Poker

The “durrrr Challenge”: Cates Takes Another $39,797 From Dwan

Matt — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 15:41:09 +0000

Tom “durrrr” Dwan and Daniel “jungleman12” Cates continued the “durrrr Challenge” Tuesday evening, playing a 1,099-hand session. Lately the match has been one-sided and Tuesday’s contest was no different as Cates added to his lead. Although it was a modest $39,797, Dwan appears no closer to solving the mystery that is defeating Cates. Here are the stats following Tuesday’s bout.

Overall Stats

Hands played: 19,335 of 50,000
Cates’ profit: $1,251,059
Dwan’s losses: $1,255,119

The largest pot played between the two on Tuesday went Dwan’s way. He opened to $1,200 on the button and was quickly reraised to $4,800 by Cates from the big blind. A call from Dwan led to a flop prompting Cates to fire out a $4,800 bet. Dwan called and the hit fourth street. Cates kept up the heat with a $14,400 bet, but was was still unable to shake Dwan. The river brought the but slowing down was not on Cates’ mind. With the pot at $48,000, Cates shoved with the bigger stack. Dwan had $30,287 behind and opted to call with for just fourth pair on board. His read was spot-on as Cates could only table for queen high and the $108,573.50 pot was shipped to Dwan.

In another hand, Dwan kicked off the action with a button raise to $1,200. Cates put in the standard three-bet to $4,400, and after Dwan called, the flop came down . Cates once again fired a bet half the size of the pot — $4,400. Dwan, this time, put in a raise and made it $11,100 to play. A call from Cates delivered the on the turn and he checked, finding himself with a decision to make when Dwan shoved with the bigger stack. With $35,296.50 behind, Cates called all in and tabled for trips. Dwan showed for trips, as well, but his kicker was inferior. They ran the river twice, to no avail for Dwan. The followed by the kept Cates’ jack kicker in play to scoop the $101,592 pot.

The next biggest pot that Cates won kicked off with similar action to the first two hands mentioned. Dwan’s opening $1,200 raise was three-bet by Cates to $4,800. Dwan called and the two saw a flop roll out. Cates fired $5,200, Dwan popped it to $13,900, and Cates slowed down as a result, opting to call. The came down on the turn and the action was checked by both players. The fell on the river, leading to Cates to bet $28,000. Dwan called, but mucked when Cates revealed to take the $93,399.50 pot.

Credit: pokernews.com

PokerStars Celebrating 60 Billionth Online Poker Hand

Matt — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 16:06:46 +0000

It’s hard to believe that PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker site, is about to deal its 60 billionth hand. Yes, that’s billion with a “b” and PokerStars officials are expecting the milestone pot to occur sometime in the next eight or nine days. The site happily accepts players from the United States.

Starting at hand #59.7 billion, the first of 300 regular milestone hands will occur. They take place every one million hands and any player dealt into them will receive $50 for each VIP Player Point (VPP) they earned during the previous 50 hands at that table. In addition, every player dealt to will receive a base prize of 50 bucks. The winner of every milestone hand will have their prize doubled as an extra special bonus.

Again, there are a total of 300 regular milestone hands and we’d expect that cash game volume on PokerStars will skyrocket when the 59.7 billionth hand is dealt. According to the traffic watchdog site PokerScout.com, PokerStars is the largest site in existence and boasts a seven-day running average of 30,200 real money ring game players, with a 24-hour peak of nearly 50,000.

Players involved in the 60 billionth hand are in for quite a treat. Instead of receiving $50 for every VPP earned in the previous 50 hands, players will find a multiplier of $500. A base prize of $500 will be distributed and, once again, the winner of the hand will get their loot doubled. As if that weren’t enough, whoever is fortunate enough to scoop the 60 billionth hand will, appropriately, pick up an extra $60,000 in cash.

Text found on PokerStars’ website notes that the grand prize could be quite hefty: “The winner of the Mega Milestone will also have their prize money doubled, and will also receive $60,000 on top – which means a grand total of tens of thousands of dollars!” If the 60 billionth hand involves a split pot, then the $60,000 will be divvied up accordingly. All told, PokerStars expects to give away $1 million during the promotion.

