The 2009 WSOP Main Event Starts Today

[caption text="Six weeks of preliminary events, a lot of hype and the now the day has finally arrived. Day 1A of the 2009 WSOP is set to get underway in just a few minutes and the dealers are all seated, the hallways outside are filling up and the prognostication as to the number of entrants ...

Read The Full Article:
http://beat.bodoglife.com/poker/the-2009-wsop-main-event-starts-today-68012.html

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!

WSOP Main Event: It's getting hot in here, I'm
sitting with T-Bone

It was an important moment. Cornell Hayes Jr. was about to raise the pot, but he had something important to do first. He stopped in mid-raise, raised a few fingers, and twinkled them in the air. A calm, confident smile spread across his face, his perfect teeth sparkling at the pretty floor girls as they passed by. The women, professional and businesslike, couldn't help but smile, too. After all, it's not every day you get to flirt with Cornell Hayes Jr--who you might know better as St. Louis rap mogul Nelly.

Then it was back to betting the [Th][7d][9c][9h] board. He got a call and they saw the [5h] river. Once again, Nelly reached into his stack and bet. His opponent snap-called with [9s][8s],only to see Nelly's [Qh][7h].

It's clear from watching the table for a moment, people are eager to call Nelly. Whether his tablemates think he is a fish or they want to bust a celebrity, they are more than willing to call with just about anything. In the last level, the rapper bluffed into a pot and got called. He turned over ace-high. His opponent mucked.

Nelly paused for a second laughing. "For real? Thank you." He sat for another second, still in disbelief. He shook his head. "I'm gonna walk around for a minute."

Back in his seat, Nelly looked over his shoulder at the tennis match on TV.

"Roddick's on fire," he said casually to the man next to him. The guy nodded, quiet, and saying nothing about wanting to be architect, it being the Summer of George, or worlds colliding.

That man, of course, is Jason Alexander, and he's making Nelly the second most famous man at the table. The two PokerStars players are sitting right next to each other and chatting as if they were longtime friends.

Nelly and Alexander might talk more, but the rapper has other things on his mind. Another pretty floor person is walking by. He stops her with just a look. It's sort of scary to see the control the man has over women. The lady seems compelled to stop.

"How are you doing?" she asks, seemingly mesmerized.

"I'm treading water," Nelly said. "Trying to survive."

He didn't add anything about it getting hot in here or anyone taking off their clothes.

He didn't have to.

It was implied.

* * * * *

HANDS, WINCES AND QUOTES OF THE HOUR FROM ACTION TABLE OF THE HOUR

Jan Heitmann is an action player. In fact, he's an action player's action player. The guy likes to mix it up. Today he's found himself a nice short-handed game over on table 105 in the red section, where three seats remain empty more than an hour into play. That seems to be to Heitmann's liking as it gives him the perfect excuse to be in every single pot. Just recently, he was engaged in a friendly verbal joust with Kelly Corbin, a PokerStars qualifier. Heitman had re-raised Corbin's early position raise from the button, after one player had flat called between them. "That's a squeeze," said the caller after his cards followed Corbin's into the muck.

"I'll call you with nine-five but not with queens," said Corbin, and Heitmann did a double take. "Yeah, they were ladies. I said that." Heimann responded to this with what might have been called "Wince of the hour". "You gave it away, dude," said Corbin. "You had aces, kings or ace-king." Wince again. Although quite what that wince meant is anyone's guess.

On the next hand, Heitmann was back at it. There was a raise pre-flop and two callers, meaning three players saw the flop of [3s][ks][3c], Corbin and Heitmann among them. Corbin, who was in the big blind, checked in the dark, the player in seat nine bet 350 and Heitmann and Corbin called. The turn was [qd] and all checked. The river was the [jc] and after Corbin bet and the nine seat folded, it was down to Heitmann to ponder the call. "I'll show ya!" said Corbin. And he had to, because Heitmann called. "If you call then you're good," said Corbin, and showed [jd][3h]. Heitmann had pocket sevens, and Corbin took that one.

