Posts Tagged ‘jackpot’
Linda Johnson Scoops Increased Poker Limits in Florida
Floridians have been eagerly awaiting July 1st, the day the legislature raised the legal buy-in amount from its previous $100 maximum. I decided to head to Ft. Lauderdale to see first-hand what this would mean for poker players.
My first stop was at Isle Casino and Racing at Pampano Park. I was thrilled to learn that the entire building was non-smoking. The poker room is located on the second floor and consists of 38 tables. It is open 18 hours a day Sunday through Thursday and around-the-clock on Friday and Saturday. Players get tracking cards and most games are worth $1 per hour toward food (or 50% of that toward cash). The players said the food, which is served at the table, is very tasty.
I asked Mike Smith, Director of Poker Operations, what the main difference was since the buy-ins were changed. His response: “The players seem to be taking it more seriously. Also, the card room has been completely full.” He told me about the various promotions the card room offers, including $599 royals: “We gave away more than $100,000 in June. Players can win tournament seats, high-hand bonuses, and cash in drawings.”
While I was there, games offered included $1-$2, $2-$5, and $5-$10 No Limit Hold’em; Pot Limit Omaha with a $1-$2 blind; $2-$4 and $4-$8 Limit Hold’em; and $4-$8 Omaha Eight or Better. I sat and played in the $2-$5 game for a while and thought the action was good, with lots of players seeing the flop and lots of all-in bets called. The mega bad-beat jackpot was more than $145,000.
There is a tournament every Tuesday night with a $230 buy-in, 13,000 in starting chips, and 30-minute rounds. On Sunday nights, the buy-in is $70 for the Battle for the Weekly Pass Satellite, which awards packages to the following week’s Monday through Thursday tournaments. The Isle will host the Florida State Poker Championship from August 2nd to 10th, which will feature a $400,000 guarantee for its six events.
Pros Put Bad Beat on Cancer
The Bad Beat on Cancer Initiative began as an idea between poker professionals Phil Gordon and Rafe Furst at the 2003 World Series of Poker event to fund cancer prevention research.
The pair had been raising money for the cause prior, but knew they had hit the jackpot when they came up with the idea to ask poker players to give one percent of their winnings to the foundation as a tax-deductable donation.
Since 2003, participation in the initiative has only grown and to date over $3.2 million has been raised for the Prevent Cancer foundation, proving just how charitable the poker community is.
Some of the more notable names on the pledge list this year include Phil Ivey, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, Annie Duke, Chris Moneymaker, Andy Block, Phil Hellmuth, Adam Levy, Phil Gordon and Toby Maguire.
"Poker players lead very lucky lifestyles, so it is good to give back when you can," said Adam Levy, an accomplished Ultimate Bet pro.
It is clear many share Levy's generous outlook with 94 players already listed on the Prevent Cancer Foundation's pledge list.
"It's important for all of us to realize that there is a lot of people in unfortunate situations... a lot of us have relatives or might even have cancer ourselves," said Andy Bloch, Full Tilt pro and former member of the MIT blackjack team.
"I didn't go to school thinking I was going to be a poker player; I thought maybe I'd be an engineer or a lawyer. I wanted to help save the world and this is one way I can do that by still being a poker player."
Prevent Cancer's CEO Jan Bresch Mahrer mentioned how impressed she was with the players.
"I think it's terrific because poker players are not known for their philanthropic endeavors but in reality they are very philanthropic," she said. "They go out of their way for us."
Players at the 2010 World Series of Poker aren't the only one's contributing to this worthy cause. By building awareness through the use of social media tools, such as Twitter and MySpace, there are now weekly events on Full Tilt, home games and tournaments all benefitting the cause.
However, if you are looking to spot a do-gooder on the tournament floor who has already donated they're wearing a green 1% pledge badge.
With files from Crecia Page and Geoff Fisk
The 2010 WSOP continues through July 17. For comprehensive coverage of the WSOP tune in to PokerListings' Live Updates and News.
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PartyPoker Launches Card Rush XL Promotion
Starting on Monday, June 28th, PartyPoker is dishing out 1.8 million cards as part of its brand new Card Rush XL promotion. The opportunity to win is open until July 31st or when the nearly two million cards are given away, whichever comes first.
Amass 15 Party Points on the virtual felts of one of the world’s most populated online poker sites to claim a card. Text found on PartyPoker’s website details what makes this version of the Card Rush promotion truly worthy of the title XL: “Unlike before, every single card contains a prize, from cash to points to freeroll entries and now brand new Card Rush XL leaderboard points, which allow you to compete in our great Card Rush XL Race.” In order to get every player started off on the right foot, PartyPoker is awarding the first card at a discounted rate of five points.
Once you’ve received a card, log into your PartyPoker account and scratch it off to see what you’ve won. What can you take home, you ask? How about a $5,000 cash prize? If the top cash jackpot eludes you, the poker gods may grant you $500, $50, $5, $3, $2, or $1 as a consolation prize. Freeroll entries are also available and range from a $2,000 freebie to a $50,000 prize pool event. Also up for grabs are Party Points, which are awarded in increments of 25,000, 5,000, 1,000, 500, 200, 100, 25, and 10. Finally, Card Rush XL Leaderboard points will be given away.
There are seven freerolls that will run as part of the Card Rush XL promotion according to the following schedule, so mark your calendars accordingly if your card reveals an entry:
$2,000 Card Rush XL Freeroll – 13:30 ET on August 5th
$3,000 Card Rush XL Freeroll – 13:30 ET on August 6th
$5,000 Card Rush XL Freeroll – 13:30 ET on August 7th
$10,000 Card Rush XL Freeroll – 13:30 ET on August 7th
$15,000 Card Rush XL Freeroll – 13:30 ET on August 6th
$25,000 Card Rush XL Freeroll – 13:30 ET on August 5th
$50,000 Card Rush XL Freeroll – 13:30 ET on August 8th
The Card Rush XL Race dishes out prizes to the top 200 finishers along with every 20th spot from 220th to 2,000th. The top three players will have their pick of $10,000 luxury travel packages, which include trips to the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor in Wales, the Formula 1 Gran Premio Santander in Italy, and Major League Baseball’s World Series in the United States. In the event that players don’t want to experience a once-in-a-lifetime luxury package, they can trade it in for $7,500 in cash. The fourth through 30th players in the Card Rush XL Race will bank a four-figure payday and the minimum payout is $50.
Now, it’s time for the fine print. Players are capped at 50 cards per day, or 750 points per day. In addition, you have until 24 hours after the Card Rush XL’s completion to scratch off your cards. Moreover, “In the eventuality where a player would receive several freeroll entries for a same tournament, the additional entries will not be refunded.”
PartyPoker is also exploiting its relationship with the World Poker Tour (WPT) by offering entries to WPT London and the Legends of Poker, both of which take place in August. The London event is a brand new stop on the 2010-2011 WPT schedule, while the Legends of Poker has been a mainstay of the tournament series ever since 2002.
Visit PartyPoker for full details on the Card Rush XL promotion.
News from Bluff @ The Mint
UB.com Holding WSOP Main Event 25 Seat Guarantee on Sunday
On Sunday, June 6th, the virtual felts of the CEREUS Network site UB.com will come alive with a special 25-Seat Guarantee to send players to the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. The tournament begins promptly at 4:00pm ET and comes with a price tag of $530.
The cost to get into the Main Event in Las Vegas, which last year featured a top prize of $8.5 million, is $10,000, making Saturday’s tournament on UB.com quite a bargain. The packages are each worth $12,000 and qualifiers for the $530 buy-in event begin at $11. The tournament on June 6th serves as a prelude to a massive 50-Seat Guarantee two weeks later, which comes with the same $530 price tag. The 50-Seat Guarantee, which will play out on June 20th, also begins at 4:00pm ET on UB.com.
