 When Matt Keikoan won his first gold bracelet at the 2008 World Series of Poker, he instantly knew the victory was a major breakthrough. Not only did Keikoan manage to outlast a huge field of 1,593 entrants, he also won a whopping $550,601 in prize money. His win, which occurred in the $2,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em event, was a relief for a popular player who paid his dues for four seemingly long years playing on the poker tournament circuit. The financial windfall and confidence builder also gave Keikoan the option of playing in even more future events.
Yet Keikoan insists that his half-a-million dollar win 18 months ago was not life-changing. As a player with financial backers as well as the responsibilities of being a father to a 7-year-old daughter, he felt compelled to try even harder, by entering even more tournaments and sustaining his momentum on the circuit. That translated into the rather obligatory decision to attend the biggest annual tournament series in Northern Nevada, held at Harvey's Lake Tahoe, which is relatively close to his home in San Rafael, CA.
Keikoan won the latest WSOP Circuit championship, which took place the Harvey's Resort and Casino. The 41-year-old poker pro collected $106,435 for his victory. He was also presented with a gold ring, the ultimate token of achievement for winning a WSOP Circuit championship. This victory now gives Keikoan nearly $1.2 in career winnings in WSOP-related tournaments.
"I live only about three hours away from here," Keikoan said following his victory. "I used to come here all the time on vacation when I was a kid. I really love it here at Lake Tahoe."
This year's Main Event championship (Event #18) at Harvey's attracted a modest-sized field of 64 players, generating $299,400 in prize money. The top nine finishers, which meant only the final table participants, collected payouts. All the No-Limit Hold'em action took place over a two-day period inside the poker room and special events area, which was packed with players and spectators.
It took over eight hours to play down to the final two, which ended up being Matt Keikoan versus Justin Hallstrom. Keikoan enjoyed about a 5 to 1 chip advantage when the duel began. The action lasted another hour before the final hand was dealt out at about 3 am. Hallstrom, sensing he had to make a bold move and try to double up, moved all-in with A-5. Keikoan looked down and saw A-K and snap-called. A king on the flop all but ended Hallstrom's shot of a comeback. Keikoan ended up scooping the final pot of the tournament with a pair of kings.
"I'm really excited to win, but I'm also really tired," Keikoan said. "There were some good players here. But I always feel comfortable playing at Lake Tahoe because I have come here to the Circuit each year it's been held. It's kind of a home field advantage for me, I believe."
The runner up was Justin Hallstrom, a 33-year-old police officer from Lodi, CA. Hallstrom played marvelously throughout the long ordeal. But he was never quite able to catch the key hand which might have enabled him to overtake the determined former WSOP winner. Hallstrom, who previously won a major event held at North Lake Tahoe back in 2006, collected a nice payout totaling $56,886.
With all 18 events now completed at this year's WSOP Circuit at Harvey's, the world most prestigious tournament series attracted a grand total of 2,664 entries and has awarded $1,109,768 in prize money. Last year's similar WSOP Circuit at Lake Tahoe attracted 2,163 entrants, although there were fewer events. Still, the total number of tournament entries increased by 23 percent over last year's series. Harvey's Lake Tahoe is one of only two venues which hosted a WSOP Circuit event in all six seasons; the other being Harrah's Atlantic City.
This was the third stop of the 2009-2010 WSOP Circuit season, following successful events already completed in Chicago and Southern Indiana. The next WSOP Circuit stop takes place at Harrah's Atlantic City and runs December 4th through 20th. There will also be a WSOP Satellite series taking place at Harrah's New Orleans next month, from December 8th through 20th.
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by Nolan Dalla
 Ladies-only poker tournaments have a long and rich history. They have been included on the WSOP schedule every year since 1978. Since 2005, most WSOP Circuits have included a ladies-only poker tournament as part of their schedules. The vast majority of these events have proven to be successful. Turnout for ladies-only events easily justifies their offering at most Circuits.
The first ever ladies-only tournament on the WSOP Circuit was held at Harvey's Lake Tahoe back in May 2005. So, the Tahoe stop has crowned more ladies champions (six) than any other Circuit venue. Now -- another first. Harvey's Lake Tahoe has crowned a male winner in a "ladies-only" poker tournament.
How is this possible, you may ask? Easy. The WSOP isn't a political organization and can't be expected to get involved in debates about sexism, discrimination, or other polarizing issues which may be applicable to poker tournaments. While the WSOP makes a sincere effort to promote women in poker and offers quasi-exclusive tournaments designed to increase female participation in the game, officials generally do not turn away those who want to play in the event, based solely on gender. In short, the WSOP hopes that by offering and supporting ladies-only poker tournaments and providing an event for which there is considerable interest (by women), others (namely men) will respect and understand the spirit of competition.
