Party Poker Millions VI Cruise Final Table
A final table battle on the high seas takes place today aboard the Party Poker Millions Cruise VI. Germany’s Dominik Stopka enters as chip leader, but only by a single chip over Alexander Jung also from Germany. The final nine also include Sweden ’s 2008 PartyPoker Late Night Poker winner Andreas Jorbeck, Johannes Strassmann and Mika Paasonen. All have tasted recent success on the European circuit. Amongst those to miss out on the final table include Thomas Bihl, Mike ‘Timex’ McDonald, Florian Langmann and Christop Haller.
For a summary of all the final table action check the PartyPoker Blog.
Here are the final table players with beginning chip counts, we will add the finishers as they bust out down to the champion.
SEAT 1 – KENNETH GREGERSEN – Denmark - 44,000 9th place
SEAT 2 – RAYMOND ESTALL – UK - 187,000 5th
SEAT 3 – JOHANNES STRASSMANN – Germany - 182,000 7th
SEAT 4 – ALEXANDER JUNG – Germany - 326,000 CHAMPION
SEAT 5 – MIKA PAASONEN – Finland - 236,000 4th
SEAT 6 – DOMINIK STOPKA – Germany - 327,000 2nd
SEAT 7 – CORY ALBERTSON – United States - 90,000 3rd
SEAT 8 – PETER STEINLESBERGER – Austria - 132,000 8th
SEAT 9 – ANDREAS JORBECK – Sweden – 182,000 6th
Caesars Palace Mega Stack Series
photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Poker Room at Caesars Palace Las Vegas
WSOP players looking for additional poker action during the upcoming 2008 World Series of Poker at the Rio in Las Vegas need look no further than Caesars Palace. The Mega Stack Series runs daily from June 1st through July 9th. A variety of tournaments starting at Noon have the structure favored by most tourney players. Bigger starting stacks and 50 minute blind levels lower the "crap shoot" factor found in many lower buy-in events. WSOP players are accustomed to ponying up four figures for a seat but you won't need that here. Buy-ins range from $225 to $540 and $1060 for the 3 day championship event.
A $10 staff bonus add-on will increase the starting stack for all tournaments by 2,500 chips. No add-on for the championship just 25,000 in starting chips. Event registration begins at 10 AM every day. Grab the free Caesars shuttle at the Rio, conveniently located outside the poker room, and enjoy the short ride to the largest poker room in Las Vegas.
Check out all the details on the complete schedule for the Caesars Palace Mega Stack Series.
Phil Gordon Q&A on All Things Poker
Poker Pro Phil Gordon did a recent interview with those folks over at Freakonomics. Phil has always been an keen observer and no-holds commentator on the real life of the professional poker player. Here are a few of this comments.
Q: What percent of your success would you say is attributable to randomness?
A: Randomness, otherwise known as “variance” at the poker table is much bigger and more important than most poker players realize. I have a simple theory: change 10 river cards in any poker player’s tournament career and I would bet that they would be a losing tournament player for their career.
You might need to set aside players like Doyle Brunson here or maybe just up the number to 20 or 30 but Phil's point is correct. There are several bookkeepers and more than ten chiropractors who would be well known poker professionals today if that one river card had gone the other way. By the same token, there are a couple of guys walking around with a WSOP bracelet on their wrist who should get out before variance brings them down to their true skill level.
___________________
Several of the questions had to do with professional players and their gambling habits, I have grouped those answers together for Phil's harsh but realistic assessment of poker professionals and money management.
Q: What percentage of professional poker players would you consider to be compulsive gamblers?
A: Ninety percent of the “professional players” I know have some serious “leaks” that affect their ability to hold on to their money.
Whether it’s playing too big for their bankroll or betting on sports or casino games, these leaks have a way of keeping many of them completely broke no matter how much they win on the tournament circuit.
One of the “requirements” to be a great player is being able to divorce yourself from money and its value. Making good decisions at the poker table means that you must have the ability to “put a Ferrari” in the pot if it’s right to do so. That lack of respect for the buying power of money leads to financial problems for many of the best players in the world.
If I had to guess, I would say about 50 percent of the “name pros” you see on television on a regular basis have a negative net worth.
Q: What are the finances of some of the top pros like?
A: Some: poor, reckless, with no shot at improving long-term. Others: multi-million dollar mansions, $5-plus million a year income, and no financial worries.
As I said, harsh but true.
And some poker advice from Mr. Gordon, which might run contrary to the accepted wisdom.
Q: What skill is more important in Holdem: discipline in the range of hands you play, or the ability to read the other player?
