Poker News

Tournament Director Matt Savage Returns to Aruba Poker Classic

For the consecutive third year, Tournament Director Matt Savage will supervise the Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic, which is slated for October 3rd through 10th from the luxurious island nation.

Ultimate Bet pro Phil Hellmuth has the Aruba Poker Classic circled on his calendar each year. The 11-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner and de facto host in Aruba commented in a press release distributed by the online poker site, “Matt’s natural ability to run a smooth and fair tournament and his talent for making it feel more like a party than a poker room is one of the many reasons why our Aruba event is still one of the most popular on the annual calendar.” The Main Event in Aruba comes with a $5,500 price tag and kicks off on October 5th with the first of two starting days.

In addition to marking Savage’s third straight year overseeing action in the prestigious poker tournament, it also marks Ultimate Bet’s 10th year in operation. Savage commented in the same release, “In celebrating UB’s 10th Anniversary, I am honored to once again be part of the Aruba Poker Classic. With an extended tournament schedule, plus a group of floor staff and dealers that is second to none, 2009 is shaping up to be one for the scrapbook.” Savage will direct the action over the course of the eight-day poker extravaganza, which is expected to draw a total of 500 runners and see a prize pool topping $6 million.

Last year, Matt Brady trumped a 550-player field en route to a $1 million payday. In 2007, Travis “TravestyFund” Rice defeated 548 entrants and earned $800,000. In 2006, Devon Miller went toe-to-toe to former Team UB member Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy to earn $774,000 from the 512-player field. 2005 marked the final year that the Aruba Poker Classic served as a stop on the World Poker Tour. Freddy Deeb outlasted 647 runners that year to earn a $1 million first place prize.

The 2004 WPT Aruba Poker Classic featured one of the toughest final tables ever assembled, as Eric Brenes defeated Layne Flack heads-up. Also reaching the six-handed finale were Mike “The Mouth” Matusow and 2008 WSOP Europe Main Event Champion John Juanda. In 2003, Erick Lindgren beat Daniel Larsson heads-up in Aruba for $500,000 after 436 players entered. Also at that year’s final table was CardPlayer CEO Barry Shulman, whose son, Jeff Shulman, is a member of the 2009 WSOP November Nine. The younger Shulman has threatened to throw out the bracelet should he win. The very first Aruba Poker Classic was held in 2002 and won by Juha Helppi, who bested Phil Gordon heads-up.

Savage has directed a bevy of tournaments held around the world, including the WSOP, WPT, and the Aussie Millions. Along with David Lamb, Jan Fisher, and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Linda Johnson, Savage founded the Tournament Directors’ Association. In 2003, he was inducted into the Poker Room Manager’s Hall of Fame.

On August 30th, Ultimate Bet will hold a 25 seat guaranteed tournament to send its players to Aruba. The event boasts a $530 buy-in and a bevy of qualifiers are available. In addition, direct satellites take place on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays and award $8,500 prize packages. Each includes the $5,500 Main Event buy-in plus $3,000 to use for travel and hotel.

The Radisson Aruba Resort and Casino serves as the host venue and Ultimate Bet has rooms available at a rate of $209 plus 20% tax per night, which includes internet. STEP tournaments have been a popular way for players to claim their spot in Aruba.

We’ll have full updates on the 2009 Aruba Poker Classic right here on Poker News Daily.

Team Korea Triumph at APT Battle of the Nations

Korea saw victory in the inaugural Battle of the Nations, hosted by JBET and overseen by top tournament director Matt Savage, at the Asian Poker Tour Macau yesterday.

Matt Savage to Direct Aruba Poker Classic.

The UltimateBet Aruba Poker Classic is always a staple of the poker tournament year, with pros and amateurs alike eagerly awaiting the festival which, this year, is expected to carry a $6m prize pool.

Commerce Casino To Host New Autumn Tournament Series

After moving the extremely popular California State Poker Championship to May earlier this year, the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles, CA, was left with a gap in its schedule of poker events in the fall when the CSPC traditionally was held. To cover up that gap and offer some innovations to the poker tournament world, the Commerce announced last Friday that the Commerce Casino Hold’em Series would take place from September 10^th to September 25^th.

The Commerce Casino Hold’em Series will feature sixteen tournaments that offer buy-ins from as low as $220 up to the $2500 buy-in for the Championship Event. In a departure from most tournaments, nearly each event will have guaranteed prize pool ranging from $50,000 to $500,000 guaranteed for the players. The $335 No Limit Hold’em Shootout tournament and a $1065 Pot Limit Hold’em event will not have guaranteed prize pools and other tournaments that do not have guarantees will offer seats to the $2500 Championship Event to the victors. Along with a wealth of cash, there are other innovations that will be tested during the run of the Commerce Casino Hold’em Series.

One of the best innovations is offered to players in the first tournament on the series, the $220 No Limit Hold’em tournament with a $500,000 guarantee. Slated to have three Day Ones and be a four day tournament, a player who is eliminated on Day 1A has the option to come back and buy in again to play on Day 1B. Any players eliminated on Day 1B will also have the option to buy in again and play Day 1C. The potential exists for a player to take three shots at the $500K prize pool, which should exceed the guaranteed amount.

Other interesting tweaks to tournament poker can be found later in the Commerce Casino Hold’em Series schedule. The Commerce will put a twist to the Heads Up format when they offer the $545 Double Elimination (meaning that a player has to lose twice before they are eliminated) Heads Up Championship on September 22^nd, which will feature a seat into the $2500 Championship Event for the eventual winner in addition to the cash prize. Also on the 22^nd, the first ever $335 Knockout Bounty Tournament with a $100,000 guaranteed prize pool will play out. For each player that a competitor eliminates in that tournament, the winning player will get $100 on the spot from the Commerce Casino.

On September 23^rd, arguably the most original event of the Commerce Casino Hold’em Series will take place with the $1600 Ironman Challenge. The tournament, which will have $10,000 added to the final prize pool, will truly be a test, as it has no scheduled breaks and will test the abilities of the players under extreme and unrelenting pressure. While the tournament does not deny the players the opportunity to leave the felt, the tournament does not stop and the player’s stack continues to be in play and blinded off. The payout of the event is also like no other tournament, as 50% of the prize pool is paid to first place and no deals are allowed at the final table.

Some of the new twists on tournaments are courtesy of the gentleman considered the finest tournament director around today, Commerce Casino’s very own Matt Savage. “The series will feature huge guarantees and unique tournaments that have never been seen before in poker,” Savage commented during the announcement of the Commerce Casino Hold’em Series. “The diversity of events and unusual formats will continue to make Hold’em tournaments at Commerce Casino exciting, stimulating and rewarding for our players.”

