Posts Tagged ‘Sydney’
Thirsty Poker Player
PokerStars ANZPT Season 3 Taking Shape
The third season of the PokerStars-backed Australia-New Zealand Poker Tour, or ANZPT for short, is taking shape. A total of eight events are on the docket, starting in February with a trip to Adelaide for an AUD $2,400 buy-in tournament from the 2nd to 6th. The event’s field is capped at 200 runners.
From Adelaide, the ANZPT crew will travel to the Burswood Casino for ANZPT Perth from March 23rd to 27th. The stop features an AUD $2,500 buy-in Main Event that, like the Adelaide event, is capped at 300 players. Following the sojourn to Perth, PokerStars officials will pack their belongings and head to Sydney, where the Star City Casino will host another AUD $2,500 buy-in Main Event. The Sydney stop is capped at a healthy 500 entrants. You can catch the marquee tournament starting on April 13th; it will crown a champion four days later.
The fourth stop on the ANZPT Season 3 schedule is at the Jupiters Hotel and Casino for ANZPT Gold Coast. The AUD $2,500 buy-in event takes place between May 17th and 22nd and will reach capacity when 350 players have punched their tickets. Following the Gold Coast festivities, ANZPT Canberra will play out at Casino Canberra. The tournament takes place from June 10th to 13th and is the smallest event capacity-wise at 240 players.
Three other ANZPT events are on the books for Season 3. However, PokerStars has not yet announced a buy-in or dates for ANZPT Queenstown, ANZPT Melbourne, or ANZPT Darwin. What is known is that the trio of tournaments will take place at the SkyCity Queenstown, Crown Melbourne, and SkyCity Darwin, respectively.
The first stop in Adelaide features a 13-day festival of poker that includes 16 events starting on January 25th. The richest tournament on the docket is not the Main Event, but rather the AUD $4,000 buy-in Big Stakes Event, which will pan out on February 6th. The series features several strict regulations, including one regarding betting and raising. Text found on the ANZPT website explains, “Adelaide Casino is very strict regarding string bets/raises – it is recommend that players announce the amount of the raise or release all of the chips in hand over the line in one single motion.”
If you have an iPod, leave it at home because the popular Apple device will not be allowed at ANZPT Adelaide due to government regulations. In addition, according to PokerStars, “If you act out of turn and the intervening player bets more, you forfeit your out of turn bet if you fold.”
In October, Danny “Brotha D” Leaoasavaii came away with the win in Darwin, the final stop of the second season of the ANZPT, and picked up AUD $57,000. ANZPT Season 2 Player of the Year Tony Hachem finished 10th in the tournament, adding another AUD $5,000 to his poker bankroll, and Billy “The Croc” Argyros also made the final table.
For winning the ANZPT Player of the Year title, Hachem took home entry into four PokerStars Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) events as well as either the 2011 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event or the Aussie Millions Main Event. Hachem logged 252 Player of the Year points during Season 2 and edged out John Maklouf, who accrued 233. Amazingly, the top 51 players on the ANZPT Season 2 Player of the Year leaderboard hailed from Australia.
Here is the preliminary schedule for Season 3:
ANZPT Adelaide: Adelaide Casino
AUD $2,400 buy-in
February 2nd to 6th
ANZPT Perth: Burswood Casino
AUD $2,500 buy-in
March 23rd to 27th
ANZPT Sydney: Star City Casino
AUD $2,200 buy-in
April 13th to 17th
ANZPT Gold Coast: Jupiters Hotel & Casino
AUD $2,500 buy-in
May 17th to 22nd
ANZPT Canberra: Casino Canberra
AUD $2,200 buy-in
June 10th to 13th
ANZPT Queenstown: SkyCity Queenstown
TBD
ANZPT Melbourne: Crown Melbourne
TBD
ANZPT Darwin: SkyCity Darwin
TBD
Visit PokerStars for more details.
PokerStars Gears Up For ANZPT 3
The second season wrapped up last week following Jonathan "xMONSTERxDONGx" Karamalikis' victory at the Grand Final in Sydney, Australia, when he got the best of a star-studded final table that included Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu (9th), WSOP, WPT and EPT Triple Crown winner Roland de Wolfe (8th), and 2008 APPT Macau Champ Eddy Sabat (6th).
Now organizers have confirmed the third season of the PokerStars.net ANZPT will kick off in Adelaide, Australia Feb. 2-6.
Season 2 saw eight events across Australia and New Zealand with a combined prize pool of $4,318,979.
