Poker News

Vanessa Rousso Bests Tough Field in 2010 PCA $1,000 Ladies Event

Harrison "gibler123" Gimbel may have garnered the headlines at the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) by winning the Main Event and a $2.2 million paycheck, but he wasn't the only one having a good time at the Atlantis Resort and Casino in the Bahamas.  One of the biggest hits of the Caribbean poker festival was the $1,000 + $100 Ladies No Limit Hold'em tournament.

A total of 91 women competed in the event, 33 of whom won their seats online at PokerStars via satellites with buy-ins starting as low as $2.20.  They won more than just their entry and spending money; the online qualifiers were also pampered at the resort's Mandara Spa and received instruction at a High Heels Poker Tour Ladies Boot Camp session from Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Rousso.

As it turned out, the Boot Camp attendees probably should have listened to their instructor more closely, as Rousso went on to win the event, scoring a $24,725 cash.  Rousso burst onto the poker scene in 2006 when she placed 7th in the $25,000 World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship and then won a $5,000 No Limit Hold'em event at the WPT Borgata Poker Open a few months later.  In 2007, she finished second in PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP), winning over $700,000, and became known to a broad television audience when she was the runner-up in the 2009 National Heads-Up Poker Championship.  The GoDaddy.com girl has also won two tournaments on NBC's "Poker After Dark."

Other members of Team PokerStars Pro in the tournament who were not as fortunate were Katja Thater, Veronica Dabul, Sandra Naujoks, and Maria "Maridu" Mayrinck.  Other known pros in attendance included J.J. Liu, 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe Main Event champ Annette Obrestad, European Poker Tour (EPT) London Ladies champ Dagmara Aleksandrowicz, and Shirley Rosario, who placed fourth.

Another player of note was Elizabeth Bennett-Martin, who qualified for the Main Event via a PokerStars satellite for the second year in a row.  A portion of her winnings was earmarked for the charitable organization Cambodian Legal Education for Women (CLEW).  Created by her Toronto law firm, Bennett Gastle P.C., CLEW raises money to help impoverished women in Cambodia attend law school.  The goal of these women is to provide legal help to those who would not normally be able to access any in Cambodia, where the population of more than 14 million has only 538 lawyers.  Unfortunately, Bennett-Martin did not make the money in any event this year.

Sixteen women did cash, though, each getting a piece of the $88,270 prize pool.  Runner-up Halli Pinson was impressed with the field, telling PokerStars, "This event was a lot more serious than most ladies tournaments. I didn't recognize that many faces, but the field seemed a lot more experienced than usual. These women had come to play, and they had come to win! Vanessa Rousso dominated the event though – she had good cards and she's an experienced player: the combination was lethal."

Those who did not want to pony up $1,100, but still wanted to compete in a women-only tournament, or those who just wanted another shot at a title, had the chance to play in another Ladies Event the next day for just $300.  The field of 73 produced a prize pool of $19,119 and Diana Linke took home the top cash of $6,504.

PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $1,000 + $100 Ladies Event Final Standings

1. Vanessa Rousso - $24,275
2. Halli Pinson - $13,815
3. Ann-Margaret Johnston - $9,335
4. Shirley Rosario - $6,620
5. Jamie Kerstetter - $5,740
6. Pastora Sorenson - $4,635
7. Lisa Adams - $3,750
8. Vanessa Caldeira - $2,870
9. Irene Baroni - $2,425
10. Sarah Wasch - $2,425
11. Violetta Szczerba - $2,205
12. Nesrine Kourdourli - $2,205
13. Muriel Allard - $1,985
14. Anna Yamshchikova - $1,985
15. Alina Salnikova - $1,765
16. Hai Nguyen - $1,765

Online Rounders Dominate PCA Final

The chip leader going in will be the same man who led the final 24, Ryan “g0lfa” D’Angelo.

An online pro for the past six years, D’Angelo has two PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker titles on his resume, but his live experience also includes a third-place finish at a World Series of Poker $2k event in 2008.

Considering the more than 750 online qualifiers at the event and the wealth of online players in the field, D’Angelo said the 2010 PCA has played a lot more like an online MTT than your typical live tournament.

“In a lot of other tournaments you can’t get away with raise sizes like you would online,” he said. “Here it plays pretty much like an online tournament. A lot of three-betting and cold four-betting. I really haven’t taken part in that though. I guess I’m not as crazy as some of these younger Internet kids here who just spit fire and get in there with nothing.”

Thanks to the flopped queen he used to crack EPT Founder John Duthie’s aces and rake a ten-million-chip pot, another online pro will come into Monday’s final eight second in chips.

Morton, Illinois’ Ty Reiman has almost $1 million in online earnings and actually won the first live tournament he ever played at the Heartland Poker Tour’s Turning Stone $1k in 2007.

Like D’Angelo, he feels the PCA has played much like an online tournament so far.

“I really don’t feel like it’s that different from any other online tournament,” he said. “Maybe it’s just because that queen hasn’t really set in yet.”

Fellow U.S. online regulars Tom Koral, Harrison Gimbel, Benjamin Zamani and Zachary Goldberg join PokerStars qualifier Aage Floenes Ravn from Norway in rounding out the final eight.

But it’s 2009 WSOPE champ and CardPlayer publisher Barry Shulman who will come into the final table third in chips and on the hottest streak of his poker career.

The suddenly resurgent Shulman won a WSOP bracelet in 2001 before most of these players had even heard of poker.

Now, despite being the least experienced player when it comes to the online style, he appears to have adapted.

“Historically I play better against better players,” he explained. “(The WSOPE) was the toughest field I’ve ever played with. It was impossible to find people just dumping off chips. Here is a whole different story, because it’s such an aggressive situation.

“My own play was actually the same, but this was different because they just play so differently. There is so much action versus what I saw in London.”

The action could slow down when the final table begins, however, as the online players adapt a strategy similar to playing Sit & Go’s.

“I tend to play final tables like a Sit & Go,” said D’Angelo. “I just like to see what everyone is doing, try and feel everybody out and play a solid game. Once the blinds get higher that’s when we start moving chips.”

“The table is really good,” added Reiman. “There are a lot of online players who I’ve played with. I’m just going to try and play my game, not get into too many big pots and let the smaller stacks dwindle out. Then, once we’re four-handed or five handed, we go to battle.”

To follow all the action and see who takes down the 2010 PCA and its $2.2 million first-place prize, tune in to PokerListings’ Live Updates beginning at 12 p.m ET Monday.

2010 PCA: Island Vibe Perfect for Poker

“I don’t know what it is,” said the 35-year-old software analyst turned poker pro from Stockton, California.  “I guess I really like this place.”

After finishing runner-up to Team PokerStars Pro Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier at the 2008 PCA, Khan went deep at Atlantis again last year, making 21^st place.

This year, he managed another strong finish, busting out 37^th on Day 4 Saturday.

“The fact that I’ve been here before and gone through such a big field, I feel that it helps me,” he explained. “It helps me remain calm and patient.”

Calm and patient is the exact same vibe Floridian poker pro Robert Mizrachi said he feels while playing in the Caribbean, and the results have followed.

Mizrachi managed a fourth place finish at the 2007 PCA and in late 2009, he finished runner-up at Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic.

“I guess it’s more relaxing,” he said of playing on the islands. “You’ve got nothing on your mind and it’s easy to focus on poker.”

Just 24 players remain in the hunt for the title and $2.2 million first-place prize headed into Day 5 Sunday and Mizrachi is still deep-stacked and in the hunt.

The 1,529 entrants this year have made the 2010 PCA the largest tournament ever held outside the United States.

Like Aruba, the PCA sees more people win their seats online than the average big buy-in tournament.

In fact, with a total of 756 online qualifiers, almost half of the field won their way into the 2010 PCA on the virtual felt.

