Poker News

Tiffany Michelle Talks Politics on Fox Business Network

If someone would have asked you who you thought would be a good person to appear on a national news program to discuss politics, we're guessing that UB.com's Tiffany Michelle would have been way down your list.  Sure enough, however, Michelle was Neil Cavuto's guest Tuesday on his Fox Business Network show, "Cavuto," comparing President Barack Obama's persistence with his health care plan to a poker player playing bad cards.

In the five-minute conversation, titled "Obama Making a Bad Bet?" on the Fox Business website, there was no debate on whether the proposed health care reform plan was good; it was simply assumed it was bad and that the majority of Americans are against it.  Cavuto's interview consisted of repeatedly asking Michelle to compare the President's health care efforts to playing poor hands.  For her part, Michelle came off fairly well, indulging Cavuto by using poker metaphor after poker metaphor to describe Obama's health care reform strategy.

Some tidbits:

Neil Cavuto: Taking a look at what the President's doing… a good gambler, I understand, or someone who bets a lot, understands, or thinks, that he or she has a good hand.  Am I right?
Tiffany Michelle: Yeah, generally you have a good hand, or you know if you have a bad hand, how to maneuver with that hand and take advantage of your opponent's weaknesses.

Cavuto: Now, the President, fairly or not Tiffany, is viewed to have a bad hand right now because prior cards he's dealt have turned out to be, you know, threes and fours.  They haven't really worked out.  Yet he continues playing the same hand.  What is the strategy behind that?
Michelle: [Preceding portion of answer snipped] What often happens for some players is you continue to push the issues, you continue to play the bad hands, you continue to get in sticky situations, and what really needs to happen is you need to step away from the table, you need to clear your head.

Tiffany Michelle laid it on thick, inserting poker comparisons at every turn.  Some of her best lines included:

"Here we are, let's say we're deep in the World Series, we're coming close to the bubble, you can taste that final table and the money and it's not looking like it's going to happen."

"Not only did Barack Obama in his first year in office decide to tackle one of the toughest issues in U.S. politics… it would be like me approaching Phil Hellmuth on my first day of my poker game and saying, 'Hey, Phil Hellmuth, you have 11 bracelets.  I want to challenge you heads-up.'"

"Talk about Scott Brown, that was a really bad beat for Barack Obama and the Democrats, who really thought they had a good chip lead there.  You know, they thought they had a lock on this tournament."

Members of the poker community universally panned the interview.  The reactions, however, were split between those who detested the fact that Michelle was chosen as the poker representative and those who simply thought that the interview itself was horrible.

He added, "I thought it was evenly presented, the gambling expert knew as much about gambling as the politics expert new abt politics," as well as, "I think it was more shady that TM passed herself off as a gambling expert with a clue abt politics to promote herself."

"Hollywood" Dave Stann, one of Tiffany Michelle's fellow UB.com pros, was more disgusted with Fox Business, Cavuto, and the interview itself, Tweeting, "WTF FoxNews? Generic gambling terms dissing Obama, then using pro gamblers as pawns 2 back it up? I dodged their invite 2day, thank fuck!"

Summing it up for someone who asked what the interview was all about, Stann tweeted, "fucking Fox presenting right-wing editorial talking points as 'news' then interviewing pros as 'evidence' of Obama ineptitude."

Some of the more entertaining comments on the interview came from the Two Plus Two forums.  Forum poster "TheTruthSpeaks" wrote, "While I was watching it I kept waiting to wake up as this certainly must be a dream or something. I mean surely I didn't really just see Tiffany Michelle on a news channel talking about politics while using horrible poker analogies to do it.  This has got to be the first sign of the Apocalypse."

"Randomness28" may have had two of the best quotes on how ridiculous the interview concept was, first saying, "Funny that the Q is 'How is Obama playing his hand?' .... so they decide to bring in a poker player for analysis. Someone should tell the staff of Cavuto's that 'playing his hand' is just a figure of speech.  Next on Cavuto: 'Are Republicans a move ahead of Democrats in setting up for 2012? We bring in chess GM to discuss this.'"

He later added, "Equivalent of this would be for Fox to pose the Q: How is the Obama administration going to kick off its second term in office? And to bring in a third string kicker of a Junior College to answer the Q."

Judge the Tiffany Michelle Fox Business interview for yourself.

Tiffany Michelle got her start in the poker world in 2006, when she served as an on-air host for the World Series of Poker (WSOP) coverage on Sirius Satellite Radio.  In 2007, she appeared on-camera, hosting various segments and conducting interviews for PokerNews.com.  Michelle officially turned heads the following year when she was the last woman remaining in the WSOP Main Event, eventually bowing out in 17th place and earning $334,534.  She was exposed to a nationwide audience in 2009 when she and fellow poker pro, Maria Ho, competed on the hit CBS show, "The Amazing Race."

Basic Rush Poker Strategy: A First Look

Full Tilt Poker turned the online poker world on its head this week when it introduced a new poker variety called Rush Poker.  Many of you have probably already tried it out, but for those of you who have not, I'll give you the quick rundown.

In Rush Poker, the game is exactly the same as regular poker (Full Tilt only has No-Limit Hold'em Rush tables going right now) except that when you fold or the hand ends, whichever comes first, you are immediately whisked off to a new table where a new hand is dealt instantly.  Because of this constant table shuffling, you do not select your table to start.  You simply enter a lobby with everyone else at the same game and stakes and the system seats you automatically.  You will play against different opponents every hand, although you will encounter opponents you have seen on previous hands if you play enough.  After all, there is a limited number of players sitting at the tables.

I have tried a few sessions of Rush Poker and while I am certain the dynamic of the game will change over time, I have a come up with a few basic strategy points that should help get you going while the game is in its infancy.  And by all means, feel free to leave comments with your own thoughts, or tweet us @Pokernewsdaily.  These are just my initial observations.

The Grass is Always Greener…

Recreational poker players don't typically play to make money.  Sure, they want to pull a profit, but they primarily play to have fun.  They want action.  To the recreational player, regular poker games can easily get boring, what with all the folding and waiting and waiting and folding.  But in Rush Poker, recreational players are rewarded for folding – they are dealt two new cards immediately.  Because of this, recreational players (some of you may like to call them "fish," but I'll stick with my terminology) are "rushing" to Rush Poker.

What's interesting is that normally, recreational players tend to play looser pre-flop because they want to play hands rather than fold.  Folding is no fun.  But in Rush Poker, players so far tend to be tighter pre-flop than in standard No-Limit Hold'em games.  Why?  Because they don't have to force themselves to play weak hands just to get involved.  They can just get new cards every few seconds.

Therefore, I have been more aggressive than normal when the action folds to me pre-flop.  I will pretty much raise with any two cards on the button or in the cutoff and will look to raise with weaker than normal holdings from the hijack or earlier.  Basically, my raising range is wider than in a regular game if I have the opportunity to open the betting because there is a higher likelihood that the players after me are only going to play with premium hole cards.  And the "Quick Fold" button makes this even easier because players who hit that button are taken to the next table before their hands are officially folded, making it even more appealing for recreational players to fold.  If someone challenges me, then more often than not I will know they have something and I can adjust my play from there.

And Now, the Rest of the Story

Because such a high percentage of Rush players are recreational players, you are likely going to see some awful post-flop play.  Just like pre-flop, post-flop play tends to be pretty tight, so putting pressure on your opponents, even if you don't have much, will often allow you to take down the pot prior to showdown.

That's not to say that you should just be throwing chips around like crazy and trying to bluff everyone out of their seats.  In fact, because players will be more willing to fold post-flop so they can get on with the next hand, you don't have to bet as much as you might in a regular game to force a fold.  When deciding between, say, betting half the pot and betting the pot as a continuation bet, half the pot should typically be just as effective in getting players who whiff on the flop to fold as a larger bet would.

At the same time, however, those same opponents will not want to let go of their cards if they make a solid hand, which is why you still want to take it easy with your continuation bets.  The guy with air is going to already be at another table no matter what, but the guy with top pair, top kicker, is going to make your life miserable if you didn't hit the flop.  Hence, the benefit of betting a smaller amount than you might in a regular game – it puts you at less risk.  Fortunately, these players can also be relieved of their chips fairly easily if you flop a monster, as they will stay married to that same top pair, top kicker.

Learn Shorthand

It may seem like it is useless to try to remember opponents' tendencies and get reads on them because of the speed of Rush Poker and the constant re-shuffling of the tables, but this not true.  In fact, it can be very helpful.  The first thing I notice is who appears to be auto-folding by either hitting the "Fold" advance action check box or clicking the "Quick Fold" button.  They are easy to spot – their hole cards are folded the split-second the action gets to them.  When three or four players auto-fold, they all appear to be folding at virtually the same time.  I tag them with a note (Ctrl-V is my best friend) and if I see them to my left later, I know that raising is going to be successful more often against them.  And heck, if they don't fold to my raise, I know they have a hand worth playing.

I also keep an eye on players who raise from late position or three-bet from the big blind.  Often (not all the time, of course, but often) these are more skilled players who are thinking the same way I am, trying to steal with a wider range late and trying to re-steal from button raisers.  I know it sounds funny, me comparing myself to a skilled player, but humor me on this one.

Just as you should take notes on your opponents, remember that they can take notes on you.  As such, try not to be too noticeable.  Make your bets standard and consistent.  Don't give them anything to note about you.  And don't be a habitual auto-folder, especially on the button or in the blinds, as you don't want to miss stealing opportunities.  Just because you can "Quick Fold" and move on to the next hand doesn't necessarily mean you should.

I fully expect the game to change over time as people figure out how best to play Rush Poker, but for now, what I laid out here should give you a base from which to start.

