2010 Harrah’s Tunica WSOP Circuit – Event #18 Final Results

February 9th, 2010

2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Harrah’s Tunica
Event #18
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $1000(+80)
Total Entries: 202
Total Prize Pool: $195,940
February 5-February 6, 2010

Final Results:

Finish Name City State Country Prize

1 Barry Schultz Cordova TN USA $51,534

2 Matthew Lawrence Tulsa OK USA $31,644

3 Ray Martin Bargersville IN USA $22,396

4 Damjan Radanov Memphis TN USA $15,989

5 Jeremy Drewery Arlington TN USA $12,795

6 Christopher Sullivan Conway AR USA $9,601

7 Gary Lucht Cissna Park IL USA $6,407

8 Marcus Barnes Huntsville AL USA $5,192

9 Kenneth Blanton Caddo Mills TX USA $4,409

10 Gary Laduca Woodstock GA USA $3,860

11 Fredrick Smith Loganville GA USA $3,860

12 David Wininger Birmingham AL USA $3,860

13 Johnathan Elliott Hixson TN USA $3,174

14 John Miraglia Clarksville TN USA $3,174

15 William Kelly Concord OH USA $3,174

16 Scott Hall Memphis TN USA $2,645

17 Rickie Merritt Arlington TX USA $2,645

18 William Hinson Byhalia MS USA $2,645

19 Wesley Snow Virginia IL USA $2,312

20 James Price Oklahoma City OK USA $2,312

21 Vincent Byrd Dayton TN USA $2,312

2010 Harrah's Tunica WSOP Circuit Event #18 Winner Barry Schultz

Statistics Instructor Barry Schultz Wins Tunica Circuit Event #18

TUNICA, MS – Barry Schultz is the winner of event #18 of the World Series of Poker Circuit Events at Harrah’s Tunica. Schultz teaches statistics at a college in his hometown of Cordova, TN. He has been playing poker for 21 years and has six prior Circuit Event cashes and two WPT final table appearances.

This was his first final table on the WSOP Circuit.

The $1,080 buy-in event attracted 202 entrants and generated a prize pool of $195,940.

While the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints were preparing to take the field on this Superbowl Sunday, the remaining nine players of Event #18 began final table play with Schultz sitting on more than a 2-1 chip lead over his nearest opponent.

Name Hometown Seat Chip Count

Ray Martin Bargersville, IN 1 145,000

Kenneth Blanton Caddo Mills, TX 2 127,000

Chris Sullivan Conway, AR 3 85,000

Matt Laurence Tulsa, OK 4 283,000

Gary Lucht Cissna Park, IL 5 87,000

Damian Radanov Memphis, TN 6 131,000

Jeremy Drewery Arlington, TN 7 217,000

Marcus Barnes Huntsville, AL 8 240,000

Barry Schultz Cordova, TN 9 614,000

Ninth Place
Blinds and antes were at 5,000/10,000/2,000. There were a number of short stacks at the final table, each biding their time, looking to double up or the least climb a spot or two up the prize ladder. Kenneth Blanton made the jump when he moved his remaining 53,000 all-in pre-flop with 9h-7d from the button. Chris Sullivan called from the small blind with 10d-10h. A nine on the board did not improve Blanton’s hand, making him the first elimination of the afternoon. Blanton earned $4,409.

Eighth Place
Marcus Barnes saw his marginal stack reduced to 69,000, which he moved all-in before the flop with Ah-Kh. Damian Radanov called with most of his chips and showed As-10s. The flop came Ah-3s-8c, giving both players top pair. But with the lower kicker, Radanov was looking to pair his ten, or catch a running straight or flush. A Js and Qs on the turn and river came through for Radnov and Barnes was eliminated. Barnes is a paper maker from Huntsville, AL. Over his two day run, he made $5,192’s worth of it.

Seventh Place
Gary Lucht moved his short stack all-in with pocket tens. Barry Schultz shoved his monster stack to isolate the all-in player. After Schultz turned over As-Kc, the flop came king high with blanks on the turn and river. Lucht’s second final table in as many days earned him $6,407.

Sixth Place
Chris Sullivan was eliminated in 6th after Matt Laurence flopped quad fours on him all-in. The 41-year old pest control company owner collected $9,601 for sixth place.

Fifth Place
35-year old sheriff’s deputy, Jeremy Drewery was eliminated in fifth place. He took home $12,795.

Fourth Place
After doubling up a number of times to move up the prize ladder, Radinov’s streak ended after he was all-in with 5c-9h against Matt Laurence’s Jh-5h. Both players paired their five, but with the lower kicker, Radinov was sent to the payout table to collect $15,989 for fourth

Third Place
Down to three players, Schultz had over a 3-1 chip lead over his two opponents, Ray Martin and Matt Lawrence. The two smaller stacks got it all-in with Martin showing pocket tens and Lawrence turning over As-Js. Martin spiked the 10 on the flop for a set along with a jack and a queen and was looking pretty good until an 8h hit the turn. A king on the river left Martin in disbelief as Lawrence rivered the straight. Martin is a 56-year old farmer from Bargersville, IN. He earned $22,396 in his second final table appearance at the 2009/2010 Harrah’s Tunica Circuit.

Second Place
As the final minutes of the first half of Super Bowl XLIV ticked away, Schultz offered to chop first and second prize with Lawrence for the ring.

“I have money,” Schultz told Lawrence. “What I don’t have is a ring.”

It was an incredibly generous offer for Lawrence, who had just caught a river straight to survive and had less chips than his opponent.