But Season 3 promises to be even bigger with return trips to Adelaide, Perth, Sydney (twice), Canberra, Queenstown, Gold Coast, Melbourne and whispers that more locations will be announced as the tour rolls on.
Once again, there will be a Player of the Year competition rewarding the highest points-scoring player over the entire ANZPT with a sponsorship package to four Asia Pacific Poker Tour events, and either the Aussie Millions Main Event or the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event.
Team PokerStars Pro Tony Hachem has won the title two years running.
As always, PokerStars is planning a series of online poker satellites into the events.
More information can be found on the ANZPT website.
Visit www.pokerlistings.com
December 17th – Weekly News Update
Welcome back to another edition of our Weekly News Update. I’m your host, Sean Gibson, and we’ll be talking about the biggest headlines for the week. Let’s get to the news!
On Thursday morning, Poker Players Alliance Executive Director John Pappas told Poker News Daily that the bill introduced by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid legalizing and regulating online poker is dead. A move to add the bill’s language to the tax relief act debated in Congress this week failed to come to fruition.
Pappas told Poker News Daily that a highly charged debate over the tax bill was largely to blame:
“When the tax package fell through and things became much more political for it – not related to our bill – it became clear that another controversial addition to the tax bill could sink it.”
Reid’s bill would have opened the online poker market in the United States to current operators like Caesars Entertainment, which owns the rights to the annual World Series of Poker. Pappas added that hope is not lost:
“The online poker bill that was floating around needs some improvement, so the PPA wants to go back to Senator Reid [in 2011] and talk about how we can improve on his current draft. There’s going to be a renewed focus in the Senate and we’ll be taking some of the legislation in a different direction so that’s it not focused on the Financial Services Committee, where we have a known opponent.”
Party Gaming co-founder Anurag Dikshit, who admitted to violating the Wire Act of Nineteen Sixty-One two years ago, was sentenced to one year of probation by a New York court on Thursday, according to Forbes. He has also coughed up three hundred million dollars and agreed to cooperate in an ongoing Federal investigation.
U.S. District Court Judge Jed Rakoff determined Dikshit’s fate on Thursday and the possibility of two years behind bars hung in the balance. In the end, Rakoff told the court, “I am persuaded that no jail time is appropriate here.”
Dikshit’s admission marked one of the first times that online poker has ever been associated with the Wire Act, which has traditionally applied to sports betting. In October Two Thousand Nine, Dikshit sold his remaining shares in Party Gaming for around two hundred million British Pounds, which amounted to a twenty eight percent stake.
Party Gaming vacated the U.S. market in 2006 after the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. The publicly traded company has since inked a non-prosecution agreement with the United States Government and forked over a one hundred five million dollar fine.
Last week, PokerStars announced that the mysterious high-stakes phenom Isildur1 had signed on to become the latest member of Team PokerStars Pro. At the same time, a new promotion, the SuperStar Showdown, was launched, allowing all comers to take on Isildur1 in a nosebleed stakes heads-up match. On Tuesday, Isildur1?s first opponent was revealed.
This Sunday at Six PM Eastern Time, Isaac Haxton will put one hundred fifty thousand dollars on the line as he takes on Isildur1 at four tables of Fifty / One Hundred No Limit Hold’em. Haxton is well known throughout the poker community and, in addition to his cash game success, has put together an impressive record on the live tournament circuit.
The matches will last either twenty five hundred hands or until one of the players goes bust, whichever happens first, and the winner is the player who ends up with the most money. Anyone who is willing to pony up fifteen hundred big blinds can issue a challenge to Isildur1 by e-mailing PokerStars.
Full Tilt Poker pro Jonathan “xMONSTERxDONGx” Karamalikis bested a field of two hundred eighty nine players to win the Asia Pacific Poker Tour Grand Final in Sydney, Australia last weekend. The twenty two year old online superstar from Adelaide earned four hundred fifty nine thousand Australian Dollars, his biggest score ever.
The star-studded final table included Team PokerStars Pro member Daniel Negreanu, live poker Triple Crown winner Roland de Wolfe, and former APPT champion Eddy Sabat. Negreanu, who took a short stack to the final table, was the first to exit after running top pair into de Wolfe’s set of threes. His ninth place finish earned him thirty-six thousand Australian Dollars. By the way, De Wolfe finished in eighth place.
Staying with the live tournament circuit, PokerStars announced details on Thursday for Season Four of the Latin American Poker Tour. The fourth LAPT season will begin in February and has five events on the schedule so far, including stops in Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Chile, and Colombia.
