July 30, 2010 at 6:15 am | Poker News | No Comments » | Written by: spenda
There was plenty of big news coming from the world of online poker this week including a bit of information from the US legislature which appears to be the first real movement on the regulation of online poker in the United States. Yesterday, July 28th, 2010, saw the first step in this process. A special House Finance Committee took the “HR 2267″ bill under consideration and it was passed by a 41for:22against margin. The main players in the discussion were Barney Frank (along with the Poker Players Alliance) and his opponent Spencer Bacchus. Bacchus contends the passing of any legislation legalizing and regulating online poker will bring casino gambling to American’s homes. Frank, along with the PPA, did enough to prove otherwise.
The bill which began the day was amended numerous times before the final vote took place. Both sides made necessary concessions and added in stipulations, the most important of which impacts sites like PokerStars and FullTilt. The wording is tough to decipher but this new law would punish sites which knowingly ignored the UIGEA and allowed Americans to play on their sites the past few years. The most notable of these sites besides PokerStars and FullTilt include much of the Cake and CEREUS Network. It is unknown at this time what will happen to these sites but it would be a shame for those who stood up to an infringement on American freedoms to be punished. The bill still has a lot of work to do before it is finalized including votes in both the House of Republicans and, should it pass, the Senate. There were many other provisions tacked onto the bill including the prohibition of sports betting (except horse racing) on these sites. One of the more interesting amendments forces these sites to be licensed by companies located inside the United States. This is a far cry from how business is currently conducted and should do a lot for the fairness and integrity of the games.
While this vote certainly got the ball rolling it seems it could be months or even years until some concrete laws are in place and sites like Stars and FTP have to answer for operating against the UIGEA the past few years. Of course, with the enormity of these sites and the world’s best players behind them, there is still hope for those who stood up for the injustice against American poker players.
Speaking of FullTilt, after a month of downtime between since the WSOP completed the world’s second largest poker site is running another installment of their very popular FullTilt Online Poker Series. The 17th version of the two week long series is slated to start August 4th and end with the Main Event on the 15th. There will be at least 34 events hosted by various FullTilt sponsored professionals such as Howard Lederer, Allen Cunningham, Tom Dwan, and Phil Ivey. With many different structures, games, and buy-in levels there is sure to be something for everyone. Keep an eye out of satellites which are running around the clock and can be found in the FullTilt Lobby under the “tourney” tab. In the past FTOPS has been a huge success and has led to even more traffic at FullTilt. If you are not a member at FullTilt but would like to check out the schedule and satellites make sure to use the Bonus Code MAXBONUS600 when creating your account to guarantee a 100% up to $600 initial deposit bonus as well as entry into the FTR500, a monthly $5 tournament with $500 added to the prize pool. Make sure to check back here for weekly updates on the biggest and best tournaments from FTOPS XVII.
The world’s largest poker site, PokerStars.net, is halfway through their “All-Star” week which gives players a chance to compete for real money against Team PokerStars members such as Chris Moneymaker, Hevad Khan, Barry Greenstein, and Joe Hachem. Players must go through a qualifying process to find their way to a $1,000 winner-take-all heads-up match with a PokerStars professional. At the end of all-star week the winning team will receive $25,000 to divide amongst their members. To check out this promotion and many more use the PokerStars links on this page and enter the Bonus Code STARS600 when signing up. As always, PokerStars offers the most popular cash games, SNGs, and multi-table tournaments on the internet.
July 19, 2010 at 3:51 am | Poker News | No Comments » | Written by: spenda
The 2010 World Series of Poker is nearing an end, in fact, there are only nine players remaining out of a Main Event which nearly set a new attendance record. With so few left standing one might infer the tournament will be over quickly…not so fast! The past few years the Rio, ESPN, and the WSOP came to the conclusion that delaying the final table until November is the best way to gain maximum exposure for the event and the game of poker. This idea was coined the “November Nine” and has been in place for three years.
Twenty-seven players were on hand last night vying for these prestigious spots that also come with amazing sponsorship possibilities. There were plenty of big names who fell just short including Adam “Roothlus” Levy (12th), Hasan Habib (14th), Matt “mcmatto” Affleck (15th), Benjamin Statz (16th), Scott Clements (18th), William Thorson (22nd), and Johnny Lodden (27th). While a lot of those names may not be all that familiar to the casual poker fan they are certainly big names in the online and live poker world. Any of the above professionals would have been a great addition to the final table and not only raised publicity, but the level of play as well.
