July 2, 2012 - Poker Player Newspaper

Transcription

POKER PLAYER
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Vol. 16 Number 1 July 2, 2012 A Gambling Times Publication www.pokerplayernewspaper.com Copyright ©2012 Bi-Weekly $3.95
2012 WSOP Approaches
Midway Point
Poker Player Coverage
of Gold Bracelet Events #6-#26
0
74470 05299
9
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By Nolan Dalla
The World Series of
Poker never ceases to provide its share of thrilling
moments, record-smashing
numbers, and even controversies. Following a lackluster opening during the
first week of gold bracelet
events, the WSOP shifted
into overdrive during the
next several tournaments,
as a number of memorable
moments took place.
Perhaps the biggest
story has been Phil Ivey’s
return to poker prominence. Recall that in 2011,
Ivey chose not to attend,
nor play in any WSOP
events. The eight-time
gold bracelet winner and
high-stakes player many
consider to be the best in
the world returned with a
vengeance to the Rio, making no less than three final
table appearances within a
six-day stretch. While gold
bracelet number nine has
eluded Ivey up to this point
(he’s finished 2nd, 3rd,
and 7th), his overall performance was still strong
enough to lead all other
players in the “WSOP
Player of the Year” point
race at the Event #26 mark
NOWEN
OP
(there are 61 events this
year).
Other storylines from
this year’s series include
the re-appearance of several old faces quite familiar to poker fans. During
the past five years or so,
the ranks of in-the-money
finishers have been heavily populated by players in
their 20s, many of whom
were new to the live poker
scene (albeit with lots of
online poker experience).
However, this year’s
WSOP has produced
numerous deep runs by
players who enjoyed their
best runs a decade ago –
names like Scotty Nguyen
(a second-place finish),
Mike Sexton (three top16 finishes), Layne Flack
(three final table appearances), and many others.
It remains to be seen if
some of the older players
can reverse a changing tide
in recent years, which has
been the dominance of so
many great younger pros.
Speaking of the young
versus the old, at press
time, the Seniors World
Poker Championship has
just gone underway. The
tournament established
for players age 50 and up
set an all-time one-day
starting record as the largest tournament in poker
history. Yes, that means
all events, everywhere. A
door-busting 4,128 players
packed the Rio for opening day, and were welcomed by senior patriarch
“Oklahoma Johnny” Hale,
who provided his traditional roll call of names
in remembrance of all the
past poker greats.
Overall attendance
numbers for gold bracelet events are quite close
to the high mark set last
year. Through the first 30
events, tournament attendance is only about 3.5
percent behind the record
figures set in 2011. Cash
game action is actually up.
Deep Stack tournaments
and satellites are about
the same as in 2011. So,
reports of WSOP attendance being on the decline
were quite premature.
As the midpoint of the
WSOP approaches, the
weeks ahead should have
many more spectacular
moments as well. Stay
tuned.
World Series of Poker:
Wild Connections
Worldwide
by Wendeen H. Eolis
The 43rd Annual World
Series of Poker is now well
underway with the WSOP
staff doing the traditional
daily count-down to the
end and entrants gearing
up for the grueling hours
it takes for the best tournament players to reach
the money in the main
event. But, other than the
landmark-making news of
Phil Hellmuth winning his
12th WSOP bracelet and
Phil Ivey making three final
tables
amid
rumored
reports
of his being
very uptight about related
prop bets in the millions
he negotiates daily, the
whispers in the halls among
insiders this year are all
about the Big One for One
Drop (The Big One). The
latest addition to the One
Drop player roster is Phil
Ivey.
One Drop is the brain(Continued on page 10)
Tournament Results will be
found at pokerplayernewspaper.
com/results
Events, #1-20
At this time of year,
space limitations do not
permit us to print the
results from other events,
as we normally would.
On our web site, www.
pokerplayernewspaper.
com/results, you will find
results from the tournaments listed below:
1) Venetian—Deep Stack
(Continued on page 6)
$10,000
GUARANTEED
NO LIMIT HOLD ‘EM TOURNAMENT
SATURDAYSt12 NOON
2) Golden Nugget—
Grand Series of Poker,
#1-22
3) Bicycle Casino—2012
LA Poker Series, #1-10
4) Caesars Palace—
Summer Mega Stack
Series, through event #38
5) Coconut Creek—
Summer Slam, Events
#1-17
Mike Caro
“CONTROL”
The MAD GENIUS of Poker
Today’s word is...
TURN TO PAGE 4 FOR MORE
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J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
P O K E R P L AY E R
1
# DAY DATE
1 Fri 6/29
Sat 6/30
2 Sat 6/30
Sun 7/1
3 Sun 7/1
Mon 7/2
4 Mon 7/2
5 Mon 7/2
6 Tue 7/3
7 Tue 7/3
8 Wed 7/4
9 Wed 7/4
10 Thu 7/5
Fri 7/6
11 Fri 7/6
Sat 7/7
Sun 7/8
Mon 7/9
12 Mon 7/9
13 Mon 7/9
14 Tue 7/10
15 Tue 7/10
16 Wed 7/11
17 Wed 7/11
18 Thu 7/12
Fri 7/13
Sat 7/14
TIME
12pm&6pm
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Final Live At The Bike
OMAHA 8 OR BETTER
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM BOUNTY ($25 Included)
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NLHE Re-Entry No Add-on (10k)
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Final Live At The Bike
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$125 + $25
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$125 + $25
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$270 + $30
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$150,000
*If you get to top 10% of the field only on Thursday 7/12 @12pm you will get an entry to a $50,000 freeroll tournament on July 23rd
Everyday @3pm Mega satellite for event #18 (2 seats Guaranteed) Buy-in $40+$10
Everyday @9pm Super satellite Buy-in $50+$15 with Re-buy & Add-ons winner reciev $1,000 ($700+$300 for Thur 7/12 @12pm event #18)
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The Bicycle Casino reserves the right to revise, suspend, cancel, or modify tournament events at its sole discretion and without prior notice within the parameters of GEGA-00451. All promotions and jackpots: no purchase necessary. See Official Rules at the Welcome Center. I.D may be required to receive any payment. Residents of foreign countries without a U.S. tax treaty and
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2
J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
3
Bally’s Passes Nevada OnlinePoker Commission Hurdle
Caro’s Word: “Control”
POKER NEWS
great deal of your
poker success
depends upon control. Its importance
is greater and its meaning
broader than most players
think.
So, let’s make “Control”
today’s word and feature it
in this self-interview…
Question 1: I’m not
really sure what you mean
by “control” as it applies
to poker. Are you talking
about emotional control,
bankroll control, or what?
All of it – especially the
“or what.” You need to
control yourself and stick to
your best game all the time.
And if you fail to play your
best always, at least recognize that failure and steer
back on course.
Don’t get upset. Don’t let
others prod you into playing poorly. And be reasonable about how much of
your bankroll to risk and
where to risk it. That’s also
control.
Fine. But let’s talk about
your “or what.” Assuming
you have your own emotions intact, the “or what”
represents the big poker
profit.
“Or what” is controlling
your opponents through
intelligent manipulation.
So, put it all together and
that’s what I mean by control. Where do you want to
start?
By Haley Hintze
NEVADA COMMISSION APPROVES
BALLY’S FOR ONLINE LICENSING
The first corporate entity to clear a questioning hearing before Nevada’s
State Gaming Control Board as it seeks licensure to do online-poker
business in Nevada is established gaming manufacturer, Bally’s. Bally’s,
which acquired online network, ChiliGaming, in April, has already rolled
out a free-play poker site for downtown Vegas’ Golden Nugget casino.
A real-money Golden Nugget online poker site is likely to be one of the
first offerings, provided to Nevada residents, several months down the
road.
ILLINOIS CASINO MEASURE PASSES ASSEMBLY,
FACES THREATENED VETO
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn threatened a veto on a popular measure calling for the creation of a half-dozen new casinos, after the bill passed
both Illinois Assembly houses as the state’s spring legislative session
ended. A giant downtown-Chicago casino was among those called for
under the proposal, which sailed through after the Assembly failed to
pass a billion-dollar compromise budget in the session’s final hours. A
separate measure calling for the creation of an Illinois intrastate onlinepoker network was quietly tabled by a Senate committee 48 hours
earlier.
NEW JERSEY ONLINE MEASURES PUSHED
BACK TO FALL
Unexpected political headwinds meant another delay for New Jersey’s
long-proposed online gambling measures, particularly the omnibus proposal championed by NJ State Senator Ray Lezniak. Despite a majority
of Assembly votes, the bill faced opposition in its current form from Gov.
Chris Christie, who has been outspoken in his support for sports betting
in Jersey casinos while remaining cool on Internet waging. Christie’s latest stance mirrors that of major political supporter and casino magnate,
Sheldon Adelson, who has been outspoken against online gambling.
LOSING POKER PLAYER SOUGHT $20 MILLION
IN KIDNAPPING PLOT
From the weird edges of the poker world comes the tale of southern
Florida’s Michael Melillo, a Palm Beach Gardens resident who sought to
avenge roughly $100,000 in poker losses over five years by kidnapping
one of the wealthy men he believed shared in the money he lost. Melillo,
50, who formerly practiced law in New Jersey, was arrested by FBI
agents after enlisting the help of an undercover agent to assist in the
kidnapping, in which he planned to extort as much as $20 million from
the victim’s wealthy family. A co-conspirator, Pavlos “Paul” Kaimacliotis,
38, was also arrested in connection with the plot, which was in progress
for nearly two years.
CAZALS WINS WSOP MIX-MAX DEBUT
The 2012 WSOP debuted its new “mix-max” tourney format in the series’
first week, featuring full-ring play on Day 1, short-handed tables on
Day 2, and heads-up matches thereafter in a $5,000 buy-in Event #6.
France’s Aubin Cazals pocketed $480,564 in the final, beating noted
online star Joseph “sublime” Cheong, who walked away with $296,956.
Cazals survived a nine-and-a-half-hour semi-final against Warwick
Mirzikinian to meet Cheong. The match is believed to be the longest
heads-up showdown in poker-tournament history, and required moving the Cazals-Cheong finale to the following day. Mirzikinian and Hugo
Lemaire tied for third, each winning $162,443.
THIRTEEN STATE-LEVEL ‘FAMILY’ GROUPS
JOIN CALL FOR UIGEA II
An assortment of ‘family’-oriented groups from 13 states joined a
growing call for a strengthened “UIGEA II” that would ban all forms of
Internet gambling, according to an early-June AP report. The groups
echoed a plea made by several conservative organizations to Speaker
of the House John Boehner (R-SD) in late May. The groups come from
Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota,
Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee
and Wisconsin, with the co-signed letter being sent to a collection of
Congressional leaders.
Veteran poker-industry writer/editor Haley Hintze is the author
of an upcoming book on the Absolute Poker and UltimateBet
online cheating scandals, to be released later this year.
4
J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
A
Question 2: Oh, goody.
I get to answer a question,
too. Let’s see. Okay, I
want you to start by telling me about emotional
control in poker.
Sure. It’s the biggest
secret to poker success.
Simply play your best game
all the time. That seems too
obvious to even utter, but
I’m uttering it nonetheless,
because almost nobody
plays that “best game” constantly.
Making correct plays is
a matter of adding up small
edges. It’s about not doing
anything silly, not straying
off course. Occasionally,
you’ll have big edges and
win huge pots. Fine. As
long as you do that by making the right decisions and
not by going against the
odds, then those big pots
are important to win.
But guess what? All players have their share of big
pots. They’re rare, not routine. The main battleground
that will determine whether
you win in the long run
and how much is the little
hands. The vast majority
of hands you’ll ever play
at poker will be borderline.
They’ll usually be slightly
profitable or slightly
unprofitable on the surface.
But you can extend your
earnings by playing them
very well or go broke by
POKER PLAYER
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Wendeen H. Eolis
EDITORIAL CONSULTANT
Phil Hevener
CONSULTANT
Contributing Editors
Ashley Adams Richard Burke
Nick Christenson
Barbara Connors Nolan Dalla
George Epstein Russ Fox
Shari Geller Tony Guerrera
Oklahoma Johnny Hale
Sarah Hale John Hayes
Haley Hintze Lou Krieger
Tom Leonard
Paul “Dr. Pauly” McGuire
Diane McHaffie Myles Mellor
Jennifer Newell I. Nelson Rose
Max Shapiro David Valley
Michael Wiesenberg
Poker Player will be published Bi-Weekly by
Gambling Times Incorporated,
Stanley R. Sludikoff, President.
Volume 16 Number 1.
Copyright ©July 2012 by Gambling
Times Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without
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goldennugget.com
goldennugget.com
N E W S P A P E R
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the...
July 4, 2012,
12 Noon at the
Golden Nugget Casino, Las Vegas
This will be an annual event without complicated rating
systems. A one tournament chance to win the title of
Poker Player of the Year.
$600 Buy-in - no re-buys - No Limit Hold’em event
Winner receives the solid gold “Golden Nugget” ring
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15,000 in starting chips - 45 minute levels
Great structure - Only 700 seats
$90 Satellites will be held at the Golden
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w w w.
Other casinos are eligible to participate with their
own satellites
Tell your favorite cardroom about it. Have them
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This tournament is the
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June 2-July 4, 2012
p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m
J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
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6
J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
Marathon Man: Aubin
Cazals Collects
Gold Bracelet and
$480,564
The $5,000 buy-in No-Limit
Hold’em Mixed Max
debuted in this years WSOP,
with a virtually unknown
poker player, Aubin Cazals
winning first place—
$480,564 in prize money.
Cazals, 21, and already
an online poker pro, resides
on the island nation of
Malta. In addition to the
prize money, Cazals was
also presented with his firstever WSOP gold bracelet–
symbolizing poker’s highest
achievement. However, this
tournament is more likely
to be remembered for its
historic ramifications, and
even some controversy that
impacted play during what
was expected to be the final
day.
It all began 8,000 miles
away. “Mixed Max” made
its Las Vegas debut, following a highly-successful
inaugural showing at
2011 WSOP Europe, held
last October in (Cannes)
France–ironically, the
birthplace of the winner.
Also known as “No-Limit
Hold’em” (Split-Format),
the tournament requires
participants to play three
distinct configurations of
no-limit spread over (what
was to be) four consecutive
days and nights.
First day matches were
played nine-handed. Second
day matches were played
six-handed. Third and fourth
day matches–and alas, what
bled into an unscheduled
fifth day—were played
heads-up. The final 32 players were seeded according
to brackets, and ultimately
played down to a winner.
The inaugural gold bracelet event attracted a higherthan-expected turnout. The
tourney drew 409 entrants,
more than three times the
number that participated in
the similar version spread
last year at WSOP Europe.
However, just when things
were sailing along smoothly,
an unforeseen series of
developments sidetracked
what was to be the fourth
and final day.
It all started on Sunday
afternoon, when Aubin
Cazals sat down to face
Warwick Mirzikinian in the
heads-up semi-final. Across
the room, the other semifinal match (between Joseph
Cheong and Hugo Lemaire)
played out in just a couple
of hours. Meanwhile, Cazals
had absolutely no idea he
was entering the first stage
of what would turn out to
be a record-breaking test of
endurance.
One hour passed. Then
two, then three, then four!
By sundown—seven hours
into the duel—players and
spectators began inquiring
about the previously held
record for the longest headsup match in tournament
poker history. The answer
is-- 7 hours and 6 minutes:
That’s the precise amount of
time it took David “Chip”
Reese to defeat Andy
Bloch in the final stage of
the $50,000 buy-in Poker
Player Championship, held
six years ago.
By 10 pm, everyone
inside the tournament
arena—and a worldwide
audience following the
action online—knew they
were witnessing something that had never happened before. As things
turned out, the old record
of seven hours was a mere
sprint compared to the
brain-mashing 9 hour and
25 minute marathon death
match that took place in the
Amazon Room at the Rio
in Las Vegas on Sunday.
By the time Cazals finally
extinguished the fire that
was once Mirzikinian’s
hopes and spirit, players,
spectators, and even staff,
were camped around the
final table like a late-night
marshmallow roast.
As things turned out, the
de-facto heads-up match
went “only” five hours—
a walk in the park—and
ended when Cazals made
trip kings versus Cheong’s
pocket fours on the final
hand. Cheong later admitted
he misread a false tell on his
opponent, never guessing
that Cazals was so strong
with the kings in a pre-flop
re-raising war. Cheong’s
consolation prize amounted
to a less-than-satisfying
payout. The reported figure Cheong “won” was
$296,956 for second place.
But in the runner-up’s
mind, he “lost” about nearly
s of Poker — Events 6-10
two-hundred grand, the
difference in prize money
between 1st and 2nd.
RIO ALL SUITES HOTEL
WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #6
5/31-6/3/12
NO-LIMIT HOLD’EM MIXED MAX
BUY-IN $5,000
PLAYERS 409
PRIZE POOL
$1,922,300
Aubin Cazals
1. Aubin Cazals . . . . $480,564
2. Joseph Cheong . . . $296,956
3. Warwick Mirzikinian $162,443
4. Hugo Lemaire . . . . $162,443
5. Marvin Rettenmaier $68,151
6. Fabrizio Baldassari $68,151
7. Randy Haddox . . . . . $68,151
8. Adam Geyer . . . . . . $68,151
9. Anthony Gargano . . $24,390
10. Daniel Buzgon . . . . . $24,390
Andy Bloch Finally
Gets His Elusive First
Gold Bracelet
At last! Andy Bloch
breathed a colossal sigh of
relief when he finally won
what had been an elusive
accolade of near-mythical
proportions. He finally won
his first World Series of
Poker gold bracelet, following 18 years of hammering
away in the world’s most
prestigious tournaments,
and ultimately suffering
the perennial heartache of
disappointment after disappointment at each and every
WSOP since 1995.
No doubt, Bloch’s most
painful moment took place
six years ago, in one of the
most epic confrontations in
poker history. Bloch faced
legendary poker icon, David
“Chip” Reese, heads-up
in the inaugural $50,000
buy-in Poker Players
Championship, which was
nationally televised on
ESPN. Bloch had the great
Reese all-in and drawing
slim a few times. But Reese
managed to survive, and
eventually won what turned
out to become the longest
heads-up match in WSOP
history—clocking in at a
mind-numbing seven hours.
But Bloch erased all
that. He woke up from a
nightmare. Literally on the
exact same spot at the Rio
Las Vegas where Reese had
slain Bloch in 2006, leaving
him bracelet-less again. This
time, the roles were reversed
and Bloch got to feel what it
was like to drag the final pot
of a WSOP tournament.
Bloch won the $1,500
buy-in Seven-Card Stud
tournament, which included
a stellar final table lineup of
rivals that made the victory
all the more poignant. His
comeback finale included
two former gold bracelet
winners, David Williams
and Barry Greenstein, playing the roles of extras in
Bloch’s triumphant biopic—
their golden amulets of
previous accomplishment,
no doubt, ringing in Bloch’s
ears each time a new hand
was dealt and chips were
bet.
But in the end, which
came at 10 pm in front of
a small circle of intimate
friends and well-wishers,
Bloch was the victor
and vanquisher of all the
demons of WSOPs past—
finally righting the recurrent
wrong that had plagued his
otherwise astral tournament
career like a mustard stain
on a tuxedo.
“Now, no one can say
“Andy Bloch is the best
player to never win a
gold bracelet,” Bloch said
moments after the victory.
“That is really annoying
because there are so many
great other players too, who
have not won. I’ve been
coming here for 18 years
now. I never thought it
would have taken so long.”
The radiant new poker
champion collected
However, this victory
wasn’t so much about dollars as it was about shedding
a monkey and slaying a
ghost.
Bloch’s victory gives
him his first WSOP title, to
go along with 28 cashes, 8
final table appearances, and
more $2,411,554 million in
WSOP earnings, to date.
71-Year-Old Alabaman
Tops Record Field of
967 Players—Largest
in Poker History
Topping a record 967-player
field in the eighth gold
bracelet event of this year’s
World Series of Poker,
Herbert Tapscott is the
winner of the largest live
Omaha High-Low Split
poker tournament ever held.
The 71-year-old financier
from Hartselle, Alabama,
collected $264,400—one
of the largest Omaha
High-Low Split prizes in
poker history. He was also
presented his first WSOP
gold bracelet, the game’s
ultimate prize. Remarkably,
this marked Tapscott’s first
time ever to cash in a WSOP
event in Las Vegas—proving once again that it’s
never too late to triumph on
poker’s grandest stage.
Tapscott’s previous career
results include two cashes
on the WSOP Circuit a few
years ago, and winning a
gold ring in the $550 buy-in
No-Limit Hold’em event at
Harrah’s Tunica in January
2010. But nothing came
close to the thrill of victory
experienced by Tapscott as
he scooped the final pot of
the tournament in front of a
packed gallery of spectators.
Gavin Griffin, a poker
pro from Ladera Beach,
California, finished as the
runner-up. He barely missed
what would have been his
second WSOP gold bracelet
victory, eight (seemingly
endless) years after his first
win, when, at 22, he became
the youngest winner in
WSOP history (at the time).
Instead, Griffin has to settle
for $163,625 as a consolation prize.
Yes Ash Kan!
Ashkan Razavi, a 30-yearold professional poker
player from Maple Ridge,
BC (Canada), won his first
WSOP gold bracelet at
the Rio in Las Vegas. His
moment of triumph came in
the $1,500 buy-in No-Limit
Hold’em title, for which
he collected a whopping
Razavi’s victory was as
challenging as it was welldeserved. He overcame the
largest turnout the WSOP
has seen in four years (for a
$1,500-level buy-in event),
outlasting a monster-sized
field of 3,404 entries, in
what turned out to be a grueling four-day grind.
The ultimate payoff
came on the last day, when
Razavi defeated a formidable final-table lineup that
included some seasoned
veterans as well as hungry
newcomers to the WSOP
final table scene. One of
the most notable of the
nine finalists was Amanda
Musumeci, who continues
to solidify her reputation as
one of tournament poker’s
brightest up-and-coming
new stars.
Musumeci burst upon the
scene in last year’s WSOP
Main Event Championship,
when she finished 62nd.
The Philadelphia poker pro
then proved she was no
flash-in-the-pan by cashing ten times on the WSOP
Circuit, this past season.
She collected a memorable
consolation prize at this
final table: a runner-up finish and a payday amounting
to $481,398 in prize money
in what many will consider
to be another breakthrough
advance for the young pro.
EVENT #7
5/31-6/2/12
7-CARD STUD
EVENT #8
6/1-3/12
OMAHA HI-LO SPLIT
EVENT #9
6/3-6/12
NO-LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $1,500
PLAYERS 367
BUY-IN $1,500
PLAYERS 967
BUY-IN $1,5000
PLAYERS 3,404
PRIZE POOL
PRIZE POOL
PRIZE POOL
$495,450
$1,305,450
$4,595,400
Andy Bloch
Herbert Tapscott
Ashkan Razavi
1. Andy Bloch . . . . . . $126,363
2. Barry Greenstein . . $78,038
3. Stephen Su . . . . . . . $50,332
4. David Williams . . . . $36,470
5. Huu Vinh . . . . . . . . . $26,813
6. Lee Goldman . . . . . $20,001
7. Caroline Hermesh . $15,135
8. Scott Abrams . . . . . $11,618
9. Joseph Ranciato . . . . $9,046
10. Fabrice Soulier . . . . . $9,046
1. Herbert Tapscott . $264,400
2. Gavin Griffin . . . . $163,625
3. Ashley Butler . . . . $102,373
4. Can Kim Hua. . . . . . $74,306
5. Michael Kleist . . . . . $54,855
6. John Racener . . . . . . $41,121
7. Thayer Rasmussen . $31,278
8. Raymond Davis . . . . $24,111
9. Bryan Jolly . . . . . . . $18,837
10. Wes Self . . . . . . . . . . $14,908
1. Ashkan Razavi . . . $781,398
2. Amanda Musumeci $481,643
3. Derrick Huang . . . $347,228
4. Ryan Olisar . . . . . . $252,379
5. Duy Ho . . . . . . . . . $185,378
6. Brian Rast . . . . . . . $137,632
7. Greg Mueller . . . . . $103,258
8. Benjamin Reinhart . $78,259
9. Dien Le . . . . . . . . . . $59,969
10. Aviraham Lovton . . $46,413
(Cont’d from page 1)
“Angry John” is All
Smiles after Winning
Second Title in Two
Years
John Monnette, a 30-yearold professional poker
player from Palmdale, CA,
has won his second WSOP
gold bracelet, making victory look far too easy. He
won the $5,000 buy-in
Seven-Card Stud World
Championship, collecting
Monnette found himself
competing amidst as stacked
a field as has been seen in
any recent WSOP event, as
nearly half of the total field
were former gold bracelet
holders. In fact, half of the
players that cashed—eight
of 16—were former title
holders.
But Monnette wasn’t
fazed a bit. He obliterated
a final table lineup that
included five-time winner,
Jeffrey Lisandro (also the
2009 “WSOP Player of the
Year”) and another former
champion, Perry Friedman.
However, Monnette’s toughest adversary proved to be
Huu Vinh, from Huntington
Beach, CA, who was making his second final table
appearance in a stud event.
He finished fifth in the
$1,500 buy-in Seven-Card
Stud tournament, which
ended three days earlier.
Contrary to his table
image, Monnette was the
player that was all smiles
at the end of the night. The
chiseled and seemingly serious man, who peers have
often referred to as “Angry
John”, breezed through a
final table in about five
hours, considerably less time
than some estimates that
predicted an all-nighter.
In addition to the
three finalists, Monnette,
Friedman, and Lisandro,
five other former gold
bracelet winners cracked the
money—including Eugene
Katchalov, Cyndy Violette,
Max Pescatori, Mike
Sexton, and Nick Schulman.
This was Sexton’s third
top-16 cash at this year’s
WSOP—which leads in
the unofficial “deep run”
category. Also of note was
Katchalov’s ninth-place finish. He won this event last
year.
J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
7
Tom’s Poker Topics
By TOM MCEVOY
I’m going to give an overview of the
World Series of Poker in this column:
the good, the bad—and the uncertain.
