Bejing Olympics Card Stacking

Date: Mon, Aug 25, 2008

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The Rock Straddle

Date: Mon, Aug 25, 2008

(SOURCE)


A Rock Straddle goes a little something like this:

A player on the button wishing to straddle must indicate as much to the dealer by tossing $4, or double the big blind depending on the game, in front of the dealer button before the start of a hand. Once the straddle has been acknowledged, the pre-flop action begins with the player under-the-gun, just as it would during a normal hand. When the action makes it way around the table to the button he is skipped and it is then the small blind's turn to act. Once both blinds have taken their turns, play then reverts to the button, who has the last action pre-flop. Moreover, should a player raise before the action even gets to the button, he would still be skipped and receive the ultimate last action after everyone else made their plays. The only situation in which the button would not be skipped is if there were a raise and a re-raise in front of him.

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The Rock Straddle

Date: Mon, Aug 25, 2008

(SOURCE)


A Rock Straddle goes a little something like this:

A player on the button wishing to straddle must indicate as much to the dealer by tossing $4, or double the big blind depending on the game, in front of the dealer button before the start of a hand. Once the straddle has been acknowledged, the pre-flop action begins with the player under-the-gun, just as it would during a normal hand. When the action makes it way around the table to the button he is skipped and it is then the small blind's turn to act. Once both blinds have taken their turns, play then reverts to the button, who has the last action pre-flop. Moreover, should a player raise before the action even gets to the button, he would still be skipped and receive the ultimate last action after everyone else made their plays. The only situation in which the button would not be skipped is if there were a raise and a re-raise in front of him.

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Online Poker: Interview with James 'Andy McLEOD' Obst on Razz

Date: Mon, Aug 25, 2008

(SOURCE)

James 'Andy McLEOD' Obst Keeps the Comeback Ball Rolling with FTOPS Razz Title
It hasn’t been long since CardPlayer.com did a video interview with James “Andy McLEOD” Obst. He’d just turned 18 and had come back to playing online poker after having been banned from most major sites for being underage. He final tabled the PokerStars Sunday Million within his first month back, and since our initial interview with him less than two weeks ago, he’s already earned even more deep, noteworthy finishes.

Obst’s biggest accomplishment in the past two weeks was taking down the $300 razz event in the Full Tilt Online Poker Series IX. He earned more than $40,000 for that first-place finish, which was his second-ever FTOPS title (his first was during the FTOPS IV in a $100 no-limit hold’em rebuy event). He then went on to finish in fourth place in the PokerStars Nightly Hundred Grand four nights later.

It’s not often that we can get our hands on an online poker player who also owns a razz title, so we took the opportunity to snag Obst for another interview to pick his brain about the poker variant wherein best is worst.


Shawn Patrick Green: So, you won a razz tournament in a major online poker series, which certainly is not an accomplishment that many can claim. Are you actually any good at razz, or was this a fluke?

James “Andy McLEOD” Obst: I used to play mainly seven-card stud eight-or-better some years ago when I first started playing higher stakes, so I’m pretty familiar with most of the games. And on that day, I just decided before the tournament that I was going to win (so that I would play well; not like I can just make it happen [laughs]), and ended up concentrating a lot harder than I ever have on razz before. [Laughs]

SPG: People say that razz is more luck-based than other poker variants. Is the edge you can achieve in a razz tournament smaller than the edge you can get in hold'em?

JO: To be honest, I think the edge you have in a razz tournament like the FTOPS or the WCOOP [PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker] is huge, possibly even bigger than hold’em. Mainly because there is always an influx of players who don’t really know what they’re doing but play anyway, because it’s a big event in a prestigious series. And since it’s a limit game, they can’t just bust you in one lucky hand; rather, you get to press your edge against them for longer with more margin for error.

SPG: So then where does that edge come from? What are some basic razz strategies?

JO: A lot of bad players will chase down hands starting with, say, two low cards and a medium-high one, like (2-4) 10. or (A-5) 9, which is in general bad if there are other low cards showing and active in the pot, since they’re always having to come from behind against players who know what they’re doing, who will typically only draw to, at worst, an 8-low unless there are an unusual number of high cards showing and it is likely that a 9- or a 10-draw can be the best starting hand.

Also, bad players will defend hands like (A-2) K for obvious reasons, they have the A-2, and there’s a discount! Even though there’s a discount, this is typically bad, except in a few situations, like if it’s heads up and it’s down to the last player to act, who will default raise with any three cards, since you have the king showing. Then, defending can be OK sometimes.

