Posts Tagged ‘ladies’
Lorraine Bogue wins Betfred Ladies Poker Tour Birmingham
Tags: ladies
2010 Borgata Poker Open Begins September 8th
On Wednesday, September 8th, the Borgata Poker Open will kick off from Atlantic City. A total of 21 poker tournaments are on tap, including the $3,500 buy-in World Poker Tour (WPT) Main Event. Day 1A of the WPT Borgata Poker Open begins on September 18th and the tournament will crown a winner five days later. Two starting days are planned.
Event #1 of the Borgata Poker Open is a $400 buy-in Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em tournament that issues its “Shuffle up and deal” command on September 18th at 11:00am ET. Day 2 of the event will be held the next day at Noon ET. Other Borgata Poker Open preliminary events include a $2,150 buy-in Heads-Up Double Elimination contest on September 14th and 15th and a $1,650 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament on September 16th.
Borgata Senior Vice President of Operations Joe Lupo commented in a press release distributed by the East Coast gaming establishment, “The Borgata Poker Open provides an incredible opportunity for amateurs as well as poker pros to participate in a unique tournament series, unmatched anywhere on the East Coast. With a $3,500 buy-in, televised WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship event, and a guaranteed $2 million prize pool, anyone has the chance to take home the trophy, championship money, and become a star.”
Last year, the WPT Borgata Poker Open, which also featured a $3,500 buy-in, attracted 1,018 players. Olivier Busquet took down the title and claimed a $925,000 payday after defeating Jeremy Brown heads-up. Busquet, who hails from New York, took second in the European Poker Tour (EPT) Monte Carlo High Roller event in April for nearly $800,000, falling heads-up to Tobias Reinkemeier.
Rounding out the final table of last year’s WPT Borgata Poker Open were Ivan Mamuzic (third place for $251,955), Yanick Brodeur (fourth place for $216,681), Keith Crowder (fifth place for $188,126), and Kenny Nguyen (sixth place for $156,212). Last year’s prize pool lapped $3.3 million and this year’s, as Lupo alluded to, is guaranteed to be at least $2 million.
On-site reservations for any of the 21 Borgata Poker Open events will be available on Tuesday. Here’s the full schedule and all times are Eastern:
Event 1: Wednesday, September 8th at 11:00am
$350 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em
Event 2: Thursday, September 9th at 11:00am
$200 + $30 Deep Stack Turbo No Limit Hold’em (Two Re-Entries)
Event 3: Friday, September 10th at 11:00am
$500 + $60 No Limit Hold’em
Event 4: Friday, September 10th at 12:00pm
$350 + $50 Pot Limit Omaha High
Event 5: Saturday, September 11th at 11:00am
$1,000 + $90 No Limit Hold’em
Event 6: Saturday, September 11th at 12:00pm
$250 + $30 No Limit Hold’em
Event 7: Sunday, September 12th at 11:00am
$350 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em
Event 8: Sunday, September 12th at 12:00pm
$200 + $30 Ladies No Limit Hold’em
Event 9: Monday, September 13 11:00am
$350 + $50 Deep Stack Turbo No Limit Hold’em (Two Re-Entries)
Event 10: Monday, September 13th at 1:00pm
$350 + $50 Omaha High-Low Eight or Better
Event 11: Tuesday, September 14th at 11:00am
$2,000 + $150 Heads-Up Double Elimination
Event 12: Tuesday, September 14th at 12:00pm
$300 + $50 No Limit Hold’em
Event 13: Wednesday, September 15th at 11:00am
$170 + $30 $100,000 Guaranteed No Limit Hold’em (Two Re-Entries)
Event 14: Thursday, September 16th at 11:00am
$1,500 + $150 No Limit Hold’em
Event 15: Thursday, September 16th at 12:00pm
$300 + $50 Seniors No Limit Hold’em
Event 16: Friday, September 17th at 11:00am
$1,000 + $90 Six-Handed No Limit Hold’em
Event 17: Saturday, September 18th at 11:00am
$3,300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship Event
Event 18: Sunday, September 19th at 12:00pm
$500 + $60 No Limit Hold’em
Event 19: Monday, September 20th at 12:00pm
$350 + $50 No Limit Hold’em
Event 20: Tuesday, September 21st at 12:00pm
$300 + $50 No Limit Hold’em
Event 21: Wednesday, September 22nd at 12:00pm
$200 + $30 No Limit Hold’em
August 30th – Daily Deal
Happy Monday to everyone! On today’s Daily Deal, the Commerce Casino receives support from several of its competitors, Daniel Negreanu fires insults at Annie Duke, and an important figure in the Senate comes out in favor of online poker legislation. It’s all ahead… right now!
Hello, I’m Sean Gibson and welcome to the Daily Deal by Poker News Daily.
Let the battle lines be drawn. Several days after the Poker Players Alliance issued a petition to reverse the Commerce Casino’s stance against pro-internet gambling legislation in the United States, more casinos have come onboard to strike down the bill. In a letter issued to the press late Friday night from Commerce Casino Board members, it was revealed that the Bicycle Casino, Hawaiian Gardens, and Hollywood Park casinos also oppose Congressman Barney Frank’s HR 2267.
The press release claimed, “Californians wager an estimated thirteen point four billion dollars annually. That makes California the largest internet gaming market in the world, and without state legislation to protect it, critically-needed billions will be captured by offshore and out-of-state operators never to return.”
Why the Commerce Casino, Bike, or any other California casino wouldn’t just apply for a license under HR Two-Two-Six-Seven remains to be seen. PPA Executive Director John Pappas speculated in an exclusive interview with Poker News Daily, “They don’t want to compete with existing online operators or Harrah’s or Wynn or Google or anyone else who may get involved in internet gambling. They prefer to have their own fiefdom in California… A lot of lawmakers went out of their way to address their concerns via amendments, yet they still continue to oppose the bill.”
Moving over to another bitter dispute, in an interview with PokerPlayer, PokerStars pro Daniel Negreanu fired off what many have deemed inappropriate comments against Annie Duke. In an article entitled “The Evolution of Daniel Negreanu,” he was asked about the two-thousand ten World Series of Poker Ladies Event in which more than a dozen men played.
Negreanu voiced his disgust at the whole situation and then went on a tirade about Duke, who has never been an advocate of the tournament:
“What irked me is that this woman has the audacity on her website to call herself ‘the best female poker player in the world.’ So I’m like ‘how offensive are you, you f***ing c***? You want to say you’re speaking for women, yet you claim superiority over all of them.’”
Wow. Well … after afterwards Duke issued an open letter to PokerStars about the use of the c-word and the site ultimately responded, “PokerStars does not support the use of derogatory or hurtful language directed at any other player. While this was a personal matter between two players, we wish that better judgment had been used in the choice of words.”
Duke’s brother Howard Lederer and Tony G have been among those pros weighing in on the spat.
Finally, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal newspaper, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid claimed he would support the legalization of online poker in the United States. Reid also stated he would not support any other form of online gaming, including sports betting.
Reid also won’t support anything that hurts Nevada jobs, but the Senate Majority Leader will play a huge role in whether online poker is legalized. No progress has been made on legalizing internet gambling or online poker in the Senate, so having Reid as an ally could go a long way.
That does it for today’s Daily Deal, be sure to check back every weekday for a new episode of this show. Also be sure to check back with Poker News Daily throughout your day to find out the latest in poker news. I’m Sean Gibson hoping you have an amazing week at the tables!
Daniel Negreanu Fires Insults at Annie Duke
Team PokerStars Pro member Daniel Negreanu‘s hurtful remarks about UB.com‘s Annie Duke during interview with PokerPlayer.co.uk have sent the poker community taking sides between the two superstars. Negreanu called Duke a “f***ing c***” during what Negreanu thought to be an “off the record” conversation with writer Mark Stuart last week. His comments were published, however, and a verbal spat between the two sides followed.
In the article, titled “The Evolution of Daniel Negreanu,” Negreanu was asked what irked him about the 2010 World Series of Poker Ladies Event in which more than a dozen men played. Negreanu voiced his disgust at the whole situation and then went on a tirade about Duke, who has never been an advocate of the Ladies Event as a believer of sexual equality at the poker table. “What irked me is that this woman has the audacity on her website to call herself ‘the best female poker player in the world.’ So I’m like ‘how offensive are you, you f***ing c***? You want to say you’re speaking for women, yet you claim superiority over all of them.’”
The article was quickly passed through forums and other social media networks and eventually made its way to Duke, who was astounded by the comments made about her. Responding to the verbal assault, Duke wrote on Twitter, “Thank you for the support. I was certainly shocked at the language myself. I welcome criticism, but not abuse.”
