Saturday, June 30, 2012

PTPRpokerLIVE: 25K ONE DROP QUALIFIER


25K ONE DROP QUALIFIER - LIVE UPDATES


1:28am PT:
It's all over! Gus Hansen will take the final seat for the One Drop, Shaun Deeb must settle for a cool, crisp one million dollar paycheck ... poor guy ... talk to you in the morning.


12:50am PT:
It's final four time as ElkY has just been eliminated in fifth position, but, he's playing tomorrow anyway!


12:41am PT:
The action has been fast-paced and we are now down to our final five players ... Deeb, Somerville, Hansen, ElkY and Failla ... the players are now on a short break discussing a deal


12:11am PT:
Players currently on a 10-minute break ... we are down to eight players as Alex Bolotin was eliminated by Gus Hansen and Sam Trickett was ousted by Will "The Thrill" Failla, who had quite the level, doubling up twice and then busting Trickett when both had virtually the same amount of chips.

On the final hand before the break, ElkY doubled through Igor Kurganov.

During the level, the players learned that Steve Meling (who's still alive) qualified on a $65 satellite in order to participate in this event. Turing $65 into 18M? Not a bad few days at the office.


10:58pm PT:
With EPT Grand Final Champion Mohsin Charania's elimination (and Justin Bonomo falling just before him), we are down to our final table of 10 players ... play has stopped, redraw to follow - here are the final 10, in no particular order ...

Hansen, Kurganov, Awad, Meling, ElkY, Bolotin, Trickett, Deeb, Will The Thrill and Somerville.


10:39pm PT:
BREAKING! Seth Palansky announces that Phil Hellmuth has won the Aria qualifier, will be playing One Drop after all!!


10:25pm PT:
Trip 8's are so very good: It took a while for Justin Bonomo to call Shaun Deeb's all-in bet with a rainbow board that included (2) eights ... Bonomo called, Deeb was holding A8 and now has a monster stack in front of him, Bonomo in trouble.


10:10pm PT:
Jason Mercier has been eliminated


9:40pm PT:
Break time


9:35pm PT:
They are falling like flies! Down to 3 x 7-player tables ... Timoshenko, Rast amongst the latest to bust.

Updated Table Notables:
364 - Trickett, Mortensen, Charania, Somerville, Hansen, Jacbson
365 - Turner, Bonomo, Frankenberger
366 - ElkY, Mercier, Failla, Deeb


9:15pm PT:
It will have costed Eugene Katchalov 1.025M to play the One Drop - he's out of the qualifier but registered for The Big One nonetheless.


9:05pm PT:
Was Sam Trickett Tricked? We're missing an ante, who's the culprit? The dealer believes that Sam Tricket did indeed put in his ante.

A confident Trickett starts talking to one of his friends on the rail. The floor speaks with the other players at the table and determines that Trickett is the one who did not put in his ante.

"You listen to them and not your dealer? That is the worst decision I have ever seen" said Trickett, but, at least he and the other players were able to laugh it off


8:59pm PT:
Steve O'Dwyer has been eliminated


8:45pm PT:
While I was away ... thanks to the QuadJacks family, great hosts, as always. Back to the qualifier ... only four tables remain, here are some notables ...

363 - Hennigan, Mercier, Trickett, Bonomo
364 - Mortensen, O'Dwyer, Katchalov, Frankenberger, ElkY, Jacobson
365 - Hansen, Shaun Deeb, Timoshenko
366 - Turner, Somerville, Rast, Failla


6:40pm PT:
Off to "Close the Action" with the QuadJacks boys ... catch me live at/around 7pm Pacific www.QUADJACKS.tv ... i'm be back here right after.


6:25pm PT:
Players on dinner break. Sarkis Osalian leads with Gus Hansen and Jason Somerville right behind him.


6:15pm PT:
New table draws ...

359 - Eric Cloutier, Seiver, Hansen, ElkY, Habib
360 - Soulier, Fleyshman
361 - Trickett
362 - Timoshenko, O'Dwyer
363 - Hennigan, Koon, JP Kelly, Bonomo, Blom
364 - Mortensen, Baxter, Katchalov, Frankenberger, Jensen (Glantz eliminated)
365 - Charania
366 - Mercier, Turner, Somerville, Rast, Failla


6:00pm PT:
Payouts! First gets a seat to One Drop, second gets on the alternate list (gets 1M if he doesn't get in) and third getes 400K ... fourth gets years of "what if"


5:40pm PT:
Current table of death? We have two candidates ...
363 - Koon, Bonomo, JP Kelly, Hennigan, Dolan (Toby Lewis just ousted)
364 - Mortensen, Baxter, Frankenberger, Seiver, Jensen, Glantz


5:00pm PT:
As cards are back in the air a few notables have officially entered ... Table 359 welcomes Gus Hansen - to ElkY's immediate right and table 363 welcomes Viktor Blom ... looks like Sam Stein has been ousted from the tournament.

They are breaking a table and some players are going to be moving around, we'll try and provide an update once the dust settles.


4:30pm PT:
Players are on a 20-minute break ... here are a few notables still alive at the tables ...

358 - Alaei, Katchalov, Timoshenko
359 - Benyamine, ElkY, Eric Cloutier
360 - Soulier, Failla, Fleyshman
361 - Trickett
362 - O'Dwyer
363 - Hennigan, Koon, JP Kelly, Bonomo
364 - Mortensen, Baxter, Turner, Jensen, Seiver, Glantz
365 - Mercier, Charania, Hastings, Lindgren
366 - Frankenberger, Terry, Stein, Somerville, Rast

Looks like Jason Somerville has the chip lead from the stacks. Roberto Romanello and Martin Jacobson seem to be in but I did not notice them, will try and find their table ... Shaun Deeb just tweeted that he is on his way from the Aria after a marathon session.


4:15pm PT:
It is insane to see the mass of people playing poker today ... the 2pm DeepStack sold out with tons of people still in line trying to resgister ... the cash games cash has a lineup, One Drop qualifier, Ladies Championship continues and more ... three rooms are full of poker players - it's wonderful to see!

3:45pm PT:
Sorry for the delay, was saying hi to a few friends playing in the 1,500 and also begging Eugene Katchalov to win the One Drop, he was my first pick in the WSOP Media Draft!

Table updates:
360 - Add Fabrice Soulier, Will Failla to that table
361 - Frank Kassela eliminated, add Sam Trickett to that table
362 - David Doc Sands eliminated
363 - Add JP Kelly to that table
364 - Add Carlos Mortensen to that table
366 - Add Todd Terry, Sam Stein to that table

2:45pm PT:
Just got to Rio, here's the first quick look at the tables in play...

Table 358 - David Alaei;
Table 359 David Benyamine, ElkY
Table 361 Frank Kassela
Table 362 Doc Sands, Steve O'Dwyer
Table 363 Jason Koon, Justin Bonomo
Table 364 Billy Baxter, Scott Seiver, Matt Glantz
Table 365 Jason Mercier, Brian Hastings, Erick Lindgren
Table 366 Andy Frankenberger, Brian Rast


Eric Danis
@PTPRpoker

2012 WSOP: DAY 34 RECAP - HOBSON EARNS THE BRACELET

PHOTO CREDIT: WORLD SERIES OF POKER

EVENT #49 |
1,500 ANTE-ONLY NLH |
939 ENTRIES | 1.26M PRIZEPOOL


Congratulations to Greg Hobson (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-59th) for capturing the title in the inaugural (and VERY succesful) Ante-Only event. Hobson earned over 250K for his efforts.

Harrison Gimbel (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-395th), Mike McDonald (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-159th), Seth Davies (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-373rd), Sameer Aljanedi (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-872nd) and Justin Schwartz (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-221st) all final tabled the event.

Grayson Ramage, Erick Lindgren, Daniel Buzgon, Bryan Pimlott and Byron Kaverman all earned Top 18 finishes.

This was the 5th PTPR Score of 2012 for Buzgon.



