September 2, 2010 at 11:47 pm | Poker News | No Comments » | Written by: spenda
There has been a lot of action going on at a multitude of online poker sites lately including PokerStars, FullTilt, and Ladbrokes. With big events on the horizon there will be plenty of promotions and bonuses to take advantage of at all major sites. The 2010 World Championship of Online Poker is set to begin in just under three days. The 62 event series will have tens of millions of guaranteed dollars in play as well as the chance to take home a prestigious WCOOP bracelet! As always PokerStars satellite program leads the way with many different options for players with smaller bankrolls to qualify for big events. Their extreme satellites are running three times daily and feature a variety of games including Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Stud, and even 5-Card Draw. Players can enter these tournaments for as little as $2 and with seats added to each event they present a great chance to qualify for a WCOOP Main Event!
As they have typically done in the past PokerStars is offering a reload bonus for the 2010 WCOOP. While it is not as large as their initial deposit bonus it is still free money so there is no complaining here. Players can earn a 20% up to $100 reload bonus by using the bonus code WCOOP when depositing between now and September 11th. In order to clear the bonus you will have to earn 20 VPPs per dollar, 26 per Euro, and 32 per pound. Players will only have 20 days to clear as much of the bonus as they can. If you are unable to clear the bonus in its entirety you will still earn the money you cleared based on your VPPs earned. If you are new to PokerStars and want to give the WCOOP a try you should also check out their 100% up to $600 initial deposit bonus. The bonus clears in $10 increments and you can actually use up to three deposits in a 90 day period to receive the entire bonus. This is great for those who cannot deposit a large sum at once. Be sure to use the PokerStars bonus code STARS600 when creating your account to guarantee this bonus as well as entry into some private freerolls and money-added events.
Most of the action on FullTilt has been away from the tournament lobby lately as their big events on Sunday are struggling a bit. Actually, it is their biggest event of the week, the $750k, that is having trouble reaching its guarantee. While this means some nice overlay for those participating it is a bit of a red flag for what used to be online poker’s 2nd biggest event each week. With more than 25 FullTilt sponsored professionals in the field each week there is certainly a chance to play with some great players. The main action coming from FullTilt has been the Durrrr Challenge featuring Tom Dwan and Daniel “Jungleman12″ Cates who have played a few long sessions leaving the lesser known poker professional way out ahead. While Durrrr has done quite well for himself in his first challenge against Patrik Antonius it appears the tide could be turning in his NL challenge versus Cates. Both players are excellent heads-up NL players and it makes for great entertainment while grinding away at cash games.
Speaking of grinding away, FullTilt recently announced a nice bonus for small-stakes players. Their “Fast $50″ bonus which must be claimed by September 12th is a great way to introduce yourself to Rush Poker. If you have yet to participate in Rush Poker you should really give it a shot, it is with out a doubt the most exciting form of poker online today. Instead of having to wait around in between hands you will be instantly transported to a new table immediately after folding or the completion of your current hand. Players have been able to get in more than 300 hands per hour playing just one table! The $50 bonus can be found under the “Requests” Menu in the FullTilt Lobby. After clicking on “Check my Bonus Offer” you will just have to accept the fast $50 bonus and begin clearing it exclusively in Rush Poker games. Players will have 21 days after accepting the bonus to clear as much as they possibly can. You will receive the bonus in $5 increments at a rate of $.06 for every FullTilt Point you earn. If you are new to FullTilt and want to check out a bigger deposit bonus make sure to use the bonus code MAXBONUS600 to guarantee a 100% up to $600 initial deposit bonus. Using our code will also gain you entry into the popular FTR500 which is a monthly event with an additional $500 added to the prize pool regardless of the number of entrants.
Those looking for a break from the virtual felt will be happy to hear about the return of the Irish Poker Festival. Held each year in Killarney, Co Kerry, Ireland, the Poker Festival is home to three big events this year from October 1st through the 3rd. Players can participate in €150 and €300 side events as well as the €550 Main Event. Players can actually purchase packages online through Ladbrokes for the Irish Poker Festival. This is the 3rd year of the Festival and they are looking to build on last year’s success which saw more than 750 players entered the Main Event and a €100,000 first-place prize. The Main Event will have a €250,000 guarantee and players will start with 15,000 tournament chips. If you would like to get some practice in before the Irish Poker Festival be sure to use the bonus code FTRES when signing up at Ladbrokes. Their 100% up to €1,000 initial deposit bonus in one of the biggest in the business and is a great way to build a bankroll and pay your way to Killarney!