PokerStars received word of the remarks made by Negreanu, the site’s most famous spokesperson, and one member of the PokerStars support team replied to an e-mail sent by a player on the site: “Although Daniel Negreanu is a Team PokerStars Pro, he is an entity to himself and as such will always be encouraged to express his views and speak his mind as he would otherwise do so, PokerStars Pro or not.”
Needless to say, Duke wasn’t satisfied with that response. She fired back with an “Open Letter to PokerStars” on her website demanding some sort of reprimand: “I am not offended by Daniel’s opinion. He has a right to disagree with me and dislike me. And I, just like PokerStars, would encourage him to express his views and opinions. This is not about his views. It is about a particular word he chose to express those views. The word “c**t” is not an opinion, it is an abusive epithet, and PokerStars is completely ignoring the use of that term in their response.”
Duke continues, “But more distressing is the use of the word ‘encouraged’ here. So, PokerStars, you are encouraging Daniel to continue to express views in this manner, to conduct these public attacks using offensive slurs and inappropriate language? I am more than dismayed that PokerStars is making a statement here that they encourage this kind of behavior, this kind of language use. According to PokerStars, this kind of behavior enriches our community.”
PokerStars then answered with an official statement in response to Duke’s letter, saying that the first e-mail was not PokerStars’ official statement on the issue: “PokerStars does not support the use of derogatory or hurtful language directed at any other player. While this was a personal matter between two players, we wish that better judgment had been used in the choice of words.”
Several high profile poker players have weighed in on the conflict, including Duke’s brother and Full Tilt Poker pro Howard Lederer, who came to her defense with a Twitter update shortly after the article was posted. “Hey Daniel, nice job representing poker and reinforcing that our attitude towards women is still Neanderthal,” Lederer said. “I understand some agree w DN on the ladies poker event issue. Many do. But abusing those you disagree with is never cool.”
Even the brazen Tony G offered to act as a mediator. “Let’s smooth over this situation, let’s try and forget that it ever happened. I know this fantastic place in Utah where you can get away from the world and I will pay for you to both go there and relax and chill out,” the PartyPoker pro said in his blog Wednesday. “You are both important ambassadors for the game we love – please let’s resolve this in a diplomatic manner otherwise someone is going to get really hurt.”
Negreanu has yet to offer an apology to Duke, which will certainly cause even more tension at the tables in the future. It’s public knowledge that the two haven’t gotten along since even before the poker boom of 2003 and it’s certainly keeping the community talking. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for more high-stakes drama.
Tags: 2010, Annie Duke, Daniel Negreanu, interview, ladies, poker player, pokerstars, woman, women, WSOP
Disappointing turnout from the ladies.
Tags: ladies
Vanessa Selbst Interview
Vanessa Selbst is interviewed at the PokerStars cocktail party from the World Series of Poker at the official gathering announcing that she is now a member of Team PokerStars Pro. She joins the team along with David Williams, who was coming off a win at the WPT Championship at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Selbst herself was coming off a win at the PokerStars sponsored North American Poker Tour, otherwise known as the NAPT which was aired on ESPN from the Mohegan Sun. Her first place finish in that $5,000 tournament earned her a cool $750,000. Back in 2008 she won the Los Angeles Poker Classic WPT Ladies Event ($1,000 entry), defeating fellow pro Erica Schoenberg. A professional poker table with numerous final tables to her name, Selbst won the 2008 World Series of Poker $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha event. She plays online at PokerStars under the name “V. Selbst” often found in the major tournaments at PLO tables.
Selbst is a native of New York and graduated from Yale University. She is currently attending Yale Law School with the intention of becoming a lawyer in the field of civil rights law, all the while playing poker professionally. Selbst is known to many online players through her many training video series, specifically ones for Pot Limit Omaha, at Deuces Cracked where she is an Executive Producer.
In this interview with Sean Gibson, Selbst talks about the notoriety she receives at tables due to her coaching videos and how it’s come to bite her, specifically in the $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha WSOP tournament this year. She also discusses how the deal with PokerStars came about and what it means to be a part of their list of sponsored pros.
To date, Selbst’s total live tournament earnings amount to slightly more than $1.67 million and her seven cashes in World Series of Poker events amount to just over $600,000 of that amount.
Gavin Smith, Matthew Jarvis to Play in Canadian Open Poker Championships
Three top Canadian players – 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) November Niner Matthew Jarvis, 2010 bracelet winner Gavin Smith, and 2009 WSOP double bracelet winner Greg “FBT” Mueller – will play in the $5,000 Heads-Up Main Event of the Canadian Open Poker Championships.
The 2010 Canadian Open Poker Championships begin on Thursday in Calgary, Alberta, and are comprised of 13 events over the 11 days. Three casinos (Deerfoot Inn and Casino, Grey Eagle Casino, and Cash Casino) will play host to several preliminary events, which are reaching their maximum player limits through pre-registration, according to Kelly Kellner, the CEO of the Canadian Poker Tour (CPT) and promoter of the tournament schedule.
“I am very pleased to have seen the Canadian Open grow since our first event in 2006, where we hosted a single event with only 64 players,” Kellner stated earlier this week as pre-registrations continued to flood in. “This year, we expect over 2,000 entries over the entire series.” Events include a $2,000 No Limit Hold’em tournament, the CPT’s Ladies’ National Championship, and the $5,000 Heads-Up Championship. All totaled, it is expected that $3.5 million in prize pools will be generated.
“We are also extremely pleased to have added a number of new sponsors for the tournament schedule, including Big Rock Breweries and Dank Energy Drink,” Kellner reported. For those who play in the tournaments but don’t run well, the Canadian Open Poker Championships is looking to entertain – or at least ease the pain. Every night of the Championships, there will be an Ultimate Players Party at the Calgary hotspot the Rusty Cage.
Jarvis burst onto the scene this year with his remarkable run to the WSOP Main Event final table. He will enter the 2010 WSOP November Nine final table in fifth place, holding 16.7 million in chips, and has already guaranteed his largest cash ever with the $811,823 paid to all Main Event final table participants.
One of the most gregarious characters in the poker world, Smith has also been one of the most consistent poker players of the last decade. A former World Poker Tour Player of the Year (2006), he eliminated the “best player to not have won a WSOP bracelet” title from his name when he took down the $2,500 Mixed Hold’em tournament at this year’s WSOP. In his career, the Full Tilt Poker pro has amassed over $5.4 million in tournament earnings over a span of 12 years.
A former hockey player, Mueller brought his aggressiveness over from the rink to the felt in 2003 and hasn’t looked back. Known as “FBT” – an acronym for “Full Blown Tilt” – he has earned 19 cashes during play at the WSOP, with his best years coming from 2007 to 2009. In 2007 and 2008, Mueller put together nine cashes, yet was unable to make the winner’s circle. He corrected that in 2009, picking up two bracelets in Limit events. Mueller will be looking to add on to his $1.78 million in career earnings with a victory in the Heads-Up Championship.
The only major tournament schedule that crowns its Main Event champion in a Heads-Up competition, the Canadian Open Poker Championships has routinely drawn some of the top poker talent since it first played out in 2006. Such players as former Canadian Open Poker Championships Heads-Up Champion Huck Seed, former Main Event champs Phil Hellmuth and Joe Hachem, Canadian poker pro Brad Booth, Antonio Esfandiari, Phil Laak, and Jennifer Tilly have all played in Canadian Open Poker Championships events.
With the confirmation of three top Canadian players in Smith, Mueller, and Jarvis, the field for the $5,000 Heads-Up Championship Event will be one for the ages.
Tags: 2008, 2009, 2010, brad booth, canadian, Jennifer Tilly, ladies, Phil Hellmuth, poker player, tournament, WSOP
Canadian Open Set To Smash Attendance Mark
The Championship features 13 events over 11 days at three Calgary casino venues with an estimated $3.5 million up for grabs.
It is expected to be the largest series of poker tournaments in Canadian history.
The series will feature the traditional $5,000 heads-up main event, which has attracted top pros and celebrities in the past.
Already confirmed are 2010 World Series of Poker bracelet winner Gavin Smith, 2009 WSOP double bracelet winner Greg "FBT" Mueller and 2010 November Niner Matt Jarvis.
This year the schedule will also feature the Canadian Poker Tour's Ladies National Championship
"I am very pleased to have seen the Canadian Open grow since our first event in 2006 where we hosted a single event with only 64 players," said HeadsUp CEO and promoter Kelly B. Kellner.
