Posts Tagged ‘panorama towers’
The Sunday Grind: Brian Rast
Dan Bilzerian House Tour
Dan Bilzerian lives at the Panorama Towers and is a high stakes live cash game pro who has taken on some of the biggest games for huge scores. Living in the luxurious Panorama Towers in Las Vegas is reserved for only the elite, and Bilzerian gave us an exclusive tour of his home. See how one of the true poker ballers lives in this video.
Bilzerian is a sponsored pro at Victory Poker and gained some household notoriety with a deep run during the 2009 World Series of Poker‘s Main Event.
David Williams Signs with PokerStars
Poker News Daily can independently confirm that 2010 World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship winner David Williams has signed with PokerStars. Williams’ agency, Poker Royalty, confirmed that a contract was forged in recent days and the former Bodog pro will now join the world’s largest online poker site.
Williams parted ways with Bodog shortly after taking down the WPT Championship at the Bellagio to the tune of $1.5 million. The tournament marked his fourth WPT final table and gave him nearly $3 million in career WPT earnings. Bodog, which has parted ways with Jean-Robert Bellande and Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo since 2010 began, promptly introduced Amanda Musumeci as its newest sponsored pro. Musumeci joins Evelyn Ng as the lone Bodog-backed pros.
On July 6th at the Palms, PokerStars is hosting a cocktail event featuring reigning World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champ Joe Cada, Williams, and North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Mohegan Sun Main Event winner Vanessa Selbst. Neither Selbst nor Williams appears on PokerStars’ website as a sponsored pro at the time of writing. Selbst, a Yale law student, banked an even $750,000 by taking down the $5,000 NAPT Mohegan Sun Main Event in April, besting a final table that included Scott Seiver and Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy.
Williams’ total live tournament winnings nearly top $8 million. The Panorama Towers resident finished as the runner-up to Greg Raymer in the 2004 WSOP Main Event for $3.5 million. Two years later, Williams landed at the final table of the WPT Bay 101 stop for $280,000. He won a gold bracelet at the 2006 WSOP in a $1,500 Seven Card Stud event and promptly took second in a $5,000 No Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball tournament for another quarter-million dollars.
Williams has been a staple of televised series like the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, NBC’s “Poker After Dark,” GSN’s “High Stakes Poker,” and the PokerStars-backed “Big Game.” He celebrated his 30th birthday earlier this month, noting on Twitter, “Thanks you to everyone for the Happy Birthday messages. 30 isn’t so bad… I guess.”
PokerStars issued a weekly news roundup on Tuesday morning that did not mention Williams’ signing. He’ll join a stable of pros that includes Cada, Raymer, Joe Hachem, Chris Moneymaker, Peter Eastgate, Barry Greenstein, and the site’s main face, Daniel Negreanu. Year-over-year, PokerStars has posted a 14% increase in online poker traffic according to PokerScout.com and currently owns a seven-day running average of 25,000 real money ring game players.
The PokerStars cocktail reception at the Palms is invite-only and designed for members of the media to conduct one-on-one interviews. It’s one of the many gatherings planned for this week in Las Vegas leading up to the 2010 WSOP Main Event, which begins next Monday, July 5th, with the first of four starting days. The tournament plays down to a final table on July 17th. Then, the nine survivors will disperse from the Rio until the first week of November. You can catch the Main Event, Tournament of Champions, and $50,000 Player’s Championship starting next month on ESPN.
Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest player signings.
PokerStars Big Game: Joe Cada Drops $35,000 in Week 3 Kickoff Episode
Defending World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion Joe Cada struggled in his debut on the PokerStars.net-powered “Big Game,” whose Week 3 kickoff episode aired on Monday night on Fox. The series is shown nightly starting at 1:00am or 2:00am in most markets.
Russian born Nadya Magnus was this week’s “Loose Cannon” online qualifier and each player at the table bought in for $100,000. The lineup was noticeably quieter than in past weeks and, in one of the first major pots of the episode, Cada bet $9,300 on a flop of 6-J-4 holding 9-8 of diamonds for air. Fellow PokerStars pro Jason Mercier, who flopped a set of sixes, called to bring a nine on the turn. Now with second pair, Cada bet $19,000 and Mercier slyly called behind. On a river three, Cada check-folded, sending the pot of more than $70,000 to Mercier.
The action is Pot Limit before the flop and No Limit thereafter. The “Big Game” features blinds of $200/$400 with a $100 per person ante that is paid entirely by the player on the button. Each “Loose Cannon” plays 150 hands and keeps whatever money they reel in over their $100,000 stake. Chris Rose and PokerRoad’s Joe Stapleton host the cash game series.
With three-way action and the board reading K-10-8-4, Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo bet $4,000 with A-Q and Magnus called with 4-3 for bottom pair. However, Bonomo spiked a miracle ace on the river and promptly fired out another bet, this time $10,000. Magnus came along and the dealer pushed the $35,500 pot to the Panorama Towers resident.
Magnus struck back, however, calling a raise from Daniel Alaei with K-Q. Alaei held A-4 of hearts and the flop came Q-J-3. Alaei bet $2,300 and Magnus wasted no time coming over the top for $6,200. Alaei mucked and Magnus scooped her first pot of the night. Alaei weighed in on Magnus’ facial expressions: “First she was giving me the stare down and then she broke into a smile. I can’t really figure that one out.”
Then, Magnus picked up A-6 and raised to $1,500 pre-flop. Mercier called with A-J and the flop came A-6-8. Mercier check-called a bet of $2,600 from Magnus and the turn was a four. Mercier once again reluctantly check-called a bet, this time of $6,100, and the river was another six, improving Magnus to a boat. Mercier checked, Magnus bet $13,200, and Mercier, despite seemingly smelling a rat, made the call. The pot was worth $47,600 and Mercier exclaimed, “God, I’m so f****** terrible.” Magnus moved out of the red and was up $7,700.
