Poker News

EPT Vilamoura title stays in Portugal

Antonio Matias, who runs a travel agency, became the first player to win an EPT title on home soil since Team PokerStars Pro Sandra Naujoks did so in Dortmund, Germany last season.

"I like to think of myself as a citizen of the world, but it is very satisfying win an EPT in my home country," Matias said. "I wasn't intimidated by the competition because I play a lot of very good players in cash games. I just decided to play the way I play, and hope that luck didn't turn its back on me."

The €5,300 event drew 322 players, including 69 PokerStars qualifiers.

The €1,561,700 prize pool made EPT Vilamoura the richest poker tournament ever held in Portugal.

Matias beat 67-year- old retired Belgian businessman and PokerStars qualifier Pierre Neuville heads up to book the win. Neuville bubbled the final table at EPT San Remo last season.

Former chess prodigy Jeff Sarwer finished third, just a few short weeks after the Canadian's tenth-place finish at EPT Warsaw.

Matias is not a pro player, but said his sights were firmly set on keeping the title in Portugal.

"I play poker just for a hobby, but when I got the chip lead yesterday, at that point, the only thing I had on my mind was winning."

PokerStars appeared pleased with turnout and results on its first trip to Portugal.

"It's always exciting when the European Poker Tour visits a new destination and we have wanted to hold an EPT in Portugal for some time, so we are delighted that so many players took part including 63 players from Portugal," said EPT spokesperson Kirsty Thompson. "It's been a superb week of poker."

Next up for the PokerStars EPT is its annual stop in Prague in the Czech Republic from Dec. 1-6. Satellites are running now on PokerStars.

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WPT and PartyPoker begin fight for poker supremacy

"That's our stated aim," PartyGaming's chief marketing officer Chris Welch told PokerListings. "And until that time we will leverage both the World Poker Tour and PartyPoker as best we can to take that challenge to our competitors."

Before the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was signed into U.S. law in October 2006 and PartyPoker effectively pulled out of the U.S. market, it was the number one site in poker.

Since that time, PokerStars has emerged as the industry leader with more than 28 million players worldwide.

A major catalyst for PokerStars' growth has been the emergence of the European Poker Tour. While the WPT has always been credited with helping spur on poker's boom, it has since been surpassed by the PokerStars EPT, which boasted a total prize pool in excess of $55 million over 11 events last season, making it the largest poker tour in the world.

However, Welch says PartyGaming subsidiary Peerless Media Ltd's $12.3 million purchase of the WPT, approved by shareholders earlier this month, now has the organization primed to compete in Europe and across the globe.

"We think there is certainly room for two big tours in Europe," said Welch. "And the World Poker Tour, we believe, is a global brand while the European Poker Tour exists only in Europe."

Particularly in Italy and France, the WPT plans on embarking upon an aggressive growth strategy to begin competing with the EPT.

"We're looking forward to more global expansion, more International expansion," added newly appointed WPT president Adam Pliska.

Welch said part of that expansion will include offering more online satellites into WPT events worldwide.

"It's a great opportunity to offer our European players more tournaments and land based events and of course we are going to run satellites on PartyPoker," Welch said. "But we are also going to encourage other online sites to do the same."

While sites other than PokerStars once ran satellites for EPT events, many stopped after PokerStars forced its competitors to use the site's branding.

Welch says the WPT and PartyPoker will be taking a different approach.

"PokerStars have gone down the route of it being the PokerStars EPT and you've got to have that on your site to run satellites or freerolls," he explained. "That's not our strategy. Our strategy initially will be that it's the World Poker Tour and you can come and qualify from any online site or direct buy in.

"What they are trying to do is leverage their brand. They have the biggest tour in Europe and they are trying to get other people to mention their brand name. We have an opportunity here to grow the World Poker Tour by offering other online sites a chance to get in there without necessarily mentioning PartyPoker and that's what we are going to do."

But the battle for online poker supremacy will not just be fought on European soil.

In April of this year, PartyGaming entered into a $105 million settlement with the U.S. Attorney's Office to avoid prosecution for providing Internet gambling services to U.S. customers prior to the enactment of the UIGEA.

Under the terms of the agreement, PartyGaming agreed to stay out of the U.S. Internet gambling market under current legislation and is hoping, should the legislation change, it would be in a prime position to move back in.

Welch said the purchase of the WPT is yet another way PartyGaming is paving its road back into the United States.

"Should the United States open up, it's going to put us in a preeminent position, way ahead of the competition," he said. "We've taken the long view while some of the other players have taken the short view, and should the United States open up, we are going back to being number one again."

However, until U.S. Lawmakers get on board, Welch said the front lines of this fight will remain on the other side of the Atlantic.

"This provides us with a massive platform to bring PartyPoker back into the hands of millions of Americans," he said. "But in Europe, we can do that from day one."

The public face of both brands, 2009 Poker Hall of Fame inductee Mike Sexton, believes with PartyPoker and the WPT coming together, the sky is the limit.

"I think it can be a huge entity and a worldwide brand," he said. "Hopefully when online gaming becomes legalized in the United States, PartyPoker can come in and retain its status as the number one poker site in the world."

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Live Durrrr Million Dollar Challenge Kicks Off in London

Tuesday marks the beginning of the live version of the Tom “durrrr” Dwan Million Dollar Challenge, which is unfolding in London. The festivities will see Dwan battle Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies, Sammy “Any Two” George, and Marcelo “luckexpress” Marigliano.

The match’s format is simplistic. Dwan will take on each opponent across 500 hands of No Limit Hold’em or Pot Limit Omaha. The series has a buy-in of $500,000 and neither player is permitted to leave the table until they are broke or the requisite number of hands has been played. The price of poker is $500/$1,000.

Eddie Hearn, who is organizing the gala on behalf of Matchroom Sport, commented in a press release distributed on Monday, “The stage is set for Tom to make history in London this week. The opponents are ready. Tom Dwan is the biggest draw in poker and to have a TV show in his name at such a young age shows the commercial power of the man. Poker is changing and we are delighted to be at its cutting edge.”

Tuesday’s action will see Dwan tangle with George in No Limit Hold’em. Dwan will then return on Wednesday to face Marigliano, also in No Limit Hold’em. The final match of the week occurs on Thursday, with Sahamies electing to play Dwan in Pot Limit Omaha. The action runs from 2:00pm to 2:00am daily at the Les Ambassadeurs Club in Mayfair. The gala will be filmed for television and can be seen on Sky Sports next year in the U.K. It is sponsored by Full Tilt Poker, which recently signed Dwan to its stable of sponsored pros.

On the prospects of facing one of the most hyper-aggressive players in the game today, Sahamies told Matchroom Sport, “I am always excited to play my good friend Tom. He is one of the best Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha players in the world and when I heard about the challenge, I couldn‘t wait to sign up. With the gambling, the side-bets, the partying, and the drinking in London, this is going to be a whole lot of fun.” Dwan issued a challenge to Swedish online poker player Isildur1 to take on the American in London, but, as of the time of writing, Isildur1 has not yet obliged.

The live Durrrr Challenge was originally scheduled for two months ago following the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe schedule in London. However, Dwan reached the semi-finals of the Poker Million, creating a scheduling conflict. Las Vegas was then brought up as a possible site for the competition before Hearn and company settled on mid-November in London. Dwan finished seventh in Heat 3 of the PartyPoker World Open last month and took ninth in the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship in March for an even $25,000.

Last week, Dwan was in Downtown Las Vegas filming the sixth season of the GSN poker franchise “High Stakes Poker” at the Golden Nugget. The series, which will air in February, was also slated to feature George, who wound up not participating. Those facing off on the sixth cycle of the popular cash game program include Patrik Antonius, David Benyamine, Doyle Brunson, Eli Elezra, Antonio Esfandiari, Barry Greenstein, Phil Hellmuth, Andreas Hoivold, Phil Ivey, Phil Laak, Mike Matusow, Daniel Negreanu, Dennis Phillips, and Lex Veldhuis.

