{democracy:68}

Is it too early to call La n DC the Dwyte Pilgrim of poker couples? Don’t wanna jinx anyone … but Team Pokeratiers La Sengphet and David Clark … I’m tellin’ ya … players to watch.

While DC won the first WSOP-circuit ring of 2011 (and $51k) at WSOP-Choctaw, La followed suit at the next circuit stop — Harrah’s Tunica — becoming the first female to win a ring this year. A Pokerati fave from back in the Dallas days, she won a $555 event with 278 players yesterday — paying her $32k. La, of course, finished 7th in the major-league WSOP ladies event this past summer (making her Team Pokerati’s 2010 WSOP MVP), and took 2nd in a non-bling-added ladies event at Choctaw two days after David’s victory.

Adding to the niftiness of this final table … Andy Nguyen, the second-place finisher, is a good friend of La n DC’s and drove with them to the tournament from Dallas to Tunica for his $20k score. The lucky threesome (La does credit hitting a gutshot as a key hand in her victory) say they’re headed to Florida next for the inaugural WSOP-circuit stop at the Palm Beach Kennel Club.

Click here for official deets from the final table.

Pokerati Flashback:
Tao of Pokerati at the 2010 WSOP
Episode 26: La La FTW!

In semi-related news …

Caesars Palace to hold Valentine couples tourney on Sunday

Coincidence that they announced this special tournament yesterday, about 30 minutes into La’s heads-up match? Probably so … but seems like it should be a fun event for poker lovers … not to be confused with far more common poker-lovers.

Tomorrow — Sunday, 13 Feb 2011, starting at 1 pm. Buy-in is $160 per couple … 7,500 starting chips. Caesars Poker management explains:

This tournament will feature a structure where you and your partner will switch every 15 minutes playing 30 minute blind levels. At the final table couples will switch every 20 minutes playing 40 minute blind levels.

Hmm, sounds like a PR email I got for Las Vegas Swingers Ball during AVN …

No word on whether or not Caesars expects a rash of gay commitment ceremonies among local Vegas grinders — nowhere else to be on Valentine’s weekend, obv — who might see a competitive advantage for any two dudes willing to hold each other’s hand while sharing chipstacks.

As you probably know, the Pokerstars Caribbean Adventure is going on in the Bahamas, on the edge of Nassau. (I’m not yet following hand action on PokerStarsBlog or PokerNews for live reporting … just getting daily recaps from Tao of Poker.) In the two years since PokerStars has taken over this 7-year-old event at Atlantis, it clearly has become one of the big-big events in poker. Back in 2004, January poker was all about Tunica. Now, it’s kinda a joke around Vegas as to who’s not in the Bahamas. (Even Full Tilt and UB pros go.)

Anyhow, for a glimpse at how this non-European-EPT-event-turned-flagship-tourney of the new NAPT is catching on worldwide … here’s the breakdown of nationalities for the main event field (which currently has 405 of 1529 remaining):

Country Players
USA 739
Canada 164
Germany 100
Netherlands 60
UK 56
France 44
Brazil 37
Spain 27
Sweden 27
Argentina 21
Italy 21
Norway 18
Russia 17
Denmark 17
Hungary 15
Belgium 12
Finland 11
Mexico 9
Portugal 9
Romania 9
Australia 8
Austria 8
Switzerland 8
Ireland 6
Poland 5
Slovakia 5
Costa Rica 4
Estonia 4
Greece 4
New Zealand 4
Panama 4
Peru 4
Uruguay 4
Venezuela 4
Czech Republic 3
Israel 3
Lebanon 3
Bulgaria 2
Iceland 2
Malta 1
Ukraine 2
Virgin Islands (U.S.) 2
Belarus 1
Belize 1
Bermuda 1
Chile 1
Croatia 1
Egypt 1
India 1
Korea 1
Latvia 1
Lithuania 3
Monaco 2
Puerto Rico 2
Slovenia 2
Turkey 1
Turks and Caicos Islands 1
unknown 6
1529

I had a good time in Tunica. I came in 8th at the WSOP circuit event and didn’t play the WPT. I had an opportunity to play the WPT because the circuit event had a day off between day 2 and the final table, but I would have had to accumulate a ton of chips in order not to get blinded out on day 2 while I was playing at the final table.

