Influential Casino Owner Does NOT Support Online Gaming

Global Poker Index for Week Ending December 5, 2011

1. Bertrand Grospellier 2534.45

2. Erik Seidel 2526.35

3. Jason Mercier 2415.32

4. Eugene Katchalov 2405.03

5. Samuel Stein 2317.85

6. Shawn Buchanan 2219.40

7. Sam Trickett 2164.90

8. Chris Moorman 2051.57

9. Fabrice Soulier 2019.80

10. Matt Waxman 2014.07

Prague Settled Martin Finger Wins—Over the weekend the PokerStars European Tour in Prague came to a close and German player Martin Finger was named the overall winner. Winning came after a long day of poker play but came with the reward of a bracelet, a trophy, a title and of course, a little cash to sweeten the pot.

Here’s the final table results as reported by pokernews.com:

1. Martin Finger €720,000
2. David Boyaciyan €535,000
3. Nicolas Levi €270,000
4. Guillem Usero €205,000
5. Denys Drobyna €160,000
6. Ari Engel €125,000
7. Andreas Wiese €90,000
8. Mads Wissing €66,700

Bellagion Bike Robber Arrested—Last month a man wearing a full face motorcycle helmet walked into the casino at the Bellagio in Vegas, went up to a craps table and demanded poker chips at gun point. He left the casino with approximately 1.5 million in chips. With help from the online poker community and an undercover investigation the thief, Anthony Michael Carleo was caught, arrested and is currently detained at the Clark County Courthouse without bail. His father in a Las Vegas judge. Carleo was caught trying to cash in a $25,000 stolen chips. The poker community aided police by reporting an online player who bragged about how easy it would be to steal from the Bellagio. Its almost like he wanted to be caught. He faces charges of armed robbery.

British Hacker Steals Billions in Cyber Chips—Ashley Mitchel, a British computer hacker, has plead guilty to five charges under the Misuse of the Computer Act. Mitchell tapped into the gaming system for Facebook poker and stole over four billion in virtual poker chips or about $12 million dollars. Mitchell managed to sell $86,000 worth of chips on Ebay before he was arrested. Mitchell’s only defense so far is an addiction to gambling. He managed to tap into the Zynga mainframe and accessed poker chips under the guise of administrator. But site staff noticed the large amount of missing poker chips. The British courts say that Mitchell is facing several years in jail.

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Ultimate Bet Superbowl Poker Promotions—Ultimate Bet will launch its Superbowl promotion this Sunday. The $200K Touchdown should have poker fans flocking to the computer. It will begin on Sunday at noon with a free roll tournament to open up play. The top 20 players from the free roll tournament will be awarded $215 buy in seats for the main event that takes pace at four the same day.

For $4.40 you can enter the next stage of play which begins at 1pm and also offers 20 seats to the top 20 finishers. The main event will start at 4pm with a guaranteed 200K in prizes.

Jack Ury, WSOP Favorite Dies—Last Tuesday, at the grand old age of 97, Jack Ury one of poker’s greats passed away. He died in his home in Terra Haute, Indiana and the entire poker community mourns his passing. Only last year, Ury became the oldest person ever to play at a WSOP main event.

Jack Ury is best know for his perseverance at the WSOP main event. He attended four tournaments in total inspiring young and old players alike in his determination and positive outlook. He never took home a bracelet but he always made it to the second day of play. The physical endurance of a 14 hour day of poker never seemed to phase Ury. He would wheel into the tournament room pushed by his grandson, get comfortable and start betting. He will be missed.

Here are the highlights from this week in poker or at least what I found to be interesting.

Harry Reid Pushes Poker Legislation

Capitol Hill is buzzing this week as the online gaming legislation is pushed forward by house majority leader Harry Reid. Finally the issue has made it to main stream media and people are becoming very vocal about whether they are for or against the legislation in its current form. The proposed bill includes a lot of consumer protection laws as well as online casino licensing laws. Because the first three years after the bill passes license distribution will be extremely limited a number of big name casinos such as Full Tilt and PokerStars would essentially operate illegally until the adjustment period finished.

