Poker News

Schulman shoots down stars in 2-7 Championship

Come the final reckoning, it was young New York pro Nick Schulman who took down the title, the bracelet and $279,742 in cash.

Schulman has had many poker successes, including winning two WPT titles and nearly $4 million in tournament cashes but taking down the coveted WSOP bracelet meant more than just the money.

"The prestige of the bracelet is a little overwhelming," he said. "They say these tournaments aren't about the money and I never used to think like that but I kind of know what they mean now - the bracelet's a little sweeter than the cash!"

The Deuce-to-Seven Championship draws together the cream of the poker world and its winner can rightfully claim to have beaten the best of the best.

Every year the final table of this prestigious event reads like a who's who of poker and this year was no exception.

Michael Binger and French high-stakes player David Benyamine were the first men to stumble in 8th and 7th respectively, before the eliminations of Vince Musso and gambling legend Archie Karas in the next two spots left the play four-handed.

At this point Schulman looked like he may be the next big name casualty, but he was about to go on a huge tear that would see him rocket up to the chip lead, leaving John Juanda and Steve Sung in his wake on the rail.

Heads-up for the bracelet with Player of the Year contender Ville Wahlbeck, Schulman had a 2-1 chip advantage that he never relinquished, despite some tenacious play from his in-form opponent.

"I think he's a great player," said Schulman of Wahlbeck. "Any poker game he plays, he's going to be great at it."

Schulman accepted he had conquered a strong field but was humble in his assessment of his play.

"There wasn't a weak spot in that field," he acknowledged. "But the cards came my way and I was able to capitalize."

He went on to explain why Deuce-to-Seven is such a big draw for the big-name pros.

"It's a very simple game but the intangible qualities that make somebody a very good poker player are what would make them excel at Deuce-to-Seven," he said. "It's a game of very few decisions but they mean everything - it's pure poker."

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Wahlbeck domination highlights WSOP June 11

Fifty-seven made the trip back to the Amazon room, and it was a day of thrills and spills as they played down to just eleven by the time the chips were bagged and tagged.

Roland de Wolfe came into the day heading the chip counts and he was still in contention come the close of play, albeit with the short stack.

The big story though was the rise of Ville Wahlbeck, the Finn contending for Player of the Year title, having already won a bracelet and had a 3rd-place finish at this year's series.

He steamrolled his way through the day and will return handily-placed in second when the players take up arms tomorrow, though with talent like John Juanda, David Benyamine and Michael Binger still eyeing up first place, he will have a fight on his hands if he harbors hopes of picking up his second bracelet.

Here's the notable news from the rest of the day at the WSOP.

Event 20: $1,500 Pot Limit Hold'em

The nine players remaining met back up today to play to a finish and all eyes were trained on Erik Seidel as he made his bid for a ninth bracelet.

His bid ended in failure however, as he crashed out 7th and instead it was left to Englishman J.P. Kelly to storm his way to the title, $194,434 in cash and his first WSOP bracelet.

Event 21: $3,000 H.O.R.S.E.

21 players were back to battle for the bracelet today, with Canadian Zac Fellows returning as the chip leader.

Fellows used his stack well to guide himself through to the latter stages, although there were some difficult periods along the way.

Ultimately though, he conquered the final table, putting in an impressive performance heads-up that saw him dominate fellow big stack James Van Alstyne to pick up the title and the bracelet, collecting $311,899.

Event 22: $1,500 No Limit Hold'em Shootout

One hundred players sat back down at 10 tables today as the $1.5k shootout resumed at the Rio. Only one man from each table could survive, meaning by the end of the day, we had our final-table lineup of 10.

Of those, former WPT winner Eugene Katchalov was the most recognizable player in contention, though he can be assured of some stiff competition from Jason Somerville and Brandon Wong when the players return to shoot it out for the bracelet tomorrow.

Event 24: $1,500 No Limit Hold'em

2,000 runners put up the $1.5k to buy themselves a seat at the latest WSOP donkament and after 14 hours of gruelling poker, the vast majority found themselves on the rail.

