Poker News

Fifth anniversary celebration for Full Tilt Poker!

Full Tilt Poker celebrates their fifth anniversary for the next ten days. The World’s second largest online poker site is going to have a big birthday as they launch five different promotions. You can earn extra Full Tilt Points, boost your bankroll through freerolls and have a shot at Sunday’s major tournaments with raised prize pool.

On Thursday, July 9th, a $20,000 freeroll will start the celebration. After being announced on Wednesday, the event is already sold out at 30,005 players. A disclaimer that appears on Full Tilt Poker’s website notes, “Sorry, the $20K Freeroll has reached the maximum number of players. Registration is now closed.”

Then at next Tuesday, July 14th, Full Tilt is offering their members to earn FTPs five times faster than normally over a 24 hour period. This promotion is valid in any cash game, sit and go and multi-table tournament. Also from July 14th through 19th, all scheduled Happy Hours will award FTPs five times their normal rate.

All the players who missed the $20.000 freeroll can have their shot in $5.000 freerolls that take place every five hours. These special tournaments are scheduled to take place from July 14th to July 19th and the buy-in for each is five FTPs.

Full Tilt will award 5X Bust-Out Bounties from ther pros starting at midnight July 14th. Team Full Tilt members will be signing up to these special tournaments for you to claim your prize. Team Full Tilt pros who are joining the fun are going to be at least these familiar faces: Phil Ivey, Chris Ferguson, John Juanda, Jennifer Harman, Phil Gordon, Erick Lindgren, Erik Seidel, Andy Bloch, Gus Hansen, Mike Matusow, Allen Cunningham, and Patrik Antonius.

July 19th Full Tilt will be adding $700,000 to the prize pools of their Sunday majors. The Sunday Brawl, a $256 buy-in bounty tournament, will have the guarantee raised from $350,000 to $500,000. Every player in the Sunday Brawl has a $40 bounty on their head. The player who gets the most knockouts will earn an entry into the following week’s event.

The regularly scheduled Full Tilt $1 Million Guarantee will have a stunning $1.5 million guaranteed prize pool on July 19th. The Sunday Mulligan will have a raised prize pool as well as Full Tilt is bringing an extra $50.000 to get the pool up to a total of $250.000.

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Fifth anniversary celebration for Full Tilt Poker!

Full Tilt Poker Launches FIVE Promotion for Fifth Birthday

Full Tilt Poker turns five years-old in 2009. For the next 10 days, the world’s second largest online poker site is celebrating in a big way, giving players the ability to earn extra Full Tilt Points (FTPs), boost their bankroll through freerolls, and participate in richer Sunday majors.

On Thursday, July 9th, a $20,000 freeroll will kick off the festivities. After being introduced on Wednesday, the event is already sold out at 30,005 players. A disclaimer that appears on Full Tilt Poker’s website notes, “Sorry, the $20K Freeroll has reached the maximum number of players. Registration is now closed.” The event takes place at 17:05 ET and is one of the largest freerolls ever offered on Full Tilt.

Beginning next Tuesday, July 14th, at 00:05 ET, the online poker room will offer its members an opportunity to earn FTPs five times faster over a 24 hour period. The offer is valid in any cash game, sit and go, or multi-table tournament. From July 14th through 19th, all regularly scheduled Happy Hours will become even happier, as FTPs will be awarded at five times their normal rate. A yellow smiley face symbol will appear next to tables during Happy Hours.

Players shut out of the $20,000 freeroll will undoubtedly be headed in droves to play in $5,000 freerolls that take place every five hours. The tournaments run from 00:05 ET on July 14th through 20:05 ET on July 19th and the buy-in for each is five FTPs. To register, Full Tilt Poker players are advised to head to the Tournament lobby and look for tournaments shaded in pink. Alternately, FTPs can be redeemed in the Full Tilt Store for a variety of merchandise.

Starting at 00:00 ET on July 14th, Full Tilt will award 5X Bust-Out Bounties. Members of Team Full Tilt will be signing up for tournaments with more than 30 players. Knock any of them out and players will take home five times their buy-in as a reward. Tournaments that boast Team Full Tilt members in their field will be shaded in red in the site’s lobby. Those slated to participate include Howard Lederer, 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) dual bracelet winner Phil Ivey, Chris Ferguson, 2008 WSOP Europe Main Event Champion John Juanda, Jennifer Harman, Phil Gordon, Erick Lindgren, Erik Seidel, Andy Bloch, Gus Hansen, Mike Matusow, Allen Cunningham, and Patrik Antonius.

On July 19th, Full Tilt will be adding $700,000 to the prize pools of its Sunday majors. The Sunday Brawl, a $256 buy-in bounty tournament, will see its guarantee boosted from $350,000 to $500,000. Each player in the Sunday Brawl has a $40 bounty on his or her head. The player who records the most number of knockouts earns entry into the following week’s event.

The regularly scheduled Full Tilt $1 Million Guarantee will instead boast a $1.5 million guaranteed prize pool on July 19th. The $535 buy-in tournament runs once per month and replaces the $750,000 Guaranteed, which has a price tag of $216. Finally, the purse up for grabs in the $216 buy-in Sunday Mulligan will be $250,000, up from its regular total of $200,000. The Sunday Mulligan serves as one final chance for players to take home a sizable score in a weekend tournament.

Full Tilt Poker is fresh off unveiling the schedule for its 13th Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS). A total of 25 tournaments will pan out beginning on August 5th and culminating in a $535 buy-in $2.5 million guaranteed Main Event on August 16th. In September, an affordable MiniFTOPS schedule will begin. During FTOPS XII, the MiniFTOPS series ran concurrently with its high-stakes counterpart. This time around, the events will occur one month apart.

iPhone 3G S Brings High-Powered Poker Applications

With the release of the new iPhone 3G S, poker players are more excited than ever about the robust hardware and internet features of this amazing device.  There are many poker resources available with the iPhone, including podcasts, training videos, and other applications.

Accessing the iTunes Store will reveal a ton of programs that mainly focus on playing poker against the computer or other players in a play money format.  For many, this is a fun way of satisfying their poker craving on the road or at home, as the application is available for those on the 3G network or connected to the internet via Wifi.  Zynga’s Live Poker 40k is one of the most popular iPhone applications and, at $2.99, the price is easy to swallow.  In terms of games like this that allow you to play live opponents or a friend in the same room, there are literally too many to mention.

For those of you who like to play at home, a fun application might be Poker Tournament Manager, which will turn your iPhone into a command center for your home game. It organizes buy-ins, blind levels, and even monitors performances from tournament to tournament.  This handy application is only $4.99.  You can also find a familiar-sounding application called Poker Tracker (not related to the online tracking tool) that allows you to enter in your progress in live games and save it to your phone.

Also, check out three applications from PokerCruncher: Hold’em Odds Quizzer ($1.99), PokerCruncher ($4.99), and Poker Odds Teacher ($0.99).  The first application is a slick quiz program that helps test players judge equity ranges in a wide variety of Hold’em situations, both pre- and post-flop.  PokerCruncher is basically PokerStove for the iPhone and the Poker Odds Teacher is a great refresher (or introductory) program for learning poker odds.