"This year we expect over 2,000 entries over the entire series."
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Raine Hilson wins Betfred Ladies’ Tour Maidenhead
Jennifer Harman to join women in Poker Hall of Fame
Slow-Rolling is Massively -EV by Lee Jones
Poker News Daily published an article arguing that slow-rolling could be considered simply another legitimate weapon for a poker player to use against his opponents.
At the risk of misstating the author’s point, the crux of the argument is, “It’s within the rules and it tilts my opponents (which is +EV for me). So I do it.”
Here’s the executive summary of my response to those who consider slow-rolling just a +EV tactical play: “Are you out of your minds?”
I don’t know – perhaps you have your two 36” monitors so filled with table windows that you haven’t been following the reports from the Poker Players Alliance (PPA). Or your TV is always tuned to “High Stakes Poker,” so you never watch CNN.
But check it out: since October of 2006, the online poker industry has been in a pitched battle for its very existence. Politician after district attorney after “protector of the family” has climbed up on his high horse and demanded that the cancer of online gambling be shut down.
And one of the deep social reasons for all this trouble: poker is viewed as an uncivilized pastime, pursued by uncivilized people. The game got its American start on riverboats and in the Old West; cheating and shady characters were part and parcel of its milieu.
But recently, with the advent of TV and internet poker itself, the American people have started to give poker a second look. And (praise your preferred deity, if you have one) budget shortfalls all over have politicians thinking that maybe they could use the tax revenue they’d derive from online poker. Even the American Gaming Association (AGA) – the largest gaming lobby organization – has decided to back online poker (which is a new twist).
But thanks to the “old” perception of poker, and the perception of some politicians who think they can leverage that, we have potential enforcement of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) and rumors of even scarier legal activity in the Southern District of New York.
The entire world of poker is teetering on a knife edge. On one side, we’re cast back into the darkness. Online poker stays in its gray legal zone and the games continue to shrink because it’s harder to get money on and off of poker sites. The games are going to get tougher and tougher. Poker rooms in Las Vegas continue to close and poker TV shows go off the air.
But on the other side of that knife edge is legalization. It is an explosion of growth that will – wait for this – dwarf the Big Bang of 2003. You hear people say that the big online sites would love to maintain the status quo in online poker; they’re making plenty of money. Those people are dead wrong; the potential growth is beyond anybody’s wildest dreams.
And right now, every move we make, every time a Senator walks by the TV in his den and sees his teenage son watching the WSOP or WPT, he’s going to add to his opinion of poker – one way or the other.
If that Senator sees ladies and gentlemen playing a fascinating game and treating others with respect, then perhaps he’ll think this is something he can support (or at least quietly ignore as it slips by on some budget bill). If it looks like a golf match or even an NFL game (where you can maim the quarterback, but you can’t stand and gloat over the fact that you did it), maybe we’ll gain a supporter.
If, however, he sees trash talking and berating of opponents, if he sees the typical Hellmuthian tantrums and Tony G insults, he may start to suspect that the Focus on Family view of poker is the accurate one. Slow-rolling is just another form of standing over the quarterback you just sacked and gloating about it.
Let me put it in chilling terms: the guy you are slow-rolling in your $2-$5 game at the Venetian may be a golf buddy with a U.S. Senator.
Now do the EV calculation of your slow-roll and get back to me.
Postscript: Even if it weren’t crystal clear to me that being a gentleman is ultimately good for poker everywhere, I still wouldn’t slow-roll people. My karma and good energy are too important to me. But that’s just me.
Lee Jones is the Card Room Manager of Cake Poker. He has worked in the poker industry for over six years, and been associated with professional poker for almost 20 years. He is the author of “Winning Low Limit Hold’em,” which has been in print for over 15 years.
Tags: cake poker, cheat, high stakes, ladies, legal, Online Poker, poker player, Poker Players Alliance, vegas, WSOP
Slow-Rolling is Massively -EV by Lee Jones
Poker News Daily published an article arguing that slow-rolling could be considered simply another legitimate weapon for a poker player to use against his opponents.
At the risk of misstating the author’s point, the crux of the argument is, “It’s within the rules and it tilts my opponents (which is +EV for me). So I do it.”
Here’s the executive summary of my response to those who consider slow-rolling just a +EV tactical play: “Are you out of your minds?”
I don’t know – perhaps you have your two 36” monitors so filled with table windows that you haven’t been following the reports from the Poker Players Alliance (PPA). Or your TV is always tuned to “High Stakes Poker,” so you never watch CNN.
But check it out: since October of 2006, the online poker industry has been in a pitched battle for its very existence. Politician after district attorney after “protector of the family” has climbed up on his high horse and demanded that the cancer of online gambling be shut down.
And one of the deep social reasons for all this trouble: poker is viewed as an uncivilized pastime, pursued by uncivilized people. The game got its American start on riverboats and in the Old West; cheating and shady characters were part and parcel of its milieu.
But recently, with the advent of TV and internet poker itself, the American people have started to give poker a second look. And (praise your preferred deity, if you have one) budget shortfalls all over have politicians thinking that maybe they could use the tax revenue they’d derive from online poker. Even the American Gaming Association (AGA) – the largest gaming lobby organization – has decided to back online poker (which is a new twist).
But thanks to the “old” perception of poker, and the perception of some politicians who think they can leverage that, we have potential enforcement of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) and rumors of even scarier legal activity in the Southern District of New York.
The entire world of poker is teetering on a knife edge. On one side, we’re cast back into the darkness. Online poker stays in its gray legal zone and the games continue to shrink because it’s harder to get money on and off of poker sites. The games are going to get tougher and tougher. Poker rooms in Las Vegas continue to close and poker TV shows go off the air.
But on the other side of that knife edge is legalization. It is an explosion of growth that will – wait for this – dwarf the Big Bang of 2003. You hear people say that the big online sites would love to maintain the status quo in online poker; they’re making plenty of money. Those people are dead wrong; the potential growth is beyond anybody’s wildest dreams.
And right now, every move we make, every time a Senator walks by the TV in his den and sees his teenage son watching the WSOP or WPT, he’s going to add to his opinion of poker – one way or the other.
If that Senator sees ladies and gentlemen playing a fascinating game and treating others with respect, then perhaps he’ll think this is something he can support (or at least quietly ignore as it slips by on some budget bill). If it looks like a golf match or even an NFL game (where you can maim the quarterback, but you can’t stand and gloat over the fact that you did it), maybe we’ll gain a supporter.
If, however, he sees trash talking and berating of opponents, if he sees the typical Hellmuthian tantrums and Tony G insults, he may start to suspect that the Focus on Family view of poker is the accurate one. Slow-rolling is just another form of standing over the quarterback you just sacked and gloating about it.
Let me put it in chilling terms: the guy you are slow-rolling in your $2-$5 game at the Venetian may be a golf buddy with a U.S. Senator.
Now do the EV calculation of your slow-roll and get back to me.
Postscript: Even if it weren’t crystal clear to me that being a gentleman is ultimately good for poker everywhere, I still wouldn’t slow-roll people. My karma and good energy are too important to me. But that’s just me.
Lee Jones is the Card Room Manager of Cake Poker. He has worked in the poker industry for over six years, and been associated with professional poker for almost 20 years. He is the author of “Winning Low Limit Hold’em,” which has been in print for over 15 years.
Tags: cake poker, cheat, high stakes, ladies, legal, Online Poker, poker player, Poker Players Alliance, vegas, WSOP
PokerStars Launches Ladies-Only League
The brand new Women's Poker League aims to give female players the chance to have a little fun and compete against players from all over the world in an exclusive female-only online poker community with cash prizes on the line.
The league will run until the end of this year, awarding points for results in tournaments with buy-ins as low as $5.50.
The players with the most points at the end of each month and at the end of the year will win cash and PokerStars Ladies Luxury Event packages.
Tournaments will run daily at 1:10 p.m. ET and 8:10 p.m. ET with points available for all final tablists and those in the money.
PokerStars is also introducing weekly Women's Special tournaments starting this Sunday.
At the end of the month, prizes will be awarded in both US Dollars and Euros for the top 50 players.
The end of the year even winner will earn either $1,500 or €1,000, plus a Ladies Luxury Event package.
Players will be able to keep track of their points on a special rankings page on PokerStars.
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The State of Live $1-$2 No Limit Hold’em
While at this year’s World Series of Poker, I took the opportunity to play in quite a few different $1-$2 No Limit Hold’em (NLHE) games at casinos all over Las Vegas. I also watched some friends of mine who were out for a quasi-annual pilgrimage to poker Mecca. In short, I feel like I got a good snapshot of the $1-$2 NLHE action in Las Vegas.