Even still, he tanked for a while before deciding to forfeit the Circuit Event gold ring and take the money. First and second places paid $51,534 and $31,644, respectively.

“Feels great,” Schultz said about his win. “I squandered a lot of chip leads and a lot of opportunities so I’m glad to have this.”

The 42-year old statistician sees the deal as an investment the he expects to pay dividends in
the long run.

“Everybody is always telling each other I’m better than you, but when I go to my home game and throw those chips out there and they see the ring, well I’m hoping to get a few more folds from here on out.”

Still to come is the Harrah’s Tunica $5,150 Main Event. The WSOP Circuit at Harrah’s Tunica runs through February 10th.

2010 Harrah’s Tunica WSOP Circuit Event #18 Final Results

2010 Harrah’s Tunica WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

Ty Stewart – Director, Sponsorship and Licensing, WSOP
Craig Abrahams – Director, Broadcasting and New Media, WSOP
Seth Palansky – Communications Director, WSOP

Executive Staff, World Series of Poker Circuit – Harrah’s Tunica

Bill Wright – General Manager
Jimmy Sommerfeld –Tournament Director
Bill Bruce – Assistant Tournament Director
Patrick Collins – Public Relations Manager

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2010 Harrah’s Tunica WSOP Circuit – Event #17 Final Results

February 8th, 2010

2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Harrah’s Tunica
Event #17
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $500(+50)
Total Entries: 234
Total Prize Pool: $108,090
February 5 – February 6, 2010

Final Results:

Finish Name City State Country Prize

1 Scott Meena Clairton PA USA $27,605

2 Ricky Daniel Franklin TN USA $16,884

3 Radwan Khuri Memphis TN USA $11,976

4 Michael Ashar Ft. Meyers FL USA $8,550

5 Benjamin Mintz Oxford MS USA $6,842

6 John Yancey Marvell AR USA $5,134

7 Eric Koffman Bay City MI USA $3,426

8 Corrie Wunstel Baton Rouge LA USA $2,778

9 Wayne Gatheright Walls MS USA $2,356

10 Johnnathan Cuevas Charlot NC USA $2,065

11 Michael Dunn Flint MI USA $2,065

12 Jeffrey Finlayson Boca Raton FL USA $2,065

13 Wilbur Futhey Crossville TN USA $1,697

14 Peter Clive St. Charles MO USA $1,697

15 Darrin Roth Mequon WI USA $1,697

16 Rose Cooney Collierville TN USA $1,416

17 Christopher Fisher Hot Springs AR USA $1,416

18 McDonald Ledbetter Monroe LA USA $1,416

19 Ray Martin Bargersville IN USA $1,232

20 Donald Harris Washington MO USA $1,232

21 Ross Farmer Glenwood AR USA $1,232

22 Michael Caruso Arvada CO USA $1,103

23 Michael Ratcliff Martinfield IN USA $1,103

24 Tory Major Atlanta GA USA $1,103

Fifty years after scooping his first pot, Scott Meena Wins Circuit Event #17 at Harrah’s Tunica

2010 WSOP Circuit Harrah's Tunica Event #17 Winner Scott Meena

TUNICA, MS – Scott Meena and his friends, brothers Daniel “Q” Rossi and Tommy “Tot” Rossi got their start playing high-stakes poker at a young age.

And for an 8-year-old growing up in 1960’s Pittsburgh, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

“It was about baseball cards man,” said Meena. “We’d play five card draw deuces and threes wild for shoeboxes full – the action would get up to a hundred cards sometimes.”

“The Roberto Clementes and Bill Mazeroskis were worth more cards and one Steelers card was worth five Chargers cards.”

Fifty years later, the three friends are still enjoying their favorite pastime at home games and casinos. The trio came down to Tunica to play at the World Series of Poker Circuit Events. Meena entered the $550 dollar buy-in event no-limit hold’em event #17, making it to the final table.

And for a 57-year-old self-employed carpenter living in present-day Pittsburgh, the stakes were pretty high — $27,605 first place prize and a coveted World Series of Poker Circuit Event ring.

The Rossi brothers were on hand to root their childhood buddy on as he sat down to the final table with the chip lead.

Name Hometown Seat Chip Count

Wayne Gatheright Walls, MS 1 265,000

Mike Ashar Vermilion, OH 2 255,000

Scott Meena Clairton, PA 3 378,000

Ricky Daniel Franklin, TN 4 273,000

Radwan “Doc” Khuri Memphis, TN 5 348,000

Johnny Yancey Marvell, AR 6 102,000

Eric Koffman Bay City, MI 7 226,000

Ben Mintz New Orleans, LA 8 230,000

CorrieWunstel Baton Rouge, LA 9 232,000

Ninth Place
Final table play began shortly before 4:00 pm with blinds and antes at 5,000/10,000/2,000. Wayne Gatheright suffered a beat from Johnny Yancey who was all-in with pocket threes vs. Gatheright’s pocket 10’s. A river 4d completed the straight for Yancey for the double-up.

Down in chips, it was pocket tens that sent Gatheright to the rail. All-in pre flop with Ac-Kh against Mike Ashar’s pocket pair, the board came queen-high. Gatheright’s second final table of the 2009/2010 Tunica Circuit Events earned him $2,356.

Eighth Place
Corrie Wunstel was all-in with K-J against Scott Meena’s pocket queens. Queens held and Wunstel was escorted to the payout table to collect $2,778 for eighth.