Magnus went from a VPIP of just over 6% during the first 15 hands of the night to 20% through Hand #25. However, she’d be the target of Cada late during play. The 2009 WSOP Main Event champ raised to $1,500 pre-flop with pocket queens and Magnus re-raised to $4,800 with pocket jacks. Cada made the call, the flop came a harmless 8-2-3, and Cada check-called a bet of $8,100.
The turn was a seven and Cada once again checked. Magnus fired out a bet of $15,600 with the worst hand and Cada called to see an eight on the river. The action went check-check and Cada rebounded to end the evening, pulling in the $58,200 pot. It marked Cada’s first pot of the week and the show concluded.
At the end of Monday night’s action, Bonomo was up $47,400 and Cada was down $35,500. The PokerStars “Big Game” airs nightly during the week on Fox. Check your local listings for more details.
Antonio Esfandiari Workout
In this exclusive access video, our team was able to visit Antonio Esfandiari at his home at the luxurious Panorama Towers in Las Vegas. As part of his normal routine, before he went off to play in the final of the $5,000 No Limit Hold’em event with 18 players remaining, he joined his personal trainer at the gym. Esfandiari has been dedicating himself to a healthier lifestyle and getting his body in serious shape and we caught the “arms day” of his workout routine in this video. He talks a bit of about why he’s at the gym so much now and how it can help poker players keep their focus.
Antonio Esfandiari is one of the most recognizable faces in the world of professional poker. He’s won events at both the World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour in addition to appearing on several episodes of High Stakes Poker. Known as “The Magician” he’s considered one of the best live pros and is now a spokesperson and sponsored pro for Victory Poker.
Justin Bonomo’s Panorama Towers WSOP prop bet
May 21st – Daily Deal
On today’s Daily Deal, the poker community’s leaders react to Wednesday’s online gambling hearing, the WSOP announces new and improved bracelets, Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo issues a WSOP prop bet, and another poker TV show may have to fold.
Hello, I’m Sean Gibson and welcome to the Daily Deal by Poker News Daily.
There are mixed opinions regarding yesterday’s hearing by the House Ways and Means Committee. Joe Brennan, Chairman of the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA) had a bleak outlook: “Nothing happened. It was yet again another opportunity for sides that have already been heard to make a public airing of what their position was and for the IRS to come down and say they can tax and investigate internet gambling.” John Pappas, Executive Director of the Poker Players Alliance, had the opposite impression: “I thought it went fairly well… Aside from Bob Goodlatte, you didn’t see the type of demagoguery that we’ve seen in other committees.”
For the first time ever, the World Series of Poker will be offering personalized bracelets to winners, designed by famed jewelry designer Steve Soffa. Each bracelet is made with solid gold and diamonds. The Main Event bracelet will feature nearly six ounces of gold and five hundred and fifty individual hand-set diamonds weighing nearly four carats in total – about a third more than in previous years in case anyone’s counting.
Prop bets are an inevitable part of the WSOP and poker forums are bubbling with them. A particularly buzz-worthy one has been offered by Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, who is laying down ten to one odds that a resident of Panorama Towers will win a bracelet. “The Panorama Prop Bet” states that at least one person living, renting or even crashing at the Vegas property is bound to make a bracelet this year. If you consider the actual and potential residents include poker powerhouses such as Phil Laak, Barry Greenstein, David Williams, and EPT San Remo winner Liv Boeree, you may think twice about laying that grand against Bonomo. The complete list of Panorama Pros will be published by Bonomo before Midnight on May 28th.
And finally, this past Wednesday night may have marked the final installment of the UB.com sponsored poker news program “Poker2Nite.” Show co-host Scott Huff tweeted the end of the show and his future career plans: “Since @Poker2Nite has not been renewed: Working on a musical number for my Legally Prohibited from Talking Poker on Television tour.” The situation is not as clear-cut, though: when PND made enquiries directly with UB.com, Tokwiro’s COO Paul Leggett told us: “No long-term decision has been made on the fate of ‘Poker2Nite.’ We are taking a break from production over the summer to decide whether we will do a Season 3 in the fall or perhaps another poker television show.” Will you miss this show? Let us know via Twitter!
Thanks for joining me on The Daily Deal. Don’t forget to visit PokerNewsDaily.com and be sure to follow us at Twitter.com/PokerNewsDaily for the latest in poker news. I’m Sean Gibson and have a great poker weekend!
Justin Bonomo issues WSOP “Panorama Prop Bet”
With the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) less than two weeks away, poker players around the world are making all kinds of last minute preparations – accommodations, travel plans, playing schedules – before descending upon Las Vegas.
Over on the Two Plus Two forums, a few online players are drawing up final plans of their own, but they don’t involve houses, hotels, or airplanes. For today’s generation of young, forum-posting poker pros, it’s all about prop bets. With each passing year, prop bets are generating more and more buzz more for the WSOP and with good reason, as there are hundreds of thousands of dollars in side action.
The most intriguing bet to emerge from the 20-page thread thus far is being levied by former Bodog Poker pro Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo. As of this writing, he has clearly stated that the bet isn’t finalized, but he intends to have action booked by the eve of May 28th. Essentially, Bonomo is laying 10-1 odds that at least one person living or staying at the Panorama Towers condominium building will win a WSOP bracelet this summer. Billed as “The Panorama Prop Bet,” the wager is exclusive to the Rio and Las Vegas, which means WSOP Europe events do not count.
