Posts Tagged ‘kara scott’
High Stakes Poker: $1 Million Vegetarian Prop Bet Agreed To
Large pots were few and far between on Sunday night’s episode of the GSN series “High Stakes Poker.” Instead, a vegetarian prop bet between Full Tilt Poker pros Phil Ivey and Tom “durrrr” Dwan took center stage.
After being discussed non-stop for a half-hour of the 60-minute program, the vegetarian prop bet was finally agreed upon. Ultimately, Ivey would become a vegetarian for one year for $1 million. In a sit-down interview with “High Stakes Poker” hostess Kara Scott, Ivey told viewers, “I was thinking about doing it for a while, so this is an added incentive.” Dwan was confident that he’d win the bet, but nonetheless expressed a degree of doubt: “He’s got a lot of will power and he might go out and prove me wrong.” Any creature that moves is off limits for Ivey.
Back on the felts, Ivey proved why he’s one of the top names in the game by raising to $3,000 pre-flop with 7-2 and receiving four callers. The flop came 4-9-A with two hearts and Ivey put in a $12,000 continuation bet. Italian poker stud Dario Minieri, who held 10-8 of hearts, came along to see another ace hit the turn. Ivey bet out $30,000 and Minieri folded. “High Stakes Poker” host Gabe Kaplan commented, “Most players would turn over the 7-2 there, but not Phil Ivey.”
Then, Team PokerStars Pro front man Daniel Negreanu raised to $3,000 with 9-6 of hearts and Eli Elezra came along with 9-8 of diamonds. The flop came 10-5-7, giving both players straight draws, and Negreanu bet $5,500. Elezra pushed the action to $13,000 and Negreanu came along to see a king on the turn. Elezra checked and Negreanu accidentally exposed his nine while reaching for a stack of $100 bills. He promptly checked and an eight hit on the river, filling his straight. Negreanu bet $20,000 and Elezra tanked before folding. Negreanu told the table, “That was the weirdest hand I’ve ever played.”
Minieri was overly active throughout the episode and set the tone after Gus Hansen made it $3,500 pre-flop with A-8. Minieri, sensing weakness, made it $11,500 with A-9. Then, fireworks went of, as Hansen re-raised to $35,500 and Minieri shoved all-in for $213,000. Hansen quickly mucked, leaving Kaplan to remark, “That’s either a good read or a moment of insanity.” Negreanu would later try to force an all-in from Minieri when “Kid Poker” held pocket aces, but the Italian instead folded.
In one of the larger pots of the episode, which aired at 8:00pm ET on Sunday on GSN, Ivey raised to $3,000 with pocket eights, Negreanu called with A-7 of spades, and Dwan called with Q-J. The flop came A-J-4, and Ivey checked his pocket pair. Negreanu led out for $8,000 with top pair, while Dwan made the call with middle pair. Ivey got out of the way and a queen hit the turn to improve Dwan to two pair. Negreanu fired out a bet of $18,000 and Dwan called. The duo both checked a river five, shipping the $63,800 pot to Dwan.
In the final hand of the hour, Elezra raised to $3,000 with 9-7, Negreanu called with Q-9, and Dwan called with K-Q. The flop fell K-8-10 and Elezra put in a $7,200 continuation bet with an open-ended straight draw. Dwan came along with top pair to bring a jack on the turn, filling Eleza’s straight. However, with three spades now on the board, the action went check-check. The river was a six and Dwan bet $8,400. Elezra raised to $28,400 and Dwan released his hand.
Next time, four “High Stakes Poker” players get felted and an epic hand brews between Dwan and Ivey. New episodes of “High Stakes Poker” air on Sunday nights at 8:00pm ET on GSN.
Women’s World Open Dates Confirmed
The PartyPoker.com Women's World Open IV will take place in London, England March 23 and 24 featuring 24 of the best female poker players on the planet.
Amongst those already confirmed to take part are Team PartyPoker's Kara Scott, Betfair pro Annette Obrestad, Women's World Open III winner Aisling Collins and runner-up Wooka Kim.
Also scheduled to play are Laurence Grondin, Shelley Rubenstein, Stefanie Bergener, Maria Demetriou, Christine Klecz, Pippa Flanders and season two winner Soraya Homam.
The $3,000 buy-in will create a $72,000 prize pool for the tournament. The event's format dictates that the top two players from each of the three deep-stacked eight handed heats carry their chips through to a six-handed final table.
"Last year Aisling proved that Britain's got talent, but the same can be said about Japan in the form of Wooka Kim," said a PartyPoker spokesperson. "Both will be strong contenders for the title this year. We've made the stacks deeper and the competition is just as fierce."
Matchroom Sport director Eddie Hearn said he's looking forward to the action.
"The PartyPoker.com Women's World Open has proved extremely popular with players, viewers and broadcasters over the last three seasons," he said. "As the game continues to grow, we have made a number of changes to our formats that enables the viewers to watch a deeper-stacked game with more skill, where players can really showcase their ability and flair."
Commentary for the TV broadcast will be provided by Jesse May, with presenting duties shared between Kara Scott and Tatjana Pasilic. Coverage of the event will first be broadcast on Five in the UK later this year and then distributed internationally.
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National Heads-Up Poker Championship: Elite Eight Set
Eight players remain in the 2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship, which will begin airing on NBC on April 18th at Noon ET. Among the survivors are poker veterans Doyle Brunson and Annie Duke.
Duke faced off against 2007 National Heads-Up Poker Championship winner Paul Wasicka in the round of 16. The seesaw match featured the short stack doubling up time after time. Finally, Duke shoved with A-10 pre-flop and Wasicka made the call with pocket aces. The flop came A-2-J, giving Wasicka what seemed like an insurmountable lead. However, Duke spiked a queen on the turn and king on the river to make a runner-runner Broadway straight and double through.
Coverage found on PokerNews described the scene during Duke’s miracle double-up: “The gallery went absolutely berserk. Duke, standing over the table, held her hands up to her face in utter disbelief. She then walked to Wasicka's side of the table and whispered something in his ear before re-taking her seat.” Wasicka was the runner-up to Jamie Gold in the 2006 WSOP Main Event, earning $6.1 million.
The hand crippled Wasicka, who promptly doubled with A-9 against Duke’s K-10. In the final hand of the match, Wasicka committed his chips with pocket jacks and Duke made the call with a meager 8-5 of diamonds. The flop came 8-2-7, giving Duke top pair, and a five on the turn improved the UB.com pro and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist to two pair. Wasicka needed a two, seven, or jack on the river to stave off elimination, but a nine fell and Wasicka was ousted. Next up for Duke is 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion Jerry Yang, whose supporters had a less-than-cordial run-in with Jennifer Harman earlier in the day.
Brunson’s miracle run continued. In 2008, Brunson defeated Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad two matches to none in a prelude to the WSOP Europe Main Event. In the Sweet 16, the two Caesars Cup participants squared off once again. They sat at the feature table and Brunson shoved all-in on a flop reading 7-5-J. Obrestad held 6-4 for an open-ended straight draw, while Brunson flipped up J-5 for two pair. The turn was a king, leaving Obrestad needing to hit a straight on the river to avoid doubling up the 10-time bracelet winner. However, a jack hit, giving Brunson a boat and a critical double-up.
Obrestad, the 2007 WSOP Europe Main Event champion, then shoved pre-flop with Q-5 of hearts for her remaining stack. Brunson, who underwent extensive dental surgery two days after the Super Bowl, woke up with A-8, which held on for the win. Brunson’s Elite Eight opponent is 2008 WSOP Main Event November Nine member Dennis Phillips, who bested high-stakes cash game pro Eli Elezra in the round of 16. Phillips’ National Heads-Up Poker Championship opponents have included Chris Ferguson and Kara Scott.
Eight-time bracelet winner Erik Seidel will face off against 2008 WSOP Main Event winner Peter Eastgate in the round of eight. Seidel bested another former World Champion to punch his ticket to the Elite Eight, Chris Moneymaker. Seidel doubled up after flopping a straight with Q-J against Moneymaker’s K-2. The flop came 9-10-K, giving Seidel the nuts, and a running 6-9 didn’t help matters for Moneymaker. The former Tennessee accountant was then all-in with 10-8 of diamonds against Seidel’s A-Q. The board came 3-5-7-3-7 and Seidel’s two pair with an ace kicker scooped the pot and sent Moneymaker packing.
The winners of the clubs and spades brackets will face off against each other in the Final Four. Similarly, the survivors of the hearts and diamonds brackets will play each other. Here is how the field shapes up:
Clubs Bracket
Erik Seidel vs Peter Eastgate
Spades Bracket
Scotty Nguyen vs Jason Mercier
Hearts Bracket
Dennis Phillips vs Doyle Brunson
Diamonds Bracket
Jerry Yang vs Annie Duke
A winner will be determined today. The action kicks off at 11:00am PT from Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest National Heads-Up Poker Championship coverage.
2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship Bracket Set
The field of 64 is set in the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, which will air on NBC. One of the highlights of the opening round is a titanic showdown between PokerStars pros Jason Mercier and Daniel Negreanu, who have both been on a hot streak.
Mercier and Negreanu made the final table of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe Main Event last year. Mercier finished fourth in the £10,000 buy-in poker tournament, while Negreanu fell heads-up to CardPlayer Magazine owner Barry Shulman after entering as the short stack. Mercier and Negreanu collected £267,000 and £495,000 for their efforts, respectively. Both are bracelet winners and members of Team PokerStars Pro.
Mercier enters the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, which is emanating from Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, on a high note. Last week, the Florida native took third in the L.A. Poker Classic’s High-Roller event for $141,000. In December, Mercier won a $5,000 HORSE event during the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic for $100,000. Negreanu made waves during the recent PartyPoker Premier League, finishing fourth at the final table. Heading into Thursday’s draw party, Negreanu Tweeted his desired first round opponent: “Headed down to Pure for the NBC HU draw party and I'm hoping to NOT draw one of the 7 qualifiers or a woman. Record going into #6 is 7-5.”
Meanwhile, two titans of the online poker industry will tangle, as 13 bracelets will meet when Full Tilt Poker front man Howard Lederer takes on UB.com bad boy Phil Hellmuth. Lederer was fourth on Bluff Magazine’s recent Power 20 list, while Hellmuth leads the all-time bracelet count with 11. Both have crafty nicknames, as “The Professor” will take on “The Poker Brat” in a high-stakes first round encounter.
