Posts Tagged ‘skill’
Carlos Mortensen to Captain Spanish World Team Poker Squad
Inside sources at World Team Poker tell Poker News Daily that Team Spain, which did not participate in the first tournament back in May, has filed its roster. The captain of the squad will be former World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champ Carlos Mortensen, who has banded together a team that brings great skills in all aspects of poker. Joining Mortensen on the roster will be the highly underrated Raul Paez, Santiago Terrazas, Oscar Blanco, Cayetano Garcia, and Leo Margets.
Mortensen has spent the last decade at the forefront of the poker world. Since his first cash in a tournament back in 1999, Mortensen has traveled the world as a player, with results that any top pro would be proud to own. At the WSOP in 2000, Mortensen cashed in his first event and, one year later, would become (at the time) only the sixth foreign-born player to win the Main Event. He has added a second bracelet by winning a $5,000 Limit Hold’em event in 2003.
Mortensen’s success hasn’t been limited to just his 21 cashes at the WSOP. He has won three tournaments on the World Poker Tour (WPT), including the 2007 WPT Championship. This win was a significant achievement, as it made Mortensen the only man to win both the WSOP Main Event and the WPT Championship. His victory at the Hollywood Poker Open earlier this year pushed Mortensen to the top of the heap in all-time money winnings on the WPT, passing Daniel Negreanu. For his career, Mortensen has almost $10 million in earnings with his wealth of championships.
Raul Paez has battled on poker tables around the world while establishing himself as one of the most underrated players in the game. His first tournament cash was in 2003 and, since that point, he has cashed in tournaments in the United States, Spain, France, Germany, Poland, England, and the Bahamas. While he hasn’t won on the major tours, Paez has been able to garner six WSOP cashes, two cashes on the European Poker Tour (EPT), and a final table finish in 2006 on the WPT.
Santiago Tarrazas has been in the game just as long as Mortensen and Paez, with a great deal of success in his own right. Although he lacks a major title, Tarrazas has earned a cash in the WSOP Main Event in 2007 and, just last year, finished in third place at the EPT Barcelona Championship Event. Tarrazas has over $650,000 in career tournament earnings from his travels across Europe.
Oscar Blanco has been a terror on the Spanish poker circuit since coming to the felt in 2006. He was the best All-Around Player during the 2006 Campeonato de Espana and, later that year, took a title during the L.A. Poker Classic’s preliminary schedule. Most recently, Blanco was the runner-up at the Partouche Poker Tour’s stop in Madrid, earning slightly over $65,000 for that cash in July. Blanco’s career earnings pass the $400,000 mark and signify that he may be the “wild card” of the Spanish team, as opponents may not have any prior history with him.
Cayetano Garcia is the oldest player on the squad, but his years on the tables have provided him with excellent skills. Although his tournament results only date back to 2007, Garcia has made the most of his time with a championship on the Spanish Poker Tour in 2008 and a seventh place finish in 2009 at the WPT Spanish Championship. 2010 has been the best year of Cayetano’s short tournament poker career, with roughly $82,000 in cashes as a part of his $250,000-plus career earnings.
Since making her mark as the “Last Woman Standing” in the 2009 WSOP Main Event, 888 Poker’s Leo Margets has continued to impress fans and opponents with her success on the tables. She made the final table of this year’s Aussie Millions $2,000 Six-Handed No Limit Hold’em tournament and earned another cash in a similar tournament at the WSOP. Margets has over $476,000 in tournament earnings and continues to be in the hunt for her first major title.
In December, the latest World Team Poker event is expected to run, although a location and date have yet to be determined. Team Spain will face an uphill battle against teams from the United States, Australia, and Canada. In the inaugural World Team Poker event, Team China, led by captains Johnny Chan and David Chiu, took down the title.
WPT Texas Hold’em Poker Offering WPT Boot Camp Seats
Last week, word broke that the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Texas Hold’em Poker on Facebook had launched a promotion to give players seats to the WPT Boot Camp. The promotion runs through Wednesday and Poker News Daily caught up with David McCaman, Senior Director of Marketing for Hands-On Entertainment, to break down the unique opportunity. Remember, you only have a few days left to win your way in by purchasing Texas Hold’em Poker chip packs.
Before we get to the interview, you should know that users of WPT Texas Hold’em Poker will soon be able to take advantage of live chat, buddy lists, private tables, and sleek avatars as part of a new software update. The game has also made its way to the Nintendo DSi and is available for 500 points in the Nintendo DSi Shop. The developers behind the software are quickly growing its player base, which has cemented WPT Texas Hold’em Poker as one of the top free programs in the industry.
Poker News Daily: Talk about where the idea for the WPT Boot Camp promotion came from and what’s involved for WPT Texas Hold’em Poker Facebook players.
David McCaman: The game that we’re doing on Facebook has been tremendous. We’ve seen steady growth and a lot of returning users.
Since the WPT is a trusted and inspirational brand for players, having that same type of inspiration through a Facebook game is where we were going to separate ourselves from some of our competitors initially. We’ve had a long history as a licensee of the WPT and doing the mobile game for them. We had the first Web-to-wireless experience in 2005. We worked with the WPT Boot Camp in past promotions and thought it’d be a great way to bring it into the Facebook game. We can give people a chance to up their own poker games in the process as well.
The promotion has been received really well so far and the players are excited. We ask people to buy a chip pack, which runs from $1.99 to $20, to get a chance to win. In all of our press about it, we also let people know that you don’t necessarily have to purchase anything to qualify. If you want to send in a postcard to enter, you can do that too.
PND: Explain the allure of playing poker on Facebook.
David McCaman: When you’re playing on Facebook, it’s exciting because you can practice your poker skills and gamble without real money. We offer an avatar system, which has been received well, where people can design their own poker persona and come to the table. Facebook is social and poker is also social, so it’s a great complement to the experience.
PND: What stats can you share regarding the use of the WPT’s Facebook interface?
David McCaman: We’re at nearly 40,000 daily users, so there are a lot of people coming back every day. We also have 300,000 monthly users. The thing about Facebook games is that they’re services; every day we work with our engineers to come up with new items and get feedback from our users.
PND: Explain how Hands-On became involved with the WPT initially.
David McCaman: We started working with them when they first came onboard and were looking at a mobile poker game. We worked with them to brand it and worked with the big cell phone carriers to implement it. Poker is a great game to play on the go and it’s a great social experience, so it made sense.
PND: How can users take part in the WPT Texas Hold’em Poker promotion?
David McCaman: Go to Facebook and search “WPT” to find us. You’ll see the game pop up and there’s a picture of Alison Waite there with some cards. It’s a free program that takes a minute or two to load. You get 20,000 in chips for free.
PND: How challenging is it to survive in the competitive Facebook game market?
David McCaman: Ninety percent of these games are free, so you’re relying on a small percentage of people to make money. It’s definitely challenging and the environment rewards companies that can figure out the best ways to do that. There are lots of ways to get people to enjoy the experience and want to pay for aspects of your product.
Ivey’s mad skillz and Mitchell’s mad stack
Phil Hellmuth WSOPE Entrance
Phil Hellmuth decided to enter the WSOPE with his usual fanfare, this time on a UB-themed double decker bus in London for the start of the World Series of Poker Europe. Meeting him there was a team of sexy dancers and a singer who gave a rendition of “Poker Face” to the huge crowd of fans, media and general curious spectators that had gathered. A band played the melody of the song while the singer sung Lady Gaga’s tune, with the dancers showing off their skills and eventually escorting Hellmuth to the tables.
Hellmuth is one of the most popular (and hated) poker pros of all time. Despite how some people feel about him, there’s no denying that he certainly is able to create a stir every time he enters the Main Event. There’s also no arguing that he’s one of the best live No Limit Hold’em tournament players of all time.
During this year’s WSOP in Las Vegas, Hellmuth came in to a huge crowd, thanks to the MMA fighter inspired theme of his entrance, as announced by dancers, b-boys and ring announcer Bruce Buffer. Although his entrance was spectacular, his run in the Main Event was not as he busted out of the world’s biggest tournament on Day 1C. When his name was announced over the PA that he had been eliminated, it was applauded. It’s the same sentiment from most people interviewed in poker – they love to see Hellmuth lose, but at the same time, root for the guy to win his WSOP record 12th bracelet.
By recorded accounts at WSOP.com, Hellmuth’s entrance at the WSOPE Main Event started to gather hundreds of on-lookers. According to Nolan Dalla, “Then, the hundreds became more than a thousand curious onlookers…” as you can see in this video. The WSOPE Main Event began yesterday and by accounts, Hellmuth wasn’t able to last long this time around either and busted in another Day 1.
Rep. Barney Frank “Not Optimistic” About Passage Of HR 2267 Before Elections
Democratic Representative Barney Frank, the Massachusetts Congressman who has been pushing for the legalization and regulation of online gaming in the United States, has stated in an interview that he is “not optimistic” regarding the passage of his legislation prior to the 2010 midterm elections.
