The latest blogs from PokerListings.com http://www.pokerlistings.com/feed/blogs Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:42:08 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 en-us http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wpt/season8/2009-wpt-legends-photo-recap #fullimg: the-field_33013.jpg# With the Final Table of the 2009 Legends of Poker in full swing here at the Bicycle Casino in L.A. we thought it might be a good time to illustrate how we got from 279 players to just six in a series of photos.<br><br> The tournament had plenty of compelling stories:<br><br> Bryan Devonshire built a gigantic stack and then busted, two November Niners, Steven Begleiter and Kevin Schaffel, were both impressive and Kenny Tran tried to place as many prop bets as he possibly could.<br><br> What follows is a collection of highlight photos taken on Days 1-4 of the 2009 WPT Legends of Poker. Enjoy!<p></p> <p></p> <p></p><p></p> <p></p> <p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p> <p></p> <p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><br /> Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com">PokerListings.com</a> info@www.Pokerlistings.com News Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:45:21 +0100 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wpt/season8/2009-wpt-legends-photo-recap http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/ho-and-michelle-to-star-in-ithe-amazing-racei We'll put this one in the unsubstantiated rumor folder but if there's anything we've learned it's that poker and reality TV go together like Phil Ivey and gambling. <br><br> Earlier this week a poster on RealityFanForum.com published a photograph of what appears to be poker players Maria Ho and Tiffany Michelle at LAX during an Amazing Race event. <br><br> Ho was the last woman to be eliminated in the 2007 WSOP Main Event while Michelle managed the same feat in 2008. Both players are close friends and both have television experience, which might be seen as a bonus by Amazing Race casting directors. <br><br> The rumor seems viable considering both players were absent from this year's Main Event and 15th Season of The Amazing Race was scheduled to be filmed over the summer. <br><br> Michelle's own Twitter mentioned that she would be gone for at least a month, "filming a big project." The only thing that doesn't seem to add up is that in her most recent Tweet Michelle mentioned that she was enjoying being on a set again. The Amazing Race, it has to be assumed, would not have a set. <br><br> We contacted poker agency Suited Connections, of which Michelle is affiliated, but they were unable to comment on the situation. <br><br> When contestants compete in The Amazing Race they are sequestered, meaning they have no contact with the outside world until filming is complete.<p>It might be awhile until we get the official confirmation on whether the pair will actually star in the popular reality TV show.</p><br /> Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com">PokerListings.com</a> info@www.Pokerlistings.com News Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:45:57 +0100 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/ho-and-michelle-to-star-in-ithe-amazing-racei http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wsop/2009/living-the-dream Not to be forgotten amidst the epic WSOP Main Event Day 6 yesterday was the final table of the Dream Team Poker Event. <br><br> Pauly McGuire, Dan Michalski and Lana Maier of Team Tao of Pokerati won the group portion of the event and grabbed a cool $31,000 for their efforts while Kenna James took down the individual award for about $16,000. <br><br> This is the first time a Dream Team poker event has been held as part of the WSOP and it seems pretty likely the team-format will return for next year.<p>Congratulations to everyone that played!</p><br /> Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com">PokerListings.com</a> info@www.Pokerlistings.com News Tue, 14 Jul 2009 23:39:23 +0100 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wsop/2009/living-the-dream http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wsop/2009/welcome-to-the-wild-wild-west First of all, this isn't a bizarre publicity stunt by the WSOP. It truly is Cowboys vs. Indians at the 2009 WSOP Main Event as Chris "Jesus" Ferguson just took a seat next to a player we like to call Chief Lotsadough. <br/><br/> The two players are laughing about the coincidence right now, but it's more than likely they will soon clash with Ferguson on a short stack of 60,000.<p>If Ferguson is forced to go all-in, perhaps years from now they will refer to it as Ferguson's Last Stand in the history books.</p><br /> Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com">PokerListings.com</a> info@www.Pokerlistings.com News Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:30:28 +0100 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wsop/2009/welcome-to-the-wild-wild-west http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wsop/2009/phil-hellmuths-entrance-was-ridiculous #fullimg: Word_32478.jpg# <br> In case you haven't heard, Phil Hellmuth entered the Rio dressed as Caesar today with about 100 supporting characters in Roman garb. <br/><br/> It was a spectacle on many levels and definitely the biggest Hellmuth entrance of all time.