Poker News

Victory Poker Launches February 1st

One day prior to Super Bowl XLIV between the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints, officials from Victory Poker will celebrate the site’s launch at a party at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas. The online poker room will open for business on February 1st.

Victory Poker will make its home on the merged Everleaf/UPN network, which has yet to take on an official name. According to PokerScout.com, the newly created network will boast traffic similar to that of Betfair, which has a seven-day running average of 610 real money ring game players. A press release announcing the Trash Talk Championship of the World Straddle Tournament at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas on February 6th revealed that the Victory Poker launch party would occur at 10:00pm following the festivities.

UFC’s Randy Couture will be sporting a Victory Poker logo when he takes to the ring in UFC 109 against Mark Coleman. The bout emanates from the Mandalay Bay Events Center near the Hard Rock and will also feature Nate Marquardt facing off against Chael Sonnen and Matt Serra fighting Frank Trigg. The first brawl takes place at 4:45pm, while televised matches start at 7:00pm. Couture will don a dot-net logo for the new online poker room.

Antonio Esfandiari headlines the Victory Poker stable of pros. A World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, Esfandiari has become widely known for his insatiable appetite for prop bets. He even co-starred with his close friend Phil Laak on the MOJO show “I Bet You,” which ran for two seasons on the cable station. Esfandiari has three WPT final tables to his credit and one title, which came in the Season 2 L.A. Poker Classic. At the tender age of 31, Esfandiari is one of the veterans of the game.

Jumping over from DoylesRoom to be a part of Victory Poker is Alec “traheho” Torelli. The Cake Poker Network site and Torelli severed ties two weeks ago. Torelli has made two WPT final tables, finishing fourth in both the Bellagio Cup V and Solvakia events. The former will air its finale at 11:00pm ET on Fox Sports Net this Sunday in a one-hour episode. Poker Hall of Fame member Mike Sexton and actor Vince Van Patten will once again provide commentary for Season 8 of the WPT.

Coming over from Full Tilt Poker are Paul Wasicka and Lee Markholt. The latter was removed in recent days as a Full Tilt Red Pro and finished fourth in the WSOP Circuit Championship in Tunica four years ago for $183,000. In addition, Markholt won the WPT Season 6 World Poker Challenge in Reno for $493,000 and owns $1.3 million in career earnings from the roving tournament series. Wasicka was the runner-up to Jamie Gold in the 2006 WSOP Main Event, earning a colossal $6.1 million.

Also appearing in the Victory Poker pro lineup is Chinese Poker sensation Danny Wong. Owning the moniker “Chinese Poker Wizard,” Wong learned to play the game’s variation at age five. Despite his success in Chinese Poker, he’s also excelled in No Limit Texas Hold’em, making three WPT final tables. Joining Wong will be online poker pro Brian “tsarrast” Rast.

Those who watched the 2009 WSOP Main Event on ESPN will recall the deep run of the “Flying” Bilzerian brothers. Dan Bilzerian, who finished 180th, will become part of the Victory Poker cast. In his final hand of the $10,000 buy-in feature tournament, Bilzerian committed his stack with A-6, but could not best Jonathan “driverseati” Tamayo’s pocket tens. His brother, Adam Bilzerian, renounced his U.S. citizenship and is now a passport holder of St. Kitts and Nevis.

Other Victory Poker pros include Andrew "good2cu" Robl, Keith Gipson, David “The Maven” Chicotsky, Sander Lylloff., and 2007 Playboy Playmate of the Year Sara Underwood. The site is scheduled to launch on February 1st and will accept players from the United States.

The Trash Talk Championship is a $1,000 buy-in charity poker tournament benefiting the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Program and Cedars-Sinai.

Poker in Twitter: Deauville, Football, Kat von D and Victoria Coren’s duck.

Poker News Daily scours the Twitter feeds of hundreds of poker players to bring you the funniest, most interesting, weirdest Tweets of the last few days. This weekend saw many players tweeting about the tournaments they were in, which included the UBOC, the LAPC and the EPT Deauville. Other popular topics this week were football (the poker world seems to support the Saints almost unanimously) and other sports, as well as new houses, tattoos by Kat von D, and a river card made to measure for Eric Mizrachi.
The online cards were good for some and cruel to others: while Dave “Hollywood_Dave” Stann challenged players to face him at Ultimate Bet: “Rockin UBOC on UB right now...come join so I can felt you, too ”, Liv Boeree was not having such a great day: “finished 42nd in UBOC 8 for $6300. Set of 33s get it all in on turn... he rivers 9 for higher set. Laptop across the room time.” Eric Mizrachi could have shared some of his luck with her, as he boasted a screenshot from a spectacular river card in Poker Stars:  “Deliver the nice river, Ty @pokerstars_com http://twitpic.com/zmlrd”

Tournament manager supreme Matt Savage kept the world informed of the progress of the LAPC, starting with a comment on his famously grueling schedules: “We have completed days 1A/1B or .5 of the 51 events at this years @LAPokerClassic! Not sure what I was thinking when I made this schedule?” Apparently Mr. Savage is superstitious, since he made Dave Stann back off from certain comments that might bring the tournament ill luck: “@Hollywood_Dave please do NOT mention LAPC = Going Well and Obama Presidency = F'ing Up Country in same tweet! You may jinx us here in LA.” No jinx was apparent to Rob Perelman, who tweeted in delight: “Heads up pot. Final board A4444. Check check. Then 2nd guy tries to muck. This is why I love the @LAPokerClassic!” Some of poker’s hottest ladies were in attendance after trotting the globe in The Amazing Race last year; Tiffany Michelle posted a picture of her view from the table: “http://twitpic.com/z4bfu - Playin the 1st LAPC event, nice view - this girl follows me everywhere ”

The poker world followed the NFC very closely last weekend, and the general feeling seemed to favor the Saints, although Doyle Brunson voiced his admiration for the Vikings’ legendary quarterback: “Brett Favre has balls the size of basketballs.” Favre was the man of the day, with praise and heckles piled on him via Twitter. Gene Bromberg tried to be fair: “I gleefully join in on Favrebashing, but that should've been a flag. Low, late hit, gotta call that”, Justin “BoostedJ” Smith blamed it on the team: “@shannonelizab The vikings aren't even giving Favre a chance to win”, and Joe Sebok cheered and booed: “yes, saints! boo favre & vikings. city of new orleans deserves this... ” Shannon Elizabeth, who tweeted throughout the game, was a happy fan when the fat lady sang: “Congrats Saints! GREAT GAME!!”

The EPT Deauville had two excellent commentators in Vicky Coren and Isabelle Mercier, both of whom tweeted frequently with updates on their own performance and those of friends and team members. Coren had never been able to survive Deauville’s Day 1, and was hoping this year would be it: “It's Day 1 of the Deauville EPT. I've played this three times before and never survived Day One. Let's see if I can break my duck” (“Breaking one’s duck” is a British expression, originally from cricket, that means doing something for the first time.) Coren tried hard, and kept updating on her status to add to the suspense: “We started with 30k in chips. I went down to 4k, now up to 20k, tiptoeing between the outdraws. Two more levels and the duck gets it...” The duck, however, remains unbroken, as she got busted out in Day 1 once more. Fellow Brit Matthew Grant commiserated with some historic consolation: “@VictoriaCoren Nevermind, the only victory that matters near Deauville happened in 1944 ” Coren marveled at Mercier’s youthful looks when they sat together: “Ex Team Pro Isabelle Mercier is on my table, looking incredible. She just doesn't age, that woman. Is it a French thing?” It may have been Mercier’s joy at playing in Deauville, which she tweeted happily about: “Deauville Deauville! Always loved this French little piece of paradise... Especially when it's GAME DAY !!!! ... http://bit.ly/5V41EV” Mercier’s joie de vivre did not last very long, however, as she tweeted from her Facebook account: “Busted out few hours ago holding pocket 10's against poker Jacks and pocket Aces!!! Turned blue and slowly getting... http://bit.ly/4sN0Rb”

Celebrity tattoo artist Kat von D, from the TV show LA Ink, has been leaving her mark on the poker world. First she tattooed Tiffany Michelle, who shared a photo of her tattoo: “Pics of my tatt that Kat did on her show are on my website www.tiffanymichelle.com under the 'Film, TV, Shows' Gallery ” and more recently on Pearl Aday, as tweeted by heavy metal poker star Scott Ian: “Kat Von D shooting Pearl right now.” If he does not shape up to his crazy prop bet, Joe Sebok could be next.

