Posts Tagged ‘poker player’
The Aussie Millions on GSN: Shak Defeats Ivey for $100K Title
WSOP Adds Regional, National Championship Circuit Events
The tour is entering its seventh year and features events around the United States throughout the year. This year officials are adding four $10k buy-in regional championships and lowering the buy-in to $1.5k for the rest of the open events.
Also new this year will be the addition of a cumulative scoring system that culminates in a 100-person National Championship tournament that will be played at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas prior to the commencement of the WSOP.
The tournament won't have a buy-in and will feature the top 100 performers from the tour who will compete for a $1,000,000 prize pool and a WSOP Gold Bracelet. Only the top 10 will emerge with a payday.
"We recognized the WSOP Circuit Events needed a shot in the arm, and we believe we've responded with steroids," said WSOP Vice President Ty Stewart. "The new model is exactly what the WSOP is all about, giving poker players of all bankrolls the chance for compete for the kind of fame, fortune and respect that comes only with a WSOP bracelet and a national television audience."
Speaking of national television, the WSOP is guaranteeing two-hours of national television coverage per $10k Regional Circuit Championship event. Clearly, the decision-makers are targeting professionals and amateurs alike in their attempts to attract more interest.
Tournament directors are hoping the end result is an expanded player pool and a renewed excitement for poker throughout the country. More details are available at the WSOP site.
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Hail to the 2010 WSOP by Linda Johnson
If you are a poker player and you didn’t make it to the Rio to be part of or even witness the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP), you definitely missed out! As one friend of mine said, the WSOP has definitely matured. Kudos to Jack Effel and his entire staff for the many, many hours of planning they put in to make it run so smoothly.
When it comes to details, they seem to have thought of everything. The food problems of the past were settled by the creation of the Poker Kitchen, where players could grab food during dinner breaks without having to walk all the way into the casino. By the way, the fresh, custom, “more than you could eat” salads they served this year were incredible and the $10 food comp players got when they entered an event was sufficient to pay for a meal there. They had extra “executive” bathrooms outside the Amazon Room that were actually so deluxe that one would never know they were there temporarily.
They had plenty of stages for final tables. The bracelet ceremony was held each afternoon at a large center stage in the Pavilion, providing the bracelet winners an opportunity to be honored by their peers. I had the incredible opportunity to deliver the “Shuffle Up and Deal” speech from the center stage to kick off the Ladies Event. Here is a copy of the speech I wrote:
“I’m honored to be part of the opening ceremonies for the 2010 WSOP Ladies Event. 2010 is my 30-year anniversary of playing in the WSOP.
When I entered my first Ladies Event in 1980, I had no idea that it would be life-changing. I had decided that if I did well in that event, I would quit my job and become a poker pro. That year – 1980 – I came in fifth place. I went home to California and gave notice at work. Two weeks later, I moved to Las Vegas and began my new life as professional poker player.
I’ve never regretted that decision. The past 30 years in poker have been incredible. Many things have changed in poker over the past 30 years.
Instead of starting with $400 in tournament chips, today we’re starting with $3,000 in chips. Instead of 65 entries, today there are more than 1,000 participants. Instead of paying three places, more than 100 will be paid. Instead of Seven Card Stud, the game has changed to No Limit Hold’em. Instead of playing downstairs in the Mexican restaurant at Binion’s that was converted to the World Series poker room for two weeks a year, we are here at the Rio in the biggest poker room in the world. Isn’t this setting spectacular? Instead of it being rare to see women in poker rooms, women have become an integral part of poker.
Women are accomplished players! There are now 15 women with gold bracelets in open events. You can’t open a poker magazine these days without seeing the picture of a woman who just won a big poker tournament.
Despite the changes in poker from 1980 to 2010, one thing has remained the same: the excitement that we, as poker players, feel every year at the WSOP.
As I look out today, I see excitement on your faces. I hope the 2010 Ladies Event changes many of your lives like it changed mine! I remember it like it was yesterday – the thrill I felt 30 years ago as I heard the tournament director say… Shuffle up and deal!”
At the time I gave the speech, I wasn’t aware that approximately 12 men had entered the Ladies Event. Of course had I known, I could have added the line, “Instead of only women playing in the Ladies Event, today we have men and women playing.”
There have been many articles and blogs written about whether or not men should be allowed to play in the Ladies Event and even whether or not there should be a Ladies Event. Here’s the bottom line as far as I am concerned: There is no reason to have a Ladies Event because women can’t compete with the men… they can! The reason to have a Ladies Event is because of the atmosphere at the event, which is different from an open event. It is pleasant and provides a great opportunity for women poker players to play with their peers. More than 1,000 women showed up to play, so they obviously support Ladies tournaments.
In the five open events I played in, I was almost always the only woman at the tables. Therefore, the conversation was mostly about sports, the cocktail waitress, and things that didn’t interest me. I witnessed at least two very vocal arguments between players in each of the open events I played in.
It really was a treat to get to play with ladies in a congenial atmosphere and to have conversations that interested me. In fact, the two penalties I saw given during the Ladies Event were given to men.
I would never dream of crashing a man’s bachelor party, hunting trip, or fishing trip, so why should they play in a Ladies Event? However, that doesn’t make it right for the women to cheer when the men get knocked out. They should just be ignored, in my opinion.
I hate to see the 2010 WSOP come to an end. It was a great Series for me, with three cashes in the five tournaments I entered and success in live games as well. Could we make it last a little longer next year?
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Betfair Poker joins Ongame Network
Betfair and Ongame Network published today a joint press release about Betfair Poker joining Ongame Network’s global online poker network in the end of this July.
This deal between Ongame and Betfair will bring a lot of new players and more money to Ongame Network.
The Head of Betfair Poker, Daniel Svard, comments the migration:“From now on Betfair Poker players will have a greater supply of games at all times of the day. Both companies have also really committed to developing their functions.”
Martin Lerby, Head of Ongame Network continues:“In the long run Betfair is an ideal partner for us. Betfair is a respected, technically mature brand. We are very delighted to welcome Betfair’s players and know-how in this highly competitive market.”
Source: Ongame Network
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Markup of Barney Frank Internet Gambling Bill Expected Soon
At the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas, officials from the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) told Poker News Daily that the major pro-internet gambling bill in Congress may be marked up this week. However, no hearing appears on the schedule of the House Financial Services Committee.
The PPA had originally expected HR 2267, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act, to be marked up the week of July 12th. However, the only meeting that appears on the schedule of the House Financial Services Committee is in Canfield, Ohio on Tuesday morning. There, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a hearing entitled, “After the Financial Crisis: Ongoing Challenges Facing Delphi Retirees.”
Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), who chairs the House Financial Services Committee, also introduced HR 2267 in May 2009. The bill is up to 69 co-sponsors on both sides of the aisle, but has generated just six new endorsers since 2010 began.
The PPA is up to 1.2 million members, many of whom helped raise $27,000 as part of the organization’s July 1st Money Bomb. PPA Executive Director John Pappas told Poker News Daily that the average donation was a little over $20.
The PPA will use its $27,000 in newfound cash to fund a series of ads in publications like Roll Call and Politico supporting the markup efforts. The original fundraising target of the July 1st campaign was $25,000, meaning that the PPA exceeded its expectations. Preset donation amounts ranging between $5 and $500 are still available on the PPA’s website, where funds continue to be accepted.
The July 1st date marked exactly one month from the date of mandatory industry compliance with the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). After the bill was originally passed in late 2006, its regulations had not yet been fully enforced. Now, credit cards, banks, and other financial institutions must fall into line with the four year old bill. In the background of the mandatory compliance deadline was arguably the most successful WSOP in history, including the second largest Main Event ever at 7,319 entrants.
In a video posted on the official website of the PPA conducted by ESPN’s Andrew Feldman, Pappas described the lay of the land following June 1st: “We hear from players all of the time if there are disruptions in deposits or payouts or anything like that and we’re not hearing any of those issues. It’s an eerie silence and we’re wondering what is going to happen, if another shoe is going to fall.”
Frank had alluded to a vote on HR 2267 during a hearing in the House Ways and Means Committee in May. Pappas told Poker News Daily and Feldman that a vote in committee could happen in the “next couple of weeks.” The House Financial Services Committee last tackled the internet gambling issue in December. During the proceedings, Ranking Member Congressman Spencer Bachus (R-AL) asked why officials from the U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve were not in attendance. Consequently, those two entities are expected to take center stage in the yet-to-be-scheduled markup hearing.
The PPA is also seeking to expand its Board of Directors, perhaps by adding New Hampshire State Director Patrick Fleming. The organization has created a nominating committee for the Board that consists of the current Board members and several State Directors. A total of three additional personalities may join the PPA’s Board, which currently includes Pappas, Alfonse D’Amato, Chris Ferguson, Linda Johnson, Howard Lederer, Rich Muny, and Greg Raymer.
Visit the official website of the PPA for full details.