In an all-female first round showdown, Full Tilt Poker’s Jennifer Harman is paired up with actress Jennifer Tilly. A total of seven women will make their way to Caesars Palace in Las Vegas today for first round action. Joining Harman and Tilly to add estrogen to the field are Annie Duke, Annette Dworski, Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad, Vanessa Rousso, and Kara Scott. Six women took to the field in 2009, including Rousso, who finished as the runner-up to Huck Seed.
Those in the hunt for the title range between 21 (Obrestad) and 76 years-old (Doyle Brunson). The tournament hits television airwaves on NBC beginning on April 18th and will run for six consecutive Sundays. The ultimate survivor of the single elimination heads-up tournament pockets $500,000, while its runner-up takes home a cool $250,000. Here’s a look at the first round match-ups in the 2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship:
Clubs Bracket – Top Half
Patrik Antonius vs Chris Moneymaker
Leo Wolpert vs Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin
David Williams vs Joe Cada
Erik Seidel vs Huck Seed
Clubs Bracket – Bottom Half
Dan Ramirez vs Erick Lindgren
Peter Eastgate vs Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier
Stephen Quinn vs Ted Forrest
Dario Minieri vs Jamie Gold
Spades Bracket – Top Half
Gavin Smith vs Phil Ivey
Richard Edwards vs Scotty Nguyen
Shawn “westtexasman” Rice vs Joe Hachem
Gabe Kaplan vs Johnny Chan
Spades Bracket – Bottom Half
Daniel Negreanu vs Jason Mercier
Pieter de Korver vs Mike Sexton
Phil Gordon vs Tom “durrrr” Dwan
Phil Laak vs John Juanda
Hearts Bracket – Top Half
Jesper Hougaard vs Allen Cunningham
Eli Elezra vs Greg “FBT” Mueller
Annette Dworski vs Chris Ferguson
Kara Scott vs Dennis Phillips
Hearts Bracket – Bottom Half
Brock “t soprano” Parker vs Doyle Brunson
J.P. Kelly vs Don Cheadle
Howard Lederer vs Phil Hellmuth
Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad vs Orel Hershiser
Diamonds Bracket – Top Half
Barry Greenstein vs Vanessa Rousso
Sammy Farha vs Antonio Esfandiari
Jennifer Harman vs Jennifer Tilly
Jerry Yang vs Mike Matusow
Diamonds Bracket – Bottom Half
Darvin Moon vs Bill Huntress
Andy Bloch vs Annie Duke
Andrew Wilson vs Paul Wasicka
Gus Hansen vs Greg Raymer
Rice and Huntress both qualified for the National Heads-Up Poker Championship at the host casino, while Dworski, Edwards, Quinn, Ramirez, and Wilson all won online satellites. The tournament’s first round will play out today, while the second round will take place on Saturday. The quarterfinals, semifinals, and championship match will all pan out on Sunday. Here are today's start times:
Clubs Bracket - 1:30pm PT
Diamonds Bracket - 4:00pm PT
Spades Bracket - 7:00pm PT
Hearts Bracket - 9:30pm PT
Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from Caesars Palace.
NBC Releases 2010 Heads-Up Bracket
The two PokerStars pros have both been hot over the last 12 months with millions of dollars in combined tournament earnings.
Some of the other marquee first round matches include Phil Hellmuth vs. Howard Lederer, Peter Eastgate vs. Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, Brock Parker vs. Doyle Brunson and Phil Ivey vs. Gavin Smith.
In total there will be 32 heads-up matches played in the first round.
NBC once again separated the players into four brackets – Hearts, Clubs, Spades and Diamonds – with the winner of each bracket booking a seat in the semifinals.
The tournament begins today at 1 p.m. PT. Be sure to check out our live updates of the event.
Here is the complete line-up for the first round of the 2010 NBC National Heads-Up Championship:
Clubs:
Patrik Antonius vs. Chris Moneymaker
Leo Wolpert vs. Eric Baldwin
David Williams vs. Joe Cada
Erik Seidel vs. Huck Seed
Dan Ramirez vs. Erick Lindgren
Peter Eastgate vs. Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier
Stephen Quinn vs. Ted Forrest
Dario Minieri vs. Jamie Gold
Spades:
Gavin Smith vs. Phil Ivey
Richard Edwards vs. Scotty Nguyen
Shawn Rice vs. Joe Hachem
Gabe Kaplan vs. Johnny Chan
Daniel Negreanu vs. Jason Mercier
Pieter de Korver vs. Mike Sexton
Phil Gordon vs. Tom Dwan
Phil Laak vs. John Juanda
Hearts:
Jesper Hougaard vs. Allen Cunningham
Eli Elezra vs. Greg Mueller
Annette Dworski vs. Craig Ferguson
Kara Scott vs. Dennis Phillips
Doyle Brunson vs. Brock Parker
JP Kelly vs. Don Cheadle
Howard Lederer vs. Phil Hellmuth
Annette Obrestad vs. Orel Hershiser
Diamonds:
Barry Greenstein vs. Vanessa Rousso
Sam Farha vs. Antonio Esfandiari
Jennifer Harman vs. Jennifer Tilly
Jerry Yang vs. Mike Matusow
Darvin Moon vs. Bill Huntress
Andy Bloch vs. Annie Duke
Andrew Wilson vs. Paul Wasicka
Gus Hansen vs. Greg Raymer
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WSOP May Hold All Star Game
In a Tweet posted on Wednesday by officials from the World Series of Poker (WSOP), it was revealed that a special All Star Game may be in the works. Its format and players involved are currently unclear.
A Tweet from the WSOP cryptically questioned, “Which 20 WSOP Bracelet-Holders would you like to see compete in an All-Star game? Stay tuned... #WSOP.” Last year, the WSOP held its first ever Champions Invitational, which featured 20 former Main Event winners vying in a made-for-television tournament for a vintage car. 1983 WSOP Main Event winner Tom McEvoy, a PokerStars sponsored pro, ultimately came out on top and drove home in a classic 1970 Corvette.
The tournament aired on ESPN, which owns the exclusive rights to the annual Las Vegas spectacle. Others who participated in the grand event included WSOP Main Event champs Amarillo Slim, Berry Johnston, Jim Bechtel, Huck Seed, Scotty Nguyen, Carlos Mortensen, Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer, Joe Hachem, Jamie Gold, and Jerry Yang.
When prompted for comment by Poker News Daily, Harrah’s officials were equally vague, saying about the Tweet, “It was cryptic for a reason. I’m intrigued, are you?” In December, Harrah’s released the 2010 WSOP schedule, which kicks off with the annual $500 Casino Employees No Limit Hold’em event on May 28th. On the same day, a brand new $50,000 buy-in Player’s Championship will begin. The event will be televised by ESPN and take on an eight-game format: Limit Hold’em, Omaha High-Low Split Eight or Better, Seven Card Razz, Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud High-Low Split Eight or Better, No Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha, and 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball.
Although no word has been handed down, it appears that 20 players, according to a fan vote, will compete for a grand prize during the 2010 WSOP. Given the internet vote, many posters on TwoPlusTwo questioned the makeup of the field. TwoPlusTwo member “Kevmath” explained, “If they allow voting on the internet, I'm sure someone not as deserving could sneak their way into the field.”
For example, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, born in 1986, was nominated by the general public through an online vote to become a nominee for the Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2009. A nominating committee was quick to squash his bid, charging that Dwan had not yet stood the test of time, one of the criteria required for entry. Instead, names tossed out by TwoPlusTwo members as possible participants in a WSOP All Star Game include 11-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth and popular female pro Jennifer Tilly.
Others called for several side events during the All Star Game, similar to the Slam Dunk Contest and Three-Point Shootout held during basketball’s All Star Weekend. “TheCanoe” explained some possible diversions: “Chip Stacking with Carlos Mortensen, Beer drinking with Scotty, [and] Scooter races with Doyle.”
One poster even tossed out an idea whereby players could rebuy according to the number of bracelets they own, meaning that Hellmuth could buy back in 11 times. Players who would be well off under this setup include Doyle Brunson (10 bracelets), Johnny Chan (10 bracelets), Erik Seidel (eight bracelets), Phil Ivey (seven bracelets), and Billy Baxter (seven bracelets).
TwoPlusTwo posters also clamored for the women of poker to join the All-Star fray like GoDaddy Girl Vanessa Rousso, UB.com pro Liv Boeree, and Tilly, who has long been associated with Unabomber Poker namesake Phil Laak. Other possibilities include Annie Duke, Linda Johnson, Kara Scott, Tiffany Michelle, Isabelle Mercier, and Maria Ho.
Not everyone was optimistic about the end product. TwoPlusTwo poster “ptartaglio” explained the mindset of some in the online poker community: “These types of tournaments are always horrible. They never have the better players, only the recognized players, and they always turn them into crapshoots. The Tournament of Champions that Mike Sexton won wasn't too bad for TV, but other than that they [are] horrible.” The first Tournament of Champions was held in 2004 and featured Duke earning the winner-take-all $2 million prize. Sexton won the event in 2006.
We’ll keep you posted on the latest WSOP news on Poker News Daily. Who would you like to see in a Poker All Star Game? Leave us a comment here and let us know.
Poker2Nite Debuts on Versus, Welcomes Trishelle Cannatella
On Wednesday, the UB.com sponsored poker news show “Poker2Nite” kicked off Season 2 on its new home, Versus. The series airs at 11:00pm ET and this week welcomed Absolute Poker pro and former “Real World: Las Vegas” star Trishelle Cannatella.
Season 2 featured “Poker2Nite” moving to Versus, complete with plenty of on-screen graphics during each segment. The show began with hosts Scott Huff and Joe Sebok recapping the World Poker Tour (WPT) Celebrity Invitational. As luck would have it, the two were seated directly next to each other in the field. Then, attention turned to the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Venetian Main Event and High-Roller Bounty Shootout. Sebok played in the latter event, but did not make the final table.
Playing out this weekend in Las Vegas is the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, which will air on NBC. Sebok claimed that notable omissions from the field of 64 included J.C. Tran and top female poker pro Kathy Liebert, both World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winners. Huff and Sebok questioned the invitations extended to Kara Scott, Phil Gordon, and past WSOP Main Event champions. The National Heads-Up Poker Championship draw party takes place tonight at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
For Season 2 of “Poker2Nite,” the “Weekly Misdeal” is no more. Instead, Dana Workman hosted a segment dubbed “Girls of Poker” and welcomed Lauren Kling into the Los Angeles studios. On being one of the last women standing in the WPT L.A. Poker Classic, Kling told Workman, “I don’t really care about being the last woman standing. As long as I’m the last person standing, that’s all that matters. I play to win.” Kling is dating fellow poker pro Mike “SowersUNCC” Sowers and told “Poker2Nite” viewers that she does Pilates several times per week.
