The Muck
Card Guards
Bernard Lee
George Lind III
Maverick Movie
Off the Felt
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JUN 13
Talking H.O.R.S.E. and Basketball with Huck Seed
We got a chance to catch up with 1996 World Series of Poker Main Event Winner Huck Seed earlier who was on break in Event #27: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. We asked Seed a little bit about the H.O.R.S.E. tournament, and a little bit about basketball as well. When we saw Seed, he was talking with John Hennigan about a recent bad streak.
“Let me ask you something,” Hennigan said to us. “Do you think a good player can play 30 tournaments and not cash?”
Hennigan was poking fun at Seed for his recent luck in the World Series of Poker.
We asked Seed what his least favorite part of the H.O.R.S.E. event was. “The amount of the buy-in,” Seed joked.
That was not the answer we were looking for, so we asked Seed what his least favorite game was in the H.O.R.S.E. structure. “It's like if you had five children,” Seed said to us. “You can't say you love any one less than the others.”
We asked Seed what game he thought people playing the tournament were the worst at. “Probably stud, razz, or 8-or-better,” he replied.
We followed up by asking Huck if he thought he was better at poker or basketball right now. “I'm pretty worn out from playing tournaments all the time right now,” Seed said. “But I've been trying to play basketball for a while now. I just haven't had time. Probably at midnight after this gets out, I can go play some. The best scenario would be if someone at my table challenged me to a one-on-one match for some money.
“Vanessa Rousso has this really nice outdoor court that I love to play at,” he continued. “It has this matting that has some really nice grip. I'm gonna go out and get some shots on her court later. It's my new favorite outdoor court.”
Following up on that, we asked Huck about some players and whether he'd rather play H.O.R.S.E. basketball or H.O.R.S.E. poker against them.
Jason Mercier: “Basketball.”
Chad Brown: “Basketball.”
Phil Hellmuth: “Basketball.”
Olivier Busquet, “Olivier actually challenged me to a one-on-one match, we just never got around to it. I think I'd actually rather play him in H.O.R.S.E poker because he doesn't play limit games. There's not many people who could beat me at shooting right now. Another guy I’d probably rather play in poker is Prahlad Friedman. Prahlad played Paul Pierce in a game of H.O.R.S.E once and he beat him.”We'll have to catch up with "Spirit Rock" later on in the series when we see him to verify this one, but if it's true, it's a pretty awesome story.
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JUN 13
All Mucked Up: 2012 World Series of Poker Day 17 Live Blog
All Mucked Up is a live blog of all the stuff you want to know at the 2012 World Series of Poker, besides hand histories and bad beats. Well, we might add a few in here, everyone loves a good bad beat story — unless it happened to you. Check back often for polls, soundbites, celebrity sightings, and who knows what else!
Horsing Around
The $1,500 H.O.R.S.E tournament is under way. Classic rock tunes from The Who and Eric Clapton were heard thought the Brasilia room so it was fitting running into veteran and two-time WSOP bracelet winner Mel “The Silver Fox” Judah.
We asked him what disciplines of poker he feels players are most deficient at in a H.O.R.S.E. tournament.
“Stud hi-low, and limit hold’em,” said Judah. Especially for no-limit hold’em players making the adjustment to Limit Hold’em.”We also ran into Maria “Maridu” Mayrinck and posed the same question. “I don’t know, I don’t have any experience in H.O.R.S.E. (laughs).”
She says stud and stud hi-low are her weakest games.
PokerNews’ own Rich Ryan is playing in the tournament as well. We had some fun with Ryan and played a game of “Would You Rather” play HORSE the basketball game or H.O.R.S.E the card game against the following players:
Team Poker Stars Pro Jason Mercier: "I’ve played basketball with Jason and I think he’s lost a step so I’ll go with basketball with him.”
Brent Hanks: "The card game."
Olivier Busquet: "Neither!"
Team PokerStars Pro Bertran "ElkY" Grospellier: "Definitely basketball."
Team PokerStars Pro Jonathan Duhamel: "Basketball."
Stay tuned, as we’ll be engaging other pros in “would you rather?”
Six Max Chat
Day 3 of Event #23: $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em- Six Handed is under way. We ran into Freddy Deeb who’s currently seventh in chips with 18 remaining.
Freddy DeebWe asked Deeb if he has any concerns about his table draw today, which includes Team PokerStars Pro Eugene Katchalov.
“I’m the only one that will get in my own way," said Deeb, confidently.
Deeb has played tournaments all around the world and we asked him what place besides Vegas does he enjoy the most.
“Aviation Club in France. The games are good, the action is good, and the food is great. The city is beautiful. “
The feature table of Event #23 is full of notables, including Team PokerStars Pro Bertran "ElkY" Grospellier, Andrew "LuckyChewy" Lichtenberger and Scott Montgomery.
Elky in seat 5. Lucky Chewy in seat 1. Scott Montgomery in seat 2Just before the cards were dealt we asked Grospellier, if he would rather win a second bracelet or have France win the European Soccer Championship.
“I’d rather have a bracelet. It’s not even close!”
France played England in their last match to a 1-1 draw.
Would You Rather
We caught up with Team PokerStars Pro Chad Brown, on break from the H.O.R.S.E. event, for a round of "Would You Rather" play a specified opponent in a basketball game of HORSE or a card game of H.O.R.S.E.
Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier: "Basketball."
Team PokerStars Pro Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier: "Basketball. However, Grospellier is playing more mixed games so if he keeps playing them he'll be a champion in them."
Shaun Deeb: "Basketball."
Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Selbst: "Basketball"
Olivier Busquet: "Either or."
"I'm pretty good at basketball," said Brown.
Brown also indulged us in a story that took place a few years ago at a PokerStars PCA event. It involved a rock-climbing contest and the person who made it to the top in the least amount of time was crowned the winner.
“It was me, Jason [Jason Mercier], and Dario Minieri. Dennis Phillips was keeping time. Jason and I are both athletic and very competitive. Poor Dario was just praying to make it to the top without falling, but he made it. He’s a fighter especially since he has a fear of heights.”
According to Brown, Minieri took the longest, but Mercier climbed up the rock quickly.
“After Mercier came down from his climb he rushed over to Phillips and asked him if he beat me,” said Brown.
Phillips broke the news to Mercier that Brown beat him by eight seconds.
Car Of The Day
We’re always on the lookout for the coolest cars in the Rio valet.
The valets weren’t at liberty to reveal the owner of the car, but from their vanity plate, they don't mind getting their chips "ALLYN."
Can You See With Those Things On?
We saw this gentleman playing in Event #27: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. wearing rainbow colored glasses that flip down into shades. They definitely aren't a $200 pair of Oakleys, or a $500 pair of Ray Bans, but they are our favorite pair that we've seen today.
Who Wore It Better: Suited Up Edition
There were three players suited up for Event #23: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em Six Handed today.
One of them was recently eliminated leaving only Scott Montgomery and Foster Hays:
Foster Hays and Scott Montgomery suited upWe want to know who you think wore it better.
The Table of Death, Omaha Edition
We've talked often about tables of death, but the rail birds led us to this one. Most of the rail in the Amazon room today is either gathered around ElkY's table in the six handed event, or this table in Event #24: $3,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split 8-or-Better.
On one side of the table, we have Phil Ivey, Mike Matusow, and Joe Cassidy:
Phil Ivey, Mike Matusow, and Joe CassidyAnd on the other side of the table we found the "Prince of Poker" himself, Scotty Nguyen:
Scotty NguyenAlso, right in the middle of the table, with a heap of chips is the brother of one of our live reporters, 123md, Elie Doft. Either way, it's not the table you want to be sat at.
Wimpy At The Rio
I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for an AllAmericanDave meal today. According to Team PokerStars Pro David William’s twitter somebody intercepted his AllAmericanDave meal and ate it.
Williams broke down the events in a series of tweets:
Some dbag stopped the delivery person for @AllAmericanDave and told them they were me and ate my lunch. Dave replaced it for me but...
June 13 2012FollowWhen he went over to the guy who stole my lunch the guy said he took it "cause he was hungry" and didn't feel he should pay.
June 13 2012FollowHe finally settled on paying $20 when individual meals (not part of a package) are $30.
June 13 2012FollowThe thief just came and tapped me on the shoulder and said "you just cost me $20. Because of your delicious lunch" smiling....
June 13 2012FollowWilliams later tweeted the culprit's seat number and we went ahead of snapped a picture of him. According to the Rio staff the person's name is William Harrington.
William HarringtonCan You See With Those Things On: Part 2
Here’s another gentleman in Event 27: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. wearing an interesting set of Kanye-esque shades.
We're not sure if he has to open them up like a set of venetian blinds when he wants to peek at his cards.
The Man With The Binoculars in Action
For the past few days we've been bringing you updates on the man with binoculars, who has been at several final tables, and could be seen staring down Phil Ivey on multiple occasions.
Well today may be the day the man in binoculars gets his own fan base as we caught him playing in Event #27: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E.
The Man With The BinocularsWe'll try to keep an eye on his progress throughout the tournament as today may be the day the man becomes a legend.
What Game Are We Playing?
We caught this gentleman playing in Event #27: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E.. We don't know if he couldn't see the game plaques, or if he just needed a friendly reminder, but he had a few pieces of paper on top of his chips with the game they were currently playing.
Phil Ivey's Magic
"Every time Phil Ivey wins a pot a unicorn and leprechaun are born," we just heard Maridu Mayrinck say from the rail of Event #24: Omaha Hi-Low Split 8-or-better. We all know Ivey has amazing poker skills, but apparently he can do a lot more than just rake in chips!
The main feature table set has been filling up ever since word got out Ivey was gunning for his ninth bracelet, and we expect a lot more famous faces as the night goes on.
The Straddle
If you haven't seen Kristy Arnett's video "The Straddle," it's a must watch. Arnett gives a behind the scenes look at the 43rd annual World Series of Poker. In this weeks Straddle, Hellmuth disappears, "Crazy" Mike Thorpe makes an appearance, and we see some hostess bloopers.
The All-Singing, All-Dancing H.O.R.S.E. Event
We know only the most multi-talented poker players play Event #27 $1,500 H.O.R.S.E, but one man is taking the definition to new extremes, regularly breaking into song at his table.
The songs are often embellished by his choice dance moves, a sort of shuffle, clearly designed to put his opponents on chip-spewing suicide tilt.
The man could be heard belting out an old country number that he had in his heads phones from across the room. When we arrived on scene, his tablemates were trying to get him to take requests.
