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Archive for September, 2010

EPT London, Day 1A: Level 5 & 6 (blinds 200-400, ante 50)

Wednesday, September 29th, 2010

7.19pm: Grub's up!
That's a 90-minute break for the players and three more levels when they come back. Then there's Day 1B which should be, by all accounts, a monster. -- RD

7.17pm: Wigg gets his revenge
Anton Wigg has just doubled through Celina Lin with pocket tens against [ad][qc]. Wigg flopped a set on a [ts][5s][ac] flop and no runner-runner could save Lin from doubling the Swede up at the TV table. -- RD

7.10pm: Not "all-in", "Celina Lin"
Celina Lin just dodged an early exit from the main event, in a hand on the feature table against former EPT winner Anton Wigg.

All-in with [ad][qh], Wigg called with [kh][kc]. The cameras focused on the two players and the board was dealt.

[jd][5s][jh][ah][8h]

Lin had winced on the turn, looking unreasonably embarrassed for her piece of good fortune, but gratefully raked in her new chips regardless.

Busting from APPT PAGCOR Chairman's Cup in Manila earlier this year Lin had said that part of the poker player's job is to travel around the world getting knocked out of tournaments. Well Lin has travelled half way around the world but is still in this one, up to 33,000. -- SB

7.07pm: UKIPT round-up
We've still got a few of the UKIPT champs and heavy hitters in the running. Michael Graydon has been getting shovey with his last 12,000 on a tough table with Arnaud Mattern and Greg Raymer. Jamie Burland is doing well with 59,000 (see below) and both Femi Fakinle and Gilles Augustus are hanging on in there. Augustus is currently on 16,000 and will needs to hope that Tony Bloom doesn't pick him off. Mike Hill, third place on the UKIPT leaderboard before this tournament began, looks like he may have bitten the dust. He was short when I last saw him and unless he's moved table he's come a cropper. -- RD

7pm: Brighton winner rocks
UKIPT Winner Jamie Burland's day has taken a turn for the better this last level. First he doubled-up with aces versus an opponent who four-bet jammed on him with queen-jack. Then moments later he was three-betting again but this time with ace-king and he was called and managed to extract value on a [8d][qs][9h][7h][ks] board with [ah][kd]. His opponent held queen-ten. He's up to 59,000 chips. -- MC

ept london_day 1a_jamie burland.jpg

Jamie Burland is just one of the UKIPT champs still in the field

6.50pm: Seeing double
Barry Greenstein has doubled up to 20,000 against a player now departed (I don't mean dead). He shoved with pocket sixes and was called by queen-jack. The board ran [7h][8d][4d][kh][9s] to go Greenstein's way and condemn his opponent to an early departure. -- SB

6.45pm: No such thing as luck
"Arnaud Mattern just got lucky."

Those were the words whispered back through the crowd as he stacked up around 120,000 chips.

On a flop of [2c][5h][td] Mattern checked to Martins Adeniya who bet 5,275. Stephane Albertini, who looks like the drummer in Almost Famous, called before Mattern check-raised to 16,650. Adeniya called, forcing out Albertini, before the [7d] turn. Mattern then moved all-in for 40,000, about the size of the pot.

Adeniya called, a move appreciated by Mattern, showing [kh][kc] against the Team PokerStars Pro's [6d][5d]. Enter luck, stage left, with the [ad] on the river.

"Arnaud Mattern just got lucky."

Not that lucky. He's up to 120,000. -- SB

6.37pm: Collopy and Eames
John Eames is sat on Jim Collopy's left-hand shoulder* and has largely been quite at the table from the action we've seen. He's on around 24,000 after nicking a small pot away from the American with a bet on the river of a [6d][3c][kc][3s][5h] board. Collopy is sat happily with 37,000 or so.

Tournament destroyer Allen Cunningham, who has $10,430,000 in live tournament winnings to his name, is sat even more quietly on the other side of the table. -- RD

* He's not literally sat on his shoulder.

ept london_day 1a_allen cunningham.jpg

Allen Cunningham playing the waiting game

6.25pm: East meets West
Alex Kravchenko, fresh off a win in Event 61 of the World Championship of Online Poker, is up a little in the EPT Main Event.

On a board of [5c][8d][5s][ac][th] Kravchenko bet 6,000 and waited for a response from Dan Smith. At the table the Team PokerStars Pro is a fearsome looking chap. Eyes hidden behind aviator glasses, he may not have the British stiff upper lip but certainly has the steely Russian lower one. He also has two iPods in front of him.

Smith made the call, instantly mucking when Kravchenko turned over [kh][ks]. Kravchenko up to 42,000. -- SB

6.20pm: Tide has turned for De Goede
Pim de Goede had a huge 155,000 stack earlier on but has managed to lose the majority of it to drop down to 54,000. De Goede opened from early position and was called in four spots, which included Marcin Horecki and Marcel van Klinken. It was the latter player that stayed the course against De Goede who bet 4,150 on the flop and was called by Van Klinken who called 6,550 on the [4c] turn. De Goede appeared to give up on the [4h] river and slowly checked. Van Klinken made a small 2,825 bet and De Goede groaned: "If you bet 15,000 I would have been happy calling. Now I don't know."

The Dutchman tossed in 3,000 to call and was shown [ks][9s] for two-pair. De Goede told our Dutch PokerStars blogger that he had [5c][6c] for a small two-pair and busted flush draw. Crying call for sure. -- RD

ept london_day 1a_pim de goede.jpg

Pim de Goede's flying start has more than stuttered

6.13pm; Flopping the joint
Allan Baeke is up to 47,000 after eliminating an opponent. They saw a [ac][jd][kc] flop before all the chips went in. Baeke tabled [qd][tc] for the nuts bettering his opponent's [as][js] for two-pair. The rest of the board bricked-out -- MC

6.10pm: Great Scott and Mueller out
Greg Muller informed me of his bust-out a while ago. He was short-stacked and limped with kings and then moved all-in when there was a late position raise after a few more limpers joined the party. Unfortunately for him the raiser was punishing the limpers with pocket aces. As he was explained me Andrew Scott walked past and and gave me the I'm out look. He was on the feature table but the TV time didn't work out too well for him. -- MC

6.05pm: Three in the middle
Pim De Goede, Marcel Van Klinken and Mathias Kuerschner are wedged into their chairs, no escape behind them with players on the adjacent table battling them for space. With nowhere to go may as well play a hand.

Kuerschner raised to 2,700 from the button after some earlier betting. Both De Goede in the hi-jack and Van Klinken in the cut off called for a [8c][4d][5c] flop. De Goede and Van Klinken checked before Kuerschner bet 5,800. That action went back to De Goede who called before Van Klinken raised to 15,000. Kuerschner passed and De Goede leant forward to examine Van Klinken's stack. He had 40,000 to his own 120,000. He made it simple. "I'm all-in."

Van Klinken raised his eyebrows, leaned back in his chair and looked at his card like a man who'd left his reading glasses at home. "Call."

De Goede showed [jc][js] to Van Klinken's [5d][5s]. The turn [4h] and river [6s] sent the chips to Van Klinken, who stacked up more than 110,000. De Goede slipped down to about half that, tapping the victor on the shoulder. -- SB

5.56pm: De Wolfe done
Roland de Wolfe will not be adding to his EPT Dublin title here in London. Out. -- RD

5.52pm: Demidov exhilarated by the action...
Ivan Demidov looks like he's been having some long nights. The Russian Team PokerStars Pro can barely keep his eyes open, which may or may not be some huge con to disguise an aggressive three-betting range. Either way he's up to 55,000 after busting Tristan Clemencon with [ac][qc] to [as][td] which went all-in before the flop. -- RD

ept london_day 1a_ivan demidov.jpg

Ivan Demidov: "I've busted someone?"

5.45pm: Channing hard to reach
Neil Channing has been at one of those hard to reach tables tucked in just behind the TV table. A couple of surreptitious elbows and shoulder barges later and we were through to his table just in time to see him fail to defend his big blind. Mr Channing, you have let us down. -- RD

5.40pm: A course of Kyriacou
There's a body language seminar taking place on the third floor of the Hilton Metropole this afternoon. Christopher Kyriacou did not attend. Instead he's offering a course in the spoken kind on table 20, an obligatory audio course that starts when he arrives and ends, or will end, when he leaves.

