GSN President Speaks About World Poker Tour
WPT Will Join High Stakes Poker as Part of Monday Casino Night in 2008
By Bob Pajich
GSN, perhaps the leading network dedicated to poker, took a big step recently when it came to terms with World Poker Tour Enterprises to air the sixth - and possibly many more - season of the
World Poker Tour.
Starting in January of 2008, the
WPT will be packaged with
High Stakes Poker on Monday nights as part of the network's casino night. Rich Cronin, the president and CEO of
GSN, strongly believes that the matchup is one that will attract even more poker fans to the channel on Mondays, and he's thrilled to have the
WPT.
"We think there's going to be some great synergy between
High Stakes Poker and the
WPT on
GSN," Cronin said.
The
Travel Channel opted not to activate a two-year extension on a contract that expired April 1.
GSN jumped on the option to have the
WPT join its family of shows. It's paying WPTE $300,000 per episode, and ordered one season of 23 shows. It also dedicated $3 million to marketing the show, and it has an option to pick up more seasons.
"We clearly have to let people know that
GSN is the new home to the
World Poker Tour," Cronin said.
Steve Lipscomb, founder, president and CEO of WPTE, gives the
Travel Channel accolades for taking a chance on his ground-breaking poker show, but says that the
WPT didn't fit into the channel's future plans.
"It's clear that they're heading in a different direction with their brand," Lipscomb said. "(This deal) seems like the right time and the right place with the right kind of partner."
Most of
GSN's shows enable viewers to play along in some way, and although the look and feel of the
WPT won't change,
GSN and WPTE are just now figuring out ways to integrate the viewer.
"We think there are a lot of opportunities for us in interactive and online. And I think it really helps make
GSN the home for serious poker players," Cronin said. "With the
WPT and
High Stakes Poker and both of our websites, it's a great way to expand on the poker boom."
This is
GSN's first deal with a television series that was already well-established in the United States. The
WPT recently aired the first episode of season five, and filmed its 100th episode in April.
The last episode of season five will air on the
Travel Channel in August, and the
Travel Channel has rights to air reruns of the show. Season six premieres on
GSN in January.
GSN Renews High Stakes Poker
Season Four Begins Filming in May
By Bob Pajich
About two weeks before
GSN came to terms with World Poker Tour Enterprises to host the
World Poker Tour, it kept its biggest poker shark by re-signing
High Stakes Poker for a fourth season.
Filming of the fourth season will take place at South Point Casino in Las Vegas in May. The show is the most-watched series on
GSN in the highly sought demographic of men ages 18 to 34.
"We are very pleased with the success of
High Stakes Poker and the tremendous buzz it has generated," said Rich Cronin, president and CEO of
GSN. "It is far and away the most talked about poker show. We plan on making
HSP 4 the richest season yet, with players bringing up to a million dollars of their own money to play in the biggest cash game on TV."
Featuring some of the biggest names in poker who sit with mountains of their own cash, it has become one of the most popular poker shows on television. Sometimes there's more than $4 million on the table at one time (Brad Booth himself sat down with $1 million).
Irish Open Winner Crowned
Event Attracted Players From All Over the World
By Bob Pajich
Europe's oldest big-time poker tournament, the
Irish Open, attracted 708 players to the Burlington Hotel in Dublin recently to try to win a piece of the €2.3 million prize pool. Specifically, they were after the €650,000 top prize.
European tournament poker veteran Marty Smyth is this year's Irish Open champion. He had to tackle a final table that included
European Poker Tour Dublin and
World Poker Tour Grand Prix de Paris winner Roland De Wolfe, online poker master Sorel Mizzi (who is still too young to play in U.S. casinos), Danny McHugh, Brian O'Keefe, and Nicky Power.
In U.S. dollars, the event buy-in was $4,703 (€3,500). The event was sponsored by Irish online poker site paddypokerpoker.com, which guaranteed a €2 million prize pool. The guarantee was easily surpassed.
As far as the number of players who participated is concerned, the
Irish Open beat the
European Poker Tour's championship field by two players. But, the
EPT championship, which was held in Monte Carlo, had a €10,000 buy-in and generated the biggest prize pool of any tournament located outside the United States.
De Wolfe was looking to win two events in Dublin, less than a half-year apart, but couldn't do it. He ended up finishing second, which was good for €325,000. The top six players and their payouts were as follows:
Marty Smyth - €650,000
Roland De Wolfe - €325,000
Sorel Mizzi - €210,000
Danny McHugh - €175,000
Brian O'Keefe - €130,000
Nicky Power - €100,000
The top 72 players were paid at least €3,500, and the event attracted such poker stars as Mike Sexton, David Benyamine, Surinder Sunar, Andrew Black, and David Ulliott, just to name a few.
Qualify for World Series of Poker for Free
Cash in Player Points for a Chance at the Real Big Money
By Kristy Arnett
The
World Series of Poker main event is the largest and most prestigious land-based tournament in the world, making millionaires and instant celebrities out of anyone who does well in the tournament. Poker sites are giving players the chance to compete in this event alongside the best poker players in the world for free.
PokerStars is offering two Frequent Player Point (FPP) paths - a 1,000 FPP path, and a 4,000 FPP path. Players begin by playing in a daily 100 FPP buy-in, which awards one entry into a 1,000 FPP final for every 10 players. These players can play in one of the three 1,000 FPP buy-in weekly finals on Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday. One
WSOP package is given away in each final.