Sebok got some unflattering tweets regarding his stunning new LA home – @DougLeePoker remarked acidly: “@JoeSebok Wow, sick place! and all you had to do was align yourself with a company that has stolen millions from their customers. Well Done!” Sebok’s affiliation with Ultimate Bet is evidently not well accepted by the poker world.

There were many random tweets on off topics that seemed too interesting to pass by, so here is a brief overview of the weird and wonderful tweets of this weekend. There is the cheerful but always cryptic Marcel Luske: “Just an other day,,, more news ,, more twitters , more closely 2 Our goalls & destiny,so enjoin the day & feel great & help others . {;”, a very happy tweet from Eric Mizrachi: “Got some GREAT NEWS today, my friend Myrielle "Meeyu" Pierre survived the earthquake. C U tomm Meeyu! http://twitpic.com/y267b”, some naughtiness from Gavin Griffin: “We just backed into someone's driver's side door and left an 8 square inch dent. Gave em 100 bucks. Win”, and a recognition of friendship from Daniel Negreanu: “I just counted. The number of good friends of mine that are unabashed media whores: zero! All my friends are so normal”, while Doyle Brunson experienced new things: “Got back from a recording session. I'm just a West Texas hillbilly, all that chit amazes me.”

The Tweet of the day is a tie between Jeff Madsen and Howard Lederer. Madsen quipped: “Tiger woods supposedly in Mississippi for sex Rehab. I'll b in Biloxi soon, maybe I need to check myself in?”, while Lederer pointed out: “Went to see Nadal tonight at Aussie Open and saw the best homemade fan sign ever at the match. It read "Go Nad." LOL”
If you are as addicted to Twitter as we are, be sure to follow us @PokerNewsDaily so you can stay up to date on all the breaking news in the poker world and be a part of some PND Twitter exclusives in the coming weeks.

Darvin Moon to Attend NFC Championship with Jimmy Buffet, Kenny Chesney

This weekend, the New Orleans Saints will host the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:40pm ET on Sunday and the game will air on Fox. Among those in attendance will be 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event runner-up Darvin Moon.

Moon will be seated in a luxury box in the Louisiana Superdome, home of the Saints, alongside several top-tier names. Headlining the list is singer Jimmy Buffet, whose bevy of hit singles include "Margaritaville," "Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude," "Cheeseburger in Paradise," and "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere," which he recorded with country superstar Alan Jackson. Buffet’s career has spanned 40 years and resulted in a bevy of chart-topping hits. He even has his own restaurant chain, Margaritaville, which has a location inside the Flamingo on the Las Vegas Strip.

Speaking of country music, Kenny Chesney will also be seated in the same suite as Moon, according to Saints officials. Chesney, from East Tennessee, has been cranking out hits since 1993. He struck it big in the late 1990s with "She's Got It All" and then released two more hit singles before the decade was through, "How Forever Feels" and "You Had Me from Hello.” In the 2000s, Chesney became a staple of the country music scene, pumping out memorable tunes like "Young," "The Good Stuff," "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems,” and "Living in Fast Forward." His 2009 hit "Out Last Night" hit number one on the U.S. country charts.

Not all of Moon’s new pals hail from the world of music. Joining Moon, Buffet, and Chesney will be Avery Johnson, the head coach of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks since 2004. Johnson, the NBA Coach of the Year in 2006, saw his team fall to the Miami Heat in that year’s NBA Finals. Johnson won a championship ring in 1999 as a member of the San Antonio Spurs. In fact, the Spurs retired his number in 2007 and the current Mavericks coach became a member of the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame one year ago.

Wrapping up Moon’s star-studded company is Ronnie Lott. A standout from the University of Southern California (USC), Lott was drafted in 1981 and spent most of his career with the San Francisco 49ers. Lott is a four-time Super Bowl Champion and became a member of the illustrious Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio in 2000. He briefly joined the broadcast team of the “NFL on Fox” in the mid-1990s and currently resides in California. Lott is one of the top defensive players in NFL history and rounds out Moon’s cheering section during Sunday’s encounter.

The Saints received a first-round bye in the NFL playoffs and pummeled Kurt Warner and the defending NFC champion Arizona Cardinals last weekend by a final score of 45-14. Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns as the team cruised to victory. Brees led the NFL in touchdowns during the 16-game regular season with 34, one more than Minnesota Vikings signal caller Brett Favre and Indianapolis Colts gunslinger Peyton Manning. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman will likely have the call for Fox from New Orleans.

The Saints’ opponent, the Minnesota Vikings, flattened the Dallas Cowboys last week and also received a first-round bye in the post-season. Favre, whose decision whether to retire or play has dominated off-season headlines for the last half-decade, threw for 4,202 yards and 33 touchdowns during the NFL regular season. He hasn’t tossed an interception since December 20th and has just nine turnovers all season. Favre is 40 years-old and played college ball at Southern Mississippi.

No in game or on air recognition of Moon is planned, according to Saints media relations staff.

Poker2Nite Pays Homage to Amir Vahedi

Wednesday night’s installment of the Fox Sports Net poker news show “Poker2Nite” featured a stirring tribute to the late Amir Vahedi. Layne Flack paid a visit to the UB.com sponsored series, which airs at 11:00pm ET on Wednesdays.

“Poker2Nite” host Joe Sebok recapped his trip to the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) in the Bahamas. When asked by fellow host Scott Huff where he finished in the Main Event, Sebok jokingly explained, “They don’t keep finishes in the first three hours.”

Two key hands were recapped. In the first, Sebok held 7-8 on a flop of 7-7-5 and was up against a player with pocket sixes. His opponent bet 1,200 and Sebok made it 4,000. The player with the wired pair of sixes called and the turn was a four. His opponent check-called a bet of 8,000 to a six on the river. Sebok’s foe had made a boat and fired out a bet of 11,000. Sebok called with a straight and promptly lost two-thirds of his stack.

In Sebok’s final hand at the 2010 PCA Main Event, the player in the small blind raised to 1,900 and the “Poker2Nite” host, in the big blind, shoved for 8,500 with pocket tens. However, his opponent made the call and flipped up pocket aces. The board ran out 5-6-7-J-9 and Sebok was eliminated from the $10,000 buy-in tournament.

Attention then turned to the passing of Vahedi. Footage of Vahedi was shown and Sebok commented, “Amir Vahedi was one of the sweetest men in poker. He was always there with a laugh and always there with a word of encouragement. In my poker infancy, he was always there.” “Poker2Nite” closed with Huff telling viewers that Vahedi was the first player he ever interviewed. A portion of the 2005 questioning then aired, with Vahedi noting, “This is my job. I’m having fun while I’m doing it. That’s my personality.”

