WSOPE Main Event Final Table Filled with Champions
September 30, 2009
The final table of the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event has been decided and boy is it going to be a nail biter! The majority of the players to compete at the final table are previous bracelet winners and two are set to compete at the final table of the WSOP Main Event when it returns in November. Competition is definitely going to be tough when play resumes tomorrow.
Jason Mercier is leading the pack with just over 3 million chips and has a European Poker Tour win under his belt. He was able to eliminate six of the last fifteen players who went home today. James Akenhead and Antoine Saout, both of which will be at the final table of the WSOP come November, will be returning tomorrow to compete at the WSOPE main event final table as well. Saout is sixth in chips while Akenhead sits second in chips right under Mercier.
Daniel Negreanu, Matt Hawrilenko, Praz Bansi, Chris Bjorin and Barry Shulman are the other bracelet winners in contention to take the WSOPE Main Event bracelet. Interesting enough, Barry Shulman is the father of Jeff Shulman, another November Niner.
The final table will reconvene on Thursday at 2pm BST. Below is a list of all the players returning to compete for the Main Event bracelet as well as their chip counts.
Jason Mercier - 3,198,000
James Akenhead - 1,398,000
Praz Bansi - 1,160,000
Barry Shulman - 1,090,000
Markus Ristola - 784,000
Antoine Saout - 701,000
Matt Hawrilenko - 674,000
Chris Bjorin - 518,000
Daniel Negreanu - 438,000
New Poker After Dark: “U.S.A. vs. Italy”
September 29, 2009
It’s the red, white, and blue against the red, white, and green in one of PAD’s most entertaining matches ever
NBC’s Poker After Dark has featured international weeks before, but never a week where three players from one country squared off against three players from another. That’s exactly what happens this week, however, as Chris Ferguson, Howard Lederer, and Erick Lindgren will represent the United States against three of Italy’s finest in Marco Traniello, Max Pescatori, and Dario Minieri. Each will put up $20,000 and compete for the $120,000 winner-take-all first prize.
Ferguson is fresh off a victory in “The Magnificent Six,” where he became only the third player in PAD history to eliminate all five of his opponents in a match while bringing his overall record on the show to 2-7. Lederer also participated in that match but was eliminated in 6th place, and now sports a PAD record of 2-6. Lindgren is still looking for his first PAD title, being winless in three attempts, so you know he will be motivated to break into the win column.
This match marks the PAD debut of two of the Italians in Pescatori and Minieri. Pescatori is a two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, and ranks 2nd on Italy’s all-time live tournament winnings list. Minieri, with his trademark scarf, has also won a WSOP bracelet and has a large following among the Internet community where he has made quite a name for himself with his aggressive play. Traniello, with 22 lifetime WSOP cashes in just five years, is making his third appearance on PAD and looking for his first victory.
Brief profiles of all six players follow. The match will begin airing on NBC late night Monday at 2:05 a.m., September 28, and will continue for five consecutive nights in the same time slot. A special program called the “Director’s Cut” will air late night Saturday, October 3, at 1:00 a.m., right after Saturday Night Live. This show will feature Leeann Tweeden with a behind-the-scenes look at the week with highlights and insightful player interviews and analyses. Check your local listings for the exact times in your area. Viewers can also watch the action at www.nbcsports/msnbc.com/poker.
This is an exciting and entertaining match. There are several lead changes, and the players agree that the winner of a hand will show one card if the hand doesn’t go to showdown. This creates a different table dynamic that becomes especially interesting as more players get knocked out. It is obvious that the Italian players are also playing for national pride, which is refreshing to see. But above all, there is some real poker played in this match, with one player in particular displaying a gear not often seen on this show which frustrates his opponents and often leaves them dumbfounded. The heads-up battle for the title is also one you won’t want to miss.
18 of the world’s top poker players have confirmed their seat in the Aruba Poker Classic online poker tournament.
September 29, 2009
With just days before the first hand of the 2009 Aruba Poker Classic is dealt, UltimateBet today announced that a record number of poker professionals will be playing in this year’s Main Event in Aruba. In addition to the 16 pros who represent UltimateBet on Team UB, the popular island tournament continues to attract pros from outside of UltimateBet.
“This is one of my all-time favorite poker tournaments,” said Annie Duke, UltimateBet’s Cardroom Consultant and member of Team UB. “While the UB community is famous for gathering together at all sorts of other poker tournaments like the WSOP, Aruba is all about celebrating the successes of UltimateBet’s online poker players. I can’t wait to meet the people I play against online, party with old friends on the beach and make some new ones.”
Over the last year, UltimateBet has secured some of the world’s most respected poker players for its popular Team UB. To date, the group of online poker pros made up of those who have achieved incredible success online and in land-based events has skyrocketed to 16. Each member of the group has confirmed their attendance in the 2009 Aruba Poker Classic.
Slated to play are Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke, Joe Sebok, Adam Levy, Billy Kopp, Bryan Devonshire, Brandon Cantu, Debo34, Hollywood Dave, Liv Boeree, Matt Graham, Michael Binger, P0ker H0, Scott Ian, Shawn Rice and Tiffany Michelle.
Also confirmed to play in the event are professional poker players Lacey Jones and Matt Vengrin, who both play on the CEREUS Poker Network. While the expanded list of pros from outside of the CEREUS Poker Network hasn’t been reported, the Aruba Poker Classic has attracted some big name poker players in past years, including Mike Matusow, Evelyn Ng, and Johan Storakers.