Of course, this game is crucially important – it is the “default” poker game played in casinos all over the U.S. now. What used to be $1-$5 Spread Limit Seven Card Stud and became $2-$4 (or $3-$6) Limit Hold’em is now $1-$2 NLHE. If you walk into a random small poker room in a U.S. casino, the most commonly spread (if not only) game will be $1-$2 NLHE.
While there were certainly plenty of games and plenty of interest, I’m not completely comfortable with the overall state of this bellwether game right now.
First, I’m not sure the game is beatable. Many casinos are taking 10% rake up to $5 (i.e. the rake is capped when the pot reaches $50 – not hard to do) plus a dollar for a bad-beat or high-hand jackpot. Now add a dealer tip and you have $5 to $7 leaving the table every hand. Shuffling machines are becoming the standard; with them, seeing 35 hands per hour is not uncommon. 35 x $6 = $210 disappearing from the table every hour. That’s over two minimum (and common) buy-ins siphoned off each hour. Do that for four hours and every person in an eight-player game has donated a buy-in. Players’ bankrolls really aren’t up to that.
Second, well, I hate to say, “I told you so,” but I told you so. Six years ago, in the third edition of “Winning Low Limit Hold’em,” I wrote that I didn’t think the growing trend toward No Limit Hold’em was good for the game overall. Sure enough, I saw many novice players dump one or two buy-ins in situations where they didn’t need to get broke. Usually, it was because they couldn’t let go of a big pair when every indication was that that one pair was no good. Then, frustrated with the entire experience, they stood up and left. They may well have gone to the blackjack or craps tables where they don’t have a chance either, but at least the money bleeds away slowly and they get to enjoy the gambling experience for a while.
Note that if they were playing Limit Hold’em, these errors would be far less costly. A grossly overplayed big pair might cost you $50 in a $3-$6 Limit Hold’em game rather than $100 or $200 in NLHE. So, people who should have a learned a painful but non-lethal lesson were gone from the game.
Third, those who benefited from the double-ups often fled the game for a similar reason: they were afraid of losing all of their chips in a single hand gone bad. This was particularly noticeable when a player won a high-hand jackpot. In one game I played, one of our players hit a straight flush and was rewarded with a $600-ish jackpot. He wasn’t the strongest player at the table and I was delighted. Not so much because I thought that I’d win the entire $600 (or even any of it). But, I thought that much of that $600 would come back onto the table and get spread around, enriching the entire game.
Bad read. The young man left the game almost immediately after hitting the windfall, but left his chips there for us to admire. Then he came back, played a couple of orbits of the button without voluntarily putting a single chip into the pot and cashed out.
It saddened me to see so many players dipping their toes into the live poker pool only to leave in frustration (at losing) or fear (of losing a big stack). So, with that, I offer four suggestions that may help.
1. To the players: Be smart consumers. Some rooms cap their rake at $4, some cap it at $5. There was absolutely no correlation between the rake cap and the quality of the poker room. $1 may not seem like a big deal, but an extra $25 per hour makes a difference in stacks around the table. Similarly, I encourage you to avoid rooms that have high-hand or bad-beat jackpots (there are plenty). That’s just more money leaving the table and, as I showed above, even if some of it comes back, it rarely stays. Furthermore, I will bet serious money (thousands of dollars) that the rooms are taking an “administrative fee” from the jackpot drop.
2. To the players: Don’t play small pots. Particularly in the high-rake rooms, you simply can’t fade the vig. Consider this: you make a very reasonable opening raise to $7. Two people call. The flop comes and you like it (or don’t). You bet $15 (about 60% of the pot). You get one caller. You like the turn (or like two-barreling), so you bet $30; your one opponent gives it up. Congratulations, you’ve won a $54 pot. Well, not really. The house took $5+$1 and you threw the dealer a dollar. That’s 13% of the pot, 22% of your profit.
Or, suppose two players get all-in pre-flop for $50 each with Q-Q versus A-Ks. The official stats on the race are 53.8% to 46.2%. But guess what – when the house gets its $7, there’s only $93 to win. The ladies are exactly breakeven in this race; the A-Ks loses a full $7 (14%) of his $50 investment.
Moral of the story: try to win fewer pots, but make them bigger.
3. To the poker rooms: seriously consider capping the action in your lowest stakes games. That will protect the players, keep them in action longer, and encourage somebody who has won a bunch of money to stick around. This procedure is already well established on the internet and in the very biggest live games going on in your town. If I were running the poker room, I think I’d set the cap at 100 big blinds ($200 in a $1-$2 game). So, no player can contribute more than $200 to a single pot. That still produces adrenaline-pumping pots.
4. To the poker rooms: let the players run the board twice if the pot is over some amount (e.g. 100 big blinds). Yes, it slows things down and you get in fewer hands blah blah blah. But, it also dramatically increases the chances that instead of one busted player leaving and one doubled-up player about to leave, you’ll have two relieved players who got all that excitement “for free.”
There’s also one general comment I’d like to make to poker room managers: I saw too many instances where it seemed that the poker room’s procedures and rules were set by the regular players. This is a bad idea. I’m all in favor of listening to your customers, but we are a unique business: some of your customers want to eat some of your other customers. It’s like letting the lions decide which cages at the zoo will be open when.
For instance, your regulars will probably squawk at the idea of capping the betting action. That’s because they want to get all $350 from the guy who can’t lay down pocket kings. But, you want that guy to stick around longer (and, yes, pay more rake). Use your best judgment about what’s good for the overall game and your whole player community – not just the few guys who are in your game six days a week.
Lee Jones is the Card Room Manager for Cake Poker and has been in the online poker business since 2003. He is also the author of “Winning Low Limit Hold’em,” which is still in publication over 15 years after its first printing.
Hail to the 2010 WSOP by Linda Johnson
If you are a poker player and you didn’t make it to the Rio to be part of or even witness the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP), you definitely missed out! As one friend of mine said, the WSOP has definitely matured. Kudos to Jack Effel and his entire staff for the many, many hours of planning they put in to make it run so smoothly.
When it comes to details, they seem to have thought of everything. The food problems of the past were settled by the creation of the Poker Kitchen, where players could grab food during dinner breaks without having to walk all the way into the casino. By the way, the fresh, custom, “more than you could eat” salads they served this year were incredible and the $10 food comp players got when they entered an event was sufficient to pay for a meal there. They had extra “executive” bathrooms outside the Amazon Room that were actually so deluxe that one would never know they were there temporarily.
They had plenty of stages for final tables. The bracelet ceremony was held each afternoon at a large center stage in the Pavilion, providing the bracelet winners an opportunity to be honored by their peers. I had the incredible opportunity to deliver the “Shuffle Up and Deal” speech from the center stage to kick off the Ladies Event. Here is a copy of the speech I wrote:
“I’m honored to be part of the opening ceremonies for the 2010 WSOP Ladies Event. 2010 is my 30-year anniversary of playing in the WSOP.
When I entered my first Ladies Event in 1980, I had no idea that it would be life-changing. I had decided that if I did well in that event, I would quit my job and become a poker pro. That year – 1980 – I came in fifth place. I went home to California and gave notice at work. Two weeks later, I moved to Las Vegas and began my new life as professional poker player.
I’ve never regretted that decision. The past 30 years in poker have been incredible. Many things have changed in poker over the past 30 years.
Instead of starting with $400 in tournament chips, today we’re starting with $3,000 in chips. Instead of 65 entries, today there are more than 1,000 participants. Instead of paying three places, more than 100 will be paid. Instead of Seven Card Stud, the game has changed to No Limit Hold’em. Instead of playing downstairs in the Mexican restaurant at Binion’s that was converted to the World Series poker room for two weeks a year, we are here at the Rio in the biggest poker room in the world. Isn’t this setting spectacular? Instead of it being rare to see women in poker rooms, women have become an integral part of poker.
Women are accomplished players! There are now 15 women with gold bracelets in open events. You can’t open a poker magazine these days without seeing the picture of a woman who just won a big poker tournament.
Despite the changes in poker from 1980 to 2010, one thing has remained the same: the excitement that we, as poker players, feel every year at the WSOP.
As I look out today, I see excitement on your faces. I hope the 2010 Ladies Event changes many of your lives like it changed mine! I remember it like it was yesterday – the thrill I felt 30 years ago as I heard the tournament director say… Shuffle up and deal!”
At the time I gave the speech, I wasn’t aware that approximately 12 men had entered the Ladies Event. Of course had I known, I could have added the line, “Instead of only women playing in the Ladies Event, today we have men and women playing.”