“I’ll sing some requests if you boys send me some of those chips,” our hero says.
“Tighten up fellas!” Remarks his nearest neighbor, to raucous laughter from the players, the dealer and even surrounding table.
Celebrity Look-Alike!
We spotted a celebrity look-alike today in the form of Rio Floor Manager Bob Smith. We think he is the absolute splitting image of Walter White from the hit TV show ‘Breaking Bad’. What do you guys think?
World Series of Bromance
We spotted Gavin Smith and Huck Seed a bit earlier on, chatting away during Event #27 $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. Smith is shown above giving Seed a tutorial on one of his apps on his iPhone.
Smith and Seed have played a lot of poker with each other over the years, I wonder how this makes the dynamic at the table?
Here We Go Again
The rail is teeming as we prepare for a long night at the final table for Event #24 $1,500 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better, where Phil Ivey, Scotty Nguyen and other big names battle it out for nearly $300,000 and, more importantly for Ivey, a gold bracelet.
The field starting this afternoon was one of the most stacked we've seen in recent history with Ivey, Nguyen, Mike Matusow, Brian Hastings, Bart Hanson and Dan 'djk123' Kelly. Hastings was second in chips behind Ivey early on, but crashed out in sixteenth after a bad run of cards. His tweet below highlights just how tough it is out there!
Busto 16th. Running bad vs world class players is a deadly combo. Might play cash, might do something fun. Not sure next #WSOP event.
June 13 2012FollowWe'll hang around the rail all night and keep you posted on the rail's mood and any of the players antics!
Finally, A Sweet Chip Stack!
We've been sweeping the Brasilia and the Amazon room every night for the first 17 days of the series, trying to find someone putting some effort into their chips. Finally, Jason Mercier has come through for us. Mercier is playing in Event #27 $1,500 H.O.R.S.E and coming to the end of day one is doing well. Well enough to make an interesting stack anyway!
The twisting structure is pictured below next to Mercier's infamous cracked iPhone.
Side Action
We spotted Jennifer Harman and Mike Matusow playing some Chinese poker in the high-limit cash game section in the Pavilion room here at the Rio. The pair are trying to turn their day around after disappointing busts in Event #27 $1,500 H.O.R.S.E and Event #24 $5,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better respectively. Harmon’s husband Marco Traniello was sweating her from the rail.
Also putting in some big hours in the side games is Barry Greenstein, who’s been there since early this afternoon, also playing Chinese. His wife, however, was sitting directly behind him sweating his cards. The rail gathered to watch the games is growing as the evening grows old.
Tweet Of The Day
Sometimes a poker tweet comes our way that needs to be printed here in the muck. Congratulations to Faraz Jaka for Tweet Of The Day, Day 17.
“@chicagocards1: @FarazJaka just busted a guy in PLO and he sat there for 30 seconds after I wonder why #needatermforthat” BUSTOUT BONER!
June 13 2012FollowThe Experts
We have Jeff Madsen and Jean-Robert Bellande in the booth at the moment, talking about the final table of Event #24 $5,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better.
Daniel just tweeted in:
@WSOP @TuckonSports @WhoJedi ask JRB if he would be the 4th or 5th best player at the table right now.
June 14 2012FollowTo which Jean-Robert replied "That dealer looks pretty sharp, I could well be the fifth".
Tune in Here to hear Madsen and Bellende's commentary.
The Other Game
With all the talk the last few days of Phil Hellmuth's 12 bracelets and Phil Ivey's search for number nine, one man has been overlooked. Running deep in Event #26 $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha, Eric Seidel is in with a real chance of winning his ninth bracelet tomorrow evening!
Seidel has been on a strong run the last few years, winning several high profile non-World Series Of Poker events all around the world, but hasn't won a bracelet since 2007. He will be hoping this is his year. Phil Hellmuth, who is desperate to keep his all time bracelet record, will be hoping that it isn't.
Rowdy Rail: The Scotty Nguyen Effect
This has been by far the most active rail for a final table yet. Everyone seems to have a beer in front of them, and every pot that is awarded is accompanied by a big cheer (and in the case of Scotty Nguyen, a yell of “SCOTTTTAYYYY” from an unidentified spectator).
We like to chalk this rowdy atmosphere up to ‘The Scotty Nguyen Effect’. Scotty has been drinking beers and interacting with the rail for hours. He’s playing an all-action style and the 3 WSOP bracelets on his wrist accentuate his outfit nicely. Ivey may draw the spectators like no other, but Scotty knows who to get them going. It’s going to be an exciting night no matter what happens.
We encourage everyone to get involved with "The Muck." See something you think is Muck worthy? Send it to themuck@pokernews.com. We accept all media including photos and videos.
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JUN 12
All Mucked Up: 2012 World Series of Poker Day 16 Live Blog
All Mucked Up is a live blog of all the stuff you want to know at the 2012 World Series of Poker, besides hand histories and bad beats. Well, we might add a few in here, everyone loves a good bad beat story — unless it happened to you. Check back often for polls, soundbites, celebrity sightings, and who knows what else!
Bust Out Bounty
For years Barry Greenstein has been giving away his book, Ace on the River for those lucky players who knock him out of a tournament. Well, it seems like Greenstein has been one upped by Adam Junglen.
Hal Lubarsky in the FieldYou may recognize Hal Lubarsky from ESPN's coverage of the World Series of Poker Main Event in 2007 and 2008. Lubarsky has a condition known as retinitis pigmentosa, making him blind. Lubarsky has been able to compete at the world series since 2007 with the help of a hand reader, who whispers him his cards.
Lubarsky and his hand readerBefore losing his sight, Lubarsky moved to Las Vegas with dreams of becoming a professional poker player. For 15 years he played in a $150-$300 H.O.R.S.E. game with some of the biggest names in poker. Lubarsky is playing in Event #25: $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout, an event which he finished 11th in last year.
To keep an eye on Lubarsky's, or anyone else's, progress, make sure you check out the live reporting blog.
I Used To Play You Heads Up When You Were A Little Boy
Antonio Esfandiari and J.J. Liu are sitting at the same table today in Event #25: $1,500 Limit Hold'em. Esfandiari is never one to shy away from conversation, but today him and Liu were talking about times gone by.
"I used to play you heads-up when you were just a little boy," Liu said to Esfandiari. "You must've been 19 or 20 years old."
"Yeah, that was 14 years ago J.J.," Esfandiari said. "I think you're the only woman I can say has gotten prettier since then."
J.J., flattered by the comment, blushed, smiled, then flexed her muscles. This table dynamic is rather interesting so we'll be sure to keep an eye on them throughout the day.
#winning
Aaron 'aejones' Jones had a rather cool shirt on today. Here's a photo:
#winningJones is on the money bubble in Event #23: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em - Six-Handed, so he should be #winning at least a little bit today. We'll keep an eye out for any more cool shirts through our days at the World Series of Poker, so stay tuned.
On Break in Event #25: $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout
We were able to catch up with Bill Chen and Tony Dunst who were on break in Event #25: $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout for some quick lessons and poker tips regarding the event.
"These require a different set of skills," Chen said. "We actually started short handed, then we went to full ring, and now we're going back to short handed. But these take a different set of skills than a full tournament. That's part of the reason I like mixed games so much too, it's a different set of skills."
We asked Chen what some of the biggest mistakes people make in early stages of the tournament are."People don't buy into these events on time," Will said. "You can lose a lot of chips just blinding out. They just think, 'if I come later, I can just play short handed,' but that's not right. You're going to have to play full ring and accumulate chips if you want to win."
Tony Dunst said that his favorite part of this tournament is that he gets to find out quickly if he's going to cash or not. "You're not here for that long, and you don't have to subject yourself to suffer through hours of limit hold'em torture. You only have to play for a few hours and you'll know if you're going to cash or not."
We also asked him what some of biggest mistakes people make in early stages of these kind of tournaments are. "People are limping too much, which is never good. They are cold calling with too many hands. They are folding post flop when they shouldn't. People are folding in spots where they have a lot of equity to peel one off."
Finally, we asked Dunst what tournaments he was looking forward to playing. "The $3,000 six max was a really good tournament, with a good mix of players. There is a $2,500 four max that is coming up that should have a similar field, so I'm really looking forward to that."
Stacked Tables in the Brasilia Room
Two days ago Phil Hellmuth and Phil Ivey were both battling heads-up for bracelets in two different events. Today, the two Phils are battling each other. The two have drawn the same table in Event #25: $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout. Both Phils are all smiles though and seem to be enjoying each other's company.
Ivey and Hellmuth's table in Event #25At another table, good friends Daniel Negreanu and Jennifer Harman are seated together as well. Also at the table is Eric Froehlich.
Jennifer Harman, Eric Froehlich and Daniel Negreanu's tableTruly these are two tables you would not want to find yourself seated at today.
Crazy Mike in the House
There's never a dull moment when "Crazy" Mike Thorpe is at a poker table. And today is no exception.
Thorpe, who plays some of the biggest mixed cash games in Las Vegas, is seated at a table with Barry Greenstein here in the first round. With just five players left at the table, Thorpe is leaned back in his seat with his feet on the chair next to Barry.
"Do I have to smell his feet?" Greenstein asked a nearby floorperson.
"Hey, I'm comfortable," Thorpe responded. "I'm a seven-star customer so I should be able to put my feet where I please!"
Matt Glantz threw in a zinger from the next table over: "You're an idiot star."
Crazy Mike ThorpeThorpe and Greenstein were just playing a hand when we saw him. Thorpe called from the small blind and Greenstein quietly checked.
"Did you check Barry?" Mike asked, nearly yelling. "See Scott," he said to Scott Seiver who was sitting behind him. "I wasn't kidding when I told you I was playing with geriatrics at the table. He can't even tell if the action's on him."
Thorpe has been running back and forth between tables sipping out of two cups of what appears to be coke. We'll be sure to add any interesting updates on Thorpe to All Mucked Up today.
That's Twelve Baby!
Two days ago now, Phil Hellmuth won his twelfth bracelet. Today when he first sat down at this $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout table he was wearing a hat with the number 11 still printed on it. Somewhere between then and now he's picked up a couple hats that have the number 12 printed on them:
Hellmuth's Bracelet #12 HatsWe're not sure when, or where he got them, but we do know that he did not start off the day wearing them. He was just recently eliminated from the limit hold'em shootout event, and we saw him carrying at least 3 hats.
