Poker News

Hoyt Corkins Wins WPT Southern Poker Championship

With his win in the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Southern Poker Championship, "The Alabama Cowboy" Hoyt Corkins claimed his second WPT title. The DoylesRoom pro banked $739,000 for his efforts at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Donning an all-black outfit with a bright green DoylesRoom patch, Corkins told WPT Live Updates Hostess Amanda Leatherman following the win in the Deep South, “It’s been so frustrating. I’ve finished second twice, third once. It is frustrating to get down there and finish second or third.” Corkins’ last WPT title came during Season 2, when he brought home the bacon in the Foxwoods World Poker Finals for $1.1 million. He was the runner-up in the Season 2 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure and Season 6 Gold Strike World Poker Open.

Tyler “Tydean” Smith was the first casualty of the WPT Southern Poker Championship final table. After doubling up Jonathan Kantor, Smith committed the rest of his chips with J-3 and was up against Jonathan Jaffee’s A-Q. With the hometown favorite on the cusp of elimination, the crowd watched as the flop fell K-10-6, keeping Jaffee out in front. The turn came a four and, needing to catch a three on the river, Smith saw a six instead fall. He earned $86,000 for his second straight final table appearance in the $10,000 buy-in tournament. Smith lives ten minutes from the casino, an easy commute.

James Reed hit the skids in fifth place for $106,000. Reed shoved with 7-5 pre-flop and received a call from Jaffee, who held pocket eights. The flop of A-Q-5 paired Reed, but a running 6-4 sent him packing. Jaffee pushed his way to third in chips as a result, with Corkins, who had entered as a massive chip leader, continuing to pace the field. The WPT Southern Poker Championship marked Reed’s first WPT in the money finish.

Twenty-two hands later, Jaffee was eliminated in fourth place. Jaffee pushed with K-Q pre-flop over the top of a raise by Corkins, who came along with pocket jacks to set up a race. The flop came a benign 7-6-3, while a four on the turn left Jaffee calling for a king or queen on the river to stay alive. However, the final card was a nine, dashing his WPT Southern Poker Championship title hopes.

In a key pot three-handed, Corkins doubled up with A-J against Jerry Vanstrydonck’s pocket kings. The board of 9-8-8-5 was looking grim until Corkins spiked a three-outer on the river to stay alive and the pot once again made him the chip leader. Vanstrydonck could not withstand the blow to his stack and was ousted shortly thereafter. Vanstrydonck’s 9-8 was up against Corkins’ K-Q pre-flop and the board blanked out for both players. Corkins was a 3:2 chip leader entering heads-up play against Kantor.

Kantor battled to even after shoving on the river on a board reading 8-5-3-4-3. Corkins tanked before folding and Kantor turned over 10-6 for “nuclear squadoosh,” as the legendary ESPN announcer Norman Chad would say. Corkins then won a 1.7-million chip pot before the final hand of the WPT Southern Poker Championship occurred. Kantor pushed with K-10 and Corkins made the call with A-7. The flop came ace-high, preserving Corkins’ lead in the hand. By the river, Kantor was rooting for a club to remain in the hunt for the $739,000 first place prize, but the five of hearts hit to give Corkins his second WPT title. Here are the payouts from the final table in Biloxi:

1. Hoyt Corkins - $739,486
2. Jonathan Kantor - $366,643
3. Jerry Vanstrydonck - $196,829
4. Jared Jaffee - $135,079
5. James Reed - $106,134
6. Tyler Smith - $86,837

The WPT Southern Poker Championship will air as part of Season 8 on Fox Sports Net. Next up for the WPT is a cross-country flight to Los Angeles, site of the WPT Celebrity Invitational and L.A. Poker Classic. The tournaments kick off on February 20th and 26th, respectively, from the Commerce Casino.

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.

Amazing Race 16 Cast Does Not Feature Poker Players

The cast for the 16th cycle of the Emmy Award winning CBS reality series “Amazing Race” does not include any poker players. In its last season, the show featured Maria Ho and UB.com pro Tiffany Michelle.

Ho and Michelle represented the last women standing in the 2007 and 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Events, respectively. The duo finished sixth in the around-the-world competition after their journey abruptly ended in the Netherlands, where a series of intense physical challenges proved to be too much for Ho and Michelle. A high striker, a common carnival game, proved fatal on one-half of the leg’s Detour, while windy conditions made a unique game of golf using wooden shoes unbearable on the other half.

A total of 11 teams will set out on the “Amazing Race” course for Season 16. Headlining the group are two “Big Brother” cast members from Season 11, Jordan Lloyd and Jeff Schroeder. The couple is “newly dating” according to CBS and will mark the latest pair to join “Amazing Race” after appearing on another CBS reality franchise. Schroeder is 31 years-old and from Norridge, Illinois, while Lloyd is nine years younger and hails from Charlotte, North Carolina. Lloyd lists her lifetime goals as, “to be a dental hygienist, and to get married and have kids.”

Also appearing on the 16th running of “Amazing Race” is Caitlin Upton, who will travel to the four corners of the Earth with her boyfriend, Brent Home. Upton was Miss Teen South Carolina USA 2007 and famously uttered the following response to a question about people being unable to locate the United States on a map: "I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because some people out there in our nation don't have maps and I believe that our education like such as South Africa and the Iraq, everywhere like such as, and, I believe that they should, our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S. or should help South Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries, so we will be able to build up our future, for our children."

Upton’s phrases “the Iraq,” “U.S. Americans.” and “like such as” have become staples of modern lingo, although the beauty queen is now three years removed from her escapade. In a video posted on CBS.com, Upton commented, “I’m stubborn and I hate losing, probably more than he does, and I have a very short fuse, so if somebody gets in my way, there’s going to be some trouble and I’m going to need somebody there to calm me down.” The couple may soon be engaged; both are models.

Cleveland Indians third base coach Steve Smith, 57 years of age, will run the “Amazing Race” with his daughter, Allie Smith, who is 23 and works in marketing. Smith was a coach on the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team that won it all in 2008 and also worked with the Florida Marlins and Texas Rangers. The elder Smith lists his biggest challenge as “not getting lost because we tend to get lost in our own neighborhood.” “Amazing Race” requires a keen sense of direction, as racers travel to countries where English is not the primary language, so road signs and other markers can often be confusing.

Rumored locations that teams will travel to this season include Bariloche, Argentina; Puerto Varas, Chile; and Singapore. The rumored departure city is Los Angeles. The show premieres on Sunday, February 14th at 8:00pm ET on CBS, the same time slot as it held last season.

Dating couple Meghan and Cheyne took down the 15th installment of “Amazing Race,” whose finish line was ironically in Las Vegas. Besides Ho and Michelle, notable cast members vying for the $1 million top prize last time out included Harlem Globetrotters Flight Time and Big Easy and Miss America 2004 Ericka Dunlap, who ran the race with her husband, Brian.

The Luckiest Man Alive

But his reasons extend beyond the fact he beat Daniel Negreanu heads-up in the season finale of the PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge on Fox to win $1 million.

In fact, that’s just the icing on the cake.

A former Detective Sergeant with the New York Police Department, Kosowski was on the job on Sept. 11, 2001 when the World Trade Center’s twin towers came down.

These days he considers himself lucky just to be alive.

“There’s no way I should have survived that day,” he told PokerListings from Nassau, Bahamas this week where he came to play in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. “You are talking about one lucky guy. That’s the way I look at it. I’m blessed.”

The sheer force created when the South Tower came down knocked Kosowski ten feet in the air. He went missing for the next three hours.

But despite suffering numerous injuries, he picked himself up off the ground and continued to work at Ground Zero for the next three weeks.

“We knew it was going to be a bad day, a lot of identification of bodies and that kind of stuff,” he said. “But we never thought the buildings would come down.”

Suffering from Induced Asthma and various other injuries, he was forced to give up his job with the NYPD in 2004.

By 2005, online poker had become his favorite pastime.

Kosowski sat with his wife one evening watching a World Series of Poker broadcast featuring Negreanu. When he explained his desire to play against the best of the best at the WSOP, she implored him to take the game more seriously, read more books and play live more often.

She also bought him tickets to see Tony Bennett perform in Atlantic City as an anniversary gift.

On that trip, he managed to chop his first real live tournament and within days of returning home, Kosowski had a prophetic dream.

“I had a dream that I played Daniel face to face and I beat him,” he said. “I woke up and I told my wife right there I’m going to play him face to face and I’m going to beat him.

“My wife was going to take me to a psychiatrist. She thought I was losing it.”

Kosowski started playing exclusively on PokerStars in 2006 and last year, when freerolls began running for a spot in the PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge, he jumped at the chance to make his dream come true.

He won an opportunity to audition for the show and was eventually flown out to Los Angeles as an alternate.   

In yet another stroke of luck, he got on the set, managed to win the elimination match and before he knew it, he was playing Negreanu heads-up with $1 million on the line.

“I just put my mind to it, got some good cards and I rolled over everybody at the table,” he explained. “Then when it came to Daniel, I just out-powered him in the final match. I got lucky and I beat him.”

With a million dollar bankroll now at his disposal, Kosowski says he has a new dream.

“My dream is to play in the World Series of Poker and I think I’m going to do that this year,” he said.

Lucky to have survived one of the greatest tragedies in American history only to go on and win $1 million on what is now the highest rated poker TV show of all time, the odds on a deep finish this summer have to be through the roof.

But Kosowski doesn’t seem to mind.

“I’m a lucky guy,” he said with a smile. “I really feel blessed.”

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WPT Season VIII Debuts This Month

The season will include 26 episodes with stops in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Los Angeles, San Jose, Biloxi, Lawrenceburg and Foxwoods.

“We’re excited to bring a new season of WPT events to our regional sports network,” said David Sussin, vice president of programming at FSN. “The drama of high stakes poker continues to connect to our audience of sports fan.”

Hosts Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten will be returning to call the action in a memorable season of the WPT, which has already seen big wins recorded by Prahlad Friedman, Alexandre Gomes, Tommy Vedes and Daniel Alaei.

All 26 episodes will be sponsored by FullTiltPoker.net and every episode will be shown in high definition for the first time ever.

Viewers will see each final table unfold over two one-hour episodes, which will be shown at 11 p.m. every Sunday after Jan. 24.

Check your local listings for more information.

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Martin Kendell Relives PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge Experience

Recently, the finale of the “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge” aired on FOX, with 9/11 first responder Mike Kosowski defeating Daniel Negreanu to pocket $1 million. Playing on the show’s fourth episode, but not appearing on air, was Martin Kendell, who sat down with Poker News Daily to recap his experience.

Poker News Daily: Tell us how you qualified for the “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge.”

Martin Kendell: I actually got canned from the job I had a few days before and was on the computer looking for a job. I played one of the freerolls, got through, and made a video over Labor Day weekend. They liked it and gave me an audition over the phone. It was just one of those things that fell into my lap.

PND: Tell us about facing off against model Joanna Krupa in the first round.

Martin Kendell: I got unlucky. I had no hands against Krupa. She folded pre-flop three times and, each time, I had an ace. I had about three hands where I played with her with a draw to the river and nothing materialized.