270 made it past the knee-trembling cash-bubble period however, including Irish Open runner-up Kara Scott, online pwner Chris Moorman and PokerListings' very own Martin Derbyshire.

Other notable names still alive include Eric Liu, Joe Sebok, Nam Le and Cory Carroll.

Event 25: $2,500 Omaha/7-card-Stud-8 Mixed

This mixed event is not the most fashionable of the potential WSOP bracelets on offer, as evidenced by the smallish field of 376 that paid to enter.

Regardless, there were some exciting plays and action seen at the felt today and by the close of play the 155 remaining included such stars as Phil Ivey, Jason Mercier and Chad Brown.

Join Pokerlistings Live Update team for the latest from the Rio as the 2009 WSOP, like the temperature here in Las Vegas, starts to hot up.

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Someone left the door wide open at the WSOP

In the PLO/PLH event I played yesterday I was surprised when the stack of a player that didn't show up after the first two levels was picked up on the first break. I was much more than surprised when I asked what had happened to it and Michael Binger …

The PokerNews Top 10: Most WSOP Cashes

Nikolay Evdakov shattered records in 2008 when he posted ten cashes during the World Series of Poker. In 2007, it was Michael Binger...

Top 5 least popular WSOP Main Event winners

Most people would cite Chris Moneymaker's win at the 2003 WSOP as the catalyst to the poker boom that occurred shortly thereafter.

Moneymaker's amateur status, passion for the game and fortuitous name all helped turn poker into a multi-billion dollar industry and he has to be considered one of the Main Event's most popular winners as a result.

But there have been some winners, especially recently, that have done little to grow the game and, in fact, may have even kept poker from becoming more mainstream.

With the 40th anniversary of the WSOP just weeks away and plans in place to bring every living Main Event champion back for the 2009 Champions Invitational freeroll, the debate has been opened yet again as to the top five least popular WSOP Main Event winners in history.

The top candidates, by common consensus:

5. Jerry Yang (2007)

There's no question Jerry Yang brought his A-game to the final table of the 2007 WSOP Main Event. The social worker entered the day as the short-stack but quickly went to work knocking out seven of the eight final table players.

He was the most aggressive player and walked away with the biggest prize as a result. Yang also had a fairly inspirational background, including spending four years in a refugee camp in Thailand and winning a $225 satellite into the tournament.

Unfortunately Yang never really embraced his status as an ambassador for poker. And since winning $8.25 million at the 2007 WSOP, Yang has one cash - $1,324 at the Binion's Poker Open.

Yang's religious nature proved difficult to market and even when he took on a poker nickname (The Shadow) it failed to gain him much credibility.

Some poker sites called Yang "a bigger bust then Jamie Gold" and in 2008 Wicked Chops Poker dubbed him "the most anonymous WSOP Main Event winner in recent history."

Yang is an outstanding person and a good citizen, but his contributions to the poker world have been minimal. He will likely go down in history as one of the most forgettable Main Event champions.

4. Amarillo Slim (1972)

Amarillo Slim (born Thomas Austin Preston, Jr.) was one of the most popular WSOP champions when he won back in 1972.

He went on talk shows and was the face of poker for some 30-odd years.

Although he was often branded a hustler and his character was questioned throughout his life, it wasn't until much later things really went bad for Preston.

In August 2004 Slim was indicted on three charges of indecency with a 12-year-old family member. The charges were reduced to a misdemeanor assault in a plea bargain.

"Slim is a great character and was crucial to the growth of poker and the WSOP in the seventies, but darker recent chapters in his life have tarnished his reputation," explained ESPN columnist Gary Wise, who also runs www.wisehandpoker.com.

"There are many poker players who won't associate with him as a result of the charges brought against him in 2004."

Slim is another classic case of a missed opportunity. The outspoken Texan could still be one of the ambassadors for the game, but instead was cast as a villain.

