Andy Black

Date: Sat, Sep 27, 2008

Andrew Black is a poker player from Belfast, Northern Ireland, who presently resides in Dublin. Andrew Black was born 20 July 1965.

Andy Black played cards with his mother when he was younger, and began playing more seriously in 1986, whilst he was studying for a law degree at Trinity College, Dublin. Andy Black was a member of a long running poker school in the Junior Common Room (The JCR), that previously had noted poker players Donnacha O'Dea and Padraig Parkinson as members. Andy Black also began playing in the Griffin Casino in Dublin, reportedly because of the free food and coffee.

Andy Black was knocked out of the 1997 World Series of Poker (WSOP) main event by the eventual winner, Stu Ungar. There were rumors that Ungar got lucky and defeated Black's AK while holding AQ. This was dispelled by Andy Black himself on Full Tilt Poker, 12/10/06 who candidly affirmed that Ungar "just outplayed me" and that the AK vs. AQ story was nothing more than journalistic spice.

The following year a documentary titled Million Dollar Deal (narrated by John Hurt) was made of his visit to the same tournament. When he lost that too, he discarded all his possessions, travelled to England and lived in a semi-monastic Buddhist environment for 5 years.

Andy Black successfully returned to poker in 2004, dominating in Irish tournaments and placing fifth in the 2005 WSOP main event. Andy Black led the final table of the main event at one stage holding over 1/3rd of the chips in play, however he was unable to maintain this lead and finished 5th, winning $1.75m.

In 2005, Andy Black appeared on the chatshow Heads Up with Richard Herring to discuss his faith and his poker career.

Since the 2005 WSOP main event, Andy Black made a money finish on both the European Poker Tour and the World Poker Tour.

In 2006, Andy Black made the final table of the Tournament of Champions where he once again held a huge chip lead only to cripple his stack when he overplayed AK and ran into Daniel Negreanu holding pocket Kings. Andy Black once again was eliminated in 5th place earning $100,000.

Andy Black enjoyed a spectacular start to 2007 placing 2nd for $100,000 in the Pot Limit Omaha event and 3rd in the No Limit Main Event for $750,000 at the Aussie Millions in Melbourne, Australia.

At the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo, Andy Black once again enjoyed a deep run in a major event reaching the final table before exiting in 7th for $320,000. In 2007, Black won the Pot Limit Omaha side event at the Irish Open. He got €54,589 for the win. He defeated Michael Greco heads-up. At the 2007 WSOP, Andy Black finished in the money in two Pot Limit Omaha events, finishing 7th and 11th respectively. At the 2007 WSOP Main Event, Black played day 1A. Andy Black was one of the early chip leaders, building his stack from 20,000 to over 80,000. Despite this, Black did not make it past day 1. He was eliminated when his 45 ran into AA on a 433 flop.

Andy Black is an official pro at Full Tilt Poker.

As of 2008, Andy Black's total live tournament winnings exceed $4,000,000. Andy Black is the winner of the 2008 PartyPoker.com Premier League.


Official site
Hendon Mob tournament results

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Allen Cunningham

Date: Sat, Sep 27, 2008

Allen Cunningham is an American professional poker player. Allen Cunningham was born March 28, 1977. Allen Cunningham studied civil engineering at UCLA before dropping out of school to play poker professionally. Allen Cunningham began playing at 18 in Indian casinos.

Allen Cunningham plays online poker exclusively at Full Tilt Poker. Previously a Full Tilt sponsored pro, he became a full member of Team Full Tilt in October 2006.

Allen Cunningham earned the title 2005 ESPN/Toyota Player of the Year and came close to winning it again in 2006. Allen Cunningham was also voted by fellow professional poker players the Best All Around Player under 35.

Allen Cunningham's single largest tournament payout occurred at the 2006 World Series of Poker when he finished in fourth place in the Main Event earning $3,628,513

Frequently during the tournament, when other players tried to take on Allen Cunningham, ESPN's Norman Chad would respond with comments such as: "What are they thinking of? This is Allen Cunningham!"

Allen Cunningham joined a short list of players who have won a World Series of Poker Bracelet in three consecutive years after winning his fifth bracelet in 2007. Others to accomplish this include Johnny Moss, Bill Boyd, Doyle Brunson, Gary Berland and Erik Seidel.

Most recently, Allen Cunningham won the $300,000 'Mega Match' on Poker After Dark that aired the week of October 8, 2007.