Flack opened his segment by squaring off against Huff in an arm wrestling match. The six-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner is also a two-time Montana state arm wrestling champion. Flack gave Huff a spot before quickly polishing off the broadcaster. Flack won two bracelets in 2002 and two more the following year before going on a dry spell until 2008. On his streakiness, Flack told his “Poker2Nite” fans, “I used to be such a strong offensive player. When the internet became involved, we had these younger players who were firing hard and going at it. I had to devise a defensive strategy.”

2009 WSOP Main Event runner-up Darvin Moon, donning a blurred out New Orleans Saints cap and a gray hoodie, went “Into the Tank” to recap a hand against eventual winner Joe Cada heads-up in last year’s tournament. Cada flopped top pair, but Moon turned a higher pair to give him the chip lead momentarily.

A segment called “High Stakes, Low Profile” reviewed several highly successful live and online poker players who receive little to no hype. First up was Amnon Filippi, who was the runner-up to Vadim Trincher in the World Poker Tour (WPT) Foxwoods World Poker Classic last April. Huff explained, “He shares information with some of the biggest and best minds in poker and it’s paid off.” Next up was Justin Young, who was the runner-up to Chino Rheem in the 2008 WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic. Sebok noted, “Sneaky, good player. Another guy with a brain trust.”

Scott “BigRiskky” Clements already owns two WSOP bracelets and two WPT titles, yet his name is overlooked in many poker circles. Sebok added, “I don’t know why everyone and their mother doesn’t know who he is.” Last up was DoylesRoom Brunson 10 member Amit “amak316” Makhija, who Sebok boasted might have “the most No Limit Hold’em potential out of all of these guys.”

Finally, Dana Workman dished out the “Weekly Misdeal,” featuring a satirical look at the week’s poker news. Topics included rumors of former Playboy Playmate of the Year Jayde Nicole dating Cada, PCA amfAR charity tournament participants, and the L.A. Kings alumni poker tournament.

“Poker2Nite” airs on Wednesdays at 11:00pm ET on Fox Sports Net. Check your local listings for more information.

WSOP Hold’em Legends Game Released for iPhone

World Series of Poker (WSOP) Hold’em Legends is now available for Apple iPhone and iPod Touch.  Although these applications have been available on other mobile platforms, this is the first time that the poker video game has appeared on Apple products.  It’s the perfect game for addicts on the go who need to get in their Hold’em fix.  The game features 25 different events across seven venues, including cash and tournament play.

One of the great things about this program is that there is a multiplayer function.  This allows you to play against other live opponents when you have an internet connection.  There’s also a peer-to-peer option to play friends heads-up via Bluetooth.

The game is centered on a career mode, where you start out with a modest $100 bankroll.  Every venue that you can go to includes an introductory video.  Players can go to these venues, five of which are actual real-life Harrah’s properties, and participate in cash games or tournaments.  When you start the game, you can go into the “Player” section and set your user name and avatar.  There is also a section to see what achievements you have unlocked as well as accumulated game play stats.

The first thing you can do is go to the “local pub” and play in the one-table sit and go or $1-$2 cash game.  As you win and your bankroll grows, you can buy into bigger and better events at more prestigious casinos that include the Rio Las Vegas, the Casino at the Empire in London, and Caesars Palace.

With most of the glory found in the “Legend Career” section of the game, you’ll probably want to play in the $20 local single-table tournament.  Once you’ve raised your bankroll up to about $400, you can comfortably sit in the $1-$2 cash game.  Players who don’t have a lot of experience will easily get through to this point in the game, assuming you don’t run into any bad beats or coolers.  Once you’ve established yourself in the game and built up a modest bankroll, it will be time to venture out to some exotic casinos.

The first step of the game past the pub is Harrah’s New Orleans, which features four events like all other venues in the game.  The tournaments in New Orleans include a $30 sit and go, $30 turbo sit and go, $30 winner-take-all sit and go, and a $50 two-table shootout event.  Past that venue is the Harrah’s Atlantic City, which sports a $150 sit and go, $150 turbo sit and go, $150 winner-take-all sit and go, and WSOP Event #1, a $250 two-table tournament.

You’ll cut your teeth playing cards in those locations and once you’ve ready, you can move up to the big time at Caesars Palace.  These events include $750 versions of the three tournaments you regularly play along with WSOP Event #2, which has a $1,000 buy-in.  The next venue is Sharks Bay, where all events cost $3,000 to participate.  If you’ve done enough, you’ll unlock the “VIP Game,” which costs $5,000.  All events at the next stop, the Casino at the Empire, are $15,000, with Circuit Event #3 being a slightly higher $25,000 two-table tournament.  If you’ve made it through all of those events, you will finally get a chance to play at the Rio and any of its $100,000 tournaments.  The final event is the $250,000 WSOP Main Event, a two-table tournament.

The controls work via the touch screen in a very intuitive fashion.  If you want to shove your chips in, just slide your chips into the middle.  If you want to muck your cards, just flick the cards into the muck and the game knows you’ve folded.  If you do not care to watch the entire hand or action of a round play out, you can just tap on the screen and the game will auto-fast forward.  The AI of the game gets stronger as you go forward, but novice players won’t be challenged much.

In terms of poker satisfaction, the game is leaps and bounds ahead of what Apple offered with its Texas Hold’em game.  The fact that when this game is one sale, like it was during its release for $2.99, this game is a must-buy for all poker fans armed with an iPod Touch or iPhone.  Even at the regular price, it’s still a deal for poker players to have some fun and play some cards.

Chainsaw Massacres Bayou Poker Challenge

The Chainsaw outlasted 79 players to win a first place prize of $70,976 at Harrah’s New Orleans. Kessler also received a $10,000 seat to the 2010 WSOP Main Event.

Well-known for whining about bad beats and criticizing tournament structures, Kessler had nothing but good things to say about the Bayou Poker Challenge.

“I really like supporting these events,” he said. “These are great structures. It’s one of the best tournaments I’ve seen for this buy-in amount.”

The final table included Justin “Lockdowntex” Allen, the defending Bayou Poker Challenge champion, and consistent WSOPC player Ben “The Destroyer” Mintz, but no one could figure out a way to beat Kessler. Ed Corrado was the final player to fall as Kessler beat him heads-up for the Bayou title.

Kessler has been mainstay of the poker tournament circuit for the last decade and with this latest victory has amassed over $1.5 million in tournament earnings with notable wins on the World Series of Poker Circuit and the United States Poker Championship.

This is the fourth year Harrah's New Orleans has hosted the Bayou Poker Challenge, now one of the South’s largest and most successful tournament series. It has awarded over $8 million in prize money over the course of its existence.

This year, the Bayou Poker Challenge offered 15-events, including ladies and seniors tournaments.

Here are the complete final table payouts for the $3,000 buy-in 2009 Bayou Poker Challenge Championship:

1. Allen "Chainsaw" Kessler - $70,976
2. Ed Corrado - $44,360
3. Moutray McLaren - $28,279
4. Jim McBride - $19,262
5. Michael "Car Wash" Schneider - $16,080
6. Justin "Lockdowntex" Allen - $13,308
7. Ben "The Destroyer" Mintz - $11,090
8. Will "The Monkey" Souther - $9,426
9. Phil Hall - $8,317

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Allen Kessler Wins 2009 Bayou Poker Challenge Championship

Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler emerged as the champion of the Main Event of the Bayou Poker Challenge at Harrah’s New Orleans. A total of 80 players turned out for the $3,120 buy-in tournament and Kessler earned $71,000 after a four-way chop.

