Professional & Celebrity Poker Articles

Bayou Poker Challenge Returns to Harrah's New Orleans

2010-12-06T23:17:00.000-08:00

Harrah's New Orleans is hosting the 2010 Bayou Poker Challenge, which is taking place in the heart of the downtown district adjacent to the French Quarter. The two-week tournament series takes place from December 2-12, 2010.

This marks the fifth year of the Bayou Poker Challenge, which is held annually each December, at Harrah's New Orleans. It is one of the south's largest and most successful poker tournaments, and has awarded in excess of $10 million in prize money since its creation.

This year's schedule includes something for just about every poker player. There are 14 major tournaments, with buy-ins ranging from $150 up to $2,500 for the Main Event Championship. There are also mega- and single-table satellites running for every event.

Most poker tournaments begin at 1 pm daily and are played as two-day events. Most day ones play down to a final table; then, the finale takes place on day two. An added bonus this year: All players who make it to a final table (Events 1-10) have a shot to win a free seat in the Main Event via a freeroll tournament, taking place on December 9th.

There are also five 5 pm tournaments on this year's schedule, as well as nightly 7 pm No-Limit Hold'em tournaments, which cost only $150 to enter.

Cash games are also expected to be busy. The Harrah's New Orleans poker room, with 23 tables, has a reputation for some of the best action in the country. Games run 24/7 and regularly include Limit Hold'em, No-Limit Hold'em, and Pot-Limit Omaha.

A Short History of the Bayou Poker Challenge

The first major poker tournament held at Harrah's New Orleans was called the "Cajun Poker Classic" which took place in early 2004. The three-day tournament attracted 536 players and inspired the casino to host more poker events in the future. Later that year, the first Bayou Poker Challenge was held, which consisted of six tournaments.

Next, Harrah's New Orleans became a charter member of the World Series of Poker Circuits, which officially started play in 2005. Since then, New Orleans has hosted the final stop on the circuit each year, which takes place in mid-May just prior to the start of the WSOP at the Rio in Las Vegas. The first two WSOP Circuit championships held at Harrah's New Orleans were televised by ESPN and were among the most exciting tournaments broadcast at the time. They still occasionally appear in re-runs to this day.

WSOP Circuit events in New Orleans proved to be so successful that a second tournament series was created, starting in 2007. This became known as the "Bayou Poker Challenge" (a.k.a. the Winter Bayou Poker Challenge), which has since become a December attraction. This tournament series is categorized as a World Series of Poker Satellite, since its Main Event winner earns an entry valued at $10,000 seat (plus expense money) into the WSOP championship, held the following year. This year's Bayou Poker Challenge Event Champion will win a seat into the 2011 WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas.

Bayou Poker Challenge results and statistics are not included in the historical records of WSOP Circuit events. Nonetheless, the Bayou Poker Challenge (BPC) has proven to be a popular attraction for many poker players, who mostly come to the Crescent City from the states of Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, and surrounding areas.
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by Nolan Dalla

Johnathan Duhamel Wins 2010 WSOP Main Event

2010-11-09T01:37:00.000-08:00

Jonathan Duhamel is the winner of the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event Championship.

Duhamel, from Boucherville, Quebec became the first Canadian citizen in history to win poker's world championship. Two Canadians had previously finished in the runner-up spot in the 41-year-history of poker's undisputed world championship. Tuan Lam took second place in 2007, to Jerry Yang. Fellow Canadian Howard Goldfarb did the same in 1995, losing to Dan Harrington.

Duhamel, a 23-year-old poker pro, collected a whopping $8,944,310 in prize money. He was also presented with the widely-cherished and universally-revered gold and diamond-encrusted gold bracelet, representing the game's sterling achievement.

The triumph was not easy. Duhamel overcame a huge field of 7,319 entrants who entered what was the second-largest WSOP Main Event in history. The tournament began on July 5th, and took more than four months to complete, including the customary recess prior to the November Nine.

Duhamel's route to victory was a determined one, albeit peppered with a few unwanted detours. He arrived at the final table -- which began on Saturday, November 6th -- with the chip lead. He held about one-third of the total chips in play. Duhamel lost some of his momentum during stage one of the finale, which included the elimination of seven players playing down to the final two. Michael "the Grinder" Mizrachi seized the chip lead at one point during play, but ultimately finished fifth. Joseph Cheong also proved to be a formidable foe during the long battle, but ended up as the third-place finisher.

Stage two of the November Nine's grand finale was played on the main stage inside the Penn and Teller Theater at the Rio in Las Vegas. The final duel was played to a packed house of nearly 2,000 spectators and a worldwide audience following the action over the Internet. Millions more will watch the final crescendo of the WSOP Main Event on Tuesday night, when the championship premiers on ESPN television. The two-hour program will debut at 7:00 pm PST.

The runner up was John Racener, from Port Richie, FL. Despite the disappointment of defeat, he could take great pride in a noble effort that resulted in overcoming all but one of the more than 7,000 players who began the pursuit of ever poker player's greatest dream. Racener collected poker's supreme consolation prize -- $5,545,955 in prize money.

As the Canadian champion, Duhamel was only the sixth non-American to ever win the WSOP Main Event. He followed in the hallowed footsteps of Mansour Matloubi (UK -- 1990), Noel Furlong (Ireland -- 1999), Carlos Mortensen (Spain -- 2001), Joe Hachem (Australia (2005), and Peter Eastgate (Denmark -- 2008).
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by WSOP

Interpreting a Number: What Does “226” Mean?

2010-10-26T21:45:00.000-07:00

Putting Things into Proper Perspective in a Post-UIEGA Poker World.

The World Series of Poker Circuit is back! In fact, it's bigger and stronger than ever!

If anyone would have made a friendly wager that a tournament series that had pretty much been flat for more than three years could double the buy-in of one of its premier events, and then actually increase attendance over previous years, many critics would have either laughed or gladly faded the proposition. Or, both.

But pay off all the "yes" bettors. That's exactly what happened at the first-ever World Series of Poker Circuit Regional Championship, held in Chicago.

The $10,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em Regional Championship which began on Monday attracted 226 entries. That's not the biggest field ever for a WSOP-related tournament. It may seem rather small compared to the monster-sized numbers that came out of the WSOP in Las Vegas during the summer. It's not even the biggest WSOP Circuit event. But, the number "226" may be one of the most impressive numbers of any poker tournament held anywhere this year.

There's no other way to interpret the number "226," other than being a spectacular figure and major accomplishment that benefits not just the revamped and much-improved WSOP Circuit for this season, but poker players all over the nation who enjoy experiencing the excitement of the game's premier tournament series. First off, many critics suggested that this was the wrong time to introduce a new mega buy-in poker tournament, even something sounding big like "Regional Championship." Many observers questioned whether or not the launching of another $10,000 buy-in competition to a schedule that seems already saturated with big buy-in poker events would be possible, particularly in the midst of comparatively tough economic times and in the midst of a post-UIEGA climate.

Indeed, perhaps this pessimism was even justified. The national poker tournament series that began six years ago has certainly endured the inevitable ups and downs which go along with being the industry leader. But bold new initiatives are the trademark that have made the WSOP into poker's biggest global attraction. While poker tournament attendance elsewhere has declined at some venues and remains stagnant at others, the numbers coming out of Chicago these past two weeks suggest the WSOP is bucking the odds and continues to exceed even the most optimistic expectations.

Consider the overall attendance numbers here at the Horseshoe Casino (Chicago). The first tournament (Event #1) set an all-time record for the biggest turnout in the entire history of WSOP Circuits, with a whopping 1,611 entrants. Next, the Main Event Championship not only shattered the old record set three years ago, it more than doubled the previous high mark at 872 players.

But the real test of success and benchmark of public perception was the $10,000 buy-in Nationally Televised Regional Championship. This was the first tournament of its kind and was the largest buy-in tournament on the WSOP Circuit since the height of the poker boom, back in 2007. The question everyone was asking was, would they come?

Players not only came, they surpassed all expectations. The number "226" is pretty much in line with the average number of players who attended televised $10,000 buy-in WSOP Circuit Championships during the boom era from 2005 to 2007. Even during its heyday, when ESPN was televising similar WSOP Circuit Championships, most of those tournaments drew in the 200-250 range.

The 226-player field created a total prize pool amounting to $2,101,800. That is the biggest prize pool in more than three years. The payout nearly quadrupled the size of the average WSOP Circuit Main Event last year, which averaged just under $600,000. This took place, not in Las Vegas or Los Angeles, both proven poker markets with an enormous player pool of prospective entrants who live in the vicinity, but near Chicago, which is a great American city, but not exactly the first place that comes to mind when one thinks of the perfect place to stage a $10,000 buy-in poker tournament in its first offering.

