Poker News

Kevin Saul, Amnon Filippi Among PCA Day 1A Leaders

Day 1A of the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) played out on Tuesday, with 668 players taking to the felts inside the Atlantis Resort and Casino in the Bahamas. Wayne Bentley, a PokerStars qualifier from Britain, leads the way with 329,500 chips.

Bentley nearly amassed 11 times the starting stack of 30,000 in the $10,000 buy-in poker tournament after eight levels of play. He held pocket aces and eliminated a player with pocket kings within the first few minutes of Day 1A, doubling his stack to 60,000, and he never looked back. Team PokerStars Pro member Daniel Negreanu issued the traditional “Shuffle up and deal” command moments earlier. At the end of Day 1A, 430 players remained in the hunt.

Bentley sits comfortably in front of the second place stack of Amnon Filippi, who held a pile of 220,100 chips at the end of Day 1A. The accomplished poker pro was nearly 50,000 chips ahead of online poker pro Kevin “BeL0WaB0Ve” Saul, the winner of the 2007 installment of the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Bellagio Cup for $1.3 million. Last year, Saul finished eighth in the PCA Main Event for $234,000, outlasting all but seven of the 1,347 players who entered.

Team PokerStars Sports Stars will be out in full force on Wednesday for Day 1B, as German tennis legend Boris Becker, Swedish NHL star Mats Sundin, Dutch hockey pro Fatima De Melo, baseball commentator Orel Hershiser, and U.K. football legend Teddy Sheringham will all take to the felts. Also entering on Day 1B is Mike Kosowski, the winner of Season 1 of the “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge.” Kosowski earned $1 million after defeating Negreanu heads-up in the finale of the poker game show last month.

2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event November Nine member Eric Buchman sits in sixth place after Day 1A with 159,100 chips. The PokerStars sponsored player finished fourth in the $10,000 buy-in feature tournament in Las Vegas in November, adding $2.5 million to his net worth. The event was ultimately won by Joe Cada, who will take to the felts for Day 1B today. Joining him will be pros like Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, Humberto Brenes, and Victor Ramdin. Also playing is rapper Nelly, who has become somewhat of a staple on the poker circuit in recent months.

Here were the top ten chip stacks in the Bahamas after the smoke had cleared on Day 1A of the 2010 PCA Main Event:

1. Wayne Bentley - 329,500
2. Amnon Filippi - 220,100
3. Kevin Saul - 175,500
4. Eric Froehlich - 166,000
5. Dustin Dorrance-Bowman - 163,700
6. Eric Buchman - 159,100
7. Garðar Geir Hauksson - 138,900
8. Jacob Avital - 137,700
9. Christian Schwarz - 133,200
10. Rafal Michalowski - 129,300

The PCA is a stop on both the European Poker Tour (EPT) and Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT) and, as such, has attracted a global field. Still remaining after Day 1A are players from the United States, United Kingdom, Iceland, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Germany, Ukraine, Brazil, Canada, Sweden, Mexico, Turks and Caicos, Russia, Finland, Argentina, France, Norway, Switzerland, Slovakia, Poland, Denmark, Hungary, Czech Republic, Ireland, Belgium, New Zealand, Romania, Australia, Slovenia, Greece, Costa Rica, Austria, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Curiously absent is a representative from the host nation, the Bahamas.

Last year’s champion, Poorya Nazari, hails from Canada and nearly tripled his stack on Day 1A. Notable players who survived the first starting day, along with their chip counts, include:

Dennis Phillips – 113,000
Dario Minieri – 109,800
Vivek “Psyduck” Rajkumar – 106,400
Poorya Nazari – 89,300
Barry Greenstein – 89,200
Jeff Madsen – 79,400
John Duthie – 60,100
Marcel Luske – 55,600
Gavin Smith – 54,000
Jean-Robert Bellande – 53,900
Kevin Schaffel – 53,200
Bernard Lee – 46,800
Amit “amak316” Makhija – 42,000
Steven Paul-Ambrose – 37,900
“Miami” John Cernuto – 36,500
Chris “moorman1” Moorman – 34,700
Ivan Demidov – 27,600
Tom McEvoy – 19,900
Huck Seed – 16,000
Jeff “yellowsub” Williams – 13,100

Play wrapped up in Level 8, when blinds were 400-800 with a 100-chip ante. Day 1B will encompass the same eight levels before the field merges for Day 2 on Thursday.