Vanessa Selbst Top 10 in World Series of Poker Main Event After Day 2B
Five days ago, Vanessa Selbst was introduced as the newest member of Team PokerStars along with former Bodog pro David Williams. The introduction took place at the Real World Suite at the Palms in Las Vegas, just across the street from the Rio, the site of the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP). After Day 2B of the Main Event, Selbst sits in eighth on the leaderboard with a stack of 265,000, trailing chip leader David Assouline’s mountain of 387,800.
Selbst took down the PokerStars North American Poker Tour Mohegan Sun Main Event and told the assembled crowd at the Palms that she had partly come out of retirement from poker. However, in order to solidify her Main Event run, she’ll have to navigate through a gauntlet of talent when the combined Day 3 field takes to the felt on Monday. Among those left in the hunt for the nearly $9 million top prize is Kelly Kim, an original November Niner, who doubled up late in the day on Saturday with queens against A-K.
One of the final eliminations of Day 2B went to Tommy Vedes, who called all-in with Q-3 of spades on a flop of A-5-4 with two spades. Matt Reed showed A-Q for top pair and no spade came on the turn or river. Vedes took down the World Poker Tour’s Festa al Lago last year for $1.2 million. He owns over $550,000 in career WSOP earnings.
On a flop of 8-4-6, Tom Schneider pushed all-in with pocket sevens, but received a call from a player with a wired pair of aces, which held for the win. We won’t be hearing any cries of “Stack ‘em, stack ‘em, to the top” this year from the two-time bracelet winner’s wife, but Schneider finished the 2010 WSOP with four in the money finishes.
Three players who have made deep runs in the Main Event in previous years found the exit late in the day on Saturday. Jeff Shulman, who finished fifth in last year’s cycle for $1.9 million, and Josh Arieh, who took third in 2004 for $2.5 million, were both ousted from the Main Event yesterday. Joining them was original November Niner Ylon Schwartz, who bowed out in back-to-back hands after running a straight into a flush on his second-to-last pot.
One of our favorite moments of Day 2B involved Brandon Cantu. The UB.com pro announced via Twitter, “I’m shoving this hand no matter what, wish me luck.” True to his word, Cantu moved all-in and detailed what happened next on the popular social networking site: “Went raise 3000 call 3000 I get jt shove fold fold 31k.” Cantu, a dual WSOP bracelet winner, ended the day with a stack of 40,000.
Also bumped on Day 2B were DoylesRoom Brunson 10 member Dan “djk123” Kelly, David “Bakes” Baker, Doyle Brunson, and Full Tilt pro Phil Ivey, who made the final table of this event last year. Ivey was eliminated in especially gut-wrenching fashion, as he ran pocket queens into pocket kings. Ivey hit a queen on the turn to surge into the lead, but Yuji Masaki re-sucked on the river when a king hit. Ivey’s stack took a beating as a result and he was eliminated shortly thereafter.
Here are the top 10 chip stacks after Day 2B according to figures found on WSOP.com:
1. David Assouline – 387,800
2. Ricardo Fasanaro – 380,000
3. Matt Reed – 337,800
4. Jim “Mr_BigQueso” Collopy – 305,100
5. Jon “apestyles” Van Fleet – 295,600
6. Charles Sylvestre – 292,300
7. Sasha Rosewood – 279,500
8. Vanessa Selbst – 265,000
9. Marc Sander – 265,000
10. Gabriel Walls – 241,000
Other players remaining after Day 2B include legendary gambler Archie Karas, Victory Poker pro Dan Bilzerian, Jason Mercier, UFC announcer Bruce Buffer, Eric Buchman, Humberto Brenes, “The Simpsons” voice Hank Azaria, and Lock Poker pro Matt “All In At 420” Stout.
Sunday is an off day for the 2010 WSOP Main Event. On Monday, the survivors from both Day 2s will reconvene at the Rio for a combined Day 3. The tournament’s field will be whittled down to the final nine next Saturday, July 17th.
Tags: 2010, bodog, dan bilzerian, Doyle Brunson, gamble, Phil Ivey, poker player, pokerstars, tournament, vegas, WSOP
Jennifer Tilly won the Bellagio Cup $5k Tournament and $124,000 dollars
Actress and poker player Jennifer Tilly proved her talent again by winning the Bellagio Cup VI $5K tournament.
Tilly won other 90 players of the Bellagio CUP VI Event #23 $5,000 + $180 tournament. The world also got to hear from Jennifer’s victory through her boyfriend Phil “Unabomber” Laak’s Twitter:
“Holla! My girl just shipped the 5k Bellagio! Max ship. Max joy.”
The results:
1 Jennifer Tilly, Sherman Oaks, CA $124,455
2 Danny Yousefzadeh, Roslyn, NY $112,528
3 Dmitry Vitkind, Moscow, Russia $97,040
4 Mark Entwistle, Windsor, England $34,044
5 Robbie Verspui, Gibraltar, Gibraltar $27,661
6 Rodger Johnson, Grand Forks, ND $21,278
7 Ray Qartomy, Sugar Land, TX $14,894
8 Michael Friedrich, Zurich, Switzerland $10,639
9 Alexander Gomes, Curitiba, Brazil $8,511
After this victory Tilly has already cashed nearly $700,000 dollars from live tournaments.
Sources: 2+2, Bellagio and TheHendonMob
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Jennifer Tilly won the Bellagio Cup $5k Tournament and $124,000 dollars
WSOP’s hottest rail girls - see the pictures
WSOP is not only for poker players. Also their fans and partners are very interested in tournament and poker masters. Here are some pics of pretty rail girls of the WSOP 2010…
-The Norwegian beauty Rachel Nordtømme.
-Isabella, the girlfriend of comedian Brad Garret.
-David Williams and the girlfriend (with the white bag)
-The US is an animal-friendly country: even the dogs are welcome to the casino!
-See you on the rail!
All these pictures are from Wicked Chops Poker’s comprehensive WSOP 2010 picture gallery which you can access in here.
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Jerome Bettis Interview with Poker News Daily at WSOP Ante Up for Africa
Last week, the annual Ante Up for Africa charity tournament played out at the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas. This time around, two well known pros battled it out in the finale, as Full Tilt’s Phil Gordon edged out Carbon Poker’s Shannon Elizabeth.
On the red carpet, Poker News Daily caught up with Super Bowl champion Jerome Bettis, a former stud running back who final tabled the event and landed in sixth place for $22,000.
Poker News Daily: We’ve seen you on the PokerStars sponsored “Million Dollar Challenge,” Bravo’s “Celebrity Poker Showdown,” and other poker-related television programming. Will we be seeing more of you in the future?
Jerome Bettis: I’m just going to enjoy it. Being retired, everything is sporadic, but I enjoy poker. Whenever I get a chance, I’ll try to get out and play a little more.
PND: This is the first time you’ve played in the Ante Up for Africa event, right?
Jerome Bettis: Yeah, it’s the first time I’ve been here. It’s also the first time I’ve been to the World Series and seen what it is. It’s pretty spectacular.
PND: What are your expectations heading into this event? Are you going to take it seriously or just go and have a good time?
Jerome Bettis: Whenever I sit down, I take it seriously, no question about it. But, I’m also about enjoyment, so I’ll take it seriously, but I’m also paying attention to what’s going on.
PND: We obviously have to ask you about your Pittsburgh Steelers this year. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is suspended for four games and wide receiver Santonio Holmes is now on the New York Jets. What are your expectations for their season?
Jerome Bettis: I think this is going to be a good year for the Steelers in the sense that it’s going to show them what type of team they are without Ben. Also, it’s going to help build the running game, which they need to do anyway. I think this becomes a pre-curser to the team they want to be. When Ben comes back, you’ll have a solid running game with a solid passing game and I think that makes for a championship caliber football team.
PND: If the Steelers were to call you up and say, “We need ‘The Bus.’ He’s our only hope,” would you go back?
Jerome Bettis: I’d tell them, “The Bus has four flat tires, so you don’t want me.”
7,319 Players Enter Second Largest WSOP Main Event in History
7,319 players stormed the Rio All Suites Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas for the first four Day Ones of the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, making it the second largest tournament in the history of the 41 year old institution.
To put this year’s tournament in perspective, only the 2006 WSOP Main Event and its 8,773 player field – held prior to the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in the United States later that year – eclipsed the number of players accommodated by the Rio this year. While this year’s Main Event is the second largest tournament in history, the first place prize will not be the second largest in history. Due to the flattened payout structure instituted by Harrah’s and WSOP officials last year, this year’s winner will receive $8,994,138, the third largest payday behind 2006 champion Jamie Gold’s $12 million and 2008 victor Peter Eastgate’s $9,152,416.
Day 1D was by far the largest of the four Day Ones held., as 2,391 players stepped up to take their shot at winning poker’s most cherished championship. Day 1D vastly outpaced the three previous Day Ones (1,125, 1,489, and 2,314 players, respectively), leaving poker fans around the Pavilion and Amazon Rooms of the Rio scrambling to search for their favorite pros.
