Player News

Paul Volpe: I Just Knew That I Was Going to Do Good

Tue, 14 May 2013 08:59:29 -0700

That turned out to be a bit of a mis-read.

It seems like a ludicrous argument today given the sheer volume of online pros who have stepped right into the live game over the last half decade and, well, crushed it.

Add Paul Volpe to that list. An legend online under his "paulgees81" nickname with over $4m in tourney cashes, Volpe has made his mark on the live circuit in a big way over the last 10 months.

Starting with a 20th-place finish in the Main Event last summer, Volpe's been on a $1.5m+ tear including back-to-back WPT final tables in California (one a title chop at the LAPC) and a side-event win/deep run in the EPT Grand Final this week.

Showing he hasn't lost any of his online chops, he even beat Shaun Deeb heads-up yesterday to win his first SCOOP title.

PokerListings Denmark reporter Thomas Hviid caught up with Volpe in Monaco, in his ubiquitous Philadelphia Phillies hat of course, to find out how he's made the transition so successfully.

At the 2012 Main Event where Volpe finished 20th.

PokerListings: You've been very successful in 2013. What's the reason for your success this year?

Paul Volpe: I think I have definitely become better live. When you're an online player you're still playing your online style and it was a slow process to change from online to live.

I just knew that I was going to do good and I made a lot of good runs but not getting the big score. Finally in the summer I got 20th in the Main Event at the WSOP, which was good although not the biggest score.

I felt like I played very well throughout the tournament and that encouraged me to keep it going and then I also had another strong run in the next tournament, the WPT at Parx.

In February I decided at the last minute to go to California and luckily I did. I ran really well at the L.A. Poker Classic and chopped it and then I went on to the Bay 101 Shooting Stars and got 3rd in that.

I’ve just been lucky to run good and things were coming together and now I hope it keeps on rolling.

PL: Have you changed anything special in your game?

PV: When I play 20 or 30 big blinds I'm re-shoving a lot less, so I've learned to protect my stack when I'm short. Instead of just shoving maybe 18 big blinds with certain hands I might raise and try to steal the blinds and fold if somebody shoves.

If I have chips I'm still pretty aggressive but I've learned how to preserve my tournament life.

Two deep WPT runs kept the momentum going.

At the EPT Grand Final I was also short two full days and I still ended up with 20th which was pretty decent. I lost with kings to ace-nine with 25 big blinds and I'm sure that I would have gotten much further if I would have won that pot.

PL: You've mostly been playing in the US but now you're also playing most of the EPTs. Why did you decide to try your luck in Europe?

PV: I had never been outside North America and then I decided to go to EPT Prague with my best friend from back home, ‘dipthrong’ (Mark Herm). He final tabled the main event and I had a few cashes, so it was a very good start for us.

After that I went back to the US and did good in the two big WPT events and then I decided at the last minute to go to EPT London where I got fourth in the High Roller. I won a package to EPT Berlin and then we went on to Monaco after staying in San Remo.

PL: The WSOP is coming up soon. What are your plans for this year?

PV: The same as every year, playing a ton of events. A buddy of mine lives in Vegas and has a place at Panorama Towers, so I will be staying at his place which is really good instead of having a hotel.

I play mixed games so I will probably play around 30 bracelet events. Hopefully it goes well.

PL: And hoping to get your first bracelet?

Back on the bracelet grind this summer.

PV: Of course, that's why everyone is going. That will be huge.

PL: You're currently without a sponsor after breaking with Lock Poker. Is it a goal for you to get a sponsor?

PL: You would love for someone like PokerStars to sponsor you, but it's really super tough right now since they're not so interested in American players at the moment. Every poker player desires to get paid for playing poker so of course it would be nice.

Things were a little rocky at Lock Poker so I decided just to stop. I wasn’t fully involved there so I didn’t really know what was going on, but the truth is that I haven’t been promoting the brand for the past six months. I also haven’t been paid for months so I just cut the ties eventually.

I honestly don’t believe the site is going down. I think they still got money and I believe that they're really having problems with paying out the money. I really hope that's the case.

If they would be broke – I don’t know, none of the pros would know. That's like asking Johnny Lodden about how much PokerStars have in their accounts, he doesn’t know.

It's the same thing with Lock, as a pro you don’t see the details and the numbers coming in, no one really knows. The owners are saying that the money is there and the problems will be resolved soon.

You can only hope that this is the truth.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Hellmuth Makes Statement After UB Tapes Released

Sun, 12 May 2013 11:35:58 -0700

The tapes, which were recorded five years ago and involved Hamilton and members of UB's management/legal team discussing the extent of the cheating and plans to cover it up, were released on Friday night by Travis Makar, Hamilton's former computer specialist.

In the recorded meeting Hamilton admits to using super user accounts to steal money from players and says he both had no plans to repay the money and that much of it was distributed back into other player accounts and to the company's marketing efforts.

Members of the UB management team, including Greg Pierson, were present and recorded saying they hoped to minimize the damage to the company's reputation and limit the company's repayment to $5 million. Over $20 million was eventually refunded to cheated players.

Duke: Saw hole cards as "commentator only."

Duke, Hellmuth Named in Tapes

Also mentioned in the tapes were the two most prominent faces of Ultimate Bet -- sponsored pros Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth.

Hamilton referred to Duke knowing and using "God mode" to see other players' hole cards but only on a 15-minute delay.

Duke responded to the accusation on Twitter by saying she did use it to commentate on UB tournaments, which is standard practice.

I had access to the delayed viewing of cards only for a few UB tournament events where i was a radio commentator.

— Annie Duke (@AnnieDuke) May 12, 2013

This delayed viewing was made this public during those broadcasts and is standard practice for WSOP commentators for live events also.

— Annie Duke (@AnnieDuke) May 12, 2013

Hellmuth wasn't implicated in the meeting as knowing anything about the cheating and in fact was discussed as a threat to keeping it under wraps if he found out. A strategy was also discussed to keep Hellmuth in the dark.

"I've never been more wrong about anything in my life."

In response to the tapes, Hellmuth released a statement today via his agent Brian Balsbaugh, who sent it to noted poker social media guru Kevmath. An excerpt:

"I've made a living off of reading people at the poker table and in the business world. Trusting my gut has allowed me to be at the top of my profession and develop a lifetime of friends and great experiences.

"Unfortunately, I made a horrible read regarding my relationship with the founders of the now defunct online poker site Ultimate Bet.

"I trusted their team and believed in their ability to run a first class website and business. Most importantly, I allowed them to convince me that they were honest and forthright. I've never been more wrong about anything in my life.

"When I became aware of the cheating scandal, I immediately insisted that everyone be paid back and whoever was responsible be banished from the company. At the time, I was led to believe that if I left UB right away the business would be impacted and then less likely to pay it's obligations to the victims.

"As such, I made the decision to believe the leaders of UB and stayed on in the hopes that they would make right to anyone cheated."

Read Hellmuth's full statement here. Listen to the complete audio tape of the first 3-hour meeting here.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Alex Bilokur: Russian Mystery Man Plays for Results, Not Money

Sat, 11 May 2013 16:15:30 -0700

It was just the beginning.

Just three years later Bilokur prefers playing only the biggest High Roller events in the world - one of which, the $25k High Roller at the PCA in 2012, he won for over $1.1 million.

He followed that up last August with a runner-up finish in the €10k EPT Barcelona High Roller for €295,451, pushing his career earnings up over $2m.

Today, he's fifth overall with just 12 players left in the €25k High Roller at the EPT Grand Final and in position for another big score.

So who exactly is this guy? PokerListings Russia's Artur Kurvits caught up with Bilokur on a break in Monte Carlo to find out just what success in poker means to the 37-year-old Muscovite.

PokerListings: Alexey, how did you get into poker? What inspired you to make such a move at not such a young age?

Alex Bilokur: Everything started pretty easy. When I was studying at the Military Academy, it was 15 years ago, we played poker often or other card games. I liked it a lot, as all gambling games.

Surprise PCA win worth $1.1 million.

Then I had no opportunity to play seriously, so I went into business and started my own. But after graduation as an MBA Executive I had some free time since I reallocated some of the responsibilities to subordinates.

Now I can devote time to go to tournaments and play there.

PokerListings: What attracted you to poker?

AB: I love this game. Actually I had no real conditions to start a poker career. Sure I played some online poker but I didn't have any special results - I was just break-even.

In 2010 I went to EPT Berlin, won a side-event for €2,000 and began to play more. Although poker is still a hobby for me.

PL: It's that simple?

AB: Yes, there was no history of incredible stories, it just happened. At first, it was more for fun and then I began to learn the game, understand it more and wanted to succeed in poker.

All the time you have to move forward. I noticed an athletic component of the game and since I had played sports all my life - mostly boxing and football - I liked the atmosphere of the competition.

PL: What is poker for you now?

AB: This is a favorite game. It’s not a job. But to be a tournament player - it's not "fun" necessarily but it is rather pleasant - more like a "heavy" form of recreation.

PL: How do you divide your time between business and poker?

Bilokur's lucky white glasses.

AB: Now, probably 70 to 30 in favor of business.

PL: Do you plan a list of poker tournaments that you will play in advance, or it depends on the business?

AB: I'm still the owner of the business, so I can plan my schedule as I want. The EPT doesn't have too many stops and all of them are in my favorite cities, so I'm happy to play all of them.

PL: I see you always in the same white glasses. Lucky ones? How did you feel about superstitions in poker?

AB: Glasses – yes, I hope at least that they are lucky. I like them, they're a simple and cheap but they grew on me. I love them and always play in them.

Although I usually wear other glasses, I play in these.

As for superstitions, some of my friends say they won't shave during the tournament, or change clothes, but I do all of these things. None of these will bother me.

PL: Why do you prefer to play in High Roller events?

AB: High Rollers motivate me more than Main Events. There are always only good players and you ultimately watch the game, study every action, try to guess their cards and make the right decisions.

In this case, I don't like to play Main Events because you often come across weaker players who play against the laws of logic. Sometimes I can't begin to understand where I am in a hand. And it sometimes knocks me off balance.

So playing Mains I really don't love. It's hard work, you play five long days. The element of luck is much more important than in the three-day High Roller.

PL: What qualities are needed for a High Roller event then?

AB: First of all, you need endurance and patience. In Barcelona I had it until we hit heads-up, then lost the initiative simply because of laziness, despite the fact that I felt superior to the opponent. It gave me a lesson.

Bilokur's only target for the summer.

PL: You always play with your own money and don't use backers?

AB: No, only my own expense. I prefer to back some other Russian players.

PL: Why is that? Why is backing so popular among Russian players?

AB: This is more a factor of friendly support. I have a lot of players or friends only supported in order to enable them to participate in the tournament.

Not on the basis of their ability or skills, but only because they are my friends. For me, the financial component is secondary. I'm not trying to make money with backing, this is for me only fun.

PL: How do you spend your prize money?

AB: That money has nothing to do with my business. I try to separate poker and business. So this money goes to support friends and for my next buy-ins and poker series. Everything remains in the poker industry.

PL: Will you make it to the WSOP this summer?

AB: Sure, the goal is clear - Las Vegas, I will play a lot of tournaments. I just want to win a bracelet.

The point is not in the money. As I said, the financial component for me is not important, the main thing is the result.

Tune in to the EPT Grand Final live stream right here on PokerListings for bonus coverage of the High Roller final table tomorrow.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Andrew Pantling: If I Didn't Find Poker, Poker Would Have Found Me

Thu, 09 May 2013 16:46:47 -0700

Those in the know, though, see the name Pantling on their table draw - either Andrew or his brother Wes - and see a very, very tough out.

Both have long lists of big results both online and live with Andrew, among several impressive scores, finishing runner-up to Phil Laak for a bracelet at the 2010 WSOPE.

He's in the mix for another big score again at the 2013 EPT Grand Final with a massive 943,000-chip stack heading into Day 4, trailing only chip leaders Johnny Lodden and Steve O'Dwyer.

PokerListings Denmark reporter Thomas Hviid caught up with Pantling on the last break of the day to find out more about his boom-or-bust tourney style, his career in poker and his brother's experience at a now-infamous Partouche Poker Tour final table.

PokerListings.com: You're doing really well here in Monte Carlo this year. You also went deep here last year and the year before you won the 5k NLHE heads-up. Do you have a special relationship with Monte Carlo?

Near miss for Pantling at 2010 WSOPE.

Andrew Pantling: Yes, I just feel really relaxed and comfortable in this poker room. I like Monte Carlo, the nice weather – in other places I don’t always feel that way.

I think that when I'm comfortable and feeling good I play better and get a bit more lucky. And that is the key, I have been lucky here.

PL: You have a bit of a boom-or-bust-style. What is your strategy for an event like this?

AP: I don't play a huge amount of tournaments and never really have. I don't even play much poker anymore.

Usually when I come to these tournaments I’m on business, so I tend to play an aggressive style where I either get eliminated on Day 1 and can get back to work or I go deep.

Fortunately, the latter has happened so far this tournament.

PL: You currently live in London and you used to live in Malta and Australia. How important is poker in your life at the moment?

AP: I used to play a lot of poker, but now I am working at Matchbook, a betting site, so I only get time to play a few tournaments a year.

I tend to go the ones where the big sports bettors are and also the ones I like, so I go to Australia and Monte Carlo and some local tournaments in the London area.

PL: Your brother Wesley is also a talented poker player. Is he also in London?

Goes big or goes home.

AP: My brother lives in the Far East, he is in Hong Kong and Macau most of the time. He is a very talented cash-game player and a bit younger than me, so he really loves poker and is doing really well.

PL: How did you guys start playing poker?

AP: We didn’t come from a poker family at all. My parents aren’t card players; my dad is a musician, my mom is an artist.

I like to say that “if I wouldn’t have found poker, poker would have found me." I was always inclined with math and gambling and I like to at least think that I have an edge when I gamble.

That's what drove me to poker and when the online poker boom happened I was there to be the beneficiary of that.

PL: Your brother was on the famous final table at the Partouche Poker Tour where two players were eventually caught cheating. Did any of you have any suspicion about that at the time?

AP: You know, it's funny. He might not want me to say this, but he probably wouldn’t mind.

The final table was delayed two or three months, which gave people time to prepare the cheating. Wesley went there to play, and I went there to sweat, and when he got knocked out, he came to me and said 'These two guys are working together. I can’t prove it, I don’t know what they are doing, but they are working together.

'Every break they were talking and whispering, they had awkward pauses, awkward stares. I don’t know how, but I think they are cheating.'

We had forgotten about it and a few years had passed, so when that video came out we weren’t totally surprised. But we can't be bitter about it.

More a Monte Carlo guy than a Vegas guy.

It cost him a lot of money and a lot of equity, but he is a gracious kid and he has let it go and moved on to bigger and bigger things.

PL: You have made quite a few cashes at the WSOP, including a second place at the WSOPE. Are you going for a bracelet this year in Las Vegas?

AP: I don’t intend to play this year at all. We have my first son on the way, so I’m going to be home in Canada preparing for that.

I also don't feel as comfortable in Las Vegas as I do in Monte Carlo. The huge heat, the Rio isn’t the nicest place to play – I just don’t really enjoy myself. So I don’t see myself playing the WSOP in the foreseeable future.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Demidov Reinventing Himself as Zoom Grinder, Office Manager

Thu, 09 May 2013 14:22:00 -0700

Demidov told PokerListings Russia reporter Artur Kurvits that after "seeing almost everything" in poker and becoming financially secure, staying motivated has been a challenge.

To fight this Demidov and a group of friends have formed a poker office to help improve their games, a trick he learned in his days as a pro video gamer.

Keep reading for the full interview from the floor at the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo.

PokerListings.com: In the spring you posted on PokerStars blog that you would open a "poker office" in Moscow. Has this happened?

Ivan Demidov: Actually the situation with the office now is ok. The guys are already living there, playing, and I'm doing it with them.

PL: And who are they?

ID: It started with some of my old friends. Before my poker pro career I was a professional player in cybersports (computer games), and we had a very good team.

At that time we went to a club in the morning to play and practice. As a result, there was a cool atmosphere that allowed us not to lose interest in the game.

It was extra motivation for all of us due to the fact that we could constantly train and play together. In Russia we had the best team, and in the world we became very successful.

PL: And you think the same thing could work in poker?

ID: I think any poker player who has been playing for more than five years has had some trouble with staying motivated.

Now I have no money dependence on the game. It used to be simple before: win in poker - have money for food today, don't win – no money. Therefore, there's less motivation when playing for many years and seeing almost everything in poker.

So I decided that if we can revive that atmosphere, it will be good for poker and for me. And for my friends who can help in this way.

Demidov lost the world championship heads-up against Peter Eastgate.

PL: How much time do you spend in the office now?

ID: When I’m in Moscow then a lot of time. Usually, from 1 pm till late … around 11 pm.

PL: Was this the only reason to create the office?

ID: Poker has become quite complicated. It is necessary to spend a lot of time to be a professional.

Meanwhile I need to find a way to spend a lot of time playing poker, but still have enough time for my family.

PL: What's the balance like?

ID: Ideally, I should spend more time with family, but then I won’t be successful in poker.

I need time not only for playing poker, but also for the analysis of hands and improving my skills. So it is good to observe the proportion in the side of poker 80 to 20, or 70 to 30.

However, I'll probably play less poker than necessary. At least for now my plan is to spend about 70% of my time playing poker.

PL: Another topic that you recently blogged about is your specialization in poker. Did you find it?

ID: I'm trying to play online Zoom cash. I like it, but I do not fully understand the level of earnings that I can receive from it in the future.

Demidov recommends Zoom Poker for beginners.

I played one and a half months, with breaks for EPT Berlin and here in Monte Carlo, so I didn’t play tons of hands yet.

PL: Why did you choose Zoom for this?

ID: The largest number of hands per hour, plus I don’t depend on the game, as it is in tournaments. In Zoom I can leave the table any time.

For me, it's the optimal way. It is also the best format for practice. But in terms of earnings I'm still not sure I made the right decision.

Of course, I had a big break in the online cash game and I understand that I will not win a lot at once. In tournaments it's much easier to win now, and just easier to get to that level of 'beating the tournaments' than in cash.

So I am now thinking on what to choose in the end. But in the meantime I'm going to try Zoom.

PL: Do you suggest it for beginners?

ID: I would recommend it, especially in terms of practice. But you have to understand that in Zoom you are not playing with the same people all the time, it's more a mathematical game.

This is for those who want to learn how to play poker in the mathematical style, the percentage of check-raises on the river, correct ranges in all streets and so on.

And if you want to improve your game mentally, learn how to read an opponent to guess his hand, it doesn't work in Zoom. You should play tournaments.

PL: This Grand Final started awfully for you (fast out on Day 1b). What are your plans now?

ID: I want to play more here, the €2,000 tournament tomorrow and maybe a satellite to the high roller. Then summertime and Vegas.

At the WSOP I want to play a lot of tournaments. Actually I started to play more seriously online cash one and a half months ago just to get in shape before Vegas.

A lot of hands is a big help. More hands played online make it easier to play live. You feel more confident and make less stupid moves. So I hope to come in in good shape to WSOP.

Although, when there are thousands of people playing I'll still need some luck.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Lodden: Norwegian Taxes, Mafia Bad for Poker

Wed, 08 May 2013 12:10:00 -0700

Lodden is currently gunning for over €1.2 million at the EPT Grand Final but he took a few minutes to speak with Danish PokerListings reporter Thomas Hviid about poker in Norway, plus his plans to shoot a reality TV show this summer in Las Vegas.

PokerListings.com: A lot of good players are coming out of Norway but live poker is illegal there. Is it tough getting experience?

Johnny Lodden: We play online and we do also get to play live poker in illegal clubs. Nowadays it is really hard with the legislation and the mafia coming in and taking over some of the clubs in Norway.

Now we have started up a new club which is really nice, but of course we don't have as many players as before.

When they know the mafia might be involved and they have families they don't want to play anymore and risk anything.

PL: There's a general election in Norway this year and some parties have already said that they want poker to be legalized. Will it happen?

Actually, the favorites to win the elections (Høyre) have gone back on it. Their youth section went out and said that they want poker to be legal and to allow casinos, but the leaders of the party said a few days ago that they will not vote for making it legal.

Lodden dreams of a Norway geared more towards poker players.

So it looks like it will take at least another four years and that is really bad for Norwegian poker. Poker's so popular to play and Norwegians in general love to play and have a lot of money and time to gamble.

Just look at the Norwegian Championship in March which was held in Dublin. The Main Event was the biggest tournament in the whole of Europe with around 1,200 players, and you even had to be Norwegian to play.

Just imagine if it would have been possible to hold this event in Oslo.

PL: So you can't play live poker legally and half of your winnings go to taxes – what's fun about being a poker player in Norway?

Nothing (laughs)! it's not good at all, we have everything against us.

It is annoying to pay so much tax, but I do not mind paying my taxes since I live in a country where everyone pay taxes, that is how it is.

However, I would like a tax system where you pay less tax on your winnings and where you can tell the authorities that you did not win anything this year so you cannot pay taxes.

Right now they say that you have been winning ten years straight so you have to pay, since you are a professional and you have to win.

PL: I know you also have to pay a lot in tax if you should win anything at the WSOP. Do you still plan to go there this year?

Yes, I am going there to play a few events, the Main Event of course and the $10k PLO and the Open-Face Chinese tournament. I'm going there quite late so it will only be for those three tournaments.

It is a bit annoying with the taxes in Vegas for me. For example when I went deep in the Main Event a couple of years ago, I got the same money ($317,161) as William Thorsen from Sweden, who is a good friend of mine.

At the cashier he was standing next to me and I got paid around $200.000 and he gets the full amount, and I was just thinking “What the f…”.

PL: So does it still have any value for you to play in the Main Event?

The Main Event always has a lot of value and if you get paid it's always a lot of money.

This year PokerStars have rented a big house, almost a castle, with three pools and private beach, where I will be staying with some Norwegian celebrities and qualifiers.

We'll be making a TV-show there and hopefully have a lot of fun.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Greenstein: "When People Start Telling Me I'm Senile, I'll Quit"

Tue, 07 May 2013 15:20:00 -0700

PokerListings.dk reporter Thomas Hviid caught up with Greenstein while he was filming a segment for PokerStars TV today at the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo.

In this new interview Greenstein gives us his take on US online poker regulation, how the WSOP has changed in the 10 years since Moneymaker won plus an inside look at his son Joe Sebok's recent run-in with a group of sextortionists.

PokerListings.com: What's your take on the first regulated online poker site getting up and running in Nevada?

Barry Greenstein: As you know I represent PokerStars, and obviously we want poker to become legal in the entire US like it used to be. And we want PokerStars to be able to operate there.

The judgment was handed down that it was probably already legal but at some point we were expecting federal legislation where you had to apply for some sort of license to run a poker site. In the interim, individual states are saying that poker is legal in our states and you have to apply for a license.

It looks like Ultimate Poker has a good initial start and what we are hoping will happen is that people will see that there is no scary stuff going on.

Usually, our biggest opponents in poker are people involved in other forms of gambling - even casino operators, they don’t want people to play online, they want them to play in casinos of course.

PL: Was it good news or bad news that Ultimate Poker were first to launch in Nevada?

I can see good news and bad news in it. The bad thing was that we (PokerStars) are not involved, but I think that we have taken a position that is more important.

Eventually, there will be federal legislation and then hopefully PokerStars will apply for a license and be accepted.

"Eventually, there will be federal legislation."

PL: What are your plans for the WSOP?

I've gone every year since 1991 and I will of course go this year and play a lot of events and cash games. I haven’t singled out any special events but once the WSOP starts I just show up and play whatever event is going on and when I get knocked out I go see what else is going on.

So I don't really make plans for the World Series, except for the Main Event and usually the $50k Players Championship.

PL: This WSOP will be the 10 year anniversary of Chris Moneymaker's win. How has the WSOP developed since then?

In the player’s council we have made sure that the WSOP is not totally dominated by No-Limit Hold’em.

I think we’ve done a good job in incorporating new games like a mixed game with Badugi, so we just try to stay current with what the most popular games are. We’ve adjusted to the online poker players where we have more six-handed types of events so we have done that to accommodate the players.

PL: How do you see your role in poker today?

My role in poker is that I am one of the old guys who have seen poker for some 40 years. Hopefully, that means that because of my experience I have some things to offer.

On the other hand, I am sure some people think that I am not in touch or over the hill, and why is this old guy telling us stuff when we know better.

The sextortion scheme contributed to Sebok leaving poker.

I do think that I still have something to offer. When people start telling me that I'm senile and all that, then I will stop.

PL: Can you give a comment regarding the sextortion case which your stepson Joe Sebok was involved in?

About 3-4 years ago somebody hacked into his email and went through his personal messages. I guess he had some nude pictures of his girlfriend and stuff like that and they tried to blackmail him with that.

They were really getting mean and threatening him while doing the same to some other poker players, which I will not name.

I do not have nude pictures of myself in my email – people will be happy to know – but we probably all have an email that we wouldn’t want to have out publicly. So pretty much everyone can be the target for this kind of blackmail.

Joe wasn’t going to pay these people money even though others did, and he was fortunate to know someone who knew someone at the FBI. They found out that this was much bigger than they thought and these guys behind the blackmail had been going after a lot of online poker players.

The FBI took it very seriously and told Joe to string these guys along and pretend to meet their demands. The guys were really cocky in the beginning and really violent in their language, but eventually the FBI tracked them down and got them.

One of the guys was really a psychopath where after he got busted he still tried to do it again to someone else.

Joe didn’t really want to testify since he felt bad that one of them had a family and was 39 or so, but the FBI told him that they really needed his testimony.

I haven’t read all the stuff online, but Joe told me that people claimed that he blew it all out of proportion, but they don’t realize that the testimony was really relevant and important for this case to put them behind bars.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

The Proust Questionnaire: Jonathan Duhamel

Sun, 05 May 2013 10:54:41 -0700

You'd be right. Very, very right.

Despite a few major bumps in the road, the 2010 WSOP Main Event champ is truly living his dream out on the international poker circuit.

Our colleague at PokerListings France, Fred Guillemot, caught up with Duhamel at a recent EPT stop for a round with the always-popular Proust Questionnaire.

Based on his answers it seems like the only way his life could be any better is if he was a flying hockey legend who partied a little less. So yeah. Good life.

Questionnaire below; find out more on the classic Proust Questionnaire right here.

Need for speed

PokerListings: If you were an animal, what would you be?

JD: I'd say a jaguar, just because I could run super fast.

PL: If you were a country?

JD: Spain. Barcelona is probably my favorite city in the world, I just love going there.

PL: If you were a city?

JD: Barcelona then.

PL: If you were a poker tournament?

JD: I think I just have to pick the World Series Main Event.

PL: If you were a card?

JD: The 8 of diamonds because of the hand I played against Matt Affleck in the Main Event 2010.

Plan B.

I got really lucky. There were about fifteen players left, I was all-in on the turn, ten outs, and I got that 8 of diamonds on the river, making me win a really big pot.

PL: If you were another famous person?

JD: I'd say Wayne Gretzky, the best hockey player in history.

PL: If you were another poker player?

JD: Probably Phil Ivey.

PL: If you were a movie?

JD: There's a movie I found pretty trippy, it's 300.

PL: If you were a sport?

JD: Ice hockey, obviously.

PL: Beside poker, what's your favorite addiction?

JD: Enjoying my life, always trying to have fun.

PL: What's your favorite song?

Plan J.

JD: It's My Life by Bon Jovi was really important to me when I was young and all rebellious.

PL: What's your favourite sound?

JD: The sound the waves make on the beach.

PL: And the one you hate?

JD: The sound the slots make, even though I have to hear it pretty often.

PL: What's your favorite quality in a woman?

JD: That she smiles a lot, that she's good-natured.

PL: And in a man?

JD: Honesty.

PL: What's your main fault?

JD: I think I like parties a bit too much.

PL: What superpower would you like to have?

JD: Flying!

Living the dream, minus flying.

PL: What's your biggest fear?

JD: Having regrets.

PL: What do you hate the most?

JD: People who are two-faced.

PL: If you could change one thing about you, what would it be?

JD: I've learnt to love myself just as I am.

PL: If you hadn't become a poker player, what job would you have had?

JD: I wish I could have become a professional hockey player, but I wasn't quite good enough.

Otherwise, I think I would have liked to be my own boss, so I guess I would have set up some kind of business.

PL: What would you like to be reborn as?

JD: Like I said, I'm pretty happy with who I am. But well, let's go with Wayne Gretzky... again.

MtG Champ André Coimbra Turning $100 into $100k for Charity

Thu, 02 May 2013 10:20:00 -0700

The 2009 MtG world champion is already up over $20k which puts him well on track to hit six figures by the end of the year.

PokerListings.es writer Esther Amores spoke with the ambitious poker pro from Portugal about why he's taking on this challenge and how he plans to pull it off.

PokerListings: What are the main reasons you took on this $100k Challenge?

André Coimbra: I wanted to learn MTTs and if I’m going to do it, why not do it big-time with a big challenge? Challenges are fun, because I get a following and I feel like I’m doing it with my fans!

PL: Why did you choose this amount of money?

AC: I thought that $100 would be a good starting amount for a few reasons.

Unlike durrrr's never-ending challenges, Coimbra has a set time limit.

It allows me to move down a bit at the beginning so if things go badly I'll still be able to recover. I actually lost $30 on the first day!

Also, pretty much everyone with access to the Internet can afford a $100 deposit. So I think it’s better than starting with say $1,000. $10 is just not enough to support downswings at MTTs.

The $100K I chose because it is catchy and it’s a goal that doesn’t sound too easy for me, but at the same time doesn’t sound impossible.

I needed something that I wasn’t sure I could do, but I knew it was possible, otherwise the challenge would just be putting in the grinding hours.

PL: Will you stop playing when you reach this amount of money if this happens before the year is up?

AC: Yes, I will, because it’s pretty bad if I reach $100K for charity and then I finish the year with less! Think about it …

PL: Do you have any rules to avoid losing all the money you've won?

AC: I try to have a bankroll management plan for each type of bankroll and I post it on my blog. This way if someone is doing a similar challenge, they can just check what was I playing with a certain bankroll and do the same.

Losing all the money would be almost impossible at this point, because the less I have, the lower I play, so I would need to lose a ridiculous amount of buy-ins (thousands and thousands) to actually go broke now.

PL: What is the major risk of this challenge?

AC: I don’t feel like I’m risking much, since whatever I win, it's money that a charity organization wouldn’t have otherwise, so I think that it will make the world better.

PL: Is PokerStars promoting or sponsoring this challenge?

AC: The challenge was my idea, but I had PokerStars approval since the beginning and I’m doing it exclusively on PokerStars.

Thanks to my sponsorship I’m able to pay my bills and that allows me to donate my time to charity which is awesome!

Coimbra used his MtG winnings to fund his first online poker deposits.

PL: Do you already know which organization you'll give the money to?

No, I will be looking for organizations over the next few months and once I know which one I will give the money to, I will tell my followers on my blog.

PL: In June you will reach the halfway point of this challenge. Are you optimistic to reach at least $50k by this time?

AC: Definitely not! It’s important to understand that I’m not expected to have 20% of the money in 20% of the time. Building a bankroll isn’t linear!

You can keep reusing the profits to generate more profit and play higher and higher, so most of the profit I expect to have at the end of the challenge, where I will be playing higher and better.

PL: What kind of tournaments are you playing to pull this off?

AC: I plan to play a lot this year and take advantage of the major series and tournaments on PokerStars.

There are some tournaments with first prizes alone that would allow me to finish my challenge and even though I don’t feel like I can play the Sunday Million or the Sunday Warm-up yet since they are $215 tournaments, I’ve been playing the cheaper tournaments with $1 million guarantees.

But most of the challenge is about the daily tournaments, since these will be where I will put in the most volume. This is key since they allow me to take some shots at the super big fields, while moving the bankroll up slowly but steadily.

During May we will have the SCOOP with super soft fields and big prize pools, which might allow me to move faster in the challenge than normal.

PL: What do you want to prove/show to the people with this challenge?

AC: I don’t feel like I need to prove anything to anyone. However, I want to show that it’s possible with $100 and a lot of time and work to make a lot of money playing MTTs online.

PL: Last question, are you planning a second challenge if you complete this one?

AC: For now I’m 100% busy with the current challenge, so there is not time to think about what my next challenge might be.

One challenge at a time!

Coimbra is already up over $6k which puts him well on track to hit six figures by the end of the year.

PokerListings.es writer Esther Amores speaks to the ambitious poker pro from Portugal about why he's undertaking this challenge and how he plans to pull it off.

PokerListings: What are the main reasons you took on this $100k Challenge?

PL: Why did you choose this amount of money?

AC: I thought that $100 would be a good starting amount for a few reasons.

It allows me to move down a bit at the beginning so if things go badly I'll still be able to recover. I actually lost $30 on the first day!

Also, pretty much everyone with access to the Internet can afford a $100 deposit. So I think it’s better than starting with say $1,000. $10 is just not enough to support downswings at MTTs.

The $100K I chose because it is catchy and it’s a goal that doesn’t sound too easy for me, but at the same time doesn’t sound impossible. I needed something that I wasn’t sure I could do, but I knew it was possible, otherwise the challenge would just be putting in the grinding hours.

PL: Will you stop playing when you reach this amount of money if this happen before one year of time?

AC: Yes, I will, because it’s pretty bad if I reach $100K for charity and then I finish the year with less! Think about it …

PL: We have seen that you are reporting all the information in your blog about this challenge. Do you have any rule to avoid losing all the money that you have won?

PL: What is the major risk of this challenge?

AC: I don’t feel like I’m risking much, since whatever I win, it's money that a charity organization wouldn’t have otherwise, so I think that it will make the world better.

PL: Is PokerStars promoting or sponsoring this challenge?

AC: The challenge was my idea, but I had PokerStars approval since the beginning and I’m doing it exclusively on PokerStars.

Thanks to my sponsorship I’m able to pay my bills and that allows me to donate my time to charity which is awesome!

PL: Do you already know to which organization you will give the money?

No, I will be looking for organizations over the next few months and once I know which one I will give the money to, I will tell my followers on my blog.

PL: In June you will reach the halfway point of this challenge. Are you optimistic to reach at least $50k by this time?

AC: Definitely not! It’s important to understand that I’m not expected to have 20% of the money in 20% of the time. Building a bankroll isn’t linear!

You can keep reusing the profits to generate more profit and play higher and higher, so most of the profit I expect to have at the end of the challenge, where I will be playing higher and better.

PL: Actually, you have to reach $20k and we saw that you have also played some tournaments. Will you continue playing more tournaments?

AC: I plan to play a lot this year and take advantage of the major series and tournaments on PokerStars.

There are some tournaments with first prizes that would allow me to finish my challenge and even though I don’t feel like I can play the Sunday Million or the Sunday Warm-up yet since they are $215 tournaments, I’ve been playing the cheaper tournaments with $1 million guaranteed that PokerStars promotes from time to time.

But most of the challenge is about the daily tournaments, since these will be where I will put in the most volume, which is key since they allow me to take some shots at the super big fields, while moving the bankroll up slowly but steadily.

During May we will have the SCOOP with super soft fields and big prize pools, which might allow me to move faster in the challenge than normal.

PL: What do you want to prove/show to the people with this challenge?

AC: I don’t feel like I need to prove anything to anyone. However, I want to show that it’s possible with $100 and a lot of time and work to make a lot of money playing MTTs online.

PL: Last question, are you planning a second challenge if you get this one?

AC: For now I’m 100% busy with the current challenge, so there is not time to think about what my next challenge might be.

One challenge at a time!

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Chan: Ultimate Poker on Front Line of New Poker Boom

Wed, 01 May 2013 10:55:00 -0700

Chan, a long-time poker pro who helped launch PokerStars more than a decade ago, recently joined Ultimate Poker, the first site to offer government-endorsed real money online poker in the States.

“I haven't seen any indication at all that Black Friday is an issue for players,” Chan told PokerListings.com.

“I think we're coming out of the darkness and into the light.”

Chan, whose MMA career and poker story were featured in the latest episode of our short documentary series Easy Game, is doing everything from answering customer emails and verifying accounts to improving software and developing a rewards program.

And even though he was swamped with the UP launch he took a few minutes to give us an inside look at the Ultimate Poker setup.

PokerListings.com: Having a background in the industry, as well as playing professionally for so long, is it particularly special for you to be involved in the first regulated online poker in the US?

Terrence Chan: It's incredibly exciting.

Antonio Esfandiari has also signed on with Ultimate Poker.

