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Archive for December, 2008


eL cuCut carves out a win in the December Battle of the Planets

Sunday, December 28th, 2008

What better way to end a successful year (or slide back into the black) with a nice four to five-figure score from a freeroll? PokerStars rewards its players in many ways, but for the serious SnG players the biggest perk is a free entry into the Battle of the Planets race each month. Even if you were not one of the lucky nine to make it to the final table today, there are weekly prizes to be won regardless of the size of your bankroll. From the $1-$2.99 buy-in Mercury division to the high-rolling $300+ buy-in Jupiter division, size doesn't matter for the below final nine as they played for bulk of the $50,000 month-end triple shootout freeroll.

klop0007 went out for a six-course meal as he was the first to nail down his seat at a final table (and waited nearly 45 minutes to play) awarding $12,500 to the winner. solody, a former 2006 WCOOP final tablist in Razz got to play Hold'Em with hopes of adding on to the $22,827.20 he won two years ago. doucheburger returned to the final table as he trapped potlogic with pocket aces versus pocket queens. He managed a 6th place finish back in September (link here), and one month later nearly took down the $1 million Turbo Takedown (link here) with a runner-up finish for $52,000.

The last final table seat was decided between Vegas_Matt78 and levaitom, sadly 10th place pays the same as 81st in the triple shootout and it was after a well spirited heads-up match that levaitom fell for the $195 consolation prize in 10th place to set our final table.

Thumbnail image for BoP122808.jpg

(Click picture for larger image)

Despite two victories to get here, all players started off with the same $1,500 chip stacks and the blinds at an easy going 10/20. Any chance at an early deal was taken off the board by doucheburger:

AdamDay342: do they do table deals at this table?
doucheburger: they do
doucheburger: but i don't

He may not do deals, but PokerStars does, by now if you have been playing this weekend there are several World Record Week promotions going on. Check out the promo page (link here) for reload bonuses, 10,000 player SnGs, and Milestone hands which can make you a winner just for sitting down and playing cash games!

No blood was drawn early, as AdamDay342 was the first to reach 2,000 chips followed closely by eL cuCut whose connection problems got the table grumbling, but none of the players felt the hurt from the blinds escalating from 10/20 to 15/30. Patient play shown by all the players as 3x big blind preflop raises took the blinds as very little post flop play was seen.

The first push came after a 3X big blind raise from the shortstacked klop0007 from Sleven11 with the blinds at 25/50. But, klop0007 decided to fight another day with his $775 in chips and folded. doucheburger jumped on a raise from Deurdy on his immediate right with a push but much like the prior hand, Deurdy took his $1,600 in chips and passed $150 of them quietly to doucheburger while mucking.

Steal attempt gone wrong, but chips shipped regardless. As the blinds moved up to 50/100, it folded around to doucheburger on the button who pushed with $1,310 chips remaining hoping to snag the $150 in the middle. But, AdamDay342 woke up with pocket nines in the big blind as doucheburger had to show the Qd7d busted steal attempt. The flop Kd-Jh-Ah provided some love for doucheburger for straight outs, the turn 6d added on the flush outs which hit on the cruel 9d river. Despite hitting his set, AdamDay342 fell to doucheburger's flush and had to settle for $775 in ninth place.

The blinds at 50/100 now represented some problems for the shorter stacks as Vegas_Matt78 and klop0007 managed to double up off doucheburger and eL cuCut respectively to go from short stack to average stack.

At the break here's how the stacks looked as the players came back to 75/150 blinds:

Seat 1: Sleven11 (1,180 in chips)
Seat 2: eL cuCut (2,465 in chips)
Seat 3: Fosca1 (2,170 in chips)
Seat 4: Vegas_Matt78 (1,580 in chips)
Seat 5: solody (1,300 in chips)
Seat 6: Deurdy (1,600 in chips)
Seat 7: doucheburger (1,655 in chips)
Seat 8: klop0007 (1,550 in chips)

Many all-ins but no one all out as the 75/150 blind level went thru without incident. But, as soon as the blinds bumped up to 100/200, solody and Sleven11 started the rain on all-ins and a call. Leaving $445 in chips behind, solody called the all-in push of Sleven11 from middle position with pocket jacks. Sleven11 was short on chips and short on luck as his Tc-9c never had a chance on the 5d-2d-Qc-Ah-8s board. solody collected the $2,410 chip pot and Sleven11 collected $1,200 in eighth place.

Two hands later, with only $605 left, Vegas_Matt78 open-pushed two off the button and Deurdy followed in suit on the button with a push of his own while holding $1,225 in chips. No "Deurdy" river needed in this race of Deurdy's Ac-Qc versus Vegas_Matt78's pocket deuces. The flop hit Deurdy's ace showing 9d-4d-As and held up through the Td turn and 9c river. Vegas_Matt78 was chatting about $1 SnG and will now be able to play a little higher thanks to the $1,700 he won in seventh place.

Another two hands later, another all-in and a call preflop. This time klop0007's button push with Ac-7d found himself well behind the big blind Fosca1's Ad-Ks. No suspense in the outcome as the flop showed Kc-7h-Kh giving Fosca1 flopped trips and leaving klop0007 searching for the remaining sevens in the deck. Td and Qh on the turn and river sent the double agent home for the holidays with an extra $2,200 in his PokerStars account in sixth place.

Most hands this late in the tournament with the blinds at 125/250 ante 25 begin with a push and end with either a fold or call preflop. eL cuCut raised from the button with Ah-Qd to $600 and was facing a push from solody in the big blind for most of his chips saving $1,010 behind. He made the correct call and found himself racing with the pocket deuces on solody. The 3c-Jd-Ks flop added four more outs to the race for eL cuCut, the 8d on the turn did nothing, but the Ts on the river danced eL cuCut to his winning broadway straight and sent solody home with $2,735 in fifth place.

The very next hand produced a very "Deurdy" river. Again it was eL cuCut mixing it up leaving $1,560 in chips behind this time as he called the three-bet push of Deurdy with a suited big slick (Ac-Kc) and Deurdy found himself well behind with Ad-Td. The flop 3h-Tc-3c hit Deurdy hard he now he was dodging clubs and three kings to take the $7,620 chip pot. Js on the turn opened up three more queens for outs, and the "Deurdy" river 6c flushed Deurdy out of the last 2008 Battle of the Planets final table in fourth place earning $3,350.

doucheburger decided to go on the offensive pushing the next three out of four hands but losing most of his chips to Fosca1 when his Ac-3s missed the board, and Fosca1's Jc-7s connected for a winning pair of sevens. Down but not out, doucheburger with only $730 left won the blinds the next hand but lost the following hand when his 6d-2d could not make up for lost ground against Fosca1's Ad-2h on the 9c-3c-9h-8h-Ks board. doucheburger did add another impressive finish to his mantle with a third-place finish worth $4,500.

