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Posts Tagged ‘darvin moon’

December 20, 2009

Las Vegas Poker Charity Efforts Thriving Despite Economy?

The All In for Cerebral Palsy charity tourney ran last weekend at the Hard Rock … and as any event-planning fundraiser can tell you, it’s been a little unnerving in 2009 wondering if people will actually show up to support your cause.

This was a $500 buy-in event (with $200 rebuys, an auction, and silent auction to boot) … and in the end turned out to be an arguably successful second-annual event — raising more than $58k for the One Step Closer Foundation while bettering its inaugural bar of $44k. Some 91 players competed for an $18,500 prize pool — including yours truly, who was in on a freeroll, but couldn’t resist making a tax-deductible, charitable donation to keep playing at a fun table with a PPA friend, Dennis Phillips, a CP-suffering beneficiary, and Ken Davitian (the fat naked guy from Borat) … especially with Davitian and another actor (whom I recognized but couldn’t name) being the weakest players yet having the biggest stacks as the rebuy period was coming to a close.

Alas, QQ sometimes is < AK just minutes before the break. I shook off the tilt by wandering around with a (shaky) camera to give you a glimpse of All In for CP and the Las Vegas rounders who seem to continuously show up and spur donations via fun-times feelgood poker when called upon:

More…

Posted by DanM at 5:16 pm

December 8, 2009

Poker Wins Big Vote in West Virginia

Pennsylvania feeling the pressure?

There was a little referendum this weekend that puts some more poker on the map in Darvin Moon Country …

Jefferson County, WV, approved “table games” — including blackjack, craps, roulette, three-card poker, and real poker — at the sure-to-be-renamed Charles Town Race and Slots. In fact, the poker room will likely open before the rest of the new-and-improved “racino” … with cards looking to get in the air by June 2010. The big cities likely to be feeding it players are Baltimore and Washington, DC.

It was a close-ish vote landslide victory, with 6,279 out of 10,622 votes cast supporting the measure — enough for poker to win in 29 out of 32 precincts.

Jefferson County had put the same issue to a vote in 2007 and it lost. Watch the commercial(s) below to see how one race track with a need for gambling was able to make a poker difference:

And though it’s not mentioned in the ads, on the go-table-games website ( http://www.yesforjeffersoncounty.com ) they do discuss competition from neighboring states as one of the reasons they needed to act now. Indeed, though Pennsylvania legislators have been dilly-dallying for nearly a year on their poker expansion, their House will be debating the practicalities of expanding gambling (in a way that includes poker) today.

Perhaps coincidentally, perhaps not, a Pennsylvania company got the contract to supply all the tables to Charles Town.

ALT HED: Poker = Jobs

Posted by DanM at 10:42 am

November 14, 2009

The Black Whole on Phil Ivey, Joe Cada, and Darvin Moon

A little more leftover podcast action … the not-so-pokery crew over at The Black Whole (”raw, uncensored, urban commentary on sports and life”) wanted to know: What happened to Phil Ivey at the WSOP?

Yours truly stepped in Tuesday eve with SuperDave, Cityslickers, and Moopbrown (as the WSOP aired on ESPN) to try and explain, starting at about 44:30 in:

Also joined by poker-playin’ lawman Ricky Green.

Posted by DanM at 2:41 pm

Jim McManus + Darvin Moon on NPR

Historical perspectives

Jim McManus appeared on All Things Considered the morning the November Nine was getting underway, to offer a little cultural (and presidential) history of the game, based on his new book, Cowboys Full.

Not to be a spoiler, but the closing line features a sound clip from Darvin Moon, with weekend host Guy Raz saying, “That is Darvin Moon, and he’s about as far away as you can get from poker royalty.” That is a funnier line than Raz even realizes, considering Moon’s resistance to all things sponsorship.

Raz does a follow-up the next day, just on Darvin Moon:

For more academic intellect surrounding Cowboys Full: The Story of Poker, check out our favorite new older-than-25 Betfair blogger Shamus’ interview with McManus here.

And for a little low-brow historical perspective on McManus from a pre-Darvin Moon era, here’s my interview with the author of Positively Fifth Street from 2004.

(Yikes, 2004!?!)

Posted by DanM at 1:30 pm

November Nine

The Poker Beat

This week’s episode was all WSOP. Huff spoke about the November Nine as a guy who has seen many a tourney, but never one like this. Caldwell and I offered our thoughts having seen development from freshman to sophomore year, BJ lamented being stuck in Foxwoods, but along with Gary shared how the experience transcended beyond Vegas via the internet and TV.

Oh, plus Phil Ivey, Joe Cada, and Darvin Moon. And maybe a little Antoine Saout.

