When Team Pokerati-er Whit Blanton rivered a royal flush at the Hard Rock at the beginning of the Series, I publicly congratulated him but inside poo-pooed his blurry handheld photography. But after flopping one of my own while playing 2/5 NLH at the Rio last night, I think I have a better understanding … as you kinda can’t help but be shaking a bit.
Click below for the uneventful details of how the hand played out:
So close … but in the end, Tom missed the final table in the $1,500 Limit Hold’em Shootout event — losing heads-up in a hard-fought battle to Greg FBT Mueller. So rough, too … he played so well, fought so hard … so much money not won.
(Swear it wasn’t my fault, despite what others are saying.)
NOTE: Tom says things turned on the first dealer error he’s encountered the whole Series (which sounds like a lot of clean cards for a long time, but not really when you go out around dinner break in most of your 19 events).
Tom got dealt 3-3 … Mueller had 7-7 … but one of the 7s got exposed, so his new card was 3s. They were at 8k/16k, and a 3 and two spades came on the flop, giving Tom a set, and FBT a pair with a flush draw. Tom bet, Mueller called. Blank on the turn; Tom bet, Mueller called. Spade on the river = flush for FBT, compliments of his burn-card 3.
For those who missed it live … here’s this week’s episode of The Poker Beat, where the topics of the day include Jeff Lisandro, the Lindgreanu / Greensandro bet, National Poker Week, and Miami John coverage.
on PokerRoadThe Poker Beat
Huff, Nemeth, Wise, Michalski, Stapleton
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Recapping the Saturday afternoon action:
Brandon Cantu and Lee Watkinson are the last two standing in the $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha 8 or Better event, each going for their second career bracelet. At the moment, Watkinson holds a 2-1 chip lead over Cantu.
Hasan Habib remains the chip leader (453,000) with 77 players remaining in the $50,000 HORSE event as they return from a dinner break with three more levels remaining in today’s play. David Bach (426,000) and John Kabbaj (340,000) are the top 3 in chips at the moment. Among the eliminations today, Justin Bonomo, John Juanda, Eli Elezra and Jennifer Harman. More updates can be found over at www.wsop.com
The field of 64 that started round 2 of the $1,500 Limit Holdem Shootout on Saturday is down to 38 players spread over eight tables. Among the remaining players, David Williams, Tom Schneider, Humberto Brenes, Marc Naalden, and Jean-Robert Bellande.
A sold-out field of 2781 in the next to last $1,500 NL Holdem event is down to about 975 players as they return from dinner break. The unofficial chip leader is Thomas “titantom32″ Braband at 78,000 with another 4 levels before play ends for the day.
More updates available at www.wsop.com and Pokerati for other stuff during the evening.
It was a moment for those of us who believed it to be. Surely, it was a moment for 24-year old Bahador Ahmadi, who was celebrating a WSOP victory that came with $278,104 and a gold bracelet, but it was a bit more than that to him. At the Saturday bracelet ceremony, the Iranian-born Canadian resident requested that the anthem played on his behalf be that of his native Iran. He told Nolan Dalla after his win:
In a post-tournament interview, Ahamdi wanted to point out that he is proud of his heritage and supports change in his native country. He believes that playing the Iranian anthem at the WSOP will enable many poker players and the public to better understand the pro-Western attitudes held by many Iranians, both who live within Iran and abroad.
With all of the unrest going on in Iran surrounding the recent election, it was a thought that the people in the Amazon Room would stand with extra pride, exert some sort of extra support for the people of Iran, and it would be a grand moment representing the state of the world (or something like that). In fact, the moment was like any other bracelet ceremony, as the majority of the room stood to respect the anthem of the winner’s country, the winner seemed consumed in his own private moment of silence, and it was over.
Perhaps, however, that is what is notable about the World Series of Poker…and poker tournaments in general. Conflicts that may arise between groups of people or warring countries are not apparent at the poker tables. It’s the demeanor of the person at the table, along with playing style and respect for others that gets the attention rather than their ethnicity or skin color. Others like Dr. Pauly contend that the WSOP is simply so all-consuming that no one responds to news unless it hits them in the face like the death of Michael Jackson. Iran? Never heard any of their music so… Read the Tao of Poker take on the mindset of the players here.
That’s what @JeffreyPollack wants to know — after today’s $1,500 NLH maxed out with 2,790 entrants (one of which is The Big Randy, fyi). Specifically, he twitters:
should WSOP events ever sell out? Do sell-outs conflict with our brand promise? Or, are they okay?
