07 4th, 2010
Four bracelet events played out, one bracelet was handed out, a host of film and sports stars gathered in the Rio and the “Ante Up For Africa” charity tournament also took place on day 37 of the World Series of Poker 2010.
Once again the Rio casino was a a hub of activity as the WSOP played out with the $10k Main Event looming ever closer.
There was so much activity that the scheduled Tournament of Champions competition had to be postponed till tomorrow.
Here’s how today’s action went down.
Event 52 - $25k No-Limit Hold’em Six-Max
The final six players still in contention met up today to finish off what they started and when an incendiary final table had blazed its way to a conclusion, Daniel “djk123″ Kelly was the man left holding the bracelet and the incredible $1,315,518 first prize money.
The 21 year old American defeated Shawn Buchanan heads-up to land the bracelet, and along the way he also saw off the challenge of Player of the Year contender, the double-braceleted Frank Kassela.
“I want to win more,” a hungry Kelly said afterwards, who looks like he will now become the latest addition to the group of young players known as the “Brunson 10.”
Event 54 - $1k No-Limit Hold’em
596 players were back in action for day 2 as the survivors of Day 1a and Day 1b met up to do battle.
A tough contest ensued and when they bagged and tagged the chips by the end of play, just xxx remained in the hunt.
XXX will return as the chip leader when they return to contend the bracelet tomorrow at 2.30 p.m.
Event 55 - $10k Pot-Limit Omaha Championship
The Pot-Limit Omaha Championship saw many stellar names left with hope of a last bracelet before the Main Event written all over their faces.
By the end, most of them had had that hope wiped clean off their visages - Devilfish, durrrr and Phil Hellmuth all crashing out.
However, Alex Kravchenko, Ludovic Lacay and Daniel Alaei are still some of the big names hunting the bracelet and the final nine players will return at 4.00 p.m. tomorrow to play to a finish.
Event 56 - $2.5k No-Limit Hold’em
The final WSOP 2010 tournament before the Main Event saw 1941 hopefuls register for Day 1 in a bid to get out of it for the Series.
Only 507 made it through to Day 2 and by the time 10 levels had come and gone, this number had been reduced to xxx.
They will return tomorrow at 3.00 p.m. and XXX is the man they will all be chasing.
Ante Up For Africa
Celebrities from all walks of life gathered together in the Rio today to show a little generosity, have a little fun and play a little poker.
Film stars like Matt Damon and Don Cheadle rubbed shoulders with the likes of retired NFL halfback Jerome Bettis and Australian cricketer Shane Warne - playing out a tournament filled with fun and laughter - and plenty of generous donations.
The final saw poker pro Phil Gordon facing off against Shannon Elizabeth, who straddles the poker and movie worlds, and she also straddled Gordon when he defeated her heads up.
Gordon was quick to donate his $130,641 winnings to the charity, commenting, “I wish the rest of my WSOP had gone the way this tournament went.”
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07 2nd, 2010
recently ran a promotion asking players to submit their wackiest last longer prop bets. They picked the craziest ones and put them up for a public vote with the winner getting a trip out here to Las Vegas and their entry fees to the $1,000 No Limit Hold’em event paid for by the site.
The winners from Absolute Poker Mike Arniss and Tom Lipco, who joined us from the Private Suite at the Rio. They told us about their incredible prop bet which required the loser (who busted out first) to walk home from Las Vegas all the way back to Pennsylvania. These two guys are poker fanatics who made their first trip out to the and ended up at the bar with us to tell their story.
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07 1st, 2010
We saw a slew of poker’s greats surround the halls of the Rio Pavilion, with both the $25k Six-Handed No-Limit Championship and $10k PLO Championships in play.
The $1.5k Limit Shootout played down to the final table, as the final eight is set to play for the bracelet.
Here’s a look around Day 35 at the WSOP:
Event 51 - $3k Triple Chance
The heads-up finale came down to two online wizards battling it out for a bracelet in a big-time live poker event.
Ryan Welch defeated fellow online pro Jon Eaton to take down the bracelet and first place cash of $559,371.
The win gives Welch the first WSOP bracelet of his career, following numerous big online scores.
Other notable money finishers included Will “The Thrill” Failla (Fourth), Tommy Vedes (Seventh) and James Akenhead (17th).
Event 52 - $25k No-Limit Hold’em Six-Max
As expected, the WSOP’s newest high buy-in event is playing out as a showcase for poker’s best, and wealthiest.
