The Muck
Card Guards
Bernard Lee
George Lind III
Maverick Movie
Off the Felt
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JUN 18
First Five with 2012 WSOP Bracelet Winner Larry Wright
“The Greatest Father’s Day Gift,” were the first words uttered from Texas native Larry Wright after he won Event #30: $1,500 2-7 Draw Lowball for $101,975. Wright bested a final table that included Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, Andrew "luckychewey" Lichtenberger, Erick Lindgren, and Brandon Cantu.
What was your first thought after you won?
Overcome with emotion, Wright paused for a moment and said, “I thought of my wife and my daughter who were sitting over there [pointing to the rail].”
Who’s the first person you’re going to call?
My other daughter.
What’s the first thing you’re going to do to celebrate tonight?
I’ll turn it over to my wife. Mrs. Wright obliged and said, “We’re gonna party.“
What was the first turning point in the heads-up match?
I got in Brandon’s [Cantu]head a little. Cantu played his heart out, but got a little frustrated.
Who was the first person to congratulate you?
My wife.
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JUN 18
All Mucked Up: 2012 World Series of Poker Day 22 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
Today should be a fun day here at the Rio, with lots of big name sightings before noon. We spotted Vanessa Selbst, Aaron Jones, Andrew ‘LuckyChewy’ Lichtenberger, Mike Sexton and Chance Kornuth.
With Event #34: $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha / Six Handed bringing in all the big names today, players seem to be anxious to begin, with all the usual late-showers turning up in good time for the event! I guess PLO really is the most fun game to play.
10k H.O.R.S.E. Odds
This morning we swung by the sports book in the Rio to check out the odds on Event #32: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. There were no real surprises as we looked down the list, with John Monnette the favorite at 2/1.
Phil Hellmuth followed close behind at 7/2, as he hunts for bracelet #13. Also in with a shout are David Bach at 4/1, David Bakes Baker at 9/2 and Matt Waxman at 5/1.
The Rio sports book also gives Phil Ivey an outside chance at 15/1. We’re pretty sure you could get better personal odds around the World Series Of Poker, with lots of pros backing Ivey heavily to win a bracelet in every event he plays.
Elsewhere, 2009 Main Event winner and current Event #31 chip leader Joe Cada is a strong favorite to win the $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Event. He’s 2/1 with just 19 players left.
Early (Rail) Birds
We walked by the Final Table of Event #29: $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship at 12:15 this morning to find the rail absolutely jammed with Railbirds of all ages. Just as we snapped this picture, Hoyt Corkins was eliminated in 4th place for a $199,000 payday. All the players stood up, shook his hand, and saw him off in the typical, friendly fashion that this event has become known for.
This is the busiest rail we’ve seen this early in the morning and we’re in for an exciting day as Bob Phelps, Allyn Jaffrey Shulman and Dennis Philips, sporting his trademark red Saint Louis cap, battle it out for the top prize, and a gold bracelet.
Look-Alike?
While walking by the final two tables for Event 31: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em this afternoon we had to do a double take. Sitting next to JC Tran is Michael Aron, 3rd in chips right now, and we think he's the splitting image of Brian 'sbrugby' Townsend
Tennis Prop Bet: Day 22
The other day we met up with Lex Veldhuis to ask him about his twitter tennis prop bet challenge, and who he might play. He talked about Brandon Adams, and mentioned that he knows Andre Akkari plays a lot. Today we met up with Andre Akkari to see where he’s at with tennis, and whether he might consider playing Veldhuis in a prop bet.
“I’ve never played with Lex before” Akkari tells us. “He played Patrik[Antonius] not long ago is that right? And they were very close?”
Your PokerNews hero informs Akkari that it was Brandon Adams who played Patrik, and that Patrik won.
“Oh yes, Brandon Adams looks like a very good player. Patrik is semi-professional and Brandon played well against him, so I wouldn’t want to play Brandon I don’t think. I’m a relative beginner compared to Brandon”.
“I don’t know the level that Lex is at, I would have to watch him play. I play here in Las Vegas a lot with friends. I play with the girls from PokerNews too”.
“I think I might play Lex though. You should set up the match” Laughs Andre, before bidding us adieu.
Outfits Of The Day
We spotted these two outfits while meandering through the remaining field for Event 33: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em.
First up we have a man who knew exactly what he was doing when he got dressed this morning. Here, himself and his neighbor have a chuckle when they see us hovering nearby trying to snipe a pic of his fabulous suit and leather hat combo.
Next up we see the rare ‘pink spacesuit’. This gent's afternoon attire consists of a near lethal dose of pink, matching a pink hoody with a pink burberry hat, topped off with some reflective sunglasses and a classic, straight chip stack.
#vogueCan You See In Those? - Day 22
He saw this picture of Jason Mercier on twitter wearing the sweetest novelty shades on the circuit. Can you see in them Jason?
#JustGoodLuck
Check out this picture 2010 WSOP Player of the Year Frank Kassela just tweeted. He tweeted to his friend Gavin Smith
"How am I running now???"
Guess he's running pretty good now...
Railbird Heaven
Hastings, Galfond, BlomThe field for today’s Event #34: $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha / Six Handed is one of the toughest we’ve seen so far in the tournaments. While Tom ‘durrrr’ Dwan still hasn’t shown his face in this hemisphere, we’re seeing the first of Phil Galfond recently. He completes a trio of the best online nosebleed PLO players in the whole world, who are all playing in today’s event.
While right now Phil ‘OMGClayAiken’ Galfond, Brian ‘Stinger’ Hastings and Viktor ‘Isildur1’ Blom are in far corners of the Brasilia room, everyone is dreaming of a final table with those three duking it out for the bracelet. Everyone knows the history these have online, including the famous day when Brian Hastings beat Viktor Blom for over $4 million, so here's hoping we see some fireworks before the end of the event...
Hellmuth 1-0 For The Series
Photo Courtesy Of WSOPWell, they’re at it again. Phil Ivey and Phil Hellmuth are now officially at another final table together, this time at the Event #32: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. final table. This is Ivey’s 4th final table of the series thus far, and Hellmuth has already added a 12th bracelet to his infamous hoard.
Phil Ivey opened the day as the smallest stack, with the bookmakers giving 15/1 on him taking the event down. Unbelievably, Ivey is now second to chips to b and is looking like the favorite to take this down. He has looked in the zone all day at the table, before shooting out the back door to his trailer on the breaks.
With the rail being likely to grow and grow as the night goes on, we’ll be sure to keep you posted on what the atmosphere is like at Ivey FT#4
Tweet Of The Day
Marc Karam is on fire with the tweets these past few weeks! We think this is a pretty good idea, so we thought we would post it up here. The World Series Of Poker need to bring in a rule quick to stop clones entering the tournament, because once this idea is out there Phil Ivey's not gonna be safe anywhere!
Early Negotiations?
Lex Veldhuis (foreground), Andre AkkariGuess who got drawn together in todays Event #35: $2,500 Mixed Hold'em (Limit/No-Limit)? None other than the would-be tennis rivals Andre Akkari and Lex Veldhuis. Perhaps, with this morning's interview fresh in his mind, Akkari will start negotiations for a tennis prop bet with Veldhuis. We might even swing by the table and give them a gentle reminder before the day is out...
The Railbirds Have Returned: Philapalooza Pt. 2
We've seen some big rails this series so far; Phil Ivey's first final table, his second final table, the seniors championship final table, Phil Hellmuth's 12 bracelet win. It seems as if though this is the biggest rail so far though, as it is a culmination of all the former big rails. We now have Ivey at his third final table of the series and Hellmuth is going for his 13th bracelet already.