Former Dallas Cowboy great and Pro Football Hall of Fame member Emmitt Smith issued the call to “shuffle up and deal” before stepping to the felt himself, decked in Full Tilt Poker regalia. Although he made it through the first break, the all-time leading rusher in NFL history didn’t last long at the tables. Joining him on the rail were such professional players as Ante Up For Africa champion Phil Gordon, John Kabbaj, Pamela Brunson, 2005 WSOP final table duo Joseph Hachem and Steve Dannenmann, John Juanda, Sorel Mizzi, and Noah Boeken.
According to statistics from the WSOP website, 1,699 players survived the carnage of the final Day One of the 2010 WSOP, with several notable professionals stepping up to the top of the leaderboard. WSOP bracelet holder Steve “MrSmokey1” Billirakis was able to capture the lead of Day 1D by finishing off the night with 187,150 chips. He is closely pursued by Khamsy Nuanmanee, a 24 year old player from Las Vegas who thrilled the crowd around the Rio with her run up to 170,525 in chips. Others trailing behind this duo on Day 1D include David Benyamine (130,800), Team PokerStars pro Vanessa Rousso (111,050), 2010 bracelet winner Matt Keikoan (105,175), Josh Arieh (103,650), Jason Mercier (90,525), and 2010 WSOP Player of the Year contender Frank Kassela (87,000).
The remaining 5,129 players in the 2010 WSOP Main Event will now proceed to play over the next two days. Days 1A and 1C will be hitting the felt Friday afternoon for Day 2A, with roughly 2,400 players scheduled to meet again for battle. Corwin Cole looks to be the overall leader for the four Day Ones with 228,200 in chips, but there are a host of challengers that await him in the Top Ten of Day 2A alone.
Sitting in fourth place at the start of Day 2A is the last man to win back-to-back WSOP Main Event titles, Johnny Chan, stacked with 163,700 in chips, top female professional Lauren Kling (149,650) in seventh, Hendon Mobster Barny Boatman (144,050) in eighth, and $50,000 Player’s Championship winner Michael Mizrachi holding down the tenth place slot with his 142,650 in chips. Others who will be looking to move up the leaderboard on Day 2A include Hoyt Corkins (129,150), defending WSOP Europe Main Event champion Barry Shulman (113,325), recent PokerStars signee David Williams (112,225) and former World Champion Chris Moneymaker (107,425).
After play today and Saturday, the field should be cut down to roughly 2,500 survivors. The WSOP Main Event will then take a break on Sunday before bringing the remaining warriors back for action on Monday. Then, players will attempt to reach 747th place, the first position that will be paid at this year’s Main Event.
Tags: 2008, 2010, aced, David Benyamine, full tilt poker, poker player, pokerstars, tournament, vegas, WSOP
Poker Community Reacts to Phil Hellmuth WSOP Entrance
“I’m glad I’m not playing today so I won’t see Hellmuth make a fool out of himself with his entrance. I can’t help thinking it’s terrible.” That was the Tweet of 10-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Doyle Brunson shortly before UB.com pro Phil Hellmuth made his grand entrance to the Main Event on Wednesday. This year, Hellmuth dressed as an MMA fighter.
Hellmuth’s entrance was scheduled for around 1:15pm PT in front of the doors to the Rio Pavilion, site of the 2010 WSOP. A media representative told the assembled crowd to “watch for the stage” and, to our amazement, one rolled in being towed by a black pickup truck from the valet area. A group of male and female dancers put on a rather elongated show before Hellmuth finally turned out dressed in a black and yellow UB.com hooded robe.
Brunson in part recanted his controversial Tweet, saying, “I got scolded by PH for my last Tweet. Sorry Phil, but I got 103 responses. 99 agreed with me, 4 didn’t. I love you anyway, gl in the WSOP.” Brunson played in the WSOP Main Event on Thursday for Day 1D, ending the session with 62,000, or twice the starting stack. On July 3rd, “Texas Dolly” was spotted railing Dan “djk123” Kelly in the $25,000 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max final table; Kelly ultimately took down the bracelet and became the newest Brunson 10 member.
Watching the Hellmuthian-sized entrance on Wednesday were a variety of pros including Joe Sebok, Sam Chauhan, Gavin Smith, and Mike Matusow, the latter of whom jokingly told the crowd that he had been paid $50,000 to show up. Smith and Sebok, meanwhile, contemplated what the reaction would be if they showed up to a major tournament like the Main Event in the same fashion as Hellmuth.
On his way up to the Pavilion doors, Hellmuth picked up two escorts, his mom and his dad, who watched their son start his Main Event run. UFC’s Bruce Buffer, donning Full Tilt Poker logos, introduced Hellmuth to the crowd before his microphone stopped working. Then, girls holding up cardboard cutouts of WSOP bracelets trailed Hellmuth down the hallway to the Amazon Room as a mass crowd pursued.
Despite his titanic-sized introduction, Hellmuth was sent packing from the Main Event on Day 1C. Bluff Magazine painted the picture of the scene on Twitter inside the Rio when the 11-time bracelet winner’s run ended: “Phil Hellmuth has been eliminated from Day 1C of the Main Event. Entire Pavilion room applauded as it was announced over the PA.”
For his part, Hellmuth seemed rather calm about being ousted from the $10,000 buy-in tournament, Tweeting, “Out! Still feel calm (not freaking out); did autographs + pics 4 45 mins str8 after busting. 2010 WSOP: played great, cards were not great.” Hellmuth finished the 2010 WSOP with four cashes and one final table for a total haul of $110,000.
While Sebok snapped Twitpic after Twitpic of the sea of poker media and fans enduring 110-degree heat to watch Hellmuth enter, tournament reporter B.J. Nemeth objectively guessed, “I’d bet that >50% of the media reports on Hellmuth’s entrance are negative or mocking in tone. What more needs to be said?” Meanwhile, Annie Duke, who also began her Main Event journey on Day 1C, noted, “Damn. I think I am in the wrong room for Phil Hellmuth’s entrance. Bad beat.”
Perhaps the best summary of the scene, appropriately, went to the always insightful Sebok, who succinctly Twittered: “Holy effing eff. Phil Hellmuth entrance. Wow. Just wow.” With reigning WSOP Main Event champ Joe Cada seated at the feature table, Hellmuth took his spot at Table 2, facing the room that his legacy has, in part, helped to fill. Hellmuth ate sushi with his parents on the dinner break, when his stack had dwindled to around 12,000, and he exited shortly thereafter.
Around 2:30pm PT on Wednesday, Poker News Daily caught up to Hellmuth inside the UB.com suite at the Rio to discuss his entrance. Click here to watch.
Tags: 2010, Annie Duke, bad beat, Doyle Brunson, interview, Phil Hellmuth, poker player, tournament, WSOP
Linda Johnson Scoops Increased Poker Limits in Florida
Floridians have been eagerly awaiting July 1st, the day the legislature raised the legal buy-in amount from its previous $100 maximum. I decided to head to Ft. Lauderdale to see first-hand what this would mean for poker players.
My first stop was at Isle Casino and Racing at Pampano Park. I was thrilled to learn that the entire building was non-smoking. The poker room is located on the second floor and consists of 38 tables. It is open 18 hours a day Sunday through Thursday and around-the-clock on Friday and Saturday. Players get tracking cards and most games are worth $1 per hour toward food (or 50% of that toward cash). The players said the food, which is served at the table, is very tasty.
I asked Mike Smith, Director of Poker Operations, what the main difference was since the buy-ins were changed. His response: “The players seem to be taking it more seriously. Also, the card room has been completely full.” He told me about the various promotions the card room offers, including $599 royals: “We gave away more than $100,000 in June. Players can win tournament seats, high-hand bonuses, and cash in drawings.”
While I was there, games offered included $1-$2, $2-$5, and $5-$10 No Limit Hold’em; Pot Limit Omaha with a $1-$2 blind; $2-$4 and $4-$8 Limit Hold’em; and $4-$8 Omaha Eight or Better. I sat and played in the $2-$5 game for a while and thought the action was good, with lots of players seeing the flop and lots of all-in bets called. The mega bad-beat jackpot was more than $145,000.
There is a tournament every Tuesday night with a $230 buy-in, 13,000 in starting chips, and 30-minute rounds. On Sunday nights, the buy-in is $70 for the Battle for the Weekly Pass Satellite, which awards packages to the following week’s Monday through Thursday tournaments. The Isle will host the Florida State Poker Championship from August 2nd to 10th, which will feature a $400,000 guarantee for its six events.
PokerStars Sponsors JohnnyBax’s Stable in WSOP Main Event
PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker site, is sponsoring some of the most well known, successful players in this year’s World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. From Daniel Negreanu to David Williams to Vanessa Rousso, the USA-friendly site has a noticeable presence in the world’s most prestigious poker tournament.
Last year, the poker industry watched as internet poker sensation Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy railed Joe Cada throughout his historic Main Event final table run in November. Josephy, along with Eric “sheets” Haber, routinely field a stable of players for the Main Event and this year is no exception. However, Poker News Daily has learned that PokerStars has officially sponsored the group in 2010.