<p>Love him or hate him, Hellmuth certainly has showmanship.</p><p>Here's some pictures in case you don't believe us:</p> <p></p><p></p><p></p> <p></p><p></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><em>Discuss this blog on our <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/PokerListings-Online-Poker-Guide/8578004837">Facebook page</a>.</em></p><br /> Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com">PokerListings.com</a> info@www.Pokerlistings.com News Sun, 05 Jul 2009 23:45:08 +0100 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wsop/2009/phil-hellmuths-entrance-was-ridiculous http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wsop/2009/its-july-4th Just in case you've forgotten that it's a particularly patriotic day in the U.S. this guy on the right has decided to strap on the best American flag top hat that we've ever seen.<p>God Bless America!</p><br /> Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com">PokerListings.com</a> info@www.Pokerlistings.com News Sat, 04 Jul 2009 23:30:17 +0100 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wsop/2009/its-july-4th http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wsop/2009/alex-bolotin-antes-up-for-africa Despite the fact that Alex Bolotin is not a celebrity or big-name poker player he decided to win the 2009 Ante Up for Africa on Thursday night anyways. <br><br> The diminutive Bolotin played larger than life at the final table and outlasted players like Erik Seidel, Jennifer Harman and Chris "Jesus" Ferguson to win the first place prize of $177,730. <br><br> Shortly after his victory Bolotin announced that he would be giving 50% of his winnings to charity in honor of the event. <br><br> "I'm really excited to win," said Bolotin. "I definitely got lucky but you have to get lucky in these events. It was great meeting all the celebrities and poker legends in this tournament." <br><br> Because the event carried such a shallow structure the final table was a fast-paced event that was mostly all-ins and coin flip situations. Heads-up against Adam Richardson lasted exactly one hand. <br><br> That's not to say Bolotin is not a skilled player, however. The Brooklyn-based grinder has 14 WSOP cashes and last year made three final tables.<p>This is the third year that Ante Up for Africa has been held with proceeds from the event going towards charities that provide aid and assistance to the survivors of the crisis in Darfur</p><br /> Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com">PokerListings.com</a> info@www.Pokerlistings.com News Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:59:49 +0100 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wsop/2009/alex-bolotin-antes-up-for-africa http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wsop/2009/stars-align-for-ante-up-for-africa-final-table Deciding to televise the final table of the Ante Up for Africa charity event may have been the smartest decision ESPN made this year. <br><br> The table is stacked with well-known pros including Jennifer Harman, Chris Ferguson, Erik Seidel, Phil Gordon, John Hennigan, Alex Bolotin, Rafe Furst, Matt Kay and Adam Richardson. <br><br> The nine players out-lasted 129 players including big name celebrities like Sarah Silverman, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon to make it to the final table. <br><br> Harman, who was one of the short stacks to start the day, took the time to give some credit to the organizers. <br><br> "It is a really wild event," said Harman. "It's nice to see people come out and support the cause. It just shows that poker is a way of giving and we all really love that part of it." <br><br> Although most of the celebrities are gone Ferguson actually complimented their skill level earlier in the day.<p>"All these celebrities play poker anyways. All the celebrities I've seen here I've actually played poker with already. Ben Affleck is pretty good. He won the California State Poker Championship a few years ago."</p><p>Despite the kind words from Ferguson, the celebrities are all gone and the pros will be going at it for bragging rights tonight.</p><br /> Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com">PokerListings.com</a> info@www.Pokerlistings.com News Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:42:44 +0100 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wsop/2009/stars-align-for-ante-up-for-africa-final-table http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wsop/2009/english-at-the-table-please With the recent invasion of Russian players at the WSOP, it's only natural there will be some breakdowns in communication and we just saw an example of that today.