The parameters of the bet state that owners, renters, and even people crashing for a week are all eligible for Bonomo’s side bet. Before the bet is set in stone, however, he’ll complete a list; in order for a player’s win to count, their name must be on the last draft. So far, his preliminary list includes the names below:
Jennifer Tilly, Phil Laak, Antonio Esfandiari, Barry Greenstein, UB.com pro Joe Sebok, David Williams, Shirley Williams, Isaac Haxton, Scott Seiver, Aaron Been, Steve O’Dwyer, Alex Melnikow, Ben Lamb, Tyler Netter, Eric Froehlich, Brock Parker, Nick Binger, Micheal Binger, Nenad Medic, Matt Gianetti, Lauren Kling, Mike Sowers, Maria Mayrinck, David Baker, David “Viffer” Peat, Alexandra Vuong, Liz Lieu, Stephen Chidwick, Jon Van Fleet, David “The Maven” Chicotsky, John Aguiar, Allie Prescott, Shaun Deeb, Jeff Sarwer, EPT San Remo winner Liv Boeree, Noah Boeken, Lex Veldhuis, Evelyn Ng, Jimmy Fricke, Matt LaGarde, Ray Coburn, Noah Glimmer, Jay Farber, Dan Bilzerian, Victory Poker front man Dan Fleyshman, Keith Gipson, Brian Rast, Joe Piccoli, Joseph Cheong, and Ryan Fee.
Other players that Bonomo believes might be staying at the luxury condos include Greg “FBT” Mueller, Shawn Buchanan, Micheal Dimichelle, Bobby Baldwin, Shannon Elizabeth, Mimi Tran, Andre Akkari, Hunter Frey, Titan Poker pro Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi, Johannes Straussman, and J.C. Alvarado.
Bonomo is currently accepting bets based on the rough outline and will be updating the complete list right before Midnight on May 28th. All takers will then have 24 hours to back out once he publishes the final list. Be sure to stay tuned to Poker News Daily, as we’ll be covering all future developments of the “Panorama Prop Bet.”
The Nightly Turbo: Tokwiro Issues Statement on Cereus Poker Network Security, Florida Poker Legislation, and More
May 11th – Daily Deal
On today’s Daily Deal, Tom Dwan hoovers it up at High Stakes Poker, PND interviews Victory Poker’s Dan Fleyschman, we bring you the weekend’s poker tweets, and the final eight of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship are set.
Hello, I’m Sean Gibson and welcome to the Daily Deal by Poker News Daily, brought to you by PokerSource.com.
The Season Six finale of “High Stakes Poker” aired on Sunday night, with Doyle Brunson’s streak of fifteen straight wins in televised cash game sessions on the line. Doyle could not hold up his winning streak. Instead, it was Tom “Durrrr” Dwan who cleaned up at the tables, including a pot for over a quarter-million dollars that prompted Doyle to tell Dwan, “You’re like a vacuum cleaner.”
Victory Poker’s Dan Fleyshman tells PND about his plans for WSOP domination: “We have nineteen pros now, so at the WSOP, we’re going to smother the place… Right now in the $25,000 event, we have three or five percent of the field. We have grinders like Paul Wasicka, Lee Markholt, and Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little who will play every day and every event. We’ll definitely come up with a party. We might also end up doing a charity event.”
Fleyshman also disclosed an exciting TV project: “We’re going to be choosing the next Victory Poker pro. People will submit 60 second videos and the winner gets $10,000 in buy-ins, a fully furnished condo in Panorama Towers, a car, a watch, clothes, and will live and learn from us for a year. It’ll be like “The Apprentice” for poker. We’ll start with twenty-five players and every week, we’ll eliminate someone.”
When we return, we will bring you the best poker Tweets of the weekend and find out who are the last eight players standing at the National Heads-Up Poker Championship.
This weekend’s Twitter was dominated by Jennifer Harman’s charity poker tournament benefiting the National Kidney Foundation, which drew an impressive number of poker pros. Harman herself was impressed, Tweeting, “Wow, huge turnout for my charity event for the National Kidney Foundation. Thanks to everyone for coming.” Jeff Harrington ultimately took down the title.
Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth tweeted enticingly about the upcoming Fox cash game show “The Big Game.” Hellmuth started by saying, “A hand came up in The Big Game that was so sick I dare not talk about, ever! I guarantee it will be talked about worldwide.” Negreanu agreed: “I’ll second that. One of the sickest hands ever on TV. Best poker show I’ve ever done today, people are going to flip!”
The Tweet of the Week went to Doyle Brunson for one of his trademark blonde jokes, aimed at poker journalist and hostess Amanda Leatherman: “For you Amanda… What do you give a blonde who has everything?… Penicillin.”
Finally, Sunday’s broadcast of the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship featured a clash of the titans, as the newest Full Tilt Poker pro Annette Obrestad squared off against Doyle Brunson. Prior to the two-thousand and eight WSOP Europe festivities, the pair tangled in a best-of-three match in London, with Brunson winning two to nothing. This time, Obrestad quickly found herself behind again and Brunson advanced to the round of eight. Two thousand and seven WSOP Main Event champ Jerry Yang’s A-Q of spades held against Barry Greenstein’s 10-9. Also advancing was Dennis Phillips, who outlasted cash game pro Eli Elezra.
These are the matches for the Elite Eight, which will air this Sunday, May sixteenth, on NBC:
Erik Seidel versus Peter Eastgate?
Scotty Nguyen versus Jason Mercier?
Dennis Phillips versus Doyle Brunson?
Jerry Yang versus Annie Duke
Thanks for joining me on The Daily Deal by Poker News Daily, brought to you by PokerSource.com. Don’t forget to visit PokerNewsDaily.com and be sure to follow us at Twitter.com/PokerNewsDaily for the latest in poker news.
