2006 - Poker in Review

Another year has passed, and what a year it was for poker players and fans! We welcomed new players, introduced venues, and spread inaugural events. Tournament prize pools blasted through previous high marks. Enhanced sponsorship opportunities were presented to the top players. The airwaves and the Internet were filled with poker talk shows and tournaments. At one point in early June, I clicked between three tourneys that were running simultaneously on my Cox cable system. According to CNBC, poker is now the third most televised sport, and that position was achieved prior to the 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) airings. Our magnificent pastime has become mainstream and mind-blowing - as poker information dissemination is now instantaneous and provided by multiple sources.

Alas, not all was rosy. Internet gaming once again came under congressional attack, resulting in legislation that tightened regulations on money transfers. Alleged tax avoidance, money laundering, and undermining families are the ridiculous reasons politicos proffer for targeting online gaming. I'm surprised Rep. Bob Goodlatte and Sen. Bill Frist, chief gaming antagonists, didn't think to conclude that offshore gaming sites must be responsible for housing Iraq's elusive weapons of mass destruction and Jimmy Hoffa's putrefied body. Unfortunately, John Kyl, Frist, Goodlatte, and others driven by political aspiration failed to listen to the wise words of SportingBet.com CEO Nigel Payne, who advocated regulation and tax collection, stating that his company would be happy to pay income tax to the United States. Fortunately, organizations such as the National Poker Association, the World Poker Association, the Poker Players Alliance, the Poker Freedom Advocacy Network, and the United States Poker Association are fighting to the felt for our rights.

Much has happened in 2006. If you slept through the year, here are some of the highlights:

Youth Shall Be Served
The highly successful World Poker Tour (WPT) began its calendar year in Nassau (it was the ninth of 17 stops during season four) at the five-star Atlantis Resort and Casino with the third-annual PokerStars Caribbean Poker Adventure, a tournament for which players qualify onlineor post $8,000 upon arrival. A trip to the beautiful Bahamas and having a chance to pick up $1,363,100 appealed to 22-year-old CanadianSteve Paul-Ambrose, who made the most of his $102 satellite opportunity. The youngster, a seasoned player compared to two 18-year-olds who made the final table (legal participants in Nassau), played aggressively and boldly to capture his first major win. If you catch a rerun of this event (shown on the Travel Channel), you will see a near-perfect demonstration of a well-known tell. Second-place finisher Brook Lytercaught some exceptional cards, but each time, the former disc jockey acted as if he was holding second-best tickets. His false consternation and put-on nervous body language demonstrated textbook "weak means strong" acting.

The Tussle in Tunica
Scotty Nguyen and Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi made the final table of the 2005 Gold Strike World Poker Open championship event - and they repeated in 2006. The pair turned away their four opponents while playing seesaw with the chip lead. Scotty had a few more checks when they moved to heads-up play. He was dealt the A Q on the first hand. The Grinder picked up the A J. All of the chipswent in, and Scotty prevailed to capture his first WPT title and $969,421.

The "Prince of Poker" played well and was the beneficiary of some strange doings. At one point, Mizrachi made the nut hand (a straight to the 7) on the river after Nguyen had spiked a set of fours on the turn. I thought all of their money might go in at that point, if Scotty got frisky. He bet, and Michael raised $170,000. While contemplating his next move and discussing his options aloud, Scotty muttered that he might only call, but finally he said, "I raise." Before the 1998 world champ could complete his action, Michael revealed his unbeatable hand. He assumed that Scotty had just called. Inexplicably, the tournament director ignored the universal rule of "verbal declarations are binding,"and decided that Scotty would be allowed to just call (instead of forcing him to raise at least the amount of the $170,000 Mizrachi raise). Had Mizrachi not turned over his hand, Scotty may have raised $500,000 and become pot-committed.

Negreanu Nails a Big One Next Door
Hours after Scotty picked up his hefty check at the Gold Strike Casino, the finale of the 23-day, 22-event Jack Binion WSOP Tournament Circuit began at the Grand Casino Tunica, a mere three miles away. Daniel Negreanu survived the 241-player field, and after four days of play,the Canadian took $755,525 back to Las Vegas, his second home.The overlapping dates of the preliminary events in these two Tunica majors points out the fact that poker is growing so quickly that no longer will host casinos be able to count on attracting all of the touring professionals for a given time slot. While casinos and tournament organizers would prefer a clear field, competition is good for the players and the game.