Daniel Negreanu, Carlos Mortensen, Heather Sue Mercer, Eugene Katchalov, Justin Bonomo and Bryn Kenney are among the 18 players still in contention heading into Day 2.
John Juanda was the unfortunate bubble boy coming in 19th place. Juanda’s elimination may have lasting implications for the WSOP Player of the Year race as Frank Kassela survived in this event and will get at least five POY points tomorrow.
Play resumes at 3 p.m. Friday. It’s a four-day event and the final table is scheduled for Saturday. First place will pay out an epic $1.3 million.
Event 53 - $1.5k Limit Shootout
The final eight is set for this Limit Shootout event, which comes back at 2:30 p.m. Friday to determine a champion.
Canada’s Terrence Chan is in the mix as is Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little as the players vie for the first-place prize of $184,950.
Notable cash finishers busted out on Day 2 included Theo Tran and Marcel Luske.
Event 54 - $1k No-Limit Hold’em
A huge turnout filled the Pavilion Room, as 2,340 players came out for Day 1A.
There were a few familiar faces amongst the mass chaos, as Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler, Liv Boeree, Shannon Shorr and Kara Scott all made it through to Day 2.
Day 1b of this event commences at noon Friday.
Event 55 - $10k Pot-Limit Omaha Championship
The final $10k Championship before the Main Event began Thursday, with 346 players coming out for high-stakes PLO tournament action.
The roster of players in the field reads like a poker who’s who, with David Benyamine, Greg Raymer, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson and Men “The Master” Nguyen all in the game.
None other than Tom “durrrr” Dwan is among the chip leaders, along with James Akenhead and Annette Obrestad.
Day 2 resumes at 3 p.m. Friday as the picture starts to come into focus and we play to a final table.
To view how the day played out in more detail as well as see blogs, news and videos from the Series, click through to PokerListings .
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07 1st, 2010
We saw a slew of poker’s greats surround the halls of the Rio Pavilion, with both the $25k Six-Handed No-Limit Championship and $10k PLO Championships in play.
The $1.5k Limit Shootout played down to the final table, as the final eight is set to play for the bracelet.
Here’s a look around Day 35 at the WSOP:
Event 51 - $3k Triple Chance
The heads-up finale came down to two online wizards battling it out for a bracelet in a big-time live poker event.
Ryan Welch defeated fellow online pro Jon Eaton to take down the bracelet and first place cash of $559,371.
The win gives Welch the first WSOP bracelet of his career, following numerous big online scores.
Other notable money finishers included Will “The Thrill” Failla (Fourth), Tommy Vedes (Seventh) and James Akenhead (17th).
Event 52 - $25k No-Limit Hold’em Six-Max
As expected, the WSOP’s newest high buy-in event is playing out as a showcase for poker’s best, and wealthiest.
Daniel Negreanu, Carlos Mortensen, Heather Sue Mercer, Eugene Katchalov, Justin Bonomo and Bryn Kenney are among the 18 players still in contention heading into Day 2.
John Juanda was the unfortunate bubble boy coming in 19th place. Juanda’s elimination may have lasting implications for the WSOP Player of the Year race as Frank Kassela survived in this event and will get at least five POY points tomorrow.
Play resumes at 3 p.m. Friday. It’s a four-day event and the final table is scheduled for Saturday. First place will pay out an epic $1.3 million.
Event 53 - $1.5k Limit Shootout
The final eight is set for this Limit Shootout event, which comes back at 2:30 p.m. Friday to determine a champion.
Canada’s Terrence Chan is in the mix as is Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little as the players vie for the first-place prize of $184,950.
Notable cash finishers busted out on Day 2 included Theo Tran and Marcel Luske.
Event 54 - $1k No-Limit Hold’em
A huge turnout filled the Pavilion Room, as 2,340 players came out for Day 1A.
There were a few familiar faces amongst the mass chaos, as Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler, Liv Boeree, Shannon Shorr and Kara Scott all made it through to Day 2.
Day 1b of this event commences at noon Friday.
Event 55 - $10k Pot-Limit Omaha Championship
The final $10k Championship before the Main Event began Thursday, with 346 players coming out for high-stakes PLO tournament action.
The roster of players in the field reads like a poker who’s who, with David Benyamine, Greg Raymer, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson and Men “The Master” Nguyen all in the game.