Poker in Twitter: Mother’s Day, PokerStars Big Game, and Charity Tournaments
On Sunday, Mother’s Day was foremost on the minds of many of the stars of the game, with heartfelt thoughts sweeping across the Twitterverse. “Mothers of the world, I salute you,” chirped Maria Ho early during the special day. “You all deserve to be appreciated and acknowledged for your selfless love every single day.” Her “Amazing Race” partner, Tiffany Michelle, echoed her sentiment: “Sending love to all of you beautiful, brave, loving, and patient mothers out there.”
Even the gentlemen got into the act, with former FBI agent and poker tells expert Joe Navarro adding, “Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there and thank you for the overwhelmingly difficult job you do every day.”
Some of the Mother’s Day Tweets brought a tear to the eye. In a departure from his boisterous chirps, “Hollywood” Dave Stann was reflective: “Happy M Day everyone. Miss u, mom.” Beth Shak was moved to Tweet, “My most memorable Mother’s Day. When your own son says, ‘Mom, you did a great job raising me.’ He brought tears to my eyes.”
Annie Duke, taking time out from her multitude of charity poker events, included a Twitpic of her Mother’s Day gift, saying, “My kids planted me an herb garden for Mother’s Day. So sweet!” Duke’s boyfriend, Joe Reitman, was fortunate enough that his schedule worked out: “Was supposed to film tonight… was in a panic… it just got canceled, so now I can have a proper mom’s day dinner with @RealAnnieDuke.”
On the poker front, the Jennifer Harman charity poker tournament benefiting the National Kidney Foundation drew some of the biggest names in the game. “I’m currently in Reno, NV for Jennifer Harman’s Charity Tournament to benefit the National Kidney Foundation,” tweeted Victory Poker pro Paul “Kwickfish” Wasicka at the start of the weekend.
Others, such as Karina Jett (“I’m hanging out w poker ho, Kristy Gazes, Jennifer Harman, and many more at her cocktail party”), Andy Bloch (“Doing the charity poker circuit today, in Reno for Jen Harman’s kidney foundation event, then to Van Nuys CA for another tournament”), and Bryan “badbeatninja” Devonshire (“Cards about to get in the air for the Jen Harman charity event for the National Kidney Foundation in Reno, NV”), made the trip.
The outpouring of support surprised Harman: “Wow, huge turnout for my charity event for the National Kidney Foundation. Thanks to everyone for coming.” “Had so much fun! Ty so much,” Absolute Poker pro Trishelle Cannatella replied to Harman upon the completion of the event. Jeff Harrington ultimately took down the charity poker tournament.
For those who weren’t in attendance in Reno, the upcoming Fox cash game show “The Big Game” was their place for action. “Dropped by the set of The Big Game at South Pointe. Poker world, you are going to love this show! I play again tom in a super fun lineup,” Tweeted Daniel Negreanu. PokerStars serves as the presenting sponsor of “The Big Game,” which hits television airwaves on June 14th.
DoylesRoom pro Todd Brunson added that he would be playing: “I am playing in The Big Game tomorrow. That’s the new PokerStars show that will be on Fox. Playing with Daniel, Freddy Deeb, Vanessa.” Vanessa Rousso herself was ready for action, Tweeting, “Tomorrow I play in Fox TVs new show The Big Game… can’t wait!”
Some of the action Tweeted by the players may give poker fans something to look forward to. Barry Greenstein wasn’t pleased with his play when he Tweeted, “The Big Game was all No Limit Holdem. I’m so upset over a couple hands, I didn’t sleep well: Plays I would have made when I was younger.”
Phil Hellmuth and Negreanu, however, discussed a hand that whets the appetite for the program. “A hand came up in The Big Game that was so sick I dare not talk about, ever! I guarantee it will be talked about worldwide,” Hellmuth chirped. Negreanu agreed: “I’ll second that. One of the sickest hands ever on TV. Best poker show I’ve ever done today, people are going to flip!”
Topping off the best Tweets from the weekend was Doyle Brunson, apparently offering a joke for poker journalist and hostess Amanda Leatherman: “For you Amanda… What do you give a blonde who has everything?… Penicillin.”
Looking for a place to stay during the upcoming WSOP, Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad took a look at the Panorama Towers and Tweeted, “I did look at some places at Panorama and I must say… I wasn’t impressed.”
Finally, Alex Outhred had a thought that many have had when playing poker: “I’m comforted knowing that when my time is done here, I’m likely to come face-to-face with these ‘Poker Gods.’ With any luck, the Online Division.”
Dan Fleyshman Interview with Poker News Daily
Poker News Daily: You’ve just returned from the PartyPoker Big Game IV. Tell us a little bit about your experience.
Dan Fleyshman: There were a lot better players than I expected. Originally, I thought there would be mostly European players, aggressive players, and more tournament players. However, when I got there, I saw guys like Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo and Isaac Haxton; it was like murderers’ row.
There were a lot of quiet moments until we decided to do a 7-2 game, which changed everything. The more traditional players changed their whole game around. Players could have premium hands or they could have 7-2. The game played a little differently than I expected. I had a bunch of all-in pots with David “Viffer” Peat, who literally stole the show. He was down ?38,000, busted Luke “Full Flush” Schwartz, and then went nuts on everyone. To win ?150,000 in a ?25/?50 game is ridiculous.
PND: Did it play like a typical $25/$50 game?
Dan Fleyshman: We started doing straddles, which was better. It pretty much played like a regular $25/$50 game, though. It wasn’t any crazier or harder than a Bellagio $25/$50 game, but there were different elements. For some of the players, it was too small.