Face the Ace: Nico Mamy Drops $200,000 Match to Mike Matusow

Frenchman Nico Mamy hit a brick wall named Mike Matusow on Saturday’s installment of the poker game show “Face the Ace.” He dropped the $200,000 match in the process on what was the final episode of the series. It aired at 2:30pm ET on NBC.

Mamy’s wife taught him how to play poker and, in a battle of non-U.S. competitors, the French online poker pro squared off against Durrrr Challenge participant Patrik Antonius in the $40,000 match. In a key hand, Mamy doubled up after raising pre-flop to 1,100 with A-K, including the ace of diamonds. Antonius, holding Q-10, including the ten of diamonds, made the call to see the flop come 2-9-8 with two diamonds. Antonius led out for 2,000 and Mamy called. The turn came the seven of diamonds, putting three of the suit on the board, and the action went check-check. The river filled both players’ flushes. Antonius bet 5,000 and Mamy shoved over the top for 9,500. Antonius called and Mamy doubled up.

Holding A-8, Antonius raised to 3,100 pre-flop and Mamy pushed with pocket sixes. Antonius called with his “Face the Ace” tournament life on the line, but on this episode, no crowd gathered around to watch the all-in confrontation. The board ran out J-K-2-9-9, giving Mamy the win in the $40,000 match. “Face the Ace” host Steve Schirripa, of “The Sopranos” fame, then asked Mamy if he wanted to take the money and run or play another ace for $200,000. Mamy decided to continue and selected the ace of spades, Matusow.

In a key hand for the online qualifier, Mamy coyly called pre-flop with A-K and Matusow raised to 6,000 with A-9. Mamy pushed the action to 17,000 and Matusow made it 39,000. Mamy moved all-in for 98,000 and Matusow tossed his hand into the muck. Mamy pulled down the pot of 137,000, giving him better than a 2:1 edge in the critical match.

Then, Many’s luck turned for the worse. Holding J-8, he called pre-flop and Matusow checked his option with J-9. The flop came J-J-2, giving both players trips, but Matusow held the better hand with a nine kicker. Matusow bet 6,000 and Mamy called, bringing a king on the turn. Matusow check-called a 6,000-chip bet from Mamy and the river fell a six. Matusow checked with the best hand and Mamy bet out 16,000. Matusow called and scooped a 68,000-chip pot, giving him the lead in the match for good.

Several hands later, Mamy was crippled and once again held J-8. This time, he limped pre-flop with his soon-to-be least favorite hand and Matusow checked with J-10. The flop came 9-7-3, giving both players a gutshot straight draw, but an eight on the turn filled Matusow’s hand. At the same time, Mamy made a pair, which turned into trips when another eight hit on the river. Matusow checked, Mamy bet 28,000, and Matusow pushed for 60,500. Mamy called, doubling Matusow up. The qualifier told Schirripa, “It’s tough to fold trip eights in that situation heads-up.” Mamy was sent packing on the next hand shown, leaving the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas empty-handed.

The final qualifier on “Face the Ace” was Drake Jackson, whom Schirripa labeled “cocky” multiple times, eliciting an eye-roll from the Full Tilt Poker patron on one occasion. Jackson claimed he was afraid of playing Huck Seed, but instead wanted to play Phil Gordon because Seed is a better player. Nevertheless, Jackson bested Allen Cunningham after making a flush on the turn in the match’s final hand. Jackson won $40,000 and elected to leave with the money rather than play on for $200,000.

In a comical segment shown after the final cards were dealt, Jackson, Seed, and Gordon appeared in a back room. The latter irately commented, “You trash talked me on national television. I want to go for it on that $40,000 you just won. I got a dealer right over there. Sit down and play a chump.” Unfortunately for viewers at home, no match aired.

“Face the Ace” struggled mightily in the ratings after premiering on August 1st and its future now appears to be up in the air.

Face the Ace: Brian Twitty Wins $40,000

We had a chance to catch last weekend’s installment of the NBC poker franchise “Face the Ace.” In the end, Brian Twitty, a real estate appraiser and band member, walked away with $40,000 after defeating Jennifer Harman.

The first contestant to take to the “Face the Ace” stage was Anathan Thangavel from Beverly Hills, California. The recent law school graduate selected the ace of clubs because he was out at a club partying until 5:00am the night before taping. Out strolled 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Player of the Year Erick Lindgren, who has appeared on “Face the Ace” multiple times. Each player began with 20,000 chips and blinds kicked off at 200/400.

Holding 7-9, Thangavel called pre-flop and Lindgren rapped the table with 7-J. The flop came 2-3-7, giving both players top pair, but Lindgren held a better kicker. The Full Tilt Poker pro led out for 1,000, Thangavel raised to 3,000, and Lindgren shoved for 15,200. Lindgren told the challenger that he could see one of his cards and Thangavel picked the jack. Upon seeing the paint card, he quickly sent top pair into the muck.

In a key moment in the match, Thangavel picked up pocket jacks and called the big blind, while Lindgren raised to 2,000 with A-K of hearts. An all-in and call put Lindgren at risk and the assembled crowd on the “Face the Ace” stage watched the drama unfold. The flop came A-3-A, giving Lindgren trips and leaving the challenger drawing thin. The turn and river came a 10 and three, respectively, and Thangavel was down to just four big blinds.

In the final hand between Lindgren and Thangavel, the latter was all-in with J-3 and Lindgren made the call with 9-10. The flop came 6-9-K, giving Lindgren middle pair, and the turn came a 10 to improve him to two pair. Needing a queen on the river to make a straight, Thangavel watched as a seven hit, sending him home.

The next contestant was Twitty, who hails from Cypress, California. Twitty told “Face the Ace” host Steve Schirripa that he wanted to play against Phil Ivey, but instead found himself up against Jennifer Harman. Twitty was the victim of a bad beat late in his match against Harman after the pro raised to 3,100 with K-J. Twitty moved all-in with A-9 and Harman called with her tournament life on the line. The flop came 8-3-7, keeping Twitty’s ace-high ahead, and a seven on the turn changed nothing. However, Harman spiked a king on the river for a six-outer to double up.

Then, Harman made it 6,000 pre-flop with A-3 and Twitty pushed with A-Q. Harman called to put Twitty at risk, but the flop came queen-high to keep Twitty out in front for good. In the final hand between Harman and Twitty, the Full Tilt Poker pro was all-in with Q-8 of diamonds and Twitty called with K-J. The flop came 10-10-10, keeping Twitty in the lead, and a jack on the turn improved him to a boat. Harman needed the nine of diamonds for a straight flush or a queen for a better full house on the river to win the hand, but watched as an ace hit. Twitty earned $40,000 for defeating his first pro.

When asked if he wanted to take the money and run or play another pro for $200,000, Twitty selected the cash. The episode, which aired on Saturday, marked the second to last for “Face the Ace,” which will air its season finale on January 2nd. “Face the Ace” makes its home on NBC.

Canadian victory at LAPT Playa Conchal

Amer Sulaiman outlasted a field of 259 players to nab a first place prize of $172,096. Sulaiman bested fellow Canadian Sol Bergren in a tough heads-up match that went into the wee hours of the morning Monday.

The final table featured five Canadians, one Dutch player, one Guatemalan and Rogelio Pardo, the sole representative from the host country of Costa Rica.

Bergren entered the final table as the massive chip leader with 1.3 million chips and added to that total by busting three players. Meanwhile Sulaiman, who began the final as a medium stack, busted two players en route to heads-up play.

Pardo came painfully short of giving the hometown crowd something to cheer about when he busted in third place leaving the two Canadians to fight it out for the title.

By the time they reached heads-up, Bergren held 2.8 million chips to Sulaiman's 2.2 million.

The cards were going Sulaiman's way, however, and he quickly overtook Bergren for the chip lead.

After several hours of play Sulaiman shoved with top-pair, top-kicker and Bergren called with top-pair with a combo flush and straight draw. Bergren missed all his outs and Sulaiman was awarded the LAPT title.

This marks the third year that PokerStars has hosted an LAPT Event in Costa Rica. This time around organizers opted to relocate the tournament to scenic beach resort Paradisus Playa Conchal instead of San Jose.

The third season of the LAPT will now turn to the Bahamas where the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure is scheduled to be held Jan. 4-14, 2010. This is the first year the PCA has been held as part of the LAPT and organizers are hoping to beat the 1,347 entrants they had last year.

Satellites for the event are currently running on PokerStars.

Here are the complete final table payouts for LAPT Playa Conchal:

1. Amer Sulaiman - $172,095
2. Sol Bergren - $100,492
3. Rogelio Pardo - $61,551
4. Eric Levesque - $45,221
5. Francis-Nicolas Bouchard - $32,660
6. Darren Keyes - $26,380
7. Carlos Giron - $20,098
8. Patrik de Koster - $13,818

Patrik Antonius Defeats lsildur1 in Largest Online Poker Pot Ever

The high-stakes world of online poker has received a shot in the arm in the month of November. With online wunderkind Tom “durrrr” Dwan currently taking on fellow high-stakes players in a live Durrrr Challenge in London, the online world also sprung to life this week, with Finnish professional Patrik Antonius capturing the largest pot in online poker history, $879,000.

Earlier this week on the high-stakes tables at Full Tilt Poker, the unknown Swedish newcomer lsildur1 has been taking on several of the top pros in the Full Tilt Poker stable, including Phil Ivey, Dwan, and Antonius. In some cases, lsildur1 has had approximately $4 million dollars in action, sending the railbirds buzzing about a new high-stakes player in the online community. On Monday night playing $500/$1,000 Pot Limit Omaha, Antonius and lsildur1 hooked up in what has become one of the most discussed hands on the internet.

