World Series of Poker Circuit Caesars Palace Las Vegas Main Event Results

April 30th, 2011

2010/2011 World Series of Poker Circuit
Caesars Palace Las Vegas
Event #10
Main Event Championship
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $1,500 (+100)
Total Entries: 496
Total Prize Pool: $714,240
April 28-30, 2011

Official Results (Final):

1 Chris Johnson LAS VEGAS, NV, US $153,559
2 Brian England HAZLET, NJ, US $94,944
4 John Kulish Oconto, WI, US $51,418
5 Adam Hui Markham, ON, CANADA $38,669
6 James Martini INCLINE VILLAGE, NV, US $29,498
7 Alex Santiago WEST HARTFORD, CT, US $22,820
8 Dave Stann LOS ANGELES, CA, US $17,906
9 Matthew Leecy OTTAWA, KS, US $14,249
10 Derrick Kwenzel GRAND FORKS, ND, US $11,492
11 Stepan Dzhigarkhanyan MOSCOW, RUSSIA $11,492
12 JJ Liu LAS VEGAS, NV, US $11,492
13 Benny Chen STRATFORD, PE, CA $9,399
14 Vasili Lazarou LAS VEGAS, NV, US $9,399
15 Bo Pathammavond HONOLULU, HI, US $9,399
16 Harold Wasson CORONA, CA, US $7,785
17 Mary Jones HENDERSON, NV, US $7,785
18 Lance Oliver ROSEVILLE, CA, US $7,785
19 Luther Lewis GOODLETTSVILLE, TN, US $6,535
20 Michael Sortino PAPILLION, NE, US $6,535
21 Daniel Brown SAN ANTONIO, TX, US $6,535
22 David Williams LAS VEGAS, NV, US $5,557
23 Russell Powell EL CAJON, CA, US $5,557
24 James Fike LAS VEGAS, NV, US $5,557
25 Harold Wasson CORONA, CA, US $7,785
26 Jeremy Heartberg WEBSTER, NY, US $4,785
27 James Riggs LEWISBURG, TN, US $4,785
28 Steven Heeley BALLWIN, MO, US $4,178
29 Scott Epstein LAS VEGAS, NV, US $4,178
30 Raymond Wu CHICAGO, IL, US $4,178
31 William Wood CARMEL, IN, US $3,693
32 Andrew Robbins CINCINNATI, OH, US $3,693
33 Brian Park LOS ALTOS, CA, US $3,693
34 Evan Lamprea WOODSTOCK, ON, CANADA $3,307
35 Amanda Baker LAS VEGAS, NV, US $3,307
36 Mark Jeans HERMOSA BEACH, CA, US $3,307
37 Barry Hamilton DENVER, CO, US $2,993
38 Erica Schoenberg HENDERSON, NV, US $2,993
39 Andrew Watson TULSA, OK, US $2,993
40 Horatio Hu FRESH MEADOW, CA, US $2,993
41 Peter Paturzo ORANGE COUNTY, CA, US $2,993
42 David Levi LAS VEGAS, NV, US $2,993
43 Stan Quinn DANVILLE, CA, US $2,993
44 Jimmy Fricke LAS VEGAS, NV, US $2,993
45 David Byer LAS VEGAS, NV, US $2,993
46 Joshua Prager YUBA CITY, CA, US $2,743
47 Cody Slaubaugh HENDERSON, NV, US $2,743
48 Anthony Lazar PLYMOUTH, MN, US $2,743
49 Clifford Waite GRAND JUNCTION, CO, US $2,743
50 Michael Chow LAS VEGAS, NV, US $2,743
51 Anthony Hartmann SHAKOPEE, MN, US $2,743
52 Ann Mong LAS VEGAS, NV, US $2,743
53 Denny Robinson HENDERSON, NV, US $2,743
54 William Gaffney BARTLETT, IL, US $2,743

2011 WSOP Circuit Caesars Palace Las Vegas Main Event Champion Chris Johnson

2011 WSOP Circuit Caesars Palace Las Vegas Main Event Champion Chris Johnson

The Die is Cast

Chris Johnson Conquers the Competition at Caesars Palace

Las Vegas Poker Pro Earns First WSOP Circuit Gold Ring Victory

WSOP Circuit Main Event Attracts Big Turnout – 496 Entries

Las Vegas (April 30, 2011) – Poker was the star attraction on the world-famous Las Vegas Strip, this weekend. Caesars Palace hosted the thirteenth (of 15) World Series of Poker Circuit stops during the 2010-2011 season.

Poker players flocked to Caesars Palace from all over the country – actually, from all over the world – in order to compete for the last of ten gold rings at stake, plus piles of prize money, in addition to critical ranking points needed to qualify for the WSOP Circuit National Championship, which is also taking place later at Caesars Palace.

The Main Event Championship, which was a $1,500 (+100) buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament (officially known as Event #10), attracted the biggest field in its six-year history. There were 496 entries, up significantly from last year’s attendance.

The winner was Chris Johnson, from Las Vegas. He is a 24-year-old professional poker player. Johnson is originally from Nebraska. He moved to Las Vegas about nine months ago with the sole purpose of playing poker full-time. He has focused on a variety of targets, including playing both live and online. Johnson also spends much of his time playing in moderate to high-stakes cash games throughout Las Vegas.

Johnson collected $153,559 for first place. He was also presented with the first gold ring, the ultimate symbol of achievement awarded for winning a WSOP Circuit event. Johnson will being playing in the WSOP Circuit National Championship next month, by virtue of earning his seat via this victory.

Johnson caught fire at the end of the second day of tournament play. On the final hand of the night (Day Two), Johnson catapulted himself into the chip lead for the first time. On Day Three, as soon as the first hand was dealt at the final table, which was played the following afternoon, just about everything went in Johnson’s favor. He destroyed his opposition in record time.

Indeed, in a sense the final table was over just as things were getting underway. The finale was clocked at a rocket fast 2 hours and 40 minutes – making this one of the fastest final tables in the seven-year history of the WSOP Circuit.

“I got ran over by the deck,” Johnson said afterward. Everything went good for me today. I won two early coin flips and that pretty much made it smooth sailing the rest of the way.”

