Posts Tagged ‘Annie Duke’

Epic Poker League could be in Trouble

Thursday, January 12th, 2012

If you listen to Commissioner Annie Duke, you’d think that the Epic Poker League was the greatest thing to happen to poker. But if you pay attention to recent reports by several poker news outlets, you might conclude an entirely different thought.

After all, it’s being reported that Pinnacle Entertainment is currently talking to EPL owners about buying the poker league. Popular speculation is that Jeffrey Pollack and the Palms Casino want to sell the EPL because they’re going through some major financial difficulties.

The reason why is because they have delayed their fourth event along with the championship $1 million freeroll tournament until the spring. Considering the fact that this isn’t exactly something you expect from a thriving poker organization, it’s no wonder why people are skeptical about the Epic Poker League finances.

As for their prospective buyer, Pinnacle Entertainment, they’re best known for operating several casinos throughout the United States. And they seem to be really motivated in acquiring the EPL since they’re trying to get the deal done by March.

Assuming they do indeed buy this poker tournament league, it will be interesting to see how the EPL transforms. Will all of the events suddenly revolve around the Pinnacle properties in states like Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri and Ohio? Or will they continue to be held in the same scheduled locations as what we saw this year?

Perhaps more importantly is what will happen to the TV deals and current structure of the league. Right now, 200 poker pros are invited to the EPL season events, while other players can work their way into the mix by meeting the specified requirements. However, under new ownership, this could all change if Pinnacle Entertainment doesn’t think the current model will offer future profits. We’ll have to revisit this discussion when/if Pinnacle does buy the Epic Poker League.

 

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Poker Hall of Fame, EPT San Remo Updates

Friday, October 28th, 2011

There are some big updates in the poker world to report dealing with the Poker Hall of Fame and 2011 EPT San Remo tournament.  First off, Barry Greenstein and Linda Johnson were inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame yesterday.

Barry Greenstein was a virtual lock after looking at the nominees, which included Annie Duke, Huck Seed, Tom McEvoy, Jack McClelland, Jennifer Harman-Traniello, John Juanda, Marcel Luske and Scotty Nguyen. Greenstein, who is called the Robin Hood of Poker for his charity work, got into the Hall via his $7.5 million in live tournament cashes and two WPT titles. In addition to this, Greenstein is a regular in the high stakes poker world.

Linda Johnson’s resume includes being a driving force in starting the World Poker Tour, and starting CardPlayer Magazine mostly by herself. She is also a solid poker player with over $342,000 in winnings and a WSOP bracelet – though this played much less of a factor in her Poker Hall of Fame induction.

As for the 2011 EPT San Remo, the tournament was won by an unheralded player by the name of Andrey Pateychuk. The Russian player, who had just $46k in live tournament cashes before this victory, added another €680,000 ($965k) to his poker earnings after beating Dimitar Danchev heads-up.

When the two players were the only ones remaining on the EPT San Remo final table, they decided to split €1.2 million of the leftover prize money, and play for the other €80,000. After a couple of hours of play, the two players were still near-even until Pateychuk went all-in with 6-7 unsuited. Danchev called with 9-T unsuited and flopped top pair with 9′s; unfortunately for him, the next two cards gave Pateychuk a runner-runner straight, and he won the hand.

With very few chips left, Danchev was quickly eliminated, which gave Andrey Pateychuk the victory.

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Poker Players Giving Back To The Community

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

Poker players sometimes catch a bad rap for being involved with gambling. After all, the activity is not legal everywhere and the game is often associated with mobsters and con men. That’s why I always like to see professional poker players giving back to the community, showing the world that we’re completely legit. This Thursday Annie Duke will be giving back by hosting a charity event to support California Governor Schwarzenegger’s nonprofit youth group, After-School All-Stars.

Duke’s event is slated for 7:30 pm this Thursday at the Commerce Casino in LA. Celebrity guests including David Zayas, Don Cheadle, Trishelle Cannatella, Jennifer Elise Cox, Joshua Malina and Sara Rue are expected to attend, in addition to pro pro poker players Tiffany Michelle and Adam Levy. The celebs and poker pros will be competing for $35,000 in prizes. Of course, the prize money will all be donated to After-School All-Stars.

Duke feels very strongly about this organization. She says, “The children [After-School All-Stars] serves live in some of the most poverty-stricken areas in the country where their other options are gangs, drugs, or worse.” Duke really likes the fact that the program gives kids extra support with schoolwork and an alternative from the criminal lifestyle many of these at risk children are faced with. She says, “Poker players can be incredibly generous people, so it was a no-brainer for me that this event should happen.”

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Annie Duke Releases Free Poker App For iPhone

Monday, April 19th, 2010

I’ve mentioned time and time again the playing free poker online is one of the best ways to practice and improve your poker skills. Annie Duke is taking free poker practice to the next level with her new iPhone app, Annie Duke Poker Tutor.

Annie Duke’s iPhone application offers poker players the chance to be tutored by the best. Annie is one of the top poker players in the business, with more than $3.6 million in poker winnings, a WSOP bracelet and the title of best female poker player in the world. Through her application, she offers users with insightful tips and tricks of the trade. Her tips aren’t just the average, run of the mill tips you can find anywhere. Each day she offers up a new tip that is several paragraphs long and is aimed to really help poker players improve their game and play to their full potential.

In addition to the tip of the day, the Annie Duke Poker Tutor application also includes an overview of the rules of poker, a Texas Hold’em odds calculator, and Annie’s favorite poker links. The tips are extremely helpful, but many players will find value in the odds calculator alone.

If you have an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad, I would recommend getting this application. After all, it’s free so you have nothing to lose. You can read Annie’s tips, put them to use with free online poker and watch as your skills improve.

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WSOP Tournament of Champions is Back

Friday, March 19th, 2010

The Tournament of Champions, one of the most exciting all-star events hosted by the WSOP, is coming back this summer. The tournament was shelved in 2006, but is back due to popular demand. The tournament is a $1 million freeroll for the top 20 bracelet holders of WSOP tournaments past. It should be one of the most exciting tournaments of the summer!

Who determines which players will take part in the Tournament of Champions? Poker fans like you and me! The polls opened on March 15 and will remain open until June 15 at the WSOP website. Any previous WSOP bracelet winner is eligible. Additionally, five players have already been automatically selected to take part in the tournament. These players are Joe Cada (the reigning WSOP Main Event champion), Barry Shulman (winner of the Main Event in WSOP Europe this year), and Annie Duke, Mike Sexton and Mike Matusow (previous winners of the WSOP Tournament of Champions).

The tournament is scheduled to begin on June 27 and will take place at the Rio. Players will compete until they are narrowed down to a final table of 9 players and the final table will be played on July 4. Players are playing for their share of the $1 million prize as well as the prestigious title of Tournament of Champions winner. First place will receive $500,000; second place takes home $100,000; and the rest of the players at the final table will take home $25,000.

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