Poker News: Jeff Sofka of Bendigo Co. today announced that the company has helped engineer the development of China’s first-ever Government Sanctioned National Poker Tour in partnership with WPT Enterprises, Inc. and negotiated unprecedented exclusive rights to the Tour for its client. Play online poker
The agreement secures an innovative and exclusive marketing partnership in which WPT will be the Tour’s Commercial Sanctioning Partner along with the CSSA Leisure Sport Administrative Center (CLSAC), the Government’s National Sanctioning Federation for Poker. In addition, the WPT will manage the traditional “Properties” role for the Tour’s commercial rights, and is the Tour’s Title Sponsor. Read poker blogs
“WPT is thrilled to have the opportunity to extend our brand into this exciting market,” said Steve Lipscomb, CEO of WPTE, speaking at the Press Conference announcing the Tour in Beijing today, “and Sofka’s innovative thinking, strong relationships and knowledge of the market here have made this day possible.” Play route 66 poker
The WPT China National Traktor Poker Tour will debut in late 2007, with competitions across China leading to the first National championship team for this exciting Chinese Poker Game. This is the first time such a Poker Tournament has been held in China, which is expected to grow the popularity of the most widely played Chinese game to new levels, borrowing from the WPT success story in the US. Play $500 match poker bonus
“Today is an exciting day for the CLSAC as we launch this new Tour with WPT,” said Mr. Xing Xiaoquan, Director of the CLSAC, “and we appreciate Mr. Sofka’s efforts in helping us take this idea from a dream into reality.” Play full tilt poker
Sofka teamed up with Business Development Heads Jon Kaplowitz and Laurence Kalinsky of WPTE, and Jimmy Shang of Bendigo’s Joint Venture Company in China, COG Marketing Group, to engineer the project. Play Strip poker
WPT China will be created to operate the venture in Beijing under management of COG Marketing Group, which specializes in sports marketing for the China market. Shang and Sofka will spearhead the project on behalf of COGMG and WPTE. Play poker tournaments T.J.Cloutier
Top poker magazine Bluff opened voting this week for the 2007 Bluff Magazine Annual Readers Choice Awards. Read poker blogs
Categories this year include: Most Entertaining Player to Watch, Favorite Pro Poker Player, Best Poker Broadcast, Best Live Tournament, Best All-Around Online and Live Poker Room, and Best WPT/WSOP Satellite. Play route 66 poker
"The first Bluff Magazine reader's choice awards were a tremendous success and gave the readers clout and a say in shaping the future of poker," says Bluff's co-president Eric Morris. Play $500 match poker bonus
"We've expanded the categories this year based on readers' input including 'Best Poker Blog' which will make this year's voting that much more compelling for the poker fan." Play full tilt poker T.J. Cloutier
Poker News: For poker players looking for a way to improve their game and perhaps get a taste of that poker pro lifestyle, there is now a weekend they can live the poker dream with world champion player Joseph Hachem. Play online poker
The 2005 World Series of Poker Main Event Winner is offering up "A Weekend with Joe Hachem" in Las Vegas in December that will include personal poker lessons, tournament play and even some nightclubbing. Read poker blogs
"I'm very excited to offer poker players an immersive weekend of poker where I can give individual attention to each player's game," Hachem said. Play route 66 poker
The exclusive weekend will take place Dec. 7-9 and is limited to only 18 players in order to ensure a personalized experience and one-on-one poker training. Play $500 match poker bonus
"The fact that the weekend is limited to 18 players will guarantee that I can work with each and every player and improve their game dramatically," Hachem said. Play full tilt poker
Hachem has the skills to back up his teaching as well. The 2005 WSOP win was just the beginning of his rocketing into stardom in the poker world.
Since then he's amassed several more large cashes around the world and came as close as a second-place finish to winning another WSOP bracelet. Play women poker T.J. Cloutier
Poker News: Every now and then we lose one of the truly "good" guys long before their time is due.
