State boasts home to last two World Series of Poker champions
Maybe it’s something in California’s water or perhaps its just the great calibre of poker played in the state, but the two most recent World Series of Poker Champions were from California... Temecula’s Dr. Jerry Yang in 2007 and Los Angeles’ Jamie Gold in 2006. So there could be no better place to see if you have what it takes to be a champion than Commerce Casino’s California State Championship this September.
The 2007 California State Championship at Commerce Casino, the world’s largest poker room, will feature only No Limit and Limit Hold’em poker tournaments when it begins Tuesday Sept. 4. The 19 events, with buy-ins ranging from $220 to $2,580 for the main event, will draw leading local players and national poker stars. The Cal State Championship is a feather in the cap of any player aspiring to be a World Poker Tour or World Series of Poker champion.
Pasadena’s Lance Allred, a pro who had only been playing tournament poker for two years, took home a $345,470 paycheck in 2006, besting a field of 419 players & women poker players, who were playing for a total of $1,016,075. El Monte’s Hieu “Tony” Ma surpassed 214 other players to claim a $384,025 paycheck in the 2006 Cal State Championship Main Event. Commerce Casino can also claim to be “The Home of Future Poker Millionaires,” as 2007 WSOP champion Jaime Gold, winner of $12 million, noted Commerce Casino as his home base, as well as Scott Lazar, of Studio City, who finished sixth in the 2005 World Series of Poker, walking away with $1.5 million.
WPT Champions who call Commerce home include Phil Laak, Tuan Le and Antonio Esfandiari. Other renowned players who have cashed-in at previous California State Poker Championships have included Chris Ferguson, Men ”The Master” Nguyen, Kathy Liebert, Chip Jett and David “The Dragon” Pham. Download poker wallpapers.
The 2007 edition of the Cal State Championship will feature: - A Turbo No Limit Hold’em 6-Handed event, scheduled for Wednesday Sept. 12 - an opportunity for players to practice their Final Table skills. All tables will feature only six players, not the usual ten. - The Ladies No Limit Hold’em tournament slated for Saturday, Sept. 15. The winner will receive a $1060 buy-in to the Ladies event at the LA Poker Classic. The victor in that event will win a $25,000 buy-in to the WPT World Championship to be held at Bellagio in April 2007. - A guaranteed $250,000 prize pool for the $330 buy-in No Limit event on Sunday, Sept. 16. - Two $540 buy-in Super Satellites on Friday, Sept. 21 - one at 11:30 a.m. and one at 6:30 p.m. Approximately 40 players will earn a seat at the California State Poker Championship No Limit Hold’em event beginning the next day. Online poker. - The $2,580-buy-in Grand Finale Main Event on Saturday, Sept. 22, giving one player the chance to claim the title of California State Champion. The Final Table will be played the next day, Sunday, Sept. 23, and is expected to offer a $300,000+ payday for the winner.
The events are open to anyone over the age of 21. Competitors do not need to live within the state of California. Estimated total prize pool for the full 20-days is expected to be $7 million. Please note that all starting times prior to Sept. 21 are 7 p.m., unless otherwise noted. Events with 100 or more entries will be played over two days. Day one will be played until the final table/tables. Play will resume at 9:00 p.m. the following day. Management reserves the right to alter or cancel promotion at any time. Play responsibly. Play route 66 poker.
“The California State Poker Championship is a great opportunity for a West Coast poker player to establish a name,” said Cheri Dokken, Commerce Casino Tournament Director. “Winning this event says you’ve arrived. The competition is strong and the rewards ample. With the high-quality poker at the California State Championship might even be incubating the next WSOP or WPT champion.” Stay tuned to our poker blog for latest updates.
