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Articles by Matt Vengrin
WSOP | Tournaments | Event Updates
EVENT UPDATES view updates for day: Sunday, October 31, 2021 2:11 AM Local Time (about 13 minutes ago) End of Day 1 The remaining 35 players are bagging their chips and will return tomorrow for Day 2. Stay tuned for a recap from the PokerNews live reporting team. Sunday, October 31, 2021 1:52 AM Local Time (about 32 minutes ago) Final Hands With 10 minutes left in the final level of the evening, players will play five more hands before bagging their chips for the night.
Michael Tchong Bests Mustapha Kanit to Win Aussie Millions Event #22
Australia's Michael Tchong outlasted a field of 105 entrants including a final table filled with big names to win the 2018 Aussie Millions Event #22: A$5,000 No Limit Holdem Six Max for A$138,180 ($110,162). The victory was Tchong's eighth Aussie Millions cash and pushed him past the $300,000-mark in career live tournament winnings. Australia's Rory Young was the first player eliminated at the final table in sixth place for A$27,145.
Sunday Briefing: Roberto Romanello Reaches Two POWERFEST Final Tables!
Prominent poker pro and member of Team partypoker Roberto Romanello enjoyed a profitable Sunday grind thanks to navigating his way to two final tables of POWERFEST events. The partypoker POWERFEST is a 147-event online festival with combined guarantees of $15 million. Romanello was one of 137 entrants in the $2,100 Super High Roller, which saw its $250,000 guarantee beaten by $24,000. Romanello eventually fell in fifth-place for $16,440.
Benedikt Eberle Wins Aussie Millions Opening Event for A$315,295
Austria's Benedikt Eberle outlasted a massive field of 1,538 entrants to ship the A$1,150 Aussie Millions Opening Event for a massive payday of A$315,295. The event began with four opening flights generating an A$1,576,450 prize pool and 153 players guaranteed a payout of A$2,835. The field was narrowed down to 15 players by the time the final day began, all of which guaranteed a minimum of A$14,190.
Poker Players in Detroit Hit Biggest Bad Beat Jackpot in U.S. History
The only thing better than winning with quads is getting beat by quads. That is, if it happens in a card room where the qualifying bad beat jackpot hand is quads beat by quads. What would be even more exciting? If the jackpot were over $1,000,000. And what would be still more exciting? Hitting it at a six-handed table rather than a regular nine-handed one. On Tuesday, Jan. 16 the stars aligned at the Motor City Casino poker room in Detroit when “Scott” looked down at pocket threes.
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Kaiser Reigns After Day 2 of the €10K High Roller in Barcelona
A 10-hour Day 2 in the €10,300 PokerStars Championship Barcelona High Roller saw a field of 266 hopefuls being whittled down to just 34. Although everyone already has a sweet payday of €25,380 locked up, each of them still has a shot at the massive first-place prize of €1,036,800 that awaits the victor on Sunday night. In an exceptionally strong field, it was EPT8 Tallinn champion Ronny Kaiser who bagged the overall chip lead with 2,696,000.
Esfandari and the Folding Pocket Kings Preflop Puzzle
Pocket kings. It's the second-best hand in hold'em, which means folding the hand before the flop isn't entirely out of the realm of possibility — in theory, anyway. If you've been following the relaunch of Poker After Dark on PokerGO, you know how that very topic came up, and immediately a situation presented itself in which a player with pocket kings genuinely had to ponder whether or not to let his pair of kings go before the flop. The stakes were $400/$800 and the stacks quite deep.
Star Sydney Championships: Ash Gupta Masters the Monster Stack
Ash Gupta has won the Monster Stack event at the Star Sydney Championships receiving a prize check of $77,093. The size of his win was helped by a turnout that far exceeded expectations, creating a field of 328. Tough was the operative word, as the event attracted some of Australia’s best poker players. Even the bubble created drama, as a double elimination meant that there was no need for hand to hand play.