In addition to the prize money, Kessler took home a $10,000 seat into the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event in Las Vegas and $1,000 to use for travel expenses. In November of 2008, Kessler made the final table of the WSOP Circuit Championship at Harvey’s Lake Tahoe for $31,00. He claimed his first gold ring one year prior after defeating a field of 522 players in a $500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event for $73,000. Kessler has shined on the World Poker Tour (WPT), where he’s made two final tables, including a third place showing in the Season 4 WPT Invitational for $20,000. In Season 5, he finished sixth at Foxwoods for $136,000.

Kessler entered the final table in New Orleans at the Bayou Poker Challenge as a 2:1 chip leader over his next closest competitor and never looked back. Taking ninth place in the Crescent City was Phil Hall, a 61 year-old software engineer. Hall hit the rails less than a half-hour into final table play after coming out on the losing end of a race with pocket fives against A-K when a king hit, but earned $8,300.

The next to go was Will “The Monkey” Souther, a pro from nearby Biloxi, Mississippi. In his final hand, Souther pushed all-in with pocket jacks, but ran into pocket kings. The better hand held and Souther was sent packing, $9,400 richer for his wear. Taking seventh place was Ben “The Destroyer” Mintz, who entered the final table as the third largest stack. He ultimately ran Q-J into pocket queens, earning $11,000.

Justin “Lockdowntex” Allen made history by finishing in sixth place at Harrah’s New Orleans. Allen took down last year’s Bayou Poker Challenge Championship to the tune of $158,000 and, when combined with a final table appearance at a WSOP Circuit Event Championship held in May at Harrah’s New Orleans, has made three straight Main Event feature tables at the casino. His sixth place finish this year was worth $13,000.

Fifth place in the 2009 Bayou Poker Challenge Championship went to Michael “Car Wash” Schneider. He was the field’s shortest stack entering the final table, but rebounded to earn $16,000. Four-handed, an undisclosed deal was forged. Officially taking fourth was Jim McBride, who earned $19,000. Third place belonged to Moutray McLaren, a poker pro from South Carolina. The official third place payout was $28,000.

Second place after the deal went to Ed Corrado, a retired player from Florida. He banked $44,000, falling short of only Kessler. The tournament’s ultimate champion told Bayou Poker Challenge officials following his win, “I really like supporting these events. These are great structures. It’s one of the best tournament structures I’ve seen for this buy-in amount.” Kessler then purportedly headed to the high-limit gaming area of Harrah’s New Orleans to celebrate.

Going on concurrently with the Bayou Poker Challenge Championship, and perhaps taking away from some of its luster, was an NFL game between the undefeated New Orleans Saints and the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys upended the Saints to snap the team’s perfect season on Saturday night in one of the biggest upsets of the 2009 NFL schedule. On Sunday, the city played host to the New Orleans Bowl between Southern Mississippi and Middle Tennessee State, with the latter winning the 42-32 shootout. Both games were played inside the Louisiana Superdome.

Harrah’s New Orleans serves as the final stop of the 2009-2010 WSOP Circuit schedule. The festivities begin at the urban casino on May 7th.

2009 WSOP Year in Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WSOP Main Event Runner-Up Darvin Moon to be Featured During Patriots/Saints Game

On Monday night, Week 12 of the National Football League (NFL) will conclude with the 7-3 New England Patriots visiting Louisiana to take on the undefeated New Orleans Saints. Featured during the game will be 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event runner-up Darvin Moon.

Kickoff is scheduled for 8:30pm ET and the contest will air on cable station ESPN in the United States. It was believed that Moon would be present for the on-field coin toss, when teams choose whether to kick or receive and which goal to defend. However, the rumor ultimately proved to be false. Instead, Moon will be present in the Saints locker room during pre-game festivities and will be recognized on both ESPN as well as the Superdome’s massive screen. The stadium holds 70,000 rabid fans and is completely sold out for the primetime contest.

The game marks one of two Monday night tilts for the Saints this season. The club defeated the division rival Atlanta Falcons earlier this month 35-27 in front of a national viewing audience. Greg Bensel, Saints Vice President of Communications for the NFL team, told Poker News Daily, “Darvin is a guy that we have followed while he made his miraculous run in the Main Event. He first came to our attention as the lone guy in the tournament that refused money so he could keep his Saints hat on. He is a typical Saints fan – passionate and in love with his team – and we are proud to call him a friend of our team and a true Saints fan.”

In the early morning hours of November 10th, Moon fell to Michigan pro Joe Cada heads-up in the finale of the $10,000 buy-in tournament. In the process, Cada became the youngest WSOP Main Event champion ever at the tender age of 21, eclipsing Peter Eastgate’s standing record, set in 2008, by one year. Moon banked $5.2 million in the process and outlasted all but one player in the field of 6,494. He elected not to sign any logo deals for the final table or throughout the tournament, instead wearing a Saints hat and a Wheeling Island Hotel Casino shirt. Moon purportedly requested a one-off logo deal for $350,000, but could not reach an agreement with any company.

Moon will be seated in Bensel’s box during the game. The Maryland logger has been discussing the event with the media for some time now and also claimed that the Saints granted him season tickets. The Saints have been a juggernaut on offense this year, reminiscent of Moon’s run down the stretch in the Main Event. The club has scored 30 points in all but three games this season and bested the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week by 31 points. Quarterback Drew Brees, a Purdue product, is sixth in the NFL in passing yards with 2,746 and first in touchdowns with 22. He was the first quarterback taken in many fantasy football leagues this season coming off a career best 34 touchdown performance in 2008; he’s on pace for 35 this year.

Monday Night Football airs on ESPN, the same station that owns the broadcast rights to the WSOP. The longtime football staple formerly aired on ABC before making the move to its sister station, ESPN; Disney owns both. ESPN formerly carried Sunday Night Football, which now makes its home on NBC.

We look forward to seeing Moon on Monday night. Are you ready for some football?

WSOP on ESPN: Antonio Esfandiari Featured on Day 7 Coverage

With 64 players left, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event played out Day 7 on ESPN on Tuesday night. The feature table included Antonio Esfandiari, Ryan Fair, Steven Begleiter, and James Akenhead.

In the first hand shown at the feature table, Esfandiari raised to 135,000 pre-flop with A-3 and Akenhead pushed for 1.5 million with pocket nines. Hung Pham folded pocket tens and Mark Ader shoved with A-K. Akenhead was all-in for his tournament life against Ader after Esfandiari got out of the way and the flop came nine-high, giving Akenhead a set. Elsewhere in the Amazon Room, Prahlad Friedman pushed all-in with K-Q pre-flop and was called by Bradley Craig, who held A-K. The board ran out 7-9-2-8-9 and Friedman was sent packing in 64th place.

The lone woman remaining in the field, Leo Margets, doubled up Grayson Ramage with pocket fours versus pocket eights when Ramage spiked a third eight on the flop. Meanwhile, Billy “Patrolman35” Kopp scooped a 6.3 million chip pot at the expense of John Martin, who shoved on a board of A-6-9-K with two diamonds holding 8-7 of the suit for flush and straight draws. Kopp had pocket sixes for a set and watched as the river came the jack of spades. Kopp added Martin to his list of knockouts, which also included WSOP Main Event champions Peter Eastgate and Joe Hachem.

Joe Sebok hit the rails in 56th place when his A-9 ran into Nick Maimone’s A-Q. Then, Akenhead doubled up again, this time with pocket kings against Adam York’s A-J. Also doubling up was 2008 WSOP November Nine member Dennis Phillips, who check-raised Steve Sanders all-in on a 2-A-6 (all clubs) board holding pocket queens, including the queen of clubs. Sanders held pocket aces for top set and watched as the river came another club, giving Phillips a flush.