August 28, 2010 at 7:59 am | Poker News | No Comments » | Written by: spenda
With a bit of a lull happening in online poker between FTOPS XVII and WCOOP IX there was some welcome news coming from the cash game world earlier this week. Tom “Durrrr” Dwan and Daniel “Jungleman12″ Cates agreed to a running of the “Durrrr Challenge”. For those unfamiliar with this high-stakes grudge match the Durrrr Challenge is a 50,000 hand heads-up battle pitting Tom Dwan against anyone in the world not named Phil “OMGClayAiken” Galfond. Durrrr first issued this challenge two years ago and it was quickly accepted by multiple players, namely Patrik Antonius.
The first match against Antonius is still going on today. The two players have had trouble completing hands and at this point they have played just over 30,000 of $200/$400 Pot-Limit Omaha. Durrrr got out to a quick lead, only to see Antonius make a huge comeback. However, over the past 10,000 hands Dwan has absolutely dominated and now has more than a $2,000,000 lead. What’s even better for Dwan is the $500,000 extra he wins if he ends the 50,000 hands ahead. What might strike fear in the young pro is the $1,500,000 he would have to pay were he to end the challenge down. Durrrr gave all of his opponents this 3:1 edge in order to drum up action and boy did it work. When the first challenge was offered it was rumored both Phil Ivey and David Benyamine both agreed but neither have been able to play up to this point.
With the Dwan/Antonius Challenge grinding to a virtual stop Cates stepped up to the plate to keep the action going. Cates, or Jungleman as he’s known to the online world, is a heads-up NL savant, having won millions of dollars on FullTilt and PokerStars competing in the highest stakes games running today. Cates is not only known for being greatly skilled at NL Hold’em but he has won over the online poker community by taking on pretty much any and everyone at No-Limit Texas Hold’em. He might be one of the few players in the world who has a chance against Dwan in HU NL and he began proving that late last night.
The two world-class players completed nearly 6,000 hands in a grueling match which saw nearly a million dollar swing on the very first night of the battle. Dwan started off hot and quickly amassed a $250,000 lead. However, the tide turned quickly giving Jungleman12 all the momentum and a massive advantage early on in the challenge. With a lead in excess of $550,000 at $200/$400 stakes Cates is already up nearly 16 buy-ins in what amounts to just more than 10% of the total hands. If he keeps his lead he will not only walk about with those winnings but also $1,500,000 which has been escrowed by FullTilt part-owner Phil Ivey. If Durrrr somehow retakes this lead he will walk away with $500,000 extra thanks to Cates. The challenge can be seen on FullTilt by downloading their software and navigating your way to their Cash Game Lobby. If you are new to FullTilt and want to participate in any of their real money games make sure to use the bonus code MAXBONUS600 when creating your account to guarantee a 100% up to $600 initial deposit bonus. Using this code will also grant you entry into the FTR500, a $5 buy-in monthly tournament with $500 added to the prize pool, as well as other freerolls and money-added events.
August 20, 2010 at 9:57 pm | Poker News | No Comments » | Written by: spenda
The biggest online tournament series in the world is quickly approaching. PokerStars, the biggest online poker room around is running the 9th installment of the World Championship of Online Poker, known as WCOOP IX. Players from all over the world will compete over the course of 3 weeks in 62 different events. Players will have many different games to choose from including Hold’em, Omaha, Stud, Draw, HORSE, and other mixed games. Buy-ins will range from $109 all the way up to $25,000!
If you are unable to afford the buy-ins for bigger events PokerStars has you covered. Their satellite system will give players of all bankroll sizes plenty of opportunities to play in a WCOOP event. Their “Extreme Satellites” are running 3x daily and will feature many different games and buy-in levels. For example, today players could choose from a $10+$1 re-buy, $3.30 shoot-out, or $22 Pot-Limit Five-Card Draw satellite. All of these will award seats in different events. However, you are not required to play in the event you win a ticket for, you can always take tournament dollars and play in any tournament(s). Players can find these satellites under the Tournament->Satellite->Cash Tab in the PokerStars Lobby.
The tournament series begins September 5th and culminates the 26th. With more than 60 events over the three weeks you are sure to find something to your liking. Below is a list of some of the more popular events as well as the biggest buy-in tournaments which will be great for the railbirds.
