Poker News

ESPN Inside Deal Welcomes Joe Cada

This week’s installment of the ESPN.com poker franchise “Inside Deal” featured 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event November Nine member Joe Cada. Laura Lane and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Bernard Lee host the show.

The news segment of ESPN “Inside Deal” began with Lee praising World Poker Tour (WPT) Host Mike Sexton for his election to the Poker Hall of Fame: “I think it’s tremendously well-deserved. Mike has had a phenomenal career. A lot of people think of him from the WPT, but remember, he is a very well-accomplished player.” Sexton is the lone representative of the Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2009. Others who were up for consideration included Tom McEvoy, Dan Harrington, Daniel Negranu, Phil Ivey, Erik Seidel, Barry Greenstein, Scotty Nguyen, and Men “The Master” Nguyen.

Attention then turned to the letter authored by the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) to U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner petitioning for the delay of the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) by one year to December 1st, 2010. Lee explained what would happen if the current deadline stood: “The impact would be devastating. We’re fearful that the banks will err on the side of caution and ultimately block payments that the online sites would give.”

Making headlines this week was the news that the GSN staple “High Stakes Poker” had dropped host A.J. Benza for Season 6, allegedly replacing him with a female correspondent. Lee explained, “I’m a little surprised. For five years, A.J. and Gabe Kaplan have seemed to have a good rapport, so I’m surprised they’re making this switch.” Poker News Daily broke the news that Vanessa Rousso, the presumed frontrunner for the job, would not be Benza’s replacement. Other possible fill-ins include former WPT hostess Shana Hiatt, Kara Scott, Absolute Poker pro Lacey Jones, and Shannon Elizabeth.

Cada, who could become the youngest Main Event winner ever if he takes down the feature tournament next month, then joined the show. He noted how his life has changed as a result of the increased exposure as a member of the November Nine: “I’ve been playing poker my whole life, so the only thing that’s changed for me is the media.” Cada is primarily a cash game player, only hitting up the tournament scene online on Sundays. He purchased a 2,400 square foot house at age 19 as a gift to himself and is a sponsored pro of PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker room.

Heading into the 2009 WSOP, Cada found himself on a $150,000 downswing. He sought the aid of two longtime cornerstones of the poker industry, Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy and Eric “sheets” Haber. Cada recalled, “I was lucky enough to have them back me and I’m very grateful for that. I knew I could win before I came in.” Josephy, a former Ultimate Bet pro, and Sheets will receive 50% of Cada’s earnings. The top prize in Las Vegas is $8.5 million.

ESPN.com Poker Editor Andrew Feldman joined the show to discuss a series of dream teams. News broke last week that Dream Team Poker would return with tournaments at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles coinciding with Monday Night Football. Feldman’s “Dream Team Young Guns” consisted of Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, and 2008 WSOP Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate. “Dream Team Lady Luck” was comprised of Shannon Elizabeth, Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad, and Jones. Finally, Feldman unveiled “Dream Team Old Guard:” Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, and Mike Matusow. Cada added that his ultimate Dream Team would be Ivey, Patrick Antonius, and Dwan.

Finally, Cada revealed that on Day 8 of the 2009 WSOP Main Event, his stack had dropped to 20% of the average before he clawed back. He knocked out between 10 and 15 players en route to the final table and, upon heading to Connecticut to film ESPN “Inside Deal,” dropped some dough at the Foxwoods blackjack tables.

“Inside Deal” is released every Tuesday on ESPN.com.

Poker Community Speculates on High Stakes Poker’s Next Host

With the news that A.J. Benza will not be returning for Season 6 of GSN’s “High Stakes Poker,” gossip waves have hit the poker community about who the next host of the highly popular cash game program will be.

Benza, who hosted “High Stakes Poker” for the show’s first five seasons, made an appearance on the “Miserable Men” show on Sirius Satellite Radio last month and claimed that he was being replaced by a female to join Gabe Kaplan in the commentary booth. He later confirmed in his blog that he was being dropped for a “chick” in the upcoming season.

“I hope you like the female they toss in front of you,” said Benza. “And I hope the repartee between she and Gabe works likes ours did.”

Several members of the TwoPlusTwo online poker forum were infuriated by the decision and put together a petition to bring Benza back to the show. At the same time, rumors involving the next host have been circling the discussion boards and several names are being thrown around.

PokerStars will be the new sponsor of the show for Season 6, so early rumors of the new host included PokerStars Team Pro members Vanessa Rousso and Vicky Coren. Rousso, however, denied any likelihood of that happening, telling Poker News Daily, “I’m not sure where the rumor started, but I’m not the new co-host of HSP.”

Fellow PokerStars Team Pro member Daniel Negreanu commented on the subject yesterday at FullContactPoker: “Guess who KNOWS the answer to this? YES ME!!!! LOL. Relax people, Gabe will be doing the commentary alone, but there will be a female addition to the crew, not for strategy discussion, and you all know her and everyone likes her.”

Several poker buffs feel that former World Poker Tour (WPT) host Shana Hiatt is the favorite for the job. Hiatt worked for three seasons on the WPT and also hosted NBC’s “Poker After Dark” and “National Heads Up Poker Championship.” An avid poker enthusiast, Hiatt left the show in 2008 due to pregnancy.

One particular poster on TwoPlusTwo went into depth in their logic behind GSN’s potential decision to hire Hiatt: “From Negreanu’s comments it looks like they’re bringing in the PAD format, a hostess on the floor with only Gabe in the commentary booth. This sounds like an improvement to me. Gabe’s been the voice of the show all along, he’s funny by himself and he can explain things in layman terms for the novices… I’m going to guess that the host is Shana. She’s had the baby, Leeann (Tweeden) has settled on Poker After Dark, so (producer Mori Eskandani) is giving her HSP.

Poster “blink20″ agreed with his assessment: “If they booted (Benza) and somehow get Shana Hiatt on this show, then it would be the greatest move ever! SHANA FTW one time!”

Another female being mentioned as a possible replacement is television personality, journalist, and poker pro Kara Scott. Her selection would make sense on multiple levels, as Scott worked with PokerStars as a host for the European Poker Tour (EPT) in 2007 and 2008. More recently, Scott hosted the PokerStars Ante Up for Africa event, which aired on CBS earlier this month. She is also an accomplished professional at the tables. She was the only woman who cashed in both the 2008 and 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Events, taking 104th in 2008 and 238th in 2009. She also finished second at the 2009 Irish Open, winning €312,600.

Many in the online poker community feel as though Scott would be perfect for the position, filling both the “eye candy” and poker knowledge requirements that regular viewers are looking for.

Other potential fill-ins being mentioned include WPT host Amanda Leatherman, model and Absolute Poker spokesperson Lacey Jones, and actress and poker player Shannon Elizabeth.

GSN is expected to make an official announcement by Friday. Season 6 of “High Stakes Poker” is scheduled to begin filming in November and will air in February.

Doyle Brunson Blasts Face the Ace, Million Dollar Challenge

In a recent blog entry that appeared on DoylesRoom.com, site namesake Doyle Brunson blasted two poker franchises to hit television airwaves in recent months: NBC’s “Face the Ace” and FOX’s “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge.”

As talk show host Jim Rome would say, any time a person begins a sentence with “No disrespect intended,” someone is going to be disrespected. On the two poker game shows, which air on network television stations on weekend afternoons, Brunson commented, “No disrespect intended, but these poker shows are awful. Full Tilt’s ‘Face the Ace’ and Poker Stars ‘Million Dollar Challenge’ are so bad, it’s embarrassing. There is no skill involved in either show and I can’t imagine getting an audience that will watch the shows.” Both series saw online qualifiers take to the felts to play heads-up against heralded poker pros.

“Face the Ace” began airing on August 1st and originally claimed the 9:00pm ET hour on Saturday night. It aired for two episodes in prime time before a planned decision to move the poker franchise to afternoons on the weekend day. The first episode of the Steve Schrippa-hosted show featured Don Topel taking home $200,000, but it mustered just a 0.4 rating with a 2 share, which meant that only 1.59 million viewers had tuned in. Its competition included “America’s Most Wanted” and the movie “Red Eye,” which aired on ABC.

One week later on August 8th, Topel lost the $1 million match to Full Tilt Poker pro Gavin Smith and walked away with nothing. The news was equally grim for NBC, which saw the second installment of “Face the Ace” generate a 0.3 rating with a 1 share, the equivalent of 1.46 million viewers age 18 to 49. “Face the Ace” airs once per month on the network, with future one-hour episodes scheduled to be shown on October 31st, November 14th, December 12th, and January 2nd. NBC also broadcasts the National Heads-Up Poker Championship as well as “Poker After Dark,” which airs Monday to Saturday at 2:05am ET.

The “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge” premiered last Sunday following NFL on FOX coverage, or around 4:30pm ET in most markets. Daniel Negreanu serves as the face of the franchise, helping contestants battle PokerStars-sponsored sports figures and pros in the first two rounds. Then, Negreanu transitions from friend to foe, taking contestants on heads-up in the third round with $100,000 on the line. All $100,000 winners advance to the Table of Champions, whose victor faces Negreanu for $1 million. Last week, Father Andrew Trapp earned $100,000 after defeating former NBA star John Salley and professional poker player Vanessa Rousso.

“Million Dollar Challenge” returns this Sunday following the NFL on FOX. Then, like “Face the Ace,” it will air once per month, with November 22nd, December 13th, and December 27th serving as its remaining dates. “Face the Ace” and “Million Dollar Challenge” exclusively feature Full Tilt and PokerStars pros, respectively.