First off, the good: no long lines to sign
up for events. The Rio staff has it down pat, and they’ve
proven to be very efficient in processing players. The
one table satellites are well run and have an experienced staff that can handle any problems that arise.
There are tournaments and cash games for every size
bankroll. The Rio has daily $235.00 buy-in tournaments
at 2:00 pm that are attracting very large crowds and
nice payoffs for the winners. Later in the day, $185.00
buy-in and $135.00 buy-in events are also available.
These are all deep-stack tournaments with lots of chips
to start with. Mega satellites for the main event are also
offered daily with $330.00 and $550.00 buy-ins. The
Rio has made available a lot of convention space to hold
all of their events, so there is plenty of room to take
care of all the players. The cash games go from $1 & $3
blind no limit games up to very high limits and pot limit
games, including some very big Pot Limit Omaha.
The most exciting addition to this year’s World Series
of Poker has to be the $1,000,000 buy-in event, which
will be capped at 48 players. At the time of this column, they are almost at that cap, and will probably
make it by tournament time. This event will have a talented and famous lineup, and there is bound to be a lot
of interest throughout the contest—as well as a record
payout for the winner. In fact, whoever wins will most
likely be the all-time tournament money winner at the
conclusion.
Now for the bad: attendance is less than expected.
The World Series of Poker will definitely not have as
many overall players as last year. I did not think it
would drop off much, if at all, and it is not a huge drop
by any means. Nevertheless, most of the events have
had fewer players than last year’s record breaking
number. I think the bad European economy, as well as
the slow recovery of the U.S. economy, has contributed
to this.
I am almost reluctant to list this next item in the bad
column, but I feel I must. Full Tilt’s theft of their customer’s money. Almost everybody in the online poker
world was hoping and rooting for PokerStars to take
over Full Tilt. As far as I know, they are still trying to do
so. If successful, they fully intend to repay all the players that the criminals that ran Full Tilt stiffed. A lot of
money has been taken out of the poker economy as a
result of their dishonesty. PokerStars was the absolute
hero of last year’s black Friday. They paid their U.S.
players as soon as they were allowed to do so by the
justice department, and one can only hope that they
will be allowed back in the U.S. market when, not if, the
online poker industry is legalized in the United States.
In the meantime, shortened bankrolls because of Full
Tilt have made it tougher to play as many events.
I had a heartbreak in the Razz event. I was 4th in
chips going into Day 2 and failed to win a single hand
that went to the river, and was forced to fold most of
my good starting hands on 4th street when I bricked
and two or more of my opponents caught good. Talk
about frustration. I would be remiss if I did not offer
Phil Hellmuth a hearty congratulations in winning this
event. It was bracelet #12, and after his 3 runner-up
finishes last year, I am sure if felt fantastic to win
again. Great job, Phil!
Tom McEvoy is not only a professional player, but a teacher and
an author. He is also the head pro for www.faceupgaming.com,
a legal subscription site with a monthly membership of $24.95.
Check it out, and use “Tom” for your bonus code. Tom also has a
website www.tommcevoy.com and is available for public seminars
and private instruction.
8
J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
World Series of P
The latest champion,
Monnette, won his first
gold bracelet in last year’s
$2,500 buy-in Eight-Game
Mix. He has been playing full time since the age
of 22. His first WSOP
in-the-money finish was
in 2005. Monnette’s latest victory gives him his
second WSOP title, to go
along with 22 cashes, and
$833,408 in career WSOP
earnings. He’s also the
reigning “Seven-Card Stud
World Champion,” at least
until next year.
EVENT #10
6/3-5/12
7-CARD STUD
BUY-IN $5,000
PLAYERS 145
PRIZE POOL
$681,500
John Monnette
1. John Monnette . . . $190,826
2. Huu Vinh . . . . . . . . $117,913
3. Timothy Finne . . . . $73,847
4. Perry Friedman . . . . $53,470
5. Jeff Lisandro . . . . . . $41,789
6. Mark Dickstein . . . . $33,325
7. Bryn Kenney . . . . . . $27,062
8. Raymond Dehkharghani $22,332
9. Eugene Katchalov . $18,693
10. Lee Goldman . . . . . $18,693
Poker Professional
from Netherlands
becomes fourth
Dutch-Born Champion
at the WSOP
By Lukas M. Willems
The World Series of
Poker has crowned another
champion: 24-year-old
Vincent Van Der Fluit.
With the victory, Van Der
Fluit became (only) the
fourth Dutch-born World
Series of Poker gold bracelet winner.
He bested a 970-person
field in the $1,500 PotLimit Omaha Event #11.
First prize awarded him
more than $265,000, and
the most coveted trophy in
poker—a WSOP bracelet.
2010 and 2011 were forgettable years at the WSOP
for this highly-decorated
online pro. He recorded
four cashes, but his deepest run came in a $2,500
Mixed Hold’em event
when he finished 15th for
$14,936. In his own words,
he never really got close.
Thankfully, 2012 started
out drastically different—
Event #11 was the first
tournament he played, and
he made it count, cashing
in on gold.
“I had two very frustrating summers; then this year,
I land in my first event and
win it. It’s sort of a weird
contrast,” Van Der Fluit
said, after his victory.
After only three and a
half hours of final table
play, Van Der Fluit faced
2012 WSOP Circuit PotLimit Omaha champion
Charles Tonne, heads up.
The pair began their duel
almost even in chips, and it
appeared as if the lightningfast pace that characterized
play to that point would
slow. But in true PLO fashion, the heads-up battle
lasted barely 30 minutes,
and Van Der Fluit was the
last man standing.
“I actually have a buddy
coming in at 6 o’clock and
I thought he might be able
to rail me, but it’s already
done,” Van Der Fluit joked,
following his victory. “In
PLO the money tends to go
in more quickly.”
Joining Van Der Fluit
and Tonne at the final table
was professional poker
player, Tristan Wade. Wade
is a 14-time WSOP in-themoney finisher, and won a
bracelet at the 2011 World
Series of Poker Europe. His
bid for bracelet number two
came up short when he was
eliminated in third place,
earning $102,690.
Event #11 was the third
tournament at the 2012
WSOP to feature a variation of Omaha. Event #3,
a $3,000 heads-up event,
boasted a no-limit hold’em,
pot-limit Omaha mix.
Additionally, Event #8 was
a $1,500 Omaha hi-low
split-8 or better tournament. Those tournaments
were won by Leif Force
(first WSOP gold bracelet) and Herbert Tapscott
(first WSOP gold bracelet),
respectively.
EVENT #11
6/4-6/12
POT LIMIT OMAHA
BUY-IN $1,500
PLAYERS 970
PRIZE POOL
$1,309,500
Vincent van der
Fluit
1.
2.
3.
4.
Vincent van der Fluit $265,221
Charles Tonne . . . . $164,132
Tristan Wade . . . . . $102,690
Damien Lhommeau $74,536
5. Alex Dovzhenko . . . $55,025
6. Rodney Brown . . . . $41,249
7. Brian Garbe . . . . . . $31,375
8. Calvin Anderson . . . $24,186
9. David Schnettler . . . $18,896
10. Galen Kester . . . . . . $14,954
23-Year-Old Poker
Pro Wins Eight
Straight Matches—
Earns First WSOP
Victory
Brian Hastings, a 23-yearold professional poker
player from Hanover
Township, Pennsylvania,
has won his first WSOP
gold bracelet. He won the
$10,000 buy-in Heads-Up
No-Limit Hold’em World
But this victory wasn’t at
all about the money.
“I’ve had much bigger
scores than this online,”
Hastings confided to reporters, moments after his
victory. “But there’s only
one gold bracelet, and this
means more than the money
to me.”
Indeed, Hastings typifies
an inner-circle of young
superstars who have come
to dominate the game in
recent years. This is especially true for No-Limit
Hold’em. Hastings is one of
a small clique of chic twenty-somethings, stoked with
six- and seven-figure bankrolls, who typically buy into
games in dollar amounts
greater than the cost of an
average house. Hastings
once (or perhaps, twice)
reportedly won a pot of over
a million dollars online,
which he now looks upon
pretty much as just another
(good) day at the office.
Now, Hastings’ “office” is
in Vancouver, BC (Canada).
The Pennsylvania native
jetted up to the great white
north last year in an effort
to preserve his bankroll, and
continue his success as an
online poker pro. He recently bought a home in Fort
Lauderdale, Florida—which
is primarily to be used, he
says, as a jumping off point
to the Bahamas.
“I plan to go over to the
Bahamas every so often,
and stay there for a week
or two, and play online,”
Hastings explained. “It’s a
convenient place to stay in
the U.S. in a way, but also
continue to do what I do.”
FOXWOODS RESORT CASINO
MEGASTACK CHALLENGE
EVENT 3
8/21/10
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY -IN $1,500 + $150
PLAYERS 320
PRIZE POOL
$465,600
Marc Podell
BESTBET JACKSONVILLE 4/27/12
WPT NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
CHAMPIONSHIP
BUY-IN $4,700 + $300
PLAYERS 320
PRIZE
POOL
$1,478,500
1. Shawn Cunix . . . . . $400,600
2. James Calderaro . . $236,560
3. Darren Elias . . . . . . $147,850
4. Daniel Buzgon . . . . . $94,624
5. Tony Dunst . . . . . . . . $66,532
6. Will Failla. . . . . . . . . $54,704
BICYCL
BIG POKER
EVENT 1
NO LIMIT
DEEP
BUY-IN $
PLAY
PRIZE
POOL
$2
1. John Lukin
Poker — Events 10-13
So, while current federal
laws prohibit online poker
from taking place inside
the United States, Hastings
has very cleverly managed
to have his cake and eat it
too—living within the U.S.
and essentially “commuting” to work in places like
Canada and the Caribbean.
Yet, while Hastings is a
near legend in the online
world, his status as a live
tournament player is one
of near anonymity—which
suits the former college
student just fine. His two
previous cashes in WSOPrelated events show an
eighth-place finish last year
at WSOP Europe. Hastings
also posted an 11th-place
finish at West Palm Beach
during last season’s WSOP
Circuit. Nice results—but
nothing to brag about. So, in
a sense, prior to this event,
Hastings wasn’t simply
under the radar, he wasn’t
even on the screen, at least
in the public consciousness.
emptied out a poker bladder
that initially contained 730
entrants, ultimately erecting poker’s most coveted
prize late on the third and
final day of competition.
The runner-up was Stephen
Hung, who also enjoyed his
deepest penetration ever in a
WSOP tournament. The El
Cerrito, CA, part-time poker
player, collected second
place prize money amounting to $130,921. The urologist’s victory was streamed
live on WSOP.com.
The top 81 finishers collected prize money. One
of the more notable in-themoney finishers included
Roland Israelashvili—who
is among the leaders in combined WSOP and WSOP
Circuit cashes over the past
five seasons. The Russianborn New Yorker took 10th
in this tournament, and now
has 21 WSOP cashes to
go along with 26 visits to
the pay window in WSOP
Circuit events.
Among the former
gold bracelet winners inthe-money were Jennifer
Harmon-Traniello (18th)
who enjoyed her 27th cash
(fourth all-time among
female players). Humberto
Brenes, Costa Rica’s most
famous poker player, took
35th place—good for cash
number 64 which ranks fifth
all-time. Eric Buchman also
made a nice run, finishing
42nd, and Brett Jungblut
also managed to crack the
top 81.
Men “the Master”
Nguyen hit the money for
the third time at this year’s
WSOP—which means
he’s picked up one step
on all-time cashes leader,
Phil Hellmuth (who cashed
twice, to date). Nonetheless,
Nguyen (with 75 career
cashes) is still a heavy
underdog to draw even or
surpass Hellmuth, now sitting comfortably on 87.
EVENT #13
6/5-7/12
LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $1,500
PLAYERS 730
PRIZE POOL
$985,500
David Arsht
1. David Arsht . . . . . . $211,921
2. Stephen Hung . . . . $130,903
3. Al Barbieri . . . . . . . . $84,388
4. Donald Auger . . . . . $61,820
5. Glenn Englebert . . . $45,953
6. Ben Landowski . . . . $34,620
7. Jeff Weiss . . . . . . . . $26,401
8. Alex Queen . . . . . . . $20,370
9. Lori Kirgan . . . . . . . $15,886
10. Roland Israel . . . . . $12,535
EVENT #12
6/5-7/12
HEADS-UP NO-LIMIT HOLD’EM
Council Bluffs WSOP Circuit Event
WSOP Circuit
National
Championship
R
0
6
71
BUY-IN $10,000
PLAYERS 152
PRIZE POOL
$1,428,800
Brian Hastings
1. Brian Hastings . . . $371,498
2. Jason Mo . . . . . . . . $229,722
3. Brock Parker . . . . $130,606
4. Tommy Chen . . . . $130,606
5. Chris Moore . . . . . . . $56,380
6. Jeffrey Gross . . . . . . $56,380
7. Andrew Robl . . . . . . $56,380
8. Michael Drummond $56,380
9. Vanessa Selbst . . . . . $20,674
10. Amritraj Singh . . . . $20,674
Semi-Retired
Philadelphia Physician
Diagnosed with Big
Win
There’s an old saying which
goes....”Never play poker
with a man named ‘Doc.”
At the World Series of
Poker, apparently no one
listened.
David “Doc” Arsht,
a 66-year-old physician
from the Philadelphia area,
stunned the poker world
by winning his first WSOP
gold bracelet. Doc’s memorable moment took place at
the Rio in Las Vegas, where
he won the $1,500 buy-in
Limit Hold’em title, collecting $211,921 in prize
money.
The semi-retired urologist
J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
9
World Series of Poker: Wild
on Paradise
Island.
Before swooping in on
their target, the WSOP
brass alerted PokerStars
they would soon land in
the Bahamas — smack
dab during PokerStars’
Caribbean Adventure,
their annual flagship live
event in North America.
The Garber troops took off
for their appointment at
Laliberté’s villa where
all manner of high stakes
players in business, politics and poker have been
known to congregate.
Meanwhile, PokerStars
founder and patriarch, Isai
Scheinberg, was shuttling
from meeting to meetings
inside the Atlantis Hotel
with expectations of completing deals to burnish the
PokerStars brand amid confidence in the prospects for
federal legislation to legalize online poker. His only
thoughts about the WSOP
seemed to be on exactly
how to give that organization a run for its money in
America — soon.
There was no talk of a
doomsday for online poker
in America in Scheinberg’s
Paradise. Fit and trimmer than ever, Scheinberg
was strutting his stuff a
tad less modestly than
was his usual style. Upon
learning of the upcoming
arrival of the Caesars team,
Scheinberg declined to put
out a welcome mat, preferring to take a wait-and-see
approach.
Wendeen H. Eolis
child of Guy
Laliberté, the
internationally recognized
founder of Cirque du Soleil.
It is also the growing confection of the WSOP team
led by Mitch Garber, CEO
of Caesars Interactive
Entertainment (CIE).
Garber became a newly
minted member of the One
Drop Board of Directors
last March.
With a $1 million entry
fee, The Big One is predicted to eclipse the largest
payout ever (previously)
made for a single poker
event anywhere in the
world; Jamie Gold’s 2006
1st place ticket in the main
event was worth $12 million. A chunky 11.11% of
the prize pool for The Big
One will go toward aiding
an impoverished population
of nearly one billion people
worldwide who thirst endlessly for clean drinkable
water.
WSOP Strikes it Rich
on PokerStars Turf
The deal for The Big
One started, in earnest,
in October 2011 during
a hockey game attended
by Laliberté and Garber,
friends and fellow French
Canadians. The brainstorming sessions proceeded
smoothly during the fall.
The most notable complaint was Laliberté’s
assertion that the WSOP’s
executive director, Ty
Stewart was way too conservative. At the end of one
of their meetings, the wickedly humorous Laliberté
made off with Stewart’s
tie, telling him to forget it
next time. Stewart obliged.
(Recently, Stewart went
one better. For the 2012
WSOP employee event,
Stewart showed up appropriately scruffy and in
typical poker player garb
— and cashed).
Shortly after New Year’s
Day 2011, the WSOP contingent, led by Garber, teed
up the final talking points
on his private plane (known
affectionately by would-be
hitchhikers as Air Garber)
en route to the Bahamas.
They were ready to bring
on the full-court press and
tie the knot with Laliberté
10
An Unexpected
Run-In: Two Poker
Titans Collide
It didn’t take long for the
two titans to cross paths.
Just as Garber and Stewart
were preparing to sit down
to a healthy breakfast at
the most lavish breakfast
room in the Atlantis Resort
and Casino, they bumped
into Isai Scheinberg with
his son, Mark Scheinberg:
the younger Scheinberg
had been elevated to the
position of Chairman of
PokerStars months earlier.
They all stopped in their
tracks agreeing to have coffee.
According to Garber, the
rendezvous was not only
unplanned, but unanticipated. Garber reported the
J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
conversation as cordial,
mostly about the lobbying
efforts and the lobbyists
pushing the one common
denominator between
them—federally–based
online poker legislation.
Garber notes, “The whole
conversation was over in
less than a half hour and
everyone went on their
way.
While it is generally
believed among knowledgeable lawyers who
know both Scheinberg and
Garber, that there has been
no love lost between the
two businessmen before or
since that personal meeting,
Garber says, semi-diplomatically, “They have not
competed on a level playing field since 2006, but
PokerStars clearly understands poker.”
The American Gaming
Association Chairman
Has Another Point
of View
Frank Fahrenkopf,
Chairman of the American
Gaming Association, has
been far less diplomatic
than Garber when speaking about Isai Scheinberg.
This past spring, in an
astonishingly candid and
scathing audio/video interview with Marco Valerio
of QuadJacks Poker Radio,
Fahrenkopf called out
Scheinberg for talking the
talk about his company’s
prospects in America, arrogantly, and without regard
to the obviously growing legal vulnerability of
online poker operators with
US facing operations. In
the interview, Fahrenkopf
spoke of Scheinberg’s bold
claims that there would be
no serious consequences to
ponder, other than sizable
fines—well worth it for the
billionaire.
Recent word in legal
circles around the
US Attorney’s Office
in Manhattan is that
Scheinberg’s criminal
case is not going to trial.
PokerStars’ deal to acquire
Full Tilt Poker (FTP) under
its umbrella is almost old
news, even if not yet confirmed by the parties directly involved.
PokerStars is expected to
make an announcement of
a global settlement with the
DOJ; very possibly before
the end of the WSOP. FTP
players say they want only
to know the date of the FTP
re-launch, and the date for
repayment of FTP customer
account balances.
Garber holds his own
counsel, declining to comment on the prospects of
Scheinberg cutting a deal
that averts prison time.
More generally, however,
Caesars and Garber have
distanced themselves from
offshore online poker
operators who continued
to operate in the United
States, after the passage of
a federal law in 2006, that
was designed to ban online
poker bets in America.
Garber’s Executive
Presence
Generally, Garber’s style is
open, and more forthcoming than many high-level
executives who take more
pride in being secretive
than in being straightforward. In addition, Garber
wears well, be it jeans
with an open collared
shirt and a sport jacket,
or perfectly fitted finely
threaded custom suits. His
physical build and dressfor-success strategy are
reminiscent of Caesars’ former WSOP Commissioner,
Jeffrey Pollack, who
briefly enjoyed the title
of President of CIE when
Garber was “sworn in” as
the newly formed company’s CEO in 2009. The
resemblance between these
two men, however, ends
right there.
Jeffrey Pollack
Marches to the Beat
of His Own Drummer
Under Jeffrey Pollack, the
WSOP began its transformation from the single
most important poker
tournament of the year, to
an internationally branded
series of events worthy of
a ten-year long contract
with ESPN for televised
coverage of its high jinx
happenings. Pollack was
front and center in this
effort, promoting his image
and his vaunted role as the
WSOP Commissioner as
studiously as the WSOP
itself. Along with the rise
of poker’s popularity,
Pollack became the face of
the WSOP. Some within
the Caesars family insist
that Stewart was the more
productive marketing man
between the two.
Pushing for Further
WSOP Expansion
In the years leading up
to Garber’s reign over
the WSOP, there can be
no argument; the tournament saw a huge surge in
popularity under Pollack’s
stewardship of the WSOP.
Pollack took the role of
Commissioner with him
when he left Caesars,
bequeathing it to his new
business partner, Annie
Duke, for her oversight
role of Federated Sports
+ Gaming’s (FS+G) Epic
Poker League.
Pinnacle Entertainment,
a growing gaming company
with visions of expanding into the online poker
gaming space, acquired FS
+G’s most valuable asset
last week, the Heartland
Poker Tour, along with the
far lesser valued remnants
of the Epic Poker League
and the Global Poker
Index. Pinnacle was one of
FS+G’s largest creditors.
Pinnacle’s CEO is a former
Harrah’s executive as is
its chief marketing officer Ginny Shanks. While
employed at Harrah’s/
Caesars, Pollack reported
directly to Shanks from his
start date until she left to
go to Pinnacle in 2008.
Shanks says: “Jeffrey
Pollack was one of the best
hires I have ever made,”
singing his praises for
creativity, branding smarts,
and effective leadership—
during the period in which
he reported to her directly.
She demurs, however, on
questions about Pollack’s
involvement as Executive
Chairman of FS+G and its
Epic Poker League. Some
of Pollack’s other former
colleagues remember him
as less than sui generous
in crediting others’ contributions—especially in
Pollack’s presentations to
higher ups. One high level
Caesars employee laments
incredulously, Shanks’
praise could be a signal,
suggesting, “He might be
drawing live” at Pinnacle
with a newly created management role on the hori-
d Connections Worldwide
zon for him there. Garber
nixes any discussion of
Pollack’s departure beyond
acknowledging that the
WSOP grew exponentially
on his watch. Punto!
While Pollack is engaged
in rising from the morass
of the bankruptcy proceedings and PokerStars is still
enmeshed in legal trouble
in the US, and the Epic
Poker League remains out
of the limelight, Garber
and his tripartite CIE team
based in Montreal, Las
Vegas, and Israel are moving briskly in pursuit of
initiatives to broaden the
brand of the WSOP, online
social gaming, and mobile
applications. As such, CIE
currently maintains its position with unrivaled stature
and growth potential—at
least for the moment.
good friend Mike Rumbolz,
the former Chairman of
the Nevada State Gaming
Control Board who has
worked for Trump, as well
as an assortment of big
players in e-commerce and
online gaming. Garber also
ticks off a list of lawyers,
entrepreneurs, and casino
executives that he credits
with helping to build his
skills as a lawyer and businessman.
Above all, Garber treats
information as power. He
works assiduously on collecting useful data and
validating it in assessing
opportunities—not unlike
Garber Talks About
the Shoulders On
Which He Stands
Garber, in the interim,
has become a man of
very considerable means,
unabashedly comfortable
in his Prada suits and his
jet set lifestyle. He seems
equally mindful, however,
of the many shoulders on
which he stands, offering a
special tip of the hat to his
the best poker players on
the planet! In addition to
stopping regularly to talk
to amateurs in the halls,
Garber frequently meets
with pros. Last weekend, he spent a chunk of
time with John Duhamel,
and he has had dinners
with Hellmuth, Antonio
Efandieri, and Phil Laak,
among others.
After checking the latest
information this morning,
Garber called to assure,
“There will definitely be
more than 30 players, and
the capped number of 48
paid entries is within our
reach.”
WSOP
Editor’s Note: Wendeen
H. Eolis is CEO of Eolis
International Group: a
legal/government affairs
consultancy. She was formerly a senior advisor to
Mayor Giuliani, and then to
Governor Pataki. Her government affairs and business
portfolio includes extensive
gaming matters. She was
the first woman to cash in
the main event of the WSOP
(1986), She has been a
pioneer and activist in business, politics, and the poker
industry. This article, and
related research is property
of the author, and may be
used in her other writings.
Play in style.
Play to win.
Cont’d from page 9)
In Final Swan Song
before U.S. Army
Enlistment, Seattle
Man Collects WSOP
Gold Bracelet and
$311,174
Brandon Schaefer, a
31-year-old, former professional poker player from
Seattle, WA, won his first
WSOP gold bracelet at the
Rio in Las Vegas. He won
the $1,500 buy-in No-Limit
Hold’em Shootout title—
officially listed as Event
#14—collecting $311,174 in
prize money.
Schaefer topped a strong
mix of amateurs, semi-pros,
and pros totaling 1,138
entrants, ultimately winning
poker’s most coveted prize
on the third and final day of
competition. Oddly enough,
this was the first and
only tournament Schaefer
planned to play at this year’s
WSOP, although those plans
could change now that he’s
essentially on a giant freeroll for the next few weeks,
before next going off to a
much more challenging mission ahead.
On June 15th, Schaefer
is scheduled to report to a
U.S. Army base in Alabama,
where he will immediately
begin training as a helicopter pilot. He enlisted in the
military nine months ago,
following a seven-year stint
as a professional poker
player. Schaefer now has a
six-year commitment to the
U.S. Army, and yearns to
serve his country proudly as
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J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
11
World Series of Poker
well as see the world as an
aviator.
The runner up was Jon
Cohen, a 24-year-old poker
pro from Denver, CO, who
also enjoyed his best run
ever in a WSOP tournament.
He collected second place
prize money amounting to
$192,559.
This was a very different kind of poker tournament requiring a very
different set of skills and
strategies. It was the first
of two No-Limit Hold’em
Shootouts on this year’s
WSOP schedule. Shootouts
emphasize short-handed
poker skills. This generally requires competitors to
play cards out of the standard range of starting-hand
requirements. It also makes
post-flop skill paramount
to victory. In a sense, each
round is a “final table” for
all the competitors since the
objective is to accumulate
chips and eliminate opponents.
A shootout tournament
means players advance
based on winning a series of
table matches. The shootout
format is single elimination.
The number of matches
depends on the number
of tournament entries. In
this event, the winner was
required to win each in a
series of consecutive matches. The first match was
played on Wednesday. The
second match, made up of
all the first round winners,
was played on Thursday.