With the fall schedule a little slow in the poker community, Commerce Casino’s Hold’em Series should offer different innovations for players and plenty of guaranteed money for the winners. For a full look at the schedule of events or other information, visit the Commerce Casino website to learn more.

Poker News in Brief: July 27-Aug. 2, 2009

As part of an ongoing feature we recount some of the top poker stories that didn't make the front page during the week but still deserve a mention.

This week we look at Phil Ivey having the chance to take down even more money, ESPN airing even more poker, Italians getting moved from PokerStars.com and several other stories.

Here we go:

More money for Ivey

Wicked Chops has a story about Andy Bloch betting Phil Ivey $10,000 to win the Main Event at 200-1 odds with 2,500 players remaining. That equals $2 million if you're keeping track at home.

Supposedly Ivey also stands to make an extra $10 million from FTP if he wins, in addition to the $8.5 million for first place.

It's getting to the point where if Ivey wins he will suddenly represent approximately 50% of the poker economy.

Poker returns to ESPN

The first episode of the 2009 WSOP aired on ESPN this week with Russian Vitaly Lunkin triumphing over Isaac Haxton in the $40,000 No-Limit Hold'em.

No word on the ratings but considering the always popular Greg Raymer went deep it wasn't a bad way to kick off the season. Next up is the special Champions Invitational event won by Tom McEvoy. The episode airs on Tuesday at 8 p.m.

Italian poker players bumped from PokerStars main site

Numerous poker sites are reporting that Italian players have been bounced from PokerStars' international site. Apparently the Italian government has enacted a new law where online poker rooms must have their servers located in the country.

It's not a total loss for Italian players as they were simply re-routed to the Italian-only version of PokerStars. There's a good chance, however, they will be missed by the rest of the poker world.

Deep stack mistake?

Tournament director Matt Savage has a great piece over on 2+2 detailing some of the issues regarding deep stack tournaments.

According to Savage deep stacks offer a lot of play in the early stages of play but can be a crap shoot in the later stages.

Definitely worth a read.

World Poker Tour releases positive Q2 numbers

For the first time in a long while, the World Poker Tour actually had some good news regarding their latest financial statement.

Income from continuing operations tipped the scales at $370,000, which is a massive improvement from the $3.3 million the WPT lost in the same quarter last year. The company also reported Q2 earnings per share of $.02, which was better than the forecasted $.01.

The WPT's next big event is Legends of Poker at the Bicycle Casino in L.A. It kicks off on Aug. 22.

PokerStars offering "Extreme" satellites for 2009 WCOOP

The WCOOP is the biggest online poker series of the year and PokerStars announced this week they are offering some "Extreme" ways to get a virtual seat in one of the events. The "Extreme Satellites" will sometimes offer more than 100 seats into various WCOOP events with players qualifying for as little as $7.50.

The 2009 WCOOP kicks off on Sept. 3 and will run all the way until the two-day main event on Sept. 30. You can check out the complete schedule for Extreme Satellites here.

Visit PokerListings.com

Hollywood, RedKings, bwin offering APT satellites

APT organizers announced today that every room in the Ongame network will be offering prize packages to APT Macau worth $8,000 each.

The Asian Poker Tour Macau Festival begins Aug. 12 and will run to Aug. 23. There will be a total of 21 events on the schedule with the Main Event starting Aug. 17.

Not only are there numerous events on the schedule but there is a large amount of game variety with a ladies event, a team event and a heads-up event all scheduled to take place. You can check out the complete schedule on the APT website here.

Tournament circuit regular Matt Savage will be handling tournament directing duties at the event and he mentioned he's excited to see the direction the tour is going.

"This is an ambitious tournament schedule and there is something for everybody within it, there's no doubt it is player friendly," he said. "Macau's poker scene is booming and some of the formats will certainly be firsts for the region. The guarantees are great and it is exciting to see the heads-up and ladies event on the schedule. What shouldn't be forgotten as well though is that the APT hosts legendary parties - the one in Macau last year even won awards!"

The tournament also has the unusual distinction of being the backdrop for Chinese poker movie, "Poker King." The movie will feature several A-list Chinese actors and some are predicting it could be Asia's very own Rounders.

Last year U.S. player Yevgeniy Timoshenko won $500,000 after he outlasted 256 players to take down the 2008 edition of APT Macau.

Visit PokerListings.com

Asian Poker Tour Festival To Be Stage For Chinese Poker Film

The Asian Poker Tour is busily preparing for the first ever poker festival on the grounds of the Galaxy StarWorld Hotel and Casino in Macau and, as an added feature for participants, the festivities from August 12th through the 23rd will be the stage for the filming of a Chinese poker film.

The film, tentatively titled “Poker King” and being directed by Chinese language directors Chan Hing-Kai and Janet Chun and produced by Amy Chin and Chan Hing-Kai, will use the Asian Poker Macau Festival as the stage for its movie. The production will tell the story of two poker rivals competing for world championship glory and features such Chinese actors as Louis Koo, Sean Lau Ching-Wan, Stephy Tang, Cherrie In and Josie Ho. It is expected that the film will be completed for its cinematic release later this year.

Tom Hall, the CEO of Asian Logic - which owns the Asian Poker Tour - states that the movie will only add to the excitement following the first APT event last year. “This is a very exciting project and is sure to provoke even more excitement about The Asian Poker Macau Festival”, Hall said. “Players across the region and from around the world are encouraged to come to the StarWorld and play at the Asian Poker Tour Macau when it begins on August 12th.”

There is also a possibility that some of the most prominent Asian poker stars in the game will have cameos in the movie. The APT’s sponsored professional players “The Poker Pack” - featuring recent World Series of Poker bracelet winners J. C. Tran and Steve Sung, 2008 “November Nine” member David “Chino” Rheem and Quinn Do, Nam Le and Kwang Soo Lee - are said to be in negotiations for substantial parts in the “Poker King” film.

Even though the film will be the focus of some of the attention in Macau, the tournament will be the first celebration of poker in the Chinese territory of Macau. The Asian Poker Macau Festival stretches from August 12th through the 23rd and will feature plenty of action for participants. Preliminary tournaments starting at a mere 500 Hong Kong Dollars (about $64 America) will be featured all the way up to the start of the APT Macau Main Event, a 32,000 HKD buy in (slightly over $4,000 USD). There will be three Day Ones for the APT Macau Main Event, which begin on August 19th. The final table is scheduled for August 23rd and will have television coverage.