There were even rumors that Nicolas Cage was set to play Slim in an motion picture before the charges were laid and the movie was canned.

Poker players have long debated Slim's level of guilt and he did explain himself in an exclusive interview with PokerListings.

But at this point it would likely take a miracle to completely clear his name.

"With that in mind, Slim did a lot to grow the game while there have been a number of champions who did little in that regard," added Wise.

3. Robert Varkonyi (2002)

Robert Varkonyi outlasted 630 players to take down the 2002 WSOP Main Event and the $2 million that came along with it.

Varkonyi was so new to poker and considered by so many people to be a fish that Phil Hellmuth agreed to have his hair shaved off for charity if the MIT graduate won the Main Event. Varkonyi won and Hellmuth made good on his promise.

That was essentially the peak of Varkonyi's poker stardom.

Possibly due to his uninteresting nature, many in the poker industry have Varkonyi pegged as the worst overall champ.

"Not really sure how anybody could make an argument for anyone other than Robert Varkonyi," said Steve "Chops" Preiss of Wicked Chops Poker. "Varkonyi almost single-handedly made poker uncool."

What makes Varkonyi even more intriguing is the fact the very next year another virtually unknown player won the Main Event and changed the landscape of the poker world forever. His name was Chris Moneymaker.

"Had Chris Moneymaker not come along in 2003 and erased the memory of Varkonyi from the collective consciousness, where would the game be today?" Preiss asked.

"Varkonyi seems like a nice enough guy. But there isn't one cool thing about him. If anything, he probably would've turned away all of the hipsters that flooded the game and made it so big.

"Not to mention Varkonyi is probably recognized as the worst player of any winner. So, this one is really a no brainer."

2. Jamie Gold (2006)

The WSOP Main Event peaked in 2006 with 8,773 players. The halls of the Rio were overflowing with sponsors, online poker rooms and professional poker players. In many ways it was the biggest year in the history of poker.

The final table had some compelling stories with Michael Binger, Paul Wasicka and Full Tilt Pro Allen Cunningham all gunning for title.

Instead it was monster chip leader and former Hollywood agent Jamie Gold who took home championship honors and the whopping $12 million that came along with it.

Gold wasn't exactly known as the most honorable player during the tournament as many accused him of angle-shooting and taunting other players. But it was what happened less than a month later that seriously damaged his reputation and his bankroll.

In mid-August, Crispin Leyser, who had allegedly partnered with Gold for half the winnings, sued Gold for not paying up.

Gold eventually settled out of court with Leyser, but the damage to his reputation was already done.

There are a lot of shady moves in the poker world, but the cardinal sin in many players' eyes is welching on a debt.

To make matters worse, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement act was passed in the fall of 2006 and the start of Gold's reign as champion seemed to usher in a dark time for poker.

He wasn't exactly the type of character poker players wanted on late night TV and ESPN promoting the game. Gold was almost universally trashed in the poker world with people calling him a "donk," a "chump" and worse.

In September, an article written by Stanley R. Sludikoff for www.pokerplayernewspaper.com seemed to encompass what most poker players were feeling at the time.

"Now we have a new champion, Jamie Gold, who is leaving a bad taste in our collective mouths, by showing us a side of his character that appears to be despicable," wrote Sludikoff.

It didn't help Gold's case that he came directly after Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer and Joe Hachem, considered by most industry insiders to be huge advocates for the game.

Gold won the biggest tournament in poker history and yet most people in the poker industry seem to prefer to forget about him completely, speaking volumes about his marketability.

1. Russ Hamilton (1994)

So you've heard it all. Some of the worst WSOP champions in history. In all their boring, controversial and distasteful glory.

But there's one name that rises above the rest.

Only one of those Main Event winners would go on to help run one of the most popular poker rooms on the Internet and allegedly cheat players out of their money.

Russ Hamilton won the 1994 WSOP Main Event and the $1 million that came with the title. Strangely, Hamilton also won his body weight in silver thanks to a promotion run by the World Series.

