings were good enough to scoop the pot. The hand pushed Smith to 365,000 chips and he ended the day with 462,500, trailing only Jaffee’s 546,000.

Jaffee sent Team PokerStars Pro member Chad Brown to the rails after his pocket aces withstood Brown’s pocket eights. The board came K-J-5-7-K and the better pocket pair held to take down the pot. The hand propelled Jaffee to 463,000 in chips; he piled on another 80,000 before the day was through. Jaffee sent an opponent with pocket kings to the rail holding pocket aces. He spiked a one-outer on the river for the win after Tommy Vedes claimed that he mucked A-5 pre-flop.

The money bubble will burst today, as the top 18 players will walk away with cash. Among those vying for the $739,000 top prize is Ryan “g0lfa” D’Angelo, who is fresh off a fifth place showing in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event. D’Angelo sent Keith Lehr to the rails after Lehr called all-in on a board of 10-3-2-K-Q with four hearts. D’Angelo flipped up the ace of hearts for the nut flush, while Lehr mucked. D’Angelo owns a stack of 304,500 entering Tuesday’s play, good for eighth in the WPT Southern Poker Championship.

Crowd favorite Daniel Negreanu was once again involved in an unorthodox hand. In it, he pushed pre-flop, was called by the original raiser in the hand, and Justin “Boosted J” Smith shoved over the top. The original raiser promptly pulled out a phone to crunch the numbers before being stopped by tournament officials. He ultimately called, putting Negreanu at risk with A-10 of diamonds against A-K of clubs and pocket queens. The board ran out five cards eight or lower and Negreanu hit the exit.

Who remains in the hunt, you ask? Here are the chip counts after two days of play, according to the official website of the WPT:

1. Jared Jaffee - 546,000
2. Tyler Smith - 462,500
3. Jonathan Kantor - 412,500
4. Corwin “mig.com” Mackey - 380,000
5. Tommy Vedes - 336,500
6. Sam Rashid - 319,500
7. Shawn Quillin - 307,000
8. Ryan “g0lfa” D’Angelo - 304,500
9. Justin “Boosted J” Smith - 280,000
10. Hoyt Corkins - 276,000
11. Dwyte Pilgrim - 246,000
12. Ken Harbaugh - 244,000
13. James Reed - 221,500
14. Dan O'Brien - 205,500
15. Jerry Vanstrydonck - 202,500
16. Vitor Coelho - 201,000
17. Ayaz Mahmood - 199,000
18. Narinder Khasria - 190,000
19. Seamus Cahill - 171,000
20. Kathy Liebert - 123,500
21. James Guinther - 123,000
22. Andy Philachack - 120,000
23. James Blackmon - 95,500
24. J.J. Liu - 93,000
25. Benjamin Tollerene - 86,500
26. Ken Perry - 70,500
27. Brian “SNo0oWMAN” Hawkins - 70,000

When play concluded on Monday, the blinds were at 1,500-3,000 with a 400 ante. The cards hit the air on Tuesday at 2:00pm CT from the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Dwyte Pilgrim Leads WPT Southern Poker Championship After Day 1

Two-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit Event ring holder Dwyte Pilgrim leads the field of the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Southern Poker Championship after Day 1. A total of 106 players remain of the 208 who bought in on Sunday afternoon.

The tournament, emanating from the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi, drew a field of 283 players in 2009. The 208 who turned out yesterday to cough up the $10,000 buy-in meant that attendance dove by a sizable 27%. Pilgrim leads the survivors with a stack of 175,900 chips, comfortably in front of the second place tally of Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little, who holds 152,100. Pilgrim claimed a pair of WSOP Circuit rings in March 2009 after taking down a $560 buy-in tournament at Caesars Atlantic City before flying cross-country to Harrah’s Rincon and winning the site’s $5,150 buy-in Championship event.

Little is no slouch, either. He was the WPT Player of the Year during Season 6, when the Florida native made final tables at the Mirage and North American Poker Championship and bubbled a third at the Gulf Coast Poker Championship at Biloxi. All told, Little has nearly $3.5 million in career WPT earnings to his name and two titles. Little took down a pot early on Sunday with pocket aces against pocket queens on a 10-9-8-2-2 board. Little's opponent check-called a bet of 7,775 on the river to boost his stack to over 41,000; he finished the day with nearly six times that total.

DoylesRoom Brunson 10 member Amit “amak316” Makhija was a late Day 1 casualty at the WPT Southern Poker Championship. Makhija committed his chips with pocket kings on a board of J-3-2, but his opponent spiked a straight with 4-5. Jeff Madsen, meanwhile, was all-in holding the nut flush draw, but blanked out to hit the rails. Madsen is a Full Tilt Poker Red Pro.

Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka was flushed down the drain on Sunday. The runner-up in the Bellagio Cup V, which began airing as part of the WPT’s Season 8 kickoff on Fox Sports Net last night, Jaka called all-in with K-3 after a flop of K-J-4. However, his opponent flipped up pocket jacks for a set, which held for the win. Jaka made two final tables during Season 8 of the WPT, finishing second in the aforementioned Bellagio Cup and taking third in the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic for a combined $1.3 million.

The top 10 at the end of Day 1 of the WPT Southern Poker Championship features rock solid poker talent:

1. Dwyte Pilgrim - 175,900
2. Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little - 152,100
3. Jonathan Stanton - 142,100
4. Chad Brown - 138,000
5. James Jewett - 135,500
6. Sam Rashid - 125,700
7. Shawn Quillin - 118,300
8. Scott Standridge - 117,600
9. Hoyt Corkins - 115,600
10. Corwin “mig.com” Mackey - 113,200

Other notable names among the 106 players remaining in the field include:

Paul Wasicka - 107,500
Daniel Negreanu - 81,200
Matt “All In at 420” Stout - 73,100
Ty “puffinmypurp” Reiman - 71,400
Justin “Boosted J” Smith - 68,600
J.J. Liu - 67,800
Josh Arieh - 67,200
Tommy Vedes - 66,300
Kathy Liebert - 53,300
Adam “Roothlus” Levy - 46,900
Nick Schulman - 40,000
Allen “AawwNutz” Carter - 38,200
David Singer - 34,000
Jonathan “driverseati” Tamayo - 25,900
Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler - 17,600
Michael Binger - 13,000

When play wrapped up on Sunday, the blinds were 300-600 with a 75-chip ante. The Southern Poker Championship runs through Wednesday, when the newest WPT champion will be crowned. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from the Biloxi tournament.

Poker2Nite Welcomes Poker Tournament Director Matt Savage

This week, the UB.com-sponsored poker news franchise “Poker2Nite” welcomed acclaimed tournament director Matt Savage. The creator of the Iron Man tournament and former director of the World Series of Poker (WSOP), Savage assessed the industry entering 2010.

First up on “Poker2Nite,” which airs on Wednesday at 11:00pm ET, was an evaluation of several of the high-stakes world’s top names. On Isildur1, who has been largely absent from the virtual felts of Full Tilt Poker following a run-in with CardRunners instructor Brian Hastings, “Poker2Nite” co-host Scott Huff noted, “He’s won huge amounts for sure, but he’s lost a lot of it back and that, to me, just means it’s on the level.” According to PokerTableRatings.com, Isildur1 is out $2.6 million since November after being up as much as $5 million.

Then, “Phil’s Best Blowups” took center stage. The segment recaps some of the top escapades of UB.com poker pro Phil Hellmuth. This week’s was “an oldie, but a goodie,” as it panned out at the World Poker Tour (WPT) stop at Foxwoods in 2005. Hellmuth explained, in G-rated terms, “This lucky son of a gun hit running sevens on me after starting completely dead and then raised me on the flop with nothing.”

Hellmuth held J-9 against Hoyt Corkins’ J-7 and the flop came nine-high, giving the 11-time WSOP bracelet winner top pair. Hellmuth bet 25,000, Corkins raised it to 70,000 with air, and Hellmuth called. The turn brought a seven, giving Corkins second pair, and the action went check-check. The river was another seven, improving the DoylesRoom pro to trips, and Hellmuth led out for 80,000. Corkins min-raised to 160,000, Hellmuth called, and jumped out of his chair when he saw the bad news. WPT commentator Vince Van Patten observed, “It looks like his pants are on fire.” The odds of Corkins hitting running sevens were 314:1.