None other than Tom “durrrr” Dwan is among the chip leaders, along with James Akenhead and Annette Obrestad.
Day 2 resumes at 3 p.m. Friday as the picture starts to come into focus and we play to a final table.
To view how the day played out in more detail as well as see blogs, news and videos from the Series, click through to PokerListings .
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The Voodoo Series of Poker at Dublin’s Voodoo Card Club comes to a conclusion this weekend in the form of the €250 no limit hold’em main event.
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06 30th, 2010
Las Vegas experienced a sweltering day and inside the relative cool of the Amazon Room, the temperature also rose as a fiery group of poker players went head-to-head across four tournaments.
Two of the biggest names in poker also traded verbal blows.
This is how the day played out.
Event 47 - $1k No-Limit Hold’em
Event 47 was originally planned to be a four day event but, once it got down to the final nine, the tournament directors cried uncle and decided that for the sanity of the players and staff involved we should call it a night and come back for more tomorrow.
Out of the final nine. Owen “ocrowe” Crowe is the name that stands out and he’ll be coming back tomorrow in fourth place with 1.2 million when the final nine return to battle for the bracelet.
Event 49 - $1.5k No-Limit Hold’em
The penultimate small buy-in “donkament” of the series played out day 2 today - if donkament is a fair description of a four-figure buy-in tournament.
Tha payouts are not inconsiderable, given the winner will collect s sizeable $609.493 for first and 23 players still have a shot at that.
Michael Linn will come in as the chipleader with just over 1.4 million in chips. Closely behind is Mihai Manole of Romania that is hot on Linn’s tail with 1.25 million.
Event 50 - $5k Pot-Limit Omaha
The $5k Pot-Limit Omaha was scheduled to play to a final table, but was always unlikely to achieve that goal - 31 players still in the hunt by the time they bagged and tagged the chips. Along the way in what was a keenly-contested tournament.
They did manage to make it into the money spots and Robert Mizrachi snatched the chip lead by the end of the day.
He’ll be looking to emulate brother Michael Mizrachi’s bracelet success earlier in the series.
PokerListings blogger Jason Mercier and Hendon Mobster Joe Beevers were two others who survived and when they return at 3 p.m. tomorrow, they will be nursing ambitions of bracelet glory.
Event 51 - $3k Triple Chance No-Limit Hold’em
The $3k Triple Chance was a fiesta of action, with a bumper field of 965 swiftly whittled down to just 189 come the close of play.
The field was stacked with some top-class players and the end of day chip counts relected this.
Tommy Vedes, David Singer, Gavin Griffin, James Akenhead and Tom “durrrr” Dwan will all return tomorrow at 2.30 p.m. well-placed to make a deep run and we expect fireworks when they resume.
For an in-depth account of how Day 33 of the World Series played out, along with news, blogs and videos keeping you up-to-date with all te action playing out in the Rio, click through to PokerListings dedicated
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06 29th, 2010
Welcome to the June 28th edition of the Daily Deal by Poker News Daily, and in it we’ll wrap up a busy weekend at the 2010 and interview about his 21st place finish in a $1,500 No Limit Hold’em event.
No one has a case of the Mondays here at Poker News Daily. I’m Sean Gibson and welcome to the Daily Deal. Let’s first get to some news at the World Series of poker.
We start with the end of Event number 42 which was a $1,500 No Limit Hold’em affair. A couple of big names made the final three tables in and our own Bernard Lee but in the end it was American Dean Hamrick taking it down for the bracelet and $600,000 first place prize. Event number 43 was the ten thousand dollar horse championship and features a ton of huge name in the mix. Players like , Scott Fischman, and Matt Glantz were left when the field was just ten, but it was Ian Gordon who bested them all for just over $611,000.
Event number 44 was the mixed holdem event which plays both limit and no limit varities of the game and had a $2,500 buy-in. A big name took this down as Poker pro finally broke through for his first ever WSOP bracelet. Smith is one of the more well liked pros for his “Frank the Tank” attitude away from the tables and won over a quarter million for taking this event down.
As we just mentioned, Foxwoods sponsored pro and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Bernard Lee finished twenty first in a fifteen hundred dollar No Limit Hold’em event, his largest cash in a Las Vegas WSOP event in two years. Normally you can catch Bernard hosting the Hijack Seat right here on Poker News Daily, where he interviews the game’s top pros live from Las Vegas. But right now he joins us from Las Vegas via the newsmaker hotline to discuss his latest deep run.