On December 7, 2007, Allen Cunningham won the 15,000 buy-in inaugural National Poker League Vegas Open Championship Main Event after defeating David Singer during heads-up play, winning over $325,000.

On May 1, 2008, Cunningham won the 2008 World Series of Poker Circuit event at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, earning $499,162.

As of 2008, his total live tournament winnings exceed $10,200,000, 5th in winnings, behind only Jamie Gold, Joseph Hachem, Daniel Negreanu, and Phil Hellmuth. He resides in Las Vegas with girlfriend Melissa Hayden and their dog, Muffin.

World Series of Poker Bracelets
Allen Cunningham has earned five bracelets at the World Series of Poker:

Year Tournament Prize (US$)
2001 $5,000 Seven-card stud $201,760
2002 $5,000 Deuce to Seven Draw $160,200
2005 $1,500 No Limit Hold 'em $725,405
2006 $1,000 No Limit Hold'em/w Rebuys $625,830
2007 $5,000 Pot Limit Hold'em $487,287

Official website
Full Tilt Poker profile
Card Player Magazine article
PokerListings.com interview

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Erik Seidel

Date: Sat, Sep 27, 2008

Erik Seidel is an American professional poker player from Las Vegas, Nevada with eight World Series of Poker bracelets and a World Poker Tour title. Erik Seidel was born November 6, 1959 in New York City.

Originally a tournament backgammon player for eight years, Erik Seidel eventually started playing the stock market, and then moved on to poker. Erik Seidel was one of the group of now famous players from the Mayfair Club, including Howard Lederer and Dan Harrington.

In Erik Seidel's first major tournament, he was runner-up in the 1988 World Series of Poker main event to Johnny Chan. This final hand was featured in the movie Rounders.

During the sixth season of the World Poker Tour, Erik Seidel won the 2008 WPT Foxwoods Poker Classic, earning $992,890.

As of 2008, Erik Seidel's total live tournament winnings exceed $9,200,000.

World Series of Poker Bracelets
Seidel has won eight WSOP bracelets.

Year Tournament Prize (US$)
1992 $2,500 Limit Hold'em $168,000
1993 $2,500 Omaha 8 or better $94,000
1994 $5,000 Limit Hold'em $210,000
1998 $5,000 Deuce to Seven Draw $132,700
2001 $3,000 No Limit Hold'em $411,300
2003 $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha $146,100
2005 $2,000 No Limit Hold'em $611,795
2007 $5,000 World Championship No-Limit
Deuce to Seven Draw Lowball w/rebuys $538,835

Erik Seidel is part of the design team for Full Tilt Poker.

In January 2007, Erik Seidel finished in second place in the Aussie Millions $100k event and took home $550,000(AUD), beaten by Erick Lindgren in Heads-Up play when he moved all-in with KJ of hearts on a two-heart flop and Lindgren called with a pair of aces and his 7 kicker became an eventual straight.

In January 2008, Erik Seidel finished in second place in the Aussie Millions $10k main event and won $1,000,000(AUD).

Official site
All In Magazine strategy article
Full Tilt Poker profile
Hendon Mob tournament results

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Clonie Gowen

Date: Sat, Sep 27, 2008

Cycalona (Clonie) Gowen is an American professional poker player, based in Dallas, Texas. Clonie Gowen was born in Florida on November 30, 1971. Clonie Gowen grew up in Kiowa, Oklahoma.

Clonie Gowen(Her first name was inspired by the fact that she was born during a powerful storm.) She won Miss Teen McAlester, Oklahoma at age 15, and as a teenager moved to Corsicana, Texas. Clonie Gowen was a member of the varsity basketball team and placed seventh in state high jump.

Clonie Gowen was introduced to poker by her boyfriend's father, and started playing while living in Dallas, driving to Shreveport, Louisiana on the weekends. She earned national recognition when she followed up her Top 10 finish at the World Poker Tour (WPT) Costa Rica Classic with a win at the WPT Ladies' Night event in 2003, then the highest rated WPT show ever broadcast.

Clonie Gowen has served as a guest commentator for the Ultimate Poker Challenge, The Gaming Club World Poker Championship and the 888.com Women's Poker UK Open. Clonie Gowen is a regular columnist for All In magazine. She frequently hosts tournaments and charity events and is now a partner in a poker school.