Unfortunately, Josephy, a bracelet winner, ran a set into the nut straight on Day 1D after all of the money went in on the turn. The board failed to pair on the river and that was all she wrote for the East Coast native, who cashed twice in this year’s tournament extravaganza for over $10,000 combined. He’ll now watch from the sidelines as his stable forges on. The group includes players like Nick “fu_15” Maimone and Jamie “TheNew” Robbins, who finished 15th and 11th in last year’s Main Event, respectively.
Poker agent Dan Frank is responsible for brokering one of the largest player deals we’ve seen in terms of the number of people involved and will oversee its execution on the floor of the Amazon Room. Cada was seated at the ESPN feature table on Wednesday for Day 1C and finished with a stack of 67,150, good for 254th overall. He became the youngest WSOP Main Event champ in history last year after defeating Darvin Moon heads-up for $8.5 million.
Josephy’s bracelet came five years ago in a $1,500 Seven Card Stud tournament. In 2006, he blasted through the field of the World Poker Tour Championship and banked $146,000 after finishing 12th. The same year, “JohnnyBax” landed in second in the Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic for $446,000 in a tournament won by Devon Miller. Josephy wasn’t done there, however, taking second in a $4,800 No Limit Hold’em preliminary event held during the Foxwoods World Poker Finals for another $187,000.
Last year, Josephy finished third in a $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha event at the WSOP, narrowly missing out on his second bracelet and banking $166,000 in the process. Online, he’s been no slouch. Three weeks ago, Josephy took down the Full Tilt Poker Sunday Brawl for $78,000, his largest online score according to PocketFives.com. He sits at #59 in the site’s Online Poker Rankings on the strength of holding the 46th best Pro Poll score worldwide.
Cada, meanwhile, tuned into the UFC fight in Las Vegas last Saturday before gearing up for his Main Event title defense. He faced off against Poker News Daily’s own Sean Gibson in a penalty kick competition the day before and fell four goals to three. Frank served as the goalie for the competition and together with Cada has offered up a challenge to anyone in the poker community.
For $1,000, anyone – even you – can challenge Cada to a best-of-five penalty kick competition with Frank once again in goal. However, rather than using palm trees as a goal as we did in our competition, a real net must be used. Frank told Poker News Daily that Cada was “devastated” after losing the prop bet, but we’re sure that an $8.9 million top prize in the Main Event this year would mollify any hard feelings.
PokerStars will continue to receive exposure through Josephy and Haber’s stable today as Day 2A kicks off from the Rio in Las Vegas. The field will showcase the survivors of Day 1A and Day 1C.
Tags: 2010, aced, Daniel Negreanu, darvin moon, full tilt poker, Online Poker, poker player, pokerstars, tournament, usa, vegas, WSOP
PokerStars Sponsors JohnnyBax’s Stable in WSOP Main Event
PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker site, is sponsoring some of the most well known, successful players in this year’s World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. From Daniel Negreanu to David Williams to Vanessa Rousso, the USA-friendly site has a noticeable presence in the world’s most prestigious poker tournament.
Last year, the poker industry watched as internet poker sensation Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy railed Joe Cada throughout his historic Main Event final table run in November. Josephy, along with Eric “sheets” Haber, routinely field a stable of players for the Main Event and this year is no exception. However, Poker News Daily has learned that PokerStars has officially sponsored the group in 2010.
Unfortunately, Josephy, a bracelet winner, ran a set into the nut straight on Day 1D after all of the money went in on the turn. The board failed to pair on the river and that was all she wrote for the East Coast native, who cashed twice in this year’s tournament extravaganza for over $10,000 combined. He’ll now watch from the sidelines as his stable forges on. The group includes players like Nick “fu_15” Maimone and Jamie “TheNew” Robbins, who finished 15th and 11th in last year’s Main Event, respectively.
Poker agent Dan Frank is responsible for brokering one of the largest player deals we’ve seen in terms of the number of people involved and will oversee its execution on the floor of the Amazon Room. Cada was seated at the ESPN feature table on Wednesday for Day 1C and finished with a stack of 67,150, good for 254th overall. He became the youngest WSOP Main Event champ in history last year after defeating Darvin Moon heads-up for $8.5 million.
Josephy’s bracelet came five years ago in a $1,500 Seven Card Stud tournament. In 2006, he blasted through the field of the World Poker Tour Championship and banked $146,000 after finishing 12th. The same year, “JohnnyBax” landed in second in the Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic for $446,000 in a tournament won by Devon Miller. Josephy wasn’t done there, however, taking second in a $4,800 No Limit Hold’em preliminary event held during the Foxwoods World Poker Finals for another $187,000.
Last year, Josephy finished third in a $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha event at the WSOP, narrowly missing out on his second bracelet and banking $166,000 in the process. Online, he’s been no slouch. Three weeks ago, Josephy took down the Full Tilt Poker Sunday Brawl for $78,000, his largest online score according to PocketFives.com. He sits at #59 in the site’s Online Poker Rankings on the strength of holding the 46th best Pro Poll score worldwide.
Cada, meanwhile, tuned into the UFC fight in Las Vegas last Saturday before gearing up for his Main Event title defense. He faced off against Poker News Daily’s own Sean Gibson in a penalty kick competition the day before and fell four goals to three. Frank served as the goalie for the competition and together with Cada has offered up a challenge to anyone in the poker community.
For $1,000, anyone – even you – can challenge Cada to a best-of-five penalty kick competition with Frank once again in goal. However, rather than using palm trees as a goal as we did in our competition, a real net must be used. Frank told Poker News Daily that Cada was “devastated” after losing the prop bet, but we’re sure that an $8.9 million top prize in the Main Event this year would mollify any hard feelings.
PokerStars will continue to receive exposure through Josephy and Haber’s stable today as Day 2A kicks off from the Rio in Las Vegas. The field will showcase the survivors of Day 1A and Day 1C.
Tags: 2010, aced, Daniel Negreanu, darvin moon, Online Poker, poker player, pokerstars, tournament, usa, vegas, WSOP
2010 WSOP Makes Case as Greatest Ever
By the time the final entrant had been counted on Thursday, the 2010 WSOP had received a total of 72,966 players over 57 events.
When the Main Event is complete, the 2010 WSOP will have awarded a record-setting $187,109,850 to poker players from around the globe.
"By every measure, this was the most successful World Series of Poker in the event's illustrious 41-year history," said World Series of Poker Vice President Ty Stewart.
"From the lowest buy-in events to the highest, we saw enormous player demand translate into lengthy registration lists and massive prize pools. As the WSOP Main Event progresses, we're looking forward to creating several new multi-millionaires."
Dutch Boyd, who's been playing poker tournaments for more than a decade, mentioned the WSOP remains the premier destination for poker players.
"The WPT, NAPT and EPT are all good series but they are nothing like the WSOP," he said. "The Main Event is THE tournament to play. If you're going to play one tournament a year this is it."
The huge numbers are coming in a year where tours like the World Poker Tour saw declining numbers thanks to a stagnant economy in the U.S.
The 2010 WSOP marked the third consecutive year the overall series had generated more than $100 million in prize money and drew players from 100 countries.
After a record-setting summer it's apparent that as long as the WSOP continues to thrive, it will continue to attract players like Boyd.
"This is what it's really about," he said. "I've been watching the WSOP on TV since I was a teenager and my goal was always to win a WSOP bracelet."
The 2010 WSOP continues through July 17. For comprehensive coverage of the WSOP tune in to PokerListings' Live Updates and News.
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Preliminary 2010 WCOOP Schedule Released by PokerStars
Starting on September 5th, the 2010 World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) will play out on PokerStars. A total of 62 events will be held and, while the guarantees have not yet been announced, over $50 million was given out last year when 45 tournaments were run.
Three events get underway on September 5th. What normally is a busy Sunday online will now also include a $215 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max event starting at 13:00 ET. Two hours later, look for a $10,300 No Limit Hold’em High-Roller tournament. Also taking place on the opening day of the 2010 WCOOP is a $215 Two-Day event.
The $5,200 2010 WCOOP Main Event is penciled in for September 26th at 17:00 ET. Last year, Yevgeniy “Jovial Gent” Timoshenko banked $1.7 million for taking down the WCOOP’s featured tournament, one of the largest prizes awarded in the history of online poker. Also at the final table was newly minted DoylesRoom Brunson 10 member Dan “djk123” Kelly, who took down a HORSE tournament the day before for a WCOOP bracelet. Kelly added $643,000 for his performance in the WCOOP Main Event.
As you’d expect from a major tournament series on PokerStars, the 2010 WCOOP schedule has a variety of games and formats including Badugi, Five Card Draw, Omaha, Razz, Eight Game, Stud, Triple Draw, Single Draw, Razz and HORSE. Three High Roller events are on tap and will take place each weekend during the WCOOP.