Last September, PokerStars dealt its 50 billionth hand. After players at the table moved all-in to try to capitalize on the extra cash up for grabs, “tbvle” took the hand down with pocket queens and collected $56,000. He also received a $5,200 seat into the World Championship of Online Poker Main Event, which ran several days later.

A $2/$4 No Limit Hold’em table played host to the 40 billionth hand on PokerStars, which was dealt 13 months go. After making a full house on the river, “Senecady” walked away with $24,000 for winning the landmark pot. There were nearly 300,000 players logged into the site across 41,000 tables when the moment occurred as players desperately tried to be one of the lucky few to be dealt into the 40 billionth hand.

Members of TwoPlusTwo were hopeful that PokerStars would offer a cash bonus in addition to the milestone hand promotion. One poster wrote, “Just having those bonus hands is pretty boring imo. Unless I happen to win the 60 billionth one, then it’s awesome. Like winning the lottery though.”

Currently, just over 59.5 billion hands have been dealt. PokerStars has a running count displayed on its homepage and, if you’re logged into the client, look in the upper left corner of a table to see what hand number the site is on. Who knows? Maybe we’ll be writing about you winning the 60 billionth hand.

Credit: pokernewsdaily.com

The Isildur1 Effect: Has PokerStars’ Signing of Viktor “Isildur1″ Blom Changed the High-Stakes Landscape?

Matt — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 16:03:05 +0000

Last December, PokerStars took the monumental step of signing an online poker legend to its team roster. We’re speaking, of course, of the then-unknown “Isildur1,” who was revealed a month later as being the long-suspected Viktor Blom of Sweden. While Isildur1’s identity lacked intrigue, why he signed with PokerStars rather than Full Tilt Poker, the site where he literally made his name by playing in the high-stakes cash games, certainly made people curious.

For years, Full Tilt Poker has been known for its high-stakes cash-game selection while PokerStars was the place to go for tournament poker. Many speculated that PokerStars’ signing of Blom, one of the most infamous online cash game players in history, was a move designed to reinvigorate its high-stakes cash-game options and hopefully put it on par with the competition. While the PokerStars high-stakes games may not be on the same level as Full Tilt quite yet, it cannot be denied that the action has increased over the past few months. The question is, can this be attributed to Blom’s arrival on the PokerStars scene?

Given the facts and data, all signs point to “yes” and suggest that there has been an “Isildur1 Effect” indeed. If you look at the numbers from the beginning of the year until mid-March, you can see that two of the top ten cash-game earners have amassed their fortunes on PokerStars – Gavin “gavz101” Cochrane (fourth on the list with +$1,614,987) and Rafael “refaelamit” Amit (ninth on the list with +$717,302). This is in stark contrast to the same period in 2010 when the top ten were all from Full Tilt. In fact, the overall top ten cash-game earners for 2010 came from Full Tilt. PokerStars’ high-stakes traffic has increased so much in the last few months, that to have two players already crack that list is impressive. It is no coincidence that these numbers changed just a few months ago at around the same time Blom arrived.

The Swede’s switch to PokerStars has inspired other online professionals to follow suit, which Blom clearly epitomizes, and as a result the $25/$50, $100/$200, and $200/$400 no-limit hold’em and pot-limit Omaha tables have been going strong. In a recent interview with Pokerisivut.com, Illari Sahamies, who was a regular on Full Tilt under the name “Ziigmund,” explained why he made the switch to PokerStars, where his handle is the ever so appropriate “Ilari FIN.” “The whole Full Tilt software started to give me creeps. It might sound ridiculous, but I am not superstitious. I just thought to give PokerStars a go, and since Isildur1 is also there, it suits better for me at the moment,” he said.

Sahamies is not the only notable player to find action on PokerStars’ high-stakes tables. Since Blom’s arrival, a number of Full Tilt regulars have been spotted playing on the competition’s software including Jared “Harrington10” Bleznick, Phil “MrSweets28” Galfond, Daniel “w00ki3z” Cates, Di “ilvdnfl” Dang, Brian “$tinger88” Hastings, and Scott “urnotindangr” Palmer.