At the time, many considered Hamilton a great champion as he was a popular Las Vegas insider with plenty of poker experience.

Everything changed in the fall of 2008 when the Kahnawake Gaming Commission claimed it had found evidence that Hamilton was the main person behind the multiple cheating incidents that had occurred at ((Ultimate Bet)).

The reaction from the poker world was both predictable and passionate.

"I gotta think that Russ Hamilton is clearly the worst for poker," said Dan Michalski, founder of the popular Pokerati.com blog.

"Who would have thought when he won in 1994 and received a hefty overlay in silver - a celebration of his gluttony - that he would later become the poster boy for just how bad poker can be sometimes."

Hamilton was slagged by almost every media source in the poker world and some players were even less kind.

2006 WSOP Player of the Year Tom Schneider was particularly incensed by Hamilton's bad behavior.

"He has done more to hurt poker than the next 100 worst [players] combined," said Schneider.

"He has tainted poker nearly beyond repair and has ruined and hurt more poker player's lives than anybody else."

According to Schneider the damage went deeper than simply taking a few bucks.

"He made winning players question their abilities, had people borrow money to pay him off and had people questioning their whole existence," he said. "No one is even close."

Hamilton's fall from grace proves that when large amounts of money are being traded back and forth, there's always the risk of corruption.

On the plus side, the situation has reminded poker players around the world to be ever-vigilant and always aware of what's going on in their poker game.

That's the list. Glaring omissions, bad picks and new suggestions are all welcome in the comments below.

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CEREUS Unveils $530,000 Points Race

Starting on Wednesday of this week, players on CEREUS Network sites Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker began competing in a high-stakes two month Points Race worth $530,000. The prize pool will be divided among the top Status Point earners.

While many people in the United States were busy scrambling at the last minute on Wednesday to file their taxes, players on Tokwiro-owned online poker rooms Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet, both part of the CEREUS Network, were racking up Status Points and watching their names climb the UB 500 and AP 500 leader boards. The Points Race concludes on June 15th with the top 500 earners splitting a $500,000 prize pool. First place will grab $25,000, second place takes home $22,000, and third place will see their online poker bankroll grow by $20,000. Everyone who makes the leader board will receive at least $150 and the top 10 will pocket five-figure paydays.

Tokwiro Chief Operating Officer Paul Leggett told Poker News Daily, “Our players truly enjoy rake races and we wanted to give them one of the largest races in online poker history. Our $500,000 rake race is just one of the many promotions we will run this year to make online poker more exciting and competitive.” That’s not all, however. The top 1,000 Status Point earners will receive an invite into a special $30,000 freeroll scheduled for June 28th at 2:00pm ET. In total, $530,000 is up for grabs as part of the promotion, which more than doubles the prize money given away in last month’s CEREUS rake race.

Just a few days into the competition, SOUTHCJAY7 leads the pack in the UB 500, generating 14,116 Status Points. Right behind him is MAKE_IT_RAIN, who holds 10,679 Points. If the contest were frozen today, VOSS1313 (8,967), ANEW (8,862), MERKER1 (7,860), AIRKID3 (7,558), Z06FANATIC (6,699), MINUTEMAN233 (6,287), DURZAAAA (6,180), and JAMESRED111 (5,790) would all take home over $10,000. A total of 74 players will earn at least $1,000.

CEREUS was formed in November with the merging of the player bases of Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker. According to PokerScout.com, which ranks traffic across the major sites, CEREUS is the seventh largest worldwide with a seven day running average of 2,250 real money ring game players. Its 24 hour peak is 3,416 and at the time of writing, which is mid-afternoon Eastern Time, there are 2,561 cash game players on its virtual felts. A press release distributed by Tokwiro this week reads, “Thanks to CEREUS, Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker's Rake Race promotion continues to deliver on the promise of a bigger and better online poker experience for players at both online poker sites. So, settle into the driver’s seat and just keep earning STATUS Points to participate and secure a share of the $530,000 prize money up for grabs.”