Had I known that I would come in 8th, I definitely would have taken a shot at it. Had I tried to do it and made it through the first day of the WPT, I would have been able to blame my 8th place finish on being distracted, or at least Angry Julie would have reminded me many times.

I like Tunica because of its friendly environment, loads of PLO and the food. The food is pretty good but very fattening. I did happen to lose weight on this trip because I have totally changed my eating habits. I am now eating a very balanced diet with big emphasis on vegetables. I hate them, but I do like the way I’m starting to feel.

Late in December of ’07 I declared that ’08 is going to be the year of health. I weighed more than I ever have, and I was starting to feel it. In the past, I have always lost weight by working out hard and always being hungry. I haven’t been hungry once and have lost about 10 pounds since the beginning of the year. I have changed my ways of eating to something I think I can sustain for the rest of my life, at least that’s the plan.

A few comments about Tunica …

More…

So I’m kinda sorta enjoying the webcast of the WSOP Circuit Tunica final table. But I happen to be on a relatively low-bandwidth connection (courtesy of Las Vegas.net). Thus the stream is blipping out for five or ten seconds every 20 or so. Pesky to say the least. Here’s the thing … since the video is hardly exciting anyway (though it is mighty clear) … it would be nice to have an audio-only stream available of the Nick-and-Tom broadcast. I wanna be doing other things, ya know, while listening in the background.

Including an audio stream isn’t hard computer-wise, and it would make following the event more enjoyable for the readers viewers listeners.

There ya have it — take-it-or-leave-it-advice because Pokerati cares the internet happens to be slow today.

Leave it to Tom to turn lemons into lemonade … a $400,000 glass of lemonade to be more specific, but still. He may be out of the WSOP Circuit Tunica main championship event, but if you can’t get enough Tom on, near, or — ahem — beyond the table, he has joined Nick Geber to do the semi-live video webcast of the remaining players.

Click here to listen/watch.

Well shoot … I was hoping we could spend our day watching Tom Schneider take down the $7,500 main event at the WSOP-circuit in Tunica. But while checking my facts, finding some links, and watching the Bluff-mag video coverage at worldseriesofpoker.com … I discovered that Tom has been eliminated — 8th place … paying $39k. Congrats, Tom! Seriously, we know you’re bummed … but remember, you did almost as well as people expected of you!

Here’s the hand that knocked him out, from PokerListings:

Tom Schneider is out eighth after a stellar play by Ryan Young checking a straight twice. The action was a battle of the blinds as Young limped from the small blind and Schneider checked his option.

The flop came [cards]10s 4h 9c[/cards] and both players checked. The [cards]Jd[/cards] hit on the turn and Young checked, as did Schneider. It turned out the river was a great card for Young as the [cards]9d[/cards] fell and he checked again. Schneider made it $40k and Young came over the top, putting Tom all-in for his tournament life. He made the call felting [cards]Kd 9s[/cards] for the rivered trips, but was done in by Young’s slyly played [cards]Qs 8c[/cards] for the turned straight.

Schneider cashes $38,928.

Ouch, while typing, I just saw Tom’s elimination. That had to hurt.

You can watch the rest of the semi-live action on internet video here, as six-and-a-half players are still competing for the $428k first prize (on a 1-hour delay).

Or click below to see the semi-ironic post I was working on before Tom got eliminated:

More…

Just got word over the poker satellite that Gregg Merkow and Jamie Gold are currently engaged in some high stakes action — $50/$100 NLH with a $200 straddle. I can only presume in Tunica, where there’s a WSOP Circuit main event and a big WPT event going right next to each other. Don’t know who’s got what kinda stacks in front of them, but you know who we’re rooting for … 2008 baby, it feels good to run good!

Hope so. January is packed with tournaments spanning the globe. But if you’re not traveling, you can still keep up with the main events via various websites and blogs.

• January 5, Bahamas: Where better for a tournament than a place called Paradise Island? The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) starts and ends with the main event, the final table of which will take place on the 10th. This is an 18-and-over tournament, so look out for the kiddies young, skilled online pros to turn out in force. Otis will be blogging from the event.

• January 5, Australia: A quick 14-hour flight or so away will be the Aussie Millions Poker Championship in Melbourne. This is a series that starts on the 5th with a $1,100 buy-in no-limit hold’em event, continues with a wide range of games and buy-ins (including the $100,000 no-limit event), and wraps up with the main event that begins on the 14th and runs for seven days. A plethora of reporters, including Dr. Pauly and Change100, will be covering it all for PokerNews.

