Poker News

2009 WSOP Main Event Final Table Heads-Up Play Begins at 10:00pm PT Monday

On Monday night at 10:00pm PT, heads-up play in the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event will commence between Joe Cada and Darvin Moon. The former holds better than a 2:1 chip lead.

Even without heads-up play, the 2009 final table is already the longest in WSOP history at 14 hours and 55 minutes. By the time the dinner break rolled around six hours into play on Saturday, seven out of the original nine players remained in the hunt for the $8.5 million first place payday. The previous record for WSOP Main Event final table length was 14 hours and 30 minutes, which took place in 2005. The record for the longest WSOP final table ever belongs to the 19 hour 2008 WSOP Europe Main Event won by John Juanda.

A total of 276 hands were played on Saturday, two more than the entirety of last year’s final table. The action resumes at 10:00pm PT on Monday night in an effort to air the festivities on ESPN as close to real-time as possible. Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy, who has been railing Cada throughout the final table, told Poker News Daily, “When I saw Joe prior to the final table, he looked like it was any other day. He had a smile on his face and looked just like the kid I met in June. He’s fearless.”

Josephy revealed that Cada had fallen asleep by 10:00pm PT on Sunday after spending the day relaxing in his suite at the Rio in Las Vegas watching movies with friends. He has not been answering his phone, but remains upbeat and is looking forward to the event’s conclusion on Monday night. On the play of Moon, Josephy commented, “He looked very tired and it was confirmed by the way he played.” Josephy added that Cada had been playing sit and gos online all week to prepare for the Main Event final table, where he rallied despite being a 25:1 chip underdog at one point.

WSOP bracelet winner Justin Scott and 2008 Main Event Final Table Bubble Boy Dean Hamrick are two of the fans who are making their way to Sin City to watch the finale unfold on Monday. Cada had a rowdy cheering section throughout the day and will likely have the backing of the majority of the fans in attendance when heads-up play begins. Cada could become the youngest WSOP Main Event winner ever by 340 days over Peter Eastgate, who was 22 years, 10 months, and 28 days.

Released by WSOP officials on Sunday afternoon were quotes from Phil Ivey, a Full Tilt Poker pro who ducked the media after being sent home in seventh from the 2009 WSOP Main Event final table. Moon three-outed Ivey on the seven-time WSOP bracelet winner’s final hand. Ivey told WSOP Media Director Nolan Dalla upon leaving the Rio, “It was tough because I was handicapped by my chip count. So, I was kind of waiting for something good to happen. I mean, I bluffed a couple of hands. But there was nothing really I could do. The last hand, obviously, was a little unlucky.”

In the meantime, the poker community has begun to weigh in, with many pulling for Cada. World Poker Tour (WPT) Bellagio Cup III Champion Kevin “BeL0WaB0Ve” Saul told Poker News Daily, “I’d be playing small pots with Darvin if possible, but I don’t think it will be. He is probably going to have to play a big pot with a marginal image.” Christian “charder” Harder, fresh off a 17th place showing at the WPT Foxwoods World Poker Finals, also picked Cada. He reasoned, “He’s got the run good, the chip lead, and he’s much better, in my opinion.”

Here’s how the chip counts look headed into Monday night’s finale:

Joe Cada – 135,950,000
Darvin Moon – 58,850,000

The 2009 WSOP Main Event final table will air on ESPN on Tuesday beginning at 9:00pm ET.

November Nine Freeroll Series Continues

The November Nine Freeroll Series at PokerStars continues with a total of 220 PCA step tickets left to give away and of course, the ultimate opportunity to play a $500 heads up with reigning WSOP Champion Peter Eastgate...

WSOP Main Event Final Table: Darvin Moon and Joe Cada Survive

After a grueling 17 and a half hour session inside the Penn and Teller Theater at the Rio in Las Vegas, Darvin Moon and Joe Cada emerged victorious and will play heads-up on Monday night in the finale of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event with an $8.5 million first place prize on the line.

The final two eliminations of the event took place during the 5:00am hour PT, when many on the East Coast were waking up to begin their days. Frenchman Antoine Saout, armed with a cavalcade of supporters dressed in light blue t-shirts, doubled up with A-K against Eric Buchman’s A-Q in one of the largest pots of the 2009 WSOP Main Event final table. The flop came king-high, preserving Saout’s lead in the hand, and the turn added one more queen.

The hand dropped Buchman to less than 10 million in chips and he was promptly sent packing in fourth place for $2.5 million. In Buchman’s final hand, his A-5 could not withstand Moon’s K-J after the turn came a king. Buchman earned $2.5 million for his efforts; he was the selection of many media members inside the Penn and Teller Theater to win it all.

It was then young Cada’s turn to shine. Cada was at risk pre-flop holding pocket twos against Saout’s pocket queens. A 4:1 underdog, Cada watched as the flop came 7-2-9, creating a rowdy celebration from the Cada supporters camped out to the left of media row at the Penn and Teller Theater. The board filled out 3-6, giving Cada the chip lead. He could become the youngest WSOP Main Event champion in history, breaking Peter Eastgate’s mark set just one year ago.

In Saout’s final hand, the Frenchman held pocket eights against Cada’s A-K. The two were off to the races and, as had been the case throughout much of the afternoon, the hand was decided on the river when a king hit. Saout earned $3.5 million and WSOP.com coverage described the final moments early Sunday morning: “Cada is mobbed by a throng of yellow-shirted fans after taking the pot with his pair of kings. Saout’s side of the room falls absolutely silent as their man can only shake his head and shake the hands of the two left standing before walking off the stage.”

Media will greet Cada and Moon at 1:00pm PT on Monday at the Rio, a gathering that was postponed 24 hours due to the final table overrun. A meatball eating contest featuring Ultimate Bet pro Phil Hellmuth is still scheduled to take place today at Noon at Martorano’s (the Rio’s Italian restaurant) and will also see Joey Chestnut compete. The action between Moon and Cada will resume at 10:00pm PT on Monday night. It will air on cable station ESPN 24 hours later.

Here are the final chip counts:
Darvin Moon – 58,850,000
Joe Cada – 135,950,000

Those eliminated on Saturday in the 2009 WSOP Main Event were:
3. Antoine Saout – $3,479,485
4. Eric Buchman – $2,502,787
5. Jeff Shulman – $1,953,395
6. Steven Begleiter – $1,587,133
7. Phil Ivey – $1,404,002
8. Kevin Schaffel – $1,300,228
9. James Akenhead – $1,263,602

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from the 2009 WSOP Main Event final table.

WSOP Main Event Final Table Shuffle Up and Deal Command Given

The cards are in the air at the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event in Las Vegas. Inside the massive Penn and Teller Theater at the Rio, you can hear a pin drop on every turn of the card.

Phil Ivey facing a bet by Joe Cada leads to a dramatic uneasiness inside the 1,200 person capacity theater. Many are literally on the edge of their seats watching the action, as the general admission line continues to build outside the door. Only a few flops have been seen so far and a variety of red, white, and blue balloons line the railings inside the theater.

In the minutes leading up to the “Shuffle Up and Deal” command, a moment of silence was held for Hans Lund, the runner-up in the 1990 WSOP Main Event to Mansour Matloubi. A hearty round of applause followed before WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack told the assembled crowd, “This will clearly be a final table for the history books. As we get started, I wanted to thank you, the best fans in all of poker and the best fans in all of sports, for being here and supporting the WSOP.” Pollack introduced Absolute Poker pro Lacey Jones, decked out in a pink cocktail dress, who will serve as the WSOP Main Event’s hostess.

Pollack covered the rules of audience etiquette during a poker tournament, which included encouraging cheering for your favorite players, not interfering with hands in progress by yelling phrases like “go all in” and “don’t do that.” Other than player names, other audible phrases have included “Stack em, stack em, to the top” (playing homage to Julie Schneider, wife of Tom Schneider) and “Let’s play already!”

Jones then interviewed 2008 WSOP November Nine member Dennis Phillips, who told the crowd what sage words of advice he gave this year’s group: “A lot of different things, They were asking me how to handle it from a media perspective and a lot of other things. I told them to play well, be proud of your play, and enjoy.”

Also taking to the stage with Jones was Peter Eastgate, the reigning champion of the prestigious $10,000 buy-in tournament. On his latest success, Eastgate told Jones, “I’ve been having some good results lately. I’m still running hot.” His advice to the next Main Event winner: “Be yourself.”

At 1:30pm PT, Ivey pushed all-in facing potential calls by CardPlayer Magazine Editor Jeff Shulman and young gun Joe Cada. Both players folded to Ivey’s all-in and speculation ran rampant that Cada had at least pocket queens and ultimately laid it down, sparking a debate among media members in attendance that will be answered when the event airs on Tuesday night. Ten minutes later, Frenchman Antoine Saout, who has a rowdy cheering section inside the theater, shoved all-in, but was also not called.

In the minutes leading up to the WSOP Main Event final table resuming, Barry Shulman, father of the aforementioned November Nine member, was presented with his WSOP Europe Main Event gold bracelet. After a lengthy delay, the national anthem of the United States played, as has been customary in previous bracelet ceremonies.

The final tradition to play out was the “Shuffle Up and Deal” command, issued by 10-time WSOP bracelet winner Doyle Brunson. “Texas Dolly” told fans and others in attendance, “I think we should congratulate Jeffrey Pollack and Ty Stewart for putting this all together. It looks like a football game.”

Those on stage include Chau Giang, Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little, Brunson, Eastgate, Joe Sebok, Greg Raymer, Chris Ferguson, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Gordon, and Phillips. About 125 people are seated on the Rio’s stage.

Reigning WSOP champ handicaps November Nine

But this weekend, as the latest edition of the November Nine plays out, Peter Eastgate's reign as World Champion will come to a close.

"You can never stop the clock; there will always be a new world champion," Eastgate told PokerListings. "Why should I have any sad emotions about that? I'll just be the ex-world champion. Nothing is being taken away from me, maybe a bit of the attention, but nothing else."

Eastgate defended his title well, making it deep again this summer before busting out 78th.