Clonie Gowen is a member of "Team Full Tilt" at Full Tilt Poker and in 2007 appeared on the NBC television program Poker After Dark, winning first place (and $120,000) during "Ladies Week" (Week 10) and again during Week 17. Howard Lederer, Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth, Gabe Kaplan and Johnny Chan are currently the only other five players to win at least two tournaments on Poker After Dark.

As of 2008, her total live tournament winnings exceed $1,200,000.

At one point in time she owned a travel agency, but now only plays poker. Clonie Gowen has two children, and in her spare time enjoys scuba diving throughout the world.


Official site
Full Tilt Poker profile
Hendon Mob Database: Clonie Gowen

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Team Full Tilt Poker

Date: Sat, Sep 27, 2008

THE HENDON MOB
Barny Boatman
Ross Boatman
Joe Beevers
Ram Vaswani

FULL TILT PROS
Brandon Adams
Dario 'Ryu' Alioto
Josh Arieh
Amanda 'Mandy B' Baker
Aaron Bartley
David Benyamine
Thomas Bihl
Sascha Biorac
Andy Black
Farzad Bonyadi
Brad Booth
Alan Boston
David Bradley
Steve Brecher
Richard Brodie
Erik Cajelais
John Cernuto
Lynette Chan
Scott Clements
Diego Cordovez
John D'Agostino
Roland de Wolfe
Bill Edler
Eli Elezra
Peter 'Nordberg' Feldman
Scott Fischman
Perry Friedman
Rafe Furst
Julian Gardner
Bill Gazes
Kristy Gazes
Markus Golser
Michael Gracz
David Grey
Jared 'TheWacoKidd' Hamby
Rob Hollink
Niki 'KaiBuxxe' Jedlicka
Peter Jepsen
Chip Jett
Karina Jett
Berry Johnston
Kelly Kim
Martin Kläser
Christiane Klecz
Erich Kollmann
Markus Lehmann
Alfredo 'Toto' Leonidas
Kathy Liebert
Marco Liesy
Vitaly Lunkin
Jeff Madsen
Craig Marquis
Greg Mascio
Rino Mathis
Nenad Medic
Dag Mikkelsen
Robert Mizrachi
Scott Montgomery
Jordan 'iMsoLucky0' Morgan
Greg Mueller
David Oppenheim
Stuart Paterson
Max Pescatori
David Pham
Stefan Rapp
Ben Roberts
Eddy Scharf
Erica Schoenberg
Adam Schoenfeld
Nick Schulman
Huckleberry Seed
Keith Sexton
Matt Sexton
Paul Sexton
Beth Shak
David Singer
Gavin Smith
Roland Specht
Sigi Stockinger
Kenny Tran
Marco Traniello
Jon 'PearlJammed' Turner
Cyndy Violette
Jens Voertmann
Hans Martin Vogl
Mark Vos
Thomas Wahlroos
Paul Wasicka
Lee Watkinson
Robert Williamson III
Paul Wolfe
Christoph Wolters
Steve Zolotow

FRIENDS OF FULL TILT
Bruce Buffer
Michael Craig
Jay Greenspan
Matt Hughes
Brian Koppelman
Jim McManus
Ali Nejad
Jeremiah Smith
Mike Swick
Jerry Yang 2007 WSOP Champion

TEAM CARDRUNNERS
Isaac Baron
Taylor Caby
Ryan Daut
Brian Hastings
Eric Liu
Mike Schneider
Cole South
Andrew Wiggins

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Huckleberry Seed

Date: Fri, Sep 26, 2008

Huckleberry Seed is an American professional poker player who won the main event of the 1996 World Series of Poker. Huckleberry Seed was born January 15, 1969.

Huck Seed grew up in Corvallis, Montana, where he attended Corvallis High School. Huck Seed was a member of the 1987 Montana All-State basketball team. Huck Seed was an electrical engineering student at Caltech and a member of Fleming House. He took a leave of absence in 1989, started playing poker, and never returned to college. Huck Seed was a star player on Caltech's basketball team and is featured in the 2006 documentary Quantum Hoops.

Huck Seed won the 1996 World Series of Poker (WSOP) main event, and the $1,000,000 first prize. He made the final table of the 1999 WSOP event, but finished 6th (eventual champion Noel Furlong eliminated him). In the 2007 Main Event, Seed finished 73rd out of 6358 players.