The 25 players who qualify for the 2010 WSOP Main Event this weekend will be eligible to reap the benefits of UB.com’s “Show Up, Get Paid” promotion. The USA-friendly online poker site will pump money into a central prize pool based on the number of players who qualify through UB.com and turn out to the Nevada desert. Up to $5,000 per player can be added.
Three-quarters of the “Show Up, Get Paid” prize pool will be divided equally among players who take to the felts of the Main Event donning UB.com gear. The other 25% will be divided among players who cash in poker’s most prestigious tournament. If nobody who qualifies through UB.com cashes, then the entire prize pool will be distributed to those who turn out. At the time of writing, 74 players have qualified, meaning that the jackpot stands at $370,000 assuming every player headed to Las Vegas.
Players who have qualified through UB.com for the Main Event are featured on its website. Several notable names grace the list, including Jeremy “thechemist83” Gaubert, who hails from Louisiana. Also winning his way in through the CEREUS Network is Jeff “HB_HITMAN” Anderson. Other players who have qualified for the 2010 WSOP Main Event through UB.com include Dave “doubledave22” D’Alesandro, Darren “darrenelias” Elias, and Jason “JaspudUF” Lee, who recently played poker with George Stephanopoulos on “Good Morning America” alongside Annie Duke, Phill Hellmuth, and Full Tilt pro Steve Begleiter.
In other CEREUS Network news, the June 13th installment of “Second Sundays” will feature a $10 charity poker tournament benefiting the National Tay-Sachs and Allied Diseases Association. Former “Poker2Nite” host Joe Sebok will serve as the event’s host and UB.com will match all funds raised. The entire prize pool plus the matched donations will go to charity.
Sebok was looking forward to the opportunity to give back to the community. The PokerRoad personality commented in a press release, “There is nothing more amazing than being able to give back and help support causes that work to defeat a disease like Tay-Sachs. Anything done to benefit those stricken with it and their families I consider a privilege.”
Prizes for participants will include $200,000 Guaranteed seats (valued at $215 each) to the top 10 finishers. The champion of the Second Sunday tournament also takes home a UB.com swag bag valued at $100. Players who want to donate, but are unable to set aside time for a full-scale tournament can send money to the player account “CHARITIES” on UB.com. The first name for the account is, appropriately, “CHARITY.”
The CEREUS Network’s Second Sunday events take place on the second Sunday of every month. Visit UB.com and Absolute Poker for more details.
Tags: 2010, absolute poker, Annie Duke, charity, charity poker, jackpot, Online Poker, poker player, tournament, usa, vegas, WSOP
May 26th – Daily Deal
On today’s Daily Deal, PokerStars announces the Baltic Festival, the CEREUS Network regains its post in the top ten, the Brunson Beer Pong invitational is upon us, and we all celebrate the seventh anniversary of Chris Moneymaker’s historic win.
Hello, I’m Sean Gibson and welcome to the Daily Deal by Poker News Daily.
The PokerStars Baltic Festival will be held at the Olympic Casino at the Swissôtel in Tallinn, Estonia from June 16th to June 19th. While the Main Event starts on the sixteenth, the poker action gets going a day before with cash games and Sit-and-Gos, as well as a cocktail hour in the PokerStars lounge. Tallinn will also be the site of the European Poker Tour’s first stop. Tying both events together, PokerStars will give away an EPT Tallinn prize package to the player who survives the longest in the Baltic Festival Main Event while wearing a PokerStars logo.
Two weeks ago, the CEREUS Network dropped from sixth to ninth position on the list of the largest poker networks worldwide. According to PokerScout.com, CEREUS has just reclaimed its spot at number six, sending Everest Poker, the International Poker Network, and the Microgaming Network down one place.
PokerScout.com staff speculated: “A larger than usual bad beat jackpot may have contributed to the late-week climb.” This Monday, a CEREUS player spiked a bad beat payout of nearly sixty thousand dollars, and at the time of our taping, the CEREUS bad beat jackpot stands at nearly a hundred thousand dollars. In the past week CEREUS also fully implemented OpenSSL encryption, ensuring that hole cards, passwords, user names, and data are secure.
The third annual Brunson Beer Pong Invitational is coming up on Wednesday at Hogs and Heifers in Las Vegas. For those who forgot what beer pong was about, the top names in poker will be tossing ping pong balls into plastic cups partly filled with beer, and their opponents will have to drink up whenever a ball falls inside a cup. The event will be hosted by UB.com pro Phil Hellmuth and Absolute Poker diva Trishelle Cannatella. Last year, Dan “Wretchy” Martin and Peter “#1PEN” Neff bested Todd Brunson and Brett “gank” Jungblut in the finals. We can only wonder if Brunson and Jungblutt have been training to win this year.
In two thousand and three, a little-known Tennessee accountant named Chris Moneymaker took down the World Series of Poker Main Event and forever changed poker. This week marks the seven-year anniversary of his win, and Moneymaker celebrated the occasion on the ESPN.com poker news show “Inside Deal”. When hosts Laura Lane and Bernard Lee asked Chris if he thought there was a way to repeat the “Moneymaker effect”, he said: “A woman winning the Main Event would do phenomenal things for the game. It would bring another boom and definitely spark a lot more interest.”
Since Moneymaker’s victory, there are six times as many entries into the Main Event, while total entries into WSOP tournaments have increased sevenfold.
Thanks for joining me on The Daily Deal. Don’t forget to visit PokerNewsDaily.com and be sure to follow us at Twitter.com/PokerNewsDaily for the latest in poker news. I’m Sean Gibson wishing you deep runs in your tournaments!
Tags: absolute poker, bad beat, european, jackpot, Phil Hellmuth, poker player, pokerstars, tournament, usa, vegas, woman, WSOP
CEREUS Rebounds to Sixth Largest Online Poker Network Worldwide
Plagued by encryption issues and major tournament series on other online poker sites, the CEREUS Network dropped from the sixth largest worldwide to ninth according to PokerScout.com. Two weeks later, the network, which consists of UB.com and Absolute Poker, has reclaimed its spot at number six.
The PokerScout.com Weekly Online Poker Traffic Update revealed that CEREUS leapfrogged Everest Poker, Boss Media’s International Poker Network, and the Microgaming Network on its march to the sixth spot in the rankings, which are determined by real money ring game traffic. What caused the spike in traffic remains to be seen.
PokerScout.com staff speculated on what may have spurred players to return to CEREUS after a two-week hiatus: “The reason for the bounce is unknown, but it does not appear to be related to the network’s announcement a week earlier that it had patched all remaining security holes in its client-server communication. A larger than usual bad beat jackpot may have contributed to the late-week climb.” On Monday, May 24th, UB.com member “POKEHER0706” spiked a bad beat payout of nearly $60,000. At the time of writing, the CEREUS Network’s bad beat jackpot stands at nearly $100,000.
In the interim, CEREUS also fully implemented OpenSSL encryption, ensuring that hole cards, passwords, user names, and data are secure. Whether the conversion from XOR to OpenSSL had any bearing on CEREUS’ traffic growth remains to be seen. PokerTableRatings.com, which originally uncovered the security vulnerability, urged players to avoid UB.com and Absolute Poker entirely until the hole was plugged. If players insisted on logging in, they were encouraged to do so by plugging directly into their modems and avoid using wireless networks.
Complicating matters were the Mini Full Tilt Online Poker Series (MiniFTOPS) and PokerStars Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP), which wrapped up on May 16th.
According to PokerScout.com, the USA-friendly CEREUS Network boasts a seven-day running average of 2,350 real money ring game players with a 24-hour peak of 3,250. Its average daily traffic is on par with that found on the Ongame Network, whose family of sites includes Betsafe, Hollywood Poker, PokerLoco, and RedKings.
CEREUS saw a peak of more than 4,000 cash game players on May 21st and 22nd, a threshold that had previously been crossed just three times in the last two months. Over the first 24 days of May, the CEREUS Network features an average daily maximum of 3,358 real money ring game players. During the same period in April, that number was 3,355, which means that traffic month over month has remained relatively flat.