Even with doucheburger out, talks of chopping up the final two places only materialized after the following hands: eL cuCut's 8,430 to Fosca1's $5,070 heads up lead would evaporate after 18 hands when Fosca1's pocket eights overcame the overcard and flush draw of eL cuCut's Kd-5d on the 2d-4h-Qd-4c-7c board leaving eL cuCut with just $1,460 in chips. But, eL cuCut would battle back to even thanks to a few steals and pocket aces versus Fosca1's pocket nines brought to gap into deal making range.

After a short wait for the trusty PokerStars Host, our remaining contestants divvied up the $19,500 left in the prize pool. Chip-chop it up!

Fosca1: $10,273.52
eL cuCut: $9,226.48

The players pushed the next two hands and with pocket Tens, eL cuCut held off the Qs-8c of Fosca1 to become the December Battle of the Planets champion!

Here's how the final table's share of the prize pool was given out:

December Battle of the Planets
(Based on two-way deal)

1. eL cuCut $9,226.82
2. Fosca1 $10,273.52
3. doucheburger $4,500.00
4. Deurdy $3,350.00
5. solody $2,735.00
6. klop0007 $2,200.00
7. Vegas_Matt78 $1,700.00
8. Sleven11 $1,200.00
9. AdamDay342 $775.00


World Record Week: Team PokerStars Pro Championship Match

Sunday, December 28th, 2008

PokerStars bloggers Change100 and Johnny Kampis will be live blogging the whole of the Team PokerStars Pro Championship Match. Click refresh to see the latest updates. This match will be an 8-game mixed contest with 29 players. The top three finishers will be awarded money for charity. The winner will be declared Team PokerStars Pro captain.

5:00pm -- That's a wrap!

Congratulations again to Victor Ramdin, who proved himself to be the pro of pros today as he defeated a 29-strong field, comprised entirely of his fellow members of Team PokerStars Pro. Many of the Team Pros have now headed over to play the Sunday Million, which, in honor of World Record Week, boasts a 16,260 player field and a monster prize pool of $3,252,000!

Stay tuned for continuing coverage as World Record Week makes history.

4:58pm -- Victor Ramdin wins Team PokerStars Pro Championship! Daniel Negreanu eliminated in 2nd place

After a protracted battle in which he got down nearly to the felt, Victor Ramdin has defeated Daniel Negreanu heads-up to win the tournament.

On the final hand of stud, Ramdin started with two eights in the hole, and improved to queens up by seventh after a raising war with Negreanu. Though KidPoker caught a pair of sevens on fifth with running flush and straight possibilities, Negreanu could not improve and two pair ruled the day and won the event.

Congratulations to Victor Ramdin, Team PokerStars Pro's newly anointed team captain! He also earns $15,000 for the charity of his choice. Negreanu's charity will also receive $10,000 for his efforts.

4:47pm -- Negreanu puts Ramdin on the ropes, Ramdin resurges

Daniel Negreanu had Victor Ramdin whittled all the way down to 2,772 chips to his 55,228 but Ramdin has staged an amazing comeback, winning or splitting 11 out of the 12 pots that followed. Ramdin is now back up to 24,712 while Negreanu sits with 33,288.

4:38pm -- Heads-up play commences

Here's how the chip counts look as heads-up play gets underway between Victor Ramdin and Daniel "KidPoker" Negreanu:

Victor Ramdin: 32,972
Daniel Negreanu: 25,028

4:37pm - Chris Moneymaker eliminated in 3rd place

Victor Ramdin raised to 2,000 from the button playing limit hold'em. Moneymaker called from the big blind after Negreanu folded his small blind. Both players checked the Kc-8s-5s flop. Moneymaker led out for 2,000 after the 6d hit the turn and Ramdin raised to 4,000. Moneymaker put in his last 496 and revealed Kh-7d. Ramdin held As-Ks for top pair top kicker and the nut flush draw. The river was the 5h and Moneymaker finished in third, leaving Ramdin to duke it out with Daniel Negreanu for the title. Not all is lost, though. The charity of Moneymaker's choice will receive $5,000 for his play today.

4:34pm -- Hevad "Rain" Khan eliminated in 4th place

Hevad Khan played his last hand on the 2-7 triple draw round, getting the remainder of his chips in after the second draw. Khan made a T-9 low but it was crushed by Victor Ramdin's 7-6 low, eliminating the "bulldozer" from the tournament.

4:33pm -- Chad Brown goes down in 5th

Playing 2-7 triple draw with 1,000/2,000 stakes, Chad Brown got all in against Victor Ramdin after the third draw. Before the third draw Ramdin stood pat and Brown drew one. He called for his last 944 and showed 9-8-7-4-2, but could not beat the monster hand of 7-6-5-4-2 held by Ramdin, who is now up to 21,268.

John Duthie, watching from the rail while apparently enjoying some mulled wine, couldn't resist a quip about Brown's bulging biceps.

John Duthie said, "well played Chad. Back to the bench presses."
ChadBrownPRO said, "lol. that was the problem."

4:28pm -- The Chris Moneymaker comeback

The game was PLO and Daniel Negreanu started off the action with a min-raise to 800 from the button. Chris Moneymaker reraised to 1,800 and Negreanu called the 1,000 balance. The flop was Qh-3h-3c. Moneymaker bet 1,600, about half of his remaining stack. Negreanu moved him all in and Moneymaker called, turning over Qs-8s-5d-3d for a flopped boat to Negreanu's As-Jd-Td-3s for trips. The turn was the Jc, also giving Negreanu a boat, but it couldn't sink Moneymaker's queens full. The river was the 5c and the 2003 WSOP champion dragged the pot, doubling his stack to 12,196 as Greg Raymer cheered on his comeback from the rail.

4:20pm -- Hevad Khan doubles through Victor Ramdin

We promised you action with this NLHE round and our Team Pros delivered. After Victor Ramdin opened for 1,200 from the cutoff, Hevad Khan moved all in for 3,404 from the big blind and Ramdin made the call, turning up As-7c to Khan's Kc-Qc. A queen hit the flop, however, and though Ramdin turned a pair when a 7 came off, he couldn't hit an ace on the river and Khan got a much-needed double up to 7,258.

4:19pm -- Moneymaker survives

Chris Moneymaker shoved all-in for 2,124 with Ad-5c and ran into the Ac-Kh of Daniel Negreanu in the small blind, but Moneymaker flopped a five to win the hand and move up to 4,795.


4:13pm -- Break it down!

Here are the chip counts for our five remaining players at the third break. Victor Ramdin continues to maintain a commanding lead.

1. Victor Ramdin 27,578
2. Daniel Negreanu 15,000
3. Chad Brown 9,544
4. Hevad Khan 3,004
5. Chris Moneymaker 2,874

When they return from break, the game will be no-limit hold'em with 200/400 blinds and a 50 ante, which should inject some serious action into the proceedings.

