Tag: poker

Full Tilt Poker Faces Another Lawsuit

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Full Tilt Poker can’t win for losing, it seems. First one of its leading spokesmen and biggest draws, Phil Ivey, soured to the site, quitting its team of pros and suing the site’s parent company, Tiltware, for $150 million. Now one of its former leading spokeswomen, Clonie Gowen, has revived a formerly defunct lawsuit she had previously brought against the site.

So we know what Phil’s beef with them is. He says he’s upset because the site hasn’t yet managed to give US players the money back from their FullTilt accounts that they are no longer allowed to use or access. So what’s Clonie’s beef with the site?

She says they promised her a 1% ownership stake in the company that they failed to make good on. Had they done as they promised, Clonie asserts, she would have been paid around $40 million that she never ended up seeing. In February 2010 a US district judge dismissed her case, saying it lacked merit. He even gave her lawyer three chances to rewrite the complaint to provide sufficient detail to prompt the judge to change his mind but failed to be convinced by any of the attempts. A recently successful appeal, however, has revived that lawsuit, allowing Clonie to proceed with her case.

Between Ivey’s $150 million claim and Gowen’s approximately $40 million claim, it seems doubtful, were they to both be successful, that Full Tilt players (and former players in the US) would be the ones to suffer right alongside Full Tilt Poker itself, which lacks enough available funds to pay out its own players as it is.

2011 World Series of Poker Winners and Losers

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WSOPAs we are just about half-way through the 2011 World Series of Poker, it’s been a story of up and downs so far for a lot of players.  Quite a few players won their first ever gold bracelets, while others have struggled to get any kind of momentum going in the 2011 World Series.  The 2011 WSOP is on pace to break records with the number of players who have shown up for it to this point, seemingly showing that Black Friday hasn’t affected the events at all to this point.  Here are a few of the winners and losers to the halfway point of the 2011 WSOP.

Winners:

John Juanda– He’s been at the top of his game lately.  He’s a fan favorite, and an incredible player as well.  Juanda knocked off Phil Hellmuth to keep him from getting his 12th bracelet in the $10k 2-7 Single Draw Championship to give Juanda a bracelet at this 2011 WSOP.  He also found himself at the final table of the $2,500 8-game event, and has a few other good runs in events as well.  John Juanda has been the hot name so far at the 2011 World Series of Poker.

Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier– What is there to say about ElkY?  He has cashed three times at this World Series, including a gold bracelet for an event that he had never even played in a live tournament of before.  One thing that people knocked on ElkY was his inability to win at the World Series of Poker, and that all changed after this year.

Steve Landfish– Landfish is showing he has game all over the board.  He’s posted a 2nd place finish to ElkY in the $10k Stud event, as well as a 4th place finish in the $10k Limit Hold’em event soon after that.  Landfish has the ability to compete with anyone at almost any game it seems.

Sam Stein– Stein is the current leader in the player of the year race, and won a bracelet in the $3k Pot Limit Omaha event.  He’s playing incredibly well right now, and also has a third place finish in the $10k Pot Limit Hold’m event as well.  He’ll be a tough out as player of the year if he keeps playing like this.

Losers:

Tom Dwan- durrr is having a tough outing in the 2011 WSOP.  He’s played in a ton of events to this point, and has only had a decent run in the first event.  He’s been an early out on nearly every other event he’s played, but still has plenty of time to turn it around in the second half of the 2011 World Series.

Phil Ivey- You can’t really consider Ivey a “loser” at anything, but everyone would really love to see Ivey play; and of course he’s decided to sit this years 2011 WSOP out due to the situation with Full Tilt not paying their players.

Daniel Negreanu–  Negreanu’s spot is the same as Dwan’s.  He’s struggled at this World Series, with only one cash for $5k in a $1,500 event; although he has played in almost every event that he could.  Negreanu and Dwan are also both excellent players, and should be able to turn it around in the second half here.

The 2011 World Series of Poker still has 23 events remaining, including the Main Event on July 7th, which is a 13 day event.