The Nationally Televised Regional Championship is a bold new idea. It was admittedly, very risky. Nothing like it has been tried before. Had only a handful of poker players turned up in Chicago for major poker tournament, the end result would have been, well, embarrassing.

Instead, the only embarrassment rests with those who did not show up, missing on the golden opportunity to compete for a multi-million dollar prize pool on national television. Players will not only compete for more than $2 million in prize money. The final nine will automatically win seats into the $1 million freeroll tournament called the WSOP Circuit National Championship, to be held in Las Vegas next May, just prior to the start of the 2011 WSOP. Only 100 players will qualify to play in what will be a Gold Bracelet event, making it one of the most attractive overlays ever in poker.

Many of game's top players arrived in Chicago to show their support. Among the well-known names which entered the Regional Championship were, Barry Greenstein, Gavin Smith, David Baker, Chris Bell, Chad Brown, Nick Binger, Matt Brady, Doug "Rico" Carli, Eric Froehlich, Matt Glantz, Blair Hinkle, Frank Kassela, Allen "Chainsaw" Kessler, Kathy Liebert, Jeff Madsen, Jason Mercier, Sorel Mizzi, Tony Rivera, Vanessa Selbst, Dan Shak, Shannon Shorr, Justin Smith, Matt Stout, and Steve Zolotow.

There's no doubt that the 2010-2011 WSOP Circuit season is going to be a smashing success. In fact, it already is. All three Circuit stops held so far have enjoyed a dramatic rise in attendance, not just for preliminary tournaments, but for Main Events, as well. Overall prize pools are also up at all three WSOP Circuit stops, thus far.

So one thing bears repeating, The World Series of Poker Circuit is back! In fact, it's bigger and stronger than ever.

The next WSOP Circuit stop will take place at the Imperial Palace Casino Resort and Spa, in Biloxi, MS. The ten-event schedule will take place October 28 through November 10.

The next Nationally Televised Regional Championship is set to take place at Harrah's Atlantic City. The tournament runs December 4-22. The $10,000 buy-in Regional Championship runs December 19-22.
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by Nolan Dalla

Caesars Classic Poker Tournament

2010-10-22T14:46:00.000-07:00

The fourth annual Caesars Classic poker tournament has commenced, hosting tournaments in the beautiful Caesars Palace Poker Room. Poker players of all skill levels, novice to professional, are invited to join in the daily events set to run from Oct. 21st to Nov. 7th, 2010.

"We are excited to launch the fourth annual Caesars Classic Poker Tournament," said Andy Rich, director of poker operations at Caesars Palace and Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. "Players travel from all over to join in the Classic. The feedback regarding our starting stack sizes, blind levels, double stack turbo tournaments, re-entry policy and extended length of play at the final tables has been overwhelmingly positive."

The tournament kicked off at noon on Oct. 21, with a $230 buy-in. The first event of the Classic drew a field of 232 players including Filippo Candio, who will return to the Rio for the World Series of Poker Final Table on Nov. 6. Players 21 years of age or older may register throughout the duration of the Classic. Tournament Buy-ins range from $150 - $1,070 with cash games running around the clock as well. Single table satellites for all events will run daily from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

There are several special events scheduled as well, starting with the Oklahoma Johnny Hale Seniors Event on Sunday morning, Oct. 24 at 10am. Caesars Poker Room is a Charter Member of the Oklahoma Johnny Hale Seniors Poker Club. The champion of this special event will walk away with entry into the 2011 WSOP Seniors championship Event, along with the cash prize from the tournament. There is also a Ladies Event on Tuesday, Oct. 26 at 11am, and a very special Poker Hall of Fame Open Tournament which will be attended by some special guests, such as 2010 Poker Hall Of Fame inductee and 1995 WSOP Main Event champion Dan Harrington. Harrington will be inducted into the Poker Hall Of Fame on Nov. 8, 2010 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino.

The Caesars Palace Poker Room features a selection of the most popular poker games including Texas Hold'em, Stud and Omaha. With more than 14,000 square feet, including a 6,000 square foot tournament area and 33 tournament tables, it is the largest poker room on the Strip. More than 20 large-screen high-definition TV sets ornament the walls, along with original Leroy Neiman artwork and Neil Leifer photographs. An extensive menu and dedicated cocktail service allow players to have food and beverage delivered directly to the tables during play.
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by Nolan Dalla

Alexa the Poker Prodigy, A veteran player in kindergarten

2010-10-02T09:14:00.000-07:00

So, Joe Cada won the World Series of Poker main event at age 21, and Annette Obrestad took down the first WSOP Europe championship at 18. Big deal. These players are old fogies compared to Alexa Fisher, who began playing poker at age 3 (a year, even, before Barbara Enright), and before long had mastered every form of poker dealt at the WSOP.

Ask any 6-year-old kindergarten kid where he or she would like to go during summer vacation, and the answer is almost sure to be Disneyland. Alexa's choice was the WSOP.

She got her wish last year, and while she didn't win any tournaments, she sure made her mark there. She was asked to make an announcement during one of the poker Web broadcasts, was profiled in the Las Vegas Tradeshow Lifestyles newspaper, got her tee shirt signed by lots of her women poker player idols, played "rock, paper, scissors" with Annie Duke and won, and later, wearing her autographed shirt and poker cap, made an appearance on a San Antonio morning TV program, Great Day SA, which was looking for kids with talent.

During that show, she was shown several times sitting at a table with cards and chips before being interviewed. She then showed two of the hostesses how to play the game, explaining blinds, checks, betting, raises, and so on, remaining calm and collected throughout. She also demonstrated a mature diplomacy. When asked if her parents played better than her in family games, she replied, "Maybe."

She was less reticent in her Tradeshow story, headlined, "6-Year-Old Future Poker Champion." In that article, which featured a photo of her with Barbara, she said, "I know how to shuffle and deal the cards, raise, check, fold, and bluff. I also know how to play deuce-to-seven lowball, H.O.R.S.E., and badugi. I can now play any poker game with the best poker players in the world!"

(Can you imagine how Phil Hellmuth would carry on if he played this kindergarten kid heads up and lost?)

And she almost certainly set an age record when she played in a live tournament, a $30 buy-in/donation event benefiting Homes for Pets, in Schertz, Texas, in February. She outlasted well over half the field (including her father) and became an instant celebrity, the talk of the tournament, with cameras flashing and people asking to have their pictures taken with her. She reportedly played very professionally with the proper poker etiquette, managed to bluff a few pots, and when she got knocked out, showed correct sportsmanship by shaking everyone's hand.

So, just who is this confident prodigy, and how did she learn the game? Well, Alexa Fisher, now 7, is a straight-A first-grade student at Sippel Elementary in Cibolo, Texas, a small town near San Antonio, where she lives with her parents and younger sister. She showed an interest in counting at the age of 3, and her father, Justin Fisher, not sure of how to teach counting, picked up a deck of cards and showed her that way with the ace being 1, and so on. Alexa soon joined her father watching poker on TV, noticed that the cards were the same, and enjoyed people "clapping and being happy."

The next step in teaching counting, her father explained, was buying poker chips to show numbers in another form, $1, $5, $500, and so on. "Her math skills went through the roof," he said.

This is further verification of an earlier column of mine called "Poker Belongs in School," in which I argued that having students learn the odds of making a flush or straight would be more instructive than studying useless things like "pi," the mathematical relationship between the circumference and diameter of a circle.

As instruction continued, Justin made her aware of relative values in poker. "It helps her understand that if I push 500 $1 chips into the middle of the table, not to be scared. It's just a single $500 chip."

From there, Justin explained that matching numbers are called "pairs," and to make it fun for her, he used such expressions as "run and flush the toilet" when she made a flush. Most challenging to explain was a straight, although eventually, Alexa would make a king-high straight flush, her highest hand to date. When Alexa's interest in playing the same hold'em game waned, her parents started to play for things like toys and ice cream. "This taught her honesty, as in keeping one's end of the deal," her father pointed out.

Next came plastic playing cards, chips with value on them, and a dealer button. By age 4, she was shuffling and dealing and learning about basic tell signs and bluffing strategy, and by age 5, she knew no-limit hold'em solidly.

