Poker News

Isildur1 Runs Hot Against Durrrr, Patrik Antonius

Full Tilt Poker is home to some of the biggest online poker action in the world on its nosebleed-stakes tables.  The players who join these games include millionaire pros Patrik Antonius, Phil Ivey, and Tom “durrrr” Dwan, who have dominated the biggest games for years, with many top pros refusing to play any of them for fear of losing their bankrolls.  However, what happens when the hunter becomes the hunted?

A few months ago, a player from Sweden by the name of Isildur1 came onto the scene at the nosebleed-stakes tables and has rampaged through opponents.  This player, whose true identity remains anonymous to add to the intrigue, has played about 85,000 hands against top pros and showed a profit of over $3.6 million.  Of that, approximately $3.1 million has come directly from who we all thought was the best online player in Dwan.  Overall, according to Poker Table Ratings, Isildur1 is up $4.2 million over 90,600 hands with a best day of $1.44 million.

The consensus is that Isildur1 is a pretty decent player, but at the same time has enjoyed a string of good fortune.  Almost $700,000 was exchanged in one of the biggest pots in the history of online poker between these two.  In the hand, all the money got in after a series of raises, with Durrrr holding A-K suited to clubs against Ilidur1’s pocket aces.  The board missed Durrrr, shoving the massive pot to Isildur.  Dwan is now one of the very few people in the world to know what it’s like to lose $350,000 in a single hand of Texas Hold’em online.

Just in this month, Isildur1 has been playing mainly $200-$400 to $500-$1,000 games of Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha.  His best session was on November 10th and lasted a little over 12 hours playing $500-$1,000 Hold’em against Dwan.

One hand from this session started with Isildur1 holding A-K offsuit in the big blind.  Dwan put in a raise and Isildur1 made a 3bet, which was called.  The flop came K-3-Q with two clubs and Isildur1 led out for $14,000 into the $22,000 pot, which was called.  The ace of spades came on the turn and Isildur1 cbet for $29,400 into a $50,000 pot, which was flatted again.  With a pot of $108,800 at the river and the nine of spades falling (giving three spades on the board), Isildur1 shoved all-in.  With $44,600 behind, durrrr made the call and saw that he couldn’t beat top two pair.  The hand cost Dwan $100,000.

Isildur1 isn’t just picking on Durrrr at the tables.  In a session against Antonius, he played $500-$1,000 heads-up No Limit Hold’em.  In one hand, Isildur1 was in the big blind with A-Q suited to clubs.  Antonius made a raise on the button, which was 3betted by Isildur1 to $12,000.  Antonius made a 4bet to $28,000, which was flatted.  The flop came K-6-8 with two clubs and Isildur1 checked to Antonius, who bet $26,000 into a $56,000 pot.  Isildur1 then came over the top to the tune of $134,000, which was met by an instant-shove from Antonius for $30,000 more.  Isildur1 made the call and Antonius flipped over K-6 of diamonds for two pair.  When the money went in, Antonius was a 64% to 36% favorite and Isildur1 managed to miss his flush draw.  However, in what had to floor Antonius, Isildur1 won the hand by hitting a runner-runner Q-A for a better two pair.  A $400,000 pot slid over to the game’s hottest player.

Dwan, a newly deputized member of the Full Tilt stable of sponsored players, has a new blog set up to publicly discuss his thoughts.  In the first few paragraphs, he discussed activities such as the beaches in Spain and his love for skydiving.  After nine paragraphs of reading how awesome it is to be Durrrr, he stated that he’s been playing Isildur1 a lot lately.  A quick note about how he’s an aggressive player was followed by a promise that he’ll be addressing the games in a more detailed entry in a month.

The various online poker forums are ablaze with posts related to Isildur1 and guesses at the identity behind the person crushing the players that normally crush them all.  As Dwan indicated, his grudge match against this newcomer is far from over.

Same Hand, Different Game: Big Aces

In poker, sometimes the hand you hold has differing capabilities depending upon the game that you’re playing. What would be a great hand in one form of poker can, in essence, be total junk in another discipline.

Big Aces – A Dilemma in All Games

For the most part, the Big Ace, which means A-K through A-10, is one of the most difficult hands to play in any poker game. The reason for this is that in some disciplines, the Big Ace can be a very wieldable weapon. Some top professionals, including Daniel Negreanu, have said that they prefer having a Big Ace instead of a premium pair because there are more outs to hit (six versus two) to making a better hand and it has more workability into straights. In other facets of the game, however, the Big Ace is completely worthless.

Texas Hold’em

Whether playing Limit or No Limit Hold’em, the Big Ace must be played judiciously. An A-K or A-Q can be played with a raise in front of you but, more often than not, it is a good idea to let A-J or A-10 go when there is a raise. It is important to remember, however, that you need to hit the ace when you are playing your hand; if you hit your kicker, you could be setting yourself up for disappointment, as your opponent could turn up a bigger pair than you have. Many players have watched their stacks disappear after pushing top pair-top kicker into a bigger pair.

If you hold a suited Big Ace, you need to hit two of your suit on the flop to continue playing if you don’t hit either your ace or your kicker. With a draw to the nut flush, most of the time there will be the pot odds to make the attempt at the draw or see the turn.

When there is a raise and a re-raise in front of you, the tactic to use depends on the form of Hold’em you are playing. In a No Limit game, the Big Ace should hit the muck immediately, as at minimum, you are taking on another Big Ace or a pocket pair. In a Limit game, though, you might want to take a look at a flop and see what develops. One of the bonuses of the Big Ace is that occasionally it can turn into a Broadway straight or, if suited, can turn into the nut flush.

Omaha

The Big Ace can be a useful tool in Omaha, especially when it is played in its Pot Limit format. When it comes to High-Low, however, the Big Ace can lose a bit of its allure.

One of the most useful holdings in Pot Limit Omaha is A-A-K-Q double-suited. Because of the paired aces and the draw potential of the A-K and the A-Q (two Big Aces), this hand can be played aggressively pre-flop. The key to playing the hand successfully, as is the charm of Pot Limit games, is in what is done on the flop, turn, and river.

If the board comes with no aces or paint, a player is left pushing his pair of aces with no chance to draw into a straight (the flush is still a possibility, depending on the flop texture). This is, at best, a tenuous situation since Omaha is a drawing game; a singular pair will seldom win a hand. Consideration would have to be given to mucking if the action gets hectic.

In High-Low, the Big Ace can be pursued if it meets two criteria: 1) the Big Ace is suited, and 2) the ace has a low card to play with it. In this instance, something along the lines of A-K-J-2 might be worth seeing a flop with.

Because you want to gather the entirety of the pot, you actually are looking for the board to provide you with a Broadway straight and no flush or full house possibilities. Anything other than this is a risky option and needs to be analyzed fully before proceeding. Beware also the draw at the low pot; other players may also be there for that hand and you could end up quartering that, making it a losing proposition overall.

Razz

The object of Razz is to build the worst hand possible. As such, the Big Ace is pretty much useless in this game. The only possible way to think about playing the Big Ace in this situation is if the door card of your hand is a deuce or trey. Something along the lines of (A-Q) 3 might be playable, dependent on your opponents’ up cards, and a player may actually be able to steal a pot on occasion. Remember, though, that for this hand to be successful, three of the next four cards drawn must make the best low hand.

Be prepared to drop any bluffs that you are running if there are several competitors for the pot and/or solid hands developing through the up cards. With non-community card games, the information that is given through the up cards needs to be processed along with the capabilities of your hand to determine whether heading to Seventh Street is a profitable move.

Seven Card Stud and Seven Card Stud High-Low

In the Seven Card game, the Big Ace’s potential for outright larceny is at its best. With the Ace in the door on a hand such as (K-J) A, the Big Ace can steal hands because players are fearful of the potential for a gated pair. Even if someone decides to come along for the ride, the hand can quickly end if another ace or a paint card falls on Fourth Street. Most logical players will not risk spewing chips against something like (K-J) A-A or A-Q unless they are rolled up and, even then, may not want to take the chance.

The Big Ace also has potential to draw at several big hands. Using the (K-J) A-Q example from above, a player is four-fifths of the way to a Broadway straight and has a good shot at winning the hand. If the Big Ace is suited and catches a couple of likewise suited cards, it is possible that the player will win the hand without showdown because of the likelihood of catching that fifth suited card. As always, however, attention must be paid to the hands an opponent is building.

In High-Low, the same theory works from Omaha. At minimum, you want to have a Big Ace with a deuce or trey to give you options to play the hand. Of course, your object is to scoop the pot, not split it. Thus, you always want to build to that Broadway straight with the backup plan being to make the low draw and halve the pot. If you fail to have any chances at either with the card that hits on Fourth Street, your cards should hit the muck at lightning speed.

Joe Cada Supported by 150 Friends and Family at 2009 WSOP Main Event

The squeaky wheel gets the grease, or in the case of Joe Cada, the squeaky wheel gets $8.5 million. After nearly 90 hands of heads-up play in the overnight hours on Monday, Cada emerged as the youngest WSOP Main Event Champion ever.