The bill known as HR 2267, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act, is the subject of an article on the website The Hill written by Kevin Bogardus. Frank, who has been at the forefront of pushing the legislation through his chairmanship of the House Financial Services Committee, notes that the legislative agenda for the final couple of weeks of the current Congress is quite busy. This, Bogardus reports, is causing him to have some troubles in putting the bill to a vote on the House of Representatives floor.
Because of the current backlog of legislation, Bogardus states that Frank “doesn’t have a commitment from House leadership officials that they would move the bill before the lame duck session.” Causing further issues for any movement on HR 2267 is the lack of a companion bill in the U.S. Senate. While Senator Robert Menendez, a Democratic senator from New Jersey, has introduced a companion bill called S 1597 (the Internet Poker and Game of Skill Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act of 2009), he has not been able to garner any co-sponsorship from his fellow Senators.
Another complication for Frank’s legislation is the delay in passage of its companion bill covering the taxation issues. The companion piece for HR 2267, Representative Jim McDermott’s (D-WA) Internet Gambling Regulation and Tax Enforcement Act of 2009 (HR 2268), hasn’t come for a vote of the House Ways and Means Committee, meaning that, while Frank’s bill would regulate the industry, there aren’t any guidelines on how to tax it.
With the scheduled date for adjournment of the current Congress set for October 8th, Bogardus notes that if HR 2267 does not come to the floor prior to the adjournment, it may be a part of a short “lame duck” session that will take place before the new Congress is seated in January. If HR 2267 comes to the floor during this lame duck session, a Democratic Senate aide is quoted by Bogardus, there will be “a small chance” that it would be attached to a jobs bill that would ensure passage, much like the previous Congress did in passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in 2006.
Bogardus cites a statement from Michael Waxman, the chairman of the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative and a supporter of Frank’s legislation, regarding the likelihood of the tack on method being used. Bogardus quotes Waxman as saying, “The greatest odds for online gambling regulation legislation to be approved this year are for it to get done as part of a larger legislative package, primarily because of the opportunity to dedicate the considerable new revenue generated as an offset for another program or need.” In the article, Waxman also cites the bipartisan nature of HR 2267, noting, “This is one of the few issues where broad support can be found on both sides of the aisle.”
As recently as August, Frank was confident that HR 2267 would pass during the current legislative period. After markup in the House Financial Services Committee, the bill was passed out of committee by a 41-22 margin. The bill has 70 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives, including 2008 Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul and Democratic Nevada Representative Shelley Berkley, among others.
If HR 2267, and any of its companion legislation in either the House or the Senate, is not enacted prior to the end of the current Congress, then the bill will die. Legislation proposed during a run of a particular two-year Congressional schedule does not carry over to the next Congress. The November 2nd elections are expected to be a battleground during the 2010 midterm elections, with the Democratic-controlled Congress in danger of losing either one or both of the legislative bodies (the Senate and/or the House) to Republican control.
PokerStars WCOOP – ‘RaiseOnce’ takes down $25k HU
Richard Ashby, Neil Channing Honored at British Poker Awards
Prior to the start of this year’s World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe, the industry gathered at the Kensington Close Hotel in London for the first annual British Poker Awards.
On Monday evening, the best players in the British poker community received accolades for their achievements over the past year. The winners of the individual British Poker Awards were determined by a vote of fans from around the poker world. Hosted by Bluff Europe’s Michael Caselli and Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari, the ceremony capped a year in which British poker players were in the poker public’s eye at tournaments at home and abroad.
Winning the award for Best All-Around Player was Richard Ashby. Over the past year, Ashby has traveled the world for poker tournaments with excellent results. In January, Ashby finished in third place at the Aussie Millions $10,000 HORSE event, kicking off 2010 in style. He went on to earn three cashes at the WSOP, including his first bracelet in the $1,500 Seven Card Stud tournament, and has enjoyed his best year ever on the tournament circuit in earning $564,836.
Picking up honors for the best cash game player was British poker veteran Neil Channing. Over the past ten years, Channing has been at the forefront of the British poker scene, battling the world’s best players. During his speech, Channing accepted his award with a nod to the players he routinely faces. “I’ve been grinding in the Vic for years, along with my fellow nominees like Bambos Xanthos, and Ben Roberts – they’re real cash grinders. To be voted above those guys – it’s a real honor,” said Channing, who is sponsored by Black Belt Poker.
Taking home the award for best tournament player was 2009 November Niner James Akenhead. One of two players to make the final table of both the WSOP in Las Vegas and WSOP Europe in the same year, Akenhead has continued to display his skills in events spanning the globe. Prior to picking up his award, Akenhead stated that the time was right for the British poker community to recognize itself. “I think the awards are a great thing,” said Akenhead. “It’s a great night and a really good thing for poker.”
Also on hand to accept their awards were Sam Trickett and PokerStars pro Vicky Coren. Trickett, honored as the Best Newcomer, stunned the poker world with his six cashes at this year’s WSOP, where he did everything but win a bracelet. Coren, honored for the “Best Contribution to Poker,” is a fixture on the British and worldwide poker circuits and has also achieved notoriety for her writing exploits for the Guardian (a British newspaper) and her own book “For Richer, For Poorer: A Love Affair With Poker.”
Five other awards were handed out, although their winners were not in attendance to accept them. They were:
Praz Bansi: Editor’s Choice; Player of the Year
The Nuts Poker League: Best Poker League
Phil Ivey: Best International Player
Chris “moorman1” Moorman: Best Online Player
The Hendon Mob: Best Poker Forum
“The event has been fantastic and I hope it’s the first of many to come,” Caselli commented following the awards ceremony. “More than 3,000 people voted online for their favorite players, which is a fantastic response.”
Blanca Games Acquisition of CEREUS Jeopardizes Ultimate Bet Payments
In a letter from XMT Liquidations to the shareholders of what was formerly known as Excapsa Software, the acquisition of the CEREUS Poker Network by Blanca Games has “violated and/or triggered the application of certain rights under the agreements between Excapsa and Blast Off and its related entities.”
The letter, which found its way to the TwoPlusTwo forums late Monday night, begins by discussing a promissory note owed by Blast Off. What is Blast Off, you ask? Tokwiro COO Paul Leggett commented in a blog one month ago, “The UltimateBet business and assets were transferred to Tokwiro through a company called Blast Off… Basically the Excapsa Group transferred all of the assets to Blast Off and then sold Blast Off to Tokwiro.” Blast Off submitted four $75,000 payments.
Four days after an agreement was reached to resume promissory note payments, Blast Off’s lawyers submitted a letter “alleging that players may have been exploited by an unfair and unlawful advantage in online poker games in 2004 and 2005.” Blast Off continued to make weekly payments despite the news contained in the letter, which was dated August 10th.
Excapsa sold its assets to Tokwiro around the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in the United States. Former World Series of Poker Main Event champ Russ Hamilton masterminded the cheating in question according to the Kahnawake Gaming Commission and Tokwiro officials shelled out over $20 million to affected players.
Then, the plot thickened. Two weeks after Blast Off’s lawyers notified liquidators about the cheating, liquidators learned that Blast Off’s “other major creditor had elected to exercise its rights in respect of the collateral it held as security for Blast Off’s debt.” Blast Off’s “other major creditor” could refer to the former owners of Absolute Poker, with the collateral being the rights to the AbsolutePoker.com domain. Excapsa’s interest primarily lies with Ultimate Bet and the URL UltimateBet.com.
Potentially referring to the UltimateBet.com domain, “Blast Off intended to wind-up [end] any and all operations related to assets over which Excapsa has been granted a security interest.” The rumored dollar value of the sale back in 2006 was $100 million, although that figure is not addressed in the letter.
News of the acquisition of the CEREUS Poker Network by Blanca Games meant violations of the agreement between Excapsa and Blast Off. As part of the Blanca Games transition, only AbsolutePoker.com and UB.com were involved. The old UltimateBet.com URL, which may be the collateral held by Excapsa, was not acquired. Instead, UltimateBet.com now forwards to DepositBonus.com. The letter explains, “All of Excapsa’s rights under the promissory notes and related security, including enforcement procedures, have been reserved.”
A copy of the press release announcing the acquisition of the CEREUS Poker Network by Blanca Games on August 26th was included. A follow-up press release from Tokwiro providing further details on the ownership change never materialized.
In terms of what the letter signifies, posters on TwoPlusTwo began putting their detective skills to the test in earnest. One member wrote, “Looks like Blast Off’s (AP/UB) lawyers are going to try to get the $100 Mill note reduced or canceled due to players cheated in 2004 and 2005. If Blanca is another shell [company], then there won’t be any proceeds from the sale to offset the $100 Mill note either.”
Whether Blast Off is attempting to default on its note by transferring the UltimateBet.com domain back to its former owners, Excapsa, remains to be seen. Meanwhile, the main faces of UB.com have touted the acquisition by Blanca Games as an opportunity to separate from the site’s stormy past. Joe Sebok told Poker News Daily in a late August interview, “I couldn’t be more excited about it. It’s a further break from the past and fewer connections to the former owners of Ultimate Bet, not to mention my own excitement about bringing Blanca into the fold and beginning something new.”
Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest. Read the entire letter by clicking here.
WSOPE 2010 Debuts with Poker’s Hottest Game
The first Six-Max World Series of Poker bracelet event on this side of the Atlantic drew a respectable 244 players, selling out the tight confines of the Leicester Square casino with alternates filling the empty seats as early gamblers hit the rail often, thinning the field to less than a third of its size in the late going.
But this £2,500 Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em event sits as just the latest example of the online born-and-raised poker variant’s gaining popularity.
The WSOP’s $1,500 Six-Handed No-Limit event grew from 1,459 runners in 2009 to 1,663 this summer, while the $2,500 jumped from 1,068 to 1,245.
This despite the most of rest of the numbers at the series staying stagnant or dipping.
In fact, even the tamer sounding $2,500 Limit-Hold’em Six-Max saw a bump from 367 to 384.
Much of its popularity comes from a younger generation who grew up on a steady diet of the game online.
But self proclaimed “poker dinosaur”, grandfather and 2010 WSOP Player of the Year Frank Kassela, who made 3rd in the WSOP’s $25k Six-Max this summer, says the game appeals to everybody.
“To me, and in a lot of ways and maybe this is contrary to what a lot of people think, but I think No-Limit Hold’em is one of the more boring poker games out there. If you’re not catching cards and you are not involved in a lot of hands, you may as well take a nap,” he said.
“But six-handed, your hand values change, starting hands change; you have position about half the time. You’re just playing a lot more hands and it’s just a lot more fun.”
2010 November Niner John Racener built a stack in the early going Tuesday and although the 25-year-old Floridian said his poker experience includes a lot more full-ring tournament experience; he loves the up-tempo pace six-handed.
“There are not as many pauses between hands,” he said. “I can loosen up my range and sometimes you don’t even have to look at your hand. Because it’s short-handed, you can just play position. It’s fun stuff.”
Racener believes the gaining popularity of the game is in part due to its allure to cash game players.
“There’s more action and it’s what everyone is playing online these days in the cash games; no one plays full ring anymore,” he said.
“Cash game players, if they’re going to pick a tournament to play, it's going to be the Six-Max event.”
One of the most feared online cash game players on the net, Andrew “luckychewy” Lichtenberger says nothing beats short-handed play and that’s why poker players are flocking to the game.
“The fewer players the better,” he said. “Heads-up is my favorite, followed by Four-Max, which has started coming in on the Internet a little bit now, the way Six-Max did a few years back, and I love Six-Max - There’s a bit more post flop play and people just play more hands.”
But regardless of the reason No-Limit Six-Max is on the rise, Kassela says it’s obvious the trend will continue.
“It’s more interesting,” he said. “There’s a lot more action. I think it tends to favor more skilled players and frankly, you are just more comfortable. There’s more room at the tables; it’s a much more luxurious game to play.
“I’d rather play a six-handed tournament than No-Limit.”
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2010 Women in Poker Hall of Fame Induction by Linda Johnson
I’ve been traveling constantly for the past six weeks. First, I went on an exploratory two-week cruise on the biggest ship in the world. Next, I hosted a week-long poker tournament at the Eureka Casino in Mesquite, Nevada. After stopping home overnight to watch some TIVO and do laundry, I flew to Indianapolis for one of my favorite charity events, the annual benefit for Mickey’s Camp (Mickeyscamp.com), to teach poker and run two poker tournaments.
When camp was over, I actually got to spend two days at home before leaving for the Card Player Cruises Alaska poker trip. I got back from the Alaska cruise just three hours prior to the start of the third annual Women in Poker Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which will be the focus of this blog.
The voters did a great job with the choice of inductees for the 2010 Women in Poker Hall of Fame class: Jennifer Harman, Kathy Liebert, and Billie Brown. The Golden Nugget was the venue for year three and they did it right! The tournament pavilion was transformed into a supper club/bistro environment through the hard work of the committee spearheaded by Suzie Lederer and Suzanne Carter along with some awesome volunteers.
Lupe Soto, creator of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame and founder of the Ladies International Poker Series, brought in NASA special events coordinator Gyla Whitlow to produce the induction ceremony. Gyla composed an amazing video montage that played throughout the evening featuring the history in pictures of each of the present and past inductees.
Throughout the evening, there was a silent auction to benefit Poker Gives, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization started by Mike Sexton, Jan Fisher, Lisa Tenner, and me as a way for poker players to give back to charity. The evening’s emcee was Jan, who should consider becoming a standup comedian. She did an amazing job of keeping everyone on schedule and coming up with some very funny adlibbed lines. After opening the evening, Jan brought Lupe up to the stage to thank the event sponsors: Lord Griffon Jewelry, Full Tilt Poker, Ocean’s 11 Casino, the Golden Nugget, GreasieWheels.com, and Legacy Alliance.
The keynote speaker was Jeffrey Pollack, the former World Series of Poker (WSOP) Commissioner who now serves as the Executive Chairman of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) and a member of its Board of Directors. He spoke about the similarities between the PBR and the poker world and the importance of women’s-only events in poker. Next, the WSOP Media Director Nolan Dalla took the stage and gave an impassioned speech about the WSOP’s commitment to women in poker. He reminded us of its history with the Ladies Event and assured the crowd that the Ladies Event shall remain a prominent part of their schedule going forward.
The ceremony began with Helen Hartley, marketing director at Oceans 11 Casino, and Bob Moyer, managing partner of Oceans 11, paying tribute to the first inductee, Billie Brown. Many of today’s players have never heard of Billie Brown since she passed away in 2004, but her contributions to poker live on.
She was an innovator and created exciting tournaments and promotions that changed the face of poker. In the early 80s, Billie was the first person to create a guaranteed purse in a major poker tournament. She committed a major casino, the Riviera Hotel, to be the tournament venue. The “Draw for the Gold Tournament” guaranteed $350,000 in its first year. The second and third years guaranteed $450,000 and the fourth year had the first $1,000,000 guarantee. That promotion built a player base of 2,500, which was unheard of in those days.
She liked being a host and started a business of bringing players from New York and Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Other poker-related work included creating promotions with Commerce Casino, including “Play for the Gold,” and working with several of the Indian casinos in San Diego assisting them in building their poker rooms and Asian games.
She served as the marketing director for Ocean’s 11 Casino during the last decade of her life. It was there that she created and hosted the beloved California State Ladies Poker Championship, an event that still draws women from all over the country. Billie always made sure that the ladies had a good time and that everything was perfect for them, from the gifts she personally chose and meticulously wrapped to the banquet decorations and the entertainment. Her tournament wasn’t just about poker; it was an opportunity for women in the industry to bond.
I had the good fortune of being Billie’s friend for 25 years and am pleased to see her get recognition for her achievements in poker. Her daughter, Kelley O’Hara, who is the marketing director for the Bicycle Casino, gave an eloquent acceptance speech on Billie’s behalf.
Next, Jan Fisher introduced Jennifer Harman and talked about her many poker achievements, including winning two gold bracelets in open events at the WSOP. Jennifer has more than $2.2 million in career tournament winnings and plays in the highest limit cash games in the world. She also wrote the Limit Hold’em section in “Super System 2.” Jennifer took the stage and graciously congratulated Kathy Liebert on her induction and thanked everyone for attending the ceremony.
Last but not least, Fisher introduced Kathy Liebert to the crowd. Kathy has more than $5.7 million in career tournament winnings and a gold WSOP bracelet. She was the first person to win a $1,000,000 guaranteed first place prize tournament and ranks in the top 40 in winnings among all poker players. She has played in 100 WPT events and made a WPT final table six times.
Kathy gave a great speech and told us about how she had been a business executive with Dun and Bradstreet and decided that she would not be happy in the business world, so she moved to Colorado and took a job as a prop and played $5 Limit poker while she perfected her skills. She also talked about how she likes seeing more women at the poker tables in these times than ever in the past.
Congratulation Kathy, Jennifer, and Billie! You are all deserving members of the prestigious Women in Poker Hall of Fame. The evening ended with a dance, which meant that I was the last one to leave and turn out the lights.
Players Before Profits Petition Nears 10,000 Signatures
In late August, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the main lobbying voice for poker players in the United States, struck back at the Commerce Casino and other gambling establishments in California by launching PlayersBeforeProfits.com. The online petition was designed to encourage support of HR 2267, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act. Now, the vehicle is nearing 10,000 signatures.
At the time of writing, the petition at PlayersBeforeProfits.com has garnered 9,018 signatures, having passed 9,000 during the day on Friday. In addition to a wealth of “Average Joes” signing it, a plethora of pros have joined in the fray. Players like Patrik Antonius, Doyle Brunson, Tom Dwan, Barry Greenstein, John Juanda, Huck Seed, and Erik Seidel have all lent their name to the PPA’s cause.
