Professional & Celebrity Poker Articles

U.S. Army Veteran Earns His Stripes & the Wulfe Howls

2009-04-27T22:58:00.000-07:00

The 2009 World Series of Poker Circuit Championship Main Event concluded today at Caesars Palace Las Vegas.

The winner was Jeremiah DeGreef, from Salt Lake City, UT. He earned his first WSOP Circuit gold ring ever plus a whopping cash prize of $69,890, one of the biggest payouts so far at this year’s tournament series.

DeGreef is a 27-year-old disabled veteran. He served three years in the U.S. Army. DeGreef, who has a prodigal talent for learning new languages, served as an Arabic translator. Despite his disability and departure from the armed forced in 2007, DeGreef discovered a passion for poker, which has begun paying big rewards. Indeed, poker talent seems to run in the DeGreef family. Earlier this week, Jeremiah’s brother Anthony finished second in a Caesars Circuit event. Not content with just making it to the final table, Jeremiah DeGreef outlasted a formable lineup which included four-time gold ring, and five-time gold bracelet winner Men ‘the Master” Nguyen. He also beat the star of the Caesars’ series thus far, James Lopushinsky, who has won two events within the past two weeks. DeGreef also vanquished another tough competitor, Vinny Pahuja, who has been one of the most highly-ranked tournament players in the last 18 months.

The $2,000 buy-in two-day tournament attracted 134 entries, which generated $259,960 in prize money. The top 18 finishers collected payouts. All the action took place inside Caesars Palace Las Vegas poker tournament room.

The 2009 Cleopatra Open concluded today at Caesars Palace Las Vegas with Courtney Wulfe as a Champion

The $300 buy-in ladies-only poker tournament attracted 115 entries. It has become a custom for all WSOP Circuit events to hold a special tournament for ladies-only who prefer playing in their own event.

The winner was Courtney Wulfe, from Houston, TX. She was one of the lower stacks when final table play began on the second of the two-day event. But Wulfe ended up defeating Kathryn Meeks in heads-up play, who finished second. Wulfe earned $8,868 in prize money.

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by Nolan Dalla

WSOP Circuit Championship being held at Caesars Palace Las Vegas

2009-04-27T05:52:00.000-07:00

Many of the world’s top poker superstars as well as hundreds of amateur poker players from all over the nation and abroad are expected to participate in the fourth annual World Series of Poker Circuit championship being held Monday, April 27 through Thursday, April 30, 2009. In previous years, the Caesars Palace Las Vegas championship has attracted former world poker champions including -- Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, Phil Hellmuth, Scotty Nguyen, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Carlos Mortensen, Chris Moneymaker, Greg “Fossilman” Raymer, Jamie Gold, and Jerry Yang. In addition, many other poker celebrities have played in the competition, including Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, Barry Greenstein, Allen Cunningham, and many others. Most players are very media friendly and will be eager to give interviews.

The World Series of Poker is the richest sporting event in the world. In 2005, the WSOP, which has been a proud Las Vegas tradition dating back to 1970, went on the road for the first time. Each year since, the WSOP Circuit has made up to 12 stops at casinos around the country. Caesars Palace is the only stop of the current Circuit season in Las Vegas, making this championship tournament truly special for everyone. In what promises to be one of the most media friendly events of the year in Las Vegas, television, print, and Internet media are invited to attend any of the four days and get close to the high-stakes action. Last year’s championship was won by five-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Allen Cunningham, who collected half-a-million dollars for first place, plus the coveted WSOP Circuit gold ring (his career first). The 2008 tournament attracted 334 entries.

The four-day competition will be open to media from start to finish. Tournament play begins at noon daily and lasts until around midnight. The championship final table will be played on Thursday and will begin at 2 pm.

For press information or to learn more about featuring the poker tournament, please contact Nolan Dalla (WSOP Media Director) at: nolandalla@aol.com or telephone (702) 358-4642

For information about Caesars Palace Las Vegas and the poker room, please contact Jim Pedulla (Poker Room Manager) at: jpedulla@caesarspalace.com or telephone (702) 731-7349

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by Nolan Dalla

Russian Poker Pro Max Katz Wins WSOP Circuit Gold Ring

2009-04-23T23:17:00.000-07:00

Perhaps no nation has experienced the poker boom more recently or in a bigger way than Russia. The big bear is one of poker’s fastest-growing markets. Millions of Russians from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok are now playing poker, both online and in live casinos. A new Russian Poker Tour is scheduled to begin play later this year.

It’s no surprise then that many Russian poker players are enjoying great tournament success in the West. Notable poker champions are Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Alex Kravchenko, Kirill Gerasimov, and Ralph Perry (who now lives in the U.S.). Last year’s WSOP Main Event runner up was Ivan Demidov, another very talented Russian player. Now, add the name “Max Katz” to the list.

Katz, a 24-year-old poker professional from Moscow won the latest World Series of Poker Circuit event held at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. He topped a highly-competitive field of 227 players who entered the $500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament. For his victory, Katz won $26,699. He was also presented with his first gold ring, the top prize for winning on the WSOP Circuit. In fact, Katz is the first Russian citizen to win a gold ring in the five-year history of the Circuit.

Katz put on a dominant performance. He began final table play on day two second in chips but seized the advantage about mid-way through the finale en route to a most convincing victory. Katz spoiled what would have otherwise been a reunion of Chicago poker players. Three finalists were from Chicago, and a fourth was born in the windy city. In the end, the Russian blew everyone away with his first American win, after previous victories in his native country.

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by Nolan Dalla

Kentucky Firefighter Burns the Competition

2009-04-22T21:29:00.000-07:00

Kentucky is known for many things – horseracing, bourbon, bluegrass music, rolling green pastures – and now, the most recent World Series of Poker Circuit champion. The latest player to be presented with the covered gold ring is George Lusby.

The 42-year-old firefighter from Georgetown, KY scorched the competition in what was unquestionably one of the longest and toughest battles of any final table held at this year’s Caesars Palace series thus far. Lusby topped a highly-competitive field of 116 entries, each who anted up $1,500 in the two-day No-Limit Hold’em competition. All the action took place inside the special tournament arena at Caesars.

Lusby survived the first day but was clearly an underdog once the final table began. In fact, he started off in eighth place out of nine players. But Lusby patiently waited for the right moments to be aggressive and gradually increased his stack size to the point where he was in a position to win. Lusby seized the chip lead when play became three-handed and went on to win the top cash prize amounting to $44,724.

The tournament generated $168,780 in prize money. The top 18 finishers collected payouts. When final table play began on day two, Brad Hood and Kyle Bowker started as the two biggest stacks. Bowker would end up in fifth place. Hood finished as the runner up to Lusby.

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by Nolan Dalla

Big Hand for a Little Lady

2009-04-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

Saturday afternoon at Caesars Palace spawned a jam-packed poker room. The World Series of Poker Circuit included the ninth, tenth, and eleventh of 22 gold ring events on this year’s schedule. The $500 buy-in two-day tournament (Event #9) attracted 225 entries, generating $109,125 in prize money. The top 27 finishers collected payouts. Event #10 also began and will conclude on Sunday. Event #11, a “Double Stack Turbo No-Limit Hold’em” tournament, also played to conclusion on this day. The newly-conceived “Double-Stack” event was so popular with players that an alternates list had to be taken. Every poker table at Caesars was filled.

The newest poker tournament champion is Suzanne Carrillo. She is a professional poker player from El Paso, Texas. This marked Carrillo’s second tournament victory. She won an event at the Bellagio recently. She also cashed in two of the first three WSOP events she ever played back in 2005. Carrillo came to the final table as the chip leader.