2011 WSOP Event 23 Recap

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WSOPOur second mixed game event took place in Event 23: $2,500 Eight Game Mix. This tournament features the most different games to be played in a mixed game event in this year’s World Series of Poker, including Triple-Draw 2-7, Limit Hold’em, Omaha 8/b, Razz, Stud, Stud 8/b, No-Limit Holdem, and Pot Limit Omaha. If you’re able to keep all of these games straight, you have your shot at a bracelet!

489 players were confident in their abilities in this plethora of games, hoping to get their share of the $1.1 million prize pool. 48 players cashed this event, and, after their cooler in event 22, the pros were back in charge. After the money bubble broke, everywhere you looked, a familiar face lurked. Shaun Deeb, Jimmy Fricke, Andy Black, Eugene Katchalov, Eric Baldwin, Dan Kelly, and Eric Froelich were all sprinkled among the money finishers.

John Juanda joined former November Niners John Racener and Eric Buchman at the final table, ensuring that it would be a hard fight for the bracelet. Juanda was looking to earn his 6th bracelet in this event, having just won his 5th in event 15. It was not to be, and he exited in 6th place.

Buchman, who has plenty of final table experience, would fight until he was heads-up with John Monnette. While Monnette may not have had the final table experience of Buchman, he has cashed at the WSOP in almost every variation of poker in play in this event. Monnette also had the advantage of a huge chip lead, which he did not waste. He dispatched Buchman without too much excitement, sending the New Yorker back East with $170k in his pocket. Monnette, meanwhile, would pocket $278,144 and the ever-important WSOP Gold Bracelet.

 

2011 WSOP Event 22 Recap

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WSOPThe largest PLO field ever assembled at the World Series of Poker gathered for Event 22: $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha. 1,071 players came out to play one of the highest variance games in poker, creating a prize pool that almost reached $1.5 million.

The top 117 players would all profit at least $1,200 for their efforts, and the amateurs showed the pros that they know how to play this game. Tommy Vedes, David Chiu, Tom Franklin, and Michael Binger were among the few pros to make money in this tournament.

All together, the 9 men who made the final table combined for exactly one final table at the WSOP. Four of those were experiencing their first cash. There would also be a first time bracelet winner crowned, no matter who won.

When the players go to three handed, only one had cashed before, and he was the one with the final table. However, experience was unable to prevail for David Sands, and he was dispatched in 3rd place.

Elie Payan and Rafael Kibrit would play heads-up for the bracelet. Neither had been here before. Neither had even cashed the WSOP before. Payan entered heads-up play as a 2-1 chip leader, but gave it away at one point in the match, and Kibrit also claimed that same lead margin. However, he would not be able to hold on, as Payan regained the chip lead and never looked back. Kibrit was sent home in 2nd place, taking home $180k for his efforts.

Payan was the 2nd Frenchmen to win at this year’s WSOP, just a few hours after countryman Bertrand ‘Elky’ Grospellier took one home. He also took with him $292,825. Between Elky and Payan, the French are trying to beat out the British as the foreign country to take home the most bracelets. With so many events still to go, it will be a fun race to watch.

 

Phil Ivey Lawsuit & WSOP Boycott Raises Fellow Pros’ Ire & Support, Alternately

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By now it’s no big news that Phil Ivey is boycotting the 2011 World Series of Poker. Nor are there many poker fans who haven’t yet heard that Ivey is suing Tiltware, the company responsible for Full Tilt Poker’s failure to refund to its locked-out U.S. players their unused funds and gains. That’s because it’s been all over the press of late, enough so to catch the attention and interest of some of Ivey’s fellow poker professionals, some of whom – like Daniel Negreanu – support his actions and some of whom – like Mike Matusow – don’t.

Let’s start with the pro-Ivey camp, currently headlined by Daniel Negreanu (by simple virtue of him being most vocal about his support.) Of course, Negreanu is sponsored not by Team Full Tilt, from which Ivey also resigned in protest, but Team Poker Stars, a company that already paid back its dislodged U.S. consitutency. Nevertheless, Negreanu has come out in favor of Ivey’s standing up for his values, as has another poker pro, Eric Froehlich.