The Aruba Poker Classic, UltimateBet’s signature island poker tournament, heads into its 8th year at the Radisson Aruba Resort & Casino. The week-long poker experience runs from October 3rd through 10th and features a multi-million dollar prize pool.
Last year’s Main Event was won by Matt Brady of Havertown, PA, who took home $1 million for his victory. It’s rumored that the poker champion will show up to defend his title.
Players can still secure a $5,500 seat through an online satellite or buy directly into the event right up until the first hand is dealt. For more information on the 2009 Aruba Poker Classic, visit UltimateBet.com.
About UltimateBet
Designed with the assistance of the best poker players in the world - Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke – UltimateBet provides the best poker games available on the net through the CEREUS poker network. Players can download the free online poker software to their Mac or PC, play in free ring games and tournaments and get tips from the pros to learn the sport or to enhance their playing strategy.
Lady Gaga Invited to Show off her Poker Face at Irish Poker Festival
September 29, 2009
Reports have surfaced that pop star Lady Gaga, known for her song ‘Poker Face’, has been invited to compete in the upcoming Irish Poker Festival hosted by Ladbrokes. The tournament is scheduled to start next week and promoters would like nothing more than for Lady Gaga to show up and prove that a little ‘gambling is fun when your with me’.
The Irish Poker Festival will be held on the 2nd through the 4th of October at Killarney in Ireland and the main event will have a guaranteed prize pool of €250,000. To compete in the tournament players have to pay the buy-in or win a seat via a qualifier but not Lady Gaga, she gets a personal invitation.
Kate McLennan of Ladbrokes commented that it would be great if Lady Gaga could come and they would even make room for Kanye West, who is joining Lady Gaga for an upcoming tour. McLennan commented: “The guest ion everyone wants to know is if Lady Gaga can make sweet music on the green baize.”
It would definitely be interesting to watch if Lady Gaga did attend the poker festival. Poker players would be able to see if she indeed does have a good “Poker Face” as well as just seeing what she would wear. Lady Gaga is known for her outrageous outfits and I would not be surprised if she came dressed as a deck of cards or covered in poker chips.
Lady Gaga has not confirmed if she will be attending the event but Shane Lync of the musical group Boyzone has accepted his invitation to attend the Irish Poker Festival.
Team Europe Wins First Ever Caesars Cup
September 28, 2009
The first ever Caesars Cup took place recently at the Casino at the Empire in Leicester Square in central London at the 2009 World Series of Poker Europe. The event saw players from two teams fighting it out in heads up matches to determine which team would win the first ever Caesars Cup trophy, the Europe team or the American Team. this time the Europe Team claimed the win.
The format of the event was a best four out of seven series of no limit hold’em. The first team to win four matches would be the first winner of the Caesars Cup. Team Europe was able to beat Team Americas 4 to 1.
The first four matches were competitions between two member teams. two players from each team sat at one end of the table. Each team was then dealt one hand and before the flop player 1 made the decision. After the flop the two hole cards were placed face down over to player 2 who then played the next street. On the turn, it was player 1 again and the river was back to player 2.
Team Europe was captained by Annette Obrestad and included players from all over Europe. Those included on the team were: Peter Eastgate, Dario Minieri, Bertrand Grospellier, Ilari Sahamies, Patrik Antonius and Gus Hansen. Rounding out the team was John Harvey of Scotland who won a qualifier at Betfair to play on Team Europe.
Daniel Negreanu was the captain of the Team Americas which could contain pros from north, central or south America. Those included on the team were: Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Huck Seed, John Juanda, Jennifer Harman and Barry Greenstein. Greenstein was a late replacement for Chris Ferguson who did not participate.
The Caesars Cup was filmed by Poker Productions and will air on ESPN in North America as a two hour program and ESPN International as well. The first broadcast of the event is set to air in February 2010.
Daniel Negreanu commented on the event stating: “My view of the Caesars Cup is similar to what is going on in golf with the Ryder Cup. There are players representing their country on each team. And that helps to create a very special event that people will care about. So far, it has gone that way. Everybody is really into it. It is lots of fun. The format and matchups are great. I mean, Huck Seed and Phil Hellmuth on the same side? That's exciting for me to watch. As for being the captain, it's fun for me. I do not look at it anything other than they will all look to me as someone to be the glue that can hold it all together and be the strategist, which is what I love to do. I am really honored to be the captain, for sure."
PokerStars Searching for 25 Online Poker Pro’s
September 25, 2009
As of yet, details are few and far between, what we do know is that several PokerStars Supernova VIP online poker players have been invited to fill out an application and to become a professional online poker player, holdin' it down for the largest online poker room in the world, PokerStars.
There are currently about 5000 SuperNOva ViP's at PokerStars, the site is looking for 25 new members of their online poker team.
Use PokerStars bonus code STARS600 to get your 100% matched deposit bonus up to $600 at Pokerstars
A Pokerstars representative on the popular 2+2 Poker forum confirmed today that Pokerstars is primarily looking for applicants from around the world, to represent each game, that have their own following, so a blog or their own website, an audience of some sort.
Some questions raised in recent discussions about the PokerStars Online Poker Team positions were:
- Will Pokerstars Online Pro's still be eligible for SuperNova Elite bonuses?
- What will be required of PokerStars Pro's as far as marketing?