He remembers playing with both Joe Cada and Kevin Schaffel and appeared particularly impressed with the player who could replace him as the youngest champion in Main Event history.

"I have always been impressed by the young guys in poker," he said. "I like their spirit. I like the way they develop their skills by playing a lot online. That's how I have developed my own skills, so I feel like I'm part of the same breed as them - The young online community going into the live arena.

"I think this group of young players has an advantage and even though I only have a small experience of playing against Cada, I've been impressed. He certainly belongs to that group."

All eyes at the final table will likely be on the man widely considered the best player on the planet.

And although Eastgate has very little experience playing against Phil Ivey, he will be no different.

"It's very easy, if you go by the stats, to rule him as the best player as he has the best results," Eastgate said. "Everyone who's played with him says he's the best. I've only played with him for one orbit of the EPT High Roller in London in Season 5, but he wouldn't remember that.

"It lasted for like 30 minutes, so I don't really have any experience, but everyone says he's the best, so he probably is."

Eastgate took advantage last November as chip leader Dennis Phillips saw his stack eroded, eventually busting out third.

As a result, he's not sure how much of an advantage the chip lead will give Maryland logger Darvin Moon this time around.

"Obviously he has the chip advantage, but I don't know how he's going to manage that," he said. "From the way he's conducted himself, he seems like a pretty fearless guy, so I assume he would put the pressure on his opponents and try to take advantage of the prize jumps."

Eastgate said he hasn't met Eric Buchman, Steven Begleiter, Jeff Shulman, Antoine Saout or James Akenhead.

But the UK resident said there seems to be a lot of respect in the poker community for Akenhead.

However, if he were a betting man, there's only one person Eastgate would bet on.

"Darvin's the favorite, Ivey is the best player, but I'd go for Cada, if I was betting on it," he said.

To follow all the action at the final table until a new World Champion is crowned, tune into PokerListings 2009 WSOP Main Event Live Coverage beginning at 12 p.m. PT Saturday, Nov. 7.

Visit PokerListings.com

High Stakes Poker, GSN Officials Preview Season 6

Making waves in the poker world this week has been the announcement of the “High Stakes Poker” Season 6 cast. Set to debut in February on the cable station, “High Stakes Poker” will feature Gabe Kaplan alongside new co-host Kara Scott.

During the first five seasons of the high-dollar cash game show, A.J. Benza provided color commentary with Kaplan. Now, Scott, a television veteran, will furnish insight and interviews from the poker room floor. On the change from Benza to Scott, GSN Vice President of Programming and Development David Schiff told Poker News Daily, “We’re into the sixth season and we felt like it was time to freshen it up. Our feeling was that we wanted viewers to be in the room with the players. Gabe and A.J. did a good job, but they were disconnected from the action.”

Scott is one of only two women to cash in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event in back-to-back years and, as such, provides a unique level of insight. She’s fresh off bringing the PokerStars.net Ante Up for Africa charity tournament to life on CBS in the United States and serves as eye candy for ESPN announcer Norman Chad. Schiff explained the allure of hiring Scott, as opposed to other rumored co-hosts like Shana Hiatt and Vanessa Rousso: “Kara is really the full package. She’s a great player and has had deep runs in the Main Event the last two years. We think she can add a lot of insight to the broadcast.”

Seventeen players have been announced as part of the “High Stakes Poker” Season 6 cast, including newcomers Dennis Phillips, Yevgeniy “Jovial Gent” Timoshenko, Lex Veldhuis, Andreas Hoivold, and Sammy “Any Two” George. On the stable of pros lined up for Season 6, “High Stakes Poker” Executive Producer Mori Eskandani told Poker News Daily, We are going to have possibly the most colorful and strongest cast we’ve had to date.” The newcomers will take to the felts alongside regulars like Daniel Negreanu, Barry Greenstein, Doyle Brunson, and Antonio Esfandiari.

Also in the mix for Season 6 is WSOP November Nine member Phil Ivey, who has only appeared once in the show’s five previous seasons. Schiff examined the addition of Ivey to the impressive lineup of poker pros and recreational players: “Arguably, this is the best cast of players we have ever had. To have Phil Ivey off the November Nine and all of the other great players, I think it’ll be great poker action.” The series premieres on Sunday, February 14th at 8:00pm ET and replays twice each night.

“High Stakes Poker” features a $200,000 buy-in and, as such, includes a bevy of well-known tournament players battling it out in a cash game. Eskandani explained, “We’ve never seen Dennis Phillips in cash games, yet he’s done super in tournaments. Now, he’s coming out to the cash game world to throw punches with the best of them.” Last season’s broadcast featured recent WSOP Main Event winners Peter Eastgate and Joe Hachem; neither will take to the felts this time around.

Music mogul Allan Meltzer, who is among the regulars at Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio, will likely be one of the only so-called “recreational” players on the sixth season of “High Stakes Poker.” During Season 5, “The Notebook” Director Nick Cassavettes and “The Simpsons” Co-Creator Sam Simon were among those who challenged poker superstars like Tom Dwan and Patrik Antonius. Eskandani explained the dearth of recreational players this season: “This year, Meltzer will be playing, but we didn’t want to go to the same recreational players we always went to. Several that we went to ended up having cold feet.”

“High Stakes Poker” will film from November 11th to 13th at the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas.

PokerStars November Nine Freeroll Series Starting Soon!

PokerNews teams up with PokerStars in the lead up to the much anticipated return of the November Nine. The result? A total of 320 PCA step tickets and a chance to play heads up against reigning WSOP Champion Peter Eastgate...

Televised Poker Rocks by Linda Johnson

I just returned from a wonderful nine-day Card Player Cruises trip to New England and Canada. The fall foliage was magnificent and the lobster and clams on the East Coast are much, much tastier than their counterparts on the West Coast. I also spent three nights in New York City on each end of the cruise. I’m a theater lover and managed to squeeze in seven Broadway shows. On my must-see recommendation list are Memphis, Superior Donuts, and Bye Bye Birdie.

When I get home from an extended trip, I can hardly wait to catch up on my favorite television shows. Thank goodness for Tivo! I had so many shows waiting. Choices, choices, choices! The obvious choice for the first show I watched was Survivor (I haven’t missed an episode in 19 seasons). After Survivor, the next choice was close, but I opted for the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on ESPN (Grey’s Anatomy, Dateline, 60 Minutes, Private Practice, The Good Wife, and Two and a Half Men could wait).

I found myself taking notes to share with my Wednesday Poker Discussion Group, so I will share them with the Poker News Daily readers as well. With more than 6,000 total entrants, I was surprised to learn that only 200 were women. Although women comprised fewer than 3% of the field, there still was one left when they were down to 27 players (more than 99% of the field had already been eliminated). Although I enjoyed watching Leo Margets play, I don’t understand why such a big deal is made out of the “last woman standing.” Outlasting all of the other women doesn’t matter; you haven’t won the event unless you’ve beaten everyone. By the way, I found Margets to be absolutely charming. She was gracious when she was eliminated and was kind enough to sign autographs at that very tough, emotional time.

It seemed like a lot of attention was paid to the fans, a.k.a. “sweaters.” Julie Schneider was a hoot with her “Stack ‘em…stack ‘em to the top” chant every time her husband Tom won a pot. You could see the pride on Barry Greenstein’s face as he watched his son, Joe Sebok, play. As each elimination came, the fans got more vocal and excited and I can’t blame them! The two most loyal fans were Mel and Pat Humphries, who rail Phil Ivey every year. Mel and Pat were on the Card Player Cruises trip with me when these episodes aired. They never told me that they were the same couple who is featured cheering “Ivey, Ivey” when he won a pot.

Peter Eastgate and Dennis Phillips have had outstanding runs in the past two years. What an accomplishment to have made it to the November Nine last year and outlasted more than 99% of the field this year! Who knows how far Phillips would have gone this year if he hadn’t suffered a bad beat to go out in 45th. In case you didn’t see it, his A-K suited got beaten by another A-K suited when his opponent made a flush on the river. Phillips is such a class act; he never complained and wished everyone good luck as he left.

I saw some outstanding folds pre-flop and post-flop; the ability to make a great laydown is what separates the real players from the rest. One hand in particular interested me. The blinds were 25,000/50,000. Eric Buchman raised it to 140,000 and Jeff Shulman re-raised to 500,000 with A-K of hearts. Jonathan Tamayo then went all-in from the small blind for 3.25 million with his pocket queens. Buchman folded. Shulman thought for a while and said, “Sorry guys, this is a big decision.” He asked Tamayo if he wanted action and got no reply. A call by Shulman would have been for almost all of his chips; he laid the hand down and is now in the November Nine. I don’t think most players would have folded in the same spot.

There was a lot of minimum or barely more than minimum raising pre-flop, which baffles me. I also heard lots of, “Will you show me if I fold” questions.

Things sure have changed since I started playing poker. There were so many 21 year-olds in the field. I can only imagine how exciting it must be for them to be playing for so much money and enduring the pressure of playing on television. I enjoyed hearing the story about Ian Tavelli’s grandfather staking him to the Main Event because he kept up a good grade point average (I think my grandfather bought me a new eight-track player when I graduated).

The age statistics were interesting as well. With 21 players remaining, the average age was 31 and the oldest player, Kevin Schaffel, was 51. Tavelli was the youngest and four of the remaining 21 players were eligible to break Eastgate’s record of being the youngest Main Event winner ever.

Someone needs to explain to Norman Chad what a stop and go play is. Twice players executed stop and gos and he couldn’t understand what they were doing. Another time, he called a play in which a player check-called on the flop and then bet about half of the pot on the turn a stop and go. Get with it, Norman!

Here’s a statistic that shocked me: The last time the Main Event was won by anyone who already had a WSOP bracelet was in 2000 (Chris Ferguson). With 23 players remaining, only two of them were prior bracelet winners.

The chip leader going into the final table, Darvin Moon, seems like a really cool guy. He isn’t impressed by all of the lights and cameras. He hasn’t accepted an online endorsement that I know of. He seems very humble and says he’ll be “back to the woods with a chainsaw” when all of this is over. If he wins, it would be great for poker, just like it was when Chris Moneymaker won the title.