Event #2: High Roller NL Hold’em
Buy-in: $10,000+$300
Guarantee: $2,000,000
Event #3: NL Hold’em
Buy-in: $200+$15
Guarantee: $2,000,000
Event #9 : NL Hold’em 2-day
Buy-in: $1,000+$50
Guarantee: $1,000,000
Event #16 : Pot-Limit Omaha 6-max
Buy-in: $200+$15
Guarantee: $500,000
Event #19 : NL Hold’em 10-minute levels
Buy-in: $100+$9
Guarantee: $1,250,000
Event #21 : NL Hold’em
Buy-in: $200+$15
Guarantee: $1,500,000
Event #22 : NL Hold’em 2-day
Buy-in: $500+$30
Guarantee: $3,000,000
Event #30 : NL Triple Shoot-out 2-day
Buy-in: $500+$30
Guarantee: $500,000
Event #35 : NL Hold’em re-buy
Buy-in: $200+$15
Guarantee: $1,000,000
Event #41 : NL Hold’em
Buy-in: $200+$15
Guarantee: $1,500,000
Event #42 : NL Hold’em 2-day
Buy-in: $1,000+$50
Guarantee: $3,000,000
Event #43 : Pot-Limit Omaha re-buy 6-max
Buy-in: $300+$20
Guarantee: $600,000
Event #53 : NL Hold’em re-buy
Buy-in: $500+$30
Guarantee: $1,000,000
Event #54 : Pot-Limit Omaha
Buy-in: $2,000+$100
Guarantee: $800,000
Event #61 : 8-game High Roller
Buy-in: $10,000+$300
Guarantee: $1,000,000
Event # : WCOOP IX Main Event
Buy-in: $5,000+$20
Guarantee: $10,000,000
Be sure to check back through out the series for updates on all of the major events as well as any promotions PokerStars might be running. If you are new to PokerStars and want to compete in WCOOP IX be sure to use the bonus code STARS600 when signing up to guarantee a 100% up to $600 deposit bonus as well as entry to exclusive freerolls and money-added events.
August 14, 2010 at 3:25 am | Poker News | No Comments » | Written by: spenda
The past week has been a busy one in online poker with FTOPS XVII running full steam ahead and other sites trying to keep up. So far 25 of the 35 events in the 17th installment of the FullTilt Online Poker Series have been completed and with millions of dollars still to be won FTOPS XVII is far from over. There are some big tournaments running Saturday and Sunday which have huge guarantees.
The ever popular 2-Day Event begins tomorrow at 14:00 FullTilt time and is a 6-max/Ante from the start format. With a $2000+$100 buy-in this one is truly for the high rollers but FullTilt expects at least 1,000 players with a $2,000,000 guarantee. The tournament is hosted by Canadian poker personality Gavin Smith who has made appearances on shows such as Poker After Dark in the past. The extroverted professional is sure to be talking it up at the tables, even if it is an online event.
Event #32, the $240+$16 Knock-Out Tournament replaces the $400k Sunday Brawl at 14:00 FullTilt time. The tournament’s guarantee has been bolstered to $1,000,000 and is being hosted by Michael Craig. Craig is a lawyer turned poker pro who won the first ever $16,000 guarantee knock-out event making him a perfect fit as host for Event #32.
The 34th event in FTOPS XVII needs no introduction, it is the $3,000,000 guaranteed Main Event. With a $600+$40 buy-in it appears FullTilt expects at least 5,000 players to cover the guarantee. Satellites are running around the clock and can be bought into for as little as $6+$.50 or 2,500 FullTilt Points. The tournament begins at 18:00 FullTilt Lobby Time and will be hosted by one of the most famous poker professionals in the world, Mike Matusow. Nicknamed “The Mouth” for his non-stop jabbering at the poker table, Matusow is considered one of poker’s most interesting personalities and best NL tournament professionals.
Matusow has seen some rough times in his career including busting his bankroll on numerous occasions and even spending time in jail for possession of narcotics. However, the past few years Matusow has seen a bit of a resurgence including a win in the 2008 World Series of Poker $5,000 NL 2-7 Championship. He has made numerous deep runs in the Main Event including a final table appearance in 2005 where he busted first in a well known hand which saw him get all-in PF with KK only to be up against Pocket Aces. The flop contained a King but it was not enough to win. Just as in live poker Mike has trouble keeping his opinions to himself online, so be sure to open up his table if you’re looking for some entertainment Sunday night.
Be sure to check back later for the final results of FTOPS XVII. If you would like to participate in any of the remaining events and have yet to sign up at FullTilt make sure to use the bonus code MAXBONUS600 when creating your new account.
While PokerStars does not have a huge tournament series running this week their Sunday majors, including the Sunday Million, have been thriving ever since the WSOP finished up late last month. With $2,500,000 in guarantees between the Warm-Up, Million, and Second Chance, PokerStars remains the leader in online tournaments. Those who do not have the bankroll to enter such lofty events should check out PokerStars satellites and freerolls to build their bankrolls. Currently PokerStars is running nightly $500 freerolls for their North American players which include North American Poker League entries.