PND: Was it disappointing not advancing to the second round to face off against a member of Team PokerStars Pro?

Martin Kendell: I understood from Day 1 that this isn’t a real poker game. It’s a turbo format and you’re going to have to take a risk or two. I think the format is a great one for playing against pros, though. If you play them even keel, the pro will win the vast majority of the time. A turbo gives you a shot at beating a pro.

PND: You went out to Los Angeles to appear on the show in October, but never made it to the table. Tell us what happened.

Martin Kendell: I was there when Sergeant Denny Luna played and Brian Barboza won $100,000. I was in the crowd for some parts and in the back for the rest. They said I was fifth in line to play. I was ready to go, but at the last second, they bumped me for someone else. They had three people leftover, two girls and a guy, and wanted to give the girl a shot in order to balance the show. I was upset at the time, but I have a broadcasting background, so I understood why they did it.

They told me when they bumped me that I was coming back for sure in December to tape. When you were brought there, you were told you’d be taped for the show for sure or you’d be an alternate. There were people flown out as alternates who didn’t get taped and were told they weren’t coming back.

PND: What celebrity were you hoping to play in the first round of the “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge”?

Martin Kendell: I was hoping to get Jayde Nicole. She’s a Canadian girl and we would have had something to talk about since I am Canadian. I also didn’t think that she was a good player. I was also hoping for John Salley because I was a big Detroit Pistons fan.

PND: Can you give us some inside details about the “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge” tapings?

Martin Kendell: The audience is brought in through casting companies. They bring in people for a certain amount of money to be in the audience and clap when told to. It’s interesting to see what goes into taping each broadcast. For every 15 minutes of screen time, there’s probably an hour and a half to two hours of taping. Everyone with PokerStars was very kind, courteous, and professional. We had a great time doing it. Even though it was high pressure, they were easy to work with.

PND: How did you get started in poker originally?

Martin Kendell: I played home games with friends back in the 1990s. In 2003, my mom had died and I was hanging out with my girlfriend. The World Series of Poker with Chris Moneymaker came on and I was hooked. I used to be a huge chess player, so the strategy really appealed to me. In chess, you have a player beat or you don’t. In poker, you don’t have to have the best cards to beat the other player.

Poker Community Rings in the New Year

Now that Christmas is over and done with, people are setting their sights on the next big celebration, New Year’s Eve.  Party plans range from night club celebrations to cozy gatherings at home with family and friends, but almost everybody intends to do something to celebrate the end of the decade.  Those based in Las Vegas can enjoy an elaborate fireworks show on the Strip, with pyrotechnics being shot off the roofs of seven different casinos, including the MGM Grand, Planet Hollywood, Caesars Palace, the Venetian, the Stratosphere and the newly-opened Aria.

One poker pro who will be at Aria to ring in the New Year is UB.com’s Phil Hellmuth.  He has been invited to one of the biggest New Year’s Eve parties in Las Vegas and the Poker Brat couldn’t resist name-dropping some of the celebrities he would be rubbing elbows with as the clock strikes Midnight via his Twitter account (@phil_hellmuth).  As Twitter reports, Hellmuth will watch the ball drop with the likes of Eva Longoria-Parker, her husband Tony, and countless others at the Beso Restaurant and Eve Nightclub in CityCenter.

Reality star Kim Kardashian will also be on hand and will play host to a pre-New Year’s Eve party Wednesday night at Eve, which is situated above Beso.  Both Eve and Beso are owned by Longoria-Parker, who worked hand-in-hand with famed chef Todd English to launch the Las Vegas version of her popular Los Angeles restaurant of the same name.  The New Year’s Eve bash will serve as the grand opening of Eve, while Kardashian’s party will be a precursor to the official launch of the club.

Jean-Robert Bellande of “Survivor” fame has spent the final days of 2009 gallivanting all over Latin America.  According to his Twitter feed (@BrokeLivingJRB), he has been everywhere from Cabo San Lucas to Puerto Rico to the Dominican Republic this holiday season.  Bellande can’t seem to go too long without getting his poker fix, though, and found time to play online in between lounging on the beach and sightseeing: “Booked a small win over Brian Townsend this morning after being stuck big in 2-7. Feeling very relieved.”

Online poker pro Jeff “ICuRaRook” Sluzinski is going to take a small break from his schedule to celebrate the New Year and a friend’s birthday.  “No poppin’ crazy bottles at clubs or anything for me,” Sluzinski told Poker News Daily.  “We might go to the Strip, but we will probably just chill at [my friend’s] house.”  However, Sluzinksi does plan to log some hours online New Year’s Eve, as he is in contention for the Yearly Tournament Leaderboard honors on PokerStars.  The top three finishers all win entries into stops on the various PokerStars-sponsored tours.  He currently sits in fifth place and has a couple more days to boost his numbers and claim one of the top prizes. Although he admits he will be playing online on New Year’s Eve, Sluzinski intends to call it an early night.  “I’ll stop around 7 or so,” he explained.

In typical fashion, many poker players, like Joe Sebok, are waiting until the last minute to finalize their New Year’s plans.  He Tweeted about his options and has not even decided what city he is going to ring in 2010 in, Los Angeles or Las Vegas.  Unfortunately for the “Poker2Nite” host, he may be sidelined from all festivities thanks to a cold, as he noted on @JoeSebok: “Woke up with scratchy throat, a headache, and sore body. I get it 2009, you ain't going down w/o a fight. You are going out tho, you b***h.”

Poker News Daily would also like to wish all of our readers a Happy New Year.  May your New Year’s Eve celebrations be lively and fun and may 2010 be a year for all of you to remember.

Erica Schoenberg Interview with Poker News Daily

Poker News Daily: How did you get started in poker?

Schoenberg: I came off of playing blackjack with a team. Our team disbanded and we were getting a lot of heat from the casinos. I was asked to do a poker show on GSN with Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi and David Williams and I played terribly. From there on, I decided I was determined to get better at poker.

PND: Talk about the blackjack team. Did any part of your involvement with it help groom you for the game of poker?

Schoenberg: I met the original members of the MIT Blackjack Team and they referred me to someone in Los Angeles. Aside from the ability to process a lot of information at once, which you have to do in card counting, the time I spent loitering in casinos and the late nights helped me. Poker can end up in long hours for tournaments and late nights. Blackjack helped me get used to that.

PND: Why was poker appealing to you?

Schoenberg: I couldn't imagine sitting in an office or a cubicle for the rest of my life. It's crazy that poker can be a career. It's living the dream if you have a little bit of gamble in you.

PND: Talk about having David Benyamine in your life, who also excels at poker. Does having him help you fine-tune your game?

Schoenberg: Sometimes I get tired of poker because it feels like that's all we talk about and do. For the most part, it's 90% helpful and 10% annoying. Being able to watching him play online and hearing him talk through hands is huge for me.

PND: What makes Benyamine's game above and beyond the rest?

Schoenberg: The way he thinks about the game is on a higher level from anyone I've ever watched. I really believe that and I'm not just saying it. I've met a lot of brilliant people in my life. He has this ridiculous gift for card games and is good at rummy, gin rummy, and backgammon. He has a mind for it.

PND: You're a member of Team Full Tilt. Talk about what makes Full Tilt Poker a premier online poker room.

Schoenberg: I think their software is the best. Getting hand histories is much easier. It's helpful when you're playing to go back over hands. Full Tilt makes that simple and is the premier online poker site.

PND: Talk about being associated with members of Team Full Tilt like Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, and Allen Cunningham.

Schoenberg: It's such an honor to be associated with them. It's great to have your name in the company of some of the world's best poker players.

PND: In your eyes, what is your greatest poker accomplishment to date?

Schoenberg: Winning a $2,500 World Poker Tour preliminary event at Mandalay Bay in 2007. It was an open event, not a women's only event, but I got heads-up with Anna Wroblewski. I have total respect for her game and she's a great poker pro in general. My third place in a $1,500 Hold'em event at the 2007 World Series of Poker was a bit of a sick burn.

PND: What advice do you have for women looking to get into poker?

Schoenberg: Play as much as you can online before stepping foot in a casino. The minute you get into a poker room with all males, it's going to throw off your game. Get as firm of a grasp on all of the rules and be comfortable with the game before you sit down. I think for a beginning female poker player, being in a roomful of males could be really disconcerting. You don't want to be spastic because you're surrounded by men.

PND: Tell us about what you do away from the game.

Schoenberg: David and I golf a ton. We love it. I'm also a huge animal lover and I do things with my dogs. I like to go at the beach and spend time outside for a healthy and clean living. I have a Golden Retriever and a Jack Russell Terrier.

Dream Team Poker Ends 2009 at the Bicycle Casino

It was a big year for Dream Team Poker.  In addition to holding successful events at Caesars Palace and as part of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) festivities, Dream Team ended the year on a high note with a tournament at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles that awarded its winners a couple thousand dollars and tickets to the 2010 Super Bowl.

The recent tournament was held as part of the casino’s Ho Ho Hold’em Series and featured a $67 buy-in for each individual.  If players could not form their own team of three players, the casino helped to group them into teams.  In total, 162 runners took part, generating an individual prize pool of $3,561 and a team prize pool of $5,340.  That amounted to $8,901, including $2,000 and four Super Bowl tickets added by the casino.

WSOP Academy coach Alex Outhred’s team, “Voltron,” was one of 54 that took part in the event.  Of those, six walked away from the tournament with money in their pockets and the winning team, “Met,” took down the top prize of $2,190 and three Super Bowl tickets.  Tony Hinojos was the highest finisher on the “Met” squad, coming in 12th place, while teammate Eric Lucero was hot on his heels in 13th.  The team’s third player, Michael Leidelmeyer, fared less well, busting out in 120th, but thanks to the strong showing by the other two, the team was able to beat out second place finishers “777” for the title.  On the individual front, Iris Gomez of “Team Come and Get It” took top honors along with $1,086 and a Super Bowl ticket of her own.  The top 12 finishers in the individual contest each won at least $105.

This past year may not have been Dream Team’s first year on the scene, but it was certainly the year that the team poker concept really took hold and gained popularity.  After holding its first tournament at the Hard Rock Casino in November of 2008, Dream Team returned to Las Vegas in March for a tournament at Caesars Palace.  A number of top poker pros and celebrities turned out for the event, which featured a $550 per person buy-in.  UB.com’s Phil Hellmuth and Joe Sebok, Full Tilt Poker pros Paul Wasicka and Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, T.J. Cloutier, Jerry Yang, and Team PokerStars Pro Dennis Phillips could be found on the felts.

It was a recognizable face in the winner’s circle as well, as 2006 WSOP Main Event champ Jamie Gold captained “Team Aced” to victory and the top prize of $59,940.  Danny Nelson of “Team BikerHaven.net” took the individual honor, while Gold’s girlfriend and teammate Ashley Nataupsky finished in fourth.

Just a few months later, Dream Team held an exhibition tournament as part of the WSOP festivities.  Although there was no bracelet on the line for the winners, the tournament provided a little fun and entertainment for players who had already busted out of the Main Event.  The pros once again took part and it was PokerHost’s Kenna James who took down the individual title and $16,473.