The new LAPT Player of the Year awards will recognize excellent performances throughout the season. The awards, much like the PokerStars European Poker Tour awards, will be handed out at the end of the season based on results in not only Main Events, but also most of the side events. The EPT gives trophies yearly to the top overall player as well as the top Omaha player, Mixed Games player, heads-up player, and qualifier. There is also an award given to the country that performs the best during the season.
The first stop of Season Four will be in Sao Paulo. Here’s a look at the schedule so far:
February 16-20: Sao Paulo, Brazil (R$5,000 buy-in)
March 17-20: Vina Del Mar, Chile ($1,100 buy-in)
April 12-17: Lima, Peru ($2,500 buy-in)
June 1-5: Rosario, Argentina ($2,500 buy-in)
August 3-7: Bogota, Colombia ($1,100 buy-in)
Thanks for tuning in to the Poker News Daily Weekly Update and be sure to check back with us every day for the latest in poker news.
Around the World with Lynn Gilmartin: The Dong-ination of APPT Sydney
High Stakes Poker Season 7 Taping at Bellagio This Week
This week, the seventh season of the GSN cash game franchise “High Stakes Poker” will begin taping at the Bellagio on the Las Vegas Strip. Last year, the action emanated from the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas and a source close to GSN told Poker News Daily that the change in venue was due to a “production decision.”
No members of the media are allowed inside the “High Stakes Poker” suite for Season 7. Instead, what happens in the small makeshift poker room will remain a closely guarded secret until the seventh cycle of the show airs beginning in February on GSN. “High Stakes Poker” will return to its Sunday night time slot and feature with the same faces as last year: PartyPoker pro Kara Scott conducting interviews from tableside and former “Welcome Back, Kotter” star Gabe Kaplan flying solo in the booth.
The constantly-changing list of pros scheduled to turn out over the next three days includes Barry Greenstein, Doyle Brunson, recent World Poker Tour (WPT) Five Diamond World Poker Classic winner Antonio Esfandiari, David “Viffer” Peat, Phil Laak, Jason Mercier, Phil Galfond, and former World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champ Scotty Nguyen, who will be making his “High Stakes Poker” debut. The same source also relayed that several amateurs will join the fray.
One player who won’t be gracing the “High Stakes Poker” felts this year is Daniel Negreanu, one of only a handful of players who have competed in every season to this point. Negreanu explained via Twitter why he wouldn’t be able to make it to Las Vegas in time: “Sad news: At airport headed home, which means the trip is over. Have a commercial shoot when I land, which means no HSP for me this year.” Negreanu had been in Sydney for the PokerStars Asia Pacific Poker Tour Grand Final, where he made the final table and finished ninth.
Lex Veldhuis will also be a no-show for “High Stakes Poker” at the Bellagio. Veldhuis Tweeted earlier today, “Crazy busy week. Leaving for Vegas on Monday. Have to get all my shit done. Had to cancel for High Stakes Poker.”
Also potentially absent from the “High Stakes Poker” felts this season will be Full Tilt pros, although our source could not confirm or deny their attendance. Greenstein, a PokerStars pro, explained the dilemma on TwoPlusTwo: “Full Tilt has two major concerns. First is they don’t like their players playing when PokerStars is the sponsor of the show… Secondly, they were unhappy that PokerStars bought the HSP archives. In the early seasons of HSP, the players didn’t wear logos, so FTP is concerned that viewers will be able to go to PokerStars.tv and see the FTP players without logos and be confused by their affiliation.”
In previous years, the press was invited for interviews prior to the action. In fact, when the filming of Season 7 was scheduled to take place last month, Poker News Daily was invited to watch the action unfold. However, due to the change in location to the Bellagio this month, a source close to GSN told Poker News Daily, “We have all of these new players, a new venue, and new elements. It’s a small space. It’s super tight and we just want to focus on the game play.”
“High Stakes Poker” will once again boast a $200,000 buy-in for Season 7 and, unlike NBC’s “Poker After Dark,” no change to Pot Limit Omaha is expected. Instead, the GSN series will continue spreading high-stakes No Limit Hold’em. One-hour episodes will once again grace the small screen next year, as has been the case in years’ past.
Jonathan Karamalikis Win PokerStars APPT Grand Final in Sydney
Full Tilt Poker pro Jonathan “xMONSTERxDONGx” Karamalikis bested a field of 289 players to win the PokerStars Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) Grand Final in Sydney, Australia over the weekend. The 22 year old online superstar from Adelaide, Australia earned AUD $459,510, his biggest score ever, and outlasted one of the toughest final tables ever played on the APPT.