On a flop of [js][9c][4s] Jeff Duval checked to Jimmy Ostensson.

"You have to bet," said Kyriacou. "You have to bet. Check, man, check man."

Kyriacou was intent that Ostensson should either check or bet, which is also in line with the rules of the game. Ostensson bet 2,450.

"You don't listen," said Kyriacou, turning to me. "Write that down. I told him, he didn't listen."

I wrote it down and tried to look busy. The action by now was back on Duvall who raised, getting an immediate fold out of Ostensson.

"I told you, I'm from London," said Kyriacou, unintentionally giving his accent a touch of the Van Dyke. "I know, listen..."

Everyone listened. They didn't really have much choice. -- SB

5.30pm: Is that a double-up? Joep is it
Team PokerStars Pro Joep van den Bijgaart has doubled-up to 36,000 after fading an opponent's flush draw. He raised to 700 from the button and was called by the BB to go to a [9c][6c][5c] flop. The BB checked to face a 1,300 bet that he raised to 6,000. The Dutchman quickly went all-in for 16,350 and was called. Show down:

Van den Bijgaart: [9s][6s]
Big blind: [kc][4d]

The [6s][6d] turn and river only improved Van den Bijgaart's hand to a full house and a full double-up. -- MC

5.20pm: Collopy passes the blame
Jim Collopy had just reseated himself next to Matt Marafioti with a crash. A plate next to the table was tipped over sending cutlery skittering across the floor. Collopy instantly pointed at Marafioti who looked largely unimpressed with the beaming Collopy. -- RD

5.15pm: Play begins
Setting up the TV table took a little longer to get set than usual and so the tournament clock was paused for an additional 15 minutes. This could be a long day. -- RD

5pm: Level five is here
The second break of the day is over. There is a new feature table assembled for this level. We wont be able to get near but here's the notable chip counts from that table at the moment:

Kevin MacPhee, 70,000
Team PokerStars Pro Vicky Coren, 47,000
Team PokerStars Pro Celina Lin, 19,600
Anton Wigg, 24,400
Andrew Scott, 25,300

vicki_coren_ept7lon.jpg.jpg

Vicki Coren set for another TV appearence

PokerStars Blog reporting team at EPT London (in order of paleness) Rick Dacey and Marc Convey (rosy), Stephen Bartley (standard ginger paleness) and Simon Young (is there a colour whiter than white?) with Photos by Neil Stoddart and Mickey May.

Posted in European Poker Tour, Pokerstars | Comments Off

EPT London, Day 1A: Levels 3 & 4 (blinds 150-300)
Wednesday, September 29th, 2010

4.45pm: Break time
It's the second break of the day. We're going to grind through nine levels today so we've still got plenty of play left. New post will be in around 5pm. -- RD

4.35pm: Pims o'clock
Joep van den Bijgaart should be enjoying his position two to the left of big stack Pim de Goede. He isn't. De Goede opened from the cut-off to 800 and Van Den Bijgaart three-bet to 2,775. De Goede decided that playing post flop poker was beneath him and slid a large stack of yellow 5,000 chips across the bet line instead. Van Den Bijgaart didn't look thrilled and passed his hand leaving himself with a respectable 32,000. De Goede's stack is looking quite formidable. -- RD

4.30pm: Here's to you, Mr Robinson
PokerStars qualifier Pim de Goede is the new chip leader on 155,000 and it's partly thanks to Owen Robinson who is now out. Robinson opened to 750 to face a 2,250 three-bet from De Goede. He made it 8,000 to go and then called all-in for about 40,000 after De Goede shoved. Show down:

Robinson: [ah][ks]
De Goede: [kd][kh]

The board ran [7s][7c][7d][td][qd] to see the Dutchman's kings turn into a full-house. -- RD

4.25pm: Hands together for a Zayonts
Allyn Shulman is out, with bets, calls and all sorts taking place on a board of [jc][jh][5h][as][kc]. Ultimately her [qs][qh] was no good against Jared Jaffee's [5d][5c].

Elsewhere Alexander Zayonts has also been sent to the rail, this time by Team PokerStars Pro Thomas Bichon, who now has 110,000. The board read [ac][2s][7d][6s][ah] and Bichon had bet enough to make it an all-or-nothing call for Zayonts. He lent over the table, agonising, then called. Bichon showed [ad][kc]. Zayonts winced and turned over [ah][qh], extending an arm towards Bichon to shake hands without looking at his face. -- SB

4.20pm: News in brief
Roland de Wolfe might've used up all his run goodness after final tabling the WSOPE main event yesterday as he's down to 7,000 already.

Jake Cody, the EPT & WPT champion, still has plenty of run good in the tank. He's up to 58,000 after flopping a full house and getting the lot off an opponent. -- MC

4.10pm: Veldhuis out
Lex Veldhuis is always a fun player to watch given his loose and wild style but we'll all have to go without his play now. Veldhuis was up to 60,000 fairly early on but swiftly dropped to 40,000 and then down to 14,000. The Dutchman shoved for his final 8,000 on a [2s][5c][jc][9s] board and was called by Jose Carlos Da Silva.

Da Silva: [8h][8c]
Veldhuis: [5s][3s]

A [9c] on the river blanked Veldhuis who needed a five, three or spade to double back up to his starting stack. -- RD

Crazy Dutchman Lex Veldhuis couldn't catch a much needed out

4.10pm: The Barrys
Team PokerStars Pro Barry Greenstein is one table along from fellow American and old time pro Barry Shulman. Greenstein just raised from the button and was called but folded to a donk-led bet on the flop. He's going okay on 32,000.

Shulman is doing better as he's up to 59,000. He was heads-up and called 2,300 bet on the turn of a [ad][qd][2d][5c] board. The river came [8h] and he called a 6,275 bet and showed [ah][td] for the pot. --MC

4pm: Making his (Lanner)mark
Ivan Demidov opened the pot to 500 from middle position and was three-bet to 1,350 by Mattias Lannermark. Antoine Labat called in the cut-off and Demidov made up the 850 to make the call. Demidov checked the [2s][ac][td] flop before Lannermark took the chance to lead 2,650 into the middle. Labat min-raised to 6,300 forcing Demidov out of the pot. Lannermark made the call and check-called a further 6,900 on the [qc] turn. Frenchman Labat then shoved the [7s] river for 16,000 sending Lannermark deep into the tank.

He looked at his cards. He looked at his stack. He rubbed his head. He stood up. He sat down. He barely looks old enough to be playing but that's beside the point because he made the call with [qd][ts] for two-pair which was plenty more than Labat's pocket sixes. Lannermark is up over 50,000. -- RD

3.50pm: Where there's a will there's a Wilonofsky
On a flop of [7d][ts][6c] Ben "Mozart" Wilonofsky was in action again, this time against Andrey Guliy. Wilonofsky bet 3,175 in the hi-jack which Guliy called from the cut off. The turn came [7h]. Wilonofsky checked and looked at Guliy's stack, about 10k high. Guliy bet 3,000 and Wilonofsky raised to 25,000. Guliy called showing [7c][4c] to Wilonofsky's pocket queens. All looked good for Guliy until the [qc] on the river.

"Wow," said Guliy.

"Yeah," said Wilonofsky, surprised, but having seen all this before.

The pair shook hands. Wilonofsky up to 59,000. Guliy out. -- SB

3.40pm: EPT London according to Sorel Mizzi
Sorel Mizzi is out of EPT London. We didn't catch any of the hands he was in but thanks to his Facebook status updates we can recap in the words of Mizzi himself.

About an hour ago he posted "my ept london table can only be described as "ridiculous" lol. strangest pots I've ever seen. feel like I'm playn medium stakes play money sng".

Then about 16 minutes ago he posted "Out ... AK vs TT .... thats okay, now i can focus on my specialty, side events".

