Poker News

Antanas “Tony G” Guoga Joins Team PartyPoker

Continuing to add to an already impressive lineup, it was announced early Thursday that top poker professional Antanas “Tony G” Guoga has signed a sponsorship deal with PartyPoker.

Guoga, who has been at the forefront of the international poker scene for the past decade, will make his first showing for Team PartyPoker at the Aussie Millions, which began today and is one of the top non-U.S. tournaments on the poker schedule. According to Guoga’s new blog at PartyPoker, he will be participating in the $100,000 Challenge tournament scheduled to start on January 23rd, which draws some of the toughest competition in the game today and features defending champion Howard Lederer. Tony G will also join fellow Team PartyPoker members Bodo Sbrzesny and defending Aussie Millions champion Stewart Scott along with 43 qualifiers from PartyPoker for the Aussie Millions Main Event. The AUD $10,000 tournament will feature three starting days that begin on January 24th and will be broadcasted on Fox Sports Net.

As a part of the new sponsorship deal, Guoga will also be part of one of PartyPoker’s upcoming special events, the PartyPoker.com Premier League IV. This invitation-only tournament is scheduled to take place in February in Las Vegas and includes a formidable lineup. Such players as former World Champion and 11-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, current World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship winner Yevgeniy “Jovial Gent” Timoshenko, poker Triple Crown winner Roland De Wolfe, noted poker “bad boy” Luke ‘FullFlush’ Schwartz, and dangerous tournament pro J. C. Tran are scheduled to take to the felt, presenting Tony G with tremendously difficult opposition.

Guoga’s own online poker site, TonyGPoker.com, has been merged into the PartyPoker family. Those players who are a part of TonyGPoker.com will be moved to Noble Poker. Guoga will continue to be an integral part of his online promotions, such as the Sunday Bike Ride (moving to Noble Poker), and will play on PartyPoker under the name “TonyG.”

“We’re delighted to welcome Tony to Team PartyPoker,” a PartyGaming spokesman commented about the newest arrival to the organization. “Tony is undoubtedly one of poker’s biggest characters in the game and a personal deal for him made huge sense. We are also happy to have acquired the assets of TonyGPoker.com and look forward to welcoming his players on board.”

Guoga isn’t called “The Mouth From Down Under” for nothing. Known to dismiss his beaten opponents from the table with a curt “On Yer Bike!” Guoga has already issued a challenge for those PartyPoker members playing in the Aussie Millions. “If one of the Party qualifiers knocks me out of the Main Event, I will buy them a bike,” Guoga stated. “First of all, however, I will ride it out myself… I know when it is bike time!”

In his first blog entry on PartyPoker, Guoga also throws down the gauntlet against one of his Premier League IV foes. After speaking glowingly of Poker Hall of Fame member Mike Sexton and “High Stakes Poker” announcer Kara Scott, Tony G dropped the hammer on Luke “FullFlush” Schwartz: “He’s rude, obnoxious and I cannot wait to bust him up. This kid is not the kind of player you feel you can learn from – you just want to bust him.”

Guoga certainly has the ability to bust up many players at the table. His lifetime earnings at the tournament poker tables total nearly $4 million and include the WPT Bad Boys of Poker II championship in 2006. He was also the runner-up in the 2006 PartyPoker Intercontinental Poker Championship in Las Vegas and has cashed 15 times at the WSOP.

Famous for his mouth, it is Guoga’s philanthropic efforts that have earned him a great deal of respect from players and fans. After he won the first ever Asian Poker Tour (APT) event in Singapore in 2006, Tony G donated half the prize money to charity and, after taking down over $200,000 in a Moscow poker tournament in 2007, he turned over the entirety of his winnings to Russian orphanages.

With the addition of Guoga, Team PartyPoker is becoming a formidable challenge in the tournament poker world. After not sponsoring pros for much of its existence, PartyPoker has certainly drawn top talent to its roster. Along with Guoga, Sexton, Sbrzesny, and the two Scotts, other members of Team PartyPoker include France’s Remy Biechel, England’s Ian “The Raiser” Frazer, and Brazil’s Felipe "Mojave" Ramos.

PartyPoker Adds Tony G

Famed loudmouth Tony G will bring his abrasive style of poker to a team that already includes Mike Sexton, Ian Frazer, Bodo Sbrzesny, Remy Biechel, Stewart Scott, Felipe “Mojave” Ramos and the recently signed Kara Scott.

Tony G will make his PartyPoker debut at the upcoming 2010 Aussie Millions.

“I cannot wait to start playing for Team Party on the circuit,” said Tony G. “I’ve always loved Party and what better way to kick off than at the Aussie Millions. I am also really excited about the Premier League in February - it is the best event in poker in my eyes.”

Tony G has been one of the hottest players in the Premier League’s recent events with a second and third place finish.

As part of the deal with PartyPoker, Tony G’s signature poker site TonyGPoker.com, will be moved to the PartyPoker-owned Noble Poker. The transfer should be relatively painless as both sites are on the iPoker network.

“We are delighted to welcome Tony to Team Party,” said a PartyGaming spokesman. “Tony is undoubtedly one of poker’s biggest characters in the game – a personal deal for him made huge sense. We are also happy to have acquired the assets of TonyGPoker.com and look forward to welcoming his players aboard."

Born as Antanas Guoga in Lithania, Tony G moved to Melbourne, Australia, when he was 11 and began playing poker at the age of 18.

Tony G quickly built a reputation for aggressive play and trash talk at the tables. In 2003, Tony G made the final table of the WPT Euro Finals of Poker in Paris, which established him as an upcoming player to watch.

Since then Tony G has accumulated nearly $4 million in tournament earnings with large scores at the Asian Poker Tour, WPT, WSOP and PartyPoker World Open.

In 2007 Tony G won the Moscow Million for $205,000 and donated the entire first place prize to Russian orphanages.

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Team PKR Signs Rising Russian Star

The 21 year-old from Moscow, who beat Johnny Chan heads-up to take the title and $266,690 first-place prize in Macau, then went on to crush Finnish veteran Juha Helppi to become the PKR Heads Up champ and collect $120,000, will now represent PKR at live events across the globe and online in PKR’s tournaments and cash games.

"We have been following Vladimir's progress for some time,” said PKR Marketing Director Simon Prodger. “He is an excellent poker player, charismatic, and fantastic to watch at the tables.”

Geshkenbein, who plays under the screen name 'beyne' on PKR, spent two years playing low and middle stakes tournaments until January of this year when he moved to Malta to play professionally.

Matchroom Sport Managing Director Eddie Hearn, who produced the PKR Heads Up Grand Slam, said his performance as a pro has been more than impressive.

