The Muck
Card Guards
Bernard Lee
George Lind III
Maverick Movie
Off the Felt
-
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.
-
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
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.
-
JUN 08
Snap Calls with Amanda Musumeci
We chatted with Amanda Musumeci as she was railing a friend in the $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Six-handed tournament. On Wednesday, Musumeci finished second in Event #9: $1,500 Hold’em Re-entry for $481,643.
Were you disappointed with second place?
Yeah, but a $480,000 cash isn’t so bad, right? It takes the sting out of it.
What was the first thing you did after the big cash?
I went to Walmart to buy shampoo [laughs]. I also bought a $300 Acer laptop from there too. It was a spite Jew move by me [laughs].
Name some of the toughest players you’ve had on your left thus far?
Brian Rast, Scott Sevier, and Doc Sands.
If you had to play someone heads up for eternity, who would it be?
My boyfriend Ryan [Poker Pro Ryan Eriquezzo]. That’s a face I could look at forever. It’s so cute.
What’s the next event you’re playing?
The $1,500 tomorrow (Event 19# $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em).
Follow PokerNews on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news.
-
JUN 08
@AsianSpa Blogs: WSOP Drama, Brad Booth, and More
Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of PokerNews.
Another week in at the WSOP and after two events, I have one cash. I cashed in the $1,500 no-limit hold'em event for $3,216.00 which makes me plus-$216 so far in the WSOP. I can’t complain it’s been enjoyable and it’s great to see and hang out with fellow players and see one that took a desk job and put on some weight (Hobbit — Dave Stann). I have to give a shout-out to #TeamSpaLoyalist Lee Childs for realizing the power of Spa! He cashed for $22,885 after requesting some #SpaRunGood™ and #GoodJuJu™ in the same $1,500.
As it is every year at the WSOP there are plenty of issues and drama. This year is no exception, first the mens-womens bathroom issue, next the Aguiar issue of verbalizing at the final table, then All American Dave for bringing in food for players (which I have to admit is excellent food), to the botched re-entry event, and the heads-up draw/first round bye. I have to say I think the WSOP staff is more willing to discuss and are doing a great job handling these issues as they arise. It’s such a huge event and I have to say for the most part they are doing a great job.
I have played cash at the Rio and Aria and played one $400 tournament at the Venetian. Cash games have been real good and the tournament was like two-and-a-half hours of being card dead and out! I plan to play the $1,500 Saturday and if I bust early I am going to fire $5k for the 5 pm limit holdem event.
The stream has been OK this year. David Tuchman is awesome in the booth and his roaming group of guest commentators are doing a great job. I have had issues with the stream being down, etc., and figured they would have had it figured out by now. I bought a new Android tablet for the ability to watch the stream, and after having a drink with PokerNews-COO Matthew Parvis he informed me of the new PokerNews Android app. They knocked it out of the park with this poker tool. Great app and free drink! What more could a #TruthSpeaker™ need?
I can’t blog this week without commenting on the Brad Booth situation. I first read about it on TwoPlusTwo and immediately fired a Twitter DM to him saying “Say it isn’t so.”
Well Wednesday Brad posted a heartfelt apology and confirmed it was in fact true. I can say I feel for him going through this and I can’t say I have ever been in this situation or even broke before. I can say it takes a big man to post that video and admit his faults. I have reached out to Brad as a life coach & a TruthSpeaker™. I offered him someone who he can talk to and not be judged. I wish him the best at the WSOP and want to see him get his life righted in the right direction.
It's ironic, if Howard Lederer would have posted a video about a year ago about Full Tilt’s issues I think poker players would have a much different opinion of him. But I have to think the WSOP will never see Ferguson or Lederer. Annie Duke on the other hand showed up after the Epic Poker failure earlier this year and played like life was good. All I wanted to ask was when is the million dollar freeroll scheduled? Seems like with everyone in town for the WSOP it would be perfect timing!
Till then I send you #SpaRunGood™ & #GoodJuJu™
Spa
-
JUN 08
First Five With Bracelet Winner David Arsht
We caught up with David Arsht right after his win in Event #13: $1,500 Limit Hold'em to get some of his first thoughts after winning his bracelet. Before today, Arsht had two World Series of Poker cashes; one in a $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. event in 2011 for $14,521 and one in a $1,500 Limit Hold'em event in 2007 for $7,826.