As for the 4,000 FPP path, players can participate in a 40 FPP tournament, which awards one entry for every 100 players into the weekly final, or in a 400 FPP qualifier that awards an entry for every 10 players. The 4,000 FPP buy-in final takes place once a week, and the top two places receive a
WSOP package.
Every week, Full Tilt is awarding seats for the main event. Players who earn 3,000 Full Tilt Points (FTP) in any qualifying week are eligible to play in a weekly freeroll tournament that takes place every Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET. At least two seats will be given away. The qualifying weeks start every Thursday and end every Wednesday until June 20.
UltimateBet awards $12,000
WSOP packages every Friday and Saturday night in its $215 buy-in tournament, but players can qualify for free by using their Ultimate Points (UP). There are 25,250 UP buy-in satellites that are equivalent to a $10 buy-in, or 10,100 UP buy-in satellites that are equivalent to $40 buy-ins. For every $215 in the prize pool, a seat into one of the two weekly tournaments is awarded. The site is also offering a direct satellite into the main event with a buy-in of 53,750 Ultimate Points, which is equivalent to a $215 buy-in. At least one $12,000 package is given away.
Bellagio Cup III Schedule Released
Events Coincide With the World Series of Poker
By Bob Pajich
This summer, there's more than one major poker series taking place in Las Vegas.
Bellagio recently released its schedule for the
Bellagio Cup III, and as in years past, it will give players who are in town for the
World Series of Poker an alternative to the enormous crowds expected at the Rio.
The
Bellagio Cup III will take place from Monday, June 11, to Friday, July 13. It contains 28 events, with buy-ins ranging from $1,590 to $10,300 for the championship event, which starts on July 10. All are no-limit hold'em events.
The entire schedule can be found on CardPlayer.com's tournament listings page, but, basically, a tournament is scheduled to take place each day. The
Bellagio Cup III will have five $1,590 events, 13 $2,620 events, nine $5,180 events, and the $10,300 championship event.
The
WSOP will run from June 1 to July 17.
Texas Poker Would Generate $155 Million a Year
However, the Bill is Still Stuck in Committee Despite Number of Supporters
By Bob Pajich
More than 60 people came out to support a bill in Texas that would make it legal to play poker in certain bars there, but despite the support, the bill still remains in the Texas House Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee.
That might change when committee members see the amount of revenue that the state's comptroller's office estimates will be generated by taxing poker in Texas.
According to an employee in Rep. Jose Menendez's office, who is the bill's sponsor, the comptroller estimates that $35 million would be generated in the first year. By 2012, more than $155 million a year would be generated, an estimate that Menendez's office thinks is a little low.
The bill would allow poker to be spread in licensed public establishments, would regulate the game to ensure public safety and fairness, and would officially recognize poker as a game of skill in Texas.
The bill would allow places that have liquor licenses to apply for a license to hold live poker games. Not all watering holes would be eligible. Only places that pull in a significant amount of money per month would be able to apply. Temporary "charity" licenses also would be made available.
Bars would be limited to four poker tables, while the pari-mutuels would be allowed to have more, but that number has not yet been determined.
The public hearing for the bill took place in early April. Erick Lindgren, Clonie Gowen, and 64 other Texans told the committee why the bill should move on. Only two people spoke in opposition to it.
Menendez's office has received hundreds of phone calls and e-mail from people supporting the bill, while only a handful of Texans expressed their concern with it.
If the bill makes it through committee - even Menendez's office is unsure if it will - it will be voted on by the politicians. There's no timeline for when people will be able to play public poker legally in Texas if it passes.
Ironically, if the bill fails, Texas' 11 racetracks might be to blame. The tracks are trying to convince lawmakers that video slots should be available at the tracks, and lobbyists representing the tracks are trying to get this attached to the bill and are also pushing for a poker bill that would allow the game to be spread only in their establishments. This doesn't make any sense to Menendez, even though one of the tracks is in his district.
Since Texas is so big, a majority of people would be able to play poker only at the racetracks. Menendez, who is a poker player himself, believes that people should be able to play poker legally in their hometowns. Unless they live in one of the 11 cities where a track is located, they won't be able to do that.
Raj Patel Wins Foxwoods Poker Classic
He Outlasts 414 Players to Take Home the Trophy
By Bob Pajich
Raj Patel is this year's champion of the
World Poker Tour's Foxwoods Poker Classic. He banked almost $1.3 million for his victory.
The
Foxwoods Poker Classic attracted 415 players, who generated a prize pool of more than $3.8 million. Paul Matteo, who hasn't had a live cash in a major tournament since 2005, finished second and won $643,275.
The $9,700 buy-in event capped an 11-tournament series, with buy-ins ranging from $300 to $5,000, plus the championship. This episode of the
WPT will air on Wednesday, Aug. 1.
Gavin Griffin Wins European Poker Tour Monte Carlo Grand Final
Andrew Black and Ram Vaswani Appear at Final Table
By Kristy Arnett
The
European Poker Tour went out with a bang at the season-ending
Grand Final in Monte Carlo. The record-breaking field of 706 players shelled out the €10,000 ($13,000) buy-in, creating a prize pool of €6,636,400 ($8.8 million).