[BERNARD LEE INTERVIEW]
Thanks for joining me on the Daily Deal by Poker News Daily. Don’t forget to enter into our Final Table promotion and join us out here in Vegas in November to win a VIP vacation to see the finale of the World Series of Poker’s Main Event. And if you haven’t already, bookmark our site to catch the latest poker news and exclusive access interviews. We’ll see you tomorrow.
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06 28th, 2010
Day 32 was a showcase for poker’s elite, as Day 2 of the Tournament of Champions played out on the WSOP feature table stage.
Mike “The Mouth” Matusow had perhaps his best day of the 2010 WSOP, emerging as the TOC chip leader and also running to a great start in $5k PLO.
Norway’s Sigurd Eskeland also picked up his first bracelet in the $2.5k Mixed Event.
Here’s a look around Day 32:
WSOP Tournament of Champions 2010
Day 2 was very much like Day 1 in the 2010 Tournament of Champions, with just five players hitting the rail for the second straight day.
The pace of the TOC has been slower than expected through the first eight levels, as 17 of the original 27 players still remain.
The event was supposed to play down to the final nine Monday, with the final table played at 1 p.m. July 4.
The WSOP is now discussing two alternate scenarios, with one having players come back at 7 p.m. July 3, and the other option having players come back at 10 a.m. July 4 for an early-morning start.
Mike “The Mouth” Matusow came out of Day 2 as the chip leader, with Huck Seed, Johnny Chan and Scotty Nguyen right behind.
The WSOP will determine which scenario will play out for the TOC based on entrants’ commitments to other bracelet events on July 3, so stay tuned.
Event 47 - $1k No-Limit Hold’em
3,128 players came out for Day 1 of this event, and it was 476 returning for Day 2 with an eye on the $485,791 first prize.
Antonio Esfandiari created a mini-spectacle in the Amazon Room, as the headband-clad Victory Poker spokesman ran back and forth multi-tabling this event and the Tournament of Champions.
Esfandiari didn’t survive the day in this event, but made the payout structure, finishing 73rd.
Scott Montgomery went on a big heater on Day 2 and comes back amongst the chip leaders when play resumes at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Event 48 - $2.5k Mixed Event
The day’s only bracelet was awarded in this event, as Norwegian Sigurd Eskeland emerged from the field of 453 players to take the championship and $260,497.
Todd Brunson came up just short of a final table bid, finishing 11th for $18,045, while Alex Kravchenko came up right behind at 11th and Dario Minieri finished 14th.
Kirk Morrison and Vitaly Lunkin also posted cash finished, as did Mike “The Grinder” Mizrachi, who added to his Player of the Year total.
Event 49 - $1.5k No-Limit Hold’em
The large turnout pushed the first-place prize in this event to $609,493, as 2,543 players entered the latest $1.5k No-Limit event on Day 1.
David Pham and JP Kelley were amongst the chip leaders as the first day came to end, with 315 players advancing to Day 2, which commences at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Andy Bloch and Liv Boeree are also amongst the notables coming back for Day 2.
Event 50 - $5k Pot-Limit Omaha
The TOC might have been the biggest spectacle of the day, but this event was packed with poker superstars on Day 1.
Jeff Lisandro, Ted Forrest, Carlos Mortensen, Annette Obrestad and Annie Duke were just a few of the names that signed up, with 460 players in the field overall.
2009 November Niner Kevin Schaffel had a huge first day, and comes back as one of the chip leaders with 178,900 when Day 2 kicks off at 3 p.m. Tuesday.
Just under 200 players made it to Day 2 and Dan Shak and Annette Obrestad are also amongst the chip leaders.
For a more in-depth look at how the day played out, along with news, blogs and videos, visit PokerListings’ .
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06 28th, 2010
In this exclusive access video, our team was able to visit at his home at the luxurious Panorama Towers in Las Vegas. As part of his normal routine, before he went off to play in the final of the $5,000 No Limit Hold’em event with 18 players remaining, he joined his personal trainer at the gym. Esfandiari has been dedicating himself to a healthier lifestyle and getting his body in serious shape and we caught the “arms day” of his workout routine in this video. He talks a bit of about why he’s at the gym so much now and how it can help poker players keep their focus.
Antonio Esfandiari is one of the most recognizable faces in the world of professional poker. He’s won events at both the and in addition to appearing on several episodes of High Stakes Poker. Known as “The Magician” he’s considered one of the best live pros and is now a spokesperson and sponsored pro for Victory Poker.
