{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.

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

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 …

The Gold Strike tournament and cash game area has to be the coldest indoor facility in which I have ever played poker. I wore sweat pants, a sweat shirt and even a ski hat and was still freezing. People were sneezing and hacking the whole time I was there. I can’t believe I didn’t get sick. I estimated the indoor temp at 60 with prevailing winds coming from the vents. I did see a players teeth chattering…huge tell that he was cold. The Grand Casino, host of the circuit event was probably around 65 degrees, just a tiny bit better. It was so cold that even Hillary Clinton would’ve warmed the place up.

[Rimshot!]

I hate it when you ask someone to make it warmer, the whole table agrees in harmony and then they say they will give them a call like they are a teenage girl about to ask their dad if they can go out with a 22 year old guy. They know that calling won’t do any good, and it doesn’t. Do we have to get NASA involved at the Gold Strike to help them figure this out? I know I sound like a pussy, but it was unbelievably cold.

A rule that favors locals …

Julie was playing in a juicy 20-40 limit hold’em game at the Horseshoe Casino. They have a rule that if 2 people are walking from the table the 3rd person that needs to get up can only be gone for one round. If they don’t make it back to the table in time they will be picked up. The first 2 people can be gone for about an hour and 45 minutes. This does suck real bad but it’s not the worst part. They also have a rule, that if you are gone from a must-move table and you are next on the list, they won’t move you, they move the next person on the list.

Julie was 3rd up on the must-move list. The game she was in was sweet and the main game was rock solid. What happens? Two locals in Julie’s game, one of whom has the button on the next hand, see a guy racking up from the main game. They jump up like Michael Jordan and leave the table immediately. Julie asked if there was a fire. Then the floor comes over to read the must-move list and what a surprise, the 2 jacks-in-the-box were 1 and 2 on the list. The floor tells Julie she has to move and explains this local rule…would have loved to have the recorder for this one. Julie gets moved and these 2 locals get to stay in the juicy game.

It is very wrong to have a rule which favors regulars. It sends a horrible message to players and makes them wonder what else is going on or what other rules do they not know about that could potentially screw them.

It was a good trip. It was fun to see some people and play PLO. Now back to Phoenix for a break then maybe off to San Diego to play at Harrah’s Rincon circuit event.

Make sure you listen to the next Beyond the Table for a great story about Devilfish in Tunica.

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.

Click here to listen/watch.

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:

As you may or may not know, Tom Schneider is at another final table — the $5,000 WSOP-Circuit main event in Tunica. He’s TK in chips, and the most accomplished of all the players remaining. (TK started, making for a prize ranging from TK to TK.) Pokerati is extremely confident that our high-stakes homeboy and occasional blogger will finish in at least seventh place. Maybe 6th. First, of course, is theoretically possible, as it is for everyone at the table.

Not a bad way to start 2008.

And not only will you be able to follow the action via PokerListings, but also Bluff will be broadcasting video of this final table on an hour delay. Click here to watch. Cards in the air at noon central.

• 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.

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…

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.

(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?

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?

________________________________________
From: Karridy Askenasy
Sent: Tuesday, January 16, 2007 11:39 AM
To: danm
Subject: RE: Merkow

He’s going for back to back wins in a major, and looks well positioned to do so. You sure you don’t want to get the scoop on that?

Haven’t gotten to investigate recording.

From: dan michalski [mailto:danm@pokerati.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 16, 2007 11:26 AM
To: ‘Karridy Askenasy’
Subject: RE: Merkow

In what event? In tunica?

I don’t think he’s necessarily great to have on for this case, but I like the idea of having on. What would it take for us to do a pre-recorded interview?

________________________________________
From: Karridy Askenasy
Sent: Tuesday, January 16, 2007 11:18 AM
To: danm
Subject: Merkow

I can’t find anyplace that is doing good coverage, but I believe Merkow is sitting pretty. I have his cell (As I’m sure you do). Should we try to line him up or do a pre-recorded interview?