Good luck in those side events, Mr. Mizzi. -- MC

Sorel Mizzi: his mug won't be gracing the final table

3.35pm: The big cheese
Jim Collopy is playing today and we're glad he found time to fit us in between his college economics class and coming runner-up to Gus Hansen in the WSOPE Heads-up event. The first two levels of the day saw his stack slide to just over 20,000 but he has recovered to 44,000 already in level three. We witnessed two of the hands that helped on his way up.

In hand number one he was heads-up versus Allen Cunningham and 3,000 had made it into the middle by the turn. The board read [ad][6s][4h][9d] and Collopy led for 2,100 from early position to force a fold from Cunningham.

In hand number two Collopy was heads-up versus India Storrar. The board read [7d][3h][as][kd] and Collopy checked from the SB and called a 1,500 bet from Storrar on the button. The river came [jd] and Collopy checked to face a 2,500 from Storrar whose hands were visibly shaking as she bet. Collopy thought for a while, smiled, and made the call. It was good as Storrar said she only had a three so the young American took the pot with his [ac][9d].

3.20pm: Steicke in the middle
With two levels played it's all change on the tournament floor as new players choose now to make an appearance, among them Roland de Wolfe and Mats Gavatin.

Gavatin takes issue with the absence of all of his chips, with the blinds of two levels already subtracted. But if he thought he had problems there was always Jason Gray a table along to make his situation feel a bit better.

First there was a hand to play. Gilles Augustus opened for 525 in early position and Ben Wilonofsky, the first player I've ever noticed listening to Classical Music (Mozart) at an EPT, - the type of thing that in soccer cicles would get you the nickname "Classic" or "Mozart" - raised to 1,600 from the button, which Augustus called for a flop of [ad][qh][6s] but then folded to Wilonofsky's bet of 2,275.

At which point Peter Gould stood up from a nearby table to make his way out. To get there he had to shove past Gray who by now had had enough.

"I'm going mental," he said. "It's sending me mental." He was referring to his seat that was perched on the main thoroughfare to the exit. Gould pushed past anyway but Gray was not done.

"It's sending me mental," he said again. "Every two minutes."

"You've got chips though," said a helpful David Steicke, sitting one table along. -- SB

3.10pm: Check-raise for Collopy
Checking the river with the nuts* is always a tricky proposition as you've got to be fairly sure your opponent is going to bite. Jim Collopy just doubled through in that situation after check-shoving a [8d][9h][5h][7h][ts] river with [ah][qh] and getting a call. He doubled through to 44,000 in the process. -- RD

* Yes, [6h][8h] would give a straight flush but bar that miracle hand Collopy has the nuts.

3.05pm: Thorson owned a Boat, man
A hand that occurred earlier has come to our attention and it was a good'un and worth reporting. Barny Boatman came into this event full of confidence and form after finishing 13th at the recent WSOPE. He decided to try to bluff William Thorson, who himself is always full of confidence and on form in this hand.

Boatman raised to 300 from UTG before the button announced raise and threw in 400. He thought Boatman had limped but as he announced raise the new amount to play was 500. Both blinds (Thorson in BB) called but Boatman re-raised to 2,100 and was only called by Thorson. The flop came [k][j][3] and Thorson check-called a 2,000 bet from Boatman to see a [t] appear on the turn. Thorson check-called once more, this time for 7,000. The river came [4] and Boatman moved all-in for 17,000 when the Swede checked to him. Thorson called and said "Do you have something like four-five?"

Boatman didn't have four-five but Thorson was half right as the Brit tabled [8][5] for a complete bluff. Thorson tabled [q][j] and took the big pot and scalp. Thorson started level three with 57,000. -- MC

This man was pwned by...

...this man!

2.50pm: Back into the throng
Players are returning to their seats and cards will be in the air shortly. Check our chip count page for names and notables by clicking on this handy little link. -- RD

Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Rousso is one of the many known players here for Day 1A

PokerStars Blog reporting team at EPT London (in order of cocktail sticks collected from last night's press conference buffet): Rick Dacey (well in excess of 25), Simon Young (about twelve), Marc Convey (a very definite two) and Stephen Bartley (did not attend). Photos by Neil Stoddart and Mickey May.

Posted in European Poker Tour, Pokerstars | Comments Off

My poker journey and how I bagged the WCOOP $2.2million, by Tyson Marks
Wednesday, September 29th, 2010

by Tyson 'POTTERPOKER' Marks
Winning the PokerStars WCOOP Main Event is something that I don't think you can really prepare yourself for... at least for me it was an experience that I will never ever forget. To be honest I hadn't really thought of exactly how big of a deal this was until after I had won.... like I didn't realise I was playing in the biggest online tournament ever, "officially" anyway.

Obviously a $5k buy-in with 2,400 runners is going to be something to write about, but it hadn't occurred to me for some reason that I had just made history, at least in some way. Being able to say: "I'm online poker world champion" is something that still doesn't feel real to say.

I was super short pretty much until 27 players were left, just kinda looking for spots trying to get it in good and maybe get a stack going. It was seriously the best structure of any online tournament I've ever played. It was definitely key in me being able to short-stack ninja and just stay alive for so long.

When we got down to around 15 players my stack was starting to look very good and I was running like GOD, which is when I realised: "Wow, I'm really doing this," which, to be honest, made me very anxious/nervous. I'm very fortunate to have good friends like my friends at home that were watching and my poker buddies constant IM's keeping me focused. When I reached the final table it was weird because I felt so much more comfortable than when I was chip leader with like 13 left... there's just something about final tables where I feel at home, like "it's go time now" and all the butterflies were gone and the only thing on my mind was $2.2million!

I sort of always had a knack for card games and poker in general, my grandmother taught me how to play 5 draw when i was probably 6 years old and I'm going to go ahead and give her credit for starting me on the right path :)

Anyway, I graduated from Great Falls High School in 2002, after which I decided to move to Missoula to go to UoM.....which ended up being very short-lived seeing as I only attended two semesters before deciding I wasn't ready to go back to school. So I had a lot of odd jobs for a while...construction, delivering pizzas, etc....basically just getting by. This is about when Chris Moneymaker won the WSOP. Everyone was getting into poker and I wasn't any different, I went to a freeroll with some friends and I think won or got second the first time i played hold'em... obviously I was hooked!

Some of the guys that ran the local games noticed my interest in poker and natural talent, and asked me if I wanted to deal poker. This was when I think I was 19 or 20. I soon was dealing poker full time but was such an avid player that a lot of time I would end up losing all the money I made dealing (which is pretty good in MT compared to other places at the time, by the way) back in the game I had just dealt in. I was at this spot for a few years, living week-by-week and pretty much just being broke all the time even though I made enough to get buy dealing cards at a local bar.

I played online a small amount in my spare time and loved it, but I was having problems. There were definitely mistakes I was making and everyone seemed to be so much better than me. I was close to being to the point where I would have to just make myself stop playing poker and get a grip and start actually saving money and doing something with my life.

It was about three-four years ago when a kid who had been playing in the game I dealt regularly came to me and basically said: "We should play online and talk about some hands and stuff, I bet I can help you with your game." Eric Pratt, an eventually very good friend and brief room-mate....completely changed how I thought about poker. So extreme that I felt like: "Wow I've been such a donk." Soon after I had my first big score for $7,777...first place in a $26 tourney (I think it was the nightly $30k on stars, actually). That was like so huge for me back then. That's when I quit my job and decided this was what I was going to do!

It wasn't easy. I struggled and struggled. The scores came....and they went....came and went. On and on playing exclusively MTTs (I don't play as well at cash).I was playing so much better but still wasn't managing my bankroll properly at all. It was OK, I was still getting by, and better than I had been when I was dealing poker then donating back! Over the last few years things have gotten better. A lot better. I won two preliminary events in LA '09, a $300 limit hold'em for $20k and a $500 NL Hold'em for around $50k....no chops in either. I also made a deep run in the main event the same year and cashed for $27k.

Last fall i started talking a lot with a buddy I had met through some mutual friends at the WSOP....PAULGEES (Paul Volpe for all the dolts!), a nasty heads-up sit and go player who had just recently started playing a lot of tournaments. It still amazes me how he would ask me about a lot of hands, and seriously within a month I was asking Paul about hands!