His 22nd birthday is one week from Wednesday and we suspect that his party will be one for the ages. Last year, Peter Eastgate shattered Phil Hellmuth’s longstanding record to become the youngest winner of the $10,000 buy-in feature tournament, a distinction Hellmuth held for 19 years. Cada had over 150 of his closest friends and family rally behind him at the Penn and Teller Theater at the Rio. On his troops, Cada told WSOP officials, “They meant everything to me. They cheered me on when I was very low on chips. Then, I got down by 3:1 tonight and they were still sitting there cheering and going crazy. That helped me to get back in this and focus. Momentum is a big thing in poker. A lot of these people took off of school and work and came out here just to support me and I am so grateful.”

Cada’s faithful were decked out in neon yellow long sleeve shirts and hats in a scene reminiscent of a University of Michigan football game. Many had questioned whether Moon, a logger from Maryland, would be a viable ambassador for the game. On his new role as the face of the 2009 WSOP, Cada told reporters, “I will embrace it. I hope to help poker grow and represent it well.”

Cada donned a PokerStars logo throughout the Main Event final table after holding out for a logo deal from the world’s largest online poker site. In July, he could be spotted in images with Ultimate Bet gear on. Since Chris Moneymaker in 2003, PokerStars has procured four Main Event Champions to its ranks: Greg Raymer (2004), Joe Hachem (2005), Eastgate (2008), and now Cada.

Rallying him over the weekend were Cada’s parents, Ann and Jerry. The latter could be found taking pictures in earnest in a WSOP press conference on the Masquerade Stage at the Rio on Monday afternoon. His mother, Ann, shared her thoughts following her son’s $8.5 million score and WSOP bracelet win: “I’m elated. I’m dumbfounded. It’s just a dream. We wanted him to get his education first but when he started doing well, we wanted him to follow his dream. He loves it. How many people can say they love what they do?”

Amid rising unemployment and a professional football team that is 1-7 in 2009 and went a record 0-16 last year, Cada’s win marks a watershed moment for the state of Michigan and city of Detroit. Cada’s father echoed the point and added why his son has been so successful on the live and online poker felts in such a short amount of time: “I think where he really has talent is in the math area. When he was a kid, we used to just throw numbers at him and he would give us the answer right back. He knew percentages. Then, he got into poker and bang! It all came together.”

Among those thrilled for Cada is PokerStars, which asked Cada about playing Moon heads-up. Moon had run hot for much of the tournament, but, like his fortunes at Texas Hold’em Bonus at the Rio on Monday, his luck finally turned for the worse. Cada told PokerStars, “Darvin played a great game. He put me in a lot of tough spots. He did really well. Props to Darvin. He played great. He had my back against the wall, but luckily I came through.”

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from the 2009 WSOP Main Event results and coverage.

Darvin Moon, Joe Cada Mobbed By WSOP Media

In a scene reminiscent of a Super Bowl post-game press conference, about 30 media members hit the Masquerade Stage at the Rio on Monday afternoon to interview 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event final table survivors Darvin Moon and Joe Cada.

The rumor flying around the Rio this morning was that PokerStars had signed Moon, securing the rights to both players in tonight’s finale. However, WSOP Director of Communications Seth Palansky told Poker News Daily that no new logos could be introduced once the final table began, even for charitable organizations. Its broadcast on ESPN will air all in one night, making additional logos potentially seem out of place. Moon told us that he had not received any logo offers since play concluded early Sunday morning.

One of the hot topics discussed during the proceedings was Moon’s lack of a logo deal. When asked if anyone had put pressure on the Maryland logger to sign a deal, Moon responded, “There was no pressure because I wasn’t signing.” He added, “They weren’t aggressive. They wanted to get me to sign a deal and I wasn’t interested. It would be bad for them and bad for me both if I would sign because I wouldn’t do what they wanted me to one day and we’d have trouble.”

On his future, Moon told the assembled panel of media, “I’m going to play some tournaments elsewhere win or lose, but I’m going to do them on my terms when I want to be there and do my thing.” WSOP Media Director Nolan Dalla took to the stage and introduced Cada and Moon before the interview process began. On the pomp and circumstance of the affair, Moon told reporters, “I’m not used to this. I’m uncomfortable as hell and that’s the way it is.” Less than five feet away was a pile of $8.5 million in $50,000 bundles.

Across the stage, Cada was surrounded by a larger group of media for much of the 30 minute process. Cada, who has the chance to become the youngest WSOP Main Event winner ever, commented, “I’m pretty aggressive. I’m a heads-up player, so I’m used to playing a lot of hands.” On potentially becoming the youngest champion ever, he admitted, “Being the youngest is a bonus, but the money and the bracelet are the most important things.” Both finalists seemed down to Earth and a crowd of Cada supporters gathered around the stage on the Rio casino floor.

Cada will turn 22 in November, meaning Peter Eastgate’s reign as the $10,000 buy-in event’s youngest champion ever may be short-lived. Cada recalled how he rallied his father to support his blossoming poker career: “He understood. He’s a good logical thinker and I broke it down to him. I had a lot of success and had made a lot of money before deciding to play professionally.” Cada was pent up in his room for much of Sunday relaxing with friends and family, while Moon told Poker News Daily that he suffered a losing session of Texas Hold’em Bonus at the Rio on Monday morning.

Moon has been playing poker for two years and told ESPN cameras that 6,300 of the 6,494 runners in the Main Event were superior in skill level. Moon is headed back to the Oakland, Maryland Elks Lodge for a 70 player, $30 buy-in event on Friday night, just a few days removed from the finale at the Penn and Teller Theater at the Rio. Moon dined at the Sports Grill next to the Rio’s sports book for lunch on Monday, while Cada, his agent, and his girlfriend were 100 feet away at the Great American Grill.

The action resumes at 10:00pm PT at the Rio and will air on ESPN 24 hours later. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from Las Vegas.

WSOP Main Event: Darvin Moon Three-Outs Phil Ivey, Steve Begleiter

In a rather bizarre scene at the final table of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event final table, Darvin Moon sent crowd favorites Phil Ivey and Steve Begleiter packing, three-outing both.

In the first hand back from a break that ended around Midnight PT, Ivey shoved all-in pre-flop with A-K and Moon made the call with A-Q. Ivey, who had become aggressive in the moments leading up to the day’s dinner break, watched as the door card came a queen, sending Moon out in front in the hand for good. Ivey ate an apple throughout his final hand, with at least half of the fans in attendance chanting “Iv-ey, Iv-ey” in unison.

The turn came a three, leading Ivey to take another bite of his apple, and the Full Tilt Poker pro was sent into the Las Vegas night after the river was a five. He received a standing ovation for his 12 hours’ worth of work and $1.4 million in earnings.

As has been customary, eliminated players greet the media in the orchestra level lobby in front of a red Jack Link’s Beef Jerky WSOP backdrop. Prior to Ivey’s elimination, Kevin Schaffel and James Akenhead both made their way to the waiting media, answering a barrage of questions. Ivey, however, did not show up. Instead, Harrah’s Communications Director Seth Palansky explained that WSOP Media Director Nolan Dalla had managed to procure several quotes, which would be distributed at the end of the night, and that Ivey would not come out.

Full Tilt Poker blogger Michael Craig told Poker News Daily, “As impressed as everybody is with Phil Ivey, his play today exceeded expectations. He was phenomenal, he played like a champion, and only busted because he got very unlucky.” A Full Tilt Poker representative explained why Ivey did not want to be interviewed following his ousting: “If you just lost that million, would you?”

Shortly thereafter, Begleiter was sent packing after Moon once again hit a three-outer. This time, Begleiter was all-in pre-flop with pocket queens against Moon’s A-Q. The board blanked out until the river, when an ace hit, sending Begleiter home in sixth place. In a span of about 30 minutes, Moon had three-outed two Full Tilt Poker pros.

Unlike Ivey, Begleiter came to speak to the media and explained, “I’m a little numb obviously. I would have liked to win that pot. I got my money in really good and I was one card away from being right back in the thick of it. I played some hands well tonight. I played some hands poorly tonight. I really thought that [last] hand was mine, but it just wasn’t meant to be.”

Begleiter spoke on Moon’s recent pair of eliminations, which were reminiscent of his play down the stretch in July’s Main Event play: “Darvin’s a good player. There are no bad players out there. He’s figured out how to hold onto most of his chips and he’s got mine now. He’s going to be a factor. It’s going to be really interesting.”

Begleiter took home $1.6 million for his efforts. Here’s how the final table stacks up headed into five-handed play:

1. Darvin Moon – 63,925,000
2. Eric Buchman – 53,250,000
3. Antoine Saout – 51,725,000
4. Jeff Shulman – 15,525,000
5. Joe Cada – 10,350,000

According to ESPN officials, Moon was spotted playing Texas Hold’em Bonus at the Rio during the dinner break, winning about $1,000. Begleiter and Moon played the game early this morning prior to the resumption of the Main Event. Moon now sits alone on the left side of the table, while Buchman, Saout, Shulman, and Cada are seated next to each other to the dealer’s right.

Although the balcony is empty at the Penn and Teller Theater, the orchestra section remains full headed into the 1:00am hour.