4:10pm - Cream rises

John Duthie is observing the final table and recently typed into the chat box: "I see that the cream has risen to the top."

Responded KidPoker: and the riff raff ended on the bottom? [; )]

3:59pm -- Ramdin owns final table so far

Victor Ramdin has managed to build his stack up to 24,400 while his opponents all hold between 7,000 and 10,000 chips.

3:39pm - Bill Chen first out at final table

Bill Chen led out betting most of the way on his final hand of 2-7 triple draw, but Chad Brown outdrew him in a heads-up pot. Chen ended up with A-8-7-5-2 against the 8-7-6-3-2 of Brown. Chen left the tournament in 6th place while Brown moved up to 9,604.

3:35pm -- We have a final table!

Victor Ramdin, Chris Moneymaker, Daniel Negreanu, Chad Brown, Hevad Khan and Bill Chen are your final six! Here's how they stack up as the final table gets underway:

team pstars pro championship ft.JPG

3:34pm -- Kravchenko KOed in 7th place

The majority of Alex Kravchenko's remaining chips went in the middle before the flop after Daniel Negreanu opened a PLO hand with a raise to 300. Kravchenko re-potted to 1,050 and Negreanu called. The flop came down Kh-3s-Kd and Kravchenko's last 561 sailed into the middle. Negreanu made the call. The turn was the 4h, the river was the Ad and Negreanu's Ah-7h-5d-4d made two pair, aces and kings to beat out Kravchenko's Qh-Qc-9d-7s to win the pot and eliminate the Russian sensation.

With Kravchenko's elimination, we've reached our final table of six.

3:34pm - Goral leaves in eighth

Marcin "Goral" Horecki got the rest of his 1,600 chips into the pot pre-flop in good shape against Victor Ramdin on a PLO hand, but it was not to be. The Ah-Kh-Js-Jd of Horecki was bested by the Ks-Ts-6s-7c after the board came 9d-Qc-8c-4s-5d. Ramdin is steamrolling the competition with a stack of 19,650.

3:30 pm - Dario Minieri eliminated in 9th place

Dario Minieri made his last stand, moving all in pre-flop with As-7c in a no-limit hold'em pot and found his hand dominated by Victor Ramdin's Ad-8c. No help for the young Italian on the Qd-9h-6c-4s-9d board and Ramdin added even more to his growing stack, which now sits at the 18,445 mark, good for the chip lead.

3:29pm - Gomes goes home in 10th

Playing no-limit hold'em, Alexandre "Allingomes" Gomes shoved his 1,800 stack all-in from the small blind and Chad Brown called from the big blind. Brown was a 2-to-1 favorite with Qh-Kc versus 8h-7s and the board ran out Qs-2h-6c-6h-9c to give him a 8,265 stack and send Gomes to the rail.

3:26pm - NoMercy for 11th place Isabelle

There was no luck for Isabelle Mercier when she got it all in pre-flop in NLHE with pocket kings against the A-K of Victor Ramdin and the flop came A-6-9. She could not catch the case king and Ramdin was up to a commanding 17,351 after the hand.

3:18pm -- Exclusive exits in 12th

More stud carnage--after being crippled by Chris Moneymaker's straight two hands earlier, Noah "Exclusive" Boeken was eliminated when he got it all in with Q-J-8 versus the J-4-2 of Moneymaker. The 2003 world champion managed to catch two deuces and a four to make a full house and was up to 10,500 after the hand, challenging Victor Ramdin for the chip lead.

3:14 pm -- Lee Nelson eliminated in 13th place

Lee Nelson's last hand in the tournament would also be a stud hand. Though he started with two jacks in the hole, Alexandre Gomes caught up to him by the river making a queen-high flush to send the Kiwi to the rail.

With 12 players remaining, we're now down to two tables.

3:12pm -- Seven-card stud spells the end for Steve Paul-Ambrose

Locking horns with Bill Chen in a stud hi pot, Steve "stevejpa" Paul-Ambrose bet the last of his chips on sixth street and earned a call from Chen. Paul-Ambrose couldn't manage more than a pair of eights by the river and Chen took down the pot with aces up, sending the 2006 PCA champion home in 14th place.

3:10pm -- Chip counts at second break

More than half the field is gone now after two hours and we are about to play 250/500 Stud with a 50 ante. Here are how things stack up:

1. Victor Ramdin 12,394
2. Chad Brown 7,976
3. Noah Boeken 5,672
4. Bill Chen 4,834
5. Chris Moneymaker 4,687
6. Daniel Negreanu 3,964
7. Isabelle Mercier 3,767
8. Alexandre Gomes 3,560
9. Alex Kravchenko 2,388
10. Dario Minieri 2,142
11. Martin Horecki 2,110
12. Lee Nelson 1,800
13. Steve Paul-Ambrose 1,552
14. Hevad Khan 1,154

3:06pm -- Negreanu giving razz lessons

After watching his tablemate Dario Minieir put in a third street reraise with a 9 showing in razz, Daniel Negreanu offered his fellow Team Pro a bit of a lowball lesson.

KidPoker said, "wjy re-raise with a 9 my friend?"
Dariominieri said, "cuz u had any 2 and i had 2 very low cards+ is it wrong"
KidPoker said, "if the 9 is in the hole its fine but not if its showing"
Dariominieri said, "mmm ok"
Dariominieri said, "thx a lot"
KidPoker said, "you cstch one bad card on 4 or 5 and you're dead
William said, "just wait for 2-7 dario"
William said, ":p"

2:59pm -- Two pair no good for Katja Thater; out in 15th

Now playing Omaha hi/lo with 100/200 stakes, Katja Thater raised it to 400 from the button and Alexandre "Allingomes" Gomes called from the big blind. After a flop of Qh-4s-6h, he checked and she bet 200. He raised and she called. He led out for 400 after the As hit the turn and Thater moved all-in for 729. The hands were Ad-4d-6s-8c for her and 2s-5d-7s-3c, giving Thater two pair, but providing Gomes with the nut low and wraparound straight draw. The straight got there when the 2h hit the river and Gomes was up to 6,855 in chips.

2:56pm - William Thorson out in 16th

Playing limit hold'em, William Thorson got his 642 stack into the pot pre-flop from the cutoff with Qs-3s against the Ah-Td of Alex Kravchenko. The board ran out 3h-8d-7d-6h-9c to give the Russian pro the straight and move him up to 4,648 in chips.

2:54 pm -- Pagano doubles through Gomes, then eliminated by Nelson in 17th place

EPT player of the year Luca Pagano has had a bit of a rough go of it this afternoon, but was just able to double through Alexandre Gomes to survive for a few more hands. Playing limit hold'em, Pagano jammed the pot pre-flop with J-J and Gomes called him with A-9. The fish hooks held up and Pagano doubled up to nearly 1,000.