Organizers of the Asian Poker Macau Festival have enlisted the expert skills of tournament director Matt Savage to oversee the time in Macau and Savage should provide a wealth of side games and events for those in attendance. High limit games and Sit And Go tables should be a prominent feature of Savage’s efforts.

Last year, the Asian Poker Tour’s journey to Macau drew some of the biggest names in the game for six days of poker and featured the debut of one of the current stars of the game. Professional players such as two-time World Champion Doyle Brunson and fellow former World Champion Johnny Chan (who is scheduled to return for this year’s festival), 2008 WSOP Europe champion John Juanda and popular female professional Liz Lieu were all part of the action. The tournament itself was won by the then-newcomer to live poker Yevgeniy Timoshenko, who picked up $500,000 for the APT Macau championship and went on to win the WPT Championship in April of this year.

The Asian Poker Tour is bringing the poker world to the Pacific Rim through a unique cooperation of companies. Through such online poker rooms as Party Poker, bwin.com and Titan Poker and land based casinos in the Philippines and Hong Kong, the field for this year’s event is expected to explode past last year’s gathering. For a full look at the schedule of preliminary events for the Asian Poker Tour Macau festival, visit the Asian Poker Tour website to learn more.

PokerStars’ Asian Pacific Poker Tour To Be Stage For Chinese Poker Film

As PokerStars prepares for the first tournament of the third season of the Asian Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) in Macau, officials have been informed that a Chinese poker film will use the Galaxy StarWorld Hotel and Casino – the host casino in Macau – as its stage.

The film, tentatively titled “Poker King” will be directed by Chinese language directors Chan Hing-Kai and Janet Chun and produced by Amy Chin and Chan Hing-Kai, and there are plans to use the Asian Poker Macau Festival as the stage. The production will tell the story of two poker rivals competing for world championship glory, and features Chinese actors such as Louis Koo, Sean Lau Ching-Wan, Stephy Tang, Cherrie In and Josie Ho. It is expected that the film will be completed for its cinematic release later this year.

Tom Hall, the CEO of Asian Logic and involved in the operation of the Asian Pacific Poker Tour, states that the movie will only add to the excitement following the first APPT event of 2008-2009. “This is a very exciting project and is sure to provoke even more excitement about The Asian Poker Macau Festival in August”, Hall said. “Players across the region and throughout the world are encouraged to come to the StarWorld and play at the Asian Poker Tour Macau when it begins on August 12th.”

There is also a possibility that some of the most prominent Asian poker stars in the game will have cameos in the movie. The APPT’s sponsored professional players “The Poker Pack” – featuring recent World Series of Poker bracelet winners J. C. Tran and Steve Sung, 2008 “November Nine” member David “Chino” Rheem and Quinn Do, Nam Le and Kwang Soo Lee – are said to be in negotiations for substantial parts in the “Poker King” film.

Even though the film will be the focus of some of the attention in Macau, the tournament will be the first celebration of poker in the Chinese territory of Macau. The Asian Poker Macau Festival stretches from August 12th through the 23rd and will feature plenty of action for participants. Preliminary tournaments starting at a mere 500 Hong Kong Dollars (about $64 USD) will be featured all the way up to the start of the APPT Macau Main Event, a 40,000 HKD buy in (about $4,000 USD). Once the APPT Macau Main Event starts, there will continue to be side tournaments for those eliminated early.

Organizers of the Asian Poker Macau Festival and the APPT have enlisted the expert skills of tournament director Matt Savage to oversee the time in Macau; Savage should provide a wealth of side games and events for those in attendance. High limit games and Sit and Go tables should be a prominent feature of Savage’s efforts.

The APPT Macau last year featured a 538 player field with Edward Sabat taking the championship over runner up Charles Chua. Sabat is expected to return to defend his APPT championship when it begins on August 24th and the championship final table will play out on August 30th.

The APPT smashed records in its second year as a major part of the world poker scene. In its five stops last year – which traveled to such areas as Macau; Seoul, Korea; Auckland, New Zealand; Manila, the Philippines and Sydney, Australia – the APPT awarded almost $5 million in prize pools. It is expected that the third season of the APPT should be even larger as poker begins to sweep the Pacific Rim.

Ivey, Dwan headline Hall of Fame nominee list

This year, for the first-time ever, the public was invited into the nomination process and asked to vote on WSOP.com for the player they believed most deserving of the honor.

Voting was open from May 29th to July 2nd, and now after a month of collecting votes, WSOP.com has released the names of the top 10 most-nominated players.

The nominees are (in alphabetical order):

• Tom Dwan
• Barry Greenstein
• Dan Harrington
• Phil Ivey
• Tom McEvoy
• Men Nguyen
• Scotty Nguyen
• Daniel Negreanu
• Erik Seidel
• Mike Sexton

Once these nominations have been vetted by the Poker Hall of Fame Governing Council, a final list of candidates will be compiled.

The final vote will then be done by the 15 living members of the Hall of Fame along with a 15-person media panel, with the chosen player or players announced at an induction ceremony in concert with the WSOP Main Event Final Table in November.

In total, over 41 different names received multiple nominations during the public process including:

• Patrik Antonius
• Humberto Brenes
• Mike Caro
• Norman Chad
• Allen Cunningham
• Ivan Demidov
• Eric Drache
• Annie Duke
• John Duthie
• Sam Farha
• Chris Ferguson
• Ted Forrest
• Andy Glazer
• Bertrand Grospellier
• Gus Hansen
• Jennifer Harman-Traniello
• Jay Heimowitz
• Rob Hollink
• Jesper Hougaard
• Phil Laak
• Howard Lederer
• Marcel Luske
• Mike Matusow
• Chris Moneymaker
• Luca Pagano
• Greg Raymer
• Matt Savage
• David Sklansky

To be considered, a poker player must have the following qualifications:

• Must have played poker against acknowledged top competition
• Played for high stakes
• Played consistently well, gaining the respect of peers
• Stood the test of time
• Or, for non-players, contributed to the overall growth and success of the game of poker, with indelible positive and lasting results.

All of the above names remain eligible for future consideration.

Visit PokerListings.com

Nominees Announced for Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2009

Public nominations for the 2009 Poker Hall of Fame class closed on July 2nd. One week later during the off-day of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, the Top 10 nominees were announced.