Gavin Griffin made history when he became the youngest person (at that time) to win a
World Series of Poker bracelet, in the 2004 pot-limit hold'em event, and again when he took home the biggest first-place prize in
EPT history at the championship. He won $2,429,103.
Griffin began the final table as the chip leader, but had a long way to go, as all of the players who appeared at the final table were very familiar with the tournament circuit.
Marc Karam of Canada made the
EPT Grand Final final table last year, and was fresh off his final-table finish at the 2007
Aussie Millions. Karam, along with Soren Kongsgaard, began the final table just behind Griffin in chips. Kongsgaard recently finished sixth at the
Asian Poker Classic in Goa, India.
Making their first major final table were Josh Prager of California and Norway native Kristian Kjondal, a high-stakes online player.
Poker professionals Andrew Black and the youngest member of the Hendon Mob, Ram Vaswani, were the short stacks going to the final table.
Griffin recently dyed his hair pink, to bring awareness to a cause he is fighting for: breast cancer. Griffin and his girlfriend are participating in a two-day, 39-mile walk in Los Angeles this December to raise money for the cause. Players can donate by transferring money on PokerStars or writing a check. PokerStars matched every dollar donated during the final table. For information, or to donate, visit info.avonfoundation.org.
Planet Hollywood Opens Remodeled Poker Room
Features Plasma-Screen TVs, Cash Games, and Daily Tournaments
By Kristy Arnett
When the Aladdin Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas merged with Planet Hollywood, major reconstruction began. After a year of waiting, the Planet Hollywood poker room recently opened its doors.
The room is spacious and highly contemporary. There are numerous plasma-screen TVs on the walls, including one 65-inch high-definition Panasonic. In fact, the entire casino is plastered with high-tech televisions, thanks to a deal between Panasonic and Planet Hollywood. These luxurious amenities provide perfect distractions while players are not in a hand.
In an effort to make the room as convenient as possible, an innovative electronic sports-betting machine is available. Poker players do not even have to leave the room to bet on a game that may have caught their eye on one of the plasma-screen TVs.
When playing poker, it is important to be comfortable. That is why Planet Hollywood paid $750 for each chair, hoping to provide the best seats in town.
There are daily tournaments at 2 a.m., 10 a.m., 2 p.m., and 7 p.m. with a $50 buy-in, which provide players $1,500 in starting chips. For an add-on of $10, players receive an extra $3,000. The blinds begin at $25-$50 and increase every 20 minutes.
Daily poker lessons are also available at 9 a.m., just before the
Breakfast Club Tournament. Some of the topics that are covered include rules, structure, and etiquette.
The no-limit hold'em cash games of $1-$2 with a $50 buy-in minimum and $200 maximum, and $2-$5 with a $200 minimum and $500 maximum are among the most popular. Limit hold'em and Omaha games range from $3-$6 to $10-$20. A $5-$5 spread-limit game and $2-$5 seven-card stud game with a 50-cent ante are also available. High-hand jackpots are awarded only in hold'em cash-game play. There are 26 progressive jackpots from $50 to $599.
Address - 3667 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Phone Number - (702) 785-9150
Web address - www.aladdincasino.com
Number of Tables - 10
Most Popular Games - $1-2, $2-5 no-limit hold'em, $3-6 limit hold'em
Other Games - Stud, Omaha
Player Room Rate - None
Tournaments - Held multiple times daily
Men 'The Master' Nguyen Wins World Series of Poker Tournament Circuit Event
Young Phan is the Runner-up
By Bob Pajich
Men "The Master" Nguyen recently won the
World Series of Poker Tournament Circuit event at Caesars in Indiana. He was one of three well-known pros who made it through 154 entrants who entered the $5,000 tourney. He won $238,756.
The final table was composed of Nguyen, Scott Fischman, Young Phan, Dennis Anness, Tim McCarthy, Stephen Boyle, Bryan Sapp, George Lusby, and Dean Schultz.
Nguyen came to the final table seventh in chips with $43,000. Phan, who finished second, came to the final table with a large portion of the chips in play with $502,000.
World Series of Poker Bracelet Winner and Vegas Character Sam Angel Passes On
Angel Was a Vegas Jeweler and Great Insult Artist
By Bob Pajich
The
World Series of Poker and Las Vegas lost a shining piece of its history on March 21, 2007, when Sam Angel died; he was 85.
Angel won two
WSOP bracelets in 1973 and 1975 in razz, but he was known more for just being himself than his poker skill. He was such a character that Las Vegas-based gambling author Larry Grossman wrote about him in volume two of his
You Can Bet on It! series.
Angel alternated between gruff and charming, and Grossman wrote: "Sam has a voracious appetite for life. He is an elephant in a china shop, rampaging through town with the subtlety of an atomic bomb. He loves to laugh and make others laugh, too. He can embarrass anyone at any time doing anything. He gets a kick out of pushing people's buttons and watching their reactions."
At the
WSOP, Grossman wrote that Angel would find an empty poker table and spread his wares across the felt, "and make it his sales sanctuary for the evening. For those three weeks, Sam would appear nightly, but selling jewelry became an aside to what was really going on."
Grossman also wrote that Angel had the skills to take over a room. He likened him to Don Rickles, who made a living hilariously insulting people.
Grossman summed up Angel this way: "People like Sam Angel were a major part of the lifeblood that made Las Vegas work and ultimately thrive. In a white bread world, Sam is hot pastrami on rye."
