Poker News

Phil Laak, Cake Poker Network Launch Unabomber Poker

In the online poker world, having a room named after you is perhaps the most notable sign that you have made your mark in the industry. From DoylesRoom, fronted by the legendary Doyle Brunson, to Devilfish Poker, hosted by top English pro David “The Devilfish” Ulliot, many professional poker players have made the move to the online world with their own iconic rooms.

The Cake Poker Network announced today that top pro Phil Laak will join its family of sites with his own room. Called Unabomber Poker, the site will feature Laak in action on the network and through a blog that will be available on the site. Along with the announcement of Unabomber Poker, the Cake Poker Network also announced the addition of seven other new network poker rooms, including 7Win Poker, Redback Poker, Amsterdams Poker, Safari Poker, Dimeline, Rags2Riches Poker, and Burro Poker.

“We knew we wanted to launch the sickest poker site possible,” Laak stated during the announcement of the new venture. “By joining a network that focuses on player rewards and accepts players worldwide, we knew we would be starting out on the right track. I love getting involved from the ground up.” A Cake Network spokesperson added, “The addition of Unabomber Poker to the Cake Network is a cause for great excitement. Phil’s enthusiasm for the game is infectious and brings a great energy to the network.”

With the addition of the eight new rooms, the Cake Poker Network now encompasses a total of 55 online poker sites. Some of the most popular sites offered by the Cake Poker Network include DoylesRoom, PokerHost, Lock Poker, Gutshot.com, and its own eponymous site. The Cake Poker Network is among the Top Ten in the online poker industry by cash game traffic, according to the poker industry tracking site PokerScout.com, averaging 2,100 real money ring game players.

Unabomber Poker offers many of the player amenities that are a fixture of the Cake Poker Network. Through participating in the action on the site, players earn Gold Chips and Gold Cards that can be exchanged for cash, merchandise, or free play in tournaments on the network. Unabomber Poker will also participate in the Cake Poker Network’s premier monthly event, the $250,000 Guaranteed.

Laak is arguably one of the most visible players in the game today through both his play and his exuberant behavior at the table. He exploded on the poker scene in 2004 with a victory in the World Poker Tour (WPT) Invitational at the Commerce Casino and has remained a formidable foe at the tables since then. In 2005, Laak was runner up to Johnny Chan at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) $2,500 Pot Limit Hold’em event when Chan captured his tenth bracelet. In a brief six-year career, Laak has earned slightly over $1.8 million from the tournament poker circuit.

Laak is famously called “The Unabomber” because his attire at the poker tables – a hooded sweatshirt and sunglasses – gives Laak a resemblance to the forensic sketch of notorious convicted mail bomber Theodore Kaczynski. Laak can confound players with antics at the table such as push-ups, talking to the cards, and offering buyouts to players to show their winning hands. Away from the felt, Laak also makes a great deal of noise. He has one of the most high-profile poker relationships with former WSOP Ladies’ Champion Jennifer Tilly and has been a part of television show “I Bet You” with his longtime friend and former roommate Antonio Esfandiari.

Daniel Negreanu Comments on Phil Ivey Taking All-Time Money Lead

Over the weekend, Phil Ivey placed second to Dan Shak in the $100,000 Challenge at the 2010 Aussie Millions Poker Championship at the Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia.  For his efforts, Ivey won $553,776 ($600,000 AUD), vaulting him into the top position on the all-time live tournament money list.  His total of $12,813,990 is now $381,623 ahead of Daniel Negreanu's $12,432,367.

For his part, Negreanu has been far from a sore "loser."  In fact, Negreanu expressed his admiration for Ivey in his poker journal on his website, FullContactPoker.com:

"It's my belief that Phil Ivey is the best poker player in the world, and that includes every format," wrote Negreanu.  "I've played live with him, and cash, Hold'em, Stud, Omaha, whatever, and he is just the most consistently good player at everything - include [sic] online based on what his results look like. I don't think anyone has won more money online, live play, or tournament poker, than Ivey. Pretty strong."

Fortunately, Negreanu does not feel like this turn of events diminishes his place in the poker world, nor should he.  Like any good competitor, Negreanu is using Ivey's success as an impetus to achieve even more in his career.

"It's actually kind of fun for me," Negreanu blogged after Day 1 of the 2010 WPT Southern Poker Championship at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi.  "I'm glad he did so well because it motivates me to try and pass him again. I was up about $200,000 so I think I'll need to finish 2nd or 1st to regain the lead. Should be a fun year from that perspective."

"Kid Poker" also commented on Ivey's mindset, saying, "Another misconception about Ivey is that he 'Doesn't really care.' He does. He definitely cares, because he is a competitor. It's not all about the money for him, otherwise he wouldn't bother. I think he's got something to prove in 2010. Not to the poker world, everyone with half a brain knows that Ivey is the best. I think he has something to prove to himself. 2010 could be a monster year for him."

In the last half year, Phil Ivey has won nearly $2,000,000 on the live tournament circuit, allowing him to overtake such players as Phil Hellmuth, Jamie Gold, Joe Hachem, and Scotty Nguyen on the all-time money list (based on current money standings), in addition to Negreanu.  While his Aussie Millions take was sizable, Ivey's rise on the leader board was aided primarily by his seventh place finish in the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event, where he won $1,404,014.  He also won two bracelets during the 2009 WSOP, bringing his lifetime total to seven.

If it is any consolation for Negreanu, he remains ahead of Ivey on the inflation-adjusted money list (thanks to thehendonmob.com for this information), $13,816,957 to $13,305,078.  He is still second on that list, though, to Hellmuth, whose inflation-adjusted total is $13,876,255.

The Online Railbird Report: Sahamies and South Lead the Pack

Slowly but surely, the nosebleed-stakes action is picking up again as regulars like Cole South, Brian Townsend, and Tom “durrrr” Dwan dip their toes back in the waters at $300/$600 pot-limit Omaha. This week saw a significant uptick in the number...

Well, How Did I Get Here by Lee Jones

I made a pretty big laydown recently and was probably as proud of it as I was of any big pot I’ve won recently. Long ago, David Sklansky reminded us that a bet you don’t lose spends just as well as a bet you win.

This happened in a regular home game of mine; my knowledge of the players certainly helped my decision and emphasized the importance of paying attention to your opponents and learning their habits.

We were playing $1-$1 No Limit Hold’em, but that doesn’t really tell the story. As will happen in games without a buy-in cap, we had all ended up with stacks much bigger than the $100-ish that’s typical in online games with those blinds. I had over $400 and the stacks around me were of similar size or bigger.

Rory limped in for $1. Rory likes to play pots and could have just about anything. In middle position, Ben raised to $6, a fairly standard raise in this game. I looked down at J-T suited. Ben doesn’t usually open very light and big pairs made up a meaningful percentage of his pre-flop raising range. Those were exactly the hands that I was hoping to beat if I could hit a flop; I didn’t want a 4bet from Ben shutting me out of the pot early. I flat called.

Now, Steve called behind me. That made me upset. I should have looked left and thought about him. Steve likes to gamble, but he’s nobody’s fish and tends to do his gambling with position. I was stuck between Ben’s raise and Steve’s call behind me. I wished I had 3bet Ben and gotten the button; Steve would have folded anything but a premium hand to my re-raise. Now I’d made my bed and would have to lie in it.

My bed started to look like a feather mattress with silk sheets when the flop came down T-T-2 with two spades. My cards were red, but what did I care? I had just out-flopped all three of them (Rory had called the raise, saying something about pot odds). In particular, I thought I could stack Ben and his pocket queens or whatever big hand he had. Rory checked (as expected), but then Ben checked. Ruh-roh. If he had something like A-K, he wasn’t going to plow forward on a flop like that against three opponents. On the other hand, it would be very much in Steve’s idiom to pick up the $25 in the pot with a button bet and at least I could trap Steve for the probe bet he tossed out. I checked.

As he was supposed to, Steve bet $20. Then things really looked up. Rory called the $20.  Rory probably suspected Steve of the same thing I did and was hoping he could get Steve to slow down. Rory would make that play with as little as A-2 for bottom pair. I mentally locked and loaded a check-raise to about $75. That would blow them off whatever they had and I’d… “I’m all in.”

What?

Ben had paused briefly and then announced he was all-in for about $250. Suddenly, my world made far less sense. Ben is a thinking, competent player. He knows that Steve, Rory, and I are thinking competent players.