This was the last of ten official gold ring events played this year at Caesars Palace. The total prize pool amounted to $714,240 – making it the largest purse of any event played so far.  The top 54 finishers collected prize money. A complete list of all players that cashed can be found at WSOP.COM.

The tournament was played over three consecutive days.  After most of the starting field was eliminated on Day One, 84 survivors returned for Day Two action. Those players battled amongst themselves and played down to the final table during Day Two. Chris Johnson went into the final table as chip leader. But two other strong players, Alex Santiago and Adam Hui were close behind.

Final table play began with ten players on a Saturday afternoon in the top section of the Caesars Palace Poker Room. The finalists and their starting chip counts were as follows:

Seat 1: James Martini (Incline Village, NV) – 922,000 in chips
Seat 2: Chris Johnson (Las Vegas, NV) – 1,600,000 in chips
Seat 3: Alex Santiago (West Hartford, CT) – 1,478,000 in chips
Seat 4: Jon Seaman (Scottsdale, AZ) 617,000 in chips
Seat 5: John Kulish (Green Bay, WI) – 1,168,000 in chips
Seat 6: Brian England (Hazlet, NJ) – 1,390,000 in chips
Seat 7: “Hollywood Dave” Stann (Hollywood, CA) – 510,000 in chips
Seat 8: Matthew A. Leecy (Ottawa, KS) – 470,000 in chips
Seat 9: Derrick Kwenzel (Grand Forks, ND) – 486,000 in chips
Seat 10: Adam Hui (Markham, ON Canada) – 1,393,000 in chips

Final table play began at 12:15 pm. The table played at a lightning-fast pace. Four players were eliminated within the first 60 minutes. Play ended at 2:55 pm – making the total duration less than three hours. The official order of finish was as follows:

Tenth Place: Derrick Kwenzel enjoyed his WSOP-related cash and finished in tenth place. He was eliminated just a few hands into play when he lost a race – holding a middle pair versus two overcards. Kwenzel took 7-7 up against A-K. Not only did a king flop, which was nearly fatal for Kwenzel – he was kicked while down and out when the board four flushed, completing the opponent’s diamond lock. Kwenzel, who arrived at the final table with about half the average-sized stack, could take some satisfaction in collecting $11,492 in prize money. Kwenzel is a 36-year-old realtor from Grand Forks, ND.

Ninth Place: A few hands later, short-stacked Matthew A. Leecy lost his remaining chips when he could not overcome a dominating hand. Leecy shoved with A-8 and was called by chip leader Chris Johnson, who tabled A-Q. A queen on the flop all but ended Leecy’s hope of making a big comeback. Instead, he collected $14,249 in prize money. Leecy is a 23-year-old student and aspiring psychologist from Ottawa, KS. He serves in the Kansas Air National Guard. This was Leecy’s third time to make a WSOP Circuit final table.

Eighth Place: “Hollywood” Dave Stann is one of poker’s true characters. He notes himself as “the bad boy of blackjack, a poker punk, and an all-around rock star.” Side Note to Readers: This is for real. The flamboyant fashion mogul from his namesake Hollywood won a WSOP Circuit gold ring three years ago here at Caesars Palace. He hoped to add a Main Event victory to a resume that includes more than one-million in blackjack earnings, plus major poker tournament victories at the Venetian (Las Vegas) and Borgata (Atlantic City). But this was not Stann’s day. His stack melted when he was outfoxed by Brian England on a big hand. Stann shoved pre-flop holding A-T suited. He hoped to steal some chips, but England had smooth-called in middle position holding pocket kings and then made an instant call once Stann morphed into the aggressor. Stann failed to improve, which knocked him to the rail in eighth place. $17,906 was the figure added to Stann’s bankroll. Warning to Readers: More “Hollywood” Dave Stann trivia follows. He hosted and appeared on various television programs, including Celebrity Blackjack, King of Vegas, World Series of Blackjack, and the Ultimate Blackjack Tour. He is the author of “Hollywood Blackjack: An Uncensored Guide to Doing it Like a Pro.”

Seventh Place: Alex Santiago was the seventh-place finisher. He was eliminated when he took A-Q up against pocket tens. Santiago failed to make a pair, resulting in his elimination. Seventh place paid $22,820. Santiago is a 26-year-old poker pro. He has previously won both live and online tournaments, including a major event at the Borgata (Atlantic City). Santiago was a college student before playing poker full-time. He holds a B.A. in history from the University of Maryland. He wanted to note that all three of his brothers – Ari, David, and Jonathan – were rooting him on during the tournament. They could certainly be proud of Santiago’s showing.

Sixth Place:  James Martini, a 53-year-old retired CFO from New Jersey (now living in Incline Village, on Lake Tahoe) lost a race for all his chips and went out in sixth place. He shoved holding pocket fives. Brian England had plenty of chips and made the call, with K-J. Both a king and a jack flopped, drying up Martini. Nevertheless, Martini is clearly a player to watch in future tournaments. He has hopes of “getting better” at the game. He already won the Best All-Around Player award at this year’s World Poker Challenge, played at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno. Sixth place paid $29,498.

Fifth Place:  Adam Hui, one of the stars of this year’s Caesars series, made a deep run and ended up in fifth place. The poker pro from Markham, Ontario (Canada) ended up with eighth, fifth, and fourth-place showing in the nine events he entered. Hui went card dead late and was down to a short stack when he pushed with K-5 (hoping to steal a round of blinds and antes). However, Brian England called with K-4. It was a great spot for Hui, until disaster struck when a four flopped. Hui could not improve from that point and accept the fifth-place payout totaling $38,669. Hui ended up winning the Best All-Around Player race for this Caesars Palace series and will play in the WSOP Circuit National Championship.

Fourth Place: John Kulish finished in fourth place. He took a terrible beat which cost him most of his chips. Kulish was dealt A-T and shoved. He got a call from Jon Seaman, who showed A-9. Kulish loved his situation, even after the flop when both players connected with a pair. Kulish’s pair of tens were in the lead, until disaster struck when another nine fell on the turn, ending Kulish’s run. The 65-year-old retiree from Green Bay, WI fell just short of Adam Hui in the point-race. Had Kulish taken second place (or better) in this tournament, he would have won the seat into the National Championship. Instead, Kulish came in two spots short but did earn a well-deserved $51,418 in prize money.