In closing, congratulations to Mike Sexton for being the 2009 Poker Hall of Fame inductee. Mike and I have been friends for more than 20 years and he has honored me by asking me to sit at his table during the induction ceremony. I’m sure there will be tales to share with you after that event.

2009 WSOP Main Event November Nine Reached on ESPN Coverage

Tuesday’s coverage of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on ESPN featured the November Nine finally being revealed. Seven-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Ivey headlines the group.

Andrew “luckychewy” Lichtenberger was the first casualty of the night’s festivities, which saw the field chopped from 18 to nine. Lichtenberger raised to 400,000 with pocket jacks and Darvin Moon made the call with kings. The flop came 3-3-6 and Lichtenberger led out for 680,000. Moon made it 1.5 million and the youngster shoved for over five million. Moon made the call and the board ran out 6-7, sending Lichtenberger to the rails in 18th. ESPN announcer Norman Chad noted, “Another player runs head on into Darvin Moon.”

Eleven of the final 18 players in the field were in their 20s, 15 were Americans, and four could set the record as the youngest WSOP Main Event winner ever, breaking Peter Eastgate’s mark set last year. The latter group included Ian Tavelli, whose grandfather bought him into the $10,000 feature tournament after Tavelli kept his grades up. However, his Main Event run ended in 17th place when his pocket nines ran into Steven Begleiter’s pocket kings. Pre-flop, players with A-K suited, pocket tens, and pocket jacks folded, as the survivors closely guarded their stacks.

Ludovic Lacay and Nick Maimone hit the skids in 16th and 15th, respectively. The latter made it 480,000 pre-flop with A-Q of hearts and Eric Buchman came along with J-9. The flop came 8-10-J, giving Maimone two overcards and a straight draw against Buchman’s top pair and a straight draw. Maimone called all-in for his tournament life and the board ran out J-Q, improving Buchman to a straight and the win in the hand. With his elimination, Joe Cada was the only player left standing who could break Eastgate’s record.

The second hour-long episode, which hit television airwaves at 10:00pm ET on Tuesday, began with a field of 14 players, each searching for their place in poker history. In one of the first hands shown, Antoine Saout raised to 550,000 pre-flop with A-Q of diamonds and Begleiter made the call with pocket sevens. The flop came 8-3-8. Begleiter checked, Saout bet 650,000, Beglieter raised to 1.5 million, and Saout shoved for another 3.7 million. Begleiter talked it out before finally releasing the best hand. Saout showed his bluff and Begleiter gave him a hearty pat on the back.

Saout doubled at the expense of fellow foreigner James Akenhead. However, Akenhead recouped much of his losses by doubling up through Jamie Robbins after cracking aces with K-Q. Robbins promptly hit a two-outer on the river against Cada with pocket tens against pocket aces to deliver a bad beat of his own before exiting in 11th place.

The hand of the night and the pot that defined the 2009 WSOP Main Event occurred between Moon and Billy “Patrolman35” Kopp, two of the chip leaders. Kopp raised to 600,000 pre-flop with 3-5 of diamonds and Moon made the call with Q-J, also of diamonds. The flop came all diamonds, eventually leading to Kopp shoving his mammoth stack. Moon made the call, creating a 40 million chip pot. Chad commented, “Billy Kopp started this hand with 20 million chips. His November Nine ticket was punched. He’s gone.” Moon’s stack ballooned to 45 million, or one-quarter of the chips in play, and Kopp, an Ultimate Bet pro, busted in 12th place.

Jordan Smith’s pocket aces could not withstand Moon’s pocket eights, as he became the November Nine Bubble Boy. The flop came 8-4-2, giving Moon top set. Smith checked, Moon fired out a bet of four million, Smith shoved, and Moon called, creating a 30 million chip pot. The turn and river came a five and ten, respectively, sending Smith out in 10th and giving Moon a massive chip lead over the rest of the field entering this weekend’s final table.

The November Nine will reconvene at the Penn and Teller Theater at the Rio on Saturday at Noon and play down to heads-up. The two survivors will determine a champion on Monday beginning at 10:00pm PT. The final table airs at 9:00pm ET on Tuesday, November 11th.

Patrik Antonius tops $7 million on the year

But perhaps even more impressive than hitting the $7 million mark is the fact that it took him 148,020 hands to do it.

This year only two players in the high-stakes world have logged more hands: Tom Dwan with 195,407 and Gus Hansen with 225,980.

Somewhat surprisingly, out of the three players, Antonius is the only one to have results in the black.

Hansen added the last 1,000 of his hands last night on the 7-Game tables, losing $81k in the effort.

Dwan, who has just come off a $1 million loss, spent his night playing on PokerStars under the handle Hold_emNL.

Over the span of his session he played four different games: $100/$200 Pot-Limit Omaha (-$10k), $200/$400 PLO (-$7k), $200/$400 No-Limit Hold'em ($11k) and $1,000/$2,000 Fixed-Limit Hold'em ($36k).

At the end of the night Dwan left with a $28k profit.

Also playing at PokerStars' high-stakes tables was WSOP Main Event winner Peter Eastgate, who played a 12-hour session yesterday and ground out a healthy $77k profit.

Below you can see some of the hands played on PokerStars, or head to MarketPulse to see how the rest of the biggest pots of the night played out.

Slightly Set-up.

A good old suck, re-suck.

Dwan will take you down to the river.

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PokerStars Baltic Festival crowns a champion

The two players are friends and actually travelled to Tallinn, Estonia together, where the €1,100 event was held.

"I haven't played many live tournaments, apart from in Las Vegas, and that didn't go very well," explained Partridge.

"But our friend qualified and encouraged us to come along as well. The heads-up at the end went pretty quickly. I had a good run of cards and got the momentum going. I'm very pleased with the way it went."

A total of 307 players descended on the luxurious Swissôtel in Tallinn for the event, making it the biggest poker tournament ever held in the Baltic States with a total prize pool of more than 4.5 million Estonian Crowns or approximately €290,000.

Partridge won a first-place prize of 1.2 million Estonian Crowns or approximately €76,750 and a trip to the Bahamas for the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in January.

Among the 32 players who cashed were Team PokerStars Pro Peter Eastgate and PokerStars-sponsored Lithuanian TV presenter Andrius Tapinas.

Team PokerStars Pros Katja Thater, J.C. Alvarado, Johnny Lodden and William Thorson also played, along with Team PokerStars SportStars Mats Sundin, the National Hockey League legend, and Sami Selio, the Formula 1 Powerboat champion.

The Festival also included a €10,600 High Roller event won by the Finn Ville Wahlbeck, who made four World Championship final tables at the 2009 World Series of Poker, including a bracelet win in the $10k Mixed Event.

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Poker News in Brief: Oct. 26-Nov. 1, 2009

Of course not every piece of poker news makes it to the front page of PokerListings.com, which is why we've compiled a list of lesser-known stories below as part of our ongoing Poker News in Brief feature.

This week we'll take a look at yet another PokerStars heads-up style TV show, a former ladies champion suing the WSOP, new features on the CEREUS poker network and more.

PokerStars introduces new ((UK poker)) TV show

UK poker fans will get a crack at Team PokerStars Pros and sporting celebrities as part of a new poker TV show on Sky Sports 2 airing this November.

The PokerStars.com Bounty Stars of Poker will see contestants compete against each other for a chance to play a best-of-three heads-up match against a poker pro or a sporting celebrity. Contestants won't know who they are playing until they take their seat.

If a player manages to win their best-of-three match they will win a £5,000 cash prize.

Poker pros taking part include 2008 World Champion Peter Eastgate, EPT London winner Victoria Coren and the illustrious Marcel "Flying Dutchman" Luske.

The sports celebrities include ex-England test cricketer Phil Tufnell, English rugby star Mike Tindall and Welsh football legend Gary Speed.

"This is an excellent opportunity for previously unknown poker players to make a name for themselves and play against some of the best in the business," said Team PokerStars Pro Coren.

PokerStars.com sponsors several TV shows around the globe with Daniel Negreanu's Million Dollar Challenge in the U.S. and Joe Hachem's The Poker Star in Australia.

Study finds U.S. could generate $41 billion from legalizing internet gambling

A new study released by Rep. Jim McDermott this week estimates the U.S. government would generate more than $41 billion over the next decade by taxing online poker.

The study was performed by the Joint Committee on Taxation and McDermott said the revenue could go to critical social and economic recovery programs.

"I suspect that many of my colleagues, especially those on the fence, will take more interest in this issue once they see $41 billion available that they can match up with any number of worthy programs," said Rep. McDermott.

"I suspect it's only a matter of time before Congress appropriately moves to regulate the industry in order to protect consumers and reverse the flow of billions of dollars currently lost offshore as Americans gamble billions online despite attempts to prohibit the activity."

Both Rep. McDermott and Rep. Barney Frank have introduced bills that would legalize online poker. Frank's bill currently has 62 co-signers.

New features on the CEREUS poker network

UltimateBet and Absolute Poker players will benefit from synchronized tournament breaks and a new raising feature thanks to a recent software update.

Both sites run on the CEREUS poker network and the latest update will give multi-table tournament players a synchronized break at the 55th minute of every hour.

That means players involved in multiple tournaments will finally be able to step away from their computers at least once an hour.

In addition, players will be able to utilize a new "RAISE TO" button, which should significantly speed up the betting process on both Absolute and UltimateBet.

Sally Ann Boyer sues WSOP Academy

WSOP bracelet winner Sally Ann Boyer is suing the WSOP Academy for allegedly using her name and image in advertisements without her permission.

Boyer won the 2007 WSOP Ladies event for $262,077 and was subsequently featured in ads by the WSOP Academy that featured a picture of Boyer calling her a graduate of the program and a tagline that read, "The quickest way to a WSOP bracelet."

Boyer is seeking unspecified damages and recovery of the profits earned from using her name.

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ESPN gears up for Main Event final

"We're really excited about the final table this year and we expect it to be just as good if not better than what we did last year," said Doug White, ESPN's Senior Director of Programming and Acquisitions.