The team event was won by “Tao of Pokerati,” a trio comprised of Tao of Poker’s Dr. Paul Maguire, Pokerati’s Dan Michalski, and Lana Maier of CardRunners.  The trio had a little extra practice for the team event, as they were all members of the WSOP media, who took part in a Dream Team event of their own just a few days prior.  The media tournament did not offer the lucrative payouts of the other Dream Team events, but it did help raise money for charity.

Once the WSOP wrapped up, Dream Team rolled out a weekly series of events hosted by the Bicycle Casino.  The nine-week series began in October and the Ho Ho Hold’em Dream Team tournament served as the series’ championship event.  Teams that took down the weekly events earned the prize money and a free entry into the December 19th tournament.

There has been no official announcement about the future of Dream Team at the Bike, but considering the rave reviews it got from pros like Gold, Lacey Jones, and James, it seems like it will continue to be a presence on the live tournament circuit in 2010.

On the Rail at the WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic

There was certainly a lot of excitement at Saturday’s fast-paced final table of the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, but there were plenty of interesting stories taking place on the rail as well.  The stacked table of six had their respective cheering sections in attendance and big-name pros including Daniel Negreanu, Full Tilt Pro Greg “FBT” Mueller, Bodog’s Justin Bonomo, and the tournament’s namesake, Doyle Brunson, were all in attendance.

Steve “MrTimCaum” O’Dwyer may not have been the most recognizable face to the casual poker fan, but the longtime online pro had one of the largest cheering sections with Darryll “df1986” Fish, Isaac Haxton, Bonomo, UB.com’s Adam “Roothlus” Levy, Bryan “badbeatninja” Devonshire, Scott “gunning4you” Seiver, and Vivek “Psyduck” Rajkumar all rooting him on.  This was O’Dwyer’s first career televised final table, so his peers came out in full force to cheer him on.

“Even those he’s had trouble with these big tournaments for the past year, he’s been sticking with it and it’s finally paying off for him.  He’s very driven to do well,” Fish explained to Poker News Daily.  O’Dwyer informed us that this was only his second World Poker Tour (WPT) cash, with the first one coming in the Bahamas in 2007.

Levy delayed his return home to Los Angeles to stick around and cheer on O’Dwyer.  While Levy liked O’Dwyer’s chances, especially if he could get down to shorter-handed play, he predicted early in the final table that Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka and Daniel Alaei would pose the most trouble to everyone else. “Faraz is obviously good.  Alaei is good too.  Shawn Buchanan doesn’t have a huge stack, but he’s still in the mix.”

Jaka also had several friends in attendance who showed their support for their notoriously stylish friend by each donning one of his signature hats.  For those who may not be familiar with the online poker pro known as “The-Toliet,” Jaka has worn everything from a fedora to a toboggan at the poker table and, last night, sported a dapper vest and newsboy hat combo.  One player cheering Jaka on was Brent “Astrolux85” Roberts, who was also in attendance when Jaka made his first WPT final table appearance at the Bellagio Cup back in July.

Poker News Daily asked Roberts if he thought this final table would be more or less interesting than the Bellagio Cup’s.  “That last final table was so long,” he said.  “There were a lot of exciting components, but hopefully this one will be more interesting; there are a lot of good players at the table.”  Roberts also had nothing but kind words about his friend: “[He’s] one of the friendliest people I’ve met in the poker world.  He’s a sicko.”

Nguyen was one of the fan favorites at the table and the room cleared out quite a bit after his elimination in fifth place.  Buchanan’s rail, which included longtime friend and fellow Canadian Mueller, also made their exit following Buchanan’s elimination.  Negreanu arrived to the final table a little later in the action, as did Haralabos Voulgaris and Jeff Madsen.  They stuck around for the heads-up match between Alaei and Josh Arieh, as did Alaei’s father, Eddie.

The elder Alaei stuck around for the duration of the final table watching his son in action, but stepped out for a minute during heads-up play.  While he was away, Arieh and Alaei got it all-in with the title on the line and he almost missed his son’s moment in the sun.  Thankfully, Negreanu apparently tipped him off that a big hand was brewing and Eddie ran back just in time to catch the last of the action.

As Alaei was posing for photos with the winning hand and prize money, Eddie repeatedly thanked Negreanu and told the pro he owed him one.  Then, in one of the more heartwarming moments of the evening, father and son posed together for photos and headed out of the ballroom to celebrate Alaei’s first WPT victory.

2009 WSOP Year in Review

When the late gaming legend Benny Binion brought the World Series of Poker (WSOP) on the world, little did he know what it would become. What began 40 years ago as a gathering of Texas road gamblers in a quaint Las Vegas hotel has grown to become a behemoth that now spans an entire calendar year. By 2009, the WSOP was no longer a week-long reunion, but rather a year-long caravan that traverses the United States and ventures across the Atlantic to play in England.

While many may still think the WSOP begins in June, it truly takes place year-round with the WSOP Circuit. Now in its fifth year, the WSOP Circuit was created to combat the drawing power and success of the World Poker Tour (WPT) and, for the most part, has been successful. In 2009, many Circuit events took place that brought special moments.

The WSOP Circuit could be considered the minor leagues of poker, offering previously unknown players a chance to make their name in the game. In addition, such professional players as Gavin Smith, Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi, Men “The Master” Nguyen, Matt “All In At 420” Stout, and Alex Bolotin made final tables during the run of the 2009 WSOP Circuit schedule prior to the start of the Las Vegas WSOP in May. Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo and Los Angeles poker veteran Jean “Prince” Gaspard took home WSOP Circuit championships, but perhaps the person who can say he “pwns” the Circuit is Dwyte Pilgrim.

Pilgrim began an unprecedented run by capturing the title at Harrah’s Rincon in San Diego in April and rolled off four consecutive cashes in WSOP Circuit Championship Events, something that no other player had ever done. With this performance, the Brooklyn, New York poker player established himself as one of the up and coming stars of poker.

Days after Gaspard’s triumph at the New Orleans WSOP Circuit Championship Event, the 40th Anniversary WSOP kicked off in Las Vegas at the Rio. With a new sponsor in Jack Links Beef Jerky, the 57 bracelet events drew combatants from around the world, with over 120 nations represented. While it wasn’t known when the cards first flew in late May, the 40th WSOP would go down as arguably one of the best of all time.

For the first time ever at the WSOP, a No Limit Texas Hold’em event was held that exceeded the traditional $10,000 Championship Event. The $40,000 Anniversary Special drew some of the top names in the game. Former World Champion Greg Raymer drove deep into the event before falling in third place. Eventual champion Vitaly Lunkin bested Isaac Haxton to take down the once in a lifetime championship.

In such a combative field over the multitude of events, there were an astounding four multiple bracelet winners during the 2009 WSOP. Full Tilt Poker could claim two in Phil Ivey and Greg “FBT” Mueller and Brock Parker announced his arrival on the poker world with his two bracelet victories. Making history, though, was poker veteran Jeffrey Lisandro; his three bracelet wins in different Stud disciplines were enough to enable him to capture the 2009 WSOP Player of the Year award.

The $10,000 Main Event drew a substantial field of 6,494, which would have been larger except for a Day 1D fiasco that prevented an estimated additional 500 players from participating. After two weeks of play, the poker world was once again set for the November Nine, with amateur poker player Darvin Moon leading a pack of players that included Ivey and fellow poker notable Jeff Shulman.

The £10,000 WSOP Europe Main Event drew 334 players and saw two members of the 2009 “November Nine,” Antoine Saout and James Akenhead, make the final table. Eventual champion Barry Shulman, the father of Jeff, defeated crowd favorite Daniel Negreanu via a stunning, rivered two-outer on the next to last hand of the tournament.

After the furor of WSOP Europe calmed down, the November Nine came back to the felt on November 7th to determine the next World Champion. Moon held his own at the final table, as Ivey was dismissed in seventh and Shulman departed in fifth. Saout made a stirring run at the title, starting as the short stack, but battling through adversity to finish third. The true story of the November Nine, though, was Joe Cada.

Cada rode a roller coaster through the final table, his chip stack surging up and down throughout the 14-hour battle. At one point, his stack was at 2.5 million, but he began a comeback for the ages.

With a tremendous chip lead, the youthful Cada, who was weaned on online play, seemed to be the odds-on favorite to take out Moon, who eschewed sponsorship from online poker rooms. It took a rousing two and a half hours of play, with the chip lead shifting back and forth, before Cada emerged as the champion. With the victory, Cada eclipsed the record for youngest WSOP Main Event champion ever, set in 2008 by Peter Eastgate.

The most stunning development of the year in the WSOP occurred after the completion of the November Nine. Longtime WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack announced on November 13th that he would step down as the leader of the penultimate event in poker after a four-year run. During his time as Commissioner, Pollack increased the visibility of the WSOP, brought huge sponsorships to the tournament, and introduced the November Nine concept to the Main Event. While there were some low points in his tenure as commissioner, Pollack helped to enrich the history of the WSOP and left his mark on the venerable institution. As of December, there has been no move to replace Pollack in the position of WSOP Commissioner.

As the calendar turns to 2010, the WSOP continues to roll along. Even now, people are already in preparation for the event, much as it has been for the past 40 years and will continue to be for decades to come.

WSOP Champ Joe Cada Heads to Capitol Hill

Tuesday will mark a busy day in the life of 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Joe Cada. The youngest winner of the $10,000 buy-in tournament ever, Cada will travel to Capitol Hill flanked by the Poker Players Alliance (PPA).

The PPA has seen its own string of victories as of late, including achieving a six-month delay of the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). Now, the 1.2 million member strong lobbying organization will bring the current face of the game to Capitol Hill. Cada told Poker News Daily in an exclusive interview, “I’m meeting with Congressmen for the PPA. I’m still trying to get used to all of this.” PPA officials will accompany Cada around Capitol Hill and the youngster, who is now 22 years-old, will join the Sports Junkies radio show at 10:15am ET on WJFK.

Cada will visit with several lawmakers in pre-planned meetings, including Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (D-CA), who, according to the PPA, plays poker herself and is a friend of UB.com pro Annie Duke. Cada will also spend time with Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), who hails from the Main Event winner’s home state. He’ll be brought to the members’ dining room on Capitol Hill for lunch, where Cada will be introduced to those in attendance.

After lunch, Cada will meet with Congresswoman Candice Miller (R-MI), who represents Michigan’s 10th Congressional District. According to Cada’s agent, Miller will introduce him to entire House of Representatives on the chamber’s floor in a once-in-a-lifetime experience. He’ll then head to the offices of another Republican, Joe Barton (R-TX), the Ranking Member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce and a poker player. Finally, Cada will meet with members of the Nevada delegation in Washington, D.C. and the PPA will escort the $8.5 million winner around town before he heads for the airport.

On Cada’s itinerary, PPA Executive Director John Pappas told Poker News Daily, “We know that these members are interested in poker. They’re poker players themselves. This is to tell the story of the World Champion, the youngest winner in Main Event history.” Cada warmed up for the whirlwind of meetings by playing in Pappas’ home game on Monday night, a $40 rebuy tournament that saw him fade J-Q multiple times. About 10 players could be found at the game last night.