Alas, there is some controversy as to whether "ladies-only" tournaments are really necessary in poker. Those who object, including some women, correctly point out that poker is a gender-neutral game. That means women are equally capable of playing and winning, just as men. Detractors also point out that holding ladies-only events demeans women in poker (their view), by suggesting that females need an exclusive event. However given that the WSOP wants to promote more women in poker and is eager to meet player demands, based on the popularity of tournaments for ladies at many WSOP Circuits, its irrefutable there is a strong demand for their inclusion. And so, ladies-only tournaments are expected to be an offering at most WSOP Circuits so long as there is a demand for these events.
Perhaps then it was inevitable that somewhere, someway, and somehow, a man would enter the ladies championship and manage to win. That dark day (for women) finally arrived when Greg Sessler, a 22-year-old student at UC-Davis won the latest Ladies Poker Championship at Harvey's Lake Tahoe.
This year's ladies championship attracted a strong field of 96 players, generating $27,396 in prize money. The top nine finishers collected payouts. All the action took place on a Saturday afternoon and evening inside the poker room and special events area, which is part of this year's only WSOP Circuit stop in Northern Nevada.
Sessler, the winner, has previously won a few smaller buy-in events, including the Mega-Stack Series held at Caesars Palace earlier this year in Las Vegas. But this was his biggest live tournament win to date, following several big cashes in tournaments played online. Sessler, who is studying communications and film in college, justified his participation into the ladies event by saying that this was his first and only day off in two weeks. He badly wanted to play in a poker tournament, and the ladies championship was the only one-day event within driving distance of his home. For the record, there were four men who entered the tournament.
The reaction to these men from women was generally favorable. However, when three of the four men busted out, the women broke into spontaneous applause and cheers. It's almost unheard of for an entire room of players to clap (gleefully) when others bust. But that's what happened on three occasions in this tournament. But it didn't occur a fourth time, as it was Greg Sessler who got the last laugh.
In his defense, Sessler took the catcalls and criticism well in stride. He openly spoke of becoming the first ladies champion and stated this victory was the poker highlight of his life. Sessler collected $9,932 in prize money.
"Me playing in this tournament really had nothing to do with trying to take advantage of the ladies or thinking it was a softer field," Sessler stated afterward. "If (poker pro) Jennifer Harman would have come and played in the ladies event, she would have been much tougher competition than me. I came here because I only had one day, and I really like the structures and the payout. This was the only tournament I could play."
The final hand of the tournament came when Mimi Kalem tried to bluff and steal and round of blinds and antes pre-flop with Q-6 suited but ran into Sessler's monster hand, appropriately enough pocket queens. Kalem flopped a six and had a chance to put a bad beat on the wicked male intruder. But the cards ultimately fell in Sessler's favor and Kalem was unable to strike a blow for global sisterhood. Kalem, a teacher from Cameron Park, CA received $5,308 as the runner up.
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by Nolan Dalla
 A self-employed logger from Western Maryland and a 21-year-old poker pro will compete Monday night for poker's most prestigious prize and a payday of more than $8.5 million.
Darvin Moon (photo), 46, is a woodsman playing in his first-ever World Series of Poker event. Joseph Cada (photo) is a 21-year-old poker phenom hoping to become the youngest-ever Main Event champion.
The two survived the longest U.S.-based Main Event Final Table in World Series of Poker history for the chance to capture the game's most coveted trophy - the champion's gold bracelet - and a top prize of $8,547,042. The runner-up will win $5,182,928.
Only the 2008 World Series of Poker Europe Main Event was longer than the 14-hour-plus marathon session that concluded today at roughly 6 a.m. Pacific. ESPN will air its coverage of the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event Final Table on Tuesday, Nov. 10 from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern.
"This has been the most exciting Main Event Final Table I've ever witnessed," said World Series of Poker President and Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack. "To see Joe Cada go from about two million in chips to nearly 136 million in chips - and to watch Darvin Moon go from chip leader to short stack and back again - was truly astonishing. The heads-up competition is going to be outstanding."
When play resumes, Cada will be the chip leader with 135,950,000; Moon will begin the competition with 58,850,000.
The two sealed their place in the heads-up competition when Cada eliminated third-place finisher Antoine Saout, 25, of Saint Martin des Champs, France. Saout, a former engineering student, began final table play eighth in chips. He rose to chip leader before busting in third place to collect $3,479,670.
Poker pro Eric Buchman, 30, of Valley Stream, NY, finished in fourth place. Buchman entered the final table second in chips and collected $2,502,890, making this the most lucrative of his 10 in-the-money finishes at the World Series of Poker.
Jeff Shulman, 34, who splits time between Las Vegas and Seattle, busted in fifth place, winning $1,953,452. Shulman is the only member of the November Nine to have previously made a Main Event Final Table, finishing seventh in 2000.