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Player of the Year
Lots of Player of the Year Points on the Table This Summer
J.C. Tran continues to rack up
Card Player magazine's Player of the Year points, but that doesn't mean the Player of the Year race is over, by any means. Months and months of tournament poker action are on the horizon, and those tournaments have plenty of Player of the Year points up for grabs.
The next few months, of course, offer the biggest opportunity for players to win lots of cash and points. The
World Series of Poker anchors a poker summer in Las Vegas, where a total of 114 poker tournaments will be played. And according to the 2007 Player of the Year scoring criteria, all of these events will count. The points are weighted according to the number of players and cost of buy-ins. The full criteria can be found at www.CardPlayer.com/tournaments/poy_scoring.
Aside from the
World Series of Poker, the
Bellagio Cup III and the
Venetian's Deep Stack Extravaganza will take place, which is going to make this summer's Player of the Year chart look a bit like a roller-coaster ride to poker fans. There will certainly be some players who were unknown before this summer's tournaments who will break into the top 10 and compete for the Player of the Year title (Jeff Madsen finished fifth in 2006, pretty much from his
WSOP performance).
But even though there will be thousands of Player of the Year points up for grabs, there is one caveat: J.C. Tran will be in Vegas this summer, and he won't be here for the buffets.
Look Out!
Jared "TheWacoKidd" Hamby has been an online-poker superstar for years now, and he had his live-tournament coming-out party at the Bellagio
Five-Star World Poker Classic recently, where he won two events, earned $522,735, and vaulted himself into a tie for sixth place on the Player of the Year chart with 2,010 points.
Before this, Hamby made a killing on PokerStars as TheWacoKidd, racking up more than $140,000 in winnings in barely more than a year, including three first-place finishes in the popular $100 no-limit hold'em (with rebuys) tournament, which earned him a total of more than $56,000.
With the
WSOP coming up, Hamby is in great position to climb even further up the leader board. We've never seen J.C. Tran sweat, but Hamby might be the one to give Tran a run for the title. It's going to be a great summer.
Money, Money, Money
With the year barely a quarter gone, there are already 10 players had earned more than $1 million playing tournament poker. It wasn't that long ago that in order to break $1 million, a player had to win the
WSOP main event. This clearly isn't the case anymore.
European Poker Tour Champion Gavin Griffin has made more money playing tournament poker this year than any other player: $2.5 million. He's one of three players who have cracked the $2 million mark. Eric Hershler ($2.43 million) and J.C. Tran ($2.28 million) are the other two.
Other big-money winners in 2007 include Marc Karam ($1.65 million), John Hennigan ($1.6 million), Gus Hansen ($1.2 million), and Paul Wasicka ($1 million), who won half of that by winning the
NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship.
Online Hand-to-Hand Combat: Brsavage Displays Savvy Satellite Strategy
By Craig Tapscott
Want to study real poker hands with the Internet's most successful players? In this series,
Card Player offers hand analysis with online poker's leading talent. And, as an added bonus, you can check out live video commentary provided by the pros and PokerXfactor.com at www.CardPlayer.com/tv.
Event: PokerStars $650
World Series of Poker satellite
Players: 744
First Place: $12,000 World Series of Poker main-event package; 40 seats awarded
Stacks: brsavage - $43,720, Villain - $51,209
Blinds: $800-$1,600
Antes: $75
Craig Tapscott: You have the reputation of being a great satellite player. Share some of the strategy you use in these types of events.
Chris Savage (brsavage): The thing I love about satellites is that you constantly have to think about where you stand in relation to the field. I like to try to accumulate chips hard and heavy early, and then use my knowledge of the game to stay out of harm's way. I also love the fact that you can find a way to win not only through your poker prowess, but also by being a smart player and making fewer mistakes than the other guys.
Preflop: The villain is under the gun and raises to $4,800; brsavage has the Q
Q
and calls from the villain's immediate left.
CT: You flat-call one of the few stacks at the table that can bust you. What's your thinking here?
CS: My table is full of large stacks, and if a player behind reraises, I pretty much have to muck my Q-Q. The rationale behind this thought is easy. My table has been playing extremely tight except for the villain. Basically, most of the players want to have a good table image, and they understand the concept of not playing a big pot when one isn't necessary. The villain has been raising way too many pots. But here, I still have to give his under-the-gun raise some respect, and I want to see the texture of the flop before I make any further decisions.
Flop: 7
6
2
($12,675 pot)
CT: I'm sure you're expecting a continuation bet.
CS: I am. The real question is, how do I react to his bet?
Villain bets $6,400; brsavage calls.
CT: Another smooth-call here. Why?
CS: I know, your first reaction is to think I should have raised to gain information. I don't like that thought process, and here is why. The villain is obviously a good player. He has sensed that the table is tight and is trying to chip up and accumulate while everyone else is being cautious. If I raise and he reraises, I've wasted a lot of chips and can't call.
CT: And you have position.
CS: Of course, that's the key here. I have a sneaking suspicion that if I flat-call and he shuts down on the turn, I know my hand is good.
Turn: 2
($25,475 pot)
The villain checks; brsavage bets $6,400.
CT: That's kind of a small bet there.
CS: I could have made a larger bet, but there is a small chance that I could get check-raised by A-A. If so, a quarter-pot bet is plenty to gain the information I need; if he has nothing, he folds, and if he's trapping, he calls or raises.