Mizrachi Makes His Mark
To make two WPT final tables consecutively against fields of 327 and 381 players is a great feat. To come in second and first, respectively, can be life-changing. Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi did just that when he followed his runner-up finish in Tunica with a $1,173,373 (plus a Cadillac Escalade) win at the Borgata Winter Poker Open. The Grinder outlasted John D'Agostino and Erick Lindgren, two tenacious, aggressive foes. There was not much to separate the young friends who deploy a similar end-game strategy (siding with brute chip force when making decisions), other than who flopped two sets of fours.

The Biggest Game in Vegas
GSN, the network for games, kicked off the viewing year with an innovative series of high-stakes no-limit hold'em ring-game episodes filmed at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas. A few adventurous amateurs and established stars, including Doyle Brunson, Jennifer Harman, Daniel Negreanu, Ted Forrest, Sammy Farha, Freddie Deeb, Johnny Chan, and Barry Greenstein, took to the green felt, bought in for a minimum of $100,000, anted $100 per hand (the blinds were $300-$600), and began pushing their chips into pots. In what Negreanu characterized as "undoubtedly television's best teaching tool," the action was fast (occasionally inspired by $1,200 straddles). Viewers were treated to some terrific and creative plays. We also witnessed many math-defying drawouts that dearly cost the losers. The action was riveting as millions of dollars moved around the table every episode, the players provided captivating table talk (often discussing their strategy and analyzing their opponents' moves), and the color commentary (with Gabe Kaplan on the microphone) was insightful and clever. Fans and advertisers were undoubtedly smitten, since the show was picked up in midseason and another 16 episodes were taped at the Palms Casino Resort. A third series of episodes was also scheduled for an October 2006 taping at the South Coast (now called the South Point) Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

The Biggest Game in Vegas II
Speaking of high-stakes poker, Andy Beal, a billionaire Dallas banker/real estate developer, gets his highs from overcoming difficult challenges. Therefore, when he picked up the game of Texas hold'em a few years back, Beal quickly moved up in limits until he was tackling the likes of Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese, Howard Lederer, Lyle Berman, and Chau Giang in 2001. Since the typical structure those greats enjoy (versions of stud, hold'em, and Omaha in ring-game fashion) didn't appeal to Beal, nor did the stakes represent enough of his bankroll (Andy enjoys max action), the tycoon suggested, "Let's play higher and heads up." The professionals huddled and decided to accommodate the banker's desire, but to ameliorate individual risk (since Beal was perceived as a good heads-up player), the pros would play in corporation fashion - sharing profits and playing time. Beal, strong in mathematical background and adventurous by nature, acquiesced to the teamarrangement, and the biggest game in Vegas was on. Overall, Beal lost, but according to him, not as much as was reported.

We fast-forward to 2006 and the Wynn Las Vegas hotel. After five days of $50,000-$100,000 play, the banker held a 3-2 daily win advantage, but had suffered a net loss of almost $3 million. Put into perspective, that's only 30 big bets after approximately 3,000 hands against top players who are rested, rotating in, and comparing notes on the billionaire's strategies. Beal flew home to Texas, hoping the pros would play a home-and-home series. When the corporation developed cement shoes, the 54-year-old Beal returned to Las Vegas a week later, and the game was on once again, with Jennifer Harman batting leadoff. This time, Andy began to take the measure of the pros from the outset, winning $10 million (give or take a few hundred thousand) in the first three days of play. Enter Phil Ivey, the corporation's designated chip pusher, on day four. Ivey, arguably the best player in the game, playing $30,000-$60,000 against Beal, had a strong Feb. 21, winning approximately $2 million (including a post-action $25,000 coin flip); we all flip coins for $25,000, don't we?) The next day, Phil hit a good run of cards. That would spell disaster for anyone, as Ivey is a very aggressive player. Misfortune came in the form of a $4.6 million setback for Beal (includinga $50,000 coin-flip loss). If $4.6 million is a disaster, how shall I describe Ivey's $10 million win (playing $50,000-$100,000) the following
day? Have we seen the last of these dramatic megabucks battles between the affable Texan and the top pros? Time will tell.