Local media and press on Capitol Hill were expected to join Cada during the day. He recently flew cross-country from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. after filming the “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge.” Cada was one of the poker pros scheduled to appear on the show, but did not play against a PokerStars qualifier. Cada told Poker News Daily, “It was good, but I didn’t get to play at all because the qualifiers couldn’t get past the celebrities. I was supposed to play after that. I got to meet a few celebrities like Joanna Krupa and a lot more.”

The PPA saw several members of the WSOP Main Event final table don patches for the tournament’s conclusion, which aired on ESPN in mid-November. On the organization’s fight for the rights of poker players in both the online and offline versions of the game, Cada explained, “I’m all for what they’re doing. I haven’t had too much contact with them, but hopefully that can change very soon. It would be good to meet a bunch of Congressmen and speak with the PPA a lot more. It’s something I hope I can help with.”

In addition to his forthcoming appearances on Capitol Hill, Cada has made waves throughout mainstream media, including guest spots on the “Late Show with David Letterman” and the ESPN news franchise “SportsCenter.” He’s also become a hometown hero of sorts in Michigan, covered by nearly every local news outlet.

Poker2Nite Recaps UIGEA Compliance Delay

The six-month delay in compliance with the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was featured on Wednesday night’s episode of the UB-sponsored poker news show Poker2Nite.

The series, hosted by PokerRoad’s Joe Sebok and Scott Huff, opened with a discussion of the reprieve until June 1st, with the former explaining, “I don’t think we should start lying to ourselves and telling ourselves that all of the sites are going to start popping up. All this did is maintain the status quo.” Huff added, “The only way this was going to occur was if the message was being heard by more and more people.” Horse racing interests, members of Congress, and banking associations joined forces with the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) to petition U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke for a delay, which was granted last week.

A trip to a poker home game in Los Angeles revealed that few people understood what the PPA or UIGEA were. The segment served as a lead-in to an appearance via Skype by PPA Executive Director John Pappas, who told Huff and Sebok, “It gives us six months to work with Congress to try to clarify the law so it won’t affect people who want to play poker in the internet… What we’ve done is put the onus back on Congress. We’ll be pushing Congress to move quickly.” He ardently told Poker2Nite viewers who question the legality of online poker, “There is no Federal law that says playing online poker is illegal.”

Dana Workman’s “Weekly Misdeal” came with a sponsorship from Bluff Magazine this week. Her satirical news segment focused on the arrests of 75 to 85 year-old women in Cypress for playing poker as well as a new Irishman signing with PokerStars. She also took a shot at California State Senator Margarita Prentice, who is considering proposing a new video keno bill after serving as a major proponent of a law that made playing online poker in the Northwest state a Class C felony. Finally, Workman recapped the ESPN: The Magazine Body Issue featuring four nude poker players, including UB.com’s Phil Hellmuth.

A new segment called “All in Blind” featured six topics sealed in white envelopes. Both Sebok and Huff had no idea what they were and the duo selected three to discuss. Up for debate first was whether 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event runner-up Darvin Moon’s appearance on ESPN’s Monday Night Football or the 16-0 New England Patriots team was better. Huff chose Moon because “he actually got something,” while Sebok selected the Pats because “they got a little bit of history.” The Patriots lost to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII.

The second topic discussed on the Poker2Nite “All in Blind” segment was innerpsy’s short-lived online poker record of 40,088 hands played in a 24-hour period. Finally, Huff and Sebok debated whether they preferred James McManus’ poker history tale “Cowboys Full” or Doyle Brunson’s new autobiography “The Godfather of Poker.” Huff resoundingly selected McManus: “The New York Times says it’s good, so it’s good enough for me.” Contrastingly, Sebok emphatically chose Brunson, the figurehead for the poker industry..

Finally, the Poker2Nite Dictionary came to life. The show’s hosts discussed the meaning of “stacks ‘em off,” which translates to “to bust someone, or knock them out,” and “button,” which originally used to be called the “buck.” Huff claimed that phrases like “Pass the buck” President Harry Truman’s “The buck stops here” originated in poker.

Poker2Nite’s air time varies by market, but according to UB.com, the series begins at 11:00pm ET each Wednesday. When Poker News Daily caught the show, it was scheduled for 1:00am ET. Repeats are available on Fox Sports Net on Thursdays at 4:00pm ET and Fridays at 11:00am ET and 6:00pm ET.

Visit UB.com for more information and to view online clips.

Poker News in Brief: Nov. 23-29, 2009

With only the main event of the U.S. Poker Championships to keep poker fans busy they were left to contemplate the identity of the rumored Swede who has taken millions off Tom "durrrr" Dwan.

There was a ton of other poker news, however, and we're going to break some of it down for you today in our regularly scheduled Poker News in Brief feature.

This week we're going to look at PKR Live III results, another world record broken on PokerStars, an Andy Beal update and a certain young celebrity with a penchant for poker.

Billionaire poker player bids on Trump Casinos

It appears that billionaire banker Andy Beal isn't quite done with the poker world.

The Dallas-based businessman made a bid for three bankrupt Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc. Casinos in Atlantic City this week.

Beal was portrayed as a fearless poker player in Michael Craig's The Professor, the banker and the Suicide King: The Richest Poker Game of all Time.

In the book, Craig chronicled Beal's heads-up matches against the likes of Phil Ivey, Jennifer Harman and Doyle Brunson, which were some of the biggest games ever played.

Under Beal's buyout proposal, an affiliate of his Dallas-based bank would convert its $486 million mortgage on the casinos into equity.

Beal's bid is just the latest in a series that included Trump Entertainment bondholders and Donald Trump himself.

The three properties in question are the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort, the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino and the Trump Marina Hotel Casino.

Russian breaks world record on PokerStars

Russian online player innerpsy broke the record for number of hands played in a 24 hour span this week.

The 21-year-old poker pro somehow managed to log 40,088 hands on PokerStars in just one day.

"Before this challenge I never actually played more than 20,000 hands in a day before but the idea came up and I just figured I could do it," he told PokerStars Blog. "It was one of the toughest things I have ever accomplished, but I am proud I managed it."

The challenge was hosted on PokerStars by Russian forum Card Game Masters and nearly 10,000 fans logged on to watch innerpsy burn his way through more hands than some poker players go through in their lifetime.

Qualifier wins PKR Live III

A 21-year-old English man made history by winning the biggest PKR Live payout ever in London this week.

Vincent "vd12345" Diver qualified for the event for just $5 on PKR and went on to outlast 133 players to take the first place prize of PKR Live III for $33,500.

"It's an incredible sum to me and it still hadn't kicked in until I saw it on my PKR account," he said. "It has opened up a lot of doors for me."

This year's PKR Live required a buy-in of $1,000 and took place at the Loose Cannon in London. The event has grown in every year of its existence.

Grandmothers arrested for playing poker in Cyprus

Forty two women between the ages of 75 and 95 were arrested at private home game in Cyprus this week.

The police raided the house where the games took place in Ayios loannis and proceeded to charge the women for illegal gambling. The police also confiscated €100 in betting money, 546 playing chips and 530 playing cards.

Playing cards for money is illegal in Cyprus and the police regularly conduct raids at clubs, betting ships and various associations.

The women were playing poker and gin rummy.

The raid took place on Sunday at 6 p.m. after a series of complaints from neighbors about noise.

Zac Efron a poker pro?

Renowned director Richard Linklater says teen heartthrob Zac Efron is a poker shark.

Linklater told the UK's Press Association that although Efron looks clean cut, he will take your money if you play poker against him.

Linklator is currently directing the young star in Me and Orsen Welles, which sees Efron play teenager Richard Samuels who ends up working with a young Orsen Welles.

Efron has never played the popular WPT Celebrity Invitational, which takes place every year at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles.

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Poker Community Celebrates Thanksgiving

If you hail from the United States, this weekend is a time for family, food, shopping, and some nice downtime from the stresses of life.  If you’re a poker player, it is also time to squeeze in a tournament, be it in Costa Rica, Las Vegas, Atlantic City, or Los Angeles and put in some extra time at the tables in between bites of turkey.

Players like Jean-Robert Bellande, Jon “pokertrip” Friedberg, David “Bakes” Baker, and Team PokerStars Pro Maria “Maridu” Mayrinck decided to escape the cold weather and squeeze in a tropical vacation shortly before the holiday, flying out to Costa Rica to take part in the Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT) event.  Meanwhile, other players like Eric “AvrilSharapova” Ladny, Men “The Master” Nguyen, and World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Brian Lemke spent their time at the final table of the United States Poker Championships at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Even poker players who stayed at home still found themselves unable to stay away from the felt for too long and several players turned up for the $2,500 buy-in Main Event of the final Venetian Deep Stack series of the year.  Some of the players who took part in the event included Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler, UB.com Pros Bryan “badbeatninja” Devonshire and Brandon Cantu, Full Tilt Red Pro Jeff Madsen, Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin, Nenad Medic, Jamie “TheCronic420” Rosen, and Christina Lindley.

Lindley filled Poker News Daily in on her last minute change of plans when it came to her holiday vacation.  After a successful run online the past two weeks, including a runner-up finish in Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) Event #24 worth more than $106,000, Lindley decided to delay her trip home to Nashville, Tennessee in order to take part in the Venetian event.  She flew out the morning the event started, played until she busted, and then headed home for the typical Thanksgiving fare.  “I told my mom I’d get there in time to make a pumpkin pie,” Lindley explained.  “And maybe some karaoke with my little brother, who is home from college, if we’re lucky.”

Another player who is opting to stay away from the felt is Nick “fu_15” Maimone.  When Poker News Daily asked what his Thanksgiving plans were, he responded, “Not playing poker? AKA trying to be normal.”  Others are following Maimone’s lead and opting for traditional holiday plans including trips home.  A quick glance at Twitter indicated that poker pros and “The Amazing Race” teammates Maria Ho and Tiffany Michelle would both be spending the holidays with friends and family.

Just because a fair share of players are heading home for the holidays doesn’t mean the poker rooms will be empty this weekend.  The Bicycle Casino in Bell Gardens, California will once again be holding their annual Turkey Shootout/Ho Ho Hold’em Series, with the first of 13 events kicking off Thanksgiving Day.  The “Turkey Shoot” tournament will feature a $100 buy-in.  If you are wondering just how many people would opt to play a poker tournament Thanksgiving Day, last year’s installment drew 230 players and offered up a first place prize of $8,600 to tournament winner Susie Baranowski.

Even players who take Thursday off for a little family and feasting may skip Black Friday shopping for some card playing.  The first event of the Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic, the $500 buy-in SpadeClub.com tournament, is scheduled for Friday and players like Mike “GoLeafsGoEh” Leah plan on taking part.  Granted, Leah is Canadian, so his Thanksgiving happened a few weeks ago and he isn’t skipping any festivities to take part.  The Bellagio also has two other tournaments scheduled throughout Thanksgiving weekend, with events continuing daily until the World Poker Tour Main Event begins on December 14th and wraps up shortly before Christmas.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us here at Poker News Daily.

