Clonie Gowan Names Full Tilt in Lawsuit
Posted on November 15, 2008
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Clonie Gowan playing in Event 5 of the 2008 WSOP
Clonie Gowan filed a lawsuit in Las Vegas Federal District Court alleging a contract dispute with Full Tilt Poker. According to the brief filed on Friday, November 14, the well known poker professional claims Breach of Contract, Breach of Fiduciary Duty, Breach of the Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing, Unjust Enrichment, and Fraud.
Also named in the filing are Full Tilters Howard Lederer, Andy Bloch, Phil Ivey, Chris Ferguson, John Juanda, Phil Gordon, Erick Lindgren, Erik Seidel, Jennifer Harman-Traniello, Mike Matusow, Allen Cunningham, Gus Hansen and Patrik Antonius. Ms. Gowan seeks damages of $40,000,000. Read the complete story on Poker News.
The New WSOP TV Format: Yay or Nay?
Posted on November 14, 2008
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By now you’ve probably at the very least seen some highlights from last Tuesdays ESPN WSOP Final Table event. I was able to watch the whole thing from beginning to end in my cabin aboard the Norwegian Star during my WPT poker cruise that I was on all last week. From the opening moments to the end credits it was obvious that ESPN was trying to go for something very different here and take a chance at doing the impossible, making poker a spectator sport.
Personally, I didn’t really get a good vibe from the whole production. Having an auditorium full of screaming fans didn’t exactly seem appropriate when you realize that the only action any of these spectators are going to see (since they can’t see the player’s hole cards) are the poker players pushing in chips or folding their hand. Not very exciting in its own right, in fact it’s down right boring. Poker in its nature is a very laid back activity, played for the most part in silent card rooms with few distractions. It’s not quite as mentally taxing as say chess, but there are numerous comparisons between the two that you can draw, and try to imagine a chess match that was televised with the same amount of over-the-top voice over and hype that the WSOP Final Table was. It just doesn’t make for a good fit.
Part of the reason I don’t believe this idea will ever be used again is because the players themselves were almost painfully boring. Despite the WSOP’s best intentions, these guys were not the all-stars that we were made to believe they would become in the months leading up to the final table event, and much like any other pro sporting event, without having someone to root for, and without having a great personality to watch (like a Phil Hellmuth or Daniel Negraneau), it was hard to stay emotionally invested with the show.
You can’t blame the poker players either, they were placed in a impossible, emotionally charged situation that was light-years different from any previous final table experience they may have had, and many of the “November 9” were too busy sweating bullets and worried about looking dumb on TV instead of providing compelling table talk or showing any kind of emotion at all that was worth watching.
For me, the final nail in the coffin was when Peter Eastgate finally eliminated Ivan Demidov in heads up play. The 22yr Eastgate had just won $9 million in cash, became the youngest player to ever win the WSOP Main Event, and he didn’t even crack a smile. Imagine watching the Super Bowl and when the winning team’s kicker makes a last minute field goal to secure the victory, he just walks off the field without celebrating. It would quickly ruin millions of viewer’s experience of the event, and Peter Eastgate’s zombie-like expression served as a cherry on top of why poker just shouldn’t be treated like a UFC type sporting event.
We have yet to find out just how many viewers tuned in to watch the final table, but regardless of the numbers I highly doubt that the production which was months in the making lived up in ESPN’s eyes to all the hype and time and money they spent trying to turn poker into something it isn’t. Here’s hoping that for 2009 we can look forward to the return of classic poker television.
WSOP at G2E
Posted on November 13, 2008
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Jean-Robert Bellande will be playing at the G2E
The annual Global Gaming Expo (G2E) comes to town next week at the Convention Center, and new to the show is the World Series of Poker.
Celebrity WSOP poker players include David Williams, Scotty Nguyen, Jean-Robert Bellande, and Antonio Esfandiari, all of whom will be playing 3-table tournaments (9 players per table).
Each tournament will last 90 minutes and although there are no prizes, you'll be able to say you played (and even beat) a poker pro.
Unfortunately, all tickets have already been claimed, but if you're in town for the show anyway, stop by Hall C5 to watch the pros compete with regular folks.
Schedule:
Nov. 18
12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.: Antonio Esfandiari
3 p.m. - 5 p.m.: David Williams
Nov. 19
10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.: Scotty Nguyen
3 p.m. - 5 p.m.: Jean-Robert Bellande
Nov. 20
10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.: Scotty Nguyen
Poker Player Alert!