Maridu Mayrinck tweeted an interesting statistic about Phil Ivey earlier:
Question: how many days within the last 10 that @philivey played poker was he not at an event that he final tabled? The correct answer is 1
June 18 2012FollowThere are nearly 300 people in the "Thunder Dome" for tonight's final table, many of them can't even find seats and are standing along the outer ring:
The rail for event #32All eyes will be on the arena tonight, as both Phils once again compete for a bracelet on the same night. This final table will also have a huge impact on the player of the year standings as John Monnette, Phil Hellmuth, and Phil Ivey are all in the top ten points leaders for the player of the year race.
What's On Your Head: Day 22
This one is a first:
We saw this guy on the rail of event #32.This kid has not one, but two hats on. The only question we could really think of is "why?"
The Chainsaw on the Rail
We saw Allen 'Chainsaw' Kessler on the rail of Event #32 so we decided to grab him and ask him a few questions.
We asked Kessler who he was rooting for at the final table. "I played a lot with Phil Ivey as we were coming up, so I'm rooting for him."
We also asked Kessler who he thought had the best chance of winning. "Well I don't know who has all the chips." So we informed Kessler that Phil Hellmuth and John Monnette were leading the pack.
"I don't think any one can really stop Monnette if he has chips."
We asked Kessler if he was playing any tournaments, or if he was just on the rail today. "I just busted from the mixed hold'em event," Kessler said. "It has the worst structure I've ever seen. We were already playing 300/600 limit in the third hour."
Better luck next time, Chainsaw. We'll see if any other pros are on the huge rail as well and see if we can get them to give us their predictions.
What's On Your Head: Day 22, Part 2
We like to reserve the term, "Straight Up G," for certain occasions. Sebastian Bastian is that certain occasion.
One of the best hats we've seen so farBastian is currently playing in Event #34: $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Six Handed, which started earlier in the day. Currently, Bastian is 10th in chips and we're going to attribute his string of good luck to his lucky, floppy, red hat.
The Other RailWhile many people are still gathered around the Event #32: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. final table, even after Phil Ivey's elimination in 5th place, there is a whole other crowd gathered around the final table for Event #31: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em to watch 2009 Main Event winner Joe Cada try to win his second World Series of Poker gold bracelet.
The rail for Event #31We estimate that at least 90 percent of the rail is drinking as many people are holding beers, and there is empty cans and boxes scattered around the secondary feature table.
Many of the people on the rail are having fun poking at annoucer Tom Chow, who has a thick asian accent. "We can't tell if you're saying Cada or Carter," one man on the rail yelled.
During one hand, Tom Chow said, "The raise is to 151,000." To which one rail bird yelled, "There isn't any 1,000 chips in play any more."
"Sorry, I meant 150,000," Chow responded, whist everyone on the rail had a good laugh at his expense.
Two particular railbirds, Uncle Willy and Skomojo (as indicated by their shirts), are having a particularly good time, poking fun as Chow as well as making some prop bets for iPads.
Uncle Willy and SkomojoEven 2010 Main Event winner Jonathan Duhamel is rooting for Cada to take home his second bracelet:
While much of the rail is quiet, watching Phil Hellmuth in Event #32, it's obvious where all the fun is at on the rail for Event #31.
Ivey is Losing it
We caught this hand earlier in the live reporting blog:
The board read
and Phil Ivey took his time before opting to check. Huck Seed was next to act and he took a few moments himself, before putting out a bet of 1,400.The table played the waiting game again, seeing if Ivey would make the call or not. In the end though Ivey measured out the call, and held the necessary chips in his hand. Ivey pump faked a few times with his hands in the air making airplane noises before dropping the chips in the pot with a smile on his face.
Seed flipped over
, and Ivey put his hands up in the air with a "oh well" hand gesture and mucked his cards.We think Ivey might be playing a bit too much. Maybe three final tables in a ten day span was just too much for him.
Heads-Up
There are two intense matches going on right now at the World Series of Poker. David Bakes Baker and John Monnette are heads-up in Event #32: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. while across the Rio, Joe Cada and Carter Phillips are heads up in Event #31: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em.
The rail is still huge as at least a hundred people are standing around the rail to see if Cada can win his second bracelet.
On the other side of the Rio, it looks as if the match is coming to an end between Monnette and Baker. If Monnette can seal the deal it will be his third bracelet, and second of this year, while if Baker wins, it will be his second bracelet. Both matches are extremely intense, with spectators staying extremely quiet between hands, and cheering and shouting when a player wins a pot. The atmosphere in the Pavilion room at the secondary feature table is alive with excitement and energy as Cada aims for his second bracelet.
We Have A Winner!
David Bakes Baker just won Event #32: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. for $451,779 and his second World Series of Poker gold bracelet.
Earlier in the day Sarah Grant was able to catch up with 'Bakes' during a break in the tournament. In the video she asks 'Bakes' about his marching band career and asks him to do his Thriller dance.
Here are some reactions from pros on Baker's win:
Behind every great poker player is an amazing woman! Congrats @DMBakes @Maridu, two very inspirational roomies :)
June 19 2012FollowI AM SO HAPPY! @DMBakes JUST WON HIS 2ND BRACELET! He is an amazing player, more important he is an amazing person. Ty all for the love
June 19 2012FollowWe got a chance to catch up with Maridu Mayrinck, Baker's girlfriend, after the match. Mayrinck was extremely overjoyed for Baker's win.
Mayrinck on the rail for Event #32"Isn't this amazing?!" she said. "I can't believe he just won. This is so crazy."
We asked Mayrinck if Baker's win would inspire her performance for the rest of the series.
"He always inspires me," she said.
We asked what the plans were for celebrating Baker's win.
"Him and all his friends want to go to Musashi and get drinks, but I'm so tired, I don't think I can handle that right now. David is bringing his mother outside to get her a cab, then he's coming in to get his box."
In the Pavilion room, Cada and Phillips are still heads up, and it could still go either way.
We encourage everyone to get involved with "The Muck." See something you think is Muck worthy? Send it to the muck@pokernews.com. We accept all media including photos and videos.
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JUN 17
The Anatomy of a Bluff with Dennis Phillips
You may have seen this hand in the live reporting blog.
We don't know exactly how the action went preflop, or on the flop but we do know on a board reading
Dennis Phillips opted to check. Phillips' opponent, Kevin DeTienne fired out 160,000. Phillips' response was to move all-in for 431,000 more. DeTienne then went deep into the tank, pondering the right course of action.A couple of minutes went by and all that could be heard was the gathered crowd questioning to themselves what either player could possess. Eventually DeTienne convinced himself he was second-best and folded his cards. Phillips then flipped over
for a pair of fives to much the approval and surprise of the crowd and table.In the hand we saw Dennis Phillips make an amazing bluff with just bottom pair and he risks his entire stack to take down the pot. We caught up with Phillips on break during Event #29: $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship to get a walk through of the hand with analysis from Phillips on what he was thinking.
"To set it up, the hand right before, the gentleman [Kevin DeTienne] had just sat down at our table. He was the chip leader, more than 2:1 over anyone else around there. He tried to bully a guy off of a pot, he made a massive three-bet preflop, made a continuation bet, and then shoved on the turn. The guy tanked for a while and went ahead and called him. He had an
for just a spade draw, so the guy was on tilt."He raises instantly, and I would've bet you 10:1 on a prop bet that he was going to raise the next hand with any two cards. So it folds around to me and I had an
, that's all I had. I just smooth called. That was it. I checked the flop, which I knew he would bet, which he did, and I just smooth called again. And I looked at him and he literally slid back in his chair when I called him. So I know that he's scared to death on that thing."The turn card comes and it's a perfect one, it puts a second ten out there. Which is a danger card. Again, I check, and he thinks for a minute tries to make it look like he's doing calculations in his head, which is bulls***. He starts counting chips, and finally he announces 160,000 and he takes it and just splashes it into the pot. I mean, he had so many tells that he was weak it was ridiculous. I tanked and tanked and tanked. The more I tanked, the redder his face got. The harder he breathed, the whole bit like that. Then I shoved. I think I had the best hand right there. I really think my pair of fives was going to win this thing. But he finally folded and I didn't get to see his cards. I was really just playing against the player there."