Joe Sebok Tops One Million Twitter Followers

If Twitter is any indication, Ultimate Bet sponsored pro Joe Sebok (@JoeSebok) is the 177th most popular guy on the internet.  At least, that is the ranking Twitter tracking site Twitterholic gave to Sebok based on his number of followers, which now exceeds one million.

His massive and dedicated group of Twitter fans puts him on par with sports reporter Bill Simmons, the publication Newsweek, comedian Kevin Nealon, and the musician Moby in terms of popularity.  By comparison, Ashton Kutcher has the most fans with nearly four million, followed by Britney Spears and Ellen Degeneres.  Twitterers who wish they had the traffic of Sebok include Dr. Phil McGraw (175,000 followers), reality star Lauren Conrad (748,500 followers), and the NASA space program (164,000 followers).

Perhaps in a testament to the popularity of Sebok’s poker entertainment website, PokerRoad, “Poker After Dark” announcer Ali Nejad (@Ali_Nejad) is 216th on Twitterholic’s list with more than 840,000 followers.  Sebok and PokerRoad have been longtime proponents of the microblogging site.  This past summer, they launched a unique Twitter platform called PokerRoad Nation, which organized poker-related Tweets from the World Series of Poker (WSOP).  The platform sorted tweets based on events, former bracelet winners, PokerRoad family members, media members, and several other criteria, allowing followers to customize their WSOP coverage as they saw fit.  The PokerRoad Nation platform garnered both poker media and national media attention and Sebok was profiled in the New York Times for the new innovation.

Despite the extensive Twitter-related success, Sebok told Poker News Daily that he is taking the million followers in stride.  “I think that people overvalue this whole Twitter thing,” he explained.  “It’s been fun, but it is definitely not an ego boost.”

Sebok also elaborated on how he came to have such a large group of followers.  “Twitter decided to put me on their suggested users list and I’ve just been enjoying the ride…It’s been fun.”  A longtime music fan, Sebok entertains his followers with frequent album recommendations along with tweets about his antics with his friends and family, which include Gavin Smith (@olegsmith) and his father, Barry Greenstein (@barrygreenstein).

More recently, he has also posted behind the scenes photos from his own appearance on “Poker After Dark” and Greenstein’s appearance on the most recent season of “High Stakes Poker.”  On Thursday night, Sebok also documented a disastrous road trip from Las Vegas to Los Angeles with Greenstein where their truck broke down on the side of the road in the middle of the night.  Never fear, PokerRoad fans, Sebok and Greenstein made it back to Los Angeles in one piece.

Sebok had to make his way back to Los Angeles to get the last-minute details together on his latest project, the Fox Sports poker news show “Poker 2Nite.”  The show, which will be sponsored by Ultimate Bet, is set to begin airing on Wednesdays at 11:00pm ET starting on November 25th.  Sebok told Poker News Daily he and co-host Scott Huff will be filming the first show on Tuesday night.  Sebok hopes that the series can capitalize on the heightened interest in poker following Joe Cada’s recent WSOP Main Event victory and become a mainstay on the cable network.

Fans will likely hear more about “Poker 2Nite” in the coming days via his Twitter, but any followers expecting some commemorative posting in honor of hitting the million-person mark shouldn’t hold their breath.  Sebok said he did not plan anything special in honor of crossing the benchmark and will continue tweeting as usual.

Cimpan wins second WPT at World Poker Finals

Cimpan outlasted 352 players and a final table that included noted pros Eric Froelich, Matt Stout and Lee Markholt to win the title at Foxwoods Resort Casino for $910,058.

Last February Cimpan won his first WPT title at the Los Angeles Poker Classic for $1.68 million.

The confident Cimpan had no problem praising his own game after the heads-up match with Soheil Shamseddin concluded - especially after entering heads-up play with a 4-1 chip disadvantage.

"He was tough, but I'm just a little bit better," said Cimpan. "It was nowhere near as tough as the L.A. final table."

Despite his second-place finish, Shamseddin further cements his status as one of the most consistent players on the poker circuit. He received $463,332 for second.

PL.com blogger Matt Stout, who was chip leader for much of the final two days, appeared destined to win the event before getting sucked out on by Shamseddin for most of his chips.

Stout held a flush to Shamseddin's trip kings, but the river filled up Shamseddin's boat.

Stout was left with only a handful of chips and, despite mounting a brief comeback, eventually busted out in third for $265,710.

Two-time WSOP bracelet winner Eric Froehlich came in fourth, busting in an all-too familiar race situation while Curt Kohlberg flamed out in fifth.

One of the most well known names at the final table was the first casualty.

In just the second hand of the day short stack Lee Markholt pushed all-in with A♥ K♠ pre-flop and Stout called with A♠ 6♠. Three spades hit the board and that was enough to end Markholt's short experience at the final table.

The next WPT tournament is a big one and not just in name alone. The prestigious Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic will take place Dec. 14-19, 2009 in Las Vegas.

The final-table payouts for the 2009 WPT World Poker Finals:

1. Cornel Andrew Cimpan - $910,058

2. Soheil Shamseddin - $463,332

3. Matt Stout - $265,710

4. Eric Froehlich - $232,496

5. Curt Kohlberg - $199,283

6. Lee Markholt - $166,069

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Mike Sexton Welcomes Family and Friends for Poker Hall of Fame Induction

World Poker Tour (WPT) Host Mike Sexton will personally welcome five tables of friends, family, and coworkers in the poker community as part of the Poker Hall of Fame induction ceremonies slated for Saturday. Around 200 attendees are expected.

Poker News Daily was privileged to be welcomed to Sexton’s Spanish Hills home in Las Vegas on Friday night, where a small crowd of relatives was gathered 24 hours prior to the icon’s enshrinement ceremony. Among those in attendance were his wife, Karen, and Jon “pokertrip” Friedberg, a family friend. Two slideshows that will be seen during the dinner were previewed, including a 120-image self-developed tribute that Sexton had created by a local photo store.

The slideshows on tap include a bevy of industry personalities, including the other Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2009 nominees: Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, Scotty Nguyen, Men “The Master” Nguyen, Erik Seidel, Tom McEvoy, Dan Harrington, and Barry Greenstein. Two galleries, Sexton’s and one crafted by the WPT, will actually be shown, one during the dinner and one as part of the actual induction ceremonies. One slide features Ultimate Bet pro Phil Hellmuth and Sexton jokingly told Poker News Daily, “Phil thinks I put it in because of him” (it’s actually because of the appearance of “Keith”). Following the show, the sitting Poker Hall of Fame members will take to the stage of the Penn and Teller Theater to be recognized.

Among those slides that induction attendees will view is his son, Ty’s, first Christmas, which features the youngster draped in a stocking. Also in the mix are images of Sexton alongside a bevy of Hollywood personalities including Paris Hilton, Ben Affleck, and James Garner. Former WPT in-studio announcer Linda Johnson pointed out that several shots feature Sexton in a La Mode shirt or hat. Johnson told Poker News Daily, “Mike was one of the first poker players to have a sponsor.” La Mode is a popular clothing outfit. Sexton noted that he “took every photo around the house I could find” to compile his masterpiece.

ESPN announcer Lon McEachern was one of the many individuals who called to congratulate Sexton on his Poker Hall of Fame nod. Sexton added that his most memorable call was from a poker friend that he was close to when he first became involved in the game.

The festivities in the Rio’s Brasilia Room kick off on Saturday during the dinner break of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event final table, which will likely occur between 7:00pm and 8:00pm after three levels of play have concluded. His brother, Tom, will introduce him to the assembled crowd of friends, family, poker fans, and media. The room is set up for 275 guests.

According to Sexton, a buffet-style menu is on tap and when asked what plated meals he would prefer to serve, Sexton responded chicken and an Italian dish “to satisfy the non-meat eaters.” From talking to Sexton and seeing the bevy of slides on tap, it’s apparent that Ty, now 15 months old, encompasses a major part of the WPT host’s existence. Sexton told Poker News Daily that the expecting couple was looking for a “one syllable masculine name” and Sexton suggested Ty, short for Tyler. He was on the phone with his niece at the time, who approved on the name and it stuck. If the couple’s first child would have been a girl, they had selected Shelby.

We were then treated to the grand tour of Sexton’s spacious home, which overlooks Red Rocks and will soon be on the market, as the family is moving to Los Angeles in the next few weeks. Highlights included 30-foot ceilings in the downstairs area and a dance floor converted into a nursery. Sexton’s office includes five flat-panel televisions and the upstairs features state-of-the-art exercise equipment and a fully-functional massage table. Sexton also owns two dogs, which were kept at a relative’s house on Friday night.

Sexton was the only one of nine Poker Hall of Fame nominees to receive the requisite 75% of the vote this year.

WPT Foxwoods World Poker Finals Kicks Off Thursday

Season 8 of the World Poker Tour (WPT) makes its next stop in Mashantucket, Connecticut on Thursday as the World Poker Finals kicks off at the at Foxwoods Resort Casino. The $10,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event will attract many of the tournament players around the world and its prize pool has eclipsed $5 million in past years.

Day 1 will get underway at Noon with players receiving 30,000 chips and blind levels running 90 minutes. The event concludes on Tuesday, November 10th, when the final six players take their seats and play until a champion is crowned.

Last year, poker pro Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little bested a field of 412 players to win the World Poker Finals title. Little, the Season 6 WPT Player of the Year, defeated Jonathan Jaffe heads up when his A-Q held up against Jaffe’s A-10, earning him $1.1 million and his second WPT title. Also appearing at the final table were David “The Dragon” Pham (fourth place for $240,000) and Mike Matusow (sixth place for $124,000).

Other former winners of the WPT World Poker Finals include Mike Vela (2007), Nenad Medic (2006), Nick Schulman (2005), Tuan Le (2004), Hoyt Corkins (2003), and Howard Lederer (2002).

The World Poker Finals has featured a series of preliminary events at Foxwoods since October 19th. Players were offered a wide selection of games on the tournament schedule, including No Limit Hold’em, Seven Card Stud, Omaha Eight or Better, HOSE, Pot Limit Omaha, and Limit Hold’em. Two of the top female pros in the world have generated the most buzz during the series thus far, as Vanessa Selbst took down the $1,500 No Limit Hold’em Event #7 for $74,000 and Kathy Liebert won the $2,500 No Limit Hold’em Event #14 for $74,000. Selbst also took third in Event #14 for $28,000, putting her earnings over the two-week series above the six-figure mark.

World Poker Tour Enterprises (WPTE), a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange that controls the tour, has been in the news lately, as offers were being made to purchase the company. WPTE announced last week that its shareholders approved a purchase by Party Gaming subsidiary Peerless Media. Under the proposal from Peerless Media, WPTE shareholders will receive $12.3 million plus a percentage of future gaming revenues. The sale specifies that WPTE officials will receive at least $3 million over three years from the aforementioned gaming revenues. The money from the purchase will not be refunded to shareholders and will instead be used to invest in a non-poker related business venture.