It's a Pukefest in the Amazon Room
Apparently, there are a couple players who are sick in the Amazon room who are playing in Event #24: $5,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split 8-or-Better. One of those players is Mike "The Mouth" Matusow, who claims to have food poisoning. Here's the tweet describing the experience from William Reynolds:
Just when I thought I heard everything come out of Mike @themouthmatusow's mouth i hear him vomiting in amazon room from 100meters away
June 12 2012FollowWe'll try to keep an eye out and see if there is any more puke flying today.
Interesting Heads-Up Matches in the Limit Hold'em Shootout
Shootouts always bring out some of the most interesting heads-up matches. Here are a few from today's event.
We found Viktor Blom and Mike Leah playing against each other:
Then there was Ari Engle and Jonathan Little who also did some tweeting about their match:
After 40 minutes of heads up play, I have 11500 and @realAriEngel has 20000. Playing 300/600 when we return I think.
June 12 2012FollowThe last two matches going on were between McLean Karr and Matt Matros,
And Greg Mueller and Andrey Zaichenko:
Because this is a shootout event there are bound to be more and more great heads-up matches, so we'll keep an eye out.
World Series of Bromace
Earlier in the week, Andrew Lichtenberger and Aaron Jones talked about how they are both good friends and consider themselves to be each other's best poker friend.
Today they were presented with an interesting table dynamic as they are seated right across from each other:
Another bromantic moment brought to you by the World Series of PokerWe're still watching for more bromances, so let us know who you think are some of the best by sending an email to themuck@pokernews.com
REBUY! REBUY!!!!
It's no secret that Pot-Limit Omaha is a game of action and there's been plenty of it here in the first level already. The call of "Rebuy!" has been heard over and over from the dealers, and also from players in Event #26: $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha with Rebuys. When a player busts one of their stacks, they call for a rebuy and use one of the add-on lammer chips to get another 3,000, or 6,000 if they choose. The tournament staff is certainly working extra hard and sometimes running from table to table in order to get all the chips distributed back into play so as to not slow the action.
Here is a clip of what it sounds like in the Amazon room right now. Amongst the chirping of the chip crickets, you can hear the call of "Rebuy!" being yelled throughout the room.
This One Seems Self Explanatory
Brad Booth and Chino Rheem next to each other in Event #26Even poker pro Kevin Saul had a couple tweets about this one:
Starting table for 3k plo, the grinder, 2 unknowns, and double legendary Brad Booth next to Chino #irony
June 12 2012FollowWe'll let you guys come up with the caption for this one. If you can think of any great captions for this picture, post them in the comments below or email them to themuck@pokernews.com
Some More Great Heads-Up Matches From The Limit Shootout
We talked about Hal Lubarsky earlier today in All Mucked Up. Well now he is heads-up against Victor Ramdin to move on to tomorrow:
Hal Lubarsky and Viktor Ramdin are heads-upAlso heads-up are Barry Greenstein and "Crazy" Mike Thorpe who we talked about earlier as well:
Mike Thorpe and Barry Greenstein are also heads-upGreenstein has the chip lead, so the "geriatric" might be the one to take home a victory today.
Frankenberger Makes the Wall Street Journal
Andy Frankenberger has apparently made it into the Wall Street Journal after his victory over Phil Ivey on Sunday night. Here's his tweet about it:
Who would have thought THIS is how I'd make the Wall Street Journal one day!! Will be in Wednesday's print edition. http://t.co/aiHcBRim
June 12 2012FollowYou can read the article at online.wsj.com .
The Run Good Continues
Matt 'Jacksup' Matros went on to win his heads-up match in Event #25 $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout, putting him in a position to challenge for another bracelet. Matros’ luck doesn’t seem to have run out as he predicted it would after winning Event #16 $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em / Six Handed.
Having already won 3 bracelets in the same number of years, Matros is the first to acknowledge that the poker gods have smiled down upon him. He will be hoping, but probably not expecting, that this continues for tomorrow and for the rest of the series
@WSOP Back in action today, and won my first table in the $1500 Limit Hold 'Em shootout. #stillrunningabsurd #wsop25
June 12 2012FollowTweet Of The Day
Check out this hilarious tweet from Mike 'Timex' McDonald, playing in Event #26 $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha
3k plo: Old guy doubles and kisses his cards, villain: "don't kiss the cards I'll have to touch" old guy: "don't worry my syphillis is gone"
June 12 2012FollowIn The Money
Mike Thorpe was able to leap frog Barry Greenstein’s chip lead to cash in Event #25 $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout and secure his place in Day 2 of the event. Thorpe’s celebration was reportedly a little over zealous, but anyone who knows him will know that it’s just his personality. Barry took the beat with poise and professionalism as people have come to expect from him.
Elsewhere, Victor Ramdin beat Hal Lubarsky to proceed to day 2 as well. Victor can now be seen in the high-limit cash game section, hoping to make today even more profitable.
First Time For Everything
A table in Event #26 $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha had no players turn up after dinner, and then played one handed after a single player showed up. According to Daniel Negreanu's tweet, this was the first time he'd seen this in all his time in poker. The situation appears to have righted itself now, as all tables in the PLO event are currently at least close to full. We'll try to swing by and find out just how a one handed poker game works a bit later on.
Never seen this in my life. 8 handed table not one player showed up after dinner break. Now one guy showed up and gets to play alone.
June 12 2012FollowWho Ya Got?
We saw Brian 'Stinger' Hastings walking around the Rio earlier today decked out in OKC colors. Another notable fan today was Jason Mercier, who follows tonights losing team, the Miami Heat. It would appear from some tweets that have been going around that Mercier lost a little money to fellow pros Clint Tolbert and Kyle Julius.
RT @SoonerCT22: Me & @KJulius10 counting the best $$$ in the world!!! @JasonMercier dollars are worth so much more than reg dollars ...
June 12 2012Follow
Railin' Ain't Easy!
Check out this picture of a speculator on the rail of Event #21 $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em dozing off. Those chairs are pretty comfortable in all fairness to him!
The Evening Grind
We usually see the biggest rails on an evening when Phil Ivey is going deep in a tournament, and tonight is no exception - except that nobody's at Ivey's table.
All of the young poker fans seem to be gathering at the other side of the amazon room, watching a star studded line up battle it out for Event #23 $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em / Six Handed. Pictured below is Bertrand 'Elky' Grospellier, who has a lot of chips, sitting opposite Andrew 'LuckyChewy' Lichtenberger. Why most of the fans have gathered here is anyones guess - perhaps Ivey's recent deep runs have taken away some of the novelty for poker fans... or perhaps people simply don't know the rules to Event #24: Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better!
Whatever the dynamic, Ivey's exploits seem to be slipping out of focus, for tonight at least.
Castle Building
We caught this snap of Event #23 $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em / Six Handed chip leader Artem Metalidi right before they racked up the small chips. Metalidi seemed unenthusiastic about racking up his mountain of chips - having a lot of chips is always more fun!
For anyone who is wondering, that is 1.1 Million in chips pictured. Metalidi has come a long way, starting yesterday with just 9 thousand in chips.
Whioutfit of the Day
Railing the final table of Event #22 $2,500 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball, we noticed that one of the contestants - Benjamin Lazer - was wearing head to foot white. We're proud to issue todays whioutfit of the day to Lazer. He will hope that the time he put into wardrobe coordination doesn't go to waste and he can ship this 2-7 event!
Junglen U-Turn
Adam Junglen had a bit of a change of heart this afternoon, and decided not to give away his signed prosthetic limb as a souvenir to whoever knocked him out. He seems to think he spoke too rashly yesterday, and that he can't just give away his limbs in this economic (poker) climate.
Sorry I didn't give away my spare leg to the girl who busted me. Can't afford to give away spare limbs, especially in this economy. #ftp
June 13 2012FollowI'm sure 'the girl' who missed out on it will be very disappointed.
Actually, Junglen did give us a little more info about 'the girl', tweeting that she was named Monette, she was attractive and that she likes to get it in with flush draws. We're not trying to play Muck Matchmakers here, but it sounds like there could be a spark...
Busto PLO. Got it in with the nuts vs. two ppl, an old man with two pair and this pretty girl named Monette? Well she made a flush. Call me!
June 12 2012FollowWe encourage everyone to get involved with "The Muck." See something you think is Muck worthy? Send it to themuck@pokernews.com. We accept all media including photos and videos.
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JUN 12
First Five with 2012 WSOP Bracelet Winner Benjamin Scholl
We were able to catch up with the winner of Event #20: $5,000 Limit Hold'em moments after he won his bracelet. Benjamin Scholl is a financial analyst from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and works in the same firm as William Chen, another professional poker player. Before Monday, Scholl's biggest cash was in a World Series of Poker event in 2009 where he finished 4th place for $150,132.
What was your first thought after you won?
I couldn't believe it. I was just really happy to win. I couldn't believe heads-up was so quick. I was wondering if I should play heads-up instead of taking a dinner break, but I went with eating, and luckily I didn't have to play too much heads-up. I wouldn't call my self a heads-up specialist by any stretch.
What's the first purchase you're going to make?
I don't know. I might buy a car. I don't have a car at this point. So, maybe a car.
What's the first thing you're going to do as a bracelet winner tonight, or tomorrow morning?
A few of my friends are flying out tomorrow. I'm going to be here for a little while longer. So I will probably hang out with them. My rail was nice enough to watch the past six hours, and rail me, so I'll do whatever they feel like doing really.
Who is the first person you're going to call and tell?
I'm from the East Coast, so no one right now, but I'll probably call my parents and my brother and sister tomorrow.
What was going through your head when you were presented with the gold bracelet?
Well, I was wondering what the difference between that was and real thing because they told me I couldn't keep that one. But, I have seen pictures of the new design and it looks pretty cool. I don't know when to wear it though. I don't know what the etiquette is on that.
Will we be seeing you at any more events this series?
I was planning on playing the shootout tomorrow, but I think I need a break from limit hold'em. But I'll almost certainly play the horse event in a couple of days.Follow PokerNews on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news.
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JUN 12
2012 World Series of Poker: A Tale of Two Phils
The atmosphere was completely electric as everyone in the poker community had their eyes on two men — Phil Hellmuth and Phil Ivey — Sunday night. Thousands tuned into the WSOP.com live stream, hundreds gathered around both rails, and there was no shortage of visits to the PokerNews Live Reporting Blog. In the end, one Phil would walk away with yet another bracelet, and one would fall just short of glory. Phil Hellmuth was able to defeat Don Zewin heads-up for his 12th bracelet, and Phil Ivey would fall to Andy Frankenberger; Ivey narrowly missing his ninth.