Still, the November Nine is full of very good poker players and one world-renowned professional. Much like last year with Phil Ivey leading the way, this year Michael “the Grinder” Mizrachi heads to the final table as the overwhelming people’s favorite. Mizrachi is looking to complete what might be the biggest WSOP in history as earlier this year he won the $50,000 Players Championship for $1,559,046. With a $8,944,138 first place prize in the Main Event Mizrachi could very well earn more than $10,000,000 in 2010. Mizrachi was no stranger to huge scores before the 2010 series having won the Borgata Winter Open for $1,173,373 and the LA Poker Classic for $1,859,909 previously.
Still, winning the Main Event will not be easy for Mizarchi. Not only does he enter the final table with the 3rd smallest snack in 7th place but he also has 8 very formidable opponents to deal with. Final table chip leader Jonathan Duhamel holds nearly 66,000,000 of the 219,570,000 chips in play. The young poker professional has already cashed twice as this years WSOP including a 15th place finish in Event #56 for $37,276. The biggest score of his career came at the 2008 EPT Prague where he made just over $42,000. John Dolan finds himself in 2nd place with about 20,000,000 less chips that Duhamel. With one final table already to his name at this year’s series he might be one of the more comfortable players when the Main Event resumes in November. Dolan finished 6th in Event #36 in June for $82,804. The $1,000 event won by Scotty Montgomery was one of the biggest tournaments of the series with over 2,559 players. Say what you want about tournaments, but getting to the final table of both of these events is an extremely impressive feat. After the first two competitors there is a steep drop-off in chip counts and quite a log jam between Joseph Cheong in 3rd and Mizrachi in 7th. Less than 10,000,000 chips separates the 5 players in the middle of the pack which will certainly lead to interesting final table dynamics. The two shortest stacks have under 10,000,000 chips and will have about less than 20 Big Blinds when play resumes. With the difference between 8th and 9th place being more than $230,000 and another $310,000 between 7th and 8th the viewing audience could see quite a bit of stalling from the shorter stacks. The full final-table payouts can be found below:
1. $8,944,138
2. $5,545,855
3. $4,129,979
4. $3,092,497
5. $2,332,960
6. $1,772,939
7. $1,356,708
8. $1,045,738
9. $811,823
The jury is still out on when the actual restart of the final table will be. We do know it is slated for November and will be shown “live” on ESPN. The past two years the tournaments, which promoted as being live, has actually been shown one day delayed to handle editing issues. Either way the tournament will begin on the 9th or 10th and be shown on ESPN the next day. Live poker is not the most riveting spectator sport even with millions of dollars on the line. Still, there are sure to be at least nine people who will not be able to sit still over the next 3.5 months. Be sure to check back here for more updates and in-depth profiles on the players you see below:
1. Jonathan Duhamel t65,975,000
2. John Dolan t46,250,000
3. Joseph Cheong t23,525,000
4. John Racener t19,050,000
5. Matthew Jarvis t16,700,000
6. Filippo Candio t16,400,000
7. Michael Mizrachi t14,450,000
8. Soi Nguyen t9,650,000
9. Jason Senti t7,625,000
July 17, 2010 at 1:13 am | Poker News | No Comments » | Written by: spenda
There has been plenty of action in both the live and online poker world this week, the most notable being the Main Event winding down. Over the past week tournaments such as the WSOP ToC, $25k 6max, and $10k PLO came to an end while the WSOP Main Event began. Now on Day 7 of the Main Event the less than 100 players remaining can all sense the glory that is the “November Nine”.
Taking part of Day 7 of the World Series of Poker Main Event was FlopTurnRiver’s very own Mark Meloche who entered Friday with nearly 1,500,000 in chips. Unfortunately Mark took a tough cooler when his Q9 ran into A9 on a 99x flop, busting him in 76th place for $94,942. The mid-t0-high stakes cash game regular is a staple on our short-handed forums where is serves as a moderator. Other notable FTR members making deep runs included a pair of identical twins, Danny and Max Steinberg, who both made it to Day 4 in the Main Event. Danny, known as ISF or IowaSkinsFan on the forums, was a former strategy contributor to the site and his articles remain there today. His 395th finish earned him a small payday and some valuable experience.
There were plenty of notable poker professionals on hand going into Friday including FullTilt professional David Benyamine who busted mid-way through the day. Some of the more notable players remain including Bryn Kenney, Matt “mcmatto” Affleck, Adam “Roothlus” Levy, Johnny Lodden, Scott Clements, and Michael Mizrachi. Be sure to check back here next week for a full breakdown of the November Nine!