Paul definitely had the most influence on my game hands down, everyone has a #1 buddy that they go to when they're in a tough spot and Paul is that guy! He might be the best tourney player I've ever met, and for those who don't know him in real life he's a very good dude! Gotta say good poker buddy of mine Josh(JBT449) has also had a big impact on my game. I've admired his poker style since the first time I watched him play, usually in awe, and have on many occasions tried to duplicate it. He also has an uncanny way of making a seven-hour online session very entertaining, if nothing else memorable. YIKIK... and the whole tattersall gang... Glenn, Jon, Max, Melnick... you guys are the best! Basically just talking with other players about hands is how I've gotten better.

I really love spending most of my free time just enjoying Missoula. I go fishing and play a lot of disc golf tournaments in the summer/fall and snowboard in the winter. All of this can be found about 20 minutes away from here, by the way. There is definitely a reason MT has been called "the last best place on earth".

As far as big purchases go after my win, I dunno really. Most likely a trip for some of my close friends and girlfriend, somewhere cool for some sort of big party. I would really like to do something for my mom, too. She is so supportive, you have no idea. I guess I would like to buy a house somewhere, and perhaps invest a bunch? I'm not like running out tomorrow and getting a new car and wardrobe, I don't feel like it's going to change who i am at all. I have an amazing girl and friends and family who are amazing....this money is really just gravy.

I've considered myself a very fortunate person for longer than I've been playing poker, that's for sure!

Posted in PokerStars news, Pokerstars | Comments Off

EPT London: Would you Adam an’ Eve it
Wednesday, September 29th, 2010

Hail taxi using tightly rolled umbrella. Doff cap to elderly lady you've just pushed aside* to reach said taxi. Hop in. Give driver instructions to drive like hell. Run lights, scream at bus drivers/ cyclists/ pedestrians, hop out at the London Hilton Metropole and tip well, for you're here on schedule.

Its EPT London time again, in the heart of the world's most vibrantly ruthless, excitingly self-centred, fantastically expensive town, you've got a ring side seat to the whole thing.

Of course we would say that, those of us who actually have a ring side seat for the most part live here. But while other places might boast title of EPT 'spiritual home', London is where the tour parks up, albeit double parked**, and awaits fresh directions.

Not only that, but there's a two for the prize of one deal this time around. This may be the third leg of the EPT's season seven, but it also serves as the inaugural Grand Final of the United Kingdom and Ireland Poker Tour, the winner of next week's final table being crowned winner of both.

We're no longer at the Vic, with its intimate card room, cheese toasties and ripped jeans policy, and are instead in the Hilton Metropole hotel once more and the view from ring side is one of several hundred players about to take part in one of poker's premier events.

Others may claim similar status, but jewellery is not for everyone. But the EPT is.

So sound out your T's, polish your shoes, apologise for everything, fix bowler hat in place and raise a glass of sherry*** to Queen and country of your choice - we're ready for a week of the best poker in the world. Tally ho.

*PokerStars blog does not condone the pushing aside of the elderly.

**PokerStars blog does not condone illegal parking.

***PokerStars blog does condone ties, bowler hats and sherry.

Posted in European Poker Tour, Pokerstars | Comments Off

EPT London, Day 1A: Level 1 & 2 (blinds 75-150)
Wednesday, September 29th, 2010

2.30pm: End of level
That's the first of many, many, many breaks. Fifteen minutes R&R for the players. -- RD

2.27pm: Hit for Heitmann
On a flop of [8s][7c][jc] Jan Heitmann was leaning forward, head table high looking over at the chips Arjanit Kondaj had just pushed forward and had counted by the dealer. That all-in shove had come after Heitmann had bet 3,375 and it was another 18,000 to call. He did, watching Kondaj turn over [9s][ks] for a flush draw before turning over his own [jh][7h] for two pairs. Heitmann gritted his teeth when the [5s] hit the turn. He did nothing on the [3d] river. Kondaj doubles up, while Heitmann slips down to 15,000. -- SB

2.25pm: Quick one for Coren
Team PokerStars Vicky Coren is a previous winner here and is a stalwart of the London poker scene (the London Victoria Grosvenor is a home away from home and just a few minutes walk from here). A quick bet on a [ks][3h][kd][6d][5h] board was enough to take a small pot and keep Coren moving in the right direction. -- RD

Coren is one of the many previous winners looking to do the double

2.18pm: Czech mate
I think it would be fair to say that Martin Kabrhel is a lively player. Frenchman Cherif Zacca has been the most recent grinder to find that out. In a three-bet pot the Czech fired 1,625 at the [2s][4c][6s] flop and was called. Zaccca opted to check-call again on the [ac] turn, this time for 4,425. A relatively blank [7h] dropped on the river and Zacca checked again. Kabrhel wasted little time in moving forward a chunky 6,250 stack across the bet line. Zacca quickly called. Kabhrel showed [jh][8d] for a triple barrel bluff and Zacca turned over [as][kd] for a top pair, top kicker. It's unlikely to slow Kabrhel down. -- RD

2.05pm: Mattern strikes gold
The decision to play was on Allyn Shulman, who has the same long blond hair as Jani Sointula a table along. Alexander Debus had opened for 500, getting calls from Leon Campbell in the cut off and Arnaud Mattern on the button. Now Shulman called from the small blind for a flop of [7d][3c][9s].

As if wondering what on earth they'd all done, each checked one-by-one for a [th] turn. Then more checking; this time from Shulman and Debus before Campbell bet 1,000. Mattern doubled that, forcing out Shulman and Debus and leaving the option of calling with Campbell. Call he did.

The river came [2c]. Campbell checked again and Mattern wasted no time in betting another 1,300. Campbell thought for a while then called. Mattern showed [as][ts]. Campbell folded, showing [td] and a gold tooth. Mattern back up to where he started. -- SB

1.50pm: Kravchenko cracking aces
Team PokerStars Pro Alex Kravchenko is up to 66,000 after cracking Gianni Direnzo's aces and eliminating him in the process. All the chips went in on a [8c][2h][9h] flop with Kravchenko holding [8s][8h] to the Italian's [ac][ad]. The board ran out [2s][kh] and after a count down of the stacks and a hand shake the Italian left the room. -- MC

Cracking skulls and aces: Alex Kravchenko is off to a flier

1.40pm: Kassela woes
We have two Kasselas in the field today but neither are enjoying the EPT experience that much. WSOP player of the year Frank Kassela has lost half his stack already. He's sat at the same table as Allen Baeke and Jeff Sarwer and all three were debriefing about why Kassela lost the hand. "You should've shoved the river" said Sarwer.

"I thought he was calling the river if he called the turn" responded Kasella. This type of conversation went on for a while but none of it was going to get those lost chips back.

Christopher Kassela is fairing even worse though as he's been eliminated by Luigi Caramatti. All the chips went on the turn with the board reading [7h][3h][5c][9s]. Kassela tabled [3d][3c] for a set but his Italian opponent opened the massive [6h][8h] for a straight with a flush re-draw. The river [kd] failed to pair the board and Kassela made his exit. -- MC

1.30pm: Demidov wakes up
Ivan Demidov is still jet-lagged from the flight back from the World Series final table in November 2008. At least that's what his appearance suggests. Hovering between consciousness and the dream world, the Russian can fool anyone into thinking he's just folding hands to get some rest. The reality is a player permanently focused on what's going on, as Jani Sointula just found out.

Demidov put in three red chips after Mattias Lannermark three-bet from the button. Sointula did the same in the small blind for a flop of [6s][7h][kd]. All three players checked for a [4c] on the turn. Sointula threw in a chunk of chips, a big handful worth 3,375.

Demidov was next to act and blinked for a bit. Eventually he called, pushing in one chip at a time with a finger tip. Lannermark folded using all his fingers.

