Posts Tagged ‘poker tournament’

Phil Ivey is Back – Wins Aussie Millions $250k

Sunday, January 29th, 2012

Along with the rest of the Full Tilt Poker crew, Phil Ivey hasn’t exactly been one of the most popular figures in poker over the past eight or so months. And he probably won’t be popular again until former Full Tilt players get their money back. Even still, Ivey wasn’t letting any of this stop him from showing up to the 2012 Aussie Millions.

The man who people have been touting as the best all-around poker player in the world for years not only showed up, but he made a huge impression after winning the Aussie Millions $250k Super High Roller event along with $2 million AUD. And you’d have to argue that this is the biggest poker tournament win of his career.

Now this is saying a lot for a guy who’s won a WPT title and eight WSOP bracelets. But judging from both a financial and adversity perspective, this is the most impressive win by Ivey. As for the adversity, he’s still dealing with a lot of the pressure from the Full Tilt fallout after Black Friday. In regards to the financial side of things, his largest poker tournament cash prior to this was a 2008 LA Poker Classic title ($1.6 million); he also finished seventh place in the 2009 WSOP Main Event ($1.4 million).

Moving along, this win could be construed as somewhat legendary since the final three players involved Ivey, Gus Hansen and Patrik Antonius. The latter is who Ivey dueled heads-up to complete the huge victory. One more point worth making here is that Ivey moved into second place on the all-time poker tournament winnings list with the win ($15.9 million).

Now does all of this mean we’re supposed to hail Phil Ivey and pretend like he had absolutely no involvement at all in the Full Tilt Poker mess? Not exactly, but we can at least respect his unparalleled poker abilities. Furthermore, we should also recognize that he’s not the primary villain in the FTP scandal by any means.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Poker News, Poker Tournaments | Comments Off

Joe Hachem: From PokerStars to AsianLogic

Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

2005 WSOP Main Event champion Joe Hachem definitely raised some eyebrows when he chose not to renew his sponsorship/endorsement contract with PokerStars. Seeing as how PokerStars is the world’s biggest poker site, one would think he’d have stayed put here.

Then came the rumors that the Aussie had signed on with a little known Merge Gaming Network site known as HahaPoker. This definitely got people talking because of the disparity of the move from PokerStars to HahaPoker. However, this has definitely been proven as a rumor following Hachem’s announcement that he will be signing with the AsianLogic Group.

If you’re unfamiliar with AsianLogic, they are best known for operating the Asian Poker Tour, and they also provide software services for online poker sites and other gaming entities. As for Hachem’s role within this company, he shed a little light on the subject by saying, “I am delighted to announce that I have decided to partner with a consortium comprising the AsianLogic Group and some of their contemporaries.” He added, “I will be working with the group in several areas, initially as a new ambassador for the Asian Poker Tour to further the growth of poker and to assist them with several strategic opportunities in Australia and the Asia Pacific region.”

AsianLogic’s chairman, Tom Hall, expanded on Hachem’s role with his company by saying, “Joe brings much more to the table than just his poker playing skills. His knowledge and understanding of the gaming industry both domestically and internationally will be invaluable to us going forwards.” He also said, “The Asian Poker Tour is already widely recognized as Asia’s only independent tour and we feel Joe will be able to help us expand this business. AsianLogic and its partners are also involved in a number of poker and gaming projects and Joe is helping us with some of these, particularly those in Australia and New Zealand.”

It’s no surprise that Joe Hachem would sign a sponsorship deal so quickly since he’s not only the 2005 WSOP Main Event winner, but also ninth in career poker tournament winnings with $11,342,508. Considering that almost $3.9 million of this has come away from the Main Event winnings, Hachem is definitely one of the most successful ME winners of all-time.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Poker News | Comments Off

John Duthie Moves foreshadow US Online Poker Regulation

Thursday, January 5th, 2012

John Duthie has become a legend within the poker community for starting up the European Poker Tour, and helping it to become one of the top three poker tournament organizations in the world. Interestingly enough though, Duthie resigned from his position as CEO of the EPT, and also chose not to renew his contract with PokerStars.

Duthie’s decision to leave the EPT especially comes as a shock because the UK native has successfully guided this company towards major TV deals and profits in his seven years with them. So what could make him leave the company he started and a lucrative deal with PokerStars? The answer is that Duthie is eyeing something even bigger in the US online poker market.