Sebok and Huff then interviewed Cannatella, who finished third in the WPT Celebrity Invitational. Cannatella broke down her strategy in the unique invite-only tournament: “The first day, I wanted to play pretty tight. The first day is fun anyway. Day 2 was straight playing.” 2010 marked Cannatella’s fourth appearance in the Celebrity Invitational; she had never made it past Day 1.
Cannatella became a household name after a rambunctious appearance on MTV’s “Real World: Las Vegas.” Then in her early 20s, Cannatella put herself on the map through the reality franchise and told “Poker2Nite” viewers, “I have a special place for Las Vegas because of that. I had never been west of Texas. We had a good time. There are definitely things I could have done differently, but do I regret it? No.” Huff pointed out that Cannatella has one more WPT final table than Sebok.
A new segment called “On the Clock” debuted during the Season 2 kickoff episode. In-studio guests are asked a series of rapid-fire questions and whoever answers the most number right at the end of 60 seconds during the course of the season will receive a championship trophy. Cannatella’s arsenal of questions included her favorite poker player, whether she was single or taken, her favorite city to go out in, the capital of Norway, and what eight times seven was. Cannatella answered eight questions correctly.
Finally, Workman returned for the “Online Roundup.” Show producers scoured social media outlets like Twitter as well as poker blogs and forums to bring viewers the top quotes of the week. Topics included the Celebrity Invitational and the National Heads-Up Poker Championship.
Sebok sported a beard after being clean-shaven for the “Poker2Nite” Season 1 finale on Fox Sports Net. He’ll now ink tattoos of fellow pros Gavin Smith and Jeff Madsen after losing a last longer bet at the L.A. Poker Classic.
“Poker2Nite” airs on Wednesdays at 11:00pm ET on Versus. Check your local listings for station information.
Tags: 2010, absolute poker, interview, kara scott, poker player, pokerstars, tournament, vegas, woman, women, WSOP
Poker In Twitter: Winter Olympics Wrapup, WPT LAPC, and a New Hostess For Poker2Nite
With the advent of the world of Twitter, people can fill you in on their lives in quick, 140-character bursts. Poker’s royalty have taken to the medium to inform their fans of their latest activities as well as their views on different issues. Poker News Daily continually tracks these Tweets to let you know what the latest buzz is in the poker community.
Last weekend, poker players were torn between performing their jobs on the felt and following the end of the Winter Olympics. Of particular interest to many was the gold medal hockey game between the favored Canadian national team and the upstart Team USA. A week prior to the game Sunday, the Americans had surprised the Canadians by defeating them 5-3 in pool play and the gold medal match – which was also the last medal awarded at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver – was a chance at redemption for the boys from the Great White North.
As the game began on Sunday, poker players announced their allegiances across the Twitterverse. Unlike many who watched the gold medal game on television, poker player Terrence Chan was one of the fortunate who saw the game live at Canada Hockey Place in Vancouver. “Sec 120 row 4 seat 106. Ten feet from (Canadian goalie Roberto) Luongo,” Chan Tweeted prior to the start of action, drawing a reaction of, “So jealous you’re there,” from fellow pro Shaun Deeb. Lining up on the Americans’ side were poker players such as Deeb, Eric Mizrachi, and Joe Sebok, while the Canadians held a rooting section that included Chan, Brad “Yukon” Booth, and Isabelle Mercier.
As the game played out, Tweets flew nearly as fast as the pucks and Canada moved out to a 2-0 lead. Playing in the L.A. Poker Classic at the time, UB.com pro Annie Duke took the time to jokingly Tweet, “LOL! I'm a little surprised team USA can't find a goalie fat enough to block the entire net.” The Americans grinded their way back and, with less than 30 seconds to go in the game, tied the score at 2-2. Even L.A. Poker Classic tournament director Matt Savage was sidetracked by the gold medal game as he Tweeted, “Tournament room @LAPokerClassic went crazy when USA tied the game 2-2. @RealKidPoker (Daniel Negreanu) not happy!”
As the sudden death overtime period played out, many of the top names in poker were on pins and needles as the game continued. “High Stakes Poker” hostess Kara Scott alluded to this when she Tweeted, “Ugh, so tense with the Hockey. Come on CANADA.” After Canada’s Sidney Crosby slipped the game winner past Team USA’s Ryan Miller almost eight minutes into overtime, the victorious Canadian poker players/fans had much to say. “Yaaaaaaaaa!!!! What a game. Canada continues to reign supreme on the ice. Oh that was so awesome!,” Daniel Negreanu fired out over the Twitterscape after the win. “Poker2Nite” host Scott Huff was less than impressed when he Tweeted, “Oh come on. Canada celebrating winning the gold in hockey is like me celebrating paying my bills on time.”
Poker’s best also found some time to play in the L.A. Poker Classic while the Winter Olympics were wrapping up. Duke, who played deep into the WPT championship tournament, noted in her Tweet, “HowardHLederer just got drawn to my table. Luckily he's on my right lol.” Adam “Roothlus” Levy admired the chip stacking skills of Full Tilt’s Carlos Mortensen in his Tweet and accented it with a picture, saying, “Carlos Mortensen's stack. He should be an architect. Such vision.”
Negreanu lamented his table on Sunday when he Tweeted, “Brutal seat @lapokerclassic Steve Sung on my right Carlos Mortensen on my left, and to his left the guy who crushed me yesterday.” The table must have been difficult, as soon after “Kid Poker” came back and Tweeted, “Very disappointed on how I played the last hand. Going to cool off by chilling in LA for a bit. Weather is awesome. Should have shoved!” The pros didn’t do badly during the LAPC WPT Main Event, with Negreanu cashing in 66th place, Duke dropping out in 19th place, and Sung and Mortensen falling short of the WPT final table in eighth and ninth place, respectively.
On the lighter side of Twitter, players Lacey Jones and Alex Outhred bantered about Outhred potentially having to sit in for Jones on “Poker2Nite.” With Jones facing flight delays in Canada and potentially missing the taping of the popular poker show, Outhred volunteered to take her place. “@Poker2Nite get me a wig, razor, man-spanx, and make-up. I think I could double for @LaceyJones,” Alex Tweeted to the producers. Lacey was quick to fire back, “@alexpokerguy Ur a life saver. But don't forget to stuff your bra! Haha.”
Twitter continues to provide entertainment for millions around the world and the poker community just makes it better. Poker News Daily follows poker in Twitter and adds to the enjoyment itself. Be sure to follow @pokernewsdaily on your Twitter account for all the latest news and information from the world of poker.
Tags: Annie Duke, Canada, canadian, Daniel Negreanu, high stakes, kara scott, poker player, poker show, skill, tournament, usa
A.J. Benza Levels About High Stakes Poker
“High Stakes Poker” Season 6 is currently underway on cable station GSN. One notable difference from the first five seasons is the absence of commentator A.J. Benza, who was let go in favor of bringing on floor reporter Kara Scott. Poker News Daily sat down with Benza to get his take on the show’s sixth cycle, which airs on Sundays at 8:00pm ET.
Poker News Daily: What are your thoughts on the sixth season of “High Stakes Poker,” which kicked off on February 14th on GSN?
A.J. Benza: I saw the premiere. When Gabe Kaplan was speaking, I was sitting on my couch and making the same comments I would have if we were taping it. I called Gabe and said it was different. He’s one of the best commentators of our time and I’m lucky to have been with him for five seasons. I missed that most of all - we had a lot of chemistry from being from the same neighborhood in Brooklyn.
I wish I could speak to GSN about why they did what they did. When I got the call that they were going another direction, I was more than mildly upset, not to mention financially upset. I knew it wasn’t a money thing and you can’t help but take it to heart. I said the show wouldn’t be the same. Nothing against Kara Scott, but you fall into the mold of the other shows.
I know that the ratings [for “High Stakes Poker” Season 6] aren’t what they were. It doesn’t mean that I’m the best guy to have in your poker studio, but it means that Gabe and I had a chemistry that worked. The only problem with having a floor reporter is that it’s like having a sideline reporter in a football game. It’s hard to stick a microphone in someone’s face and ask them how they feel after they’ve gotten felted or lost $200,000. GSN knew they were doing something controversial, but I don’t think they understood how controversial it was until the show aired.
PND: How did “High Stakes Poker” change your broadcasting and media career?
A.J. Benza: When I was a journalist in New York, I was always doing television appearances. I came out to L.A. for a show on the E! Network called “Mysteries and Scandals” and that put me on the map in Hollywood as an on-air personality. I hosted a few other shows in Hollywood and was fortunate in that respect. By the same token, network executives step in and try to do things different ways. It taught me a lesson – that’s showbiz. It’s like the phrase “That’s poker.”
PND: What about the first five seasons of “High Stakes Poker” stands out the most and why?
A.J. Benza: I’ve gambled all my life on football and go to Las Vegas a lot. I never saw men and women that could be down a few hundred thousand dollars without any perspiration at all. I have a huge amount of respect for them. They’re all immensely talented. There is so much to learn about poker. It’s brutal, it’s messy, it’s very mathematical, and it’s a nasty game, but you have to be a gentleman about it.
PND: What’s next on your agenda?
A.J. Benza: I’m writing a screenplay. This all happened in the middle of me writing a book, so now I am balancing that as well. There are a few radio personalities doing things with me and I’m doing a play out in Hollywood. I’ve been busy.
PND: We’ve had a tidal wave of comments from PND readers calling for your return to “High Stakes Poker.” Is it flattering to see that kind of support from the poker community?
A.J. Benza: It’s beyond words. I didn’t know anything about high-stakes poker when I started. From reading TwoPlusTwo and other forums, poker players hated me at first. Gabe was off and running and I didn’t know much more than flop, turn, and river. Once I knew the game to an extent, I wanted to stay true to the guy at home who doesn’t know everything about poker. I wanted to be the armchair quarterback who asked the questions and let Gabe take it from there.
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Tags: kara scott
WSOP Europe Main Event Coverage Wraps Up on ESPN2
On Sunday night, ESPN2’s coverage of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe Main Event wrapped up with Barry Shulman defeating Daniel Negreanu heads-up to claim the top prize of ?801,000.