PokerStars LIVE Macau Reveals Schedule for Asia Championship of Poker
PokerStars LIVE Macau has announced the official schedule for the 2017 Asia Championship of Poker (ACOP). Asia's biggest annual poker series will run from Oct. 13-29, featuring 24 ACOP Title Events. Highlighting the festival once again will be the HK$100,000 (~USD $13,000) Main Event which comes with a HK$25 million prize pool guarantee – the largest in the history of Asia. Last year, 29-year-old Vladimir Geshkenbein took home HK$5,643,000 along with the coveted Gold Spadie trophy.
Action Clock Implemented into World Poker Tour Season XVI Events
With the new season of the World Poker Tour right around the corner, the WPT announced on Thursday that it will be using a 30-second Action Clock during all Main Tour events. The new addition will begin at WPT Choctaw Aug. 4-8 and carry through the end of Season XVI. The Action Clock, which was first introduced at the WPT Tournament of Champions in 2016, will be implemented into WPT Main Tour events one full table off the money bubble and remain in play until the conclusion of the tournament.
Taehoon Han Wins PokerStars Festival Korea Main Event (₩83,130,000)
Almost the whole way through PokerStars Festival Korea Main Event, the story looked like it was going to be Yuki Ko dominating from start to finish at Paradise City Hotel & Resort in Incheon. The very aggressive Korean, who makes his home in Japan, bagged the chip lead after each of the first two starting days and went into heads-up play with Taehoon Han holding a vast experience edge.
Fedor Holz Wins 2017 Triton Super High Roller Series Montenegro
Fedor Holz emerged victorious in the 2017 Triton Super High Roller Series Montenegro HK$250,000 6-Max High Roller after a heads-up battle against Su Hao that saw the chip lead change hands multiple times.
The Muck: Pro Hockey Player Enters $1,000 WSOP Ladies Event for $10,000
Maybe the abundance of testosterone was just too much, and there was a need to take a break from high sticking and a desire to swap a cross check for a check back. Whatever the reason, Simon Després-Bellavance, a Canadian professional hockey player who is currently a free agent looking for a new home, entered the World Series of Poker Ladies Championship on Friday, paying full price for about 6 1/2 levels of play. He busted shortly after the dinner break.
Natasha Mercier and Baby Bump Hit the Felt at the WSOP
Even though the Tag Team events ended after the first week of the 2017 World Series of Poker, one player has been playing a special kind of tag team the entire summer. Natasha Mercier is currently six months pregnant with her and husband Jason Mercier's first child. Natasha began the WSOP in the middle of her second trimester, and is now in her third trimester.
Liv Boeree's Advice for Las Vegas Adventurers
Poker players from all over the world descend upon Las Vegas for the World Series of Poker each summer where they spend endless hours inside the Rio, and they rarely venture outdoors (unless it’s to warm up or smoke). Liv Boeree is one player, however, that makes getting outdoors during the WSOP a priority, and in her words – “I just like to get out of the city as much as possible during the WSOP.
The Hand I’ll Never Forget: Daniel Negreanu’s WSOP Main Event Misstep
It’s the hand that put you over the top. Or the two cards you held that time you were rivered for a monster pot. Everyone has “the hand,” that one that you remember no matter how many more tournaments or cash games played. PokerNews takes a look at those hands that stick with players and relive the glory, or misery, depending on the results. For our second edition of this series, we spoke with Daniel Negreanu about an important hand he played during the World Series of Poker Main Event.
Rio Romance: A Couple’s Journey from Online Final Table to Wedding Bells
With 107 players returning to the Rio for Day 2 of the $565 Pot Limit Omaha, Houston's Jim Hademenos, 60, sat among the top 10 stacks in the field. A longtime poker fan who's been coming to the World Series of Poker for several years, his journey to the WSOP this summer began with a marriage three months ago that literally played out on the poker felt – and proved to be quite a crazy hand he and his new wife were dealt. On New Year's Eve 2014, Sara Hademenos, 52, sat in front of her computer.
The Muck: Matt Glantz Loses Controversial Hand in $10K Dealer's Choice
The World Series of Poker was winding down late Thursday night with all but one event having concluded for the day. The $10,000 Dealer's Choice event, which was stacked with some of the biggest names in poker, was in the final level of Day 1 in the Miranda Room when suddenly a dispute caught the attention of our live reporting team. Here's how it played out in during a No-Limit Hold'em round.