A fact Mizrachi said sets up well for his game.

“They are actually very aggressive players and I just know how to pick my spots against them,” he said. “I guess I play better against more aggressive players. My style of play is very effective against 18-21-year-old Internet players. With their style of play, I just know how to beat them.

“I play sometimes more aggressive than them, and other times I just try to trap them - Mixing it up works very well.”

No matter how calm and relaxed the island vibe is, wading your way through such a massive field is no easy task, even for a man who seems to do it every year.

“It’s a huge tournament so you are dodging land mines every day,” said Khan. “I really don’t know what it is for me here. I guess it’s a matter of running good and playing good.”

Joining Mizrachi among the leaders heading into Day 5 are two-time PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker event winner Ryan D’Angelo, Team PokerStars Pro and EPT founder John Duthie and WSOPE main event champion and CardPlayer publisher Barry Shulman.

To catch all the island poker action at the 2010 PCA as the remaining 24 play down to a final table of eight Sunday, tune in to PokerListings’ Live Updates.

PokerStars amfAR Charity Poker Tournament Attracts Star-Studded Lineup

On Friday night during the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA), a charity poker tournament benefiting amfAR, a foundation for AIDS research, will play out. The field is capped at 39 entrants.

Since 1985, amfAR has invested nearly $290 million and has awarded grants to more than 2,000 research teams worldwide. Now, poker players will have a chance to give to the cause as part of a star-studded $5,250 buy-in charity tournament that will be filmed for television and beamed across cyberspace via EPTlive. The PCA is in the midst of Day 3 of its $10,000 buy-in Main Event, which attracted a starting field of 1,529 players, a new European Poker Tour (EPT) record.

Unlike a traditional poker tournament, the amfAR benefit takes on a shootout format. A total of 39 players will assemble across four tables. The last two standing at each table will move onto the final round. At the first table, each player is awarded 50,000 starting chips and the price of poker goes up every 20 minutes. At the final table, combatants will receive the same 50,000 chips, but blind levels will instead last a half-hour. Fifty percent of the prize pool will go straight to amfAR and all players are encouraged to donate 1% of their winnings to the charity. One television table and three outer tables can be found at the Atlantis Resort and Casino on Paradise Island in the Bahamas tonight.

On Saturday night, former Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland will be performing at a PokerStars-sponsored party at the resort. Tonight, Rowland will put her poker skills to the test in the amfAR charity event. Other celebrity poker players who will take to the felts this evening include Entourage actor Adrian "Vince" Grenier, former Guns and Roses guitarist Slash, “24” star Carlos Bernard, and former Playboy Playmate of the Year and “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge” personality Jayde Nicole. New PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) television hostess Joanna Krupa can also be found among the personalities in attendance in the charity poker event.

Professionals taking to the felts include reigning World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion Joe Cada, a card-carrying member of Team PokerStars Pro. Cada is fresh off mainstream media appearances on programs like the “Late Show with David Letterman” and “ESPN SportsCenter” and he recently toured Capitol Hill on behalf of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA). Also, look for tennis stud Boris Becker, former hockey star Mats Sundin, and former soccer player Teddy Sheringham. All are members of Team PokerStars SportsStars and will be in attendance raising money for amfAR.

Several PokerStars-sponsored pros besides Cada and the world’s sports heroes will make their way to the tournament area tonight, including Costa Rican sensation Humberto Brenes, Brazil’s Alexandre Gomes and Andre Akkari, Swedish pro William Thorson, and the Netherlands’ Pieter de Korver. Also taking part are five online qualifiers, who will almost certainly be overwhelmed by the amount of celebrity and poker firepower in attendance.

Members of the media were advised to show up no later than 5:45pm local time in order to snap pictures of players as they arrived. No interviews were available, as PokerStars will hold a formal red carpet outside of the Aura Nightclub at 7:00pm on Saturday prior to Rowland’s performance.

At the time of writing, Bryce Yockey from the United States paced the field in the 2010 PCA Main Event with a chip stack of one million. Others in the top ten included 2009 WSOP Main Event November Nine member Phil Ivey, UB.com pro Matt “mattg1983” Graham, and two-time bracelet winner Eric “EFro” Froehlich. A total of 190 players remain and blinds are 3,000-6,000 with a 500 ante.

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest news, notes, and nuggets from the 2010 PCA.

PCA Payouts Flattened

When Canadian Poorya Nazari beat a field of 1,347 to take first at the 2009 PCA, he walked away $3 million. This year, the player who manages to best a field of 1,529 will take just $2.2 million.

The difference is that while 199 made the money in 2009, a total of 224 will this year.

And while the first payout level was just $2,500 above the $10,000 buy-in last year, it is $5k above it now.

“More players are getting paid and the players are getting paid better,” said PokerStars live poker specialist, player liaison and event host Neil Johnson. “It’s a much more significant return on your investment and it’s better for the poker economy as a whole. We get more players paid better.”

According to Johnson, the $3 million Nazari is credited with winning can be a bit misleading.

Last year PokerStars guaranteed the $3 million first-place prize and had to adjust the rest of the prize pool to compensate.

That meant a $1.9 million gap between first and third place money and inevitably, a chop was agreed upon when play went three-handed.

“I don’t care how much money you have, you are not flipping for that,” Johnson said. “We all know they are going to chop it at the top anyway, so all of PokerStars payouts are a little flatter at the top now.”

The bottom line is that 15% of the field is now getting paid rather than the one-time standard of 10%.

And while those at the bottom of the payout structure will do better than they have in the past, the money is coming straight from the top.

A fact not all the players are happy about.

“It’s terrible, I hate it,” said Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu. “We all are going to work harder and outlast more players and get less money. It’s a terrible idea.”

WPT title holder and recent PokerStars Sunday Million winner Mark Newhouse thought he would be playing paying for a much bigger first-place prize when he flew over the Bahamas this year.

Like Negreanu, he’s disappointed.

“I think it’s stupid. We were all expecting almost $4 million and they come out with this,” he said. “It’s a bad idea. You would think that they would want it to get bigger not smaller. It’s better for poker for first prize to get bigger.”

However, Team PokerStars Pro Barry Greenstein said while the payout structure may hurt the eventual winner, it’s better for the field as a whole.

“I think the flatter payouts are a better thing,” he said. “The winner, sure he’s going to want more money, but if you think about it, what’s better for PokerStars? They’re an online gaming site and they would benefit more from putting the money back into the community.

“Also, in a tournament like this where there are so many online qualifiers for which a minimum cash would be a big deal; it’s a good thing. It creates better stories and it’s different here than say at Bellagio where everyone puts up their own $10k. In that instance steeper payouts might make more sense, but for this tournament, I think they did the right thing.”

In the end, the final four players will all make over $1 million and Johnson said he’s heard more positive opinions from the players than negative.

As a result, he believes even the players who run really deep in the event will walk away happy.

“The final two tables are all making six figures,” he said. “I can’t imagine anybody being unhappy with that.”

To find out who will get a piece of the $14,831,300 prize pool and follow all the 2010 PCA action, tune in to PokerListings’ Live Updates.

- With Files From Ed Sevillano

PCA Boom Continues

And as Day 1a of the PokerStars Caribbean adventure kicked off in the Bahamas Tuesday, every indication is that growth is not about to slow down.

In 2005, the tournament got off the boat and moved to its current home at the Atlantis Resort and Casino on Paradise Island in the Bahamas.

But it wasn’t until 2007 that the real growth began.

The 937 registrants that year helped the PCA break the record for the largest poker tournament ever held outside the U.S. for the first time.

And after becoming a stop on the PokerStars European Poker Tour schedule in 2008, the event has broken the record every year since, including last year when Canadian Poorya Nazari beat a massive 1,347-player field to bank a $3 million first-place prize.