Inside Gaming: Switzerland’s Liberal Online Gambling Policy and Macau’s Profits May Help PA Get Table Games

With poker at the center of our universe here at PokerNews, it's often easy to overlook everything else going on in the gaming industry. Today we're bringing you information on Switzerland's liberal online gambling policy and the possibility that...

International Federation of Poker: Governing Body for the Industry?

Ever since the explosion of poker in the early years of the 21st century, attempts have been made to organize players, either through a governing body for the sport or an organization to impose changes in the game, with varying degrees of success.

In April, a meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland attracted seven federations - the Danish Poker Federation (Denmark), the Fédération Française des Joueurs de Poker (France), the Stichting Nederlandse PokerBond (Holland), the United Kingdom Poker Federation (U.K.), the Russian Sport Poker Federation (Russia), the Ukrainian Poker Federation (Ukraine), and the Associacao Brazileira de Poker (Brazil) - to undertake the task of creating a worldwide poker federation that would bring the game into the sporting community. From this meeting was born the International Federation of Poker.

One of the tasks that the International Federation of Poker completed was electing its leadership and, when it comes to its President, its membership couldn’t have chosen a better man. Noted author Anthony Holden, who has written “Big Deal” and “Bigger Deal” and traveled around the globe playing poker, was elected as the first President of the organization. Poker News Daily had the chance to speak with Holden and discuss some of the challenges that face him.

PND: The International Federation of Poker (IFP) is not the first attempt at starting a governing body for poker. What chances for success do you believe the IFP has and how will it make a difference beyond other attempts?

Holden: The chances for success are as promising as they are exciting. The poker industry has grown so fast in the past decade that a governing infrastructure hasn’t been able to grow at the same pace. Poker is now one of the three most participated sports in the world alongside golf and fishing. There is a great need for a properly structured governing body, as there is in all competitive sports, and the IFP is such a body.

There are several features of the IFP that differentiate it from the previous organizations. The IFP is the first governing body in poker to be properly structured as a Sports Federation. The IFP is a not-for-profit organization with its head office in Lausanne, Switzerland, the global headquarters of international sports federations and the International Olympic Committee. It is subject to the Swiss Civil Code and will be arbitrated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, also in Lausanne. This is a major step towards securing recognition of poker’s status as a sport.

The IFP’s goals are broader than those of other poker organizations. Current organizations have very specific interests which the IFP will also be working towards: seeking recognition of poker as a skilled mind-sport and promoting a single unified set of rules to be used in card rooms across the globe. These goals are only part of the broader goal of the IFP, which is to form a comprehensive governing body comprised of national federations from around the world.

Also, the IFP has a well-qualified and dedicated staff working full-time to achieve its goals. Other organizations have been run part-time by very busy people and often fallen by the wayside. The IFP has the resources and manpower to establish itself as a major player on the international poker scene.

PND: The IFP has a strong start with seven national federations already members. Is there a goal in number of national federations to bring onboard or is it more quality-based?

Holden: One of the early missions of the IFP is to build up a strong membership base from around the world. We have identified governing bodies in more than 20 countries outside of our founding members and we are confident that our membership will grow quickly and steadily in the coming months. We hope to have 30 member nations by the end of this year.

When considering an application, the quality of the federation applying is paramount. The IFP has strict criteria for acceptance as a member: the federation in question must be a non-profit organization that truly represents the interest of poker players in that country and whose goals for the promotion of poker are aligned with those of the IFP. Applications from federations are submitted to the Board for approval by vote.