The Global Poker Online World Challenge a Great Success Thus Far
A few months ago, Global Poker launched in the United States with a huge bang. The online poker room is attractive to both recreational and more serious players alike thanks to providing a unique combination of virtual social currency gaming with real cash prizes via its proprietary sweepstakes business model. On May 31, the action at Global Poker became more exciting than ever before thanks to the site introducing the Global Poker Online World Challenge.
America's Favorite House Guest: When Hollywood Comes Home To Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Welcome back, my fellow poker grinders. Or those just interested in hearing about my experience with everyone's favorite house guest, Kato Kaelin! This particular blog is from the summer of 2015, in which I was on vacation from funeral service classes. I was playing poker to pay the bills until the time was right to move "all in" on the mortician lifestyle.
84 Confirmed for WSOP Europe €111,111 High Roller at King's Casino
The universal law of attraction, which simply says like attracts like, certainly seems to apply to high buy-in poker tournaments. Look at a tournament series schedule, and you're sure to find a high roller somewhere. While there appears to be more and more of high rollers, none are as anticipated as the One Drop.
Joseph Mitchell Wins Event #8: $333 WSOP.com Online Little Grind
In what may have been a great heads up battle for a World Series of Poker bracelet, Joseph "ul_gg" Mitchell basically got a walk in the park. His opponent lost internet connection and sat out the majority of heads up play in the $333 WSOP.com Online Little Grind event, only returning to see two hands before Mitchell knocked him out after he made top pair with on a board reading . Mitchell bested a field of 1,780 players in Saturday's one-day bracelet event.
Anatoly Filatov Wins the 2017 partypoker LIVE Million Germany €2,200 High Roller
It took an additional third and final day of poker to crown a winner of the 2017 partypoker LIVE Million Germany €2,200 High Roller, but ultimately it was Russian partypoker Ambassador Anatoly Filatov who emerged victorious after a quick yet volatile heads-up battle with Andre Haneberg. Before the duo went toe to toe at the poker felt, a three-way deal was struck with Aleksandar Tomovic, and thus the winner's cheque ended up being for €42,000 instead of the original outlined €60,000 first prize.
Liv Boeree and Igor Kurganov Win WSOP $10,000 Tag Team Championship
After three days of play, one of poker's power couples were crowned champions in the inaugural $10,000 No-Limit Hold'Em Tag Team Championship. Igor Kurganov and Liv Boeree bested a field of 102 teams to win the first-place prize of $273,964. The runner-ups in this event were the team of Ankush Mandavia and Joe Kuether. They finished just shy of the championship but take home $169,323 for their efforts.
Luigi Shehadeh Wins 2017 888Live Barcelona Main Event
The €1,100 Main Event of the 2017 888Live Poker Festival Barcelona easily eclipsed the guarantee as a total of 609 entries generated a prize pool €584,640. After two days and 22 levels of play, only 25 hopefuls remained at Casino Barcelona to play for a top prize of €15,000. Luigi Shehadeh, a 23-year-old online MTT specialist from Italy who made the trip to Barcelona alongside his brother Fares, eventually emerged victorious after a dominating performance on the final day.
Playground Poker Spring Classic: Nick Nickoletopoulos Wins Final Event
The 2017 Playground Poker Spring Classic presented by partypoker LIVE has come to an end, crowning the final champion early Thursday morning. Event #9: $330 NL Hold’em Bounty kicked off at 7 p.m. Wednesday, gathering a field of 222 players. At just past 6 a.m., Nick Nickoletopoulos eliminated his final opponent to claim the title and a prize of CA$6,998.
The Winamax SISMIX Starts May 13
The 2017 Winamax SISMIX is about to begin at the Casino de Marrakech, which is part of the Es Saadi Marrakech Resort, on May 13-21. As the name of the festival suggests, all of the tournaments are no more than six players (six-max). The festival features 27 action-packed tournaments, highlighted by the 2017 Winamax SIXMIX Main Event on May 17-21. Last year, Team Winamax pro Bruno Lopes shipped the Main Event for MA$850,000 (€78,341).