Third Place:  Jon Seaman went out in third place. He was getting low on chips, unable to stop the storm that was sitting to his right named Chris Johnson. Seaman decided he had to gamble at one point and got his chips in with K-J, which was a slight dog to Johnson’s A-2. In a repeat of virtually every other all-in situation, the big stack with the best hand prevailed. Neither player made a pair, so the ace-high scooped the pot. Seaman did manage to collect a very nice payout totaling $69,360. Seaman is a 27-year-old high-stakes poker player from Scottsdale, AZ.

Second Place: The heads up match only lasted a few hands. Outchipped by about a 5 to 1 margin, Brian England shoved holding A-J. He ran into A-K. The rest was history. The final hand was played out as follows:

England: Ah Jh
Johnson: Ad Kd
Flop: Ks Jd Th
Turn: 9s
River: 2c

Brian England is a 21-year-old poker pro from Hazlet, NJ. He attended Columbia University in New York. In fact, he played on the football team. England also played a lot of poker while in school. Remarkably, this is the first WSOP-related tournament England has played. He earned $94,944 as his consolation prize.

First Place: Chris Johnson, from Las Vegas became the latest WSOP Circuit Main Event champion. He earned his first WSOP Circuit gold ring with an impressive win at Caesars Palace. First place paid $153,559.

All ten gold ring events have now been completed. The list of Caesars champions reads as follows:

EVENT 1: Giuseppe Biancoviso – Florence, Italy ($350 buy-in NLHE)
EVENT 2: Randy Huberty – La Grange, KY ($560 NLHE)
EVENT 3: Randy Crowe – Los Osos, CA ($350 OMHL)
EVENT 4: Taylor Nguyen – Houston TX ($560 NLHE)
EVENT 5: Jesse Bryant – Conway, AK ($350 PLO)
EVENT 6: Bob Whalen – Milwaukee, WI $560 NLHE)
EVENT 7: Todd Chew – Nowhere, IL ($560 NLHE)
EVENT 8: Michael Souza – San Diego, CA ($350 SIX-HANDED NLHE)
EVENT 9: Miller Dao – Maricopa, AZ ($1,090 NLHE)
EVENT 10: Chris Johnson – Las Vegas, NV ($1,600 NLHE MAIN EVENT)

Two players qualified for the WSOP Circuit National Championship – Chris Johnson and Adam Hui.

Blake Kelso, one of two players with three final table appearances at this year’s Caesars series, took a bad beat in not winning a seat. His point lead was overcome in the final event by Adam Hui, who also made three final table appearances. Hui joined Johnson as winners of pre-paid entries into the $1 million 2010-2011 WSOP Circuit National Championship, to be held at Caesars Palace Las Vegas, next month. They are the only two players from Caesars Palace who qualified for the WSOP gold bracelet event.

The next WSOP Circuit stop is already underway in Chester, PA – located near Philadelphia. The final WSOP Circuit location of the current season will take place at Harrah’s New Orleans from May 8-22.

This marks the sixth straight year Caesars Palace Las Vegas has hosted a WSOP Circuit stop. The last five champions have all been local players from Las Vegas. The updated list of Main Event champions include:

2011: Chris Johnson (Las Vegas, NV)
2010: Andrew Lichtenberger (Las Vegas, NV)
2009: Justin Bonomo (Las Vegas, NV)
2008: Allen Cunningham (Las Vegas, NV)
2007: Cory Carroll (Las Vegas, NV)
2006: John Spadavecchia (Lighthouse Point, FL)

Executive Staff, World Series of Poker Circuit – Caesars Las Vegas

President – Gary Selesner
Vice President and Assistant General Manager – Gerry Tuthill
Vice President Specialty Games – Howard Greenbaum
Director Poker Operations – Andy Rich
Director Public Relations – Celena Haas

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World Series of Poker Circuit at Caesars Palace Las Vegas Main Event Final Table Set

April 30th, 2011

Caesar Would Be Proud

Final Table of WSOP Circuit Main Event Championship Set for Caesars Las Vegas

Chris Johnson Leads the Final Ten, by Slim Margin

Main Event Draws Strong Field Totaling 496 Players

Las Vegas, NV (April 30, 2011) – This weekend, poker players are the marquee attraction on the world- famous Las Vegas Strip. Caesars Palace has been poker central for more than two weeks, playing host to the thirteenth (of 15) World Series of Poker Circuit stops during the 2010-2011 season.

Poker players flocked to Caesars Palace from all over the country – actually, from all over the world – in order to compete for the last of ten gold rings at stake, plus piles of prize money, in addition to critical ranking points needed to qualify for the WSOP Circuit National Championship, which is also taking place at Caesars Palace.

The final event on the ten-tournament Caesars Palace schedule is the $1,500 buy-in Main Event Championship. The three-day No-Limit Hold’em tournament started on Thursday. Competition will conclude Saturday with play of the final table.

The tournament attracted an impressive field size totaling 496 entries. Main Event participation was up significantly from last year’s number. This was consistent with increased overall participation for all gold ring events. In fact, two of the gold ring events this year attracted in excess of 500 players.

The Main Event prize pool amounts to $714,240. The top 54 finishers are being paid. Here’s a list of players who have finished in-the-money, so far:

11
Stepan Dzhigarkhanyan
MOSCOW, RUSSIA
$11,492

12
JJ Liu
LAS VEGAS, NV, US
$11,492

13
Benny Chen
STRATFORD, PE, CANADA
$9,399

14
Vasilis Lazarou
LAS VEGAS, NV, US
$9,399

15
Bo Pathammavond
HONOLULU, HI, US
$9,399

16
Harold Wasson
CORONA, CA, US
$7,785

17
Mary Jones
HENDERSON, NV, US
$7,785

18
Lance Oliver
ROSEVILLE, CA, US
$7,785

19
Luther Lewis
GOODLETTSVILLE, TN, US
$6,535

20
Michael Sortino
PAPILLION, NE, US
$6,535

21
Daniel Brown
SAN ANTONIO, TX, US
$6,535

22
David Williams
LAS VEGAS, NV, US
$5,557

23
Russell Powell
EL CAJON, CA, US
$5,557

24
James Fike
LAS VEGAS, NV, US
$5,557

25
Harold Wasson
CORONA, CA, US
$7,785

26
Jeremy Heartberg
WEBSTER, NY, US
$4,785

27
James Riggs
LEWISBURG, TN, US
$4,785

28
Steven Heeley
BALLWIN, MO, US
$4,178

29
Scott Epstein
LAS VEGAS, NV, US
$4,178

30
Raymond Wu
CHICAGO, IL, US
$4,178

31
William Wood
CARMEL, IN, US
$3,693

32
Andrew Robbins
CINCINNATI, OH, US
$3,693

33
Brian Park
LOS ALTOS, CA, US
$3,693

34
Evan Lamprea
WOODSTOCK, ON, CANADA
$3,307

35
Amanda Baker
LAS VEGAS, NV, US
$3,307

36
Mark Jeans
HERMOSA BEACH, CA, US
$3,307

37
Barry Hamilton
DENVER, CO, US
$2,993

38
Erica Schoenberg
HENDERSON, NV, US
$2,993

39
Andrew Watson
TULSA, OK, US
$2,993

40
Horatio Hu
FRESH MEADOW, CA, US
$2,993

41
Peter Paturzo
ORANGE COUNTY, CA, US
$2,993

42
David Levi
LAS VEGAS, NV, US
$2,993

43
Stan Quinn
DANVILLE, CA, US
$2,993

44
Jimmy Fricke
LAS VEGAS, NV, US
$2,993

45
David Byer
LAS VEGAS, NV, US
$2,993

46
Joshua Prager
YUBA CITY, CA, US
$2,743

47
Cody Slaughbaugh
HENDERSON, NV, US
$2,743

48
Anthony Lazar
PLYMOUTH, MN, US
$2,743

49
Clifford Waite
GRAND JUNCTION, CO, US
$2,743

50
Michael Chow
HONOLULU, HI, US
$2,743

51
Tony Hartmann
SHAKOPEE, MN, US
$2,743

52
Ann Mong
LAS VEGAS, NV, US
$2,743

53
Denny Robinson
HENDERSON, NV, US
$2,743

54
William Gaffney
BARTLETT, IL, US
$2,743

After more than 75 percent of the starting field was eliminated on Day One, just 84 survivors returned for Day Two action. Those players battled amongst themselves and played down to the final table during Day Two. Play will commence with Day Three starting at NOON Saturday afternoon, inside the Poker Tournament Room.

The ten finalists and their starting chip counts are as follows:

Seat 1: James Martini (Incline Village, NV) – 922,000 in chips

Seat 2: Chris Johnson (Las Vegas, NV) – 1,600,000 in chips

Seat 3: Alex Santiago (West Hartford, CT) – 1,478,000 in chips

Seat 4: Jon Seaman (Scottsdale, AZ) 617,000 in chips

Seat 5: John Kulish (Green Bay, WI) – 1,168,000 in chips

Seat 6: Brian England (Hazlet, NJ) – 1,390,000 in chips

Seat 7: “Hollywood Dave” Stann (Hollywood, CA) – 510,000 in chips

Seat 8: Matthew A. Leecy (Ottawa, KS) – 470,000 in chips

Seat 9: Derrick Kwenzel (Grand Forks, ND) – 486,000 in chips

Seat 10: Adam Hui (Markham, ON Canada) – 1,393,000 in chips

Among the more notable players among the final ten is former WSOP Circuit gold ring winner “Hollywood” Dave Stann. Adam Hui, who made it to two final tables at this Caesars series, is also still alive.

The current chip leader is Chris Johnson, from Las Vegas. However, three players are essentially close to be neck-a-neck in the lead – Johnson, plus Brian England and Adam Hui.

The winner receives $153,559 for first place. He also receives the coveted gold ring, the token prize for winning a WSOP Circuit event. The champion will also gain an automatic seat into the season-end National Championship finale, which is to be televised from Caesars Palace during May 27-29.

This final tournament caps yet another successful tournament series at Caesars Palace. The following players won the first nine events:

EVENT 1: Giuseppe Biancoviso – Florence, Italy ($350 buy-in NLHE)

EVENT 2: Randy Huberty – La Grange, KY ($560 NLHE)

EVENT 3: Randy Crowe – Los Osos, CA ($350 OMHL)

EVENT 4: Taylor Nguyen – Houston TX ($560 NLHE)

EVENT 5: Jesse Bryant – Conway, AK ($350 PLO)

EVENT 6: Bob Whalen – Milwaukee, WI $560 NLHE)

EVENT 7: Todd Chew – Nowhere, IL ($560 NLHE)

EVENT 8: Michael Souza – San Diego, CA ($350 SIX-HANDED NLHE)

EVENT 9: Miller Dao – Maricopa, AZ ($1,090 NLHE)

At present, Blake Kelso leads the race as the Best All-Around Player for the Caesars Palace Las Vegas series, with 85 points. With his three final table appearances (8-7-2) in previous tournaments, he was the point leader coming into the Main Event. However, it appears Adam Hui from Canada has a very good chance to overtake Kelso in points. It will depend upon where Hui finishes. Should he win the Main Event, he would automatically qualify – which would then help Kelso. In addition to the Main Event winner, the (one) player who accumulates the most overall points in the ten gold ring tournaments receives a pre-paid entry into the $1 million 2010-2011 WSOP Circuit National Championship.

This marks the fifth straight year Caesars Palace Las Vegas has hosted a WSOP Circuit stop. Previous Main Event champions include:

2010: Andrew Lichtenberger (Las Vegas, NV)

2009: Justin Bonomo (Las Vegas, NV)

2008: Allen Cunningham (Las Vegas, NV)

2007: Cory Carroll (Las Vegas, NV)

2006: John Spadavecchia (Lighthouse Point, FL)

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Poker Affiliates – What to do after Black Friday if you Advertise Online Poker

April 27th, 2011

Many people in the poker affiliate industry are confused and undecided about what to do now that the DOJ has shut down Full Tilt Poker, Poker Stars, Absolute and Ultimate Bet to US players. Black Friday, as it has become known to poker fans around the world, will with no doubt have a huge effect on poker affiliates who rely on players who reside in the United States. Poker Stars and Full Tilt have attributed a large percentage of income to poker affiliates around the world, but especially the affiliates who are targeting the US market. In wake of Black Friday, many poker affiliates are worried that they will not be able to survive in the current market without the big three poker rooms to advertise on their sites and blogs.