“Celebrity Apprentice” candidate Annie Duke and 11-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth serve as the front men ultimate Bet. This week on the popular NBC reality show, the two may square off on national television. In an ongoing task that asks teams to raise money for charity by auctioning off pieces from Ivanka Trump’s jewelry line, Duke’s opposition has solicited Hellmuth to come to New York and place a bid. Whether Hellmuth will actually turn out for the show is unknown. “Celebrity Apprentice” airs at 9:00pm ET on Sunday nights on NBC.

At the end of March, Ultimate Bet signed Matt “mattg1983” Graham to become the newest member of its Star Player Team, which also includes Adam “Roothlus” Levy, “Hollywood” Dave Stann, Tiffany Michelle, “Best Damn Poker Show” Season 1 winner Tracy Scala, and Michael Binger.

Matt Graham (mattg1983) Joins Ultimate Bet Star Players Team

On Thursday, online poker room Ultimate Bet announced that it had signed World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet holder and top online poker player Matt “mattg1983” Graham to its roster of Star Players. He joins Tiffany Michelle, Tracy Scala, James “P0KERPR033” Campbell, Adam “Roothlus” Levy, “Hollywood” Dave Stann, and Michael Binger.

Graham's WSOP bracelet came after a grueling heads-up match against Bodog pro and “Survivor: China” contestant Jean-Robert Bellande in a $1,500 buy-in Limit Shootout event last year. Graham's win was worth $278,000, solidifying his name as a major force in both the live and online poker worlds. Graham also took down a $5,000 buy-in event held during the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic in December for $320,000, besting David Matthew heads-up. Finishing in the top ten of that tournament were a talented group of pros including David “The Dragon” Pham, Hafiz Khan, Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, and Marco “CrazyMarco” Johnson.

In a statement released by the Tokwiro-owned online poker site, Annie Duke welcomed her new colleague to Ultimate Bet: "I am so thrilled to have Matt Graham on the team. Matt epitomizes the all-around poker player. He has great results in all of the games, live or online. Matt is an amazing addition to the UltimateBet.com team." Duke and Phil Hellmuth serve as the primary faces of Ultimate Bet, which makes its home on the USA-friendly CEREUS Network. Late last year, the site combined its member base with that of Absolute Poker, creating the popular Network.

Michelle was the last woman standing in the 2008 WSOP Main Event, ultimately finishing 17th and taking home $334,000. Scala won the first season of “Best Damn Poker Show,” a reality series on Fox Sports Net pitting Duke and Hellmuth against each other to see who can groom poker's next superstar. The second installment of “Best Damn Poker Show” just wrapped up and was won by Patrick Karst.

Campbell is one of the top online players and can be found battling it out under the alias “P0KERPR033.” Levy finished fifth in the World Poker Tour's Festa al Lago event last year, banking $266,000. Stann was a contestant on “Best Damn Poker Show” Season One and is well-known for his skills at the blackjack table. Binger has nearly $5 million in career WSOP earnings, although he has not yet won a bracelet.

On his new employer, Graham noted, "I look forward to the opportunity to represent UltimateBet.com both online and in the live arena. I never would have thought I would be a site pro when I began my online poker career at UltimateBet.com four years ago, but now here I am. I am very excited to be a part of the future of this site." Online, the poker prodigy took down the Sunday Second Chance on PokerStars in August for $53,000. In the same month, he also won the PokerStars $100 rebuy, one of the most challenging tournaments in all of poker, for $38,000.

According to PokerScout.com, which ranks online poker traffic, CEREUS sits at number seven worldwide with a seven day running average of 2,400 real money ring game players. Its 24 hour peak, which occurs during prime time hours in the United States, is 3,321. The CEREUS Network is the third largest that accepts players from the United States, trailing only PokerStars (24,400 cash game players on average) and Full Tilt Poker (11,000). Both Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet are owned by Tokwiro Enterprises. The Network's Bad Beat Jackpot was hit last week for over $800,000 when a Royal Flush defeated a jack-high Straight Flush.