In the online poker world tournaments and traffic have taken a bit of a dive lately with the WSOP garnering most of the attention. While Sunday majors still carry large guarantees the fields have been at an all-time low lately forcing FullTilt, PokerStars, and other major sites to pay out a lot of overlay for those on hand. FullTilt is hoping this will change soon as they recently announced their FullTilt Online Tournament Series 17th installment to begin in August. Thirty-four events are set to run from August 4th through the 15th including the $600+$40 Main Event.
This week FullTilt ran a new promotion called “Rush Week” where players are seeing even more action in their Rush Poker section. Players are being rewarded for participating in the poker world’s newest form of the game, earning more player points depending on their reward levels. Players in the Gold Reward Level can earn up to $250 extra from the 12th through the 18th by earning 1,000 every day of the week.
PokerStars is still going strong with their MicroMania promoted which we discussed in our last news update. This week Stars announced “PokerStars All Star Week” which is a chance to play with all of their sponsored professionals in heads-up matched from July 26th through August 1st. Each match will have a $1,000 prize pool and the winning team (between the challengers and All Stars) will receive $25,000.
Ladbrokes is already getting players ready for the 2010 Irish Poker Festival in Killarney Ireland. The series will take place of the first three days of October and carries a €250,000 Guaranteed Main Event. This is the Irish Poker Festival’s third year and it should be another year of steady growth. Last year over 750 players entered the Main Event which carried a €100,000 first place prize. Players can begin qualifying online for just a few bucks. The main event satellites will award €900 packages which include the €550 buy-in fee and 3 nights at the Gleneagle Hotel. To play visit poker.Labrokes.com and create a real money account today! Make sure to use the bonus code FTRES when signing up to guarantee a 100% up to $1,000 initial deposit bonus!
July 10, 2010 at 8:36 pm | Poker News | No Comments » | Written by: spenda
The world’s largest online poker site has received a lot of attention over the past week, both good and bad. From French strikes to “MicroMania” to the retirement of a world champion, PokerStars has certainly taken some attention away from the WSOP Main Event which started earlier this week.
Recently, PokerStars was forced to close its doors to French poker players due to political reasons. PokerStars responded by opening PokerStars.fr which was not met with as much fanfare as expected. Instead of a ton of action there was a whole lot of nothing going on at PokerStars.fr due to a player strike! Yes, the French online poker community felt (rightfully so) that the rake levied upon the new site was practically unbeatable and decided to protest the games. This was a large effort and it involved players opening up the maximum number of tables and sitting out on all of them. They also blocked the waiting lists so no one else could play. What should be noted is PokerStars does not have as much control over this situation as it may seem. In fact, they are pretty much handcuffed by the French Parliament which forced French players out of PokerStars.net in the the first place. Because of the new costs of the site, permits, and other expenses, the players have had to pony up and pay a much higher rake % than those playing on PokerStars. At this time it seems the staged sit-in might have worked, parties from both sides are discussing possible solutions which will ultimately need to include less rake. As an immediate response PokerStars.fr has reportedly decided to not rake any pot that does not see a flop, which is certainly a good place to start.
Some strange news from the World Series of Poker this week as former Main Event Champion (and PokerStars sponsored professional) Peter Eastgate decided to “retire” from poker. While players retire all the time they certainly do not do so before their 25th birthday. Eastgate, who won the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event, announced he was stepping away from poker for the time being. Eastgate has also appeared on the televised cash game High Stakes Poker as well as being a staple in PokerStars nosebleed NL Hold’em games. At this point all we know is Eastgate had lost motivation and wants to find out about life outside of the poker world. Being a professional poker player is certainly not an easy job, and Eastgate was thrust into the limelight quite early in his career.
Speaking of Team PokerStars, two well-known professionals were added to the team this week in former Bodog pro David Williams and female poker savant Vanessa “fslexduck” Selbst who is a heads-up master. Williams is best known for his runner-up finish to Greg Raymer in the 2004 Main Event and for appearances on cash game shows such as High Stakes Poker, The PokerStars.net Big Game, and Poker After Dark. Selbst who recently won the NAPT Mohegan Sun Main Event for $750,000 is one of a few well known professionals who is openly gay. The ivy-league educated professional nearly won the $5,000 Heads-Up Championship in the 2007 WSOP, taking 3rd for $128,968. Both players plan on participating at PokerStars.com playing under the names “dwilliams” and “V. Selbst”.