The online version of the Durrrr Challenge between Dwan and Patrik Antonius has come to a screeching halt as a result of Dwan’s hectic schedule. After 27,185 hands, Dwan leads by $779,000. If the youngster is up by at least $1 at the conclusion of 50,000, Antonius will owe $500,000. If Antonius is up by at least $1, Dwan will pay $1.5 million. In either case, the victor keeps the spoils of the 50,000 hands.

Linda Johnson Recaps the California State Ladies Poker Championship

One of the annual events that I look forward to attending each year is the California State Ladies Poker Championship (CSLPC) held at the Oceans Eleven Casino in Oceanside. In fact, I’ve never missed one since this event debuted 13 years ago. The CSLPC is much more than just a ladies poker tournament; it’s several days of fun and female bonding that happens to include poker.

Bob Moyer and Dan Dreger, two of the managing partners at Oceans Eleven, spare no expense when it comes to making the ladies feel welcome and at home. In addition to feeding us lavish meals three times a day, they provide great entertainment for us when we aren’t playing poker. There is always a theme for the weekend. This year, it centered on a murder mystery that took place in Europe. Clues were given on Friday and Saturday and the crime was solved on Sunday (By the way, my character, Bonnie Ponzi, was not the murderer). There was a show one evening featuring some very talented Oceans Eleven employees. Dancing took place nightly in the bar.

The CSLPC kicked off this year with a poker clinic taught by Jan Fisher, Thomas Gallager, Karina Jett, Susie Isaacs, and me. On the break, one of the attendees came up to Jan and said that she had a problem with bluffing because she is a Christian and she thinks bluffing is stealing. Jan thought for a while trying to come up with an analogy that might help. Finally Jan said, “Do you watch basketball on television?” The lady said yes. Jan then asked if she thought it was okay to steal the ball from the other team while they are dribbling down the court. She replied, “Yes, it’s part of the game.” Voila! Jan convinced her that bluffing was also part of the game and the lady made the final table after pulling off a successful bluff.

The next day was a $125 buy-in LIPS tournament that attracted 195 entrants; I managed a seventh place finish. A big controversy was created by the handful of men who entered the tournament. Due to legal rulings by California courts, card rooms cannot prohibit men from playing in ladies events. Personally, I don’t understand why a man would want to enter a woman’s tournament, nor do I think they should do so. However, the men I encountered were pleasant and acted like gentlemen. Most said that they “just wanted to play in a tournament” and it was the only one offered that morning. I don’t think they deserved the poor treatment they got.

A friend told me that at her table, several women called the clock on a man who had not taken an unreasonable amount of time to act on his hand. Every time a man was eliminated, there were ecstatic screams and loud applause by many of the women. My opinion is that they should just be ignored completely.

The second tournament was the $225 CSLPC event. Congratulations to Donna Delfin from Sacramento, who won the 2009 title. In addition to her prize money, she won an entry into the 2010 Ladies World Series of Poker (WSOP) tournament, a customized jacket, a gift certificate, and a beautiful trophy. Battling Donna in a tough two-hour heads-up match was Lois Petty. Lois had many fans supporting her. In fact, the tournament had been dedicated to Lois, who has stage four cancer.

There always is a charity component to the CSLPC. A silent auction and raffle was held on Saturday night to benefit Ivey Ranch, a local school for handicapped children. Sunday’s tournament was a tag team event that was Half Limit Omaha/8 and Half Limit Hold’em. Players were allowed to play either with a partner or without one since more money would be raised for Ivey Ranch (25% of the prize pool was designated for this wonderful charity) if there were extra entrants. I opted to play without a teammate and ended up winning.

Most of the attendees stayed around for the farewell awards banquet on Sunday night. There were no dry eyes in the audience when Bob Moyer presented Lois an award for being such an inspiration to us all.

Tournament Director Tina Corpiz and Director of Marketing Suzanne Carter did an amazing job coordinating the 2009 CSLPC. I can hardly wait to see what plans they come up with for the 2010 version.

WSOP: We have a new World Champion (SPOILERS!)

If you don’t want to know what happened in WSOP Main Event final, do not read any further.

This time the famous “Shuffle up and… dealllllll” was presented by Mötley Crüe’s Vince Neil and only after 87 hands later we had a new World Champion.

Joe Cada was able to beat Darvin Moon in a quite short heads up match. Cada won $8,547,042 and the precious WSOP bracelet.

Joe Cada - The new champ

The heads up match got into its 87th hand when Cada raised to 3 million. Moon reraised to 8 million and Cada repopped it all-in. Moon checked his cards twice and decided to make the call.

Cada held 9c9d

Moon had QdJd

This time Moon couldn’t improve when the board read 8c7sKh7c after the river and Joe Cada started his celebration.

Darvin Moon - The second place finisher

WSOP Main Event prizes:

1. Joe Cada – $8,547,042
2. Darvin Moon – $5,182,928
3. Antoine Saout – $3,479,670
4. Eric Buchman -$2.502.890
5. Jeff Shulman – $1.953.452
6. Steven Begleiter – $1.587.160
7. Phil Ivey – $1.404.014
8. Kevin Schaffel – $1.300.231
9. James Akenhead -$1.263.602

Source: WSOP

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WSOP: We have a new World Champion (SPOILERS!)

Jude Ainsworth joins Team PokerStars

Jude Ainsworth is the latest big name to join the professional ranks with Team PokerStars. The Irishman, known online as J.Thaddeus, will make his debut on home soil at the opening leg of the new PokerStars UK and Ireland Poker Tour in Galway next month.

Poker News in Brief: Nov. 2-8, 2009

If you're looking for spoilers just check out our Live Coverage, but this is about the stories that didn't make the front page this week.

As part of our Poker News in Brief feature we've compiled a list of those lesser-known stories below.

This week we're going to look at a new poker tour in Europe, the passing of a celebrated poker player, Brandon Cantu winning yet another online tournament and more.

ParadisePoker launches new European tour

ParadisePoker is the latest online poker room to enter the live tournament scene and will offer a series of tournaments throughout Europe in 2009/2010.

The first season of the ParadisePoker Tour will include stops in London, Prague, Madrid and Bulgaria.

The ParadisePoker Tour will begin with a £550 tournament at the Empire Casino in Leister Square, London on Dec. 12 with a guaranteed prize pool of £100,000.

It's possible to qualify for the event on ParadisePoker for as little as €1.10. Click here for more information.

Poker world loses Hans "Tuna" Lund

Hans "Tuna" Lund, perhaps best known his epic heads-up battle against Mansour Matloubi at the 1990 WSOP Main Event, succumbed to cancer early Friday morning.

Lund began playing tournament poker way back in 1977 and since then he accumulated nearly $3 million in tournament winnings, two WSOP bracelets and two Main Event final table appearances.

Despite retiring from the game in 1997 to spend more time with his children Jimmy and Lilly, Lund still played the occasional tournament.

His most recent cash at the WSOP came in the 2007 Main Event where he finished 319th for $39,445.

A resident of Sparks, Nevada, Lund was 59 years old.

Playtech releases new iPoker update

Poker sites like Titan, William Hill, CD Poker, Bet365 and ChiliPoker will benefit from some new features thanks to a software update to the iPoker network.

Playtech released the new iPoker client on Wednesday and users now have access to tools like auto top-up, buddies functionality and a sharp new interface.

Other innovations include a multi-currency option, five-step seat finding feature, hand-for-hand mode in tournaments and a new tournament time-bank that offers player a predefined allotment of extra time throughout the tournament.

Brandon Cantu dominating UltimateBet games

Las Vegas Team UB pro Brandon Cantu is having one hell of a year.

Just this past Sunday, Cantu won the signature UltimateBet $100,000 guaranteed tournament for $34,580. In August he won the same tournament for nearly $37,000.

Cantu also won the weekly heads-up tournament leaderboard match on UltimateBet.

Each week the tournament leaderboard winner faces off against a Team UB pro for $1,000. Team UB pros have won the event for three straight weeks meaning the prize pool is up to $4,000 for next Saturday.