I was there for the early days of unregulated online poker working in Costa Rica, and now it's come full circle to the point where I'm right here in Las Vegas, the home of gaming. It's pretty cool

PL: What's the excitement level like in the Nevada poker community and across the US?

TC: We've gotten an even bigger response than we've expected. By a lot.

People are super excited to be here, and we've had tons of folks from other states and Europe/Australia/Asia saying that they're excited to come to Vegas this summer and play online

PL: Tell us a bit about your role at UP since joining them roughly two months ago.

TC: Currently I'm doing everything there is to do. Nothing is "below me" right now.

I've spent most of my morning handling e-mails with people trying to get their ID verified. I obviously have a lot of input into how to improve the product (poker software).

Not to mention things like the VIP program, what limits to offer, what promotions to run, that sort of thing.

One of the cool things about working for a startup is that everyone has to do a little of everything

PL: What is UP focusing on and what can future users expect from the company should it expand beyond Nevada?

TC: We're going to work really hard to provide the best possible product.

It's natural for us to be compared to some of the sites that have been around a really long time and have a more mature product, but we're planning to offer a totally safe and regulated environment for people to play in, and we think they'll gravitate towards that.

"I think a lot of it, honestly, is bringing back that trust."

Other than that it's just a matter of continuous improvement - our CEO said yesterday in our internal all-hands-on-deck meeting that we're not perfect, we're not close to perfect, but we have to strive for perfection

PL: On a bigger scale, what do you see as the biggest obstacles in the way of getting the US online poker industry back to what we saw in the boom years?

TC: I think a lot of it, honestly, is bringing back that trust.

Obviously the online poker industry has been rocked by its share of scandals over the last few years and so when Joe Public hears about this kind of thing, they have serious reservations about playing online poker.

We're hoping that by being forced to conform to really stringent regulation that people will realize that you can trust your money with us and trust that you'll get a fair game

I'm really bad at making predictions with respect to the overall size of the market but I don't think there's any reason we can't return to the peaks of the boom years.

I think legal online poker is a renaissance for poker and hopefully this is a brand new poker boom entirely.

Follow the author on Google+

Follow the author on Twitter

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Jared Tendler: “Hellmuth is the Phil Mickelson of Poker”

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:00:00 -0700

Tendler's new book, co-written by Barry Carter, just hit shelves and in it he draws on the same concepts that allowed Tiger Woods to absolutely dominate the golf world in the late 90s.

In this interview Tendler explains what the zone is, how we get into it and why we should spend as much time as possible there.

PokerListings.com: Tell us about “the zone” and why it's so important.

Jared Tendler: The zone is basically the peak of your mental performance. It's the space in your own mind where everything just seems sort of easy and natural. You're making very high-level decisions very easily.

If you're a golfer your golf swing is working out and every shot's going where you want it and you're able to visualize the shot very easily.

In poker your reads are spot-on and you're able to make correct decisions easily, sometimes to the point that you're not even sure exactly why it's right.

It's like when you're putting and you just know how much the putt's going to break.

It really is like a nirvana in a sense.

It's a difficult concept, though, because it's so hard to make it happen consistently, and people think it happens kind of randomly.

They don't see the predictability associated with it. Just like there's predictability associated with getting angry or losing confidence.

PL: How do you explain the “zone” in poker terms? In sports it seems much more about muscle memory and repetition whereas poker is more a mental game.

JT: The equivalent in poker of an athlete's technique is a player's knowledge-base. The thing that's consistent between poker and sports is the mental process.

Jared Tendler teaches you how to access your entire knowledge base.

When you're in the zone you're able to use your highest level of decision-making and have full access to that technical base of knowledge.

When you're at a lower level, say you're tired or tilted, both decision-making and technical knowledge decrease.

The same way a frustrated golfer will hit a bad shot because he's unable to access that technical golf swing knowledge, a tilted poker player will make a mistake because he's not able to think through the hand properly and access that knowledge-base well enough.

PL: How big a factor in performance does this ability to play in the zone represent? Are the best athletes and poker players just that much better at consistently reaching their potential?

JT: Obviously talent is a big part of the equation here. You know, if you take someone who's playing mid-stakes poker, they don't necessarily have the talent to compete with the best no matter how well they're playing.

But if you look at the frequency at which the very best athletes and poker players are able to play in the zone, or damn close to it, it is definitely way higher than people at lower levels.

PL: We all know what it feels like to be in the zone in sports or poker, but what kind of work has been done scientifically to define it?

The Mental Game of Poker is available now.

JT: Most of the knowledge in this area that I've drawn on from the sports world has come from only 5-10 years ago.

The recent research for me has been mostly on my own sort of taking the theories I've been taught and building on them.

I talk about the Iowa Gambling Task and that's like the x-factor for understanding the zone. I've never seen those two pieces put together. It might be out there but I haven't seen it.

The thing that distinguishes the zone from every other state of mind is the access to unconscious data. So the thing that allows a golfer to just instinctively know the break on that putt, or the basketball player driving the lane to know exactly when to pass it, is access to more data.

If you don't have that you're at a knowledge deficit.

PL: So when you're in the zone you're accessing data you've taken in that your conscious mind isn't even able to process?

JT: That's exactly it.

PL: You said this understanding of the zone is relatively new. Was there someone in golf that really embraced it and kind of jumped out in front of everyone as a result?

JT: I think it had been building and then Tiger came along and sort of trumped everyone. He basically forced people to catch up mentally and physically or they were gone.

Tiger had been working with sports psychologists since he was 12 but if you look at the level of intensity and focus he brought to the game in the years like 1998-2001 it was disgusting.

Tiger spent about five consecutive years in the zone in the late 90s.

People saw him as like the only person playing nosebleeds while everyone else was playing $5/$10, and I think on a mental level he was.

Now pretty much everyone in golf works with a psychologist in one way or another but that wasn't the case before Tiger.

PL: It's a tired comparison but it seems like Phil Ivey embodies that level of intensity and focus best in the poker world. Do you think Ivey is playing at a level comparable to Tiger in his big years?

JT: I do. And you could make Hellmuth the Phil Mickelson of poker.

Hellmuth and Mickelson both have more mental game issues than Tiger and Ivey. Both Hellmuth and Mickelson are great champions, won a ton, but I don't think they have the composure and consistency that Ivey and Tiger show.

That's a testament to how good they are when they're at their best but it's almost more telling about how good they are at their worst.

It's interesting because that's where the biggest edge exists.

If you look at the best poker players or golfers in the world when they're at their best, the edges are tiny.

Like Tiger and Mickelson at their best might actually be equal. But Tiger might be three shots better when they're both at their worst.

Ivey might be a full big bet better than Hellmuth, or Galfond or whoever when they're at their worst.

But in the bigger picture it's all about being able to sustain that high level of performance by getting into the zone more frequently and staying there for longer.

Follow the author on Google+

Follow the author on Twitter

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Vanessa Rousso Mixing, Mastering Poker and DJing

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:35:00 -0700

She also plays ten instruments, composes music and DJs.

PokerListings France's Fred Guillemot caught the rising poker star on a break at EPT London last month to find out how she keeps all those plates spinning.

PokerListings: You seem to be a bit of a jack-of-all-trades, which is really impressive. Music, politics, the environment, sports, chess ...

Vanessa Rousso: I just get bored. I always need new activities, that's just my personality. I've always been like that.

PL: Where does your passion for DJing and music come from?

VR: I started learning to play the violin when I was little, I still play it.

Then, when I was 25 or 26, I discovered the drums and realized that I really liked making music. I decided to follow some of the Berkeley School of Music's programs. It's a very good school, and a lot of their programs are available through distance-learning.

So while I was traveling and playing poker, I did four of those, including music theory, composition, etc.

Now, I've composed about 200 songs and I play about ten instruments. For me, being a DJ is getting a chance to share my music. And to have lots of fun.

PL: Does your nickname “Lady Maverick” come from there?

VR: Well actually, it came up when I started playing on the Internet, because a friend of mine said that I had lots in common with the guy in Maverick. He sells shares to people so he can make it to the world championship of poker, and that's also what I had to do when I started my career.

I sold shares to all my friends at school so I could afford to go to the WPT Championship, and finished 7th for $260,000.

Rousso is touring in Europe this summer.

PL: Was meeting Lisa Pittman, the Las Vegas DJ, an important part of your choice to become a DJ?

VR: Actually, we had a friend in common. I was showing her my music, and she told me I should meet this other friend of hers who was a very famous DJ because she thought we'd get along. Turns out she was right!

PL: Your all-girl duet, Deuces, still exists?

VR: Yes, of course. We've both been super busy, but we work on it whenever we have some free time and we'll actually be touring in Europe this summer. We're going to Barcelona, Paris, etc.

PL: For those of us who may not know much about it, can you explain a bit what's the life of a DJ? What qualities do you need?

VR: I think you have to know music well, because you have to take into account on one hand the bpm, and on the other hand, the key of the music. You can't mix any two tunes together, they have to be in the same key.

That's why I think it's important to know music theory. And then you also have to know the people, instinctively know what they like and want.

PL: What qualities can be useful both in poker and in DJing?

VR: I think that DJs need to be able to read people too. Again, you need to know what they want so you can pace the party properly, know when to calm things down.

"I used to only play classical music when I was young, but I'm beyond that now."

It's also very important to be able to control your emotions and have stamina.

PL: You were the DJ at the PCA party last year. Would you like to do it again?

VR: Yeah, I'd love to. It was really fun and I felt really proud – all my friends were there and told me they enjoyed it.

PL: So, you're a good violinist also?

VR: Yes, I used to only play classical music when I was young, but I'm beyond that now. Now I play, I compose, I produce.

PL: I can't help but compare you to another violinist, Lindsey Stirling. She mixes her violin in electronic music.

VR: Ah, yes. I like mixing my violin into my songs too, I've done it on some songs that I haven't put on the Internet yet.

I really like what Lindsey Stirling does. I think it's super interesting.

PL: Who are your musical influences?

VR: Moby, French house, AVICII, and a lot of others. But I'd say they're the main ones.

PL: Can you give us your top 5 songs?

VR: Buffalo Springfield – For What It's Worth

AVICII - Levels

Moby – Porcelain

Ulrich Schnauss – Paracetamol

Massive Attack – Teardrop

PL: You've also done some modeling. Is fashion important to you?

VR: Yes, I love fashion, but I hate shopping. To me, they're two very different things. I love being stylish, I love to have my own style, but shopping is just boring. It takes so much time.

PL: Fashion, poker, DJing... Is it hard to reconcile the three?

VR: No, it's ok. I have a lot of projects in all three, but it all takes time. But over time, I'm hoping I can do it all.

For now, music is my number one priority, but I don't have a lot of free time.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Former Poker Pro Sebok Targeted by ‘Sextortion’ Scheme

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 07:40:43 -0700

The two men, Tyler Schrier and Keith James Hudson, were sentenced to prison terms yesterday, according to an article by Reuters.

The extortion scheme occurred in the fall of 2010 with Schrier and Hudson threatening to post naked photos and private emails if Sebok and the other victims didn’t pay hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Sebok claimed that he and other victims saw their lives “altered and shattered in irreparable ways” by the crime. He also maintained it hurt his ability to earn a living as a poker pro.

"In short, I was no longer able to maintain my then-current level of participation in the poker industry, representing the brands that I had been previously, as well as greatly destroying my ability to do so with new companies moving forward," Sebok said, according to U.S. Attorney spokesman Thom Mrozek.

Hudson, Schrier to Spend Years in Prison

Schrier and Hudson opted to plead guilty in the case. Schrier was sentenced to 42 months in prison while Hudson will do two years.

Prosecutors said that prior to the Sebok case, Schrier extorted more than $26,000 from poker pros in exchange for not revealing their online poker activities.

Ryder Finney, a third defendant, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy in connection with the scheme. He will be sentenced later this year in Philadelphia.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

The Proust Questionnaire: Bertrand 'ElkY' Grospellier

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:54:54 -0700

Former Starcraft king turned tournament crusher/PokerStars pro, the many-hued Grospellier has been a fixture on the poker circuit - and in the winner's circle - from the second he found the game.

With over $10 million in career earnings ElkY's firmly in the top 20 poker earners of all-time, and despite a comparatively limited number of huge scores lately he shows no sign of giving up his spot anytime soon.

Also one of the most fun-loving pros on tour, our colleague at PokerListings France Fred Guillemot caught up with him at a recent tour stop for a round with the always-popular Proust Questionnaire.

Results below; find out more on the classic Proust Questionnaire right here.

ElkY the Lion.

PokerListings.com: If you were an animal, what would you be?

Bertrand Grospellier: A lion.

PL: If you were a country...

BG: The United States.

PL: If you were a city...

BG: Hong Kong.

PL: If you were a poker tournament...

BG: The WSOP Main Event.

PL: If you were a poker card...

BG: The ace of spades.

PL: If you were a movie...

BG: The Dark Knight.

ElkY the Joker.

PL: If you were a sport...

BG: Tennis.

PL: Besides poker, what's your favorite addiction?

BG: (smiling) Caffeine.

PL: If you were a fictional character...

BG: Batman.

PL: What's your favorite song?

BG: At the moment, it's Follow Me by Muse, probably because it's their latest single. I just love that band.

PL: What's your favorite sound?

BG: The sound it makes when people fold on the Internet.

PL: And the one you hate?

Elky the hard charger.

BG: “Raise!” (laughs)

PL: What's your favorite quality in a woman?

BG: Loyalty, I guess.

PL: And in a man?

BG: The same.

PL: What's your main fault?

BG: Oh, I have a lot of these... I guess I have a hard time being mild, I'm always at 100% for everything. It can be a good thing, but more often than not it's not.

PL: Which fault do you forgive most easily?

BG: Excessive self-confidence.

PL: What's your favorite word?

BG: “Love.”

ElkY the raiser.

PL: And what's the one you hate?

BG: “Impossible.”

PL: Which superpower would you like to have?

BG: I think being able to stop time would be nice.

PL: What's your biggest fear?

BG: I used to be very scared of heights, before my jump in Macau, but I'm better now.

I managed to do it because my coach was there, and I was pumped. Plus the guys from PokerStars in Asia pushed me because they'd told the media that I was going to do it, so everyone was there to see me.

I was petrified, but actually, once you're falling, even head-first, it's far less scary. It’s psychological, because it is obviously safe, nothing can really happen.

PL: What do you hate the most?

ElkY the winner.

BG: Lack of honor and values.

PL: If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

BG: Honestly, I'd like to change a lot of things. But I think it's all my experiences and decisions that have made me who I am today, so I'm not sure I want to change that.

BG: You know, I don't want some sort of butterfly effect, where you just change one little thing and everything's different.

PL: If you hadn't become a poker player, what would you have liked to do?

BG: Formula 1 driver, or actor. That's what I wanted to do when I was young. Or chemist.

PL: If God exists, what would you like Him to tell you when you die?

BG: “Congratulations!”

PL: What would you like to be reborn as?

BG: I love cats, so a cat I think.

Brazilian Football Legend Ronaldo Signs with PokerStars

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 07:30:40 -0700

Brazilian football legend Ronaldo Nazário has officially signed on as a PokerStars ambassador as announced yesterday via the PokerStars Latin America blog.

The leading scorer in the history of the World Cup, a two-time world champion with the Brazilian national team and voted best player in the world by FIFA three times, Ronaldo brings a legacy of greatness to the poker table.

"I always try to deliver my best in everything, in football and in life," Ronaldo told the PokerStars blog.

"Poker is another challenge that excites me: read the game and opponents and choose the best way to win. For some time I have been discovering the game of poker and I chose PokerStars because they bring together a community passionate about the sport.

"It also has a great team of players."

Jose del Pino, director for Latin America at PokerStars, says adding Ronaldo to a team that already includes Rafael Nadal, Boris Becker and Fatima Moreira de Melo is a natural fit.

"Ronaldo symbolizes the values we seek in poker: genius, talent, dedication and the fiber you find in the great champions of the sport.

"Having Ronaldo as brand ambassador makes us proud and excited about the opportunity to help you improve your gaming skills."

Since retiring from football Ronaldo has worked primarily with his own sport entertainment agency, 9ine, which recently signed PokerStars pro Andre Akkari to its roster.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

WSOP APAC Player to Watch: Kitty Kuo

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 09:27:10 -0700

A fourth-place finish at WPT Malta last year. Twenty-eighth in the 2012 WSOPE Main Event. An impressive 17th at this year's Aussie Millions Main Event. Twenty-second at last month's EPT London.

Almost every tournament she plays lately it seems she makes a deep run ... but still falls just shy of the big payday.

We think that might change at the upcoming World Series of Poker Asia-Pacific.

Catching up with her at EPT London last month, PokerListings France's Fred Guillemot found out a bit more about the lady in pink - and how she got so good at tournament poker.

We often see you at the tournaments but we don't know much about you…

I don't normally give interviews, at least until I've won a big tournament.

You don't like interviews?

No, no, I do. But I want to wait until I win something big. I want people to know about me because of my achievements.

So how long have you been playing poker?

I lived in Macau for one year, and I lived in Las Vegas for three years. Now I'm back in Macau because of the restrictions and play cash games there. But most of the time I travel and play tournaments.

"Playing poker in China is amazing."

Would you say you're more of a tournament or cash game player?

I'd say I'm a tournament player 85% of the time. But most of the time I play online. But since cash games in Macau are very good, I play them when I don't have any tournament scheduled.

What's playing poker in China like?

Playing poker in China is amazing. If you play at $5/$10 or $10/$20, you can win 5 or 7 thousand dollars, it's very easy.

And since life in general is very cheap in Macau and the cash games are easy, all my friends live there. Not to mention that you can play online in Macau and not in the US.

I'd say that I spend 30% of my time in Macau, 20% in Las Vegas and 50% travelling.

How did you discover poker?

I was studying in Canada and went to Macau on vacation. I won a big tournament while I was there, a PokerStars tournament, and then I just kept on winning.

I played in Macau for one year. So I figured, oh well, maybe I can play poker for a living. I decided to finish school – I have a Master's degree – and then start playing and traveling the world.

What are your goals?

Here in London, I want to make it to Day 5 [ed. note: she finished 22nd and was last woman standing, just ahead of Annette Obrestad]. Otherwise, I always get unlucky at the end and finish third, fourth or fifth and I haven't won a big tournament – like an EPT or a WPT – yet. So I really want to win one.

What about the WSOP? Will you be there?

Ready for a second crack at Ivey.

Yes. I will be in Melbourne for the WSOP APAC.

I went very deep at the Aussie Million Main Event, but I was playing against Phil Ivey and got really nervous and ended up busting in 17th place.

I really hope that this time I can go very deep but I tend to get very nervous when that happens and I have to play against very good players.

It's hard to miss you since you're always wearing bright pink. Is fashion important to you at the poker table?

Yeah, because last year I went to Malta for the WPT and I was lucky enough to get to the final table.

I was wearing pink then, so I decided wearing pink was my lucky charm!

Follow Kuo's exploits live from Melbourne starting later today right here on PokerListings.com.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Esfandiari Signs with Ultimate Poker as Brand Ambassador

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 11:26:00 -0700

Winner of the largest buy-in tournament ever (the $1m Big One for One Drop) and poker's top career money-winner at over $23 million, Esfandiari has made history again by signing on as the first pro player to represent a US-licensed poker site.

UltimatePoker.com, the online poker arm of the UFC and one of the first licensed Nevada poker rooms ready to go online in 2013, announced today Esfandiari will be its first-ever Brand Ambassador.

"We're thrilled to have Antonio Esfandiari represent our company," Ultimate Poker Chairman Tom Breitling said in a release.

"Antonio is the ultimate champion and modern poker player. He brings the gaming lifestyle to the online arena with his work-hard, play-hard attitude."

Ultimate Poker is the latest venture of Ultimate Gaming, a company majority-owned by Station Casinos and one of the first companies to apply for and receive a Nevada online gaming license.

Esfandiari joins Easy Game subject and aspiring MMA pro Terrence Chan as an Ultimate Poker team member.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Jungleman Talks durrrr Challenge, Ending Deal with Tony G.

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 12:32:59 -0700

From his Twitter beef with Tom Dwan over the delayed durrrr Challenge to the dissolution of his backing deal with Tony G., Cates his taken his share of hits from the poker public.

Warranted or not, it seems to be the price you pay for being a high-profile poker genius these days.

Fresh from his fifth-place finish at the Party Poker Premier League, Cates had another deep run at WPT Venice where PokerListings Italy's Giovanni Angioni caught up with him to find out more about his recent travails.

PokerListings: Can you tell me a little bit about the tournament and how it went for you?

Dan Cates: Ah, well… I was doing pretty well in the beginning as I was winning pots, making hands but then towards the end I ran completely card dead and lost every all-in.

Missed every draw, lost every all-in, had absolutely nothing… I don’t know what else to say.

PL: How did you like Venice and where did you come from?

DC: I came from London Premier League. Venice is quite a bit more pretty than London. It was actually snowing when I got here but Venice for me is like a fantasy world.

I don’t know even how this place exists... that was my first thoughts like, wait a second – nothing makes sense – there’s buildings in the middle of the water and they are floating or whatever…

Cates on Dwan: "He is just so difficult."

PL: So first time here… How did you feel the field of players was, especially Italian players?

DC: Yes, first time here. Field was actually softer compared to other tournaments. Lot of players I didn’t recognize and a lot of stuff I didn’t recognize being done.

I mean it’s fairly a soft field but with Italian players they play different from other fields so you have to account for that too.

PL: What are your next plans, going to WPT Barcelona or maybe to WSOP APAC Melbourne?

DC: No, I will probably just stay here because I don’t want to keep on travelling. I want to be fairly consistent with my schedule and play more online. I really want to play lot of online!

PL: Ok, so let’s talk about online then… You and Tom Dwan had a little “Twitter thing” going on recently. What was that?

DC: Well. I am really trying to get our durrrr challenge going on but he is just like very uncooperative and he like… it is difficult to deal with him in general.

But I think there's a good chance that we will (play) fairly soon. Hopefully it will start soon but I am not happy how he is acting regarding the challenge.

He is just so difficult.

PL: Yeah, you said that maybe because he is down a bit he won’t play. Would you like to comment on the tweet where he says that you should send him some money?

DC: Oh, well… I think it’s not really reasonable to him to say that. Like I think it’s weird that he thinks it's a loan because that is not how I looked at it.

I should really go into details on that but I paid him adjusted anyways… It wasn’t even that much, it was like 100K or 80K, 80K because he owned me like 20 from something else.

Cates on backing deal: "I can’t stand this stress so just forget it."

But frankly since he hasn’t played against me I don’t think that his comment is really appropriate but it is no longer relevant.

It has anyways still been like four years and this guy hasn’t played and keeps putting it off. It is very frustrating.

PL: Ok, so how is your backing deal with Tony G? He said you kind of vanished so it is still going on or…?

DC: That’s misleading. It is not going on right now. Long story short there would be that we had a disagreement and, like, I don’t know… It’s another thing I really don’t want to talk too much about.

Anyways, we had a disagreement and I just kind of ended things there and I just paid him what I think he was due. I tried to work things out again but it didn’t work out again.

But we had another disagreement and I was just like “god” I can’t stand this stress so just forget it.

PL: So online poker is your main focus now?

DC: Yes, I am more or less taking my own action right now… or I sell some pieces from some games.

PL: And next thing is highroller here…

DC: Yeah, it is possible… we’ll see if it runs.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Mike Sexton: "Tournament Poker Now is Like Playing on the PGA Tour"

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 23:18:54 -0700

WSOP bracelet winner, $6 million in career earnings and still, 30 years after making his debut in the poker world, a serial casher in the toughest tournaments in the world.

If there's anyone who represents the game of poker better than Mike Sexton, on or off the felt, we're hard pressed to think of him or her.

Always a great interview, Sexton sat down at WPT Venice the other day (where he's now just off the chip lead with just 24 players left, btw) to speak with PokerListings Italy's Giovanni Angioni.

Topics ranged from his abridged military career to American politics to the toughness of the poker circuit to what to wear to a final table. Enjoy!

PokerListings: So before I get to the questions I have for you, I have to start by asking you about the event you are playing today: how’s the tournament going for Mr. Mike Sexton??

Mike Sexton: So far, so good for me.

We have one more level to go today and think I have about a little more than 80K, which is a way above average (approx. 60K). So … so far so good!

This close to going to Vietnam.

PL: How about the event overall? What’s your take on this Day 1a – are you enjoying your time here in snowy Venice?

MS: Yeah, I like it here.

I wish the field was a little bit larger but probably it will be by tomorrow so…I like it as every time I come down here. It’s a beautiful property and to me it’s always fun to play in Italy.

PL: You know, although talking to you feels like talking to poker to me, I want to jump on something totally different for a while. You devoted your life to poker and it’s really hard to imagine Mike Sexton not being the game – yet, I found that back few decades ago you were about to devote your life to something completely different. Am I correct if I say that you enrolled as a volunteer in the US Army?

MS: Yes, it is correct. You are correct

PL: Well, so – can we say that, would this have gone a little different during those years, we would not have any of this today?

MS: Sure, we can. And I can tell you that I came very close to start a military career actually: I really liked it that much.

I was a gymnast when I was young, and after college I really did not know what I wanted to. But I always wanted to jump out of planes and be a paratrooper so I joined the army to be a paratrooper and I can tell you this: I really enjoyed it. It was fun for me.

PL: Ok, but - parachutes or not, that was quite of a sensitive time. Wasn’t it?

MS: Oh yes, it was during the Vietnam War. But when you are young you don’t think about those things: you just want to do things.

You know, looking back I realize that I was lucky because the division has just came back from their second tour in Vietnam so I never had to leave for war.

Had I gone somewhere, had it gone in a different way – today everything would have a totally different outlook.

Not an Obama fan.

PL: How about seeing all this from today: would you do it again?

MS: Actually I would. Yes, I would do it again.

I enjoyed it, I believe everybody should serve 2 years in the military. I don’t care if you are serving food, if you are cleaning up or if you are out on the field – I just think everyone should do this service to the country. This is something I really believe in.

PL: This is going to be my last question about politics, I promise. During the last election you supported the Republican Party and, if I remember correctly, you also had some Twitter-talks with Doyle Brunson about Obama that were not-too-kind ...

MS: Ok, if you really have to categorize me, then I am probably a Republican more than a Democrat. Even if there are some things about the Democrats that I like … but ok, go ahead.

PL: The problem I have here, if there is even one, is that Sheldon Adelson was one of the biggest financial supporters of the last Republican campaign and his position on online poker is quite … let’s say “radical." So, how can that coexist with you under the very same Republican roof?

MS: Well, think about this: I have seen the Democrats in office for five years now and I have seen them doing nothing for online poker. So I would say that right now all politicians are afraid of stepping to the forefront.

They are afraid that religious group, protesting groups – anybody, will say “you know, this is bad for the family and blablabla” and they are afraid to take a stand on it.

What really bugs me is that – whether you like gambling or not, whether you like online poker or not, to me it’s a freedom you are being deprived of.

In the end everybody has to make a choice: obviously, if you legalize online gaming, certain people are going to spend too much money and get themselves in trouble. But they can do that now as well.

PL: Can they?

MS: Sure, they can. They can go to casinos and get broke, they can go to race tracks and get broke, they can buy lottery tickets and get broke.

Learned to bluff early on.

At some point individuals have to take responsibilities for their actions.

PL: So the moral of the story is…?

MS: The point is: if you are against gambling it’s completely fine. But you have to apply this idea to everything and get rid of poker as of lotteries, race tracks and casinos. You have to get rid of all of it.

Otherwise, you can’t say that it’s ok to play poker in a casino during the day but it’s not to do it in the evening from your very own house. That’s just insane.

PL: Yet, again, this is changing a little now that some states started legalizing online poker

MS: Yeah, it’s definitely coming and I believe that in the next year of two at least 20 states will ratify online gaming. It’s definitely going to happen, it’s just a matter of “when."

PL: You're quite an expert on European poker. You've been around Europe a lot, you always have some funny stories like when, back in the day, you bluffed your way into a tour of the suites at the Hotel de Crillon in Paris after losing all your money at the Aviation Club. How different is the way we deal with poker compared to the way Americans deal with poker?

MS: Actually there is not much difference anymore. In the past Americans they always thought they were the very best players in the world – you know that’s also because we started poker, so to speak. But the truth is that it’s not like that anymore.

There are great players in every country you go to: you know, smart guys are coming into poker in all countries. They catch on quick, they play millions of hands online, they become very good and very quickly, they understand aggressiveness and the power of being aggressive – they are sharp kids.

"Now you get literally thousands of really good players."

You know, back in my days, when guys were coming into the poker world – they were coming from a totally different background. And the kind of guys we were getting were Amarillo Slim and Puggy Pearson.

Nowadays, new poker players are university graduated kids who have been watching poker on tv for years watching other kids winning millions of dollars.

They study every aspect of the game, they learn it quickly and they are sharp .There are so many more good players today than there were some 10 or 15 years ago.

PL: Do you really find that poker changed that much in, let’s say, 20 years?

MS: I mean, I played the circuit for 15 years before television came around and I can tell you that, back then, you probably had 20 really good players – 40 at the maximum.

Now you get literally thousands of really good players and it’s just tough – it’s not easy out there.

If anybody today is thinking of coming into poker and trying to make a living through tournament poker – my suggestion is: “You better be make sure that you are so good, so sharp and have a good bankroll to sustain the ups and downs of tournament poker before you even get into it. Because otherwise it’s going to be very tough for you.

PL: In other words, you make it sound like living on the circuit is not the sexiest thing out there anymore. Am I right?

MS: You really need to be mentally strong to be a poker player for a living, especially if you want to be a tournament player.

"It’s very difficult to deal with the mental toughness of being a tournament player."

You know: profit, bad beats, it’s all there and it happens all the time. Even when you get a fourth-place you're not happy because you got a chance to win and you didn’t.

It’s very difficult to deal with the mental toughness of being a tournament player. If you're a cash player and you don’t have to travel around – then that’s different.

You play the same limits every day, mostly with the same people every day, and your bankroll is most likely going to steadily increase.

The beauty of tournament poker as we all know is that everybody wants to take a “little bit” and make a lot of money with it. Tournament poker has a lottery aspect in it and that’s what everybody loves.

Because everybody is looking for a big score and I understand that because I had the same mentality for years.

You have to be so tough mentally to deal with the life of a tournament player that I am not sure I would recommend it to anybody today, especially with all these super-players around.

You know, playing tournament poker now on the tour is like playing on the PGA golf tour: you have to be at such an elite level to make it and it’s not easy. I am telling you: it’s tough.

PL: Back on the differences between the US and Europe: what do you think about the way casinos and operators take care of players? Some people, especially from overseas, often complain that European standards are somehow lower than US ones. Is that something you agree with?

MS: Some places take care of players better than others, some appreciate players more than others.

You know, when a venue understands that most people have to travel to come to places like this one, then it usually does what’s needed to take care of players.

In this case, let’s just say that Venice has a very attractive venue but it’s not a place where you would want to bring your girlfriend. And this aspect is important.

If you're looking for a large number of people or you're looking to make a huge score, then this is probably not the venue you are going to choose.

Casual Mike.

PL: Very last question as I think people are getting back at the tables already. Tonight you're probably the only one wearing a dark suit and a tie. How about the others, how do you like the way people dress when coming to play in casinos like this one?

MS: Well, I am only wearing a tie because I did the opening of the show today and I was too lazy to walk down to the hotel and get something else on!

PL: Are you saying that, if you hadn't been too lazy, we would be now having this interview with you wearing a t-shirt and flip flops? I don’t think so.

MS: No, it’s not like that. Wednesday, when I’ll be back at the tables, I’ll probably wear something different and not have a tie on.

But, sure, should I make it to the final table, I would then wear a blazer and a shirt. At least.

I think players should wear what they want whenever they want.

PL: I am not sure you really think this way ...

MS: Well, at least throughout the week. Then, when they get to the final table – some long pants and a shirt shouldn’t be too much to ask, really. At the minimum.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Jungleman to durrrr: “Nobody Wants to Continue When They're Getting Crushed”

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 10:20:00 -0700

“He doesn't really want to play based on his actions so I thought if I called him out on Twitter he'd feel more pressure to play,” Cates told PokerListings.com's Thomas Hviid.

Last Monday Cates sent a tweet to Dwan asking why he was choosing to play other people on Full Tilt Poker, while the durrrr Challenge was still less than halfway done.

“I texted him right before I tweeted that and he didn't respond to me. So I was sort of like 'What the hell' because I keep seeing him playing other people online,” said Cates.

“He just wasn't playing the challenge so I felt like my only option was to go public with my disapproval with him not cooperating.

“It seems like he'd rather just stall until 2020 or something and never finish,” he said.

Last week Dwan told PokerListings.com that he had been in contact with Cates, and that the challenge would be resuming soon.

In the last two days both Cates and Dwan have posted in an ongoing thread on Two Plus Two.

Communication Breakdown Stalls Challenge

Dwan argues that he's been available to play the challenge, and has told Cates as much on multiple occasions.

Cates continues to assert that he's been ready to play since FTP was relaunched, and that Dwan has repeatedly been unresponsive.

Tom Dwan tells a different story.

But despite both players claiming they're ready and willing to pay, no new hands have been logged at the $200/$400 durrrr Challenge tables on Full Tilt Poker.

Cates is still chalking that up to Dwan's lack of confidence.

“I think part of him just won't be convinced that he's worse than me, necessarily, but he seems to think he's going to lose the challenge,” said Cates.

“Nobody wants to continue when they're getting crushed.”

Less than 20,000 of the proposed 50,000 hands have been completed in the durrrr Challenge with Cates currently up over $1.2 million.

If Cates is ahead, even by $1, when the 50,000 hands are over Dwan must pay him $1.5 million, in addition to Jungleman's profits.

If Dwan is ahead when the challenge is over Cates must pay him $500,000.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Former World Champion Greg Raymer Arrested in North Carolina

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 07:49:19 -0700

abclocal.com reported that Raymer was one of six men who responded to a fake advertisement posted by undercover police on a site that is frequently used by prostitutes.

Bond has been set for Raymer at $1,000.

Some of the other men that were arrested included a former attorney and a marketing vice president.

Raymer, who is sometimes known by his nickname Fossilman, famously won the Main Event for $5 million in 2004. He is one of the most well-known poker players in the world.

The arrest was a part of a wider attempt to crack down on a growing trend of prostitution according to Wake Forest police.

"The locations prostitutes choose for this type of criminal activity vary and seldom remain the same for more than a couple of days at a time which makes enforcement difficult," said Police Chief Jeff Leonard in a statement.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Theo Jørgensen “Slowly Getting Back to Normal Life”

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 11:00:00 -0700

Jørgensen, number three on Denmark's all-time poker money list, was the victim of a home invasion in his Copenhagen home.

Since the incident the Danish pro has made a speedy recovery, and is now getting back to down to business as usual.

Presently Jørgensen is making a deep run at EPT London, sixth in chips with just 15 players remaining.

That's where PokerListings.com's Thomas Hviid caught him to find out what life's been like since the attack and how Jørgensen is dealing with it both privately and professionally.

PokerListings.com: First of all, how are you and your family doing after what happened in December?

Theo Jørgensen: We are doing fantastic considering the circumstances.

There are still some after-effects where we are a bit more jumpy than normal, especially in the evenings. But we are slowly getting back to normal life.

PL: Do you still feel any pain in the leg where you got shot? Do you feel it at the poker table?

TJ: No, I do not feel any pain.

I feel it in the leg a bit since there is a bit too much tissue, so the blood circulation is not 100%, but I am working on it in the rehabilitation.

PL: When were you without pain?

TJ: I have actually been that pretty much all the time. At first I got morphine, so even when I had the large open wounds it wasn't very painful.

Jørgensen playing at EPT London.

When it starting growing together it went very quick and I didn't feel much.

PL: You've always been very open and friendly as a person. Will this incident make you more closed?

TJ: No, as long as it is about poker then it is not a problem. I have always been conscious that it would annoy me if people were taking pictures of my children or something.

But if I end up in the spotlight again in the mainstream media I will probably protect my family even more from the press.

PL: In the days after the episode were you very upset with some parts of the Danish media who had been taking photos of your house although you were registered under a secret address. How do you feel about it today?

TJ: Yes, I still feel that they crossed the line by far. In my naivety I thought that they would show more respect.

When they take photos of the house they're not only chasing me but also my family and children, and I think that is crossing the line.

It is also their safety they're putting at risk.

PL: You and Gus Hansen are a big part of why poker became popular in Denmark. Did you imagine ten years ago that you would one day get so much attention?