<br><br> It's a well-known rule at the WSOP that only English can be spoken at the table to prevent collusion between two players speaking a language the rest of the players at the table don't understand. <br><br> Russians, in particular, have been allegedly guilty of this several times. <br><br> In a recent hand in the $3,000 Triple Chance tournament, Andrew Scott found himself in between two Russians and after a seeing the flop he heard one of them say something to the other in Russian. <br><br> Scott asked the Russian on his left what he had said but the player didn't answer. Scott was perturbed by the hand and decided to call over the floor manager at this point.<p>After listening to the issue the floor manager simply reiterated to the Russian players that they had to speak English at the table.</p> <p>Scott seemed pleased with the resolution and even joked with one of the Russian players after the incident.</p> <p>"If you're going to do that you shouldn't wear a Russian flag on your sweater," joked Scott. "It makes it easier to tell you're speaking Russian!"</p><br /> Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com">PokerListings.com</a> info@www.Pokerlistings.com News Sun, 28 Jun 2009 22:27:29 +0100 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wsop/2009/english-at-the-table-please http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wsop/2009/shannon-elizabeth-makes-her-entrance Actress Shannon Elizabeth is renowned for her love of poker. The former American Pie star played almost every event she could in last year's WSOP, but she's been strangely absent from the Amazon during the first two weeks of the 2009 Series. <br><br> That's all changed now. Yesterday she played the H.O.R.S.E. event, and today she rolled up in a Honda CR-V to play the $1,500 Shootout event.<br><br> We also overheard her talking to Mike Sexton in the Amazon hallway about her seventh-place finish in Dancing with the Stars. Apparently Elizabeth has another partner so she can maintain her skills in the art of dancing.<p>Today, however, it's all about the art of No-Limit Hold'em.</p><br /> Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com">PokerListings.com</a> info@www.Pokerlistings.com News Wed, 10 Jun 2009 22:45:37 +0100 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wsop/2009/shannon-elizabeth-makes-her-entrance http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wsop/2009/women-take-over-2009-wsop The $1,000 Ladies Event is underway in the Amazon room and all the swearing, bad smells and grunting we're used to have been replaced with kind language, big smiles and various kinds of perfume.<br><br> This year's event drew 1,060 players, which is actually down by 130 players compared to last year when Svetlana Gromenkova outlasted all opposition to earn herself a bracelet.<br><br> There are plenty of big name players in the field with Maya Geller, Lacey Jones, Tiffany Michelle, Maria Ho, Erica Schoenberg and several others all gunning for first place.<br><br> Photos of several well-known female players are available for your viewing pleasure after the break.<p>&nbsp;</p><p></p><p></p><p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p><p></p><br /> Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com">PokerListings.com</a> info@www.Pokerlistings.com News Sun, 07 Jun 2009 23:31:06 +0100 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wsop/2009/women-take-over-2009-wsop http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wsop/2009/could-10k-mixed-event-be-a-family-affair Don't look now but we have two Brunsons still alive in the $10,000 WSOP Championship Mixed Game event with only 20 players left. <br><br>We're talking of course about the legendary Doyle "Texas Dolly" Brunson and his son Todd Brunson. <br><br>Todd slightly out-chips his father with 374,500 while Doyle has 335,000 to start Day 3. Both of the Brunsons haven't won a bracelet since 2005.<p>Could they be headed for an epic 1-2 finish? Check out ongoing coverage of the event in our <br /><a href='http://www.pokerlistings.com/live-tournaments/wsop/2009/event12/live-updates' class=''>live updates</a>.</p><br /> Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com">PokerListings.com</a> info@www.Pokerlistings.com News Sat, 06 Jun 2009 21:59:44 +0100 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wsop/2009/could-10k-mixed-event-be-a-family-affair http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wsop/2009/greg-mueller-is-a-stud-apparently #fullimg: Word_31149.jpg# <br/><br> Full Tilt Pro Greg "FBT" Mueller has some pretty cool fans. It's gotta be the fact that he's Canadian.<p>Click <a href='http://www.pokerlistings.com/live-tournaments/wsop/2009/event6/live-updates' class=''>here</a> to see how Mueller is faring in the $10,000 Seven-Card Stud Championship.</p><br /> Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com">PokerListings.com</a> info@www.Pokerlistings.com News Wed, 03 Jun 2009 23:30:32 +0100 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wsop/2009/greg-mueller-is-a-stud-apparently http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wsop/2009/random-wsop-observation-1 Some call him the Ivan Drago of poker.<br/><br/> Others call him the "Barnacle" for his epic performances at the 2008 WSOP.