"Poker viewers are in for a real treat when they see Vladimir in action in the upcoming PKR Heads Up Grand Slam on Sky Sports in January,” Hearn said. “The game is all about personalities and 'beyne' has it in abundance."

As a member of Team PKR Pro, Geshkenbein will be posting in the PKR forums, providing commentary on PKR.TV and writing blogs from live events.

The other eight Team PKR Pro members include Henrik 'Pokey85' Eklund, Ashley 'Ashleyhames1' Hames, Raymond 'callmebabe' O'Mahoney, Kai 'Kingkai84' Paulsen, James 'James666' Sudworth, Andrew 'Golfpro699' Teng, Karl 'discomonkey' Fenton and Adrien 'zlatan35' Allain.

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Joe Hachem, Jeffrey Lisandro Featured on WSOP on ESPN Coverage

Day 3 of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event hit television airwaves on ESPN on Tuesday night, with two hours of coverage dedicated to the festivities. Seated at the feature table were two Aussies, Joe Hachem and Jeffrey Lisandro.

Lisandro became the fifth player in WSOP history to take home three bracelets in a year and has logged 29 cashes since 2004. Hachem took down the 2005 Main Event and ignited a poker boom of his own in Australia. Joining the duo from Down Under was George Hardie, the former owner of the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles. On the first hand, Lisandro raised to 3,600 with pocket eights and, after peeking down at pocket queens, Hachem made it 9,600. Lisandro called to see a flop of 10-4-2. Lisandro checked, Hachem bet 16,000, and Lisandro quickly released his hand, igniting chants of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!”

ESPN announcer Norman Chad commented that, while Phil Ivey remains his perennial pick to win the WSOP Main Event, Lisandro’s heroics in 2009 make him a close second: “Let’s assume that aliens come down and lure Phil Ivey away to a cash game mother ship, then I must turn to Jeffrey Lisandro.” Ville Wahlbeck was the only player remaining in the field that could catch Lisandro for WSOP Player of the Year honors. However, he’d need a seventh place finish or better in order to do so. Wahlbeck was seated at Table Two during the 8:00pm ET episode alongside Kenny Tran.

Also found in the field were Ivey and Phil Hellmuth. “The Poker Brat” found that one of his tablemates, Lauchlin McKinnon, did not want to shake his hand. Instead, his opponent told Hellmuth, “I don’t respect anything you do. I think you’re a complete prick.” Hellmuth joked, “I think this is going to be a good day.” Elsewhere in the Amazon Room, Bodog pro Jean-Robert Bellande pushed with A-10 of diamonds for 20 big blinds and rivered a flush to double up. Chad labeled him a “survivor,” a reference to his appearance on the China installment of the CBS reality franchise.

Kent Senter, who is undergoing stem cell treatment for an incurable form of cancer, was all-in with pocket tens against Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier’s pocket jacks. The board ran out K-5-3-3-5, giving Grospellier the win and sending Senter home. He was met with a herd of television cameras upon his departure. Grospellier is a PokerStars pro; his site began sponsoring chip count leaderboard graphics on Tuesday night on ESPN.

The “Straight from the Pros” segment featured Daniel Negreanu battling against Sammy Farha in a hand during the 2005 WSOP Main Event. Negreanu folded a straight after a third spade hit the river to give Farha a flush. Negreanu, the captain of the Team Americas squad that will compete in the Caesars Cup, told ESPN cameras, “He’s either bluffing here or I’m dead.”

Negreanu’s comrade on Team PokerStars Pro, Hachem, was featured in the Jack Link’s Beef Jerky Wild Card Hand, in which the cards of one player are not shown so the audience can play along at home. Hachem raised to 4,100 pre-flop with the Wild Card hand and Claus Nielsen called with pocket threes. The flop came 8-2-5 and Nielsen checked. Hachem fired out a bet of 6,200 and Nielsen made the call. The turn was a deuce and Nielsen put in a check-raise to 32,000, causing Hachem to relinquish K-Q.

Also in the field was former November Nine member Dennis Phillips, who relived tossing out the first pitch at a St. Louis Cardinals baseball game. However, he wound up throwing the ball directly at the ground. Wahlbeck then hit the skids after running pocket queens into pocket kings, leading to an announcement from WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack that Lisandro had claimed Player of the Year honors. Ivey then moved to Grospellier’s table, leaving Chad to remark, “Poker’s superpowers clash.”

The second episode of Tuesday night kicked off at 9:00pm ET and continued coverage of Day 3 of the 2009 WSOP Main Event. David “Devilfish” Ulliott joined the cast at Table Two, while Hellmuth found himself flanking Josh Arieh. Former Main Event winners Peter Eastgate (2008), Greg Raymer (2004), Dan Harrington (1995), Hachem (2005), and Hellmuth (1989) all remained alive to begin the episode, but Raymer quickly found himself on the sidelines after running pocket tens into pocket aces.

Lunkin doubled up after rivering a straight, causing Chad to lament, “I know Lunkin has played good, but I can’t tell you how ridiculously good he’s run. He should be halfway back to Moscow on an Aeroflot flight in coach.” Meanwhile, Nielsen bet out on an ace-high board after raising pre-flop with just 8-4. However, Hachem laid down pocket queens and Lisandro released pocket kings, giving the pot to Nielsen.

The Full Tilt Poker sponsored segment “Deal Me In” featured Howard Lederer taking on Hellmuth in a hand from the 2004 WSOP Tournament of Champions, which was ultimately won by Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke.

Hevad Khan cheerily smiled at ESPN cameras, leading to the following comment from announcer Lon McEachern: “That’s the first real sign of life from him we’ve seen in two years.” Khan finished sixth in the 2007 WSOP Main Event. His lively antics resulted in the “Hevad Khan rule” against excessive player celebrations. Elsewhere in the dwindling field, J.C. Tran and Joe Sebok doubled up, while L.A. Lakers Guard Jordan Farmar was eliminated. Also hitting the exits was “Seinfeld” actor Jason Alexander, whose opponent made trips on the river.

Finally, “The Nuts” featured Chad and Hellmuth taking turns in a dunk tank. After Chad, a southpaw, finally sent Hellmuth to a watery demise, he commented, “I took more pleasure out of dunking you than anything in my whole life. That was two honeymoons rolled into one.”

New episodes of the 2009 WSOP Main Event on ESPN air on Tuesdays at 8:00pm ET and are repeated throughout the week on ESPN’s family of networks.

Russia’s Maxim Lykov Rides Chip Lead To EPT Kyiv Championship

Opening up the sixth season of the European Poker Tour, the EPT Kyiv wrapped up with the chip leader from the previous two days, Russia’s Maxim Lykov, continuing his domination and closing the deal to take down the championship.