Event number, start date, type of game and buy-ins (with fees and s/c) are as follows: 1 - 9/4 – No Limit Hold’em, 291+9+35=$335 2 - 9/5 - Limit Hold’em, 291+9+35=$335 3 - 9/6 – No Limit Hold’em, 291+9+35=$335 4 - 9/7 – No Limit Hold’em, 485+15+45=$545 5 - 9/8 - Limit Hold’em, 485+15+45=$545 6 - 9/9 – No Limit Hold’em ($250,000 Guaranteed), 291+9+35=$335 7 - 9/10 – No Limit Hold’em Shootout, 291+9+35=$335 8 - 9/11 – No Limit Hold’em, 485+15+45=$545 9 - 9/12 - Turbo No Limit Hold’em (6 Handed), 291+9+35=$335 10- 9/13 – No Limit Hold’em, 291+9+35=$335 11- 9/14 – No Limit Hold’em Shootout, 485+15+45=$545 12- 9/15 - Ladies No Limit Hold’em, 291+9+35=$335 13- 9/16 – No Limit Hold’em ($250,000 Guaranteed), 291+9+35=$335 14- 9/17 – No Limit Hold’em, 485+15+45=$545 15- 9/18 – No Limit Hold’em ($10,000 Added), 291+9+35=$335 16- 9/19 - Limit Hold’em, 485+15+45=$545 17- 9/20 – No Limit Hold’em Shootout, 485+15+45=$545 - 9/21 - Super Satellite Day (11:30am & 6:30pm), 194+6+20=$220 18- 9/22 – No Limit Hold’em Championship (2pm Start), 2425+75+90=$2,590 9/23 - Championship Final (2pm Start)
Bodog's online poker players, including Jose "head2782? Severino, have now won three heads-up matches in a row against the Bodog pros.
As we mentioned yesterday, the TLB heads-up matches got a little behind because of the 2007 World Series of Poker. However, after playing a couple on Monday and two last night, the matches are now almost caught up. Play route 66 poker.
Beginning with Jose "head2782? Severino's win over Josh Arieh on Monday, the Bodog online players have now won three heads-up matches in a row. Both Eddie "EddieOB" O'Brien and Smith "nevertilt22? Collins took down their respective matches against woman poker player Evelyn Ng, taking home $1,000 each.
If you want your chance to take on a Bodog poker pro face to face, head over to Bodog.com and start playing in any of the weekly tournaments including the Bodog Sunday $100k Guaranteed online poker tournament. Accumulate more points than anyone else during any given week and you could be going heads-up against a Bodog poker pro.
Queens N Kings Poker is the First and Only Poker Forum That's All About Finding Out Which One of the Genders is Really the Better Poker Player
Queens N Kings Poker, is the first and only poker forum that's all about finding out which one of the genders is really the better poker player. Queens N Kings females vs. the males, they will have various ways of finding out, with different games and at different poker sites.
There have been ladies only sections at several forums and there has even been a men’s only section, which have come about because of the ladies only ones. There have been ladies only forums. There have also been some poker forums that have had the occasional "Battle of the Sexes" games within their forum or against another forum. This is the first poker forum to have all of that in one place. The woman poker players get their own sections and games and the males get there own sections and games, plus get to play together and challenge each other.
Who will rule the castle?
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I'm sure that Jerry Wang is a really good person. He seems like he is a devoted family man, and based on his comments, a devout follower of the Bible. He doesn't live the degenerate lifestyle, and has said that he will devote 10% of his winnings to charity. So what's wrong with Jerry Wang winning the World Series of Poker?
For online poker rooms, a lot of things. Online poker rooms count on the televised World Series of Poker broadcasts to bring them an influx of new players. It will only help them if someone wins who is likable and with whom they can identify with. Jamie Gold was pretty much the worst champion ever for these reasons, but Jerry Yang isn't much better. Download poker wallpapers.
Online poker rooms target the young male demographic, as these are usually the people who sign up for a real money online poker account. A God-fearing older man with a large family is not someone who younger men really want to emulate. At least champions like Greg Raymer and Joe Hachem were likable; Jerry Yang made a number of comments at the final table that made himself inherently unlikable, much like Jamie Gold did the year before. Play route 66 poker.