The villain folds; brsavage wins the pot of $25,475.
CS: This pot gave me the ability to fold trouble hands later on that could've made me bleed chips. If I don't have to play a hand, I can't lose, and that's a great feeling.
Chris (brsavage) Savage is an accomplished and highly respected tournament player, both live and online. In 2004-2005, he was the pocketfives.com No. 1-ranked online tournament player in the world, and also won a $1,500 limit hold'em event at the World Poker Open for $78,000. In 2006, he retired from full-time play to raise a family after the birth of his twins. He most recently made the final table of the Stars Sunday Million for $67,000, and is an instructor at the online poker-training site PokerXfactor.com.
Card Player's Online Player of the Year Race Kicks Off
By Shawn Patrick Green
Card Player recently kicked off its Online Player of the Year (OPOY) race, and top online pros are already starting to fill out the top-10 spots.
Only the biggest online tournaments count for OPOY points, ensuring that the leader board is full of players who can consistently finish deep in the premier tournaments. To qualify, a tournament must have a prize pool of $100,000 or more, a buy-in of $100 or more (for rebuy tournaments, the buy-in is determined by the prize pool divided by the number of entrants), and at least 100 entrants.
View From the Top
As of press time, Isaac "westmenloAA" Baron sits at the top of the leader board with 2,678 points. He kicked off his trek up the leader board with a win in the PokerStars
Sunday Million tournament in late January. Since that time, he's earned points for finishes in five other tournaments, including four final tables and two first-place finishes. His total winnings for OPOY tournaments alone come to more than $350,000.
Sorel "Imper1um" Mizzi, currently in eighth place on the leader board with 2,154 points, would have been in first place if his 720-point win at the
Full Tilt Online Poker Series III had been under his own screen name. As it stands, he took down that tournament under the screen name kristy_sea, because his account was under suspension at the time, and the points cannot be attributed to him.
A P0KERPR0 Takes Down the Sunday Million
James "P0KERPR0" Campbell (also known as jcamby33 on PokerStars) recently vaulted up the OPOY leader board very quickly when he won the
Sunday Million tournament on PokerStars on April 15.
Campbell deftly defeated 7,008 other entrants in the tournament. He earned an even $180,000 for first place and, of course, a whole lot of OPOY points and an invaluable amount of respect from his peers. The tournament gave him 1,440 points, putting his total points at 2,592, which sat him squarely in second place on the OPOY leader board.
Campbell already had been having a good run in 2007, anyway. He has made four other OPOY-qualified final tables, including two first-place finishes and two second-place finishes. His winnings from those four tournaments alone climbed to more than $115,000. His total winnings for 2007 thus far, as of press time, are more than $300,000.
IBluffUOut4 Makes Two Final Tables - At Once
Imagine the adrenaline rush you'd get if you had just survived 6,628 poker players to make the final table of the weekend's biggest online poker tournament as the chip leader. Now imagine that you were already playing at the final table of the weekend's second-biggest event when that happened. For IBluffUOut4, imagining is no longer necessary.
IBluffUOut4 had entered himself in the PokerStars
Sunday Million and was set to try to best the 6,636 other entrants for a piece of the $1,327,400 prize pool. He'd also entered the Full Tilt $400,000-guaranteed tournament and stood to face 1,961 other entrants there. IBluffUOut4 eventually found himself looking to snag one of the nine choicest chunks at both tournaments.
The railbirds were, of course, going wild over the achievement, and for good reason. Once the night was over and the dust had settled, his total winnings for the two tournaments came to more than $72,000 (fifth at PokerStars, for $42,610; third at Full Tilt, for $29,600). He survived longer than a total of 8,591 other entrants in the two tournaments combined.
Tournament Results, April 2-April 15
PokerStars Sunday Million
April 7
Winner: BrainGuy
Winnings: $170,302*
Prize pool: $1,327,400
Entrants: 6,637
April 15
Winner: James "jcamby33" Campbell
Winnings: $180,000*
Prize pool: $1,421,800
Entrants: 7,109
* Payout reflects a deal made at the final table.
Full Tilt Poker $750,000 Guarantee
April 15
Winner: DuckU
Winnings: $152,348
Prize pool: $823,500
Entrants: 1,647
Full Tilt Poker $400,000 Guarantee
April 7
Winner: Gaelic800
Winnings: $73,600
Prize pool: $400,000
Entrants: 1,962
UltimateBet $200,000 Guarantee
April 7
Winner: dlperrio
Winnings: $45,000
Prize pool: $200,000
Entrants: 808
April 15
Winner: Garrett "GfcukinBecks" Beckman
Winnings: $45,000
Prize pool: $200,000
Entrants: 973
Bodog $100,000 Guarantee
April 7
Winner: flex674
Winnings: $25,000
Prize pool: $100,000
Entrants: 729
April 15
Winner: Veteran In Love
Winnings: $25,000
Prize pool: $100,000
Entrants: 927
Tim West: Driven
By Craig Tapscott
Don't mess with Tim West. Underneath the low-key, Clint Eastwood swagger, West possesses a keen intelligence, is vibrant and alert, and is able to lay in wait for an opponent's misstep. Since discovering poker during the Moneymaker insurgence, he's been on a tear, both online and live.