From there, Justin introduced her to other games, limit and pot-limit, and by age 6, she knew all of the WSOP games, along with badugi, double-flop hold'em, crazy pineapple, and ace-to-five and triple-draw lowball.

At school, her father noted, she is close to a third-grade reading level and fifth-grade level in math. Her kindergarten and first-grade teachers know that she plays poker, and her fine-arts teacher even showed the class her Great Day SA TV segment. Most of her friends know that she plays, but not understanding poker's complexities and subtleties, it's just another card game to them, like "go fish."

Alexa's father maintains a close balance for her between poker and school. If she gets ready early enough before the school bus arrives, they'll play a couple of hands of poker. In the evening, there's no poker with school the next day, but she is allowed to watch poker on TV if it's not too late and all homework is done. Alexa even managed to work poker into her schoolwork when she had a class assignment to write about a military soldier she knows or a hero in her life. Not knowing anyone active in the military, she selected poker, finally narrowing down numerous candidates to her hero, Barbara Enright, because she is the only woman to make a final table at the WSOP main event.

For now, Alexa plays only at the house with her parents, while her little sister, Arianna, is allowed to take care of the chips in the pot; they also played family poker while in Vegas. As far as her parents know, she doesn't play poker with her schoolmates. She is allowed to play for money, her cash allowance for doing chores around the house, because it teaches her money management. "How much are you going to risk?" asks her father. "Going to make a rebuy if it allows? What are you going to do with the cash?"

They gave her some money to start with, and now she has a bank account. Her first win from a major cash game was $42, and her first loss was $25, while in Vegas. Her specialty is tournament-style poker, with blinds and antes increasing. She also learns by watching her father play online.

Alexa's ambition is to be a professional poker player, and her father feels that she has what it takes. "She goes in levelheaded, and leaves levelheaded." She has an autograph from Greg Raymer on her hat that reads, "See you in 2024!" That is when she'll be of legal age and have her chance to tie Cada for the "youngest champion" title.

Alexa knows, her father concluded, that someday, some little girl age 5 or 6 will see her in the hallway at the Rio and will yell out, "Alexa," ask for her autograph, and take a picture with her.
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by Max Shapiro

First Event at 2010 World Series of Poker Europe Sells Out!

2010-09-14T09:54:00.000-07:00

The 2010 edition of WSOP Europe blasted off in stellar fashion today, as the first tournament was a complete sell out.

The £2,500 buy-in Six-Handed No-Limit Hold'em event attracted 244 entries. This is the first time a Six-Handed tournament has been played as part of WSOP Europe. Based on the overwhelming enthusiasm, it most certainly will not be the last.

Indeed, all tables at London's swanky Casino at the Empire were filled to capacity, which required the taking of alternates to fill empty seats as players were gradually eliminated. By the middle of the second level (about 80 minutes into the tournament) all players had been seated and were in action. Remarkably, the tournament began just a few minutes after the scheduled noon start, despite an overflowing casino jammed with poker players. By 12:15, all that could be heard were the echoing sounds of poker chips being rattled and stacked (and Mike Matusow, talking incessantly to an unfortunate table victim).

The tournament began with a short pre-game ceremony. WSOP executive Ty Stewart introduced WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel, who has overseen operations during all four years of the London series. Effel welcomed the crowed and then said he expects this year's turnout to be the highest ever. Based on the early numbers, Effel's zeal appears quite justified.

The biggest events are yet to come. The upcoming £1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em tournament which starts this Friday is projected by many to be the biggest WSOP Europe tournament in history. Excitement is so strong that three starting days will be required to accommodate the huge field that is expected.

This is the largest WSOP Europe series ever held in London. In 2007, there were three gold bracelet events. In both 2008 and 2009, four gold bracelet events were played. This year's schedule includes five gold bracelet events.

A complete schedule with additional information about WSOP Europe can be seen HERE.
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by Nolan Dalla

Daniel Negreanu could face Hall of Fame ban over Annie Duke blast

2010-09-12T09:07:00.000-07:00

It's been a long-time coming, but Daniel Negreanu has finally been nominated for the Poker Hall of Fame.

But the Pokerstars pro's recent four-letter outburst against Annie Duke could scupper the chance to see his name immortalised alongside other legends of the game.

The Poker Hall of Fame Governing Council has strict criteria that successful nominees have to adhere to.

They include the proviso: "A player must have played poker against acknowledged top competition; played for high stakes; played consistently well, gaining the respect of peers; stood the test of time; or, for non-players, contributed to the overall growth and success of the game of poker, with indelible positive and lasting results."

Read full article >>>

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Student Turned Pro Blair Hinkle, 24, Wins Horseshoe Council Bluffs Circuit Main Event

2010-09-01T09:08:00.000-07:00

The $1,500 main event of the WSOP Circuit tour at Horseshoe Council Bluffs attracted a number of big-name pros such as Vince Burgio, Bernard Lee, Dwyte Pilgrim, "Tahoe" Andrew, and "Woody" Moore. But in the end it was Blair Hinkle, a 24-year-old student turned pro bracelet-holder from Kansas City, Missouri who emerged victorious. The win earned him $88,553, a massive diamond and gold trophy ring, a $10,000 buy-in into next year's WSOP main event, and, last but not least, a seat in the million-dollar Circuit National Championship in Las Vegas next year.

In addition, the 100 points he got for his main event win overtook Rob Georato's 90 point lead in the Casino Champion race for a National Championship seat. Because of the duplication, there will now be 37 seats awarded in the all-casino race instead of 36.

Hinkle said the key to his win was trying to keep one step ahead of everyone else at the final table by knowing how they would react to whatever he did. Another important element was a good read on his final opponent, Shiva Dudani. He detected that when Dudani was making small bets he was bluffing. He sensed that Dudani, not getting anywhere, realized that Hinkle was on to him, and was ready to try a big-bet bluff. So, when Dudani bet 400,000 into a board of 10c-9s-5s-9h, Hinkle called with just ace-high, and after a blank came on the river, he beat Dudani's king-high and moved into strong chip position.

Cheering him on ringside was his mother, who is now two-for-two being there when he won events.

In this tournament, Hinkle had a roller-coaster ride at the final table because he was playing so many pots. But he then tightened up after he thought his opponents had him pegged as a loose player.

Hinkle, who began playing in home games and online four years ago, was a chemical engineering student, later became a business finance major, and then left school when he fell in love with poker. He plays 30 to 50 tournaments a year and now has more than a million in cashes, half of it coming from a $507,000 win in a $2,000 WSOP no-limit win in 2008.

Also, Doug "Rico" Carli, had another cash-out to extend his lead as the player with the most Circuit cashes. He now has 44, close to twice as many as anyone else.

This event drew 255 players and had a prize pool of $361,440. Total for all events was 4,056, a 12 percent increase over the last Circuit series here. Because of the revamped structure giving players so much more time, there were still 16 players left at the end of day two. When they returned for the final day, Dwyte Pilgrim, who started as chip leader yesterday, was still in front with a healthy lead of 822,000 chips, 242,000 more than his closest competitor, Kevin Calenzo, and well over twice the average stack. Final-table action began with blinds of 5,000-10,000 with 2,000 antes.

It wasn't until after 6 p.m. before we got to the final table. Bernard Lee went out 10th when he raised under the gun to 199,000 to go all in with A-K. Dudani came over the top to get heads-up holding pocket kings. The board came 10-10-4-3-J, and the multi-talented Lee went out 10th, paying $6,582. Lee is a poker writer for the Boston Herald and ESPN, a poker radio host, instructor, author and official spokesperson for Foxwoods Casino. This is the third consecutive year he has a made the main event final table here.

Players went on dinner break, returning to blinds of 10,000-20,000 and 3,000 antes, playing 90-minute rounds. At this point, Hinkle had moved slightly past Pilgrim to take the chip lead.

During heads-up, Hinkle had a modest lead with 2,722,000 to 2,349,000 for Dudani. Then, after picking off Dudani's 400,000 bluff, Hinkle was in strong position. On the final hand, Dudani, down to 1.4 million, tried an all-in move after he missed his straight draw. The board showed 9h-7c-6c-4s-Kd and all he had was Jc-8d. Hinkle called with Ks-6s for two pair, and the victory was his. Dudani, 24, is a student originally from Numbai, India now living West Des Moines, IA. He began playing four years ago with fellow students and his biggest cash was $16,859 for winning a mega deep stack event in Vegas.
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by Max Shapiro

Accounting Student Kevin Marcus Bullies His way to Win in H.O.R.S.E.