While we are working hard to secure membership of federations in key markets, the IFP is seeking member federations in all nations, no matter how small or remote. We are in advanced discussions about membership with federations from Germany, Italy, and Kyrgyzstan.

PND: What is the strongest component of the IFP, the overall governing body or the individual national federations that comprise it?

Holden: The IFP is a truly democratic body. Every member nation has one representative on the Congress, the supreme authority of the IFP. The IFP operates a “One Country, One Vote” policy, so no matter what the size of a nation, it participates in the governing of the IFP on an equal footing with all other nations.

PND: What are the challenges that the IFP faces?

AH: The greatest challenge that the IFP faces is the stigma that governments and the non-poker playing public attaches to poker. Government decision-makers see poker solely as a gambling activity and think its place is in a casino alongside craps and roulette. The IFP is seeking to educate people that poker is a skilled mind-sport and so to secure it the legal status it deserves all over the world. All the federations we have met are at different stages in the debate with their governments.

The IFP wishes to see a global coordinated approach to the issue and to provide our members with support and advice. We have had promising talks with the International Mind Sports Association in Paris, currently consisting of the international federations of Bridge, Chess, Draughts, and Go. We are optimistic about joining this organization later in the year, and, once we do, we will have official recognition as a mind-sport. Every four years, the IMSA holds the Mind-Sports Games, alongside and in the same city as the Olympics. The IFP looks forward to the chance to bring poker into this event. Once we achieve this, it will be a very useful tool in many debates.

PND: What attracted you to accept a position with the IFP?

Holden: As a lifelong author and journalist, I’ve been playing poker for 40 years and writing books about it for 20. My first visit to the World Series of Poker (WSOP) was in 1977. In recent years, I have been sponsored by PokerStars at events around Europe as well as the WSOP Main Event. That has now had to stop, alas, as the President of IFP obviously cannot accept sponsorship from any one website. I accepted the job, despite this sacrifice, because I believe the goals of the IFP are so important to the game. It enables me to spend my entire working life around poker, doing something worthwhile. Now that beats writing hands down!

PND: What would you like to see for the IFP before the end of the year?

Holden: We would like to have at least 30 member nations and to hold the first IFP team poker event. We would also like to see our member nations making progress with their national governments in the reclassification of poker from a luck-based gambling activity into a skill-based mind-sport. Finally, the IFP has had promising discussions with the International Mind Sports Association and we would be delighted to join this organization by the end of the year.

APPT Macau smashes records

After qualifying through a live satellite at the Grand Lisboa's PokerStars Macau Poker Room, Ireland's Dermot Blain booked the win in the main event, besting a final table that included 2009 WSOP Main Event Day 1b chip leader Brandon Demes.

Blain, 25, who recently left his job as a sales manager to play poker full time, took home approximately $538,700 for the win Sunday, marking the largest prize ever paid out in a poker tournament on Asian soil.

A total of 429 players from 46 countries created a more than $2 million prize pool for the main event, beating the previous record of $1.6 million set at last year's APPT Macau main event.

The APPT Macau High Roller event also finished Sunday with Switzerland's Vladimir Geshkenbein taking the $266,735 first-place prize.

Geshkenbein actually beat the legendary Johnny Chan heads-up, who managed to best his seventh-place finish in the very same event last year, coming second for $154,426.

The entire PokerStars.net APPT Macau Summer Festival of Poker actually featured 38 events with nearly 3,000 players and a total prize pool of $3,596,341.

"It's a wonderful experience to see the always-hospitable people of Macau and watch the sport of poker continue to grow," Team PokerStars Pro Joe Hachem said.

"It's truly amazing how passionate the local players at PokerStars Macau are about poker and it's abundantly obvious by not only the number of participants from Macau, Hong Kong and China, but also the great results they are having in all the events.

"I'm looking forward to coming back to the Grand Lisboa next year."

The next stop on the APPT will be in Auckland, New Zealand from October 14-18.