Negreanu entered as the short stack at the table, but quickly ascended the chip counts. He flopped top pair against Markus Ristola to move to eighth in chips and then flopped a set of aces against Jason Mercier’s turned set of threes to double up and move to third in chips. His run at the beginning of the WSOP Europe Main Event final table was proof that all you need in poker is a chip and a chair. Negreanu told ESPN’s Kara Scott in a segment called “Cab Chat” that he feels at home in London because of the city’s abundance of vegan-friendly foods.
Sitting in third in chips, Negreanu called a raise to 62,000 from WSOP Main Event November Niner James Akenhead, who held pocket eights. The flop came 6-4-9, giving Negreanu top pair with 10-9, and Akenhead check-called a bet of 100,000. The turn was a six and Akenhead once again check-called a bet, this time of 162,000. The action went check-check when a five struck on the river and the dealer pushed the 711,000-chip pot to Negreanu, boosting him to second on the leaderboard.
Akenhead was eliminated in ninth place after running A-Q into Negreanu’s pocket kings. The board came J-6-4-9-Q, giving Akenhead ninth place finishes in the WSOP Las Vegas and London Main Events. Matt Hawrilenko was ousted in eighth place after trying to steal the blinds and antes with J-7. Shulman made the call with A-Q and Hawrilenko could not catch up.
Frenchman Antoine Saout, another November Niner, exited in seventh place after coming out on the short end of a race against Negreanu with pocket fives against A-Q of spades. Negreanu flopped a flush draw, which hit on the river to give the PokerStars pro both eliminations of the November Nine members. Shortly thereafter, poker veteran and two-time bracelet winner Chris Bjorin finished in sixth after running A-J into Negreanu’s A-Q. Negreanu ultimately moved from ninth place to first in an awe-inspiring comeback.
The first of two one-hour episodes on ESPN2 ended with Ristola departing in fifth place. Negreanu was his executioner, leading to four-handed action at the Casino at the Empire in London featuring four bracelet winners. To begin the second episode, local poker pro Praz Bansi called Shulman’s all-in with pocket kings on a flop of 6-8-4 with two spades. Shulman held A-9 of the suit and spiked an ace on the turn to double up.
Mercier, who held over 30% of the chips in play heading into the final table, was the tournament’s fourth place finisher. Mercier was all-in with a wired pair of sevens and up against Negreanu’s pocket nines. Mercier could not overcome being a 4:1 underdog and was eliminated. Negreanu had knocked out his fifth player at the final table.
Shulman doubled up again, this time after flopping top pair with K-J on a 4-K-9 board. Shulman check-raised all-in and Bansi called, turning over K-8 for top pair with a weaker kicker. The board filled out 6-10 and Shulman moved to 3.9 million in chips. Bansi was knocked out after reluctantly committing his chips with Q-2 of hearts. Negreanu called with A-Q and claimed his fifth straight victim and sixth overall at the final table of the 2009 WSOP Europe Main Event.
Negreanu held a 3:2 chip lead entering heads-up play, but doubled up Shulman after the CardPlayer Magazine owner was all-in with A-5 of hearts on a flop of 6-8-K with two hearts. Negreanu called with pocket aces, but another heart on the turn gave Shulman a flush.
Negreanu battled back and was one card away from claiming his fifth bracelet. Shulman was all-in with pocket aces against Negreanu’s Q-J on a board of 5-8-J. The turn brought another jack, leaving Shulman drawing to one of two remaining aces in the deck otherwise Negreanu would win the title. Sure enough, a bullet pierced the river and Shulman doubled up.
In the final hand, Negreanu was all-in pre-flop with pocket fours against Shulman’s pocket tens and could not draw out. Shulman won his second WSOP bracelet and Negreanu took home a £495,000 consolation prize. Former WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack presented Shulman with his championship trophy as the credits rolled.
ESPN2 will air the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Venetian Main Event and High-Roller tournament beginning on April 19th. Re-runs of the WSOP Europe Main Event will air on ESPN2 in the coming days, so check your local listings for more information.
Jason Mercier Joins High Stakes Poker Cast
The third episode of Season 6 of GSN’s “High Stakes Poker” aired on Sunday night at 8:00pm ET. Team PokerStars Pro member Jason Mercier joined the set and Daniel Negreanu pushed all-in, but ultimately chopped the pot.
Two players had gone broke in the first two episodes, as UB.com pro Phil Hellmuth and Andreas Hoivold each dropped $200,000. The latter’s seat remained empty as Sunday night’s “High Stakes Poker” kicked off, but Mercier soon joined the fray. “High Stakes Poker” announcer Gabe Kaplan commented on Mercier’s appearance: “He looks more like a swimmer to me than a poker player.”
While Mercier was busy stacking his pile of $100 bills, he picked up pocket twos and raised to $5,500. Tom “durrrr” Dwan came over the top to $19,200 with A-3 and Mercier folded. Curiosity began to build as to what Mercier had, with Eli Elezra laying 3:1 odds that the newcomer held a better hand than Dwan. Victory Poker pro Antonio Esfandiari and others at the table took Elezra up on his bet, with Mercier later admitting that he had pocket deuces, setting up what would have been a coin flip.
2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event November Nine member Phil Ivey tangled with Danish poker superstar Gus Hansen, who raised to $5,600 pre-flop with A-K. Ivey made the call with pocket eights and the flop came 5-J-J. Ivey check-called a $6,800 bet from Hansen to bring another five on the turn. Ivey once again check-called a bet from the Dane, this time $13,200, and a seven hit on the river. The action went check-check and Ivey scooped the $54,000 pot. He entered the episode up more than $250,000.
In the episode’s second largest pot, Hansen raised to $4,200 pre-flop with 6-4 of spades, Dwan made the call with A-6 of clubs, and Elezra came along with K-8 of hearts. With each player holding suited cards, the flop came K-9-3, giving Elezra top pair. He checked the action to Hansen, who bet $9,900. Dwan got out of the way and Elezra called to bring another three on the turn. Elezra check-called a bet of $25,500 and an ace hit on the river. Elezra once again checked the best hand, Hansen fired out a third bullet to the tune of $62,200, and Elezra insta-called.
The pot totaled $209,800 and after it panned out, Hansen sat down with “High Stakes Poker” floor reporter Kara Scott to relive the hand. On the failed triple barrel bluff, he explained, “I stuck to my plan, which from the beginning was okay, but in the end with the cards on the board was horrible.” Hansen left the table after the hand was over and did not return for the duration of the episode.
Then, it was Negreanu’s turn to take center stage. After being active throughout much of the hour-long show, he raised to $3,000 pre-flop with 9-7 of diamonds and Dwan made it $11,200 after picking up pocket queens. Ivey came along with pocket eights and Negreanu called. The flop came 4-9-J, giving Negreanu middle pair, and Dwan made an $18,200 continuation bet with his overpair. Ivey folded and Negreanu moved all-in for $88,400. Dwan quickly called and the pair agreed to run the board twice.
The first board filled out 2-J, giving Dwan half of the pot. On the second board, an ace hit the turn, but Negreanu spiked a five-outer on the river when a nine fell. The $212,200 pot, the largest of the night, was chopped as a result.
Two vignettes appeared during Sunday’s installment. “30 Seconds with Kara Scott” focused on the competitors’ most memorable winning sessions. Meanwhile, the PokerStars-sponsored “Did You Know” discussed the five-month marathon poker session between Johnny Moss and Nick “The Greek” Dandolos. Both were charter inductees into the Poker Hall of Fame.
Next week on “High Stakes Poker,” Dario Minieri gets aggressive and Negreanu stumps Elezra. The cash game franchise airs at 8:00pm ET on Sunday nights on GSN.
Francesco Totti Joins PartyPoker.it
Born in Rome, Totti has succeeded on almost every level of soccer he played over the span of his career.
Totti, who is nicknamed “Er Pupone,” started playing for his hometown team Roma when he was just 16 and is now the number one goalscorer and most capped player in team history.
On the international stage Totti has been a fixture of the Italian national team since 2000 and was a member of the Italian squad that beat France to win the World Cup in 2006.
Totti won the Italian Footballer of the Year award five times and was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in 2004.
The Italian superstar now brings his considerable presence to the online tables on PartyPoker.it.
“I have faced many challenges in my career and I always apply myself with skill, intelligence, loyalty and passion,” said Totti.
“You need all these abilities for poker and it is also a game that excites me and is a lot of fun. Thanks to PartyPoker.it, I am able to combine my passion for sport and the challenge of poker.”
PartyPoker.it representatives were thrilled to have Totti onboard.
“We expect Totti to become the most capped player and number one goalscorer in our history,” said a PartyPoker.it spokesman.
“He is one of the greatest football players of his generation - the question is now will he be one of the greatest poker players of his generation too? What Totti strives for he normally succeeds in achieving! He is a huge signing.”
Totti wasn’t the only significant player signed by the PartyPoker brand this week.
On Wednesday PartyPoker announced it had signed notable poker player Dragan Galic to Team Party. Galic is a 35-year-old Croation/German from Schneverdingin, who has over $900,000 in tournament winnings and an EPT final table.
Galic joins Mike Sexton, Kara Scott, Tony G, Ian Frazer, Felipe “Mojave” Ramos, Bodo Sbrzesny and Remy Biechel on Team Party.
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High Stakes Poker hostess Kara Scott returns to Irish Open
NBC Heads-Up Field Released
Familiar faces like Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth and Chris "Jesus" Ferguson will be back to compete in the bracket-style head-to-head format for $1.5 million in combined prize money Mar. 5-7.
Plus, several newcomers including PokerListings Blogger and Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier, 2009 World Series of Poker champion Joe Cada, 2009 WSOP Main Event runner-up Darvin Moon, and High Stakes Poker host Kara Scott will be in the field of 64 trying to take down last year's champ Huck Seed.
"The lineup of competitors for this year's event is the best yet," said Jon Miller, executive vice president of NBC Sports.
"Continually bringing together the best of the best to compete in this unique format has made the National Heads-Up Poker Championship one of the most anticipated poker events of the year."
The event will be taped for broadcast on NBC over six consecutive Sundays in April and May.
The first round opponents for the brackets will be chosen at random during the GoDaddy.com Draw Party held at PURE Nightclub at Caesars Palace Mar. 4.
Below is a list of the entire 64-player field less seven spaces for online qualifiers.