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JUN 17
All Mucked Up: 2012 World Series of Poker Day 21 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!
Still an Old Man's Game
There were over 4,000 entrants in Event #29: $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship. Only 24 remain and the cream has really risen to the top of this field. Still alive is 2008 November Niner Dennis Phillips, as well as Hoyt Corkins. Both with mountains of chips.
Dennis Phillips in Event #29The rail for this tournament is exceptionally large considering that it's a seniors event. It is the only tournament currently taking place in the Rio, and it seems that everyone has gathered around to watch the final three tables play out.
The rail for event #29Hoyt Corkins went generally unnoticed yesterday, as he quietly built himself up among the chip leaders. We'll try to catch up with Corkins on break to see how he did it.
Hoyt Corkins in Event #29Starting soon is Event #33: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em. We saw Paul Wasicka rushing in the room to make sure he doesn't miss a hand. We'll also try to catch up with some players from this event as the day goes on for some strategy tips and stories from the felt.
This Field is Full of Donkeys
Here in the Muck we're always looking for interesting things; Interesting outfits, interesting hair, interesting prop bets, etc. Today, we found a couple of interesting card protectors:
This gentleman in Event #33: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em was using a donkey, from the popular Shrek movies, as a card protector. And he wasn't the only one using a donkey.
This gentleman was using the characters Gumby and Pokey as card protectors today. While Pokey is more of a pony, it was close enough for us to spot the similarity to the donkey. Either way, we'll be keeping our eyes peeled for more interesting card protectors for the rest of the series.
Celebrity Look Alike - Day 21
We love bringing you celebrity look alikes and we think we found a pretty good one today in Event #33: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em.
Santa? Shouldn't you be at the North Pole?Does this man look like Santa? Let us know what you think in the poll below.
If this man is in fact Santa Claus, he's a long way from home and it might be a little warm for him down here in Las Vegas. Who knew Santa could play cards?
Pals Go Deep Together
We caught wind of an interesting story in Event #29: $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship today. Apparently, three players who are left in the field, from the original 4,128, are all good friends who live near Alberta, Canada.
William Thomson, Carolyn Tulloch and Clifton Green are all friends still alive in Event #29Clifton Green and Carolyn Tulloch play poker together at Red Deer Casino in Alberta, Canada. Carolyn Tulloch and William Thomson play cards together as well in Calgary. All three have known each other for years. It's truly an amazing feat to have all three so deep in a 4,000 player field.
A friend of theirs, Pam MacNaughton told us that a group of 12 of their friends came down to the World Series of Poker and decided to play in the seniors event. Now, only three remain, Tulloch, Green, and Thomson, in the field of 16 that are remaining. They all have a shot at the bracelet and adding their name to the seniors event trophy.
The Seniors Event TrophyA Touching Moment Between Father and Daughter
Jeanine Deeb and her father's day presentFreddy Deeb has taken his seat at Table 447 in Event #31: 10,000 H.O.R.S.E. and his daughter Jeanine Deeb brought him a present. She put together a photo album for him that had pictures from their entire life.
It put a giant smile on his face and should put him in a good mood for the tournament.
Jeanine is well known among the poker community. She worked for as intern for the WSOP for a while before joining the World Poker Tour.
What's on Your Head? Day 21
We caught this gentleman in the field of Event #31: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em.
We have to stay, this hat really caught our eye with all its sparkle. Maybe not quite as eye catching as Kennii Nguyen's jester hat, but it's definitely out there.
Mom and Pop Hellmuth on the Rail
Phil Hellmuth's parents are on the rail to watch him in Event #32: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. We caught this picture of them on the rail:
Mom and Pop Hellmuth on the RailIf Hellmuth wants to give his dad an amazing father's day gift, maybe he can give him his 13th bracelet.
Big Rails at the Seniors Championship Final Table
There are nearly 200 people on the rail at the main feature table in the Amazon Room right now, and why you might ask. The Seniors Championship final table! This group seems to be the most united since Phil Ivey's final table appearance and is the second biggest crowd we've seen so far that the World Series of Poker.
The seats are full at the Seniors Championship final table.There are plenty of awesome story lines for today's event, including Dennis Phillips and Hoyt Corkins both making the final table. But one of the coolest story lines is Allyn Jaffrey Shulman making the final table of this event in the same week that Jeff Shulman final tabled Event #20: $5,000 Limit Hold'em and Barry Shulman final tabled Event #19: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em. Truly a testament to the poker skill passed through the Shulman family. The crowd seems to be a Phillips fan base as every time he wins a pot, they go crazy.
The final table of the Seniors Championship.The seniors event has brought forth plenty of great story lines for us to follow.
FLOOR!
We got to talk to Marvin Rettenmaier about his most recent tweets after he busted from Event #33: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em.
Just got an official warning for being on the phone while having cards... Damn it feels good to be a gangster!!! @WSOP
June 17 2012FollowU gotta be kidding me!?!? Now I actually got a 1 round penalty for writing this!?!
June 17 2012FollowHow can I not have a phone in my hand sitting in the cutoff when first card is dealt? How do I get a whole round penalty for that?
June 17 2012FollowHow am I supposed to notice that the first card gets dealt when I'm on my phone? doesn't make any sense to me... @WSOPTD
June 17 2012FollowSo Marvin, can you tell us what happened?
Well, I was on my phone, checking the soccer scores. I mean, there are some rules that have to be followed, and some things should be a little more lenient. They warned me and I was a good boy for a little bit, but then a few hands later I had my phone in my hand when they dealt me my first card and I got a penalty.
Did that make you pretty upset then?
Yeah. I thought it was just too much. I mean, I saw a lot of people doing other things that were a lot worse than what I did. I mean I saw a player at my table muck his cards out of turn and that's a lot worse than what I did. There are other things that they should prioritize over that.
Do you think the dealer was out to get you then?
Kind of. He called the floor over right away and he was actually laughing at me.
How was the field in that tournament?
It was ridiculous. It's so amazing. My table was so great. I mean you have to be a little bit lucky because you have to accumulate some chips.
Did you see anything really ridiculous in particular in the tournament?
There was a lot. But my favorite was when this guy had some chips, and they were on the river, and this other guy he had a little more than him. The board was
and one of the guys moves all in, and the guy folds then he shows him . That was pretty funny.The Lady Bug Queen
We were fortunate enough to get this gem from Faraz Jaka, who tweeted about a particular woman at his table:
All sorts of characters @ my table. This ladybug lady just busted out a poker dog that's singing "the gambler" #fun http://t.co/DeGsUrBI
June 17 2012FollowWe went to the table to see if we could catch a peek at the lady bug queen, who was calling her self "Gina Junebug."
Here's what we saw:
"Gina Junebug"The woman, as you can see, was wearing a ladybug hat, with a ladybug necklace, a lady bug t-shirt, complete with a ladybug armband tattoo, and a giant ladybug card protector. Jaka, who was still at the table, looked as if he was in physical pain from what was going on around him.
"Gina Junebug" was sipping a beverage that was in front of her, and we're not exactly sure she was completely sober. Junebug is one of the best characters we've seen so far at the World Series of Poker, and we'll be sure to let you know if we meet anymore like her.
Who Ya Got?
Several poker notables in the $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. event were huddled around the TV in the Amazon room sweating game three of the NBA finals between the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder. The series is currently tied at one game apiece.
Among those watching were Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, Cory Zeidman, and Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier.
“OKC in five,” Matusow yelled out. Mercier fired back, offering 8-1 on Matusow’s prediction. No word yet if a prop bet was made.
We asked Mercier, a Miami Heat fan, for his prediction.