Seventh Place
All-in from the small blind, Eric Koffman got a call from Scott Meena who limped-in from early position with pocket 10’s. Koffman’s pocket fours were all but beat after Meena spiked a 10 on the flop. No running fours on the turn or river meant the end of Koffman’s tournament. The 35-year old property manager from Bay City, MI collected $3,426 for seventh place.

Sixth Place
With blinds and antes at 8,000/16,000/3,000 Yancey got it all in from the small blind with Js-Qs while Radwan Khuri called from the big with As-4h. Yancey flopped top pair jacks but the turn came Ac. After a river five, Khuri doubled up, leaving Yancey with only 20,000.

Yancey was eliminated the next hand with 8s-5h vs. Ben Mintz’s pocket nines. Yancey is a 49-year old farmer from Marvell, AR. He reaped $5,134 for his sixth place finish.

Fifth Place
Mintz made it 38,000 to go pre-flop and got calls from Meena and Rickey Daniel. After a 2d-5s-Kc flop, Meena moved all-in. Daniel folded, leaving Mintz with a decision.

After tanking a few minutes, Mintz declared, “Either you need two outs or I need two outs,” before making the call. Mintz was left looking for a single out after turning over pocket jacks to Meena’s Ks-Js. No jack hit the turn or river and Mintz’s run was over.

Mintz’s fifth final table appearance earned him $6,842.

Fourth Place
Blinds moved up to 10,000/20,000 and after a bad run of cards, Mike Ashar was all-in with his remaining chips with As-6c. Meena called with Q-J suited. The flop paired Meena’s queen and blanks hit the turn and river, eliminating Ashar in fourth.

Ashar is a 62-year old retired Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves and now practices law in his hometown of Vermilion, OH. He also owns a stable of show horses and ponies. Ashar’s second 2009/2010 Harrah’s Tunica Circuit Event final table resulted in a $8,550 payday.

Third Place
Khuri was the third place finisher. “Doc” as he is known in poker circles, is a practicing psychiatrist from nearby Memphis, TN. In event #4 of the Circuit Events here at Tunica, Khuri placed fifth out of 800. He pocketed $11,976 in his third career WSOP Circuit Event final table.

Second Place
Heads up play saw Meena with about a 4-1 chip lead over Daniel. Daniel picked up a few pots to narrow the margin to 3-1 after doubling up just before the dinner break.

After the players returned, Meena extended an offer that would have ended the match-up right then and there. Daniel initially refused, but after losing a few 25,000 brown chips, decided to take the deal.

Daniel officially earned $16,884 for second place while Meena took home the gold ring and an official $27,605 first place prize.

“I feel good,” said Meena after the win. “That kid (Daniel) is a great player, I think he might be a better player than me and that I just got better rush of cards than he did.”

Meena had two cashes at last year’s Circuit Event at Harrah’s New Orleans and is focusing on building a bankroll to support both his contracting business and his career on the felt.

He says that he takes his childhood experiences with him to the felt as an adult.

“It was meaningful back then when you’re eight or nine years old playing five card draw with deuces or threes wild for those cards.”

Still to come are 2 more events and single-day non-ring $125, $230 and $340 buy-in events which begin at 4 pm and 7pm. The WSOP Circuit at Harrah’s Tunica runs through February 10th.

2010 Harrah’s Tunica WSOP Circuit Event #17 Final Results

2010 Harrah’s Tunica WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

Ty Stewart – Director, Sponsorship and Licensing, WSOP
Craig Abrahams – Director, Broadcasting and New Media, WSOP
Seth Palansky – Communications Director, WSOP

Executive Staff, World Series of Poker Circuit – Harrah’s Tunica

Bill Wright – General Manager
Jimmy Sommerfeld –Tournament Director
Bill Bruce – Assistant Tournament Director
Patrick Collins – Public Relations Manager

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Online Poker Legal? Poker Lobbyists Push to Legalize Internet Gambling

February 7th, 2010

Partly backed by offshore gambling companies, poker lobbysists are aggressively pushing to legalize Internet gambling in the United States this year. Bankrolled with millions of dollars the campaign is hoping to make progress despite strong objections from social conservatives, sports leagues and other opponents.

Poker advocates have already convinced the Obama administration to delay enforcement of the 2006 law making Internet gambling illegal.

Poker and other online games have become hugely popular in the U.S. over the last several years and it is believed that the United States accounts for more than half of the $16 billion Internet gambling market. Proponents say that regulating Internet gambling would net the federal government millions of dollars in tax and licensing revenue if it were legalized. Using the six-month reprieve of the 2006 law, Rep. Barney Frank (Mass.) and other Democrats are pushing ahead with legislation that would legalize and regulate poker, mah-jongg and other online gambling games.

Proponents of online gambling are hoping that with Congress in the hands of Democrats, who have historically been less opposed to gambling than Republicans, and the growing popularity of recreational poker will work to their advantage.

A list of proponents include Frank and former Republican senator Alfonse M. D’Amato (N.Y.) D’Amato is the chairman of the Poker Players Alliance, which is spearheading the Capitol Hill push. The Poker Players Alliance has approximately 1.2 million members and is largely financed by by the Interactive Gaming Council, a Canada-based trade group for offshore gambling companies. The campaign has spent over $4 million lobbying Washington over the past year, and the alliance says its members have sent more than 300,000 letters and e-mails to members of Congress.

“I think there’s a growing realization in Washington that prohibition probably isn’t going to work, just like prohibitions throughout history have not worked,” said John Pappas, the poker group’s executive director. “There needs to be a more common-sense approach, because it’s not going away.”