Mandalay Entertainment made a last-minute bid of $36.5 million to purchase WPTE, submitting an offer to purchase the company’s television library, trademarks, and other portions of the tournament series. However, WPTE shareholders met last Friday in Los Angeles and instead approved the sale to Peerless Media.

World Poker Tour Stockholders Approve Party Gaming Sale

Despite a $36.5 million last-minute bid by mobile entertainment company Mandalay Media, shareholders of World Poker Tour Enterprises (WPTE) approved a $12.3 million purchase by Party Gaming subsidiary Peerless Media on Friday.

Late last week, owners of Mandalay Media submitted a $36.5 million bid to purchase WPTE, a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange. Mandalay fired a Hail Mary, submitting an offer to purchase the massive television library, trademarks, and other portions of the roving tournament series. On Friday, a special shareholders meeting was held in Los Angeles and, at its conclusion, the sale to Peerless Media, a subsidiary of Party Gaming, was approved. The news appears to end any discussion of Mandalay Media purchasing the WPT.

A press release distributed by WPTE officials on Monday explained the company’s reaction to the last-ditch effort by Mandalay Media to purchase the majority of its assets: “The board of directors of WPTE reviewed the Mandalay Proposal and concluded that it was not a Superior Proposal (as defined in the Agreement). On October 30, 2009, WPTE received a modified written offer from Mandalay Media (the ‘Modified Mandalay Proposal’).  On October 31, 2009 the board of directors of WPTE reviewed the Modified Mandalay Proposal and concluded that it was not a Superior Proposal.” Mandalay Media is based in Los Angeles and believed it offered a competitive proposal due to its seasoned management team, global reach, mobile expertise, social media prowess, and success in the gaming marketplace.

The proposal from Mandalay Media implored WPTE management to postpone the special stockholders meeting scheduled for Friday, where on the docket was voting on Party Gaming’s proposal. In total, 67.93% of the company’s common shares were represented at the meeting and the sale was approved by an 85% to 15% margin. Its closing should be completed by the end of the month. Mandalay Media is unrelated to the casino in Las Vegas of the same name.

WPTE’s stock, which is traded on the NASDAQ under the same four-letter acronym, has been on a roller coaster ride over the past four days. On Thursday, WPTE closed at $1.11. When trading opened the next morning, the company’s shares were fetching $1.41, an overnight jump of 28%, on the news that Mandalay Media had submitted a purchase agreement. By the close of trading on Friday, WPTE stock had fallen to $1.10. At the time of writing, which is around Noon on Wall Street, WPTE is treading at $1.07 per share, a drop of $0.04 on the day.

Mandalay Media’s proposal consisted of approximately $36.5 million in stock and cash offerings. WPTE would have received $28.5 million in cash plus $5 million in Mandalay’s common stock and 5% of future revenues. The company had guaranteed that the latter sum would amount to at least $1 million per year over the next three years. The purchase agreement noted that the proposal equated to $1.77 per share, a premium of 61% over WPTE’s closing price on October 26th.

Under the terms of the sale to Party Gaming, WPTE will receive $12.3 million less affiliate payments it owes to the online gaming giant. WPTE will also receive 5% of future gross gaming revenue and 5% “of other future gross revenues less certain taxes and costs earned with the purchased assets in perpetuity.” Party Gaming has guaranteed that the future gaming revenue would total at least $3 million over a three-year period. Peerless Media is based in Gibraltar and its parent company is ElectaWorks Limited.

Once completed, WPTE officials plan to pursue non-poker-related business ventures. The sale’s effect on the WPT tournament circuit is currently unknown. WPT personnel are in the midst of filming the series’ eighth season and will kickoff the Foxwoods World Poker Finals on Thursday. The $10,000 buy-in tournament crowns a champion on November 10th.

2010 LA Poker Classic Schedule Released

Details of the upcoming Los Angeles Poker Classic (LAPC) at the Commerce Casino have been released and the 50-event series appears to offer a little something for everyone.  In addition to the World Poker Tour (WPT) LAPC Main Event and the WPT Celebrity Invitational, the Commerce Casino will play host to a number of other events, including the first-ever U.S.-based Badugi tournament and an Ironman event, in which players compete in a tournament with no breaks and no deals.

In 2009, newly hired Tournament Director Matt Savage added events to the already ample LAPC schedule, including $10,000 buy-in HORSE and Heads-up contests.  Scotty Nguyen took down the HORSE event, while Full Tilt Poker pro Vivek “Psyduck” Rajkumar won the double elimination Heads-Up tournament.  Both of these $10,000 events will be back in 2010, as will a $25,100 buy-in High Rollers event set to take place on February 28th.

The series, which runs from January 21st through March 4th, will kick off with a $335 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event with a whopping $1 million guarantee.  A similar event was held during the Commerce Hold’em series in September.  The tournament featured a $220 buy-in and easily eclipsed its $500,000 guarantee after nearly 4,000 people showed up to play.  The LAPC version will offer three different starting days and, in a unique twist, should a player bust out on Day 1A or Day 1B, they are allowed to come back the following starting day, buy back in, and start all over again.

Other new events on tap for the series include the first ever Badugi tournament held in a U.S. casino, a Chinese Poker event, a $1,065 No Limit Hold’em event with rebuys, and Savage’s latest concoction, an Ironman event.  The Ironman tournament has no scheduled breaks, gives 50% of its prize pool to first place, and explicitly forbids any deal making at the final table.  Commerce ran its first Ironman tournament in September and drew a field of 64 players.  The event lasted for over 19 hours and was eventually won by Brett Radin.  Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin also made the final table, finishing in sixth place.

The WPT Celebrity Invitational typically takes place after the LAPC Main Event has wrapped up, but this year, the fun-filled freeroll event will run on February 20th and 21st before taking a break to film the final table on March 3rd.  The $10,000 buy-in Main Event will take place from February 26th to March 4th.  Last year’s Main Event drew a field of 696.

Here is the complete schedule of events for the upcoming LAPC. All events drawing more than 100 players will be two-day events unless otherwise noted and all times are local.

1/21 – 1pm: $335No Limit Hold’em (Day 1a), $1,000,000 guarantee
1/22 – 1pm: $335No Limit Hold’em (Day 1b), $1,000,000 guarantee
1/23 – 1pm: $335No Limit Hold’em (Day 1c), $1,000,000 guarantee
1/24 – 1pm: $335 No Limit Hold’em, $100,000 guarantee
1/25 – 1pm: $545 No Limit Hold’em
1/25 – 4pm: $335 7 Card Stud, $50,000 guarantee
1/26 – 1pm: $335 No Limit Hold’em Shootout (1 Day Event)
1/26 – 4pm: $335 Omaha H/L, $50,000 guarantee
1/27 – 1pm: $545 No Limit Hold’em, $10,000 seat added
1/27 – 4pm: $335 Stud H/L
1/28 – 1pm: $545 Omaha H/L and Stud H/L
1/29 – 1pm: $545 6-Handed No Limit Hold’em
1/30 – 1pm: $335 No Limit Hold’em w/ rebuys, $250,000 guarantee
1/30 – 4pm: $545 HORSE
1/31 – 1pm: $545 No Limit Hold’em, $200,000
2/1 – 1pm: $335 No Limit Hold’em
2/2 – 1pm: $545 No Limit Hold’em
2/3 – 1pm: $335 6-Handed No Limit Hold’em
2/4 – 1pm: $335 Heads-Up (Single Elimination – 256 Max), $10,000 seat added
2/5 – 1pm: $220 No Limit Hold’em (Day 1a), $250,000 guarantee
2/6 – 1pm: $220 No Limit Hold’em (Day 1b), $250,000 guarantee
2/7 – 1pm: $335 Double Stack No Limit Hold’em
2/8 – 1pm: $545 No Limit Hold’em
2/9 – 1pm: $335 No Limit Hold’em
2/9 – 4pm: $545 Omaha H/L
2/10 – 1pm: $1,065 No Limit Hold’em
2/10 – 4pm: $545 Stud H/L
2/11 – 1pm: $545 No Limit Hold’em, $10,000 seat added
2/11 – 4pm: $1,065 6-Handed No Limit Hold’em
2/12 – 1pm: $545 Limit Hold’em
2/12 – 4pm and 8pm: $230 Megasatellite for $1K Rebuy
2/13 – 1pm: $1,065 No Limit Hold’em w/ rebuys, $1,000,000 guarantee
2/14 – 1pm: $335 No Limit Hold’em w/ Knockout Bounty, $100,000 guarantee
2/14 – 4pm: $1,065 2-7 Triple Draw
2/15 – 1pm: $1,585 No Limit Hold’em
2/15 – 4pm: $1,065 8 Game Mix
2/16 – 1pm: $335 No Limit Hold’em
2/16 – 4pm: $1,065 Badugi
2/16 – 8pm: $1,050 Megasatellite to $10,000 HORSE
2/17 – 1pm: $1,065 HORSE
2/17 – 4pm: $1,585 Chinese Poker ½ High ½ Low (1 Day Event)
2/17 – 8pm: $1,050 Mega satellite to $10,000 HORSE
2/18 – 1pm: $1,065 No Limit Hold’em (6-Handed at 36 players)
2/18 – 4pm: $10,000 Commerce HORSE Championship (3 Day Event)
2/19 – 1pm: $335 No Limit Hold’em Shootout, $100,000 guarantee (1 Day Event)
2/19 – 4pm: $1,065 6-Handed Pot Limit Omaha w/ rebuys
2/20 – 8pm: WPT Celebrity Invitational Day 1
2/21 – 1pm: WPT Celebrity Invitational Day 2
2/21 – 1pm: $460 Ironman Turbo Megasatellite
2/21 – 4pm: $2,100 No Limit Hold’em Ironman Event, $10,000 seat added
2/21 – 8pm: $1,300 Heads-up Championship 8-Handed Qualifiers
2/22 – 1pm: $335 No Limit Hold’em, $200,000 guarantee
2/22 – 4pm: $3,085 6-Handed No Limit Hold’em
2/22 – 8pm: $2,550 Heads-up Championship 4-Handed Qualifiers
2/23 – 1pm: $1,065 No Limit Hold’em
2/23 – 4pm: $10,000 Commerce Heads-up Championship, $10,000 seat added
2/23 – 8pm: $1,050 LAPC Main Event Megasatellite
2/24 – 1pm: $545 No Limit Hold’em Shootout (1 Day Event)
2/24 – 4pm: $5,100 No Limit Hold’em
2/24 – 8pm: $1,050 LAPC Main Event Megasatellite
2/25 – 11am, 3:30pm, and 8pm: $1,050 LAPC Main Event Megasatellite
2/26 – 12pm: $10,000 LAPC Main Event Day 1
2/27 – 12pm: $10,000 LAPC Main Event Day 2
2/28 – 12pm: $10,000 LAPC Main Event Day 3
2/28 – 4pm: $25,100 Commerce High Rollers Event
3/1 – 12pm: $10,000 LAPC Main Event Day 4
3/2 – 12pm: $10,000 LAPC Main Event Day 5
3/3 – 4pm: WPT Celebrity Invitational Final Table Taping
3/4 – 4pm: LAPC Main Event Final Table Taping

Mandalay Media Bids $35 Million for World Poker Tour

It appears that the fight to purchase World Poker Tour Enterprises (WPTE) is not over. In August, a subsidiary of Party Gaming put in a bid to buy the roving tournament series for $12.3 million. Now, Mandalay Entertainment has upped the ante to $35 million.

