Posts Tagged ‘interview’
PokerStars Holding Jonathan Duhamel Caribbean Adventure Promotion
Although there are still several high-profile tournaments left in 2010, PokerStars is already looking towards 2011 and the first big tournament of the year, the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. The world’s largest online poker site is offering players a chance to earn their way to the Bahamas to take on the current World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion Jonathan Duhamel and earn their way into the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event.
The latest promotion from PokerStars, Jonathan Duhamel’s Caribbean Adventure, started on Thursday and, through a series of tournaments, will send six people to the Atlantis Resort come January. Qualifiers will participate in a special seven-player sit and go, with the winner of the tournament earning a seat at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event. For those looking for a respite from the winter’s chill, the Jonathan Duhamel Caribbean Adventure could be just what the doctor ordered.
Running daily through December 17th are two different multi-table tournaments, one a freeroll and the other a $2.20 satellite. For those looking to use their Silver Star status, freerolls will be offered on Mondays at 10:30pm ET. Each of these daily tournaments has different ways of sending players on a quest for their trip to the Bahamas.
From these daily satellite tournaments, the top nine finishers in the freeroll, the top 45 players in the buy-in tournament, and the top 100 players in the Silver Star freeroll will earn their way into the semifinals of the Jonathan Duhamel Caribbean Adventure. The semifinals will be held on two dates, December 4th and the 18th, with the top nine players from each of the regions (U.S., Canada, and World) moving on to the final phase of the competition.
On December 5th and 19th, the single-table tournament finals will play out for those who have finished in the top nine of the semifinals. PokerStars is putting up $3,300 for these finalists to divvy up, along with the trip to the Caribbean for two. Of course, the first place finisher takes the trip, with second place earning $1,000; the top nine will finish in the money. The six champions of the Jonathan Duhamel Caribbean Adventure will be whisked off to the Bahamas and do battle with the 2010 World Champion in a sit and go for a seat at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event.
After winning the WSOP Main Event earlier this month, Duhamel has become the latest poster boy for the Team PokerStars Pro stable. In addition to this special promotion, Duhamel has also committed to playing in the Canadian Championships of Online Poker, which begin on Sunday and will play out over a week’s time. Duhamel has eagerly embraced his role as poker’s latest goodwill ambassador, continuing to do a multitude of interviews after his historic victory.
Visit PokerStars for full details.
Tags: 2010, 2011, aced, Canada, canadian, freeroll, interview, Online Poker, poker player, pokerstars, tournament, usa, WSOP
November 19th – Weekly Update
Welcome to Poker News Daily’s Weekly Update. I’m Sean Gibson and I’ll be bringing you the top headlines in the world of poker for this past week. So – let’s get right to it!
In an impressive feat, Joe Tehan ran the table in the PokerStars North American Poker Tour Los Angeles finale, eliminating all seven of his opponents to pull in seven hundred twenty five thousand dollars. Tehan’s claim to fame to this point was winning the World Poker Tour’s Mandalay Bay Poker Championship four years ago for one million dollars.
Jason Mercier, Michael Binger, and Anh Van Nguyen also made the final table. Here’s how the final eight cashed out:
1: Joe Tehan – $725,000
2: Chris DeMaci – $440,000
3: Al Grimes – $250,000
4: Anh Van Nguyen – $195,000
5: Ray Henson – $145,000
6: Michael Binger – $114,000
7: Jason Mercier – $84,857
8: Jake Toole – $60,000
In a rather bizarre interview posted on ESPN.com, Margarita Prentice, the brains behind the law in Washington State that makes playing online poker a Class C felony, insinuated that players out of a job should “go pump gas.”
Prentice told ESPN.com’s Gary Wise,
“I just think some of these arguments are utter nonsense. You mean you’re going to move so you can play poker? Gee, lots of luck in your life… I have nothing against card playing. That’s fine. If you want to do that, but I’m sure not going to worry about someone… you know. Let them go pump gas.”
As you can imagine, the response to Prentice’s comments has been less than cordial. Poker Players Alliance Executive Director John Pappas told PND on Thursday,
“It’s a complete picture of what kind of a lawmaker she is. Not only is she dismissive of an entire industry of individuals who enjoy poker, but the idea that her law is subjecting people to suffering – she’s totally ignorant of that. She refuses to see that she passed a law that’s unpopular.”
It was announced late last week that Chili Gaming will launch a subscription-based service to bring online poker to USA players. The subscription-based model allows players, for a nominal monthly charge, to play online poker legally in the United States since no actual money is transferred on the tables. The new Chili Gaming American option will complement the global offerings of the company.
New Jersey is one step closer to becoming the first state to regulate, license, and tax the internet gambling industry within its borders. A bill introduced by State Senator Raymond Lesniak in New Jersey cleared the state’s Senate Budget Committee and may now see debate. The committee approved Lesniak’s intrastate internet gambling bill by a ten to one margin on Monday, with two lawmakers abstaining.
If the bill were to become law, all games currently permitted in land-based casinos would be available online, including poker. The State would impose a twenty percent tax on gross gaming revenues and each operator would be required to pay a licensing fee. All told, New Jersey’s format could become the model that other states would follow.
If you have ever wanted to own a piece of poker history, now is your chance. This week, two thousand eight World Series of Poker Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate put his gold bracelet up for auction on eBay. But before you wonder if he is busto, it should be noted that the sale is an eBay Giving Works charitable listing and the proceeds from it will benefit UNICEF.
The collectible is quickly approaching fifty thousand dollars and even Tony G has gotten into the act. The PartyPoker pro is purportedly seeking to buy Eastgate’s bracelet for his German Shepard.
While the sale of a WSOP Main Event bracelet may come as a shock, it is not completely out of character for the champ. In July, Eastgate announced that he was taking an indefinite leave from live tournament poker. In a statement, he said in part,
“When I started playing poker for a living, it was never my goal to spend the rest of my life as a professional poker player. My goal was to become financially independent. I achieved that by winning the WSOP Main Event in 2008.”
Maria Ho, the last woman standing in the two thousand seven World Series of Poker Main Event, has joined UB.com. The twenty seven year old becomes the newest face of the CEREUS Network site, which recently saw the departures of Billy Kopp, Matt Graham, and Michael Binger. Ho’s first live event as a sponsored pro of UB.com was at last weekend’s PokerStars NAPT LA stop. Besides her deep run in the WSOP Main Event three years ago, Ho’s poker resume includes a tenth place finish in the World Poker Tour’s Bellagio Cup in July and five in the money finishes in WSOP events over the last two years.
Finally, According to TVByTheNumbers.com, the number of viewers tuned into the World Series of Poker Main Event final table fell thirty percent this year to one point five million. Last year, two point two million viewers watched the spectacle, which airs annually on ESPN. On Tuesday, ESPN aired the final table in the ten PM time slot, whereas past installments had been shown one hour prior at nine.
The final table broadcast scored a point six rating among adults age eighteen to forty nine, a key demographic for mainstream advertisers. In addition, a total of one point one million households tuned into the one hundred twenty five minute broadcast that saw Jonathan Duhamel become the first WSOP Main Event champion from Canada.
That does it for this week’s edition of the Poker News Daily weekly update. Be sure to check back with us every day for the latest in poker news and be sure to follow us on twitter as well at twitter dot com slash poker news daily. I’m Sean Gibson and have a fantastic poker weekend!
Tags: 2008, bellagio, Canada, interview, legal, Online Poker, poker player, Poker Players Alliance, pokerstars, tournament, usa, woman, WSOP
Jonathan Duhamel: The WSOP Champ Settles In
"I haven't played a single hand of poker yet," he told PokerListings from his home just outside of Montreal, Quebec.
"I've been doing a lot of interviews and stuff like that. I wish I could play a little bit, but right now I don't have time for that. Hopefully, I will play a little bit more pretty soon."
Sponsored by online giant PokerStars, Duhamel does plan on getting back to the virtual felt this weekend when the Canadian Championship of Online Poker begins.
He's also looking to make the trip to the Bahamas this January for the 2011 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure and may even head back to Las Vegas next month for the WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic.
In the meantime, just exactly what he accomplished in Las Vegas a week and a half ago is still setting in.
"It's so big, it's so amazing and it really just happened," he said. "Of course it took me a couple of days to realize what really happened. And even now I think I do, but I'm still feeling like the happiest guy on earth and still thinking 'wow, what just happened?'"
Duhamel returned home to Boucherville, Quebec a few days after becoming Canada's first WSOP Main Event winner and meeting the bulk of the Canadian media.