The criteria for induction into the Poker Hall of Fame are as follows: “A player must have played poker against acknowledged top competition, played for high stakes, played consistently well, gained the respect of peers, [and] stood the test of time. For non-players, [they must] contribute to the overall growth and success of the game of poker with indelible positive and lasting results.” The 2008 class included three-time WSOP bracelet winner Dewey Tomko, who first recorded a cash in poker’s most prestigious tournament series 30 years ago. Inducted along with Tomko was hole card camera inventor and WSOP bracelet winner Henry Orenstein.

Two players that online poker sites fiercely lobbied for lead this year’s nominating class: Mike Sexton and Tom McEvoy. Sexton earned a WSOP bracelet 20 years ago by virtue of taking down a $1,500 buy-in Limit Seven Card Stud High-Low event for $104,000. He is going on his eighth season as voice of the World Poker Tour (WPT) alongside Vince Van Patten. Sexton’s easy-to-understand analysis of the game led many of today’s top players to try their hand.

The Poker News Daily Guest Columnist is an ambassador and Card Room Manager for PartyPoker. Site spokesman Warren Lush told Poker News Daily, “I’m absolutely delighted to see Sexton on the list. He showed he’s the ambassador of poker by helping rectify the problems on Day 1D of the Main Event. Sometimes when you have public votes, they can go any way.”

PokerStars lobbied for McEvoy to be inducted. The four-time WSOP bracelet winner recently took down the Champions Invitational, a tournament that will be beamed into households across the United States on ESPN. McEvoy won the 1983 WSOP Main Event, defeating a challenging final table that included Doyle Brunson and Rod Peate. He has over 20 Top 10 finishes in WSOP tournaments and authored a bevy of poker literature including “How to Win No Limit Hold’em Tournaments” and “Championship Hold’em.”

Others who will be considered for induction into the Poker Hall of Fame include Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Barry Greenstein, “Action” Dan Harrington, Phil Ivey, Men “The Master” Nguyen, Scotty Nguyen, Daniel Negreanu, and Erik Seidel. Of that esteemed group, Seidel leads the way with eight WSOP bracelets and Scotty Nguyen owns the most career WSOP earnings at $4.7 million. Now, the fate of the Top 10 nominees lies in the hands of 15 media personnel and 15 living members of the Poker Hall of Fame. I am proud to be one of the group that will select the 2009 induction class.

A total of 41 players and personalities received nominations and are still eligible to be inducted in future years. Among those receiving votes, but falling outside of the Top 10, were poker authors Mike Caro and David Sklansky. Caro has seven WSOP in the money finishes to his name spread out over a 26 year period. He’s the author of “Mike Caro’s Book of Poker Tells” and “Caro’s Fundamental Secrets of Winning Poker.” Sklansky authored such poker gems as “Theory of Poker,” “Tournament Poker for Advanced Players,” and “No Limit Hold’em: Theory and Practice.” He also owns three WSOP bracelets.

Others receiving votes included Durrrr Challenge participant Patrik Antonius, ESPN commentator Norman Chad, 2008 WSOP November Nine member Ivan Demidov, “Celebrity Apprentice” runner-up Annie Duke, European Poker Tour (EPT) Founder John Duthie, 2003 WSOP Main Event Champion Chris Moneymaker, and popular tournament director Matt Savage. In addition, the public also cast votes for Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth, and Stu Ungar, who are already enshrined in the Poker Hall of Fame.

The Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2009 will be inducted in November during the final table of the WSOP Main Event.

Halpert and Peisert Win First Career Bracelets

Besides the Marathon H.O.R.S.E. event, there were two other final tables on Tuesday that didn’t take twenty hours to complete. One was the $3,000 buy-in Triple Chance tournament. Sixteen players returned Tuesday to play down to the final table and, of course, the bracelet. It didn’t take too long before the final nine were set, with players like An “The Boss” Tran and Eric “Rizen” Lynch busting out early in the day. The final nine may not be household names, but several of the players at the table were young poker pros, including 22-year old online pro Jason “JCarver” Somerville, who finished second in the $1,500 No Limit Hold’em Shootout earlier this month. Somerville was unable to match his success from his previous final table and busted out in 5th place.

The final two players left standing were another online pro, Jason DeWitt, and Jorg Peisert, a recreational poker player from Dusseldorf, Germany. This was DeWitt’s third career WSOP final table and second one this year. He finished in 3rd place in Event #20, a $1,500 buy-in Pot Limit Hold’em event. While DeWitt was able to best his previous finish, he fell just short of the bracelet once again, taking second place and the $313,227 prize that went with it. Peisert, who works full time as an investment banker, emerged victorious, defeating 853 competitors in what is only his second WSOP tournament ever. He earned $506,800 for his impressive victory.

The third final table to wrap up yesterday came in Event #53, a $1,500 buy-in Stud Hi/Lo event. The buzz going into the final day of play was whether or not Poker Stars Pro Chad Brown could capture his first bracelet and join the ranks of James Van Alstyne and Greg “FBT” Mueller, who both managed to nab their first career bracelets this year. Joining Brown at the final table were 3-time bracelet winner Dr. Max Stern and noted tournament director Matt Savage. Savage finished in 5th place, Brown was the next player to fall in fourth and Stern was eliminated in third. This was Brown’s second final table this Series. He previously finished in third place during the $10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship Event.

Heads-up play came down to New Orleans attorney David Halpert and William Kohler of Cincinnati, Ohio. Halpert held the chip lead at the start of the final table, but relinquished that title to Kohler late in the event. Halpert was able to rally back from a 2 to 1 chip disadvantage to regain the lead and eventually win the bracelet and the $159,048 prize.

The final preliminary event of the WSOP kicked off Tuesday. Event #56, a $5,000 buy-in Six-Handed No Limit Hold’em event drew 940 runners to start the day, but by the end of play only 160 were left standing. Lars Bonding, Eugene Katchelov and online pro Faraz “The-Toliet” Jaka are some of the big stacks who will be returning at 2PM Wednesday to play down to the final table.

The final $1,500 No Limit Hold’em event and the $2,500 Limit Deuce to Seven events also played Tuesday. Neither event was able to narrow the field to the final table by the 3AM deadline, so nine players, including Kill Phil author Blair Rodman, will return tomorrow in the Deuce to Seven event, while 28 players, including WPT Borgata winner Vivek “psyduck” Rajkumar, remain in the No Limit Hold’em tournament.

Epic H.O.R.S.E battle story of WSOP June 30

The final table has turned out to be an epic affair as following the quick bust-outs of Erik Seidel and Chau Giang, the game developed into a massive test of endurance.