The Justice Department considers all online gambling as illegal under a 1961 law that was aimed at bookies using telephone lines. The online gambling market is run largely by firms operating in Antigua, Malta and other foreign countries. The Justice Department has only prosecuted a few of the Internet wagering companies.

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006 was supposed to eliminate any ambiguity in the laws. The UIGEA bans U.S. banks from accepting payments from credit cards, checks or wire transfers to settle online wagers. The measure waas scheduled to take effect Dec. 1.

However, as the enactment deadline approached, gambling interests joined by banks and other financial institutions urged that it be delayed. They said the statute was vague and unenforceable. Thoroughbred horse racing organizations also opposed the law when some credit card companies refused to process online parimutuel wagers, which were supposed to be exempt from the law.

The Treasury Department and Federal Reserve granted a six-month delay in December, citing efforts by Frank and others to draft new legislation. The Obama administration is officially neutral on the issue.

Frank’s proposed bill is set for committee markup in coming weeks. It would establish federal oversight of online gambling firms in exchange for five-year licenses that would include protections aimed at keeping out underaged players, compulsive gamblers and criminal activity.

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2010 Harrah’s Tunica WSOP Circuit – Event #16 Final Results

February 7th, 2010

2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Harrah’s Tunica
Event #16
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $400(+40)
Total Entries: 196
Total Prize Pool: $70,648
February 4-February 5, 2010

Final Results:

Finish Name City State Country Prize

1 John Land Dallas TX USA $18,579

2 Brian Niekerk Kingston TN USA $11,410

3 Terry Crosby Memphis TN USA $8,075

4 Shawn Johnston Robinsonville MS USA $5,765

5 Matthew Lawrence Tulsa OK USA $4,613

6 Wayne Philpot Sanford FL USA $3,462

7 Christopher Gray Atlanta GA USA $2,310

8 Scott Uithoven Belden MS USA $1,872

9 Gary Lucht Cissna Park IL USA $1,590

10 John Sarrica Altomonte Springs FL USA $1,392

11 James Quick Decatur TN USA $1,392

12 William Hedden Franklin NC USA $1,392

13 Curtis Smith Ringgold GA USA $1,144

14 Stanley Haythorne Toledo OH USA $1,144

15 Scott Monteath Eads TN USA $1,144

16 Brandon Garner Jackson TN USA $954

17 William Neal Murfreesboro TN USA $954

18 Micheal Woods Las Vegas NV USA $954

19 Peter Clive St. Charles MO USA $834

20 Mark Smith Georgetown KY USA $834

21 Chris Hight Charleston IL USA $834

John “Cowboy” Land Wrangles Circuit Event Win at Harrah’s Tunica

John Land is the winner of WSOP Circuit Event #16 at Harrah’s Tunica

2010 WSOP Harrah's Tunica Event #16 Winner John Land

TUNICA, MS – “Cowboy,” as he is known in poker circles, was primarily a cash game player, but started playing tournaments a few years ago. Land made his way through the 196 player field into a final corral of nine players.

Name Hometown Seat Chip Count

Scott Uithoven Belden, MS 1 125,000

Shaun Johnston Tunica, MS 2 141,000

Gary Lucht Cissna Park, IL 3 76,000

Terry Crosby Memphis, TN 4 227,000

Brian Niekerk Kingston, TN 5 146,000

Christopher Gray Atlanta, GA 6 168,000

Matt Lawrence Tulsa, OK 7 540,000

Wayne Philpot Sanford, FL 8 176,000

John “Cowboy” Lands Dallas, TX 9 373,000

Ninth Place
Final table play started shortly before 3:30 pm with blinds and antes at 5,000/10,000/2,000. UTG, Gary Lucht raised preflop to 30,000 with Ac-Qd. Wayne Philpot raised to 100,000 and Lucht moved all-in.

Philpot quickly called, turning over pocket aces. The board came Jh-7c-7h-8s-9c, resulting in a ninth place finish for Lucht. Lucht is a 62-year old farmer from Cissna Park, IL. He collected $1,590.

Eighth Place
Blinds and antes moved up to 8,000/16,000/3,000. A few hands into the level, Terry Crosby moved all-in from the big blind after Scott Uithoven limped-in from the button. Uithoven got in his remaining chips with Qc-10h. Crosby turned over Ac-Ks. The jack-high board helped neither player, sending Uithoven to the payout table in eighth place. Eighth paid $1,872.

Seventh Place
Christopher Gray was the sixth place finisher. The 42-year old landlord from Atlanta, GA earned $2,310 for his two-day run.

Sixth Place
Crosby made it 50,000 to go from the button before Philpot re-raised all-in. Crosby called, showing As-Ks while Philpot flipped over Jd-Qc. A 10-4-8 flop followed by a 10 and 3 on the turn and river ended Philpot’s tournament run. Sixth place paid $3,462.

Fifth Place
Soon after, Matt Lawrence was all-in from the big blind and got a call from Land from the small. Lawrence’s As-10s was unable improve over Land Ad-Kc on a jack-high board, busting Lawrence out in fifth. Lawrence is a 26-year old poker player from Tulsa, OK. He cashed in the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event and twice at Fiesta al Lago. He picked up $4,613 for fifth.

Fourth Place
With play down to four runners, the blinds and antes moved up to 10,000/20,000/3,000. Shaun Johnston moved his remaining chips all-in with Ah-Qs and got a call from Brian Niekerk, who turned over Ac-Ks. The board came ten high, missing both players and eliminating Johnston. Johnston is a poker tournament director from Tunica, MS. He collected $5,765 for fourth place.

