Poker Guru's blog

Halfway Through the Main Event – the Bubble has Bursted

On 13th July, the fourth day of the World Series of Poker Main Event, 747 players could let out a huge sigh, being the ones profiting from this year’s Main Event.
Having started with 7,319 entrants, the Main Event will run for four more days in July, and continue with the 9 remaining players in November.

This year’s bubble boy was Tim McDonald, who, at the moment of his elimination, was applauded by 747 poker players, most of whom madly started shaking hands as soon as they realized they were finally ITM.

Tim McDonald was not left without compensation: he has secured himself a free entry for the 2011 Main Event.

Tim McDonald
Tournament Director Jack Effel was the one to congratulate Tim

"Let's give a nice warm round of applause to Tim McDonald. Because of you Tim, 747 players are now all in the money. You, my friend, have an automatic $10,000 entry into the 2011 WSOP Main Event on behalf of the World Series of Poker” said Effel.

Mike Matusow Loses $2 Million to Ted Forrest on Bet

Poker pros Mike Matusow and Ted Forrest bet in May that Forrest, then weighing 188 pounds (85 kilograms), couldn’t get under 139 pounds (63 kilograms) by either 15 July or 15 September this year. Well, he could.

Forrest at Matusow
Ted Forrest and Mike Matusow

Conspiracy at PokerStars’ DoN Tables

A group of Asian players chiefly from Hangzhou were caught cheating at PokerStars’ Double or Nothing Sit & Go tables. Between November 2009 and January 2010 they profited around $750,000.

Poker Stars

Johnny Chan Seems to Be Back

Despite endless criticism on behalf of his younger fellow players regarding his age and ’obsolete’ game style, Johnny Chan is once again among the top dogs after Day 4 of the WSOP Main Event.

Johnny Chan
Johnny Chan

PokerStars Red Carpet Party

On the 11th July, the WSOP came to a one-day break, and PokerStars made sure no one would get bored by organizing a Red Carpet Party.

Undoubtedly, the biggest attraction of the event was a 45 minute long performance by the legendary rapper Snoop Dogg.

Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg

MyPokerLab Tracking and Analysis Suite is Launched

Online poker rooms are all vying for players and competition is getting higher and higher, while top rooms like PokerStars or Full Tilt seem impossible to strangle. Smaller rooms desperately need constant development and initiative to stay alive on the market. One such innovation is the MyPokerLab Tracking and Analysis Suite launched by Microgaming Network’s PokerTime. Check out their site here, or see their promo video and an overview by Poker News Daily. 

Poker Legend Doyle Brunson Struggles on This Year’s WSOP

WSOP 2010 is not kind to many of the big names, now including living legend Doyle Brunson as well. Although he made it to Day 2 six times out of eight tournaments he played, he couldn’t cash a cent.

Doyle Brunson

Antonius and South Still Survive on the Main Event

Several high stakes cash game players bought themselves into the WSOP Main Event and some of them are definitely here to stay for a while.

Patrik Antonius
Patrik Antonius

Even though big names like Tom Dwan and Phil Ivey had bad luck, other cash game pros, including Patrik Antonius and Cole South still survive, in spite of their own assessment of feeling less confortable at the race poker tables.

After Day 3 South is 27th and Antonius is 118th of about 1240 remaining players. Nevertheless, the Finnish player stated that he is still not very keen on championships, for the mundane reason of despising sitting in one place for too long. Fast-paced cash games are more of his style; yet, he has already collected a respectable sum of about $3 million in different poker tournaments.

I can’t wait to see how they will fare against the ’real’ pros of tournaments on their own ground this time.

Betfair Poker is to Join Ongame Network

According to a press release just published, Betfair Poker merges with the global network of Ongame by the end of July 2010.

Betfair  Ongame network

Betfair stated that the union comes with several advantages for the loyal players of the room, including the organisation of even more cash games, as well as software development. Everyone is supposed to find their calculations at Betfair, fish and sharks alike.

“From now on Betfair Poker players will have a greater supply of games at all times of the day. Both companies have also really committed to developing their functions,” Daniel Svard, head of Betfair Poker stated.

Ongame Network, 6th largest online poker network owned by Bwin, is also optimistic on the future of the cooperation: “In the long run Betfair is an ideal partner for us. Betfair is a respected, technically mature brand. We are very delighted to welcome Betfair’s players and know-how in this highly competitive market.”

Video Interview with Mike “The Mouth” Matusow

Bernard Lee asks Matusow in his The Hijack Seat segment from the 2010 WSOP. Check out the interview from Poker News Daily.

Mike Matusow Interview

Norwegian Sports Superstar Accompanied by Beauty on the WSOP

Norwegian sportsman and national hero Petter Northug is participating in the 2010 WSOP – and his spectacular girlfriend has also come along.

Northug (24) is world-class cross country skier with 9 world cup winnings and 7 additional podiums, but most notably double Olympic Champion (along with one silver and one bronze medals) of the Vancouver Olympic Games 2010. He won the 50 km classic and, with Øystein Pettersen, the team sprint races.

Petter Northug
Petter Northug

In addition, he has several champion titles from the Norwegian National Championships, the FIS (Fédération Internationale de Ski - International Ski Federation) Nordic World Ski Championships as well as from the Junior variant of the latter. Northug is a sports hero of Norway, and thus received considerable media attention upon entering the 2010 WSOP.

No less were the reporters interested in his girlfriend, Rachel Nordtømme, an athlete herself, whom they considered to be “possibly the breast Girl on the Rail we've seen at the 2010 WSOP.” Indeed, the spectacle is worthy of the hype, and so are a number of other players’ sweethearts.

Rachel Nordtomme
Rachel Nordtømme railing at the 2010 WSOP

Video Interview with WPT CEO Steve Heller

Rawvegas.tv released an interview with World Poker Tour CEO Steve Heller on the changes made to the show in the latest season. In addition to the ‘Royal Flush Girls’, Heller is talking about a “show in the show” which is going to be about giving insight to the context of the tour. Kimberly Lansing is also back to host the programme with the role of providing opinion, background and perspective. The chief aim, according to Heller, is to give the excitement of a live sport event in order to “get a new layer of devotees"

Jennifer Tilly Wins Bellagio Cup VI Event $5,000

The Bellagio Cup VI, running parallel to the WSOP Main Event, 'houses' the first event of the World Poker Tour season 9, the WPT Championship $10,000 tournament. Tilly, almost as much talented at playing poker as at acting, won the Cup's $5,000 Tournament ($124,455). This event took place this Sunday.

Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly

Her boyfriend, professional player Phil Laak also commented on Twitter about her victory with much appreciation and pride: “Holla! My girl just shipped the 5k Bellagio! Max ship. Max joy.”

The results of the event are as follows:

Frank Kassela is Within Reach of the WSOP POY Title

The chances of depriving Kassela of the title of WSOP Player of the Year are close to zero; since his closest rival, John Juanda is out of the Main Event, there are in effect only mathematical odds to beat him.

Frank Kassela
Frank Kassela

Full Tilt Poker Has a New Red Pro

WSOP $10.000 PLH bracelet winner Akos ’Luigi’ Kwaysser (HUN) is contracted by Full Tilt Poker. Luigi made it to Day 3 in the Main Event with 81,900 in chips, already in the colours of his new sponsor.

Akos 'Luigi' Kwaysser
Akos 'Luigi' Kwaysser

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