Here is the preliminary schedule of events released by PokerStars on Thursday. A final version is expected within a week after the site solicits feedback from online poker players on forums like PocketFives.com:
Sunday, September 5th
13:00 ET: $215 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max
15:00 ET: $10,300 No Limit Hold’em High Roller
17:00 ET: $215 No Limit Hold’em Two-Day
Monday, September 6th
14:00 ET: $320 Pot Limit Omaha
17:00 ET: $215 No Limit Hold’em Shootout Six-Max
20:00 ET: $215 No Limit Hold’em Turbo with Rebuys
Tuesday, September 7th
14:00 ET: $215 Pot Limit Five Card Draw
17:00 ET: $215 TBD
20:00 ET: $1,050 No Limit Hold’em 15-Minute Levels
Wednesday, September 8th
12:00 ET: $265 Pot Limit Omaha Knockout
14:00 ET: $320 No Limit Hold’em Ante Up
17:00 ET: $215 No Limit Hold’em Heads-Up Two-Day
Thursday, September 9th
12:00 ET: $215 No Limit Hold’em
14:00 ET: $265 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max Knockout
17:00 ET: $215 Razz
Friday, September 10th
14:00 ET: $215 Pot Limit Omaha Six-Max
17:00 ET: $215 No Limit Single Draw
20:00 ET: $109 Eight-Game 10-Minute Levels
Saturday, September 11th
13:00 ET: $109 No Limit Hold’em 10-Minute Levels
17:00 ET: $215 Limit Hold’em
Sunday, September 12th
13:00 ET: $215 No Limit Hold’em
17:00 ET: $530 No Limit Hold’em Two-Day
Monday, September 13th
14:00 ET: $215 No Limit Hold’em Four-Max
17:00 ET: $320 Stud
20:00 ET: $215 Pot Limit Omaha Turbo Cubed
Tuesday, September 14th
14:00 ET: $320 Mixed Hold’em Six-Max
17:00 ET: $320 Limit Badugi
20:00 ET: $1050 No Limit Hold’em 15-Minute Levels
Wednesday, September 15th
12:00 ET: $215 No Limit Hold’em Cubed
14:00 ET: $530 No Limit Hold’em Triple Shootout 10-Max
17:00 ET: $320 Eight-Game
Thursday, September 16th
12:00 ET: $215 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max
14:00 ET: $320 Pot Limit Omaha Six-Max Cubed
17:00 ET: $320 Limit Triple Draw 2-7
Friday, September 17th
14:00 ET: $215 No Limit Hold’em with Rebuys
17:00 ET: $530 Limit Omaha High/Low
20:00 ET: $320 No Limit Hold’em 10-Minute Levels
Saturday, September 18th
13:00 ET: $530 No Limit Hold’em Heads-Up Two-Day
15:00 ET: $25,500 No Limit Hold’em High Roller Heads-Up Two-Day
17:00 ET: $320 HORSE
Sunday, September 19th
13:00 ET: $215 No Limit Hold’em
17:00 ET: $1,050 No Limit Hold’em Two-Day
Monday, September 20th
14:00 ET: $320 Pot Limit Omaha Six-Max with Rebuys
17:00 ET: $320 No Limit Hold’em 2X Chance
20:00 ET: $265 No Limit Hold’em Turbo Knockout
Tuesday, September 21st
14:00 ET: $320 Pot Limit Hold’em/Omaha
17:00 ET: $530 Stud High/Low
20:00 ET: $1,050 No Limit Hold’em 15-Minute Levels
Wednesday, September 22nd
12:00 ET: $215 Pot Limit Omaha Six-Max
14:00 ET: $215 No Limit Hold’em Big Antes
17:00 ET: $320 Pot Limit Omaha High/Low
Thursday, September 23rd
12:00 ET: $215 No Limit Hold’em Turbo
14:00 ET: $530 No Limit Hold’em with Rebuys
17:00 ET: $2,100 Pot Limit Omaha Six-Max
Friday, September 24th
14:00 ET: $530 No Limit Hold’em Cubed
17:00 ET: $1,050 Limit Hold’em Six-Max
20:00 ET: $215 No Limit Omaha High/Low 10-Minute Levels
Saturday, September 25th
13:00 ET: $530 Pot Limit Omaha Heads-Up Match Play
17:00 ET: $2,100 HORSE
Sunday, September 26th
13:00 ET: $215 No Limit Hold’em
15:00 ET: $10,300 Eight-Game High Roller
17:00 ET: $5,200 Main Event Two-Day
Visit PokerStars for more information. Remember, the site happily accepts players from the United States.
Kassela Talks About Potential WSOP POY Win
Kassela entered the Main Event with 285 points, while Juanda was the next closest with 225.
Based on the POY scoring model that awards 100 points to 1st and 75 points to 2nd, the only way Kassela won't be the 2010 Player of the Year is if one of three remaining contenders wins the Main Event. Those still in the running include Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, Vladimir Shchemelev and Dan Heimiller.
"The most important thing now is for me to cash the Main Event," Kassela told PokerListings during the final break of day 1D. "I think if I finish in the top 20 then I have everyone else drawing dead."
Kassela is doing his part to seal the deal as he just sent a player to the rail right before break, building his chip stack up to 89k. "Today's table has been relatively stable; it's really been a perfect starting table," he said.
Kassela wasn't on many radars coming into the series despite having a long list of cashes dating back to 2004. After winning two bracelets in stud events and final tabling the high roller $25k Six Handed event in 2010, he's now on the verge of joining an elite group of past POY winners that includes highly respected pros such as Daniel Negreanu and Allen Cunningham.
"It's looking good, but there are no sure things," a humble Kassela said. "Grinder has a lot of chips and if there is anyone who can do it, it's him."
Still, the father of five admits the POY race would be a great finish to an already fantastic WSOP.
"For a poker player it's been a dream summer, I don't know what more you can say."
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Phil Hellmuth 2010 WSOP Entrance and Interview
Phil Hellmuth‘s entrance at the WSOP is now a yearly event and the 2010 edition definitely did not disappoint. The UB sponsored poker pro made his way into Day 1C of the World Series of Poker Main Event in lavish style with a dance routine and loud music introducing his entrance into the tournament. Our camera was strategically placed next to Joe Sebok, Mike “The Mouth” Matusow and Gavin Smith and picked up their hilarious commentary of this epic event which drew hundreds (if not close to a thousand) people. We captured the festivities outside the Rio and followed up with a quick interview with Hellmuth in this video.
Mathiu Sauriol Leads WSOP Main Event Day 1C; Johnny Chan Close Behind
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) set numerous attendance records in 2010, so even amidst the trials and tribulations poker players have endured during the UIGEA enforcement, it isn’t surprising to see the WSOP Main Event attract so many players this summer. With 2,314 players participating on Day 1c, the 2010 Main Event will officially go down as the second largest poker tournament in history. The total was up from 1,696 entrants on Day 1c last year, an increase of 36%. And with Day 1d registration still open and a max capacity of around 3,800 in the Rio this year, the total could eclipse 8,000 entrants. The 2006 Main Event had 8,773 players.
Mathiu Sauriol ended the Day 1c as the chip leader, bagging up 168,900 chips at the end of four and a half levels. Sauriol will enter Day 2a third overall in chips, trailing Day 1a chip leaders Corwin Cole (228,000) and Dwyen Ringbauer (191,125). Close on Sauriol’s heels was two-time Main Event champion Johnny Chan, who doubled up early in the day to finish with the second highest total of the 1,489 players that advanced. Others ending the day healthy in chips were Lauren Kling, Hoyt Corkins, David Williams, Billy Kopp, Isaac Baron, Lex Veldhuis, Robert Mizrachi, Jennifer “Jennicide” Leigh, David Pham, Cole South, and Patrik Antonius. Here’s a look at the top 10 chip counts from Day 1c:
1. Mathiu Sauriol — 168,900
2 .Johnny Chan — 163,700
3. Andrew Liporace — 155,250
4. Joe Monro — 153,350
5. Lauren Kling — 149,650
6. Barny Boatman — 144,050
7. Steven Goosen — 142,925
8. Michael Reed — 142,125
9. Sean Prendiville — 140,500
10. Benjamin Blair — 137,200
UB.com‘s Phil Hellmuth made yet another grand entrance to the Main Event, this time arriving dressed as a UFC Fighter. UFC announcer Bruce Buffer announced Hellmuth as he entered the Amazon Room with UFC fighter Wanderlei Silva at his side. However, unlike the past two years, Hellmuth’s Main Event ended well short of a deep run, as he was eliminated late on Day 1c. Upon the announcement of his exit, the Amazon Room and Rio Pavilion exploded in applause. Shortly after, Tournament Director Jack Effel announced that 2007 WSOP Event winner Jerry Yang had been eliminated and both rooms remained silent.
Others hitting the rail early on Day 1c were Huck Seed, Dario Minieri, Steven Begleiter, Men Nguyen, Jeff Madsen, Chad Brown, Chau Giang, and Tom Dwan, who had ESPN cameras following him around all day as he moved from table to table in the Pavilion and Amazon Room. Dwan, playing his last tournament to collect a bracelet and win or lose millions of dollars in prop bets, was being watched closely all day by his peers, but ultimately hit the rail during the final level of the day.
Day 1d will get underway at noon on Thursday. Among those expected to take to the felts include Vanessa Rousso, Daniel Alaei, Phil Ivey, John Juanda, Michael Binger, Shannon Elizabeth, Dan “djk123″ Kelly, and Player of the Year leader Frank Kassela. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for continuous updates from the 2010 WSOP Main Event!.