PokerStars was also wise enough to launch a high-stakes challenge with Blom in the form of the SuperStar Showdown. For those who don’t know, the SuperStar Showdown, which conjures up images of Full Tilt’s “durrrr Challenge,” is designed as a one-time high-stakes match where challengers face off against Blom in a heads-up match of 2,500 hands spread across four tables of $50/$100 or higher no-limit hold’em and/or pot-limit Omaha. Thus far the SuperStar Showdown has drawn four challengers, Isaac “philivey2694″ Haxton, Antanas “Tony G” Guoga, Eugene “MyRabbiFoo” Katchalov, and the aforementioned Cates, none of whom were strict PokerStars regulars.

Clearly there are some players gunning for some of that sweet Isildur1 money, and poker fans seem to love it. In fact, there is even a thread on TwoPlusTwo dedicated to Blom and his high-stakes exploits since joining PokerStars. Blom is certainly doing his part, having played 1,177 sessions totaling 138,311 hands so far this year; albeit, at a loss of $324,550. Regardless, his presence seems to be enough to get the money flowing.

PokerStars certainly seems to have a recipe that works in building its high-stakes section to compliment its tournament selection. While the poker boom of 2003 is often referred to as the “Moneymaker Effect,” the recent surge in high-stakes games on PokerStars has been largely, if not completely, due to Blom’s signing with the site. Therefore, if you’ve been playing on the high-stakes games on Pokerstars or simply enjoying the action, it wouldn’t be a stretch of the imagination to say that you’ve been influenced by the “Isildur1 Effect.”

Credit: Pokernews.com

PokerStars Launch Sunday Storm + Free Ticket Bonus Code

Matt — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:57:06 +0000

PokerStars have announced yet another tournament that is likely to take the industry by Storm. The PokerStars Sunday 1/4 Million has a new name – the Sunday Storm – and it’s re-launching with a huge one-off $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool on March 27 (From April 3, the regular guaranteed prize pool will be $300,000.)

The buy-in is just $11 but there are also free-to-enter qualifiers running every hour, meaning you can win your seat for free.

To celebrate this brand new tournament, new real money players can get their seat to this event for free. That is because any new players who download PokerStars, deposit $20 or more and enter the bonus code STORM will be credited with a ticket for the $1,000,000 Sunday Storm. This is on top of the usual 100% up to $600 first deposit bonus.

Credit: pokernews.com

Isildur1 To Face Negreanu in True SuperStar Showdown

Matt — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 15:27:17 +0000

Poker’s biggest star will take on its latest phenom in a heads-up match for the ages later this month.

Daniel Negreanu will face Viktor “Isildur1″ Blom in a SuperStar Showdown match on PokerStars over two Sundays March 20th and 27th.

Both players will bring $150,000 to four tables of $50/$100 No-Limit Hold’em and quit after 2,500 hands on the 20th.

The stacks will then be carried over to round two on the 27th for another 2,500 hands.

Both rounds will begin at 3 p.m. ET.

The most recognizable face in the game, Negreanu has $14,116,191 in career live tournament earnings. He currently sits second on poker’s all-time leading money winner’s list having just been passed by the red-hot Erik Seidel.

Blom burst onto the high-stakes scene online in the fall of 2009 winning and losing millions and playing the only two seven-figure pots ever recorded against Patrik Antonius and Phil Ivey.

The painfully shy Swede signed on as a Team PokerStars Pro in January this year and has since taken on some of the game’s top players in a series of SuperStar Showdown matches on the site.

Negreanu has apparently been gearing up for this match since the beginning of 2011 when he increased his volume online and began running practice multi-tabling sessions.

Credit: pokerlistings.com

2011 PokerStars SCOOP Schedule Released

Matt — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 15:24:33 +0000

On May 8th, the 2011 PokerStars Spring Championship of Online Poker, or SCOOP, will commence. This year’s running, the third overall, is monstrous. A total of 38 events will be held over the course of two weeks and, for each, three levels of buy-ins will be available: Low, Mid, and High.

In 2010, a total of $63 million was ultimately distributed across 38 SCOOP events. This year, $45 million is guaranteed and the actual prize pool is sure to soar much higher. Why should you play in the 2011 SCOOP? What’s the point? Text found on the PokerStars Blog explains, “If you’re just tuning in, SCOOP is a different kind of online tournament series. Instead of being for little, medium, or big bankrolls, it offers three buy-in levels for every one of its events. You can play one or all of them, depending on your ability to multitask and such.”