Huck Seed is often considered intimidating because of his height at 6 ft 7 in and the fact that he rarely speaks at the table. An avid proposition gambler, he once lost $50,000 on a proposition bet with Phil Hellmuth, that he could stand in the ocean with water up to his shoulders for eighteen hours. Huck Seed lasted only three hours. Huck Seed then went on to win $24,000 back from Hellmuth by playing 9 Ball at $2,000 a game.

Huck Seed appeared on NBC's Poker After Dark series, where he finished second to Gus Hansen in the season's first tournament.

As of 2008, his total live tournament winnings exceed $4,100,000. Huck Seed has four WSOP bracelets.

World Series of Poker bracelets
Year Tournament Prize (US$)
1994 $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha $167,000
1996 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship $1,000,000
2000 $1,500 Razz $77,400
2003 $5,000 Razz $71,500


Official Site
Hendon Mob tournament results

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Bill Edler

Date: Fri, Sep 26, 2008

William (Bill) Edler is a professional poker player from Las Vegas, Nevada. Bill Edler was born February 11, 1964 in Evanston, Illinois. Bill Edler has a law degree from the University of California-Berkeley.

Bill Edler first began playing poker while putting himself through law school at the University of California Berkley. By the time he graduated, Bill says, the game had so captured his attention that he never even bothered sitting for his bar exam. Instead, Bill grabbed a regular seat at the Casino San Pablo near San Francisco and honed his game while working as a prop player.

Eventually, both Bill's game and his position at the casino improved and he worked his way up to become the casino’s poker room manager. It was during this time that Bill developed his friendship with Team Full Tilt’s Erick Lindgren, who he hired to fill his old position as the poker room’s prop player.

Bill Edler won a World Series of Poker bracelet in 2007 by claiming the $5,000 buy-in shorthanded No-Limit hold'em tournament. The win earned Edler over $900,000.

Bill Edler has also had success in heads-up playing, winning the inaugural $10,000 buy-in Heads-Up Poker Championship in Compton, California in 2007.

In addition, Bill Edler has cashed eight times on the World Poker Tour, including a final table appearance at the Bay 101 Shooting Star tournament in 2007. In September 2007 Bill Edler won his first WPT title at the Gulf Coast Poker Championship, winning $747,615. In 2008, Bill Edler won $796,237 at the Gulf Coast Poker Championship event. At this event he set record for greatest come back in WPT history. With less than two tables left, Edler was down to two chips. Edler went on to win the event.

In 2007 Bill Edler cashed in the money for the first time in the $10,000 No Limit Hold'em Main Event Championship coming in 23rd place out of a field of 6,358 players, winning $333,490.

As of 2008, Edler's total live tournament winnings exceed $3,375,000.

FullTiltPoker Profile
Hendon Mob Database: Tournament Results

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Annie Duke

Date: Fri, Sep 26, 2008

Annie Duke is a professional poker player and author. Annie Duke was born September 13, 1965 in Concord, New Hampshire. Her brother Howard Lederer is also a professional poker player; her sister Katy Lederer is an author and poet who also wrote a book about the Lederer family, titled Poker Face: A Girlhood Among Gamblers. She has four children: Maud (1995), Leo (1998), Lucy (2000) and Nell (2002).

Annie Duke went to Columbia University where she double majored in English and psychology, and was awarded a NSF Fellowship to attend graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania to study psycholinguistics, a field within cognitive psychology.

She married Ben Duke, a close friend from the same university, and moved to his home in Columbus, Montana. Although originally intending to continue her studies, she decided to leave school in 1992, after five years of graduate school and one month before defending her Ph.D. work. It was at this time that, with the support of her brother, she took up professional poker.

In 2002, Annie Duke moved to Portland, Oregon to work for ieLogic, a company that produces software for online real time casino gaming. Annie Duke and Ben were divorced in 2004, but she did win a $500 wager made with fellow pro Steve Zolotow, who bet her that her marriage wouldn't last five years.

In 2005 she and her children moved to the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Her new Mediterranean-style home and boyfriend, actor and producer Joe Reitman, were featured in the New York Times article At Home With Annie Duke on January 19, 2006.

After leaving her academic work, Annie Duke began playing poker in the legal card rooms in Billings. Annie Duke's brother Howard was already a successful professional and he both coached and helped finance her play initially. In 1994, she and her husband moved to Las Vegas in order to commence playing poker full time.