She lost her advantage late in the tournament but managed to come back and win in an exciting finish. Carrillo became the first female champion to win an open event in the four-year WSOP Circuit series at Caesars Palace. The previous three years, all of the winners were males, except for the special ladies-only tournament.

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by Nolan Dalla

CAPT Innsbruck Seats at SunPoker

2009-04-15T10:47:00.000-07:00

SunPoker.com is giving away guaranteed seats to the Casinos Austria Poker Tour (CAPT) in Innsbruck, Austria. The CAPT tournaments have proven time and again to be some of the best run tournaments in the world and are starting to see the huge prize pools of the larger European Poker Events, while still remaining hidden gems from the sharks. SunPoker players have crushed the cash games and tournaments winning over $500,000 during the CAPT tournaments over the last 2 seasons, while enjoying the Austrian lifestyle in some of the most beautiful, cultural cities in the world!

CAPT Innsbruck Satellites at SunPoker:

The qualifier tournaments to get on to the Fearsome Foursome team are affordable to everyone and are quite small with sometimes some big overlays. There are 3 steps available, the Satellites that are $3+$.3 daily. The satellites lead into the $30+$3 Semi-Finals, which are held every day at 20:00 GMT. The Semi-finals then lead into the weekly Sunday finals at 20:00 GMT, where there is a guaranteed prize of at least 1 package worth $3300, which includes the buy in for the main CAPT event in Innsbruck and money for flight and accommodations. Finals are being played on April 19th, and 26th. More details are located at http://www.sunpoker.com/tournaments/tourn_capt.asp

Free Poker Seminars for your Players!

When it comes to poker, SunPoker's Fearsome Foursome players are treated to professional poker coaching which is focused on the Innsbruck tournament's structure and players. From the past 2 CAPT tournaments, the coaching has been a huge factor in having more than 8 cashes in the main event and the side events. In addition, the SunPoker Mobile University is coming to the Innsbruck Hilton on Friday May 8, 2009 at 19:00 to provide a FREE poker seminar presented by professional poker coach Sven Lucha from the Gambling Institute in Germany.

Players can register FREE starting for the poker coaching seminar by visiting this link: http://www.sunpoker.com/innsbruck/.

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World Series of Poker Europe Announces 2009 Schedule & Dates

2009-04-13T13:21:00.000-07:00

The third annual World Series of Poker Europesm presented by Betfair has solidified its tournament schedule, Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc., owner and operator of the world’s most prestigious poker tournaments announced today.

The 2009 World Series of Poker Europe Presented by Betfair (the WSOPE) will feature four bracelet tournaments, including a new addition, the £2,500 Pot Limit Hold’em/Pot Limit Omaha mixed event that begins on September 21st.

“The World Series of Poker Europe has quickly established itself as the most prestigious tournament outside the United States,” said World Series of Poker Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack. “Winning a gold bracelet is recognized globally as the top prize in the sport and we look forward to awarding four more bracelets in 2009 at the Casino at the Empire in London.”

The WSOPE will be held from September 17th to October 1st, 2009 in the heart of Leicester Square at the Casino at the Empire in London, England. The Casino at the Empire has been a hotbed of poker activity since hosting the WSOPE, with regular cash games and tournaments running around the clock. The casino now stays open 24-hours a day and has begun offering satellite tournaments for the WSOPE. Visit http://www.thecasinolsq.com/pages/casino-events.php for more details.

"The Casino at the Empire has quickly become the destination for poker in the UK, “said Michael Silberling, COO, London Clubs International. ““We look forward to hosting the best players in the game for the WSOPE this fall and will continue to offer the finest poker action daily for those in Leicester Square.”

Players can pre-register for the WSOPE at any London Clubs International (LCI) venue in the UK or at the Rio All-Suites Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Alternatively they can try and qualify online exclusively at Betfair Poker via http://www.betfairpoker.com/.

“We are delighted to be working alongside Harrah’s again for a successful third year of our sponsorship of the World Series of Poker Europe,” said Betfair CEO David Yu. “We will remain the only place to qualify online for the WSOPE tournament and we are also very excited about the new $1 million promotion which with free entry will give the WSOPE a wider appeal and add more value than ever before.”

The complete bracelet event schedule is as follows:

Friday, Sept. 18, 2009
Event #1 - £1,000 + £60 – No-Limit Hold’em Day 1A (3-day event/2 start days)

Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009
Event #1 - £1,000 + £60 – No-Limit Hold’em Day 1B

Monday, Sept. 21, 2009
Event #2 - £2,500 + £150 – Pot Limit Hold’em/Pot-Limit Omaha (3-day event)

Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009
Event #3 - £5,000 + £250 – Pot Limit Omaha (3-day event)

Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009
Event #4 - £10,000 + £350 – World Championship No-Limit Hold’em Day 1A
(5-day event/2 start days) “Main Event”

Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009
Event #4 - £10,000 + £350 – World Championship No-Limit Hold’em Day 1B “Main Event”

All the above tournaments will be sanctioned gold bracelet events. Non-stop cash games will also be scheduled during the tournament, as well as a bevy of satellite tournaments in the weeks leading up to each event. The Casino at the Empire does not require membership for admission.

Betfair Poker is also proud to present a brand new WSOPE event exclusively free for Betfair poker players to enter. The FREE MILLION DOLLAR GAME is only available at http://www.betfairpoker.com/. Qualification begins 13th April with the top 18 players traveling to London to play live at WSOPE for a first place prize of U.S. $1 million. The event will kick off the WSOPE on Thursday, September 17.

ESPN, the exclusive World Series of Poker telecaster, is scheduled to air ten original hours of coverage of the World Series of Poker Europe in the United States and distribute the tournament globally. ESPN360.com, ESPN’s signature broadband sports network, is scheduled to provide live coverage in the U.S., Europe, Mexico and Brazil.

Harrah’s Entertainment will distribute World Series of Poker Europe programming in non-ESPN markets, which totaled 170 million households in 2008 including U.K. host broadcaster Channel 4.

During the WSOP in Las Vegas (May 26-July 15), players can pre-register for WSOP Europe at the tournament cage as well as lock in poker player hotel rates via http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com/. In addition, $1,570 Mega Satellites for the WSOP Europe Main Event will be held July 9th, 10th and 11th at 5:00 PM at the Rio® All-Suite Hotel and Casino.
WSOPE in London complements the WSOP held annually in Las Vegas. During the first two years of the WSOPE, seven gold bracelets have been awarded along with £9,997,500 in prize money.

The biggest names in poker have participated in WSOPE including: Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, Annie Duke, Phil Hellmuth, Dave “Devilfish” Ulliott, Daniel Negreanu, John Juanda, Gus Hansen, Eric Seidel, Mike Matusow, Joe Hachem, Vanessa Rousso, Andy Bloch, David Benefield, Ivan Demidov, Sorel Mizzi, Jennifer Tilly, Layne Flack, Andrew Black, Barry Greenstein, Tom Dwan, Chris Ferguson, Scotty Nguyen, Max Pescatori, Chris Bjorin, Allen Cunningham, Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, Patrik Antonius, John Phan and Annette Obrestad.

Obrestad won the largest amount ever for a female, £1 million – or U.S. $2,013,102 when she won the inaugural WSOPE Main Event in 2007. John Juanda, the winner of the 2008 event, won in an epic battle. The final table lasted 21 hours and Juanda took home a cool £868,800 in prize money and a coveted WSOP bracelet for his remarkable efforts.

The host country is still looking to win its first bracelet on home soil, while six different nations have captured a WSOPE bracelet: Denmark (2), Afghanistan, Germany, Italy, Norway and USA.

