Poker News

ClubWPT Offering Seats At World Poker Tour Events

The dream of many poker players is to play on the famous final table stage of the World Poker Tour. ClubWPT, the subscription based online poker room operated by the WPT, will be offering its members that very chance through a special series of tournaments at the online poker room.

With their Season Eight schedule announced recently, the WPT will be criss-crossing the United States with a series of twelve events that feature some of the most famous casinos in the country. These tournaments – in Los Angeles, Connecticut and Mississippi, just to name a few – frequently draw the best in the professional poker world to battle it out for a cherished WPT championship. Through ClubWPT, two players who demonstrate their abilities at the tables by winning the special WPT Seat tournaments will have the opportunity to choose which $10,000 WPT event they wish to play in.

“Honoring the true competitive spirit of this great game – the only sport in the world where the average Joe can sit down with the professionals and earn life-changing money and celebrity status – ClubWPT is going to give two lucky winners the chance to take their shot at millions in a WPT Main Event,” stated WPT co-founder and CEO Steve Lipscomb.

There are seven events that the winners can choose from, including the Bay 101 Shooting Star at Bay 101 Casino in San Jose, CA; the Southern Poker Championship at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, MS; the Legends of Poker at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles; the L.A. Poker Classic at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles; the Foxwoods World Poker Finals at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, CT and the inaugural Hollywood Poker Open at the Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg, IN.

The $10K WPT Seat tournaments will require a 500 point buy-in, which players earn through playing other tournaments on the site, and satellites are currently running to earn an entry for less than the 500 points that it will take. The WPT Seat tournaments will run Saturday, July 11th and Saturday, July 25th at 9PM (Eastern Time).

In addition to the two seats to a WPT event, ClubWPT is also offering some other events that should draw their members’ interest. The PPI Elite Bounty Series will give ClubWPT members the chance to play against top professionals, who will carry a bounty on their heads. For knocking out one of the pros, a player can earn a $50 bonus in their ClubWPT account. There will also be chances offered for players to earn their way into the WPT Boot Camp, where amateur poker players can sharpen their skills through instruction by some of the top professional players in the game such as T. J. Cloutier, Mike Sexton and Mike Matusow.

ClubWPT is a subscription based room that, for a $19.95 per month charge, offers free play tournament poker. Over $100,000 in cash and prizes is offered each month for members to win. For more details on the Season Eight WPT Seat tournaments or to learn more about ClubWPT itself, visit ClubWPT.comfor more information.

World Poker Tour Announces Season 8 Schedule

The WPT has released dates and locations for the US stops on the upcoming Season VIII of the World Poker Tour. Twelve events in the US begin with the Bellagio Cup in mid-July and culminate at the $25,000 WPT Championship in April 2010.

WPT releases Season 8 U.S. schedule

Bookending the U.S. tour as expected are the Bellagio Cup V, starting in just three weeks, and the $25k WPT Championship in April.

WPT Season VIII will also feature the traditional stops at Bay 101 in San Jose, Calif.; the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles; Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Miss.; the Borgata in Atlantic City; Commerce Casino in Los Angeles; and Foxwoods Resort in Mashantucket, Conn.

Joining the tour as a new stop is the inaugural Hollywood Poker Open in Lawrenceburg, Ind, where on top of the $10k main event there will be three non-televised WPT tournaments with buy-ins ranging from $3,000 to $5,000. All tournaments will also be played in the casino's brand-new WPT Poker Room.

Season 8 will be filmed in High Definition and broadcast on Fox Sports Net (FSN) in the United States.

The schedule:

Bellagio Cup V
Bellagio
Las Vegas, NV
July 13 - 19, 2009
$15,000 +$400

Legends of Poker
The Bicycle Casino
Los Angeles, CA
Aug 22 - 26, 2009
$9,800 + $200

Borgata Poker Open
Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
Atlantic City, NJ
Sept 19 - 24, 2009
TBD

Festa al Lago
Bellagio
Las Vegas, NV
October 20 - 26, 2009
$15,000 +$400

Foxwoods World Poker Finals
Foxwoods Resort Casino
Mashantucket, CT
Nov 5 - 10, 2009
$9,700 + $300

Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic
Bellagio
Las Vegas, NV
Dec 13 - 19, 2009
$15,000 +$400

Southern Poker Championship
Beau Rivage
Biloxi, MS
Jan 24 - 27, 2010
$9,700 + $300

L.A. Poker Classic
Commerce Casino
Los Angeles, CA
Feb 20 - Feb 25, 2010
$9,600 + $400

WPT Invitational
Commerce Casino
Los Angeles, CA
Feb 27 - March 1, 2010
Invitation Only

Bay 101 Shooting Star
Bay 101
San Jose, CA
March 8 - 12, 2010
$9,600 + $400

Hollywood Poker Open
Hollywood Casino
Lawrenceburg, IN
March 20 - 24, 2010
$9,600 + $400

WPT World Championship
Bellagio
Las Vegas, NV
April 17-24, 2010
$25,000 + $500

For the complete lineup of worldwide WPT events check the "WPT on Tour" section of www.WorldPokerTour.com.

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WPT Announces Season 8 Schedule

With the Bellagio Cup V only three weeks away, officials from the World Poker Tour (WPT) released the schedule for Season VIII. A dozen tournaments will be held, including the brand new Hollywood Poker Open, which will debut from the Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.

The entire tournament series will be filmed in high-definition, making for a unique experience for viewers watching the action unfold on Fox Sports Net. The cable station returns as the television outlet for Mike Sexton, Vince Van Patten, and the rest of the WPT broadcast crew for the second straight season. The first five seasons of the WPT aired on The Travel Channel, while Season VI could be seen on GSN. After a management change at GSN, WPT officials were left scrambling for a new media partner.

WPT Founder and CEO Steve Lipscomb commented in a press release distributed by the roving tournament series on Wednesday, “As this great game has evolved over the years, we have seen the tour grow and develop into something truly incredible. Each year seems to top the last, from stops in exciting new venues to historical moments to breakout players to unbelievable action. We’re looking forward to seeing what the eighth season brings and then watching it broadcast in HD!”

Hollywood Casino was formerly known as Argosy and makes its home outside of Cincinnati. The 270,000 square foot riverboat casino on the Ohio River will host a total of four WPT events, including the brand’s first televised tournament in the Midwest. Blue Diamond Almonds will once again sponsor WPT Live Updates, which Amanda Leatherman delivered last season.

Here’s a look at the schedule of events for WPT Season VIII, which kicks off in three weeks from beautiful Las Vegas, Nevada:

Bellagio Cup V
Bellagio (Las Vegas, NV)
July 13th to 19th, 2009
$15,000 + $400 buy-in

Legends of Poker
The Bicycle Casino (Los Angeles, CA)
August 22nd to 26th, 2009
$9,800 + $200 buy-in

Borgata Poker Open
Borgata Hotel, Casino, and Spa (Atlantic City, NJ)
September 19th to 24th, 2009
Buy-in To Be Determined

Festa al Lago
Bellagio (Las Vegas, NV)
October 20th to 26th, 2009
$15,000 + $400 buy-in

Foxwoods World Poker Finals
Foxwoods Resort Casino (Mashantucket, CT)
November 5th to 10th, 2009
$9,700 + $300 buy-in

Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic
Bellagio (Las Vegas, NV)
December 13th to 19th, 2009
$15,000 + $400 buy-in

Southern Poker Championship
Beau Rivage (Biloxi, MS)
January 24th to 27th, 2010
$9,700 + $300 buy-in

L.A. Poker Classic
Commerce Casino (Los Angeles, CA)
February 20th to 25th, 2010
$9,600 + $400 buy-in

WPT Invitational
Commerce Casino (Los Angeles, CA)
February 27th to March 1st, 2010
Invitation Only

Bay 101 Shooting Star
Bay 101 (San Jose, CA)
March 8th to 12th, 2010
$9,600 + $400 buy-in

Hollywood Poker Open
Hollywood Casino (Lawrenceburg, IN)
March 20th to 24th, 2010
$9,600 + $400 buy-in

WPT Championship
Bellagio (Las Vegas, NV)
April 17th to 24th, 2010
$25,000 + $500 buy-in

In addition, the WPT will host two tournaments outside of the United States in the coming months. From August 26th through September 5th, the WPT Slovakia will take place from the Golden Vegas Casino in Brataslava. The Main Event has a price tag of €4,400 and follows a deep stack structure. WPT officials are estimating a total prize pool of €2.8 million, with players receiving 30,000 in starting chips and blinds of 25-50.