The Poker Beat
Huff, Caldwell, Wise, Michalski, Nemeth, Stapleton
11/12/09

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subscribe via iTunes

Posted by DanM at 2:41 am

November 12, 2009

ESPN.com Inside Deal – Final Table Wrap-up

Posted by Kevin Mathers at 10:30 am

November 10, 2009

Spoiler Alert: Crowd Reaction During Final Hand

Cada vs. Moon for the win!

Posted by DanM at 8:07 pm

Darvin Moon Afterparty

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?

Posted by DanM at 8:01 pm

Tao of Pokerati

Pauly and I size things up on the first break, and are there as a winner is finally declared.

Episode 9: Cutting down Moon

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Episode 10: Cada’s Commencement

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Posted by DanM at 3:13 am

Joe Cada vs. Darvin Moon Final Hand

New youngest WSOP main event champion ever

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 ago

After 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

Posted by DanM at 2:46 am

RE: Heads-up Underway

Quick photo dump

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.

Posted by DanM at 1:35 am

November 9, 2009

Heads-up Underway

We’ve got a match!

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

Posted by DanM at 11:54 pm

Late-Early WSOP Predictions

Almost lost in the Pokerati slush pile

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.

Even earlier WSOP predictions here.

Posted by DanM at 6:20 pm

Darvin Moon’s Criminal Past

Bad checks and bad debts taint feel-good story?

From the Twitter of Washington Post reporter blog-shadowing Darvin Moon (@jfdulac) comes a story from the Baltimore City Paper, detailing Darvin’s numerous past transgressions over the past few years. It includes him pleading guilty and receiving probation for forgery and theft, along with three counts of passing bad checks. Court records also show Moon posting bail for others on two occasions, in 2002 for a man who plead guilty to drug dealing and is serving a 10-year sentence, and once for an apparent relative on assault charges.

From the BCP’s look at his financial and legal past:

But it is Moon’s record of civil judgments against him that may come into play in the future, given the kitties he’s been winning in Vegas. Court records show liens filed against Moon for nearly $20,000 owed to City National Bank of West Virginia, a little over $1,000 owed to Miners and Merchants Bank, nearly $13,000 owed to Pasadena Receivables, and about $1,000 owned to Southern Auto Supply in Moon’s own community of Mountain Lake Park, near Oakland in Western Maryland.

His creditors, no doubt, will be much obliged to share in his recent winnings.

Posted by Kevin Mathers at 6:00 pm

Sasquatch(es) at the WSOP

Confirmation that Darvin Moon and Jack Link’s Beef Jerky should be a match made in thick-forest heaven … @washintonpost-er Josh du Lac tweets:

Darvin Moon’s brother, Bill, says folks wanted him to pose for a pic w/Jack Link’s mascot Sasquatch. “Hell no reminds me too much of Darvin”

I, meanwhile, couldn’t help myself when I saw such a happily hirsute homonid:

Posted by DanM at 3:33 pm

Moon vs. Cada, Amateur vs. Pro, Logger vs. Logger-inner

More semi-historical perspective

Though personally I don’t expect Darvin Moon to look anything like Sammy Farha en route to 2nd place … you gotta love the debate going on over who will, and who should win … let alone whose victory would be “better for poker”.

Super-young but true online pro vs. the “Ultimate Everyman” … you know, if everyman happened to cut trees for a living.

As you know by now, I’m probably as much a Cada fan as I am an Aston Villan (I’ve got Fake$100 invested in his winning) … but the hubbub going on right now reminds me a bit of funny-in-retrospect conversation as WSOP things got down to heads-up in 2003 …

From my first poker magazine piece in the first issue of (the recently resurrected) ALL IN:

On the last day of the 2003 WSOP main event, a handful of eliminated pros gathered around the final table to watch the action. Moneymaker — the Tennessee accountant who had never before played a live tournament — had amassed a sizable chip lead when Mike Matusow turned to fellow professional Eric Siedel and said, “I can’t believe another donkey is going to win the World Series of Poker.”

“You better hope he wins,” Seidel responded. “If Moneymaker can pull this off, it’s going to be worth at least $5 million to you and me over the next two years.”

“Are you crazy?” Matusow said, dismissively.

The only difference this go-round, of course, is that the world has already been introduced to online poker, and the Sammy Farha pro character is being played by a 21-year-old who stands to be the youngest WSOP main event champ in history (for the second year in a row).