Savage succinctly explained the role of a tournament director to Huff and show co-host Joe Sebok: “My job is to keep order in tournaments.” One of his recent creations is the Iron Man format, a no-break tournament with three meals served at the table and a $10,000 seat added to the prize pool. Its first running clocked in at 19 hours and 20 minutes. Savage recalled, “The camaraderie at the table was great. I stayed up for the whole event and will again in February.” Next month, a $2,100 buy-in Iron Man tournament will play out during the annual L.A. Poker Classic.

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), passed in the final moments of the 2006 Congressional session, led to several of the world’s top online poker sites fleeing the U.S. market. Accordingly, Savage revealed where he’d like to see the game headed as we enter 2010: “We’d like to see the UIGEA overturned and that’d be a big difference for us. We’ve [leveled] a little bit in the U.S., but it’s growing globally.”

A feature on Credit Card Roulette aired featuring former Bodog pro Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, Isaac Haxton, Stephen “MrTimCaum” O’Dwyer, UB.com’s Adam “Roothlus” Levy, and Scott Seiver, with a $1,500 bill up for grabs. If you’ve never played the game, everyone seated tosses their credit cards into a hat and, one by one, the strips of plastic are drawn. The last person to have their credit card selected foots the bill for the entire meal. This time, Haxton was the poor, unfortunate soul and told “Poker2Nite” cameras, “Defeat is always painful.”

“Poker2Nite” closed with Absolute Poker pro and show correspondent Lacey Jones interviewing Shaun Deeb about his future in poker. Deeb commented, “I expect to take six months to a year, if not longer, to stay away from playing tournaments in general. I decided that, looking at what I was doing, I was spending too much time playing poker [tournaments]. So, I decided to quit them and play cash games with more flexible hours so I can do a lot more things with my time.” Deeb is a former number one player on the PocketFives.com Online Poker Rankings.

Catch “Poker2Nite” every Wednesday at 11:00pm ET on Fox Sports Net.

Chris Moorman (moorman1) Wins PocketFives.com Yearly PLB Title

DoylesRoom sponsored pro Chris "moorman1" Moorman stormed through the competition in 2009, capturing the Yearly PocketFives.com Leaderboard (PLB) title. In addition, he claimed the Monthly PLB for December, his second of 2009.

Moorman’s claim to fame during the year came in August, when the British online poker pro chopped a Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) $322 No Limit Hold’em with Rebuys event for $204,000. His second largest cash to date on the virtual felts came in April, as Moorman made the final table of a PokerStars Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) event for $113,000. In February, Moorman was in the winner’s circle of the PokerStars $100 Rebuy for a cool $88,000.

Moorman was a beacon of consistency throughout 2009. In the first Online Poker Rankings update on PocketFives.com, which occurred on January 7th, Moorman sat at number two worldwide. Three weeks later, the youngster overtook Alex “AJKHoosier1” Kamberis for the Rankings’ top spot, a position that he held until February 25th. On that date, Steve “gboro780” Gross, CardPlayer’s Online Player of the Year winner for 2009, ascended to the top of the PocketFives.com Rankings, pushing Moorman back to second worldwide.

Gross had a stranglehold on the top spot in the Rankings until August 12th, when Shaun “shaundeeb” Deeb overtook him. Deeb, of course, announced in mid-November that he was retiring from tournaments due to burnout. On September 23rd, Moorman was back on top in the same month that he officially became a member of the Brunson 10, the group of online poker players handpicked by Doyle Brunson to represent DoylesRoom. Moorman held the top spot in September for a week until the 30th, when Gross once again led the way.

On November 25th, Dan “djk123” Kelly stole the top spot from Gross just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. Moorman then ascended to the head of the class on December 30th, with the next Rankings update to be released on Wednesday, January 6th. The Rankings encompass tournaments with at least 100 entrants and prize pools of $1,000 or more. Each event must have a buy-in of at least $1 and only scheduled tournaments are tracked. Only non-satellite tournaments with real money buy-ins are counted across some of the world’s largest online poker sites like Absolute Poker, Betfair, Bodog, Cake Poker, Carbon Poker, Full Tilt, PartyPoker, PokerStars, Titan Poker, and UB.com.

On the PocketFives.com Yearly PLB for 2009, Moorman logged 20,850 points, comfortably edging out Kelly, who netted 18,606. Moorman’s largest score was 716 points, whereas Kelly’s single greatest PLB tally was double that. Gross took third on the Yearly PLB for 2009. Here were the final results:

1. Chris “moorman1” Moorman – 20,850.97
2. Dan “djk123” Kelly – 18,606.93
3. Steve “gboro780” Gross – 18,472.42
4. Shaun “shaundeeb” Deeb – 18,061.15
5. Tony “D1rtyR1v3r” Nardi – 17,616.29
6. Kevin “ImaLuckSac” MacPhee – 17,514.48
7. David “Doc Sands” Sands – 17,354.60
8. Jeremy “daisyxoxo” Fitzpatrick – 17,167.12
9. Felipe “improved” Montenegro – 17,134.04
10. Ben “NeverScaredB” Wilinofsky – 16,323.68

Moorman finished fourth on both CardPlayer’s and Bluff’s Online Player of the Year leaderboards for 2009. He joined the Brunson 10 in September, becoming the fourth member of a talented group of players that already included Amit “amak316” Makhija, Zachary “CrazyZachary” Clark, and Alec “traheho” Torelli. In November during final table play of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, the Brunson 10 welcomed “2 Months, $2 Million” cast member Dani “ansky” Stern to its ranks. Stern was the youngest personality to appear on the G4 online poker reality show.

DoylesRoom happily accepts customers from the United States as a member of the Cake Poker Network. Other site pros include Todd Brunson, Hoyt Corkins, and “The Mad Genius of Poker” Mike Caro.

WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic Kicks off Monday

The 2009 installment of the World Poker Tour (WPT) Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic will kick off on Monday from the Bellagio in Las Vegas. The tournament’s namesake told UB.com’s “Poker2Nite” that a field of 400 players is expected.

Only one Day 1 in the $15,000 buy-in WPT event will occur, with the six-handed final table taking place on the 19th. In 2008, original World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event November Nine member David “Chino” Rheem took down the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic, besting Justin Young heads-up and earning $1.5 million. Young took $936,000 for his runner-up performance. Others who reached the feature table, which played out on cable station Fox Sports Net, included Evan McNiff (third place for $540,000), Steve Sung (fourth place for $396,000), Amnon Filippi (fifth place for $288,000), and DoylesRoom poker pro Hoyt Corkins (sixth place for $216,000).

The Five Diamond has been a staple of the WPT circuit and served as the series’ very first event back in May of 2002. That year, Full Tilt Poker pro Gus Hansen outlasted John Juanda heads-up in a talented final table that also featured Freddy Deeb, John “World” Hennigan, Chris Bigler, and Scotty Nguyen. A quaint field of 146 players turned out for the inaugural WPT tournament, creating a prize pool of $1.4 million.

In Season II of the WPT, Paul Phillips took down the Five Diamond in Las Vegas, besting Poker Hall of Fame member Dewey Tomko heads-up and banking $1.1 million. Hansen once again made the final table of the tournament and finished third this time around, while Mel Judah took sixth place and earned $101,000. The next season, a battle of PokerStars sponsored pros took place, as Daniel Negreanu trumped Costa Rican sensation Humberto Brenes heads-up in the event’s finale. The number of entrants jumped to 376 from 314.

In Season IV of the WPT, Rehne Pedersen earned over $2 million for his Five Diamond win and beat Patrik Antonius heads-up. Brunson made the final table of the event and finished third, while J.J. Liu took fourth place for $362,000. Also making waves were Darrell “Gigabet” Dicken and Phil “The Unabomber” Laak, who finished in fifth and sixth place, respectively.

In the December Bellagio tournament during Season V, Joe Hachem, winner of the 2005 WSOP Main Event, took down the title and its corresponding $2.2 million grand prize. Hachem and Negreanu made PokerStars proud by reaching the final table and the Aussie’s win solidified his name as one of the tops in the industry. In 2007, Eugene Katchalov banked $2.5 million for his WPT victory, outlasting a colossal field of 626 players. Also reaching the final table were Devilfish Poker namesake David Ulliott and former PokerStars Caribbean Adventure champion Ryan “Daut44” Daut.