“Sorry, guys. This is going to take me a minute.” For years, when you needed an extra thought to make my playing decision, you simply said, “Time.” That would freeze the action for the extra handful of seconds and then you could act. However, in this world of televised poker tournaments, people confuse that announcement with somebody “calling the clock” on another player. “Are you calling the clock on yourself?” I’ve been asked. So, I’ve become more specific in my requests.

Ben would not play a big pair that way. If he had queens, he’d fire right into that pot and plan (hope) to take it down on the flop. Check-raising like that would only play right into the hands of somebody holding a ten. Either Steve or I could hold a ten and all of us knew it.

As I was pondering the situation, I experienced one of those exquisite moments of synchronicity that make you wonder about life. The Talking Heads were on the stereo and I found myself singing out loud along with David Byrne, “And you may say to yourself, ‘Well, how did I get here?’” Everybody chuckled and I relaxed. I couldn’t put Ben on a big pair no matter how hard I tried. He wasn’t making some Nth level sophisticated play against the entire field. He had the case ten and it was bigger than mine; he didn’t raise with T-9.

“I fold.”

Now it was Steve’s turn to tank. He didn’t take as long as I did, but he was obviously struggling. Odd – I thought that he was on a stone-cold steal. He folded relatively soon and it was on Rory. Even Rory had to have a think. Finally, he showed Ben a flush draw, threw it in, and said, “I don’t want to gamble.” “You’ve got a big ten,” I told Ben. “Close,” he replied, turning up pocket deuces; he’d flopped the full house. “Wow, I had jack-ten. I had four outs.” “No,” said Steve, “One out – just like me. I had pocket jacks.” Ben stared at us. “You folded jacks and you folded jack-ten?” We nodded.

You could see the wheels turning in Ben’s head. “What if I’d flatted Steve’s bet?” I laughed – “Oh, I check-raise to $75. Steve calls because he thinks I think he’s stealing. Rory calls for pot odds. You shove and who knows what happens at that point, but if we call, you have to fade two whole outs. You probably win a $500 or $600 pot.” Ben shook his head saying, “I guess I pulled the trigger too soon.”

I honestly don’t know if I could have made that laydown in the heat of a 15-second online decision. Fortunately for me, it happened where I had the time and the graciousness of my fellow players to let me work through the possibilities and make the right decision… instead of burning down the house.

Lee Jones is the Card Room Manager of Cake Poker and has been in the online poker business for over six years. He is also the author of “Winning Low Limit Hold’em,” which is in its 15th year of publication.

Jared Jaffee Leads WPT Southern Poker Championship with 27 Left

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Democratic Turmoil and What it Means for Poker

Lask week's surprise victory by Republican Scott Brown over the Obama-backed state Atty. Gen. Martha Coakley in a special election to fill the deceased Ted Kennedy's U.S. Senate seat shows why it's looking less and less likely that poker...

Jake Cody wins EPT Deauville

Jake Cody outlasted a record-breaking field of 768-runners including two former World Champions and no fewer than 21 EPT winners to claim the EPT Deauville crown yesterday.

Brandon McSmith Claims Rights to Face the Ace

Recently, Poker News Daily reader Brandon McSmith wrote in claiming that Poker PROductions, which brought the NBC poker game show “Face the Ace” to life, took his idea for the series without permission. We sat down with Smith to get his side of the story in the lawsuit, which is currently pending in Nevada.

Poker News Daily: Thanks for writing in. Tell us about your claim against Poker PROductions.

Brandon McSmith: I created a show called the “All Star Poker Challenge.” I pitched it to Poker PROductions, specifically to Mori Eskandani. Mori said to send it over to him and he’d take a look. Subsequently, he rejected the concept, saying that a contestant risking everything to play on was a flawed concept.

PND: How did you find out about “Face the Ace” airing on NBC?

Brandon McSmith: While online, I read about “Face the Ace” and thought it was my show. I saw that Poker PROductions created it, so I contacted them and they responded with their general counsel stating that first and foremost, I contacted the wrong people. They said NBC brought the show to them. We contacted NBC, who said they were in discussions with Poker PROductions and Full Tilt Poker and Full Tilt came up with the concept. This is all documented in letters and e-mails.

Right now, I have a suit pending in the Eighth District Court in Nevada. I have paralegals drawing papers for me. I’m confident that the judge and jury will see that they lied three different times.

PND: How did NBC and Poker PROductions respond when you contacted them?

Brandon McSmith: I have Poker PROductions saying that NBC brought it to them. NBC said Full Tilt brought it to them, but I didn’t name Full Tilt in the lawsuit. Full Tilt tried to act like Big Brother and come in and protect Poker PROductions. They haven’t done anything in court, so I left them out of it. If they assert a claim to it, I’d be happy to ask the judge to amend the complaint to include Full Tilt.

PND: Were there any differences between the “All Star Poker Challenge” and “Face the Ace”?

Brandon McSmith: The prize structure was different. They also had one less door and two fewer matches. I had five doors and five matches, with $2,000 per match. On the fifth match, you’d win $10,000 plus a World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event entry. Everything else was the same.

PND: How did you come up with your poker game show idea?

Brandon McSmith: I’m just an Average Joe who plays poker around Las Vegas. One day after playing in Tuscany, a small poker room, I was coming home and thought there was nothing out there like this. I’d love to play in the WSOP Main Event, but can’t afford the $10,000 buy-in. Everything on television is pros versus pros. Out of that, I sat down for an hour or so to hammer out the concept. I pitched it to several people and everyone was nice and loved the concept. Out of all the people I pitched it to, Mori was the only one who stole it.

PND: What damages are you seeking?

Brandon McSmith: I’m seeking fair compensation. Whatever the courts decide, I’m fine with. I think they’ll get hit on punitive damages. The compensatory part is what the show is worth. Once the judge and jury realize that two powerhouses stole the idea, they’re going to inflict a hefty punitive damage award to it.

PND: Did you have a dollar value in mind?

Brandon McSmith: I don’t have a number right now because I don’t know what the show has done. I also don’t know what the agreement is. What is a flop in the United States could be a hit in Europe and I don’t know the scope of their plans. I’m just a regular guy who pitched the show. The “Created By” credit is worth something to me since there would be something I created on television. I have several other concepts and it’d be easier to approach people or be represented by an agent.

We were supposed to go to court on January 4th, but court was shut down that day due to a security incident. Now, we’re waiting for the court to reschedule us.

The Other Hachem: Life In Joe’s Shadow

Yet thanks to a huge year on the PokerStars Australia New Zealand Poker Tour, where he cashed in four of five events on the way to winning Player of the Year honors, Hachem's brother Tony seems to have found a way out from under it.

“People would say I was just Joe’s brother, that I can’t play,” Tony said. “But now I’ve made a number of final tables and cashes. In my mind, poker is all about consistency and I think I’ve proved I have that.

“People say that it’s tough playing in Joe’s shadow, but I try to be positive about it and use it to my advantage. I was given an opportunity, I took it by the horns and I’m running with it.”

There’s always been a lot more to Tony Hachem than just being the brother of the 2005 World Series of Poker Main Event champion.

He cashed in the 2007 WSOP Main Event, made a final table at the Venetian Deep Stack Extravaganza in Las Vegas that same year and found a career best score of NZ$54,000 when he finished runner-up at the 2008 New Zealand Poker Championship.

Plus, PokerStars has always seen him as a marketable character with great networking skills, a socialite with celebrities Down Under and a popular figure amongst the ever growing community of poker players in the region.

As a result, Tony was sponsored by PokerStars for a number of tournaments, a move that immediately garnered its fair share of criticism regardless of Tony's track record.

“People have said to me, ‘What does it take to be a PokerStars pro? Can I just change my name to Hachem,’” explained Joe.  

“I’ve heard it all before and a lot worse,” added Tony. “It’s like, ‘You are Joe’s brother, so you got a sponsorship,’ but that’s not how it is.

“All I can say is when people are given opportunities, they either let them pass or they make the most of them and I made sure I made the most of this one.”

Wearing the PokerStars patch, Tony made 15^th at ANZPT Adelaide for AUD$5,870, 17^th at ANZPT Sydney for AUD$8,874, 16^th at the ANZPT’s 2009 Melbourne Texas Hold'em Championship for AUD$5,450, and 18^th ANZPT Queenstown for NZ$3,015.

As a result, 43-year-old Joe couldn’t be more proud of his 36-year-old little brother.

“He was just consistent and honestly pretty unfortunate not to have a major score,” Joe said. “The thing is, I’m really happy he did something in his own right. He deserves it.”

Tony’s name is rarely written, by the mainstream or poker press, without mention of Joe.

But the ever-humble younger Hachem grew up idolizing his big brother and says he doesn’t mind.