From September 6th to 12th, the tournament series heads to Cyprus for the WPT Merit Cyprus Classic. The event is expected to be televised regionally and carries a $10,300 buy-in. In June, the WPT Spanish Championship played out from Casino Barcelona. In the end, Markus Lehmann banked €537,000 for his win in the annual overseas tournament, which attracted 226 entrants to the Spanish city.

First bracelet of 2009 for Holland WSOP June 21

Naalden outlasted a field of 446 players to take his first WSOP title in the $2k Limit Hold'em event. The Dutch native takes home $190,770 for the first-place finish.

Naalden isn't very well known in the U.S., but he's earned more than $1 million in tournaments since turning pro in 2005.

Naalden had previously cashed five times at the WSOP, including one final table appearance.

"It's great," said the 40-year-old pro. "This is my fourth WSOP. I have played in a lot of events ... and third place was my best finish."

"It is very hard to win a WSOP event. Finally, after all of those efforts, it feels fantastic."

Naalden went into the final table with a sizeable chip lead and never looked back, eventually outlasting Steven Cowley in heads-up play.

"Yeah, you tend to over-exaggerate your chances because you have a big chip lead," Naalden said.

"But (I) only had 25 percent of the chips in play. So, I have only about a 25 percent chance of winning," he said

"And, plus the fact there are quite a few strong players - so I thought to myself, don't get too excited. But I went on a big heater."

Cowley cashes for $117,902 in second place, while former WSOP bracelet winner Ian Johns placed third.

Negreanu, who won this event last year, finished 26th.

Hellmuth finished in the money in 17th place, giving him 72 career cashes at the WSOP, the most all time.

Event 39 - $1,500 No Limit Hold'em

The latest $1,500 No Limit event began with another huge field, but now the original 2,715 have been whittled down to the last two tables.

Amazingly Nam Le was playing this event and the $10k Pot-Limit Omaha World Championship simultaneously all day long.

Notable names still in it include Raymond Davis, former WPT Championship winner Joe Bartholdi, Brandon Cantu, Alex Jacob and Benjamin Kang.

The bracelet will be awarded tomorrow, with play beginning at 2 p.m.

Event 40 - $10k World Championship Pot Limit Omaha

The $10k PLO championship is among the most prestigious events for the serious pro and this year saw another absolutely stacked field.

Nam Le was the unfortunate bubble boy in this event, having multi-tabled it along with the $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em event.

Erick Lindgren was next out as the first person to get paid.

Noah "fouruhaters" Schwartz is the overwhelming chip lead with Euros Stefan Mattsson, Marcus Golser, Vitaly Lunkin and Robin Keston close behind.

Matt Vengrin, Josh Arieh, Matt Graham, Barry Greenstein, Howard Lederer, David Williams and Nenad Medic are representing North America in the playdown to the final table, beginning at 2 p.m.

Click through for full live updates.

Event 41 - $5k No Limit Hold'em Shootout

Many big names started amongst the field of 280, but few made it to Day 2.

Phil Ivey will be going for bracelet number three of 2009 with Jennifer Harman, Barny Boatman, David "The Dragon" Pham and Neil Channing still in the hunt.

30 players are coming back at 2 p.m.

Event 42 - $2,500 Mixed Event

It's another all-star field for the $2,500 Mixed Event.

The mixed games seem to be a format that the pros love, and this tournament is no exception.

Day 1 kicked off today with Daniel Negreanu, Jennifer Harman, Gavin Smith, Phil Hellmuth, J.C. Tran and a host of other big names in the field.

Play resumes at 2 p.m. Monday, and the event is scheduled to play down to a final table, which will be played Tueday.

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Yevgeniy Timoshenko Wins WPT Championship

The $25,000 buy-in World Poker Tour Championship was indeed another exciting tournament that was heavily stacked with notable professionals, but …

A Hand Matchup From the 2009 WPT Championship

2009 WSOP Best Bets: Liv Boeree

"I played four or five tournaments with no results, I was down a bunch of money and was thinking, 'I suck at poker and I hate it'," Boeree told PokerListings. "So I took some time off and went back to England for seven or eight days."

Back home, Boeree got her head straight before heading straight back to Las Vegas and turning it into a success.

In fact, she cashed in the next two WSOP tournaments she played, before a deep run in the 2008 Main Event.

An astrophysics grad from the University of Manchester who got her start on a poker reality game show where she was schooled by the likes of Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke and Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott, Boeree then spent the next year on the high-stakes tournament circuit.

"I remember thinking, 'is this really the World Series of Poker,' it was just so bizarre," she said. "Now I think my game is better and I have much more confidence. At [the 2008 WSOP] I was still very new to the scene. It was really my first time playing in the States.

"A year later I've been travelling non-stop and except for a few weeks at home here and there, I've spent all my time playing big events all over the place."

Boeree, who won the 2008 European Ladies Championships and is the UK Ambassador for Absolute Poker, ended 2008 with a small cash at the Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic, then started 2009 with a final table finish at an Aussie Millions prelim.

Another small cash at an L.A. Poker Classic preliminary event was followed up by two final tables at the WPT Championship prelims in Las Vegas where she also managed to win a $2,500 satellite into the $25k Main Event, booking her biggest cash to date with a 37th place finish grossing $40,855.

With a solid year on tour under her belt, Boeree has good reason to head into the 2009 WSOP feeling confident.

"I can't wait," she said. "I'm going to be playing a lot more events this year and I'm pretty excited."

Her focus will be on the many $1,500 and $2,000 No Limit Hold 'em events with an eye on satelliting in to some of the larger $10k tournaments.

But most of all, Boeree said she's looking forward to the $1k stimulus event at the beginning of the series.

"It's probably going to have the most ridiculously huge field ever," she said. "And I'm really looking forward to getting out of the starting gate. It's going to be so much fun and I'm assuming the standard of play will be very low, so if you get chips early on, you stand good chance of going deep."

Although she plans on spending the entire seven weeks of the WSOP in Vegas, Boeree has yet to make arrangements for where she will stay.

However, she does have a solid plan for how to stay both physically and mentally prepared for the grind.

"I'm really going into this like an athlete training for the Olympics," she said. "I'm not going to be drinking and partying every night. The World Series is something that happens only once a year, so it's kind of important.

"During the WPT Championship I was playing racquet ball and running literally everyday and I felt so much better for it. So this summer, I'm hoping to go swimming, get some exercise and a little sun and fresh air every day. It just helps gets rid of all that nervous tension and you play better as a result."

For her mental preparedness, Boeree also plans a similar strategy to the one that was successful for her at the WPT Championship.

"It really helps my game significantly to hang around players with a lot of knowledge and a different perspective on different situations," she said. "During the WPT Championship about ten of us were all staying at the Panorama Towers and we would have these big discussions in the hot tub at the end of the day.

"We would discuss different plays in a relaxed, separated environment and it was just great to get a perspective from friends who are that highly involved in the industry.

"I guess I'm hoping now I can organize a WSOP hot tub for the summer."

Hot tub or not, Boeree is setting some big goals for the World Series.

"I suppose a reasonable number of bracelets is three or four, I don't want to be too greedy," she joked.

"I guess I just want to do my best, win as much money as possible, win as many bracelets as possible and play as well as I can."

