According to this report, published in the Las Vegas Review Journal, the Palms Casino took a $500,000 hit for being unlucky enough to host a few tournaments gone wrong including the now infamous Pokerbowl.
We got a pretty sophisticated audience at Pokerati. All you lawyers, execs, programmers, Congresspeople, and part-time rodeo clowns … I gotta say, the search engine traffic is pretty dull compared to what brings people to sites like this and this. But while most of our search traffic comes from blase matter-of-factoids like Pokerati, WSOP, deep stack tournaments, and Julie Schneider stack em up, we do get a few visitors looking for peculiar, perverted, and/or misinformed content:
tied up hands and feet
lesbian poker
naked fat chick
joe cada is a jew?
hogtied men
the novembrists
oliver tse
are maria and tiffany gay
are the poker girls amazing race gay
(and lots of variants of the above theme)
joe cada shirtless
pictures of amy calistri nude
mitch garber asshole
hot boys guy donkeys
hookers at the commerce casino
óòðî
chau giang rub titties
LOL. Seriously … who are you people? And were you able to find everything you’re looking for?
So I really nailed it when predicting the outcomes of the tournament itself … picked Joe Cada as the winner and declared Darvin Moon to be finishing in either 2nd or 4th.
However, I also said: “Seriously, I’m predicting ratings boom.”
Oops …
For Immediate Release
November 12, 2009World Series of Poker Finale Draws 2.1 Million Viewers on ESPN
With 21-year-old Joe Cada of Michigan setting a record as the youngest champion ever, more than 2.1 million viewers watched ESPN’s same-day coverage of the World Series of Poker, presented by Jack Link’s Beef Jerky, from Las Vegas on Tuesday, Nov. 10. The telecast earned a 1.8 household coverage rating in an average of 1,806,113 households, a slight decrease from the 1.9 rating earned for the 2008 finale.ESPN’s 15-week schedule of World Series of Poker coverage in 2009 included 31 telecasts averaging a 1.0 rating, even with last year. However, averages for households (1,024,901) and viewership (1,228,008) increased nine and seven percent, respectively, from 2008, and the important Male 25-54 demographic saw a 13 percent jump from 2008.
It only took one year for the record for youngest winner to be broken. Denmark’s Peter Eastgate was 22 when he captured the 2008 crown.
-30-
Click below for a more detailed breakdown and recent-history comparison of the ratings, courtesy of a ganked Poker Beat email from BJ.
Speaking of … don’t forget to tune in today to The Poker Beat, as we will be getting all-WSOPy like all get-out!
OMG. Is that a nipple + beaver peek? While this photoshoot may juxtapose troublesomely with our “Talk to Your Kids about Poker” post … maybe not … at least not any more so than pop-culture characters in music, movies, Japanese anime, or regular-ole-TV in Europe.
Beth Shak should so have a sponsorship deal with Cougar Cruises.
A friend of mine who watched the WSOP final table with his 12-year-old son earlier this week sent me a note asking if I knew of any “poker little leagues” that he could enroll his son in. I don’t, but the question got me thinking. How young is too young to expose kids to the wonders of poker, and what’s the best way to teach them about the game?
With all of the coverage the November Nine has gotten – and will continue to get through reruns on ESPN – it should come as no surprise that a new, younger generation will become interested in poker, perhaps inspired by a 21-year-old world champion who got his start online years before he could play in American casinos.
The question is, what is the best, most responsible way to teach kids about poker and “gambling”?
For my part, I suggested my friend buy his son some chips and a number of quality poker strategy books that he must read before starting to play penny-ante games at the kitchen table. Anyone have better suggestions?
The RawVegas gang caught up with the new WSOP main event champ at the viewing party held at ESPNzone in New York, New York. Good little glimpse of what he’s all about, how he’s handling friends who will inevitably hit him up for money, and the process of amicably (presumably) parting ways with his backers Eric Haber (“sheets”) and Cliff Josephy (“JohnnyBax”) …
Wow, awesome. Joan Rivers appears on a sports-talk radio show (790 AM The Ticket) and ends up talking poker, before getting frustrated and hanging up on the guys.