“Honestly, being Joe’s brother isn’t a bad thing,” he said. “He’s always going to be my brother.

“The game of poker is growing around the world and Joe is a big part of that, here and abroad. I guess people are just going to have to get used to the idea that Joe’s got a younger brother who loves the game, loves interacting with the people and can play a little too.”

While he had the sponsorship before, the spoils of winning the ANZPT Player of the Year title includes a cheque for AUD$60,000 and a spot on the Team PokerStars Australia roster.

What that means is Tony will be playing in the second season of the ANZPT kicking off in Adelaide next month, several stops on the upcoming fourth season of the PokerStars Asia Pacific Poker Tour and the 2010 Aussie Millions, where he has already made 11^th in a prelim for AUD$9,144 and started play on the final day one flight of the main event Tuesday, just a few tables over from Joe.

“There are some things in poker that I want to achieve this year,” added Tony. “I really want to win a tournament or at least maintain the consistency I had last year and I think the Aussie Millions will be a good start.”

To follow the progress of the Hachem brothers, and the entire 2010 Aussie Millions main event, tune in to PokerListings’ Live Updates through January 30.

Visit PokerListings.com

Aussie Millions Day 1b concludes

Almost 500 players have now competed in, or are still competing in, the 2010 Aussie Millions $10,500 Main Event, taking a shot for what will no doubt be a seven-figure first-place prize.

McDonald, Eastgate Fall Short at EPT Deauville

Cody, a 21-year-old poker pro from Rochdale, U.K., outlasted a field of 768 players to claim the first place prize of €847,000.

Organizers had plenty of compelling story lines with McDonald looking to become the first two-time EPT winner and Eastgate trying to win his first major tournament since taking down the 2009 WSOP Main Event.

Eastgate, a member of Team PokerStars Pro, entered the eight-player final table as the short-stack and couldn’t get anything going.

It didn't take long before Eastgate found himself on the rail in 8th place after his pocket tens were bested by K-9.

The Danish pro has never won an EPT title although he came close in London this year eventually finishing second to Aaron Gustavson.

McDonald entered the day with an average stack and made it considerably farther than Eastgate getting all the way to three-handed play.

Unfortunately for McDonald he ran into trouble at that point and finally lost a flip for his tournament life. The young Canadian pro claimed €295,000 for his efforts.

McDonald won EPT Dortmund in 2008 and very nearly won it again in 2009 but eventually finished in fifth place.

Despite the fact it was Cody's first time competing at the EPT, it took him less than an hour to beat heads-up opponent Teodor Caraba.

It was a disappointing event for French poker fans who saw a number of their most well-known players fall painfully short of the final table.

Most notably Team PokerStars Pro Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier who came in ninth place after running into pocket aces with ace-queen, effectively becoming the final table bubble boy.

Winamax Pro and actress Alexia Portal finished in 10^th place after losing a coin flip for her tournament life.

Meanwhile French poker legend Bruno Fittoussi, who came finished runner-up in the 2007 WSOP H.O.R.S.E. event, bombed out of EPT Deauville in 14^th place.

With Deauville complete the EPT will travel to Copenhagen for the Scandinavian Open, which is scheduled to take place Feb. 16-21.

Visit PokerListings.com

McDonald, Eastgate Fall Short at EPT Deauville

Cody, a 21-year-old poker pro from Rochdale, U.K., outlasted a field of 768 players to claim the first-place prize of €847,000.

Organizers had plenty of compelling story lines with McDonald looking to become the first two-time EPT winner and Eastgate trying to win his first major tournament since taking down the 2008 WSOP Main Event.

Eastgate, a member of Team PokerStars Pro, entered the eight-player final table as the short-stack and couldn’t get anything going.

It didn't take long before Eastgate found himself on the rail in 8th place after his pocket tens were bested by K-9.

The Danish pro has never won an EPT title although he came close in London this year eventually finishing second to Aaron Gustavson.

McDonald entered the day with an average stack and made it considerably farther than Eastgate getting all the way to three-handed play.

Unfortunately for McDonald he ran into trouble at that point and finally lost a flip for his tournament life. The young Canadian pro claimed €295,000 for his efforts.

McDonald won EPT Dortmund in 2008 and very nearly won it again in 2009 but eventually finished in fifth place.

Despite the fact it was Cody's first time competing at the EPT, it took him less than an hour to beat heads-up opponent Teodor Caraba.

It was a disappointing event for French poker fans who saw a number of their most well-known players fall painfully short of the final table.

Most notably coming up shy was Team PokerStars Pro Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, who finished in ninth place after running into pocket aces with ace-queen, effectively becoming the final-table bubble boy.

Winamax Pro and actress Alexia Portal finished in 10^th place after losing a coin flip for her tournament life.

Meanwhile French poker legend Bruno Fittoussi, who finished as the runner-up in the 2007 WSOP H.O.R.S.E. event, bombed out of EPT Deauville in 14^th place.

With Deauville complete the EPT will travel to Copenhagen next for the Scandinavian Open, scheduled to take place Feb. 16-21.

Visit PokerListings.com

L.A. Poker Classic Unique Opening Event Draws Sizeable Field

Poker tournament participation has recently been holding steady or, in some cases, even showing a decline in many American casinos. The opening event of this year’s L.A. Poker Classic has bucked this trend.

The L.A. Poker Classic, held annually at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles, is recognized as one of the preeminent tournament events on the yearly schedule. It opened up play on January 20th with one of the more unusual events on its 51 tournament slate. The $300 buy in No Limit Hold’em event featured a guaranteed $1 million prize pool, which automatically ensures that a deep field will contend for the championship.  Tournament director Matt Savage, who has been lauded for his tweaking of tournaments since he took over as the main man at the Commerce last year, had another surprise in store for the Commerce contestants.

For the opening tournament, Savage scheduled four Day Ones and. Players who were eliminated on any of the first three Day Ones could enter again. With the ability to reenter the tournament, players were highly aggressive over the first three days of competition. Savage’s innovation for the first event on the L.A. Poker Classic schedule led to one of the largest tournament fields outside of a World Series of Poker (WSOP) event in history.

After the carnage of the first four days was completed, a total of 3,791 “unique” players had entered the event, according to a Tweet from Savage. Of those original entries, another 2,083 buy ins were received from players who had been eliminated, but felt they still had a chance at taking down the tournament. When Day Two of the tournament began on Sunday, 5,847 buy ins were recorded, eclipsing the guarantee by over $754,000.

With 3,791 players into the tournament, 540 took away at least $600 for their troubles; however, the majority of the prize pool was divvied up on Day Two. The 72 players who survived the first four days would earn a minimum of $1,980 for their efforts. Leading the way was Tim Telesio of Moreno Valley, California, but he was hotly pursued by several top Los Angeles pros such as Michael Woo, Cuong Nguyen, and Gevork Kasabyan.

The battle for the final table raged well into Monday morning. Nguyen and Kasabyan were victims of the early action on Sunday, but Woo was able to drive to the final table and finished in sixth place. Taking the championship early on Monday was Darrell Cain, who started the day in 25th place. Cain, who calls Sacramento home, was able to defeat Rocky River, Ohio’s Michael Blocksidge in heads-up action to win the “Bronco Buster” trophy (based on the Frederic Remington bronze statue of the same name) and the first place prize of $363,936.

Savage’s innovative tournaments will not be limited to just the opening event of this year’s L.A. Poker Classic. In an attempt to cater to players of all disciplines of poker, Savage has brought such games as Badugi, Chinese Poker, and an Eight-Game Mixed event to center stage at the Commerce during the L.A. Poker Classic. Perhaps Savage’s best innovation, however, is the Ironman Tournament.

The Ironman Tournament, which will be played on February 21st, is a creation from what some would say is the more sadistic side of Savage’s mind. In the $2,000 event, there are no breaks, whether for personal reasons or meals. A player can leave the table at any time, but the player continues to be dealt and blinds are posted appropriately. Play continues until a champion is determined, with the winner taking 50% of the prize pool and a seat into the World Poker Tour (WPT) L.A. Poker Classic Championship Event. No deals are allowed and a security guard stationed outside of the restroom ensures that everyone washes their hands.

The innovative Ironman Tournament was a success when it was unveiled last September. Savage debuted the concept during last year’s Commerce Casino Hold’em Series and 64 players took to the felt for the tournament. After over 19 hours of play, Brett Radin walked away with the $51,160 first prize, defeating a field that included 2009 CardPlayer Player of the Year Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin, Gavin Griffin, Matt “mattg1983” Graham, and defending WPT L.A. Poker Championship winner Cornel Andrew Cimpan.