The online poker rooms were privately hoping that Hevad "Rain" Khan would win the main event. He was the perfect person to win; he was funny, charismatic and young, plus he makes his career grinding it out on the online poker tables. If "Rainkhan" had won, the message would have been: you too can win $8 million dollars if you grind it out on our poker tables. I can guarantee you that the poker rooms cringed when Rainkhan was knocked out of the event. Play $500 match poker bonus.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I strongly feel that Jerry Yang will be another dud WSOP champion in terms of drawing new players & women poker players to the game. Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer and Joe Hachem were all great champions for different reasons; Jamie Gold and Jerry Yang are looking to be a couple of duds. Online poker rooms can only hope that next year brings about a more personable and charismatic champion that they can promote. Poker News Source: Poker King
Today at noon, the final nine players in the World Series of Poker's Main Event, which started with 6,358 players & women poker players, will sit down at the final table in hopes of taking home the $8.25 Million first prize and the coveted championship bracelet. One player, however, has a chance to win $18 Million.
Poker pro Lee Watkinson, who starts the final table in 6th place, will win an additional $10 Million if he wins the tournament, because he qualified for the main event on popular online poker site Full Tilt. According to Cardplayer.com, the money would be paid over 10 years in $1 million increments. Also, Watkinson would have to agree to a 10-year exclusive endorsement contract with Full Tilt Poker, which would include the use of his name, voice, and likeness, as well as other stipulations. Play route 66 poker.
Betting odds have Watkinson at 7/2 to win it all. Philip Hilm of Denmark, who begins the final table as the chip leader is listed as the favorite at 14/5. Download poker wallpapers.
Here are the seating assignment and chip counts for the final table:
* Seat 1: Raymond Rahme – $16,320,000 * Seat 2: Alex Kravchenko – $6,570,000 * Seat 3: Lee Childs – $13,240,000 * Seat 4: Jerry Yang – $8,450,000 * Seat 5: Lee Watkinson – $9,925,000 * Seat 6: Tuan Lam – $21,315,000 * Seat 7: Philip Hilm – $22,070,000 * Seat 8: Jon Kalmar – $20,320,000 * Seat 9: Hevad "RainKhan" Khan – $9,205,000
With the 2007 WSOP Main Event dwindling it's way down to a final two tables, the thing poker aficionados and long-term industry devotees have been fearing from the get go - a big-name-pro-free final table - is virtually at the doorstep.
Busting out in the last level: Reasonable hopefuls Daniel Alaei and Bill Edler.
Barely hanging on as they merge into two last tables: former World Champ Scotty Nguyen, Alex Kravchenko, Bob Slezak and Lee Watkinson, all in the bottom six of the chip count and the last of the remaining 18 with much of a publicized past on the professional poker circuit. Play online poker.
Left to reap the financial, sartorial and celebratorial rewards of the ESPN spotlight or the final table itself then: The likes of William Spadea, Lee Childs, Jerry Yang, Ray Henson, John Armbrust, Philip Hilm, Raymond Rahme, Hevad "The Rain" Khan and the Trans, Kenny and David. Play route 66 poker.
Khan and the Trans have perhaps the most esteemed poker cash history or cachet value of the current chipleaders, with Kenny's likely the most prominent, having taken 5th in this year's marquee $50K H.O.R.S.E. event. Women poker.
Khan is notorious for posting a video of himself multi-tabling 26 sit-and-gos online poker to prove he wasn't a poker bot.
Regardless of who is left, however, PokerListings.com will be there with first hand accounts of the tumultuous ups-and-downs, wild beats and wonton promotional opportunities only a spectacle such as the World Series of Poker can provide, right down to the final beatdown and the crowning of a new champion - whose name will certainly not be unfamiliar come Wednesday. Stay tuned to our poker blog for more updates. Poker News Source: Poker Listings
The World Series of Poker Academy is riding to the rescue of poker players looking to improve more than just their Texas Hold'em Skills. This fall the Academy will host a H.O.R.S.E. edition of its poker camp.