Satellites to 2011 SCOOP tournaments will kick off on March 14th on the world’s largest online poker site. On the popular poker forum PocketFives.com, several new players were looking forward to their first ever PokerStars SCOOP. One poster wrote, “Not bad. Depending on my work schedule, I may be able to get 5 or 6 events in! This will be my first ever major online poker event, or any major poker event for that matter.”

The three SCOOP Main Events will pan out on May 22nd beginning at 17:00 ET and offer a combined $9 million in prize money. Without further delay, here’s the complete 2011 PokerStars SCOOP schedule:

Sunday, May 8th

Event #1: 13:00 ET
Low: $22 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max, $300,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $215 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max, $750,000 Guaranteed
High: $2,100 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max, $1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event #2: 17:00 ET
Low: $22 No Limit Hold’em, $300,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $215 No Limit Hold’em, $1,500,000 Guaranteed
High: $2,100 No Limit Hold’em, $1,500,000 Guaranteed

Monday, May 9th

Event #3: 14:00 ET
Low: $5.50 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max Rebuy, $250,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $55 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max Rebuy, $500,000 Guaranteed
High: $530 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max Rebuy, $750,000 Guaranteed

Event #4: 17:00 ET
Low: $16.50 Badugi, $25,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $162 Badugi, $25,000 Guaranteed
High: $1,575 Badugi, $50,000 Guaranteed

Event #5: 20:00 ET
Low: $11 Pot Limit Omaha Turbo Cubed, $75,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $109 Pot Limit Omaha Turbo Cubed, $200,000 Guaranteed
High: $1,050 Pot Limit Omaha Turbo Cubed, $350,000 Guaranteed

Tuesday, May 10th

Event #6: 14:00 ET
Low: $11 Pot Limit Five Card Draw, $25,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $109 Pot Limit Five Card Draw, $50,000 Guaranteed
High: $1,050 Pot Limit Five Card Draw, $75,000 Guaranteed

Event #7: 17:00 ET
Low: $16.50 No Limit Hold’em Heads-Up Match Play, $100,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $162 No Limit Hold’em Heads-Up Match Play, $200,000 Guaranteed
High: $1,575 No Limit Hold’em Heads-Up Match Play, $400,000 Guaranteed

Event #8: 20:00 ET
Low: $11 No Limit Hold’em, $100,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $109 No Limit Hold’em, $300,000 Guaranteed
High: $1,050 No Limit Hold’em, $600,000 Guaranteed

Wednesday, May 11th

Event #9: 14:00 ET
Low: $22 Mixed Hold’em Six-Max, $75,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $215 Mixed Hold’em Six-Max, $150,000 Guaranteed
High: $2,100 Mixed Hold’em Six-Max, $250,000 Guaranteed

Event #10: 17:00 ET
Low: $33 Seven Card Stud High, $25,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $320 Seven Card Stud High, $50,000 Guaranteed
High: $3,150 Seven Card Stud High, $100,000 Guaranteed

Thursday, May 12th

Event #11: 14:00 ET
Low: $22 Pot Limit Omaha Heads-Up Match Play, $50,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $215 Pot Limit Omaha Heads-Up Match Play, $100,000 Guaranteed
High: $2,100 Pot Limit Omaha Heads-Up Match Play, $200,000 Guaranteed

Event #12: 17:00 ET
Low: $27 No Limit Hold’em Knockout, $200,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $265 No Limit Hold’em Knockout, $400,000 Guaranteed
High: $2,600 No Limit Hold’em Knockout, $600,000 Guaranteed

Friday, May 13th

Event #13: 14:00 ET
Low: $16.50 No Limit Hold’em Ante Up, $100,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $162 No Limit Hold’em Ante Up, $200,000 Guaranteed
High: $1,575 No Limit Hold’em Ante Up, $300,000 Guaranteed

Event #14: 17:00 ET
Low: $55 Omaha High/Low, $75,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $530 Omaha High/Low, $125,000 Guaranteed
High: $5,200 Omaha High/Low, $225,000 Guaranteed