WSOP Main Event Final Table Shuffle Up and Deal Command Given

The cards are in the air at the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event in Las Vegas. Inside the massive Penn and Teller Theater at the Rio, you can hear a pin drop on every turn of the card.

Phil Ivey facing a bet by Joe Cada leads to a dramatic uneasiness inside the 1,200 person capacity theater. Many are literally on the edge of their seats watching the action, as the general admission line continues to build outside the door. Only a few flops have been seen so far and a variety of red, white, and blue balloons line the railings inside the theater.

In the minutes leading up to the “Shuffle Up and Deal” command, a moment of silence was held for Hans Lund, the runner-up in the 1990 WSOP Main Event to Mansour Matloubi. A hearty round of applause followed before WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack told the assembled crowd, “This will clearly be a final table for the history books. As we get started, I wanted to thank you, the best fans in all of poker and the best fans in all of sports, for being here and supporting the WSOP.” Pollack introduced Absolute Poker pro Lacey Jones, decked out in a pink cocktail dress, who will serve as the WSOP Main Event’s hostess.

Pollack covered the rules of audience etiquette during a poker tournament, which included encouraging cheering for your favorite players, not interfering with hands in progress by yelling phrases like “go all in” and “don’t do that.” Other than player names, other audible phrases have included “Stack em, stack em, to the top” (playing homage to Julie Schneider, wife of Tom Schneider) and “Let’s play already!”

Jones then interviewed 2008 WSOP November Nine member Dennis Phillips, who told the crowd what sage words of advice he gave this year’s group: “A lot of different things, They were asking me how to handle it from a media perspective and a lot of other things. I told them to play well, be proud of your play, and enjoy.”

Also taking to the stage with Jones was Peter Eastgate, the reigning champion of the prestigious $10,000 buy-in tournament. On his latest success, Eastgate told Jones, “I’ve been having some good results lately. I’m still running hot.” His advice to the next Main Event winner: “Be yourself.”

At 1:30pm PT, Ivey pushed all-in facing potential calls by CardPlayer Magazine Editor Jeff Shulman and young gun Joe Cada. Both players folded to Ivey’s all-in and speculation ran rampant that Cada had at least pocket queens and ultimately laid it down, sparking a debate among media members in attendance that will be answered when the event airs on Tuesday night. Ten minutes later, Frenchman Antoine Saout, who has a rowdy cheering section inside the theater, shoved all-in, but was also not called.

In the minutes leading up to the WSOP Main Event final table resuming, Barry Shulman, father of the aforementioned November Nine member, was presented with his WSOP Europe Main Event gold bracelet. After a lengthy delay, the national anthem of the United States played, as has been customary in previous bracelet ceremonies.

The final tradition to play out was the “Shuffle Up and Deal” command, issued by 10-time WSOP bracelet winner Doyle Brunson. “Texas Dolly” told fans and others in attendance, “I think we should congratulate Jeffrey Pollack and Ty Stewart for putting this all together. It looks like a football game.”

Those on stage include Chau Giang, Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little, Brunson, Eastgate, Joe Sebok, Greg Raymer, Chris Ferguson, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Gordon, and Phillips. About 125 people are seated on the Rio’s stage.

High Stakes Poker 6 - Players unveiled

GSN Channel announced the players for the next season of High Stakes Poker. Also Kara Scott’s employment became official.

Yet again the player list is very impressive. Seventeen players, every one of them a real professional. The player list includes people like Doyle Brunson, Tom Dwan, Patrik Antonius, David Benyamine, Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu and Yevgeniy Timoshenko.

Doyle Brunson holding his signature hand

Minimum buy-in for this season is $200.000, so we are not talking about any small game here. We saw over $1 million pots in last season, and we expect the same kind of action this time around as well.

After announcing the player list, Kara Scott’s entry to the show was affirmed. Scott’s task is to make the player interviews which are going to be more in-depth on this season. Scott tries to dig a bit deeper into the game than previously seen. Season 6 will premiere on February 14th.

The player list might not be complete as e.g. Andrew Feldman is not mentioned. Feldman personally told that he is going to be in HSP.

We also have information that Ilari Sahamies might be part of the show. Sahamies told this to the Finnish poker site Pokerisivut.com

Incomplete list of HSP 6 players:

* Patrik Antonius
* David Benyamine
* Doyle Brunson
* Tom Dwan
* Eli Elezra
* Antonio Esfandiari
* Sammy George
* Barry Greenstein
* Phil Hellmuth
* Andreas Hoivold
* Phil Ivey
* Mike Matusow
* Allan Meltzer
* Daniel Negreanu
* Dennis Phillips
* Lex Veldhuis
* Yevgeniy Timoshenko

Source: 2+2, Pokerlistings, Pokerisivut.com

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High Stakes Poker 6 - Players unveiled

Doyle Brunson’s autobiography out November 11th

If the introduction chapters to legendary poker book Super/System detailing the early life and career of Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson weren’t enough for you, you’re in for a treat.

Doyle Brunson Autobiography “Godfather of Poker” Debuts November 11th

On November 11th, “The Godfather of Poker” will hit bookstores and online retailers. The autobiography of “Texas Dolly” himself, Doyle Brunson, includes 372 pages of indelible tales and never-before-seen images of poker’s marquee ambassador. Poker News Daily reviews an advanced copy.

The publication officially runs $26.95 in the United States and $34.99 in Canada. It opens with a bang, literally, as Brunson recalls a fateful day, April 19th, 1998. He began, “When a man points a gun at your head, you’ve got to take stock of things quickly.” The day after winning his eighth World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet, Brunson returned home to his gated Las Vegas community only to be robbed by two men at gunpoint on his doorstep. The attackers flung Brunson inside his house, where he yelled, “I’m having a heart attack!”

The alarm went off, causing its company to call in order to ensure that all was normal. He explained, “I mumbled some false numbers because I knew the alarm was probably my best chance, if not my only chance, to summon help.” His wife Louise was also at home and came downstairs into the fray, telling the security company under duress, “This is Mrs. Brunson, everything is all right.” The end of “Book 1” leaves readers in suspense, with Brunson admitting, “I knew Louise and I could die at any moment.”

Brunson’s father was a poker player, making the game the family pastime. However, his elder never spoke of it to his family. Brunson explained, “Dad had played poker for years and years and helped support us with his winnings, but never talked about it.” Brunson’s college, Hardin-Simmons University, also frowned upon his extracurricular activity: “Hardin-Simmons disapproved of my poker playing, and I eventually wound up in front of the disciplinary board five times for gambling.”

Brunson was destined for the NBA’s Minneapolis Lakers before a freak accident derailed the dream. Consequently, he entered the world of poker, then a backroom game with ties to organized crime and Wild West. Brunson recalls countless transgressions, including, “Another night I saw a man get stabbed in a bar [and] one day I saw what looked like an ‘OK Corral’ shootout on Exchange Avenue. All the shooters were behind cars and firing away, and I saw two of them gunned down. Both died, and both were friends of mine.”

In 1958, Brunson became exposed to Hold’em. He noted, “Hold’em was a fun poker variation, and it moved faster than most games. That’s why it eventually became so popular. I know I enjoyed it right away.” The same year, when he was just 25 years-old, he lost his father, brother, grandmother, and two aunts. He lamented, “It was a tragic merry-go-round that year, going back and forth to Longworth and all the family funerals.” When family members would ask young Brunson what his profession was, his answer was working for Convair, an aircraft manufacturer in Dallas.

In 1962, Brunson was told that he was on the verge of death due to melanoma. He recalled, “Melanoma cancer had spread through my body like wildfire… They said it was too widespread to even consider further surgery.” The cancer had emanated from a mole that Brunson had removed one year prior and he learned that “there was no chance I would live to see our baby born.” Brunson underwent a 15-hour “radical head and neck surgery” and, soon after, the cancer had miraculously disappeared. However, Brunson was warned that the disease could strike at any moment in the future.

Ten years later, Brunson entered the festivities at the 1972 WSOP. However, with media and television cameras roving the event, Brunson questioned whether winning would be the optimal strategy: “I was afraid of the publicity that winning this event would bring, and the terrible shame it would bring to my family.” Many interviews with Brunson in the present day reveal how surprised “Texas Dolly” is that poker has become a legitimate sport and profession; from reading “The Godfather of Poker,” you can easily grasp why.

Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder coined the term “Texas Dolly” when Brunson refused to allow him to use his last name. Instead, he was referred to as “Texas Doyle,” which later became “Texas Dolly.” The new nickname appeared in an Associated Press article and the rest is history. Besides the two-word nickname, Brunson is also immortalized in the starting hand 10-2. He candidly admitted, “I didn’t particularly like the ten-deuce being immortalized in my name because it isn’t a quality hand.”

“The Godfather of Poker” includes a foreword by Mike Cochran and its cover features endorsements from Bluff Magazine, Nolan Dalla, Mike Sexton, Mike Caro, and Allyn Jaffrey Shulman. Look for “The Godfather of Poker” on November 11th.

Doyle Brunson believes in Darvin Moon

Doyle Brunson’s latest blog entry is about his new bet with Daniel Negreanu and also about the games in Bellagio.

Doyle tells about his new bet with his friend Daniel Negreanu. Negreanu believes that Phil Ivey is going to win WSOP ME and Doyle put his money on Darvin Moon.