I have seen reports of many affiliates that are leaving the business altogether and putting their poker sites and blogs up for sale at discounted prices. This is a personal decision and I can understand if people in the industry are deciding to get out now. It may not be a bad idea, considering the current outlook for online poker players living in the US. Without Poker Stars, Full Tilt and Ultimate Bet the options for playing online if you are from the US are not very intriguing at the moment.

Currently there are still poker rooms online which continue to take new signups from players who are from the United States. But, they all pale in comparison to the action and huge prize pools which Poker Stars had to offer before being forced to leave the US market. In addition, I have heard reports of online players who are reluctant to make a deposit at a new poker room because they are worried about the safety of their funds on these sites. In particular the issue is with payment processors who have been targeted by the DOJ in the recent crackdown. Some players feel they may have to deal with withdrawal issues down the road. Will I be able to get my money from these poker rooms in the near future? Will this poker site be the next victim of an online poker crackdown by the DOJ? These are just a few of the questions that online players from the US are asking themselves in the current online atmosphere.

One thing is for sure, the closure of Poker Stars, Full Tilt, Absolute and Ultimate Bet have had a drastic effect on how affiliates have been marketing online poker. Check out any of the major poker news reporting sites or poker authority sites and you will see that they are not pushing Poker Stars, Full Tilt and Ultimate Bet like they were before April 15th. Many of these sites do not have any advertising of the big three on their front pages and have moved to marketing sites which continue to accept new US players. These affiliates have clearly changed their marketing to capitalize on sites which players from the US can still play.

Many of these poker sites have relied on Poker Stars and Full Tilt in particular for a large amount of their income from online poker affiliate commissions. Now that they can not market to US players, they have decided to stop advertising these sites so aggresively. But are they doing the right thing? Are they missing out on traffic and conversions from players who are from international markets?

It seems that time will tell if these affiliates are moving in the right direction or not. For now, many sites will continue to promote brands like Cake Poker, Lock Poker, Carbon Poker and others which continue to take deposits from players in the US.

The question is will these millions of US players from Poker Stars, Full Tilt and Ultimate Bet seek out alternatives for playing poker online? Will the DOJ seize another online poker domain if they remain in the US market and become big like Poker Stars?

Feel free to leave a comment as we would like to hear any of your thoughts regarding this situation.

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Where Can I Play Poker Online if I am from the United States?

April 20th, 2011

With the recent developments in online poker, there are many online poker players from the Unite States who are looking for places to play.

I would like to start by quoting a lawyer in regard to the legal ramifications of playing poker online if you are from the US.

Here is the statement:

Players who use the sites can’t be prosecuted under federal law and the U.S. states that have laws against making bets rarely use them against “mere customers,” said I. Nelson Rose, an Encino, California-based consultant to governments and industry on gambling laws.

“I’d say there’s a probably a better chance that they’ll win the World Series of Poker than that they will be arrested,” Rose, who doesn’t work for any of the companies named in the indictment, said today in a phone interview.

With that being said, I believe there are still some good options for US based online poker players.

Doyle’s Room
One site that still accepts players from the United States is Doyle’s Room. This is the only site online where you can play against the legendary Doyle Brunson. They have a weekly bounty tournamet where you can win up to $25,000 for knocking out pro and celebrity bounties. The normal deposit bonus is 110% up to $500 but if you use our bonus code ULTIMATE you can get up to $600 free. I have been assured that Doyle’s Room will continue to accept US players. In addition, they have stated that deposits, transfers, and withdrawals will be processed normally.

Download Doyle’s Room

PDC Poker – Carbon Poker – Aced Poker
The network which includes PDC Poker, Carbon Poker and Aced Poker continue to accept players from the United States. Theses sites are known for having some of the best freeroll tournaments online. They are giving new players a 100% bonus up to $600. I have spoken with management at all these rooms and they have stated that they will continue to accept new signups from US based players. Also, they have said that deposits, transfers, and withdrawals are being processed as normal.

Download PDC Poker – Download Carbon Poker – Download Aced Poker

Cake Poker
Cake Poker has also stated that they will continue to accept new player signups from players residing in the United States. You can get a 110% bonus up to $600 on your first real money deposit. Cake Poker has told me that all funds from US players are safe. They will continue to process deposits, transfers and withdrawals for US players.

Download Cake Poker

Lock Poker
I have spoken with management at Lock Poker and they have said that it is business as usual. That means that they will continue to accept new signups from US based poker players. They have a huge bonus offer – 200% up to $1,200.

Download Lock Poker

Black Friday may have taken away PokerStars an Full Tilt, but dont panic. There are still options for playing poker online if you reside in the United States.

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2011 Caesars Palace Las Vegas WSOP Circuit Ring Event 2 Results

April 19th, 2011

2010/2011 World Series of Poker Circuit
Caesars Palace Las Vegas
Event #2
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $500 (+60)
Total Entries: 247
Total Prize Pool: $118,560
April 16-17, 2011

Official Results (Final):