John Racener Documentary

John Racener the runner up in this year’s 2010 WSOP main event had a documentary released this December. The “John Racener Project” features the man himself and his journey to the November Nine. There is a lot of background information so fans get to see Racener the individual as well as Racener the poker player. This straight to DVD movie is meant to explain the highs and lows of professional poker.

Antonio Esfandiari Wins Five Diamond Classic

Esfandiari gained his second WPT title this week as he took home the first place prize at this year’s Doyle Brunson Five Diamond Classic. This tournament will be know for all the big names that chose to take part and just how hard Esfandiari had to work to get his title. Here’s are the final table results:

1. Antonio Esfandiari ($870,124)
2. Andrew Robl ($549,003)
3. Vanessa Rousso ($358,964)
4. John Racener ($232,271)
5. Kirk Morrison ($168,924)
6. Ted Lawson ($126,693)

Antonio Esfandiari won his first WPT title back in 2004 when he became the youngest player to do so. At the Five Diamond Classic Esfandiari celebrated his 32^nd birthday. Talk about a birthday present.

Legislation and lame ducks.

House leader Harry Reid is proposing the online poker legislation be address during the lame duck session or quiet season in congress. Politicians from across the aisle sent Reid a letter stating they would not support the bill as it seemed to take advantage of young gamers incapable of making informed decisions (I paraphrase). The house seems split and a final decision has yet to be made. Because of the partisan battle however the concept of online gaming legislation has finally made it to mainstream media sources such as national news networks making the promotion and education of the proposed bill much easier.

Tis the season for charity.

Around the holidays everyone is in a giving mood and this includes professional poker players. The date has been set for the annual all in charity poker event at the Venetian. December 11^th will be the day that professionals, celebrities and amateur players work hard at winning for a cause. This is the third year of the All in for Celebrity Palsy event. The initial buy in will be $540 with an extra 90 minutes after that for a s many additional $200 buy ins. The proceeds will be split between the prize money for players and the cerebral palsy foundation.  It should be a rainbow of celebrities and good feelings for the holiday season.

Cake Poker Promotion

Like stores and business across the western world the folks of online gaming and casinos like to cash in on the holiday season. The folks over at Cake Poker have launched their December Donkey promotion. Between chef Gordon Ramsey and the online poker players of the world the term “donkey” has become an insult. At Cake Poker throughout the month of December players can buy an actual donkey that will be donated to the Oxfam charities. These donkeys will be given to families in the developing world to improve farming and the home life of rural families. Worth heading over and playing a while.

Happy Birthday CardRunners

It’s been five years since the poker training site CardRunners came to life and to celebrate they are offering prizes and discounts galore. If you sign up with the training site between December 6 and 12^th. The daily giveaways include new laptops, digital cameras, Ipads and Xbox Kinects. For anyone wanting to shape up on their poker skills it is time to take advantage of the longevity of CardRunners. Happy Birthday guys.

Poker News.com was lucky enough to sit down with this year’s WSOP champion 23 year old Jonathan Duhamel from Canada. He explained to the reporter that he felt a lot of pressure during the four months between the July game and the November final table. Since the start of the November Nine Table, the chip leader going in has never come out on top. This added an extra level of pressure to Duhamel. He explained that he played a number of smaller tournaments early in the break but spent the last two weeks before the table just mentally resting for the big event. This was an historic win for the young professional and in the weeks to come many more interviews may shine a light on how this young man become a legend in two days.

After complaints from players the World Poker Tour has created a number of regional contests. These contests will be open and have reasonable buy ins so more layman can play poker. Despite the fact that winners in these regional events would not be entered into the professional point system, they would receive WPT prestige. The first event takes place in Florida at the end of this month. Following that there are events in Indiana also in November and Paris at the beginning of the New Year. Both the European games and American games would be accessible to a wider variety of poker fans.

Upcoming poker tournaments include the European Poker Tour in Barcelona beginning on November 22 until the 27^th. Also on the agenda is the WPT tournament in Marrakech beginning on November 27^th and running through until the end of the month.