“I had to take Moon who has 5 times the chips of Ivey. It is a must-win bet so probably we won’t have action. Sorry Phil, I won’t be rooting for you now. Business is business.”

Brunson also adds that there’s games open at Bobby’s Room almost every night.

“It’s really great to get up and know there will be somewhere to go.”

He has been up or even every night and yesterday he managed to make good profit.

Busy, busy

Even though “Texas Dolly” has been trying to live quite slowly, he tells that things just pile on him. His days are full of meetings, dinners, interviews, and he is supposed to have time for dentist as well.

“My wife tells me that I should move to the Bellagio because I never spend any time with her. Oh well, nobody ever said life was easy.”

Source: Doylesroom

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Doyle Brunson believes in Darvin Moon

Doyle Brunson believes in Darvin Moon

Doyle Brunson’s latest blog entry is about his new bet with Daniel Negreanu and also about the games in Bellagio.

Doyle tells about his new bet with his friend Daniel Negreanu. Negreanu believes that Phil Ivey is going to win WSOP ME and Doyle put his money on Darvin Moon.

“I had to take Moon who has 5 times the chips of Ivey. It is a must-win bet so probably we won’t have action. Sorry Phil, I won’t be rooting for you now. Business is business.”

Brunson also adds that there’s games open at Bobby’s Room almost every night.

“It’s really great to get up and know there will be somewhere to go.”

He has been up or even every night and yesterday he managed to make good profit.

Busy, busy

Even though “Texas Dolly” has been trying to live quite slowly, he tells that things just pile on him. His days are full of meetings, dinners, interviews, and he is supposed to have time for dentist as well.

“My wife tells me that I should move to the Bellagio because I never spend any time with her. Oh well, nobody ever said life was easy.”

Source: Doylesroom

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Doyle Brunson believes in Darvin Moon

Poker News in Brief: Oct. 19-25, 2009

As usual, there were several stories that didn't quite make the front page of PokerListings.com and as part of our ongoing Poker News in Brief feature, we've posted them below.

This week, Kentucky's attempt to seize 141 online gaming domain names went to the State's Supreme Court, Full Tilt took Kentucky to court in the UK, Zynga's popular Facebook poker found a competitor and the Scandinavian poker world continued to square off on Titan Poker.

Supreme Court hears online gaming domain name seizure appeal

Kentucky's Supreme Court heard arguments this week in the State's appeal of a decision by the Kentucky Court of Appeals blocking the seizure of 141 domain names belonging to online gambling sites.

In a 2-to-1 decision, the Appeals Court rejected Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear's claim that Kentucky players and the Internet gambling sites were acting in violation of state law. The decision held that a lower court had wrongly applied the state's "gambling devices" statute to justify the seizure of the domain names.

Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association attorney Jon L. Fleischaker, along with attorneys representing Sportsbook.com and the Interactive Gaming Council, asked the Supreme Court to uphold the decision, calling Gov. Beshear's efforts "intellectually dishonest."

"They made up a process that is totally lacking in due process," Fleischaker said.

A decision is not expected before the end of the year.

The Scandinavian Titan Championship

Titan Poker continues to gear up for the 2009 Scandinavian Titan Championship final set for December.

The Championship is a league that runs exclusively for Titan Poker players from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland including weekly battles leading up to the finals in December.

The winner of each weekly tournament receives a seat in the Dec. 20 final featuring a $2,500 guaranteed prize.

Twelve players have already qualified for the final and Sweden leads the overall standings.

For more information check out Titan's Scandinavian Titan Championship page.

((Full Tilt Poker)) defeats Kentucky in UK court

In a case directly related to the Kentucky Supreme Court online gaming domain name seizure appeal, Full Tilt poker has defeated the State of Kentucky.

Despite the Kentucky Court of Appeals decision blocking the seizure of 141 domain names belonging to online gambling sites, Full Tilt took Kentucky to court in the United Kingdom, claiming the State did not have the jurisdiction to block its domain.

This week, the UK High Court issued a judgment in favor of the site, claiming Kentucky cannot enforce its seizure order against the Full Tilt Poker domain names throughout the UK.

Play poker for prizes on Facebook

Zynga's Texas Hold'em Facebook application, one of the most popular games on the social networking site with more than 15 million monthly users, now has a little competition.

Poker 4 Prizes is a brand new Facebook poker application with a twist.

Instead of players competing merely for points, Poker 4 Prizes players can exchange the points for real prizes, ranging from Apple IPods to GPS systems and even an all-expenses paid cruise.

The application is also running a number of promotions including giving away a flash drive to players who submit screenshots of certain poker hands and IPod Shuffles to anyone spotted playing 3 days in a row.

For more information check out the Facebook application page.

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Introduction to Seven Card Stud

I know you 20-somethings might not believe this, but even though Texas Hold’em has been around for a long time, it has only recently become the insanely popular poker game that it is today. For ages, Seven Card Stud was the game of choice. Perhaps because of its simplicity, perhaps because it is the game that determines the champion at the World Series of Poker (WSOP), Hold’em has left Stud in the dust. Seven Card Stud is a great game, though, and deserves a second look by those who have ignored it, believing it is a game for old men. In this article, I would like to provide you with a quick, basic introduction to Seven Card Stud.

In Seven Card Stud, each player (a maximum of eight at a table) must put up an ante before they are dealt two down cards and one up card, also called the “door card.” Play begins with the player with the lowest door card, who is required to pay the “bring-in”, which is another ante of sorts. Play proceeds to the left, which each player deciding whether they want to call (also called “completing” the bet), raise, or fold.

There is then another card dealt to each player, face up, followed by another betting round. The player who starts the action is now the one who has the highest ranking up cards. Three more rounds of cards and bets follow, with the seventh and final card being the only other one aside from the initial two hole cards to be dealt face down. If there is more than one person remaining in the hand after the final betting round, the player with the best five-card hand, pieced together from the seven total cards, wins.

Each betting round is typically referred to as a “street”, numbered by how many cards each player has. For example, the first betting round, the one where all the players have two down cards and one up card, is third street.

In some ways, the game is similar to Texas Hold’em. Each player gets hole cards, there are cards dealt face up, there are multiple betting rounds, and each player must use five out of the seven cards to make a hand. However, that is essentially where the similarities end. Let’s look at some of the key differences.

Extra Betting Round

In Hold’em, there are four betting rounds: pre-flop, flop, turn, and river. In Stud, there are five: third through seventh streets. That extra betting round gets tricky because not only is it another opportunity to put yet more money in the pot, but also seventh street is the third face down card, resulting in more hidden cards in Stud than in Hold’em.

No Community Cards

Yes, there are face up cards in Seven Card Stud, but they are not shared by the players (except in the rare instances when the deck runs short on cards) and are therefore not community cards. Each player’s hand is unique.  It is extremely rare for two players to split a pot in Stud. In Seven Card Stud High-Low, pots are frequently split by definition, but in Stud High, it almost never happens.

More Information

In Hold’em, you only know your own cards and three to five community cards to determine outs and probabilities. In Seven Card Stud, you not only know your cards, but also everybody else’s up cards. Think about it: If four opponents are still in the hand when fifth street is dealt, that’s 12 cards in addition to your five that you know are in play. In that sense, it’s easier to make a more accurate calculation of your outs in Stud than in Hold’em.

However, once seventh street rolls around, you have less information about your opponent’s specific holdings than you do in Hold’em since three of their cards are face down instead of just two. Obviously, if you were observant, you will remember the other players’ folded up cards and will thus have an idea of what your opponent doesn’t have in the hole.

Random Position

Because the face up cards determine who acts first, there is no way to know what positional advantage you will have before each hand. During the hand, things will become a little more predictable, but the first player to act can still change on every street. The player to your left will always be on your left and the player to your right will always be on your right, but you won’t know who acts when until each round is dealt.

No Avoiding It

In Seven Card Stud, you cannot avoid putting money into the pot because you must contribute an ante every hand. Everyone has something at stake every time. This makes the game a fantastic one for earning bonuses at online poker rooms, which require you to contribute money to the pot in order to get credit for a raked hand.

These were just a few tidbits to teach you a little something about Seven Card Stud. If you are new to the game, try it out at some low-stakes tables. I suspect you may like it.

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ECOOP V

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ECOOP V will be spread over 14-days offering wide variety of poker games, including Texas No Limit Hold’em, Limit Hold’em, 7 Card Stud, Pot Limit Omaha and Omaha Hi/Lo. Buy-in amounts vary to meet every player’s budget.

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Ultimate Bet Announces Live Tournament Series in Germany, Czech Republic

On Tuesday, leading online poker site Ultimate Bet announced the launch of UltimateBet.de, a dedicated German language information website that will outline the company’s all new series of live poker tournaments to be hosted in Germany and the Czech Republic.

The inaugural event will be hosted in Cologne, Germany on October 24th and one lucky player will walk away with an unusual prize. Exclusive to Ultimate Bet account holders, this specific tournament has a low-limit buy-in (€25) and will award the winner with a Mercedes Smart Car, known as much for its fuel-sipping, Earth-friendly efficiency as for its styling and superior safety.