Wall Street financier Steven Begleiter of Chappaqua, NY, was eliminated in sixth place. The 47-year-old former Bear Stearns Cos. executive won $1,587,160.
Phil Ivey, widely considered the best poker player in the world, finished in seventh place. The 32-year-old poker pro, who owns seven World Series of Poker gold bracelets, collected $1,404,014 for his first Main Event Final Table appearance.
The eighth place finisher was Kevin Schaffel of Coral Springs, Fla. The oldest player at 52, Schaffel won $1,300,231.
Going out in ninth place was James Akenhead of London. The 26-year-old former train conductor received $1,263,602.
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by Nolan Dalla
 Phil Ivey was eliminated from the World Series of Poker this evening by Maryland logger, Darvin Moon. The end came with a queen on the flop putting Moon's ace-queen ahead of Ivey's ace-king. Nolan Dalla, who is considered the most respected writer in poker by PokerAllstar, was one of the only members of the media to speak with Phil Ivey following his elimination, and the full transcript is below.
Nolan Dalla: How did the difficulty of this final table compare to other final tables you have made and high-stakes games you have played?
Phil Ivey: Yeah, it was tough because I was handicapped by my chip count. So, I was kind of waiting for something good to happen. I mean, I bluffed a couple of hands. But there was nothing really I could do. The last hand obviously, was a little unlucky. I did have ace-eight against two fours (earlier) also, where I lost that pot. And then, I just got grinded down. I held off and stayed even for a little bit. And then, I got it in with ace-king and lost it. There was not really much I could do.
Nolan Dalla: Is there any satisfaction you can take from this, after making it to the final table of the WSOP Main Event final table for the first time? Or was it simply about winning and nothing else?
Phil Ivey: It is definitely just about winning. So, it's disappointing I did not win. But I am happy with the way I played. I think I made pretty good decisions with the amount of chips that I had. And, I think I gave myself as much possibility of winning it as I could. There were a couple of things I would do different. There was a hand that came up earlier where Jeff Shulman opened for $1.2 million, and I moved all-in. I had two kings that hand. Joe Cada had two tens. If Jeff Shulman would not have opened (with the raise), then I probably would have raised and been able to double up right away. So, there were a couple of things that could have gone differently. But they didn't. That's poker. I think I will be back within a couple of years, so I am not too worried about it.
Nolan Dalla: While you were playing, could you feel the energy of the crowd? I think you could tell than many people were cheering for you. Could you feel that support?
Phil Ivey: Yeah, absolutely. It was an amazing experience. Poker has come so far. I mean, when I first started playing, I would tell people I play poker for a living and they would look at me like I was crazy. So, to see this, it's really mind-boggling.
Nolan Dalla: When is the next time we will see Phil Ivey at the WSOP Main Event final table?
Phil Ivey: Next year, probably (smiling).
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by Nolan Dalla
 The Poker Hall of Fame is inducting one new member in 2009, and what a one he is. Mike "The Ambassador of Poker" Sexton becomes the 38th member of the Poker Hall of Fame, becoming the only member of the nine finalists this year to garner induction. The remaining eight candidates, who were under consideration this year, remain eligible for future consideration.
Sexton will be inducted officially on Saturday, November 7 in the Brasilia Ballroom at the Rio All-Suites Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas during the finale of the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event championship.
Sexton has amassed more than $3.7 million in career poker winnings spanning his nearly 30-year career, and has become one of the most recognizable figures in the poker game as the main analyst for the WPT's television coverage. In addition, Sexton serves as a consultant and host to one of online gaming's longest-running and most successful sites, Party Poker.
The 62-year-old "Ambassador of Poker" is also one of the most generous givers in the game today. After winning the 2006 WSOP Tournament of Champions, he donated half of his $1 million prize to different charitable organizations. Earlier this year, he formed www.pokergives.org, an organization that provides the poker community a better avenue to give back to worthy charitable causes.
A true gentleman who has constantly enhanced the game of poker both with his play at the tables and his promotion of the game off of it, Sexton is a noted author, columnist, broadcaster, philanthropist and businessman.
Sexton won a WSOP gold bracelet in a Seven Card Stud event in 1989; was the WSOP Tournament of Champions champion in 2006; and ranks 11th all-time with 47 WSOP cashes. Amazingly, Sexton reached the final table in 20 of the 47 WSOP events he has cashed in. He cashed in the 2009 WSOP Main Event, and at the 2008 WSOP finished 4th in the World Championship Pot-Limit Hold'em event, earning $248,160.
The Poker Hall of Fame, established in 1979, was acquired by Harrah's Entertainment along with the World Series of Poker in 2004. Though the Hall of Fame is virtual in nature, its membership includes poker's most influential players and other important contributors to the game. There are 17 living members.
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by Nolan Dalla
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