The price of poker is going up. On Friday, the industry received news that Mandalay Entertainment, which a Los Angeles business publication described as “a global publisher and distributor of branded entertainment for 3G mobile networks, including images, video, TV programming, and games,” offered $1.69 per share to buy the WPT. The dollar value represented a 54% premium over the WPTE’s closing price on October 26th.

At the time of writing, shares of WPTE, which are traded on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange under the same four-letter symbol, were fetching $1.14. A statement released by Mandalay stated that the previous proposal offered no payout to WPTE investors. Instead, the company would use its $12.3 million in newfound money and invest in a business outside of the poker industry. The Mandalay proposal, worth three times the amount of Party Gaming’s offer, “would provide significant cash and stock directly into the hands of WPT shareholders,” according to the company.

A WPTE shareholders’ meeting took place at 10:00am PT at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel today. On the docket was a vote on the Party Gaming bid. A WPTE spokesperson commented that they could not discuss the proceedings due to SEC rules. Mandalay Entertainment is unrelated to the casino in Las Vegas of the same name, which is owned by MGM Mirage.

As part of the Mandalay proposal, WPTE shareholders would receive $35 million in a mixture of stock and cash consisting of $10 million in Mandalay stock plus the balance in cash. The offer explains, “Based on October 26, 2009 closing prices, our offer represents a 23% premium over the value at closing of your proposed asset sale with Peerless and a 54% premium over WPTE`s closing price.”

Mandalay Entertainment boasts annual revenues of $40 million and the company noted that it could conduct its due diligence of WPTE within 10 days. Its letter to WPTE Board members explained several reasons that it would make for an attractive trading partner, including “seasoned” industry veterans in management roles, social networking experience, and access to a vast mobile phone network that includes users of Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and Virgin Mobile. It added, “Mandalay Media can leverage its mobile platform and operator relationships throughout the world to provide a full mobile social media and sports/poker playing experience.”

Under the terms of its sale with Peerless Limited, a subsidiary of Party Gaming, WPTE agreed to turn over its television library, brand names, and trade names. In return, the company would receive a cash payment of $12.3 million “less the amount of certain obligations of an affiliate of PartyGaming.” In addition, WPTE officials would also receive 5% of future gross gaming revenues and 5% of other funds raised from the sale.

Also in the terms of the WPTE’s sale to Party Gaming is a $1 million termination fee. The WPTE is already on the hook for $1 million owed to Gamynia Limited, which completed purchase of the company’s assets back in August. Gamynia is a subsidiary of Playtech, which owns and operates the iPoker Network, and bid just over $9 million for WPTE.

Mandalay’s stock is traded on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol MNDL. At the time of writing, its asking price was $0.49 per share, up $0.04 on the day. Shares of WPTE, meanwhile, rocketed on the news, climbing from $1.11 at the close of business on Thursday to $1.42 to open the day on Friday, a rise of 28%, before falling back to $1.14.

We’ll have more on this breaking story right here on Poker News Daily.

WPT Festa al Lago Final Table Features Freddy Deeb

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here’s how the final table stacks up:

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

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

Best Poker Twitter Accounts You’re Probably Not Following

The Twitterverse is a vast and sometimes scary place.  With so many people microblogging the minutiae of their everyday lives, it is often difficult to find Twitter accounts that are genuinely worth reading.  For every active celebrity, there are a half-dozen who only Tweet about what they had for dinner.

In other words, just because someone is famous doesn’t mean their tweets will keep you rapidly hitting refresh on your cell phone or laptop.  The same can be said for the celebrities of the poker world, whose tweets range from chip counts to outrageous stories from debauchery-filled nights on the Las Vegas Strip.  Since it seems as though every poker player around has opened up a Twitter account, we here at Poker News Daily have taken it upon ourselves to point out some quality feeds for your reading pleasure.

We’ll assume you are aware of the biggies.  With more than 943,000 followers, you’ve more than likely already added Joe Sebok (@JoeSebok) to your list of poker-related Tweeters.  Doyle Brunson, known to Tweeters as @TexDolly, is rapidly approaching 100,000 followers, so we won’t waste your time reiterating how groan-inducing, but funny, his endless string of blonde jokes is.  What we will do is offer up five Twitter accounts from players who may not be the most well-known pros on the circuit, but offer up some quality insight in 140 characters or less.

@basebaldy

This is the time of year when the various Player of the Year races start heating up and a few players in contention start entering every tournament around.  World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin is one such player who has been documenting his progress via his Twitter account.  His tweets not only provide chip counts and updates on his own progress, but also give rundowns of some of the kookier characters he encounters on the felt

Choice Tweet: “Not sure why I convinced @JonathanLittle to play this 300 with me. It doubled the number of good players in the field.”

@Erik_Seidel

If you think eight-time WSOP bracelet winner Erik Seidel’s Twitter feed will make you a better poker player, think again.  It will instead provide you with a steady stream of chuckles thanks to Seidel’s witty quips on everything from Balloon Boy to President Obama.  His loyal group of 4,000+ followers has already begun to spread the word about the joys of Seidel’s dry sense of humor and eagerly await his Tweets, which crop up once every couple of days.

Choice Tweet: “T-Mobile Sidekick has lost all customer data. Andy Richter, Paul Shaffer + Tom Arnold also reported missing”

@RoothlusUncut

The brainchild of poker pro Steve “MrTimCaum” O’Dwyer, @RoothlusUncut is composed entirely of quotes from Ultimate Bet sponsored pro Adam “Roothlus” Levy.  Ranging from the comical to the absurd, @RoothlusUncut’s tweets will often leave you more than curious about what conversation and situation could possibly produce them.  Unfortunately, Levy’s relocation to Los Angeles has left the account idle for the past couple of months, but the concept is such a good idea that we simply couldn’t let it go unmentioned.

Choice Tweet: “I just looked up the last google I did…Jane Seymour’s age”

@allenkessler

While the Twitter updates from Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler filling the world in on his latest bad beats are entertaining in their own right, what is perhaps even more fun is reading the tweets of those who talk back to him.  Whether it is Kessler arguing with tournament director Matt Savage or exchanging pleasantries with the growing contingent of online players who think of Kessler as a cult hero of sorts, the banter is what really makes his feed so fun.  There is also the added bonus of hearing updates from tournaments at smaller venues that do not always receive mainstream poker media coverage.

Choice Tweet: “If anyone is hungry I have a 200 comp at ago restaurant at the hard rock”

@Maridu

In order to fully appreciate Team PokerStars Pro Maria “Maridu” Mayrinck’s Twitter feed, you need a working knowledge of Portugese.  The Brazilian pro switches back and forth between her native tongue and English as she posts updates on herself and other South American pros like Alexandre Gomes and Andre Akkari.  Following Mayrinck on Twitter can also be a profitable venture, as she recently offered $10 on PokerStars to the person who gave her the best Halloween costume idea.  Always one to get a conversation going, Mayrinck keeps it lively and interactive like a good Twitter account should be.

Choice Tweet: “i long for a world where chickens can cross roads without being questioned about their motives…”

This list is certainly not all-inclusive and we’ll continue to scour the internet for more top Twitterers, but for those looking to kill some time while grinding online, these are a good place to start.

Celebrity Apprentice 3 Cast May Not Feature Poker Players

In 2010, the third installment of the NBC reality franchise “Celebrity Apprentice” will hit television airwaves. The show, which featured comedian Joan Rivers best poker pro Annie Duke in the finale last time out, will likely not include a poker player this time around.

Ever since Duke finished as the runner-up to Rivers in May, the poker community has been abuzz that one of its own may appear in the third edition of the popular series. However, according to Huliq.com and the New York Post, the ensemble cast, which will likely once again pit men against women, does not appear to include a poker player. No official cast list has been released by NBC. The show is hosted by real estate mogul Donald Trump and raises money for charity.

Last season, Duke played for Refugees International, an organization that she worked closely with as part of her own charity, Ante Up for Africa. In the process, the poker community was instrumental in raising $730,000 for the charity. Poker players who made cameos throughout the season included Ultimate Bet front man Phil Hellmuth, Andy Bloch, Howard Lederer, 2009 Poker Hall of Fame nominee Erik Seidel, and Perry Friedman.

Embattled politician Rod Blagojevich headlines the “Celebrity Apprentice” cast in Season 3. His wife, Patty Blagojevich, appeared on NBC’s “I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here” when Rod was unable to attend due to ongoing legal action. Blagojevich is the former Governor of Illinois and was impeached in January for, among other misgivings, allegedly trying to sell the Senate seat vacated by current U.S. President Barack Obama.

Joining Blagojevich on the men’s team will be another controversial celebrity, former baseball great Darryl Strawberry, a member of the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, and New York Yankees. Strawberry exited the league in 1999 and was the National League Rookie of the Year 16 years earlier. Chef Curtis Stone will join the “Celebrity Apprentice” cast, as will popular comedian Sinbad, whose credits include “A Different World” and “The Sinbad Show.” He has also appeared in movies such as “First Kid” and “Jingle All the Way.”

Former professional wrestler Bill Goldberg, who stormed onto World Championship Wrestling (WCW) scene with an undefeated streak in the late 1990s, will be a part of the new “Celebrity Apprentice” cast. Rounding out the men’s team is “Rock of Love” star Bret Michaels, who is also known for his work with the band Poison.

The women’s team features “America’s Got Talent” judge Sharon Osborne, whose fellow judge on the show, Piers Morgan, was the winner of Season 1 of “Celebrity Apprentice.” “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and “Time After Time” signer Cyndi Lauper will join the squad. Olympic gold medalist Summer Sanders, who took down hardware in swimming in 1992, will also make her way to New York City to film “Celebrity Apprentice.” There, actress Holly Robinson Peete, wife of former NFL great Rodney Peete, will join her.

World Wrestling Entertainment’s (WWE) Maria Kanellis will also be a part of “Celebrity Apprentice,” as will comedian Carol Leifer, who has written scripts for hits like “Seinfeld” and “The Larry Sanders Show.” Finally, Selita Ebanks, a model, will round out the new cast.

The names of more cast members may be released, but for the meantime, it appears that the poker community will not be a part of the upcoming season of “Celebrity Apprentice.” Over on CBS, Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho, the last women standing in the 2008 and 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Events, respectively, are competing as part of the Emmy Award winning reality series “Amazing Race.” The show airs at 8:00pm ET on Sundays and viewers will see the poker playing duo race around Dubai, United Arab Emirates on this week’s edition.

The Post reported that the “Celebrity Apprentice” cast was seen recording the opening credits in the Meatpacking District of New York City and that the show would begin airing in March.

ESPN Inside Deal Welcomes Joe Cada

This week’s installment of the ESPN.com poker franchise “Inside Deal” featured 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event November Nine member Joe Cada. Laura Lane and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Bernard Lee host the show.