Podcasts have been all the rage the last few years in getting quality content out to users in a cheap and easy method.  Simply record your podcast (either video or audio), submit it free to iTunes, and people will be able to hear your message.  Full Tilt Poker offers podcasts that center on tips from the pros.  ESPN might have the best podcast around with Phil Gordon and acclaimed columnist Andrew Feldman.  The show constantly has A-list guests for insightful and interesting discussion.  Sites like PocketFives.com also offer up podcasts related to online poker every week.  Since podcasts are almost universally free, they are highly accessible for users.

Many poker training sites including Stox Poker and Deuces Cracked now offer iPhone editions of their popular training videos.  Instead of watching the best training money can buy while at your computer, you can load up the video onto your iPhone and watch it on your lunch break at work.

Given that podcasts, training videos, and applications are available, the technology suggests that the iPhone is ready for poker rooms.  Any site is free to develop an iPhone application.  Cake Poker already has a platform available for the Windows Mobile operating system that lets players play for real money.  Since the iPhone 3G (now $99) and the new iPhone 3G S ($199 and $299) both access the speedy 3G internet network for low-end DSL speeds, there’s no doubt that the hardware and internet capabilities can handle an application to allow people to play poker.

The holdup, as evidenced by feedback from Cake Poker software developers on their feedback forums, are the restrictions that Apple places on applications submitted to their store.  At this point in time, poker rooms believe that Apple would not approve such an application and, therefore, it isn’t worth the time and resources to build.  Once the legal climate is cleared up in the United States, there’s little doubt that all of the major poker rooms would immediately begin production on free iPhone applications to let players battle for real money.  In the meantime, we have plenty of wonderful goodies in the iTunes App Store along with videos and podcasts to satisfy our poker bug.

Alex Bolotin Wins WSOP Ante Up for Africa; Mike Tyson Enters

The 2009 installment of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Ante Up for Africa charity tournament brought out Hollywood’s elite and poker’s biggest names. In the end, Alex “Diesel” Boloton emerged victorious, winning $176,000 and donating half of his earnings to the ENOUGH Project and International Rescue Committee.

A total of 137 players took to the felts inside the Amazon Room for the Ante Up for Africa event, one of four tournaments that will be televised as part of ESPN’s coverage of the 2009 WSOP. In 2007, the charity gala attracted 167 runners, while just 88 turned out last year. Prior to the festivities kicking off on Thursday, Ante Up for Africa Co-Founder and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke told reporters, “I knew how effective poker was as a fundraising tool. However, you can throw as much money at a problem as you want, but ESPN will help get awareness of things going on.” The Celebrity Apprentice runner-up added, “Poker players know how fortunate they are. We have a different view of money and what money is for. A lot of poker players are very socially responsible.”

A red carpet entrance preceded the festivities, with a bevy of stars lending their names to the $5,000 buy-in charity event. Among the first entrants down the red carpet was “Everybody Loves Raymond” star Brad Garrett, who told reporters that he’d want his tombstone to read, “I could smell it from here.” Following Garrett was former professional basketball star and current NBA on TNT analyst Charles Barkley, who explained that he was frustrated after poor performances in the Ante Up for Africa event over the past two years. He told People Magazine that the Cleveland Cavaliers acquiring Shaquille O’Neal was “a really good pickup.”

WSOP bracelet winner Jason Mercier, fresh off inking a sponsorship agreement with PokerStars, explained, “This feels really weird. I’m here with celebrities and stars of the poker world.” When asked what celebrity he ogled the most, Mercier responded, “Charles Barkley – I watched him play basketball since I was a little kid.” Mercier then joked, “Watch me take this down.” Others who followed Mercier down the red carpet included comedian Sarah Silverman, NBA on TNT analyst Kenny Smith, actor Dean Cain, “Seinfeld” star Jason Alexander, Ben Affleck, “Rounders” star Matt Damon, and rapper Nelly.

One of the surprise turnouts to the 2009 WSOP Ante Up for Africa charity poker tournament was legendary boxer Mike Tyson, who has recently gained a cult following as a result of his cameo in the box office blockbuster “The Hangover.” Tyson told Poker News Daily that he does not regularly play poker, but was looking forward to competing. A tiger did not accompany him down the red carpet. Media outlets in attendance included US Weekly, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the L.A. Times, ABC Radio, the Hollywood Reporter, the Associated Press, and a variety of local television stations and Hollywood photo services.

Poker’s elite dominated the final standings, with Rafe Furst, Full Tilt Poker pro Erik Seidel, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Phil Gordon, Jennifer Harman, Steve Zolotow, and Ultimate Bet pro Matt “mattg1983” Graham all making the money. Other poker stars that turned out included 2008 WSOP Main Event Last Woman Standing Tiffany Michelle, Andy Bloch, Brandon Cantu, Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, Greg “FBT” Mueller, Barry Greenstein, Greg Raymer, Robert Williamson III, Dennis Phillips, Ylon Schwartz, Peter Eastgate, and Victor Ramdin.

The tournament ran for 10 hours, about twice as long as WSOP officials had estimated prior to the event. At the end of the day, $362,000 was raised for charity. The top 10 finishers were as follows:

1. Alex Bolotin - $176,449
2. Adam Richardson - $109,194
3. Rafe Furst - $72,308
4. Erik Seidel - $51,601
5. Chris Ferguson - $38,550
6. Phil Gordon - $30,760
7. John Hennigan - $25,900
8. Matt Kay - $22,970
9. Jennifer Harman - $21,439
10. Phillip Tom - $15,713

NBC and Full Tilt Poker gear up to film “Face the Ace”

NBC and Full Tilt announced their joint effort to produce Face the Ace, a new concept for a poker show where players who qualify online get to play heads-up against three Full Tilt pros for a $1,000,000 prize.

This is how NBC described the show’s concept:

If selected to be a participant on the show, the contestant will have to choose between four smoked-glass doors, behind which are four top professional poker players, or the “Aces.”  Once one is chosen, the contestant will play that pro in a heads-up No-Limit Texas Hold’em match.  Should the contestant defeat the pro, they will have the opportunity to take the money they have won and leave or risk it all and choose another door and battle a different pro for a significantly larger sum of money.

Some of the poker pros rumored to stand at some point or another behind the doors are Gus Hansen and Phil Ivey (both of whom feature prominently in the show’s advertising,) Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Jennifer Harman, Erick Lindgren, Phil Gordon, Erik Seidel, Allen Cunningham, Andy Bloch, John Juanda, Mike Matusow, Patrik Antonius and Howard Lederer. The show will be hosted by Steve Schirripa, star of the popular series “The Sopranos.”

The best part of the Face the Ace promotion is that it’s completely free: the classification tournaments are all freerolls, which will progress as follows:

• Face the Ace – Round 1 Freerolls are available around the clock; the winner of each Round 1 Freeroll earns an entry to a Face the Ace – Round 2 Freeroll
• The winner of each Round 2 Freeroll advances to a Face the Ace – Final Qualifier tournament
• The next Face the Ace – Final Qualifier tournament takes place at 9:15 p.m. ET on Monday, July 6; the top ten finishers in each Final Qualifier win a free prize package, which includes a trip to Las Vegas and an audition for Face the Ace.