In early 2004, Duke received considerable publicity for tutoring actor Ben Affleck, who then went on to win the 2004 California State Poker Championship. Before this time, one of her claims to poker fame was her 10th place finish in the 2000 World Series of Poker main event (one position short of the final table) while eight months pregnant with her third child. In the 2004 World Series of Poker she also eliminated her brother Howard Lederer from four separate events, including the Tournament of Champions. During this same World Series, she won her first gold bracelet, in an Omaha Hi-Lo tournament. She was one of three women (Kathy Liebert and Cyndy Violette being the other two) to win an open event in that year's WSOP.
Duke is one of many poker players who take issue with the restrictions placed on players during televised tournaments. Although the players pay mandatory entry fees to enter tournaments, some venues do not allow players to wear sponsorship logos.

As of 2008, Annie Duke holds the women's record for most "in the money" finishes at the WSOP. In September 2004 Annie Duke won $2,000,000 in the inaugural World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions, a 10-player, winner-take-all invitational event. At the time, this victory was the most money paid in a single event to a female poker player. That record was broken by Annette Obrestad during the 2007 World Series of Poker Europe Main Event.

Annie Duke has won one World Series of Poker bracelet, in Omaha HiLo and more than three million dollars in tournament play. Nowadays she refuses to play in women's only tournaments, saying that "Poker is one of the few sports where a woman can compete on a totally equal footing with a man, so I don't understand why there's a ladies only tournament."

In the Main Event of the 2006 World Series of Poker, she finished in 88th place (out of 8,773 entrants) for $51,129 in winnings. She was one of two women left in the field when she was eliminated. (The remaining woman, Sabyl Cohen, later finished in 56th place for $123,699.)

As of 2008, her total live tournament winnings exceed $3,600,000.

On January 30, 2006, Annie Duke became the first poker personality to appear on The Colbert Report. During the show, she talked about her book and what it's like to be a woman in a male-dominated event. In 2006, GSN premiered a television special titled Annie Duke Takes on the World, which features Duke playing against amateur poker players. Duke has also made appearances on the Ultimate Blackjack Tour playing Elimination Blackjack.

On December 1, 2006 Annie Duke appeared as a member of the Mob on NBC's 1 vs. 100. On the show she correctly answered every question and was the only celebrity who wasn't eliminated. She returned for the next few weeks, continually answering her questions correctly. She reappeared on the Christmas episode on December 25, answering a total of 35 consecutive questions correctly during her time on 1 vs. 100, making her the longest running mob member in the history of the show to that point. Duke returned on February 9, 2007 under special "Last Man Standing" rules where the game continued until only one person remained. She survived to reach the final five of 100 contestants, before she, along with three of the other four mob members including Ken Jennings, were eliminated.

Annie Duke has appeared on NBC's Poker After Dark three times but has not won.

On March 24, 2008, Annie Duke appeared on the show Deal Or No Deal to support a contestant named Mary Beth Holtzheimer who after taking a $341,000 deal from the bank with only two cases left, her case #13 had the $1,000,000. Annie even gave Mary Beth an offer earlier that included a dinner with herself, Mary Beth and her fiance John Salmieri, private lessons, and an invitation to attend an All Ladies Poker league if the bank's offer was accepted, but it was not.

Along with Phil Hellmuth Jr., Duke is poker coach on Fox Sports Network’s Best Damn Poker Show, which is sponsored by the poker site Ultimatebet.net

As well as competing, Duke writes and speaks on poker-related subjects, and promotes poker-related organizations. She has been a spokesperson for UltimateBet since 2000 and has written many articles for the online poker website, mainly on Omaha HiLo, and an autobiography.

Official site
July 2004 Columbia College article
PokerLizard.com interview
Hossli.com interview
Mom Shuffles Kids And Cards Article
Hendon Mob tournament results
TV.com: 1 vs 100 Episode 108

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Carlos "The Matador" Mortensen

Date: Fri, Sep 26, 2008

Juan Carlos Mortensen is a professional poker player and the only hispanic Main Event winner of the World Series of Poker. Carlos Mortensen was born April 13, 1972 in Ambato, Ecuador. Carlos Mortensen is known for his loose play, bluffing tactics, and interesting chip-stacking style. his poker nickname is "The Matador".

Carlos Mortensen moved from Spain to the United States in the late 1990s to play poker. Carlos Mortensen won $1,500,000 at the 2001 World Series of Poker (WSOP) main event. Carlos Mortensen also won the World Poker Tour (WPT) Doyle Brunson North American Poker Championship in 2004 for $1,000,000. Mortensen won the Season Five World Poker Tour championship event, and its $3,970,415 first prize and his second WPT title, making him the first player to ever win the World Championship events at both the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour.