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Seth G. Palansky
Sports & Entertainment Director,
Communications Harrah's Entertainment, Inc.
One Caesars Palace Drive, Las Vegas, NV. 89109-8969
(O) 702-407-6344 (F) 702-880-6802
spalansky@harrahs.com

Brooklyn Poker Pro Dwyte Pilgrim Wins Second WSOP Gold Ring

2009-04-01T20:45:00.000-07:00

When Dwyte Pilgrim makes a promise, he delivers. Just three weeks after winning his first-ever WSOP Circuit gold ring at Caesars Atlantic City, Pilgrim put on yet another astounding display of poker acumen by triumphing in a Circuit championship. This time, history was made on the other coast, at the Harrah’s Rincon Casino and Resort, near San Diego.

Pilgrim’s latest “gold ring” championship came in the $5,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament which attracted 106 entries, generating $503,100 in prize money. The winner’s share amounted to $125,775, plus a $10,000 seat into the 2009 WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas coming up in July. Pilgrim was also presented with his second gold ring, the ultimate token of achievement on the WSOP Circuit. The official ring presentation was made by Tournament Director Jimmy Sommerfeld.

Pilgrim’s victory was hardly a surprise considering what was written about him immediately following his previous WSOP Circuit victory in Atlantic City back on March 7th:

Dwyte Pilgrim’s previous successes came in the form of six previous cashes, five of which took place at the December 2008 WSOP Circuit event at Harrah’s Atlantic City. Indeed, Pilgrim had five cashes during that ten day tournament series – which is a stunning accomplishment given the sizes of many tournament fields in Atlantic City. It appears Dwyte Pilgrim is a player to keep a close eye on in the months and years ahead. A not-too-bold prediction: Burgeoning with self-confidence, a blossoming bankroll, and obvious natural talent, tournament poker has not seen the last of Dwyte Pilgrim.

Sure enough, 26-year-old Dwyte Pilgrim – burgeoning with self-confidence, a blossoming bankroll, and obvious natural talent – claimed another victory. With each and every accomplishment, Pilgrim is growing a little taller in stature in the highly-competitive jungle of high-stakes tournament poker. His first big step was cashing five times last December in his initial series of poker events. Then, it was winning a gold ring in a WSOP Circuit preliminary event. Now, it is winning a WSOP Circuit championship. For Pilgrim, the next step is as obvious as it is daunting – winning a WSOP gold bracelet.

It’s been an astonishing four-month rush for the former loan officer from Brooklyn, NY. He only started playing live tournaments last December. The Guyana-born poker pro is very quickly becoming the next possible poker star, blessed with everything anyone would want in a celebrity – personality, likability, and great poker talent.

The Main Event at Rincon attracted a wide-diversity of poker talent comprised of both professionals and amateurs. At least a quarter of the field won their way into the championship as satellite qualifiers. The Main Event attracted five former WSOP gold bracelet winners -- including Bob Slezak (2001), Steve Billirakis (2006), Robert Cheung (2007), Jason Young (2008), and David Daneshgar (2008). In addition, several former WSOP Circuit gold ring winners participated -- including Michael Binger (2008 Harvey’s Lake Tahoe champion), Matthew Stout (2008, Harrah’s Atlantic City), Dwyte Pilgrim (2009, Caesars Atlantic City), and Christopher Tryba (2009, Harrah’s Rincon). Other notable players entering -- included Eric Lynch (poker author and nine-time WSOP in-the-money finisher) and Paul Smith (poker coach and radio talk show host).

The top nine finishers collected payouts. All the action took place over two very long days inside the Rincon Pavilion Showroom. At the end of day one, only 16 of the original 106 players survived. Esther “E-Tay” Taylor was the chip leader. The Las Vegas poker pro was competing to become the first WSOP Circuit Main Event winner in history. The previous highest finish by a female player was by Jennifer Harman, way back in the Circuit’s inaugural season of 2005 at the Rio in Las Vegas. Kathy Liebert was the highest previous female finisher at Rincon, finishing third here in 2007.

Players battled down to the final nine survivors on day two. Those players took seats at the final table which began at 3:30 pm. When final table play commenced, Christopher Tryba began as the chip leader. Like Pilgrim, he too was competing to become a two-ring winner. Tryba won an event here at Rincon a few days earlier. Ranked eighth in chips was Pilgrim, never once deterred from what would become a resounding victory.

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by Nolan Dalla

How to Become a Poker Shark

2009-03-30T10:35:00.000-07:00

Even before we discuss how to become a poker shark, we should define the term used, because not everyone is familiar with such specific terms. So, in this article I will explain what features and qualities make a poker player a poker shark, and I will guide you on the way of becoming one.

Let us start with what we already know. Everyone knows the two words used in the combination poker shark, but what do they mean together? Do they have an additional meaning if used in the context of gambling?

Let us see. If you want a definition of the term poker shark, it would sound like this: a poker shark is a very experienced player. He looks for the fishes at the poker table and usually takes their money/chips away. From this short definition we can conclude a few things: a poker shark is a very good player who knows when to act, which table to sit at, and he knows how to play his cards. As you can see from the definition, he recognizes beginners in an instant and sits down at their table to take their money away. These would be the basic characteristics of a poker shark.

Contrary to the name, a poker shark does not have to be an aggressive player; his main goal is to profit from the other players’ weaknesses and take their money. A poker shark must be a very good poker player, and must also have a very good capacity to observe tells, and draw conclusions from what he has observed. Now that you know what a poker shark is, let us see how you can become one!

As you can see, a poker shark has many qualities developed over the time. As a conclusion, becoming a poker shark is not a short process, but it is possible. Let us now focus on the basic steps! First, a person who wants to become a poker shark should play a lot of poker. The essential thing is to have a lot of experience in a certain variety of poker, and he should always play that variety of poker.

So, the poker shark wannabe should specialize on one type of poker, because one can normally be good only at one kind of poker, not all of them. This is one of the most important things, to be an experienced player. Being an experienced player is only a first step in becoming a poker shark; let us talk about the next steps.

The wannabe poker shark should be a good observer. It is really important to have a distributive attention in this case. The other players should not even notice that they are observed, or they will start to act unnaturally. You should be able to observe the small movements a player makes. You should see the shine in his eye when he has good cards, the way he plays with his chips when he has good cards; but you should be able to notice the difference between the ways he plays with his chips when he has a small poker hand. While observing all these tells while you make the best decisions regarding your cards.

Now you should understand why you should have a distributive attention if you want to be a poker shark. Having a distributive attention is not enough! Based on the small things you have observed during a game you should be able to draw conclusions on the player. This is not easy, and you need a lot of experience to be able to draw the correct conclusions!

A poker shark must be a very skilled person, because he has to make a lot of decisions in a really short period of time. Just think it through: he has to observe the game, the behavior of the other players and should play his cards in the best way. And for all this he has only a few minutes, and the process will start over again in a few moments.

After we have discussed what a poker hark is and what you have to do to become one, let us see the playing style of a poker shark. Many people think that a poker shark is an aggressive player, based maybe on the word shark from the name. This is the biggest mistake one could make! A poker shark is not an aggressive player at all! He does not want to be remarked, because once you know about him, you will not act naturally, and ruin all his plans. He usually does not make sudden moves; he raises the pot with only a small amount of money, because he does not want to scare off the other players. He is a very patient person, and has a well formed eye for beginners. Be sure that a poker shark will choose a table where the most players are beginners, because he can recognize beginners in an instant. He might not win every game while he plays, but be sure that he will win a lot of money during a night of poker playing.

Now you know everything you should know about a poker shark.

Let us sum it up: he is a very experienced poker player with great observing and deducting qualities. Also, he is patient, and knows when to act, but most of all knows how to act!