A: Hand selection is the most important in my opinion. A blind guy who has good hand selection skills could win a world championship. A guy with 20/15 vision who picked up all the tells but played every hand might never win.
Q: What is the most dangerously deceiving starting hand for an amateur player in Texas Holdem?
A: It’s a tie … AQ, KQ, and QJ. Those are death hands to be avoided at all costs, especially if your opponent has made any aggressive move pre-flop.
And you thought he would say AK or maybe JJ, right?
Hard Times in Las Vegas?
photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
$8.4 billion MGM Mirage CityCenter Las Vegas
With the national economy playing dead the big Vegas casino companies are reporting 1st Q earnings below last year's record numbers. Record gasoline prices makes the journey to the desert gambling mecca prohibitively expensive for some while arriving visitors are bringing smaller bankrolls. Unfortunately, aeroplanes are the carriage of choice for the majority of Vegas visitors. It's been the life blood of Las Vegas and now those arteries are blocked by post 9/11 fears.
All of this doom and gloom news should cast a pall over Vegas, a dimming of the of the famous Vegas neon. Right? Of course not. This is Vegas, Baby.
The Vegas casino giants made more money than most of us can imagine, they just didn't make as much this first quarter as they did for the same period last year. Business is down across the board this year; meaning, occupancy at the Vegas resorts is averaging in the low-to-mid ninety percentile. Billions of dollars of new construction continues day and night with the Palazzo now open and Wynn's Encore Las Vegas scheduled to open this December. CityCenter, Fountainebleau, and Echelon Place are steadily marching toward completion. The projects I've listed have a price tag over $21 billion. Those are respectable numbers for anyplace, anytime.
Las Vegas continues to be flush with tourist, casinos are busy, restaurant have lines, shows sell out, and millions trade hands everyday. Life is good in the bright Nevada sun. The start of the 2008 World series of Poker is only days away and satellites for seats can be found all around town. Las Vegas poker rooms are thriving, daily tournaments draw the players, the National Heads-Up Championship has more viewers than last year and the upcoming 2008 WSOP will be the weather vane for the industry. Will 2008 surpass 2007 numbers?
Las Vegas may be your best shot at surviving the current economic disaster. Win one of the gold bracelets and you've got your got a nice savings account and big playing bank. You'll also have an option on a new profession. Of course, none of this will happen if you don't made the trek to Las Vegas during the next two months of big time poker action. When Benny Binion was asked to name what makes a good poker player he quickly answered, "money." Bring plenty of money.
WSOP Satellite Headquarters at Caesars Palace
photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Caesars Palace Las Vegas
Unofficially, The World Series of Poker has started at Caesars Palace Poker Room with Mega Satellites 3 times a day, every day, May 1st thru the 27th. The official start of the 2008 WSOP at the Rio Resort is May 30th. Players compete for Caesars Palace $500 WSOP buy-in chips good for all events in the 2008 WSOP. In addition to the Mega Satellite is a full complement of SnG's running round the clock.
No more standing in long lines for hours at the Rio to enter WSOP events. If a satellite player collects a single Caesars Palace WSOP buy-in chip they can use it to enter any event and make up the difference with cash. Caesars Palace will take care of registering the player at the Rio and leaving only one thing for the WSOP player to do, stop by Will-Call for your seat assignment. Actually two things, you have to find the seat.
This year's WSOP will be the longest WSOP in the history of the tournament. May 30,2008 is day 1 of event 1, the $10K buy-in World Championship Pot-Limit Hold'em, and the action continues until the final day of the final table of the Main Event on November 10, 2008. That's more than five months from start to finish.
Schedules and conditions for the Caesars Palace WSOP satellites after the jump...
Caesars Palace Daily Mega Satellite Schedules
1:00 PM $540 Buy-in. Players begin with $4,000 in tournament chips, all levels last thirty minutes.
For every $5,100 generated, Ten (10) $500 Caesars Palace WSOP Buy-in chips will be awarded plus $100 in cash.
5:00 PM $330 Buy-in. Players begin with $3,000 in tournament chips, all levels last thirty minutes.
For every $3,100 generated, Six (6) $500 Caesars Palace WSOP Buy-in chips will be awarded plus $100 in cash.
9:00 PM $1060 Buy-in. Players begin with $6,000 in tournament chips, all levels last thirty minutes.
For every $10,200 generated, Twenty (20) $500 Caesars Palace WSOP Buy-in chips will be awarded plus $200 in cash.