"We expect play to be stellar and we expect the drama to be there as well."

When it comes to drama, ESPN WSOP coverage co-host Lon McEachern says it all starts with one of the greatest players in the game having a shot at poker's most coveted title.

"This is one of the most highly anticipated final tables we've seen in a long time, just for the fact Phil Ivey is there," McEachern said. "I'm excited to see the poker community buzzing about this and I'm sure we will live up to and surpass their expectations in terms of the production and play at the final table."

Co-host Norman Chad appears equally excited to see what Ivey can do, but he also said this second edition of the November Nine is rife with compelling story lines.

"When you start with Phil Ivey you are in great shape because it's the greatest player in the game trying to win the greatest event in the game, but beyond that, you do have that usual mix that you have at a Main Event final table and that's just terrific," he said.

"It's just like anything else. If you look for the story, you will find it. If you look at these guys, they are interesting. They are more interesting than they look at first glance."

McEachern believes young but experienced pro Eric Buchman, who will come into the final nine second in chips, has the best shot to win the title.

But, he also said CardPlayer Magazine editor Jeff Shulman is a "solid player" who is "steeped in the game" and should be "a very dangerous force" at the final table.

Chad said he was impressed with 21-year-old Joe Cada's poise and maturity as he looks to surpass 2008 champ Peter Eastgate as the youngest player ever to win the Main Event and although he admitted French Everest Poker qualifier Antoine Saout is the player he knows the least about, Chad would not count him out.

"You have to be at the final table to have a shot, so he can do it," Chad said. "He's obviously a solid player and another one of these young guys that you have to wonder how the heck he could get this good this quickly."

Chad said Steven Begleiter "has lot of gamble in him," and the former Wall Street executive knows how to use the big stack he's bringing to the final table.

And while McEachern said he's been particularly impressed by Kevin Schaffel results since the summer and Chad said James Akenhead has impressed him with his "selectively aggressive" style, both commentators seemed clearly focused on the two biggest story lines coming in - Ivey and chip leading Maryland logger Darvin Moon.

McEachern called Moon "the second best thing to happen to this final table," next to Ivey and believes that as the unknown coming in, Moon could be the scariest player in the field.

"He is the least experienced and probably the worst player at the final table," added Chad. "But he is a bit of a wolf in sheep's clothing...I think there's a little shark in him. There's a bit of a pool hustler there."

But of course, Chad is still making Ivey a bit of a favorite.

"He just does all the little things a little better than everybody else," he said.

The final table will play down to heads-up Nov. 7 and a winner will be crowned Nov. 9.

PokerListings will have live coverage throughout and ESPN will broadcast an edited version of the final table Nov. 10.

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ESPN Producer Discusses WSOP Main Event Final Table Preparations

Resuming on November 7th will be the final table of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. The survivors will play down to two, who will return to the Rio on November 9th to determine a winner. ESPN has 24 hours to edit the finale for airing and on the scene will be Coordinating Producer Jamie Horowitz, who sat down with Poker News Daily to discuss the network’s preparations.

Poker News Daily: Talk about ESPN’s setup on site at the conclusion of the 2009 WSOP Main Event.

Horowitz: There will be about 40 HD cameras used. It’s 28,000 pounds of television equipment to produce the WSOP. There were 26 hours of Main Event coverage on ESPN in 2009, which was our highest number ever. That comes from 15-hour workdays while we’re out there in July and August. We anticipate anything that’s possible in November.

PND: Talk about what the general process is for filming and editing a show. How is the process truncated so that the final table can air 24 hours after it is filmed?

Horowitz: Creatively, this is a massive challenge. The show that you normally see takes weeks to put together. In November, they’re going to play from nine players to two on Saturday and a couple of hours in, we’ll start editing. Sunday is a full-on edit day. On Monday, we play from two down to a champion. The hardest part of putting it together is that so much of the story has to be written before it’s played from two down to one. In that journey from nine to two, you have to tell it like there were two champions.

PND: Is having the heads-up match pan out three days later complicate anything logistically?

Horowitz: It’s a big challenge. We try to look at Saturday as if it’s a live event. Our coverage always deals with great storytelling. It’s all about how we got here and how players were eliminated. We have nine stars and every time someone goes away, it’s a huge story.

The big difference from last year to this year is that last year we had a two-hour window to show the final table. We knew going into heads-up play that a good portion of it would get cut. One thing that we wanted to do this year was feature more heads-up play. This year, we’re not creating an off-air time. Our plan is to show the final table from 9:00pm to 11:00pm ET on Tuesday, November 10th, but we’re prepared to go past 11:00 if the story dictates it.

PND: What lessons learned from the 2008 WSOP Main Event final table can you carry over into 2009?

Horowitz: Because the venue is different, we didn’t realize how interested the viewers would be in seeing the live audience there. A couple of months later, you’d talk to fans and ask what they remembered from the final table. Instead of talking about Peter Eastgate winning, their answers were about Dennis Phillips and all of his fans. They talked about it as if Phillips had won. It was a reminder that it’s an event and you have to show that to people.

PND: Have you been pleased with the final product that has aired on ESPN this year?

Horowitz: This has been a terrific season for us. I like to say that we get better every year, but I am cognizant of the reality that the players who advance are part of it. In 2003, we were, television-wise, blessed to have an unknown accountant with the last name of Moneymaker. This year, it’s the opposite. We have Phil Ivey, considered to be the world’s best player, advancing to the final table.

PND: The ratings have shown increase in key demographics like males age 18 to 49 and males age 25 to 49. Speculate on the reason for it.

Horowitz: We have tried each off-season to respond to what viewers want to see more of and less of. I like to think that listening to our fans and acting on to our fans’ requests lead to more viewers.

Catch the 2009 WSOP Main Event on Tuesdays at 9:00pm ET on ESPN.

Antonius headlines sick 7-Game action

With this latest $800k score Antonius is just $140,000 short of the $6 million mark. This is substantially more than Ashton Griffin, the second most profitable player of 2009, who is $3.6 million to the good.

This most recent session saw a flurry of action with Daniel Alaei (FakeSky), Gus Hansen and Brian Hastings all making more than $300k.

Online regular, identity still unknown, Nizot Skizared took down $270k, while the Finnish action junky Ilari "Ziigmund" Sahamies made just under $140k.

Also showing modest profits on the night were Tom Dwan, Matt Hawrilenko, EazyPeazy and Di "Urindanger" Dang.

The most noteable losers of the day include Richard Ashby (-$530k), David Benyamine (-$434k), NEKOTYAN (-$336k), Cole South (-$218k), DIN_FRU (-$204k), Chau Giang (-$127k) and David Oppenheim (-$106k).

Posting smaller losing sessions were online stars Phil "OMGClayAIken" Galfond and Brian Townsend, both losing under $100k.

With this $434k loss, Benyamine continues his struggle to get anything going on the year. His 2009 losses now total almost $1.3 million.

Long after the 7-Game action had run dry, the $500/$1,000 No-Limit Hold'em game kicked off with two full ring tables collecting rake.

The nine-handed table Don Juan became the table of death, starting with all seats filled, including some of the biggest names in the game. Dwan, Ivey, Juanda, South and (Hac) Dang were all in on the high-stakes NL action.

On top of all of this, Tom Dwan took on Patrik Antonius heads up at $500/$1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha, winning the largest pot of the day worth $85k.

Over on PokerStars WSOP Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate managed to net only $193 after winning the second largest pot of the day, but losing the third worth almost exactly as much.

To see replays of all the largest NL and PLO pots of the day, head to MarketPulse, or you can find the three biggest pots of the day replayed below.

A great flop for Dwan.

This hand plays itself.

A setup.

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ESPN Inside Deal Welcomes WSOP November Niner Kevin Schaffel

This week, the ESPN poker franchise “Inside Deal” welcomed 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) November Nine member Kevin Schaffel. New Poker Hall of Fame nominee member Mike Sexton also called into the show.

The 13th installment of “Inside Deal” began with a discussion of Daniel Negreanu’s breakdown of World Poker Tour (WPT) tournament cashes. Negreanu’s analysis revealed that very few players are actually winners on the WPT circuit, emphasizing the importance of satellite and cash game aptitude. “Inside Deal” host Bernard Lee explained, “You don’t cash very often and what [Negreanu] is saying is that when you do, you’ve got to make it count.” Lee noted that Gus Hansen has nine WPT cashes, eight for final tables. Phil Ivey has notched eight WPT final tables out of 11 cashes.

Ivey, a WSOP November Nine member, is camped out in Cabo San Lucas, allegedly in “exile” preparing for his run at the $8.5 million first place prize. Lee explained, “What he’s going to be able to do is prepare himself mentally and physically for the biggest challenge of his life.” Ivey has a variety of prop bets on the line, making for a potentially enormous payday next month.

Sexton joined “Inside Deal” via phone and gave his take on being the lone member of the Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2009: “It’s pretty flattering and certainly an honor to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame with the legends and icons of the game.” Sexton’s enshrinement ceremony will take place during the dinner break of the WSOP Main Event final table on November 7th in an $800 per plate affair. The WPT host has already begun preparing his speech and revealed, “I’m getting my thoughts together now on what I’m going to say. Certainly, I’m going to acknowledge the other nominees and thank people who have been very important to me in my poker career and life as well.”

Schaffel, an avid golfer, then came on and told Lee and fellow “Inside Deal” host Laura Lane, “The guys at my golf club tell me I smile a lot more.” Schaffel sits in sixth place on the leaderboard entering the Main Event final table and recently completed the purchase of a home. He made deep runs in the 2004 and 2008 WSOP Main Events, cashing for nearly $100,000 combined, and told viewers, “I definitely can attribute some of my success to things I’ve learned in the past.” He’s bringing 90 fans to Las Vegas, where his 12 first cousins will convene for only the second time ever.