What is the first thing you're going to do as a bracelet winner?
The first thing I'm going to do is get our lives back in order. My wife came out here to visit yesterday. She came to meet me yesterday, and my son lives in southern Utah. I got in this event, and I said, if I make it to the third day we may have to change our schedule around. We were booked in a resort in St. George, Utah. We had to call the hotel and change our reservation. So the first thing I'm going to do after the bracelet ceremony is be where I was going to go. We were going up there for four or five days of vacation to visit my kid, and then I was coming back here for another week.
What is the first thing you thought when you won?
I cannot believe that this happened to me.
Who is the first person you're going to call and tell?
Well everybody's been watching on PokerNews and wherever the live feeds are. So I'd have to say that everybody in my family, and all my friends, and all my poker friends already know that I won it.
What is the first thing you're going to buy?
The first thing I'm gonna buy? Well, I think I had in the back of my mind a plan to do a trip to South Africa in the fall with my wife. There is no question that we're going on a very fancy trip to South Africa.
Who was the first person you hugged or high fived?
I think my son ran over and hugged me and I haven't even got a chance to go over and talk to my wife yet.
Can we expect to see you in anymore tournaments this summer?
Yeah. I'm gonna be in the $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout and if I get knocked out of that I'll be playing the $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. the next day.
Follow PokerNews on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news.
-
JUN 07
All Mucked Up: 2012 World Series of Poker Day 11 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 Straddle
Kristy Arnett is introducing a new video series this summer called, The Straddle. Like all of our videos, it's going to be a must-watch, but this series is going to be bringing the funny instead of your standard player interviews. Check out the video below for an introduction to the series, a sample of what's to come, and an appearance from two of your favorite Muckers.
Morning Grind
Sightings early this morning in the Rio included Phil Collins, Jerry Yang, Andreas Hoivold and Randy "Nanonoko" Lew. Seems to be the same faces every morning who arrive early and well prepared for each tournament. A lot of the more notable players tend to arrive late for the big field tournaments, but today, in Event #16: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Six Handed, late attendees will be blinded out faster than the usual full ring structure!
One person who can't be late is Brian Hastings, who is in the final four of Event #12: $10,000 Heads Up No-Limit Hold'em this afternoon. Fortunately, that doesn't kick off until 1 PM, so Hastings has an extra hour in bed.
A real early riser, Chance Kornuth was seen at Starbucks at 11:20 AM this morning in a long line for coffee. Kornuth has played in all the biggest side games so far in the series, but looks to be turning out for Event #16 today — either that or he's gearing up for another 12 hour $500/$1,000 PLO session.
Isildur1 : Second Chance At A Bracelet
We saw Viktor 'Isildur1' Blom arrive at the Rio today at 12:40PM. Himself and his friend proceeded into the Poker Kitchen here at the Rio and played Rock/Paper/Scissors to decide who paid for the others smoothie. Looks like Blom lost as he was left at the smoothie stand to foot the bill.
Blom is media shy, but we approached him and managed to get it out of him that he was playing Event #16: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Six Handed, that he was excited to play and that he was going to "try his best" to win a bracelet at the second time of asking.
The below photo is the authors attempt to not annoy Blom too much. Perhaps if we stay in his good books, the next interview will be longer...
Isildur Buying A Smoothie This MorningTo The Left
We met players as the arrived late in to the Rio for Event #16: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Six Handed and asked them who they definitely don’t want to see to their left today. It turned out to be a very one dimensional interview…
First person we caught was Mike ‘Timex’ McDonald.
“I don’t want to see Phil Ivey. I know that’s an obvious answer. He hasn’t played the World Series Of Poker in a year, but I played with him a bit in Monte Carlo and he’s tough”.
Another person wandering in late was Aaron ‘AeJones’ Jones. He seemed stuck for an answer, so we told him Timex said he didn’t want to see Ivey.
“Timex! That’s definitely a guy I want to see to my right”, Laughed Aaron. “And you can print that. As for players I don’t want to see to my left, Ivey is the person who stands out”.