The longtime ESPN segment “The Nuts” reviewed the origin of the term “donkey” and then Tom Schneider hit the skids in 52nd after running A-7 into pocket nines. Jonathan Tamayo scooped a 6.7 million chip pot holding pocket kings against Craig’s A-K and, at the feature table, Fair became agitated in a hand against Pham. In it, Fair raised to 150,000 pre-flop with pocket tens and Pham re-raised to 550,000 with kings. Fair shoved and Pham, after some deliberation, made the call. Fair exclaimed, “Such a slowroll,” but sucked out when a ten hit the flop. Fair did a chest bump with a person in the audience after the hand was over and explained, “I don’t feel that bad.”

Adam Bilzerian, one-half of the Norman Chad-dubbed “Flying Bilzerian Brothers,” found the exit in 47th place after running tens into kings; his brother, Dan Bilzerian, took 180th. Phillips’ run through the 2009 WSOP Main Event ended after he was all-in pre-flop with A-K of diamonds against Francois Balmigere’s A-K of spades. The board included three spades, sending the crowd favorite out in horrific fashion after back-to-back runs in the $10,000 buy-in poker tournament. Meanwhile, Kopp, the chip leader, padded his stack after busting a player with pocket jacks against pocket tens.

Darvin Moon, sporting his signature New Orleans Saints hat, was moved to the feature table and, while arranging his chips, was involved in a hand against Eugene Katchalov. In it, Katchalov shoved with A-10 pre-flop and Moon isolated with pocket kings by raising to five million. Esfandiari peeked down at pocket jacks and, after much deliberation, tossed them into the muck. The board ran out 8-6-10-2-K and Moon sent Katchalov packing in 39th place. His run of cards continued against Balmigere, who flopped a set with pocket tens, but Moon hit the nuts, an ace-high straight. Balmigere surrendered by the river, but Moon’s stack still grew to over 15 million.

Joe “LatestLines2” Ward sent Martin Lapostelle (pocket queens) and Gabriel Vezina (pocket jacks) packing in the same hand holding pocket kings. A king hit the flop, making Ward a 98% favorite to win the hand, and the turn and river blanked out. Although Ward scooped a 6.1 million chip pot, he’d ship much of it to Phil Ivey. In the end, Ward was all-in against Jamie Robbins holding A-K against Robbins’ A-Q. Both players hit an ace on the flop, but a queen on the river secured Ward’s exit in 28th place, ending play on Day 7.

WSOP on ESPN coverage continues next week with Day 8 of the 2009 WSOP Main Event. The action gets underway at 9:00pm ET.

WSOP Hammond Circuit Event Attracts Record Field

A $345 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament kicked off the festivities at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit Event stop in Hammond, Indiana. The Horseshoe Casino’s opening attracted 1,412 players, the largest field ever assembled on WSOP Circuit felts.

Last year, the opening event at the Hammond WSOP Circuit stop saw 1,187 runners take to the felts. In the end, Perry Ernest from Naperville, Illinois emerged victorious from the pack and turned his $345 investment into a $70,000 first place payday. The previous record for the largest turnout for a WSOP Circuit Event tournament came in 2006, when 1,345 players descended on the Grand Casino for an event in Tunica, Mississippi. Now, this year’s Hammond event will hold that accolade.

2009 marks the WSOP Circuit’s second trip to Hammond. A total of 11 Harrah’s properties around the United States will play host to the Circuit over the next seven months, with the series concluding in May in New Orleans. A press release by WSOP officials on Friday outlined the scene inside the Horseshoe Casino: “The Horseshoe Casino holds the largest poker room in the Midwest, with 34 tables. WSOP Circuit attendance boosted the poker facility to a whopping 112 tables, most of which are located inside ‘The Venue,’ which is a state-of-the-art special events center attracting many of the biggest names in music and entertainment.”

Hammond is located about a 20-minute drive away from downtown Chicago and is accessible via the Indiana Toll Road, Interstate 90. The casino operates shuttles into the city, which can be seen from the riverboat’s dock on Lake Michigan. A total of 13 events will play out at the gaming establishment in 2009. Here’s a look at the remaining schedule. All times are Central:

Saturday, October 17th at 12:00pm
No Limit Hold’em, No Rebuy/Add-ons
$555 buy-in

Sunday, October 18th at 12:00pm
No Limit Hold’em, No Rebuy/Add-ons
$1,100 buy-in

Sunday, October 18th at 3:00pm
Ladies No Limit Hold’em, No Rebuy/Add-ons
$235 buy-in

Monday, October 19th at 12:00pm
No Limit Hold’em, No Rebuy/Add-ons
$345 buy-in

Monday, October 19th at 3:00pm
Pot Limit Omaha, No Rebuy/Add-ons
$2,125 buy-in

Tuesday, October 20th at 12:00pm
No Limit Hold’em Six-Handed, No Rebuy/Add-ons
$555 buy-in

Tuesday, October 20th at 3:00pm
Pot Limit Omaha with $100 Rebuys
$235 buy-in

Wednesday, October 21st at 12:00pm
No Limit Hold’em, No Rebuy/Add-ons
$2,125 buy-in

Wednesday, October 21st at 3:00pm
HORSE, No Rebuy/Add-ons
$555 buy-in

Friday, October 23rd at 12:00pm
WSOP Hammond Main Event, No Rebuy/Add-ons
$5,200 buy-in

Saturday, October 24th at 12:00pm
No Limit Hold’em, No Rebuy/Add-ons
$555 buy-in

Sunday, October 25th at 12:00pm
No Limit Hold’em, No Rebuy/Add-ons
$345 buy-in

Last year, online poker pro Steve “MrSmokey1” Billarakis took down the Hammond WSOP Circuit stop’s Main Event, earning $208,000. He defeated Thomas “tommyboy83” Koral heads-up and a total of 164 players entered. The host venue underwent a massive $500 million renovation last year and is one of the premier casinos in the Chicago metro area.

After Hammond, the WSOP Circuit Event staff heads south to the Horseshoe Southern Indiana for a 12-event schedule that begins on October 23rd. The $5,150 buy-in Main Event kicks off on Halloween. The Horseshoe Southern Indiana is located in Elizabeth, Indiana, which is across the river from Louisville, Kentucky. It’s within driving distance of several large metropolitan areas including Indianapolis, Nashville, and Cincinnati, and boasts one of the largest riverboats in the world.

This is the sixth WSOP Circuit season, with other stops scheduled for Lake Tahoe, Atlantic City, Tunica, Council Bluffs, San Diego, St. Louis, Las Vegas, and New Orleans.

Darvin Moon Joins ESPN Inside Deal

Darvin Moon, the chip leader of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event entering the final table in November, joined the ESPN.com poker show “Inside Deal.” Also appearing was Absolute Poker pro Lacey Jones.

“Inside Deal” is released every Tuesday on ESPN.com and aired its ninth episode this week. The poker franchise began with discussion of the Caesars Cup, which saw Annette Obrestad lead the European team to victory over Daniel Negreanu’s Team Americas. “Inside Deal” host Bernard Lee explained, “The Americans were no slouches. They had 45 WSOP bracelets among them. Overall, Europe got the best of it, but there was some luck involved as well.” The Caesars Cup featured a series of heads-up and two-on-two matches, with the European team trouncing the American squad by a final score of 4-1.

2010 will mark the first WSOP that Obrestad will be of legal age to play on U.S. soil. She took down the 2007 WSOP Europe Main Event and became a formidable force in the poker world long before her 21st birthday. Lee explained, “I think it’s safe to say Annette Obrestad will be the most anticipated 21 year-old ever to enter the WSOP.” Other news reviewed by “Inside Deal” included Paul Zimbler playing poker for nearly 75 straight hours in the name of charity and November Nine member Jeff Shulman receiving coaching from Phil Hellmuth to improve his short-handed game.