Savage’s reputation for staging the best poker tournaments in the game today, as well as his innovative game creations, should have the L.A. Poker Classic on the minds of anyone connected to the poker world. The tournament schedule currently in action continues play through the month of February and will end the first week of March with the completion of the WPT Championship Event.

Dwyte Pilgrim Leads WPT Southern Poker Championship After Day 1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PokerStars Reacts to Rush Poker and Full Tilt Buy-In Changes

It feels like online poker news has been dominated by the changes at Full Tilt Poker.  With the addition of the new game Rush Poker and implementation of a new buy-in structure at standard tables, most players are cheering the changes at Full Tilt.  This has left the world’s largest online poker site, PokerStars, in a somewhat unfamiliar position of playing second fiddle in the headlines.

As a result of the changes at Full Tilt Poker, the first fear that many PokerStars regulars had was that short-stackers who could no longer play on Full Tilt would move over to PokerStars.  Short-stackers are players who buy into cash games for the absolute minimum and play a push-or-fold strategy.  Once these players double up, they immediately leave and do it again somewhere else.  They are regarded as serious nuisances at tables who kill the action and take away from the “true” dynamic of poker.

With the new structure at Full Tilt’s cash game tables, these players are forced to buy in for 35 big blinds, which mathematically doesn’t allow them to play their brand of poker.  Thus, in theory, they’d move to a site that will allow them that privilege.  This scenario seems to be playing out to a degree and many PokerStars regulars are highly vocal in their opinion that the site needs to follow suit.

When asked for comment, a PokerStars representative told Poker News Daily, “PokerStars will monitor player feedback and make changes if we think it’s an overall positive for PokerStars and its players.  There is no set timetable for any decisions.”

The only other official comment from a PokerStars representative came from the TwoPlusTwo forums in the SuperNova Elite Pursuit Thread. There, PokerStars VIP Manager “PS SteveD” said, “Table buyin size limits is a topic that PokerStars will be paying close attention to in the coming weeks.  Changes are possible.  As always, all player input is welcome and appreciated.”

There is an industry sentiment that PokerStars has the best VIP Program that rewards players for constant play.  With Full Tilt Poker saying that its VIP system is about to undergo serious changes, we checked in with PokerStars to see how their own newly implemented VIP Club changes have been received.  We spoke directly with “PS SteveD” on the TwoPlusTwo Forms about the site’s VIP system and potential changes coming in the future.

PND: The PokerStars VIP Club made some significant changes in recent months. What were the goals you hoped to accomplish with those changes? How have they played out so far and do you think they have been successful?

PS SteveD: One goal of the VIP Club changes for 2010 is to add some value for BronzeStar, SilverStar, and GoldStar VIPs. The VIP Stellar Rewards program accomplishes this goal, giving cash directly back to players starting at 750 VPPs and continuing on up through 90,000 VPPs. It’s a nice set of rewards for PlatinumStar and Supernova VIPs too, as players reaching 90,000 VPPs for the year will earn $1,000 in Stellar Rewards. SilverStar is much easier to reach now as well, down to 750 VPPs per month from 1,200 VPPs. Overall, VIP Club benefits are now much stronger for lower volume players. The changes have been successful so far as players seem to be quite happy with VIP Stellar Rewards.

Another goal was to make some changes based on player feedback in order to provide value in ways preferable to players. Converting the $75,000 Weekly VIP tournament into a $1,000,000 Quarterly VIP tournament has proven to be a very popular change. The restructuring of the milestone cash credits to provide more value to players at 200,000 and 300,000 VPPs has also been embraced, with many Supernovas aiming for higher milestones this year.

PND: We believe there were 209 SuperNova Elites last year. Did that number blow away your expectations and what are you shooting for in 2010?

PS SteveD: The number of Supernova Elite VIPs has increased every year since the level was first offered, so the increase wasn’t surprising. With players earning VPPs 10% faster at all tournaments and sit and gos as well as many six-max tables, I expect we will have even more Supernova Elite VIPs in 2010.

PND: What's been the reception of the January VIP Club Store sale and can we expect anything like it in upcoming months?

PS SteveD: Reaction to the January VIP Club store sale has been overwhelmingly positive. Participation exceeding projections is a good indication that players like this promotion. Expect different kinds of promotions over the next few months, but future promotions involving the VIP Store are a very strong possibility.

PND: There are a bunch of rumors we know you can't directly comment on, but can you speak about how changes are implemented?

PS SteveD: Player suggestions and feedback play a very important part in the PokerStars decision-making process. When all (or most) players want the same thing, the decision to move forward with a change is often very easy. It can be challenging to make decisions in areas where player opinion is divided among strongly opposing viewpoints. In such situations, much effort is put into finding a solution that meets the wants and needs of all players.

PND: Why is there no level between SuperNova and SuperNova Elite?

PS SteveD: The milestone cash credits provide intermediate levels in a way. Consider the difference in rewards earned between a player earning 200,000 VPPs and a player earning 100,000 VPPs. The player earning 200,000 VPPs earns 350,000 extra FPPs, 50,000 of which are spent on a $3,400 milestone cash credit. If spent on the largest cash bonus, the other 300,000 FPPs will net another $4,800. That’s an extra $8,200 in cash value for players who earn 200,000 VPPs instead of 100,000 VPPs. The rewards just get bigger as players hit higher milestones. Players who earn 500,000 VPPs can be rewarded with $34,000 extra (compared to 100,000 VPPs) through milestone cash credits and bonuses. So, the value is there at those intermediate levels.

An official level between Supernova and Supernova Elite is something that was considered for this year. While there was some player support for such a level, there was no real consensus about where exactly it should be added. The current schedule of milestone cash credits allows for a nice steady increase in rewards so that players can choose which exact milestone level is the best yearly goal for them. I will continue to monitor player input on this matter and it will certainly be reviewed again when changes for 2011 are considered.

WPT Season 8 Debuts on Fox Sports Net

On Sunday night at 11:00pm ET on Fox Sports Net, the eighth season of the World Poker Tour (WPT) kicked off. Part one of the WPT Bellagio Cup V aired, featuring a talented final table headlined by Full Tilt Poker pro Erik Seidel.

The show can be seen in high-definition where available and Full Tilt Poker sponsors the eighth season of the WPT. To close out 2009, Party Gaming, the parent company of PartyPoker, purchased the rights to the roving tournament series. A Full Tilt Poker logo once again was superimposed onto the center of the felt and numerous ads for the site and its main competitor, PokerStars, aired during the Fox Sports Net broadcast. Logos for WPT Boot Camp and WPT Mobile appeared on the inner rung of the table.

The flag of each player’s home country appeared in a graphic during player introductions and, as has been a staple of the WPT since it debuted in 2003, tournament facts, hand updates, and player nuggets appeared on the lower third of the screen. Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka came into the Bellagio Cup V final table as the chip leader, with a $1.2 million grand prize on the line plus a $25,000 entry into the end-of-season WPT Championship. The Bellagio Cup V marked the 21st consecutive WPT tournament with a $1 million-plus first place prize at the famed Las Vegas casino.

Brazilian Alexandre Gomes, a member of Team PokerStars Pro, was quick to build his chip stack at the six-handed final table. Jaka raised it up to 65,000 pre-flop with 9-8 and Gomes made the call with 10-6 of diamonds from the big blind. The flop came Q-9-3, giving Jaka middle pair, and the action went check-check to a jack on the turn. Now sitting with an open-ended straight draw, Gomes bet 90,000 and Jaka called. The river was a deuce and, despite holding a busted draw, Gomes bet 110,000 and Jaka folded.

Seidel is the only player ever to cash in all eight seasons of the WPT and the Bellagio Cup marked his 18th in the money finish overall. Jaka, meanwhile, earned his moniker “The-Toilet” by commonly playing suited cards early on his career and making an inordinate number of flushes.

In a major hand, the two tangled with former DoylesRoom pro Alec “traheho” Torelli, who made it 75,000 pre-flop with A-5. Jaka called with A-J and Seidel came along with 10-9. The flop came 8-A-J, giving Jaka top two pair, but the action checked around. The turn was an eight, pairing the board, and Torelli led out for 100,000. Jaka and Seidel both called to see a seven hit on the river, giving Seidel a miracle straight. Jaka bet 200,000, Seidel made it 500,000, and everyone got out of the way.

