Posts Tagged ‘wsop europe’
Hellmuth Misses 12th WSOP Bracelet, Extends POY Lead, is Humble
October 10th, 2011
For most poker players, finishing 7th in a WSOP Europe tournament and cashing for €24,184 would be something to be proud of, but for Phil Hellmuth it was a massive disappointment.
“I don’t play these things to finish seventh, I feel horrible,” stated Hellmuth after busting out of WSOP Europe Event 1.
Hellmuth had a great run in the tournament finishing day 1 with the second most chips but ultimately finishing in seventh. A result he was quick to blame on the luck factor of the game saying, “If I had won I would have called it my masterpiece but I guess I missed a few brush strokes along the way. When Picasso drew a masterpiece he didn’t have to deal with luck.”
He went on to explain what exactly he has to deal with as he approaches a final table.
“As the blinds go up and these kids think they have to move in with every ace-ten off-suit there’s a lot of luck involved. I was never all-in and I was never low on chips and I moved my chips so perfectly and my timing was so perfect. I put myself in a wonderful spot here but it’s just frustrating to lose every flip and lose every race.”
Yes Phil, we know. If it weren’t for luck you’d win them all, right? Well, might I suggest a new sport that eliminates that excuse?
Anyway, say what you will about Hellmuth, the fact is he’s having a great year and this latest cash further extends his lead over Ben Lamb in the race to win Player of the Year.
As if in a direct response to his critics who have accused Hellmuth of being unable to compete at the top levels in anything but No Limit Holdem, he managed to score three second place finishes in WSOP events, none of which were Holdem events.
Gus Hansen Can’t Lose
October 22nd, 2010
Gus Hansen wins because Gus Hansen can see inside your soul.
Just a few short weeks ago, Danish poker pro Gus Hansen won his first World Series of Poker bracelet. It was a win that seemed to be long overdue, as he’s been one of the most feared and biggest-name players in the world for years. Much better late than never though, and that win seems to have turned Hansen’s fortunes around at the high-stakes online poker tables.
The last few years have been one long downward plunge for Hansen. But he’s been on an epic heater the last few weeks, culminating in nearly $600,000 in winnings in action last night. And that’s on top of the $723,000 he won in action last week.
Most of yesterday’s good fortune came at the hands of an online pro named Luukie21. The two battled it out at the $500/$1,000 Cap Pot Limit Omaha tables, with Luukie21 ending the session $595,000 down. Hansen made a few more bucks off a variety of other opponents, mixing it up playing everything from $200/$400 PLO to $1,000/$2,000 HORSE.
For the year so far, Gus Hansen is looking at winnings of $2.5 million dollars. Add that to his WSOP Europe bracelet in the High-Roller NLHE Heads-up Tournament, and 2010 is looking pretty sweet for the great Dane.
Annette Obrestad Leads WPT Festa al Lago With 13 Left
October 18th, 2010
Can Annette put together her first WPT title run at Bellagio?
Another day of poker at Bellagio is in the books, this time taking the field at the WPT Festa al Lago from 41 players down to just 13. The overnight chip leader is none other than online poker legend and former WSOP Europe Main Event winner Annette Obrestad. Fresh off a heads-up tourney win at EPT London, the diminutive Norwegian bagged up 2,009,000 in chips at the end of the night to put her name in everyone’s overnight headlines.
Right behind Obrestad is Andy Frankenberger, the equity derivatives trader who won the WPT Legends of Poker main event in Los Angeles back in August. He finished the day with 1,820,000 chips. Close behind are Jeff Madsen (1,500,000), Allen Kessler (1,275,000), and John Monnette (1,271,000), with November Nine bubble boy Brandon Steven (977,000) a little further back. Other notables among the 13 remaining players include Florida poker pro Noah Schwartz, former WPT Southern Championship runner-up Bobby Suer and WPT Spanish Championship winner Randal Flowers.
Steve O’Dwyer came into the day with the chip lead, but after finding himself short-stacked he busted in 25th place when his queens fell to Brandon Steven’s 4-4. Also among the fallen on the day were Barry Greenstein (38th place), Tom Marchese (35th), Daniel Alaei (31st), Erik Cajelais (26th), Matt Affleck (22nd), Matt Stout (18th), McLean Karr (17th), Chad Batista (16th), Mark Newhouse (15th) and Lauren Kling (14th).