FINAL TABLE PAYOUTS (USD)
Greg Hobson $256,691
James Sowers $158,887
John Hayes $99,409
Harrison Gimbel $72,155 Eugene Du Plessis $53,267
Mike McDonald $39,931
Seth Davies $30,373
Sameer Aljanedi $23,413
Justin Schwartz $18,292

RELATED POSTS
> HSUING DEFEATS HWANG FOR THE WIN
> BEGINNER'S LUCK
> GRINDHOUSE, PART 2
> WEISSMAN WINS
> TO PALUMBO GOES THE BRACELET
> HENRY LU WINS A BRACELET!
> KOVALCHUK WINS AGAIN
> HEARTBREAK FOR GLAZIER
> EAST COAST REPRESENT!
> DAVID BAKERS RULE!
> GOOD GUY TRYBA WINS BIG
> SHAKE AND BAKES!
> NO ONE CAN GET CARTER!
> SHULMAN SHOWS THE BOYS
> CASSIDY-NGUYEN GO TO EXTRAS
> HELLMUTH LEGEND GROWS, EARNS #12
> MAKE IT TWO FOR MONNETTE
> CAZALS, MAD MARVIN MOVE UP
> BLOCH WINS BRACELET


PTPR PREMIER EVENT
2012 World Series of Poker
Event #49 : 1,500 Ante-Only NLH
June 27-29, 2012

Rio All-Suite Hotel | Las Vegas
Buy-in: $1,500 | Prizepool: $1,267,650
Entries: 939

PTPR POINTS DISTRIBUTION
GREG HOBSON 134
JAMES SOWERS 84
JOHN HAYES 54
HARRISON GIMBEL 44
EUGENE DU PLESSIS 39
MIKE MCDONALD 34
SETH DAVIES 34
SAMEER ALJANEDI 19
JUSTIN SCHWARTZ 19
GRAYSON RAMAGE 19
ERICK LINDGREN 19
DANIEL BUZGON 17
RAYMOND MATTAEI 17
GARTH ARNASON 17
GUANG LU 17
BRYAN PIMLOTT 14
BYRON KAVERMAN 14
LORENZO SABATO 14


Friday, June 29, 2012

2012 WSOP: DAY 33 RECAP - HSUING DEFEATS HWANG FOR BRACELET


EVENT #48 |
3K LIMIT HOLD'EM |
247 ENTRIES | 674K PRIZEPOOL


Kenny Hsuing (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-395th) defeated Robert Hwang (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-188th) heads-up to win the bracelet in the 3K Limit Hold'em event.

Paul Berende (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-395th), Dwyte Pilgrim (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-256th), Matthew Woodward (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-250th) and Stephen Hung (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 139th) all made final table play.

Jonathan Cohen, Cary Marshall, Chad Brown, Joseph Kuether and Jonthan Duhamel all finished in the Top 18.

ONE UP FOR DUHAMEL
Former WSOP World Champion Jonathan Duhamel has gained a little ground in the Player of the Year Standings.

Duhamel, who held the #1 rank for most of the season, moved up one spot to fourth overall, tying John Monnette in points, but, having the edge on total scores on the season.



FINAL TABLE PAYOUTS (USD)
Kenny Hsiung $165,205
Robert Hwang $102,118
John Virtue $76,244
Paul Berende $57,310
Dwyte Pilgrim $43,345
Matthew Woodward $32,994
Mitchell Davis $25,266
John Myung $19,474
Stephen Hung $15,098

RELATED POSTS
> BEGINNER'S LUCK
> GRINDHOUSE, PART 2
> WEISSMAN WINS
> TO PALUMBO GOES THE BRACELET
> HENRY LU WINS A BRACELET!
> KOVALCHUK WINS AGAIN
> HEARTBREAK FOR GLAZIER
> EAST COAST REPRESENT!
> DAVID BAKERS RULE!
> GOOD GUY TRYBA WINS BIG
> SHAKE AND BAKES!
> NO ONE CAN GET CARTER!
> SHULMAN SHOWS THE BOYS
> CASSIDY-NGUYEN GO TO EXTRAS
> HELLMUTH LEGEND GROWS, EARNS #12
> MAKE IT TWO FOR MONNETTE
> CAZALS, MAD MARVIN MOVE UP
> BLOCH WINS BRACELET


PTPR PREMIER EVENT
2012 World Series of Poker
Event #48 : 3K Limit Hold'em
June 26-28, 2012

Rio All-Suite Hotel | Las Vegas
Buy-in: $3,000 | Prizepool: $674,310
Entries: 247

PTPR POINTS DISTRIBUTION
KENNY HSUING 127
ROBERT HWANG 77
JOHN VIRTUE 47
PAUL BERENDE 37
DWYTE PILGRIM 32
MATTHEW WOODWARD 27
MITCHELL DAVIS 27
JOHN MUYNG 12
STEPHEN HUNG 12
JASON MANGER 12
JONATHAN COHEN 12
DAVID LONGOOD 10
CARY MARSHALL 10
CHAD BROWN 10
BAOTHONG NGUYEN 10
JOSEPH KUETHER 7
JONATHAN DUHAMEL 7
BRANDON YOUNG 7


2012 WSOP: DAY 33 RECAP - BEGINNER'S LUCK, LOUBE GOES ONE FOR ONE

PHOTO CREDIT: WORLD SERIES OF POKER


EVENT #47 |
1,500 PLO HI-LOW SPLIT-8 OR BETTER |
978 ENTRIES | 1.32M PRIZEPOOL


First time playing a WSOP tournament and win it - seems pretty easy, doesn't it?

That exactly what Steven Loube (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-58th) has done, entering his first-ever WSOP tournament at Event #47, 1,500 PLO Hi-Low Split-8 or Better, Loube could not have asked for anything better, winning the tournament and collecting over 267K for his efforts, not bad for a first-timer!




Timothy Finne (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 52nd) was second in the event while poker dealer Roch Cousineau (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-301st) - who deals cards at Casino du Lac-Leamy in Gatineau, Quebec, the site of last month's One Drop Qualifier that PTPRpoker covered live - finished third.

Cameron Mckinley (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-384th), Vojtech Ruzicka (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-284th) and Dario Alioto (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-1086th) all finished in the Top 18.



FINAL TABLE PAYOUTS (USD)
Steven Loube $267,345
Timothy Finne $165,486
Roch Cousineau $103,538
Cameron Mckinley $75,151
Charalampos Lappas $55,479
Sonu Sharma $41,589
Paul Taylor $31,634
Kyle Carlston $24,386

RELATED POSTS
> GRINDHOUSE, PART 2
> WEISSMAN WINS
> TO PALUMBO GOES THE BRACELET
> HENRY LU WINS A BRACELET!
> KOVALCHUK WINS AGAIN
> HEARTBREAK FOR GLAZIER
> EAST COAST REPRESENT!
> DAVID BAKERS RULE!
> GOOD GUY TRYBA WINS BIG
> SHAKE AND BAKES!
> NO ONE CAN GET CARTER!
> SHULMAN SHOWS THE BOYS
> CASSIDY-NGUYEN GO TO EXTRAS
> HELLMUTH LEGEND GROWS, EARNS #12
> MAKE IT TWO FOR MONNETTE
> CAZALS, MAD MARVIN MOVE UP
> BLOCH WINS BRACELET


PTPR PREMIER EVENT
2012 World Series of Poker
Event #47 : 1,500 PLO Hi-Low Split-8 or +
June 26-28, 2012

Rio All-Suite Hotel | Las Vegas
Buy-in: $1,500 | Prizepool: $1,320,300
Entries: 978

PTPR POINTS DISTRIBUTION
STEVEN LOUBE 134
TIMOTHY FINNE 84
ROCH COUSINEAU 54
CAMERON MCKINLEY 44
CHARALAMPOS LAPPAS 39
SONU SHARMA 34
PAUL TAYLOR 34
KYLE CLARSTON 19
PAUL EWEN 19
VIATCHESLAV ORTYNSKIY 19
JONATHAN HART 19
TONY KENDALL 17
MIKHAIL SEMIN 17
NOOMIS JONES 17
VOJTECH RUZICKA 17
STEPHEN HESSE 14
DARIO ALIOTO 14
LAWRENCE BERG 14


Thursday, June 28, 2012

PTPRpoker EXCLUSIVE: ONE-ON-ONE WITH CARLOS NAHAS FOLLOWING ONE-DROP SEAT TRANSFER

PHOTO: LOTO-QUEBEC

After first breaking the news on PTPRpoker.com two weeks ago, Loto-Quebec issued a press release earlier today confirming the news that Haralabos Voulgaris would replace Carlos Nahas as their "horse" for the 1M Big One for One Drop - which starts this Sunday at the Rio, as part of the World Series of Poker ... I will be on hand to cover the event!

In anticipation of the news being made official by the good people over at Loto-Quebec, Carlos Nahas spoke exclusively to PTPRpoker.com to discuss many things including why he and Keith Hamilton thought it would be best to sell the seat for the One Drop.


Eric Danis, PTPRpoker.com (ED)- Carlos, thank you so much for taking time to answer these questions.