- Will there be a minimum play requirement?
- Are Live tournaments required?
- Are the blogs mandatory? Is there any point in a SuperNova applying for this spot if they do not have a blog or other public following?
It does sound as though PokerStars is looking for some help in the marketing department, looking to hire pro's that are well known, and have a group of built in readers, additionally PokerStars gear is a requirement for live games (Hey stars, I want free gear! I'll wear it!)
There's been no mention of a live poker tournament requirement.
To Become a PokerStars Supernova VIP players have to earn 100,000 VIP Player Points during one year. The year stars in January and runs through December 31st just like a regular American Calender. Once you've earned the points and become a SuperNova, you remain SuperNova through at least February of the next year.
To hang onto their status after that, pokerstars SuperNova's need to accumulate at least 10k VPP's each month.
Whether or not PokerStars players make it as an a member of the new Online Team PokerStars, it pays to be a SuperNova at the online poker site.
Mac-Compatible Version of PKR Software Released
September 24, 2009
Several of the larger poker rooms have updated their software to be compatible for Apple users. UltimateBet recently added a Mac-compatible version of their poker software and now online poker room PKR has released their own version.
Apple users will now be able to enjoy the 3D poker room by using the Mac-compatible software. PKR CEO Malcolm Graham commented: “We are delighted to bring out award-winning software to Apple Mac users- who account for more than 10% of the home computer market. With our community always at the forefront of our minds, we’ve moved in response to popular demand from some of our fan base who were, until now, unable to play PKR on their systems.”
The new Mac version of PKR’s software offers the same features as the Windows-based version. So Apple users will be able to enjoy the unique 3D graphics that PKR has to offer. Mac users can also enjoy the casino games while they are playing poker at PKR. Mac users will also be able to take advantage of the bonuses and promotions at PKR as well as creating their own PKR 3D avatar.
Players will be able to run the new software from PKR on an Intel-based Mac that runs Leopard or Snow Leopard operating systems. PKR is offering support for Intel processor Macs only but they have stated that older Apple computers may be able to run their new software as well.
Pokerstars Announces new Online Poker Pro Division.. or well Mentions.
September 24, 2009
Online Poker players all over twitter are getting ready to go pro! A member of the PokerStars marketing team leaked a little tidbit today, Negranue retweeted. The pokerstars staff member mentioned that PokerStars will soon be hiring online poker pro's. These pro's will work with and endorse pokerstars, but they'll be more online pro's than live poker playing pro's. Juicy huh?
Team PokerStars Online Pro is a new branch of our team who'll play mainly online not live. Anyone will be able to apply in due course.
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Sounds can be heard all across the world. Rusty poker players dusting off their neglected pokerstars accounts, players without pokerstars accounts scowering for their visa's... everyone brushing up their game's, working on their stats, and applying to become the next pokerstars online poker pro.
Good Luck 4flushians.
Phil Hellmuth Preparing for Grand Entrance at WSOPE
September 23, 2009
UltimateBet’s Phil Hellmuth is known for making an entrance and this year’s World Series of Poker Europe will be no exception. Hellmuth is planning yet another dramatic entrance, this time hinting at “Royalty”, which will occur on the 26th of September at the Main Event of the WSOPE.
During this year’s World Series of Poker, Hellmuth enter the Rio in Las Vegas dressed as Julius Caesar surrounded by Roman guards and muses throwing rose petals, covered in body paint I might add. This entrance was in step with UltimateBet’s WSOP theme of 2009 and Hellmuth pulled it off well.
At last year’s WSOPE, Hellmuth and UltimatBet held a look-alike contest where people competed to be the best Phil Hellmuth look-alike. Locals of London were invited to come to the WSOPE dressed as the poker pro.
So one can only imagine what Phil Hellmuth has dreamed up this go round for his entrance. A recent press release from UltimateBet commented his entrance would be “Fit for a King” and “you don’t have to wait outside of Buckingham Palace to spot royalty in London” so I would imagine Hellmuth will be donning royal robes and entering The Casino of the Empire at Leicester Square as a King.
The poker pro will be arriving at the Casino on September 26th at 12:30pm so those in attendance can gather round to see what Hellmuth has come up with this time. The WSOPE Main Event is set to begin at 12:00 so I’m sure the poker pro is planning on arriving fashionably late so everyone will be in full view of his grand entrance.
Bodog.com Celebrates 15-Year Anniversary With 15 Days of Poker Tournament Series
September 22, 2009
Series includes 15 days of qualifying tournaments and culminates with $15,000 Freeroll on October 15
It was 15 years ago that Bodog.com opened its doors to the world and to celebrate this landmark achievement with online poker players, Bodog.com is hosting its 15 Days of Poker Tournament Series, a series of 15 qualifying tournaments culminating with a final freeroll event on Oct. 15 where a group of lucky players will battle it out for a share of a $15,000 prize pool.
"For 15 years, Bodog has been a leader in the online gambling industry, giving players a superior gaming experience while awarding billions in prizes," says Bodog.com Poker Pro David Williams. "And Bodog.com's 15 Days of Poker tournament series gives online poker players a fun and profitable way to celebrate this colossal achievement with Bodog."
Bodog.com's 15 Days of Poker gets underway on Monday, Sept. 21 with 15 days of qualifying tournaments running through Monday, Oct. 5. Each of the 15 qualifying tournaments will take place at 8:15 pm EST and feature buy-ins ranging from $5 to $15. A variety of Texas Holdem formats will be offered, including No Limit, Pot Limit, Fixed Limit, Turbo events, super-turbo events and re-buy events.