Brunson also commented on the recent departure of A.J. Benza from GSN’s “High Stakes Poker.” On the televised ring game series, Brunson explained in his blog, “As I travel around, the High Stakes [Poker] cash games are the ones all the fans talk about and I agree with them that they are by far the most interesting. Speaking of that, I read where A.J. Benza is being replaced on GSN’s High Stakes Poker show. That’s too bad, I like A.J.’s subtle sense of humor. Vanessa Rousso is named as his likely replacement. I’m pro-Vanessa so I think she will fit in nicely with the old comic Gabe Kaplan.” Rousso told Poker News Daily that she is not the next host of “High Stakes Poker.” To clear the air, GSN is scheduled to make an announcement by the end of the week.

Next High Stakes Poker Host is Not Vanessa Rousso

Poker News Daily can confirm that Team PokerStars Pro member Vanessa Rousso will not be the next co-host of GSN’s “High Stakes Poker.” The revelation comes on the heels of the news that longtime host A.J. Benza will not return for Season 6.

A cryptic message posted on Rousso’s Twitter feed set the industry ablaze with rumor that she would be the next host of “High Stakes Poker” alongside Gabe Kaplan. The entry, which was posted last Tuesday, read, “PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge is wrappppped! Woot! Meetings today about another TV project, will keep you all posted.” Rousso is one of four PokerStars pros to compete on the FOX “Million Dollar Challenge” franchise, joining Chris Moneymaker, Barry Greenstein, and the show’s front man, Daniel Negreanu. The show debuted following the NFL on FOX last Sunday.

When prompted for comment on whether she would make her GSN debut when “High Stakes Poker” Season 6 begins airing in February, Rousso told Poker News Daily via e-mail, “I’m not sure where the rumor started but I’m not the new co-host of HSP.” Rousso was the runner-up in the 2009 National Heads-Up Poker Championship, which aired on NBC, falling to Huck Seed in the finals. That event saw the 26 year-old poker whiz defeat Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, Paul Wasicka, Daniel Negreanu, and Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier en route to the final pairing.

Just before the National Heads-Up Poker Championship began, Rousso inked an agreement to become the next Go Daddy Girl. She joined a star-studded lineup of faces that represent the domain name reseller, including Danica Patrick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin, and Candice Michelle. Rousso has a wealth of poker experience under her belt, including final table bubbles in the World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship during Season IV and the Southern Poker Championship during Season VII; those earned her a combined $342,000.

In a recent blog entry posted on DoylesRoom.com, site namesake Doyle Brunson commented on the future host of “High Stakes Poker,” saying, “Vanessa Rousso is named as [A.J. Benza’s] likely replacement. I’m pro-Vanessa so I think she will fit in nicely with the old comic Gabe Kaplan.” Benza reported that the next host of “High Stakes Poker” would be female. Other rumored replacements include Kara Scott, Shana Hiatt, and Leeann Tweeden.

GSN officials expect to release more information on Friday as to the future co-host of “High Stakes Poker.” The cash game is scheduled to begin filming in November from Las Vegas.

Hevad Khan Talks Celebration in Poker

Team PokerStars Pro’s Hevad “RaiNKhaN” Khan’s ride through the 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event sparked controversy around the industry. “The Bulldozer” and other dances became staples of the poker world and brought about the aptly-named “Hevad Khan Rule” addressing excessive celebrations. Khan sat down with Poker News Daily to talk about what role celebrating has in the game of poker, if any.

Poker News Daily: What did WSOP officials say to you following the 2007 WSOP Main Event? What was your reaction?

Khan: They just made a rule. If I wanted to, I would have kept celebrating, but I didn’t. Think about it from a Tom Green perspective. If you do something like that again, it’s expected, but it came out because that was really me. When I celebrated after a hand, it had happened and it was natural. I believed in the moment. To do it again would be like I’m dragging for attention.

PND: So celebrating like that was just how you are as a person?

Khan: Yes, especially when I play video games. I’m sitting there in the movie theater in my basement and when I take out a boss in a video game, I’ll go nuts. It was down to 30 people during the 2007 WSOP and was thinking, “I’m doing this.” The WSOP Main Event is the only tournament where you can get everything out of the Great American Dream. People usually work several years in their career, go to college, encounter hardships, and so on just to realize that. I loved poker and was able to accomplish it.

PND: What’s wrong with celebrating at the tables? It’s quite common in other sports like football and soccer.

Khan: Nobody really hated what I did. They made the rule because there are a billion idiots who could have emulated what I did. That’s bad when you have stupid people with no bounds who will take it to an obtuse level. I acted up because of the situation. ESPN knew that it’s America and people were going to see me and think that it’s okay to do what I did. It would bring the wrong people into the picture, which would be a problem.

PND: Do other tournament series have more lax rules regarding player celebrations than the WSOP?

Khan: When I was in London in 2008, I lost a pot to Vanessa Rousso during an EPT tournament. I honored a prop bet that I had to wear a robe at the table. I sat down and the owner of the casino told me to wear regular clothes or else they would kick me out of the tournament and confiscate my buy-in. That was a wake up call for how strict the rules outside of the United States are. I feel like they’re more aggressive against foreigners.

PND: Does removing the ability to celebrate eliminate the human side of poker?

Khan: Not at all; it’s all mental. People can celebrate all they want, but there’s so much consequence to it now. A lot of people aren’t as impulsive as I am, so they’d think about it before celebrating in a hand and are more probably well-rounded than I was. In my opinion, people can do whatever they want as long as I am not affected.

PND: Jamie Gold has mentioned that he can’t verbally manipulate his opponents as much as he used to at the tables due to new tournament rules. Where do you stand on that?

Khan: Talking in poker is overrated. Jamie Gold was playing very crazy and sporadic, making huge bluffs. In the scheme of things, Jamie was playing aggressive. When I see something like that, I think the cards are determining everything and they’re merely justifying why a person is winning a pot. If Jamie is saying that he can’t manipulate people, I’d say that he did so in 2006 because he had a big chip stack or a run of hands. The cards are determining the situation. To get that far, you have to run good and all of that. There is momentum in poker.

High Stakes Poker Axes AJ Benza

According to his personal blog, A.J. Benza revealed that GSN’s “High Stakes Poker” will return for Season 6 featuring Gabe Kaplan and a female co-host. New episodes will begin airing in February on the popular cable station.

A flood of support from fans of Benza follows his High Stakes Poker blog entry, which was published on Sunday. In it, he noted that on a conference call last week, GSN executives Barry Nugent and David Shiff hinted that Benza might be replaced by a female co-host. Benza, as expected, did not take the news lightly, telling the two GSN “suits” on the call, “If you got the best pizza in town for 5 seasons, why try and add licorice to it?” The fifth cycle of “High Stakes Poker” began airing in March and featured a veritable “who’s who” of the poker world, including Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Barry Greenstein, Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Laak, and newcomers Peter Eastgate, Joe Hachem, and Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies.

Facing the possibility of being replaced, Benza reminded GSN officials that he publicizes the show on his own watch “because GSN has never set up not even as much as a radio interview for me.” Benza also asked if Nugent and Shiff were fathers, which the former host explained in his blog entry that they were. He continued, “So surely they would know the hardships of losing a top-rated gig while raising little children in the process. (Oh and did I mention that I have a son who is a Freshman in college). So armed with my track record on giving GSN 5 seasons of a No. 1 rated show, I decided to hit them in the spot where it’s supposed to make a father go mush.”

Benza told Nugent and Shiff that he would take a pay cut to remain the host of Season 6 of the popular poker cash game show, which survived a management change at GSN that resulted in the network declining to pick up its option to carry Season 7 of the World Poker Tour (WPT). Consequently, WPT officials were left scrambling to find a new television partner in the middle of 2008 before finally settling on Fox Sports Net, which will also air the eighth season of the WPT. Benza lamented, “I just want to put it out there y’all. This is the kind of shit that goes on in Hollywood.”

On his future, Benza told readers that he will have a face to face meeting with Nugent: “I will have my meeting with Nugent - and I promise I won’t stab him with a butter knife. He and I go way back to my E! days, and honestly, he’s a good guy.” As to who will sit alongside Kaplan in the “High Stakes Poker” booth this season, Benza hinted, “I hope you like the female they toss in front of you. And I hope the repartee between she and Gabe works likes ours did.”

As expected, the online poker forums have been buzzing with the news that Benza may soon find his way out of “High Stakes Poker,” although no official announcement has come down from GSN. Speculation on Benza’s replacement has ranged from Team PokerStars Pro member Vanessa Rousso to ESPN announcer Norman Chad’s crush Kara Scott. Despite not necessarily footing the bill as “eye candy,” posters on the TwoPlusTwo forum clamored that Ali Nejad, who hosts “Poker After Dark” and the “National Heads-Up Poker Championship” on NBC, should be considered.

On October 6th, Rousso posted a curious Twitter entry that read, “PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge is wrappppped! Woot! Meetings today about another TV project, will keep you all posted.” Just before the start of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship in Las Vegas in March, Rousso inked an agreement to become the newest GoDaddy Girl, joining Danica Patrick, Anna Rawson, Marina Orlova, and original site symbol Candice Michelle.

We’ll keep you posted right here on Poker News Daily.

Father Andrew Trapp Wins $100,000 on PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge

Sunday marked the debut of the FOX poker show “PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge,” a franchise similar to rival site Fill Tilt Poker’s “Face the Ace.” In the end, Father Andrew Trapp of Garden City, South Carolina earned $100,000 and a seat at the Table of Champions.