He's has had the chance to spend some time with close friends and family, but things are already looking a lot different back home.
"It has been pretty cool to get back home again, but it's a bit of a different feeling with everybody recognizing you on the street and stuff like that," he said. "I knew it would be kind of big, but not this big. It's been so crazy here. It's weird a little bit, but I'm having a lot of fun doing all these interviews and things."
The Canadian media have been all over the story of his $8.9 million World Series of Poker win.
But much of the focus has been on the fact Duhamel dropped out of the University of Montreal finance program to pursue poker as a career and giving a stern warning to Canadian youth that his path is not for everyone.
"I'm a little surprised (that has been the focus), but at the same time I can't control that," he said. "If that's what they want to talk about, I have to talk about that with them. I just give the best advice and answer I can.
"The honest answer is that it's tough to do. Poker is not for everyone. There are some people who just can't do it. So I would not tell people to drop school to go play poker. It is not for everyone."
Duhamel has had the chance to watch himself on the ESPN broadcast and was relatively happy with how he and the event were portrayed.
"They did a great job," he said. "You always want to see more of yourself on TV, but I thought for the two hours they had, the show was great."
What he hasn't had the chance to do, outside of sticking to his commitment to donate $100,000 to The Montreal Canadiens Children's Foundation, is spend any of his winnings.
"Other than that haven't done anything with the money," he said. "Maybe during Christmas time I will do something, like take a family vacation or something."
For now, he's just champing at the bit to get his hands on those chips and cards again.
"I want to get back in the ring a little bit," he said. "I'm really looking forward to playing some poker."
Visit www.pokerlistings.com
Tags: 2011, Canada, canadian, Doyle Brunson, interview, Online Poker, pokerstars, tournament, vegas, WSOP
Margarita Prentice to Washington Poker Players: “Let Them Go Pump Gas”
In a rather bizarre interview posted on ESPN.com, Margarita Prentice, the brains behind the law in Washington State that makes playing online poker a Class C felony, insinuated that players out of a job should “go pump gas.”
Prentice told ESPN.com’s Gary Wise, “I just think some of these arguments are utter nonsense. You mean you’re going to move so you can play poker? Gee, lots of luck in your life… I have nothing against card playing. That’s fine. If you want to do that, but I’m sure not going to worry about someone… you know. Let them go pump gas.” Prentice added that state lawmakers simply added the word “internet” into existing gambling statutes to create the harsh law four years ago.
In response to Prentice’s off-the-wall comments, Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), internet gambling’s champion on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, told Wise, “Wow. The intolerance of that is just appalling, but that’s the attitude that goes with the sense you have the right to dictate other people’s lives to them.” Frank introduced HR 2267 in Washington, DC, a bill that creates a comprehensive licensing and regulatory framework for internet gambling companies to solicit U.S. customers.
Poker Players Alliance (PPA) Chairman Alfonse D’Amato, a former three-term Republican Senator from New York, echoed Frank’s thoughts: “She is why people are angry, because of the arrogance of those in government who say they know what’s best for you.” In November 2009, Prentice was ironically rumored to be considering sponsoring a bill that would bring internet keno to Washington State. The Seattle Times newspaper reported her involvement, although the bill ultimately did not come to fruition.
Late last week, Full Tilt Poker blocked real money play from Washington State, following a similar decision from rival PokerStars six weeks prior. In September, the Washington State Supreme Court upheld a law that makes playing online poker a Class C felony on the grounds that it does not violate the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution. PPA Washington State Director Lee Rousso, a lawyer by trade, brought the suit, but the state’s highest judicial body argued that the law affected in-state and out-of-state internet gambling operators equally, thus not trampling on the Commerce Clause.
Prentice also told ESPN.com that she doesn’t foresee the law having major effects on online poker players: “I’ve never really understood all of the hysterics, and all of the beefs. I just can’t see anybody who’s having any major suffering over it.”
PPA Executive Director John Pappas was taken aback by Prentice’s comments to ESPN.com. Pappas told Poker News Daily on Thursday, “It’s a complete picture of what kind of a lawmaker she is. Not only is she dismissive of an entire industry of individuals who enjoy poker, but the idea that her law is subjecting people to suffering – she’s totally ignorant of that. She refuses to see that she passed a law that’s unpopular.”
The PPA asked its members in Washington State to contact Prentice, a State Senator, “because her law affects everyone in the state. They should also contact their own members to repeal this law,” Pappas remarked. In addition, the PPA plans to work with the legislature to repeal the law in 2011. The statute was adopted in 2006 prior to the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) on the Federal level.
Online poker players in nearby states like Oregon have reported difficulties accessing Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars. In response to the former pulling out of Washington State last week, Seattle poker pro Matt Affleck Tweeted, “Sigh, Full Tilt Poker follows Stars’ lead and bans Washington State players… No idea what I’m going to do now.”
Meanwhile, the PPA continues to push Frank’s HR 2267 on Capitol Hill. Now in the “lame duck” session, Congress has been considering a number of proposals. The PPA and online poker players everywhere are keeping a watchful eye on HR 2267, which was passed out of the House Financial Services Committee in July. Pappas revealed, “There is still a lot of keen interest in getting something done and getting something passed. The biggest stumbling block we have is what the vehicle is for this bill.” HR 2267 and its tax companion bill, HR 4976, could be attached as a “pay-for” to a budget-related measure.
Read the entire ESPN.com article.
Bryan Devonshire Video Interview
Bryan Devonshire is a Team UB pro and well known in the live tournament circuit. His reputation is one of being a great guy off the felt that enjoys nature and the outdoors, which is a stark contrast to many of the poker players out there who never get to see the light of day.
In this interview, Devonshire speaks about his love of the outdoors and for camping and fishing in his native Colorado. He speaks candidly about not being one to grind the tournament scene, preferring the outdoors and not logging into the internet every day. We find out what Devonshire plans to do for the rest of the year now that it is winding down and his unique outlook and approach to life.
Devonshire’s roots in poker go back to working as a prop player in Colorado. He has over one million dollars to his career resume in poker, winning in both the online and live tournament arenas since he has been playing full time in 2006. That year, he finished second in a $500 Casino Employee event for a $66,528 payday and then took third at a Fall Poker Classic event for just over $11,000. Then, he topped off the year with a win in the Holiday Bonus tournament worth $36,000.
The next year Devonshire had a 38th place showing at the World Series of Poker Main Event for $140,336 and scored nicely in many different online tournaments. In 2008 he did even better with 14 top-10 finishes in online poker and live events, including a 2nd place score at the World Poker Challenge No Limit Texas Hold’em Championship worth $271,625. In 2009 he joined UB.com as a sponsored pro.
This year has gone nicely for Devonshire as he won the Harrah’s Rincon Poker Tournament WSOP Circuit Event (San Diego county). The WSOP No Limit Hold’em Championship win was worth $114,975. His other big score in 2010 came at the WSOP Circuit Regional Championship, where he finished 7th for $37,047.
Liv Boeree Video Interview
Liv Boeree one of the hot names in the world of poker right now. She’s worked in the industry as an interviewer and at the same time gained respect as a live tournament player.
In this interview, Boeree talks about her perspective of winning the EPT San Remo event and how that has fueled her desire to win more poker tournaments. For her efforts in San Remo, Beoree won €1,250,000 and became the third woman to win an EPT title. She also discusses her passion for rock music and how she expresses that through her fashion sense and mentions Pantera as one of her favorite bands of all time.
Boeree originally came into poker by being a guest contestant on a reality TV show back in 2005. She was coached by Phil Hellmuth and impressed so much that she took up the game seriously. In 2006 she worked for various internet and television shows covering poker and covered the World Series of Poker Europe. She is originally from Kent, England.
She was sponsored previously by UB.com but recently inked a deal to move over to PokerStars. He other successes in poker, outside of the EPT win, was a seventh place finish at the Welsh Poker Championship and a win at a Caesars Palace (Las Vegas, NV) tournament that gave her a $19,000 prize package to the 2007 WPT Five Diamond Poker Classic at the Bellagio. She also was on the Gala UK Poker Tour Season One as a featured player. In 2008 she won the Ladbrokes European Ladies Championship title for $30,000. She has cashed twice at WSOP events, first in the 2008 Event 38 field, which was a $2,000 Pot Limit Hold’em tournament. In that event she finished in 49th place for $4,074. Her other cash at the World Series of Poker was the same year in Event 41 at the $1,500 Mixed Limit Hold’em tournament where she finished 64th for $2,793.