The last day included two
tables of 12 players, who
then played down to ten
players, and then ultimately
down to the winner.
EVENT #14
6/6-8/12
LIMIT HOLD’EM SHOOTOUT
BUY-IN $1,500
PLAYERS 1,138
PRIZE POOL
$1,536,300
Brandon Schaefer
1. Brandon Schaefer . $311,174
2. Jonathan Cohen . . $192,559
3. Adam Kagin . . . . . $120,329
4. Layne Flack . . . . . . . $87,446
5. David Chase . . . . . . $64,555
6. Michael Corson . . . $46,393
7. Jeff Madsen . . . . . . . $36,308
8. Brandon Steven . . . $28,375
9. Justin Schwartz . . . $22,168
10. Dylan Horton . . . . . $17,544
From Tears to Cheers:
Adam Friedman Wins
12
First WSOP Gold
Bracelet
Adam Friedman, a 30-yearold professional poker
player, originally from Ohio
(and now living in Las
Vegas), won his first-ever
WSOP gold bracelet. The
thrilling moment of triumph
took place at the Rio, in Las
Vegas. Friedman won the
$5,000 buy-in Seven-Card
Stud High-Low Split World
Friedman prevailed
amongst a stacked field
totaling 212 entrants—
including many of the
world’s best tournament
players. He ultimately won
poker’s most coveted prize
later than anyone could have
expected, on what turned out
to be a fourth day of competition.
The runner-up was former gold bracelet winner,
Todd Brunson, who showed
absolutely no satisfaction
with his consolation prize,
amounting to $166,269.
Brunson’s disappointment
was amplified by having the
chip lead during much of the
heads-up showdown against
Friedman.
Friedman was raised near
Columbus, Ohio. He graduated from Indiana University
with a degree in business
and marketing. Oddly
enough, Friedman stumbled
into poker as a profession
quite accidentally. He won
a seat playing online poker
into the 2005 WSOP Main
Event Championship, where
he finished in 43rd place.
Little did he know that his
life would change from that
instant forward.
After winning nearly a
quarter-of-a-million dollars on what many may
have considered a fluke,
Friedman decided to take
several months off and
test himself at the tables
in order to see if he really
could make something out
of poker. For the next seven
years, Friedman managed
to grind out a decent living.
He took the game seriously
and treated it as a business.
He moved to Las Vegas. He
also continued to improve
his game.
Friedman now says he is
“light years” ahead of where
his poker skills were seven
J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
years ago. He also conveyed that poker requires an
everlasting commitment to
improvement.
Like many professional
and amateur players alike,
who arrive with high
expectations at the WSOP,
Friedman hoped to make
a major breakthrough this
year. Now, he has done precisely that. He has not only
won a WSOP gold bracelet.
He has not only earned a
huge six-figure score. He
has proven to himself and
the world that he can indeed
compete among the very
best—and even beat them.
In a sense, there is nothing more satisfying than
that.
EVENT #15
6/6-8/12
7-CARD STUD HI-LO SPLIT
BUY-IN $5,000
PLAYERS 212
PRIZE POOL
$996,400
Adam Friedman
1. Adam Friedman . . $269,037
2. Todd Brunson . . . . $166,269
3. John Monnette . . . $109,444
4. Nikolai Yakovenko . $79,831
5. Sven Arntzen . . . . . . $59,395
6. Zimnan Ziyard . . . . $44,967
7. Phil Ivey . . . . . . . . . $34,595
8. Bryn Kenney . . . . . . $27,012
9. Brian Twete . . . . . . . $21,392
10. Jesse Martin . . . . . . $21,392
Matt Matros and the
Education of a Poker
Player
At the rate Matt Matros is
winning gold bracelets, he
may very well become the
all-time WSOP victory leader in the next decade.
He has won a WSOP gold
bracelet for the third consecutive year, which places
him into an ultra-elite club
of champions.
Only six players in history have achieved this milestone. Following previous
wins posted in both 2010
and 2011, Matros’ golden
trifecta was completed in the
$1,500 buy-in Six-Handed
No-Limit Hold’em event.
The calm and quiet New
Yorker, known for his
intense focus and scholarly
demeanor at the table, collected $454,835 in prize
money. He topped a formidable starting field totaling
1,604 players to end up at
the final table on the ESPN
Main Stage, where his victory was broadcast live over
the Internet on WSOP.com.
Matros, a 35-year-old
professional poker player
with interests that go way
beyond the game, won his
second career WSOP gold
bracelet late at last year’s
series, in the $2,500 buy-in,
Mixed Hold’em (Limit/No
Limit) championship. The
year before, Matros won his
first gold bracelet when he
beat out 624 opponents in
the $1,500 Limit Hold’em
event.
Matros grew up on Long
Island, New York. He earned
a degree in mathematics
from Yale University, and
a Masters degree in fine
arts from Sarah Lawrence
University.
Over the years, he has
applied his considerable talents to many things, including computer science, writing, and teaching. Matros is
the author of The Making
of a Poker Player, which
chronicles his early years
transitioning from student/
employee into a full-time
poker pro.
Matros previously cashed
in several major tournaments
held elsewhere, including
the New England Poker
Classic (NEPC), World
Poker Tour (WPT), and the
World Championship of
Online Poker (WCOOP).
He also final tabled
the second year of the
Tournament of Champions
(TOC) back in 2001.
Matros has also done
quite well at the WSOP,
finishing in-the-money
23 times. In 2008, Matros
cashed in the WSOP Main
Event championship, finishing 78th out of 6,844
players. Two years ago, he
cashed in the Main Event
again, taking 539th place out
of 7,319 entries.
Matros’ triumph pushes
him across the million dollar
mark in career WSOP earnings, which currently stands
at $1,350,031.
Since Matros is now in
the midst of a consecutive
yearly win streak, perhaps
WSOP schedule makers should starting cutting
the number of events by
one each year. It might be
easier just to ship him a gold
bracelet and save everyone
else the time and trouble of
having to compete in what is
becoming the “Matt Matros
Benefit Tournament.”
EVENT #16
6/7/12
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM 6-HANDED
BUY-IN $1,500
PLAYERS 1,604
PRIZE POOL
$2,165,400
Matt Matros
1. Matt Matros . . . . . $454,835
2. Mark Radoja . . . . $281,502
3. Ramey Shaio . . . . . $182,521
4. Gordon Vayo . . . . . $121,262
5. Robert Muzzatti . . . $81,202
6. Mark Darner . . . . . $56,300
7. Matt Glantz . . . . . . . $40,059
8. Mike Matusow . . . . . $40,059
9. Jonathan Currle . . . $29,665
10. Eli Cohen . . . . . . . . . $29,665
“The Pink Panter”—
Frankenberg Wears
and Wins with his
Lucky Pink Pants
Some people are simply born to succeed in
whatever they do. Andy
Frankenberger is such a
man.
Consider the remarkable story of the Major
League Baseball game that
Frankenberger attended several years ago. The Boston
Red Sox were playing the
New York Yankees. One of
60,000 fans crammed into
Yankee Stadium that day,
Frankenberger caught a foul
ball. No big deal, right?
Then, he caught another.
That’s right—two foul
balls in one game. Not just
any game, a Yankees-Red
Sox game.
To put this into some perspective: most fans—even
season ticket holders—
would rarely snap up more
than a single ball in an entire
baseball season, if that.
But as we said, Andy
Frankenberger lives a
charmed life.
This is not to say he’s
lived an easy life, nor has
he skated through whatever
self-imposed challenges he’s
faced—whether it was getting his education, an early
career on Wall Street, or
playing poker at the highest
level.
Frankenberger is one
of the latest World Series
of Poker gold bracelet
winners—make that twotime winners. He won
the $10,000 buy-in PotLimit Hold’em World
Championship, overcoming
several chip disadvantages
along the way, not the least
r — Events 14-18
of which was against the
player many call the best in
the world.
Frankenberger collected
the hefty sum of $455,899
in prize money. However,
the notion of nearly a halfmillion dollars awaiting him
in the cashier cage seemed
almost an afterthought,
as Frankenberger beamed
beneath the bright lights of
the ESPN television stage,
proudly displaying the luminous treasure from his second WSOP victory.
No doubt, the 39-yearold professional poker
player is one of this year’s
most intriguing personalities. A native New Yorker,
Frankenberger actually grew
up in Massachusetts, and
later lived in Siberia (yes,
as in Russia) for one year,
as an exchange student. He
learned to speak Russian
fluently, and remains conversant in the language.
Frankenberger attended
and graduated from Duke
University, earning his
degree in economics.
Following graduation,
Frankenberger took his
ambition and energy to Wall
Street, and succeeded as an
equity derivatives trader.
He loved his job, and he
made a lot of money. Then,
during the absolute pinnacle of his success as a
trader, Frankenberger did the
unthinkable.
He quit.
Frankenberger’s decision
to leave a highly-successful
and lucrative career on Wall
Street reveals a lot about the
man he is, and what he most
values in life. Frankenberger
explained his decision this
way: He could have hung
around for another year or
two and continued to make
a lot of money. But he felt
he was not growing as a
person. He sought new challenges.
After taking some time
off and exploring the world,
Frankenberger began playing tournament poker. He
played in several mid-grade
tournaments around the
country. Much to his surprise and delight, he quickly
discovered an affinity for the
game. He also discovered a
new passion. Indeed, the lessons he had learned from his
previous life—of risk management, maintaining emo-
tional control, and complex
problem solving, served him
well at the poker table.
Two years ago,
Frankenberger started
playing full-time on the
tournament circuit. He
traveled around to major
tournaments. He won two
major events in 2010, in
the process earning an
honor as the World Poker
Tour (WPT) Player of the
Year. But as impressive as
Frankenberger’s rapid ascent
seemed, he had yet to prove
himself on poker’s grandest
stage.
That all changed last
year in a $1,500 buy-in
No-Limit Hold’em event
when Frankenberger won
his first WSOP title and the
whopping sum of $599,153
in prize money.
But incredibly, for all his
seemingly instant success --there were still detractors.
Annoyed at a playing style
that can only be described as
unorthodox, Frankenberger’s
unique methodology flew in
the face of just about every
poker principle. He seems
to bet when others thought
he should fold. He’d raise or
fold when others thought he
should call.
Of course, the “others” of this Frankenberger
morality tale—loud and as
obnoxious as they were and
are—remain mostly cyberanonymous, behaving like
jealous schoolboys after seeing the other guy get the girl
and the gold.
And so, preposterous as
it may sound, despite winning multiple major tournaments including a WSOP
gold bracelet a year ago,
Frankenberger still thought
he had something left to
prove. He got his chance to
do just that in the most challenging test (in the grandest
arena) possible.
Frankerberger could not
have written a more perfect
script to not only quiet his
critics, but kick them in the
groin, and then laugh all the
way to the bank. He final
tabled one of the toughest
tournaments of the series,
and then managed, in gradual succession, to topple Hoyt
Corkins, Daniel Weinman,
Matt Marafioti, Shaun Deeb,
Manuel Bevand, Alexander
Venovski, Ali Eslami, and
then finally.......drum roll
please....
Phil Ivey.
Indeed, with all eyes
focused on “the man,”
Frankenberger dug in,
dug down, and played the
heads-up match of his life.
He was down to Ivey a few
times during the duel, but
still managed to scratch
and claw back. Finally,
Frankenberger got it all in
after the flop with a pair of
aces. Ivey found himself on
a draw for his tournament
life. It was Ivey that needed
to get lucky. But, that wasn’t
going to happen. Not against
Frankenberger. Not on this
night. Not with stakes this
high.
Alas, a second gold
bracelet now belongs to
Frankenberger—representing two WSOP victories.
Which again brings up
an incredible story. Did you
ever hear about the guy who
went to a Yankees-Red Sox
game and caught two foul
balls?
EVENT #17
6/8-10/12
POT LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $10,000
PLAYERS 179
PRIZE POOL
$1,682,600
Andrew
Frankenberger
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Andrew Frankenberger $445,899
Phil Ivey . . . . . . . . $275,559
Ali Eslami . . . . . . . $199,623
Alexander Venovski . $147,345
Manuel Bevand . . . $110,731
Shaun Deeb . . . . . . . $84,668
Matt Marafioti . . . . $65,840
8. Daniel Weinman . . . $52,059
9. Hoyt Corkins . . . . . $41,829
10. Ryan Julius . . . . . . . $34,139
Hellmuth Wins 12th–
A Record Smashing
Night at the WSOP
Phil Hellmuth Jr. is the
greatest poker player in the
history of the universe. And
if there’s any doubt about
that, just ask Phil himself.
But talking the talk is one
thing, and walking the walk
is quite another.
Hellmuth not only walked
the walk in the most recent
WSOP tournament, held at
the Rio Las Vegas–he circled the field and did a victory lap, ultimately dominating one of the most stacked
WSOP final tables in recent
memory. Consider that there
were six former gold bracelets winners among the top
eight finishers, with 20 combined victories.
Hellmuth won the $2,500
buy-in Seven-Card Razz
tournament, which concluded late on a Sunday night,
in front of a packed gallery
of spectators surrounding
the Pavilion stage. In a fitting bit of irony, just a few
feet away from final table
action were virtually all the
remaining gold bracelets to
be given away at this year’s
WSOP positioned in a teasing and tantalizing manner,
as if to say to “go ahead,
make your day.”
Half of the sardined
stargazers appeared to be
ANTE UP!
cheering for Hellmuth. The
other half (okay, maybe
more) were cheering against
Hellmuth. No surprise there.
Hellmuth is used to his
detractors: He even relishes
the role of villain. All great
athletes and legendary sports
teams divide the public’s
rage and fancy, but there
was one thing everyone
in the crowd could agree
upon–that the Rio was the
place to be at this very special moment in the poker
universe. Each spectator was
one of a few hundred lucky
souls, witnessing poker history being made by one of
the most skilled craftsmen at
the very top of his game.
This conquest marked
Hellmuth’s record-smashing
12th WSOP gold bracelet,
the most by any player
in history. He collected
$182,793 in prize money–
which for reasons any poker
fan understands. was the
very last thing on the great
one’s mind as the precious
amulet was uncased from
the display and positioned
around the poker king’s
saintly wrist. For Hellmuth–
the special significance
attached to this victory–and
the number 12–was the
perfect symbol of a stellar
career which shows no signs
of recess.
Hellmuth now holds
a comfortable–and some
might say insurmountable–
two-bracelet lead over his
TOURNAMENTS&
TOURNAMENTS&PROMOTIONS
PROMOTIONS
MONDAY-FRIDAY $35 TOURNAMENTS
10:15 AM Includes $15 “LIVE” PLAY COUPON
MONDAY $500 High Hand Promotion with two $25 winners every half hour between 5:30pm-6:30pm and 8pm-11pm.
MONDAY* All-in or Fold 7pm $15 Buy-in with $200 added. $5 Re-Buys for the first two rounds.
TUESDAY* No-Limit Hold ’em 7pm $60 Buy-in with $8 service fee. Now with $300 added and $15 “live” play coupon. No Re-Buys.
WEDNESDAY* No-Limit Hold ’em 7pm $35 Buy-in with $7 service fee. Now with $300 added.
THURSDAY* No-Limit Hold ’em 7pm $40 Buy-in with $8 service fee. Now with $300 added.
friDAY No-Limit Hold ’em 8pm $150 Buy-in. No Re-Buys.
FRIDAY & SATURDAY High Hands Promotion $500 must go every Friday and Saturday for High Hand drawing
giveaways. Start earning tickets each day beginning at 11am. Drawings held every half hour between 1pm-6pm.
SATURDAY No-Limit Hold ’em 10:15am $10 Buy-in includes service fee. $10 Re-Buys for
the first three rounds with one $20 add-on.
SUNDAY No-Limit Hold ’em 10:15am $70 Buy-in. $10 Deep Stack option includes
$10 service fee, $15 “live” play coupon. With $500 added. Earn additional chips by
playing 2.5 hours before the 10:15am tournament every Sunday.
* Earn additional chips by playing 2 hours before
the 7pm tournament every Monday-Thursday.
1-800-CHUMASH U CHUMASHCASINO.COM
3400 East Highway 246, Santa Ynez, CA, 93460
Must be 18 or older. Chumash Casino Resort reserves
the right to cancel or change promotions.
J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
13
Time. Some events
C start after the hour
...........AM, PM
O A,WkP................Week
..... Additional gameD &.times
on this day. Call.
E ........Hold’em
.No Limit Hold’em
.Limit Hold’em
N .............No Limit
L ................... Limit
.............Stud
..7-Card Stud
..5-Card Stud
MONDAY
•GOLD BAR DENOTES ADVERTISER
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CA—SAN DIEGO CALIFORNIA& INLAND EMPIRE LOS ANGELES
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Harrah’s Rincon
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Santa Ysabel Casino
Soboba
Spotlight
p g 29,, Coachella
Sycuan
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Viejas
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Village
g Club
........ Omaha
H/L .High/Low Split
Pi...........Pineapple
Po...........Pot Limit
Mx ..Mexican Poker
DC .Dealer’s Choice
HH ...... Headhunter
|
B ............ Bounties
Sp .............. Spread
Al .........Alternates
Z........... Freezeout
Cz ................ Crazy
E..........Elimination
Q ............... Qualify
TUESDAY
Sh ...........Shootout
SpL ... Spread Limit
+ ..Rebuys, Add-Ons OK
+RE .......... Re-Entry
F ............... Freeroll
Lad ..... Ladies Only
Men ........Men Only
GAMES BUY-IN| TIME
6P
1P&
10A
11A&
2P&
9A&
7P
2P
7P
10A&
12P
6P
12P&
11A&
10A&
10A
7P
12P&
10A&
10A
1P
6P
10A&
10A&
7P
11A
9A&
12P&
11A
6P
10A
2P
10A&
6P
10A
6P
12P&
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NHB
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
O H/L
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
O H/KL
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
$25
$125 1P&
$25 10A&
$65 11A&
$50 2P&
$70 9A&
$25+ 7P
$45 2P
$45
$30 10A&
$30 12P
$65 6P
$35+ 12P&
$55+ 11A&
$45 10A&
$40 10A
$40 6P
$55 12P&
$60 10A&
$45 10A
$50+ 7P
$25 6P
$55 10A&
$40 10A&
$80 7P
$60 11A
$50 9A&
$75 12P&
$30 11A
$30 6P
$60 10A
$60 2P
$70 10A&
$18+ 6P
$105 10A
$65 6P
$40+ 12P&
NH
NH
Lad
NH
NH
NH
NH
NHB
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
HORSE
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
6P
$125 1P&
$25 10A
$65 11A&
$50 2P&
$70 9A&
$25+ 7P
$45 2P
7P
$30 10A
$30 12P
$10+
$35+ 12P&
$55+ 11A&
$45 10A&
$40 10A
$80 7P
$55 12P&
$60 10A&
$45 10A
$50+ 1P
$25 6P
$55 10A&
$40 10A&
$120 7P
$60 11A
$50 9A&
$75 12P&
$30 11A
$30 6P
$60 10A
$60 2P
$70 10A&
$18+ 6P
$105 10A
$65 6P
$40+ 12P&
10A
11A&
7P&
12P
7P
10A&
11A&
10A
7P
11A
NH
$18 10A
NH
$60+ 11A&
NH
$45 7P&
NH
$40+ 12P
NH
$55+ 7P
N H B $65+RE 10A&
NH
$45+ 11A&
NH
$40+ 10A
NH
$40+ 7P
NH
$40 11A
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NHB
NH
NH
NH
NH
$18 10A
$60+ 11A&
$45 7P&
$40+ 12P
$40+ 7P
$65+RE 10A&
$45+ 11A&
$40+ 10A
$40+ 7P
$50+ 11A
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NHB
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
$50 11A&
$55 10A&
$145 12P&
$140 12P&
$40 11A&
$22+
7P
$10+ 10A&
$25+
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
11A&
10A&
12P&
12P&
11A&
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
7P
10A&
12P
NH
NH
N H Sh
$50 11A&
$55 10A&
$145 12P&
$140 12P&
$40 11A&
7P
$40
$10+ 10A&
$20 6P
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
NH
NH
Note: All tournaments are subject to change. Check with the Cardroom for any updates. Cardrooms—
please send your schedules to Managing Editor A.R. Dyck, [email protected]
| WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY
TIME
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
DAILY TOURNAMENTS
NOW! Get Tournament Listings at our website:
11A
NH
10A&
6P&
NH
NH
2P&
8P
10A&
6P
12P
6P&
6P&
7P
6P
1P&
11A
6P
7P
NH
NH
NHB
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NHB
NH
NH
NH
NH
$17 11A
6P
$45 10A&
$40 6P&
6P
$45 2P&
$ + 8P
$25
$25 10A&
$ + 6P
$20
$40 12P
$ + 6P&
$30
$55+ 6P&
$ + 7P
$30
$72+ 6P
$ + 1P&
$30
$40+ 11A
$ + 6P
$50
$200 7P
NH
$17 11A
N H Deepstack
p
$55 6P
NH
$45 10A&
NH
$60 6P&
H
$25+
NH
$45 2P&
NH
$ +
$25
NHB
$25 10A&
Varies
$ + 6P
$20
NH
$50 12P
N H Deepstack
p
$ + 5P&
$65
NH
$55+ 6P&
NH
$ + 7P
$30
NH
$62+ 6P
NH $
$60+RE 1P&
NH
$40+ 11A
NH
$ + 6P
$50
N H Dstack Tbo $140+ 7P
7P
NH
$40 7P&
NHB
$ + 10A&
$20
NH
$25+ 10A
NH
$ + 10A&
$30
NH
$50+ 7P
7P&
10A
10A
10A&
7P
NH
NHB
NH
O
NH
$40 7P&
$20+ 10A&
$
$25+ 10A
$ 10A&
$30
$50+ 7P
10A
7P
10A
11A&
6P
10A&
10A
NH
$30 10A&
NHB
$35 10A
NH
NH
NH
N H Deepstack
p
NH
$25 10A&
$30 11A&
$
$36 6P
$ 10A
$40
$25 10A
NH
NH
NH
N H Deepstack
p
NH
$30 10A&
$ 11A&
$30
$36 6P
$ 10A
$40
$25 10A
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
12P
NH
$25 6P
NH
$125 1P&
NH
$25 10A
NH
$65 11A&
NH
$50 2P&
NH
$70 9A&
NH
$25+ 7P
NH
$45 2P
NH
$65
NH
$30 10A&
NH
$30 12P
6P
NH
$35+ 12P&
NH
$55+ 11A&
NH
$45 10A&
NH
$40 10A
HORSE
$40 6P
NH
$55 12P&
NH
$60 10A&
NH
$45 10A
NH
$50+ 7P
NH
$25 6P
NH
$55 10A&
NH
$40 10A&
NH
$80 7P
NH
$60 11A
NH
$50 9A&
NH
$75 12P&
NH
$30 11A
NH
$30 6P
NH
$60 10A
NH
$60 2P
NH
$70 10A&
NH
$18+ 6P
NH
$105 10A
NH
$65 6P
NH
$40+ 12P&
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
$18 10A
$60+ 11A&
$45 7P&
$40+ 12P
$40+ 7P
$65+RE 10A&
$45+ 11A&
$40+ 10A
$40+ 7P
$40 11A
10A
$50 11A&
$55 10A&
$145 12P&
$140 12P&
$40 11A&
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NHB
NH
NH
NH
NHB
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
$20+
$10+ 10A&
6P
NH
NH
NH
N H Deepstack
p
NH
NH
$17 11A
$55 6P
$45 10A&
$30 6P&
NH
N H Deepstack
p
NH
NH
NH
$45 2P&
NH
NHB
$25 10A&
Mixed Game $20
$ + 6P
NH
$40 12P
NH
$ 5P&
$30
N H Dstack Tbo $65+ 6P&
NH
$ + 7P
$30
NH
$65
NH $
$75+RE 1P&
NH
$40+ 11A
NH
$ + 6P
$50
NH
$140+ 7P
NH
$ 7P
$45
NHB
$40 7P&
NHB
$ + 10A
$20
NH
$25+ 10A
NHB
$ + 10A&
$35
NH
$50+ 10A
7P
NHB
$25 10A
7P
NH
$25 10A
NH
$ 11A&
$30
NH
$36 6P
N H Turbo $15
$ + 10A&
NH
$25 10A
|
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
NH
$25 12P
NH
$25 7P
NH
$125 1P&
NH
$25 10A&
NH
$65 11A
NH
$50 2P&
NH
$70 9A&
NH
$25+ 7P
NH
$45 2P
$30 10A&
$30 12P
$25+ 10A
$35+ 12P&
$55+ 11A&
$45 10A&
$40 10A
$40 6P
$55 12P&
$60 10A&
$45 10A
$50+ 1P
$25 6P
$55 10A&
$40 10A&
$80 7P
$60 7P&
$50 9A&
$75 12P&
$30 11A
$30 6P
$60 10A
$60 2P
$70 10A&
$18+ 6P
$105 10A
$65
$40+ 12P&
6P
$18 10A
$60+ 11A&
$45 11P&
$40+ 12P
$40+ 6P
$65+RE 10A&
$45+ 11A&
$40+ 10A
$40+ 7P
$50+ 11A
$25+
$50 11A&
$55 10A&
$145 12P&
$140 12P&
$40 7P
7P
7P
$10+ 10A&
$25+ 12P
$17 11A
$55
$45 10A&
$60 6P&
FRIDAY
| SATURDAY |
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
NH
$25 12P
NHB
$65 7P
NH
$125 1P&
NH
$25 10A
NH
$65 11A
NH
$50 2P&
NH
$70 9A&
NH
$25+ 7P
NH
$45 2P
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NHZ
NH
NH
N HZ
NH
NHB
NH
HORSE
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
$30 10A
$30 12P
$15+
$35+ 12P&
$55+ 11A&
$45 10A&
$40 10A
$40 6P
$55 12P&
$60 10A&
$45 10A
1P
$25 6P
$55 10A&
$40
$125 7P
$150 11A&
$50 9A&
$75 12P&
$30 11A
$30 6P
$60 10A
$60 2P
$70 10A&
$18+ 6P
$105 10A
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NHB
NH
NH
NH
NH
$40+ 12P&
$60 2P
$18 10A
$60+ 11A&
$45 11P&
$40+ 12P
$40+ 6P
$65+RE 10A&
$45+ 11A&
$40+ 10A
$40+ 7P
$40 11A
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
N H Sh
$50 11A&
$55 10A&
$145 12P&
$140 12P&
$120 11A
$22+
$75
$10+ 10A&
$20 12P
NH
$17 10A
NH
NH
$45 10A&
$60 6P&
NHB
NH
NHB
NH
N H Triple
p Ch
NH
$45 2P
8P
$25 10A&
$ + 6P
$30
$40 12P
$ 4P&
$30
$120 6P
$ + 7P
$50
NH
NH
NHB
Turbo
NH
NH
NHB
NH
NH
NH
NH
NHB
NH
NH
NHB
NH
NH
NH
N H Deepstack
N H Survivor
NH
NHB
NH
NH
O
NH
$ + 1P&
$30
$40+ 11A
$ + 6P
$50
$180 7P
$ + 7P
$45
$40 12P
$ + 10A
$20
$25+ 10A
$ + 10A&
$30
$40 10A
$115 7P
$35 12P
$ 7P
$20
$30 10A&
$ 11A&
$30
$36 6P
$ + 10A&
$15
$25 10A
NH
NH
NH
N H Deepstack
p
NH
NH
NHB
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
N H Deepstack
p
NH
$55 1P
$50 2P
$
$25 10A&
$ + 6P
$20
$40 12P
$ 4P&
$40
$180 6P&
$ + 7P
$30
1P
$ + 10A&
$10
$40+ 11A
$ + 4P
$40
$150 3P
$ 6P
$90
$40 11A&
$ + 10A
$20
$25+ 10A
$ + 11A
$30
$40 10A
$40
$25 10A
$ 2P
$50
$25 11A
$ 11A&
$30
$54 6P
$ 10A&
$40
$25 10A
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
NH
$25
NHB
$65
NH
$125 1P&
NH
$25 10A
NH
$65 11A
NH
$50 2P&
NH
$70 9A&
NH
$25+ 7P
NH
$45 2P
5P
NH
$30 10A&
NH
$30 12P
12P
NH
$35+ 12P&
NH
$55+ 11A&
NH
$45 10A&
NH
$40 10A
NH
$40 6P
NH
$55 12P&
NH
$60 10A&
NH
$45 10A
N H Z $50+ 1P
NH
$25+ 6P
NH
$55 10A&
$125 7P
$60 11A&
$50 9A&
$75 12P&
$30 11A
$30 6P
$60 10A
$60 2P
$70 10A&
$18+ 6P
$105 10A
6P
NH
$40+ 12P&
NH
$60
NH
$18 10A
NH
$60+ 11A&
NH
$45 7P&
NH
$40+ 12P
NH
$40+ 7P
N H B $65+RE 10A&
NH
$45+ 11A&
NH
$40+ 10A
NH
$40+ 7P
NH
$50+ 11A
10A
NH
$50 11A&
NHB
$55 10A&
NH
$330 12P&
NH
$140 12P&
NHB
$75 11A
7P
12P
NH
$10+ 10A&
N H Sh
$20 6P&
11A
NH
$17 10A
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
$45 10A&
$60 6P&
SUNDAY
GAMES BUY-IN
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
$125
$25
$65
$50
$70
$25+
F
F
$30
$30
F
$35+
$55+
$45
$40
$40
$55
$60
$45
$50+
$25+
$55
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
$80
$60
$50
$75
$30
$30
$60
$60
$70
$18+
$105
$65
$40+
NH
$18
NH
$60+
NH
$45
NH
$40+
NH
$40+
N H B $65+RE
NH
$45+
NH
$40+
NH
$40+
NH
$50+
NH
$25+
NH
$50
NH
$55
NH
$145
NH
$140
NHB
$75
NH
$22+
NH
$30+
NH
$10+
N H Lad
$30
NH
$45+
NH
$17
NH
NH
$45
$40
NH
$115 1P&
NH
$35
NH
$ + 3P
$50
NHB
$
$130
NHB
$25 10A&
NHB
$130
Turbo $20
$ + 6P
Varies Varies
NH
$40 12P
NH
$40
NH
$ 4P&
$40
NH
$
$40
All-In or Fold
$40 1P
NH
$65+
NH
$ + 7P
$30
NH
$ +
$50
NH
$30+ 1P
NH
$62
NH
Varies 2A&
N H $50
$ +RE
N H Deepstack
p
$75+ 11A
NH
$40+
NH
$ + 4P
$50
NH
$ +
$50
N H $150+RE 3P
NH
$150+
NH
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$25 10A
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$35
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$30
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$ 10A&
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DA I LY TO U R N A M E N T L I ST I N G S CO N T I N U E O N PAG E 1 7
14
J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
POKER PLAYER
scan with your phone to visit our website
Vol. 16 Number 1 July 2, 2012 A Gambling Times Publication www.pokerplayernewspaper.com Copyright ©2012 Bi-Weekly $3.95
Mike Sexton’s Dual
Simultaneous
Cashes—
WSOP
TRADITION:
Why Is The WSOP Gold
Bracelet Ceremony
IMPORTANT?