Everyone in the poker community was either at the event or streaming the events from home on their computers. Hundreds of tweets flew out regarding both heads-up matches, both excited and ecstatic for the two Phils:
Orly captain obvious? RT @Donnie_Peters: It's pretty obvious who 98% of the people on the @ESPN Main Stage wanted to win.
June 11 2012FollowUgly finish for Ivey and at the same time Zewin wins a big pot at the same time to claw back into it. Being a poker fan tonight.
June 11 2012FollowCongrats @Phil_Hellmuth on winning his 12th bracelet. I agree @RealKidPoker, he definitely needs new hats, old1 for sure won't fit anymore:)
June 11 2012FollowWatched as Phil Hellmuth received his 12th bracelet from his oldest son... @ WSOP http://t.co/sDKDGlXq
June 11 2012FollowThe rails at both feature tables were jammed, elbow to elbow, which is a sight that has not been seen so far at this year's World Series of Poker:
Hellmuth and Zewin's Heads-Up railThe room was mostly silent between pots in the Event #17: $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em to the point where you could only hear the very very quiet whispers of the rail and the air conditioner. The room would explode with excitement when Ivey won a pot. When Frakenberger won a pot, a select crowd would cheer, but it was nothing like when Ivey scooped a big one.
The Rail of Event #17: $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em Heads-Up MatchIn the end, Ivey could not close the deal, he fell short of his ninth bracelet, and after shaking hands with Frankenberger, and wishing him congratulations, he quickly left the Amazon room, not wanting to be interviewed, or even to talk to anyone.
The rail died down quickly as only fans and friends of Frankenberger stuck around to see the ending ceremony. Ivey fans quickly made their way out of the building, and within minutes, the mothership was quiet once again. Ivey's face showed visible frustration, and one could tell he was very upset to have not been taking home his ninth bracelet.
The same could not be said for Phil Hellmuth's rail at Event #18: $2,500 Seven Card Razz. The room would jump and shout with excitement whenever Hellmuth won a pot, thanks in part to his good friend Mike Matusow.
“I don't think I could handle it if Phil came runner-up in a second one,” the Mouth joked. The two would hug and fist bump between pots as Matusow really brought the crowd to life.
Mike Matusow on Phil Hellmuth's RailJust before Hellmuth won, he found out that Frankenberger had won the $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em Event.
“Andy won?” Phil asked. “Who was the runner up?” We still don't know whether we was joking or not.
When Phil finally chipped Don Zewin down to the wire, and the final card was dealt, Hellmuth jumped for joy in pure excitement. He then fell to the floor in happiness, and tears could be seen in his eyes. Tears of joy of course.
Phil's son, Phillip Hellmuth III presented the bracelet to his father.
Phil Hellmuth and his son Phillip, presenting him his braceletComplimentary bottles of Dom Perignon were brought to the table in honor of his win.
Toward the end of the night, Media Executive Director Nolan Dalla asked Phil Hellmuth one question:
“Phil, I have a serious question for you,” Dalla said. “Ivey is 35, and you are 47. When Ivey is 73, and you are 85, who is gonna have more bracelets?”
“Hmmmm,” Hellmuth pondered.
“I have a better question,” Mike Matusow piped up. “Are any of us going to have money then, or are we all going to be broke?”
Truly, with this win, his first in a non-hold'em bracelet, Hellmuth has once again reinforced the fact that he is one of the greatest poker players in the world, and who has ever lived. Ivey's runner-up finish, while not as glamorous will also be remembered forever in the poker world as an integral part in the night of the Phils.
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JUN 11
Poker Players in Las Vegas for 2012 WSOP Partake in Electric Daisy Carnival Festivities
Over the weekend, the Rio Convention Center was scattered with girls in furry boots and tutus, and guys in brightly colored shirts and shorts. One would think that's out of the ordinary, but just 40 minutes down the road, the biggest electronic music dance festival was happening. The Electric Daisy Carnival attracted an estimated 340,000 party-goers this year and the poker community definitely got in on the action.
Vanessa Selbst, Liv Boeree, Brian Hastings, Jason Koon, and Scott Seiver were just a few of the pros who made the journey to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the festival. Below are some tweets from the weekend. Be warned, some of the outfits featured are not for public consumption.
And here's the psychedelic outfit Selbst wore.
Liv Boeree and her crew somehow lucked out on Saturday after EDC was shut down due to high winds.
Brian Hastings was part of the group that got sent home early, but flew back in a helicopter. It almost doesn't make sense to us.
Here are some other gems from the weekend.
How did Boeree party with a broken ankle?
Did you go? Let us know how is was below, and as always, follow PokerNews on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news.
*Lead photo courtesy of LasVegasSun.com
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JUN 11
All Mucked Up: 2012 World Series of Poker Day 15 Live Blog
All Mucked Up is a live blog of all the stuff you want to know at the 2012 World Series of Poker, besides hand histories and bad beats. Well, we might add a few in here, everyone loves a good bad beat story — unless it happened to you. Check back often for polls, soundbites, celebrity sightings, and who knows what else!
How'd They Do?
We know the pros can count odds and are pretty good with tells, but how did they do when we put them on the spot with some trivia? Find out below.
Tweet If You Like 6 Max
Lots of players have taken to twitter expressing their excitement for today’s Event 23: $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em-Six-Handed tournament. UFC announcer Bruce Buffer kick started the event with a thundering rendition of the “Shuffle up and deal” intro. Buffer is also playing in the tournament.
RT @leechilds $3k 6-handed today. #wsop23 9k starting. One hour levels. Let's go! <<<<< sending u #GoodJuJu & #SPARunGood
June 11 2012FollowWho's More Fashionable?
3BET Clothing
If you walk the thought the halls of the Rio you’ll notice rows of vendors; among them is 3BET poker clothing. A new line aimed at poker players. Scott Clements, John Phan, Brian Rast, and Andrew Little are some of the poker pros associated with the line. We spoke to co-founder Dan Spring about the company.
How did it all get started?
My partner and I are avid poker players based in Los Angeles. My partner has been in the clothing industry for 35 years. He’s one of the top people in the industry. We felt there was a void in comfort and fashion in poker. We wanted fans to connect to the game we all love.
When did you officially open?
We opened our virtual doors in January of this year.
How did the pros get involved?
I sat next to Andrew Little at a WPT event. I connected with him and he eventually brought in Brian Rast and Scott Clements.
Where can people find you online?
They can go to www.3BET.us and we’re also offering free shipping during the WSOP.
Jamie Gold In The Building
We spotted 2006 WSOP Main Event Champion Jamie Gold today in the $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em-Six- Handed tournament. He was seated next to Erick Lindgren. Gold is known for his table talk, we’ll be sure to keep tabs on him and report back any interesting banter.
I'm Just A Girl
We came across a tweet from female poker pro Jamie Kersetter about dumb questions she gets at the felt from male players.
Finally came up with a response to the same dumb question men have asked me 100x: Did your bf teach you how to play poker? No, did yours?
June 11 2012FollowWe’ll be asking the female poker pros what questions they get asked that tilts them. Here’s one from Lauren Kling: "A guy yesterday at my table asked me, 'Do you use your charm to get all the chips?' No, I use my skills. And then I just walked away."
All In!
Customized license plates seem to be all the rage here in Vegas. We caught this one today parked in the rio parking lot:
This guy is All in!We also caught this one:
NaturalThe last one was a Pontiac Fiero with the license plate reading "F1ERO," but we couldn't catch a picture as it was driving away. We don't know who they belonged to, but it's always fun to guess.
Excuse Me Sir, What Are You Staring At?
You may recognize this next gentleman from yesterday's issue of All Mucked Up. Well he's at it again. This time with binoculars fully equipped to watch the final table of Event #20: $5,000 Limit Hold'em.
The man and his binocularsI Want It To Look Pretty
We just saw this tweet from David Bach who is playing in Event #24: $5,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split 8-or-Better
This is funny: @RealKidPoker just asked the dealer in Omaha/8 to leave bets in front. She Said "its too complicated, I want it look pretty"
June 11 2012FollowSometimes looks are more important!
A Woman And Her Dog
Apparently, earlier in the day, Liv Boeree was accommodating her canine companion at the table. Here's her tweet:
Does this count as two players to a hand? Dogging around in today's six max: http://t.co/UEVvauPj
June 11 2012FollowAnd here's the picture of her and her adorable little friend:
Liv and her little dogWe swung by her table to see if her pet was still around, but had no luck, as it had already been taken away.
Whatcha' Reading?
It's no surprise that there is a lot of downtime between hands at the World Series of Poker. That's why it's no shocker to see players reading books or playing iPad games in between hands. We caught this gentleman reading Mike Matusow's "Check Raising the Devil," in between hands.
This gentleman was reading Mike Matusow's book in Event #24: $5,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Split 8-or-BetterOddly enough, Mike Matusow himself was seated just a few tables away from the man reading his book. We expect a great dialogue to ensue if the two men are seated next to each other. We'll also be sure to see what else players are reading in between hands here at the World Series of Poker.
Father Son Final Tables
Sunday we had both Phils heads-up in different tournaments here at the Rio. Monday we found the Shulman father son duo at it again. Both Jeff Shulman and Barry Shulman made final tables in Event #20: $5,000 Limit Hold'em and Event #19: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em.
Unfortunately, Barry was eliminated earlier in sixth place from Event #19, so there will be no excitement and drama as both Shulman's are heads-up.
This is the second instance of the Shulman's making deep runs together. When Jeff made the final table of the World Series of Poker Main Event in 2009, Barry also made the final table of the Main Event in the World Series of Poker Europe.
Maridu Mayrinck and Daiblo III, Part 2
Last week, we told you about Maria Maridu Mayrinck and her problems with Diablo III.
It's only been getting worse for Mayrinck as she has been tweeting about the game again today, this time including fellow pro Xuan Liu:
I love my nerd @xxl23. She busted from 3k 6max & arrived home saying "I need to kill some shit", logged into Diablo & is killing some shit.
June 11 2012FollowHopefully that cheers you up a bit Liu.
The Jester Hat Makes a Final Table Appearance
Last week we showed you Kennii Nguyen's lucky jester hat. Today, Nguyen made a final table in Event #19: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em. Of course making another appearance was his lucky hat:
Kennii Nguyen and his lucky jester hatNguyen ended up finishing in second place for $347,036. Looks like his hat was lucky after all.