"Miami in five."
Zeidman, a Florida native from Coral Springs, picks the Heat in five as well.
“I was at game six (Eastern Conference Finals) sitting courtside,” Zeidman said.
The TD (Tournament Director) asked Zeidman, “Where are you sitting?”
“Courtside,” replied Zeidman.
The TD replied, “No, in the tournament, breaks over.”
Three's A Crowd
There’s currently three former WSOP Main Event Champions in the Amazon room. Phil Hellmuth and Huck Seed are playing in the $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. event and Team PokerStars Pro Joe Cada is in Event 31: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em. Which of the three do you think have a better chance of winning the Main Event this year?
Joe Cada
Phil Hellmuth
Huck SeedA Boss On And Off The Felt
We caught up with Partyush “FenwayKing” Buddiga in the Amazon room. In addition to his poker prowess, Buddiga is also the COO of Tree House Productions; a clothing company based in Colorado.
How would you categorize the clothing line?
It’s geared towards the “Long board" and “Dubstep” culture.
How did you become involved?
A couple of friends started it a couple of years ago. I was in college in my senior year taking a marketing class. So for a project for school I made a business plan for Treehouse productions. I wasn’t really even involved at this point. My friends liked it and thought the plan was sick.
Outfit Of The Day
J.J. LiuPoker Pro J.J Liu is known for her stylish wardrobe choices at the felt. We spotted her in the $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Event. She's dressed in an elegant white outfit and hat that would be appropriate for the Kentucky Derby, all that’s missing is a Mint Julep in her hand. We’ll attempt to catch her on break to find out where the inspiration for her wardrobe comes from.
Fashion Faux Pas
We know it can get cold in the Rio and wearing a hoodie is understandable, but it might’ve been best to leave this one in the closet.
Final Table Of The Seinors
The $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship is down to six players. Dennis Phillips and Hoyt Corkins are the big notables at this final table.
We caught up with poker pro and journalist Bernard Lee on the rail and asked him his pick to win it.“Dennis Phillips has a big chip lead and the two people to his left are short. He’s my pick, but Hoyt just doubled up," Lee said.
Dennis PhillipsFive streets with Hong Kong Kenny Wong
We caught up with Hong Kong Kenny Wong in the halls of the Rio for a round of five rapid fire questions.
What’s your favorite WSOP Event?
The Pot-Limit Omaha Six Max. I’m playing it tomorrow.
Where your favorite place to play cash?
Hong Kong
Where’s you favorite place to play tournaments?
Where’s you favorite place to eat in Las Vegas?
L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon in the MGM
Who’s your pick in the NBA Finals?
Miami
Hat Of The Night
The winner of the Hat Of The Night goes to this player.
We'll give the guy extra credit for pulling off the look with a shirt and tie.
Inconceivable
Phil Hellmuth, Nick Schulman, John Hennigan, and Phil Ivey, are just some of big names left in the H.O.R.S.E. event. These guys have played countless hours of poker together over the years. The familiarity in which they interact with each other would make you think it’s a weekly home game instead of a $10,000 WSOP event.
The money bubble had just burst as 23 players remained and the obligatory table changes took place. What transpired was a bit strange. Two of the new table draws were almost identical to what they were prior to the bubble bursting, leading Hellmuth to question the competency of the Rio Staff.
“The chances of this happening are like 40 million to one, so either you guys are wrong or it’s a 40 million to one shot.”
Hellmuth wanted a redraw but Hennigan and Schulman were over it and wanted to get the game going.
“Can we just f**king deal the cards, Schulman pleaded, as he slammed his hand on the felt.
Hellmuth obliged and took his seat next to Schulman and laughs ensued. As a bystander, watching these guys talk to each other is just as entertaining as the card playing.
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JUN 17
Mark "P0ker H0" Kroon Supports "Mama H0" on the Rail During WSOP Event #29
We ran into online poker legend Mark “P0ker H0” Kroon, sweating — of all people — his mother, Marilyn Guess, in Event #29: $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship. Kroon also played in the Seniors event but busted on Day 1.
Kroon was a fixture in the “hey day” of online poker, accumulating over $1,000,000 in tournament cashes. But our topic of discussion was about his mother’s deep run in the Seniors event.
Guess, affectionately pinned with the moniker, “Mama H0,” finished 107th out of 4,128 entries and pocketed $3,269.
Kroon was happy to watch her in action.“She would stand on the rail and watch me all day,” Kroon said. So it seems only fitting that “I’ve stayed here all day railing her.”
Have you given your mom any tips?
“She has a lot of chips, but I tell her she can pick up more, especially right before dinner break, cause they all wanna make the break. She hasn’t had many showdowns. She’s only showed down aces, so she has a good image,” Kroon said.
Poker has spanned three generations in the Kroon family. “My grandmother taught me poker. You know, just playing for small stakes at home for fun,” Kroon said.“She’s living her dream," speaking of his mother. "It’ll make for the best rail!”
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JUN 16
All Mucked Up: 2012 World Series of Poker Day 20 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
It looks to be a packed day at the Rio as Event #29: $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Championship has already gotten off to a hot start. The Amazon room is filled to the brim with seniors and overflow from Event #31: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em.
Already this morning we've seen Dennis Phillips, who is still alive in Event #29, Issac Haxton and Jeff Schulman who were both heading to their tables in Event #31. We also saw Robert 'Silly Bands' Croak, who you may remember from the last season of High Stakes Poker, in the registration line.
Speaking of registration, it seems to be the most crowded that it's been for the entire series so far, with a line out the door of the tournament registration room.
The registration line this morningEvent #31 could have a huge field, and that means a killer prize pool, so if you want to get a good price on your money, make sure you head down to the Rio before registration ends.
What's on Your Head: Day 20
It's becoming pretty standard to see Kennii Nguyen in the field. Already he has made a final table, and has a runner up finish in Event #19: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em. He's at it again today, wearing his trademark jester hat in Event #31: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em.
Kennii Nguyen in Event #31Seeing as it did him well in his last tournament, Nguyen's hat may take him deep again, but only time will tell. Currently, he's leading the points race in the "Hat of the Year" competition, and he's a nearly a shoe in to win.
Can You See With Those Things On? Day 20
We caught this woman in the field of Event #31: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em as well. She was wearing a pair of shades with the word "Heat" written across the frame, which begs the question, "Can you see with those things on?"
"Heat"We're going to assume that she's a Miami Heat fan, as game 3 of the Heat and Thunder championship takes place Sunday, tomorrow.
PokerNews Is On The Felt
Uh oh. Everybody watch yourselves. PokerNews has a player in the field once again. Yesterday, Live Reporting Global Manager Donnie Peters decided to play in Event #30: $1,500 2-7 Lowball.
Today it's Editor Chad Holloway who's in the field.
Chad Holloway in Event #31Holloway is wearing his trademark flamboyant bird shirt which he has been caught wearing on multiple occasions. Hopefully his bird shirt will be carrying him to victory. Already it seems as if it may be good luck as Holloway doubled up on his first hand. We'll catch up with Holloway on break and see if he can give us a little taste of what it's like to go from behind the keyboard to on the felt.
This Line is Insane
We mentioned earlier how the registration line was extremely long, even going out of the door and around the corner. If you didn't believe us, here it is again from pro Paul Wasicka:
These lines really make the place feel more magical, like Disneyland almost.
Turing Water into Whiskey
Tony Dunst had an interesting tweet earlier:
Dude on table attempts to order me a whiskey-water as a joke. Asian waiter misses the joke, and brings a glass of half-water, half-whiskey.
June 16 2012FollowWe walked by Dunst's table in Event #31 to see if the drink was still there or if he was drinking it, but unfortunately it was already gone.
Redoutfit of the Day
We caught this gentleman playing in Event #29: $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship wearing a cowboy hat and an all red outfit. He told us that he wanted to be called "Sweet."