Posted on November 12, 2008
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If you are either a U.S. poker player or a non-U.S. poker player who would like to play against the rich and fishy U.S. players again, then you need to take a minute to read this blog. I will keep it short and precise because there is something you need to do.
There is a lot of angry noise about the outgoing Bush administration passing a lot of regulations in their final days in office, including finally coming out with the rules for the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act.
Well, first the facts, this happens every time a U.S. President leaves office. This is not unusual and there will literally be hundreds of new regulations put in place in the next two months. Just another dirty side of American politics.
However, the UIGEA is already law, what has been offered up, as of yesterday, are the first "proposed" implementation guidelines. But here is the important thing to know: These are proposed rules and are now open to public comment by anyone. All you have to do is take a minute or five and write that you are opposed.
To be sure the American financial industry is opposed and they will say so loudly and publicly. But you are against these rules too and you have the right to be heard and you don't need to be a U.S. citizen. Below are the means to forward your comments and an additional link to the Obama Transition Team to let them know of your concern.
Probably the easiest way to communicate your thoughts is via email to regs.comments@federalreserve.gov, be sure to include the docket number in the subject of your email, it is R-1298.
There are also two websites for offering your comments either the Federal Reserve or the Federal RuleMaking Portal. Just follow the instructions to "comment".
To copy the Obama people, use this link.
And finally, if you would actually like to read the proposed rules, here is the site.
World Poker Tour in Trouble
Posted on November 12, 2008
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If you're like me, one of the first big things to come out of the poker boom that really got me hooked on poker 24/7 was the World Poker Tour (WPT) TV show. Whether it was the charm of commentators Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patton or the shows ability to turn no-name amateurs into instant celebrities, I still to this day make sure that every episode of the WPT makes it way to my DVR.
Unfortunately, the WPTE (World Poker Tour Enterprises), the parent company of the WPT, has not been having a great economic year.
Third-quarter revenue for the company is down 39% to $2.7 million, almost half that of last years $4.4 million. The company sites a decrease in domestic television license fees and lower domestic sponsorship fees as the reason.
The first casualty of the WPTE financial hardships will be the WTP-branded online gaming website, which is in the process of being shut down for good. To try and recover from their decline, WPTE President and CEO Steve Lipscomb has announced plans to expand their reach into the Chinese market, as well as produce a new poker TV show for the Fox Sports Network, which will include 13 one-hour episodes.
No word on how/if this is going to affect their main WPT TV show, so die hard fans like myself should keep their fingers crossed that one of the biggest shows that put TV poker on the map will continue to live to fight another day.
November Nine “Live”: Final Thoughts
Posted on November 11, 2008
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At 10 PM on a Monday night in Las Vegas, two players got together to play some heads up poker. One was from Russia, the other from Denmark. All of the players with big followings of family, friends and fans had been knocked out the day before. This heads up match was going to take place in the 3,000 seat Penn & Teller theatre, which had been a good venue for the nine player final table but was potentially going to be a big empty hall for the late night heads up match.
As the up-close-to-the-stage bleachers were being seated with the remaining friends and family and the ESPN crew got their establishing shots and the Harrah's officials prepared for their last introductions of the very long 2008 World Series.... as all of that preparation went on up on the stage.... Down on media row, I stood there talking with Dr. Pauly, Brad Willis, Michael Craig and Jen Newell. It was about ten minutes before the scheduled start of the Final, no really, Final Table. We all stood there looking up into the vast balconies of the theatre and we shook our collective heads at the sight of the thousands of poker fans who had come out.
I don't know what this says about poker in general or whether the November Nine was a success or not. All I can say is that on a late Monday evening in November, with only two players remaining to play for the World Series of Poker main event championship. There were and are enough poker fans in Las Vegas to fill the theatre and categorically settle all the cynical over/under bets on the crowd size. I don't know how this will all play on ESPN tonight, but at the Rio last night, it was a pretty good show with a great audience.
Peter Eastgate Becomes Youngest WSOP Champion!