Posted by DanM at 2:55 pm

Darvin Moon Pimping Wheeling Island Casino

It’s pretty safe to assume that Darvin Moon didn’t get the memo that complementary promotion of the NFL goes against the ways of the pay-for-play online sites. However, it is not clear if his donning of attire for his local card room came at a cost. Check it out … though I didn’t see this yesterday, he’s clearly getting some good logo placement for the Wheeling Island Casino in Wheeling, West Virginia:


click for more Darvin

We’ll see if we can’t find out what sorta deal is in place there if any, or if this is just a friendly gesture to the card room where he won his seat into the WSOP. Regardless though, it does make you wonder why sponsorships from the likes of The Venetian, Caesar’s, Bellagio, and other B&M card rooms have yet to come in play.

Beyond being the alligator on Darvin Moon’s Izod, here’s what we do know about the place, via the ThePokerAtlas:

Great Room
Wheeling Island
Wheeling, West Virginia
by fiftyouts

Even though this room has only 20 some tables it is very nice. Great staff and friendly folks. This is a “MUST PLAY” room if you’re in the area. The casino is upscale (you might think you’re in Vegas) with good action. This is the ‘Best Kept Secret’ of West Virginia !!!

photos: IMPD for WSOP.com

Posted by DanM at 1:07 pm

ESPN.com Inside Deal – WSOP Main Event Final Table Review

Posted by Kevin Mathers at 10:58 am

RE: Darvin Moon vs. Joe Cada

Funny … Last night (in relative poker hours) there was a bit of a fracas in the Joe Cada fan section that almost turned in to a full-scale donnybrook, but witnesses who were not tossed out of the WSOP&T Theater insist it had nothing to do with Darvin Moon:

Watch WSOP 09: How To Get Kicked Out on RawVegas.tv

Posted by DanM at 8:37 am

Darvin Moon vs. Joe Cada

New Poll: How Long a Heads-up Battle?

photo: WSOP.com

That’s what we wanna know … after Saturday/Sunday’s marathon 9->2 session … how long do you think the heads-up battle between Darvin Moon and Joe Cada will go?

They’re currently in Level 39, with blinds at 500k/1000k + 150k.

Moon has almost the same number of chips he started with, 58,850,000, while Cada, who started with just 13,215,000, now has all the rest — 135,950,000.

What they’re fighting for, essentially: $3.36 million in cash, and then everything else that goes with being WSOP champ.

NOTE: In our previous unscientific poll, Moon got the second-most votes … Cada fourth-most.

The record for WSOP heads-up battles is 7 hours 10 minutes, set by Chip Reese vs. Andy Bloch in 2006. Before that it was 7 hours, in the 1983 main event … where after Doyle Brunson busted out in 3rd on a semi-bluff, an unknown from Michigan, Tom McEvoy, beat Rod Peate for $580,000:

BTW, for a fun historical perspective, watch the start of the television coverage of the 1983 final table here.

Posted by DanM at 7:34 am

Tao of Pokerati

As the November 9->2 comes to a close, Pauly and I evaluate the make-up (TV- and industry-wise) of the Final Three … and when Antoine Saout goes down, a double-crushed Benjo finds himself baffled by Joe Cada yet still tickled that his countryman’s play allowed him to lock himself in a giant room for 17+ hours to witness this final table spectaculaire.

Episode 7: The Final 3

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Episode 8: Wave the Flag

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For seriously the best summary of what went down yesterday, it’s all there at Tao of Poker

Posted by DanM at 5:13 am

November 8, 2009

Bustout Queen

Linda pitches bad beats to Ivey, Begleiter, Shulman, Buchman


Linda Tran delivered the harsh bad beats to Phil Ivey, Steve Begleiter, and in the hand pictured here, Jeff Shulman.

This is her second time dealing the WSOP November Nine … it was her birthday … and I caught up with her (on a ledge actually) to find out what it’s been like to (repeatedly) deliver the bad news, perhaps to the detriment of dealer tips.

Bustout Queen

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UPDATE: Buchman out at her hand now, too.

WHAT ARE the odds: She’s busted out via bad beat three Jews and a black guy. All the white/Euro hands held up. Just-sayin’ …

Posted by DanM at 6:24 am

Bustout Interview: Ivey Skips Out

Not sure where he’s headed … gotta think Bellagio, right?

Anyhow, as we all know by now, Phil Ivey got bad-beated by Darvin Moon — AK < AQ -- to finish in 6th place ... which is five whole places from the win ... and ESPN musta known what was up ... he darted left, when the ESPN exit interview stage was right ... but the savvy, seasoned production crew cut him off at the pass and dragged him in front of the cameras.

He looked disgusted, to say the least. Will be interesting to see what he has to really say. (Body-language translation: hey, that's poker, but otherwise fuggoff!)