Player of the Year contender Ville Wahlbeck was next to fall in 6th and when Huck Seed busted in 5th, it looked as though the tournament was opening up for another POY contender, Vitaly Lunkin.

This proved deceptive though, with the wheels falling off for the deep-stacked Russian in a series of unfortunate hands and his elimination suggested it will be tough to topple triple-bracelet Stud champion Jeffrey Lisandro from the top of the POY rankings.

Three-handed for the bracelet, Erik "The Salmon" Sagstrom was next to bust, also managing to let a dominant chip position slip from his grasp and leaving David Bach and John Hanson heads-up for the title.

As of press time? Still heads-up for the title, making for one of the longest heads-up conflicts, at well over 400 hands, we've witnessed at this year's WSOP.

Bach and Hanson have traded the chip lead several times, with neither seeming capable of delivering the knockout blow despite the escalating blinds.

There has to be a winner though, so make sure to click through to Pokerlistings' live updates for the latest in this titanic face-off.

Meanwhile, here's a round-up of the best of the rest from another fascinating day at the 2009 WSOP.

Event 52 - $3k Triple Chance No Limit Hold'em

With rebuys banished from the 2009 WSOP agenda, the Triple Chance Event was billed as the next best thing with players given three chances to refill their stacks in the opening stages.

854 entered, but today just 16 returned to contend the bracelet. Following a tough final-table battle, Jorg Peisert was the man to take the glory and the $506,800 for first place, seeing off Jason Dewitt in a one-sided and brief heads-up contest.

Event 53 - $1.5k Seven Card Stud-8

The $1.5k Stud-8 played to a winner today and perhaps the most shocking news was that it was not Jeff Lisandro who took the bracelet down - for once the triple 2009 bracelet winner was nowhere to be seen at a WSOP Stud final table.

Instead David Halpern was the man to seal the deal, collecting his first WSOP bracelet as well as the $159,390 first prize.

He saw off a final table containing Chad Brown and Matt Savage before besting William Kohler heads-up in a see-saw battle to take the title.

Event 54 - $1.5k No Limit Hold'em

The last of the $1.5k donkaments played well into the cash spots today as 376 returned to fight for the bracelet.

The original 2,818 runners combined to produce a chunky $3,846,570 prize pool, and a day ram-packed with bust-outs means that just 29 will return to play down to the final table when they reconvene at 1 p.m. tomorrow.

$673,276 is the prize they will all have their eyes on come the resumption as that's what the winner will be paid - along with that coveted WSOP bracelet naturally.

Event 55 - $2.5k Limit Deuce to Seven Triple Draw

Time and again the 2-7 events have proved a big draw for the pros and this was neatly demonstrated once more as the great and the good of poker gathered in the $2.5k 2-7 Triple Draw.

They played from 73 to the final 10 today, and when they take up arms again tomorrow chip-monster Abe Mosseri will be the man to stop with a huge chip lead over the rest of the field.

He can't afford to rest on his laurels though with the assembled talents of Blair Rodman, John Juanda and Nam Le lurking in the wings waiting to pounce should he slip up.

They will return to play to the bracelet at 2.30 p.m. sharp.

Event 56 - $5k Six-handed No Limit Hold'em

The $5k Six-max represents the last opportunity for pros and amateurs to snag a bracelet prior to the Main Event and unsurprisingly a bumper field of 928 paid the requisite monies to give themselves a shot at glory.

The huge attendance resulted in an equally impressive first prize of just over $1 million dollars and when they return to the felt at 2 p.m. tomorrow to play down to the final - or thereabouts - some big names such as Phil Hellmuth and Justin Bonomo will be looking to grab the bracelet and the plaudits.

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Carsten Joh Wins WSOP Event #52; $50,000 HORSE Reaches Final Table

Professional poker player Carsten Joh gave Germany its first World Series of Poker champion since Sebastian Ruthenberg’s 2008 win, when he won the $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Event (#51) Monday evening. Joh outlasted a field of 2,781 to earn his first gold bracelet and $664,426.

Much like many of the previous $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournaments at the 2009 WSOP, this final table included no former WSOP gold bracelet winners. Joh claimed his first when he defeated Canadian Andrew Chen for the title.

An accomplished backgammon player, Joh competed in international backgammon tournaments and played in various clubs for many years. One of Joh’s friends from the backgammon tournaments was Danish poker player Gus Hansen. With Monday’s victory he now has one more WSOP bracelet than the prominent poker superstar.

“The bracelet means a lot because you have it for the rest of your life”, Joh said afterward. “Whatever you’ve got later on, you can always say you won a bracelet. Even if you stop playing poker – you just have it. If you come second, you really have nothing. You have the money. But nobody talks about that. It is just like that in sports. Everyone remembers the winner.”

At 45 years of age, Joh was the oldest player at the final table. Six of the nine players were age 27 and younger, and the youngest was 21-year-old Chen. Joh sent him home as the runner-up when Chen moved his remaining chips into the middle with after Joh raised from the button. Joh quickly called and flipped over pocket sixes. The flop didn’t give much hope to Chen but the on the turn gave him a flush draw. Joh then ended things when the fell on the river, giving him a set to eliminate Chen in 2nd place for $412,426.

On winning the tournament as the oldest player, Joh said: “Normally, the older players like me do not win the bracelet. You see every final table with six, seven, or eight players in their 20s. It is more difficult for an older player to win it. I have a lot of respect for the older players because you have to play ten levels and you might be here 13 or 14 hours each day.”

Here are the final results from Event #51:

1. Carsten Joh - $664,426
2. Andrew Chen - $412,632
3. David Walasinksi - $272,405
4. Steven Levy - $192,650
5. Owen Crowe - $145,199
6. Thibaut Durand - $115,817
7. Georgios Kapalas - $97,634
8. Jason Helder - $86,702
9. Nathan Page - $80,894

The $50,000 HORSE event reached its final table Monday evening as the aforementioned Gus Hansen was sent home in 9th place. A short-stacked Hansen was eliminated in the Omaha-8 round when he got his last 30,000 chips in on the flop against Chau Giang:

Flop:

Hansen:
Giang:

Hansen was drawing to a three to make a full house but the river was a blank and he left the Rio with $123,895. The remaining eight players, which make up a tremendous final table, will return at 2:00 p.m. Vegas time Tuesday and play until a champion is crowned. The winner will receive the Chip Reese Memorial Trophy and $ 1,276,802. The seating arrangement will look like this:

Seat 1: Ville Wahlbeck - 645,000
Seat 2: Erik “Erik123” Sagstrom - 3,675,000
Seat 3: John Hanson - 1,700,000
Seat 4: Huck Seed - 1,380,000
Seat 5: Vitaly Lunkin - 2,490,000
Seat 6: David Bach - 2,345,000
Seat 7: Erik Seidel - 965,000
Seat 8: Chau Giang - 1,075,000

Meanwhile, two more events will award bracelet Tuesday, making for a busy day of poker. The $3,000 Triple Chance No Limit Hold’em event is still loaded with talent as Jason “TheMasterJ33” DeWitt takes the chip lead into the final day. Other notables among the 16 players still in contention include An “The Boss” Tran, Max Greenwood, and online stars Jason “Jcarver” Somerville and Eric “Rizen” Lynch. Play will resume at 1:00 p.m. and finish when a winner is handed a gold bracelet and $506,800.