Tom Malkasian, who introduced himself in a July House Financial Services Committee hearing as an “owner, board member, and the Director of Strategic Planning for the Commerce Casino,” came out in strong opposition to HR 2267. Malkasian called the bill, introduced by Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) “fundamentally flawed and unsound.”
Malkasian added that HR 2267 and its revenue counterpart, HR 4976, are “based on false revenue assumptions that would require the removal of the right of any state or tribe to opt out of the bill in order to achieve the advertised tax revenues of $42 billion over 10 years.” HR 4976, introduced by Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA), has yet to be marked up in the House Ways and Means Committee. Contrastingly, the House Financial Services Committee approved HR 2267 six weeks ago and the bill boasts 70 co-sponsors.
PPA Executive Director John Pappas told the PocketFives.com Podcast this week that the California casinos are merely seeking a monopoly by opposing HR 2267: “When you peel back the onion, you realize that they’re not opposed to internet gaming; they just want a monopoly on it. From a consumer perspective, we all know that monopolies don’t work and they don’t provide the best player experience. What Commerce is looking for is a poker-only bill that will only serve the California marketplace.”
PlayersBeforeProfits.com also provides avenues for concerned Americans to Tweet, call, and e-mail the Commerce with one click. Its petition reminds casino officials, “It is important to note that with the rise of online poker, many individuals hone their skills online before they enter establishments such as the Commerce Casino – increasing traffic to poker rooms nationwide.” The Commerce has gone so far as to invite poker home games to play within its walls.
The Bicycle Casino, Hawaiian Gardens, and Hollywood Park have all come out in support of the Commerce Casino’s position. The coalition’s Waltona Manion told Poker News Daily in an interview on September 1st that, among other aspects of the bill, the group believes that the opt-out provision will not hold water if faced with a World Trade Organization challenge. In addition, Manion claimed that HR 2267 and HR 4976 would impose lower taxes on offshore internet casinos compared to what land-based casinos pay.
Congress has a target adjournment of October 8th, one month ahead of general elections in the United States. Then, following elections, a so-called “lame duck” session will likely occur. With the nation’s highest legislative body needing to pass critical appropriations bills, the possibility exists that HR 2267 could be attached to an unrelated piece of legislation, as was the case with the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act four years ago.
Although members of the poker community have called for a formal boycott of the Commerce Casino and its partners, the PPA has not yet taken that route. The Commerce Casino bills itself as the “largest card casino on Earth” with nearly 250 tables. Across town at the Bicycle Casino, Andrew Frankenberger was crowned the champion of the recently completed World Poker Tour Legends of Poker, whose lowered $5,000 buy-in resulted in a field of 462 players.
Mixed Game Tournament Strategy with CardRunners
This strategy video from the experts at CardRunners discusses late tournament strategy in a Mixed Game tournament that had a buy-in of $22 with 1 ReBuy and 1 Add-on. The official preview from CardRunners:
He may not be part of the Video Finalists series, but we always love Shabamabam on the mixed games. 08/b has a ton of skill, and not a lot of experts. Might this be the game you get your edge?
New CardRunners MTT pro Augie is here showing you how to manage the final table bubble and increase your bottom line. Tune in to this exciting 2 parter of a $22 1 Rebuy/1 Add-on.
Justin “BoostedJ” Smith Takes Down WPT London High Rollers Event
In one of the longest final table battles in World Poker Tour history, top online grinder Justin “BoostedJ” Smith vanquished a top notch final table early Monday morning to win the WPT London’s High Rollers tournament.
A light field of 20 players stepped up to offer their £15,000 (roughly $22,000 U. S. dollars) for a shot at one of three paying spots. The first three places paid out £141,000 for first, £84,600 for second, and £56,400 for third, meaning that most everyone on the tables would walk away with just a story for their efforts. Among those taking their shot at the WPT High Rollers crown were 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Player of the Year Jeffrey Lisandro, British bad boy Luke “Full Flush” Schwartz, French poker legend Bruno Fitoussi, and former World Champion Huck Seed.
With stacks starting at 100,000, there were thoughts that the early action would be mild. That wasn’t to be the case, however, with Schwartz tormenting his opponents with his play. He caused consternation among the players with his early activity, mostly started by min-raising pots. He did show great skills against Fitoussi, however, picking off the Frenchman’s bluff attempt with four spades on the board and winning an early hand.
It was inevitable that Schwartz would run into another one of the “bad boys” of poker, PartyPoker sponsored pro Antanas “Tony G” Guoga, before the end of the evening. In what would prove to be the swan song for Schwartz, the duo saw a rainbow flop of Q-7-6 and Guoga called a raise from Schwartz to head to the turn. Another 7 joined the board, with Guoga calling a 15,000-chip bet from “Full Flush” after checking. On the river, the fireworks came out.
After the board finished out with a 5, Guoga once again checked his option to Schwartz, who deliberated a bit before announcing all-in for his last 50,000. Guoga immediately made the call and tabled pocket Kings, defeating Schwartz’ top pair/top kicker of A-Q. The defeat of Schwartz catapulted Guoga into the chip lead at the end of the day.
Twelve players returned for Day 2 action and quickly got to work. With only four eliminations needed to set up the final table, it only took two hours for the players to determine the eight who would survive. Those eliminated short of the final table included 2010 WSOP Player of the Year leader Frank Kassela, Andrew Robl, Igor Kurganov, and Wayne Boich.
The final table for the WPT High Rollers event would be one of the longest in the history of the tour. Coming to the final table, Philip Gruissem held the chip lead, but Fitoussi and Guoga were within shooting distance. Rounding out the final table were Emeline Boich, Jason Lester, Jason Grey, Freddy Deeb, and Smith.
For the first eight hours of the final table, the players were content to shuffle chips between each other, unwilling to leave short of the money. Four quick eliminations then occurred, with Lester, Boich, Gray, and Gruissem taking the table down to the money bubble. Gruissem’s defeat was particularly painful, as he watched his A-K fall to Smith’s A-10 when “BoostedJ” made a Queen-high straight.
With four players remaining, Deeb had moved out to a 366,000 chip lead over Smith, but there was still one player to eliminate before anyone could claim the bounty. All four players held the lead at one point on the bubble. It was Fitoussi who would be the unfortunate bubble boy when his pocket Queens were cracked by the K-9 of Guoga.
Smith (holding the chip lead), Guoga, and Deeb played for nearly an hour before Guoga and Deeb went to battle against each other. Guoga’s pocket fours held the lead pre-flop against the all-in Deeb’s A-10, but an Ace on the turn put Deeb ahead in the hand. Just as the crowd calmed from the draw-out, it erupted again as a four spiked on the river, giving the hand to Guoga and eliminating Deeb in third place.
Once heads-up play started, Smith held an almost 3-1 lead over Guoga. The twosome played for almost an hour, with Guoga attempting to cut into Smith’s lead before the penultimate hand came down. After seeing a Q-4-2 flop, Guoga saw enough value to put his tournament life on the line with a 5-3. Smith looked him up with Q-9 for top pair, but he had to dodge several outs twice. Once a King fell on the turn and a second Queen capped the river, Smith was crowned the champion of the WPT London High Rollers tournament.
1st – Justin “BoostedJ” Smith – £141,000
2nd- Antanas “Tony G” Guoga – £84,600
3rd – Freddy Deeb – £56,400
With the WPT London completed, the tour now heads back Stateside until November. The Borgata Poker Open is next up for tournament pros, running from September 18th to 23rd.
John Hennigan – Poker Player Bio
In his thirteen-year poker career, John Hennigan has been just as successful as many of the top players in the game. He is recognized by his peers as an astute and difficult player, capable of anything on the felt. Even though he has this reputation, however, he is perhaps one of the most underrated players in the poker world because of his low-key demeanor.
The Philadelphia, PA, native who now calls California home has been part of the poker world since the late 1990s, when he earned his first cash at the World Poker Finals at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut. Since that time, Hennigan has moved on to become one of the most feared players in the game, with none other than Daniel Negreanu admitting he was a formidable foe. In an interview with PokerLizard.com, Negreanu is quoted as saying, “I most like to play with John Hennigan because when he is focused, he is the best I’ve ever played with. He thinks on another level that few could understand.”
Prior to stepping into the tournament arena, Hennigan made a name for himself grinding the cash games of Atlantic City’s casino scene. He quenched his thirst for competition (Hennigan early in life was a professional pool player) by earning a nice living from those cash games. Although he was successful, John still craved more adventurous battles on the felt, which led him to tournament action.
Known as “World” because of his propensity to gamble on pretty much anything in the world, Hennigan has had significant success in several disciplines of poker, from No Limit Hold’em to Seven Card Stud to H.O.R.S.E. His first World Series of Poker cash came in 1999, when he finished 19th in the $10,000 Championship Event, and he has been able to take home two prized WSOP bracelets. He won his first in 2002 (in the $2000 H.O.R.S.E. event) and picked up his second in 2004 in the $5000 Limit Hold’em tournament. His last cash at the WSOP came this year in the $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship, which was the eleventh career cash at the WSOP.