2010-08-26T07:12:00.000-07:00

Kevin Marcus is a 25-year-old accounting student from Massapequa, New York whose normal style of play is tight. But two situations presented itself in today's H.O.R.S.E. tournament, the fourth ring event of the WSOP Circuit tour at Horseshoe Council Bluffs, that allowed him to bully his way to victory, earning $6,885 and a diamond-encrusted gold trophy ring.

The first came the night before, with nine players left, one away from the final table. Playing a hand against Betty Davidson, he had her down to 2,000 on the river and was pretty sure he had her beat with two pair. But he just checked. Was he playing partners with her? No, not exactly. There were two other short stacks at the table, he was the chip leader, and he knew they were trying to make the final table and he could bully them and steal blinds and antes if play were to continue. He did just that, and was able to considerably build his stacks.

At the final table, he went down a lot in early action. Then with six players left and sensing that two short stacks were trying to move up another notch or two, he began pushing them around, picking up 20,000 or 30,000 chips six or seven times in a row, and moved up from 300,000 to 450,000 chips, After that he was unstoppable. "It only works when you're a big stack," he explained.

Marcus began playing poker 13 years ago with friends. He prefers tournaments, but ends up playing mostly cash games because of the underground clubs in New York. He has one prior small cash in Atlantic City. Asked for any final thoughts, he exclaimed "Let's go, Islanders!" cheering on his favorite New York hockey team.

This event drew 75 players with a $31,825 prize pool. Play commenced in a razz round at level 16 with five hands left and 20:34 on the clock. Antes were 2,000, the bring-in 4,000, blinds 5,000-10,000, and limits 10,000-20,000. Marcus was now well in front with 246,000 chips, nearly 2-1/2 times as much as anyone else. And Davidson (at least due in part to Marcus' strategy) became the first lady to grace a final table in any of the noon or 4 p.m. events thus far.

The two remaining players went on break, returning for their final match-up, with Marcus holding a 425,000 to 325,000 chip advantage over Cutler. Play started in an Omaha round and ended during stud high play. On the final hand, Cutler, reading his opponent as weak, raised all in on fifth street holding (4-7) Q-5-7, and was surprised when Marcus, showing 5-3-A, turned up 5-3 for two pair. Marcus didn't improve when a king and six were dealt to him, but neither did Cutler when he got a 10 on sixth street and a 6 on the river. For second, Cutler, 52, whose nickname is "Chgocut," picked up $4,260. He is a CPA from Vernon Hills, Illinois who learned poker as a kid in home games and has been playing professional-level tournaments since 2006. Cutler has a WPT bracelet at the Bellagio in $1,500 no-limit, a $225,000 final table cash in $2,000 no-limit at the WSOP, and a H.O.S.E. title at the Majestic Star in Indiana. The father of four children, he also likes golf and movies.
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by Max Shapiro

David Finney comes from behind to win WSOP Circuit Ring

2010-08-23T05:36:00.000-07:00

David Finney, a dispatcher for a wholesale fuel company, started today's final table last in chips with only 175,000, well under half average. But by carefully picking and choosing his spots, he worked his way up and finally won the second ring event of the WSOP Circuit tour at Horseshoe Council Bluffs, $300 no-limit hold'em. "You can't be too aggressive when you're the short stack forever," he explained. Victory brought him $22,879 and the coveted diamond and gold trophy ring. He had plenty of time to be patient, because the final table lasted close to eight hours, largely due to the new structure giving players lots of room with plenty of chips and slowly escalating blinds.

Finney, 48, is from Council Bluffs and plans his vacation time to play tournaments at his "home casino." He's been playing poker for six years, splits his poker time between cash games and tournaments, and three years ago won a second-chance event here.

This event drew 350 players and the prize pool was $101,850. Twenty-five players returned on day two. It took two hours to lose 15, and then another hour to lose one more and get to the final table of nine. Action started with blinds of 6,000-12,000 and 2,000 antes, 37:27 left on the clock at level 25. Brian Brashaw had the lead with 716,000 in chips.

In heads-up, Finney had around 2.1 million chips to 1.4 million for Roth.

Blinds were now 6,000-12,000. On the last hand, the flop showed 9s-6h-7c.Making top pair with 9c-8s, Finney bet 500,000 and Roth, later explaining that he lost his patience, moved in with Kh-Qc. He couldn't hit anything when a 5h turned and a 6c rivered, and Finney had hit an outside straight for the win. Roth, getting $14,141 for second, is a 57-year-old corn and bean farmer from Ravenna, Nebraska who's played eight years. He's had a cash in the last two Circuits here. His hobby is golf.
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by Max Shapiro

Sports Center Owner Jeff Epstein Wins WSOP Circuit Final Table

2010-08-22T07:37:00.000-07:00

The seventh season of the WSOP Circuit tour, revamped, improved, and pumped up with new and attractive added features, made its eagerly awaited first-stop debut here at Horseshoe Council Bluffs. And with the schedule moved up from February to August, even the weather was much better. This stop will be offering 33 events, including H.O.R.S.E. and Omaha tourneys.

Winner of the first ring event, after a six-hour final table, was Jeff Epstein of Omaha, who owns the Omaha Sports Academy, a youth basketball center. He’s won numerous small tournaments online, but this is his first live cash. On the final hand he flopped a draw to a royal flush, missed, but settled for a straight. The win brought him $20,411, along with a diamond-encrusted gold trophy ring. Epstein, who with his father also operates a paper recycling plant, began playing online five years ago.

Epstein, describing himself as a tight-aggressive player, said the final table was tough, with constant raising. "I just tried to keep my wits about me, played patiently and tried to get my money in at the right time," he said. He also paid tribute to thd "great staff and great tournament."

Major changes in the Circuit tour include:

•Standardized structures and payouts for all events, with the main event buy-in lowered from $5,000 to a more affordable $1,500. (However, four of the 12 or more regional Circuit championships will have $10,000 buy-ins along with national TV coverage.)

•A cumulative ranking system throughout the season, with points awarded for each open ring event.

•A season-ending National Championship tournament for 100 players who automatically qualify via cumulative rankings or performance-based criteria. This tournament will be at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas prior to the WSOP and will have a $1 million prize pool with a WSOP gold bracelet for the winner. The "Casino Champion" points leader and championship event winner for each Circuit event earn seats. The other two ways to qualify are by making the final table at any of the four regional championships and by accumulating enough points at all the Circuit stops to be in the top 36.

This event drew 300 players who generated a prize pool of $85,050. Day one of this event ended with 27 players still left, and they returned the next day to play down to the final table. Leading in chips with 880,000 was Danny Walker.

Action began with blinds of 3,000-6,000 and 2,000 antes, playing hour levels. After 45 minutes, there were three all-in survivals with everyone still around. The players then took a short break, returning to blinds of 8,000-16,000 and 3,000 antes.

In heads-up, Epstein enjoyed close to a 6-1 chip lead over his final opponent. On the last hand, Epstein held Kc-Jc to Kh-10h for Bower. A flop of Ks-10c-Qc gave Epstein a paired king and a draw to a royal flush. He bet 80,000 and Bower moved in with kings and 10s. Then Epstein pulled ahead when a 9h on the turn gave him a straight. Bower could still win by making a full house or split if a jack a\gave him the same straight, but a 6d ended the evening. For second, Bower took home $12,615. Bower is a 29-year-old engineer from Des Moines, Iowa who started playing in home games nine years ago. He has a Prairie Meadows win to his credit.
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by Max Shapiro

2010 WSOP November Nine is Set!

2010-07-18T12:10:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, 7,319 poker players took their seats in the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event. Among the many hopefuls were 18 former world champions, nearly 150 gold bracelet winners, in addition to professional and amateur poker players from 92 different nations and territories, all united by one common dream.

That dream, winning the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event championship, can and will come true for only one. Indeed, there can be only one world champion.

After 78 grueling hours of poker played over eight days, nine players remain.

After a break of 111 days, the November Nine will resume Nov. 6 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas to play at the final table for $8.94 million and poker's richest title.

The winner will be determined in a heads-up session between the final two players starting Nov. 8.

The final table seating chart of the nine players with their hometown and chip count:

Seat 1: Jason Senti, 25, St. Louis Park, Minn.; 7.625 million.
Seat 2: Joseph Cheong, 24, La Mirada, Calif.; 23.525 million.
Seat 3: John Dolan, 24, Bonita Springs, Fla.; 46.25 million.
Seat 4: Jonathan Duhamel, 22, Boucherville, Quebec; 65.975 million.
Seat 5: Michael Mizrachi, 29, Hollywood, Fla.; 14.45 million.
Seat 6: Matthew Jarvis, 25, Surrey, British Columbia; 16.7 million.
Seat 7: John Racener, 24, Port Richey, Fla.; 19.05 million.
Seat 8: Filippo Candio, 26, Cagliari, Italy; 16.4 million.
Seat 9: Soi Nguyen, 37, Santa Ana, Calif.; 9.65 million.