Finally, we met up with Scott ‘iRockhoes’ Augustine outside the brazilia room and asked him the same question.
“Ivey would suck a lot. I would like to see anyone who looks like they’re under 17, is that answer?”
We know Scott is living with Brian ‘Stinger’ Hastings this summer, so we asked him about Brian’s chances in Event #12: $10,000 Heads Up No-Limit Hold'em today.
“I think he’s got a great chance. He played great yesterday and me and him took some time and went over a bunch of hands last night. If I’m not playing tonight I’m gonna go and rail him for sure”.
Finally, we saw former main event champ Joe Cada looking for the Amazon room. He was in high spirits as he told us he was playing day two of Event #14 $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout.
“I have a really tough table actually. Doc Sands is a good player, I hope he’s not seated to my left for sure” Joe told us.
Who Wore It Best : Fisherman Edition
We spotted two players at Event #16: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Six Handed today sporting fisherman hats! They look somewhat out of place in land-locked Las Vegas, but full marks for effort.
My vote is for the camo hat.
Player A and Player BGuess Whose Car?
We saw this Jaguar in the parking lot. We had a pretty good idea of who's car it was, and the Valets confirmed that it belongs to Scotty Nguyen.
Who Ya Got?
This morning we spoke to the usual suspects, Ashton 'Ashman' Griffin and Aaron 'AeJones' Jones, about how they were enjoying the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat basketball series.
"I kind of want Heat to win tonight" Ashman told us. "I hate the Heat, but I really want OKC to beat them in the final more than anything. That would be sweet".
"I think the Celtics will win it. I hate the heat too, and I think the Celtics have been good so I'm betting Celtics. A lot of my friends are from Boston so it's fun sweating them".
Both Ashman and AeJones are sweating Brian 'Stinger' Hastings at the featured table in Event #12: $10,000 Heads Up No-Limit Hold'em.
Hat of the Day
It's stiff competition, but this player in the Deep Stack tournament had an outfit that was surely muck worthy, blending a mustard track jacket and mustard track bottoms with a brown bowler hat. The bowler hat an elegant feather on one side and a playing card on the other - definitely a custom made WSOP hat.
Like Father Like Son
Jason Mercier is stuck between Todd Brunsen and father Doyle Brunsen in Event #15 $5,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better. Todd and Doyle know each others games very well, must make for some interesting table dynamics for Jason!
Unpopular Annie Duke
Annie Duke is around the Rio again today, and making a lot of headlines.
Late last night, when she was knocked out of her tournament, Todd Brunsen tweeted this:
Daniel Negreanu and Annie's rivalry has been well publicized in the last few months, what are the chances of them landing right next to each other in Event #15 $5,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better.
Here is a tweet about Annie's post- tournament complaints about someone cursing at her table:
Annie Duke in the hall complaining to TD because someone cursed her out at the table. She's asking about a penalty, but it's been ~90 mins.
June 07 2012FollowAnnie is not getting much sympathy around the Rio these last few days. Here is PokerStars pro Mickey Petersen's reply to the above tweet.
lol at @AnnieDuke complaining bc someone cursed at her, you are delusional. You are a disgrace to the poker community, please just stay away
June 07 2012FollowOn The Final Table Rail
We swung by the Amazon room to check out the final table rail for Event 12: $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em where Brian 'Stinger' Hastings and Jason Mo battle it out for their share of the 1.4 million prize pool. Among the on lookers, on the side of Brian, is Vanessa Selbst.
Jason Mo seems to feel quite at home, sporting sandals and yellow and blue pajamas. Presumably he will change his attire before the bracelet ceremony?
Stinger has the bigger and more active rail and people flock to watch the dregs of this exciting final table.
Spot the Difference
We've already seen Richard Iler (AJ from Sopranos) on the felt this summer. Today we spotted this colorful character in Event #16: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Six Handed, decked out in the new york gangster style green tracksuit
Gangster A, Gangster B, Gangster CDrawing Thin Day 11
For today’s Drawing Thin, we spoke to Yevgeniy Timoshenko on the dinner break of Event #16: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Six Handed . We asked him first about how he says fit during the World Series of Poker and second how he eats.