Those of you who are stuck at micro stakes trying to build a roll will be happy to hear PokerStars is dedicating the entire month of July just to you! If you play $10nl or lower as well as limit games $.10/$.20 or lower you will become eligible for bonuses, prizes, tournament tickets, and more! PokerStars has named this promotion MicroMania and the main staple are four $1.10 daily freeze outs with $1,000 added to the prize pool. These tournaments can be found in the special tab in the tourney area. Cash game players are set to receive extra VPPs and VIP rewards for participating in low-stakes games through out July. Players will receive at least 50% more VPPs which will help them move up VIP levels as well as clear any lingering deposit bonuses.
With the Main Event heading into week 2 and a lot going down in the online poker world lately be sure to check back here for weekly updates on any big news.
July 3, 2010 at 8:56 pm | Poker News | No Comments » | Written by: spenda
The July 4th weekend is proving to be one of the more exciting few days for the 2010 World Series of Poker as a few of the more prestigious events are slated to finish today and tomorrow. The $10,000 PLO World Championship, $25,000 6-max Championship, Tournament of Champions, and $5,000 Ante Up for Africa Charity Event are all up and running at the Rio Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas. These three events alone should have some of the best fields of the series highlighted by poker professionals as well as celebrities.
The Ante up for Africa tournament carries a $5,000 buy-in and the understanding that players will donate a significant portion of their winnings to charity. Celebrities such as Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Ben Affleck, and Brad Garrett headline an event that was mired it a bit of online controversy last year. One of the tournament’s co-chairs, Annie Duke, got into a spat with a final table member who withheld his donation until he could receive proof of the legitimacy of the charity. The situation was eventually resolved but it provided some nice entertainment for the online poker community. The tournament will begin Saturday July 3rd and is one of just a few events that ESPN will televise this year.
The $25,000 NL 6-Max Championship might just have the toughest field of any poker tournament this year. A bevy of experienced live pros faced off with a large contingent on online cash game professionals for a $1,315,518. The final table was set yesterday is a short session and play will resume early this evening. A few big names just missed out on the final table including Daniel Negreanu (11th), Isaac “Ike” Haxton (9th), and Brynn Kenney who took the chip lead into day 3. Only six remain including chip leader Dan “djk123″ Kelly who is a well known online tournament grinder who has more than $3,000,000 in cashes on PokerStars alone including a $643,200 cash in the WCOOP ME last year.
The $10,000 PLO Championship is down to the final 33 players and one name, Tom “Durrrr” Dwan, is sticking out above the rest. Dwan, with more than just the $780,559 first-place prize on the line, take a big chip lead into Day 3 against the likes of Phil Hellmuth, David “devilfish” Ulliot, Daniel Alaei, and Jason Mercier. Dwan, who has a reported $12,000,000+ in bracelet bets as this years series, nearly won the $1,500 buy-in Event #11 last month before falling heads-up to Simon Watt. With a strong field standing in his way it will certainly be a challenge for Dwan but I doubt you’ll find anyone willing to bet against one of the world’s best.
After a short hiatus the 2010 WSOP Tournament of Champions is set to resume. The 27-player field was a veritable “who’s who” of the poker world including Mike Matusow, Doyle Brunson, Antonio Esfandiari, Barry Greensetin, Phil Hellmuth, and many more. The tournament started earlier this week and was set to resume July 4th but with more players remaining than originally projected the tournament could see a restart on the 3rd. The only wrench in this plan is if any of the 17 players left are in the $25k NLHE or $10k PLO then the tournament will not be able to resume. A quick glance reveals Phi Hellmuth still alive in the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship and for those unfamiliar with his game he certainly knows how to nurse a short stack. It will be interesting to see how things play out as I’m sure a lot of the ToC participants would also want to play in the Ante Up for Africa because of the lack of TV exposure this year.
If you still haven’t checked out the Main Event satellites on Bodog, PokerStars, or FullTilt you are missing out on a lot of value. Even if you cannot attend the 2010 WSOP you will be able to convert most tickets into cash or tournament dollars. Satellites are running around the clock so pop open some lobbies and check out some of the softest fields in recent online tournament history!!
June 26, 2010 at 6:04 pm | Poker News | No Comments » | Written by: spenda
The 2010 World Series of Poker is in full swing at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. More than 40 events have already come and gone which means the 2010 WSOP Main Event is quickly approaching. While Las Vegas, the Rio, and a $10,000 buy-in event might seem miles away Bodog is here to help shorten the trip a bit. The World Series of Poker Main Event is the most prestigious and sough-after crown in poker today. The tournament has been won in the past by Doyle Brunson, Stu Ungar, Phil Hellmuth, Huck Seed, Carlos Mortensen, and Chris Moneymaker. The tournament has seen a rapid expansion since Moneymaker’s win in 2003 with huge purses and a first-place prize approaching $10,000,000. Last year’s winner Joe Cada took home $8,546,435 for his victory. The tournament begins in early July each year and culminates with the November Nine, a special final table which is played months later for television exposure.