With Antonius sitting behind $439,479 and lsildur1 stacked with $450,494, the hand started with a raise on the button of $3,000 from lsildur1 holding a strong Omaha hand of As-Ks-Qd-Th. Antonius made the call with a respectable Ah-Qc-9s-6h and the duo saw a flop of 5h-7h-Qs. This set the fireworks off, as both had hit top pair-top kicker, but Antonius had the edge with flush and straight draws.

Antonius check-raised to $21,000 and was met with a call from his opponent. The action increased further as the Ad fell on the turn, giving both players two pair, with the edge still tilted towards Antonius, and making for a likelihood that the twosome would split the pot. Known in his short time online for his aggression, lsildur1 pounded the pot with a $192,000 check-raise after Antonius had bet $48,000. Antonius 3bet back at lsildur1 with the remainder of his stack and was called. The resulting river sent a shockwave through the online world.

Although odds favored a split pot, Antonius could win the hand with any heart or an eight. When the 8d fell on the river, Antonius took the massive $878,959 pot by making a miraculous straight. It only furthered a downswing for the Swede who, after earning a great deal of money against arguably some of the toughest opponents in the game in his short online poker career, has recently dropped $2.25 million, according to PokerTableRatings.com.

Some in the online poker world believe that lsildur1 may have been a bit overaggressive with the potential draws available. On the popular TwoPlusTwo forums, there have been discussions of who lsildur1 is and an entire thread has been dedicated to discuss the new online phenomenon. There has also been some discussion of how wise it is to take on such powerful players as Antonius, Dwan, and Ivey. TwoPlusTwo poster “kepatsa” perhaps said it best when he stated, “I don’t think it’s a great strategy to multi-table Ivey, Durrrr, and PA at the same time. That just cannot be a winning proposition. I give Isi credit for balls, maybe not brains.”

At the PocketFives forum, there have been those who echoed the sentiment that it isn’t in lsildur1’s best interest to keep butting heads with some of Full Tilt’s top guns. On the site, “MrH” said, “I still think it’s a horrible decision to play all three,” but after looking at some of the success that lsildur has had against them, added, “I have even more respect for the kid.”

Whether lsildur1 can continue to absorb such losses as the $2.25 million that he has taken this week is difficult to ascertain. Little is known about the Swedish player, who drops $4 million on the table and tackles some of the toughest poker players on the planet today. What is known, however, is that online railbirds will be watching for the next battle to rage across the virtual felt, presumably soon.

Zhivago2, Obiedman Win FTOPS XIV Poker Titles

Full Tilt Poker’s 14th installment of its Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) came to a close Monday morning when a champion was crowned in the $535 buy-in Main Event. Austria’s “zhivago2” outlasted a record-setting field to earn a payday of $418,839 and the gold FTOPS jersey.

Full Tilt’s newest team member, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, hosted what would ultimately be the largest Main Event in FTOPS history, attracting 5,471 players for a prize pool of $2,735,500. Nearly 70 Full Tilt Red Pros took part in the historic event, with Dave Colclough’s 250th place finish topping them all. Brandon Adams, Jeff Madsen, Gary Jones, and Soren Kongsgaard were the other Red Pros to make the money.

Former Full Tilt Red Pro Adam Junglen was the biggest name to reach the final table, which got underway at around 7:00am ET after an exhausting 11 hours of play. Junglen entered the final table third in chips, trailing “kinheim” and eventual champion zhivago2. Andrew “bankrollme87″ Touchette was fourth in chips as the final nine was formed, but the online pro was sent to the rail in sixth place when he got all of his chips in on a 9s-8d-6s board with 9d-3d against the 9h-7h of “ItsTime2Win.” The better kicker held up and Touchette exited with $90,271.50.

After kinheim (fifth place, $131,167) and “dfunks222” (fourth place, $175,072) were eliminated, the final three players agreed to a deal that would secure a payout of at least $290,000 for each of them. With some extra money set aside for the winner, Junglen and zhivago2 got tangled up in a pre-flop raising war that would end the pro’s tournament life. ItsTime2Win raised from the button, zhivago2 called, and Junglen three-bet to 1.4 million from the big blind. ItsTime2Win folded and zhivago2 put the pressure on Junglen by moving all-in. Junglen called with pocket sixes and was in a race against zhivago2’s Qs-Jh. The Jd-8h-5d flop left Junglen needing help, but the turn and river were of no assistance and he collected $290,418 for his third place finish.

zhivago2 took a sizable lead into heads-up play and was able to finish off ItsTime2Win after a lengthy match. On the final hand, zhivago2 bet two million on a 9h-5c-2d board and ItsTime2Win moved all-in for around 11 million. zhivago2 called with pocket jacks and was in great shape against the Ac-3c of ItsTime2Win. The 6c and 3h came on the turn and river, respectively, and zhivago2 was the new FTOPS Main Event champion. ItsTime2Win earned $316,554 as the runner-up.

Here’s a look at the final results from the FTOPS XIV Main Event:

1. zhivago2 – $418,839.16
2. ItsTime2Win – $316,554.40
3. Adam Junglen – $290,418.94
4. dfunks222 – $175,072
5. kinheim – $131,167.23
6. Andrew “bankrollme87″ Touchette – $90,271.50
7. nuts7878 – $58,813.25
8. Valuechecking – $41,032.50
9. Dr Fill Good – $28,722.75

The biggest prize of the FTOPS XIV series went to “obiedman,” who won the Two-Day $2,500+$120 No Limit Hold’em Event #22 on Sunday. A 938-player field of the best online tournament players in the world participated to create a prize pool of $2,345,000.

Full Tilt Red Pro Gary Jones had the chip lead late into the tournament and earned a seat at the final table, but found himself short with four players remaining and moved his remaining stack in with Ad-3c. “Timvd20” called with pocket fours and the pair held up to eliminate Jones in fourth place for $193,463. Timvd20 was the next player to hit the rail after losing much of his stack to obiedman and then running pocket threes into the pocket aces of “Supa4real.”

An entertaining heads-up ended with each player holding trip queens on a Qc-Qd-9d board. However, obiedman’s Js kicker bested the 10s kicker of his opponent and obiedman made a full house with the Jc on the river to win the Event #22 title and $539,350. Supa4real, who also final tabled the PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) Two-Day Main Event in September, earned his largest online cash to date of $340,025.

Here are the results from FTOPS XIV Event #22:

1. obiedman – $539,350
2. Supa4real – $340,025
3. Timvd20 – $252,088
4. Gary Jones – $193,463
5. the_real_magic – $146,563
6. TheAlligatorNo1 – $105,525
7. Ahvall – $70,350
8. DanOBrien – $54,873
9. Rabbit_hunterSA – $39,865

Face the Ace: Andrew Weinstein, Adam Drescher Leave Empty-Handed

The challengers continued to struggle on the NBC poker franchise “Face the Ace.” On Saturday, tax attorney Andrew Weinstein and poker novice Adam Drescher each left the show’s Las Vegas set with nothing to show for their efforts except some network television face time.

Weinstein, a 40 year-old from Washington State, selected the ace of clubs for his $40,000 match. Out strolled Erick Lindgren, a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner whom Weinstein has played with before. Each player received 20,000 chips in the opening round and blinds escalated quickly, beginning at 200-400.

Weinstein came out firing, raising pre-flop with gems like 5-10, 7-3, and 2-6 before getting his chips in with A-7 against Lindgren’s A-4. However, the two chopped the pot when the first four cards came 8-A-10-8, giving both players the Dead Man’s Hand with a 10 kicker.

Weinstein doubled after calling all-in with A-10 against Lindgren’s K-Q of diamonds. The ace was the door card, keeping Weinstein in the lead in the hand for good, and the challenger built his stack to over 31,000. Then, Lindgren doubled with pocket sixes against Weinstein’s J-5 of hearts. On the match’s final hand, Lindgren shoved with Q-7, including the seven of clubs, but ran into Weinstein’s A-6, including the ace of the suit. Four clubs came and Weinstein earned the nut flush and a win in the $40,000 match.

The Full Tilt Poker qualifier could play on for $200,000 or take his money and run. He chose the former option after very little debate, selecting the ace of diamonds. Jennifer Harman emerged from the smoky “Face the Ace” façade and, in a hand that had the audience buzzing, Harman was dealt 10-8 and raised to 3,000 pre-flop with a starting stack of 100,000 and blinds at 500-1,000. Weinstein peeked down at Q-9 and made the call. The flop came J-Q-5, giving Weinstein top pair, and he check-called a 4,000 bet from Harman. The turn was a three and Weinstein once-again check-called a bet from the pro, this time totaling 13,000. The river was a nine, giving Harman a miracle straight, and Weinstein check-called a small bet of 12,000. Harman sheepishly scooped the pot and the mood of the match changed dramatically.

Weinstein avoided disaster in a hand with A-7 against Harman’s pocket kings. Harman raised pre-flop to 3,000, Weinstein made it 11,000, Harman bumped the action to 22,000, and Weinstein called to see the flop come 10-6-Q. Harman led out for another 30,000 and Weinstein quickly released his hand.

Harman’s A-K of hearts withstood Weinstein’s A-9 offsuit on the match’s final hand after the pro made a flush, sending Weinstein home from Sin City with nothing. Harman, a 73% favorite pre-flop, called feverishly for a nine to hit, but the board of 5-2-Q-6-8 with three hearts ensured that no upset would occur.

Drescher then took to the stage. The poker player from Bethesda, Maryland had only been playing the game for six months and his inexperience proved fatal. He selected the ace of diamonds, Huck Seed, who won the 2009 National Heads-Up Poker Championship over Vanessa Rousso. Only a few hands into play, Drescher open-shoved with 10-9 for 19,400 chips into a pot of only 600 and Seed picked up pocket kings. Seed was an 83% favorite to send Drescher packing and the board ran out 3-7-2-9-3. Drescher made top pair, but it wasn’t enough, as the qualifiers were blanked on the November 14th episode of “Face the Ace.”