She doesn’t know who Texas Dolly is and says he has no ground to stand on criticizing her until “he’s 76 years old and had a career like I’ve had”. Some truly laughable poker-hating gems.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
UPDATE:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Happened to run into “Darv” after all was said and done last night …
Friends and family waiting for him to cash out.
Signing a few autographs.
Really, more of us should have friends who wear KIX shirts.
A few $5 million hugs.
Dennis Phillips explaining to Moon how just because you didn’t win doesn’t mean you can’t represent that you did.
And really, what better way to finish out your WSOP experience than by playing Three-Card Poker ($25-$50 a hand on a $5 table) with AlCantHang?
Pauly and I size things up on the first break, and are there as a winner is finally declared.
Episode 9: Cutting down Moon
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Episode 10: Cada’s Commencement
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
It took 36 hands … back and forth for 34 of them … then came hands #35 and #36 (#s 363 and 364 of the whole final table).
From PokerListings:
Cada Wins It All!
12 minutes agoAfter falling into an almost 3:1 chip deficit, Joe Cada grabbed control once again.
He made it 3 million preflop and Moon called.
The flopped rolled out Tc 9h 5d and both players tapped the table.
The 10d would bring some fireworks, however, as Moon check-raised all-in after a 3 million chip bet from Cada.
Cada leaned back in his chair for a few minutes pondering a call that would be for his tournament life.
Suddenly and decisively, he laid it all on the line making that call.
Moon showed 8s 7s for the open-ender and Cada’s Jh 9d was ahead.
Moon would need a six or a jack to win the Main Event title, but it was not to be as the 3h river fell, handing Cada the double-up and the chip lead.
Following the hand, Cada was up to 108 million and Moon ground down to 86 million.
A few hands later, the two got into a preflop raising war that saw Cada push in with nines and Moon make the call for his tournament life with Qd Jd.
The flop came 8c 7s 2c and chants of “Joey” filled the theatre. The turn brought the Kh and Cada needed to fade just one more card.
As the crowd murmured in anticipation, the river came the 7c and the Main Event title and $8.5 million was suddenly Cada’s.
A roar of approval could be heard all the way to Freemont Street.
Darvin Moon will take home $5.1 million for his second-place finish, but the World Championship and all the glory that goes now belongs to Joe Cada.
Level: 40
Blinds: 600,000/1,200,000
Ante: 200,000
Average Stack: $194,820,000
Players Left: 1
Tables Left: 1
Here are some pictures of what’s been going on off and around the table, during this $3mm+ heads-up match (because that’s really what they’re playing for) at the WSOP&T Theater:
You know how you would see fans at a baseball game watching the game live and on TV, usually with headphones? The poker version of that is this guy, who is watching the final update and following live updates on PokerNews.com.
The Joe Cada Michigan fan contingent. Alas, Rio security soon made them put on a little more clothing, despite Las Vegas’ general fondness for body paint counting as non-nudity.
HAND NOTE: The crowd tends to go rather nuts anytime a coordinated flop is followed by a related turn card.
Hey, look, it’s Annette_15 — presumably taking a special interest in any youngin’ looking for a big-time bracelet. We love Annette_15! Favorite 21-year-old young lady Betfair blogger! (Sitting with a Poker Royalty agent, plausibly interestingly.)
Joe Navarro would tell me this means Darvin Moon has the goods. However, when Cada re-re-raised him here, Moon folded.
UPDATE: Cada just doubled up, as Moon failed to get there moving all-in with an open-ender … (Cada called with two-pair, the second being his alone) … Cada dodged 8 outs to rake in 108 million chips, to Moon’s now 86 million.
Fans taking in the action.
Somebody forgot to tell this guy that Allen Kessler did not make the November Nine.
Not sure what to tell you off the bat … they’re about six hands in … and Darvin Moon has chipped up … he now has 90some million to Joe Cada’s 101ish million.
The WSOP&T Theater is packed-packed again … with plenty of folks lined up outside waiting to fill any empties.
So far I think I’ve seen the best ever rail-fan prop — about 10 rows from the stage, in Darvin Moon section of fans, a guy is holding up a toy chainsaw every time something positive for Moon occurs on the felt. Poker Loggers unite! Crap/LOL: domain name long taken/abandoned.