Related Articles:

• 2009 WSOP Best Bets: Vivek Rajkumar
• 2009 WSOP Best Bets: Chris Moorman
  
• 2009 WSOP Best Bets: Isaac Baron
• 2009 WSOP Best Bets: Soren Kongsgaard
• 2009 WSOP Best Bets: Jason Mercier
• 2009 WSOP Best Bets: Carter King

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Paris Hilton Versus Mike Sexton on Party Poker

PartyPoker, the world’s second largest online poker site or network that does not accept U.S. players, may host a heads-up match between heiress Paris Hilton and World Poker Tour (WPT) Host Mike Sexton. The winner will take home a brand new Bentley.

In 2006, PartyPoker, which is owned and operated by the publicly traded firm Party Gaming, offered Hilton a chance to recoup a Bentley that she allegedly lost in a game of poker. The luxury car in question was a Continental GT, but Hilton failed to take the then-world’s largest online poker room up on its offer. Hilton quickly became the centerpiece of the poker world, albeit for a brief time period. A statement released by PartyPoker this week recalled, “We challenge her to take us up on the offer. Three years is a long time in show business and we’re sure she’d jump at it now - it is a simple offer for the former ‘Simple Life’ star. Following the original offer in 2006, the likes of Clonie Gowen also made public challenges to the heiress, but so far Paris has resisted.”

Apparently, it’s déjà vu all over again for the hotel heiress. She reportedly had her new Bentley vandalized; PartyPoker stated that egg throwing was to blame. Now, the online poker site has quickly jumped back into the spotlight, with the longtime WPT Host challenging the reality star to a heads-up game with a Bentley on the line. We’d like to think that Hilton’s reaction was, “That’s hot.” PartyPoker’s Warren Lush told Poker News Daily what format the heads-up match may take: “The Paris Hilton challenge nearly happened last time and with what happened to her recently, we thought it was right to reiterate our offer. If she decides to accept, the format will be a heads-up tournament, but we are open to discussion about a definitive structure.” The name of the game would be No Limit Texas Hold’em and no deadline has been given for Hilton to respond.

Hilton played in the 2009 WPT Celebrity Invitational at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles. The tournament, which played out in February, raised money for The Vine Group. The beneficiary organization’s ambassador at the event was none other than actor Mekhi Phifer, who welcomed Hollywood’s elite including Vince Vaughn, Jason Alexander, Ben Affleck, Mena Suvari, Don Cheadle, Jon Favreau, Ricki Lake, Ray Romano, and Brad Garrett. The tournament was ultimately won by poker pro Freddy Deeb and raised $77,000 for The Vine Group.

Hilton may be best remembered for her leading role on “The Simple Life,” a reality series that also starred Nicole Richie, daughter of music legend Lionel Richie. The show aired on Fox and E! before vanishing from television airwaves two years ago. Season 1 of the show sent the duo to rural Arkansas, far away from their regular celebrity lifestyles. During Season 2, Hilton and Richie hit the road across the United States and found themselves as interns for Season 3. The fourth season of “The Simple Life” featured the subtitle “Til Death Do Us Part.” The fifth and final season sent the pair to summer camp.

Sexton, the voice of the WPT alongside Vince Van Patten, re-signed with PartyPoker as its ambassador at the end of April. A World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, Sexton also took down the first $10,000 buy-in poker tournament ever held at Foxwoods (which occurred in 1992) and was the first American to win the Euro Finals of Poker. Sexton will represent the popular online poker site at live tournaments around the world and serve as the host of PartyPoker’s suite at the Rio for the 2009 WSOP, which starts in two weeks. He’ll also be regularly contributing to PartyPoker’s blog. Sexton is a monthly Guest Columnist right here on Poker News Daily. His most recent entry reviews the Season VII WPT Championship.

Mike Sexton Reviews the WPT Championship

We just completed Season VII of the World Poker Tour (WPT) with the $25,000 buy-in Championship event at Bellagio. Due to the economic slowdown, the number of entries was down substantially from a year ago (545 to 347).  However, most of the big names in the poker world were there and the event was incredible.  What most players really liked was that they were given $100,000 in starting chips and only played five levels (90 minutes each) per day.  You didn’t have to play those 12 to 14 hour days like you do at many big-time poker tournaments.

Kudos to Tournament Director Jack McClelland and the staff at Bellagio for the structure and hours they set up for play.  I have yet to hear one player complain about this setup - starting at noon, playing five levels, and then stopping for the day at 8:30 pm (with no dinner break necessary).  If there was a complaint, it was that we started the blinds too low ($50-$100).  It’s not often you hear players wanting to kick up the blinds!

My co-commentator Vince Van Patten and I were not allowed to enter any WPT events during the first six seasons, but the WPT now encourages us to play some if we want to.  So, I decided to play and unfortunately ended up contributing $25,000 to the WPT Championship prize pool.  I lasted two and half days and went out around 100th place (which paid zip, as only the top 50 made the money).  I must say that I really did enjoy playing even though I got knocked out.  To compete against top players (old and the new) is challenging and fun.  And like nearly all who get eliminated from any tournament, I’ll join them and say, “I just didn’t catch enough cards or have any luck.”

OK, OK.  I know you’re dying to know how I went out.  After two folds, Nick Binger (who was probably the chip leader at our table with about $550,000) was playing well and aggressive and made it $12,000 to go.  I had an A-K offsuit and about $150,000 in front of me.  I contemplated calling (because I hate A-K) and moving all-in, but I decided to re-raise it to $36,000 so I could still get away from this hand if someone behind me came over the top.  Everyone folded and Nick took a long time before deciding to call.  The flop came A-10-6, all diamonds.  He checked.  Now what would you do with nearly $85,000 in the pot?  I moved all-in.  He had the Q-J of diamonds, flopped a flush, and quickly called.  Bye-bye Mike.  Back to the booth.   I don’t really fault my play here, but in hindsight, I wish I had moved all-in pre-flop with the A-K.

There’s always a lot of pain dished out during any tournament, but Jennifer Harman’s tale of woe, considering when it came, would be tough for anyone to take.  She played for five days, got down to 11 players, picked up two Aces, re-raised with them, and then got all of her money (over $800,000) in pre-flop.  He held the 10-2 of hearts (and no, she wasn’t up against Doyle Brunson).  A deuce on the flop and a ten on the turn shattered Jennifer’s dream of taking this title.

When the smoke cleared, the final table (six players) was pretty incredible.  It consisted of two WPT champions (Scotty Nguyen and Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier) and three others under the age of 24, including the two chip leaders, who were both 21: Yevgeniy Timoshenko and Christian Harder. In addition, Shannon Shorr had over $3 million in career earnings.

What can you say about Scotty Nguyen when it comes to performing, but “wow”?   The guy has five World Series of Poker bracelets (including the Main Event in 1998 and the $50,000 HORSE tournament last year), a WPT title, and eight WPT final table appearances. “Elky” is the hottest guy on the circuit right now.   He already has both WPT and EPT titles on his resume and if he would finish fourth or better in this tournament, he would attain the coveted “WPT Player of the Year” award.  He did just that with his third place finish!  Nice going, Elky!

Folks, now let me introduce you to the next superstar of the poker world: Yevgeniy Timoshenko.  He’s 21 years, two months old (and looks like he’s 13).  He’s originally from the Ukraine, but grew up in Washington.  Let me tell you, the kid is amazing and fearless on the green felt.  Prior to this event, he had already earned nearly $1 million in non-U.S. tournaments.  He won the Asian Poker Tour championship event in Macau, won an event at the Irish Open, and made a final table at last year’s WSOP Europe.  He came to this final table as the big chip leader and rolled over the competition, going wire to wire for the victory.  Think about it, the guy just turned 21 and already has over $3 million in career earnings!

Besides his poker skills, here are some things that really impress me about the kid:  He’s well-mannered, well-spoken, and has a lot of class.  As soon as he made this final table, he went out and bought himself a suit and got a haircut.  I hope others follow his example: You look good, you feel good, you play good.  Congratulations, Yevgeniy!