For all those wannabe poker players: learn a single variety of poker very well, practice it as much as you can and start observing people only after you are a really good poker player. If you learn and observe in the same time, you will waste a lot of money, so you should better take it step by step, and take all the time you need, because the investment will return!

As a final suggestion: do not try to become a poker shark overnight! Take your time and learn and observe as much as you can, you will see it will be worth it!

Good luck!

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by Carolyn Shorter

David Edquist Pulls-Off Stunning Upset in Latest WSOP Circuit Event

2009-03-29T19:05:00.000-07:00

The most recent World Series of Poker Circuit tournament concluded today in dramatic fashion. Erhart “David” Edquist, a 46-year-old tax consultant and recreational poker player from San Diego, pulled off a near-miraculous upset against the experienced poker pro, Habib Khanis. At one point very late in the tournament, Edquist seemed absolutely doomed. He was all-in holding pocket tens against Khanis pocket kings. Even Edquist realized he was dominated and drawing slim. But a ten thundered down giving Edquist a full house, which assassinated Khanis kings. Moments later, Edquist went on to achieve his first tournament victory and was the ecstatic recipient of $37,344 in prize money and his first gold ring, which is the coveted token of achievement for winning events on the WSOP Circuit.

This was the final tournament before the start of the championship event at Harrah’s Rincon Casino and Resort. This $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament was the tenth “gold ring” event on this year’s Rincon schedule, which attracted 154 entries, generating $149,380 in total prize money. Only the top 18 finishers collected payouts. All the action took place inside the Rincon Pavilion Showroom.

After 145 players were eliminated on the first day, nine survivors took their seats at the final table. Khanis started off with a decisive chip lead. In fact, he had his closest rival covered by more than a 2 to 1 margin. It was fitting that he would play all the way down to a final showdown versus the far-less experienced Edquist. Only this time, David (Edquist) defeated Goliath (Khanis). This final table was also unique in that it was the first finale with multiple female players. Kim “Ice Beer” Wooka and Esther “E-Tay” Taylor became the second and third females to make a final table appearance at this Rincon series.

The winner David Edquist was cheered on by his wife, who vowed never again to watch another live poker tournament. “This was excruciating sitting watching this,” she said. Of course, her viewing experience was made far more enjoyable by Edquist’s victory.

“I don’t like to win that way, by getting lucky,” Edquist stated. “But, I’ll take it.” Partly by luck and partly by skill, Edquist earned his victory. But to Edquist’s credit, he has only played in two events this year at Rincon. In impressive fashion, he made the final tables of both. That’s not luck – that’s skill.

With 11 gold ring events now completed at Harrah’s Rincon, the tournament has attracted 4,392 total entries and has awarded $1,222,680 in total prize money. Still to come are two more events, including the $5,000 buy-in championship which starts at noon. The WSOP Circuit at Harrah’s Rincon continues through April 1st.

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by Nolan Dalla

HPT Ante’s Up in March

2009-03-26T10:03:00.000-07:00

Executives at Heartland Poker Tour are in overdrive as the production company runs two simultaneous televised events, while also inking contracts with two of the biggest names in poker this week.

PokerStars.NET, “The World’s Largest Poker Site”, will join HPT as a title sponsor in season five, currently on tour and production.

“Our partnership with PokerStars kicks off an exciting new direction for our company,” says Heartland Poker Tour President Todd Anderson. “We are eager to connect with their giant fan base and introduce PokerStars to our loyal viewers and players.”

PokerStars.NET boasts over 20 million members worldwide and is noted in the Guinness World Record books for having the most players simultaneously playing poker online. Also the site of “Team PokerStars Pro,” it is home to many notorious names in poker, including Daniel Negreanu, Greg Raymer, Joseph Hachem, and Chris Money Maker.

Heartland Poker Tour viewers will see tips from Negreanu on the show each week through another new sponsor, Poker VT. The interactive virtual training site offers exclusive one-on-one training with Negreanu and other poker experts for its members.

“We consider ourselves to be the premiere online poker training site and The Heartland Poker is the premiere poker tour so the relationship is a perfect fit,” says Poker VT Sales and Marketing Director Matt Carpenter. “PokerVT.com is very thrilled to be welcomed on board by the HPT family as one of their sponsors.”

The Heartland Poker Tour embraces the new partnerships at a busy and prosperous time for the company. HPT is filming four episodes of the popular poker show in both Colorado and Iowa this week. Meskwawki Bingo Casino Hotel in Tama, Iowa, will host its fifth televised final table on Sunday, March 29. Nearly 700 miles to the west, Golden Gates Casino in Blackhawk, Colorado, is expecting another prize pool in the $600,000-range for its event running now and culminating on April 5th.

“It just keeps getting bigger and bigger with every event,” says Jef Bauer, Vice President and General Manager with the Golden Casino Group. “We are thrilled to be hosting HPT for the fourth time, and to have PokerStars as a sponsor.”

Executive Producer Greg Lang credits the fan base of “real people” for the Heartland Poker Tour’s popularity. “We reach the players who got hooked on poker in the neighbor’s garage,” Lang says. “For them, the game is still about having fun with some buddies.”

PokerVT’s Carpenter agrees that the “regular Joe” demographic makes the Heartland Poker Tour a hit. “The HPT is the only tour where I've seen players who are so excited to play poker not only for the prize pool, but to catch up with old friends as well,” he says.

For Bauer and the Golden Casino Group, the players’ enthusiasm is a winning hand for their property. “This event has really built a lot of excitement in the Colorado poker world and has been amazing for our business at Golden Gates Casino and Poker Parlour,” he says.

Two major events in two states means a busy week of work for the HPT crew, but also twice the opportunity to pick up a cash game while on site. “Work hard, play hard,” Lang says about his dream job, “Conveniently, we are also the target market.”

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by Nolan Dalla

Tyler Martinez Wins WSOP Circuit Gold Ring

2009-03-24T19:54:00.000-07:00

The heads-up match between Tyler Martinez and Chuck Thompson in the latest WSOP Circuit tournament was a striking contrast of style and personality. On one end of the table sat Thompson, the burley 69-year-old white-bearded poker veteran of decades of battles over the green felt. On the opposite end was Tyler Martinez, the 23-year-old online poker pro, who is relatively new to live tournaments. Indeed, with all due respect to Martinez – who has certainly put in massive hours playing on the Internet – his adversary Thompson was winning poker tournaments way back before the younger man was even born.

But none of that mattered. When the two players sat down face to face, Martinez’ skills and experiences were every bit as impressive as Thompson’s. As the hands played out with Martinez ultimately prevailing, one could arguably say another torch has now been passed to a new generation of poker talent. That sobering message is not necessarily new, with so many exceptionally-talented players in their 20s winning poker tournaments. But the way Martinez won, outfoxing the savvy vet with a mix of well-timed aggression and one exceptional trap play that worked to perfection was memorable.

Martinez defeated Thompson and earned $13,749 in what was his first live poker tournament victory. He was also presented with a WSOP Circuit gold ring, the ultimate token of achievement for Circuit victories.

The $300 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament attracted 189 entries, creating a prize pool totaling $54,999. The top 18 finishers collected payouts. All of the action took place over a two-day period inside Rincon Pavilion Showroom.

After 180 players were eliminated on the first day, nine survivors took their seats at the final table which was played on the second day. Pablo Lopez, who works as a bartender in San Diego, sat down with a massive chip lead. His stack size contained perhaps the highest proportion of chips of any nine-handed final table at any major poker tournament played so far this year. Lopez had a whopping 41 percent of the chips on the table – an almost unheard of chip advantage for a major tournament. But his good fortune only carried him as far as third place.

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by Nolan Dalla

Win a Seat to the WSOP© with SunPoker!