The plan for Day 5 is to play down to the TV table, which theoretically shouldn’t take long since the field only has to drop from 13 players to six and the uberaggressive Annette Obrestad is the chip leader. But this is tournament poker we’re talking about, and with a guaranteed $80,000 pay jump over 13th place money for everyone who makes the final table there could be plenty of incentive to slow things down, depending on who makes it close to that bubble. Action gets going at noon PT and as usual the WPT is covering the whole enchilada.
Steve O’Dwyer Leads, 41 Remain at WPT Festa al Lago
October 18th, 2010
Steve O’Dwyer seeks his second Bellagio WPT final table.
Three full days of poker are in the books at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, where poker pro Steve O’Dwyer leads the field at the 2010 WPT Festa al Lago.
O’Dwyer started slow with 157,100 chips and fell back a bit before doubling up in back-to-back hands, once through Jared Jaffee and the next through Matt Affleck, to move over the 500,000-chip mark. From there he used his stack to move up to a day-ending lead of 844,500 chips. He’ll be looking to use his advantage to make his second career final table at Bellagio, and hopefully to improve upon his sixth-place finish from last year’s Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic main event.
Right behind Steve O’Dwyer is everybody’s favorite conspiracy theorist/rapper/pro poker player, Jeff Madsen, who finished the day with 814,000 chips to lead the other 40 remaining players. Other notables with above-average stacks when play resumes today include WPT Spanish Championship winner Randal Flowers (795,500), former WPT chairman Lyle Berman (458,500), two-time WPT final tablist Jared Jaffee (426,500), used-car salesman and November Nine bubble boy Brandon Steven (425,000), Bay 101 champ McLean Karr (388,500), online MTT specialist Matt Stout (382,500), 2010 Legends of Poker champ Andy Frankenberger (360,500), reigning Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic champion Daniel Alaei (355,000), and 2007 WSOP Europe winner Annette Obrestad (343,500).
Cards get back in the air at Bellagio at noon PT (or shortly thereafter). You can follow the slow advance to the final table via the WPT site.
WSOP Europe Champ Wins Another One
October 12th, 2010
The name’s Bord. James Bord. (photo courtesy of WSOPPhotos.com)
The hits just keep on coming for James Bord. It was only last month that he took down the main event at the 2010 World Series of Poker Europe, and now he’s added to his already epic year with a six-figure cash.
The young UK poker pro hopped over to North Africa for the High Rollers event at the Marrakech Poker Cup, and didn’t leave until he’d won $247,000. And that’s a pretty nice payday for a weekend’s work, even at a tournament with a $50,000 buy-in.
That steep price keeps the High Rollers event exclusive, with only thirteen players taking part this year. Despite that low number, Bord’s victory wasn’t easy, and he had to beat some big name players, including Robert Mizrachi and David Benyamine.
Bord, though, is used to taking down big names. For his WSOPE main event win, he was the last man standing out of a field of 346 players, including many of the toughest pros in poker. For that victory, he won £830,401.
The Marrakech Poker Cup is an annual event that takes place in Morocco’s capital city, at the casino de Marrakech.
Record Field Turns Out for EPT London Main Event
September 30th, 2010
The Hilton Metropole hotel, home of EPT London and all of its poker glory.
The EPT London main event got underway yesterday at the Hilton Metropole hotel in the UK capital with a first starting flight of 339 players, including a full complement of accomplished poker pros and online poker players.
Leading the pack after nine levels of play was American Soheb Porbandarwala, who finished Day 1A with 218,600 in chips. That put him more than 30,000 ahead of his nearest competitor with blinds still at 500-1,000, giving him a lot of room to maneuver when he returns to the felt tomorrow. Among the other well-stacked players who will return with Porbandarwala are 2009 WPT Merit Cyprus Classic winner Thomas Bichon, 2009 WSOP Europe Main Event champ Barry Shulman, former WPT Championship final tablist John O’Shea, former child chess prodigy turned EPT final tablist Jeff Sarwer, NAPT Venetian champ Tom Marchese and 2004 WSOP Main Event winner Greg Raymer.