This is Mr.SweetWe asked Mr. Sweet what the occasion was for his all red outfit, or Redoutfit. "This is my very first seniors event," Mr. Sweet said. "I came all the way from Columbus, Ohio, and I plan on getting hot today. It's time to take care of business."
"Make sure you come back and get a picture of him doing a table dance later," a tablemate said. "He does a very good country western table dance."
"Did I qualify?" Mr.Sweet asked us as we were leaving. "Did I qualify to be on PokerNews?"
I'm sure that Tony G would say "You've qualified," Mr. Sweet.
As we were walking away, Mr.Sweet left us with some parting words. "Tell them Mr. Sweet said, it's just like a tower of power. Too sweet to be sour."
What's On Your Head: Day 20, Part 2
Meet Gionni Demers:
Gionni DemersWe caught Demers in Event #31: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em wearing this ridiculous hat.
We asked Demers what the occasion was for the hat, and this time it wasn't just for SNGs (S***s and giggles). Well, technically it was for SNGs, just not those kind.
"Me and my roommates have a home game, a $100 sit and go," Demers told us. "But this week, we added a little side bet, the first person to bust would have to wear this hat."
Poor Demers. Not only did he lose $100, he's stuck all day wearing that ridiculous hat. Demers' roommates are also in the field today, most likely laughing at their friends misfortune while counting his money.
Long Registration Lines Continue
We’ve been reporting on the long lines of registration today because of Event 31: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em. Here’s a tweet from Team PokerStars Pro Lex Veldhuis about the lines.
Here’s a video of the exterior of the registration line:
Here’s a video of the interior of the registration windows:
There's over 2,800 players registered at the moment. Would be a good idea for players to register early for subsequent events to avoid the long waits.
Stacks on Stacks on Stacks
Michael Mizrachi is currently crushing Event #30: $1,500 2-7 Lowball. He had 140,000 chips when we went to go see him:
Michael Mizrachi's got stacksOne of our live tournament reporters gave us an interesting tidbit about Mizrachi's stack. With 140,000 in chips, Mizrachi has just below what an average chip stack would be for the final 8 players. With 40 players remaining in Event #30, Mizrachi could just cruise right into day 3. But the game is no-limit, so anything could happen. We don't want to jinx it, so we wont say anything.
Stacks on Stacks on StacksIn the picture above, we counted over 40 twenty stacks of chips, but he doesn't seem to be having a problem maneuvering around them to get to his cards.
The Shark is Sleepy
We caught Team PokerStars Pro Humberto Brenes taking a nap at the table today:
ZzzZzzzZzzzIt's no surprise that he's a bit tired, because Brenes played in 2 events yesterday; Event #28: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em Four Handed, where he cashed, and Event #29: $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship. Today he decided to hop into Event #31: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em, but we're not sure that's such a good idea, as he looks half dead.
Hopefully the Shark regains some of his pep, because the game is just not the same without him making theatrics.
What's On Your Head: Day 20, Part 3
Today must be a day for ridiculous hats. We caught this gentleman in Event #29: $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship.
He looks sort of "Goofy" to us.
Oh Lovey
We spotted this gentleman in the $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em event. He bears a striking resemblance to Thurston Howell III from the classic TV show Gilligan’s Island. What do you think?
Kling Attracts the Creepers
We saw this tweet from Lauren Kling earlier in the day:
Guy at table asks me to be w him, help raise his daughter, & teach her my morals..also asked if I have tattoos & other weird ?s #SaveMePlz
June 16 2012FollowSo we caught up with Kling on break in Event #31: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em to get a little follow-up.
"Save me," she said to us quietly as she was trying to slip away from her table unnoticed. We wanted to hear a little more about the creeper so we asked her what had happened.
"I don't know how it started, but I got moved here and this guy just started talking to me," she said to us. "He asked me if poker was all I did, and I said, No I used to work for Playboy. And he goes, 'Oh, so you're a model?' and I told him, No, I would never take my clothes off."
Kling continued the story, telling us how the creep kept telling her that she was so perfect, and how good her morals were.
"He asked me if I had any tattoos, and I said no, I wouldn't do that either. And he said something like, 'oh wow, you're just perfect aren't you.' Then he asked me to come and live with him, and to help him raise his daughter to have morals like me. And I just wanted him to leave me alone."
Kling continued telling us the story. "Then he asked me what I was doing for dinner. So I said, 'I'm probably going to do something with my boyfriend.' And he just keeps going, 'Oh how long have you guys been together? Do you have any pictures?'"
We asked Kling if this was the creepiest experience that she's had at the poker table, and she told us it was up there. Hopefully things get better for her. She's still alive in event #31 with 7,200 chips.
Luke Schwartz in the Building
One player who we hadn't seen until today was Luke 'Full Flush' Schwartz. Schwartz was coming out of the tournament registration room, so we asked him if we could talk quickly.
"I'm a bit busy," Schwartz said to us. "Do you know where I could get change for one of these $5,000 chips," he said to us showing us a handfull of chips.
We asked Schwartz what he would be playing for his first event at the series. "I'm just registering for the H.O.R.S.E." he told us.
We asked him if he thought the field would be soft, and have lots of fishes. "Oh yeah, loads of them," he said.
We'll keep tabs on Schwartz and see how he's doing for the rest of the series as he is always good for the game.
#JBL
If you follow Jason Mercier and/or Matt Glantz on Twitter, than you've probably seen them use the hashtag #justbadluck or #JBL - it's basically the newer, cooler version of #whenwillitend. We caught Mercier and Glantz in Event #32: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. wearing these shirts:
Just Bad Luck!We talked to Mercier who was waiting for his table in the event. He told us that Allen Bari actually had the shirts made for them. We also saw pro Chris Klodnicki wearing a "Just Bad Luck" shirt as well.
Here's Matt Glantz wearing one:
Don't Worry Matt, It's Just Bad Luck!"Just Bad Luck" seems to be the twitter fad of this series, which makes us wonder, #whenwillitend?
Baller Kicks
We saw that Daniel Negreanu had posted a picture of his new shoes on his twitter a few days ago:
Negreanu's new kicksThe shoes are a pair made by Christian LouBoutin for men.
A few of us in the PokerNews crew were curious as to how much they cost, so we asked. The actual price of Negreanu's new shoes... -drum roll please- $840. Much less than we expected actually, but still quite high for any pair of shoes.
“No Viktor… You Can Only Raise The Minimum”
We saw on twitter earlier today that Daniel Negreanu was giving fellow Team Pokerstars Pro Viktor ‘Isildur1’ Blom elementary lessons on how to play H.O.R.S.E minutes before Event #32: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. began.
Giving Viktor Blom a crash course in HORSE starting with the rules... This should be interesting he is playing the 10k!
June 16 2012FollowI can’t imagine Isildur would stand much of a chance in this stacked field if he didn’t even know the rules, so you can thank Negreanu if Blom is in your fantasy draft this summer.
Remember the days when Isildur would viciously berate opponents in chat for min-raising the button? Who knows how tilted he’s going to be after several hours of limit betting…
Don't Call It A Comeback
Mark "P0ker H0" KroonWe caught up with Mark “P0ker H0” Kroon in the Amazon room. A former Ultimate Bet pro, Kroon was a fixture in the “heyday” of online poker, accumulating over $1,000,000 in tournament cashes. We chatted with Kroon about what he’s been up to.
Do you miss online poker?
Yeah, I made so much online. It was great playing from home. When I was with UB I enjoyed playing the events in Aruba too.
How’s the adjustment been Post Black Friday?
I’ve been playing more live. I enjoy traveling and meeting up with people that I know. Even here at the WSOP I run into Rio staff that I know and a lot of PokerNews friends I’ve made. I actually like the lifestyle; 10-12 hours grinding online is tough. I like the social aspect of live play.