Patrick Antonius Eric Baldwin Andy Bloch Doyle Brunson
Joe Cada Johnny Chan Don Cheadle Allen Cunningham
Pieter De-Korver Annie Duke Tom Dwan Peter Eastgate
Eli Elezra Antonio Esfandiari Sam Farha Chris Ferguson
Ted Forrest Jamie Gold Phil Gordon Barry Greenstein
Bertrand Grospellier Joe Hachem Gus Hansen Jennifer Harman
Phil Hellmuth Orel Hershiser Jesper Hougaard Phil Ivey
John Juanda Gabe Kaplan J.P. Kelly Phil Laak
Howard Lederer Erick Lindgren Mike Matusow Jason Mercier
Dario Minieri Chris Moneymaker Darvin Moon Greg Mueller
Daniel Negreanu Scotty Nguyen Annette Obrestad Brock Parker
Dennis Phillips Greg Raymer Vanessa Rousso Kara Scott
Huck Seed Erik Seidel Mike Sexton Gavin Smith
Jennifer Tilly Paul Wasicka David Williams Leo Wolpert
Jerry Yang
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Poker In Twitter: The Tiger Woods Apology and WPT Invitational
With plenty of action on the felt and away from the tables, the crème of the poker world’s Twitter accounts were buzzing about their activities. Poker News Daily has gleaned the best of these Tweets to let you know what is going on in many poker players’ lives.
On Friday, the poker community was gripped – much like the rest of the world – by the live statement from professional golfer Tiger Woods. After an auto accident on Thanksgiving, Woods disappeared for three months with no comments on the allegations of marital infidelity and any details on what happened on that night. Friday brought Woods’ 13 minute speech in which he earnestly apologized to many in the golf and business worlds; his act of contrition brought out comments from the poker community as to his sincerity.
Former FBI agent Joe Navarro, who has made tremendous inroads in the world of poker tells through his book with Phil Hellmuth called “Read ‘Em And Reap,” used his analytical skills in reading Woods’ body language during the speech. Navarro noted in his Tweet, “In re woods, yes he looked honest, contrite, pained, genuinely sorry. He just took too long. Should have done this weeks ago, bad advisers.” Poker pro Alex Outhred had a warning for those who backed away from Woods during this time, Tweeting, “In the golf world, there are those that had Tigers back through his ordeal, and those that didn't. The latter are gonna get their comeuppins.” Poker2Nite’s Scott Huff brought a different look at the Woods apology when he Tweeted, “It would really be something if Tiger just came out and said, “f*** y’all.”
After the Woods press conference, attention of many poker players in the Twitterverse turned to what they do best – play poker. The L.A. Poker Classic opened the doors for the World Poker Tour (WPT) Celebrity Invitational and drew in 567 players, vastly outpacing last year’s 433 runners. The invitational drew in many participants from the music, movie, and television arenas and it seemed that the professional poker players in attendance were star struck by who they were playing against.
Prior to the start of the festivities on Saturday, Full Tilt Poker’s Mike Matusow indicated that he was ready for action when he Tweeted, “About to relax for a bit before I bust all these celebrity idiots in the invitational tonight.” Fellow Full Tilt pro Andy Bloch noted that he had a familiar adversary at the tables in his Tweet, saying “Playing WPT Inv with naked guy from Borat (actor Ken Davitian) who busted me at charity event at Hard Rock a few months ago.” Perhaps noted poker player/tournament director Linda Johnson was joking when she pointed out in her Tweet that she “(had) Shannon Elizabeth seated next to me. I'm probably the only one in the room who didn't know who she was.:)”
Poker pro Yuval Bronshtein Tweeted, “Just jumped in the celeb tourney. Jenny McCarthy and Toto Leonidas at my table. Pretty fun last few days for me!” Matthew Glantz had two celebrities who he recognized by their characters on television, although he did not know their real names. Glantz opened his Tweet saying, “Dr Hunt from Grey's Anatomy (actor Kevin McKidd) and Carlton Banks from Bel Air (actor Antonio Ribero) at the table now.”
As the play in the WPT Celebrity Invitational moved into action on Sunday, many of the top pros Tweeted about their departure from the event. Joe Reitman reported his demise by Tweeting, “Just got knocked out....clearly Teri Hatcher is a better player than me.” Perhaps poking some fun at his opponent’s television appearance, Jeff Madsen related through the Twitterscape, “Well, that was fast. All my chips belong to Tiffany Michelle now. She won an amazing race. Haha.” Michelle would drop out during play on Sunday also, Tweeting, “Out in 60th-ish of 500+ players. Ricki Lake called my all in with A7 & busted my AK. Nice. I deserve that when playing a CELEB tourney!” The final table of the WPT Celebrity Invitational will play out on March 3rd, with celebrity Trishelle Cannatella and Scandinavian poker legend Thor Hansen chasing chip leader Steve Elliott.
The top Tweets over the weekend were by female players this week. In a rarity from her, top poker player Kathy Liebert pointed out some of the idiosyncrasies in the online poker world when she Tweeted, “Who wouldn't want a playboy model endorsing their site? Why are women chosen on sex appeal and men chosen on ability?” As she prepared to leave Las Vegas after her work on the PartyPoker Premier League IV was completed, Kara Scott happily tweeted, “After almost 2 weeks in killer heels/makeup for work, I'm off to the airport with hair scraped back and wearing my fuzzy slippers.”
The poker world continues to provide detailed reports of its activities through its Twitter posts. Poker News Daily not only continues to bring you the best of those thoughts, but is also involved in the Twitterverse. Be sure to add @pokernewsdaily for the latest on the world of poker in Twitter.
Andreas Hoivold Goes Broke on High Stakes Poker
Two episodes of “High Stakes Poker” Season 6 have aired and two players have already dropped $200,000. Last week, UB.com pro Phil Hellmuth went busto on the popular GSN cash game show. This week, that distinction belonged to Ladbrokes pro Andreas Hoivold.
As Sunday night’s episode of “High Stakes Poker” began, 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event November Nine member Phil Ivey was up $300,000, while Hoivold was down $90,000. Ivey picked up right where he left off, being selectively aggressive. With a board reading J-4-A-4-9 with two spades, Ivey bet $25,000 with just K-2 and Tom “durrrr” Dwan folded Q-10 of spades for busted flush and straight draws. Then, Dwan raised to $3,300 pre-flop with K-J and Ivey pumped it to $15,000 with just 5-2. The action folded around and “High Stakes Poker” announcer Gabe Kaplan noted, “Phil Ivey right now is in the zone.”
Dwan held pocket kings and raised to $3,200 pre-flop, while Hoivold made the call with pocket fours. The action was checked down to the river, with the board filling out A-9-5-K-Q. Dwan led out for $5,700 with a set and Hoivold called, telling “High Stakes Poker” sideline reporter Kara Scott that he called in order to extract information about Dwan’s hand. Kaplan called $5,700 a hefty price to pay for information.
In a hand that showed the power of Ivey’s presence, the Full Tilt Poker pro raised to $3,000 pre-flop with Q-8. Daniel Negreanu called with A-4, including the ace of clubs, and Dwan came along with J-10. The flop came 2-4-J with two clubs. Ivey led out for $17,000 and both opponents called to see the nine of clubs fall on the turn, putting three of the suit on the board. Ivey bet $23,000, Negreanu called with the nut flush draw, and Dwan got out of the way, bringing the ace of hearts on the river. Ivey checked and Negreanu checked right behind despite holding aces-up, bringing the following comment from Kaplan: “That’s the Phil Ivey effect. He did not want Ivey to come over the top and raise it. He wouldn’t know what to do.”
Eli Elezra, who has appeared on all six seasons of GSN’s “High Stakes Poker,” joined the table to fill Hellmuth’s spot, telling Scott, “I don’t care if it’s a tough lineup or an easy lineup. I like to play.” He quickly tangled with PokerStars pro Dario Minieri, who held pocket eights and raised it up to $3,000. Elezra called with Q-10 and the flop came Q-7-7. Minieri made a $4,500 continuation bet and Elezra called. The turn was a five, prompting an $11,500 bet from Minieri. Elezra once again called to bring an eight on the river, giving Minieri a boat. The Italian checked, trying to set a trap for Elezra, but the wily poker veteran wisely checked behind.
With the board reading 3-10-6-Q with two hearts, Danish poker superstar Gus Hansen led out with 6-3 for $11,100 and Dwan called with Q-4. Hoivold, holding A-Q for top pair, made his move and raised to $50,000. Hansen, holding bottom two pair, pushed all-in, Dwan folded, and Hoivold called with his chip stack on the line. The duo agreed to run it twice, with the winner of each river scooping half of the pot. The first river was a nine, giving Hansen 50% of the $190,000 pot. The second river was an eight and Hoivold was busto.
New episodes of GSN’s “High Stakes Poker” air on Sunday nights at 8:00pm ET. Next week, 2009 Bluff Magazine Player of the Year Jason Mercier enters the fray, while Negreanu and Dwan build a massive pot when one goes all-in.
Tags: 2009, Daniel Negreanu, Gus Hansen, high stakes, kara scott, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, pokerstars, WSOP
Petition to Bring Back A.J. Benza to High Stakes Poker Gains Steam
The current season of GSN’s “High Stakes Poker” is off to a flying start, with one important change. Prior to the recording of the program in Las Vegas last November, longtime host A.J. Benza was dropped in favor of having analyst Gabe Kaplan run solo in the booth and veteran poker announcer Kara Scott interviewing players from the floor. This has led to a petition to return Benza to the program.
An online petition to bring Benza back to the popular cash game show is currently garnering a great deal of support from its fans. To many viewers, “High Stakes Poker,” which is now in its sixth season, was a program that didn’t need any changes to make it more appealing. Furthermore, the idea of following the trend of other poker shows - which normally have a female hostess who interacts with players or commentators - was something that many viewers didn’t want to see happen, especially at the cost of Benza being in the booth.
At this point, over 400 people have stated in a thread on TwoPlusTwo that they have signed the petition for Benza’s return or sent their opinions to GSN. In a poll regarding the decision, almost 600 people responded overwhelmingly (nearly 9:1) against the dismissal of Benza, even though Scott is a highly respected broadcaster in her own right. Scott has extensive broadcasting experience on the European Poker Tour (EPT) and currently can be seen on ESPN's production of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe. The general mood of the crowd regarding the change at “High Stakes Poker” seemed to be “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
The comments indicate that the dismissal of Benza and the addition of Scott have weakened a previously strong show. Poster “Golfing_Stud” commented, “I love Gabe. He’s by far the best poker announcer there is but A.J. was his straight man… we need him back. Kara can stay or go she doesn’t add a lot.” Fellow poster “EGarrett” agreed, stating, “Please don't mess with success in entertainment. It's so easy to screw things up. And do not make the show more like Poker After Dark by adding an interviewer. Something about PAD is lifeless and boring... apparently designed to get you to fall asleep in front of the TV and give them long term ratings.”