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Tiffany Michelle, Maria Ho May Compete on Amazing Race

Poker News Daily can confirm that Ultimate Bet Star Player Tiffany Michelle will compete on the upcoming season of the CBS reality series “Amazing Race,” according to anonymous sources inside the industry. The show debuts on September 27th at 8:00pm ET following “60 Minutes.” Michelle’s partner, according to Bluff Magazine and various television news outfits, is Maria Ho.

The upcoming season is the 15th for the “Amazing Race,” which pits teams of two against each other for a race around the world – literally. Last season, contestants traveled to diverse destinations that included Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Romania, Russia, India, Thailand, and China before crossing the finish line at the King Kamehameha Golf Club in Maui, Hawaii. Michelle and Ho represent the last women standing in the 2008 and 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Events, respectively. Michelle gained notoriety last year by calling the clock during a hand she wasn’t involved in, an act that was criticized by tablemate and November Nine member Craig Marquis.

An e-mail sent to Michelle seeking comment about the rumors resulted in an auto-response that read, “I’ll be off shooting for the next month, till mid August, and may be away from my computer and out of touch during that time.” An image that appeared on RealityFanForum.com showed Ho at Los Angeles International Airport allegedly for the start of “Amazing Race.” In a blog entry dated June 27th, Michelle indicated that she would not defend her title of Last Woman Standing in the Main Event: “It’d have to be something pretty big to deter me from the WSOP Championship Event this year and trust me, IT IS! I can’t disclose much right now, but I’ll be leaving the country to film a project for a month and it conflicts with the Main Event.”

In May, Jean-Robert Bellande, who appeared on CBS’ “Survivor: China” in 2007, posted on the online poker forum TwoPlusTwo that “two hot poker girls” were wanted for an “upcoming reality show.” Bellande, a Bodog pro, noted that the ideal candidate is “a respected pro, young, hot, single, [and] engaging.” The Bad Boy of Poker suggested Kristy Gazes and Team PokerStars Pro member Vanessa Rousso, although the latter is engaged to Chad Brown. Last season on the “Amazing Race,” former NFL cheerleaders Jaime and Cara finished as the runner-ups to siblings and lawyers Tammy and Victor.

A representative from Ultimate Bet told Poker News Daily, “I know Tiffany is away working on a project, but unfortunately that is all we know at this point. We can’t comment on any such rumors.” Michelle signed with the Tokwiro-owned online poker room one year ago, joining a Team UB roster that includes Adam “Roothlus” Levy, Brandon Cantu, Gary “debo34” Debernardi, “Hollywood” Dave Stann, Matt “mattg1983” Graham, Michael Binger, Mark “P0ker H0″ Kroon, Scott Ian, and Shawn “westtexasman” Rice. The site’s two main faces are 11-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth and “Celebrity Apprentice” runner-up Annie Duke.

At the Dream Team Poker event held at Caesars Palace in March, Michelle and Ho joined forces to bring Team Yo Mama to life. The all-female squad also featured Lacey Jones. No female team has ever won “Amazing Race,” which first aired in 2001. That season, contestants traveled 35,000 miles around the world, led by Rob and Brennan. For its 11th season, favorites from the first 10 cycles of “Amazing Race” convened for a special All-Stars edition. Notable teams included Rob and Amber of “Survivor” fame and Season 7 winners Uchenna and Joyce, who were eliminated at the end of the ninth leg.

During each episode, teams compete in “Detours,” which is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In addition, they’ll stumble upon “Road Blocks,” which are challenges that only one team member can perform. Each “Detour” and “Road Block” typically focuses on the local culture, giving the show a unique flair. New Zealander Phil Keoghan serves as its host and the show will return to its Sunday night timeslot on September. “Amazing Race” serves as the lead-in for the new CBS drama “Three Rivers.”

Free Million Dollar Game to kick off WSOPE

The Free Million Dollar Game will include players from 15 regions around the world battling for a $1 million top prize.

There is also the potential to win a £10,000 WSOPE Main Event seat, a £5,000 WSOPE Pot-Limit Omaha seat and a £1,000 WSOPE No-Limit Hold'em seat.