Final Results of the WPT Championship:

1st place - Yevgeniy Timoshenko  ($2,149,960)
2nd place - Ran Azor  ($1,446,265)
3rd place - Betrand “Elky” Grospellier  ($776,245)
4th place - Christian Harder  ($571,965)
5th place - Shannon Shorr  ($408,550)
6th place - Scotty Ngyuen  ($285,985)

ElkY sets sights on 2009 WSOP

By virtue of a fourth place or better finish in the event, Grospellier managed to take the Season 7 WPT Player of the Year title.

But the Team PokerStars Pro's focus is clearly elsewhere.

"It feels great," he told PokerListings with more than a hint of sadness in his voice.

"I'm sure it will feel better over the next couple of weeks. I'm disappointed I didn't win, but there's nothing I regret. That's poker I guess."

The title caps an unbelievable run for ElkY that began with a $1.4 million win at the WPT's Festa al Lago this past October.

He followed that up with a first place finish in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure High Roller Event in January before running deep at the WPT L.A. Poker Classic, finishing 32nd.

ElkY then went on to finish third at the NBC National Heads-Up Championship before this latest result at the WPT Championship.

"Sometimes you've got to be lucky and today wasn't my day," Grospellier said, moments after the double elimination hand that sent both he and Christian Harder out of the Championship.

"Yevgeniy (Timoshenko) really played great and he had all the chips so he deserved to win."

ElkY cashed in one single event at the World Series of Poker in 2006. He then made a final table cashing in three events in 2007.

Last year he had another two decent cashes totalling over $60,000.

ElkY is currently in Monte Carlo for the PokerStars EPT Grand Final where he just set the world record for sit-and-go's played in one hour at 62.

Following the Grand Final he expects to make the short trip to Venice, Italy for the World Poker Tour's debut there, but after that, it's time again to focus on the World Series of Poker.

"I'm looking forward to the World Series for sure," he said. "I'm just going to keep training and try to be in the best shape possible."

In particular, ElkY said he's eager to get going in the onetime commemorative gold bracelet $40k No-Limit Hold'em tournament added to the schedule to help mark the 40th anniversary of the World Series of Poker this year.

More than any other, this event is expected to include a field full of the best players on the planet and Grospellier is hoping he can keep his good run going.

"I'm really focused on my game," he said. "I'm training really hard and I'm feeling really good."

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Online Poker — OPOY Update, May 1, 2009

It's been two weeks since the latest Online Player of the Year update due to the increased action at the WPT Championship. During that 14-day span, the rankings have changed considerably, although the leader remains the same -- Shaun "tedsfishfry" Deeb. Deeb has cashed four times...

ElkY breaks Sit n Go record

Fresh from his third place finish at the WPT Championship, Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier set himself another stiff challenge while preparing for the EPT final in Monte Carlo, namely to play as many sit n goes in an hour and still show a profit.

Hollywood Humane Society to Host Casino Royale Charity Poker Tournament

On May 9th, a private Los Angeles residence will host Casino Royale, a fundraiser benefiting the Hollywood Office of the Humane Society of the United States. Online poker room PokerStars is co-sponsoring the event and has generously donated a choice of two $15,000 prize packages to the winner of its charity poker tournament.

“Casino Royale: Playing for a Change” will take place from 7:00pm to 11:00pm Pacific Time. The event bills itself as “an elegant evening of casino games, martini and wine bar, gourmet vegan food, silent auction, and a celebrity poker tournament to help us launch ‘End Dogfighting’ in Los Angeles.” Cocktail attire is required and the organization’s beneficiary program educates youth on considering their pit bulls pets instead of weapons. “End Dogfighting” has already been successfully launched in Chicago and Atlanta.

Appearing at the Humane Society fundraiser will be World Poker Tour (WPT) Host Vince Van Patten, 2004 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Greg Raymer, and “American Pie” actress Shannon Elizabeth. In exchange for a $350 donation, event attendees will receive one ticket to Casino Royale plus $25 in chips to play in all casino games. A $500 “Guardian” buy-in is good for one ticket to the event plus $225 in chips. For a $1,000 donation to the Humane Society, players will receive two tickets plus $250 in chips per person. For $5,000, patrons will obtain ten tickets to the event plus $300 in chips. For $7,500, 15 tickets and $300 in chips per person will be dished out. Finally, $10,000 “Top Dog” packages entail 20 tickets to the event plus $350 in chips for each person.

The buy-ins are tax deductible for the amount over $160. Donations and reservations can be made ahead of time using a check or major credit card. Event attendees will have a chance to play alongside some of the top names in the world of poker. Besides his $5 million payday for winning the 2004 WSOP Main Event, Raymer finished 14th in the prestigious $50,000 buy-in HORSE tournament in 2007, cashing for $103,000. He made a deep run in the 2005 WSOP Main Event, nearly repeating as champion and grabbing 25th for $304,000. That tournament was ultimately won by Team PokerStars Pro member Joe Hachem.

Van Patten and fellow WPT Host Mike Sexton have brought the tournament series into the homes of millions of poker players across the world for seven seasons. In fact, the WPT Championship for Season VII just wrapped up from the Bellagio in Las Vegas, with Yevgeniy Timoshenko grabbing $2.1 million for the win. He became the second youngest WPT titleholder ever at 21 years and two months and already owns more than $3 million in career earnings. Prior to his WPT victory, Timoshenko took down the 2008 installment of the Asian Poker Tour’s Macau Main Event for $500,000. Elizabeth has been associated with Doyle’s Room, which now makes its home on the rapidly growing and U.S.-friendly Cake Poker Network. Its namesake, Doyle Brunson, is a 10-time WSOP bracelet winner, tied for the second most ever with Johnny Chan. Both trail Ultimate Bet pro Phil Hellmuth, who has earned 11 over his illustrious career.

Perhaps the most visible case of dog fighting in recent years involves former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick. The Virginia Tech product is in the midst of serving a 23 month prison term for operating a dog fighting ring. According to an article that appeared on ESPN.com in August of 2007, investigators at Vick’s Virginia home “found 66 dogs, some of them injured, and items typically used in dogfighting. They included a ‘rape stand’ that holds aggressive dogs in place for mating and a ‘breakstick’ used to pry open a dog's mouth.” Vick may be suspended by the NFL once is he released from prison, although no official announcement has been made. On Tuesday, the Albany Firebirds arena football team offered Vick a contract once is he freed worth $200 per week plus a $50 bonus per win.

Competitive bidding for a seat in the charity poker tournament is currently taking place. Only the top five bidders will be able to play in the tournament against five celebrities. They will also receive two tickets to the event. Visit the Humane Society auction page for more information. The Hollywood Office of the Humane Society of the United States can be reached at 818-501-2275 or by e-mail at leigh@hsushollywood.org.

PokerStars pro Lee Nelson took down day 1a of EPT Monte Carlo

First part of the first day of the EPT season finale at Monte Carlo attracted already more players than the WPT Championship main event last week. Total of 396 started the day, that is around sixty player more what participated in the whole WPT tournament in Bellagio.

Nelson played a solid day.

Lee Nelson, the winner of the Aussie Millions Main Eventin 2006, leads the group after day 1a with a huge margin. Nelson built a stack of 253,600 chips, which is over 80k chips more than his nearest rival Pagano has.

Full Tilt pro Michael Tureniec made also into the top ten. Tureniec gathered 6th biggest stack, 146,600 chips. Also, high stakes cash game specialist Sami “LarsLuzak” Kelopuro continued where he left off last week at EPT San Remo and proved his tournament game has improved by leaps and bounds. Kelopuro built a 133,500 chip stack and ended the day in 8th place. First ever WSOP Europe champion Annette Obrestad is also in good position with 112,000 chips.