PND: Talk about the presence of Peat.
Dan Fleyshman: We got it in and ran it twice a few times, which was entertaining. Every two hours, you eliminated someone. Viffer wasn’t going to be eliminated ever because the most aggressive person at the table got a pass. In this case, it was pretty simple. It was going to be Viffer.
PND: You’re on the Victory Poker team. Talk about the site’s plans for the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP).
Dan Fleyshman: The WSOP will be our claim to fame. We have 19 pros now, so at the WSOP, we’re going to smother the place. Luckily, the guys win a lot and make lots of final tables. Right now in the $25,000 event, we have 3% or 5% of the field. We have grinders like Paul Wasicka, Lee Markholt, and Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little who will play every day and every event. We’ll definitely come up with a party. We might also end up doing a charity event.
PND: We read on your blog on Bluff Magazine’s website that you had an interesting run-in with Emma Glover.
Dan Fleyshman: We were on a plane to London. I was reading a magazine and all of a sudden, I saw a picture of Emma Glover that was just stunning. We were landing and it was nighttime, with our party the next day at 7:30pm. I put an all points bulletin out to book her for the party. I just wanted to have her work the party because she was stunning. She was friends with all of the other models in the magazine I was reading and she’d be a good fit. I tried everything and the owner of Bluff Europe texted me. His response was just, “Are you sure?” At 7:29pm, one minute before the party started, he came with Emma Glover. She was already booked that day for something else, but somehow, he convinced her to come.
PND: Talk about your mantra of turning fantasy into reality.
Dan Fleyshman: That’s how Victory Poker came to be. It was a fantasy. I asked Antonio Esfandiari to be the face of the site and built it around him. The concept of it was that you just have to do it. If you want to find a girl, you have to do it. You have to put forth the effort to make things real. It’s the willingness to try. You have to open your eyes and go do it. If you don’t do it, it’ll be a fantasy forever.
PND: What can we expect in the near future from Victory Poker?
Dan Fleyshman: We’re talking to a few new pros in Europe and just signed Jason Lavallee. Our video contest just came out. We’re going to be choosing the next Victory Poker pro. People will submit 60-second videos and the winner gets $100,000 in buy-ins, a fully furnished condo in Panorama Towers, a car, a watch, clothes, and will live and learn from us for a year. It’s a full-fledged package and we’ll be filming it. That’ll be the focal point regarding marketing. It’ll be like “The Apprentice” for poker. We’ll start with 25 players and every week, we’ll eliminate someone. We’re going to narrow it down to one person, who will win this dream package.
Tags: 2010, bellagio, buy-ins, charity, european, interview, Online Poker, panorama towers, poker player, tournament, WSOP
Jason Alexander Joins Poker2Nite
Last week’s episode of the UB.com sponsored poker news show “Poker2Nite” featured former “Seinfeld” star Jason Alexander. The franchise airs on Wednesday nights at 11:00pm ET on Fox Sports Net.
“Poker2Nite” kicked off with highlights from the 2010 Aussie Millions, which featured Tyron Krost defeating a Main Event final table that included Betfair pros Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi and Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad. The festivities Down Under also saw 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event November Nine member Phil Ivey move to the top of the all-time tournament money list at $12.6 million by finishing second in a $100,000 buy-in event. A debate ensued between “Poker2Nite” hosts Joe Sebok and Scott Huff as to whether a six-figure buy-in tournament should count towards prestigious leaderboards like the all-time money list.
Victory Poker pro Antonio Esfandiari joined the show via Skype to discuss his $1.4 million win in the 2004 running of the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) L.A. Poker Classic, whose 2010 installment kicks off on February 26th from the West Coast casino. Esfandiari discussed his charge through the tournament six years ago: “It was a sweet victory… An unknown kid on the poker market taking down the LAPC was a life-changer.” Esfandiari was 25 years-old at the time.
Alexander joined the set to break down his Day 3 run in the 2009 WSOP Main Event. He explained, “What I’ve learned more than anything else over the last couple of years is patience.” Alexander also noted that a change in mentality was partly responsible for his recent success in poker: “I go into a tournament thinking not how long will I last, but how smart can I be.”
Alexander will take to the felts of this year’s National Heads-Up Poker Championship invitational tournament and noted that he felt no pressure to perform. He often tells his pro opponents, “If I lose to you, no big deal. If you lose to me, your career will never be the same.” Alexander fell to Huck Seed in the first round of the 2008 National Heads-Up Poker Championship; Seed went on to reach the semi-finals.
Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo gave “Poker2Nite” viewers the nickel tour of the Panorama Towers in Las Vegas, home to world-class pros like Esfandiari, Bodog’s David Williams, PokerStars front man Barry Greenstein, Scott Seiver, UB.com’s Adam “Roothlus” Levy, Shaun Deeb, Evelyn Ng, and Steve “MrTimCaum” O’Dwyer. The complex features two gyms, two pools, game rooms, conference rooms, limo service, and even a pet park for dog-lovers. It also hosts a bevy of high-stakes poker home games.
Sebok broke down a hand against J.C. Tran during the 2007 L.A. Poker Classic in the debut of High Mistakes. Tran was the chip leader in the event when the hand occurred, while Sebok was second on the leaderboard. Sebok mistakenly limped pre-flop with Q-8 of diamonds after tossing in the wrong chips and Tran came along with K-10. Two other players also saw the K-10-5 flop with two diamonds, leading to a bet from Sebok and a call from Tran.
Sebok check-raised to 35,000 after a third diamond hit on the turn to give him a flush and Tran called. The river was a 10, improving Tran to a boat, and Sebok called all-in for his tournament life after Tran pushed. The hand was set up for Sebok to fold to an all-in river bet, but he failed to do so.