<br/><br/> He's renowned for his stone-cold poker face.<br/><br/> Maybe it's just us, but did Alexander Kravchenko just crack a smile?<p>What's he so happy about anyways?</p><br /> Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com">PokerListings.com</a> info@www.Pokerlistings.com News Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:50:15 +0100 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wsop/2009/random-wsop-observation-1 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wsop/2009/its-official-the-1k-event-is-popular The $1,000 WSOP Event has officially sold out, according to organizers. <br><br>Harrah's released a statement earlier today that said approximately 6,000 players have registered for this year's cheapest way to a bracelet. <br><br>It was obvious the event was going to be epic when the halls of the Rio came to a near standstill shortly before the 12 p.m. start. That's a lot of donkeys!<p>With the $40,000 event drawing a surprisingly high amount of players, the Omaha Hi-Lo event setting a new record for attendence and now the $1,000 event getting in the range of 6,000 players it's shaping up to be quite a summer.</p><br /> Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com">PokerListings.com</a> info@www.Pokerlistings.com News Sat, 30 May 2009 21:44:17 +0100 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wsop/2009/its-official-the-1k-event-is-popular http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wsop/2009/the-new-face-of-absolute-poker Word on the <a href=http://pokerati.com/2009/05/29/lacey-jones-re-sponsored-by-absolute-poker>street</a> and Lacey Jones' <a href=http://twitter.com/LaceyJones/status/1962861349>twitter</a> is that she is going to be playing a prominent role with Absolute Poker this summer. <br><br>This is the second time that Jones has been sponsored by Absolute and one would assume that she'll be playing a considerable amount of events this year. We certainly don't mind that.<p>Jones is well-known as a poker presenter but she also finished 24th in a $5,000 event at the 2007 Borgata Poker Open. She also represented Bodog Poker in several events at the 2008 WSOP.</p><br /> Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com">PokerListings.com</a> info@www.Pokerlistings.com News Fri, 29 May 2009 23:48:04 +0100 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wsop/2009/the-new-face-of-absolute-poker http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/ept/season5/alexander-gomes-leads-2009-pca-final-table While Day 3 of the 2009 PCA was reminiscent of the Mayan Temple of Death waterslide ride at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas, Day 4 was more like the Lazy River ride.<p>It took a total of 12 hours to go from 32 players down to the final eight in the longest day yet at the PCA.</p> <p>Team PokerStars Pro's Alexandre Gomes finished the day with the chip lead and will take $8 million to the final table as he attempts to make it two straight victories for the Team in the Caribbean.</p> <p>The early stages of the tournament were relatively fast-paced, but unfortunately for PokerStars, they saw one of their Team Pro members in Vicky Coren get gunned down when she made an ill-timed shove with pocket sixes and Jason Paster called her with pocket tens. Coren lost the hand and was so crippled she had to shove her last $75,000 with <span class="nowrap">7<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/d.gif" alt="d" /> 5<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/c.gif" alt="c" /></span> just a few hands later. That was it for her tournament life.</p> <p></p> <p>A great subplot of the day was the superb play of Hafiz Khan, who incredibly finished runner-up at this same event last year. Khan was pushing people around for most of the early stages and even buried Christian De Leon with pocket kings during Level 20.</p> <p>All good things come to end, however, and Khan was eventually eliminated when he bluffed his way right out of the tournament against Anthony Gregg.</p> <p>One of the highlights of the day was the roller-coaster play of Kevin Saul and arch-nemesis Benny Spindler.</p> <p>Both players had almost limitless aggression so it was only a matter of time before they clashed. In the early stages of the day Spindler was absolutely relentless in his betting against Saul and even won a massive pot from Saul after $850,000 bet. Spindler was so confident he showed the 5-3o bluff.</p> <p></p> <p>Saul would have his revenge, however, several hours later when Spindler once again made a massive raise, this time on a <span class="nowrap">T<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/c.gif" alt="c" /> T<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/d.gif" alt="d" /> 2<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/c.gif" alt="c" /> K<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/s.gif" alt="s" /> A<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/h.gif" alt="h" /></span> board. Commentators suggested that both players must have had something massive, but when Saul finally made the call, Spindler immediately tried to muck.