Poker Hall of Fame member Mike Sexton, co-host of the WPT along with Vince Van Patten since Season 1, was once again able to interject strategy into the broadcast. Torelli flopped a set and checked, while Swedish pro Christoffer Sonesson bet 115,000 with top pair. Torelli raised to 305,000 and Sonesson promptly mucked, leaving Sexton to comment, “This hand is an example of why many top pros would say that when you flop a set, in the long-run, you’ll make more money by leading out and betting.”

In a key hand, Justin “Boosted J” Smith raised to 80,000 pre-flop with A-J and Seidel made the call with J-8 from the big blind. The flop came 8-K-A, giving each player a pair, and Seidel check-called a bet of 110,000. Both players checked a three on the turn to bring a king on the river. Seidel checked and Smith pushed all-in for 950,000 into a pot of just over 400,000. Seidel tanked for quite a while, Sexton pointed out the overbet, and Seidel finally folded.

Seidel bled even more chips after calling a raise by Jaka to 100,000 holding pocket nines. Jaka had K-10 and the flop came 3-10-K, giving him top two pair. Seidel checked, Jaka bet 135,000, Seidel raised it up to 375,000, and Jaka called after asking for a count. The turn was a four. Seidel fired again, this time 700,000, and Jaka called. Sexton noted, “The reason Erik is betting here is because his opponent didn’t re-raise him.” The river was a deuce. Seidel check-called a value bet of 500,000 and the 3.4 million chip pot was pushed towards Jaka.

WPT Season 8 can be seen on Sundays at 11:00pm ET on Fox Sports Net. Check your local listings for details.

WPT Season 8 Debuts on Fox Sports Net

On Sunday night at 11:00pm ET on Fox Sports Net, the eighth season of the World Poker Tour (WPT) kicked off. Part one of the WPT Bellagio Cup V aired, featuring a talented final table headlined by Full Tilt Poker pro Erik Seidel.

The show can be seen in high-definition where available and Full Tilt Poker sponsors the eighth season of the WPT. To close out 2009, Party Gaming, the parent company of PartyPoker, purchased the rights to the roving tournament series. Nevertheless, a Full Tilt Poker logo once again was superimposed onto the center of the felt and numerous ads for the site and its main competitor, PokerStars, aired during the Fox Sports Net broadcast. Logos for WPT Boot Camp and WPT Mobile appeared on the inner rung of the table.

The flag of each player’s home country appeared in a graphic during player introductions and, as has been a staple of the WPT since it debuted in 2003, tournament facts, hand updates, and player nuggets appeared on the lower third of the screen. Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka came into the Bellagio Cup V final table as the chip leader, with a $1.2 million grand prize on the line plus a $25,000 entry into the end-of-season WPT Championship. The Bellagio Cup V marked the 21st consecutive WPT tournament with a $1 million-plus first place prize at the famed Las Vegas casino.

Brazilian Alexandre Gomes, a member of Team PokerStars Pro, was quick to build his chip stack at the six-handed final table. Jaka raised it up to 65,000 pre-flop with 9-8 and Gomes made the call with 10-6 of diamonds from the big blind. The flop came Q-9-3, giving Jaka middle pair, and the action went check-check to a jack on the turn. Now with an open-ended straight draw, Gomes bet 90,000 and Jaka called. The river was a deuce and, despite holding a busted draw, Gomes bet 110,000 and Jaka folded.

Seidel is the only player ever to cash in all eight seasons of the WPT and the Bellagio Cup marked his 18th in the money finish overall. Jaka, meanwhile, earned his moniker “The-Toilet” by commonly playing suited cards early on his career and making an inordinate number of flushes.

In a major hand, the two tangled with former DoylesRoom pro Alec “traheho” Torelli, who made it 75,000 pre-flop with A-5. Jaka called with A-J and Seidel came along with 10-9. The flop came 8-A-J, giving Jaka top two pair, but the action checked around. The turn was an eight, pairing the board, and Torelli led out for 100,000. Jaka and Seidel both called to see a seven hit on the river, giving Seidel a miracle straight. Jaka bet 200,000, Seidel made it 500,000, and everyone got out of the way.

Poker Hall of Fame member Mike Sexton, co-host of the WPT along with Vince Van Patten since Season 1, was once again able to interject strategy into the broadcast. Torelli flopped a set and checked, while Swedish pro Christoffer Sonesson bet 115,000 with top pair. Torelli raised to 305,000 and Sonesson promptly mucked, leaving Sexton to comment, “This hand is an example of why many top pros would say that when you flop a set, in the long-run, you’ll make more money by leading out and betting.”

In a key hand, Justin “Boosted J” Smith raised to 80,000 pre-flop with A-J and Seidel made the call with J-8 from the big blind. The flop came 8-K-A, giving each player a pair, and Seidel check-called a bet of 110,000. Both players checked a three on the turn to bring a king on the river. Seidel checked and Smith pushed all-in for 950,000 into a pot of just over 400,000. Seidel tanked for quite a while, Sexton pointed out the overbet, and Seidel finally folded.

Seidel bled even more chips after calling a raise by Jaka to 100,000 holding pocket nines. Jaka had K-10 and the flop came 3-10-K, giving him top two pair. Seidel checked, Jaka bet 135,000, Seidel raised it up to 375,000, and Jaka called after asking for a count. The turn was a four. Seidel fired again, this time 700,000, and Jaka called. Sexton noted, “The reason Erik is betting here is because his opponent didn’t re-raise him.” The river was a deuce. Seidel check-called a value bet of 500,000 and the 3.4 million chip pot was pushed towards Jaka.

WPT Season 8 can be seen on Sundays at 11:00pm ET on Fox Sports Net. Check your local listings for details.

Holdem Manager Now Supports Full Tilt Rush Poker

It took the poker software industry all of one week to support Full Tilt Poker’s latest update that featured the introduction of Rush Poker. Now, the popular tracking program Holdem Manager has created a workaround for the new addition.

A video that appears within the Holdem Manager following the program’s latest update explains its developers’ method of supporting Rush Poker: “Because of the nature of the new Full Tilt Rush Poker tables, we couldn’t use the traditional HUD (Heads-Up Display) approach. Instead, what we've done is designed a tool where you can inject your database stats on players directly into the Full Tilt notes feature.” The stats that would normally appear in a player’s HUD can be found by hovering the mouse near an opponent’s name to bring up their notes.

In order to get started, players should head to the “Options” menu and click on “Rush FTP Notes Export.” Then, select the notes file for the player that they want to export them for. Clicking “Go” starts the process and Holdem Manager officials note that this step could take anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. After each session, players are advised to update their notes.

When you’re seated at a table, just hover your mouse over where the notes normally appear and, instantaneously, any stats logged on a player will be shown. The stats update automatically whenever you change Rush Poker tables, so players don’t have to worry about their HUDs not being able to keep up as they frantically log 300-plus hands per hour on Full Tilt’s Rush Poker tables. Some players had reported that their HUDs could not handle the pace of Rush Poker, while others commented that the stats feature worked flawlessly.

The notes method only applies to Rush Poker tables. If you’re seated at a traditional, snail-paced table on Full Tilt, your HUD will work normally. When you finally decide that you’ve had enough excitement of Rush Poker, hit “Start Auto Import” within Holdem Manager to make sure your stats are up to date. The same Holdem Manager video revealed that integrating auto-rake functionality into the notes was forthcoming, as was the ability to view notes and HUD stats at the same time.

Holdem Manager is one of the leading poker tracking programs in the industry and weighs in at $55 for a Small-Stakes Edition and $80 for a Professional Edition. Software review site PokerSoftware.com called Holdem Manager “one of the best pieces of poker software available.” The website explained, “It's well put together, stable, fully featured, and is constantly being updated with more features. The program imports hand history text files from all of the major online poker rooms and compiles them into a PostgreSQL database. From there, it can provide multi-layered reports based on any situation or scenario thanks to the innumerable number of features packed in.”

Besides Full Tilt Poker, Holdem Manager is compatible with numerous other online poker sites, including Betfair, the CEREUS Network, Everest Poker, PartyPoker. PokerStars, RedKings, and Titan Poker. Its HUD allows players to see vital stats on their opponents like the percent of the time they voluntarily put money into the pot (VPIP), 3bet, continuation bet, raise pre-flop (PFR), and their Aggression Factor (AF). Knowing these statistics makes multi-tabling simple and, therefore, more profitable.

Rush Poker debuted last Tuesday on Full Tilt Poker. The cash game concept has caught on like wildfire, with thousands of players heading to the USA-friendly site, the second largest in the world, to try their hand. Players are instantaneously shuttled to another table as soon as their action in a hand ends and the use of a “Quick Fold” option speeds up the process even more. Consequently, players seeing 300 or more hands per hour has become commonplace.