OK, upon second thought, yeah, we probably should have him on the show. “Beyond the Table” — live on Hold’em Radio at 7 pm central. If we can get Gregg on, Tom can ask him what it’s like to be a successful pro.

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.

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.

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.

We were now playing with blinds of 4,000/8,000 and 1,000 antes. Two hands into the new level, Todd “Tiny B” Phillips suffered a heart-breaker. After Williams moved in, Phillips called for his last 48,000 with pocket aces and flopped a set. But the flop also contained two hearts. A third one turned, and Williams, with Ah-2h, broke Phillips’ heart and left him in fifth place, which paid $19,904. Phillips, a 35-year-old real estate broker from Dallas, learned poker in a “great home game” in his city.

Click below to read the full story of how everything shook down …

2006 World Series of Poker Circuit
Grand Casino Tunica – Tunica, MS
Official Report

Event #7
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $1,500 (+70)
Number of Entries: 228
Total Prize Money: $331,740

Final Results:

1. Andy Alina $106,161
Hernando, MS
2. Ed Corrado 58,386
Naples, Florida
3. James Williams 29,857
Ocean Springs, MS
4. Alan Barnes 23,222
Barton, AR
5. Todd Phillips 19,904
Dallas, TX
6. Rogen Chhabra 16,587
Madison, MS
7. John Davis 13,270
Tampa, FL
8. Joe Simmons 9,952
Shreveport, LA
9. James Henson 6,635
Augusta, GA
10.Michael Ciaravino 3,981
Rockledge, FL
11.James Harris 3,981
Melbourne, FL
12.Richard Becker 3,981
Austin, TX
13.Larry Vance 3,217
Torrance, CA
14.Gabriel Cook 3,317
West Terre Haute, IN
15.Paul Shoultz 3,317
Houma, LA
16.Steven Gersch 2,654
Mt. Prospect, IL
17.Clint Brotherton 2,654
Taylorville, IN
18.Terence Ferentinos 2,654
Alpharetta, GA
19.William Gordon $1,990
Largo, FL
20.Jae-Chul Chang
McKinney, TX
21.Randy Huston
Oklahoma City, OK
22.Ben Gordon
Gulf Breeze, FL
23.Stephen Murphy
Clearwater, FL
24.Russell Saterfield
Geraldine, AL
25.John Morris
Whitesburg, GA
26.Vincent Mack
Palm Bay, FL
27.Randolph Parker
LR, AZ

Ex-Dealer Andy Alina
Slow-Plays His Way to Win
in $1,500 No-Limit

Tunica, MS– The conventional wisdom in poker is that you shouldn’t slow-play pocket aces because doing so can get you in a lot of trouble. Andy Alina, a former dealer at the Gold Strike, ignored that advice, trapped a player into going all in, and ended up raking in a pot of over 180,000 that gave him a chip lead he would never relinquish. He went on to win the seventh event of the WSOP Circuit tour at Grand Casino Tunica, $1,500 no-limit hold’em, for a payday of $106,161, his biggest by far to date.

Alina is testing the waters before deciding whether to play poker professionally. He’s had two other tournament cash-outs in no-limit events this year, but his game of choice is pot-limit Omaha.

When players knocked off work on day one, 17 were still left. They picked up the next day with John Davis leading the pack with exactly 100,000 chips.

Only nine players made it to the final table when two were knocked out at once. One of them, Michael Ciaravino, went out in spectacular style. He was all in with pocket 10s, and got crushed by Joe Simmons, whose pocket jacks turned into quads. “And I was all set to move to the final table,” he lamented.

Final table starting chip count:

SEAT 1 James Henson 39,000
SEAT 2 Roger Chhabra 84,500
SEAT 3 James Williams 124,500
SEAT 4 Todd Phillips 54,000
SEAT 5 Alan Barnes 32,000
SEAT 6 Andy Alina 88,000
SEAT 7 Ed Corrado 46,500
SEAT 8 John Davis 95,000
SEAT 9 Joe Simmons 120,000

Play began with 2,000/4,000 blinds and 500 antes, 29:05 left. James “Smokey” Williams, with 124,500, and Simmons, with 120,000, were chip co-leaders.