</p> <p>Saul, perhaps because of the 5-3o bluff, insisted that Spindler show his hand. It was indeed a bluff with <span class="nowrap">Q<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/c.gif" alt="c" /> 8<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/c.gif" alt="c" />.</span> The incredible part was that Saul showed just <span class="nowrap">7<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/c.gif" alt="c" /> 7<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/h.gif" alt="h" />.</span> Spindler didn't raise Saul nearly as much after that hand.</p> <p>One of the most well-known players remaining in the tournament, and the last remaining woman, Kathy Liebert was unceremoniously dumped in the later stages of the day.</p> <p>PokerKat seemed to go extremely card-dead on the penultimate day of the PCA and was forced to finally shove with pocket fives, only to get the quick call from Kevin Saul with <span class="nowrap">K<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/s.gif" alt="s" /> 8<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/s.gif" alt="s" />.</span> Two pair on the board meant Saul's king played, and that was it for Liebert.</p> <p></p> <p>While this was going on Gomes was making some moves of his own on one of the outer tables. It all started with a big suck-out by Gomes against Adam Geyer. Gomes was drawing extremely thin on a <span class="nowrap">T<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/c.gif" alt="c" /> 6<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/d.gif" alt="d" /> 5<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/s.gif" alt="s" /> 8<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/c.gif" alt="c" /></span> board but managed to hit a much-needed ace on the river to take over the chip lead.</p> <p>It was just the start for Gomes, who had legions of Brazilian poker fans to cheer him on throughout the evening.</p> <p>When the remaining nine players made their way to the final table it appeared the short stack would be eliminated and Saul would carry the chip lead into the final table. But there would be one more enormous upset before the night would end.</p> <p></p> <p>In the biggest hand of the tournament Gomes went after chip leader Saul. In the hand Gomes bet pre-flop and Saul flatted. The flop came <span class="nowrap">6<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/c.gif" alt="c" /> 6<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/h.gif" alt="h" /> 2<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/c.gif" alt="c" /></span> and Gomes made a small continuation bet that Saul called. The turn came <span class="nowrap">6<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/s.gif" alt="s" /></span> and Saul took another stab, betting $500,000, but Gomes called.</p> <p>The river brought the <span class="nowrap">Q<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/s.gif" alt="s" /></span> and Gomes checked but Saul bet $1.3 million. Gomes responded by reraising all-in for $1.6 million more. Saul looked extremely pained by the shove but eventually felt he had to make the call, flipping over <span class="nowrap">K<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/d.gif" alt="d" /> Q<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/d.gif" alt="d" /></span> for the rivered top pair. Gomes showed <span class="nowrap">A<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/c.gif" alt="c" /> A<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/d.gif" alt="d" />,</span> however, and raked the gigantic $8 million pot for the chip lead.</p> <p>A few hands later Jan Collado Y Fernandez was eliminated, meaning Gomes will carry a staggering $8.08 million into the final table.</p> <p>Join us at 1 p.m. ET for the exciting conclusion to one of the richest tournaments ever held as one player will walk away with a stunning $3 million.</p> <p>Here are the final chip counts:</p> <table border="0"><tbody><tr><td>Alexandre Gomes</td> <td>Brazil</td> <td>$8,080,000</td></tr> <tr><td>Poorya Nazari</td> <td>Canada</td> <td>$6,790,000</td></tr> <tr><td>Benny Spindler</td> <td>Germany</td> <td>$3,520,000</td></tr> <tr><td>Anthony Gregg</td> <td>U.S.A.</td> <td>$2,245,000</td></tr> <tr><td>Kevin Saul</td> <td>U.S.A.</td> <td>$1,640,000</td></tr> <tr><td>Daniel Heimiller</td> <td>U.S.A.</td> <td>$1,440,000</td></tr> <tr><td>Pieter Tielen</td> <td>Netherlands</td> <td>$930,000</td></tr> <tr><td>Dustin Dirksen</td> <td>U.S.A.</td> <td>$765,000</td></tr></tbody></table><p>&nbsp;</p><br /> Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com">PokerListings.com</a> info@www.Pokerlistings.com News Sat, 10 Jan 2009 08:57:00 +0100 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/ept/season5/alexander-gomes-leads-2009-pca-final-table http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/ept/season5/bahamian-riches-day-2-of-the-2009-pca Dan Heimiller, David Baker and Chris Bush led the way on Day 2 of the 2009 PCA, which saw 295 eliminated and virtually no hand-for-hand play at the bubble.<p>Day 2 marked the first time that all the players remaining in the tournament met to do battle under the same roof, and it didn't disappoint.