Hosted by Chris Rose, of “Best Damn Sports Show Period” fame, “Million Dollar Challenge” began with Trapp facing off against former NBA star John Salley. In the first round, Daniel Negreanu sat by the contestant’s side and was not able to see their hole cards, but could give his thoughts on the action as he saw fit. In addition, Trapp could use one time out to consult with Negreanu in a soundproof isolation booth. In the match’s key hand, Trapp held Q-6 of spades and raised to 4,000 pre-flop. Salley re-raised to 7,000 with A-10 and Trapp used his time out. Negreanu told his protégé to push all-in despite his lackluster hand and Trapp obliged. Salley made the call and the flop came 5-K-9 with one spade. However, running spades gave Trapp a flush and doubled him up.

In the deciding hand, Trapp raised to 8,000 pre-flop with A-6 and Salley called with Q-3. The flop came 10-A-8 and Salley led out for 8,000 with “squadoosh.” Trapp called behind to see the turn come another ace, leaving Salley drawing dead. Salley checked and Trapp bet enough to put the “I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here” third place finisher all-in. Salley called for his last 4,000 and Trapp earned a trip to the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in January.

Next up for Trapp was National Heads-Up Poker Championship runner-up Vanessa Rousso. This time around, Negreanu headed to the isolation booth, where he could see Trapp’s hole cards and was able to impart advice through an earpiece Trapp wore. In one hand, Rousso called pre-flop with 4-8 and Trapp checked his option with 8-7. The flop came 5-6-7, giving Rousso a straight, and Trapp bet out 2,000 with top pair and a straight draw. Rousso raised to 4,000, with Negreanu coaching, “Stick it in now. The quicker you do it, the better.” Trapp pushed and Rousso called for her stack. The turn came a four, however, splitting the pot and staving off disaster for the challenger.

In the final hand against Rousso, Trapp called pre-flop with K-7 and Rousso moved all-in for 11,300. Negreanu advised him to go with his gut and Trapp made the call. The board ran out J-J-4-2-7 and Trapp earned $25,000. He was then met with a decision to take the money and run or face Negreanu for $100,000 and a seat at the Table of Champions, whose winner will face the Team PokerStars Pro front man for $1 million.

Trapp elected to play on and, in a key hand against Negreanu, called pre-flop holding J-6. Negreanu, armed with K-9, checked his option. The flop came Q-7-J, giving Trapp middle pair. Negreanu bet out 800 and Trapp raised to 1,600. Negreanu made the call to see the turn fall a 10, giving him a straight. The action went check-check to a three on the river. Negreanu pushed for 7,100 and Trapp made the call, doubling up Negreanu to nearly the starting stack of 20,000.

In the final hand between Trapp and Negreanu, the latter called pre-flop with 5-6 and Trapp checked with J-8. The flop came 8-4-2, giving Trapp top pair and Negreanu a double gutshot straight draw, and Negreanu bet 2,000. Trapp shoved for 19,000 and after much deliberation, Negreanu made the call, exclaiming “Oops” when he saw what he was up against. Needing a three or seven, Negreanu watched as the turn and river came a jack and a deuce, respectively, shipping the $100,000 match to Trapp.

Four more installments of “Million Dollar Challenge” are on tap, airing on Sundays after NFL on FOX action for one hour on October 18th, November 22nd, December 13th, and December 27th.

Matt Glantz Wins PokerStars EPT London High Roller Event

American Matt Glantz emerged victorious in the European Poker Tour’s (EPT) London High Roller event, banking £542,000. Glantz bested Erik Cajelais in a tournament that attracted 75 runners.

Cajelais entered the final table as a commanding chip leader, owning a stack of 893,000, well out in front of Glantz, who came armed with 647,500. Glantz had a wealth of experience, however, finishing fourth in the $50,000 buy-in HORSE Championship during the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) for $568,000. That final table, of course, featured Scotty Nguyen, a 2009 Poker Hall of Fame finalist, emerging victorious while allegedly inebriated. Also that year, Glantz took third in the World Championship Mixed Event for $184,000.

Cajelais, meanwhile, was fresh off a win in the £2,500 buy-in Pot Limit Hold’em / Pot Limit Omaha contest during the 2009 WSOP Europe festivities, which were also held in London. In that event, he defeated Mats Gavatin heads-up and earned £104,000. Also appearing at the Pot Limit final table were Men “The Master” Nguyen, Hoyt Corkins, and Chris Bjorin, who went on to finish sixth in the WSOP Europe Main Event.

Just after the dinner break, Glantz prevailed in the High Roller tournament. Here is how its final table shook out:

1. Matt Glantz (United States) - £542,000
2. Erik Cajelais (Canada) - £326,000
3. Eugene Katchalov (United States) - £193,000
4. Adolfo Vaeza (Uruguay) - £141,000
5. Leo Fernandez (Argentina) - £104,000
6. Ilari Sahamies (Finland) - £74,000
7. Dennis Phillips (United States) - £60,000
8. Shane Reihill (Ireland) - £45,000

Phillips has been on fire over the past year. After finishing third in the 2008 WSOP Main Event for $4.5 million, the truck salesman grabbed 45th in the 2009 installment, earning another $178,000. He won a $500 buy-in tournament during the Venetian Deep Stack Extravaganza in Las Vegas in April and has become one of poker’s top ambassadors. Phillips, along with a half-dozen other pros, descended on Capitol Hill for the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) Fly-In held during National Poker Week. Phillips toured the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and also played in a charity poker tournament.

Sahamies, nicknamed “Ziigumd” in the online world, is the front man for the Cake Poker Network site Power Poker. Sahamies appeared on Season 5 of the GSN cash game show “High Stakes Poker” and was part of the winning squad in the inaugural Caesars Cup. Fernandez, along with Phillips, is a card-carrying member of Team PokerStars Pro. In April, Fernandez finished sixth in the Latin American Poker Tour’s (LAPT) Mar del Plata Main Event for $63,000. His employer, PokerStars, sponsors the EPT.

WSOP November Nine member Phil Ivey was the first player sent packing from the High Roller event. Others who hit the skids on Day 1 included Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Dave “Devilfish” Ulliott, Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer, Barry Greenstein, Vanessa Rousso, Luca Pagano, J.C. Alvarado, and Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier. After his victory, Glantz told PokerStars officials, “It feels great. It’s just been my day.” In the final hand, Glantz’s A-2 held up against Cajelais’ Q-J.

The £5,000 buy-in EPT London Main Event is currently underway. This time around, the tournament attracted 730 players, which PokerStars claims is the largest poker event ever held in the United Kingdom. Only 596 players took to the felts in 2008, representing a growth of 23%. A total of 58 countries are represented, including 138 players from the United Kingdom, 131 from the United States, 63 from France, 45 from Germany, and 42 from Italy.

PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge Premieres October 11th

Those who enjoyed “Face the Ace” have another poker-themed game show to look forward to, as the PokerStars-sponsored “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge” is set to premiere on Fox on Sunday, October 11th.

The new series will air after Sunday NFL coverage and will feature a series of online qualifiers trying to win the $1 million first place prize.  In order to make it on the show, contestants had to win a freeroll on PokerStars and submit a minute-long video explaining why they deserved to appear.  Those who are fortunate enough to be selected have a ways to go before the $1 million is in their pockets.

Contestants will have to survive a series of four heads-up poker matches before the money is theirs, but they will have a little help along the way.  During the first round, players will face off against a famous sports star or celebrity like Jerome Bettis, MMA fighter Tito Ortiz, or Playboy Playmate Jayde Nicole.  Even though these celebrities will likely have comparable or less poker experience than the challenger, the challenger will also have the benefit of Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu sitting by their side offering them advice.  During the first round, Negreanu will be seated right next to the contestant offering his insight, but should the player advance to Round Two, Negreanu relocates to an isolation booth while the player takes on their next opponent.

Round Two will feature a match against a Team PokerStars Pro like Barry Greenstein, Vanessa Rousso, or former World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event winner Chris Moneymaker.  Contestants can still seek advice from Negreanu, but it will be out of earshot of their highly skilled opponents.  For every Round One and Round Two match won by a contestant with Negreanu’s help, PokerStars will donate $10,000 to a charity of the Canadian pro’s choosing. Charitable donations will also be made should one of the Team PokerStars Pros or celebrities eliminate the contestant.

Once the first two matches are in the books, the bond between contestant and Negreanu will be turned on its head, as the coach becomes the competition in Rounds Three and Four.  After spending two matches picking up the contestant’s tendencies and playing style, Negreanu will square off against them.  If the contestant can beat the pro in back-to-back heads-up matches, they will walk away $1 million wealthier.

Contestants will earn prizes for each round they successfully win.  If they beat the celebrity in Round One, they’ll earn a prize package to the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas.  If they manage to best the pro in Round Two, they’ll net $25,000.  If they want, players can take that money and walk away or they can put it on the line to face off against Negreanu.  If they opt to play in Round Three and win, they’ll earn $100,000 and a seat at the final show’s Table of Champions, which will give players a second chance to take on Negreanu for $1 million.  Those fortunate few who make it to Round Four will win the coveted $1 million should they best Negreanu a second time.

The Million Dollar Challenge will be hosted by Chris Rose of “Best Damn Sports Show Period” and “Poker Superstars Invitational” fame and, like “Face the Ace,” will air approximately once per month.  After the first two shows air in back-to-back weeks on October 11th and October 18th, it will return again November 22nd and December 13th, with its final episode airing on December 27th.

Viewers will also have a chance to get in on the action with freeroll tournaments on PokerStars.net and other giveaways set to take place when the show airs in two weeks.