in the June 2 ceremony,
where his speech became
a highlight of the event.
Standing before a crowd of
1,800, he shared just how
special his victory was, and
what it meant to his family. Jivkov’s mother and
father—immigrants from
Bulgaria—later saw video
of their son making what
amounts to his “acceptance
speech.” No doubt, they
watched their son with great
pride as he stood at full
attention during the playing
of Mila Rodino, the national
anthem of their native land,
Bulgaria.
Critics have charged that
poker is not the Olympic
Games. They are right.
Most poker players do not
really align themselves by
country. Moreover, there’s
some merit in the argument that playing national
anthems is an outdated,
anachronistic practice.
But the fact is, even
though poker is arguably
the most individualistic of
pursuits, we are all part of
something bigger and greater than ourselves, whether
we care to admit it or not.
We are a unique community
of millions, made stronger by a collective love
for the game we play. In a
sense, we compete not just
(Continued on page WSOP3)
A WSOP First?
The WSOP is one of the
few tournaments that allows
for the possibility of participants playing in two events
at the same time. In years
past, many players have
participated in two events
simultaneously. However,
cashing in two events
simultaneously—where all
three playing days are in
conflict - is unprecedented.
Mike Sexton, a former
gold bracelet winner and
a 2009 inductee into the
Poker Hall of Fame, entered
Event #3, and Event #4,
which began on the same
day. The two tournaments
were very much at odds,
since the overlap included
three consecutive days.
Even though the Heads-Up
format of Event #3 (which
included mandatory down
time) allowed Sexton more
time to concentrate on the
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Continuing the tradition
started in 2009, all World
Series of Poker bracelet
winners will be treated to
a special ceremony the day
after their victory.
Indeed, many players
wait a lifetime for their
chance to parade across the
grand stage at the WSOP,
to be recognized in front of
their peers. Some players
never get that chance
This year, some of the
ceremonies have included
a special bonus. Each winner has been given the
option of publicly thanking
those who may deserve an
acknowledgement.
Nick Jivkov was honored
J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
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WS O P 2
J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
Get Ready for the Pot
of Gold Poker Summer
Tournament! The Grand
Sierra in Reno has a
schedule of 33 events,
running from July 19-29,
with a total of $340,000
up for grabs. They have
scheduled three events
per day, all events are nolimit with the exception
of three evening events,
Omaha high/low, HORSE
and pot-limit. All guaranteed events are re-entry
events. The opening event
has two flights, with start
times at noon on Thursday,
July 19, and again at 5
pm. The buy-in is a mere
$230 with a $20,000
guarantee. Friday’s $340
POKER PLAYER
A Gambling Times Publication
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Phone: (818) 907-0907
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CONSULTANT
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FOR
idrome
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ASSOCIATE EDITOR
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This supplement published bi-weekly for
four weeks in four editions during the
World Series of Poker as part of Poker
Player newspaper. Volume 16 Number 1.
Copyright ©July 2012 by Gambling
Times Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without
written permission is prohibited.
Advertising Sales
Debbie Burkhead
NATIONAL SALES DIRECTOR
9030 Arkose Ct.
Las Vegas, NV 89123
Office: 702-269-1733
Cell: 702-400-2311
Fax: 702-614-1650
[email protected]
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814-280-2283
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PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT
This notice will certify that 3,000 copies of this supplement in Volume 16, Number 1 were printed at Valley
Printers, 16230 Filbert Street, Sylmar, CA 91342.
Distribution was principally at the World Series of Poker
held at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV.
buy-in event is also is a
two-flight event, the first
flight at noon on Friday,
and the second at noon on
Saturday, with a whopping
$100,000 guarantee. The
main event is scheduled for
Saturday, July 28 with a
$1,080 buy-in and another
$100,000 guarantee. The
main event is scheduled
as a three-day event with
players receiving 13,000
in starting chips, and for
an optional $10 bonus buy
they will receive an additional 2,000 for a total of
15,000 in chips. All $200
and $300 buy-in noon
events, including the $10
bonus buy, will start with
10,000 and the $500 buy-in
will start with 12,000. The
schedule also includes four
$15,000 guaranteed events,
and one $40,000 guaranteed event. Players will
receive 2 percent of their
tournament buy-in back in
comp dollars.
Don’t delay, book today!
Book your room by July
18 to receive the early bird
rate of $30 per night. The
room rate after July 18 is
$35 per night. For a complete list of events, and the
code to receive the early
bird special room rate, see
their ad in this issue of
Poker Player Newspaper.
Listen to Hold’em
Radio all day! Poker radio
at its best, with a variety
Poker Promotions
By Debbie burkhead
of poker
shows running from
noon until
10 p.m. daily through the
entire 2012 WSOP. Find
broadcast schedules, listening tips, and poker
news. See their ad in this
issue of Poker Player
Newspaper and check out
their new program schedule at holdemradio.com.
Poker Player of the
Year Event! Mark your
calendar for the inaugural
Poker Player Newspaper
Championship event scheduled for July 4 at noon
during the Grand Series
at the Golden Nugget in
Las Vegas. The winner
will receive 1st place prize
money plus a trophy and
a 14-carat gold “nugget”
ring. Players can win a seat
through the $90 super satellites scheduled on July 2
and 3 at 5 p.m.
Debbie Burkhead is a
long time poker player,
writer, National Sales
Director for Poker Player
Newspaper, and President
of Poker Player Cruises.
You may contact Debbie at
[email protected].
Magic Time: Doyle Brunson Returns
All the greats have it.
No one can really
quantify what “it” refers
to. But there’s a special
magic, an intriguing
intangible attached to
those special somebodys
in our celestial universe
who transcend the common pedestrian boundaries of the rest of us.
They are special.
In poker, the man
who still has “it” above
everyone else is Doyle
Brunson. So much has
been written and said
about the man, the godfather, the Babe Ruth,
the legend, the ten-time
champ, the author, the
ambassador, the this and
the that of our game, that
the underlying veracity of Brunson wanting
adamantly to be just an
ordinary guy sitting at
the poker table, gets completely lost.
He has little desire to
be famous, but is. He has
no desire to be a celebrity, but finds himself
as the perpetual pillar
of a game that desperately needs heroes and
good guys. Indeed, the
more he tries to blend
in and be like the rest of
us -- declaring “I’m just
an old poker player who
loves to play” – the more
Brunson stands out as the
single solitary spark that
ignites energy inside a
poker room with his very
presence. When Brunson
walks -- make that, rolls
into a poker room on his
scooter -- the vibe comes
alive.
On Wednesday evening on June 6th, at precisely 7:40 pm, Brunson
wheeled his way into this
year’s WSOP, pretty much
as he has done 40 times
in the past, taking his
tournament seat in what
was his first gold brace-
let event of the series.
This means Brunson has
now played in 41 of 43
WSOPs, more than any
player in history.
The man had arrived.
The room felt alive again.
In a very mystical sense,
the 2012 had actually
begun.
The magic had
returned.
Mike Sexton’s Dual Cashes
(Cont’d from page WSOP1)
Eight-or-Better competition, he nonetheless entered
the record books.
Sexton accomplished
what is believed to be a
first in poker history. He
entered both tournaments,
and not only cashed, but
also managed to finish in
the top 16 for both tournaments. Indeed, two mincashes would be quite
impressive. But to think
that Sexton ran deep into
two overlapping events is
phenomenal.
Furthermore, Sexton
has proven once again that
he’s among the very best
at Seven-Card Stud HighLow Split. This was his
11th time to cash in this
event since 1985, which
is a phenomenal feat. In
fact, he finished as the runner up in 2011, and then
ended up as the 15th-place
finisher this year. Oh one
more thing—Sexton also
won this same event and
his gold bracelet—back in
1989.
WSOP Bracelet Ceremony
for ourselves, but for our
families, our friends, those
who root for us, and those
who sometimes back us.
The anthem is a moment
to reflect upon that. Each
standing witness has perhaps one or two minutes
per day to ponder the possibilities that they might be
next. That’s why the gold
bracelet ceremony is impor-
J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
tant, and why it must continue and be respected.
Just ask Nick Jivkov,
or any other WSOP gold
bracelet champion who
has proudly stood upon the
stage of the poker world’s
supreme competition and—
at least, for one fleeting
instant—basked in the limelight of one special moment
of well-deserved glory.
WS O P 3
Brandon Schaefer –
We Salute You!
Former
Professional
Poker Player
Gives Up the
Game to Serve
His Country
Schaefer, a 31-year-old
man, originally from
Evanston, IL, who once
aspired to play poker for a
living. Like so many of his
peers, he got caught up in
the so-called “poker craze”
during the post-Moneymaker era and soon found
himself playing poker more
than anything else. Before
he knew it, poker was more
than just a hobby. It was
paying the bills. Gradually,
Schaefer transformed from
full-time student into the
kind of person seen by the
thousands littering the tournament rooms and hallways
of places like the World
Series of Poker—a twentysomething, oft-hooded,
android incessantly hooked
up to an IPod, mouse-clicking his way to financial
independence. No question,
the “job” had its perks.
But something in
Schaefer’s life was seriously missing. Poker was
not an end. It was a means.
It was a means to an end.
Indeed, poker was a means
to do something else. To
do something bigger. To do
something greater. To see
more of the world’s many
magical places. To experience more things. To enjoy
life more. Much more.
Stoked with a bankroll
enhanced by a combination of online success and
some six-figure tournament
cashes in Europe, Schaefer
took some time off to travel
and see the world. He visited new places. The more
he immersed himself in his
new experiences, the more
he began to realize just
how confining his previous
ambition and occupation
had become. Spending 70
hours a week gazing at a
computer screen or sitting
inside poker rooms avoiding the pratfall of looming
bad beats simply wasn’t
fulfilling. Make that fulfilling enough.
Fulfilling for some?
Perhaps. Fulfilling for
many? Perhaps. Just look
around. But not fulfilling
enough for Schaefer.
During his many travels,
Schaefer increasingly found
himself drawn to the prospect of flying, and the idea
of becoming an aviator. He
also felt strongly about this
country and all it stands
for, and a sense of duty
WS O P 4
J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
By Nolan Dalla
This is a remarkable
story. It’s a story about
personal sacrifice. It is a
story about making a commitment, and then keeping
it. It is a story about the
escalating maturity of a
remarkable young man who
initially aspired to do one
thing in life, and then suddenly did an extraordinary
“about-face,” ultimately
choosing to march in an
entirely different direction.
Meet Brandon
Schaefer
to give something back.
Encouraged by his older
brother, who is currently an
active-duty career military
officer, Schaefer made a
decision that was as daring
as it is extraordinary.
Schaefer decided to walk
away from poker. Quit the
game. Give it up. Schaefer
was about to make the ultimate gamble, and his decision had nothing to do with
cards and chips. He was
giving up what, for him,
had become a sure thing, in
exchange for much greater
uncertainly, laced with the
prospect of danger.
And so, last September,
Schaefer—now residing in
Seattle, WA—walked into
his local Army recruiting
office and explained that
he wanted to enlist in the
United States Army. He
further explained that his
ambition was to fly.
Schaefer was accepted
on the spot and soon went
through basic training. He
served for eight months in
the military. Then, he was
accepted into a special program for aspiring helicopter
pilots. Schaefer is scheduled to begin his flight
training in a few weeks.
But just prior to making
what many would consider
to be a giant leap of faith—
and possibly be shipped
oversees for a far more
dangerous role—Schaefer
decided to give poker one
last try. He made what will
be a final trip (for a long
time) to Las Vegas, and to
the 2012 World Series of
Poker. Schaefer later confided that he had totally
forgotten about the WSOP
this year, but once he heard
the tournaments were now
taking place, he boarded a
plane at the last moment
with the intent to enter
just one event—the $1,500
buy-in No-Limit Hold’em
Shootout.
When Schaefer arrived
at the Rio and walked the
halls with people who had
previously been his poker
playing peers, most of his
compatriots probably had
no idea of the commitment,
the risks, and potentially the
dangers that lie ahead for
the player who initially took
a place at Table 422, Seat
6 on Day One. To bystanders, he looked like a typical
poker player. His hair may
have been a little shorter,
and he was in better physical shape than most. But
no one would have guessed
that beneath the ball cap
and the jersey, he was one
of our nation’s very finest,
the embodiment of selfless
patriotism, and the personification of what General
Douglas MacArthur alluded
to when he famously
uttered the words, “Duty,
Honor, Country.”
On Day One, Schaefer
won his first match, which
meant he was in-the-money.
Schaefer returned for Day
Two, and won again, which
meant he had locked up a
seat in the final 12. Then,
on a magical day where all
the stars aligned in a perfect
poker universe, Schaefer
came to dominate final
table action and won his
WSOP gold bracelet on a
Friday night that turned into
one of the most talked and
“tweeted” about finales of
this year’s series.
He collected $311,174
in prize money for the feat.
But the money and the
golden amulet of accomplishment didn’t seem to be
on Schaefer’s mind much
as he stood before the flashing cameras and the poker
world for one last shining
moment, before entering an
alternative universe where
the currency of survival has
absolutely nothing to do
with money or gold bracelets.
Ironically, Schaefer won
poker’s “Holy Grail”—as
he so aptly called it afterwards—at the conclusion
of one phase of his life,
and the very beginning of
another. All those seven
years of table decisions,
all those mouse-clicks, all
those days, weeks, months,
and ultimately years trying
to be the very best be could
be at this game—finally
authenticated by victory.
And yet, for all the
intrinsic accolades that
go along with winning a
gold bracelet, for Brandon
Schaefer, it’s not over. It’s
just starting. A much bigger
challenge is about to begin,
for much higher stakes.
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Event # Date
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
6/2
6/2
6/3
6/3
6/4
6/4
6/5
6/5
6/6
6/6
6/7
6/7
6/8
6/8
6/9
6/9
6/10
6/10
6/11
6/11
6/12
6/12
6/13
6/13
6/14
6/14
6/14
28
29
30
31
32
6/15
6/15
6/16
6/16
6/17
6/17
6/17
6/18
6/18
6/19
6/19
6/20
6/20
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
Event
Texas Nugget No Limit Hold’em *
Limit Omaha H/L
No Limit Hold’em
H.O.R.S.E.
No Limit Hold’em
Pot Limit Hold’em // Pot Limt Omaha Mix
No Limit Hold’em
Pot Limit Omaha H/L
No Limit Hold’em
Stud H/ L // Omaha H/L Mix
No Limit Hold’em
Pot Limit Omaha High
No Limit Hold’em
Badugi // 2 - 7 Triple Draw Mix
No Limit Hold’em
Limit Omaha H/L
No Limit Hold’em
Pot Limit Omaha H/L
No Limit Hold’em
H.O.R.S.E.
No Limit Hold’em
7 Stud/ Razz/ & Stud H/L Mix
No Limit Hold’em
2- 7 Triple Draw
No Limit Hold’em
Pot Limit Omaha H/L
Seniors Super Satellite (2pm)
(every 10 winners gets $1070)
No Limit Hold’em
8 Game Mix
No Limit Hold’em
Seniors Championship ( 50+) Day 1
No Limit Hold’em
Seniors Championship Day 2 ( Final)
7 Card Stud High Only
No Limit Hold’em
H.O.R.S.E.
No Limit Hold’em
7 Stud H/L // Omaha H/L Mix
No Limit Hold’em
Pot Limit Omaha
*Kick-off Event - Special Prizes
**Bracelet Event
Buy-In
$125
$230
$125
$230
$225
$230
$125
$230
$225
$230
$125
$230
$125
$230
$125
$230
$125
$230
$125
$230
$225
$230
$125
$230
$225
$230
$125
$225
$230
$125
$230
$125
$230
$125
$230
$225
$230
$125
$230
Event # Date
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
Event
6/21
6/21
6/22
6/22
6/23
6/23
6/24
6/24
6/24
6/25
6/25
6/25
6/26
6/26
6/26
6/27
6/27
6/27
6/28
6/28
6/28
6/28
6/29
6/29
6/29
6/30
Buy-In
No Limit Hold’em
$125
H.O.R.S.E.
$230
No Limit Hold’em
$125
7 Card Stud H/L
$230
No Limit Hold’em
$125
Omaha H/L
$230
No Limit Hold’em
$125
Guys n Dolls Tag Team NLH Event
$230 per couple
Grand Finale Super Satellite (5pm)
$125
No Limit Hold’em
$125
H.O.R.S.E.
$230
$125
No Limit Hold’em
$125
Pot Limit Omaha H/L
$230
$125
No Limit Hold’em
$125
7 Card Stud H/L
$230
$125
No Limit Hold’em
$125
Pot Limit Omaha / Pot Limit Hold’em Mix
$230
Lips Ladies Mega Satellite
$155
$125
No Limit Hold’em
$225
Badugi
$230
$125
GRAND FINALE
Day 1
$1,080
20,000 Chips and 60 Minute Blinds
6/30
No Limit Hold’em
$125
6/30 Limit Hold’em// Omaha H/L Tag Team Event (7pm) $175
7/1
Grand Finale Day 2
7/1 GN Poker Queen Lips Grand Championship $230
No Limit Hold’em
$125
7/1
7/1 US Ladies Poker Championship Super Sat (7pm)
7/2
No Limit Hold’em
$125
7/2 Super Satellite ( every 10 winners gets $10,000 $1,040
7/2 Poker Player Newspaper Championship Super Sat (5pm) $80
7/3
No Limit Hold’em
$125
7/3 Super Satellite (every 10 winners gets $10,000) $1,040
7/3 Poker Player Newspaper Championship Super Sat (5pm) $80
7/4
Poker Player Newspaper Championship
$600
7/4
No Limit Hold’em
$125
5XPGFBUVSFEUPVSOBNFOUTNPTUEBZTtUBCMFTt*NQSPWFETUSVDUVSFTGPS-JNJU(BNFT
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For Special Hotel Room Rates starting from $45 per night call and mention code GRAND12.
Full rules available in the Poker Room or upon request. Management reserves all rights to alter or cancel without prior notice.
J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
goldennugget.com
WS O P 5
The Thrill Of Victory And The Agony Of Defeat—A Night To Remember
Preface: June 10th was one
of the most exciting days
(and nights) in the 43-year
history of the WSOP. Two
final tables were played
that day—with Phil
Hellmuth competing on one,
and Phi Ivey playing on the
other. Turns out, the final
outcomes were not what
one might have expected:
Poor Andy Frankenberger…
On a night when he would
most certainly have been
the toast of the town and
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the talk of the poker world,
his astounding heads-up
victory against an opponent
that many call the “the best
poker player in the world”
could only be upstaged by
one man—Phil Hellmuth.
Moments following
Frankenberger’s demolition of Ivey on the ESPN
Main Stage in the PotLimit Hold’em World
Championship, the all-time
WSOP wins leader was
basking in the spotlight
instead, warmed by the
afterglow of his own greatness.
No doubt, both champions deserve top billing—
and their own opportunity
to stand before the universe
and reap the glory of their
own accomplishments.
Hellmuth will get his
chance, and then some.
Even when he doesn’t win,
he’s often the story. But on
a night when the number
“12” has special significance, no one could deny
Hellmuth his rightful place
on the WSOP throne.
Meanwhile,
Frankenberger will be
known not just for winning
a second gold bracelet, but
also for crashing the party
that would have been the
ultimate frenzy—a Phil/Phil
victory duet.
Congratulations to the
great one—Phil Hellmuth.
Twelve gold bracelets is
an astonishing accomplishment. Indeed, no one appreciates the victory more,
nor has more reverence
for what the gold bracelet
means, which makes his
victory all the more welldeserved.
Congratulations also to
Andy Frankenberger, for
not just winning gold bracelet number two, but silencing the critics and proving
to the world and to himself
that he’s not “just as good”
as the world’s best. He’s
actually sometimes better than the very best, and
certainly better than all the
rest.
And then, there were two
others….
From the look on
Phil Ivey’s face at the
conclusion of the PotLimit Hold’em World
Championship, one couldn’t
tell if he had actually won
or lost.
The expression always
stays the same.
Ivey’s cold and calculating stare—omnipresent
and always so intimidating—masked what obviously had to have been
great disappointment. The
poker icon, famous for
once asking after a previous gold bracelet victory,
“hey, how much is the prize
money—I have no idea how
much it is”—demonstrated
that the passion to win and
succeed sometimes isn’t
enough. This is especially
true when the player sitting at the other side of the
table, in this case the ultraunorthodox and supremely
sharp, Andy Frankenberger,
is equally driven to win.
Afterward, Ivey walked
away without saying a
word. Within minutes, he’d
left the building. To where?
No one knows.
But Ivey will be back. He
will return. He shall indeed
once again take center stage
at some point in the future,
and will play at the very
highest level, completely
indifferent to the rest of us, so
in awe of his natural talent.
Then there’s Don Zewin,
who endured a level of disappointment that may be
impossible to comprehend.
He finished second to Phil
Hellmuth in the $1,500
buy-in Seven-Card Razz
event.