Event #15: 20:00 ET
Low: $16.50 No Limit Hold’em 2X Chance Turbo, $150,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $162 No Limit Hold’em 2X Chance Turbo, $400,000 Guaranteed
High: $1,575 No Limit Hold’em 2X Chance Turbo, $750,000 Guaranteed

Saturday, May 14th

Event #16: 14:00 ET
Low: $22 No Limit Hold’em Quadruple Shootout 10-Max, $125,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $215 No Limit Hold’em Triple Shootout 10-Max, $150,000 Guaranteed
High: $2,100 No Limit Hold’em Double Shootout 10-Max, $150,000 Guaranteed

Event #17: 17:00 ET
Low: $16.50 Pot Limit Omaha Six-Max Rebuy, $100,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $162 Pot Limit Omaha Six-Max Rebuy, $250,000 Guaranteed
High: $1,575 Pot Limit Omaha Six-Max Rebuy, $400,000 Guaranteed

Event #18: 20:00 ET
Low: $22 Triple Stud Turbo, $25,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $215 Triple Stud Turbo, $50,000 Guaranteed
High: $2,100 Triple Stud Turbo, $75,000 Guaranteed

Sunday, May 15th

Event #19: 13:00 ET
Low: $22 No Limit Hold’em, $300,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $215 No Limit Hold’em, $1,000,000 Guaranteed
High: $2,100 No Limit Hold’em, $1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event #20: 17:00 ET
Low: $22 No Limit Hold’em, $350,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $215 No Limit Hold’em, $2,000,000 Guaranteed
High: $2,100 No Limit Hold’em, $2,000,000 Guaranteed

Monday, May 16th

Event #21: 14:00 ET
Low: $16.50 No Limit Hold’em / Pot Limit Omaha, $75,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $162 No Limit Hold’em / Pot Limit Omaha, $150,000 Guaranteed
High: $1,575 No Limit Hold’em / Pot Limit Omaha, $300,000 Guaranteed

Event #22: 17:00 ET
Low: $33 No Limit Hold’em Four-Max, $100,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $320 No Limit Hold’em Four-Max, $300,000 Guaranteed
High: $3,150 No Limit Hold’em Four-Max, $500,000 Guaranteed

Event #23: 20:00 ET
Low: $11 No Limit Hold’em Turbo Rebuy, $250,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $109 No Limit Hold’em Turbo Rebuy, $500,000 Guaranteed
High: $1,050 No Limit Hold’em Turbo Rebuy, $1,000,000 Guaranteed

Tuesday, May 17th

Event #24: 14:00 ET
Low: $11 Triple Draw 2-7, $25,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $109 Triple Draw 2-7, $50,000 Guaranteed
High: $1,050 Triple Draw 2-7, $75,000 Guaranteed

Event #25: 17:00 ET
Low: $22 Seven Card Stud High/Low, $25,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $215 Seven Card Stud High/Low, $75,000 Guaranteed
High: $2,100 Seven Card Stud High/Low, $150,000 Guaranteed

Event #26: 20:00 ET
Low: $11 No Limit Hold’em, $100,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $109 No Limit Hold’em, $300,000 Guaranteed
High: $1,050 No Limit Hold’em, $600,000 Guaranteed

Wednesday, May 18th

Event #27: 14:00 ET
Low: $22 Razz, $25,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $215 Razz, $75,000 Guaranteed
High: $2,100 Razz, $150,000 Guaranteed

Event #28: 17:00 ET
Low: $11 No Limit Hold’em Big Antes Rebuy, $200,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $109 No Limit Hold’em Big Antes Rebuy, $400,000 Guaranteed
High: $1,050 No Limit Hold’em Big Antes Rebuy, $600,000 Guaranteed

Thursday, May 19th

Event #29: 14:00 ET
Low: $33 Eight Game, $50,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $320 Eight Game, $100,000 Guaranteed
High: $3,150 Eight Game, $250,000 Guaranteed

Event #30: 17:00 ET
Low: $11 Pot Limit Omaha High/Low, $50,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $109 Pot Limit Omaha High/Low, $125,000 Guaranteed
High: $1,050 Pot Limit Omaha High/Low, $250,000 Guaranteed

Friday, May 20th

Event #31:14:00 ET
Low: $22 No Limit Hold’em Cubed, $300,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $215 No Limit Hold’em Cubed, $500,000 Guaranteed
High: $2,100 No Limit Hold’em Cubed, $800,000 Guaranteed