Tags: 2008, bellagio, european, interview, ladies, Phil Hellmuth, pokerstars, tournament, vegas, woman, WSOP
Norman Chad Interview
Norman Chad is the co-host of ESPN’s coverage of the World Series of Poker. Fresh off the taping of the WSOP‘s Main Event Final Table, Chad joins us via our Newsmaker Hotline to discuss the coverage ESPN gave the World Series this year and talk about how this final table differed from past November Nine events.
When asked how this final table differed from the previous two November Nine formats, Chad explained, “Well, it was the youngest final table of all time. Otherwise from that, all three have had a nice assortment of personalities.”
With the champion being crowned in Jonathan Duhamel, Chad was asked about differences and similarities to last year’s champ, Joe Cada. Chad explained, “Jonathan is like Joe Cada in that they don’t say much at the table. But when you are around Jonathan, he’s got a lot of personality. He’s got a lot of spunk. Anyone that bungie jumps off The Stratosphere certainly walks a different path than the rest of us… But I think Jonathan has the potential to be a great ambassador for poker.”
Chad was asked to comment about the theatrics behind this year’s WSOP Main Event final table and said, “I never thought when they put it in the Penn & Teller theater it would become such a raucous atmosphere for hours on end. I don’t know where they find the energy … and it becomes an incredible scrum where people are shouting and cheering. It’s an extraordinary atmosphere for people in the crowd.”
During the interview, Norman Chad is asked about how ESPN and the 441 Productions team, along with his co-host Lon McCarren is able to produce the Final Table episode in such a short amount of time. He is also asked about his fascination about Georgia Tech’s “Rambling Wreck” mascot and finally wraps up with a comment about futher poker coverage on ESPN with more episodes of the NAPT Los Angeles stop.
Norman Chad is a nationally syndicated sports columnist on top of his WSOP and NAPT coverage duties at ESPN. He is a poker player himself, having cashed at the 2009 WSOP Stud 8 or Better event.
Randy “Nanonoko” Lew Video Interview
Randy “Nanonoko” Lew is one of the most popular online grinders in poker today. We caught up with Nanonoko at the NAPT Los Angeles stop for a rare on-camera interview to discuss online poker, his sponsorship deal with PokerStars and his live tournament play. We even got a quick comment regarding a recent downswing (his first) at the tables.
Nanonoko has enjoyed immense success at online poker since he began only a few years ago. Prior to that, Randy Lew was still known by his online name, but in the professional video game industry. He was one of the top Street Fighter players in the world and would compete in international competitions. His hand-eye coordination, coupled with his high intelligence, made for a perfect fit in the world of 24-tabling online poker at PokerStars.
Two years ago articles were being written about Lew grinding and killing the small and medium stakes games. In 2009, Nanonoko continued his amazingly consistent play and win-rates at the mid-stakes games with occasional trips into high stakes play. Now in 2010, he’s been continuing his assault on bankrolls at the high and nosebleed stakes games, be it full ring, 6-handed or even Heads Up matches. His deal with PokerStars allows him to participate in many live tournaments in addition to playing the bigger buy-in weekly tournaments on PokerStars.
In this rare interview, Nanonoko talks about his beginnings in the world of professional video gaming. He goes on to talk about playing in the NAPT and how close he feels to that one big score to put him on the tournament map, although many already know his status in the poker industry. The interview serves as a great method of insight into one of the most popular and consistent online grinders today.
According to various poker databases, Lew has amassed over $2,000,000 between online cash games and online tournaments and consistently ranks high in terms of most popular search terms. He currently resides in Northern California.
Jonathan Duhamel Speaks Out on WSOP Main Event Win
Just minutes after Jonathan Duhamel took down the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on Monday night, the Canadian shared his jubilation with the media, who crowded around him in the lobby of the Penn and Teller Theater at the Rio. Poker News Daily was on-hand for the three-ring circus; you can view our WSOP press conference video.
Duhamel began the interview process by speaking in French to a Rogers Sportsnet reporter. Then, he reverted to English and told the press, “It means so much to me. It’s a dream come true for me. All my life, I’ve dreamed of it and to have the chance to be called the champion is amazing… I’m the happiest guy on Earth right now.” Duhamel banked nearly $9 million after besting John Racener heads-up.
The final table of the Main Event began on Saturday, when the November Nine converged at the Rio following a four-month break. Duhamel admitted, “It was a very tough table, so I knew if I made any mistakes, I was going to pay the price. I had good spots and won my flips, which you have to do to win tournaments. I played the best I could. I have to give credit to all of the other guys and especially to John Racener.” Each November Nine member earned at least $811,000, but there was an $8 million difference between ninth place and first.
Duhamel will now follow in the footsteps of players like Joe Cada, who last year appeared on mainstream shows like “The Late Show with David Letterman” and ESPN’s “SportsCenter” following his Main Event victory. Duhamel explained, “I’m going to do my best to try to be the best poker ambassador. It’s a dream come true for me, so I’ll do my best. I’m up for the challenge. I’ll do all of the biggest tournaments and will be back next year for the World Series. I’m going to play a lot of poker.” Duhamel became the first Canadian WSOP Main Event champ in history.
One reporter asked Duhamel about his poker-playing friends back in Quebec. Duhamel responded, “There are a lot of young poker players and especially a lot of young guns who play a lot online. They were all there to give me some tips when I needed them, cheered for me, and helped me a little bit. I have to give them a lot of credit for the victory I have.” Duhamel’s supporters wore bright red Montreal Canadiens hockey jerseys throughout the final table weekend.
What is a young gun to do with $8.9 million? Duhamel told the media that he had not yet decided because he has been busy preparing for November Nine play. He added, “Now that it’s over, I have no idea. Maybe I’ll travel a lot and go to a lot of countries whenever there are big tournaments.” Many PokerStars pros will now travel down Interstate 15 to Los Angeles, the site of the next North American Poker Tour (NAPT) stop. NAPT L.A.’s Main Event starts on Friday from the Bicycle Casino.
In the hours leading up to heads-up play, the media debated how many hands we would see. Would Duhamel call an all-in from Racener on the first hand or would Racener grind out his short stack for a double up? Duhamel revealed his strategy entering Monday’s finale: “I wanted to mix it up a little bit and not to be too obvious with my game, so I limped a little bit to try to confuse him. I was raising a lot also, but just tried to balance and do the best I could.” In the end, 40 hands were needed to determine a winner.
Duhamel plans to donate $100,000 to a charity benefiting children in his hometown of Montreal and will likely be spending more time at Canadiens games. The hand that propelled him to the top of the pack late was a double up with pocket queens at the expense of Joseph Cheong, who 6bet all-in pre-flop with A-7. “I wasn’t folding those queens, but I was unhappy he decided to play it,” Duhamel reminisced. “Because John Racener was a little short, my goal was to wait until he busted or doubled up, but Joseph Cheong wanted to play a lot of poker.” Cheong went out in third place.
Check out Poker News Daily’s 2010 WSOP Main Event coverage.
Jonathan Duhamel Main Event Champion Interview
Jonathan Duhamel won the WSOP Main Event and the $8.9 million prize to go along with the coveted bracelet. Our cameras were on Duhamel as he addressed the media about twenty minutes after winning the top poker tournament of the year against John Racener.
Duhamel became the first chip leader to go on to win the Main Event since the November Nine was instituted two years ago. Originally, Dennis Phillips was the chip leader and went on to finish in third place. Last year the chip leader was Darvin Moon, who went on to finish second. It seemed appropriate that Duhamel would be this year’s chip leader and go on to win to complete the trend.
During the press conference, Duhamel addressed many of the media questions. He talked about the experience of winning the main event and how much the event title would mean to his home country of Canada. He also mentioned that he would be giving $100,000 to a local children’s related charity in his home city of Montreal. When asked if he plans to represent the poker industry, he discussed at length how he will become an ambassador for the game and full embraces the role that typically goes along with being a Main Event champion, contrary to players like Jamie Gold and Jerry Yang.
Duhamel said that he was inspired before play began that evening by the Poker Hall of Fame ceremony, which saw the inductions of legends Dan Harrington and Erik Seidel. When asked if we might one day be seeing a Duhamel run to the Hall of Fame, Duhamel laughed but said that he was inspired and it was something he would be aiming to get one day in the future.
Now that all is said and done, Jonathan Duhamel now ranks as one of the highest money earners in the history of tournament poker.