It was 23 years ago that
Zewin, in his first WSOP
cash ever, found himself
sitting across the table from
Phil Hellmuth and Johnny
Chan in the 1989 WSOP
Main Event Championship.
Zewin went out in third
place, a remarkable accomplishment. But he’s largely
become a footnote in poker
history since then, posting
about $200,000 in winnings
over two decades.
C’mon Ladies! It’s
Gold Bracelet
Time!
It’s now official. The longest drought for female
gold bracelet winners
crossed the 223-event mark
during the second week of
this year’s World Series of
Poker That’s right—223
tournaments have been
played at the WSOP since
a female scooped the final
pot of an open tournament.
This eclipses the seemingly
endless string of events
played between 1982 and
1996, which had zero
female winners in open
events over what amounted
to a 14-year femme famine.
Vanessa Selbst remains
WS O P 6
J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
Vanesa Selbst
wins event 19 in
the 2008 WSOP.
as the last female to win
an open event, which took
place in the $1,500 buy-in
Pot-Limit Omaha championship, held in 2008. With
nothing but stag winners
for all the events played
through press time, the longest void in WSOP history
has now been surpassed – a
dubious factoid, indeed.
No doubt, the time for a
female gold bracelet winner is very long overdue.
(Note: This discussion pertains only to open events,
which excludes the Ladies
World Championship, which
is a gold bracelet event)
J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
WS O P 7
WSOP Picture
Gallery
Photos by
Joseph Smith Sr.
Phil Hellmuth
Susie Isaacs
Chris Moneymaker
Jerry Buss
WS O P 8
J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
®
THE PALAZZO HOTEL AND CASINO
MAY 24 – JULY 15, 2012
DATE
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
5/24/12
5/25/12
5/26/12
5/27/12
5/28/12
5/29/12
5/30/12
5/31/12
6/1/12
6/2/12
6/3/12
6/4/12
6/5/12
6/6/12
6/7/12
6/8/12
6/9/12
6/10/12
6/11/12
6/12/12
6/13/12
6/14/12
6/15/12
6/16/12
6/17/12
6/18/12
6/19/12
12 pm
$400
400
600
400
400
400
600
1100
600
600
400
600
2500
400
1100
600
600
400
1600
600
2200
1100
600
400
400
1600
600
4 pm
DATE
NLH Day 1A** $200 Big Bounty
NLH Day 1B**
200 Big Bounty
NLH
200 Big Bounty
NLH
NLH
NLH
NLH
200 Big Bounty
NLH
200 Big Bounty
NLH Day 1A**
NLH Day 1B**
NLH
NLH
200 Big Bounty
NLH
600 OMAHA 8/B
NLH
NLH
600 PLO
NLH
NLH
NLH
NLH
200 Big Bounty
NLH
200 Big Bounty
NLH Big Bounty 200 Big Bounty
NLH
200 Big Bounty
NLH
600 HORSE
NLH Day 1A**
NLH Day 1B**
NLH
600 Seniors
NLH
200 Big Bounty
12 pm
4 pm
Wednesday 6/20/12 $600 NLH
Thursday 6/21/12 2500 NLH
Friday
6/22/12 1100 NLH
Saturday 6/23/12
600 NLH
Sunday
6/24/12
600 NLH
Monday
6/25/12 1100 NLH
Tuesday
6/26/12 10,000 NLH High Roller
Wednesday 6/27/12
600 NLH
Thursday 6/28/12 2200 NLH Big Bounty
Friday
6/29/12 1100 NLH
Saturday 6/30/12
600 NLH Day 1A**
Sunday
7/1/12
600 NLH Day 1B**
Monday
7/2/12
600 NLH
Tuesday
7/3/12
1600 NLH
Wednesday 7/4/12
400 NLH
Thursday 7/5/12
2500 NLH
Friday
7/6/12
1100 NLH
Saturday 7/7/12
600 NLH
Sunday
7/8/12
600 NLH
Monday
7/9/12
1600 NLH
Tuesday
7/10/12
400 NLH
Wednesday 7/11/12
600 Super Satellite’s
Thursday 7/12/12 5000 NLH Day 1A**
Friday
7/13/12 5000 NLH Day 1B**
Saturday 7/14/12 600 NLH
Sunday
7/15/12 600 NLH
$200 Big Bounty
200 Big Bounty
600 OMAHA 8/B
600 Super to 10K H.R.
400 Ladies
200 Big Bounty
600 PLO
200 Big Bounty
600 HORSE
200 Big Bounty
200 Big Bounty
200 Big Bounty
200 Big Bounty
600 Super Satellite’s
200 Big Bounty
200 Big Bounty
Join us for our nightly 7 pm $200 No Limit tournament with 10,000 starting chips and 30-minute levels.
All $600 buy-ins and below are re-entry events.
Starting chips: The $200 Big Bounty and $200 NLH will be 10,000. The $400 NLH, $400 Ladies NLH, $600 HORSE, and $600 Omaha 8B
will be 12,000. The $600 NLH, $600 PLO, $600 Seniors NLH, and $1,100 NLH will be 15,000. The $1,600 NLH, $2,200 Big Bounty and $2,500
NLH will be 20,000. The $5,000 NLH Main Event will have 25,000. The $10,000 High Roller NLH will be $30,000. All $600 Super Satellites
will have 5,000 in starting chips.
Total cash prize: Payouts are based on the number of participants that enter the tournament. A fixed percentage of the prize pool will
be withheld for poker room staff. Open to the public. All participants must be at least 21 years of age and have a Grazie® card.
Follow us on Twitter
@Venetianpoker
For information call
702.414.7657 venetian.com
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@ Venetian Poker Room
Registration for each 12 pm event begins at 9pm the day prior to each event. Late entries and re-entries are permitted for the first four levels of all events $600 Buy In or less. Late entries are permitted for the first
three levels of all events over $600 Buy In. Registration for each 4pm event begins 2 hours prior to each event. Late entries and re-entries are permitted for the first 3 levels of all $200 Big Bounty, $400 Ladies, $600
PLO, $600 Seniors, $600 Omaha 8B, and $600 HORSE events.
½% will be withheld from DeepStack III tournament prize pools for best overall points winners. Tournament winners earn points to qualify for cash prizes. The top 10 players in points will be awarded best overall
player awards. All prizes will be paid in casino chips. All $400 Buy In events and higher qualify with the exceptions of the ladies, seniors, and super satellites.
J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
WS O P 9
$5,000 Buy-In “Mixed Max” Makes
History (With An Asterisk)
When Aubin Cazals sat
down with Warwick
Mirzikinian in Event #6
(1pm on Sunday, June 3rd)
he had no idea he was taking
the first step of what would
turn out to be a recordbreaking journey.
One hour went by. Then,
two, three, and four. By
8 pm, players and spectators began buzzing with
questions about whether
the event would set a new
record for the longest headsup match in tournament
poker history. (The previous record was set six years
ago when David “Chip”
Reese defeated Andy
Bloch in the final stage of
the $50,000 buy-in Poker
Player Championship, an
event that lasted 7 hours and
6 minutes.)
By 10 pm, everyone
inside the tournament
arena—and a worldwide
audience following the
action online—knew they
were witnessing something
that had never happened
before. As it turns out,
seven hours was a mere
sprint compared to the
brain-bashing 9-hour and
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Anything POKER!
Get us on the web!
25-minute marathon death
match that took place in the
Amazon Room at the Rio
in Las Vegas. By the time
Cazals finally extinguished
the hopes of a most tenacious opponent, players,
spectators, and even staff,
were camped around the
final table like a late night
marshmallow roast.
Mirzikinian, from
Australia, must have felt like
the toasted marshmallow.
All those grueling decisions,
all that thinking and re-thinking, all that careful planning
and contemplation wiped
out in a futile session that
would have had the exact
same financial consequences
had he busted out on the first
hand, instead of the 350th
— some nine hours earlier.
Poor Mirzikian could have
had lunch, watched a movie,
had a five-course dinner,
and then seen a Vegas show
for the amount of time he
invested in what turned out
to be a wasted, albeit, gallant
effort.
Worse, Mirzikinian won’t
actually get any “official”
credit for being fodder on
the sacrificial altar of poker
history. Since the semi-final
was not actually the “headsup” stage of the tournament
(which means between the
last two players competing for a gold bracelet), the
quasi-record setting match
will carry an asterisk.
In reality, this most certainly was the longest headsup match of any poker tournament in history. Never
have two competitors sat
face to face for so long at a
tournament table.
A Night to
Remember
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WS O P 1 0
J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
Late on Sunday night,
Zewin has the chance of a
lifetime, an opportunity to
bury the beastly demons of
disappointment at Binion’s
Horseshoe, and reverse the
roles of fortune.
To his credit, Zewin
proved to be a tenacious
competitor—a tiger in a
cage refusing to relent and
surrender in the spotlight
of the poker world’s eye.
Zewin fought back several times during the duo’s
three-hour heads-up showdown. But, Zewin ultimately proved to be no match. It
was like stepping in front of
the roaring freight train of
poker destiny.
Don Zewin—second
place.
On this most memorable
night—Ivey and Zewin,
both sympathetic figures
in their own very different
way—ended up playing
unwelcome roles in a giant
supporting cast that ultimately allowed others to
shine as the stars.
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J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
WS O P 1 1
WSOP Picture
Gallery
Photos by
Sr
Joseph Smith Sr.
Debbie Burkhead
Lacey Jones
Linda Johnson
Maria Ho
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WS O P 1 2
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J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
15
The Squeeze Play
LOU KRIEGER ON POKER
By Lou Krieger©
A squeeze play is one of the simplest maneuvers
to execute at the poker table. It’s easily understood, yet fraught with risk, and your success depends almost
entirely on how well you are able to read your opponents. The
time to squeeze is when a loose-aggressive player raises from
early position, and another player calls the raise before the action
gets around to you.
The squeezer now makes a large reraise, banking on the fact
that no players acting after him will call and the initial raiser and
the caller will both fold, allowing him to take down the pot.
A squeeze play is a parlay of sorts, and works because:
• The initial raiser, a loose-aggressive player, was on a steal, and
raised with a weak hand.
• The guy who called the raise also did so with a vulnerable hand.
• No one who acts after you is willing to cold-call a reraise.
Squeeze Late, Not Early. Not only do you have to be able to read
the initial raiser as well as the guy who called his raise, you also
have to be very cognizant of players who act after you. If you
squeeze from late position, you won’t have to worry about players
who act after you. Squeezing is tough enough, but when you don’t
have position on your side, it’s just asking for trouble.
Table Image. The image you project to your opponents is critically important to successfully squeezing. When you’re viewed as
the kind of guy only raises if he has the goods, you stand a much
better chance of pulling off a squeeze play successfully.
In other words, when your opponents think you’ll never squeeze
them, your squeeze play will succeed unless one of your opponents actually does have a very big hand.
Theory in Practice: A Successful—and Very Famous—Squeeze
Play. One of poker’s most well-known squeeze plays was executed
by poker Hall of Famer, “Action” Dan Harrington—a tongue-incheek nickname referring to his image as an extremely tight
player—during the final table of the 2004 World Series of Poker’s
main event.
Harrington’s image gave him license to steal. In this hand, Josh
Arieh raised under the gun with K-9 offsuit, and Greg Raymer
called in early-middle position with Ac-2c.
Harrington put both players on weak hands because Arieh
and Raymer had each played a lot of pots with marginal hands.
Harrington made a very large reraise with 6-2, both men folded,
and Harrington won a large pot.
He knew Josh Arieh’s raise didn’t necessarily represent
a strong hand. He had been raising far too many pots, and
Harrington realized that he was raising with weak hands much
of the time. While there was no way Harrington could have been
absolutely certain that Josh Arieh didn’t have a strong hand,
reasonable doubt prevailed, and “Action” Dan put him on a weak
holding.
Greg Raymer, who went on to win that year’s WSOP main event,
had been involved in a large number of hands too, and Harrington
was willing to make the assumption that Raymer didn’t necessarily
have a big hand either.
But because Harrington had been playing a style that more
than lived up to his nickname, both his adversaries figured that he
had to be sitting there with a huge hand when he reraised.
If you want to see that famous squeeze play for yourself, you
can see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH1lcfNGudo
Squeezing When the Stacks Are Deep. Most experts advise
saving squeeze plays for later stages of tournaments, but you
can still make one early with a raise of four to six times the initial raise. But don’t squeeze with 6-2 offsuit, as Harrington did.
Instead, look for a situation when you can squeeze with hands like
suited connectors, so you have some playing potential just in case
you are called.
If you want to see more squeeze play material, here’s a link to
a video by the affable Canadian pro, Gavin Smith: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrQvBXqpJJw
Visit Lou Krieger online at www.loukrieger.com,
where you can read his blog, and check out all of his
books. Write directly to him at [email protected].
16
J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
DA I LY TO U R N A M E N T L I ST I N G S (CO N T I N U E D F R O M PAG E 1 4 )
MONDAY
CALIFORNIANORTH
TIME
Angie’s
g
Poker Club, Chico 11A
Artichoke Joe’s
11A
Aviator Casino
6P
Bayy 101
9A
Black Oak Casino, Tuolumne 11A
Black Sheepp Inn, Cameron Park
Cache Creek
California Grand Casino-Pacheco
Cameo Club, Stockton
6P
Casino 580, Livermore
7P
Casino Club-Reddingg
11A
Casino Marysville
y
Casino Real Cardroom
10A
Casino Royale
y
11A
Central Coast Casino, Grover Beach
Central Coast Casino, Paso Robles 10A
Chukchansi Gold Casino
10A
Chum
Ch
umaash
h (113)
Club One Casino, Fresno
Colusa Casino
Comstock Card Room, Tracyy
Cordova Casino
Del Rio Casino, Isleton
Eagle
g Mountain Cas.-Porterville
Elk Valleyy Cas.-Crescent Cityy
Feather Falls Cas., Oroville
The 500 Club, Clovis
Folsom Lake Bowl
Garden Cityy
Garlic Club-Gilroyy
Gold Countryy Cas.-Oroville
Golden West-Bakersfield
Jackson Rancheria
Limelight
g Casino-Sacramento
Livermore Casino
Luckyy Chances
Luckyy Derbyy Casino
Merced Poker Room
Mike’s Card Casino. Oakdale
Napa
p Valleyy Casino
Oaks Card Club-Emeryville
y
Oceana Casino
Paiute Palace
Pastime Cardroom, Benicia
Pete’s 881 Club
Phoenix Casino
7P&
10A
2P
6P
6P
6P
10A&
7P
6P
7P
|
TUESDAY
GAMES BUY-IN| TIME
NH
$20 11A
LH
$28+ 11A
NH
$30+
LH
$120 9A
NH
$25 11A
12P
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
$40+
$40+ 7P
$17 11A
7P
$20 10A
$35+RE 11A&
10A
$5
$35 10A
7P
$75 7P&
$50 10A
6P
NH
$25 6P
NH
$35 6P
NH
$45+ 6P
7P
NH
$45
NH Double Stack $120 10A&
NH
$35+ 7P
12P
NHB
$65 6P
NH
$80
NH
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
NHB
$32 11A
LH
$25 6P
6P
LH
$120 9A
NH
$25 11A
$25+ 12P
O H/L
6P
$40+ 7P
$17 11A
$30
$20 10A
$35+RE 11A&
F
10A
7P
$35 10A
$70 7P
$35+ 7P&
NH
NH
NH
H
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
NH
$20 11A
L&O H/L $50+ 11A
NH
$25+ 6P
LH
$60+ 9A
NH
$25 11A
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
$55 6P
$40+
$40+ 7P
$17 11A
7P
$20 10A
$35+RE 11A
10A
$25
$40 7P
$35 10A
$35 7P
$55 7P&
6P
H
| SATURDAY |
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
NH
$57 11A&
2P
$120 9A
$25 11A
LH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NHB
NH
$50 10A
$30+ 6P
$25 2P
$30
$45+ 6P
NH
LH
NH
10P
$30+ 4P
12P
$50 10A
$15 6P
$25
NH
$50+ 12P
NH
NH
NH
NH Double Stack
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NHF
NH
$45
$120+ 10A&
$35+ 7P
$5 12P
$65 6P
NH
NH
NH
Varies
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
6P
$40+ 7P&
$65+ 9A
$15 6P
$7 11A&
0+ 10A
$40+ 7P
3P
1P
$20 10A
$50 11A
10A
$5
$40 7P&
$35 10A
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
LH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
$55
$30+
$40+
$37
$30
$20
$50
NH
NH
$50 5P
$20+ 10A
NH
NH
$40
$70
NH
NH
NH
NH
$50
$170
$40+
$50
NH
NH
$35+
$35
NH
NHB
NH
NH
NH
NH
F
$20
Varies
$35
$40
$50
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
$80
$225+
$30
$7
0+
$40
$125+
F+
$23+
O/8
Po O
$45+
40+
$14+ 12P&
$30+ 2P Wk2
$40+ 12P
$50 10A
$15
12P
6P
NH
Varies
2P
12P
NH Double Stack $150 10A&
NH
$35 6P
NH
$40 12P
NH
$65 2P
NH
$120
O
NH
NH
NH
LH
NH Double Stack
NH
N O H/L
NH
NH
$150 10A&
$35 6P
$40 12P
$35 2P
$50 11A
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
$100 7P&
NH
NH
NH
NH
F+ 9A&
$12+ 6P
F
NH
NH
$15 9A
$7 11A&
0+ 10A
9A&
11A
F+ 9A
$23+ 5P
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
$100 7P&
9A
$60 10A
$7 11A&
0+ 10A
$40 9A&
$120+RE 1P
F+ 9A
$22+ 6P
NH
12P
$25 7P
NH
NH
$55+ 6P
$60 1P
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
$40+ 7P&
$120+ 9A
$15 9A
$7 11A&
0+ 10A
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
$40+ 7P&
$275 9A
$15 9A
$7 11A&
0+ 10A
6P
9A
6P
NHB
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
$120+RE 6P
F+ 9A&
$17+ 6P
F
NH
O H/L
NH
$100+
F+ 9A
$23+ 6P
7P
NH
NH
NH
6P
1P
NH
NH
$140 6P
F+ 9A
$17+ 6P
7P
$80+
$40+ 1P
NH
$40+ 1P
NH
$40+ 1P
NH
GAMES BUY-IN
NH
$32
NH
$49+
Mx
$30+
LH
$80
NH
$25
NH
$55
10A
10A
$40+ 7P
$37 3P
F 1P
$20 10A
$50 11A&
$10
$80+ 10A&
$35+ 6P
$40+ 12P
Varies 10A&
11A
$40+RE
$40+ 7P&
$120+
$70 9A
$7 11A&
0+ 10A
7P&
9A
9A
11A&
10A
SUNDAY
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
NH
$20 11A&
6P
NH
$25 6P
LH
$200 9A
NH
$25 11A
2P
$10
NH
$50 10A
6P
$25 6P
F+ 6P
$45+ 6P
NH
FRIDAY
$40+ 7P
$17
$30
$20 10A
$35+RE 11A
$5
10A
$40 7P
$35 10A
$70
$85
$15+ 6P
NH
NH
O/8
NH
NH
NH
$50 10A
$15
$35 2P
$30 6P
$45+ 6P
$66
6P
$120 10A&
$35+ 7P
$30 12P
$65 6P
NH
LH
NH
NHB
NH
NH
|
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
NH
$20 11A
LH
$48
Mx
$30+
LH
$80+ 9A
NH
$25 11A
$40+ 5P
Hustler makes it “all
about the players.”
Weekly guaranteed tournaments are now offered six
days a week. Sundays at 3
pm check out the $10,000
guaranteed event with
a $150 buy-in. Players
start with 7,000 in chips,
and one $100 rebuy is
offered for an additional
8,000 in chips. Weekday
events all have a 7 pm
start time and a $5,000
guarantee. Players receive
points in all weekly events
toward the “Player of the
Week” title for a chance
at $1,000 -$2,500. Any
1st place win will get you
1,000 points, 2nd will
receive 700, 3rd gets 500,
4th receives 400, and 5th
-10th will earn 300 points.
Presenting Hustler’s
Firecracker Freeroll!
Qualifying period runs
through July 4 and players earn additional chips
for additional hours
played. Players can earn
double hours by playing on July 4. This event
has a $25,000 guaranteed
prize pool and the winner
will receive $10,000. The
tournament is scheduled
for 12 pm on Saturday,
July 7.
Get your Keurig
Coffee Maker at
Suncoast! Play 30 hours
of live play and receive a
Suncoast coffee tumbler,
play 100 hours and you’ll
earn three tumblers and
a Keurig coffee maker.
Qualifying period ends
on July 15. The Suncoast
is now spreading seven
card stud every day but
Tuesday. The $4-$8 limit
starts at 8 am with a $40
minimum buy-in and no
maximum. The $2 to $10
spread limit starts at 9
am with a $100 minimum
buy-in and no maximum.
Sundays and Tuesdays are
reserved for $2-$10 spread
Omaha high/low with a
$100 minimum buy-in and
no maximum.
Beginning July 15 play-
additional starting chips
by playing two hours
prior to the 7 pm events
every Monday-Thursday.
See the Chumash ad in
this issue of Poker Player
Newspaper for more
DEBBIE DOES POKER
By Debbie burkhead
ers will
receive one
drawing
ticket per
tournament entry. A drawing will be held after each
tournament and players
playing in any live game
will have a chance at winning $50-$200. For more
information on poker at
Suncoast, see their ad in
this issue of Poker Player
Newspaper.
There’s cash to be
made at Chumash!
Get your share of the
action with the $500
High Hand promotions
on Monday, Friday, and
Saturday. Chumash is adding $200 to the Monday
tournament, $300 to the
Tuesday, Wednesday,
and Thursday events,
and $500 to the Sunday
events. Players can earn
details.
“Stars & Stripes” is
Back at the Bike! The
event kicks off on Friday,
June 29-July 14 with buyins ranging from a low
$75-$300 with guarantees
of $10,000-$200,000.
Players that finish in the
top 10% of the field in the
noon event on Thursday,
July 12 will get an entry
into a $50,000 freeroll
scheduled for July 23. For
a complete list of events
see the Bike ad in this
issue of Poker Player
Newspaper.
Debbie Burkhead is a
long time poker player,
writer, National Sales
Director for Poker Player
Newspaper and President
of Poker Player Cruises.
You may contact Debbie at
[email protected].
J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
17
The Future of Poker
CARD SENSE
By ASHLEY ADAMS
I was playing in a $1 - $2 no limit hold’em game at
Foxwoods Resort Casino the other day. I had just
gotten beaten out of a $680 pot by the gentleman on my left – when
my straight lost to his full house. We were chatting amicably about
Poker Player Newspaper. He mentioned that he was interested in
reading something different from the regular fare. I asked him to suggest a topic. “Well,” he started “how about writing about the future
of poker?” So here’s my take.
It’s December 31, 2022. The 53rd World Series of Poker has just
concluded in Las Vegas. Yihau Wu, the winner of its 100th and final
tournament – the $10,000 buy-in Main Event – just took home a
record prize of $24,000,000. The prize pools rose quickly in 2020
after Internet poker was finally legalized and regulated in the United
States. This year, the two largest on-line poker companies: Ypoker.
com (owned by Yahoo), and GoPoker (owned by Google) accounted
for more than half of the 18,932 entrants in the main event.
The $24,000,000 wasn’t the largest prize awarded this year at the
World Series of Poker, however. That would be the $50,478,909 first
place prize received by Vanessa Rousso in the sixth annual “Mike’s
Million” charity tournament. This $1 million-a-seat event, named in
honor of retired Poker Charities Foundation President Mike Sexton,
matches buy-ins with donations from corporate sponsors. This year,
with 150 seats sold (most via the many satellites held around the
world), these sponsors donated a cool $150 million to charity.
Poker has undergone a major transformation during the last ten
years, due largely to its full legalization on the Internet and in the
United States, Japan, India, and China. China alone boasts 512 poker
rooms, including the mammoth 1,000 table Wynn property located
outside Shanghai, home to the 2020 International Poker Games.
Poker teams from 72 countries competed for the prestigious Holden
Cup (named for IPG founder Anthony Holden) – signifying the highest achievement in Duplicate Poker. The next IPG, scheduled for
London in 2024, will feature duplicate versions of both No Limit Texas
Hold’em and Pot Limit Tsunami – the fastest growing form of poker.
Tsunami has been gaining traction world-wide ever since it was
invented in Japan in 2015 as a fast-paced alternative to hold’em.
Players initially receive only one card, with an immediate two-card
flop. They receive their next card with another two-card flop, and
then a final down card with a final exposed community card. With
only three betting rounds, as opposed to four as in hold’em, dealers
deal an extra ten to twenty hands an hour – increasing profits for the
house and for winning players.
The Japanese were the first to introduce the game into their
schools, as part of their math curriculum. Amateur poker leagues
have sprung up in many Asian and American school districts, where
students compete for prizes and recognition. Tournament team tsunami is Japan’s second most popular school sport (behind only baseball). Tsunami is now a recognized team sport in 183 school districts
in the United States.
In addition to the rise of Tsunami, perhaps the greatest change to
poker is the rising popularity of “poker pop ups”. These hand held
cell-phones allow users to play poker on internet sites like GoPoker
and YPoker. They can play many games simultaneously, expanding
their cell-phone screens by using holographic imagery.
A great consolidation of poker rooms has continued to take
place – as the large rooms get bigger and the small rooms fold. The
Peppermill in Reno, one of only three rooms left in the area, has just
expanded to 100 tables. The Commerce now has a new wing, bringing
its total up to 420 tables, and Mohegan Sun just added an entirely
new “high stakes” room with an additional 50 tables.
“The future of poker is bright”, says newly selected Caesar’s
International CEO Seth Palansky. “We are just glad that the American
politicians finally woke up and realized that what was good for the
poker player was good for the nation.”
Ashley Adams is the author of Winning 7-Card Stud and
Winning No Limit Low Limit Hold’em. He hosts the
radio show House of Cards, broadcast Mondays at
5 – 6 p.m. in Boston, MA, on 1510 AM, and on the
Internet at www.houseofcardsradio.com.