On the World Poker Tour stage, Hennigan has been able to maintain his history of success. He made his first WPT final table in 2002 at the Five Diamond World Poker Classic at the Bellagio – where he finished fourth – and finally broke through to win his first WPT event in 2007 at the Borgata Winter Open in Atlantic City. His $1.79 million in earnings on the WPT place him among the Top Fifty in WPT history in money won. All totaled, Hennigan has earned over $3.2 million in his tournament poker career.
On the felt, Hennigan uses his quick analytical skills to size up his table and their play. Not above making a play against his opponents, he also normally will be quite strong when in a hand. His unassuming style is perhaps the main reason why he has not drawn much attention from poker fans or the media.
Needless Fail League
Don’t bite the hand that feeds you. This old saying darted through my mind every time I read about the National Football League (NFL) lobbying against Representative Barney Frank’s internet gambling bill, HR 2267. Fortunately, the league ended its opposition to the bill in August because an amendment was added that would prohibit licensed online gambling operators from offering sports betting.
That doesn’t mean that the NFL’s stance on the whole issue is any less tilt-inducing to me, though. Before I get to my rant, I should say that given the NFL’s position on sports betting, I completely understand why the league, and other sports leagues for that matter, could care less about poker players. If a bill that legalizes and regulates online poker also does so for online sports betting, poker is unimportant collateral damage if the NFL manages to get the entire bill shot down. Guilt by association. I think most poker players feel the same way about sports betting. While we feel that people should be allowed to bet online, if throwing sports betting under the bus is the way for poker to come out on top, well… sorry sports bettors. Sucks to be you.
So, while I get why poker players are not a concern of the NFL, the league’s hatred of sports betting just doesn’t make sense to me. I mean, they hate it so much that they hired someone to lobby against Frank’s bill. They feel that sports betting hurts the integrity of the game. But as far as I know, there have never been any sports betting or game fixing scandals of note involving the NFL. Besides, while it’s of course possible, I find it extremely unlikely that an NFL player would be able to be influenced by criminal types to fix a game. Players get paid handsome sums of money for their skills, so the fee that someone would have to pay a player to, say, lose on purpose, would have to be pretty substantial. Plus, it would be quite difficult for a player to throw a game by himself without it being extremely obvious. I just don’t think it would realistically happen.
Getting back to my opening sentence, what really gets me is that without sports betting, the NFL wouldn’t be nearly as popular as it is today. Football season is like an extended Christmas shopping season for sports books and the Super Bowl is like Black Friday. Millions of people who either don’t have a strong rooting interest or whose team has no chance remain interested because they have money on the games. These people subscribe to DirecTV’s football package, make sure they get the NFL Network on cable, watch the commercials that feed the NFL’s coffers, and view the ads on the NFL’s website.
And all that doesn’t include fantasy football, which the NFL loves. The hypocrisy of that should be obvious. Fantasy football is gambling. It’s just in different form. Yes, many, if not most, people play fantasy for free and put no money into their leagues. But millions of people bet at least a few bucks each season, hoping that their team will win the league for a nice payout. Of course it’s gambling. Fantasy players are betting on the performance of the players they draft rather than on the performance of an NFL team. And the payouts come at the end of the season instead of at the end of each game.
One big thing that the NFL is ignoring in its loathing of online sports betting is that it’s easier to catch game fixing and the like online than it is offline. Online, all wagering history is recorded and suspicious trends are tracked. For example, in 2007, millions of dollars were bet on the European sports book Betfair against tennis player Nikolay Davydenko in a match in which he was a strong favorite and had already won the first set. He then withdrew from the match in the third set with an apparent injury. Betfair, in accordance with its agreement with the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), notified the ATP of this suspicious activity and cancelled all wagers on the match.
What the NFL should do is partner with the online sports books to help fight sports betting crime. Over a dozen online sports books in Europe are members of the European Sports Security Association (ESSA), which has a “mandate to keep sport clean and free from manipulation.” The ESSA members alert each other if any irregular betting patterns are detected, and in turn, alert the sports leagues and regulatory bodies. A system like this seems so obvious. In the meantime, the NFL and other professional sports leagues in the U.S. would apparently rather have online sports betting go underground with no protections, either for the bettors or the leagues, in place.
I am pleased that the NFL has dropped its opposition to the Frank bill, but it still needs to get its head out of the sand and get with the times. It owes much of its popularity to sports betting. Accept it and embrace the technological advancements that will protect the game better than prohibition will.
Roland de Wolfe impressionist
IPT San Remo Wraps with All-Italian Final
The 34 year-old Italian banked the €200,000 win, outlasting a field of 396 players that generated a €768,240 prize pool.
PokerStars Qualifier Stefano Demontis took second place for €120,000.
A total of 67 players won seats to the event on PokerStars.
Next up for the IPT is Nova Gorica Sept. 22-27.
However, 64 players entered the new IPT Pro League event in San Remo Wednesday.
The €3,200+€300 tournament is a new high-roller style competition aimed at testing the skills of the best Italian players.
The final table will be broadcast on Italian television.
Visit PokerListings.com
Johnny Lodden final tables PokerStars Sunday Million
How to Detect Collusion Online
As long as poker has existed, there have been players trying to cheat the game. And in today’s age of internet poker, players have more opportunity to attempt different methods of cheating, especially collusion. With the ability to communicate on the phone, via instant message, or Skype, players can easily communicate their hole cards to one another and discuss cheating strategies.
While it is easier to collude online than it is to do it live, most cheaters are not skilled enough to get away with it. Plus, the poker rooms have all the hand histories with which to track the colluders down, and the increasingly sophisticated hand analysis software makes shady play easily evident.
You should still always be on the lookout for the bad guys, though, and to detect them, you need to know what they are doing. So, here are the three most common ways players collude.
Softplaying
In cash games, softplaying could arguably considered the least problematic form of collusion, but it is still cheating and still hurts the game. Softplaying is just what it sounds like – two (or more, but usually two) players do not play aggressively against each other, for whatever reason. Chances are, they are friends, but they could also be two strong players familiar with each other, choosing to pick on the weaker players at the table instead of each other. If you play enough hands with softplayers and remain observant, it’s not the most difficult thing in the world to spot. Softplayers will rarely raise each other when in a heads-up pot and will very frequently just check it down through the river, even if they both have premium hands. It is tough to softplay with any frequency without getting noticed, as it looks fishy when there’s barely any betting in the hand and one player shows Aces and one shows Kings. Like I said, while still bad, it’s not as damaging in cash games as it is in tournaments, although I know I wouldn’t be thrilled if I stacked a player only to realize later that he could have had more chips for me to take had he not softplayed his friend on a prior hand. In tourneys, softplaying is particularly offensive because it potentially delays the elimination of one of the cheaters, making it harder for the honest players to make the money.
Squeezing
This one is wrong no matter which way you slice it. Two players (again, it could be more, but two is the most common number) will cheat by teaming up on an innocent player in an effort not to beat him with the best hand at showdown, but by forcing him to fold and surrender his chips. A typical collusion hand using the squeeze method goes like this:
Colluder A raises pre-flop, Victim three-bets, Colluder B four-bets, Colluder A five-bets, Victim folds, Colluder B calls. At some point after the flop, one of the cheaters will eventually fold, with the other winning the pot, which includes the pre-flop victim’s chips, as well as any blinds or antes. Alternatively, Victim may be the original raiser, with Colluder A and Colluder B both re-raising after him. The latter method guarantees that the cheaters will find a patsy. The former tactic is riskier, but offers the opportunity to bilk the innocent opponent out of more money.
The reason that the colluders won’t often take the hand all the way to showdown is that at least one of them will almost certainly have a junk hand. After all, if they waited to both have great hands, it wouldn’t really be cheating, as it would make sense to raise and re-raise with premium holdings. Remember, the whole point of the squeeze is not to have the best hand, it is to get the victim to raise and then fold. It is an intimidation play.
The squeeze cheat is especially troubling when it is done on the bubble of a single table tournament. With blinds very high relative to the chip stacks, every hand is important. Squeezing an opponent out of a hand after he raises just once can swing the tournament strongly in the cheaters’ favor.
Aside from simply keeping an eye on your opponents and noting if the same two players demonstrate this betting pattern on a somewhat regular basis, there is one way to really sniff them out. Call their raises. If you can get one or both of them to showdown and see that their hands are crap, you will have a nice piece of evidence of their cheating.