Same time with the tournament action Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier had an event of his own when he made a world record attempt of playing Sit and Go tournaments. Elky started 62 $6.50 Sit and Goes in an hour and made some money, that is a new world record.

Today Elky will be one of the many notable players who will start the main event. The current world champion Peter Eastgate, WSOP finalists Ylon Schwartz and Ivan Demidov, former world champion Joe Hachem, Isabelle Mercier, Noah Boeken and Hevad Khan will join with Elky at the tournament tables.

Source: ept

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PokerStars pro Lee Nelson took down day 1a of EPT Monte Carlo

ElkY grinds to SNG world record

Fresh off of a third-place finish at the WPT Championship earlier this week, Grospellier spent Day 1a of the PokerStars.com European Poker Tour's Grand Final searching for a world record.

The French pro played an incredible 62 $6.50 PokerStars SNGs in sixty minutes, playing on four-monitors on the final table set with his every move broadcast to an enthusiastic audience.

ElkY needed to turn a profit to clinch the record, and needed to cash in the final tournament to finish in the black.

He would do better than cash, defeating player "King Sampie" in a spirited heads-up battle to claim the game and the record with a $23.67 profit.

"I'm tired, actually," Grospellier told PokerListings.com. "It was pretty exhausting because I was really not prepared.

"I arrived from Las Vegas yesterday and expected to have a little more time to prepare."

Grospellier began the challenge confident in his abilities, loading as many as 40 tournaments at a time before the pace began to catch up with him.

"It was out of control," he said. "Shorthanded play went so fast and I was sitting out a lot, but at the end I managed to regain momentum and got better."

He told PokerListings he was surprised to turn a profit at all.

"I thought I was down a lot, actually," he said. "I felt like I kept losing and sitting out of the early games."

Khan, who gained internet notoriety when he videotaped himself playing 26 SNGs at one time, was one of many Team PokerStars Pro pros who hung around to sweat their teammate.

RaiNKhaN told PokerListings.com he liked what he saw.

"I'm impressed, because there are two difficulties in what he was trying to do," Khan said. "It's very hard to play 62 tables and turn a profit, and it's also very hard to play that many tables without starting smaller and working your way up."

Khan pointed to Grospellier's excellent command of sit-and-go strategy as the key to his success.

"I liked his play a lot," he said. "I thought he played tight, which is good in SNGs, and he knew when to shove, which is essential if you're going to turn a profit."

"It's really nice to have the record," Grospellier said. "I'm really happy I managed to succeed without adequate preparation.

As ElkY ground his way toward the record, Day 1a of the EPT Grand Final was playing out its eight sixty-minute levels.

A total of 396 players paid the €10,600 entry fee and by day's end about 230 players were left standing.

Among those who lived to see Thursday's Day 2 were Daniel Negreanu, Johnny Lodden, Dario Minieri, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson and Annette Obrestad.

Failing to make the cut were Phil Ivey, Patrik Antonius and Chris Moneymaker.

Action continues in Monaco with tomorrow's Day 1b, in which ElkY will look to continue his winning streak by facing off against the likes of Christina Milian, Nico Rosberg, Nelly and former champs Glen Chorny and Gavin Griffin.

Play kicks off at noon local time (6 a.m. EST). Check out all of the day's highlights in the PokerListings.com Live Tournaments section.

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Timoshenko wins $25K WPT Championship

After an epic eight days of play Yevgeniy Timoshenko has been crowned the 2009 Five Star World Poker Classic World Poker Tour Champion. The 21-year-old saw off a final table which included Scotty Nguyen, Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier, Shannon Shorr and Ran Azor to claim the first prize of $2,149,960.

Poker News in Brief: April 20-26, 2009

Every week we compile a collection of stories that didn't quite make the cut for the front page but were worth mentioning nonetheless.

In these week's edition it turns out that a certain Bodog has its bite back, French poker players are actually really, really good (at least one of them) and the WPT Championship wasn't the only major tournament won by a TV pro.

Bodog.com returns along with Bodog Open

The Morris Mohawk Gaming Group announced this week that it reached a resolution of all litigation relating to 1st Technology, LCC and will be getting the Bodog.com domain back.

The settlement ends the series of 1st Technology's lawsuits alleging the online poker site used patents in the 1st Technology portfolio. It also means Bodog.com will be returned to the Morris Mohawk Gaming Group which now runs the Bodog sites.

Despite not being a part of the original lawsuits, the MMGG said it stepped in to settle the matter because the lawsuit cast a shadow on the Bodog brand it had been running.

"We are absolutely thrilled to be able to return the Bodog experience to its rightful home - the reaction of staff and key suppliers has been thunderous," said Alwyn Morris, MMGG chief executive.

The return of Bodog.com is just in time for the 26-event Bodog Poker Open III. The series begins today and ends with the championship event on May 3.

The Bodog Poker Open III will feature three concurrent series during the week offering a Mini-Bounty Tournament Series, Mid-Stakes Tournament Series and the Championship Tournament Series.

In all there is more than $280,000 in guaranteed prize money, plus the varying levels of buy-ins offer a little something for everyone.

For more information, check out Bodog Poker.

Hollywood Dave Stann wins prelim event at WSOPC Caesars Las Vegas

Although the big news over the weekend was Yevgeniy Timoshenko winning the WPT championship another well-known pro took down a tournament with more than 370 runners.

"Hollywood Dave" Stann won Event 18 of this year's WSOPC Caesars Las Vegas after he outlasted a final table that included Eskimo Clark and Steven "Stevie G" McKoy.

It was the third major tournament that Stann has won and his first WSOPC ring. The 35-year-old former blackjack player officially collected $26,398 for his first place finish.

The WSOPC Caesars Las Vegas Championship Event kicks off on tomorrow at 12 p.m.

Florida man predicts online poker to be legalized in the U.S.

Once again an expert in internet law is suggesting the U.S. government may move to legalize online gambling in an effort to raise revenue.

In a story with 24 Hours online Lawrence Walters suggested that intrastate online poker games may be the future for online gambling in the U.S.

Law professor Ed Morse of Creighton University in Nebraska was quick to point out that legalizing online gambling would not only help a cash-strapped government but it would help create jobs and economic expansion during a recession.

To read the complete story click here.

PR Web declines online gambling releases

Popular press release website PR Web announced this week it will no longer be accepting submissions from online gambling companies.

PR Web is based in Washington and decided to ban online gambling related pressreleases due to the murky legislation surrounding online gambling in the U.S.

Prior to the ban PR Web was one of the most prominent methods of advertising for sites like Full Tilt Poker and Everest Poker.

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Yevgeniy Timoshenko Wins WPT Championship

The final table of the World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship played out on Saturday and, in the end, Yevgeniy “atimos” Timoshenko took home the $2.1 million first place prize, besting Ran Azor heads-up.

The victor of the $50,000 HORSE tournament held during the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP), Scotty Nguyen, was eliminated in sixth place from the WPT Championship final table for $285,000. Short-stacked, Nguyen pushed for just over three times the big blind and was called by Shannon Shorr and Christian Harder. The duo checked down to the river, when Harder bet 600,000, inducing a fold from Shorr. Harder flipped over A-9 on the A-K-2-A-7 board, out-kicking the A-4 of Nguyen. Nguyen failed to become just the second player ever to win the WPT Championship and WSOP Main Event. Carlos Mortensen remains the only person to have accomplished that feat.

Shorr was sent packing in fifth place, taking home $408,000. On the 44th hand of final table play, Shorr pushed for 2.6 million when blinds were 80,000-160,000 with a 15,000 chip ante. Timoshenko called with pocket fours, finding himself in a race against Shorr’s 6-7. The board ran out A-9-3-J-K, sending Shorr out of the WPT Championship. His elimination secured the title of WPT Player of the Year to Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, who was also vying to be the next WPT champion. Last season’s Player of the Year honors went to Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little. Others have included Howard Lederer (Season I), Erick Lindgren (Season II), Daniel Negreanu (Season III), Gavin Smith (Season IV), and J.C. Tran (Season V).