Cantu's success in 2009 hasn't just been online either. This summer Cantu won his second WSOP bracelet by taking down the $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha event for $228,867.

The aggressive poker pro is up to over $3 million in lifetime tournament earnings as well as several hundred thousand earned online.

Sites offering Belgium Poker Championships qualifiers

Satellites for the Belgium Poker Championships began this week on PokerStars.com, Everest Poker and bwin Poker.

On PokerStars, the satellites start at just $5.50, which are the first step in qualifying for the $215 monthly final.

Meanwhile, on Everest Poker, players can attempt to climb the Sit 'N' Go steps which start at just $2 and go all the way up to $360.

Finally, bwin will hold a freeroll later this year with first place winning a seat in the Belgium Poker Championship.

Last year Sijbrand Maal won €315,875 for outlasting 842 players in the 2008 Belgium Poker Championships.

The 2009 Belgium Poker Championships will take place this Nov. 21-29 at Casino de Namur.

Bertrand "ElkY" Grospeliler, Ludovic Lacay, Davidi Kitai, Lex Veldhuis and Marcel Luske are all confirmed to play with several other big-name poker players expected to sign up.

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James Akenhead - Exclusive video interview (Poker After Dark Spoilers)

James Akenhead has made his presence felt in Las Vegas ahead of the World Series of Poker Main Event final table by securing a $120,000 win at the Golden Nugget casino on NBC’s hit poker show Poker After Dark.

PokerNews Op-Ed: Sports Betting Erodes Your Poker Bankroll

Cue the "X-Files" theme music because it’s “Tin Foil Hat” time. I discovered a new conspiracy in Las Vegas and it is that casinos purposely situate poker rooms near sports books to siphon money from poker players. Poker rooms do not generate...

Tom Dwan Takes $780,000 Lead in Durrrr Challenge

In more than 2,000 hands played in the Tom “Durrrr” Dwan Million Dollar Challenge on October 27th and October 28th, Dwan earned $82,000, pushing his lead to nearly $780,000 overall after 27,185 hands.

Dwan raked in his earnings after besting rival Patrik Antonius’ 2s-As-Ah-9h with 10d-7h-Ad-Ac. Antonius was double-suited in the hand, giving him a slight edge pre-flop despite both players holding aces. Accordingly, Antonius raised to $1,200, Dwan made it $3,600, Antonius pushed the price of poker to $10,800, Dwan made it $32,400, Antonius bumped it to $97,200, and Dwan called all-in for his $94,000 stack. The board ran out 9s-5c-9c-6c-8h, giving Dwan the win in the hand with a ten-high straight. Normally, this hand would be chopped about 50% of the time. Nevertheless, Dwan scooped the $189,000 pot, setting him up for success during the session.

Antonius would fire back, holding Ad-8d-Kc-7c double-suited against Dwan’s 10h-7h-6d-10d, also double-suited. Antonius raised to $1,200 pre-flop and Dwan made it $3,600. Antonius then pushed the action to $6,000 and Dwan called. The flop came 4d-Ah-6h and the two got it all-in, with Dwan risking his entire $90,000 stack. The board ran out Ks-2s, giving Dwan a lowly pair of tens and Antonius aces-up. The pot was worth $180,000 and Antonius repossessed some of his lost earnings.

In a separate hand, Dwan flopped three sevens holding 7d-8d-7s-6s after the first three community cards came 7c-2s-4h. Antonius had Jh-Ac-7h-10s, giving him a pair, and he called Dwan’s $83,000 all-in after the turn fell a jack, improving him to two pair. The river was a queen, shipping the $192,000 pot to Dwan with trip sevens. Antonius later redeemed himself after turning a set of nines with hole cards of 9h-Jh-9d-Qs. The board came 10c-7h-Js-9s-3s and Dwan could only muster 10h-Kd-Ad-Ks for a pair of kings.

The final session consisted of 470 hands and concluded around 1:00am ET on October 28th. Dwan earned $167,000 during the mini-session and $82,000 over the previous eight hours overall. He owns a lead of $779,000 in the high-stakes Million Dollar Challenge, which began earlier this year. Scheduling conflicts and a rigorous live tournament schedule have prolonged the conclusion of the event for quite some time. After Antonius, high-stakes pros David Benyamine and 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event November Nine member Phil Ivey are waiting in the wings for Dwan.

A total of 27,185 hands have been played out of the 50,000 required for completion of the challenge. If Dwan is up by at least $1 at its end, Antonius will owe him $500,000. Contrastingly, if Antonius is up by at least $1 at the end of the 50,000 hands, Dwan will turn over $1.5 million. In either case, the winner keeps the spoils of their play. The duo has been four-tabling $200/$400 Pot Limit Omaha on Full Tilt Poker, where Antonius is a sponsored pro.

October 27th featured the fifth largest pot over the course of the Durrrr Challenge at $293,000. Dwan scooped the behemoth and has laid claim to six of the seven largest pots during the 27,000 hand encounter. The largest pot in history occurred on June 19th and weighed in at $477,000. That day’s session, which occurred during the 2009 WSOP, featured the four largest Durrrr Challenge pots worth a combined $1.6 million; Dwan won all but one.

A live version of the Durrrr Challenge was scheduled to take place in London featuring Dwan battling against four players during the WSOP Europe festivities. Now, organizer Eddie Hearn told DurrrrChallenge.com that the stage may be moved to Las Vegas in early December. Rumors flew that Luke “Full_Flush” Schwartz would take on Dwan in the live event, but Sammy George has been the only competitor to sign on officially.

CEREUS Launch Halloween Promotion Tonight

CEREUS Poker have decided to do something special for Halloween this year. No, Phil Hellmuth is not going to throw eggs at your car and Brandon Cantu isn’t toilet-papering your house. Can’t guarantee if Annie Duke will or not, though. You know what she’s like.

Party Poker World Open V TV Coverage starts on Five tomorrow night

If your idea of a good night in after playing poker all day is to watch poker then you’re spoilt for choice this week with another top tournament hitting the screens. Coverage of the PartyPoker.com World Open V begins on Wednesday 28th October/Thursday 29th October at 12.10am on Five.

Full Tilt Poker Victorious in Clonie Gowen and Domain Name Cases

The phrases “Full Tilt Poker” and “lawsuit” seem to go hand in hand these days, but the online poker room’s latest legal news is wholly positive for the site.  Two recent court decisions, one out of England and the other out of Nevada, both ruled in Full Tilt’s favor and, though the site received no monetary compensation, it brought some of its ongoing legal matters to a conclusion.

The suit brought against Full Tilt by former sponsored pro Clonie Gowen was dismissed for a second time last week.  The decision issued by U.S. District Court Judge Robert C Jones said that Gowen’s claim of unjust enrichment was an “indistinct cause of action” and denied Gowen’s motion to reconsider the order.  Jones granted Gowen’s motion to amend her claim a third and final time and submit it to the court within the next 15 days.

Gowen filed suit against Full Tilt almost a year ago alleging that the company failed to compensate her adequately for her work promoting the site at live and televised events since 2004.  According to Gowen, Full Tilt bigwigs told her that she would receive a 1% stake in the company, which her attorneys estimated to be worth $40 million.  The suit was brought against numerous companies affiliated with the site, including Tiltware Inc. and Pocket Kings Ltd., and also named each of the members of Team Full Tilt.

The suit was originally dismissed in May, but Gowen was allowed to re-file her claim against Raymond Bitar, Howard Lederer, and Tiltware.  This week’s dismissal was a response to that re-filing and, although Gowen is allowed to argue her case one more time, it seems unlikely that the suit will go her way.

Full Tilt received a ruling in another piece of pending litigation as well.  Pocket Kings, a software company that works closely with Full Tilt, filed a motion in a British court against the Commonwealth of Kentucky following the State’s attempt to seize a number of domain names connected with online gambling companies.  Pocket Kings filed the claim because the company that controls its domain name, SafeNames, was instructed by the Commonwealth to relinquish control of the URL fulltiltpoker.com, which would violate its contractual agreement with Pocket Kings.