Ultimate Bet has scheduled another tournament on November 11th that will take place in Aulendorf, Germany. Prizes have yet to be determined, but the online poker site will be giving away two free seats to its weekly $100,000 Guaranteed tournament as well as Ultimate Bet vouchers.

“We want our German players to feel as welcomed and as much a part of the Ultimate Bet community as their North American poker peers, and our live events will help create familiarity with the UB brand and the company that we are today, with an emphasis on security, safety, and the welfare of our players,” said Stephan Reschke, Ultimate Bet’s Marketing Manager for Germany.

The series of brick and mortar Texas Hold’em tournaments will bring in a new level of support and rewards for Ultimate Bet’s growing German population. The live tournaments in Germany will shift host venues throughout the country each weekend, with a range of affordable buy-ins and attractive prize pools. Monthly $10,000 guaranteed tournaments will be held at the Casino Flamingo, located conveniently close to the German border with the Czech Republic.

Ultimate Bet recently put on its signature land-based tournament, the Aruba Poker Classic, which concluded on October 10th. Brandon “AreTheseUtz” Hall bested a field of 475 players to claim the title after defeating Robert Mizrachi heads up. A first-place prize of $753,330 was awarded to the winner of the event. The tournament was formerly a stop on the World Poker Tour (WPT).

While Ultimate Bet’s new series expansion into Germany and the Czech Republic certainly won’t create a comparable prize pool just yet, the site is excited about meeting with some of its northern European players. The live venues will also provide a way for Ultimate Bet’s German players to meet each other face-to-face rather than just in the online poker room. Ultimate Bet is a USA-friendly online poker site and its traffic tends to peak during North American evening hours, but the development of a live tournament series in Europe should create a considerable amount of growth for the company in the future.

California casino offers chance to play Nguyen

Poker is definitely one and California residents and visitors will have that chance this weekend as 1998 World Series of Poker Main Event champ Scotty Nguyen is headed to the All-Star Poker Challenge at Spotlight 29 Casino in Coachella.

"Scotty Nguyen is one of the biggest names in poker, so we are obviously thrilled to have him in our Poker Challenge," said Robert Paull, General Manager of Spotlight 29.

"For our poker players to go up against a World Series of Poker Champion, is exciting."

The $560 buy-in Texas Hold'em event, set for Oct. 24-25, will feature 10k starting stacks, 30-minute levels and over $50,000 in prize money.

Players can also win a free entry by getting 10 full houses playing in the Spotlight Poker Room in advance of the event.

Dubbed "The Prince of Poker", Nguyen has more than $10 million in career earnings and five WSOP bracelets. In addition to his world title, Nguyen also won the prestigious $50k H.O.R.S.E. event at the 2008 WSOP.

The tournament will be capped at 120 players.

For more information on Spotlight 29 head to the casino's website.

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<i>The Best Damn Poker Show</i> crosses the Atlantic

Season 2 of the popular Fox Sports Network show, which pits Phil Hellmuth against Annie Duke to see who is the better Texas Hold'em teacher, will debut on Tuesdays and Wednesdays on The Poker Channel Europe beginning Oct. 20 at 22:00 CET.

After auditioning or qualifying for the show on UltimateBet, contestants join Team Hellmuth or Team Duke to train and compete against one another throughout the seven-episode series.

Players are eliminated each episode as Duke and Hellmuth highlight card play and analyze the competition leading up to a final showdown where a champion is crowned.

The series will also be repeated on Thursdays and Saturdays at 16:00 CET.

The Poker Channel Europe is Europe's largest dedicated gaming TV network, available online to a global audience and to more than 18 million cable and satellite homes in Europe.

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Bodog Poker Open IV Dates Announced

In the world of online poker tournament series, there are a few that are “must play” events for online professionals. The annual PokerStars’ World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) and the quarterly Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) normally come to mind first, but Bodog has built its own franchise that has done very well, the Bodog Poker Open. Recently, the dates were announced for the fourth version of Bodog’s preeminent online tournament series and some special prizes have been added for the eventual champion.

The Bodog Poker Open IV is scheduled to start on November 1st and will wrap up one week later on November 8th. The weeklong schedule features several tournaments that will test the skills of the players involved in Limit, Pot Limit, and No Limit Texas Hold’em. It also has been split into two divisions that will enable anyone to get into the game.

The Bodog Championship Series features the seven main tournaments that run from a $50 rebuy to the $500 Championship Event. These tournaments should draw the cream of the internet poker world to battle it out on the virtual felt. The second division, called the Bodog Contender Series, features eight tournaments that cost 10% of the buy-ins of the main schedule, but will still be profitable for their eventual champions.

There are other additions that should make the Bodog Poker Open IV a schedule that will be well-attended. Each tournament in the Championship Series has money added to the prize pool, ranging from $2,500 for Event #6 ($150 Limit Hold’em) to the $25,000 that will be added to the Championship Event’s prize pool. In the Contender Series, two tournaments, the $10 No Limit Hold’em event (#1) and the Contender Championship Event, have money added to them.

Each player who wins one of the preliminary tournaments on the Championship Schedule will also earn a seat into the Championship Event along with a chunk of the prize pool. For those playing on the Contender Schedule, the winners of preliminary events will take home a seat into the Championship Series Main Event, while their final tablemates will earn a seat into the Contender Series Main Event. Finally, the eventual champions of both divisions’ Main Events will be featured in CardPlayer Magazine and Bodog’s online outlets, including the “Bodog Beat.”

For those who don’t want to pony up the full buy-in for either the Championship or the Contender Schedule, there are ways to qualify for the tournaments on the cheap through a very extensive satellite schedule. For as little as $0.50, players can work their way into the mix for playing in any of the Bodog Poker Open scheduled events on either side of the ledger. Players can even use Bodog Poker Points to enter into special satellite tournaments that can get them into a tournament for no monetary outlay.

Back on May 3rd, the Bodog Poker Open III wrapped up its Championship Event by crowning “biffsworld” as the victor. “biffsworld” vanquished the 279-player field, which included Bodog poker professionals Jean-Robert Bellande and Justin Bonomo, and took home the $40,283 first prize. “biffsworld” is expected back to defend his title, joining “scarface0928” (Mid-Main Event champion) and “winjack” (Mini-Main Event champion), who also earned titles during the Bodog Poker Open III. With the Bodog Poker Open IV less than two weeks away, the action should be picking up significantly as players attempt to win their way into the weeklong tournament series.

PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge: Denny Luna Walks Away with $25,000

The second episode of the PokerStars.net-sponsored “Million Dollar Challenge” hit television airwaves on Sunday following NFL on FOX coverage and featured Sergeant Denny Luna earning $25,000 before walking away.

2008 Playboy Playmate of the Year Jayde Nicole, who is a regular on the MTV reality series “The Hills,” was Luna’s celebrity adversary. Players started with a stack of 20,000 in chips and blinds of 400-800, ensuring face-paced action. Show front man Daniel Negreanu sat alongside Luna for his first match, but could not see any of the hole cards. In the first hand shown, Luna raised to 1,600 with K-3 pre-flop and Nicole came along with J-6 of clubs. The flop came K-J-5 and Nicole bet 3,000. Luna called to see a four on the turn. Nicole check-called a 3,000 chip bet from Luna and the river fell a seven. Nicole led out for 3,000 and Luna called, shipping the 21,200 chip pot to Luna with top pair.

In the match’s deciding hand, Luna called pre-flop with 8-7 and Nicole checked her option with K-5. The flop came 2-8-Q. Nicole pushed all-in on a big bluff and Luna picked it off with middle pair. The turn came a seven, leaving Nicole drawing dead and awarding Luna a $5,000 trip to the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in January.

In the second round, Luna squared off against 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Chris Moneymaker. This time, Negreanu was moved to an isolation booth, where the pro could see Luna’s hole cards and communicate with him through an earpiece. Moneymaker could use the “Dome of Silence” feature twice, locking out communication between Luna and Negreanu.

In a key hand, Luna called pre-flop with K-4 and Moneymaker checked with 6-2 of clubs. The flop came 8-J-A and Moneymaker checked. Luna checked behind after Negreanu advised betting half of the pot to see the turn come another ace. Moneymaker checked, Luna bet 1,900, and Moneymaker promptly hit the Dome of Silence button. Moneymaker then raised to 5,500 and Luna made the call with just king-high. The river was a jack and Moneymaker bluffed off another 5,500 chips. Luna insta-called to scoop the 23,600 chip pot.

After doubling Moneymaker up, Luna delivered the final blow to the former accountant from Tennessee. Luna coyly called pre-flop with pocket queens and Moneymaker checked his option with 8-3. The flop came 2-3-7 and Moneymaker quickly shoved all-in with middle pair. Luna called and a running J-5 sealed the amateur’s win in the hand for $25,000. When asked if he wanted to continue or walk away with $25,000 in tow, Luna elected to take the money in deference to his wife and children.