The 63rd hand of final table play in the WPT Championship marked a double elimination. Harder pushed on the button for 1.9 million, Azor made the call, and Grospellier shoved over the top for 2.9 million. Azor had both covered, called Grospellier’s all-in, and the hands were turned up. Azor showed A-7, Grospellier revealed A-J of hearts, and Harder revealed A-8 of spades. The flop came K-7-3, sending Azor out in front. The turn came a queen, giving Grospellier a straight draw. However, a harmless deuce fell on the river, eliminating two players in one fallen swoop. Grospellier officially took third place for $776,000, while Harder finished in fourth for $571,000.

Heads-up play began between Timoshenko and Azor with the former holding just over a 2:1 chip lead. Eighty-one hands later, Timoshenko emerged as the winner of the Season VII finale. Azor called Timoshenko's all-in for his final 800,000 chips when blinds were 150,000-300,000 with a 25,000 ante. Azor showed Q-10 and was up against A-3. The flop came Q-J-7, giving Azor top pair. The turn came a king, which gave Timoshenko a straight draw. Sure enough, it hit on the river, as the 10 of spades was the “money card” for the youngster. Timoshenko became the second youngest player ever to win a WPT title. He was just 21 years, two months, and 15 days old. The honor of youngest WPT champion is held by Nick Schulman, who was exactly 21 years and two months when he took down the Foxwoods World Poker Finals four years ago.

Here is a recap of the payouts from the WPT Championship:
1. Yevgeniy Timoshenko - $2,149,960
2. Ran Azor - $1,446,265
3. Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier - $776,245
4. Christian Harder - $571,965
5. Shannon Shorr - $408,550
6. Scotty Nguyen - $285,985

The final hand dealt at the WPT Championship marks the end of Season VII in the United States, although the tournament series’ Venice event kicks off on May 6th. The non-televised tournament is sponsored by bwin and boasts a €4,400 buy-in. It will crown a winner on May 10th. The WPT Spanish Championship begins on June 24th at the Casino Barcelona and comes with a €5,300 price tag. No official schedule for Season VIII has been released, but its events will once again air on Fox Sports Net.

Timoshenko takes WPT Championship

Timoshenko cut his teeth in the game winning some of online poker's biggest tournaments, including the PokerStars Sunday Million, the daily $100 rebuy and the Sunday $200 rebuy.

Before his 21st birthday, he began playing live events wherever they would let him, booking solid results in prelims at the Irish Poker Open, Paris Open and the Aussie Millions before taking down the 2008 APPT Macau main event.

Ukranian-born and raised in Washington State, Timoshenko followed those results with final table appearances at the World Series of Poker Europe and the EPT Barcelona prelims.

But Saturday Night in Las Vegas he topped it all, winning more than $2.1 million and one of poker's most prestigious crowns.

"I feel great," he told PokerListings minutes after the win. "I'm really elated right now."

Courtesy of a massive hand where he busted seventh place finisher Brian Rast on the tournament's penultimate day, Timoshenko walked into the final six with a healthy lead.

But despite the advantage, he understood nothing was set in stone.

"I wasn't expecting to win," he said. "I hoped to win, but in tournaments you can't expect anything. Especially at a final table as tough as this one.

"I just hoped to play my best and come out ahead and luckily that's what happened."

Veteran pro Scotty Nguyen headlined a final table of solid players carrying a chance to become poker's all-time leading money winner should he take first.

But it was not to be for Nguyen as he lost most of his chips calling short stack Shannon Shorr's shove with just pocket sixes against tens.

Then Nguyen was outkicked by Christian Harder after making trip aces to bow out sixth.

Shorr was the next to go, taking fifth after running suited connectors into a Timoshenko wired pair.

Next was a huge double elimination that began when two-time EPT finalist Christian Harder open shoved with A 8.

Israeli Ran Azor, who won his seat to the championship after taking down a $2k Bellagio Cup prelim in 2008, made the call with A 7 and WPT Festa al Lago champ "ElkY" Grospellier came over the top for just 180,000 chips more with A J.

Azor called, flopped a seven and suddenly found himself heads-up with Timoshenko after the turn and river bricked.

While Harder took fourth, Grospellier's third place finish ensured he would also take home WPT Player of the Year honors.

Timoshenko went into heads up with a smile on his face and a 2:1 chip advantage.

"I got very fortunate for Ran to hit the seven," Timoshenko said. "I'd say of all three players left, he was the player I wanted to go heads-up with the most because he's an amateur.

"He's a very nice guy but he doesn't play as much poker and he's not as good at poker as ElkY and Christian Harder, both of who play a lot online and would have given me a tough time."

Timoshenko said he just stayed focused and did his thing.

"I just played my game," he said "I stayed patient. I didn't want to play big pots out of position, or even in position. I just wanted to grind it out and keep the pots small.

"I didn't really want to get it all in pre-flop. I prefer to see flops and chip away at him like that."

Obviously elated with the win, Timoshenko said he's off to Monte Carlo for the EPT Grand Final immediately and has his sights firmly set on the upcoming World Series of Poker and his first chance at WSOP gold.

"I can't wait," he said. "I'm probably going to play a lot at the World Series. I'd really like a World Series of Poker bracelet."

For a full recap of all the big hands at the final table hit up PokerListings' Live Tournaments page.

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Yevgeniy Timoshenko Wins 2009 WPT Championship

It took a while, but 21-year-old online phenom Yevgeniy "Jovial Gent" Timoshenko won the 2009 Five-Star World Poker Classic WPT Championship late Saturday night. The feat took eight days and thousands of hands, but in the end, the young gun got it done, besting a stacked final table...

Final Table Set at WPT Championship; Yevgeniy Timoshenko Leads

The final six players have been determined in the Season VII World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship. The Bellagio in Las Vegas will play host to the featured table today at 4:00pm Pacific Time, with Yevgeniy “atimos” Timoshenko holding a commanding chip lead.

Timoshenko won a sizable pot on the final table bubble by busting Brian Rast from the tournament. Timoshenko raised under the gun to nearly three times the big blind of 120,000. Sitting to his left, Christian Harder bumped it to 850,000 and Rast shoved from the big blind. Timoshenko and Rast were each left with about 5.7 million chips and Timoshenko called. Harder got out of the way and, when the smoke cleared, Rast’s A-K was dominated by Timoshenko’s pocket kings. The board was no help to Rast, who finished in seventh place in the WPT Championship for $204,000. The hand boosted Timoshenko into a commanding chip lead. He holds 13.3 million, which is comfortably ahead of Harder’s 7.4 million.

Play on Friday saw the field dwindle from ten to six players. Finishing in eighth place was Justin Young, who earned $163,000 in the $25,000 buy-in tournament. Rast raised to 250,000 pre-flop, Young shoved for 1.2 million, and Rast made the call. When the cards were turned up, Rast showed pocket queens, a four to one favorite over Young’s pocket nines. Young flopped a set of nines, however, pushing him into the lead in the hand, but Rast hit a two outer on the river to send his opponent packing.

Former chip leader Eugene Katchalov was eliminated in ninth place, scoring $130,000. He pushed for about ten times the big blind pre-flop with J-7 of hearts, but was called by Ron Azor, who showed A-K. The flop came Q-10-5, leaving Katchalov needing to catch a seven or running cards to make a straight to win the hand. The turn came a jack, pairing Katchalov, but also giving Azor Broadway. The river was a three, which officially marked the end of Katchalov’s WPT Championship run.

The first elimination of Friday’s play was Bruno Fitoussi, who exited in tenth place and added $98,000 to his bankroll. In his final hand, Fitoussi led out for 210,000 and Shannon Shorr raised to 560,000. Timoshenko shoved for two million, Fitoussi tanked and eventually called, and Shorr folded. Fitoussi showed pocket kings, well ahead of Timoshenko’s A-J. However, the flop came ace-high and one of the two remaining kings in the deck failed to come on the turn or river. The hand sent Timoshenko’s chip stack climbing to 4.7 million and he never looked back.