On the [7d] river Sointula bet out again, 7,200 this time. Demidov made a moaning noise and then began quietly asking rhetorical questions. "Why would you three bet..." he said, cutting himself off, grinning. Then; "you have ace-king..." Again not really looking for an answer. Finally he called. Sointula showed [kh][jc]. Demidov's was a good call. Sitting up slightly he turned over [kh][qc], taking him up to 51,000. -- SB

1.25pm: Slam dunking in London
Jerry Buss is known to poker fans for his appearances in early seasons of High Stakes Poker and is also the owner of a small west coast basketball franchise known as the Los Angeles Lakers. The keen recreational poker player is making his first appearance at an EPT here in London but he's been drawn at a tricky starting table. If he's going to make progress he'll have to navigate his way past the likes of Chris Moorman, John Juanda and Marc Goodwin. Best of luck to you Mr Buss. -- MC

Chris Moorman and Jerry Buss

1.20pm: Tighter than a player in the hole
Cash game players are understandably tight in tipping when they're deep in the hole and some of the tables here are just as tight - not in style of play but in terms of space between tables. So if you're looking for updates on some players, such as Jamie Burland, then you're out of luck. We can barely wave at him let alone see what he's betting. -- RD

1.10pm: Happy meals all round
Table five has an average age of about 19 right now, thanks to the likes of Dylan Linde, Andrew Chen, Jonathan West, Joe Serock and a few other fresh faced youngsters. Serock and Linde just played a hand together with all the urgency of teenagers on a Sunday morning.

On a flop of [jh][3s][3d] Linde bet and Serock called, then both checked the [7d] turn and [9d] river. Linde, with mock smugness turned over [as][9s], leaving Serock to slowly fold, but with a smile. -- SB

12.55pm: UKIPT and EPT fusion
Now you may think of EPT London as, well, EPT London but here on the PokerStars Blog we* also think of it as the UKIPT Grand Final. The £5,000 main event here caps the end of a jam-packed first season of the PokerStars UK and Ireland Poker Tour. Each winner of the eight regional legs not only pocketed a large chunk of cash but they also won entry into this event (mbn). Playing today we have UKIPT champs Andrew Coulridge (Nottingham), Femi Fakinle (Killarney), Jamie Burland (Brighton), Gilles Augustus (Coventry), Joeri Zandvliet (Manchester) and Nick Risk (Edinburgh). Max Silver (Dublin) and Padraig Parkinson (Galway) are playing tomorrow. -- RD

* When I say we I mainly mean I having been the lead reporter on the UKIPT.

UKIPT Coventry winner Gilles Augustus is looking to prove himself on a bigger stage

12.45pm: Who?
I was going to do a full list of "who's here," but there are too many of them, and a lot of seats yet to be filled. Instead, here's who I can see without moving:

Sorel Mizzi, Arnaud Mattern, newly minted WCOOP bracelet winner Alex Kravchenko, Luca Pagano, Jeff Sarwer, Allan Baekke, John Juanda, Marc Goodwin, Antony Lellouche, Marcel Luske, Vanessa Rousso, Ivan Demidov, Sam Trickett, Barry Shulman, Yevgeniy Timoshenko, Kristoffer Thorsson, Barry Greenstein, Nicolas Chouity, Bertrand Grospellier, Celina Lin, Anton wigg, Teddy Sheringham, Greg Raymer, Jim Collopy and Allan Cunningham. If that's not enough for you try Gianni Giaroni, Talal Shakerchi, Pusztai Balint and Ilias Lalounis. -- SB

12.35pm: Luca Pagano
The smiling Italian has a record 15 (yes, one-five) cashes at the EPT and has grabbed a handful of final tables along the way. He appears to have cranked up the aggression in the early levels over the last couple of seasons but passing and flashing the [kh] on a [3d][jd][ah][8s][jc] isn't the searing start he's looking for. Hour long levels and a slow structure means there's plenty of time to get rolling though (which is good news for the many players that are yet to take their seats). -- RD

12.30pm: Whistle finally blown
Play has kicked off. Thrills, spills and table turns to follow.

12.05pm: Still not ready
When was the last time that a tournament started on time? It's not a rhetorical question. I personally can't remember and here in London things are no different. Most players are in their seats staring down at a sheet of disclaimers (the event is being televised and will be streamed at the business end of the tournament). This £5,000 event is the highlight of a busy poker season in the capital and the six day tournament (if you include the two Day 1's) will start shortly. Stay with us for all the big action. -- RD

Last year's winner Aaron Gustavson bagged £850,000 here in London

PokerStars Blog reporting team at EPT London (in order of sense of shame): Simon Young (looks like a naughty puppy), Marc Convey (simper of a petulant child), Rick Dacey (surprisingly clear conscience) and Stephen Bartley (clean shaven and freshly croppped). Photos by Neil Stoddart.

Posted in European Poker Tour, Pokerstars | Comments Off

BREAKING: Liv Boeree joins Team PokerStars Pro
Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

She's one of the hottest properties on the world poker circuit, and now she's signed up to the world's biggest and best poker site... we're delighted to announce that Liv Boeree has joined the elite Team PokerStars Pro.

Boeree won EPT San Remo in April for $1,698,000 to cement her place as one of the most successful female players in the world. Her total live winnings approach $2million and she's had success online as well. Media worldwide have been taken not just by her skill at the tables and her obvious good looks, but also by her background - she's got a top degree in physics and astrophysics. What's that? Well, it's not rocket science (actually, it is).

Liv at on the table

Here's some more stuff about Boeree, 26, who makes her Team Pro debut this week at PokerStars EPT London...

Tell us about your background before you became a poker player?
"I went to the University of Manchester and got a first class degree in physics with astrophysics. At school I got 'A' grades in my physics, maths, geography and biology A Levels.

"I loved school - I went to Ashford Girls School where I was one of those weird people that hated homework but loved exams! I loved all the sciences, maths, geography, PE, but wasn't so much a fan of English or history."

What about work after you left university?
"I had one for 18 months as a campaign strategist/analyst for an online marketing company where I had to figure out where/when to place ads on Google. It was fun to start with but I quickly got bored of the 9-5 and started trying to figure out how to become a poker pro - fortunately it only took me 18 months to be able to quit and turn pro!"

How did that happen, then?
"After I finished my degree in 2005 and was trying to decide what to do with the rest of my life, I saw an advert for a reality TV show offering lots of money as the prize so I decided to enter. They kept it a secret until the last minute that it was about poker, and it turned out that the contestants would be coached to play poker against one another. I fell in love with the game instantly, particularly after my first live win during the filming of the show!

"On the show I was taught by Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke and the Devilfish. Annie and Phil have remained particularly influential to me and have helped me with my career even to this day. I also have many wonderful friends in poker who have continued to help and assist me which I am so grateful for.

What's your game now?
Mainly No Limit Hold'em, which is definitely my best game. I also play Pot Limit Omaha to a reasonable standard but have a lot of room for improvement there! I've also started learning the other games but I'm not very good yet - however, I have fallen in love with Razz so expect to see me playing that a lot!"

So what's it like to join Team PokerStars Pro?
"It's more of an honour than I can really describe. It's something I've been aspiring towards ever since I learned about the world of poker, and I am over the moon to be achieving such a huge personal goal!"

What do you hope to achieve as part of Team PokerStars Pro?
"I hope to grow my game as far as possible by studying and playing as much as I can. I'll also hopefully get to use the wonderful resource of the other Team Pros - some of the greatest poker minds in the game! Hopefully I'll use this to produce further results and make the Team proud!"

OK, life can't all be about poker. What other interests do you have?
"Music is a major part of my life! I started playing guitar when I was 17 or so - I now own about five electrics which I love dearly. My favourite genre is metal (and 80s rock!) and when I'm not playing poker I'll be found headbanging/moshing to my favourite bands which include Children of Bodom, Metallica, Pantera and Fear Factory.

"I also like table football, making my own clothes (I have a penchant for animal print spandex, embarrassing I know), riding my horse, rollercoasters and extreme weather (storms/tornadoes etc, not that we ever really get them in the UK)."

And what about sport?
"I'm not a huge fan of watching sports as such, but I love playing them! I was very competitive at school and was voted 'Captain of Sports' in sixth form. My best were athletics, netball and hockey. Nowadays my favourite sports are adventure sports like rock climbing, rafting and skiing. I also used to compete in various equestrian sports until I was 18."