The show, which is sponsored by Full Tilt Poker, aired preceding golf coverage on NBC and went head-to-head with multiple college football games. “Face the Ace,” hosted by Steve Schirripa, will return on December 12th. Check local listings for more information.

Same Hand, Different Game: Big Aces

In poker, sometimes the hand you hold has differing capabilities depending upon the game that you’re playing. What would be a great hand in one form of poker can, in essence, be total junk in another discipline.

Big Aces – A Dilemma in All Games

For the most part, the Big Ace, which means A-K through A-10, is one of the most difficult hands to play in any poker game. The reason for this is that in some disciplines, the Big Ace can be a very wieldable weapon. Some top professionals, including Daniel Negreanu, have said that they prefer having a Big Ace instead of a premium pair because there are more outs to hit (six versus two) to making a better hand and it has more workability into straights. In other facets of the game, however, the Big Ace is completely worthless.

Texas Hold’em

Whether playing Limit or No Limit Hold’em, the Big Ace must be played judiciously. An A-K or A-Q can be played with a raise in front of you but, more often than not, it is a good idea to let A-J or A-10 go when there is a raise. It is important to remember, however, that you need to hit the ace when you are playing your hand; if you hit your kicker, you could be setting yourself up for disappointment, as your opponent could turn up a bigger pair than you have. Many players have watched their stacks disappear after pushing top pair-top kicker into a bigger pair.

If you hold a suited Big Ace, you need to hit two of your suit on the flop to continue playing if you don’t hit either your ace or your kicker. With a draw to the nut flush, most of the time there will be the pot odds to make the attempt at the draw or see the turn.

When there is a raise and a re-raise in front of you, the tactic to use depends on the form of Hold’em you are playing. In a No Limit game, the Big Ace should hit the muck immediately, as at minimum, you are taking on another Big Ace or a pocket pair. In a Limit game, though, you might want to take a look at a flop and see what develops. One of the bonuses of the Big Ace is that occasionally it can turn into a Broadway straight or, if suited, can turn into the nut flush.

Omaha

The Big Ace can be a useful tool in Omaha, especially when it is played in its Pot Limit format. When it comes to High-Low, however, the Big Ace can lose a bit of its allure.

One of the most useful holdings in Pot Limit Omaha is A-A-K-Q double-suited. Because of the paired aces and the draw potential of the A-K and the A-Q (two Big Aces), this hand can be played aggressively pre-flop. The key to playing the hand successfully, as is the charm of Pot Limit games, is in what is done on the flop, turn, and river.

If the board comes with no aces or paint, a player is left pushing his pair of aces with no chance to draw into a straight (the flush is still a possibility, depending on the flop texture). This is, at best, a tenuous situation since Omaha is a drawing game; a singular pair will seldom win a hand. Consideration would have to be given to mucking if the action gets hectic.

In High-Low, the Big Ace can be pursued if it meets two criteria: 1) the Big Ace is suited, and 2) the ace has a low card to play with it. In this instance, something along the lines of A-K-J-2 might be worth seeing a flop with.

Because you want to gather the entirety of the pot, you actually are looking for the board to provide you with a Broadway straight and no flush or full house possibilities. Anything other than this is a risky option and needs to be analyzed fully before proceeding. Beware also the draw at the low pot; other players may also be there for that hand and you could end up quartering that, making it a losing proposition overall.

Razz

The object of Razz is to build the worst hand possible. As such, the Big Ace is pretty much useless in this game. The only possible way to think about playing the Big Ace in this situation is if the door card of your hand is a deuce or trey. Something along the lines of (A-Q) 3 might be playable, dependent on your opponents’ up cards, and a player may actually be able to steal a pot on occasion. Remember, though, that for this hand to be successful, three of the next four cards drawn must make the best low hand.

Be prepared to drop any bluffs that you are running if there are several competitors for the pot and/or solid hands developing through the up cards. With non-community card games, the information that is given through the up cards needs to be processed along with the capabilities of your hand to determine whether heading to Seventh Street is a profitable move.

Seven Card Stud and Seven Card Stud High-Low

In the Seven Card game, the Big Ace’s potential for outright larceny is at its best. With the Ace in the door on a hand such as (K-J) A, the Big Ace can steal hands because players are fearful of the potential for a gated pair. Even if someone decides to come along for the ride, the hand can quickly end if another ace or a paint card falls on Fourth Street. Most logical players will not risk spewing chips against something like (K-J) A-A or A-Q unless they are rolled up and, even then, may not want to take the chance.

The Big Ace also has potential to draw at several big hands. Using the (K-J) A-Q example from above, a player is four-fifths of the way to a Broadway straight and has a good shot at winning the hand. If the Big Ace is suited and catches a couple of likewise suited cards, it is possible that the player will win the hand without showdown because of the likelihood of catching that fifth suited card. As always, however, attention must be paid to the hands an opponent is building.

In High-Low, the same theory works from Omaha. At minimum, you want to have a Big Ace with a deuce or trey to give you options to play the hand. Of course, your object is to scoop the pot, not split it. Thus, you always want to build to that Broadway straight with the backup plan being to make the low draw and halve the pot. If you fail to have any chances at either with the card that hits on Fourth Street, your cards should hit the muck at lightning speed.

Isildur1 vs. durrrr round 2: Dwan drops $600k

People used to joke that once you sign with Full Tilt, you're guaranteed to have a massive downswing. After last night, Dwan might start to believe it's true.

Last night saw one of the most prolific online heads up sessions ever played, as Dwan and unknown Swede Isildur1 sat on as many as 10 tables at a time playing exclusively $500/$1,000 No-Limit Hold'em.

They sat for over 12,000 hands playing over one hundred pots worth more than $200k. In the end, Isildur1 came out on top $616k for the session.

The largest pot of the night saw Dwan win $498k after calling a re-raise pre-flop with 8♥ 2♥, and flopping the flush. The money quickly went all in on the flop with Isildur1 holding top pair-top kicker with the nut flush re-draw.

Isildur1 whiffed the turn and the river, giving the massive pot to Dwan with his eight-high flush.

With the absurd amount of action between these two players, and Dwan being stuck over $1.8 million over the last two days, you can almost be sure the action will continue until one of these players says uncle, or has gone completely broke.

Below you can see the three largest pots of the heads-up session, or you can head to MarketPulse to see as many more hands as you would like.

Steven Merrifield Surges to WPT Foxwoods Lead After Day 2

While the majority of the industry is focusing its attention on the final table of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas today, Day Three of the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) World Poker Finals at the Foxwoods Casino and Resort in Connecticut will start back up Saturday afternoon, with poker professional Steven Merrifield leading the pack.

205 players of the original 353 runners came back for action on Day Two, with Todd Terry as the chip leader. Terry was facing significant challenges, however, with Adam Lippert and Alan Sasser in hot pursuit. Sasser, who was in the WPT Foxwoods event on a freeroll after winning his seat in an online qualifier on ClubWPT.com, was unable to push into the Day Three action, though, and he was joined on the rails by other top players such as Lippert, former WPT Player of the Year Gavin Smith, Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin, Prahlad Freidman, and Liv Boeree.

Jason Mercier looked to be making his move on the chip lead until an unfortunate bad beat knocked him down the ladder. With Mercier’s opponent all-in on the flop with a pair of nines and an ace kicker, Mercier called with pocket queens and looked to have a stranglehold on the hand. The turn, however, brought an ace and the river another nine, giving his opponent a boat and a key double up. Mercier, who was knocked down to around 80,000 in chips at that point, was able to work his way back up and will start Day Three under the chip average with 139,000.

For much of the final few hours of play on Friday, the action on the felt left many around the tournament arena wondering who was actually in the lead. Day One leader Terry, Soheil Shamseddin, Christian Harder, and Terrence Chan all claimed to have the lead. It took a late run by Merrifield, including a key victory against Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi, to drive him to the top of the leaderboard for the start of action today.

As the cards prepare to fly in Foxwoods this afternoon, here are the top ten of the 68 players remaining in the field:

1. Steven Merrifield – 465,100
2. Soheil Shamseddin – 401,000
3. Todd Terry – 396,500
4. Terrence Chan – 394,200
5. Curt Kohlberg – 370,000
6. Frank Calo – 361,200
7. Christian Harder – 330,400
8. Jesse Martin – 329,800
9. Joe Serock – 277,000
10. Adam Gerber – 270,000

Other top names in the field include former WPT champions Cornel Andrew Cimpan, Steve Brecher, and Nenad Medic. Interestingly, Medic has a chance to make WPT history. If the Canadian can come back to win this tournament, it would mark the first time that a player has won the same WPT event twice; Medic also won in 2006. His work is cut out for him, however, as he sits below the average chip stack with 151,000 in chips.

With the top 36 finishers paid in the tournament, the money bubble will most likely burst sometime Saturday afternoon. Poker News Daily will have all the latest from Connecticut as the WPT Foxwoods World Poker Finals works to its final table on Tuesday evening.

WPT Festa al Lago Final Table Features Freddy Deeb

History may be in the works at the final table of the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Festa al Lago, as Freddy Deeb vies for his record-tying third WPT title. Deeb holds a slight chip lead over Shawn Cunix entering the six-handed televised table.

Deeb’s first title came during Season IV, when he took down the Aruba Poker Classic for $1 million. He defeated Josh Schlein heads-up in a final table that also featured Johan Storakers, Devin “TranquilChaos” Porter, Robert Border, and Stacy Matuson. A total of 647 players turned out, far more than the 275 who entered this year’s Main Event in Aruba. Deeb’s other title came in Season VII at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles, the site of the annual WPT Celebrity Invitational.