“To stay fit, I play basketball with my room-mates Galen Hall, Greg Gokey and Calvin Anderson. That’s good for the cardio”
“As far as eating goes, I do make an effort to stay healthy. I mix it up a bit, but for breakfast I might have something like Egg’s Benedict”.
We ask Yev where he’s going for dinner on his 90 minute break.
“Right now for dinner I’m not sure where I’m going to eat, somewhere on the strip maybe. I want to watch Celtics/Heat, so if there’s somewhere showing that I’d be interested in eating there”.
“I’m up for Miami. I don’t sports bet ever so I don’t have money on it, but they’re my team”.
How'd They Do?
We wandered around the Rio halls asking poker players trivia questions. Take a look at the video below to see how they did.
A Fantasy Update
We're about 1/4 of the way through the series so far, so we thought it might be time for a fantasy poker update. The draft in question we're looking at is Daniel Negreanu's $25,000 Fantasy Poker Auction Draft, where players bid on the fantasy players that they wanted.
Currently in the lead is Daniel Negreanu's team with 136 points who is thriving on the performances of Vanessa Selbst, with 70 points thanks to her 4th place finish in the $1,500 No-Limit event and her 9th place finish in the $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit event. Also doing well on that team is Negreanu himself who has a 5th place finish in the $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold'em Event.
Second in points is Jason Mercier's with 115 points. Mercier seems to have lucked out by taking John Monnette who recently won the $5,000 Seven Card Stud tournament. Monnette is currently holding up the team with 88 points. Another player on Mercier's team who is bringing in just a few points is Allen Bari with 14.
Some of the players who are standing out so far in fantasy poker are Scott Seiver, with 39 points, Bryn Kenney with 32 points, Barry Greenstein with 48 points, and Michael Mizrachi with 36 points. Points are calculated as follows, 50 points going to a first place finish, 45 points for second, 40 points for third, 35 points for fourth, and so on and so forth with 1 point going for a cash. There are also multipliers for a $10k and $5k buy-ins and a field size bonus.
We'll be sure to keep updating these standings at the half-way point as well as the 3/4 point so you can see how your favorite players are doing as fantasy picks. Click here to check out Negreanu's draft board, point standings, and payouts.
Happy Birthday To You! Happy Birthday Times Two!
After turning to twitter for some brief investigative work, we found out that not just one, but two pros in the building had birthdays today.
The first was Jeff Madsen:
Madsen won his table today in Event #14: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout, so we hope he doesn't party too hard as he'll have to return for the final 12 tomorrow. We'll try to catch up with him tomorrow to see how he's feeling and if he'll give us a birthday rap verse.
The second birthday boy today was Shannon Shorr:
For his birthday, Shorr busted earlier in the day in Event #16: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Six-Handed when his
could not outrun his opponents 
Oddly enough, both Shorr and Madsen turned 27 today. It's tough not to wonder if they are partying together.
Bromances of the World Series of Poker
Today in Event #15: $5,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split 8-or-Better friends Allen Bari and Jason Mercier were seated right next to each other. Live Reporting Global Manager Donnie Peters was able to snap a picture of them before they were split apart.
Friends Allen Bari and Jason MercierWe'll try to catch up with Mercier and Bari later to see how strong their friendship is and how it feels to be seated next to each other in a tournament.
Maria Maridu Mayrinck and Diablo III
Maria "Maridu" Mayrinck stopped by the PokerNews office tonight to chat with PokerNews Hostess Lynn Gilmartin. Topics ranged anywhere from citizenship in their respective countries, Brazil and Australia, to food, exercise, dieting, and even boyfriends.
But the topic that perked our interest was Diablo III. Mayrinck explained that for the past week since players have been in town for the World Series of Poker, Joseph Cheong, Michael 'Benvo' Benvenuti, and Mayrinck's boyfriend David Baker have done nothing but play Diablo III after their tournaments.
"They don't do anything!" Mayrinck frustratedly explained. "They just play Diablo. They don't eat. They don't sleep. They don't poop. They don't pee. I have to spoon feed David just to get him to eat. Sometimes I think they are busting tournaments just to come home and play Diablo. They are even playing Diablo during the dinner breaks. ElKy is in on it too. It's crazy."