After its annual Las Vegas stop, the WPT crew will break for the holidays and resume action in late January for the Southern Poker Championship. December’s Bellagio stop will mark the tournament series’ last trip to Sin City before the annual WPT Championship in April. Here’s a look at the remaining events in Season VIII:

Southern Poker Championship: January 24th to 27th
Beau Rivage (Biloxi, Mississippi)

WPT Celebrity Invitational: February 20th to 21st
Commerce Casino (Commerce, California)

L.A. Poker Classic: February 26th to March 4th
Commerce Casino (Commerce, California)

Bay 101 Shooting Star: March 8th to 12th
Bay 101 (San Jose, California)

Hollywood Poker Open: March 20th to 24th
Hollywood Casino (Lawrenceburg, Indiana)

WPT Championship: April 17th to 24th
Bellagio (Las Vegas, Nevada)

WPT Foxwoods World Poker Finals Kicks Off Thursday

Season 8 of the World Poker Tour (WPT) makes its next stop in Mashantucket, Connecticut on Thursday as the World Poker Finals kicks off at the at Foxwoods Resort Casino. The $10,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event will attract many of the tournament players around the world and its prize pool has eclipsed $5 million in past years.

Day 1 will get underway at Noon with players receiving 30,000 chips and blind levels running 90 minutes. The event concludes on Tuesday, November 10th, when the final six players take their seats and play until a champion is crowned.

Last year, poker pro Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little bested a field of 412 players to win the World Poker Finals title. Little, the Season 6 WPT Player of the Year, defeated Jonathan Jaffe heads up when his A-Q held up against Jaffe’s A-10, earning him $1.1 million and his second WPT title. Also appearing at the final table were David “The Dragon” Pham (fourth place for $240,000) and Mike Matusow (sixth place for $124,000).

Other former winners of the WPT World Poker Finals include Mike Vela (2007), Nenad Medic (2006), Nick Schulman (2005), Tuan Le (2004), Hoyt Corkins (2003), and Howard Lederer (2002).

The World Poker Finals has featured a series of preliminary events at Foxwoods since October 19th. Players were offered a wide selection of games on the tournament schedule, including No Limit Hold’em, Seven Card Stud, Omaha Eight or Better, HOSE, Pot Limit Omaha, and Limit Hold’em. Two of the top female pros in the world have generated the most buzz during the series thus far, as Vanessa Selbst took down the $1,500 No Limit Hold’em Event #7 for $74,000 and Kathy Liebert won the $2,500 No Limit Hold’em Event #14 for $74,000. Selbst also took third in Event #14 for $28,000, putting her earnings over the two-week series above the six-figure mark.

World Poker Tour Enterprises (WPTE), a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange that controls the tour, has been in the news lately, as offers were being made to purchase the company. WPTE announced last week that its shareholders approved a purchase by Party Gaming subsidiary Peerless Media. Under the proposal from Peerless Media, WPTE shareholders will receive $12.3 million plus a percentage of future gaming revenues. The sale specifies that WPTE officials will receive at least $3 million over three years from the aforementioned gaming revenues. The money from the purchase will not be refunded to shareholders and will instead be used to invest in a non-poker related business venture.

Mandalay Entertainment made a last-minute bid of $36.5 million to purchase WPTE, submitting an offer to purchase the company’s television library, trademarks, and other portions of the tournament series. However, WPTE shareholders met last Friday in Los Angeles and instead approved the sale to Peerless Media.

DoylesRoom Seeking New Members for Brunson 10

The USA-friendly online poker site DoylesRoom, fronted by 10-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Doyle Brunson, is expanding its stable of pros. The so-called “Brunson 10” currently consists of only four members.

In order to become a part of the illustrious Brunson 10, online poker players must hold an account at DoylesRoom and hit the felts in the site’s daily $5/$10 and $10/$20 cash games that take place at 7:00pm ET. Brunson and other site pros are regulars in these games and an e-mail sent to DoylesRoom players explained, “We recommend joining and chatting with them at the tables.” The online poker room is hoping to add players with “personality, integrity, and potential” and plans to fill the fifth Brunson 10 slot around the beginning of November in time for the WSOP Main Event final table.

A formal way to apply for the Brunson 10 will be unleashed in the coming weeks. The e-mail foreshadowed, “This system will eventually allow the best players to get to the top, at which point we will arrange personal interviews with Doyle and the team.” Interested players can e-mail Brunson10@doylesroom.com. A representative from the online poker site told Poker News Daily, “We are looking for live and online success in both cash games and tournaments, but personality is key too. Doyle Brunson has the final word.”

Amit “amak316” Makhija is one of the four current Brunson 10 members. The top-tier online and live poker pro is best known for finishing as the runner-up to John “The Razor” Phan in the finale of the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Legends of Poker in 2008. His reward was a healthy $563,000 boost to his bankroll and a bevy of television time on Fox Sports Net. In that year’s WSOP, Makhija finished fifth in the $10,000 buy-in World Championship of Pot Limit Hold’em and earned $198,000 in a tournament that aired on ESPN. In addition, he landed in third place in a €5,000 buy-in preliminary event held during the European Poker Tour’s (EPT) Monte Carlo Grand Final for €85,000.

Also part of the Brunson 10 is Chris “moorman1” Moorman, who signed on with DoylesRoom just before the start of the WSOP Europe festivities in London. Moorman is a former number one player in the prestigious PocketFives.com Online Poker Rankings and is an eight-time Triple Crown winner on the site. He chopped an event during August’s Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) for $204,000 and made the final table of the high-stakes PokerStars Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) Main Event for $113,000. He’s arguably the most respected high-stakes online grinder in the industry and adds a considerable amount of prestige to the Brunson 10.

Alec “traheho” Torelli has nearly $2 million in career earnings. His bankroll was boosted to a large degree by virtue of finishing as the runner-up to Kenny Tran in the $10,000 buy-in World Championship of Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em during the 2008 WSOP for $336,000. Later that year, Torelli was up to his winning ways again, this time banking $120,000 for taking down a $5,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event during the Festa al Lago. Five months ago, Torelli earned a colossal $329,000 for grabbing sixth in the $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP.

Rounding out the Brunson 10 is Zachary “CrazyZachary” Clark. In August of 2007, he won the FTOPS Main Event for $395,000 and, in April of this year, chopped a SCOOP tournament for $390,000. Clark took third in last August’s WPT Legends of Poker, joining Makhija at the final table and earning $281,000.

DoylesRoom is a member of the USA-friendly Cake Poker Network and holds a weekly $50,000 Bounty Tournament. Members of the Brunson 10, along with Todd Brunson, Doyle Brunson, Mike Caro, and Hoyt Corkins, serve as the bounties in the high-stakes contest.

Doyle Brunson Advocates WSOP Europe Venue Change

Even though he has more than 50 years in the poker world under his belt, poker legend Doyle Brunson continues to be one of the leaders in the community, advocating suggestions for improvements to the industry.

After making a stirring run during the Main Event of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe - he was in the Top Ten through much of the action before being eliminated in 17th place - the man known as the “Godfather of Poker” opined on his blog about some of the spectacle that surrounded the tournament series. Brunson’s blog is one of the most respected reads in the poker industry and its author is known for pulling no punches when it comes to his thoughts.

On the location of the WSOP Europe, Brunson states that he’d like to see a change and admits that the Casino at the Empire in London “needs to be bigger.” Looking potentially at making WSOP Europe even larger than it is, Brunson suggests that, if the management of Harrah’s could work out the details, moving the location of the three year old event to a new city each year would “draw many more players… London is just too expensive for the beginning pros to play.”

Brunson also spoke up about fellow former World Champion Phil Hellmuth, whose grandiose entrance to the WSOP in Las Vegas was duplicated this year at WSOP Europe. Brunson, who was seemingly dismayed at Hellmuth’s display, writes in his blog, “I’ve always liked Phil Hellmuth and have defended his tantrums because that is ‘Phil being Phil,’ but these grand entrances he makes are too much! He came to my table dressed as Julius Caesar along with trumpets and scantily clad girls. It embarrassed me just being there. I would have liked to have applied for the role of Brutus. I am a poker purist and stuff like that detracts too much from what a great game poker is.”

In addition to his opinions on the recently completed WSOP Europe, Brunson is kicking up his activity on his eponymous poker room. For some time, DoylesRoom has featured a weekly Bounty Tournament where Brunson and many of his friends - including his daughter Pamela and son Todd, longtime friends Mike “The Mad Genius of Poker” Caro and Hoyt Corkins, and celebrities like socialite Nicky Hilton and actress Jamie Lynn Sigler - have sizeable bounties on their heads. Now, Brunson is offering players at the site the opportunity to step to the felts to take him on in an arena that Brunson has dominated for decades, cash games.