2009-03-19T21:55:00.000-07:00

SunPoker is giving you a chance to become the next Poker Super Star by playing in the 2009 World Series of Poker©.

This is your chance to play for the most coveted prize in the poker world, a WSOP Main Event Buy-in.

Satellites start on March 20th with the first Super Satellite ($500 + $35) starting on March 29th, and running every Sunday thereafter at 20:00 GMT.

The winner of the Super Satellite, wins the following package:

$10,000 buy-in to the WSOP Main Event (Event 57).
$850 for 7 Nights’ accommodation at the Rio, July 4th – July 11th, 2009.
$250 for registration fees
$1,900 for flights and spending.

If Pot Limit Omaha is more of your game, we have a special promotion for players to play in the PLO $10,000 buy-in tournament.

Satellites start on April 16th with Super Satellites ($500 + $35) on May 9th and May 23rd at 20:00 GMT.

The package includes:

$10,000 buy-in to the Main Event
$650 for 5 Nights’ accommodation at the Rio, June 18th - June 23rd, 2009.
$250 for registration fees
$2,100 for flights and spending.

Full details here: SunPoker WSOP Promotion

But the World Series of Poker© fun doesn’t stop there! There are plenty of side events throughout the month for you to play in and SunPoker wants you to take part in them!

Starting on April 20th, you will be able to satellite into the Super Satellites ($200 + $15) on May 2nd and May 16th at 20:00 GMT.

The Package includes:

$1,500 buy-in to event 28: Jun 13th – Jun 15th, 2009.
$1,500 buy-in to event 34: Jun 16th – Jun 18th, 2009.
$950 for 8 Nights’ accommodation at the Rio, June 11th – June 19th, 2009.
$250 for registration fees.
$1,800 for flights and spending.

With all the opportunities to play in the World Series Main Event, PLO event and the side events we are hoping to have a few SunPoker players become winners of a WSOP Bracelet!

Full details here: SunPoker WSOP Promotion

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PokerStars Macau At the Grand Lisboa to Launch On March 19, 2009

2009-03-18T19:19:00.000-07:00

PokerStars, the world's largest poker company, is pleased to announce the grand opening of the new "PokerStars Macau at the Grand Lisboa" live poker room at the Grand Lisboa Casino on 19 March 2009. Located on the 2nd floor of the famous Grand Lisboa in the heart of Macau, PokerStars Macau will be the largest poker room in continental Asia with 22 tables for exciting Texas Hold'em poker tournament action and 24-hour cash games.

PokerStars Macau at the Grand Lisboa will host the largest regular weekly poker tournaments in Asia, the premiere "Macau Poker Cup" series every other month, and the annual Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) Macau Poker Festival.

Freeroll tournaments, with no entrance fees for new poker players, will be available every week, as well as exciting events for poker players of all skill levels -- from amateur to professional. Players can register or qualify online for all events, or live within the poker room.

The opening on the weekend of 19-22 March will celebrate the return of the "Macau Poker Cup" and its signature HKD 10,000 buy-in "Red Dragon" event. For the first time ever, the Red Dragon will have a guaranteed minimum prize pool of HKD 500,000. Numerous other events will be held during the Macau Poker Cup, including a HKD 1,000 buy-in charity event the proceeds of which will be donated to Caritas Macau.

"PokerStars is committed to the development of poker across Asia, and this new room will be its heart," said Joe Hachem, Poker World Champion and member of Team PokerStars Pro. "It has been extraordinary for me to watch the growth of poker culture in the eighteen months since the PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour first brought poker to Macau, and I'm so excited about playing in my third APPT there in August."

PokerStars Macau at the Grand Lisboa invites poker players from the Pearl River Delta, to across Asia and around the world to come to compete in the wide range of exciting tournaments held every week in Asia's gaming capital.

To find out more about PokerStars Macau at the Grand Lisboa, visit www.pokerstarsmacau.com/.
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Montreal’s Samuel Chartier Tops Toronto’s John Nixon in WSOP Circuit Caesars Championship

2009-03-14T21:57:00.000-07:00

The seventh of ten World Series of Poker Circuit tournaments on the 2008-2009 season schedule has just ended. The $5,000 buy-in championship event at Caesars Atlantic City was won by Samuel Chartier. He is a 23-year-old professional poker player from Montreal, Quebec (Canada). As a reward for his first major tournament victory ever, Chartier collected $322,944 in prize money.

The tournament attracted 208 entrants. The total prize pool amounted to $1,009,200. The top 27 finishers collected prize money. All of the action took place inside the Palladium Ballroom, steps away from the famous Atlantic City boardwalk.

The tournament began with honorary emcee Dennis Phillips announcing “Shuffle Up and Deal.” Phillips, from St. Louis, is best-known as the third-place finisher in last year’s WSOP Main Event. Other poker notables who played in the championship event included 2008 Ladies World Poker Champion Svetlana Gromenkova. Other former WSOP gold bracelet winners included Jason Young, Chris Reslock, and Cliff “Johnny Bax” Josephy. The defending Caesars champion was Eric “Sheets” Haber, who also participated. But only Jason Young survived past the first day, who ended up making it all the way to the final table.

Day two played from 52 players down to the final nine. The final table was played on Saturday, March 14th in front of a packed ballroom full of spectators. The battle lasted eight hours. In addition to the mix of poker locals mostly from New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, the finale included two Canadians. In fact, four Canadians took the top 11 payout spots. No one could have guessed that Canadians would also end up finishing first and second, and taking what amounted to nearly half of the total prize pool.

When action resumed on day three, Alex “Diesel” Bolotin had a sizable chip lead over his opponents, with Frank Vizza in second place. No player was severely short-stacked, which meant the WSOP Circuit championship and gold ring was within the grasp of every player at the table. Sitting quietly among several prior tournament winners in seat nine was Samuel Chartier. He started ranked eighth in chips.

Additional information is available at http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com/.
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by Nolan Dalla

WSOP 2009: Tournament Format Improved

2009-03-12T21:58:00.000-07:00

The 2009 WSOP will undergo mass changes to both the levels and the starting chip stacks given to players. All events will be affected in a bid to free up the game and allow players more scope for plays and strategy. A triple buy-in structure on all events will mean players get three times the buy-in of chips. Of interest to most will be how this will effect the Main Event.

In 2008, players who sat down in the Main Event would have been faced with 20,000 starting chips, double what they received the previous year. In 2009, the figure will rise to 30,000. Increased starting stacks will grace all of the events in the WSOP. In addition to the increased starting stacks, levels will be added to accommodate the increased amount of chips. In all $1,000+ events new levels will include 75-150 and 1,200-2400 and the main event can expect more on top of that.

Tournament director Jack Effel said that in the economic situation players needed "more play for their money" and this is what they should have in the new, updated format: “You'll feel that in the beginning. It gives players more of an opportunity to make moves and use strategy. It's going to benefit both the little guy who won his way in and it's also going to benefit the pros, who have additional time to perfect their game.”

The lack of chips has been a recurring issue over the last few years at the WSOP and the change to the structure will be a welcome addition to many of the players. Organisers worried about a lower than normal turnouts in these turbulent times are also aware that more chips will entice more recreational players to enter the events.

- - - - - - -

Read the rest of the article at PokerStrategy.com article.

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Dan Goonin Stages Dramatic Comeback

2009-03-10T09:33:00.000-07:00

Every poker player suffers bad beats. What differentiates the great players from those who are merely good is the ability to recover from them. Other then learning advanced skills, perhaps the single greatest attribute of a winning poker player is maintaining emotional self-control and always playing your absolute best game, even when the cards are not cooperating.