Event #32: 17:00 ET
Low: $55 Limit Hold’em Six-Max, $75,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $530 Limit Hold’em Six-Max, $150,000 Guaranteed
High: $5,200 Limit Hold’em Six-Max, $250,000 Guaranteed

Event #33: 20:00 ET
Low: $22 No Limit Omaha High/Low Turbo, $50,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $215 No Limit Omaha High/Low Turbo, $100,000 Guaranteed
High: $2,100 No Limit Omaha High/Low Turbo, $150,000 Guaranteed

Saturday, May 21st

Event #34: 14:00 ET
Low: $55 Pot Limit Omaha Six-Max, $100,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $530 Pot Limit Omaha Six-Max, $300,000 Guaranteed
High: $5,200 Pot Limit Omaha Six-Max, $500,000 Guaranteed

Event #35: 15:30 ET
Low: $270 No Limit Hold’em Heads-Up Match Play, $300,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $2,600 No Limit Hold’em Heads-Up Match Play, $450,000 Guaranteed
High: $25,500 No Limit Hold’em Heads-Up Match Play, $600,000 Guaranteed

Event #36: 17:00 ET
Low: $22 HORSE, $50,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $215 HORSE, $100,000 Guaranteed
High: $2,100 HORSE, $150,000 Guaranteed

Sunday, May 22nd

Event #37: 13:00 ET
Low: $22 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max, $300,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $215 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max, $1,000,000 Guaranteed
High: $2,100 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max, $1,000,000 Guaranteed

2011 SCOOP Main Event: 17:00 ET
Low: $109 No Limit Hold’em, $1,000,000 Guaranteed
Mid: $1,050 No Limit Hold’em, $3,000,000 Guaranteed
High: $10,300 No Limit Hold’em, $5,000,000 Guaranteed

Credit: pokernewsdaily.com

Antonio Esfandiari Scoops $600,000 Pot on High Stakes Poker

Matt — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 15:57:08 +0000

Saturday night’s episode of the GSN cash game series “High Stakes Poker” featured the largest pot by far of Season 7, which is now just two hours old. Last week, two $400,000 pots were played and, this week, Victory Poker pro Antonio Esfandiari scooped one worth $593,000. Former “Saturday Night Live” funny man Norm Macdonald hosts the series.

To start the episode, David “Viffer” Peat was the table’s big winner, up $210,000, while PokerStars pro Vanessa Selbst was down $228,000. The eight-handed table featured three businessmen and five rock solid poker pros.

The action was fast and furious from the beginning. On a board of 7-8-2-A-J with three hearts, Silly Bandz creator Robert Croak checked holding 6-4 of hearts for a flush and Treasure Island Las Vegas owner Phil Ruffin fired out a massive overbet of $50,000 with a straight. Croak joked that if Ruffin would pull back $30,000, he’d gladly call, but ultimately pitched his cards into the muck. He explained, “I give you too much credit for betting four times the pot.”

On a flop of J-5-5, retired businessman Bill Klein checked holding pocket kings and Peat led out for $5,000 with 7-5 for trips. Klein check-raised to $15,000 and Peat called to bring a deuce on the turn. Klein bet $20,000 when the duck splashed and Peat called. The river was a nine. Klein bet $40,000 and Peat called to deliver the bad news. “Viffer” scooped the $160,000 pot and was up $319,000 on the young season.

In a pot that could have ended up a lot worse for “The Godfather of Poker” Doyle Brunson, the board read J-3-7-Q with three spades and Brunson check-called a bet of $10,100 from Esfandiari with Q-J of diamonds for top two pair. Esfandiari had turned a set with pocket queens and watched as the river was a four. Brunson check-called one more bet, this time of $30,100, and Esfandiari scooped a $96,000 pot.

Then, the second richest pot of the night occurred. On a flop of K-A-8, Ruffin bet $5,000 with K-3 of clubs for second pair and Peat called with 9-2 of the same suit for air. The turn was a four. Ruffin bet $20,000 and Peat bumped the action to $50,000 on a stone cold bluff. Ruffin called and the river was a queen. Ruffin checked, Peat relentlessly bet $100,000 with “nuclear squadoosh,” and Ruffin called despite his marginal holding. The pot was worth $319,000 and Ruffin was up $343,000 on the new season.