Only two hands later he got it all in again, his Ad-Ks dominating Lee Nelson's As-7c. Unfortunately for Pagano, the board ran out Ts-6s-5s-2s-7d, and Nelson made an ace-high flush on the turn, besting Pagano's king-high flush and eliminating the Italian in 17th place.

2:53pm - LadyMaverick exits in 18th

Playing limit hold'em, Victor Ramdin raised Vanessa Rousso's big blind to 320. She called and check-raised Ramdin on a flop of Ts-Kc-3s. Ramdin called and then the two got into a raising war after the 2h hit the turn, putting Rousso all-in. The hands were Ks-7s for Rousso for a pair of kings and flush draw, while Ramdin was ahead with pocket aces. The river bricked off with the 5d and Rousso was out. Ramdin was up to 6,454 following this hand.

2:44 pm -- Love is in the air

With Barry Greenstein's elimination in 19th place, another table was broken and Dario Minieri was shuffled over to Table 5, where his girlfriend and fellow Team Pro Isabelle Mercier is playing. Mercier just nearly doubled her stack, taking down a 2,100 chip pot in 2-7 triple draw and now leads her man in the chip count with 4,100 to his 2,800.

One other Team PokerStars Pro couple remains in the hunt for the title, though they haven't had to square off on the same table yet-- Chad Brown and his fiance Vanessa Rousso.

2:42pm - Barry Greenstein wakes up in time to finish in 19th

Barry "barryg1" Greenstein finally made an entrance and found himself with 85 chips.

Said Greenstein: just woke up

Replied KidPoker: you don't seriously think you can spot the field this much

Greenstein was eliminated two hands after appearing when he got it all-in on a PLO hand with Ah-9d-6s-4s against the As-Kc-Qc-Jh of Lee Nelson. The board came 7d-5s-Tc-2s-Qh to knock Greenstein out. Nelson had 2,588 after the hand and we are down to three tables.

2:34 pm -- No sugar for 20th place Hachem

Joe Hachem limped into a NLHE pot pre-flop and was joined by potential Bikram yoga recruit Victor Ramdin, who completed the small blind. William Thorson checked his option in the big blind. The flop came down Ks-Jc-8s. Ramdin and Thorson checked it over to Hachem, who bet 120. Ramdin called and Thorson got out of the way. When the Qh fell on the turn, Ramdin checked it again, Hachem bet 360, and Ramdin shoved all in for his remaining 1,123. Hachem called all in, Ramdin having him slightly covered. The 2d on the river changed nothing, and Hachem turned over a set of kings, only to see the bad news when Ramdin shows 9c-Th for the straight. No sugar for everyone's favorite Aussie as he exited in 20th place.

2:33pm -- Vicky Coren finishes in 21st place

Playing no-limit hold'em, Vicky Coren shoved the rest of her 443 stack in from the button with Tc-Jc and Lee Nelson called from the big blind with Kh-5h. The board was a tease for Coren as it ran out 9h-Ts-6c-4h-Qh, giving her flopped top pair but providing a running flush for Nelson. After the hand, he was up to 2,773.

2:26 pm - Raymond Rahme eliminated in 22nd place

Playing seven-card stud hi/lo, Raymond Rahme got the rest of his chips in on third street showing the 6h vs. Joe Hachem, who had the Qd up. Rahme's starting hand of 6d-9c-6h was behind Hachen's Qd-9d-9s and he'd need some serious help to improve. Rahme only caught blanks, though, while Hachem made aces and nines by the river. With neither player making a low, Hachem scooped the lot and sent Rahme to the virtual rail.

2:21pm -- Gavin Griffin gone in 23rd place

Playing seven-card stud, Gavin Griffin raised on third with the As showing and only Noah "Exclusive" Boeken called, showing the 5c. Griffin led out on fourth after catching the 5h and Boeken called with the 3s. Boeken checked his option after pairing the 3 on fifth and Griffin bet. Boeken then check-raised and Griffin called.

Boeken bet out on the last two streets and Griffin called all-in. Boeken showed trip threes while Griffin could only manage two pair -- fives and fours. Griffin was eliminated in 23rd place and Boeken was up to 5,719.

2:20 pm -- Team YogaStars?

Bill Chen just popped into the chat box on Table 5, where Isabelle Mercier and Victor Ramdin are seated. The two are avid practicioners of a particularly torturous brand of yoga called Bikram, which is done in a room heated to a toasty 105 degrees. Mercier got Chen hooked on the practice over the WSOP and they just may have a new recruit in Ramdin. Check out their chat, and Victor-- get ready to sweat!

Bill Chen said, "hey guys, isa"
NoMercy said, "whats up bikram yoga partner?"
NoMercy said, ":)"
VictorRamdin said, "can i join the bikram party"
NoMercy said, "FOR SURE"
NoMercy said, "cant wait"
VictorRamdin said, "what is bikram is that all u can eat buffet"
VictorRamdin said, "lolol"
NoMercy said, "you gonna love it"
NoMercy said, "Bill and I were going to win the wsop main event thanks to bikram"

2:10 pm -- ElkY out in 24th

Chris Moneymaker raised to 160 from the cutoff in Omaha hi/lo and Bertrand "ElkY" Gospellier put in his last 176 from the button. Noah "Exclusive" Boeken also called from the small blind and the three players saw a flop of 4s-Ts-7d.

Boeken check-raised Moneymaker's bet after the flop and also after the 8h hit the turn. After the 8c fell on the river, Boeken bet out and Moneymaker raised. Boeken called and showed 5h-6h-Jd-7c for a straight and Moneymaker held As-Ac-Kc-2h for aces up and nut low.

ElkY mucked, while Boeken and Moneymaker were up to 3,199 and 3,539 after the hand respectively.

2:02pm -- Chip leaders at the break

We are an hour in and about to play Omaha hi/lo with 80/160 stakes after the break. Of the 24 players remaining here are the top 10:

1. Daniel "KidPoker" Negreanu 4,651
2. Alexandre "Allingomes" Gomes 4,016
3. Alex Kravchenko 3,504
4. Chris "Money800" Moneymaker 3,431
5. Steve "stevejpa" Paul-Ambrose 3,415
6. Noah "Exclusive" Boeken 3,171
7. Bill Chen 3,148
8. Dario Minieri 3,046
9. Hevad "RaiNKhAN" Khan 2,980
10. William Thorson 2,890

1:54pm -- FossilMan out in 25th

Greg "FossilMan" Raymer was eliminated in 25th place when his 9-8-7-6-2 low in triple draw couldn't best the 8-5-4-3-2 of Daniel "KidPoker" Negreanu. Negreanu was up to 4,800 after the hand.

1:52 pm -- Tom McEvoy eliminated in 26th place

The first level of pot-limit Omaha was unkind to 1983 WSOP Main Event champion McEvoy, as his stack was decimated on a three-way hand where his top two pair fell to Chad Brown's Broadway straight. Left with only about 300 in chips, he got it all in a few hands later in 2-7 triple draw, but ran into Marcin "Goral" Horecki's wheel to hit the rail in 26th place.