</p> <p>As is usually the case, the Day 1 chip leader struggled in the early stages of Day 2. Brazil's Felipe Ramos tried a massive $100,000 bluff against Mark Seif, who woke up with a set of aces.</p><p>That table, which at various points also included Matt Stout, Jon Friedberg and James Mackey, was one of the most interesting of the day, with all five of the elite players doing their best to outplay each other.</p> <p></p> <p>Former attorney Seif was the most dominant of the group, his constant aggression being the theme of the table. Friedberg, Mackey and Stout were all eliminated in the later stages of the day.</p> <p>Perhaps the biggest story of the day though was the frantic pace of play. In just six hours of play a total of 295 players were eliminated out of a starting field of 498. Just 103 players will return to play tomorrow and attempt to make it down to 32 players.</p> <p>There were plenty of big-name bust-outs in the early stages including EPT Tournament Director Thomas Kremser and Team PokerStars Pro members Andre Akkari, Victor Ramdin, Humberto Brenes and Katja Thater.</p> <p></p> <p>The other interesting moment on Day 2 occurred when there was a reverse bubble. The big screen read 203 players but by the time play had been stopped to switch to hand-for-hand, the bubble had actually already burst. In fact, rumor had it they were down to 197, so tournament staff had to run around and find the last few eliminated players so they got paid.</p> <p>The $25,000 High Roller Event also kicked off today at 12 p.m., with players like Daniel Negreanu, Gus Hansen, Eric Seidel, Chris Ferguson, Greg Raymer and Jason Mercier all paying the massive buy-in for another shot at poker glory in the Bahamas. You can find updates on the event <a href='http://www.pokerlistings.com/live-tournaments/ept/season5/pca-high-roller/live-updates' class=''>here</a>.</p> <p>Meanwhile in the Main Event, Heimiller, Baker and Bush all started to pull away from the rest of the pack near the end of the night.</p> <p></p> <p>Heimiller is a veteran pro with some impressive tournament results. Most recently he came in fifth at the WPT Borgata Poker Open, which was good for $387,500. Heimiller finished with $837,000 chips at the end of Day 2.</p> <p>Bush, aka Bushman online, hails from Vancouver, Canada, and has had some very large scores in MTTs on PokerStars. He also took down a Five Diamond preliminary event for $360,680. He has around $800,000 heading into Day 3.</p> <p>Baker, known online as "Bakes," came in third at the WSOP $2,000 Limit event and likely would have won it if it wasn't for Daniel Negreanu. He finished with approximately $900,000, which looks to be the chip lead heading into Day 3.</p> <p></p> <p>What about ol' Ramos, who came into the day as one of the chip leaders? He did just fine, and thanks to a last-minute sprint he finished with $653,500.</p> <p>Other notables still in the tournament include Max Pescatori, Mark Seif, Eric Liu, Kathy Liebert and Tom Franklin, Alexandre Gomes, Peter Eastgate, Vicky Coren and Edward Sabat.</p> <p>Tomorrow should be another interesting day at the PCA as we attempt to go from 103 players down to 32 and the serious money starts getting paid out. Be sure to check out PokerListings.com as we crank up the coverage and give you the most comprehensive and entertaining play-by-plays this side of the Atlantic.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><br /> Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com">PokerListings.com</a> info@www.Pokerlistings.com News Thu, 08 Jan 2009 06:59:40 +0100 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/ept/season5/bahamian-riches-day-2-of-the-2009-pca http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/ept/season5/here-we-go-pokerstars-caribbean-adventure-day-1a Given a choice of poker tournaments to attend, most poker players would probably pick the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure as the most appealing.<p>Where else do you get warm Caribbean beaches, vertigo-inducing waterslides and some of the hottest poker action south of Florida?</p> <p>Therefore it should come as no surprise that this year's tournament is looking to be the largest tournament ever held outside of the United States. A total of 660 players came out to play on Day 1a of the PCA, with organizers hoping to hit 1,400 when both Day 1's are combined.</p> <p></p> <p>For those who haven't ever attended the PCA, it's an absolute spectacle. The only thing comparable to the tournament is the WSOP, and even that series doesn't take place in a hotel modeled after the lost city of Atlantis.</p> <p>PokerStars kicked the tournament off right with the biggest welcoming party we've attended - and we've been to more than a few. As usual the appetizers and beverages were flowing all night long, and the evening ended with a performance by some traditional Bahamian dancers. It was a great start to a truly epic tournament.</p> <p></p> <p>Day 1a began with the same mob of poker players that you'd expect to see at one of the larger events at the WSOP. Poker players flooded the halls of Atlantis and packed into the Imperial Ballroom at the gargantuan hotel.