Ante Up for Africa Monte Carlo Event to Air on CBS Sports

For the next two weekends, CBS will air the PokerStars Ante Up for Africa Monte Carlo tournament. The show will air on Saturday, September 19th from 1:30pm to 2:30pm ET and on Saturday, September 26th from 2:00pm to 3:00pm ET.

Both shows will air prior to college football. Vanessa Rousso, a member of Team PokerStars Pro, commented in a press release distributed by the online poker site on Friday, “Each year at the World Series of Poker, I make it a point to play in Ante Up for Africa. It’s amazing that PokerStars hosted the event in Monte Carlo to help a worthy cause and bring some fun to the table during one of their biggest events of the year.” In this author’s home market, the show does not air on September 19th, but rather only the 26th. Viewers are encouraged to check their local listings for details, as college football dates, times, and channels vary by market.

The tournament took place in April in the storied European principality during the Monte Carlo Grand Final festivities. The casino is the host venue for the end-of-season European Poker Tour (EPT) event and attracted a star-studded lineup of celebrities and poker players for the Ante Up for Africa contest. Among those in attendance were St. Louis rapper Nelly, singer Christina Milian, The Dream, “Heroes” actor James Kyson Lee, “Sex in the City” actor Jason Lewis, Good Charlotte band member Joel Madden, U.K. presenter Kirsty Gallacher, rapper Bruno “Kool Shen” Lopes, F1 racer Nico Rosberg, Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina, and rugby players Sebastien Chabal and Mike Tindall.

Representing Team PokerStars Pro were Rousso, 2004 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Greg Raymer, 2005 Champion Joe Hachem, 2008 Champion Peter Eastgate, Italian poker pro Dario Minieri, Victor Ramdin, and Caesars Cup Captain Daniel Negreanu. The €4,000 buy-in tournament generated more than €260,000 for the Ante Up for Africa charity, which raises money and awareness for victims of the crisis in Darfur. A total of €160,000 was raised through tournament buy-ins, while PokerStars generously kicked in an additional €100,000.

Among those prizes awarded were a trip to the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in 2010. The tournament, which is held annually in the Bahamas, serves as the lone Western Hemisphere stop on the EPT circuit. A tournament summary distributed by the world’s largest online poker site offered the following insight into the ongoing Darfur crisis: “More than 400,000 people have died and more than four million have lost their homes in Darfur since the conflict began. To date, Ante Up For Africa has raised close to $2 million for the cause.”

Ante Up for Africa was founded in 2006 by “Celebrity Apprentice” runner-up Annie Duke, Full Tilt Poker pro Don Cheadle, and Norman Epstein. An annual $5,000 buy-in tournament is held to benefit the charity during the WSOP in Las Vegas. This year, the spectacle came to life on cable station ESPN and featured Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Sarah Silverman, Charles Barkley, and Jason Alexander. Representing the poker world were the likes of Chris Ferguson, Howard Lederer, and Phil Hellmuth, who served as the event’s emcee. This year’s gala raised more than $600,000.

In August, the Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) featured a fundraiser for Ante Up for Africa in the form of a $120 buy-in tournament. A total of 2,367 players bought into the event, which was won by “warren_ace1.” Full Tilt donated the entire $20 entry fee to Ante Up for Africa.

CBS to air Ante Up For Africa Monte Carlo

Two one-hour shows featuring action from the star-studded event to benefit Darfur are set to air on the US network Today [Sept. 19] at 1:30 p.m. EST and Saturday, Sept. 26 at 2 p.m. EST, leading into its popular college football coverage.

Modelled on the World Series of Poker's Ante Up For Africa event created by Don Cheadle, Annie Duke and Norman Epstein, the $6,000 buy-in event saw stars from the worlds of television, sports and music take on a host top poker professionals.

Celebrities including Christina Milian, Nelly, Joel Madden, Jason Lewis, James Lee, and Boris Becker were joined by Team PokerStars Pros Daniel Negreanu, Joe Hachem and Vanessa Rousso on the felt.

Former Team PokerStars Pro Isabelle Mercier actually won the tournament defeating English football legend Teddy Sheringham heads-up.

All of the prize money was donated to help fund the work of charities that provide aid and assistance to the humanitarian efforts in Darfur.

"Each year at the World Series of Poker, I make a point to play in Ante Up for Africa," said Rousso.

"It's amazing that PokerStars hosted the event in Monte Carlo to help a worthy cause and bring some fun to the table during one of their biggest events of the year."

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Brown blows up in Biloxi

Playing celebrity host to the 12-day, 15-event Gulf Coast Poker Championships at the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino - along with better half and fellow Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Rousso - turned out to be only half the job.

Winning was the other half.

First, Brown took down a $500 Pot-Limit Omaha preliminary event on Sept. 10 for a $32k score.

Then Monday he went on to win the $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em main event.

Coming out on top of the 143-person tournament meant a $225,567 payday for Brown plus a freeroll into the $10K WPT Southern Poker Championships at the Beau Rivage this January.

The final table at the Gulf Coast Poker Championships was filled with relatively unknown locals and Brown defeated Smithdale, Mississippi's Tyler Smith heads-up to win the title, flopping the nut-straight against Smith's straight draw.

The southern United States appears to be one of Brown's favorite places to play poker.

A month earlier he finished fourth at the $5,000 Gold Strike World Poker Open main event in Tunica, Mississippi, cashing for $48,088.

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Ray Davis wins inaugural WCOOP Badugi event

Davis, no stranger to the poker world having cashed regularly in major poker events since 2002, overcame a tough final table that included Danny "THE__D__RY" Ryan and Billy "The Croc" Argyros to book the win.

Known for his sense of style and outspoken personality, Davis has taken down six-figure scores in the 2008 $50K H.O.R.S.E. and the 2007 WPT Five Diamond event at Bellagio, but this is his first WCOOP title.

A total of 376 players paid the $320 buy-in to take part in the event, which was added to the WCOOP schedule, in part due to Team PokerStars Pro Barry Greenstein's constant requests.

Because Badugi, a four-card draw lowball game, is such an unusual variant of poker, the field contained a high ratio of pros including Daniel Negreanu, Vanessa Rousso, Chris Moneymaker, Gavin Griffin and many others.

Greenstein hosted the event and proceeded to taunt close-friend Davis throughout the final table.

"Normally I would congratulate all of you, but you're behind Raymond Davis, which is quite embarrassing," wrote Greenstein in the chatbox at the start of the final table. "I have to root for you Raymond. No one else owes me money."

Argyros, who is commonly referred to as Billy the Croc, entered the final table as one of the short stacks and didn't make it long until he was eliminated in 7th place. Argyros later admitted in the chatbox that it was his first Badugi tournament.

The other well-known pro at the final table, Ryan is known as a sit-and-go master, but also finished fifth in the 2008 EPT Copenhagen event. Ryan entered the final table with a medium stack but was eventually ousted by Davis in fifth place.

In the end, Davis entered heads-up play against bobsmith166 with a small chip lead.

The two agreed to an almost even chop, but still played one hour and 30 minutes heads-up before Davis finally landed the knockout blow, winning both the WCOOP title and the $19,912 that came with it.

Here are the complete final table results:

1. Raymond "raydavis77" Davis - $19,912

2. bobsmith166 - $17,312

3. goleafsgo41 - $11,844

4. Cordelia - $8,460

5. Danny "THE_D_RY" Ryan - $5,640

6. JP OSU - $3,948

7. Billy "crocky" Argyros - $2,820

8. MadisonAce29 - $2,820

WCOOP Notes

In other WCOOP news, Kevin "BeLOWaBOVe" Saul managed to finish third in the first high roller event of the 2009 WCOOP.

The final table of the $10,300 No-Limit Hold'em event was not exactly a cake-walk, with EPT founder John Duthie, Peter "Belebacsi" Traply, Scott "SCTrojans" Freeman and Mike "Sowerss" Sowers all vying for first place.

In the end, unknown online player Sumpas beat Sowers in heads-up play to take the title and the $611,455 that came with it.

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PokerStars offering freeroll for British women

In 2006, Team PokerStars Pro Vicky Coren became the first women to win an EPT event when she took down the London stage of the tour and former EPT presenter Kara Scott has amassed over $500,000 in tournament earnings over the past 14 months thanks to a second place finish in the 2009 Irish Open and a deep run in the 2008 WSOP Main Event.

Taking inspiration from those two player's acclaimed performances, PokerStars has decided to give British female players a unique chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to London and a seat in a major female-only event.

From now until Sept. 26, PokerStars will be running a series of daily freerolls just for British women.

The top nine players each day will get a spot in the online final on Sept. 27 and the top 10 finalists will win a seat at the £220 EPT Ladies Game on Oct. 5.

The package also includes a night in the five-star Hilton Metropole hotel, a chance to meet Coren and get a signed copy of her book.

"There are a lot of great female poker players out there already, but there could be a lot more," said Coren.

"Playing online, women don't have to worry about the long late hours of the live game or the stern faces of a roomful of men. You can log on whenever you like, for as long or short a time as you like, and fit this around the demands of careers, childcare or whatever else is going on.

"For women who want to take a shot at a live tournament, but don't fancy staring at a table of snarling male opponents, this promotion is perfect."

The freeroll tournament can be found under Tourney/Regional on the PokerStars client.

In the meantime, keep your eyes out for Team PokerStars like Coren, Vanessa Rousso and Katja Thater to do some damage at both the WSOPE and EPT London this fall.