The next contestant to take to the stage on “Million Dollar Challenge” was Tracy Nguyen, a student from Irving, Texas. Her celebrity opponent was Super Bowl Champion Jerome “The Bus” Bettis, a former member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the match’s deciding hand, Bettis called pre-flop with pocket jacks and Nguyen checked her option with K-5. The flop came K-8-2 and Nguyen checked. Bettis bet 2,000, Nguyen pushed the action to 5,000, Bettis shoved all-in, and Nguyen made the call. The turn gave Nguyen another king and a jack failed to save Bettis on the river, giving Nguyen a PokerStars Caribbean Adventure trip.

Next up was Team PokerStars Pro member Barry Greenstein. In the $25,000 match, Nguyen called pre-flop with 9-5 and Greenstein rapped the table with 8-7. The flop came 9-5-6, giving Greenstein the nuts and Nguyen two pair. As expected, fireworks went off. Nguyen bet 1,000 and Greenstein called to see the turn come a three. Nguyen bet 3,000 and Greenstein locked out Negreanu, whom he noted normally favors playing small ball poker. Greenstein raised to 7,000 and Nguyen pushed. Greenstein happily called to put Nguyen at risk. A river deuce sealed her fate, but Nguyen walked away with a 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure trip for her efforts.

Three Sundays remain for the “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge.” The show will air following NFL on FOX coverage on November 22nd, December 13th, and December 27th.

Poker News in Brief: Oct. 12-18, 2009

With both the World Series of Poker Europe and the PokerStars European Poker Tour London completed, it was up to smaller events like the Aruba Poker Classic and the PartyPoker World Open V to provide poker headlines.

The relatively unknown Brandon Hall became the champion in Aruba while the very well-known Phil Laak took down the World Open V.

But there were several stories that didn't make it to the front page of PokerListings.com and as part of our ongoing Poker News in Brief feature, we've presented them below.

This week we'll take a look at the Poker Professor holding class, Doyle Brunson getting some recognition and Vladimir Geshkenbein becoming a heads-up champion.

Lederer wins $10k H.O.R.S.E. prelim at Bellagio

Howard Lederer added another poker title to his resume this week and he only had to beat 19 players to do it.

The $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. WPT Festa al Lago preliminary event wrapped up on Thursday after drawing a small but skilled field that included Eli Elezra, Michael Binger, Andy Bloch, Scott Clements, David Singer and several other established pros.

Lederer beat Russian pro Ralph Perry in heads-up play to secure a first place prize of $92,150. Despite two final tables at the WSOPE this year, Lederer hadn't won a major tournament since taking down the $100,000 buy-in event at the 2008 Aussie Millions.

Lederer, who is sometimes known as the "Poker Professor", now has over $5 million in career tournament earnings.

Doyle Brunson inducted into Athletics Hall of Fame

Doyle "Texas Dolly" Brunson is perhaps the most famous player in poker, but this week he was recognized for his athletic achievements.

After years of waiting patiently, Brunson was finally inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame at his alma mater, Hardin Simmons University.

Before he started playing poker for a living Brunson competed in track and played basketball at HSU.

Brunson was a key member of an HSU basketball team that won its conference championship for a spot in the NCAA Division 1 playoffs. Brunson scored 412 points and was the only HSU athlete in any sport to be named the MVP of the Division 1 Border Conference.

Brunson was initially passed over for Hall of Fame recognition because of his involvement in the poker world.

The Texas Dolly is still one of the most popular poker players in the world and his twitter account "TexDolly" recently hit over 41,000 followers.

PKR Heads-Up Grand Slam for Vladimir Geshkenbein

Vladimir Geshkenbein outlasted some of the biggest names in poker to win the PKR Heads-Up Grand Slam this week.

The Russian beat Juha Helppi in the final heads-up match to take down a first place prize of $120,000.

The field was comprised of 32 players including Tony G, Tom Dwan, Luke Schwartz, Annette Obrestad, Peter Eastgate, Sammy George, J.C. Tran and numerous other high profile poker players.

Fans were hoping for a live resurrection of the online rivalry between Dwan and the trash-talking Schwartz, but were disappointed when Dwan busted out in his first match. Schwartz didn't make it much further, busting in his second match.

No one could figure out a way to beat the lesser-known Geshkenbein, who did win the high roller event at APPT Macau earlier this year. Geshkenbein has now earned nearly $400,000 playing poker in the last few months.

Forum tournament winner to play Ziigmund

A series of Online Forum Challenges are set to take place on Power Poker over the next few months with the ultimate winner getting a shot at celebrated high-stakes player Ilari "Ziigmund" Sahamies.

Power Poker will be hosting a series of tournaments over the next three months as part of the Online Forum Challenge and any player that takes part in every event will be entered into the Heads Up with Ziigmund freeroll.

The freeroll will offer a prize pool and a bounty in addition to the winner getting a chance to play Sahamies heads-up for $1,000.

All poker forum members are welcome to take part in the challenge and you can learn more by going to the Online Forum Challenge website here.

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Mike Sexton Elected to Poker Hall of Fame

The 38th person elected into the Poker Hall of Fame is none other than PartyPoker Ambassador and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Mike Sexton. He will be enshrined as part of ceremonies to be held on November 7th.

2009 marks the 30th anniversary of the Poker Hall of Fame. This year, nine finalists were up for nomination to the Hall, with a panel of 15 living Hall of Fame members and 15 media representatives (including this author) determining the fate of the 2009 class. Sexton was the only one that I felt was a shoe-in for election, as 75% of the 30-member vote was required in order to capture one of poker’s most prestigious accolades. A press release distributed by World Series of Poker (WSOP) officials properly labeled Sexton “a true gentleman who has constantly enhanced the game of poker both with his play at the tables and his promotion of the game off of it.”

Ballots were due on October 2nd, with each person able to vote for up to three candidates for the 2009 class. This author selected Sexton, Tom McEvoy, and Dan Harrington, the three elder statesmen on the 2009 ballot. Other nominees included November Nine member Phil Ivey, “The Robin Hood of Poker” Barry Greenstein, “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge” lead man Daniel Negreanu, Men “The Master” Nguyen, WSOP Main Event and HORSE Championship winner Scotty Nguyen, and eight-time bracelet holder Erik Seidel.

The list of Poker Hall of Fame members reads like a roll call of poker legends: Doyle Brunson (inducted in 1988), Johnny Chan (2002), Phil Hellmuth (2007), Stu Ungar (2001), Chip Reese (1991), and Barbara Enright (2007), just to name a few. Now, Sexton’s name will be added to this illustrious list. In a press release distributed by PartyPoker, Sexton commented, “I am deeply honored to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame and it is particularly special because for the first time it was a process that involved the fans, the media, and the living members of the Hall of Fame. To me, the most meaningful aspect of this process was the acceptance by the living Hall of Famers, who welcomed me into their exclusive club.”

One of Sexton’s most impressive feats was taking down the 2006 WSOP Tournament of Champions, which saw the new Poker Hall of Fame member best a final table that included Daniel Negreanu, Mike Matusow, Andy Black, and Chris Ferguson. Sexton earned $1 million for the victory and, according to WSOP officials, donated half of his prize money to charity. His lone WSOP bracelet came in 1989, when the World Poker Tour (WPT) host outlasted a field of 174 players to win a $1,500 buy-in Limit Seven Card Stud High-Low event. He has reached the final table in 20 of the 47 WSOP events he’s entered, a 43% success rate.

Sexton is the voice that many in the industry “grew up to” following the poker boom in 2003 and was instrumental in bringing the WPT to life. Sexton sat, and continues to sit, alongside Vince Van Patten on WPT broadcasts, popularizing the notion that Texas Hold’em takes “a minute to learn and a lifetime to master.” He represents one of the few constants in an industry constantly in flux and had the backing of a bevy of influential industry veterans in his push for the Poker Hall of Fame, including Howard Lederer, Annie Duke, Steve Lipscomb, Linda Johnson, Jan Fisher, Padraig Parkinson, Matt Savage, Roland de Wolfe, and an army of public relations staffers at PartyPoker.

To me, one of the most defining acts for Sexton was when he took on a lead role to campaign on behalf of players shut out of the 2009 WSOP Main Event after Day 1D had reached capacity. Sexton joined forces with “Captain” Tom Franklin to present WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack options to accommodate players. Sexton, curiously, had little to gain from taking an active role in the situation, as he had already played on Day 1A and survived with an average chip stack. The situation manifested Sexton’s stature within the industry and is one of the many reasons we will look forward to welcoming him into the Poker Hall of Fame in November.

2 Months, $2 Million: Elky, Viffer Play in High-Stakes Home Game

In this week’s installment of the G4 online poker reality show “2 Months, $2 Million,” a high-stakes home game featuring David Williams, David “Viffer” Peat, Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, and Andrew “good2cu” Robl took center stage.

The “2 Months, $2 Million” cast entered the week up $507,000 on the season with two episodes remaining. Jay Rosenkrantz, who earned $350,000 off Peat last week, forecasted, “I’m going to do everything I can to help us make the final push to get as close as possible” to the $2 million goal, which seemed woefully out of reach. The idea emerged to hold a live high-stakes game, with Dani Stern and Rosenkrantz heading to the Hard Rock Casino to stir up the pot. However, organizing a game would likely take a few days to come to fruition.