Chris Fontaine, of Chicopee, qualified as one of those guys. Fontaine, who was the owner of Fontaine Heat, was making the annual trek to bike week in Laconia, N.H., on June 9, 2006. A Harley-Davidson enthusiast, Fontaine was riding with his longtime buddy Dean Stoddard, of Easthampton, when, through happenstance, they met up with a group of riders from Connecticut going the same way. Play online poker
While traveling through Stoddard, N.H., one of the bikes went wide on a curve, forcing a sport-utility vehicle to lose control while trying to avoid the bike. A horrific crash ensued, with a total of seven motorcycles struck. Read poker blogs
Three of the bikers, including Fontaine, died almost instantly, and two others were badly injured. He was 39 and left two children, Alex and Shawn, his longtime girlfriend, Brenda Naginewicz, and many more friends and acquaintances. Play route 66 poker
I had the pleasure of meeting Chris and using him as a heating contractor in my home. It was his honesty and the quality of his work that had led me to him. He was highly thought of by all who dealt with him. Play $500 match poker bonus
On Aug. 12, the friends of Chris Fontaine will be celebrating his memory by having the second annual Chris Fontaine Poker Run. The run is out of Jester's Pub, 733 Chicopee St. in Chicopee. Registration is from 9 to 11 a.m. with a cost of $20 per rider and $10 per passenger. Walk-ups are welcomed for $10. Play full tilt poker T.J. Cloutier
Poker News: With the end of the WSO Poker tournament Main Event earlier this morning, there will be no more live poker tournaments in Vegas for a while. Yesterday we ordered the WSOP Main Event final table on Pay Per View. Play online poker
We propped just about everything imaginable as we didn't move from the couch for 16 hours. The final table was interesting, to say the least, to watch. I actually don't think this guy that won played as bad as everyone was flaming him for. I can't even remember his name. Read poker blogs
I lost a little bit on the props but had a running prop with Adam Geyer and long time friend JP "itsthemaster" Painter which made me turn the day into a winner, as my horses did better. Most annoying player at the FT award goes to the guy "Rain" Khan. It makes me cringe seeing the way some of these guys embarras (sp?) themselves in front of the world on TV. Play full tilt poker
Other than that, we've been lounging around like complete degenerates. I did have a monster Sunday in the online tournaments last Sunday. I probably play the sunday online poker tournaments once every two months, and this day I just absolutely murdered and cashed in something like 6 of 9 poker tournaments with two major final tables including a win, and a net of mid-five figures for myself. This helps in recovering about 25 percent of my overall poker losses in 2007, which is nice. Online MTTs are probably the only games on the internet that are beatable right now. Play route 66 poker T.J.Cloutier
Poker News: The 2007 World Series of Poker $10,000 Main Event No-Limit Texas Hold 'em final table kicked off today and as of this update the battle still wages and will continue to do so well into the night. It is 12:40 am Tuesday Night. Play online poker
Thus far, Phillip Hilm busted out early in 9th place followed by Lee Watkinson in 8th place and Lee Childs in 7th. As more top name poker professionals started flocking around the rail, more players in the Main Event joined them. Read poker blogs
Hevad 'Rain' Khan was the next to go as he finished in 6th place. Jon Kalmar busted in 5th place. Play route 66 poker
The player with the Jamie Goldish chip stack of this year's Main Event has been Jerry Yang. He had been catching some good cards and eliminated most of the other players and women poker players. Yang has been sliding down hill lately though and at this time (12:40 am) the other guys are catching up. It is still anyone's game! Play $500 match poker bonus T.J.Cloutier
Poker news: Sometime Tuesday evening, the 36 players and women poker players left standing in the 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event after Sunday’s action (today is a day off) will be whittled down to the nine who will make up the final table for the world’s most important poker tournament.
And a quick glance at the list of survivors from the almost 6,000 who started the Main Event 10 days ago has most observers asking what has become an annual question: “Who are these guys?” Play online poker
The worldwide Texas Hold’Em explosion has turned the World Series of Poker into a free-for-all among thousands of amateurs and hundreds of pros that, because of the sheer numbers, has left almost all of the game’s best-known players at the rail when the stretch run of the Main Event has begun each year since Robert Varkonyi came out of nowhere to claim the 2002 title. But this year might have been the amateurs’ finest hour so far. Read poker blogs
Of the 621 players who cashed in the Main Event (621st paid $20,000, or twice the entry fee), virtually all were unknowns. Only two past winners — Huck Seed (1996) and Scotty Nguyen (1998) finished in the top 100, with Seed, who beat Ada’s own Dr. Bruce VanHorn to claim his title 11 years ago, bowing out in 73rd place and Nguyen still alive in 28th place and easily the biggest name in the final 36. Two other past Main Event winners — Varkonyi (who finished 177th) and 1986 winner (and Bethany, OK resident) Berry Joh Play route 66 poker T.J.Cloutier