Timoshenko gained notoriety by winning the August installment of the Asian Poker Tour Macau Main Event for $500,000. On eliminating Rast, Timoshenko told WPT Live Updates Hostess Amanda Leatherman after play had concluded, “I was very fortune to have had a very aggressive image. Everyone thought I was running over the table, when truthfully I wasn’t really doing it. I knew that people were trying to adjust and play back at me, so I wasn’t opening as many hands.”

Scotty Nguyen also reached the final table. He’ll hold nearly 3.3 million when play resumes on Saturday afternoon. Nguyen is seeking to become only the second player to win both the WPT Championship and World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event; Carlos Mortensen is the lone player to have accomplished that feat. Nguyen also famously stated that he would retire from poker if he failed to earn $4 million by the end of the 2009 WSOP, which gets underway next month. Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier is seeking to claim WPT Player of the Year honors for Season VII. He needs to finish in fifth place or better in order to overtake John “The Razor” Phan in the standings. The two longtime poker pros are also seeking to tally three cashes of at least $1 million during their poker careers. Only two players, Dan Harrington and Mortensen, have done so.

History is up for grabs on Saturday at the Bellagio. Here is how the field sits entering the final table:
1. Yevgeniy Timoshenko - 13,300,000
2. Christian Harder - 7,425,000
3. Bertrand Grospellier - 5,955,000
4. Scotty Nguyen - 3,275,000
5. Ran Azor - 2,525,000
6. Shannon Shorr - 1,130,000

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from the WPT Championship.

Final table set at WPT Championship

Not only can Scotty Nguyen become poker's all-time leading money winner with a win, but Team PokerStars Pro Betrand "ElkY" Grospellier can take the WPT Player of the Year title with a fourth place finish or better.

However, Grospellier's sole focus remains the WPT Championship title.

"I just want to win honestly," he said. "I'm just thinking about winning. If I get fourth that's great, I get player of the year, but my main focus is on playing my best and winning the tournament."

2008 APT Macau champ Yevgeniy Timoshenko will come in with the best shot at the title, holding 13.3 million in chips and a massive lead over the field.

However, the 21-year-old told PokerListings he has no plans to come in and steamroll the other five players.

"I don't have a plan, I'll simply sit down and feel the table out," he said. "I never play poker with a premeditated strategy. I make my decisions in the heat of the moment."

Two-time EPT finalist Christian Harder will come into the final table second in chips with 7.4 million, just above Grospellier's 5.95 million.

ElkY, who took down the WPT Festa al Lago title this past October using a big stack to bully the competition at the final table, plans to play a little tighter tomorrow.

"I'm going to be very careful with the spots I take," he said. "I have Scotty on my left and Yevgeniy on my right, which is not so good because he's going to be opening a lot of pots.

"I've been playing with him the last few days and we play online so he's a tough opponent for sure, but it's OK."

Next on the current leader board is a very confident sounding Nguyen with 3.2 million in chips.

"That's plenty of chips for Scotty," Nguyen said. "It always feels good to come from the bottom and win it."

The short stacks coming in are Israeli Ran Azor with 2.5 million in chips and 2006 Bellagio Cup champ Shannon Shorr on 1.3 million.

PokerListings will have comprehensive coverage of the final table on our Live Tournaments page beginning at 4 p.m. PT Saturday.

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WPT Championship — Day 6

The sixth day of play at the 2009 World Poker Tour Championship began with 10 players at noon on Friday. It took three hours to lose the first player of the day, when Bruno Fitoussi exited in 10th place ($98,050). Eugene Katchalov fell next in ninth place ($130,735) more than a half-hour later....

Scotty Nguyen Leads Final Ten at WPT Championship

Friday marks the all-important play down day in the World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship. Tenth place will pocket $98,000, while the winner of the finale of Season VII will see their bank account rise by $2.1 million. In the chip lead entering the critical day of play is Scotty Nguyen.

Nguyen holds 5.9 million chips to begin the play down day, about 750,000 more than the second place stack of Yevgeniy “atimos” Timoshenko. Nguyen was all smiles when play concluded on Thursday, telling WPT Live Updates Hostess Amanda Leatherman, “The day was smooth. I never looked back. I started out with 1.8 million and my stack never went below that. Now, at the end of the day, daddy got all of the chips, baby.” Leatherman proceeded to ask Nguyen about his gold necklaces, which Nguyen responded, “This is power. This one is luck.”

Timoshenko made a run at Nguyen late in the day, busting Jennifer Harman in 11th place holding 10-2 against the Fill Tilt Poker pro’s pocket aces. Harman took home $81,710 for her efforts and is fresh off raising over $130,000 for the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in a charity tournament held last weekend. Timoshenko sent Andrew Lichtenberger packing in 13th place when his A-7 held up against Q-J. The flop came ace-high, keeping Timoshenko in the lead for good in the hand. Lichtenberger also received $81,710 for his efforts in the $25,000 buy-in tournament.

Holding the third largest chip stack is online poker sensation Christian “charder” Harder, who has amassed 4.6 million chips over the course of the five day-old tournament. Harder eliminated Ross Boatman in 15th place after coming out on the winning end of a race holding pocket jacks against Boatman’s Big Slick. The board came ten-high, boosting Harder’s chip stack to nearly 4.4 million. Harder also sent Eric Liu packing in 19th place. He called an all-in by Liu pre-flop with J-10; Liu dominated his opponent with K-10. However, a jack fell on the turn, giving Harder the win.

Justin Young holds the fourth largest stack at the Bellagio. He went on a tear over the course of Thursday’s play, eliminating a bevy of brand name pros from the prestigious tournament. One of his victims was Marco "CrazyMarco" Johnson, who was instrumental in uncovering the cheating scandal on Absolute Poker. Young three-outed Johnson with A-Q against A-K by spiking a queen on the turn; Johnson finished in 20th place for $65,370. Young was also the bearer of bad news for Owen “ocrowe” Crowe, who limped pre-flop with aces under the gun. Young limped from the cutoff with 7-3 and was elated to see the flop come 9-3-3. Crowe promptly shoved and Young called. The hand pushed Young to over six million chips. He’ll come armed to Friday’s play down day with 4.2 million.

Here is how the final 10 chip stacks look entering today’s session:
1. Scotty Nguyen - 5,880,000
2. Yevgeniy Timoshenko - 5,105,000
3. Christian Harder - 4,650,000
4. Justin Young - 4,220,000
5. Shannon Shorr - 3,155,000
6. Brian Rast - 3,025,000
7. Eugene Katchalov - 2,385,000
8. Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier - 1,965,000
9. Ran Azor - 1,810,000
10. Bruno Fitoussi - 1,615,000

Notable eliminations on Thursday included:
11th Place: Jennifer Harman - $81,710
12th Place: Freddy Deeb - $81,710
15th Place: Ross Boatman - $81,710
18th Place: Jeff Madsen - $65,370
19th Place: Eric Liu - $65,370
20th Place: Marco Johnson - $65,370
23rd Place: David Grey - $49,025

Play picks up at Noon Pacific Time today and will conclude when six finalists remain. They’ll reconvene on Saturday in front of Fox Sports Net television cameras to determine a winner.

Ten players remaining, Scotty Nguyen leads the WPT Championship

Nguyen leads a very strong group of players to the final table. Ten remaining players are all top poker players either in live tournaments or in online scene.

Scotty is hunting for another trophy.

Some great tournament players just missed the cut yesterday, as Jennifer Harman and Freddie Deeb were last to be eliminated in 11th place and 12th place. Today players are going to battle for six places in tomorrows televised final table.