EPT Founder John Duthie says it’s the PokerStars part of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure that has truly made the difference.

And with 735 online qualifiers making the trip in 2009 and another 750 expected this year, it’s hard to disagree with him.

“I think it being connected to the largest poker site in the world gives it a critical mass that can’t be competed with,” he said. “When you have so many millions of people playing online you have a huge pool of people from which to send to live events and that’s exactly what we see here.”

Because of the event’s connection to the European Poker Tour and the Bahamas close proximity to the United States, the PCA has grown into a popular destination for poker players from both sides of the Atlantic.

In fact, Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier says it appears the entire poker world now descends upon the Bahamas annually for the event.

“It’s like nothing else because you run into people that you’ve met everywhere,” he explained. “Pretty much everybody in poker comes to the PCA. You run into people that you’ve met in Vegas, on the European Poker Tour or the World Poker Tour. Everybody is here.”

This year the PCA is an entire poker festival, boasting as many as 50 events, but with Atlantis’ huge marine habitat, marina, water attractions, beach, spa and casino, Duthie says it’s more than just poker that’s attracting people to the PCA.

“For one reason or another, more people seem to bring their girlfriends or wives and families,” he said. “So it has much more of a feeling like an outing or a holiday and the poker just happens to be part of it.”

Close to 700 players sat down for Day 1a Tuesday and with as many as 900 expected for Day 1b Wednesday, the event appears poised to smash records again.

Now, the incredible growth the PCA has enjoyed has helped grow the EPT into the biggest poker tour on the planet.

A fact Duthie never imagined he’d see.

“First of all, I didn’t think we would ever come to the Caribbean, because I never considered the Caribbean part of Europe, but it became an addition to the EPT because of PokerStars’ involvement. I always thought it would get big in Europe because poker was really taking off. But I never thought it would get as big as it has become.

“It’s an interesting feeling looking at it now because it bears no resemblance to what it was when we started.”

And as far as Mercier can tell, the growth will continue.

“I expect it to keep on growing because PokerStars keeps running so many satellites and it just grows every year,” he said. “PokerStars keeps growing, so more people qualify and poker is not declining; it’s sort of leveling off. So as long as PokerStars continues to grow, the PCA should continue to grow as well.”

To follow the growth and all the action at the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, tune into PokerListings’ Live Updates today and throughout the next week.

Returns

Filming of 13 different shows concluded in October at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas featuring a mixture of well-known regulars from previous seasons and thirteen players making their Poker After Dark debut.

Ali Nejad, returns to provide commentary and Leeann Tweeden is back for her third season as the show’s host.

Seven of the new shows will follow the traditional Poker After Dark week-long six-handed winner-take-all freezeout format while the remaining six will feature cash games of varying buy-ins that will each air over a two-week period.

Producers say there are first-time winners, matches that end in dramatic fashion, huge swings, plenty of laughs and many other memorable moments.

The season will kick-off Jan. 4 with a Poker After Dark staple: The “Commentators” episode, featuring Nejad and High Stakes Poker host Gabe Kaplan along with newcomer Joe Sebok from Poker2Nite and Kaplan’s new co-host Kara Scott.

A “Nicknames” episode will follow that includes Annette “The Huntress” Obrestad’s Poker After Dark debut and great names like Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari, Erick “E-Dog” Lindgren, Phil “The Unabomber” Laak, and Phil “The Poker Brat” Hellmuth.

The first cash game episodes to air will feature a $50,000 minimum buy-in and players including, Todd Brunson, Chris Ferguson, Matusow, Esfandiari, and Hellmuth.

In what could be the first win for an amateur on Poker After Dark a “My Favorite Pro” episode will air including online qualifiers Craig Ivey from Australia, James Ashby from Alabama, Jens Voertmann from Germany, and 2009 Howard Lederer Charity Event winner Steve Bartlett playing alongside Hellmuth and Ferguson.

In a match similar to the “Battle of the Sexes” theme of Season 2, a “He Said, She Said” episode will include Erica Schoenberg, Jean-Robert Bellande, David Grey, Matusow, Annie Duke and Karina Jett, making her Poker After Dark debut.

The next cash game show has a $100,000 minimum buy-in and includes some of the biggest cash players in the world. Here Hellmuth will take on Eli Elezra, Doyle Brunson, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Gus Hansen, and Laak.

A “Lonesome Shark” show will feature bachelors Lindgren, James Akenhead, Esfandiari, Matusow, David Williams, and Brad Booth and there is a “Mixed Martial Arts” show featuring Bruce Buffer, Dan Henderson, Randy Couture and Patrik Antonius.

The third and final cash game has a $150,000 minimum buy-in and includes Dwan, Antonius, David Peat, Elezra, Kaplan, and Alan Meltzer.

Finally, the season wraps up with a “Charity in Mind” show, highlighting the charity work of players including Phil Gordon, Jennifer Harman, Andy Bloch, Duke, Lederer and Ferguson.

Season 6 begins Jan. 4 in Poker After Dark’s regular 2:05 a.m. timeslot on NBC.

For more information and the entire schedule, check out the Poker After Dark page on NBC’s website.

WPT Sets Sights on Romania

After revealing its plans to head back to the Paris’ famed Aviation Club de France in May 2010 after a four-year absence last week, the WPT has now set its sights on Romania.

WPT Bucharest will run Mar. 27–Apr. 2, 2010 and will include a non-televised €3,000+€300 buy-in main event.

The Regent Casino in the Novotel Hotel at the center of Bucharest will play host to the tournament.

The casino features a gaming area with 25 table games, 88 slot machines, two VIP rooms, a luxury restaurant and other facilities.

“We are happy to be in partnership with WPT and to launch this special event together for the first time in Romania,” said Regent Casino CEO Sorin Constantinescu.

“It is already known that WPT always introduce new tournaments into prestigious locations. Regent Casino Bucharest is one of those special places, and with WPT Bucharest we believe it will become an excellent meeting point for the most talented poker players from all around the world.”

In addition to online qualifiers, land-based satellites will also be offered at Regent Casino.

When the WPT was bought by PartyGaming in the fourth quarter of 2009, officials promised to expand the tour, particularly in Europe. It appears now those plans are being put into action.

PartyPoker Offering Premier League Seat and Sponsorship Deal

In the coming weeks, players will not only be trying to satellite their way into the fourth installment of the PartyPoker Premier League tournament, but they are also vying for a sponsorship contract that could be worth $100,000.

The list of top pros taking part in the February event is starting to come together and the winner of the previous Premier League installment, J.C. Tran, will be back to defend his crown.  In December of 2008, Tran defeated a tough final table lineup that included Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Juha Helppi, Peter Eastgate, Roland de Wolfe, and Tony G.  Heads-up play came down to Tran and Tony G, with Tran prevailing over the Aussie pro to take the title.

Tran commented on his return to the Premier League in an official statement from PartyPoker: “I am very much looking forward to defending my Premier League title.  It was a fantastic experience last year and is an amazing format. I am certainly not going to be giving up my crown without a fight!”

This year, a PartyPoker online qualifier will join Tran and the other pros in the event, which features a prize pool of $1.5 million.  The site is giving out 16 packages worth $9,000 that include a trip to Las Vegas and a chance to compete in a Premier League qualifying tournament.  Each prize package includes a $6,250 buy-in into the qualifying event, hotel stay, and $2,000 in spending money.  The qualifier will run from February 9th to 10th and its winner will stick around from the 11th to 18th, when the actual Premier League IV tournament takes place.

As for the $100,000 sponsorship deal, it is available to any one of the 16 players who makes the trip to Vegas, not just the person who wins the seat in the finals.  Representatives from the online poker room will be on hand to evaluate players on their skills on the felt and other factors like marketability and personality.  Of the 16, one will be chosen to join the grassroots team of sponsored pros, which already includes World Poker Tour host Mike Sexton, Felipe “Mojave” Ramos, Ian Frazer, and others.