As of now, the future of US online poker is in limbo because the UIGEA is still in effect, and it’s unclear as to whether states, the federal government, or a combination of both will bring online poker games to players. However, one clear thing is that internet poker is closer than it’s ever been to being fully legalized in the US. And for someone like Duthie to leave behind big money-making jobs to chase after American opportunities has to mean something.

The 53-year-old basically said so in as many words by stating, “There are going to be some amazing opportunities coming up in 2012 and 2013 as the U.S. market prepares to open up for business once again, and I want to be available to take on new challenges, and to cement new relationships moving forward.”

We don’t know exactly what Duthie plans to do in a free online poker world over in America, but it’s got to be something big. Furthermore, you have to think that Duthie has some insider knowledge that the US is really getting close to regulating online poker on a wide scale level.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Online Poker, Poker News | Comments Off

NBC Heads-Up Poker Championship Cancelled

Friday, October 14th, 2011

The effects of Black Friday (April 15th) continue to linger today after the National Heads-Up Poker Championship was recently cancelled by NBC. Adam Freifeld, who is the NBC Sports Senior Director of Communications, announced the sad news when he said the network wanted to, “continue to evaluate our poker programming.”

The 64-player poker tournament had ran since 2005, and saw both poker pros and celebrities face-off in heads-up matches. Popular pro Erik Seidel won the 2011 National Heads-Up Poker Championship, which appears to be the last event – at least for now. Of course, Freifeld’s wording does make it seem like the Heads-Up Championship could come back beyond 2012.

But before this happens, there will need to be some major sponsors because both PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker kept this event going. These were the two largest online poker rooms in the business for a while, and their millions of dollars in advertising revenue helped keep the Heads-Up Championship afloat. In addition to this, they also paid the buy-ins for many of the sponsored pros.

However, it’s obvious that Full Tilt Poker won’t be pumping any more advertising money or buy-in fees into the tournament since they are losing a fight for their very existence. And last we checked, the Groupe Bernard Tapie rumored acquisition is only going to be a minority ownership deal – if it even amounts to anything.

As for PokerStars, they’re doing quite well, but they no longer cater to American players. That said, there’s no reason to sponsor the National Heads-Up Championship because NBC is based in the United States. And while the TV show drew a considerable amount of viewers from outside the states, the number isn’t high enough to justify keeping the show on air.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Poker News, Poker Tournaments | Comments Off

Would You Play In A $250k Buy-in Tournament?

Friday, September 10th, 2010

The costs of buy-in poker tournaments run the gambit from less than a dollar to thousands, but a new IPPA Monte Carlo tournament has announced that they will be holding one of the most expensive poker tournaments of all time. The International Poker Players Association Championship organizers are offering a tournament in Monte Carlo with a massive $250k buy-in.

If you’ve got the bankroll to participate in the $250k tournament (and I’ll go out on a limb and say that probably few do), then you can compete for a huge $12 million prize pool. The big winner will take home $5 million of the total $12 million prize. Once, the $50,000 WSOP event seemed like the big time, but compared to the upcoming IPPA Championship event it seems like small change.

Who has signed up for the $250k tournament so far? Poker bigwigs set to compete include Michael Mizrachi, Robert Mizrachi, Tom Dwan, Patrik Antonius, Tony G, Phil Ivey, Johnny Chan, Freddy Deeb, Huck Seed, and Gus Hansen. These players, and others who decide to pay the massive buy-in, will compete in Texas Hold’em. Originally, the $250k tournament was scheduled for last year, but was set to be a H.O.R.S.E. tournament and not enough high profile players signed up. The decision to switch to Texas Hold’em has made the event much more popular.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t imagine ever shelling out $250k to pay in any kind of tournament. However, it should still be fun to see who shines in the competition and walks away with millions.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Online Poker, Poker Tournaments | Comments Off

How To Choose Your Tournament Limits

Friday, May 7th, 2010

When it comes to choosing a poker tournament you have a lot to think about. You’ll have to choose a poker game – do you want to play Texas Hold’em, Omaha, 7 Card Stud or another game? You’ll have to decide whether you want to play in a live tournament or play online. However, one of the most important things you’ll have to decide is how much money you are willing to spend. The following tips should help you choose your poker limits.

The first thing you need to decide is how much of your bankroll you are willing to lose. If you only have $500 then you don’t want to spend it all on a single tournament entry fee. If you lose you’ll be left with nothing. Decide how much you can afford to lose without feeling bad and don’t enter a tournament with limits that exceed that amount.