The other event coming to a close is the $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo event. Brian Swinford has the lead with 14 players returning at 2:00 p.m. but PokerStars Team Pro Chad Brown is close behind. Others vying for the title are Allie Prescott and famed poker tournament director Matt Savage. The champion will earn $159,390 for his three days of work.

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for updates on all of today’s events at the World Series of Poker.

Poker News in Brief: May 11-17, 2009

PokerListings.com has made a list of some of the smaller but still interesting poker news stories of the week and put it nright here for your reading pleasure.

This week we take a look at a horrible river card for legal Texas in poker, the shady operations of a multi-million dollar hedge fund manager and the dates for a popular Caribbean Poker tournament.

Bad beat for legal poker in Texas

HB 222, a bill to legalize poker in Texas, was taken off the Texas House agenda Thursday.

Rep. Jose Menendez, who introduced the bill, told lawmakers he knows the governor would veto the legislation, so he was saving them a heated debate for no reason.

According to an article in the Dallas News, Menendez said "You need to know when to hold them, and you need to know when to fold them."

Currently there is no casino gambling of any kind in Texas. HB 222 would have allowed poker games operated under the authority of the Texas Lottery Commission.

This is the third session in a row Menendez has tried, and failed, to get poker legislation passed in Texas.

To learn more check out trailblazersblog.com here and for more fallout check out the excellent work by Dan Michalski and the crew at Pokerati.com.

Hedge fund manager accused of fraud, losing millions in poker

A California hedge fund manager has been accused of conning investors out of approximately $44 million while losing about $5 million in high stakes poker games, according to a story with the New York Times.

The story with the Times identified the manager as 46-year-old Bradley R. Ruderman, the founder and manager of Ruderman Capital Partners.

Ruderman faces as much as 20 years in prison if he is convicted of wire fraud.

The biggest question on many poker players' minds is which high-stakes rounder he donated the majority of his $5 million to.

Read the Times story here.

Dates for the 2009 Aruba Poker Classic Announced

Ultimate Bet has finally released dates for one of the most scenic stops on the poker circuit.

The 2009 Aruba Poker Classic will take place Oct. 3-10 at the Radisson Resort. The $5,000 main event will start Oct. 5 and the champion will be crowned on Oct. 9.

The presenting sponsor will once again be Ultimate Bet with well-known poker personality Matt Savage filling the role as tournament director.

Last year Matt Brady outlasted 550 players, including the likes of Liv Boeree, Matt Vengrin and Johan Storakers to take down a $1 million first place prize at the tournament.

Kai "Prince of Darkness" Landry finds more WSOPC success

As much as the World Series of Poker Circuit events have fallen out of the spotlight over the past couple of years, there are still those that find tremendous value in the events.

One such player is Kai Landry, the self-proclaimed "Prince of Darkness," who won the WSOPC Tunica main event in January and followed it up with a win at WSOPC New Orleans this week.

Landry outlasted 543 players to take the crown in Event 15 of WSOPC New Orleans. It was a $300 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em event and Laundry received $35,620 for his poker heroics.

New Orleans continues to be one of the most successful stops on the circuit with attendance up this year over last.

The main event in Louisiana kicks off on May 18.

Visit PokerListings.com

2009 Aruba Poker Classic Dates Announced

Mark your calendars. The 2009 Aruba Poker Classic will take place from October 3rd to 10th at the Radisson Resort on the sunny island. Officials from Ultimate Bet, which serves as the event’s presenting sponsor, are expecting 550 runners.

The Main Event in Aruba will carry a $5,500 buy-in and begin on October 5th, crowning a champion five days later. The event’s website has even received a makeover to mark the countdown to the festivities, which begin in just 170 days. In a press release distributed by Ultimate Bet this week, one of its main faces, 11-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, commented that he’s already ready to head to Aruba: “Aside from winning my 12th bracelet, the week-long Aruba Poker Classic poker experience is what I’m looking forward to the most this year. Millions in prize money, more players than ever, UB’s 10th birthday bash, and unbelievable parties. I mean, what’s not to love?”

Tournament Directors’ Association co-founder Matt Savage will serve as the officiate in Aruba. Also slated to appear is Ultimate Bet pro and Celebrity Apprentice runner up Annie Duke, who is fresh off reaching the final two of the popular NBC reality show. Ultimately, comedian Joan Rivers bested her in the season finale, but Duke raised over $730,000 for her charity, Refugees International. In addition to the Main Event, Duke, Hellmuth, and others in attendance will be battling it out in a series of preliminary tournaments. Here is the full schedule of events for the 2009 Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic:

$5,000+500 Aruba Poker Classic Championship Event: October 5-10th
$2,000+100 Two-Day No Limit Hold’em Tournament: October 7th
$1,000+60 No Limit Hold’em Tournament: October 8th
$2,000+100 No Limit Hold’em Six-Handed Tournament: October 9th
$500+40 No Limit Hold’em Tournament: October 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 9th
Charity Poker Tournament to Benefit the Aruba Community: October 8th

The Aruba Poker Classic Main Event’s reigning champion is Matt Brady, who pocketed $1 million for the win last year. In 2007, Travis “TravestyFund” Rice emerged victorious from the field of 548 players en route to an $800,000 first place prize. In 2006, it was Devon Miller, who went toe to toe against then-Ultimate Bet pro Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy, who parted ways with the site in December. In 2005, two-time WSOP bracelet holder Feddy Deeb took home the title for $1 million. Eric Brenes stole the show in 2004, besting 646 players, while another Eric, Full Tilt Poker pro Erick Lindgren, won it all in 2003. The very first installment of the Aruba Poker Classic took place in 2002 and was won by Juha Helppi, who defeated Phil Gordon.