Beginning tonight at 7:00pm ET and then taking place every night Monday through Friday thereafter, Brunson will step to the virtual felts on the $5/$10 and $10/$20 No Limit Texas Hold’em tables and take on all comers. While Brunson, whose online moniker is “Tex_Dolly,” will be the centerpiece of the battles, several of the previously mentioned players and members of the Brunson 10, which include online warriors Amit “amak316” Makhija, Zachary Clark, Alec “traheho” Torelli, and Chris “Moorman1” Moorman, will also be on hand. There should be plenty of action and poker discussion between players at these tables.

DoylesRoom Offers WPT Five Diamond Seats from $0.22

On December 13th, the World Poker Tour (WPT) will head to the Bellagio in Las Vegas for the annual Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic. Among those in attendance will be members of DoylesRoom

Last year, World Series of Poker (WSOP) November Nine member David “Chino” Rheem outlasted the field at the Five Diamond event and earned $1.5 million. Heads-up, he defeated poker pro Justin Young in a final table that also included Evan McNiff, Steve Sung, Amnon Filippi, and “The Alabama Cowboy” Hoyt Corkins. A total of 497 players turned out, creating a $7.2 million prize pool. In 2007, 626 players competed in a tournament won by Eugene Katchalov.

Steps for entry into the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic begin at $0.22. Both standard and turbo tournaments are available at that price tag and entry into the turbo format can be obtained by placing first or second in a Gold Chip event. A total of 10 steps are on the docket for players to qualify for the WPT tournament. The final event is a $3,750 buy-in contest that awards a $17,000 prize package to its winner. Second place will take home another Step 10 entry, while third place will earn $250.

DoylesRoom members can buy in at any step they’d like. Step 1 weighs in at $0.22. Step 2 comes with a $0.68 buy-in, Step 3 has a $2 price tag, Step 4 has a $5.85 buy-in, Step 5 has a $17 price tag, Step 6 will set players back $49, Step 7 costs $145, Step 8 will run you $438, and Step 9 requires an outlay of $1,289.50. If successful, players will be treated in style in Sin City. Text found on the DoylesRoom website notes, “You won’t be just another player in Doyle Brunson’s tournament. You’ll be the player who experienced a full weekend of legendary Las Vegas indulgence with Doyle Brunson the weekend before the first hand was dealt.”

Players who make their way to Las Vegas after parlaying $0.22 into a WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic seat will also take home a Vegas Experience package, which includes first class airfare, hotel accommodations, VIP club access, tickets to a hot show, and even a chance to meet “Texas Dolly” himself. Players will receive $1,000 to use towards travel and accommodations and also be given a private coaching session with Brunson, a 10-time bracelet winner.

The promotion runs until December 4th on DoylesRoom, which happily accepts players from the United States. The site makes its home on the Cake Poker Network, which, according to PokerScout.com, is the tenth most popular worldwide with a seven-day running average of 1,780 real money ring game players. During its peak hours, which occur in the evening across North America, 2,400 cash game players can be found battling it out. The Cake Poker Network is the fourth largest worldwide that accepts customers from the United States.

Weekly on Wednesdays at 9:30pm ET, DoylesRoom hosts its signature $50,000 Guaranteed Bounty tournament featuring Brunson, the “Mad Genius of Poker” Mike Caro, and a bevy of celebrities and guest pros. DoylesRoom is fresh off adding online poker pro Chris “moorman1” Moorman to its Brunson 10, a group of pros that also includes Amit “amak316” Makhija, Alec “traheho” Torelli, and Zachary “CrazyZachary” Clark. Moorman recently reached the apex of the PocketFives.com Online Poker Rankings and is one of the most respected players in the game today.

Qualify your way to Las Vegas for the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic on DoylesRoom.

Matt Glantz Wins PokerStars EPT London High Roller Event

American Matt Glantz emerged victorious in the European Poker Tour’s (EPT) London High Roller event, banking £542,000. Glantz bested Erik Cajelais in a tournament that attracted 75 runners.

Cajelais entered the final table as a commanding chip leader, owning a stack of 893,000, well out in front of Glantz, who came armed with 647,500. Glantz had a wealth of experience, however, finishing fourth in the $50,000 buy-in HORSE Championship during the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) for $568,000. That final table, of course, featured Scotty Nguyen, a 2009 Poker Hall of Fame finalist, emerging victorious while allegedly inebriated. Also that year, Glantz took third in the World Championship Mixed Event for $184,000.

Cajelais, meanwhile, was fresh off a win in the £2,500 buy-in Pot Limit Hold’em / Pot Limit Omaha contest during the 2009 WSOP Europe festivities, which were also held in London. In that event, he defeated Mats Gavatin heads-up and earned £104,000. Also appearing at the Pot Limit final table were Men “The Master” Nguyen, Hoyt Corkins, and Chris Bjorin, who went on to finish sixth in the WSOP Europe Main Event.

Just after the dinner break, Glantz prevailed in the High Roller tournament. Here is how its final table shook out:

1. Matt Glantz (United States) - £542,000
2. Erik Cajelais (Canada) - £326,000
3. Eugene Katchalov (United States) - £193,000
4. Adolfo Vaeza (Uruguay) - £141,000
5. Leo Fernandez (Argentina) - £104,000
6. Ilari Sahamies (Finland) - £74,000
7. Dennis Phillips (United States) - £60,000
8. Shane Reihill (Ireland) - £45,000

Phillips has been on fire over the past year. After finishing third in the 2008 WSOP Main Event for $4.5 million, the truck salesman grabbed 45th in the 2009 installment, earning another $178,000. He won a $500 buy-in tournament during the Venetian Deep Stack Extravaganza in Las Vegas in April and has become one of poker’s top ambassadors. Phillips, along with a half-dozen other pros, descended on Capitol Hill for the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) Fly-In held during National Poker Week. Phillips toured the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and also played in a charity poker tournament.

Sahamies, nicknamed “Ziigumd” in the online world, is the front man for the Cake Poker Network site Power Poker. Sahamies appeared on Season 5 of the GSN cash game show “High Stakes Poker” and was part of the winning squad in the inaugural Caesars Cup. Fernandez, along with Phillips, is a card-carrying member of Team PokerStars Pro. In April, Fernandez finished sixth in the Latin American Poker Tour’s (LAPT) Mar del Plata Main Event for $63,000. His employer, PokerStars, sponsors the EPT.

WSOP November Nine member Phil Ivey was the first player sent packing from the High Roller event. Others who hit the skids on Day 1 included Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Dave “Devilfish” Ulliott, Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer, Barry Greenstein, Vanessa Rousso, Luca Pagano, J.C. Alvarado, and Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier. After his victory, Glantz told PokerStars officials, “It feels great. It’s just been my day.” In the final hand, Glantz’s A-2 held up against Cajelais’ Q-J.

The £5,000 buy-in EPT London Main Event is currently underway. This time around, the tournament attracted 730 players, which PokerStars claims is the largest poker event ever held in the United Kingdom. Only 596 players took to the felts in 2008, representing a growth of 23%. A total of 58 countries are represented, including 138 players from the United Kingdom, 131 from the United States, 63 from France, 45 from Germany, and 42 from Italy.

Chris Moorman Signs with DoylesRoom

With the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe Main Event on the horizon,  DoylesRoom has made a splash, signing Chris “Moorman1” Moorman to its prestigious Brunson 10.

Moorman is 24 years-old and recently ascended to the top of the Online Poker Rankings on PocketFives.com, jumping over previously number one ranked player Shaun “shaundeeb” Deeb. Moorman owns the second best PLB Score and Pro Poll Ranking on PocketFives.com and has claimed a record-setting eight Triple Crowns. The accolade is given to players who take down three $10,000 prize pool non-satellite tournaments across three online poker sites within a seven-day period.

Moorman boasts career earnings of more than $1.6 million. The Brit is currently on his home turf at the WSOP Europe festivities in London, with the Main Event of the prestigious series kicking off on Saturday. On his play at the tables, PocketFivesLive.com Tournament Reporter Jessica Welman told Poker News Daily, “Chris has an unpredictable style of play that always keeps his opponents guessing and serves him well at the tables. I think you only need to look at how long he’s been ranked in the Top 10 on PocketFives.com to see how much his peers respect his game.”

Welman noted that, despite his age, Moorman’s maturity at the tables separates him from the pack: “During the Main Event of the WSOP, I watched a pivotal hand in which Chris was able to lay down bottom set in a huge hand. As I watched him play back the hand in his head, I was really impressed that he was not only able to make a really good laydown, but he also managed to control his emotions in a situation that many others would find frustrating and potentially tilt-inducing.”