We'll try to catch up with some of these players when we see them to see if Mayrinck is exaggerating or not. On Saturday, PokerNews Hostess Sarah Grant is slated to do an "In Bed" interview with Mayrinck, so we're sure to hear more from her soon.
That's Not What I Asked For, Durrrr
Tom 'durrrr' Dwan has been missing from action at the World Series of Poker as of late, but his latest couple tweets help to explain his disappearance. He's been getting haircuts in Macau!
Just had a weird haircut experience in macau, guy tried to give me a goofy peak in the front (I never request stuff in haircuts except
June 07 2012Follow"shorter" and "sides even"), then tried to tell me he couldn't fix it without pinning my hair up. He was nice so it eventually worked out
June 07 2012FollowMaybe Dwan is just too embarrassed about his new haircut to show up. Don't worry durrrr, it's just hair. It'll grow back.
This Should Be Interesting
We recently saw that 2007 Main Event Champion Jerry Yang had moved to the same table as young poker phenom Viktor 'Isildur1' Blom in Event #16: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Six-Handed. The two present quite a contrast to each other in appearance, but both are still very aggressive players who could tangle with each other at any time.
Viktor Blom and Jerry YangNeither player is too talkative, but it's hard not to wonder what the two would talk about. We know Viktor is not to keen on interviews, but if we can we'll catch up with Yang later to see his opinions on playing with Blom.
You Want A Piece Of Me?
We recently saw Brett Richey come over to Event #15: $5,000 Seven Card Stud Split Hi-Low 8-or-Better and hand Tom Koral a fat stack of cash. We were curious, so we asked if Richey had lost some kind of prop bet to Koral.
"No," Richey said. "We all had a piece of someone in the limit hold'em event and he just finished 6th. We had 20 percent and that's Tom's share. I'd never lose a prop bet to Tom."
The 6th place finisher in Event #13 was Ben Landowski who made $34,620. Twenty percent of that would've been $6,924, quite a large sum to have sitting on the table. We caught a picture of Koral and his stack of money, who happened to be sitting right next to ESPN commentator Norman Chad.
Norman Chad and Tom KoralKoral is still alive in Event #15 with 65,000 chips. "I just got handed a bunch of money, and I'm sitting next to Norman Chad," Koral said at the table. "I must be running good." Must be nice to be Tom Koral right about now.
On Break in the Stud 8
We caught up with Allen Bari during the break in Event #15: $5,000 Seven Card Stud Split Hi-Low 8-or-Better who was describing a beat that Eli Elezra had put on him right before break started.
"He says to me, 'I know you had three sevens.'" Bari explained. "Ok so you knew, but then why are you calling me with two 9s drawing to the case 9? I don't know what he's doing. I know he has some kind of last longer bet with someone for a lot of money. I think it's John Monnette. $50k."
If that's true, Elezra could be in a world of hurt because as it stands now, Monnette has over 100,000 in chips and Eli just has 45,000. But as we all know, in the game of poker anything can happen.
Also on break, we caught Bryan Devonshire, Joe Tehan, Ben Yu, and Christopher George in a heated Achtung battle as well. We're not sure, but we think Devonshire won.
The 22 Bracelet Table
We feel bad for poor seat 1Recently, our live reporting team did the math and in Event #15: $5,000 Seven Card Stud Split Hi-Low 8-or-Better, we have 22 bracelets sitting at one table. They are split between Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, John Monnette and Todd Brunson. We wanted to see what it was like to be at a 22 bracelet table so we went and watched for a bit. Things seem to be all quiet at the table with both Ivey and Hellmuth wearing headphones. Also at the table is Bryn Kenney and Michael Binger, who has 23 World Series cashes.
John Monnette and Todd BrunsonTruly, this is one of the most stacked tables the World Series of Poker has ever seen, and might even be the most stacked one we see all year.
Phil Hellmuth and Phil IveyWe 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.
-
JUN 07
The Micros: The Good News and the Bad News
The Micros web comic is good and keeps our cravings for a look at the lives of Balls, Chase, and Tommy in check. This week's comic give us a glimmer of hope for at least one animated episode, but then smashes our dreams — kind of like that one time when we won a WSOP bracelet, only to wake up and realize we were dreaming.
Visit The Micros' Facebook fan page for more photos, including some teaser posters for the web comic.