Late in the most recent World Series of Poker Circuit tournament played at Caesars Atlantic City, Dan Goonin took a bad beat. After losing most of his chips on the key hand, it appeared he would probably finish as the runner up. But instead, Goonin continued to focus on victory, patiently waited for the right opportunities, and gradually wore his opponent down and regained the chip lead, eventually conquering his final foe, and ultimately winning his first major live tournament after several years spent tooling his game on the Internet.

In fact, soon after Goonin was dealt a bad beat, he somehow managed returned the favor – with interest piled on for pain and suffering. Goonin found himself all-in at the final stage of the tournament and needed to catch a miracle three-outer to survive. He managed to do just that -- and then proceeded to go on to victory, seemingly immune to the financial and emotional roller coaster of it all.

The $300 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament attracted 619 entries, which generated $185,700 in total prize money. The top 63 players collected payouts. All of the action took place over a two-day period inside the Palladium Ballroom, only steps away from the famous Atlantic City boardwalk.When final table play began on day two, John Gerasimov enjoyed a sizable chip advantage over the final ten players. He had a quarter of the total chips in play. Eventual winner Dan Goonin was ranked third in chips. During the four-hour finale, Gerasimov was the chip leader perhaps 80 percent of the time. However, Goonin made the late charge and took first place.

Additional information is available at http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com/.

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by Nolan Dalla

“It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This!”

2009-03-08T17:07:00.000-07:00

So Says Brooklyn’s Dwyte Pilgrim, the Latest WSOP Circuit Event Winner.

The fourth of 11 scheduled events at the World Series of Poker Circuit concluded today at Caesars Atlantic City. By any definition, this was the most interesting final table played so far of any of the preliminary events. The finale had great drama, interesting personalities, and lots of exciting poker action.

The winner was Dwyte Pilgrim from Brooklyn, NY. He is a 26-year-old former loan officer who has since become a bona fide professional poker player. “I have probably spent the 150 days of the last year playing at the casino,” Pilgrim said matter-of-factly, immediately following his biggest tournament payday yet. Pilgrim was the dominant player during the later stages of this tournament. In fact, on his two biggest confrontations, he had the best hand from start to finish and deservedly took first place. His official payout amounted to $83,955. Pilgrim was also presented with the coveted gold ring, which is awarded to all WSOP Circuit champions at this year’s Caesars series.

The $500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament attracted 579 entries, which generated $289,500 in total prize money. The top 54 players collected payouts. All of the action took place over a two-day period inside the Palladium Ballroom, only steps away from the famous Atlantic City boardwalk.

When final table play began on day two, the four biggest stacks were very close in chips -- with Dwyte Pilgrim, Chris Reslock, George Schiavello, and Vlad Frenkel all locked within 100,000 in chips of each other. During much of the four-hour-hour finale, it appeared that highly-experienced tournament pro Chris Reslock would add to his impressive poker resume with another major victory. However, Pilgrim had other plans and even managed to earn Reslock’s respect when the two shook hands after the tournament.

Additional information is available at http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com/.

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by Nolan Dalla

Bill Sheleheda Tops Big International Field at Caesars Atlantic City

2009-03-06T21:32:00.000-08:00

Anyone who doubts that poker has become an international game would be advised to examine the last names of the top six finishers at the most recent World Series of Poker Circuit tournament, which just completed.

Sheleheda, Nenezic, Nepomnyaschiy, Shawish, Ramkhalawan, and Bueti. It was a tournament announcer’s worst nightmare. One might have expected an alphabet soup of letters atop the winners’ list at a poker tournament somewhere in Eastern Europe. But this was at Caesars Atlantic City.

The final table consisted of players either born in, or with family roots in -- the Ukraine, Montenegro (former Yugoslavia), Russia, Palestine, Trinidad and Tobago, Italy, and China (for the announcer’s sake, “Chan” was the easiest to pronounce). Left standing after a four-hour battle was the Ukrainian-American, Bill Sheleheda who collected $57,195 in prize money.

Sheleheda is a 65-year-old retired former business executive. He was one of the financial pioneers who helped to create the Discover Card. Three decades ago, Sheleheda and his management team were given $4 million as a start up investment from Sears Financial, which was aiming to cross into the lucrative credit services market. Years later, that initial $4 million investment matriculated into a stock IPO worth $14 billion. When it came to exercising good business sense and making money, Sheleheda sure knew what he was doing. Given the obvious parallels between business and poker, it’s no surprise then that Sheleheda has became a pretty good poker player, too – and now, a poker champion.

The second of 11 scheduled events at Caesars ended today, with Sheleheda’s first-ever major tournament victory. The $500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament attracted 369 entries, generating $184,500 in total prize money. The top 36 players were paid. All of the action took place over a two-day period inside the grand ballroom, at Caesars Atlantic City with Bill Sheleheda winning his first tournament with a pair of sixes.

He had previously cashed in several small tournaments near his home in Lusby, MD. But this victory marked his first time in the winner’s circle – and his first and only time to cash on the WSOP Circuit. Interestingly, both tournament winners so far this year are from Maryland. Yesterday’s tournament winner was Brian Fitzpatrick, from Fallston, MD.

The WSOP Circuit at Caesars Atlantic City continues through March 14th. Based on the early turnout, the action should be spectacular over the next several days and particularly this coming weekend, when two more moderately-priced No-Limit Hold’em tournaments are scheduled.

Additional information is available at http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com/.

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by Nolan Dalla

World Series of Poker Circuit Returns to Caesars Atlantic City

2009-03-03T21:19:00.000-08:00

With the crowning of Danish poker pro Peter Eastgate as the World Series of Poker champion in November 2008, and a first place cash prize of over $9 million, the excitement surrounding high-stakes poker events has never been more evident. In an effort to meet the public demand for more tournaments open to players at all levels, the World Series of Poker is returning to Caesars Atlantic City for the highly anticipated Circuit Event which will be held from March 4 through March 14, 2009.

The World Series of Poker is the world’s richest sporting event. Last year, the WSOP competition in Las Vegas alone awarded nearly $170 million in prize money to winners – more than Wimbledon, the Masters, and the Kentucky Derby combined. Five years ago, the WSOP hit the road for the first time in history. Poker tournaments were offered at multiple Harrah’s properties spread throughout the United States. Atlantic City was the first city ever to host a WSOP-related event held outside of Las Vegas. Turnout has been sufficiently strong enough all five years to have made Caesars one of the Circuits’ most popular attractions.

This year’s Caesars’ schedule will include 11 tournament events, with buy-ins ranging from $200 for a Turbo No-Limit event to just over $5,000 for the No-Limit Hold’em championship finale. Last year’s circuit event championship purse at Caesars Atlantic City was over $1.5 million. To ensure that there is never a lack of action, there will also be single table satellites available 24 hours a day. With over 110 tables ready for poker action, this event should bring some of the very best in poker talent to center Boardwalk where table games action is king. In years past, Caesars tournaments have attracted thousands of poker players with all levels of experience, from recreational competitors to world champions.

The winner of the final event will qualify for a $10,000 seat in the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event held at The Rio in Las Vegas in addition to prize money awarded for the Circuit victory. Winners of all events will receive a World Series of Poker ring, except for the special ladies-only poker tournament on March 14th, which will award a beautiful pendant commemorating the championship.

“Caesars has always been synonymous with the very best in table games in Atlantic City and this tournament speaks to that. The World Series of Poker is without question the single most prestigious gambling event anywhere, and we are thrilled to bring all the excitement of the tournament to our customers,” said Dan Nita, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Caesars Atlantic City.

Interested participants can register 24 hours a day at the casino cashiers located next to the poker room at Caesars. Beginning at 8am on March 4th, players can register right at the Palladium Ballroom located on the second floor of the casino. Registration must be done in person and all registrants must have a Total Rewards card, which can be obtained at either the Poker Room or the Total Rewards Center, located on the second floor. Special room rates for participants in the World Series of Poker Circuit Event are also available at rates of $79 for Sunday through Thursday, $159 for Friday and $199 for Saturday.