More Deep Runs For The Ladies
Three more women are making some noise in the poker community tonight as they make their way towards a bracelet. The first is Maria Ho, who is sitting with 270,000 chips in Event #21: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em. Ho was one of the few women to make a final table last year when she went heads-up in Event #4: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em and fell just short of winning a bracelet.
Maria Ho in Event #21The second two are both deep in Event #22: $2,500 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball with only 16 players remaining. The first is Julie Schneider who is sitting with 82,000 chips.
Julie Schneider in Event #22The second is Von Altizer who has 130,000 chips.
Von Altizer in Event #22Last year through 20 events, only four women had made final tables. Maria Ho in Event #4, Odette Tremblay in Event #8, Kim Nguyen in Event #19, and Diana Allen in Event #20. Through the same amount of events this year, we have already seen six women make final table, and seven if you could Vanessa Selbst's 9th place finish in Event #12: $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em. Women have also made two heads-up appearances this year, Patricia Baker, who went heads-up in Event #1, and Amanda Musumeci who went heads-up in Event #9.
We'll be keeping our eye out on women players as this could be the first year since 2008 that a woman wins an open event.
Groutfit of the Day
Here in the PokerNews media room, we have an unhealthy obsession with Groutfits, or all grey outfits. That's why it was to the surprise of everyone that the man himself, Phil Ivey was wearing a Groutfit today. We managed to get a picture of it:
Phil Ivey's GroutfitWe'll be sure to bring you any more notable groutfits from throughout the World Series of Poker.
Overheard in the Dealer Break Room
Conversations in the dealer break room are hardly every dry, and range a wide variety of topics. Today, things got borderline philosophical in there:
"Shirley*," one dealer said to another. "Can I run something by you, and you can tell me what you think it means?"
"Sure," Shirley replied.
"Ok, so 'A man's attitude determines his fate.' What do you think that means?"
"Oh yeah... I can see that," She replied. "I think it just means that how you act determines how your life is going to play out."
"Pretty much, yeah," the first dealer replied.The conversation then moved towards money.
"I don't think money can buy you happiness," one dealer said. "But it sure makes it easier. I see tons of poker player who come in every day and they don't look so happy."
"Yeah, but the grass is always greener on the other side," another dealer said. "If I had the money of a poker player, I'd be happy as hell, but mainly because i've been broke for so long."The dealers finally talked about working in the snake pit, or the high limit area of the casino.
"You have a way better chance to make tips in there if you put on a smile and start conversations," one dealer said.
"It really doesn't matter," another dealer said. "It's all going to average out to about $18/$19 an hour in the end no matter where you are. Sometimes you'll pick up $9, sometimes you'll get $50, but at the end of the day it's always going to be about $18/$19 an hour"
"The other day I worked Chinese Poker," one dealer said. "I didn't make a single dollar!"The dealer break room conversations are always the best, so we'll be sure to add some of the more interesting ones here.
*Names have been changed to protect the identity of the dealers.
"Why Do You Guys Always Use The Worst Pictures?!"
We were standing near Event #22: $2,500 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball when Allen 'The Chainsaw' Kessler approached. "Why do you guys always use the worst pictures?" Kessler asked. "There are 10 other perfectly good ones, and you had to use that one!" He was talking about the photo of him used on PokerNews.com.
"Do you know when my 2 to 7 video is going to be up?" He continued? "Shouldn't it be up now during the tournament, when it will actually be relevant? Don't you guys know about relevance?"
Kessler is always a character and we'll be sure to continue to keep an eye on him during the World Series of Poker.
Are You On Drugs?
Erik Seidel just posted a rather interesting tweet regarding his table in Event #24: $5,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split 8-or-Better:
Pretty sure a couple of the players at my table came straight from Electric Daisy, based on a few of these plays
June 11 2012FollowDon't worry Seidel, EDC is over, things should calm down soon.
The Man, The Book, The Legend
Earlier in the day we told you about the man who was reading "Check Raising the Devil," with Mike Matusow just sitting a few tables over. Well, fortunately for the reader, he can now have a taste of "The Mouth" in person as he has moved to his table, and is seated right next to him:
The man reading "Check Raising the Devil," and Mike Matusow seated togetherUnfortunately, the table is mostly quiet as almost everyone has a pair of headphones on. All the players seemed focused on making it to day 2, but we'll check in to see if there is any good table talk.
We encourage everyone to get involved with "The Muck." See something you think is Muck worthy? Send it to themuck@pokernews.com. We accept all media including photos and videos.
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JUN 10
All Mucked Up: 2012 World Series of Poker Day 14 Live Blog
All Mucked Up is a live blog of all the stuff you want to know at the 2012 World Series of Poker, besides hand histories and bad beats. Well, we might add a few in here, everyone loves a good bad beat story — unless it happened to you. Check back often for polls, soundbites, celebrity sightings, and who knows what else!
The Morning Grind
The Rio is alive for the $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em Event. We're seeing all the usual faces around the Rio this morning, a lot of young kids who dream of winning a bracelet. One such kid is Mickey "MementMori" Petersen, who has been grinding hard this summer, in early every day, in search of his first bracelet.
We asked Petersen whom he didn’t want to see at his table today and he told us he didn’t want to see his friend Jeff Rasmussen.
Young Hopefuls
Obviously the smaller buy-in events such as today’s Event #21: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em attract a lot of players who don’t usually play in big tournaments, but wanted to play one. The field out there seems soft with a lot of pros telling stories about strange plays and unsteady tourists.
We spoke to John "Nikolak" Kim, who seemed focused and excited for the day told us, “My table seems pretty good, it’s going to be fun.”
We also saw this tweet from Mike "Timex" McDonald, who points out some of the out of the ordinary plays he’s seen so far in Event #21.
First 3 hands of my 1k table involved a 12x open, a 13x open and a 120bb jam over a 3x open. #Poker
June 10 2012FollowAs the event unfolds, we’re guaranteed to hear some fairy tale rags-to-riches stories emerge; this is life changing money for the majority of the field today.
Outfit Of The Day
Our favorite outfit of the day so far belongs to this elderly gentleman, for his utilization of a pretty gangster pink neckerchief.
All Eyes On Ivey
While more than 1,500 players duke it out in Event #21 $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em, all spectator eyes are on the final two tables of Event #17 $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em where Phil Ivey, Antonio Esfandiari and other big name pros fight for a bracelet.
The rail is long and thick and people try to catch a glimpse of Ivey in action.
Ivey himself seems excited, sending out a very rare tweet alerting his fans to his prominent position in the event, and thanking them for their support. The last time Ivey tweeted was in April when Amarillo Slim died.
The Guessing Game
Speaking Of Notable Twitter Absentees, Tom ‘durrrr’ Dwan has been tweeting a bit lately about his life in Macau, talking about haircuts and poker.
Yesterday he tweeted a hand and followed it by saying he paid a player $2,500 dollars to see his hand, and that we might be able to guess the monster stakes that he’s playing from that amount.
I then pay 2500$ (us- feel free to guess at stakes from this) to see his hand, and lose my mind as he flips kqhh. Fmllll
June 09 2012FollowMotto To Live By
This man in Event #21 $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em has forgone bright colored, flamboyant hats for a witty slogan. Brian ‘Stinger’ Hastings just tweeted this picture, and the motto on the baseball cap which reads :
"Every Old Man Is a Young Man Wondering What the F*** Happened"
Ivey Won't Like This
Phil Ivey famously doesn't like when media or fans stare at him and bother him when he's playing, I wonder what he thinks of this gentleman peering down his binoculars at him during hands. I wonder if the intimidation factor of the Ivey stare gets multiplied by the lenses too?
Squeak Strikes Again
Squeak never seems to disappoint. Yesterday he was a dinosaur, and today he's wearing a tiger outfit. I'm sure he's hoping he'll do "Greeeeat" today. We'll try to catch him on break and find out where the inspiration for his wardrobe comes from.
Jared Bleznick In The Building!
Jared ‘Harrington25’ Bleznick was just sighted in the high limit cash game section of the Pavilion room here in the Rio. Talk of the ‘Jared Bleznick challenge’ has been rampant the last few weeks, where Jared offered to play any bracelet winner heads-up in the game that they win the bracelet in, and give 10% of their losses back.
The arrival for Bleznick is likely to be a catalyst for some big action, as the confident young man has no qualms about taking on all comers, at any stake. If we see Phil Ivey enter the fray this could get ugly, the two have played a lot online with each other in the past and both will feel they have unfinished business.
We’ll try to catch up with Jared later on today, and find out just how serious he is about the ‘Jared Bleznick challenge’.
First WSOP Cash for DoubleDave22
Dave D'AlesandroWe caught up with Dave “doubledave22” D’Alesandro, as he was making his way back to his seat in Event 19: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em. The money bubble just broke and there is 164 players left.
We asked Dave how his day was going.
“I’ve got 170k right now (currently 3rd in chips).”
How does it feel getting your first ever WSOP cash?
”Feels good,” D’Alessandro said.
DoubleDave22 made his bones online, accumulating close to $2,000,000 in lifetime cashes. He’s also coached scores of online players and is an instructor at PokerXfactor.
We asked him how the transition has been since Black Friday.
“I’ve been a bit rusty, but I’ve taken advice from friends; fold less to the young guys and fold more to the old guys.”
We’ll be sure to keep tabs on D’Alesandro's progress throughout the day.
Race For The Record
With Phil Ivey chip leader in Event #17 Pot-Limit Hold’em Final Table and closing in on his 9th bracelet tonight, he will have one eye on Phil Hellmuth’s record 11.
Undoubtedly aware of this challenge, Hellmuth’s looking to put some more space between himself and the rest of the competition, going for an incredible 12th bracelet himself. Hellmuth is chip leader at the final table of Event #18 $1,500 Seven Card Razz.
With the two tables likely to go on late into the night tonight, it’s thought that two of the biggest names in poker will draw record railbird crowds to the Rio. It should make for an exciting night, check in here for the latest updates.
Read more about this long standing battle here.
Scooter Race Warm Up
Is PokerStars Pro Liv Boeree preparing for her much anticipated scooter race versus Doyle Brunson? We spotted Galen Hall and Boeree racing at break in the halls of the Rio. PokerStars pro Vanessa Selbst greeted Hall in the winner’s circle. Selbst, also gave us a quick recap of EDC.
In A Gambling Mood?
Something in the water at the Rio today has players trying to book action left, right and centre. Check out these tweets posted in the last while.
For some reason I think I'm going to do really well in this 1k, have 9000 exactly, who wants to give me 2-1 that I will cash?
June 10 2012FollowBill Chen just offered me a $1,000 last longer in deuce triple draw. Anyone want my action?