If you’re stuck at home during the WSOP with a small roll this year, Bodog is already making plans for you and the 2011 Main Event. Players will be able to qualify for the 2011 Main Event for as little as $1.10 through the “Bodog Mini Series” which begins July 5th and runs through the 17th. All in all there will be 13 $10+$1 events running with the winners of each advancing to the finals. Players can satellite into the $11 qualifiers for $1.10 or 100 Bodog Poker Points. Two satellites will be running daily from June 23rd until the end of the Series, July 17th.
Winning a satellite gives a player an automatic entry into the final. There are three other ways to reach the Main Event qualifier. Each tournament will award the top-30% finishers with points on the Mini Poker Series Leader Board. At the end of the 13 tournament qualifying series those near the top of the board who have yet to win an event will also receive an invitation to the Mini Series Semifinal or Final. The top-10 will receive a pass straight to the final while those 11-50 on the TLB will have to play in the Semifinal. Players can also qualify for the final by playing in all 13 qualifying events or finishing in the top-18 of the Mini Series Semifinal.
Registration for the Bodog Mini Series is already open and closes July 17th, the final day of the qualifying series. The Semifinal is set to take place July 20th while the final will be July 22nd. The winner of the Mini Series final will receive a Main Event package worth $12,000 which should cover your entry fee, travel, and accommodations in Las Vegas. Second and third place finishers will receive a Bodog Poker Open V Prize Package which includes an entry fee for every even in the BPO V later this year. The other final-table participants will receive a $162 tournament ticket to the Sunday $100k Guaranteed, the largest weekly tournament at Bodog Poker.
Bodog is one of the world’s largest online poker sites and is also home to a sportsbook, casino, and racebook. They offer a huge 110% up to $1,100 initial deposit bonus with $100 immediately turning into cash. This is unlike most bonuses which force players to clear them before being able to play with the funds. At Bodog, your first 10% is on the house! There is no bonus code to enter, just head over to Bodog and check out the games they have to offer.
June 18, 2010 at 9:05 pm | Poker News | No Comments » | Written by: spenda
Las Vegas has been crawling with poker players this month as the 41st annual World Series of Poker is taking place at the Rio Las Vegas Hotel & Casino. Some of the biggest events of the series began and ended this past week as the world’s best poker players congregated just off the strip in hopes of gold bracelets and big pay days. The Rio has been buzzing lately with prop bet talk surrounding poker wunderkind Tom “Durrrr” Dwan who nearly won a $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em tournament last week which would have pocketed him much more than the $600,000 first place check. The first estimates had Durrrr with $7,000,000 in action on his ability to win a bracelet but before was all said and done it was reported he had nearly $12,000,000 riding on his final table success. Unfortunately for Dwan (and fortunately for the poker world) he failed to connect last week but still has plenty of tournaments left to cash in big time.
As the WSOP has expanded and grown there have been many different events added to the schedule including a large amount of non-Hold’em games. Taking advantage of one of those events was the charismatic Sammy Farha who took down the $10,000 Omaha Hi/Lo Split Championship for $488,237 on Monday. Farha is a businessman and high-stakes Omaha professional who is best known for his 2nd place finish to Chris Moneymaker in the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event. In fact, Farha could be credited with the poker boom as the poker world saw a huge increase in participation in both live series such as the WSOP and online action due to Moneymaker qualifying through a $40 PokerStars satellite. Farha is also a regular on the GSN television show “High Stakes Poker” where he battles with the likes of Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, and Patrik Antonius.
Other non-Hold’em events taking place this week included Event #19 $10,000 2-7 Draw Lowball, Event #20 $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha, Event #21 $1,500 Seven Card Stud, Event #27 $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo, and Event #28 $2,500 Pot-Limit Omaha. As you can see there are tournaments for just about any type of poker player at this years WSOP. A few events are currently underway including the $1,000 Seniors Championship and the $10,000 Heads-Up NL Championship which begins today.