Jones joined the show donning an Absolute Poker logo and explained that WSOP Europe sponsor Betfair matched Zimbler’s fundraising efforts dollar for dollar, with ?28,000 being doubled. On her team’s win in the Dream Team Poker Media Event held during the 2009 WSOP, Jones told “Inside Deal” hosts Lee and Laura Lane, “When you’re playing on a team, you have friends to root on. If maybe you didn’t go far, they do, so you’re sitting there cheering them on.” Jones ultimately took 11th in the event.

Jones was a participant in the Ladies Event held during the Borgata Poker Open, where Abraham Korotki, a male, took down the tournament. Jones commented, “I don’t mind that there was a guy at the table,” but didn’t approve of his demeanor. Jones added that a transsexual was in the event as well, who felt more comfortable playing in a Ladies’ event than an open event. On being one of the male-dominated game’s most recognized females, Jones commented, “There are things I can do to trap these guys and let them keep trying to steal my blinds. Eventually, I’ll pop them and take their chips.”

A reticent Moon joined the show wearing a New Orleans Saints baseball cap. Moon will be present for the coin toss of the November 30th Monday Night Football game between the Saints and New England Patriots. Moon, a logger by trade, revealed he has no e-mail address or credit card and his trip to the WSOP Main Event was just his second time ever being on an airplane. During the course of a normal day, Moon wakes up at 6:00am, eats breakfast, works until 4:00pm, and then participates in family activities.

On his odds to defeat the rest of the final table in the WSOP Main Event, which includes poker pros Phil Ivey, Jeff Shulman, and James Akenhead, Moon told “Inside Deal” viewers, “I don’t feel my odds are good to win because everyone there is better than I am. I have the least experience of anyone there.” Moon does not plan to take lessons prior to the WSOP Main Event finale and instead will stick with his tight strategy.

Moon is the lone representative of the November Nine to lack a sponsorship deal. On what he’s looking for in a potential agreement, Moon told Lane and Lee, “A lot of money for being at that final table and then when I leave Las Vegas, the sponsorship is over.” He revealed that no company has come forward with an offer matching that description.

Check out ESPN “Inside Deal” every Tuesday on ESPN.com.

Billy Kopp (Patrolman35) Signs with Ultimate Bet

Ultimate Bet, one of the top online poker rooms in the business today, has an impressive roster of players. Monday brought the announcement that it had landed one of the rising young professionals in the game to a sponsorship deal.

Billy “Patrolman35” Kopp, who has an impressive track record of success, signed on for an exclusive deal with the site and will immediately begin representing Ultimate Bet at tournaments around the world. In addition to Kopp’s duties to “patrol” the virtual felts at Ultimate Bet, he will also be an integral part of its live poker team at UB’s signature event, the Aruba Poker Classic. Kopp earned his sponsorship through his play in some of the most difficult tournaments in the world today.

Known for his hyperactive, loose-aggressive style at the tables, Kopp was a juggernaut at this year’s World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. He was able to conquer two of the top players in the game today, 2008 World Champion Peter Eastgate and 2005 World Champion Joe Hachem, when all three were at the feature table. Kopp was also a part of one of the toughest beats at this year’s WSOP Main Event on the final day of action.

In what was a stunning turn of events, “Patrolman35” was one of the chip leaders on the final day of action and seemed to be a shoo-in for the 2009 November Nine before he cracked heads with Darvin Moon late in the action. On an all-diamond flop, Kopp bet out 750,000 and was called by Moon. The turn brought a deuce, pairing the board, and Kopp fired out a two million chip bet. Moon responded with a raise to six million and Kopp moved all-in for his remaining 20 million in chips. To “Patrolman35’s” surprise, Moon called the all-in and tabled his Q-J of diamonds to crush Kopp’s 5-3 of diamonds and eliminate the youngster from the World Series. The University of Kentucky business major finished in 12th place and earning $896,730 for his efforts.

Kopp’s success isn’t limited to this year’s WSOP Main Event alone. “Patrolman35” also garnered an eighth place finish during the WSOP in Event #15, a $5,000 No Limit Hold’em tournament, for a payout of $71,115 and also picked up a second place finish in the WSOP Circuit stop at Harrah’s New Orleans for $127,832. Kopp has also been active in the online world, amassing nine Top 10 finishes in a variety of online poker tournaments this year at Ultimate Bet, Absolute Poker, and other popular sites. He recently took down an event held as part of the quarterly Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS).

Unfortunately, Kopp will have to drop the “Patrolman35” moniker on Ultimate Bet in favor of “billy_kopp.” Kopp is now a part of Team UB alongside such players as 11-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, top female player and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke, recent UB Army enlistee Liv Boeree, Adam “Roothlus” Levy, Brandon Cantu, “Hollywood” Dave Stann, Matt “mattg1983” Graham, Michael Binger, “Amazing Race” contestant Tiffany Michelle, and Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian.

Kopp signs with Team UB

A University of Kentucky student, Kopp has earned more than $2.6 million over the past few years in both online and live poker.

He finished runner-up in a prelim event at the Harrah's New Orleans WSOPC stop for $127,832 and managed an 8th-place finish in a $5k No-Limit Hold'em event at the 2009 WSOP before finishing 12th in the Main Event for $896,730.

Along the way, Kopp knocked out 2009 WSOP Main Event champ Peter Eastgate and 2005 champ Joe Hachem.

He has also amassed eight Top 10 finishes in major online poker events in 2009.

Other members of Team UB include Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke, Adam "Roothlus" Levy, Brandon Cantu, Hollywood Dave Stann, Matt Graham, Michael Binger, Scott Ian, Tiffany Michelle and the recently signed Liv Boeree.

Kopp will be playing under the screen name billy_kopp, and UB claims he is both known and feared for his loose-aggressive style of play.

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Moneymaker dominating Tunica

With nine players remaining, Moneymaker has over one million of the 2.5 million chips in play.

Only fellow Team PokerStars Pro Chad Brown and his 433,500 in chips are even close.

Won by Clonie Gowen in 2008 when she beat 106 others to take the $183,224 top prize, the $5k buy-in No-Limit Hold'em Main Event started with 126 players Sunday creating a $601,100 prize pool this year.

Moneymaker, who booked his seat by winning a $500 Pot-Limit Omaha preliminary event last week, began his meteoric rise early on the second day of the event, that started with just 42 players.

He hit a gutshot to bust one player and took the rest of a third player's chips just moments later to move up the leader board.

He then ran a massive bluff to take the chip lead, cracked Harrah's New Orleans WSOPC event finalist Kenny Milam's kings by making two pair and by the time the 18-person money bubble rolled around; he had roughly one quarter of all the chips in play.

Moneymaker played classic big-stack poker crushing the bubble and ran another huge and succesful bluff against Day 1 chip leader Mike Wang to cement the lead heading into the final.

First place in the event pays $192,953 and a seat at the upcoming WPT Southern Poker Championship at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi this January.

The final table will begin play Tuesday at 2 p.m. CT from the Gold Strike Casino Resort.

Other noteables in the event who failed to make the final included 2009 WSOP Main Event final table bubble boy Jordan Smith, Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Rousso, Poker VT's Adam Junglen and online stars Mike "GoLeafsGoEh" Leah and Shaun Deeb.

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Harlem Globetrotters, Miss America May Join Tiffany Michelle on Amazing Race

According to an article that appeared this week in The Examiner, two members of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team and Miss America 2004 may join poker players Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho on Season 15 of the CBS reality show “Amazing Race.”