1 Randy Huberty LA GRANGE, KY, US $29,047
2 Brian Hunt PEARLAND, TX, US $17,948
3 Brandon Bowyer CORONA, CA, US $12,967
4 Akio Ishii TOKYO, JAPAN $9,543
5 Barry Clapp CALGARY, AB, CANADA $7,149
6 Richard Jackson KEY WEST, FL, US $5,448
7 Raju Jawalekar LAS VEGAS, NV, US $4,221
8 Neil Webber AUSTIN, TX, US $3,323
9 Darren Michels HENDERSON, NV, US $2,658
10 Bryce Daifuku MERCER ISLAND, WA, US $2,159
11 Justin Oliver BARNHART, MO, USA $2,159
12 Jack Lo LOS ALTOS, CA, US $2,159
13 Tripp Kirk CHAMBLEE, GA, US $1,781
14 Matthew Hankins NEWNAN, GA, US $1,781
15 Simon Samano CULVER CITY, CA, US $1,781
16 David Miranda HOBBS, NM, US $1,491
17 Arthur Hinson ATLANTA, GA, US $1,491
18 James Hoeppner LAS VEGAS, NV, US $1,491
19 Jared Michelizzi BLAINE, MN, US $1,269
20 Danny Alvarez NEW YORK, NY, US $1,269
21 Scott Sitron HENDERSON, NV, US $1,269
22 Samuel Leckie GLASGOW, SCOTLAND $1,094
23 David Slowik LAS VEGAS, NV, US $1,094
24 Jonathan Persekian POWAY, CA, US $1,094
25 Robert Wofford PEORIA, AZ, US $958
26 Joshua Jumpp Calera, OK, US $958
27 Qui Ho NORTH CHARLESTON, SC, US $958

Randy Huberty Wins Gold Ring at Caesars Palace

Through First Two Events, WSOP Circuit Attendance Up 18 Percent Over Last Year

2011 Caesars Palace Las Vegas WSOP Circuit Ring Event 2 Winner Randy Huberty

2011 Caesars Palace Las Vegas WSOP Circuit Ring Event 2 Winner Randy Huberty

Las Vegas (April 17, 2011) – Poker may be more about skill than chance. But Randy Huberty is on a lucky streak.

The 54-year-old recreational poker player from Kentucky won the most recent World Series of Poker Circuit event, held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Huberty collected first place prize money totaling $29,047. He was also presented with his first WSOP Circuit gold ring, the ultimate prize awarded to all tournament champions.

Huberty’s success at the poker table aside, he was far more fortunate in the bigger game of life. He recently received a liver transplant. Huberty has been getting positive medical reports since then, and now appears well on the road to making a full recovery and living a healthy life. No doubt, Huberty was far more thrilled to win that “all-in” battle which took place in an operating room. But a WSOP Circuit win at Caesars Palace isn’t too shabby, either.

Huberty works as a construction supervisor. However, he is now semi-retired. Huberty came to Las Vegas on vacation earlier this week with his wife. He decided to enter this tournament after seeing the WSOP Circuit was being played during his stay at Caesars Palace. A casual decision to spend a day at the tables and a few lucky breaks in the tournament led to achieving his first major tournament victory.

To make the victory even sweeter, Huberty won in style. He made a big comeback when playing heads-up against a tough opponent named Brian Hunt. Huberty was behind in chips at one point by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. But just when his wife Shelley entered the poker room to cheer on her favorite poker player, Huberty raked in a huge pot and seized the chip lead. Two hands later, it was all over, with Huberty hugging his wife in celebration of the victory.

Following his triumph, Huberty called his son Andrew on his cell phone, who is enrolled at the University of Kentucky. He said his son could not have been prouder of his dad. Indeed, winning this tournament was a very special personal moment for the Huberty Family, who all share a piece of the gold ring symbolizing victory, made all the more poignant overcoming far more serious personal challenges.

Alas, Randy Huberty is a champion – in more ways than one.

Huberty won the $500 (+60) buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament, classified at Event #2. This was the second of ten official gold ring events at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. The total prize pool amounted to $118,560.  The top 27 finishers collected prize money.

Attendance for the first two events increased from last year. The field size of 247 players for Event #2 surpassed last year’s attendance figure (195 players) by 26 percent for the same event. Combined attendance for the first two events played at Caesars Palace is now at 695 players, which is up 18 percent over the first two tournaments played in 2010.

The tournament was played over two days.  After most of the starting field was eliminated on Day One, 18 survivors returned for Day Two action. It took a few hours to play down to the final ten.

Final table play began on a Sunday afternoon in the top section of the Caesars Palace Poker Room.  The finalists and their starting chip counts were as follows:

Seat 1: Neil Webber (Austin, TX) – 160,000 in chips        
Seat 2: Randy Huberty (La Grange, KY) – 420,000 in chips       
Seat 3: Akio Ishii (Tokyo, Japan) — 434,000 in chips       
Seat 4: Raju Jawalekar (Las Vegas, MV) – 159,000 in chips
Seat 5: Brian Hunt (Pearland, TX) – 445,000 in chips     
Seat 6: Brandon Bowyer (Murrieta, CA) – 379,000 in chips       
Seat 7: Bryce Daifuku (Las Vegas, NV) – 214,000 in chips
Seat 8: Richard Jackson (Key West, FL) – 409,000 in chips
Seat 9: Darren Michels (Henderson, NV) – 118,000 in chips
Seat 10: Barry Clapp (Calgary, AB Canada) – 238,000 in chips

Final table action began at 4 pm and ended at 10 pm.  Players were eliminated in the following order.

Tenth Place: Bryce Daifuku lasted about a half hour before busting out. He is a 25-year-old poker pro from Las Vegas. Daifuku previously worked in biochemistry research before pursuing the game full time. His previous tournament cashes include a win at the North American Poker Tour stop in Los Angeles, last year. He also cashed twice in last year’s WSOP in Las Vegas.

Ninth Place: Darren Michels made his first WSOP Circuit final table appearance. In fact, this was the first time he had entered a WSOP-related event. Unfortunately, he busted out after taking a bad beat. Michels is a 44-year-old poker from nearby Henderson, NV.

Eighth Place: Neil Webber, a 49-year-old software engineer from Austin, TX finished in eighth place. He has enjoyed a number of previous cashes in major tournaments, including quite a few in-the-money finishes in the Venetian Deep Stack series.

Seventh Place: The seventh-place finisher was Raju Jawalekar, from Las Vegas, NV. He is a Indian-born software developer. Jawalekar created and developed an iphone application called “PokerCruncher,” which is an advanced poker odds calculator.

Sixth Place:  Richard Jackson, a retiree from Key West, FL was the sixth-place finisher. He has cashed in a few other tournaments, including the Wynn Classic. Jackson was one of the early chip leaders, but went card dead at the worst time of the tournament and ended up with the mixed blessing of a middle of the pack finish.