SPG: So, how do you play a game like razz during bubble situations? You still play more aggressively, I assume, but what does that equate to in a limit game like razz?

JO: I think that on the bubble I’m more likely to open bad hands with a low card showing, say (J-7) 2, if there are only one or two low cards to act behind me. That’s about the only adjustment you can really make. If you really wanted to get tricky, you could float a low card’s raise with a bad hand and start firing if they brick on fourth street or something similar, but that’s just asking for trouble.

SPG: Talk about the final table a bit, if you could. What was working out for you there, and who were your tough competitors and why?

JO: The Omaholic [Mark Roland] was also at the final table. He plays a lot of the non-hold’em games, and as such, was a good player. Other than him, there was a very aggressive player to my right [DeuceBuster] who would raise with just about any two down cards when he had a low card showing and there was one low card showing behind him. That’s about all I remember of the players, but, fittingly, it got down to us three-handed. Things had gone pretty well for me down to three-handed, and I took a pretty healthy chip lead in, but then things turned around after The Omaholic made a huge recovery from something like one-seventieth of the chips in play, and we were all very even, and I was the shortstack for a bit. But the other player’s aggression was probably his downfall in the end, and The Omaholic and I ended up heads up. I had a big chip lead, but he made a big recovery once again and had me down to all in in one hand, where I caught an 8-low on seventh street to keep me alive in what was probably the biggest pot of the tournament. Heads up is certainly pretty reliant on catching the cards, especially when it’s between two good players, so I was fortunate it went my way in the end.

SPG: I was actually going to ask about how head-up razz goes. So, you think it’s pretty hard to gain an edge heads up in razz, especially against a good player?

JO: Yeah, definitely, that was the one stage in the tournament when I felt I didn’t have a significant edge. But I’m not an expert on heads-up razz or anything; I’m sure some may specialize in it and know the ranges a lot better than me and would be able to gain a meaningful edge against just about anyone.

SPG: Full Tilt doesn’t exactly have heads-up razz tournaments going around the clock. You pretty much have to go deep in a multitable razz tournament to get heads-up razz practice. [Laughs]

JO: [Laughs] Yeah, or play Degenyamine at $1,000-$2,000 when he was trying to conquer the world.

SPG: [Laughs] Did you actually play David Benyamine high-stakes heads-up razz?

JO: No, not me.

SPG: I was going to say, that doesn’t seem like your kind of thing. Now let’s go over an interesting hand that you played in the event. First, we’ll recap all of the action.

Jonathan "BlackJackLeak" Paul Streets (?-?) 3 9 A 4 (?)
Action 1: Complete to 2,000/3: Call 4,000 1: Bet 2,000 1: Bet 4,000/3: Call 1: Check/ 3: Call 1: Check/3: Call
James "TheFatFISH" Obst Streets (A-2) 6 K 3 5 (Q)
Action 2: Raise to 4,000 2: Call 2,000 2: Raise to 8,000 2: Bet 4,000 2: Bet 4,000


SPG: You have a pretty darn good hand here. Is there really a concept of slow-playing on third street in razz? Not that you were slow-playing here, but I’m just curious in general.

JO: I don’t typically do it. The only merit to it would be if you notice that a player has a tendency to call with bad hands like a 9 or a 10 showing for the bring-in amount, but not call a raise. That or if you are in early position in relation to the bring-in and there are a lot of low cards behind you when one of them is likely to raise a limp.

SPG: OK, so BlackJackLeak [Jonathan Paul] completed with a 3 showing. How often are players completing, and is there much of a read that you can get on third street?

JO: There are two low cards showing to act behind him, so he shouldn’t often be raising too light, but it’s conceivable that he may be raising with a 9 or a 10 in the hole. All you can do is really estimate their opening range. Some people would even just raise there with total garbage and fold to a three-bet.

SPG: OK, so you raised and he called. Fourth street gave you a bad king and him a 9, and he led out with a bet. What were your thoughts on that street?

JO: You'll notice that on the third street, there was another 6 and a 2 showing, as well as his 3. This means that my hand of (A-2) 6 only has one solitary low card blocking it from improving in the 3. As such, it is an even stronger hand than if there was a 4 and a 7 that had mucked, and so on. On the fourth street, he was betting with 100 percent of his range, since the 9 should improve his hand more than the king improves mine. It’s even possible he’s paired nines at this stage, though its unlikely; I have to assume he’s drawing to the 9-low, but my hand is obviously still very strong and live, so I call to see what the fifth street brings.