The first poker tournament ever held in the Ukraine, the EPT Kyiv was the last minute replacement for Moscow. The EPT had planned to hold the first tournament of its sixth  season in the Russian capital, but the recent decision by the Russian government to remove poker from its sporting games list – and the resulting closure of thousands of card clubs across the nation – forced EPT officials to look for another outlet to hold the tournament. When the Kyiv Sports Palace stepped up, the EPT was more than happy to accept and the tournament was back on. It was also obvious that players were happy to take part in the tournament as 296 players took to the felt when the tournament started on August 18^th.

Players from behind the former Iron Curtain dominated the final table, with players from Mother Russia earning the most seats at the eight-handed table. Besides the three Russian players (Lykov, Vitaly Tolokonnikov and Arthur Simonyan), Belarus, Poland and the host country the Ukraine landed players at the final table (Vadim Markushevski, Lucasz Plichta and Alex Dovzhenko, respectively). Rounding out the final two seats at the final table were Germany’s Torsten Tent and Holland’s Adrian Schaap.

Action in the early going was a bit tame as it took over an hour and a half before a player was eliminated from the final table. As in the past two days, Lykov controlled the play at the final table and, after Markushevski was dismissed in eighth place, took out the next two players to pad his chip stack. After Lykov eliminated Tent (seventh) and Schaap (sixth), the action once again slowed down between the remaining five players.

After three more hours of battle, two players knocked heads while both holding playable pocket pairs. Vitaly Tolokonnikov and Lucasz Plichta both got their chips to the center pre-flop, with Plichta and his pocket eights at risk for elimination and behind Tolokonnikov’s pocket Queens. Both an eight and a Queen hit the flop but the case eight would not materialize for Plichta, sending him to the rail in fifth place. Once Arthur Simonyan was eliminated minutes later in fourth place, the final threesome would take a dinner break with the chip stacks nearly even.

After dinner the trio came back to the table and quickly set about deciding the champion of the Kyiv tournament. On the very first hand, Vitaly Tolokonnikov raised the bet only to have Lykov reraise the action. After Tolokonnikov moved in and was called by Lykov, Tolokonnikov was shown with the edge as his pocket sevens would be racing the A-J of Lykov. The flop missed Lykov completely but, when an Ace hit the turn, he took the lead in the hand. Since he couldn’t find one of the two remaining sevens on the river, Vitaly Tolokonnikov was eliminated in third place.

Lykov went to the heads up battle against Kyiv’s very own Alex Dovzhenko (who had eliminated Simonyan before dinner) with a 5-3 lead and gradually began to grind down the hometown favorite. The end came after almost an hour of play on what looked to be an innocent board of J-7-4-4. Lykov checked the action to Dovzhenko, who put a 400K bet in the pot. Lykov responded with a check raise to one million and Dovzhenko moved all in. Lykov called and showed 9-4 for turned trips. Dovzhenko could only muster a J-10 and, since no Jack came to the rescue, Maxim Lykov became the champion of the EPT Kyiv. The final table finish and the payouts after a six-hour battle looked like this:

1. Maxim Lykov (Russia) - €330,000 (approximately $473,000 U. S.)
2. Alex Dovzhenko (Ukraine) - €220,000
3. Vitaly Tolokonnikov (Russia) - €140,000
4. Arthur Simonyan (Russia) - €100,000
5. Lucasz Plichta (Poland) - €80,000
6. Adrian Schaap (Holland) - €60,000
7. Torsten Tent (Germany) - €45,000
8. Vadim Markushevski (Belarus) - €30,000

“I’m already thinking of my second title,” Lykov said after his dominant display in the first EPT event of Season Six. He will have that chance when the EPT moves to its next stop, Barcelona, from September 4^th through the 9^th. The €8000 buy in tournament should draw a sizeable crowd as Germany’s Sebastian Ruthenburg, a PokerStars sponsored pro, looks to defend his title on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.

EPT Kyiv crowns Russian champ

Maxim Lykov became the first Russian to book an EPT win Sunday, taking down the €5,000 PokerStars European Poker Tour Kyiv main event and its €330,000 first-place prize.

Lykov practically went wire-to-wire, grabbing the chip lead on Day 2 at the Kyiv Sports Palace and never letting go.

"When I had the chip lead on Days 2 and 3, I really felt quite confident that I would make the final table," he said. "I am very proud to win this. Ukraine and Russia are very close so I feel I have won for both countries.

"It was a hard contest, but I did believe I could do it and I was very focused."

The first event of the EPT's sixth season drew 296 players from 33 different countries to the Ukrainian capital, creating a €1,391,200 prize pool.

Having made third at the 2009 WSOP $5k No-Limit Hold'em Shootout for $145,000, the win bumped the 21-year-old Moscow native's career earnings to more than €600,000.

He said he now plans to play as many EPT events as possible, including the EPT Barcelona and EPT London next month.

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Maxim Lykov Wins The PokerStars European Poker Tour Kyiv Main Event

The inaugural PokerStars.net EPT Kyiv drew a respectable 296 players from 33 countries around the world, those numbers despite a frantic eleventh-hour move from Moscow here to the Ukraine. Just eight players returned to the Sport Palace today to...

Russians descend on EPT Kyiv

The EPT season was set to start in Moscow, Russia this month before the Russian Ministry of Youth, Sport and Tourism passed an order July 20 removing poker's status as a sport in Russia.

Four designated gambling zones were established on Russia soil July 1, effectively closing more than 500 casinos and slot machine halls in the capital.

Poker had been on a list of official sports in Russia drafted back in 2007 and as a result, cardrooms were allowed to continue operating.

Several casinos then jumped on board running under the guise they were poker-only establishments, forcing the Russian government to act and PokerStars to move its event to Kyiv.

Russian Team PokerStars Pro Alexander Kravchenko was one of the scant 129 players who showed up in Kyiv for Day 1a of the €5,000 PokerStars EPT Kyiv Sports Poker Championship and he said his government's move came as no surprise.

"It was not a surprise for me," he said. "I expected it because when Russia declared poker a sport, a lot of casinos carried on with their activities under cover."

For now, the 2007 WSOP Main Event final tablist says he expects poker will be forced to stay in the designated zones and he'll have to ply his trade away from home.

"I don't think the situation will change," he said. "The Russian government has allocated special places for playing poker in separate cities, similar to Las Vegas."

The designated gambling zones are all at least 1,000 kilometers from Moscow and since casino construction is not even close to completion, the rest of the Russian poker community appears to have its passports ready as well.

A whopping 54 of the 129 Day 1a starters in Kyiv were Russian.

Poker had seen a huge boom in Russia after Kravchenko and fellow Russian Ivan Demidov made the final table of the World Series Poker Main Event in 2007 and 2008 respectively.