June 10 2012FollowMade some must win bets and took some horses vs @4viffer @boostedj in the 2-7 tourny for a little added sweat!
June 10 2012FollowWho Wore It Better?
We had to do a double take when we came upon this table in Event 19: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em. They’re dressed exactly the same and coincidentally seated next to each other. Which begs the question, who wore it better?
Hat of The Day
Looks like this gentlemen wants to "Send out the Clowns" with this hat; Frank Sinatra would be proud.
PokerNews App
Make sure you download the new PokerNews App. Here's Brett Jungblut checking out the latest PokerNews info on his iPad.
Phil Hellmuth Refuses To Move
Brandon Cantu, who is seated in the six seat, just asked Phil Hellmuth, who is in Seat 5, if he could scoot down a bit given the players in Seats 3 and 4 have been eliminated.
"No," said Hellmuth. "This is my lucky seat." Cantu seemed taken aback that such a simple request was denied and asked the floor if he'd request Hellmuth to move down a bit. "Even six inches," Cantu said.
The floor politely asked Hellmuth if he'd be willing to move down and again the "Poker Brat" refused. Cantu asked for a little help and the floor said he could check with his superiors, which prompted Hellmuth to say, "You better call Jack [Effel]."
Despite his unwillingness to budge, Hellmuth did say with sincerity, "I love Brandon Cantu." Hellmuth's stubbornness may just be a result of superstition, though it appears he has scooted down a bit.
To see more of Hellmuth's and Cantu's antics at the Event #18: $2,500 Seven Card Razz final table, make sure you're following the live reporting blog.
This Rail Is Huge
We've been following the action on Phil Hellmuth and Phil Ivey all day. There is not an open seat in the house for either tournament and people are elbow to elbow on the rail. Here's what the rails look like for Event #17: $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em:
The Rail for Event #17Here's the rail for Event #18: $2,500 Seven Card Razz:
Rail for Event #18We were also able to grab some pictures just after Shaun Deeb was eliminated in 6th place for $84,668 from Event #17:
Shaun Deeb was just eliminated in 6th place.And one of Hellmuth playing in Event #18 as well:
Hellmuth in Event #18We'll try to catch up with some railbirds from each of the events to see what people are saying.
Olivier Busquet Exposes Hand
Olivier Busquet posted a blog entry yesterday that’s getting a lot of positive feedback from the poker community. A renaissance man of sorts, whose interests and passions include everything from politics, history, philosophy, art, and science, Busquet’s latest blog entry is a personal one that aims to, in his own words, “expose myself a little more.”
Doc's Analysis Of Final Table
We caught up with Doc Sands just as he was taking his turn in the commentator booth for the final table of Event 17: $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em. They’re currently four handed and Phil Ivey has the chip lead.
Doc Sands in commentator boothSands did some commentary earlier in the day as well and we asked him how it went.
“Good, it was fun. Jason Koon did some commentary earlier too.”
We also asked what commentators he enjoys watching.
“Olivier Busquet was really good in last year’s WSOP. He breaks things down for the laymen and is able to commentate on a high level as well. I like Antonio (Antonio Esfandiari) too.”
A Tender Moment With Phil Hellmuth
We caught Phil Hellmuth while we was on break with his family. As the chip leader in Event #18, Hellmuth was taking his dinner break and was spending it eating with his oldest son, Phillip, and wife, Katherine.
Hellmuth, his son Phillip, and his wife KatherineIn between eating on the rail, Hellmuth was pacing back and forth among the bracelet cases on the secondary feature table stage. He seems a bit nervous, but determined to stay focused on his conquest for his twelfth bracelet.
Fashion Faux Pas
Andy Frankenberger's Salmon Pink Pants and Bright Red Shoes.At the final table of Event #17: $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em, Andy Frankenberger decided to wear a pair of salmon pink pants along with a pair of bright red shoes. What we wanted to know is if you think the pants should stay, or go. Let us know in the poll below.
Marchese’s Take On Ivey's FT
Doc Sands on left, Tom Marchese on rightOnly three players left in Event 17: $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em. Phil Ivey is the chip leader at break. Tom Marchese, Doc Sands, and Bart Hanson are doing the commentary for the final table live stream. We spoke to Marchese and asked him for his impressions of the final table thus far.
Marchese said there’s a lot of “timid play” and it seems they're “in hopes of people busting out and "there’s a lot of limping." If someone "played more agro they’d be picking up a lot of chips.”
We also asked him his impressions of Phil Ivey’s play.
“Ivey’s playing well. Looks like he’s trying not to make a big mistake. He’s taking advantage of his opponents post flop.”
Hellmuth and Ivey both Heads-Up
Both Phil Hellmuth and Phil Ivey are now heads-up at their respective tables:
Hellmuth Heads-Up against Don ZewinThe rail has just about tripled in size over in the Pavilion room.
Rail of event Event #18We're heading over to the Amazon room to catch some action from Phil Ivey's final table now.
Tales From The Rail
Among the packed house in the Amazon watching the final table of the $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em was Dwyte Pilgrim. We asked Pilgrim whom he’s rooting for.
“I’d like to see Andy (Andy Frankenberger) win. Fellow New Yorker, you know. He’s one of the best deepstack players in the world.”
Among the loudest in the arena was Phil Ivey super-fan, Lester Gonzales. After one significant pot Gonzales yelled, “You’re gonna catch Hellmuth this year!” (Referring to Hellmuth’s number of WSOP bracelets)
Lester Gonzales“I’ve been a fan of Ivey for 10 years,” said Gonzales. 'I sold my ticket to a show just to be here tonight. My girlfriend is at the club right now."
We encourage everyone to get involved with "The Muck." See something you think is Muck worthy? Send it to themuck@pokernews.com. We accept all media including photos and videos.
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JUN 09
All Mucked Up: 2012 World Series of Poker Day 13 Live Blog
All Mucked Up is a live blog of all the stuff you want to know at the 2012 World Series of Poker, besides hand histories and bad beats. Well, we might add a few in here, everyone loves a good bad beat story — unless it happened to you. Check back often for polls, soundbites, celebrity sightings, and who knows what else!
It's Morning
Wandering the halls of the Rio this morning we can see that this is going to be one of the busiest days of the World Series of Poker yet. The corridor is jammed with people making their way to their seats and the line for late registration has never been longer. As noon approaches we spy some big name pros among all the hopeful amateurs, such as former main event winner Joe Cada, the always prepared Randy "Nanonoko" Lew and Dan "djk123" Kelly.
Not everyone will be playing in Event #19: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em though. With an interesting final table, starting at 1 p.m., and some big name sightings such an Viktor "Isildur1" Blom and Phil Ivey in the last few days, many will be here just to rail the big games.
The Day Of Rest
So far today the field for Event #19: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em looks fairly inexperienced, with not a lot of big names gracing the felt in the Brasilia room. It may be that the grind — 12 days so far — has been overwhelming and some players are using their time this Saturday morning to relax elsewhere. That’s certainly the case with Daniel Negreanu, as can be seen on his twitter this morning.
Skipping the $1500 NLH event today to focus on the 5pm 5k limit Holdem. My last two bracelets were LH plus I could use a day of rest.
June 09 2012FollowOf course, it may just be the usual lazy antics of the stereotypical, poker player, ambling in hours after the event was down to begin! We'll keep you informed either way.
What's With The Hats?
This isn't the first time we've seen Bryan Devonshire in an interesting hat, nor do I suspect it will be the last. With this consistent but diverse choice of eye-catching head gear not being the norm for most humans, we'll have to catch up with Bryan later on and find out if there's a story behind it. For now, you can enjoy what will surely win the coveted PokerNews "Hat Of The Day" award for Day 13.
Bryan Devonshire In Yet Another Sweet HatThinly Veiled Brag
$10K Heads-Up bracelet winner Brian 'Stinger' Hastings has been conspicuously absent from the Rio the last few days, but has been active on Twitter announcing his participation in the Big One for One Drop and that he was selling pieces at no mark-up.
Today we saw these gems from Hastings. According to the times of the Tweets, he had the bracelet stuck on for about forty minutes!
Can't get my WSOP bracelet off my wrist, anyone know how? #firstworldproblems #nonhumblebrag #butseriouslytho
June 09 2012FollowWho Wore It Better?
Stop the presses! It looks like awarding Bryan Devonshire hat of the day may have been a bit premature. These two gentlemen were spotted in today's Event #19: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em. Both are wearing similar rainbow clown hats. Our question: who wore it better?
Player 1 and Player 2Drawing Thin Day 13
We met Joe Cada on his break from Event #19: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em and spoke to him about his life style during the World Series Of Poker.
“I try to eat right, of course,” the 2009 Main Event champ told us. “To be honest though I’ve been slacking on going to the gym and that stuff. I usually just try to do some press ups and some sits up in the morning if I can’t do anything else”.
“I think more important even is just getting your mind off poker in your spare time. We love to play X-Box in our down time, anything that’s not poker related.”
“This is only my second event but I plan on planning a lot more and grinding it out this summer, so I’ll have to work hard on this stuff in the next few weeks,” Cada concluded, before racing back to his event.
Greg Raymer Busted
Joe Tehan just busted Greg "fossilman" Raymer in Event #18 $2,500 Seven Card Razz and Raymer gave him this consolation prize.
That’s better than a bracelet any day!
Separated At Birth?
Heard on the rail of Event #16 $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em / Six Handed this afternoon was a comparison between Gordon Vayo and Fuller from Home Alone. The comment was well received on the rail, and we thought you would like to see for yourselves.
Gordon Vayo and 'Fuller'Brian Hastings On The Rail
Photo Courtesy Of ESPNIn amongst the rail for Event #17 $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em was Brian ‘Stinger’ Hastings, sweating some of his fantasy drafts for the 25k fantasy draw that everyone’s talking about. We caught up with him and found out what he’s been up to the last few days.
“I’m just coming in today to see how my friends are doing, give some money to some of my horses and catch up with that’s going on. I'm sweating Timex and he's doing great” Hastings tells us. “I’ve been out of the loop you know, I’ve just been partying. I’m going to Electric Daisy Carnival tonight”.
We also asked Stinger about finishing school and what the future holds for him.
“Well, I’m getting really involved in DraftDay. I’m going to get more involved in the coming months. I finished up school in late 2010 majoring in Economics in Cornell. I don’t know if I’ll go back into that field, but I’m sure I can apply some of that stuff to DraftDay”.