The “High Stakes Poker” Season 6 premiere aired last Sunday on GSN and, whether intentional or not, there was what seemed to be a “tip of the hat” to Benza. As the program opened, Kaplan stood alone on one side of the shot - as if he were making room for a second person - instead of being centered in the frame. This, for longtime viewers of “High Stakes Poker,” was quite odd. Poster “Dromar” saw this peculiarity and wrote, “It’s too overt to anyone who’s ever seen HSP before, and just looks weird to anyone who hasn’t. I would be delighted if AJ walked in at the beginning of the next episode and they were like 'lol just kidding, why the f*** would we copy PAD?'" “Dromar” finished off his post by stating, “I’m not holding my breath, though.”
Back when the change from Benza to Scott was announced, GSN Vice President of Programming and Development David Schiff told Poker News Daily, “We’re into the sixth season and we felt like it was time to freshen it up. Our feeling was that we wanted viewers to be in the room with the players. Gabe and A.J. did a good job, but they were disconnected from the action.” With the addition of Scott, who handles floor interviews, GSN has apparently achieved that goal. Whether viewers stick with future episodes of “High Stakes Poker” without Benza in the booth remains to be seen.
WSOP Europe on ESPN Ratings Fall 25% Amid Stiff Competition
The 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe has been airing on ESPN2, with three hours of coverage shown last Sunday. The ratings for the annual tournament series have dropped 25% year over year due to stiff competition.
ESPN officials haven’t been shy about putting WSOP Europe programming up against some of the world’s most watched television shows. The first installments hit airwaves on January 31st and featured a recap of the inaugural Caesars Cup, pitting top pros from North America against counterparts from Europe. The night marked the annual Grammy Awards on CBS, while the NFL Pro Bowl appeared on ESPN. On the heels of two staunch competitors, the WSOP Europe Caesars Cup on ESPN2 kicked off at 11:00pm ET and ran for two hours.
On February 7th, the most watched NFL Super Bowl in history featured the Indianapolis Colts taking on the New Orleans Saints. More than 106 million people tuned into the extravaganza, which saw a Tracy Porter interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter seal the Saints’ first Super Bowl title. Three hours of coverage on ESPN2 began at 10:00pm ET, about the same time as the Super Bowl ended, with exhausted poker fans asked to camp out for another 180 minutes to watch the WSOP Europe Main Event kick off.
Last weekend, Sunday marked both Valentine’s Day in the United States and the 2010 NBA All Star Game in Dallas, which drew the largest crowd ever for a basketball game at over 100,000 people. The NBA All Star Game aired on TNT and featured a who’s who of the sport, including Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, and Canada’s Steve Nash. ESPN2 aired another three hours of WSOP Europe Main Event coverage beginning at 11:00pm ET that night. By the time the telecast wrapped up, the field was trimmed down to the final nine players, led by Team PokerStars Pro member Jason Mercier, who held 30% of the chips in play.
Meanwhile, Valentine’s Day typically features couples spending quality time together, taking in pricey four-course dinners at restaurants and then curling up by the fire and watching Nick Cassavetes’ classic “The Notebook.” Accordingly, ESPN2 aired the male-dominated poker in a late night timeslot.
On February 12th, the 2010 Winter Olympics kicked off from Vancouver, pitting 82 nations against each other in sports like alpine skiing, curling, figure skating, and snowboarding. NBC has virtually abandoned all other programming in favor of the Olympics, including the poker franchise “Poker After Dark.” The Winter Olympics take place just once every four years.
A representative of ESPN told Poker News Daily that, despite the rigorous competition, the network was pleased with its showing for the 2009 WSOP Europe broadcasts: “It's no surprise that the ratings are down this year when we've been up against the Olympics, the Super Bowl, and the NBA All Star Game. We’re pleased with the production.” ESPN’s WSOP Europe coverage features Norman Chad providing commentary alongside Lon McEachern, with new “High Stakes Poker” floor reporter Kara Scott filming player interviews and other vignettes.
On February 28th at 9:00pm ET, ESPN2 will bring the final table of the 2009 WSOP Europe Main Event to primetime, as the telecast will run for two hours. Its competition that night will include the closing ceremonies of the Olympics and a men’s college basketball game pitting #6 Duke at ACC rival Virginia starting at 7:45pm ET.
ESPN officials stated that in 2009, WSOP Europe coverage ran head-to-head with the Super Bowl and NBA All Star Game. However, no Olympics were held last year. The network declined to release specific ratings figures until after the final two episodes aired at the end of February.
ESPN2 will also broadcast the first season of the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) beginning in April.
Poker in Twitter: Bonomo Versus Isildur1, LAPC Versus NAPT, and PartyPoker Premier League
With each new week, a fresh batch of Tweets from players lets us know what is going on in their lives and their poker games. Poker News Daily is here to let you know what the most interesting subjects are and where the players’ minds are at.
The return of the online phenomenon known as Isildur1 has been drawing the attention of poker fans around the world. Over the past week, the unknown Swede has stepped back into the limelight at Full Tilt Poker and there has been no lack of challengers for him to face. One of those players is noted online and live player Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo.
On Tuesday, Bonomo found Isildur1 on the virtual felt at Full Tilt and had a tough time overall. “Played Isildur1 yesterday,” Bonomo began his Tweet on Tuesday after losing over $500,000 to the Swedish sensation. “Was my biggest poker loss ever. I'm still up money overall for February. I will play him again.” Sure enough, Bonomo began his comeback against Isildur1 late on Wednesday night and the outcome was a bit different. “Crushed Isildur today. Can't wait to play him again,” “ZeeJustin” reported. He was cheered on by top flight cash game player Brad “Yukon” Booth, who commented, “Good on ya brotha !!”
The PartyPoker Premier League, which was in play over the weekend and will wrap up this evening at the M Casino and Resort in Las Vegas, has provided the Twitterverse with plenty of updates on the action. Perhaps the best demonstration of the swings of the Premier League matchups were Tweeted by Daniel Negreanu, as he kept his fans in tune with his play during the special invitational tournament. On Sunday, soon after losing out to eventual Heat #1 winner Phil Laak, Negreanu Tweeted, “Out 8th in Heat 1. Cooler hand: Flop 10 6 5 two clubs. I had 56 Laak had 66.” “Kid Poker” was able to turn it around later in the event, Tweeting, “YES! I won my heat today and knocked out PH who came 2nd. Playoff tomm vs JC Tran. I finish as the 5 seed after awful start.”
Perhaps the best Tweet about the PartyPoker Premier League has been from its hostess, new “High Stakes Poker” in-action interviewer and poker player Kara Scott. Scott has been at the tables for all of the preliminary heats - which are being taped for broadcast - and pointed out some of the oddities at an invitational event with such prestige. Scott’s Tweets didn’t take note of any of the play at the tables but accurately relayed the atmosphere of the Premier League scene. As the final preliminary event was in progress, Scott pointed out to her Tweeps, “It's 100k buy in event and (Roland) De Wolfe is wearing a Darth Vader costume and there's a stuffed monkey in Luke Schwartz's seat. Ummmm ok.”
The L.A. Poker Classic is currently grinding its way along to its WPT Main Event, but this weekend’s PokerStars North American Poker Tour stop at the Venetian has tournament director Matt Savage in a fighting mood on his Twitter feed. Savage, who has put together a 51-tournament schedule for the Los Angeles event, knows that he may lose some players to Las Vegas when the NAPT starts on Saturday. “Is hard to tell right now how much PS NAPT will screw over the LAPokerClassic as of now,” Savage Tweeted on Wednesday night. “I assume I will know more in the coming days.” After a quick poll of players around the Commerce Casino, where the L.A. Poker Classic is being played, Savage seemed much calmer when his Twitter buzzed, “Players WILL make short trip back to Commerce Casino as soon they bust NAPT and should make for an interesting Ironman event on Sunday.”
The winner for Tweet of the Week is 2008 World Series of Poker November Nine member Dennis Phillips. With the 2010 Winter Olympics in full swing in Vancouver and ESPN’s Gary Wise debating the merits of poker being in the Olympics, Phillips had the last word as to the logic of the issue. “Olympic Poker?,” Dennis Tweeted. “I told Gary Wise: “Any game where Phil Hellmuth could be an Olympian shouldn’t be an Olympic sport.”
Wherever they may be and whatever they may be doing, poker’s top names always let their fans know what is going on through the Twitterverse. Poker News Daily continues to monitor the top names in the game for their varied and sometimes hilarious thoughts. Poker News Daily contributes to the world of Twitter also, so be sure to add @pokernewsdaily for the latest information on the world of poker and the Twitter scene.
Tags: 2008, 2010, Daniel Negreanu, high stakes, interview, kara scott, Phil Hellmuth, poker player, pokerstars, tournament, vegas, WSOP
Opinion: High Stakes Poker 6th Season premiere wasn’t that good without AJ Benza
It didn’t take long after the criticism began. The common opinion in the poker forums seems to be that High Stakes Poker is not the same show without AJ Benza. Although people liked the first episode, they found it had many flaws.
AJ Benza
Many people thinks that the friendly chatter and joking between AJ Benza and Gabe Kaplan was a big part of the whole High Stakes Poker experience. Now, when Gabe is alone in the booth, there’s something missing. People also thinks that the new host, Kara Scott, isn’t bringing anything to the show - and that her player interviews are just useless.
Also the show seemed to be quite short; only 45 minutes. We are pretty sure the earlier seasons had longer episodes.
Of course there’s lots of people who like the renewal as well. But let’s wait for few more episodes to come out and see how it goes.
Read about HSP from Two Plus Two forums.
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Opinion: High Stakes Poker 6th Season premiere wasn’t that good without AJ Benza
Phil Hellmuth Goes Broke on High Stakes Poker Season 6 Premiere
Those without a valentine on Sunday were treated to the debut of “High Stakes Poker” Season 6 on GSN, which featured UB.com pro Phil Hellmuth drop $200,000 in a matter of minutes. Kara Scott and Gabe Kaplan hosted.
Kaplan, who has previously appeared alongside A.J. Benza, will fly solo this season, while Scott will bring the action to life from the floor of the “High Stakes Poker” suite. Six of the eight players began with $200,000, while Phil Ivey and Tom “durrrr” Dwan bought in for $500,000. After dropping a pot early to Norwegian poker player Andreas Hoivold, Hellmuth limped pre-flop with A-Q of clubs, Ivey called with 10-6, and Hoivold came along with J-8 from the big blind. The flop came 3-K-4, missing everyone, and Ivey bet $2,000. Hellmuth called to see an eight on the turn. Ivey once again bet, this time $6,000, and Hellmuth got out of the way.