Anyhow, that's the set up ... apparently Nolan Dalla and Lacey Jones each got a question or two. PokerNews and the rest, however ... sorry, no dice.

HAND UPDATE: Steve Begleiter all-in QQ vs. (again) the AQ of Darvin Moon. Looks like the hands hold up the way their supposed to this time. Ace on the River!!!!

Begleiter out.

Moon, btw, hardly getting up and moving during it all. Should make for interesting TV.

NOTE: Linda dealt that beat, too.

Posted by DanM at 1:52 am

November 7, 2009

More Tao of Pokerati

Benjo joins us all the way from France … and boy, have you ever heard our favorite poker Frenchman so excited before? That’s what happens, apparently, when Darvin Moon attempts to make a play … and let’s face it, always a better episode when Benjo’s in studio.

Episode 3: For Those about to Rock, We Saout You

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Posted by DanM at 8:03 pm

November 6, 2009

ESPN.com Inside Deal Final Table Preview Show

The first of a series of Inside Deal shows this weekend, along with daily episodes of the Poker Edge podcast.

Posted by Kevin Mathers at 7:20 pm

Pollack, Moon and Begleiter appear on CNBC

CNBC sports business reporter Darren Rovell has been very busy today reporting from the Penn & Teller Theatre at the Rio as ESPN and the WSOP staff are busy preparing the final table to resume Saturday at 12 noon Pacific time.

Rovell has done brief interviews with WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack, chip leader Darvin Moon, and former Bear Sterns executive Steve Begleiter. The Pollack interview appears below, with the other two interviews after the jump:


More…

Posted by Kevin Mathers at 12:06 pm

November 5, 2009

(Way) Outside the WSOP – Main Event Final Table

The long wait is almost over as the November Nine take their place at the final table Saturday afternoon. The following look at stack sizes, seat position, blind levels, M, etc. is part of a much larger post I made over at 2+2 regarding the final table, the information taken from the WSOP November Nine Media Guide:

Final Table Details

1 – Darvin Moon 58,930,000
2 – James Akenhead 6,800,000
3 – Phil Ivey 9,765,000
4 – Kevin Schaffel 12,390,000
5 – Steven Begleiter 29,885,000
6 – Eric Buchman 34,800,000
7 – Joseph Cada 13,215,000
8 – Antoine Saout 9,500,000
9 – Jeff Shulman 19,580,000

More…

Posted by Kevin Mathers at 1:03 pm

November 4, 2009

World Series of Vending

Saw this truck parked downtown (next to Binion’s) this weekend. And not only did it finally teach me the proper/awkward way to spell and punctuate “Jack Link’s” Beef Jerky … but also it made me laugh seeing that the title sponsor of the 2009 WSOP is also a major sponsor of Snack Man!

(Seriously, how have JLBJ not chosen Darvin Moon to be “their guy” at the final table?)

Posted by DanM at 6:30 pm

October 29, 2009

ESPN November Nine Conference Call

ESPN had a little tele-press conference about the upcoming coverage of the WSOP November Nine. ESPN’s chief Flack George McNeilly moderated the call, and on it taking questions were Norman Chad, Lon McEachorn and Doug White, ESPN’s Senior Director of Programming and Acquisitions.

(Jeffrey Pollack bowed out with regrets, apparently claiming “tummy-ache”/swine flu.)

For a little preview of what’s in store — from the perspective of storylines, production, and a wee-bit of Darvin Moon sponsorship business …

ESPN 2009 WSOP Main Event Final Table Media Cattle Conference Call
Oct 29 2009
McNeilly, McEachern, Chad, White, et al.

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download

SPOILER ALERT: More heads-up coverage, table/stage a bit closer to the crowd, welcome to the show ESPN Inside Deal, and play along online at ESPN.com. Go Phil Ivey or Darvin Moon, and really any of the other guys, too! Akenhead is kinda a funny last name. Presented by Jack’s Links Beef Jerky, yum. Let’s dance.

Posted by DanM at 3:59 pm

October 9, 2009

Poker Beat: Media Daze

Topics this week include the emergence of Darvin Moon and Phil Ivey in the press, tournament spotlights (Shulman def. Negreanu @WSOPE, Gustafson def. Eastgate @EPT-London, UB’s Aruba-fest), and the demise of PokerPages (feat. former PP EIC Amy Calistri) …

The Poker Beat
Huff, Caldwell, Michalski, Wise, Nemeth, Calistri, Stapleton
10/8/09

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subscribe via iTunes

Posted by DanM at 4:00 am

October 5, 2009

Darvin Moon in the Washington Post

For a guy who’s not interested in getting press nor a sponsorship from an online poker site or anyone else … November Nine chipleader Darvin Moon sure did get some good ink this weekend, with a major feature in the Sunday Washington Post. Not bad for a guy who was living in a trailer at the foot of Backbone Mountain (before receiving his 9th place money and replacing it with a new modular home).