Fifth Place:  Barry Clapp finished in fifth place. He is an attorney from Calgary, Alberta (Canada) who specializes in employment law. Clapp could applaud his fine effort in this tournament. He has now cashed nearly a dozen times in various tournaments played in Las Vegas the past year. Clapp also previously cashed in the Canadian Poker Championship, a few years ago.

Fourth Place:  Akio Ishii, who is visiting the U.S. from Japan, ended up as the fourth-place finisher. Had he won this tournament, he would have become only the second Japanese citizen in history to win a WSOP-related tournament. The first Japanese winner was Jaeik Cho, who earned his victory a few months ago at Caesars Atlantic City. Ishii is a 64-year-old businessman who cashed twice at the WSOP, both times occurring in the Seniors Championship.

Third Place:  Brandon Bowyer went from having a lot of chips to the rail within a relatively short time frame. He had a big stack, but lost nearly half of his chips when he ran into pocket aces. A short time later Bowyer moved all-in on a semi-bluff with a huge draw, but missed. Bowyer can be proud of the fact he has played in four WSOP Circuit events and has cashed in two of them. His fine effort in this tournament was good for $12,967 in prize money.

Second Place:  Brian Hunt finished as the runner up. The last ten minutes of the tournament were a nightmare for the 37-year-old pest control specialist from Pearland, TX. He appeared on his way to a victory. However, Hunt missed to big draws late and had to settle for a consolation prize amounting to $17,948.

Note: Hunt works for his company, “Hunt’s Pest Control.” He asked for a special plug in the official tournament report. Anyone with serious bug problems in the Houston area would be well advised to call upon Mr. Hunt.

When heads-up play began, the bug butcher enjoyed nearly a 3 to 1 chip advantage. The two finalists battled for only a short time. The first big hit took place when Hunt moved all-in on a straight draw, but missed. He lost to a pair of sevens. The final hand was dealt a short time later. The cards were played as follows:

Hunt – As 2h
Huberty – Ac Js
Flop – As Qd 7d
Turn – 6h
River – 7d

All the chips went in on after the flop.  Both players flopped top pair, but Huberty held the better kicker. Hunt bet out 70,000 in chips. Huberty re-raised all-in, which was called. Huberty had his opponent covered by about a 2 to 1 margin. The turn and river failed to improve Hunt’s hand. Huberty won the final pot of the tournament with a pair of aces, plus a jack kicker.

First Place: Randy Huberty became the latest WSOP Circuit champion. He received $29,047 for first place. Huberty earned his first major tournament victory and first WSOP Circuit gold ring. Huberty’s best previous showing was third place in a tournament played in Louisville, KY called the “Poor Boy Classic.” After his impressive win here in Las Vegas, one presumes Huberty will be ineligible to enter that same event next year.

Huberty joins yesterday’s winner Giuseppe Biancoviso at the top of the leaderboard as early point leaders in the Best-All Around race for the Caesars Palace series.  The player who accumulates the most overall points in the ten gold ring tournaments receives a pre-paid entry into the $1 million 2010-2011 WSOP Circuit National Championship, to be held at Caesars Palace Las Vegas, next month. At least two players from Caesars Palace will qualify for the WSOP gold bracelet event.

2010-2011 Caesars Palace Las Vegas WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

2011 Caesars Palace Las Vegas WSOP Circuit Ring Event 2 Final Results

There are eight more gold ring events remaining. The WSOP Circuit at Caesars Palace continues through April 30th.  This year’s schedule includes ten gold ring events, along with multiple second-chance tournaments, single table and mega satellites, plus cash games going around the clock inside the Caesars Poker Room.

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2011 Caesars Palace Las Vegas WSOP Circuit Ring Event 1 Results

April 19th, 2011

2010/2011 World Series of Poker Circuit
Caesars Palace Las Vegas
Event #1
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $300 (+50)
Total Entries: 448
Total Prize Pool: $129,065
April 15-16, 2011

Official Results (Final):

1 Giuseppe Biancoviso CATANIA, ITALY $28,398
2 Leonid Ryadynskyy KHARKOV, UKRAINE $17,546
3 Josh Evans PLANO, TX, US $12,821
4 George Ash CARMEL, CA, US $9,520
5 Scott Davies LAS VEGAS, NV, US $7,179
6 Dmitry Shamilov BROOKLYN, NY, US $5,494
7 Blake Kelso LAS VEGAS, NV, US $4,267
8 Phillip Dagger SIDNEY, BC, CA $3,361
9 Sheila Olsen JACKSONVILLE, FL, US $2,685
10 Michael Bernal TUCSON, AZ, US $2,173
11 Remilyn Nacionales Roseville, CA, US $2,173
12 Steven Lyons SPRING, TX, USA $2,173
13 Mark Muchnik HENDERSON, NV, US $1,784
14 Joseph Sena SAN DIEGO, CA, US $1,784
15 Randy Coble SAN ANTONIO, TX, US $1,784
16 Thomas Kougias LAS VEGAS, NV, US $1,484
17 Larry Rogers WARRENTON, MO, US $1,484
18 Karri Konga LAS VEGAS, NV, US $1,484
19 Gary Nanni HENDERSON, NV, USA $1,251
20 Gregory Chen CHICAGO, IL, US $1,251
21 Dimas Reyes SAN ANTONIO, TX, US $1,251
22 Wesley Lew SAN RAMON, CA, US $1,067
23 Nicholas Ivester CHARLOTTE, NC, US $1,067
24 Karl Fulde LAS VEGAS, NV, US $1,067
25 Eric Minjares SUGAR LAND, TX, US $923
26 Venerando Villarino LAS VEGAS, NV, US $923
27 Yousri Ali CHICAGO, IL, US $923
28 Allan Jacobi MORAGA, CA, US $808
29 Claudio Argese TORINO, ITALY $808
30 Connie Rockhill BLUFTON, SC, US $808
31 Michael Wexler BOYNTON BEACH, FL, US $716
32 Nicholas Caquette LEWISTON, ME, US $716
33 Carl Misera NATRONIC HEIGHTS, PA, US $716
34 LeRoy Wayman SALT LAKE CITY, UT, US $643
35 Michael Parizon CANTON, MI, US $643
36 Brett Schwertley OMAHA, NE, US $643
37 Min Ho So ORLANDO, FL, US $583
38 Manuel Siordia LOS ANGELES, CA, US $583
39 Daniel Halverson LAS VEGAS, NV, US $583
40 Jefferson Morrill NASHVILLE, TN, US $583
41 Joshua Harer PHOENIX, AZ, US $583
42 Neil Alcorn DALLAS, TX, US $583
43 Nathaniel Bedocs LAS VEGAS, NV, US $583
44 Jenny Wilson SEAL BEACH, CA, US $583
45 Doyle Packer ROUND ROCK, TX, US $583