Posted on November 11, 2008
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Peter Eastgate, 2008 WSOP World Champion Poker Player
History was made at the Rio Casino in Las Vegas, when 23-year old Peter Eastgate from Denmark won the 2008 WSOP Main Event Championship. The young Scandi broke Phil Hellmuth's 19-year old record when he beat Ivan Demidov heads up for the victory. Peter Eastgate won $9,152,416, while Demidov collected $5,809,595 for second place.
photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Ivan Demidov finished second
Action was paused once Dennis Phillips busted out in third place. The final two returned on Monday night for the showdown. Before cards went in the air, there was a Player of the Year ceremony honoring Erick Lindgren for his sensational overall performance at the 2008 WSOP. Everyone's favorite FullTilt pro finally won his first bracelet in $5,000 Limit/No Limit Hold'em. He cashed five times at the 2008 WSOP and made three final tables overall including a fourth place finish in $5,000 No Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball and a valiant third place finish in $50,000 H.O.R.S.E.. In case you were wondering, Lindgren also had a 10th and 18th place finish this summer.
"This is awesome. I can't believe all of you are here to watch poker!" joked Lindgren. "One of my best friends, Daniel Negreanu, have won this award. It's truly an honor."
More after the jump...
photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Eric Lindgren accepts the 2008 WSOP Poker Player of the Year Award
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Lacey Jones, Bluff Magazine Covergirl
Plenty of big names were on hand to check out the action including former champions Jamie Gold, Chris Moneymaker, and Jesus. Other notables included Daniel Negreanu, Dennis Phillips, Hevad Khan, and Madeline Ugar (Stu's widow) and Stephanie Ungar (Stu's daughter).
Over the first 25 hands or so, there was not too much action. Lou the dealer mentioned that both players were nervous early on, which resulted in passive play. Shortly after the first break, there was the first big hand of the night as Eastgate increased his lead and pushed his stack over the 100m mark. Demidov had been applying the pressure with A-10. Demidov raised preflop and bet out at the flop even though it missed him. Eastgate called with an open-ended straight draw. Eastgate turned a pair of Jacks. The river was a blank and didn't improve Demidov's hand. He fired one last bullet and Eastgate quickly called. His pair was good against Demidov's Ace-high. After that hand, Demidov slipped to around 30M in chips.
photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
2008 WSOP Main Event heads-up table
Demidov slowly chipped away and climbed back to the starting stacks by winning several small pots. He bottomed out at 30m and ran his stack back up to 53m until he lost a decisive pot.
Demidov raised 2m and Eastgate called. The flop was Kd-10d-7c and everyone checked. The turn was the Jd and Eastgate fired out 2.5m. Demidov raised to 8m. Eastgate called. The river was the 3s. Eastgate checked. Demidov fired out 12m. Eastgate called with 7d-4d for a flush while Demidov showed Ac-9s for only Ace high. Eastgate increased his stack to 108m, while Demidov slipped to 28m.
photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Peter Eastgate has the championship in sight
On the 105th hand of heads up play, it was all over. Both players limped. The flop was Ks-3h-2d. Demidov checked. Eastgate bet 1.25m and Demidov called. The turn was the 4c. Demidov checked. Eastgate bet 2m. Demidov check-raised to 6m. Eastgate called. The river was the 7s. Demidov moved all in for the rest of his stack. Eastgate quickly called with Ad-5s. He made a Wheel on the turn. His straight was better than Demidov's 4h-2h. Demidov's two-pair was not good enough and he was eliminated. The young gun from Russia won $5,809,595 for second place.
photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Peter Eastgate shows us the money
Peter Eastgate From Odense, Denmark collected $9,152,416 for first place, won his first ever WSOP bracelet, and became the youngest ever WSOP champion breaking Phil Hellmuth's record.
"This was a good final table, obviously, because I won it," joked Eastgate moments after his victory. "There was a lot of competent players at the final table. It's was tough. I'm really tired. I'm exhausted."
photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Harrah's WSOP Executives pose with the new World Champion, Peter Eastgate
Well, the 2008 WSOP is finally over and we have a brand new champion. Congrats to Peter Eastgate for etching his name in poker's history books. The torch has been passed down to the young Scandinavian player. Peter Eastgate is the newest WSOP world champion and will be poker's ambassador over the next year.