Michael Furness, Deputy Judge of the High Court who heard the case, ruled in Pocket Kings’ favor, saying that Kentucky could not act as its own sovereign state and, as such, the seizure was unenforceable on British soil. According to Furness’ written decision on the case, Kentucky has made no attempt to seize Full Tilt’s domain name other than issuing SafeNames its initial seizure order.

The aforementioned domain name seizures were debated on the floor of the Kentucky Supreme Court on Thursday and the panel of seven judges is expected to issue a decision within four months.  The Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA) fought Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear’s attempt to seize the domain names and argued on behalf of online gaming companies.

The Commonwealth failed to send anyone to represent their interest in the case, but a series of e-mails between the law firm Hurt Crosbie and May and Pocket Kings discussing the possible adjournment of the hearings confirmed that the State was aware of the proceedings, but chose not to attend.

In the end, Furness ruled in favor of Pocket Kings and declared that the Kentucky seizure was unenforceable.  In turn, SafeNames agreed to refrain from enforcing the order and Full Tilt will retain its domain name for the foreseeable future.

Christophe Savary wins WPT Marrakech Main Event

Christophe Savary has become the first man to win a major poker title on African soil after winning the WPT event in Marrakech, Morocco. The Frenchman outlasted a field of 416 runners to claim the first prize of €377,262.

ESPN The Magazine Editor Discusses Poker Players in Body Issue

Hitting newsstands around the United States last Friday was the inaugural Body Issue of “ESPN: The Magazine.“ The periodical profiled athletes and their physiques and included an image of Phil Hellmuth, Scotty Nguyen, Daniel Negreanu, and Jennifer Harman playing poker in the nude.

Besides poker, other sports showcased in the magazine include boxing, bull riding, golf, baseball, Motocross, NASCAR, basketball, hockey, football, soccer, softball, swimming, surfing, tennis, track and field, and mixed martial arts. Poker News Daily sat down with “ESPN: The Magazine” Editor Sarah Turcotte to gauge reaction to the provocative issue.

Poker News Daily: Explain the background to the Body Issue of “ESPN: The Magazine.”

Turcotte: This is the first time we’ve done it and we’ll definitely be doing it again. My boss was trying to come up with a way to profile an athlete’s body. You see them in locker rooms, but you don’t really know what goes into them. Not only do we have poker and soccer players, but we also have sumo wrestlers and triathlon runners. It’s a huge mix. There are over 80 athletes involved and 40 in varying stages of being undressed. Poker is a great sport. The players work hard, make great money, and have good mental toughness. We believe it’s a legit sport.

PND: What has been the reaction so far?

Turcotte: We’ve been shocked by how positive it’s been, but there have been negatives with some of the more conservative sports. For example, LPGA fans heard about it and formed their opinions beforehand. When you realize what a massive undertaking this is and the kind of company these folks are in, it makes sense. It’s not “Playboy Magazine;” it’s about celebrating an athlete’s physique. So far, I’m shocked by how well it’s been received. I don’t think we ever could have conceived how popular it would be.

PND: Talk about the photo involving Harman, Nguyen, Hellmuth, and Negreanu.

Turcotte: That was a really great photo to do. My hats are off to all of them for being included. That was our only coed shoot because in most sports, you don’t compete against different genders. It turned out great.

PND: What can you tell us about the shoot?

Turcotte: The poker shoot was great. We had two hours and shot in Las Vegas. Anyone who has been around Daniel and Scotty would fall in love with them. Their interaction together was great and I found myself calling everyone “baby” for the next few days. Jen is such a sweetheart and I was amazed at how much respect the guys had for her.

PND: What do you want readers to take away from this installment of “ESPN: The Magazine”?

Turcotte: My perspective as the Feature Editor is to be on the shoots and be the advocate for the athlete. We made it a collaborative process and I want the athletes to be proud of it. In terms of readers, I think the biggest thing is that it’s awesome to see someone like Serena Williams looking beautiful, but people are familiar with her. However, not everyone knows Scotty Nguyen and Jennifer Harman, so hopefully this will give them some respect.

PND: Can you name other athletes that readers can expect to see in the issue?

Turcotte: Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings, tennis star Serena Williams, Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, Nelson Cruz of the Texas Rangers, Sarah Reinertsen (the only female amputee to compete in the Ironman Triathlon), Andrew Cogliano of the Edmonton Oilers, Christina Kim of the LPGA, and six guys from the DC United soccer team.

Durrrr Challenge Reaches Halfway Point

We’ve officially reached the halfway point of the Tom Dwan Million Dollar Challenge. Eight months after play began in February, Dwan leads Patrik Antonius by nearly $700,000, with 25,145 hands completed.

The most recent session, which took place during the early morning hours of October 7th, ran for 1,063 hands and saw Dwan boost his lead by $418,000 to $697,000 overall. Dwan scooped a $194,000 pot to set the tone of the match, which ran for over three hours across four $200/$400 Pot Limit Omaha tables on Full Tilt Poker. In it, a series of raises were put in pre-flop to see the first three cards come 5-K-8 with two diamonds. Dwan bet pot on the flop ($36,000) and Antonius made the call to see the seven of diamonds hit the turn. Dwan bet enough to put Antonius all-in for his last $43,000. The river was the four of clubs. Dwan showed Kh-Ks-Jh-Qc for trip kings, while Antonius revealed Ac-8c-7s-9c for two pair.

Dwan extended his lead over Antonius in a separate hand after calling all-in for $61,000 after a flop of 5-3-K with two spades. The turn was the jack of spades, putting three of the suit on the board, and the river came the 10 of hearts. Dwan flipped up 9s-10s-Ac-8c for a king-high flush, while Antonius held Ah-Ad-4s-9c for a pair of aces. Antonius’ various draws had missed and Dwan raked in a $187,000 pot. He’d later pad his lead even further after flopping a set of sevens, while Antonius hit top pair and then turned two pair. That pot was worth $186,000, keeping Dwan comfortably in the lead during the 1,063 hand session.

Antonius would not lie down, however, making up ground after putting Dwan all-in on a board of 3-J-6-J with two diamonds. The river came the seven of clubs, with Dwan showing Jh-8d-9s-Ah for trip jacks, while Antonius flipped up 3c-3h-Qc-6s for a full boat, threes full of jacks. The pot was worth $160,000 and temporarily curbed Dwan’s reign of terror. Antonius would further stop the bleeding after calling a re-raise from Dwan for his entire stack on a board of Js-3c-9s-3s-10s. Dwan turned over Qd-2d-10c-3h for a full house, threes full of 10s. Meanwhile, Antonius had hit the jackpot, showing 4c-Ks-Qs-Kd for a king-high straight flush. The pot weighed in at $153,000, ultimately helping to cut Dwan’s gain to just $418,000 during the session.

According to stats found on Full Tilt Poker, Dwan has taken down 13,591 hands, about 2,000 more than Antonius’ tally of 11,466. Durrrr’s average amount won per hand is $2,590, while Antonius has earned an average of $3,009 per hand. The competitors have wagered nearly $200 million during the course of the Million Dollar Challenge, with 38 sessions played over the course of eight months. The total time played is three days, eight hours, and two minutes.

Both Dwan and Antonius have led by $500,000 or more at one point over the course of the first 25,000 hands, with 25,000 hands still needed to complete the requisite 50,000. Interestingly enough, Dwan has won all but two of the Durrrr Challenge’s 10 richest pots. Antonius took down the competition’s largest pot, a $477,000 haul that took place on June 19th during the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP). Two pots have registered over $400,000, while four have weighed in at more than $300,000.

If Dwan is up by at least $1 at the conclusion of 50,000 hands, Antonius will be forced to pay $500,000. However, if Antonius is up by at least $1, Dwan will fork over $1.5 million. In each case, the victor retains the spoils of the 50,000 hands. Stay tuned for the latest from the Durrrr Challenge.