Chip Dumping
In cash games, chip dumping is generally a means for two players to transfer funds to one another, and is relatively harmless to the other players. In tournaments, though, it is a means to give one of the colluders the upper hand on the rest of the table. When chip dumping, one cheater will purposely lose his stack to his partner. While the first cheater is eliminated from the tournament, the other has now doubled-up and has a significant advantage the rest of the way. It’s not as easy to detect chip dumping as it might seem, as it is usually just a one-time thing in any given tournament (the dumping could occur in stages, but that’s less likely). The dumper does it, gets eliminated, and that’s it. It could appear to just be a silly donk blowing off steam. Aside from noting the players’ screen names and trying to track them down in other tournaments, my best advice would be to e-mail the poker room if you suspect chip dumping. The poker room will be able to find any other instances of those players sitting at the same table and will be able to determine if this was a one-time deal or a pattern of cheating.
While I just described three methods of collusion so that you have the knowledge necessary to spot this type of cheating, keep in mind that not all strange play is collusion. A single instance of what might seem to be softplay, squeezing, or chip dumping is not necessarily collusion (especially squeezing, since the squeeze play is a legitimate strategic move). But if you see repeated instances of any of these by the same players, it may be worth shooting off a message to the online poker room.
Multi-Table Tournament Strategy with CardRunners
In his first video back since his WSOP Bracelet victory, Matros shows us those champion skills in this $26 MTT vid. He replays a deep run, examining the interesting hands, and analyzing proper decisions based on stack sizes.
Note that this is a continuation of the last MTT Strategy Video we posted, which you can watch here – CardRunners Strategy: MTT Replayer with JacksUp.
BLOG - Life skills for the online poker community (Part II)
August 12th – Daily Deal
On today’s edition of the Daily Deal, the COO of UB.com answers some lingering questions about the two thousand and eight cheating scandal, the World Series of Poker Main Event begins airing on ESPN, and Doyle Brunson decided that on his birthday he prefers to give rather than receive.
Hello, I’m Sean Gibson and welcome to the Daily Deal by Poker News Daily.
Paul Leggett, the Chief Operating Officer of UB.com’s parent company Tokwiro Enterprises, posted a blog on Monday responding to questions regarding the cheating scandal that occurred on what was known as Ultimate Bet between two thousand and four and two thousand and eight. Leggett opened his blog by clearing the names of anyone associated the current owners of UB.com.
“I wanted to start off by confirming that no individual who has been linked to any cheating works for Tokwiro or any of its subsidiaries,” stated Leggett. “When I took the COO position with Tokwiro… the result of the AbsolutePoker investigation required Tokwiro to demonstrate to the Gaming Commission, and their auditors, that a list of certain individuals were no longer working for the business and that they had no ownership of any kind”
In two thousand and nine, The Kahnawake Gaming Commission stated that it had found convincing evidence that former World Series of Poker Main Event champion Russ Hamilton was the main person responsible for multiple cheating incidents at Ultimate Bet. Leggett supported this accusation:“Some people have a hard time believing that Russ was the only person involved in the cheating. The truth is that all of the data facts pointed to him. The cheating was occurring from places where Russ lived and worked, the money was being moved through accounts he controlled himself or through people who reported directly to him or his close friends”
On Tuesday night, the two thousand and ten World Series of Poker Main Event began airing on ESPN with a pair of one-hour episodes. The first one-hour episode covered Day 1A and had a feature table that included Full Tilt Poker pro Mike Matusow and bracelet winner Jason Lester. The second episode featured the exits of pros Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, Joe Sebok, Jennifer Tilly, and Liv Boeree on Day 1B. Also featured on Day 1B was Norwegian prodigy Annette Obrestad and her much-publicized Las Vegas WSOP debut. However, she ultimately busted from the Main Event after running ace-jack into pocket queens The internet whiz finished with four cashes and no final tables at the two thousand and ten WSOP.
Ten-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, back-to-back WSOP Main Event champ, and “The Godfather of Poker,” Doyle Brunson, celebrated his seventy-seventh birthday on Tuesday, and he is the one who will be handing out presents. Texas Dolly’s online poker room, Doyle’s Room, held a special $50,000 Birthday Bounty tournament on Wednesday night.
In the weekly Doyle’s Room Bounty tournament, any player who knocks out a marked site pro takes home a one thousand dollar cash prize. If anyone eliminates two of the three pros, they’ll win ten thousand dollars. And if someone is fortunate and skilled enough to send all three bounties to the rails, that player will bank a massive fifty thousand dollar prize. The winner of the entire tournament receives five hundred dollars in casino chips to use at Doyle’s Casino in addition their first prize money.
Thanks for joining me on The Daily Deal. Don’t forget to visit PokerNewsDaily.com and be sure to follow us at Twitter.com/PokerNewsDaily for the latest in poker news. This is Sean Gibson, and may the flop be with you!
Tags: cheat, Doyle Brunson, Jennifer Tilly, Online Poker, poker player, skill, tournament, usa, vegas, WSOP
Poker Prodigy Alexa Fisher
As Alexa Fisher was showing interest in basic numbers, she ended up learning with a deck of cards. Being 3 years old, she noticed the relationship to the playing cards in hand and on TV, she wanted to “learn that game” Texas Hold’em. At 7 years old, already knowing every game played at the WSOP, Alexa was first identified as a prodigy by Max Shapiro’s article “Alexa the Poker Prodigy”, which ended up being a full page published article in Card Player Magazine.
Alexa has played in several poker charity events which she was featured during her poker tournament debut for the Schertz Humane Society, Homes for Pets. She was publicly featured during the KENS 5 television show Great Day SA demonstrating her poker playing skills. While visiting Las Vegas this year during her summer vacation from 1st grade, Alexa went to the Rio in hopes to meet her favorite poker players. So many of the top players wanted to meet Alexa that she ended up having 5 hats and 4 shirts with autographs to show for including tons of pictures. While attending the 2010 WSOP, many professionals considered Alexa “their lucky charm” and during breaks she often was visited by players who wanted to say hello.
Among those players of Alexa’s favorites that she got to meet included Phil Hellmuth, Pamela, Todd, and Doyle Brunson, and Johnny Chan. She met several of this year’s bracelets winners including Huck Seed, Vanessa Hellabuyck, Gavin Smith, Men “The Master” Nguyen, Dutch Boyd, Phil Ivey, Sammy Farha and Michael Mizrachi. She also met the 2010 WSOP Last Woman Standing winner Breeze Zuckerman. To top everything off, poker legend Barbara Enright took Alexa to Serendipity 3 which she treated Alexa to her first ever “Double Frrrozen Hot Chocolate”.
Tags: 2010, charity, Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, poker player, skill, tournament, vegas, woman, WSOP
FTOPS XVII In Full Swing
Tags: skill
Doyle’s Room Celebrating Doyle Brunson’s Birthday with $50,000 Bounty Tourney
Ten-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, back-to-back WSOP Main Event winner, and “The Godfather of Poker,” Doyle Brunson, celebrated his 77th birthday yesterday. No doubt he had a fun party and received some nice gifts, but tonight, he is returning the favor. At 9:30pm ET tonight, Texas Dolly’s online poker room, Doyle’s Room, will be holding a special $50,000 Birthday Bounty tournament.
There are a number of bonus prizes in addition to the regular prize money in the $27.50 buy-in tournament. First and foremost are the pro bounties. Three Doyle’s Room pros – Todd Brunson, Pam Brunson, and Mike “America’s Mad Genius” Caro – will be marked. Any player who knocks out one of them will receive a $1,000 cash prize. If anyone eliminates two of the three pros, he will win $10,000. And if someone is fortunate and skilled enough to send all three to the rail, that player will bank a massive $50,000 bounty prize.
Additionally, the ten players who make the final table will earn seats in this Saturday’s Todd Brunson Montana Poker Challenge Semi-Final. One in ten players in the Grand Finale on August 22nd will win a prize package that includes a $1,110 seat in the Todd Brunson Montana Poker Challenge Main Event and spending money. The Challenge is a one-week poker experience, which includes the Main Event in which players will square off with Todd Brunson and the rest of the Brunson clan. It will be held from August 31st to September 6th in Big Fork, Montana.
There are a couple other bonuses in the bounty tournament, as well. If a player knocks out Doyle with the famous “Brunson” hand, 10-2, they’ll win an additional $5,000. The winner of the entire tournament will also receive $500 in casino chips to use at Doyle’s Casino.
As an added incentive, Doyle’s Room will refund the $27.50 buy-in for the $50,000 Birthday Bounty tournament for anyone playing in the weekly bounty event for the first time. Regardless of whether or not a player wins money, as long as it is their first time trying out one of the Bounty tournaments, the buy-in will be on the house.
Doyle’s Room is a member of the Cake Poker Network, which also includes the likes of Phil Laak‘s Unabomber Poker, Power Poker, and of course the network’s flagship, Cake Poker. The Cake Poker network is currently ranked 16th in cash game traffic, according to PokerScout.com.
Doyle Brunson is known as the Grandfather of Poker for his long career and his outstanding contribution to the game of poker as we know it. Tex Dolly was among the first few who took poker playing seriously enough to make a living out of it, back in the days when playing poker could cost someone their life. Brunson’s classic “Super System” became known as The Bible of Poker, and it changed the way Texas Hold’em is played to this day.