SPG: You get a 3 on fifth street, and he gets an ace. Both are pretty good cards, but did you put him on an ace in the hole for a possibly paired (and therefore useless) fifth-street card for him?

JO: It’s certainly very possible that he paired the ace, although I do have one of the aces myself. Regardless, though, even if he didn’t and has a made 9-low, the 3 was the absolute gin card for me, because it was the least likely low card I could hit, because one 3 was already out. Now, you'll notice that fours, fives, sevens and eights are completely live. So, even if he has a made 9-low, I have 16 outs to improve to at least an 8-low, and 18 to improve to at least a 9-low, which would also likely be good at this stage, with two cards to come.

Even if he has a made 9, I am considerably in front with my completely live A-2-3-6, so it is a very easy raise that many players new to razz wouldn’t know to make, especially when you consider that he may have paired both his ace or his 9, in which case my hand is miles in front. A few people may be thinking that if he did have a made 9-low, he probably has some of the cards I are trying to hit in his hand, which is likely true, but we are still likely to be in front, regardless. The worst-case scenario is that he has something like a 2-4 in the hole, in which case we would probably be around 40/60, but that’s extremely unlikely.

Another note that I would make about that analysis is that when I say I have 16 outs to improve to an 8-low, people shouldn’t instinctively use the “2 and 4” rule in this scenario, since there are a lot more cards already discarded in razz than in hold’em at this stage. So, the odds of me improving are a lot better than 16 x 4, or 64 percent.

SPG: Now, on sixth street you hit the jackpot. You snag a 5 to give you a 6-5 low, the third nuts behind a 5-4 and 6-4. You apparently still didn’t think it was time to slow play, though [laughs].

JO: Haha, yeah, the analysis pretty much ends at this point. I make the virtual nuts and get two streets of value. I didn’t really think [slow-playing] would be appropriate at this point, because it’s so likely he’s paired his hand at some point, whether it be nines, aces, or fours.

SPG: Since you thought your hand was good on sixth street, seventh street couldn’t change much, could it, since you can’t see what he gets?

JO: He would have to have hit gin and have had either a 2-6 or a 2-5 in the hole to beat me, and if he does, more power to him; I’m probably losing four bets, though I might just call the second. The likelihood that he calls with a worse hand — he’ll probably call with almost all of his hands, hoping I paired fives and bricked the river — far outweighs the chances he magically has me beat, making it an auto-bet.

And he ended up mucking the (A-8) 3-9-A-4 (K) for a 9-8-4-3-A. Although Full Tilt shows your down-cards in random order, so it’s possible he started with a king, but I think this is the most likely way his hand played out.

SPG: Awesome. Thanks for doing this interview, and congrats again!

BY: SHAWN PATRICK GREEN | shawn.green@cardplayer.com
PUBLISHED: Sunday Aug 24, 2008 02:00 PM

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Online Poker: Interview with James 'Andy McLEOD' Obst on Razz

Date: Mon, Aug 25, 2008

(SOURCE)

James 'Andy McLEOD' Obst Keeps the Comeback Ball Rolling with FTOPS Razz Title
It hasn’t been long since CardPlayer.com did a video interview with James “Andy McLEOD” Obst. He’d just turned 18 and had come back to playing online poker after having been banned from most major sites for being underage. He final tabled the PokerStars Sunday Million within his first month back, and since our initial interview with him less than two weeks ago, he’s already earned even more deep, noteworthy finishes.

Obst’s biggest accomplishment in the past two weeks was taking down the $300 razz event in the Full Tilt Online Poker Series IX. He earned more than $40,000 for that first-place finish, which was his second-ever FTOPS title (his first was during the FTOPS IV in a $100 no-limit hold’em rebuy event). He then went on to finish in fourth place in the PokerStars Nightly Hundred Grand four nights later.

It’s not often that we can get our hands on an online poker player who also owns a razz title, so we took the opportunity to snag Obst for another interview to pick his brain about the poker variant wherein best is worst.


Shawn Patrick Green: So, you won a razz tournament in a major online poker series, which certainly is not an accomplishment that many can claim. Are you actually any good at razz, or was this a fluke?

James “Andy McLEOD” Obst: I used to play mainly seven-card stud eight-or-better some years ago when I first started playing higher stakes, so I’m pretty familiar with most of the games. And on that day, I just decided before the tournament that I was going to win (so that I would play well; not like I can just make it happen [laughs]), and ended up concentrating a lot harder than I ever have on razz before. [Laughs]

SPG: People say that razz is more luck-based than other poker variants. Is the edge you can achieve in a razz tournament smaller than the edge you can get in hold'em?