</p> <p>You want big-time poker players? It would be easy to fill several pages with all the well-known poker pros who played on Day 1a. From Team PokerStars Pro there was Daniel Negreanu, Greg Raymer, Vanessa Rousso, Chad Brown, Alex Kravchenko, Vicky Coren, Lee Nelson, Joe Hachem, Gavin Griffin, Marcin Horecki, Luca Pagano, Barry Greenstein and Tom McEvoy.</p> <p></p> <p>PokerStars Six members Ylon Schwartz and Darus Suharto were playing, as well as fellow November Niner Scott Montgomery. In a weird coincidence, Schwartz and Montgomery were assigned to the same table, and once again it was the New Yorker who outlasted the Canadian by making it to Day 2.</p> <p>Also playing on Day 1a were Chris Ferguson, Evelyn Ng, Edward Sabat, Bill Edler, Gavin Smith, Jeff Madsen, Mike "Timex" McDonald, Adam Junglen, Nick Binger, Michael Binger, Jason Mercier, Amnon Filippi, Kristian Kjondal, Antonio Esfandiari, Isaac Baron, Amanda Baker, Steve Zolotow and many, many more.</p> <p>The actual play was reminiscent of most Day 1's at major tournaments. More than half the field was eliminated by the dinner break, and by the end of the night only 193 remained.</p> <p></p> <p>Most of the players mentioned above were eliminated, including Negreanu, who had some ups and downs but was eventually crippled and forced to shove with middle pair on a <span class="nowrap">9<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/c.gif" alt="c" /> 5<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/h.gif" alt="h" /> 4<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/h.gif" alt="h" /></span> board.</p> <p>"Good luck winning this crapshoot," offered a cordial Negreanu as he left the table.</p> <p>Ylon Schwartz once again outlasted Scott Montgomery as the Canadian was eliminated in the later stages of the day.</p> <p>Among the players who managed to bust through the bad beat minefields were Brazilian Filipe Ramos, David Baker, Schwartz and Vicky Coren.</p> <p>Although the official PokerStars chip counts won't be available until tomorrow, we know that Baker has in excess of $200,000 chips and Ramos has around $250,000.</p><p>Join us tomorrow for on-the-spot updates kicking off at approximately noon ET, compromised only by our crack reporting team's lingering waterslide-induced dizziness.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><br /> Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com">PokerListings.com</a> info@www.Pokerlistings.com News Tue, 06 Jan 2009 07:33:49 +0100 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/ept/season5/here-we-go-pokerstars-caribbean-adventure-day-1a http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/appt/2008/van-marcus-runs-over-appt-manila-final-table To say Australian Van Marcus was lucky at the final table of APPT Manila is an understatement. Marcus was simply unbeatable in what would go down in history as the longest APPT final table ever played.<p>There were plenty of compelling storylines at the final table, with three Filipino players all in the hunt, three Koreans looking to dominate and Lee Nelson looking for another spectacular final-table finish, but it would be Marcus's insane streak of good fortune that would grab all the headlines at APPT Manila.</p> <p>The final table began after a long series of delays regarding the Filipino TV broadcast crew. Eventually the issues were sorted out and the highly anticipated finale of APPT Manila was under way.</p> <p>The day didn't start well for local fans, as Filipinos Rainier Aquino and Benhamin Lim were the first two players to go.</p> <p></p> <p>Aquino entered the day with only $40,000 chips and had to shove pretty early on. He was so short-stacked that he got two callers when he made his move and couldn't overcome both of them.</p> <p>Lim stuck around a bit longer but eventually got it in bad with K-J against Tae Jun Noh's A-T.</p> <p>Hong Kong resident Manish Sansi never really got anything going at the final table, and he would be the next to go. He got it in with 9-9 versus local Ramil Tandoc's J-J.</p> <p>It was around this point that Nelson started getting extremely active. Nelson was stealing blinds left and right and constantly putting pressure on the players around him. Those tactics helped stack the wily veteran up to over $300,000. It was not to last, however, as Nelson would go on to lose a pivotal coin flip for his tournament life.</p> <p>Lee got it all-in with 8-8 and ended up looking down the barrel of Tae Jun Noh's A-K. An ace on the flop spelled doom for the former Aussie Millions winner, and he headed out in sixth.</p> <p>It was still an impressive showing for Nelson, the only member of Team PokerStars Pro to play in APPT Manila. The always smiling Nelson stuck around to watch the rest of the final table.</p> <p></p> <p>There was simply no question that Marcus was running the best out of the players at the final table. In fact, it would be easy to call him the luckiest player of the tournament. On Day 2 Marcus hit a one-outer on the river to stave off elimination and in the process win a massive pot.