All winners will be flown to Vegas with one guest, and lodged at the iconic Golden Nugget for 5 days and 4 nights, where they will get $500 spending money and their chance to audition for NBC’s new poker show.

Filming is expected to start next week, and Face the Ace will premiere on NBC on Saturday, August 1st at 9:00 pm ET. Seven one-hour episodes of Face the Ace are currently booked, and they will show from the prime-time August 1st debut through January 2nd, 2010.

There is still time to catch a seat in the Face the Ace satellites and show Phil Ivey and Gus Hansen who’s boss. For more information visit www.face-the-ace.com

WSOP Academy offers Main Event primer

Now, the World Series of Poker Academy is offering these first-timers a Main Event Primer with some of the most respected players in the world sharing pearls of wisdom to help them make the most of the experience.

From June 29 to July 1 at Caesars Palace, past WSOP Main Event champions Phil Hellmuth and Greg Raymer, WSOP bracelet winners Annie Duke and Mark Seif, WPT title winner Phil Gordon, and Alex Outhred will be among the instructors at the tournament primer.

"Like the WSOP Main Event itself, our Main Event Primer only comes around once a year and is unrivaled in its level of instruction as well as the interaction participants have with the biggest names in poker," said Brandon Rosen of Post Oak Productions

"It truly is a unique opportunity to learn optimal strategy from the pros who have won it all."

What does the $2,499 tuition fee buy you? Three days of seminars with Q&As, video analysis of WSOP tournament footage and private multi-table tournaments.

The focus will be No-Limit Hold 'em strategy, advanced tournament stage strategy, pre-flop and post-flop strategy, table dynamics, intimidation and control of your opponents and heads-up strategy.

Ex-FBI counter-terrorism specialist and author Joe Navarro will also present an advanced poker tells seminar on decoding poker tells and on reading the nonverbal communications that people exhibit when they are lying.

Space is limited, and the event is expected sell out.

Additional details for the Main Event Primer and all other Academy events are available at www.wsopacademy.com.

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WSOP Academy features Annie Duke, Phil Hellmuth to teach in Main Event Primer

The acclaimed WSOP Academy is once again offering its once-a-year Main Event primer for players who want to improve their chances at poker’s most famous tournament. The instructors include two Main Event champions – Phil Hellmuth and Greg Raymer, – bracelet holders Annie Duke and Mark Seif, pro Phil Gordon, tell expert Joe Navarro and other noted instructors. Annette Obrestad has also been mentioned as a possible instructor for the Main Event Primer, an excellent option considering she won the first WSOP Europe Main Event in 2007.

Brandon Rosen from Post Oak Productions (the company that manages the WSOP Academy) describes the event in these words:  “Like the WSOP Main Event itself, our Main Event Primer only comes around once a year and is unrivaled in its level of instruction as well as the interaction participants have with the biggest names in poker. It truly is a unique opportunity to learn optimal strategy from the pros who have won it all.”

The 3-day course will take place on June 29 - July 1 at Caesars Palace Las Vegas, and a roster of the industry’s top players and instructors will arm participants with an arsenal of strategies and mechanisms for navigating the huge Main Event fields and holding their own against the game’s best.
The Primer will focus mainly on four styles of instruction: advanced poker seminars (with Q&A sessions,) expert analysis of WSOP video footage, live hand demonstrations by top pros and private multi-table tournaments. Participants will also have the chance to win a seat into the $10,000 WSOP Main Event.

Attending the Primer will set you back $2500 (or $5000 for the deluxe package which includes an exclusive VIP dinner with the teachers,) but it could be worth it based on past results – some of last year’s graduates cashed big at the last year’s Main Event after learning from the Academy pros. These are some of the players who recouped their investment and then some after attending the WSOP Academy Main Event Primer: Aaron Keay made it to 49th Place and cashed for $135,100, while Allen Kennedy was just one below in 50th Place and also ashed for $135,100, and Gary Hamilton made it to the relatively low 560th Place and still took home $23,160.

The WSOP Academy Main Event Primer has an extensive and detailed curriculum, which covers all of the aspects a player needs to face the massive Main Event fields. These are just a few of the topics that will be studied at the Primer:

• Table image and the exploitation thereof
• Intimidation and control of your opponents
• Isolation of weak players
• Advanced pot odds + implied odds
• Pre and post-flop mathematics
• Four post-flop scenarios
• Limpers vs. non-limpers
• Situational raising
• “Suit”-itis
• The Gap Principle
• Making the money bubble
• Making the final table
• Mentally preparing
• Planning your day and play
• Taking care of yourself
• Conceal don’t reveal
• 13 advanced tells to look for

Space is limited and the Primer is expected to sell out, so if you are interested visit the WSOP Academy website to reserve your spot.

The Scoop: Phil Gordon pt. 3

Phil Gordon talks about his WSOP plans, his son, his work for charity and more on this episode of "The Scoop."

The Scoop: Phil Gordon pt. 2

Phil Gordon returns to "The Scoop" for a second episode, in which he discusses his detractors on the forums, his books and much more.

The Scoop: Phil Gordon pt. 1

Phil Gordon discusses Celebrity Poker Invitational, his year long sports road trip and more on "The Scoop."

40 years of the WSOP: The new millenium

Back in 1991, Jack Binion was asked to look into the future and see where the WSOP might go.

Jack had no way of knowing how the WSOP would explode in popularity, bringing thousands to his casino in search of fame and fortune and said he expected a slow, steady 10 to 15 percent growth rate.

The last winner of the twentieth century was Jesus himself, Chris Ferguson.

He took home $1.5 million after outlasting 512 other players in the 2000 Main Event.

Poker author and fifth place finisher Jim McManus chronicled the final table in his book Positively Fifth Street.

The final battle between Ferguson and T.J. Cloutier was epic, with T.J. overcoming Ferguson's huge chip lead only to lose when his A-Q was out-flopped by Fergusons' A-9.

In the preliminary events, Jennifer Harman, Phil Ivey and Howard Lederer each won their first bracelet and Ferguson won another in 7-card stud.

Carlos Mortenson won the title in 2001 playing at the first final table with nine players, including poker standouts Mike Matusow, Phil Gordon, Phil Hellmuth and Dewey Tomko.

An unknown patent attorney Greg "Fossilman" Raymer came in 12th in the $1,500 Omaha Hi/Lo event that year.

2002 saw a whopping 39 preliminary events, three of which were won by Phil Ivey.

Robert Varkonyi was the Main Event champion, besting 631 hopefuls on his way to winning a then-record $2 million in his first ever WSOP event.

"I won my buy-in in my first ever single-table satellite," Varkonyi told PokerListings.

"I was extremely surprised to make the final table, it was completely unexpected. I was totally pumped with adrenaline, not nervous, just totally out of control excited to be there."

The fact that Varkonyi was a recreational - not professional - poker player caused some to doubt his chances, including Phil Hellmuth, who Varkonyi had doubled through earlier with Q-10 against his A-K.