UB.com offers a roster of pros that includes reigning National Heads-Up Poker Championship winner and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke, 11-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, former “Amazing Race” contestant Tiffany Michelle, and recent European Poker Tour (EPT) San Remo champ Liv Boeree. The site happily takes action from the United States and has qualified 70 players for the 2010 WSOP at the time of writing.
On June 6th, UB.com will hold a 25-Seat Guarantee to send even more players to Las Vegas to compete in the world’s most prestigious poker tournament. Two weeks later, another 50 seats will be up for grabs. Each tournament comes with a $530 price tag and qualifiers begin as low as $0.10.
UB.com is also offering players an extra incentive to show up donning the site’s gear at the WSOP. Up to $5,000 per player will be put into a prize pool that will ultimately be divided among players who show up to and cash in the Main Event. The progressive prize pool currently stands at $350,000.
Tags: 2010, absolute poker, Annie Duke, bad beat, european, Hollywood, jackpot, Online Poker, Phil Hellmuth, pokerstars, Tiffany Michelle, tournament, usa, vegas, WSOP
Sorel Mizzi is having a crazy year in poker
Nobody has ever doubted Sorel Mizzi’s playing skills – and there is no reason for that. The current year has been quite a jackpot for him, and so far Mizzi shows no signs of fatigue.
Thinking about this year, everybody can admit that Mizzi belongs to the tournament players’ elite. So far he has won four tournaments, nine final tables and earned $1,3 million dollars from the tournaments. Mizzi told to Bluff that he is also aiming at winning the Player of The Year race – and at this rate he will not only win the title but do it predominantly.
Compared to the same time of last year, this year Mizzi has collected almost 200 ranking points more from the tournaments than the player who was leading the race one year ago. Of course it is possible that the tournament variancy will hit Mizzi’s game as well. But it is also possible that his tournament run will continue at the WSOP – and Mizzi will return home with a bracelet.
Jason Mercier, who won the Bluff POY statue last year, has also continued to play well this year. Mercier is just 300 ranking points behind Mizzi, and as the WSOP bracelet will bring its winner 200-300 points, the Player of The Year title is still wide open…
Bluff POY ranking Top 10:
1. Sorel Mizzi – 820.74
2. Tom Marchese – 644.12
3. Sam Stein – 639.00
4. Carlos Mortensen – 597.45
5. Jason Mercier – 574.50
6. Harrison Gimbel – 506.50
7. Scott Clements – 497.35
8. Tobias Reinkemeier – 481.26
9. Dan Shak – 473.95
10. Nicolas Chouity – 450.00
Source: Bluff Magazine
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Team Titan Revealed
Led by Canadian star Sorel Mizzi, who will serve as the team's captain for the duration of a 12-month contract, the seven sponsored players include some of Europe's top poker talent.
The team includes Denmark's Jonas Klausen, England's Sam Trickett, Germany's Marvin Rettenmaier, Yann Brosolo from France, Belgium's Joel Benzinou and Florian Desgouttes from France.
At just 24 years old, Mizzi leads the team both in experience and earnings.
His current career live tournament earnings total $2.7 million, of which $1,140,204 was earned in the first four months of 2010, including a final table finish at the 2010 Aussie Millions main event.
As part of their sponsorship contract, which ends in May 2011, Team Titan members will represent Titan Poker at live tournaments all across the globe, including the 2010 World Series of Poker.
Part of the iPoker Network, Titan Poker has grown into the number one online poker room in Europe with nearly 30,000 players online at peak hours.
The site guarantees $16,000,000 in monthly prizes, features special sit 'n' go tournaments with progressive jackpots as high as $100,000, and awards players with entries to major tournaments worldwide.
Visit PokerListings.com
The Nightly Turbo: World Series of Poker Circuit Continues, Chauhan Takes on a Fighter and More
Sorel Mizzi wins two side tournaments in EPT Snowfest
Pokerstars sponsored EPT Snowfest in Austria was held last week and Sorel Mizzi got most of the attention after he won two of the side tournaments.
Sorel Mizzi is a stone hard 25-year-old Canadian poker professional who was able to pull out a quite huge feat at the EPT Snowfest. He decided to play the side events after he was eliminated from the main tournament. First he won the €1000+100 NLHE Freezeout and won €70k from it.
And like that wasn’t enough, he decided to play the €500+50 re-buy tournament and won it as well, earning him €34.000.
For 2010, Mizzi has set his goals to run good in the Card Player Magazine’s Player of the Year (POY) competition. At least his great success in the Austrian EPT event doesn’t harm his POY dreams.
Mizzi’s next challenge will be the Irish Open which is held in Dublin, Ireland, next weekend.
Source: Card Player, TheHendonMob
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Titan Launches 2010 WSOP Qualifiers
Players will be able to qualify for the 2010 Main Event, the $10,000 PLO Championship, a $1.5k Hold'em event and one of the $1k Hold'em tournaments by playing on Titan Poker.
With a variety of satellites available every week from now until the Main Event, Titan is offering several unique extras for their players.
First of all every player that wins one of the Main Event Super Satellites will receive a $13,000 all-inclusive package good from July 6-13, which includes the tournament buy-in, seven days accommodation at the Wynn and spending cash.
In addition the site is offering a WSOP live package that gives players a chance to qualify for the Main Event by playing in a live satellite in Las Vegas.
Titan is also bringing back its Jackpot SNG Executive Series where winners of six consecutive high buy-in Sit and Goes will receive a $25,000 Executive package that includes Main Event buy-in, limousines VIP transportation, luxury hotel accommodations, helicopter tours and more.
Satellites start at $.88+$.08 and you can find them in the Titan lobby in the 2010 WSOP section. Check our Titan Poker room review for more information.
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Thoughts on Poker Down Under by Lee Jones
I recently returned from Crown’s Aussie Millions Poker Championship in Melbourne, Australia. I had a delightful time and want to toss out a few random observations about the Southern Hemisphere and poker therein.
· Melbourne is one of the coolest cities I’ve visited. It has the sophistication and suaveness of a big city, but without feeling cold and impersonal. The best analogies I can think of are San Francisco and Vancouver. In particular, when I go to a large city, one thing I’m looking for is culinary diversity. Well, while sitting in a very good 24-hour Greek restaurant, I looked out the window and saw three restaurants across the street: Hawaiian, Vietnamese, and Korean side by side. Even the food court at the hotel features Indian, Mediterranean, Chinese, Japanese, and Italian. McDonald’s and KFC are upstairs (so I’m told – I never actually went near either).
· The poker (at least at the Crown) is pretty expensive. They take a reasonable rake, but hit you with a time charge every hour.
· On the other hand, the games are good enough that you can still beat the rake pretty comfortably. Or so seemed to be the general consensus. I didn’t get much chance to play, but the few games I played in were certainly quite soft. Actually, I’m not sure I should use the word “soft.” I think of soft as lots of calling, raising only when they have the nuts, and so on. That was a good description of the $2-$3 No Limit Hold’em games I was in – many of the players were clearly brand new to the game and were basically planning to call until they got there or didn’t.
· The Pot Limit Omaha games, however, were another matter. I was playing $2-$4 PLO when a very drunk new player arrived, slumming until his $5-$10 or $25-$50 PLO game got going. He decided to raise every pot pre-flop to stimulate action. Stimulate it did – there was one pot that got four players all-in pre-flop for total of about $2,000. That was the peak, but there were plenty of $600 to $800 pots when the slummer was throwing his party.