Carlos Mortensen has also made the prize money in the World Heads-Up Poker Championship, and was a semi-finalist in the second season of the Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament.

At the 2006 World Series of Poker Carlos made 3 final tables. Carlos Mortensen finished 9th in event #2 (NL Hold 'em) winning $71,617. Carlos Mortensen would once again finish 9th in event #6 (NL Hold 'em) earning him another $73,344. Carlos Mortensen came up just short of winning his 3rd bracelet in event #33 (Razz) where he finished runner-up to James Richburg earning him $94,908.

In 2006, Carlos Mortensen and his wife, fellow poker player Cecilia Reyes Mortensen, were divorced.

Carlos Mortensen also had a good run at the 2007 European Poker Tour Main Event in Monte Carlo finishing 11th, going out to Joshua Prager after making a straight on the turn, but defeated by a flush on the river.

As of 2008, his total live tournament winnings exceed $8,500,000.

World Series of Poker bracelets
Year Tournament Prize (US$)
2001 $10,000 Championship Event - No Limit Hold'em $1,500,000
2003 $5,000 Limit Hold'em $251,680

World Poker Tour - profile
Hendon Mob tournament results

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Erin Ness

Date: Fri, Sep 26, 2008

Erin Ness is an American poker player. Erin Ness was born October 12, 1978. Erin Ness is a photo assistant for Maxim Magazine, and television personality, including appearances on GSN's Poker Royale.

Erin Ness grew up in Ocean Beach on the Jersey Shore where she learned to play cards. Her family used to sit around for hours playing card games including gin rummy, hearts, war, and poker.

Erin Ness earned her entry into the 2004 World Series of Poker by winning an office tournament. All employees of Maxim Magazine were invited to play in a company poker tournament, with the winner getting an all-expense paid trip, including the $10,000 buy-in to the main event of the WSOP. Erin Ness was confident that it would be her to represent Maxim.

During the event, she captured the eyes of players around the world because of her sweet demeanor. She ended up finishing in the money (207th), the third highest female finisher in the 2004 main event. Rose Richie finished 98th and Lucy Rokach finished 159th.

Erin Ness also competed in the televised Poker Royale: Young Bloods tournament that was broadcast on the Game Show Network (GSN) featured David Williams, Michael Sandberg, Scott Fischman, Mike "the Grinder" Mizrachi, Erica Schoenberg and Ness. She ended up finishing second to David Williams. GSN realized that Erin was exactly the type of person that is suited for television (not to mention ratings) and they invited her back for another show, Battle of the Ages.

Erin Ness still has her day job at Maxim, but tries to play poker as often as she can. She has been hitting up the NYC poker club scene and plans to continue playing tournaments. She has met a lot of professional poker players and has a lot of respect for many of them. I asked her who her favorite was and she said it was hard to pin-point one. She said she owes most of her poker skills to her buddies, Steve Raab and Ryan Porter, because they are great players... and students of the game.

As of 2008, her total live tournament winnings exceed $20,000.

A graduate of Georgetown University, Ness currently lives in New York City.

Schwarz, Marc (July 15, 2005), "Ness gains fame at the turn of a card", The Record Yorio, Kara (August 5, 2005), "All in an unlucky day's work", The Sporting News

Hendon Mob tournament results

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Jeff Madsen

Date: Fri, Sep 26, 2008

Jeff Madsen is the third-youngest winner of a World Series of Poker event and the 2006 World Series of Poker player of the year. Jeff Madsen was born June 7, 1985 in Santa Monica, California. Jeff Madsen was raised in Los Angeles and lived in the same house until going to college at the University of California, Santa Barbara to study film theory.

Jeff Madsenbegan playing poker at college and won a no limit Texas hold 'em event at the 2006 World Series of Poker. At the age of 21 years and five weeks, Jeff Madsen was about six weeks younger than the previous record holder, Eric Froehlich, who won his first WSOP bracelet in 2005. Jeff Madsen's victory earned him $660,948.

At that time Jeff Madsen was the youngest World Series of Poker winner in history until Steve Billirakis became the youngest at the age of 21 years 11 days the following year.

Later in 2007, Annette Obrestad broke that record with her win in the Main Event of the inaugural World Series of Poker Europe on the day before her 19th birthday. Obrestad's record cannot be broken in the Las Vegas WSOP because Nevada gaming law mandates a minimum age of 21.