Follow PokerNews on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news.
-
JUN 06
First Five With Bracelet Winner Ashkan Razavi
We caught up with Ashkan Razavi after his victory in Event #9: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Re-Entry to get some of his initial thoughts after winning his first bracelet.
What's the first thing you're going to do as a bracelet winner?
First thing I'm going to do as a bracelet winner? I haven't really thought about it yet. I'm going to probably go out and get some drinks with my rail and just show them my appreciation. Have a little fun.
What's the first thing you're going to buy?
Well, me and my girlfriend just had a baby and we're desperately in need of a minivan. So I think that has to go on the top of the list.
Who's the first person you're going to call and tell?
My mom. Laughs
What's the first thought you had after winning?
Sweet.
Who's the first person you hugged, or high-fived, after winning?
I don't know... Hmmm.
Then Ashkan's girlfriend interjected
It was definitely Matt, he jumped right over the rail.
Ashkan continues
Oh yeah. Matt Jarvis jumped right over the rail and pretty much tackled me.
For his first place win, Ashkan Razavi took home $781,398. Definitely enough to buy a minivan and much much more.
-
JUN 06
Interviews, Traveling, and UFC with PokerNews Hostess Sarah Grant
To get latest news on your favorite poker pros, Sarah Grant’s interviews are a must-see. We sat down with the jet-setting, PokerNews hostess and producer, to discuss interviews, traveling, and UFC.
Tell us who your favorite people to interview have been?
It has been so amazing how welcoming the poker community has been. When I first started, I would get so nervous to approach people, and honestly, sometimes I still do. But most everyone is super cool. I would say someone that I was nervous to talk, to who is so easy to interview and super chill is Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu.
Team PokerStars Pros Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier and Eugene Katchalov are the sweetest things. Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Selbst, and Melanie Weisner are so intelligent they can talk anyone through their thought process in any hand. Jason Mercier is always fun to interview because he has such a great sense of humor. I love dry sarcasm. Maria Mayrinck can make any video. I could call her for any crazy thing.
Who haven't you interviewed yet that you would love to interview?
In poker it would be Tom Dwan. We seem to always miss each other. I've watched him play high stakes cash a lot and would love to just chat him up. If I could interview anyone in sports it would be Tim Tebow! In music it would be Jeff Buckley (but he is dead) and in film, Robert Downey Jr., because he is crazy and skilled.
What are some of your favorite destinations when covering tournaments for PokerNews?
I love places when I can spend some time in the morning enjoying myself or even go a day or two early.
PokerStars.net EPT Vilamoura in Portugal was incredible. We were right on the ocean and the hotel was having a 'soft' opening, so PokerStars basically had it all to itself. We had two early days to play volleyball in the pool and build sandcastles.
PokerStars.net APPT Cebu was amazing. I used to live in Thailand, so I'm kind of partial to the South Pacific. The staff was so welcoming and helped me so much since it was my first APPT. And there is always a special place in my heart for Florianopolis. It was my first event. Everyone was super helpful and warm. Everyone was giving me hugs and smooches right away. And the party was so cool!
Do you play poker at all?
Yes, I love poker, but I prefer it when drinking. I like to talk trash and I think it helps me loosen up a bit. Someday I might take it more seriously. For now, it’s for fun and I don't want to have everything poker related in my life to be work.
Did you meet your boyfriend, Heath "Texas Crazy Horse" Herring, through poker?
I met Heath four years ago on a film set. I used to be an assistant director on film sets. We basically build the schedule and run the set so that the director can deal primarily with the actors. I was doing the film as a favor to a friend of mine. It featured a bunch of UFC fighters. But, Heath actually had a starring role so we got to know each other a little bit. I had written off all the fighters as dumb. (I know I'm so bad.)
One night I ended up dropping him off at his hotel. Due to LA traffic we spent a few hours together chatting and it turns out he is super smart. He speaks several languages, is a history buff, and was a computer programmer before he got into fighting.
Follow Sarah on Twitter for the scoop on videos from PokerNews, and for up-to-the-minute news, click the follow button for PokerNews on Twitter.