· I think I won a pot with the worst hand at showdown, which is not something you see every day. This was in a much quieter $2-$4 PLO game and I had called a raise in the big blind with pocket kings and one suit. The flop came K-9-3 with two hearts (not my suit). I checked and the pre-flop raiser bet three-quarters of the pot or thereabouts. I check-raised and he pretty much insta-shoved for $250 or so. I called and immediately turned my cards up, certain I was racing with a flush draw. “@#($&#@(*&*! set-over-set” he muttered. A third heart came on the turn and a black ten or something on the river. “Good hand,” said my opponent; he mucked his cards. He frowned at the woman across the table: “I turned a flush and straight draw.” She looked at him, obviously confused. “How did you turn a flush draw?” “Second heart came on the turn.” A new voice at the table: “Um, two hearts on the flop, third on the turn.” He looked a little sick. “Really?” Heads nodded all around. “I mucked a baby flush.” I’ve given this lecture before, but in Omaha, it’s even more important: put your cards face up on the table. Yes, you’re giving away information, but we trust there’s a fair chance you’re going to have to show the hand down anyway to claim the pot. It’s far too easy to overlook some backdoor or forgotten miracle in a four-card game; don’t throw away a winner needlessly.
· I’m sitting in the teams tournament and see another player drinking a cappuccino. That, I think, looks delicious, so I order one. The waiter brings it to me, I give him a dollar, and everybody’s happy. Two days later, I’m sitting in a cash game and order a cappuccino. “That’ll be $3.50, please” says the same waiter. I give him the $4 and tell him to keep the change. I ask my tablemates, “What’s up with that?” “Tournament players get free drinks; cash players do not.” Some things in Australia are weird.
· Why Melbourne is the stone cold nuts: my wife and I go to a lovely beachside restaurant for dinner. We get a table right at the window and enjoy our meal with a setting sun. The check comes, I pay for it with our Visa card, we thank the staff, and leave the restaurant. We take a walk down the beach about a mile and hop in a taxi back to the hotel. I go to pay the cab driver and discover that my Visa card is not in my wallet. So we’re four days into a ten-day trip and my credit card has gone walkabout.
We go back to the hotel room and I call the restaurant. The lady is very apologetic, but no card has been turned in. “But give me your mobile number, sir, and when we close up around 11:00, we’ll have a look-around.” I do so and sit down to wait until 11:00, at which time I’ll be calling our credit card company to cancel the card. Ten minutes later, my mobile rings:
“Hi, Lee – Ken here, manager of the Stoke House restaurant. I have your Visa card. I chased you and your wife out of the restaurant, but you must have gone the opposite way.”
“Wow – that’s great. I’ll just hop in a cab and come get it.”
“No need. I’m coming into the city tonight to visit a mate – you’re at the Crown? I’ll just drop it by there. I’ll be there around Midnight or so.”
“Seriously? That’d be great.”
Sure enough, at 1:00am, I went to the hotel desk – they were just about to call up to my room because a guy on a motorbike had dropped an envelope at the front desk for me.
So I hit the Good Samaritan jackpot and had a great time in Melbourne at the Aussie Millions. See you there next year.
Lee Jones is the Card Room Manager for Cake Poker and has been in the online poker business since 2003. He is also the author of “Winning Low Limit Hold’em,” which has been in publication for over 15 years.
WSOP 2010 Satellites at Titan Poker
Your poker playing dreams can come true this year when you play in Las Vegas in the WSOP 2010 with Titan Poker.
Titan Poker have thought long and hard and come up with three top types of prize packages to tempt you to Las Vegas so, without any further ado, here are the variety of ways to get to the greatest poker event of the year:-
2010 World Championship No Limit Hold’em Main Event
Get yourself ready to play in the 2010 WSOP Main Event by playing in Super Satellites where you can win your seat at the most exciting poker tournament on the planet. You’ll be away in Vegas from July 6th to 13th playing your best poker.
The 2010 World Championship No Limit Hold’em Main Event prize package is worth $13,000 and includes
- $10,000 buy in to Main Event
- $875 for 7 nights at the Wynn Las Vegas
- $250 registration fees
- $1,875 for flights and expenses
The weekly super satellites will be held until June 20th on
- Sundays at 9.00pm UK (4.00pm New York) with a buy in $535 and
- Wednesdays at 9.00pm UK (4.00pm New York) buy in $215
If these buy ins are a bit on the high side for your current bankroll, don’t despair, Titan’s software is awash with sats awarding seats to the Super Satellites with buy ins starting from just $2.20, just go through the fab, new, good looking, Titanpoker lobby to satellites and they’re easily found.
2010 No Limit Hold’em Side Event Series
Titan Poker have proudly presented a Super Satellite promotion that’s a little bit different and acknowledges the diverse 2010 WSOP Schedule by offering their grateful players an opportunity to play in two Side Events –
- NLH Event 49 buy in $1,500 on June 28th to 30th
- NLH Event 54 buy in $1,000 on July 1st to 4th
The 2010 WSOP No Limit Hold’em Side Events Series prize package is worth $5,500 so make yourself available for the tables in Las Vegas June 26th to July 5th 2010, this is what’s up for grabs:-
- $2,500 for buy ins for both Events 49 and 54
- $1,125 for 9 nights at the Wynn Las Vegas
- $75 for registration fees
- $1,800 for flights and expenses
To get in on the NLH Side Events action buy direct into a No Limit Hold’em Side Event Super Satellite for $215 which are to be held bi weekly at 9.00pm UK (4.00pm New York) on April 9th and 23rd and May 7th and 27th. If you find $215 buy in a bit steep there will be daily qualifier satellites (WSOP Side Events) starting on April 1st from only $2.20.
2010 World Championship of Pot Limit Omaha
Titan Poker have billed this as the ultimate Las Vegas Omaha Experience and we tend to agree! From July 1st to 3rd you can be playing top of the range poker at the World Championship of Pot Limit Omaha at the Harrah’s Casino in Las Vegas! Awesome!
The Prize Packages waiting to be awarded are worth $13,000 and include:-
- $10,000 buy in to WSOP PLO Championship Event – Event 55
- $750 for 6 nights at the Wynn, Las Vegas June 29th to July 5th
- $250 for registration fees
- $2,000 for flights and expenses
The Super Satellites where you can get your hands on the prize packages are to be held bi weekly on April 1st, 16th, 30th and May 14th and 28th with a buy in direct of $535. Satellites to these Super Satellites begin on 1st April and the full schedule and minimum buy in is TBA (To Be Advised so, as soon as we know – you’ll know!)
World Series of Poker 2010 – Experience Package
This excellent package is a combo of WSOP Side Event 54 and a $550 buy in to a No Limit Hold’em satellite – cool! Be available June 29th to July 5th 2010.
The Prize Package is worth $3,600 and will include:-
- $1,000 buy in to WSOP Side Event 54 July 1st to 4th
- $550 buy in to a No Limit Hold’em satellite June 30th
- $750 for 6 nights at Wynn Las Vegas, June 29th to July 5th
- $50 for registration fees
- $1,250 for flights and expenses
The satellites will start on April 1st and will be daily, buy ins will start at just $1.10! The first Super Satellites, where the prize packages will be awarded, start on April 10th through to June 19th
Main Event 2010 – Executive Package
This truly is a package of a lifetime!
The prize package is worth an amazing $25,000 and includes
- $2,500 buy in to WSOP Side Event 56 July 2nd to 4th
- $10,000 buy in to WSOP Main Event Starting July 8th
- $3,250 for 13 nights in the Parlor Suite at the Wynn Las Vegas, June 30th to July 13th
- $250 for registration fees
- $7,000 for flights and expenses for you and a friend
- $2,000 Executive Entertainment Package which includes
- Circus du Soleil, Grand Canyon Helicopter Trip, Dinner for 2 at renowned SW Steakhouse and Limo transfers!
WOW!!
How do you get this?? Simples! Just win 6 consecutive (in a row) ‘WSOP Executive – Jackpot Sit n Go’ tournaments with a buy in of $12 then contact Titan within 48 hours of your last win and you’ve won!
This is a top 2010 WSOP promotion from Titan Poker, to learn more about the World Championship of Poker 2010 access our
To learn about top Titan Poker, and the exclusive sign up deal we have negotiated on your behalf, see our Titan Poker Review and make sure you use the Titan Poker Bonus Code VIPTITAN to ensure you get the full sign up package. You’ll be impressed with Titan Poker, that’s for sure!!