If successful, Deeb will join Full Tilt Poker pro Gus Hansen as the only players to win three WPT titles. Hansen is fifth on the WPT’s all-time money list with just over $4 million, but hasn’t won a title since Season II.

Deeb picked off a bluff by Richard Sciuto during play on Sunday at the Bellagio, as Sciuto raised pre-flop and Deeb made the call to see the board come K-J-10. Both players checked to see a five on the turn. Deeb check-raised all-in and Sciuto folded, pushing the poker pro’s stack to 2.5 million. He ended play with 3.8 million to pace the field.

Cunix holds the second largest stack heading into the final table of the Festa al Lago with 3.7 million. He sent Kido Pham packing in eighth place on Sunday to help his cause. Pham moved over the top of a pre-flop raise by Cunix holding A-10 and his opponent made the call with A-Q. The board ran out 6-4-3-4-K and Cunix’s queen kicker played, sending Pham out the door in eighth for $89,000. Cunix finished 28th in last year’s Festa al Lago Main Event for $31,000.

Tommy Vedes, who has received a bundle of face time during ESPN’s coverage of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, proved that his deep run in that tournament was no fluke, making the final table of the Festa al Lago. Vedes eliminated Chris Bjorin in tenth place after coming out on the winning end of a race with pocket queens against A-K. Bjorin added a flush draw by the river, but the final card bricked out to send him out of the event $47,000 richer for his wear. Vedes holds the third largest stack at the Bellagio with nearly three million.

Craig Crivello sits in fourth place with 2.6 million chips. He was the executioner of online poker pro Aaron “aejones” Jones, who was featured heavily in the G4 reality series “2 Months, $2 Million.” Jones shoved with K-8 pre-flop, but ran into Crivello’s pocket jacks. Crivello added a third jack on the turn and Jones earned $129,000 for his seventh place showing along with the title of Final Table Bubble Boy.

Jason “StatusUp” Lavallee, the chip leader entering the play down day, wound up in fifth entering the final table with a stack of two million. He bounced Sciuto in ninth place with pocket kings against pocket nines after the board ran out J-5-4-10-8. Lavallee’s only other WPT cash came in the Season V PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, a tournament he finished 40th in for $17,000. Rounding out the Festa al Lago final table is Jason Burt, who will be the short stack on Monday when play resumes with 1.4 million chips.

Here’s how the final table stacks up:

1. Freddy Deeb – 3,840,000
2. Shawn Cunix – 3,670,000
3. Tommy Vedes – 2,990,000
4. Craig Crivello – 2,570,000
5. Jason Lavallee – 2,045,000
6. Jason Burt – 1,375,000

Each player remaining is assured at least $168,000, with a top prize of $1.2 million up for grabs. We’ll have full results on Tuesday right here on Poker News Daily.

Europeans dominate inaugural Caesars Cup

The made-for-TV tournament held at Casino at the Empire began with an odd brand of team poker where partners on either side of the table swapped control on each street.

The first match saw Finns Patrik Antonius and Ilari "ziigmund" Sahamies make quick work of Americans Phil Ivey and Huck Seed.

Americas Captain Daniel Negreanu joined with 11-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth to take on Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier and Betfair Poker qualifier John Harvey in the next match.

Europe grabbed a 2-0 lead when they got it in with ace-three against pocket aces and managed to suck out a straight.

The Americas fought back in the third match when Doyle Brunson and Jennifer Harman made a miraculous comeback to defeat Dario Minieri and Obrestad.

However, the European team took a commanding 3 to 1 lead when Denmark's Gus Hansen and Peter Eastgate beat John Juanda and Barry Greenstein, the latter running king-jack into ace-ten and failing to improve.

The format moved to heads-up next with Obrestad taking on Seed.

The young Norwegian took control after getting it all in with middle-pair-top-kicker against Seed's pair and a flush draw and managed to hold.

The match and the event were over soon after when Seed found himself all in with a dominated ace.

An ecstatic Obrestad said her decision to value youth over experience in choosing teammates for the event proved the right one.

"I would say that we outplayed them for the most part," she said. "We didn't make that many mistakes at all and we didn't get that lucky.

"The thing is in Europe there are not that many professional poker players like they have in the States. We don't have any Doyle Brunsons in Europe. Most of the guys who are experienced are young."

Negreanu saw things a little differently.

"Two things," he said. "First of all, in all the key situations, whether it was an ace versus an ace or whatever, they won every one of those. A lot of the key hands we just got unlucky in.

"Secondly, the specific format really didn't allow players, like Phil Ivey for example, to exhibit his strengths. It was all-in poker."

Coverage of the event will air on ESPN in the new year.

Gus Hansen’s Downswing Over 6 Million Dollars

This year might be one of the hardest ones for Gus Hansen. His online games are down over 6 million dollars already.

Gus Hansen doesn’t cause fear in his fellow players at the Full Tilt Poker high stakes games. Many players have said that they want Hansen against them after he’s on tilt or tired. This might be true as his losses for 2009 are already over 3 million dollars, but you must remember that he made the same amount of profit earlier this year.

Early 2009 looked promising

In January 2009 Hansen had won $2,79 million. February was a bit worse as he lost some money, but again in March he was winning and Hansen’s profit for the year peaked up as he was up 3.21 million dollars.

After that Hansen hasn’t been able to win big time. Occasionally you can see him winning a bit, but then in the next session he would lose. After March he hasn’t made any winning months at all.

Deepest pit in Hansen’s career

Hansen’s dowswing is scaling into massive proportions because he has managed to lose twice as much as he had won earlier this year. At the Moment his graph shows some bleak numbers. He is down -$2.925.000 this year. When you add that 3.21 million dollars to that, his downswing gets into astronomical figures: $6.13 million.

Just a few of the hands he has played this year:

Hansen’s trips holds against durrrr and trex313, $537k pot

durrrr hits straight flush against Hansen’s K-high flush, $672k pot

durrrr has kicker problems, $478k pot

Source: highstakesdb

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Gus Hansen’s Downswing Over 6 Million Dollars

Metsas wins Betfair’s $1 million freeroll

"It's unbelievable to have won," he said. "This amazing win has given me the confidence to believe I can compete against the best players in Europe and the rest of the World."

The 23-year-old from Greece qualified for the event through a series of online freerolls and a live regional qualifier.

The road to Betfair's Free Million Dollar Game started in April 2009 with online freerolls leading to regional qualifiers with 18 winners descending upon London to play out the live final Thursday.

With a rather lively crowd in attendance, Metsas outlasted the other regional qualifier winners over a grueling 10 hours.

The final hand saw France's Kevin Michoud get it all in with a flush draw against Metsas' top pair-top kicker.

Top pair held, Metsas booked the win and told reporters he intends to share his $1 million prize with friends and family, starting with a holiday in Phuket, Thailand.

"Coming into the final table I knew I was up against 17 tough players and was hoping I could stay with the British and Scandinavian guys," he said.

"The early stages were frustrating. Every time I had good cards, people didn't want to go in and when I had bad cards everyone wanted to get involved in the big stacks.

"Having won, I'm now going to buy my way into the £1,000 No Limit Hold'em [Friday], and after that who knows."

PokerListings' comprehensive coverage of the World Series of Poker Europe begins Friday with live updates from Day 1a of the £1,000 No Limit Hold'em event in our Live Coverage section.

Faraz Jaka Leads WPT Bellagio Cup V Final Table

A brief hour and a half of play in the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Bellagio Cup V occurred on Saturday. In the end, the six-handed final table was determined. Online poker pro Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka, who holds a stack of five million chips, leads the way.

Pavel Reshetov was the first elimination of Saturday’s play in the Bellagio Cup V under rather bizarre circumstances. The king of spades dealt to Ray Taylor was exposed during the deal and Taylor, thinking it was a misdeal, turned over his lone hole card, the queen of diamonds. The latter card remained in his hand, allegedly seen by two other players, while the king of spades was replaced. The flop came K-6-4, leading WPT coverage to note, “Before anyone can act, one of the players calls foul, claiming that a few players at the table have seen one of Taylor’s cards, but nobody else has - creating an unfair advantage.” Taylor then revealed his queen of diamonds for the entire table to see and the hand continued.

On the K-6-4 flop, Reshetov pushed all-in over the top of a raise by new Doyle’s Room pro Alec “traheho” Torelli holding K-3. Torelli called and flipped up K-7 for top pair with a better kicker. The turn and river both came aces, giving Torelli the pot and sending Reshetov to the rails in an ominous first elimination of the afternoon at the Bellagio. Reshetov received $46,000 for his efforts and Torelli’s stack was boosted to 2.6 million.

As if play couldn’t get any stranger, Jaka busted two players on the same hand holding just A-9 of clubs. Taylor held pocket kings, while Sam Stein found himself all-in with Q-9; Jaka had both covered. The flop fell 10-6-2 with two clubs, giving Jaka a flush draw and keeping Taylor out in front with pocket kings. The turn was a jack, giving Stein an open-ended straight draw. The river was the five of clubs, improving Jaka to a flush and sending both Taylor and Stein to the rails in eighth and ninth place, respectively. Stein picked up $61,000 for his troubles, while Taylor earned $87,000.

Mimi Tran was sent packing on the final table bubble in seventh place, earning $125,000. Tran, the lone female remaining in the fifth Bellagio Cup, was all-in holding pocket jacks against Jaka’s A-Q for a race situation. The flop came queen-high, giving Jaka a pair of queens, and an ace on the turn improved the chip leader to two pair. The river was a 10, setting up Sunday’s six-handed final table that will air as part of Season VIII of the WPT on Fox Sports Net. Here’s how the field looks:

1. Faraz Jaka - 5,041,000
2. Justin Smith - 2,992,000
3. Alec Torelli - 2,623,000
4. Erik Seidel - 2,170,000
5. Christopher Sonesson - 1,671,000
6. Alexandre Gomes - 1,586,000

Blinds will be 12,000-24,000 with a 3,000 chip ante when play resumes at 4:00pm PT from the Las Vegas casino. Every player owns at least 66 big blinds, setting up a deep-stacked final day of play. Poker pro Erik Seidel, who is perhaps the most well-known player left in the field, told WPT officials that the group of six represents “the toughest final table the WPT’s ever had.” The $15,000 buy-in tournament’s winner will take home $1.1 million and each player remaining is assured at least a $164,000 payday.