2008 WSOP Main Event Final Table Results:
1 Peter Eastgate $9,152,416
2 Ivan Demidov $5,809,595
3 Dennis Phillips $4,517,773
4 Ylon Schwartz $3,774,974
5 Scott Montgomery $3,096,768
6 Darus Suharto $2,418,562
7 David "Chino" Rheem $1,772,650
8 Kelly Kim $1,288,217
9 Craig Marquis $900,670
photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
A final look at the 2008 wsop Championship bracelet
November Nine: Starting Stack = Finishing Position
Posted on November 10, 2008
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One of our favorite statistics to follow at final tables is the comparison of how starting chip stacks compare to final finishing position. Here are the starting chip stacks for the November Nine. We will update the finishing positions as they occur.
#1 Dennis Phillips 26,295,000 3rd on hand #169
#2 Ivan Demidov 24,400,000 playing 2nd hand #274
#3 Scott Montgomery 19,690,000 5th on hand #119
#4 Peter Eastgate 18,375,000 playing Champion
#5 Ylon Schwartz 12,525,000 4th on hand #155
#6 Darus Suharto 12,520,000 6th Place on hand #105
#7 David Rheem 10,230,000 7th Place on hand #76
#8 Craig Marquis 10,210,000 9th Place on hand #52
#9 Kelly Kim 2,620,000 8th Place on hand #53
November Nine Down to the Final Two
Posted on November 10, 2008
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A packed house at the Penn & Teller Theater
The November Nine was finally upon us! After a 117 day layoff, the final able of the 2008 WSOP Main Event resumed play. The location was shifted to the Penn & Teller Theatre at the Rio where the final table set up was reconstructed on the main stage. The audience was packed with media reps from all over the world and plenty of spectators that included friends and family of the November Nine.
photos by the flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Dennis Phillips look alikes
Dennis Phillips had the largest contingency. He had over 350 people fly in from St. Louis. They all dressed just like Phillips and sported a white oxford shirt (with plenty of logos) and a red St. Louis Cardinals baseball hat.
photos by the flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Jeffrey Pollack, Doyle Brunson, Dewey Tomko, Mori Eskandari
Some of the biggest names in poker where in attendance including Phil Hellmuth, Johnny Chan, Doyle Brunson, Phil Gordon, Barry Greenstien, The Grinder, Johnny Bax, and Chris Moneymaker.
Action was scheduled to start at 10:23am and there was a short delay. The 2007 WSOP champion Jerry Yang kicked off the festivities by saying, "Shuffle up and deal."
More after the jump....
photos by the flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
"Shuffle up and deal," Jerry Yang, 2007 WSOP World Champion
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Craig Marquis - 9th
Short stack Kelly Kim moved all in on the first hand... and no one called. He won the pot and managed to avoid going out in 9th place. That dubious honor went to Craig Marquis. He was all in with pocket sevens against Scott Montgomery's A-Q. Marquis flopped a set and was a tremendous favorite to win the hand. Unfortunately, Montgomery caught a runner-runner gutshot to send him to the rail in 9th place. Marquis was paid out $900,000 in July and did not get a cent for his time in Las Vegas.
photos by the flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Kelly Kim - 8th
Kelly Kim went out on the next hand in a three-way pot. He won $1,288,217 for 8th place and managed to last much longer than everyone had anticipated.
Dennis Phillips took a couple of hits early on and lost the chip lead. He slipped to 8th in chips at one point before he rallied back into contention. Ivan Demidov held it for a while until Ylon Schwartz won a massive hand against him to take the lead. Demidov would get it back after Phillips survived an all in against Ylon. Holding A-Q, Phillips cracked Ylon's Queens and sprung back to life.
photos by the flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
David "Chino" Rheems - 7th
Chino Rheem was the next player to bust out. He finished in 7th place and won $1,772,650. He was shortstack and shoved with Big Slick. Peter Eastgate called with A-Q and flopped a Queen. Chino could not improve his hand and he went out in 7th place. When asked how he felt about finishing in 7th, the always honest Chino said, "Are you being fuckin' serious? What the fuck kind of question is that? I feel like shit. You can quote me."
photos by the flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Doyle Brunson and Jeffrey Pollack
The remaining six players went on a dinner break with Ivan Demidov as the chipleader and Darus Suharto as the shortstack. Before action resumed, there was brief Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Dewey Tomko and Henry Orenstein were both given the nod as the two newest members. Doyle Brunson spoke for a few minutes about his good friend Dewey, who's regarded as one of the best poker players and golf hustlers in the history of Las Vegas.
photos by the flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Dewey Tomko accepts his Hall of Fame award from WSOP Commissioner, Jeffrey Pollack
Henry Orenstien was unable to make the trip to Vegas. The Holocaust survivor and successful toy maker (who was the mastermind behind The Transformers) eventually branched out into poker. He helped create the lipstick cameras which revolutionized the game and made televised poker much more compelling to watch.