Aruba Poker Classic Final Table Delayed by Rain, Matt Ross Finishes 7th

Play was scheduled to kick off at Noon ET today in the seven-handed final table of the Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic. However, a soggy climate delayed the action, which was scheduled to emanate from a set constructed over the Radisson’s pool.

Live coverage found on Poker News painted a vivid picture of today’s weather in the normally sunny tropical paradise: “The original plan was to play [the final table] out on the stage that has been constructed over top of the meandering pool outside. Mother nature has foiled those plans with sporadic rain showers and the staff is scrambling to come up with alternatives. The new idea is to move next door to Gilligan’s Restaurant and play underneath the cover of their roof.” Play ultimately kicked off 30 minutes behind schedule, with a $753,000 first place prize up for grabs.

In a rare twist, the final table of the Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic will be played seven-handed, one more than the traditional number. Players agreed to halt the action with seven remaining on Friday after the field had been played six-handed since 36 runners remained. Robert Mizrachi held the chip lead over a talented final table when the “Shuffle Up and Deal” command was issued today. Here are the combatants who took to the Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic final table today:

1. Robert Mizrachi – 1,980,000
2. Eric Baldwin – 1,570,000
3. Chase Steely – 1,300,000
4. Brock Parker – 1,240,000
5. Brandon Hall – 442,000
6. Matt Ross – 301,000
7. Roberto Santos – 211,000

Robert Mizrachi is the brother of Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi and a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet holder. Mizrachi took down the $10,000 buy-in World Championship of Pot Limit Omaha for $768,000 in 2007, besting a talented final table that included Durrrr Challenge participant Patrik Antonius, Marco Traniello, and DoylesRoom namesake Doyle Brunson. Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin won a $1,500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event this year for his first WSOP bracelet and a $521,000 payday. He went on to grab third in the World Championship of Pot Limit Hold’em for $259,000, an event ultimately won by John Kabbaj.

Brock Parker won back-to-back WSOP bracelets this year, beginning with a $2,500 buy-in Limit Hold’em Six-Handed event for $223,000. Parker battled against crowd favorite and Team PokerStars Pro member Daniel Negreanu heads-up in that tournament’s final table, which also featured WSOP Europe Main Event winner Barry Shulman. Parker, known as “t soprano” in the online poker world, promptly took down the next WSOP tournament he entered, a $2,500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em Six-Handed affair, for another $552,000. Parker is tops in the industry at short-handed play and will be one of the favorites to win the Aruba Poker Classic this afternoon.

Blinds began at 6,000-12,000 with a 2,000 chip ante when play resumed in Level 20. It didn’t take long for the first casualty to happen after the 30 minute weather delay. Matt Ross, known in the online poker world as “cwp394,” shoved pre-flop holding pocket sevens, but ran into Roberto Santos’ A-K. The ace was the door card, sending Santos into the lead, and another ace on the river improved him to trips. Ross earned $41,000 for his efforts, setting up six-handed play in Aruba. Here are the paydays that will be on the line for the survivors:

1st Place - $753,330
2nd Place - $414,680
3rd Place - $218,860
4th Place - $126,710
5th Place - $92,150
6th Place - $68,810

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the final results of the 2009 Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic.

Tom Dwan Leads by $235,000 in Durrrr Challenge after 24,000 Hands

We’re nearly at the halfway point in the Tom “durrrr” Dwan Million Dollar Challenge. Dwan and Patrik Antonius have logged 23,597 hands, almost half of the 50,000 required for the challenge to be completed, and Dwan leads by $235,000.

On October 1st, word broke of a rare session in the Durrrr Challenge. Heading into it, Antonius held a $34,000 edge, but his lead was short-lived, as Dwan clawed back. The latest encounter lasted 400 hands and was played during the early morning hours. In one of the first hands of the session, the action was fast and furious after a flop of 10-8-4, all hearts. When the smoke cleared, Dwan flipped up 10d-Ah-Js-Qh for the nut flush, while Antonius sheepishly showed 6c-Qs-10c-10s for a flopped set. Antonius’ boat never set sail and the $138,000 pot was shipped to Dwan.

Then, the duo got their chips into the middle on a board of 10-3-5-3 with two hearts. The river came the four of spades and Dwan showed 10s-9d-4d-7s for two pair, tens and fours. Antonius showed Ac-Kd-As-8d for aces-up. Antonius’ two pair had bested Dwan’s two pair, giving him the $135,000 pot to make up some of his losses from the previous hand at the $200/$400 Pot Limit Omaha table on Full Tilt Poker.

All-ins on the flop and turn have been commonplace in the Durrrr Challenge. Dwan called all-in on a board of 6-K-6-7 with two spades in the middle stages of the October 1st session and watched as the river fell a benign deuce of clubs. Dwan showed Js-Ad-Qh-6h for three sixes, while Antonius revealed 2h-Kh-8s-7s for two pair, kings and sevens. Antonius’ flush draw, which likely would have given him the win in the hand, failed to hit and Dwan saw his account grow by $100,000.

In the largest pot of the session, Antonius called all-in after a series of raises after a flop of 7-A-9 with two hearts. The turn filled the possible flush, as the five of hearts hit, while the river paired the board by putting the five of diamonds out. Both players showed full boats, as Dwan flipped up 8c-Js-Ad-Ac for aces full of fives, while his foe turned over 9s-3s-2d-9h for nines full of fives. Antonius and Dwan had each flopped sets, leading to nearly $240,000 hitting the center of the table before the turn and river could be dealt. Dwan scooped the enormous pot, propelling him to a $235,000 lead in the challenge.

In one of the final hands of the session, Antonius called all-in on a board of 7-4-K-A with two spades. Both players watched as the river came the jack of clubs. Dwan showed 3h-4c-4s-9h for trip fours, while Antonius held 5h-6h-8d-7h for just a lowly pair of sevens. Antonius’ various draws failed to hit, sending the $93,000 pot to Dwan.

Through the 23,597 hands logged during the inaugural Durrrr Challenge, Dwan has won 12,760 of them, while Antonius has laid claim to 10,758. Dwan owns an average take of $2,519 per hand won; Antonius’ mark is slightly higher at $2,966. At stake is a bundle of cash. If Antonius is up by $1 after 50,000 hands, Dwan will owe him a colossal $1.5 million. Contrastingly, if “durrrr” is up by $1 after 50,000 hands, Antonius will be forced to pay $500,000. In either case, the victor keeps the spoils from their play.

The challenge began way back in February and when it will conclude is anyone’s guess. The action recently has slowed to a snail’s pace, with an average of one session taking place every month. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from the Durrrr Challenge.

Matt Hawrilenko Leads WSOP Europe Main Event Entering Day 4

Two days of play remain in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe Main Event and, perched atop the leaderboard entering Wednesday’s battle is Matt Hawrilenko, a 27 year-old poker pro who goes by “Hoss-TBF” online.

Hawrilenko took down a $1 million first place prize for winning Event #56 of the 2009 WSOP in Las Vegas, a $5,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em Six-Handed event. He triumphed over a final table that included Matt Waxman and Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka and owns 701,500 chips in London, the only player to eclipse the 700,000-chip plateau. Hawrilenko already has three WSOP final tables in 2009 and has quickly become one of the most feared names on the circuit. Hot on his heels is CardPlayer Magazine founder Barry Shulman, father of WSOP November Nine member Jeff Shulman. The latter was featured heavily in last night’s coverage of the 2009 Main Event on ESPN and was seated at the feature table.

Speaking of the November Nine, two of its members remain in the hunt to repeat Ivan Demidov’s miraculous feat last year. In 2008, Demidov made the final table of both the WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas and the WSOP Europe Main Event in London. Antoine Saout, who hails from France, sits with the 24th largest chip stack (202,000), while England’s James Akenhead boasts the 30th biggest tally (153,500). The nine final table members in Las Vegas will take to felts on November 7th, when they’ll return to play down to two. Then, the action resumes late in the day on November 9th to determine a winner. The tournament’s finale will air on cable station ESPN on Tuesday, November 10th.