TJ: I feel that the attention only got big because of what happened. I was a semi-celebrity who experienced this, and the interest would probably not have been so big if I hadn't been shot.

"It was so nice of so many people to think of me."

At the hospital when I was about to be operated on I knew this would be a big thing in the media, mainly because of the severity of the attack.

PL: You have received a lot of support in the poker community. How have you experienced it?

TJ: It was nice of so many people to think of me, but my attention was elsewhere at the time. There are probably also many greetings and support which I didn't notice at the time.

PL: How is it to be back at a EPT after what happened?

TJ: It's actually nice. But some of my thoughts are still at home, how it’s going, is my wife afraid of being alone with the kids and so on.

I have these thoughts and I'm looking forward to going home more than usual. So in the beginning I might skip some tournaments and some cash games I would normally play.

PL: What are your plans for the rest of the year? Are you going to Las Vegas and the WSOP?

TJ: Yes, I will be going to Vegas. I haven't decided yet if it will be with or without the family.

If it will be six weeks I do need to arrange a lot of things, and it might be a bit bad to bring the kids with us when it is 40 degrees outside and summer in Denmark. I might only go there for ten days.

PL: You've won a WSOPE bracelet and WPT Paris in 2010. Which of the two wins is more important to you?

TJ: The win in WPT Paris, it came at a time of my life where I gained a lot of respect for my PLO and people also knew that I was good at Seven-Card Stud, so my dream became to win a big No-Limit tournament.

It was a great feeling to finally win when it had been my goal for so many years.

PL: You also came second in WPT Paris last year so we can only assume the tournament will be on your schedule again this year?

TJ: Yes, it seems like a no-brainer to go every time they have a €5k tournament in Paris.

I am still so superstitious that I would do that. In 2011, my wife was wondering why I didn't go there when she saw the tournament was underway, so I think I have to give it a go again and just go.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Benger Records First Live Win, Eames Takes £2k Prelim at EPT London

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 07:35:09 -0700

The Toronto native, who achieved considerable fame as shaGuar playing popular videogame Counter-Strike, outlasted a field of 104 players to win the £1,100 No-Limit Hold’em for £29,708.

“It was incredibly special to me to get a live win,” Griffin told PokerListings.

“There's something truly satisfying about winning a tournament, even if it's for less than what you may get in a different tournament for 2nd or 3rd place.

“To do it here in London at the EPT and to get the trophy, the picture and everything – even if it isn't one of my biggest scores – it's a dream come true.”

The tournament was played out in a turbo format so it was somewhat fitting an online grinder like Benger took it down.

Benger actually chopped with fellow Torontonian and friend Sam Greenwood heads-up but picked up an extra £3,000 for winning the tournament outright. Not to mention the trophy.

“We still had £3000 to play for and damn, did I ever want that trophy,” admitted Griffin. “So it was all business once the cards were back in the air and luckily I came out on top.”

Over the last couple years Benger has dominated the online leaderboards but this is his first live victory. It’s not his only live score, however, as he managed deep runs in both the 2013 PCA and 2012 WSOP Main Event.

He also had a piece of Greg Merson who went on to win the 2012 Main Event for $8.5 million.

Jon Eames Wins £2k No-Limit Hold’em Event

Jon Eames courtesy Iain Raydon PokerStars

Griffin Benger wasn’t the only notable pro who won a side event at EPT London yesterday as English pro Jon Eames won the £2,000 No-Limit Hold’em event for £98,430.

The IveyPoker pro outlasted 172 players to take top honors in the event, which offered an overall prizepool of £333,680, and then beat Canadian Mike Watson heads-up to secure victory.

It’s not the first time that Eames has had success on the European Poker Tour. He won an EPT Prague prelim in 2011 and another in EPT Vienna in 2010.

The Southport native now has over $1.5 million in lifetime live tournament winnings.

Team PokerStars Jonathan Duhamel finished 11th in the tournament.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Jonathan Duhamel: "As Long as This Passion Drives Me, I'll Keep Playing"

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 13:23:03 -0700

But that winner, regardless of skill or capability, is thrust into the international spotlight as a "poker ambassador" whether they like it or not. For better or worse, that's the face of poker for a year -- and not everyone is up to the task.

The WSOP hit the jackpot with Jonathan Duhamel in 2010, though.

The first Canadian to win the Main Event, the smart, talented and bilingual Duhamel not only took on the role of poker ambassador for a whole new legion of fans, he's proved himself time and again as far more than a one-hit wonder.

With $2m in earnings on top of his Main Event score and a 2012 PCA for the ages, Duhamel's definitely earned the respect of his peers and his prestigious spot on Team PokerStars Pro.

Our colleague at PokerListings France, Fred Guillemot, caught up with him at EPT London yesterday and got his thoughts on his career in poker, his beloved Habs and more.

PokerListings: For some, like say Pius Heinz or Jerry Yang, the media attention that comes with winning the Main Event seems to be more of a burden than a blessing. You, on the other hand, seem to revel in it. Do you enjoy the fame that came with your title?

Jonathan Duhamel: Basically I just try to have fun. When you win a title, media attention is part of the package. And if you play a lot of live events you also know there are going to be interviews.

If you play live, there are going to be interviews.

So I just try to have fun with everyone as much as possible. I definitely don't think it's a chore or anything like that, even though it's true that sometimes you'd rather just be sitting at home doing nothing.

It's not even that I particularly love it, but since I have to do it I do it and I figured I might as well do it with a smile.

PL: How would you say you measure up to other Main Event winners?

JD: Wow, no idea. I don't think I should be the one commenting on that, you have to ask others. Some winners were excellent players, others were very inexperienced ...

PL: Speaking of former Main Event winners, Greg Merson said he planned to "invest in himself" and play the biggest cash games in the world. Is that something that appeals to you? Playing in Macau for example?

JD: Actually I've already been to Macau once, but I didn't stay long. I would love to go back there though, it's a beautiful city, but right now, I can't tell you if I'll be playing cash games there or not.

"I just try to have fun with everyone as much as possible."

I take things one week at a time, I don't really plan things. Ideally, I'd like to play a tournament there and maybe play some cash games while I'm there.

PL: No long-term thing, then.

JD: I want to keep playing a lot of live events, so it would be hard. I can't really stay in Macau for a whole month if I want to keep playing tournaments.

PL: Poker seems to really be booming in Quebec lately, you guys are getting a lot of good results. What's your secret?

JD: All of us players from Quebec, we're a bit like a family, we stick together. When one has a question about how to handle a hand or about strategy, we talk about it and help each other.

The fact that we're traveling together helps too – we spend a lot of time on the plane or on the bus, so obviously we use it to talk about strategy.

PL: Ah, so there's no magic behind it?

JD: Nope, no magic. What can I say, us Quebecois are just smart! (laughs)

PL: Can you give us some tips about which up-and-coming players from Quebec we should keep an eye on?

JD: A lot of players from Quebec have been getting very good results for the last couple of years: Marc-André Ladouceur, Chris McClung, Yann Dion, Jonathan Roy who won WPT Montreal ... and there are always new ones to add to the list.

Often they are players who used to play almost exclusively online, who start traveling and who do really well. Players like Sam Chartier, for example, who also gets good results even though he doesn't travel much yet.

So yeah, I think the future has good things in store for us. You haven't heard the last of us! (laughs)

PL: Who do you think is the most inspiring player?

JD: That's a tough one, there are so many. I watch my fellow Quebecois a lot though, since we talk a lot about strategy, and I have to say Marc-André Ladouceur.

Marc-Andre Ladouceur

He's an amazing player and, strategically speaking, he's excellent. I just love talking with him, I feel it helps both of us get better. He's definitely one of the players I respect the most in the world.

Personality-wise, I have to say Daniel Negreanu, who's doing such impressive work as a “poker ambassador." He's doing so much for poker in general that honestly, I'd be happy if I could do even half of it.

He's very approachable, always nice with journalists, he's very popular and he does a lot of work towards the future of poker.

PL: Now that you're completely part of the live tour and you've played pretty much everywhere in the world, are you still as fond of online poker?

JD: I'd say so, yeah. I've recently started playing a lot of mixed games and Omaha to become the best player I can be.

So yeah, maybe if I always played NLHE, I'd get bored, but I play many different games, I travel the world, so it keeps me on my toes.

PL: I read in some interviews that your parents really insisted on teaching you the value of things and the value of money. How do you manage to reconcile that with the big bucks at stake in poker?

JD: I think you can't think too much about the money. The only question you should ask yourself is whether you can afford the buy-in or not.

"The only question you should ask yourself is whether you can afford the buy-in or not."

After that, it's all chips and a certain number of big blinds whether it's a $100 or a $100,000 tournament. You have to forget about the rest.

As long as your bankroll is sufficient to play the tournament, you need to forget about the money and focus on the game.

PL: How do you think poker has evolved since you were World Champion?

JD: The level has increased tremendously. Good players have become even better, and the less experienced ones have been gaining experience.

Overall, I quite like where poker is going. It's getting more and more popular, and there's no reason to think this will stop any time soon.

PL: The poker world can sometimes be all about “glitz." Is it something that bothers you?

JD: Actually, most players are just regular guys. Me, I tend to be pretty quiet at the table but outside I'm a completely different guy.

There are a lot of colorful characters in poker, but I think that's mostly fun. They mess around a little bit, entertain us a little bit... It'd be boring without them!

PL: How do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years? Still playing poker?

JD: I have absolutely no idea. Like I said, I take it one week at a time.

For now, I love the challenge, the game keeps getting tougher, so I always want to get better and perfect my strategy. As long as this passion drives me, I'll keep playing.

PL: Can you tell us a little bit about your book, Final Table? Do you think you'll write another one?

JD: No, I don't think so, at least not for a while. My book only came out about a year ago –- 4 or 5 months ago in English -- and for now I just really want to focus on my game and on the tournaments.

Plus, honestly, I don't really have time to write a book. But you never know, I never say no to anything, so who knows?

I liked writing a book because it was something I'd never done before. If I wrote a second one, it wouldn't be a new experience this time.

"For some reason people always think that we keep millions of dollars in our house."

So let's say I don't plan to do it in the next two years. After that, we'll see.

PL: I wanted to ask you about what happened to Theo Jorgensen – which is a bit like what happened to you. Do you think this is becoming a real issue for poker players?

JD: I think they're isolated occurrences, but for some reason people always think that we keep millions of dollars in our house and that's just not true.

When you win an event, you don't walk out of there with an envelope full of cash. It goes straight to the bank.

I think that all we can do is try to protect ourselves and be aware that this kind of thing can happen. That's life, and we have to deal with it.

PL: How can you get over something like that?

JD: For me, the most important thing was to focus on my friends and family. In moments like these, you spend time with your family and the people you love, and eventually you just realize that life goes on and that you have to get over it.

PL: Do you think you'll only really be able to get over it once the case has been closed?

JD: Definitely. It's not over yet, it's been going on for a year and a half now. I don't really bother with it, I just do my thing, play tournaments, I let my lawyers take care of it.

PL: So I guess you won't be forgiving your ex anytime soon?

JD: Nope, I don't think so.

All in for Habs playoff run.

PL: Let's talk about another one of your passions, hockey. It looks like the Habs are on their way to the playoffs this year...

JD: Yeah, that's awesome. Last year we finished 29th out of 30 and this year we're third or fourth so it's a nice change.

It's great to follow their season – even though with all the traveling it's not always easy. When we're in Europe for example, the games start at 1 in the morning, but well, we try to watch them anyway.

PL: Could it affect your poker schedule?

JD: It's too early to say, but it might. The playoffs will take place at the end of May/beginning of June, which is around the time the World Series begins, so I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

If they make it to the Stanley Cup final though, I'll probably try to be there, yeah. It hasn't happened to Montreal for like 20 years.

PL: You're a real sports fan: hockey, baseball, golf, football, … Is there ONE sport you don't like?

JD: Actually, there is! Well, I like watching it, but I hate playing it: basketball!

I'm kinda short, so I'm really not very good at basketball. Other than that, it's true that I've always loved playing sports. Obviously I can't play as much now but because of that I seem to enjoy it even more when I do get the chance.

Not discussing a basketball challenge with Eugene Katchalov.

We can even play badminton or bowling or whatever, I just have a blast. Plus it helps staying fit, and it's also a social activity, a good way to spend time with your friends.

PL: Would you be interested in challenges like the ones ElkY and Katchalov do for example?

JD: Oh man, these guys train everyday! They'd be much better prepared that I would. Plus this isn't really my thing.

I'm more into the whole social dimension of playing team sports with your friends.

PL: Maybe you could challenge them to a sport you particularly like...

JD: Yeah, I could take them any day at ice hockey! (laughs)

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

ElkY: “Ivey is Best at Cash Games, Hands Down”

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 13:45:00 -0700

ElkY points at Chris Moorman as the most impressive tournament player he's seen.

No slouch himself with over $10 million in earnings, Grospellier is at EPT London right now where he sat down with PokerListings.com's Fred Guillemot to talk shop.

The formerly top-ranked Starcraft player and now Team PokerStars Pro fills us in on his plans to win a second bracelet at the upcoming WSOP Asia Pacific in Melbourne, keeping a balance between poker and life and much more.

PokerListings.com: How hard is it to stay at the top mentally, physically and technically ?

ElkY: It depends on many things, it depends how many tournaments you play for example. It can also be harder when you're on a bad streak.

That's what happened to me recently. I did good in San Jose, but before that I hadn't got any good results since Prague.

So that can be tough, but you handle it better with experience.

I also think body and mind are tied together. Usually, if you feel great physically then you feel just as good mentally and that makes it easier to get through hard times. It also allows you focus more and longer.

To me, it's also essential to know when to stop and take a break. Poker is my number-one passion and I love the game, but sometimes it's important to take a break and catch your breath.

PL: Let's talk about the 2013 WSOP. Are you aiming for a second bracelet with a bit less pressure this time around?

ElkY: Yes, winning this second bracelet is my priority. Honestly, I just can't wait to be in Vegas already.

ElkY won his WSOP bracelet in 2011, completing his Triple Crown.

I may have less pressure, but there's still some because I really want that bracelet. I'll also be in Australia for the WSOP APAC and I'm going to try and win one there too.

I always want to win, so the pressure is from me really.

Plus the WSOPs are always very special – I think every poker player feels this way. It's the one time in the year when I spend a month and a half or two months in the same place, playing every day without having to worry about anything else.

I do love to travel, but most tournaments only last for a week tops, so in the end you're always moving. During the WSOP, we're almost settled down in Vegas. It pretty much feels like home.

PL: You seem insatiable. Is that what makes you such a good player?

ElkY: I just love to win. I take every tournament as the chance to prove I'm still at the top.

PL: Is your ambition to be considered the best player in the world?

ElkY: Well, that would certainly be nice. But it really depends what you're talking about.

In tournaments, I think there's very little difference between the top players, but if you include all the different games I think players like Ivey or Jason Mercier are real all-around poker players, whereas I'm not.

That's what motivates me to get better at every type of poker. I try to play a lot of mixed games, but it's not always easy to find them in Europe. There's an 8-Game here this week though, so that should be interesting and fun.

PL: According to you, who's the best online player in cash games and/or tournaments?

ElkY: I think Ivey is still the best at cash games, hands down.

For the tournaments, it's a bit harder to pick one because there are a lot of good players. I'd say that Chris Moorman is the most impressive player.

PL: You and Eugene Katchalov have been pretty close for a few years. Is it important to have a friend with you during the tournaments?

Grospellier says having friends on the circuit helps him relax and keep his poker skills sharp.

ElkY: It does help a lot. We have the same personal trainer, so we train together and spend a lot of time together. Not to mention that our schedules are a bit similar.

Even though I get along with everyone on the PokerStars team poker can be a bit lonely sometimes, so it's important to have a friend with you.

Eugene is also an excellent player, and I think it's important to have people with whom you can exchange some strategic insight. That's another great thing about Team PokerStars.

During that Full Tilt challenge for example, even if Vanessa Selbst had never played against Viktor Blom, she gave me some strategic advice. It's amazing to be able to exchange point of views with some of the best players in the world.

PL: So, kickboxing, bungee jumping... What's next?

ElkY: I don't know yet. We're thinking about doing a triathlon, me, Eugene and Andre Akkari. Nothing official yet, but it should happen. We're going to make some bets about triathlon, and maybe Tough Mudder too.

Other than that, I'd love to skydive.

PL: Do you ever look back at your Starcraft past or do you try to always look towards the future?

ElkY: I do prefer to always move forward, but sometimes I just reminisce – especially when I see some friends from back when I played Starcraft.

It's in these moments that I realize how far I've come, and that sure feels nice.

PL: What do you think poker will be like in 10 years? Do you think you'll still be playing?

ElkY: Yeah, I think I'll still be playing. Maybe not as much as I am now, but I don't think I'll stop.

For now, I love my life, I love poker, and I think I'm very lucky to be able to make a living playing poker. But you never know what can happen in 3 or 5 years. Maybe I'll wake up one day and there will be something I love more than poker.

But one thing I like about poker is that you can just take a break, do something else, and come back.

I think that poker will eventually be legal everywhere, so people from all over the world will be able to play, and that will open a whole bunch of new markets.

I don't know how long it will take, but poker is definitely going global.

Files from Fred Guillemot.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Gus Hansen: "I Might Have to Go Back to the Drawing Table"

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 10:52:59 -0700

One of poker's all-time most popular players, Hansen both won over and keeps his fans with an aggressive, go-for-broke style that, for better or worse, always keeps things interesting at the tables.

In the case of his most recent online downswing, it's definitely been for the worse for Gus lately but that never stops him coming back for more. And his fans can never get enough of it.

In London for the EPT main event and the PokerStars vs. Full Tilt Challenge, Hansen took some time to chat with our colleague Thomas Hviid from PokerListings Denmark about his reincarnation as an FTP pro, what he needs to get back on track and crushing online and his future in the game.

PokerListings.com: You're back with Full Tilt Poker. How is it to be back?

Gus Hansen: It's great to be back, I've always enjoyed the software, the playing experience and all.

But as most people how I’ve been doing absolutely horrible online the last couple of months so that part of it has been pretty messed up. So it's a mixed feeling.

PL: In December you stated that one of the reasons why it has not gone so well for you was because there had been too many distractions to draw your attention away from poker. How have you dealt with it?

"It is pretty obvious that I have not dealt with it very well."

GH: It is pretty obvious that I have not dealt with it very well since I haven’t been able to change the losing streak around.

I would answer a bit the same way that I have not put enough effort in to it and been a bit too sloppy and not focused enough.

I have basically not taken it seriously enough and you cannot play against the best players in the world without being serious about it and bringing your A-game.

Hopefully I can change it around.

PL: Compared to when Full Tilt Poker was online two years ago, how have the games developed?

GH: Obviously, since I didn’t play online for a year and a half, it's hard to notice any change there. It looks like players have gotten better which is a natural development.

It all evolves, people get better at playing sports, they jump higher, run faster and they also get better at playing poker.

They have more tools to improve their play, there’s more literature out, more forums where players can discuss and chat, and that is all part of improving your game.

People are just much better than 10 years ago, and they are possibly also better than two years ago.

"I still believe that I have a lot of good ideas for the different games."

PL: Do you see where you need to improve your game at the moment?

GH: I still believe that I have a lot of good ideas for the different games, but with my recent curve it seems like I haven’t been able to implement any of it.

I think I might have to go back to the drawing table and analyze a bit more than I have done in the past in order to turn things around and get back on track.

PL: Are you familiar with the different analytical tools for poker, e.g. Holdem Manager?

GH: I am aware of them, familiar might be a bit too much to say. I’ve seen them, watched a friend of mine use them, but I have not yet started to use them.

It seems like everyone has started to use them so that might be the way to go.

PL: Do you discuss hands and strategies with your teammates, Viktor Blom and Tom Dwan?

GH: It depends, I think it is probably more the Team PokerStars way of doing things.

I would say that the three guys (Negreanu, ElkY and Haxton) are more analytical and put more effort into the preparation of the match, where we (FTP) might be a bit more hands-on and just sit down and play at the table.

But I do believe that preparation is a step in the right direction and obviously I have been discussing hands with Dwan and Isildur, but just not at the same level as our opponents.

PL: How well do you know your two teammates?

GH: I have known Tom Dwan for – I don’t even remember when he burst onto the scene – for at least a handful of years.

And Viktor and I are from the same neck of the world, he is from Sweden, I am from Denmark and speak Swedish, so in that sense is it easy to talk.

When we meet up we talk in Swedish and sometimes in English, and he is a nice guy. We have actually been talking about analyzing a bit more our play.

"Chris Ferguson is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet."

PL: Is the “old” Full Tilt Poker now a done chapter for you?

GH: It was a good day for poker when PokerStars stepped in and basically made sure that players got paid.

There are still some difficulties in the US, but I think you have to ask some questions to the DoJ. Today I consider it pretty much a done deal and an old chapter which you obviously have to learn from and not forget the mistakes that were made, but you also have to move on.

PL: In an interview with PokerListings during the WSOP in the summer you said that you didn't believe Howard Lederer and Chris Ferguson had willingly committed any foul play. Do you still believe the same?

GH: Yes, I think I said back then that Howard and Chris were guilty of neglect. Although I was never at a board meeting and was a silent investor, I should maybe myself have seen some red flags being raised.

So in some ways I also feel that I am guilty of neglect. I think the shareholders were guilty of neglect, but there is a big difference of overlooking something or not being aware of something and then to maliciously do all kinds of criminal stuff.

Chris Ferguson is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet and I have known Howard for many years so it is a bit weird to see them being out of it now.

PL: Will we see you play more EPTs now that you're a Full Tilt Poker pro again?

GH: I am at the EPT London right now and playing the Main Event tomorrow, and I know that I will play in Berlin and for sure in Monaco, my home town.

Apart from that, I haven’t picked any other tournaments out but let’s see. Obviously, If I have a good result here and I get a bit more excited then maybe I should play more of these, but if I get knocked out after the second level then I might say “Ah, I don’t really like these tournaments."

Sometimes you roll with the punches and you play a bit more when it is going well.

PL: Do you also plan to play the WSOP this year?

"Poker is what I do."

GH: Yes. I haven’t looked at the schedule and which tournaments I will play and which I will not, but I will definitely be there.

PL: And will we also hear about you playing in Macau this year?

GH: I have no plans right now but I will be very surprised if I do not stop by at some point this year. I was there already earlier this year for a short stay.

PL: You are also very interested in racketlon and tennis, you recently played bridge against the Danish prince Henrik and you also enjoy playing backgammon. Is poker as important in your life for you now compared to some years ago?

GH: Yes, poker is what I do, I am part of the Full Tilt team. I do a lot of other stuff like bridge and racketlon, but that is more on an amateur basis.

PL: Do you think you will ever end up like Theo and live in a villa in Greve (a suburb to Copenhagen) and have a family and a puppy?

GH: Definitely not Greve since I am from the central part of Copenhagen! But there is a good chance that I might move back to Denmark within the next five years.

That is where I am born and raised, and I have a lot of good friends there. So there is a good chance that you will see me back in Denmark in the near future.

PL: Will you also be in poker in five years?

GH: I would be surprised if I was not.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Dwan to Resume Challenge vs Jungleman “Sometime Soon”

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 08:00:00 -0700

“It should be starting some time soon,” Dwan told PokerListings.com at EPT London.

“I've been talking to him about it so I think we'll be starting it up at some point.”

Judging from Jungleman's latest tweet, though, the two high-stakes pros might not be on the same page.

“Would you like to continue our challenge instead of playing everybody else at every game on Full Tilt Poker?” Cates tweeted, perhaps referencing Dwan's latest action and the recent PokerStars vs. Full Tilt Poker high-stakes challenge this weekend.

Dwan and Cates completed just under 20,000 of the Challenge's proposed 50,000 hands back in early 2011 with Cates coming out over $1.2 million ahead so far.

The challenge was put on hiatus following Black Friday, along with Full Tilt Poker itself, but with the site back up many are hoping to watch Dwan and Cates finish what they started.

PokerListings.com caught up with Dwan at EPT London yesterday to ask him a few questions.

PokerListings.com: A few words about your challenge against Isaac Haxton today?

Tom Dwan: Well, I didn't win. I wanted to win, and I didn't. That's about it.

PL: Does it feel a bit surreal to play for FTP again? Does it feel like the good old days?

TD: I'm definitely happy it's back. I was delighted the first time I played on the new Full Tilt.

It also felt good knowing that everyone was probably going to get paid back. It also felt a bit strange to be back after so long.

PL: What about the durrr challenge against Jungleman, will that ever be finished?

It's safe to say Cates is ready to get back to it.

TD: It should be starting sometime soon. I've been talking to him about it so I think we'll be starting it up at some point.

PL: Do you still love the game as much as you used to?

TD: I definitely don't love the game as much as I used to.

But I think that if I was playing any other game for a living, I would have lost my mind long ago, so obviously I still think poker is a pretty awesome game.

But lots of time I play three days in a row, and I play for 20 hours straight on the fourth day because the game is really good.

And yeah, obviously I'd rather be sitting on the beach that fourth day, looking at the sun and all that, but well, sometimes I make trade-offs when the game's really good, so it's okay.

PL: What else would you do if you didn't play poker?

TD: That's a conversation for another time, because I've got a few things on my mind.

PL: For most people, high-stakes poker feels really unreal. How does it feel to put so much money into the game? Is it scary, exciting?

Dwan now splits his time between Asia, Europe and the US.

TD: Sometimes it's all of that at once, other times it just feels normal, like a day-to-day routine.

Obviously the times I've played over my bankroll have been more intense and emotional, but generally I play stakes that I can afford.

PL: Have you settled down in Macau for good, or do you think you'll move back to the US with the new legislation moving forward?

TD: I haven't really moved to Macau. I spend a lot of time there, I have a place there, but I still spend time in the US or in Europe. I do all of it.

PL: Who do you think is the best online player of all time?

TD: I think it depends on the games. I think Ivey and Galfond are probably the two best though.

PL: And the most influential in terms of style for you?

TD: Ivey and Galfond too.

PL: How do you see yourself in 10 years? Still playing poker?

TD: Probably not.

PL: By the way, where does your nickname come from?

TD: I just came up with in about a minute. I just wanted something goofy and that popped into my head. I think I did good in that minute though.

Files from Fred Guillemot.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Team Negreanu Dusts Team Hansen in $150k Challenge

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 17:23:07 -0700

The rules of the online challenge were simple.

Three team members -- Gus Hansen, Tom Dwan and Viktor Blom for The Professionals and Daniel Negreanu, ElkY Grospellier and Ike Haxton for Team PStars -- would three-table heads-up No-Limit Hold’em against one designated opponent with $50k each on the line.

The first player to win 2 of 3 in each matchup would win a point. Blom played Grospellier, Dwan played Haxton and Negreanu wrapped things up against Hansen -- ideally, it was hoped, with the fate of the challenge in the balance.

Unfortunately for both the fans on the rail in London and for Team FTP that scenario never had a chance as Team PokerStars won eight of nine games altogether for a legitimate wipeout.

Dwan Manages One But That's It for FTP

Jetlagged but the best FTP could offer.

Things started out poorly for the Professionals with Grospellier dismantling Blom, possibly the best heads-up No-Limit Hold’em player in the world, in three straight to take the first battle.

Haxton then beat Dwan 2-1 to scoop another match and give Team PokerStars the overall win before the final match was even played.

Dwan, despite just getting off a plane from Macau, eked out the one game for Team FTP but that was all they could muster on the day.

Negreanu and Hansen finished things off with Negreanu running the table despite timing out twice with the nuts.

Some bragging went around after on Twitter, naturally, with talk of a rematch lingering. For a full recap, check the PokerStars blog.

Here's how some of the participants felt about things according to our tableside reporter from PokerListings France, Fred Guillemot:

Tom Dwan

"Well, I didn't win. I wanted to win, and I didn't. That's about it."

ElkY Grospellier

“It went amazingly well. The whole PokerStars team had dinner together last night, and Daniel Negreanu, Eugene Katchalov and above all Isaac Haxton – because he's played a lot against Isildur and had a lot of information to share – all gave me advice.

Blom gets ElkY'ed.

"I had also watched a lot of his matches from when he did the SuperStar Showdown on PokerStars, so I had a lot of information about his style, more than he did on mine, since I haven't been playing as many heads-ups as I used to.

"Our game plan went very well, and I had just enough luck too. Everytime I had good hands, they held through, especially that first all-in when I got a straight at the flop with K-J-10 (with 2 diamonds) to match my Q-9, and he had Q-4 of diamonds.

"I think it was very important to win the first match, it put more pressure on him. We also worked on finding what aspects of his game I could use to my advantage, and what I could do in certain situations to make him feel even more frustrated.

"I think that the fact that we played sit-and-gos was also in my favor, because the game isn't as deep, and that's when he's really good. His specialty are overbets.

"It was also good for me that we played these three games pretty fast. He's an excellent player who doesn't need much time to figure out what's going on with his opponent. So no matter how good my strategy was, he could have adapted quickly, so I'm not sure I could have won if we had had to play for a dozen hours.

"Winning, especially 3-0, feels all the nicer because I remember losing against him at the 2011 PCA, in heads-up. It was also an important match for the PokerStars team, because it was supposed to be our toughest match, he was clearly the favorite.”

Daniel Negreanu

"Well, I did predict that we'd win all 3 matches and it went just as I'd predicted. Gosh, my heart dropped when I misclicked – twice ! I did it twice, I wasn't used to the software, on PokerStars it has this little beep-beep when you have to pay attention.

Happy captain.

"And there I was, showboating, laughing, and I ended up almost screwing the team, so I felt bad about that, but luckily I won anyway.

"I didn't think we'd win 8-1, but I really felt like we were more prepared, we had a really good team, and Isaac actually helped all of us – he had a lot of information on everybody, so he coached us and everything. It was a combination of effort and teamwork.

"I won that first match, which was great. But then when I misclicked, the momentum really switched. I was about to win that match, and then I was down in both matches, and he had me crushed in both.

"I got a little bit lucky, made some hands, and above all I focused, told myself 'forget about that hand, it's over. Just focus.'

(Will there now be a rematch?)

Ah well, it's up to them ! If they'd like to donate some more to our fund, we'd be more than happy to play them again (laughs).

Gus Hansen

“I am in pretty good shape in the first match and I’m way ahead in the second and third match.

At one point I have a 8 to 1 chiplead when Daniel is all-in, but as time goes by he gets the advantage back and ends up winning with KK against JJ. Of course I am very disappointed.”

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Hansen Agrees to Challenge, Negreanu Selects Haxton and ElkY

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 07:52:28 -0800

Hansen confirmed earlier today he would accept Negreanu’s challenge and Dwan had committed to playing as well.

Sweden’s Blom announced via Twitter he would join Hansen and Dwan for the heads-up match against Negreanu’s team.

“Yes I will play,” he said bluntly. “I will always play anything.”

Meanwhile Negreanu surveyed fans and fellow Team PokerStars Pros about who the best players to have on his team would be.

Eventually Negreanu arrived at Isaac “luvtheWNBA” Haxton, who has plenty of experience against Isildur1, and French poker icon Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier.

Hansen and Negreanu are team captains so they will obviously play each other but the rest of the matches are undecided.

Challenge to be Played with $150,000 on the Line

Negreanu wants each player to throw $50,000 into the pot with the plan being to three-table No-Limit Hold’em heads-up freezeout on laptops battleship style.

A player wins an individual match by taking two of the three tables. The team who wins will take two of the three individual matches overall.

The challenge marks the first time there has ever been an official competition between PokerStars pros and Full Tilt pros. It would likely be impossible if both sites didn't belong to the Rational Group now.

Interestingly the challenge will play out on Full Tilt Poker instead of PokerStars. It's set to take place during the EPT Main Event in London, which will go down March 10-16.

Here’s a video of Negreanu announcing his selections:

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Negreanu Challenges Hansen, Dwan, Blom to Heads-Up Match

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 08:04:23 -0800

Negreanu issued the challenge in a YouTube video after Gus Hansen needled Kid Poker about a famous High Stakes Poker hand.

“I, Daniel Negreanu, challenge you, Gus Hansen and your two cronies Viktor Blom and Tom Dwan to a heads-up Battleship match at EPT London,” he said in the video.

The Canadian won’t be going in alone, however, as he’s going to handpick two members from Team PokerStars Pro as teammates.

Negreanu is letting fans help decide who his teammates will be in the challenge but he did mention Vanessa Selbst, Jason Mercier, Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, Eugene Katchalov and Isaac Haxton as potential picks.

As for format, Negreanu wants to play three freezeout tables at once, with the player who wins two out of the three tables taking the individual match. The winning team will be the one that wins two of the three games.

Stakes or games were not discussed. Hansen has yet to respond to Negreanu's challenge.

The EPT London Main Event takes place March 10-16, 2013. Here’s the entire Daniel Negreanu challenge video:

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Lakers Owner and Poker Player Jerry Buss Dies at 80

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 07:17:19 -0800

Buss, a long-time poker player who was a regular at both high-stakes cash games and major poker tournaments in the LA area, was 80 years old.

A very popular figure in Southern California, Buss purchased the Lakers in 1979 from Jack Kent Cooke and encouraged the fast-paced, "Showtime" Lakers basketball of the 80s.

Passing over control of the team in recent years to his son Jim and daughter Jeannie, Buss spent much of his later years playing poker, including several appearances at the World Series of Poker and on GSN's High Stakes Poker.

Also among Buss’ poker credits were appearances on NBC’s Poker After Dark and the $25k National Heads-Up Championship.

Third-Place Finish at 1991 WSOP

An accomplished poker player Buss had several tournament cashes in his career, mostly around the Los Angeles area.

His top cashes include a 3rd-place finish in a $2,500 Seven-Card Stud event at the 1991 World Series of Poker and second in the 2003 WPT Celebrity Invitational. Most recently Buss finished 25th in the $2,500 Omaha/Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo event at the 2011 WSOP.

Buss learned how to play poker at an early age from his mother and grew up in Kemmerer, Wyoming. He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Poker players who knew Dr. Buss have turned to Twitter to express their condolences:

RIP Dr. Jerry Buss. He was always a shining example of humility, kindness and generosity to those who knew him.

— Maria Ho (@MariaHo) February 18, 2013

Sad news about Jerry Buss. He was a true friend to many poker players. Big hearted guy

— Erik Seidel (@Erik_Seidel) February 18, 2013

RIP Jerry Buss ! One of my favorite Celebto ever play poker against. With a great sense of humor ...

— Victor Ramdin (@victorramdin) February 18, 2013

My condolences to the family and friends of Jerry Buss :(

— Brad Booth (@YukonBrad) February 18, 2013

RIP Jerry Buss. One of my favorite people to ever play poker against. #Boss

— Kevin Iacofano (@icekevin) February 18, 2013

RIP Jerry Buss.. was always one of the nicest guys at the poker table and never heard of anyone that didn't love the guy...

— Allen Bari (@allenbari) February 18, 2013

RIP Dr Jerry Buss @lakers: Best NBA owner ever, and a Great Ambassador for Poker. You will be missed by many.

— david bach (@gunslingerbach) February 18, 2013

My thoughts &prayers go out to the Buss Family. Truly enjoyed played poker w Jerry Buss the#of times we played just a truly sensational guy.

— Noah j Schwartz (@noahjschwartz) February 18, 2013

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Antonius Still Owed Huge Debt Thanks to FTP Fallout

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 07:40:46 -0800

In 2011 Antonius told PokerListings he could potentially lose $5 million thanks to Full Tilt Poker’s problems.

Antonius’ problems were multiplied by the fact he had money indirectly frozen on Full Tilt and was owed millions by fellow players who made their living on the site.

When asked if the debt had been paid in regards to the players who owed him money, Antonius was brutally honest.

“No it hasn’t,” he said. “It hurt me big time because so many people owed me money.

"Many people who were involved with Full Tilt… they owe me a lot of money. Because they got hurt, I’m not going to see my money for awhile.”

Surprisingly Antonius also went on to say that PokerStars’ recent purchase of Full Tilt didn’t help him with the debts he’s owed.

Antonius Crushing 2013 Aussie Millions Main Event

Patrik Antonius

Despite still being owed the money, Antonius is trying not to concentrate on it too much.

“It’s in the past now,” said Antonius.

Antonius has other concerns, like trying to finally close out a big $10k tournament. The Finn was leading the 2013 Aussie Millions Main Event mid-way through Day 4.