During the televised final table, Hellmuth memorably promised to shave his head if Varkonyi were to pull out a win.

Eventually Hellmuth was forced to get a trim, but the name Robert Varkonyi was really lost in the shuffle with what happened next.

There is no poker aficionado who does not remember every moment of the 2003 Main Event.

The final nine, outlasting the record 839 who started, included Sammy Farha, Dan Harrington, Jason Lester, Amir Vahedi, David Grey, and David Singer.

But in their midst was a mild-mannered accountant who had dreamed of playing the Main Event since he saw the movie Rounders years earlier.

When Chris Moneymaker turned his online-qualifying win into $2.5 million, poker would never be the same.

Somewhat forgotten was the fact that Layne Flack had his second consecutive two-bracelet WSOP that year or that Ferguson, Hellmuth, Johnny Chan, Men "the Master" Nguyen and John Juanda each won two bracelets as well.

Women poker players did well in 2004 with Kathy Liebert, Cyndy Violette and Annie Duke each winning bracelets in open-field events.

But the story that year was the phenomenal increase in Main Event participants due in no small part to Moneymaker's historic win.

A total of 2,576 played and of course Greg Raymer won the $5 million dollar prize. Just like Moneymaker, Raymer had won his seat through an online satellite at PokerStars.

The 2005 WSOP was held outside of Binions for the first time, though the final two days of the Main Event took place in the old haunt.

Aussie Joe Hachem came out on top of the 5,619 person field, taking home $7.5 million.

His supporters' cheers are now legendary as was the final table that had a wide array of talent from the recently paroled Mike Matusow to the loveable everyman Steve Dannenmann.

The final table was also the site of the memorable meltdown from Ireland's Andy Black.

Raymer made a believer of everyone by coming close to repeating, finishing 25th in the big show.

Jennifer Tilly became the first celebrity player to win a bracelet and Doyle and Todd Brunson became the first father/son combo to win bracelets the same year.

If it were not for Jamie Gold, the 2006 WSOP would be remembered for its Player of the Year, Jeff Madsen.

Madsen became the youngest bracelet winner in history taking down the $2,000 NLHE, then won his second bracelet in Short-Handed NLHE six days later.

He also had two third place finishes - one in Omaha 8 and another in Stud Hi/Lo, an astounding feat at any age.

But Gold's $12 million win, outlasting the largest Main Event field ever at 8,773, is the story of 2006 as much for Gold's brash and controversial style as for the legal dustup that his win caused when another player claimed Gold had promised him half.

As if preordained, 2007 Main Event winner Jerry Yang was the anti-Gold. Quiet, pious, unassuming, Yang won $8.25 million with an aggressive, steam-roller approach to the final table that his co-finalists could not match.

With 6,358 players entering, there were 2,415 fewer than the previous year, only the second time in WSOP history that the number of entrants to the Main Event decreased.

Steve Billirakis was crowned the new-youngest bracelet winner in history, breaking Madsen's record from the previous year. Hellmuth won his record 11th bracelet and had a then-record 63 WSOP cashes.

Last year's WSOP set records for attendance (58,720), countries represented (118), and prize pool ($180,676,248).

It also saw the introduction of the November Nine, which ratcheted up the interest in and attention to the final table.

For poker purists who had been decrying the lack of "professional" winners of the Main Event, this final table had many players for whom poker was not just a hobby.

Runner-up Ivan Demidov went on to place third at the WSOP-Europe, David "Chino" Rheem is a respected pro, and eventual $9.1 million winner, the taciturn Dane Peter Eastgate, has proved himself a worthy title-holder.

2008 had a rash of memorable bracelet winners in preliminary events from the brothers Hinkle (Grant and Blair) to first-time bracelet-winners Erick Lindgren, David Singer, Kenny Tran, Nenad Medic, David Benyamine, JC Tran, and John Phan all breaking their "one of the best to never win a bracelet" record - now currently held by Andy Bloch.

So what is in store for 2009?  What records will be set, which will be broken?  Who will be the big story, the one talked about another forty years from now?

Will a big name take the big title, or will another "relative" unknown take poker's biggest prize?

For those answers and a whole lot more, follow PokerListings' Live Reporting from the Rio throughout the 2009 WSOP.

Related Articles:

• 40 years of the WSOP: The beginning
• 40 years of the WSOP: The 70s
• 40 years of the WSOP: The 80s
• 40 years of the WSOP: The 90's

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WSOP To Offer Players Ability To Help Charities

Over the past five years, poker players have stepped to the forefront for a variety of charitable causes. Online tournaments have raised funds to assist the victims of the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia, the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and other deserving organizations. The Heartland Poker Tour makes contributions to the Disabled American Veterans. There is even an organization – founded by Poker News Daily guest columnist Mike Sexton, tournament directors Linda Johnson and Jan Fisher and philanthropist Lisa Tenner – called Poker Gives, that focuses on using poker to assist in fundraising for charities. Now the World Series of Poker will step up and take poker philanthropy to the next level.

For the first time in its forty year history, the WSOP will offer players who cash during each event on this summer’s schedule the opportunity to donate part of their winnings to an organization that the WSOP has aligned itself with. All that a winning player has to do is to ask the payout clerk to leave one percent of their winnings to the Nevada Cancer Institute and the WSOP will arrange to transfer the funds to the Institute. As with many charitable donations, they are tax-deductible and contributors will receive a letter from NVCI for accounting purposes.

During the run of the tournament schedule, a special VIP lounge will be set up for players who pay a membership fee to be able to use the room. The “Aces Club” will be donating a large portion of each membership taken for access to the room to the Nevada Cancer Institute. As of press time, there are still memberships available and anyone who wishes to access the “Aces Club” should visit the area during the first few days of the WSOP.

One of the most popular fundraisers during the last few years at the World Series has been the “Queens of Heart” that play during the Ladies’ Championship Event. Featuring such players as former WSOP Ladies’ Champion Jennifer Tilly, poker professional Kristy Gazes and actresses Mimi Rogers and Cheryl Hines, the team has raised large amounts of money for women’s causes over the past few years. This year, the WSOP has created a special line of poker clothing for women, available at the Rio and on their website, WSOP Shop. The proceeds from sales of the “Queens of Heart” merchandise will go to the Nevada Cancer Institute, continuing the tradition the team has driven while playing on the felt.

There will be two special charitable tournaments during the run of the WSOP. “Ante Up For Africa” – the cause promoted by actor Don Cheadle and poker professional Annie Duke – will be back for their third annual event. The $5,000 buy in No Limit Hold’em tournament is open to anyone 21 years or older and this year, for the first time, will be a part of the ESPN broadcasts of the WSOP. For the Media Charity Event this year, the players who reach the final table will have donations made in their name to the Nevada Cancer Institute.

Finally, the Championship Event of the World Series will also have a way for players to make their mark in a charitable way. Poker pro Phil Gordon’s charitable cause “Bad Beat On Cancer” and the Nevada Cancer Institute will both benefit from players who donate, much like earlier in the tournament schedule, one percent of their winnings to charity. All contributions are tax deductible and will benefit research into the cure for one of mankind’s worst diseases.