ED- Many people do not know that you actually played this tournament on behalf of someone else (Mr. Keith Hamilton), can you please give a small recap on how you got to play in Le Grand Tournoi de Poker Loto-Quebec?


Carlos Nahas (CN)- Loto-Quebec did a great job of promoting this tournament and ensuring a great turnout, including several satellite tournaments. Keith played a slot machine and won an entry into the $4000 satellite. He was allowed to assign that entry to another person, and by pure serendipity, that person turned out to be myself. Before this, Keith was a friend of a friend of a friend, and I didn't even know the friend of a friend existed, so it wasn't obvious by any means. Also, I was the fourth person asked to play the $4k satellite by my friend, because none of the first three accepted. So, I did run good there.

I won the $4k satellite, which gave Keith an entry into the $25k tournament. Keith then assigned the $25k seat to me, because I lied to him and convinced him I was a good player.


ED- What made you decide not to play the One Drop and make the seat available? Was it assumed that the seat was yours no matter should you have wanted to play the One Drop or was that even discussed prior to you winning the qualifier in Gatineau?

CN- Yes, Keith and I discussed all potential scenarios, including what would happen if I won. We agreed that he would assign the One Drop seat to me if I won, thereby leaving the ball in my court. The opportunity was certainly one of a lifetime. As my friend Chad Hobbins texted me when I told him about the sale, "What?!?! Nobody remembers the guy that sold the seat!" However, I do have a mortgage, and I do have a lot of aspirations beyond poker, and maybe I'm a nit, but I'm quite comfortable with my decision as it allows me to leap forward in life a little bit. I just wouldn't be able to sleep for a while if I went for it and bubbled the One Drop. I'm not sure what Keith's financial situation is like, but this is definitely life-changing for him as well.


ED- I assume that Haralabos Voulgaris wasn’t the only person that inquired about purchasing the One Drop seat. Why did you settle on Bob? Does the fact that he’s a proven player and a Canadian come into play?

CN- As soon as I won, I messaged two friends: Marc Karam, and Mark Silver because Marc has had that kind of experience and exposure, and Mark is well connected in the poker community and has pretty good perspective, and I knew that he will make this happen with his never-say-die attitude. Keith, Mark and I decided to put out a memo indicating our intentions to sell the seat.

We had interest from about 5-6 parties, most of them well-known names. I will keep their names confidential, but I can tell you that although Bob's offer was very fair and competitive, we left something on the table by going with him. The fact that he is Canadian and was the sole decision-maker (i.e.; he didn't have to consult with investors) definitely factored in. We also thought he would be a great fit with the Loto-Quebec angle. We are very happy with this decision, because in hindsight, there was very little room for error in making this deal. Mark was instrumental in this deal. Also, Bob's original offer included some equity in the winnings, mostly as a courtesy, but we settled on a deal where we do not have any piece of the action.


ED- You played some amazing poker during Le Grand Tournoi, at what point in the tournament did you feel like you had a great shot at winning?

CN- After winning the satellite, I believed I had a good shot. then, I saw the lineup of pros, and I told myself that all I want is to keep an above average stack throughout the tournament and make low-risk moves and stay out of clashes with the big boys. It was more difficult than I thought, because there were almost only pros to clash with. It was mostly about survival, and I just wanted to make day 2. I had my tournament life on the line twice, both times in day 1, and both times I was a dominant favourite: The first time, I turned the nut flush vs. the third nut flush, and I doubled up.

Second, I tripled up with AA vs. QQ vs. QQ AIPF - I had to sweat an all-spade flop without a spade in my hand) Ultimately, it was quite the ride, but I certainly wasn't thinking about winning, but rather, I was focused on playing good poker.


ED- You had a lot of pressure from many of the name pros at Le Grand Tournoi to make a deal right then and there when you were heads-up ... how close were you to settle on a deal before deciding to return to the table and play?

CN- J.C. Ferreira is a great player with a great track record, and I wasn't given much credit for having the ability to win the heads up battle against him. JC had traded a lot of pieces of himself with the other name pros, and I think they convinced themselves that JC's edge was so great, that I think they may have collectively gotten a little greedy with the offers. From my perspective, we were never close.

When JC and I were alone at the table, we were able to make the sensible deal that saw second place earn the $17k that would've been awarded to first place, in addition to the seat.


ED- Any regrets not taking part in the One Drop? Certainly looks like it’s going to be the biggest tournament in poker history.

CN- You mean that biggest tournament in poker history in terms of buy-in and first place payout? The tournament which, if I won, would put me among the all-time poker tournament winnings leaders? The tournament with the highest payout for any single poker or sports event? No. None at all.

But seriously, I see it as, if I had a million dollars, would I put it towards this entry? The answer is no, so I'm quite happy with the way things turned out. Also, the reality is that a lot of the pros will be trading with each other and will be looking to feast on the businessmen. I'm not part of that group of pros, so I would likely end up -EV. It's no different than what I had to endure at the $25k tournament, but I'm not so sure I would be able to succeed in it a second time.


ED- A lot of people assumed you could not transfer the One Drop seat – I read the rules that I had received from Loto-Quebec and it’s clear that someone could play for another person in the qualifier (what you did in place of Mr. Hamilton), but, the rules do not talk about the One Drop seat itself – at least, not in the rules that I have – safe to assume that Loto-Quebec were involved in these discussions at one point?

CN- Yes, Loto-Quebec were involved, and in fact initially encouraged me to play in the event. I think it would've made for a great sequel to this story if I did play. Ultimately, they were very cooperative in more ways than I can mention here to allow Keith and myself to make the responsible choice and allowing us to sell the seat. I owe them a thank you for their class and cooperation in this.


ED- How has your life changed since winning Le Grand Tournoi? Any thoughts of trying poker as a full-time job?

CN- Well, I have played a bit of poker in the past and I know I am a winning player. I love the game, especially live, but I can't see myself turning to the grind for a full-time job without that lucrative endorsement deal (ahem - anybody out there?)

The reality is that I have a great job and career, and for every successful poker story you hear, there are dozens of unsuccessful ones that show the ugly side of the game. Also, I'm pretty sure I'm running way above EV, so it's only downhill from here, right?


ED- What happens next to Carlos Nahas?

I'm hoping some producer will see me and decide that I would be a perfect fit to play Will Ferrell in his bio movie. Otherwise, this is the end of my 15 minutes of fame, right?

From a poker perspective, it's still undecided. I'm really itching to play the WSOP Main Event, but I'm not convinced I have the bankroll to do it. In my life, I've been very good at managing my money, and it would be uncharacteristic of me to put down $10k to play the main event. Some people may feel like i just scored a load of free money, but I don't see it that way. It's still my money and I need to manage it properly. I am taking several weeks of vacation this summer, and i will decide how much of my winnings will go to a poker bankroll, if any.


THE ORIGINAL STORY RE: VOULGARIS OBTAINING SEAT CAN BE FOUND HERE:
PTPRpoker EXCLUSIVE! VOULGARIS TO BUY NAHAS/HAMILTON SEAT


2012 WSOP: DAY 33 RECAP - GRINDHOUSE, PART 2, MIZRACHI MAKES HISTORY


PHOTO CREDIT: WSOP (2010)


EVENT #45 |
50K POKER PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP (8-GAME) |
108 ENTRIES | 5.18M PRIZEPOOL






I usually do the daily recaps on the day after events have been run ... but, this one was too good to pass up!!


Two years after making his triumphant comeback to the world of poker by winning the 2010 WSOP Poker Players Championship, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 3rd) has made history tonight at the Rio, becoming the first poker player to win the Poker Players Championship twice.

And Grinder won his third bracelet in style, absolutely running over all that stood in his way the final table, which only took 5 hours to conclude ... literally, Grinder could simply NOT lose a hand late.

Mizrachi picks up a cool, crisp 1.45M for his efforts, defeating Chris Klodnicki (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-147th) heads-up.

Third place finisher Andy Bloch (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 18th) - who finally won his first WSOP bracelet earlier this Series - had finished second in the Players Championship back in 2006, losing to Chip Reese in a marathon heads-up session.


MOVING UP IN THE STANDINGS
With this win, Grinder sky-rockets up to third overall on the 2012 QuadJacks Poker Player of the Year Leaderboard.

Mizrachi has finished the 2010 season ranked 11th overall.


With his Top 16 finish David "ODB" Baker also enters the QJ Top 10 - sitting in ninth position.

Bloch moves up to 18th position following his third place performance.