Men is the Man
Calvin Ayre certainly knows how to throw a lavish party. The founder and CEO of Bodog.com and Card Player rented the Henry Fonda Music Box Theater in Old Hollywood, enlisted the master of ceremonies services of funnyman/poker player Brad Garrett, and made history with the first Card Player Player of the Year Awards ceremony. After listening to cool rock sounds, drinking a few Coronas, and doing some dancing, flanked by his wife and daughter, Men "The Master" Nguyen graciously accepted his unparalleled fourth Player of the Year award. Mike Caro presented Doyle Brunson with the Lifetime Achievement trophy. Mike Sexton received the Poker Ambassador commendation. Phil Ivey took home three trophies for Best No-Limit Hold'em Player, Most Feared, and Best Heads-Up Player. Chip Reese doubled (Best Mixed-Game Player and Best Cash-Game Player). Accomplished actress, now poker player, Jennifer Tilly was honored as Best Celebrity Player, a growing category.

Goehring's Got Game
A few years ago, I wrote about Alan Goehring making a quick departure at a WPT event at Bellagio. I noted that he appeared carefree as he flipped his sport coat over his shoulder and departed the tournament area, since the investment guru is comfortable with taking great risk to build chips early on and then become a table bully. That's just what the 44-year-old Henderson, Nevada, resident did at Commerce Casino in the L.A. Poker Classic championship. After day one, 373 players (out of the 692 starters) had chips. Alan was in second place. He never dropped below fourth as each successive day concluded. It was only at the final table that Goehring went on the critical list, at onepoint sitting behind only 3.2 percent of the checks in play. Undaunted, he kept pushing and, in a pivotal hand, cracked J.C. Tran's A-A with pocket fives when a 5 fell on the river. Finally, Goehring made an outlandish preflop heads-up call versus Daniel Quach. After Daniel raised all in, holding A-J, Alan, who had his opponent slightly outchipped, called with K-8. He took down the $2,391,550 first-place prize when aking arrived on the turn. Unconventional and highly successful, Goehring has now crossed $5 million in tourney proceeds. My complimentsto Commerce Casino - as players posted $10,000, of which a generous $9,900 went to the prize pool.

Schneider Sails Supreme
The m.s. Westerdam cast anchor from Fort Lauderdale with 523 hopefuls vying for the top spot and $1 million in the $10,000 buy-in limit hold'em PartyPoker Million V. Five days later, 22-year-old Mike Schneider had all the chips. Second-place finisher Kenna James received $700,000 in the flat-payoff type of event that awarded only 19.1 percent for first place. Before the ship docked, Linda Johnson received the prestigious Brian Saltus Award, an annual commendation recognizing someone in the poker family who has set a standard of behavior on and off the felt for all to emulate. The first lady of poker is a bracelet holder and alongtime tireless worker for the game. L.J. is respected throughout the industry and brings class to our game.

Poker on the Prowl
Scandinavia has produced several top players, including Chris Bigler, Patrik Antonius, and Juha Helppi. There may be more Northern Europeans coming to your table. In March, Poker Night Live, a PokerZone production that integrates live Internet action with expert commentary, launched in the Nordic countries. Poker is now available through PokerZone to 6 million homes every night from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. As I was reading the press release, I was playing an Omaha tournament on PokerStars.com. I was one of more than 100,000 players logged in tothat website! Rapid-fireSpeed poker was introduced in beta test form on the poker-friendly Fox Sports cable network. Along with a 15-second action clock, the inal MansionPoker.net product will deploy isolated spectator viewing areas where holecards will be transmitted in real time to plasma televisions. The players will be housed in a soundproof environment in a separate part of the Poker Dome, located in Las Vegas' Fremont Street Experience area. As a viewer, I was disappointed. Mostly unknown players, inferior play, and relatively small prize pools overshadowed the accelerated playing pace and innovations.

Six Trees Fall in the Forest
In 2005, the inaugural National Heads-Up Poker Championship was a smashing success. Taped by NBC at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, the six-episode airing garnered great production reviews and was a ratings winner (averaging 4 million viewers per show)."Poker Brat" Phil Hellmuth Jr. emerged victorious from a 64-player bracket after capturing six matches. Thus, it came as no surprise whenthe 2006 invitational event arrived at the expansive poker facility at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas that NBC upped the ante to 10 hours (from eight), kicked off the tourney with a gala pairing selection party (sponsored by Gentleman's Quarterly magazine and Outback Steakhouse), and attracted a stellar field. The buy-in of $23,438 entitled the 64 participants to take a shot at the prestigious $500,000 first prize. Winning twicein the single-elimination match-play format would ensure a profit. When the lumber came to rest in Ted Forrest's timberland, he had turned away Erik Seidel, Chad Brown, amateur Ernie Dureck, Jim McManus, Sean Sheikhan, and 2000 World Champ Chris Ferguson in order. Kudos to Chris, who was also the runner-up in 2005. Forrest, a highly successful cash-game and tournament professional known for his focus and composure at the table, used brevity in summing up his success when he stated, "Heads-up play is all about being able to adjust quicker
and more effectively than your opponent."