Jonathan Duhamel Heads Up Preview Interview
Jonathan Duhamel enters heads up play at the WSOP Main Event final table against John Racener with a six to one chip lead. Duhamel entered the November Nine as the prohibitive favorite with a commanding chip lead, but during the course of the night would be overtaken by both Joseph Cheong and Michael Mizrachi. However, Duhamel stay aggressive while playing big pots with big hands and was able to get a huge chip lead with play down to just two players. The winner of the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event will take in over $8.9 million while the second place finisher will take in $5.55 million.
“The atmosphere here has been great,” commented Duhamel at a press conference the day before heads up play was to begin. He added, “The support has been crazy. I have a lot of support from all those guys and they’ve all been behind me… I want to make them proud.”
A reporter asked about Duhamel’s image with the hoodie over his face and how that has helped him at the final table. Duhamel responded, “Originally I bought the hoodie and made a big score and just kept it. I was good with it, so it worked out. It helps me keep my focus and stuff like that. I don’t give off any tells I don’t think when I’m wearing it.”
When asked about the tradition that all ice hockey players share in not touching the Stanley Cup until they win it, Duhamel admitted he has refused to touch the WSOP Main Event bracelet. He talked about the fact that he is indeed a bit superstitious when it comes to those things.
Jonathan Duhamel is a sponsored pro at PokerStars and has been a heads up cash game player through his time as a professional poker player. He hails from just outside Montreal, Quebec in Canada and is 23 years old.
John Racener Heads Up Preview Interview
John Racener talks about being heads up in the WSOP Main Event final table at a press conference from the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“I think anyone would be foolish to think they would be happy with just second. Going into the final table I was in fourth and I knew I almost had the most experience and was one of the better place. I felt like I had a good chance of winning, so, I was going for the gold,” Racener told reports from the Rio floor.
When asked about his experience factor at that final table, Racener added, “I think in came in to play for sure. It showed with my patience… I knew I could wait for good situations to happen and I did that, and it did happen.”
He added, “That’s definitely how it worked out three handed. But all through the tournament I knew it was going to be like that because of the younger group of players at the table. If you watch online and watch all these tournaments, you hear about the 3bet, the 4bet, the 5bet. I knew with the young crowd it would be like that. That’s not really my style of play and I didn’t want to get foolish like that with the money jumps being so big. I knew if I was conservative and patient my time would come.”
Racener has a huge task ahead of him heading into tonight’s World Series of Poker Main Event final table heads up matchup against Jonathan Duhamel. Racener is a six to one underdog in chips and is facing a player known as a heads up cash game professional. However, Racener is the more accomplished tournament profession and has a large group of fans in the world of pro poker players cheering him on.
ESPN Coverage of the 2010 WSOP Main Event by Linda Johnson
I’ll admit it. I’m mesmerized by ESPN’s coverage of the 2010 WSOP Main Event. As I watched the Tuesday night episodes, I jotted down some thoughts on scrap paper so I could discuss my observations with some of my poker friends. Unfortunately, I didn’t keep the scraps of paper in any type of order, so here are some random thoughts and observations about the 2010 Main Event in no particular order.
The Staff
The WSOP staff did an incredible job of running the event. In fact, it was probably the best series ever. Tournament officials have a difficult job, but sometimes I have to scratch my head and say, “Really?”
For example, why was it not until day three that Ted Bort got a penalty for distracting and annoying his opponents by barking like a dog? Why did one of the Tournament Directors allow rabbit hunting several times when it is clearly against the rules? In fact, at one point, the Tournament Director even reached across the table and turned up a card after a player had folded. Really?
The Commentators
Norman Chad comes up with some good comments at times, such as these gems:
In response to Scotty Nguyen asking, “Where’s the closet bathroom?” Chad joked, “You’ve been playing here for years and you don’t know where the bathroom is?”
At one point, Bort got up and went to the corner of the room and let out a muffled bark. Chad’s response was, “His water bowl must be over there.”
After Chris Ferguson was eliminated, he stopped to say goodbye to one of his opponents. “Jesus just blessed seat five,” said Chad.
Chad said, “Johnny Chan has given each of his six children one of his bracelets and still has enough left for each of the Mizrachi brothers.”
Chad’s best line: “Under the gun is the new hijack.”
The Players
Kudos to WSOP Player of the Year Frank Kasella, who won two bracelets, made three final tables, and cashed five times. I believe it was Kasella who, during an interview about a particular hand, said, “I almost threw up in my shoe having to call that one. I bet $10,000 on the river holding pocket jacks on a board of 3-Q-9-7-Q and got raised $33,000. I made the call and beat my opponent’s 8-8.”
Phil Laak made a bet that wasn’t called and the players asked him what he had. He offered to show the hand for $20. Two opponents immediately put up $10 each and got to see the hand.
I love Tom Schneider’s outfits. Can you say loud?
Josh Arieh was all-in with A-K versus Dan Harrington‘s A-Q. Arieh was still in the lead on the turn and asked Harrington if he wanted to run it twice.
Jean-Robert Bellande has gotten unlucky the past few years at the feature table. This year fairly late in the tournament, his pocket aces got cracked by his opponent’s pocket kings when a king came on the river.
Nick Rainey reportedly played 16,000 sit and gos in one month.
Congratulations to Gavin Smith for cashing in four out of the last seven Main Events. That’s no easy feat with the size of the fields.
Johnny Chan made an amazing run at the title again this year. On day six, he was one of the chip leaders, got moved to a new table, and was dealt pocket kings against one of the other chip leaders, who was dealt pocket aces. Soon after, he was dealt pocket jacks against pocket aces.
I loved the story about Gary Kostiuk, who suffers with MS. In his interview feature, he said that playing in the Main Event was on his bucket list. He was living the dream and loving his experience. At one point when he was all-in with A-9 versus his opponent’s A-10, he said, “I don’t want to stop playing; I’m having too much fun.” He survived the all-in. After he got knocked out, he said it had been the best week of his life.
At one point, a statistic appeared that Matt Affleck had played 33% of the hands dealt (19% was average). I’m sure we all felt his pain when he got his aces cracked just short of the final table.
Fukke Beukers was my favorite name of any player in the Main Event.
The advice from Johnny Chan should be remembered: “Never underestimate your opponents.”
Sometimes poker can be so cruel. For instance, with only 120 players left, Tony Dunst got his aces cracked by A-Q. Joseph Cheong took a horrible beat in a $25 million pot with pocket aces against Filippo Candio‘s 7-5 after all the money went all-in on a 6-6-5 flop. Candio made a straight on the river. Neither of the players whined or complained about their beats.
Scotty Nguyen is a great player. He made another deep run, but got eliminated with pocket jacks by an opponent holding pocket tens.
Andy Bloch gave some great poker advice in his featured interview. He said, “You can’t lose focus. Don’t let all the chips in the middle cause you to make a mistake.” He talked about a hand he played against Mike Sexton in which a queen came on the end to give him two pair. He made a value bet and was facing a huge raise by Sexton. He thought a long time before folding and said, “The chances that he could be bluffing were worse than the odds that the pot was laying me.”
Congratulations to the four Mizrachi brothers who cashed in the Main Event. I enjoyed seeing how they sweat each other and cheered for each other.
General Observations
The young players are scary. They keep the pressure on and aren’t afraid to 3bet and 4bet with nothing.
3% of the Main Event entrants were women in 1990, the same percentage as this year.
I hate it when a player knocks someone out and then says, “I’m sorry.” If you put a bad beat on someone, my first suggestion is that you stay quiet. If you must say something, a comment like “Tough beat” is more appropriate than “I’m sorry.”
The Main Event really is a young person’s game. Out of the final 366 players, 205 were in their 20s and only 25 were over 50.
I liked the Full Tilt ads that were shown on one episode highlighting the November Nine players. Apparently the ads were pulled because there were a lot of complaints from viewers that they were “spoilers.”
Some of the players are wearing so many patches that they look like NASCAR drivers. Being on the Board of Directors of the Poker Players Alliance, I was particularly happy to see so many players wearing the PokerPlayersAlliance.org patch.
Many players are superstitious. For instance, Filippo Candio wore the same shirt every day. He said his routine was to get up at 11:20, have coffee, and take a cab to the Rio at 11:30 (Hmmm, when did he take a shower?).
I hate that television rewards players who behave badly by featuring some of them in breakout interviews.
In closing, ESPN and the media deserve kudos for doing a great job of recording the events of the 2010 World Series of Poker. I’m sure this year’s stellar coverage will encourage more attendance next year.
2010 World Series of Poker November Nine: Interview with PokerStars Pro Jonathan Duhamel
2010 World Series of Poker November Nine: Interview with PokerStars Pro Jason Senti
2010 WSOP Main Event: A Life Changing November
Of course, there's the matter of an $8,944,138 first place prize - the kind of money that would have an impact on just about anyone, save those in Bill Gates' and Warren Buffett's tax bracket.