Mizrachi's 2010 WSOP Poker Players Championship:
GRINDHOUSE, MIZRACHI WINS PLAYERS (June 2, 2010)



FINAL TABLE PAYOUTS (USD)
Michael Mizrachi $1,451,527
Chris Klodnicki $896,935
Andy Bloch $561,738
Lukas Schwartz $406,736
Roland Israelashvili $317,882
Stephen Chidwick $253,497
Bill Chen $205,856
Bruno Fitoussi $169,879

RELATED POSTS
> WEISSMAN WINS
> TO PALUMBO GOES THE BRACELET
> HENRY LU WINS A BRACELET!
> KOVALCHUK WINS AGAIN
> HEARTBREAK FOR GLAZIER
> EAST COAST REPRESENT!
> JACHTMANN PLO CHAMPION
> DUNG NGUYEN WINS BRACELET
> DAVID BAKERS RULE!
> MCCORKELL PULLS THE UPSET
> GOOD GUY TRYBA WINS BIG
> SHAKE AND BAKES!
> NO ONE CAN GET CARTER!
> SHULMAN SHOWS THE BOYS
> CASSIDY-NGUYEN GO TO EXTRAS
> HELLMUTH LEGEND GROWS, EARNS #12
> MAKE IT TWO FOR MONNETTE
> CAZALS, MAD MARVIN MOVE UP
> BLOCH WINS BRACELET


PTPR PREMIER EVENT
2012 World Series of Poker
Event #45 : 50K Players Championship
June 24-28, 2012

Rio All-Suite Hotel | Las Vegas
Buy-in: $50,000 | Prizepool: $5,184,000
Entries: 108

PTPR POINTS DISTRIBUTION
MICHAEL MIZRACHI 126
CHRIS KLODNICKI 76
ANDY BLOCH 46
LUKE SCHWARTZ 36
ROLAND ISRAELASHVILI 31
STEPHEN CHIDWICK 26
BRUNO FITOUSSI 26
BILL CHEN 11
DAVID OPPENHEIM 11
DAVID BAKER "ODB" 11
DANIEL ALAEI 11
JOHN HENNIGAN 9
JEFF LISANDRO 9
VIKTOR BLOM 9
MIKE WATTEL 9
BRETT RICHEY 6


2012 WSOP: DAY 32 RECAP - WEISSMAN WINS NLH BRACELET


EVENT #46 |
2,500 NO-LIMIT HOLD'EM |
1,607 ENTRIES | 3.65M PRIZEPOOL


Joey Weissman (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-48th) is the latest NLH winner at the 2012 World Series of Poker.

Weissman collects his first WSOP bracelet.

William Reynolds (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-722nd) was the unfortunate final table bubble boy. Reynolds, picked by many to win the event, was ousted in 10th position.

Fernando Brito (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-257th), Philip Meulyzer (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-306th), Joe Gualtieri (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-394th) and former bracelet winner Konstantin Puchkov (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 220th) all final tabled the event.

All placing in the Top 18: Stephen Reynolds, Mark Schmid, Frank Rusnak and Robert Castoire.



FINAL TABLE PAYOUTS (USD)
Joey Weissman $694,609
Jeremy Quehen $429,535
Fernando Brito $282,676
Philip Meulyzer $203,781
Bradley Lipsey $149,162
Joe Gualtieri $110,775
Michael Gagliano $83,428
Joshua Pedraza $63,686
Konstantin Puchkov $49,245

RELATED POSTS
> TO PALUMBO GOES THE BRACELET
> HENRY LU WINS A BRACELET!
> KOVALCHUK WINS AGAIN
> HEARTBREAK FOR GLAZIER
> EAST COAST REPRESENT!
> JACHTMANN PLO CHAMPION
> DUNG NGUYEN WINS BRACELET
> DAVID BAKERS RULE!
> MCCORKELL PULLS THE UPSET
> GOOD GUY TRYBA WINS BIG
> SHAKE AND BAKES!
> NO ONE CAN GET CARTER!
> SHULMAN SHOWS THE BOYS
> CASSIDY-NGUYEN GO TO EXTRAS
> HELLMUTH LEGEND GROWS, EARNS #12
> MAKE IT TWO FOR MONNETTE
> CAZALS, MAD MARVIN MOVE UP
> BLOCH WINS BRACELET


PTPR PREMIER EVENT
2012 World Series of Poker
Event #46 : 2,500 No-Limit Hold'Em
June 25-27, 2012

Rio All-Suite Hotel | Las Vegas
Buy-in: $2,500 | Prizepool: $3,655,925
Entries: 1,607

PTPR POINTS DISTRIBUTION
JOEY WEISSMAN 141
JEREMY QUEHEN 91
FERNANDO BRITO 61
PHILIP MEULYZER 51
BRADLEY LIPSEY 46
JOE GUALTIERI 41
MICHAEL GAGLIANO 41
JOSHUA PEDRAZA 26
KONSTANTIN PUCHKOV 26
WILLIAM REYNOLDS 26
STEPHEN REYNOLDS 26
MARK SCHMID 24
JOSHUA HILLOCK 24
JIMMY FRADETTE-DUFOUR 24
FRANK RUSNAK 24
ROBERT CASTOIRE 21
DANIEL CHAMBERLAIN 21
LARRY DUPLANTIS 21


Wednesday, June 27, 2012

2012 WSOP: DAY 31 RECAP - TO PALUMBO GOES THE BRACELET


EVENT #44 |
1K NO-LIMIT HOLD'EM |
2,949 ENTRIES | 2.65M PRIZEPOOL


Rocco Palumbo (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 28th) defeated Nelson Robinson (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-128th) to win his first bracelet in the latest 1K NLH tournament at the WSOP.

Thomas Conway (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-230th) was third in the event while Patrick Karschamroon (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-270th) was eighth.



Francisco Azares, Paul Sokoloff and Keven Stammen all finishes in the Top 18.




FINAL TABLE PAYOUTS (USD)
Rocco Palumbo $464,464
Nelson Robinson $288,448
Thomas Conway $203,437
Niel Mittelman $146,931
Jason Everett $107,411
Kevin Elia $79,464
Anke Berner $59,478
Patrick Karschamroon $45,040
David Forster $34,503

RELATED POSTS
> HENRY LU WINS A BRACELET!
> KOVALCHUK WINS AGAIN
> HEARTBREAK FOR GLAZIER
> EAST COAST REPRESENT!
> JACHTMANN PLO CHAMPION
> DUNG NGUYEN WINS BRACELET
> DAVID BAKERS RULE!
> MCCORKELL PULLS THE UPSET
> GOOD GUY TRYBA WINS BIG
> SHAKE AND BAKES!
> NO ONE CAN GET CARTER!
> SHULMAN SHOWS THE BOYS
> CASSIDY-NGUYEN GO TO EXTRAS
> HELLMUTH LEGEND GROWS, EARNS #12
> MAKE IT TWO FOR MONNETTE
> CAZALS, MAD MARVIN MOVE UP
> BLOCH WINS BRACELET


PTPR PREMIER EVENT
2012 World Series of Poker
Event #44 : 1K No-Limit Hold'Em
June 23-25, 2012

Rio All-Suite Hotel | Las Vegas
Buy-in: $1,000 | Prizepool: $2,654,100
Entries: 2,949

PTPR POINTS DISTRIBUTION
ROCCO PALUMBO 145
NELSON ROBINSON 95
THOMAS CONWAY 65
NIEL MITTELMAN 55
JASON EVERETT 50
KEVIN ELIA 45
ANKE BERNER 45
PATRICK KARSCHAMROON 30
DAVID FORSTER 30
DARREN RABINOWITZ 30
FRANCISCO AZARES 30
TRAVELL THOMAS 28
JASPAL BRAR 28
PAUL SOKOLOFF 28
MARIO DELIS 28
KEVEN STAMMEN 25
MILTIADIS KYRIAKIDES 25
JEREMY HALASKA 25



Tuesday, June 26, 2012

2012 WSOP: DAY 30 RECAP - HENRY LU WINS BRACELET


EVENT #43 |
1,500 NO-LIMIT HOLD'EM |
2,770 ENTRIES | 3.73M PRIZEPOOL


Make it a first bracelet for Henry Lu (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-36th), winning the 1K NLH Event #30 defeating veteran UK pro Neil Channing (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-127th) heads-up.

James Mackey (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 156th) and Balazs Botond (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-142th) both earned a final table berth while Zach Clark (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-598th) and Randy Lew (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-555th) both earned Top 18 finishes.