"When I turned 21, I wanted to see if my online success could transfer over to live poker, and it has," said West. "The $100 rebuy on PokerStars has prepared me for all the prelims that we play on the live circuit. I now feel I have an edge, and am able to better read players and make moves in that live realm."
West's perceptive moves have earned him some big cashes. At one of his first live events, he chopped last fall's
Holiday Bonus Tournament at Commerce Casino for $88,000 for second place. The next stop on the West express was the $5,000 Bellagio
Five-Diamond World Poker Classic, good enough for second again and more than $181,000. Then, a deep finish in the
World Poker Tour's Bay 101
Shooting Star for $55,000 would start the New Year on track.
Craig Tapscott: At what stakes did you begin?
Tim West: I started playing at an Indian casino in Santa Barbara on the weekends. I'd play some small tournaments and some $2-$4 limit. In one of the first online tournaments I played at PartyPoker, I made a score of about $37,000, but I lost most of the money playing big sit-and-gos. I got down to about $3,000, then in one day I won about $10,000 playing $200 sit-and-gos, and then won a $30 rebuy. I've never looked back.
CT: Where were you headed before you discovered your poker talents?
TW: I was interested in sports journalism or broadcasting. I've always had a competitive spirit. Whenever I find something I love, like poker, I want to be one of the best.
CT: Whom do you rank as one of the best players right now?
TW: Patrik Antonius.
CT: What makes him great?
TW: He knows where people are in a hand. When he knows that, he can do whatever he wants, and can run over you. Then when he realizes you know that, he jumps to the other psychological end to mess with you there. You have to think on many levels when playing a player like Patrik. He's one of the best in the world.
CT: How do you develop that metagame?
TW: Experience and psychological intelligence. When you reach a certain level of experience and know a lot of situations, and what opponents can do in different situations, you can put yourself in those spots. Then you can make informed decisions. Playing online, I've seen almost every situation there is, over and over.
CT: Blind-versus-blind confrontations are crucial late in the game. Shed some light on them.
TW: You have to be aware of the odds of the situation. I give a lot of strength to weaker hands when it's blind versus blind. You still have to be leery of spots where you're dealt a decent hand and they pick up a bigger hand. At Bay 101, I had a few blind-versus-blind spots versus J.J. Liu. I limped in with 7-7 and she made a raise. I moved all in and she really wanted to call me there with A-J, but she folded. You have to know your player; otherwise, it's blind gambling, and not a good move.
CT: What are some common mistakes you see in no-limit hold'em tournaments?
TW: Making an insane bet when opening the pot, like five times or more than the big blind. Also, showing hands is terrible. I rarely show. I show only if I know why I'm showing. My intention is to get into a guy's head, to make him think something that's not true. When you're playing with good players and you show your cards, they will recognize what you had and how you played it. Playing live, your opponents will pick up on when you looked comfortable with a big hand and remember that the next time you do the same thing.
Using Range Calculations to Make Better Decisions
By Brian 'sbrugby' Townsend
Poker in all forms is a simple math game. You have a hand and your opponents have a range of hands. You then make a decision based on their range versus your holding as to whether to call, fold, or raise. You determine this by looking at the equity, or how often you win the hand, against the size of the pot to determine your best action. In no-limit hold'em, when facing a pot-size bet on the turn, generally if you have greater than 50 percent equity in the pot, you should raise. If your equity is between 33 percent and 49 percent, and no fold equity exists, you should call. If your equity is less than 33 percent and no implied odds exist, you should fold. This is a simplistic model, but a good place to start when learning beginning range calculations.
The best players in the world have an intuition about hand ranges that comes from playing hundreds of thousands of hands. They intuitively know if they should raise, call, or fold. Although it comes naturally to some, there are exercises you can do to improve your analysis of your opponents' possible holdings. In order to be a winning player, you need to be able to determine not only your opponents' likely range of hands, but what your equity, or chance to win, is against their range. For the sake of equity calculations in this column, I have used the PokerStove software, which can be found at PokerStove.com.
Let's look at the following example to show us how an opponent's range of hands drastically affects the proper decision. You are on the button with the A
J
and raise three times the big blind (BB) and are called by the player in the big blind. The flop comes 10
7
3
. It is checked, and you bet 6.5 times the size of the big blind (the size of the pot) and are raised all in for another 45 big blinds. The decision to call or fold is rather simple if you can put your opponent on a range of hands. To begin, let's say we know that the villain is an extremely tight player and will do this only with a set.
Using PokerStove to calculate the equity, against this player we have .265 equity in the pot, or we will win the pot 26.5 percent of the time. So, our expected value, or how much we expect to win on average, of calling is: EV = [(1 - equity in the pot)x(bet to call)] + [(equity in pot)x(pot size)]. So, in this case, our EV = [(.735)x(-38.5 BB)] + [(.265)x(58 BB)] = -13 BB. So, with a tight opponent, we should fold our nut-flush draw because our expected value of calling is negative. This means that we don't have the pots odds to call his raise.
Now, instead of being up against a very tight opponent, we are up against a reasonably tight player who will do this with a much wider range, including top pair. Against this range (sets, top pair, and overpairs), we have much better equity, 46 percent. Now our expected value is: EV = [(.54)x(-38.5 BB)] + [(.46)x(58 BB)] = 6 BB. In this case, against the reasonably tight player, we gain six big blinds by calling, though a raise won't be profitable (assuming we had more money), since our equity is less than 50 percent.