Part of Schaffel’s good luck may have been due to an image of 2008 WSOP Main Event champion Peter Eastgate that the future November Nine member stashed in his wallet. A gift from a family member, the image was doctored with PhotoShop to feature Schaffel’s head pasted on Eastgate’s body. Schaffel remarked, “There were a couple of times when I thought about the photo while playing.” Schaffel played alongside Eastgate on Day 7 and showed the youngest WSOP Main Event ever the image to break the ice.

ESPN.com Poker Editor Andrew Feldman joined the set for a game of Poker-dy, the “Inside Deal” version of the classic television game show “Jeopardy.” For the clue “This is the funniest player in the poker industry,” Lee answered ESPN commentator Norman Chad, Schaffel said Antonio Esfandiari, and Lane suggested Negreanu. For “This starting hand has by far gotten me into the most trouble,” Lane answered K-Q, Lee answered A-Q, and Schaffel tossed out pocket queens.

Finally, Schaffel was asked if so many of his hands being recorded during the WPT Legends of Poker meant that opponents would be able to diagnose his game. Schaffel finished second in the event for $471,000 and explained, “Not really. The difference is that I might make a play as the chip leader that I might not make otherwise.” Schaffel was among the pacesetters throughout much of the event, which took place shortly after the WSOP Main Event final table was determined.

“Inside Deal” is released every Tuesday on ESPN.com.

Peter Eastgate Hit ‘n’ Runs at $200/$400

The only famous poker pro regularly accused of shortstacking (playing with less than a 100BB stack) or hit ‘n’ running (doubling up then leaving the table) is Mark Vos, and Patrik Antonius has already made it clear he’d like to punch the ginger.

Stars headed to PokerStars Baltic Festival

Team PokerStars Pros Johnny Lodden, William Thorson, and Peter Eastgate are all confirmed for the €1,100 main event, set for Oct. 28-31 inside the brand new casino at the Swissôtel in Tallinn, Estonia.

Plus, recently retired National Hockey League great Mats Sundin, a Team PokerStars SportStar, will also be joining the more than 100 PokerStars players who have already qualified for a seat online.

The festival will feature 24-hour cash games, sit and go's and a number of side events, including a €10,600 High Roller tournament.

Eastgate, Tony G and Theo Jorgensen are among the players already registered for the High Rollers, scheduled to begin Oct. 30.

On the shores of the Baltic Sea, Tallin is considered one of Europe's most beautiful cities, prized for its stunning architecture and vibrant nightlife.

For more information on the festival and the full schedule of events, click here.

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WSOP on ESPN: Antonio Esfandiari Featured on Day 7 Coverage

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ESPN Inside Deal Welcomes Joe Cada

This week’s installment of the ESPN.com poker franchise “Inside Deal” featured 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event November Nine member Joe Cada. Laura Lane and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Bernard Lee host the show.

The news segment of ESPN “Inside Deal” began with Lee praising World Poker Tour (WPT) Host Mike Sexton for his election to the Poker Hall of Fame: “I think it’s tremendously well-deserved. Mike has had a phenomenal career. A lot of people think of him from the WPT, but remember, he is a very well-accomplished player.” Sexton is the lone representative of the Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2009. Others who were up for consideration included Tom McEvoy, Dan Harrington, Daniel Negranu, Phil Ivey, Erik Seidel, Barry Greenstein, Scotty Nguyen, and Men “The Master” Nguyen.

Attention then turned to the letter authored by the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) to U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner petitioning for the delay of the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) by one year to December 1st, 2010. Lee explained what would happen if the current deadline stood: “The impact would be devastating. We’re fearful that the banks will err on the side of caution and ultimately block payments that the online sites would give.”

Making headlines this week was the news that the GSN staple “High Stakes Poker” had dropped host A.J. Benza for Season 6, allegedly replacing him with a female correspondent. Lee explained, “I’m a little surprised. For five years, A.J. and Gabe Kaplan have seemed to have a good rapport, so I’m surprised they’re making this switch.” Poker News Daily broke the news that Vanessa Rousso, the presumed frontrunner for the job, would not be Benza’s replacement. Other possible fill-ins include former WPT hostess Shana Hiatt, Kara Scott, Absolute Poker pro Lacey Jones, and Shannon Elizabeth.

Cada, who could become the youngest Main Event winner ever if he takes down the feature tournament next month, then joined the show. He noted how his life has changed as a result of the increased exposure as a member of the November Nine: “I’ve been playing poker my whole life, so the only thing that’s changed for me is the media.” Cada is primarily a cash game player, only hitting up the tournament scene online on Sundays. He purchased a 2,400 square foot house at age 19 as a gift to himself and is a sponsored pro of PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker room.

Heading into the 2009 WSOP, Cada found himself on a $150,000 downswing. He sought the aid of two longtime cornerstones of the poker industry, Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy and Eric “sheets” Haber. Cada recalled, “I was lucky enough to have them back me and I’m very grateful for that. I knew I could win before I came in.” Josephy, a former Ultimate Bet pro, and Sheets will receive 50% of Cada’s earnings. The top prize in Las Vegas is $8.5 million.

ESPN.com Poker Editor Andrew Feldman joined the show to discuss a series of dream teams. News broke last week that Dream Team Poker would return with tournaments at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles coinciding with Monday Night Football. Feldman’s “Dream Team Young Guns” consisted of Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, and 2008 WSOP Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate. “Dream Team Lady Luck” was comprised of Shannon Elizabeth, Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad, and Jones. Finally, Feldman unveiled “Dream Team Old Guard:” Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, and Mike Matusow. Cada added that his ultimate Dream Team would be Ivey, Patrick Antonius, and Dwan.

Finally, Cada revealed that on Day 8 of the 2009 WSOP Main Event, his stack had dropped to 20% of the average before he clawed back. He knocked out between 10 and 15 players en route to the final table and, upon heading to Connecticut to film ESPN “Inside Deal,” dropped some dough at the Foxwoods blackjack tables.

“Inside Deal” is released every Tuesday on ESPN.com.

Harrah’s Earns Seven Awards for Sustainability

The continued greening efforts by Harrah’s have paid off, as the resort company recently earned seven gold medals from Travelife, an organization that promotes sustainability in tourism.  Gold medals were doled out to several of Harrah’s Las Vegas properties, including the Rio, Caesars Palace, and Bill’s Gambling Saloon.

The medals are designed to reward properties that make an effort to minimize negative impact on the environment, take advantage of locally-based companies when selecting vendors, and make a concerted effort to hire locally based individuals to better the social lives of people within the community.

Travelife is an organization set up by the European Union through the Federation of Tour Operations to advise travelers on companies and hotels that make efforts towards greening their company.  Harrah’s was the only gambling-related company to receive accreditation for multiple Las Vegas resorts, taking home eight total medals.  The gold medals went to the Rio, Caesars Palace, Bill’s Gambling Saloon, Flamingo, Paris, Bally’s, and Harrah’s, while Imperial Palace received a silver medal.

Gary Loveman, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Harrah’s, commented on the honor in an official press release from the company: “I’m proud that each of our resorts in Las Vegas achieved this distinction. We’ve invested heavily in sustainability at Harrah’s and made it a core business principle that drives business strategy and operations.”

According to numbers found in Harrah’s press release, the company has launched more than 110 conservation projects across its numerous properties.  These efforts have resulted in the reduction of 77,850 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.  Some of the projects include the installation of water filtration systems in Harrah’s restaurants to cut down on bottled water use and the implementation of a new Las Vegas laundry facility that severely cuts down on the number of gallons of water used each year.

Even the Harrah’s-owned World Series of Poker (WSOP) is taking part in sustainability efforts.  An eco-friendly poker table designed by EGM Green was put on display as part of the 2008 WSOP festivities.  The table was made of 98% sustainable materials and was awarded to that year’s Main Event Champion, Peter Eastgate.  The table was auctioned off for charity this past July at the Friends of Eastgate fundraiser.  Casinos that install the EGM table can earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credits.

Harrah’s has also received several other green honors over the past year, including an Environmental Quality Award, which is the highest level of recognition bestowed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  Harrah’s partnered with the EPA last year to take part in the Climate Leaders project and recently teamed up with the organization again for the Water Wise project.

In September, the casino conglomerate announced it would be joining forces with Dell, SC Johnson, Starbucks, and Wrigley to form “Team Earth.”  Run by Conservationists International, the team is designed to bring together corporations, non-profit organizations, scientists, and educators to discuss environmental issues.

Poker News in Brief: Oct. 12-18, 2009

With both the World Series of Poker Europe and the PokerStars European Poker Tour London completed, it was up to smaller events like the Aruba Poker Classic and the PartyPoker World Open V to provide poker headlines.

The relatively unknown Brandon Hall became the champion in Aruba while the very well-known Phil Laak took down the World Open V.

But there were several stories that didn't make it to the front page of PokerListings.com and as part of our ongoing Poker News in Brief feature, we've presented them below.

This week we'll take a look at the Poker Professor holding class, Doyle Brunson getting some recognition and Vladimir Geshkenbein becoming a heads-up champion.

Lederer wins $10k H.O.R.S.E. prelim at Bellagio

Howard Lederer added another poker title to his resume this week and he only had to beat 19 players to do it.

The $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. WPT Festa al Lago preliminary event wrapped up on Thursday after drawing a small but skilled field that included Eli Elezra, Michael Binger, Andy Bloch, Scott Clements, David Singer and several other established pros.

Lederer beat Russian pro Ralph Perry in heads-up play to secure a first place prize of $92,150. Despite two final tables at the WSOPE this year, Lederer hadn't won a major tournament since taking down the $100,000 buy-in event at the 2008 Aussie Millions.

Lederer, who is sometimes known as the "Poker Professor", now has over $5 million in career tournament earnings.

Doyle Brunson inducted into Athletics Hall of Fame

Doyle "Texas Dolly" Brunson is perhaps the most famous player in poker, but this week he was recognized for his athletic achievements.

After years of waiting patiently, Brunson was finally inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame at his alma mater, Hardin Simmons University.

Before he started playing poker for a living Brunson competed in track and played basketball at HSU.