The first step to getting in the game is finding your daily regional freeroll to play. The freerolls started April 13 and will run for 18 weeks.

The regions that will be included in the promotion are:

• United Kingdom: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
• Ireland
• Greece/Cyprus
• DE/AUT/CH: Germany, Austria, Switzerland
• Spain/Portugal
• Italy
• Eastern Europe: Bulgaria, Czech. Rep., Romania, Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, Slovakia, Croatia, Slovenia
• Denmark
• Sweden
• Norway
• Finland
• France/Belgium
• Russia
• Rest of World (ROW)
• Canada

The top 18 players from each daily regional freeroll will advance to the weekly regional freeroll.

There will be 18 weekly regional freerolls, and the winner of each one will win a seat in the live regional final. The prize includes travel and accommodation for the live regional final.

The winner from each of the 15 live regional finals will be sent to London to play in the Free Million Dollar Game final.

Each live regional final will also award cash prizes to second through fifth place:

• 2nd - $1,500
• 3rd - $750
• 4th - $500
• 5th - $250

There are currently unlimited entrees into the daily regional freerolls. Starting May 4, all players will only have one entirely free entry but can earn more entries into the freerolls by earning Betfair Poker points.

For more information about this and other promotions, visit Betfair Poker.

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‘Poker Face’ does more than top the charts

Lady Gaga's song "Poker Face," in which the 23-year-old pop starlet lays claim to just that sort of trickery, is now the No. 1 single in the United Kingdom and No. 2 in the United States.

The song features a dog's breakfast of gambling metaphors and sexual innuendo, with Gaga (born Stefani Germanotta) going for broke with such lyrics as:

"I wanna hold'em like they do in Texas please // Fold 'em let 'em hit me raise it baby stay with me."

"Luck and intuition play the cards with spades to start // And after he's been hooked I'll play the one that's on his heart."

And, of course,

"I won't tell you that I love you, kiss or hug you // 'Cause I'm bluffin' with my muffin, I'm not lying I'm just stunning with my love glue-gunning."

The song's insidiously catchy chorus has propelled it to No. 1 on pop charts in such diverse markets as Canada, Belgium, Norway and Switzerland, and features Gaga proclaiming that her would-be lover "Can't read [her], can't read [her], no he can't read [her] poker face."

So is the song an attempt to cash in on the poker craze? Or will it further contribute to poker's mainstream appeal?

"I'd say it won't make any more fish play, but it definitely aids poker in being a bit more mainstream," said poker pro Adam "Roothlus" Levy, one of the few posters on the 2+2 forums to come out in favor of the song.

"With the growing popularity of Lady Gaga, it can only enhance the public's image of poker," he said.

"Is Lady Gaga good for poker?" said poker pro Bryan "The Icon" Micon. "Yes. Anything that gets poker out over the mainstream and makes it look cool and glamorous is definitely good for poker."

As for whether the song will bring more new money to the tables, Micon claims to have firsthand proof of the song's effectiveness as bait.

"Actually, I was sitting here, drunk, outside of [Las Vegas nightclub] Pure last night, and they were blasting 'Poker Face,'" he told PokerListings.com.

"Pure is right next to the poker room, and there were actually people coming out of the club and banging their heads to the song like, 'Ahhh, Poker Face!' and then looking over at the poker room and being like 'Ahhh, poker!' That actually happened."

The video, which features Gaga hitting runner-runner quad aces in a rubber-suited strip poker party, was filmed at the luxury villa on bwin's ((PokerIsland)) and features bwin logos prominently throughout.

The 2+2 community, at least, has taken note.

"Nice bwin adverts in there," wrote poster DaExMan. "All the fish are going to [the] Ongame [Network] imo."

"When this hits MTV I might have to change to bwin," poster youcanhaveitall agreed.

Time will tell whether bwin poker - and the poker community at large - will reap the benefits of Lady Gaga's rise up the pop charts.

But until Tiesto remixes "The Gambler," it appears the YouTube generation has found its de facto poker anthem.

 

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