Also still in the hunt is Doyle Brunson, who was sixth in chips entering play on Tuesday. Brunson has trailed off a bit to own the 21st largest stack out of 36 remaining players. He owns 10 WSOP bracelets, tied with Johnny Chan for second most overall; the duo trails Ultimate Bet pro Phil Hellmuth’s 11. Brunson has been shut out of the winner’s circle since 2005 and will look to make a run entering the play down day in the WSOP Europe Main Event. Brunson has 246,500 chips and joining him at Table 1 today are Jason Mercier, 2009 Poker Hall of Fame nominee Men “The Master” Nguyen, and Shulman, among others.

Here are the Top 10 chip stacks remaining in the 2009 WSOP Europe Main Event:

1. Matt Hawrilenko – 701,500
2. Steven Fung – 648,000
3. Praz Bassi – 471,000
4. Arnauld Mattern – 469,500
5. Barry Shulman – 452,500
6. John Kabbaj – 448,500
7. Peter Gould – 409,000
8. Shandoi Demjan – 367,500
9. Keith Hawkins – 330,500
10. Eric Liu – 330,500

The rest of the field is as follows:

11. Ram Vaswarni – 322,000
12. Daniel Negreanu – 314,500
13. Chris Bjorin – 306,500
14. Thomas Bichon – 305,000
15. Yevgeniy Timoshenko – 285,000
16. Saar Wilf – 273,500
17. Teddy Sheringham – 272,500
18. Andre Akkari – 272,000
19. Tommy Pavlicek – 266,500
20. Anthony Cousineau – 257,000
21. Doyle Brunson – 246,500
22. Christian Harder – 243,000
23. Craig Burgess – 232,500
24. Antoine Saout – 202,000
25. Michael Fasco – 200,500
26. Elizabeth Lieu – 193,500
27. Markus Ristola – 157,000
28. Konstantin Buecherl – 156,500
29. Steve Zolotow – 156,500
30. James Akenhead – 153,500
31. Christian Kruel – 140,000
32. Jason Mercier – 125,000
33. Oyvind Riisem – 113,500
34. Dave “Devilfish” Ulliott – 80,000
35. David Docherty – 71,500
36. Men Nguyen – 63,000

The field will be chopped to nine today and the action is already underway from the Casino at the Empire. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest WSOP Europe coverage.

Poker Pros make slow showing in Amazing Race

Without spoiling too much of the first episode of this seasons CBS Amazing Race, professional poker players Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho had a disappointing finish to the first leg of the race.

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.

Last chance to qualify for Boyle Poker’s International Poker Open

It looks as if next month’s International Poker Open in Dublin is going to go into to record books as the biggest live event held on European soil. The final few direct buy-in seats were snapped up over the weekend with the current total of entrants standing at 1,271.

Mike Matusow Calls Caesars Cup a Farce in Phil Hellmuth TwitVid

One of the most popular players in the game today, 11-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, has given those who couldn’t make their way to the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe festivities the opportunity to tour the Casino at the Empire in Leicester Square in London and get personal with other poker pros through his Twitter account.

Hellmuth, who submits his tweets through the Twitter tag “Phil Hellmuth,” recently posted a four-minute twitvid that offers a look inside what has become one of London’s must-visit places for poker players. In the video, the “Poker Brat” serves as the travel guide for the viewer and, by the end, records two polarizing figures in the world of poker.

The video starts from his viewpoint in Leicester Square in London. Filmed before his triumphant entrance as Nero during the WSOP Europe Main Event, he points out that Leicester Square is the home of many historical statues, artists, and “stuff like that,” before strolling through the Square to the entrance of the Casino at the Empire. Strangely enough, and accurately pointed out by Hellmuth, the casino does not look out of place in a city that has been in existence for quite some time.

It takes approximately two minutes to get to the true meat of Hellmuth’s twitvid. As he strolls through the casino and reaches the poker arena of the Casino at the Empire, Hellmuth finds WSOP Media Director Nolan Dalla sitting with Men “The Master” Nguyen and Mike “The Mouth” Matusow. At this point, the twitvid takes off, as the duo espouse on some issues that are on their minds.

Hellmuth welcomes Nguyen to London, as “The Master” exhaustedly states that he just arrived in the U.K. after an 11-hour flight. The extremely jet-lagged poker veteran, who is one of the nominees for election into the Poker Hall of Fame, is hailed by Hellmuth as the “Vietnamese Godfather of Poker” and Hellmuth himself states that Nguyen will probably earn election into the Hall “within the next two to three years, if not this year.”

The conversation then turns to the always-entertaining Matusow, who definitely had some issues on his mind. Hellmuth notes that Matusow is upset that Team Americas captain Daniel Negreanu did not choose him for a spot on the Caesars Cup squad. “I’m not upset,” Matusow contends. “I can’t get upset over a f*****g farce.” Matusow continues on his rant when he notes, “When a 20 year-old is the captain of the European team and a 21 year-old Canadian is captain of an American team, why should I be upset?” Matusow is, in reality, good friends with Negreanu, who is actually 35.

The duo then continue their discussion when Hellmuth brings up the fact that Matusow had taken part in the Full Tilt Million Dollar Cash Game, a 24-hour ring game that was taped for television broadcast in Europe. Hellmuth says that Matusow walked away from the table - which included “November Nine” member Phil Ivey, former WSOP Player of the Year Allen Cunningham, former Main Event Champion Chris Ferguson, online legend Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Scandinavian superstar Patrik Antonius, and English poker star Andrew Feldman - with a $105,000 profit.

“It was without a doubt the toughest lineup I have ever played,” Matusow admitted. “I definitely brought my A+ game, not only because of the difficult table, but because no one would talk to me!” Hellmuth then reveals that he had been called on several occasions during the taping to provide a foil for Matusow, drawing laughter from all at the table.

Hellmuth has continued to post tweets during the run of the WSOP Europe. He can be found on Twitter under the moniker Phil Hellmuth.

Mike Matusow Calls Caesars Cup a Farce in Phil Hellmuth TwitVid

One of the most popular players in the game today, 11-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, has given those who couldn’t make their way to the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe festivities the opportunity to tour the Casino at the Empire in Leicester Square in London and get personal with other poker pros through his Twitter account.

Hellmuth, who submits his tweets through the Twitter tag “Phil Hellmuth,” recently posted a four-minute twitvid that offers a look inside what has become one of London’s must-visit places for poker players. In the video, the “Poker Brat” serves as the travel guide for the viewer and, by the end, records two polarizing figures in the world of poker.

The video starts from his viewpoint in Leicester Square in London. Filmed before his triumphant entrance as Nero during the WSOP Europe Main Event, he points out that Leicester Square is the home of many historical statues, artists, and “stuff like that,” before strolling through the Square to the entrance of the Casino at the Empire. Strangely enough, and accurately pointed out by Hellmuth, the casino does not look out of place in a city that has been in existence for quite some time.

It takes approximately two minutes to get to the true meat of Hellmuth’s twitvid. As he strolls through the casino and reaches the poker arena of the Casino at the Empire, Hellmuth finds WSOP Media Director Nolan Dalla sitting with Men “The Master” Nguyen and Mike “The Mouth” Matusow. At this point, the twitvid takes off, as the duo espouse on some issues that are on their minds.

Hellmuth welcomes Nguyen to London, as “The Master” exhaustedly states that he just arrived in the U.K. after an 11-hour flight. The extremely jet-lagged poker veteran, who is one of the nominees for election into the Poker Hall of Fame, is hailed by Hellmuth as the “Vietnamese Godfather of Poker” and Hellmuth himself states that Nguyen will probably earn election into the Hall “within the next two to three years, if not this year.”

The conversation then turns to the always-entertaining Matusow, who definitely had some issues on his mind. Hellmuth notes that Matusow is upset that Team Americas captain Daniel Negreanu did not choose him for a spot on the Caesars Cup squad. “I’m not upset,” Matusow contends. “I can’t get upset over a f*****g farce.” Matusow continues on his rant when he notes, “When a 20 year-old is the captain of the European team and a 21 year-old Canadian is captain of an American team, why should I be upset?” Matusow is, in reality, good friends with Negreanu, who is actually 35.