Holdem Manager Now Supports Full Tilt Rush Poker

It took the poker software industry all of one week to support Full Tilt Poker’s latest update that featured the introduction of Rush Poker. Now, the popular tracking program Holdem Manager has created a workaround for the new addition.

A video that appears within the Holdem Manager following the program’s latest update explains its developers’ method of supporting Rush Poker: “Because of the nature of the new Full Tilt Rush Poker tables, we couldn’t use the traditional HUD (Heads-Up Display) approach. Instead, what we've done is designed a tool where you can inject your database stats on players directly into the Full Tilt notes feature.” The stats that would normally appear in a player’s HUD can be found by hovering the mouse near an opponent’s name to bring up their notes.

In order to get started, players should head to the “Options” menu and click on “Rush FTP Notes Export.” Then, select the notes file for the player they want to export them for. Clicking “Go” starts the process and Holdem Manager officials note that this step could take anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. After each session, players are advised to update their notes.

When you’re seated at a table, just hover your mouse over where the notes normally appear and, instantaneously, any stats logged on a player will be shown. The stats update automatically whenever you change Rush Poker tables, so players don’t have to worry about their HUDs not being able to keep up as they frantically log 300-plus hands per hour on Full Tilt’s Rush Poker tables. Some players had reported that their HUDs could not handle the pace of Rush Poker, while others commented that the stats feature worked flawlessly.

The notes method only applies to Rush Poker tables. If you’re seated at a traditional, snail-paced table on Full Tilt, your HUD will work normally. When you finally decide that you’ve had enough excitement of Rush Poker, hit “Start Auto Import” within Holdem Manager to make sure your stats are up to date. The same Holdem Manager video revealed that integrating auto-rake functionality into the notes was forthcoming, as was the ability to view notes and HUD stats at the same time.

Holdem Manager is one of the leading poker tracking programs in the industry and weighs in at $55 for a Small-Stakes Edition and $80 for a Professional Edition. Software review site PokerSoftware.com called Holdem Manager “one of the best pieces of poker software available.” The website explained, “It's well put together, stable, fully featured, and is constantly being updated with more features. The program imports hand history text files from all of the major online poker rooms and compiles them into a PostgreSQL database. From there, it can provide multi-layered reports based on any situation or scenario thanks to the innumerable number of features packed in.”

Besides Full Tilt Poker, Holdem Manager is compatible with numerous other online poker sites, including Betfair, the CEREUS Network, Everest Poker, PartyPoker, PokerStars, RedKings, and Titan Poker. Its HUD allows players to see vital stats on their opponents like the percent of the time they voluntarily put money into the pot (VPIP), 3bet, continuation bet, raise pre-flop (PFR), and their Aggression Factor (AF). Knowing these statistics makes multi-tabling simple and, therefore, more profitable.

Rush Poker debuted last Tuesday on Full Tilt Poker. The cash game concept has caught on like wildfire, with thousands of players heading to the USA-friendly site, the second largest in the world, to try their hand. Players are instantaneously shuttled to another table as soon as their action in a hand ends and the use of a “Quick Fold” option speeds up the process even more. Consequently, players seeing 300 or more hands per hour has become commonplace.

Dwan Kick Starts a Comeback

Dwan’s night started at $100/$200 Pot-Limit Omaha where he sat with a cast of familiar names, such as Ashton “theASHMAN103” Griffin, Cole South, Brian Townsend, Matatuk and Di “Urindanger” Dang.

After 482 hands at the table and over 4 hours of play, Dwan closed down the game with $155k profit. Not quite ready to call it a night, Dwan moved on to $500/$1,000 Cap No-Limit Hold’em, where he lost over $10k in just 37 hands.

Dwan’s profit brings him up to only $420k in losses on the year.

The biggest winner on the night was Griffin who sat at the $100/$200 PLO for 627 hands, taking away $156k for his effort.

This brings Griffin’s results for the year up to $327k.

Dang only played about half as many hands on PLO as Griffin, but still managed to leave the game with a profit of over $40k. Added to profit earned earlier in the day (playing $100/$200 Cap PLO), Dang’s total profit comes to almost $100k.

This $100k profit pushes Dang to just over $1 million earnings on the year, only $252k behind Gus Hansen in first place.

The biggest loser of the day was a relatively unknown French player by the name of Matatuk. After trying to beat the star-studded $100/$200 PLO, Matatuk logged off for the night with over $207k in losses.

Despite winning the second largest pot of the day (worth $113k), South still came away from the tables down over $109k, bringing his profit on the year down to around $800k.

Townsend, who lost the largest pot of the day to Dwan, continues to struggle in 2010, losing over $55k on the day, bringing his total losses to $350k on the year.

Below are the three largest pots of the day. To see more pots, including Matatuk’s largest loss of the day, head to MarketPulse.

 

 

 

 

 

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Gambling Expansion in Iowa Could Bring Big Poker Tournaments

Iowa lawmakers are looking to cash in on the gambling popularity in the US. One lawmaker, Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Leader, gave some insight on how the change in law could affect the state.

EPT Deauville final table set

Over the weekend we speculated that Mike ‘Timex’ McDonald becoming the first player to win two EPT Main Events was looking decidedly unlikely. The youngster started Day 3 in Deauville bottom of the chip counts in 133rd place but it looks like we may have been a little premature in writing off his chances.

It’s swell for De Mel in Bolton

Priyan De Mel has started 2010 just as he finished 2009 by taking down a GUKPT Main Event. The 36-year-old outlasted a field of 146 runners at Bolton’s G Casino to claim the £44,600 first prize.

T.J. Cloutier Sold WSOP Bracelet on eBay!

What is the price of a WSOP bracelet? Thomas James “T.J.” Cloutier, one of the best known tournament poker players in the world, gave us this information, when he sold one of his six bracelets on eBay through the Plano Pawn Shop for $4,006.

Is this man really broke?

The braceket which was sold is from a $5,000 No Limit Hold’em event in 2005. The reason why Cloutier needed to sell the bracelet is still unknown, but people are saying that he has lost more money playing craps than he ever made from playing poker.

For example, a fellow poker pro, Terrance Chan, wrote in his blog in 2006, that “T.J. has lost more money at craps than possibly any human being alive. Obviously he’s just a poor craps player and one should bet against him, not with him.”

Also, Grayson “the_dean22″ Nichols is another pro who recalled at PocketFives forum that Cloutier has had problems with money before:

“I remember a couple years ago, going to play in a $100 rebuy at the Orleans Hotel with Steve ‘gboro780’ Gross and Ari Engel. We get registered for the maybe 60 person field and we see Cloutier just hanging around, bumming the free hot dogs asking for a stake in the tournament. (It) looks like this isn’t a new development.”

Another PocketFives user “resilient” remembers, that he saw TJ hanging out at Winstar a couple of months ago, on the waitlist for $1/$2 No Limit Hold’Em table with $200 maximum buyin.

It sure seems like 70-years-old Poker Hall of Famer is in a serious need of money. Still, it is hard to understand how you can lose almost $10 million playing craps?

Sources: PND, PocketFives

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T.J. Cloutier Sold WSOP Bracelet on eBay!

Shak Shocks Ivey, Wins $100k Crown

“I try, in life, just in general, to keep the highs not too high and the lows not too low,” he said moments after defeating poker legend Phil Ivey heads up to take the title. “But believe me, I’m extremely excited.

“This is something I’ve been working towards for such a long time and I may not show the excitement, but inside I’m extremely excited.  I’m not going to jump up and down, but inside I probably already am.”

A total of 24 players ponied up the $100k buy-in to enter the world’s most expensive poker tournament and the field played down to a final table of eight in Melbourne Saturday.

When they returned to crown a winner Monday, a short stacked Howard Lederer was the first to exit, running ace-ten into Tony G’s aces.

Start-of-day chip leader Jonathan "xMONSTERxDONGx" Karamalikis was actually the next player out. The young Aussie online legend doubled up a few of the shorter stacks before eventually running ace-ten into Shak’s nines and failing to improve.

Barry Greenstein then had his kings cracked by Tony Bloom’s jacks and the Team PokerStars Pro bubbled the money a few hands later when Bloom’s own kings held against his queen-ten.

Tony G was the next to go, getting his buy-in back when his tens lost a race with Shak’s ace-king and it wasn’t long before 2009 $100k Challenge runner-up Bloom got it in dominated by Ivey and bowed out fourth cashing for AUD$200,000.

Local cash game pro Bill Jordanou hit the rail third, collecting AUD$300,000 when he got it in with top two against Ivey’s overpair, but Ivey turned a set and rivered a flush.