In the last case, let's look at a hyperaggressive maniac. Again, using PokerStove and giving him a range of any pair, any draw, overpairs, sets, and bluffs, our equity really improves. In this case, we have 73 percent equity against his range of hands. Now, our EV = [(.27)x(-38.5 BB)] + [(.73)x(58 BB)] = 32 BB. So, a call is profitable. An interesting thing has happened in this last case. We have greater than 50 percent equity against the maniac's range, so instead of calling, we should reraise if we both have more chips left.
I used these three cases to show how equity and range calculations can be used when learning a new game to help with the thought process. This approach can be used when learning any form of poker, whether it is no-limit hold'em, pot-limit hold'em, or stud eight-or-better. Learning to accurately put players on hand ranges and apply them to equity calculations is one of the building blocks to becoming a successful high-stakes poker player. Good luck, and drop us a line at
[email protected] if you have any questions.
Brian Townsend, 25, is a high-limit poker player who plays under the handles sbrugby and aba20. He's been a professional since September of 2006 in the smallest of no-limit hold'em games. Now he can be found playing $200-$400 no-limit hold'em and pot-limit Omaha on any major site.
Card Player Digital
Every day, the media team at CardPlayer.com is filming and adding videos to
Card Player TV, which features 10 channels dedicated to poker content.
Card Player was the only poker media outlet covering the preliminary events at the Bellagio
Five-Star World Poker Classic, and the
Daily Deal features highlights of poker news every day. Check out www.CardPlayer.com/tv to view the videos.
CardPlayer.com's Hand 2 Hand Combat videos, which are a supplement to the H2H Combat feature found in
Card Player magazine, have moved from their own page on CardPlayer.com to the "Online Zone" channel found on
Card Player TV.
Check out the page to see how some of the most successful Internet pros played hands from both cash games and tournaments. The animated card histories feature interviews with the players, analyzing why they played a hand a certain way.
Live Updates
CardPlayer.com's tournament team will be at the following events. Also, a large archive of tournament updates is available to poker fans who want to see just how the final table of their favorite events worked its way to the winner. The link is www.CardPlayer.com/tournaments.
Digital Desserts
Card Player is invading cellphones. Now, poker tips, an odds calculator, tournament chip counts, ring tones, news, and graphics featuring
Card Player girls and logos can be downloaded. A ring tone featuring Mike "The Mouth" Matusow is even available. More information can be found by using your phone to browse at CardPlayerMobile.com.
As a poker tool, the odds calculator is essential. It can be bought by texting the word "odds" to 752937. Players will be able to figure out exactly what the odds are of any hold'em hand preflop, on the flop, and on the turn. It costs $4.99.
Doing a 180
By Dave Apostolico
Poker is a fluid game, meaning that constant adjustments are required. Things can change quickly with one turn of the card. Of course, you also need to adapt to the circumstances at hand, taking into account such factors as the skill level of your opponents, your relative chip stacks, the amount of the blinds, and so on. It's been said many times that there are few constants in poker.
While I try to keep an open mind about my game, there are a couple of maxims that I live by. One is that I try my hardest to keep mistakes to a minimum. That sure seems like sound advice that's applicable to any poker situation. Well, I've hit a bit of a rough patch lately in tournaments that all poker players go through. It seems that no matter how I play a hand, I lose. I slow-play the flopped nuts and someone hits runner-runner to beat me. I play a set hard and I'm called by someone with top pair and a backdoor-flush draw who makes his flush.
The bottom line is that I believe I have been playing well and have been losing hands with which I am a substantial favorite, while avoiding marginal situations. In fact, I'm very proud that during this dry spell, I can't think of any hands with which I lost a lot of chips as an underdog. Then I came across the following quote from legendary basketball coach John Wooden: "If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes."
This hit me like flopping quads with three players all in before the action gets to me. My recent pride was completely unfounded. My problem was that I wasn't making enough mistakes. Sure, I stole my fair share of pots, but the reason I wasn't getting caught stealing was because I wasn't stealing enough. I need to be more aggressive. My opponents will let me know when they've had enough. I should be stealing until I've made a few mistakes.
I made what I thought were some tough laydowns, but in hindsight, maybe I should be calling down a few losers. I don't need to be a calling station, but a couple of loose calls may win me a few unexpected hands and send a message, as well.
It also dawned on me that perhaps I should be willing to get involved in a few more coin flips a little earlier. I've held firm in my belief that when playing against weaker competition, I should try to take as much of the gamble element out of the equation as possible. That means avoiding 50-50 propositions and waiting for better opportunities. The problem with that scenario is that the better opportunity doesn't always come, and often when it does, I'll be called by a couple of players who have no business calling.
With so many people willing to gamble, I still think it's best to pick your spots when you have the best of it, because you are likely to get paid off. A little more gamble in my game, though, may be liberating and give me a better opportunity to get to an early chip lead.
Finally, and most significantly, more mistakes on my part can be used to my advantage. What's the worst thing that can happen if I get caught stealing too much? I tighten up and get paid off with my strong hands. What's the worst thing that can happen if I call down a couple of losers? Opponents will bet into me when I'm strong. What's the worst thing that can happen if I take a few more coin flips early on? I'll either take a big chip lead or get to the cash games quicker.
At its core, poker is still a game about minimizing mistakes. If you're not making enough of them, though, you're probably not doing enough to win, either.