James Henson lasted six hands. He had Jc-9c and moved in when a flop of Kc-Qc-2h gave him an inside draw to a straight flush. Alina called with K-Q for top two and filled on the river. Henson, 57, a contractor from Augusta, Georgia, has been playing poker three years and took home $6,635 for ninth place.

After picking up another pot, Alina moved in front with about 140,000. Later there was heads-up action between Simmons and Ed Corrado. The board showed 10-9-5, and Simmons moved in. Corrado, who would have only 7,000 left if he called and lost, thought at great length before finally doing so with A-10. Simmons reluctantly turned up a meager pair of treys, Simmons couldn’t help, and finished eighth. “It would have been hard to lay down top pair with top kicker,” Corrado said as he raked in enough chips to take over the lead.

Simmons, originally from the Philippines, now lives in Shreveport, Louisiana. He started playing poker two years ago, but didn’t offer much additional information about himself. Eighth place was worth $9,952.

Later, Davis moved in pre-flop from the big blind with pocket 10s for about 90,000 after Alina had limped. Davis was then understandably upset to discover that he fallen into a trap when Alina turned up aces. Alina had him covered and now regained the lead, while Davis cashed out seventh for $12,871. Davis, 36, from Tampa, Florida, learned the game three years ago from his father and friends.

Rogen Chhabra was next out. Williams moved in, Chhabra called with K-J and was in very bad shape when Williams showed pocket jacks. Rags hit the board, and Chhabra, a 33-year-old attorney from Madison, MS, took home $16,587 for finishing sixth. His most notable feat was cashing in at a $3,000 Word Poker Open event, but there’s little chance of him ever turning pro. “I love my job,” he wrote on his bio sheet. “No matter what happens in poker, I would never quit.”

In later action, Williams had a straight on fifth street, but the board was paired with spades as well. After Alina checked, Williams, leery of him after his move with aces, simply checked as well and took the pot. “I knew I had the best hand,” he said, “but he’s sneaky as hell.”

At the next break, Alina was still in front, now with about a quarter-million in chips, while Williams and Corrado were about tied for second with around 180,000 and 170,000 respectively.

We were now playing with blinds of 4,000/8,000 and 1,000 antes. Two hands into the new level, Todd “Tiny B” Phillips suffered a heart-breaker. After Williams moved in, Phillips called for his last 48,000 with pocket aces and flopped a set. But the flop also contained two hearts. A third one turned, and Williams, with Ah-2h, broke Phillips’ heart and left him in fifth place, which paid $19,904. Phillips, a 35-year-old real estate broker from Dallas, learned poker in a “great home game” in his city.

In subsequent action, Alan Barnes had only 6,000 left in the small blind when Carrado raised to 25,000. “Why did you raise?” Williams complained, laying down A-K. Carrado and Barnes both had A-Q. They split the pot, and in any event would have outrun William’s big slick when a queen on the river paired them.

Barnes survived a couple more of all-ins, but finally succumbed halfway through the level. He moved all in for 7,000 with A-J. Alina and Corrado called and checked the pot down. Corrado had 10-3 and a flopped trey was all he needed to leave Barnes in fourth place. Barnes, 51, whose nickname is “Big Al,” is a sawmill and logging owner from Barton, AR. He’s been playing in home games for 30 years, in casinos two, and his best tournament finish was a third in the Gold Strike Poker Classic this year. His payout was $23,222

Soon after the tournament became three-handed, Williams moved in with Qh-10h. Alina called with 8c-7c. A flop of Qc-9d-6c gave Alina draws to a straight and a flush. An Ac turned to give him the flush, and Williams was drawing dead. Williams, from Ocean Springs, MS, is in retail sales, owning a chain of tobacco stores. Williams,” who has been playing poker five years, describes himself as “easy-going but highly competitive, and says his poker highlight was playing with WSOP champion Joe Hachem. Tonight he got $29,857 for third place.

Two-handed, Alina had about 375,000 to a bit under 300,000 for Corrado.