FTOPS XVII: Ten Online Poker Tournaments in the Books
Full Tilt Poker unleashed the 17th installment of its popular Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) on Wednesday and has already awarded 10 winners and more than $4 million in prizes through Saturday. The series, which began in 2006 and has run between two and four times per year, will offer a total of 34 tournaments through August 15th with more than $19 million in guaranteed prize money.
RPM Poker pro Brent “BRoberts85″ Roberts was the first FTOPS jersey winner, taking down the $216 No Limit Hold’em Event #1 for $164,358. Roberts, who has more than $1.2 million in online tournament winnings and close to $1 million in live earnings, bested a field of 4,591 players and a tough final table that included Sam “sammy_grinder” Grafton.
Other notable FTOPS XVII winners through Saturday include Mike “chapmoney” Chappus, who won the $300 Six-Handed Turbo No Limit Hold’em Shootout; Geoff “GeoffRas22″ Rasmussen, who took down the No Limit Hold’em Super Turbo; and Aaron “Aguskb” Gustavson, who was victorious in the $200 Rush No Limit Hold’em Turbo. Online pro Jason “jdpc27″ Wheeler defeated Andrew “Browndog19″ Brown to win the $535 Six-Handed Pot Limit Omaha Event #8 for $85,614.
Dozens of Full Tilt Red Pros have participated in FTOPS XVII already, but only Jeff Madsen has reached a final table. Madsen took third place in the $300 Six-Handed Turbo No Limit Hold’em Shootout for $28,460.
FTOPS XVII continues Sunday with Events #11, #12 and #13, with more than $2.5 million guaranteed prize money up for grabs. Meanwhile, here’s a look at the results from the first 10 events:
FTOPS XVII Event #1
Buy-in: $200+16
Entrants: 4,591
Prize Pool: $918,200
1. Brent “Broberts85″ Roberts – $164,358
2. Doorbread – $113,857
3. Sam “sammy_grinder” Grafton – $81,536
4. safadave1 – $60,601
5. o_Omx – $44,992
6. 2PAIRDUECESUP – $31,219
7. LarryDavid23 – $21,119
8. bigdrug77 – $14,691
9. foldgish – $10,100
FTOPS XVII Event #2: Rush Pot Limit Omaha
Buy-in: $240+14
Entrants: 1,130
Prize Pool: $226,000
1. nolez7 – $50,850
2. maxxscam – $32,205
3. RymesWOrange – $23,843
4. bleu329 – $18,645
5. shhharp – $14,125
6. JCTurn – $10,170
7. NeasK – $6,780
8. poker4adummy – $5,085
9. ATM Denman – $3,616
FTOPS XVII Event #3: Six-Handed Turbo No Limit Hold’em Shootout
Buy-in: $300+22
Entrants: 1,296
Prize Pool: $388,800
1. Mike “chapmoney” Chappus – $68,040
2. Josh “professor plum” Prager – $42,768
3. Jeff Madsen – $28,460
4. j2the6th – $19,440
5. Karl “discomonkey” Fenton – $13,608
6. FTOPS XVII HERO – $9,331
FTOPS XVII Event #4: HORSE
Buy-in: $500+35
Entrants: 483
Prize Pool: $241,500
1. BacoPride – $41,932*
2. vengven – $40,133*
3. MichaelScarn – $39,651*
4. Ganerc-Callibso – $16,422
5. Kirbynator – $10,143
6. RaisingCat – $7,004
7. BowToYourSensei – $5,313
8. shuriken555 – $3,623
*Denotes three-way deal
FTOPS XVII Event #5: No Limit Hold ‘em
Buy-in: $200+16 (1 Rebuy + 1 Add-on)
Entrants: 1,342
Prize Pool: $666,800
1. FlopeDeNuts – $131,309
2. Matthias “goodvibe” Neu – $108,739
3. Nick “agriffrod” Mitchell – $67,514
4. Peter “breeth” Turmezey – $54,178
5. carlbrashia – $40,875
6. GinsasH – $30,006
7. Felipe “clotilda” Montenegro – $19,337
8. Joe “JBlaze20″ Chaplin – $14,003
9. Tim “Tim0thee” Adams – $10,002
FTOPS XVII Event #6: No Limit Hold’em Super Turbo
Buy-in: $310+12
Entrants: 1,422
Prize Pool: $440,820
1. Geoff “GeoffRas22″ Rasmussen – $94,776
2. Mauro “OMGitsGees” Gees – $59,952
3. dragon350z – $44,523
4. 5andnil8 – $35,266
5. Mike McGuire – $26,449
6. Brian “like7″ Lamanna – $18,955
7. oskaaar – $12,343
8. padirk165 – $8,816
9. Utensss – $6,171
FTOPS XVII Event #7: Stud Hi-Lo
Buy-in: $200+16
Entrants: 589
Prize Pool: $117,800
1. Easy Pots – $23,085*
2. Dooks – $22,197*
3. 2the916K – $12,486
4. zoeprincess – $8,010
5. pepi55 – $4,947
6. roxmore2 – $3,416
7. St3phenHendry – $2,591
8. luadarko – $1,767
*Denotes two-way deal
FTOPS XVII Event #8: Six-Handed Pot Limit Omaha
Buy-in: $500+35
Entrants: 802
Prize Pool: $401,000
1. Jason “jdpc27″ Wheeler – $85,614
2. Andrew “Browndog19″ Brown – $56,140
3. JJ COMMERCE – $40,100
4. Tdanger00 – $30,476
5. Justin “Arsonist88″ Shelton – $21,654
6. quantum leaper1 – $13,835
FTOPS XVII Event #9: No Limit Hold’em with Rebuys
Buy-in: $100+9
Entrants: 1,827
Prize Pool: $600,000
1. Andrew “SkillVille” Weisner – $110,669*
2. V3kk3d – $94,531*
3. Jeremy “endlessj83″ Menard – $60,600
4. Liam Crawford – $47,400
5. coffmeister – $35,400
6. Dan “WiLDmAn75″ Buzgon – $24,600
7. citizenmax – $15,000
8. 43forty – $10,200
9. losebigpots – $7,200
*Denotes two-way deal
FTOPS XVII Event #10: Rush No Limit Hold’em Turbo
Buy-in: $200+16
Entrants: 1,971
Prize Pool: $394,200
1. Aaron “Aguskb” Gustavson – $81,205
2. HNE SNE SPEAKNE – $53,611
3. Matt “All In At 420″ Stout – $39,814
4. Majstor TH – $31,142
5. Icemanmark – $23,258
6. Suicide King007 – $16,162
7. jaytheo40 – $9,855
8. betembo9 – $6,701
9. jake00mt – $4,730
FTOPS XVII concludes on August 15th with the $640 Main Event. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for updates.
Aussie Millions Main Event Wraps Up on GSN
On Saturday night, the stirring conclusion of the 2010 Aussie Millions Main Event aired on GSN. The broadcast, which is sponsored by Full Tilt Poker, began with five players and newly minted Titan Poker pro Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi as the chip leader. The final five consisted of two Aussies, two Canadians, and one Dane in a truly global event.
Peter Jetten was the first casualty of the hour-long show, running K-5 of diamonds into Tyron Krost’s pocket tens. Jetten 4bet all-in pre-flop with the suited hand and despite hitting a five on the river, hit the exits in fifth place. Jetten told cameras following his elimination, “I knew going into today that this would take a long time and I was ready to play until six in the morning. Unfortunately, I didn’t get an opportunity to test out my 3am and 4am playing skills.”
Frederik Jensen doubled up after Mizzi 4bet all-in with A-5 of spades and ran into A-K. However, Mizzi struck back, doubling up at the expense of Kosta Varoxis with A-Q against A-4. Loud chants of “Mizz-i” permeated the Crown Casino as Mizzi’s better kicker held up.
Varoxis quickly doubled up twice, first against Mizzi and then against Krost, to get right back into the hunt for the $1.8 million first place prize. In his hand against Krost, Varoxis spiked a six-outer on the river to survive.
Mizzi drew out on Varoxis’ pocket kings with A-6. All of the money went in pre-flop and the drama was quite abbreviated, as Mizzi flopped an ace and never looked back. Varoxis, down to just 500,000 in chips, promptly moved all-in on the flop with A-6 against Jensen’s pocket twos. The wired pocket pair held and Varoxis’ Aussie Millions run came to an end. He commented after his elimination, “I came in wanting to do the best I can. I wanted to win. I knew I could win. I had the chance to and I came pretty close. I’m more than happy with that.”
With three players remaining, Mizzi 3bet to 775,000 with a wired pair of sevens and Krost shoved over-the-top all-in for 6.2 million with A-K of spades. Mizzi made the call, putting his stack at risk, and watched as a king fell on an all-heart flop to give Krost top pair. Mizzi called for running hearts for a chop (neither player held a heart), but no help came on the turn or river and Mizzi busted in third place. He entered the final table as a commanding chip leader and lamented, “Compared to the other days I played, I wasn’t getting the cards I was getting earlier.”