But major sponsorship deals, a rather intense media glare and poker-celebrity status also await the winner of the game's most coveted title.
There's little doubt, no matter who is crowned poker's World Champion inside the Penn & Teller theatre at the Rio this weekend, his life is going to change.
But for Soi Nguyen, the only true amateur at a final table full of pros, the impact could be even greater.
"That much money and all that attention would change a lot of things for me," he said. "It would be unbelievable."
Becoming the first Italian to win the Main Event would certainly make Filippo Candio a hero back home.
But the 26-year-old is taking a philosophical approach to things.
"I think that the November Nine can't change my life too much because money is very important, but its not the only thing," he said.
"Money can help me, money can give me happiness, I can buy six Ferraris and maybe five mansions, so the November Nine is a great opportunity for a poker player's career, but you have to stay focussed because sometimes glory and money can make people crazy.
"I'm 26, OK, I'm young, but not very young and I know that being in the November Nine can only help me have a great life."
Professional poker players in the online world, November Niners Jonathan Duhamel, John Dolan, John Racener and Jason Senti would all take the next step towards poker superstardom with a win.
But for a group that grinds online every day and already plays some of the biggest live tournaments on the planet, the question of how much their daily lives would change with a WSOP Main Event bracelet around their wrists is not an easy one to answer.
"I don't think I'll live any differently," said Cheong. "I'll have a lot of money in the bank to pad my bankroll and I won't have to worry about things like flying to London and playing the World Series of Poker Europe and just buying into high-roller events. But other than that it won't change my life much."
The reign of poker's World Champion always seems to include countless interview requests and a scrutiny the likes of which most players not named Tom Dwan or Phil Ivey won't have experienced before.
But Racener says for the online pro, it comes with the territory.
"This is what I wanted," he said. "I wanted to make the biggest final table in history and this is what comes along with it, so of course I'm happy."
Already a star with $9.6 million in career tournament earnings, a World Series of Poker bracelet and two WPT titles, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi might be the only one in the group used to that kind of spotlight.
But even Mizrachi admits a win on poker's biggest stage, which would also make him the game's all-time leading money winner, will have a significant impact on his life.
"I believe it will," he said. "Everybody wants to win the Main Event. Talk to me November 7th or 8th and I'll tell you what it feels like if I do."
A veteran pro who has proven himself in some of poker's biggest events might be comfortable speaking about what might be come Monday, but players like Canadian Matt Jarvis, who have had success before but nothing comparable to a WSOP Main Event win, seem a little happier waiting to see what happens first.
"I don't want to count my chickens before they're hatched," he said.
"This really is a once in a lifetime type thing. This is the biggest tournament of the year, with ESPN and everything going on, there's so much hype. It's pretty amazing this situation I'm in right now."
The final nine will resume play at 12 p.m. PT tomorrow.
They will play down to the final two and come back to to play heads-up for the title beginning at 8 p.m. PT Nov. 8.
The PokerListings live reporting team will also be on hand throughout the final table providing unprecedented behind the scenes access including live updates, photos, videos and bust-out interviews.
Tune in to PokerListings' WSOP Live Updates beginning at 12 p.m. PT Nov. 6 to follow the action.
Visit www.pokerlistings.com
Preparing for the November Nine
But he might not be the most prepared.
“What am I doing to prepare for the November Nine?” he said. “Pretty much nothing.”
Mizrachi, who has been spotted at more than one major live tournament since booking his seat in the November Nine this summer, does admits he's been watching ESPN's Main Event coverage, but hasn't been able to find much there.
“Most of its pretty much me,” he said. “I've been watching myself and maybe picked up a few things that I've done.”
With the Mizrachi brothers all running deep, ESPN coverage has been more focused on Michael than any other November Niner.
But while the rest of the group says they've been watching, further preperation has been less than exhausting.
“I really haven't done anything,” said John Dolan, who will come into the final nine second in chips.
“I've talked to friends about different scenarios and what they might do in different spots, but I haven't looked up old videos of anyone or anything like that.”
What Dolan has done, is play poker.
“I've probably been playing about the same amount online as I always have,” he said. “When I have a free day I have been playing online and traveling to a bunch of different live events.”
John Racener made a final table at WSOP Europe, Matt Jarvis won a $1k prelim at WPT Festa al Lago in Las Vegas and Soi Nguyen has had fairly deep runs in both the WPT Festa al Lago and Legends of Poker main events.
And with Jason Senti, Joseph Cheong, and Filippo Candio all seen at major tournaments over the past few months, it's clear this pack of November Niners feels like the best way to prepare for the final table is to keep playing poker.
“Poker is what I've done everyday for like the last ten years of my life so I'm not exactly going to change that,” said Racener.
The shortest stack, Senti said he was going to take some time off, spend a little of it with friends and family and do a little golfing.
But before the final nine resumes play at the Penn & Teller Theater inside the Rio All Suites Hotel in Las Vegas Nov. 6 he said he is definitely going to do a little research on the other players.
Considering he makes poker training videos for Phil Galfond's Bluefire Poker, anyone looking to do a little research on his game will certainly find it.
But he says he'll be ready for that.
“I'll be prepared for how they are going to perceive me,” he said. “I'm also going to sit down with my poker friends and strategize as to how I can play my best.”
But all the preperation in the world may not help at all with the size of chip leader Jonathan Duhamel's stack.
“I like my chances and I'm pretty confident about my game,” Duhamel said. “I'm just going to do my best and from there we will see what happens.”
The PokerListings live reporting team will be on hand throughout the final table providing unprecedented behind the scenes access including live updates, photos, videos and bust-out interviews.
Tune in to PokerListings' WSOP Live Updates beginning at 12 p.m. PT Nov. 6 to follow the action.
All nine finalists are guaranteed at least $811,823 with $8,944,138 reserved for first place.
Here's a look at how things stack up heading into the final:
1 Jonathan Duhamel 65,975,000
2 John Dolan 46,250,000
3 Joseph Cheong 23,525,000
4 John Racener 19,050,000
5 Matthew Jarvis 16,700,000
6 Filippo Candio 16,400,000
7 Michael Mizrachi 14,450,000
8 Soi Nguyen 9,650,000
9 Jason Senti 7,625,000
Visit www.pokerlistings.com
ESPN Planning Unprecedented Final-Table Coverage
The final nine will resume play at the Penn & Teller Theater inside the Rio All Suites Hotel in Las Vegas beginning at 12 p.m. PT Nov. 6.
They will play down to the final two and come back to to play heads-up for the title beginning at 8 p.m. PT Nov. 8.
Turning the raw footage around in no time at all, all the key hands and highlights will then air complete with Norman Chad and Lon McEachern commentating on ESPN Nov. 9 from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. ET.
With 71 people on the TV crew, 21 different cameras, mics on the dealers, the crowd and all nine players, ESPN Producer Kathy Cook says they are poised to bring poker fans the entire story and more.
"We are really going to give our viewers an unprecedented look at how the final table will play out," she said.
Those looking for even more of the action will find it on ESPN3.com as the site will play host to a delayed live stream of the final table.
EPT Live veteran James Hartigan and a series of big-name pros will provide commentary.
The final table includes a young French-Canadian chip leader in Jonathan Duhamel, a veteran pro looking to make history in Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, a true amateur in Soi Nguyen and a group of young and upcoming online pros on the verge of poker superstardom.
"It's a decent portrait of where poker is today," McEachern told media on a conference call Wednesday. "We've got some young, aggressive players and it should be quite entertaining."
Co-Host Chad agreed, saying he was particularly interested in seeing if Mizrachi can follow up his $50k Players Championship win with an "unprecedented double" or if "everyman" Nguyen can pull off a Chris Moneymaker-style upset.
"It has become a wild scene at the Rio and really showcases how far poker has come in such a short time," added WSOP VP Ty Stewart.
"The folks at ESPN make poker feel a lot more like big event sport. It doesn't feel like poker, it feels like event television."
The PokerListings live reporting team will also be on hand throughout the final table providing unprecedented behind the scenes access including live updates, photos, videos and bust-out interviews.
Tune in to PokerListings' WSOP Live Updates beginning at 12 p.m. PT Nov. 6 to follow the action.
All nine finalists are guaranteed at least $811,823 with $8,944,138 reserved for first place.