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High Heels Poker Tour Signs Sponsorship Deal With PokerStars

Poker has traditionally been a masculine pursuit, but women have been making inroads into the game since the boom earlier this century. One only has to look at Annie Duke’s performance in the first WSOP Tournament of Champions or Vanessa Rousso’s runner-up finish at this year’s National Heads Up Poker Championship to realize that women are a formidable part of today’s poker world. A tournament schedule to promote female participation in the game, the High Heels Poker Tour, recently signed on PokerStars as a sponsor to further the number of women who participate in poker.

In an announcement late last week, PokerStars will help to support the tournaments that make up the HHPT schedule from this point on. “PokerStars has all of the attributes in a online partner that female players crave…an incredible variety of quick, entertaining games that range from low buy in sit and goes and cash games to serious tournament play, all in an environment where women can learn the game, develop their skills, and truly become champions”, Lauren Failla, founder of the High Heels Poker Tour, stated during the announcement. “With champions like Vanessa Rousso, Katja Thater, and Vicky Coren, our players have a whole new set of role models to emulate and challenge, online and at the tables.” As a part of the new sponsorship with PokerStars, the High Heels Poker Tour will be conducting their Grand Final as a part of the festivities of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas this January.

The first HHPT event, which was held on August 22nd at the Turning Stone Resort Casino, was won by Texas’ Kathy Talerico and leads into what will be a hectic two months of action on the HHPT schedule. After New York, the tour heads south to Florida, where four tournaments are set to take place across the state.

First up for the players on the HHPT is Dania, FL, and a $125 buy in tournament at Dania Jai-Alai. Set to begin at 4PM on September 12th, players will start out with 6000 chips and play down to a champion that evening. After the Dania tournament, players on the HPPT will have the opportunity to relax before heading into a three tournament run in the month of October.

On October 2nd, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino will play host to the High Heels Poker Tour in Hollywood, FL. The tournament is scheduled to start at 6:30PM and, as of yet, the starting chip stacks haven’t been determined. The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino is demonstrating its support of the HHPT by making their tournament a prominent part of its “Main Event Tournament Week” schedule. The month of October finishes off with a couple of charitable outreaches by the HHPT with a trip to Tampa Bay Downs on October 10th for the “Battle of the Sexes To Battle Breast Cancer” and the organization will be in charge of the poker activities at the Trump International Beach Resort on October 17th for a benefit for the Friends of the Israel Defense Fund Casino Night.

The High Heels Poker Tour will be looking to expand to several different locations in 2010. While dates are not yet locked in for the tournaments, the HHPT is in discussion with such casinos as the Horseshoe in Hammond, Indiana, Harvey’s Lake Tahoe in Nevada, the Canadian Poker Expo in Toronto, Canada and others to hold HHPT events.

The High Heels Poker Tour also holds their very own Academy, with 2010 dates to be announced soon, that assists in teaching the game to more women. Such popular female players as Women In Poker Hall of Fame members Barbara Enright, Susie Issacs and Marsha Waggoner, along with current pros Kristy Gazes, Karina Jett and Joanne “J. J.” Liu, offer the wealth of their experience for other female players to learn from. For more information on the organization, visit the High Heels Poker Tour website to learn more.

Sumpas Claims WCOOP High Roller Title; ternoplayer Wins Event #9

It was a busier Sunday than normal on the virtual poker felts as the PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) recommenced with three events, two of which played down to a champion early Monday morning. The $215 No Limit Hold ‘em (Event #9) drew a field of 11,131 players, while the $10,300 No Limit Hold ‘em High Roller (Event #10) attracted nearly 300 of the wealthiest and most respected poker players in the world.

The $10,300 High Roller Event easily surpassed its $2 million guarantee as 299 entrants produced a prize pool of $2,990,000. A first-place prize of $611,455 of was on the line as well as the coveted WCOOP gold bracelet, which was won by Scott “dorinvandy” Dorin in the High Rollers event in 2008.

Several Team PokerStars Pro members participated in the tournament, including Chris Moneymaker, Joe Hachem, Peter Eastgate, Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, Barry Greenstein, Vanessa Rousso, Ylon Schwartz, Steve Paul-Ambrose, J.C. Alvarado, Katja Thater, William Thorson, Dennis Phillips, Alexandre Gomes, and Hevad Khan. Fellow team member John Duthie made the final table, taking eighth place for $74,750.

The final table was loaded with big names as it formed late into the night. Kevin “BeL0WaB0Ve” Saul entered with the chip lead, while Scott “SCTrojans” Freeman, Peter “Belabacsi” Traply, Mike “Sowerss” Sowers and Dustin “DDBeast” Dorrance-Bowman were among the others vying for the title.

Sumpas, hailing from Sweden, took the chip lead into three-handed play and eliminated Saul shortly after Saul declined a three-way chip chop of the remaining prize money. With the blinds at 5,000/10,000 and a 1,250 ante, Sumpas raised to 21,400 on the button and Saul re-raised to 56,530 from the small blind. Sowers folded his big blind and Sumpas called to see a flop of Ad-Qs-3h. Saul checked, Sumpas fired 46,500 into the pot and Saul called. The 3d fell on the turn and Saul check-called again, this time a bet of 125,000. The river brought the 10h and Saul checked to Sumpas for a third time. The Swede moved all in, putting Saul to a decision for his remaining 453,000 chips. Saul took some time before deciding to call with Ac-8s for aces up, but Sumpas tabled Kd-Jd for a rivered straight to scoop the pot and send Saul on his way with $337,870.

Sumpas had a 5-1 chip lead over Sowers going into heads up play but the short stack battled for nearly an hour before ending his tournament on a bluff. On a board of Ks-4s-4d Sumpas bet 30,000 and Sowers check-raised to 90,000. Sumpas re-raised to 165,000 and Sowers moved all in for 748,250. Sumpas called with Kd-Tc, which had the Jh-10d of Sowers drawing nearly dead. The 7s turn and 3d river sealed the deal for Sumpas, who earned a WCOOP bracelet and $611,455 for his victory. Sowers walked away with $448,500.

The massive score was the biggest ever online for Sumpas, who also made the final table of last year’s WCOOP Main Event, taking sixth place for $415,150. Here’s a look at the final results of WCOOP Event #10:

1. Sumpas - $611,455
2. Mike “Sowerss” Sowers - $448,500
3. Kevin “BeL0WaB0Ve” Saul - $337,870
4. Scott “SCTrojans” Freeman - $254,150
5. Peter “Belabacsi” Trapley - $173,420
6. Kevin “KevBoyStar” Stani - $134,550
7. Matias “Festivuss” Gabrenja - $104,650
8. John Duthie - $74,750
9. Dustin “DDBeast” Dorrance-Bowman - $56,810

Event #9 more than doubled its guarantee as an astounding number of players took part in the $215 No Limit Hold ‘em tournament on Sunday. The 11,131 generated a prize pool of $2,260,200, with the winner collecting $303,876.

It was a long, protracted day for the nine players that reached the final table. The tournament began at 1:00 ET Sunday afternoon and play didn’t conclude until after 8:00 a.m. The final table lacked the power punch of the High Rollers Event but high-stakes tournament specialist Grayson “graybone” Nichols managed to take fifth place for $89,048.

When heads-up play began Slovakia’s ternoplayer was at a considerable chip disadvantage to France’s maxisou, but the tables turned quickly. Ternoplayer doubled up holding As-Qc against maxisou’s Ah-3s and then gained the chip lead by winning a few small pots. On the final hand, maxisou raised in position preflop and ternoplayer called. The two saw a flop of Qs-Js-5h and ternoplayer checked to maxisou, who led out for 1.6 million. Ternoplayer raised to 4 million and maxisou moved all in for around 18 million. Ternoplayer called with Kc-Qd and had his opponent’s Jc-8h in bad shape. The 8d landed on to turn to give maxisou the lead but the river brought the Kd, giving ternoplayer the pot, the WCOOP title and the first-place payday of $303,876.

WCOOP Event #9 Results:

1. ternoplayer - $303,876
2. maxisou - $214,828
3. micha88 - $155,834
4. r&g2007 - $111,310
5. Grayson “graybone” Nichols - $89,048
6. akilam77 - $66,786
7. PanjoDeLuxe - $44,524
8. masterpice - $22,262
9. SoulMaster7 - $13,913

Richard Toth Triumphs in Inaugural WPT Slovakia Event

When the World Poker Tour ( WPT ) first announced it would be adding a stop in Slovakia for its eighth season, it was unclear how many big name pros would be willing to travel to Bratislava to participate in the event.  The final numbers for last week’s Main Event were at a modest 100, but there were still some recognizable faces in the field and at the final table.

The €4,400 buy-in event was held at the Golden Vegas Casino in Bratislava in tandem with the Slovak Poker Sport Federation.  The event will not be televised in the United States, but the WPT did add a little taste of the States to the event by flying in noted tournament director Steve Frezer and his crew to oversee all the tournament action.

Some of the other imports who came in for the event were American PokerStars Pro Vanessa Rousso, Full Tilt Pro Gus “The Great Dane” Hansen, DoylesRoom pro Alec “traheho” Torelli and 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Peter “Belabacsi” Traply of Hungary.

Both Torelli and Traply found themselves at the final table of the event, which is familiar territory for the two pros.  Torelli finished in 4th place at the WPT season-opening Bellagio Cup V, earning $271,165 and made an appearance at the televised final table of the $40,000 buy-in anniversary event of the WSOP back in May.  He finished in 6th place in that event for $329,730.  So far this year, Torelli has won $695,291.