The very next hand was even bigger. It was the same three players to the flop of [9d][10c][jh] and the nine-seat bet 700. Heitmann made it 2,225, Corbin folded and the nine-seat called. The turn was the [2h] and Heitmann bet 3,800, which was called, and they saw the [6d]. The player in the nine seat checked and Heitmann fired 16,300. "Wow!" said Corbin. The nine-seat was silent but folded. "Good bluff," said Corbin. Heitmann winced. Or was that a smile?

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!

Laying down the Best Hand [Digg]

Laying down the Best Hand

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/do-or-die-poker/~3/6aPK5LPnBJE/Laying_down_the_Bes
t_Hand

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!

World Series Main Event: Slow start, except for
one

As far as poker is concerned there's no flash start to grab your attention. Unlike motor sport or football or chess, there's no early moment that shapes the rest of the game. Instead poker has a more organic evolutionary period, rendering the first half hour uneventful as most players settle in, ready to bide their time.

That is unless you're on table 117 in seat 8. He's out of the game in a little less than ten minutes to a round of applause. "If that was your goal, to avoid going out first" said a tournament official, "then you can speed up a little." As of yet there are no signs that's happening.

The name of the player and the hand he played is pending, but the range of hands you get yourself into that position with was something up for discussion on John Duthie's table.

"What a cruel sport" he said, grinning. In an ad hoc post mortem he stated he'd only do the same with four aces or a royal flush. But some players live faster than others.

As a Team PokerStars Pro he's been active in the World Series this summer, scoring in a $1,500 event and $386,636 in the World Championship Heads-Up, where only Leo Wolpert stopped him from winning his first bracelet. Duthie knows a lot about time standing still in a poker tournament.

But in his other life, as creator of the European Poker Tour, his playing privileges were revoked, a self-inflicted wound from day one season one. He's normally the gaunt looking guy strolling the rail itching to play, like a coach pacing the touchline wishing he could pull the quarterback and get in there himself.

But in Las Vegas Duthie cuts a different jib. Wearing sporty trousers complete with rhinestone belt, comfortable shoes, a gold and silver watch contrasting nicely with his tan and windswept hair, he's a different man, one thriving in his natural environment, one of chips, cards and action.

His early dose involved Irishman John Magill, himself no stranger to the business end of a main event, having finished 12th for $1.1 million in 2006. He made it 300 from early position before, two to his left, Duthie re-raised to 1,300. Magill paid to see a flop and checked the [3d][4h][2h]. Duthie now fired out 2,100, putting a furrow in Magill's brow before he raised to 7,100. Now it was Duthie crunching up his face. The look of confusion grew deeper as he stared at the table, re-ordered his stack and rested his head in his hand.

Magill looked on. Duthie was in no hurry, something that irked the seat eight player who seemed eager to make the most of his 30k in the opening 50-100 level. He called the clock but not before Duthie folded. The main event may be a marathon not a sprint (code warning: cliché violation) and nothing is won or lost in the first level. Well, except for that guy on 117.

The greatest poker tournament in the world is working its way up to full speed. There's no leader worth noting, just a man in a Sasquatch outfit (a nod to the official sponsor), the stacks of beef jerky he brought with him, and a native American in full battle dress. Not to mention a room full of players living the dream. They're at least one player closer to that now.

*****

QUOTE OF THE HOUR

"Let's go T-Bone!" -- Railbird to Jason Alexander

*****

HAND OF THE HOUR - FORTIN FOLDS ACES

If you get knocked out first, there's a hullaballoo, as described above. If you get knocked out second, no one really notices -- except perhaps the Danish pro Jonas Klausen and the PokerStars qualifier Patrick Fortin, who were also in this three-way pot.

There was at least 7,000 in the middle when the dealer dealt a flop of [7h][4h][4c] and some more went in before an unknown player, soon to become the "second man out" bet 7,500. Fortin at this point got out of the way, but Klausen moved all in for about 20,000 more. Our unknown victim thought a while before calling, but his [3d][4d] was way behind Klausen's [7c][7d]. Klausen was obviously delighted, but it was mixed feelings for Fortin, who immediately announced that he had folded aces. It's great to get them at any stage in the tournament, but getting them cracked stinks. Making a very shrewd laydown must rate somewhere in the middle -- something Fortin will now know all about.