Deeb’s win in 2005 marked the last time that the Aruba Poker Classic served as a stop on the World Poker Tour. In October of 2006, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was passed in the United States, leading to events like the Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic and the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure looking for new tour partners. The latter is now part of the European Poker Tour (EPT); Ultimate Bet’s remains an independent event. Despite the flux, Ultimate Bet will celebrate its decade-long anniversary in Aruba and host a Welcome Party on Day 1, which it touts as the “don’t miss social event of the Aruba Poker Classic.”

Ultimate Bet, which comprises one-half of the CEREUS Network, recently rolled out a software update that includes ante games, a “final table view” design, and automatic tournament pop-ups in case the software client is closed or disconnected. Absolute Poker also makes its home on the CEREUS Network, the seventh largest worldwide in terms of cash game traffic according to PokerScout.com. The Network boasts a seven day running average of 2,150 real money ring game palayers with a 24 hour peak of nearly 3,000.

Jennifer Harman Charity Poker Tournament Returns for Third Year

Jennifer Harman and her many friends are back to raise money for a good cause.

The third annual Jennifer Harman Charity Poker Tournament will be held at The Venetian Poker Room on Friday, April 17, in Las Vegas. The event, which benefits the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA), raised more than $130,000 for the organization last year alone.

Poker celebrities that have already reserved seats for the charity tournament include Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, Barry Greenstein, Chris Ferguson, Hoyt Corkins, Jerry Yang, Andy Bloch, David Williams, Eli Elezra, David Oppenheim, Lee Watkinson, Jeff Madsen, Karina Jett, Todd Brunson, Brad Booth, Joe Sebok, and many others. Defending champion Seth Dupre, a recreational player from Las Vegas, will also participate. The event is open to the public.

A red carpet walk featuring players accompanied by animals from the NSPCA shelter is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m., while emcee Matt Savage will kick off the $300 No Limit Hold'em tournament at 5 p.m. The tournament will include unlimited $100 rebuys for the first three levels and then a $100 add-on worth twice the starting stack.

The grand prize of a seat in the $10,000 World Series of Poker Main Event, along with a Curtis & Co. watch, will be awarded to the winner. Each player will receive a generous gift bag courtesy of the Nevada SPCA and its sponsors. The silent auction, hosted by Nevada SPCA and Triumph Sports, will feature autographed sports and poker memorabilia items. The auction will run from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m.

The following sponsored prizes will be awarded to those that reach the final table:

1st Place -- $10,000 World Series of Poker Main Event seat, Legacy Alliance custom designed crystal trophy, Curtis & Co. sports watch, Life’s A Bluff autographed Limited Edition Lithograph.

2nd Place -- WSOP Academy certificate, Legacy Alliance custom designed crystal trophy, Curtis & Co. sports watch, Life’s A Bluff autographed Limited Edition Lithograph.

3rd Place -- WSOP Academy certificate, Legacy Alliance custom designed crystal trophy, Curtis & Co. sports watch, Life’s A Bluff autographed Limited Edition Lithograph.

4th Place -- Two nights luxury accommodations at the Venetian, dinner for two at a Delmonico Steakhouse (pending approval), certificate to Venetian’s Canyon Ranch Spa Club (pending approval), Life’s A Bluff autographed Limited Edition Lithograph.

5th Place -- Autographed complete home poker chip set, tickets for two to David Spade Live at the Venetian (pending approval), Quad Queens all-in-one cushion backpack, Life’s A Bluff autographed Limited Edition Lithograph.

6th Place -- Tickets for two to Phantom at the Venetian (pending approval), autographed complete home poker chip set, Quad Queens all-in-one cushion backpack, Life’s A Bluff autographed Limited Edition Lithograph.

7th Place -- Tickets for two to Wayne Brady at the Venetian (pending approval), autographed complete home poker chip set, Quad Queens all-in-one Cushion Backpack, Life’s A Bluff autographed Limited Edition Lithograph.

8th Place -- Tickets for two to Madame Tussauds (pending approval), autographed complete home poker chip set, Quad Queens all-in-one cushion backpack, Life’s A Bluff autographed Limited Edition Lithograph.

9th Place -- Tickets for two to Jersey Boys (pending approval), autographed complete home poker chip set, Quad Queens all-in-one cushion backpack, Life’s A Bluff autographed Limited Edition Lithograph.

10th Place -- Tickets for two to Blue Man Group, SuperSystem leather-bound autographed by Doyle Brunson, Doyle Brunson autographed cowboy hat, Quad Queens all-in-one cushion Backpack, Life’s A Bluff autographed Limited Edition Lithograph.

There will also be a “Last Woman Standing” prize and “Jennifer Harman Bounty” prize sponsored by 2-Step Images. More information, including tournament structure, prizes, and contacts, can be found at http://www.jenniferharmancpt.com.

State of the Felt — Matt Savage

In State of the Felt, Card Player will periodically bring you insights and opinions from some of the most influential players, tournament and poker organization directors, and other people that influence the poker industry. This is a place where the broad trends and forces that continue to shape...

State of the Felt — Matt Savage

In State of the Felt, Card Player will periodically bring you insights and opinions from some of the most influential players, tournament and poker organization directors, and other people that influence the poker industry. This is a place where the broad trends and forces that continue to shape...

Poker pros view: Foxwoods Poker Classic sucks!

Only 259 players started this years event at Connecticut. At the same time SCOOP (Spring Championship of Online Poker) tournaments on PokerStars are drawing huge fields! Also, WPT Championship prelims at Bellagio are already running.

Top tournament players, like Daniel Negreanu, have been vocal about how bad the Foxwoods stuff is. Last year Negreanu blasted in his blog that the whole tournament was arranged poorly and vowed to never come back to play this event again!

High Stakes Poker veteran Amnon Filippi promotes same attitude. He thinks that people don’t like the event, because it is in the middle of nowhere and the staff are semi-par. Filippi however showed up and is currently third with ten players remaining in the event.

Will “The Thrill” Failla thinks that the stuff is the biggest problem:

“The floor people don’t know what’s going on. As a for instance, they say you can’t talk in the hand when it says right there in their rules you can. My whole game is talking in the hand. The floor people aren’t educated about the rules.”

“They just don’t make it player friendly. They skip levels in the structure. So what if you get ($30,000) chips if the structure’s bad? They should just download the Borgata structure and copy it. Really, though, nobody runs a tournament like Matt Savage.