The duo then continue their discussion when Hellmuth brings up the fact that Matusow had taken part in the Full Tilt Million Dollar Cash Game, a 24-hour ring game that was taped for television broadcast in Europe. Hellmuth says that Matusow walked away from the table - which included “November Nine” member Phil Ivey, former WSOP Player of the Year Allen Cunningham, former Main Event Champion Chris Ferguson, online legend Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Scandinavian superstar Patrik Antonius, and English poker star Andrew Feldman - with a $105,000 profit.

“It was without a doubt the toughest lineup I have ever played,” Matusow admitted. “I definitely brought my A+ game, not only because of the difficult table, but because no one would talk to me!” Hellmuth then reveals that he had been called on several occasions during the taping to provide a foil for Matusow, drawing laughter from all at the table.

Hellmuth has continued to post tweets during the run of the WSOP Europe. He can be found on Twitter under the moniker Phil Hellmuth.

Mike Matusow Calls Caesars Cup a Farce in Phil Hellmuth TwitVid

One of the most popular players in the game today, 11-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, has given those who couldn’t make their way to the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe festivities the opportunity to tour the Casino at the Empire in Leicester Square in London and get personal with other poker pros through his Twitter account.

Hellmuth, who submits his tweets through the Twitter tag “Phil Hellmuth,” recently posted a four-minute twitvid that offers a look inside what has become one of London’s must-visit places for poker players. In the video, the “Poker Brat” serves as the travel guide for the viewer and, by the end, records two polarizing figures in the world of poker.

The video starts from his viewpoint in Leicester Square in London. Filmed before his triumphant entrance as Nero during the WSOP Europe Main Event, he points out that Leicester Square is the home of many historical statues, artists, and “stuff like that,” before strolling through the Square to the entrance of the Casino at the Empire. Strangely enough, and accurately pointed out by Hellmuth, the casino does not look out of place in a city that has been in existence for quite some time.

It takes approximately two minutes to get to the true meat of Hellmuth’s twitvid. As he strolls through the casino and reaches the poker arena of the Casino at the Empire, Hellmuth finds WSOP Media Director Nolan Dalla sitting with Men “The Master” Nguyen and Mike “The Mouth” Matusow. At this point, the twitvid takes off, as the duo espouse on some issues that are on their minds.

Hellmuth welcomes Nguyen to London, as “The Master” exhaustedly states that he just arrived in the U.K. after an 11-hour flight. The extremely jet-lagged poker veteran, who is one of the nominees for election into the Poker Hall of Fame, is hailed by Hellmuth as the “Vietnamese Godfather of Poker” and Hellmuth himself states that Nguyen will probably earn election into the Hall “within the next two to three years, if not this year.”

The conversation then turns to the always-entertaining Matusow, who definitely had some issues on his mind. Hellmuth notes that Matusow is upset that Team Americas captain Daniel Negreanu did not choose him for a spot on the Caesars Cup squad. “I’m not upset,” Matusow contends. “I can’t get upset over a f*****g farce.” Matusow continues on his rant when he notes, “When a 20 year-old is the captain of the European team and a 21 year-old Canadian is captain of an American team, why should I be upset?” Matusow is, in reality, good friends with Negreanu, who is actually 35.

The duo then continue their discussion when Hellmuth brings up the fact that Matusow had taken part in the Full Tilt Million Dollar Cash Game, a 24-hour ring game that was taped for television broadcast in Europe. Hellmuth says that Matusow walked away from the table - which included “November Nine” member Phil Ivey, former WSOP Player of the Year Allen Cunningham, former Main Event Champion Chris Ferguson, online legend Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Scandinavian superstar Patrik Antonius, and English poker star Andrew Feldman - with a $105,000 profit.

“It was without a doubt the toughest lineup I have ever played,” Matusow admitted. “I definitely brought my A+ game, not only because of the difficult table, but because no one would talk to me!” Hellmuth then reveals that he had been called on several occasions during the taping to provide a foil for Matusow, drawing laughter from all at the table.

Hellmuth has continued to post tweets during the run of the WSOP Europe. He can be found on Twitter under the moniker Phil Hellmuth.

Mike Matusow Calls Caesars Cup a Farce in Phil Hellmuth TwitVid

One of the most popular players in the game today, 11-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, has given those who couldn’t make their way to the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe festivities the opportunity to tour the Casino at the Empire in Leicester Square in London and get personal with other poker pros through his Twitter account.

Hellmuth, who submits his tweets through the Twitter tag “Phil Hellmuth,” recently posted a four-minute twitvid that offers a look inside what has become one of London’s must-visit places for poker players. In the video, the “Poker Brat” serves as the travel guide for the viewer and, by the end, records two polarizing figures in the world of poker.

The video starts from his viewpoint in Leicester Square in London. Filmed before his triumphant entrance as Nero during the WSOP Europe Main Event, he points out that Leicester Square is the home of many historical statues, artists, and “stuff like that,” before strolling through the Square to the entrance of the Casino at the Empire. Strangely enough, and accurately pointed out by Hellmuth, the casino does not look out of place in a city that has been in existence for quite some time.

It takes approximately two minutes to get to the true meat of Hellmuth’s twitvid. As he strolls through the casino and reaches the poker arena of the Casino at the Empire, Hellmuth finds WSOP Media Director Nolan Dalla sitting with Men “The Master” Nguyen and Mike “The Mouth” Matusow. At this point, the twitvid takes off, as the duo espouse on some issues that are on their minds.

Hellmuth welcomes Nguyen to London, as “The Master” exhaustedly states that he just arrived in the U.K. after an 11-hour flight. The extremely jet-lagged poker veteran, who is one of the nominees for election into the Poker Hall of Fame, is hailed by Hellmuth as the “Vietnamese Godfather of Poker” and Hellmuth himself states that Nguyen will probably earn election into the Hall “within the next two to three years, if not this year.”

The conversation then turns to the always-entertaining Matusow, who definitely had some issues on his mind. Hellmuth notes that Matusow is upset that Team Americas captain Daniel Negreanu did not choose him for a spot on the Caesars Cup squad. “I’m not upset,” Matusow contends. “I can’t get upset over a f*****g farce.” Matusow continues on his rant when he notes, “When a 20 year-old is the captain of the European team and a 21 year-old Canadian is captain of an American team, why should I be upset?” Matusow is, in reality, good friends with Negreanu, who is actually 35.

The duo then continue their discussion when Hellmuth brings up the fact that Matusow had taken part in the Full Tilt Million Dollar Cash Game, a 24-hour ring game that was taped for television broadcast in Europe. Hellmuth says that Matusow walked away from the table - which included “November Nine” member Phil Ivey, former WSOP Player of the Year Allen Cunningham, former Main Event Champion Chris Ferguson, online legend Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Scandinavian superstar Patrik Antonius, and English poker star Andrew Feldman - with a $105,000 profit.

“It was without a doubt the toughest lineup I have ever played,” Matusow admitted. “I definitely brought my A+ game, not only because of the difficult table, but because no one would talk to me!” Hellmuth then reveals that he had been called on several occasions during the taping to provide a foil for Matusow, drawing laughter from all at the table.

Hellmuth has continued to post tweets during the run of the WSOP Europe. He can be found on Twitter under the moniker Phil Hellmuth.

Busquet stages comeback to win Borgata Poker Open

The 28-year-old online poker player entered the final table as the commanding chip leader but soon found himself in trouble when opponent Jeremy Brown started busting player after player.

Brown eliminated three players and by the time they were down to heads-up play Brown held a 3-1 chip lead over Busquet. The situation went from bad to worse for Busquet, who by the 18th hand had only 1.5 million chips to Brown's 29 million.

Somehow Busquet found a way to battle back and, after a few lucky hands, finally landed the knockout blow to eliminate Brown and claim the $925,514 for first place.

"I'm a little bit overwhelmed by the whole thing," said Busquet shortly after his victory. "Making a WPT final table is every tournament poker player's goal but to actually win the tournament is unreal."