Single Table Satellites
$65 Buy-in awards one winner one (1) $500 WSOP Buy-in chip plus $100 cash
$120 Buy-in awards two winners one (1) $500 WSOP Buy-in chip plus $50 cash
$235 Buy-in awards two winners two (2) $500 WSOP Buy-in chip plus $100 cash
$335 Buy-in awards two winners three (3) $500 WSOP Buy-in chip plus $100 cash
$435 Buy-in awards two winners four (4) $500 WSOP Buy-in chip plus $100 cash
$535 Buy-in awards two winners five (5) $500 WSOP Buy-in chip plus $100 cash
$635 Buy-in awards two winners six (6) $500 WSOP Buy-in chip plus $100 cash
$525 Buy-in awards one winner ten (10) $500 WSOP Buy-in chip plus $100 cash
$1060 Buy-in awards one winner twenty (20) $500 WSOP Buy-in chip plus $200 cash
All Caesars Palace WSOP Mega Satellites and Single table Satellites are No-Limit Hold'em.
France and Finland Ponder Different Directions for Online Poker
Two members of the European Union appear headed in opposite directions as far as regulating online poker. One country is considering abolishing existing restrictive legislation, while the other is preparing to regulate online poker for the first time.
The French appear ready to reconsider their online gambling monopoly perhaps due to pressure the European Union. France is reportedly reconsidering its policies regarding online gambling. French residents may soon get the chance to again play at a regulated online gambling sites.
French law currently states that online betting is not allowed. However, the European Commission of the EU is pressuring France to conform to the EU treaty regarding free competition with other member nations. Reliable sources have the new regulations allowing online betting on sporting events – including poker games.
Finland, on the other hand, currently does not regulate online poker but is now looking at this source of taxable income. Gambling in Finland is organized as a national monopoly, but online poker has yet to be managed by government agencies.
I widely circulated report found that Finns spend as much as 50 million Euros annually on foreign online poker sites. Finnish officials obviously feel they could or should keep a significant portion of that money within Finland and, of course, tax it. Their problem will be the same as so many other member nations have faced, the EU regulations.
Party Poker Introduces Flat Fee Single Table Satellites
In an unprecedented move, PartyPoker.com has slashed the charges for all single-table tournaments over $200 to a super-low flat fee of $10. No matter how high the stakes are above $200, the fee will be just $10 meaning there is huge value to be had for the bankroll, value that cannot be found elsewhere.
To celebrate this, PartyPoker.com has introduced a complete range of high-end STT’s with buy-in’s all the way up to $5,000. With a fee of just $10 this is great value and is simply not available at any other online poker room. For example, on a six seat $5,000 STT the typical saving is $190 and a ten seat $300 STT the saving is $10.
Check out the full list of tournaments today!
PARTYPOKER.COM – FLAT FEE STT’S
$5,000 + $10 6 seat Save $190
$5,000 + $10 2 seat Save $90
$2,000 + $10 10 seat Save $80
$2,000 + $10 6 seat Save $80
$2,000 + $10 2 seat Save $40
$1,000 + $10 10 seat Save $40
$1,000 + $10 6 seat Save $20
$1,000 + $10 2 seat Save $20
$500 + $10 10 seat Save $20
$500 + $10 6 seat Save $20
$500 + $10 2 seat Save $10
$300 + $10 10 seat Save $10
$300 + $10 6 seat Save $10
$300 + $10 2 seat Save $10
$200 + $10 10 seat Save $10
$300 + $10 6 seat Save $6
Allen Cunningham Wins WSOPC at Caesars Palace
photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Allen Cunningham (r) on his way to the 2008 Caesars Palace WSOPC Championship
Allen Cunningham began the heads-up play at the final table of the 2008 WSOP Circuit $5,000 Championship as a 4 to 1 chip dog. The 31 year old poker professional relied on his incredible poker skills and cool demeanor to steadily move the chips from 24-year old Ben Fineman's stacks into his own, finally putting Fineman all-in and all-out.
Allen Cunningham of Las Vegas already owns 5 WSOP gold bracelets and has played the final table of the Main Event. Cunningham'sThursday night win at the WSOP Circuit Championship at Caesars Palace earned him $499,609. Ben Fineman of Las Vegas goes home with $257,585 for second place and fellow Las Vegan Kelly Samson rounded out the top three receiving $128,792. The championship event attracted 334 entries and offered a total prize pool of $1,609,900.
photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Final table of the 2008 WSOP Circuit Championship event
ESPN Television Schedule for 2008 WSOP
Along with the announcement of the delayed play for the WSOP main event final table, ESPN has also released the proposed schedule WSOP broadcast events. There was some conversation during yesterday's teleconference about an extended international broadcast schedule, particularly leading up to the main event final table. The two other notable changes from last year are:
- less coverage of the $50K HORSE event, the viewing audience appears not to be so interested in watching Razz, Stud or even Omaha. So there will be only two hours of this event;
- much more coverage of the main event leading up to the virtually live coverage of the final table in November.