Brunson was a key member of an HSU basketball team that won its conference championship for a spot in the NCAA Division 1 playoffs. Brunson scored 412 points and was the only HSU athlete in any sport to be named the MVP of the Division 1 Border Conference.

Brunson was initially passed over for Hall of Fame recognition because of his involvement in the poker world.

The Texas Dolly is still one of the most popular poker players in the world and his twitter account "TexDolly" recently hit over 41,000 followers.

PKR Heads-Up Grand Slam for Vladimir Geshkenbein

Vladimir Geshkenbein outlasted some of the biggest names in poker to win the PKR Heads-Up Grand Slam this week.

The Russian beat Juha Helppi in the final heads-up match to take down a first place prize of $120,000.

The field was comprised of 32 players including Tony G, Tom Dwan, Luke Schwartz, Annette Obrestad, Peter Eastgate, Sammy George, J.C. Tran and numerous other high profile poker players.

Fans were hoping for a live resurrection of the online rivalry between Dwan and the trash-talking Schwartz, but were disappointed when Dwan busted out in his first match. Schwartz didn't make it much further, busting in his second match.

No one could figure out a way to beat the lesser-known Geshkenbein, who did win the high roller event at APPT Macau earlier this year. Geshkenbein has now earned nearly $400,000 playing poker in the last few months.

Forum tournament winner to play Ziigmund

A series of Online Forum Challenges are set to take place on Power Poker over the next few months with the ultimate winner getting a shot at celebrated high-stakes player Ilari "Ziigmund" Sahamies.

Power Poker will be hosting a series of tournaments over the next three months as part of the Online Forum Challenge and any player that takes part in every event will be entered into the Heads Up with Ziigmund freeroll.

The freeroll will offer a prize pool and a bounty in addition to the winner getting a chance to play Sahamies heads-up for $1,000.

All poker forum members are welcome to take part in the challenge and you can learn more by going to the Online Forum Challenge website here.

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Mike Sexton Previews the WSOP November Nine

The entire poker world is anxiously awaiting the final table of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, which will be played this November.  The finalists have been dubbed the “November Nine” because of the four-month delay of the final table.  It’s a final table that has created tremendous interest because it has everything – an amateur with a massive chip lead, three guys in their 20s, and great players from around the world.  It’s also got Phil Ivey – and that is huge for the WSOP.

I often get asked, “Who do you think is the best poker player in the world?”  Well, when asked the same question years ago, Doyle Brunson said, “You judge a hunter by the number of furs he brings home”  (I love that phrase).  Well, nobody has brought home more “fur” than Phil Ivey.  I consider Phil Ivey to be the best player in the world.

Ivey is the best in every poker category you can come up with – cash games, tournament poker, and online poker.  I would bet that he’s the most successful cash game player of all-time and he will become the all-time tournament money leader if he finishes in fourth place or better at the WSOP Main Event final table.  If he’s not the most successful online player out there, then he’s certainly one of them.  When it comes to playing poker (and that includes all games), put Ivey at the top of your list.

One thing’s for sure – in addition to most players, Harrah’s, the WSOP, and ESPN are thrilled that Phil Ivey is at the final table. Because he’s there, I look for ratings for the WSOP final table to at least double from last year.  And that’s good for poker.

OK, here are the November Nine and their chip counts:

Darvin Moon – 58,930,000
Eric Buchman – 34,800,000
Steven Begleiter – 29,885,000
Jeff Shulman – 19,580,000
Joe Cada – 13,215,000
Kevin Schaffel – 12,390,000
Phil Ivey – 9,765,000
Antoine Saout – 9,500,000
James Akenhead – 6,800,000

The November Nine chip leader is Darvin Moon.  He’s a 45 year-old amateur poker player from Oakland, Maryland.  Playing in his first-ever big-time tournament, he could become the next Chris Moneymaker.  Moon is an amazing story.  He won his seat in a qualifying tournament in West Virginia and thought about taking the $10,000 first place prize and putting it in the family business.  His brother talked him out of that and encouraged him to go ahead and enter the WSOP (brother knows best).  Experience or not, with nearly 60 million in chips, I can’t imagine anyone being a bigger favorite than him to win.  Will it be a “Full Moon” in November?

Starting in second chip position with nearly 35 million is Eric Buchman.  Eric is a 29 year-old pro from New York.  He’s been a pro for about 10 years and this marks his 23rd cash at the WSOP.  Prior to this tournament, he had nearly $1 million in career tournament cashes.  With his experience and chip count, he could be the man to beat.

In third chip position with nearly 30 million is 47 year-old Steven Begleiter from Chappaqua, New York.  He was a strategist for the investment bank Bear Stearns for nearly 25 years.  He qualified for the WSOP Main Event on the Newcastle Poker Tour and poker league.  He’s really popular there, as he plans to donate 20% of his winnings to his poker league.  Now that is a friendly game!

The only guy who has been to the WSOP Main Event final table before is 34 year-old Jeff Shulman, the editor of CardPlayer Magazine.  He’ll be starting out in fourth chip position with nearly 20 million.  Shulman created a controversy by saying he would “throw the bracelet in the garbage if I win”  (that’s because of his strong opinion of unfair media treatment by the WSOP).  Like most, I’m shocked by that statement considering Shulman is in the business of promoting poker.  Shulman’s experience could bode well for him in November, but hopefully he’ll change his mind about throwing the bracelet in the garbage.

On a side note, that 2000 WSOP Main Event is still vivid in my mind because I felt I had a real shot to win it.  I ended up finishing in 12th place and was knocked out by Shulman (who was the big chip leader at the time and won a race for all of my chips).  It turned out to be a heartbreaking tournament for Shulman as well because, for the first time in WSOP history, only six players made it to the TV table and Shulman was the massive chip leader with seven players left.  He ended up going out seventh.

The youngest player at the table, 21 year-old Joe Cada from Michigan, will be starting out in fifth chip position.  If he wins, he will break Peter Eastgate’s record of being the youngest WSOP Main Event champion ever.  Cada plays a lot of heads-up poker and likes his chances if he gets short-handed.  He’s young, confident in his abilities, and believes he’s got a good chance to win.

Kevin Schaffel, 51, has been playing poker for 30 years.  This super nice Floridian claims to be “semi-retired,” but he is a scratch golfer and plays a lot of poker.  Do you think he works much?  Kevin recently finished second in the WPT’s Legends of Poker at the Bicycle Casino and, I can tell you, he played very well there.  If he doesn’t dub any shots on the green felt in November, he could very well be crowned champion.

Phil Ivey is “the man” at any poker table.  Although he’s starting in seventh chip position with less than 10 million in chips, many are wagering on him to win.  I’m sure he feels pretty good about his chances and why wouldn’t he?  He’s already won two bracelets at the 2009 WSOP and then bet $20,000 on himself to win the Main Event at 100-1 odds when there were still 2,400 players left!  Like many, I would love to see Ivey win.  I think it would be great for the poker world if the greatest player in the game won the biggest event in poker.

Antoine Saout, 25 years-old and from France, will be starting in eighth chip position.  He qualified for this tournament by winning a $50 online satellite.  Word has it that he crushes online tournaments.  I know some French players who really respect his game.   When he told his mom he wanted to become a poker pro, she was not happy.  With this finish and becoming a guaranteed millionaire, mom has changed her mind.  “Bon chance,” Antoine!

James Akenhead, 26, from England, discovered poker a few years ago while he was pursuing his other love, pool.  He practiced pool 10 hours a day and was ranked 15th in the U.K. in nine-ball at one time.  Akenhead has been a poker pro for three years and several top players from England have told me that he’s a very tough player.  Although he’s starting on the short stack, if he can double up early, they really like his chances.  A Hall of Fame poker player once said, “Poker is like pool.  Some days you make every shot and other days you hit nothing but the rail.”  Can this pool player parlay the short stack into the title?

One thing’s for sure:  It’s going to be a great final table in November.  Like all poker players, I can’t wait.

Hevad Khan Joins ESPN Inside Deal

This week on the ESPN.com poker show “Inside Deal,” Team PokerStars Pro member Hevad Khan relived some of his memorable antics from the 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event and gave his take on this year’s November Nine.

“Inside Deal” began by rehashing the week’s news, starting with the massive 730 player turnout in the European Poker Tour’s (EPT) London stop. Aaron Gustavson took down the event, besting 2008 WSOP Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate heads-up. “Inside Deal” host Bernard Lee explained, “With 730 players, EPT London had a tremendous turnout, but it utilized several factors to its advantage.” Among them were that it piggybacked on the WSOP Europe festivities in London, the buy-in was only ?5,000, and 200 players qualified online through PokerStars, which sponsors the EPT.

Daniel Negreanu was quoted on the Hardcore Poker Show as saying, “Personally, I don’t think [Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker] should exist anymore, especially considering what happened at Ultimate Bet. I don’t feel we owe them any favors.” The sound byte led Lee to speculate that players will ultimately continue playing at the two sites as long as their present management, Tokwiro Enterprises, properly oversees the operation. Russ Hamilton was fingered as the main man responsible for the Ultimate Bet cheating scandal.

Then, an interview with Phil Ivey aired in which he noted that he’s third in line for the Durrrr Challenge behind Patrik Antonius and David Benyamine. Ivey told “Poker Edge” host Phil Gordon, “[Tom Dwan] is probably going to have an advantage on me in the beginning because I’m not used to playing four games.” Dwan is halfway through his match against Antonius and leads by $700,000 after 25,000 hands. The contest pits the two pros against each other across four tables of $200/$400 Pot Limit Omaha for 50,000 hands.

Khan joined the “Inside Deal” set to talk about the “Hevad Khan Rule,” which bars excessive celebration at the WSOP. On the rule, Khan told Lee and “Inside Deal” host Laura Lane, “I like the rule. I had a rule named after me.” Khan lived in New York when he final tabled the 2007 WSOP Main Event, but has since moved to Las Vegas. On delaying the final table until November, Khan admitted, “Momentum is a big thing in poker. This whole period can turn amateurs into pros and pros into disasters. For me, I’m glad I got to play the next day.” Jerry Yang took down the 2007 WSOP Main Event to the tune of $8.25 million, his only WSOP cash to date.