1:51 pm - Andre Akkari eliminated in 27th place

Down to only 375 in chips, Andre Akkari called William Thorson's opening raise in a 2-7 triple draw hand and each player took one card. Thorson check-called Akkari's bet and drew one card on the second draw while Akkari rapped pat. Thorson check-called another bet and drew one card again on the final draw. Thorson checked, Akkari bet his last 15 chips and Thorson called. Thorson's T-5-4-3-2 bested Akkari's T-8-7-6-4 and the Brazilian became the second Team PokerStars Pro eliminated from this event.

After the hand, Thorson was up to 3,940.

1:49 pm -- Humberto Brenes eliminated in 28th place

Chris Moneymaker raised it to 90 preflop playing PLO and Brenes made it 285 from the big blind. Moneymaker called and the two saw a flop of 9c-3c-6c.

Brenes led out for 585 and Moneymaker put him all-in for 352 more. The hands were Ah-Ac-Qh-9s for Brenes and As-th-8s-7s for Moneymaker, giving him a 16-out straight draw. The 5c on the turn gave Moneymaker the hand and a 3,079 chip count as the Costa Rican "chark" headed to the rail.

1:47pm -- John Duthie eliminated in 29th place

John Duthie became short-stacked early on and made his last stand on a pot-limit Omaha hand vs. Lee Nelson and Vanessa Rousso. Duthie made it 105 to go pre-flop, Nelson called from the button and Rousso called from the big blind. Rousso checked the Tc-3d-2d flop, Duthie moved all in for his last 298, Nelson called and Rousso folded.

Duthie turned up Kh-Qc-Js-Th for top pair to Nelson's Qd-Jd-9s-5s for the flush draw. The 7d on the turn filled Nelson's flush and the meaningless 2c hit the river, giving Nelson the hand and eliminating the EPT creator in 29th place.

1:44pm -- Paging Barry Greenstein

Three of the four players initially sitting out at Table 2 are now in the game -- Greg Raymer, Ray Rahme and Joe Hachem -- but there is still no sighting of barryg1.

1:30pm -- First half hour chip update

After the first 30 minutes of play, Daniel Negreanu is the chipleader with 4,000 while John Duthie is currently last with 900.

KidPoker has certainly been helped by his table draw that includes the four players who were initially sitting out (Raymer has finally arrived).

Bil Chen popped over to observe long enough to type: ok, I see why you are r00ling daniel

<b1:21pm -- Helps to know the game

Chris "Money800" Moneymaker just got heavily involved in a hand against Noah "Exclusive" Boeken before realizing he wasn't playing what he thought he was playing.

Money800: shoot this is razz

Moneymaker showed down two pair and Boeken took the pot with 8-5-4-2-A to move up to 2,702.

1:17pm -- Ace-deuce comes through for Chen

Noah "Exclusive" Boeken, Gavin Griffin and Bill Chen saw a flop of 2c-Jh-2d for four bets in Omaha Hi-Lo. The action slowed down at this point with Griffin calling Chen down after a turn and river of 8c-7c.

Chen showed As-2s-3d-7d for a full house and nut low to scoop the 855 pot. He is now at 2,050 chips

1:09pm -- The sitting out table

Daniel "KidPoker" Negreanu and Steve "stevejpa" Paul-Ambrose are having a field day at Table 2. That's because Ray Rahme, Joe Hachem, Greg "FossilMan" Raymer and Barry "barryg1" Greenstein are all sitting out.

Quipped Ambrose, "easy game."

1:05pm -- ElkY holding up the show

Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier is acting slowly at his table, which prompted this exchange:

Exclusive: elky stop playin 20 screens

GavinGriffin: he's playing starcraft too

ElkY: im in exuma island [:(]

ElkY: not very good connection here

1:08 p.m.-- What's at stake

Today's Team PokerStars Pro championship match will not only determine who will captain the team (which will play a significant role in a future promotion) but will divide up the $30,000 prize pool among the winners' favorite charities. $15,000 will be donated on behalf of the champion, $10,000 for the second-place finisher and $5,000 for third.

1:00p.m. -- Off and running

Our 29 Team PokerStars Pros are settling in to play in today's eight-game Pro Championship Match. The games will be played in this order: Limit Triple Draw 2-7, Limit Hold'em, Limit Omaha Hi-Lo, Limit Razz, Limit Stud, Limit Stud Hi-Lo, No Limit Hold'em and Pot-Limit Omaha. We may not see any eliminations until we get to the seventh level. At that point all bets are off.

Cards are in the air... or rather, on the screen!

12:54pm--Team PokerStars Pro Championship Match set to begin

Join us here for live coverage of the Team PokerStars Pro Championship Match at 1pm ET.


World Cup of Poker: Team Mexico makes a repeat finals run

Sunday, December 28th, 2008

After facing an eighth place elimination in last year's edition of the World Cup of Poker, Team Mexico is back for a repeat appearance in the live finals and looking to proudly represent Latin America. An eclectic foursome with diverse backgrounds has qualified to play under the Mexican flag. One is a future industrial engineer. Another sells helicopters. One is an avid chess player and another is a radio announcer. Their road to the finals went through Argentina and Peru, Chile and Colombia, Costa Rica and Guatemala, Uruguay and Venezuela before Mexico edged out Brazil to stamp their ticket to the Bahamas. 2008 has been an explosive year for poker south of the border; meet the four players who will be carrying the torch for Latin America on the island of Atlantis.

Jose Francisco Muñoz Osuna , aka "Pythomunoz" qualified to become a member of his nation's World Cup team by attaining Mexico's second-highest Tournament Leaderboard score. The 21-year old native of Mazatlan, Sinaloa still lives with his parents and is studying to become an industrial engineer. Three years ago, Pythomunoz was playing freerolls. Now he is a Supernova VIP, via a high volume of NLHE play in cash games, SNGs, and multi-table tournaments. Though he's clearly a poker success story, Pythomunoz still views poker as a hobby.

pokerface.jpg

A victory in the World Cup would be far more than just a payday for Pythomunoz. "More than the money, winning the cup would be the biggest pot I have collected, I mean, it would be the reward of (dedicating) many hours and effort to the game, and also I would be so happy if I can prove that Mexico has world class poker players" he said.

Joining Pythomunoz is Team Mexico's second TLB qualifier, David "dhubermex" Huber. Originally from Texas, Huber balances dual careers as an online poker pro and a part-time radio announcer in his adopted hometown of Mexico City. Married with twin sons, Huber built his bankroll by playing a heavy volume of mid to high buy in NLHE turbo SNGs, regularly playing 16 tables at a time. He slowed his SNG pace a bit over the last year, however and began to expand his repertoire to include multi-table tournaments.