There have been many articles and blogs written about whether or not men should be allowed to play in the Ladies Event and even whether or not there should be a Ladies Event. Here’s the bottom line as far as I am concerned: There is no reason to have a Ladies Event because women can’t compete with the men… they can! The reason to have a Ladies Event is because of the atmosphere at the event, which is different from an open event. It is pleasant and provides a great opportunity for women poker players to play with their peers. More than 1,000 women showed up to play, so they obviously support Ladies tournaments.
In the five open events I played in, I was almost always the only woman at the tables. Therefore, the conversation was mostly about sports, the cocktail waitress, and things that didn’t interest me. I witnessed at least two very vocal arguments between players in each of the open events I played in.
It really was a treat to get to play with ladies in a congenial atmosphere and to have conversations that interested me. In fact, the two penalties I saw given during the Ladies Event were given to men.
I would never dream of crashing a man’s bachelor party, hunting trip, or fishing trip, so why should they play in a Ladies Event? However, that doesn’t make it right for the women to cheer when the men get knocked out. They should just be ignored, in my opinion.
I hate to see the 2010 WSOP come to an end. It was a great Series for me, with three cashes in the five tournaments I entered and success in live games as well. Could we make it last a little longer next year?
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Jennifer Tilly wins $5,000 Bellagio Cup VI for $125,000
BLOG – The 2010 WSOP highlights, facts and figures
Liv Boeree and UB.com Renegotiating Contract
Rumblings around the Amazon Room, site of the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, have Liv Boeree and UB.com parting ways. However, Poker News Daily can independently confirm that the two sides are actively renegotiating Boeree’s contract.
Boeree made waves in April after taking down the European Poker Tour’s (EPT) San Remo Main Event for $1.7 million. She bested the largest European EPT field ever of 1,240 in the process and defeated Sweden’s Jakob Carlsson heads-up. Boeree’s win was the latest in the so-called Year of the Woman, which also included Annie Duke winning the National Heads-Up Poker Championship and Vanessa Selbst taking down the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Mohegan Sun Main Event.
Poker News Daily has learned that Boeree’s contract has expired, but the two sides are pursuing a new deal. A UB.com spokesperson explained on Thursday, “Liv’s contract has expired. We are in contract renegotiation discussions now.” The negotiations are expected to come to a head within a week.
Meanwhile, the 2010 WSOP Main Event is playing out at the Rio in Las Vegas. Boeree played on Day 1B on Tuesday, running into a set of kings during the first level to cripple her stack. Then, she was poised for a much-needed double up with pocket jacks, but an opponent with pocket eights found a set. Boeree has never cashed in a WSOP tournament with a buy-in greater than $2,000. This year, she turned in three in the money finishes for $8,000 total.
Boeree, who is dating fellow poker pro Allie Prescott, still appears on UB.com’s website as a sponsored pro. The U.K. native was born in 1984 and, 21 years later, appeared on “Ultimate Poker Showdown.” There, she received instruction from Annie Duke, Phil Hellmuth, and David “Devilfish” Ulliott and the rest, as they say, is history. Duke and Hellmuth now front Team UB, while Ulliott serves as the namesake behind the Entraction Network site Devilfish Poker.
In May 2008, Boeree took down the Ladbrokes Poker European Ladies Championship for $42,000. Then, she final tabled a preliminary event held during the Aussie Millions in 2009 for another $13,000. The same year, Boeree took 37th in the World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship at the Bellagio for $40,000, nearly doubling her $25,000 buy-in. Her crowning glory remains her win in San Remo, where she became just the third woman ever to win an EPT title, joining Vicky Coren (EPT London in 2006) and Sandra Naujoks (EPT Dortmund in 2009).
Besides Hellmuth, Duke, and Boeree, UB.com’s roster of sponsored pros also includes former “Poker2Nite” host Joe Sebok, “Amazing Race” contestant Tiffany Michelle, two-time bracelet winner Brandon Cantu, and Anthrax’s Scott Ian. In early June, Cantu re-signed with UB.com for one year. UB.com pros were spotted at the site’s get-together at the Mandarin Oriental bar at CityCenter in Las Vegas on Monday. The night ended with a shotgun wedding as part of a site-sponsored prop bet contest.
Recent player signings include David Williams and Vanessa Selbst inking agreements with PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker site. In addition, PokerStars is sponsoring the stable of pros belonging to Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy and Eric “sheets” Haber during the Main Event, which includes well-known players like Nick “fu_15” Maimone, and Jamie “TheNew” Robbins. Back in May, Amanda Musumeci joined the ranks of Bodog, which parted ways with Williams, Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, and Jean-Robert Bellande.
Tags: 2008, 2009, 2010, Annie Duke, bellagio, bodog, european, Justin Bonomo, ladies, Online Poker, Phil Hellmuth, poker player, poker show, pokerstars, Tiffany Michelle, tournament, vegas, woman, WSOP
Actors, Athletes and Amateurs Unite For Africa at WSOP
All facetiousness aside, today's $5k Ante Up For Africa tournament supports the admirable non-profit organization bearing the same name that is dedicated to raising money and awareness for Africans in need.
The tournament marks the second to last event on the 2010 WSOP calendar and has predictably drawn a crowd of celebrities, pro poker players and curious railbirds.
Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Shannon Elizabeth, David Alan Grier, Evander Holyfield and Montel Williams headline the list of celebrities who've made an appearance.
Brad Garrett, best known for his role on the TV show Everybody Loves Raymond, is keeping the Pavillion Room lively with his play-by-play and one-liners.
"Phil Gordon everyone," Garrett said introducing the poker player and announcer. "Only one person clapped for you, Phil, I think it might be your mom."
"Shannon Elizabeth, who looks great in women's clothing, is playing today," Garrett deadpanned.
Much of the buzz in the room involved Phil Ivey's early exit for the tournament. David Alan Grier took credit for the knockout. "I gave it to him right on the chin!" Grier said. "All in and all out, baby." Then Grier admitted he wasn't actually in the hand at all and has a tendency to embellish.
Crowd favorite Matt Damon has managed to stick around and double up a couple of times. One of those double ups found Damon coming from behind in the hand and rivering a full house on his opponent. "That's what happens when you're Matt Damon, ladies and gentleman," Garrett quipped. "If you're Brad Garrett, then you're in a cab by now."
Players can donate whatever portion of their earnings they choose to charity, but at least 50% is standard. Last year John Hennigan won the tournament and donated all of his winnings to charity. Upon recognizing Hennigan for last year's donation, Garrett was overcome with kindness. "I'm going to kiss Howard Lederer because of your generosity," Garrett said before making good on his act of man love.
There were 80 players who put up the $5k buy in for today's event. Annie Duke, Phil Ivey and Montel Williams were some of the first players to be knocked out.
More information on the charity led by Cheadle and Duke is available at http://anteupforafrica.org.
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ESPN Inside Deal Features Vanessa Rousso, Dean Hamrick
This week, the ESPN.com poker news franchise “Inside Deal” welcomed recent World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Dean Hamrick and top-tier female pro Vanessa Rousso. New episodes of “Inside Deal” are released every Tuesday exclusively on ESPN.com.
Hamrick finally got over the proverbial hump in 2010, taking down a $1,500 No Limit Hold’em event for $604,000 and his first bracelet. He’ll take that money and head back to Michigan, telling “Inside Deal” hosts Laura Lane and Andrew Feldman, “It felt amazing. It was a little weird because it was 6:30 in the morning when I won, so I was as excited to finally get to sleep as I was to win the bracelet. It’s a pretty surreal moment. Everyone is around you and they’re dealing that last river card and you know if it goes right, you’re going to be the champ and get everything you ever wanted.”
Hamrick made deep runs in the 2007 and 2008 Main Events. However, the $1,500 No Limit Hold’em tournament marked just his second WSOP final table. He reflected, “When you’ve been close a couple of times, you realize how hard it is to get back. A final table is very tough, especially in the bigger fields. You don’t want to make a mistake and every decision is crucial.” Hamrick also revealed that the skill level of the field has gotten considerably tougher, a sentiment that many pros in the tournament series have echoed.
Rousso joined “Inside Deal” and discussed whether she considered 2010 to be the Year of the Woman: “I think that whole Year of the Woman thing is just to have something cool to say marketing-wise. Yeah, some women have had some great results this year. I don’t think there’s anything unique about 2010. Women will have great results in years to come. Truth is, we just have a lot of great women players now.” Annie Duke, Vanessa Selbst, and UB.com’s Liv Boeree have been among the females to win major tournaments since 2010 began.