Additional information is available at http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com/.

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by Nolan Dalla

New Orleans Set to Welcome the World Series of Poker at Harrah’s

2009-02-26T21:30:00.000-08:00

The world’s largest and most prestigious poker tournament series is returning again to the Crescent City. For the sixth consecutive year Harrah’s New Orleans, the south’s premier gaming and resort destination, will be hosting a World Series of Poker Circuit stop which is the 2009 Bayou Poker Challenge. This year’s 13-day tournament series takes place from May 8-20, 2009.

The World Series of Poker is the world’s richest sporting event. Last year, the WSOP competition in Las Vegas alone awarded nearly $170 million in prize money to winners – more than Wimbledon, the Masters, and the Kentucky Derby combined. Five years ago, the WSOP hit the road for the first time in history. Poker tournaments were offered at multiple Harrah’s properties spread throughout the United States. Harrah’s New Orleans was one of the first casinos ever to host a WSOP-related event held outside of Las Vegas. Turnout has been heavy all five years, which has made New Orleans one of the Circuits’ most popular destinations.

This year’s action-packed schedule includes 20 major daily tournaments, plus 10 more nightly tournaments – bringing the combined Bayou Poker Challenge menu to 30 total tournaments. This makes the upcoming Bayou series one of the busiest poker destinations of the season. In addition, the Harrah’s Poker Room will offer multiple satellites and around-the-clock cash-game action.

Harrah’s Casino and Hotel is conveniently located adjacent to the famous French Quarter. Within walking distance of numerous local attractions, the resort is the perfect destination for poker fans wanting to combine the excitement of tournament poker with world-class cuisine and great entertainment. In years past, WSOP Circuit tournaments in New Orleans have attracted thousands of poker players with all levels of experience, from recreational competitors to world champions. Former WSOP champions Doyle Brunson, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Chris Moneymaker, Dan Harrington, Greg “Fossilman” Raymer, and Joe Hachem have attended in recent years. Harrah’s New Orleans has also been visited by other poker greats, including Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Berry Greenstein, Phil Gordon, and many other superstars.

This year’s poker tournament schedule includes one of the most extensive offerings of No-Limit Hold’em held anywhere. Most days include two or three No-Limit Hold’em tournaments, which is sure to appeal to those who like to play poker both day and night. Five Pot-Limit Omaha events will also be offered – making this is most extensive Pot-Limit Omaha offering in the country. New Orleans has been a proud home to Pot-Limit enthusiasts for decades and Harrah’s inclusion of this alternative form of poker on the upcoming schedule shows their eagerness to promote a game indigenous to the Gulf Coast region. Pot-Limit Hold’em and Omaha High-Low are also on the schedule. In addition, there will be a ladies-only poker tournament held on Sunday, May 17th. Tournament buy-ins are as low as $200. The Bayou Poker Challenge championship event will be played on the final three days of the series (May 18-20) and will cost $5,150 to enter. Super-satellites for the championship event costing as little as $225 will be held daily.

Players planning on coming to New Orleans for the Main Event should plan to arrive a few days early, as two $1,000 buy-in events (No-Limit Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha) will be taking place on March 14th and 16th.

“Harrah’s New Orleans is proud to be an annual fixture on the World Series of Poker Circuit,” said Jim Hoskins, General Manager and Senior Vice President of Harrah’s New Orleans. “For those out there reading this, now is the perfect time to come to New Orleans. There are many terrific deals, and our great city combines just about anything you could ask for – whether it’s fun, food, or entertainment. Who knows, someone out there might show up, win our poker championship and become rich and famous. It’s happened before here at Harrah’s New Orleans.”

This year’s tournament director is Steve Frezer, one of poker’s most respected and experienced gaming officials. The Harrah’s New Orleans Director of Table Games is Tosha Skipper, who will be working with her staff to coordinate and guarantee the success of the south’s premier poker event.

Poker players will also be provided with discount hotel accommodations for as low as $85 per night at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside. The hotel is located directly across the street from the casino. Players may call 1-800-HILTONS. When booking, players should inform the reservations agent they are with the poker tournament and request -- CODE: WSP. Reservations can also be made through: www.harrahsneworleans.com

For more information about Harrah’s New Orleans, please call 504-533-6000 or visit: www.harrahsneworleans.com. For more information about the World Series of Poker and upcoming WSOP Circuits and results, please visit: www.worldseriesofpoker.com

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by Nolan Dalla

Eric Yates Chops the Cake in the “Seven Clans Poker Cup Series”

2009-02-24T00:20:00.000-08:00

by Josh Harris

Coushatta Casino Resort has completed the $270+30 buy-in tournament for the “Seven Clans Poker Cup Series” February 17-23. Eric Yates of Friendswood, TX took first place in the event and won $16,924. He chopped the event with the second place finisher and jumped with joy when the event ended.

The final table came together at 9 pm and the players were in a hurry to move slow. One player didn’t even show up to play his seat.

Blinds were to $8k-$16k when the first person found himself burnt out. Mitch Bono raised the pot to $40k and Ron Brown moved all-in with $59k. Bono called the all in with pocket Kings and Brown showed his two Jacks. The board had Brown packing up his jacks and moving out in 10th place.

In the next hand, Raymond Racca’s chip stack was all in on the blind. Gilbert Ball called and sent Racca’s empty chair away from the table in 9th place.

Several hands passed and Gilbert Ball decided to move all in with $61k. He got a call from Damian Negrin who showed pocket sevens. Ball flipped over his pocket sixes and flipped out in 8th place when the board provided no hope.

Blinds increased to $10k-$20k with Derrick Le Blanc in the big blind. Steve Jordan called the blind and they headed to the flop of 7 6 A. Jordan moved all in for $30k with J 8 and Le Blanc called with A 10. Steve Jordan headed home when the turn and river came out flat and put him 7th place.

The button moved all the way around the table before Damian Negrin made a move with A 5, raising the pot to $65k. Big blind Steven Brooks called all in with a 10 3. Neither player hit the board so Steven Brooks hit the hay in 6th place.

Play slowed down until Negrin found Kings in the pocket. He raised the pot to $65k and Curtis Cavazos shot back with an all in . Negrin called and then saw his Kings facing Cavazos bullets. The board brought another king so Cavazos’ bullets backfired and shot him off the table in 5th place.

The button made eight rounds before anyone dived into the action again. Blinds were increased to $20k-$40k and Eric Yates raised the pot to $125k. Damian Negrin called and the flop came 9 K Q. Both players checked and the turn was 2. Yates bet $125k and Negrin was all in with pocket fours. Yates showed Q 10. The river was a king and Negrin was snuffed in 4th place.

Two hands later, Negrin moved all in with K 2. Mitch Bono made the call with pocket rockets. Negrin was shot out in space with 3rd place.

After the hand, Eric Yates and Mitch Bono made a deal and chopped heads up. Yates was deemed first and enjoyed having his cake and eating it too.

Congratulations Eric!

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RSF Medias, LLC
J. Harris, Tournament Press

e-mail: rsfpoker@aol.com

“Seven Clans Poker Cup Series” Kicks Off

2009-02-21T16:28:00.000-08:00

by Josh Harris

Coushatta Casino Resort recently concluded the first of four events during the “Seven Clans Poker Cup Series” February 17-23. Jose Flores of Jourdanton, TX won first in the$180+20 buy-in tournament with a 222 person field and collected $11,628 from the $39,140 prize pool.