Another big name earning a bracelet this week is the mercurial Dutch Boyd who won Event #23 $2,500 Limit Hold’em 6-max for $234,065. Boyd, along with a few other young players who called themselves “The Crew”, busted onto the poker scene in 2003 with a deep run in the Main Event where he eventually finished 12th. Boyd’s first bracelet came back in 2006 where he bested WSOP Main Event champion Joe Hachem heads-up to win the $2,500 NL Short-Handed tournament. It appears Boyd thrives in 6-max play as he once again took down a 6-handed tournament besting Brian Meinders heads-up late Monday night.
Two other notable players winning bracelets this past week were John “Tex” Barch who was at Hachem’s final table win in 2005 finishing in 3rd place for $2,500,000. Barch bested a tough filed in Event #20 $1,500 PLO to win his first bracelet and $256,919. Joining Barch in the winners circle was famed online professional Richard “CHUFTY” Ashby who took down the next event on the schedule, the $1,500 Seven Card Stud tourmanet for $140,467. Ashby is a FullTilt sponsored professional who makes his money in high-stakes PLO and mixed games on the world’s second biggest poker site.
Speaking of online poker, the WSOP has put a dent in online tournament attendance. A lot of tournaments, especially the Sunday majors, have been falling well short of their guarantees forcing both PokerStars and FullTilt to pony up a bunch of overlay the past few weekends. While this may be bad for the poker sites it is great for those playing as they’re getting a great price on their money. If you aren’t at the Rio this weekend grinding WSOP tournaments check out the online majors where you can satellite into most events using player points or for as little as $1!
As always, be sure to check back here next week for more WSOP results and other online poker news.
June 11, 2010 at 6:01 am | Poker News | No Comments » | Written by: spenda
As of midnight Thursday night 16 events at the 2010 World Series of Poker had completed and there were more than a few big names making deep runs over the past week. Taking place at the Rio in Las Vegas the WSOP is the poker world’s biggest tournament series and this year includes nearly 60 events during May, June, and July including the $10,000 Main Event. The series kicked off, as it does every year, by paying homage to Las Vegas casino employees with a special entry casino employees event. This year Event #1 was won by Hoai Pham who took home $71,424 for the title.
While the casino employee tournament is a great way to reward the hard working people who keep the Vegas lights bright it was Event #2 where the stars really shine. The $50,000 buy-in “Player’s Championship” was full of the best online and live tournament professionals in the world. The final table was a veritable who’s who of poker including Nick Schulman, John Juanda, David Oppenheim, Daniel Alaie, David Baker, and the Mizrachi brothers Michael and Robert. With more than $1,500,000 going to the winner there was definitely a lot of buzz heading into the final table eventually won by Michael Mizrachi. What is even more interesting about this particular scenario is it had been rumored the Mizrachi brothers recently became broke and were close to filing bankruptcy before winning a combined $1.9M at this final table. How they had the rolls to play and how much of the winnings they actually kept will never be known but fortunes in poker can flip just like that.
Another big name taking down a bracelet early on this year was Men “the master” Nguyen who shipped the $10,000 Seven-Card Stud Championship for $394,800 after defeating Ivy-league professor Brandon Adams heads-up. Two other well known poker professionals made it all the way to heads-up play but failed to cash in. Most notably Tom “Durrrr” Dwan waded through a huge field in Event #11 ($1,500 NL Hold’em) and had more than just the $614,248 first-place check on the line when he battled with Simon Watt for the title. Dwan has reportedly made a number of large bracelet bets this year getting 3:1 on his ability to win either a WSOP or WSOPE bracelet by the end of 2011. With a reported $2,000,000+ of his own money on the line Dwan lost more than a few hundred thousand by failing to defeat Watt, he may have cost himself in excess of $7,000,000. Joining Dwan in runner-up land was Allen “chainsaw” Kessler who nearly won the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo Championship. Getting in Kessler’s way was Frank Kassela who took down the title and more than $447,000 in prize money.
There are many more events on the horizon and those sitting at home have more than enough time to qualify and head out to sunny Las Vegas this summer. A lot of online poker sites are offering satellites and the increasingly popular step systems to allow players to find a way to the 2010 WSOP Main Event. PokerStars will continue to send to the most players as their Step System allows members to qualify for as little as $7.50 or a certain amount of Frequent Player Points. The Steps are 1-table SNGs where players can earn tickets to higher steps and work their way up to a $2,100 buy-in qualifier. This final tournament will pay out one seat plus travel money and reward 2nd and 3rd place finishers with a small cash compensation. Please note, once you enter the step system you must see it all the way through. Players cannot cash out tickets for money or even t$. Those new to PokerStars should take advantage of the Stars600 referral code which will result in a $600 initial deposit bonus and entry into freerolls and events such as the FTR300 which is a monthly money-added tournament with a $300 prize pool no matter the number of entrants.