Mizrachi won the $50,000 Players Championship during the first week of June.

The final table payouts:

•1st: $8,944,138
•2nd: $5,545,855
•3rd: $4,129,979
•4th: $3,092,497
•5th: $2,332,960
•6th: $1,772,939
•7th: $1,356,708
•8th: $1,045,738
•9th: $811,823

The Main Event started July 5 with 7,319 players, each contributing $10,000 for a shot at poker fame, glory and millions. The entries and total prize pool of $68.8 million made this year's main event the second-largest in series history after 2006.
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by Nolan Dalla

Theo Jorgensen is WSOP Main Event Chip Leader

2010-07-16T04:51:00.000-07:00

Johnny Chan among the Day Six Bust Outs

The 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event championship continued today with the play and conclusion of Day Six. This was the sixth full day of competition for all players who remain alive in the tournament. The Main Event actually began 11 days ago as the second largest live poker tournament in history, with 7,319 entrants.

Day Six began with 205 players. After 4 1/2 levels of play lasting nine hours, only 78 players survived. The surviving players, consisting of nine tables, will return Thursday for Day Seven.

The end of Day Six chip leader is Theo Jorgensen from Copenhagen, Denmark. He currently has 9,300,000 in chips, which is an advantage over several players grouped around the 7,000,000 to 7,500,000 mark.

Among those who did not fare as well on Day Six was back-to-back world champion Johnny Chan, who was eliminated in 156th place. Chan experienced a nightmare scenario early in the day when he was dealt pocket kings. The big hand came at the worst possible time, since another big stack belonging to Robert Pisano was dealt pocket aces. Chan lost the hand and became short-stacked for the first time in the tournament. He was eliminated about an hour later. Other notable names who played Day Six, but will not return for Day Seven include: Jesper Hougaard (Copenhagen, Denmark), J.P. Kelly (Aylesbury, UK), Jimmy Tran (Houston, TX), Robert Mizrachi (Las Vegas, NV), Tomer Berda (Arsus, Israel), Phil Galfond (New York, NY), Russell Rosenblum (Las Vegas, NV), Todd Witteles (Las Vegas, NV) and Matt Keikoan (San Rafael, CA).

Breeze Zuckerman, from Moorpark, CA was also eliminated. She was the last female in this year's Main Event. Zuckerman finished 121st.

The next stage of play is expected to trim the 78 remaining competitors down to 27 survivors, or three full tables. That session will be followed by the final day of competition at this summer's series, which plays from 27 players down to the final nine. On July 17th the final table players will ultimately be determined, which is otherwise known as the "November Nine".
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by Nolan Dalla

Doyle Brunson and Phil Ivey Hit the Rail at WSOP

2010-07-11T13:06:00.000-07:00

The 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event continued on Saturday with the play and conclusion of Day 2-B. This session included the second of two flights of players who survived past the initial round of competition. The first round of competition consisted of four starting days, classified as 1-A through 1-D.

Day 2-B began with 2,734 players. After four levels of play (8 hours), only 1,357 players survived. The remaining players will combine with Day 2-A survivors. Day Three is to be played on Monday, July 12th. There will be 2,557 players when play commences, which also means for the first time in the tournament all players will be competing together at the Rio.

The end of Day 2-B chip leader is David Assouline, from Hampstead, Quebec (Canada). He has 387,800 in chips, which leads all players at this point in the championship. Assouline has never been in this spot before. His sole recorded cash in a live tournament took place in a 500 Euro buy-in event in France where he won about $4,000. Assouline has never cashed at the WSOP, to date.

Also of note were the fine performances of former gold bracelet winner Vanessa Selbst (Brooklyn, NY), who finished the day ranked in eleventh place. Former world champions who survived included Robert Varkonyi and Dan Harrington.

Among those who did not fare as well on Day 2-B were Doyle Brunson and Phil Ivey. In fact, this was a brutal day for last year's November Nine players. Four of the nine players from last year's final table busted out on this day, with Phil Ivey, Darvin Moon, Antoine Saout, and Jeff Shulman walking the plank.

The Main Event continues through July 17th when the final table players will ultimately be determined, otherwise known as the "November Nine."
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by Nolan Dalla

Huck Seed Wins 2010 WSOP Tournament of Champions

2010-07-06T07:56:00.000-07:00

Poker's version of the All-Star game concluded late tonight, with four-time World Series of Poker gold bracelet winner Huck Seed winning the equivalent of a championship victory and a Most Valuable Player award. Seed overcame one of the toughest fields ever assembled in any poker competition and collected a whopping $500,000 first-prize freeroll in the 2010 Tournament of Champions (TOC).

Seed won his victory in a tournament that was played, off and on, over a week's time, the most grueling stage of which was the marathon 16-hour final day, which was played over the Fourth of July holiday.

Seed is best known for winning the 1996 WSOP Main Event championship. He holds a total of four WSOP titles. His last gold bracelet win came in 2003. However, Seed has since won the NBC Heads-Up poker championship held at Caesars Palace Las Vegas, and finished high in a number of other major events, as well.

Following his victory at the Rio in Las Vegas, Seed was both gracious and thankful for the opportunity to compete among such a stellar field of fellow superstars. "I felt like this was a team thing, me and everyone who voted for me," Seed said. "There were a lot of great players in this event. It was fun to compete. It was like a reunion of the old school players."

Indeed, this year's TOC brought together many of the world's best and most popular poker players in an event that was designed to be a made-for-TV spectacle. The tournament was filmed for later broadcast by ESPN. Many of the 27 total seats were determined by a public vote. More than 350,000 votes were cast prior to the start of the tournament. In all, 20 seats were filled by popular vote. Other seats were automatically filled by the reigning WSOP and WSOP Europe Main Event champions, as well as by three former TOC winners.

Oddly enough, Huck Seed ranked 13th in the voting out of the 20 players who made the final cut. But there was nothing superstitious about his methodical approach to the tournament, during which he overcame several chip disadvantages en route to an ultimately satisfying victory.

The end of Day One chip leader was Mike Matusow. The end of Day Two chip leader was Daniel Negreanu. But Seed ended up with all the chips at the conclusion of Day Three, raking in half of the $1 million prize pool, posted by Harrah's and the WSOP.

"I'm not much of a self-promoter," Seed said when questioned about his typical low-key approach to the game. "I just love to play poker. Sometimes, when you love to do something it shows and it produces results."

The runner up was Howard "the Professor" Lederer, a two-time WSOP gold bracelet winner. Lederer battled Seed and the third-place finisher Johnny Chan for nearly 90 minutes before losing on the final hand of the night to Seed's pair of aces. Lederer collected a nice consolation prize amounting to $250,000.

"I'm thrilled with the way I played, but I'm very disappointed I did not win," Lederer said afterward. "Huck is underrated in terms of poker history. He's playing as well as anyone in the world right now, that's not named Ivey."

Others who cashed included: Johnny Chan (3rd for $100,000), Joe Hachem (4th for $25,000), Barry Greenstein (5th for $25,000), Daniel Negreanu (6th for $25,000), Jennifer Harman (7th for $25,000), Annie Duke (8th for $25,000), and T.J. Cloutier (9th for $25,000).

The idea for holding a Tournament of Champions originated in the late 1990s. But it was not until 2004 that the WSOP first held a TOC, which was won by Annie Duke. The following year, Mike Matusow won the championship. In 2006, Mike Sexton won the TOC. The tournament then took a two-year hiatus before returning to this year's WSOP schedule.

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by Nolan Dalla

WSOP Tournament of Champions Starts Today

2010-06-27T20:19:00.000-07:00

It's amazing to walk into the Amazon Room at 12 noon local time on a Sunday and see just 3 tables in action. Only 27 players took to the felt early on this day, as the other event restarts didn't begin for a few hours.

But you knew it was no ordinary day. The ESPN production crew was buzzing around like bees on a springtime morning, preparing, surveying the landscape and putting all the finishing touches on their pre-production.

Today was the start of the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions, the All-Star event for the game of poker.