Although Antonius rarely travels for tournaments, he has a good record in $10k buy-ins over the last few years with a great performance in the WSOPE Main Event in 2012 and an eighth place finish in the Aussie Millions Main Event in 2011.

“I’ve made quite a few deep runs,” he said.

“One of the most frustrating was the WSOPE Main Event. I think I played the best tournament poker of my life and then I lost one hand and I was out.”

Antonius has a particularly good record at the Aussie Millions. In 2012 he finished second in the Aussie Millions $250k High Roller for $1.2 million.

“I love Australia,” said Antonius. “This is basically my favorite tournament of the year. I’m always happy here, which means I’m playing very good poker. I will always come to Australia for this tournament.”

Check our news section for updates on Antonius’ efforts to make the final table of this year’s contest.

Follow the author on Google+

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Robl: ‘Everything in Ship it Holla Ballas Book is True’

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 02:31:33 -0800

Robl is one of the central figures in Ship it Holla Ballas! How a Bunch of 19-Year-Old College Dropouts Used the Internet to Become Poker’s Loudest, Craziest and Richest Crew by Jonathan Grotenstein and Storms Reback.

Despite the author only using Robl’s online handle "Good2cu," it’s clearly about the young high-stakes pro.

“I’ve read the book,” he said. “I found it very entertaining. Everything in it is true.”

Robl and fellow poker players Phil Galfond, Peter “Apathy” Jetten and David “Raptor” Benefield were known for crushing online poker in the mid-2000s as well as living a fast-paced party lifestyle.

“When I look back at some of that stuff I just have to shake my head,” he admitted.

The book didn’t come as a tremendous shock to Robl as he’d done several interviews with the author. Much of the material Robl actually published himself on his blog back in the day.

Robl Still Winning Millions, Partying Less

Andrew Robl heads-up in the $100k Challenge

Much has changed for Robl since his younger years and earlier this week he was calm and collected as he won $1 million in the $100k Challenge at the Aussie Millions.

Robl said that in his younger years he would have partied for days after winning but he’s calmed down considerably since that period of his life.

“When I first got into poker I was insecure,” he said.

“I had a chip on my shoulder. I’ve matured since then. I used to feel like I had something to prove.”

Now a veteran of the poker world, Robl has one piece of advice for potential up-and-coming Ballas.

“If you do stupid things, don’t write about it on the Internet,” he laughed. “That’s a lesson I’ve learned.”

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Hong Kong's Jay Tan Killing It at First Aussie Millions

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 22:50:09 -0800

Tan, who made the decision to play poker full time roughly a year ago, has been a dominant force on Day 3 of the tournament with over half a million chips for much of the day.

The field isn't exactly soft, either, with Phil Ivey and Patrik Antonius featuring prominently in the chip counts.

“I’m really excited,” said Tan. “This is an amazing tournament. I can’t believe how well run it is.

"I’ve heard good things about Melbourne being the poker capital of Australia and how great the Crown is. You can really feel it once you’re here.”

Tan’s biggest previous score was a fifth-place finish in a Macau Poker Cup event for $40k.

The Bodog-sponsored player has already locked up at least AUD$15,000 as the money bubble burst earlier today. Tan has her sights on the final 36, though, where action will switch to 6-handed. It’s her favorite game.

Tan Goes From Banking in Hong Kong to Poker

Tan came to the poker world with outstanding pedigree from the business world.

Jay Tan at the 2013 Aussie Millions

She has her Masters Degree in business and pursued a banking career with Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong.

One night she stumbled upon poker on late night TV and fell in love with the game.

Despite having a successful and potentially lucrative career, Tan was thinking about poker during business hours and eventually had to make a change.

“I just figured I needed to give what I truly loved a shot and just see how far I can take it,” she said.

Fortunately Tan said that some of the skills she learned from getting her Masters Degree were transferable to poker. She also speaks Mandarin, Cantonese and English.

“I’ve studied for so many years of life I would like to think it helps my poker game.”

Tan: 'People Are Passionate About Poker in Hong Kong'

Jay Tan

Being a full-time poker player in Hong Kong is not without it’s quirks and Tan generally has to take the ferry to Macau when she wants to play live.

“There was once a poker house in Hong Kong,” she said. “It was unfortunately shut down. It wasn’t exactly illegal but they just decided to shut it down anyways.

"There aren’t really any games in Hong Kong, probably some private ones but I don’t play those."

Generally regarded as one of the biggest untapped online poker markets in the world, Tan says the poker-playing community has expanded over the last few years.

“It’s still growing but people are starting to get really passionate about poker in Hong Kong,” she said. “It’s booming in Macau.”

While still several days out from the final table, Tan admitted a win in a tournament like the Aussie Millions would change her life.

“I feel I’ve been working very hard at my poker career,” she said. “Winning a tournament like this would definitely give me more confidence to continue on in this profession.”

Follow the author on Google+

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Adelaide’s Obst Looks to Put His Mark on Aussie Millions

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 22:36:27 -0800

Obst, known online as Andy McLEOD, got into poker when he was just 14 years old and has now been playing for nearly 10 years.

Widely-regarded as one of the best poker players to ever come out of Australia, Obst would love to make a deep run in the Aussie Millions.

“I’m pretty keen to go deep here,” he said while on break from the Main Event. “I haven’t actually cashed in the Main Event so hopefully this is the year.”

Obst has won millions playing online poker but, outside of winning a $15k High Roller event in Melbourne a few years ago, has yet to take down a major live tournament.

Time may be running out for Obst as he’s started to consider moving away from playing poker for a living.

James Obst is getting weary of the poker lifestyle.

“I’ve been playing for a long time,” he said.

“I enjoy the freedom of it obviously but there is too much stress. At the same time it’s a lot better for me now that I’m doing other things. I like having a balance in my life.”

These days Obst will sometimes go months without logging onto an online poker site. Instead he's been playing a lot of tennis and getting into better shape.

“There will usually be a big series online and I’ll decide I have to actually do my job and play,” he said.

Obst: Australian Poker Players Have Improved 'Big Time'

It seems strange that someone like Obst would consider getting out of a game where he’s still one of the best in the world, like an athlete retiring during the peak of their career.

Obst is a member of the first generation of online poker players, however, and that group is already starting to seem like the old guard.

“When I started there really weren’t many Australian MTT players at all,” he said. “These days there are so many good young players in Australia.

"I can’t even name them all, you just see them on the top of the PocketFives leaderboard. It’s pretty impressive to be honest.”

According to Obst the skill level in Australian poker has improved “big time” over the last few years.

Chess Instrumental in Obst's Poker Development

James Obst

Over the next year Obst actually has plans to play a few more live tournaments, continue playing a lot of tennis and even take part in a chess tournament.

Obst, like several other poker players, had success as an aggressive chess player when he was still a teenager.

“I reckon the creativity of it helped me,” he said. “In chess you train a lot by doing combination puzzles where you have to see a number of moves ahead.

"Sometimes you have to have that mentality in poker as well.”

Whatever happens at the 2013 Aussie Millions, Obst still has some decisions to make about his long-term future in poker.

“I haven’t really decided what I’m going to do yet,” he said.

“I’m going to focus on other things but I’ll always keep poker on the side. At this stage gambling is my profession so I’ve got to keep playing until I get good at something else.”

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Future Still Unclear for Displaced U.S. Online Pros

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 01:22:01 -0800

Some of the best online poker players in the world including Shaun Deeb, Calvin “Cal42688” Anderson, Brian Hastings and Phil Galfond were forced to move out of their native country to continue playing.

Grayson Ramage, who’s a dominant force on the PocketFives leaderboard with over $3.2 million in lifetime earnings, seems to be reaching the breaking point when it comes to living abroad.

“Honestly I’m getting sick of it,” said Ramage while on break from the 2013 Aussie Millions Main Event.

“It’s nice to see different places and travel around but you really don’t have a place to call home. It wears on you.”

Since Black Friday, Ramage, who originally hails from Red Hook, NY, has split his time between Toronto, Prague, Costa Rica and Las Vegas. He generally sees his family a couple times a year.

It’s not an unusual situation for U.S. online poker players who are generally forced to leave countries after a certain period of time expires.

U.S. Pros Still Waiting on Online Poker Legislation

Grayson Ramage at the 2013 Aussie Millions

There was no timetable for when online poker would return to the U.S. after Black Friday but as the years go by there’s a good chance some of the displaced pros will start to seek alternative jobs.

“It is a good living but I’m getting tired of all the traveling,” he said.

“I think I’ll keep living abroad until this upcoming WSOP. After that I may make a decision to do something else or at least travel less. I’m not sure.”

There have been some positive steps towards legalizing and regulating online poker in the U.S. but Ramage isn’t exactly holding his breath.

“It doesn’t seem too likely at this point,” he said. “Particularly any form of interstate online poker.”

It's not a stretch to imagine that by the time online poker is fully legalized in the U.S., the current generation of poker stars will have moved on.

On the bright side Ramage has enjoyed getting to experience new cultures while traveling and is still hungry for a big live score.

Ramage has yet to win a major live poker tournament and would love to make a deep run in the 2013 Aussie Millions.

“I really haven’t done a lot live over the last few years,” he said. “I’ve had some chances but things just haven’t worked out. Hopefully this is the one.”

Follow the author on Google+

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Cricketer Mascarenhas Looks for Poker Success Down Under

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 20:56:14 -0800

Mascarenhas, who currently plays for Kings XI Punjab in the India Premier League, was given the chance to enter the $10,000 buy-in Aussie Millions Main Event by 888poker and Warne.

“It’s been great,” he said. “I love this tournament. I mean I flew back from Bangladesh just to play this event.”

The 35 year old has had a prolific cricket career that includes setting the record for most runs for England in an over in a One Day International with 30 against India in 2007.

It was during his cricket career that Mascarenhas developed a knack for playing cards.

“I’ve always loved poker,” he said. “I got into it while traveling for cricket. Just playing with the boys on the bus. We crack out the chips and have a bit of fun.”

Poker a Favorite Pastime of Cricket Players

Shane Warne

Mascarenhas went on to say that poker is a natural fit for cricketers in their off time.

“We travel on a bus everywhere we go so we get plenty of time,” he said. “Obviously playing in England there’s a lot of rain so that means there’s even more time for poker.”

Mascarenhas has already played the Aussie Millions three out of the last four years and has also played several tournaments in England. He came in second in Party Poker Sports Challenge II but he’s still looking for his first major score.

“I’ve been playing for a fair while but I’m trying to get a little more serious about it,” he said. “You never know, we’ll see what happens.”

Close friends with Shane Warne, Mascarenhas mentioned he’s played a ton of poker against the retired Australian cricketer.

When asked who the better poker player was, however, Mascarenhas was diplomatic.

“I’d better say him,” he laughed.

Follow the author on Google+

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Nate Silver Q&A: "Poker is a Good Skill To Have in Life"

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 07:40:46 -0800

In that time Silver and the team behind his blog FiveThirtyEight.com successfully predicted the winner in all 50 states during the U.S. Presidential Election, he released the best-selling The Signal and The Noise and become a bona fide geek god to the mainstream media in North America.

Silver is also a poker fan. A big one, in fact. He actually made a living playing online poker in the mid-2000s and played the WSOP Main Event in 2011.

The 35 year old has actually been itching to get back into poker and so when Crown Casino asked if he’d be interested in playing the 2013 Aussie Millions he jumped at the opportunity.

The 2013 Aussie Millions

We sat down with Silver before he played Day 1c of the 2013 Aussie Millions Main Event to get his thoughts on playing $10,000 buy-in tournaments, his election success, poker ranking systems and more.

PokerListings.com: Why did you decide to play the 2013 Aussie Millions?

Nate Silver: It was a combination of things. I get a lot of things in my inbox – especially after the election. I heard from Crown and they were like “You should come play in this tournament. You can go to the Aussie Open, vacation in Australia.”

It didn’t sound so bad considering it was the middle of January and like 20 degrees in New York. It wasn’t too tough a sell.

That said, poker was very instrumental in my life for a couple years. I kind of left it unfinished. I stopped playing during a pretty bad losing streak. I went on to do things that turned out very well but at some point I’d like to get some closure by making a deep run in a poker tournament or something.

PL: Do you actually play any poker when you’re at home?

NS: I play a $20 buy-in home game [laughs]. I was telling some high roller friends the other day that I play a $20 home game and they were like “Oh you mean $20,000?”

It’s still fun though. You can learn things. The players aren’t necessarily that good but there is this weird quality that because you’re under no illusion that they are all that good you kind of learn how certain players think. I think one mistake poker players make is to assume everyone else plays the same way that you do.

Nate Silver at the 2013 Aussie Millions.

You can develop this masturbatory playing style where you’re really just playing against yourself almost. You’re trying to optimize playing against yourself instead of taking advantage of players who don't understand stack size and others who call everything.

Other than the home game, New York really isn’t a great place to play poker. Atlantic City and Foxwoods are all three-hour trips so you don’t make it out there that often.

I wish we had a poker room somewhere in the city.

PL: You’ve played a couple major tournaments now. Do you feel comfortable playing a $10,000 buy-in tournament?

NS: I think so. I’m trying to figure out what makes me feel comfortable. The couple times I’ve played the Main Event I would literally fly in the night before and I think that’s probably a mistake. There are fatigue and jet-lag factors.

I’m also in a place where I’m more financially comfortable after the election so I can focus more on just trying to play really well. I think it’s an advantage I might have.

Also surviving the pressure of the 2012 election, which in some ways felt like being at a final table or something, could also help my game.

PL: You’ve gotten a ton of mainstream attention since the election. What’s that been like for you?

NS: I enjoy it for the most part. It kind of comes with the territory. You can’t say “Oh I’m really glad my book is selling but I don’t want anyone to recognize me on the street.”

Nate Silver on the Colbert Report.

You can’t pick and choose that. It just kind of happens to you. The only time it’s annoying is if I’m running late for the airport and someone will be like “Hey aren’t you Nate Silver?”

It makes it difficult to steal their cab [laughs].

I’ll put it this way: I think it’s good that people are recognizing someone that is into the numbers and stats and kind of a self-professed geek. I think sometimes I get attention that should really be applied more to ideas than to people.

Some of it is undeserved in that sense. You become a symbol, which is a bit strange.

PL: What do you think the American public misunderstands about poker as a skill game?

Poker pros good. Full Tilt scandal bad.

NS: In some ways I think the American understanding of the game is actually more advanced than some places. I did a radio interview with Australian media this morning where the host expressed a very negative view of poker. It was sort of this sinful, gambling activity.

I think because it became so popular and so mainstream in the U.S. that people are maybe better versed in how they view it.

You still encounter people who get Blackjack and poker confused. They ask me if I can count cards.

It’s been really good having pros who are ambassadors for the game though. Obviously things like the Full Tilt scandal don’t help.

Hopefully by playing in these events I can say, “Look, poker is something that is a good skill to have in life. Or rather it teaches other good skills.”

It’s a really great way to develop your quantitative sensibilities and apply game theory and practice. You can also develop your estimation and people-reading skills.

I don’t think people realize how rich the game can be.

PL: You famously created a system to forecast Major League Baseball player performance. Do you ever look at poker and wonder if something similar could be done?

Nate Silver didn't utilize data-mining software when he played online.

NS: I’m reading that book Kill Everyone where they’ll develop models that come up with equilibrium solutions in certain situations. They are limited situations, like pre-flop and push or fold type of stuff. You could do a little bit with it I think.

One thing I regret is that when I played regularly online is that I didn’t look at the data. I wonder if you could do more fun, data-mining stuff.

Like for instance, if someone pauses before they raise. You could get really specific tendencies. I maybe should have done more of that.

In theory I also think that’s slightly evil.

I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about how I can play my hand in such a way that I’m unexploitable, which is not easy to figure out to begin with but to actually apply that in a tournament setting, where you have incentive to preserve chips, is a very challenging problem.

PL: Let’s talk baseball for a minute. Is there a particular baseball prediction that you are most proud of?

NS: Probably the time we had the White Sox to go 72-90 in 2007. I kind of like the White Sox, so it was nothing personal, but the local media interviewed Scott Podsednik and he was like, “Who are these Baseball Prospectus guys and what the hell do they know?”

Then they finished 72-90.

It’s fun when people hate on you and then turn out to be wrong. That’s why the election was, in the end, fun.

Nate Silver at SXSWI. Photo: Randy Stewart.

In poker you’ve got guys who are always on your case or hating on you and sometimes you bust them and it’s satisfying, right?

That’s not always the case though. Quite often they’ll bust you or you never really have a climatic encounter.

The election is a very rare circumstance in politics where people were very dug in but then you got the satisfaction of having this certain outcome.

I think that’s why it resonated with a lot of people. It’s because in a lot of fields there are people who just kind of bullshit and end up being wrong forever and never have to be held accountable for it.

PL: There were a number of poker players who made money betting on your election predictions? Does that kind of thing ever make you nervous?

NS: I try to differentiate on the blog when I think a prediction is more solid. We do things where we pick the Oscar or the NCAA tournament pool. Those are varying in sophistication but it’s hard to beat betting markets in general.

I really do think with the politics stuff we were more sophisticated than the markets. I don’t say that lightly.

TV pros win millions but how much do they spend on buy-ins?

I don’t mind if people take my advice on that stuff. I worry about other stuff where people go on ESPN wondering who is going to win the Super Bowl and I’m like, “I dunno, the Patriots probably. They have Tom Brady.” I hope people don’t bet on that kind of thing.

It’s just kind of finger in the wind stuff.

PL: Do you have any thoughts on the way poker rankings work? There are obviously some flaws with going entirely by tournament results.

NS: I’ve seen some attempts where people are kind of doing the Bayesian poker rankings but the problem is that you don’t have a sense for how many tournaments people enter.

If you talk to enough pros, you’ll learn that other pros, who have maybe won $2 million in a year also spent over $2 million in buy-ins.

If you don’t have that denominator for how many tournaments players are entering it becomes very tricky.

Maybe that data collection will improve but realistically you have 700 people entering at the last minute, it’s hard to collect everyone’s name. It is difficult to judge that, especially in tournaments where there is a huge amount of luck involved.

PL: Are there any other major tournaments you’d like to play?

NS: There are plenty of times during an election year when I can’t play but over the next year I’m going to have a little more free time. I’m going to play here and in the WSOP in Las Vegas in the summer and maybe Europe in the fall.

It would be fun to play a couple major events a year. At some point I’m going to have to make a run in one of them or it will just become pathetic. If I bust out early every time I’m sure I’ll get frustrated.

I feel like I have a deep run in me at some point. I’m not sure if I’m hugely +EV but I don’t think I’m –EV either so I’m breaking even and having a lot of fun.

Follow the author on Google+

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Robl Posts Stunning Comeback to Win $100k Challenge

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 01:22:30 -0800

Robl, who was one of the original members of the Ship it Holla Ballas crew, beat high roller Igor Kurganov head-up to claim his first major title.

Known in the past for his fast-paced lifestyle, Robl was remarkably calm after winning the tournament.

“I’m gonna have a glass of wine,” he said.

“Maybe after that I’ll go out for a few drinks. Nothing too exciting. If I would have won a poker tournament when I was 20 it would have been a different story. It would have been four straight days at the nightclub or the strip club. Just four days of debauchery basically.”

Dan Shak Falls Short of Repeating as Champion

Despite having a short stack, Robl trumped a final table that included the aforementioned Kurganov, Tobias Reinkemeier, Vanessa Selbst, Niklas Heinecker, Dan Shak and Masa Kagawa.

Andrew Robl and girlfriend after winning $100k Challenge.

Heinecker, who was the last player to register for the tournament, had the misfortune of going out on the bubble when Kagawa busted him in fifth place with ace-queen over ten-nine.

Shak, who actually won this tournament in 2010, was the first player to bust in the money as he fell in fourth place to Robl to win $237,000.

Somewhat surprisingly it was Kagawa who busted next. Kagawa got unlucky to bust to Robl in third place after spending much of the tournament as the chip leader. The Japanese businessman picked up $320,000 for his efforts.

The tournament was a strange journey for Robl who busted to Shak on Day 1. Robl got it in good with top-pair on a 9♣ 3♥ 3♦ flop while Shak only had A♣ K♣ for ace-high.

An ace hit on the turn, however, and that was enough to bust Robl. Fortunately the young pro opted to re-buy.

“I was pretty tilted when I busted,” he said. “I called my buddy, I told him the hand and he told me that it sounded like I was playing good. He said I should give it another shot.”

Here are the complete final table results:

1. Andrew Robl - $1,000,000 2. Igor Kurganov - $610,000 3. Masa Kagawa - $320,000 4. Dan Shak - $237,000 5. Niklas Heniecker - $0 6. Vanessa Selbst - $0 7. Tobias Reinkemeier - $0

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

How Anton Wigg Turned €50 into EPT and Sunday Million Wins

Sat, 26 Jan 2013 16:00:00 -0800

Wigg won the Sunday Million in 2009 for over $213k playing as antesvante on PokerStars and took down EPT Copenhagen in 2010 for over $672k.

And in addition to his over $1.4 million in live tournament results Wigg is also a successful cash game player.

In this interview Wigg shares how he turned a tiny online deposit into a lucrative career traveling the world playing poker.

PokerListings.com: How did you first become involved with poker?

Anton Wigg: I always excelled at card games, chess, etc. So when I got introduced to such a complex game as poker where both the intellectual challenge of an extremely complicated game merges with the competitive nature and the earning of a few Swedish Kronor, I was sold!

I started playing freerolls, and back then my focus wasn’t financial.

Instead, it was beating the other guys from my football team, and giving them shit over messenger. When I turned 18 I put about €50 into my first bankroll.

PL: How did that first bankroll turn out?

AW: I played recreationally and had a job as a caretaker right after I finished school.

Then one day I'd built my bankroll up to €50k and was on my way to work at 6am on a Monday morning on five hours of sleep, since I stayed up a bit late the night before playing a juicy game.

I made more money the night before then I did - after tax - working for a month. I knew I'd always be offered a job right away if poker didn't work out and so I set roughly €20k aside and started treating it professionally, following sound bankroll management advice, but taking shots in really good games.

Anton Wigg (Photo courtesy of PokerStars Blog)

PL: That’s one heck of a run!

AW: Well at this time the games were much softer then they are today. I just had somewhat of a clue about what I should be doing and was extremely aggressive.

The first few buy-ins I was playing a little bit tighter just because that was the money I was planning on spending, and I didn't want to make another deposit. As soon as I had a few buy-ins to lose I started playing a much more crazy style.

Most of the €50k came from 5-max cash games, but some from €50-200 tournaments where I was very successful. Later that turned out to be my career.

PL: What was your first significant win?

AW: Well the first one was a win in a €50 tournament where I won something like €3k. But getting a roll quickly was so huge, and got my cash game-play off to a really quick start.

The second one was winning the Sunday Million.

At this point I couldn't really grasp how huge this win was, but it boosted my bankroll by a lot and enabled me to satellite to big live events where my third huge score came winning the EPT in Copenhagen.

PL: Was winning the Sunday Million a proud moment For you?

AW: It came at the perfect time because I was on a big downswing. I'd just broken up with my girlfriend and moved in with a friend of mine who also played poker.

One Sunday night we decided to go play tournaments at an internet-cafe in central Stockholm. The night started OK with a few cashes, but then I managed to get a stack in both the Million and the Mulligan on FTP.

In the Million I was chip leader from 300 players left all the way to the final table and in the Mulligan I was grinding along and went on a rush just before the final table.

Both final-table bubbles burst at the same time and we were all cheering with a little rail gathering behind me. We had to ask the guys who ran the place to keep it open a bit longer then usual so they were watching too.

Wigg winning EPT Copenhagen in 2010.

In the Mulligan I got in AA vs AK and KK for more then half of the chips in play with six left and I got one-outed on the river! I busted in fifth or sixth place.

But I remained focused in the Million and I was so sure that I'd win it. Then after a really aggressive final table, where me and the other chip leader clashed a bunch of times, I finally managed to grind him down heads-up and win a coin flip to take it down for about $210k!

The guys were heading home, but I had other plans in mind.

I went to a car rental place. Rented a pretty nice car and went out for a drive down the freeway for about two hours and just enjoyed the hell out of every second of it.

PL: Do you remember any early light bulb moments in your poker career?

AW: Well the first one was just how much aggression pays in NLH. Not just betting and raising, but to have an overall aggressive game, which includes aggressive checks to play bigger pots in highly profitable spots.

The second one was understanding the mathematical fundamentals of the game.

Learning what hands played well and where, and really piecing things together, taking good lines and playing a less exploitable game when games got tougher.

PL: People never stop learning. What was your latest moment?

AW: Lately, I've been feeling very passionate about my game and been excited to sit down and play poker.

Don't get me wrong, I like my job, but when I feel motivated and energized my game is so much better, since I'm quicker to make small, but highly profitable adjustments.

PL: Who do you most respect in this game?

AW: A lot of players! And some great players not at all!

If I started naming people I could go on for a while. But hard workers that enjoy what they do for a living and treat the people around them well, is a good start to get on the list of people I respect.

PL: How do players manage to make it over the long run?

AW: To play within your bankroll and to not be afraid of dropping down limits, selling pieces, getting backed and be very sure what the reasons behind those decisions are.

Wigg is still backed by legendary online MTT player Chris "Moorman1" Moorman.

Ask yourself if you feel like your game is sharp enough to play those stakes. If yes, then selling pieces, being backed is a great option to be able to make the most profit.

If no then moving down stakes and working hard on your game is a much better option if you want to make it in the long run.

PL: Towards the end of 2012 Chris Moorman started to lay off some of his horses. Were you one of the casualties?

AW: No, I am still one of his horses. Our relationship has been very successful, as I have managed to consistently make money for the both of us.

I'd met him briefly a couple of times and logged a lot of hours against him. After my Copenhagen win I bought an apartment and went on a huge downswing right after.

I didn't want to affect my investments so I added him on Facebook, asking if he was interested in backing me, and we've had a great relationship ever since, both professionally and as friends.

PL: What is your opinion of backing?

AW: Well from my point of view backing is a great way to earn money for both parties. I think the problem most people have had is that they've been picking up too many players.

Variance in tournament poker is a HUGE factor hence you need a HUGE bankroll too, no matter how good your horses are.

As a backer you also need to treat it as a business, which means making some tough choices if you feel like your horses aren't playing their best, or are in fact losing.

There is just no point pouring money down a growing black hole just because you are financially and/or emotionally invested.

There are a lot of stories about successful backing relationships. Steve O'Dwyer is the first one that comes to mind.

PL: What sets you apart from hundreds of Swedish poker players that have not made it?

AW: It's hard to not sound a bit cocky saying this, but I have a talent for this game and adjusting to the changing times where games are tougher and played a bit differently.

But also the huge amount of work I've put in to stay ahead of the curve constantly trying to make good adjustments.

PL: What do you want to be remembered for?

AW: Well, achievements will be determined in the future and I feel like it's too early for big plans, although I hope that I'll be in a position to make big things happen, like starting a school or something similar.

But for now I'm very happy with being able to help my family and friends reaching their goals since I'm in a good financial position.

When it comes to being remembered I had a discussion the other week about what I want my funeral to be like: A classy, but casual ceremony filled with smiles and happy memories and of course a big party afterwards!

I hope I have, and will have made, a positive difference in people's lives and therefore live on with them, in a smile, a thought or an act where I've inspired someone to do something good.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Rettenmaier, Kyllönen, Scott Scoop Major Euro Awards

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 19:17:12 -0800

Party Poker pro Rettenmaier, back-to-back WPT titlist and EPT Prague High Roller champ this year, took home the marquee award of the night in European Player of the Year to go along with German Player of the Year.

With over 20 notable cashes, Rettenmaier earned nearly $2.3 million in 2013 to make him a shoo-in for the award.

Finn Jens "Jeans89" Kyllönen also scooped one of the more prestigious titles of the night, topping a stacked field of nominees including Viktor "Isildur1" Blom, Chris Moorman and Ilari Sahamies to earn Internet Player of the Year.

ESPN Main Event reporter and Battle of Malta host Kara Scott snagged her own high-profile trophy for Poker Personality of the Year, edging out Rettenmaier, Bertrand "Elky" Grospellier, Gus Hansen, Neil Channing and Tony G.

Hansen Wins Lifetime Achievement Award

Gus Hansen, life winner.

Despite losing the Poker Personality race Danish poker icon Gus Hansen didn't go home empty-handed as he was awarded the European Poker Lifetime Achievement Award.

Other big winners on the night included German wunderkind Ole Schemion, Belgian Davidi Kitai and France's Lucille Cailly.

See the list of winners below; visit the European Poker Awards site for the full list of nominees.

European Player of the Year: Marvin Rettenmaier Internet Player of the Year: Jens Kyllönen Poker Personality of the Year: Kara Scott Rookie of the Year: Ole Schemion Best Tournament Performance: Davidi Kitai Europe's Leading Lady: Lucille Cailly Best Tournament of the Year: EPT Barcelona Poker Staff Person of the Year: Simon Trumper Lifetime Achievement Award: Gus Hansen

Recognition was also given to the most outstanding poker players from nine different European countries:

French Player of the Year: Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier German Player of the Year: Marvin Rettenmaier UK Player of the Year: Roberto Romanello Belgian Player of the Year: Davidi Kitai Irish Player of the Year: Dermot Blain Finnish Player of the Year: Juha Helppi Italian Player of the Year: Andrea Dato Austrian Player of the Year: Ivo Donev Spanish Player of the Year: Cesar Garcia

More information about the Global Poker Index and the European Poker Awards here.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi Joins Lock Poker Pro Team

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 06:58:59 -0800

Mizrachi, already affiliated with the Deep Stacks Poker Tour and an official ambassador for the Breeders Cup, the ISPT and the Turlock Poker Room in California, joins a growing LockPRO team that already features Annette Obrestad and Chris Moorman.

"Michael is a pioneer of this industry," said Jennifer Larson, CEO/Owner of Lock Poker. "He is the perfect combination of dedication, passion, insight, perseverance and unbelievable skill."

"Players like Michael are the the back bone of this industry and what makes it great."

Over $14 Million in Cashes, Three Bracelets

With over $14 million in career live tournament earnings and two WSOP $50k Players Championship titles, it's hard to find anyone with more impressive credentials than Mizrachi.

Mizrachi also has two World Poker Tour titles, a fifth-place finish in the WSOP Main Event and another WSOP bracelet on his resume along with multiple six-figure scores.

"Lock has grown exponentially," Mizrachi said in a release, "and proven to be a leader in the online poker industry in a very short period of time.

"I am excited about this partnership with Lock and even more excited to join their team of pros. I can’t wait to get started.”

For more information about Lock Poker, visit our Lock Poker review.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Galfond, Ivey, Dwan Among 32 Named for NBC Heads-Up

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 13:28:49 -0800

With another 32 names still to be revealed things could take a different turn but for now the list is filled with fairly tried-and-true picks from poker’s elite.

Inconic poker names Doyle Brunson, Erik Seidel, Andy Bloch and Daniel Negreanu all made the cut from poker’s “old guard” as did Antonio Esfandiari, Barry Greenstein, Mike Matusow, John Monnette, Mike Sexton and Ivey.

Maria Ho.

Representing the younger generation of online grinders are Galfond and Dwan along with Brian Hastings, Faraz Jaka, Greg Merson, Scott Seiver, Yevgeniy Timoshenko and Mohsin Charania.

Ho, Rousso and Tilly Only Women So Far

So far just three female players have been named in Maria Ho, Vanessa Rousso and Jennifer Tilly, but it would be a surprise if all-time leading money winner Vanessa Selbst and PokerStars pro Liv Boeree weren't included in the remaining 32.

Others who have independently confirmed they'll be playing but aren't on the current list of 32 include Viktor "Isildur1" Blom, Chris Moneymaker, Matt Salsberg, Phil Hellmuth and Dan "Jungleman12" Cates.

Annie Duke and Chris Ferguson, both past NBC Heads-Up champions who typically receive automatic invites, are not on the confirmed list.

Filming is set for January 24-26 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas with each session beginning at 1:30 pm. A selection party to set the final 64-player bracket will be held on January 23 at Caesars.

The current list of confirmed players:

1. Doyle Brunson 2. Erik Seidel 3. Andy Bloch 4. Daniel Negreanu 5. Brian Hastings 6. Bertrand (Elky)Grospellier 7. Andrew Frankenberger 8. Phil Galfond 9. Antonio Esfandiari 10. Will Failla 11. Matt Glantz 12. Barry Greenstein 13. Maria Ho 14. Vanessa Rousso 15. Phil Ivey 16. Mike Matusow 17. John Hennigan 18. Faraz Jaka 19. Ben Lamb 20. David Williams 21. Jonathan Duhamel 22. Tom Dwan 23. Greg Merson 24. John Monnette 25. Mike Sexton 26. Mohsin Charania 27. Olivier Busquet 28. Jennifer Tilly 29. Yevgeniy Timoshenko 30. Scott Seiver 31. Eugene Katchalov 32. Greg Raymer

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Magic: The Gathering a Training Ground for Poker Pros

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 19:00:00 -0800

But, as Williams was quick to point out, Magic can prepare you for a lot more than poker.

“I think Magic is great because it's a non-gambling game that kids can play and it will prepare you for poker or a ton of other career paths you can go down,” Williams told PokerListings.com.

“I learned more playing Magic than I did at school, until I got to the more advanced stuff in college, and the cool thing is that you don't even realize you're learning because it's so much fun.

“A lot of people have moved from Magic to poker but I have a lot of friends from Magic that have gone into finance or technical fields but basically they're mentally prepared to succeed in anything in life.”

Unlike most card games where players share cards out of the same deck, each Magic player constructs their own deck and uses it to battle one or more opponents.

Williams, who has earned more than $8.3 million playing live poker tournaments, got his start in competitive gaming playing Magic more than a decade ago, and says it was the analytical skills and long hours at the table that prepared him for poker.

“I think the biggest things it can teach you are problem solving, how to focus and stay on task for long hours, and I think that's the key that helps people succeed at poker,” said Williams.

Brock Parker was the reason many Magic players first moved to poker.

“Magic trains you to stay on your toes for long periods of time and know that every decision matters,” he said. “In regular life you usually get breaks and you're not playing for 12 hours a day for three or four days.”

“Poker tournaments aren't like that and neither are Magic tournaments.”

Success in Magic Translates to Success in Poker

David Williams is just one of a long list of former Magic pros to put their skills to work at the poker table.

Two-time WSOP bracelet winner Brock Parker is credited as being one of the first successful MtG players to make the jump, and he was followed by a list that includes Gabriel Nassif, Scott Seiver, Isaac Haxton, Adam Levy, Justin Bonomo and Eric Froelich, to name just a few.

And the reason that so many Magic players are taking a shot at poker is simple. Money.

Last October Williams played a team Magic tournament that had a field of over 1,700 players. Williams and his two teammates won the event and pocketed just $2,000 each.

To put that in perspective Williams pocketed $3.5 million at the 2004 WSOP Main Event and he didn't even finish first.

“No one I know plays Magic for the money,” said Williams. “But it's amazing any time you win at something you're passionate about and honestly that win felt as good as any poker tournament I've ever won.”

We're guessing the Phil Ivey of Magic hasn't made $17.5 million.

The Phil Ivey of Magic: The Gathering

Just like poker there are players in the Magic world that crush the game on a completely different level than the rest of the population.

But unlike poker where Phil Ivey is widely regarded as the greatest player in the game, the title of greatest Magic player could belong to one of two players depending on who you ask.

“There are definitely Magic players that just crush and win way more than the average good player, kind of like Phil Ivey in poker,” said Williams.

“The best player in the world is debatable but it's either a German guy named Kai Budde or an American named Jon Finkel.

“In my eyes Finkel is the very best but there's an argument for both,” he said.

While Kai Budde's name isn't known much outside of the MtG world, Finkel was famously lampooned in an article on Gizmodo last year.

Follow the author on Google+

Follow the author on Twitter

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

WSOP Champ Naoya Kihara Leading Japan's Poker Boom

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 15:30:00 -0800

Since winning his bracelet Kihara has been signed to a sponsorship deal with Pokerstars and become the premier poker player in his home country.

Live casino gambling, including poker, is illegal in Japan but according to Kihara that might soon change.

“The government knows they can make a lot of money from casinos, and if they legalize it poker is going to get very big in Japan,” Kihara told PokerListings.com at the 2013 PCA.

Kihara is on the front line of the Japanese poker world, a role that was thrust upon him thanks to his success in Las Vegas.

Along with the more than half a million dollars he won at the WSOP, Kihara has also garnered widespread media attention in his home country.