In an interview-heavy episode, “Inside Deal” then welcomed Unabomber Poker front man Phil Laak, who is fresh off a 115-hour marathon poker session that set a Guinness World Record. The previous mark, held by Paul Zimbler, was just 78 hours. Why did Laak feel the need to obliterate Zimbler’s record by two full days? “When I got to 80 hours, I hadn’t made a plan of when I’d stop. I just figured I’d stop soon after that because I’d be so exhausted. What I didn’t expect is that I was supercharged.” Laak profited nearly $7,000 from the $10/$20 cash game table at the Bellagio.
Laak added that he has a renewed outlook on life following his weeklong affair: “Since the challenge, I have become super human. I think better, I play poker better, I have more patience, I’m more empathetic, I work harder at the gym, and things are more effortless. It’s crazy.” Laak’s record may have been broken by a group of European young guns; however, the validity of the attempt appears to be in doubt.
Finally, a viewer e-mailed asking Rousso whether she thought the WSOP Ladies Event should offer up a bracelet despite not being open to the general public. Rousso’s response: “I don’t really get that freaked out about it. I know a lot of pros have a very strong opinion one way or the other. For me, it’s up to the WSOP. If they choose to put it on the schedule, it’s a bracelet event. It’s as simple as that.” Shaun Deeb, David Sesso, and other males entered the tournament this year, but none survived Day 1.
Catch ESPN’s “Inside Deal” weekly on ESPN.com.
Don’t Be Such a Drag
When I read about Shaun Deeb, David Sesso, and other men playing in the Ladies Event at the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP), I just shook my head. It was the same sort of slow, disappointed head shake that I would use while watching my daughter poke and prod my dog’s face for the 500th time only to get snapped at. Both are just bad ideas that make me wonder what they were thinking.
I’m not so offended by the stunt that I’m going to call the guys idiots or draw some odd comparison to the BP oil spill like Dusty “Leatherass” Schmidt did in his blog. But to me, it is still pretty unbelievable that some people would actually think that doing this was a good idea. I know Deeb explained in a video message that he did it because he supports women in poker and was protesting gender segregation in tournaments, but I just don’t buy it.
At the beginning of his statement, which corresponds to published news reports, Deeb said that he lost a prop bet with his friends and, as a result, had to play in the Ladies Event dressed in drag. So what was it? Did you lose a bet or did you have some greater mission? In my opinion, it appears to be the former. It looks like Deeb, Sesso, and friends basically considered the Ladies Event a joke, which is why their punishment in the bet was to play in it.
I will give Sesso some credit, though. In an interview with Poker News Daily, Sesso admitted that he realized it was wrong to infiltrate the women’s tournament and apologized for it. But Deeb, in his video, tries to make us believe that, despite his saying so earlier, the prop bet was not the reason why he entered the tournament, but rather he wanted to stand up for gender equality. Come on. Over 1,000 women played in the tournament – obviously people like it.
It is so tilting to me when people complain about the Ladies Event, saying that women are just as capable and intelligent as men and don’t need a separate tournament. For instance, Annie Duke, a well known opponent of women’s events, told this website, “Poker is not like tennis. Men are not mentally stronger than we are, so it makes no sense to separate it out. If there were a men’s-only event, people would be encouraging women to play.”
Women’s events do not exist because women can’t compete with men in at the WSOP. They exist because, in general, women don’t compete with men at the WSOP. I think we all know that the ratio of women to men at the WSOP is tiny. So, one way to get more women involved is to have a tournament that caters to them. It’s obvious and everyone has heard this reasoning before, but there are still people who discount it.
Women don’t need the Ladies Event, people over 50 years old don’t need a Seniors Event, and poker players in general don’t need a Hold’em/Omaha hybrid event. But you know what? They like them, and that’s what matters. Of course, opponents will make the argument that just because people like something doesn’t mean it should exist. Sure, but this is a poker tournament. A women’s-only event doesn’t hurt anyone. If it becomes unwanted, then the registration numbers will dwindle and the WSOP will do away with it.
“But Dan, if you think a women’s event is fine, do you think a men’s event is fine?” That’s not the same thing, and you know it. Live poker is already basically a men’s club, so take those inappropriate arguments somewhere else.
It is just mind-boggling to me that there are people who care so much about trying to make such an unimportant statement that they want to ruin something enjoyable and harmless like a poker tournament. Put your energies and outrage into something that could really use some attention, not a fake women’s equality issue. And for guys like Shaun Deeb who feel like crashing a party because they think they are better than the attendees, don’t get upset when people call you out on it. You knew what people would think of you; don’t try to make us think you were making some heroic statement.
Women in Poker Hall of Fame nominees announced – among them Duke, Harman and Liebert
The 2010 Women in Poker Hall of Fame has nominated seven female poker players two of which will be chosen to Hall of Fame in September.
On the list there are familiar names to current players as well as a couple of older legends and poker professionals.
Betty Carey - A poker pro whose blue eyes mesmerized among others Doyle Brunson. When the 70’s turned to 80’s, Carey was known from her very aggressive playing style. Won a few WSOP money prizes and carried a .357 Magnum with herself.
Phyllis Caro - A poker pioneer since 1979. Started her career as a dealer and is nowadays the manager of poker operations in Hollywood Park, California. Has assisted her husband Mike Caro in making numerous poker books.
Nani Dollison - A South-Korean born hard core professional. Won a WSOP bracelet from $1,000 Limit Hold’em in 2001 and is one of the few WSOP Ladies Event double champions. Has cashed nearly 800,000 dollars during her career.
Annie Duke - Has claimed over 4,2 million dollar profits from tournaments and one WSOP bracelet from $2K Omaha Hi-Lo.
Jennifer Harman - A multi-skilled high stakes pro who has pocketed 2,5 million dollars during her career. The only woman who has won two WSOP bracelets.
Kathy Liebert - The most successful female tournament player ever with her 5,7 million dollar winnings since 1994.
Joanne “JJ” Liu - A pro player born in Taipei, Taiwan. Has won a WPT title and over 2,3 million dollars from the tournaments. A regular face in high stakes cash games.
Check out the nominees and the vote which will be open until July 15th in HERE.
Sources: PokerNewsDaily, womenspokerhalloffame.com and TheHendonMob
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Women in Poker Hall of Fame nominees announced – among them Duke, Harman and Liebert
Tags: 2010, Doyle Brunson, high stakes, Hollywood, ladies, poker player, skill, tournament, woman, women, WSOP
June 25th – Daily Deal
Today’s Topics: 2010 WSOP Update, Survivor and the Women in Poker Hall of Fame Nominees.
Happy Friday! On today’s edition of the Daily Deal by Poker News Daily, we’ll take a look back at a busy day in the two thousand ten World Series of Poker. Also, we’ll figure out whether a poker player may be on the newest cycle of Survivor and review the Women in Poker Hall of Fame nominees. It’s all straight ahead on the Daily Deal!
Well there was almost huge news from the Rio as another top pro made a final table. This time it was Phil Hellmuth looking for bracelet number twelve as he made the final table of Event number forty one, which was the fifteen hundred dollar omaha eight or better tournament. As you might know, all eleven of Hellmuth’s bracelets are in No Limit Hold’em, but he wasn’t able to go the distance and finished a very impressive seventh place. The winner of this one turned out to be Steve Jelinek who became the fifth person from the UK to win a bracelet in the 2010 WSOP.
According to a rumor, poker players will make their return to the popular CBS reality series Survivor next season. Survivor: Nicaragua, which is in the midst of filming, will apparently feature a high-stakes poker player. Who that is has yet to be determined. A mystery poster on TwoPlusTwo who goes by the name “HeyIzDro” first reported the news, saying that producers had called him to gauge his interest. He initially turned down the offer in order to play in the World Series of Poker, but later notified readers that he was headed to Nicaragua to film.
Posters broke down players they’d like to see on the show, including Tom Dwan,Jamie Gold, and Huck Seed. Those who have been relatively absent from the WSOP and are possibilities to appear are Johnny Chan, Peter Eastgate, Prahlad Friedman, Patrik Antonius, and Clonie Gowen. Survivor: Nicaragua will air later this year on CBS.
Finally, seven ladies have received nominations to be enshrined in the Women in Poker Hall of Fame.
Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke, Jennifer Harman, Kathy Liebert, J.J. Liu, Phyllis Caro, Nani Dollison, and Betty Carey.
The general public can visit Women In Poker Hall of Fame dot com before July fifteenth to vote. Two players will be inducted into the Hall in August.