All the faces were familiar. And the names are the Who's Who of this great game. Brunson, Cloutier, Negreanu, Hachem, Duke, Grospellier, Esfandiari, Ivey, Lederer, Hellmuth, Sexton, Seed, Harman, Farha, Ferguson, Cada, Chan, Cunningham, Greenstein, Harrington, Juanda, Matusow, Raymer, Nguyen, Seidel and Shulman. The only unfamiliar name was one Andrew Barton, the UK sponsor exemption who's first time in Las Vegas couldn't be more star-studded.

When you scan the tables, you can't help but think, whomever survives this event to make the final table and become poker's 2010 All-Star TOC Champion, will be a well-deserving victor.

The $1 million prize pool to be shared among the final 9 is no chump change either. This event was a freeroll for all players. The WSOP put up the prize pool and the winner walks away with a cool $500,000.

Each player started with 30,000 in tournament chips, and with blinds at 50 and 100, it would take a while before we would lose our first competitor.

But it did happen about one hour into play when Jennifer Harman and John Juanda tangled. After Juanda re-raised all in after the river card was dealt, Harman thought for a long while before making the call. The board showed 7c,Kd,4s,6h,Js and Jennifer showed her pocket Jack's, for three of a kind. Juanda mucked, graciously bid the others good luck, and just like that Harman was the early chip leader and we had our first elimination.

Shortly after the very first break of the day, we lost our second player. Greg Raymer got mixed up with Mike Matusow, and the mouth is still talking. Raymer was chasing a flush draw and Matusow had Ace-Queen. Raymer missed his flush and we were left with 25 players.

Next to go was reigning-WSOP Europe Main Event Champion Barry Shulman, who never seemed to be able to get anything going all day, and was the 25th place finisher.

The 24th place finisher was the debonair Sammy Farha, who despite capturing another WSOP gold bracelet this summer, couldn't catch the cards he needed to survive the TOC.

The great Phil Ivey was the next one to go. Despite a slow start, Ivey was slowly chipping up and was slightly above average when a fateful tussle ensued with "Jesus" Chris Ferguson. After several raises pre-flop, Ivey shoved with Pocket Kings while Ferguson called with Pocket Queens. This is poker folks, and you can probably fill in the blanks. The flop was 6h,3h,10d but the Qd on the turn gave Ferguson trip Queens, and the harmless 2d river was no help to Ivey and he was gone.

And after the fourth and final level today, everyone else remained. So we will return with 22 players for tomorrow's play with Erik Seidel holding the chip lead, followed closely by Johnny Chan and Mike Matusow. For the tournament portal page for this event, including updated chip counts, click HERE.

Play resumes Monday at 12 noon Las Vegas time, where all the surviving players return, and set their sights on the final table, which will begin on Sunday, July 4.
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by WSOP STAFF

Harold Angle Wins First WSOP Gold Bracelet in 2010 WSOP Seniors Championship

2010-06-21T23:11:00.000-07:00

Harold Angle was the winner of the $1,000 buy-in Seniors No-Limit Hold'em World Championship at the 2010 World Series of Poker. This marked his first career WSOP gold bracelet victory. Angle won the biggest seniors poker event ever on record, as he came out on top of a field numbering 3,142 entries. No senior's-related poker tournament has ever broken the 3,000-player mark prior to this monster-sized attraction. In fact, this year's record turnout eclipsed the previous 2009 record mark by 16 percent. The prize pool amounting to $2,827,800 was also a record.

Angle is a 78-year-old retiree from Sun City, FL. He formally worked in sales for a major shoe manufacturer. He was the eldest of nine players at the final table. In fact, some of the players who were in their 50s were "young" enough to be Angle's children. Angle's victory illustrates many truisms, the most obvious of which is, one is never too old to be a poker champion. First place paid $487,994.

Angle's stunning victory was unthinkable on the first day of play. At one point on Day One, the Floridian was down to just 400 in chips. The starting stacks were 3,000 in chips. Angle later stated he did not win a single pot during the first two levels of play (2 hours). At one point, he held up the paltry few chips and showed his son-in-law who was watching at the rail. "I'll be out soon," he said. Three days later, Angle was still playing and ended up as the champion.

The top 324 finishers collected prize money. Former WSOP gold bracelet finishers who cashed in this event included Tom Schneider (14th), Fred Berger (42nd), Eddy Scharf (73rd), Susie Isaacs (78th), Dao Bac (199th), T.J. Cloutier (225th), Randy Holland (246th), Howard "Tahoe" Andrew (286th), "Captain" Tom Franklin (312th), and Hoyt Corkins (288th).

One of the most interesting stories of any player at this year's Seniors Championship was told by a player named Jeanne Nelson. She is a 60-year-old accountant from St. Paul, MN. This was Nelson's first time ever to play in the WSOP. One year ago, she was diagnosed with cancer. Her husband bought her into this tournament as a birthday gift. She stated that playing in the WSOP was on her so-called "Bucket List." To play was her dream come true. Not only did Nelson enter this tournament, she also cashed in 12th place, which paid $28,221. The entire WSOP family wishes Jeanne Nelson well and believes she is a true inspiration for everyone to follow their dreams.

The Seniors Poker Championship has been largely successful due to the efforts of "Oklahoma" Johnny Hale, who is known as the "Elder Statesman of Poker." Hale has organized many senior's poker events over the years. Prior to the start of this year's Seniors Championship, Hale addressed the large crowd. He conducted the annual "Roll Call," which provides for a moment of silence and reflection on behalf of many deceased poker greats, such as Benny Binion, Johnny Moss, Stu Ungar, and others. Hale is also the caretaker of the Seniors Poker Hall of Fame. During a break on the first day of play, all living members of the Seniors Poker Hall of Fame were photographed as a group on the main stage inside the Pavilion.

This year's tournament awarded the famous "Golden Eagle" trophy, which is engraved with the winner's name(s). The trophy is a keepsake that is passed forward from champion to champion, similar to the tradition of the Stanley Cup in the National Hockey League.
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by Nolan Dalla

Sammy Farha Wins WSOP Omaha High-Low Championship

2010-06-16T09:04:00.000-07:00

There is no one in the poker world quite like Sammy Farha. Dashing and debonair, Farha is part James Bond, part Humphrey Bogart, part Hugh Hefner, all wrapped up into a five-foot-nine dynamo of a man with an unrelenting passion for fast living and high-stakes gambling.

Farha initially burst upon the poker scene a decade ago when he won a gold bracelet in the Pot-Limit Omaha championship at the 1996 World Series of Poker. But it wasn't until his alluring television appearance on ESPN in the 2003 Main Event championship that Sammy Farha became a household name. Indeed, if the World Series was all about style, then Farha would have been its grand champion a long time ago. Farha blitzed through 837 players that fateful year. All that stood in the way of Farha and a $2.5 million cash prize was a previously-unknown accountant from Tennessee named Chris Moneymaker.

What happened at that final table seven long years ago is no mystery. Moneymaker won. But in many ways, Farha won also. Love him or hate him, Sammy Farha became a bona fide poker celebrity.

Farha has played in many poker tournaments and high-limit cash games since, with mixed results. Six-figure money swings are not only common, but a daily occurrence whenever Farha chooses to take a seat in any game. The Lebanese-born self-made multi-millionaire is an instant attraction to any table, which is why he is perhaps television's favorite poker face.

In one of the tougher fields in poker history, 212 players, the vast majority of them top-notch tournament players and high-limit cash-game specialists, entered the $10,000 buy-in Omaha High-Low Split championship at the 2010 World Series of Poker. After two long days, 203 players had been eliminated and the final table was set.

Farha's competition was formidable. The biggest menace was British bad boy James Dempsey, who won his first WSOP gold bracelet just two weeks ago. Two other former gold bracelet winners graced the felt, Michael Chow and Abe Mosseri. Indeed, Farha later said, there were no weak players in this tournament.

Farha ultimately triumphed in a brutally-tough finale that was just as much a test of mental stamina as it was poker skill. The win proved to be one of his most satisfying victories. The final table lasted nearly 13 seemingly endless see-saw hours, including five nerve-racking hours between Farha and James Dempsey, who ultimately went down in a gallant, yet emotionally-shattering defeat.

Farha may be Lebanese by birth, but he is unquestionably an American success story. Farha left his birthplace of Beirut and arrived in the United States in 1978 to attend college. He graduated from the University of Kansas. Farha was a successful pool player before becoming a full-time poker pro. In fact, he has played just about every kind of game for big money, including video games, pinball, and backgammon. But poker has proven to be Farha’s game, and he is now indelibly linked to those who have mastered it best.