The largest pot of Saturday’s hour-long installment of “High Stakes Poker” featured a flop of 10-6-4 with two hearts. Esfandiari made a continuation bet of $6,200 with 8-7 of the suit for flush and straight draws, Peat called with 7-6 for middle pair, and Barry Greenstein raised to $30,000 with pocket fours for bottom set. Esfandiari 3bet to $106,000 and Peat got out of the way. Greenstein responded by 4betting all-in and Esfandiari obliged.

“The Magician” asked Greenstein if he wanted to run it once or twice and the PokerStars pro opted for the former. With a pot worth $593,000 hanging in the balance, the turn was the queen of hearts, giving Esfandiari a flush. Needing the board to pair on the river, Greenstein watched rather unemotionally as an eight hit.

Next week on “High Stakes Poker,” Victory Poker pro Andrew “good2cu” Robl joins the group, replacing Croak. You can catch new episodes on Saturdays at 8:00pm ET and 11:00pm ET on GSN.

Credit: pokernewsdaily.com

Erik Seidel wins the 2011 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship!

Matt — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 15:53:26 +0000

What can we say about Erik Seidel that hasn’t already been said — in the last two months? Seidel is having a monster 2011. At the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in January, Seidel finished 3rd in a $5,000 6-max event ($46,560) and 4th in the $25,000 High Roller event ($295,960). He then shifted locations to Australia, where he banked $618,139 for a 3rd-place finish in the $100K High Rollers before taking down the $250K Super High Rollers for $2.4 million.

In February Seidel returned to the U.S. to play in a few events at the LA Poker Classic. Although he didn’t cash in the $10,000 World Poker Tour Main Event, he did final table a few side events. He took 5th in the $5K Heads-Up event ($14,500) and then won the $25k High Rollers event for another $144,570.

Now Seidel can lift over his head the trophy of NBC National Heads-Up champion and add $750,000 to his already bloated bankroll.

This prize just barely eluded Seidel last year. After five straight years of failing to get out of the first round, Seidel made it all the way to the finals. There he fell in three matches to his good friend Annie Duke.

Seidel’s path to the finals this year wasn’t easy by any means. He had to defeat, in order, Allen Cunningham, Jennifer Harman, Phil Gordon, Vanessa Selbst and Andrew Robl. Then, in the finals, he had to deal with a very tough Chris Moneymaker, who felled several legends of the game on his own path to the finals.

The year is only two months old and already Seidel has $4.3 million in cashes. Those cashes have vaulted him into 1st place on the all-time money list. Who knows how many more millions in cashes he’ll add before the year ends?
Credit: pokernews.com

Matt — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 16:59:13 +0000

NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship: The Bracket is Set

The who’s who of the poker industry converged upon PURE nightclub inside Caesars Palace Thursday night for the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship Draw Party. The party was action-packed as the pros and celebrities got a chance to check out their match-ups.

If you’re not familiar with the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship format, just think March Madness. The bracket is divided up into four section: spades, hearts, clubs, diamonds. Play gets under way just after noon on Friday with the diamonds bracket. With the clubs bracket following at 2 p.m., hearts at 5 p.m., and spades at 8 p.m. PST. On Friday, the 64-player field will be reduced to just 32 players. Those 32 will come back Saturday and be reduced to eight who will return Sunday to play for the title.

Diamonds

Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier vs. Justin Young
Joe Hachem vs. Phil Galfond
Vanessa Selbst vs. Eli Elezra
Peter Eastgte vs.Chris Ferguson
Huck Seed vs. Jennifer Harman
Erik Seidel vs. Allen Cunningham
Mike Matusow vs. Greg Raymer
Thomas Marchese vs. Phil Gordon

Clubs

Dwyte Pilgrim vs. Olivier Busquet
Liv Boeree vs. Jason Alexander
Jason Mercier vs. Ted Forrest
Andy Bloch vs. John Juanda
Barry Greenstein vs. Scotty Nguyen
Annette Obrestad vs. Ayaz Mahmood
Jonathan Duhamel vs. Melburn Whitmire
Nicolas Chouity vs. Antonio Esfandiari