Finally, don’t forget to sign up for UB.com through Poker News Daily before July thirtieth, deposit, and rack up one Status Point. When you do, you’ll be automatically entered into a freeroll on August fifteenth. The winner of the freeroll heads to sunny, warm Las Vegas in November to watch the final table of the Main Event play out. Plus, everyone who makes the freeroll’s final table gets seats to the UB.com two hundred thousand dollar guaranteed Sunday Major.
Two more prize packages for the Main Event final table will be given out in points races held in June and July. Whoever amasses the most number of Status Points each month will head to Sin City to soak up the November Nine and witness poker history. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see one player take down what is expected to be a top prize of between eight and nine million dollars.
I’m Sean Gibson. Have a great weekend and I’ll see you again on Monday.
Tags: 2010, Annie Duke, freeroll, Jennifer Harman, ladies, Patrik Antonius, Phil Hellmuth, poker player, Tom Dwan, tournament, usa, vegas, women, WSOP
2010 Women in Poker Hall of Fame Nominees Announced
The Women In Poker Hall of Fame has announced the names of seven ladies nominated for induction in 2010, of which two will be enshrined during ceremonies in September.
The Women in Poker Hall of Fame, founded by the Ladies International Poker Series and sponsored by CardPlayer Magazine, is designed to honor women who have acquired prominence and made contributions to the poker world. The Hall, which inducted its charter members in 2008, also recognizes those who have contributed significantly to promoting women in poker through their involvement in the gaming industry.
The qualifications for women to be named to the Hall are quite rigorous. Potential candidates must meet three criteria to be considered by voters: a candidate must have been active as a player or industry leader for a minimum of 15 years. The lady, whether a player or an industry leader, must have contributed to the world of poker in some significant way. This person can qualify by either winning major poker tournaments or making significant contributions to the industry. Finally, a person must be a proponent of women’s poker. Even is she does not play in women’s events, she must support them.
With these criteria, popular female players who have made waves recently, including PokerStars’ Vanessa Rousso, Full Tilt Poker’s Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad, Vanessa Selbst, and UB.com’s Liv Boeree, are not eligible for the Hall yet. “They will have their time to shine in the near future,” stated Women in Poker Hall of Fame Board Member Karina Jett. “The criteria set by the Board ensures inductees are well established players or industry professionals.”
The seven women who have been nominated feature representatives from every era in the history of the game. “Some of these candidates are better known than others, but they are all worthy of induction,” said Lupe Soto, the Hall’s Founder. The seven women who have been nominated for induction are led off by Poker News Daily’s guest columnist Annie Duke.
Duke has been one of the top female players in the game for nearly two decades. The current National Heads-Up Poker Championship titleholder, she has earned over $4.2 million dollars in her career. In addition to being an excellent player, Duke has also been at the forefront of the poker community, advocating in the halls of Congress on several key issues.
Duke is joined by Jennifer Harman, the only woman to have won two open World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets and a fixture in some of the biggest cash games in the world. Harman has used her poker success to drive attention to several charitable causes, including the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and has earned over $2.3 million in tournament earnings during her career.
Kathy Liebert is another contemporary of Duke and Harman who has had a successful career in poker. Liebert is the all-time leading money winner among women with well over $5.6 million in earnings. She was the first woman to win a $1 million first prize in a poker tournament when she captured the 2002 PartyPoker Million.
Joanne “J.J.” Liu has quietly made her impact on the poker world. While playing in some of the most difficult cash games around the world, Liu has also been a formidable foe in the tournament arena. A graduate of Bradley University, she has earned over $2.1 million from tournament poker, including a third place finish in a $1,500 No Limit Hold’em event and a seventh place finish in a $2,500 Six-Handed Limit Hold’em event at this year’s WSOP.
Involved in poker since 1979, Phyllis Caro has been a part of nearly every aspect of the poker world. Working her way up from being a dealer, Caro has become one of the preeminent women in the gaming industry. Today, she works as the Director of Poker Operations at Hollywood Park in California. She has also assisted her husband Mike Caro with some of his best known works.
Nani Dollison is one of only three women – 2008 Women in Poker Hall of Fame charter members Barbara Enright and Susie Isaacs are the other two – who have won the Ladies’ Championship at the WSOP twice in their career. One of the most aggressive players on the felt, Dollison has earned almost $800,000 in her poker career and has played in venues that span the globe.
One of the pioneers for women in poker is Betty Carey. She was considered one of the most feared players – male or female – in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She consistently battled against some of the legends of the game, including “Amarillo” Slim Preston, Johnny Moss, and Doyle Brunson, and more than held her own. She was one of the first women to play in the WSOP and is someone whom all the nominees above have to thank for blazing the trail.
Out of this exceptional list, only two will earn nominations. The voting process is open to the public at the Women in Poker Hall of Fame website until July 15th, with the two players elected to the Hall announced in August.
Tags: 2008, 2010, Annie Duke, Doyle Brunson, Hollywood, Jennifer Harman, ladies, poker player, pokerstars, tournament, woman, women, WSOP
The Nightly Turbo: Snoop Dogg, ESPN’s Inside Deal, and More
Celebrating Father’s Day from Poker in Twitter
With Father’s Day on Sunday, many of the pros in the poker world took the time to send their best wishes to their dads. “Happy Father’s Day to all the great Dad’s out there!,” Liz Lieu Tweeted to her followers, while Erica Schoenberg added her tribute: “Dad, thanks 4 being the degen that I know & love. I wouldn’t b where I am w/out you or your love 4 the ponies, blackjack, craps, casino war.”
Joe Sebok had perhaps the best Father’s Day gift in mind when he said to his father Barry Greenstein, “Happy Father’s Day to the big man, @barrygreenstein. a bracelet seems like a good gift to give yourself.”
During the play of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) at the Rio in Las Vegas, there have been some strange requests from fans to their poker playing idols. A couple of weeks back, Shannon Elizabeth turned down a request to sign a guy’s chest, but the men weren’t quite as shy. “Girl from South America wanted me to sign her boob,” Doyle Brunson Tweeted to his fans. “How could a gentleman refuse?” PokerStars front man Daniel Negreanu also got a strange request: “Some woman just asked me to sign her tramp stamp area. She’s going to get a tattoo there to surprise her husband.”
On the calmer side of autographs, Erik Seidel still had an odd request. “Saw the guy who wants me to sign the book he thinks I wrote,” Seidel, who has never authored a book, Tweeted. “Can’t wait to see who he’s mistaken me for. I’m hoping it’s Doyle.”
Prop betting at the tables has once again been a popular pastime at the WSOP. “John Hennigan joined the table and instantly started side bets with @durrrr!,” tournament director Matt Savage reported from the felt as he played the $3,000 HORSE tournament. Negreanu also got in on the action: “I just laid 100-1 with Kathy Liebert that I will make Day 2 of this event. She bet 100 bucks. I’d lose 10k. I know it’s a bad bet. I don’t care!” No word on the action at Savage’s table, but Negreanu will make at least $100 after making it to Day 2 in his event.
DoylesRoom pro Amit “amak316” Makhija also was looking for some action over Twitter. “Open challenge to anyone in the Twitterverse,” Makhija started in the first of two Tweets. “Looking for a 3k most money cashed for bet in the 10kplh today at 5. If I don’t know you well give me 3k at the beginning of the tournament and respond to this before it starts and were booked! Let’s go!” Apparently, Makhija received the action he was looking for, Tweeting soon afterwards, “Booked with @ShannonShorr he’s insta taking all my prop bet offers this summer, good to see someone knows a whale when they see one. Gl!”
During another event at the WSOP, Maria “Maridu” Mayrinck and Maria Ho ended up at the same table, which turned out to be more interesting for its side antics than the action on the felt. “This is the weirdest HORSE table I’ve ever played at,” Mayrinck stated upon arrival. “When I got moved to this table a player & the dealer were yelling at each other about to fight & I’m yelling floor!” Moments later, Mayrinck added another report of a fight through a Tweet: “Fight 3 almost broke out at my table. They are nuts!” Ho added in her two cents: “Add a crazy/smelly/dealer abuser and a douchebag to the lineup.”
Things were better over the weekend for Ho, as she teamed up with her partner in crime from “Amazing Race,” UB.com pro Tiffany Michelle, to celebrate Michelle’s birthday. “The girls at Eve nightclub for Tiffany’s bday bash!,” Ho Tweeted along with a picture of the crew. “Great time with great people!” Liv Boeree was part of the revelry and also sent a Twitpic of the gathering of the ladies. Alex Outhred felt a little left out of the festivities, Tweeting, “So mad I missed all the fun! -looks like it was a happy bday! I didn’t wanna hurt anyone on the dance floor.”