Contact Ashley at [email protected].
18
J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
X
X
X
X
Poker Player
Every other issue’s crossword
puzzle honors a poker
celebrity and will be about
that person’s life. Today’s puzzle
honors not a person but a casino—The Golden Nugget
Word
Crossword by Myles Mellor.
24. Cold deck
ACROSS
DOWN
26. 2011 WSOP winner,
Pius
1. One of poker’s top
money winners of all
time, Eric ____
29. “___ bad!”
4. David “Dragon” _____
2. ___ duke, phrase which
means “the nuts”
31. What?
8. Menu phrase (2 words)
33. See 19 across
10. Deuce
36. English poker pro, ____
Trickett aka “Tricky”
11. Bet and raise frequently
and aggressively (3
words)
37. Pocket rockets, for short
15. No, in slang
39. Profit, abbr.
17. French lake
41. Position in hold’em
where a player has to
make a mandatory bet
(2 words)
18. City where the
Commerce Casino is
19. Recently opened
Atlantic City casino
(goes with 33 across)
23. “Let it __”: Beatles
advice
1
2
3
11
15
18
16
13
6. Type of tournament, like
the WSOP
7. Poker pro from
Huntingdon Beach, CA
(2 words)
9. Hollywood’s home
13. Mike Caro, the ___
genius of poker
45. ____ of the action
14. Part of big slick
47. Brag like Phil
16. Life duration
4
12
5. Egg layer
44. Each, abbr.
5
6
8
10
3. Bend the corner of a
card, cheating action
12. ____-in
43. Big ___ for lunch?
21. Whiskey
1. Tournament with a prize
of a buy-in to a larger
one
7
9
20. Internet shorthand for
no limit hold’em
22. Japanese currency
14
23. Wager
17
19
20
21
25. ____ bluff
22
27. ____ straight
23
24
25
29
31
32
37
26
27
28
30. __ fire
30
33
34
38
35
39
41
32. Poker pro, _____ Habib
36
34. Talk a lot at the table
40
35. Makes three of a kind
42
43
44
45
46
The correct solution to the puzzle will be found
only at: www.pokerplayernewspaper.com.
It will be posted on the cover date.
playing them very poorly.
Truth
Where is this heading? It’s
heading to this unarguable
truth: The more time you
spend making correct decisions, the more you’ll win.
Obvious? Well, how about
this: One poorly played
hand can destroy hours of
correct play.
38. “All my chips” for short
40. “Don’t bet ___!” (2
words)
47
28. Poker player with no
tells
Think about it. You’re
playing poker seriously.
You hope to make a living; it’s your job. And so,
you invest those hours.
Sometimes time passes
slowly. You stick to your
game plan. You’ve done a
lot of folding and played a
few hands that you knew to
be profitable.
Now you begin with a
42. Testing area
46. “El Matador’s” initials
pair of aces in hold ’em and
flop a third. But someone
makes a straight on the
river and you’re suddenly
buried for the night. See
that sad sack in this photo?
That’s you.
Next pot
And now, for a brief, angry
moment, you stop caring.
You barge into the next pot
against the odds and lose.
How much? Well, enough
DAILY TOURNAMENTS (CONT’D FROM PAGE 17)
Time. Some events &. ........ Additional
Limit Hold’em
start after the hour
gametimes. Call. N ..........No Limit
A, P ....... AM, PM
..... Hold’em L ................ Limit
Wk .............Week
.No Limit Hold’em
..........Stud
MONDAY
CALIFORNIANORTH
TIME
SOUTHWEST
AZ
CO
KS
NM
PACIFIC NORTHWEST
OK
OR
WA
Pit River Casino
Poker Flats,, Merced
Red Hawk Casino-Placerville
River Rock Casino-Geyserville
y
Sho Ka Wah,, Hopland
p
Tachi Palace Casino
The 101 Casino
Thunder Valleyy Casino,, Lincoln
Towers Casino-Grass Valleyy
Turlock Poker Room
Wine Countryy Casino
Win-River Casino,, Reddingg
Apache
p
Gold
Blue Water Casino
Bucky’s
y Casino
Ca ino Ariiz.-S
Casi
-Sco
-S
coottsd
sdalee (11)
Casino Del Sol
Cliff Castle
Fort McDowell
Gila River/Wild Horse Pass
Gila River-Vee Quiva
Harrah’s Ak Chin
Hon-Dah Casino
Paradise Casino
Double Eagle
g
Isle Casino-Black Hawk
Ladyy Luck-Blackhawk
Midnight
g Rose-Cripple
pp Crk
Skyy Ute-Ignacio
g
Ute Mountain Casino-Towaoc
Golden Eagle
Buffalo Thunder
Hardrock Albuquerque
q q
Route 66 Casino
Sandia
nd a Cas
assino (6
(6))
Santa Ana Star
Cherokee-Roland
Cherokee-W. Siloam
Choctaw
Comanche Red River Cas.
Downstream
Firelake Grand Casino
Gold River Casino-Anadarko
Hard Rock-Tulsa
Riverwind
WinStar World Casino
Astoria Bar & Poker Room,, Eugene
g
Chinook Winds Casino
The Club House-Sutherlin
Full House Poker
International Poker House
Seven Feathers-Canyonville
y
Spirit
p Mountain
Wildhorse Casino Resort
Angel
g of the Winds-Arlington
g
Blue Mountain Casino
Cable Bridge-Kennewick
g
Chips
p Bremerton
Chips
p La Center
Chips
p Lakewood
Club Caribbean-Yakima
T ............... Turbo
Sp L ...Spread Limit
.7-Card Stud
..... Omaha Pi........Pineapple Mx .Mexican Poker HH ...Headhunter Al ......Alternates
.5-Card Stud H/LHigh/Low Split Po........Pot Limit DCDealer’s Choice B ......... Bounties Z........ Freezeout
|
$15 11A&
$35 10A&
$15 11A&
$35 10A&
7P
7P
$20+ 7P
$40 1P
$30 12P
$15 10A&
$30 10A&
$25+ 6P
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
$50 7P
$50
$40 1P
$30 12P
$15 10A&
$30 10A&
$25+ 6P
6P
12P
$60 7P
$10+ 10A
$25 10A
$30 12P&
$25+ 7P
$20 11A
7P
H
NH
O H/L Z
L H Sh
NH
NHZ
HB
O H/L
$25+
$130 7P
$10+ 10A
$25 10A&
$30 12P&
$50 7P
$20 11A
$25+
6P
NH
NH
5P
NH
$55+
7P
1P
12P
10A&
10A&
6P
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
11A
10A
10A
12P&
12P
11A
NH
HZ
N H Sh
NH
NH
7B
NH
7P
8P
7P
7P
2P
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
2P
11A&
NH
NH
11A&
7P
10A
2P&
12P
11A&
11A
6P Wk1
10A&
11A&
7P
7P
4P
7P
7P
NH
NHZ
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NHZ
NH
NHB
NHB
NH
NH
7P
6P
10A&
1P
12P
9A
12P
9A
12P&
NH
NH
NH
N O H/L
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
NH
NH
11A&
10A&
7P
TUESDAY
GAMES BUY-IN| TIME
$50
10A
$60 7P
$60 7P
$30+ 11A
$20+
$44
6P
$10+ 2P
$25 11A&
7P
$30 11A&
$50
$35+ 10A
$60+ 2P&
$30+ 12P
$30 11A&
$30 11A&
F 6P
$35 10A&
$40 11A&
$115 7P
$30 7P
$55 4P
$20+ 7P
$10+ 7P
$60 7P
$13 6P
$33 10A&
$20+ 1P
$25 12P
$20 9A
$35 12P
$20 9A
$40 12P&
Cz Pi H/L
NH
NH
NH
7P
$45
$60 7P
$50 7P
$20 11A
$40+RE
$20+ 2P
$25 11A&
$35
$30 11A&
1P&
NH
$35+ 10A
NH
$60+ 2P&
NH
$30+ 12P
NH
$30 11A&
NH
$30 11A&
Sit and Go
$25 7P
NH
$35 10A&
NHZ
$40 11A&
NH
$60 1P
NH
$30+ 7P
O H/L
$45 4P
7P
NH
$20 7P
NH
$20+ 7P
6P
NHB
$90 7P
NH
$30+ 6P
NH
$33 10A&
NH
$20+ 1P
NH
$25 12P
NH
$20 9A
NH
$35 12P
NH
$20 9A
NH
$40 12P&
NH
NH
NH
Var
NH
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
7P
NH
$15 11A&
NH
$35 10A&
NH
$55
NHB
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
H
NH
Cz Pi Z
N H Sh
NH
NH
HB
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
|
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
NH
$30+ 7P
NH
$15 11A&
NH
$35 10A
5P
11A
$60
7P
$40 1P
$30 12P
$15 10A&
$35 10A&
$25+ 6P
$25+ 7P
7P
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
O H/L
HB
$50
$40 11A
$30 12P
$15 10A&
$30 10A&
F+
$20
$25
$130 11A
$10+ 10A
$25 10A
$30 12P&
$20+ 12P
$20 11A
7P
$40 6P
NH
NHZ
L H Sh
NH
Men N H
HB
NH
O H/L
$60 11A
$10+ 10A
$25 10A
$30 12P&
$25+
$20
$10+ 7P
$40
$60
10A
$60 7P
$50+ 7P
$20 11A
7P
6P
NH
NH
$5+ 2P
$25 11A&
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NHZ
NH
NHZ
NH
NHB
NH
NH
NH
N H Sh
NH
NHT
HORSE
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
$30 11A&
$30+ 1P
$35+ 10A
$60+ 2P&
$30+ 12P
$30 11A&
$30 11A&
$50 6P
$35 10A&
$60 11A&
$60 1P
$35 7P
$45 4P
$20
$50+ 7P
$25 7P
$0+
$25+
$30+ 6P
$33 10A&
$20+ 1P
$25 12P
$20 9A
$35 12P
$20 9A
$40 12P&
O H/L
NH
NHB
NH
O
NH
NH
NH
7P
$45 10A
$60 7P
$60
$20 11A
$20/F
$5+
6P
$20+ 2P
$25 11A
NH
$30 11A&
NH
$30+ 1P
NH
$35+ 10A
NH
$60+ 7P&
NH
$30+ 12P
NH
$30 11A&
NH
$30 11A&
Po O $100-300 6P
NH
$35 10A&
NHB
$85 11A
NHB
$115 11A
NH
$45 7P
NH
$55
7P
NH
$10+ 7P
NH
$25 7P
6P
12P
NH
$55
NH
$33 10A&
N O H/L $20+ 1P
NH
$25 12P
NH
$20 9A
NH
$35 12P
NH
$20 9A
NH
$40 12P&
FRIDAY
Cz ............. Crazy + Re-buys and/or
E...... Elimination Add-ons allowed
Q ............Qualify +RE ....... Re-Entry
Sh ........Shootout F ............Freeroll
| SATURDAY |
SUNDAY
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
NH
$30+ 7P
NH
$30+ 3P
NH
$15 5P
NH
$40
NH
$35 10A
NH
$35 10A
10A
NH
$55
NH
$55+ 5P
NH
$75 5P
NH
$50 11A
NH
Varies 11A
1P Wk2&4 N H
$115
NH
$60 11A
NH
$60 11A
NH
$30 12P
NH
$30 12P
NH
$15 10A&
NH
$15 10A&
NH
$35 10A&
NH
$50 1P
11A
NH
F+ 5P
3P
2P
12P
H
$25+ 1P
NH
$60 10AWk4 N H
$150
Pi
$10+
N H Sh
$25 11A
NH
$80+ 10A
NH
$30 12P&
NH
$5 12P&
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
$35
NH
N H Deepstack
p
$15
$100
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
H
O H/L
7F
$60
$30
$15
F
F+
$20+
$25
O Sh
NH Deepstack
p
$25
$50
$40 12P&
4P
1P
F
$45 12P
$60 2P
NH
NH
O H/L
11A
$40 12P
$30+ 4P
$13 1P
HB
NH
Cz Pi
H
$20
$25
$30+
$13
NH
NH
$90 3P
$60 2P
NH
NH
F
$100
$20 11A
NH
$105 11A
3P
3P
NH
$18+ 6P
N H $60+RE 6P Wk2&4 N H $60+RE 6P Wk1&3
NH
$20+ 2P
NH
$5+ 2P
NH
$25 1P
NH
$40 7P
12P
NH
$30 11A&
NH
$40 11A&
NH
$30+
1P&
NH
$35+ 10A
NH
$35+ 2P
NHB
$115 11A Wk1&& O
$115 3P Wk1&
NH
$30+ 10A
NH
$25+ 10A
NH
$30 11A&
NH
$30 3P
NH
$30 2P
NHZ Deepstack
p
$100 2P
N H $50-200 4P
NH
$15+ 2P
NH
$35 10A&
NH
$35 10A&
NH
$40+ 11A
NHB
$85 11A&
NH
$165
NH
$30 3P
NHB Deepstack
p
$50 3P
2P
NH
$95 2P
NH
$20
NH
$50+ 7P
NH
$20 7P(LastWk)
NH
$25 2P&
NHB
$25 2P&
NH
$0+ 3PWk1&3 N H
$25+
H O Tahoe
$60 12P
NH
Var
7P
NH
$20 1P
NH
$33 10A&
NH
$33 10A&
NH
$20+ 1P
N O H/L $20+ 1P
NH
$25 12P
NH
$25 12P
NH
$20 9A
NH
$20 9A
NH
$35 12P
NH
$100 12P
NH
$20 9A
NH
$20 9A
NH
$40 12P&
NH
$40 12P&
NH
GAMES BUY-IN
NH
$30+
NH
$20
NH
$10
O H/L
$45
Varies Varies
NH
$5+
NH
$25
Var
$35
O8
$40
NH
$30+
NH
$60
N H Lad
$60
NH
$25+
NH
$30
NH Deepstack
p
$120
NH
$25
NH
$35
NHZ
$40
N H Deepstack
p
NH Deepstack
p
$110
$60
NH
NH
$50
$200
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
$35
$33
$20+
$25
$20
$35
$20
$40
Think you can take him?
Now is your chance to
play heads up poker with
former Pittsburgh Steelers
running back, Jerome “the
Bus” Bettis. Give it a try!
You can flatten his tires on
Saturday, July 28th at Rivers
Poker Room in Pittsburgh
(next to Heinz field). If “The
Bus” beats you, he gets
$360 for his charity. If you
beat him, you win a $360
entry into the charity event.
You must play in a live cash
game, with winners chosen
at random (in a drawing).
This is pending PGCB
approval. Mike Chapman,
the man in charge, is expecting a large turn out for this
event.
Congratulations to
Timothy Worley, of
Ridgely, Maryland.
Timothy won a seat in the
Poker Player of The Year
Tournament, to be held at
the Golden Nugget in Las
Vegas on July 4th. The
Crown Royal poker room at
Dover Downs, managed by
Pete McGuire, provided the
opportunity. Bring the trophy back East, Tim.
Planning your next
poker trip? Do it now!
Venture to Connecticut,
where you can make even
more money, or have a great
shot at recovering some of
your losses. Mohegan Sun
will offer you five days of
opportunity, running from
August 1-5, with a $275,000
guaranteed payout. You
should call immediately for
reservations. Mohegan Sun
may have over a thousand
hotel rooms, but they fill up
fast! And poker room boss,
Ricky Landry, is the consummate pro when it comes
to running these tourna-
ments.
From poker dealers to
poker fame, the Mizrachi
brothers have gone full
circle—sort of. They now
operate a professional
dealer school in Hollywood,
Florida. Both Robert and
Michael started out dealing
cards on cruise ships and
in casinos. Who better to
know what they are talking
about, with the collective
experience between them,
than these two. The school
offers extensive classes, and
the cost is very fair, with an
opportunity to make a very
good living.
Poker room boss, Randy
Kiefer, for Hollywood
Casino at Charles Town
Races in West Virginia,
tells me they are offering
a Saturday, no limit hold
em tournament with a $400
buy-in.
THE BEAT’S FROM
THE NORTHEAST!
By BARBARA ROGERS
In
Toledo, the
newly opened Hollywood
has been reaching capacity on the weekends.They
have a good game mix,
1-2,2-5,5-10,3-6 Hold em,
3-6 Omaha and PLO on
the weekends. Peter Lau
runs this room. Peter is the
guy who paved the way for
Darvin Moon’s winning
trip to the 2009 WSOP by
offering the satellite that
launched him to his place
in poker lore.
Out with the old, in
with the gold. The transformation of the Golden
Nugget in Atlantic City
resulted in a beautiful, classy, poker room.
Managed by Keith
Richman, this room aims
to please. Offering plenty
of tournaments and cash
action, you will feel like
royalty in this room.
I took some time away
from poker and went to
our hunting camp, where
I saw a 5 foot rattlesnake.
That did it, I’m back at
the poker tables with the
snakes I know and don’t
fear.
Barbara Rogers is a competitive player in many
endeavors including pool
and poker tournaments. She
is the Northeast Regional
Sales Manager and a writer
for Poker Player.
J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
19
DA I LY TO U R N A M E N T L I ST I N G S (CO N T I N U E D F R O M PAG E 1 9 )
MONDAY
NORTHEAST
NORTHWEST PACIFIC NORTHWEST
WA
MT
ND
SD
CT
DE
NH
NJ
NY
PA
IA
MIDWEST
IL
IN
MI
MN
MO
WI
WV
Crazyy Moon Casino
Final Table Cas.,, Everett
Freddie’s Club-Fife
LilacLanes-Spokane
p
Little Creek Casino
Luckyy Eagle
g
Muckleshoot Casino
Northern Quest-Spokane
Q
p
Point Defiance Cafe & Cas.,, Tacoma
Silver Dollar Casino-Bothell
Silver Dollar Casino-Renton
Skyway
y y Park Bowl
Snoqualmie
q
Casino
Suquamash
q
Clearwater
Swinomish Casino-Anacortes
Tulalipp
Black Jack’s Casino
4 Bears Casino
Dakota Magic
g
Dakota Sioux
Rosebud Casino
Silverado Casino Deadwood
Foxwoods
Moohegan
n Su
un
Delaware Park
Dover Downs
Harrington
g
Racewayy
Rockingham
g
Park,, Salem
The Lodge
g at Belmont
Borgata
g
Caesars Atlantic Cityy
Harrah’s Atlantic Cityy
Showboat
Tropicana
p
Trumpp Tajj Mahal
Seneca Allegheny
g y
Seneca Niagara
g
Turnin
rn ng Stton
onee
Hollywood
y
Casino at Penn National
Mohegan
g Sun at Pocono Downs
Parx Casino
Riverrs Casin
Ri
no
Sands-Bethlehem
Catfish Bend
Diamond Jo’s “Worth”
Grand Falls Casino Resort
Isle of Capri
p
Prarie Meadows
Winna Vegas
g
Harrah’s Joliet
Harrah’s Metropolis
p
Hollywood
y
Casino-Aurora
Par-A-Dice Casino-E Peoria
Belterra (Florence)
(
)
Blue Chipp Casino
Hollywood
y
Casino
Horseshoe Hammond
Horseshoe Southern Indiana
Indiana Live Casino
Majestic
j
Star
The Island Resort & Casino,, Harris
Lac Vieux Desert Cas.,, Watersmeet
Turtle Creek
Canterburyy Park
Northern Lights
g
Casino
Runningg Aces Harness Park
Shootingg Star Casino
Treasure Island
Harrah’s-N Kansas Cityy
Harrah’s-St Louis
Lumiere Place
Menominee Casino
Oneida Casino,, Green Bayy
Potawatomi Northern Lights,
g , Carter
St Croix Casino,, Turtle Lake
Hollywood
y
Casino at Charles Town Races
Mardi Gras
Mountaineer Casino
Grand Coushatta
Horseshoe Casino-Shreveport
p
Isle of Capri-Lake
p
Charles
Paragon
g Casino Resort
Gold Strike Casino
Harrah’s Tunica
Horseshoe Casino (Tunica)
(
)
Isle of Capri-Biloxi
p
Pearl River Resort
Silver Star-Choctaw
Best
stBeet Jackksoonvillle (23))
SOUTHEAST
FLORIDA
MS
20
TUESDAY
GAMES BUY-IN| TIME
NH
$ 10A
$25
NH
$30+ 12P
NH
$ 11A
$40
NH
$25 10A&
NH
$ + 7P
$25
NH
$60
NH
$ 7P
$65
NH
$40 10A&
NH
$ 7P
$40
NH
$20 10A&
NH
$ 8A&
$35
NH
$30 11A&
NH
$ 10A
$30
NH
$20 11A
NH
$ 12P
$22
NH
$40 7P&
7P
6P
7P
6P
6P&
9A
7P&
12P
F+ 7P
$10+
$30+
$44
$
$160
6P&
$60+ 9A
$ 7P&
$60
$50 7P
11A
6P
Super
p Stack Turbo $50
$ 7P&
NH
$100 11A&
NH
$ + 3P
$80
NH
$50 10A&
NH
$ 11A&
$65
NH
$62 11A&
NH
$
$120
6P
NH
$60 10A&
NH
$ 10A&
$60
NH
$70 12P&
NH
$ 12P&
$60
Sit N Go
$60 10A&
7P
NH
$50 12P&
NH
$100 11A
NH
$ + 7P
$20
7P
O H/L
/
$ 1P
$40
NH
$60 6P
12P
7P
7P
7P&
11A&
3P
10A&
11A&
11A&
6P
10A&
10A&
12P&
12P
10A&
12P&
11A
7P
1P
6P
S
7 H/L
/
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
NH
$ 10A&
$25
NH
$30+ 12P
NH
$ 11A
$40
NH
$25 10A&
NHB
$ 6P
$35
6P
NH
$ 7P
$65
NH
$40 10A&
NH
$ 10P
$115
NH
$20 10A
NH
$ 8A&
$35
NH
$30 11A&
NH
$ 10A
$30
NH
$20 11A
NH
$ 12P
$22
NHB
$55 7P&
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
Sit N Go
NH
NH
NH
NH
N H Bad Beat
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
7P
$ + 7P
$30
7P
$120 6P&
$
$60+ 9A
$ 7P&
$60
$75 12P
$
$60
$40 6P
$ 7P&
$50
$80 11A&
$ + 3P
$80
$50 10A&
$ 11A&
$65
$62 11A&
$ 6P
$65
$60 11A&
$ 10A&
$60
$50 12P&
$ 12P&
$80
$60 10A&
$
$120
12P
$50 12P&
$100
$ 7P
$60
$50
$
$40
$25 6P
$ 7P
$30
$60+ 7P
$
$50
1P
12P
NH
11A
NHB
12P
3P
7P&
NH
NH
NH
7P
10A
2P
7P
12P
6P
6P
1P&
12P&
7P
7P
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
N H Deepstack
p
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
12P&
6P
6P
7P
4A&
1P
7P
3P
7P
7P
12P
7P
Best
stBe
Bett Oran
Orangee Par
ark (2
23) 172PP
Best
Be
stB
Bet St Johns (2
Be
23) 1122PP&
Creek Entertainment Gretna
Dania Jai-Alai
6P&
Daytona
y
Beach Kennel Club 7P&
Derbyy Lane
1P&
Ebro Greyhound
y
8P
Ft Pierce Jai Alai & Poker
Gulfstream Park Racingg & Casino 6P&
Hard Rock
12P
Mardi Gras Gamingg Ctr,, Hollywd
y 12P&
Naples/Ft.
p / Myers
y Track/Entertainment
/
12P&
Palm Beach Kennel Club
12P&
Pensacola Greyhound
y
Park
7P
Sarasota Kennel Club
1P&
Seminole Casino Brighton
g
7P
Seminole Hollywood
y
Cas.