On the next hand, Hellmuth held A-J and raised to $4,000 pre-flop. Ivey, holding pocket queens, made it $15,000. Hellmuth pushed the action to $40,000 and Ivey shoved all-in, having Hellmuth covered. The UB.com pro deliberated, explaining, “I’m thinking about making a thin call.” Hellmuth ultimately folded and Dwan told Ivey that he’d pay $2,000 if Ivey flipped over a pair of jacks or better. However, Ivey declined and Hellmuth was quickly down $50,000.
After seven-way action to a flop of 7-6-5 with two spades, Dwan bet $3,800 with 7-4, Antonio Esfandiari called with A-Q of spades, and Hellmuth called with K-2 of spades. Then, disaster struck for Hellmuth, as the eight of spades peeled off on the turn, giving him the second nut flush. Esfandiari bet out $11,100 with the ace-high flush and Hellmuth called to see a 10 on the river. Esfandiari bet $32,000 and Hellmuth elected just to call, shipping the $104,800 pot to Esfandiari. The duo discussed the hand with Scott and Hellmuth once again noted that Esfandiari has run him over in recent years.
Several hands later, four players saw a flop of 6-4-7 with two hearts. Ivey led out for $6,000 with K-9 of hearts and Hellmuth raised to $26,000 with J-5 of hearts. On Ivey’s plans, Kaplan explained to “High Stakes Poker” viewers, “There’s a good chance he’s going to put Phil Hellmuth all-in right now.” Ivey asked for a count, but just called, and the turn brought the king of diamonds. Ivey checked top pair and Hellmuth shoved for $82,300 into a pot around $60,000. Ivey called, leaving Hellmuth drawing to an eight or three on the river. Hellmuth asked Ivey if he wanted to run the board three times, but Ivey declined. The river was the 10 of hearts, which gave Ivey the better flush. Just like that, Hellmuth departed, out $200,000.
A segment called “30 Seconds with Kara Scott” asked Hellmuth’s opponents to describe him in 10 words or less. Another new segment was the PokerStars-sponsored “Did You Know,” which featured Daniel Negreanu discussing the origins of the Dead Man’s Hand. It turns out that the real Dead Man’s Hand is not aces and eights, but rather jacks full of tens.
Meanwhile, Ivey continued his demolition on the Season 6 debut of “High Stakes Poker,” as, on a flop of 5-4-J, Negreanu bet $25,000 with 9-6 and Ivey called with pocket fours for a set. The turn was a 10 and Negreanu check-folded to a bet of $60,000. Ivey was up $233,000 at the time, more than the show’s typical buy-in.
The final pot of the night on “High Stakes Poker” grew Ivey’s bankroll even further. Hoivold raised to $2,600 with pocket fives and Negreanu called with J-10. Ivey called with pocket sixes and the flop came 4-K-6. Ivey checked middle set, Hoivold bet $4,600, Negreanu called, and Ivey pumped it to $20,000. Hoivold reached for chips and fired out a bet of $56,000. Negreanu abandoned ship and Ivey asked for a count before pushing all-in. Hoivold folded, and, in just one episode, Ivey was up over $330,000.
Gus Hansen and Dario Minieri also appeared on the Season 6 kickoff episode. Next week, Eli Elezra joins the table and another player goes broke. New episodes of “High Stakes Poker” air at 8:00pm ET on Sunday nights on GSN.
Most Memorable Hands from High Stakes Poker, Part 1
WSOP Europe Main Event Coverage Kicks off on ESPN2
Sunday night featured the New Orleans Saints capturing the team’s first Super Bowl title. When the game ended, ESPN2 aired not one, not two, but three hours of coverage of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe Main Event.
The festivities kicked off at 10:00pm ET on the cable station, about the same time as the Super Bowl wrapped up on CBS. The first hour of coverage was dedicated to Day 1A and included UB.com pro Phil Hellmuth and DoylesRoom namesake Doyle Brunson at the feature table. Hellmuth arrived dressed as Caesar and flanked by a handful of scantily clad women. ESPN announcer Norman Chad quipped, “Frankly, I would revoke his passport.” All Brunson could do was shake his head.
Table 2 featured Full Tilt’s Andy Bloch, Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, and Beth Shak. Bloch flopped a set of deuces against Robert Campbell’s straight flush draw, but an ace on the turn filled Campbell’s straight and the former MIT Blackjack Team member was crippled. Bloch was eliminated shortly thereafter from the 2009 WSOP Europe Main Event. Reigning National Heads-Up Championship winner Huck Seed was all-in with K-J, but could not withstand Hoyt Corkins’ Q-J. The flop came queen-high and Seed was sent to the rails.
Hellmuth doubled through Gilbert Diaz after raising pre-flop with 10-7, shoving all-in on a 10-high flop with top pair against two pair, and promptly hitting a straight on the turn. Not so fortunate was Durrrr Challenge combatant Patrik Antonius, who held A-Q against an opponent’s A-6. The two got it all-in on a board reading 3-9-A-6 and the river blanked out, eliminating Antonius. Chad described Antonius’ physique as “exquisite” on multiple occasions. Also finding the rail on Day 1A were Phil Ivey, Jeffrey Lisandro, and Roland de Wolfe.
The second ESPN2 episode on Sunday night contained coverage of Day 1B, whose stacked feature table included Caesars Cup captains Daniel Negreanu and Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad, Barry Greenstein, and Mohsin “chicagocards1” Charania. Negreanu doubled after flopping a set with pocket twos and turning a full house. Also ascending the leaderboard was Freddy Deeb, who doubled up after turning two pair.
Former Bodog pro Jean-Robert Bellande hit the skids after failed run-ins with Scotty Nguyen and CardRunners instructor Eric Liu. On the opposite end of the spectrum was Victory Poker front man Antonio Esfandiari, who doubled up with A-Q of diamonds against an opponent’s A-J of spades when the board fell 2-7-6-2-K.
The hand of the episode was between retired tournament grinder Shaun Deeb and Negreanu. The Team PokerStars Pro member announced, “I’m going to pound you back a little more” and double-fisted raising chips into the pot. Deeb contended that Negreanu put in a string raise that shouldn’t count. Despite two bona fide pros competing in the hand, floor officials were called and ruled that the raise stood. Deeb retorted, “That’s a terrible ruling.”
The final episode of the evening featured coverage of Day 2, which saw the survivors of Day 1A and Day 1B take to the felts. Brunson scooped back-to-back pots with pocket kings to open play and a debate ensued between “Texas Dolly” and Hellmuth as to whether Hellmuth’s grand entrances are good for poker. Brunson contended, “I wish I could have applied for the role of Brutus.”
Hellmuth was eliminated with J-8 against Esfandiari’s Q-J. He called all-in on a board reading 8-10-Q-10-10, giving both players boats, and Hellmuth’s tirade began. Bystander Jeff Madsen lent his ear to Hellmuth, who complained, “How the fuck do you get so lucky and hit a 10 so you can move in there?” Esfandiari chuckled, “Nothing better than torturing Phil Hellmuth.”
After a commercial break, ESPN cameras found Hellmuth still barking at Esfandiari. The UB.com pro explained, “That’s why you don’t have as many titles as you should, because you play big pots with jacks,” referring to a previous hand. In an interview with ESPN hostess Kara Scott, Esfandiari issued a $100,000 heads-up challenge to Hellmuth where the winner would also shoot the loser with a taser gun.
One of the potential men behind the Isildur1 moniker, Viktor Blom, shipped a massive stack to Ian Munns. On a flop of A-A-3, Blom check-raised to 58,000 with K-2, Munns made it 116,000 with A-7, and Blom shoved over the top with air. Munns called as a 96% favorite to win the hand and a 10 on the turn sent Blom out. The rest of the table laughed at the hand and Munns became the overwhelming chip leader thanks to the blow up. Elsewhere, WSOP Main Event November Nine member Antoine Saout was crippled in a hand against David Docherty.
Curiously, eventual winner Barry Shulman’s name was not mentioned during the three episodes, although an image of him appeared in the closing montage. Five more episodes will air as part of ESPN2’s coverage of the 2009 WSOP Europe Main Event, including three more hours on Valentine’s Day weekend:
Sunday, February 14th: 11:00pm ET
Monday, February 15th: 12:00am ET
Monday, February 15th: 1:00am ET
Sunday, February 28th: 9:00pm ET
Sunday, February 28th: 10:00pm ET
GSN to Air High Stakes Poker Marathon Leading Up to Season 6 Premiere
Cable station GSN will air an eight-hour marathon of its hit cash game show “High Stakes Poker” leading up to the premiere of Season 6. The action begins at Noon ET on Sunday, February 14th.
If you don’t have a valentine in 2010, don’t sweat. You can curl up beside the fireplace with your remote control and watch eight hours’ worth of highlights from “High Stakes Poker” Seasons 1 to 5 as part of GSN’s I Love Poker Marathon. The highlights will ramp viewers up for the kickoff episode of Season 6, which will air at 8:00pm ET. If you’re at a pricey Italian restaurant with your valentine and miss the premiere, encore episodes can be seen at 11:00pm ET and 2:00am ET on Sunday nights. The eight episodes leading up to the Season 6 premiere are some of the most memorable in “High Stakes Poker” history.
When Season 6 debuts, viewers will only hear Gabe Kaplan call the action on “High Stakes Poker.” His partner in crime for five seasons, A.J. Benza, will not return for the show’s sixth cycle after a messy divorce from GSN. Instead, seasoned tournament reporter Kara Scott will assume reporting duties from the floor of the “High Stakes Poker” suite. In 2009, Scott became only the second woman in history to cash in the Main Event of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in back-to-back years. She recently moved to California and is a sponsored pro of the popular online poker site PartyPoker.
An impressive lineup will take to the “High Stakes Poker” felts this season. Those who can be seen when the sixth installment of the show unfolds on GSN include Patrik Antonius, David Benyamine, Doyle Brunson, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Eli Elezra, Antonio Esfandiari, Barry Greenstein, Phil Hellmuth, Andreas Hoivold, Phil Ivey, Mike Matusow, Daniel Negreanu, Dennis Phillips, and Lex Veldhuis.
