WSOP Tournament of Champions Front-runners Revealed
The World Series of Poker decided to open up the selection process to the fans in regards to which poker pros will get a very exclusive seat at this year’s Tournament of Champions event. Of the 27 spots in the tournament, 20 of those positions will be decided through online voting in what basically boils down to the ultimate poker popularity contest. Harrah’s, who is running and supervising the progress of the poll, has released the names of the players that currently make up the top 20 in voters eyes, with few surprises showing up in the mix.
One thing that all of the front-runners have in common is that they tend to get the lions share of the media and marketing support, making them the most recognizable faces in the game, but not necessarily the most successfully players in all cases. There doesn’t appear to be a single name on the list that belongs to a player that tends to stay out of the limelight, though I would have to figure that some players are getting a lot of votes due to more recent success.
Five players don’t have to worry about getting enough votes, as five spots were pre-reserved for the last three Tournament of Champions winners (Mike Sexton, Mike Matusow and Annie Duke), and the current WSOP (Joe Cada) and WSOPE (Barry Shulman) champions. The remaining two spots in the tournament are being held for sponsor exemptions, and it’s likely that these will be given away through massive qualifier tournaments online.
The TOC isn’t just about increasing their popularity either, 1st place will take home a cool $500,000, needing only to survive three tables worth of opponents in the process. Voting ends midnight on June 15th, with more than 250,000 votes cast so far.
Florida Gets Major Poker Law Adjustment
In case you haven’t been paying attention, poker in Florida is somewhat of a joke. The state currently has a number of odd restrictions put in place that greatly hamper the games made available to the players, including one law that places a $100 max buy-in cap on all cash games. So yeah, that means that some Florida card rooms were running $5 - $10 no-limit hold’em games where the participants could only buy-in for 10 big blinds. The terrible restrictions have been driving players crazy for years, but it now appears that finally some relief may be in sight.
The Florida House approved a new deal this week that will be uncapped poker to the state, as long as the governor signs off on the bill, which by all signs appears to be a certainty. Other changes that the deal brings includes the right for the Seminole tribe to operate slot machines and host blackjack games at five of their seven casinos, as well as extend the operating hours of the poker rooms. The changes are expected to bring in an estimated $1 billion for the state and tribe over the next five years.
“This is a big contribution and a big commitment,” said Rep. Bill Galvano (R-Bradenton), one of the main proponents for the bill in the House. “It’s not estimated, it’s not, ‘Well, we might be able to achieve this.’ This is a guarantee.”
For those of us outside Florida it seems almost impossible that poker would thrive in any state where experienced and professional players couldn’t put up more than $100 every time they sat down at the table, but it was a harsh reality for Florida residents. Hopefully this deal gets ushered in as fast as possible so that they can save some money that was typically spent on trips to Atlantic City and Vegas to get some real card action.
Weekly SNG Tip: Satellite Investment
As the popularity of tournament poker, especially online tournament poker, has exploded in recent years, so has the demand for satellite events. A satellite is a tournament (often with a SNG format) where players put up a small buy-in and play for an opportunity to win a buy-in for a more expensive tournament. An example would be if you wanted to play in a $1,000 event but couldn’t afford to put up the full $1,000 outright, so instead you enter a satellite tournament that could have a buy-in anywhere from $25 to $200 depending on the number of players. The winner of these satellite events are awarded a entry into the main tournament, allowing them to get a seat at a heavily discounted price.
When you look at it that way, it’s easy to see why so many players are eager to enter satellite tournaments for a chance to win a seat into events they could not normally afford. However, many satellites do not offer much reward for 2nd and 3rd place, often making it a winner-take-all situation. Because of this, you need to weigh a few factors before deciding whether or not you want to invest any considerable amount of money in a satellite tournament.