Poker News Daily can confirm that Tiffany Michelle is among the cast for the 15th cycle of the reality series, citing anonymous sources inside the industry. Her rumored partner is Maria Ho, who Reality Fan Forum snapped a picture of at Los Angeles International Airport on the day that “Amazing Race” filming allegedly began. In the image, she did not appear to be donning a backpack (as is customary for “Amazing Race” teams); instead, she was pulling a suitcase. Michelle and Ho represent the last women standing in the 2008 and 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Events, respectively.

The Examiner speculates that Harlem Globetrotters members Nate “Big Easy” Lofton and Herbert “Flight Time” Lang are members of the “Amazing Race” cast. Lang attended Centenary College in Louisiana and wears #4 for the showcase basketball team. His biography found on the Harlem Globetrotters website appropriately reads, “He is a self-proclaimed reality TV junkie… What Flight Time likes about reality TV is that, even though he knows parts are staged and scripted for dramatic effect, ‘After a certain amount of time, you really get to see what people are like.’” Lang was roped into reality television after catching an episode of CBS staple “Survivor.”

Lofton attended Southeast Louisiana and grew up in New Orleans. His biography notes, “His gregarious personality and thunderous dunks entertain Globetrotter fans young and old.” A total of 26 players make up the current roster of the Harlem Globetrotters, which showcase unusual basketball skills at venues around the world. Several members of the team, including Lang, appeared on the ABC reality series “The Bachelorette” in May. The Globetrotters challenged the seven remaining bachelors to a pick-up game of basketball, with bachelorette Jillian Harris looking on intently. “The Bachelorette” wrapped up on Monday night with Harris riding off into the sunset with Ed Swiderski.

Joining Lang, Lofton, Michelle, and Ho will likely be Miss America 2004, Ericka Dunlap. The Examiner notes that “Amazing Race” has featured pageant winners before, as Dustin-Leigh Konzelman and Kandice Pelletier competed as part of Season 10 and All-Stars. Dunlap hails from Florida; the reigning Miss America is Katie Stern, a native of Indiana. No indication was given as to who will partner with Dunlap for “Amazing Race.”

An entry appearing on Wikipedia adds that two newscasters from the television network C-SPAN will also take part in “Amazing Race” when the 15th season kicks off in September. The show pits teams of two against each other in a race around the world. Along the way, they’ll complete various challenges as part of “Detours” (a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons) and “Road Blocks” (a task that only one team member can perform). Each leg typically consists of one Detour and one Road Block; many of the legs end with the last team arriving at the “Pit Stop” being eliminated.

“Amazing Race” will once again air on Sunday nights, debuting on September 27th for two hours. The popular reality program follows CBS News program “60 Minutes” and will serve as the lead-in for the new drama “Three Rivers.” “Amazing Race” is an Emmy-winning reality show whose reigning champions are lawyers and siblings Tammy and Victor. In seasons past, the top prize has been $1 million and to date, no “celebrity” installment of “Amazing Race” has taken place.

Other poker players who have appeared on major reality shows include Annie Duke, who finished as the runner-up to comedian Joan Rivers on the second season of “Celebrity Apprentice.” In addition, Bodog pro Jean-Robert Bellande competed on “Survivor: China,” the 15th cycle of the cornerstone CBS show. Bellande was the eighth player voted out of “Survivor: China” and served as a member of the jury.

Harrah’s releases 2009-2010 WSOP Circuit schedule

The mid-stakes tournament series includes stops at Harrah's properties from coast to coast, including Las Vegas, Atlantic City and multiple stops at smaller venues in America's heartland.

In addition, Harrah's has introduced a new stop at Harrah's St. Louis to be held in April, 2010.

All told, eleven casinos will play host to WSOPC events, with buy-ins ranging from $200 to $5,000.

"World Series of Poker Circuit events are a great way to gain live tournament experience, get a feel for what the World Series of Poker is all about and have a lot of fun," said WSOP commissioner Jeffrey Pollack.

The Circuit features No Limit Hold'em, Pot Limit Omaha, Ladies' and Turbo events to complement its $5,000 NLHE main events.

Each tournament winner is awarded a gold World Series of Poker Circuit ring.

In the 2008-2009 season, main event champions included Steve Billirakis (Horseshoe Hammond), Michael Binger (Lake Tahoe) and Justin Bonomo (Las Vegas).

The full schedule is as follows:

October 16 - October 25, 2009	Horseshoe Hammond (Chicago area)
October 23 - November 2, 2009	Horseshoe Southern Indiana (Louisville area)
November 5 - November 15, 2009	Harveys Lake Tahoe
December 4 - December 20, 2009	Harrah's Atlantic City
January 20 - February 11, 2010	Harrah's Tunica
February 18 - March 2, 2010	Horseshoe Council Bluffs
March 3 - March 14, 2010	Caesars Atlantic City
March 18 - March 31, 2010	Harrah's Rincon (San Diego area)
April 1 - April 14, 2010	Harrah's St. Louis
April 14 - April 30, 2010	Caesars Palace
May 7 - May 19, 2010	Harrah's New Orleans

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2009-2010 WSOP Circuit Event Schedule Announced

Eleven stops will take place as part of the 2009-2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit, announced by Harrah’s officials on Friday. The festivities will head to Harrah’s St. Louis for the first time.

Not every poker player can make the trek to Las Vegas for the world’s richest tournament series. Consequently, a WSOP Circuit Event brings the excitement of big buy-in events to Harrah’s-owned casinos around the United States. David Norton, Chief Marketing Officer of Harrah’s Entertainment, commented in a press release, “WSOP Circuit Events are a great way to welcome new guests to Harrah’s properties around the country. Whether you are a new player or a casino regular, you will find a great playing experience.”

While WSOP events in Las Vegas dish out gold bracelets to winners, Circuit Events award a prestigious gold ring to each champion. Preliminary tournaments are held along with a $5,000 buy-in Main Event, half of what the championship contest in Las Vegas costs to enter each year. While the schedule for each stop has not yet been formally released, look for the WSOP Circuit to traverse the United States as follows over the next year:

October 16th through October 25th, 2009
Horseshoe Hammond (Chicago)
Reigning Champion: Steve “MrSmokey1” Billirakis

October 23rd through November 2nd, 2009
Horseshoe Southern Indiana (Louisville)
Reigning Champion: Samuel Oberlin

November 5th through November 15th, 2009
Harvey’s Lake Tahoe
Reigning Champion: Michael Binger

December 4th through December 20th, 2009
Harrah’s Atlantic City
Reigning Champion: Brent Roberts

January 20th through February 11th, 2010
Harrah’s Tunica (Memphis)
Reigning Champion: Kai Landry

February 18th through March 2nd, 2010
Horseshoe Council Bluffs
Reigning Champion: Jesse Hale

March 3rd through March 14th, 2010
Caesars Atlantic City
Reigning Champion: Samuel Chartier

March 18th through March 31st, 2010
Harrah’s Rincon (San Diego)
Reigning Champion: Dwyte Pilgrim

April 1st through April 14th, 2010
Harrah’s St. Louis
Reigning Champion: New Event

April 14th through April 30th, 2010
Caesars Palace Las Vegas
Reigning Champion: Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo

May 7th through May 19th, 2010
Harrah’s New Orleans
Reigning Champion: Jean “Prince” Gaspard

The 2008-2009 schedule featured 10 stops in largely the same order as they appear on the new slate of events. The brand new St. Louis tournament series fills a gap in time that previously existed between Harrah’s Rincon and Caesars Palace. In addition, the Circuit stops in Hammond and Southern Indiana will overlap. The venues are separated by more than 250 miles of Interstate 65, which traverses Indiana from Louisville to Chicago.