Third Place
Terry Crosby was the third place finisher after Niekerk’s pocket nines held against his A-4 all-in. The retired pilot from Memphis, TN earned $8,075 for his third place finish.

Second Place
With seven men down, Cowboy was at substantial chip disadvantage in the one-on-one showdown against Niekerk, but was able to double-up through his opponent with pocket nines. The final hand of the night came with Niekerk all-in with Jc-6h vs. Land with pocket queens. The flop came 7h-Kd-5s.

Though it appeared it was all but over, Land refused a congratulatory handshake from Niekerk.

“Naw man, don’t jinx me,” he cautioned.

But after a deuce of diamonds on the turn, formalities were permitted and the two men shook hands as a benign 3c hit the river.

“Man, this is awesome, I can’t believe it,” said Land after his win.

Even though he’s from Dallas, TX and wears the defining wide-brimmed hat, the former construction company owner says that he didn’t get the name cowboy from tending cattle.

“I’m as GQ as they come,” said Land of his nickname. “This is just my good luck hat and people just started calling me cowboy.”

Still to come are 3 more events and single-day non-ring $125, $230 and $340 buy-in events which begin at 4 pm and 7pm. The WSOP Circuit at Harrah’s Tunica runs through February 10th.

2010 Harrah’s Tunica WSOP Circuit Event #16 Final Results

2010 Harrah’s Tunica WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

Ty Stewart – Director, Sponsorship and Licensing, WSOP
Craig Abrahams – Director, Broadcasting and New Media, WSOP
Seth Palansky – Communications Director, WSOP

Executive Staff, World Series of Poker Circuit – Harrah’s Tunica

Bill Wright – General Manager
Jimmy Sommerfeld –Tournament Director
Bill Bruce – Assistant Tournament Director
Patrick Collins – Public Relations Manager

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Full Tilt Poker Suspends Brian Townsend For Cheating/Colluding

February 6th, 2010

Brian Townsend, Cole South and Brian Hastings have been accused of colluding to cheat Isildur1 out of millions of dollars. The allegations began surfacing soon after Brian Hastings won $4.2 million in one day while playing Isildur1 online at Full Tilt.

According to an interview with ESPN.com, the three players worked together to analyze and find weaknesses in Isildur1’s game.

“Honestly, I give most of the credit to Brian Townsend here. I mean, Brian is honestly the hardest worker I know in poker,” Hastings told ESPN.

“He analyzed a database of heads-up hands that Isildur1 had played and constructed ranges of what Isildur1 was doing in certain spots. The three of us discussed a ton of hands and the reports that Brian made, so I’m very thankful to him and to Cole as well.”

According to Full Tilt’s terms and conditions, sharing hands and information on opposing players is illegal.

“Full Tilt Poker defines an unfair advantage as a user accessing or compiling information on other players beyond that which the user has personally observed through his or her own game play” (from item #8 of the Full Tilt T&C).

Townsend has said he will take complete responsibility for the infraction, and explained in his blog exactly what the infraction consisted of.

“I had about 20k hands of play on Isildur and I acquired another 30k hands” wrote Townsend.

“Of the three I was the sole one to break the T&C of Full Tilt. The three of us never shared hands where mucked hands were shown besides a few hands I posted on weaktight.org, and in fact all the information I received could be taken from watching the game.”

Townsend combined his own showdown hand histories with another 30,000 hands from South and Hastings to run reports on Isildur1’s game. They then had a detailed strategic discussion which led directly to Hastings having the succesful session he had.

“At that level, to be successful, you really have to take advantage of the little things,” Hastings told ESPN. “They can help make the difference. That’s why [analysis and discussion] is so important.”

The breach of Full Tilt’s Terms and Conditions is considered a relatively small infraction. It is believed that a majority of serious online players are assumed to commit daily using software or websites to acquire or view hand histories from hands they were not specifically a part of.

As a result, Full Tilt has decided to suspend Townsend’s Red Pro status on their site for a period of 30 days. It is assumed that during this suspension Townsend will no longer receive any of the benefits or rewards from being a Red Pro, potentially costing the online pro thousands of dollars.

Townsend does deny all allegations of colluding, ghosting and multi-accounting.

“Cole, Hastings and I live about 3000 miles from each other,” he wrote. “I have never played on Brian H’s or Cole S’s account.

“I analyzed the database I put together, and the three of us chatted about my analysis, and optimal strategy against Isildur,” he wrote. “Any discussion we had occurred away from the table when we were not playing a session.”

Townsend was suspended previously by Full Tilt in 2008 for six months after he admitted to moving down in stakes and playing under a secondary username – “Stellarnebula”.

It is against the site’s terms and conditions to have more than one active account at any time.

At the time this article was written, Townsend ($1.5 mil), South ($210k) and Hastings ($3.8 mil) have taken a combined total of over $5.6 million from Isildur1.

As a result, Isildur1 currently sits with over $2.6 million in losses on the year, and appears to have either lost his bankroll or his spirit. The Swede’s last session came Sunday, resulting in a $25k loss from games as low as $10/$20 Pot-Limit Omaha.

You can track your opponents hands online, legally, by using Online Poker Tracking Software.