If you’re looking mainly to have some fun and hopefully win a seat into a larger tournament, then I would recommend entering in a few online satellites that offer low buy-ins and large fields. You’ll get a lot of poker for your money as long as you don’t get busted right out of the gate, plus you’ll also get the opportunity to play against many different types of players. In this instance, playing a satellite can be both enjoyable and instructional.
On the flip side though, you don’t want to enter into a lot of satellites if you do not have a good tournament track record. Players that thrive in these types of events are ones that perform well in standard SNGs scenarios. If this does not describe your style of play, you may just be needlessly gambling your money away on a long shot. As with all things in poker, start off in the lower limits and gain enough experience and confidence so that you can bump up to bigger and better things as time goes on.
NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship on TV Today
photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Leeann Tweeden, NBC on-air host
Watch the best poker on TV at Noon-1PM ET/9:00-10:00 AM PT today from NBC Sports. Today's second installment of this prestigious poker tournament is filled with poker's biggest stars along with Hollywood celebrities and sports greats. Spend an entertaining hour watching the playing styles of poker's elite at this invitation only contest.
Weekly episodes continue for the next four Sundays so tune in NBC TV at the same time. Flipchip was there and provided images of all the action. Check out hi-rez images in the Flipchip photo gallery.
photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Kara Scott, poker pro
photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Orel Hershiser, baseball great
photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Doyle Brunson, poker legend
photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Annette Obrestad, European poker prodigy
photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Phil Hellmuth, poker great
photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Phil Gorden, poker pro
Season VII WPT World Championship Event- Day 7
There is a lot of excitement brewing as the WPT $25,000 World Championship Event nears completion. The Fontana Lounge in the Bellagio has been transformed into a full capacity poker television set. The final 6 players from the 195 players that originally entered, unbagged their chips and were ready to play around 4:00 pm. David Benyamine, Billy Baxter, Sawn Buchanan, Eric Baldwin, and John O’Shea were the lucky few who were able to avoid crippling beats to make it to the televised table.
John O’Shea was the first of the final six to hit the ropes. As action folded around, O’Shea tried to make a move in the small blind by pushing all in. Billy Baxter, in the big blind, made the call turning over As Td against the 6d 3s of O’Shea. The board ran bricks for O’Shea and he was sent home with $199,888 to add to his bankroll.
Billy Baxter was eliminated in 5th place when he moved in on the button with a little over 1.3 million in chips. Willams made the call showing Kh Th against the As Js of Baxter. The flop gave Williams broadway and Baxter two pair. Unfortunately for Baxter, he was not able to make a full house and he was sent home with $246,921.
David Benyamine was knocked out in 4th place taking home $329,228. Shawn Buchanan was defeated in 3rd place for $587,906. As Buchanan made his exit, so did half of fans in the stands. His large cheering section was disappointed and left gaping holes in the stands. However, it didn’t take long to fill in the gaps as word got out that play was down to the final two.
As play got down to the final two players, there was a lot of excitement in the stands. Willams’ mom gave him a big hug and told him that she was proud of him. The fanfare was pretty even between Willams and Baldwin. Whenever a player would rake in a pot, a loud roar of excitement and applause emulated from the stands.
Williams had a substantial chip lead against Baldwin when play got down to the final two. Williams had 15,654,000 in chips against Baldwin’s 3,855,000. At level 30 with 100,000/200,000 blinds with a 20,000 ante Baldwin would have to take control of a pot within the first few rounds. Baldwin started out playing an aggressive short stack pushing all in and avoiding a showdown with Williams to scoop up a few small pots.
In the end, it came down to Baldwin pushing for 4,765,000, and after a Williams thought nervously about it for a minute he made the call. Baldwin turned over Ah 5h and Williams tabled 2c 2d. The flop came Ad 7c 6s. The crowd went wild in behalf of Baldwin. The turn brought a 2h, which sent the other half of the crowd into a cheering frenzy. Williams had won, and the river 4c would be meaningless. Baldwin took home $1,034,715 and Willams took a win and $1,530,537.