Heads up started with Ivey and Shak about even, but the day trader took the veteran pro to task, building a 3:1 chip lead through a series of aggressive pre and post flop plays.

Eventually Ivey got it in with ace-ten against ace-seven, but Shak flopped a seven to suck out and while the Team Full Tilt Pro and 2009 November Niner was forced to settle for the AUD$600,000 second-place prize, pushing him up to the top spot on poker’s all-time leading money winners list, Shak booked the AUD$1.2 million win.

“I think I played well the whole heads-up match,” Shak explained. “The last hand I got lucky, there is no doubt about that, but up until that last hand I feel like I played very well.

“These guys are the best in the world, but I’d rather play with good players. I always seem to play better with good players because they are more predictable. With Phil, there’s nothing you can really say. Today I got the better cards, obviously he is the better player.”

While Shak has been recording cashes on the high-stakes tournament poker scene since 2004, including a fourth-place finish in this very event last year, his biggest score before Monday’s win was a victory in the inaugural Ante Up for Africa charity event at the 2007 World Series of Poker.

Recently divorced from wife Beth, Shak said he felt like his game is much improved and went about proving it in Australia Monday.

“I’ve been working hard on my game and I’ve had some life changes that have given me more time to concentrate on my game,” he said. “I think I’ve taken my game to a new level and I feel like I’m really playing better.”

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T.J. Cloutier WSOP Bracelet Sells for $4,006 on eBay

After 10 days and a competitive auction featuring five separate bidders, T.J. Cloutier's World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet sold for $4,006 on the popular online auction site eBay. The Plano Pawn Shop put up the bracelet, which Cloutier won in a $5,000 No Limit Hold’em event in 2005.

With the starting price at $2,999, the following bidding history during the 10-day process was listed as on eBay's website:

Bid #1: Jan. 22 - $2,999
Bid #2: Jan. 22 - $3,200
Bid #3: Jan. 22 - $3,250
Bid #4: Jan. 22 - $3,500
Bid #5: Jan. 22 - $3,550
Bid #6: Jan. 23 - $3,700
Bid #7: Jan. 24 - $3,750
Bid #8: Jan. 24 - $3,800
Bid #9: Jan. 24 - $3,850
Bid #10: Jan. 24 - $3,900
Bid #11: Jan. 24 - $3,956
Bid #12: Jan. 24 - $4,006

The highest bid stood at $3,956 with just moments remaining in the auction, but in the final minute, another bidder made an offer of $4,006, which ultimately was enough to claim the item. The winning bidder is unknown at this time due to the privacy policies of eBay.

Meanwhile, the reasons behind Cloutier's willingness to pawn off his WSOP bracelet are under speculation. The 71-year-old pro is one of the most successful tournament players in the history of the game, collecting six WSOP bracelets, a total of 39 titles around the world, and career earnings of $9,413,236. However, some suggest that Cloutier has lost more money playing craps than he ever made from playing poker; this reputation seems to follow him where he travels.

Professional poker player Terrance “Unassigned” Chan wrote in his blog in 2006 about a losing craps session in which Cloutier was the shooter. Chan and his friends lost $3,000 on one Cloutier roll and, afterward, he wrote, "T.J. has lost more money at craps than possibly any human being alive. Obviously he's just a poor craps player and one should bet against him, not with him."

Since then, rumors circled that Cloutier's poker earnings have dried up, as he's been seen borrowing money for tournament buy-ins on multiple occasions. Online poker pro Grayson "the_dean22" Nichols recalled an occurrence involving Cloutier on the poker forum PocketFives.com: "I remember a couple years ago, going to play in a $100 rebuy at the Orleans Hotel with Steve ‘gboro780’ Gross and Ari Engel. We get registered for the maybe 60 person field and we see Cloutier just hanging around, bumming the free hot dogs asking for a stake in the tournament. (It) looks like this isn't a new development."

The monetary value of a WSOP bracelet has been a source of debate since Cloutier's bracelet went up on eBay. Following the conclusion of the auction, Poker News Daily caught up with Matt "mattg1983" Graham and asked the two-time WSOP bracelet winner the minimum amount he'd sell either of his bracelets for. "It totally depends on finances, but right now I'd take like $30,000," said Graham, who won the $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout in 2008 and the $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha World Championship in 2009. Asked if he were hypothetically broke and in need of money, Graham told us that he'd accept a $10,000 offer.

Dozens of others on the forums commented about the value of a bracelet, in particular one belonging to Cloutier. "I would definitely buy a WSOP bracelet if it belonged to Phil Ivey or Stu Ungar or Doyle Brunson," said TwoPlusTwo poster TexCortez. "They are just straight up legends. T.J. on the other hand... well, it kind of ranks up there with buying an old pair of Richard Simmons exercise shorts from eBay."

Scott Starts Aussie Millions Defense

But being AUD$2 million wealthier isn’t the only thing that’s different for Scott. In fact, his life has changed almost completely.

“Coming to a place like Crown or any casino in Australia, pretty much everybody recognizes me,” he told PokerListings as he began the defense of his Aussie Millions title Monday. “I get asked for autographs, which is pretty cool.”

Scott said walking into Crown to take a run at back-to-back titles also feels a lot different than it did walking into the poker room an unknown in 2009.

“It’s completely different obviously,” he said. “Now you’ve got posters of me everywhere and stuff. I get to wear the bracelet this time and I come in as a totally new guy. I’m a poker professional this time. I mean, I’ve been playing for a long time, but now I really feel like I’m part of the whole tournament.”

Since winning the title, Scott has also picked up a sponsorship contract with PartyPoker and has been representing the brand at big-time tournaments all over the globe over the past 12 months, including booking a six-figure score when he made the final table of a $5k prelim at the WPT Championship in Las Vegas this past April.

Add that experience to the win in Melbourne last year and he feels like he’s coming into the 2010 Aussie Millions more prepared than ever.

“I’ve gathered a lot of experience this year playing around the world in a lot of big tournaments and that’s valuable coming into a tournament like this,” he said. “It’s a huge stage again, but I’ve been through it so many times this year, the nerves are gone and you are just here to play and do your best.

“That’s all you can ask for, is to just do your best, and I think I’m going to do that this year.”

But while doing his best is all anyone can ask of Scott, there’s no doubt he’s here do more than just show up.

“I’m not here to fuck spiders,” he said. “I’m here for one thing. I’m here for the bracelet and I’m totally focused on that.”

That said, Scott said he understands a tournament like the Aussie Millions can’t be won on Day 1 and he’s prepared to play patiently.

“When you play Day 1, you just focus on getting through Day 1, one thing at a time,” he said. “The ultimate goal is obviously to ship it again, but for now I’m just trying to stay out a trouble and see if I can build a stack by the end of the day.”

To follow Stewart Scott’s title defense and all the action from the 2010 Aussie Millions, tune into PokerListings’ Live Updates throughout the week.

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Poker Fantasy Moves to Merge Gaming Network

The online poker room Poker Fantasy will be moving to the Merge Gaming Network on January 31st, according to an e-mail received by Poker News Daily last week. As a result, the site will likely be unavailable for two weeks while it updates its software.

An e-mail sent by Poker Fantasy read in part, “As of January 31, 2010, Poker Fantasy will be moving to a new network, the Merge Gaming LTD, officially licensed and regulated by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. There will be an expected downtime of approximately two weeks. During the downtime customer service support will be available to assist you at 24/7. You may direct all inquiries to custserv@pokerfantasy.com.” A downtime of two weeks would put Poker Fantasy’s estimated re-launch around the 15th of February.

Players who opt to withdraw funds from Poker Fantasy prior to the move to the Merge Gaming Network can do so any time prior to January 31st. After that date, customer funds will automatically migrate to Poker Fantasy’s new home on the USA-friendly family of online poker sites. According to the traffic ranking site PokerScout.com, the Merge Gaming Network is the 19th largest worldwide, sporting a seven-day running average of 255 real money ring game players. During its peak hours, around 400 cash game players can be found battling it out on the Merge Gaming Network’s virtual tables.

The new network’s flagship site is Carbon Poker. Other sites on the Merge Gaming Network include Aced, which briefly employed 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event winner Jamie Gold as a sponsored pro, and Iron Duke, which attracted online poker sensation Jennifer “Jennicide” Leigh to its ranks. Other well-known sites on the Merge Gaming Network include Poker MVP, Poker Nordica, Reefer Poker, and Spin32 Poker. According to PokerScout.com, the Merge Gaming Network is headquartered down under in Australia and has game servers located on the Kahnawake Indian reservation in Canada.