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2010 Harrah’s Tunica WSOP Circuit – Event #15 Final Results

February 5th, 2010

2009/2010 World Series of Poker Circuit
Harrah’s Tunica
Event #15
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $300(+40)
Total Entries: 230
Total Prize Pool: $61,530
February 3-February 4, 2010

Final Results:

Finish Name City State Country Prize
1 Robert Hahs Jackson MO USA $15,715

2 David Dao Elizabethtown KY USA $9,611

3 Perry Ernest Lisle IL USA $6,818

4 Mark Eddleman Fayetteville AR USA $4,687

5 Rusty Farrin Jonesboro AR USA $3,895

6 In Choe Walls MS USA $2,923

7 Jeffery Ehman Brownsburg IN USA $1,951

8 Alex Gyr Dallas TX USA $1,581

9 Joseph Efford Port-de-grave NL Canada $1,341

10 Jim Rye Gravois Mills MO USA $1,175

11 Robert Chaney Covington TN USA $1,175

12 Frank Burton Carmel IN USA $1,175

13 Samuel Barnhart Little Rock AR USA $966

14 Matthew Davidson Birmingham AL USA $966

15 Jeremy Drewery Arlington TN USA $966

16 Patrick Everett Dayton TN USA $806

17 Joel Furney Quitman GA USA $806

18 John Sarrica Altamonte Springs FL USA $806

19 Kai Landry Biloxsi MS USA $701

20 Jonathan Fain Orlando FL USA $701

21 Clinton Ratley Oak Grove LA USA $701

22 Richard Poff Birmingham AL USA $628

23 Justin Grider Stevenson AL USA $628

24 Justin Truesdell Fort Thomas KY USA $314

25 Judith Cobb Memphis TN USA $314

2010 WSOP Circuit Harrah's Tunica Event#15 Winner Robert Hahs

Robert Hahs wins Circuit Event #15 at Harrah’s Tunica

Hahs doubles up seven times at final table to get the win

TUNICA, MS – Tournament director Kevin Ferguson said it was the second biggest comeback he had ever seen in his twenty years in poker. Down to less than two big blinds at one point during final table play, Robert Hahs survived seven all-ins to win Event #15 at the World Series of Poker Circuit Events at Harrah’s Tunica.

Hahs is a farmer from Jackson, MO. Through day one, he relied mostly on skill to make it through the 230-player field, but it was a bit of luck that helped him during the final table.

Name Hometown Seat Chip Count
Alex Gyr Dallas, TX 1 58,000

David In Choz Atlanta, GA 2 314,000

Jeff Ehman Brownsburg, IN 3 308,000

Perry Ernest Naperville, IL 4 149,000

Rusty Farrin Jonesboro, AR 5 153,000

David Dao Elizabethtown, KY 6 290,000

Robert Hahs Jackson, MO 7 307,000

Lee Efford Port-de-Grave, NC 8 266,000

Mark Endleman Fayettevill, AR 9 495,000

Ninth Place
Final table play began with blinds and antes at 3,000/6,000/1,000. Lee Efford took a 200,000 chip stumble after he ran his K-Q into Rusty Farrin’s pocket kings on a queen high board. Soon after, Efford moved his remaining stack all-in after flopping top pair with Kc-10c on a Qc-Kh-7s flop.

He got a call from David Dao who showed 7h-Qh for two pair. A three on the turn and ace on the river resulted in the first elimination of the night. Efford collected $1,341for ninth.

Eighth Place
Down to only a few blinds, Alex Gyr moved his remaining chips all-in UTG preflop. Jeff Ehman called, but folded after Farrin re-raised all-in. Gyr was left looking to pair his one over card with Ac-Jd vs. Farrin’s pocket kings.

A jack on the flop gave Gyr a couple of more outs, but the kings held through the river. Gyr earned $1,581 for eighth place.

Seventh Place
Ehman was eliminated in third place after running his pocket 3’s into Mark Endleman’s pocket pair of aces. The Brownsburg, IN consulting firm owner took home $1,951 for his two-days of play.

Sixth Place
All-in with pocket 10’s vs. Perry Ernest’s pocket queens, David In Choz lost any sliver of hope for a double-up after the flop came Qc-7c-7h.

Blanks hit on the turn and river, sending him out in sixth place. In Choz is a 46-year old finance manager from Atlanta, GA, he took home $2,923.

Fifth Place
With blinds and antes at 6,000/12,000/2,000, Endleman and Ernest were the big stacks at the table with about 735,000 each. Farrin and Dao had 345,000 and 315,000 respectively while Robert Hahs was the short stack with 215,000.

Hahs, however, was not ready to give in. After doubling up through Endleman with queens, he moved up the prize pool after Farrin got it all-in pre-flop with Qh-9h vs. Endleman’s Ah-7c. The jack- high board missed both players, eliminating Farrin in fifth place. Fifth paid $3,895.

Fourth Place
With two short stacks and two monster stacks remaining, it was a double-upalooza with eight double-ups transpiring before the next elimination.

When it was all said and done, Dao went from 50,000 in chips to about 800,000 while Ernest ended up the short stack with about 350,000 chips.

It was Endleman who ended up taking the brunt of it all.

Despite being the chip leader at the start of the all-in barrage, he took a few hits to his stack and was eliminated after his pocket queens were cracked when Hahs completed a straight on the river.

Hahs, who at one point was down to a mere 30,000, came out with the chip lead going into three-way action.

Endleman is a 34-year old poker pro with numerous cashes and final table appearances. He collected $4,687.

Third Place
After a flop of 5h-7s-6h, Ernest moved all-in with 7c-3c. Dao quickly called with 8s-9s with the flopped straight. There was no help for Ernest on the turn or river and he was eliminated. Ernest is a 48-year old financial advisor from Naperville, IL and a two-time WSOP Circuit Event champion. He collected $6,818 in his bid for a third gold ring.