With the WSOP adding in this charitable aspect to their poker schedule, the poker world is once again proving that, while there may be no charity at the poker table, there is a charitable heart inside all who play the game.

2009 Aruba Poker Classic Dates Announced

Mark your calendars. The 2009 Aruba Poker Classic will take place from October 3rd to 10th at the Radisson Resort on the sunny island. Officials from Ultimate Bet, which serves as the event’s presenting sponsor, are expecting 550 runners.

The Main Event in Aruba will carry a $5,500 buy-in and begin on October 5th, crowning a champion five days later. The event’s website has even received a makeover to mark the countdown to the festivities, which begin in just 170 days. In a press release distributed by Ultimate Bet this week, one of its main faces, 11-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, commented that he’s already ready to head to Aruba: “Aside from winning my 12th bracelet, the week-long Aruba Poker Classic poker experience is what I’m looking forward to the most this year. Millions in prize money, more players than ever, UB’s 10th birthday bash, and unbelievable parties. I mean, what’s not to love?”

Tournament Directors’ Association co-founder Matt Savage will serve as the officiate in Aruba. Also slated to appear is Ultimate Bet pro and Celebrity Apprentice runner up Annie Duke, who is fresh off reaching the final two of the popular NBC reality show. Ultimately, comedian Joan Rivers bested her in the season finale, but Duke raised over $730,000 for her charity, Refugees International. In addition to the Main Event, Duke, Hellmuth, and others in attendance will be battling it out in a series of preliminary tournaments. Here is the full schedule of events for the 2009 Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic:

$5,000+500 Aruba Poker Classic Championship Event: October 5-10th
$2,000+100 Two-Day No Limit Hold’em Tournament: October 7th
$1,000+60 No Limit Hold’em Tournament: October 8th
$2,000+100 No Limit Hold’em Six-Handed Tournament: October 9th
$500+40 No Limit Hold’em Tournament: October 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 9th
Charity Poker Tournament to Benefit the Aruba Community: October 8th

The Aruba Poker Classic Main Event’s reigning champion is Matt Brady, who pocketed $1 million for the win last year. In 2007, Travis “TravestyFund” Rice emerged victorious from the field of 548 players en route to an $800,000 first place prize. In 2006, it was Devon Miller, who went toe to toe against then-Ultimate Bet pro Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy, who parted ways with the site in December. In 2005, two-time WSOP bracelet holder Feddy Deeb took home the title for $1 million. Eric Brenes stole the show in 2004, besting 646 players, while another Eric, Full Tilt Poker pro Erick Lindgren, won it all in 2003. The very first installment of the Aruba Poker Classic took place in 2002 and was won by Juha Helppi, who defeated Phil Gordon.

Deeb’s win in 2005 marked the last time that the Aruba Poker Classic served as a stop on the World Poker Tour. In October of 2006, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was passed in the United States, leading to events like the Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic and the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure looking for new tour partners. The latter is now part of the European Poker Tour (EPT); Ultimate Bet’s remains an independent event. Despite the flux, Ultimate Bet will celebrate its decade-long anniversary in Aruba and host a Welcome Party on Day 1, which it touts as the “don’t miss social event of the Aruba Poker Classic.”

Ultimate Bet, which comprises one-half of the CEREUS Network, recently rolled out a software update that includes ante games, a “final table view” design, and automatic tournament pop-ups in case the software client is closed or disconnected. Absolute Poker also makes its home on the CEREUS Network, the seventh largest worldwide in terms of cash game traffic according to PokerScout.com. The Network boasts a seven day running average of 2,150 real money ring game palayers with a 24 hour peak of nearly 3,000.

Don Cheadle Signs with Full Tilt Poker

Ante Up for Africa co-founder Don Cheadle has signed on to be a Friend of Full Tilt Poker. Cheadle is one of the world’s leading actors and has appeared in the hit movie “Crash” as well as the “Oceans Eleven” trilogy.

Cheadle founded Ante Up for Africa along with Celebrity Apprentice candidate Annie Duke and Norman Epstein. The organization will be featured prominently during ESPN’s coverage of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas. The $5,000 buy-in Ante Up for Africa tournament starts on Thursday, July 2nd and is one of three events that compose the television network’s coverage. According to a press release distributed by Full Tilt Poker this week, participants are asked to donate 50% of their winnings to charity. In many cases, the tournament’s winners give their entire payday to the organization, which raises money and awareness for victims of the crisis in Darfur.

Cheadle is no stranger to the poker spotlight. Besides his work with Ante Up for Africa, he has also appeared on NBC’s National Heads-Up Poker Championship, a tournament most recently won by Huck Seed, who boasts the best record in the series’ history. In 2007, Cheadle defeated Full Tilt Poker pro Phil Ivey in the opening round of the National Heads-Up Championship before falling to Scott Fischman in the second round. Fischman, in turn, lost to poker pro Kristy Gazes in the round of 16. In 2008, Cheadle squared off against Gus Hansen in the first round, but was bested by the three-time World Poker Tour (WPT) champion.

In 2009, Cheadle defeated David “The Dragon” Pham in the first round at Caesars Palace, but fell to 2006 WSOP Main Event runner up Paul Wasicka when 32 players remained. The acclaimed actor has appeared on Poker After Dark, which also airs on NBC. He commented in a press release, “I’ve done alright in the televised tourneys I’ve participated in and I’ve won several tournaments around town. I have yet to play in the WSOP events, but I hope my schedule will permit me to do so in the future.” Other films that the newest Friend of Full Tilt has appeared in include “Hotel Rwanda,” “Traffic,” “Reign Over Me,” and “Traitor.” He will also appear in next year’s follow up to “Iron Man,” which stars Robert Downey, Jr.

Other Friends of Full Tilt include Bruce Buffer, who currently works with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Buffer appeared at the final table of the WPT Invitational during Season III, finishing sixth and earning $5,000. Poker author Michael Craig is a Friend of Full Tilt, as is All-In and Bluff Magazine columnist Jay Greenspan. Others include Niklas Heinecker, Gabriela Hill, Matt Hughes, Gary Jones, Stephan Kalhamer, Brian Koppelman, Maxi Muller, Ali Nejad, Jeremiah Smith, Mike Swick, Johnathan Wendel, and Yueqi Zhu.

Full Tilt Poker is kicking off its relationship with Cheadle by hosting a $5 + $5 private charity tournament online to benefit Ante Up for Africa. The date for the event has not yet been announced, but is expected to take place prior to the $5,000 buy-in contest in Las Vegas at the Rio. A bevy of Team Full Tilt pros will also be in attendance during the 10 week-long WSOP festivities, including Chris Ferguson, reigning WSOP Europe Main Event Champion John Juanda, Jennifer Harman, Phil Gordon, Erik Seidel, Andy Bloch, and Durrrr Challenge participant Patrik Antonius.

Full Tilt Poker is the second largest site worldwide with a seven day running average of 11,400 real money ring game players. Its 24 hour peak is over 16,000 and the site happily accepts customers from the United States. It is one of only a handful of online poker rooms that appears on the list of 200 sites distributed for censorship by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety to 11 of the world’s largest internet service providers (ISPs). Other USA-friendly sites on the list, which was generated randomly and made public last week, include Bodog and Players Only.