The 2009 Borgata Poker Open was unique for the WPT because organizers opted to lower the buy-in from the standard $10,000 to a more recession-friendly $3,500. The experiment seems to have worked as the event drew the largest field in WPT history with 1,018 players.

Many poker pros were in Europe playing the WSOPE but the Borgata Poker Open still managed to draw marquee players like J.C. Tran, Gavin Smith, Chino Rheem, Kenna James, Michael Binger, Amnon Filippi and several others.

Busquet, who is known as livb112 or adonis112 online, is a legend in the online community for his heads-up prowess but this is his first major live tournament win.

The next event on the WPT schedule is Marrakech, which takes place Oct. 11-18, but the WPT won't be returning to North American soil until Oct. 21 when Festa al Lago kicks off at Bellagio in Las Vegas.

The complete final table payouts are as follows:

1. Olivier Busquet - $925,514

2. Jeremy Brown - $453,519

3. Ivan Mamuzic - $251,955

4. Yanick Brodeur - $216,681

5. Keith Crowder - $188,126

6. Kenny Nguyen - $156,212

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Olivier Busquet Wins WPT Borgata Poker Open

Down 20:1 in chips heads-up, Olivier Busquet mounted the comeback of the century and won the 2009 World Poker Tour (WPT) Borgata Poker Open. Busquet entered the six-handed televised final table as the chip leader.

Beginning the day with just five big blinds to his name, Kenny Nguyen was the first to go, exiting on the third hand of final table play. Nguyen pushed with pocket eights pre-flop only to run into Busquet’s pocket kings. The board ran out A-J-2-10-7 and Busquet scooped the pot, sending Nguyen packing $156,000 richer for his efforts.

Fifteen hands later in a battle of the blinds, Keith Crowder hit the skids in fifth place, earning $188,000. Prior to Crowder moving all-in, Jeremy Brown told him, “I will felt you if you move all-in.” Crowder shoved from the small blind with a scant 10-4 of spades and Brown called from the big blind with pocket eights. The board came 4-2-2-5-J and Brown boosted his chip stack to nearly eight million.

Yanick Brodeur’s run through the WPT Borgata Poker Open came to an end on the 53rd hand of final table play. Brodeur went out on a bad beat, calling Brown’s all-in pre-flop with A-K. Brown turned over A-Q and found himself way behind. The flop came 9-8-6, keeping Brodeur in the lead, but a queen on the turn would be his demise. No king hit the river and Brodeur was shown the door in fourth place for $216,000, not a bad return on investment for his $3,500 buy-in.

Ivan Mamuzic was ousted in third place for $251,000. Brown raised from the button and Mamuzic pushed all-in over the top. Mamuzic flipped over pocket threes, while Brown showed pocket sixes, a 4:1 favorite pre-flop. Brown spiked another six on the flop and running tens secured his victory in the hand, setting up a heads-up showdown with Busquet. Having eliminated Mamuzic, Brodeur, and Crowder, Brown held a 3:1 edge in chips entering heads-up play.

By 20 hands into heads-up action, Brown had improved his edge to 20:1, holding 29.2 million chips to Busquet’s 1.4 million. Then, Busquet mounted a comeback of epic proportions. Busquet doubled up with pocket queens against 9-7 after Brown’s straight and flush draws failed to hit to narrow the lead to 5:1. On a flop of 8-7-6, Brown pushed all-in over the top of a raise by Busquet, who called for his tournament life with 9-10 for the nuts. Brown showed J-8 for top pair and Busquet was suddenly just a 3:2 underdog in chips.

Busquet took the chip lead after picking off Brown’s bluff with Q-2 on a board of A-K-6. Then, Brown struck back. On a board of Q-9-10-K-Q, Busquet bet out 1.5 million and Brown raised to 4.5 million. Busquet called the three million chip raise only to see Brown table K-Q for a boat. The hand sent Brown back into the chip lead by a 3:2 margin. The two were nearly even in chips until Busquet made top pair on a J-9-5-9-4 board with J-10, enough to rake the six million chip pot and reclaim the chip lead for good.

On the final hand of the Borgata Poker Open, Brown raised to 1.2 million pre-flop and Busquet called to see a flop of 4-4-3. The chips quickly found their way into the middle, with Brown showing 5-2 for an open-ended straight draw and Busquet revealing A-4 for trips. The turn came a seven and, calling for an ace or six, Brown watched as the river was a five, shipping the $925,000 first place prize to Busquet. Second place was worth $453,000.

Here is how the final table shook out at the WPT Borgata Poker Open:

1st Place: Olivier Busquet - $925,514
2nd Place: Jeremy Brown - $453,519
3rd Place: Ivan Mamuzic - $251,955
4th Place: Yanick Brodeur - $216,681
5th Place: Keith Crowder - $188,126
6th Place: Kenny Nguyen - $156,212

Next up for the WPT on U.S. soil is the Festa al Lago, which kicks off on October 21st from the Bellagio in Las Vegas. In the interim, WPT Marrakech will take place from October 11th through 18th. The non-televised event brings the WPT brand to the African continent for the first time.

Annette_15 turns 21 as WSOPE kicks off

Norway's Annette Obrestad, the online poker phenom who started playing poker at 15-years-old and won the very first WSOPE Main Event in 2007 at just 18, turned 21 Friday.

"I am so excited you have no idea," she told PokerListings at a party marking the occasion upstairs at the Casino at the Empire in London, while play on Day 1a of the 2009 WSOPE's first event continued downstairs.

"This is the biggest birthday for me by far, because I have so many more opportunities now."

The opportunities waiting for Obrestad lie largely in the United States, where, until now, the Betfair Poker sponsored pro has been unable to ply her trade.

In fact, despite being a World Series of Poker bracelet holder and a legend in the online poker world, she has yet to play in the Las Vegas edition of poker's most storied event.

"Basically I've been waiting for six years for this," she said. "After I turned 18 it was like "God, still another three years," but finally, today is the day."

Obrestad says she will definitely play a full schedule of events at the 2010 WSOP, but that is still more than nine months away.

The World Poker Tour's Festa al Lago at Bellagio in Las Vegas Oct. 20-26 will most likely be her major tournament debut in on American soil.

In the meantime, she plans on playing all four bracelet events at the WSOPE and the inaugural Caesars Cup event, as captain of the European squad taking on a team from the Americas.

"I love London, it's one of my favorite places," she said. "There are so many memories here and all of them are awesome. I can't think of any other place that means as much to me as London does."

PokerListings' comprehensive coverage of the World Series of Poker Europe continues daily from London on our Live Tournaments page.

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Sports Legends Challenge postponed

Originally planned for Sept. 14-17 at Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas, the event was to feature 25 sports legends and 25 top poker pros playing four days of poker, casino games and golf with anyone willing to pay the $3,999 to $9,499 package price.

Now, claiming the current economic climate and weather patterns in the Bahamas have hurt sales, organizers have decided to reschedule the event for a new location and dates in 2010.

"It's not a very exciting story," Sports Legends Challenge CEO Bruce Bibbero told PokerListings. "People were concerned about hurricane season in the Bahamas and with current economic conditions being what they are, this was just more than people were willing to do."

Bibbero and partner Lawrence Lubin's previous attempts to launch a celebrity and sports star poker tournament in 2007 also fell apart, culminating with a lawsuit against both by gaming publishers Sludikoff Gaming.

Organizers claimed some of sports biggest stars were expected to attend the Sports Legends Challenge, including Sugar Ray Leonard, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Emmitt Smith, Reggie Jackson, Joe Namath, Julius "Dr. J" Erving, and Mark Messier.

Poker Pros including Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke, Johnny Chan, Jamie Gold and Mike Sexton were also expected to be on hand.

Bibbero said details on the new venue and dates are being finalized, but organizers will be looking for a location on U.S. soil that provides easy access to major population centers.

All prior entries will be honored at the rescheduled event and refunds have been offered.

The new location and dates are expected to be announced over the next few weeks.

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