Here's a look at how things stack up heading into the final:
1 Jonathan Duhamel 65,975,000
2 John Dolan 46,250,000
3 Joseph Cheong 23,525,000
4 John Racener 19,050,000
5 Matthew Jarvis 16,700,000
6 Filippo Candio 16,400,000
7 Michael Mizrachi 14,450,000
8 Soi Nguyen 9,650,000
9 Jason Senti 7,625,000
Visit PokerListings.com
Video Vault: Ivey League Interviews
Mark “P0ker H0? Kroon Interview
Mark Kroon, known online as P0ker H0, talks about the WSOP and gives some insider tips for first timers that plan to make their way to the event next year. If you ever have dreamed of playing in the World Series of Poker Main Event but have never made the trip out, Kroon gives his veteran insight into the Series and what the pros do to get themselves for the world’s biggest poker tournament.
Kroon, a sponsored pro at UB.com, has over $800,000 in online tournament earnings according to PocketFives.com’s database (note: Other databases state over $1 million). Back in April of 2010, Kroon had a huge month with two huge cashes, starting with the $1,000 buy-in $150,000 guarantee on UB.com where he finished in 2nd place for $68,850. That tournament was a very nice follow up to the $100 buy-in $75,000 guarantee on UB.com that he won for $21,762.
Away from the tables, Mark Kroon is an avid softball player and bowler and is well known for his passion for golf. His personality is very friendly and he’s often seen talking with many of the tournament regulars he’s gotten to know during his many years as a professional tournament poker player.
Kroon is originally from Madison, Wisconsin and played ice hockey as a defenseman for the University of Wisconsin Badgers. He is also a long time friend of poker icon Phil Hellmuth as the two grew up in the same state and played poker in the same bar for a number of years. Now 44, Kroon spends most of his time either playing poker or with one of the sports he’s taken up in recent years.
Mark “P0ker H0″ Kroon has a reputation as an extremely aggressive opponent at the tables and has been called a maniac by more than one opponent. However, Kroon often states that he simply applies pressure when he senses weakness. Given his impressive resume, it’s hard to disagree.
John Kim (Nicolak) Signs with CardRunners
In recent days, the popular poker training site CardRunners signed “Cash Plays” co-host John “Nicolak” Kim to its roster of instructors. Kim’s first video focused on $5/$10 No Limit Hold’em. He sat down with Poker News Daily to discuss becoming an official part of the CardRunners family.
Poker News Daily: Thanks for joining us. For those readers who aren’t familiar with it, talk a little bit about the “Cash Plays” podcast on CardRunners.
John Kim: It’s a podcast where we focus on play in cash games. Most podcasts are centered on poker news or tournament coverage, but we’re bringing a different angle and focusing on cash games. There are a lot of cash game players out there.
PND: Can you talk about what makes you an attractive fit to teach at CardRunners?
John Kim: The main thing I bring is that I have more experience than other pros out there. I’m kind of like the old guy in online poker. I’m in my mid 30s, married, have a kid, and have been playing for 12 years. I was there when online poker started off and have been playing as my primary source of income ever since. I know how to win at the games over the long run and how to adapt as the games have changed.
PND: What does it take to be successful in poker in the long run?
John Kim: It’s always being honest with yourself. A lot of players reach a point where they’re successful and think they don’t have to learn anymore. That’s when the game passes them by. I’ve been very honest with myself. If I feel my results aren’t what they should be, I’ll try to correct myself.
PND: How can players differentiate between running badly and variance?
John Kim: I’m at the point where I can recognize if I’m running badly or if the game has passed me by; I’ve been through that cycle three or four times now. Experience has helped me a lot and, also, when you get to a point where you’re good, you can recognize the mistakes you’re making. If you see the mistakes you’re making, you can work at them.
PND: What cash game stakes do you normally play?
John Kim: I play primarily $2/$4 to $5/$10 six-max online. That’s probably how I spend 90% of my time. In live cash games, I’ll play $5/$10 and $25/$50. Those games seem to be either near or at the top of the peak in terms of the toughness of the game.
PND: Talk about what types of videos you see yourself making for CardRunners down the road.
John Kim: I don’t think I’ll be covering a lot of fundamentals. Because the games are being filled with more regulars, I’ll be focusing on how to play against them. Most of the mistakes in high-stakes games are in how to beat the regulars.
PND: Do high-stakes regulars use programs like PokerTracker and Holdem Manager or do they rely primarily on memory?
John Kim: If you look at players at nosebleed stakes, I don’t think they use any of those programs. It’s more based on experience, feel, and the meta game. At $5/$10 and higher, the games are getting tougher and it’s more about the history that you and your opponents have with each other.
Memory is actually a quality that is overlooked to be successful in poker. If you can remember certain hands against certain players, when that situation comes up again, it allows you to make correct decisions against that person. Sometimes, I totally forget to look at my stats and just check my notes instead.
PND: As you told us, you’re primarily a cash game player. Do you see yourself focusing more on poker tournaments in the future?
John Kim: I’m going to stick with cash games, as they are a steady and stable source of income. Tournaments are more volatile and there is a lot more variance. The most successful tournament players in the world have gone a few years without a big score. With a wife, a kid, and a mortgage, I need stability. Cash games pay the bills, whereas tournaments are more of a luxury for me.
First WSOP Circuit Regional Championship Attracts 226 Poker Players
The very first World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit Regional Championship kicked off on Monday from the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana, just outside of Chicago. The $10,000 buy-in tournament, whose price tag is equal to that of the WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas, drew 226 players for a total prize pool of $2.1 million, creating the largest Circuit prize pool in three years.
The winner of the tournament will bank $525,000, which is also the largest Circuit payout awarded in three years. The last nine players standing earn spots in the Circuit National Championship, which will emanate from Caesars Palace in Las Vegas next May just before the start of the 2011 WSOP. The 100-player tournament awards a coveted gold bracelet to its winner and boasts a prize pool of $1 million.
The WSOP Circuit stop in Chicago has, by all accounts, been one for the ages. The first event was the largest Circuit tournament ever held at 1,611 players. Then, the Main Event, which sported a $1,600 buy-in, became the largest Championship tournament ever with 872 entrants.
Ryan Julius, an online poker pro, leads the pack of the Regional Championship at the end of Day 1 with a chip stack of 265,000. Among those making waves toward the end of the day was Mike Mustafa, who tripled up after cracking not one, but two players’ pocket kings with pocket queens. Mustafa flopped a queen and ducked a straight draw on the river to move to 53,600 in chips at the end of the day.
David Paredes sent Full Tilt Poker pro Gavin Smith to the rail on Monday. Smith called all-in with 9-4 of spades for a flush on a flop of J-10-7, all spades. Paredes was behind with pocket jacks and needed the board to pair on the turn or river to send the newly minted bracelet winner home. The drama was short-lived, as a seven on the turn gave Paredes a full house. Paredes shot up to eighth place on the leaderboard with a stack of 120,000 entering Day 2. You’ll recall that Paredes was interviewed on the “60 Minutes” piece profiling the scandals on Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker. Click here for more information.
PokerStars pro Vanessa Selbst tabled pocket rockets on a board of K-K-3-7-5 for aces-up. She moved to over 75,000 in chips after that hand and ended strong, skyrocketing to sixth place on the leaderboard with 130,000. Selbst and Paredes will be seated together at Table 9, whose roster will also include PokerStars pro Jason Mercier and poker icon Steve Zolotow.
Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Bernard Lee 4bet all-in on a flop of A-10-5 with two hearts and showed 6-3 of hearts for a flush draw. Kyle “kwob20” Bowker tabled K-10 of hearts for middle pair and a king-high flush draw, but a running 6-3 awarded the pot to Lee. The Foxwoods pro made it to third on the chip counts by the time all was said and done at 137,000. His competition at Table 12 today will include Steve “MrTimCaum” O’Dwyer and Chris Bell.
Here are the top 10 chip stacks after one day of play in the WSOP Regional Championship in Hammond:
1. Ryan Julius – 265,000
2. Jonathan “driverseati” Tamayo – 186,300
3. Bernard Lee – 137,400
4. Gordon Vayo – 137,400
5. Shannon Shorr – 131,500
6. Vanessa Selbst – 130,000
7. Timothy Morgan – 127,600
8. David Paredes – 120,300
9. David “Doc Sands” Sands – 113,700
10. Chad Brown – 110,100
Play resumes today at 1:00pm CT and 114 players remain. Keep it tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from the WSOP Circuit Regional Championship.