Demidov also made the final table of the WSOP Europe Main Event along with fellow Russian Stanislav Alekhin, while Alexander Kostritsin won the 2008 Aussie Millions.

Catching the wave from the boom, PokerStars launched the Russian Poker Tour in 2008 with stops in St. Petersburg and Moscow.

2008 WSOP bracelet winner Vitaly Lunkin won the RPT Main Event in Moscow this past May besting a field of 207.

He went on to win the 2009 WSOP $40k 40th anniversary event and final table both the $10k Pot-Limit Omaha World Championship and the $50k H.O.R.S.E. this summer.

Now it appears the Russian poker boom has been stalled, on home soil at least.

"I have been traveling a lot for last two years, playing everywhere in poker tournaments," Kravchenko said. "Now I just think I will travel even more."

A total of 93 players survived Day 1a in Kyiv and a field of approximately 170 is expected for Day 1b Wednesday.

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Poker News in Brief: Aug 10-16, 2009

One would be wrong.

It's been as busy as ever and as part of PokerListings' ongoing News in Brief feature, we've compiled a list of stories that didn't quite make the front page this week, but are worth mentioning to the hardcore poker enthusiast.

This week we find the Borgata has dropped the buy-in for its WPT event, the Party Poker team is expanding and players at PKR and Everest Poker are finding life a little more enjoyable.

WPT Borgata buy-in drops

The buy-in for the World Poker Tour's Borgata Poker Open has been dropped from $10k to $3,500, but with a guaranteed prized pool of $2 million, organizers expect it to be as big as ever.

"With a $3,500 buy-in, televised WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship event and a guaranteed $2 million prize pool, anyone has the chance to take home the trophy and championship money," Borgata's Senior VP of Operations Joe Lupo said.

The 7th annual Borgata Poker Open is actually a 16-day series featuring a wide array of tournaments beginning Sept. 9 and culminating with the televised championship event Sept. 19-24.

To view the event schedule or for more information visit theborgata.com.

Party Poker signs German gamer

29-year-old Palladium Elite player Bodo Sbrzesny, a former semi-professional tennis player and professional video gamer from Bruchsal, Germany, has been signed to Party Poker's grassroots team.

In creating a grassroots team Party Poker is now sponsoring players with emphasis on VIPs, player loyalty and historic links to PartyPoker.com.

Sbrzesny joins France's Remy Biechel, Brazil's Felipe Ramos, the UK's Ian Frazer and the legendary Mike Sexton on the team.

PKR aims to Xhilirate

PKR.com is partnering with the pioneers of poker massage.

The online poker site has signed a deal to make Xhilarate the exclusive massage supplier for all PKR Live tournaments and PR functions.

Xhilarate's massage team has worked the World Series of Poker Europe and the Grosvenor ((UK Poker)) Tour in the past.

"Nothing quite compares to the glamour and style of the Xhilarate girls and their massages," Marketing Manager Erika Schwartz said.

Reach the summit

Everest Poker has made a series of improvements to its VIP Summit Club frequent player program.

It's now 40% easier to reach the first "Base Camp" level where players can take part in a $5k freeroll and turn points directly into cash.

The climb beyond Base Camp will also go much quicker with reduced tier thresholds.

Players who reach "The Summit", the top tier of the program, will also be rewarded with a 900% Summit Point bonus, 20% higher than before.

Kiev hosts gaming expo

EPT Moscow isn't the only thing moving to Kiev these days.

The two-day EELEX iGaming expo is headed to Kiev, Ukraine Sept. 10-11.

The aim of the expo is to answer questions regarding gaming in Russia and the Ukraine.

Mini booths will be equipped where visitors can get acquainted with solutions for Internet poker, casinos, sportsbooks and payment systems.

EPT Moscow was previously moved to Kiev due to a shift in poker's legal status in Russia.

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PokerStars EPT Series 6 – New schedule

Please note – There has been an important change to the 1st leg of the PokerStars European Poker Tour 6. The first venue, which was publicised as being held in Moscow, Russia has had to be changed to Kiev, Ukraine – the same Satellites and prize packages apply.

The Schedule – as of today now reads:- (more…)

Vitaly Lunkin - Poker Player Profile

With his runner up finish in the 2009 WSOP, Ivan Demidov may have cemented Russia’s place among the best pokering nations of the world, but Vitaly Lunkin is providing some staunch support to even further that claim. Getting his start in strategic games such as backgammon and Renju, Lunkin was introduced to poker by a friend and his never looked back. After dominating the competition on his home soil, Vitaly took his act on the road in 2006, cashing in the World Series of Poker Main Event for $15K. In 2008, Lunkin won his first bracelet in the $1500 No Limit Hold’em event for $630K.

By 2009, Vitaly Lunkin was already a respected poker professional, but just in case anybody doubted him, he won his second WSOP event, taking down the $40K 40th Annual No Limit Hold’em for a staggering $1.8 million. With the win, Lunkin pushed his career live poker earnings up over $3 million, good for third place on the Russian All Time Money List.

Vitaly Lunkin currently resides in Moscow where he works as a professional poker trainer and coach.

PokerStars EPT Moscow - “To Be or Not to Be?”

Current reports have been up in the air as to whether or not the PokerStars European Poker Tour stop in Moscow will be taking place in August. The reason for the controversy is because the Russian Ministry of Youth, Sport and Tourism in Russia passed an order on July 20th ...

PokerStars EPTMoscow - “To Be or Not to Be?”

Current reports have been up in the air as to whether or not the PokerStars European Poker Tour stop in Moscow will be taking place in August. The reason for the controversy is because the Russian Ministry of Youth, Sport and Tourism in Russia passed an order on July ...

Poker News in Brief: July 20-26, 2009

EPT Moscow moving to Kiev, Ukraine, durrrr having a $1 million day and both Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars setting some online records headline the list.

But there were plenty of smaller poker stories you may have missed that still deserve some ink.

Fortunately, as part of our weekly Poker News in Brief segment, we've tracked down several underrated poker stories that didn't make the front page but are well worth mentioning.

This week we've got a well-known poker player heading into space, more fallout from National Poker week and an online tournament player winning, well, an online tournament.

Online poker debate on CNBC

Yet more mainstream media coverage of the ongoing battle to legalize online poker.

This clip appeared on CNBC and it features John Pappas of the PPA facing off against Les Bernal of Stop Predatory Gambling in a Head 2 Head segment.

Pappas made a fairly succinct argument for regulating online poker while Bernal appeared woefully misinformed about how online poker rooms generate revenue. Score one for online poker.

Number crunch from National Poker Week

Dan Michalski has an interesting post over at Pokerati about some of the numbers that have come out of National Poker Week.