Gowen lawsuit tilts

The lawsuit was not thrown out in its entirety, however, and will likely continue against Tiltware, LLC, and two other named defendants.

In her lawsuit, Gowen claims she was entitled to 1% of Tiltware's profits in exchange for becoming a Full Tilt Pro and representing the company at poker-related events.

The defendants responded with a motion to dismiss, which not heard when Gowen filed an amended complaint, changing some of the language and adding additional factual allegations.

According to the defendants, Gowen's changes were merely cosmetic and did not cure any of the deficiencies they previously identified, so they renewed their motion to dismiss.

Front and center in the renewed motion was the argument that defendants Tiltware CEO Raymond Bitar, Howard Lederer, Andy Bloch, Phil Ivey, Chris Ferguson, John Juanda, Phil Gordon, Erick Lindgren, Erik Seidel, Jennifer Harman, Mike Matusow, Allen Cunningham, Gus Hansen and Patrik Antonius were not parties to the alleged agreement between Tiltware and Gowen, and therefore could not be liable for a breach of that agreement.

In a hearing on April 27 Judge Robert Jones agreed with the defendants.

Against all but three of the defendants - Tiltware, Bitar and Lederer - Gowen's complaint was dismissed with prejudice, meaning she is not permitted to amend her complaint a second time to try and bring those defendants back into the case.

Gowen was, however, given the opportunity to re-plead her claims against Tiltware, Bitar and Lederer.

Full Tilt attorney Thomas Dillard had no comment on the court's ruling.

However, Gowen's attorneys have indicated that they intend to appeal the Judge's ruling.

In the interim, they have filed a motion asking for clarification alleging the court did not dismiss two other claims unrelated to the alleged breach of contract.

Because of the court ruling, an earlier dispute with respect to discovery has also been put on hold.

Gowen was seeking depositions and documents from the various defendants and sanctions for their alleged failure to respond.

But with the lawsuit being dismissed against most, the discovery sanctions motion was taken off calendar.

Gowen did not respond to requests for an interview regarding the case.

Visit PokerListings.com

Play pros for $1 million on NBC

Dubbed Face the Ace, the show will give qualifying contestants the opportunity to compete against as many as three different top professional poker players on national television in the U.S.

Would-be contestants can qualify for free through a series of round-the-clock tournaments on www.facetheace.com or www.fulltiltpoker.net.

The first set of winners will be flown to Las Vegas this summer for the taping of seven one-hour shows currently scheduled to begin airing Saturday, August 1 at 9:00 p.m. ET on NBC.

Contestants on the show will have to choose between four smoked-glass doors, behind which sit four top poker pros, also known as "The Aces."

The contestant will play the pro chosen in a heads-up No-Limit Texas Hold 'em match. If they win, they will then have the opportunity to take the cash or risk it all battling a different pro for more money.

A contestant must beat three Aces to win the $1 million grand prize.

The show will be hosted by The Sopranos' Steve Schirripa.

The Aces will include Full Tilt Pros Phil Ivey, Patrik Antonius, Gus Hansen, Howard Lederer, Erick Lindgren, Erik Seidel, Allen Cunningham, Mike "The Mouth" Matusow, John Juanda, Jennifer Harman, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, Andy Bloch and Phil Gordon.

Complete rules can be found on the Face the Ace website at http://www.facetheace.com/rules.html.

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NBC Announces Face the Ace Poker Show

Steve Schirripa, an actor on the popular “Sopranos” television series on HBO, will host “Face the Ace” on NBC. The grand prize on the poker meets reality television program is $1 million and airing begins on August 1st. The show represents NBC’s first venture into prime time poker programming.

Qualifiers for “Face the Ace” are currently running on Full Tilt Poker for one of seven episodes that will hit the airwaves on August 1st and occupy the 9:00pm ET time slot. The following Saturday, “Face the Ace” will air during the same time period; follow up shows will be beamed into households around the country on a schedule to be determined. The show’s concept is simple: A player will choose from among four doors. Behind each of them is a different professional poker player, appropriately dubbed an “ace.” They will then battle “mano a mano” on the green felts. If the contestant can beat the pro, according to a press release distributed by NBC officials this week, “They will have the opportunity to take the money they have won and leave or risk it all and choose another door and battle a different pro for a significantly larger sum of money.”

Successfully besting three of the game’s top pros in a row will earn a contestant the top prize of $1 million. Losing a match along the way means they’ll leave empty-handed. As the show is primarily sponsored by Full Tilt Poker, the site’s pros make up the “aces.” They include Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, Erick Lindgren, Erik Seidel, Allen Cunningham, John Juanda, Jennifer Harman, Phil Gordon, Andy Bloch, Mike Matusow, Gus Hansen, and Patrik Antonius. The show’s official website states that winners will be put up at the Golden Nugget, which was also home to the first and fifth seasons of GSN’s “High Stakes Poker.”

Qualifying for "Face the Ace" involves winning a series of freerolls. The winner of each Round 1 freeroll (which take place constantly on Full Tilt Poker) moves onto Round 2. The second installment of freerolls occurs every Wednesday and Sunday at 9:15pm ET. Each winner earns entry into one of three “Face the Ace” Final Qualifiers. These take place at 9:15pm ET on May 25th, 9:15pm ET on June 8th, and 9:15pm ET on June 22nd. The top 10 in each of these tournaments takes home a prize package to head to Las Vegas to potentially compete on “Face the Ace.” Each “Face the Ace” tournament is color-coded tan in the Full Tilt lobby. The prize package includes round trip airfare for two to Sin City, $500 in cash, accommodations for two at the Golden Nugget, and a chance to audition for “Face the Ace.”

Jon Miller, Executive Vice-President of NBC Sports, told Poker News Daily, “Face the Ace gives us a chance to continue our great relationship with Poker Productions and provide people at home with an exciting opportunity to get in the game. We are thrilled to have Steve Schirripa on board as the host - with his fun personality we knew he was the perfect guy for the job." The first Las Vegas filming is scheduled to take place on July 9th and contestants must be at least 21 years old to play.

Full Tilt Poker's dot net educational arm serves as the official sponsor for the seventh season of the World Poker Tour (WPT), which is in the midst of airing on Fox Sports Net. Full Tilt received an on-felt presence as part of its package with the WPT. The World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas is fronted by Everest Poker, whereas its London version is sponsored by Betfair. Visit Full Tilt Poker for more information on qualifying for “Face the Ace.”

Phil Hellmuth May Challenge Annie Duke on Celebrity Apprentice

Last week on NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice, Ultimate Bet pro and Poker News Daily columnist Annie Duke stepped up to be Project Manager on a task that challenged the teams to sell Ivanka Trump’s jewelry for charity. Duke’s competition knew they needed to be creative to raise more money than the World Series of Poker champion and may even enlist the aid of her archrival, Phil Hellmuth. Duke sat down with Poker News Daily to talk about the cliffhanger, which will resume this Sunday at 9:00pm ET on NBC.