Dana Workman doled out the Weekly Misdeal, offering a satirical look at the week’s poker headlines. Workman poked fun at soccer star Charlie Davies playing at the Bellagio, embattled swimmer Michael Phelps taking to the felts at the Borgata, a poker table equipped with a built-in drink dispenser, and Doyle Brunson being named Best Poker Twitterer by Bluff Magazine’s readers for his parade of blonde jokes and Doyleisms. Brunson underwent dental surgery today in Las Vegas that may sideline him until the 2010 WSOP.
Sebok concluded “Poker2Nite” by breaking down his prop bet with Gavin Smith and Jeff Madsen that involves a unique last longer bet during the upcoming L.A. Poker Classic Main Event. Whoever busts first must tattoo the faces of the other two players on their body. Whoever busts second must ink the surviving player’s face. The “Poker2Nite” host is trying to get out of the prop bet.
Next week, “Poker2Nite” will feature a Best of Season 1 episode. The series has purportedly not yet been renewed for Season 2, although Huff and Sebok explained that “Poker2Nite” would go on hiatus during the L.A. Poker Classic.
Tags: 2008, 2009, 2010, Barry Greenstein, bellagio, bodog, Doyle Brunson, panorama towers, Phil Ivey, pokerstars, tournament, Tyron Krost, vegas, WSOP
Greg Raymer, Jason Alexander Featured on WSOP on ESPN Day 2 Coverage
The first of two Day 2s in the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event took center stage on Tuesday night on ESPN. 2004 champion Greg Raymer and “Seinfeld” actor Jason Alexander headlined the feature table.
ESPN announcer Norman Chad shared his take on the Day 2A lineup: “Today’s feature table is what I love about [the Main Event]. You have one of the top all-time performers in the Main Event, Greg Raymer, hoping to make another deep run and George Costanza is standing in his way.” Shortly after Chad’s comments, Gus Hansen was ousted from the $10,000 buy-in tournament after calling all-in with the nut straight on the turn. However, the board paired on the river, giving his opponent a full house.
Table Two, ESPN’s secondary feature table, included Chris Ferguson and Roland de Wolfe. Ferguson has logged five bracelets and five runner-up finishes at the WSOP over the last 10 years. Also in the field were Todd Brunson and “Everybody Loves Raymond” actor Brad Garrett, who were seated at the same table. Meanwhile, Jack Ury continued to battle in the Main Event. At 96 years-old, he is its oldest competitor and doubled up after flopping a boat with pocket sevens on a 6-6-7 board. However, Ury was later eliminated and received a standing ovation.
Eli Elezra and former boxer Kili Madrid were also seated together. Madrid owned an 8-0 record as a professional fighter and recorded four knockouts. Meanwhile, Alexander told ESPN cameras why he has an edge at the tables: “I always say to the pros when they start to sass me, ‘If I lose to you, there’s no dignity lost. I’m supposed to lose to you. If you lose to me, you will never live this down, so make your decisions very carefully.’”
Poker couple Jennifer Tilly and Phil Laak could be found in the Day 2A field, as could father and son Barry Greenstein and Joe Sebok. The former was knocked out and signed a copy of his book, “Ace on the River,” for his executioner. However, the player who busted Greenstein had also earned a copy of his book back in 2006. Meanwhile, Mike “The Mouth” Matusow moved to Greg “FBT” Mueller’s table, creating a star-studded lineup in the outer reaches of the Amazon Room.
The Full Tilt Poker-sponsored segment “Deal Me In” featured Matusow describing a hand during the 2006 WSOP Tournament of Champions. Matusow made a “value bet bluff” on the river to force Daniel Negreanu to lay down a pair. Shortly thereafter, Lex Veldhuis, who finished seventh in the $40,000 buy-in tournament commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP, called all-in on a draw for 30 big blinds and was shown the exit. An opponent whose constant chatter sent the poker pro over the edge may have been the cause.
The Jack Link’s Beef Jerky Wild Card Hand, in which the hole cards of one player are concealed, featured raised action to a flop of 2-A-5, all clubs. Greg Raymer, holding mystery cards, bet out 2,500, Alexander raised to 6,000 with A-9 (no clubs), and Raymer made the call. On Alexander’s raise, Chad commented, “I like that raise from Jason. He should be able to find out if he has the best hand.” The king of clubs hit the turn and Raymer fired out 13,000. Alexander folded and Raymer turned over Q-7 of clubs for the nut flush.
The same feature table and Table Two headlined the second episode. The show, which hit airwaves at 9:00pm ET, opened with Alexander describing his role in “Pretty Woman” to Raymer: “The scene when I attack her – we did a version where she attacks me.” Chad then joked, “We did a version of the 2006 Main Event where Jamie Gold didn’t win.” The action then flipped to Matusow, about whom Chad commented, “Mike is a professor at Deep Stacks University. I believe they are the Ragin’ Cajuns.” Ragin’ Cajuns has replaced Demon Deacons as Chad’s favorite college mascot in 2009.
At the final table, Raymer raised to 1,600 pre-flop and Alexander made the call with pocket threes. Dennis Baltz bumped the action to 4,500 with pocket kings. Raymer came over the top with a hand other than pocket aces to 20,000 and both Baltz and Alexander folded. On his opponent’s laydown, Raymer noted, “Since you couldn’t call, it had to be a good fold because you’re not throwing away aces or kings.”