A PartyPoker spokesperson spoke about the decision-making process in a press release from the online poker room: “One amazing element of this promotion that provides a truly fantastic opportunity is that one of the 16 qualifiers will be chosen by PartyPoker to receive a $100,000 Team Party contract to be a sponsored player.  This decision will be made by PartyPoker within two weeks after the event takes place.  We will only get a flavor of who we want to sponsor once we have had a chance to meet and interact with the 16 players that make it out to Las Vegas.”

Players interested in satelliting their way into the event can do so for as little as $2 thanks to three-tiered series of online qualifiers.  PartyPoker will be running $2 and $6.50 tournaments daily and winners will advance into a $52 buy-in event that will run at 3:20pm ET every day.  One in every ten players in those tournaments will earn a seat into the final online qualifier.  The finals will run each Sunday at 3:20pm and the $480 buy-in tournament will award one prize package for every 20 entrants.

For those who want to avoid playing too many satellites, PartyPoker is also running a rake race exclusively for Palladium Lounge members.  Palladium Lounge is the VIP customer rewards club for PartyPoker players.  The top 600 finishers in the points race, which is running from December 7th to January 3rd, will compete in a freeroll on January 10th to win two of the $9,000 packages.  The top 250 finishers will also be rewarded with a share of a cash prize from a $155,000 prize pool.  The winner will receive a Premier League package and the runner-up gets $6,000.  The remaining 248 players will receive anywhere from $4,500 to $100.

PokerStars UKIPT Kicks Off

The four-day tournament, running until Dec. 14, drew players from 22 countries, including 104 online qualifiers.

“Given it's the first event of a brand new tour, it is really exciting that so many players have qualified for the event and from so many countries,” said newly named UKIPT host and veteran European Poker Tour commentator Nick Wealthall.

“As the tour becomes established and builds its reputation, we look forward to welcoming more and more new players to big time live poker.”

Team PokerStars Pros John Duthie, J.P. Kelly, and Jude Ainsworth joined a field that included 147 players from Ireland and a total of 52 from the United Kingdom.

The group is vying for a piece of a €471,400 prize pool, including €125k for first.

Galway is the first of eight stops on the newly launched UKIPT. The tour will also visit Manchester, Nottingham, Killarney, Brighton, a city yet to be named in Scotland, Dublin and London, where the PokerStars EPT London main event will act as the Grand Final next October.

More on the tour can be found on the UKIPT website.

The PokerStars UK and Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT) kicked off in Galway, Ireland Friday, drawing 259 players for its €2,000 Main Event.

The four-day tournament, running until Dec. 14, drew players from 22 countries, including 104 online qualifiers.

“Given it's the first event of a brand new tour, it is really exciting that so many players have qualified for the event and from so many countries,” said newly named UKIPT host and veteran European Poker Tour commentator Nick Wealthall.

“As the tour becomes established and builds its reputation, we look forward to welcoming more and more new players to big time live poker.”

Team PokerStars Pros John Duthie, J.P. Kelly, and Jude Ainsworth joined a field that included 147 players from Ireland and a total of 52 from the United Kingdom.

The group is vying for a piece of a €471,400 prize pool, including €125k for first.

Galway is the first of eight stops on the newly launched UKIPT. The tour will also visit Manchester, Nottingham, Killarney, Brighton, a city yet to be named in Scotland, Dublin and London, where the PokerStars EPT London main event will act as the Grand Final next October.

Akenhead Aces Full Tilt Poker Million VIII

It was little more than a month ago Akenhead entered the 2009 WSOP Main Event final table as one of the short stacks, couldn’t get anything going, and finished in ninth place.

Akenhead also finished in ninth place at the 2009 WSOPE Main Event and back in 2008 he finished second in a $1,500 WSOP No-Limit Hold’em event, thanks to a heart-wrenching bad beat.

In addition to getting the monkey off his back, Akenhead picked up $500,000 for his effort in the Poker Million VIII.

“It’s been such a great year and ever since I came second for a bracelet in such a brutal way I’ve been striving to win a big tournament,” Akenhead said. “I’ve made lots of final tables but not come first so to win an event as big as the Poker Million is fantastic.”

Akenhead outlasted some stiff competition with pros like Juha Helppi, Dag Martin Mikkelsen, Luke "FullFlush" Schwartz, Taylor Caby and online qualifiers Craig Wakeham and Peter Vasiliou gunning for first place at the prestigious final table.

CardRunners instructor Caby was the first player eliminated, much to the chagrin of fans who took part in the “Piece of Caby” promotion.

Both of the internet qualifiers soon followed Caby to the rail and Schwartz, who entered the final table as the chip leader, looked primed to take down the tournament.

Instead Akenhead won a large number of his chips and Mikkelsen finally busted the trash-talking Schwartz in fourth.

Mikkelsen's victory was short-lived as he was eliminated in third, which left Helppi and Akenhead to fight it out for the title.

Although Helppi held a slight chip lead heading into heads-up, it didn’t take long for Akenhead to draw even.

In the final hand Akenhead bet with pocket tens, Helppi shoved all-in with pocket sixes and Akenhead made the call.

The tens held and Akenhead became the latest Poker Million winner joining the likes of past winners Marty Smyth, Joe Beevers and Donnacha O'Dea.

Here are the complete final table payouts for the Poker Million VIII:

1. James Akenhead - $500,000
2. Juha Helppi - $250,000
3. Dag Martin Mikkelsen - $200,000
4. Luke Schwartz - $150,000
5. Craig Wakeham - $100,000
6. Peter Vasiliou - $75,000
7. Taylor Caby - $50,000

Antonio Matias Leads Final 12 at EPT Vilamoura

One of the new stops on Season Six of the European Poker Tour (EPT) was a November jaunt to Vilamoura, Portugal.  The tournament, which got underway on November 17th, drew 322 runners, making it the third largest EPT event of the season so far.

A number of familiar faces made the trip to Portugal, including Team PokerStars players Chad Brown, Jason Mercier, and Katja Thater, as well as Shaun Deeb, Jason Lavallee, Andy Black, Ludovic Lacay, and Ross Boatman.  The event featured a €5,000 + €300 buy-in and promises a first place prize of €404,793, or roughly $600,000.  The Vilamoura stop is one of several new destinations on the EPT circuit and it has already outperformed one of the other additions to the tour, the August event in Kiev.

The final table is set to play out on Sunday and, at time of writing, there are still four eliminations to go on Saturday before play ends for the day.  Friday’s Day 3 proved to be a short one, as the field began with 69 players and stopped a little early once it was trimmed to 24.  Typically, play slows as the field nears the money bubble, with tables going hand-for-hand to avoid stalling.  At the Vilamoura event, play did not even make it to hand-for hand before Sergey Lebedev was knocked out in 49th place to burst the bubble.

Those who survived to Day 4 on Saturday included chip leader Anthony Lellouche, Team PokerStars Pros Jude Ainsworth of Ireland and Ruben Visser of the Netherlands, Jim “MrBigQueso” Collopy, Ryan “HITTHEPANDA” Franklin, and seven Portugese players, including Joao Barbosa.

Lellouche began the day in a familiar role, serving as the tournament’s chip leader with over 1.1 million chips.  He ended Day 2 second in chips and also logged some time as the chip leader earlier this season at the Warsaw stop.  It looked as though Lellouche would be in great position to make his fourth career EPT final table, but an aggressive play early in the day found him on the rail in 20th place.  After action on every street, Lellouche moved all-in on the river with the board reading J-8-2-Q-2 and Antonio Matias called, showing A-2 for rivered trips.  Lellouche held just 7-9 for a busted gutshot straight draw and was eliminated.

