Bay 101 Shooting Star and Wynn Classic Begin Monday

Next week will be a busy one in the world of poker with major $10,000 buy-in events taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada, and San Jose, California. Both the World Poker Tour Bay 101 Shooting Star and Wynn Classic kick off on Monday, Mar. 16, and Card Player’s live reporting teams will be on the scene at both to bring you all of the action in live updates, chip counts, photos, and videos. Here is a break down for each event.

Bay 101 Shooting Star

The 13th-annual Bay 101 Shooting Star will be one of the most exciting stops on the WPT schedule, and it will once again feature 50 shooting star players with $5,000 bounties on their heads. Chip leaders at the end of days 1A and 1B will also receive a cash prize of $10,000. As always, a huge group of fans is expected along the rail at this star-studded event. Players will start with 20,000 in tournament chips, and blinds begin at 25-50. Levels will be 60 minutes long on days 1A and 1B and then increase to 90 minutes on day 2 for the remainder of the tournament. Here is a look at the full schedule below:

Monday, Mar. 16: Day 1A (days 1-2 begin at 10:45 a.m.) — play 10, 60-minute levels
Tuesday, Mar. 17: Day 1B
Wednesday, Mar. 18: Day 2 — play down to 36 players
Thursday, Mar. 19: Day 3 (begins at noon) — play down to final table
Friday, Mar. 20: Final table (begins at 4 p.m.)

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2008 Bay 101 Shooting Star

Buy-in: $10,000
Number of Entries: 376
Total Prize Pool: $3,336,000
First-Place Prize: $1,000,000
Places Paid: 45

Final-Table Results:

1: Brandon Cantu — $1,000,000
2: Steve Sung — $585,000
3: Jennifer Harman — $330,000
4: Noah Jefferson — $265,000
5: Michael Baker — $200,000
6: John Phan — $135,000

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Wynn Classic

The third-annual Wynn Classic $10,000 no-limit hold’em championship event begins on Monday, Mar. 16, and the final table will take place on Thursday, Mar. 19. Players will begin with 30,000 in chips, and blinds begin at 25-50 to start day 1. Levels will be 90 minutes long. Past champions of the Wynn Classic include Chris Moore (2008) and Zach Hyman (2007). Here is a look at the full schedule for the event:

Monday, Mar. 16: Day 1 — six, 90-minute levels
Tuesday, Mar. 17: Day 2 — play down to 27 players
Wednesday, Mar. 18: Day 3 — play down to final table
Thursday, Mar. 19: Final table

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2008 Wynn Classic Championship Event

Buy-in: $10,000
Number of Entries: 183
Total Prize Pool: $1,775,100
First-Place Prize: $692,286
Places Paid: 18

Final-Table Results:

1: Chris Moore — $692,286
2: Ryan Young — $355,020
3: Blake Cahail — $177,510
4: Ardavan Yazdi — $95,855
5: Jace Markgraf — $71,004
6: Larry Wright — $53,253
7: Ricky Chow — $44,378
8: Alemu Tesema — $35,502
9: Eugene Todd — $31,952

Timex Set to Clock Up Second EPT Title

McDonald is ready to repeat his ground-breaking success of last year.The final table for EPT Dortmund is set and young Canadian Mike McDonald is ready to write another page in the annals of EPT history.

A momentous day beckoned with no less than three previous EPT champions in the hunt for a historic second EPT title in Dortmund today.

The triumvirate of Mike “Timex” McDonald, Andreas Hoivold and Moritz Kranich had all tasted EPT success previously, but on a day of merciless reckoning, only Timex emerged still harbouring dreams of double EPT glory.

Kranich succumbed mid-way through the day, dashing his chances of adding another title to his EPT Deauville win whilst Andreas Hoivold finished agonisingly short of the final table, a crucial coin-flip loss seeing him exit in 13th place.

Hoivold’s departure on the cusp of the final table was particularly galling, given he had come so close at the previous EPT in Copenhagen. His obligatory post-knockout interview, delivered in a gloomy, cheerless fashion by a man renowned for his sunny outlook spoke volumes about the misery Hoivold felt at having fallen so close to the final hurdle – again.

Instead it was left to young gun Mike McDonald to step up to the plate and aim to cement his place in history.

Having become the youngest EPT champion at the parallel event last year, Timex drew on all his celebrated poker skills and renowned composure to maneuver his stack through to the crucial stages in 4th place.