Peter Eastgate,  a poker pro who took home a WSOP bracelet in 2008 is currently auctioning said bracelet for charity on Ebay. The bracelet, consisting of 18 K gold and diamonds has already bid up to over $60,000. Many professional and fans are convinced that the bracelet will fetch at least six figures at auction end. Eastgate is semi retired from professional poker after making enough money to live out the rest of his life comfortably. Selling his bracelet is not just for fun but to benefit the UNICEF charity that aids children all over the world.

Here’s are the latest big news stories in the world of poker:

Nguyen Fan Tour Schedule :  Scotty Nguyen has begun a fan tour of the United States and continues to add stops to his schedule. His latest is the Prince of Poker event in Iowa and the HPT Championship in Michigan. Nguyen, holder of five bracelets and a lifetime winnings total over $11 million, is entering small tournaments to give his fans a chance to play one on one with him. Keep checking Nguyen’s website for additional stops on the tour.

Mizrachi and Full Tilt faces Legal Issues: Deliverance Poker, former sponsor of Michael “the Grinder” Mizrachi have attempted to file lawsuits against Full Tilt and Mizrachi regarding a contract break. They claim they Mizrachi signed up with Full tilt in the middle of the 2010 WSOP before his contract with Deliverance was over. Courts have dismissed the claim against Full Tilt but the Mizrachi situation is up in the air.

One Million in One Day of Play: Tom Dwan of the Durr Challenge won over a million dollars playing online poker against Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies in a single day. They played hundreds of hands and the bets got bigger and bigger as play drew to a close. The game was $500/$1000 Pot Limit Omaha and the bets started climbing from $18,000 to $190,000 very quickly. With an Ace High flush, Dwan prevailed. Just shows what 500 hands and one day online can come to.

Vegas Poker Season Begins:  October is the month to visit Vegas with several tournaments and deals taking place simultaneously. All the big casinos are running specials, drawings and deals so call your favorite place and see what’s happening this month.

As the fall poker season gets under way it will be hard to keep up with all the goings on of the Poker A list, but we’ll certainly try.

So we all know the 2010 WSOP in Vegas is pretty much over except for that final televised table in November. Here’s a little background on those final nine players.

Filippo Candio: 25, Italy. Recent credits include his win at the 2009 Italian Pro Championship and past sponsorship from PokerStars.net. Considered a strong favorite by those actually watching him play in the casino during this year’s tournament.

Joseph Cheong: USA. Recently came first at the Harrah’s No Limit Holdem event back in March and has been on the professional circuit for a few years.

John Dolan: 24, USA. First two place finishes to his name and 14 money wins makes Dolan a viable contender for that final gold bracelet. He hails from Florida and usually does his winning online.

Jonathan Duhamel: 22, Quebec.  Has placed or won series money in professional tournaments since 2008. With two cash wins from the 2010 WSOP, let’s hope the third time is a charm for this young but talented player.

Matthew Jarvis: 26, Canada. Despite playing poker for the last six years, this is Jarvis’ first final table. A relative unknown Jarvis has dreamed of this day for years. Let’s hope all that wishing comes true.

Michael Mizrachi: 29, USA. Known as the Grinder on the professional circuit, Mizrachi has already won during this year’s WSOP tournament and had a heads up battle. He seems to be playing at full strength this year. Poker has been a passion for Mizrachi since he was a young child so let’s hope the years of practice pay off.

Soi Nguyen: 37, USA. A non professional and the oldest of the final nine. Ngyuen has no professional record to speak of so could be considered the long shot in this one.

John Racener: 24, USA. A few wins in the past but nothing that compares to the final nine at the WSOP. Racener has been around for a few years and has done well in the circuit tournaments. Let’s see how things pan out for him in late fall.

Jason Senti: 25, USA. A professional player and instructor, Senti is well known in the online casino world. In real life Senti won event 29 in last year’s WSOP.