Then, on a flop of 3-K-2, Krost check-raised to 650,000 with K-9 and Jensen made it 1.1 million with K-6 for top pair with a weaker kicker. Krost moved all-in and Jensen made the call, yelling for his “one time.” The board filled out 7-2 and Krost took down the 2010 Aussie Millions Main Event title. Jensen was gracious after his runner-up showing: “It would have been a really sweet win, but [Krost] deserves to win. Tyron, he’s a good guy and a really good player.” Krost hoisted the trophy before Aussie Millions on GSN hosts Paul Khoury and Grub Smith wrapped up the tournament.
Next Saturday, the Full Tilt Doubles Poker Championship debuts on GSN at 8:00pm ET. Sixteen teams entered the made-for-TV tournament, which was filmed at the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas, and the top prize is $1 million. Check your local listings for station information.
Poker News in Brief: Aug. 2-8, 2010
As always, PokerListings had all the news you needed to know splashed all over the front page, but there were a few small things that fell through the cracks.
Fortunately, we've compiled those stories below in our weekly Poker News in Brief feature.
This week, the WSOP launches a free-play U.S. site, ESPN's Main Event coverage begins, Mexico gets a National poker tournament, London gets a strip poker event and lots more.
WSOP Launches Free U.S. Site
WSOP.com launched a free play World Series of Poker site for players in the United States this week.
A real money WSOP-branded site is currently available to UK customers and while the WSOP is awaiting changes in U.S. legislation before it rolls out a real-money U.S. site, WSOP.com is offering players in the U.S. the chance to download its software now and play for free.
"WSOP is a pre-eminent brand in poker worldwide, and this free play option will give U.S. players the opportunity to experience a quality poker product tailored to their local market," said Gigi Levy, Acting Managing Director of Dragonfish and CEO of 888 Holdings, which runs the site.
Hard Rock Readies Detox Poker Series
Renowned tournament director Matt Savage and the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino's Poker Lounge are joining forces to bring Las Vegas the Detox Poker Series Aug 13-22.
The 15-event series, with buy-ins ranging from $230 to the $550, will feature three massive guarantees, including a $100,000 opening event, a $50,000 guaranteed rebuy tournament and a $200,000 guaranteed main event.
There will also be a player appreciation tournament with $5k added on the series' final day.
For more info check out the series' website.
ESPN Main Event Coverage Begins
Coverage of the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event begins airing on ESPN Tuesday, Aug. 10, at 8 p.m. ET.
As always, Lon McEachern and Norman Chad share hosting duties.
This week, Mike "The Mouth" Matusow takes center stage on opening day, with 2003 champion Chris Moneymaker, 2004 winner Greg Raymer and 2010 Poker Players Championship winner Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi also featured.
Viewers can also expect to see Annette Obrestad, former Main Event champion Dan Harrington and 2008 Player of the Year Erick Lindgren throughout the first episode.
Commerce Set for September Series
$1.2 million in guarantees will be up for grabs at Commerce Casino's 19-day Hold'em Series, set to begin Sept. 1 at the Los Angeles area cardroom.
Buy-ins for the series start as low as $120 and two multi-day start events, with a $500,000 and $300,000 guarantee respectively, are planned.
The schedule also includes turbo, ironman, and knockout bounty events.
The full event schedule can be found at www.CommerceCasino.com.
London Poker Festival to Host Strip Poker Event
Organizers are expecting the Baller Strip Poker Championships to be one of the highlights of a busy London Poker Festival schedule this September.
The Stringfellows gentlemen's club in London's Covent Garden will play host to the unique event Sept. 21.
Fortunately, no poker players will lose any clothing in this one as the rules dictate that Stringfellows girls will be doing the undressing on their behalf.
More information is available at www.BallerStripPoker.com.
Blind Man's Bluff World Championship
Paddypowerpoker.com today will play host to the Blind Man's Bluff World Championship at this years' Irish Winter Festival in Dublin Oct. 24.
The €100+€10 Championship will follow a No-Limit Hold'em structure except players will not be permitted to look at their own two cards and have a full view of their opponents' holdings.
"This is a complex game with a lot more skill involved than one might initially think." said Paddy Power, Communications Manager for paddypowerpoker.com."Poker players like to think they can read their opponents - let's see how good they really are at judging a situation without knowing what cards they hold in their hat."
Online qualifiers to will take place on paddypowerpoker in September.
The Life Poker Championship
PokerTek, Cirsa Mexico and PokerStars are joining forces to host Mexico's first National poker tournament later this month.
The Life Poker Championship will be held at the Cirsa's Casino Life Del Valle property in Mexico City Aug. 18-22.
The event will be played on the latest PokerPro automated poker tables. Over 300 players are expected and it will be televised live throughout Mexico.
Satellites are available on PokerStars.net.
Visit PokerListings.com
Can a Wrong be a Right?
In the 2002 film Catch Me If You Can, Frank Abagnale, Jr.(played by Leonardo DiCaprio) is a con man and counterfeiter on the run from the FBI. He is charismatic, and while entertainment value could be found in many of his exploits, he is a criminal, plain and simple. Even though he should have been put away for a long, long time after he got caught, he only spent a relatively short time in prison because FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks) offered him a deal: work for the FBI uncovering fraud and counterfeiting schemes and become a free man. The bad guy used his criminal skills to make himself a legitimate success.
Recently, events in the poker world have loosely mirrored those in the film. Three major problems were discovered at online poker rooms over the last few months: significant encryption flaws on both the Cereus and Cake networks and a bot ring at PokerStars. The interesting thing about them is that they may have gone on unchecked were it not for a controversial player in the industry: PokerTableRatings.com (PTR).
Before I go on, let me clarify that I am not drawing a direct parallel between the folks at PTR and federal criminals. That would not be fair. But there is a similarity in what happened in Catch Me If You Can and what has been going on with PTR lately. PTR is poker hand aggregating site. It datamines at several different poker rooms and transforms that data into detailed information about every player at every one of those sites. Want to know how aggressive that guy in seat two normally is on the turn? PTR can tell you. Want to know if he’s a big winner or loser in that specific game? Check out PTR. The site has all sorts of tools that allow players to know everything about their opponents before ever laying eyes on them at the virtual felts. Some information can be had in limited quantities for free, but the good stuff is available only via a paid subscription. On top of that, players can actually purchase hand histories (PTR boasts that it has tracked over 8.7 billion hands) to download into their personal poker tracking software, such as PokerTracker or Hold’em Manager. For example, if I want hand histories for $.5/$1 short-handed No-Limit Hold’em games, I can buy 5 million of them for $195.
PTR’s services are not looked upon kindly by many players. The prevailing opinion seems to be that the availability of this information is bad for the game for several reasons, but three stand out. First, PTR’s services (note: there are other similar sites, as well) are almost exclusively used by strong “regulars,” giving them even more of an advantage than they already had over casual players. Casual players, or “fish,” as people like to call the lesser skilled ones, are good for the poker economy because they are the ones who reload and inject more money into the sites. The faster they have their money sapped, the faster they are likely to just give up on poker. Second, there are inevitably regulars who get mad about a suckout and then berate the “fish” who won the hand, announcing to everybody how much money PTR says that player has lost. Players don’t like to be embarrassed or feel unwelcome, so they are more likely to leave the site if it happens. Third, data aggregators like PTR just make the games worse, as their customers will scour the poker rooms looking for juicy games (PTR has a tool that can find you the best games), only willing to sit down when they find some fish to abuse. This is most noticeable in the heads-up lobbies, as regulars often refuse to play against anyone who PTR reveals is a good player, making it hard to find a game.
Oh, and on top of all that, it is against the terms and conditions of pretty much every poker rooms to buy, sell, or share hand histories of hands in which you were not involved. Thus, PTR blatantly breaks the rules in offering its services.
But now things have gotten interesting. The site that so many considered to be the “bad guy” has now helped the industry and poker players immensely. It found security problems on two major networks, potentially saving players and the poker rooms thousands, or even millions, of dollars. And if PTR hadn’t existed, it would have been much, much harder for the PokerStars bots to have been found, as there likely would not have been such large amounts of data on those bots all in one place. Players may have had their suspicions, but without all the information that PTR had, there is no guarantee that the bots would have been caught.
So, PTR and similar sites can be valuable assets to the industry. Where the poker rooms fall short in their security, the hand tracking sites can fill in the gaps. But are the benefits worth the problems they pose? I’m not so sure, but at the same time, putting all that information in the hands of a knowledgeable third party, not to mention all the poker players who pay for it, can really help clean up online poker. Fewer bots, colluders, and even possible superusers will attempt to cheat players because they know people have the tools to catch them. And those that do still try to make their money in a dirty way will be easier to stop.
It’s an interesting debate. I’ve always been squarely in the “PTR is bad” camp, but I do see the value the site can offer and have most definitely appreciated the site’s efforts in weeding out poker’s issues lately. Is there some sort of middle ground? I don’t know. The debate will rage on.