The star-studded final table included Team PokerStars Pro member Daniel Negreanu, live poker Triple Crown winner Roland de Wolfe, and former APPT champion Eddy Sabat. Negreanu, who took a short stack to the final table, was the first to exit after running top pair into de Wolfe’s set of threes. His ninth place finished earned him AUD $36,415.
However, de Wolfe’s newfound chips didn’t take him far, as the London pro lost a few pots and then moved his short stack all-in pre-flop with A-9 only to be called by the A-Q of Karamalikis. The best hand held up, sending de Wolfe out in eighth place with $50,285. After Manuel Hansimikali was eliminated in seventh place, Karamalikis busted yet another pro at the table, sending Sabat out in sixth. Karamalikis four-bet all-in pre-flop with pocket nines and was called by Sabat, who revealed A-K. The Q-Q-6-3-Q board was no help to Sabat, who collected $79,765.
Hours later, Karamalikis found himself heads-up with fellow Aussie Benjamin McLean for the APPT Grand Final crown. McLean had a slight lead when heads-up play began, but Karamalikis quickly took control and never looked back. In the most pivotal pot of the match, Karamalikis made the nut flush with his Ks-Ts and got three streets of value from McLean, who had A-K for top pair. McLean then moved his remaining chips in pre-flop with A-6 suited against the pocket fives of Karamalikis and was unable to improve, sending the pot and the title to the 22 year old.
“This is obviously the biggest (tournament) I’ve ever won, by far,” Karamalikis said after the victory. “It’s quite a prestigious title, so I’m really glad to have it under my belt.”
With the victory, Karamalikis became the fourth consecutive Aussie to win the APPT Grand Final. He also moved into the top 10 of Australia’s all-time money list with over $1 million in live tournament earnings. Joe Hachem ($10,962,046), Antanas “Tony G” Guoga ($4,385,948), and Mel Judah ($3,238,391) are the top three Aussie money winners.
Here’s a look at the final table results from Sydney (all prizes listed in AUD):
1. Jonathan Karamalikis – $459,510
2. Ben McLean – $294,780
3. Tom Rafferty – $164,730
4. Peco Stojanovski – $121,380
5. Antoine Amourette – $97,970
6. Eddy Sabat – $79,765
7. Manuel Hansimikali – $65,025
8. Roland de Wolfe – $50,285
9. Daniel Negreanu – $36,415
The 2010 APPT Grand Final saw a significant drop in attendance from 2009, when Aaron Benton best a field of 389 players to win the title. Despite the 100-player slide, the event was deemed a success by tournament staff. “It’s been an amazing series and an exciting time for me and the poker staff at Star City,” said Debra Rillo, Star City Hotel and Casino Poker Manager. “We’ve had some of the biggest names in poker grace our felts this fortnight. Many thanks to all our local, interstate, and international guests and players. I am proud to say that I was a part of this event. Roll on 2011!”
The Sunday Grind: NBA Jammin’
Jonathan Karamalikis wins APPT Grand Final
Tags: Sydney
Karamalikis Wins, Negreanu Ninth at APPT Grand Final
"This is obviously the biggest (tournament) I've ever won, by far," Karamalikis said. "It's quite a prestigious title, so I'm really glad to have it under my belt."
The 22-year-old from Adelaide, Australia collected the AUD$459,510 first-place prize outlasting major stars like Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu (9th), WSOP, WPT and EPT Triple Crown winner Roland de Wolfe (8th), and 2008 APPT Macau Champ Eddy Sabat (6th)
Karamalikis became the fourth consecutive Aussie to win the APPT Grand Final and is now in the top ten on Australia's all-time money winners list.
The APPT Sydney Grand Final drew 289 players creating a AUD$1,734,000 prize pool.
Here's how the final table finished up.
1 Jonathan Karamalikis AUD$459,510
2 Benjamin McLean AUD$294,780
3 Tom Rafferty AUD$164,730
4 Peco Stojanovski AUD$121,380
5 Antoine Amourette AUD$97,970
6 Eddy Sabat AUD$79,765
7 Manuel Hansimikali AUD$65,025
8 Roland de Wolfe AUD$50,285
9 Daniel Negreanu AUD$36,415
Visit www.pokerlistings.com
2010 PokerStars.net APPT Sydney Day 4: Karamalikis Shows ‘Em Who’s Boss!
2010 PokerStars.net APPT Sydney Day 3: Roland de Wolfe Leads Final Table; Karamalikis, Sabat and Negreanu Still In Contention
2010 PokerStars.net APPT Sydney Day 2: Vakili Leads Final 32
Daniel Negreanu, Roland de Wolfe alive at APPT Sydney
Stars Shine at APPT Sydney Final
While Reza Vakili grabbed the overnight chip lead, Aussie online superstar Jonathan 'xMONSTERxDONGx' Karamalikis and WSOP, WPT and EPT Triple Crown winner Roland de Wolfe sit right behind him as the only players over the 700k chip mark.