Seidel owns eight World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets, good for fifth all-time. He trails only Phil Hellmuth (11 bracelets), Doyle Brunson (10), Johnny Chan (10), and Johnny Moss (9) in that category. Seidel’s 57 WSOP in the money finishes are tied for fourth all-time with Berry Johnston and the Full Tilt Poker pro won the Season VI WPT Foxwoods Poker Classic for $992,000.

We’ll have complete results for you right here on Poker News Daily.

Greg Mueller Wins Second Bracelet of 2009 WSOP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ray Foley Defeats Brandon Cantu in WSOP $1,500 No Limit Holdem

Chrysler Financial employee Ray Foley became the newest World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner on Monday night, defeating a field of 2,715 players in a $1,500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event (#39). Foley outlasted Brandon Cantu heads-up.

Patrick O’Connor was bumped in ninth place for $80,049. O’Connor pushed from the small blind with A-4 and Cantu called holding pocket threes. The board was no help to the Irish dentist who also dabbles in cash games and he was sent packing as the first elimination of the feature table. O’Connor took 38th in the 2004 WSOP Main Event and formerly made the final table of the Irish Open.

After a flop of 4-A-7 with two hearts, Richard Lutes shoved and was also called by Cantu. This time, Lutes showed K-10 for air, while Cantu flipped up J-10 of hearts for a flush draw. The turn completed Cantu’s flush and sent Lutes packing $85,608 richer for his wear.

After a raise by Alex Jacob, Chairud Vangchailued called all-in for his tournament life with J-Q. However, Jacob’s pocket jacks had him dominated. The flop came K-Q-J, preserving Jacob’s leading in the hand with a set against Vangchailued’s two pair. Needing to catch a queen for a full house, Vangchailued found an eight and a five on the turn and river, respectively, sealing his fate. Event #39 marked Vangchailued’s first career WSOP cash.

Hitting the skids in sixth place was Jonathan Markham. Wei Mu check-raised Markham all-in on a flop of A-K-J with two spades. Mu turned over Q-10 for the nuts, while Markham showed pocket kings for a set. The turn was a six and the river was a three, sealing Markham’s exit after the bad beat.

Chicago engineer Tyler Spalding made his first WSOP event count, turning in a fifth place effort and banking $143,421. Spalding pushed pre-flop with J-2 of diamonds and was called by Jacob, who held pocket nines. The board fell 10-7-6-3-Q and the better hand held, widening Jacob’s chip lead even further.

However, Jacob doubled up Foley holding A-3 against Foley’s pocket jacks in a misread. The error would ultimately prove fatal, as Jacob was bounced in third place for $190,857. Foley sent him out with A-4 against J-9 after spiking a four on the flop and never looking back. It was Jacob’s second six-figure payday at the WSOP. In 2007, he finished third in another $1,500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event for $282,000 in a tournament ultimately won by Irishman Cairan O’Leary.

Mu was eliminated in third place for $269,609. He shoved over the top of a bet by Cantu, who promptly called with K-10 on a flop of K-4-3. Mu showed K-9 for the same top pair, but with a lower kicker. The turn and river fell a six and five, respectively, giving Cantu a 7:5 chip lead entering heads-up play. The tournament was nearly decided within a few minutes, as Foley pushed with A-7, running into Cantu’s A-Q. However, two pair on the board resulted in a chopped pot.

In the final hand, Foley pushed over the top of a bet by Cantu with J-Q on a flop of J-3-9. Cantu called for his tournament life with J-7 and found himself out-kicked. A ten on the turn and five on the river solidified Foley’s win over the final table’s lone bracelet winner. The runner-up showing in the $1,500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event marked Cantu’s third WSOP final table and third six-figure payday.

Foley told WSOP officials following his big win, “My friends and I usually play in only one event per year. We have a poker league where we send nine guys to play a $2,000 event. I played in that and busted out at the fifth level. So, I bought into the $1,500 buy-in on Saturday and I was supposed to fly out Sunday night and Midnight. I was second in chips at the end of Day Two. I missed my flight and fortunately….that’s about it.”

Here were the final results from Event #39 of the 2009 WSOP:

1. Ray Foley - $657,969
2. Brandon Cantu - $403,951
3. Wei Mu - $269,609
4. Alex Jacob - $190,857
5. Tyler Spalding - $143,421
6. Jonathan Markham - $114,514
7. Chairud Vangchailued - $96,355
8. Richard Lutes - $85,608
9. Patrick O’Connor - $80,049

James Van Alstyne Wins First Bracelet; Wolpert Defeats Duthie in $10K Heads-Up

Just days after finishing runner-up to Zac Fellows in the $3,000 buy-in HORSE event, poker pro James Van Alstyne made another HORSE final table, this time in the $1,500 buy-in HORSE tournament. While he just missed the mark at the former final table, he finally captured the elusive gold bracelet in this most recent event.

Van Alstyne has a long list of poker accomplishments to his name, including over $3 million in tournament winnings and six World Series of Poker (WSOP) final tables, but he was missing that final piece of the puzzle – the bracelet. So far this Series Van Alstyne has been close to the title on several occasions; in addition to finishing second in the $3,000 HORSE event, he also took 6th in the $10,000 Mixed Games championship event which was won by Ville Wahlbeck.

At Monday night’s final table Van Alstyne started out near the bottom of the chip counts, but managed to rally back once play got down to the final six players. After the other big names at the table, online pro Shannon Shorr and Bryan “The Icon” Micon, were eliminated in 5th and 4th place respectively, Van Alstyne made quick work of his two remaining opponents Mitch Schock and Tad Jurgens. Schock went out in third place and Jurgens was eliminated in second just half an hour later. Van Alstyne earned $247,033 for his victory. With his win, Van Alstyne is now tied with Brock “t_soprano” Parker for third in the WSOP Player of the Year race with 220 points.

Just a few tables away from Van Alstyne’s HORSE final table, another gold bracelet was on the line. Play in the $10,000 buy-in Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em event was initially scheduled to end Monday, but after a long day of matches, the two finalists, semi-professional online poker player Leo “Pechorin” Wolpert and EPT co-founder and PokerStars Pro John Duthie, were given a night to rest up before playing out the championship match.

Play in the finals kicked off at noon on Tuesday where the players played a total of three matches before a champion was crowned. While the rest of the tournament was single elimination, the finals were conducted in a best-of-three format.

Wolpert jumped to an early lead in Match One, but doubled Duthie back up to even when his A-Q lost a race to Duthie’s pocket tens. From that point forward, Duthie proceeded to chip away, eventually taking down Match #1 in a matter of 96 hands. The players took a short break and returned for Match #2 which was done in a flash. Match #2 lasted a grand total of nine hands before Wolpert put it away with a monster hand.

With the blinds at 15,000/30.000 Wolpert raised to 90,000 and Duthie called from the big blind. The two then proceeded to get it all-in on the flop with Duthie holding for top pair, top kicker and Wolpert holding for a set of sixes. The set held and Wolpert was right back in the thick of things in a matter of minutes.

The end of the tournament was still a long ways away though. The third and final match lasted an astounding 191 hands and several hours before a winner was determined. On the final hand of play, Wolpert got it all in on a holding for two pair versus Duthie’s for top pair. The treys and fives held to give Wolpert his first WSOP bracelet at his second WSOP final table.

Wolpert, who divides his time between playing online and attending law school at the University of Virginia, was ecstatic after his big win. However, in his post-victory interview he remained level headed about his achievement. “[Life] won’t change”, he explained. “I will have more money in the bank. But I am still going to be in law school next year.” Wolpert is right, he will definitely have more money: he earned $625,682 for his win while Duthie took home $386,636 for second.

Wednesday will see two more bracelets awarded. The twelve players remaining in the $10,000 buy-in World Championship of Limit Hold’em will return at 1PM to play down to a winner. Kenny Hsiung is the current chip leader, but several other known pros including Full Tilt Pros Jennifer Harman and Greg “FBT” Mueller as well as Daniel Alaei and PokerStars Pro Chad Brown remain in the field.

A winner will also be crowned in the $2,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em Event. Chip leader Jason Boynes and Peter “Nordberg” Feldman are amongst the 19 players still in contention for the bracelet.

With a little more than half of the events in the books, the WSOP has awarded $64,293,644 in cash prizes and drawn 32,136 participants. There are still a couple dozen more tournaments to go, including the Main Event, so expect those numbers to grow substantially as play continues into July.

Mike Eise Wins WSOP $1,500 No Limit Holdem Event

After a six hour long final table, Mike Eise, a 30 year-old pipe fitter from St. Louis, took down Event #28 of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP), a $1,500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament. Eise’s win was worth $639,331 and his first WSOP bracelet.

Eise regularly plays in the same cash game as inaugural WSOP November Nine member Dennis Phillips. He’s also part of a poker club called the Wanna’ Be Poker Series. Eise stormed through a talented nine-handed final table that became official when Joey Brattole was eliminated in tenth place. Then, Mike Zulker pushed all-in pre-flop with K-Q of hearts and was called by online poker pro Jason “JP_OSU” Potter, who showed K-J of diamonds. A flop of K-7-7 gave both players kings-up, but kept Zulker in front with a queen kicker. The six of diamonds on the turn gave Potter a flush draw, but a jack on the river paired both of his hole cards and sent Zulker home in ninth place.