The prize pool in each qualifying tournament will be distributed the same way it would be in a regular Bodog tournament, but the top 30% of finishers from each event will earn Tournament Leaderboard Points, which determine who moves on to the 15 Days of Poker Semi Final and the $15,000 Final Tournament.
The Semi Final Tournament will be held on Thursday, Oct. 8 at 8:15 pm EST, with the field consisting of those placing in 16th to 115th place on the 15 Days of Poker leaderboard as well as players who have competed in at least 10 qualifying events. The top 15 finishers in the Semi Final earn an automatic entry into the $15,000 Final Tournament. The winner also gets a seat in the weekly Bodog $100,000 Guaranteed online poker tournament, and the remaining top 14 finishers each win a seat in a $100,000 qualifier.
Bodog.com's 15 Days of Poker celebration culminates on Oct. 15 at 8:15 pm EST with the $15,000 Final Tournament. In addition to the top 15 finishers from the Semi Final, the freeroll event will be open to players placing 1 through 15 on the 15 Days of Poker leaderboard and those who competed in at least 15 qualifying tournaments. The $15,000 prize pool will be distributed in usual tournament fashion, and the top 15 finishers will also win T$162 to play in the Bodog $100,000 Guaranteed, held every Sunday at 4:00 pm EST.
Low Buy-ins Bring Players to Borgata Poker Open
September 22, 2009
Many people are struggling with their finances as of late since the economy is still hurting financially. It can be hard for a poker player to come up with the funds to enter into a large poker tournament at a major casino. But players have been out in full force for the World Poker Tour Borgata Poker Open at the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City for the past few days as the events have low buy-ins that players can afford.
Since the WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship began on September 8th it has been estimated that around 15,000 players have competed in the various events. The Main Event attracted a good number of players this past Saturday as it began. 1,018 players paid the $3,500 buy-in, which is substantially low for a major poker tournament main event.
A regular at the Borgata Joe Simmons commented on the lower buy-in. he stated: “I think it’s very smart for today’s economy. It gives everyone a chance to play. The $10,000 buy-in at this point is cool for the World Series (of Poker), but just imagine how small this field would be otherwise.”
Players are competing for a piece of the $3.4 million prize pool and the winner of the main event will earn just over $925,000. "We've built the event for the players," Borgata poker marketing director Ray Stefanelli said. "Rather than spend $25K on an event, they can come here and get the same exact prize pool with a better value."
The main event final table will be televised and aired in the future on GSN. So the players who make the final table have the possibility of starting a career in the poker industry if they are noticed by the right people.
Poker Pro Joe Sebok Joins Online Poker room: UltimateBet’s Team UB as Media & Operations Consultant
September 22, 2009
Respected Poker Pro Joe Sebok Joins UltimateBet’s Team UB with Expanded Role as Media & Operations Consultant
Popular poker professional and industry expert will work to bridge the gap between the online poker room UltimateBet brand and the poker playing public
Miami, FL (PRWeb) September 21, 2009 – UltimateBet today announced the signing of respected poker player Joe Sebok to its team of poker professionals. In addition to wearing UltimateBet’s signature black and gold in land-based tournament across the globe, Sebok will be a consultant for UltimateBet on matters related to media and operations.
"We are ecstatic to bring Joe onto Team UB,” said Paul Leggett, COO of Tokwiro Enterprises. “He will not only serve as a pro player representing the brand, but more importantly will be instrumental in helping us create a poker site for and by poker players. His commitment to the brand was invaluable as he worked closely with me to help begin to bring closure on the details surrounding the cheating investigation from last year. I'll continue to work with him to ensure that we always do everything possible to satisfy the poker community’s concerns and will continue to work together to make UB the premier poker site. I couldn't be happier to welcome Joe to the team today".
Joe Sebok has gained industry respect for his founding of PokerRoad.com, an online poker media outlet that provides poker fans with fresh, innovative and often irreverent content from an insider’s perspective. Online poker fans around the world continue to look to Sebok and PokerRoad.com, where he serves as CEO, for a unique perspective on everything related to land-based and online poker.
The poker professional had been outspoken in ensuring that UltimateBet players were treated with respect as last year’s security breach continued to unfold recently. Sebok worked with UltimateBet’s new management team to make certain that players weren’t left in the dark as the online poker site worked diligently to make things right for the UB community, a role he intends to continue with the team.
In his new role, Sebok will help bridge the gap between the UltimateBet brand and poker players. His in-depth knowledge of the online poker world will undoubtedly raise the bar and make UltimateBet the only place poker players will want to play.
"UB and I first started talking about a possible relationship almost 4 months ago and I made it very clear that I couldn’t commit until that point in time when the names associated with the scandal began to be released” said Sebok. “Paul Leggett has been instrumental in this process and I now feel comfortable and excited about joining the team, as we are heading in such a positive direction. While this process isn't entirely complete, I consider this to be one of my new responsibilities moving forward and intend to continue working very closely with Paul to ensure it happens. I am very happy to be joining UB today and look forward to our future."
As a poker pro, Sebok knows what champion poker players are looking for. Just one year after beginning his poker career in 2004, Sebok made two final tables at the 2005 World Series of Poker and won a number of land-based and online poker events.
