News, Reviews And Interviews From Around The Poker World

2010 World Series of Poker Schedule Released
New Events Include $50,000 Eight-Game Tourney and $25,000 Six-Max Event
By Stephen A. Murphy

The 2010 World Series of Poker will feature a new $50,000 eight-game mixed championship, which will replace the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event as “the players championship.” The event will feature only no-limit hold’em at the final table, and it will be televised by ESPN.

“We really took the lead from the Players Advisory Council, which we often do,” said WSOP Communications Director Seth Palansky about the new event. “We had the goal of getting it televised.”

The $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event was viewed as somewhat of a disappointment in 2009, as the turnout for the tournament dropped after ESPN announced that it wouldn’t televise the championship, stating that poor ratings were received in the past whenever the network showed poker games other than hold’em.

The 2010 schedule also features a new $25,000 six-handed no-limit hold’em event, which will likely attract the top players in the game.

“We wanted something late, closer to the main event, that could serve as a platform for the game’s best players, and we think this event, which is already very popular at any level, will be a nice addition to this year’s schedule,” said Palansky.

While those two changes are big news for the pros, small-time grinders and casual tournament players will be pleased to see a bunch of new $1,000 no-limit hold’em events on the 2010 schedule. There are six $1,000 events, all with two day-one starts.

“Whatever your game and whatever your bankroll, the 2010 WSOP schedule offers something for everyone,” said Jack Effel, WSOP tournament director. “We are planning for the largest WSOP ever, and look forward with anticipation to welcoming all players to the Rio in Las Vegas.”

The WSOP will run May 27-July 17 at the Rio, with 57 bracelet events — the same number as there were in the 2009 WSOP.

The main event kicks off on July 5 with four starting days. To avoid a sellout this year, Harrah’s is hinting that players may be assigned starting days upon registration after a yet-to-be-determined date, thus providing an incentive for players to register early.

Check out the complete 2010 WSOP schedule on CardPlayer.com. You can register for the events of your choice today on WSOP.com.

Full Tilt Poker Suspends Brian Townsend
Townsend Loses Red Pro Status for a Month
By Julio Rodriguez

In late December, Full Tilt pro Brian Townsend confirmed on his blog that he had been suspended from his red pro status for one month, following allegations that he shared a database of 50,000 hands involving high-stakes newcomer Isildur1 with his friend Brian Hastings, who then proceeded to take the unknown Swede for $4.2 million in a span of just five hours on Dec. 8.

Hastings inadvertently “outed” Townsend’s transgressions in an interview with ESPN following his big win.

“Honestly, I give most of the credit to Brian Townsend here,” Hastings said. “I mean, Brian is honestly the hardest worker I know in poker. He analyzed a database of heads-up hands that Isildur1 had played and constructed ranges of what Isildur1 was doing in certain spots. Three of us discussed a ton of hands and the reports that Brian made, so I’m very thankful to him and to Cole [South], as well.”

Full Tilt Poker’s rules define an unfair advantage as “a user accessing or compiling information on other players beyond that which the user has personally observed through his or her own game play.”

Since it was Townsend who compiled the hand histories, he was the one given what amounts to a slap on the wrist from Full Tilt. For the duration of one month, Townsend will lose his red pro status and the benefits that accompany it. The penalty will potentially cost Townsend thousands of dollars in rakeback and wages.

Card Player delved into the world of data mining and published a feature on the rules and regulations surrounding the practice online. Read it at www.CardPlayer.com/links/data.

PokerStars Sets New World Record for Largest Tourney Ever
$1 Tournament Draws 149,196 Players
By Julio Rodriguez

On Dec. 27, PokerStars broke its own record for the largest online tournament of all time. A previous record of 35,000 players was broken twice on July 19, 2009. Full Tilt Poker hosted a tournament that boasted a 50,000-player field, only to see PokerStars top it later that day with its own 65,000-player tourney.

Those tournaments were criticized, however, because of the cap that the sites had placed on potential entrants. This time around, PokerStars kept the field uncapped, although it did suspend late registration. The final tally came to 149,196 players for the $1 + $0 event. Due to the tournament’s five-minute blinds levels, the entire event was concluded in just under six hours of play.

As a reward to its players, PokerStars guaranteed a $300,000 prize pool, meaning that just over half of the payouts made were from site overlays. A little more than 20 percent of the field cashed, with the minimum payout being $2.22. The eventual winner was “oskar69,” who was rewarded with a $50,000 payday.