Poker News in Brief: March 8-14, 2010
Phil Hellmuth made his fourth WPT final table at the 2010 Bay 101 Shooting Star with a chance to win his first WPT title.
You can read more about the stunning conclusion of Bay 101 in our news section.
It wasn't all Hellmuth during the week, however, and as usual, PokerListings compiled some of the lesser-known poker stories in our ongoing Poker News in Brief feature.
This week we'll take a look at UB sponsoring a major Canadian tournament, PokerStars hosting the world's largest poker game and the upcoming Wynn Poker Classic main event.
UB Poker to Sponsor Poker Pro Canada Classic
UB Poker said no to the Caribbean and yes to Canada this week.
The online poker site cancelled its signature tournament in Aruba, but announced it is becoming one of the key sponsors of the Four Aces Poker Pro Canada Classic in Montreal.
Taking place April 15-18, the $1,650 buy-in tournament will now feature UB Poker pros Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke.
UB will be sending over 50 players from its site to the tournament in satellites that start at just $11.
To learn more or qualify for the tournament check out the UB site here.
Wynn Classic Main Event Kicks Off Tomorrow
The Wynn Classic poker series, which began Feb. 25, is scheduled to culminate with the $5,000 main event this Monday at noon PT.
The series has already seen a couple of notable pros take down side events including Justin Young winning the $500 H.O.R.S.E. event and Chris Bjorn taking down the $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em event.
Scott Clements and Bryan Devonshire also finished runner-up in two events.
Now in its fourth year of existence the Wynn Classic has crowned Chris Moore, Zachary Hyman and Keith Ferrara as champions in previous years.
This year's Main Event will run three days with the final table playing out on Wednesday.
$1 million in Prizes as Gladiator Continues
The Gladiator promotion on PartyPoker is off to a hot start and organizers are estimating players could potentially earn over $1 million by taking part.
"The Gladiator is off to a mightily powerful start and we forecast over $1 million in prizes based on the first week's activity," said a PartyPoker spokesman.
"It still isn't too late to get involved though - there is still plenty of time to win some great cash rewards. If a customer earns 2,000 points a day for the remaining 20 days of the promotion they will pick up a cool $5,000."
The Gladiator runs from March 3 to April 1 on PartyPoker and any player that earns a minimum of 10 PartyPoints each day will gain entry into $10,000 freeroll.
To learn more about the Gladiator promo visit the PartyPoker website.
PokerStars Hosts World's Biggest Poker Game
PokerStars held one of the more unusual events related to poker this week.
The online poker room hosted what site representatives are calling, "The world's largest poker game."
The title doesn't refer to number of players or the prizepool - it refers to the size of the chips and cards being played with.
The event featured English rugby stars James Haskell, Ben Foden and Delon Armitage pushing massive shoulder-high chips around a field.
PokerStars is the official gaming and casino partner of the English Rugby team and the entire event was filmed as a promo for the site.
You can check out the clip here.
International Poker Network Upgrades Software
The International Poker Network, which includes poker room's bwin, BetClic and Paradise Poker, released an improved poker client this week.
The software update allows players to pick their own seats and the ability to use the same wallet for poker and casino.
"Being able to choose your own seat at the table may seem like a small thing to some," said Wendy Lawrence of GTECH G2, the software provider for IPN, "But we design everything from the player's perspective, so when players told us this is a feature they'd like to see, we built it in.
IPN recently celebrated its three millionth member and its two billionth hand. The network also awarded a €601,370 bad beat jackpot last fall.
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Tags: 2010, Annie Duke, bad beat, Canada, canadian, freeroll, jackpot, no-limit, Online Poker, Phil Hellmuth, pokerstars, tournament
Shuffle Up and Deal Producers Searching for Sponsor
In December, Oates Media Group, the creators of the poker game show “Shuffle Up and Deal,” announced an online casting call seeking contestants. Three months later, the franchise is still looking for a sponsor to bring its product to life.
World Poker Tour (WPT) Host Mike Sexton was named the front man for “Shuffle Up and Deal,” a game show in which contestants select cards from an electronic tote board in an effort to make the best hand and reap the most prize money. Whichever player banked the largest cash total at the end of every episode would have a shot at winning a progressive jackpot that began at $250,000 and rose by $10,000 each time it wasn’t hit. The series also featured a “Follow the Ace” home game in which viewers could nab $10,000.
The show originally signed a letter of intent to air on My Family TV, a local station located out of Palms Springs, California, but that is no longer the case. Instead, producer Dewey Oates has been vehemently searching for a larger audience by taking on a sponsor and a cable or network television partner. Oates told Poker News Daily, “If we had a sponsor, we'd start filming immediately. The production company is ready to go.” Meanwhile, Oates and company have approached a couple of the industry’s major online poker sites, which have purportedly taken a cautious approach about expanding further into the U.S. market due to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA).
Sexton is a sponsored pro of PartyPoker, which does not accept action from the United States, while PokerStars pro Chad Brown was tapped to host a live stage show version of “Shuffle Up and Deal” in casinos. On Sexton’s involvement, Oates told us, “He got us in touch with the people at Party Gaming, but he can't go to Full Tilt and ask for a sponsorship if he's the host.” Oates approached officials from the WPT, who stated that their sponsorship of the show would hinge on a signed television contract.
Meanwhile, Oates reached out to GSN, which airs the popular cash game franchise “High Stakes Poker,” but the network was seeking a title sponsor or partial sponsor of the show before it would hop on the bandwagon. Oates added that “Shuffle Up and Deal” was not in a position to purchase airtime on major television networks, which would likely come with a hefty price tag. Oates revealed that prices on major stations could top $1 million for a half-hour program, potentially leading to an expensive debut for an upstart program.
Despite the lack of success of the franchise in procuring a television sponsorship, “Shuffle Up and Deal” may soon make its way to a casino near you. Oates and company have been reaching out to top-tier Indian casinos around the United States pitching a floor promotion where patrons would swipe their players’ cards to register for a chance to play a miniature version of “Shuffle Up and Deal.” Oates told Poker News Daily, “We're marketing it to Indian casinos nationwide. We’ve teamed up with SCA Promotions to insure it. We started that two weeks ago and we’re getting phone calls now.”
Facebook serves as the main medium for contestants to register to become a contestant on the “Shuffle Up and Deal” television show. Nearly 1,000 applications from hungry poker fans have been received and Oates was elated at the overwhelmingly positive response: “We're getting a lot of responses. We have people visiting ShuffleUpTV.com signing up to be contestants all day long. We’re getting a lot of energy from the public from people who want to see the show.”
My Family TV specializes in providing “spiritual programming,” according to its website, and is based in Florida.
Poker Game Shows Need Fixing
For several years, the only two poker television shows that anyone knew about were the World Series of Poker (WSOP) on ESPN and the World Poker Tour (WPT) on the Travel Channel (now on Fox Sports). When poker erupted in the United States, many new shows were born, such as the Ultimate Poker Challenge, Celebrity Poker Showdown, and Poker Superstars Invitational. There was even a show on MTV where Phil Laak would go to a celebrity's house and deal a sit and go for the celebrity and his/her celebrity friends. The airwaves became over-saturated with poker, ratings declined, and shows died.
Today, it looks like we are in the middle of a televised poker rebirth. Aside from first-run episodes of the WSOP, High Stakes Poker and Poker After Dark have taken over as the go-to programming for poker fans. Now, a new type of program, the poker game show, has invaded the public consciousness. Full Tilt Poker's Face the Ace debuted on NBC in August, the PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge hit the air on Fox last fall, and it was recently announced that newly-inducted Poker Hall of Famer Mike Sexton will host a new game show called Shuffle Up and Deal in 2010.
The evolution is interesting. Originally, we had major tournament poker. Big tournaments attract attention and have drama built right in. As poker programming expanded, smaller tournaments started to be shown. Then, as standard tournament poker began to jump the shark, smaller matches featuring celebrities, poker pros, or both entered our living rooms as fans became more interested in watching personalities they knew rather than Joe Boring from Normal, Illinois.