McDonald clearly relishes playing poker in Dortmund and he will feel the hand of destiny on his shoulder when the players return for the final showdown.

It will be no walkover for Timex though.

Naujoks will add a touch of glamour to an already star-studded line-up.

Despite the big names above crashing out, he will still have to face off against the incredibly consistent Italian Luca Pagano, multiple EPT final tablist William Thorson and the giant stacked Johan Storakers if he is to repeat his feat.

A mouthwatering line-up also includes Shooting Star’s very own Sandra Naujoks, bidding to become the first female EPT winner since Vicky Coren. Sandra’s thoughtful, controlled play marked her out as a tenacious customer who won’t be swept aside easily.

The full line-up, along with their respective chip counts can be found here.

There’s little doubt we will see an exciting endgame play out when the action resumes tomorrow and the final has all the hallmarks of a classic in the making.

Click through to the live updates section for a more detailed account of how the day played out at the felt.

Blinding Down

Sometimes, when playing tournaments, it is hard to build a stack and the moves you make just don’t work against your opponents. If you don’t catch cards, this can be detrimental to your chip count. The tendency at this point is to wait for top 10 hands like AA or AK. Don’t let yourself succumb to this downfall! If you are waiting for these prime hands, they likely will not come around until you are whittled down to just a few bets. If this is the case, you’ll be lucky if everyone at the table doesn’t call just to get you out. When you are playing a live tournament, once you get down to 10 bets it is pushing time. In online tournaments, if you get down to 6 or 7 bets it is time to make a move. The purpose of this is you still have enough bets to entice someone to fold their hand to you. In most cases, if you start pushing with 10 bets, small pocket pairs will fold to you and you will get the ace rag to fold as well. This being the case, you can assume that the hands that are going to call you will be the prime hands like AK, AQ, AJ, AA, KK, QQ, and JJ. This is actually a relief because it means that you can essentially push with any live cards to these hands. If your all-in bet does not scare them off (as it should), then you have live cards to whatever they are calling you with. This increases the chances of you hitting a pair, two pair, or a flush (if your suited) and winning. Some live hands would include medium suited connectors, KJ, KQ, JQ, J10, or any suited face card. When looking for a pushing hand, there is a tendency to push with any ace. It is often better not to push with ace rag because you will almost always we called by a better ace. The idea is to have enough bets that you can still push someone off their hands, but have live cards in case you are called by a better hand.

Position is important when pushing with this range of cards. You should be pushing in situations that give you the best chances of stealing the blinds and antes. We are not actually trying to get called and double up with these mediocre hands, so it is best to push in late position when there is less of a chance of getting called. The positions that would be best are the cutoff, button, small blind and possibly the hijack. These positions will lessen the chances of getting called as half the table has already folded. Pushing in these positions will be vital to your survival in this critical state. The trick is not to feel powerless and become silent when you are a short stack. You can still make some moves to push around the big stacks because you can still put a dent in their stacks if they call you and lose. There is a lot of power in that when used correctly. Just be sure not to use it over and over as someone will eventually call you with any two cards if they feel you are just pushing the table around. Don’t get greedy. You are just trying to collect one or two blinds each round so you have that much more time wait for prime hands that you can double up with. Be patient and take advantage of good situations!

PPA uses legal muscle to defend poker

A scant year since its inception, the Litigation Support Network has racked up quantifiable successes in legal cases involving Americans’ right to play poker.

On March 24, 2008, the Poker Players Alliance launched the Network as a free service to its members.

It provides basic preliminary legal advice on poker-related matters, as well as referrals to local attorneys who can offer members representation.

At the time, the PPA said that the Litigation Support Network could help members “should they have questions as they organize a charity poker tournament, start a poker league or, in the worst case scenario, get arrested.”

The PPA also envisioned tackling the larger issue of excluding poker from antigambling laws, stating, “Additionally, the network of attorneys will be tapped to help prepare PPA in the event the organization needs to litigate that poker is a game of skill, not a game of chance.”

Since then, the LSN has more than fulfilled its promise, lending its resources and support in cases where the right to play poker has been under attack.

In courtrooms from Colorado to South Carolina, Kentucky to Pennsylvania, the Litigation Support Network has worked with local attorneys to achieve a number of victories in its effort to protect the rights of poker players.