Tags: 2011, absolute poker, full tilt poker, interview, Online Poker, poker player, pokerstars, tournament, vegas, WSOP
Kurt Jewell wins the biggest WSOP Circuit Main Event to date
WSOP Circuit Tournaments are really popular these days. WSOP Circuit players are even breaking some records. First the starting event at the Horseshoe Hammond made the record for most players in a Circuit Tournament, then right after the Main Event of the same Circuit event gets the honor to be the biggest Circuit Main Event to date.
There was 872 players in total playing the Main Event, so the prize pool climbed as high as to 1,24 million dollars.
Tournament was won by Kurt Jewell (in picture below), who began the final day in a chip lead and in the end no one couldn’t challenge his lead at any point.
The victory was worth 242,000 dollars, with an added @10k ticket to The Regional Championships and of course the WSOP ring.
Jewell’s interview after the victory can be found on the Card Player’s website.
Second place finisher Jared Kenworthy won $150k and the third was William Reynolds who got $110k.
Prize structure:
1. Kurt Jewell - $242,909
2. Jared Kenworthy - $150,104
3. William Reynolds - $110,567
4. Edwin Choi - $82,514
5. Nick Jivkov - $62,384
6. Will Souther - $47,772
7. Bryan Devonshire - $37,047
8. Daniel Cohen - $29,087
9. Casey Hayes - $23,120
10. Matthew Shepsky - $18,598
Source: PokerNews, Pokerista.net
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Kurt Jewell wins the biggest WSOP Circuit Main Event to date
Poker babe Maria Ho: Limit Hold’em is not dead
Card Player had a little chatter with the poker pro Maria Ho. Ho has been playing poker since 2002 and making her living for about five years by playing Limit Hold’Em - a game that many people consider dead.
Taiwanese born Maria Ho was 18 years old when she was introduced to poker. The year was 2002 and the real poker boom was just coming.
“I had a bunch of guy friends who would hold these poker nights from time to time. They basically told me I had no shot at winning, but I was way too stubborn to stay away,” Maria tells.
Maria began to visit the local casinos and for four years she was climbing the stakes steadily. At the same time she was working hard for her degree.
“By the time I had classified myself as a professional, I had already moved into the $40-$80 and $60-$120 games. I literally graduated, and then got on a plane to come to Las Vegas for my first World Series of Poker event.”
Maria has been playing Limit Hold’em for that long that she thinks that she has good edge over the more No Limit oriented players. Some younger players like to take their shot at Limit Hold’em which keeps the games relatively soft.
These days Maria plays NL games and Tournaments as well. She has won around $400k from live tournaments so far.
You can read the whole interview here.
Source: Card Player, HendonMob, Pokerista.net
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Greg DeBora Hot Tub Interview
PokerStars Team Canada pro Greg DeBora stars in the conclusion of the “Hot Tub Interview” series with site editor Dan Cypra. This interview was shot just after Day 1A of the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event from The Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. At this PokerStars cocktail party, they hosted many of their team pros and also had announced new additions in Vanessa Selbst and David Williams.
Greg DeBora is a Canadian from Toronto and continues to live in his homeland. In his teenage years he played billiards and even competed in amateur level tournaments in Ontario. A few years later, with the help of friend and fellow Team PokerStars Pro Pat Pezzin, he made the switch to poker. DeBora is primarily a cash game specialist and plays in big games at PokerStars as well as live venues such as the famous Commerce Casino in Los Angeles, California. He’s stated that he plays live stakes ranging from $50/$100 to $500/$1000 but in recent years started focusing on playing more tournaments.
Some of his career tournament highlights include a 7th place finish at the PCA in 2005 for $91,700 and has also cashed at the World Poker Tour on two occasions. He finished in 10th place in 2005, nearly making the final table, in the $2,500 Limit Hold’em Event. He also took part in the LA Poker Classic Chinese Poker tournament and placed well to the tune of a $30,225 payday.
According to sources, when playing online and not at Mixed Games tables, you’ll find him primarily at $10/$20 Limit Hold’em 6-handed tables and at $10/$20 Limit Hold’em Heads Up matches.
DeBord states that he likes to rollerblade, water-ski, go canoeing, hike and snowboard as activities he enjoys. He travels extensively and follows the tournament circuit, often playing in the side cash games. His online screen name at PokerStars is ‘G DeBora’.
High Stakes Poker Season 7 Announced, Will Tape November 18th
In breaking news from Las Vegas, the seventh season of “High Stakes Poker” will tape from November 18th to 20th, as GSN has given the green light for the newest installment of the cash game poker franchise. The location, time, air date on GSN, and players involved have not yet been announced, but poker fans can rest easy tonight knowing that “High Stakes Poker” has been renewed for another cycle.
On the fleet of poker pros that could assemble for the show, a representative from GSN told Poker News Daily on Friday that the network expects to have “another great cast of world-class players this year.” Five players have appeared on each season of “High Stakes Poker” to date: DoylesRoom front man Doyle Brunson, Eli Elezra, Victory Poker’s Antonio Esfandiari, PokerStars front man Barry Greenstein, and “Million Dollar Challenge” icon Daniel Negreanu.
Season 6 brought major changes to “High Stakes Poker.” Longtime co-host A.J. Benza was axed in favor of PartyPoker pro Kara Scott, who conducted interviews from the floor of the “High Stakes Poker” suite at the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas. The new season began airing on Valentine’s Day this year and featured players like Dennis Phillips and Lex Veldhuis making their “High Stakes Poker” debuts. The sixth cycle also hosted the usual suspects from the world of high-stakes cash games like Phil Ivey, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, and Patrik Antonius.
The premiere of “High Stakes Poker” Season 6 was quite buzz worthy, as UB.com pro and 11-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth went broke after dropping $200,000 in the blink of an eye. Hellmuth quickly shipped $50,000 to Ivey before committing his remaining stack on a board of 6-4-7-K with two hearts holding J-5 of hearts for an open-ended straight draw and a flush draw. Ivey held K-9 of hearts for top pair and a better flush draw and declined to run the river more than once. The final card filled the eight-time bracelet winner’s king-high flush and, just like that, Hellmuth was broke.
Prop bets were also discouraged last season. Prior to taping Season 6 of “High Stakes Poker,” Esfandiari, the ringleader of prop betting on the show, told Poker News Daily that he had been asked to curb his pastime: “The prop bets where people would guess cards, for example, they’ve been trying to get rid of that. [Executive Producer Mori Eskandani] is trying to steer towards less betting at all. The bottom line is that he doesn’t want viewers at home to be bogged down with players prop betting in addition to poker.”
The PokerStars-powered “Big Game” has recently filled the void between seasons of “High Stakes Poker.” The “Big Game” airs late nights on FOX and features a variety of pros battling with an online qualifier dubbed the “Loose Cannon.” The “Big Game” has a $500,000 maximum buy-in and has featured a variety of pros including Negreanu, Justin Bonomo, David “Viffer” Peat, David Williams, and 2005 Main Event champ Joe Hachem. It’s played in a ring game format with $100/$200 blinds.
Actor turned poker pro Gabe Kaplan serves as the primary face of “High Stakes Poker.” Stay tuned for the latest on this breaking story right here on Poker News Daily.
PLO session doesn’t go well for Daniel “jungleman12” Cates
Tags: interview
Daniel Negreanu Up Over $100,000 on Monday’s PokerStars Big Game
On Monday night, a brand new week of the PokerStars-sponsored “Big Game” kicked off on FOX. The newest cycle featured Elizabeth Houston as the so-called “Loose Cannon.” PokerStars staked Houston, who was recently laid off from eBay, with $100,000 and she’d keep any profits earned. The “Loose Cannon” with the most profits at the end of the season wins a $50,000 North American Poker Tour (NAPT) prize package.
A total of $1.2 million was on the table to start with, the most in “Big Game” history. The high-stakes cash game features $200/$400 blinds and a $100 ante paid entirely by the player on the button. The action is Pot Limit before the flop and No Limit thereafter, with a maximum buy-in of $500,000. Chris Rose and Joe Stapleton have the call of the action and Amanda Leatherman conducts interviews from the sidelines.
Houston ended Monday’s kickoff episode up $18,000 in large part due to taking down a major pot with pocket aces. In the hand, Houston 3bet to $16,000 pre-flop with rockets and PartyPoker pro Tony G called with a wired pair of fives after asking Houston if she had aces. The flop came 10-9-7 and Tony G checked in the dark. Houston fired out $25,000, or one-quarter of her initial stake, and Tony G got out of the way. Other than that hand, the “Loose Cannon” was extremely quiet.