The PokerStars-sponsored “Straight from the Pros” vignette featured Raymer reliving a hand during the 2004 WSOP Main Event. In it, Raymer bluffed after picking up a tell on his opponent. In the second episode’s Wild Card Hand, “Fossilman” once again picked up unknown cards and raised to 1,600 pre-flop. Alexander made it 3,500 with pocket nines and Raymer made the call to see a flop of A-Q-6 with two spades. Raymer check-called a 6,000 chip bet from Alexander and the turn was a five. The action went check-check and the deuce of hearts hit the river. Raymer led out for 7,000 and Alexander called. Raymer turned over A-K for top pair and pushed his chip stack to 140,000.
In case you were wondering, Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo won his Panorama Towers prop bet after Mueller scooped a bracelet in 2009. Bonomo gave 7:1 odds that one of 43 poker players who live in the massive off-Strip complex would take home a piece of hardware this year. Among them were Bonomo, Isaac Haxton, David Williams, Evelyn Ng, Barry Greenstein, Joe Sebok, Antonio Esfandiari, Laak, and Veldhuis.
“The Nuts” took to the links on Tuesday night, as Dewey Tomko gave Chad seven strokes on a putting green over nine holes. In the end, it all came down to the last hole. If Chad won the hole, he would win the bet, but missed a crucial putt. Meanwhile, de Wolfe, once down to 3,600 chips, doubled twice through Steve Gee to move to over 30,000. Alexander raked in the last pot of the evening at the feature table to make his first Day 3.
New episodes of the 2009 WSOP on ESPN air on Tuesday nights at 8:00pm ET.
Tags: 2009, 5, aced, actor, announcer, Barry Greenstein, boxer, cent, Daniel Negreanu, David Williams, Eli Elezra, Evelyn Ng, Greg Raymer, Gus Hansen, Jamie Gold, Jennifer Tilly, Joe Sebok, king, panorama towers, Phil Laak, player, Poker, poker player, pokerstars, Pro, runner, runner-up, Todd Brunson, tournament, woman, WSOP
Vitaly Lunkin Shines in First 2009 WSOP on ESPN Broadcast
The kickoff event of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) on ESPN played out on Tuesday night, with Russian Vitaly Lunkin taking home $1.9 million from the record $7.7 million prize pool.
Fans of poker on ESPN noticed several stark changes in the 2009 WSOP broadcast compared to years past. 2008 WSOP Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate now appears in the opening credits of the broadcast, which are otherwise the same as last year. The show began by highlighting the 40th running of the WSOP, featuring comments by several pros, including Doyle Brunson, Howard Lederer, Daniel Negreanu, Mike Sexton, Johnny Chan, Chris Ferguson, Annie Duke, Erick Lindgren, Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer, Jennifer Harman, Joe Hachem, and Scotty Nguyen. Eastgate’s banner, which hung above the Amazon Room floor at the Rio during the WSOP, was then unveiled.
Jack Link’s Beef Jerky, the presenting sponsor of the 2009 WSOP, received a slew of product placement throughout the show. The foodstuff’s logo appears on the center of the ESPN featured table, on video monitors above it, and in a bevy of graphics during the broadcast. Everest Poker’s name continues to appear in the ring of the table. Commemoration of the 40th WSOP consisted of a series of “40th Annual Memories” vignettes, which honored players who have won three bracelets in one year (Jeffrey Lisandro won a trio in 2009) and Greg Raymer’s deep run in the 2005 Main Event after winning the tournament in 2004.
The hole card camera now bears the presenting sponsor’s name and a Jack Link’s Wild Card Hand of the Day allows viewers at home to see one player’s hand, but not their opponent’s. In one, Raymer held 8-7 of hearts and raised to 250,000 under the gun. Isaac Haxton, whose cards were unknown, asked for a count and then made the call. The flop came 7-7-9 and the action went check-check. The turn came a nine, leading ESPN poker commentator Norman Chad to note, “If Isaac has a small pocket pair or an ace, he’s playing the board.” Haxton checked, Raymer led out for 350,000, and Haxton called. The river was another nine. Haxton checked, Raymer bet 750,000 after seeing his full house counterfeited, and Haxton called, showing A-Q for a chopped pot. On the Wild Card Hand of the Day, Chad noted, “That was fun. We’ve found a whole new way for me to sound stupid.”
For an event featuring a $40,000 buy-in, the average age of the final table was lower than many expected. Six of the nine players were in their 20s, while Raymer, who finished third, was the elder statesman at just 44. Noah Schwartz, who finished eighth, was labeled McLovin during the broadcast due to his striking resemblance to a character in the movie “Superbad.” Lex Veldhuis was cheered on by his girlfriend, Evelyn Ng, as well as Team PokerStars Pro member Maridu Mayrinck and Karina Jett. Raymer’s wife and mother turned out to support him, while Bodog pro Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo’s mother and stepfather rooted him on from the rails.
Two one-hour episodes aired on Tuesday night. The second focused on a prop bet by Bonomo that at least one of 43 poker players who live in Panorama Towers in Las Vegas would win a bracelet during the 2009 WSOP. Bonomo gave 7:1 odds on the bet and watched in agony as heads-up action between Lunkin and Panorama Towers’ own Haxton featured several double-ups by the player on the short stack. Besides Haxton and Bonomo, Panorama Towers residents include David Williams, Ng, Barry Greenstein, Joe Sebok, Antonio Esfandiari, Phil Laak, and Veldhuis.