FINAL TABLE PAYOUTS (USD)
Henry Lu $654,380
Neil Channing $406,409
James Mackey $286,633
Tom Alner $207,019
John Nelson $151,338
Hovan Nguyen $111,961
Balazs Botond $83,802
Francois Dur $63,459
Jared Rosenbaum $48,614

RELATED POSTS
> KOVALCHUK WINS AGAIN
> HEARTBREAK FOR GLAZIER
> EAST COAST REPRESENT!
> JACHTMANN PLO CHAMPION
> DUNG NGUYEN WINS BRACELET
> DAVID BAKERS RULE!
> MCCORKELL PULLS THE UPSET
> GOOD GUY TRYBA WINS BIG
> KIHARA WINS JAPAN'S FIRST
> STEINBERG WINS THE 1K!
> SHAKE AND BAKES!
> NO ONE CAN GET CARTER!
> SHULMAN SHOWS THE BOYS
> CASSIDY-NGUYEN GO TO EXTRAS
> HELLMUTH LEGEND GROWS, EARNS #12
> MAKE IT TWO FOR MONNETTE
> CAZALS, MAD MARVIN MOVE UP
> BLOCH WINS BRACELET


PTPR PREMIER EVENT
2012 World Series of Poker
Event #43 : 1,500 No-Limit Hold'Em
June 23-25, 2012

Rio All-Suite Hotel | Las Vegas
Buy-in: $1,500 | Prizepool: $3,739,500
Entries: 2,770

PTPR POINTS DISTRIBUTION
HENRY LU 145
NEIL CHANNING 95
JAMES MACKEY 65
TOM ALNER 55
JOHN NELSON 50
HOVAN NGUYEN 45
BALAZS BOTOND 45
FRANCOIS DUR 30
JARED ROSENBAUM 30
ZACH CLARK 30
JESSE YAGINUMA 30
RANDY LEW 28
MICHAEL JUDGE 28
MARK KETTERRINGHAM 28
CARY MARSHALL 28
MICKAEL MORGOUSKY 25
DANIEL ZEIHAN 25
CARL DIVEGLIA III 25


Monday, June 25, 2012

2012 WSOP: DAY 29 RECAP - KOVALCHUK CONTINUES AMAZING RUN


EVENT #42 |
2,500 OMAHA / SEVEN-STUD HI-LOW 8-OR BETTER |
393 ENTRIES | 894K PRIZEPOOL


Five, count 'em, five tournament victories in the past 16 months ... including two WSOP bracelets ... most elite players would kill for five significant scores in that time-frame, let alone five victories.

Who is this person that holds this resume? Ivey? Nope. Mercier? Try again. Gotta be ElkY, right? Wrong. It's Ukrainian poker pro Oleksii Kovalchuk.


Kovalchuk (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 13th) was named PTPRpoker Rookie of the Year for 2011 when he collected three tournament victories including his first bracelet. Kovalchuk is continuing the trend in 2012, after a win earlier this year, Kovalchuk had added a second bracelet to the mantle.

Kovalchuk defeated George Danzer (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-168th) heads-up in the Omaha/Seven-Card Stud Hi-Low 8-or Better bracelet event.

ESPN poker analyst Norman Chad (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-632nd) was the chip leader for a long time during final day play. Unfortunately for Chad, a sixth place finish is the best he could do.

Mark Gregorich (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-312nd), Daniel Ratigan (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 283rd) and Yuval Bronshtein (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-360th) also final tabled the event.



FINAL TABLE PAYOUTS (USD)
Oleksii Kovalchuk $228,014
George Danzer $140,825
Mark Gregorich $90,829
Daniel Ratigan $65,812
Yuval Bronshtein $48,387
Norman Chad $36,093
Wing Wong $27,313
Tim Burt $20,966

RELATED POSTS
> HEARTBREAK FOR GLAZIER
> EAST COAST REPRESENT!
> JACHTMANN PLO CHAMPION
> DUNG NGUYEN WINS BRACELET
> DAVID BAKERS RULE!
> MCCORKELL PULLS THE UPSET
> GOOD GUY TRYBA WINS BIG
> KIHARA WINS JAPAN'S FIRST
> STEINBERG WINS THE 1K!
> SHAKE AND BAKES!
> NO ONE CAN GET CARTER!
> SHULMAN SHOWS THE BOYS
> CASSIDY-NGUYEN GO TO EXTRAS
> HELLMUTH LEGEND GROWS, EARNS #12
> MAKE IT TWO FOR MONNETTE
> CAZALS, MAD MARVIN MOVE UP
> BLOCH WINS BRACELET


PTPR PREMIER EVENT
2012 World Series of Poker
Event #42 : 2,500 Omaha/7-Stud Hi-Low 8-or Better
June 22-24, 2012

Rio All-Suite Hotel | Las Vegas
Buy-in: $2,500 | Prizepool: $894,075
Entries: 393

PTPR POINTS DISTRIBUTION
OLEKSII KOVALCHUK 128
GEORGE DANZER 78
MARK GREGORICH 48
DANIEL RATIGAN 38
YUVAL BRONSHTEIN 33
NORMAN CHAD 28
WING WONG 28
TIM BURT 13
BRANDON GUSS 13
JEFF LISANDRO 13
PERRY FRIEDMAN 13
BRYAN DEVONSHIRE 11
TOM SCHNEIDER 11
TIMOTHY FRAZIN 11
MIKE KRESCANKO 11
DALE PHILLIPS 8
JOSEPH WEINBERGER 8
DANIEL HARMETZ 8


2012 WSOP: DAY 29 RECAP - TOTAL HEARTBREAK FOR GLAZIER


EVENT #41 |
3,000 NO-LIMIT HOLD'EM |
1,394 ENTRIES | 3.8M PRIZEPOOL


It wasn't the way that Jackie Glazier (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 83rd) had planned this.

Coming into extra day play in order to defend a 3:1 chip lead over heads-up opponent Greg Ostrander (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 48th) with her eyes set on her first career WSOP braclet - and become the first woman win a open event at the WSOP since 2008 - everything seemed to be going Glazier's way.

But - as they say - "that's why you play the game".

All it takes is a few double ups, and that's what Ostrander ended up doing, eventually taking the chip lead and never looking back from then.

For Glazier - the defending Melbourne Championships Champion - it's opportunity missed but, for Ostrander, it's celebration and jubilation on the heels of his first even WSOP bracelet win.

Paul Vas Nunes (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 263rd), Morten Mortensen (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-312th), Darryl Ronconi (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-420th), Kyle Frey (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-766th) and Dylan Hortin (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-166th) all final tabled the event.

JP Kelly (and his raucous rail), Mario Puccini, Fabrice Soulier, Jason Koon, Elio Fox and Scott Montgomery all earned Top 18 finishes.

The aforementioned Koon (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 43rd) enters the QuadJacks Poker Player of the Year - powered by PTPRpoker - Top 50 for 2012.



FINAL TABLE PAYOUTS (USD)
Greg Ostrander $742,072
Jackie Glazier $458,996
Paul Vas Nunes $290,407
Morten Mortensen $210,793
Roger Fontes $155,498
Darryl Ronconi $116,452
Joseph Chaplin $88,481
Kyle Frey $68,121
Dylan Hortin $53,126

RELATED POSTS
> EAST COAST REPRESENT!
> JACHTMANN PLO CHAMPION
> DUNG NGUYEN WINS BRACELET
> DAVID BAKERS RULE!
> MCCORKELL PULLS THE UPSET
> GOOD GUY TRYBA WINS BIG
> KIHARA WINS JAPAN'S FIRST
> STEINBERG WINS THE 1K!
> SHAKE AND BAKES!
> NO ONE CAN GET CARTER!
> SHULMAN SHOWS THE BOYS
> CASSIDY-NGUYEN GO TO EXTRAS
> HELLMUTH LEGEND GROWS, EARNS #12
> MAKE IT TWO FOR MONNETTE
> CAZALS, MAD MARVIN MOVE UP
> BLOCH WINS BRACELET


PTPR PREMIER EVENT
2012 World Series of Poker
Event #41 : 3K No-Limit Hold'Em
June 22-25, 2012

Rio All-Suite Hotel | Las Vegas
Buy-in: $3,000 | Prizepool: $3,805,620
Entries: 1,394

PTPR POINTS DISTRIBUTION
GREG OSTRANDER 138
JACKIE GLAZIER 88
PAUL VAS NUNES 58
MORTEN MORTENSEN 48
ROGER FONTES 43
DARRYL RONCONI 38
JOSEPH CHAPLIN 38
KYLE FREY 23
DYLAN HORTIN 23
JP KELLY 23
MARIO PUCCINI 23
KEVIN SCHAFFEL 21
FABRICE SOULIER 21
JASON KOON 21
HIREN PATEL 21
ELIO FOX 18
SCOTT MONTGOMERY 18
WILLIAM GIVENS 18


Sunday, June 24, 2012

MARJI WINS BORGATA SUMMER POKER OPEN


PHOTO: theBORGATA.com

While the WSOP is in full swing, the Borgata in Atlantic City hosted its latest poker series, the Borgata Summer Poker Open - the series reached its climax this week with the Main Event.