John O'Shea & Billy Baxter
Season VII WPT World Championship Event- Day 6
Welcome back to more exciting coverage of the $25,000 WPT World Championship Event at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Day 6 started out with 10 players left, and the plan was to play down to the final six players. Day 7 is going to be broadcast on television with the six remaining players. For this reason, the Fontana Lounge has been closed down while the stage is set up; play is taking place in the Bellagio poker room. Action for the day will start at Level 22 with 15,000/30,000 blinds and 4,000 ante.
The day started out a lot slower than play on Day 5 which ended after only 4 ½ hours. After the first break Cliff Josephy was the only one to leave the final table. When play got down to the final 9, John O’Shea was the chip leader with 4,100,000, and Phil Hellmuth was the short stack with a mere 508,000.
Nikolay Evdakov would be the 9th place finisher taking home $75,252 in winnings. John O’Shea raised under the gun to 110,000 and Phil Hellmuth called from the small blind. Nikolay Evadkov made an unexpected all in move from the big blind for his remaining 55,000. Both Hellmuth and O’Shea made the call. The side pot was checked down as the board ran 8c 8s 3h As Js. On the river, Hellmuth bet 150,000 to which O’Shea folded. Hellmuth showed Ks 4s for a rivered flush, and Evdakov turned over a Qh 2h.
Scotty Nguyen was the next player to go. After seven hours of play, Scotty Nguyen raised from middle position to 260,000 and David Benyamine made the call from the big blind. The board came out Jh Td 6d both players checks. When the 8h came on the turn Benyamine bet 350,000. Nguyen raised to 1,150,000 and Benyamine tanked before moving all in. Nguyen was at risk for his tournament life, and eventually made the call. Nguyen flipped over 8c 8d for a set, but Benyamine had a higher set of 10’s. The river bricked knocking Nguyen out in 8th place. He took home $105,823 in tournament winnings.
Phil Hellmuth would be the television bubble boy taking home $152,856 for a 7th place finish. He was a short stack with 505,000 in chips and moved all in under the gun. David Williams called from the button. Hellmuth showed Ks Td against Williams’ Ad Js. The board came 8c 7h 6s 6d 7s to knock Hellmuth out.
Tomorrow will be the televised table with the top six contenders. David Benyamine will be the chip leader going into Day 7 with 4,705,000. John O’Shea is the short stack with 1,200,000 in chips.
Scotty Nguyen & Phil Helmuth
Season VII WPT World Championship Event- Day 5
Day 5 of the $25,000 WPT World Championship has come to and end, and within five hours of play a final table was established. The day started with 18 players, and Faraz Jaka was leading the pack with 3,117,000 in chips. Play started at 10,000/20,000 blinds and 3,000 ante.
Tony Cousineau had been the short stack for the last few days of play, but he was able to squeeze into the money with 60,000 in chips which was only three big blinds. He shipped it on the first hand of play with Ts 9h, and Nikolay Evdakov called with Ah 4c. The board ran out As Tc 5c Kc 8d to take Cousineau out in 18th place. Cousineau took home $47,033 for his efforts.
In a wicked turn of events, Faraz Jaka went from the chip leader going into Day 5 to out in 14th place. He lost a big pot early in the day, and then David Williams finished him off. Currently, he is still he leader in points for the WPT player of the year, but the matter is now out of his hands as Shawn Buchanan and Scotty Nguyen can beat him with a 1st place finish, and Phil Hellmuth can tie him with a 1st place finish.
J.J. Liu was the last woman standing, and during level 21 when the blinds were 12,000/24,000 with a 3,000 ante she made her move. She shoved for 213,000 on the button, and after some deliberation David Benyamine made the call from the small blind. Liu turned over Qc Qs against the 7c 7s of David Benyamine. The flop gave Benyamine some hope when an 8d 6s 5d flopped. The turn was the 9c that Benyamine needed to hit a straight, and Liu couldn’t catch back up. She took home a respectable $51,736 in winnings.