In one of the most memorable heads-up matches in WSOP history, which left viewers on the edge of their seats, Lunkin finally prevailed and banked $1.9 million. Even Chad was rooting his fellow American along. After one double-up by Haxton with K-10 against Lunkin’s aces, Chad yelled, “Take that, you Commies!” Chants of “Russ-i-a” permeated the Amazon Room following Lunkin’s win and WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack presented the commemorative bracelet to the Russian at the end of the first 2009 WSOP on ESPN broadcast. Here were the final payouts:
1. Vitaly Lunkin - $1,891,012
2. Isaac Haxton - $1,168,566
3. Greg Raymer - $774,927
4. Dani Stern - $548,315
5. Justin Bonomo - $413,166
6. Alec Torelli - $329,730
7. Lex Veldhuis - $277,940
8. Noah Schwartz - $246,834
9. Ted Forrest - $230,317
Other vignettes included Brunson, Adam Schoenfeld, and David Plastik battling in 40th Annual WSOP Trivia during the traditional segment “The Nuts.” Nine questions in three categories were asked, including Main Men, Dynamic Duos, and Famous Firsts. In the end, Schoenfeld prevailed and advanced to the next round.
Poker News Daily has learned that future WSOP episodes will feature sponsored vignettes from PokerStars (called “Straight from the Pros”) and Full Tilt Poker (called “Deal Me In”). Pros from each online poker site will explain why they played a hand a certain way, giving the viewer unique insight. The Wild Card Hand of the Day will also continue to appear in each episode.
Stay tuned for the latest from the 2009 WSOP on Poker News Daily.
Tags: 15, 2008, 2009, 5, Adam, Adam Schoenfeld, Annie Duke, Barry Greenstein, bodog, cent, Daniel Negreanu, David Williams, Doyle Brunson, Erick Lindgren, Evelyn Ng, food, full tilt poker, Greg Raymer, Howard Lederer, Jeffrey Pollack, Jennifer Harman, Joe Hachem, Joe Sebok, Johnny Chan, Justin Bonomo, king, Las Vegas, member, Mike Sexton, News Daily, Online Poker, online poker site, panorama towers, Peter Eastgate, Phil Laak, player, Poker, Poker News Daily, poker player, poker site, pokerstars, Pro, Russia, Scotty Nguyen, tournament, vegas, WSOP
2009 WSOP Best Bets: Liv Boeree
Back home, Boeree got her head straight before heading straight back to Las Vegas and turning it into a success.
In fact, she cashed in the next two WSOP tournaments she played, before a deep run in the 2008 Main Event.
An astrophysics grad from the University of Manchester who got her start on a poker reality game show where she was schooled by the likes of Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke and Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott, Boeree then spent the next year on the high-stakes tournament circuit.
"I remember thinking, 'is this really the World Series of Poker,' it was just so bizarre," she said. "Now I think my game is better and I have much more confidence. At [the 2008 WSOP] I was still very new to the scene. It was really my first time playing in the States.
"A year later I've been travelling non-stop and except for a few weeks at home here and there, I've spent all my time playing big events all over the place."
Boeree, who won the 2008 European Ladies Championships and is the UK Ambassador for Absolute Poker, ended 2008 with a small cash at the Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic, then started 2009 with a final table finish at an Aussie Millions prelim.
Another small cash at an L.A. Poker Classic preliminary event was followed up by two final tables at the WPT Championship prelims in Las Vegas where she also managed to win a $2,500 satellite into the $25k Main Event, booking her biggest cash to date with a 37th place finish grossing $40,855.
With a solid year on tour under her belt, Boeree has good reason to head into the 2009 WSOP feeling confident.
"I can't wait," she said. "I'm going to be playing a lot more events this year and I'm pretty excited."
Her focus will be on the many $1,500 and $2,000 No Limit Hold 'em events with an eye on satelliting in to some of the larger $10k tournaments.
But most of all, Boeree said she's looking forward to the $1k stimulus event at the beginning of the series.
"It's probably going to have the most ridiculously huge field ever," she said. "And I'm really looking forward to getting out of the starting gate. It's going to be so much fun and I'm assuming the standard of play will be very low, so if you get chips early on, you stand good chance of going deep."
Although she plans on spending the entire seven weeks of the WSOP in Vegas, Boeree has yet to make arrangements for where she will stay.
However, she does have a solid plan for how to stay both physically and mentally prepared for the grind.
"I'm really going into this like an athlete training for the Olympics," she said. "I'm not going to be drinking and partying every night. The World Series is something that happens only once a year, so it's kind of important.
"During the WPT Championship I was playing racquet ball and running literally everyday and I felt so much better for it. So this summer, I'm hoping to go swimming, get some exercise and a little sun and fresh air every day. It just helps gets rid of all that nervous tension and you play better as a result."
For her mental preparedness, Boeree also plans a similar strategy to the one that was successful for her at the WPT Championship.
"It really helps my game significantly to hang around players with a lot of knowledge and a different perspective on different situations," she said. "During the WPT Championship about ten of us were all staying at the Panorama Towers and we would have these big discussions in the hot tub at the end of the day.
"We would discuss different plays in a relaxed, separated environment and it was just great to get a perspective from friends who are that highly involved in the industry.
"I guess I'm hoping now I can organize a WSOP hot tub for the summer."
Hot tub or not, Boeree is setting some big goals for the World Series.
"I suppose a reasonable number of bracelets is three or four, I don't want to be too greedy," she joked.
"I guess I just want to do my best, win as much money as possible, win as many bracelets as possible and play as well as I can."
Related Articles:
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- 2009 WSOP Best Bets: Chris Moorman
- 2009 WSOP Best Bets: Isaac Baron
- 2009 WSOP Best Bets: Soren Kongsgaard
- 2009 WSOP Best Bets: Jason Mercier
- 2009 WSOP Best Bets: Carter King
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Tags: 2008, 2009, 5, absolute poker, Ambassador, Annie Duke, EUR, Europe, european, king, L.A., ladies, Las Vegas, member, panorama towers, Phil Hellmuth, player, Poker, Pro, swimming, tournament, vegas, WPT Championship, WSOP