Hearts

Kara Scott vs. David “Viffer” Peat
David Williams vs. Emmitt Smith
Gavin Smith vs. Gus Hansen
James Bord vs. Frank Kassela
Phil Laak vs. Daniel Negreanu
Michael Mizrachi vs. Vanessa Rousso
Don Cheadle vs. Tom Dwan
Phil Hellmuth vs. David Benyamine

Spades

Doyle Brunson vs. Jennifer Tilly
Erick Lindgren vs. Dennis Phillips
Daniel Cates vs. Phil Ivey
John Racener vs. Chris Moneymaker
Carlos Mortensen vs. Sam Trickett
Eric Baldwin vs. David Oppenheim
Patrik Antonius vs. Sorel Mizzi
Eugene Katchalov vs. Faraz Jaka
Credit: pokernews.com

Matt — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 16:44:25 +0000

Gregory Brooks Wins 2011 WPT L.A. Poker Classic

Call it an upset if you will at the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) L.A. Poker Classic. With Full Tilt Poker pro Carlos Mortensen seeking to become the first player to four WPT wins and holding down the chip lead entering the final table, rookie Gregory Brooks ultimately came away with the title and banked $1.6 million. Mortensen, the WPT’s all-time money leader, finished in third place for $640,000 and extended his edge in that department even further.

Brooks, who was playing in his first WPT event, doubled up in the early going at the expense of Vivek “Psyduck” Rajkumar after his aces withstood pocket queens. He vaulted into the chip lead as a result and never looked back.

It took 31 hands for an elimination to occur at the WPT L.A. Poker Classic final table. Darryll “DFish” Fish was the first player to depart. He 3bet all-in before the flop and tabled Q-10 of spades, but Mortensen, the original raiser in the hand, called and flipped up pocket queens. The board ran out 10-9-7-A-6 and Fish was relegated to the rail in sixth place for $235,000.

Then, the online poker world suffered a setback when Steve “gboro780” Gross, a member of the DoylesRoom Brunson 10, was eliminated in fifth place. Gross shoved all-in from the button with J-10 of spades and received a taker in fellow online poker pro Rajkumar, who held A-3. Gross had a double-gutter and a flush draw by the river, but whiffed on the final card to depart $304,000 richer for his wear.

Four hands after Gross went busto, Amir Lehavot followed suit. On a flop of J-9-6, Rajkumar check-raised all-in with pocket queens and, perhaps curiously, Lehavot called for his tournament life with K-Q for a gutshot straight draw and two overcards to the board. The turn and river came a four and a three, respectively, and Lehavot hit the skids in fourth place for $421,000.

Brooks held a healthy lead throughout the final table and, after taking a pot worth 2.3 million in chips from Mortensen, sent the famed poker pro to the rail in third on the very next hand. Brooks 3bet all-in on a flop of J-5-3 with two clubs and Mortensen called all-in with K-J for top pair. Brooks tabled 6-4 of clubs for flush and straight draws, the former of which hit on the river when the 10 of clubs came.

Brooks held a 5:2 chip lead entering heads-up play against Rajkumar, but closing out the youngster was anything but simple. Rajkumar doubled up after tabling pocket eights on a Q-J-7-5 two-spade board and was ahead of Brooks’ K-10 of spades for flush and straight draws. The river was a red four and Rajkumar doubled up to nine million in chips compared to Brooks’ 11 million.

Brooks then won a pot worth eight million to regain a healthy edge and, on the final hand of the 2011 WPT L.A. Poker Classic, the short stack was all-in with J-10 on a flop of 7-3-2. Brooks held 8-7 for top pair and no help came on the turn or river.

Here were the final results from the Los Angeles poker tournament:

1. Gregory Brooks – $1,654,120
2. Vivek Rajkumar – $908,730
3. Carlos Mortensen – $640,680
4. Amir Lehavot – $421,680
5. Steve Gross – $304,000
6. Darryll Fish – $235,350

Next up for the WPT is a trip up the California coast to San Jose, the site of the Bay 101 Shooting Star event. The unique pro bounty tournament takes place from March 14th to 18th and features a $10,000 buy-in.

Credit:pokernewsdaily.com