News, Reviews And Interviews From Around The Poker World

2010 World Series of Poker Changes
Day 1D Main-Event Registration Will Likely Close Early

In the past, World Series of Poker organizers have said that it was a possibility. Now, they’re saying it’s likely.

Registration for day 1D of the WSOP main event will probably close early this year due to a large preregistration response and the organizers’ desire to balance the four starting days as much as possible.

Seth Palansky, communications director for the WSOP, said, “We’re going to balance the days. Once we get to a certain number sold per day, that day will be shut off and we’ll have to get to that number on the other days, as well, before we consider opening up that day again. I would guess that if you haven’t registered by June 25 or 26, you’re probably not going to get the day you want.”

So far, approximately 1,000 people have preregistered for the main event — with more players registering for day 1D than the other three starting days combined.

Other changes for the 2010 WSOP include:

A Different Kind of Day 2: In the past, the remaining players from day 1A and day 1B of the main event would merge into day 2A, while day 1C and day 1D would form day 2B. This year, day 1A and day 1C will combine for day 2A, while day 1B and day 1D will combine for day 2B.

“There’s been a historical pattern of the last two days being the most popular days,” said Palansky. “This will be another way for us to ensure that we have enough space for those returning on day 2.”

This year, players will likely play four levels on day 1.

More tables, more space: The Pavilion Room, formerly the home of the now defunct Poker Palooza, will serve as one of two tournament rooms.

The Amazon Room may be big (36,000 square feet), but the Pavilion Room is massive (58,000 square feet), and Palansky said the new space will enable the World Series to have 30 percent more poker tables.

New Sports Bar and Lounge for World Cup Fanatics: If you were concerned that spending your summer in the Rio might cause you to miss your beloved World Cup, fret not. That’s because Harrah’s has transformed the Brasilia Room into the Bad Beat Bar and Lounge.

“This will be great. We’ve never had anything like this,” said Palansky. “It’s going to be like a sports bar, and will be able to handle people who want to watch the World Cup, the NBA Finals, and such.”

Indoor “Gutshot Grill” Replaces Outdoor “Poker Kitchen”: Now, if you’re really hungry, you won’t have to brave the 110-degree heat to get some food at the Poker Kitchen. That’s because there will be no Poker Kitchen this year.

Instead, players will be able to use the Gutshot Grill, located in the Miranda Room.

No More Cash Games in the Amazon: The Amazon Room will be used exclusively for tournament play this year. The larger Pavilion Room will have a cage and area for cash games.

Later Restarting Time for Multiday Events: The restarting time for days following day 1 of multiday events will move from 2 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., so as not to interfere with the daily bracelet ceremonies.

Full Tilt Poker Signs Annette Obrestad
“Annette_15” the New Filly in the FTP Stable

Full Tilt Poker pulled off something of a coup in May when the site announced that it had signed 21-year-old poker phenom Annette Obrestad.

Obrestad, the 2007 World Series of Poker Europe champion, famously deposited $9 into her poker account and turned it into millions. She previously represented the European poker site Betfair.

“My name is finally in red on ftp! Sooo excited to be part of my favorite online site,” Obrestad tweeted once the news was made official.

Obrestad is also well-known in the online community for winning an online-poker tournament without looking at her cards.

She will represent Full Tilt at the World Series of Poker this summer in Las Vegas. It will be the young Norwegian’s first WSOP, and the expectations and anticipation couldn’t be higher for her.

“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting,” said Obrestad.

Poker Sites Running WSOP Satellites
Plethora of Options for People Looking to Qualify Cheaply

The weather is warming up, and that means one thing for a lot of poker players — World Series of Poker satellites.

All of the major online-poker sites have begun their WSOP satellites, and we have broken down the best deals and value for your money here.

PokerStars

The world’s largest poker site is offering numerous ways to get into the WSOP main event, including satellites with buy-ins as low as $1.10 or 100 Frequent Player Points. Satellites will run right up until the start of the main event in July, and will feature a huge 200-seat-guaranteed mega-satellite on June 20.

Anyone who wins a seat with PokerStars also will be given eight nights of accommodations at a Las Vegas resort and $1,000 in cash. Players also will receive 50,000 VIP Player Points, a PokerStars gift bag, and two invitations to an exclusive PokerStars party on July 11.

Those who do well in the tournament will also receive additional rewards. Any player who cashes in the main event will get a free entry package to any North American Poker Tour main event. Should a PokerStars qualifier win it all, he will get a $1 million bonus on top of his first-place prize money.

Full Tilt

A total of 600 seats are being offered via various online qualifiers until June 27, and those who qualify on the site and finish in the money will get a free seat in the 2011 main event. If a Full Tilt qualifier goes on to win the main event, he will get a $10 million bonus on top of his winnings.

Players can qualify for the main event for absolutely nothing through the site’s Race to the Main Event promotion, in which 50 packages are up for grabs through
freerolls and other small satellites.

If that’s not cheap enough, players can gain entry via satellites for as little as 30 cents or 30 Full Tilt Points.

On June 20 at 6 p.m. EDT, the site will host its $600 + $40 buy-in 150-Seat Main Event Guarantee tournament, in which at least 150 $12,000 packages will be won. There also are satellites for this event, with buy-ins starting at $1.

Finally, Main Event Week will run June 14-20, in which more than 200 $12,000 prize packages will be awarded in at least five tournaments each day, including shootout, rebuy, and freezeout events, with buy-ins ranging from $1 to $1,000.

UB and Absolute Poker

For any player who might beat the odds and make the final table of the main event, the sites are offering him a sponsorship deal of up to $750,000, depending on where the player finishes in November.