Perhaps the most important number is the 150,000 poker-related letters to members of Congress in July. Pokerati also reported that over 40 lobbyists were engaged with the National Poker Week initiative.

Although poker obviously had a strong presence in Washington this week we've yet to hear much back in terms of getting online poker legalized and regulated.

ESPN to launch online-only poker show

Wicked Chops Poker has a story about ESPN producing a 30 minute online-only poker show.

The show, rumored to be appearing within the next few weeks, has yet to name a host but one has to wonder if current poker commentators Norman Chad or Lon McEachern will be involved.

Guy Laliberte blasts off

In a story that is somewhat related to poker, well-known high stakes poker player Guy Laliberte is getting ready for his trip into space.

Laliberte, who is more famous for starting Cirque du Soleil and being one of the richest men in the world, is scheduled to launch into space on Sept. 30 according to Cnet.

It is believed that Laliberte is spending more than $35 million to become one of the first civilians to make his way into space. We're betting that Tom Dwan, Phil Ivey and Patrik Antonius have a better idea for how Laliberte could have spent $35 million.

Apparently Laliberte is planning on teaching his crewmates on the space shuttle a few card tricks. No word as to whether that includes poker.

Justin Bonomo can still kill online

Although in recent years Justin "ZeeJustin" Bonomo has started to make a name for himself in live tournaments, he can still take down a big online tournament when he feels like it.

On Tuesday Bonomo outlasted 388 entrants to take down the $1,050 Super Tuesday event on PokerStars. Bonomo bested Mumtum23 in heads-up play to take down a cool $75,855.

It was particularly impressive considering Bonomo's three-year ban from PokerStars for multi-accounting had just been lifted. PokerStars players would do well to avoid ZeeJustin in future tournaments.

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EPT Moscow Canceled, Replaced by EPT Kiev

In breaking news from PokerStars, the inaugural European Poker Tour (EPT) event in Moscow, Russia has been canceled. In its place, the EPT will travel to Kiev, Ukraine for a €5,000 buy-in tournament on August 18th, the beginning of EPT Season 6.

EPT Kiev marks the first stop of Season 6 of the roving tournament series. In a statement released by PokerStars on Friday, the world’s most popular online poker site revealed why Moscow will no longer serve as the kickoff city: “That event has been canceled because our ability to run the event was placed in doubt due to the recent closure of all casinos in Russia.” The Moscow festivities were scheduled to take place at the Radisson SAS Slavyanskaya. The statement continues, “Euro Poker Tour Ltd. sincerely apologizes to all players who were intending to attend the Moscow event, but unfortunately these circumstances were beyond our control.”

Players who qualified for an EPT Moscow travel package from PokerStars will be able to exchange it for buy-in and hotel for the Kiev event. Alternately, players may receive a credit for a future EPT event or elect to collect cash. While visiting Russia required visas for PokerStars players from around the world, heading to the Ukraine for fewer than 90 days does not require documents for Americans, Canadians, and Europeans. The Sports Palace Kiev will serve as the host venue in the Ukrainian city and the €5,000 buy-in Main Event will be preceded by a welcome party.

All EPT Season 6 events employ the same tournament structure. Players begin with a stack of 30,000 chips and blinds start at 50-100. On Day 1, the price of poker increases every 60 minutes. On Day 2 and beyond, blinds go up every 75 minutes. Antes kick in at Level 5, when blinds are 150-300.

Here is the revised schedule for EPT Season 6 reflecting the cancellation of the Moscow event:

EPT Kiev (Ukraine): August 18th to 23rd
Buy-In: €5,000
Capacity: 600
Venue: Sports Palace Kiev

EPT Barcelona (Spain): September 4th to 9th
Buy-In: €8,300
Capacity: 700
Venue: Casino Barcelona

EPT London (United Kingdom): October 2nd to 7th
Buy-In: ?5,250
Capacity: 800
Venue: Hilton London Metropole

EPT Warsaw (Poland): October 20th to 25th
Buy-In: 25,000K PLN
Capacity: 400
Venue: Casinos Poland

EPT Vilamoura (Portugal): November 17th to 22nd
Buy-In: €5,300
Capacity: 600
Venue: Vilamoura Casino

EPT Prague (Czech Republic): December 1st to 6th
Buy-In: €5,250
Capacity: 600
Venue: Golden Prague Poker

PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (Bahamas): January 4th to 14th
Buy-In: $10,600
Capacity: 1,600
Venue: Atlantis Hotel and Casino

PokerStars officials are expecting that the new Kiev event will be the “largest poker tournament ever held in the Ukraine.” The event will mark the first time the EPT has traveled to Ukrainian soil. Similarly, EPT Vilamoura will be the first EPT event held in Portugal. PokerStars has not yet released the second half of the EPT Season 6 schedule, which is expected to culminate once again in the Monte Carlo Grand Final, held annually in April in Monaco.

Other changes to the EPT schedule for Season 6 include the London festivities moving from the Grosvenor Victoria Casino to the Hilton London Metropole. The new digs will provide more space for the annual gala in the historic European city. Players gravitated to EPT events in large numbers last season. A total prize pool of €55 million was up for grabs during Season 5, battled for by 7,980 players from a whopping 97 countries. According to PokerStars, the four richest tournaments outside of the United States last year were EPT events: the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure ($12.7 million), Monte Carlo Grand Final ($12.3 million), EPT San Remo ($7.5 million), and EPT Barcelona ($7 million).

Stay tuned for more EPT news right here on Poker News Daily.

European Poker Tour Relocates Russian Stop to Ukraine

The PokerStars.com European Poker Tour has announced that the August, 2009 EPT Russian Open, scheduled to be held in Moscow, has been moved to Kiev...

EPT — Moscow, Russia Stop moved to Kiev, Ukraine

Here is the official press release from PokerStars regarding the move of the first stop for season six on the European Poker Tour …

EPT: Goodbye Moscow, hello Kiev

The Moscow leg of the European Poker Tour, scheduled to kick the tour's sixth season off in August, was put in jeopardy when the Russian Ministry of Youth, Sport and Tourism passed an order July 20 removing poker's status as a sport, effectively banishing the game to the country's four newly designated gambling zones, all outside the Russian capital.

A release from PokerStars Friday now claims the event has been cancelled because the EPT's ability to run the event was placed in doubt.

In its place, the EPT will open season six in Kiev, Ukraine August 18-23 with the "EPT Kiev Sports Poker Championship" featuring a €5,000 Main Event.

The Kiev Sports Palace will play host to the event in the heart of the Ukrainian capital.

PokerStars players who have already qualified for the Moscow event can have their packages converted to EPT Kiev, take a credit for a future event, or receive the cash equivalent.