Non-poker celebrities quickly lost their luster, as poker fans wanted to see quality poker. We had all been there and done that with big tournaments, so television producers gave us the more intimate settings of the cash game (High Stakes Poker) and the small sit and go (Poker After Dark). High Stakes Poker, in particular, has been a huge hit because we get to see top pros and a few deep-pocketed amateurs put a lot of their own money on the line and we really get a feel for what they go through in the toughest cash games.
Now, we have poker game shows with a live audience, a host, an announcer, lights, and music, the whole shebang. The ones currently on the air, however, are inherently flawed. Well, you could say they are terrible, but really, they were behind the eight ball from the beginning.
Why? Because they want to force real poker, regardless of the added gimmick, into a game show format. It just doesn't work. The problem is in the pace of the game. Poker is a slow game. Yes, there is excitement with big hands, but overall, it's really boring to watch. On the other hand, game shows are rapid fire, a pace that poker just can't match. Poker can't win – if you show lots of hands to please the avid poker fan, it's too slow for the masses. If all you do is show all-ins, the avid poker fans don't like it because it's not real poker.
Another byproduct of the slow pace is that it makes not caring about the contestants an issue. Look, it's cool if some guy beats Howard Lederer, but it's not like I haven't seen that before in tournaments. Make me want to root for the guy. Face the Ace is terrible at this. Million Dollar Challenge is okay – it helped that the first contestant was a priest who said he was going to donate his winnings to his church. On a regular game show, the action is fast enough where the game itself is what is interesting, regardless of who the players are.
Now, to spice up the show, colorful personalities can be added, but that's easier said than done in poker. The contestants have been hit and miss and let's face it, many of the top poker pros that the contestants face off against aren't brimming with personality either. Take the first match-up of Face the Ace. It was a guy who could barely utter two words against Phil Ivey. Great! Ivey is a guy we want to see! Oh, but we forgot that Ivey, as tremendous of a player as he is, is less than chatty at the table. What ensued were uncomfortable silence and even more uncomfortable forced dialogue.
I am actually quite intrigued by Sexton's new show and am looking forward to watching when it debuts. Shuffle Up and Deal sounds like it could fit better into the "game show" category and hold the interest of casual viewers, although it may lose some hardcore poker fans. There aren't a ton of details on the game yet, but what we do know is that each show will pit amateur players against each other, each selecting cards from an electronic board in an effort to make the best five card hand. The player who wins the most money will advance to a bonus round for a chance to win a progressive jackpot that starts at $250,000 and goes up $10,000 every time someone doesn't win. So, while it won't really be poker – more like a hybrid of poker and Deal or No Deal – it sounds like it has a chance to excite viewers with its fast pace. If there is enough strategy involved, die-hard poker players may enjoy it too.
Who knows, it may turn out that game show poker isn't meant to be. While I have not been thrilled with the offerings so far, I do applaud the shows' creators, producers, talent, and staff for trying to offer the viewing public something other than the standard fare. One day, someone may get it right and when they do, I'll be watching.
Tags: 2010, full tilt poker, high stakes, jackpot, Phil Ivey, poker player, poker show, pokerstars, tournament, WSOP
Titan Poker Upgrades Software
Titan Poker launched the new 9.6 version of its online poker software this week featuring a host of new features and functionalities.
Included are an updated Flash version compatible for Mac users, Razz games and five additional languages, including Czech, Greek, Hungarian, Portuguese and Romanian.
The site also unveiled a radically revamped website, sleek new brand logo and the Titan Poker Academy, a comprehensive poker strategy guide providing valuable insights for both beginner and veteran players on odds calculations, money management, positioning, bluffing and more.
With nearly 30,000 online players at peak hours, Titan Poker has grown into the number one online poker room in Europe.
The site guarantees $16,000,000 in monthly prizes, features special sit 'n' go tournaments with progressive jackpots as high as $100,000, and awards players with entries to major worldwide poker tournaments.
Click the banner below for more information on the changes at Titan Poker.
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Andras Koroknai Wins WPT L.A. Poker Classic
After a one-day delay, the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) L.A. Poker Classic resumed on Thursday with its six-handed final table. After 94 hands, Andras Koroknai emerged victorious and banked $1.8 million.
Koroknai earned the largest first place payday awarded so far during Season 8 of the WPT. His prize package included $1.8 million in cash, a WPT bracelet and watch, a Commerce Casino trophy, and a $25,000 entry into the end-of-season WPT Championship, which will play out next month from the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Koroknai had a rowdy Hungarian rail during the L.A. Poker Classic’s final table and told WPT Live Updates Hostess Jacque that his plan was to spend his newfound riches.
Koroknai edged out Raymond Dolan heads-up. Michael Kamran, the short stack entering the final table, was the first person sent packing. Kamran moved all-in pre-flop with 10-7 of diamonds for eight big blinds and George Kasabyan made the call with A-J. Kamran picked up a straight draw when the flop came 9-8-5 and turned a seven to take the lead in the hand with a pair. However, Kasabyan hit an ace on the river to end Kamran’s heroics. He picked up $246,000 for his run through the $10,000 buy-in poker tournament.
The second player eliminated was J.C. Moussa, who picked up $321,000 for his fifth place showing. Moussa shoved over the top of a re-raise by Tri Huynh with A-9. Huynh flipped up A-Q and the board ran out 10-6-2-K-5. Huynh made a flush by the time all was said and done and sat with the second largest stack at the table.
Dolan scooped a 2.6 million chip pot shortly thereafter to take the chip lead before a long battle ensued to see who would become the tournament’s fourth place finisher. Kasabyan called all-in with A-7 on a board of A-9-8, but ran into Huynh’s A-9 for top two pair. Kasabyan hit a seven on the turn for one of his outs needed to win the hand, but a river nine gave Huynh a full house. Kasabyan, who hails from Armenia and was rooted on by Chris "The Amenian Express" Grigorian throughout the final table, collected $450,000.
The trio remaining was fairly even in stack sizes following Kasabyan’s exit, but Koroknai doubled through Dolan to claim 60% of the chips in play. On the 93rd hand of final table play, Huynh was bounced after calling all-in with pocket jacks against Koroknai’s A-K. I bet you can guess how this hand ends. A king hit on the flop to send the tournament’s eventual winner out in front and no help came on the turn or river. Entering heads-up play, Koroknai held a 10:1 edge in chips.
Heads-up action lasted all of one hand, as Dolan called off his remaining chips with Q-4 and found himself up against Koroknai’s Q-8 of hearts. The action flop came 10-9-4 with two hearts, giving Dolan bottom pair and Koroknai a flush draw. The turn was a seven, adding even more drama and giving Koroknai even more outs. Sure enough, the king of hearts hit as the jackpot card on the river and Koroknai took down the 2010 L.A. Poker Classic. Here were the final payouts:
1. Andras Koroknai - $1,788,040
2. Raymond Dolan - $1,002,710
3. Tri Huynh - $665,140
4. Gevork Kasabyan - $450,580
5. Jean-Claude Moussa - $321,840
6. Michael Kamran - $246,740
Next on tap for the WPT is the Bay 101 Shooting Star event from San Jose, California. The unique bounty tournament kicks off next Monday, March 8th. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest WPT coverage.
PaddyPowerPoker.com to sponsor poker fundraiser for Irish homeless charity
Handling the Baddest of Beats
You feel the rush of jumping out of the airplane. Wind and all manner of force is in your face as you speed down towards the earth.
As you fall closer to the ground the time comes for you to pull the rip cord and it fails.
When Tyler Reiman spiked a queen all in pre-flop against John Duthie's aces at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure this past January with 12 people left and enough chips in the middle of the table to send the winner of the pot through to the final table with a massive chip lead, Duthie says that's exactly what it felt like.
"I equate it to that," Duthie said on Day 1 of the World Poker Tour's L.A. Poker Classic. "The feeling the skydiver feels at that point is exactly how you feel I would imagine."