Puggy Folds
On April 12, we lost 1973 World Champion Walter Clyde "Puggy" Pearson. Labeled as "… the most instinctive player I've ever seen" by Doyle Brunson, Pug was inducted into poker's Hall of Fame in 1987. The colorful Tennessee native was best known for his enthusiastic offkey singing and personal challenge: "I'll play any man from any land in any game he can name for any amount he can count … provided I like it." Here's something you may not have known about the fifth-grade dropout who was rarely seen without a cigar and lived through nine decades: Years ago, Pug was a scratch golfer, besting par on a regular basis.

Bartholdi Bags a Big One
After 37 hours of competition over five days of play, Las Vegan Joe Bartholdi smiled for the cameras and clutched the WPT trophy emblematic of his conquering 604 opponents during the prestigious season-four WPT Championship tournament. The $25,000 buy-in resulted in a WPT record-smashing prize pool of $14,695,000, with a staggering $3,760,165 going to the 26-year-old victor. Arriving at the final table with the second-biggest stack, Joe played aggressively and cleverly, taking down David Matthew in a lively, seesaw 43-hand heads-up battle.

Chalk Another Up for Charity
Mike Sugg plunked down $1,000 and left Caesars Palace in Las Vegas with $17,892 and an entry into the 2006 WSOP championship eventwhen he captured the Jeff Gordon Foundation Poker Classic. Scotty Nguyen, Robert Williamson III, Steve Dannenmann, Chris Moneymaker, and Chris Ferguson stepped up to support the four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion's nonprofit foundation that focuses on the welfare ofchildren and their families. Each year, the poker community expands its number of tourneys for charity and increases collections for worthycauses.

One Voice, One Vote
Growing and under scrutiny, our game needs support and organization. Fortunately, we have it. The World Poker Association (www.wpapoker.org), founded by the likable professional poker player Jesse Jones, is a nonprofit organization with many laudable objectives, including making members and website readers aware of Congress' anti-gaming crusade. In addition, the nonprofit organization seeks to achievetournament uniformity (including the creation of an official rulebook), improved ethics, highly regarded conduct, and an international playerrankingsystem. Jesse's laudable agenda includes solicitation of charitable contributions and organizing fundraising events.

First Things Frist - Battling Back
Presided over by Michael Bolcerek, the Poker Players Alliance (www.pokerplayersalliance.org) is another nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and protecting America's favorite pastime, the game of poker. Bolcerek states, "Together we can defend the integrity of thegame and ensure your right to enjoy poker as you always have." I'm with Michael and against politicians who seek personal gain at the costof stepping on our right to play poker with our discretionary income from inside our homes. Membership in Bolcerek's organization has rocketed to more than 75,000 in the face of our threatened liberties.

Sexton Soars
On the eve of the WSOP, the man who was largely responsible for the original Tournament of Champions (TOC) began his quest for the $1 million first prize in the 2006 event of the same name. A day later, Mike Sexton had all of the chips in play and the prestigious trophy. His road was not an easy one, as the final 10 included some of the best players in the game: Chris Ferguson, Daniel Negreanu, Gus Hansen, Phil Hellmuth Jr., Darrell "Gigabet" Dicken, Kido Pham, and Mike Matusow. They all fell to the patient and popular Sexton, who outlasted Negreanu in a marathon heads-up contest. Mike donated half of his winnings, sending $100,000 to each of five charities.

Card Player's Catchy Column
We have managed to stay one step ahead of the poker explosion by increasing our number of pages, adding great authors, fine-tuning our content to meet readers' requirements, and throwing enormous financial and personnel resources at our CardPlayer.com website. In late June, Card Player announced a joint project with Card Shark Media to provide a syndicated daily column featuring tournament hand matchups. Using real tourney hands played by the game's top players, the column reveals poker odds, the actual betting, and concise analysis.

In the next issue, I will highlight the 37th WSOP and recount the remainder of 2006.

Lee welcomes your questions, comments, and suggestions for future articles at [email protected].