Also still stacked in the the chase for the AUD$459,510 first-place prize is Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu, 2010 Aussie Millions champ Tyron Krost, 2007 APPT Grand Final winner Grant Levy and 2008 APPT Macau champ Eddy Sabat.
A total of 289 players paid the AUD$6,300 entrance fee to create a prizepool of AUD$1.73 million.
The event's third day will go off at 12:30 p.m. Sydney time Saturday and a champion will be crowned Dec. 12.
Visit www.pokerlistings.com
2010 PokerStars.net APPT Sydney Day 1c: Brkovic Leading Field
Day 1c finalises APPT Sydney field at 289 entrants
Negreanu, Tony G Among APPT Sydney Survivors
A total of 289 players paid the AU$6,300 entrance fee to create a prizepool of AU$1.73 million with AU$459,000 dedicated to first place.
Now only 163 remain with several notable players still in the running including the aforementioned Negreanu and Tony G as well as Eddy Sabat, Joe Hachem, Lee Nelson, Tyron Krost, Grant Levy and David Saab.
Team PokerStars Pro Chris Moneymaker very nearly secured his spot in Day 2 but he busted in the late stages of Day 1c yesterday.
Daniel Neilson finished as the Day 1 chip leader with 164,100 chips. The top 10 was rounded out by a group of relatively unknown players outside of Vijayan Nagarajan who made the APPT Sydney final table in 2007.
Day 2 will begin at 12:30 local time today with the tournament running until Sept. 19, when a champion will be crowned.
Visit www.pokerlistings.com
2010 PokerStars.net APPT Sydney Day 1b: Neilson Finds His Way to the Top
APPT Day 1b concludes, Daniel Neilson leads the field
2010 PokerStars.net APPT Sydney Day 1a: Hansimikali Sitting On Top
Around the World with Lynn Gilmartin: Sydney
PokerStars Announces Schedule for APPT Cebu
PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker room and sponsor of the Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT), has announced the return of a stop in Cebu, Philippines for its fourth season. The series will take place at Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa for a five-day Main Event from November 12 to 16, along with a string of side events.
“We’re delighted to be taking the APPT back to the Philippines, and Cebu in particular,” said Jeffrey Haas, President of the APPT. “The Tour has gone from strength to strength in its relatively short life and fields are growing all the time. Last year’s event in Cebu was a definite highlight and offered further evidence of the continued passion for poker in the Asia Pacific region.”
The tour had a hugely successful debut in Cebu last year, drawing 319 players for the 100,000 Pesos (approximately $2,165 USD) Main Event to create a prize pool of more than $630,000. The tournament was won by Korea’s Dong-bin Han, who collected $156,722 and became only the second Asia-based player to win an APPT Main Event. The 37-year-old bested a tough field that included PokerStars Team Pros Bryan Huang, Tae Jun Noh, Raymond Wu, Tony Hachem, and Celina Lin.
Lin, who won the Red Dragon event at the Macau Poker Cup in July 2009, is excited to return to Cebu for another year: “The five-star resort, with wonderful beaches, spas, and restaurants, is one of the most idyllic places I’ve ever played poker. Cebu is a beautiful destination and the poker tournament itself was also fierce and fun. It will be even better this time!”
The APPT has already held the first three legs of Season 4. APPT Manila took place in the Philippines in March and was followed by APPT Macau at Casino Grand Lisboa in May. APPT Auckland in New Zealand panned out earlier this month. The APPT Grand Final in Sydney, Australia will take place at the Star City Casino from December 7 to 12.
APPT Cebu kicks off Wednesday, November 11 with a PHP 5,000 No Limit Hold’em event. Here’s a look at the full 2010 PokerStars APPT Cebu Cup Schedule (buy-ins in Philippine Pesos):
Wednesday, November 11: PHP 5,000 Cebu Cup Day 1A (PHP 1,000,000 Guarantee)
Thursday, November 12: PHP 5,000 Cebu Cup Day 1B
Friday, November 12: PHP 100,000 APPT Main Event Day 1A
Friday, November 12: PHP 20,000 No Limit Hold’em
Saturday, November 13: PHP 100,000 APPT Main Event Day 1B
Saturday, November 13: PHP 20,000 No Limit Hold’em KO Bounty
Saturday, November 13: PHP 5,000 Ladies No Limit Hold’em
Sunday, November 14: PHP 10,000 No Limit Hold’em Six-Handed
Sunday, November 14: PHP 30,000 Pot Limit Omaha
Monday, November 15: PHP 40,000 No Limit Hold’em Six-Handed
Monday, November 15: PHP 200,000 High Roller Event (Two-Day)
Tuesday, November 16: PHP 20,000 No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack
Visit PokerStars for full details.