Though I’m not exactly sure what the “brand promise” of the WSOP is beyond free beef jerky for media (hey, can we get the strips instead of the nuggets? that’d be great … thanks … sesame please), I gotta think the answer is no.
If you let alternates run, then it ultimately becomes the players’ choice whether or not to buy-in.
There could obviously be exceptions for numerically dependent tournaments such as Shootouts and Heads-up events. But I’m not even so sure that those should ever close until X number of necessary logistical minutes before cards go in the air.
Send your thoughts to the Commish in 140 characters or less here.
I catch up with Pauly just before the end of Day 1 in $50k HORSE. As the good doctor and I celebrate our victories having bet the under on the projected field size for this event, Pauly breaks it down even further to explain the Warren Buffet method of prop-betting and his 40k+50k=300 formula for the 2009 WSOP.
But before you start thinking Pauly is smart, consider his thoughts on the connection between the Mark Sanford affair and Michael Jackson’s death … which is the model he uses to surmise that the God Save the Queen anthem fiasco might actually just have been a cover to distract from the real stories about the significance of losing a third of the starting field size in an event that’s supposed to be one of the biggest deals of the year in all of poker.
presented by:
Tao of Pokerati at the 40th WSOP
Las Vegas, NVEpisode 11.24: Running Numbers
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Episode 11.25: Tinfoil HORSE
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Steve Hall knew poker columnist Lee Munzer better than most of us … and respectfully honors his fancy for the ladies as Wicked Chopsian before Wicked Chops was cool existed.
And while you’re at PokerGossip … Steve also has a good piece — from a Brit’s perspective — on yesterday’s “God Save the Queen” bracelet goof. Check it out.
After a valiant 0-for-18 start, with only one Day 2 in the mix, everybody’s favorite @DonkeyBomber has finally made the money — winning his first-round table in the $1,500 Limit Hold’em Shootout, an event he finished 5th in back in 2006.
Yep, it’s a guaranteed $4,350 payday ($2,850 net). We know he’s got a long way to go against a bunch of other tough pros to stop the bankroll-bleeding … but c’mon, golf-clap … baby steps. Now all he needs is a third-place finish (or maybe second) to get him pretty close to even for 2009 WSOP tourneys.
Other notable players advancing include:
David Williams
David Plastik
Juha Helppi
Humberto Brenes
John-Robert Bellande
Brock Parker
Nick Binger
Diego Cordovez
Greg Mueller
Ray Henson
… and a lot of others that have 2-4 WSOP cashes under their belts.
Here’s Tom’s 2nd Round table:
Tom Schneider – 45000
Juha Helppi – 45000
Mike Thorpe – 45000
Daniel Kraus – 45000
Michael Byrne – 45000
Brock Parker – 45000
Greg ‘FBT’ Mueller – 45000
Mike Beasley – 45000
If you tally up Hendon Mob Results and WSOP hardware for all the players still left (64 out of 572), this table represents the 1st most difficult out of 8. Must-win.
Recapping the rest of Friday night’s WSOP, and paying respect to the passing of Lee Munzer (1943-2009).
Day 1 of the $50,000 HORSE has 91 of the 95 original entrants remaining, with Hasan Habib holding the chip lead. The list of notables with chips is too many to mention, but you can see who else is remaining by checking out this link. Day 2 will begin around 2pm4pm with another sixfive levels of play scheduled.
The final table of the $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha 8 or Better has been established and Brandon Cantu has maintained his lead, with the final table seated as follows when play resumes at 2pm:
Seat 1: Lee Watkinson – 412000
Seat 2: Steve Jelinek – 260000
Seat 3: William McMahan – 168000
Seat 4: Brandon Cantu – 1025000
Seat 5: Ted Weinstock – 250000
Seat 6: Aaron Sias – 353000
Seat 7: Jacqmin Mathieu – 552000
Seat 8: Ronnie Hofman – 76000
Seat 9: Tommy Vedes – 334000
64 players remain from the starting field of 571 in the $1,500 Limit Holdem Shootout. Among the first round winners: Jean-Robert Bellande, Nick Binger, Humberto Brenes, Dan Heimiller, Juha Helppi, Greg Mueller, Marc Naalden, Brock Parker, Tom Schneider, David Williams and Todd Witteles. Eight eight-handed tables will play down to a winner starting around 2pm Saturday, with the eight winners returning Sunday.
The only tournament starting today is the penultimate $1,500 NL Donkament, starting at noon today with a projected field size of 2,800 taking the felt, which will surely delay the other three tournaments that are scheduled to start later this afternoon. Last year’s version of this event was won by David Daneshgar in a field of 2,693, taking down over $625,000.