Congratulations to Melad Marji, winner of the Summer Open Main Event, defeating Michael Marder heads-up.

It was a first QJ/PTPR score of the season for all members of the Top 5.



FINAL TABLE PAYOUTS (USD)
1 - Melad Marji $198,078
2 - Michael Marder $110,044
3 - Yat Cheng $68,227
4 - Anthony Maio $55,022
5 - Vitaly Kovyazin $42,550
6 - Michael Melkersen $35,948
7 - John Aglialoro $28,978
8 - Dennis Summers $21,642
9 - Matt McElwee $14,673
10 - Robert Melo $9,537

RELATED POSTS
> LIU WINS BORGATA SPRING


PTPR CHALLENGER EVENT
Borgata Summer Poker Open
NLH Main Event
June 17-21, 2012

Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa | Atlantic City
Buy-in: $2,700 | Prizepool: $762,500
Entries: 305

PTPR POINTS DISTRIBUTION
MELAD MARJI 35
MICHAEL MARDER 18
YAT CHENG 10
ANTHONY MAIO 8
VITALY KOVYAZIN 5


SO FAR AT THE VENETIAN DEEPSTACK...


PHOTO: POKERNEWS.com

The WSOP isn't the only big poker series running this summer in Las Vegas, the Venetian Deepstack Extravaganza has gone through its first 29 tournaments and seven of them have qualified for QJ/PTPR Points.



EVENT #7 | 1,100 NLH | 298 PLAYERS | 291K PRIZEPOOL
Eric Blair (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-443rd) won the first event that qualified for Player of the Year points.

1 Eric Blair $ 70,018 (35 PTPR Points), 2 Brandon Setzer $ 43,178 (18), 3 Zaed Shamoon $ 29,174 (10), 4 Eric Piderit $ 20,714 (8), 5 Thomas McLaughlin $ 16,046 (5)

***

EVENT #11 | 2,500 NLH | 209 PLAYERS | 475K PRIZEPOOL
Mikhai Glushankov won the first of the 2,500 events, surviving the charge from a few name pros: Ryan Welch (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-403rd), Brian Hawkins (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-1151st), Toby Lewis (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 151th) and Daniel Buzgon (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-195th).

1 Mikhai Glushankov $ 114,118 (35 PTPR Points), 2 Ryan Welch $ 70,370 (18), 3 Brian Hawkins $ 47,548 (10), 4 Toby Lewis $ 33,759 (8), 5 Daniel Buzgon $ 26,151 (5)

***

EVENT #19 | 1,600 NLH BOUNTY | 190 PLAYERS | 275K PRIZEPOOL
Ryan Austin won Event #19, collecting just under 75K USD with the victory.

Scott Lipshutz (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-805th), Imari Love (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-1151st), Tamas Lendvai (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-1318th) and H. Michael Borovetz (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-368th) all scored points in the event.

1 Ryan Austin $ 74,282 (35 PTPR Points), 2 Scott Lipshutz $ 46,220 (18), 3 Imari Love $ 28,062 (10), 4 Tamas Lendvai $ 20,634 (8), 5 H. Michael Borovetz $ 15,407 (5)

***

EVENT #21 | 2,200 NLH | 195 PLAYERS | 292K PRIZEPOOL
Veteran poker pro Pierre Neuville (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 60th) - who finished second to Mickey Petersen and EPT Copenhagen - won Event #21 while Scott Baumstein (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 60th) was third and Ahmed Debabeche (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 60th) was fifth.

1 Pierre Neuville $ 79,080 (35 PTPR Points), 2 Sean Roberts $ 49,206 (18), 3 Scott Baumstein $ 29,875 (10), 4 Samantha Cohen $ 21,967 (8), 5 Ahmed Debabeche $ 16,402 (5)

***

EVENT #22 | 1,100 NLH | 329 PLAYERS | 322K PRIZEPOOL
Matthew Shedsky won Event #22, winning over 77K for the win.

Former WSOP November Niner Joseph Cheong (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 91st) was second in the event.

1 Matthew Shedsky $ 77,294 (35 PTPR Points), 2 Joseph Cheong $ 46,896 (18), 3 Jordan Cristos $ 31,404 (10), 4 Paul Lieu $ 21,902 (8), 5 Francisco Azares $ 16,427 (5)

***

EVENT #27 | 1,600 NLH | 266 PLAYERS | 385K PRIZEPOOL
Rick Bui won event #27 while Cesar Garcia (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 245th) and Kenny Hallaert (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 930th) each earned Top 3 finishes.

1 Rick Bui $ 92,436 (35 PTPR Points), 2 Cesar Garcia $ (18), 3 Kenny Hallaert $ 38,517 (10), 4 Anthony Valiente $ 27,347 (8), 5 Rachel Kranz $ 21,184 (5)

***

EVENT #29 | 2,500 NLH | 138 PLAYERS | 313K PRIZEPOOL
Bjorn Li (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-208th) won Event #29, defeating the likes of Taylor Paur (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-309th), Michael Telker (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-251th) and Yorane Kerignard (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-300th) in the final five.



TOP 10 PAYOUTS (USD)
1. Bjorn Li $94,184
2. Taylor Paur $56,511
3. Michael Telker $37,674
4. James Bomar $27,785
5. Yorane Kerignard $20,878
6. Raymond Muzyka $17,267
7. Alexander Meidinger $14,128
8. Garrett Garvin $10,988
9. Sang Yu $8,634
10. Seth Davies $7,064

RELATED POSTS
FERRERA WINS THE DSE!


PTPR PREMIER EVENT
Venetian Deepstack Extravaganza
Event #29 : 2,500 No-Limit Hold'Em
June 21-23, 2012

The Palazzo | Las Vegas
Buy-in: $2,500 | Prizepool: $313,950
Entries: 138

PTPR POINTS DISTRIBUTION
BJORN LI 35
TAYLOR PAUR 18
MICHAEL TELKER 10
JAMES BOMAR 8
YORANE KERIGNARD 5


2012 WSOP: DAY 28 RECAP - EAST COAST REJOICES AS BARDAH WINS


EVENT #40 |
2,500 LIMIT HOLD'EM SIX-HANDED |
302 ENTRIES | 687K PRIZEPOOL


Ronnie Bardah (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 60th) is a popular player on the US East Coast poker scene - and now, Bardah is a WSOP bracelet winner!

Bardah defeated Marco Johnson (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 135th) heads-up. Johnson is recognized as a member of poker's elite according to his peers, Daniel Negreanu recently tweeting about Johnson being "a kid you probably don't know but it a great all-around player".

Sorel Mizzi (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 297th) and Brent Wheeler (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-208th) both made final table appearances while Terrence Chan, Rep Porter, Chad Brown, Joep van den Bijgaart, Mario Ho and Harrison Wilder all earned Top 18 finishes.