Matias amassed a huge chip lead as a result of the hand and only built on it as Day 4 progressed.  With just 12 players left, Matias holds 2.3 million chips, nearly a million more than his next closest competitor, Jeff Sarwer of Canada, who has almost 1.4 million chips.  There is a wide discrepancy between these two players and the rest of the field, as Claudio Coelho is third in chips with just 750,000.

Joining Lellouche on the rail today were Collopy, Barbosa, Visser, and Ainsworth.  The back-to-back eliminations of Visser and Ainsworth in 13th and 12th places, respectively, means there will be no PokerStars pros appearing at the Vilamoura final table, although PokerStars online qualifiers Santiago Terrazas and Pierre Neuville are still in contention for the title.

Play in Vilamoura will continue until the final eight-handed table is set.  Players will then have the night off before returning at 12:00pm local time to play down to the newest EPT champion.

Join ElkY, Marcel Luske and Marc Naalden at this year’s Belgium Open

Join ElkY, Marcel Luske and Marc Naalden at this year’s Belgium Open

Join ElkY, Marcel Luske and Marc Naalden at this year’s Belgium Open

Doyle Brunson Blasts Face the Ace, Million Dollar Challenge

In a recent blog entry that appeared on DoylesRoom.com, site namesake Doyle Brunson blasted two poker franchises to hit television airwaves in recent months: NBC’s “Face the Ace” and FOX’s “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge.”

As talk show host Jim Rome would say, any time a person begins a sentence with “No disrespect intended,” someone is going to be disrespected. On the two poker game shows, which air on network television stations on weekend afternoons, Brunson commented, “No disrespect intended, but these poker shows are awful. Full Tilt’s ‘Face the Ace’ and Poker Stars ‘Million Dollar Challenge’ are so bad, it’s embarrassing. There is no skill involved in either show and I can’t imagine getting an audience that will watch the shows.” Both series saw online qualifiers take to the felts to play heads-up against heralded poker pros.

“Face the Ace” began airing on August 1st and originally claimed the 9:00pm ET hour on Saturday night. It aired for two episodes in prime time before a planned decision to move the poker franchise to afternoons on the weekend day. The first episode of the Steve Schrippa-hosted show featured Don Topel taking home $200,000, but it mustered just a 0.4 rating with a 2 share, which meant that only 1.59 million viewers had tuned in. Its competition included “America’s Most Wanted” and the movie “Red Eye,” which aired on ABC.

One week later on August 8th, Topel lost the $1 million match to Full Tilt Poker pro Gavin Smith and walked away with nothing. The news was equally grim for NBC, which saw the second installment of “Face the Ace” generate a 0.3 rating with a 1 share, the equivalent of 1.46 million viewers age 18 to 49. “Face the Ace” airs once per month on the network, with future one-hour episodes scheduled to be shown on October 31st, November 14th, December 12th, and January 2nd. NBC also broadcasts the National Heads-Up Poker Championship as well as “Poker After Dark,” which airs Monday to Saturday at 2:05am ET.

The “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge” premiered last Sunday following NFL on FOX coverage, or around 4:30pm ET in most markets. Daniel Negreanu serves as the face of the franchise, helping contestants battle PokerStars-sponsored sports figures and pros in the first two rounds. Then, Negreanu transitions from friend to foe, taking contestants on heads-up in the third round with $100,000 on the line. All $100,000 winners advance to the Table of Champions, whose victor faces Negreanu for $1 million. Last week, Father Andrew Trapp earned $100,000 after defeating former NBA star John Salley and professional poker player Vanessa Rousso.

“Million Dollar Challenge” returns this Sunday following the NFL on FOX. Then, like “Face the Ace,” it will air once per month, with November 22nd, December 13th, and December 27th serving as its remaining dates. “Face the Ace” and “Million Dollar Challenge” exclusively feature Full Tilt and PokerStars pros, respectively.

Brunson also commented on the recent departure of A.J. Benza from GSN’s “High Stakes Poker.” On the televised ring game series, Brunson explained in his blog, “As I travel around, the High Stakes [Poker] cash games are the ones all the fans talk about and I agree with them that they are by far the most interesting. Speaking of that, I read where A.J. Benza is being replaced on GSN’s High Stakes Poker show. That’s too bad, I like A.J.’s subtle sense of humor. Vanessa Rousso is named as his likely replacement. I’m pro-Vanessa so I think she will fit in nicely with the old comic Gabe Kaplan.” Rousso told Poker News Daily that she is not the next host of “High Stakes Poker.” To clear the air, GSN is scheduled to make an announcement by the end of the week.

F1 Driver Giancarlo Fisichella New PartyPoker.it Spokesman

The latest sports star to take an interest in the game of poker is Formula One driver Giancarlo Fisichella.  The Italian speedster recently signed on to a sponsorship deal with PartyPoker.it, PartyPoker’s Italian site.

Fisichella, known to his fans as Fisi, gained notoriety in the poker world during the PartyPoker-sponsored Sports Challenge IV earlier this year.  The tournament combined online qualifiers from PartyPoker with celebrities from the world of sports and put them in themed heats.  Fisichella played in the “Racing” heat and impressed commentators and observers alike with his understanding of position and use of aggression.  He ultimately lost to online qualifier and PartyPoker VIP player Scott O’Reilly, but his display of skill impressed PartyPoker enough to keep him in mind for a future sponsorship deal.

Apparently, Fisi has had a hard time getting poker off of his mind.  As he explained in a statement to PartyPoker, he often turns to poker to pass the time while on the racing circuit: “Poker has become a very popular pastime in the paddock in recent months with many of the drivers.  I have joined two new teams recently and am delighted to be in pole position as a new ambassador for PartyPoker.it!”

The other team Fisichella is referring to is Ferrari, which he signed a deal to race for in September of this year.  The longtime driver has been affiliated with several other teams during his storied career, including Jordan, Minardi, Renault, Force India, and Benetton.  The Roman got his start racing go-karts back in the mid-1980s, made a name for himself on several tours, and transitioned to the F1 circuit in 1996.  He won his first F1 race when he took down the Brazil stop in 2003 and also has a 2005 victory in Australia to his credit.

Fisichella will now have to find time to fit poker into his busy schedule, serving as a spokesman for PartyPoker.it both online and at major live poker tournaments.  The site is looking forward to having the driver onboard and a company spokesman commented on Fisi’s potential in the poker world: “Giancarlo is the fantastic new ambassador for PartyPoker.it.  Many commentators have already said that they believe that he is on track to be one the best ‘celebrity’ players on the poker circuit.”

In celebration of Fisi joining the PartyPoker team, PartyPoker.it is hosting a series of freerolls with Fisichella-themed prizes.  The daily freerolls will give out €500 in cash prizes as well as a specially designed F1 shirt autographed by Fisi.  The free tournaments will run daily through the end of the month.

The promotion is exclusive to PartyPoker.it and cannot be accessed by PartyPoker.com customers.  PartyPoker’s Italian-only poker site launched earlier this year and has already established itself as one of the most popular online poker sites in Italy.  The country has gone back and forth on the issue of online gambling and, at one point, even outlawed online poker entirely.  Italy passed new laws regulating and licensing online poker in 2008 and, ever since then, sites have had to create online poker rooms specific to Italy and only open to Italian customers.

Fisichella is the first sponsored player for the Italian site, but PartyPoker has been picking up new players from all over the world to be a part of its grassroots-based Team PartyPoker.  Felipe “Mojave” Ramos, Remy Biechel, Ian Frazer, and Bodo Sbrzesny all joined the team this year and the site recently added 2009 Aussie Millions winner Stewart Scott to its list of sponsored pros.