• January 3, Tunica: The World Poker Open has already begun with its preliminary events at the Gold Strike Casino in Tunica, Mississippi. By the 20th, the main event will be underway and hosted by the World Poker Tour. Aaron Hendrix is there and will be providing daily coverage of all of the events for PokerWorks, and the WPT will be live blogging for the main event with BJ Nemeth at the helm.

• January 15, Atlantic City: The Borgata Winter Poker Open starts its preliminary events on the 15th, and the WPT main event (Borgata Poker Classic) begins on the 27th with a final table on the 31st. It doesn’t seem that any media outlet is covering the prelim events, but surely PokerListings will be there for the main event along with the WPT live bloggers.

LAS VEGAS – I just received word that I don’t need to be here for a potential press release (don’t ask, no hints, more on that later hence the expression…press release). After my brain realized my soul was granted freedom from the media room/The Rio/The WSOP/Las Vegas/Sao Paulo and The Tilted Kilt… my body crashed. In fact, I’m having difficulty holding my eyes open at this point. It has been 47 fun filled days of poker camp in the media room in what could best be described as…sitting in the back of the bus with my new fun brothers. Yes, it was fun but now, like every end of the WSOP, it’s “Time To Say Goodbye.”

The field has dwindled, the celebrities are gone, the halls are quiet and the only line you’ll see here is senior citizens at the buffet at 6pm. A handful of pros are still fighting for gold but the rest are new faces looking to be the new champ. There is still a buzz in the Amazon…all-in players standing on chairs with ten ESPN cameras zooming around, clapping, slapping on backs and the occasional waiter calling water, coffee, red bull? Gary Wise and Lacey Jones are still with camera but Mr. Peanut is gone.

Don’t fret…WSOP Europe will offer three bracelets in London this fall. Hmmm, London or Tunica? Tunica or London? For now, the closest I’ll be to London is flying over Big Ben on the Peter Pan ride as I’m off to Disneyland with my children.

As always…I don’t leave Vegas without getting a bit sappy with this below…

Good morning. I’m not used to being up this early after a full night’s sleep … so let’s get to poker:

They’re down to 18 at the WPT’s WORLD POKER OPEN @ the Goldstrike in TUNICA. “The Catfish” is in the lead, followed by JC TRAN, DANIEL NEGREANU, AMIR VAHEDI and others.

In LONDON, they’re halfway through the INTERNATIONAL CASINO EXHIBITION, where 25,000 poker-bizzer types are contemplating a not-so-American gambling future.

Here’s some good discussion from a British STOCK FORUM about the big dip PARTYGAMING’S stock just took. A lotta mixed reactions. The Motley Fool has more on PRTY.L as well.

Something you may have missed but still worthwhile … the CC Times’ top 10 people of they year. BILL FRIST takes the crown, while other notables include JEFFREY POLLACK, CRISPIN LEYSER, PAMELA ANDERSON, and gaming CEO’s MITCH GARBER and DAVID CARRUTHERS.

Prosecutors in ALABAMA are promising a hardcore crackdown on poker rooms and the like after some recent court rulings. Still waiting word from TUSCALOOSA JOHNNY on whether or not he’s scared.

Speaking of court, WOODY the Pokerati commenter is at trial today, as in right now, in DALLAS for his involvement in the GOOD FELLOW’S raid. He’s pled NOT GUILTY, and the TRAFFIC COURT hearing his case isn’t used to having SWAT TEAMS testify.

Back across the pokery pond, at least one writer has figured out that the new buzz about GAMBLING ADDICTION in the UK has little to do with medicine and more about doctor-types looking to cash in on the “CRAZE.”

And hey, it’s WEDNESDAY, so don’t forget to tune in to Hold’em Radio at 7 pm central tonight for “Beyond the Table,” where we should have a very interesting discussion with BRIAN BALSBAUGH — the Gonz lover most important guy in poker who doesn’t know how to play the game.