In just four years, Sebok’s lifetime poker winnings of over $1.85 million include impressive first place finishes in the 2006 Mirage Poker Showdown WPT event for $150,165, the 2006 Heavenly Hold’em Championship for $209,060, a 2006 WPT Festa Al Logo Classic event for $267,295, and a 2007 L.A. Poker Classic event for over $96,000. Most recently, Sebok made a deep run at the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event, where he eventually finished in 56th place for $108,000.
Online poker players at UltimateBet can employ the online poker site’s free UltimateBuddy feature to discover where Joe Sebok is playing under the name joesebok.
About UltimateBet
Designed with the assistance of the best poker players in the world - Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke – UltimateBet provides the best poker games available on the net through the CEREUS poker network. Players can download the free online poker software to their Mac or PC, play in free ring games and tournaments and get tips from the pros to learn the sport or to enhance their playing strategy.
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John-Paul Kelly Wins First WSOPE Event of 2009
September 21, 2009
The 2009 World Series of Poker Europe has seen one event completed and that event was one for the record books. John-Paul ‘J.P.’ Kelly has become the first English player to win a WSOPE bracelet in London.
Kelly is only twenty three years old and most of the time he plays poker online. Kelly is from the UK and managed to outlast 607 players to take the win in the 1,000 plus 75 GBP No Limit Hold’em event. Kelly earned 136,803 GBP for the win.
However this is not Kelly’s first bracelet. He won the $1,500 Pot Limit Hold’em event back in June in Las Vegas for just over $194,000. Kelly commented: “I think the experience helped a lot. I sat back and waited and that was the way to play…I didn’t win a hand for the first 40 minutes (at the final table). But I was patient and picked my spots.”
Kelly stated that though the win in Vegas was larger the WSOPE win “means a lot. It’s hard to compare them. They are quite different. This is better in some ways because there are a lot more of my friends around. So I look forward to celebrating.”
*Final Results:
1st - John-Paul Kelly - 136,803
2nd - Fabien Dunlop - 84,512
3rd - Adnan "Eddy" Alshamah - 55,468
4th - Richard Allen - 38,499
5th - Anthony Roux - 28,181
6th - Neil Suarez - 21,700
7th - William Martin - 17,535
8th - Thor Drexel - 14,835
9th - James Tomlin - 13,115
*all results are in GBP
New online poker ‘Mega cash’ promotion and ECOOP V at MansionPoker.com!
September 20, 2009
MansionPoker.com is giving its online poker members the perfect opportunity to play in the fifth edition of The European Championship of Online Poker this November and December. There is an astonishing total prize pool of $4,550,000 to be shared out amongst the winners.
The ECOOP V Championship tournaments start on Monday 23 November 2009 and ends with a $1,500,000 Main Event on Sunday 6 December 2009.
It boasts all of the favorite online poker games including No Limit Hold-em, 7 Card Stud and Omaha, plus some exciting variations.
Direct buy-ins to ECOOP V range from $100 + $9 to $1,500 + $80 for the Main Event on Sunday 6 December, there are events to suit all pockets, and with prize pools from $50,000 to $1,500,000.
MansionPoker.com members get the chance to qualify for these big money tournaments by playing in satellites from as little $1.00 + $0.10.
Qualifying satellites get underway on Monday 21 September 2009 so online poker players have plenty of time to book their seat at one of the 14 tournaments in this prestigious event.
For detailed information on Mansion Poker’s ECOOP V satellite structure, go to the promotions page at MansionPoker.com
Fancy getting your hands on some real cash? Here is your big chance in our September $15,000 Mega Online Poker Tournament.
Play any of our casino games in the MansionPoker.com lobby from 00:01 on Friday 18 September to 23:59 on Sunday 27 September and earn points towards a share of a massive $15,000 prize pot!
You can play any game of the casino games during these 10 days and for every $10 wagered you will be awarded 1 point.
The more you play, the more points you earn and the more cash you win. What could be easier!
So what are you waiting for? Start playing from Friday 18 September and keep a look out for your name on the updated online poker leaderboard to see which cash prize is yours.
For full details visit:
http://www.MansionPoker.com/promotions/$15k-mega-tournament/index.html
Online Player Wins Multiple WCOOP Bracelets
September 17, 2009
Online player Ryan ‘g0lfa’ D’Angelo recently became the third player in the World Championship of Online Poker history to win multiple bracelets. Ryan won his first bracelet on September 9th and earned his second bracelet on September 14th.
The first player to earn multiple bracelets at the WCOOP was online player ‘spawng’ when he won in 2005 and 2006. Kyle ‘kwob20’ Bowker earned two bracelets that same year and became the first player to win multiple events in the same tournament series.
Ryan won his first bracelet this year during Event #18 which was a mixed hold’em tournament. he earned $50,250 for that win. His next bracelet came in Event #29 where he earned $69,245. Ryan is now sitting at the top of the WCOOP Player of the Series leader board. If he stays on top, Ryan would win a 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure package as well as the trophy for Player of the Series.
To date, Ryan has earned over $730,000. This amount includes his recent foray in the 2008 WSOP where he finished in third place during event #48. Ryan seems to be well as on his way to having a successful career in the game of poker.
The 2009 WCOOP has eight events left starting tomorrow. The series will conclude with a two day No Limit Hold’em Main Event which has a guaranteed prize pool of $10,000,000. The buy-in for this event is $5,200 and will take place on September 20th.