By providing expert witnesses, preparing arguments for trial and filing amicus briefs with the courts, the LSN has helped convince judges that poker is primarily a game of skill and not a game of chance.

The Network was the brainchild of New Hampshire attorney Patrick Fleming, who spoke with PokerListings after the recent ruling in South Carolina.

Fleming explained that he had been following a test case in North Carolina where a PPA member, Howard Fierman, was seeking to obtain a permit for a poker club. He was denied the permit on the grounds that poker was illegal gambling.

He filed suit and the judge agreed with the denial, stating that poker was a game of chance because “it’s the cards that decide who wins and loses in poker.”

“That really got my blood boiling,” Fleming said, “both as a lawyer and as a poker player, when I read that case. I said, anybody who plays poker knows there’s a lot more going on in poker than the cards you are dealt, and this needs to be developed and proven so it can be presented in a court of law … that’s where I got the idea for the Litigation Support Network.”

Fleming took the concept to PPA board member Rich Muny, who put him in contact with PPA Executive Director John Pappas. They envisioned an organization that could furnish names of lawyers familiar with poker to PPA members who were arrested for playing poker or who wanted to challenge laws against poker.

Those lawyers, in turn, would draw on a “central clearinghouse of information” which the PPA would provide.

The South Carolina case provided a good example of how the PPA works with lawyers representing its members in court.

To support the defendants’ lawyer in his arguments, the PPA paid for two experts to testify that poker was a game of skill – University of Denver statistics professor Robert Hannum and poker pro and commentator Mike Sexton.

“Professor Robert Hannum, who has been our expert twice now, comes into court armed with all these studies and can discuss them all in front of the judge and explain to the judge what they mean,” said Fleming.

Professor Hannum was a compelling witness, according to Fleming, as was Mike Sexton, who showed video of poker hands to demonstrate to the court the skill involved in playing poker.

Jeff Phillips, the attorney who represented the defendants in the South Carolina case, spoke highly of the help provided by the Litigation Support Network.

Phillips told PokerListings, “The PPA paid for Hannum and Sexton to come testify and they performed admirably and their testimony is what really prompted the judge’s finding … that there was overwhelming testimony that poker was a game of skill. I think it was very effective evidence.”

In addition to furnishing experts to testify, the PPA provided Phillips with additional legal assistance. He told PokerListings that he worked with Tom Goldstein, a PPA attorney in Washington , D.C., whom he described as very accomplished and bright and “a great source of advice and help.”

The South Carolina case is heading for an appellate court to challenge the magistrate’s ultimate finding of guilt. Phillips is cautiously optimistic about their chances on appeal, which the PPA will continue to participate in. He expects a ruling on the appeal by late spring.

Thanks to the work of the local attorneys, aided by the PPA’s Litigation Support Network, poker is moving ever closer to legal recognition as a game of skill whose players should not be punished under laws that seek to prohibit playing games of chance.

As Mr. Fleming said of the recent successes by the Litigation Support Network, “So far, so good.”

Gus Hansen and trex313 = BFF?

If you could pick one player to play for the rest of your life, who would it be?

For Hac “trex313″ Dang, that person seems to be Gus Hansen.

Although Patrik Antonius and Tom “durrrr” Dwan were supposed to be the heads-up match of 2009, Gus Hansen and Hac “trex313″ Dang are playing each other like there is no tomorrow.

After taking a quick look at PokerListings’ MarketPulse section, it’s obvious the two have played a ton of heads-up against each other.

Hac can frequently be found simply waiting at Hansen’s two exclusive heads-up PLO tables on Full Tilt, and Hansen is often up for the challenge.

It’s been a good year for both players thus far – trex313 is rumored to have made in the range of $4 million while Hansen is close to $1 million. It’s unknown how much money has gone back and forth between them but it’s easily in the millions.

The two willing combatants renewed their rivalry yesterday as eight of the top 10 biggest pots on MarketPulse featured both of the poker pros.

In the biggest pot of the session trex313 managed to get all-in ahead on the flop and then fill up the boat on the river to rake a $186,000 pot from the Great Dane.

As always, keep checking MarketPulse for the best reports on high-stakes poker or download the Full Tilt client and rail the action for yourself.

Check below for the biggest hands from the latest trex313 vs. Gus Hansen dustup.