PND: Ivanka Trump called you out in the boardroom for not stepping up to be Project Manager. What was your reaction to her comments?

Duke: I agreed with her. I had been waiting until the next fundraising challenge to be Project Manager and it turned out that there was a considerable amount of time before the next one occurred. I knew I wouldn’t be able to avoid being Project Manager on the next challenge regardless of what it was. I got very lucky that it happened to be about raising money. There is short-term luck in any type of game.

PND: Your opponents have been creative, going so far as potentially enlisting the help of Phil Hellmuth this week. Is that flattering that they think you’re such a threat?

Duke: They view me as a threat in that type of challenge because on the previous two fundraising tasks, I had raised the most money. They definitely see that me being on the opposing team is a problem. They have a double problem, though, because the other strong fundraiser is Brande Roderick and we’re sitting on the same team. Obviously, the preview for next week doesn’t show how it goes with Phil. A little research would have let them know that Phil is one of my close friends. There are people who would have been better choices, but interestingly enough, but I don’t think some of them would go against their own. People thought it’d be better to call a guy like Daniel Negreanu, but I don’t think Daniel would do that.

PND: One of your teammates, Jesse James, stated in a private interview that he was holding back his contacts for a task that he was Project Manager of. Did that surprise you?

Duke: I didn’t know about that comment at the time. I didn’t hold a tremendous amount back regardless of who was Project Manager. During the wedding dress challenge, I raised $35,000 and didn’t need to raise that amount to be safe. I was on the show to raise money for charity, so I didn’t want to hold back. I didn’t consider my charity to be more important than anyone else’s.

I wanted to be Project Manager on a fundraising task not to make money for my charity, but rather because it was the safest task to be the leader. If it's true that Jesse had resources and we lose, then his neck is on the line. The only issue is that, strategically, even if you feel you are safe, you have to make an argument to be in the final two on the show. If Donald Trump thinks you’re a poor fundraiser, it will be hard to make it.

PND: You called Perry Friedman for this task to bid on an item of jewelry. He also paid $10,000 for a wedding dress in a previous episode. What’s your relationship with him?

I’ve known Perry forever. We’ve been really good friends for a long time. I’m friends with all of the Tiltboys, but have known Perry for a very long time. I also know Rafe Furst, Phil Gordon, and Andy Bloch really well.

PND: Had you thought about contacting Phil Hellmuth for the task to bid on an item?

Duke: I did talk to Phil, but he had just had a baby, so it was hard for him to show up. In this task, people could bid over the phone, but the only person who did that was my brother.

PND: We’d be amiss if we didn’t ask you about your feud with Joan Rivers and Melissa Rivers. You saw it unfold last week. What were your thoughts?

Duke: I was pretty shocked with Melissa. The comments she was making starting two weeks ago behind my back weren’t nice. They’re off base. I’m pretty self-aware of what my faults are. She kept talking about me taking over the room, but since Week 2, I have been sitting in the background. Clearly, she doesn’t want to be on the chopping block. As you get down to fewer and fewer people remaining, there is definitely a hierarchy of who’s going to go. She sees me as her biggest threat, so she keeps saying bad things about me.

You heard Trump describe Melissa as “bratty” to Piers Morgan. The thing that upset me with Melissa this week was her comments about Brande. Back in Week 4, I felt like Claudia had stepped out of line in her commentary towards Melissa. I find it ironic that Melissa is acting that way now towards Brande. She kept saying I was two-faced for praising Brande. Whatever Brande has done in the past is irrelevant to her performance on the present task. If she’s doing well, as a boss, I am going to compliment her and encourage her because it helps the team.

PND: Do you see any similarities between yourself and Piers Morgan, who won the first season of Celebrity Apprentice?

Duke: I deeply respected Piers and liked him a lot. What I thought was interesting was that for everyone saying he was mean, I never heard him say anything bad about anyone. He was direct, he was confident, and he knew he was very smart. He was always a gentleman. There are some parallels there. For some of the reasons he rubs people the wrong way, I rub people the wrong way. There are a lot of people out there who would rather have people be nice to their face regardless of what they say behind their back. I’d rather you tell me to my face. Brande confronted me to my face and that’s what I liked a lot about her. Piers also approached the game very strategically and not as anything personal. He approached it as a game and that’s similar to me.

PND: You had dinner with Joan Rivers in which you talked about Brande Roderick. Joan claimed you called the former Playboy Playmate “stupid.” What was actually said?

Duke: What I said was that I felt like Brande was drafting and should be the next one fired assuming there was a reason to. I said she had to go and she was dragging the team down. Joan, because everything is personal to her, interpreted that as me saying Brande was an idiot, which wasn’t what I said.

I have a lot of opportunities to say how I feel in private interviews. If the Celebrity Apprentice had any footage of me saying that Brande is an idiot, they would have used it. The fact that they didn’t have any footage of it obviously means I never said it. I’m sorry Joan interpreted anything I said as meaning Brande’s an idiot. I find it interesting that Joan didn’t understand how harsh my criticism of Brande was. I find it interesting that she was upset because I wasn’t mean enough. Her own daughter didn’t criticize Brande heavily enough. What I said about Brande was so much more detailed and harsher than what her own daughter said.

PND: After being laid back during the Lifelock task, Brande took note of everyone’s criticisms and has come back strong during this episode. Talk about her transformation.

Duke: Poker players should take note of what Brande did. The contrast between Brande and Melissa is important for people to understand the problem of tilting. Brande didn’t tilt because of the comments I made. She listened to them, decided that I was right, updated her strategy, and I gave her some table talk. If people are willing to listen in an unemotional way to table talk, it’s helpful. Melissa, contrastingly, went totally on tilt. She is starting to disintegrate. She was confrontational to George Ross in the boardroom and she is obviously not doing herself any favors with Brande or me, which is bad because there are only four people left on the team. This is all from her acting with her emotional brain. Instead of trying to solve the problem as Brande did, she is just flailing about in a way that is damaging her chances of winning.

Andrew Feldman Joins Team FullTilt

Andrew Feldman, a 21 year old paperboy from Watford has just signed a contract to join Team FullTilt Poker. Feldman have won over $4 million playing online poker at Full Tilt Poker.

About two weeks ago the British newspaper “The Sun” ran an article about Andrew Feldman who used to work as a paperboy in Watford but quit his job to pursue his carrier as a professional poker player. During the last 3 years he has gone from sitting at his parents house playing $1 Sit and Go’s to buying a flat worth $500.000 and a brand new sports car.

On top of all this he has now become a member of the ever growing Team FullTilt where he will team up with the likes of Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, Phil Gordon and many others. With these other pro’s he will travel the world and play in the biggest poker tournaments wearing FullTilt Poker clothing.

Andrew Feldman Joins Full Tilt Poker

U.K. poker player Andrew Feldman is the newest Full Tilt Poker red pro according to a press release from Check-Raise Management. He’s an esteemed cash game player and is the biggest winner on the current installment of “The Poker Den.”