The next player ousted from the final table was Jose Luis Franco, who earned $83,180 for his eighth place finish. Franco shoved pre-flop with A-3 of clubs, but ran into Rico Ramirez’s A-J. The flop came 9-K-10 with two clubs, giving Franco outs for a flush. However, a red jack and a red seven ended his tournament run. Shortly thereafter, Avi Braz was bumped in seventh place. Braz pushed on a board of A-2-10 with A-J, but Eise woke up with A-K. No help came to Braz, who banked $93,622 in his first WSOP cash.

Claiming sixth place in the $1,500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament was Zack Fritz, who earned $111,266. Eise called the all-ins of Jeff Chang and Fritz, who held pocket kings and A-K, respectively, while Eise showed A-Q. The board came 10-high, preserving Chang’s win in the hand with cowboys and tripling him up; Chang had Fritz covered. Barry Berger was the next to depart, pushing with pocket jacks on a board of 8-Q-6 with two spades. Ramirez called with 10-9 of spades for flush and straight draws. The turn came a jack, improving Berger to a set, but at the same time, the card gave Ramirez a queen-high straight. Needing the board to pair on the river for a full house or quads, Berger watched as a harmless four fell. He took home $139,353 for his fifth place effort.

Potter was ousted in fourth place for $185,444. One of his hole cards was foiled when his Q-10 of spades ran into Chang’s pocket tens pre-flop. The flop came Q-4-10, giving Potter one of his three outs, but also improving Chang to trips. Official WSOP coverage noted that, upon seeing the action-packed flop, “the crowd erupted with an ear-splitting and deafening display of claps and stomps.” The ace of spades on the turn gave Potter a flush draw, but the seven of clubs on the river sent him out of the Amazon Room nearly $200,000 richer for his wear.

Ramirez was eliminated in third place after calling for his tournament life with J-4 on a board of K-J-J-9. However, Eise tabled pocket nines for a full house. The river was a 10 and Ramirez earned $261,963 for his efforts. After scooping the healthy pot, Eise entered heads-up play with a 9:2 chip lead. In the event’s final hand, Chang put his tournament life on the line with A-J on a board of 3-6-3. Eise showed just 8-7 for just eight-high, but spiked a seven on the turn to move out in front. Needing one of the six remaining aces or jacks in the deck, Chang watched as the river fell a five, ensuring Eise would take home his first WSOP bracelet. Chang settled for a $392,494 consolation prize.

Here were the results from Event #28 of the 2009 WSOP, a $1,500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament:

1. Mike Eise - $639,331
2. Jeff Chang - $392,494
3. Adolfo Ramirez - $261,963
4. Jason Potter - $185,444
5. Barry Berger - $139,353
6. Zachary Fritz - $111,266
7. Avi Braz - $93,622
8. Jose Franco - $83,180
9. Michael Zulker - $77,778

Pieter De Korver makes epic comeback, wins EPT Monte Carlo!

Final table started with Dag Martin Mikkelsen leading the group and after only one player out of the game it seemed like game was all over. Mikkelsen knocked out Peter Traply, who started the final second in chips, and Daniel Zink. At that point Mikkelsen looked like too much to handle for other players.

Then Russian Mikhail Tulchinskiy took the centre stage. He knocked shortstacks Alem Shah and Eric Qu, but Mikkelsen still had a huge lead. Meanwhile, Pieter De Korver (pictured) had only 400,000 left and with blinds at 80,000-160,000 it looked like his tournament was going to end soon.

However, De Korver used his remaining chips well and tripled up with Q-4 and he was back in the game. De Korver started to shove repeatedly and repeatedly won. He completed his remarkable comeback in a hand against Mikkelsen, where the Dane moved all-in against De Korver, but the Dutch was not laying down his full house.

That hand vaulted De Korver to the lead and Mikkelsen was soon eliminated by Matthew Woodward, a PokerStars qualifier from USA. Woodward ousted Tulchinskiy and the heads-up started with De Korver leading only with a slight margin.

The pair battled close to an hour until both player flopped a middle pair and De Korver moved all-in. Woodward made the call only to see that De Korver had better kicker and the victory in his sight, but Woodward had a flush draw to go with his pair. Needless to say that Woodward missed his outs and De Korver was crowned the new EPT Monte Carlo Champion.

Final table payouts of EPT Monte Carlo:

1. Pieter de Korver, Holland, €2,300,000
2. Matthew Woodward, USA, €1,300,000
3. Mikhail Tulchinskiy, Russia, €800,000
4. Dag Martin Mikkelsen, Norway, €600,000
5. Eric Qu, France, €470,000
6. Alem Shah, Germany, €350,000
7. Daniel Zink, Germany, €250,000
8. Peter Traply, Hungary, €170,000

Source: pokerstarsblog

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Pieter De Korver makes epic comeback, wins EPT Monte Carlo!

Pieter de Korver Wins EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final

The 2009 installment of the European Poker Tour’s (EPT) Monte Carlo Grand Final wrapped up over the weekend. In the end, Team PokerStars Netherlands Pro Pieter de Korver triumphed over the 935 player field en route to a €2.3 million payday.

De Korver was nearly bumped from the final table when he was down to just three big blinds remaining. However, the old adage “All you need is a chip and a chair” held true and the Netherlands native mounted a comeback of epic proportions to take down the finale of the fifth EPT season. On the final hand, de Korver knocked out Matthew Woodward. After a flop of 5-10-6, all hearts, de Korver checked and Woodward bet out 700,000. De Korver promptly put his opponent all-in and Woodward called, flipping over 6d-4h for middle pair and a baby flush draw. De Korver turned over 6-9 of spades for middle pair with a better kicker. The turn and river came the queen of spades and seven of spades, respectively, handing the 26 year-old the win in the EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final.

De Korver was down to his final 400,000 chips when blinds were a healthy 80,000-160,000. However, he tripled his stack holding Q-4 through Woodward and poker pro Dag Martin Mikkelsen and never looked back. Here were the results from the eight-handed final table:

1st Place: Pieter de Korver (Holland) - €2,300,000
2nd Place: Matthew Woodward (United States) - €1,300,000
3rd Place: Mikhail Tulchinskiy (Russia) - €800,000
4th Place: Dag Martin Mikkelsen (Norway) - €600,000
5th Place: Eric Qu (France) - €470,000
6th Place: Alem Shah (Germany) - €350,000
7th Place: Daniel Zink (Germany) - €250,000
8th Place: Peter Traply (Hungary) - €170,000

Mikkelsen was the aggressor early on, bumping Traply from the final table in eighth place after the Hungarian entered play with the chip lead. He also sent Zink packing in seventh place, leading many to believe that Mikkelsen would walk away from Monaco as the EPT Season 5 champ. De Korver then flopped a boat with pocket sixes and stole a massive pot off of the Norwegian, who was ultimately sent packing by Woodward in fourth place. Mikkelsen took 42nd in the 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event for $237,000 in a tournament eventually won by Jerry Yang. Woodward also ousted Tulchinskiy, this time coming out on the winning end of a race with pocket threes against the Russian’s Q-10.

The Monte Carlo Grand Final marked the end of the fifth season of the EPT. The tournament series traversed more than 13,000 miles across two continents. Its Main Event winners over the course of the nine month-long season included Sebastian Ruthenburg (Barcelona), Michael Martin (London), Will Fry (Hungary), Joao Barbosa (Warsaw), Salvatore Bonavena (Prague), Poorya Nazari (PokerStars Caribbean Adventure), Moritz Kranich (Deauville), Jens Kyllönen (Copenhagen), Sandra Naujoks (Dortmund), and Jason Mercier (San Remo). A special £1 Million Showdown held during the EPT festivities in London was also won by Mercier, who defeated a final table that included 2008 WSOP Europe Main Event victor John Juanda, World Poker Tour Bellagio Cup IV winner Michael “SirWatts” Watson, reigning WSOP HORSE Champion Scotty Nguyen, 2007 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure runner up Isaac Haxton, Full Tilt Poker pro David Benyamine, and Isabelle Mercier.

The 2008 installment of the EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final attracted a field of 842 entrants. This year, that number grew by 11%. The very first end of season EPT event generated 211 runners in 2005 and was won by Rob Hollink. At the time of writing, no schedule for Season 6 has been posted on the EPT’s website, although the Barcelona tournament has traditionally kicked off the schedule each September.

Tom Dwan Scoops Largest High Stakes Poker Pot Ever

The fifth season of High Stakes Poker is currently airing on GSN and, in the final episode featuring Tom Dwan, the 22 year-old scooped a $919,600 pot, the largest ever won on the show. The win came at the expense of Barry Greenstein.

The second hand of High Stakes Poker, which airs on Sunday nights at 9:00pm ET on GSN, featured a $2,000 straddle by Peter Eastgate and a $4,000 double straddle by Doyle Brunson. Straddles have been used sparingly throughout the course of the show so far, a trend that was bucked this weekend. Greenstein made it $15,000 pre-flop holding As-Js. 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate called with Ks-7s and Brunson called with J-9. The flop came J-3-7 with one spade, giving Greenstein top pair with the best kicker. Eastgate checked, Brunson bet $35,000, and Greenstein called. High Stakes Poker announcer Gabe Kaplan noted, “Barry knows Doyle and if Doyle had a better hand than him, he'd check.”

After Greenstein called Brunson's bet, Eastgate raised to $104,000. Brunson got out of the way and Greenstein called. The turn came the 10 of spades, giving both players a flush draw, although Greenstein would have the nuts if a spade fell on the river. Greenstein bet $175,000 and Eastgate went into the tank before folding. Kaplan commented, “Barry did not want Peter Eastgate to say 'All in.'”