With Duthie practically guaranteed second or third-place money had he won the pot, the value of the beat made it all the more devastating.
"The situation really made it the worst beat that I've ever had or will ever have in the game of poker," he said. "It was literally like losing $1.5 million in one hand when you are an 87 per cent favorite."
Duthie says taking a beat like that can definitely have an effect on your psyche and, therefore, your game.
"The horrible thing is you start expecting to lose these hands even when you are a massive favorite," he said. "What you end up trying to do is keep the pots much smaller. Not take as many big risks."
But as time goes on, you have to put the bad beat behind you, no matter how big it was.
"You actually don't want to play poker for a long time," Duthie said. "You might even say I'm never playing poker again, but a good sportsman doesn't stop playing the game just because he gets beat.
"I'll never forget that hand, but the impact is diminishing. Life goes on and I'm a great believer that it's only a patch. I'm just going through a phase at the moment.
"I'm not an unlucky person. I know it won't last forever and as long as I keep telling myself that, it will be alright."
The worst bad beat story Daniel Negreanu says he ever heard was from a $1-$5 Stud game.
Two players were heads up showing a king-high straight flush against a queen-high straight flush. With a $300,000 bad beat jackpot on the line, the entire table was already counting the money when the player with the queen-high straight flush drew the king on Seventh Street to chop the pot.
"Think of these guys playing $1-$5 Stud," he said. "All they all have is $100 to their name and they are going to win a sick jackpot. That's bad."
But in the end, that's poker.
"Those are the exact two words you chalk it up to," Negreanu said. "That's poker. Weird stuff is going to happen to you all the time. You have to have mental strength and emotional stability. If you don't you are in the wrong environment.
"Other people struggle through much worse things in their lives. If the worst thing you have to complain about is a bad beat and you only ended up in fourth place - Sorry about your luck. Some people have no arms. Some people have been paralyzed from the waist down. Other people have it worse. Think about real bad beats, put it in context and you realize your life's not so bad."
In the World Poker Tour's first Season, Mark Seif had aces cracked in a pot for the chip lead at the final table to bust in fourth at the Legends of Poker main event.
Four years later, in the pot that gave Vivek Rajkumar an insurmountable lead at the WPT Borgata final table, all the money was in the middle with Seif holding aces against Rajkumar's tens before a ten flopped.
"That one still sits with me," he said. "It's been a year and a half now and I still think about it."
But despite lingering thoughts, Seif said he tries not to let it affect his game or his outlook on life.
"I've been extremely unlucky at very unfortunate times," he said. "But I look at it as though I did what I was supposed to do. My job is to get the chips in when I have the best hand. I got all the chips in pre-flop with two aces against two tens. That was my job.
"The fact that I was so unlucky might devastate other people and, as I told you, I still think about it. But at the end of the day, I look at my life in general, and I'm so lucky.
"I get to play poker for a living, I live in a really great house and I have two beautiful little girls. I just live a really great life and, in the big picture, I can't mope around and feel like I'm unlucky."
In the end, even bad beats are all about perspective.
The WPT's L.A. Poker Classic continues through March 2. For comprehensive coverage, tune in to PokerListings' Live Updates and News.
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Paddy Power Poker player scoops $110,000 Fort Knox jackpot
Paddy Power Poker player scoops $110,000 Fort Knox jackpot
Doyle Brunson in Good Spirits Following Dental Surgery
Poker News Daily has learned that 10-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner and DoylesRoom namesake Doyle Brunson is in good spirits following dental surgery on Tuesday. He is expected to make a full recovery.
The procedure lasted six hours and Brunson returned to his Las Vegas home afterward. A source close to Brunson told Poker News Daily that the industry icon “sailed” through surgery, is in good spirits, and will play in tonight’s Bounty Tournament on DoylesRoom. In a blog posted on the official website of DoylesRoom dated February 4th, Brunson told readers that he’d be undergoing “a 5 1/2 hour surgery on my teeth and gums. That is going to require a lot of change in my schedule.” Brunson was originally slated to play in this weekend’s PartyPoker Premier League; Phil Laak will serve as a last-minute replacement.
Brunson also hinted at axing appearances at the Commerce Casino for the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Celebrity Invitational and L.A. Poker Classic as well as the North American Poker Tour’s (NAPT) stop at the Venetian. Despite the possibility of being sidelined until the 2010 WSOP in May, Brunson quickly returned to his blonde joke-telling self on Wednesday, Tweeting the following: “A blonde's house caught fire and she called the fire department. They said ‘calm down, how do we get there?’ blonde.. duh, in a big red truck.”
On Monday, Brunson told Poker News Daily in an e-mail, “2 hours and counting. Not looking forward to it,” referring to his procedure. Brunson’s final Tweet prior to the surgery came on Monday and was directed at UB.com pro and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke: “Palin used cheat notes written on her hand. Obama uses a teleprompter for everything:-) I'm not supporting her by the way.”
Brunson had previously found himself in hot water for a President Barack Obama-related Tweet that read, “The Democrats say ‘give Obama time.’ Us Republicans agree, 25 to life seems appropriate!” The gaffe was posted on January 20th and led to an outcry from some customers on DoylesRoom who preferred that Brunson refrain from commenting on the political arena.
Tonight, Brunson will return to the virtual felts of his USA-friendly online poker site to compete in the weekly $50,000 Bounty Tournament. The Bounty takes place every Wednesday night and this evening’s installment features Brunson, recent WPT Southern Poker Championship winner Hoyt Corkins, and “The Mad Genius of Poker” Mike Caro. First-time Bounty players can receive a full refund of their $27.50 buy-in and the festivities kick off at 9:30pm ET. Knocking out a single bounty earns a player $1,000, while eliminating two bounties means a $10,000 bankroll boost. Finally, knocking out all three bounties results in a $50,000 jackpot.
When we will next see Brunson on the live felts is anyone’s guess. In the same blog post, the poker pro noted that he didn’t want to invest time and money while not feeling up to snuff: “There is no use playing unless you are at your best. The competition has gotten so good you need to feel good physically as well as mentally to have a chance to win.” Brunson is tied with Johnny Chan for the second highest number of bracelets all-time at 10, trailing only Phil Hellmuth’s tally of 11. Brunson has nearly $3 million in career WSOP earnings dating back to 1976.
Tags: 2010, Annie Duke, Doyle Brunson, jackpot, Online Poker, Phil Hellmuth, tournament, usa, vegas, WSOP
iPoker player claims he was denied jackpot
Record Breaking Bad Beat Jackpot Won at Atlantic City!
Steven Gedney, 52, from Dover, Del., was pretty much speechless after winning the biggest Bad Beat Jackpot in Atlantic City history at Caesars. His Wife however called it good karma, good things happening to good people.
Gedney with literally huge check!
Huge jackpot was attracting players from other casinos to play at Caesars. Because the jackpot was so large, there was a 31/2-hour wait to get a seat at a game in the poker room.
The jackpot at Caesars had risen to $553,958 and lucky loser Gedney got half of it. Previous bad beat jackpot record in Atlantic City was $361,244. Winner of the hand, Chris Dobrzanski, didn’t have to go home empty-handed, as he won 25% chunk of the jackpot, $138,489, and of course the actual pot worth of about $400. The other seven players sitting at the table received $19,784 each.
Gedney’s wife, Tabitha, said her husband’s win was “meant to be.” Gedney owns JW’s Sports Bar in Dover and the business wasn’t going so well lately.
“He was going to let some people go, but said ‘I can’t do it, it’s Christmas time. These people have families, these people have kids,’” Tabitha Gedney said about the good deeds of his husband for the Press of Atlantic City.
“It’s karma, it really is,” Tabitha Gedney added. Karma or not, Steven Gedney and his poker hand of four threes gave his family and his business much needed cash in just the right time.
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New Jersey Gaming Revenues Fall 13.2% in 2009
According to figures released by the New Jersey Casino Control Commission, gaming revenues in Atlantic City dipped 13.2% during the 2009 calendar year compared to 2008. All told, area casinos raked in $3.9 billion.