And Kihara has chosen to use that celebrity as a platform to educate people about what poker's really about.

“Right now people in Japan think poker is just gambling so when I'm on TV I want to explain it better,” said Kihara.

Kihara is the first and only Japanese WSOP bracelet winner.

“Poker is a game and you can use it to gamble but the way I play is as an investment business,” he said “Poker is a skill game and I'm trying to tell people in Japan.”

But the skill vs. luck debate isn't what most interested the Japanese media.

“After I won my bracelet a lot of Japanese media contacted me and I think more than five newspapers and more than five magazines wrote about me,” he said.

“Everybody asked me what I'm going to do with the money.

“Poker players know that the money is just your bankroll and you will use it for your next tournaments, but non-poker people think that it's so much money I must be buying a car or a house or something.

“So I've been playing bigger games and more tournaments and I've been able to make myself a bit more popular in Japanese poker,” said Kihara.

And while the poker community in Japan is still small it is growing, thanks to celebrities like Kihara as well as the country's first poker forum.

“In Japan the online poker community is not so big but we do have a poker forum, like Two Plus Two, and that's helping grow the community,” said Kihara.

Amusement Poker Taking Off in Japan

Kihara at the WSOP in Las Vegas.

Even though casino gambling is illegal in Japan they have found a workaround in the form of the slot machine-like game Pachinko.

An estimated $380 billion industry, Pachinko players can't actually win money directly, but rather win tokens or prizes that can be taken to another location and redeemed for cash.

Similarly, Kihara said that there is something called “Amusement Poker” in Japan whereby players can compete in poker tournaments and win prizes.

Some tournaments will win you a free seat to the next amusement poker event, or a discount on food or beverages at the tournament, both of which are completely legal.

Other events award bigger prizes like seats to real-money tournaments in Macau. According to Kihara the bigger the prize, the closer the event comes to breaking the law.

“Winning seats to live events in Macau is a bit of a gray area in Japan but the police say it's okay as long it's not too big,” explained Kihara.

The popularity of amusement poker points to a demand that would be more than satisfied by legal casino games.

“Ten years ago there was almost no poker in Japan but even five or six years ago it started to get more popular and more Japanese people started playing,” he said.

“If casinos are legalized in Japan it's going to get even bigger.”

Follow the author on Google+

Follow the author on Twitter

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Jake Cody Named Newest Team PokerStars Pro

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 09:17:33 -0800

Cody was introduced as the latest signing by Daniel Negreanu today at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas.

The youngest-ever poker Triple Crown winner (EPT, WPT and WSOP titles) at just 22, Cody was previously a sponsored pro for PKR but became a free agent when that deal ended last year.

Beginning his poker career with just a $10 deposit and never needing another, Cody now has over $3 million in live earnings including wins at EPT Deauville and WPT London in 2010.

Cody won his first WSOP bracelet in 2011 in the $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit event. He also has a SCOOP title to his credit.

Making his debut as a PokerStars Pro on Day 1b of the $10k PCA Main Event, Cody is understandably excited to rep the biggest brand in poker:

Very very proud and excited to announce I'm the new Pokerstars Team Pro!!!!

— Jake Cody (@JakeCody) January 8, 2013

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Beware the Squid: A Chat With Rising UK Star Sam Grafton

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 08:55:36 -0800

There is something about the conveyor belt that makes the quality stick. These guys travel together, they share learning experiences together and they party together.

They are the toughest of opponents and the very best of friends.

Sam ‘SamSquid’ Grafton is one of those lads. The man is an online and live-game grinder who has found some rather large pockets of success during 2012 -- his best year to date.

The Squid has won majors, both online and live, with a SCOOP and GUKPT Main Event title finding their way into his suckers.

The rest of the poker world had better watch out, because he has another six hands available and he wants them holding trophies sooner rather than later.

Who are you Sammy Grafton?

I live alone in East London, although I will be moving in with my girlfriend in February or March.

I’ve been playing professionally for 3 ½ years, although at first it doesn’t feel like you are doing it professionally.

I would class myself as a professional MTT player, although I do play cash games as well. But MTTs are essentially my bread and butter.

How did poker lure you into her fold?

I finished my Masters and there wasn’t much going on. My brothers were going to a poker game at a snooker hall and so I went along and enjoyed it right away.

I need intellectual stimulation, and after I finished my Masters this was somewhat lacking in my life. Then along came poker and it was the perfect foil.

Poker the perfect foil after his Masters.

After the games, walking home with my brothers, we would discuss the hands from an intellectual standpoint. Essentially, these days I am doing pretty much what I did then, but on a much higher level.

The games in the snooker hall were good and I started making some money. I then moved to London and became a teaching assistant.

I would do pretty much anything for money back then. During the summer I would be chugging (stopping people and asking them to sign up for charities). I worked on the door in my aunt’s club and done my own things to earn extra money.

I kept playing the odd game though and I would win here and there. When you cash for something like £500 you would feel like, “Oh my God this is so much money!” I started earning a bit from poker - through cash games - and took an internship with a small Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) called The World Development Movement, as I have always been interested in politics and environmental issues.

Then during the credit crunch they told me they were laying off staff. My week was cut down to three days, so I thought that maybe I could earn enough money through the other four days playing poker to pay my rent.

That’s when it took off really - right above my expectation. I started to earn quite a bit of money from cash games and tournaments and soon I wasn’t thinking of the NGO. I was going in and doing whatever in the day and couldn’t wait to be in the casinos in the evenings.

One of the first times I ever played online I won a tournament straight away and it picked up pace from there.

What stakes do you play?

I used to describe myself as a mid-stakes player, but these days I play high-stakes as well. So I guess I flit in between the two.

Before I was backed I used to have to manage my own roll and found a lot of value in the mid- to low-stakes tournaments. Your variance is also a lot lower in mid- to low-stakes tournaments, so I still grind stuff that the other big guns don’t.

I am also really happy grinding satellite tournaments. There are so many players who just cannot adjust to the strategy needed to win seats and so I find a lot of value in them.

I also find more value by playing a range of tournaments and grinding some weeknights when the fields are smaller. If you can get results in the week, then you are essentially freerolling Sundays.

The right peer group can do wonders.

If you only play a Super Tuesday and then the big ones on a Sunday - although some guys are incredibly good at poker - they are going to win less and their variance is going to be that much higher.

It’s so easy to get deep into make up if you are not smart about spreading out your variance. I think it’s a really important principle.

Surely playing 15-20 tables is sub-optimal?

Intuitively, you want to be playing your best because everyone cares about their ‘A’ game, so in a way I would love to be concentrating on three tables of six-max against other good regs who I know and admire.

But it’s a balancing act to find where your hourly rate is best. If I played 50 tables I would be playing so badly on all of them that my ROI would drop to a point where it is not profitable.

But say I am playing 16 tables as opposed to four, my ROI has to be quartered as I am playing four times as many tables. You have to think about your hourly rate and how much your hourly rate increases by playing more tables.

It’s not something you should be jumping into. I am not advising that people should just sit down and fire up 20 tournaments. I did it very, very gradually.

I used to sit in The International with my laptop in front of me and I would play three tables and one day I thought “I’m just going to add in a Turbo as it won’t require much concentration.” Then I went from four to six, then to eight and then to 12 and so forth.

I also try and balance the type of tournaments I am playing. So, for example, playing 18 well-structured six-max tournaments is not optimal because there are a lot of complex decisions in well-structured, deep-stacked, reg-heavy six-max tournaments.

But the extra decisions I have to make by adding in three $50 Turbos is not that much because the majority of time I am going to have 8-20 big blinds and I know exactly what to do in every single spot.

Very rarely are decisions going to take more than a few seconds.

You talk about the 8-10 big blind game being automatic. Was there a time when you used to sit in front of the screen with an excel spreadsheet in front of you?

Jono Crute is a very good Turbo player and he gave me an excellent piece of advice once.

He said, as an experiment, for one day, have the M number shown on your HUD and use the push/fold chart.

It’s not like you have to use the push/fold chart forever, but by using it there will be certain spots coming up and you will think, “Wow, I hadn’t thought of shoving that many,” or in my case, “I thought this was a shove under the gun but the chart says no.”

Grafton and his GUKPT title.

See what it does to your game. By just for doing that for a couple of days you learn so much about what the math says you should be doing.

Then if your table is on the tight side, be looser than the chart, and if your table is full of laggy guys who don’t care about their tournament very much because it is only a cheap buy in, play tighter.

But it is interesting to see what the chart does say and how you can adapt it situationally.

Is there a danger that the chart and playing more tables makes you a lazy poker player? Do you stop thinking?

There is increasing discussion about the number of tables we should be playing. As edges get smaller the amount of money to be made when you are on autopilot is obviously less.

I guess a few years ago people could autopilot even full ring non-Turbos and make a really good living. Now, everyone is thinking of how they can increase their edge and lower their variance as the game has increasingly gotten more competitive.

So there definitely is discussion about it. Pre-ante in the Sunday Million I play very straight forwardly.

I’m not doing anything incredibly complex. I’m just calling with a pair and trying to flop a set and take it from there, and I think by the time I am deep … so last night I got 34th in the FTOP six-max so this is one of the two FTOPS of the day, so part from the Sunday Million this is the second biggest tournament I am playing for the day in terms of prestige, etc.

So when I get to 100 left in that tournament I have already busted from the Warm Up, the Party major and this is quite late in the night so now I am deep I won’t be firing up any more tournaments to try and make sure I got 20.

I got nine tables at that point and the main table is at the bottom and center stage. You need to be aware of the exact game flow; you want to get a sense of who is playing well and doing some research on the remaining players.

By this time I am super focused on this table and I’m not going to be looking to add any random $27 Turbos onto my screen just to increase my hourly.

The days when Dan Kelly would give away strategy are gone.

Does your strategy for the numbers of tables you play change each week?

It changes each day - not just each week - and it depends on a variety of different factors.

How much I am enjoying myself, what I am doing the next day, whether I am seeing someone and have to wake up on time and of course my appetite for the game. Am I really enjoying it? Am I really hungry to play?

If I’m deep in a couple of competitions I’ll carry on firing them up. If the session is fizzling out and I don’t seem to be getting anywhere I just concentrate on two or three tables, put on a YouTube video of a lecture, or a talk, just to keep myself occupied while I finish off.

It also depends on my body clock. A lot of the time I just can’t sleep. I am regularly meeting up with Craig McCorkell in a late-night restaurant, for example. When you win a tournament at midnight - even for a small amount of money - you can’t just go to bed.

You’re excited and have a sense of achievement.

You talk a lot of high-stakes poker strategy with a pretty elite group of players. Do you lose an edge to these players by sharing your strategies?

Poker is changing. The days when Dan Kelly would go onto 2+2 and openly discuss his work on push/fold strategies - which completely revolutionized the game - are well gone.

I talk to a core of around 20 players and I guess you do give away a lot of information, but I get so much more back in return.

Poker is a very small community and outside of it hardly anybody understands what we are doing, and how life is as a poker player, so you get quite close. I don’t worry about Brammer having an edge on me, for example, and it does make for really interesting hands.

There were times during my GUKPT win when I looked around the table and saw Jon Spinks, Jake Cody and John Eames all playing with me. I have spoken strategies with all three of those, especially Spinks and Jake.

Sure, it makes it more difficult as there is a certain amount of leveling going on, but those situations are rare.

Poker players are quite generous people. It seems to be in their nature. I am also a great believer that when you’re riding high you ought to be nice to people because you never know how things may change.

That guy whom you are friendly with - and nice to - he might be the best player in the world in a few years from now. Things come up, overnight, and suddenly you want that person to buy percentages, and swap information, and that creates incredible opportunities.

An activist at heart. (Photo: Neil Stoddart, PokerStars Blog)

I believe you are heavily into politics?

I think my political sensibility has a lot to do with my parents’ background – they were both teachers. Also, the comprehensive I went to and seeing how things worked out for various people of differing backgrounds and differing classes.

Then I was at University at quite a political time with the Bush presidency. I remember being politically active on campus trying to get Nestle banned from the University and such like.

Then I was travelling in Cuba when Sept. 11 happened, came back and it was the Afghan War and then the Iraq war. I campaigned a lot about the Iraq war and I was arrested a few times.

I broke into an American Airbase in Gloucestershire and was on bail for nine months. I was charged with criminal damage and aggravated trespass. I pleaded not guilty on the grounds I was upholding international law.

I hired a good legal team and the trial eventually ran to a month. When you are taking direct action, and to some extent breaking the law of your country, or possibly going to be accused of breaking the laws of your country, you obviously have to back it up with good strong political research.

Certainly a political justification for the actions you are going to take, so at that time I read a great deal about the politics in the Middle East, the politics of American involvement in the Middle East then got into the relationship between Britain and America, etc., etc.

One thing leads to another, which led me to spending time in Palestine doing anti-arms trade work and that was a massive part of my life for a long period and hopefully something I can return to in the future.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Shannon Shorr: Don't Put All Your Hopes on Poker

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 09:21:51 -0800

But as one of the first wave of online kids to get into poker post-Moneymaker, Shorr has been in the game for much longer than you might think.

With almost $5 million in live tournament earnings, he's also much more accomplished as a player than the average fan might suspect.

Making his first live cash for almost $200k at the 2006 Aussie Millions, Shorr has been a force in tournament poker since he started and his recent results, including a win in the PokerStars 500 in October, only serve to confirm it.

Our colleague at PokerListings Germany, Dirk Oetzmann, caught up with Shorr at the recent WPT event in Prague and talked about Shorr's newfound love for backpacking and his words of wisdom for young players hoping to follow in his footsteps.

PokerListings: You are a dedicated globetrotter. Tell us a little bit about that.

Shannon Shorr: It’s true. I’ve become hooked on travelling. I came over here for the WSOPE in Cannes and the EPT San Remo.

Been around longer than you think.

After that, I was supposed to go home, but then I decided spontaneously to go on a backpacking trip through Europe.

It was really just on a whim, but I really fell in love with it.

It is now top of my list of endorsements, and I do it as much as I can.

PL: So you didn’t use to travel?

SS: I traveled for poker, but not very much outside that.

I never really took the time to travel for travel’s sake, without schedule or plans.

PL: Why did you choose to travel as a backpacker, when you could also do it in a more comfortable way.

SS: True, but it’s not about the money, it’s about the experience.

Staying in hostels and meeting people is a completely different experience, and also I want to take myself out of my comfort zone.

PL: In your blog, you named Berlin as your favorite city in the world.

SS: Yes, I just absolutely fell in love with Berlin.

I went to Munich first, and then up to Berlin. People are very nice, a lot of them speak English, the nightlife is great, and the history of the city is fascinating.

PL: So you think Germany might be nicer than its reputation?

"This business has become so extremely tough"

SS: I wasn’t aware that Germany had a bad reputation.

PL: Because of the 20th century history, we seem to be not very likeable.

SS: I think you can consider this disproven.

PL: Thank you. You also said that nowadays you wouldn’t advise young players to become professionals.

SS: That’s right, I would absolutely not. This business has become so extremely tough these days.

There is very little value in it, even in these tournaments.

To start up from scratch and try to get into this business is something I would just strongly advise against.

PL: But you keep doing it.

SS: Yes, but it’s tough for me as well. I’m managing myself, I’m really nitting on my expenses to stay alive, but it’s just not anymore what it used to be.

People, players at my age, we were just very lucky because we got in during the big boom, the post-Moneymaker years, when the average player was a lot worse, and the US was still an open market.

Today it’s just a completely different thing.

PL: Does that mean you think it’s impossible for a young player to make a living on, say, online poker. Without all the expenses?

SS: No, I think it’s still possible. Maybe I’m a little biased, because I’ve seen how much the poker lifestyle has changed and is changing.

PL: Then what would you recommend?

"You have to do something that makes you happy"

SS: I’d say pick a different career, don’t drop out of school.

Do your thing, but don’t put all your hopes on poker. You can always play poker if you want to, but don’t rely on it as a business.

Keep sharpening your gameplay, keep honing your skills, try to grind a little bit, but don’t do it full time, if you ask me.

PL: Are you going to keep on playing in the long run?

SS: I feel like I’m on my way out, but then I’ve been saying that for a while.

PL: But you’ve been pretty successful online lately.

SS: Yah. I kinda love the freedom that comes with it, that’s why I like to stick around.

You have to do something that makes you happy, if you’re spending a whole lot of time on it.

PL: But it doesn’t necessarily have to be poker.

SS: Absolutely not.

PL: And your plans for the near future?

SS: I’m going to play the EPT here in Prague of course. After that … well, I have a flight back on the 17th, but I guess I can get away with not being back until maybe the 22nd.

So I might go in the road again and travel to East Europe, like Slovakia or Slovenia, that region.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Giannetti, Eames Among New Crop of IveyPoker Pros

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 11:30:00 -0800

Along with Eames and Botond, Canadian Gillian Epp and Americans Matt Giannetti, Jonathan Tamayo, Josh Brikis and David Peters are all joining the IveyPoker team.

These seven players will strengthen a group that already includes Patrik Antonius, Jennifer Harman, James Dempsey, Cole South and 2012 world champion Greg Merson.

Get to Know the New IveyPoker Pros

Most familiar to armchair poker fans among the new signs will be Matt Giannetti. The 28-year-old from Austin, Texas finished fourth in the 2011 WSOP Main Event for over $3 million, and won WPT Malta the same year.

Tamayo on Day 8 of the 2009 WSOP Main Event.

David Peters has been posting live results since 2007, racking up over $2.5 million live career earnings and $2.9 million online so far, while his fellow American pro Josh Brikis has almost $1.5 million in scores to his credit, including a runner-up finish at the WSOP.

Jonathan Tamayo has cashed at the WSOP 16 times, including a 21st place finish in the 2009 Main Event that earned him over $350k. He’s also earned over $1 million playing online as driverseati.

Eames, Epp, Botond Rep ROW

Bringing an international flavor to the IveyPoker team are Brit John Eames, Canadian Gillian Epp and Hungarian Balazs Botond.

Eames is one of the fastest-rising young UK pros on the live tournament scene. Already scoring big at the WSOP, EPT and GUKPT, Eames has earned over $1.5 million playing live tournaments.

Eames also has a strong background in online MTTs with almost $1.9 million in total earnings.

Balazs Botond has only been playing live tournaments for a few short years but is already just one spot off Hungary’s top 10 all-time earners list.

Botond has big scores on the WSOP, WPT and EPT, totaling over half-a-million dollars.

Gillian Epp has by far the least tournament experience among the group of new pros but she’s known as a working high-stakes cash–game player in Vancouver and Las Vegas.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Faraz Jaka: Montreal Offers 'Perfect Mix' for Poker

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 10:20:00 -0800

Jaka has earned millions of dollars playing poker both online and live and began traveling abroad full-time following the US Department of Justice’s crackdown on online poker in 2011.

Since then he’s come to appreciate European culture and the poker scene outside of North America.

But it was a recent trip to Canada that made him think about setting up a home base.

PokerListings.com caught Jaka at WPT Prague and he told us about life as a traveling road gambler.

PokerListings.com: Today is the first day of the Bellagio Five Diamond, but you are here in Prague. Why?

Faraz Jaka: I really enjoy playing in Europe these days. I started playing in Europe about five years ago half time, and now I play here almost full time.

I love travelling, and I like playing tournaments, so I enjoy using the time in between events to travel around in Europe.

And it’s also because of the tournaments. There is just more value in the tournaments over here, and blacking out the US from online poker killed a lot of the live action as well.

PL: Most of your Hendon Mob entries of 2012 are European, indeed. Some of them even from smaller events like the ones in Dublin.

"I like to go all out or nothing."

FJ: Yes. What I like to do is, I like to go all out or nothing. So, if I decide to go to an event, I’d rather play all the tournaments. It gives you an advantage because you learn about the players. If you just come and go, you miss the chance to take advantage of that.

Of course, I’d like to get that advantage over American players.

Another thing I really like about Europe is where the casinos are situated. In America, the casinos are always in the middle of nowhere, because they are afraid that they would attract drugs and prostitution and crime and so on.

In Europe on the other hand, the casinos are always right in the middle of the city, and the authorities try to regulate everything, which is easier, if the casinos are closer.

I’d love to play an event bang in the middle of Chicago or right in the middle of New York, but that’s just not happening, you know.

PL: If you say you stay here full time now, have you found yourself a place to stay?

FJ: I’ve been homeless for two years. I kind of have a base in Gdansk, Poland, but that doesn’t mean I go there that often.

PL: In Poland? Not the typical first pick for an American in Europe.

FJ: I just love to explore, and I have a buddy who lives there, so I went to visit him, and it’s a really cool city.

PL: Any favorite place in Europe?

FJ: Zürich, maybe. I had a blast when I went there.

But recently I went to WPT Montreal, and I didn’t really know a lot about it beforehand. When I got there, I really fell in love with the place, and I got to know a lot of the locals. So now I’m trying to get back there.

"Montreal is kind of the perfect mix for me."

PL: So where are you going to settle down?

FJ: I would generally prefer Europe, because of the better cultural experience, but it’s kind of hard to play online poker on the European schedule. Whereas in Montreal, you feel a lot like being in Europe, but you are in a better time zone when it comes to online poker.

Also, it’s one and a half hours away from Chicago, where I have some business to do on a regular basis, so Montreal is kind of the perfect mix for me.

PL: What does a homeless guy like you do when you want to play online?

FJ: It’s not a big problem, really. You can play while you’re on the road, only that there are some exceptions. Not only the States, but of course you can’t play in Italy or in France and some other places where only locals can play.

I don’t play online that much, though, mainly the big Sunday tournaments or big series events like the SCOOP or the FTOPS. I try to never miss the Sunday, but usually, I don’t play more often than one more week day.

When SCOOP or FTOPS are on, I might play the whole week, though.

PL: You are more of a tournament than a cash game player, right?

FJ: Yes. I started out with cash games about seven years ago, but for the last five years it’s been almost exclusively tournaments.

PL: Have you heard about what happened to Theo Jörgensen yesterday?

FJ: No.

PL: People broke into his house, robbed him, and then shot him in the leg because they weren’t happy about how little money they found.

Jaka when he sponsored by Doyle's Room.

FJ: Really wow. I did not know that.

PL: Is playing poker a dangerous profession?

FJ: I hate hearing stories like that. I try to keep my mind off things like this, but the truth of the matter is you are a huge target as a player because the amount of money you’re making is right there on the internet, but of course your expenses aren’t.

And on top of that, there really are sketchy people in this business. So you have to be very careful about what you’re doing. You have to be smart and research the area you’re in.

For example, I hear a lot of people asking “what hotel are you staying in” or “in which area is your apartment”. I don’t answer that. Many players do, but I don’t. This information makes it easier for something to happen like what happened to Theo.

It’s a measure of protection. It’s part of the “being smart”, that you stay aware of what can be exploited.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Poker Pro Theo Jørgensen Shot Three Times in Home Invasion

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 06:39:54 -0800

According to Danish newspaper Ekstrabladet, three masked men forced their way into his home in Greve and demanded all of the Euros in the house.

Jørgensen was then shot three times in the leg either as "pure punishment" or in an "attempt to squeeze more money out of him" according to Danish police.

Jørgensen's wife, who was home and witnessed the event, called the police after the robbers fled. She described three men of average build wearing dark clothes - one likely carrying a submachine gun.

Jørgensen Recovering in Hospital

Thankfully Jørgensen's injuries aren't life threatening and he is currently recovering in hospital in Denmark. He posted a note on his Facebook page to alert his fans of his attack and recovery:

Worried this might happen.

Dear all

It is important for me to emphasize that I am a cautious man. I have prepared myself mentally and practically that this situation could arise to protect myself and my family against outsiders.

I know that the outsiders may have a mistaken idea of how much cash I have in my home. I have alarm systems installed, always so get cash lying as possible and generally taken my precautions. It has so unfortunately proved not to be enough.

I have it under circumstances well, and right now I want to focus on taking care of my family, so we can get through this.

Theo

The violent home invasion is eerily reminiscent of last year's brutal attack on 2010 WSOP Main Event champ Jonathan Duhamel at his home in Montreal.

Poker pro Juha Helppi, spoken to in Prague during the ongoing Prague Poker Festival, said this is unfortunately an ongoing concern for poker players both in Copenhagen and worldwide.

"This has happened in Copenhagen before. People were followed when they left the casino and then got robbed.

"Theo had told me that he was afraid something like this would happen.

“It’s sick. You keep small amounts of money at home, in case something like this happens, and then they shoot you in the leg because they are not happy with the money you have.”

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Haxton: I’d Play $100k All-Star Showdown Once a Month

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 11:30:00 -0800

Haxton has been crushing high-stakes heads-up No-Limit Hold’em for years and in addition to participating in this latest online challenge, he was recently named to PokerStars' Team Online Pro.

Living in Malta after relocating from the US post-Black Friday, Haxton has been breaking up his online grind with trips to the world’s biggest live events.

He cashed six times at this year’s WSOP, and picked up a small score at the recent EPT San Remo main event. And that’s all after finishing third in the $25k High-Roller at the 2012 PCA for $380k.

We spoke to him from his home on the Mediterranean to find out more about one of the greatest heads-up No-Limit players on the planet.

PokerListings.com: Now that the first All-Star Showdown is done, please tell us about the experience and how it played out.

Isaac Haxton: I loved it. I'd do it once a month if I could for sure.

I think people were surprised at how long the matches took. I wasn't, honestly. Going into my first match, Kanu and I both noticed while reviewing our hands against each other that in the last 7k hands we'd played no one had swung up or down 10 buy-ins.

Haxton at the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo.

If we do something similar again in the future, it still might be better to reexamine the scheduling. Either make the matches shorter or plan to play them out over multiple days.

PL: Like you said, you’ve had experience against these guys before. Did anyone in particular stand out as rising to the occasion in this Showdown?

IH: Everyone really rose to the occasion.

I was just recently reviewing my match with Kanu and it was obvious he put in a lot of work, several things I had identified in my preparation as spots in his game I wanted to attack had changed.

Sauce was doing some crazy stuff I hadn't seen before. Most obviously he was playing absurdly loose from the big blind and I think he overdid it but there were some subtle postflop things that really impressed me, too.

And obviously Cates put on a very impressive performance. I haven't seen much of him lately but it's clear he hasn't gotten rusty. He made pretty quick work of all three opponents.

PL: Since each player in the Showdown is a top-level pro, we’re curious about how your edge works. Is your advantage over these players a static thing that you just bring into the match, or is it dynamic to the point where it’s changing before and during play?

IH: It's very dynamic. You might be able to say something like "I think I beat player X for Ybb/100 on average," but in most cases the size of that edge and exactly where it's coming from will vary from hour to hour.

It's easiest to see looking at something like the preflop raise, 3-bet, 4-bet, 5-bet game.

Over the course of a match you might progress from thinking your opponent is opening too loose and not defending enough to the 3-bet so you start 3bet-bluffing him a lot and that goes well for a while.

Then he notices and starts opening tighter and calling more and for a little while you're making some losing bluffs. Then you notice his counter-adjustment and you start 3-betting a less polarized range with fewer bluffs and more thin value like QJo or even 98s and playing the 3-bet pots really aggressively post-flop and that goes well for a bit because he expects you to have more bluffs and not make as many top pairs as you actually are.

"You have to pick up their shifting ranges and frequencies quickly."

Then he figures out what's going on and starts to adjust by 4-betting you a lot. Now you're 3-betting and folding to a 4bet over and over with JTo and that's no good at all, so you start 3-betting more hands that can 5bet shove, etc, etc.

The same sorts of things are going on in every line of the match post-flop, too.

PL: So in a given match the player who is able to make faster, better adjustments is going to have the edge?

IH: Yeah. You have to pick up their shifting ranges and frequencies quickly but you also have to understand the implications of those changes so that you can make appropriate adjustments.

PL: Switching gears a bit, you were recently picked up by PokerStars Team Online Pro. What does that mean to you and what are you hoping to do with it?

IH: It's an honor to be selected as a member of Team Online. It's a group of really strong and hard-working players who are at the tops of their respective specialties.

I'm so glad to give them another player, in addition to nanonoko, who plays HSNL.

PL: How will joining the team change your poker career? Does it bring any new goals with it?

IH: I've previously been pretty reclusive in the past. Now that I'm part of Team Online, I'm going to be making an effort to be much more of a presence in social media. I'm going to be a lot more active on twitter and I'll be starting a blog soon.

I'd been thinking about shooting for Supernova Elite already but now that I'm Team Online I'm definitely going to do that.

PL: In addition to the Team Online nod, you’re held in high esteem by a lot of top players. Do you feel like you’re one of the best?

"I'm really happy Full Tilt is being resurrected. Unfortunately, I'm American so my money is with the DOJ rather than Stars/FT."

IH: It's not like I've made a point of trying to prove anything. I've just played a lot of HUNL and at this point there aren't that many people who want to play me.

PL: Do you have trouble getting action at high-stakes? What are you able to do to overcome that?

IH: Somewhat, though I've been getting a decent amount of action this year. When I can't get HUNL cash action I've been playing a lot of HUSNGs which is a nice solution.

PL: How happy are you about the PokerStars/FTP deal going through? We’ve heard you have some money on the site.

IH: I'm really happy that Full Tilt is being resurrected. Unfortunately, I'm American so my money is with the DOJ rather than Stars/FTP and I'll have to wait that process out and see what happens with it.

PL: Post-Black Friday you moved to Malta to continue playing online. What’s that experience been like?

IH: I love Malta and it's given me the opportunity to spend some time in some other places I've really liked, too. I spent about 6 weeks in Hong Kong and a month in Vancouver last year in addition to 6 months or so in Malta and had a great time in each of those places.

This year I plan to spend a couple months in Melbourne after PCA and will be going to Vancouver again in the summer. It's been expensive and I miss the stability of having a single full-time home in a country I know well, but it's been a really fun experience, too.

PL: Thanks Ike. Good luck on Supernova Elite.

Follow the author on Google+

Follow the author on Twitter

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Lex Veldhuis: It's Definitely the Best Life I Can Imagine

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 08:46:47 -0800

From living the high-rolling lifestyle as a young pro in Vegas to playing in the highest-stakes cash games on TV to drunk-bluffing Phil Ivey, Veldhuis has his share of crazy poker stories.

Now a little older, a lot wiser and with a clear picture of what's best for him, his health and his poker game, Veldhuis keeps to a pretty tight and focused schedule. Or he tries to anyway.

Our colleague at PokerListings Germany, Dirk Oetzmann, was lucky to catch up with him at the recent EPT tour stop in San Remo and sat down for a chat about growing up in poker, crazy No-Limit Omaha games, insomnia, shady casinos and more.

PokerListings: How long do you normally plan your schedule in advance?

Lex Veldhuis: I focus on the EPT tournaments, because these I want to play the most, and of course the WSOP.

But other than that, I don’t really plan that much. I check if there is anything on in the next two weeks and then make a decision.

But I am mostly a cash-game player, so I don’t really travel that much.

Girlfriend Evelyn Ng.

PL: About cash games. Are you still spending most of your time playing in Las Vegas?

LV: No. I play a lot online on PokerStars now. My girlfriend (poker pro Evelyn Ng) and me recently gave up our house in LV and moved to Toronto, so I spend a lot of time there now.

Before Black Friday, I spent five or six months of the year in Vegas. I would play online or live games, whichever I felt like doing.

Now I play mostly tournaments in Europe – they have some nice ones in Holland, too – and in Canada.

Also, there have been some really insane Omaha cash games in Toronto recently. They play $5/$10 and $10/$20 No-Limit Omaha, and it’s absolutely crazy, what’s going on there.

PL:No Limit Omaha?

LV:I know, it’s very unusual, but if you know the maths and the equities, it’s actually nice, cause you can punish mistakes extra wide.

To be honest, I am still learning, so it is sometimes hard for me, too.

PL: Does NLO even make sense?

LV: It only wouldn’t make sense if there were just very good players at the table, as they would basically neutralize each other.

People would for example 4-bet an AAxx hand to half of their stacks, so that the other guy with, say, T-8-7-5 can’t call anymore.

But if you have worse players, it’s an insane game with insanely deep stacks, as it’s “only” 5/10 and 10/20.

PL: To many beginners, you look like the guy who’s living the dream: young, successful, moving to Vegas. Are you living the dream?

"I don’t know if it’s the dream life, but it’s definitely the best life I can imagine."

LV: I don’t know if it’s the dream life, but it’s definitely the best life I can imagine. Also, it’s not always as crazy as it seems.

I try to live a healthy, very steady life, to make up for the moments when I go completely crazy. The moments when I go and play on The Big Game or High Stakes Poker, or when there is a good game in Vegas.

Away from that, I try to save all my energy for these games. Then there is me learning PLO, and I’m grinding a lot online, so I have to cope with a lot of ups and downs.

I learned from the past. There were times when I would disregard my health completely. I would play all night and sometimes all weekends without a minute of sleep.

I wasn’t thinking about what I was doing, I would just do everything.

Then my health deteriorated. I started getting allergies to food, I developed insomnia, all sorts of things. These allergies never went away again.

I cannot digest beer, cheese, chocolate, coffee, grapes. Basically everything that is strong or matured, my body can’t cope with.

I can live with this, cause most of these things I don’t care too much for, except beer, obviously, but it’s all still the result of my former malnutrition. It’s been a real wake-up call.

I started to do sports, like kickboxing for my fight against ElkY, I’m active in sports five or six times a week, and I feel a lot better.

So now, when there is a long tournament series, I have the energy again to sit down and sail through it for several weeks without getting worn down.

"I learned from the past."

PL: Phil Ivey recently won several million Pounds playing Baccarat in London and then the casino refused to pay him off. Did you ever have that kind of trouble?

LV: Well, I’ve had people who didn’t want to pay me off. (laughs) Casinos are always a bit shady, when it comes to paying off.

Take craps for example, or even Blackjack. They offer a game, some people figure out how to beat it, and as soon as that happens, beating becomes cheating, although it’s really just skill.

That doesn’t mean I think Ivey beats Baccarat, I think that’s pushing it a little too far, cause it’s a pretty skill-free game. I think he just got lucky. The thing is, if someone loses 20 million, they don’t care.

I mean, then they don’t say “I’m sorry, this has never happened before, there must be something wrong, here’s five million back.”

As for me, I never had any trouble like this. Mainly, because I didn’t gamble that much, and secondly, because I never really won. So, I usually got a handshake and free drinks.

PL: Did you ever go to Macau for the high-stakes games there?

LV: No, I’ve never been to Macau in my life. For one, I like my life the way it is. I do pretty much whatever I want.

Secondly, to play in these games, I would have to be a 24/7 grinder. I would have to earn a bankroll big enough so I can play in those big games.

But I don’t want to sit in some shitty 5/10 game for two weeks straight to then get into a good 100/200 game in Macau.

"I just had all the time in the world, and I went broke."

It would turn poker from fun to work, and I don’t want that.

Live games you should only play if they are really fun, or if they are really good. And there are enough fun and good games around.

Look at what happens to a lot of young players. You see some really happy young guys coming over to Vegas to grind, and a year later the grind has made them become very bitter and miserable. They take everything very hard and very serious.

They’ve taken a wrong turn. I know what this is like. I used to do the same thing. There were times when I looked like a ghost.

It all has nothing to do with poker. It has to do with responsibilities. These young guys are on their own for the first time, they have money – at first – and they can do what they want.

When I started out I stopped doing sports, I didn’t have to go to bed on a regular time schedule, I just had all the time in the world, and I went broke.

But even with money on your hands, it’s more difficult than they think to take care of themselves.

On the other hand, there are people who play successfully and stay healthy. For me, the fun part is important, and I’d rather play 20 tables simultaneously for one hour than one table for 20 hours.

PL: When Full Tilt comes back, are you going to play there?

LV: This will sound like a preconception, as I’m obviously sponsored by PokerStars, but even before that, I always preferred the software on PokerStars and played almost exclusively there.

It’s the only software where you can properly multi-table, and it was always a very trusted site.

I have between five and six million hands on PokerStars. On all the other sites combined, maybe 100,000. If they would fire me tomorrow, I would still keep playing on Stars.

"If I had to grind for a living, I would always do it on PokerStars."

PL: Did you actually ever play on Full Tilt?

LV: Yes, a couple of times, but rather casually. I played Ivey sometimes, when I got drunk.

PL: You played Ivey casually, when you got drunk?

LV: Well, you know, it was one of these nights, and there were no games on, you look around and see “oh, there’s Ivey”, and go for it.

I remember one night playing Ivey, I was sitting there with a friend, and I checkraise-bluffed Ivey on the river.