Online Poker Room Academy

Online poker room Full Tilt Poker is hosting their first ever poker academy, an online school for poker hosted by poker pros and members of Team Full Tilt. The Full Tilt Poker Academy will boast instructors of the highest caliber, including long time Team Full Tilt members Chris Ferguson, Howard Lederer, Jennifer Harman, Erick Lindgren, Andy Bloch, Phil Ivey and Mike Matusow – all the big name pros poker fans have enjoyed seeing on Full Tilt Poker commercials. Other pros who will lend their skills to the Academy include Phil Gordon, John Juanda and Allen Cunningham.

Layne Flack Arrested for DUI, Cancels NBC Heads-Up Spot

It was news that became the talk of the poker community on the first day of the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. While 64 players were on the NBC set in Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, poker media was abuzz with reports that well-known poker pro Layne Flack was in a Vegas jail on DUI and other charges. Ultimately, within 24 hours, there was another side to the ever-developing story in the words of Flack himself, but that did not stop the interest in the saga.

The media first noticed that something was awry when David Oppenheim was in Layne Flack’s seat at the NHUPC. When the show’s producer Mori Eskandani was asked about Flack’s disappearance from the line-up, he said that Flack was in an auto accident the night before after leaving the draw party. That attracted concern until some of the reporters on scene began their investigative reporting, at which point it was discovered that Flack was being detained at the City of Las Vegas Detention Center. He had been arrested in the late night hours of Thursday, March 5 and charged with driving under the influence, driving more than 21 miles per hour over the speed limit, and failing to yield to an emergency vehicle.

Later on the afternoon of Friday, March 6, he was released on bail. Soon after, he released a statement to the media that read as follows:

“I attended the Draw Party at Pure on Friday night and then met with my brother, who had flown into Vegas for Heads Up. I was under the impression that I was to play in the last bracket the next evening at around 8pm. I was pulled over for speeding and refused a breathalyzer test as I have been instructed to do. I have no idea why I was written a ticket for failing to yield to an emergency vehicle. There were no emergency vehicles around, besides the police car. A test, given by the Las Vegas PD, later revealed that I had a blood alcohol content of zero. I also took a blood test, as I have nothing to hide. I was held for the mandatory six hours and released. I always go out of my way to not drink and drive. I regret that I was not able to play in NBC Heads Up and hope to be invited next year to play in this prestigious event.”

The brief statement denied two of the three charges, though the City of Las Vegas continued to list those as the misdemeanors with which he was charged. In addition, the statement read that he attended the draw party on Friday night, but the party was in fact on Thursday night.

While Flack denies that he drank prior to driving away from the party and claims his alcohol level was tested at zero, it was noted by several draw party attendees that he was spotted drinking alcohol at the party only hours before the police incident. Online poker player Andrew Robl was one of those who had blogged about doing shots of tequila with Flack at the party and that Flack “ended up getting quite drunk.” However, only a short time after Flack’s statement was released, Robl edited his blog post to delete those statements, and he did so with no explanation of the edit.

Flack is quite known around the tournament poker circuit as one who indulges in libations on a regular basis, though his assertion that he does not drink and drive could very well be an honest one. Most of the observations from the draw party are speculation or, in the case of Robl, a statement that may or may not have been true.

For now, Flack will have to sort out the details with the Las Vegas police department and court system, and little may be known to the poker media until records become public.

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High Stakes Poker- Season Five, Episode 2

The same eight players as last week returned for the second episode of this season’s High Stakes Poker. Mar 9, 2009

• Sunday is the New Poker Night, Prepare Recording Devices
• PokerNews Launches Team ChipMeUp
• BluefirePoker Challenges Obama and Congress to Million Dollar Poker
• Dwan Keeps Slight Lead Over Antonius in Online Challenge

 

Latest Poker News

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Layne Flack Arrested for DUI, Cancels NBC Heads-Up Spot

It was news that became the talk of the poker community on the first day of the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. While 64 players were on the NBC set in Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, poker media was abuzz with reports that well-known poker pro Layne Flack was in a Vegas jail on DUI and other charges. Mar 11, 2009

• NINE PokerNews Cup Alpine Packages up for Grabs on Tony G Poker
• Dwan Keeps Slight Lead Over Antonius in Online Challenge
• The Round Table – Get to Know – Aaron Been
• Spring into Cash with the Ultimate Bet $220,000 Points Race
• Several Hundred-Thousand-Dollar Winners in PokerStars Sunday Majors
• Everest E-Report: Climb the WSOP Steps at Everest

 

NINE PokerNews Cup Alpine Packages up for Grabs on Tony G Poker

The excitement is building and along with it some disappointment – from players who have not yet won their seat to the 2009 PokerNews Cup Alpine. But thanks to TonyG Poker, shake off those blues because YOU can still get to the Alps this month!

TonyG Poker will be holding an amazing last minute PokerNews Cup Alpine Freeroll series and there is NO time to waste – because it takes place March 15th- 17th which is just days away! And you have not one or two chances to win but NINE! That’s right! Tony G Poker will be giving away nine prize packages to the 2009 PokerNews Cup Alpine! That means you have nine times the opportunity to win your coveted Main Event seat!

Mark your calendar for this Sunday March 15th when the Freeroll series kicks off at 18:35 GMT. You will want to be ready to play some serious online poker because the top three finishers will each bag a prize package valued at $6,200! The prize packages include: entry to the Main Event and Event 4, hotel accommodations, transfers to and from the airport via helicopter, $500 spending cash and an exclusive party to mingle with the pros.

You would have to be crazy to miss this opportunity to party and play poker in the Alps! So get to it, time is wasting! Download TonyG Poker through PokerWorks, create an account, make a minimum deposit and play to earn 100 poker points! And when you make your first deposit, you will automatically be eligible for special bonus of 200% up to $600! Then head to the lobby to find your Freeroll in the “Scheduled” tournament tab. Get yourself registered in a 2009 PokerNews Cup Alpine Freeroll and you are on your way to Austria – it’s just that simple! And the biggest news is everyone is eligible! All poker players, including existing TonyG Poker account holders are invited to play in this Freeroll series, no matter what venue they signed up from, giving everyone a chance to win!

This Three day Freeroll series is your last chance to get to Austria and take your seat in the 2009 PokerNews Cup Alpine and the best news is that it can all be yours FREE! Each PokerNews Cup Alpine Freeroll prize pool is worth a total of an impressive $18,600 – so how can you resist getting in on that? You can’t!

We want to see you in Austria for the 2009 PokerNews Cup Alpine, which will kick off at the luxurious Alpine Palace Ski & Spa Resort on March 21st and run until March 28th.  So be sure to be at TonyG Poker on March 15th, 16th and 17th for your final chance to be win your PokerNews Cup Alpine prize package! Start packing – for your spring fling in Austria!

For all information regarding the 2009 PokerNews Cup Alpine  please visit www.PokerNewsCup.com today.

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Everest E-Report: Everest to Sponsor Spanish Poker Tour Season 2

The first year of the Spanish Poker Tour was such a success that the 2009 season is already announced and scheduled. With the March kick-off in Madrid, players will have eight opportunities to get involved throughout the year. And with Everest Poker as the sponsor for the tour, there will be countless opportunities to qualify for seats on the Spanish Poker Tour. Feb 15, 2009

• There’s More Than One way to Get to The PokerNews Cup Alpine
• Get Ready for The Ladbrokes Poker Easter Rendezvous Festival
• Get Ready to Rock with a $500,000 GP Event from Mansion Poker
• The FINAL PokerNews Cup Alpine Freeroll is March 12th at Titan Poker!

 

Latest Poker News

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NINE PokerNews Cup Alpine Packages up for Grabs on Tony G Poker

The excitement is building and along with it some disappointment – from players who have not yet won their seat to the 2009 PokerNews Cup Alpine. But thanks to TonyG Poker, shake off those blues because YOU can still get to the Alps this month! Mar 11, 2009

• Dwan Keeps Slight Lead Over Antonius in Online Challenge
• The Round Table – Get to Know – Aaron Been
• Spring into Cash with the Ultimate Bet $220,000 Points Race
• Several Hundred-Thousand-Dollar Winners in PokerStars Sunday Majors
• Everest E-Report: Climb the WSOP Steps at Everest
• High Stakes Poker- Season Five, Episode 2

 

Online Poker Room Hosts Monthly Freeroll

In online poker terminology a freeroll is a tournament that is free to enter, yet has some value to win. Online poker room Everest Poker is hosting a series of monthly freerolls, including a $1k prize pool that will pay out to the top winners. These freerolls typically do require a few qualifications be met, such as being a member of Everest Poker for one, and often times having earned a few points from a loyalty program – with a bunch of freerolls running this month, March is a great time to add to your Everest Poker bankroll with little to no risk.

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