Starting August 21st PokerStars will begin running a huge satellite program for this year’s World Championship of Online Poker. Known as “WCOOP Extreme Satellites” there will be three satellites running daily in different games and buy-in levels. On August 21st players will find $5.50 NL Hold’em, $27 Omaha Hi/Lo, and $11 NL Hold’em satellites running with additional seats added to each tournament. This means there PokerStars is handing out additional tournament tickets out of their own pocket to help grow their events! Overall PokerStars is going to provide at least $500,000 in additional tournament entries from August 21st-29th. Be sure to find your way to the satellite tab in the Tournament Lobby. If you are new to PokerStars and want to check out the world’s largest poker site and the 9th WCOOP be sure to sign-up today using the bonus code STARS600.
Check back here over the next few weeks for more WCOOP IX updates and information.
August 6, 2010 at 11:42 pm | Poker News | No Comments » | Written by: spenda
There has been a lot going on in the online poker world since the end of the 2010 World Series of Poker. With players coming home from Vegas and flooding sites like FullTilt, PokerStars, and Ladbrokes these rooms have been busier than ever. To reward their players each site has a little bit of a homecoming gift. At FullTilt, the 17th installment of the FullTilt Online Poker Series began earlier this week, at PokerStars a free Lamborghini is on the line, and Ladbrokes has a handful of promotions awaiting members new and old.
FTOPS XVII started August 4th with Event #1, a $200+$16 NL Hold’em Tournament. The first event of the series attracted nearly 4,600 participants and saw its prize pool swell to over $918,000. The tournament had plenty of big names on hand including nearly 50 FullTilt professionals like Chris Ferguson, David Pham, and host Huck Seed. The tournament was won by a well known professional Brent “Brobers85″ Roberts who had already won an FTOPS event in the past as well as a WCOOP and SCOOP championship. Up to this point just four events have been completed and 30 more remain. Each event has it’s own very FullTilt sponsored professional including the likes on Brandon Adams, Robert Williamson III, and Erica Schoenberg. The series winds down on August 15th with the FTOPS Main Event which is a $600+$40 NL Hold’em Championship with a guaranteed $3,000,000 prize pool. Be sure to check back here over the next two weeks for updates on all the major events and big name winners.
PokerStars is still months away from it’s World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) but that has not slowed down the world’s largest poker site from running numerous promotions. PokerStars seems intent on building their female player base and to expedite the process they have started up a Women’s Poker League. The league, which has daily $5 tournaments and a leaderboard-type structure will reward female players with Luxury Events packages for winning events and earning points. There is also a weekly $55 tournament which runs every Sunday at 20:10 PokerStars time. To read more about the league visit www.pokerstars.com for additional information. While they have been focusing on their female players more lately men should not fret, PokerStars has you covered as well. In the next few months heading up to the October 3rd final, PokerStars is giving players a chance to win a Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4. The “Million Dollar Lamborghini Freeroll” has multiple levels culminating in a final $250,000 prize pool and a chance to win one of the fastest cars in the world! Players can qualify in many different ways including daily freerolls on the hour as well as $1.10 and $11 satellites running every two hours. To find this tournament open up the PokerStars Lobby and head to the Tourney tab. If you have no yet signed up at PokerStars make sure to use the bonus code STARS600 when creating your new account.
Not to be outdone Ladbrokes has also begun a few new promotions including the Steve 5K2 Bounty Tournament and a $40,000 Cruise Giveaway. For those unfamiliar with Steve 5K2 Davis hie is a legendary snooker player who has won more professional titles in the sport than any other player including six World Championships in the ’80s. Davis will be joining Ladbrokes for a special bounty tournament each month. Davis will also hold a chat after he has busted and not only answer any and all questions but will be giving away tickets to the Ladbrokes Poker Cruise Tournament. The Poker Cruise is a $4,000 adventure which sets sail in January 2011. The 8-day affair spans the Caribbean and players will be able to compete in a “Festival of Poker” which includes a full tournament program, cash games, and even SNGs. Starting January 22nd players will board the deluxe cruise liner “Oasis of the Seas” and travel to a few exotic locations including Cozumel Mexico, Falmouth Jamaica, and Labadee. Qualifying for the cruise is simple; there is a Weekly Final help on Monday evenings at 20:15 GMT and there are satellites for this event running daily. Players can also buy-in directly to the cruise for just $3,050 which includes everything but travel expenses to and from the ship. If you are new to Ladbrokes and want to participate in the 2011 Poker Cruise make sure to sign up using the bonus code FTRES to guarantee a huge 100% up to $1,000 initial deposit bonus!
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!!
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