We had these special sound effects for Call and Fold, and we just sat there covering our eyes and praying for the fold sound, and it was such a relief when we heard it. Crazy times.

PL: Are we still talking about too much money and irresponsibility?

LV: Yes. I guess.

PL: So, if you had no contract with PokerStars anymore, you would still not be interested in representing Full Tilt?

LV: If I had to look for a new sponsor, I would of course take a lot of things into account, but if I had to grind for a living, I would always do it on PokerStars.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Lederer Returns to Tournament Poker in Bellagio $10k

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 16:28:23 -0700

Currently on his second buy-in and still alive in the Festa al Lago $10k, Lederer seems to have escaped any dramatic confrontations to this point.

The Twittersphere however, as expected, is up in arms.

Several players have commented on Lederer's presence and the atmosphere in the room.

Most are simply shocked he'd appear in a room of poker players before Full Tilt accounts have been repaid.

Lederer has been playing in Bobby's Room at the Bellagio over the last couple of weeks but had yet to expose himelf so prominently to the general poker public.

A small measure of justice was meted out as one of the first people to draw a seat beside him, Anthony Gregg, went on to bust Lederer's first bullet.

The tension in the room, however, is still palpable:

And Howard appears at my table.

— Christian Harder (@realcharder30) October 23, 2012

Here he is lockerz.com/s/255589213

— Christian Harder (@realcharder30) October 23, 2012

Should get more interesting now. Never one to hold back his opinion, @jonaguiar joins Lederer's table.

— Cliff Josephy (@JohnnyBaxPoker) October 23, 2012

That was quick. Tony Gregg busted Lederer, so Howard strolled back behind the walls of Bobby's room.

— Cliff Josephy (@JohnnyBaxPoker) October 23, 2012

Wow Lederer sits down at Bellagio... guy got some guts..

— Jonathan Duhamel (@JonathanDuhamel) October 23, 2012

Lederer update: He re-entered, and is at the softest table in the room, so he might last a little longer this time.

— Cliff Josephy (@JohnnyBaxPoker) October 24, 2012

I hope that my good friends playing the Bellagio 10k give Howard a warm welcome back to tournament poker.

— steveodwyer (@steveodwyer) October 23, 2012

167k 500/1k Lederer decided to join us! It's no coincidence that @jonaguiar & I are within earshot & that he's now wearing headphones. #fb

— Matt Stout (@MattStoutPoker) October 23, 2012

I would be playing Festa but Howard Lederer used my buyin on himself.

— eric froehlich (@efropoker) October 23, 2012

Got 180k with 62 players left. Also Howard Lederer just busted out at my table. The energy in the room was tense.

— Prahlad Friedman (@PrahladFriedman) October 23, 2012

It's great to see Howard Lederer back at the tables. He's a poker icon and we've missed him. #ShitNobodySays

— Matt Stout (@MattStoutPoker) October 24, 2012

Howard Lederer playing cash vs all the red pros he helped make rich is one thing but playing in a 10k vs the players he screwed takes nerve

— David Baker (@audavidb) October 23, 2012

Howard Lederer, Wtf is wrong w u... Go back into hiding where u belong. If u show up at my table ever, I'll literally laugh in ur face #gfy

— Jason Mercier (@JasonMercier) October 23, 2012

How is he not scared that someone will clock him in the face. #orworse

— Jason Mercier (@JasonMercier) October 23, 2012

Lederer shoulda waited til we actually get paid out before showing his face. At least we'll want to hit him with baseball bats...less times.

— Matt Stout (@MattStoutPoker) October 24, 2012

FWIW I gave Howard the shooter McGavin double guns when they got ai JT4 w his AJ vs KQ and started the slow clap on the A turn blank river

— Jonathan Aguiar (@JonAguiar) October 24, 2012

explain to me how Lederer is playin festa and nobody says a word to him?#twittertoughguysarecool

— Jared Jaffee (@jaredjaffee21) October 23, 2012

Hey Howard Lederer... Go fuck yourself. Sincerely,Everyone

— Brent Hanks (@Bhanks11) October 23, 2012

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Selbst, Weisner Lock Down Big Tourney Wins

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 08:26:35 -0700

Selbst, easily one of the top poker tournament professionals regardless of gender, stepped up against the heavy hitters in the Bellagio Festa al Lago $5k and took down the title for $90k.

Among the final-tablists were Justin Young, who came second, and Daniel Negreanu, who finished third.

Andrew “LuckyChewy” Lichtenberger, Dan Shak, Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy and 2012 Poker Hall of Fame nominee Chris Björin also made the final to make it one of the toughest of the year.

Selbst did need to get lucky at one point, however. She spiked a queen to crack Bjorin’s aces but took the subsequent big stack and rode it to the finish.

Tweeted Selbst:

Just got lucky to bink a Q vs always tough Chris bjorin AA. Have almost half chips in play in bellagio 5k with 5 ppl left.

— Vanessa Selbst (@VanessaSelbst) October 21, 2012

Thanks everyone for the congrats. To all asking, 90k for first. Feel very fortunate, ran great to beat a rly tough final table.

— Vanessa Selbst (@VanessaSelbst) October 22, 2012

Weisner Earns First Live-Tourney Win

Weisner. (Photo: Liv Boeree)

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Weisner was busy earning her first-ever live tourney win.

Still slightly more renowned for her prowess online as Calisto 5, Weisner has been steadily building her reputation in the live game over the last couple years and had several top 5 finishes to show for it.

Still, she'd yet to break through with a win until yesterday at WPT South Africa.

Railed by pals Liv Boeree and Tatjana Pasalic, among others, Weisner grabbed the title in the $1k six-max event for $41,289.

The score is Weisner's second-biggest live -- just slightly less than her second-place finish in this spring’s €5k Heads-up event at the EPT Grand Final.

The win pushes her career live earnings up over $550,000.

Even halfway around the globe the two were well aware of each other's successes and showed their support:

Although @vanessaselbst would have to steal my thunder with a win at the same moment. Congrats V ;)

— Melanie Weisner (@melanieweisner) October 22, 2012

Very happy for @melanieweisner for shipping her first live tourney win.A great day for women in poker!

— Vanessa Selbst (@VanessaSelbst) October 22, 2012

Follow the WPT South Africa main event starting today on WPT.com.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Sailor Roberts, Drache Selected for Poker Hall of Fame

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 09:46:46 -0700

Roberts, along with Doyle Brunson and Amarillo Slim, was part of poker’s old guard of Texas road gamblers that travelled across the United States in search of games.

Brunson is the only member of the crew still alive as Roberts passed away in 1995 and Slim died earlier this year.

Meanwhile Drache was a poker player, cardroom manager and consultant for NBC sports.

Well respected in the community, Drache’s contributions to the poker world are numerous. He was the one who initially came up with the idea for the Poker Hall of Fame. Perhaps most notably he came up with the idea of tournament satellites.

“I’m not only surprised and honored to have been selected, I’m also a bit embarrassed considering the other nominees,” said Drache.

“When Jack Binion and myself worked on creating the Hall of Fame, I never considered myself a potential candidate. I’m particularly happy for the family of Sailor Roberts. Sailor by everyone’s account, including my own personal observations, was a great player and played many games very well.”

Underrated Roberts Flourished Before the Poker Boom

Roberts won two WSOP bracelets including the 1979 WSOP Main Event for $210,000. He earned the nickname “Sailor” for having served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War.

Originally from San Angelo, Texas, Roberts was also a top-flight bridge player.

Drache and Roberts will be officially inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in a special ceremony on Oct. 30 at the Rio’s Penn & Teller Theater as part of the WSOP Main Event final-table festivities.

Both players were nominated by the public and voted in by a 36-person panel made up of existing Hall of Fame members and members of the media. The initial 10 nominees included John Juanda and Scotty Nguyen.

Follow the author on Google+

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

PokerStars Reveals Isaac Haxton as New Online Pro

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 07:19:36 -0700

Known as one of the most cerebral players in the game, Haxton has over $4 million in lifetime tournament earnings.

“I’m excited for the new opportunities this partnership brings,” he said. “I’m not just playing for myself now – I’m representing a team and a brand. That brings new opportunities and new responsibilities.”

Haxton is a fearsome online player and has been known to play some of the highest stakes available.

The Syracuse-native, who plays online as “philivey2694” was one of the only players to ever beat Viktor “Isildur1” Blom in the SuperStar Showdown. He was also the only participant who agreed to play Blom for $1 million in the biggest Showdown ever played.

First Online Poker Sponsorship for Haxton

Despite his success Haxton has never represented an online poker site and was understandably excited to be donning a PokerStars patch.

“I want to make Supernova Elite in 2012 playing mostly heads-up Sit & Go’s. I also want to learn Pot Limit Omaha and play some heads-up No Limit Hold’em cash matches.”

According to Haxton it was absolutely imperative he sign with an online poker site that he believed in and PokerStars was first on that list.

All this week PokerStars was running a competition to guess the new Team Online pro and all the contestants who correctly guessed Haxton were entered into a draw for $2,500 in cash prizes.

During the 36 hours of the contest, there were nearly 1,500 guesses. About 10% ended up getting the correct answer. PokerStars drew 50 names out of those correct answers and is awarding each of them $50 for their correct guess.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Chris Moneymaker: I Still Wanna Win as Bad as Ever

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:36:16 -0700

But how has the game changed him?

Almost 10 years on from his monumental upset of Sammy Farha in the 2003 WSOP Main Event, Chris Moneymaker is still - surprisingly to some - out on the road grinding for a living.

Some might even say his game is better than it has ever been.

Our colleague at PokerZeit.com, Dirk Oetzmann, caught up with Moneymaker at the recent EPT San Remo and got his reflections on the past, present and future of the most famous name in poker.

PL: Almost 10 years has passed since you won the WSOP title. Looking back, what are your thoughts on this time span?

"I was complacent with the game for a long time."

CM: The years flew by. I wish I had treated the game more seriously earlier, instead of thinking I had it in the bag.

I was complacent with the game for a long time. I could read people pretty well, but my fundamentals were terrible.

PL: You led a “normal” life before poker brought you into this. Does this feel like a normal life now?

CM: Yes. But I’ve always tried to keep my normalcy. I never went too far from reality, stayed a family man and like to stay home.

But, on the other hand, I do enjoy poker. I never play to the point where I get burned out, but I can play pretty much wherever and whenever I want.

PL: A lot of champions who came later are now long gone, but you are still around.

CM: I’m not sure if they are really gone. Greg Raymer, for example, or Joe Hachem, they still play.

The guys who you don’t see anymore are guys like Jamie Gold – who got in a little bit of trouble because he got involved in a couple of high-stakes cash games where maybe he shouldn’t have, or Jerry Yang, who likes his regular job and never wanted to be a guy in the spotlight anyway.

And then you get people like Peter Eastgate, who semi-retire at a very early age but then come back and are now at it again.

"If I was on my own, I would probably go and play the highest cash games I could find."

PL: You lead a completely different life than the young degen poker nerd, but they seem to burn out a lot quicker. Is your way the better way?

CM: It’s a lot harder. To bring a family life in line with a poker player’s life is very hard.

The monetary standpoint, the travel standpoint. I get out and play poker, and then I get like five hours of sleep on the plane.

Then I arrive home and have to be ready to go with the kids. There is no way around it.

If a young guy burns his bankroll in one night, all he has to care about is himself. If I wanted to go out and play, say, a $50/$100 game, I couldn’t do that because I don’t have the funds for it.

I have four mouths to feed, so I have a different mindset.

If I was on my own, I would probably go and play the highest cash games I could find. Or at least pretty high.

PL: Poker has changed dramatically. How do you keep up with new styles?

CM: Coaching. I have a guy who helps me spot trends and tells me what’s going on, talks about things like what guys 5-bet you but don’t necessarily have aces, but could also do this with Q-5.

Calvin Anderson: Moneymaker's Mickey.

My coach is Calvin Anderson. He goes by “cal42688” online, and he’s really good. He’s probably the best I know.

I met him two years ago during the PCA. We were out with some guys on a thing they called “Fish and Chips.” A recreational thing where you played tournaments and went fishing.

So Calvin, his roommate Wade Townsend and some other guys hung out together, and I was really impressed with their game. So I said to Calvin “Look, you’re gonna have to help me out.”

Also, I can’t play online, so I need some other way to keep up with what’s happening.

PL: Would you move to be able to play again?

CM: Actually, I was looking at some places to set up a second home in Toronto.

It’s a really cool city with a lot of poker players. As it turned out, I didn’t do it, because I would have missed most of the WCOOP anyway.

Also, I travel a lot to play all the EPTs, LAPTs, NAPTs, maybe I shouldn’t go to Canada to play online as well.

So, rather than that, I practice live poker more. This is the first season, for example, where I’m playing all the EPT events instead of just two or three.

PL: Are you still as hungry as you were 10 years ago?

CM: I’d lie to you if I said yes. My motivation in 2003 was I was broke and literally hungry.

Rocky Balboa on the street.

I was Rocky Balboa on the street. But things have changed, I’m much more comfortable now, but I’m still motivated to play well.

I still wanna win as bad as I ever did. But whoever you are, if you are comfortable, you’ll never be as hungry as you were.

PL: How long do you think you can go on with this?

CM: A long time. Maybe not as long as Doyle Brunson, but pretty long.

Also, I really like to travel around, especially in Europe, where there are so many interesting places I haven’t been to.

But I don’t see myself being 70 years old and trying to find a big cash game. I will leave that to my kids when I’m that old.

PL: You were one of the first members of team PokerStars.

CM: Actually, I was number two. Quiz question: Who was number one.

PL: I have no idea.

CM: Tom McEvoy. He was signed in 2002. Me, Joe and Greg used that as a trick question.

PL: How much “team” is there in Team PokerStars?

Team is gone but money remains.

CM: Back in the days there was a lot of team. Greg Raymer, Joe Hachem and me would spend tons of time together.

Our families knew each other, we were a real team. We were really close.

Then the company began expanding financially, and it would get to the point where I would see a new team pro and go “who the fuck is that?”

But most of the younger guys know each other. Like Jason Mercier and ElkY, they do a lot of things together. And as Joe and Greg are gone, I don’t hang out that much with the team pros anymore. But a lot of them do.

When I’m finished playing, I just want some quiet and crash. The young guys, on the other hand, they go out and do … they do … who knows what they do.

But I’m too old for that.

PL: What’s going to happen the day Full Tilt goes back online?

CM: it’s going to explode. It’ll be number two behind PokerStars right away.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Negreanu Lambasts Lederer in Impassioned Rant

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 15:48:58 -0700

Never a fan of Howard Lederer, Negreanu has dabbled a little over Twitter and shared some brief thoughts with PokerListings via email about the Lederer Files interview over the last few weeks.

Now that he's back from Europe and settled in at home, Negreanu came out with his cross-examination guns blazing and pointed straight at Howard in his latest video rant. And he does not flinch at all.

Coming in at a full 25 minutes, Negreanu rips into many of Lederer's interview claims (or I don't knows) and points out several cases of Lederer lying outright.

Not satisfied with just sharing his own take on it Negreanu also adds in phone clips from industry insiders including Todd Terry, Bill Rini, Kim Lund and Tony Dunst that support his key points.

Particular points of contention include Lederer's insufficient explanation for his silence over the past 18 months, Howard's insistence on backing Ray and claiming they were both critical to the signing of the PokerStars deal and his recent return to Bobby's Room -- without at least waiting until players have been reimbursed.

An Excerpt:

"In neither of the two interviews that you did did you give a legitimate reason why you thought it was important to completely shun the poker community for 18 months and just leave them hanging.

"I wonder if this deal didn’t get done would you have really sat down and done this PokerNews interview? Or would you have continued to hide like a weasel?

“The only reason you’re speaking now and drinking and gambling in Bobby’s Room is because you were rescued.”

“...There’s only two real possibilities for what’s really going on here. Either A) You’re completely lying and you know a whole lot more than you let on or B) You really don’t know of the answers to these questions but you should have.”

For Negreanu fans, or anyone swayed slightly by Lederer's recent media forays, it's a must see:

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

durrrr, Isildur1 Sign On as Pros for New Full Tilt Poker

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 09:04:24 -0700

Announced via press release today, the three high-stakes icons will form a new team of ambassadors for the site dubbed "The Professionals."

Speaking to PokerListings recently about his regrets in the aftermath of Black Friday, Dwan was slightly cagey about any role he might with the new FTP. Speculation about his sponsorship future was answered by today's announcement.

“I’m very excited that Full Tilt Poker is re-launching," Dwan said. "I think it is great for poker and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

Added Full Tilt Poker’s Head of Marketing Sarne Lightman:

“Tom is one of the most feared and respected players in the world today.

"His exploits at the Full Tilt Poker tables generated a huge following in the poker community and we are thrilled to bring that action back for our players.”

Return of the Jedis

Dwan, Hansen and Blom were central to the highest-stakes action ever seen online and the buzz created by their massive games hasn't been seen since.

Return to the scene of the rise.

Lightman says that was critical in their selection of the new ambassadors:

“The game of poker is always evolving,” said Lightman. ”Through our continual innovations, Full Tilt Poker is proud to have been at the forefront of that evolution.

"In choosing our Pros we approached the three poker players whose unique and innovative styles have had the most impact on how modern poker is played.”

The soft-spoken Blom, never much for words, added the software and his past success on Full Tilt helped make his decision easy.

“I always loved playing on the Full Tilt Poker software," Blom said.

"It is where I made my name and enjoyed some of my greatest victories. When they approached me about joining the team I knew this was the right fit for me.”

The new Full Tilt Poker will launch November 6 with full account balances and previous rewards available for the rest of the world immediately.

Only play-money games will be available for US players until proper legislation in the United States is passed. Account balances may be claimed through an as-yet undetermined remission process through the US Department of Justice.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Phil Hellmuth: I Need to Win 24 Bracelets

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 09:17:26 -0700

Hellmuth spoke candidly about what he still hopes to accomplish in the poker world after winning his most recent bracelet at the WSOPE Main Event in Cannes.

“There’s a lot of work left to be done in my life,” he said. “I need to win 24 bracelets, the $50k Players Championship and the $25,000 WPT World Championship.”

Those lofty goals would seem ridiculous to most poker players but it’s getting harder and harder to doubt the Poker Brat.

Hellmuth’s stats at the WSOP alone are staggering. He’s now cashed 95 times in the series for $12.1 million. No one is close to catching him in bracelets as he just continues to win while the older Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan have been idling at 10 bracelets each for years.

Hellmuth Plays "Best" Hold'em of His Life to Win WSOPE ME

Phil Hellmuth wins #13.

Phil Hellmuth ranked the recent win at the WSOPE Main Event as the second most important victory of his career, right behind his original Main Event win in 1989.

“This was significant to me, because everyone said I couldn’t play the mix games, then I had two great years of mix games,” he said. “Then I heard all these rumors that I couldn’t play Hold’em anymore. That was the best No-Limit Hold'em tournament I ever played.”

Perhaps the most surprising thing about Hellmuth is that he continues to keep pace with the younger players in a manner that many of his contemporaries have been unable to do.

“The kids will be the kids and I love most of them but there are some haters out there,” he said. “I’m absolutely evolving as a player. If you don’t evolve as a player you should just give up the game.”

Despite his tight reputation, Hellmuth still gets paid off surprisingly often.

In one of the biggest hands of the WSOPE Main Event Hellmuth got opponent Curt Kohlberg to commit his million-chip stack pre-flop with jack-ten to Hellmuth’s pocket aces.

“That was the closest I came to being all-in in the tournament,” explained Hellmuth.

Phil Hellmuth

Building a Better Poker Brat

Over the last couple years Hellmuth has also laid off the Poker Brat persona but he’s still prone to the occasional outbreak.

During the WSOPE Main Event final table opponent Sergii Baranov got lucky a couple times and Hellmuth performed his signature act that included laying on the floor and muttering to himself about his bad fortune.

“There were a couple times where he went crazy,” said Hellmuth. “Sergii made his moves and I was OK with that. I was more upset with the deck.”

Now 48, and coming off one of the biggest wins of his poker career, the question remains as to whether Hellmuth will still be able to win bracelets in 10, 20 or even 30 years.

“I hope so,” he said.

“I hope I continue to play at this level and that I still have my reading abilities because I think that’s what gives me an edge. I know this, in 30 years I’ll still be cashing a lot. I hope that I can still win.”

Follow the author on Google+

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Salsberg: New Entourage-Style Show Based on Poker Circuit

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 12:32:00 -0700

Salsberg, who has written and produced on TV shows Weeds and Entourage, has won more than $645,000 this year playing tournaments and he’s hoping to put some of that experience to work on his new show Whales.

Our colleague at PokerListings.it, Giovanni Angioni, caught up with Salbserg at EPT San Remo to find out more about his new poker television series and what it’s like to ride a massive live-tournament heater.

PL: PokerListings.com: Do you ever base characters in your shows on people from the poker world?

Matt Salsberg: I haven’t met many people I would place in Weeds. But right now I have a show in development that I’m working on and it’s about poker players so there is probably a mix of fifty people in the room that I could potentially put there.

PL: Can you tell us more about the new show?

MS: It’s about guys in their twenties that travel the circuit playing poker. It’s going to be a comedy but sort of a pretty realistic one. Reasonably realistic, let’s say.

Kind of like the way Entourage was in Hollywood, sort of the similar kind of realism to that.

PL: We’re seeing more poker movies coming out, and there’s always the classics, so do you feel like the projects that deal with poker have been generally good for the game?

MS: Well, some were good. Rounders was really good for poker, I think.

But I think sometimes we are falling into the trap of trying to reach a larger audience – and this means that you end up making a movie that has some romance in it. I don’t know if you want to talk about that movie Lucky You with Drew Barrymore because, yeah, that wasn’t that good. (smiles)

Salsberg picked up his first major win at the WPT Grand Prix de Paris.

PL: That was not good at all.

MS: (laughs) No, that was not good at all. But, yeah, I’d say Rounders is the best poker movie.

PL: True. But it’s not like Rounders came out yesterday.

MS: True, but they haven’t made that many movies about poker. They made one TV show about poker called Tilt which was on ESPN like in 2005 and that was a little too over the top. That was not that realistic. I mean, it had shades of realism but it was too stylized and it was too melodramatic.

So, what I am trying to capture with my show is the realism of guys that live this life on the road. They’re in their twenties, they have never lived outside of their homes before and all of a sudden they are in this international high-stakes world of poker.

I am going to show how they deal with that, how they deal with winning a lot of money and then losing a lot of money. Traveling, calling people “friends” who are not really their friends, seeing real friends becoming enemies at the table.

It is going to be a scripted show, not a reality show, so they will be all actors with some cameos of real players.

PL: Do you know when is it going to be on air?

Salsberg will draw from the poker community for the characters in his new series.

MS: No, I don’t know yet. It needs some works still so it is indefinite right now.

PL: You’ve got big poker results now so are you introducing yourself to people you meet as a poker player or a TV producer/writer?

MS: I prefer writer, but a writer that plays way too much poker.

This is the thing. I spend more time playing poker than writing, but I've made more money writing than I did in poker. So it’s kind of twisted.

There is not THAT much point for me in playing poker on some levels but it’s such a fun game, very competitive. I love the game. Paris was a huge win and I always wanted to win a big tournament so that was pretty special.

PL: When you think of the Black Friday story and everything that’s happened in the last 18 months, could you even write a story like that?

MS: You know, the best stories come out of truth usually, and then it’s weird because sometimes you write a story based on truth and people are like “how did you come up with that?!” and they’re surprised when you tell them it’s based on truth.

I think that specific one was a tricky situation. I think that was something that potentially was going to come down at some point. There were such vague laws and so many issues with payment processors.

You know, there were guys signing up for Full Tilt, putting $500 on their accounts and they’re getting a receipt saying they bought “Golf Clubs online”. You have to think somebody’s going to catch on to this at some point.

We love the game a lot. We love playing online a lot so people turn a blind eye to what could potentially be a very serious legal situation.

They were doing it before, nobody expected anything to happen but really, you know, it was all pretty stupid. For the players also, to not assume that at some point this thing could get blown up.

PL: Is the one about golf clubs a true example?

Salsberg feels like American poker players should have seen Black Friday coming.

MS: Oh yeah! I would get statements saying golf clubs, whatever, sporting goods. You know, when I would upload money to Full Tilt I would get this and this is really what they got nailed for. For fraud. Bank fraud.

PL: What’s the best poker movie ever?

MS: I think Rounders.

PL: I was still hoping you would say Cincinnati Kid.

MS: I watched The Cincinnati Kid not that long ago and I thought it was a little dated.

PL: You think it’s dated? I think it was a masterpiece.

MS: Ok, I’ll re-watch it.

PL: Are you spending a lot of time playing poker in Europe?

MS: Well, I did. This was by far the longest trip I have ever taken. I went to Partouche and then Paris. Then I went back to Borgata and then I said I would come back to Europe to Cannes for the World Series only if I won something. So I won the Paris one.

Then I was on the East Coast and I was already planning to spend a week visiting family and hanging out with friends so I didn’t have any rush to get back to L.A. And it’s not too horrible a flight from NY to Cannes as there was a direct flight on Delta.

So I did that. I ran like shit on Day 1 at the WSOPE. I busted aces vs AK all in preflop which is your best spot ever and, you know, losing to that was a bummer. So then I started thinking about San Remo – I didn’t know if I would go but then it turned out I came and so far it seems I made a good decision.

PL: Do you buy yourself into these big events or qualify online?

MS: I cannot qualify online when I am in the States and there’s nowhere to qualify. I played a super-satellite for the Paris one. I stone-bubbled it. They were giving away 10 seats and I came 11th stupidly. I had some chips, the average stack was like 9BBs so I had no comfort zone and the first mistake you make there can cost you everything.

I was mad about that but, obviously, it worked out in the end. Normally I just buy in because I am very bad at mega satellites and I have never won a seat in a mega in my life.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Juanda on Lederer: "He Should Have Taken More Blame"

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 20:39:56 -0700

Beyond his usual stellar tournament results, including a runner-up finish at the recent €50k High Roller at the WSOPE, Juanda has been in the unusual position of being in the media spotlight.

His was a prominent name brought up by Howard Lederer in the Lederer Files interview and the picture painted was fairly unkind.

Not only was he cast as a major voice of discontent towards Ray Bitar it was also suggested he was an obstacle to the PokerStars deal.

Juanda didn't take kindly to the insinuations and snapped back at Lederer via Twitter, claiming Howard was skewing the story to meet his own agenda.

He also claimed Full Tilt management "stole" $5.4 million from his friend Erik Seidel, which Lederer later confirmed was taken back.

On a break with three players left in the WSOPE High Roller, our colleague at PokerListings France Fred Guillemot caught up with Juanda for a few quick questions including his thoughts on the Lederer Files.

PokerListings: John, you seem pretty motivated to play in this €50k. Are high-roller tournaments your favorite?

Picks his tourney spots well.

John Juanda: Yes, actually. I like high-roller tournaments a lot because you don't have to play for too many days most of the time.

Like the Main Event here in Cannes for example, I have to play for six days. In Vegas it’s eight days whereas high-rollers usually take about two days.

This one is a bit longer than usual, it lasts for three days.

Another thing about high-rollers is that you don't get as many players, so it is, or at least it seems, a little bit easier.

PL: What about the other tournaments with lower buy-ins. Do they feel, in some ways, less interesting?

JJ: You know, it really depends on the tournament. You have to understand I've been playing poker for 15 or 16 years now. So when I was younger, I just couldn't wait to be playing the next tournament.

But now I'm a bit more selective. I can't play all of them so I have to pick a few I can play mostly because of the time constraints, which is why I usually end up picking the ones with big prize pools or in nice places like here in Cannes, Barcelona or Australia.

I go to places that I enjoy. For the most part I usually prefer tournaments with bigger prize pools and usually bigger buy-in means bigger prize pool.

Of course there are exceptions like HORSE where the buy-in is cheaper but you still see big prize pools. That's really exciting too.

PokerListings: Is this the reason you moved closer to Macau, because there are more cash games?

JJ: I usually live in Japan now, it is pretty close yes. So whenever I get an itch to play poker, I can just take a short flight to Macau to play where the action is.

PokerListings: You took two rebuys in this tournament which was a pretty good idea in the end.

JJ: It wasn't a great idea to start with, I busted pretty quickly... On one of the hands I think I could maybe have folded, but I'm not sure. David Benefield had a set, or at least looked like he might have a set, so I had to play my hand.

Yong misclick led to first bust.

The other hand was quite interesting. I called and Richard Yong put in the wrong chip. When we play in Macau, it's really friendly, so when you put in the wrong chip, people let you take it back, no-one ever calls string bet.

But in this tournament, Richard meant to put in 1,000 and put 10,000 instead. Then I raised and he realized he made a mistake, but he had a good hand and he thought maybe I was trying to steal from him, knowing he had made a mistake, so he went all-in.

I had aces. Then I lost. So I had to rebuy again.

Normally it should have been my last rebuy, because I had a hard time finding money here. See, a bunch of us guys from Macau only have a pool of money between us, the equivalent of six or seven rebuys.

But I had already used up two of them, so I felt bad. I didn't want to use all their money or spend that much money on one tournament.

PokerListings: So you still have a limit, you don't want to spend too much in one tournament.

JJ: Yeah. It's not smart to rebuy for 300,000 then you have to finish third to get your money back. But fortunately the last rebuy worked out pretty well and I'm still in. (note: this interview was done when there were 3 players left)

PokerListings: A few words about Full Tilt now. Do you have anything to say about the latest developments and the video interview with Howard Lederer?

JJ: You have to understand that Howard did that interview for his own reasons, so obviously he was going to say things that make him look good.

I thought he should have taken more blame instead of pointing fingers at everyone else.

He was the top guy at Full Tilt. At one point he was Ray Bitar's boss.

"I don't think Howard's a bad guy."

Ray Bitar had to report to him and, even after that, he was still on the board of directors.

A lot of the people involved in the company tried to warn him about Ray Bitar from the beginning but he wouldn't listen. He trusted Ray Bitar too much.

I don't think Howard's a bad guy, but he trusted the wrong person and maybe he should have listened a little bit when people told him he should look over Ray Bitar's shoulder for example.

So yeah, that's more or less my take on the situation.

PokerListings: Do you feel angry about it?

JJ: I am definitely very angry. The whole thing has cost a lot of embarrassment to me and everybody involved in Full Tilt.

For the last 15 months, I don't know where Howard was but he didn't show his face anywhere. We're the ones who've had to face people every day.

He never had people coming up to him asking for their money. People came to us, to me, to Erik Seidel, Gus Hansen.

They came to us and asked us where their money was. So yeah, I guess he didn't think about that.

I thought it was nice of him to apologize to the players, but I think he owes a lot of people an apology too.

Juanda: Loved every minute of past Full Tilt life.

A lot of people involved in Full Tilt, a lot of them lost their job, and others were in complete uncertainty for 15 months, not knowing if they'd still have a job.

I don't think he even realized that.

PokerListings: He could have done better.

JJ: He should have taken more blame and apologized more instead of blaming basically everybody else instead.

PokerListings: Will you be part of the new Full Tilt Poker?

JJ: That's not up to me. I love the company and I was involved in it from the beginning.

I loved every minute of it. I have a lot of nice memories there, like going to Germany 2 or 3 years in a row, shooting the commercials.

And I met some of my best friends, so I miss that part about Full Tilt.

But it's in good hands now.

I'm sure PokerStars will manage the whole thing much better and will allow the company to expand, and I wish them the best.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Dwan on Full Tilt Regrets: "I Got a Few"

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 13:22:43 -0700

Speaking with PokerListings on a break during the €50k High Roller at the WSOPE in Cannes today, Dwan says he met with Lederer in Vegas this summer and the former FTP board member surprised him with his honesty.

“I went into it really unhappy with him,” Dwan said. “I hadn’t talked to him in a year.

"I kind of thought he was a complete scumbag and I’m pretty confident I was wrong about that.”

Dwan also thinks Lederer did the right thing by doing a video interview with PokerNews last month. Apparently the interview lined up with everything Lederer had been telling Dwan personally.

“It’s a really complicated situation, and I’m not sure obviously, but it seemed like he tried to do the right thing,” said Dwan.

“He was in a bunch of tough spots and I rushed to conclusions on some of it – like a lot of people did, I think. A few of the things I thought he did maliciously or wrong ended up being pretty clearly disproven.”

Dwan clarified that doesn’t mean Lederer acted correctly, merely that Lederer was doing what he thought was right. Dwan also believes that he personally could have done more to prevent what happened.

“I’m still really unhappy with everything that happened with Full Tilt obviously,” he said.

“Howard deserves some of that blame as one of the former owners along with someone like me. I think I could have figured it out if the two things had clicked in my head.”

Tom Dwan

Silence Was Bad for Full Tilt Players

When asked about his greatest regret about his time with Full Tilt Poker, Dwan sighed and said, “I got a few.”

“One of the things I was most unhappy about was that no one was speaking out for a long time. I understand that from a legal perspective it was difficult but I think everyone kind of had a duty to the players to speak out more."

With PokerStars buying the company and now Lederer’s side of the story out in the public, Dwan believes most of the relevant details regarding Full Tilt Poker are all out in the open now.

“I think that’s really good,” he said.

“It’s good for the players and they can now decide what they think happened for themselves.”

Perhaps the natural next step occurred earlier this week when Gus Hansen was announced as the first pro to represent the new PokerStars-owned Full Tilt Poker.

“I think Gus has – from what I’ve heard – handled the Full Tilt situation pretty well,” he said. “I think it makes sense that they’d sign him.”

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

PartyPoker's Tony G Answers Your Questions

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 11:20:00 -0700

We're happy to say those days are over.

The illustrious and always-qualified Tony G from PartyPoker has agreed to take time out of his trash-talking, set-repping schedule to answer the top 20 questions you can come up with.

And we'll be running this contest across all our international sites, which means your questions will be asked alongside those of people from around the world.

Starting today you can leave your queries in the comment section below. Next Wednesday we’ll pick the 20 most compelling, most searching enquiries and present them to Tony G himself.

Maybe you’re wondering what it’s like being “from the streets” or how the G-Man developed his maniacal obsession with bicycle riding.

If you’re still confused just follow the guidelines below.

Acceptable questions:

What’s it like winning millions of dollars playing poker? Tell us about your most memorable poker experience. Who was your most challenging poker opponent?

... Less Desirable Questions:

Do you like me? I like you. I have a rash on my back. Can you take a look at it for me? Do you agree that Kirstie Alley has gained weight since Cheers?

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Gus Hansen First to Rep New Full Tilt Poker

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 09:10:00 -0700

Hansen, who was an FTP shareholder and one of the main faces of the brand, will lend his credibility to the new Full Tilt Poker which is set to re-open for real-money poker on November 6.

"I’m very excited to represent the industry’s most authentic poker brand,” said Hansen.

“Full Tilt Poker has the best games, most innovative software and the strongest poker community; to me this feels like coming home.”

With more than $11.2 million in live tournament earnings, four WPT titles, a win at the Aussie Millions and a WSOP bracelet Hansen is one of the most decorated poker players in the history of the game.

And in the time before Black Friday, Hansen was at the center of the high-stakes action that made Full Tilt famous.

"I’m very excited to represent the industry’s most authentic poker brand."

He was also one of the few people in the poker community to speak out in support of Howard Lederer and Chris Ferguson after the truth about the original Full Tilt Poker’s financial situation came to light.

Hansen Respected by Poker Community

On top of being an icon for his poker accomplishments Hansen is respected by poker players for being up-front and honest, qualities that Full Tilt’s new management hope will rub off on their rehabbed online poker room.

"Gus is one of the best-known and most respected names in the poker community," said Sarne Lightman, the newly-appointed Head of Marketing at Full Tilt Poker.

"Gus has always embodied the best characteristics of the Full Tilt Poker brand and we are thrilled to have him return as an ambassador,” said Sarne.

Hansen will spend his time growing the Full Tilt Poker brand at live tournaments around the world, as well as playing on the site when it’s up and running. So for Hansen, things will be much the same as they were before Black Friday.

And according to Sarne Lightman, this first sign is just the tip of the iceberg as far as what we can expect from the new Full Tilt Poker.

“Expect plenty more news in the comings weeks. More international pros, exciting launch promotions and the return of Full Tilt Poker as the world’s most innovative poker site,” said Lightman.

For all the latest Full Tilt Poker news keep an eye on our Black Friday Bulletin Board.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Negreanu: Ivey, Juanda Will Refute Lederer Files

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 12:32:00 -0700

Daniel Negreanu, for one, is taking exception with what Lederer is saying and how he’s saying it.