Given Farha's enigmatic character, it is impossible to measure the true impact or meaning of a third WSOP victory. On one hand, Farha was overjoyed to win his first gold bracelet in four years. On the other hand, the prize money he received, the mere pittance of $488,241, is roughly equal to the typical buy-in at Farha's regular poker game.

That makes this World Series of Poker victory but a pit stop in the fast-lane that is Sammy Farha's life.
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by Nolan Dalla

Vanessa Hellebuyck Wins WSOP Ladies Championship Event

2010-06-15T20:50:00.000-07:00

Vanessa Hellebuyck was the winner of the $1,000 buy-in Ladies No-Limit Hold'em Championship at the 2010 World Series of Poker. This marked not only Hellebuyck's first career WSOP gold bracelet victory, but was also her first time ever to cash in Las Vegas.

Hellebuyck lives in Paris, France. She is married and has two children. She final tabled three major events on the European Poker Tour (EPT) held earlier this year, in Berlin, San Remo, and Monaco. Her best finish to this point had been a fifth-place showing in Monaco. In addition to being a serious part-time poker player, Hellebuyck is also an accomplished pianist.

Hellebuyck collected $192,132 for first place. She also became only the second non-American ever to win the Ladies Championship. The first was Svetlana Gromenkova from Russia, who won in 2008. Hellebuyck also became the fifth gold bracelet winner in WSOP history from France. The other four winners were David Benyamine, Patrick Bruel, Claude Cohen, and Gilbert Gross.

This year's Ladies Championship attracted another strong turnout, as 1,054 players attended. The tournament began with former WSOP gold bracelet winner Linda Johnson, the "First Lady of Poker," welcoming the huge field and encouraging more women to participate in and enjoy the game of poker. Johnson also mentioned the WSOP Ladies Championship held 30 years ago was a turning point in her life. After cashing in that 1980 competition, Johnson decided to play poker professionally and went on to pioneer many important causes that improved the game for everyone, male and female alike.

Indeed, the World Series of Poker is proud to honor women in poker and will maintain the tradition of holding a Ladies Championship event, which dates back to 1977.
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by Nolan Dalla

Pascal Lefrancois wins WSOP Gold Bracelet in the $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em Event

2010-06-05T07:26:00.000-07:00

Pascal Lefrancois was the winner of the $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em championship (Event #8). He is a 23-year-old college student from Montreal, Quebec. He is currently pursuing a business degree at Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales de Montreal (HEC), which is affiliated with the Universite de Montreal. The Canadian victor collected $568,974 in what was display of total dominance, particularly at the final table. Lefrancois earned his first WSOP gold bracelet.

Lefrancois topped a huge field of 2,341 players and won the game's most coveted prize. The tournament began on Wednesday June 2nd and ended at 2:00 am on Saturday June 5th. His victory was cheered on at the Rio in Las Vegas by a rowdy group of French Canadians, who ringed the final table and roared every time Lefrancois won a big hand. Indeed, a World Cup atmosphere prevailed most of the night, as six different nations were represented at the final table, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, Israel, and the United States.

The runner up was Max Josef Steinberg, a 21-year-old poker pro who cashed at the WSOP for the first time. Among those who also cashed was 11-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth. With his 15th-place finish, Hellmuth extended his lead as the all-time WSOP leader in cashes, currently at 76.

For official tournament results and additional details, please CLICK HERE

Moments after winning Lefrancois ripped off his shirt and pose bare-chested for the traditional WSOP portrait: "It was an inside joke with my friends. We always laugh about our v-necks. We are "Team V-Neck," because we wear those kinds of shirts. They were all cheering for me to take off my shirt. I was excited, so I did it."

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by Nolan Dalla

The Worst Poker Hand

2010-06-04T10:26:00.001-07:00

What do you consider to be the worst hand in poker? Don’t tell me it's the 7,2o because that's not where I'm trying to get to. Sure the 7,2o is the worst possible starting hand from a mathematical perspective, no one can argue with that, but is it really the hand you lose the most money on? That's right, for every poker player, the worst possible poker hand is not the one that carries the most abysmal mathematical odds, but rather the one on which he drops the most money.

If you look at things like that, the 7,2o is not such a bad starting hand at all. The decision you're faced with on your 7,2o is quite probably the easiest one in poker. Most people muck that hand without a second thought. Sometimes you do get a free ride with it in the BB when everyone else at your table decides to either fold or to limp along, in which case you either fold it just as easily past the flop, or you hit something like trips or two pair and you go on to trap an opponent with top pair. In that case, it makes you money. This is the very reason why most reasonably good online players actually make money on the 7,2o in the long run, or break even on it.

The truly worst poker hand has to be searched for somewhere else.

The worst hand has to be one that makes you shove a lot of money into the pot and then gets you stuck on a nightmarish decision past the flop. Think about the J,J. It's pretty good hand, and in just about any late stage of a poker tournament it begs for an all-in. This is exactly why it's such a good candidate to became the worst hand. Think about the following scenario: you shove some money into the middle preflop and you see a flop of A,8,Q land. One of your opponents places a bet. What do you do? The K,Q is a similarly vulnerable starting hand which is behind any pocket pair to start with, and which will give you the sweats when you see an A hit the board.

The thing about the worst poker hand is that only you can determine which one it is for you. Depending on your style of play, it can be any one of the above or another hand. The worst poker hand for you is the one that gives you the most trouble when it comes to playing it. The mathematically abysmal hands are not likely to get you into trouble. The true culprit is likely to be a relatively good starting hand, which has a knack at getting you into marginal decisions on a large variety of possible flops.

Any two unpaired big cards carry great potential for such trouble. Take the K,10 or the Q,10 for instance. If you pair your low card, you're not exactly in a favorable spot. If you happen to pair your big card, you're seemingly better off but the possibility of kicker trouble will cast a dark cloud over your decision-making. The bottom line: only you can determine which the worst hand is for you. Know your style of play and pay attention to the way you play your hands.

Remember: the hands most likely to hurt you are the ones that will leave you with a difficult decision to make it past the flop.

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Official Statistics – Player Rankings

2010-05-19T00:06:00.000-07:00

The 2009-2010 World Series of Poker Circuit season is about to come to an end. This week's scheduled events taking place at Harrah's New Orleans will conclude the sixth successful year of WSOP Circuit events. The WSOP Circuit was initially launched in January 2005 in order to give as many players as possible an opportunity to participate in the world's biggest and most prestigious poker tournament series. WSOP Circuit events typically take place over two-week periods between October and May.

This season included tournaments held in Chicago (Hammond, IN), Southern Indiana, Lake Tahoe, Harrah's Atlantic City, Tunica, Council Bluffs, Caesars Atlantic City, Harrah's Rincon, Harrah's St. Louis, Caesars Palace Las Vegas, and Harrah's New Orleans.

This year's WSOP Circuit series awarded $20,209,935 in total prize money to all winners. With the prize money awarded at the WSOP in Las Vegas amounting to more than $174 million in 2009, all WSOP-related events together over the course of the last 12 months amounted to nearly $200 million in total prize money for winners.

Many players now travel around the WSOP Circuit regularly and play at multiple stops. Several of these players have established themselves at the Circuit's best players. Here are the top-ranked players of the 2009-2010 WSOP Circuit season, ranked in each of the major categories:

MOST GOLD RING WINS:

2 – Mark "Pegasus" Smith (Georgetown, KY)
2 – John "Cowboy" Land (Dallas, TX)
1 – (146 players)

MOST FINAL TABLE APPEARANCES:

5 – Mark "Pegasus" Smith (Georgetown, KY)
5 – Christopher Cardenas (Woodridge, IL)
5 – Michael Ashar (Vermilion, OH)
4 – Dwyte Pilgrim (Brooklyn, NY)
3 – (13 players)

MOST CASHES:

8 – Mark "Pegasus" Smith (Georgetown, KY)
8 – Michael Ashar (Vermilion, OH)
6 – Dwyte Pilgrim (Brooklyn, NY)
5 – (10 players)

It should also be noted that "Chicago Johnny" Nowak (Fairview, TX) set a record for the most cashes at one WSOP Circuit stop. He recently cashed five times alone at Harrah's New Orleans.

The top money winner of the season was Dan Livingston (Oak Forest, IL), with $291,749 in earnings. Livingston won the Main Event championship held in Chicago in October 2009. Runner up was Chris Klodnicki (Vorhees, NJ), who accumulated $281,277. Klodnicki won the Harrah's Atlantic City championship in December 2009.