Fortin, from Canada, won his seat in a $650 satellite, where 25 packages were guaranteed. He's obviously lost a small chunk of his starting stack, but must be happy to know his radar is working well.

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!

WSOP Main Event: Ready to play

At the movies there's the previews and commercials, and at a concert there's at least one support to endure before the headline band shuffles languidly onto the stage. At the World Series of Poker, the undercard lasts for more than a month, features more than 50 tournaments, something like 15,000 players, and millions upon millions of dollars. And it's still not even five percent as exciting as this moment, right here, right now.

In less than about five minutes the Championship Event of the 2009 World Series will begins in the Amazon Ballroom at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. It is, without question, the most anticipated moment in the game. It is the Super Bowl, the soccer World Cup, the Olympics and the Oscars. Whatever you're into, this is the moment you've been waiting for. More than 7,000 players are expected, clutching $10,000 apiece for their shot at the big prize. The ultimate winner, of what is expected to be something like $9 million, won't be decided until November, but everything that happens around a poker table between now and then is a contributing factor. Our search for the World Champion begins now.

Joining the field, exchanging the same $10,000 for the same 30,000 stack of tournament chips, are some of the biggest names in the game. Team PokerStars Pro will be out in force: the defending champion Peter Eastgate will be the player all want to emulate, although at this stage most would also settle for being this year's Ivan Demidov, Dennis Phillips or Ylon Schwartz, all of whom took the PokerStars livery to last year's final table and millions of bucks. Then, of course, there's the likes of Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer, Joe Hachem and Tom McEvoy, previous World Series champions, also rejoining the hunt for another bracelet.

Then there'll be Negreanu, Greenstein, Brenes, Grospellier, Minieri, Thorson and all others. You know them, and you also know that this is the place to hear up-to-the-minute news about all of them.

But let's not forget this: At the very same time that this is the ultimate clash of the titans, the World Series Main Event is also the moment for the previously unheralded players to make a huge splash on the major stage. That man Moneymaker started it all in 2003, when he won his passage to Vegas in a satellite tournament on PokerStars. It was the $40 into $2.5m sensation that kick-started the modern poker era, and now we have more than 2,000 qualifiers preparing to take their shot at the massive time.

As ever, this is also the place to track the progress of the PokerStars qualifiers in the field -- and we take requests. If your brother, father, sister, mother, son, daughter, grandmother, grandfather, grandson, granddaughter (and all the "great" permutations), neighbor, drinking buddy, chiropodist, boss, secretary, paperboy or priest is in the field, email us at blog@pokerstars.com, tell us their name, where they are sitting and as many identifying traits as possible, and we'll try to track them down, grab a photo and follow their progress through the event. One of them just might win it.

With that, the doors are open and the hounds have been unleashed. Players are filing into the tournament room and taking their seats around the tables. Play is imminent.

* * * * *

STAT OF THE HOUR

Players start with 30,000 chips.
Blinds start at 50-100 and each level lasts two hours.
Play got underway at 12.06pm Vegas time.

QUOTE OF THE HOUR

"He's not going to win the World Series." -- Anonymous media representative spots a player sitting at a table two hours before the tournament is due to begin.

TWEET OF THE HOUR

PokerStars Blog is on Twitter. You can follow us at http://twitter.com/pokerstarsblog and let us know your own Twitter account so that we can follow your progress.

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!

Curtom WINS PokerStars Sunday Millions Satellite

Curtom WINS PokerStars Sunday Millions Satellite

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/do-or-die-poker/~3/GGPoqKR2gMU/

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!

Two Humans at Specific Points in Time

First, The Boy. San Clemente State Beach, 2009. Built like his Daddy, ain't he? We were playing paddle ball and it was a bit frustrating as his motor skills only allowed for us to get 4, 5 hits maximum. Lot of chasing the ball and bending in the surf. So, I changed it up and started hitting sky high. Here, he tracks it on the way down.



Next, The Dad. UCLA, circa 1989 and recently posted to Facebook. The mullet. The acid washed jeans. The Miller High Life. I don't really need to say more, do I? $34 says this is The Rooster's new favorite hair pic of me.



Read The Full Article:
http://obituarium.blogspot.com/2009/07/two-humans-at-specific-points-in-time.html

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!