A Kiwi Kickoff at APPT Auckland
The day began with a traditional M?ori Kapa haka, performed by the Te Roopu Manutaki Kapa Haka Group.
A total of 89 players hit the felt for the first of two Day 1 flights, 17 of whom qualified for the tournament on PokerStars.
2010 APPT Macau Main Event champion Victorino Torres was among them, as was 2009 APPT Sydney Grand Final champion Aaron Benton,
American PokerStars qualifier Noah Vogelman was the only player to finish the day with over 100k in chips, grabbing the overnight lead.
Only 41 players remained when play closed, including New Zealand hip-hop artist Danny 'Brotha D' Leaoasavaii and the aforementioned Torres.
That group will return to action on Day 2 Friday while a new crop of Day 1 players are scheduled to hit the felt at 12:15 p.m. local time Thursday.
Team PokerStars Pros Tony Hachem and Lee Nelson should be among them.
Visit PokerListings.com
ANZPT Gold Coast Heats Up
Darko Balaban maintained the chip lead throughout the day until a massive pot played out on the second last hand.
After getting it all in with queens versus aces earlier in the day and finding a way to survive, Nicholas Wong found himself all in again and behind, but managed to suck out again, rake the biggest pot of the tournament and grab the overnight chip lead.
The Hong Kong native finished with 376,500 in chips and a host of respected pros on his heels, including fellow Hong Kong high roller David Steicke, reigning APPT Sydney champ Aaron Benton and the aforementioned Balaban.
Also in the hunt is Sydneysider John Maklouf, who has made three consecutive ANZPT final tables and will overtake Team PokerStars Pro Tony Hachem in the ANZPT Player of the Year race by cashing here.
The AUD$2,500 main event drew 287 players to the Conrad Jupiters Casino Gold Coast creating a $717,250 prize pool that will pay 32 places.
$182,965 is reserved for the winner.
Action resumes Saturday at 11:30 a.m. Australia Eastern Standard time.
Visit PokerListings.com
The Aussie Millions on GSN: Sydney’s Tyron Krost Brings the Title Home
ANZPT Queenstown Gets Rolling
Team PokerStars Pro Lee "Final Table" Nelson, APPT Sydney winner Aaron Benton and ANZPT Gold Coast champion Scott Kerr all came to play in Day 1a of the tournament, which is the only New Zealand-based event on the ANZPT.
A modest 38 players paid the NZD $2,500 entrance fee to play but after five levels of play the field had been cut down to 24.
Australian Michael Spilkin ran extremely well on Day 1a and finished as the overnight chip leader with 103,925 chips.
Day 1b of ANZPT begins today with Team PokerStars Pro Tony Hachem, Simon Watt and Jason Gray rumored to be among the field.
As part of an unusual schedule one of the previous flights for ANZPT Queenstown was actually played in Auckland over the weekend. On that day the field was narrowed down to 15 players, all of whom will be flying down to join Day 3 of ANZPT Queenstown.
ANZPT Queensland continues all this week with the final table scheduled for Sunday, July 24.
Visit PokerListings.com
Peter Eastgate to Retire from Poker?
In news that has stunned the poker community, 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Peter Eastgate has stated that he plans to retire from international high-stakes poker, at least for the time being.
In a blog on his sponsor site, PokerStars, Eastgate indicated that he lacked the desire to continue to pursue the lifestyle of a professional poker player. “When I started playing poker for a living, it was never my goal to spend the rest of my life as a professional poker player,” the 24 year old Eastgate states. “My goal was to become financially independent. I achieved that by winning the WSOP Main Event in 2008.”
Eastgate goes on to say that, while he has enjoyed the ride of being recognized as a former Main Event Champion, his heart may not be in the game anymore. “The period following (winning the WSOP Main Event) has taken me on a worldwide tour, where I have seen some amazing places and met many new people; it has been a great experience,” Eastgate writes in the statement on the PokerStars blog. “In the 20 months following my WSOP win, I feel that I have lost my motivation for playing high level poker along the way and I have decided that now is the time to find out what I want to do with the rest of my life.”