Day 6 will be exciting with the final table resuming play at 15,000/30,000 with a 4,000 ante. John O’Shea will be the chip leader with 3,174,000, and Phil Hellmuth will be the short stack at the table with 839,000. Here are the seating assignments and chip counts for the final table:
Seat 1. Scotty Nguyen - 2,637,000
Seat 2. Phil Hellmuth - 839,000
Seat 3. Nikolay Evdakov - 922,000
Seat 4. John O'Shea - 3,174,000
Seat 5. Billy Baxter - 2,429,000
Seat 6. Eric Baldwin - 2,130,000
Seat 7. David Williams - 2,454,000
Seat 8. David Benyamine - 2,561,000
Seat 9. Shawn Buchanan - 1,087,000
Seat 10. Cliff Josephy - 1,269,000
David Williams (right)
WSOP Tournament of Champions determined by your vote
photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Mike Matusow, a good choice
Have you voted for the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions?
It's free to do so, and you can show your support for your favorite poker player.
The top 20 players voted by the public will then join seven other seminal players, as they battle it out in a 27-person tournament for $1 million.
Qualifying players have won a WSOP bracelet in the past.
Harrah's has put up the money, and the seven players guaranteed to play are Joe Cada, Annie Duke, Mike Matusow, Mike Sexton, Barry Shulman, and two other wild cards.
The tourney takes place June 27 until 18 are knocked out. The final table of 9 will then play July 4, smack dab in the middle of WSOP time.
To cast your vote and see who are currently in the top 20, visit this link.
Season VII WPT World Championship Event- Day 4
Welcome back to more coverage of the $25,000 WPT World Championship. The first few days of the tournament were filled with star studded names and heartbreaking eliminations. Day 4 of the Championship has been especially exciting because the money bubble burst, and players are going to battle for a first place prize and player of the year points.
Day 4 started with 35 eager poker players and blinds at 4,000-8,000 with a 1,000 ante. Shawn Buchanan had a strong chip lead with over 1.8 million in chips, and an impressive Heather Sue Mercer was second with 1.3 million in chips. Chris Moore and Tony Cousineau were not so prosperous with their accumulation of chips and would have to double up on Day 4 if they wanted a chance at first place money.
Early in the day, seasoned players David Benyamine and Carlos Mortensen battled against each other. Benyamine raised to 25,000 from mid position. Shawn Buchanan made the call from the button, Eric Baldwin called from the small blind, and Carlos Mortensen reraised from the big blind to 98,000. Benyamine made the call, and the other two players moved out of the way. The flop delivered a 9h 8h 3d to which Mortensen lead out for 134,000. Benyamine made the call. The turn was a 3s, and Mortensen moved all in putting Benyamine at risk. Benyamine snap called turning over 8c 8s for a full house. Mortensen showed Kc Kd and needed a king to hit the river to bust Benyamine. The river wasn’t a king. Benyamine doubled to over a million in chips leaving Mortensen with 115,000.
Yevgeniy Timoshenko will not be at the final table to defend his title. He was short in chips with just over 120,000 when he moved in under the gun. Josh Arieh gave him protection by moving in over the top. Everyone else got out of the way. Timoshenko turned over Qs Th against Arieh’s Kh Ks. The board ran out Ac Tc 2s 4s 5s giving Arieh the win.
Heather Sue Mercer found out that you can’t beat lucky. Mercer raised preflop to 40,000 from early position, and Faraz Jaka made a quick decision to raise 110,000. Mercer reraised 300,000 on top to which Jaka moved all in. Mercer made an effortless call and tabled aces. Jaka surprisingly turned over 3d 9s. As fate would have it the flop came 9c 8d 3s giving Jaka two pair. Unluckily for Mercer, she wasn’t able to recover and she was sent home just before the money.
