News, Reviews And Interviews From Around The Poker World

Nearly a Dozen Men Enter WSOP Ladies Event
Official Says There Will Be Consequences

On June 11, the ladies event began at the 2010 World Series of Poker. In an event that always stirs up discussion, there was never as much of a buzz as there was this year after approximately 10 men ignored Harrah’s requests and entered the female event.

WSOP Communications Director Seth Palansky told Card Player that the men who entered the event would face consequences.

In a tongue-in-cheek comment, Palansky called the development “great news,” before saying there will be consequences for any male who entered the event.

“We will have our repercussions against any man who entered the ladies tournament,” said Palansky. “There are consequences for actions, and they’ll pay the price.”

Palansky said that tournament organizers couldn’t legally prevent any men from entering the event. They have discouraged men from doing so in the past, and discouraged entries again this year. Men have never before participated in the ladies events at the World Series to this extent.

“We can’t prevent anyone from entering a ladies tournament. If they’re scumbags, they’re scumbags,” said Palansky. “The good news is that at the World Series of Poker, we have the right to refuse service to anyone at any time at any point that we deem, as operators of the event.”

When asked if there could be anywhere from a year ban to a lifetime ban for the male entrants, Palansky simply responded: “Stay tuned.”

David Sesso, primarily an online player who also won a WSOP Circuit event in Indiana last year, is one of the men who played in the event. He entered with a group of his friends, but claimed to be the one who came up with the idea.

When asked why he entered a ladies event, Sesso said, “When a girl wins a regular event, she gets all this attention. When a guy wins an event, it’s still pretty cool, but you don’t get nearly this much attention.”

Sesso said that he was discouraged a few times from registering for the event, but didn’t say if any specific punishments were discussed.

“The lady at the cage kept letting me know that it was a ladies event, but I just stuck with it and got in,” said Sesso. “I was pretty much the first one out of my group to start talking about entering the event. Some of them went really far with it, and dressed up like girls.”

When the first male busted out, the crowd reportedly erupted in cheers.

Kathy Liebert, widely considered as one of the best female poker players with nearly $5.7 million in tournament winnings, said that she understands the reasoning behind the guys’ decision, but still thinks they should’ve sat this one out.

“It’s a ladies-only event, so the guys should probably just stay away,” stated Liebert, who said the men’s decision to enter the event reflects a little bit on their character. “Why play it? What are you trying to do? It seems like they’re just doing it for themselves.”

As of press time, Harrah’s had not announced any punishments for the men involved.

Phil Laak Breaks World Record
Poker Pro Plays More Than Four Days of Continuous Poker

Phil Laak can outplay biological processes.

In June, the 37-year-old poker pro set the Guinness World Record for the longest continuous poker session on the felt. Laak crushed Paul Zimbler’s mark of 78 hours, 25 minutes, and 45 seconds, set in 2009, after enduring 115 straight hours of poker and even posting a $6,766 profit in $10-$20 no-limit hold’em.

The rules of the record attempt were simple: The entire session had to be videotaped, witnesses had to be present, and a five-minute break was allowed every hour, with the option of accumulating unused break minutes.

Card Player interviewed Laak in the midst of his record-setting run.

“If I start to melt down, I don’t want to lose too much of my net worth,” Laak said while digging into one of his prearranged meals — a container with brown rice, chicken, and broccoli. “The trick to staying awake is to be active with your brain. So, I plan on playing my regular game the whole way.”

Even after he passed Zimbler’s mark, Laak was determined to stretch his limits.

“I am never revisiting this moment,” Laak said. “So, since I know that, I want to pull the shred to the nothingness of it. Maybe I’ll taste where my body can’t go. I am pretty aware of my body, because it’s mine and I use it all the time. I feel like I am playing with one of nature’s instruments to the edge.”

While most poker players who sit through marathon sessions rely on coffee or some form of caffeine to stay awake and alert, Laak avoided all stimulants through his chair-swiveling toward the record books.

Tom Dwan Falls Just Short of His First Bracelet
Online Phenom Misses Out on Millions in Side Bets

Simon Watt is the high-stakes gambler’s hero.

On June 7, the former software developer defeated cash-game legend Tom “durrrr” Dwan heads up in event No. 11 ($1,500 no-limit hold’em) of the 2010 World Series of Poker.

Watt, the 2009 APPT Auckland main-event champion, prevented Dwan from winning the first bracelet of his young tournament career, and also saved the poker world up to $12.5 million, according to Mike Matusow.

As soon as the WSOP began, Dwan made personal bracelet bets with a number of poker pros. A bracelet, Dwan said at the time, could be worth more than $2 million.

However, when heads-up play began against Watt, it appeared that a victory would be worth much more, thanks to a slew of new bets.

“[Dwan] was playing for the main-event title right there,” Matusow said after Dwan’s second-place finish.

The atmosphere around the final table felt more like the $10,000 no-limit hold’em championship than a $1,500 event. Fans and supporters of Dwan were chanting his name and applauding after every walk in the big blind.

Dwan ran well leading up to shorthanded play, but he never found any sort of traction near the end. With just 13 big blinds, Dwan moved all in from the button with the Q 6 and was called by the 9 9 of Watt. The board of A A 8 A K ran out in agony for Dwan and for everyone rooting for him.

While Watt began to celebrate for winning $614,248 in prize money, Dwan left the Amazon Room without talking to anyone, clearly disappointed after outlasting all but one in the 2,563-player field.

Watt was all smiles after beating one of the best in the game to win his first bracelet.

“It was amazing,” Watt said. “It would have been crazy enough just being at a final table, but playing durrrr heads up, it can’t really get much better than that.”

“They are going to put [your picture] on the Bobby’s Room wall,” Matusow interjected from across the final-table area. “Here is Simon, saved everyone from going broke.”

North American Poker Tour Announces Los Angeles Stop
PokerStars Will Host NAPT Event at the Bicycle Casino

The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas was considered the North American Poker Tour’s first stop. Then, the Tour moved to the Venetian in Las Vegas. Most recently, the NAPT held a series in Connecticut at the Mohegan Sun. Now, after months of waiting for the announcement of where the next stop will be, PokerStars has confirmed that the NAPT will be going to Los Angeles.

With Southern California serving as one of the most popular poker grounds in the U.S., the NAPT can expect to see a lively group show up from both the nearby area and across the U.S., thanks to the plethora of online satellites.

“We are very enthusiastic to secure the West Coast Tour stop,” said Haig Kelegian, managing partner of the Bike. “We clearly recognize the NAPT as the next major happening in the evolution of poker, and we have no doubt that it will entice and attract players from all over the world.”

There will be a full-fledged poker festival at the Bike Nov. 12-17, highlighted by a $5,000 main event. Unlike previous NAPT events, however, there are no plans to film this tournament for television.

Daniel Negreanu, Joe Cada, Greg Raymer, Bertrand Grospellier, Barry Greenstein, and Vanessa Rousso are all expected to attend.

“I’ve played at the Bike in the past, and there is a strong local presence in L.A.,” said Negreanu in a statement released by PokerStars. “It’s always really important for a tournament’s success to have a strong core of local players, as it gives even more incentive to travel to the event when you know there will be big money on the line. I’m looking forward to playing.”

This will be the fourth NAPT event of its inaugural season.

Harrison Gimbel won the first NAPT event of the year at the PCA in January, for $2.2 million, after topping a field of 1,529 players. Tom Marchese won the NAPT Venetian, for $827,648, besting a group of 872 competitors. Vanessa Selbst was the NAPT’s most recent champion, banking $750,000 for her win over a field of 716 players.