What other card games do you play?
I'll play any card games (particularly drinking ones!). I seem to be pretty good at them - I run absurdly well in Chinese Poker which is definitely more luck than skill on my part..."

So there you have it, folks. Welcome to the Team, Liv.

Winner of EPT San Remo

Posted in PokerStars news, Pokerstars | Comments Off

Twitter Poker League: A win for wimHC
Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

by Joanne Haslam
Week 1 of the Twitter Poker League means a fresh start but some work ahead. League prizes are worth earning, but it will be a while before we get to the business end of awards and naming proud winners. No point writing your thank you speeches just yet. Just buckle down, play your best poker and get busy with that point collecting mission.

Taketime won the first game of the last season then went on to take the win, but he would bust early in this week's game. It certainly won't put him out of the running for another league win. There are as many ways to win the league as there are to make numbers add up to... about 40. You can do it with a 2nd, a 5th and 2 cashes (18+14+5+5) or a win, 3 cashes, and 4 appearances (20+5+5+5+1+1+1+1) a third, a cash... I'm sure you get the idea.

You can score points any which way, but in week 1 only one player will boast 20 points for the league-topping win. WimHC holds that honour today; here's how he earned those 20 points.

I.M- THE.Bubble
I.M-THE.I.M busted on the bubble, re-raising busy carzzzzz4u with [Ah][7c] and finding his timing was off when chip leader carzzzzz4u made an easy call with [Kh][Kc].

So the final table was set with chips like this:
Seat 1: KOTYRA NSK (420,509 in chips)
Seat 2: wimHC (196,491 in chips)
Seat 3: Sysyk12 (254,546 in chips)
Seat 4: Kalich73 (182,046 in chips)
Seat 5: pokerdjiq_90 (110,968 in chips)
Seat 6: mjc1948 (56,314 in chips)
Seat 7: ksp1887 (70,098 in chips)
Seat 8: oleg 1011 (53,945 in chips)
Seat 9: carzzzzz4u (543,583 in chips)

But the chip positions would quickly change, with some firsthand fireworks making for a lively start to the game.

Oleg1011 found [Ac][Qh]] and a reason to get his 53,945 chips in play. Carzzzzz4u took him on with [Ad][Jd], so a chunk of carzzzzz4u's chips were driven across the table to the ace with the better kicker.

The shortest of short stacks
As ever, there is an innovative live commentary from @tpokerstars and as their reporter was noting, "Shortest of short stacks ksp1887 is down to 7k, he has to move in soon." ksp1887 made exactly that move, pushing with [Jh][9d] and surviving by finding a straight to beat pokerdjiq_90's [Ad][Qd].
Ksp1887's double-up chips wouldn't keep him alive for long, his [8h][8s] soon fell to Sysyk12's [Ad][Kd] and we'd lost our first player.

Oleg1011 was next to go, the [Kd][Ts] he1 played wouldn't beat wimHC's [As][Qs]. He claimed $23.92 and 11 points for his 8th place finish.

Double-ups at the double
When Sysyk12 took on a couple of short-stacked all-in players their survival hit him hard. Pokerdjiq_90 doubled-up with [5d][5h] beating Sysyk12's [Ac][ Qc], then Kalich73 fielded [Kd][Kh] with Sysk12 taking him on with [2c][2d].

It was third time lucky for Sysyk12 in his attempt to rid the table of a player. Pokerdjig90 might not have appreciated the third time fortune. Pokerdjig90 pushed with [5d][5h] and Sysyk12 took him on with [Ac][Qc]. The board ran out [Kc][9h][6c][9s][Kd] and the ace played so pokerdjiq_90 finished in 7th place.

It wasn't long before we lost another short stack. Mjc1948 moved all-in with [Qc][Jd] and wimHC found [Ad][Ac] and took his chips. Mjc1948 received $49.10 and 13 points for his 6th place.

Good call
WimHC was gathering chips with good hands and some not so good. He won with aces, then won a 216,000 pot with [3d][3s] calling carzzzzz4u's weighty turn and river bets with the board showing [Qs][8h][2d][6d][2h]. It was a good call by wiimHC, the small pair was ahead, and carzzzzz4u was playing the twos on the board with his [9c][Tc].

WimHC would win another significant pot when his [Jh][7d] hit two sevens. He called down carzzzzz4u's bets yet again, carzzzz4u managing only a pair of fours with his [Ad][4h].
Carzzzzz4u had started as the final table chip leader, but the chips were sliding to wimHC's side of the table.

One bad beat for you, one bad beat for me...
KOTYRA NSK ran into trouble when his [Qd][Qh] was beaten by Sysyk12's [As][3d], the river ace left him short of chips, but it was Sysyk12 who was eliminated next, this time he was on the receiving end of a bad beat when his [As][Ac] was beaten by carzzzzz4u in a hand he may wonder if he could have survived.

Sysyk12 called carzzzzz4u's raise, the flop was [8d][4h][3d] and both players checked. Sysyk12 bet the [9c] turn and carzzzzz4u called. The river was the [9h] Sysk12 bet again, carzzzzz4u re-raised, and Sysyk12 moved all-in, but his aces were no good to carzzzzz4u's [Ah][9s]. Sysyk12 exited in 5th place for $61.69.

Next up a big, big pot, which can happen when one player has a big hand, and another finds one nearly as big. It was [Ah][As] for wimHC and [Kh][Kc] for Kalich73. The aces took it, and we were down to three players.

WimHC was the table millionaire, carzzzzz4u was the half-millionaire, KOTYRA NSK was not too wealthy. You want exact numbers..?

wimHC 1,224,299
carzzzzz4u 571,704
KOTYRA NSK 92,497

If there were final table yearbooks KOTYRA NSK would be described as 'player most likely to make a move' and move he did, possibly at the wrong time. He was dealt [Ad][6d] and called from the small blind, then checked the [Td][5c][8s] flop, moving all-in on the [7s] turn. It was the turn that gave wimHC's [7d]5d] two pair, so KOTYRA NSK was out.

Our heads-up chips were unbalanced, wimHC with 1,477,046 and carzzzzz4u playing 411,454. As you might have expected heads-up play didn't take long. In the final hand carzzzzz4u raised, wimHC re-raised and both saw a flop of [9h][Js][Jh]. WimHC bet out, and carzzzzz4u called all-in. Carzzzzz4u showed [4h][4c], wimHC played [7c][9c] so it was all over.

Well done to wimHC, right now those 20 points put him at the top of the table, but as we explained with our 1+5+20+y=mc2 formulas - anyone can still catch him. We hope you'll try to score Twitter tourney points of your own, if you want more facts and figures about the Twitter Poker League you can visit our website or if you like your facts and figures in 140 characters or less you might try @PokerStars.

We'll be back with more point scoring, tweet talking and tourney reporting next week, hope you'll join us.

Posted in PokerStars news, Pokerstars | Comments Off

Twitter Poker League: A win for wimHC
Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

by Joanne Haslam
Week 1 of the Twitter Poker League means a fresh start but some work ahead. League prizes are worth earning, but it will be a while before we get to the business end of awards and naming proud winners. No point writing your thank you speeches just yet. Just buckle down, play your best poker and get busy with that point collecting mission.

Taketime won the first game of the last season then went on to take the win, but he would bust early in this week's game. It certainly won't put him out of the running for another league win. There are as many ways to win the league as there are to make numbers add up to... about 40. You can do it with a 2nd, a 5th and 2 cashes (18+14+5+5) or a win, 3 cashes, and 4 appearances (20+5+5+5+1+1+1+1) a third, a cash... I'm sure you get the idea.

You can score points any which way, but in week 1 only one player will boast 20 points for the league-topping win. WimHC holds that honour today; here's how he earned those 20 points.

I.M- THE.Bubble
I.M-THE.I.M busted on the bubble, re-raising busy carzzzzz4u with [Ah][7c] and finding his timing was off when chip leader carzzzzz4u made an easy call with [Kh][Kc].