Annette Obrestad New Betfair Ad Banned by ASA
September 16, 2009
Annette Obrestad is the latest poker pro to star in a new advertising campaign launched by Betfair Poker. The new ad was sent out by Betfair Poker via email and featured Obrestad and the tagline “Online experience is measured in games, not years. Join the new breed. Annette_15”. The ad has now been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) because it is likely to appeal to children and young people.
The ASA was checking out a complaint, and according to past advertising bans, they only need one complaint to investigate an advertisement. They stated this particular advertisement ‘was likely to have particular appeal to children and young people, and that, by representing a successful young poker player with the implication she is 15 years old, it could encourage young people to gamble and was therefore irresponsible.”
Betfair also ran into trouble with the ASA because any people featured in a gambling advertisement must be twenty five years of age or older and Obrestad is only twenty. Betfair responded to the ban by stating: “it did not believe the ad would encourage children and young people to gamble, partly because of the way the email was distributed and partly because of the technical measures they used to prevent children and young people from gambling on their site,” adding “Obrestad was featured in the ad not because of her age but because of her standing as a poker professional and champion who had had a profound effect on the game.”
Man Wins Women’s Only Poker Tournament in Atlantic City
September 15, 2009
The Borgata Casino in Atlantic City recently held a Ladies No-Limit Texas Hold’em tournament which saw more than 260 women competing for the first place prize. one woman who really wanted to claim the first place prize was Nicole Rowe of New York. But her hopes would be dashed as one man was able to enter the tournament and he took the first place prize.
Each woman paid the $300 fee to compete in the tournament and Rowe was one of those women. She entered the tournament to try and win and use the winnings to help pay for her living expenses while she recovers from the mastectomy she is expected to have at the end of the month. Rowe was diagnosed with breast cancer and now must have the mastectomy to help fight the cancer.
Rowe would make it to heads up play but instead of facing off against another woman, she would face Abraham Korotki, age 65 of New Jersey, the only male in the competition. Korotki won the tournament taking home $20,982 for first place while Rowe won only $11,889.
Korokti stated that he entered the tournament after he was quickly eliminated from another more expensive tournament. He said he signed up for the women’s tournament because he ‘wanted to get back on the horse’ and that he had seen five to ten men in the registration line earlier in the day.
However, officials from the Borgata stated they were not aware of any other male participants in the tournament and no other men were pointed out by female players. Korotki stated that employees of the casino did not tell him he could not play in the tournament and he insisted that if he had been asked to stay out he would have not made a fuss about it.
He stated: “I have great respect for the people at Borgata. If someone had said, ‘Abe, you can play, but pleases don’t,’ I would have said, ‘Fine, ‘ and gone home and been bored until he next tournament.
Korotki is a semi-retired real estate developer and he stated that he would be donating this winnings to three charities one of which is dedicated to breast cancer. He maintains that his motives to enter the tournament were purely innocent.
Joe Lupo, the gaming hall’s senior vice president, commented: “Borgata offers specialty tournaments, including the Ladies event. in the spirit of this event, it was out hope that only women would have participated, as has happened in the past…However, given legal requirements, we must allow anyone who is over the age of 21 the opportunity to participate.”
Rowe was angry with Korotki especially after he refused to chop the pot with her. She asked him for a chop and according to Rowe, Korotki stated: “The money is not important to me. The only way I will chop the pot is if I get the trophy.”
Rowe said she could have used the extra money but she could not cut the deal. She said she is a competitor and she was competing not only for herself but for every woman in the tournament. Korotki did not dispute Rowe’s statements.
Rowe also made comments during a phone interview in which she stated: "When you're a woman and you play poker, 99 percent of the time you're at a table with nine men.” She also commented that competing in an all women field is ‘something I look forward to’.
"Why did he have to ruin it for us? Why would he do this?"
In the end, both parties claimed there were no hard feelings and Korotki stated that Rowe was a lovely woman and he and his wife wish her the absolute best.
Kanye West Opens Big Mouth Yet AGAIN
September 14, 2009
For gaining popularity when his mouth was wired shut, Kanye West sure doesn’t know when to keep his mouth closed. The popular rap star is constantly in the media for being outlandish and brazen with his attitude. He has own opinion and apparently it is the only one that matters (in his mind). His latest tirade came last night at the 2009 Video Music Awards on MTV.
Kanye stormed on stage as Taylor Swift was about to give her acceptance speech for winning Best Female Video. Kanye takes the microphone from Taylor and proceeds to state that Beyonce’s video was better. Kanye stated: “I’m really happy for you, I’ll let you finish (meaning Taylor), but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time.” At this point the audience began to boo and Taylor was left onstage not knowing what to do. She ended up walking off without finishing her speech.
Later on in the evening, Beyoncé won for Video of the Year and she stated that she remembered when she won her first VMA with Destiny’s Child and how exciting it was. She then called Taylor up on stage to finish her speech. Talk about class!
Beyoncé was not the only one on Taylor’s side of the fiasco. Several celebrities tweeted during and after the event on how horrible Kanye was. Below are a few examples:
Pink: Kanye West is the biggest piece of s@*# on earth. Quote me.
Joel Madden: WOW Taylor Swifts first VMA and she didn’t even get to ENJOY it. Kanye You were just a bully on that one man.