Tags: 2010, Cole South, Patrik Antonius, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, poker player, Tom Dwan, tournament, WSOP
Liv Boeree and UB.com Renegotiating Contract
Rumblings around the Amazon Room, site of the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, have Liv Boeree and UB.com parting ways. However, Poker News Daily can independently confirm that the two sides are actively renegotiating Boeree’s contract.
Boeree made waves in April after taking down the European Poker Tour’s (EPT) San Remo Main Event for $1.7 million. She bested the largest European EPT field ever of 1,240 in the process and defeated Sweden’s Jakob Carlsson heads-up. Boeree’s win was the latest in the so-called Year of the Woman, which also included Annie Duke winning the National Heads-Up Poker Championship and Vanessa Selbst taking down the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Mohegan Sun Main Event.
Poker News Daily has learned that Boeree’s contract has expired, but the two sides are pursuing a new deal. A UB.com spokesperson explained on Thursday, “Liv’s contract has expired. We are in contract renegotiation discussions now.” The negotiations are expected to come to a head within a week.
Meanwhile, the 2010 WSOP Main Event is playing out at the Rio in Las Vegas. Boeree played on Day 1B on Tuesday, running into a set of kings during the first level to cripple her stack. Then, she was poised for a much-needed double up with pocket jacks, but an opponent with pocket eights found a set. Boeree has never cashed in a WSOP tournament with a buy-in greater than $2,000. This year, she turned in three in the money finishes for $8,000 total.
Boeree, who is dating fellow poker pro Allie Prescott, still appears on UB.com’s website as a sponsored pro. The U.K. native was born in 1984 and, 21 years later, appeared on “Ultimate Poker Showdown.” There, she received instruction from Annie Duke, Phil Hellmuth, and David “Devilfish” Ulliott and the rest, as they say, is history. Duke and Hellmuth now front Team UB, while Ulliott serves as the namesake behind the Entraction Network site Devilfish Poker.
In May 2008, Boeree took down the Ladbrokes Poker European Ladies Championship for $42,000. Then, she final tabled a preliminary event held during the Aussie Millions in 2009 for another $13,000. The same year, Boeree took 37th in the World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship at the Bellagio for $40,000, nearly doubling her $25,000 buy-in. Her crowning glory remains her win in San Remo, where she became just the third woman ever to win an EPT title, joining Vicky Coren (EPT London in 2006) and Sandra Naujoks (EPT Dortmund in 2009).
Besides Hellmuth, Duke, and Boeree, UB.com’s roster of sponsored pros also includes former “Poker2Nite” host Joe Sebok, “Amazing Race” contestant Tiffany Michelle, two-time bracelet winner Brandon Cantu, and Anthrax’s Scott Ian. In early June, Cantu re-signed with UB.com for one year. UB.com pros were spotted at the site’s get-together at the Mandarin Oriental bar at CityCenter in Las Vegas on Monday. The night ended with a shotgun wedding as part of a site-sponsored prop bet contest.
Recent player signings include David Williams and Vanessa Selbst inking agreements with PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker site. In addition, PokerStars is sponsoring the stable of pros belonging to Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy and Eric “sheets” Haber during the Main Event, which includes well-known players like Nick “fu_15” Maimone, and Jamie “TheNew” Robbins. Back in May, Amanda Musumeci joined the ranks of Bodog, which parted ways with Williams, Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, and Jean-Robert Bellande.
Tags: 2008, 2009, 2010, Annie Duke, bellagio, bodog, european, Justin Bonomo, ladies, Online Poker, Phil Hellmuth, poker player, poker show, pokerstars, Tiffany Michelle, tournament, vegas, woman, WSOP
Peter Eastgate to Retire from Poker?
In news that has stunned the poker community, 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Peter Eastgate has stated that he plans to retire from international high-stakes poker, at least for the time being.
In a blog on his sponsor site, PokerStars, Eastgate indicated that he lacked the desire to continue to pursue the lifestyle of a professional poker player. “When I started playing poker for a living, it was never my goal to spend the rest of my life as a professional poker player,” the 24 year old Eastgate states. “My goal was to become financially independent. I achieved that by winning the WSOP Main Event in 2008.”
Eastgate goes on to say that, while he has enjoyed the ride of being recognized as a former Main Event Champion, his heart may not be in the game anymore. “The period following (winning the WSOP Main Event) has taken me on a worldwide tour, where I have seen some amazing places and met many new people; it has been a great experience,” Eastgate writes in the statement on the PokerStars blog. “In the 20 months following my WSOP win, I feel that I have lost my motivation for playing high level poker along the way and I have decided that now is the time to find out what I want to do with the rest of my life.”
Where Eastgate becomes a bit cryptic as to his future is at the end of the statement: “What this (next chapter) will be, I do not yet know. I have decided to take a break from live tournament poker, and try to focus on Peter Eastgate, the person. I want to thank PokerStars, my friends and family for their support over the last 20 months and for their support in my decision to take a break from poker.”
Since his victory at the 2008 WSOP Main Event, where he won $9.15 million, Eastgate has been traveling the world and seemingly playing well. In 2009, he won a $5,000 No Limit Hold’em preliminary event at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure for $343,000 and then went on a sizzling run in defense of his WSOP championship. In last year’s tournament, he finally succumbed in 78th place, arguably one of the best championship defenses of the past ten years.
In the past ten months, Eastgate has been around the world displaying his poker skills in such locales as London (where he finished second in the European Poker Tour (EPT) Main Event), Tallinn, Estonia; Sydney, Australia; Deauville, France; his home court of Copenhagen, Denmark; and Las Vegas. According to the Hendon Mob database, he has won $1.54 million since his WSOP championship and currently sits sixth in lifetime earnings with $10.9 million.
Obviously, however, Eastgate has felt the call of other things outside of the poker world. In June, Poker News Daily reported that Eastgate would not attend any preliminary events at the WSOP, focusing his concentration on Denmark’s run in the 2010 World Cup and traveling to South Africa for the matches. He commented at the time, “I don’t have the motivation to play all the small events at the WSOP. That would be a waste of money. To me it’s not that important to win bracelet number two.” He also questioned the logic of some of the “young guns” in the game, most notably Tom “durrrr” Dwan, playing in the preliminary tournaments because of prop bets on winning bracelets.
Eastgate isn’t the first young poker pro to make the decision to step away from the felt for a while. Late last year, noted online pro Shaun Deeb announced that he would step away from the game, only to reappear at this year’s WSOP. Former EPT champion Michael “Timex” McDonald and online cash game wizard Jonas “Nebuchad” Danielsson announced a “retirement” of sorts from the game this year.
Comments on Eastgate’s decision has sent social media outlets and poker forums into a frenzy. On Twitter, none other than eight-time WSOP bracelet winner Erik Seidel noted, “Wow, 2008 WSOP champ Peter Eastgate quits poker… Interesting story, wish him all the best.” Noted French poker journalist Benjo DiMeo thought that Eastgate’s move was for the best when he Tweeted, “Now here is a smart kid.”
On the forums, Eastgate’s decision has been met with mostly good will. On PocketFives.com, poster “TpocketT” remarked, “Eastgate seemed like a very smart, thinking player. Gl to him, I think he’s basically done what most people set out to do when they become poker players – get rich and retire.” Another poster, “matze_widi,” agreed, stating, “I like that move, reevaluate your life… there are so many more fun things to do other then playing poker… and he obviously has no money issues.” But perhaps the final word on Eastgate’s decision – and potentially a look to the near future – was written by “wackyJaxon”: “I would guess that he will be back, its just a temporary decision, gives him time and then can play when its ‘fun’ for him. Would take a small prop bet he enters a live tourney by end of next WSOP.” ?
Tags: 2008, 2009, 2010, Australia, european, poker player, pokerstars, skill, Sydney, tournament, vegas, WSOP
WSOP Main Event Attendance Up 34% After Three Starting Days
Three starting days are in the books in the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. Today at Noon PT, Day 1D will kick off after being the first to sell out its pre-registration. Overall, attendance through the first three starting days of the Main Event is up a colossal 34% year over year.
In 2009, there were 3,685 entries after Day 1C officially closed its doors to new players. A total of 1,116 entered on Day 1A, while just 873 took to the floor on Day 1B, which fell on the Fourth of July. Day 1C saw 1,696 entrants in 2009. This year, the first of three starting days in the Main Event occurred on Monday, July 5th, safely removed from the holiday festivities one day prior. Day 1A this year featured a starting grid of 1,125 players, while Day 1B attracted 1,489. Yesterday, Day 1C saw a field of 2,314 show up for a three-day total of 4,928.
Among those who took to the felts on Day 1B was Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad, a Full Tilt Poker pro, who was seated at Table 2. Meanwhile, Poker News Daily witnessed Tiltboy Rafe Furst make his exit after an opponent flopped a set of threes. Jeff “yellowsub” Williams, who finished third in a $5,000 No Limit Hold’em event, told us to bet on the Netherlands in the Fifa World Cup; sure enough, “Sub” was right, as the European country outlasted Uruguay 3-2. Unfortunately, we did not make it to the Rio sports book in time.