To wrap the weekend with the best Tweets, we have to go no further than Seidel, who offered up the gem, “Daily observation: Abuse dealers, and you will be dealt a life that sucks.” New Full Tilt Poker pro Lacey Jones put her own spin on a classic adage: “When life gives you lemons… stuff them in your bra.” Finally, Elizabeth came up with a Tweet that accurately told everyone what she was up to: “Today’s another fun filled day of poker! What? It’s that time of year. What’d you expect me to be doing? Knitting?”
The top stories of the first half of WSOP 2010
CardPlayer has ranked the highlights of this year’s WSOP. The tournament is now in halfway, and many interesting things have happened in Las Vegas.
5. Sam Farha’s return
Sammy Farha did great in the WSOP 2003. After that, this regular High Stakes Poker face concentrated mainly on cash games. But this year he stepped back in the WSOP spotlight by winning the $10k Omaha Hi/Lo tournament.
4. Men Nguyen and the 7th bracelet
Men “The Master” Nguyen joined the tiny group of those players who have won seven bracelets during their career. Now Nguyen belongs to the same group with Phil Hellmuth, Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, Johnny Moss and Erik Seidel.
3. Michael Mizrachi in $50k Players’ Championship
Just before this year’s WSOP Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi was in an awkward situation. According to a Florida newspaper Mizrachi was facing foreclosure due to his $340,000 dollars of unpaid taxes. Goes without saying that the $1,56 million-dollar victory in Players’ Championship eased his situation a lot.
2. Men attending the Ladies Event
About ten male players didn’t bother to care about the tournament organizers’ wishes to keep the Ladies Event solely for women. There is no lawful excuse to prevent men from attending this female tournament; rather it is more about an unwritten rule and gentleman’s agreement. Thus, among other things, we got to see a man wearing a skirt and a wig during the event.
1. Tom Dwan’s side bets
Mizrachi’s and Farha’s bracelets are still fresh in our memory, but the biggest attention was attracted by Tom “durrrr” Dwan who became second in the $1,500 NL event. As far as we know, Dwan had bet million dollars on winning the bracelet, which meant that many other top players were truly relieved after Simon Watt managed to beat him in heads-up.
You can read more about these stories from here.
Source: Cardplayer and TheHendonMob
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BLOG – Women – can’t live with ‘em; can’t bust ‘em out of poker tournaments
Poker News In Brief: June 14-20, 2010
The Brits are at it again, as England has totaled four WSOP bracelet wins, while Men "The Master" Nguyen added a seventh career WSOP bracelet to his total.
Be sure to check our live tournaments, news and video sections for complete WSOP coverage.
While the 2010 WSOP is at the center of the poker universe, there are a few other happenings from around the world of poker:
William Thorson Wins PokerStars Baltic Festival
There's still plenty of poker taking place around the world, and Team PokerStars pro William Thorson now has a breakthrough win.
The 27-year-old Swede won the PokerStars Baltic Festival for his first major live score, after coming close on numerous previous EPT final table appearances.
Thorson wins more than 1.2 million Estonian Crowns - approximately €80,823, for the win, his biggest career cash.
The PokerStars Baltic Festival took place in Tallinn, Estonia, from June 16-19.
PokerStars Announces New NAPT Stop
The North American Poker Tour will be taking a trip to sunny Southern California.
PokerStars announced a new event for Season 1, as the NAPT Los Angeles will commence from the Bicycle Casino November 12-17.
The centerpiece of the event will be a $5k No-Limit Hold'em Main Event, set to take place over five days.
The NAPT Los Angeles will be the fourth NAPT event taking place in 2010.
HHPT Nominated For Two Awards
The High Heel Poker Tour made its presence known at the 2010 WSOP during the $1k Ladies Championship, and now the all-female tour and its founder are nominated for awards.
The HHPT is nominated for the Maven Award for Best Poker Tour, while HHPT founder Lauren Failla has been nominated for the International Women in Gaming Star of the Future Award.
For more info check out www.highheelspokertour.com.
Matt Savage Takes Position As WPT Executive Tour Director
The WPT has added one of the most respected names in the business to its ranks.
Matt Savage has been announced at the WPT's new Executive Tour Director, and he brings a reputation as one of the most well-known tournament directors in the business.
Savage will still retain his other duties, including Tournament Director at Bay 101.
Offers For PL.com Players on Winner.com Poker
The $6k Winner League is taking place June 20 - July 30 on Winner.com Poker,
As part of the promotion players will be able to take part in daily $2 freerolls with $50 added every day and try to qualify for the $4k final, which will take place August 3.
1st place will receive a $3000 package, 2nd-6th receive $200 token to the Irish Open Super Satellite.
To learn more check out our Winner.com Poker Review.
Visit PokerListings.com
Master Falls Short: WSOP Day 23 Recap
There were thousands of poker players in the Rio with six events on the schedule and two final tables.
There were seniors, H.O.R.S.E. players and heads-up specialists all looking to bring their best poker game.
Nguyen and Papola grabbed most of the attention but here's a closer look at what occurred on Day 23 of the 2010 WSOP:
Event #32 - $5k No-Limit Hold'em Six-Handed
The final day of Event 32 brought out a star-studded group of 12 players that included Erick Lindgren, Men "The Master" Nguyen and French upstart Anthony Roux.
Lindgren seemed to be the best choice to win the event as he was one of the chip leaders by the time the final table of six was set.
Instead the Team Full Tilt Poker pro was the first player to bust and Nguyen and upstart online player Jeff Papola would host a marathon heads-up battle.
After approximately five hours of heads-up play, Papola emerged the victor and took home a massive $667,433 first place prize, not to mention a shiny new WSOP bracelet.
Event #33- $2.5k Pot -Limit Hold'em/Omaha
Jose Luis Velador already had a bracelet to his name but now he has two. Today he took down $260,517 when he won the $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha/Pot Limit Hold-em mix.
Players dropped like flies from the start until only 4 time bracelet winner David Chiu stood in Velador's way.
The pace didn't slow down once it was heads up. It only took about thirty minutes for the match finish. David Chiu took home $160,902 for second place.
Event #34 - $1k Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship
A total of 428 players took to the felt on Day 2 of the widely popular Seniors Event.
The goal was to play all the way down to a final table of nine but by 3 a.m., well past early bird special time, tournament directors decided to call it a night with 26 players remaining.
T.J. Cloutier, Susie Isaacs and Barry Johnston were among the notables finishing in the cash.
On Sunday the 26 remaining players will play down to a winner.
Former WSOP Player of the Year Tom Schneider is the most well-known player still in the running to ship a bracelet in this event. He's 14th in chips with 284,000.
Play resumes at 2:30 p.m.
Event #35 - $10k Heads-Up Hold'em Championship
The latest $10k Championship event drew lots of railbirds to the Amazon Room, as poker's best squared off in heads-up play.
The max 256 entrants registered for this event, and we played down to the final 8 today.
Antonio Esfandiari and Sorel Mizzi were amongst the notables eliminated in the cash.
Ludovic Lacay and Bertrand "Elky" Grospellier clashed in a match that pitted two of France's best and most beloved players with Lacay coming out on top.
Vanessa Rousso will be representing the ladies tomorrow. She beat out Vivek Rajkumar to earn her way into Day 3.
The matches resume at 3 p.m. Sunday.
Event #36 - $1k No-Limit Hold'em
The $1k No-Limit Hold'em events continue to draw huge numbers, as 2,530 players came out for Day 1a.
By the end of the day only 298 players remained, which means over 85 percent of the field was cut down in one day.
Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, Dennis Phillips and PL.com blogger Jason Mercier all fell to the rail today while Scott Montgomery Neil Channing, Liv Boeree and Marco Traniello all lived to see the light of Day 2.
Day 1b begins at noon tomorrow with another huge turnout a probability.
Event #37- $3k H.O.R.S.E.
Players continue to flock to H.O.R.S.E. events at the 2010 WSOP as 479 players bought into Event 37, which beat last year's total.
The pros were more than willing to play with biggies like Daniel Negreanu, Howard Lederer, Phil Ivey and Phil Hellmuth all paying the $3k to play.
All the aforementioned players survived the day and are among the 219 players who will attempt to make the final table on Sunday.
Play resumes at 3 p.m. Sunday.
For more information on how the day played out at the series, click through to the PokerListings WSOP page.
Visit PokerListings.com
Tags: 2010, Daniel Negreanu, full tilt poker, ladies, no-limit, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, poker player, tournament, usa, WSOP