The list of replies go on and on. Kanye did release an apology (if you want to call it that) on his blog but has already been deleted, it stated: “I’m sooooo sorry to Taylor Swift and her fans and her mom [Andrea]. I spoke to her mother right after and she said the same thing my mother would’ve said. She is very talented! I like the lyrics about being a cheerleader and she’s in the bleachers! I’m in the wrong for going on stage and taking away from her moment!”
He continued, “Beyonce’s video was the best of this decade!!! I’m sorry to my fans if I let you guys down!!!!! I’m sorry to my friends at MTV. I will apologize to Taylor 2mrw. Welcome to the real world!!!! Everybody wanna booooo me but I’m a fan of real pop culture!!! No disrespect but we watchin’ the show at the cribe right now cause…. Well you know!!!! I’m still happy for Taylor!!!! Boooyaawww!!!! You are very talented!!!!! I gave my awards to Outkast when they deserved it over me… That’s what it is!!!! I’m not crazy yall, I’m just real. Sorry for that!!! I really feel bad for Taylor and I’m sincerely sorry!!! Much Respect!!!!!”
Taylor Swift responded to what happened backstage at the awards stating: “I was really excited, because I had just won the award. And then I was really excited because Kanye West was onstage. And then I wasn’t so excited anymore after that. And I don’t want to start anything because I had a great night tonight.”
Taylor also commented on Beyoncé calling her up on stage. She stated: “They told me to stand by the side of the stage and I didn’t really know what was going to go down, but I thought it was so wonderful and gracious of her to do what she’s always done. She’s always been a great person before anything else. Before the talented artist, the superstar, she’s always been a great person and I just, I thought I couldn’t love Beyoncé more tonight, then tonight happened and it was just wonderful.”
So the world appears to be very angry with Kanye West at the moment which will not help his upcoming tour with Lady Gaga this fall. The two are set to begin a tour soon and Lady Gaga may want to reconsider, if she has the option. Of course we all know, especially us in the poker world, that Lady Gaga is famous for her Poker Face song as well as many others. Kanye’s outburst may hurt ticket sales of the upcoming tour and Lady Gaga may be better off going solo.
Oh and as a side note: Kanye West sold only 1.6 million copies of his latest album while Taylor has sold 3.7 million which is the highest of any artist over the past twelve months. So maybe he was just a little jealous or possibly drunk as pictures have surfaced of Kanye with a large bottle of alcohol at the awards show last night. Either way his behavior is inexcusable and maybe next time he will think twice before opening his mouth.
Online Poker Cheating: Long Awaited Decision in Ultimate Bet Case by Tokwiro
September 12, 2009
Tokwiro Enterprises ENRG (“Tokwiro”), the parent company of UltimateBet (“UB”) and Absolute Poker, yesterday received a decision from the Kahnawake Gaming Commission (“KGC”), UB’s regulatory authority, regarding the Ultimate Bet cheating scandal in 2008. The report, which followed an intensive and exhaustive investigation, ruled that Tokwiro has met the conditions imposed on it and has shown adequate cause as to why its Client Provider Authorization (“CPA”) should not be revoked. The report also included a full public disclosure of all 23 accounts and 117 usernames that were used by the cheater. The method for determining the list of names was approved by the KGC and their forensic auditors.
The KGC concluded that Tokwiro was not aware of the deficiencies in the control system until after the cheating activity had been initiated; Tokwiro fully cooperated with the KGC throughout the investigation to identify the individual(s) responsible for the cheating incidences; No individual identified as “unsuitable” is currently involved in any aspect of Tokwiro’s ownership, management and operations; Tokwiro has ensured that all players victimized by the cheating activity were promptly and fully reimbursed; and Tokwiro has paid the USD$1.5 Million fine imposed by the KGC, plus the costs of the investigation.
Paul Leggett, Chief Operating Officer for Tokwiro said, “The welfare of our players is our top priority and we are very pleased they now have access to the details of the fraud and all the facts and findings released by the KGC included in their report. A lot of our players have been patiently awaiting the release of the full list of usernames involved in the cheating incidences, and we can now answer any of their outstanding inquiries related to their refunds.”