The Brunson 10 sported three members prior to Moorman’s addition this week. Alec “traheho” Torelli, who finished fourth in the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Bellagio Cup V and Slovakia stops, also sits on the team. Torelli’s major claim to fame occurred during the 2009 WSOP, when he finished sixth in the $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP. He banked $326,000 in the event, nearly the same total as he raked in for finishing as the runner-up to Kenny Tran in the World Championship of Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em during the 2008 WSOP.

Also part of the Brunson 10 is Amit “amak316” Makhija, who finished as the runner-up to John “The Razor” Phan during the 2008 WPT Legends of Poker. Makhija scooped $563,000 for his efforts at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles and finished fifth in the World Championship of Pot Limit Hold’em during the 2008 WSOP for another $198,000. That tournament aired on ESPN and marked the first bracelet win for Nenad Medic. Zachary “CrazyZachary” Clark rounds out the Brunson 10. Clark joined Makhija at the Legends of Poker final table in 2008, finishing third for $281,000.

Doyle Brunson praised the arrival of Moorman to DoylesRoom, explaining in a press release, “Moorman reminds me a lot of me, except for the British accent. He’s a poker natural, a legend in the making, and that’s why I’ve handpicked him to be the next member of The Brunson 10, my new team of elite poker players who truly are young legends of the game.”

DoylesRoom happily accepts players from the United States and makes its home on the popular Cake Network, which, in addition to its flagship site, also includes Lock Poker, Players Only, Poker Host, and Stryyke. According to the traffic ranking site PokerScout.com, the Cake Network is the 10th largest worldwide, sporting a seven-day running average of 1,680 real money ring game players. During its peak traffic hours, which occur during the evening in the United States, over 2,500 cash game players call the network home.

In addition to its Brunson 10, DoylesRoom also features “Texas Dolly” (Brunson), Hoyt Corkins, Todd Brunson, and “The Mad Genius of Poker” Mike Caro. In an interview with PocketFives.com, Moorman revealed that a recurring high-stakes cash game is in the works featuring the four poker veterans and members of the Brunson 10.

Cajelais finally catches WSOP gold

On a rainy afternoon in London's Leicester Square Wednesday, he finally enjoyed the sweet taste of victory at the WSOP Europe.

"I felt like I really, really wanted to win it and I would do everything I could to do it," Cajelais told PokerListings moments after taking down the $2,500 Pot-Limit Hold'em/Pot-Limit Omaha event, winning his first WSOP bracelet and £104,677.

"That's what I did today, I played great poker and the cards came out my way."

The tournament drew just 158 players, but among them were some of the best poker players on the planet.

In fact, Cajelais defeated a final table that included four multiple WSOP bracelet winners in Men "The Master" Nguyen (6), Chris Bjorin (2), Howard Lederer (2), and Hoyt Corkins (2).

Strong field or a weak one, Cajelais said he just wanted the win.

"I would be happy to win a bracelet with a big field with all the worst players or a small field with all the best," he said. "I just wanted to win."

Cajelais grabbed the chip lead on day one busting 2007 WSOPE main event champ Annette Obrestad when he flopped Broadway against her top-two pair.

The second day of the event played down to the final five and Cajelais actually came in Wednesday as one of the shorter stacks.

Hedging his bets, the 27-year-old former bartender from Montreal, Quebec registered for the WSOPE's £5k Pot-Limit Omaha event beginning two hours before the final five restart.

"My main goal was to win this one," he said. "I said if I register for the £5k and I bust early, I can go and play the £5k. If I get heads-up I don't really mind losing the £5k."

Cajelais clawed back to the top of the chip counts busting Brits Richard Gryko, Robert Keston, and the aforementioned Nguyen taking a 10:1 chip lead into heads up with Swede Mats Gavatin.

He made short work of Gavatin to win the bracelet and despite busting out of the £5k PLO event, the first Canadian to win a WSOP bracelet on this side of the Atlantic sounded more than satisfied with his day.

"My main focus was really to win this one," he said. "And that's what I did."

Visit PokerListings.com

Five Left in WSOPE Event #2 - £2,500 PLHE/PLO

A field of 158 has been whittled down to just 5, with play resuming in but a few hours. Mats Gavatin leads the final five in the mixed Hold ‘em/Omaha event after Howard Lederer, Hoyt Corkins and Ian Frazer all hit the rail early.

Terrence Chan (Unassigned) Wins WCOOP Limit Hold’em Event

During the PokerStars Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) in April, Terrence “Unassigned” Chan made headlines by winning both the high- and mid-stakes versions of Event #20 (Six-Max Limit Hold’em) on the same day, earning him more than $185,000. It was an accomplishment deemed nearly unachievable by poker aficionados.

On September 18th, Chan once again made headlines in the poker world, this time in the PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP). Again, it was Six-Max Limit Hold’em and, once again, Chan was victorious, besting a 437-player field in the $1,000 buy-in Event #39 for a payday of $83,030.

Chan entered the final table second in chips and ultimately drew an appealing heads-up match against Cesar “makavelyces” Fuentes, widely considered one of the best high-stakes online tournament players in the world. They began play nearly even in chips with around two million each and it was Fuentes who grabbed control early, cutting Chan’s stack down to 300,000. Chan doubled up and then quickly took over the chip lead when his pocket kings made a full house on a Kd-Qd-4d-Th-Qh board.

Chan chipped away at Fuentes’ stack and eventually Fuentes got the last of his chips in pre-flop with pocket nines against Chan’s Kh-Jc. The Kd-Qc-Qs flop left Fuentes drawing thin and the turn and river were no help, sending him out in second place for $61,180. Chan, meanwhile, added another prestigious Limit Hold’em title to his record as well as his first WCOOP bracelet.

Chan was updating his blog and Twitter account during his run in Event # 39 and expressed his contentment following the victory: “Insane. Just…insane. I kinda run good in these events, y’know?” He also noted in his blog that he hadn’t cashed in his first five WCOOP events of this year’s series, saying, “I have been frustrated in all of them, resulting in poor decisions in many of them.” That frustration has surely dissipated.

A native of Vancouver, Chan is now being mentioned among the best Limit Hold’em players in the world, joining the likes of Matt Hawrilenko, Daniel Negreanu, David Chiu, Ted Forrest, Jen Harman, and Todd Brunson, among others. He regularly plays in some of the highest live limit games in the world while traveling the tournament circuit. Chan has also excelled at No Limit Hold’em. His best finish came at the 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP), where he took second place in the $2,500 Event #30 for $287,345. Hoyt Corkins defeated Chan for the title.

Here’s a look at the final results of the PokerStars WCOOP Event #39:

1st Place: Terrence “Unassigned” Chan - $83,030
2nd Place: Cesar “makavelyces” Fuentes - $61,180.00
3rd Place: Vingtcent - $44,792.50
4th Place: SoulMaster7 - $30,590.00
5th Place: Tommy2tyme - $21,850.00
6th Place: KINGKUNG - $13,984.00

Linda Johnson’s Favorite WPT Memories

I had the best job of anyone on the World Poker Tour. I got to travel all over the world, meet lots of awesome people, get my hair and makeup done, entertain an audience of poker players, and say “Shuffle Up and Deal!” I also got to work with an incredible crew including Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten.

My job as the studio announcer was to call the action (announce bet amounts, hole cards when there was an all-in, winning hands, and new blind amounts) in order to keep the audience interested. I involved the audience by playing trivia with them during breaks, telling jokes, and introducing famous poker players and celebrities between hands.

This led to a few awkward moments, of course. During a taping at the Commerce Casino, I saw Doyle Brunson walk in with someone I didn’t know and they sat down to watch. At the appropriate time, I said, “Ladies and gentlemen, we are honored to have the legendary Doyle Brunson in our midst. Doyle, please give us a wave.” Doyle took off his Stetson, waved to the crowd, and he and his friend left a few minutes later. Shortly after that, the producer contacted me through my earpiece and asked why I hadn’t introduced Robert Duvall (the gentleman with Brunson). “Who is Robert Duvall and where does he play,” I asked.

One of the perks of my job was getting to play in the WPT Celebrity Invitational. I always wrote an article about the celebrities at my table, but first they had to identify themselves. Throughout the years, I had played in tournaments with Tobey Maguire, Ben Affleck, Ricki Lake, Montel Williams, Dom DeLuise, Norm McDonald, Camyrn Manheim, Jason Alexander, Paris Hilton, James Woods, Lou Diamond Phillips, Jennifer Tilly, and lots of actors and actresses that everyone except me seemed to recognize.