The camp will take place Nov. 2-4 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and feature instruction from woman poker pro Annie Duke, Howard Lederer, Greg Raymer, Andy Bloch, Mark Seif, Alex Outhred and more.
During the three-day camp, participants will receive in-dept tutorials on all the games used in H.O.R.S.E.: Texas hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo, Razz, Seven-Card Stud and Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo Eight-or-Better. Download poker wallpapers.
Former FBI agent Joe Navarro will also give a presentation on non-verbal behavior.
"Poker players of all skill levels who are serious about becoming more well-rounded players can now learn from the very best minds in the game at the WSOP Academy H.O.R.S.E. Edition," said Brandon Rosen of Post Oak Productions, which produces the academy. Play online poker.
"Our world-class instructors have won bracelets and titles in all disciplines and will help participants gain the confidence and skill they need to compete in a variety of poker games."
On each day of the academy, instructors will conduct in-depth seminars, live hand analysis and interactive workshops with participants. Play route 66 poker.
This is the first-ever camp focused specifically on H.O.R.S.E. and will offer a total-immersion poker experience to participants. They will get to hang out with some of the biggest names in poker and have a chance to win seats to the World Series of Poker.
After the second day of the academy, participants will be able to play in a private tournament. The top four finishers will each win a seat in the 2008 WSOP $2,500 H.O.R.S.E. event. Plus at the end of the third day, a H.O.R.S.E. poker tournament will take place with the winner getting entry into the $10,000 WSOP Main Event in 2008.
The H.O.R.S.E. camp costs $2,199 to participate and space is limited. For more information or to register, visit WSOPAcademy.com.
The London Telegraph reports that several hundred pupils of a former renowned FBI agent are among those competing for this year's grand World Series of Poker prize. Ironically, it was the FBI's actions over the past year that have played a major role in cutting the WSOP attendance nearly in half based on forecast trends that would have had over 10,000 participating in 2007.
The US Justice Department has aggressively gone after online gambling establishments, enforced laws, and helped to ensure that Harrah's (which runs the WSOP) would not allow participation of online poker sites that have arguably helped to make the World Series of Poker into such a massive event.
Joe Navarro worked as an FBI agent for 25 years. Over that period he learned some valuable skills to help determine if the "bad guys" were lying. Where did he learn these skills? From playing poker!
Mr Navarro has swapped the interrogation room for the poker den - using his skills to help players spot the almost imperceptible movements that give away whether their opponents have a strong hand or are bluffing. Download poker wallpapers.
Florida-based Mr Navarro, 54, who still lectures to CIA and FBI counter-terrorism and counter-espionage officers, first realised that he had a skill for poker when he filmed a documentary which pitted human body language experts against a lie detector machine.
He and leading woman poker player Annie Duke correctly spotted eight out of 10 liars - better than the machine. Now Mr Navarro and Miss Duke are star turns at poker training camps run by Phil Hellmuth, who won his record 10th World Series title earlier in the tournament. Hellmuth was involved in freak accident Sunday night
"Reading people is paramount to success," said Mr Navarro. "I treat them just like the special agents I train. I've spent the last 15 years working in the Behavioural Analysis Program, which is designed to study the behaviour of spies and terrorists, in much the same way as the criminal profilers study serial killers."
In one real-life case, when FBI agents arrested a spy, Mr Navarro was able to spot his two likely accomplices by showing the suspect 32 other names and observing his reaction. He told the Telegraph: "Eventually they confessed and we convicted all three of them." Play $500 match poker bonus.
The skills are the same for poker. "If you're going to play poker as a professional, your job is to collect intelligence on everybody else. Many of the same behaviour patterns that I see when people are lying take place when people are bluffing.
"I tell people to watch the feet, the hands, and the face, in that order. These are the most honest parts of the body. It may be something as simple as touching the neck, stroking the face or biting the lip."