Day 4 wrapped up when the money bubble burst at 18 players. Maroun Jazzar was the bubble boy and was eliminated by David Benyamine. Other eliminations for the day include James Guinther, Chris Moore, James Calderaro, David “Devilfish” Ulliott, and Brian Limke. Faraz Jaka is the chip leader heading into Day 5 with 3.1 million in chips. Here are the final 18 players who will return for Day 5 and their table assignments:
TABLE 1
1. Eric Baldwin
2. Shawn Buchanan
3. John O'Shea
4. J.J. Liu
5. David Benyamine
6. Phil Hellmuth
7. Cliff Josephy
8. Scotty Nguyen
9. Olivier Busquet
TABLE 2
1. Nikolay Evdakov
2. Robert Cooper
3. David Williams
4. Jason Lester
5. Josh Arieh
6. Billy Baxter
7. Faraz Jaka
8. Tony Cousineau
9. Matt Stout
Carlos Mortensen and David Benyamine
Season VII WPT World Championship Event- Day 3
Day 3 of the WPT $25,000 World Championship is under wraps, and 98 players returned at their shot for the big money. At the start of the day blinds were 1,200-2,400 with a 300 ante, and the average stack was around 200,000. It has been determined that the top 18 players will get paid.
Beth Shak has been stirring up a little bit of commotion. She has a television crew following her around for a German reality t.v. show. Apparently, the show is about rich and famous people. The crew has popped in and out to catch Shak in action at the poker tables. Unfortunately, Shak was eliminated from the tournament early in the day. She tried to make a move with Q Q on a board with overs. After jamming on the turn, she was insta called by her opponent Joshua Gould who had flopped a set of kings.
One lady who isn’t going home any time soon is Heather Sue Mercer. She seems to be quite an intimidating force at the table with her stone cold gaze and invisible tells. It is very hard to get a read on her. Ralph Perry found this out the hard way. He had raised on the button to 38,000 and Mercer in the small blind reraised to 100,000. Perry took a long time to consider before making it just over 300,000 total. Mercier moved all in putting Perry at risk for his chips. He made the call. Mercer turned over Ah Kd which dominated Perry’s As Js. The board ran out Ad Qd Ts 4c 5s to send Perry packing.
It is nice to know that even though there is a lot of money on the line at this event, that the players can still retain a sense of humor. Hellmuth has been wearing a Celtic looking green vest for the last two days. Dave “Devil Fish” Ulliott took noticed and asked Hellmuth, “Did your grandfather die and leave you some clothes?”
Not long after this comment, “Devil Fish” was put to a decision for all of his chips. On a Qd 8s Jd Th 3d board, “Devil Fish” made a bet of 175,000. Todd Terry wasted little time in putting “Devil Fish” all in. “Devil Fish” made the call sliding in his remaining 139,500 into the pot. Terry turned over Ac Kh against the 5d 6d of “Devil Fish” who hit a river flush for the win.
As Day 3 of the WPT World Championship drew to a close there were 35 players left. Every player that makes it to the money is guaranteed $47,033, and first place is a respectable $1,530,537.
Some of the players that did not survive Day 3 included John Juanda, Freddie Deeb, Justin Young, Shawn Cunix, Ralph Perry, and Lee Markholt. Players to look forward to hearing about at Day 4 include David Benyamine, Eric Baldwin, Carlos Mortensen, Faraz Jaka, Josh Arieh, and Yevgeniy Timoshenko.
Shawn Buchanan will be the chip leader going into Day 4 with 1,841,500. Heather Sue Mercer in second in chips with 1,364,500. Chris Moore and Tony Cousineau have some work to do tomorrow, as both players are sitting with less than 150,000 in chips. Stay tuned for more updates from the WPT $25,000 World Championship Event.
Phil Helmuth and Justin Long
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WSOP Info is your source to online poker news and information regarding the WSOP 2008. The World Series Of Poker is the largest Poker event in the world.
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