Every final table was different in its own way, but I don’t believe the excitement of that first-ever WPT event at Bellagio will ever be topped.  The WPT set and announcers’ booth was introduced to the world, as was super hostess Shana Hiatt. The final table consisted of Gus Hansen (who was unknown at the time), John Juanda, Freddy Deeb, Scotty Nguyen, and John Hennigan, all superstars who later won WPT titles. I still remember how impressed I was to see Doug Dalton in his tuxedo pouring champagne to toast the winner.

During my time with the WPT, I traveled to lots of amazing destinations around the world. I actually enjoyed all of them, but for different reasons. For instance, I loved the beaches of Aruba and taping the show in an upstairs restaurant overlooking the ocean. I enjoyed Nassau because I was allowed to wear tropical clothing and not my typical black!

Tunica’s Gold Strike and Biloxi’s Beau Rivage were memorable for the wonderful Southern hospitality and incredible food. I looked forward to Foxwoods for the beauty of the surrounding forests. The Bicycle Casino and the Commerce Casino were special because there was so much poker action when I wasn’t working. Borgata had the best beds.

The Aviation Club in Paris offered the best sightseeing opportunities and the Reno Hilton had the best sushi and a shopping arcade on premises. Fallsview offered incredible views of Niagara Falls from our hotel rooms. Bay 101 had the most energetic, enthusiastic fans, which made my job easy. I always liked taping at the Mirage and Bellagio because I could stay in my own home at night! And of course, I am a bit biased, but I loved the PartyPoker.com Million because I got to spend a week on a Card Player Cruises vacation.

There were lots of funny moments on the WPT. One of the best happened at Foxwoods the year Hoyt Corkins won.  Phil Hellmuth was at the final table and Hoyt was driving him crazy with his aggression and all-ins. Finally, after Hoyt hit a river card, Phil jumped out of his chair and banged his head on the overhead microphone.  Another time, Joe Hachem was at the final table and when he won his first big pot, his fans started yelling, “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oy, Oy, Oy!” I looked at them and said, “Don’t start that crap here.” They must have thought I was serious because they didn’t do it again.

Although I had a few embarrassing moments along the way, such as dropping my microphone battery pack in the toilet or having a hot flash during filming, there were some very special moments too. I’ll always remember Brunson’s inspirational victory at the Bicycle Club. Tears came to my eyes on multiple occasions when I saw the joy of new millionaires being created.  The most emotional moment for me took place during the taping of the “Father/Son Special.” Barry Greenstein and his son, Joe Sebok, eliminated the other teams and were supposed to play each other to determine the winner. Instead, they agreed to push all-in pre-flop and let the cards decide the victor since neither one wanted to beat the other on television.

The first six seasons of the WPT flew by and were full of incredible moments. Maybe someday I’ll write a book about them.

WPT Legends of Poker Begins Today

Kicking off today from the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles, California is the annual World Poker Tour (WPT) Legends of Poker. The $10,000 buy-in tournament will crown a champion on Wednesday.

Last time out, John “The Razor” Phan trumped online poker pro Amit “amak316” Makhija in the finale of the WPT Legends of Poker. A total of 373 players took to the felts and Phan walked away with a first place payday of $1.1 million. Zachary Clark earned $281,000 for his third place showing in a lively final table that also featured Paul Smith, Trong Nguyen, and Kyle Wilson. In 2007, “Action” Dan Harrington, a former World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion, bested David “The Dragon” Pham heads-up to pocket $1.6 million. That year, 485 players took to the felts.

In 2006, Joe Pelton banked $1.6 million for his win in the Legends of Poker. He defeated Frankie O’Dell heads-up in a talented final table that also featured Hoyt Corkins, Kevin O’Donnell, Randy Holland, and WSOP Main Event winner Scotty Nguyen. A total of 466 runners took to the Bike’s felts three years ago and created a $4.5 million prize pool. In 2005, Alex Kahaner outlasted “Cowboy” Kenna James to earn $1.1 million. It marked the last year that the buy-in was only $5,000 and 839 players threw their hats into the ring. O’Donnell finished sixth in 2005 and Todd Phillips, who directed “Old School” and “The Hangover,” landed in fourth place, earning $250,000.

In 2004, Doyle Brunson showed that he is truly a legend of the game by taking down the marquee WPT tournament, outplaying Lee Watkinson heads-up. Brunson banked $1.2 million for his efforts and solidified his name as among the game’s best only one year after the Moneymaker Boom began. At the time, Watkinson was fresh off a runner-up finish in the Mirage Poker Showdown and earned $578,000 for his second place effort in Los Angeles.

During Season II of the WPT, Mel Judah defeated Paul Phillips in the Legends of Poker. Judah is a two-time WSOP bracelet winner and Phillips won the Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic that season for $1.1 million. Also appearing at the final table were Poker Hall of Fame member T.J. Cloutier, Chip Jett, three-time bracelet winner Farzad Bonyadi, and Phil “The Unabomber” Laak. During the inaugural season of the WPT, Chris Karagulleyan, who outlasted a field of 134 players to pocket $258,000, won the Legends of Poker. Joining him at the final table were Hon Le, Stan Goldstein, Mark Seif, Can Kim Hua, and Kathy Liebert.

The action kicks off from the Bike’s brand new Events Center at 3:00pm PT on Saturday. Players will receive 30,000 in starting chips and blinds will kick off at 50/100. The price of poker increases every 90 minutes, with the six-handed final table panning out on Wednesday.

In the WPT’s last tournament, Team PokerStars Pro member Alexandre Gomes defeated a table full of internet superstars to earn $1.2 million in the Bellagio Cup V. Heads-up, Gomes trumped Faraz Jaka, who affectionately goes by the moniker “The-Toilet” online. Also appearing at the final table was Justin “Boosted J” Smith, who suffered an Achilles injury after celebrating a win in a hand. Newly-minted DoylesRoom pro Alec “traheho” Torelli, Christoffer Sonesson, and Full Tilt Poker pro Erik Seidel all joined them at the final table. The tournament is held annually near the conclusion of the WSOP Main Event, which is held down Flamingo Road at the Rio.

Recent news surrounding the WPT hasn’t been about the Legends of Poker. Instead, attention has been focused squarely on its sale, where news of a second buyer other than Gamynia Limited has emerged. Speculation on the alternate WPT bid has run rampant throughout the online poker community and additional information should be released in the near future.

Keep up to date on the 2009 WPT Legends of Poker right here on Poker News Daily.

Doyle’s Room Looking for Fresh Poker Faces

Doyle Brunson’s leading online poker room, called – obviously – Doyle's Room, is looking for fresh blood at the site, which has until now been represented by the “old school”: Doyle himself, Todd Brunson, Mike Caro and Hoyt Corkins to name but a few.

‘The Brunson 10’ Hopes to Take DoylesRoom to New Heights

Welcome to all new DoylesRoom — home of the legend and the next generation. For the past five years, Doyle Brunson’s site has embraced its reputation as the home of the old-time gamblers, sporting a cowboy look and the faces of Doyle and Todd Brunson, Mike Caro, and Hoyt Corkins. Now, with a clean new site

Jeremy Gaubert Wins Gold Strike World Poker Open

Jeremy “thechemist83” Gaubert ran away from the field in the $5,150 buy-in Gold Strike World Poker Open despite entering the final table in seventh place out of nine runners. He earned $192,000 in the Tunica, Mississippi tournament.

Online, Gaubert has been one of the top players in the industry. In April, he trumped the field in the weekly Full Tilt Poker Sunday Mulligan for $52,000 and grabbed a win in the Ultimate Bet $100,000 Guaranteed in June for another $26,000. He chopped the Sunday Million on PokerStars for $233,000 and also has a victory in the site’s prestigious Warm-Up for $80,000. The $192,000 cash in the Tunica casino wasn’t his first six-figure live payday, however. Gaubert made a deep run and finished 58th in the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, banking $115,000 from the $10,000 buy-in contest.