Kingeorge63.JPGJorge "Kingeorge63" Lozano (at right) qualified to represent Mexico the old-fashioned way--by grinding it out in freerolls through multiple qualifying stages. Married with one son, Lozano works as a salesman and is a huge fan of soccer and car racing. He started playing online poker about three years ago after dabbling in home games decades before, but it is another game Lozano credits when it comes to the development of his poker skills--chess, which he has played since age 7.

Antoine "AntoineMex" Barriere had to wade through a 1,200 player starting field in the Mexico National freeroll to earn his seat on the World Cup team. Now living in Mexico City where he works in international sales for Eurocopter, Barriere is a French national who has lived all over the globe, from Madrid, to Norway, to Missoula, Montana. Barriere first played poker about two years ago at a family Christmas gathering. At the time, he was still living in Paris, and he soon began venturing out to the local cardrooms to develop his skills. Now that his career has taken him to Mexico, he primarily plays on PokerStars, but enjoys the occasional trip to Las Vegas to play live tournaments and a little $1-2 no-limit.

antoinebarriere.jpg

Barriere is looking forward to his time in the Bahamas, not only to rub elbows with some of his favorite pros like Humberto Brenes and Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier, but to enjoy the spectacular surroundings.

"I am also very excited of the possible opportunity to swim with dolphins. And also snorkeling!" he said.


World Cup of Poker: Team Nova Scotia ready to warm up

Saturday, December 27th, 2008

The current temperature in Halifax, Nova Scotia is somewhere around 14 degrees Fahrenheit. It is snowing, and chunks of ice drift through the ocean waters that surround the small province off Canada's eastern coast. In only a few weeks time, four lucky Nova Scotians will leave this frozen winter landscape for a sun-drenched Bahamian beach, where their poker skills will be put to the test on a global stage at the World Cup of Poker final.

Team Nova Scotia, though, didn't exactly have easy sailing as they competed against their fellow Canadians en route to the finals. A slew of poker's elite were born under the maple leaf flag including Mike "Timex" McDonald, Matt "ch0ppy" Kay, and Team PokerStars Pros Daniel Negreanu, Isabelle Mercier, and Steve Paul-Ambrose.

Negreanu will lead his Canadian team back into battle on January 6. This will be his second year on athe World Cup FInals and he will be leading a star-studded collection of players.

Negreanu with the 2007 Canadian team

Dennis "dendoggone" Hamlin qualified to play in the World Cup by being the second-highest ranked Nova Scotian on the PokerStars Tournament Leaderboard. Married with two young sons, Hamlin is a computer programmer who plays poker on the side. He learned the game by playing freerolls, ultimately winning a 7,700 player tournament to win the seed money from which he grew his bankroll. He has been playing cash games for about two years now.

Hamlin's success online has inspired a slew of questions from curious friends. "People are asking me for knowledge of how to get more involved with poker, and as always I lead them to PokerStars.com and say 'That's the best learning tool there is.'"

Hamlin's teammate Matthew "lobstrman29" Muise woke up one day to a call from a PokerStars representative asking if he would like to play for Team Nova Scotia in the World Cup of Poker. For the father of three, it was an offer he could not refuse. Though he has played online for five years, Muise has never set foot inside a casino, his live poker experience confined to home games with friends.

"It would be so good to give Canada its first World Cup win and being from a small province like Nova Scotia it would be great to be able to make that accomplishment" said Muise.

Wanda "AK**QUEEN**" Whitlock earned a spot on Team Nova Scotia via FPP qualifiers at the National and Divisional levels. A self-described "little ole housewife and mother," Whitlock has two grown sons and has been playing on PokerStars for the past four years. Though this will be her first live tournament, she'd like to encourage other players to get out there and chase down their poker dreams.

"It's possible for anyone to be able to participate in such a prestigious tournament. All you have to do is believe" said Whitlock.

Along with freeroll qualifier born_in53, these three newcomers are out to make history for their home and native land. O Canada, indeed.


World Cup of Poker: Team USA ready to defend title

Friday, December 26th, 2008

What is the only thing harder than getting to the top?

Ask a top athlete, an A-list actor, a business tycoon, and yes, even a poker player this question and they'll all have the same answer.

Staying at the top.

Last year, Team USA came away from the World Cup of Poker live finals in Barcelona with the title, $100,000, and global bragging rights.

2007 World Cup Team USA: Greg Raymer, Randy Principe, Tyler Netter, Shaun Deeb & John Kenlan

This year they'll be looking for a repeat in an equally sunny seaside locale--the Atlantis Resort in the postcard-perfect Bahamas. The bar couldn't be set any higher for this American quintet, comprised of two amateurs looking for that first big score, one of the world's most recognizable poker names, and two of the online game's most successful professionals, one of whom must be feeling a strong sense of déjà vu right about now.

Shaun "shaundeeb" Deeb was one of the five members of Team USA who shared in last year's World Cup of Poker crown. Arguably the most dominating multi-table tournament player on PokerStars (as well as one of the most prolific), Deeb currently sits atop the 2008 Yearly Tournament Leaderboard; this after winning the 2007 TLB and finishing 3rd in 2006. Among his mind-boggling 24 PokerStars MTT wins in 2008 were victories in WCOOP Event #25 ($320 Pot-Limit Omaha with Rebuys) for $144,112, the Wednesday Quarter Million for $46,875, and the Sunday Warm-Up for $102,642. Now 22 years of age, Deeb has also emerged as a strong presence on the live tournament circuit, playing a heavy schedule at the World Series of Poker as well as winning a number of seats in EPT events.

Shaun Deeb at World Cup of Poker IV

Also no stranger to the tournament leaderoard is Xthesteinx. A high-volume tournament player, he finished 3rd on the 2007 Yearly TLB and 69th in 2006. This online pro has wins in the $109 Rebuy, the $215 Rebuy, the Nightly Hundred Grand, and the Wednesday Hundred Fifty Grand.

The most recognizable face on Team USA will be 2004 World Series champion and Team PokerStar Pro Greg Raymer. Raymer is back for his second straight year on Team USA.

As Raymer wrote for the PokerStars Blog this week, "The prize money for this event, while not chump-change by any means, was a lot smaller than the $5 million I won for the WSOP. Yet, winning this event carried with it just as much emotion. This was so mostly because I was representing not just myself, but my country and my team."

The first of Team USA's two freeroll qualifiers is 62-year old Michigan native Bruce "ba-detroit" Armstrong. Though he played stud back in the 1970s, Armstrong picked up hold'em only two years ago. He recently retired after a 43-year career at the Ford Motor Company and now has the free time to play poker that he always wanted. In addition to playing on PokerStars, Armstrong hits up Las Vegas about four to five times per year to play tournaments.

bruce-poker pic2.jpg
Bruce "ba-detroit" Armstrong


Armstrong tells us he is "glad to be part of this team, and (has) hopes of victory." But even if his team doesn't' come out on top, he's "just happy to play."