-
JUN 06
All Mucked Up: 2012 World Series of Poker Day 10 Live Blog
Are there any celebrities playing in a World Series of Poker event? What are the crazy prop bets being made, and who's making them? We aim to answer all that and more in All Mucked Up. It's a live blog of all the stuff you want to know 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.
Ready to Go
This morning while we were getting ready for the PokerNews Podcast, we spotted Annette Obrestad coming out of registration. She stopped by PokerNews HQ to say hi. She's ready to roll today, so if you're at her table in Event #14, then you better watch out!
Team PokerNews recording today's podcast:
Make Yourself at Home
While walking through the 10k Heads Up tournament area we saw Antonio Esfandiari making himself at home right at the table. Esfandiari had his lunch set up on the table in the middle and had slipped his sandals off to get comfy. Hopefully the match lasts long enough for him to finish his meal.
Seen on the Rail
The final table of the $1,500 Re-Entry has gotten under way here in the Amazon room. We walked by to see if there were any pros on the rail and we saw Faraz Jaka sitting in the front row.
We also saw Brent Hanks on break from the $2,500 Shootout and he gave us a little lesson about Pileated Woodpeckers, which are the largest woodpeckers in North America.
$1,500 Re-Entry Final TableHat of the Day
Today we caught Daniel Weinman in Event #14: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout wearing a Patrick Star hat from the Nickelodeon cartoon, Spongebob Squarepants.
Daniel Weinman and his Patrick Star hatWe'll be sure to keep adding more and more hats as we come across them.
Celebrity Look Alike Spotted
We caught this player in Event #14: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout as well. We weren't able to catch his name but we thought he looked a little bit like someone we knew. If you've ever seen Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory, we thought this gentleman looked a bit like Scott "Big Cat" Pfaff.
Unknown player and Scott "Big Cat" PfaffYou be the judge.
Tough Table Draws
We caught two rather tough table draws today that we would not want to be a part of. The first was in Event #14: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout. The table was headlined not only by Daniel Negreanu, but also at the table was Jason Mercier and Tommy Vedes. Considering the table is a shootout, only one will survive, and we expect it to be one of those three.
The second tough table we saw today was in Event #13: $1,500 Limit Hold'em. Sitting down at this table means sitting down with Michael Mizrachi, Matt Glantz, JC Tran, Issac Haxton, and the current chip leader, Eric Buchman. Trust us, this is not a poker table you want to be sitting at.
We'll be sure to keep you updated on any other killer table draws through the rest of the series. But to keep an eye on these tables, or any other, make sure you check out our live reporting blog.
Cutest Couples: WSOP 2012
Both Jennifer Harman and Marco Traniello are deep in Event #13: $1,500 Limit Hold'em. There are only 135 players left and both members of one of poker's most notable couples are still alive and kicking. We'll try to catch up with the both of them later and see how they'd feel if they went heads-up for the bracelet.
The Liv Boeree v. Doyle Brunson Epic Scooter Race Is On!
We caught up with Liv Boeree today and we asked her about the tweets between her and Doyle Brunson regarding the epic scooter race we talked about the other day.
"100 percent i'm serious," Boeree said. "If I see him I genuinely will race him. I would like my ankle to get a bit better first, because there will be some dirty driving going on but I definitely will race him."
Liv told us that she thinks she will definitely win in a race against Doyle. We don't know yet if the two will put any bets on the race, but it's hard to bet against either on. Doyle has experience on his side, but Liv has youth and agression on hers. If the scooter race does go down then we'll be sure to get a video of it for you.
Star Studded Stud Game
The $5,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split 8-or-Better has some big names and we’ll be hanging around to get reactions from them. Among those playing are JohnnyBax, Bryan Devonshire, PokerStars pro Daniel Negreanu, and ESPN commentator Norman Chad.
Hawaiian Shirts Are All the Rage
We caught Men 'The Master' Nguyen wearing one of the most flamboyant Hawaiian shirts we've seen all series so far. We snapped a picture and moved on to Event #14: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout where we caught another player wearing a Hawaiian shirt. We didn't catch his name.
Men 'The Master' Nguyen and Shootout Player: Who Wore It Better?What we want to know is who you think wore it better!
Doyle In The Building
It was just announced that Doyle Brunson is in the building for his first event of the 2012 WSOP. His arrival was met with a round of applause from players, fans, and the Rio staff. He's playing the $5,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split 8-or-Better.