Feldman was the winner of the 888 U.K. Open IV in October of 2007 and bested Gideon Barnett heads-up. Two months later, he finished fourth in a €2,000 buy-in No Limit Hold'em tournament during the European Poker Tour’s (EPT) Prague stop for €28,000. He finished 58th in the 2008 Aussie Millions for AUD $25,000. Feldman commented on his signing as a red pro: “I’m totally thrilled to sign with Full Tilt Poker as a red pro. In many ways, it’s a dream come true. The site has the best software and strongest team of players, so I hope I can do them and myself proud.”

Feldman is listed on the online poker room’s website as a “Full Tilt Pro.” Others include World Poker Tour (WPT) Bay 101 Shooting Star Champ Steve Brecher, reigning WPT World Champion David Chiu, John D’Agostino, online poker pro Peter “Nordberg” Feldman, and 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) November Nine member Scott Montgomery. He’s also surrounded himself with some of the world’s best athletes off the poker felts, having competed under the British flag in badminton at the Macabbiah games in Israel. He can also be found rooting for the Watford FC on a daily basis.

His agent at Check-Raise Management, Nick Ferro, commented in a press release, “Andrew is a phenomenal natural talent and it’s not surprising that he has signed with the best in the business. He’s still only young, so expect much more from him as he develops over the coming years. The prospects are, quite frankly, frightening.” Feldman stormed onto the live poker scene by grabbing third in a £750 buy-in No Limit Hold'em tournament held during the Grosvenor U.K. Poker Tour stop in London in 2007. He cashed for £8,610 in the event, which was ultimately won by David Lloyd.

Full Tilt Poker’s primary selling point is that Average Joes can play with the game’s best. The site’s Team Full Tilt includes Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, John Juanda, Jennifer Harman, Phil Gordon, Erick Lindgren, Erik Seidel, Andy Bloch, Mike Matusow, Gus Hansen, Allen Cunningham, and Patrik Antonius. Other groups associated with Full Tilt include the pros from poker training site CardRunners as well as the Hendon Mob.

Starting on May 6th, each event held as part of the Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) will be hosted by a Full Tilt pro. The Main Event takes place on May 17th at 6:00pm ET and is a $535 buy-in $2.5 million guaranteed tournament. In a similar fashion to the ongoing PokerStars Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP), each FTOPS event will have a MiniFTOPS counterpart, guaranteeing a total of $18 million. Everyone who makes the final table of an FTOPS XII tournament will grab a limited edition jacket. Winners of FTOPS tournaments will also claim a gold jersey and a special avatar to display when they are battling it out online.

A special FTOPS Tournament of Champions takes place on May 20th. Winners from tournaments during FTOPS IX, X, XI, and XII will compete in a freeroll with a 2009 WSOP prize package on the line. The tournament series in Las Vegas begins on May 27th with a $500 buy-in Casino Employees No Limit Hold’em event. The $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP begins the next day.

Feldman is a native of London. According to Full Tilt Poker, the youngster prefers ring games to tournaments “because skill will always prevail and by the end of the month, the best players will always show a profit.”

Bodog Unveils 2009 WSOP Prop Bets

If you've ever wanted to rail your favorite poker stars without having to be at the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas, head to Bodog. The online poker site and sports book recently opened up betting on the WSOP. The festivities at the Rio begin on May 27th.

Among the wagers available on Bodog is what poker pro will win the most money during the 2009 WSOP. The leader in the clubhouse is 11-time bracelet holder Phil Hellmuth, who is currently going off at 5:2. Other players that are available to bet on include Doyle Brunson (7:2), David Sklansky (12:1), Barry Greenstein (5:1), Mike Caro (12:1), Phil Gordon (10:1), T.J. Cloutier (6:1), and Team PokerStars Pro member Daniel Negreanu, who is fetching 3:1 odds.

The question of “Will Phil Hellmuth win his 12th bracelet at the 2009 WSOP occurring in Las Vegas beginning May 27th?” is paying +300 for Yes and -500 for No. Hellmuth made three final tables last year, taking third in the $1,500 buy-in HORSE event for $93,000. You can also bet on whether Brunson or Johnny Chan will score their 11th bracelets. The +300 figure means that a player must bet $100 to get back a total of $400. The -500 figure means that a player must bet $500 to get back a total of $600.

A special last longer wager is also available on the prestigious $50,000 buy-in HORSE Championship, which was infamously won last year by Scotty Nguyen. He has 5:1 odds in the bet, the favorite among the pros available. Others include Brunson (6:1), Hellmuth (7:1), Chan (7:1), Freddy Deeb (11:2), Phil Ivey (6:1), David Williams (11:2), Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo (11:2), and Negreanu (6:1). Deeb won the event in 2007 and the late Chip Reese took down the inaugural HORSE Championship in 2006. The trophy given to the winner of the event is named in his honor.

Another unique bet asks wagerers to select what pair will rack up the most winnings in the 2009 WSOP. Patrik Antonius and Kathy Liebert are the current favorites, going off at 4:1. Other pairings available include Doyle and Todd Brunson (6:1), the husband and wife team of Marco Traniello and Jennifer Harman (6:1), father and son Barry Greenstein and Joe Sebok (9:2), brother and sister Annie Duke and Howard Lederer (15:2), Bodog pros Evelyn Ng and Justin Bonomo (15:2), Phil Laak and Jennifer Tilly (6:1), mother and son David and Shirley Williams (6:1), engaged couple Chad Brown and Vanessa Rousso (10:1), and Tom “durrrr” Dwan and Tiffany Michelle (9:2).

Players can even bet on what game will be played when the final hand is dealt during the HORSE Championship. Hold'em, Razz, and Seven Card Stud are all paying 5:2, while Omaha High-Low and Seven Card Stud High-Low are both going off at 15:4.

Bettors will also be keeping their eyes on the female contingent in the Main Event, as a special women's-only last longer bet is available on Bodog. Jennifer Harman and Kathy Liebert are the current favorites; both are 5:1 to remain in contention in the Main Event the longest. Others include Duke (7:1), Tilly (10:1), Cyndy Violette (7:1), Isabelle Mercier (7:1), Clonie Gowen (7:1), Ng (7:1), Liz Lieu (7:1), Mimi Tran (7:1), Katja Thater (7:1), Rousso (7:1), and the last woman standing in the 2007 WSOP Main Event, Maria Ho (10:1).

One prop bet on Bodog centers wholly on Bodog pro Jean-Robert Bellande's finish in the Main Event. Bellande was a contestant on CBS' “Survivor: China,” one of the 18 seasons of the show that have aired. “No Money” is paying 1:20; finishing in the money, but no better than 10th place is paying 8:1; making the final table is paying 150:1; and winning the 2009 WSOP Main Event is fetching 1,000:1 odds. Bellande took 442nd in the Main Event last year.

The first wager listed in Bodog's poker section is, “Will Scotty Nguyen reach his stated promise that he will earn $4,000,000 or more in combined winnings at this year’s WSOP?” Yes is paying out +2,400. The bet stems from an interview Nguyen had with PokerListings that he would retire from poker if he does not amass $4 million in winnings at the 2009 WSOP. Whether he will follow through on his promise is anyone's guess.