As heads-up play began, Alina took the first few pots and Corrado quickly dropped down. He recovered somewhat, but could never really challenge Alina.The final hand saw a board of 6-5-4-9 and Corrado moved in. “I’ll gamble,” Alina said, calling with a Q-7 for a straight draw. He was surprised when Corrado turned up a nothing 10-8 hand. The queen-high held up, and Alina had his victory and a championship ring.

“If I didn’t have so many chips, I never would have called,” Alina said, shaking his head.

Corrado, who is a 75-year-old Florida retiree originally from Chicago, has been playing poker for half a century, and took home $58,386 for second.

Alina, who lives in Hernando, MS, won $23,901 for a second-place finish at the Gold Strike’s World Poker Open Event this year, and also had a $10,000 cash in the Oklahoma State Championships. —Max Shapiro

Says he went out via cracked aces. That’s all I know … oh, and that by making a non-second-chance WSOP circuit final table, he’s the first Batface to get CardPlayer P.O.Y. points.

(Congratulations, Todd! Seriously, you were due — have been playing great. Getting big pairs busted never bothers you, either.)

NOTE: Just discovered some quality semi-live coverage over at the BFs. Missed it all day and night … for some reason, the page wouldn’t (and still won’t) update upon refresh in Firefox. No prob with IE, however.

Anyhow, there are five players left, and he’s fourth in chips. Successfully made “the real money”. Here’s the payouts he’s competiting for:

Er … can’t find them anywhere. But when Todd was a “sorta short stack” with seven players left, we learned that 7th place paid out $13k. So my guess is that he’s already guaranteed about $20k, if not more. Will let you know.

—–Original Message—–
From: Todd Phillips
Sent: Sun Oct 01 03:33:47 2006
Subject: Still Alive-ish

Thanks to Tulsa and TBRs reporting, you know I’m hanging in the tunica tourney. You have to finish in top 8 or so for any real money, so I’ll need to double up early tomorrow. My last double up came when I moved all-in with Q9(the comstock) on the button after it was folded around to me. The big blind made a very good and expensive call with KJ(the Shane). I felt relief as everyone knows that comstock always defeats Shane. So, after a jack flopped, I wasn’t surprised to see runner runner club to make my Q high flush. The qualility of play and the quality of people playing has been spectacular… Something I’m not used to in Dallas. We resume at 2PM tomorrow. I’m going to go to bed now. As always, go batfaces.

48 left in 1500. I have 15k in chips, a little above par. Top 27 get paid. I expect coverage.

So there you have it. Go Big Todd!

8400, coloring greens. 100-400-800 now. 34 left. Time to double up.Agoin … go Big Todd. (But how will he handle it if someone makes a “bad” play?

UPDATE: Nearing the bubble …

Doubled up with AQ vs. JJ. 17k now. 33 left

And indeed, looks like he crossed it. Todd texts:

in money, in decent shape.

By the way, I have to go out. Seriously … one of those drinky things that involves a guy who’s involved with the Native American casino interests — hopefully he’ll give me some inside scoop on the legendary Winstar Tribe’s role in Poker’s getting Double-Fristed. Anyhow, if you need Todd updates, you can find them here at my personal watchdog site. Kinda funny, especially looking at Todd’s pre-game posts:

from The Batfaces

1500
I’m at dinner break in the $1500 NL in tunica. 48 players remain of the original 225. The top 27 make the money. I have 15000 in chips, which is a little above par. Darling and Hong Kong played as well, but have not lasted. So unfortunately for some, I’m not offing myself. Winner takes home 101K.
posted by Tiny B at 7:31 PM | 0 comments

Tunica 2
Darling up.
Hong Kong up.
Tiny B… Fuck cards.
posted by Tiny B at 7:04 AM | 0 comments

Friday, September 29, 2006

Tunica live blog 1
Hammered. Go first class!

Honk Kong Sue, Darling and I just landed in Memphis. Aycock is waiting on us at The Grand. You fuckers will be sorry you missed this one. $1500 tomorrow at noon. If I don’t win the last-longer, I’m offing myself.
posted by Tiny B at 7:32 PM | 0 comments