Still, New Yorker Joe “Bobo” Cappello has at least one reason (and that indeed is a good one!) why you should’ve appeared in this event:

“The players are so ****ing bad.  If you miss this tournament, you should kill yourself.”

With ten players remaining in the event, here is the chip counts:

1. Lenny Cortellino — 1,520,000
2. Lee Markholt — 1,314,000
3. Amnon Filippi — 1,248,000
4. Vadim Trincher — 1,180,000
5. Alex Perelberg — 813,000
6. William Botchis — 598,000
7. Allen Kessler — 394,000
8. Matthew Casterella — 360,000
9. Anthony Gargano — 324,000
10. Joe Raposa — 134,000

Source: pokerlistings, wpt

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Poker pros view: Foxwoods Poker Classic sucks!

Poker pros say Foxwoods stinks

"The tournament sucks," said outspoken East Coast grinder Will "The Thrill" Failla. "The structure sucks (and) the tournament's bad. Even the satellites haven't been as good as they normally would be."

"People don't like Foxwoods," said Amnon Filippi. "It's in the middle of nowhere and the staff are semi-par."

Only 259 players made the trip to Connecticut for this year's event, down substantially from the 344 unlucky souls beaten by Erik Seidel in WPT Season 6.

One big problem the Classic faces this year is scheduling. The tournament finds itself in the middle of a busy period for poker.

"I think the key reason for the lower numbers is the timing," said Daniel Negreanu. "Bellagio is running prelims [for this month's WPT Championship] already, but more importantly, a huge base of players that would normally travel are instead playing [the PokerStars] SCOOP series since they have high buy-ins and such variety."

Mike Matusow, who final-tabled this event in 2008, agreed.

"This is a bigger turnout than I expected," he said. "There's like 300,000 people playing SCOOP and Bellagio is going on at the same time. I was begging for 250 people to show up here."

"The Bellagio $25k is coming up and so is the WSOP," said Filippi. "People are saving their money and looking for better opportunities."

The timing, certainly, could be better. But reports from the ground suggest it's more than just a scheduling concern.

"The floor people don't know what's going on," said Failla. "As a for instance, they say you can't talk in the hand when it says right there in their rules you can. My whole game is talking in the hand. The floor people aren't educated about the rules.

"They just don't make it player friendly. They skip levels in the structure. So what if you get ($30,000) chips if the structure's bad? They should just download the Borgata structure and copy it.

"Really, though, nobody runs a tournament like Matt Savage."

Negreanu, meanwhile, took issue with the casino's tax policy after taking 35th for $21,320 in last November's World Poker Finals.

"They changed their tax policy for Canadian citizens so they are withholding taxes totally unnecessarily and that upset me last time I was there," he said. "It's absurd."

Negreanu vowed never to return to Foxwoods and didn't return for the Classic. But ever the diplomat, he argued the tournament's relative lack of popularity was due to more practical concerns.

"Foxwoods is a bit tougher to get to, travel-wise, with no airport close by. Also, the 'vibe' for the younger players may be a bit more tame."

Whatever the reason, at least one East Coast pro simply cannot fathom why nobody would want to play in the Woods.

"I don't know why they wouldn't show," said New York's Joe "Bobo" Cappello. "The players are so ****ing bad.  If you miss this tournament, you should kill yourself."

Visit PokerListings.com

Women in Poker Hall of Fame Welcomes Field, Fisher, and Violette

On Friday, June 5th, the Women in Poker Hall of Fame will grow a little bigger. June Field, Jan Fisher, and Cyndy Violette will join an esteemed class of poker pros that already includes Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Linda Johnson, Marsha Waggoner, Susie Isaacs, and Barbara Enright.

On the three newest inductees, Johnson told Poker News Daily, "The 2009 inductees into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame are each very worthy of this honor. June Field inspired me as a publisher, Cyndy Violette inspired me as a player, and Jan Fisher inspired me as an industry leader." The trio will be honored at a special dinner and dancing celebration at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas that will benefit the charity Poker Gives.

June Field is the founder of CardPlayer magazine, which today has grown into one of the largest poker publications in the world. She is also the founder of CardPlayer Cruises and Classic Poker Cruises. Later in her career, she launched Poker Digest, which merged with Casino Player magazine. On starting up CardPlayer, Field commented in a press release distributed by the Women in Poker Hall of Fame, “I wanted a media vehicle that would be a reliable source for advertisers and readers alike. One they could turn to and find out what’s happening, where it’s happening, and who is making it happen.” On the poker felts, Field won a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet in 1982 in a $500 buy-in Limit Seven Card Stud tournament for $16,000. Johnson was also at the final table of that tournament and took fourth.

Jan Fisher co-founded the Tournament Directors' Association (TDA) with Johnson, Matt Savage, and David Lamb. She is currently a partner in CardPlayer Cruises and authors the column “Fishing Around” for Poker Player Magazine. Fisher is extremely active in the poker community and sits on the Board of Directors of the Poker Players Alliance (the poker industry's main lobbying arm), Ladies Poker Association, and Ladies International Poker Series (LIPS). She gained notoriety by serving as the in-house statistician during the first six seasons of the World Poker Tour.

Cyndy Violette is a Full Tilt Poker sponsored pro and took down her first (and so far only) WSOP bracelet by winning a $2,000 buy-in Seven Card Stud High-Low Eight or Better tournament in 2004. Two years later, she took third in a $5,000 buy-in Seven Card Stud event for $102,000, outlasting all but Shawn Sheikhan and Benjamin Lin. In 2005, she made three final tables at the WSOP, earning her even more exposure.

On June 4th, a $230 buy-in tournament with $50 rebuys will take place at the Golden Nugget benefiting Poker Gives, a charity founded by Johnson, Fisher, Mike Sexton, and Lisa Tenner. The tournament will kick off promptly at 7:00pm local time. The next day at 6:00pm, Sexton, the Host of the World Poker Tour and a Guest Columnist right here on Poker News Daily, will emcee the induction ceremonies. Tickets for the event can be purchased online at the official website of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame and include nominating rights for the 2010 class.

On Saturday, June 6th, LIPS will hold $175 satellites with winners getting their choice of entry into the Golden Nugget Grand Series event or the LIPS Championship in August. On Sunday, the $1,000 buy-in WSOP Ladies Only event kicks off at the Rio, one of 57 tournaments to be held as part of the 2009 WSOP. LIPS Championship entries will also be given out on Monday at an event at the Golden Nugget.