My favorite excerpt:

Moon started playing poker after giving up softball because, he says, “I got fat.” … Of course, in the slovenly melting pot of the poker room, having a half-watermelon for a gut doesn’t stand out, particularly not at the World Series, where players have been known to show up wearing animal costumes or dressed as Roman emperors.

LOL, “slovenly melting pot” … It’s funny because it’s true! fair description?

BTW, check out the comments on this piece … you’ll see at least a few WaPo readers question why they should even give a flip about this story.

Meanwhile, I can’t help but wonder if Moon isn’t a matter of weak-means-strong … both on the table and off. (I guess that’s one of the things we’ll be looking to find out at the final table, and the lead-up to it.)

Says Card Player magazine President Jeff Shulman, who will be sitting at the final table with Moon in November, albeit with 40 million fewer chips: “Darvin tries to say he’s not that good, he’s just an amateur who got lucky and ran really well for eight days. But at some point, you can’t say you’re just lucky. He was making good decisions.”

Posted by DanM at 5:56 am

July 15, 2009

Can Phil Ivey Hang on?

He’s no Jeff Shulman

Frankly, I’m starting to see the “value” in having a bitter, Harrah’s-hating heir to an unloved magazine at the final table (seriously, ripping on CardPlayer has been kinda our shtick from the get-go! If it weren’t for them and their incompetence unfriendliness back in the day, we honestly might not be here). And while everybody wants to see Phil Ivey make the final table for millions of reasons … really, do you see him charming the crowd on David Letterman if they’re not willing to wager a few months worth of normal-people income or more?

Here’re the final 10, and their chip positions

Darvin Moon 44.3m
Eric Buchman 36.78m
Steven Begleiter 26.495m
Jeff Shulman 17.9m
Jordan Smith 15.43m
Joseph Cada 13.4m
Kevin Schaffel 13.08m
Phil Ivey 10.21m
Antoine Saout 10.2m
James Akenhead 5.1m

UPDATE: Jordan Smith is out. November Nine is set. We’ll be learning more about them in coming hours/days/weeks/months, I am sure.

Posted by DanM at 10:27 pm

(Way) Outside the WSOP – Main Event Day 8

The moment the poker world has been waiting for nearly two weeks comes to a climax this afternoon with the final 27 players in the Main Event playing down to the November Nine. Here’s how the final three tables will look when play kicks off around 12 noon (database results courtesy of The Hendon Mob):

(Table 1)
Seat 1: Jesse Haabak – 2,750,000
Seat 2: Ian Tavelli – 4,385,000
Seat 3: James Calderaro – 6,475,000
Seat 4: Jonathan Tamayo – 3,300,000
Seat 5: Warren Zackey – 5,485,000
Seat 6: Eric Buchman – 10,005,000
Seat 7: Leo Margets1,530,000
Seat 8: Tommy Vedes – 5,070,000
Seat 9: James Akenhead – 8,615,000

(Table 2)
Seat 1: Phil Ivey – 11,350,000
Seat 2: Jeff Shulman – 10,170,000
Seat 3: George Caragiorgas – 1,615,000
Seat 4: Nick Maimone – 1,545,000
Seat 5: Andrew Lichtenberger – 5,625,000
Seat 6: Marco Mattes – 5,285,000
Seat 7: Joseph Cada – 6,565,000
Seat 8: Darvin Moon – 20,160,000
Seat 9: Jordan Smith – 4,510,000

(Table 3)
Seat 1: Jamie Robbins – 9,795,000
Seat 2: Antonio Esfandiari – 4,470,000
Seat 3: Francois Balmigere – 1,440,000
Seat 4: Ludovic Lacay – 5,610,000
Seat 5: Steven Begleiter – 11,885,000
Seat 6: Ben Lamb – 9,410,000
Seat 7: Antoine Saout – 11,135,000
Seat 8: Kevin Schaffel – 11,245,000
Seat 9: Billy Kopp – 15,970,000

When play resumes, there will be 7:17 left in the 50,000/100,000/10,000 level, moving to 60,000/120,000/15,000. For Amy and The Shrink, there’s an extra 580,000 in chips spread out among the remaining field.

Here’s the chart of the players that made the money:

Updates resume starting at noon over at www.wsop.com and Pokerati will have other news during the day, so come back later, please.

Page 2 contains excerpts from Nolan Dalla’s tournament report:

More…

Posted by Kevin Mathers at 5:23 am