Yevgeniy Timoshenko, Antoine Saout Added to PartyPoker World Open V

The PartyPoker World Open V action gets underway on Sunday and some last-minute additions to the lineup have made the event even more of a star-studded affair.  The roster of players, which already included the likes of World Poker Tour (WPT) host Mike Sexton, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, J.C. Tran, Phil “The Unabomber” Laak, and Luke “Full_Flush1″ Schwartz, added new names to the fold, including several players who have been on some serious hot streaks as of late.

The newly confirmed players include World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Layne Flack, Andrew Feldman, Bruno Fitoussi, Teddy Sheringham, Roland de Wolfe, Sammy “Any Two” George, and recently-crowned poker endurance world record holder Paul Zimbler.

Three other players recently agreed to participate in the event and may be ones to watch considering their string of recent results.  November Nine member Antoine Saout will be playing in the World Open V.  The Frenchman appears to be squeezing in as many tournaments as he can between now and the WSOP Main Event final table in November.  He is fresh off a final table showing at the WSOP Europe, where he finished in seventh place.

World Open V participant J.P. Kelly also had a successful run at the WSOP Europe, winning a bracelet in the first preliminary event.  With his win in London, Kelly became the first British player in the three-year history of the WSOP Europe to win a bracelet at the London-based event.  In addition to his WSOP Europe victory, Kelly won a bracelet earlier this year at the WSOP in a $1,500 Pot Limit Hold’em event.

Online poker pro Yevgeniy “Jovial Gent” Timoshenko also signed on to play in the World Open V.  Timoshenko has had an amazing run in 2009.  He took down the WPT Championship back in April, won the PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) Main Event last month, and made a deep run in the WSOP Europe Main Event.  At 21-years old, Timoshenko already has tournament poker winnings in excess of $6 million.

PartyBets set odds on all 48 of the participants and Dwan is currently the favorite, with odds currently going off at 11-1.  Even PartyPoker is inclined to agree with that assessment, as a spokesperson for the site noted, “The early money is for Durrrr, which isn’t really a surprise, but favorites do not have a good record in this competition.”  The spokesperson continued,  “We’re delighted with the field. Every heat features a super strong line-up. For example, two online qualifiers have to deal with the likes of Yevgeniy Timoshenko, James Akenhead, [Schwartz], and Ian Frazer, and that is only in heat one!”

As the spokesperson noted, online cash game player Schwartz is scheduled to play in Heat One, while his self-proclaimed nemesis durrrr will be playing in Heat Six along with Fitoussi, Felipe “Mojave” Ramos, J.C. Tran, and others.  Though Schwartz and Dwan will not meet in the preliminary heats, there are still a couple of scenarios that could pair the two at the same table.  Should both players win their heats, they will advance to play each other at the final table.  If one or both of them finishes as the runner-up in their heat, they will advance to the second chance heat, where the six runners-up will vie for a spot at the final table.

Action will take place at the Palm Beach Casino in London, England and PartyPoker says spectators are welcome to come by and watch the action.  The event will be taped and televised on the Five network in Britain later this year and will feature commentary from Jesse May.

Anestis Metsas: Betfair Million-Dollar Freeroll winner

PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge Premieres October 11th

Those who enjoyed “Face the Ace” have another poker-themed game show to look forward to, as the PokerStars-sponsored “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge” is set to premiere on Fox on Sunday, October 11th.

The new series will air after Sunday NFL coverage and will feature a series of online qualifiers trying to win the $1 million first place prize.  In order to make it on the show, contestants had to win a freeroll on PokerStars and submit a minute-long video explaining why they deserved to appear.  Those who are fortunate enough to be selected have a ways to go before the $1 million is in their pockets.

Contestants will have to survive a series of four heads-up poker matches before the money is theirs, but they will have a little help along the way.  During the first round, players will face off against a famous sports star or celebrity like Jerome Bettis, MMA fighter Tito Ortiz, or Playboy Playmate Jayde Nicole.  Even though these celebrities will likely have comparable or less poker experience than the challenger, the challenger will also have the benefit of Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu sitting by their side offering them advice.  During the first round, Negreanu will be seated right next to the contestant offering his insight, but should the player advance to Round Two, Negreanu relocates to an isolation booth while the player takes on their next opponent.

Round Two will feature a match against a Team PokerStars Pro like Barry Greenstein, Vanessa Rousso, or former World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event winner Chris Moneymaker.  Contestants can still seek advice from Negreanu, but it will be out of earshot of their highly skilled opponents.  For every Round One and Round Two match won by a contestant with Negreanu’s help, PokerStars will donate $10,000 to a charity of the Canadian pro’s choosing. Charitable donations will also be made should one of the Team PokerStars Pros or celebrities eliminate the contestant.

Once the first two matches are in the books, the bond between contestant and Negreanu will be turned on its head, as the coach becomes the competition in Rounds Three and Four.  After spending two matches picking up the contestant’s tendencies and playing style, Negreanu will square off against them.  If the contestant can beat the pro in back-to-back heads-up matches, they will walk away $1 million wealthier.

Contestants will earn prizes for each round they successfully win.  If they beat the celebrity in Round One, they’ll earn a prize package to the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas.  If they manage to best the pro in Round Two, they’ll net $25,000.  If they want, players can take that money and walk away or they can put it on the line to face off against Negreanu.  If they opt to play in Round Three and win, they’ll earn $100,000 and a seat at the final show’s Table of Champions, which will give players a second chance to take on Negreanu for $1 million.  Those fortunate few who make it to Round Four will win the coveted $1 million should they best Negreanu a second time.

The Million Dollar Challenge will be hosted by Chris Rose of “Best Damn Sports Show Period” and “Poker Superstars Invitational” fame and, like “Face the Ace,” will air approximately once per month.  After the first two shows air in back-to-back weeks on October 11th and October 18th, it will return again November 22nd and December 13th, with its final episode airing on December 27th.

Viewers will also have a chance to get in on the action with freeroll tournaments on PokerStars.net and other giveaways set to take place when the show airs in two weeks.

Annie Duke Comments on Ultimate Bet Scandal Findings

In an exclusive interview with Poker News Daily, “Celebrity Apprentice” runner-up and Ultimate Bet pro Annie Duke discusses the findings of the Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC), the Aruba Poker Classic, and Tiffany Michelle’s appearance on the CBS reality program “Amazing Race.”

Poker News Daily: Talk about the release of the screen names associated with the Ultimate Bet investigation.

Duke: I think that the release of the user names is nice. One of the main things was naming Russ Hamilton. That was probably the most gratifying part of the report. It’s good to come out and say who it was. It puts to rest any questions people might have. If the KGC is going to put that name out there, then he’s the one who masterminded it. That puts the nail in the coffin, which is a good nail to have. Someone who perpetrated something like that should be identified.

PND: Has there been any fallout from not naming the other 31 individuals who were potentially involved?

Duke: I know that in terms of the way it was executed, Russ had access to opening accounts. I think they’re not revealing the 31 names because the level of involvement is unclear. It looks like Russ was using other names to open accounts for cheating. Russ had so much access that it’s hard to say whether the other people were involved.

PND: What has been the reaction you’ve received to the KGC’s report?

Duke: I got some feedback on Twitter of people saying that the report’s release was great. I also had some people calling for the other 31 names. That was the main comment and it’s a tough call. Russ had complete access.

This summer at the World Series of Poker (WSOP), everyone was happy with how things had proceeded. There was a lot of money refunded and Ultimate Bet wasn’t trying to hide anything. People were asking me about the superuser list and my response was that they should write the KGC. It’s a big relief because that was the last piece of the puzzle and Ultimate Bet had to wait for the KGC. Everyone can see that Ultimate Bet wasn’t trying to hide or cover up anything. The present management wasn’t implicated and that’s important. Everyone understands that this management was a victim just like everyone else. This management refunded $22 million and they didn’t have to.

PND: What are you looking forward to the most in Aruba this year?