Jarred Gabin.jpgRounding out the foursome is Jarred "J@M0K3Y!"Gabin. The Los Angeles native has worked in the computer industry for the last ten years and makes his home with his fiancé and two children. Gabin learned to play poker about five years ago and due to work and family constraints, mostly plays online. A money finish in this event would mark his first-ever live tournament cash.

Gabin couldn't contain his excitement when asked about the prospect of competing live in the Bahamas.

"This whole ride has been just amazing. I have been floating on cloud nine for the last few days. I am excited that I am going to meet some PokerStars Pros and getting to play cards with any of them is a dream in itself. The fact that it is being held on a tropical island isn't such a bad thing either," he said.

We couldn't agree more.


Stud: Staking

Friday, December 26th, 2008


by Adam "STUDstood" Roberts

This week, I want to continue the topic of staking.

Staking occurs both in cash games and tournaments. In both areas there should be strict guidelines followed to ensure that there is trust, as well as a fun and relaxed atmosphere for both people -- that's imperative. Game results may not pan out the way you anticipate, so there should be no hard feelings either way if that happens.

First, let's discuss cash ring games.

In this area, trust is most important, especially in live casinos, because there are no "official" records. At least in online cash games, a player can request per session records directly from the site, as well as hand histories, to back up his records. I like that idea, because there can be no discrepancies.

"Taking a piece" is also an option, and can often be better than full staking.
Before I got fully staked, I was playing $75/$150 Stud with my own bankroll. I noticed that there was a potentially more profitable daily $300/$600 half Stud, half Stud Hi/Lo game, which I wanted to play in. However, I neither had the adequate bankroll, nor had yet developed enough of a reputation as a winning, trustworthy player, so I did not have anyone to ask for full staking. I estimated that I would need $240,000 to play in this game. Although I was hoping to have gotten the full $240K up front, I soon realized that was not going to happen.

But there were people who were interested in taking a piece of my action at that limit. So, I put up 25%, $60K, which was the same amount as I would bankroll for playing $75/$150. I was able to raise the other 75%, $180K, from a handful of poker players who had competed against me in the $75/$150 games. I took my backers on their honor, and accepted $60K of that amount to get started, with a guarantee of the additional $120K if needed.

If I had lost at the start, and my backers did not keep their word, this would have meant that I would have actually put up 50% of the working bankroll, and $120K would have been too low an amount for me to have had a legitimate shot of winning at that limit. This scenario can happen whether you are being fully staked, or pieced out. That is why it is important to try and get backers who will keep their word, especially in the face of losing, which tends to make people lose confidence in your ability (and sometimes honesty).
Luckily, I was able to win right away, which assuaged my backers and gave me a reputation of being an honest, hard working poker player. This in turn enabled me to get full backing at a later date.

I would not be hesitant to ask people you trust to either take a piece of you, or fully stake you. If you are winning player, there are people, usually the poker players whom you're competed against, or sometimes people who do not play poker at all, who enjoy investing in other players. But I do not think you will be able to achieve this unless you have already proven yourself as a winning, hard working, and honest player. This will take time, but will usually happen at some point along the road.

This is one reason I like playing in the same game, limit and (if possible) time of day -- to get to know some of the other players. Some may end up wanting to back you in a higher limit game.

Continuing on the concept of "piecing out," if you are respected enough you may also be able to play for a bigger piece than you are putting up. For example, you invest 50%, and are only responsible for 40% of the losses, but get 60% of the profits.
I think it's important to make clear than you should not let your ego get involved in wanting to play in games higher than your own personal bankroll. Your investment in playing bigger games should still be within your means; the "risk of ruin" still goes up if you overextend yourself. While it may seem like a nice accolade to say that you are being "pieced out," I see no reason to do this unless you are considering playing in higher limit game which is potentially more profitable than the lower one which you are playing on your own. Don't let your ego push you into a bigger, less profitable game.
Again, I would come up with a game plan, decide what bankroll you feel is necessary, and try to secure as much of that amount up front from your backer(s). Only if you feel that you can trust your backers to come up with the remaining balance (if necessary) of their promised bankroll, would I play with the lower amount of money that they had already given to you.

I would also put all the terms and conditions of your deal with your backers in writing, and, if necessary notarize it. This contract should include a number of items, including:

  • The amount each of you are agreeing to invest and in what increments.
  • The type of game and limit you are going to play.
  • The percentage deal you are both agreeing to.
  • The minimum amount of hours you are going to play per week, month or year.
  • The money management guidelines you are going to adhere to.
  • The time frame or dollar amount of when you are going to split, if there is profit.
  • When you will be getting any additional stake money (if applicable or necessary).
  • Guidelines as to when you have to present your playing results to your backer.
  • Guidelines as to how involved your backer will be (watching you play, offering advice, etc.).
  • Consequences on both parties if the contract is breached. As a player, with a notarized contract which cannot be discharged with a bankruptcy, you may be able to take your backer to court if he/she does not fulfill his/her monetary obligations. As a backer, this can sometimes also be done.
  • If you are getting fully staked, as opposed to getting pieced out, what the working bankroll can be used for other than poker playing. (Expenses,for example.)
  • Getting fully staked should be your ultimate goal, and we will discuss that next week.
    In the meantime, you can find me in the $10/$20 and $30/$60 limit games in our Stud section, as well as in our weekend $215 buy-in tournaments for Stud games. Please check the starting times of each of those events under Tourney > Special in the PokerStars lobby.

    Feel free to contact me with any questions, suggestions or thoughts at adamr@pokerstars.com. See you at the tables!


    World Cup of Poker: FossilMan back to defend World Cup

    Thursday, December 25th, 2008

    Team PokerStars Pro Greg Raymer is preparing to help Team USA defend its title in the PokerStars World Cup of Poker. In just a couple of weeks, Raymer and the team will be in the Bahamas for the World Cup live finals. Greg was part of Team USA when it won the championship in 2007. We asked him to give us his thoughts on what it takes to get ready for such a big event.

    by Greg Raymer

    The PokerStars.com World Cup of Poker is a great event. I was only able to read about the earliest editions of this event, but was very fortunate to be asked to be a member of Team USA at Barcelona in 2007. I was already coming to Barcelona for the popular EPT tournament that takes place there, and was asked to stick around after the EPT to play in the World Cup as the celebrity member of Team USA.

    The World Cup is a unique tournament, with four of the members winning their way onto their countries team via freeroll satellites on PokerStars.com or by being one of the top two point leaders in the annual TLB competition on PokerStars.com. In 2007 Tyler Netter was the TLB leader and captain of our team, with Shaun Deeb also getting onto the team via the TLB. Satellite winners were Randy Principe and John Kenlan. Now these four guys did some of the hardest work, by beating out a slew of countries in the online tournament.