You’ll also want to consider the fact that higher limits generally mean tougher competition. If you are just starting out in tournament play you should start with a low limit tourney. As you improve and find yourself winning more and more often, go ahead and up your limits. If you find you are seldom winning (1 in 10 times) then you should probably sign up for a lower limit tournament until you have improved your skills.

When choosing tournament limits you want to find the perfect balance between skill and bankroll. Choose a tournament that you can afford that is just challenging enough and you can maximize your poker tournament experience.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Poker Tips, Poker Tournaments | Comments Off

An Overview of Poker Tournament Types

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

If you are considering getting into poker tournament play then you’ll find a number of different tournament types to choose from. It can be difficult to decide which tournament to sign up for unless you are aware of your options. Therefore, I put together this overview of poker tournament varieties so you can familiarize yourself with what’s out there.

Sit & Go tournaments are among the most popular poker tournaments. A Sit & Go tournament is not scheduled. Rather, the tournament begins as soon as the seats are filled. Sit & Go’s are found at virtually every online poker site and range in buy-in prices as well as the number of players. You can play in a heads-up Sit & Go game, or play in a tournament with hundreds of other players.

I’ve talked about satellite tournaments before. A satellite tournament is one in which the prize is not cash, but rather entrance into a larger and more prestigious tournament. Playing in satellites is a great way to gain entrance into tournaments you couldn’t afford to enter otherwise.

If you are new to tournament style play then a freeroll tournament is a great option. A freeroll is often offered as a promotion by poker rooms and is a tournament with a cash prize but no entry fee. Freerolls are a great way to practice tournament play without sacrificing your bankroll.

Other types of poker tournaments include rebuy tournaments, where you can buy back in during tournament play if you wipe out; and guaranteed tournaments that have guaranteed prizes, rather than a prize based on the number of players.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Poker Tournaments | Comments Off

Poker Satellite Tournaments: Shoot for the Stars

Thursday, October 8th, 2009

Satellite tournaments have a lot of appeal among poker players, online and off. A satellite is a poker tournament that allows players to buy in for as little as a few dollars and compete to win a seat in a huge online or land-based tourney with a much more expensive buy-in. Of course, when huge tournaments like the WSOP or World Poker Tour are on the line there can be a massive number of players competing. Therefore, it’s important to bring your top-notch strategy to the table if you want to win.

There are a couple of types of satellite tournaments. The first is the “winner takes all” style tournament, in which only the big winner at the end earns a seat in whichever tournament is up for grabs. Since you want to be the final player it’s important to play aggressively in this style of tournament. Raise and double up frequently to make it to the final table and emerge the champion.

I prefer to play in satellites that offer multiple prize packages. These offer more winners seats in giant tournaments. In these types of tournaments you can afford to play a little safer for starters, while you advance. However, when it comes down to the end you’ll have to step it up and start playing aggressively.

While it can be tough to win satellite tournaments, the prize is totally worth the fight. Come in ready with your best strategy and prepare to shoot for the stars.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Poker Tips | Comments Off

Barry Shulman Takes Home Title at WSOPE Main Event

Sunday, October 4th, 2009

On Friday, in the Main Event of the World Series of Poker Europe, Barry Shulman broke through in a surprise victory against Daniel Negreanu to take home a WSOPE bracelet and £801,603. Coming into the final heads up round of the event, Negreanu seemed to be the sure bet to win the tournament. However, Shulman was not intimidated and won out in the end with some fantastic hands.

Barry Shulman, father of Jeff Shulman of the WSOP November Nine, has been in the game for a while now. This was his second bracelet win. He took home his last bracelet at the 2001 WSOP, Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo Split $1,500 event, and has been long due for another tournament win.

There were 334 players in the WSOPE Main Event, many considered to be some of the best poker players in the world. The top nine, and their winnings, are as follows:

1. Barry Shulman with £801,60

2. Daniel Negreanu with £495,589

3. Praz Bansi with £360,887

4. Jason Mercier with £267,267

5. Markus Ristola with £200,367

6. Chris Bjorin with £150,267

7. Antoine Saout with £114,228

8. Matt Hawrilenko with £87,074

9. James Akenhead with £66,533

I was amazed to see Shulman, who had not taken home a bracelet in eight years, beat Negreanu who holds four WSOP bracelets and two WPT Championship titles. This was certainly one of the most exciting matches of heads up poker I’ve seen in awhile.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Poker News | Comments Off