“If I didn’t play poker, this is the kind of stuff I would be interested in, start-ups and entrepreneurship. I’ll also keep playing poker too, I’m going to try to grind lots of tournaments in the next year”.
Always Be Prepared
This man is taking the scout's motto to an extreme. He came fully dressed for work, with jeans and dungarees... and even what appears to be a leather tool kit in his back pocket! Ready for any eventuality...
The Big Fight
Jason Mercier is advertising on twitter trying to book action for the big boxing match tonight at the MGM Grand. If anyone’s interested feel free to direct message him, although knowing Mercier it’s likely to be a several thousand-dollar minimum.
Still that doesn’t seem to have scared away Bertrand ‘Elky’ Grospellier from booking some action.
Fashion Faux-Pas Of The Day
Twitter has been alive with pros tweeting and re-tweeting this pic. The man who needs no introduction...
'The Underwear Guy'Electric Daisy Carnival
The huge electronic music festival is in full swing this weekend in Vegas. We’ll be keeping tabs on who’s going. It looks like PokerStars Pro Vanessa Selbst is ready to go. No word yet if our "Fashion Faux-Pas Of The Day" winner will be making the trip.
Will Reynolds made the trip yesterday.
Back-To-Back-To-Back
We spoke to Matt Matros after he won his third bracelet in Event 16: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em- Six- Handed. This is Matt’s third bracelet in as many years. Matros will take home $454,835 for the win.
Who was the first person you called?
Well, actually my dad called me. He had a 3% sweat.
Any plans for tonight?
Oh God, I’m so tired. I’m probably just gonna grab some dinner with my friend Rob Wang. He’s been here for all of my bracelet wins.
What was the first thought that went through your head after winning?
I was a little embarrassed. I don’t like bad beating someone, but I was happy with my overall play.
What song would you wanted to be played at your bracelet ceremony?
Oh wow, I love music, that’s hard. Since my friend Rob is from New Jersey I’ll go with “Born to Run.”
She Got Game
When you think of trash talkers at the poker table, a few names come to mind. For example, Phil Hellmuth, Mike Matusow, and Sam Grizzle. However, Maria ‘Maridu’ Mayrinck is representing the females in the talking trash department quite well.
We couldn’t help but eavesdrop on her table in the $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em tournament. Here’s a few snippets jokingly directed at her tablemates.
“I hope you all get roids, “Mayrinck said.
The table replied in bewilderment.
“Roids?!”
Mayrinck fired back.
“Yeah, hemorrhoids!”
She didn’t stop there.
“And if any of you try to bust me then you’re gay.”
The table erupted in laughter as the banter was as all in good fun.
Hey Man, You Know That Song Is About Aliens!?
Do you remember the 1993 film Dazed and Confused? If so, then you'll probably remember the scene stealing stoner hippie, Ron Slater. We found a player in the $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em tournament that looked a bit like him. What do you think?
The Color Purple
We spotted Kathy Liebert, dressed in her trademark purple outfit, and chatted about NBA, WSOP, and Annie Duke.
How are your NBA picks doing?
I was rooting for Boston, but had money on the Heat, but I got a last longer between OKC (Oklahoma City Thunder) and Miami, so thats still going.
How's your WSOP going so far?
Well, I have two cashes so far, but I played the $10K (Event #17: $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em) last night so I'm slightly down. I'll be playing the $1K (Event 21: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em) tomorrow.
What are your thoughts on Annie Duke playing in this year's WSOP?
Well, she really didn't do anything wrong. She has a right to play, but I'm not a fan.
EDC Updated
PokerStars pros Vanessa Rousso and Liv Boeree just tweeted a photo from the Electronic Daisy Carnival.
Hitting up EDC tonight full costume style w @liv_boeree @vanessaselbst and friends!! http://t.co/d2GbQdWU
June 09 2012FollowManny Pacquiao Bad Beated?!
There's been outrage over the, Manny Pacquiao, Timothy Bradley, fight tonight. Bradley won via a split decision. Many poker notables took to twitter to voice their displeasure.
It makes me sad to know that boxing is a dying sport. Instances like tonight just give no one a reason to be excited anymore :/
June 09 2012Followdidnt se the fight but all over the news everyone says fight wasnt even close and there was def fixed or cheating involved#wow
June 09 2012FollowThis fight marks the end of Pacquiao's seven year unbeaten run.
Ivey Double Dipping
We just discovered that Phil Ivey is double dipping in Event# 20: $5,000 Limit-Hold'em and Event# 17: $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em
Here's his empty seat in Event# 20.
Outfit Of The Day
This isn't the first time that Squeak has been featured in the Muck for his wardrobe choices. We think it's a dinosaur. Hopefully, for his sake, he won't go extinct in the $5,000 Limit Hold'em event.
Blue Moon Bubble
So what do you do after bubbling a tournament? Xian Liu bubbled the Event 18: $2,500 7 Card-Razz, but the pro took her misfortune in stride and enjoyed a Blue Moon afterwards.
"It takes the sting away a little," said Liu.
Liu pictured on left.Gutted to be the bubble girl, 73A6k5T< @BigRiskky's wheel on 7th in 3way pot w/ @Philhelmuth. #edc is punishing me #wsop18
June 09 2012FollowWe encourage everyone to get involved with "The Muck." See something you think is Muck worthy? Send it to themuck@pokernews.com. We accept all media including photos and videos.
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JUN 08
All Mucked Up: 2012 World Series of Poker Day 12 Live Blog
All Mucked Up is a live blog of all the stuff you want to know at the 2012 World Series of Poker, besides hand histories and bad beats. Well, we might add a few in here, everyone loves a good bad beat story — unless it happened to you. Check back often for polls, soundbites, celebrity sightings, and who knows what else!
Drawing Thin
Mickey PetersenWe caught up with Mickey Petersen this morning in the halls of the Rio to ask if he’s doing anything different this year to stay in shape for the WSOP.
“I’m going to the gym everyday now,” said Petersen. “Eating healthier now, trying to eat meals outside of the Rio. But it may get harder as the series goes on.”
Watch for Petersen in today’s $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em event. This will be Petersen’s fifth event of the series.
Big Names In the Brasilia
Event 17: $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em is under way and there's no shortage of big names in the field.
We spotted Team PokerStars Pro Viktor"Isildur1" Blom getting a late start.
Here is Blom at a table with Shaun Deeb
Here is Team PokerStars Pro Humberto Brenes. Players need to watch out because the "Shaaarrrkkk is coming."
On The Rail With Bond18
WPT commentator Tony Dunst was spotted after he busted Day 2 of Event #16: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em- Six handed.
We chatted with Dunst to see what were his plans for the day.
“Well, I came into Day 2 of the $1,500 6max short and busted, so gonna go relax the rest of the day. Gonna play some tennis, maybe watch a movie later.”
Phil Hellmuth and Phil Ivey start day three today of Event 15: $5,000 No-Limit Hi-Low Split 8-or-Better. We asked Dunst his pick for a last longer and eventual winner in the event.
“If you’re talking last longer than I’d go with Hellmuth cause he’s the biggest nit ever," said Dunst. "But if you’re asking my pick to win it, then it’s gonna be Ivey.”
Rast Intends to Play One Drop
Two-time WSOP bracelet winner Brian Rast took to Twitter to announce his entry into Event 55: $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop.
The Tale of Two Phils
There’s 15 left in the $5,000 Stud Split 8-or-Better and Phil Hellmuth just moved to Phil Ivey’s table. The railbirds are swarming as the remaining players fight for the $269, 037 first place prize.
We talked to railbird, Piper Kassela, to find out who is she rooting for.
"I’m for Todd Brunson and Phil Hellmuth; they’re both on my fantasy team," Kassela said. “But I want Brunson to win it all.”
Catching Up With Cantu
Roaming thought the Pavilion we came upon the feature table of Event #14: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Shootout. Among the spectators was Brandon Cantu. We chatted with him at break to see what he was up to.
“Sweating Jeff [Jeff Madsen] and Layne [Layne Flack] today,” Cantu said. “I’m playing the Razz (Event #18 $2,500 Seven Card Razz) game later.”
Cantu feels good about his chances in Event #18.
“My razz game is good, I play all the games pretty good.”
We had some fun with Cantu and asked him if he had to play someone in a heads up match for eternity, who would it be?
“JRB [Jean-Robert Bellande], I’ve never lose to him.”
What's In Your Ears?
We spoke to Aaron "AeJones" Jones in the hallway of the Rio this afternoon to find out what he likes to listen to when he's playing poker.
"This year, I'm not listening to anything. I'm trying that out," Jones told us. "I'm trying to be more involved with the whole table this year".
"It depends on the event really. I'll listen to music in a $1,500 event, but if it's a mix max $5,000 event or something where I'm a big favorite to know a lot of the players at the table, then I'll just chat away and pay attention to the table talk."
"If I am listening to music, I'll just listen to whatever I like at the time. I always go back to some older stuff though, like Bob Dylan, Bob Seger and Billy Joel, stuff like that."
Bromances of the World Series of Poker
We met up with a crowd of players on break from Event #17: $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em to find out who they consider themselves closest to in the poker world.
“Can you define a bromance,” asked Aaron Jones, eyeing the author suspiciously. “Just the poker player I’m closest to? Well, I’ve known LuckyChewy forever so I’ve got to say him. I’m close to him. We did that podcast together a while back and we always talk poker. He’s my best poker friend.”
We got Andrew "LuckyChewy" Lichtenberger’s answer to his poker bromance.
“Aaron picked me? Yeah I mean we’re brahs,” said Lichtenberger, watching his friends laugh from the corner of his eye. “He’s been my friend forever”
“I’d like a definition of bromance before I was comfortable saying yes for sure though,” he laughed. “If we go for dinner nobody pays, we usually just credit card roulette the bill”
We also caught up with Tom Marchese to see who he considered his bromance in poker to be.
“It’s definitely William Reynolds, he’s my best friend. We met at Turning Stone casino in upstate New York when I was 19 and he was 18. It used to be like the only 18+ casino around.”
Where Have All The Kids Gone?
With much talk of the strong infusion of young players in todays games, Bill Chen's latest tweets indicates that this trend has yet to spread to the Razz games. For reference, Bill is in his early forties.
Razz 2500 starting. Really? Youngest player at the table? You gotta be kidding me.
June 08 2012FollowIn keeping with this trend, Bertrand 'Elky' Grospellier expresses his delight at being too busy tonight with other tournaments to play the Razz.