Less than two weeks prior to his victory, Jeff Madsen finished third in the $2000 Omaha high-low split event, winning $97,552. Just six days after his first victory, Jeff Madsen won his second WSOP title, and $643,381, in the $5000 no limit hold 'em shorthanded event. A few days later he finished third in the $1000 Seven-card stud high low split event, earning $65,971, adding up to an unprecedented four top 3 finishes, in four different poker variants, in his first year at the WSOP. His showing prompted Full Tilt Poker to bring him in as a sponsored pro.

In 2007 Jeff Madsen cashed in his first WPT event, finishing eighth at the Bay 101 Shooting Star Championship.
Madsen began playing casino poker three years before his WSOP victory at the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, California, where the minimum age to play is 18.

As of 2008, Jeff Madsen's tournament winnings exceed $1,800,000.

WSOP Bracelets
Year Tournament Prize (US$)
2006 $2,000 No Limit Hold'em $660,948
2006 $5,000 No Limit Hold'em Short Handed 6/Table $643,381

Youngest Bracelet Winner Ever". Pokerlistings.com
Thehendonmob.com Results
Sports Illustrated feature story
PokerListings.com profile

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Erick Lindgren

Date: Thu, Sep 25, 2008

Erick Lindgren is an American professional poker player. Erick Lindgren was born August 11, 1976 in Burney, California.
He won his first major tournament at the Bellagio in 2002 and followed that up with his first World Poker Tour (WPT) win ten months later. Six months after that, Erick Lindgren won the WPT PartyPoker Million III cruise, where he walked away with the million dollar top prize.

In January 2005, Erick Lindgren finished 2nd in the World Series of Poker Circuit Event in Atlantic City. In February, he finished 5th in the WPT LA Poker Classic and just a week later, he won the second Professional Poker Tour tournament, also in LA.
In January 2006 he made another WPT final table, finishing 3rd at the 2006 Borgata Winter Poker Open.

In June 2006, Erick Lindgren won the $600,000 first prize in the FullTiltPoker.net Poker Pro Showdown event, outlasting Mike Matusow, Clonie Gowen, Erik Seidel, John Juanda, Chris Ferguson and Phil Ivey. Erick Lindgren's winning hand came in the first hand of heads-up play when his A♣ K♣ defeated Matusow's A♥ J♣ on a board of 6♠ 6♣ 9♦ A♠ 3♠.

Erick Lindgren is the author of the book, "World Poker Tour: Making the Final Table", which covers strategy for poker tournaments.

Both the first name 'Erick' and the family name 'Lindgren' are Swedish names, representative of his Swedish ancestry.
He is a member of "Team Full Tilt" at Full Tilt Poker. In February 2008, Erick Lindgren hosted "FTOPS Event #9", part of Full Tilt's series of large buy-in tournaments. The tournament had over 5,600 entrants, and had a prize pool of over $1.65 million. Lindgren won the tournament becoming the first Full Tilt pro to win an FTOPS event that they hosted. Erick Lindgren took home over $291,000.

On June 27, 2007, Erick Lindgren won a $350,000 prop bet with Gavin Smith, Phil Ivey and others. To win the bet, Erick Lindgren had to play four consecutive rounds of golf at Las Vegas' "Bear's Best" golf course between sunrise and sunset. He had to carry his own bags and shoot under 100 in each of the four rounds. Temperatures reached 106 degrees and symptoms of heat exhaustion set in, but Erick won the bet. He said on a PokerListings interview that he lost 12 pounds during the bet.

On June 5, 2008 Erick Lindgren defeated Justin Bonomo during heads-up play for his first World Series of Poker bracelet in the 5,000 buy in mixed no-limit/limit Texas Holdem event at the 2008 WSOP.

As of 2008, Erick Lindgrens total live tournament winnings exceed $7,300,000.

World Series of Poker Bracelets

Year Tournament Prize (US$)
2008 $5,000 Mixed Hold'em (Limit/No-Limit) $374,505
In 2008, he was named WSOP player of the year.