Khan is 24 years-old and a former StarCraft aficionado. As such, he’s been able to take advantage of several aspects of StarCraft that translate to the poker world. Khan explained that StarCraft’s requirements of “multitasking and fixating yourself in front of a computer for hours on end with no other misdirection” have helped him succeed in poker. Other high-profile StarCraft players include Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, one of Khan’s close friends.

On the success of younger pros in today’s poker scene, Khan explained, “Young guys are able to play poker when they’re 18 and that’s a three year boot camp before they can enter the live felt.” Khan added that Darvin Moon, one of the elder statesmen at the WSOP Main Event final table, will finish third or better when the smoke clears in the $10,000 buy-in tournament next month, rationalizing, “People with big chip leads usually win the tournament.”

On which of the short stacks – James Akenhead, Antoine Saout, or Ivey – will be eliminated first from the Main Event, Khan explained that Ivey would: “You can imagine the amount of money he has on prop bets.” Therefore, Ivey’s focus would be on winning, which could result in an early exit as he attempts to double up.

Khan gained fame after recording a video while playing 30 sit and gos at once on PokerStars, which thought he could be a bot. When asked what the most number he ever played at a time was, Khan answered 43, with 32 to 38 being common. Nowadays, he refrains from playing sit and gos altogether.

Finally, Khan admitted that he is rooting for Ivey to take down the 2009 WSOP Main Event, saying, “It’ll bring the public together more.” Ivey is seeking his eighth bracelet overall and third of 2009; he also won three in 2002.

“Inside Deal” is released every Tuesday on ESPN.com.

Dennis Phillips, Peter Eastgate Featured on WSOP on ESPN Coverage

Two original November Nine members, Dennis Phillips and 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate, took center stage on ESPN on Tuesday night. Play from Day 6 of the 2009 Main Event wrapped up from the Rio in Las Vegas.

Eastgate and Phillips were seated at the feature table during the first hour of ESPN’s WSOP coverage, which aired at 9:00pm ET. Joining them were J.C. Tran, Joe Hachem, and one of the chip leaders throughout much of the day, Billy “Patrolman35” Kopp. In the first hand shown at the feature table, Hachem raised to 55,000 pre-flop with A-K and Thai Tran made it 305,000 with pocket kings. Hachem noted, “It doesn’t feel right” and promptly mucked.

2009 November Nine members Phil Ivey and Steven Begleiter could be found at Table Two. Ivey raised to 54,000 holding K-J and Begleiter made the call with 8-7 of diamonds to see the flop came 9-A-6. Begleiter check-called an 80,000 chip bet from Ivey to see a three hit the turn. The action went check-check to a queen on the river. Begleiter bet out 175,000 to build a 490,000 chip pot with his busted straight draw and Ivey folded.

Kopp continued to build his stack, sending Nasr El Nasr home in 137th place with pocket aces against pocket queens. After the board fell 2-4-10-10-3, Kopp raked in the 3.2 million chip pot to hold the second largest stack in the room. Incidentally, Phillips held pocket fours in the hand and would have turned a boat. Meanwhile, Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier was sent packing with A-K against the pocket kings of online poker pro Scott Sitron.

“The Nuts” examined the use of the phrases “nice hand” and “good luck,” while out in the field, 2007 WSOP Player of the Year Tom Schneider doubled up with pocket aces against John Martin’s A-K. Bradley Craig, who was once down to just 400 chips during the Main Event, doubled up with A-Q versus the pocket kings of Noah Boeken to balloon his stack to 2.6 million. Back at the feature table, J.C. Tran was sent packing at the hands of Phillips for his fourth Main Event cash since 2004.

Hachem’s run through the 2009 WSOP Main Event came to an abrupt halt when he shoved his five big blind stack with J-9 of clubs. Kopp made the call with pocket fours, setting up a race situation. By the river, Hachem was rooting for an ace, king, jack, nine, or club to double up, but the three of hearts sealed the 2005 Main Event Champion’s fate. Eastgate represented the lone winner of the $10,000 buy-in tournament left in the field.

The second episode, which began at 10:00pm ET on ESPN, included the same feature and side tables, with poker pro Joe Sebok making his way to the former. At Table Two, Ivey drew out on Hac Dang with pocket jacks against Dang’s pocket queens when the flop came jack-high. Antonio Esfandiari also drew out on an opponent to send them to the rails, as “The Magician’s” K-Q found the nuts on a flop of 9-10-J to send Bobby Law packing with A-K in 91st place.

In the Jack Link’s Beef Jerky Wild Card Hand, in which the hole cards of one player are concealed, Phillips raised to 70,000 pre-flop with pocket kings and Thai Tran made the call from the big blind. The flop came 10-A-3 and Tran check-raised Phillips to 440,000. Phillips called to see a six fall on the turn and the action went check-check. The river was an eight and Tran checked. Phillips checked behind and Tran showed a baby ace, A-2, to scoop the pot.

Out in the field, Darvin Moon sent Jamie Brown to the exits with pocket aces against pocket kings to scoop a 3.8 million chip pot and become the new chip leader. Shortly thereafter, Kenny Tran was all-in with A-5 of diamonds against Joe Cada’s pocket eights. The board ran out 4-3-3-9-6 and Tran busted in 86th place. It was then Eastgate’s turn to pack his bags after an impressive run in 2009 after winning it all one year ago. The 2008 WSOP Main Event Champion pushed all-in pre-flop with A-J; Kopp made the call with pocket eights, as did Phillips, who held K-Q. Kopp and Phillips checked the action to the river, which put four hearts on the board. Kopp held the only heart and sent Eastgate to the rails in 78th.

A new feature table was assembled featuring Moon, Phillips, and Schneider. In one hand, Schneider raised to 110,000 with A-J and Phillips made it 310,000 with pocket queens. Moon, holding A-K, pushed the action to 675,000, Schneider got out of the way, and Phillips made the call. ESPN announcer Norman Chad noted, “It’s the every man against the every man.” The flop came A-4-8 and Moon bet 750,000 with his top pair after Phillips checked. Phillips commented, “I have no idea if you’re pushing me around or not” and folded, showing his hole cards. The pot was worth 2.3 million chips.

Ivey made a flush to eliminate an opponent at Table Two, while Nichoel Peppe, one of two women remaining in the field, was all-in with her tournament life on the line holding J-4 of hearts against Adam York’s pocket aces. The board came with one heart and Peppe exited in 75th place, leaving Leo Margets as the last woman standing in the 2009 WSOP Main Event.

A total of 64 players remain. WSOP on ESPN coverage hits television airwaves on Tuesdays at 9:00pm ET and runs for two hours. The Main Event final table can be seen on November 10th.

High Stakes Poker Axes AJ Benza

According to his personal blog, A.J. Benza revealed that GSN’s “High Stakes Poker” will return for Season 6 featuring Gabe Kaplan and a female co-host. New episodes will begin airing in February on the popular cable station.

A flood of support from fans of Benza follows his High Stakes Poker blog entry, which was published on Sunday. In it, he noted that on a conference call last week, GSN executives Barry Nugent and David Shiff hinted that Benza might be replaced by a female co-host. Benza, as expected, did not take the news lightly, telling the two GSN “suits” on the call, “If you got the best pizza in town for 5 seasons, why try and add licorice to it?” The fifth cycle of “High Stakes Poker” began airing in March and featured a veritable “who’s who” of the poker world, including Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Barry Greenstein, Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Laak, and newcomers Peter Eastgate, Joe Hachem, and Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies.

Facing the possibility of being replaced, Benza reminded GSN officials that he publicizes the show on his own watch “because GSN has never set up not even as much as a radio interview for me.” Benza also asked if Nugent and Shiff were fathers, which the former host explained in his blog entry that they were. He continued, “So surely they would know the hardships of losing a top-rated gig while raising little children in the process. (Oh and did I mention that I have a son who is a Freshman in college). So armed with my track record on giving GSN 5 seasons of a No. 1 rated show, I decided to hit them in the spot where it’s supposed to make a father go mush.”

Benza told Nugent and Shiff that he would take a pay cut to remain the host of Season 6 of the popular poker cash game show, which survived a management change at GSN that resulted in the network declining to pick up its option to carry Season 7 of the World Poker Tour (WPT). Consequently, WPT officials were left scrambling to find a new television partner in the middle of 2008 before finally settling on Fox Sports Net, which will also air the eighth season of the WPT. Benza lamented, “I just want to put it out there y’all. This is the kind of shit that goes on in Hollywood.”

On his future, Benza told readers that he will have a face to face meeting with Nugent: “I will have my meeting with Nugent - and I promise I won’t stab him with a butter knife. He and I go way back to my E! days, and honestly, he’s a good guy.” As to who will sit alongside Kaplan in the “High Stakes Poker” booth this season, Benza hinted, “I hope you like the female they toss in front of you. And I hope the repartee between she and Gabe works likes ours did.”

As expected, the online poker forums have been buzzing with the news that Benza may soon find his way out of “High Stakes Poker,” although no official announcement has come down from GSN. Speculation on Benza’s replacement has ranged from Team PokerStars Pro member Vanessa Rousso to ESPN announcer Norman Chad’s crush Kara Scott. Despite not necessarily footing the bill as “eye candy,” posters on the TwoPlusTwo forum clamored that Ali Nejad, who hosts “Poker After Dark” and the “National Heads-Up Poker Championship” on NBC, should be considered.

On October 6th, Rousso posted a curious Twitter entry that read, “PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge is wrappppped! Woot! Meetings today about another TV project, will keep you all posted.” Just before the start of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship in Las Vegas in March, Rousso inked an agreement to become the newest GoDaddy Girl, joining Danica Patrick, Anna Rawson, Marina Orlova, and original site symbol Candice Michelle.

We’ll keep you posted right here on Poker News Daily.

WSOP on ESPN Ratings up 11% in 2009

On Tuesday night, action from the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) will continue on cable station ESPN. “The Worldwide Leader in Sports” has seen a ratings boom in 2009 down the stretch, with the Main Event final table on tap for November 10th.