FINAL TABLE PAYOUTS (USD)
Ronnie Bardah $182,088
Marco Johnson $112,525
Vincent Gironda $73,040
Brent Wheeler $48,828
Sorel Mizzi $33,541
Hans Minocha $23,648

RELATED POSTS
> JACHTMANN PLO CHAMPION
> DUNG NGUYEN WINS BRACELET
> DAVID BAKERS RULE!
> MCCORKELL PULLS THE UPSET
> GOOD GUY TRYBA WINS BIG
> KIHARA WINS JAPAN'S FIRST
> STEINBERG WINS THE 1K!
> SHAKE AND BAKES!
> NO ONE CAN GET CARTER!
> SHULMAN SHOWS THE BOYS
> CASSIDY-NGUYEN GO TO EXTRAS
> CHARETTE DOES ONE BETTER
> HELLMUTH LEGEND GROWS, EARNS #12
> MATROS MAKES IT 3 IN 3
> HASTINGS WINS ON DAY 12
> VAN DER FLUIT WINS FIRST
> MAKE IT TWO FOR MONNETTE
> CAZALS, MAD MARVIN MOVE UP
> BLOCH WINS BRACELET


PTPR PREMIER EVENT
2012 World Series of Poker
Event #40 : 2,500 Limit Hold'Em Six-Handed
June 21-23, 2012

Rio All-Suite Hotel | Las Vegas
Buy-in: $2,500 | Prizepool: $687,050
Entries: 302

PTPR POINTS DISTRIBUTION
RONNIE BARDAH 128
MARCO JOHNSON 78
VINCENT GIRONDA 48
BRENT WHEELER 38
SOREL MIZZI 33
HANS MINOCHA 28
TERRENCE CHAN 28
REP PORTER 13
CHAD BROWN 13
JOEP VAN DEN BIJGAART 13
MARIA HO 13
JACOB PETERSEN 11
YOSUKE SEKIYA 11
HARRISON WILDER 11
MICHAEL SENTER 11
CHRISTOPHER ROTH 8
RICHARD ASLUP 8
MICHAEL PARIZON 8


2012 WSOP: DAY 28 RECAP - JACHTMANN WINS PLO CHAMPIONSHIP


PHOTO CREDIT: WORLD SERIES OF POKER

EVENT #39 |
10K POT-LIMIT OMAHA |
293 ENTRIES | 2.75M PRIZEPOOL


Andrew Brown (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 131st) seemed in control early but it's Jan-Peter Jachtmann (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-68th) who ended up the winner in the 10K PLO Championship, winning the first bracelet of his career.

Brown ends up in second place while Andy Seth (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 552nd), Nikolai Yakovenko (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 221st) and Jason Mercier (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-297th) all made it to final table play.



Ville Wahlbeck, Sammy Farha, Adam Kornuth, John Kabbaj, Joshua Tieman, Konstantin Bucherl and Allen Cunningham all finished in the Top 18.



FINAL TABLE PAYOUTS (USD)
Jan-Peter Jachtmann $661,000
Andrew Brown $408,393
Steven Silverman $299,960
Micah Smith $222,044
Andy Seth $165,665
Benjamin Sage $124,600
Nikolai Yakovenko $94,442
Jason Mercier $72,132

RELATED POSTS
> DUNG NGUYEN WINS BRACELET
> DAVID BAKERS RULE!
> MCCORKELL PULLS THE UPSET
> GOOD GUY TRYBA WINS BIG
> KIHARA WINS JAPAN'S FIRST
> STEINBERG WINS THE 1K!
> SHAKE AND BAKES!
> NO ONE CAN GET CARTER!
> SHULMAN SHOWS THE BOYS
> CASSIDY-NGUYEN GO TO EXTRAS
> CHARETTE DOES ONE BETTER
> HELLMUTH LEGEND GROWS, EARNS #12
> MATROS MAKES IT 3 IN 3
> HASTINGS WINS ON DAY 12
> VAN DER FLUIT WINS FIRST
> MAKE IT TWO FOR MONNETTE
> CAZALS, MAD MARVIN MOVE UP
> BLOCH WINS BRACELET


PTPR PREMIER EVENT
2012 World Series of Poker
Event #39 : 10K Pot-Limit Omaha
June 21-23, 2012

Rio All-Suite Hotel | Las Vegas
Buy-in: $10,000 | Prizepool: $2,754,200
Entries: 293

PTPR POINTS DISTRIBUTION
JAN-PETER JACHTMANN 127
ANDREW BROWN 77
STEVEN SILVERMAN 47
MICAH SMITH 37
ANDY SETH 32
BENJAMIN SAGE 27
NIKOLAI YAKOVENKO 27
JASON MERCIER 12
JOE KUSHNER 12
VILLE WAHLBECK 12
SAMMY FARHA 12
ADAM KORNUTH 10
JOHN KABBAJ 10
JOSHUA TIEMAN 10
KEITH CHARLES LEHR 10
KONSTANTIN BUCHERL 7
ALLEN CUNNIGHAM 7
TIMOTHY FLANDERS 7


Saturday, June 23, 2012

2012 WSOP: DAY 27 RECAP - DUNG NGUYEN WINS FIRST BRACELET


EVENT #38 |
1,500 NO-LIMIT HOLD'EM |
2,534 ENTRIES | 3.42M PRIZEPOOL


Dung Nguyen (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 13th) bulldozed the competition at the final table of the 1,500 NLH Event #38. Although he took longer than most would have expected to capture the bracelet, he did, finally disposing of Theo Tran (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 13th) heads-up.

Former bracelet winners Blair Hinkle (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 13th) and David "The Dragon" Pham (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 13th) each earned Top 5 finishes while Kristijonas Andrulis (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 13th), Zachary Korik (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 13th) and Tyler Patterson (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 13th) also made it to the final table.

Scott Clements, Matthew Pierce, Miguel Proulx, Mihails Morozovs, Blake Cahail and H. Borovetz all earned Top 18 finishes.



FINAL TABLE PAYOUTS (USD)
Dung Nguyen $607,200
Theo Tran $377,565
Bahman Jahanguiri $267,241
Blair Hinkle $192,734
David Pham $140,736
Kristijonas Andrulis $103,995
Zachary Korik $77,791
Jeffrey Manza $58,874
Tyler Patterson $45,087

RELATED POSTS
> DAVID BAKERS RULE!
> MCCORKELL PULLS THE UPSET
> GOOD GUY TRYBA WINS BIG
> KIHARA WINS JAPAN'S FIRST
> STEINBERG WINS THE 1K!
> SHAKE AND BAKES!
> NO ONE CAN GET CARTER!
> SHULMAN SHOWS THE BOYS
> CASSIDY-NGUYEN GO TO EXTRAS
> CHARETTE DOES ONE BETTER
> HELLMUTH LEGEND GROWS, EARNS #12
> MATROS MAKES IT 3 IN 3
> HASTINGS WINS ON DAY 12
> VAN DER FLUIT WINS FIRST
> MAKE IT TWO FOR MONNETTE
> CAZALS, MAD MARVIN MOVE UP
> BLOCH WINS BRACELET


PTPR PREMIER EVENT
2012 World Series of Poker
Event #38 : 2,500 No-Limit Hold'Em
June 20-22, 2012

Rio All-Suite Hotel | Las Vegas
Buy-in: $2,500 | Prizepool: $3,420,900
Entries: 2,534

PTPR POINTS DISTRIBUTION
DUNG NGUYEN 145
THEO TRAN 95
BAHMAN JAHANGUIRI 65
BLAIR HINKLE 55
DAVID PHAM "DRAGON" 50
KRISTIJONAS ANDRULIS 45
ZACHARY KORIK 45
JEFFREY MANZA 30
TYLER PATTERSON 30
SCOTT CLEMENTS 30
MATTHEW PIERCE 30
RICKY CRANDELL 28
MIGUEL PROULX 28
MARCUS GURLEY 28
MIHAILS MOROZOVS 28
BLAKE CAHAIL 25
H BOROVETZ 25
JESSE WILKE 25


Friday, June 22, 2012

2012 WSOP: DAY 26 RECAP - DAVID BAKER RULES! FIRST BAKES, NOW ODB


EVENT #37 |
2,500 EIGHT-GAME MIX |
477 ENTRIES | 1.08M PRIZEPOOL


Only a few days after David Baker won a bracelet, David Baker won a bracelet!

After David "Bakes" Baker won his second bracelet, it's time for David "ODB" Baker (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 13th) to win the career bracelet #1!

It took years for Baker to get here - his first live tournament cash came way back in 1993 at the Circus Circus Open in Reno! - but it most certainly was worth the wait for the original Baker.

Baker's good friend, two-time WSOP bracelet winner Greg "FBT" Mueller (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 75th), was the runner-up in the event. Mueller entered this extra day play with the chip lead but a few key hands hurt Mueller, he was unable to recover.

Kevin Calenzo (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 281st), Joseph Couden (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 190th), Donnacha O'Dea (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-512th), Konstantin Puchkov (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-335th), Christopher McHugh (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-584th) and Chris Viox (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-657th) were the other players at the final table.

Stephen Su, Rep Porter, Matt Hawrilenko, Michael Chow, Scott Seiver, Jennifer Harman and Calvin Anderson all earned Top 18 finishes.