After taking a $65,000 pot off David “Viffer” Peat, PokerStars front man Daniel Negreanu raised to $32,000 with A-Q for the nuts on a board of J-5-10-K-4. Peat, who had led out on every street, got out of the way and Negreanu scooped a pot worth $131,000.
Then, Negreanu and 2005 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion Joe Hachem tangled. On a flop of A-8-10, all spades, Negreanu, holding pocket fours and the four of spades, checked, and Hachem, with J-10 and no spades, bet $3,500. Negreanu called and the turn brought the king of spades. Now, Negreanu bet $5,000 with a baby flush and Hachem raised to $13,000, representing a higher flush. Negreanu called and the river was the jack of clubs.
Then, Negreanu’s insight into televised poker came alive. The Canadian checked and Hachem bet $28,000 with jack-high. Negreanu promptly reminded Hachem of a hand that the Aussie played against Full Tilt Poker pro Howard Lederer in which he bluffed a four-flush and got Lederer to lay down a small flush. Seemingly, this was the exact same situation. Negreanu folded despite the eerie similarity and Hachem showed the bluff while scooping a pot of $67,000.
In the final major pot of the episode, Hachem raised to $7,800 with K-Q of clubs and Tony G called with A-5 after straddling. The flop came Q-A-7 and Hachem bet out $15,000 with middle pair. Tony G called with top pair and the turn was a six. This time, Hachem check-called a bet of $15,000 from the boisterous Tony G and the river was a nine. Hachem checked, Tony G led out for $25,000, and Hachem made the call. Tony G scooped the $127,000 pot, sinking Hachem to $51,000 in the red on the night.
Negreanu ended Monday’s “Big Game” episode up $105,000, while Peat bled $77,000. Also at the table this week was William Reynolds, who did not win a hand. You can catch the PokerStars “Big Game” every night this week on FOX. Check your local listings for more information.
A Complete Poker Whirlwind by Bernard Lee
Since the World Series of Poker (WSOP) this summer, my life has been a complete whirlwind. After I witnessed the entire five-hour Main Event final table bubble (which went well into the wee hours of July 18th), we taped the ESPN Inside Deal WSOP wrap-up show at about 8:00am with no sleep. Fortunately, right after we wrapped filming of the show, I was able to take a nap until my flight and headed straight back to Boston.
Once I landed in the Bay State, I took about a month off from poker. This breather allowed me to reacquaint myself with my wife and kids. Immediately, I got back into the role of Mr. Mom, taking them to and from summer camp, going to playgrounds and parks, and, in general, having fun with my kids. It was a blast.
However, the month seemed to fly by and poker came calling once again. In mid-August, I helped promote Foxwoods Resort Casino’s summer MegaStack series. For this, I was able to secure three poker superstars as hosts: Chris Moneymaker (2003 WSOP Main Event Champion), Darvin Moon (second place in 2009), and Jonathan Duhamel (2010 November Nine chip leader).
In fact, since Dennis Phillips attended the May MegaStack, Foxwoods has had all three November Nine chip leaders as hosts of these events along with another WSOP final table chip leader, Chris Moneymaker. Overall, the August MegaStack was a huge success, setting records for all three events. In total, there were over 2,200 registrants and more than $1.1 million in prize money.
Shortly thereafter, I was off to the WSOP Circuit Event in Council Bluffs, Iowa. After a couple of preliminary events, I prepared to play in the Main Event. Strangely, I feel very comfortable in Council Bluffs. This time, I proceeded to make my third Main Event final table in Council Bluffs in the past three years, making it almost my second poker home outside of Foxwoods. Unfortunately, I came up a little short of the ultimate prize, finishing in 10th place among 251 players.
After a couple of weeks at home with the family, I headed down to Borgata in Atlantic City with my co-host Andy Kaplan for the Eastern Poker Tour television show (a New England-based pub tour that has been shown on Comcast Sports Net for the past three years). Although I played a solid Day 1 and 2, I was agonizingly eliminated in about 140th place when my A-Q was bested by a set of 10s (with a flop of As-10s-4s). With 100 players making the money, my demise did not sit well with me. Fortunately, Kaplan carried the torch for both of us, finishing a very respectable 33rd place out of 1,042 registrants. Nice job buddy!
Right after my elimination from the Borgata Main Event, I headed back home to pack for my first trip over “The Pond” to play in the WSOP Europe Main Event. Having seen the event on television and having spoken with several players about it, I was very excited to play in this prestigious, yet tough, field of players. Unfortunately, I never really got on track during Day 1 and was eliminated. In back-to-back events, I was eliminated when my two high cards (this time A-K) ran into a set (this time 2s); now, the board was K-4-2. Nevertheless, my wife joined me the day after I was knocked out of the WSOP Europe Main Event. Soothing the pain of my elimination, my wife and I toured around London – our first trip without the kids in over five years.
Although I was very busy playing numerous events during the past few months, I never relinquished my hosting duties for my weekly radio show (which can be heard on RoundersRadio.com and via iTunes) or ESPN’s Inside Deal (which can be seen at ESPN.com/InsideDeal). During both programs, I have been interviewing members of the 2010 November Nine.
For my radio show, I introduced a contest consisting of a prize pool of $1,000 in which nine lucky listeners are linked up with a member of the 2010 November Nine. If a listener’s corresponding player wins the 2010 WSOP Main Event, he or she will win $500 in cash and prizes just for listening. Remember, it’s not too late to become one of the Bernard Lee Poker Nine. Just listen to my radio show every Tuesday night from 6:00pm to 7:00pm ET.
Now, one of the events that I look forward to the entire year has begun. The Foxwoods World Poker Finals started on Monday, October 11th with a $600 No Limit Hold’em event and culminates with the $10,000 six-day Main Event that begins on October 28th. This tournament was one of the charter members of the World Poker Tour nine years ago. Overall, the World Poker Finals, which is rich in history, is still affordable to the masses, as 22 of the 27 events (over 80%) have buy-ins ranging from $300 to $600. So, come and try your poker skill at the World Poker Finals.
In the end, some people have dubbed me the “Busiest man in poker.” Whether I am or not is irrelevant. What I can honestly say is that I am truly living a dream and absolutely love what I do. The only major drawback is that I am away from the family so much. However, in a couple of months, I’m taking everyone to the 2011 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure at the Atlantis. This event is one of my favorite stops of the year and the only one in which I bring my entire family.
However, there is still a lot of poker left in 2010. Good luck to everyone at the tables.
Bernard Lee is the official spokesperson of Foxwoods Resort Casino. Lee is the co-host of ESPN Inside Deal, a columnist for the ESPN.com, a Sunday columnist for the Boston Herald, and author of “The Final Table, Volume I” and “Volume II.” Visit BernardLeePoker.com. Listen to “The Bernard Lee Poker Show” presented by Foxwoods Resort Casino every Tuesday from 6:00pm to 7:00pm on 1120 AM in Boston or RoundersRadio.com. For questions or comments, e-mail him at BernardLeePoker@hotmail.com.
Tags: 2009, 2010, 2011, buy-ins, darvin moon, interview, poker player, poker show, pokerstars, skill, tournament, WSOP
Pat Pezzin Hot Tub Interview
PND Editor Dan Cypra continues his “Hot Tub Interview” segment, hosting PokerStars Team Pro, Pat “TorontoToro” Pezzin. This interview was filmed at the PokerStars cocktail reception just after Day 1A had concluded from the World Series of Poker Main Event. Pezzin is a sponsored pro, hailing from Canada, who has played in the $10,000 Main Event five times, having cashed once.
Pezzin is a member of the PocketFives.com forums and has over $460,000 to his name in online tournament earnings. Having played poker for well over a decade, he brings a lot more experience to the tables, be it virtual or in person, than most of the pros he faces. A recent big score was the PokerStars SCOOP Event #9 which won him $65,9000 and a 6th place finish at the SCOOP Event #28 for $46,600. Both of those events were played in May of 2010. He also made waves at the WCOOP and took 7th place in the $10,000 High Roller event for a $43,200 payday. His largest tournament score in a live event was in June of 2009 when he finished second in the $10,000 World Series of Poker Limit Hold’em event for $285,200.
Pat Pezzin, formerly known as “TorontoToro” at PokerStars before becoming a sponsored pro, built his reputation on trips to Las Vegas and Los Angeles. There he would play mixed cash games and in 2004 starting making regular cashes in tournaments. Aside from his WSOP exploits, he has cashed at three World Poker Tour events.
In Canada, Pezzin isn’t just known for being one the country’s top poker players as he’s also one of the top Bocce players as well. He has represented Team Canada in Bocce at events around the world.