Traply has had an equally successful run.  In April of this year he made the final table of the European Poker Tour’s Grand Finale at Monte Carlo, finishing in 8th place for $241,238.  Then, in June, the young Hungarian took down the $5,000 No Limit Hold’em Shootout Event at the WSOP for $348,755.  The achievement was a benchmark not just for Traply, but for his country as it was Hungary’s first-ever WSOP title.

Hungary had a strong showing in Slovakia as well.  Traply was joined at the final table by fellow Hungarian Richard Toth.  According to Czech poker site Pokerzive.cz, Traply was the extreme short stack heading into final table play while Torelli came in with the chip lead.  Here are the complete chip counts from the start of the final table:

Seat 1: Alec Torelli (1,064,000 chips)
Seat 2: Richard Toth (781,000 chips)
Seat 3: Boris Zelený (469,000 chips)
Seat 4: Sa?a Sten?i? (439,000 chips)
Seat 5: Marec Tatar (160,000 chips)
Seat 6: Peter Traply (63,000 chips)

An early double up by Traply kept him alive long enough to avoid going out in 6th place.  Marec Tatar, the other short stack at the table, was less fortunate and was the first to fall in 6th place.  Traply’s comeback would be short-lived and he would be the next player eliminated.  Despite beginning the day with the chip lead, Torelli made his exit in 4th, matching his previous WPT final table performance at the Bellagio. In the end it was the other Hungarian, Toth, who would emerge victorious at his first WPT final table.  He earned €104,000 for the win and added a WPT victory to the rapidly growing list of Hungarian poker achievements.

The complete results from the final table are as follows:

1st: Richard Toth - €104,000
2nd: Boris Zelený - €66,000
3rd: Sa?a Sten?i? - €42,000
4th: Alec Torelli - €31,000
5th: Peter Traply - €25,000
6th: Marec Tatar - €20,000

The next WPT international stop in Cyprus is already underway and after only one of two starting days, it appears as if it will draw a substantially larger crowd than its Slovakian counterpart.

PokerStars sponsors High Heels Poker Tour

The world's largest poker site has signed on board as the official sponsor of the all-women High Heels Poker Tour (HHPT).

Founded in 2007, the HHPT was created to empower women who had the desire to become champions in the growing world of poker.

Since then the tour has crowned countless winners and helped stimulate even more expansion in women's poker.

The PokerStars sponsorship should only help its cause.

"PokerStars has all the attributes in an online partner that female players crave: an incredible variety of quick, entertaining games that range from low buy-in sit and goes and cash games to serious tournament play, all in an environment where women can learn the game, develop their skills and truly become champions," said Lauren Failla, founder of the HHPT.

"With champions like Vanessa Rousso, Katja Thater and Vicky Coren, our players will have a whole new set of role models to emulate and challenge, online and at the tables."

The PokerStars sponsorship will include support for the HHPT's growing roster of tournaments, which begin this month with a stop at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, NY. After New York the tour heads to Florida for events in Dania, Hollywood and Tampa.

This year the HHPT will be offering a grand finale $1,000 buy-in ladies event at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in January 2010.

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Daniel Negreanu, Erick Lindgren Struggle on ESPN WSOP Coverage

In Tuesday night’s broadcast of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on ESPN, Daniel Negreanu and Erick Lindgren struggled in front of a national viewing audience as Days 1C and 1D of the Main Event unfolded. This article contains language that may not be suitable for all audiences.

Daniel Negreanu and Ultimate Bet pro Phil Hellmuth were featured during the first hour of coverage on ESPN, which tracked Day 1C of the 2009 WSOP Main Event. Negreanu, plagued by sinus problems, was seated at the feature table, while Hellmuth found himself at Table Two. Hellmuth arrived in typical grand fashion, dressed as Emperor Hellmuth and flanked by scantily-clad women, drummers, and a throng of poker fans armed with cameras. ESPN announcer Norman Chad quipped, “If Tom Brady came to the Super Bowl like this, the NFL would shut down, but we embrace this.”

Even Negreanu took notice of Hellmuth’s entrance, telling his tablemates, “[Hellmuth] loves to show us his nipples. If you watch ESPN, you’ll notice that there are a lot of nipple shots. He’s either meditating with his tiny nipples or doing something.” ESPN recapped Lindgren and Negreanu’s Player of the Year competition, where poker pros could pick any partner except for Phil Ivey and compete based on Player of the Year Points. Barry Greenstein selected Jeffrey Lisandro, who promptly won three bracelets during the 2009 festivities. Negreanu and Lindgren noted that they stood to lose around $1 million as a result of the bets.

Chad and fellow ESPN commentator Lon McEachern dubbed Hellmuth “Pokerus Bratus” and “Hellmuthicus.” The 11-time bracelet winner lived up to his reputation after teeing off on tablemates early on. An opponent who made three kings after calling a raise with K-8 when Hellmuth had jacks received the brunt of the anger. Hellmuth lamented, “What the fuck? Calling a fricking raise with K-8?” Hellmuth then spouted four expletives in a row followed by the word “man.” He sat back down and vented, “Fucking moron players.” No penalty was shown despite a stricter player conduct rule.

2008 WSOP November Nine member Dennis Phillips brought an entourage of look-a-likes with him, including David Tucker, who was charged with blowing a portable truck horn every time Phillips scooped a pot. Also in the field was “Celebrity Apprentice” runner-up and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke, who was sent to the rails early on. Chad exclaimed, “Annie, you’re fired” when the Ultimate Bet face was ousted from the $10,000 buy-in tournament.

The “Straight from the Pros” segment featured Team PokerStars Pro member Joe Hachem squaring off against Steve Dannenmann on Day 5 of the 2005 Main Event. Dannenmann flopped a set in the hand, while Hachem flopped the nut flush draw. After Dannenmann put in a check-raise, Hachem folded, which he called “the biggest laydown of my life.” ESPN viewers then watched Negreanu get trumped during the Jack Link’s Beef Jerky Wild Card Hand, in which the hole cards of one player are unknown.

Meanwhile, Hellmuth and an opponent each bet $20 that they had the best hand. In the end, Hellmuth showed A-Q, while his opponent flipped over pocket fours. The money was given to a friend on the rail to “buy drinks,” an activity Hellmuth deemed worthy of another $40 contribution. Then, Hellmuth learned the crew was from Aruba, the site of the annual Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic, and tossed another $100 their way. The situation quickly turned dark. Hellmuth ran into a rivered flush, which caused him to lament, “Is this some kind of fucking joke? I can’t even fucking believe what I’m seeing.” Again, no penalty was assessed.

Day 1D of the 2009 WSOP Main Event featured 2008 Player of the Year Erick Lindgren. Joining Lindgren at the feature table was Joe Hardie, the former owner of the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles. Also in the field on Day 1D, which saw more than 500 players turned away, were “I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here” winner Lou Diamond Phillips and third place finisher John Salley. Others playing included Ray Romano, Ivan Demidov, J.C. Tran, Jennifer Harman, Marco Traniello, Chad Brown, Vanessa Rousso, Jordan Farmar, Phil Ivey, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, and 2006 Player of the Year Jeff Madsen.

Lindgren’s tentative play at the feature table was the theme of the second episode. Chad explained, “I hope the tape of this telecast is destroyed before Lindgren sees it. It’ll set him back 15 years.” The Wild Card Hand featured four-way action to the turn on an A-J-7-8 board with two diamonds. Serge Pouliott bet out 450 and the action folded around to Lindgren, who made the call. The river was the four of hearts. Lindgren checked, Pouliott bet 825, and Lindgren called. Pouliott turned over A-Q, out-kicking Lindgren’s A-6 of diamonds. The Full Tilt-sponsored “Deal Me In” featured Lindgren breaking down a hand that transpired during Day 1 of the 2008 WSOP Main Event.

Day 2 of the 2009 WSOP Main Event will air next Tuesday on ESPN at 8:00pm ET and runs for two hours.

Brett Favre Signing Delays WSOP Main Event Coverage on ESPN

The signing of quarterback Brett Favre by the Minnesota Vikings delayed the premiere of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event by 20 minutes on Tuesday night, with action from Day 1A and Day 1B taking center stage.

The $10,000 buy-in feature tournament began with Full Tilt Poker pro Jennifer Harman narrating, “Someone has to win it, right? So why not you or me?” Highlights of past Main Event winning moments aired, with a player rounding out the montage by saying, “All you need is a ticket and a dream.” The feature table of the first hour, Day 1A of the 2009 WSOP Main Event, included 2006 final table participant Allen Cunningham, Eli Elezra, and Lex Veldhuis, the boyfriend of Evelyn Ng who was featured in ESPN’s coverage of the $40,000 buy-in event commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP.

ESPN announcer Norman Chad fired up viewers by claiming, “This is it. It’s the greatest event in the galaxy. Anyone can win. We could bound and gag Lon [McEachern], stick him in a potato sack, and roll him into the Amazon Room and he may make the final table. I love the Main Event.” Table Two featured 2009 dual bracelet winner Greg “FBT” Mueller and poker pro Sammy Farha, who finished as the runner-up to Chris Moneymaker in the 2003 WSOP Main Event, igniting the modern poker boom.

The 40th Annual Moments featured Johnny Chan winning the 1987 and 1988 Main Events before landing as the runner-up to Phil Hellmuth in 1989. Chan also turned in a seventh place performance in 1992. Joining Chan in the Day 1A field were Phil Laak, Jennifer Tilly, Orel Hershiser, Dewey Tomko, Steven Paul-Ambrose, and Gus Hansen. “Seinfeld” star Jason Alexander and “Everybody Loves Raymond” actor Brad Garrett were seated together, making for a lively table.