David Apostolico is the author of numerous poker books, including Lessons from the Felt, Lessons from the Pro Poker Tour, and Tournament Poker and the Art of War. You can contact him [email protected].
Ask Jack
Brad: During the
World Series of Poker Tournament Circuit event at Caesars Atlantic City, with the blinds at $50-$100, the following action and ruling took place:
I was in the small blind in seat No. 8, playing 11-handed with just over $4,000 in chips. There were two limpers to the button, who raised to $300. The button's stack was approximately $8,000. I reraised to $600 with pocket nines. The big blind and both limpers folded, and the button called. The flop came J
9
2
. I checked, and the button bet $800. I raised all in with my set.
The button thought, and then turned his cards faceup on the table in front of his chips but behind the line and stared at me, waiting for my reaction or a reaction from other players. He had J-J, giving him top set.
I told the dealer that I thought the player's hand was dead for exposing his cards. The dealer said the hand was not dead. I asked for a floorperson. The floorperson came and the dealer explained that I was all in and the action was on the button. He had exposed his cards but there were only two players in the hand, so she thought it was OK for him to expose his hand. At this point, the button player announced that he was calling my all in.
The floorperson ruled that the hand was not dead but that the button would receive a 10-minute penalty for exposing his hand. I told the floorperson that before the tourney had started, they had announced over the loudspeaker that there would be a 10-minute penalty for exposing one card, and I had not been able to hear what they said about exposing both cards. I said that to my understanding, exposing two cards in tournament play kills your hand. The floorperson was not confident in his decision or with my questioning. I asked to speak to the tournament director.
Another gentleman came to the table and listened to the explanation from the floorperson. He seemed unsure of what to do. The gentlemen said that the floorperson's ruling had been made and the decision was final. I asked him what the rule was for exposing your cards, and he would not answer. He simply repeated that the decision of the floorperson was final. He clearly just wanted the situation to be concluded and was not interested in getting involved in any debate.
I turned my cards over and lost the hand. Could you please comment on the ruling and my course of action to resolve the incident?
Jack: In my tournaments, the hand is not dead, but the player would get a 20-minute penalty. If you weren't comfortable with the floorman's ruling, you should have insisted on the director making the ruling. I don't believe you have any course of action to pursue.
The Music of Chance
By Tim Peters
Ricky Jay Plays Poker, compiled by Ricky Jay, a boxed set of audio CD, DVD, and booklet (Octone Records, $39.98)
Ricky Jay, the author of explorations into the history and culture of magic and illusion, such as
Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women, is also one of the world's great sleight-of-hand artists. He knows his way around a deck of cards; in fact, his first book,
Cards as Weapons, surely inspired Chris "Jesus" Ferguson's interest in card-throwing. Now he has turned his acute eye - and ear - to poker with this entertaining boxed set that includes an audio CD, a DVD of Jay performing some card tricks, and an informative book that connects the game of poker to popular culture, including books, movies, and, most notably, music.
Jay has selected 21 poker-themed classics, beginning with a 1946 recording of
Darktown Poker Club, about a player so worried about cheating, he kept a freshly sharpened razor on the felt (but as the liner notes make clear, he used the blade as a mirror so that he could see the cards when it was his deal). There's the Patsy Cline classic
Turn the Cards Slowly (1955), a tremendous Anita O'Day tune,
Ace in the Hole, and a blues legend Robert Johnson song called
Little Queen of Spades. One number,
Etienne Gonna Die, is a musical accompaniment to a bit of dialogue from the great poker scene from David Mamet's film
House of Games. You won't find a cut of Kenny Rogers'
The Gambler, but you will enjoy a great bluegrass standard called
Roving Gambler by the Country Gentlemen.
Like
Darktown Poker Club and many of the other songs,
Roving Gambler is about a cheater ("I saw him deal from the bottom of the deck and shot the gambler down"). That shouldn't be surprising from a cardsharp like Jay, who can deal himself any hand he wants whenever he wants it, as he illustrates in one of the tricks he performs on the DVD.
Jay calls it "The Guarantee." He opens a new deck, lets one of his five players shuffle, then deals out six hands of four cards facedown. He then offers each player the chance to switch hands with his. Two random players swap hands with Jay (that is, his hand should be random). He then deals out six cards facedown, and lets his opponents look at their hands to decide if they want the dealt fifth card or to take one from the deck. At showdown, Jay rolls over a royal flush. Never play poker with a man called Jay. The DVD also includes an unbelievable feat of card-throwing prowess.
A handsomely illustrated booklet provides history about the songs, and reproduces the covers of some famous vintage poker books, poker-themed sheet music, and poker-related ads (usually for devices or techniques for cheating). In his introduction, he documents what must be the first published bad-beat story (dating back to 1836): quad aces versus quad kings. The loser says "D-m-n" (in a typographical concession to decorum) before slamming his kings down with enough force to break a table. "And there you have it," Jay writes. "The verbal tirade, the display of bad manners, and the ill humor that, as much of the euphoria and jubilation of a big win, are part of the ongoing drama, the enormous range of emotions that contribute to the popularity of poker." The game continues to evolve, but some aspects of poker will never change.
There is absolutely nothing in this box that will improve your game. But, it's a fascinating reminder that poker has long been an inspiring force in popular culture. Where are the good poker songs of today? If you know of any, e-mail me at
[email protected].