12P&
Seminole Immokalee
Studz Poker Club @ Calder Race Course 11A&
Tampa
p Bayy Downs
1P&
The Isle at Pompano
p Park
12P&
CANADA Casino Regina
LA
|
TIME
10A
12P
11A
10A&
7P
6P
7P
10A&
10P
10A
8A&
11A&
10A
11A
12P
7P&
$ 12P
$60
12P
$
$125
11A
12P
$ 12P
$80
$50 1P
$ + 7P&
$100
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NHB
$ 12P
$60
$80 7P
$ 11A
$70
$110
$ + 7P
$50
$50 12P
$ 7P&
$80
6P
$40 7P
$ 6P&
$45
$10 6P
F 6P&
$25 12P
$
$70
$30 6P
$ 1P&
$60
$35 12P&
$ +
$25
$35+
6P
NH
NH
NH
NH
NHZ
$40 7P
$ 10A&
$45
$30
$
$125
6P&
$25 12P
6P
$30 6P
$ 1P&
$60
$35 12P&
7P
7P
$ +
$30
12P
7P
NH
$ 12P&
$40
6P
NH
$ +
$75
NHB
$70 6P
NH
$ +
$20
NH
$65 5P&
NH
$ 1P
$60
N H Turbo
$50 7P
NHZ
$ 2P
$45
NH
$20+ 7P
NH
$ + 7P
$35
NH
$100 12P
NH
$
$100
NH
$50+ 12P
NH
$ 7P
$50
NH
$35 12P
NHB
$ 12P&
$50
NHB
N H Deepstack
p
NH
NH
$ 6P&
$25
$120 7P&
$ + 1P&
$25
$40 8P
NH
NH
Sit N Go
NH
NHZ
NH
NH
NH
NH
$60 6P&
$100 12P
$
$45 12P&
$ 12P&
$50
$65 12P&
$ 1P
$50
$65 1P&
$
$50
$150 12P&
NH
NH
NH
J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
$40 11A&
$ 1P&
$40
$120RE 12P&
8P
NH
NH
NH
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
NH
$ 10A&
$25
NH
$30+ 7P&
NH
$ 11A
$40
NH
$25 10A&
NH
$ 7P
$45
NHB
$40 6P
NH
$ 7P
$65
NH
$40 10A&
NH
$ 7P
$40
NH
$20 10A&
NH
$ 8A&
$35
NH
$30 11A&
NH
$ 10A
$30
NH
$20 11A
NH
$ + 12P
$11
NH
$50 7P&
7P
7
$10+ 7P
S H/L
/
F+ 7P
BNH
NHB
NH
NH
NH
NH
NHB
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
Sit N Go
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NHB
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NHB
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
$150 7P
$
$65+ 7P
$ 10P&
$60
F+
11A
$90 6P
NH
NH
NH
$90+ 11A&
$ 1P&
$70
$50 7P
$ 7P
$60
$20+
$ 7P
$40
$100 12P
7P
$50+ 12P
$ 7P
$50
$150 12P
$
$150
7P
NH
NH
N H Superp Deepstack
p
NHB
$100 6P&
$
$65 7P&
$ 1P&
$45
$20 8P
7P
NH
$60 6P&
NH
$
$100
12P
Sit N Go
$42 12P&
NH
$ 7P
$50
WSOPC Satellite $30+ 12P&
NH
$ 7P
$50
NH
$45 1P&
7P
NHB
$120 12P&
7P
NH
$40 11A&
NH
$ 1P&
$40
N H $230RE 7P
Var
$25+
NHB
N H KO
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
Sit N Go
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NHB
NH
NH
NH
N H Turbo Megastack
g
NH
NH
NH
H
NH
NH
NH
N H Deepstack
p
NHBZ
NH
Turbo N H
NH
NH
NH
N H Bigg Stack
N H Bigg Stack
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
Turbo N H
NH
N H Bigg Stack
NH
NH
NH
Po O 8
$65 7P
$200 6P&
$
$60+ 9A
$ 7P&
$60
$50 7P
11A
$40 6P
$ 7P&
$60
$120 11A&
$ + 3P
$80
$50 10A&
$ 11A&
$65
$62 11A&
$ 6P
$65
$60 6P
$ 10A&
$60
$50 12P&
$ 12P&
$80
$60 10A&
$
$120
7P
$50 12P&
$ + 7P
$20
7P
6P
$55 6P
$
$30
$20+ 7P
7P
6P
$
$160
$ 12P
$60
$115
$
$100
11A
12P
$ + 12P
$155
$60 6P
$ 7P&
$50
$30+ 6P
$40 7P
$ 12P&
$45
6P
$ 6P&
$65
$25+ 12P
$ 7P
$60
$30 6P
$ 1P&
$60
$35 12P&
$ + 6P&
$40
$65+
6P
6P
$
$250
12P
Varies 1P&
$ 12P&
$50
$75+
$
$60 6P
7P
$35+ 5P&
$ 1P&
$80
$100 7P
$ + 2P
$40
$ 7P
$40
$100 12P
$
$150
$50+ 12P
$ 7P
$50
$35 12P
$ 7P
$70
7P
$ 6P&
$25
$80 12P
DeepStack
p $600 1P&
$50+RE 8P
$ +
$55
$60 6P&
$
$100
12P
$45 12P&
$ 12P&
$65
$30+ 12P&
$
$100
7P
$65 1P&
$ +
$20
$150 12P&
$ 7P
$35
$40 11A&
$ 1P&
$20
$120 7P
|
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
NH
$ 10A
$25
Lad N H $25+ 12P
NH
$ 11A
$40
NH
$25 10A&
NH
$ 10A
$55
NHB
$40 6P
NH
$
$65
NH
$40 10A&
$ 10P
$65
NH
$20 10A
NH
$ 8A&
$35
NH
$30 11A&
NH
$ 10A
$30
NH
$20 11A
O H/L
/
$ 12P
$22
NH
$130
N
F $100
O H/L
/
$10+ 7P
H/L
/ Spp Z
$ 7P
$25
6P
7P
NH
$11+
NH
$
$180
6P&
NH
$60+ 9A
NH
$ 7P&
$60
NH
$75 12P
NH
$
$60
NH
$40 6P
NH
$ 7P&
$40
NH
$100 12P&
NH
$ + 3P
$80
NH
$50 10A&
NH
$ 11A&
$65
NH
$62 11A&
NH
$
$120
6P
N H Deepstack
p
$90 4P
Poker League
g
$ 10A
$95
N H Sh
$70 12P&
NH
$ 12P
$80
Sit N Go
$60 10A&
NH
$
$120
NH
$50 12P&
11A
NH
$ 7P
$60
N H Bad Beat
$50
NH
$
$40
NH
$40
FRIDAY
| SATURDAY |
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
NH
$ 10A&
$25
NH
$30+ 12P
NH
$ 11A
$40
NH
$25 12P&
NH
$ 10A
$35
NH
$40 1P
12P
NH
$40 10A&
$ 10P
$40
NH
$20 12P
NH
$ 8A
$35
NH
$30 11A&
NH
$ 11A
$30
NH
$20 11A
NH
$ 12P
$22
11A
H
NH
O H/L
/
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
Sit N Go
NH
N H Deepstack
p
Lad N H
$10+ 2P
2P
$10+ 4P
$30+ 7P
$230 6P&
$
$60+ 9A
$
$145
7P&
$65 12P&
11A
$60 2P
$ + 7P&
$20
$200 11A&
$ + 1P
$80
$50 10A&
$ 11A&
$65
$62 11A
$
$225
6P&
$35 12P
$ 10A
$60
$70 11A&
$ 11A
$80
$60 10A&
12P
$65 12P&
$300
$ + 3P
$15
3P
12P
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
Bigg Stack
N H Deepstack
p
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
Deepstack
p
NH
N H Deepstack
p
Sit N Go
NH
NH
$20+
$ + 3P
$30
$25+ 4P
$30+
3P
$
$120
6P&
$60+ 9A
$
$145
7P&
$80 12P
$ +
$60
$60 2P
$ 4P&
$50
$180 11A&
$ + 7P
$100
$50 10A&
$ 11A&
$65
$122 11A&
$
$340
6P
$60 12P
$
$120
10A&
$90 11A&
$
$100
11A&
$60 10A&
$
$230
$225 12A&
NH
N H Sh
NH
H
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
$60+ 7P
$
$135
$125 11A
NH
$20+ 7P
NH
NH
Varies 11A
NH
NH
$ 12P
$60
11A
$ 11A
$70
$110 12P
$ +
$50
$40 2P
$ + 7P&
$80
$40+ 6P
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NHB
NH
$ 11A
$60
$105
$
$100
11A
$210
12P
$100
$
$125
7P&
$40 5P
Deepstack
p
NH
NH
NH
LH
NHZ
NHZ
$40
$ 10A&
$45
$20+ 12P
$ 9A
$65
$25 12P
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
N H Lad
NH
NH
NH
$10+ 7P
Sit N Go $$60/105
/ 10A&
NH
$60 6P&
NH
$
$125
10A
NHZ
$25 2P
NH
$
$50
NH
$30 10A
NH
$ 1P&
$60
NH
$35 12P
N H Sat
$ 7P
$30
NH
NH
NH
NH
Po O
NHB
NHZ
NH
NHB
NHZ
Turbo N H
NH
$55+
$
$60
$
$150
$45+
$ 12P&
$50
$115 12P&
20+ 7P
$120 5P&
$ 1P&
$90
$50 6P
$ 3P
$60
2P
$ 2P
$40
$100 12P
NH
$50 12P
NH
$
$50
NH
$50+ 12P
NH
$ 7P
$35
NH
$100 7P
NHB
$ 6P&
$50
Turbo N H
$35 7P
N H DeepStack
p $600 2P&
N H Qual Players
y F 8P
7P
NH
$60 6P&
NH
$
$100
12P
Sit N Go
$42 12P&
NH
$ 6P
$65
NH
$65+ 12P&
NH
$
$100
7P
NH
$45 1P&
NHB
$150 12P&
O/8
$ 7P
$50
NH
$40 11A&
N H Dbl Megastack
g
$ 1P&
$80
N H $150RE 7P
NH
$30 10A
NH
$ 2P
$60
NH
$55 4P
N H Sat $
$40 + 12P
NHB
SUNDAY
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
GAMES BUY-IN
NH
$ 10A&
$25
NH
$
$60
NH
$30+ 12P
NH
$50+
NH
$ 11A
$40
NH
$
$40
NH
$20 12P&
NH
$20
NH
$ 5P
$35
O H/L
/
$
$30
NH
$60 1P
NH
$60
NH
$ + 12P Wk2 N H
$40
$
$225
NH
$75 10A&
NH
$50
$ 7P
$40
NH
$
$115
NH
$40 12P
NH
$40
NH
$ 8A
$35
NH
$
$35
NH
$30 4P
NH
$30
NH
$ 11A
$60
NHB
$
$60
NH
$20
NH
$ 12P
$44
NH
$
$22
NH
$75 12P
NH
$65
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
12P
NH
11A
NH
1P Wk1,3,3&4 N H B
$ 12P
$65
NH
12P
Varies
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NHZ
N H Sh
NHZ
NH
$60 12P
$60+ 4P
$
$120+ 11A&
$
$100
1P&
$50 4P
$ 3P
$60
$35
$ 2P
$35
$100 12P
7P
N H Bigg Stack $150 12P
NH
N H Lad
NH
NH
NH
NHB
NH
$50+ 12P
NH
$ 7P
$35
NH
$50 7P
NH
$
$100
6P&
NH
$120 7P
N H DeepStack
p $600 2P&
N H $65+RE 8P&
N H $30
$ +RE 7P Wk2,4&5
NH
$60 6P&
NH
$
$100
10A
Sit N Go
$45 12P&
N H Deepstack
p
$ 2P
$115
N H $100+ 12P&
NH
$ 7P&
$50
N H Deepstack
p
$115 1P&
7P
NH
$100 12P&
NH
$ 1P&
$60
NH
$75 11A&
NH
$ 1P&
$40
NH
$120 12P&
NH
NH
NH
NHB
N H KO
NH
NH
NHB
NH
NH
Sit N Go
N H Deepstack
p
Deepstack
p
NH
N H Deepstack
p
NH
NH
NHB
NH
N H Dbl Megastack
g
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
H
NHZ
F+
$60
NH
N H B Survivor
NH
NH
NH
$88
$150
$
$60+
$
$60
$65
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
N H Deepstack
p
Sit N Go
$60
$
$50
$50+
$ +
$85
$50
$
$65
$62
$
$120
$60
$
$50
$125
$
$100
$60
NH
$75
$60 3P
$
$60 3P
$ 1P
$60
NH
NH
NH
$
$60
$35+
$
$100
12P
NH
$
$60
4P
Varies 11A
11A
11A
$ 11A
$60
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
$
$135
Varies
$
$90
$115
$
$60
$ 11A
$70
12P
$ + 3P
$150
NH
NH
NH
$150
$
$210
$ +
$81
$100 11A&
$
$40 5P
2P
2P
$
$180
10A&
$50 2P
$ 6P&
$65
$50+ 12P
4P
$30 10A
$
$125
12P&
$55 12P&
$
$60
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
$
$50
$30+
$ +
$30
$120
Varies
$40
$
$65
$30+
$
$70
$30
$
$60
$35
NH
NH
Varies
$
$65
$20+
$75
$400
$
$75 2P
Varies 2P
Varies
$ 2P
$115
20+
$35+ 1P&
$ 1P&
$110
$150 2P
$ 10A&
$60
NHB
$
$60
B N H $65+
NH
$
$50
p
$100
Varies Varies
$60+ 2P
$
Turbo N H
$
$40
$560 12P
N H Bigg Stack $150
Varies 7P
NH
$
$100
$50+ 12P
Po O 8
$70
7P
NH
$
$50
$50+ 12P
NH
$35
$
$150
5P
NH
$
$50
$50 7P&
NH
$100
$
$100
5P&
NHB
$
$50
$140 1P&
p
$275
$ 1P
$60
N H DeepStack
p $600
$30 2P
NH
Varies
$ 4P
$80
NH
$
$55
$120 6P&
NH
$60
$
$100
12P
N H Deepstack
p
Varies
$45 12P&
Sit N Go
$45
$ 2P
$115
NHB
$
$125
$120+ 12P&
N H $100+
$
$100
7P&
NH
$
$50
$65
$ 2P
$50
NH
$
$40
$65 12P&
NHB
$150
$ 4P
$50
NH
$ +
$30
$100 11A&
NH
$40
$ 1P&
$80
N H No Rake $200
$
$120 12P exc Wk4 N H
$350
World Series of Poker — Event 18
two closest rivals, poker
legends Doyle Brunson,
and Johnny Chan, who each
have ten wins. Given his
age, (which is now 47) one
must presume Hellmuth
isn’t quite finished yet, nor
is he ready to hang it up and
call it a career.
If any suspense remained
about Hellmuth’s next big
score in poker, it wasn’t so
much if, but when he would
finally hit the magical milestone of one-dozen WSOP
wins. Yet, what is most
surprising about his latest
victory, is that it came from
playing a game not normally
associated with Hellmuth’s
undisputed reputation as a
Hold’em master.
Indeed, all of Hellmuth’s
11 previous gold bracelet
wins had taken place in
one form of Hold’em or
another–Limit, Pot-Limit,
and No-Limit, you name it.
Of those, his most memorable win was clearly his
initial triumph, which took
place in the 1989 Main
Event Championship, where
he defeated nemesis Johnny
Chan in heads-up play,
and launched what would
become an international
dynasty that eventually transcended the green felt.
Year by year as he
stacked bracelet upon gold
bracelet and earned cash
after cash, Hellmuth built
what would become a pyramid of self-worship manifested in a “bad boy” image,
and a marketing empire that
catapulted him into (arguably) the most famous poker
player in the world.
By the mid-2000s, Phil
Hellmuth wasn’t merely a
poker champion. He had
become a living, breathing,
crying, screaming, fistpumping, whining, moneymaking, individual “brand”,
and sideshow carnival all
unto himself, relishing every
victory and defeat while
the public wallowed in the
movement of his shadow.
Along the way to hyper
super-stardom, there were
sweetheart deals from those
bearing gifts. All sought the
occasion to snuggle at the
altar of the Phil Hellmuth
business empire. First, it
was a major online poker
site. Then, a phone company
came calling. Next, a brand
of beer wanted Hellmuth’s
face on their cans, thereby
giving brew guzzlers some
esoteric delight in emptying
a 16-ounce tall boy, and then
pulverizing a mini-pint of
aluminum emblazoned with
the “Poker Brat’s” face with
a single stomp. After that,
it was a clothing line. The
macabre of absurdity had
finally been reached. Ralph
Lauren. Christian Dior.
Phil Hellmuth. Could dog
food and diapers be too far
behind?
But as the endorsement
deals and dollars consistently rolled into the kingdom,
as the sycophants continued
to pump up the Hellmuth
ego balloon the size of a
zeppelin, something seemed
to happen to Phil Hellmuth–
the poker player. You know,
the player–the great talent
that had won and won and
won and won again when
the stakes were highest and
things counted the most.
Hellmuth’s performance
didn’t exactly slide, but
there was a period when he
wasn’t able to quite match
the glorious accomplishments of yesteryear. Six
years ago, for instance, he
fell behind Johnny Chan in
the gold bracelet chase. The
gaps between wins began
to reach multiple years. He
did manage to seize the alltime wins lead for the first
time, in 2007–arguably his
second-greatest triumph.
But in the three-year span
afterward, while the business deals were whirling,
the best finish Hellmuth
could muster was a thirdplace showing in 2008. By
the start of the 2011 WSOP
last year, there was also the
problem that appears to be
the immovable elephant
in the room for every oldschool poker pro, including Hellmuth–namely, the
young twenty-something
revolution.
All of this made
Hellmuth’s four final-table
appearances last year “must
see” poker theatre. In
each of his final matches,
Hellmuth faced a series of
brutally tough lineups that
included some of the best
tournament specialists in the
world. By the time the series
came to a close, Hellmuth
had cemented a record that
is staggering to ponder, yet
at the same time, dubious
in the alternate universe
of Hellmuth-think. For the
first time in history, a player
finished second three times.
Second place might be
acceptable to many players,
but not Hellmuth. Anything
other than first place is
“unacceptable,” he once
famously said.
Finally, five years to the
very day when the great one
had won gold bracelet number 11–one had to wonder if
Hellmuth would again fall
short. All that stood between
Hellmuth and perennial
ecstasy was a poker pro
named Don Zewin, who, in
a bamboozling bit of bitter irony, finished third in
the 1989 world championship, won by Hellmuth 23
years ago. The two poker
combatants–polar opposites
in terms of disposition and
imagery–traded chips back
and forth like two prizefighers deadlocked in a tie during the middle a championship fight.
Then, with everything on
the line and the entire poker
world watching and waiting,
out of nowhere–it happened.
It all came so quickly.
Suddenly, Zewin was all-in.
Hellmuth had his opponent
on the ropes. The crowd
rose to its feet. There were
screams and shouts. Then,
there was one final card,
and Hellmuth ultimately triumphed, which was a finalfisted glove to the hopes of
the challenger.
Hellmuth won. Everyone
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J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
21
Break Habitual Blind Defense
By David Chicotsky
There’s a pervasive myth among poker
players that relentless defense of the
blinds is something to be revered. It’s not
likely that this practice is profitable, nor
is it consistently the right play relative
to the action at the table. I’m not advocating letting the
table run over your blinds on a non-stop basis, but my
experiences have taught me that players who habitually
defend their blinds typically put themselves in bad spots.
Equity in a tournament can be greatly gained or lost
based upon one or two hands. This outlook is important
when engaging tournament poker, where minor mistakes
can have severe repercussions. Getting through a tournament is a marathon, filled with landmines you must avoid
along the way. Mistakenly defending the blinds is one
such landmine, and it’s quite common.
Who would you rather play against: a player that predictably calls out of the blinds, or a player that mixes in
folds and re-raises? I should note that there are some
world class tournament players that habitually defend
their blinds, but the most common cases involve mediocre players who could easily be labeled as loose-passive,
“calling machines.” Not only do habitual blind defenders
call with weaker than average hands, but they also go out
of their way to call out of position. This hurts their table
image, which can create a negative feedback mechanism.
In a typical scenario, when someone defends the big
blind, it shouldn’t alarm you in the least. The way I look
at it, if I’m the raiser and in position, in the long-run I
will be able to extract chips out of my opponents. By discriminating with our pre-flop starting hands, we’re able
to raise hands like QJ while our opponents are calling
with inferior hands like Q8s.
Instead of viewing someone defending their big blind
as a bad thing for you, as the original raiser, view it as a
chance to play a pot in an advantageous position against
an opponent with, on average, an inferior hand. I closely
look at any call out of the blinds and often refer to them
as, “spew calls.” This means, in jest, opponents are giving me chips.
The real exception to this rule presents itself when
we are shorter stacked. When we have 25 blinds or less,
for example, an open raise of 2.5x is ten percent of our
stack. In this situation, it might be more favorable to
raise into players in the blinds that are more willing to
fold, rather than defending by calling. In these situations,
it’s often necessary to tighten our open-raising range
and fold hands like J10 or small pocket pairs, rather than
allowing our opponents to cheaply enter the pot against
us (especially in a situation where we have a tenuous,
weak stack).
Success partly comes down to managing your variance.
Instances when choosing which players’ blinds to raise,
and which to avoid, are critical. As tournaments progress,
chip stacks become progressively shallower, making the
value of each blind greater. The versatility of target players to raise into, and the awareness to identify the range
of hands held, is needed to efficiently accumulate chips.
Oftentimes, in poker, and in life, your attitude and
intentions with which you enter a situation will have an
impact on the eventual outcome. In the case of blinds
defense, selectively enter pots in position, and with better hands than your opponents. Doing so puts you at an
advantage. When faced with habitual blind defenders
against you, slightly constrict your open-raising range.
When you do enter the pot, you will be getting the best
of it.
David “The Maven” Chicotsky is the 2008 Online Player
of the Year and former No.1 ranked online tournament
player. David is also an experienced poker coach and can
be reached at TheMavenTraining.com
22
J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
to mean you’re going to
have to play perfect poker
for the next seven hours,
on average, to rebuild what
you’ve just destroyed.
You see, if you want to
be a winner, you’ve got
to understand that you’re
not just losing money by
playing poorly; you’re losing time. So, the secret is
control.
Resolve to play your best
game all the time. “All the
time” means even when you
don’t feel that it matters.
If you know how to play
sensibly and play your best
game all the time, you’ll be
one of the rarest creatures
in poker – a winning player
with constant control.
Question 3: Okay, so
what about bankroll control?
I don’t really want to
talk about that right now.
Don’t risk too much in
games with small edges.
Don’t spend your bankroll,
because there will probably come a bad-run during which you’ll wish you
hadn’t. We’ll discuss the
finer points of bankroll
management another day.
Move along.
Question 4: What did
you mean by controlling
your opponents? How can
you do that?
Controlling opponents is
where the biggest money is.
Before you can do it, you
must first be noticed. Here’s
where I quibble with those
who think poker is purely
tactical and that you should
keep a quiet disposition.
Successful people don’t
typically hide in the shadows. Poker is people-onpeople warfare, you against
them. They’re emotional,
your opponents. Know that.
And because they are, you
can coax them into making
really bad calls and playing
bad hands against you.
But you can’t control
your opponents as well by
displaying a mean spirit
as you can by conveying
kindness. It’s easier to sell
something if people like
you. When you have winning poker hands, you want
extra calls, and you need to
sell.
Don’t let them know
Do that by being friendly
and not seeming as if
you take poker seriously.
Poker profit is deadly serious to you, of course, but
you must never let other
know that. Giggle. Play a
few very poor hands for
advertising. That’s a poker
investment in future calls,
so it doesn’t count as straying from your best game.
Giggle some more. If
you antagonize opponents,
if you scold them, if you
ridicule them, well, you’re
losing money even if you
win a little extra this hand.
You won’t be someone
that opponents choose
for their weakest hands
or weakest calls. They’ll
find it unpleasant being in
your pots and provide less
profit.
So, remember to giggle.
A carefree and unpredictable image is what has won
the most money at poker
since the beginning of time.
Question 5: Could you
summarize your thoughts
about control in poker?
Sure. The trick is to play
your best game all the time.
Be totally in control of your
own decisions. And make
it as painless as possible
for your opponents to lose
control of theirs. That’s the
secret of control.
Mike Caro is widely
regarded as the world’s
foremost authority on
poker strategy, psychology,
and statistics. A renowned
player and founder of Mike
Caro University of Poker,
Gaming, and Life Strategy,
he is known as “the Mad
Genius of Poker,” because
of his lively delivery of concepts and latest research.
You can visit him at www.
poker1.com or e-mail him
at [email protected].
POWERFUL ADVERTISING REACH—USE IT!
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World Series of Poker — Event 18-20
else lost. All was right again
on Planet Hellmuth. Proper
balance had returned to the
universe.
The circus never ends. It’s
the greatest poker show on
earth.
months ago, but nothing
compared to the astounding
breakout victory achieved
by this WSOP first-timer.
EVENT #19
6/9-14/12
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $1,500
PLAYERS 2,302
EVENT #18
6/8-10/12
7-CARD RAZZ
PRIZE POOL
$3,107,700
BUY-IN $2,500
PLAYERS 309
Clifford Goldkind
PRIZE POOL
$702,975
Phil Hellmuth Jr
1. Phil Hellmuth Jr . . $182,793
2. Don Zewin . . . . . . . $113,024
3. Brandon Cantu . . . . $74,269
4. Scott Fischman . . . . $54,248
5. Brendan Taylor . . . . $40,167
6. Barry Greenstein . . $30,150
7. Michael Chow . . . . . $22,945
8. Jeff Mistiff . . . . . . . . $17,693
9. David Rosenau . . . . $13,827
10. Scott Abrams . . . . . $13,827
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Clifford Goldkind . $559,514
Kennii Nguyen . . . $347,036
Adria Balaguer . . . $245,197
Patrick Smith . . . . $176,299
Gregg Wilkinson . . $128,441
Justin McGill . . . . . $94,815
David Peters . . . . . . $70,886
His Kind of Gold:
Cliff Goldkind Bags
$559,514 in WSOP
Debut
Cliff Goldkind, a 24-yearold student from Potomac,
Maryland, made his debut
victory in the $1,500 buy-in
No-Limit Hold’em competition, classified as Event #19.
He collected the whopping
sum of $559,514 in prize
money, in addition to the
most coveted trophy on poker–a WSOP gold bracelet.
The tournament was
played over a three day
period, starting with 2,302
entrants. The final table
of nine players concluded
Monday evening, in the
relatively rocket-fast time
of less than four hours.
The runner-up was Kenii
Nguyen, playing the role
of poker’s court jester. The
incessantly talkative Nguyen
wore a colorful joker hat
during most of the tournament. He earned a very
respectable $347,036 in
prize money–his biggest
score ever.
The new poker champion, Goldkind, was born in
Tampa, Florida. He lived in
Israel for a number of years,
and served in the Israeli
Army. In fact, he was honorably discharged just four
months ago.
Remarkably, this marked
the first time Goldkind has
ever cashed in a WSOP
tournament. He did manage to final table a WSOP
Circuit event held two
8. Barry Shulman . . . . $53,669
9. Gary Burks . . . . . . . $41,145
10. Ismael Bojang . . . . . $31,916
Ben Scholl Knows His
Limit-ations
Benjamin Scholl’s debut victory took place in the $5,000
buy-in Limit Hold’em World
Championship (Event #20),
which is the highest buy-in
tournament of its kind. He
collected the handsome sum
of $206,760 in prize money,
in addition to the most
coveted trophy in poker–a
WSOP gold bracelet.
The tournament was
played over a three-day
period, starting with 166
entrants. The turnout was
one of the smallest fields of
the year, perhaps illustrative of a gradual decline in
popularity of Limit Hold’em
in recent years. Ironically,
there was a time that Limit
Hold’em used to be the
dominant form played in
the United States. Now,
No-Limit games are far
more popular.
The final table of nine
players was played on a
Monday evening which
extended well past midnight
and concluded in about eight
hours. The runner up was
Andrew Prock, a software
designer originally from
Minneapolis, MN and now
living in Foster City, CA.