On the nay side of the debate is Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, who called Ivey self-centered, along with some other epithets we couldn’t repeat in this forum. Agreeing that Ivey’s actions were self-serving is another poker pro Andrew Robl, who said that if Ivey felt so bad for players affected by the situation, he shouldn’t sue the company for the $150 million they owe the players. He should take the example of his fellow former Team Full Tilt pro Tom Dwan who said that if Full Tilt fails to pay back U.S. players the money it owes them, he will do so out of his own pocket.

2011 WSOP Event 21 Recap

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WSOPEvent 21: $10,000 Seven Card Stud is the fifth championship of this year’s World Series of Poker. 126 players paid the $10k entry fee for their shot at being called the Seven Card Stud World Champion. That, and their share of the $1.2 million prize pool.

Only 16 players made the money in this tournament, and those that did could make a “Who’s Who” list in the poker world. Matt Hawrilenko, Jason Mercier, Sorel Mizzi, Men ‘The Master’ Nguyen, and Nick Schulman all finished in the money without making the final table, at least doubling their initial buy-in.

With those players being sent to the rail before the final table was formed, some great tournaments had to put themselves into position to win. These included Chad Brown, Alexander Kostritsyn, and John ‘World’ Hennigan all played to win the title. However, they would come up short; a Frenchman would eventually take it home.

A heads-up battle would take place between Steve Landfish and Bertrand ‘Elky’ Grospellier that showed the prowess of each individual. The swings back and forth were dramatic, with each player holding most of the chips in play at one point or another. At the end of the crazy contest, though, Landfish was sent home with $200k in his pocket, his prize for finishing second.

The man known as Elky would claim his first WSOP bracelet, creating yet another Triple Crown winner this year (also, Jake Cody). The Frenchman took the bracelet and $331,639 back to Team PokerStars. Is Team France making a run at Team UK?

 

2011 World Series of Poker Sees Bigger Fields and Increased Prize Pools

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WSOPWhen Black Friday occured back on Friday April 15th, 2011, it put left the future entrants to the World Series of Poker up in the air.  It was possible that players wouldn’t be able to maintain the bankrolls to play in the 2011 World Series, and also that we would lose players from the online tournaments that give tickets to World Series of Poker events.  Some poker pro’s have their money still frozen online, while others have gone overseas to play online to make money.  While it was obvious it would take some time into the World Series to see how this affected the field sizes, the first 23 events have given a strong indication that Black Friday hasn’t hit the 2011 WSOP quite as hard as expected.

Only six of the first 23 events have seen a decrease in participation, and some events have even grown by as much as 25 percent from last year.  Events 18 and 20 at the 2011 WSOP broke records as a matter of fact.  The records for largest single-day $1,500 event and largest single-day $1,000 event were broken, both in the same weekend.  The $10,000 2-7 Lowball event was the event that grew by the most at a 25% increase from last year.  While these events have done well overall, it’s the Main Event that most fans and players are interested in seeing the outcome of.

It’s tough to tell what’s caused the jump in numbers at the 2011 World Series of Poker, it could be that a lot of online players are needing to play these tournaments in order to continue to build their bankroll, or even just more people are interested in playing poker.  If the first two weeks of play were any indication though, the World Series of Poker will be just fine, and the future could still be bright for poker in the United States.

 

2011 WSOP Event 20 Recap

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WSOPYet another Stimulus Special event was played for Event 20: $1,000 No Limit Hold’em. 3,175 people showed up at the Rio, all on June 12th, to begin their march for the bracelet. 324 of these players cashed this event, almost as many as played Event 19 altogether!

A min-cash was just shy of $2,000, effectively doubling your entry fee. Gavin Smith, Hoyt Corkins, John Phan, and Lex Veldhuis represented the pros in this event, toeing their way through this massive field to make some money.

Frequently, these $1,000 buyins become the story of the amateurs. Almost everyone at the final table experienced their first WSOP cash at this event. There was a total of one bracelet between the nine of them (which went with 9th place finisher James Schaaf).