Tournament play began at 10 am and the final table was ready to play 8 hours later. There was hostility and action in the air as the final nine came together onto common felt.

Four hands into play and Stephen Hart removed Derrick Clinton from competition. Clinton found his fate of 9th place.

Two hands after that, Jose Flores picked up pocket queens and went all in against Tommy Roberts and his two bullets. When a queen hit the flop Tommy was kicked to the sidelines in 8th place.

Action continued to run hot when three hands later another fatality was recorded. Jeremy “J-Hizzle” Holloway ran his pocket sevens up against Derek Coleman’s A K. Derek’s big slick slipped him off the table in 7th place.

The very next hand proved just as deadly. Jim Luna was all in on his big blind and then eclipsed when Jose Flores moved over his 10 9 with K 10. Luna faded into 6th place.

After two hands pass by, Harold Dixon discovered himself in 5th place in one of the fastest hands of the night.

It only took three more hands for Flores to flourish when he found aces in the hole. Robert Grady tried his luck against him with K 7. The board offered Grady no protection and he was shot down in 4th place.

Events caught fire in the next hand when Jeremy “J-Hizzle” Holloway tested the flame of Flores. Both called in to see the flop of 10 3 J. Jose made a move all in with Q 8 and Holloway called him with J 7. The turn brought a blank and the river put the sizzle to J-Hizzle when the dealer turned the 9. J-Hizzle was out like a light in 3rd place.

Play slowed for seven hands and then Stephen Hart got an A 10. Blinds were $3k-$6k and he raised the pot to $30k. Jose looked down to find K 3. He decided to move all in and Hart had enough heart to call. The board came out K 7 8 J 2. Hart stopped beating in 2nd place.

Congratulations Jose!

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RSF Medias, LLC
J. Harris, Tournament Press

e-mail: rsfpoker@aol.com

Each Player Gets Two Cards

2008-12-06T22:40:00.000-08:00

by Matches Malone

No, this isn't Fizzbin, a mythical game Captain Kirk used to distract a few thugs on the mobster planet. It is of course, Texas Hold 'Em. I'm sure you've seen on the various poker shows an explanation of how the game is played. And all of them start with, "Each player is dealt two cards, face down...."

What should you do with them, once you get them? Well, look at them, of course, but not until it's your turn to act. That way your opponents won't know what you're going to do, because you don't know either. I also take a quick glance around the table to see what I think the others will do. It's surprising how quickly my game improved when I made these two small adjustments. Of course, I had a guy next to me once, that would look at his cards right away, no matter what position he was in, that complained because I took too long to look at my hand. He even acted out of turn at one point. But I've drifted, so, maybe we'll talk about player types next time.

Disallowing for the four suits, there are 169 possible starting hands, of which really only a fifth are consistently playable. And of course, position has a lot to do with what cards you should play, and when. As for me, I usually play all pairs, AK, AQ, and any suited connectors. I'll also sometimes play Ax suited, as well as KQ or QJ, either suited or not, depending on position, and I'll discuss that later.

If I'm first into the pot, my standard raise is three times the amount of the big blind, rounded off for dramatic effect. I play in a tournament where at one point, the big blind is 15, so, if I'm opening the betting, I'll usually bet 50, as 45 just seems too mechanical. Playing like a robot, or even the most sophisticated computer is a recipe for disaster, especially in no limit hold 'em tournaments, which is what I play exclusively. I once moved all in with a 64 suited under the gun on a blind steal. If I was on one of those TV shows, at that point I might've turned to the camera and stated to the audience, "Don't try this at home."

You might be asking yourself, "Self, why did he do that?" Well, I'm here to tell you that, I was chip leader at my particular table at this point in the tournament, and facing several short stacks behind me. The shortest stack made the unfortunate decision to call me with his AJ offsuit, and when the flop brought me one pair, and the turn brought me a second pair, he was found making his way to the rail moments later. Now, with that same exact hand, facing a raise in front of me, I probably would've folded. I also would've mucked it immediately if I was short stacked, figuring there's a 90% chance that I'd get a better hand in the big blind.

In The Position

No, not the play I directed fifteen years ago, this refers to where you are, relative to the Dealer Button. After you get dealt your hand, you're in one of four places, Early Position, Middle Position, Late Position, or, The Blinds. This will necessarily dictate the strength of the hands you play, as well as how you should play them. No Limit Hold 'Em is best played heads up in position. This is especially true when you're entire stack is on the line in a tournament situation. Instead of rigidly adhering to the list I provided above, you should pay close attention to your position, and adjust your game accordingly. You'll need stronger hands to open the betting, the earlier you have to act. At the same time, If you're on the button, and everyone folds to you, the range of hands you should play increases to almost all of them. The blinds have the unique distinction of acting last before the flop, and first after the flop. Something I like doing in the Big Blind when everyone limps in to me, meaning they've called my original bet, is to play blind. I'm already committed to the pot, and it doesn't cost me any more to look at the flop. Again, this may be something that you don't want to try at home, or at a casino for that matter. It works for me most of the time because of my table image. I follow up with a check after the flop if I can.

Of course, I can't do that all the time, realizing that I need a really strong hand in the blinds, as I'm first or sometimes second to act after the flop. I could devote an entire article to defending your blind, but for right now, it's enough to know that if you can get in for the right price, which is usually 3:1 or better, you should probably call. After the flop, if you don't connect, you may have to fold, no matter what two cards you start with.

Early position plays relatively the same, as if you're first or second to act after the deal, you'll want a strong hand to call the big blind with. However, I don't recommend calling, as if a hand is worth a call at this point, it's worth a raise, as I stated above. In middle position, either the 6th, 7th, or 8th seat after the button, you can loosen up a little, if the situation merits. I always attempt to get a read from the players behind me, as they usually look at their cards before I do, as they haven't taken the sage advice of waiting until it is their turn to act, as I previously recommended. In this way, I can sometimes loosen up even further, as I check to see whether or not they're about to muck their hand. I've already explained what to play in late position above, but let's review: if you're opening the betting, and your table image can withstand the pressure, almost everything is playable, however, it's been my experience that this almost never happens, and you'll be in the position of calling a bet in front of you. If everyone has limped or folded to you, it's best to play as if you're thinking about opening the betting in early position. Hopefully, a raise at this point will push most of the speculators out of the hand.

When faced with a raise in front of me, I usually stick to the stronger hands, which are really only three or four: Aces, Kings, Ace King suited, and Queens. Although, yesterday, I witnessed the following: I had folded my hand to a limper in front of me, as I was getting hands like 82 and 94 up to that point, and a guy in late position raised 500, as the blinds at that point were 50/100. Both the blinds folded to the early position limper, who then moved all in. The original raiser called, and they both showed pocket queens. Normally this is a chop pot situation, however, they still have to deal the board, which came down with not three, not four, but five spades. The original raiser was fortunate enough to be holding the appropriate queen, and had the other guy covered. The moral to the story? Limping is for the weak. That's why they limp.

The same hand could've played out the following way: Instead of merely calling the big blind, the first pair of queens could've bet 300, at which point, the second pair of queens would've most likely called. After the flop of three spades, which included the Ace, the first pair of queens could check. Now, if the guy with the queen of spades makes a move on the pot, the other guy should fold, as he didn't connect with the flop in any way. The conclusion? Sometimes, it doesn't really matter what hand you start with, it's the one that you finish with that counts.

72 and sunny in Redondo Beach.

Next time, I'll write about poker. Be there. Aloha.

Disclaimer: The above tournament tactics will probably not work in a cash game. Let me know if they do.

Matches Malone has been writing for us for a few years now, and if you'd like to contact him with your opposing views, he can be reached at Batman@azteca.net

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2008-11-27T08:54:00.000-08:00

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