Duke: Being there the whole time. Last year, I was only there three days and it was all meetings because I had to pack it all in. I didn’t even get to enjoy anything. I can have some time this year to hang out with players, do water activities like tubing, and hang out at the pool. I’m bringing one of my kids and it’ll also be productive in terms of work. It’s funny because there’s also a poker tournament, but it seems like an afterthought.

PND: Does the Aruba Poker Classic lose any luster not being a part of an organized tournament series?

Duke: I don’t think so. In some ways, it gains something from that. I’m not sure right now that the World Poker Tour (WPT) seems to be that huge of a draw anyway. Aruba gets the same attendance as WPT tournaments. The difference is that the people are there because they want to be there, not because they’re just trying to get television coverage. I think it enhances the communal feel of it. That’s in some sense why Aruba feels like a more intimate experience than the Bahamas.

PND: Has there ever been any talk of the Aruba event becoming part of an organized series?

Duke: There’s no reason to worry about it because the attendance has been good. They have television opportunities if they wanted to air it. I sort of feel like if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. It’s a beautifully run tournament and Matt Savage always does an amazing job. We’ll get between 400 and 600 players.

PND: Have you had a chance to check out “Face the Ace” on NBC? What are your thoughts on the show?

Duke: I watched the first episode and I don’t like it, but I think it could be fixed. My understanding is that they’ve changed things in the new episodes they’ve filmed. I’m not a huge fan of the host and I wish they used Ali Nejad in that role. It’s important to cast contestants and I understand why they can’t because they’re using online qualifiers, so there isn’t much you can do. Instead, you need to have a host that brings the contestants out. With the pros they’re using, some are good at getting players to talk and some aren’t. That’s another issue. When you get a contestant who isn’t gregarious and they’re paired with a pro who isn’t gregarious, it’s dead air. It’s all a learning experience, though. Full Tilt does some of the best poker programming in the industry.

PND: Will we see an Ultimate Bet version of “Face the Ace” anytime soon?

Duke: Phil Hellmuth would be very good television in those heads-up matches. I think moving out of their circle of pros might help Full Tilt and it wouldn’t hurt them. “Poker After Dark” has been a successful property for them and it features lots of people who aren’t Full Tilt pros. Phil Laak would be really good and there are others who are very big television people. It would help when you have an introverted contestant.

PND: Are you heading to WSOP Europe this year?

Duke: No. I am speaking at an ideas conference. It’s all about nurturing my intellectual pursuits. I’m talking about decision-making and ultimatums. I’m really excited about that and trying to get back to my economic roots. Ideas conferences are cool and feature some of the smartest people in the world.

PND: Are you looking forward to watching Tiffany Michelle on the new season of the CBS reality series “Amazing Race”?

Duke: She’s a fellow pro at Ultimate Bet and I want to support her. I’ll set my Tivo and will be rooting for her. It’s an exciting opportunity for her and for poker.

PND: Does it feel good to re-sign Michelle?

Duke: Tiffany is a very enthusiastic pro. She interacts well with customers and is a good team member. She also blogs a lot, shows up, and does everything we ask her to.

Anestis Metsas wins Betfair Million Dollar Game

Betfair’s Million Dollar Game kick-starts 2009 WSOPE

888 Holdings’ Poker Revenues Down 35% in First Half of 2009

The parent company of online poker room 888 Pacific Poker, 888 Holdings, is the latest online gambling business to release the results of their mid-year financial report.  Like many other businesses within the industry, 888.holdings saw significant declines in their earnings and revenues for both their online casino and poker room from 2008 to 2009.

The report, issued by 888 Holdings on August 27th, documented a 13% decrease in overall revenue, down to $117.9 million midway from 2009 compared to $135.4 million for the same period in 2008.  Casino revenue was down 20% from $69.8 million last year to $55.9 this year, but it was 888 Pacific Poker that saw the biggest drop in numbers.  The online poker room saw revenue fall a full 35% in 2009, dropping from $40.2 million in 2008 to just $26.2 million in the period from January to June of this year.  A statement released concurrently with the report attributed the decline to currency movements and the overall economic downturn, two issues numerous businesses within and without of the gambling industry have become intimately familiar with over the past several months.

While 888’s business to consumer ventures are struggling so far this year, the company saw massive gains in their business to business dealings.  The introduction of a new dedicated business to business company operating under the name Dragonfish has worked out well for 888 Holdings so far.  The official site for Dragonfish claims the site offers, “total gaming service,” and has brokered several major deals so far this year.  Just a few of the big business to business deals recently conducted through Dragonfish include an extensive deal with the Racing Post to develop an online casino and sports book, the development of casinos and poker rooms in the Balkans and partnering with several small online bingo companies.

The revenue for 888 Holding’s business to business dealings were up an impressive 42%, ballooning from $17 million in 2008 to $24.3 million in the first half of this year.  The performance of Dragonfish and a substantial revenue upswing for 888 Holdings’ emergent business offerings helped to temper their losses in their poker and casino businesses.

Chief Executive Officer of 888 Holdings, Gigi Levy, offered his own opinions on the company’s performance during the first half of 2009 in an official press release.  “The first six months of trading for 888 in 2009 have demonstrated the strength of the combined business model that comprises a world class B2C operator and an innovative and comprehensive B2B service provider,” stated Levy.  “While consumer sentiment is still weak and currencies remain volatile, we are trading solidly.”

The report also highlighted some of the recent developments with Pacific Poker over the past six months.  Most notably, the site introduced a new version of their poker client with 25 new features and upgraded the overall design of the site.  Some of 888’s other poker-related projects included the launch of pub poker leagues in the UK and Australia and the launch of a new poker reality show called “Poker Ashes”.  The show pits online qualifiers from 888 Pacific Poker against top rugby players from the UK and Australia like Shane Warne.

The statement from 888 Holdings also looked towards the future of the online poker market, addressing the pending legislation to regulate and tax online poker in the United States.  The company also mentioned the ongoing World Trade Organization as to whether or not the United States discriminating against European gambling companies.  As of now, the European Union and the US have not reached a settlement regarding the issue, but the company cited the case as something it is going to be closely following in the coming months.

PokerStars pros to star in The Million Dollar Challenge

Poker News in Brief: Aug 17-23, 2009

As part of PokerListings' ongoing News in Brief feature, we've compiled a list of those stories below.

This week an NHL star is playing poker for charity, Absolute Poker is sending players to the Bahamas, PKR is celebrating a birthday and more.

((WPT)) gets another offer

As reported on PokerListings last week, a privately held investment group under the name Gamynia Limited agreed to pay $9,075,000 plus a percentage of future revenues for almost all of the WPT's assets, including its television, sponsorship, distribution and licensing units.

The deal was awaiting stockholder approval, but in the interim, another buyer has stepped up to the plate.

After filing a preliminary proxy statement with the SEC, the WPT's Board of Directors received an alternative offer and is forced by SEC guidelines to consider it.

Details regarding the new offer and where it came from were not released publicly.

Absolute sending players to Atlantis

Absolute Poker is running online qualifiers for The Sports Legends Challenge at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas.

Dubbed a sports fan's ultimate fantasy, The Sports Legends Challenge will feature four days of casino gaming, poker, and golf tournaments with 25 of the world's greatest sports superstars Sept. 14-17.

Already confirmed are mixed martial arts legends Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture, skateboard icon Tony Hawk, hockey legend Mark Messier, Troy Aikman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Richard Petty, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Joe Namath, Reggie Jackson and more.

Absolute's $200+15 online qualifiers will run each week Wednesday through Sunday at 10:45 p.m. ET until Sept. 6 awarding a minimum of one Sports Legend package per tournament.

Lecavalier hosting charity poker tournament

NHL star Vincent Lecavalier will be hosting a charity tournament at The Casino de Montréal Sept. 1.