FINAL TABLE PAYOUTS (USD)
David Baker $271,312
Greg Mueller $167,637
Kevin Calenzo $106,564
Joseph Couden $76,841
Donnacha O'Dea $56,277
Konstantin Puchkov $41,844
Christopher McHugh $31,578
Chris Viox $24,188

RELATED POSTS
> MCCORKELL PULLS THE UPSET
> GOOD GUY TRYBA WINS BIG
> KIHARA WINS JAPAN'S FIRST
> STEINBERG WINS THE 1K!
> SHAKE AND BAKES!
> NO ONE CAN GET CARTER!
> THE WRIGHT TOUCH!
> SHULMAN SHOWS THE BOYS
> CASSIDY-NGUYEN GO TO EXTRAS
> CHARETTE DOES ONE BETTER
> THE LEGEND GROWS, HELLMUTH'S 12TH
> LET HIM BE FRANK
> MATROS MAKES IT 3 IN 3
> HASTINGS WINS ON DAY 12
> VAN DER FLUIT WINS FIRST
> MAKE IT TWO FOR MONNETTE
> CAZALS, MAD MARVIN MOVE UP
> BLOCH WINS BRACELET


PTPR PREMIER EVENT
2012 World Series of Poker
Event #37 : 2,500 Eight-Game Mix
June 19-22, 2012

Rio All-Suite Hotel | Las Vegas
Buy-in: $2,500 | Prizepool: $1,085,175
Entries: 477

PTPR POINTS DISTRIBUTION
DAVID BAKER "ODB" 129
GREG MUELLER 79
KEVIN CALENZO 49
JOSEPH COUDEN 39
DONNACHA O'DEA 34
KONSTANTIN PUCHKOV 29
CHRISTOPHER MCHUGH 29
CHRIS VIOX 14
MIKAL BLOMLIE 14
STEPHEN SU 14
REP PORTER 14
JOHANNES HOLSTEGE 12
MATT HAWRILENKO 12
MICHAEL CHOW 12
SCOTT SEIVER 12
JENNIFER HARMAN 9
CALVIN ANDERSON 9
MATTHEW RASCO 9


2012 WSOP: DAY 26 RECAP - MCCORKELL PULLS THE UPSET ON ESFANDIARI


PHOTO CREDIT: WORLD SERIES OF POKER

EVENT #36 |
3K NO-LIMIT HOLD'EM SHOOTOUT |
587 ENTRIES | 1.6M PRIZEPOOL


This was Antonio Esfandiari's tournament to lose ... and, unfortunately, he did. Esfandiari (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 190th) had 75% of the chips at one point during three-handed play but a few double-ups from his two opponents sent The Magician packing much earlier than most had anticipated.

Give Craig McCorkell (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 43rd) his due. He hung in there and pounced at the right moment - and now, it's a first WSOP bracelet for the UK native.



2011 bracelet winner Athanasios Polychronopoulos (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-413th) was near the top of the leaderboard for most of this tournament, he finished fifth.

Alessandro Longobardi (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 82nd), Mickey Petersen (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 23rd) and Justin Bonomo (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 31st) all made moves up the QuadJacks Player of the Year Leaderboard.

Jonathan Lane, Roberto Romanello, Thiago Nishijima, Joe Tehan, Justin Conley, Nicolas Levi, James Akenhead, Robert Georato and Mikhail Glushankov were other notables in the Top 18.



FINAL TABLE PAYOUTS (USD)
Craig McCorkell $368,593
Jeremiah Fitzpatrick $228,261
Antonio Esfandiari $151,613
Jonathan Lane $112,512
Athanasios Polychronopoulos $84,436
Alessandro Longobardi $63,988
Roberto Romanello $48,924
Thiago Nishijima $37,707
Joe Tehan $29,277

RELATED POSTS
> GOOD GUY TRYBA WINS BIG
> KIHARA WINS JAPAN'S FIRST
> STEINBERG WINS THE 1K!
> SHAKE AND BAKES!
> NO ONE CAN GET CARTER!
> THE WRIGHT TOUCH!
> SHULMAN SHOWS THE BOYS
> CASSIDY-NGUYEN GO TO EXTRAS
> CHARETTE DOES ONE BETTER
> THE LEGEND GROWS, HELLMUTH'S 12TH
> LET HIM BE FRANK
> MATROS MAKES IT 3 IN 3
> HASTINGS WINS ON DAY 12
> VAN DER FLUIT WINS FIRST
> MAKE IT TWO FOR MONNETTE
> CAZALS, MAD MARVIN MOVE UP
> BLOCH WINS BRACELET


PTPR PREMIER EVENT
2012 World Series of Poker
Event #36 : 3K NLH Shootout
June 19-21, 2012

Rio All-Suite Hotel | Las Vegas
Buy-in: $3,000 | Prizepool: $1,602,510
Entries: 587

PTPR POINTS DISTRIBUTION
CRAIG MCCORKELL 130
JEREMIAH FITZPATRICK 80
ANTONIO ESFANDIARI 50
JONATHAN LANE 40
ATHANASIOS POLYCHRONOPOULOS 35
ALESSANDRO LONGOBARDI 30
ROBERTO ROMANELLO 30
THIAGO NISHIJIMA 15
JOE TEHAN 15
SARDOR GAZIEV 15
MICKEY PETERSEN 15
JUSTIN CONLEY 13
NICOLAS LEVI 13
JAMES AKENHEAD 13
ROBERT GEORATO 13
MIKHAIL GLUSHANKOV 10
MATTHEW SCHWARMANN 10
JUSTIN BONOMO 10


Thursday, June 21, 2012

2012 WSOP: DAY 25 RECAP - SCORE ONE FOR THE GOOD GUYS! TRYBA WINS 1ST BRACELET


PHOTO CREDIT: WORLD SERIES OF POKER

EVENT #35 | 2,500 MIXED
HOLD'EM (LIMIT, NO-LIMIT) |
393 ENTRIES | 894K PRIZEPOOL


Christopher Tryba (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 25th) is one of the good guys of poker, so it's no surprise that so many people were happy to find Tryba accepting his first WSOP bracelet on Wednesday.

Tryba won the Mixed Hold'Em event in fine fashion, spiking a straight-flush on the river on the very first hand of heads-up play against fellow poker pro Erik Cajelais (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 26th).

It was an impressive fifth final table already this summer for Phil Ivey (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 5th) ... not much more can be said about Ivey except "please, please, please, tell us you'll take one of the few remaining spots for One Drop?"

After collecting his first bracelet earlier this summer, Michael Gathy (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 11th) was fifth in this event.

Salman Behbehami, Joep van den Bijgaart, Samuel Golbuff, Brent Wheeler, Jeremy Ausmus, James Dempsey, Andre Akkari, Shannon Shorr and Mike Scarborough were other notables in the Final 18.



FINAL TABLE PAYOUTS (USD)
1 Chris Tryba $210,107
2 Erik Cajelais $129,766
3 Salman Behbehani $93,842
4 Joep van den Bijgaart $68,576
5 Michael Gathy $50,640
6 Samuel Golbuff $37,793
7 Brent Wheeler $28,494
8 Phil Ivey $21,699
9 Michael Foti $16,692

RELATED POSTS
> KIHARA WINS JAPAN'S FIRST
> STEINBERG WINS THE 1K!
> SHAKE AND BAKES!
> NO ONE CAN GET CARTER!
> THE WRIGHT TOUCH!
> SHULMAN SHOWS THE BOYS
> ADAMS MAKES IT 3 FOR CANADA
> CASSIDY-NGUYEN GO TO EXTRAS
> CHARETTE DOES ONE BETTER
> THE LEGEND GROWS, HELLMUTH'S 12TH
> LET HIM BE FRANK
> MATROS MAKES IT 3 IN 3
> FRIEDMAN DENIES BRUNSON
> HASTINGS WINS ON DAY 12
> VAN DER FLUIT WINS FIRST
> MAKE IT TWO FOR MONNETTE
> CAZALS, MAD MARVIN MOVE UP
> BLOCH WINS BRACELET


PTPR PREMIER EVENT
2012 World Series of Poker
Event #35 : 2,500 Mixed Hold'Em (Limit, No-Limit)
June 18-20, 2012

Rio All-Suite Hotel | Las Vegas
Buy-in: $2,500 | Prizepool: $894,075
Entries: 393

PTPR POINTS DISTRIBUTION
CHRIS TRYBA 128
ERIK CAJELAIS 78
SALMAN BEHBEHANI 48
JOEP VAN DEN BIJGAART 38
MICHAEL GATHY 33
SAMUEL GOLBUFF 28
BRENT WHEELER 28
PHIL IVEY 13
MICHAEL FOTI 13
JEREMY AUSMUS 13
JAMES DEMPSEY 13
ANTON KUNIKEYEV 11
SIMON LAM 11
JOHN MACDONALD 11
ANDRE AKKARI 11
SHANNON SHORR 8
MICHAEL SCARBOROUGH 8
ROBERT FERDINAND 8