    You see, once you get onto your countries team, you still have to beat out other teams to advance to the live finals, and they did that in 2007. Only afterwards was I asked to play alongside them in Barcelona.

    Once in Barcelona, we all got together to discuss strategy. This is the key to winning a team competition. In a regular tournament, you can follow one of two viable strategies, play for first, or play for money. In team competition, it is important that you balance your strategy with the team's overall strategy, to best maximize the team's chances of advancement.

    Playing for a team is so different than playing for yourself. If I make a correct but marginal decision in a tournament and get eliminated, I am disappointed, but happy that I made a correct decision. In team play, you feel like you let everybody else down, and the disappointment takes a lot longer to fade. The key is to determine the strategy together, so then you know that the decision you made is the same decision the rest of the team would have made.

    Also, a lot of poker players can get emotional. It is essential that as a team you support one another, call time-outs to settle down a player who is getting emotional, and lend them your support. Once the emotional player remembers they are representing all of you, they usually have no problem regaining control and playing their A-game.

    The most important thing that we did as a team to win in 2007 was exactly this, we supported one another. I was clearly the member of the team with the most live tournament experience, and I did not hesitate to share all of my advice with the other members of my team. In addition, captain Tyler and Shaun both have played thousands of online tournaments, and know the basic strategies of tournament poker by heart. They also pitched in to help our other team members, both of whom were good players, but much less experienced. As a team we developed our overall strategy, given the structure of the World Cup. That, plus a few key cards, guided us to victory.

    It was a great feeling to represent my country, something I had never done before. The prize money for this event, while not chump-change by any means, was a lot smaller than the $5 million I won for the WSOP. Yet, winning this event carried with it just as much emotion. This was so mostly because I was representing not just myself, but my country and my team.

    We will have full coverage of the World Cup of Poker January 6, 2009 live on the PokerStars Blog.


    PokerStars announces World Record Week promotions

    Wednesday, December 24th, 2008

    By now, you likely have heard that PokerStars intends to break a world record this weekend. The plan is to have 35,000 people playing in the same poker tournament at the same time. The $11 buy-in $500,000 guaranteed tournament is set to break the Guinness world record for the biggest poker tournament ever. Not only could you say you played in a record-breaking tournament, you could win a bunch of money. You can sign up under Tourney and Special for the December 28 15:30 ET time event.

    That feat alone would be reason for PokerStars to celebrate. As usual, PokerStars is going over the top with wild and crazy promotions to mark the occasion. The information has been embargoed until this very moment. Now, we can release the full details of this week's promotions. Take a deep breath with us and strap in for the ride.

    Reload Bonus

    You've been waiting for it, and now it's here. During World Record Week, PokerStars is offering a 25% reload bonus up to $150. The bonus kicks off at 14:00 ET today and runs through the end of the year. The code "PS25" will get you the bonus. For full details, be sure to see the 25% bonus page at PokerStars.

    $2.5 Million Sunday Million

    The Sunday What? This weekend, the Sunday Million will be the Sunday $2.5 Million. Everything about the tournament is the same--same buy-in, same time, just a much bigger guaranteed prize pool. As an added treat, PokerStars is offering tons of extra satellites for the Sunday Million, including some cool FPP qualifiers that can get you into the Sunday Million for free.,

    $1 Million Sunday Warm-Up

    Well, you can't very well increase the guarantee on the Sunday Million without giving the Sunday Warm-Up a bump, right?

    This weekend, at 12:45 ET, the Sunday Warm-Up will have a $1 million guarantee. PokerStars is also running extra satellites for this event as well.


    10,000 player Sit & Go's

    Remember the day when a Sit & Go was just a few people tossing a few chips back and forth? Well, how about this: PokerStars is going to be running $1 buy-in 10,000 player Sit & Go events this weekend. You will see them pop up in the lobby on December 27.

    Need some added incentive? PokerStars is adding $10,000 to the prize pool of each event.

    Good enough?


    Milestone Hands

    The Milestone Hands are back. A tried and true promotion at PokerStars, the Milestone Hands will award some big cash to the people dealt into each millionth hand. Once again, the higher your VIP level, the more money you make for getting dealt in to the milestone hand.


    Team PokerStars Pro Championship Match

    This Sunday at 13:00 ET, Team PokerStars Pro's members will face off against each other for a chance to win money for charity and determine who will be the Team PokerStars Pro captain. Why would they need a captain, you ask? Well, the details are still coming in on that one, but it has to do with something called PokerStars All-Star Weekend, a brand new online team competition coming next year

    The Team PokerStars Pro Championship match will be an 8-game mixed event. The PokerStars Blog will have live reports for the duration of the match. You can watch the event play out under Tourney/Special. Later in the week you will be able to see the tournament replayed with the cards up.

    For complete details, see the PokerStars World Record Week home page.

    Have fun this week!


    PokerStars set to launch World Record Week

    Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008

    PokerStars wants to break a record. A world record. A Guinness World Record.

    This Sunday, December 28 at 15:30 ET, PokerStars is going to attempt to break the record for the world's biggest poker tournament. PokerStars hopes to have...get this...35,000 people playing in the same tournament at the same time.

    Now, to do this kind of thing, PokerStars isn't just counting on everyone taking their Sunday afternoon to help break a record, so it is offering a little bit of incentive. How does a $500,000 guarantee on an $11 tournament sound?

    Yep. For $11 you can help break a world record and have a shot at a half million prize pool. In fact, you can register right now under the Tourney/Special tabs in the PokerStars lobby.

    Oh, and there's more to this week than just one massive tournament. Lots more, in fact.

    Oh, you want to know more? Well you'll just have to wait. Watch this space at noon ET Christmas Eve for the full details of PokerStars World Record Week and same amazing promotions.


    PokerStars Sunday Tournament Results (12-21-08)

    Monday, December 22nd, 2008

    It's a holiday week here at the PokerStars Blog. While that might normally mean wild parties, writers hopped up on eggnog, and somebody taking pictures of their hind end with a Xerox machine, we're going to be a bit more reserved (at least for the next couple days). After all, there is a lot to talk about in regard to this weekend's poker.

    We will begin with the Sunday Warm-Up where the appropriately named Snowking_85 beat out more than 3,800 other players to win nearly $100,000. You can see a full recap of the final table at: Snowking_85 wins a slugfest in the Sunday Warm-Up.

    In other news, KopplarJocke cut a four-way deal with his opponents and still won a ton of money in the PokerStars Sunday Million. Check out the full final table report for a wrap-up of the action.

    Before we hit the mistletoe, we have to congratulate Imric_est for winning the 2008 PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker. Imric_est beat out the top 369 WBCOOP qualifiers and won a $14,300 prize package to the 2009 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.

    Here's a complete breakdown of all this week's winners.

    Stay tuned for some big stories coming out on Wednesday. In the meantime, congratulations to this week's winners and happy holidays to all.