The Ukraine does not require visas for citizens of the European Union, United States or Canada when travelling for less than 90 days.

"We appreciate the opportunity to bring the EPT to beautiful and historic Kiev and look forward to exploring the sights, sounds and flavors of the rich Ukrainian culture," the release states.

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EPT Moscow marches on?

The Russian Ministry of Youth, Sport and Tourism passed an order July 20 removing poker's status as a sport, effectively banishing the game to the country's four newly designated gambling zones, all outside the Russian capital.

The PokerStars European Poker Tour had planned to kick off its sixth season in Moscow August 17-23 and PokerStars Press Officer Donna McLoughlin says despite the order, those plans have not changed.

"As far as I know EPT Moscow is still going ahead," she told PokerListings. "We are looking into the situation in Russia and if there are any updates we will let you know."

However, Dmitry Lesnoy, president of the Russian Sports Poker Federation, seems less optimistic.

"We are very sorry to lose our image in the eyes of the international poker community that was hoping to see the European Poker Tournament in Moscow this year," an official statement from the Federation reads.

"It will be a great pity for us if Russian poker stars move abroad to play under the flags of other countries. But we have to accept the inevitable."

Satellites for EPT Moscow are still currently running on PokerStars daily.

Related Articles:

• EPT Moscow cancelled?

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EPT Moscow cancelled?

The Russian Ministry of Youth, Sport and Tourism passed an order July 20 removing poker's status as a sport.

"We have made a change in the Russian list of sports, approved by the order of the Russian State physical training and sport committee on January 1, 2004," Russian Youth, Sport and Toursim Minister Vitaly Mutko said in a release. "We have stricken poker off the list."

According to the Ministry, this means anyone involved in any game of poker outside of specifically designated gambling zones could face prosecution.

Four designated gambling zones were established in Russia July 1, but all are at least 1,000 kilometers from Moscow, effectively closing more than 500 casinos and slot machine halls in the Russian capital.

Poker appeared to be exempt from the initial gambling ban because it was on a list of official sports in Russia drafted back in 2007 and several casinos continued to operate as card rooms after July 1.

However, Mutko now claims that was a mistake and has taken poker off the list.

"The decision to include poker on the official list of sports should be taken by special Ministry commission, but not by the chief of Russian State Physical Training and Sport Committee," Mutko said. "What's more, the decision should be registered by the Justice Ministry, which wasn't done."

The PokerStars European Poker Tour had planned to kick off its sixth season with a stop in Moscow August 17-23, but Monday's decision may leave the event in peril.

Officials at PokerStars and the European Poker Tour have yet to respond to queries regarding the status of the event.

The four designated gambling zones include Kaliningrad, the Primorsky region, the Altai region in Siberia and the cities of Krasnodar and Rostov, although construction at these sites is reportedly in the early stages and could be months or years from completion.

Poker has seen a huge boom in Russia since Russians Alexander Kravchenko and Ivan Demidov made the final table of the World Series Poker Main Event in 2007 and 2008 respectively.

PokerStars launched the Russian Poker Tour in 2008 with stops in St. Petersburg and Moscow.

2008 WSOP bracelet winner Vitaly Lunkin won the RPT Main Event in Moscow this past May, going on the win the 2009 WSOP $40k 40th anniversary event this summer.

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EPT Founder John Duthie Discusses Season 6 Schedule

The sixth season of the PokerStars-sponsored European Poker Tour (EPT) kicks off on August 18th with a brand new stop in Moscow, Russia. The tournament series will also make its first sojourn to Portugal. Poker News Daily sat down with EPT Founder and Team PokerStars Pro member John Duthie to get his take.

Poker News Daily: Talk about the planning that went into the EPT Season 6 schedule.

Duthie: This is now the sixth season of the tour and the majority of our events are held in well-established venues with people we are used to dealing with, which makes the planning stage much easier. Scheduling itself becomes more of an issue as more and more events need to be accounted for.

PND: Talk about the additions of stops in Portugal and Russia. What makes them appealing for poker players?

Duthie: Both new venues have their own unique appeal to players and to us as emerging markets. Russia has enormous potential, where many people have been brought up playing games like chess. It is a natural transition to poker, evident by the phenomenal success of Russian players on the worldwide stage. There are already some exciting new events in Russia, namely the PokerStars-sponsored Russian Poker Tour, and we hope to add to this with the new EPT event in Moscow in August.

Portugal has always been one of my favorite destinations in Europe and I am delighted that we are finally going to be holding an event there. This will be a wonderful opportunity for players to take in the sights of Vilamoura and maybe get a few rounds of golf in. Poker in Portugal is growing day by day. Hopefully, the EPT will act as a catalyst and we will see poker booming there in the years to come.

PND: What has made the EPT such a phenomenal success, breaking records for prize pools and fields across Europe?

Duthie: The support of the players is the simple answer to this. The EPT offers so much more than simply a major poker tournament circuit. We offer venues in some of the most beautiful and inspiring cities in the world, which is where we differ from the U.S. tours. Combine this with the fact that you can play in European casinos at the age of 18 and this represents the perfect opportunity for younger players to see the world for nothing if they qualify on PokerStars.

PND: Tell us how the EPT began.

Duthie: I simply put the existing individual tournaments in Europe into an organized tour and then negotiated the filming of them for broadcast. The partnership with PokerStars has always been crucial, as they provided the critical mass of players the tour needed from the outset to make it such a success. It grew exponentially from there.

PND: Are there any visa requirements or other legal obstacles for players wanting to compete in the Moscow stop?

Duthie: Yes. Visas are required for traveling to Moscow. These can easily be obtained from your local Russian consulate or by using one of the many “Visa Express” services available for a small fee. It’s a good stamp to have in your passport too!

PND: Talk about your runner-up performance to Leo Wolpert in the No Limit Hold’em Heads-Up Championship at the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP).

Duthie: It was a great moment in my poker career and, while I was disappointed not to win, I felt I played my best poker and was unlucky not to take it down. Leo was a formidable opponent and played some great poker.

PND: How did you get started in poker?

Duthie: I saw some guys playing Seven Card Stud at the Victoria Casino about 15 years ago. I started chatting with them and the rest is history.

PND: The first seven events of EPT Season 6 have been released. Are there any details you can share about the final six stops?

Duthie: They will almost definitely be the same as last season, with one special surprise event, but until the dates and venues are secured, I would prefer not to shed too much light.

Lisandro Wins Third Bracelet at 2009 World Series of Poker

Jeff Lisandro became only the fifth player in World Series of Poker history to win three gold bracelets within a single year by winning the $2,500 Razz Event (#44) Wednesday evening. A large crowd assembled in the Amazon Room to watch the Italian collect $188,390 by defeating a field of 315 players to pick up his fourth career bracelet. He has now cashed six times at the 2009 WSOP for a total of $807,486.