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06 27th, 2010
With the 41st annual () well underway, there have already been several highlights including:
1. Michael “” Mizrachi captured Event #2, the $50,000 Poker Player’s Championship. En route to winning his first bracelet, he eliminated his brother, Robert, in fifth place, while removing himself from “The Best Player Without a Bracelet” List.
2. created a huge buzz as he made Day 3 in Event #8 ($1,500 No Limit Hold’em), vying for his 12th WSOP bracelet. Alas, his bid came up short, as he finished in 15th place.
3. Men “” Nguyen won his seventh bracelet in Event #10, $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship.
4. Tom “” Dwan just missed his first bracelet in Event #11 ($1,500 No Limit Hold’em), finishing second to New Zealander , which also prevented him from collecting on several very lucrative prop bracelet bets.
5. , a member of the 2009 November Nine, was able to win his own bracelet in Event #18, $2,000 Limit Hold’em. Buchman, who finished fourth in the 2009 WSOP Main Event, also came close to a bracelet in 2006, finishing as the runner-up in Event #4, $1,500 Limit Hold’em.
6. Another WSOP Main Event final tablist from 2005, John “Tex” Barch, won his first bracelet in Event #25, $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha.
7. , who is dubiously best known for finishing as the runner-up to in the 2003 WSOP Main Event, captured his third bracelet in Event #25, the $10,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better Championship.
Additionally, during the WSOP, Poker News Daily and I introduced a new show called The Hijack Seat. The idea for the show actually originated back in June 2009. I came up with the concept of doing audio interviews similar to my radio show, but primarily focused on the players at the WSOP. After discussing the idea with Poker News Daily, there was significant interest, but we realized that there was very little time to work out the details. Thus, they requested that I contact them in early 2010 if I were still interested. In some respects, it was a blessing in disguise, as ESPN Inside Deal began work behind the scenes during the summer and I was extremely busy with the start of the show. Therefore, I put the show idea on the back burner until next year.
Once the new year arrived, I was very interested in the show for the 2010 WSOP. When I reached out to Poker News Daily at the beginning of this year, they asked if the show could be video interviews since the site had expanded its capabilities. After further discussions, I agreed and decided to move forward with it.
I chose the show’s name, The Hijack Seat, for a few reasons. First, I thought the name was somewhat original and cool. With the button, under the gun, and cutoff fairly common, the hijack seat is a relatively new term in poker. Also, to interview my guests, I temporarily “hijack” the player to ask them questions that are somewhat unique and informative. Finally, a player sitting in the hijack seat must get through four spots (cutoff seat, button, small blind, and big blind) to steal the blinds and antes. Thus, I ask them four questions at the end of every program before I let them go.
I hope that you have seen an episode, but if not, here are links to the first few shows and a quick synopsis:
: “The Fossilman,” who was my first guest, talked about why he likes to rent a house instead of staying at the Rio and what he brings in his daily bag just in case. View and .
: The seven-time bracelet winner discusses his love of Lowball and his relationship with .
: “The Professor” discusses his relationship with and his prop bet with David Grey. View and .
: The 2008 November Niner talks about his lucky coin, special watch, and prize cows (that’s right, this is not a misprint).
Since the introduction of the show, several people have e-mailed me asking how I am able to interview certain players. Overall, there are three ways. First, I am fortunate that several of these players are personal friends. Second, I have forged relationships with some of these players via my work with ESPN and my radio show. Finally, I have been playing in several 5:00pm events (mostly Mixed Games) and many of the pros play in these events vying for the shot at a bracelet.
I am constantly trying to bring you the best guests and get interesting information about poker and their lives. I hope you will enjoy the future installments of The Hijack Seat.
is the official spokesperson of Foxwoods Resort Casino. Lee is the co-host of ESPN Inside Deal, host of PokerNewsDaily.com’s Hijack Seat, a columnist for the ESPN.com, Sunday columnist for the Boston Herald, and author of “The Final Table, Volume I” and “Volume II.” Visit . Listen to “The Bernard Lee Poker Show” presented by Foxwoods Resort Casino every Tuesday from 6:00pm to 7:00pm on 1120 AM in Boston (MoneyMatterBoston.com or RoundersRadio.com). For questions or comments, e-mail him at BernardLeePoker@hotmail.com.
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