Hundreds of his pupils are now competing for the multi-million dollar prize at this year's WSOP. And these individuals will likely be utilizing some of the same skills learned from apprehending criminals. Play route 66 poker.
So what are these Protégés being taught?
A raised eyebrow means a player likes his or her cards.
Wrinkling the nose is a sure sign the cards are bad.
Jiggling feet and hands are a sign of a strong hand.
Players who bite, lick or touch their lips have a poor hand.
Players who interlock their fingers are worried about their hand. Stay tuned to our poker blog for more updates.
Jeffrey Lisandro wasn't able to catch up with Tom Schneider in the race for the 2007 World Series of Poker Player of the Year award. Neither player cashed in Event 54, $5,000 No-Limit Draw Lowball w/ rebuys, which was won by Erik Seidel.
The Main Event doesn't count towards the 2007 WSOP POTY ranking, meaning that Event 54 was the last chance to earn points. Women poker.
Jeffrey Lisandro was trailing by 30 points before the poker tournament started, and when Tom Schneider was eliminated early in Day 2, the Italian only had to make it to the money to win the prestigious award.
But it wasn't to be. Jeffrey Lisandro was eliminated in 14th place by Andy Black, who made a J-7-6-4 low to beat Lisandro's J-7-6-5 low. Tom Schneider, the only player to win two bracelets so far at the 2007 WSOP, thus had become Player of the Year. Play online poker.
Event 54 was won by Erik Seidel. He defeated Chad Brown heads-up to claim his eighth golden bracelet and $538,835 in prize money. Play $500 match poker bonus.
Johnny Chan faces his toughest opponent in a new mobile poker game: himself.
The 10-time gold bracelet winner is one of several top players (plus women poker babe Shannon Elizabeth) to be included in the World Series of Poker Pro Challenge launched today.
Glu Mobile Inc., a mobile games publisher is kicking off the Main Event of the WSOP this week by announcing its new multi-year alliance with Harrah's poker. The partnership brings the infamous World Series brand to the table, not to mention some of the tournament's most famous entrants. Play route 66 poker.
By playing on their mobile phones, Glu customers can also meet with Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, Scotty Nguyen, woman poker player Annie Duke and Michael Mizrachi in heads-up play.
The game features graphics that Chan trumpets in a press release to be "more realistic than any I've seen on a mobile phone before." Online poker.
Indeed, the game is equipped with advanced graphics and interesting new features. Among them are a tell function to where computerized opponents give off hints of the strength of their hand; advanced AI that learns from the gamer's tendencies and adjusts itself accordingly; and a tilt meter that fills up a player's frustration bank to put them on tilt to reveal their tells and mess with their play. Stay tuned to our poker blog for more updates.
The World Series of Poker, operated by an affiliate of Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:HET), has added a fourth start day for the WSOP Main Event, which begins July 6, WSOP officials recently said. The Main Event - a $10,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'Em World Championship - traditionally draws the largest fields in poker. Last year, 8,773 players & women poker players competed for the $12 million top prize and coveted WSOP gold bracelet. Play route 66 poker.
Shares of MGM Mirage (NYSE:MGM) ticked higher recently as an analyst predicted a significant transaction, including a potential buyout, will push its stock higher near term. BMO Capital Markets analyst Jeffrey Logsdon sees the potential for one or more transactions, including a takeover, recapitalization or significant asset sales, now that Kirk Kerkorian's Tracinda Corp. has ditched talks to acquire two of the casino operator's Las Vegas properties. Play $500 match poker bonus.
The ten remaining players took their seats at the final table for the Championship event of the Borgata Poker Summer Open recently. If aggressive play dominated the poker tournament throughout the weekend, conservative play took over in the final table. The stakes were very high, and all ten players felt they had a chance to capture the Championship and over $500,000 in prize money. Borgata is a joint venture of Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE: BYD) and MGM MIRAGE (NYSE: MGM) Download poker wallpapers.
State boasts home to last two World Series of Poker champions