The addition of a stop in St. Louis for the WSOP Circuit mirrors a similar move by the World Poker Tour (WPT), which dropped its North American Poker Championship and Foxwoods Poker Classic for Season 8 in favor of an event at Hollywood Casino outside of Cincinnati in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. The venue will be the first riverboat property to host a WPT event and provides a convenient destination for poker players from around the Midwest. The Hollywood Poker Open will take place from March 20th to 24th.

Buy-ins for preliminary tournaments held during Circuit Events typically begin around $250, allowing the area’s poker pros and amateurs alike ample options to try their hand at the Great American Pastime. WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack commented in a press release, “World Series of Poker Circuit Events are a great way to gain live tournament experience, get a feel for what the World Series of Poker is all about, and have a lot of fun. Every stop on the WSOP Circuit has a local flair and provides a best in class poker-playing experience.”

The 2009 WSOP Main Event enters Day 4 on Saturday. A total of 810 players remain, with Team PokerStars Pro member Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier dominating the field. The two-time WPT event winner holds 1.4 million chips, well ahead of Ludovic Lacay’s second place stack of 896,000.

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.

David Halpern Wins Event #53, $1.5k Stud 8.

One of the most epic and rollercoaster heads-up battles seen in this year’s WSOP was concluded and the winner is David Halpern of New Orleans. He only bought into this event on a whim after being unable to get a seat in a cash game.

WSOP Gold — Matt Graham Becomes PLO World Champ

If he hadn’t discovered poker, he very likely would’ve become Dr. Graham. If he hadn’t dislocated his shoulder, he very well would’ve continued his hockey career well into college. But all hypotheticals aside, Matt Graham is happy with where he’s at. The New Orleans native took down

WSOP Gold — Matt Graham Becomes PLO World Champ

If he hadn’t discovered poker, he very likely would’ve become Dr. Graham. If he hadn’t dislocated his shoulder, he very well would’ve continued his hockey career well into college. But all hypotheticals aside, Matt Graham is happy with where he’s at. The New Orleans native took down

WSOP Gold — Matt Graham Becomes PLO World Champ

If he hadn’t discovered poker, he very likely would’ve become Dr. Graham. If he hadn’t dislocated his shoulder, he very well would’ve continued his hockey career well into college. But all hypotheticals aside, Matt Graham is happy with where he’s at. The New Orleans native took down

Graham bests Lunkin in PLO marathon

The New Orleans native overcame a 13:1 chip disadvantage to win his second World Series of Poker bracelet a little less than a year after mounting an 8:1 comeback to win his first.

Last year, Jean-Robert Bellande was the victim and the $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout was the game.

This time it was $40,000 NLHE event winner Vitaly Lunkin at the $10,000 World Championship Pot Limit Omaha tournament.

"It was fun and stressful, exciting and draining at the same time," Graham said of the marathon, fifteen-hour final table.

"I'm more excited about this [bracelet] than the first one. It's really weird, but it's just the fact that it's a $10k event and PLO and a lot more money."

Graham banks $679,379 for a victory that didn't come easy.

To get to heads-up play with Lunkin, the MTT specialist had to overcome a final table that included the likes of Barry Greenstein and Josh Arieh, as well as $5k PLO champ Richard Austin and finalist Van Marcus.

"My strategy was to wait until we were short-handed and then pick up the pace a little bit," he said.

"I lost one pot that brought me to 1.1 million and right then I was a little worried because we were seven left and I thought, 'Wow, I'd hate to go out in seventh here.'"

Graham would rebuild, outlasting his rivals as the night wore on and drawing strength from a loud contingent of supporters that included poker pros Ryan Daut, Adam Levy and Scott Seiver.

"That was awesome," Graham said. "Four-thirty in the morning and fifteen people are all full of energy and behind you."

Heads-up play began at 2:30 a.m. with both players about even in chips and after ninety minutes of small ball, Lunkin all but clinched the bracelet in a monster pot.

It was an all-in preflop confrontation between Graham's Q Q 8 7 and Lunkin's A K 5 3 and the flop was disastrous for Graham, coming A 4 2 to give the Russian the wheel and the nut flush draw.

The board would brick and Graham found himself staring down a seemingly insurmountable disadvantage.

"I was just thinking I was going to continue to play my best," Graham said.

"No matter how you play it's a long shot in that situation, so I was just going to do all I could to come back and the cards cooperated."

Graham doubled twice in rapid succession as Lunkin, perhaps blinded by his massive advantage, continued to make calls with marginal hands.

Then the American hit a lucky turn with 9 8 7 5 to crack Lunkin's aces and regain the chip lead.

A few hands later - and less than thirty minutes after taking that devastating blow - Graham had clinched the bracelet, his top set of tens holding against Lunkin's gutshot straight and flush draws to end the match and secure the victory.

"[Lunkin] didn't play too badly," Graham said. "I think the one hand with AK53 was a mistake, but overall he was tough to play against."

For second place, Lunkin earns $419,832.

Check out the PokerListings.com 2009 WSOP section for more coverage from Las Vegas.

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Prince crowned at Bayou Poker Challenge

Gaspard, a professional poker player from Chicago, came into the third and final day of the Circuit's $5,000 New Orleans finale with a commanding chip lead and never relinquished it over the ensuing five hours of play.

He personally eliminated Kurt Scheer (9th) and Justin Allen (7th) in a pair of fortuitous hands to build his stack up to more than double his closest rival and maintain his dominance as his rivals handled the rest of the eliminations.

Ultimately, Gaspard and runners-up Billy Kopp and Ken Christopher decided to chop the remaining prize money while three-handed.

When negotiations concluded, so too did play, as none of the remaining players deemed it necessary to finish the contest.

Gaspard, who held more than half of the chips in play at the time of the chop, earned the WSOPC title and a $10,000 buy-in to the Main Event of the World Series of Poker this summer.

The former pro basketball prospect now has over $950,000 in career tournament winnings since turning his attention from the hardwood to the felt.

"The reason I play sports is because I love doing it - it's as simple as that," he said. "I am very competitive by nature. Basketball meant a lot to me, but after I discovered poker, I found something new that I could compete - and win - at."

In total, 167 players played the final WSOP Circuit event of the season.

Among those to cash were Shaun Deeb (14th place), Matt Brady (12th place) and Dwyte Pilgrim, whose 18th-place finish marked his thirteenth cash of the 2008-2009 WSOPC season, earning him unofficial "Player of the Year" honors.

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Jean Gaspard Takes WSOP Circuit New Orleans Following Three-Way Deal

After leading for the entire final table, Jean Gaspard was declared the winner of the Championship Event...

Jean Gaspard Leads New Orleans WSOP Circuit

Day 2 of the World Series of Poker Circuit Championship Event, a $5,150 buy-in tournament at New Orleans featuring 167 entrants, is about to conclude. The final table has been set and Illinois’s Jean Gaspard leads the last players with over 800,000 chips.

WSOP Circuit — Gaspard Wins New Orleans Tourney

The final World Series of Poker Circuit $5,000 championship event of the 2008-09 season crowned a champion on Wednesday, May 20 at Harrah’s New Orleans. …

WSOP Circuit — Gaspard Wins New Orleans Tourney

The final World Series of Poker Circuit $5,000 championship event of the 2008-09 season crowned a champion on Wednesday, May 20 at Harrah’s New Orleans. …

WSOP Circuit — Jean Gaspard Wins New Orleans Championship

The final World Series of Poker Circuit $5,000 championship event of the 2008-09 season crowned a champion on Wednesday, May 20 at Harrah’s New Orleans. …