I understand you've been absent from the WSOP in recent years. What events do you plan on playing this summer?
Well, I played the Seniors event, but busted yesterday. I’m playing the $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em tomorrow, the $100,000 National Championship Freeroll and also playing every (WSOP) Hold’em event.
If The Poker's Not Exciting Enough
The two sides of the Amazon room are in stark contrast this evening. On one side is Event #32: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E., featuring a huge name pro or three at every single table and with the golf showing on big TV’s in the background.
On the other side of the room are the dregs of Event #29: $1,500 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship featuring dozens of unknown septuagenarians who are currently tuned into ‘Americas Favorite Quiz Show’ Jeopardy.
This is smart management by our friends at the WSOP. A possible idea for next year: For the duration of the senior’s event, why not change the hallway playlist to feature all classic hits from yesteryear? It would really teleport the whole tournament atmosphere back to the 1950’s, and could save this live blogger’s sanity in the process.
There's Something About Maridu
Anytime you pass by Maria “Maridu” Mayrinck’s table you're bound to hear some great table chatter and today was no exception. She’s seated next to Apple executive Scott Young in the $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em event. The topic of discussion was the new MacBook Pro.
“I’m trying to get the new MacBook with retina display but this guy (Scott Young) won’t f**king get me one," Mayrinck said in jest.
Here's another gem; we just came upon this tweet from Kara Scott, who’s playing the same event:
No Gamble No Life
Everyone knows the poker player’s stereotypical lifestyle is late nights, miserable mornings and non-stop gambling. Today on my rounds through the Amazon poker room I got into a debate with an editor from another poker media site over what was a favorite all in pre-flop: the lone
, or 
.To settle our debate we decided to run 20 boards a day and out and give 1.25$ a board to the winner every evening for the rest of the series. After 60 boards, our PokerNews hero is up by 2.
The power of the
is that it doesn’t need to improve to win – the downside is when the improves it’s a virtual lock, and when the flop comes with an Ace, a 4 or a 5 the has tremendous equity to make the last two cards a sweat.Here we are dealing out one of the first boards in the media stand overlooking the Final Table for Event #28: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em / Four Handed where Timothy Adams takes on Brendon Rubie for a bracelet.
Personally I love my side, and have already sold 10% to a housemate. Another housemate has the over/under on how much will change hands, with the line being 70$. Which side do you think is a favorite,
or ? Which would you want action on?It’s fun bets like this that makes the poker community unique. We’ll keep an eye out for any other interesting prop bets in the coming weeks.
Chip Envy
A huge pot lost for Michael ‘the Grinder’ Mizrachi has seen him plummet to fourth place, while his neighbor Brandon Cantu increases his chip lead over the field, making the castle he’s building look all the more impressive.
Celebrity Look-Alike
While checking out the field for Event #32 $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. we couldn't help but notice that Scott Seiver is a pretty close double of 'Seth' from the film Superbad. What do you guys think?
Tweets Of The Day: Day 20
These two tweets are tied for our Tweet Of The Day : Day 20.
This one is Marc Karam's golden rule about living in Las Vegas.
This one is John D'Agostino's description of the 'banter' between himself and Ivey in Event #32: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E.
Got moved to Ivey's right in the 10k horse, asked him if he remembered the objective at final tables is to win..he was only mildly amused
June 16 2012FollowI think if we had a Bravest Grinder Of The Day award, it would go to John D'Agostino hands down.
Lads, Relax, It’s Only The 10k
After spending some time in the back corner of the Amazon room, where a huge percentage of the game’s top pro’s are playing H.O.R.S.E for the coveted gold bracelet, you can see that to these guys this is just another tournament.
Despite this being a 10k event, where you would expect the atmosphere to be more tense and serious, all the contestants are in jovial form, swapping stories and cracking jokes all the while.
We hung around Scott Seiver’s table for a spell to see why the table was such a constant course of amusement for the rail. Scott was talking to some players on the rail about Chinese poker, comparing playing heads-up and three handed. After a minute or two of discussion he says:
“Having said that, I only learned the rules eighteen hours ago”
To a huge laugh from the rail. Bill Chen sitting next to him say’s he likes Chinese, at which point someone from the rail calls across:
“Yeah, Bill’s Asian, so he loves to gamble”
Seiver leans forward and looks closely at Chen’s face and says “Until you said that I didn’t actually know he was Asian”
Bill ChenMoving around the rail, we see Todd Brunsen’s table having fun and joking about one of the younger players at the table.
“There’s no way he’s 21” Say’s one player. “He just put on the suit to fool the security”
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JUN 16
$25K Fantasy League: A Look at the Standings Halfway Through the 2012 WSOP
Believe it or not, the 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event is only three weeks away, and we’ve officially hit the halfway point of the summer. At the beginning of the series, I briefly previewed Daniel Negreanu’s $25K Fantasy League, and at the time, I said that either Jason Mercier or Eugene Katchalov’s team would win. Currently, Mercier’s team is in second, behind Robert Mizrachi’s team, and Katchalov sits in sixth place.
Place Team Points 1 Robert Mizrachi 366 2 Jason Mercier 332 3 Todd Brunson, Frank Kassela & Doyle Brunson 325 4 Brian Hastings 221 5 Daniel Negreanu 162 6 Eugene Katchalov 156 7 Bryn Kenney 130 8 David Bach & Josh Arieh 104 9 Justin Smith 103 10 Cary Katz 72 11 Sorel Mizzi 40 Phil Ivey, who has made three final tables already and leads the WSOP Player of the Year race, has scored 190 points thus far, which is 38 more points than the second-highest scorer — John Monnette (two final tables and one win). This is pretty amazing, especially considering that only 19 of the 88 players drafted have scored 38 points to date, and that only three players scored more than 190 points in 2011. Those three were Ben Lamb (403pt), Phil Hellmuth (278pt), and Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier (204pt).
Brian Hastings, who has scored 113 points for Team Katchalov, used half of his budget to draft Ivey, using the “Stars and Scrubs” strategy. This strategy is the way to go in fantasy poker, because there’s so much talent at the top, and then it starts to even out. However, your “scrubs” have to be carefully selected, or else all of your star’s points will go to waste. Team Hastings, despite having 190 points from Ivey, has only scored 221 points to date.
Hastings is fortunate enough to have a star that’s performing though. Negreanu (37pt), Katchalov (31pt) and Mercier (3pt) were the only other players drafted for $83 or more, and they’ve all underperformed based upon their draft price. Despite only scoring three points for his own team, Mercier is still in second place thanks to Monnette (152pt), Joe Cassidy (78pt), and Brett Richey (51pt). Thursday was a great day for Team Mercier — Cassidy defeated Scotty Nguyen heads up to win Event #24: $5,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split 8-or-Better, and Richey finished runner-up in Event 26: $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha.
Here are the top 10 scorers thus far:
Place Player Name Points 1 Phil Ivey 190 2 John Monnette 152 3 Brock Parker 124 4 Brian Hastings 113 5 Todd Brunson 98 6 Barry Greenstein 83 7 Ali Eslami 82 8 Joe Cassidy 78 9 Matt Glantz 75 10 Vanessa Selbst 70 Hastings is probably the most surprising name on this list, followed closely by Brock Parker, but Parker is no stranger to success at the WSOP. In 2009, Parker won two bracelets in the same week, banking nearly $800,000 in the process. In 2010 and 2011, Parker made appearances at final tables, and here in 2012, he already has a fourth and a fifth-place finish. What’s so remarkable about Parker’s consistency is that he only has one career WSOP cash in a stud variant. That’s why Mizrachi was able to scoop him up for only $1, making him the most valuable pick in the draft thus far. Parker is not the only $1 player with who has scored double-digit points thus far however — Lee Goldman (37pt), Ben Yu (11pt), and Marco Johnson (11pt) have all contributed to their respective teams.