Revenue derived from slot machines and table games were both hit hard. Funds pulled from the one-armed bandits dropped 13.1% in 2009 to $2.72 billion, while table game revenue fell 13.5% to $1.22 billion. Casino Control Commission Chair Linda Kassekert commented in a press release, “Casinos continued to suffer in 2009. The weak national economy, growing competition across our borders, and the partial ban on smoking in casinos combined to depress gaming revenues.” Officials in New Jersey are eyeing gambling expansion in Pennsylvania and Delaware as additional competitive pressures. In response, New Jersey State Senator Raymond Lesniak recently introduced a bill to allow intrastate internet gambling.
Despite the rapidly increasing competition and shrinking sources of revenue, Kassekert remained optimistic that Atlantic City’s uniqueness would continue to attract visitors to its casinos: “Atlantic City has a lot to offer visitors in addition to gambling. When the economy improves and people have more money to spend on entertainment, Atlantic City will draw more and more people interested in visiting our shops, enjoying a concert, dining in our fine restaurants, and relaxing on our beach.”
During the 2009-2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit schedule, Atlantic City plays host to a pair of events. In December, Harrah’s Atlantic City held a slate of 17 poker tournaments. Its $5,150 buy-in Main Event saw Chris “SLOPPYKLOD” Klodnicki best a field of 195 players to earn $215,000. Heads-up, Klodnicki defeated fellow online poker player Kyle kwob20 Bowker, who pocketed $128,000. The WSOP Circuit returns to the New Jersey city in March for the Caesars Atlantic City festivities. The casino is fresh off awarding a record-setting $553,000 Bad Beat Jackpot to Delaware native Steven Gedney.
New Jersey casinos’ taxable gross revenue in 2009 was $3.7 billion, which meant that gaming establishments paid $295.3 million to the State. The funds, which represent 8% of taxable gross revenue, go directly to the Casino Revenue Fund, which benefits senior citizens and New Jersey residents with disabilities. Casinos also coughed up $49.3 million in reinvestment costs. On that cash outlay, the Commission explained, “They are required to reinvest 1.25 percent of taxable gross revenues in projects approved by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority.”
In December, casino revenue slid 9.8% year over year to $272.1 million. Hit hardest during the final month of the decade was Trump Marina, whose revenues plummeted by 25.2% to $10.1 million. The second largest decline was seen at Trump Plaza, where revenues skidded 18.9% year over year to $13.0 million. At the Atlantic City Hilton, the news on casino “win” was equally poor, as revenues dipped 17.3% in December 2009 compared to December 2008 to $11.7 million. Caesars Atlantic City, contrastingly, saw a 4.4% rise in revenue in December.
For the 2009 calendar year, every single casino in Atlantic City posted lower revenue than in 2008. Three locales – Atlantic City Hilton, Trump Marina, and Trump Plaza – saw win dive by 20% or more year over year. Virtually untouched amid the sagging economy was the Borgata, whose revenues of $695.3 million in 2009 trailed its 2008 figures by just 5.9%. Only one other casino’s revenue fell by single-digits year over year, the Trump Taj Mahal. Beginning on Wednesday at the Borgata is its annual Winter Poker Open, which runs through February 5th. The Main Event, which has a $2 million guaranteed prize pool, begins on January 31st.
In Las Vegas, casino gambling revenue rose in November year over year, posting the first monthly gain in nearly two years. In Atlantic City during the same month, revenues slid 13.4% compared to November 2008.
Tags: 15, 2008, 2009, 2010, 5, bad beat, cent, Chair, internet gambling, jackpot, king, Las Vegas, law, New Jersey, Online Poker, online poker player, Pennsylvania, player, Poker, poker player, Pro, Senator, tournament, vegas, WSOP
Bad Beat Jackpot hits for half mil at Caesars
Man Sets New Poker Bad Beat Jackpot Record
Caesars Atlantic City Bad Beat Jackpot Hit for $553,958
Dover native Steven Gedney hit a record-shattering Bad Beat Jackpot at Caesars Atlantic City of $553,958 last Friday. The behemoth prize pool dwarfed the former largest jackpot of $361,244 and Gedney raked in $276,979 as a result of the beat.
Joe Domenico, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Caesars Atlantic City, commented in a press release distributed by the East Coast casino, "This is an unforgettable day for everyone at Caesars, especially our loyal players and dedicated poker team. The energy building in our poker room over these past months has been incredible and to see it culminate in this record-setting jackpot couldn't be more rewarding.”
Gedney held quad threes in the memorable hand, normally a stone cold lock to scoop any pot. However, in what was likely a mix of dismay and excitement, Gedney watched as his opponent, Chris Dobrzanski, flipped up four aces, triggering the Bad Beat Jackpot. Although dropping the $400 pot, Gedney hauled in a massive $276,979 prize for suffering the bad beat. Dobrzanski, meanwhile, hauled in the $400 spoils and added another $138,489 for dishing out the misfortune. The table was nine-handed, meaning that the other seven players seated each earned $19,784 for paying witness to history, enough to buy a new car just in time for final 2009 year-end closeouts.
Under the terms of the Caesars Atlantic City Bad Beat Jackpot, four of a kind must go down in smoke to a superior hand. Half of the Bad Beat Jackpot is awarded to the losing player in the hand, 25% is given to the winning player, and the remaining 25% is divided equally among the other players dealt to at the table when the bad beat occurred. In 2008, the Caesars Atlantic City poker room awarded nearly $1.2 million in Bad Beat Jackpot money and is well on its way to surpassing that amount this year.
As of January 11th, the Caesars Palace Bad Beat Jackpot stood at $529,436, meaning that it grew by $25,000 last week alone before being hit on Friday. At Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City, the Bad Beat Jackpot was $352,873 last Monday. At Showboat, the purse for doling out a bad beat was $118,970 one week ago and, at Bally’s, the bounty stood at $137,493. After being hit on Friday, the Caesars Palace Bad Beat Jackpot sat at $152,000 today at Noon ET.
The Caesars Palace Atlantic City poker room sports 20 tables and 50-inch plasma televisions to allow players to keep up-to-date on the latest in the world of sports. The casino spreads favorites like $1/$2, $2/$5, and $5/$10 No Limit Hold’em and $2/$4, $3/$6, and $4/$8 Limit Hold’em. The venue is ramping up to host a World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit Event in March. The action kicks off in Atlantic City on March 3rd and concludes with a Ladies No Limit Hold’em tournament on March 14th. The $5,150 buy-in Caesars Atlantic City Circuit Championship, a three-day affair, will begin dealing cards on March 12th.
Here is the schedule of events for the Caesars Atlantic City Circuit stop in March:
Wednesday, March 3rd at 12:00pm ET
Event #1: No Limit Hold'em
$340 buy-in
Thursday, March 4th at 12:00pm ET
Event #2: No Limit Hold'em
$590 buy-in
Friday, March 5th at 12:00pm ET
Event #3: No Limit Hold'em
$340 buy-in
Saturday, March 6th at 12:00pm ET
Event #4: No Limit Hold'em
$560 buy-in
Sunday, March 7th at 12:00pm ET
Event #5: No Limit Hold'em
$340 buy-in
Monday, March 8th at 12:00pm ET
Event #6: No Limit Hold'em
$560 buy-in
Tuesday, March 9th at 12:00pm ET
Event #7: No Limit Hold'em
$1,080 buy-in
Wednesday, March 10th at 12:00pm ET
Event #8: Deep Stack
$1,600 buy-in
Thursday, March 11th at 12:00pm ET
Event #9: Turbo
$230 buy-in
Friday, March 12th at 12:00pm ET
Event #10: Caesars Atlantic City Championship Event
$5,150 buy-in
Saturday, March 13th at 12:00pm ET
Event 11: Turbo
$230 buy-in
Sunday, March 14th at 12:00pm ET
Event #12: Ladies No Limit Hold'em
$230 buy-in