According to an interview we conducted with Negreanu via email today, Lederer’s version of events will be contradicted by players like Phil Ivey and John Juanda who are unhappy with the blame cast on them in the interviews.

Negreanu went on to describe Full Tilt Poker’s actions post-Black Friday as criminal and premeditated.

Continue reading for Negreanu’s opinion on why Lederer spoke out after so long, and what kind of reception he can expect should he return to the live poker circuit.

PokerListings.com: Overall, how accurate do you believe Lederer's assessment of the situation is and how much is he telling the truth as you know it/have been informed from other FTP players?Daniel Negreanu: Well a former high level employee at FTP on reddit wrote something titled "It's 30% Truth, 30% Plausible Deniability, 30% Lies, and 10% Total BS." That sounds about right to me, I heard several comments that I knew to be absolutely blatant lies in the attempt to make him look like the lone savior while throwing everyone else under the bus.PL: Specifically with the claims against Ivey, Juanda and Lindgren - how much does Lederer's version correspond with what you know and your relationship with these people?

Negreanu spoke to Ivey and Ivey's not happy.

DN: First of all, I can't wait until more people speak out so the whole truth comes out. Juanda took great offense to Howard's comments about him, and Juanda is 100% in the right.

I've spoken to Ivey, and I'm confident he will speak out as he is not in the least happy about the lies being told. When you hear Ivey's side of the story, I'm extremely confident people will fully understand that Ivey wasn't in the wrong at all.

He wanted no part of any criminal activity that Ray, Howard, and Chris were planning. His story will be backed up by other members as well. As for Erick, there is no way to condone that. What's clear at this point is he has a gambling problem and it caused him to do some truly foolish things.

Howard used this interview to deflect blame away from him, but HE was the president of FTP, Ray Bitar's boss. It was he and Chris that put Ray in charge. It wasn't player loans that destroyed this company, it was managerial decisions made by him, Ray, and Chris. Simple as that.PL: From what we've seen so far, Lederer paints the picture that he was completely unaware of any financial difficulties prior to Black Friday, that his only concern since has been to "make Full Tilt customers whole" and that some FTP shareholders have done nothing but make it difficult for him.

Do you think he truly believes that?

DN: He sure said I don't know a lot, which is peculiar for the president to not know all the things he claimed to be oblivious to. If he was oblivious to it all, then he is still to blame because those are things he should have known.

I'm not sure what he truly believes. I believe he is arrogant enough to think nothing was his fault, but I find it hard to believe he was totally unaware of any financial issues prior to BF. PL: Do you think Howard Lederer and/or Chris Ferguson committed a crime?

In Negreanu's opinion the real crime was committed post-Black Friday.

DN: Yes, and Howard admits it in the interview. The crime I see as inexcusable is what happened post BF. The company had no money, yet press releases were sent out claiming player funds were safe and secure.

Worse yet, they continued to accept rest of world deposits despite being insolvent. The fact that the company started out as a legitimate business now becomes totally irrelevant. Post BF they were, for lack of a better word, running something similar to a ponzi scheme. Using ROW funds to hopefully pay back US players.

He admits to this in the interview. Instead of doing the RIGHT thing, filing bankruptcy, or at the very least shutting down the site for a period of time, they continued to defraud depositing players by accepting deposits. He felt this approach was fine because the AGC didn't seem to have a problem with it. It's fraud. It's a crime, and this was their plan. PL: Lederer alludes to returning to playing poker. Does he deserve to be accepted back into the poker world?DN: I hate to say it, but the poker community as a whole has proven to be weak-willed for the most part when it comes to confrontation.

For example, his sister Annie Duke was involved in not one, but two scandals with UB and later Epic Poker, yet she has the gall to show up at the WSOP as if everything is A-OK. Have UB players been paid? No. Have the employees and the million dollar freeroll been paid? No, but she still shows her face.

I don't think Howard will be accepted back with open arms, but his interview will convince some people that he wasn't the crook he actually admitted to being, but was actually the lone savior.

It's not like he will be barred from entering tournaments, or someone will fight him, if he wants to play he can play. I don't think he will be back quite as soon as he thinks, though, as he did this interview prior to the DOJ cracking down on him again on September 10th. I'd like to add one more thing, he says "He owed the players his silence" and I thought that was an absurd thing to say. No one said he had to discuss the details of a deal post BF, or that he had to confirm if players were going to be paid or not. A simple, "I'm terribly sorry for those players who haven't received their funds yet and while I'm unsure what will happen at this point, I can assure you that FTP will do everything it possibly can to make the players whole."

Why couldn't he say something like that? There is no excuse. It's shameful.

Follow the author on Google+

Follow the author on Twitter

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Juanda Fires Back, Says $5.4m Stolen from Seidel

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 07:49:27 -0700

Taken to task in particular in Parts 1 and 6 of the Lederer Files interview, former Full Tilt pro and owner John Juanda made it clear through a series of tweets that Lederer is not giving an entirely accurate picture of the internal goings on at Full Tilt.

Calling Juanda out for not supporting Full Tilt CEO Ray Bitar, not paying back his own loan from the company and for “refusing” to sign the impending deal with PokerStars, Lederer also claimed Juanda was the “second-largest shareholder” in the company.

Not only does Juanda suggest Lederer was incorrect or misleading in his assessment of several situations, he also accuses Full Tilt management of stealing $5.4 million from Erik Seidel.

Juanda's series of tweets responding to the Lederer Files (through Part 6) in chronological order below:

For the record, Howard Lederer was wrong when he said I was 2nd largest shareholder of FTP! Maybe he REALLY didn't know!!???#LedererFiles

— John Juanda (@LuckBoxJuanda) September 20, 2012

As Ray Bitar's boss, Howard Lederer should've accepted more blames instead of trying to shift blames to everyone else.#LedererFiles

— John Juanda (@LuckBoxJuanda) September 20, 2012

I owe FTP $256K, was offered to settle for 80% but declined when I found out Ray, w/boards' approval,was still taking home 200K+/mo post BF

— John Juanda (@LuckBoxJuanda) September 21, 2012

Instead I offered to pay 100% as soon as I could be certain it'd go toward paying players NOT management salary&lawyers fees#LedererFiles

— John Juanda (@LuckBoxJuanda) September 21, 2012

Howard didn't mention in his interview that FTP management also stole 5.4M from my best friend@Erik_Seidel #LedererFiles

— John Juanda (@LuckBoxJuanda) September 21, 2012

What would u do in my shoes? Send check to same ppl who just stole from ur buddy?Or wait+hope to pay to the right parties?#LedererFiles

— John Juanda (@LuckBoxJuanda) September 21, 2012

When I said 'right parties' I didn't mean @erik_seidel bcos he shouldn't have priority over the players but he should prolly be next in line

— John Juanda (@LuckBoxJuanda) September 21, 2012

Juanda is currently in Cannes, France for the 2012 World Series of Poker Europe and has yet to respond in a more formal capacity. Follow him on Twitter here.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Lederer Breaks Silence, Multi-Part Interview Begins

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 06:47:38 -0700

According to former PokerNews Editor-in-Chief Matt Parvis, on August 30 he received a phone call from someone representing Lederer.

The unnamed person told Parvis that Lederer was willing to break his silence with a sit-down interview with PokerNews.

After a week of preparation and a video-interview format was agreed upon, Lederer and Parvis met at The Palazzo hotel in Las Vegas on Saturday, Sept. 8 at 5 p.m.

A seven-hour interview has now been compiled from the footage and is being released in seven parts beginning today.

The first part deals with the origins of the company, the general dissatisfaction of the FTP board with Ray Bitar, segregation of player funds, the beginnings of shareholder distributions and more.

The second deals with the decision to stay in the US post-UIGEA, his relationship with payment processors, the question of cash on hand being greater than customer deposits and Lederer's decision to resign from management in 2008.

Slumped over to the side of his chair, Lederer vacillates between contrite and apologetic and bristly and obstinate in tone depending on the subject.

Find the first two parts of the interview below. More details on how the interview came about here.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Sam Trickett Dominates 2012 British Poker Awards

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 15:45:00 -0700

Playing out aboard the H.M.S. President in London, the British Poker Awards recognize the biggest and brightest in British poker and tonight the winner’s circle was packed with names like Chris Moorman, Liv Boeree and even one American, Vanessa Selbst.

The big winner, however, was unquestionably Sam Trickett who was named 2012 player of the year, best cash player and best tournament player. It marks the second consecutive year Trickett won the award for best cash player.

In fact, Trickett has won awards in all three of the BPA’s iterations, winning best newcomer at the inaugural ceremony in 2010.

The bulk of Trickett’s accomplishments this year came by way of his second-place finish in the $1 million buy-in event at the World Series of Poker. Trickett pocketed a staggering $10.1 million, skyrocketing to the top of the UK charts.

Moorman Wins Best Online Player for Third Time

Chris Moorman wins his third consecutive award for best online player.

Trickett was joined tonight by Chris Moorman who took down the award for best online player for the third year in a row.

Also honored were Vanessa Selbst, who won best international player and Liv Boeree who won best poker personality of the year.

UKIPT president Kirsty Thompson got the nod for the biggest contribution to the growth of poker while her United Kingdom and Ireland Poker Tour was named best poker tour.

Here are the full 2012 British Poker Awards results:

Player of the Year: Sam Trickett Best International Player: Vanessa Selbst Best Card Room: Dusk Til Dawn Best Tournament Director: Toby Stone (UKIPT) Best Cash Player: Sam Trickett Best Tournament Player: Sam Trickett Best Online Player: Chris Moorman Poker Personality of the Year: Liv Boeree Best Poker Forum: The Hendon Mob Best UK Tournament: UKIPT Nottingham Best Card Room Restaurant: The Vic Best Card Room Bar: Palm Beach Best Poker Blogger/ Social Media: Neil Channing Best Poker League: Champions Poker League Biggest Contribution to Growing and Promoting Poker: Kirsty Thompson (UKIPT)

Follow the author on Google+

Follow the author on Twitter

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

John Juanda: Macau Games Getting Too High Even For Me

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 16:09:54 -0700

Still, every time you check the chip counts at a major tournament it seems he’s deep in the mix, staring down another final table.

Five more deep runs at the WSOP this summer plus a top-six stack heading into Day 5 tomorrow at EPT Barcelona are just the latest in a career that will go down as one of the best ever.

Juanda took a few moments to speak with PokerListings in Barcelona today about his newfound freedom playing EPTs, his sponsorship potential with the new FTP, his dislike for Vegas games, his new home in Tokyo and his degeneracy at the nosebleed stakes in Macau.

PokerListings: Day 4 at the EPT Barcelona. Another deep run. How is it going today?

John Juanda: So far, so good. Actually, so far, so very good. I started with a little under a million, and I’m already up to almost one and a half. So until now, it feels great today.

PL: A couple of years ago you won the WSOPE main event. Is it time for another big title in Europe?

On EPTs: "Full Tilt always came up with some ridiculous reason to not let us play."

JJ: Well, it doesn’t hurt to try. Actually, the EPT events are some of my favorites. The EPT takes very good care of their players.

In the past, I wasn’t able to play them because I was representing Full Tilt, and they always came up with some ridiculous reason to not let us play.

PL: When Full Tilt comes back in November, would you be interested in representing them again?

JJ: Well, it would of course depend on the terms and conditions.

I did enjoy playing on FT, I love the software, it’s really nice on the eyes, the games were really fast, and they used to have the limits that I enjoy playing.

PL: You've recently moved to Tokyo. Why's that?

JJ: I’ve always enjoyed the food and the hospitality. I have a couple of friends there, too. It’s just a fantastic city.

So, instead of going there 10 times a year, which I did, I thought I just might get as well a place there and move there.

PL: So is Tokyo going to be the center of your life in the future?

JJ: For now, yes. But then of course, you never know. I’ve been living out of my suitcase for half of my life, so, you never know.

PL: What about the center of your poker life. Is Macau taking over from Vegas?

JJ: Actually, I’ve never played that much in Vegas. I never really enjoyed playing there. The attitude of the players is just so different from Macau.

You know, if you play deep, you can lose a lot of money in one hand. In Vegas, people would lose a hand, and then behave like kids, sometimes even like animals.

People would blame the dealers or even try to start a fight between each other. I’ve been there a couple of times, and fights break out there almost on a daily basis.

PL: And that doesn’t happen in Macau?

JJ: Not at all. And you have to know, that in Macau, the games are a lot higher than in Vegas, so players win and lose a lot more money, but still the players always behave like gentlemen.

So, I enjoy playing there a lot more. Also, it’s closer to where I live now, of course.

"Sometimes I feel that the games are getting too high even for me. But I play anyway. I’m a degenerate."

PL: So the games are higher in Macau. What stakes are we talking about?

JJ: The normal game would be 10k/20k HKD, which is roughly $1300/$2600 USD. Plus antes. And then there are almost always straddles, sometimes two or three live straddles.

There are some really wealthy guys playing there. Depending on who is in the game, it can get even higher.

PL: And what would be the regular game in Vegas?

JJ: The regular games would be 3k/6k or 4k/8k in Limit games, and in No Limit games they usually play 500/1000, or sometimes 1000/2000, but there would be a $100,000 cap, so in one hand you can’t lose more than a hundred thousand dollars.

In Macau, there can already be $100,000 in the pot with all the live straddles.

PL: There is no cap in Macau.

JJ: There is no cap in Macau. Sometimes I feel that the games are getting too high even for me. But I play anyway. I’m a degenerate.

Check our full EPT Barcelona Day 4 recap for the latest on Juanda's exploits on Day 4.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Trickett, Moorman Headline 2012 British Poker Awards Nominations

Thu, 09 Aug 2012 11:45:00 -0700

In its third consecutive year, the British Poker Awards shine the spotlight on the year’s best poker players, events and websites from the UK.

Brought to you by Bluff Europe, the awards ceremony is set to go off September 17 aboard the yacht H.M.S. President.

Headlining the list of categories are honors for Player of the Year and Best International Player, both of which will be decided by the panel of judges that includes Jesse May, Bluff Europe, PokerListings.com, PokerNews.com and PokerStrategy.com.

Additionally, fans have the chance to vote on 11 other categories that cover everything from the best tournament player to the best casino restaurant in the UK.

Just head to the British Poker Awards website to cast your vote.

And finally, professional poker players will vote on the best card room, the best card room manager and the best tournament director.

Last year Jake Cody won Player of the Year honors, thanks in part to winning his first WSOP gold bracelet and final-tabling the WSOP Europe main event.

This year Cody is nowhere to be found on the nominations, but a few other big names stand out.

Nomination Domination

Judging my winnings alone Sam Trickett stands head and shoulders above all Brits this past year.

Chris Moorman stands out as one of the UK's best.

Trickett placed second in the world’s first $1 million buy-in tournament at the World Series of Poker this summer, winning $10.1 million. To date Trickett has earned over $16.4 million playing live poker tournaments.

Chris Moorman, Neil Channing, Vicky Coren and Chris Brammer also find themselves nominated in more than one category.

Other awards categories include a category for the individual who has contributed most to growing and promoting the game of poker, the best card-room bar and the best UK poker tournament.

For the full list of nominations, and the chance to vote, head over to the British Poker Awards website.

To get a feel for the flavor of the British Poker Awards check out the video below from their inaugural event in 2010.

Follow the author on Google+

Follow the author on Twitter

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Mizrachi Stiffed on $50k Players Championship Bet

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 08:47:35 -0700

According to the Sun Sentinel, Medici offered Mizrachi 5-1 odds on winning a bracelet at the 2012 WSOP.

Mizrachi decided to take the bet for $20,000 and then went on to win the $50k Poker Players Championship for $1.4 million and a WSOP gold bracelet.

When Mizrachi went to collect, Medici told him he couldn’t pay because he’d filed for bankruptcy.

A fellow poker player, Medici has $161k in lifetime tournament earnings including most recently a 12th place finish in the $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Re-Entry for $46,414.

Despite his winnings, Georgia court records confirm that Medici filed for Chapter 7 on July 6.

Medici claims his liabilities are $36.2 million, the majority of which are in real estate. He listed his bet against Mizrachi under “unsecured nonpriority claims.”

It’s especially painful for Mizrachi because he actually sold $9,500 of the bet against Medici to his friends, which means he had to pay $47,500 out of his own pocket to his friends.

Mizrachi has been Tweeting all the details of the bet against Medici to warn other poker players about his failure to pay up.

Ironically in early 2010, Mizrachi was in rough shape as the U.S. government had filed tax liens against him for $339,711.

The Grinder responded by going on one of the biggest heaters in poker to date and since 2010 has won nearly $7 million in poker tournaments.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

KC Poker Pro Recovers $1m in PokerStars-FTP Deal

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 11:01:00 -0700

On February 20, 2011, roughly two weeks after his 25th birthday, Hinkle had the biggest score of his career. He chopped the FTOPS main event on Full Tilt Poker for over $1.16 million playing under his screenname "blur5f6".

That’s more than double what he got for winning a WSOP gold bracelet in 2008.

Less than two months after Hinkle’s FTOPS victory the US government brought legal action against the world’s three biggest online poker rooms and started the chain of events that resulted in Full Tilt Poker being shut down completely.

Hinkle had not been able to get one dollar off the site in the intervening weeks and he’s spent the last 15 months wondering if he’d ever get his hands on the money he thought would change his life.

“The best way to describe the feeling I have right now is just a lot of relief,” Hinkle told PokerListings.com the day the news was announced.

“It feels so good to know that everyone’s going to get paid now. A lot of people went through a lot and it’s so good to know everyone’s going to be alright now,” said Hinkle.

Life on Hold after Black Friday

In the weeks following his million-dollar win Hinkle had been making long-term plans with his girlfriend Angela. Those plans included buying a house in the Kansas City area.

“It turned into this crazy waiting game where I really just wanted an answer one way or the other."

But when Black Friday hit and Full Tilt Poker went belly-up a few weeks later, Hinkle was forced to put those plans on hold.

“It turned into this crazy waiting game where I really just wanted an answer one way or the other. I was scared to make any big commitments,” explained Hinkle.

Hinkle said that in the beginning he wasn’t overly worried about his money, assuming like most that Full Tilt Poker was a successful, well-run company that would have no trouble covering the money with which its customers had been playing poker.

But in the months following Black Friday, evidence surfaced that painted a much different picture. In fact Full Tilt Poker had been operating at a shortfall totaling in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Previous to this discovery many in the poker world had been selling their Full Tilt money but, luckily for Hinkle, it never came to that.

“In the beginning while everyone was busy selling at like 80 percent or whatever, I was just thinking it’s no big deal, Full Tilt’s such a big company. How could they not have the money?” said Hinkle.

“Then when everything came out about how the company was being run and the trouble they were in, the discount on selling Full Tilt money was just too big. I didn’t see the point in selling,” he added.

So while circumstances conspired to make the last 15 months difficult on Blair Hinkle, it appears the same conditions helped him hold on to his account in full. And now, with the news that PokerStars and the DOJ will be making him whole again, Hinkle can finally breathe a little easier.

But according to Hinkle he won’t be able to put this ordeal behind him entirely until the money is safely deposited in his bank account.

“I’ve been telling myself not to celebrate until the money hits my bank account.”

“For more than a year I’ve basically just been going through life telling myself not to get too up or down about the whole situation, so even now in the back of my mind I’m telling myself not to get too excited about it,” laughed Hinkle.

“I’ve been telling myself not to celebrate until the money hits my bank account.”

Confidence in New Full Tilt Poker Despite Experience

Blair Hinkle has endured more than most in the months since Black Friday. But despite the trials of the last year he said he’d have no trouble opening an account at the new Full Tilt Poker.

Unfortunately for Hinkle, as an American he has access to neither Full Tilt nor any other online poker room.

But if that changes in the future he’s ready to deposit money on a site that carries the FTP name.

“I would be happy to play on the new Full Tilt and I think everyone should be confident playing there if PokerStars is running it,” said Hinkle. “PokerStars will run it the way an online poker site should be run and quite honestly, you should just be printing money if you’re running a site like that.”

“I would have no problem opening an account on the new site if it’s available in the US sometime in the future."

Follow the author on Google+

Follow the author on Twitter

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Bracelet Winner Ryan Young Killed in Car Accident

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 16:11:23 -0700

Details are still scarce regarding the accident he was involved in but the poker community is already reeling with sadness over the event.

Daniel "Kid Poker" Negreanu initially broke the news via Twitter and a number of other poker pros confirmed the information.

A native of Torrance, California, Young was known for his friendly demeanor at the poker table and talkative nature.

Young was a very skilled poker player with over $1.6 million in lifetime earnings including $615k from winning his first WSOP bracelet in a $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em event in 2007.

Young beat a tough final table that included Dustin Dirksen and Nam Le to claim the title.

Here are several notable figures in poker sharing their thoughts on Young via Twitter:

Really sad news: Poker Pro Ryan Young passed away today. Kid was a character, played with him in the main event this year. RIP Ryan...

— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) July 30, 2012

A real loss for the poker world. Ryan Young was interesting, charismatic, a talker, aggressive, and exciting to watch. I liked him.

— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) July 30, 2012

So sad to hear about Ryan Young, he was ALWAYS a pleasure to have at my events.

— Matt Savage (@SavagePoker) July 30, 2012

Pretty torn up about Ryan young. Played w Ryan irl since 06' wow what a terrible sad sad day

— Tim West (@TheTmay) July 30, 2012

very saddened to hear of the passing of poker player ryan young. Always thought of him as a great player, and an even better guy :(#rip

— Chris Moore (@gcnmoo) July 30, 2012

I'm also incredibly sad about Ryan Young's passing. He was a treat to play with---such a vibrant, good-natured kid. Too young for that. RIP.

— Vanessa Selbst (@VanessaSelbst) July 30, 2012

PokerListings interviewed Young, who was just 23 at the time, moments after his bracelet victory.

He also finished second to Chris Moore in the $10k Wynn Poker Classic back in 2008.

Primarily a No-Limit Hold’em player Young most recently had a solid 2012 WSOP that saw him win over $40k and make a deep run in the Main Event.

Young also played online and was known by the name youngluck on PokerStars.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Tom Dwan Drags Spectacular $3.8 Million Pot

Thu, 10 May 2012 09:55:59 -0700

Dwan won the pot, which amounted to HKD $30 million, against a Chinese businessman while playing No-Limit Hold’em with blinds of $1,300/$2,600.

According to Poker Portal Asia details were sparse on the hand but Dwan apparently picked up ace-ten against his opponent’s ace-deuce.

The flop came an action-heavy A-T-2 giving both players aces-up and a betting war ensued.

Eventually all the money went in on the flop and, after fading any trouble cards on the turn or the river, Dwan picked up the scale-tipping $3.8 million pot.

The article didn’t state whether Dwan ended the session a winner.

If confirmed, the pot would rank as one of the biggest in the history of poker.

Dwan already owns the biggest pot in TV history when he edged Phil Ivey in a $1.1 million cooler on the Million Dollar Cash game back in 2010.

Apparently the big game at Starworld Hotel’s Poker King Club has been going for the last week but Dwan is one of the only big name pros who has been playing it regularly.

Andrew Robl dropped in for one session this week and there’s a good chance it went well as he confirmed his participation in the $1 million buy-in WSOP Big One this summer on monday.

Check Poker Portal Asia for the latest updates on the poker scene in Macau.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

rUaBot Powers Down Negreanu in $75k Limit Challenge

Sun, 06 May 2012 07:48:17 -0700

The as-yet-unidentified rUaBot, referred to by Negreanu as a "Limit genius," played well but mostly got the better of the cards - especially on the river - to run over the inaugural challenge and add Negreanu's $75k to his bankroll.

The fixed-limit hold'em challenge was the first of its kind on PokerStars and took place across two tables with $200/$400 blinds and players loading up $8,000 with auto-rebuys on each table.

Negreanu Has Good Start But Mostly Downhill From There

After an early rush by rUaBot, Negreanu managed to get a small lead by hand 100 but that was as good as it got.

By the 200-hand mark rUaBot was up five-figures and by 250 was hovering around $12k. Another 200 hands later and rUaBot had close to $45k.

Negreanu managed to stay about even over the next couple hundred hands but another push by rUaBot had the lead back up to $52,900 by hand 713.

From there it was a gradual grind to the finish with the final tally being four hours of play and just 937 hands needed (out of 1,250 planned) for rUaBot to take the full $75k.

Negreanu, likely not hurting financially from the loss after his €900k+ take home from Monte Carlo last week, wasn't too interested in stepping up for a rematch based on his post-game chat:

KidPoker: ggrUaBot: ggrUaBot: sorry for the sick runKidPoker: its ok just glad its over!KidPoker: have never in my life played 2 tables HU LH and I never will againrUaBot: big thanks for playing hererUaBot: ohKidPoker: good night

Two of Negreanu's WSOP bracelets are in Limit Hold'em.

The PokerStars Limit Hold'em Challenge is supposed to be a recurring event, similar to the Isildur1 SuperStars Showdown, but no new challengers have been named.

For more info on the Challenge, check the recap in the PokerStars blog.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Negreanu Takes on rUaBot in Limit Challenge

Thu, 03 May 2012 09:40:59 -0700

The match will take place on Saturday, May 5, starting at 2 p.m. ET. The pair will play 1,250 hands of $200/$400 Limit Hold’em. Each player will bring a bankroll of $75,000 to the tables.

rUaBot, who has yet to reveal his identity, began his poker career playing Limit hold’em and has since developed into somewhat of a specialist. He’s made thousands playing Limit Hold'em online.

"In my opinion, fixed limit is more strategic than No-Limit," he told the PokerStars blog.

"In No-Limit, you always have some guessing games like 'would he bluff here or wouldn't he?' Of course, such situations often happen in Fixed-Limit, too, but there is much more space for general strategic adaptions than in No-Limit. I think, setting up your standard game is pure math, but exploiting your opponents patterns is an art... and will always be!"

Red-Hot Negreanu Looking Forward to Limit Battle

Negreanu is no slouch when it comes to Limit poker either. Four of Negreanu’s five WSOP bracelets are in Limit or Pot-Limit Hold’em.

“My goal is not to get crushed,” joked Negreanu on Twitter.

The Team PokerStars Pro also has some experience in heads-up challenges as he was one of the few players to actually win a match against Viktor “Isildur1” Blom in the SuperStar Showdown although he was down overall against Blom.

It may also help that Negreanu is on a bit of a hot streak in 2012 with nearly $1.5 million in high roller live tournament profit. Most recently he finished second in the €25k high roller at EPT Monte Carlo for €600k.

You can view the match this Saturday by logging onto the PokerStars lobby and searching for the heads-up match in the high stakes section of the cash game tab.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

EPT8 Grand Final Winner Mohsin Charania Q&A

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:05:24 -0700

Charania finally got the monkey off his back and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

He defeated a field of 665 tonight in Monte Carlo to claim by far the biggest prize of his career, €1.35 million, and we spoke to him shortly after he was done posing for his first event winner photo.

PokerListings.com: We spoke a few days ago and you told us that even though you’ve had a lot of success you didn’t feel like you’d broken out live. How does it feel to do it tonight?

Mohsin Charania: Unbelievable. I think it’s going to take a few days. Maybe once the money hits my bank account I’ll realize what’s happened. But I feel a real sense of satisfaction and completion. I needed the win and it’ll hit me.

No one can take it away from me. I won a big live tournament.

Mohsin Charania celebrating his EPT Grand Final win.

PL: We see a lot of guys jump into poker and bink a big tournament right away. Does the fact you’ve been working at it for years make it even more satisfying?

MC: Yeah. It gets frustrating. I’m not going to lie. When you travel for a couple of years and you see some guy you’ve never seen before and you might not think he’s the best and he wins a big live tournament and you’re kind of thinking, “Wow, what am I doing wrong?”

I’m sure there are a lot of people out there in my spot who have won a lot online or gotten deep in live tournaments and haven’t been able to run good when it matters.

I have friends that have won and they’ll tell you not to worry, and that it’ll come, but you don’t believe them. When you’ve done it for three or four years you just think, “C’mon that’s bullshit. You just run better than me.”

But I guess it’s true. If you keep at it you’ll get there eventually.

PL: You travel with a couple players, Faraz Jaka, and they were here supporting you. How much does that help when you’re in a pressure situation like this in a foreign country?

MC: Yeah it really is. It’s huge. Faraz, and another friend of mine, Athanasios (Polychronopoulos) who won a bracelet, they’re really more live players, and I can go up to them whenever and tell them I made a mistake or I played a hand this way, and they’ll break it down for you.

And if it’s a mistake then they’re there to help you move on and learn from it. With Athanasios he’s going to tell me if it’s a mistake and help me learn from it.

So when I’ve got them on the rail here I can go up to them and tell them what I had and I can get three or four different perspectives from people who have won so much live and who I respect so much.

Even if I know I played a hand fine, just to have the reassurance of them telling me I played it well, it’s massive.

Heads-up opponent Lucille Cailly

PL: How did you find Lucille Cailly?

MC: Tough. I definitely underestimated her. I think I might have had the thinking that she’s a girl, so how aggressive can she be, and I played with her on the outer table when there was about 24 left and she just immediately started raising me every hand and I thought, “Ok, well that’s going to be a bit of a challenge,” because the rest of field really wasn’t playing that aggressive.

That’s probably why she was able to get so far.

PL: The last hand came down to a flip. Besides the obvious, what’s going through your head when the entire tournament comes down to one coin-flip?

MC: I’m thinking that every card that comes after the flop needs to be a deuce. It’s weird but luckily I’ve been in so many tournaments wishing for a deuce and somehow that river always manages to be a deuce.

I guess if I’m ever up against deuces I’m pretty much screwed.

I was also thinking that even if she won the flip I had about four million back so I was thinking that if I lost, I’m going to have to grind it back and get back to even.

And I was thinking, “Please hold, for the love of god, because I don’t know if I can handle second place.” That sounds silly with all the money for second and everything but it’s true.

So I was half praying that my hand held and half preparing for what would happen if it didn’t.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

London Trader Lawrie Inman Born to Gamble

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 13:30:00 -0700

Inman’s grandfather was a bookmaker. His father was a bookmaker. And he grew up exposed to the world of horse racing from a young age.

Now, barely older than 30, Inman is making seven figures trading futures, owns nine horses and travels to places like Monte Carlo to play poker against the best players in the world.

“I’m wired a bit different to other people, I don’t know. I choked myself for two minutes when I was born so maybe it was the lack of oxygen,” Inman told PokerListings.com at the EPT Grand Final.

Inman’s first experience with poker came by way of friends at the age of 14. As he got older his interest in poker continued to grow.

Making His Mark as a City Trader

During summer breaks from university Inman was working at a bookmakers which also dealt with poker, and he ended up working a six-month stint in customer service at the online poker room Pacific Poker.

Originally from Camberly, Surrey, Inman graduated from Swansea University in Wales in 2002 and moved to London to trade full time.

He was so successful Trader Monthly named him one of its “30 Under 30” in 2006.

A large part of that nod was thanks to a single transaction that made Inman roughly £700,000 in a single hour. Inman was watching a speech by European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet on television and made a big bet on the future of the five-year German government bond known as the Bobl.

Poker is still a recreational pursuit for Inman, but the skills he’s honed in the financial world have stood him in good stead at events like the €10,000 PokerStars EPT Grand Final.

“In trading you’re constantly being given information. Some of that information is maths and probability and some of it is psychology because the markets are basically humans acting a certain way,” said Inman.

But the similarities don’t stop there.

Inman had a horse racing in the UK while he was playing the EPT Grand Final main event in Monte Carlo.

Skills in Trading Pay Dividends in Poker

“It’s so similar because I can sit at my desk for two weeks and be doing all the right things, and just be losing money,” he said.

“Sometimes I’ll be sat at my desk at the end of the day, thinking I’ve done all the right things and made all the right moves, but I just feel like someone’s kicked me in the knackers, so it’s a lot like poker,” continued Inman.

Inman finished 53rd out of 665 players in Monte Carlo, good for a payday of €20,000. He adds that to a record that includes a final-table bubble at the £2,500 Six-Max event at the 2010 WSOP Europe, and a string of solid results at other events around the UK.

But it seems like Inman is a born multi-tasker. He said that trading takes up 90 per cent of his time, but it’s still left him enough energy to play poker and manage his horses.

With three fillies and a male horse at stud in France Inman is looking forward to expanding his business to include breeding.

“I actually have a horse running tonight at Doncaster so I’ll be trying to keep an eye on that and play this at the same time,” he said while on a break from the main event.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Poker Icon Amarillo Slim Dies at 83

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 11:23:43 -0700

His death was confirmed by his daughter via WSOP media rep Nolan Dalla and the family released the following statement on the WSOP website:

"We hope everyone will remember our beloved Amarillo Slim for all the positive things he did for poker and to popularize his favorite game - Texas Hold'em."

Renowned for his quick wit and larger-than-life personality, Preston is often credited for making Texas Hold’em what it is today.

One of the original Texas road gamblers with Doyle Brunson and Brian “Sailor” Roberts, Preston and his peers traveled around Texas playing underground poker games before eventually bringing the game to Vegas.

Slim proceeded to win the 1972 World Series of Poker Main Event and turned his victory into dozens of network television appearances including frequent spots on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.

From Road Gambler to Poker Exile

By the time the true Texas Hold'em boom came about in 2003 after Chris Moneymaker's win in the WSOP Main Event, however, Slim was no longer in a position to reap the rewards.

In August of that year a grand jury indicted Preston on multiple counts of indecency with a child after his grandaughter had accused him of molestation.

The felony charges were eventually dropped but Preston did plead "no contest" to misdemeanor assault charges.

In an exclusive interview with Nolan Dalla for PokerListings.com, Slim maintained he only plead out to protect his family and that he was decidedly not guilty of any charges brought against him:

Slim: Plead no contest to protect his family.

"Contrary to all these charges and things," Slim said, "I've always been a family man. And now after 80 years I'm going to be accused of being a predator of children? No chance."

Preston was ultimately fined $4,000, given two years probation and ordered to undergo counseling but his reputation continued to suffer throughout the poker community - despite repeated expressions of support from Brunson.

The lack of support from the poker community at large always bothered him, he said, despite the fact no one would confront him about it:

"I have never had anyone say anything negative to me. Whether I was playing, or not playing. I think there are a bunch of hypocrites in the poker world and a lot of them are obligated to me.

"Not a one of them has showed up and stood beside me ... I don't hear from them anymore.

"Some of them could have said something and shown their support. But they didn't."

Much of Preston's life, including many of his old road stories, renowned hustles and legendary prop bets, is chronicled his book Amarillo Slim in a World of Fat People released in 2003.

Preston was born on December 31, 1928 in Johnson, Arkansas.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Counter-Strike Champ Griffin Benger Wins Millions at Online Poker

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 14:40:00 -0700

The son of Canadian actress Nicky Guadagni, Benger got his first taste of international travel and high-level competition in professional gaming as a top-ranked Counter-Strike player under the alias "shaGuar."

But despite being one of the most dominant players in that corner of the gaming world, his earnings don’t even come close to the $2.83 million he’s made playing online MTTs.

A rabid fan of sports, movies, television, and of course poker, Benger is in Monte Carlo at the EPT Grand Final chasing his dream of winning a major live poker tournament.

PokerListings.com: We know you’ve got a background in gaming, and a ton of online poker results, but tell us a bit more about where you’re from and what your poker career’s all about.

Griffin Benger: Sure. I turned 27 today and I’m from Toronto. I used to be a professional gamer. I played Counter-Strike for a living, so I transitioned into poker because it has a lot of the same skills, mostly being able to sit in front of a computer for long periods of time.

But it’s a pretty natural transition and a lot of people were doing it. Once I got into poker I became really obsessed with it. It’s really one of those games where there’s always room to get better, and that was one of the problems with Counter-Strike, I got to a point where I couldn’t really get much better.

I started playing the low buy-in Sit and Gos on Full Tilt in about 2006 and it was a while before I started playing MTTs. But the first MTT I played was one of the $24+$2 massive field ones on Full Tilt and somehow luckboxed my way to fourth place which boosted my roll a bit.

But I didn’t really get into MTTs until I met Shyam Srinivasan, who is “s_dot111” on Full Tilt Poker and “g’s zee” on PokerStars, and he sort of took me under his wing and I started to blow up a bit.

PL: What was the development of your poker career like? Did you know right off the bat you were going to be able to do this for a living?

GB: It was definitely a gradual thing that developed as an idea as I started to get better.

"I didn’t even know what a light three-bet was."