Neither Hellmuth nor Ivey appeared on the fifth season of “High Stakes Poker;” both will add a considerable level of interest to the show in 2010. Ivey only took to the felts as part of Season 3, while Hellmuth last appeared during Season 4. “High Stakes Poker” was filmed at the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas in November for the second consecutive season. Just a few days prior, Ivey finished seventh in the 2009 WSOP Main Event, earning $1.4 million.
“High Stakes Poker” Season 6 has a $200,000 minimum buy-in. Past installments have featured a bevy of heavy hitters including L.A. Lakers owner Jerry Buss, Johnny Chan, Sammy Farha, Joe Hachem, Howard Lederer, Daniel Alaei, and Bodog pro David Williams. Last season featured the largest single pot awarded in “High Stakes Poker” history, with Dwan and Greenstein pushing their money into the center of the table after the flop came 2-4-Q with two spades. Greenstein held pocket aces for an overpair, while Dwan held K-Q of spades for top pair and a flush draw. The turn was another queen and the river blanked out for Greenstein, shipping the $919,000 pot to Dwan.
This time around, Dwan takes to the felts as a card-carrying member of Team Full Tilt. Dwan signed with the world’s second largest online poker site one week before filming began. The first season of “High Stakes Poker” aired in January 2006 and has become an industry staple. Among those who have made waves is Greenstein, who is set to udder the three most feared words in all of poker during Season 6 in the name of charity: “bing, blang blaow.” Previous catch phrases for Greenstein have included “Math is Idiotic” and “LOL donkaments.”
Catch the I Love Poker “High Stakes Poker” marathon beginning at Noon ET on Sunday, February 14th on GSN.
6 Set For Valentine’s Day Premier
The sixth season of the popular show will premier on the Network Sunday Feb. 14, featuring a familiar line-up of renowned poker champions, cash game specialists and promising up-and-comers.
Producers are also promising a brand-new look and feel for the show that puts viewers in the thick of the poker action.
Poker player and former European Poker Tour presenter Kara Scott will join Gabe Kaplan as co-host this season, but not before GSN airs an eight-hour "I LOVE POKER" marathon featuring highlights from past seasons of the show prior to the premier Sunday.
In addition to the usual cash-game action, Scott will report from the High Stakes Poker suite this season, interviewing players about strategy, table dynamics and giving viewers first-hand feedback after significant hands.
Featuring $200,000 minimum buy-in, the new season is promising the toughest line-up ever, including pros Patrik Antonius, David Benyamine, Doyle Brunson, Tom "durrrr" Dwan, Eli Elezra, Antonio Esfandiari, Barry Greenstein, Phil Hellmuth, Andreas Hoivold, Phil Ivey, Mike Matusow, Daniel Negreanu, Dennis Phillips and Lex Veldhuis.
The premier episode will air Feb. 14 at 8:00 p.m. ET and subsequent episodes will air Sundays at 8 p.m. ET with encore airings at 11 p.m. ET and 2 a.m. ET on GSN.
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Kara Scott Previews High Stakes Poker Season 6
Debuting on February 14th at 8:00pm ET on GSN is Season 6 of the popular cash game show “High Stakes Poker.” This time around, hostess Kara Scott will conduct interviews in the “High Stakes Poker” suite, replacing A.J. Benza. Scott sat down with Poker News Daily to preview the upcoming cycle.
Poker News Daily: Thanks for joining us. Talk a little bit about your experience filming the sixth season of “High Stakes Poker,” your first with the program.
Kara Scott: I was pretty nervous heading into it because it’s such an iconic show for poker. There are so many people who love it and my best friend even said not to ruin it. It’s all very exciting and getting to be on the set and talking to the players was just so much fun for me. It’s fun to pick their brains about strategy.
PND: What was the background to you joining the show?
Kara Scott: GSN wanted to bring someone in to work on the floor. That person wouldn’t just be asking general interview questions. Instead, they would be someone who knew poker more deeply in order to get into the heads of the players. Obviously, it’s a completely different role than what A.J. Benza did. What A.J. did was great and I certainly couldn’t replace what he did. I’m glad they brought me in, though. It was surprising, flattering, and exciting.
PND: Did the signing take you by surprise?
Kara Scott: Poker is a pretty small industry, so I knew some of the people involved. I worked on filming WSOP Europe with Poker PROductions and knew the people on the crew, but it definitely caught me off-guard.
PND: Talk about what you’re looking forward to the most when the action unfolds on GSN on Sunday, February 14th.
Kara Scott: I hope I asked the right questions because it’s all such a blur. There were three days of filming and they were long days. I can’t wait to watch it and hope I was coherent.
PND: What’s it like being the love interest of ESPN poker announcer Norman Chad?
Kara Scott: He came up to me during the WSOP Main Event last year and asked me why I never returned his calls. He was pretty funny. He’s a nice guy and has always been very kind to me.
PND: Tell us about your relationship with the Canadian Poker Tour (CPT).
Kara Scott: I’m going to be playing in some of their events. I’ve never played in Canada, so that should be a lot of fun. There are some tournaments in Vancouver and some on the east side of the country as well.
PND: Has the hectic lifestyle caught up with you yet? You have been quite busy!
Kara Scott: I’ve had so much time off lately, so I’m well rested. I’ve just been enjoying the sunshine in Southern California. I’ve been in America for a few months now and moved here back in November. I’m brand new and just got myself a car.
PND: You’re a sponsored pro of PartyPoker as well. Will we be seeing you in PartyPoker gear on the tournament trail?
Kara Scott: I have a lot of tournaments coming up in the States. PartyPoker has been great to me in terms of buy-ins and is giving me a chance to go out and play. I’m not a pro player; I’m a television hostess who gets to play a lot. This year, I get to play as though I’m a pro. I’m going to be working with coaches and figuring out how to improve my game.
PND: How did the opportunity to sign with PartyPoker come about?
Kara Scott: I’ve known the PartyPoker guys for years, since I started playing poker. I became friends with a lot of the guys who work behind the scenes at PartyPoker and they approached me, which was pretty surprising. I didn’t see it coming. They wanted me to do TV hosting and represent the brand as part of Team Party. I was blown away and it was great to be able to do. Standing alongside guys like Mike Sexton is an honor.
PND: Do you have a poker idol?
Kara Scott: I’ve been able to meet so many different players. During “High Stakes Poker,” watching people like Phil Ivey play was an amazing experience. He has to be arguably the best poker player in the world. Watching him play and talking with him about his decisions were quite intimidating.
Tags: buy-ins, Canada, canadian, high stakes, interview, kara scott, Phil Ivey, poker player, tournament, WSOP
Lacey Jones New Face of Canadian Poker Tour
The Canadian Poker Tour (CPT) continues to grow and expand and its latest addition is none other than Absolute Poker pro Lacey Jones. The tour recently announced that the model, poker player and media personality is going to be the new face of the CPT. The tour will also be gaining more media exposure thanks to the launch of CandianPokerPlayer.tv, an online television network devoted entirely to the game of poker.
Jones struck up talks with the CPT during last year’s World Poker Showdown and CPT sponsored event, the Costa Rica Poker Showdown. Jones took third place and apparently made a lasting impression on CPT executives. She will now serve as the tour’s spokeswoman, with her duties beginning right away. Jones will be featured on the cover of Canadian Poker Player Magazine’s February issue, which will arrive in casinos, newsstands, and bookstores later this month.
CPT President Kelly Kellner believes Jones is a perfect hit for the tour. “Here is a girl that loves hockey, loves Canadian beer, and is an amazing poker player to top it off. I told her she has been picked up off waivers and claimed by Canada and the CPT," joked Kellner in an official press release from CPT. “We believe that by having Lacey attend many of our events and the fact that she is about to move to Vancouver, the partnership couldn’t be stronger.”
Jones attended the CPT Kickoff Poker Series at the Deerfort Inn and Casino in Alberta last month and is planning to join the tour again when it ventures to Calgary for the Winter Freezeout from February 24th to 28th. The series is set to be held at the Cash Casino and will feature a $760 buy-in Main Event.
Like Kellner, Jones is excited by the new partnership. “I truly love Canadians and am so happy to be a part of the Canadian Poker Tour,” Jones enthused to the media. Jones is no stranger to publicity. In the past, she has taken on hostessing duties for the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and the British Columbia Poker Championships. She has also done a number of on-air interviews and commentary sessions in tandem with the WSOP.
Jones and the CPT will be prominently featured in a new website from the parent company of the CPT, HeadsUp Entertainment. Last year, HeadsUp announced plans to launch a poker-themed online television network and it appears those plans are finally coming to fruition. The online network will bear the name of HeadsUp’s magazine, Canadian Poker Player, and will feature footage from a number of Canadian Poker events.
The channel is set to launch on March 5th and feature content like the heads-up bout between “Yukon” Brad Booth and Huck Seed in the title match of the Canadian Poker Open, the final table of the Stampede Classic, and documentary footage of several 2007 CPT events. Kellner, who also serves as President of HeadsUp, assured skeptics there would be plenty of Canadian-related poker content to keep the channel running for the foreseeable future: “There are so many amazing players and stories that we find on tour. Both the magazine and our online network will give players from across the country a forum and showcase as we strive to build new poker superstars.”
HeadsUp Entertainment is not the only group with its eyes on the CPT and burgeoning Canadian poker scene. When PartyPoker signed player and media personality Kara Scott, it was announced that she would be making the rounds on the CPT as well, promoting the site in her home country.
Tags: absolute poker, brad booth, Canada, canadian, interview, kara scott, poker player, poker show, woman, WSOP
Party Poker changes play money policies.
Tags: kara scott
High Stakes Poker starts next Sunday!
The most anticipated time of the year is near! GSN will premiere the 6th season of High Stakes Poker (HSP) next Sunday.
The 6th season of HSP was filmed and played in November 2009 in Las Vegas, at the Golden Nugget Casino. Gabe Kaplan will get a new co-host, Kara Scott for this season.
Kara Scott
There’s going to be some big pots this season as the minimum buy-in was 200.000 dollars. GSN will show a special 8-hour-long episode before the season premieres which is called “I Love Poker”. This special episode will show all the best moments from the previous seasons.
High Stakes Poker Season 6 players:
Patrik Antonius
David Benyamine
Doyle Brunson
Tom Dwan
Eli Elezra
Antonio Esfandiari
Barry Greenstein
Phil Hellmuth
Andreas Hoivold
Phil Ivey
Mike Matusow
Daniel Negreanu
Dennis Phillips
Lex Veldhuis
Source: TheFutonCritic
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