Day 1B began earlier today and drew an even larger field. This time 514 players showed up, packing the Metropole to capacity and pushing the tournament’s total attendance up to 853. That makes this year’s EPT London the largest live poker tournament ever held in the United Kingdom, smashing last year’s EPT London record mark of 730 players. Among the top pros in today’s starting flight are David Benyamine, Daniel Negreanu, James Akenhead, Praz Bansi, Scott Seiver, Padraig Parkinson, and last night’s EPT Heads-Up winner Annette Obrestad.
Day 1B continues until the end of the ninth level of play tonight. Surviving players from both EPT London starting flights will combine and resume play at noon local time tomorrow.
James Bord Wins WSOP Europe Main Event
September 29th, 2010
Obrestad. Juanda. Shulman. Bord. Yes, Bord. (Photo: WSOPPhotos.com)
In the days leading up to the final table of this year’s WSOP Europe Main Event, everyone was talking about Phil Ivey and Viktor Blom. Very few, if any, were talking about England’s James Bord, who entered the final table in the middle of the pack. But now Bord is the one celebrating after outlasting one of tournament poker’s toughest fields to win his first WSOP bracelet.
It was another less-than-celebrated player, Ronald Lee of Brooklyn, who entered the final table with the chip lead and wasted no time putting those chips to work. He eliminated both Marc Inizan (9th place) and Brian Powell (8th) on the same hand when both moved all-in with 8-8 and his A-K spiked a king on the turn. More than 50 hands later, the next to go would be Dan Fleyshman (7th), whose aggression with J-T didn’t pay off against Lee’s K-5.
Just twenty hands later Bord himself survived an all-in confrontation with J-J to Nicolas Levi’s A-Q, giving him a healthy stack. Once Lee eliminated Daniel Steinberg (6th) with 4-4 to A-J and then took down Levi in 5th place with K-Q to 9-9, the table dynamic began to shift. And with Roland de Wolfe’s departure in 4th place, his K-Q no match for Fabrizio Baldassari’s A-8, Lee took what seemed like an insurmountable chip lead into the dinner break.
But it would all come crashing down around Lee in short order. Bord came back from dinner with three straight raises before he doubled up with A-3 to Lee’s K-Q. Baldassari followed by also doubling through Lee, his with A-4 to Lee’s A-K, and then seized the chip lead by flopping a set of fives against Lee. Finally Bord raised on the button with A-K and Lee shoved from the small blind with 5-5; Bord snap-called and two kings hit the board to send Lee home in 3rd place and set up the final showdown.
Baldassari pressed his advantage in the first 20 hands or so but slipped up, moving all-in over a Bord raise with Q-8 and getting snap-called by A-K. That pot gave Bord the lead, and 15 hands later he would wrap up the biggest moment of his poker career when his pocket tens held up against Baldassari’s pocket fives, giving him the win and £830,401.
This was the second WSOP final table for James Bord, following his sixth-place finish at this summer’s $1,500 Deuce-to-Seven Draw Lowball event, and his sixth career WSOP cash. His total career earnings now amount to $1,360,871, almost all coming from his WSOP Europe Main Event win.
EPT London Poker Festival Begins Today
September 28th, 2010
Aaron Gustavson begins his EPT London title defense tomorrow.
While WSOP Europe goes about its business wrapping up the final day of its Main Event in London, the European Poker Tour is just settling in for another action-packed week of poker.
EPT London got started at the London Metropole today with four different events. The biggest among them is the £5,000 + £250 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’em event, which has a 64-player cap and is being played out in a best-of-three format for each round of the tournament. Among those who played the first round were Shannon Shorr, who busted in two straight losses, and Annette Obrestad and Barry Greenstein, who both won their first-round matches 2-0.
The other big event on the schedule today is the £2,000 + £150 European 8 Game Championships, featuring a mix of Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw, limit hold’em, limit Omaha hi-lo, Razz, seven-card stud, seven-card stud hi-lo, no-limit hold’em and pot-limit Omaha. There should be a small but tough field for that event, as will also be the case with this Saturday’s £20,000 + £500 High Roller event. And for those who don’t want to play hold’em or to put up the cash for the bigger events, there are more than 20 other events scheduled for the next week at this biggest of the regular-season EPT festivals.
Both of these preliminary events will wrap up their final day of play tomorrow, which coincides nicely with Day 1A of the £5,000 + £250 EPT London main event. Last year’s tournament drew 730 players, the largest live poker tournament field in British history. American Aaron Gustavson won a remarkable heads-up match against then-defending (and now retired) world champion Peter Eastgate, grabbing £850,000 (US $1,353,158) for his efforts.