Several NHL greats are expected to be on hand in Montréal, Canada for the event, including Guy Carbonneau, Stéphane Quintal and Vincent Damphousse.

The buy-in is $350 with a $150 optional rebuy and a total of $60,000 in prizes will be up for grabs.

Lecavalier will be the honorary chairman of the tournament and proceeds will go to the Vincent Lecavalier Foundation to support financially-at-risk youth.

Registration will be taken at the Casino de Montréal's Poker Reception Desk or by telephone at 514-392-2720 or 1-800-665-2274.

Happy Birthday PKR

PKR celebrated its third birthday and the registration of its 3,000,000th player this week.

The 3,000,000th player registered on PKR Aug. 16, just 24 hours before the site's third anniversary of real-money play.

Over one million new players joined PKR this year alone.

"We're very pleased with the year's achievements, and it's especially exciting to see us maintain such a high rate of growth," PKR Marketing Director Simon Prodger said.

APT Macau on the rise

"One year ago we projected that we would get 300 runners for the main event so we are delighted with the turnout," APT CEO Chris Parker said. "Especially in the current economic climate. It vindicates our decision to transform The Asian Poker Tour Macau into a 12 day festival."

The HK$34,400 buy-in has helped create a total prize pool of HK$10,919,040 with a HK$3,035,000 top prize.

Last year's main event in Macau, won by American Yevgeniy Timoshenko, drew 257 players.

Outside of the sheer increase in numbers, Parker said the most encouraging sign for the tour is the bump in the number of Asian players in Macau.

"[This] bodes very well for the future," he said. "For example, on Day 1a just over 50% of the field was from Asia."

With online satellites available on a myriad of sites, including bwin poker, PKR, Titan Poker, RedKings Poker, ChiliPoker, and Winamax, the number of online qualifiers has increased significantly as well.

A bevy of big name pros also made the trip to Macau, including Full Tilt's John Juanda, PokerListings blogger Liz Lieu, 2009 November Niner James Akenhead, Team UB's Liv Boeree and APT sponsored Poker Pack members J.C. Tran, Nam Le, Quinn Do, David 'Chino' Rheem, and Steve Sung.

The Poker Pack has had a particularly good showing in preliminary events at the Starworld Hotel and Casino so far.

Sung and Rheem helped Team Korea to a victory in the JBET Battle of the Nations event, Quinn Do won 'The Poker King Movie' Celebrity Charity event, and Rheem was at it again, winning the HKGC No-Limit Hold'em R+A event.

Plus, Tran took down the 'The Poker Pack' headhunter event never giving up the bounty on his head on the way to a HK$76,000 first-place payday and HK$10,500 in bounties of his own.

Day 1b of the APT Macau main event continues Friday. Hong Kong Trader turned high-stakes pro David Stiecke led all comers on Day 1a.

PokerStars show planned for FOX this fall

PokerStars is hosting twice daily freerolls at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET until November 25 where the top ten finishers will be invited to submit a two-minute audition video explaining why PokerStars should choose them for a part in the show.

Should a contestant be selected they would battle it out on camera against three different celebrity and Team PokerStars Pro challengers in a series of best-of-three No-Limit Hold'em heads-up matches.

Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu will be on hand to coach and assist the contestants until they make it to the third round, where they will actually play Negreanu for a seat in the final.

Filming begins Sept. 30.

After the Oct. 11 premier, subsequent episodes of The PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge will air Oct. 18, Nov. 22, and Dec. 13 with the grand final set for Dec. 27.

All the episodes will air at 4 p.m. ET.

Ladbrokes, PaddyPower offering Irish Classic seats

The tournament takes place from Aug. 10-16 at the Macau Sporting Club in Cork, Ireland.

PaddyPowerPoker will host a satellite tournament on Aug. 5 with at least one seat into the Irish Classic guaranteed. Entry is $100+$10 with a rebuy and add-on.

Ladbrokes will be hosting its first satellite for the Irish Classic on Aug. 3. The buy-in will be slightly lower at $88+$8.

Meanwhile, online qualifiers continue at Betfair Poker every Wednesday with $80+$8 satellites, but it's also possible to qualify for as little as $2+$.20 in daily feeders.

Every player that registers for the Irish Poker Classic will automatically be entered into the free Million Dollar Game freeroll where the winner will go to London to play against 17 others for a $1 million first place prize at the Betfair-sponsored World Series of Poker Europe.

Live satellites are also available at the Macau Sporting Club as well as Dubin's Sporting Emporium, Fitzwilliam Club, Emerald Casino, Clondalkin, JP Poker, Fortune Rooms, Goldclub, Atlantis Casino, Eglington Casino, Fitzpatricks Limerick, Olympus Waterford and Cue Club Killarney.

Last year Irishman Rob Taylor outlasted a record field of 169 to win the event, including Annette Obrestad, Michael Greco, Marty Smyth, Ian Woodley and Mick McCloskey.

Although there was a chop with two players remaining, Taylor still took down $69,003 for his efforts.

Ivey headlines November Nine

But despite all he's accomplished in the game, Ivey said earning a spot in the November Nine at the 2009 WSOP Main Event is his biggest to date.

"So far I've just made the final table, but this tops the list," he said. "It's definitely up there."

Ivey, who was weened on the game in Atlantic City casinos playing with fake ID before he was old enough to get past security, has been close to Main Event glory three times before.

He finished 23rd in 2002, 10th in 2003 and 20th in 2005, and had a little trouble putting into words just how much he wanted this.

"You have no idea," he said. "I had a tough day today, I had some tough hands and I know the hurt and pain of coming so close."

Railing him almost the entire way, fellow Full Tilt pro Mike Matusow said Ivey making the final table should be a huge boost for the game of poker itself.

"It's absolutely ridiculous how big this is for poker and it'll be even bigger if he wins," Matusow said. "Ivey making the final table is as big as if (deceased Main Event champ) Stu Ungar made the final table these days."

Matusow believes a player of Ivey's stature making the November Nine could even help change online poker's legal status in the United States and overturn the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

"If the best player in the world wins the biggest tournament in the world, it'll be tremendous for the argument that poker is a game of skill," he said "And Phil Ivey is the best player in the world.

"Phil Hellmuth talks like he's the greatest, this guy is the greatest. He doesn't need to talk; he lets his poker do the talking."

The rest of the November Nine consists of a spectrum of professional players, online qualifiers and home-game amateurs.

Ivey will come back for the final November 7 sitting seventh in chips with just French Everest Poker qualifier Antoine Saout and British "Hit Squad" pro James Akenhead behind him.

The current chip leader is Maryland local casino qualifier Darvin Moon, with young yet seasoned pro Eric Buchman sitting second, American home-game pool winner Steven Begleiter third and CardPlayer Magazine editor Jeff Shulman fourth in chips.

Rounding out the final nine are online pro Joseph Cada, who had two cashes at the Series this summer, and Floridian Kevin Schaffel, whose biggest cash to date came in the 1994 WSOP Main Event where he finished 42nd for $60k.

But even the chip leading Moon feels Ivey is the man to beat.

"I'll stay away from him," he said. "I'll hide in a corner when I'm against him. I'm concerned about all of them, but if Phil Ivey is on my left, if he even looks at me, I'm mucking."

Partly to help take advantage of his image, Ivey said he would have rather played out the final nine now instead of taking the planned three-month break.

"I'm really in a groove right now playing against some of these guys," he said. "I'd love to just finish this thing right now."

Without revealing many details about how he will adjust his strategy, Ivey did say he would watch a few of the hands on TV in the months leading up to the final.

"I'm a little short," Ivey said. "I'm just going to do my best and trust my reads."

Already one of Poker's biggest superstars, Ivey claims the tremendous media attention that comes with being a part of the November Nine won't change much for him.

"I'm just going to change my cell phone number and leave the country," he said. "I'm serious too."