Prior to his arrival, we chased down Doyle as he scooted his way through the Brasilia room. He was exchanging fist bumps with Phil Ivey and Mike Matusow before making a beeline to the TV for the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, game.
Who’s Doyle rooting for in tonight’s match up?
“Oklahoma,” Doyle said emphatically.
And his pick in the Eastern Finals?
“Boston! And Oklahoma to win it all!”
Oklahoma ended up winning the game and the series and will face the winner of the Heat v. Celtic series in the NBA finals.
What Song Tilts You Most?
It's no secret that the music in the Rio is tilting. From the PokerNews office we hear the same five songs on repeat throughout the entire day, including Justin Beiber's “Boyfriend” and Gotye's “Somebody That I Used To Know.” We know that listening to the same five songs over and over can be tilting so we asked pros what song tilt's them the most.
“I don't usually listen to anything they play here,” Bryn Kenney said. “It's too tilting for me to listen to any of it. Usually I just pull out my phone and listen to something on there.”
We also talked to Ylon Schwartz who said he tries to ignore the music they play in the hallways. “I don't usually listen to it,” Schwartz said. “But I guess if they played an excess of Celine Dion that would be pretty tilting.”
Finally we caught up with Liv Boeree and asked her what song they play tilts her the most. “That one song, 'Hey I just met you!'” she sang to us. “'And this is crazy! So here's my number. So call me maybe.” Liv was talking about Carly Rae Jespen's song, “Call Me Maybe.” We'll try to catch up with some other pros and get their responses. Until then, here's hoping the Rio finds a new set list.
The Cool Kids Table
Walking through the Rio Poker Kitchen at dinner break we saw several tables filled with an assortment of poker pro cliques. It resembled a High School lunch hall, where you could tell who the “cool” kids were.
One table had Doyle and Todd Brunson along with Andy Bloch, and Matt Savage. Seated at an adjacent table were Huck Seed and Paul Volpe. A few tables away were Xian Liu, Scott Seiver, and Andrew Robl. And nestled in a corner were married couple Jennifer Harmon and Marco Traniello enjoying soup.
As we made our way around the hall, feeling like the new kid in school, we were greeted by Stud player Ivan Schertzer on break from the $5,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split 8-or-Better. Ivan final tabled two WSOP Stud events in 2006 and 2009.
What was Schertzer's fondest memories of his final table runs?
"Crippling Johnny Chan in the 2006 stud event."We'll be keep an eye Ivan as he hopes to make another final table and maybe the third time will the charm for the Miami lawyer.
Bombardment Of F-Bombs in the Brasilia
Courtesy of Pokerlistings.comBracelet winner Burt Boutin just busted from Event #14: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout and quickly exited the Brasilia room, but not before unleashing a profanity laden tirade.
It went a little something like this: F**k! F**k. F*****k! F**king f**k me. F**king, f*****k!
Tagged with the moniker “Red Bull Burt,” for his propensity to consume the energy drink at the tables, Boutin is known for his nervous energetic behavior.
Name the Pro
Seat 1- David Singer, Seat 2- John Racener, Seat 3-Eli Elezra, Seat 4-Johnny Bax, Seat 6- Alan Cunningham, Seat 7- Men The Master, Seat8- ?We came across this star studded table in Event #15: $5,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split 8-or-Better. We labeled many of the pros in the picture above, but wanted to see if you guys can guess who’s in seat-8.
Who's Drawing Thinner?
We over heard bracelet winner and Stud specialist Cory Zeidman debating with a tablemate about who's skinnier, poker legend Stu Ungar, at the time the above picture was taken, or Chino Rheem? Laughs broke out at the table but we didn’t get any definitive answers. So we figured we’d leave it up to the Muck faithful to decide.
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.
PokerNews Podcast
This week's Strategy with Kristy podcast features the audio of three PokerStars.tv interviews with PokerStars Team Online members Randy Lew and Mickey Peterson, as well as... more
Travis Makar released audio tapes of a meeting that implicates former Ultimate Bet owner Russ Hamilton and others in the theft of more than $50 million from players.
Interesting Topics
PokerNews App