The tentative schedule of TV coverage for this year's event is as follows; each listed show is scheduled for two hours:
• July 22 - Event 1: $10,000 pot-limit hold 'em
• July 29 - Event 2: $1,500 no-limit hold 'em
• Aug. 5 - Event 3: $1,500 pot-limit hold 'em or Event 4: $5,000 mixed hold 'em
• Aug. 12 - Event 5: $1,000 no-limit hold 'em with rebuys
• Aug. 19 - Event 45: $50,000 HORSE
• Aug. 26 - Event 50: $10,000 pot-limit Omaha
• Sept. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, Oct. 7, 14, 21, 28 - Event 55: $10,000 no-limit hold 'em main event
• Nov. 4 - Event 55: WSOP main event final table preview show
• Nov. 11 - Event 55: WSOP main event final table
WSOP Final Table Will Be Delayed Until November
LAS VEGAS – May 1, 2008 – The World Series of Poker® (WSOP) Presented by Milwaukee ’s Best Light today announced a groundbreaking change that will more closely align the televised presentation of the world’s largest, richest and most prestigious poker tournament with other premier sports broadcasts.
The last nine players of the $10,000 World Championship of No-Limit Texas Hold’em, known as the Main Event, will compete on November 9-10 instead of the originally scheduled date of July 16.
“Our intent is to provide an even bigger stage for our players,” said Jeffrey Pollack , Commissioner of the World Series of Poker. “Now fans and viewers will ask ‘who will win’ our coveted championship bracelet instead of seeing ‘who won.’ The excitement and interest surrounding our final nine players will be unprecedented.”
This change in how the Main Event final table is staged will bring the excitement and drama of high-stakes WSOP tournament play closer to millions of fans around the globe.
All other 2008 WSOP tournament structures and schedules remain unchanged. This announcement affects only the final nine players of Event #54, the Main Event World Championship.
Continuing the trailblazing efforts that have made the WSOP the industry standard, this move is being made in close collaboration with ESPN, the television rightsholder of the WSOP, and the WSOP Players Advisory Council (PAC), the commissioner-appointed committee of professional and amateur poker players who provide guidance and perspective to the WSOP leadership team.
"It's an exciting time for the World Series of Poker and ESPN," said Jamie Horowitz, senior producer, ESPN Content Development. "This adjustment will add a new element to a very successful and popular event. We look forward to documenting all of the exciting stories that make the WSOP Main Event the seminal competition in all of poker."
“This is a huge step forward for poker and more specifically poker on television because it will help create more buzz around the final table and that is good for all of us,” said Daniel Negreanu, a WSOP PAC member, three-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner and one of today’s most successful and popular poker professionals. “Not only will this innovative step create more buzz for the final table, the added time prior to the final table will help get poker mainstream media attention. I’m very excited about this decision and can’t wait to see it all unfold, hopefully from a seat at the final table!”
The 39th annual World Series of Poker will take place from May 30th to July 14th at the Rio® All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas . The Main Event will begin on July 3rd, with the Final Table being determined on July 14th. The nine players who advance to the Final Table will return to the Rio on November 9th to play down to just two players. The final two, will go head-to-head late in the evening on November 10th to determine the champion and winner of poker’s ultimate prize.
The winner of the Main Event is expected to be crowned in the early hours of November 11. ESPN will edit the two-day Final Table action and televise it in a two-hour program from 9:00-11:00 PM ET on Tuesday, November 11 just hours after the winner is crowned. This is akin to television coverage of the Olympic Games, where because of time zone differences, the telecaster schedules programs “same day” in primetime to provide the largest possible audience a convenient viewing time.
ESPN will begin its coverage of the 2008 World Series of Poker on Tuesday, July 22. Viewers will see two hours of original poker programming every Tuesday through November 11 (except November 4 when a special preview of the Final Table will be aired at 10 p.m.). Telecasts will be aired at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. July 22 through September 30 and at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. from October 7 through November 11.
Each of the players who make it to the WSOP Main Event Final Table will receive ninth place prize money on July 14, when the finalists are determined. Harrah’s will then provide each of those players with an all expense paid trip for two for their return to Las Vegas in November to play the final portion of the tournament.
From July 14 to November 9, a span of 117 days, players will have an opportunity to line up sponsorships, coaches, review the play of all their competitors, participate in other tournaments, and take advantage of the new publicity and promotional opportunities that will be available.
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