In addition to the cash, Gaubert also received a $10,000 buy-in to the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Southern Poker Championship, which is slated for January 24th to 27th at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi. Here’s a look at how the final table panned out in Tunica:

1. Jeremy Gaubert - $192,953
2. Steve Hamontree - $109,400
3. Chris Moneymaker - $60,110
4. Chad Brown - $48,088
5. Thomas Creel - $36,066
6. Gil George - $30,055
7. Tommy Vedes - $24,044
8. Jerry Milanos - $18,033
9. Paris Heard - $12,022

Gaubert rolled through stiff competition in the $5,150 buy-in event. Heading into the final table, Moneymaker held 40% of the chips in play. The 2003 WSOP Main Event Champion was at home in Tunica, originally hailing from nearby Tennessee. Moneymaker’s victory over Sammy Farha in the 2003 WSOP Main Event is the primary reason that many of us are here today. In 2004, Moneymaker backed up his Main Event win by finishing as the runner-up to Phil Gordon in the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star, banking $200,000. A card-carrying member of Team PokerStars Pro, Moneymaker remains synonymous with poker glory.

Also calling Team PokerStars Pro home is Brown, who is married to 2009 National Heads-Up Poker Championship runner-up Vanessa Rousso. Brown made two final tables during the 2009 WSOP, including a $188,000 payday for taking third in the $10,000 buy-in World Championship of Limit Hold’em. In 2007, Brown finished second to Full Tilt Poker pro Erik Seidel in the $10,000 buy-in World Championship of No Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball for $324,000. Like Rousso, Brown has excelled in NBC’s National Heads-Up Poker Championship, reaching the final table against Paul Wasicka in 2007 and ultimately claiming second place for $250,000.

The World Poker Open was originally a stop on the WPT circuit and formerly held at the Horseshoe Casino, located next door to the Gold Strike in Tunica. In 2003, David “Devilfish” Ulliott outlasted the 160 player field en route to a win over Phil Ivey and a $589,000 payday. In 2004, Barry Greenstein defeated Randy Jensen in Tunica for $1.2 million, defeating a field of 367. In 2005, the tournament moved to the towering Gold Strike Casino, where John Stolzmann outlasted one of the toughest final tables in WPT history that also included Chau Giang, Daniel Negreanu, Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi, and Scotty Nguyen.

In 2006, Nguyen took down the World Poker Open title, defeating Mizrachi heads-up. The two had miraculously reached the final table of the five-figure buy-in tournament in back-to-back years. In 2007, Negreanu was the runner-up to Bryan Sumner in the Mississippi tournament. In 2008, the final year that the Gold Strike played host to a WPT event, Brett Faustman bested Hoyt Corkins for the title and $892,000 first place prize. The festivities then moved to Biloxi for the Southern Poker Championship, which is held at the Gold Strike’s sister property, the Beau Rivage.

Faraz Jaka, Erik Seidel Among WPT Bellagio Cup V Leaders

Ten players remain in the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Bellagio Cup V. At the top of the pack after four days of play are Day 3 chip leader Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka and Full Tilt Poker pro Erik Seidel.

Seidel knocked out Tommy Hang on the money bubble in 28th place. Hang pushed pre-flop holding A-J, but ran into Seidel’s A-Q. The flop came K-Q-2, pushing Seidel into the lead for good in the hand. Running cards didn’t come for Hang and he received the unfortunate title of Bubble Boy. Seidel then sent former Bellagio Cup winner and online poker superstar Kevin “BeL0WaB0Ve” Saul packing in 25th place after Seidel’s pocket nines trumped Saul’s pocket kings. Despite being a 4:1 underdog pre-flop, Seidel spiked an eight on the river to make a nine-high straight. Saul took home just over $23,000 for his efforts. His win in the third Bellagio Cup two years ago was worth a healthy $1.3 million.

Seidel wasn’t done there, however. Late during play on Friday, the eight-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner doubled up with pocket aces against Anthony Spinella’s K-Q. Seidel pushed all-in on a board of K-8-4-J-7 and was promptly called by Spinella, who had top pair. Seidel continued his streak by taking a pot off Jaka to push his stack to 2.4 million. When the smoke cleared on Day 4 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Jaka held a stack of 3.3 million to top the leaderboard, while Seidel owned the fourth largest stack at 1.8 million. Here is a look at the final 10 players remaining in the WPT Bellagio Cup V:

1. Faraz Jaka - 3,299,000
2. Justin Smith - 2,620,000
3. Alec Torelli - 1,919,000
4. Erik Seidel - 1,799,000
5. Alexandre Gomes - 1,713,000
6. Ray Taylor - 1,085,000
7. Christopher Sonesson - 786,000
8. Mimi Tran - 690,000
9. Sam Stein - 666,000
10. Pavel Reshetov - 507,000

Spinella, who held the second largest stack overall entering Friday’s play, was sent to the rails in 11th place for $46,000. Spinella moved all-in pre-flop with pocket threes and Alexandre Gomes, a card-carrying member of Team PokerStars Pro, called with A-9. The K-Q-4 flop kept Spinella out in front with a wired pair of threes, as did a six on the turn. However, Gomes hit a nine on the river to send the poker pro home. Last July, Spinella, who is known as “holdplz” online, took down the Full Tilt Poker $750,000 Guaranteed for $132,000. More recently, the North Carolina native finished second in the PokerStars Second Chance for $40,000 in April.

Mimi Tran, the lone female remaining at the Bellagio, is in search of her second WPT final table. She reached the six-handed finale of the World Poker Finals during Season V, finishing third for $472,000. All told, Tran finished in the money three times that season for a grand total of $517,000. Tran took 13th in a $2,500 buy-in Mixed Hold’em event during the 2009 WSOP for $14,000, a tournament ultimately won by Bahador Ahmadi.

Play on Saturday kicks off at Noon Pacific Time and will continue until six players remain, likely making for a short day. When the cards hit the air, blinds will be 10,000-20,000 with a 3,000 chip ante. Every player left is guaranteed $46,000, while the winner of the Bellagio Cup V will bank $1.1 million. Among those who fell by the wayside on Friday were:

19. Alexander Kravchenko - $23,245
22. Vivek Rajkumar - $23,245
23. Hoyt Corkins - $23,245
24. Adam Geyer - $23,245
25. Kevin Saul - $23,245
26. Freddy Deeb - $23,245

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from the storied Las Vegas casino.

Faraz Jaka Leads WPT Bellagio Cup V After Day 3

Three days are in the books at the World Poker Tour (WPT) Bellagio Cup V. Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka holds a commanding lead over the rest of the field. His stack of 3.2 million, or 20% of the chips in play, is nearly three times larger than the second place tally.

The poker gods smiled down upon Jaka for most of Thursday’s play at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. In fact, Jaka made quads to send two players home on back-to-back hands. In the first, Jaka was dealt pocket kings and the flop came K-10-4. Jaka check-called a bet from his opponent with top set to see the turn fall a six. Both players checked and the river brought the case king, giving Jaka four of a kind. Jaka’s opponent shoved all-in and was happily called. Due to the elimination, the tables were redrawn at 36 players. Jaka stayed at his table, but moved one seat over.

On the first hand at his new digs, Jaka was dealt bullets. Poker pro David Levi pushed all-in pre-flop with pocket queens and Jaka called. The flop came A-3-2, once again giving Jaka top set, and the turn was an ace, improving him to quads. The hands ballooned Jaka’s chip stack to 2.8 million. He would end the day strong, piling on 3.2 million chips, which puts him in an ideal position to make a run at the final table. The money bubble will officially burst on Friday when 27 players remain; a total of 31 will start the day.

Anthony “holdplz” Spinella holds the second largest stack in the room at 1.2 million. Spinella sent fellow online poker player Jeremiah Vinsant to the rails after coming out on the winning end of a race with K-Q against pocket jacks. The flop came Q-8-3, sending Spinella out in front in the hand. Needing to hit one of the two remaining jacks in the deck to stay alive, Vinsant watched as the turn came a four and the river came an ace. Spinella also improved his chip stack at the expense of Josh Schlein. On a board of A-K-3-K, Spinella check-called a bet of 68,000 from Schlein. The river came a queen and the action went check-check. Spinella turned over K-Q for a boat, while Schlein mucked.

Here are the top 10 chip stacks entering Day 4 of the WPT Bellagio Cup V on Friday:

1. Faraz Jaka - 3,214,000
2. Anthony Spinella - 1,249,000
3. Ray Taylor - 775,000
4. Christopher Sonesson - 717,000
5. Pavel Reshetov - 710,000
6. Alec Torelli - 703,000
7. Alex Kravchenko - 681,000
8. Justin Smith - 602,000
9. Joshua Schlein - 558,000
10. Samer George - 540,000

The reigning Bellagio Cup champion, Mike “SirWatts” Watson, was sent home during play on Thursday. Watson pushed all-in pre-flop over the top of a raise by Javed Abrahams with pocket sixes. Abrahams called and flipped over A-Q for a race situation. The flop came 10-10-7, keeping Watson out in front, but an ace on the turn improved Abrahams to aces-up. The river was a five, eliminating last year’s winner. Watson defeated David Benyamine in the Bellagio Cup IV to earn $1.6 million. This year, the event will award just less than $1.2 million to its champion.