Doing pretty good at tough table in 10k PLH. Super happy about it esp cuz 5pm is razz :/
June 08 2012FollowPost-River Play
After seeing this tweet from Daniel Negreanu:
Spent my last night out during the WSOP on stage at Surrender watching @djafrojack New found respect for djing #harderthanitlooks
June 08 2012FollowAbout his night out in Surrender, we decided to ask around and see what players favorite hang out spot in Las Vegas is.
Aaron Jones and Mickey Petersen both agreed that they love to hang out in ‘Stoneys’ on Las Vegas boulevard south. This seems to be a popular spot for players, with Randy Lew tweeting that he was going there last night.
Tom Marchese told us his favorite hang out spot is Red Rock Canyon.
“You can go up there, go hiking or climbing or camping, it’s all fun”. Tom told us
Has Any One Ever Told You That You Look Like...
We saw this gentleman in the field today and he just broke our Achy Breaky Heart. Is it just us, or does he have an uncanny resemblance to Billy Ray Cyrus?
Billy Ray Cyrus? You be the judge.You be the judge.
Tired Much?
We caught this player sleeping in the hallways today. It wasn't even a tournament break. We were going to go and ask for his name, but he was a heavy sleeper.
Heavy sleeper in the Rio hallwaysThe best part was that he had his shoes off and everything. Looks like everyone is making the Rio their home this summer.
Chainsaw the Spider with Joe Tehan
We caught up with Joe Tehan in the hallway as he was walking over to join Event #18: $2,500 Seven Card Razz. We asked him what song in the hallways tilts him the most, and while he said he also doesn't listen to much of the hallways music, he did say that his favorite song is currently "Chainsaw the Spider."
"I love that song," Tehan said. "It's just talking about Allen Kessler. You know how they call him the chainsaw."
We also asked Tehan who his favorite World Series of Poker Bromance was.
"Allen and Jason is a good one," Tehan said talking about Allen Bari and Jason Mercier. "Me and John Kim are always together too. We just opened up a training website together. He goes by Nicolak online."
We'll keep checking in with players as we see them to hear who they think they best World Series of Poker bromance is as well as what hallway song tilts them most.
E-Dog Sighting!
Today, we saw Erick Lindgren for the first time at World Series of Poker 2012, playing in Event #17 $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em. Much has been made of E-Dog’s finances in the last year, with speculation and accusations of him not being able to pay sports betting debts.
We tried to catch up with Erick to find out what he’s up to these days, and how many events he plans on planning, but he politely refused an interview this afternoon on his way to Event #17.
We’ll try catch up with him in the next few days as wherever E-Dog is, the action is never far behind.
Trading Cards Flying Amuck
Over the last few days we've seen several players with large stacks of trading cards with themselves on them. So far we've seen Jason Mercier, Phil Hellmuth, and Mike Matusow each holding a stack of cards with their own face on it.
One of our live tournament reporters was able to get his hands on two of these cards:
Phil Hellmuth and Jason Mercier trading cardsFrom what he told us, there is a man walking around giving huge stacks of cards to players with their faces on them. We're hoping we can catch up with this man and find out who he is, and why he's doing this.
Until then, we were able to find the site where these cards are sold. Apparently, the cards are manufactured by Leaf Trading Cards who make a variety of other sports trading cards. We'll see if we can get our hands on a couple as well.
"This Game Sucks!"
There's been a slew of tweets coming in with complaints about razz in lieu of Event #18: $2,500 Seven Card Razz. Here is just a few of them:
Really fun losing every stud 8 pot to a bunch of ass clowns in the early afternoon and then coming back to lose every razz pot to idiots
June 08 2012FollowWe're sure there will be more, but until then, we'll try to catch some players in the halls and see what they think the worst part about playing razz is.
Ivey Is The King Of Cards
We saw this funny tweet from Tom ‘KingOfCards’ Marchese this evening. Swapping action is a way poker players try to reduce variance – hardly surprising Phil Ivey’s not interested given his total disregard for money!
Asked phil Ivey if he wanted to swap for one drop and he didn't know what swapping was. Guess when your the best you don't swap to often.
June 08 2012FollowOn the Rail of Event #18: $2,500 Seven Card Razz
We happened to be perusing the Amazon room, looking for anything Muck worthy when Phil Hellmuth called us over. "Do you boys know who's still in the Stud 8-or-Better?" he asked us. Of course we obliged and told him that John Monnette, Todd Brunson, Adam Friedman, and Nikolai Yakovenko were still in.
"What about Ivey?" he asked. "Is he still in?"
Sorry Mr. Hellmuth, Phil Ivey busted in 7th. "What about that Hellmuth guy," he asked jokingly. "Is he still in?"
"We heard he busted in 16th, but that he's going to make a final table in this razz event," we joked back.
Either way, Hellmuth is still alive in Event #18, and could easily go the distance once again.
What If You Could Only Play One Tournament?
Elio Cohen has locked himself at least a five-figure payday with how deep he has gone so far in Event #16: No-Limit Hold'em Six-Handed. Cohen is an Israeli citizen that is currently working as a body guard for an important Mexican businessman.
Cohen could only play one WSOP event and saved his money all year to play this event.
Matt Glantz asked him, "Why did you pick this one?"
Cohen replied, "Since I only had one event to play I might as well see some hands. It was worth it."
We hope to see Cohen change his mind now that he can afford couple more buy ins.
Electric Daisy Carnival Anyone?
We snapped this picture of Brandon Schaefer's shorts while he was playing heads-up in Event #14: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout.
Brandon Schaefer and his lucky shortsHe told us after he won the event that he was going to Electric Daisy Carnival, otherwise known as EDC, as soon as he was done and that was his outfit. "Those are your lucky shorts," someone on his rail shouted. Not only do those shorts function as Schaefer's dancing shorts, they were also his run good shorts tonight.
More Razz Torture Tweets
We saw some quality razz torture tweets from Team PokerStars Pros Daniel Negreanu and Jason Mercier that we had to share:
@dnchips tortured in Razz. Won zero pots past 5th street. Officially on a bad run of late. May skip 1500 tomorrow and play 5k LH at 5pm
June 08 2012FollowIn razz. Started with 235 all hearts. Caught 6h on 4th and 4h on 5th. Wish i took a picture, never seen that b4, Straight flush in 5.. #face
June 08 2012FollowIt doesn't get much better than that folks.
Mercier Runs Bad
Speaking of running bad, Jason Mercier was in the PokerNews office earlier to partake in our PokerNews Podcast.
While on the show he made a bet with Global Live Reporting Manager Donnie Peters about the spelling of poker player Mike Gorodinsky's name.
We think you can tell who the winner was.The podcast has not been posted yet, but you will be able to check it soon, along with the other PokerNews Podcast on the PokerNews Podcast page.
The Dealer With Three Bracelets
During the dinner break we couldn't help but notice an interesting tweet by George Lind:
My last dealer has more wsop bracelets than the rest of the table combined minus ted forrest. 10K @ dinner #wsop18
June 08 2012FollowLind is referencing Nani Dollison, who has three gold bracelets for victories in the 2000 $1,000 Ladies Limit Hold’em & 7 Card Stud ($53,200); 2001 $2,000 Limit Hold’em ($441,440); and 2001 $1,000 Ladies Limit Hold’em & 7 Card Stud ($41,130). In the open-event win, Dollison actually defeated a final table that included Eli Elezra (6th-$41,760), Hung La (4th-$71,585) and Chau Giang (3rd-$113,345).
All told Dollison has eight WSOP cashes totaling $600,515.We'll see if we can catch up with Dollison on her break to find out why she's still dealing, and what it's like to deal to players with less bracelets than her.
Mike "The Mouth" Going Deep, Still Chirping
We were perusing the Amazon room and we were lucky enough to catch a few poker lessons from Mike "The Mouth" Matusow, who has reached the final 12 players of Event #16: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Six-Handed.
"You know these young kids keep winning?" Matusow said to Gordon Vayo who was sitting on his right. "They've all got a chip on their shoulder. They want to prove to everyone else that they can win, and they do it. If you want to win, you have to want it bad."
"You think having a chip on your shoulder helps you?" Vayo asked Matusow.
"Of course it does," Matusow replied. "Why do you think Phil Hellmuth runs so deep all the time. He wants to win more than anyone else wants to win. He puts his heart and soul into every tournament he plays. The man would sell his soul to the devil for his twelfth bracelet."
Later, we caught Matusow talking to and needling Matt Glantz, who had just recently moved to his table.
"Didn't you know?!" Mike joked. "Matt Glantz is one top 20 all around poker players in the world! That's what it says on his website, www.MattGlantz.com. Hahahaha. Just kidding with you Matt."
The Mouth always manages to add an interesting dynamic to any table he's at, so we'll be keeping an eye on him as he moves towards the final table.
Who's At EDC?
So far we've only seen one tweet about it because anyone who matters is here at the Rio playing poker, but we know that cab lines are incredibly long and William Reynolds is joining the party. Check out his tweet:
2hr limo ride for 20miles of driving @joannafravel .. Sandstorm (1st electronic track I remember) is on radio #PartY http://t.co/ElXfueLu
June 09 2012FollowWith this picture attached:
Smashing outfit Mr. Reynolds. We'll let you know who else is going to EDC, and what players who go are saying about it.
Doyle on the Rail & Double Vodkas Chilled
Now that Todd Brunson is heads up in Event 15: $5,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split 8-or-Better, we've noticed that Doyle Brunson has joined in on the festivities, that is of course after he participated in some commentary with David Tuchman in the booth for the WSOP.com live stream. Also on the rail is Todd's sister, Pamela Brunson, Allen Kessler, and Marco Traniello.
Todd's rail for Event #15In between hands, Todd and Adam Friedman found time to order double shots of vodka, chilled. We managed to get a quick picture of that.
Todd Brunson and Adam Friedman taking shots between hands.Seems like it's all fun an games right now on the rail of event #15.
Jason Mercier, it's #justbadluck
Seems like Jason Mercier just got carded while trying to go bowling at the 18 and up Gold Coast Hotel. Naturally, he's on life tilt.
Busted razz event. Went to gold coast to meet up w some friends and go bowling... Forgot my ID, u have 2 be 18... So I denied #RAGINGTILT
June 09 2012FollowI come back with my ID in hand ready to tell the rent a cop how he wasted 20 mins of my time... And he's not even there anymore #RAGINGTILT
June 09 2012FollowNo one guarding the escalator anymore ... O no. Now people that are under 18 still won't get in this s***hole cuz they don't want to.. #face
June 09 2012FollowDon't worry Jason, it's #justbadluck. #whenwillitend
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