In the interim, Brian Roberts battled “Past” online, losing with A-10 on a 6-J-10-8-3 board with four clubs when Roberts’ opponent showed Kc-Jh. Then, Roberts dropped another sizable pot facing K-Q when the board came runner-runner king. With the situation looking grim at the house, Stern and Rosenkrantz turned to Aaron “aejones” Jones’ house, where Andrew “luckychewy” Lichtenberger, who finished 18th in the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event for $500,000, offered to put up $127,000 and play.

With the team up $167,000 collectively by the third day of the week, the rules for the high-stakes home game were set. The affair would sport a $50,000 buy-in and $100/$200 blinds. The name of the game would be No Limit Texas Hold’em and, initially, Williams was a no-go. Stern lamented, “It’s too bad David Williams is a no-show because we really want to have some people in these games who are willing to gamble. He gives a lot of action, so he’s definitely the type of player we’d want in the game.” However, Williams ultimately turned out. Joining him were Grospellier, Peat, and Robl. Upon arrival, security patted down each player given that hundreds of thousands of dollars were up for grabs.

Only one “2 Months, $2 Million” player sat down at a time, as each of the four cast members had a piece of each other. Grospellier took a $27,000 pot off Williams with A-Q on a queen-high board, while Lichtenberger sent Williams packing after calling his all-in in a separate hand with 9-7 for two pair. Williams exited stage right, telling “2 Months, $2 Million” cameras, “Sometimes you have to know when to quit.”

Then, Rosenkrantz, holding Q-K, bet two-thirds of the pot after a flop of Q-10-7 against Robl. His opponent called and the turn came a six. Rosenkrantz bet out $7,000 and Robl called, creating a $22,000 pot. Then, with a jack on the river, Rosenkrantz checked, Robl bet $13,000, and Rosenkrantz released his hand, flashing his cards. Robl flipped over a jack.

After the home game had disbanded, Williams had lost $50,000, Peat had won $11,200, Litchenberger had earned $29,000, and the “2 Months, $2 Million” cast was down $30,700. Rosenkrantz took his frustrations out on “PIEJAY” on the virtual felts of Ultimate Bet, dropping $60,000 before finally quitting. When the totals for the week were calculated, Rosenkrantz was down $3,200, Emil Patel was up $53,100, Roberts was up $12,000, and Stern was up $47,000. Collectively, the “2 Months, $2 Million” team had won $108,900 during the week for $615,900 overall, but was still $1.4 million short of the $2 million goal.

As a result of turning in the worst financial performance of the week, Rosenktantz was forced to dress up like his avatar, a clown, and beg girls for money to purchase a red nose. Next week marks the season finale of “2 Months, $2 Million,” as an end of summer bash takes place. The show airs on Wednesday nights at 8:00pm ET on G4 and replays throughout the week.

Doyle Brunson Inducted into Hardin-Simmons University Athletic Hall of Fame

Legendary poker player Doyle Brunson will be feted yet again on Friday night, but not for any of his performances over his 50-plus year career in the game of poker.

Brunson, a 1954 graduate of Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas with a Bachelor of Science degree, will be taking part in ceremonies during Homecoming Weekend at his alma mater that will include induction into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame. The dinner will take place at 6:30pm local time on the campus of Hardin-Simmons and Brunson will be inducted along with former athletes Mickey Davis Brewer (basketball), Collin McCormick (football), and Morris South (football).

For those who don’t know a great deal about Brunson’s life before poker, he was a tremendous athlete in his younger years and made his impact known upon his arrival at the university in both basketball and track. Brunson was an immediate success in track and field, running the mile and finishing in third place in his first-ever shot at the 1951 Border Conference meet. While he ran track, Brunson also was a prized member of the school’s freshman basketball team.

As a sophomore, Brunson scored 151 points for the basketball team, placed second in the mile, and ran on the fourth place mile relay team at the Border Conference track meet. The following year, Brunson again placed second in the mile and excelled in basketball, helping Hardin-Simmons to win the Conference championship and enter the NCAA Division I basketball playoffs. Brunson scored 412 points over the entirety of his college basketball career and, at the time, was the only HSU athlete in any sport to be named the MVP of the Border Conference.

After such a stellar collegiate career, Brunson was deemed good enough that professional basketball’s top team began to look at him. The National Basketball Association (NBA) champion Minneapolis Lakers (now in Los Angeles), with George Mikan at center and Basketball Hall of Fame member Slater Martin at guard, were considering drafting Brunson. A freak accident, however, prevented him from achieving that goal.

While working in a warehouse, Brunson was unloading a shipment of sheetrock when it started to fall to the floor. Doyle tried to use his leg to stop the shift of the sheetrock, which weighed approximately one ton, and the resulting collapse of the load on his leg seriously injured his knee and broke his leg in two places, injuries which Brunson admits still affect him today. After recovering for two years, Brunson was healthy, but his dream of professional basketball was over. Soon after, Brunson began his trek into the world of poker.

The admittance into the Hardin-Simmons University Athletic Hall of Fame is entirely for Brunson’s performance on the collegiate level and do not reflect his influence on the poker world. As such, Brunson will accept the honor with his usual humble nature. In a recent blog post found on DoylesRoom.com, Brunson looked ahead to his induction ceremony: “After being turned down for 40 years I have mixed feelings, but all my old teammates will be there, so I’m going down and will be on my best behavior.”

All of us here at Poker News Daily would like to congratulate Brunson and the Brunson family on a long overdue honor.

Have you got what it takes to become one of the Brunson 10?

Texas Dolly is on the lookout for players to join his Brunson 10 pro team and is currently scouring the $5/$10 and $10/$20 tables on his own site to try and find new talent.

Have you got what it takes to become one of the Brunson 10?

Texas Dolly is on the lookout for players to join his Brunson 10 pro team and is currently scouring the $5/$10 and $10/$20 tables on his own site to try and find new talent.

PlayersOnly Opens its Doors to the World

At a time in the online gaming industry when internet casinos and online poker rooms are shutting their doors to American players, one site has gone the opposite route and started to accept players from around the world.

It was announced recently that PlayersOnly, which in the past had only offered its wares to online poker players in the United States and Canada, would start to accept customers from the remainder of the world. PlayersOnly, part of the Cake Poker Network, apparently found that limiting itself to just the action from North America kept the site from achieving its full potential. With the change to accepting players from the rest of the world, PlayersOnly should be able to improve its market share.

PlayersOnly has been in existence since 2006, or just about the time that the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was passed in the United States. Its move at the time to accept only USA players probably enabled it to garner a great deal of traffic, as players, unable to access sites such as PartyPoker or 888, looked for new places to deposit. It was also a pleasant surprise for many that PlayersOnly accepted credit card transfers, which were virtually shut down after the UIGEA’s signing.

As part of the Cake Poker Network, PlayersOnly offers several of the standard games that you will find online. For No Limit cash games, Texas Hold’em and Omaha High-Low are the two disciplines that can be played. For those who have a penchant for taking to Limit tables, a full slate is featured with Texas Hold’em, Omaha (both High and High-Low), and Seven Card (both Stud and High-Low). When it comes to Pot Limit games, Texas Hold’em and Omaha (both High and High-Low) once again step to the forefront.

Tournaments are plentiful on PlayersOnly.com as, with its association with the Cake Poker Network, there are sizeable paydays at stake. In a previous article on Poker News Daily, changes that multi-table tournaments on the Network will undergo over the next six months were laid out. These changes, according to Poker News Daily Guest Columnist and Cake Poker Room Manager Lee Jones, will encompass more freezeout tournaments and fewer rebuys and also feature better scheduling. Check out the recap of Cake Poker Network tournament changes.

Of the top ten online poker sites or networks in the industry, there are only four that accept action from the United States. The two at the top, PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, have long been among the leaders in the industry and those that are arranged behind them will have sizeable problems trying to knock them from that perch. The third place slot belongs to the iPoker Network, which features Titan Poker, Chili Poker, and Mansion Poker, among others. The fourth place site or network worldwide is the former industry leader, PartyPoker.  Both do not accept American players.

The CEREUS Network, the third network that accepts all players, encompasses Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker and has been battling to regain its past momentum after the Russ Hamilton-led scandal and ownership change. The CEREUS Network, according to PokerScout.com, is the ranked sixth in the industry in terms of the number of real money ring game players. The Cake Poker Network, with over 40 rooms, currently sits in tenth place with a 24-hour peak of around 2,700 cash players (versus the 45,173 players in the same 24-hour period for PokerStars).

South Carolina Judge rules poker a game of skill

We love it when the judge sides with the good guys - i mean isn't that how the judicial system is supposed to work? In America, a judge in South Carolina has ruled that Texas hold’em is a game of skill and not chance after reversing the convictions of five people convicted of playing the pastime and violating state law.

ESPN The Magazine Editor Discusses Poker Players in Body Issue

Hitting newsstands around the United States last Friday was the inaugural Body Issue of “ESPN: The Magazine.“ The periodical profiled athletes and their physiques and included an image of Phil Hellmuth, Scotty Nguyen, Daniel Negreanu, and Jennifer Harman playing poker in the nude.