Harman was eliminated in a very unlucky way. In the final hand of her tournament she called preflop all-in with a pair of aces and was up against a Ten-Deuce suited hand of Yevgeniy Timoshenko. Timoshenko flopped a pair of deuces and on the turn disaster struck as it was a ten that gave two pair to Timoshenko. The river was blank and Harman was eliminated from the tournament.

Here are the final ten players:

1. Scotty Nguyen — 5,880,000
2. Yevgeniy “Jovial Gent” Timoshenko — 5,105,000
3. Christian “charder30? Harder — 4,650,000
4. Justin “roberto7? Young — 4,220,000
5. Shannon “BLUFFforRENT” Shorr — 3,155,000
6. Brian “tsarrast” Rast — 3,025,000
7. Eugene “myrabbifoo” Katchalov– 2,385,000
8. Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier — 1,965,000
9. Ran Azor — 1,810,000
10. Bruno Fitoussi — 1,615,000

Source: wpt

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Ten players remaining, Scotty Nguyen leads the WPT Championship

Nguyen can make history at WPT Championship

Should Scotty Nguyen bank the $2,149,960 first-place prize in the offing at Bellagio, he will become poker's all-time leading money winner with almost $12.6 million, surpassing 2006 WSOP Main Event winner Jamie Gold's $12.1 million.

"That's right," Nguyen told PokerListings as he sat bagging his 5,880,000 in tournament chips. "That's my goal. That's what I promise the poker world and the fans."

Earlier this year at the Los Angeles Poker Classic, Nguyen told PokerListings TV he would quit poker if he made less than $4 million at the 2009 WSOP.

A few days ago here at the Championship, he booked a bet with Mike Matusow getting 3:1 on $5,000 that he would earn $4 million over the next three years.

"He's dead," Nguyen said, with the WPT Championship title clearly in his sights. "Count on it baby, he's dead."

To book this win, the 1998 WSOP Main Event champ will have to get through a bevy of great young players still in contention.

APT Macau champ Yevgeniy Timoshenko will come into the final ten holding 5.1 million in chips and two-time EPT final tablist Christian Harder is not far behind on 4.6 million.

Justin Young made second at the WPT Five Diamond back in December and is currently fourth in chips with 4.2 million.

2006 Bellagio Cup winner Shannon Shorr and 2008 WSOP $5k Pot Limit Omaha final tablist Brian Rast have a little over three million chips each, while 2007 WPT Five Diamond champ Eugene Katchalov holds 2.3 million.

Just below the two-million chip mark sits the ever-dangerous Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier, looking to repeat his 2008 WPT Festa al Lago win here at Bellagio.

The two shorter stacks include the relatively unknown Israeli Ran Azor and France's Aviation Club manager and 2007 WSOP $50k H.O.R.S.E. runner-up Bruno Fitoussi.

Regardless, Nguyen said he's just going to do his thing and let the chips fall where they may.

"I'm just going to play Scotty Nguyen style, baby," he said. "Fearless, baby; Fearless and confident."

The Vietnamese-born Nguyen sits on the edge of history with unmatched bravado and the poker skills to back it up.

"Think about it, how many people do you know who will look straight at the camera and say 'I will win four million dollars this year'?" he asked. "None. I'm the only one. That's why they have people betting on me five to one, four to one, three to one, you know, baby? I take it all.

"Whoever wants to bet against me, I take it all. I told you, this is my year."

The play down from ten to the final table of six at the WPT Championship will begin at 12 p.m. PT in Las Vegas and PokerListings will have all the action on our Live Tournaments page.

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WPT Championship — Day 5

The final table at the 2009 WPT Championship is set. There are still two more days of play remaining, but the field played down so fast that it caused not only one early day, but presented an opportunity for another tomorrow. On Friday, the field will have to cut itself from 10 to just six,...

Scotty Nguyen Among WPT Championship Day 4 Leaders

Sitting with the sixth largest chip stack entering Day 5 of the World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship on Thursday is none other than the winner of the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) $50,000 HORSE Championship, Scotty Nguyen.

His stack would have been even larger had he not come out on the losing end of a race on one of the last hands of the night holding pocket eights against Andy Miller’s A-Q. The flop came ace-high, sending Miller into the lead in the hand for good and dropping Nguyen to two million chips. He’ll come armed to Thursday’s play with a stack size of 1.8 million. The entire field trails the 4.3 million chips of Eugene Katchalov.

Nguyen was the talk of the town during the day, eliminating crowd favorite Phil Ivey. The Full Tilt Poker pro pushed over the top of a re-raise by Nguyen, who called with A-9. However, he was up against Ivey’s A-K. The reigning HORSE champion told WPT Live Updates Hostess Amanda Leatherman, “He seemed like he was weak, so I tried to make a move on him. He happened to have A-K and I had A-9, but I flopped a nine.” Ivey finished in 34th place and took home $40,855 for his efforts; he was among the chip leaders entering the day.

Katchalov took down the 2007 running of the WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic, which was also held at the Bellagio, for $2.5 million. That final table included Devilfish Poker namesake David Ulliott and 2007 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure winner Ryan Daut. Katchalov finished sixth in the $10,000 buy-in World Championship of Omaha High-Low Split during the 2008 WSOP for $110,000 in a tournament ultimately won by David Benyamine.

Two players fell by the wayside when there were 52 entrants remaining, abruptly bursting the money bubble. In one hand, Ron Levi found himself all-in holding K-J offsuit against Steven Fung’s pocket eights. The board ran out 5-5-2-7-3 and the pocket eights held. That left 51 players remaining. At the same time, John Martin was eliminated and the final 50 runners at the Bellagio made the money. Traditionally, tables are dealt hand for hand on the money bubble. However, that did not occur on Wednesday.

The top ten in chips entering Day 5 on Thursday are as follows:
1. Eugene Katchalov - 4,294,000
2. Christian Harder - 3,083,000
3. Yevginey "atimos” Timoshenko - 2,613,000
4. Justin Young - 2,553,000
5. Brian Rast - 1,931,000
6. Scotty Nguyen - 1,823,000
7. Andrew Lichtenberger - 1,663,000
8. Freddy Deeb - 1,575,000
9. Ross Boatman - 1,545,000
10. Owen Crowe - 1,500,000

The final elimination of the day occurred when Hyon Kim called an all-in raise from Timoshenko on a board of Q-7-6 with two hearts. Timoshenko, who won last year’s Asian Poker Tour Macau event for a half-million dollars, flipped over 6-7 for bottom two pair. Kim revealed A-9 of hearts for a flush draw. The turn came the eight of diamonds, giving Kim a straight draw, but the river came the nine of clubs, awarding the “W” to Timoshenko and boosting the youngster to the third largest stack overall entering Thursday’s play. All was not lost for Kim, however, who finished in 25th place and earned $49,025 in the $25,000 buy-in tournament, the finale of Season VII of the WPT.

Other notable names that are among the 24 players remaining include:
11. Jeff Madsen - 1,265,000
12. Bertrand "Elky" Grospellier - 1,230,000
18. Eric Liu - 844,000
19. Jennifer Harman - 821,000
20. Marco "CrazyMarco" Johnson - 814,000
23. David Grey - 322,000

Besides Ivey, other top pros who saw their chip stacks depleted at the Bellagio on Wednesday included Nenad Medic (27th place for $49,025), Chris Ferguson (28th place for $49,025), Chris Bell (31st place for $40,855), Steve Sung (35th place for $40,855), Liv Boeree (37th place for $40,855), Mark Seif (38th place for $40,855), Boris Becker (40th place for $40,855), David Singer (41st place for $32,685), and David Benynamine (45th place for $32,685).

The final table of the WPT Championship will occur on Saturday. Its lone survivor will pocket $2.1 million.

WPT Championship — Day 4

Day 4 at the 2009 World Poker Tour Championship at Bellagio saw 62 players return. Action began with just a dozen players needing to fall before the money bubble burst. It took two levels of action for that feat to take place, and the players who fell very close to the money included Jimmy...