JO: To be honest, I think the edge you have in a razz tournament like the FTOPS or the WCOOP [PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker] is huge, possibly even bigger than hold’em. Mainly because there is always an influx of players who don’t really know what they’re doing but play anyway, because it’s a big event in a prestigious series. And since it’s a limit game, they can’t just bust you in one lucky hand; rather, you get to press your edge against them for longer with more margin for error.

SPG: So then where does that edge come from? What are some basic razz strategies?

JO: A lot of bad players will chase down hands starting with, say, two low cards and a medium-high one, like (2-4) 10. or (A-5) 9, which is in general bad if there are other low cards showing and active in the pot, since they’re always having to come from behind against players who know what they’re doing, who will typically only draw to, at worst, an 8-low unless there are an unusual number of high cards showing and it is likely that a 9- or a 10-draw can be the best starting hand.

Also, bad players will defend hands like (A-2) K for obvious reasons, they have the A-2, and there’s a discount! Even though there’s a discount, this is typically bad, except in a few situations, like if it’s heads up and it’s down to the last player to act, who will default raise with any three cards, since you have the king showing. Then, defending can be OK sometimes.

SPG: So, how do you play a game like razz during bubble situations? You still play more aggressively, I assume, but what does that equate to in a limit game like razz?

JO: I think that on the bubble I’m more likely to open bad hands with a low card showing, say (J-7) 2, if there are only one or two low cards to act behind me. That’s about the only adjustment you can really make. If you really wanted to get tricky, you could float a low card’s raise with a bad hand and start firing if they brick on fourth street or something similar, but that’s just asking for trouble.

SPG: Talk about the final table a bit, if you could. What was working out for you there, and who were your tough competitors and why?

JO: The Omaholic [Mark Roland] was also at the final table. He plays a lot of the non-hold’em games, and as such, was a good player. Other than him, there was a very aggressive player to my right [DeuceBuster] who would raise with just about any two down cards when he had a low card showing and there was one low card showing behind him. That’s about all I remember of the players, but, fittingly, it got down to us three-handed. Things had gone pretty well for me down to three-handed, and I took a pretty healthy chip lead in, but then things turned around after The Omaholic made a huge recovery from something like one-seventieth of the chips in play, and we were all very even, and I was the shortstack for a bit. But the other player’s aggression was probably his downfall in the end, and The Omaholic and I ended up heads up. I had a big chip lead, but he made a big recovery once again and had me down to all in in one hand, where I caught an 8-low on seventh street to keep me alive in what was probably the biggest pot of the tournament. Heads up is certainly pretty reliant on catching the cards, especially when it’s between two good players, so I was fortunate it went my way in the end.

SPG: I was actually going to ask about how head-up razz goes. So, you think it’s pretty hard to gain an edge heads up in razz, especially against a good player?

JO: Yeah, definitely, that was the one stage in the tournament when I felt I didn’t have a significant edge. But I’m not an expert on heads-up razz or anything; I’m sure some may specialize in it and know the ranges a lot better than me and would be able to gain a meaningful edge against just about anyone.

SPG: Full Tilt doesn’t exactly have heads-up razz tournaments going around the clock. You pretty much have to go deep in a multitable razz tournament to get heads-up razz practice. [Laughs]

JO: [Laughs] Yeah, or play Degenyamine at $1,000-$2,000 when he was trying to conquer the world.

SPG: [Laughs] Did you actually play David Benyamine high-stakes heads-up razz?

JO: No, not me.

SPG: I was going to say, that doesn’t seem like your kind of thing. Now let’s go over an interesting hand that you played in the event. First, we’ll recap all of the action.

Jonathan "BlackJackLeak" Paul Streets (?-?) 3 9 A 4 (?)
Action 1: Complete to 2,000/3: Call 4,000 1: Bet 2,000 1: Bet 4,000/3: Call 1: Check/ 3: Call 1: Check/3: Call
James "TheFatFISH" Obst Streets (A-2) 6 K 3 5 (Q)
Action 2: Raise to 4,000 2: Call 2,000 2: Raise to 8,000 2: Bet 4,000 2: Bet 4,000


SPG: You have a pretty darn good hand here. Is there really a concept of slow-playing on third street in razz? Not that you were slow-playing here, but I’m just curious in general.

JO: I don’t typically do it. The only merit to it would be if you notice that a player has a tendency to call with bad hands like a 9 or a 10 showing for the bring-in amount, but not call a raise. That or if you are in early position in relation to the bring-in and there are a lot of low cards behind you when one of them is likely to raise a limp.