So the final table was set with chips like this:
Seat 1: KOTYRA NSK (420,509 in chips)
Seat 2: wimHC (196,491 in chips)
Seat 3: Sysyk12 (254,546 in chips)
Seat 4: Kalich73 (182,046 in chips)
Seat 5: pokerdjiq_90 (110,968 in chips)
Seat 6: mjc1948 (56,314 in chips)
Seat 7: ksp1887 (70,098 in chips)
Seat 8: oleg 1011 (53,945 in chips)
Seat 9: carzzzzz4u (543,583 in chips)

But the chip positions would quickly change, with some firsthand fireworks making for a lively start to the game.

Oleg1011 found [Ac][Qh]] and a reason to get his 53,945 chips in play. Carzzzzz4u took him on with [Ad][Jd], so a chunk of carzzzzz4u's chips were driven across the table to the ace with the better kicker.

The shortest of short stacks
As ever, there is an innovative live commentary from @tpokerstars and as their reporter was noting, "Shortest of short stacks ksp1887 is down to 7k, he has to move in soon." ksp1887 made exactly that move, pushing with [Jh][9d] and surviving by finding a straight to beat pokerdjiq_90's [Ad][Qd].
Ksp1887's double-up chips wouldn't keep him alive for long, his [8h][8s] soon fell to Sysyk12's [Ad][Kd] and we'd lost our first player.

Oleg1011 was next to go, the [Kd][Ts] he1 played wouldn't beat wimHC's [As][Qs]. He claimed $23.92 and 11 points for his 8th place finish.

Double-ups at the double
When Sysyk12 took on a couple of short-stacked all-in players their survival hit him hard. Pokerdjiq_90 doubled-up with [5d][5h] beating Sysyk12's [Ac][ Qc], then Kalich73 fielded [Kd][Kh] with Sysk12 taking him on with [2c][2d].

It was third time lucky for Sysyk12 in his attempt to rid the table of a player. Pokerdjig90 might not have appreciated the third time fortune. Pokerdjig90 pushed with [5d][5h] and Sysyk12 took him on with [Ac][Qc]. The board ran out [Kc][9h][6c][9s][Kd] and the ace played so pokerdjiq_90 finished in 7th place.

It wasn't long before we lost another short stack. Mjc1948 moved all-in with [Qc][Jd] and wimHC found [Ad][Ac] and took his chips. Mjc1948 received $49.10 and 13 points for his 6th place.

Good call
WimHC was gathering chips with good hands and some not so good. He won with aces, then won a 216,000 pot with [3d][3s] calling carzzzzz4u's weighty turn and river bets with the board showing [Qs][8h][2d][6d][2h]. It was a good call by wiimHC, the small pair was ahead, and carzzzzz4u was playing the twos on the board with his [9c][Tc].

WimHC would win another significant pot when his [Jh][7d] hit two sevens. He called down carzzzzz4u's bets yet again, carzzzz4u managing only a pair of fours with his [Ad][4h].
Carzzzzz4u had started as the final table chip leader, but the chips were sliding to wimHC's side of the table.

One bad beat for you, one bad beat for me...
KOTYRA NSK ran into trouble when his [Qd][Qh] was beaten by Sysyk12's [As][3d], the river ace left him short of chips, but it was Sysyk12 who was eliminated next, this time he was on the receiving end of a bad beat when his [As][Ac] was beaten by carzzzzz4u in a hand he may wonder if he could have survived.

Sysyk12 called carzzzzz4u's raise, the flop was [8d][4h][3d] and both players checked. Sysyk12 bet the [9c] turn and carzzzzz4u called. The river was the [9h] Sysk12 bet again, carzzzzz4u re-raised, and Sysyk12 moved all-in, but his aces were no good to carzzzzz4u's [Ah][9s]. Sysyk12 exited in 5th place for $61.69.

Next up a big, big pot, which can happen when one player has a big hand, and another finds one nearly as big. It was [Ah][As] for wimHC and [Kh][Kc] for Kalich73. The aces took it, and we were down to three players.

WimHC was the table millionaire, carzzzzz4u was the half-millionaire, KOTYRA NSK was not too wealthy. You want exact numbers..?

wimHC 1,224,299
carzzzzz4u 571,704
KOTYRA NSK 92,497

If there were final table yearbooks KOTYRA NSK would be described as 'player most likely to make a move' and move he did, possibly at the wrong time. He was dealt [Ad][6d] and called from the small blind, then checked the [Td][5c][8s] flop, moving all-in on the [7s] turn. It was the turn that gave wimHC's [7d]5d] two pair, so KOTYRA NSK was out.

Our heads-up chips were unbalanced, wimHC with 1,477,046 and carzzzzz4u playing 411,454. As you might have expected heads-up play didn't take long. In the final hand carzzzzz4u raised, wimHC re-raised and both saw a flop of [9h][Js][Jh]. WimHC bet out, and carzzzzz4u called all-in. Carzzzzz4u showed [4h][4c], wimHC played [7c][9c] so it was all over.

Well done to wimHC, right now those 20 points put him at the top of the table, but as we explained with our 1+5+20+y=mc2 formulas - anyone can still catch him. We hope you'll try to score Twitter tourney points of your own, if you want more facts and figures about the Twitter Poker League you can visit our website or if you like your facts and figures in 140 characters or less you might try @PokerStars.

We'll be back with more point scoring, tweet talking and tourney reporting next week, hope you'll join us.

Posted in PokerStars news, Pokerstars | Comments Off

Luca Topazio wins €190,000 at IPT Nova Gorica
Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

by IPT Staff
Congratulations to Luca Topazio, the 23 year-old Italian player who won €190,000 by taking down the PokerStars IPT Nova Gorica event.

He beat a field of 384 players who together generated a massive €744,960 prize pool. Topazio beat Luciano Prevedello Dellisanti from Italy heads-up, and he took €120,000 for second. The final action saw Topazio shove all in with [Ac][Tc], called by Dellisanti with [ah][6], and the board ran dry.

The next stop in the second Season of the IPT is at the San Remo from October 13 through 19.

You can read a fuller report of Topazio's victory on our Italian PokerStars Blog - use Google Translate if needs be.

Luca Topazio

Posted in Italian Poker Tour, Pokerstars | Comments Off

WCOOP 2010: POTTERPOKER dominates, captures Main Event title and $2,278,097.50
Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

$2,278,097.50. The biggest prize in online poker history. Starting to edge toward the $2.5 million a certain player named Moneymaker claimed for winning the WSOP Main Event not so long ago.

That's what awaited the winner of the 2010 World Championship of Online Poker Main Event, the $5,200 buy-in no-limit hold'em tourney that capped off this year's record-breaking series.

Of the starting field of 2,443 -- who together created a total prize pool of $12,215,000 -- just 271 made it through yesterday's Day 1. Click here to read a recap of Day 1 and learn how those who survived to Monday negotiated their way through the first 22 half-hour levels.

The top 306 places paid, so that meant they money bubble had already burst when the first hands of Day 2 were dealt. Take a look at the Day 2 live blog detailing all of the action as the field shrunk from 271 down to the final nine.

There were six members of Team PokerStars still alive when play began. Jason Mercier was the first of that group to hit the rail in 181st, followed by Johannes Strassmann (169th), Bachir "Chiren80" Boumaaza (Team Online) (146th), and Chad Brown (71st). The other two -- Vadim Markushevski and Alexey "LuckyGump" Makarov (Team Online) -- fought their way within shouting distance of the final table, but both fell short, with Markushevski ending in 32nd and Makarov in 22nd.

Among the other notable eliminations during the almost ten hours it took to reach the final table were squee451 (256th), DHUSTLER15 (226th), Altrum Altus (224th), la_gâchette (201st), TheCronic420 (196th), Matt "Hoss_TBF" Hawrilenko (174th), Alex "AJKHoosier1" Kamberis (172nd), floes (152nd), NYC P.I.M.P. (150th), James "Andy McLEOD" Obst (130th), Kevin "iacog4" Iacofano (119th), RaiseOnce (117th), SHIPP ITT (104th), Sorel "zangbezan24" Mizzi (72nd), THE__D__RY (69th), aaaaaaaa (67th), toweliestar (46th), Mike "Timex" McDonald (30th), Jason "JP OSU" Potter (21st), and Bryn "BrynKenney" Kenney (17th).