Besides poker, other sports showcased in the magazine include boxing, bull riding, golf, baseball, Motocross, NASCAR, basketball, hockey, football, soccer, softball, swimming, surfing, tennis, track and field, and mixed martial arts. Poker News Daily sat down with “ESPN: The Magazine” Editor Sarah Turcotte to gauge reaction to the provocative issue.

Poker News Daily: Explain the background to the Body Issue of “ESPN: The Magazine.”

Turcotte: This is the first time we’ve done it and we’ll definitely be doing it again. My boss was trying to come up with a way to profile an athlete’s body. You see them in locker rooms, but you don’t really know what goes into them. Not only do we have poker and soccer players, but we also have sumo wrestlers and triathlon runners. It’s a huge mix. There are over 80 athletes involved and 40 in varying stages of being undressed. Poker is a great sport. The players work hard, make great money, and have good mental toughness. We believe it’s a legit sport.

PND: What has been the reaction so far?

Turcotte: We’ve been shocked by how positive it’s been, but there have been negatives with some of the more conservative sports. For example, LPGA fans heard about it and formed their opinions beforehand. When you realize what a massive undertaking this is and the kind of company these folks are in, it makes sense. It’s not “Playboy Magazine;” it’s about celebrating an athlete’s physique. So far, I’m shocked by how well it’s been received. I don’t think we ever could have conceived how popular it would be.

PND: Talk about the photo involving Harman, Nguyen, Hellmuth, and Negreanu.

Turcotte: That was a really great photo to do. My hats are off to all of them for being included. That was our only coed shoot because in most sports, you don’t compete against different genders. It turned out great.

PND: What can you tell us about the shoot?

Turcotte: The poker shoot was great. We had two hours and shot in Las Vegas. Anyone who has been around Daniel and Scotty would fall in love with them. Their interaction together was great and I found myself calling everyone “baby” for the next few days. Jen is such a sweetheart and I was amazed at how much respect the guys had for her.

PND: What do you want readers to take away from this installment of “ESPN: The Magazine”?

Turcotte: My perspective as the Feature Editor is to be on the shoots and be the advocate for the athlete. We made it a collaborative process and I want the athletes to be proud of it. In terms of readers, I think the biggest thing is that it’s awesome to see someone like Serena Williams looking beautiful, but people are familiar with her. However, not everyone knows Scotty Nguyen and Jennifer Harman, so hopefully this will give them some respect.

PND: Can you name other athletes that readers can expect to see in the issue?

Turcotte: Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings, tennis star Serena Williams, Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, Nelson Cruz of the Texas Rangers, Sarah Reinertsen (the only female amputee to compete in the Ironman Triathlon), Andrew Cogliano of the Edmonton Oilers, Christina Kim of the LPGA, and six guys from the DC United soccer team.

Doyle Brunson’s Twitter Account Gaining Fans by the Thousands

A recent tweet from Doyle Brunson “The Texas Dolly” summed up what many skeptics had to say when they learned the 10-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner has taken to the microblogging site Twitter: “Can it be that you guys really like the blonde jokes? My followers are going up at an alarming rate…never thought I’d be a tweeeter:-)”

If the parenthetical smiley face is any indication, Brunson, also known as @TexDolly on Twitter, not only uses the popular social networking site, but also is down with the Twitter lingo.  Brunson has been known to tweet at fellow users, bust out acronyms typically seen on internet poker forums, and even drop smiley faces from time to time, especially when doling out a stream of dumb blonde jokes.

As he alluded to in the aforementioned tweet, Brunson has seen a major spike in followers over the past month, jumping from 16,000 less than two weeks ago to nearly 45,000 as of Friday morning.  The recent jump puts Brunson ahead of other big name players like Phil Hellmuth and Daniel Negreanu and suggests that the “old timer” of the poker world still has a big influence on the industry.  In a statement from DoylesRoom, Brunson’s online poker site, the longtime pro suggested that his deep run in the WSOP Europe Main Event and an appearance at an affiliate convention in Budapest are to blame for the spike, but there may be more to Brunson’s popularity in the Twitterverse than just a heightened profile.

There are plenty of celebrities from Hollywood, the sports world, and the poker community on Twitter, but not all of them pick up huge followings.  Some suggest that the hit and miss nature of celebrity Twitter accounts depends on the types of things a person elects to tweet about.  If celebrities tweet infrequently or only post mundane details about their lives, they are less likely to have a large following, even if they are on the “A List.”  Brunson’s account has its fair share of run-of-the-mill fare like when cash games are running on DoylesRoom, but he also includes his thoughts on current events, responses to other people’s tweets, and jokes (lots of jokes).

The recent stream of blonde jokes is the result of Brunson losing a bet on a recent Monday Night Football game.  He explained his reasoning with a tweet from Tuesday that read, “Lost the Monday night football game. I’m gonna tell dumb blonde jokes until I finally win one!! ya, that’s right, suffer along with me.”  Since then, he’s posted seven blonde jokes, but has found time to respond to the tweets of others, including socialite Nicky Hilton, who is one of Brunson’s many followers.

While Twitter and Texas Dolly may seem like an unusual combination, it makes sense when you consider how long he has been posting in his popular personal blog.  Past posts have proven that Brunson does not bite his tongue on issues, as he has spoken out on everything from politics to poker and it seems that people are paying attention.  A recent blog in which Brunson proposed candidates for a “Poker Hall of Shame” criticized several of his fellow old school gamblers for their bad poker behavior was picked up by several poker media outlets as a newsworthy event.  His blog endorsing World Poker Tour (WPT) host Mike Sexton for the 2009 Poker Hall of Fame class has made its way into poker print as well.

Some of the other old school pros like Amarillo Slim prefer to lay low now that poker is part of the mainstream media, but the 76 year-old Brunson has elected to remain in the spotlight.  DoylesRoom’s team of online pros, dubbed the Brunson 10, are just another example of how the man who got his start playing cards in backrooms across the South keeps adapting and changing with the times.  The Brunson 10, which currently consists of Amit “amak316″ Makhija, Alec “traheho” Torelli, Zachary “CrazyZachary” Clark, and Chris “Moorman1″ Moorman, will feature online pros supposedly hand-picked by Brunson to represent his site.  The divide between live and online pros has been a major theme in the post-Moneymaker era of poker, but the Brunson 10 is the poker legend’s attempt to bridge the gap between the old and new guard of players.

Be it the Brunson 10, his blog, or his increasingly popular Twitter account, Brunson seems to have tapped into the younger generation of poker players and has become an unexpected new media success story.  While he still has a ways to go to catch some of Twitter’s most popular accounts, which possess more than one million followers, it seems as though Brunson may be onto something with those blonde jokes.

Doyle Brunson Advocates WSOP Europe Venue Change

Even though he has more than 50 years in the poker world under his belt, poker legend Doyle Brunson continues to be one of the leaders in the community, advocating suggestions for improvements to the industry.

After making a stirring run during the Main Event of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe - he was in the Top Ten through much of the action before being eliminated in 17th place - the man known as the “Godfather of Poker” opined on his blog about some of the spectacle that surrounded the tournament series. Brunson’s blog is one of the most respected reads in the poker industry and its author is known for pulling no punches when it comes to his thoughts.

On the location of the WSOP Europe, Brunson states that he’d like to see a change and admits that the Casino at the Empire in London “needs to be bigger.” Looking potentially at making WSOP Europe even larger than it is, Brunson suggests that, if the management of Harrah’s could work out the details, moving the location of the three year old event to a new city each year would “draw many more players… London is just too expensive for the beginning pros to play.”

Brunson also spoke up about fellow former World Champion Phil Hellmuth, whose grandiose entrance to the WSOP in Las Vegas was duplicated this year at WSOP Europe. Brunson, who was seemingly dismayed at Hellmuth’s display, writes in his blog, “I’ve always liked Phil Hellmuth and have defended his tantrums because that is ‘Phil being Phil,’ but these grand entrances he makes are too much! He came to my table dressed as Julius Caesar along with trumpets and scantily clad girls. It embarrassed me just being there. I would have liked to have applied for the role of Brutus. I am a poker purist and stuff like that detracts too much from what a great game poker is.”

In addition to his opinions on the recently completed WSOP Europe, Brunson is kicking up his activity on his eponymous poker room. For some time, DoylesRoom has featured a weekly Bounty Tournament where Brunson and many of his friends - including his daughter Pamela and son Todd, longtime friends Mike “The Mad Genius of Poker” Caro and Hoyt Corkins, and celebrities like socialite Nicky Hilton and actress Jamie Lynn Sigler - have sizeable bounties on their heads. Now, Brunson is offering players at the site the opportunity to step to the felts to take him on in an arena that Brunson has dominated for decades, cash games.

Beginning tonight at 7:00pm ET and then taking place every night Monday through Friday thereafter, Brunson will step to the virtual felts on the $5/$10 and $10/$20 No Limit Texas Hold’em tables and take on all comers. While Brunson, whose online moniker is “Tex_Dolly,” will be the centerpiece of the battles, several of the previously mentioned players and members of the Brunson 10, which include online warriors Amit “amak316” Makhija, Zachary Clark, Alec “traheho” Torelli, and Chris “Moorman1” Moorman, will also be on hand. There should be plenty of action and poker discussion between players at these tables.