Next season's WSOP Circuit schedule will be released sometime during the WSOP in Las Vegas. More locations and events are planned for 2010-2011 than ever before. So, stay tuned for more details about how to be a part of next year's excitement.
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by Nolan Dalla

Ronnie Hoover Earns First Major Tournament Victory at Harrah's New Orleans

2010-05-16T22:56:00.000-07:00

The top three finishers in the latest World Series of Poker Circuit tournament held at Harrah's New Orleans agreed to a deal. Ronnie Hoover, a 59-year-old retiree from Baton Rouge, LA ended up taking first place. His official payout amounted to $23,856. Hoover was also presented with his first WSOP Circuit gold ring, marking his first tournament victory.

Hoover has a few previous cashes on his poker resume, but nothing on the scale of winning a WSOP-related tournament. The runner up was Shimiron Preis, from St. Charles, LA. He was part of the deal made with third-place finisher Jahson "Class" Spence, from Yonkers, NY. The last hand of the tournament took place when Spence lost a big race holding AQ against pocket jacks, leaving him as the shortest stack. That's when the negotiating began, ending up with an agreement which ended the tournament much earlier than had been anticipated.

This was the 15th of 19 gold ring events on this year's Bayou Poker Challenge schedule. The $500 (+50) buy-in No-Limit Hold'em Shootout was played over two consecutive days during May 15th and 16th. The tournament attracted 198 entries.

The Shootout concept was simple. The "winner" was required to survive three consecutive tables. Sounds easy, but given the stiff competition, some of the matches went several hours. For instance, the second round match between third-place finisher Jahson Spence and two-time WSOP Circuit gold ring winner Alexandru Masek lasted five hours, heads up! Furthermore, since rounds could not begin until all matches were complete, the Day One competition lasted about 15 hours.

Among the twenty players who cashed was "Johnny Chicago" Nowak, who is originally from Chicago but now lives near Dallas. "Johnny Chicago" tied a WSOP Circuit record by cashing in his fifth tournament at this series, the most by any player ever at one single tournament stop. With the Main Event still to be played, "Johnny Chicago" now has a shot at making history. He says he plans to play in the Main Event, just for this reason.

The top 20 finishers divided a prize pool totaling $80,510. After 188 players were eliminated on the first day, final table play with ten players commenced on a Sunday afternoon. There were two prior WSOP Circuit gold ring winners among the final ten. Mike Raimon won last year's Six-Handed No-Limit Hold'em championship here at Harrah's New Orleans. Ed Corrado won a title three years ago at Harrah's Tunica.

Shimiron Preis, a poker pro from St. Charles, LA agreed to second place. He cashed four times in various WSOP Circuit events, including twice last month at Harrah's St. Louis. The former 36-year-old manager collected a nice official payout amounting to $14,540.

Ronnie Hoover, a retiree from Baton Rouge, LA was the winner of the 15th WSOP Circuit event. He officially collected $14,540 for first place, plus his first gold ring. He formally worked in sales and marketing. In his spare time, when he is not playing poker Hoover enjoys fishing and playing golf. This was Hoover's first major tournament victory.

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by Nolan Dalla

William Benton Wins $5,000 Buy-In Pot-Limit Omaha Championship

2010-05-15T05:10:00.000-07:00

The most recent World Series of Poker Circuit tournament held at Harrah's New Orleans won't set any attendance records. Even though the overall numbers through the first 14 events are up slightly over last year, the tournament which just concluded attracted only 13 players. Of course, there's a justifiable explanation for the low turnout. The buy-in was five-grand….as in five-thousand dollars.

In fact, this was the largest non-championship event ever held in the six-year history of the WSOP Circuit. While most gold ring tournaments are in the $300 to $1,000 range, organizers of the Harrah's New Orleans event wanted to try out a big buy-in tournament with the hope it could ignite greater interest and participation in a wider range of buy-in events in the future.

The 13 pioneers of Pot-Limit Omaha each forked over $5,000 and played a one-day tournament, which paid only the top two spots. This was the 14th gold ring event of 19 on this year's WSOP Circuit schedule at Harrah's New Orleans.

Players agreed to a deal when play reached three-handed. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The official tournament winner was William Benton, from Houston, TX. His official payout amounted to $37,830 which was not bad for what amounted to a ten-hour poker session. Benton was also presented with the coveted gold ring, awarded to all WSOP Circuit event winners. This was his first time to cash in a WSOP-related tournament, following two previous cashes at the Mid-South Classic two years ago.

The official runner up was Cameron New, from The Woodlands, TX. He had just one prior cash prior to this payout, which took place a few months ago in Las Vegas. Mr. New collected a nice consolation prize amounting to $25,220.

It's tough to predict if and when events of this size will be offered in the future. But one thing is for sure. Whether it's bigger buy-in tournaments, shootouts, heads-up tournaments, mixed games, or run of the mill No-Limit Hold'em events, Harrah's New Orleans has clearly demonstrated the willingness to take risks and try out new things. And for that, they should be applauded.
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by Nolan Dalla

Daphne "Tweety" Turner Makes WSOP Circuit History!

2010-05-15T04:41:00.000-07:00

Daphne "Tweety" Turner made poker history tonight. She became the first woman in the six-year history of WSOP Circuit events to win two gold rings. Turner bulldozed her way to victory in the Mixed Game event, which requires mastery of seven forms of poker. Turner pocketed $6,727. But her win is likely to be remembered as being a record-setting accomplishment.

Turner's previous victory came exactly two years to the day when she won her first gold ring, here at Harrah's New Orleans. In that tournament, Turner became the first female to win an open WSOP Circuit in New Orleans. History repeated itself again on this night, with Turner's resounding, well-earned victory.

Perhaps most impressive about Turner's win was that it took place in a Mixed Game format. Indeed, Mixed Game events are becoming increasingly popular at many tournaments. The Mixed Game format is similar to H.O.R.S.E., except a wider variety of poker games are played. Instead of just five games played as with H.O.R.S.E., there are seven games included – Limit Hold'em, Omaha High-Low Split, Razz, Seven-Card Stud, Eight-or-Better, No-Limit Hold'em, and Pot-Limit Omaha. Some argue that Mixed Game tournaments are actually the supreme test of all-around poker skill, since there are so many different varieties of games. Note: By contrast, 60 percent of the H.O.R.S.E. menu is comprised of Stud games, and all play is limit. Mixed Game formats not only include two additional games, but Pot-Limit and No-Limit, as well.

This was the tenth gold ring event of 19 at this year's Bayou Poker Challenge, part of the WSOP Circuit schedule at Harrah's New Orleans. The $300 (+50) buy-in Mixed Game tournament was played over two consecutive days during May 12th and 13th. The tournament attracted 68 entries. The top eight finishers divided a prize pool totaling $19,788. After 60 players were eliminated on the first day, final table play began on a Thursday afternoon, with Turner ranked in second place according to the early chip count.

In fact, this final table included two former WSOP Circuit gold ring winners, Taylor and Allen Kessler who would end up locked in a heads-up showdown for a repeat victory. Michael Husar was also present, who won a WSOP Satellite event held at last year's Winter Bayou Poker Challenge, held at Harrah's New Orleans.

Greg Headrick arrived at the Final Table with a significant chip advantage over Turner. The remaining six players were outchipped by a wider margin. But the mixed game format and wide distribution of chips and low blinds and antes meant a long night of play was to be expected.

Allen "Chainsaw" Kessler, coming off his championship victory in the 2009 Winter Bayou Poker Challenge held here at Harrah's last December had a shot to capture his second gold ring. But Daphne Turner had other ideas and wiped out Kessler in a tough final heads-up battle that went 90 minutes. The final hand came when Turner ended up making a straight against Kessler's two pair.

The final hand of the tournament can be seen on video here: http://www.youtube.com/wsopdotcom

Allen Kessler, who is originally from Philadelphia and now lives in Las Vegas, has earned in excess of $1.5 million in tournament poker. He added another $5,155 to his resume of cashes with this second-place showing.

Daphne's cash prize totaled $6,727. Far more memorable was the WSOP Circuit gold ring she earned, becoming the first female player since the WSOP Circuit began in 2005 to win two open events. Turner's accomplishment is even more remarkable since she plays in few events when compared to many of her tournament rivals. Encouraged by her showing in this tournament, as well as a first-place finish at another tournament held recently in Las Vegas, Turner says she hopes to play in more future events, including the 2010 WSOP.

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by Nolan Dalla