Alex Dreyfus Expands Global Poker Index to Include Esports
The Global Poker Index has made waves in poker, especially with Alex Dreyfus' brainchild, the Global Poker League, as part of its aim to ‘sportify’ poker. Now, with the growth of esports, Dreyfus, the CEO of Mediarex Sports & Entertainment, explained how the future of the Global Poker Index and the Global Poker League will move beyond poker and include esports.
Global Poker Index: Aido, Dvoress Move Up, Kenney Still Leads POY
Each week, the Global Poker Index releases a list of the top tournament poker players in the world using a formula that takes into account a player's results over six half-year periods. For a look at the entire list, visit the official GPI website. Here's a look at the rankings as of May 10. The PokerStars Championship presented by Monte-Carlo Casino® is done, with the latest update of the 2017 Global Poker Index Player of the Year rankings predictably being affected by the series' results.
Cooke's Corner: Reviewing Some Poker Basics
The recurring sum of volume (money wagered) multiplied by edge (expected win or loss) equals expectation or "EV" (expected value) — (V x E) = EV. Over numerous trials, luck diminishes as a factor and becomes inconsequential. Then expectation will equal earn, the money you've won or lost. All poker decisions should be quantified by expectation. It's not the nominal amount of the wager that counts; it's the expectation our bet(s) obtain.
partypoker LIVE MILLIONS: Neel Murthy Leads Main Event
The partypokerLIVE MILLIONS festival at the Dusk Till Dawn in Nottingham is unlike most other poker festivals, and not just because of the stunning guaranteed prize pool of £6M and the £1M first-place payout for its flagship event, the £5,300 Main Event. Widely considered as the home of poker in the United Kingdom and one of the biggest cardrooms in Europe, the Dusk Till Dawn and online poker operator partypoker created a unique hybrid between online and live poker.
Five American Circuit Players to Watch for the 2017 WSOP
Another World Series of Poker is right around the corner, and the poker world will soon descend upon Las Vegas for the most prestigious tournament series in poker. While there are countless great tournaments available in the city throughout the summer, for the most part, the eyes of poker fans everywhere will be on the WSOP. Specifically, they'll be trained on big names the likes of which they've followed for years.
Slot Comps and Late Night Donkey Poker
I had planned on going for a run first thing this morning, but when I woke up, it was raining hard. That was all I needed as an excuse to set the alarm back a couple hours and sleep until right before it was time for me to log on for work. Luckily I was up on the 15th floor and the hotspot on my iPad was strong enough for me to work from my hotel room. After logging in and taking a quick call with my boss, I headed down to claim my free slot voucher for opting out of maid service.
Road Warriors, Part 1: On the Road and Keeping the Cash
It’s a been a tough weekend. No tournament winnings and the cash game siphoned off more money. Being card dead and then some bad luck after a nasty river card didn’t help. Then there’s that bar and restaurant bill and now the flight home after 10 days in a casino. This poker trip was a bit depressing. Next month has to be better or it may be bartending time. Or selling insurance. Or maybe Uber needs another driver? Here's an inside scoop to life on the tournament trail.
Did William Kassouf Buy His EPT High Roller Trophy?
About PokerNews PokerNews.com is the world's leading poker website. Among other things, visitors will find a daily dose of articles with the latest poker news, live reporting from tournaments, exclusive videos, podcasts and so much more. PokerStars is the largest online poker site offering the biggest amount of poker games and different game variations including Texas Hold'em, Omaha and other popular poker games.
WPT LAPC Day 3: Sexton Seeks Second Title
It may have taken Mike Sexton almost 10 years to bag his first World Poker Tour title, but he's aiming to make sure the wait for No. 2 is much shorter. After Day 3 of the L.A. Poker Classic $10,000 Main Event, Sexton sits second in chips with 739,000, trailing only Daniel Strelitz, who is seeking his first major live title and has 1,051,000 for a sizable lead. Sexton, the longtime WPT commentator, won WPT Montreal last November for $317,817.
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