Personally I favor Mizrachi for this one. He’s having quite a tournament with a couple of close ones, a few heads up and even a bracelet. He’s on a roll and if he doesn’t lose that energy or edge while he waits four months to get back at his opponents, it may be his year to shine.

But then, they all have four months to perfect their poker skills so in the end it’s still anyone’s game.

And that’s the fun thing about poker right?

This data is compiled from the WSOP home page and Pokernews.com

And despite the final game the results of the 2010 WSOP are in and what a ride it has been. For those who like recap without too much drama here are the results of events 53 through 56.

Event 53: $1,500 Limit Hold ‘Em Shootout tournament. . It didn’t take long to thin the herd from an acceptable 548 players down to an acceptable 64. Brendan Taylor from the United States came out on top taking home a modest but certainly acceptable $184.950 not to mention a gold bracelet. It was Aces everywhere and despite Ben Yu having A 9 he still lost out to Taylor’s A 7.

Event 54: Another $1,000 No Limit Hold’em event kept fans going over the holiday weekend. Marcel Vonk from the Netherlands took home the bracelet and the nice pot of $570,960. He won against David Peters who’s final hand was an acceptable K8. This was the first time a Dutch competitor won a WSOP bracelet. Certainly a great way to balance that World Cup loss.

Event 55: It was Daniel Alaei that took home the win and a beautiful $780,599 in this $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha Championships. His final hand was a clean 7655. Miguel Proulx took second place in this game. There were a total of 346 entrants for four days of play. It was Alaei better known as Steamraise hails from Los Angeles and now has three WSOP bracelets to his name.

Event 56: The $2,500 No Limit Hold’em was taken home by Tomer Berda along with $825,976 in prize money.  It was a heads up finish full of intensity as Vladimir Kochelaevskiy rode Tomer Berda for a little while before losing his 10 6 to Berda’s A 4. It always comes down the right Ace at the right time doesn’t it?

The final event is still underway as I write but of course any final event deserves its own blog so stay tuned.

Last week we discussed the events up to the 47^th tournament. Now let’s recap the five following. There was a lot of action, a lot of plays and a few surprises.

Event 48: This was the $2,500 Mixed Event. The game consisted of eight different styles of poker. There were a total of 453 entrants but only 192 players came back for the second day of play. The winning hand was an A 9 and belonged to Sigurd Eskeland of Norway. It’s was Steve Sung who’s pairs of Queens got knocked out in the heads up competition and allowed Eskeland to go home with $260,497.

Event 49: Another round of $1,500 No Limit Hold ’Em took place at the end of June. There were a total of 2,543 entrants but in the end in came down to the heads up match between Michael Linn and Taylor Larkin. It was three days of hard slog for the winner Michael Linn. But Linn survived several problems low chip counts and terrible river cards to bring home a whopping $609,493.

Event 50: $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha took place the last two days in June and started out with 460 days. The end of the first day took out some big players such as Vanessa Selbst and Daniel Negreanu leaving only 45 in play for day two. It ended up in a heads up match between Chance Kornuth and Kevin Boudreau with Kornuth’s 6 Q 8 9 beating Boundreau K 4 4 A. Kornuth earned himself a hefty $508,090.

Event 51: The $3,000 Triple Chance No-Limit Hold ‘Em was the first event of the third month of the WSOP.  Ryan Welch took home the gold (or more exactly the gold bracelet and over half a million in cold hard cash) after beating Jon Eaton in the heads up game.

Event 52: The $25,000 No Limit Hold’em/Six Handed brought out the big guns. There were only 191 entrants including some well known names such as Daniel Negreanu, Isaac Haxton, Dan Kelly and Nick Schulman. 69 players went on to finish out day 2. Day 3 saw only 18 players. The final table had the crow and the media on pins and needles. It all came down to heads up play between Dan Kelly and Shawn Buchanan. Unfortunately Buchanan’s pair of Jacks was not enough to beat Dan Kelly’s A 10.  That humble A 10 gave Kelly a whopping $1,315,518 as well as a gold bracelet.