A total of 18 players drafted have bricked the entire first half of the 2012 WSOP. Four of these players, including Dario Alioto, Joe Serock, Jon Turner, and Richard Ashby, have played six events or more, while a handful of players, most notably Tom Dwan and Alexander Kostritsyn, have skipped the 2012 WSOP altogether. Kostritsyn’s significant other recently gave birth and Dwan is grinding cash games over in Macau.
With so many players struggling, it’s easy to be results-orientated and look at players who have had success, and say, “they should’ve been drafted.” Allen Kessler, who was at the Aria during the auction, claims that he was telling people to draft Andy Frankenberger, who just won Event #17: $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em. Had he been drafted, Frankenberger would’ve earned his team 121 points thus far. Going forward however, if there was some kind of free agency, where previous events didn’t count, here would be my top five pickups:
Player Points Scored Adam Friedman 78 Jesse Martin 70 Brendan Taylor 44 Scott Abrams 25 Michael Chow 22 What do all of these players have in common? They’ve all made at least one final table at the 2012 WSOP (momentum is key), and they can all play all of the games. I’ve had a chance to watch all five of these players compete in non-hold’em events, and they certainly have an edge over the field. I’m extremely surprised that Chow, who won a bracelet in 2010, wasn’t drafted back in May — within the industry, he’s renowned as one of the best mixed game tournament players in the world.
With just over 30 events to go, anything can happen, but I still like Team Mercier, especially if Jason himself can get something going. If he finds a way to make a deep run, or even bink bracelet number three, then it could be back-to-back wins for him in the $25K Fantasy League, leaving his competitors to wonder, “when will it end?”
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JUN 15
Team PokerStars Pro Chris Moneymaker Talks 2-7 Lowball Strategy, His WSOP Schedule, and More
We spotted Team PokerStars Pro Chris Moneymaker a few hours ago at his 2-7 Draw Lowball table. We went back to catch him on dinner break for a chat about 2-7 Draw Lowball strategy, his WSOP schedule, and the state of online poker.
We see you’re playing 2-7 Draw Lowball today.
Yeah, I’ve been playing more mixed games recently, but this is actually my first time playing deuce to seven. I just flew in to [Vegas] today and my plan was to just watch a movie but Raymer [Greg Raymer] said I should play the five o'clock (Event #30: $1,500 2-7 Draw Lowball). I hadn’t seen him in over a year so it was nice to catch up.
Did Greg Raymer give you any good tips?
Play tight. Position is utterly the key. Just play pat hands and hands where I don’t draw more than one.
How’s it been going so far?
Well, I made it to dinner break, [laughs], so that’s good. I’ve been three-betting a ton — in position. My table draw is tough but they’ve been playing pretty straightforward. I got [Erik] Seidel on my table and a tough opponent on my left.
What WSOP events do you plan on playing this series?
The $1,500 tomorrow (Event #31: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em). If I don’t make day two of this one (2-7 Draw Lowball). The $1K on Sunday (Event #33: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em). The $5K Pot-Limit Omaha (Event #34: $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha — Six-Handed). The $3K shootout (Event #36: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout) and the mixed game (Event #37: $2,500 Eight-Game Mix). Then I’ll fly home back to Tennessee and come back for the Main Event (Event #61: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event).
What are your thoughts of being a Team PokerStars Pro in light of Black Friday?
When April 15 happened my biggest concern was about all the money and the potential future of the game, especially with Full Tilt going the way it did. PokerStars is run by business people more than by poker players. They do get consulting by poker players but at its core its run by business people. PokerStars also listens to their players.
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JUN 15
All Mucked Up: 2012 World Series of Poker Day 19 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!
Like A Fine Wine
Today is the day we’ve all been waiting for: Event #29 $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship. The powers that be have made it clear that this is a 50s+ only event, and that no exceptions will be made.
With that out of the way, it’s going to be one of the friendliest and most interesting events of the summer. There are over 4 thousand runners, the most ever for a one day event. Adding to the intrigue, lots of big name pros love nothing more than to buy their parents in to Event #29 under the guise of father days, and then put big bets on them. It all adds to the madness. We’ll try to catch up with any father and son duos throughout the day – we know that some of Phil Galfond’s relatives are running!
A taxi driver told us earlier this morning that he had already dropped 6-7 seniors to the event, and one told him that:
"The key to winning the WSOP Senior Event is bladder control"
Predictably, on the first break the queue for the bathroom is 30 metres in both directions.
On that note lets start the day.
Happy Centennial
Today marks the 100th PokerNews Podcast. Here's a behind-the-scenes look at our high-tech set up at the World Series of Poker. Tune in later to find out some of our favorite moments in 100 episodes.
From left to right: Danielle Barille, Matthew Parvis, Rich Ryan, Kristy ArnettCelebrity Look-Alike
We spotted this character in the field for Event #29 $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship who we think looks just like Jurassic Park proprietor John Hammond. It probably won’t be the first time we make that comparison today either.
Revenge Of Toy-Man
There’s going to be no shortage of interesting and amusing runners in today’s event. We’re in the process of putting together some of the summers best ‘Who Wore It Betters. For now, we’ll hit you with this picture of the popular player ‘Toy-Man’ who turns out every year for this tournament in outrageous garb. We'll keep you updated on what he pulls out of his bag of tricks!
Who Wore It Better: Gangster Edition
New York Style, Columbia StyleWe spotted some gentlemen in the field today that have clearly had another life as gangsters in their tenure. On the one side we have the old school, Godfather-style suited-up New York Gangster, and on the other side we have a Columbian drug-lord, white on white, panama hat, carefully cultivated mustache-style Gangster.
Tennis Prop Bet
We spoke to Lex Veldhuis on his break from Event #28: No-Limit Hold'em / Four Handed to talk about his possible tennis bet he’s trying to plan. Lex is no stranger to these prop bets, setting up a boxing match between himself and Elky last summer and streaming it live online.
“Well I just put out an open challenge on Twitter. It’s always fun to have a reason to train, I play a lot of tennis right now but if I put some money down then it might really push me. It’s less about the money and more about the motivation it provides”.
We asked Lex about Brandon Adam’s reply to his challenge.
“Brandon straight away said he would play me, and even though Patrik [Antonius] destroyed him in their own tennis bet, he’s still really good and he’s been training for a long time to play Patrik. For him to just come out and say he would play me on July 7th is ridiculous. Now he wants to push it back to October some time, so I may consider that. I will have to see him play and decide how good he is”.
Finally, we asked Lex if there was anyone else he knows that might be interested.
“Well, I know Andre Akkari plays a lot of tennis so I’m going to speak to him about it. There’s also a chance I’ll play Patrik since he plays everyone. We might work out a deal where I have 2 years to train and Patrik can only play for on week per year or something, some deal like that to even up the match”.
Senior Event: Break Two
There's been a lot of talk on twitter about the monster lines for the bathroom at break time in the Seniors Event, so we decided to snap a pic of the corridor for you. Getting around on these breaks is an absolute nightmare, and getting caught in the stampede for the bathroom as the clock strikes for break time is taking your life in your hands.
In the spirit of things, the announcer right before each break reminds all the players of exactly where the closest bathroom is, and suggests that players take care to remember their seat number, lest they get lost
Old Enough To Shake Sinatra’s Hand
We spoke to a real Vegas old timer on his break from Event #29 $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship this afternoon. Bobby ‘Speedy’ Briggs caught our eye because of his baseball cap with Jack Binion’s signature on it, among others. We asked him for the story behind the hat and who else had signed it.
“Well Jack Binion is one I’m proud of. I used to go down to the HorseShoe all the time in the 80’s when Jack owned it” Bobby reminisced.