Finally, jackellwood eliminated m8675309a in 10th place, and the final table was set.

Seat 1: gray31 -- 2,960,430
Seat 2: carryhero -- 416,280
Seat 3: Russian_nuts -- 5,058,334
Seat 4: ROMDOM -- 5,783,488
Seat 5: dazzy2004 -- 4,206,950
Seat 6: darrenelias -- 2,216,424
Seat 7: jackellwood -- 4,955,862
Seat 8: POTTERPOKER -- 15,879,027
Seat 9: joeysweetp -- 3,636,682

With nine players left, there was still a whopping $6,883,152.50 remaining to be awarded in this one. All would be receiving at least six-figure paydays by this point. Finishing third or better would make one a millionaire. And that $2.27 million-plus prize awaited the one ending with all the chips.

POTTERPOKER brought a large chip lead to the final table, and immediately began to increase that lead, continuing to ride a rush that had begun with 20 players left, and was helped further by POTTERPOKER's aggressive play on the final table bubble.

With the blinds 60,000/120,000, POTTERPOKER opened with a raise to 250,500 from the cutoff, and it folded to carryhero who reraised to 552,522 from the big blind. POTTERPOKER then made it 925,050, carryhero shoved over the top for 4,072,803 total, and POTTERPOKER insta-called.

carryhero showed [Ah][Qc], and would need help against POTTERPOKER's [Kc][Ks]. None arrived, however, as the board ran out [Th][7c][7h][8c][7s], sending carryhero out in ninth.

That hand pushed POTTERPOKER up close to 20 million chips -- with the nearest foe at less than 6 million! The players took their 10-hour break, then POTTERPOKER was at it again.

This time it was gray31 opening with a raise to 248,875 from UTG. It folded to POTTERPOKER in the small blind who made it 547,500. The big blind folded, then gray31 reraised all in for nearly 3 million more. POTTERPOKER called, showing another big pair -- [Js][Jh] -- and was again in a good spot versus his opponent's hand, in this case [As][Ts].

The community cards came [3d][6d][8d][5d][7h], and POTTERPOKER had claimed another victim, as gray31 was out in eighth.

Next to go would be ROMDOM, who had actually begun the final table second in chips, though all were so far behind POTTERPOKER it was a bit like a multi-way fight for second. In ROMDOM's final hand, joeysweetp started things with a raise to 260,000 from the cutoff seat, then ROMDOM reraised to 577,500 from the small blind. dazzy2004 folded in the BB, then joeysweetp pushed all in for 6,376,414 total.

ROMDOM thought a bit, then made the call with the 4,346,188 he had left. ROMDOM showed [Ad][Ks], but was in a bad spot against joeysweetp's [Kc][Kd]. The board came [4c][Jc][8c][3d][Qd], and ROMDOM was done in seventh.

On the very next hand, joeysweetp had raised preflop once again -- this time to 295,000 -- and saw darrenelias reraise all in from the small blind for 2,108,924. It folded to joeysweetp who called with [Td][Tc], well in front of darrenelias' [6h][6d]. Five cards later -- [2d][2c][8s][9c][4s] -- darrenelias was out in sixth.

With five players left POTTERPOKER was still the overwhelming chip leader with more than 21 million, but now joeysweetp had moved up past 13 million, well within range to compete.

It was going to take a special effort, though, to stem the tide of POTTERPOKER's seemingly unceasing run-good.

Case in point...

jackellwood opened with a raise to 315,000, and POTTERPOKER reraised to 688,050 behind him. It folded back to jackellwood who put in the four-bet to 1,280,500. POTTERPOKER responded with an all-in push, and jackellwood didn't hesitate to call with his remaining 3.78 million. jackellwood had [Ah][Ac], while POTTERPOKER had gone to battle armed with just [Kc][9d].

Then flop was [Jh][Qs][9h], which put a POTTERPOKER win within the realm of possibility. The turn was the [5s], and jackellwood was still safe. But the [10h] river gave the chip leader the straight, and jackellwood was out in fifth place.

RSS readers click through to see replay

The remaining four players then reached the 11-hour break, at which point POTTERPOKER had extended his lead once more, building a stack of 30,807,995. joeysweetp was closest with 11,070,831, followed by Russian_nuts with 3,525,932 and dazzy2004 with 3,455,242.

The final quartet battled for the next 20 minutes without much change in the counts, other than dazzy2004 slipping further to just 1,234,917. Then came a hand in which Russian_nuts open-raised all in from the small blind, and dazzy2004 made the call from the big blind, putting his tourney life at risk.

dazzy2004 had [Kc][Qd] and Russian_nuts [Ac][7h]. The flop came [3h][Jh][Td], giving dazzy2004 some more outs. The turn then brought the [Qh], putting dazzy2004 in the lead. But the [2h] fell on the river, giving Russian_nuts the heart flush and sending dazzy2004 out in fourth place.

The remaining three players were all now guaranteed at least $1,019,952.50 -- third-place prize money. POTTERPOKER continued to enjoy a huge advantage with more than 37 million to joeysweetp's 4.94 million and Russian_nuts' 4.27 million. There'd been no deal-making talk at the final table, nor was there any happening now -- not that POTTERPOKER would've been interested.

Soon Russian_nuts was open-shoving all in from the button his stack of 3,147,898. POTTERPOKER folded, but joeysweetp called in the big blind, turning over [Qc][Qd]. Russian_nuts had [Ad][Kh], and the race was on.

The board came nine-high -- [6h][9h][2s][7s][2h] -- and Russian_nuts was out in third place. Just two players left, with a greater than $850,000 difference between first and second.

As heads-up play began, POTTERPOKER sat with 41,958,606 and joeysweetp 6,901,394 -- about a 6-to-1 chip advantage. joeysweetp charitably offered his especially well-positioned opponent a sportsmanlike word:

joeysweetp: gg...gl..not that you need it
POTTERPOKER: ty gl man

POTTERPOKER immediately began whittling at joeysweetp's stack, and soon had him down in the 4 million chip-range. Then came a double-up for joeysweetp, in a hand in which he'd move all in on a flop of [4h][Jd][Th] over the top of POTTERPOKER's raise, holding [Jh][2c] for a pair of jacks against POTTERPOKER's [Ah][Qd]. joeysweetp's hand held, and he was back up over 9.6 million.

A short while later POTTERPOKER would have 40,720,372 to joeysweetp's 8,139,628 when the following hand took place.

joeysweetp began with a raise to 440,000 from the small blind/button, and POTTERPOKER called. The flop came [Jh][8c][2h]. POTTERPOKER took the initiative, betting 480,250, and joeysweetp called. The turn brought the [Kh] and a bet of 1,025,005 from POTTERPOKER. joeysweetp raised all in for 7,194,378, and POTTERPOKER snap-called.

joeysweetp had but [Ts][7d] -- a bit of a move, there. And badly-timed, too, as POTTERPOKER had the nut flush with [Ah][4h], making the river [Td] no matter.

RSS readers click through to see replay

Congratulations to POTTERPOKER for a dominating performance at the final table for which he takes the title of 2010 WCOOP Main Event champion!

WCOOP Event #62 ($5,200 NLHE Main Event) Results
1st place: POTTERPOKER ($2,278,097.50)
2nd: joeysweetp ($1,404,725)
3rd: Russian_nuts ($1,019,952.50)
4th: dazzy2004 ($696,255)
5th: jackellwood ($509,976.25)
6th: darrenelias ($396,987.50)
7th: ROMDOM ($280,945)
8th: gray31 ($183,225)
9th: carryhero ($112,988.75)

Thus concludes the 2010 World Championship of Online Poker, the biggest online poker tournament series in history! Thanks for following all of our coverage here on the PokerStars blog. And do check out PokerStars.tv for more on this year's WCOOP, as well as the WCOOP site where you'll find chronicled everything about this year's 62 events, as well as WCOOPs past.

Posted in Pokerstars, wcoop | Comments Off

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