Scholl is a 26-year-old
financial analyst from
Trappe, Pennsylvania,
and born in York, PA. He
graduated from New York
University, and works as a
trader with the same powerhouse financial firm that
produced fellow-gold bracelet winners Bill Chen and
Jerrod Ankenman.
Scholl previously cashed
just two times at the WSOP.
The first was a big one:
he took fourth place in an
event back in 2009, worth
$150,000. By his estimate,
300000
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J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
23
World Series of Poker
he’s played about a dozen
events since then, resulting
in just one min-cash.
EVENT #20
6/9-11/12
LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $5,000
PLAYERS 166
PRIZE POOL
$780,200
Benjamin Scholl
1. Benjamin Scholl. . . $206,760
2. Andrew Prock . . . . $127,773
3. Jeff Shulman . . . . . . $92,562
4. Jesse Martin . . . . . . $68,322
5. Raymond Dehkharghani $51,344
6. Matt Glantz . . . . . . . $39,259
7. Matthew Woodward $30,529
8. Nicholas Derke . . . . $24,139
9. Ayman Qutami . . . . $19,395
10. Samuel Golbuff . . . . $15,830
Michael Gathy–the
2,798 to 1 Shot
Walking into the World
Series of Poker tournament
this year was like taking the
first step in what everyone
knew would be a lengthy
marathon. The odds against
winning were overwhelming, indeed. Like, thousands
to one.
Playing tournament
poker at the highest level
over a 36-hour period during which the objective is
to accumulate every single
chip initially dispersed
amongst 300 or so poker
tables seemed like an
impossibility --- a test both
physical and mental.
For Michael Gathy, it
was no problem whatsoever.
The 23-year-old professional poker player from
Brussels, Belgium, rose
high above the secondlargest tournament field of
the year (to date). He was
the last player sitting at the
conclusion of a very long
game, the man with every
single chip from that first
day comfortably nestled
in neat rows, stacked like
chocolate bars, beaming
with pride at the realization
he had just etched his name
into the annals of poker history.
Gathy’s victory is all
the more impressive and
defiant of the odds when
you consider that midway
through the final table, he
doubled up poker pro Eric
Baldwin in a pivotal hand,
and was left with just a
handful of chips. Armed
with almost no ammunition
24
at a final table (with some
tough competition) Gathy
still managed to pull off the
come-from-behind win.
Gathy won his first
WSOP gold bracelet in the
$1,000 buy-in No-Limit
Hold’em tournament (Event
#21), collecting $440,829
in the process. Nearly half
a million dollars for three
days trapped inside the Rio
tournament room–or 440
times his original investment. Not a bad deal at all.
He topped a massive field,
totaling 2,799 entrants,
ultimately winning poker’s
most coveted prize late on
the third and final day of
competition.
The final hand was a
breeze for Gathy. He was
dealt pocket tens against the
ultimate runner-up, Jamie
Armstrong, holding pocket
nines. The higher pocket
pair held up, and a Belgian
was suddenly the latest
poker champion.
The top 297 finishers
collected prize money. The
final table of nine included
two gold bracelet winners–
John Esposito, a.k.a. “Espo”
and Eric Baldwin. Also of
note was Martin Staszko’s
in-the-money finish (116th).
He was the runner up in last
year’s WSOP Main Event
Championship. This was
his first time to cash since
that time. Another notable
casher was European Poker
Tour founder, John Duthie
(195th place).
Gathy’s victory gives him
his first WSOP title in what
was his first time ever to
cash at the WSOP. He also
becomes only the second
champion ever from the
nation of Belgium. The first
Belgian winner was Davidi
Katai, who won the $2,000
buy-in Pot-Limit Hold’em
event back in 2008.
Alas, many people know
Belgium for beer and chocolates, but now it shall also
be known for producing
multiple WSOP gold bracelet winners.
EVENT #21
6/10-12/12
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $1,000
PLAYERS 2,799
PRIZE POOL
$2,519,100
Michael Gathy
1. Michael Gathy . . . $440,829
J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
2. Jamie Armstrong . $273,776
3. Noah Vaillancourt $193,089
4. John Esposito . . . . . $139,457
5. Eric Baldwin . . . . . $101,948
6. Eric Davis . . . . . . . . $75,422
7. Jean-Louis Santoni . $56,453
8. Jason Manggunio . . $42,749
9. Joshua Field . . . . . . $32,748
10. Dan Smith . . . . . . . . $25,367
26-Year-Old Las
Vegas Poker Pro
Wins Deuce-To-Seven
Triple-Draw Lowball
Championship
You’ve probably figured
out that this Lowball game
is mostly played by old
men with more poker years
under their belts than broken marriages.
A younger person doesn’t
stand a chance in this game;
a first-time player would be
drawing stone-cold dead.
Only a fool would think of
entering this tournament,
unless he had about decades
of poker experience, and
nicotine-laced skin bronzed
in the backrooms of
Gardena.
Oh wait. Randy Ohel
just won this tournament.
Uhhh... Never mind.
Let’s start this all over
again, shall we?
Randy Ohel, a 26-yearold professional poker
player from Las Vegas,
has won the $2,500 buy-in
Deuce-to-Seven TripleDraw Lowball (Limit) title,
collecting a $145,247 in
prize money, and his first
gold bracelet.
Ohel topped a strong
field totaling 228 entrants,
ultimately winning poker’s
most coveted prize late on
the third and final day of
competition. He topped a
final table that included
some of the games most
respected and accomplished
pros. Of special note was
Benjamin Lazer’s runner-up
finish–in what was, remarkably, his first WSOP event
ever.
The final heads-up duel
between Lazar and Ohel
was a doozy. The chip
lead was estimated to have
changed 14 times. At one
point, Ohel was down by a
16 to 1 margin, and a half
hour later, he was ahead by
the 3 to 1 advantage. Then,
30 minutes later, the positions were reversed again.
Four more hours passed,
and the chip lead swung
back and forth like a pen-
dulum, teetering on utter
madness.
Finally, Ohel came back
from a third deficit of
about 15 to 1, and managed
to win a stunning victory
that left everyone gathered
around the final table in
an odd mix of ecstasy and
unabashed exhaustion.
The total bout went 6.5
hours–making it one of the
longest duels in the history
of any limit match. Indeed,
whether you love the game,
hate it, or have never even
heard of Lowball, this was
a fabulous heads-up showdown featuring two competitors who both deserved
to win.
The rest of the finale
included David Baker,
Farzad Bonyadi (3 wins),
Jason Lavallee, and Shawn
Buchanan. As much as this
stellar lineup seemed destined to feature well known
stars in the finale, instead it
was two relatively unknown
players who stole the show,
putting on the poker performance of the year, to date.
New champ, Ohel, is
originally from Coral
Springs, FL. He’s been
playing poker full time for
the past four years. His
total combined tournament winnings up to this
point amounted to about
$200,000 in live play.
However, he nearly doubled
that amount with this victory.
The top 24 finishers collected prize money. One
of the more notable in-themoney finishers included
Julie Schneider’s 11th-place
finish. She is the wife of
former “WSOP Player of
the Year” Tom Schneider.
Julie has posted a solid
track record in her own
right, with four WSOP
cashes, including a thirdplace finish in this same
event three years ago.
Two other notable cashers were Barry Greenstein
(12th) and Berry Johnston
(17th). Both are members
of the Poker Hall of Fame.
This was Greenstein’s 55th
time in the money. Johnston
has cashed 63 times, which
ranks in the top ten.
Ohel’s victory gives him
his first WSOP title, to go
along with four cashes, and
$165,742 in career WSOP
earnings.
EVENT #22
6/10-12/12
DEUCE-TO-7 TRIPLE DRAW LOWBALL
BUY-IN $2,500
PLAYERS 228
PRIZE POOL
$518,700
Randy Ohel
1. Randy Ohel . . . . . . $145,247
2. Benjamin Lazer . . . $89,714
3. David Baker . . . . . . . $59,925
4. Farzad Bonyadi . . . $40,987
5. Jason Lavallee . . . . $28,585
6. Shawn Buchanan . . $20,332
7. Von Altizer . . . . . . . $14,725
8. Layne Flack . . . . . . . $14,725
9. Josh Arieh . . . . . . . . $10,970
10. Nam Le . . . . . . . . . . $10,970
A Fairy Tale Ending:
Simon Charette Wins
$3,000 No-Limit
Hold’em Six-Handed
Event
“Second place last year hurt.
I cried for about an hour.
Now I’ve won, and I’m still
going to probably cry for
about an hour. It’s interesting
how it doesn’t change, yet
it’s completely different.”
This was the epiphany of
Simon Charette after his victory in Event #23 at the 2012
World Series of Poker.
The 25-year-old poker pro
has experienced the ups and
downs of the poker seesaw.
He beat out 2,711 players
last year in Event #48 and
had the 2,712th player allin and needing to catch a
card for his tournament life
twice. Lady luck reared her
ugly head toward Charette’s
opponent, and she eventually
closed the door on Charette’s
hopes of a gold bracelet.
Charette finished second
for $404,235. But that wasn’t
enough.
He came to the final
table of Event #23: $3,000
No-Limit Hold’em SixHanded at the 43rd Annual
World Series of Poker knowing he was good enough to
win–knowing he should have
won a year ago.
When the last river card
was dealt, Charette did what
he knew he could do all
along. The emotions were
apparent as he laid his head
on the table, much as one
might do in defeat, but this
was in the aftermath of victory.
It’s interesting how it
doesn’t change, yet it’s completely different.
Tournament poker is a
r — Events 20-25
marathon, requiring mental
toughness, and emotions that
can withstand being pulled in
all directions–often times at
the flip of a card. When the
time comes, it’s important for
players to bask in the glory
of their victory. Charette,
wise beyond his years, realizes just how special it is to
be in the winner’s circle on
the biggest stage in poker.
“The best player in the
world could easily play a lot
of tournaments and never
win a big one,” Charette
said. “To come second, and
then first… this is the best
moment of my life. I’m
finally validated as a poker
player.”
Charette, a professional
poker player, says his true
passion lies in film and
screenwriting.
“Now that I’ve got the
bracelet, I’m hoping that
my mind can just settle on
poker. I don’t need to win
a tournament right now.
I can spend time writing
and doing creative stuff. I
think that’s really what I
was put on this earth to do,”
Charette said after his victory.
EVENT #23
6/11-13/12
NO-LIMIT HOLD’EM 6-HANDED
BUY-IN $3,000
PLAYERS 974
PRIZE POOL
$2,522,520
Simon Charette
1. Simon Charette . . . $567,624
2. Artem Metalidi . . . $350,806
3. Luis Rodriguez . . . $222,511
4. Eddie Blumenthal . $146,053
5. Foster Hays . . . . . . . $98,756
6. Bertrand Grospellier . $68,738
7. Scott Montgomery . . $49,124
8. Andrew Lichtenberger $49,124
9. Joseph Urgo . . . . . . $36,198
10. Freddy Deeb . . . . . . $36,198
Las Vegas Poker Pro
Prevails in Omaha
High-Low Split World
Championship
When Phil Ivey wins a
poker tournament, the headline always reads–PHIL
IVEY WINS! When someone else wins, the headline
all too often reads–PHIL
IVEY LOSES!
On Thursday afternoon,
in the midst of the 2012
World Series of Poker in
Las Vegas, a first-time gold
bracelet winner managed
to write his own headline
in bold block letters–JOE
CASSIDY WINS A GOLD
BRACELET!
Phil Ivey was nowhere in
sight.
Also out of sight was the
ultimate runner-up, another
mega-superstar, Scotty
Nguyen–who proved to be
no match for Cassidy in the
final heads-up match.
In what was unquestionably the brassiest of all
final tables played so far
this year, Cassidy demolished a playing session that
included not only Phil Ivey
and Scotty Nguyen, but also
Mike Matusow, Meng La,
and four relative newcomers
to the ESPN Main Stage–
including Greg Jamison,
Elie Doft, Bart Hanson, and
Ryan Lenaghan.
No doubt, Ivey’s third
final table appearance within
a six-day window was the
talk of the WSOP when
cards initially flew into the
air at the start of the third
day of competition. By that
stage of the tournament, the
initial field size of 256 players–each posting the $5,000
entry fee in order to play in
the biggest buy-in Omaha
High-Low Split tournament of the year–had been
reduced to a small cast of
supremely skilled characters,
with Ivey unquestionably
playing the starring role.
The final table area
was filled to capacity and
standing-room-only during
much of the day and night,
despite a playing session
that dragged out until 3 am.
The match went so long,
that once Ivey bit the dust
in third place, the two finalists agreed to postpone the
ultimate showdown for an
unscheduled fourth day.
It’s inconceivable to think
of a scenario where either
1998 world poker champion,
Scotty “the Prince” Nguyen
(owner of five gold bracelets), or Mike “the Mouth”
Matusow (with three gold
bracelets), would ever be
overshadowed at any final
table. But that’s precisely
what happened when Ivey
strolled quietly and confidently into his all-too
familiar kingdom and took
his seat, determined to toss
the disappointment of two
previous crash and burns
onto the ash heap of public
consciousness, and win what
he hoped would be a ninth
gold bracelet, thus moving
him into a tie with late great
poker legend, Johnny Moss.
No doubt, the runner-up
had something to prove as
well. Still stung somewhat
by what many in poker
considered to be a tainted
victory that happened four
years ago in the ultra-prestigious 2008 Poker Players
Championship, when Scotty
Nguyen won his biggest
cash prize of his life and
achieved his second-greatest
career accolade–a night
marred by Nguyen’s boisterous and less-than-gentlemanly conduct–the far more
subdued Nguyen, on this
stage, hoped to make a bold
return to the winner’s circle
in an event he had won two
times previously.
But Joe Cassidy had
something to prove, as well.
And he did just that. Cassidy
proved, once and for all, that
he could not only play with
the very best under the pressure of the poker world’s
eyes watching, he could also
defeat the very best at their
own game.
As things turned out, it
was Ivey, Nguyen, Matusow,
and many more, that ended
up as extras, mere footnotes
in a grand show that had
only one real star–and that
was Joe Cassidy.
EVENT #24
6/11-13/12
OMAHA HIGH-LOW SPLIT
BUY-IN $5,000
PLAYERS 256
PRIZE POOL
$1,203,200
Joe Cassidy
1. Joe Cassidy . . . . . . $294,777
2. Scotty Nguyen . . . . $182,213
3. Phil Ivey . . . . . . . . $136,046
4. Meng La . . . . . . . . $102,260
5. Gregory Jamison . . $77,342
6. Elie Doft . . . . . . . . . $58,873
7. Bart Hanson . . . . . . . $45,084
8. Mike Matusow . . . . . $34,748
9. Ryan Lenaghan . . . $26,940
10. Andreas Krause . . . $21,020
Trifecta for Mienders–
Third WSOP Cash a
Charm
Brian Meinders certainly
knows his limitations:
Hold’em limitations, that
is. More precisely, Limit
Hold’em.
Meinders pulled off
poker’s equivalent of a
triple play over the past
three days, winning a steady
progression of increasingly-
more difficult sit n’ go-type
matches en route to an ultimate victory that resulted
in a World Series of Poker
championship, manifested in
his first-ever gold bracelet.
Mienders won the $1,500
buy-in Limit Hold’em
Shootout tournament (Event
#25), which took place on
the Pavilion man stage at the
Rio in Las Vegas. The central New Jersey-based poker
player enjoyed his highest
profile victory ever, following two previous deep runs
in previous WSOP events.
Meinders’ first WSOP
cash was three years ago,
when he took eighth in an
event, good for a $55,000
payout. Then, he finished
second in another event held
in 2010, good for another
$145,000. This year, he has
only one cash (so far)–and
this was it. Tack on another
$116,118 in prize money to
a poker nest egg that now
has more than $300,000 in
just three deposits. The bottom line is–Meinders makes
his cashes really count.
The cumulative succession of three cashes and
three final table appearances–posting 8th, 2nd, and
1st–unquestionably represents an uptick in results that
may indicate Meinders has
his best days still ahead.
Aside from poker,
Meinders has a serious love
of languages. He studied
for a few years at Rutgers
University in New Jersey,
and became proficient
enough in Latin that he
now teaches the subject at
a private school. However,
Meinders is just as passionate about poker, and now
tends to call one of the biggest poker rooms in Atlantic
City his “office.”
The top 63 finishers in
this event collected prize
money. The final table
included at least two notable
faces–including two-time
gold bracelet winner Brock
Parker (5th), as well as
tournament journeyman
Victor Ramdin (4th). In
fact, this was Ramdin’s 13th
time in the money since the
start of last year’s WSOP–
which ties him with Shawn
Buchanan for most cashes
over the past last two years.
Coincidentally, Buchanan
cashed in this event as well.
The tournament began on
Tuesday with 366 entrants.
Among the former gold
bracelet winners who cashed
were Matt Matros, Greg
Mueller, and Tex Barch.
6/12-14/12
LIMIT HOLD’EM SHOOTOUT
EVENT #25
BUY-IN $1,500
PLAYERS 366
PRIZE POOL
$494,100
Brian Meinders
1. Brian Meinders . . . $116,118
2. Darin Thomas . . . . . $71,704
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J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
25
The Continuing Story
2012 WORLDWIDE POKER TOURNAMENTS
CONNORS’ CORNER
NOW! Get Tournament Listings at our website: www.pokerplayernewspaper.com
By BARBARA CONNORS
The continuation bet is one of the most
powerful plays in poker, because defending
against it is so difficult. Any player who is failing to defend
against a continuation bet is letting his opponents run all
over him. But there are two sides to every coin, and defending too often is tantamount to throwing chips out the window. When you consider that a sizable portion of continuation bets that come your way will inevitably be continuation
bluffs, the ability to find that middle balance and sniff out
at least some of the counterfeit c-bets is critical.
Because it tells a consistent story—the same player is
representing strength both before and on the flop—the
c-bet provides perfect camouflage for a bluff. Consider all
those times when the raiser bumps it up with A-K or A-Q,
only to whiff on the flop. More often than not, anyone who
raises with two big, unpaired cards, is going to miss the
flop, and having missed, is going to c-bet the flop anyway.
So how do you determine when to push back and when
to get out of the way? Unless you have an excellent read
on this particular opponent, attempting a bluff of your own
with a garbage hand is a dicey proposition at best. But if
you have a moderate-strength hand, something like second
pair, the question of whether or not to defend gets a lot
trickier.
First and foremost, know thine enemy. How aggressive
is this player in general? How often does he c-bet after
raising before the flop? Is it a rare occurrence, or an automatic, knee-jerk response to three cards falling on the felt?
The more frequently he follows up with a c-bet, the less
likely it becomes that he really has the goods this time.
Consider everything you know about this adversary and
his style of play, and then put that together with the particulars of the situation—his position, the size of his c-bet,
and the number of opponents he is c-betting into. Taking all
that into account, you should be able to put the c-bettor on
a range of hands.
You must also consider the texture of the flop. Any player is going to miss the flop about two-thirds of the time.
But if an ace falls, that gives the c-bettor an easy out. He
can represent a pair of aces—regardless of whether or not
the bullet actually hit him. Of course he also knows, or he
should, that an ace on the flop could help his opponents,
since everybody and their dog loves to call before the flop
with just about any ace. The big difference is, he represented strength before the flop, and you didn’t. So unless you
have an ace in your hand, or you have a very good reason
to believe he doesn’t, it’s probably best to get out of the
way.
If the flop contains a king or a queen, it’s just a slightly
different verse of the same song. The c-bettor will be representing a big pair, and it’s your job to figure out whether
or not he’s lying. As a general rule, the best flops for
defending against the c-bet are flops that are either very
ragged, or very coordinated. In the first case, you know,
and he knows you know, that a ragged flop is unlikely to
have helped the supposedly-big cards he raised with before
the flop. And in the second case, the coordinated flop raises the specter of drawing hands or even made draws that
could now be out against him.
Precisely because continuation bets have become so
routine in poker, so de rigueur, knowing when and how to
defend against them is more important than ever. Even a
slight miscalculation in terms of defending too often, or
defending too seldom, can cost a player dearly over the
long run.
Barbara Connors is a sucker for classic old movies, science fiction, and the St. Louis Cardinals. Her life’s ambition is to figure out the unusual behavior patterns of that
unique breed of humans who call themselves poker
players. Contact her at [email protected].
26
J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
>Denotes Advertiser; Poker Association Events also denoted: t=World Poker Tour,
s=World Series of Poker and e=European Poker Tour.
To list your 3-day events contact: A.R. Dyck, Managing Editor, at: [email protected]
DATE
EVENT
LOCATION
JUNE 2012
Through June 24 Heartland Poker Tour Event
Soaring Eagle Casino, Mt. Pleasant, MI
>June 26-July 1 Summer Poker Classic
Turning Stone Resort Casino, Verona, NY
>Through June 28 LA Poker Series
Bicycle Casino (Ad Pg 2), Bell Gardens, CA
>June 29-July 14 Stars and Stripes
>Through July 4 The Grand Series
Golden Nugget Casino (Ad Pg 1), Las Vegas, NV
Through July 15 Mega Stack Series
Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, NV
>Through July 15 Deepstack Extravaganza III
The Venetian, Las Vegas, NV
Through July 16 43rd Annual World Series of Poker sRio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV
J U LY 2 0 1 2
>July 4
Poker Player of the Year Tournament Golden Nugget Casino (Ad Pg 1), Las Vegas, NV
>July 4-6
Summer Classic
Wynn (Ad Pg 3), Las Vegas, NV
>July 19-29 Summer Pot of Gold
Grand Sierra Resort & Casino, Reno, NV
July 19-Aug 6
World Poker Open
Gold Strike Resort & Casino, Tunica, MS
July 20-29
Heartland Poker Tour Event
Route 66 Casino, Albuquerque, NM
July 21-29
Mid-States Poker Tour Event
Meskwaki Bingo Casino Hotel, Tama, IA
AU G U S T 2 0 1 2
>Aug 1-5
$275K Guaranteed Summer Showdown Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, CT
>Aug 3-12
Turning Stone Resort Casino, Verona, NY
Aug 10-15
Parx Open Classic
tParx Casino, Bensalem, PA
Aug 12-19
Mid-States Poker Tour Event
Grand Falls Casino, Larchwood, IA
Aug 23-Sep 3
Gulf Coast Championship
Beau Rivage Resort Casino, Biloxi, MS
>Aug 24-29 Legends of Poker
SEPTEMBER 2012
Sep 10-23
Golden Gates Casino, Black Hawk, CO
Sep 16-21
Borgata Poker Open
Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa, Atlantic City, NJ
Sep 21-30
River City Casino & Lumiere Place, St. Louis, MO
POKER ON
Heartland Poker Tour. (Check
local listings for times and stations).
TV
National Heads Up Poker
Championship. Saturdays 8 & 9
AM. UHD.
Poker After Dark. Mondays
through Fridays 9 PM, Saturdays 8 & 11
All Times EDT PM. NBCSP.
World Poker Tour. Mondays 5 & 11
PM, Wednesdays 5 PM, Thursdays 8 & 9
PM, Fridays 12 AM, Saturdays 2, 3, & 11
PM, Sundays 8 & 11 PM. FSN.
World Series of Poker. (Check
local listings for times). ESPN2.
WSOP Events 25-26
3. Christopher Vitch . . $51,861
4. Victor Ramdin . . . . $37,897
5. Brock Parker . . . . . $27,986
6. Preston Derden . . . . $20,886
7. Matthew Schreiber . $15,747
8. Sean Rice . . . . . . . . . $11,992
9. Ian Johns . . . . . . . . . . $9,225
10. Chris Hartman . . . . . $7,164
23-Year-Old Poker
Pro Prevails in
Pot-Limit Omaha
Championship
Austin “Gabe” Scott has
mixed emotions about a
day that was great in one
respect, and terrible in
another.
First–the bad news:
Scott’s beloved basketball
team, the Oklahoma City
Thunder, appeared in their
first-ever NBA finals, only
to lose a close game on their
home court, and become the
underdog in the remainder
of the championship series.
Indeed, the Thunder
proved to be a heartbreaking
disappointment.
Then, there’s the good
news. Make that, very
good news. On the same
day, Gabe Scott won a
World Series of Poker gold
bracelet. He also collected
This is just a guess, but
something says that Scott
might be able to live with
the “split.” Hey, you win
some, and you lose some,
right?
Alas, Scott won a thrilling victory in the $3,000
buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha
tournament. The 23-year-old
poker pro overcame a significant chip disadvantage
during the later stages of
competition, and managed
to defeat a formidable final
table lineup that included
several outstanding international players, including Vadzim Kursevich
(Belarus), Huykeim Nguyen
(Germany), and Thomas
Pettersson (Sweden). Also
in the final table hunt were
Brett Richey, Scott Stanko,
Tom Chambers, Romik
Vartzar, and two-time
gold bracelet winner Russ
“Dutch” Boyd.
This was Scott’s second
time to cash in a WSOP
event. Proving this year’s
victory was no fluke, he
final tabled the same event
in 2011, finishing in eighth
place.
EVENT #26
6/12-14/12
POT LIMIT OMAHA
BUY-IN $3,000
PLAYERS 589
PRIZE POOL
$1,607,970
Austin Scott
1. Austin Scott . . . . . . $361,797
2. Brett Richey . . . . . $223,492
3. Vadzim Kursevich $158,530
4. Scott Stanko . . . . . $114,530
5. Khiem Nguyen . . . . $83,180
6. Tom Chambers . . . . $61,521
7. Romik Vartzar . . . . $46,117
8. Dutch Boyd . . . . . . . $35,038
9. Thomas Pettersson . $26,966
10. Jon Hoellein . . . . . . $21,016
J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2
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discretion. Must be 21 or older to participate. Jackpots and promotions: No Purchase Necessary, see a Shift Manager for details. Not responsible for misprints or omissions. DOJ-Approved tournament GEGA-002392. “Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER”
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J U LY 2 , 2 0 1 2

July 2, 2012 - Poker Player Newspaper

Transcription

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