Where Eastgate becomes a bit cryptic as to his future is at the end of the statement: “What this (next chapter) will be, I do not yet know. I have decided to take a break from live tournament poker, and try to focus on Peter Eastgate, the person. I want to thank PokerStars, my friends and family for their support over the last 20 months and for their support in my decision to take a break from poker.”
Since his victory at the 2008 WSOP Main Event, where he won $9.15 million, Eastgate has been traveling the world and seemingly playing well. In 2009, he won a $5,000 No Limit Hold’em preliminary event at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure for $343,000 and then went on a sizzling run in defense of his WSOP championship. In last year’s tournament, he finally succumbed in 78th place, arguably one of the best championship defenses of the past ten years.
In the past ten months, Eastgate has been around the world displaying his poker skills in such locales as London (where he finished second in the European Poker Tour (EPT) Main Event), Tallinn, Estonia; Sydney, Australia; Deauville, France; his home court of Copenhagen, Denmark; and Las Vegas. According to the Hendon Mob database, he has won $1.54 million since his WSOP championship and currently sits sixth in lifetime earnings with $10.9 million.
Obviously, however, Eastgate has felt the call of other things outside of the poker world. In June, Poker News Daily reported that Eastgate would not attend any preliminary events at the WSOP, focusing his concentration on Denmark’s run in the 2010 World Cup and traveling to South Africa for the matches. He commented at the time, “I don’t have the motivation to play all the small events at the WSOP. That would be a waste of money. To me it’s not that important to win bracelet number two.” He also questioned the logic of some of the “young guns” in the game, most notably Tom “durrrr” Dwan, playing in the preliminary tournaments because of prop bets on winning bracelets.
Eastgate isn’t the first young poker pro to make the decision to step away from the felt for a while. Late last year, noted online pro Shaun Deeb announced that he would step away from the game, only to reappear at this year’s WSOP. Former EPT champion Michael “Timex” McDonald and online cash game wizard Jonas “Nebuchad” Danielsson announced a “retirement” of sorts from the game this year.
Comments on Eastgate’s decision has sent social media outlets and poker forums into a frenzy. On Twitter, none other than eight-time WSOP bracelet winner Erik Seidel noted, “Wow, 2008 WSOP champ Peter Eastgate quits poker… Interesting story, wish him all the best.” Noted French poker journalist Benjo DiMeo thought that Eastgate’s move was for the best when he Tweeted, “Now here is a smart kid.”
On the forums, Eastgate’s decision has been met with mostly good will. On PocketFives.com, poster “TpocketT” remarked, “Eastgate seemed like a very smart, thinking player. Gl to him, I think he’s basically done what most people set out to do when they become poker players – get rich and retire.” Another poster, “matze_widi,” agreed, stating, “I like that move, reevaluate your life… there are so many more fun things to do other then playing poker… and he obviously has no money issues.” But perhaps the final word on Eastgate’s decision – and potentially a look to the near future – was written by “wackyJaxon”: “I would guess that he will be back, its just a temporary decision, gives him time and then can play when its ‘fun’ for him. Would take a small prop bet he enters a live tourney by end of next WSOP.” ?
Tags: 2008, 2009, 2010, Australia, european, poker player, pokerstars, skill, Sydney, tournament, vegas, WSOP
Poker News in Brief: April 19-25, 2010
Liv Boeree won the European Poker Tour's San Remo title, David Williams took down the 2010 WPT Championship, the EPT Grand Final kicked off and the high stakes action on Full Tilt was running full force.
PokerListings had a beat on it all, but a few of the week's smaller stories managed to slip through the cracks.
Fortunately we've got them all below in our regular poker News in Brief feature.
This week we look at the World Series of Poker revamping its Academy for the summer, an Albanian winning in Australia, the Hard Rock in Vegas hosting a Supercross charity poker event and a whole lot more.
Matt Graham Joins DeepStacks Live
Two-time WSOP bracelet winner Matt Graham has joined the poker training group DeepStacks Live as an instructor.
A member of Team UB, Graham will lead poker seminars around the country, focusing on events in the Southern and Western United States.
"I'm looking forward to joining champions like Mike Matusow and Tom McEvoy, traveling the country helping passionate poker players get better," he said.
Graham's first classes will be at the DeepStacks Live 1-Day Tournament Primer Course at the Pala Hotel Resort and Casino near San Diego April 30.
For more information visit www.DeepStacks.com.
WSOP Beefs Up Academy
The World Series of Poker Academy has announced a new schedule of events at the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino to coincide with the 2010 World Series of Poker.