Official site
Full Tilt Profile
World Poker Tour profile
PokerListings.com Player Profile
Rawvegas.tv Coverage of the Four Rounds of Golf Prop Bet
Hendon Mob tournament results: Erick Lindgren

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Poker Tells

Date: Thu, Sep 25, 2008

One of the key skills most good poker players have is the ability to read their opponents at the table. That is why you hear so much about “poker tells.” A “tell” is any physical reaction, kind of behavior, or habit that gives (or tells) the other players information about your hand. If you learn the most common tells, you can not only watch your own behavior to make sure your body language isn’t telling all your secrets, but also watch for the habits and tics in the poker players you’re at the table with. If you can accurately read your opponent’s tells, you’ll make the right decisions against them more often and win more money.

Everyone has their own unique tics and tells, and it’s great to watch individuals and pick up on their unique tells. Luckily, there are also a few involuntary and common tells that you can watch for even the first time you sit down with someone. As a general rule, remember that when a player acts strong, he’s probably weak, and when a player acts weak, he's probably got a really strong hand.

Poker Tells that Say "I Have a Good Hand!"

Acting Uninterested in a Hand While Still in It.
This is usually a sign of a strong hand. The player is pretending that he’s not excited about his cards – but he is.

Shaking Hands
During a hand, if you notice a player’s hands are shaking as she places her bet, she probably has gotten a really, really good hand. Perhaps the nuts.

Rapid Breathing
Some players can control the shakes, but it's harder to control the automatic heart-racing that comes when you see pocket aces or hit the flop really hard. If you can see a player's chest visibly rising and falling, they have an excellent hand

Sighing and Shrugging
If a player makes a show of sighing or shrugging, and says things like “Oh, I guess I’ll call,” or even “Why am I calling?” he probably is overacting and is trying to hide a big hand.

Glancing at Chips After Looking at Hole Cards
When a player looks down and sees strong hole or pocket cards, she may glance over at her chips to see just how much she can bet.

Poker Tells that Say "I Have a Weak Hand!"

Staring Down Other Players
If an opponent is staring you down, he’s trying to represent strength. Usually though, he has a weak hand – he might have something, but it’s something that can be beaten or drawn out on.

Holding Breath
Often, inexperienced players will hold their breath if they are bluffing.
Poker Tells that Say "I Have a Drawing Hand."

Checking Hole Cards After a Flop
If the flop shows the possibility of giving someone a flush or straight draw, watch for people re-checking their hole cards. They’re checking to see if they have a piece of it – whether that black Ace was a spade or a club. The player doesn’t have the flush or straight at that point, because if they did, they wouldn’t have to check, but she is seeing if she has a draw to it.

Taking a Long Time Before Calling a Bet
If a player looks into the pot and seems to be doing some calculating in his head, he probably is. He’s most likely figuring out the pot odds to see if it’s worth it to try and catch the cards he needs to complete his drawing hand.

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Vanessa "LadyMaverick" Rousso

Date: Thu, Sep 25, 2008

Vanessa Ashley Rousso is a law student at the University of Miami and a professional poker player. Vanessa Rousso was born February 5, 1983 in White Plains, New York, Vanessa Rousso has dual citizenships with the United States and France.

In 2001, Vanessa Rousso graduated as valedictorian of her high school in Wellington, Florida. She graduated early from Duke University after two and a half years with a major in economics and a minor in political science in December 2003. Prior to entering law school she organized the The Celebrity Players Tour Florida, a celebrity charity golf tournament series.

A poker player since the age of five, Vanessa Rousso began serious poker tournament play during her summer break from law school. In her first year of playing, Rousso has multiple in the money tournament finishes, including seventh place at the 2006 World Poker Tour championship event and eighth place in the 2006 World Series of Poker $5000 no limit hold 'em shorthanded event. In September 2006 she won $285,450 at the $5000 no limit hold 'em event at the Borgata Open. She has made several appearances on the Poker After Dark television program.

Vanessa Rousso is currently engaged to Chad Brown.

As of 2008, Vanessa Rousso's tournament winnings exceed $1,000,000.

World Championship of Online Poker

Vanessa Rousso is sponsored by the PokerStars online poker cardroom under the screenname LadyMaverick as part of their Team PokerStars. She placed third in the 2007 World Championship of Online Poker Main Event, an online tournament run by PokerStars, winning $463,940.50; after the winner was later disqualified, Vanessa " LadyMaverick" Rousso was named runner-up and awarded with $700,782.50.

Official site
PokerListings.com profile
Casinocitytimes.com: Multi-talented Vanessa Rousso's game is peaking as the WSOP nears
Hendon Mob tournament results: Vanessa Rousso
Team PokerStars profile: Vanessa Rousso

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