With the completion of the investigation, the KGC has now released their final list of account numbers (User ID) and usernames (the “cheating accounts”), and they are provided in the following table:
UserID Username UserID Username UserID Username
445519 63vette 40018 QQwins 1676953 AllBoutMeee
445519 Bgroup 40018 Skipmyloo 1676953 Alll Innn
445519 FlipFlop2 40018 Starbucs 1676953 BlueBerry101
445519 gravitation 147524 groundskinner 1676953 MoDiddle2
445519 HeadKase01 147524 TakeThe5th 1676953 Squezzzed
445519 UTakeIt2 147524 trying again 1676953 VioPlayer
16054 FireNTexas *147524 2yung2fast 1676953 Xnomas
16054 FlatBroke33 147524 8-9Suited 1676958 DigginOut
16054 ilike2win 147524 ACaction 1676958 FristSucks
2833743 NioNio 147524 azzazzin 1676958 ProBitchen
2833743 NYMobser 147524 BJPlayer 1676958 SendMeMoney
1867358 LetsPatttty 147524 crackerboxxx 1676958 SteroidWhiz
1867358 Eric456 147524 dad77 1676958 WhizzzOff
1867358 RockStarLA 147524 monizzle 1676972 BeachBumAA
1867358 Stoned2Nite 147524 NCWolfpac 1676972 Broke_In_L_A
1867358 WhackMe44 147524 OnceMore 1676972 GameSetMatch
227061 GrabBag123 147524 scramble18 1676972 GutShot32
227061 NoPaddles 147524 snowball 1676972 HolyMucker
227061 nvtease 147524 Tiltorama 1676972 ShaqTack
227061 Sleeplesss 147524 Titanic_T 1676972 SlimPikins2
3126267 monizzzle 147524 Triceagain 1676972 WhakMe
3126267 whowherewhen 147524 WSOP07 *2422566 2Yung2Fast
12955 dannyboy55 622621 Butterfly29 2422566 ReimburseMe
40018 Calluwin1 622621 Butterfly30 2422566 Seve2Yung2Fast
40018 newyearnewlif 622621 dragonfly30 2422566 SeveWonder
40018 WPTwin1 638132 1105new 2422566 WacoManiac
40018 78suited 638132 30 I Am 2496885 Twenty 1
40018 Aruba2005 638132 4peat 2510148 bmw750li
Account numbers and usernames involved in the cheating incidences (cont…)
UserID Username UserID Username UserID Username
40018 Beeeemer 638132 clubhouse 2561615 2Fasttttt
40018 Calluwin 638132 Omyfuknhead 2561615 slug2
40018 Dive-Dive 638132 River-Broke 2561615 SweeetNSour
40018 Indy05 638132 Ticketless 2561621 DoMee
40018 jamaway 638132 workinout 2561621 humster
40018 kid66 966687 CominHome 2561631 BenzMe
40018 marshal arts 966687 Crackcorn55 2561631 flammer2
40018 Natsme 966687 CravinAA 2561631 KidXmas
40018 newyearlife 966687 Jupiter300 2599923 H_Curtis
40018 ocean11 966687 LivTheLif 2641649 commish2
40018 oceans14 1676953 55WasHere 2641649 Treetopss
2641649 TressureHunt
* Represents accounts that had a duplicate username.
It is important to note that the legacy UB software, which is no longer in use, historically allowed a username to be reused, provided that the username was no longer associated with an account. Because of this, it is possible that some of the usernames which were released yesterday by the KGC may have been used by legitimate accounts, once those usernames were no longer used and controlled by the perpetrator. It is also a fact that a very small number of the usernames associated with the cheating accounts never actually played a hand.
As previously determined by independent investigations and stated in yesterday’s KGC report, the malicious software code that enabled the cheating was placed on Ultimate Bet servers prior to Tokwiro’s acquisition of the business from Excapsa Software (“Excapsa”) in 2006. Tokwiro’s consistent position that the ability to cheat predated its ownership was vindicated by the recent legal settlement with Excapsa, under the terms of which Excapsa paid Tokwiro USD$15 million in partial compensation for the damage that was done by the cheating. This payment went toward the USD$22,054,351.91 in complete refunds that Tokwiro issued to the players that were adversely affected by the UB cheating incidences.
“It is extremely important to us that our players and the rest of the poker community understand that the individuals who perpetrated the cheating have never had any involvement with our company and we hope that the KGC report helps to inform the poker community of this fact,” Leggett added. “Over the past year we have literally rebuilt our company, creating a new management team and core staff that are poker players themselves and passionate about the game, and we are very excited to demonstrate what we can do in the coming months.”
In response to the cheating scandal, Tokwiro has implemented a range of key security measures that include a complete corporate reorganization, the dissemination of new mandatory ethics policies as well as strict policies regarding account name changes and VIP player vetting, the creation of an expanded Security Department to incorporate a specialized group of poker security analysts, and the development of a state-of-the-art Security Center that uses statistical analysis and real-time monitoring to catch cheating, including collusion, chip-dumping, bots, and other illicit activities.
Players with questions regarding the cheating incidences or any other concerns should email UB’s Live 24/7 Support at pokersecurity@ultimatebet.com or call 1.888.200.2933 (toll free for US/Canada only). Please note that due to a high volume of requests expected, your patience is appreciated.
For more information regarding the KGC’s findings, please read the full report at http://www.kahnawake.com/gamingcommission/
Planet Hollywood Casino Workers Land in Jail for Poker Scheme
September 10, 2009
Last month four Las Vegas casino employees were accused of forging documents and stealing money from the Planet Hollywood Casino in conjunction with what is now being called the Planet Hollywood Poker Room Scheme.
The casino employee's arrested include Jason Peterson, Thomas Kordick, Johnathan Sanner and Scott Marshall all taken into custody on August 21, 2009 by the Nevada Gaming Control Board investigators.
The Planet Hollywood casino employees worked in the poker room as dealers and supervisors and were accused of creating false documents for jackpot winnings and splitting the money amongst themselves.
Local police have stated that these employees worked together to cheat money out of the casino by using a paper trail.
The State Gaming Control Board stated that several times in August the employees claimed jackpots for high hands that were never won. The employees forged the signatures of false players and took home money in the thousands.
The notorious four were charged with conspiracy, forgery and theft. Planet Hollywood staff members together abused the casinos high hand bonus. If a poker player won the high hand bonus, no harm, no foul... the bonus was paid, and play continued as usual...
However, if no one won the high hand bonus, it appears the casino's staff members were allegedly tempted to create their own winners, file the paperwork, and chop the pot, so to speak
According to news reports, authorities were tipped off by a casino whistle blower.
Thomas Kordick
Johnathan Sanner
Jason Peterson