Change100 compiled a list of last year’s players who are not playing in the 2009 50K Horse event. That included… second place finisher Michael DeMichele, Phil Hellmuth, Lyle Berman (who final tabled the event last year), durrrr, Dario Minieri, DonkeyBomber, The Grinder, Brandon Adams, Kirill Gerasimov, Amnon Filippi, David Williams, Isabelle Mercier, Ted Forrest, Billy “The Croc” Argyros, Allen Cunningham, Marcel Luske, and Robert Williamson III.
You just could tell … 2009 was sure to be a big year for Iran! Thought it was gonna be Farzad Rouhani who did it first at the WSOP — but he got Lisandro’d in a Stud event.
Bahador Ahmadi took down the $2,500 Mixed Hold’em event (limit and no-limit — first prize: $279k).
We’re probably not gonna get the conundrum-y bracelet ceremony I was hoping for … because though Ahmadi is Iranian, he currently calls Canada (BC) his home. But if he were to claim this victory for Iran — and the WSOP were to play the Iranian national anthem — do we stand? Do we turn our backs? And whom would we be speaking to by doing so — Ahmadinejad or supporters of Mousavi?
I suppose that’s kinda what they’re fighting about in the streets of Tehran …
UPDATE (from Cali Jen): They’ll be playing the Iranian national anthem tomorrow at 2:20 (or 2:50 – whatever they decide)
As Kevin pointed out … great story (like true narrative from a non-poker person who kinda gets poker) in the New York Times Magazine about a mother trying to come to grips with her son’s extensive online poker play … and the transition from successful scholar-athlete to internet poker pro.
(What’s a mom to do when cutting a 19-year-old kid off financially carries no weight — other than follow his chipstack online while he’s playing live in the EPT?)
Recapping the Friday afternoon action…
As the players return from the dinner break, Martin Vallo is the unofficial chip leader (245,000) in the $50k HORSE event with all 95 players who registered remaining. The players are now on level four, with three more levels of play scheduled before play ends for the day. Among the early leaders, Daniel Negreanu (200,000), Jeff Lisandro, (188,000), Patrik Antonius (175,000) and Todd Brunson (168,000).
Ylon Schwartz is the current chip leader (2,000,000) with three players remaining in the $2,500 Mixed Holdem event as they return from their dinner break. John McGuiness (1,200,000) and Bahador Ahmadi (750,000) round out the field. Barry Greenstein finished in 5th before heading off to join the $50k HORSE field.
With 36 players remaining in the $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha 8 or Better event, Brandon Cantu (525,000) is the dominant chip leader, with Tommy Vedes (225,000) a distant second. Other notables remaining: Lee Watkinson (70,000), Noah Boeken (62,000), Phil Hellmuth (58,000), and Randy Holland (46,000).
The late afternoon tournament, $1,500 Limit Holdem Shootout drew a field of nearly 600, seated at 64 tables. The round one winners play at eight eight-handed tables, and those winners will return on Sunday to determine the winner. No table winners have been determined yet, but expect some notable winners included in the morning update.
Catch up with all the updates over at www.wsop.com and more stuff from Team Pokerati during the evening.
On a day when the world’s eyes will likely be focused on Day 3 of $50k HORSE USA vs. Brazil, 60 minutes is rerunning their story on the biggest scandal to hit online poker.
Curious timing. It could just be a throwaway piece of filler, or it could be given an introductory time-hook connecting it to the kickoff of the WSOP. (The non-poker world that hasn’t been following us for the past month thinks the World Series starts next week.) Or … might the replay have been pushed in connection with National Poker Week and the supposedly soon-to-be-heard Barney Frank bill?
ADDENDUM: Yep, pushed back to September.
If that’s the case, you gotta wonder which side pushed for that — the side that contends prohibition is necessary because online poker is a crooked, degenerate pursuit, or the side trumpeting regulation in part because of the assistance needed to keep the game clean.
Backroom Hold’em - Poker has long fought association with cross words http://t.co/1ApiZY97
RT @compncards: Iowa Online Poker Bill Passes Committee - Moves On to House http://t.co/9j87SAZF #poker
RT @MeanPokerDealer: I think it's SO cool how you guys loop the earbuds around your ears so they're hanging there all not in your ears and stuff. I hate you.
@KhanNoaman I only tweeted links to PokerNews & @CalvinAyre articles re: #Montreal lawsuit & the YouTube video of the 2011 Mtl Open kickoff.