The biggest hand of the night came in a pot where Eastgate made it $3,500 pre-flop with A-K. Greenstein peeked down to see pocket aces and raised to $15,000. Dwan called with Ks-Qs and Eastgate also saw the flop of 2-4-Q with two spades. Kaplan made an elaborate Star Spangled Banner reference before Dwan led out and bet $28,700. Greenstein raised to $100,000 as a 50% favorite to win the pot and Dwan re-raised to $244,600. Greenstein shoved enough to put Dwan all-in and the two agreed to run it just once. Greenstein offered to let Dwan to take back $200,000, but the youngster declined. The turn was a queen, leaving Greenstein drawing to the case ace, which didn't come on the river. Dwan scooped the largest pot in High Stakes Poker history.

Sunday's installment of High Stakes Poker also saw Team PokerStars Pro member Daniel Negreanu go broke once again. He had the misfortune of running into quads earlier this season and, in his final hand, Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies raised to $4,500 with J-6 and Negreanu called with K-Q. The flop came Q-6-3, giving Negreanu top pair. Sahamies bet $8,000 and Negreanu elected to slow play his hand by just calling. The turn came another six and Sahamies bet $27,000, this time with trips instead of middle pair. Negreanu pushed for $102,400 and Sahamies quickly called. Negreanu quipped, “I'm just going to quit.” The river came a three, giving the $232,500 pot to Sahamies. Negreanu left the set, the first exit on High Stakes Poker this season.

One of the final hands for this group of seven players saw Eastgate raise to $3,500 with J-9. Dwan called with A-3 and David Benyamine raised to $16,000 with pocket nines. Both Eastgate and Dwan called, seeing the flop of 9-Q-Q. In the background of the hand was a heated discussion between Dwan and Sahamies over who owed who money, which took away a bit of the luster of this hand. Benyamine bet out $28,000 with his flopped full house, Eastgate called with two pair, and Dwan folded. The turn came a six and Benyamine once again led out for $38,000. Eastgate called and the river came an eight, which Kaplan noted “could save Eastgate some money.” Benyamine bet $75,000 and Eastgate called, losing the $331,200 pot.

The High Stakes Poker set at the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas will welcome seven new faces on Sunday, April 12th. They include “The Simpsons” producer Sam Simon, Phil Laak, Joe Hachem, Howard Lederer, Patrik Antonius, and Antonio Esfandiari. In addition, Negreanu will return looking to reverse his luck.

PokerStars SCOOP Event 1 Attracts 27,000 Players

It didn't take long for the PokerStars Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) to become wildly popular. In fact, the low-stakes installment of its very first tournament, a No Limit Hold'em Six-Max with Rebuys event, attracted 27,134 players, making it one of the largest online poker tournaments ever held. In the end, Eetu100 grabbed $41,000 for the win in the $5.50 buy-in tournament.

AragonX was the first player ousted from the six-handed final table, being eliminated on the very first hand. AragonX shoved on a flop of 10-5-K holding A-10 for middle pair. However, he was dominated by Eetu100, who showed K-4. The turn and river came a queen and king, respectively, improving Eetu100 to trips and sending AragonX home in sixth place for $3,000. There were a total of 45,438 rebuys in the tournament, or about 1.7 per person.

The next to go was canucko, who found himself on the losing end of a race holding A-Q against bakter9, who held pocket eights. The flop came ace-high, giving canucko a glimmer of hope, but an eight on the turn gave his opponent a set. Canucko took home $4,000 for his efforts and four players remained in the $5.50 buy-in affair.

After a board of 7-5-J-9, jw32123 pushed with 5-7 over the top of a raise by bakter9, who held pocket jacks. PokerStars player jw32123 found himself he victim of a cooler in this hand, as his flopped two pair was no match for his opponent's set. He pocketed $8,000 for his efforts.

After discussions of a chop failed to materialize, bakter9 was the next to go, taking third place for $17,000. Eetu100 bet enough to put bakter9 all-in on a board of A-8-9-7-A. Not believing his opponent had one of the two remaining aces in the deck, bakter9 called and flipped over pocket jacks for aces up. However, Eetu100 had the goods, showing A-K.

Eetu100 held better than a 4:1 chip lead heads-up, 188 million to 44 million. Despite a quick double up to make things more interesting, MrWhite's tournament ended after he shoved with A-Q on a board of A-8-9. Despite holding top pair and the second best kicker, MrWhite was dominated by Eetu100's A-8 for top and bottom pair. A queen failed to come on the turn or river, sealing the win for Eetu100 and a $29,000 consolation prize for MrWhite.

Here were the official payouts from the final table of the enormous 27,000 player tournament held as part of SCOOP:
1st Place: Eetu100 - $41,562.77
2nd Place: MrWhite - $29,364.53
3rd Place: bakter9 - $17,401.21
4th Place: jw32123 - $8,700.61
5th Place: canucko - $4,350.31
6th Place: AragonX - $3,045.22

The mid-stakes edition of Event 1 was a $55 buy-in tournament that attracted 4,057 players. In the end, Isaac “westmenloAA” Baron triumphed over the field, banking $97,000. Baron took fourth in last April's Monte Carlo Grand Final, a stop on the European Poker Tour (EPT), banking over $900,000. Canadian Glen Chorny reigned supreme in that tournament, taking home $3.1 million.

The high-stakes version of Event 1 boasted a $535 buy-in and the field included Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, whose PokerStars ban was recently lifted. German player BongBob took down the event, which attracted 672 players. The $1.1 million prize pool tournament more than doubled its guarantee and the top 72 spots paid.

Also taking place on Thursday was Event 2, a Pot Limit Omaha High-Low contest. The low-stakes $11 buy-in edition was won by thehoffa, who defeated a field of 7,622 players in one of the largest Omaha High-Low events ever run. The PokerStars player banked nearly $10,000 for his efforts. Josh “Sdouble” Schlein took down the mid-stakes version for $33,000 and finsfan7 notched a win in the high-stakes Omaha High-Low event for $61,000.

Daniel Negreanu Rebuys Again on High Stakes Poker

Two weeks removed from going broke when his pocket jacks ran into David Benyamine's quad fours, Daniel Negreanu was forced to rebuy once again this week on GSN's “High Stakes Poker.” This time, his gamble against Eli Elezra did not pay off, and the Team PokerStars Pro member saw his luck in the ring game continue to slide.

This was the fifth episode of the new season of High Stakes Poker, which airs on GSN at 9:00pm ET on Sundays. Last week's show featured Tom “durrrr” Dwan's aces cracked by Barry Greenstein's J-9 when Greenstein turned two pair. The hand sparked the catch phrase, “Math is idiotic,” which is now a staple of the show. Greenstein opened this week's episode with wins in two smaller pots, one against 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate and one against both Negreanu and Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies.

Several massive pots occurred in this week's episode. In the first, Negreanu raised to $3,000 with 9-10 of clubs and was called by Dwan, who had 8-7. Elezra made it $11,000 holding pocket aces and both of his opponents called. The flop came Q-2-4 with two clubs and Elezra bet out $17,000. High Stakes Poker Host Gabe Kaplan noted, “A small bet. He's hoping someone has a big queen and would raise him.”

Holding a flush draw, Negreanu raised to $44,100, Dwan got out of the way, Elezra made it $119,100, and Negreanu shoved for $226,300. Elezra called, saying, “I hope you're on a draw.” Sure enough, Negreanu was. The combatants agreed to run the board twice, meaning in order to scoop the entire pot, a player must win both boards. The first came the five of diamonds and six of spades, a win for Elezra. The second board ran out the three of spades and jack of spades, giving Elezra the massive $487,100 pot. Negreanu promptly reloaded.

Elezra turned up the aggression with his newfound chips. In one hand, he raised to $4,500 with A-9 of diamonds. Eastgate raised to $20,000 with pocket queens, and Doyle Brunson quickly folded pocket tens. On the latter move, Kaplan commented, “I don't understand that.” Sahamies called the raise with pocket fours and Elezra also called. The flop came K-2-7 with two diamonds and Elezra bet $55,000. Kaplan noted, “That's a pretty big bet. I think Peter is savvy enough to realize that when Eli had aces, he bet half the size of the pot.” Eastgate called and the turn came a non-diamond three. The action went check-check and the river was a non-diamond jack. Both Elezra and Eastgate checked and the reigning WSOP Main Event Champion took down the $174,100 pot.

Greenstein and Elezra locked horns in a hand that saw four-way action to a flop of J-K-A with two diamonds. Greenstein, who was the hand's initial pre-flop raiser, led out for $7,000 with 6-5 of diamonds, Elezra made it $19,000 with A-2, and the action folded back to Greenstein, who called. The turn came a non-diamond eight. Greenstein checked and Elezra bet $45,000. Kaplan remarked, “I don't know what Eli is putting Barry on, but I know one thing: Eli wants Barry to fold his hand right here.” Instead of laying down his draw, Greenstein fired back and raised to $200,000, prompting a quick fold from Elezra.

Dwan continued being active at the table. In a hand that occurred early on in the show, Negreanu raised to $5,600 with K-Q, Dwan called with A-J, and Elezra called holding 3-2 suited. The flop came 8-2-J, giving Dwan top pair, top kicker. He led out for $13,200, Elezra folded, and Negreanu made the smooth call with king high. The turn came a four, Dwan bet $34,200, and Negreanu waved the white flag and folded. On the $74,400 hand, Kaplan commented, “Dwan confuses everybody. He gets them to play hands that they wouldn't otherwise play.”

Next week's episode promises to have the poker world buzzing. The preview reveals, “Barry Greenstein and Tom Dwan have battled all season long. Next week, they will lock up in what will be one of the most talked about hands in High Stakes Poker history.” Check out High Stakes Poker on Sundays at 9:00pm ET on GSN.