“There’s lots of others too; Doyle Brunsen, Vanessa Rousso… Chris Ferguson there” He points out sheepishly. “ I got all these signatures in the last few years, from being around the Rio and playing this event. I came 121st two years ago, that’s the best I’ve done”.
As we’re leaving Bobby calls us back to point out his favorite signature.
“I’m most proud of this one. You know who that is? Jennifer Tilly” He tells us with a grin. “She’s a very nice lady”
There’s life in the old boy yet.
Race For POY
Not surprisingly, Phil Ivey is out in front of this years POY standings.
The current WSOP Player of the Year leader is @PhilIvey. Check out the standings on our 2012 POY page: http://t.co/a9K61jL1
June 15 2012FollowDespite not winning a bracelet yet this year, Phil has made 3 final tables already, and his hunger doesn't seem to have bounds as he prepares for Event #30 $1,500 2-7 Draw Lowball (No-Limit). Ivey won this event in 2009 and must feel his chances are good with only around 100 entrants today.
Active tweeter Christian Harder has full faith in Ivey during todays 2-7 Lowball event, booking some action with Brandon Barnes that Ivey will cash yet again. I'm surprised he even got those odds the way Ivey has been running over fields!
Want to bet that Ivey cashes in the 2-7 tonite. I want 5-1. Someone bet me 300-1500$ #teamivey
June 15 2012FollowWe just had current runner-up for POY Andrew Frankenberger in the studio for The 100th PokerNews Podcast where we spoke about playing with Phil Ivey. Frankenberger maintains that playing with Ivey focusses him more than scares him. Pretty clear that Frankenberger's trading career has set him up for the high pressure moments of a Heads-Up match with the best in the world.
Deuce – Seven Atmosphere
Despite a very stacked and professional field in the Amazon room for Event #30 $1,500 2-7 Draw Lowball (No-Limit), the atmosphere remains relaxed and fun just as it is throughout the Rio today.
Pictured above is TwoPlusTwo author David Sklansky and Daniel Negreanu, sharing a laugh over a joke made at another table – Sklansky was at the rail talking to a young girl and a player shouted over:
“Hey David, can you get your grand daughters number for me?”
“David’s such a horrible human, I had to give him some hassle” The heckler explains to the rest of his table.
At a nearby table, Phil Ivey is in deep concentration mode, quietly reading some papers he has brought in with him.
Moneymaker In The Building
We spotted 2003 WSOP Main Event Champ Team PokerStars Pro Chris Moneymaker in Event 30: $1,500 2-7 Draw Lowball.
Apparently it's his first event in this year's WSOP series. We'll do our best to catch up with Moneymaker to see what he's been up to.
Who Wore It Better: Beard Edition
We came across some interesting facial hair in Event 29: $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship, which begs the question, who wore it better?
Player A
Player B
Player CGet Your WSOP Souvenirs
One of the first things you’ll notice as you approach the poker area in the Rio is the WSOP souvenir shop. Whether its hoodies, key chains, pens, or card protectors you’ll find it here.
According to the sales person the best-selling item are the WSOP hoodies, followed by the card protectors. Makes sense since it can get quite chilly at the tables.
Who's The Most Dapper?
In this day and age of hoodies, shades and ball caps it’s refreshing to see players dressed in dapper attire. We came across “The Duke of Fremont Street,” and Team PokerStars Pro Max Martinez looking very stylish. Which begs the question, who’s the most dapper?
The Duke of Fremont Street
Team PokerStars Pro Max MartinezThe Flying Dutchman Is Flying High
The $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold’em event is down to 700 players from its original 4128 entries. Team PokerStars Pro Marcel Luske is second in chips at the moment. The gregarious “Flying Dutchman” asked us what we were up to when we snapped this shot of him.
We responded with a little ribbing of our own with regards to the Netherlands slow start in the Euro Cup Championship.
"You’re gonna be smart now, huh,” Luske said, jokingly.
He’s known for his charm at the table and affinity to break out in song as well. We’ll be sure to keep tabs on his table.
The Dutch have lost their first two matches and face a must-win versus Portugal on Sunday.
Catching Up With Chris Moneymaker
We mentioned earlier today that we spotted Team PokerStars Pro Chris Moneymaker playing in his first event of the series. We caught up with Moneymaker at dinner break and talked about 2-7 Draw Lowball strategy, his WSOP plans, and more. Check out the interview here.
Midnight Run
It’s just past midnight in Vegas, still early by Sin City’s standards however, but that didn’t matter to this gentleman who was railing the H.O.R.S.E. final table.
It’s been a long final table match but hard to give this person a pass considering the Seniors event is still going.
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JUN 15
@AsianSpa Blogs: Rethinking Hellmuth's BadJuJu, Phil Ivey, and More
Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of PokerNews.
It was a huge week for the media at the World Series of Poker. Phil Hellmuth (aka #C#ckS#ckerOfPoker™) scored #12 despite my #BadJuJu and praying to the poker gods for a cold deck. I have to admit his interviews so far were very humble. Glad to see that he finally won a non-holdem bracelet and maybe he is changing his way as being the Poker Brat. If that is the case, I might rethink my view of him, but don’t hold your breath.
Then Phil Ivey does the unthinkable — three final tables so far at the WSOP. This is truly amazing to say the least. He does need to sharpen up his game and learn how to close the deal. But still very impressive! On my Ivey observations; I did not see the Humphreys on the rail with their signs and buttons.
I asked around and speculation was that they didn’t have the travel money to make the trip due to the fact that their bankrolls are still frozen on Full Tilt. I also noticed at every break the players all head to the hallways to hit the restroom, make calls, grab something to eat, ect., but Ivey always goes out the back entrance. I asked a TD if Ivey was aware that segregation was over and he could in fact use the public hallway. His response was non-verbal and gave me a sh*t-grin.
I enjoyed watching the final table and always see Ivey checking his phone and had to ask myself, “is he waiting on a text from Howard Lederer or is it his ex-wife asking for more money,” (and I thought I had headaches lulz). I guess we will never know. Maybe with his scores this year he too, like Durrrr, will offer to repay the players on Full Tilt somehow.
I enjoyed watching the $5k Omaha high-low split 8 or better. I railed this event Tuesday for a few minutes and had to root for Bart Hanson. Even though Bart has a hard time acknowledging #TeamSpa™, I know a lot of us were rooting for him. Even after busting the final table Bart was kind enough to join Dave Tuchman doing commentary in the booth. Tuchman is absolutely doing a great job. FYI, Bart is killing the $75/$150 and $150/$300 cash games at the Rio.
With so many events starting and continuing each day it's almost hard to keep up with the action. I played two events over the last week and cashed in one. I played the DeepStacks at Venetian. Yesterday I played the $1,500 #HorseCockAMent™ and lasted till about 6 p.m. before going out. I am done playing tournaments until Monday when I will play the $2,500 mix hold'em event at 5 p.m. I will keep grinding the cash tables at the Rio because it seems like the games are getting softer by the day.
I railed the $5k limit hold’em — Event #20. I railed two #TeamSpaLoyalist™ members, Daniel Negreanu and PokerFraudAlert.com CEO Todd “Dandruff” Witteles. Todd made a deep run only to bust out on the bubble! It was nice to chat it up with Todd on break.
Last but not least I have to give a shout out to Kevin Mathers (aka @Kevmath) he is by far poker's own Google™ for all things poker. Whatever anyone, either a top pro or fan asks, he always has the answer.
Till Then I Send you #GoodJuJu™ and #SpaRunGood™
Spa
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
2006 World Series of Poker Main Event winner Jamie Gold becomes latest player to auction off championship bracelet.
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- 4 WSOP Announces 2013-14 Circuit Schedule: 10th Season, 22 Events, Three Added Stops
- 5 Season 9 EPT Grand Final Super High Roller Day 2: Mercier Leads the Final Table
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