SPG: OK, so BlackJackLeak [Jonathan Paul] completed with a 3 showing. How often are players completing, and is there much of a read that you can get on third street?

JO: There are two low cards showing to act behind him, so he shouldn’t often be raising too light, but it’s conceivable that he may be raising with a 9 or a 10 in the hole. All you can do is really estimate their opening range. Some people would even just raise there with total garbage and fold to a three-bet.

SPG: OK, so you raised and he called. Fourth street gave you a bad king and him a 9, and he led out with a bet. What were your thoughts on that street?

JO: You'll notice that on the third street, there was another 6 and a 2 showing, as well as his 3. This means that my hand of (A-2) 6 only has one solitary low card blocking it from improving in the 3. As such, it is an even stronger hand than if there was a 4 and a 7 that had mucked, and so on. On the fourth street, he was betting with 100 percent of his range, since the 9 should improve his hand more than the king improves mine. It’s even possible he’s paired nines at this stage, though its unlikely; I have to assume he’s drawing to the 9-low, but my hand is obviously still very strong and live, so I call to see what the fifth street brings.

SPG: You get a 3 on fifth street, and he gets an ace. Both are pretty good cards, but did you put him on an ace in the hole for a possibly paired (and therefore useless) fifth-street card for him?

JO: It’s certainly very possible that he paired the ace, although I do have one of the aces myself. Regardless, though, even if he didn’t and has a made 9-low, the 3 was the absolute gin card for me, because it was the least likely low card I could hit, because one 3 was already out. Now, you'll notice that fours, fives, sevens and eights are completely live. So, even if he has a made 9-low, I have 16 outs to improve to at least an 8-low, and 18 to improve to at least a 9-low, which would also likely be good at this stage, with two cards to come.

Even if he has a made 9, I am considerably in front with my completely live A-2-3-6, so it is a very easy raise that many players new to razz wouldn’t know to make, especially when you consider that he may have paired both his ace or his 9, in which case my hand is miles in front. A few people may be thinking that if he did have a made 9-low, he probably has some of the cards I are trying to hit in his hand, which is likely true, but we are still likely to be in front, regardless. The worst-case scenario is that he has something like a 2-4 in the hole, in which case we would probably be around 40/60, but that’s extremely unlikely.

Another note that I would make about that analysis is that when I say I have 16 outs to improve to an 8-low, people shouldn’t instinctively use the “2 and 4” rule in this scenario, since there are a lot more cards already discarded in razz than in hold’em at this stage. So, the odds of me improving are a lot better than 16 x 4, or 64 percent.

SPG: Now, on sixth street you hit the jackpot. You snag a 5 to give you a 6-5 low, the third nuts behind a 5-4 and 6-4. You apparently still didn’t think it was time to slow play, though [laughs].

JO: Haha, yeah, the analysis pretty much ends at this point. I make the virtual nuts and get two streets of value. I didn’t really think [slow-playing] would be appropriate at this point, because it’s so likely he’s paired his hand at some point, whether it be nines, aces, or fours.

SPG: Since you thought your hand was good on sixth street, seventh street couldn’t change much, could it, since you can’t see what he gets?

JO: He would have to have hit gin and have had either a 2-6 or a 2-5 in the hole to beat me, and if he does, more power to him; I’m probably losing four bets, though I might just call the second. The likelihood that he calls with a worse hand — he’ll probably call with almost all of his hands, hoping I paired fives and bricked the river — far outweighs the chances he magically has me beat, making it an auto-bet.

And he ended up mucking the (A-8) 3-9-A-4 (K) for a 9-8-4-3-A. Although Full Tilt shows your down-cards in random order, so it’s possible he started with a king, but I think this is the most likely way his hand played out.

SPG: Awesome. Thanks for doing this interview, and congrats again!

BY: SHAWN PATRICK GREEN | shawn.green@cardplayer.com
PUBLISHED: Sunday Aug 24, 2008 02:00 PM

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Full Tilt Poker Hosting $25,000 Heads-Up Championship

Date: Thu, Aug 21, 2008

Fresh off of the finish of its ninth Full Tilt Online Poker Series, the online poker site is gearing up for its second Heads-Up World Championship. The $25,000 buy-in tournament will begin at 3:00pm ET (15:00 GMT) on Saturday, September 6th. A winner will be crowned the very next day. This time around, the name of the game is Pot Limit Omaha, which will not only attract a wealth of new players, but will also provide an excellent opportunity for young poker players to learn about this advanced game from some of their favorite pros.