One player at the final table, though, has had his share of World Series success. Jason Somerville was at his fifth WSOP final table. His previous 4 finishes were each 2nd – 5th. Before this event, his winnings at the WSOP were just over $1 million.

It came as no surprise that Somerville got heads-up against Yashar Darian. Darian had a few previous cashes, all last year, and all at $1,000 or $1,500 events. However, before this event, he had failed to crack the top 200. The heads-up play did not last long, however. They got it all-in on the very first hand of heads-up, putting almost all of the chips in play into the pot. The chips were counted down, and Somerville had Darian outchipped. When the cards were turned over, Darian knew he was doomed: Somerville had the aces. Somerville was able to fade the board and dispatch the New Jersey native, sending him home with $300k.

Somerville, however, rounded out his final table experience with his win, beating the largest single day starting field in WSOP history. He collected his first bracelet and $493,091. He had a very supportive rail, including good friend Daniel Negreanu, and parlayed that into an astounding victory.

 

2011 WSOP Event 19 Recap

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WSOPEvent 19: $2,500 Limit Hold’em  Six Handed of this year’s World Series of Poker brought out 354 entrants to try their hand at winning a WSOP bracelet. These entrants all paid their $2,500, creating a $800k prize pool for the players to compete for. Unlike most tournaments where tables seat 9 players, only 6 players are seated at each table.

354 entrants meant that only the top 36 finishers were paid, and a few top pros were able to sneak into cashing. Justin Bonomo, David Chiu (who has cashed in every WSOP since 1998), Sam Grizzle, and Matt Matros all finished in the money. Barely missing the final table was Richard ‘nutsinho’ Lyndaker, an online nosebleed regular who finished in 7th place.

The final table was made up of players mostly unknown on the tournament circuit. For two of them, Samuel Golbluff and Kim Nguyen, this would be their first cash at the WSOP. Not bad for your first cash to be a final table.

The other players have had their share of success at the WSOP. While none had any titles, each had over $100k in earnings prior to this event. Darren Woods, who’s cashes at the WSOP had all come in $10k championships, would battle Nguyen heads-up for the title.

Nguyen, who was looking to become the first woman to win an open event at the WSOP since Vanessa Selbst in 2008, found herself right where Maria Ho was earlier this year. Sadly, her finish mirrored that of Ho. Woods took the chip lead early and ran with it, slowly chipping away at Nguyen’s stack until he eliminated her in 2nd place, sending her home with just shy of $132k in her first WSOP cash. Meanwhile, Woods collected his first WSOP bracelet and the $213,431.

 

2011 WSOP Event 17 Recap

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WSOPThe first mixed games tournament was played in Event 17: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. This tournament features 5 games: Hold’em, Omaha Hi-lo 8/b, Razz, 7 Card Stud, and 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo 8/b, all of which are played with a fixed limit.

963 players came out to play, a stunning number for a mixed games event. Very rarely does a non-hold’em event of the same buyin bring more entrants than hold’em one, but it did this year, with this event bringing significantly more than Event 17: $1,500 Pot Limit Hold’em.

Considering the number of entrants in this event, the pros did not comprise a high percentage of those in the money. However, they were still out in force, with their skill taking over in a mixed game format. David Chiu, Cyndy Violette, and Eli Elezra were among those who cashed, at least doubling their entry.

While these players did not make the final table, two players who are having a phenomenal World Series did. Victor Ramdin and David ‘Bakes’ Baker both have 3 cashes this WSOP, with Baker getting back-to-back final tables this event. While they are both doing very well so far, neither were able to turn that into a win this event, bowing out in 9th and 7th respectively.

Michael Chow, Aaron Steury, and Adam Friedman entered the final 9 as the three chip leaders, with significant distance between them and the rest of the field. They cruised until just those three remained. Friedman busted in third to Chow. However, Steury still had a massive 4-1 chip lead. This proved too much for Chow, who took home $178k for his 2nd place finish.

For his win, Steury, a Ft. Wayne, Indiana native, pocketed $289,283 for his victory. He also walked out of the Rio with a shiny bracelet on his wrist, signifying him as a World Series of Poker Champion.