</p> <p>Well, Marcus didn't disappoint at the final table either. Midway through Level 20, he hit a dramatic two-outer to double-up through Chang Yong Suk.</p> <p>A few hands later Marcus got in with 7-7 versus Q-Q and managed to spike a seven on the flop to double up again. It wouldn't be the last of Marcus's amazing fortune either, as we'll see later.</p> <p>Meanwhile local player Tandoc's luck would run out around this time when Tae Jun Noh busted him in sixth. It was an impressive showing for the Filipino player, and local fans were incredibly happy to have one of their sons make it as far as Tandoc did.</p> <p>Tandoc's elimination would leave three Koreans and an Aussie, which sounds somewhat like the start of a terrible joke.</p> <p></p> <p>It was all too real to Marcus, who found himself outnumbered and outchipped by his Korean opponents. It seemed that a Korean winner would be inevitable.</p> <p>Fortunately for Marcus the Koreans had no problem duking it out among themselves, and it wouldn't take long for Hyoung Jin Nam to eliminate Chang Yong Suk after they had battled it out over the span of several hands.</p> <p>Play changed immensely upon the elimination of Suk. We're not quite sure why but suddenly it went from a normal tournament day to endurance-style tight-nit poker.</p> <p></p> <p>We would have to wait over three hours for elimination of Hyoung Jin Nam. Oh, did we mention Marcus laid a pretty sick beat on him as well?</p> <p>In the hand both players saw a flop of <span class="nowrap">7<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/s.gif" alt="s" /> 6<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/d.gif" alt="d" /> 4<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/d.gif" alt="d" /></span> and Marcus fired $190,000 into the pot. Nam responded by shoving.</p> <p>Marcus called and it must have been music to his ears, because he had flopped a straight with <span class="nowrap">8<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/c.gif" alt="c" /> 5<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/s.gif" alt="s" /></span> in the hole. Marcus could only hope for another miracle as he showed <span class="nowrap">9<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/s.gif" alt="s" /> 8<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/d.gif" alt="d" /></span> for the straight draw.</p> <p>The <span class="nowrap">K<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/s.gif" alt="s" /></span> dropped on the turn and it looked like it would finally be curtains for Marcus, but the river was a stunning <span class="nowrap">5<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/d.gif" alt="d" /></span> to double him up.</p> <p>The Aussie cheering squad went absolutely mad for their lucky hero, and Nam must have been sick to his stomach. The skilled Korean never quite seemed to recover; he would be eliminated in the next 30 minutes of play.</p> <p></p> <p>That left the heads-up match between stoic young Korean Noh and the run-god Aussie Marcus. The match, a post-marathon marathon, would drag on for three more hours.</p> <p>The two players seemed very evenly matched - every time one player started pulling away, the other would close the gap and draw even in chips.</p> <p>Finally, even the skillful play of Noh couldn't stand up to Marcus' insane run of luck. In the final hand Marcus shoved with <span class="nowrap">9<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/d.gif" alt="d" /> 7<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/d.gif" alt="d" /></span> on a board of <span class="nowrap">8<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/h.gif" alt="h" /> 6<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/s.gif" alt="s" /> 3<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/c.gif" alt="c" />,</span> and Noh called with <span class="nowrap">J<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/c.gif" alt="c" /> 8<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/d.gif" alt="d" /></span> for top pair. This time around Marcus wouldn't even need to see the river, as the <span class="nowrap">T<img src="http://www.pokerlistings.com/images/deck/d.gif" alt="d" /></span> dropped on the turn to eliminate Noh and give Marcus the title.</p> <p>Marcus received $162,856 for his efforts at the final table, and should probably thank the poker gods nonstop for the next six months.</p> <p>That's it for us at APPT Manila. It was a roller-coaster of a tournament with some incredibly long days and some epic bad beats. It was a well-run tournament in a very exotic locale and we suggest any interested players try to qualify for the Season 3 event.</p> <p>Check back in December for PokerListings' live coverage of the APPT Grand Final in Sydney. See you next time, folks!</p><p>&nbsp;</p><br /> Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com">PokerListings.com</a> info@www.Pokerlistings.com News Mon, 17 Nov 2008 07:47:18 +0100 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/appt/2008/van-marcus-runs-over-appt-manila-final-table