Phil Ivey Busts From WSOP Europe Main Event
September 27th, 2010
No more bracelets for Mr. Ivey this year. (Photo: WSOPPhotos.com)
If you’re big fan of schadenfreude, or maybe just of watching train wrecks in action, you’ll want to be sure to tune into ESPN3 in just a bit to catch Phil Ivey’s departure from the WSOP Europe Main Event.
Ivey entered the day sixth in chips, carrying the hopes of the poker world – at least, the members of the poker world who don’t have any bracelet prop bets with him – on his shoulders. He started the day off well, seeing off an old foe – Jani Sointula, who won the 2004 Monte Carlo Millions when Ivey finished third – by winning a coin-flip with pocket fours against Q-J. Sointula flopped a jack but Ivey peeled a four on the river, perhaps foreshadowing the kind of luck he would need to make it through the day.
Alas, Ivey must have forgotten to fill up on run-good before the day’s play began, because that two-outer was the last bit of of good fortune he would find. He called off about 175,000 chips in a pot against Bojan Gledovic, mucking on the river when Gledovic showed A-J on an ace-high board with no straight or flush possibilities. Then came the final blow, with Ivey four-betting all-in holding on to just A-T and chip leader Ronald Lee holding A-K. Lee called and a king hit the turn to send Ivey home in 19th place (£26,400).
Though Phil Ivey is out, there are still a few bright spots left in the WSOP Europe Main Event lineup. The volatile Viktor Blom sits in the middle of the chip counts but is capable of moving up at any point, while online star David Peters, Event #1 runner-up Andrew Pantling, two-time bracelet winner Hoyt Corkins, poker Triple Crown winner Roland de Wolfe and French pros Nicolas Levi and Arnaud Mattern are also still in the mix. You can catch all the action on ESPN3.com at 12:00 p.m. ET today.
Top Poker Pros Chase WSOP Europe Main Event Bracelet On Day 4
September 26th, 2010
Phil Ivey returns on Day 4 with a strong shot at making the WSOPE Main Event final table. (Photo: WSOPPhotos.com)
Of the 346 poker players who turned up for this year’s WSOP Europe Main Event, an unusually high percentage were players with serious tournament credentials. It’s no surprise, then, that there are still plenty of household names among the 22 players in contention as the fourth day of play begins.
Busting out before Day 3 was through but still taking home some pocket change were Irish Open winner James Mitchell (31st place), Freddy Deeb (30th), Bryn Kenney (29th), Yevgeniy Timoshenko (24th) and Barry Greenstein, who ended the day in 23rd place when his aces fell to Daniel Steinberg’s pocket tens. Though none of them cashed big, they did make the money, outperforming fellow pros like Huck Seed, Daniel Negreanu, Eli Elezra, November Nine member John Dolan, Nam Le, J.P. Kelly, Matt Stout and Nick Schulman.
Of those who will return to play more poker tomorrow, Brooklyn’s Ronald Lee is at the front of the pack with 947,000 in chips. Lee won two critical coin-flip hands early in the day before turning a flush in a big pot that sent John Eames home in 27th place and allowed Lee to make his first move toward the chip lead. A little further back in second and third places are David Peters (829,000) and Andrew Pantling (821,000), who finished right behind bracelet winner Phil Laak in Event #1 of this year’s WSOP Europe. And then there’s Viktor Blom, the Swede everyone in the universe is sure is Isildur1, sitting in fifth with 705,000 in chips.
As for the rest of the field, there’s a lot of hardware being toted around by poker pros at both ends of the leaderboard. Greg Mueller (151,000 in chips) and Roland de Wolfe (113,000), three WSOP bracelets between them, occupy the bottom two spots and will be looking to double up in short order. Meanwhile Phil Ivey (657,000) and Hoyt Corkins (566,000), who have 10 gold bracelets between them, occupy the sixth and seventh spots. And in between are two French players with titles from other tours, 2007 EPT Prague champ Arnaud Mattern (468,000) and 2009 WPT Merit Cyprus Classic winner Thomas Bichon (308,000).
Play down to the final table gets started in London at noon. American audiences who don’t want to follow live updates can watch Day 4 of WSOP Europe in its entirety, with hole cards, on ESPN3 at 12:00 p.m. ET.