All of Lisandro’s wins this year have come in Seven-card events. His victories in Event No. 16 ($1,500 Seven-card Stud), Event No. 37 ($10,000 Seven-card Stud Eight-or-better World Championship), and Wednesday’s Seven-card Razz event give him a bracelet in each Stud format.

The other four players to win three bracelets in one year were Puggy Pearson (1973), Ted Forrest (1993), Phil Hellmuth (1993), and Phil Ivey (2002). Based on field sizes, however, Lisandro’s feat is the most remarkable of the five players who share the record. He defeated a total of 835 players (combined) in his three gold bracelet wins. Phil Ivey defeated 529 players during his run in 2002.

Lisandro wiped out the Razz final table almost single-handedly, knocking out six of the eight players, including the final four. No player ever came within 2 to 1 of his chip lead and it was the shortest final table of any of the 44 events completed so far at this year’s WSOP, taking just two hours and 44 minutes.

The final day of the event began with 13 players, and some big names fell on the way down to the final table, including Ville Wahlbeck, Nikolay Evdakov and Al Barbieri. Wahlbeck had an opportunity to make his fourth final table of this year’s WSOP but entered the day as the short stack and failed to squeeze his way in. Evdakov continues to rack up cashes – this was his fifth at this year’s WSOP.  The Moscow native now has 15 cashes since the start of the 2008 WSOP, which is the most of any player.  Evdakov broke the record for most cashes within a single year at last year’s WSOP with 10.

Lisandro was the only player at the final table that had previously won a bracelet. It was a table filled with colorful personalities, as Allen Bari, Kenna James, and noted poker author Michael Craig were among the final nine. Bari, who won a WSOP Circuit event held at Caesars Atlantic City last year, spent much of the three days jokingly complaining about the tediousness of Razz, but managed to take home $19,880 for his eighth place finish.

Kenna James finished in sixth. Considered one of the most accomplished players to never win a WSOP bracelet, the animated James earned $29,472 over the three days. He now has more than $3 million in career tournament earnings.

Craig finished runner-up to Lisandro and received $116,405. He is most famous for writing “The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King”, which is a true story about the highest-stakes cash game in poker history. Craig has also proven his competency on the felt by making three WSOP final tables.

Here’s a look at the final results of the $2,500 Razz Event (#44):

1. Jeffrey Lisandro - $188, 390
2. Michael Craig - $116,405
3. Ryan Fisler - $76,260
4. Warwick Mirzikinian - $52,772
5. Eric Rodawig - $38,470
6. Kenna James - $29,472
7. Steven Diano - $23,669
8. Allen Bari - $19,880

Two more champions will be crowned at the Rio on Thursday. The $10,000 Pot Limit Hold’em World Championship gets underway at 1:00 p.m. Vegas time with fourteen players preparing to play down to a winner. John Kabbaj takes a commanding lead into the final day but PokerStars Team Pro member J.C. Alvarado and bracelet winners Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin, Davidi Kitai, and Jason Lester are in the mix vying for the $633,335 prize.

The other event concluding Thursday is the $2,500 Omaha Hi/Lo 8-or-better (Event #46). Twenty-four players remain with chip leader Mark Tenner currently in the driver’s seat. Notables still in the field include Mike Matusow, John Monnette, CK Hua, and Mark Gregorich. The winner will collect $229,192

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for continuing coverage of the 2009 World Series of Poker.

PokerStars EPT Series 6

PokerStars European Poker Tour Series 6 is nearly here, the EPT is the richest live poker series in Europe, and there are brand new venues added this year. This is the live tournament series where the greatest names in poker play for millions of dollars. Last year in Season 5 the prize pools totalled an enormous $60,000,000 – wow what a huge payday! With new venues added Season 6 EPT will be played at such venues as London, Barcelona, Moscow, Vilamoura (Portugal) and includes the ever popular Bahamas PokerStars Adventure all culminating in the prestigious Grand Final, not confirmed, usually held in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

The EPT venues (so far) have just been released and are set out below, there are still details to be ironed out and further information will be reported here, so these fixtures are subject to change, as soon as we know – so will you – watch this space!

Event	Date	Venue	Buy-In
EPT Moscow	August 18-23	Radisson SAS	RUB 212,000
EPT Barcelona	September 4-9	Casino Barcelona	€ 8,300
EPT London	October 2-7	Hilton Metropole	£5,250
EPT Warsaw	October 20-25	Hyatt Regency	PLN 25,000
EPT Vilamoura	November 17-22	To be confirmed	€ 5,300
EPT Prague	December 1-6	Hilton	€ 5,250
EPT PokerStars Caribbean Adventure	January 4-14	Atlantis	To be confirmed

Make sure that this year you are part of the EPT action, satellites are running NOW for the first of the series to be held in Moscow this August 17th. Access the PokerStars lobby then Events then EPT and you will see that the satellites are running all day, every day with a wide range of buy ins to suit every players bankroll, there really is something for everyone and satellites start from as little as:-

• Cash from $2.22
• FPPs from 111
• Steps from $7.50 or 500FPP’s

The EPT Moscow prize package up for grabs is worth a generous $9,700 and includes:-

• Tournament buy in
• Hotel accommodation
• Expenses

If it’s your ambition to play poker and travel the world then this is the series for you, and, don’t forget you’ll be a member of Team PokerStars and will get to wear, and keep, cool PokerStars threads.

Yet again, those great guys at PokerStars have produced an ace promotion with satellites running to suit all budgets. If you’ve not yet signed up to Pokerstars – the biggest and best online poker site on the planet – do it NOW to take advantage of the limited offer of $300k in freerolls (June only) and a sign up bonus of 100% up to $50. To ensure you receive your full entitlement to sign up incentives use the PokerStars Marketing Code DIRPOKER and PokerStars Bonus Code RF300. If you want to learn more about PokerStars take a look at our topical PokerStars Review.

All Russian Casinos Due to Close in July

In Russia, there are 30 casinos and more than 500 slot machine halls in Moscow alone, but according to news site TheIndependent.co.uk, a law implemented on Jul. 1 will see …

EPT Season 6 set to be biggest yet

"The new EPT season includes many events which have made the past five seasons such a triumph with world-record-breaking fields and prize pools across Europe," said John Duthie, chief executive of the PokerStars.com European Poker Tour.

"We have set very high standards and we aim to improve on them still further in Season 6 - with new additions to the schedule as well as a richer mix of games and buy-ins to cater to more players."

Last year's EPT overtook the WPT in terms of players and winnings, according to PokerStars, with an overall prize pool of almost €55 million (approx $77 million USD) and 7,980 players from 97 countries.