Lots of heckling, too … which gotta say, much to my surprise, Jack “Link’s” Effel is deflecting quite well.
MORE in this spot TK, at least for a while … keep refreshing.
– Everything intensified with such an audience watching. Even “checks” get gasps from the crowd … and mucks get “whoop whoop whoops!”
– Frat boy chants: “Let’s Go CA-DA! Let’s Go CA-DA!”
– Darvin now has the chip lead.
UPDATE: New level … and Linda “Tranwreck’ is the dealer … bad beats on the way?
NOTE: Blinds at 600k/1.2mm … exceeding the level where the 2008 WSOP main event came to a close.
STATING THE OBVIOUS: Barry Greenstein is a big fan of Linda Tran. @barrygreenstein tweets:
Linda Tran is the current dealer and she is beautiful and Asian. More incentive for me to final table next year.
via @WickedChops
–The gaming agents (not to be confused with gaming-agents) that Pauly loves to talk about are here … but either they have little business to attend to and are simply supporting their client Joe Cada … or they have learned how to prevent people like me from taking pictures of them looking devious by saying things like, “hey, how’s it goin’?” (Foiled!)
– Blinds are 600k/1.2mm … and with 195 million total chips in play, that means an average stack has roughly 81 BB
UPDATE CHIP COUNT:
Darvin Moon – 97,650,000
Joe Cada – 97,150,000
Excerpts from a post that never quite saw the light of day … my outcome predictions based on ESPN Inside Deal’s pre-Nov-9 episode and their interviews with seven of the players … some of my reads are quasi-spot-on!
(Not sure why that ep is no longer available … you’ll just have to trust my take on it.)
Half-penned on Nov 6-7:
Steve Begleiter — he’s eager and anxious to get playing, perhaps overly so. Just ask Karridy what that results in. Expect Begs to go out disappointingly early.
ED NOTE: Close!Darvin Moon — he’s got more than a hundred friends and family members out here with him, some of whom he doesn’t know. Still too little info to call his fate. But he won’t win it. Probably 4th place. Maybe 2nd. But hey, if he gets there, than yeah … Moneymaker vs. Farha.
ED NOTE: Yep!James Akenhead — good spirits, but joviality doesn’t matter when he’s still hung up on the bad luck that left him as the short stack. Even if he doubles-up twice, he won’t be prepared for being in that position. 9th or 5th.
ED NOTE: Got it!Antoine Saout — too broken-English to call. He gives away little in this interview, so we’ll go with WCP’s take on why the Frenchman lacks the necessary killer instinct.
ED NOTE: Hey, French …Joe Cada — just a kid havin’ a good time, enjoying it all. Care-free attitude could mean middle-of-the-pack, or if he runs good … 3.5 Months 8.5 Million baby!
ED NOTE: Boo-yah!Eric Buchman — he’s all poker. He’s got experience and has clearly and carefully thought this thing through. Plenty of chips. It all means he’s a real real threat to take it down, but hey, gotta think his controversial handling of sponsorship deals could suggests he understands that even more’s at stake, and under pressure has a history of getting himself into non-ideal situations. 3rdish place. Maybe 6th or 7th.
ED NOTE: A little on, a little off!Kevin Schaffel — he’s a lucky guy, enjoying it all, but in an older way than Cada. Congrats, Mr. Schaffel, on making the November Nine. You should be very proud, and hey, they were suited, right?
ED NOTE: Sorta right.Phil Ivey — does not appear. But we all know what’s up — he’s got 40 big blinds! It’s Ivey’s table not just to win, but methodically destroy.
ED NOTE: Oops, wrong.Jeff Shulman — also does not appear. We know, of course, he’s got a mathematical edge because he’sBut yeah, really, his to win, too, and he starts in a pretty good spot to do so. And we’re not saying. What is inevitable is he’ll put himself in a spot where he should win it, and he’ll suffer a bad beat for third place. Happy moans, Dad Barry smirks, Phil Hellmuth takes center stage.
ED NOTE: Wrong again, save for the bad beat.
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.