The original Heads-Up World Championship was held in May on Full Tilt Poker. There were 64 total entrants in order to create the “perfect bracket” for heads-up play. In the end, poker pro David Singer defeated Full Tilt member “Whitelime” heads up. Singer’s reward was a healthy $560,000, by far one of the largest first place prizes ever dished out online. Singer defeated “OMGClayAiken,” Brandon Adams, “Buck99,” “MASTRBLASTR,” and Brian Hastings en route to victory. Adams was among the final players in the $10,000 buy-in Heads-Up World Championship event at the 2008 World Series of Poker. He finished sixth and took home $54,144. Adams also finished 69th in the 2007 WSOP Main Event for $130,288.

It was no surprise to anyone that Singer had success in the original Full Tilt Poker Heads-Up Championship. He’s been a force on the live tournament circuit, notching two final tables in Season IV of the World Poker Tour. That season, Singer finished sixth in the Borgata Poker Open for $249,775. He followed that up with a third place finish in the PokerStars Caribbean
Adventure for $436,200. His career WPT earnings nearly top $900,000. The momentum from the Heads-Up Championship victory propelled him to his first WSOP bracelet in 2008, when he took down a $1,500 Pot Limit Hold’em event for $214,122.

Already slated to play in the Heads-Up Championship are Full Tilt Poker pros Phil Ivey, Gus Hansen, and Patrik Antonius. Ivey has to be the favorite in the field. Two of his five World Series of Poker bracelets have come in Pot Limit Omaha events, one each in 2000 and 2005. His career WSOP winnings are over $3.4 million. Hansen has five total WSOP and WSOP Europe cashes; all have come in $10,000 buy-in events, but none are in Pot Limit Omaha. He had three WPT victories in the first two seasons, one each in the Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic, L.A. Poker Classic, and PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. His career WPT earnings top $4 million.

In May’s Heads-Up Championship, Ivey was defeated in the first round by Whitelime. Hansen was also ousted in the first round by PR1NNYRAID. Those who had deep runs in May included Andy Bloch, Peter “Nordberg” Feldman, Howard Lederer, and ActionJeff. This time around, Full Tilt Poker is offering “sweat tournaments” which offer $5,000 in added prizes. While a player’s final two rounds of heads-up matches are taking place on Sunday, September 7th, visit the Tournament Lobby and join the sweat tournament that’s named for the player who you think will win it all. According to Full Tilt’s website, “If you reach the final table in your chosen tournament and your pro wins the $25K Heads-Up World Championship, you’ll receive a share of a $5,000 bonus in addition to your prize money.” Each sweat tournament has a buy-in of $11.

Video highlights will be available on the online poker room’s website in case you missed any of the action. Satellites into the $25,000 Heads-Up Pot Limit Omaha Championship are currently running on Full Tilt Poker. It’s important to note that once a player registers for the Heads-Up Championship, he or she is not able to un-register.

(SOURCE)

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Full Tilt Poker Hosting $25,000 Heads-Up Championship

Date: Thu, Aug 21, 2008

Fresh off of the finish of its ninth Full Tilt Online Poker Series, the online poker site is gearing up for its second Heads-Up World Championship. The $25,000 buy-in tournament will begin at 3:00pm ET (15:00 GMT) on Saturday, September 6th. A winner will be crowned the very next day. This time around, the name of the game is Pot Limit Omaha, which will not only attract a wealth of new players, but will also provide an excellent opportunity for young poker players to learn about this advanced game from some of their favorite pros.

The original Heads-Up World Championship was held in May on Full Tilt Poker. There were 64 total entrants in order to create the “perfect bracket” for heads-up play. In the end, poker pro David Singer defeated Full Tilt member “Whitelime” heads up. Singer’s reward was a healthy $560,000, by far one of the largest first place prizes ever dished out online. Singer defeated “OMGClayAiken,” Brandon Adams, “Buck99,” “MASTRBLASTR,” and Brian Hastings en route to victory. Adams was among the final players in the $10,000 buy-in Heads-Up World Championship event at the 2008 World Series of Poker. He finished sixth and took home $54,144. Adams also finished 69th in the 2007 WSOP Main Event for $130,288.

It was no surprise to anyone that Singer had success in the original Full Tilt Poker Heads-Up Championship. He’s been a force on the live tournament circuit, notching two final tables in Season IV of the World Poker Tour. That season, Singer finished sixth in the Borgata Poker Open for $249,775. He followed that up with a third place finish in the PokerStars Caribbean
Adventure for $436,200. His career WPT earnings nearly top $900,000. The momentum from the Heads-Up Championship victory propelled him to his first WSOP bracelet in 2008, when he took down a $1,500 Pot Limit Hold’em event for $214,122.