In the first level after the dinner break, Peter Eastgate took the chiplead.
photos by the flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Darus Suharto - 6th
Darus Suharto was eliminated in 6th place. His A-8 lost to Scott Montgomery's A-Q. Suharto was busted by his fellow countryman from Canada. Suharto won $2,418,562 for his efforts.
Just when Scott Montgomery appeared to make a run, he got caught speeding and ran into Ivan Demidov's pocket Kings. Montgomery was in trouble with Ad-9d. He flopped a flush draw but blanked out and doubled Demidov up to 50m. Montgomery slipped to 7m.
photos by the flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Scott Montgomery - 5th
A couple of hands later, Scott Montgomery was all in with A-3 against Peter Eastgate's pocket sixes. Montgomery had been a luckbox for most of the Main Event and he promptly flopped an Ace and turned and Ace to take the lead with trips. Eastgate was down to one out since Phillips mentioned that he folded a six. The river was the case six and Eastgate won the hand with a one outer. Montgomery busted out in brutal fashion. The Danes started singing as Montgomery headed to the rail in 5th place. The last Canadian in the WSOP won $3,096,768. Down to four players.
photos by the flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Ylon Schwartz - 4th
After a slow down in the action, Ylon Schwartz busted out when he picked the wrong time to bluff Peter Eastgate. Eastgate raised 1.5m preflop and Ylon called. The flop was Kh-8h-2s and both players checked. The turn was the Kd. Ylon checked. Eastgate bet 1.75m and Ylon called. The river was the 5d. Ylon checked. Eastagte fired out 4.6m. Ylon check-raised all in for 12.4m more. Eastgate called with 5s-5c for a full house. Ylon tabled Ah-10c for nothing but air. Ylon will take $3,774,974 back home to Brooklyn.
With three players to go, Peter Eastgate was way ahead with 64.925M. Ivan Demidov was second in chips with 50.575M while Dennis Phillips was the shortstack with 20.725M.
photos by the flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Dennis "Fordman" Phillips - 3rd
It didn't take long before the final two were set after Dennis Phillips busted out in third place. The flop was Jc-4d-3s. The aggressive Peter Eastgate bet1.5m. Phillips moved all in. Eastgate quickly called. Eastgate flopped a set with 3d-3c, while Phillips was way behind with 10c-9h. The turn was As and Phillips was drawing dead. He won $4,517,773 for third place.
With Phillips elimination, action was suspended. The final two players, Peter Eastgate and Ivan the Russian, will return tomorrow to play out the heads up match.
Final Two Chip Counts:
Peter Eastgate (Denmark) - 79,500,000
Ivan Demidov (Russia) - 57,725,000
photos by the flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Peter Eastgate
The final two will play heads up starting at 10pm Vegas time at the Penn & Teller Theater at the Rio. First place pays $9,152,416 and the runner up will collect. $5,809,595. If Eastgate wins, he'll make history and become the youngest player to ever win the WSOP main event and smash Phil Hellmuth's record.
photos by the flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Ivan Demidov
November Nine “Live”: First Impressions
Posted on November 9, 2008
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Yes, it is finally here!
Just a few quick notes from inside and outside the Penn & Teller theatre at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
-the place is packed! there are literally hundreds of fans in line for the seats still available;
-final table players have brought large contingents of family and friends;
-the most impressive group has to be the white shirted St. Louis Cardinal red hat wearing Dennis Phillips gang, which easily numbers over 300;
-the press box at the top of the theatre is really a good place to watch the whole scene, but there are really no good media seats in the house, because the main stage is set up for ESPN and the limited audience allowed in the three bleacher sections set up beside it;
-early professional sightings: Phil Gordon, Evelyn Ng, Barry Greenstien, Jerry Yang, Hevad Khan (all the final table players from 2008 were invited to attend);
-the crowd is very noisy, they have even given out those annoying bang sticks, not to mention cow bells and fog horns; this will not be your usual final table.
Cards are in the air at 11:10 AM local time (PST). Read no more today, if you want Tuesday's telecast to be a surprise.
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