Other notable poker pros who remain in the hunt include:

11. Erik Seidel - 535,000
13. Jonathan Little - 483,000
15. Mimi Tran - 457,000
17. Freddy Deeb - 413,000
20. Adam Geyer - 313,000
26. Kevin Saul - 196,000
27. Hoyt Corkins - 188,000
29. Vivek Rajkumar - 137,000

The televised six-handed final table will pan out on Sunday at the Bellagio and air on Fox Sports Net as part of Season 8 of the WPT. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest WPT results.

WPT Bellagio Cup V Attracts 268 Players

The second of two starting days are in the books at the World Poker Tour (WPT) Bellagio Cup V. When the smoke cleared, 268 players turned out to the storied Las Vegas casino, down sharply from the 446 that entered last year.

A total of 79 players turned out for Day 1A of the Bellagio Cup on Monday, the kickoff U.S. tournament of Season VIII of the WPT. On Tuesday, 189 runners turned out, boosting the field to 268. As a result, the $15,000 buy-in event will pay out $1.1 million to its victor from a prize pool of $3.9 million. Only a handful of players were sent packing on Day 1B, as entrants utilized their starting stacks of 60,000 wisely. One of the day’s final eliminations was 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe Main Event Champion John Juanda, who called for his tournament life with A-X on a board of A-A-Q-4-K. He remarked to his opponent, “I think you have me beat, but I want to play the side games anyway.” Sure enough, his foe flipped up pocket queens for a boat and Juanda was sent packing.

Jamie Rosen was the executioner of Doyle Brunson on Day 1B of the Bellagio Cup. Brunson pushed over the top of a re-raise by Matt “mattg1983” Graham and Rosen, who was also in the pot, made the call. Brunson turned over pocket jacks, only to see Rosen reveal pocket kings. The better hand held and Rosen’s chip stack ballooned to 150,000. He ended the day as the 14th largest total at the Bellagio with 153,000. The entire field is looking up at Alec “traheho” Torelli, the Day 1A chip leader who built a stack of 308,000.

Owen “ocrowe” Crowe, who is fresh off a 79th place effort in the WSOP Main Event down the road at the Rio, doubled up the dangerous Eli Elezra late in the day. Elezra flopped a straight holding Q-10, which held up. Elezra ended play with the 170th largest stack in the field at 38,000, while Crowe owns the 109th largest tally at 62,000. Nenad Medic also doubled up an opponent late on Tuesday. With the board reading K-Q-4-A, Medic called an opponent’s all-in holding K-Q for two pair. However, his opponent flipped up A-K for a better two pair. The river was a 10 and Medic’s chip stack took a sizable hit. Nevertheless, the Waterloo product holds the 119th largest stack out of 218 survivors at 59,000.

Last year, three starting days were held in the Bellagio Cup. According to WPT officials, only two will be held this year. Now, the action resumes at Noon Pacific Time on Wednesday for Day 2. The final table will take place on Sunday in front of Fox Sports Net television cameras and airs in high-definition as part of the eighth season of the WPT. Here are the Top 10 stacks entering play this afternoon:

1. Alec Torelli - 308,675
2. Vijayan Nagarajan - 257,775
3. Cornel Andrew Cimpan - 256,375
4. Matt Graham - 195,150
5. Michael Mizrachi - 182,700
6. Ray Taylor - 181,800
7. Jeremiah Vinsant - 179,450
8. Pavel Reshetov - 178,225
9. Justin Bonomo - 175,675
10. Joshua Schlein - 172,725

Other notables in the Top 25 include Adam Geyer (12th with 157,000), Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier (18th with 139,000), Prahlad Friedman (20th with 138,000), David “Devilfish” Ulliott (22nd with 137,000), and Hoyt Corkins (23rd with 133,000). Twenty-seven places will pay out, with the members of the televised final table being rewarded as follows:

1st Place: $1,187,670
2nd Place: $774,780
3rd Place: $464,870
4th Place: $271,165
5th Place: $203,385
6th Place: $164,640

Fireworks will be flying at Table 47 on Wednesday, which features 11-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth. Joining him will be fellow Ultimate Bet pro Graham, Amonon Filippi, Erik Seidel, and cash game aficionado Chau Giang. Hellmuth can be found in Seat 8, sandwiched between Giang and Jeremy Rafalowicz.

Alec Torelli Leads WPT Bellagio Cup After Day 1A

A cozy field of 79 players turned out for Day 1A of the World Poker Tour (WPT) Bellagio Cup V. In the end, 61 reached Day 2 on Wednesday, led by Alec “traheho” Torelli. WPT officials are expecting 175 players to compete on Day 1B.

In 2008, the Bellagio Cup IV Main Event, a $15,000 buy-in tournament, boasted a field of 446 players. If 175 players were to turn out for Day 1B, it would translate into a total attendance of 254, representing a drop of over 40%. The Foxwoods Poker Classic boasted the smallest field during Season VII at 259 runners. The event has since been stricken from the WPT schedule.

Torelli’s aggression and willingness to gamble earned him the top spot on Day 1A. After a flop of K-J-7 with two hearts, Torelli moved all-in over the top of a check-raise by poker pro Dan Shak, who called and flipped up pocket jacks for a set. Torelli showed 8-9 of hearts for straight and flush draws. The turn and river were both hearts, filling Torelli’s flush and vaulting him up the leaderboard.

A few hands after battling with Shak, Torelli picked up pocket aces. On a board of J-J-10-6, Torelli check-raised his opponent all-in. The other player called and showed pocket kings, drawing to two outs. The river came the queen of hearts and Torelli scooped another sizable pot.

Torelli amassed a stack of 308,000 chips at the end of Day 1A, well ahead of the second place stack of 256,000 held by Andrew Cimpan, the winner of the Season VII L.A. Poker Classic. Cimpan eliminated Steve O’Dwyer late in the day. After a flop of 8-7-5, O’Dwyer pushed over the top of a raise by Cimpan holding 7-5 for two pair. Cimpan promptly called and showed 6-3 of diamonds. The turn and river both came diamonds, giving Cimpan a runner-runner flush and sending O’Dwyer home.

Defending Bellagio Cup champion Mike “SirWatts” Watson also remains in contention after Day 1A. He holds the 54th largest stack out of 61 players left in the hunt at 36,000, well below the average of 77,000. Watson won $1.6 million for his efforts last year and defeated World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner David Benyamine heads-up. The 2008 final table also featured Luke “IWEARGOGGLES” Staudenmaier and John “The Razor” Phan, who won last year’s Legends of Poker event.

On the second to last hand of the evening, poker pro Mike Matusow hit the exits at the Bellagio. Matusow moved all-in after a flop of J-J-7 holding pocket twos. However, his opponent held pocket kings, leaving Matusow barely breathing in the hand. The turn and river came a 10 and nine, respectively, eliminating Matusow from the 2009 Bellagio Cup. Matusow has recorded nine career in the money finishes in WPT events; four have been for final tables. He was the runner-up to Kevin “BeL0WaB0Ve” Saul in the Bellagio Cup III.

The honor of first player eliminated from the WPT tournament went to Allen Hickman, who held pocket tens, but ran into the A-5 of Zach Hyman. When the smoke cleared, the board read 5-5-2-8-6, giving Hyman trips.

Here were the Top 10 stacks from Day 1A of the Bellagio Cup V:

1. Alec Torelli - 308,675
2. Andrew Cimpan - 256,375
3. Ray Taylor - 181,800
4. Jeremiah Vinsant - 179,450
5. Adam Geyer - 157,600
6. Eugene Juergens - 147,500
7. Musa Mustafa - 144,200
8. Hoyt Corkins - 132,900
9. Isaac Haxton - 122,525
10. Justin Smith - 114,100

Other pros who appear in the Top 30 include Todd Brunson (20th place with 81,225), Vadim Trincher (23rd with 78,670), and Erik Seidel (28th with 76,275). The action on Day 1B of the Bellagio Cup V will kick off at Noon Pacific Time. The tournament will air as part of Season VIII on Fox Sports Net.