At the feature table, Veldhuis rolled over his competition, showing a bluff against Elezra, who labeled him the best player in the field on Day 1A. Veldhuis then represented a flush on a four club board to take down a pot against a player who held two pair. In the Jack Link’s Beef Jerky Wild Card Hand, Simon Muenz raised to 900 with pocket tens, Velduis called with unknown cards, and Cunningham called with A-J. The flop came 4-3-2 with two hearts. Muenz checked, Velduis led out for 2,300, Cunningham got out of the way, and Muenz called. The turn was the nine of hearts. Veldhuis bet 6,000, leaving Chad to comment, “I still think Lex has air.” Muenz called and the ace of spades fell on the river. Veldhuis pushed and Muenz folded. As it turned out, Veldhuis held K-6 for a bluff.

A brand new segment dubbed “Deal Me In” aired and featured Full Tilt Poker pros reliving key hands in live tournaments. Chris Ferguson was the focus of the inaugural segment, recapping a hand where he turned quad aces against Prahlad Friedman. The punch line, according to Ferguson: “You don’t always want to slow play.” Contrastingly, “The Nuts” featured PokerStars pros Greg Raymer, Vanessa Rousso, Chad Brown, Joe Hachem, Hevad Khan, and Dennis Phillips trying to hit a wiffleball thrown by Hershiser. In the end, Raymer laid down a bunt, only to have Hershiser blow it foul.

ESPN’s second hour of coverage, which kicked off around 9:20pm ET on Tuesday night, included a feature table with Mike Matusow. He chimed, “Life is all about the power of positive thinking.” Flanking him was John Dodge, whose grandfather started the automobile company of the same name. Also in the field was Jack Ury, the oldest player in the Main Event at age 96, and poker legend Amarillo Slim, who hasn’t cashed in the tournament since winning it in 1972.

The Wild Card Hand during the Day 1B episode featured Doyle Brunson raise to 675 with A-J of hearts. James Kier called, holding the elusive Wild Card hand. The flop fell 2-4-K rainbow and the action went check-check. The turn was a three and Kier led out for 1,500. Brunson called to watch a four hit the river. Kier once again bet out, this time for 2,500, and Brunson called with just ace-high. Kier sheepishly revealed J-9 for air and another player at the table quipped, “Were you really just trying to bluff Doyle Brunson?”

Matusow gave autographed copies of his book, “Check-Raising the Devil,” to his tablemates, while another Mike, Mike Caro, was featured in an ESPN vignette talking about his “Mad Genius” moniker. Others in the field included Raymer, Ferguson, Barry Greenstein, Joe Sebok, Chris Moneymaker, Todd Brunson, and Pam Brunson. A “Straight from the Pros” segment, in which PokerStars sponsored players gave their take on hands, aired and featured Moneymaker.

Next week, Moneymaker’s colleague at PokerStars, Daniel Negreanu, will take center stage along with Hellmuth. The action takes place from 8:00pm to 10:00pm ET barring any more Favre news.

Jeremy Gaubert Wins Gold Strike World Poker Open

Jeremy “thechemist83” Gaubert ran away from the field in the $5,150 buy-in Gold Strike World Poker Open despite entering the final table in seventh place out of nine runners. He earned $192,000 in the Tunica, Mississippi tournament.

Online, Gaubert has been one of the top players in the industry. In April, he trumped the field in the weekly Full Tilt Poker Sunday Mulligan for $52,000 and grabbed a win in the Ultimate Bet $100,000 Guaranteed in June for another $26,000. He chopped the Sunday Million on PokerStars for $233,000 and also has a victory in the site’s prestigious Warm-Up for $80,000. The $192,000 cash in the Tunica casino wasn’t his first six-figure live payday, however. Gaubert made a deep run and finished 58th in the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, banking $115,000 from the $10,000 buy-in contest.

In addition to the cash, Gaubert also received a $10,000 buy-in to the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Southern Poker Championship, which is slated for January 24th to 27th at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi. Here’s a look at how the final table panned out in Tunica:

1. Jeremy Gaubert - $192,953
2. Steve Hamontree - $109,400
3. Chris Moneymaker - $60,110
4. Chad Brown - $48,088
5. Thomas Creel - $36,066
6. Gil George - $30,055
7. Tommy Vedes - $24,044
8. Jerry Milanos - $18,033
9. Paris Heard - $12,022

Gaubert rolled through stiff competition in the $5,150 buy-in event. Heading into the final table, Moneymaker held 40% of the chips in play. The 2003 WSOP Main Event Champion was at home in Tunica, originally hailing from nearby Tennessee. Moneymaker’s victory over Sammy Farha in the 2003 WSOP Main Event is the primary reason that many of us are here today. In 2004, Moneymaker backed up his Main Event win by finishing as the runner-up to Phil Gordon in the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star, banking $200,000. A card-carrying member of Team PokerStars Pro, Moneymaker remains synonymous with poker glory.

Also calling Team PokerStars Pro home is Brown, who is married to 2009 National Heads-Up Poker Championship runner-up Vanessa Rousso. Brown made two final tables during the 2009 WSOP, including a $188,000 payday for taking third in the $10,000 buy-in World Championship of Limit Hold’em. In 2007, Brown finished second to Full Tilt Poker pro Erik Seidel in the $10,000 buy-in World Championship of No Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball for $324,000. Like Rousso, Brown has excelled in NBC’s National Heads-Up Poker Championship, reaching the final table against Paul Wasicka in 2007 and ultimately claiming second place for $250,000.

The World Poker Open was originally a stop on the WPT circuit and formerly held at the Horseshoe Casino, located next door to the Gold Strike in Tunica. In 2003, David “Devilfish” Ulliott outlasted the 160 player field en route to a win over Phil Ivey and a $589,000 payday. In 2004, Barry Greenstein defeated Randy Jensen in Tunica for $1.2 million, defeating a field of 367. In 2005, the tournament moved to the towering Gold Strike Casino, where John Stolzmann outlasted one of the toughest final tables in WPT history that also included Chau Giang, Daniel Negreanu, Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi, and Scotty Nguyen.

In 2006, Nguyen took down the World Poker Open title, defeating Mizrachi heads-up. The two had miraculously reached the final table of the five-figure buy-in tournament in back-to-back years. In 2007, Negreanu was the runner-up to Bryan Sumner in the Mississippi tournament. In 2008, the final year that the Gold Strike played host to a WPT event, Brett Faustman bested Hoyt Corkins for the title and $892,000 first place prize. The festivities then moved to Biloxi for the Southern Poker Championship, which is held at the Gold Strike’s sister property, the Beau Rivage.

Vanessa Rousso - Poker Player Profile

Vanessa Rousso is a member of Team PokerStars, and no doubt one of the best female poker players in the game today.  Rousso – who’s been ahead of the learning curve her whole life – graduated with an economics major from Duke University after just two and a half years,  and then moved on to Law School at The University of Miami. During Law School, Vanessa was a member of the editorial board of the University of Miami Law Review, and was also in the top 5% of her class. Despite the accolades, Rousso didn’t finish Law School, instead deciding to shift her focus to poker.

With eleven World Series of Poker cashes and a $700K score in PokerStars’ World Championship of Online Poker to her name, Vanessa Rousso - “LadyMaverick” in the cyber world - is a solid player both live and online. Her biggest pay-day came in 2009 at the EPT Monte Carlo $25K No Limit Hold’em High Rollers event which she chopped 3-ways for $750K. Vanessa’s other successes include a victory in the 2006 Borgata Poker Open $5K No Limit Hold’em event for $285K, 2nd in the 2009 NBC Heads Up Championship for $250K, and 7th in the Five-Star World Poker Classic $25K No Limit Hold’em event for $263K.

In addition to her endeavors at the tables, Vanessa Rousso is also extremely active away from the felt, as a pro-gambling activist and part-time sex symbol. In 2007, Rousso flew to Washington, DC to participate in the Poker Players Alliance’s efforts to convince Congress to reverse the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Act, which prevents US based players from making legal online gaming transactions. She provided support for Barney Frank and Robert Wexler, two of the most vocal American politicians actively supporting legislation which will allow players to process bets from inside the US. In 2009, “LadyMaverick” put her sex appeal to good use, appearing in a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition.

Excellent as a player, spokeswoman, and icon of the game, Vanessa Rousso is poised to represent poker all over the world for the foreseeable future.

Moneymaker dominating Tunica

With nine players remaining, Moneymaker has over one million of the 2.5 million chips in play.

Only fellow Team PokerStars Pro Chad Brown and his 433,500 in chips are even close.

Won by Clonie Gowen in 2008 when she beat 106 others to take the $183,224 top prize, the $5k buy-in No-Limit Hold'em Main Event started with 126 players Sunday creating a $601,100 prize pool this year.

Moneymaker, who booked his seat by winning a $500 Pot-Limit Omaha preliminary event last week, began his meteoric rise early on the second day of the event, that started with just 42 players.

He hit a gutshot to bust one player and took the rest of a third player's chips just moments later to move up the leader board.

He then ran a massive bluff to take the chip lead, cracked Harrah's New Orleans WSOPC event finalist Kenny Milam's kings by making two pair and by the time the 18-person money bubble rolled around; he had roughly one quarter of all the chips in play.

Moneymaker played classic big-stack poker crushing the bubble and ran another huge and succesful bluff against Day 1 chip leader Mike Wang to cement the lead heading into the final.

First place in the event pays $192,953 and a seat at the upcoming WPT Southern Poker Championship at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi this January.

The final table will begin play Tuesday at 2 p.m. CT from the Gold Strike Casino Resort.