The network also has set up a progressive-bonus prize pool in which players who earn their seats through UB or Absolute Poker and then wear their gear in the main event are guaranteed extra cash and are eligible to win thousands of dollars. The more players who qualify through UB and Absolute Poker, the bigger the prize pool — with 75 percent of the money divvied up among all of the players who compete in the main event, and the remaining 25 percent distributed to those who cash in the main event.

Every week, UB and Absolute Poker will run a $530 supersatellite that will put the winners into the main event. To enter that satellite, either pony up the $530 or win your way in through one of the $11 qualifiers or steps tournaments — starting as low as 10 cents.

On June 6 at 4 p.m. EDT, UB and Absolute Poker will host a $530 satellite with 25 seats guaranteed. On June 20 at 4 p.m. EDT, that number will be doubled, as at least 50 players will win $12,000 WSOP packages.

Cake Poker and DoylesRoom

Cake Poker and DoylesRoom are now running a five-step sit-and-go series starting at $1 for a $2,500 prize package, as well as a number of ways to win one of the premier $12,500 WSOP packages.

Every Sunday at 4 p.m., the two sites (which are part of the Cake Poker network) host a $350 + $24 satellite in which the winners receive a $12,500 package. There are several qualifiers available for the big Sunday satellite, starting as low as $3.

Every day at 8:40 a.m., 2:40 p.m., and 8:40 p.m., there is a $25 + $2 tournament in which one player advances to the big Sunday satellite for every $374 in the prize pool. All times are EDT.

Every day, Cake Poker and DoylesRoom host $5 + 50¢ freezeouts and $3 + 30¢ rebuy events to send a host of players to the $27 qualifier tournament.

Bodog

You can play your way into the “big dance” on Bodog. The site is running daily qualifiers for as little as $1, as well as options for $2.20, $5.50, $11, $16.50, $55, and $109.

Last year, Bodog sent 60 players to the main event, and it promises to send even more in 2010.

Its $12,000 prize package includes a handler to help with requests while a player is in Las Vegas, full access to nightly events, and an abundance of Bodog gear.

SpadeClub

SpadeClub is giving away six WSOP prize packages – five $1,500 packages and one $12,000 main-event package.

Every Sunday until June 13, the site is running its weekly $5,000 event in which the winner will receive the chance to compete for a bracelet in Las Vegas. You must be a premium member to compete in the tournament.

On June 20 at 4 p.m. PDT, VIP members will have the chance to win a seat in the main event if they have qualified for the site’s VIP World Series Final. To satellite into that event, players must gain access through the site’s monthly qualifier.

SpadeClub is a membership site with absolutely no tournament buy-ins.

World Series of Poker Circuit South Africa Event Scheduled for October
Second International Venue

Before 2010, the biggest claim to fame that South Africa had in terms of the World Series of Poker was resident Raymond Rahme finishing third in the 2007 main event for more than $3 million.

That soon will change, because the WSOP Circuit tour is adding a new venue in October — the Emerald Resort and Casino in South Africa. According to reports from timeslive.co.za, the event will run Oct. 24-31. The Emerald Casino is located an hour south of Johannesburg.

“Poker has, over the past half-decade, accelerated in popularity,” said Emerald Resort and Casino CEO Martin Rice. “Our Emerald Poker Series, and its growing fields, is testament to the unlimited success of the sport.”

WSOP Communications Director Seth Palansky confirmed that the South Africa tournament will be a WSOP Circuit event, with gold rings up for grabs. The thinking on the part of Harrah’s is to build on the World Cup soccer fever that will envelop the host nation this summer. This marks the second country outside the United States that the WSOP has ventured into as a tournament site. It first did so with the WSOP Europe in England in 2007.

There are currently two events on the schedule for the WSOP Circuit stop in South Africa. The first is a $1,100 pot-limit Omaha tournament with $300 rebuys for three hours and a $400 add-on available at the end of the rebuy period. The championship event will be a $5,000 no-limit hold’em tournament with a cap of 500 players.

Look Out: Tobias Reinkemeier

Tobias Reinkemeier took home €965,000 for besting a very talented field of 113 players in the PokerStars European Poker Tour Grand Final €25,000 high-roller no-limit hold’em event. The 22-year-old from Cuxhaven, Germany, captured his first major title and made his largest cash to date with the win, and he now has $2,254,162 in career tournament earnings.

He currently has 984 Card Player 2010 Player of the Year points. He made the final table of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure high-roller event in January, and finished sixth. He also has cashed in two EPT main events so far in 2010, in Berlin and the Bahamas. He has cashed 13 times in live events since 2007, and has racked up 18 cashes online since 2008.

Reinkemeier defeated American professional Oliver Busquet heads up to win the top prize in the high-roller event in Monte Carlo, and in doing so, he became the only German champion during season six of the EPT. “It’s an overwhelming feeling. The field was definitely tough, but what do you expect for a €25,000 event? There were a lot of good players, but I had a really good run and everything went in my favor,” said Reinkemeier.

He was at his best during the most important time of the tournament. Cautious play controlled the start of heads-up play, and that enabled Busquet to even up the chip counts. Reinkemeier then induced Busquet to fold his hand on a Q 8 2 A 2 board by raising all in after Busquet had bet 560,000. Busquet mucked J-10, and Reinkemeier showed down the J 9 as he dragged in the uncontested pot. This gave Reinkemeier nearly a 4-1 chip lead, and things ended a short time later.

Reinkemeier is a supporter of the All4Kids charity that was started by Team PokerStars pro Sandra Naujoks and Austrian pro Markus Golser. He will donate 2 percent of his winnings from Monte Carlo to the charity, which aids children living below the poverty line in Cambodia, South Africa, and Brazil.