Already slated to play in the Heads-Up Championship are Full Tilt Poker pros Phil Ivey, Gus Hansen, and Patrik Antonius. Ivey has to be the favorite in the field. Two of his five World Series of Poker bracelets have come in Pot Limit Omaha events, one each in 2000 and 2005. His career WSOP winnings are over $3.4 million. Hansen has five total WSOP and WSOP Europe cashes; all have come in $10,000 buy-in events, but none are in Pot Limit Omaha. He had three WPT victories in the first two seasons, one each in the Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic, L.A. Poker Classic, and PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. His career WPT earnings top $4 million.

In May’s Heads-Up Championship, Ivey was defeated in the first round by Whitelime. Hansen was also ousted in the first round by PR1NNYRAID. Those who had deep runs in May included Andy Bloch, Peter “Nordberg” Feldman, Howard Lederer, and ActionJeff. This time around, Full Tilt Poker is offering “sweat tournaments” which offer $5,000 in added prizes. While a player’s final two rounds of heads-up matches are taking place on Sunday, September 7th, visit the Tournament Lobby and join the sweat tournament that’s named for the player who you think will win it all. According to Full Tilt’s website, “If you reach the final table in your chosen tournament and your pro wins the $25K Heads-Up World Championship, you’ll receive a share of a $5,000 bonus in addition to your prize money.” Each sweat tournament has a buy-in of $11.

Video highlights will be available on the online poker room’s website in case you missed any of the action. Satellites into the $25,000 Heads-Up Pot Limit Omaha Championship are currently running on Full Tilt Poker. It’s important to note that once a player registers for the Heads-Up Championship, he or she is not able to un-register.

(SOURCE)

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Olympic Champion Michael Phelps Aims playing in WSOP 2009?

Date: Wed, Aug 20, 2008

Olympic Champion Michael Phelps Aims playing in WSOP 2009?

The Beijing Olympics may still be in full swing, but it has already had its fair share of memorable moments. Right at the top of the list is Michael Phelps who overtook Mark Spitz’s record for the most gold medals won in the same Olympics, bringing back eight from China. With the medals won, you’d be wrong to think that Phelps would like to relax, after the ‘Human Dolphin’ has eyed the World Series of Poker as his next target.

Although the swimmer admits his game still needs some work, he is an ambitious man who doesn’t see why he can’t hit the gold at the poker tables.

“I think it would be cool to play in the World Series of Poker,” Phelps said. “My game is a little off right now, so I’ll have to start improving it a little bit. But I think that would be cool, and it would be cool to meet some of those poker guys.”

The one thing we do know is that while he is an incredible swimmer, not even Mighty Michael will be winning this year’s bracelet, with the final nine already set for the November showdown. When he does take to the tables in 2009 though, many will watch to see how the American record-breaker fares.

(Source)

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End of the road for Chan Poker

Date: Wed, Aug 20, 2008

It's been a wild ride but ChanPoker.com is closing its doors on Aug. 21.

Chan Poker, which is fronted by back-to-back WSOP world champion Johnny Chan, was launched in 2006 with a great deal of fanfare and snappy interface.

A part of the popular Ongame Network, Chan Poker future looked bright with numerous sites entering the market and succeeding. Unfortunately little more than a few months later the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was passed and it's becoming apparent that Chan Poker was one of the online rooms hit hardest.

There wasn't much news from the Chan Poker camp in the last year and yesterday the site left a message for their customers on their front page.

An excerpt from the letter:

"We are sad to inform you that Chan Poker will be ceasing operation effective this Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008. Effective immediately we will no longer be accepting deposits. On Aug. 21 our poker clients will be disabled."

The letter went on to say that customers can rest assured that every withdrawal will be honored although it's possible there will be delays. As soon as players make their final withdrawal their account will be automatically closed.

Interesting the letter also said the room was in the process of seeking a new partner to provide a new home for Chan Poker players that will honor their player point balances.

What the Chan Poker Support didn't mention was what the next stop for their leading man, Johnny Chan himself, will be.

It's likely that the big two, Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars, would both have interest in signing the 10-time WSOP bracelet winner although one has to wonder if Chan still has the clout in the poker world to make it on the elite Team Full Tilt.

There is also a chance of smaller room signing Chan to a deal, he had a deal with DoylesRoom prior to ChanPoker, and rooms like Everest, Bodog, Titan and 888.com are always trying to expand their online presence.

Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008
By Arthur Crowson

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3 Online Greats at same table - Watch this video

Date: Tue, Aug 19, 2008

LILHOLDEM954 - THEDONATOR - BRYNKENNY - WATCH THEIR STYLES

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Dave Cain Will Attempt to Break Poker Endurance Record in September

Date: Tue, Aug 19, 2008

Courtesy of Lincolnshire Echo


Starting September 14th, Dave Cain will be attempting to break the world record for longest-ever poker session.

The official (according to Guinness World Records) record is currently 72 hours and 2 minutes, and is held by Larry Olmsted of the United States. Larry spent three full days at a table at Foxwoods, taking 15 minute breaks every eight hours so that he could change his clothes and brush his teeth. He started with $100 at a low-limit table, and by the time he had finished, possessed a stack of just under $1,000. At one point he was too tired to read the cards that he was being dealt, but pressed on anyways as he wanted to secure the record.

Cain will be looking to smash the previous record - he states that he hopes to play 100 hours straight, possibly more.

Dave Cain will not only be attempting to break the record, but he'll also be doing it playing heads-up, deep-stacked poker. This will be considerably more mentally taxing than just playing a full-ring game for 100 hours. Opponents will be substituted in on a continuing basis so that Cain can play "as many opponents as possible".

The venue will be the Library Bar in Lincoln, UK, and the event itself will take place between September 14th - September 18th.

100 hours? Playing heads-up poker? Sounds just about impossible to me. Best of luck to Cain though, as he will be using the attempt to raise money for local charities.

Source: Poker Playing Marathon

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Yuval "yuvee04" Bronshtein Wins Two FTOPS Titles in the Same Day

Date: Thu, Aug 14, 2008

(photo source)

August 13th, 2008 - There have been some incredible one-day performances in the history of online poker tournaments. However, "yuvee04" may have one-upped everyone by taking down two FTOPS titles in the same day.

There were two FTOPS events scheduled on Full Tilt Poker yesterday (August 12th) - the $500 + $35 HORSE event (300k Guaranteed), and the $200 + $16 NL Hold'em Turbo event (500k Guaranteed).

The HORSE event drew 655 entrants, and the No Limit Hold'em Turbo event drew 3,472.

When the smoke had cleared, "yuvee04" had navigated his way through both fields, taking down both events. He received $70,412.50 for his HORSE win, and an additional $101,975.00 for his NLHE Turbo victory.

This is Bronshtein's third lifetime FTOPS victory - he also won the $100 + $9 Stud H/L event in the sixth edition of the FTOPS for just over $17k.

To win two major tournaments in one day is impressive enough. To win two major tournaments, one of which is a TURBO No Limit Hold'em event with over 3,400 participants, is outrageous. Not to downplay Bronshtein's skill, but there is also a lot of luck involved in taking down a turbo tournament of that size.

Bronshtein has also had some success in "live" tournament poker as well, having made the final table of the $2k Pot Limit Hold'em event at the 2007 WSOP (he cashed for over $100k).

Clearly "yuvee04" is an enormously skilled, well-rounded poker player who is a name to watch. This was a one-day performance that will be nearly impossible to top.

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POKER BABES

Date: Thu, Aug 14, 2008

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ANTE UP MAGAZINE

Date: Wed, Aug 13, 2008

September: Florida certainly made its presence known at this year's World Series of Poker. We dedicate 10 full pages to how Floridians performed at the WSOP, plus we offer tons of local news and photos, including a look at the new rooms in Daytona Beach and Ocala.

Hello Ante Up Nation!

I'm dropping you a line to let you know that our debut issue is up on our Web site at www.anteupmagazine.com. We have a cool program that lets you view the magazine exactly how it will be distributed in all of our Florida card rooms and bar leagues. But you can also download it to your desktop in case there's something you'd like to print.

Some highlights from this month's issue: Ex-FBI agent and Tampa resident Joe Navarro discusses nonverbal tells that come with age, poker pro Kenna James reflects on how he got hooked on this great game of poker and poker pro and fellow Ante Up National Lee Childs advises you to find YOUR game and then implement it. Plus we have a review of Gus Hansen's new book Every Hand Revealed, and interview with poker pro Evelyn Ng and tons of local coverage as well.

I hope you enjoy our premiere issue and drop me a line to let me know what you think.

Cheers,

Christopher Cosenza, Publisher
Ante Up, Florida's Poker Magazine
anteupmagazine.com

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