And last year's Grand Final winner, Team PokerStars Pro Netherlands member Pieter de Korver, beat out a record-breaking 935 players to take the first prize of €2.3 million ($3.2 million USD).

"This year's EPT will be bigger and better than ever, kicking off in August in one of our newly scheduled destinations - magnificent Moscow in Russia.

"Overall, the tour will visit an unprecedented 13 countries. As well as Russia, the tour will include new stops in Portugal this November, and other destinations to be announced shortly," said Duthie.

Online satellites for EPT Moscow start today on Poker Stars.

The schedule as announced so far:

Tournament	City /Country	Dates	Buy-In	CAP
EPT Moscow	Moscow, Russia	Aug 18-23	200K+12K RUB	600
EPT Barcelona	Barcelona, Spain	Sept 4-9	8,000+300 EUR	700
EPT London	London, U.K.	Oct 1-7	5,000+250 GBP	800
EPT Warsaw	Warsaw, Poland	Oct 20-25	20K+1K PLN	400
EPT Vilamoura	Vilamoure, Portugal	Nov 17-22	5,000+300 EUR	600
EPT Prague	Prague, Czech Republic	Dec 1-6	5,000+250 EUR	600
PCA	Atlantis Resort, Bahamas	Jan 4-14	10,000+600 USD	1600

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PokerStars Announces EPT Season 6 Schedule

Thirteen countries will host tournaments as part of the sixth season of the PokerStars-sponsored European Poker Tour (EPT). The festivities kick off on August 17th from Moscow, a brand new addition to the EPT schedule of events.

PokerStars unveiled a total of seven events on Monday. The number of countries visited increases to 13 during Season Six, including new stops in Portugal and Russia. John Duthie, Chief Executive of the world’s most popular online poker room, commented in a press release, “The new EPT season includes many events which have made the past five seasons such a triumph with record breaking fields and prize pools across Europe. We have set very high standards and we aim to improve on this still further in Season Six - with new additions to the schedule as well as a richer mix of games and buy-ins to cater to more players.”

The total prize pool of the Season Five EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final exceeded €9.3 million, which, according to PokerStars, was the largest European tournament prize pool ever. Pieter De Korver emerged as its champion, pocketing €2.3 million and besting a final table that also included professional poker player Dag Martin Mikkelsen. The 935 players who turned out to the storied Monaco casino comprised the largest field ever for the event, which serves as the finale of each EPT season. The Season Five PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, Monte Carlo Grand Final, San Remo, and Barcelona tournaments were “the four richest prize pools available in poker tournaments outside the United States” over the past year.

Here’s a look at the first six tournaments to be held as part of EPT Season Six. The remainder of the schedule has not yet been released:

EPT Moscow: August 18th to August 23rd
Buy-in: 200,000 + 12,000 RUB
Host Venue: Radisson SAS
Host Country: Russia

EPT Barcelona: September 4th to September 9th
Buy-in: €8,000 + €300
Host Venue: Casino Barcelona
Host Country: Spain

EPT London: October 1st to October 7th
Buy-in: ?5,000 + ?250
Host Venue: Hilton Metropole
Host Country: England

EPT Warsaw: October 20th to October 25th
Buy-in: 20,000 + 1,000 PLN
Host Venue: Hyatt Regency
Host Country: Poland

EPT Vilamoura: November 17th to November 22nd
Buy-in: €5,000 + €300
Host Venue: Casino Vilamoura
Host Country: Portugal

EPT Prague: December 1st to December 6th
Buy-in: €5,000 + €250
Host Venue: Hilton Prague
Host Country: Czech Republic

PokerStars Caribbean Adventure: January 4th to January 14th
Buy-in: $10,000 + $600
Host Venue: Atlantis Hotel and Casino
Host Country: Bahamas

Players will need to secure their spots before each tournament reaches its predetermined capacity. The Poland stop has the smallest cap at 400 players, while Moscow, Vilamoura, and Prague can each accommodate 600 runners. The EPT’s Barcelona stop has a capacity of 700 players and the London tournament reaches its maximum when 800 poker hopefuls sign up. The largest field will undoubtedly occur in the Bahamas, where the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure can accommodate 1,600 players. Last year, the EPT’s lone Western Hemisphere sojourn attracted 1,347 entrants and was won by Canadian poker player Poorya Nazari, who took home $3 million.

Satellites for the Moscow stop began today on PokerStars and start at $2.20. Packages up for grabs on the USA-friendly site include hotel, tournament entry, and spending money. The poker world will anxiously await the London festivities, which will once again feature High Roller and Omaha events. Last year, American Michael Martin won the EPT London Main Event, while newly minted World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet holder Jason Mercier took down the High Roller event for nearly $1 million, besting 2008 WSOP Europe Main Event Champion and Full Tilt Poker pro John Juanda heads-up. Others at the final table of the High Roller spectacle were Isaac Haxton, Scotty Nguyen, David Benyamine, Isabelle Mercier, and Mike “SirWatts” Watson.

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest EPT news and results.

Discussions With the Russians

After six months in Moscow, teaching post-Soviet situation comedy, I’ve finally put …

Vitaliy Lunkin wins Poker Stars Russia

While the Eurovision Song Contest may have dominated the headlines in Moscow over the past few days a rather important poker tournament was taking place just down the road at the Renaissance Hotel. A high quality field of 206 players including WSOP bracelet winner Alex Kravchenko and WSOP Main Event finalist Ivan Demidov bought in to the $7,000 PokerStars Russia Main Event.

Lunkin wins Russian Poker Tour Moscow

The backgammon player and Renju champion snatched the $445,709 first-place prize from a final table that included Team PokerStars Pros and WSOP Main Event final tablists Alexander Kravchenko and Ivan Demidov.

Lunkin, a Full Tilt Pro, was one of the short stacks coming into the final nine but managed to turn things around rather quickly, going into heads-up with Vyacheslav Goryachev holding a massive chip lead.

In the end, his pair of tens held against Goryachev's ace-six to book the win in front of a raucous crowd at Moscow's Renaissance Hotel.

A total of 206 players put up the $7,000 buy-in for the event. The top 27 were paid.

The former manager of a dietary supplement company, Lunkin has been a fixture in the burgeoning Russian poker scene over the past five years and won a WSOP bracelet in a $1,500 NLHE event in 2008.

Born and raised in Moscow, he now works as a professional poker trainer and coach for Poker Moscow.

With the win, Lunkin moves over the $1 million mark in career tournament earnings.

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Vitaly Lunkin Wins the Russian Poker Tour Moscow Main Event

The PokerStars Russian Poker Tour Moscow main event, which took place over the weekend, was won by Russian poker player Vitaly Lunkin. Lunkin first emerged on the poker scene …