FullTilt also runs a large amount of satellites starting as low as $1+$.10 or 30 FullTilt Points to enter. They go all the way up to $1,000+$60 satellites that run every Thursday until the Main Event begins and have been paying out a handful of entries each time. FullTilt will have the strongest showing of professionals in the Main Event and you can join a crew with Phil Ivey, Patrik Antonius, Tom Dwan, and many more as you battle it out for a first place prize in the neighborhood of $8,000,000 this year. If you are new to FullTilt and would like to attempt to qualify for the WSOP make sure to use the MAXBONUS600 code when signing up to not only guarantee a $600 initial deposit bonus but the ability to enter private freerolls and monthly money-added events.
Finally, Ladbrokes is helping players get to Las Vegas for as little as €15 in their WSOP “Dream Package” which is a €6,000 plan including
-entry into $2,500 Event 56
-10 nights accommodation at the Wynn Casino
-€1,000 Last Longest Bet (which will gain entry into WSOP Main Event)
-€1,000 for travel
-€600 spending money
This is a great way to experience the WSOP. Not only can you play in a smaller buy-in event but you can also earn your way into the Main Event if you happen to last longer than your fellow Ladbrokes Poker qualifiers. If you are new to Ladbrokes be sure to register using the poker code FTRES for a 200% up to $2,000 initial deposit bonus! This bonus is one of the biggest in the industry and a sure fire way to build a bankroll.
Be sure to check back here through out June and July for more exclusive offers as the WSOP Main Event approaches it’s July 5th starting date.
May 28, 2010 at 11:37 pm | Poker News | No Comments » | Written by: spenda
As the summer months help to heat up online poker there is a definite excitement in the air as the 2010 World Series of Poker approaches. Ever since Chris Moneymaker’s break-through victory in the 2003 Main Event the poker world has seen a huge increase its player base both in live tournaments and online at sites such as PokerStars and FullTilt. The World Series has also benefited from massive exposure through poker news sites such as FlopTurnRiver and being televised on the world’s largest sports network, ESPN.
This year the world series looks to continue past success as it will be host to the world’s best players competing over the course of a few months in 57 different tournaments. No game will be spared as players can participate in NL, Pot-Limit, and Fixed Limit Hold’em events as well as Pot-Limit Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, HORSE, and even 2-7 single draw. There are many mixed events that pair games like Hold’em and PLO together which are great for the experienced player. Tournaments will start as low as $1,000 and is highlighted by the $10,000 Main Event as well as the $50,000 Texas Hold’em Championship.
Each year the world’s best come to compete for massive prize pools and the title of “World Series Player of the Year” which has been won by many poker greats in the past. Last year Jeffrey Lisandro won three different events (all in stud variations) to take home the title. This year players like Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Tom “Durrrr” Dwan, Eli Elezra, Doyle Brunson, and many others will be vying for the crown. On top of the POY race some of the big names mentioned above have been taking part in bracelet prop bets which earned Phil Ivey quite a large some of money last year as he won reportedly in excess of $2,000,000 betting against other high-stakes professionals. Ivey was able to win two bracelets and make the final table of the Main Event before busting early when his AK lost to AQ. Check back here through out June and July for more updates on the bigger events and see if any of the well known names in live and online poker were able to ship major tournaments.
In the online world PokerStars completed its Spring Championship of Online Poker earlier in the month and boy was it a huge success! With FTOPS XVI coming to an end to start the month and the 2nd installment of the SCOOP series finishing off the month there was certainly no shortage of huge events and million dollar prize pools the past few weeks. Overall there were 38 SCOOP events each with three sub-tournaments depending on buy-in level. This structure allowed those with even the smallest of bankrolls to compete for thousands of dollars in big events. In the end more than $50,000,000 was played for the past few weeks between the two biggest online sites and a few tournaments ended up with $1,000,000 for their winners!
In other online poker news Ladbrokes has recently introduced their “Advanced Poker School” which is meant to help players of all levels learn new games and improve their play across the board. Visit poker.ladbrokes.com to visit their school and watch videos as well as listen to radio broadcasts all about poker strategy! Eligible players can win a free cruise or even a trip to the 2010 Irish Poker Festival just by signing up. With most of the world focused on the 2010 World Cup, Ladbrokes is looking to cash in on the excitement by running the “Laddie’s Poker World Cup” beginning June 10th which is a tournament series for countries represented by this year’s football World Cup. Players will compete in money-added tournaments looking to place in the top 10% of smaller events to advance to bigger tournaments with larger prize pools. There is a catch, in order for you to move forward, you country must win their soccer matches as well which could prove to be quite a challenge in the most competitive and popular sporting event in the world.