I started getting into the poker during the tail-end of my Counter-Strike career and started making a bit of money on the side playing on Full Tilt.

After I stopped gaming I was supporting myself playing Sit and Gos, but I sort of hit a wall before meeting some of the better MTT players in Toronto and I was exposed to some strategy and the different ways you can play MTTs. That’s when I started being successful.

PL: Did it blow you away when you were exposed to what the best players were doing in tournaments?

GB: Yeah it definitely did. In Sit and Gos it was possible to be profitable just being a nit so I didn’t know much. I didn’t even know what a light three-bet was. So when I was shown things like light three-betting, ICM and bubble play it was really eye-opening.

I remember when I started if I opened A-Q and got three-bet you’d just be folding, but now sometimes you’re five-bet calling off with A-J for value. It’s just amazing how the game changes and how it’s getting more aggressive.

So it’s a game that’s always evolving and you have to adapt to stay successful.

I think one of the big problems people have is that they see the best players doing all this crazy stuff and they just don’t understand it, so they think it’s just hyper aggressive players getting lucky, but really there’s no perfect way to play a hand.

So a lot of people think you have to stick to some sort of system but really you need to think outside of the box.

You have to have an open mind because there’s always something you can learn from someone who’s playing well. Like, even if I’m better than someone at a lot of things, it doesn’t mean they’re not better than me at something.

"I didn’t even know what a light three-bet was."

PL: What’s it like coming from the Counter-Strike world into poker? There’s got to be a lot more money up for grabs in poker.

GB: In Counter-Strike first place for a tournament was usually between $20k and $50k for a team of five so it’s a lot different.

In poker you don’t have to be the best of the best to make money, whereas in Counter-Strike to win the money you had to beat all the best players in the world and be number one. And there was always someone training harder than you so it was very difficult.

In poker you can be a bit lazier and still make money but it’s the same because if you want to be the best, and that’s something I’ve always wanted to be, you have to put in the work.

PL: Were you the best in the Counter-Strike world?

GB: At one point or another I was probably considered one of the best players in the game, and I was definitely on the best team in the game.

Over the course of the five or six years I was playing professionally I was probably on the number one team half a dozen times so I was certainly one of the biggest players in the game.

PL: Coming from that world, what was it like when you sit down and win something like $110,000 from your home computer?

"I can’t even imagine what winning a tournament like this would feel like."

GB: Oh man it’s just huge. Winning that $110k, and then the $95k or whatever in the COOP was just an incredible feeling.

Ironically, I finished second and third in those tournaments, and there’s nothing like actually winning a tournament.

I think one of my favorite feelings in poker was just a few months ago when I won the BetFair 100 1R1A major for like $27k, which is like a quarter of either of those scores but I actually won. That’s just my competitive side. I’m not happy until I have every chip.

So I can’t even imagine what winning a tournament like this would feel like.

Really just winning any live poker tournament would be amazing. To have all the chips at the end and to take that picture is definitely a dream of mine.

PL: What are your passions and dreams outside of poker?

GB: I’m hugely into television and film. Actually my girlfriend and I might travel to Cannes to see The Avengers because it comes out a week earlier here and apparently there’s an English language theater there.

I went to school for sports broadcasting so that’s what I was doing before I met my backer.

I’m a huge hockey fan obviously, coming from Toronto, and a huge Blue Jays fan so basically sports, movies and television is where it’s at for me.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Seidel "Disgusted" By Full Tilt Actions

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:40:00 -0700

Seidel is in Monte Carlo playing the PokerStars EPT Grand Final Main Event and took a few minutes to talk about Full Tilt Poker and one of the greatest tournament heaters in the history of poker.

The interview ended with Seidel addressing the matter of Full Tilt Poker but for the sake of convenience those questions and answers have been moved to the beginning.

PokerListings.com: Can you comment on your reaction to learning about everything that was happening internally at Full Tilt leading up to Black Friday?

Erik Seidel: Like a lot of people I was pretty disgusted about how things were run and what happened.

Hopefully everything gets resolved but it still doesn’t make up for a year of stress that so many people have been put through. It was a huge financial stress and upset and such a hard year for so many people.

What’s your reaction to the recent talk that PokerStars will be acquiring Full Tilt and players might finally get paid back?

ES: I’m very excited about it. I certainly hope everything goes through without any problems. It’s fantastic for all of us.

PL.com: You’ve had an unbelievable couple of years in tournaments. Is there anything you can point to, to explain your success?

"Hopefully everything gets resolved but it still doesn’t make up for a year of stress that so many people have been put through"

ES: I really have no explanation for it. I think to a certain extent it was just an aberration. If you stick around long enough you’re going to have a good run.

I like to think I was making some good decisions and I was playing okay but it’s hard to tell exactly what’s going on when you have a streak like that.

PL: Is that really how you think about it, as a “good run”, given the frequency and the magnitude of the results you’ve been posting?

ES: I do look at it as a good run. Every time I sit down and play I’m still just trying to figure the game out. I certainly don’t feel like I know exactly how to play or I have some special understanding.

PL: So many of the results you’ve had have come in High Roller events and there’s certainly more of those now than in the past. Do you excel in those events or is just good luck that your good run came in huge events?

ES: I think it helped a lot that I played a few of the early ones last year and got a good feeling for the structures should be played. I think my focus was good last year and really I just enjoy those events more, so when I sit down for a $100k I’m really excited about playing.

I really love being there and I don’t feel that way about events that have hundreds and hundreds of players because you know the parlay of luck it takes to get there, whereas you have so much more control over a high buy-in event with less people, because you don’t have to make it through a thousand players.

PL: You mentioned understanding the structure really well. Do you think there are talented players who enter these events and don’t fully understand them, or don’t have the experience you have?

ES: I think that is true. I think there are some players who are really great players but they haven’t necessarily adjusted to the difference in play that High Roller structures dictate.

I feel like I’m in love whenever I’m in New York.

PL.com: You’ve been around and you’ve played high before so how do you feel when you put down $100k, or $250k or even $1 million like you will this summer at the WSOP Big One?

ES: I find it really exciting. When I played the one here, I’m just so happy to be here and be in the game and to be able to play and make decisions that matter.

I think that has a lot to do with the enthusiasm because you know every decision you make could be a very big swing. But when you’re playing against 800 people, certainly the decisions matter but there’s just so much more luck needed to get through it.

What are you looking forward to about the $1 million buy-in Big One for One Drop at the WSOP this summer?

ES: I’m very excited about that event. It’s a historic event and only someone like Guy (Laliberte) could put this together. A good percentage of the field are not going to be professional poker players so I think it’s going to be an amazing event and I think everyone’s going to be really excited about it.

PL: I heard you talking about possibly moving away from Las Vegas. Is that true?

ES: Yeah I’m thinking about it very seriously. I’ve lived in Vegas since ’95 and you know, I certainly like it there but I don’t do as much compared to when I’m in New York.

When I’m in New York I’m doing something every day. There’s always something going on. There’s music and theater, or just walking around.

I feel like I’m in love whenever I’m in New York.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

New NewsArticle

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:29:52 -0700

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

UFC Champ Georges St-Pierre Joins Team 888poker

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 09:22:00 -0700

The French-Canadian MMA superstar signed a 12-month contract with the online gaming company that commenced in March and will see St-Pierre attend live events like the 2012 World Series of Poker and the 888 Superstack.

GSP will also be playing special online poker events at 888poker to raise money for anti-bullying causes.

"I am very excited to become a global brand ambassador for Team 888poker,” said St-Pierre.

“I have wanted to play poker for a while now as it is a great game of skill. It is not just your cards versus my cards; it is you versus your opponent,” GSP continued.

“However, the most important aspect of my partnership with 888poker is that we are going to generate a great deal of money for my foundation that dedicates its efforts towards anti-bullying causes,” he said.

St-Pierre is one of the most dominant MMA fighters of all time with a professional record of 22 wins and 2 losses. He’s won two MMA World Championship titles and holds the record for the most consecutive title defenses ever in his weight class.

As a member of Team 888, St-Pierre will play a key role in the online gaming company’s marketing strategy in 2012 and 2013.

“The partnership agreement with Georges St-Pierre will strengthen our brand awareness around the globe and introduce 888 to the growing sport of MMA and its fans,” said Senior 888 Vice President Itai Pazner.

“It is exciting to have this international sports celebrity on board with us,” Pazner continued.

GSP’s addition to Team 888 is the latest in a long history of overlap between MMA and poker, one that includes WSOP appearances by St-Pierre’s fellow UFC fighters Chuck Lidell, Forrest Griffin and Mike Swick.

If you want to play online poker with Georges St-Pierre click through here to get the best 888poker signup bonus in the world.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Roy “GodlikeRoy” Bhasin Joins Team PokerStars Online

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 07:04:59 -0700

The online pro from Sydney has several big scores on his resume including a runner-up finish in the 2010 SCOOP and a number of live PLO cashes across Australia.

Bhasin was picked from a list of 10 candidates to represent the Oceania region and “shined through to win himself the position," a Team PokerStars Online manager said.

"I feel incredibly humbled and honored to have been chosen to be a part of Team PokerStars Online," Bhasin said.

"It has been a dream of mine for a while now, and to actually see it come true is an incredible feeling."

“GodlikeRoy,” a nickname from his gaming days, is well known across the Australian online community thanks to his Supernova Elite status and a well-trafficked blog where he covers his primary interests of poker, food, wine and traveling.

As a Pot-Limit Omaha specialist, Bhasin also hopes to grow his favorite game in his new role with Team PokerStars Online.

“Currently the main game of poker is No Limit Hold’Em with PLO being a distant second.

“It is like this in most places in the world but I would like to close the gap between the two and bring more popularity to the wonderful game of PLO.

“I truly believe that the game is more fun, complex, interesting and challenging and that all poker players should learn to play it.”

Find out more about how to get started in PLO here; find our exclusive sign-up bonus and freerolls in our PokerStars review.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Pros Get Cut in New Live-Betting Poker Series

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 16:00:00 -0700

Set to launch in Dublin, Ireland on April 5th, the new iSeries LIVE will feature live hole cards and let real-time viewers bet on a number of scenarios including odds to win, winner of the next hand, last-longers, next elimination, red/black flops and more.

On top of the winner-take-all top prize for the first 10-person, €10,000 buy-in tournament, players also get a cut of the betting for and against them.

Playing in the first event in Dublin with Negreanu and Hellmuth are pros Dave “Devilfish” Ulliott, Carlos Mortensen, Maria Ho, Tobias Reinkemeier, Marvin Rettenmaier, James Dempsey, Eoghan O'Dea and Faraz Jaka.

To prevent collusion, all players will be sequestered with no access to mobile devices or outside influences and online viewers can only place bets at official partner PaddyPowerPoker.

Balsbaugh: First Time Ever Players Can Make Money While Playing

Put on by leading poker agency Poker Royalty, founder Brian Balsbaugh says iSeriesLIVE is just the beginning of new revenue streams for its pros:

“After Black Friday, we were determined to find a way to add new revenue streams for our world class roster of talent.

“We are fronting the expenses, then sharing the wagering profits with the participating players.

“There are countless additional ways for us to monetize this model and we look forward to rolling them out over the course of the next year.

“Our end goal is to pay players for playing iSeriesLIVE events.”

Future events, Balsbaugh says, will include 36-person, six-max no-limit hold’em tournaments, heads-up tournaments and more.

More detail on the iSeries website. Promo video below:

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Former World Champ Eastgate Signs with Betfair

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:40:00 -0800

Eastgate is one of the winningest poker players of all-time but famously announced an early retirement from the game in 2010.

“I was fed up with the game and I didn’t feel like playing anymore,” he said.

“I had a 10 month hiatus where I didn't play poker and then I felt the lust to play poker again because I still enjoy the game and there are still a lot of challenges to the game.”

The Danish pro, who now lives in London, won the Main Event for $9.1 million became a key member of Team PokerStars Pro and went on to win a notable side event at the PCA for $343k and then place second in the 2009 edition of EPT London for $843k.

Eastgate also put in an impressive title defense that him outlast 6,416 players to finish 78th in the 2009 WSOP Main Event. He’s now earned nearly $11 million in live tournaments.

The new contract with Betfair will not change his approach to the game.

“My mission is always to win and have fun at the poker table,” he said.

Eastgate also has some experience on Betfair as he played the $250/$500 No-Limit Hold’em games on the site in 2008.

“The swings were obviously enormous,” he said.

Betfair Poker also added fellow Danish pro Stefan Raffay to their team this week. The former Danish Championships winner has over $500k in lifetime earnings and will attempt to surpass that number this year.

Expect to see Eastgate and Raffay at the 2012 WSOP Main Event wearing Betfair Poker patches.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Lock Poker Sign Jason Lee, Tim West to Pro Team

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:00:00 -0800

“Tim and Jason are both great players and great people! I am very happy to welcome them,” says Jennifer Larson, CEO of Lock Poker.

“The goal is to create a global family that is diverse in skill, passion, poker and life.

"The initial vision I had for Lock is becoming a reality. Our partnership with the player gets stronger every day!”

Lee, a Florida native, has over $3 million in career online tournament winnings and $400k in live earnings highlighted by a third-place finish at EPT Villamoura in 2010.

He’s also a Deep Stacks Live instructor and was featured in the Time Magazine article “Attack of the Math Brats" last year.

West, from Los Altos, California, started as a limit holdem player in the Bay Area and began pursuing poker professionally about six years ago after winning a $150 buy in on PartyPoker for $40k.

West also has over $3 million in career online poker earnings and $1.6 million in live tournaments including a win in the 2011 Wynn Classic Main Event for over $300k.

“I wish I could put into words just how excited I am to be joining the Lock Poker team,” said Lee.

“It is an honor to be alongside the likes of Chris Moorman, Matt Stout, Jason Young and Melanie Weisner,” West added. “I am very excited to see what the future has in store.”

Lock Poker also recently added Pedro "pls3betme" Maia to the PRO ELITE team.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

TerrorOfSweden Denies Antonius Allegations

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:00:00 -0800

The latest issue of a Swedish poker magazine featured an article where Antonius alleged Kowssarie sent a trojan virus through MSN so he could read the Finn’s hole cards in a sessiion several years ago.

Antonius was reminded when he saw Kowssarie playing EPT San Remo last month.

Kowssarie was shocked by the allegations, especially considering the amount of time that has passed since he played online poker against Antonius.

“After seven years he publically accused me of [cheating] without any evidence or facts,” Kowssarie said while playing the 2012 Aussie Millions Main Event.

Kowssarie, who played under the screen names Fast_Freddie, TerrorOfSweden and TheTerrorist, famously won a $465,000 pot against Johnny Lodden in 2006 – which was the biggest ever at the time.

He is also a polarizing figure in the poker industry and has been called a cheater by Johnny Lodden in the past. The Swede also denied those allegations at the time.

"Played Some Pretty Interesting Pots with Patrik"

Kowssarie maintained he’s up about $200k-$300k on Antonius in his lifetime and has proof that he never cheated the Finnish pro.

“I’ve played some pretty interesting pots with Patrik,” said Kowssarie. “These pots were for $150-$240k and they give the truth in one screenshot.”

Kowssarie plans on going back to the Swedish poker magazine and giving them his version of the story.

“He has no grounds for that accusation and there is no proof,” said Kowssarie.

Of course Lodden was the first player to accuse Kowssarie of cheating but he says the two have reconciled somewhat over the last few years.

“He said he didn’t care about the past and what’s happened.

"I think the media skewed what he was actually trying to say. We had a few drinks one night and that was the impression I got.

"He has to speak for himself obviously.”

Kowssarie certainly isn’t facing any controversy in the 2012 Aussie Millions Main Event.

On the second break of Day 4 he was fourth in chips with 1.7 million and has a legitimate shot at making the final table, which is set for Jan. 29.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Trickett, Heinz Top European Poker Awards

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 07:00:00 -0800

UK native and Titan Poker pro Trickett was crowned Player of the Year for 2011 on the back of three $1 million+ finishes.

Trickett scooped over a million each for a win at the Partouche Poker Tour main event, a win in the $100k High Roller at the Aussie Millions and a second in the $250k High Roller in Oz.

It took that extraordinary of a year to win the POY title as Trickett had to beat out triple crown winners Jake Cody and Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier plus 2011 WSOP Main Event winner Pius Heinz.

Heinz and Grospellier didn’t leave empty-handed however.

Heinz took home Best Tournament Performance of the Year for his incredible Main Event run.

Grospellier won the award for Poker Personality of the Year.

Online high-stakes loose cannon Ilari Sahamies was also named the Internet Player of the Year by the panel of industry and media members who voted on the awards.

Nominees for the awards this year included Liv Boeree, Viktor “Isildur1” Blom, Chris Moorman, Eugene Katchalov, Fabrice Soulier and 2011 November Niner Sam Holden.

Complete list of award winners below:

Player of the Year Sam Trickett Best Tournament Performance Pius Heinz Rookie of the Year Andrey Pateychuk Europe's Leading Lady Natalya Nikitina Poker Staff Person of the Year Warren Lush (bwin.Party's PR Director) Internet Player of the Year Ilari Sahamies Rob Gardner Memorial Award for Poker Personality of the Year Bertrand 'ElkY' Grospellier Best European Event of the Year WSOPE Cannes Lifetime Achievement Award Jesse May

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Refugee Poker Pro Looking for Title Down Under

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 23:00:00 -0800

Koon, who is originally from Weston, West Virginia but lived in Las Vegas until this summer, used to play on Full Tilt Poker as the formidable NovaSky.

The West Virginian had over one million chips midway though Day 3 of the 2012 Aussie Millions and was looking dangerous in almost every hand he played.

Despite some close calls over the years, Koon has never won a major live tournament and while he was reluctant to say he was due he did mention he was ready to win in terms of ability, preparation and mindset.

“I do have the ability to dominate this tournament and I’m looking forward to playing the best that I can and going as deep as I can,” he said.

It’s been a life-changing 12 months for Koon who saw his ability to play online poker in the USA disappear with Black Friday. He also had a substantial amount of money stuck on Full Tilt Poker.

“It was a big hit financially and in terms of lifestyle,” he said. “I was back home in West Virginia hanging out with some friends and making a pretty great living grinding four or five days a week.”

Like many online pros Koon opted to move to poker player haven Vancouver, Canada, so that he could continue to ply his trade online.

At first the adjustment of moving from the USA was difficult but Koon eventually got into the rhythm of it.

“Vancouver’s a beautiful city and I lived in Coal Harbor and Yaletown, which are both nice areas,” he said.

Despite his good experiences in Vancouver, Koon is once again on the move and plans on living in Cyprus with Chris Moorman for the next while.

“I’ve been bouncing all over the place and it’s been a lot of fun,” he said.

Earlier this year Koon Tweeted that 2012 would be his year and so far he’s lived up to his promise.

At the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Koon made the final table of the $25,000 High Rollers event and ended up finishing in fourth place to take down $271,950.

The final table was no walk in the park with pros Jonathan Duahamel, Isaac Haxton and Randy Lew all competing for first place.

“I was first in chips heading into the final table I was obviously not completely satisfied with fourth but getting fourth in one of the toughest tournaments in the world is never a bad thing,” he said.

Right now Koon is firmly set on making a deep run in the 2012 Aussie Millions. He had nothing but good things to say about the signature Australian event.

“The value is good and the structure is great,” he said. “This is a fantastic tournament.”

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Hachem Reflects on Life-Changing Poker Journey

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 01:00:00 -0800

Since winning the 2005 WSOP Main Event the Australian poker superstar has traveled the world as a poker ambassador, played countless tournaments and claimed a World Poker Tour title.

He also won nearly $4 million playing poker during that span.

Times are changing for Hachem, however, as last month he announced he was leaving long-time sponsor PokerStars, which he helped build into the biggest online poker site in the world.

It turns out the whirlwind tour Hachem has been on since winning the Main Event is finally starting to take its toll.

“I’ve been on the road for seven years now and I’m totally exhausted,” he said during a break in the 2012 Aussie Millions Main Event.

Aussie Millions Pride and Joy

Hachem is one of the few players who has actually defined poker for an entire country and it’s never more apparent then when the Aussie Millions rolls around and thousands of Australian poker players and fans converge on the Crown Casino.

“It’s our pride and joy to be honest,” said Hachem, who lives in Melbourne.

“It’s a special event and it stands alone in that regard. It’s not connected to the EPT, LAPT, WPT or whatever.”

Joe Hachem at the 2005 WSOP Main Event

It’s questionable if the tournament would even exist if it weren’t for Hachem’s record-setting haul at the WSOP in 2005.

Time to Move Forward

Since Hachem became the first Australian to win the Main Event, poker has exploded Down Under.

Where there used to be only one poker room in the entire country there is now one or more in every state.

So it was somewhat of a shock when PokerStars and Hachem parted ways in December. The two brands had been synonymous since 2005.

A few days ago Hachem announced that he had reached an agreement to work with the lesser-known AsianLogic and help develop their future strategies for the online poker market.

It was a somewhat surprising move for the Australian considering there’s a good chance he received attention from major industry players like 888poker, PartyPoker or Titan Poker.

“I had a big offer from a large poker room on the table,” he said.

“I thought ‘OK, do I sign on as an ambassador for a big room or do I partner up with a solid company that’s close to home and looking to expand with plenty of opportunities to let me help it grow?

"It was a no-brainer for me.”

Hachem went on to say that he was tired of “dancing like a monkey” and wanted to be more involved in the day-to-day business for a company.

AsianLogic, he said, was the natural fit.

Chance to Stay Closer to Home

With his new deal Hachem will also limit the amount of travelling he does.

Right now only has plans to play the LAPC, WPT Bay 101, WSOP, WSOPE, Epic Poker Tour and the two AsianLogic-backed APT events.

It’s a big difference for a guy who lives thousands of miles from every major tournament outside of the Aussie Millions.

Joe Hachem flashing his PokerStars patch in 2010.

“Every trip that I go on takes at least a day,” he said. “It’s a hell of a lot of time to spend on an airplane.”

Still On Top of His Game

At this point it would be easy to say Hachem might have lost an edge in his game or he’s now in the twilight of his career, but the feisty Australian would beg to differ.

Earlier this week Hachem outlasted some of the best poker players in the world – including Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan and Gus Hansen – to take third place in the massive $100k buy-in tournament at the Aussie Millions for an impressive $330k.

It was his biggest cash since 2006 and the most he’s ever won in his hometown casino.

In the past Hachem has been a somewhat decisive figure in the industry thanks to his penchant for taking it personally when the cards don’t go his way.

Young Stars Need to Learn Some Manners

Although a fan of rising Aussie online stars Jonathan Karamalikis and Jarred Graham, Hachem has been critical of young online poker players in the past and encouraged them to “grow up.”

He still maintains that it takes more than skill to become a true star in the poker world.

“A lot of these kids don’t have any manners or respect,” he said.

“They live and die behind their computer screens so they don’t feel like they have to own up to anything.”

Despite his desire to remain closer to home and work behind the scenes, Hachem will always have fond memories of the last seven years where he seemed to have a PokerStars patch tattooed to his chest.

“I feel blessed that I’ve had the opportunity to do this,” he said.

“It’s been amazing but at the same time I’ve worked my ass off to be the best ambassador and best poker player I could be.”

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Waking Life: Spotlight on Aussie Matt Wakeman

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 17:00:00 -0800

The 26-year-old from Newcastle, New South Wales, has earned hundreds of thousands of dollars online and made it into the top 10 ranked players on PocketFives last month and #1 on the Australian rankings.

Despite earning that much online, Wakeman is modest about making it into the PocketFives top 10 global ratings.

“It’s a nice achievement but at the same time it’s a bit embarrassing,” he said. “My biggest score is like $30k whereas everyone in the top 100 has six-figure scores pretty much. I don’t know if I’m actually as good as my ranking suggests.”

Surprisingly Wakeman has only been playing MTTs for eight months and previously concentrated primarily on heads-up Sit & Gos.

From Late Night TV to the Real Thing

The story of Wakeman’s introduction to poker should be familiar to 90% of poker players.

He started playing home games with friends and then started watching the game on TV.

“We used to find it really entertaining watching late night WPT episodes,” he said. “We used to laugh at how serious Mike Sexton took everything on the show.”

From there one thing led to another and in 2008 he started taking the game seriously.

“I’m a really competitive person so I really wanted to crush all my friends,” he laughed. “I got online and started researching. I visited a few training sites and it just developed from there.”

Eventually Wakeman started to crush heads-up Sit & Gos and he was content to earn his cash in those games for two years.

Last year he decided to switch things up and start playing MTTs.

The transition has gone well and although Wakeman has yet to land that huge score, he’s been very consistent.

“I was always happy to play under the radar but since going to MTTs you get a lot more opportunities to do shameless self-promotion,” joked Wakeman.

Hardly a recluse Wakeman is an active participant in social media and contributes to TwoPlusTwo, Tweets and blogs on Poker.org and HUSNG.com.

“I enjoy writing,” he said. “Some players do it as a form of stress relief and while I’m sure it helps me with that in some regard, I just like putting myself out there. It’s really important to me.”

From Online to Live

Thanks to his online poker success, Wakeman has started to dip his toes in live tournaments.

Despite some APPT and ANZPT events, this is the first year Wakeman has played Australia’s flagship tournament – the Aussie Millions.

It’s been a learning experience for Wakeman as he attempts to adapt his online game to the physical felt.

“My live experience is basically spewing chips in every main event I’ve entered,” joked Wakeman. “I only made it to Day 2 in one of the eight events I entered last year.

"I basically think I can get old men to fold hands every time.”

Despite the lack of success, Wakeman can’t ignore the value that exists in live tournaments.

“It’s really soft,” he said. “That’s the appeal of it. Plus it’s nice to get away from the computer and actually meet some of the people I talk to on the Internet.”

Balancing Poker and Family

Interestingly Wakeman has a two-year-old son and makes an effort to balance poker and family.

“It hasn’t been that bad yet,” he said. “My fiancée has been a full-time mom for the first two years.

"She’s just now starting to go back to work so once she goes back to work we’ll have to sort out child care, which is hard in Australia."

Wakeman mentioned it’s important for players who make their living from poker to treat it as an actual job.

“At the end of the day poker is work for me and when I need to work she takes care of him,” he said. “He also seems to know not to bug me when I’m at my grind station.”

Wakeman’s luck in live tournaments may be changing. He bagged up 25,000 chips on Day 1a of the Aussie Millions and while that’s below average he can finally add another Day 2 to his poker résumé.

The Newcastle pro is optimistic he will play APPT Seoul in March and some other APPTs and ANZTs as long as his campaign here at the 2012 Aussie Millions goes reasonably well.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Joe Hachem Enters Partnership with AsianLogic

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 19:00:00 -0800

The 2005 WSOP Main Event champion announced the new partnership during a press conference at the Crown Casino in Hachem’s hometown of Melbourne, Australia, where the Aussie Millions is currently taking place.

“Recently I left my biggest sponsor and basically it was about not living out of a suitcase all the time and being able to spend more time at home with my family,” said Hachem.

AsianLogic may not be nearly as established as sites like PokerStars or PartyPoker but operates a number of Asian online casinos and poker rooms on the Playtech software platform.

For years Asia has been touted as the biggest emerging market for online poker and Joe Hachem mentioned he still believes the boom is coming.

“Australia, Asia and Australasia are, in my opinion, still untapped,” he said.

Perhaps the most visible role Hachem will have with AsianLogic for the time being is his new role as ambassador for the up-and-coming Asian Poker Tour. AsianLogic acquired the tour in 2008.

Hachem will join J.C. Tran and Nam Le as ambassadors for the tour.

The Asian Poker Tour has awarded millions since its inception and currently has stops in China, India and the Philippines.

“Hopefully we’ll bring [the APT] Down Under to the Crown Casino for a tournament soon,” said Hachem.

Hachem, arguably the most famous Australian poker player, should help put AsianLogic on the Australian radar.

“Joe is one of the most recognized and respected poker players in the world and we’re very excited to have him on board,” said AsianLogic CEO Tom Hall.

“It’s not just Joe’s poker playing abilities that were interested in, though, it’s his knowledge and understanding of the industry both here in Australia and internationally.”

The 2012 Aussie Millions continues through Jan. 28 with Hachem set to play in both the Main Event and the $100k Challenge, which both started today.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Negreanu, Boeree Take Top Readers Choice Awards

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:00:00 -0800

Along with taking the popular vote in the marquee “Favorite Male Poker Player” category, Negreanu also easily scooped the award for “Favorite Poker Tweeter.”

Negreanu is well known for being more than a bit open and revealing with his tweets, which could be one of the reasons he took over 50% of the votes in that category.

Other awards of note:

Liv Boeree was the winner in the other headline category, the Favorite Female Player.

Boeree won in a landslide with 37.7% of the votes despite social media heavy lobbying on Twitter from some of her category rivals Maria Ho, Vanessa Rousso, Vanessa Selbst and Amanda Musumeci .

Ben Lamb took the most lopsided victory in a category with his win for Breakout Player of the Year.

With a third place in the WSOP main event, a $10k PLO bracelet, the WSOP Player of the Year award and well over $5 million in cashes, it’s not hard to see why.

Lamb topped Matt Waxman, Sam Trickett, Chris Moorman, Galen Hall and Elio Fox to win the category.

Magician and Scott Best in Show

Antonio Esfandiari and Kara Scott also scooped the male and female awards for Favorite TV Personality thanks to their highly praised work on the WSOP Main Event live stream.

The top “On the Felt” moment from 2011 in readers’ eyes was Phil Hellmuth making three runner-up finishes at the 2011 WSOP.

For the breakdown of the voting totals for the Readers Choice Awards, check out the March issue of BLUFF magazine.

The rest of the awards:

Favorite Male TV Personality: Antonio Esfandiari (WSOP Live Coverage)

Favorite Female TV Personality: Kara Scott (WSOP Live Coverage)

Favorite Web-based Poker Show: The Micros

Favorite Poker Blog: WickedChopsPoker.com

Favorite Poker Tweeter: Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker)

Favorite Las Vegas Poker Room: Aria

Favorite California Poker Room: The Commerce

Favorite Florida Poker Room: Hard Rock Seminole

Favorite East Coast Poker Room: Borgata

Breakout Performer of the Year: Ben Lamb

Favorite Male Player: Daniel Negreanu

Favorite Female Player: Liv Boeree

Top “On the Felt” Moment of the Year: Phil Hellmuth Finishes Runner-Up Three Times @ WSOP

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Duhamel’s Ex Claims to Be Poker Player

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 08:00:00 -0800

According to the Montreal Gazette, the presiding Judge in the case was unconvinced by several of their answers about their plans should they receive bail.

Bianca Rojas-Latraverse, Duhamel’s ex-girlfriend accused of planning the robbery, said, “I play poker” when asked by attorney Nancy Delorme what her profession is.

She continued to say she plays poker frequently at the Montreal Casino and on the Kahnawake reserve and that she makes enough money to sustain herself.

She also said she lived with Duhamel from March to August of this year.

Defense attorneys used an encounter from that time to call into question the testimony of Rojas-Latraverse’s friend, who said she had been told of Rojas-Latraverse’s plans to rob Duhamel three weeks before the attack.

Police testified that when Rojas Latraverse and Duhamel were still a couple, the woman went to visit them at his condo.

During the visit, Duhamel joined the two women in his bedroom and started kissing both before Rojas Latraverse became upset and argued with the other woman.

One of Rojas-Latraverse's co-accused, John Clark, also perplexed the judge when asked about his plans should he get bail.

Calling himself a "student/writer,” Clark said he’s writing “an 8,000 page novel called A Dose of Psychosis, but is struggling with the end.”

He also said when not writing or working out his activities of choice are "drinking and being promiscuous.”

The hearing wraps up today in Montreal.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Duhamel Attack Planned by Ex-Girlfriend

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 08:00:00 -0800

The Montreal Gazette reports the police say the 20-year-old Rojas-Traverse, who accompanied Duhamel to the 2011 WSOP, told a friend she planned to rob Duhamel three weeks before the attack occurred on Dec. 21.

Saying she initially dismissed the threats because Rojas Latraverse is "prone to telling lies," the friend says she began getting cryptic texts from Rojas Latraverse the night before the home invasion.

One, according to the Gazette, allegedly read: "Tomorrow at 10 think of me."

Rojas Latraverse continued to send texts suggesting she "feared for her life and her future based on what was about to happen" and also allegedly wrote "Everything is planned. We even have a driver if I choke."

Rojas Latraverse was arrested a few days after the home invasion and admitted to sending the text messages, the officer who testified said.

She also named her accomplices as John Stephan Clark Lemay, 21, and Anthony Bourque, 26.

While Rojas Traverse was being questioned, police say they also received an anonymous tip that Clark-Lemay was carrying $10,000, wearing Duhamel's Rolex and was partying at a Holiday Inn.

During his initial questioning with the police, Duhamel said he was sure Rojas Latraverse was involved as the attackers knew exactly where to look for his valuables and knew he had a safe in his home.

Duhamel was beaten and forced to open the safe which held $40,000 Canadian, 65,000 euros, a Rolex watch and his 2010 WSOP Main Event bracelet.

The bracelet has yet to be recovered.

Duhamel is expected to play in the $100,000 High Rollers event beginning today at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Four Suspects Arrested in Duhamel Robbery

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 09:00:00 -0800

Police told the Journal the investigation "is progressing very quickly" based on tips from the public and that one suspect, André Robert Perron, 26, was seen wearing the black Rolex watch stolen from Duhamel before his arrest.

Perron appeared at the Longueuil courthouse yesterday afternoon along with his suspected accomplices, 20-year-old Bianca Rojas-Latraverse and 22-year-old John Lemay.

According to the Globe and Mail, police say a fourth man was arrested this morning and is currently being questioned.

Shortly after the names were released, rumors began circulating on the 2+2 forums that Duhamel knew the attackers personally and that Rojas-Latraverse was his ex-girlfriend.

Duhamel's agent has now confirmed the woman was someone Duhamel dated briefly and is the only person among the accused that Duhamel actually knew.

According to a police spokesperson, Rojas is accused of conspiracy and the other two are accused of robbery, breaking and entering, unlawful confinement and assault. Police have confirmed the watch has been recovered but not Duhamel's 2010 WSOP championship bracelet.

Should they fail to find Duhamel's bracelet, however, World Series of Poker media relations director Seth Palansky confirmed the WSOP will offer him a new one. "The tournament director, Mitch Garber, contacted Jonathan after the incident and informed him that the bracelet can be replaced as needed," Palansky told the Journal.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Duhamel 'Fortunate to be Alive' After Attack

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 15:00:00 -0800

Published in French on princepoker.com, Duhamel explains in detail how the attack transpired and exactly what was taken.

Considering himself "fortunate to be alive," Duhamel says he was bound and beaten by the two attackers as they robbed him.

Taken were several 500 euro notes, a black Rolex watch and his engraved 2010 WSOP Main Event championship bracelet.

Duhamel says he spent yesterday at the hospital and is "exhuasted both physically and mentally."

He says he will now "take a step back" with his family and friends over the holidays but he hopes to return to the tables and to representing Quebec on the international scene in the near future.

Full translated letter published below:

"Hello,"I would first like to sincerely thank my family, my friends, many media and all those who have given me such incredible support since yesterday morning.

"Your support warms my heart and helps me through the real test today."As the police have already confirmed, I was the victim of a home invasion yesterday morning when two men broke into my house and I was physically assaulted and robbed.

"After being threatened with death and having given over everything I had, I was bound and beaten repeatedly in the face and body before my attackers left.

"I am pleased to confirm that I have not suffered any major injuries. I spent yesterday at the hospital and I am suffering a little everywhere, but I have no fractures.

"I am now exhausted both physically and psychologically, but I count myself fortunate to be alive."The criminals have stolen money, but also my world championship bracelet and a Rolex watch I was given by my sponsor PokerStars for the same occassion.

"I will not hide that these two items have a value much larger than money in my eyes and I hope with all my heart that we will be able to recover them in the near future."My bracelet, which is shown in a picture here, is a unique item in the world. My name is engraved on its back. My watch is itself a black Rolex Submariner with my name engraved also.

"As for the money, it was mainly 500 euro notes, notes quite rare here."I would humbly appreciate that those who might have information about one or the other of these items or individuals who committed the assault take the time to contact police at (450) 463-7211.

"All information will be treated anonymously."As for me, I will try now to take a step back from this misadventure during the holiday season together with my family and my friends.

"I hope to return to the tables soon and, hopefully, continue to represent Quebec properly on the international scene by bringing another title back to Quebec in the near future."Thank you all,"Jonathan Duhamel"

Visit www.pokerlistings.com