Here is the remaining field, to give you an idea of who he’s up against (via Kaelaine):

(Pokerati’s emphasis added)

Gregg Merkow 379,000
Peter Martin 329,500
Dennis Perry 239,000
Andy “the Eliminator” Chang 235,000
Brian Wilson 229,500
Jordan “Ims0Lucky” Morgan 229,000
Michael “the Grinder” Mizrachi 216,500
Dan Schmiech 200,500
Elvin Simpson 133,000
Joe Rivers 125,500
Matt Dean 121,500
Kris Kawohl 112,000
Dave Delaney 102,000
John Spagnuolo 100,500
Lance Allred 95,000
Nam Le 89,000
Jeff Cohen 84,500
Jordan Smith 82,500
Joe Wagner 82,000
Thomas Matthew McGrath 67,500
Vanessa Rousso 67,500
Hilbert Shirey 66,500
Gioi Luong 65,000
Harold “Big Daddy” Mahaffey 57,500
Norm Ketchum 45,000
James Lindsay 35,000
Narinder Singh Khasria 23,500
Keith Lehr 20,500
Tommy Reed 16,000
Larry Vance 13,500

And here are the payouts he’s competing for (via Spaceman):

1st $563,402
2nd $290,792
3rd $145,396
4th $127,222
5th $109,047
6th $90,873
7th $72,698
8th $54,524
9th $36,349
10th-12th $21,809
13th-15th $18,175
16th-18th $14,540
19th-27th $10,905
28th-36th $7,270

UPDATE: Merkow went out in 17th. Boo … yah?

A little Pokerati behind-the-scenes …

My distinguished internet radio colleague, “Wolfman” Karridy, tipping us off to the developing Gregg Merkow-Tunica love story:

________________________________________
From: Karridy Askenasy
Sent: Tuesday, January 16, 2007 11:55 AM
To: danm
Subject: RE: Merkow

Same event he won last year. Tunica’s Main event. Maybe I’m wrong… I really thought you’d know more about this than me. I’d hate to slip, but I think he’s onto something huge.

From: dan michalski
Sent: Tuesday, January 16, 2007 11:43 AM
To: ‘Karridy Askenasy’
Subject: RE: Merkow

Which event? Is this the same event he won last year or something like that, or did he win won last week?

More…

Dallas tourney fave Gregg Merkow is kicking butt in the WSOP Circuit @ The Grand main event in Tunica — he’s second in chips the chip leader with 39 players left … three away from the money.

Gregg Merkow made it 10K from the small blind and Stan Weiss jacked him on up to 35K from the big. Gregg moved all-in and Stan called. Gregg held T9 suited and was trailing Stan’s A7. Board came 9 7 5 9 8 and Gregg made trips to bust Stan. “Boo-yah, Ship It!” said Gregg.

Ahh, the Suckout & Taunt … well-played! Dallas poker at its finest! Eat at Merkow’s!

photo: Jason Kirk / Spaceman

Merkow seems to do pretty well in Tunica. He won a $3,000 event at the Gold Strike World Poker Open one year ago tomorrow … which followed a 1st place across the parking lot in a $500/single-rebuy WSOP Circuit @ The Grand event 10 days earlier. And The Grand, of course, is where his career as a professional began in August 2005, after a half-million dollars payday.

Click here to follow his progress as Kaelaine tracks his chipstacks.

And here … for Spaceman’s coverage of his quest for another Mississippi ring.

Mmm, steak and seafood.

A text message from Tiny B late Saturday night:

Just got knocked out in 37th of the 385 person ¿ 1000 tourney that paid 36. Knocked out by moneymaker on the river when he caught a J with KJagainst my 10s. Poker is awesome.

The Batfaces arrived in Tunica yesterday, and like the amateurs they are, they couldn’t resist buying right into a $500 event fresh off the plane/rental car. Very Freeze-like in a showing up ready to play blackjack kinda way.

Anyhow, no surprise … they got kinda clonked … except for Son of Sue, who is a Batface, Rounder Clubber, and former Lodge Amateur Poker player, who took 11th place out of a field of, I think, like 500 or so. (Anyone else wanna see him duke it out heads-up with deep stacks against Como?) Here’s how Zach didn’t make it to the final table, via Tiny B:

Paid around 1500. Had to make top 6 or so before money got good. Had AA lose to KK and then eliminated when his AK lost to KQ. Both all in pre flop.

Well done, Zach Ballenger! Not a bad start to the Batface year. I can tell you actually think about how you play (and when you play), unlike some of your contemporaries.