Check back here through out June for updates on the Laddie’s Poker World Cup and the 2010 WSOP!
May 15, 2010 at 9:45 am | Poker News | No Comments » | Written by: spenda
A few updates this week as multiple sites have made some noise in the online poker world. If you have not made your way over to Ladbrokes you should check it out soon! Not only do they offer a poker room, sportsbook, casino, bingo hall, and other games but they have recently updated their VIP Store with a great variety of products you might actually want. A lot of poker room stores have items that seemingly no one has a use for but Ladbrokes has done a great job in presenting their members with some great options. the Ladbrokes Poker Shop contains poker books, electronics, apparel, jewelry, and even cars!
To purchase any of these products you must work your way up the Ladbrokes VIP ladder by paying rake in real money cash games, tournaments, or sit-n-go’s. There are four VIP levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and VIP which all carry different bonuses, prizes, and other benefits. The higher levels are not all that difficult to achieve and are definitely worth the time you put in. Players earn 10 points for every $1 in rake you generate in both cash games and tournaments which means you must generate only $1,000 in rake a month to get to the highest level! To visit the Ladbrokes Poker Shop go to Ladbrokes.com and navigate to the Poker tab. If you are new to Ladbrokes make sure to use the Promotion Code FTRES when signing up to guarantee a 100% up to $1,000 initial deposit bonus.
Across the pond PokerStars is deep into it’s 2010 Spring Championship of Online Poker. SCOOP 2010 has gotten off to a great start and the 38-tournament series finishes up this weekend. For those unfamiliar with the SCOOP structure there are 38 tournaments each with 3 sub-events for players of different bankroll levels. The “L” events are for small-stakes grinders looking for a big score. These tournaments have buy-ins from $10-$100 and have paid out $10,000+ for first place in each and every event. Some of the bigger Low tournaments have had enormous turn-outs including Events 1,2,3, and 20 which all had more than 20,000 players join. The Low Main Event begins Sunday afternoon and will be a $100+$9 buy-in with $1,000,000 Guaranteed. PokerStars is running satellites around the clock and there is no doubt a lot more than just 10,000 players will be playing in the L-Main Event.
The Medium and High buy-in tournaments have also seen solid turn outs and huge prize pools. Some have fallen short of their guarantees which has led to PokerStars paying out overlay. While this is great for those playing as they get more bang for their buck it isn’t the best sign for the health of online tournaments. This weekend will be a great barometer for online tournaments as the Medium and High Main Events have enormous guarantees ($3M and $5M respectively) and the High Main Event will have at the very least a $1,000,000 first-place prize. There have been many PokerStars professionals participating in these events especially in the Mixed Games high buy-in tournaments. Well known poker pros such as Chad Brown, Barry Greenstein, and Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier have been on hand for a lot of the events and will certainly be playing this weekend. You can also bank on players such as Daniel “kidpoker” Negreanu, Greg “Fossilman” Raymer, and Chris Moneymaker playing in the Main Event.
PokerStars recently expanded “Team PokerStars” to include a lot more young internet professionals including many of those who have been fortunate enough to achieve Supernova Elite VIP Status. Players like “Jorj95″ who are epic SNG grinders were added to the team and have made their presence felt through out SCOOP 2010. If you are unfamiliar with the PokerStars VIP System you should definitely check it out. Their system is the best in the business and players can earn more than 50% rakeback equivalent by generating a lot of rake through out the year. Players like jorj95 who generate more than $200,000 in rake will receive over $50,000 in cash bonuses as well as entry into major live tournaments as well as the SCOOP Main Event. If you are new to PokerStars make sure to use the Marketing Code flopturnriver when signing up to guarantee a 100% up to $600 initial deposit bonus as well as entry into monthly money-added events such as the FTR300.
Head over to PokerStars and check out all of the great SCOOP 2010 action for this upcoming weekend. If you enjoy watching some of the best online players battle it out for millions of dollars then be sure to watch Event #25-H which is a $25,000 buy-in Heads-Up tournament. If you would like to play click on Events–>SCOOP–>Main Events and pick from any of the tournaments that are registering. All of the tournaments have a great structure so make sure you have plenty of free time as a deep run could have you sitting in front of your computer all day!
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