At the table next to Full Tilt pro Jeremiah Smith’s was an all-in and a call with A-K versus aces, one of several pots that featured Big Slick running into the superior hand. This time around, however, the player with A-K made a straight a busted his opponent. A bevy of players donned blue 888 logos, including Leo Margets, the Last Woman Standing in the 2009 Main Event.
Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, Matt “mcmatto” Affleck, Drag the Bar instructor Dusty Schmidt, and Marco “CrazyMarco” Johnson were among those who carried the banner for the internet poker community on Tuesday during Day 1B. On Day 1C, online poker pros in the room included DoylesRoom’s Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka, free agent Lauren Kling, Kling’s beau Mike “SowersUNCC” Sowers, and Jordan “Octavian_C” Rich.
Furst and Joe Sebok were among those who donned an all-white jump suit in support of Bad Beat on Cancer, whose green 1% patches can be seen on a bevy of players in the Amazon Room.
Day 1D of the Main Event has a capacity of 3,800 and, as of 5:00pm PT on Wednesday, nearly half of those seats were sold. In 2009, a total of 6,494 players entered the Main Event, meaning that we’re already guaranteed to have a field larger than last year’s, a welcome sign given the depressed economy. The 2009 attendance would have been even larger had 500 players not been shut out after Day 1D reached capacity. Whether today will have any similar drama remains to be seen.
Wednesday began with PokerStars pro Joe Cada issuing the command to start play. Then, it was UB.com pro Phil Hellmuth’s turn to shine. Several hundred spectators endured 110-degree heat in the Rio parking lot to watch Hellmuth enter as an MMA fighter, including Mike Matusow. When asked by Hellmuth why he was in attendance, Matusow responded that he wanted to watch the “idiocy.” Meanwhile, 2010 bracelet winner Gavin Smith caught a pink UB.com hat tossed to the crowd by several dancers.
Finally, we’d be amiss if we didn’t discuss the trials and tribulations of Illinois native Stuart Nitzkin, the first player eliminated from the Main Event back on Day 1A. He lost a pot with pocket aces when the final board came K-K-10-10-10. Then, he donated his remaining chips with pocket kings after a player with K-10 made a straight. So it goes in poker’s richest tournament.
The survivors from Day 1A and Day 1C will convene for Day 2A on Friday. Those who made it through Day 1B and Day 1D will assemble for Day 2B on Saturday. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest news, notes, and nuggets from the 2010 WSOP.
Tags: 2009, 2010, bad beat, european, full tilt poker, Justin Bonomo, Online Poker, Phil Hellmuth, poker player, pokerstars, tournament, woman, WSOP
The Nightly Turbo: Peter Eastgate Quits Poker, French Poker Players Boycott, and More
Tale of Two Days for Team UB
Two flights of the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event Day 1 are in the books, and while there have been plenty of ups and downs for the 2,600 players so far, it has been a story of contrasting days for the members of Team UB.
Day 1A drew 1,125 runners, two of whom were members of Team UB: Tiffany Michelle and Matthew Graham. Michelle, who has become a crossover celebrity after competing on “The Amazing Race,” was never far from the roaming eyes of the ESPN cameras. If she was involved in an all-in, particularly if it was all of her chips at stake, chances were that camera crews would rush over to her table. In fact, at one point she tweeted, “Listen ESPN cameras: Stop hoarding around my table like I’m a lamb being led to the slaughter, not giving you an exciting bust anytime soon!”
Watching her chip stack crumble from the get-go, Michelle did have her chips at risk on more than one occasion, but she managed, as she put it, to “grind grind grind” and keep herself in the competition. With only around 20 big blinds left, she is going to need to make a move early on Day 2, but she’s still alive, and that’s what matters. Hopefully for her sake, she’ll have a better run of cards. On Twitter, she said, “I keep thinking that good cards HAVE 2 come. Playing 10hrs & I’ve had Aces twice, jacks, 8s, AK AQ & AJ once. Not exaggerating. That’s it.”
Also on Day 1A, Team UB member Matthew Graham had a very nice go of it, ending the day with 58,450 chips, just a bit fewer than twice as many as what he started with. That chip count put him about in the middle of the pack after that first flight.
So, Team UB was 2-for-2 after Day 1A. Regardless of whether the players had 200,000 chips or 2,000, they were batting 1.000, so that’s something to hang their hats on.
And then the calendar turned to Tuesday. Four Team UB players took to the felts on Day 1B: Brandon Cantu, Liv Boeree, Joe Sebok, and Mark “P0ker H0″ Kroon.
Kroon was eliminated early on, getting unlucky when his Queens slammed into Kings. That wasn’t the knock out blow, but it crippled him and shortly thereafter he headed home when he lost a race with A-K against, of course Queens.
Sebok couldn’t gain any traction all day. During the first level, he had Kings against Eights against A-Q, but the flop came A-8-A, giving him virtually no shot at the pot. He was smart enough to get out of there, though, so the damage was minimal. He later lost with two pair against a better two pair and eventually sunk as low as 6,000 chips. He was able to chip back up to keep hope alive, but slipped back again when he called an all-in with A-Q, losing to Jacks. At dinner, he had just 3,500 chips, all of which he lost on the first hand back from the break when his Fives lost to A-6. He just couldn’t win a race.
Philosophical about the whole thing, Sebok Tweeted, “there’s something so brutally final about not doing shit during the wsop and busting out of the main. like, it’s over. see you next year…”
Liv Boeree, winner of the 2010 EPT San Remo Main Event, ran into a set of Kings during Level 1 and was never able to recover after her stack fell to almost 5,000 so early. She was eliminated when her opponent turned a set of 8′s, sucking out on her pocket Jacks.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom for Team UB on Day 1B, though. Brandon Cantu, a two-time WSOP bracelet winner, advanced to Day 2 with a healthy 65,000 chip stack. Always brief, yet prolific, with his Twitter updates during tournaments, Cantu let his followers know that he was down slightly from his starting stack at the first break, but soon climbed to 33,000, then 42,000, and then about 52,000 by dinner. He peaked at 71,000 going into the last hour, but despite the small drop in chips to close out the night, he called it a “great day.” Cantu admitted that he was getting cards left and right, but at the same time, he was playing his “A game.” Not a bad combination.
All in all, with the amount of luck needed just to get past the first day, a 50 percent success rate for Team UB is pretty solid, even though the first two days had very different feels. The big stars of Team UB – Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth – will play Wednesday, as will Adam “Roothlus” Levy and Hollywood Dave Stann. The rest of the team members have not publically announced which of the last two starting days they will play, but no doubt they will be at the Rio, ready to make a run to the November Nine.?
2010 World Series of Poker: Big Money, Big Hearts
UB.com Sends Team Pros, Online Satellite Winners To WSOP Main Event
The World Series of Poker’s Championship Event is now halfway through its four Day Ones, with UB.com sending its stable of pros from Team UB to battle. Joining the crew from UB.com are a slew of online players who won their way into the event through satellites on the site.
According to a spokesperson for UB.com, 158 players won their way to Las Vegas through the variety of means provided by the site. “Until the final Day One (Day 1D), we won’t have an accurate count of how many have actually made the journey to the WSOP,” the spokesperson stated. To encourage players to make the trek to the Rio, UB.com has created a stake for those players to share, even if they don’t cash in the WSOP Championship Event.
For players who have won their way to Sin City through satellites on UB.com, there is a guaranteed $1000 awaiting them if they wear UB.com apparel. This guaranteed money goes up on a graduated scale to a minimum of $3750 if more than 52 of the qualifiers heads to Vegas to take their shot at the World Championship. If a UB.com branded player makes it to the money, they will earn substantially more, depending on how many of the qualifiers show. If more than 52 UB.com qualifiers show up and no one makes the money, the players will each earn $5000 just for going to the WSOP.
As to Team UB.com, several players have already been in action on the felt at the Rio. On Monday’s Day 1A, two of the top players from the squad, Matt “mattg1983” Graham and Tiffany Michelle stepped up to carry the UB.com banner. Of the 1125 players who took part in action on Monday, only 762 will come back for action on Day 2A, with Matt and Tiffany both still alive; Tiffany is significantly below her starting stack of 30,000 in finishing the day with 12,950 chips, while Matt has been able to add to his starting stack and will enter Day 2A with 58,450.
Tuesday saw a few more of the Team UB.com pros enter the fray at the Rio. WSOP double bracelet holder Brandon Cantu was joined by Mark “PokerH0” Kroon and Joe Sebok for play, with two of them not making the cut. “PokerH0,” according to the UB.com blog from “Mean” Gene Bromberg, was cooled on two occasions, once running pocket Queens into pocket Kings, then being shown the door when his Big Slick couldn’t catch up with the Queens he once held.
Sebok, who had one mini-cash during the run of the 2010 WSOP, was a bit more fortunate than “PokerH0.” Joe made the dinner break and, as accurately stated by Bromberg, “…and one hand beyond.” With a dwindling stack, Sebok made a stand with pocket fives and was looked up by A-6. Once his Presto had been vanquished, Joe headed for the door of the Rio.