Second Place
After about nearly 8 hours of play, heads-up action got underway. Dao and Hahs had considerable chip stacks with blinds and antes at 12,000/24,000/4,000. After doubling through each other twice, the two decided to chop the remaining prize pool. The final hand of the night saw Dao all-in with As-6s vs. Hahs’ pocket 7’s. Sevens held for Hahs, giving him the win. Dao is a retired physician from Elizabethtown, KY. He finished second to Kai Landry in the 2008/2009 WSOP Circuit Main Event at Harrah’s Tunica.

This was Hahs’ first major tournament victory.

“I feel great,” said Hahs. “It’s a beautiful ring and I’m proud of this win.”

Still to come are 4 more events and single-day non-ring $125, $230 and $340 buy-in events which begin at 4 pm and 7pm. The WSOP Circuit at Harrah’s Tunica runs through February 10th.

2010 Harrah’s Tunica WSOP Circuit – Event #15 Results

2010 Harrah’s Tunica WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

Ty Stewart – Director, Sponsorship and Licensing, WSOP
Craig Abrahams – Director, Broadcasting and New Media, WSOP
Seth Palansky – Communications Director, WSOP

Executive Staff, World Series of Poker Circuit – Harrah’s Tunica

Bill Wright – General Manager
Jimmy Sommerfeld –Tournament Director
Bill Bruce – Assistant Tournament Director
Patrick Collins – Public Relations Manager

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2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Schedule and Pre-Registration

February 5th, 2010

The 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) tournament schedule is available for viewing.

Click on the link below to view the complete schedule:

2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Schedule and Results

The 2010 WSOP will consist of 57 events including the $10,000 Buy-in Main Event. There will also be a Player’s Championship Event beginning on May 28th, 2010. This is a $50,000 Buy-in Mixed event which will feature games like Limit Holdem, 7 Card Razz, 7 Card Stud, Omaha Hi-Low Split, 7 Card Stud Hi-Low Split, No-Limit Holdem, Pot Limit Omaha and 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball.

Players who are interested in entering any of the 57 WSOP events for 2010 can pre-register. Click on the link below and find the event for which you would like to pre-register and click on the ‘Pre-Register Now’ link.

2010 WSOP Schedule and Pre-Registration

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Bet365 Poker Challenge – Climb the Cash Ladder

February 5th, 2010

Climb the Cash Ladder with bet365!

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So opt in now and start earning Cash Ladder points from 9th February – the higher you climb, the greater the rewards!

Cash Ladder is just one promotion in bet365’s regularly updated range. All promotions run parallel to the excellent VIP Scheme, which offers players a great choice of cash and tournament rewards.

By playing as part of the world’s largest online poker network, you can always find a game against thousands of possible opponents. Both cash game and tournaments are available and you can choose from poker variations including Texas Holdem, Omaha , Omaha Hi-Lo, 7 Card Stud, 5 Card Stud and Razz. Play satellite tournaments for your chance to make it to prestigious live events in the best locations around the world.

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Borgata Winter Open 2010 Championship Event End of Day 4 Chip Counts

February 5th, 2010

Borgata Winter Open 2010
CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT
Event 20 – $3300+ $200 No Limit Hold’em
January 31 – February 5
766 Entries $2,527,800 Total Buy-In

End of Day 4 Chip Count Leaders:

1. SIROUS JAMSHIDI (BROOMALL, PA): 4,750,000

2. AL GRIMES (MILLER PLACE, NY): 4,100,000

3. NICHOLAS KAMEN (SCARSDALE, NY): 3,320,000

4. JEFFREY MADSEN (LAS VEGAS, NV): 3,185,000

5. DAVID FOX (CORAM, NY): 1,695,000

6. THOMAS MARCHESE (BOONTON, NJ): 1,623,000

7. JONATHAN HAMILTON (WARWICK, NY): 1,555,000

8. MATTHEW MATROS (BROOKLYN, NY): 1,195,000

9. ROSS MALLOR (NEW YORK, NY): 880,000

10. CHAN PELTON (COLLEGE STAT, TX): 650,000

PAYOUTS THUS FAR:

1. $625,006

2. $367,794

3. $190,027

4. $165,508

5. $140,988

6. $116,468

7. $91,949

8. $67,429

9. $49,039

10. $31,876

11. DONALD BOIVIN (ANNAPOLIS, MD): $31,876

12. WADE WOELFEL (MANKATO, MN): $31,876

13. JOSEPH WERTZ (MONTOURSVILLE, PA): $23,294

14. WILLIAM CHILDS (ALEXANDRIA, VA): $23,294

15. ERIC BLAIR (WEST HARTFORD, CT): $23,294

16. JOHN ALEXANDER (MONTSVILLE, NJ): $14,712

17. JOSHUA MANCUSO (MANDEVILEE, LA): $14,712

18. IGOR TIGUY (BOSTON, MA): $14,712

19. ROBERT MCLAUGHLIN (WASHINGTON, DC): $11,034

20. JOHN LAROCHELLE (PROVIDENCE, RI): $11,034

21. ANTHONY CAMPAGNA (MANORVILLE, NY): $11,034

22. THEODORE GOLDBERGH (NEW YORK, NY): $11,034

23. DAVID WILLIAMS (SYKESVILLE, MD): $11,034

24. MICHAEL JUDGE (BENSALEM, PA): $11,034

25. DAVID CAIRNS (TORONTO, CAN): $11,034

26. RICHARD AUSTIN (LANSDALE, PA): $11,034

27. BERNARD COLLINS (BAYVILLE, NJ): $11,034

28. CARL RESTIFO (WARETOWN, NJ): $9,317

29. DALE PINCHOT (YARDLEY, PA): $9,317

30. PEY LEE (FLUSHING, NY): $9,317

31. ROBERT R STEVANOVSKI (CORNELIUS, NC): $9,317

32. MARC MANIN (CHERRY HILL, NJ): $9,317

33. DAO BUI (STERLING, VA): $9,317

34. JOSEPH BRATTOLE (PARSIPPIANY, NJ): $9,317

35. EMANUEL FAILLA (COMMACK, NY): $9,317

36. LEONID LERNER (BROOKLYN, NY): $9,317

37. JOSHUA HILLOCK (PALM, FL): $7,846

38. YUGESHWAR RAJKUMAR (TEANECK, NJ): $7,846

39. JEFFREY TAMBURINO (KNG OF PRUSSAIA, PA): $7,846

40. TYLER HENRY (WERNERSVILLE, PA): $7,846

41. DAVID GRANA (GRAND ISLAND, NY): $7,846

42. TSONG LIN (CAPE MAY, NJ): $7,846

43. WILLIAM THORNBURG (MECHANICSVILLE, VA): $7,846

44. NIKOLAI SEARS (DAVISBURG, MI): $7,846

45. TERENCE SMITH (FRISCO, CO): $7,846

46. BARUCH THALER (BROOKLYN, NY): $6,866

47. BRYAN VEACH (HYDE PARK, NY): $6,866

48. RICHARD FORENBACH (MILFORD, CT): $6,866

49. WILLIAM SHERIDAN (MARTINSVILLE, NJ): $6,866

50. MELANI WEISNER (NEW YORK, NY): $6,866

51. KONSTANTINO DIMITROULAKOS (TINTON FALLS, NJ): $6,866

52. SANG KIM (LEESBURG, VA): $6,866

53. IRA MENSH (OCEAN CITY, MD): $6,866

54. PETER MALKOUN (BROOKHAVEN, PA): $6,866

55. KETAN PANDYA (PISCATAWAY, NJ): $6,375

56. PETER CAMPO (WATERFORD, CT): $6,375

57. JOSHUA BRIKIS (MONROEVILLE, PA): $6,375

58. RAJESH VOHRA (POMPANO BEACH, FL): $6,375

59. MARC PODELL (NEW YORK, NY): $6,375

60. ROBERT KALTEUX (SEMINOLE, FL): $6,375

61. JOSEPH LUHT (BALTIMORE, MD): $6,375

62. PAUL SLEEPER (CHERRY HILL, NJ): $6,375

63. JOSHUA SMITH (NEWARK, DE): $6,375

64. JOSE REYES (RONKONOMA, NY): $6,130

65. VINCENT VILLAMOR (MAYS LANDING, NJ): $6,130

66. RAY SHACKELFORD (FREDERICKSBURG, VA): $6,130

67. KRIS ADAM KAWOHL (MERRITT ISLAND, FL): $6,130

68. JIANHUA ZHOU (EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, NJ): $6,130

69. DANIEL SHAK (BRYNMAWR, PA): $6,130

70. FRANK NUNZIATO (MAMARONECK, NY): $6,130

71. STEVE BRECHER (RENO, NV): $6,130

72. ALBERTO SABOGALI (BROOKLYN, NY): $6,130

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Borgata Winter Open 2010 Event #24 Final Results

February 5th, 2010

Borgata Winter Open 2010
Event 24 – $200+ $30 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
February 4

261 Entries $52,200 Total Buy-In

Final Results:

Borgata Winter Open 2010 Event 24 Final Results

1. ROBERT PERRY (HIGHLAND BEACH, FL): $15,190

2. FRANK RASILE (STATEN ISLANDD, NY): $8,607

3. FRANK TOSCANO (STATEN ISLAND, NY): $4,734

4. JEFFREY RUTTER (GAITHERSBURG, MD): $3,544

5. CUONG PHUNG (ATLANTIC CITY, NJ): $3,038

6. GIAMPAOLO DUVA (CHERRY HILL, NJ): $2,531

7. YOSEF IZHAK LIDER (WATERFORD, MI): $2,025

8. JAMES MILLER (CATONSVILLE, MD): $1,519

9. DANIEL CHAN (NEW YORK, NY): $1,013

10. MICHAEL DENTALE (BROOKLYN, NY): $658

11. JOHN MACCABE (YARDVILLE, NJ): $658

12. JAY HINDMAN (TRENTON, NJ): $658

13. KEVIN GUGLIOTTA (LAKE HOPATCONG, NJ): $557

14. JOSEPH AARONS (FEASTERVILLE, PA): $557

15. MICHAEL FOX (WEST CHESTER, PA): $557

16. ABRAHAM GORDON (LAKEWOOD, NJ): $456

17. NATHANIEL PARENTI (BROOKLYN, NY): $456

18. JOSEPH PITTI (E MEADOW, NY): $456

19. JUSTIN WILEY (LANCASTER, PA): $380

20. DENNIS CAPRIGLIONE (ATLANTIC CITY, NJ): $380

21. FRANK DIRE (COLUMBUS, NJ): $380

22. HOWARD CRASH (WESTON, CT): $380

23. JOHN EVENSEN (TOMS RIVER, NJ): $380

24. MICHAEL SICA JR (N BRUNSWICK, NJ): $380

25. VINCENT DEVITA (BAYVILLE, NJ): $380

26. PATRICIA BARSANTI-CHOU (METUCHEN, NJ): $380

27. DAVID HAMMOND (WASHINGTON, DC): $380

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