According to ESPN officials, through 11 weeks of coverage of the 2009 WSOP, its broadcasts have delivered a 0.91 average household coverage rating, up 11% from last year, when the average rating was 0.82. ESPN coverage of the 2009 WSOP began on July 28th, when the network aired the brand new $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP. ESPN then went on to feature the WSOP Champions Invitational, a 20-person freeroll consisting of former Main Event winners, and the Ante Up for Africa charity gala, which included actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

Last week, coverage of Day 5 of the Main Event was featured during the 9:00pm ET hour, followed by Day 6 at 10:00pm ET. Each episode lasted for one hour and the first garnered a 0.88 rating. The second hour began with a rap by Prahlad Friedman and had a feature table that included 2007 WSOP Player of the Year Tom Schneider. That episode generated a 1.17 rating, the second highest of the season. Last Tuesday marked the first week that the WSOP on ESPN moved to a 9:00pm ET kickoff, as it had previously started one hour earlier at 8:00pm ET. The Main Event final table will air on Tuesday, November 10th at 9:00pm ET and run for two-and-a-half hours.

Key for ESPN’s advertisers, which include online poker rooms PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker as well as Jack Link’s Beef Jerky, are two demographics. Males age 18 to 49 have tuned into the 2009 WSOP on ESPN in droves, rising 12% from the number that watched the 2008 broadcast. Among males age 25 to 54, the number of viewers is up 16% in 2009. PokerStars sponsors the “Straight from the Pros” segment as well as the program’s on-screen chip counts, while Full Tilt Poker sponsors the “Deal Me In” strategy segment during WSOP on ESPN broadcasts. Ultimate Bet has also been spotted airing commercials on the cable station. The site is fresh off the conclusion of its annual Aruba Poker Classic, which saw Brandon Hall and Robert Mizrachi chop heads-up.

Last year marked the first that the final table of the prestigious $10,000 buy-in Main Event was delayed until November in order to coincide with its broadcast on ESPN. As a result, ratings mushroomed by 50% for the final table airing. At the end of the day, Peter Eastgate bested Ivan Demidov in front of a packed house at the Penn and Teller Theater at the Rio and banked $9.1 million.

This year, another schedule change has the poker world talking. Play will resume in the Main Event final table on November 7th at 12:00 Noon PT and continue until two players remain. Then, the pair will play heads-up beginning on November 9th at 10:00pm PT to determine a winner. The gap in between will allow time for media interviews and further study by the heads-up participants of each other’s tendencies.

While WSOP on ESPN coverage has focused on players like Eastgate, Joe Hachem, Dennis Phillips, and Betrand “Elky” Grospellier, the following nine players will take to the felts in November:

1. Darvin Moon (Oakland, Maryland) – 58,930,000
2. Eric Buchman (Valley Stream, New York) – 34,800,000
3. Steven Begleiter (Chappaqua, New York) – 29,885,000
4. Jeff Shulman (Las Vegas, Nevada) – 19,580,000
5. Joe Cada (Shelby Township, Michigan) – 13,215,000
6. Kevin Schaffel (Coral Springs, Florida) – 12,390,000
7. Phil Ivey (Las Vegas, Nevada) – 9,765,000
8. Antoine Saout (Paris, France) – 9,500,000
9. James Akenhead (London, England) – 6,800,000

Check out the WSOP on ESPN every Tuesday at 9:00pm ET.

Aaron Gustavson Defeats Peter Eastgate in EPT London

As the great wrestler Ric Flair said, “To be the man, you gotta beat the man!” In this week’s finale of the European Poker Tour’s (EPT) London stop, Aaron Gustavson did just that, besting reigning World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate heads-up.

Gustavson, an American who qualified for the event through the popular online poker room PokerStars, took home £850,000 for his efforts. All was not lost for Eastgate, however, as the Dane and member of Team PokerStars Pro earned a £530,000 consolation prize. The two emerged as the survivors of the largest poker tournament ever held in the United Kingdom, weighing in at 730 runners. Gustavson was one of 149 players, or 20% of the field, who qualified online through PokerStars.

In a press release distributed by EPT officials following Gustavson’s monumental win, the champion noted, “I’m speechless, totally overwhelmed. I don’t think it’s going to hit me for a quite a while. Having this title is amazing – a dream come true.” Gustavson’s battle against Eastgate was anything but prolonged, as the defeat took all of seven hands and 15 minutes to deliver. In the final hand, Gustavson’s A-Q held up against Eatsgate’s A-9 when the board ran out 3-5-6-K-J. Eastgate commented, “It’s been an amazing ride. I made it to second place, which is far more than you hope for going into a final table. Big applause for Aaron – he deserved it. I’m pleased I made it to heads-up.”

Nikolai Senninger hit the skids in third place after calling all-in for his tournament life against Gustavson on a board of 3-7-Q-9 with two hearts. Senniger showed pocket eights, while Gustavson flipped up Q-10 for top pair. The river came a 10, improving Gustavson to two pair and eliminating Senniger in third place, £285,000 richer for his wear. Taking fourth was Martin Gudvangen, who fell by the wayside with A-3 against Senniger’s A-Q. The best hand held and Gudvangen walked away from the EPT London Main Event with £227,000 in tow.

Dominic Cullen was sent packing in fifth place, earning £173,000. Cullen pushed pre-flop holding A-10, but ran into Gustavson’s pocket eights. The two were off to the races, with an eight spiking the flop to propel Gustavson to the win in the hand. Cullen edged out Rui Milhomens, who took sixth place for £124,000. Milhomens found himself all-in holding pocket eights against Eastgate’s A-10. This time, a 10 hit the river to send the player with the wired pair to the rails.

Gustavson sent Raymond Wu into the London night in seventh place for £87,000, a healthy return on his £5,000 buy-in. A short-stacked Wu pushed with Q-10, but Gustavson made the call from the big blind for a discount with K-6. The flop came king-high, keeping Gustavson in the lead in the hand for good. Karim Benanni finished in eighth place after running K-3 into Milhomens’ K-10.

The final table was played eight-handed and appeared live on PokerStars.tv from the Hilton Metropole. Here were the final results from the 2009 EPT London Main Event:

1. Aaron Gustavson (United States) - 850,000
2. Peter Eastgate (Denmark) - 530,000
3. Nikolai Senninger (Germany) - 285,000
4. Martin Gudvangen (Norway) - 227,000
5. Dominic Cullen (United Kingdom) - 173,000
6. Rui Milhomens (Portugal) - 124,000
7. Raymond Wu (Taipei) - 87,000
8. Karim Bennani Smires (France/Morocco) - 50,100

Next up for the EPT is Warsaw. The event takes place from October 20th to 25th at Casinos Poland and boasts a 25,000 PLN buy-in, the equivalent of $8,700 at current exchange rates. Last year, Portuguese poker player Joao Barbosa celebrated his 26th birthday in style by winning the EPT Warsaw event.

Murder of PokerListings Founder Andreas Oscarsson May Be Contract Killing

On August 3rd, PokerListings founder Andreas Oscarsson was found murdered in Trollhättan, Sweden. Two months later, police are investigating the incident as a “contract killing,” according to the Swedish news outlet Sveriges Radio.

Recently, Oscarsson’s father appeared on a television program to seek justice. At the same time, an outpouring of support has come from around the world, as Sveriges Radio noted that acquaintances from his childhood, college days, and the business world characterized him as a “very well-liked, popular, generous, cheerful, and very multifaceted person.”

An article that appeared in Bluff Europe shortly after the August murder raised the possibility of a hired gun: “Whilst details/sources still remain uncertain, word is out that a 20 year-old man by the name of Andreas Oscarsson was shot down last year in the exact same town in Sweden.” It was believed that the wrong Oscarsson was killed, leading to the August murder.

The appearance on the TV3 program was designed to encourage “more people… to contribute tips to the police [solve] the murder.” Oscarsson’s father appeared with what the media outlet described as a “distorted voice” and was unable to be viewed clearly on camera, presumably to protect his own identity. Oscarsson was at his father’s house at the time of the killing, which happened overnight. The assailants entered and exited his bedroom through an open window and police initially questioned Oscarsson’s two year-old son, who may have been awake at the time of the murder. The show in question was identified by the news outlet as “Wanted” and is likely similar to “America’s Most Wanted,” which airs on Fox in the United States.

The child is now back in the United States with his mother, who lived the New York City borough of SoHo at the time of the murder. While it was originally not released where Oscarsson was shot or how many times he was hit, the Swedish news outlet revealed that he was struck six times by “a gun with a silencer.” Neither his father nor others in what Sveriges Radio described as a “densely populated area” heard gunfire, leading to the theory that a silencer was used. He was found shot to death on August 3rd in his bed. Oscarsson was not involved in the day-to-day duties of PokerListings at the time, having stepped away from his role when his child was born two years ago.

The news took many in the industry by surprise, including posters on the popular TwoPlusTwo online poker forum. One member, who lives nearby, explained, “Police have been talking on the radio about it saying that it’s quite probably [something] from his past that has caught up to him in this unfortunate way. I had no idea that he founded PokerListings though.” Many expressed condolences to the family, especially to his two year-old son.

PokerListings is a clearinghouse for poker bonuses, reviews, and live tournament reporting. Its staff is fresh off covering the European Poker Tour’s (EPT) London stop, which saw Aaron Gustavson defeat reigning World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion Peter Eastgate heads-up, winning £850,000. A statement posted on PokerListings shortly after its founder’s murder lamented, “Andreas was a very generous person to those close to him, a brilliant internet marketing guru, and a savvy business entrepreneur - always looking to break new ground and break new records.”

We would once again like to express our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Oscarsson. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest on this developing story.

Aaron Gustavson defeats Peter Eastgate in EPT London

Aaron Gustavson has won EPT London. The American went into the final table holding a substantial chip advantage and never let up the pace throughout a seven-hour final day. He put his large stack to excellent use, eliminating Raymond Wu, Dominic Cullen and Nikolai Senninger to set up a heads up confrontation with 2008 WSOP Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate.