Jun
22
by Chad Holloway
The World Series of Poker is crazy, but in a good way. A typical day reporting for PokerNews consists of about 12-14 hours, constantly running around gathering hands and chip counts, and posting them to the web. It can be difficult at times trying to keep track of all the big name pros, but it is also a lot of fun. Where else do I get the opportunity to stand next to and talk to the biggest names in poker?
Since coming to the WSOP a few weeks ago, I have had the opportunity to see some pretty incredible things. Among them were Tom “Durrrr” Dwan’s second place finish, Michael Mizrachi’s victory in the $50,000 Players Championship, Men “The Master” Nguyen’s win to capture his 7th bracelet (almost an 8th as well, finishing in second place just last night), and controversy surrounding men entering the Ladies Event. It never ceases to amaze me just what I’ll see on poker’s biggest stage.
I’m really looking forward to the upcoming Tournament of Champions. For those of you who don’t know, the WSOP is bringing back the T.O.C. that occurred from 2004-2006. You may have seen the episodes on ESPN when Annie Duke defeated Phil Hellmuth heads-up in 2004, when Mike Matusow won in 2005, or when Mike Sexton claimed victory in 2006. Anyway, this year Harrah’s announced they would be bring back the T.O.C. in a different format; that is, the fans would vote in an online poll to choose who would get the opportunity play. The only catch was that past bracelet winners would be eligible (Sorry Mr. Laak and Mr. Dwan).
The T.O.C. would feature 27 players. The past three winners would get in, as would the reining Main Event Champs from the WSOP and WSOP-Europe (Joe Cada & Barry Schulman). Harrah’s then reserved two spots for sponsor exemptions, meaning the top 20 vote getters in the poll would get in. Phil Ivey was the number one vote getter, beating out Daniel Negreanu by only 28 votes! Check out who will be playing in the T.O.C.:
Rank Name Votes
1 Phil Ivey 16,267
2 Daniel Negreanu 16,239
3 Doyle Brunson 13,796
4 Phil Hellmuth 12.673
5 Chris Ferguson 11,585
6 Allen Cunningham 10,486
7 Johnny Chan 10,434
8 Scotty Nguyen 9,834
9 Barry Greenstein 9,806
10 John Juanda 8,835
11 Erik Seidel 8,802
12 Jennifer Harman 8,206
13 Huck Seed 8,180
14 Dan Harrington 7,342
15 T.J. Cloutier 6,281
16 Sammy Farha 6,085
17 Howard Lederer 5,596
18 Greg Raymer 5,404
19 Joe Hachem 5,272
20 Antonio Esfandiari 5,129
Automatic Annie Duke 2004 TOC Winner
Automatic Mike Matuswo 2005 TOC Winner
Automatic Mike Sexton 2006 TOC Winner
Automatic Joe Cada 2009 Main Event Champion
Automatic Barry Shulman 2009 WSOP Europe Main Event Champion
Exemption Bertrand Grospellier WSOP Academy Playoff Winner
Exemption Andrew Barton WSOP.com UK Qualifier
There was mixed reaction here at the Rio concerning the decision by Harrah’s to give one of the exemptions to the winner of a single table tournament for the WSOP Academy; regardless, it was Bertrand Grospellier who took it down and got in. Aside from that, the poker community has been mixed on the line-up. It seems they all agree those voted in certainly deserved it, but believed there were a few who may have been overlooked.
The two names I’ve heard mentioned the most were Erick Lindgren and Carlos Mortenson. Lindgren’s success on the World Poker Tour and being named the WSOP Player of the Year in 2008 is hard to ignore. As is Mortenson’s Main Event win in 2001 and subsequent success on the WPT, namely being the all-time money winner. There is no doubt that these are two of the greatest players on the circuit, but when you boil it down, the T.O.C. is a popularity contest and the public voted on who they wanted to see. Now, we just have to wait a couple more weeks to see who becomes Champion of Champions.
Jun
15
by Chad Holloway
Congratulations to Phil Laak for demolishing the poker endurance world record. I actually had the opportunity to stop in and see the record-breaking attempt at around Hour 40. Laak looked strong and sociable, with no sign of slowing down. The set up was also pretty cool. There were cameras broadcasting everything live. The whole poker room at the Bellagio had a strange vibe, like everyone was there rooting for Phil; in fact, I heard there were a number of players in the cash game who tried staying up right alongside Phil. What he accomplished is simply amazing and I can only imagine how well he slept once he hit his bed. Now that it’s done, I look forward to seeing Phil in action at the World Series of Poker.
Speaking of the WSOP, it has been hectic. As you know, I am working as a blogger/field reporter for PokerNews. This means incredibly long hours, but it is a blast. Tom “Durrrr” Dwan made a final table last week and the buzz around the Rio was electric. Dwan had so many bracelet bets with some of poker’s biggest names (I.e. Negreanu, Matusow, Brunson, etc.) and stood to win millions if he took down a bracelet. Players were eliminated one by one from the final table, yet Dwan remained. He got heads-up against Jason Dewitt, but he couldn’t seal the deal. Many in the poker community breathed a collective sigh of relief when Dwan was eliminated. It wasn’t that they didn’t want him to win a bracelet, they just didn’t want him to win one this year. Regardless, the atmosphere in the Rio that night was awesome.
In other WSOP news, a number of notables have won bracelets thus far. For example, Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi captured the $50,000 Player’s Championship; Praz Bansi won a $1,500 No Limit Hold’em event; Men “The Master” Nguyen won his seventh bracelet by taking down the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship; and Matt Matros won his first bracelet by winning the $1,500 Limit Hold’em event. Numerous big name pros have been making final tables, so it’ll be interesting to see who ends up with a bracelet in the coming weeks.
In Fantasy Poker news, I am currently in sixth place in the 2010 ESPN Fantasy League. For those of you who don’t know about this league, check out Andrew Feldman’s ESPN article at http://espn.go.com/sports/fantasy/blog/_/name/poker/id/5215225/espn-fifth-annual-fantasy-poker-draft. Not too shabby considering it’s my first year, but a few in the pack seem to be pulling away. I’m going to need a strong showing from my team if I’m going to compete. Here are the standings after the first 20 events:
Lederer: 257
Bradley: 176
Seif: 164
Negreanu: 149
Smith: 103
Holloway: 95
Wise: 76
Feldman: 66
Lee: 36
Phillips: 20
Baldwin : 15
Chops: 7
That’s it for now. I have to get back to covering the $1,000 Event. I plan on blogging as often as possible from the series, so check back soon. Also, if you’re interested in hearing about a specific event, player, etc. at the WSOP, let me know by leaving a comment and I will try to mention something about it in the next blog.
May
10
by Chad Holloway
Even by poker movie standards, Deal is a bad beat.
I just got done watching the poker movie “Deal” which stars Burt Reynolds and Shannon Elizabeth. I’ve seen some crappy poker movies in my time, but that one might just take the cake. It was cool to see cameos by some of poker’s biggest names though, like Phil Laak, Antonio Esfandiari, and Jennifer Tilly. Although I may have wasted my time with that flick, I did get to see Iron Man 2 and I was not disappointed. I’m kind of a comic book geek anyway, but I highly recommend it.
I’m getting really excited about the World Series of Poker. I will be leaving Wisconsin on May 22 and heading to Vegas. I plan on arriving a few days early to get some good playing time in before working my ass off for Poker News. I’m really looking forward to the opportunity but know I will be working my ass off. The WSOP can be a major grind not only for players, but for reporters as well. I think the average day for a reporter is about 14 hours. Regardless, I can’t think of anything I’d rather be doing this summer and actually getting paid.
Sunglasses seem to be a hot topic of discussion in the poker forums. Specifically, Daniel Negreanu has suggested that sunglasses should be banned from the poker table because they make it easier to spot marked cards, poker is a human game, and it’s better for TV. In fact, the “Big Game” which will air on Fox (Laak will be playing) has banned sunglasses for their format. I must admit that I often wear sunglasses while playing and don’t think that they should be banned from poker. I don’t mind if an occasional tournament or format bans them, but such a regulation shouldn’t be universally applied (especially at the WSOP). I wear sunglasses at the table for two main reasons. First, I don’t always pay attention to what’s going on at the table (sometimes I’m daydreaming or reading a book) and I don’t want my opponents to know if I’m slacking or looking at the action. Second, I don’t want my opponents to know what I’m looking at when I’m playing. For example, if I am trying to get a read on someone I might concentrate on watching their eyes or their hands. If my opponent knows, they will be better equipped to fix their tells. On top of this all, I like the fact that wearing sunglasses gives me options. I don’t always wear them, so sometimes when I put them down players assume I’m bluffing and pay me off. Personally, I feel a sunglasses ban would deeply cut my poker profits. Either way, it should be interesting to see how the debate pans out.
I’m currently trying to find some good Fantasy Poker opportunities, so I’ll try to post some options in my next blog. So if you like Fantasy Poker or want to give it a try, check back and I’ll do my best to let you know what’s out there.
Apr
19
by Chad Holloway
Jose Conseco may or may not get into a brawl at the 2010 WSOP.
I’m pretty excited. It looks like I will be at this year’s World Series of Poker for its entirety. Although I wish I was playing tournaments that entire time, I’m afraid I’ve been relegated to reporting on the tournaments only. That’s because I’ll be working for Poker News over the summer as a field reporter and blogger. This means I’ll be keeping track of poker’s biggest names, chips counts, and the action throughout the series. I’m really looking forward to being a part of the WSOP and being there during the Player’s Championship, the Tournament of Champions, and of course the Main Event.
Since my schedule won’t allow me to play in any events (maybe one or two if I’m lucky), I’m planning on focusing on the cash game action. When I was out there last year, the $2-$5 No Limit Hold’em tables were action packed and provided a great opportunity to pad the bankroll. One night last year, I was playing after a 13 hour shift and the table decided to play the 2-7 game, meaning if any player won with a 2-7 then each player at the table would pay him or her $20. The action was really heating up when a new player sat down immediately to my left. I told him about our game and asked if he was in. He gave an enthusiastic “of course,” and we had a good time. It wasn’t until about two hours later that I realized this guy sitting next to me was Jose Conseco.
I was surprised at how social and friendly he was. That’s when an interesting situation came up. After we had been playing a few hours, a beverage server brought Canseco an alcoholic drink saying it was from someone at a nearby table. Canseco said, “Thanks but no thank, I don’t drink.” The waitress promptly removed the drink and went on her way. Well this must not have sat too well with the people at the other table who had order the drink. How do I know this? Well, Canseco’s girlfriend (who was quite good-looking) happened to be playing at the other table and informed Canseco when they start badmouthing him behind his back. Too make a long story short, Canseco started to lose his temper and began arguing with the guys at the other table. Pretty soon the situation escalated and swears and “Let’s take this outside” were being shouted by Conseco. The other players tauntingly urged him on and it became a disruptive shouting match. Keep in mind, this was approximately three in the morning, so there weren’t a lot of people in the Amazon Room. As the scene was unfolding, I nonchalantly reached into my bag and got my camera ready. Hell, if a brawl was going to go down at the WSOP between Jose Canseco and some drunken poker players, you’d better believe I was going to get that on camera. Fortunately, of unfortunately, security showed up and managed to escort Conseco out of the room.
That was just one of my many memories of the WSOP and I can’t wait to add to them this year. If you make a trip to Vegas this summer and attend the WSOP, maybe I’ll see you at the Rio. Just look for the Poker News guy who is sporting some UnabomberPoker.net gear. With a little luck, I might be reporting on you.