It all starts with a 2-day Tournament Academy May 28-29 with two-time WSOP bracelet winner Mark Seif designed to get you deep in the preliminary events.
There will also be an Alumni Only Hand Analysis Academy, a one-day Ladies Only Academy, and a Mind and Body Academy featuring poker mindset coach Sam Chauhan.
Plus there will be a Cash Game Academy at Caesars Palace and the signature annual Main Event Primer designed by Greg Raymer, Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth, just before the Main Event begins.
For more information click through to the Academy's website or call 1-800-989-9767.
Four Aces Finds a Winner
The first Poker Pro Canada Classic poker tournament at Four Aces Card Club in Montreal drew 250 players from all over Canada and the U.S. and Europe to compete for a piece of a $369,000 prize pool.
Sponsored by UB and Bodog, it was the largest poker event ever held in Quebec with a buy-in of more than $1,500.
Local player Oliver "O.B." Baksic took home $96,400 for first after defeating 2008 EPT Grand Final third-place finisher Maxime Villemure heads-up.
Team PokerStars, Eh!
PokerStars has added four new additions to its Canadian Team.
Joining Daniel Negreanu and Darus Suharto are Greg DeBora, who has better than $350,000 in career earnings, three-time WSOP final tablist Patrick Pezzin, Marcello Del Grosso, who had deep runs in the WSOP Main Event in 2005 and 2006 and Anh Van Nguyen, a 14-year pro and former dealer.
All four Pros competed at the PokerStars.net North American Poker Tour event at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, Apr. 6-13.
Hard Rock to Host Supercross Charity Event
The Hard Rock Poker Lounge Las Vegas and Feld Motor Sports are hosting the first Monster Energy AMA Supercross Charity Poker Tournament in Las Vegas May 6.
All proceeds from the tournament will go to benefit the Road 2 Recovery Foundation.
The $150 buy-in and $50 rebuy event is expected to draw stars of Monster Energy Supercross, professional poker players, and fans alike.
First pays $2,500 plus a number of sponsored prizes while the top twenty finishers will receive unforgettable products courtesy Hard Rock Poker Lounge, Monster Energy, Feld Motor Sports, Rockwell Time, Skullcandy, Ogio, DVS, Liquid Force, Metal Mulisha, Full Tilt, UB, and more.
For more information check out the Road 2 Recovery website.
Ex-pat wins in Australia
Albanian born Aussie Angelo Hanataj took down the PokerStars ANZPT Sydney main event this week.
He grabbed $219,432 for his efforts and rocketed into the top 5 in the ANZPT Player of the Year race.
After a win in Perth and another deep finish, last year's POY winner and Team PokerStars Australia Pro Tony Hachem holds a commanding lead in the battle for an AUD$100k sponsorship deal.
Europe's Biggest Tournament
The dates have been released for what was Europe's largest live No-Limit Texas Hold'em tournament last year, the International Poker Open.
The €180+ €20 buy-in freezeout is set for Oct. 15-17, 2010 at the Regency Hotel in Dublin, Ireland.
Organizers are estimating the prize pool will reach up to €250,000 including €20,000 added by sponsors Boylepoker.
"Last year we set the record for the largest live tournament field ever assembled in Europe," said Paul Spillane, the site's head of poker.
"We're confident the 2010 event will prove just as popular and we expect another sell out field."
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Tags: 2008, 2010, analysis, Annie Duke, Australia, bodog, Canada, canadian, charity, charity poker, Daniel Negreanu, deepstack, european, high stakes, ladies, no-limit, Phil Hellmuth, poker player, pokerstars, Sydney, tournament, vegas, WSOP
Hachem Among Chip Leaders at ANZPT Sydney
Fifty-nine players remain in the event with the money bubble virtually guaranteed to burst today as every player in the final 54 will get paid.
The Team PokerStars Pro Australia member has been dominant on the ANZPT cashing in six of the seven events he has played so far.
Hachem, the brother of 2005 WSOP Main Event winner Joe Hachem, finished the day with 255,000 chips.
Everyone is chasing Michael O'Grady who accumulated 402,000 chips on Day 2. Some of the other notable chip leaders include Danny Yeung, PokerStars qualifier, and ANZPT Perth final table finisher Dale Marslund.
Team PokerStars Pro Lee "Final Table" Nelson is also in the running with 169,000 chips.
A total of 446 players bought into ANZPT Sydney for AUD$2,200 to create an overall prize pool of $892,000 and a first place prize of $219,432.
ANZPT Sydney continues all this week with the final table scheduled to play out on April 25.
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