The news segment of ESPN “Inside Deal” began with Lee praising World Poker Tour (WPT) Host Mike Sexton for his election to the Poker Hall of Fame: “I think it’s tremendously well-deserved. Mike has had a phenomenal career. A lot of people think of him from the WPT, but remember, he is a very well-accomplished player.” Sexton is the lone representative of the Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2009. Others who were up for consideration included Tom McEvoy, Dan Harrington, Daniel Negranu, Phil Ivey, Erik Seidel, Barry Greenstein, Scotty Nguyen, and Men “The Master” Nguyen.

Attention then turned to the letter authored by the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) to U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner petitioning for the delay of the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) by one year to December 1st, 2010. Lee explained what would happen if the current deadline stood: “The impact would be devastating. We’re fearful that the banks will err on the side of caution and ultimately block payments that the online sites would give.”

Making headlines this week was the news that the GSN staple “High Stakes Poker” had dropped host A.J. Benza for Season 6, allegedly replacing him with a female correspondent. Lee explained, “I’m a little surprised. For five years, A.J. and Gabe Kaplan have seemed to have a good rapport, so I’m surprised they’re making this switch.” Poker News Daily broke the news that Vanessa Rousso, the presumed frontrunner for the job, would not be Benza’s replacement. Other possible fill-ins include former WPT hostess Shana Hiatt, Kara Scott, Absolute Poker pro Lacey Jones, and Shannon Elizabeth.

Cada, who could become the youngest Main Event winner ever if he takes down the feature tournament next month, then joined the show. He noted how his life has changed as a result of the increased exposure as a member of the November Nine: “I’ve been playing poker my whole life, so the only thing that’s changed for me is the media.” Cada is primarily a cash game player, only hitting up the tournament scene online on Sundays. He purchased a 2,400 square foot house at age 19 as a gift to himself and is a sponsored pro of PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker room.

Heading into the 2009 WSOP, Cada found himself on a $150,000 downswing. He sought the aid of two longtime cornerstones of the poker industry, Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy and Eric “sheets” Haber. Cada recalled, “I was lucky enough to have them back me and I’m very grateful for that. I knew I could win before I came in.” Josephy, a former Ultimate Bet pro, and Sheets will receive 50% of Cada’s earnings. The top prize in Las Vegas is $8.5 million.

ESPN.com Poker Editor Andrew Feldman joined the show to discuss a series of dream teams. News broke last week that Dream Team Poker would return with tournaments at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles coinciding with Monday Night Football. Feldman’s “Dream Team Young Guns” consisted of Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, and 2008 WSOP Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate. “Dream Team Lady Luck” was comprised of Shannon Elizabeth, Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad, and Jones. Finally, Feldman unveiled “Dream Team Old Guard:” Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, and Mike Matusow. Cada added that his ultimate Dream Team would be Ivey, Patrick Antonius, and Dwan.

Finally, Cada revealed that on Day 8 of the 2009 WSOP Main Event, his stack had dropped to 20% of the average before he clawed back. He knocked out between 10 and 15 players en route to the final table and, upon heading to Connecticut to film ESPN “Inside Deal,” dropped some dough at the Foxwoods blackjack tables.

“Inside Deal” is released every Tuesday on ESPN.com.

Camryn Manheim hosting celebrity tournament

Taking place at the Commerce Casino in California this Saturday, Oct. 17, the event has already garnered the attention of celebrities like Neil Patrick Harris, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Maria Bello, Dean Cain, Jamie Kennedy, Kevin Nealon, Mekhi Phifer, JK Simmons, Cheryl Hines and many more.

Proceeds will go towards the Children's Institute, which provides assistance to more than 17,000 traumatized children in the Los Angeles area.

Former World Series of Poker Main Event champion Jamie Gold will act as the emcee.

The public is welcome to buy in to the event and rub shoulders with celebrities while getting a crack at a variety of prizes.

The buy-in is $250 with rebuys of $100 available throughout the first three levels and one final $100 add-on. Spectator seats are also available for $75.

There will be prizes for the top 10 finishers, including $5,000 cash, a 2010 WPT Celebrity Invitational Seat, a business-class computing system and more.

For more information or to register for the event click here.

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Dream Team Poker Heads to the Bicycle Casino for Monday Night Series

Fresh off the third tournament in its history, which took place at the Rio during the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, Dream Team Poker announced a Monday Night Football promotion at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles.

Appropriately dubbed Monday Night Football at the Bike, the latest version of Dream Team Poker will consist of 11 tournaments at the storied Los Angeles casino. Teams’ performances will be tracked on a leaderboard and the action starts on October 19th. The final week of the series, which issues its “Shuffle Up and Deal” command at 7:00pm local time, is December 28th. Monday Night Football actually airs around 4:30pm PT and, to warm up the crowd, KLAC’s Petros and Money will broadcast live starting at 4:00pm PT from the gaming establishment, which plays host to the annual Legends of Poker, a staple of the World Poker Tour (WPT).

Dream Team Poker CEO Daniel Delshad told Poker News Daily, “We are very excited about bringing Dream Team Poker to the Bicycle Casino. After the WSOP event, we had a lot of opportunities to take Dream Team Poker to new places and we wanted to make sure to manage the growth.” A total of 366 players, or 122 three-man teams, took to the felts at the Rio, with Team Tao of Poker emerging victorious from the pack to pocket $33,000. The event’s overall winner was “Cowboy” Kenna James, who earned $16,000. Dream Team Poker tournaments pay out to the top teams and individuals to avoid collusion.

Each tournament held over the course of the 11-week Monday Night Football series comes with a $67 per person price tag, or $201 per team. The more tournaments a team enters throughout the course of the series, the more chips they’ll start with at the end-of-season event, giving an edge to Dream Team Poker regulars.

The Monday Night Football finale takes place on December 28th at 7:00pm and the winning team each week will take home a seat to the Ho Ho No Limit Hold’em Dream Team Poker Main Event on Saturday, December 12th at 2:00pm local time at The Bike. The tournament will set entrants back $140, or $420 per team. Squads that submit their registration prior to December 1st will receive a customized jersey similar to those found hanging outside PokerPalooza at the Rio in July.

Up for grabs for the leading individual and team on the weekly leaderboard at the end of the season are $500 in spending money and one ticket each to Super Bowl XLIV, which will pan out in February from Miami, Florida. Last year’s Super Bowl, which was held in Tampa, featured the Pittsburgh Steelers defeating the Arizona Cardinals 27-23. All told, Dream Team Poker will award four tickets and $2,000 as part of the Monday Night Football series.

Dream Team Poker’s very first event took place last November at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas. The invitation-only gala saw Team Bluff Magazine, which included Eric Morris, Matt Parvis, and Bodog Poker pro Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, take to the winner’s circle. In March, Dream Team Poker headed to Caesars Palace, where the Jamie Gold-led Team ACED emerged victorious from the pack for $59,000. Finally, prior to the WSOP Main Event, the annual media tournament featured a Dream Team Poker format, with Team Lacey Jones coming out on top.

So what’s next for the team poker concept? Delshad told Poker News Daily, “We are in the midst of planning our 2010 events, where we expect to expand the game to new locations across the U.S. and especially look to start building our international presence. We do expect to introduce some other exciting products in 2010.”

Doyle Brunson Inducted into Hardin-Simmons University Athletic Hall of Fame

Legendary poker player Doyle Brunson will be feted yet again on Friday night, but not for any of his performances over his 50-plus year career in the game of poker.

Brunson, a 1954 graduate of Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas with a Bachelor of Science degree, will be taking part in ceremonies during Homecoming Weekend at his alma mater that will include induction into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame. The dinner will take place at 6:30pm local time on the campus of Hardin-Simmons and Brunson will be inducted along with former athletes Mickey Davis Brewer (basketball), Collin McCormick (football), and Morris South (football).

For those who don’t know a great deal about Brunson’s life before poker, he was a tremendous athlete in his younger years and made his impact known upon his arrival at the university in both basketball and track. Brunson was an immediate success in track and field, running the mile and finishing in third place in his first-ever shot at the 1951 Border Conference meet. While he ran track, Brunson also was a prized member of the school’s freshman basketball team.

As a sophomore, Brunson scored 151 points for the basketball team, placed second in the mile, and ran on the fourth place mile relay team at the Border Conference track meet. The following year, Brunson again placed second in the mile and excelled in basketball, helping Hardin-Simmons to win the Conference championship and enter the NCAA Division I basketball playoffs. Brunson scored 412 points over the entirety of his college basketball career and, at the time, was the only HSU athlete in any sport to be named the MVP of the Border Conference.

After such a stellar collegiate career, Brunson was deemed good enough that professional basketball’s top team began to look at him. The National Basketball Association (NBA) champion Minneapolis Lakers (now in Los Angeles), with George Mikan at center and Basketball Hall of Fame member Slater Martin at guard, were considering drafting Brunson. A freak accident, however, prevented him from achieving that goal.

While working in a warehouse, Brunson was unloading a shipment of sheetrock when it started to fall to the floor. Doyle tried to use his leg to stop the shift of the sheetrock, which weighed approximately one ton, and the resulting collapse of the load on his leg seriously injured his knee and broke his leg in two places, injuries which Brunson admits still affect him today. After recovering for two years, Brunson was healthy, but his dream of professional basketball was over. Soon after, Brunson began his trek into the world of poker.

The admittance into the Hardin-Simmons University Athletic Hall of Fame is entirely for Brunson’s performance on the collegiate level and do not reflect his influence on the poker world. As such, Brunson will accept the honor with his usual humble nature. In a recent blog post found on DoylesRoom.com, Brunson looked ahead to his induction ceremony: “After being turned down for 40 years I have mixed feelings, but all my old teammates will be there, so I’m going down and will be on my best behavior.”

All of us here at Poker News Daily would like to congratulate Brunson and the Brunson family on a long overdue honor.

European Masters of Poker schedule released

The EMOP's first season saw over 1,000 players take part in five events across Europe from February to September 2009 with a total prize pool in excess of €1.6 million.

Organizers anticipate more than 1,400 players will attend main events during this second season, starting with the Ljubljana, Slovenia leg of the tour at the Grand Casino Nov. 25-28, 2009.

"The players really love it," said EMOP product manager Christer Larsson. "EMOP season II is on its way and we are proud to present new great venues."

Following Slovenia, EMOP season II continues in the New Year with stops in Warsaw, Poland, Feb. 3-7, Lisboa, Portugal, Mar. 25-28, Campione, Italy, May 27-30, Sunny Beach, Bulgaria, July 28-Aug. 1, Barcelona, Spain, Sept. 23-26, and the grand final at the Casino di Venezia in Malta Nov. 17-20.

Plus, the top 16 players on the leader board after the grand final in Malta will be invited on a poker cruise from Los Angeles to the Mexican Riviera with a private tournament for cash prizes Dec. 5-12.

Partners in the Entraction poker network, including 24hPoker, will send at least 200 qualifiers to each event.

Online qualification for the first event in Slovenia is already underway.

For more details visit the European Masters of Poker website.

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