Cantu, who has picked up a couple of cashes over the WSOP schedule for just under $10K, has had the best run of Team UB.com members in the Championship Event to this point. Of the 1489 runners who came to the line on Tuesday, Cantu is a part of the of the 1017 who will live to play on Day 2B (Days 1A and 1C take Day 2A, while Days 1B and 1D will take Day 2B). According to WSOP statistics, Cantu finished 189th for the day, with a chip stack of 65,025.
The rest of the Team UB.com stable will be storming the WSOP castle over the next two Day One’s. On Wednesday, Phil Hellmuth will make his usual grandiose WSOP entrance as an MMA fighter, with actual MMA warrior Wanderlei Silva as a part of his entourage. In the past, the eleven-time WSOP bracelet winner has made his entrance as General George Patton and Julius Caesar, just to pick some memorable ones.
Entering the Rio much more subtly will be the remaining members of Team UB.com. Led by Poker News Daily guest columnist Annie Duke, Billy “Patrolman35” Kopp, defending CardPlayer Magazine Player of the Year Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin, Anthrax guitarist extraordinaire Scott Ian, WSOP Circuit Rincon champion Bryan Devonshire, the always dangerous Michael Binger, Adam “Roothlus” Levy and Gary “Debo34” DeBernardi will all be on the tables on Wednesday afternoon. UB.com has also tapped former Miss USA Shanna Moakler for a seat at the WSOP Championship Event; “Hollywood” Dave Stann will also be a part of the fray, but his decision between Days 1C and 1D isn’t known at this time.?
BLOG – The 2008 champion steps down and a WSOP overview
World Series of Poker Main Event Day 1A Attracts 1,125 Players
The start of the new week marked the beginning of the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. Players filed into the Amazon Room at the Rio in Las Vegas around 11:45am, about 15 minutes prior to Greg Raymer’s “shuffle up and deal” command.
After hoisting his gold bracelet in the air, Raymer gave a short pep talk to the 1,125 players in attendance: “This is what you all came here for! And, now – let’s play some poker. Shuffle up and deal!” Blinds kicked off at 50-100 with the button in seat 10. Every player was given 30,000 in starting chips and levels ran for two hours each. Raymer was seated at table Red 359 and quickly unloaded his trademark fossil card protector, which will be given to the player who busts him out of the $10,000 buy-in tournament.
The first player to be knocked out with Aces was asked to contact WSOP floor staff and, as was the case last year, any player who made four jacks received a Jack Link’s Beef Jerky Go Wild Prize Package. Meanwhile, Tournament Director Jack Effel was busy reading these and other promos off his Blackberry while seated in the middle of the Amazon Room.
One so-called Table of Doom saw November Niner Kevin Schaffel, 2007 Aussie Millions Main Event runner-up Jimmy “gobboboy” Fricke, reigning WSOP Europe Main Event champ Barry Shulman, and sports card hawker turned poker player Ken Goldin. ESPN cameras rushed over to the table of David “Chino” Rheem, who was facing a bet of 5,000 on a board of 6-10-9-K-10 with three clubs. Rheem told his opponent, “I have two pair, so I’m probably going to fold.” Rheem shuffled the five yellow chips needed to call in his left hand before tossing them into the middle. His tablemate showed A-Q of clubs for the nut flush and Rheem quipped, “Thank the cameras for that.”
Over the loudspeakers in the Amazon Room, a reminder that only English can be spoken while a hand is in play was given. If no hand is being dealt, players can speak in whatever language they like. Poker News Daily caught up with “Everybody Loves Raymond” star Ray Romano, who explained, “So far, I haven’t beaten my record. My record is Day 2.”
Romano added that fellow sitcom actor Brad Garrett was absent from the Rio and, consequently, “There’s no dead money here.” On his mindset headed into play, Romano told Poker News Daily, “I’m just happy to be here. This is my one big tournament a year. There’s pressure on myself because after this, I have to go home and that’s not pretty. Even though I only play this tournament, it’s big to me. It’s not casual.”
Others spotted around the Amazon Room included Scott Seiver, who was chatting it up with a player seated directly to his right about how he used to have a bunch of small jobs, but nothing as stressful as being a poker player. Across the playing floor, former Ante Up for Africa champ John “World” Hennigan raised to 1,500 on a board of 9-J-3-8 with three Diamonds. His opponent relinquished his hand and Hennigan chipped up nicely to start play.
Team PokerStars Online pro Randy “nanonoko” Lew was seated alongside T.J. Cloutier, who faced an all-in bet on a board of 8-2-7-3-J with three hearts. With ESPN cameras crowded around, Cloutier made the call and promptly mucked when the all-in player showed Q-5 of hearts for a flush. On playing with the poker legend, Lew told us, “He has a lot of experience, but I’m honored to be playing with him.”
Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for more from the 2010 WSOP.
2010 WSOP Main Event Gets Underway
It seems like every year when the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event begins, we and all the other poker news outlets start out our first article about it with something melodramatic, something poetic about the drama and fanfare of the legendary poker tournament. And that introductory paragraph usually ends with something like, “That’s right, the WSOP Main Event is here.”
This year, we’re going to skip all that and just let you know that on Monday, the first of four Day 1′s of the 2010 WSOP Main Event kicked off, beginning an almost two week grind until the new members of the November Nine are determined. Before the action started, the plan was to play four 120-minute levels with a 20-minute break after the first and third and a 90-minute dinner break after level two. There were some complaints, though, that this would make dinner early for even senior citizens, and tournament officials decided to make a change to the schedule. Shortly before play began, it was decided that four and a half levels would be run and the dinner break would come after level three, which makes for both a better dinner time and allows for more players to be eliminated, reducing the risk of overcrowding on Day 2.
The final tally of runners on Day 1A was 1,125, almost exactly the same as last year, when 1,116 people took to the felts in the first flight of the first day of the WSOP. When the dust cleared Monday night, 819 players remained and now have the luxury (and larger hotel bill) of waiting until Friday’s Day 2A to join players from Day 1C. Players from Day 1B and Day 1D will combine in Day 2B on Saturday. This is a change from last year, when Days 1A and 1B players merged and Days 1C and 1D joined up for their Day 2 flights. The adjustment was made because traditionally, the final two Day 1′s get many more players than the first two, creating wildly uneven Day 2′s. That problem should be mitigated further by the WSOP’s new rule that only allowed players to choose a starting day up to a certain point, after which they were automatically assigned a day in order to even things out as much as possible. This rule was applied primarily to avoid the debacle that occurred last year, when Day 1D sold out, causing a couple hundred players to be turned away when they tried to register the morning of the tournament.
Although that controversy looks to be resolved, this is the World Series of Poker, so there needs to be something that rubs players the wrong way. The one thing that came up Monday was that the tables started ten-handed, which makes for some overcrowding around each oval. The odd part was that the Pavilion, which was the “overflow” room, only had 18 tables running, making players wonder why WSOP officials couldn’t have just taken one player away from each table and started more tables in the Pavilion, as there was tons of room. As the day went on, though, tables were reduced to nine-handed, so the grumblings died down.
The 766 players standing have all reported their chip counts, and it seems the chip leader is Corwin Cole with 228,200 chips, almost 200,000 more than his 30,000 chip starting stack. Dwyen Ringbauer follows at a distance with 191,125, while 2010 WSOP Players Champion, Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi, continues his strong Series, sitting in third place with 142,650 chips. Rounding out the top five are Felix Bleiker (136,300) and Heinz Kamutzki (135,750). Also near the top of the leader board are 2009 WSOP Europe champ Barry Shulman (113,325) and 2003 WSOP Main Event winner Chris Moneymaker (107,425). It came to our attention that the reported chip leader, James Mitchell, has an inaccurate chip count.
Other notable poker names still alive include Vitaly Lunkin, Maria Ho, Dwyte Pilgrim, Lacey Jones, Scott Seiver, Praz Bansi, David Grey, Vince Van Patten, Peter Feldman, Mel Judah, Dewey Tomko, Thor Hansen, Matt Matros, Mike Gracz, Juha Helppi, and Dutch Boyd, Tiffany Michelle, and Erik Seidel.
2004 WSOP Main Event champ and outspoken poker advocate, Greg Raymer, was eliminated just over an hour after he gave the “Shuffle up and deal” announcement. Also hitting the rail were Chino Rheem, Victor Ramdin, Jimmy “gobboboy” Fricke, T.J. Cloutier, Billy Baxter, Isaac Haxton, Beth Shak, Mike Caro, Andy Black, and Nick Schulman, to name a few.
A few non-poker celebrities tested their skills as well. Actor/comedian Ray Romano was back for another WSOP, as was fellow actor/comedian David Alan Grier. NBA star Shawn Marion gave it a go, as did music mogul Rene Angelil, who is known to be a pretty good player in his own right. Of those men, only David Alan Grier made it to the second day.
Day 1B will kick off Tuesday at noon as another huge batch of players set off on their dream of poker riches.