Poker Fantasy’s move marks one of the first site migrations of 2010. In November, the iPoker Network site Noble Poker absorbed Fair Poker. The former site is based in Gibraltar and has been in existence since 2004. Shortly thereafter, Third Bullet Poker merged its player base with that of Cake Poker. Third Bullet representatives commented in an e-mail sent to players, “What will change is that you will have access to an increased technical and marketing support team that will make your play experience even better. We have full confidence that you will find continued play on Cake Poker to meet or exceed the level of professionalism and customer service you have come to know at Third Bullet.”

Last week, the USA-friendly Everleaf Network merged with the Universal Poker Network (UPN), whose pre-merger fleet of online poker sites included Poker Druum, 5Poker5, My Name Poker, AB Digital Poker, Poker King Bet, Brasilian Poker, Full Kings Poker, Warriors Poker, Win PKR, and Poker Panther. Major rooms on the Everleaf Network included Minted Poker and Poker4Ever. In February, a rumored online poker site faced by Antonio Esfandiari, Alec “traheho” Torelli, and Andrew “good2cu” Robl, among others, may join the merged Everleaf/UPN network.

The Merge Gaming Network is one of only several sites that accept customers from the United States and is the 19th largest worldwide in terms of cash game traffic. Others include PokerStars (#1 worldwide), Full Tilt Poker (#2), the CEREUS Network (#6), the Cake Poker Network (#10), and Bodog (#15). The Merge Gaming Network recently saw its ties with PIC Club severed after alleged non-payment issues, although both sides claimed to have broken ties with the other.

Poker Pro Canada Magazine Announced

It is only five years old, but Poker Pro Magazine has already established itself in the poker world with a circulation in excess of 150,000 copies per month.  The publication is already available in the U.S. and Canada, but the company is now offering a something special for its Canadian readership.

Poker Pro Media recently announced it will be a launching a regional version of its popular magazine entitled Poker Pro Canada.  The Canadian edition will feature in-depth profiles of Canadian players, updates and news from the growing Canadian poker scene and, of course, strategy and tips from the pros.

Canadian Poker Pro Executive Editor magazine John “JohnnyQuads” Wenzel elaborated on the motivation behind launching the new magazine in an official press release:   “Some say this is a time of contraction for print media, but we’re bullish on the Canadian market.  The game is exploding in Canada and we intend to provide enthusiasts with a slick, upscale magazine that will be fun to read and will also improve their bottom line at the tables.”  Wenzel also serves as Editor-In-Chief of Poker Pro Magazine.

Wenzel makes a valid point, as there have been a number of popular events in Canada in the past few months, including the British Columbia Poker Championship (BCPC) and, more recently, the Fallsview Poker Classic in Niagara Falls, Ontario.  Several big names turned out for the respective events, including Full Tilt Poker’s Gavin Smith, UB.com pro Tiffany Michelle, Maria Ho, Scott “BigRiskky” Clements, Mike “SirWatts” Watson, and Brad Booth.  Smith had an exceptionally good showing at Fallsview, where he won a $2,500 buy-in event and placed fourth in a $5,000 buy-in tournament won by Simon “pokerbrat13” Charette.

“The Canadian poker scene is fascinating, but it doesn’t get a lot of publicity. We’re going to change that,” explained Wenzel.  The long list of top Canadian players includes Smith, Booth, Watson, Team PokerStars Pro member Daniel Negreanu, Full Tilt’s Greg “FBT” Mueller, Michael “Timex” McDonald, Nenad Medic, former European Poker Tour (EPT) Monte Carlo winner Glen Chorny, Steve Paul Ambrose, Evelyn Ng, Betfair pro Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi, and Shawn Buchanan.  The country is also home to the popular Canadian Poker Tour (CPT) and the newly launched PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) also has plans to expand its tournament schedule into Canada.

This is not the first time that Poker Pro has branched out with a new publication.  The media company also produces Poker Pro Europe and Online Poker Pro, the latter of which is a publication dedicated entirely to the internet poker scene.  Poker Pro Canada will be sold at bookstores and convenience stores alike, gracing the shelves of stores 7-Eleven, Wal-Mart, Costco, Indigo/Chapters, and Shoppers Drug Mart.  It will also be available in casino poker rooms across the country.  The new magazine is set to launch in March and an accompanying website should debut in the coming weeks.

Poker Pro Magazine is not the only publication betting on Canada.  Back in September, Canadian Poker Player Magazine announced that it was planning to expand its media operation by launching a 24-hour online television station dedicated to the Canadian poker scene.  Modeled after the popular Poker Channel in the U.K., the site is supposed to feature poker-themed movies and television plus television coverage of past Canadian tournaments like the Canadian Open Poker Championships.

To date, the site has not gone fully live, but the project itself is another indication that many poker companies are setting their sights on the Canadian Poker scene.  Another indication is the recent announcement by PartyPoker that Kara Scott was joining its slate of sponsored pros.  Scott is supposed to promote the room in her home country of Canada by taking part in a number of CPT events.

Poker News in Brief Jan. 18-24, 2010

The 2010 Aussie Millions main event kicked Sunday with hundreds of players looking to strike Australian gold.

You can read all about the tournament in our news section or live tournaments area, but as part of our ongoing Poker News in Brief feature we’re going to take a look at a few lesser-known poker stories below.

This week we’ll look at Annette Obrestad crushing an Aussie Millions prelim, David Singer falling fourth on the Heartland Poker Tour, Phil Galfond doing some TV work and more.

Obrestad Wins Aussie Millions Pot-Limit Omaha Event

Annette Obrestad wasted no time getting busy at the 2010 Aussie Millions.

The former World Series of Poker Europe Main Event winner won the $1,000(AUD) buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha event for $40,000(AUD) this week.

Obrestad outlasted 159 players including a couple of veteran rounders in Emad Tahtouh and Tony Bloom.

Although Obrestad continues to find success online, the win in the Aussie Millions was actually her first live victory since winning the WSOPE.

Obrestad did, however, finish second at EPT Dublin in 2007 for €297,800.

This year, Obrestad will make her first appearance at the WSOP after finally turning 21 this past September.

Alec Torelli Moves to Victory Poker

Online star Alec “traheho” Torelli has parted ways with Doyles Room to sign a sponsorship deal with the up-and-coming Victory Poker.

Torelli was hand-picked by Doyle Brunson this summer to be a member of the Brunson 10.

The team has never come close to approaching 10 players, however, and currently Chris “Moorman1” Moorman, Zachary Clark, Amit Makhija and Dani “anksy” Stern are its only members.

Victory Poker has yet to be released, but it will be a part of the Everleaf Gaming network, which includes Red Cherry Poker and Poker Royale.

Torelli will join a Victory Poker team that is rumored to include Antonio Esfandiari, Brian Rast and Paul Wasicka.

Rousing Final to HPT Vegas

The blue-collar Heartland Poker Tour ventured into Vegas for the second time this week and the final table did not disappoint.

It included a bona fide pro in Full Tilt’s David Singer, an HPT veteran in Theodore Kearly and an inspirational story in unemployed Cambodian refugee Kimbo Ung.

Ung managed to outlast all five opponents at the final table and take down a first place prize of $125,901.

Singer finished fourth for $29,377, which brings his lifetime tournament winnings up to just over $4.3 million.

The event, which drew 433 players, was an overwhelming success according to organizers.

“We didn’t how the Vegas market would respond to our brand,” said HPT President Todd Anderson. “It turns out we blew the roof off.”

PKR TV Showcases Phil Galfond

Phil “OMGClayAiken” Galfond does not have a major poker room sponsor, but will be doing some work for PKR TV.

Galfond will be doing commentary on some of the best ring game action on PKR.com and footage from the special “Galfond TV Cash Game,” which saw some of the elite PKR players take him on.

“We are thrilled to have Phil in the studio to become a PKR TV commentator,” said PKR marketing manager Erika Schwartz. “It will be fantastic for our players to get someone of his reputation watching the action and giving some advice on their play.”

PKR TV and the Galfond TV Cash Game will be broadcast on The Poker Channel in 13 countries across Europe. Air dates have yet to be confirmed.

Police Raid South Carolina Poker Game

Police busted yet another poker game in South Carolina last week.

Officers confiscated more than $64,000 in cash, chips and tables from a Greenville County home.

Twenty-seven people were charged for unlawful betting after a citizen’s tip led deputies to the house.

The raid is nothing new for the region. In 2007, a game was busted in neighboring North Carolina that included noted poker pros Mike Gracz and Chris Bell.

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