Other noteables in the event who failed to make the final included 2009 WSOP Main Event final table bubble boy Jordan Smith, Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Rousso, Poker VT's Adam Junglen and online stars Mike "GoLeafsGoEh" Leah and Shaun Deeb.

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Matt Perrins wins Italian Poker Tour event

Britons put up some fine performances at this year’s World Series and the international success has continued in Italy. Manchester’s Matt Perrins outlasted a field of 439 players including top pros Dario Minieri, Vanessa Rousso and Johnny Lodden to claim the second leg of the Italian Poker Tour in Venice.

UK man wins PokerStars ITP title

Manchester's Matt Perrins was the man who did the trick, besting a field of 439 players to claim the €200,000 first place prize.

Perrins, a 21-year-old pub-player-turned-pro from Manchester, said he planned to buy a house with the winnings, which blew away his career best score of £9,210 claimed with a victory in a £200 tournament on the Grosvenor ((UK Poker)) Tour in Brighton this past January.

The chip leader on Day 1a of the event, Perrins practically went wire-to-wire defeating Swede Johannes Soderstrom heads-up following a 14-hour final table that featured no less than six Italian players.

Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Rousso was among the leaders heading into the final 18 at the Casino Ca'Vendramin in Venice, but could only manage a 14th place finish, cashing for €8,000.

The €851,660 prize pool in Venice helped make this second stop on Italian Poker Tour the most successful to date.

The tour now heads back to San Remo for another €2,000+€200 event August 28-30.

Satellites are currently running on PokerStars.

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UK man wins PokerStars ITP title

Manchester's Matt Perrins was the man who did the trick, besting a field of 439 players to claim the €200,000 first place prize.

Perrins, a 21-year-old pub-player-turned-pro from Manchester, said he planned to buy a house with the winnings, which blew away his career best score of £9,210 claimed with a victory in a £200 tournament on the Grosvenor ((UK Poker)) Tour in Brighton this past January.

The chip leader on Day 1a of the event, Perrins practically went wire-to-wire defeating Swede Johannes Soderstrom heads-up following a 14-hour final table that featured no less than six Italian players.

Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Rousso was among the leaders heading into the final 18 at the Casino Ca'Vendramin in Venice, but could only manage a 14th place finish, cashing for €8,000.

The €851,660 prize pool in Venice helped make this second stop on Italian Poker Tour the most successful to date.

The tour now heads back to San Remo for another €2,000+€200 event August 28-30.

Satellites are currently running on PokerStars.

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Tiffany Michelle, Maria Ho May Compete on Amazing Race

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hundreds left out of 2009 WSOP Main Event

Day 1D is the last first day in the field, meaning that players that haven't registered by today are left out of the Main Event this year.

After a drop off in the numbers from last year on Day 1A and 1B, Day 1C saw a resurgence, with nearly 1,700 entrants.

Day 1D has been an even bigger success, drawing right around 2,809 players at the latest count, bringing the total number of entrants for the 2009 Main Event to 6,494.

The problem? The flood of players has caused Day 1D to sell out, and hundreds of players were turned away today with the Amazon, Brasilia and Miranda rooms full, and even some tables moved out of the Rio Convention Center to the main casino.

The players that did manage to get into the field have created the busiest day yet at the WSOP. Every room is jam packed with tables, ESPN camera crews and spectators.

Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier was one of the lucky ones to make it into the field on the final day.

"I registered earlier so I didn't have any problem," Grosspellier said. "I do think it's a shame that they had to turn away players for the Main Event."

Day 1A drew 1,116 players, while Day 1B drew only 873 players. With two days in the books, the 2009 Main Event was on pace to have less than 4,000 entrants.

1,696 players bought in for Day 1C, however, and the huge turnout for Day 1D brings the total number of entries to 6,494.

The Main Event drew 6,844 last year and 6,358 players in 2007.

"I think it's pretty good, especially considering the downswing in the numbers for American tournaments," Grospellier said.

"There were very few players for Day 1B, so today is pretty good. I do think it's strange that they have such a difference in the number of players each day."

The massive Amazon Room is tough to navigate, and the atmosphere around the room is hectic and dramatic, particularly around the ESPN feature tables.

Rumor around the WSOP early in the day had it that Patrik Antonius was one of the players that was turned away after Day 1D sold out.

His arch-nemesis from the durrrr Challenge, Tom Dwan, did manage to make it into the field, making a rare real-world appearance with a late entrance into the Miranda room.

Other big names in the field on Day 1D include Erick Lindgren, Vanessa Rousso, Phil Ivey, Dutch Boyd, Kenny Tran, Michael Mizrachi, Jennifer Harman, Marco Traniello, and Cyndy Violette.

Ivey has commanded a lot of attention from the rail and from the ESPN camera crews, and the Full Tilt pro has spent his day away from the feature table and staying out of the limelight as much as possible.

The WSOP has stated that a sell out occurs when 2,800 players enter the field in one day. The final numbers have yet to be released at the time of this writing.

Other notables in the field Monday include 2008 Main Event champ Peter Eastgate, Humberto Brenes, Kathy Liebert, Shawn Sheikan, Mike Wattel, David Chiu and Huck Seed.

Plenty of celebrities were also spotted in the field, including Ray Romano, Marlon Wayans, Shannon Elizabeth and former NBA player John Salley.

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$40.000.000 Prizepool for WCOOP

The PokerStars.com World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) returns on September 3, 2009 for its eighth year. The $40 million guaranteed prize pool - $10 million more than last year’s tournament series – makes it the biggest online poker tournament series in the world.

PokerStars have taken into account feedback from the poker player community when creating the schedule, with each WCOOP event promising a huge guaranteed prize pool, with many exceeding $1 million. There will be a total of 45 events covering a wide range of poker variants including Hold’em, Omaha, Stud, Razz, HORSE and 2-7 Draw. There are eight brand new events this year including the $320 FL Badugi, $530 Heads Up PL Omaha and big ante NL Hold’em events.

Last year a total of 22,873 unique players from 119 countries competed in the 33 event tournament series, and PokerStars awarded a grand total of $39,958,000 in prize money. The Main Event World Champion ‘ckingusc’ won more than $1.2million. Poker player ‘liberace’ was the biggest overall cash winner, taking home $1,377,179, while ‘thedonator’ made the most cashes - making the money in 10 of the 33 events.

Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu said “There are hundreds of exciting tournaments all year round but nothing compares to the [PokerStars.com] WCOOP – it’s the ‘must play’ event of the year for any poker player. Last year over 20,000 players came together from across the world to compete in the largest ever online poker event - for their chance to become a World Champion.”

The WCOOP is hosted exclusively by the world’s largest poker room, PokerStars.com, and will run across 18 days from September 3 – 21, 2009 starting with the $215 buy-in NL Hold’em tournament. The series will conclude with the two day, $10k guaranteed NL Hold’em Main Event on September 20, 2009.

Team PokerStars Pro had a great overall team success at last year’s PokerStars.com WCOOP - winning a combined total of over $1.5m. Team PokerStars Pro Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier netted a total of $407,285 with cashes in the NL Hold’em Triple Shootout, 6-max Re-buy events, Main Event and a second place finish in the NL Hold’em High Roller - Gavin Griffin came fourth and Vanessa Rousso fifth in the same event. Chris Moneymaker made two final tables, in the High-Roller NL Hold’em and the PL Omaha [1R1A], while André Akkari was also on form with a second place finish in the $10,300 HORSE Event for $200,000.

“The [PokerStars.com] WCOOP is my favourite event - anyone can play at anytime, anywhere, with tournaments running throughout the day. For millions of players, it’s the ultimate poker championship and everyone has the chance to become a World Champion!” said Team PokerStars Pro and runner up in the 2007 WCOOP Main Event, Vanessa ‘LadyMaverick’ Rousso.

Players can qualify for WCOOP events via PokerStars satellites which will be available in a range of low-stake buy-in’s that mean everyone has a chance to qualify, and win an event!

To create an account at PokerStars: PokerStars VIP-account

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$40.000.000 Prizepool for WCOOP

It’s time! WSOP Main Event starts now

The Main Event is a monster of a tournament with four day 1s scheduled, each with 3,000 seats available for one easy payment of $10,000. Day 1A starts today at noon, with Day 1B starting tomorrow.

Day 1C and D start on the two days to follow. Each day is scheduled for 5 blind levels, with each level lasting 120 min. The first Day 2 (Day 2A), seating the remaining players from Day 1A and B, starts at noon on July 7th.

Day 2B will see the remaining players from Day 1C and D take to the felt for their second 10-hour session. After Day 2B completes, all players still with chips have one day off, during which the media tournament takes the center stage.

If you manage to make it to Day 3, you're looking at a non-stop marathon of poker, playing five levels of poker per day all the way through to Day 8. Day 8 finishes only when the field has played down to the infamous nine-player final table.

The final table will take place at some point between November 7th and 10th, concluding only when a new World Champion is crowned.

Last year's Main Event drew a field of 6,844 players, amassing a prize pool worth $64,333,600.

A lucky 666 players made it into the money including Men "The Master" Nguyen, Vanessa Rousso, Robert Mizrachi, Hasan Habib, Johnny Chan, Evelyn Ng, Gus Hansen, Mark Vos, David Benefield, Adam Levy, Phil Hellmuth, Mike Matusow (30th) and Brandon Cantu (20th).

In the end it was Peter Eastgate who defeated Ivan Demidov heads up for a first-place prize of $9,152,416 and a place in poker history.

Here at PokerListings.com, we take The Main Event mighty seriously. Bookmark our tournament page for live updates, news, blogs and video from the floor of the Rio.

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