Italy Defeats Ukraine in Caesars Palace Opener

Italian Giuseppe Biancoviso Tops Ukrainian Leonid Ryadynskyy in Heads-Up Play

WSOP Circuit First Event Attendance Up 16 Percent Over Last Year

2011 Caesars Palace Las Vegas WSOP Circuit Ring Event 1 Winner Giuseppe Biancoviso

2011 Caesars Palace Las Vegas WSOP Circuit Ring Event 1 Winner Giuseppe Biancoviso

Las Vegas (April 16, 2011) – It’s a small world. Who would have thought two non-English speaking Europeans who each traveled thousands of miles and came all the way to Las Vegas would end up at the final table together playing heads-up for a World Series of Poker Circuit gold ring?

That’s precisely what happened in the opening WSOP Circuit tournament held at famed Caesars Palace, located on the Las Vegas Strip.

It didn’t matter that more than 400 players, perhaps 95 percent of them Americans, constituted the field. In the end, the two poker players who had very likely traveled the greatest distances reaped the biggest rewards from the journey.

The tournament winner was Guiseppe Biancoviso, from Florence, Italy. He is originally from Catania, located on the island of Sicily. Biancoviso is a 28-year-old electrician. He plays poker part time. Biancoviso’s prior tournament experience is limited to a few events held last year at San Remo, which is part of the European Poker Tour (EPT).

Biancoviso dominated final table play. He busted out seven of the final nine opponents. First place paid $28,398 in prize money. Biancoviso was also presented with the coveted gold ring, the token prize awarded to all champions who win WSOP Circuit events.

All in all, for Biancoviso — it wasn’t a bad way to spend a holiday vacation. He came to Las Vegas for nine days, mostly to play poker with his friends. Following his WSOP Circuit victory, Biancoviso admitted he had not won much money while visiting. So, the victory was particularly sweet for both financial reasons and as a personal celebration.

Finishing in second place was Leonid Ryadynskyy, from Kharkov, Ukraine. This marked his second time to cash in a Las Vegas poker tournament. Unfortunately, Ryadynskyy didn’t have quite enough momentum to achieve victory. He nursed a healthy chip stack during much of the later stages of the tournament. However, the Ukrainian was not able to seriously threaten the cheap leaders, but did come away with a very respectable consolation prize amounting to $17,546.

Perhaps next time when an Italian and a Ukrainian want to compete for a WSOP title, they should save on the airfare. Maybe some neutral middle ground can be found to host poker’s battle of nations.

Then again, both players said afterward the experience was particularly memorable for one reason. It happened in Las Vegas. In this case, “what happens in Vegas” is certainly not going to stay in Vegas.

Biancoviso’s triumph came in a $300 (+50) buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament, classified at Event #1. This was the first of ten official gold ring events at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. The total prize pool amounted to $129,065.  The top 45 finishers collected prize money.

Attendance in the opener increased substantially from last year. The field size of 448 players surpassed last year’s attendance (384 players) by 16 percent, even though this buy-in was higher. Last year’s opener had a $200 buy-in.

The tournament was played over two days.  After most of the starting field was eliminated on Day One, 28 survivors returned for Day Two action. It took a few hours to play down to the final ten.

Final table play began on a Saturday afternoon in the top section of the Caesars Palace Poker Room.  The finalists and their starting chip counts were as follows:

Seat 1: Michael Bernal (Tucson, AZ) – 208,000 in chips        
Seat 2: Dmitry Shamilov (Brooklyn, NY) – 400,000 in chips      
Seat 3: Blake Kelso (Las Vegas, NV) – 841,000 in chips       
Seat 4: George Ash (Carmel, CA) – 361,000 in chips
Seat 5: Phil Dagger (Sidney, BC Canada) – 584,000 in chips     
Seat 6: Josh Evans (Plano, TX) – 525,000 in chips       
Seat 7: Giuseppe Biancoviso (Catania, Italy) – 533,000 in chips
Seat 8: Leonid Ryadynskyy (Kharkov, Ukraine) – 396,000 in chips
Seat 9: Scott Davies (Las Vegas, NV) – 341,000 in chips
Seat 10: Sheila Olsen (Jacksonville, NC) – 211,000 in chips

Final table action began at 5 pm and ended at 9:30 pm.  Players were eliminated in the following order.

Tenth Place: The first player eliminated was Michael Bernal, from Tucson, AZ. He arrived at the final table as the short stack and lasted about a half hour. Bernal, who works as a fireman on the Tucson Fire Department was extinguished in tenth place. Last year, he cashed twice at the WSOP in Las Vegas. This was his highest major tournament finish, to date.

Ninth Place: Sheila Olsen was the top female finisher in this event. The Indian-born part-time poker player from North Carolina went out with A-K which lost to A-Q (a queen flopped). She ended up in ninth place. This marked her first time to cash in a major poker tournament.

Eighth Place: Phil Dagger, who is originally from the UK and now resides in British Columbia (Canada), finished in eighth place. Dagger was stabbed through the heart when he took a bad beat on his final hand. This was his second time to cash in a WSOP Circuit event at Caesars Palace. Dagger took ninth place in an event played last year.

Seventh Place: Blake Kelso arrived at the final table as chip leader. In fact, he enjoyed a big lead over his closest rival when play began. But Kelso suffered a brutal cold deck late during his stay and ended up in seventh place. Kelso, a 28-year-old poker pro, has previously cashed in numerous tournaments around Las Vegas. This was his 13th time to cash in just the last six months. Kelso also took fifth place in last year’s Caesars Poker Classic Main Event.

Sixth Place:  Dmitry Shamilov, a currency trader from Brooklyn, NY ended up as the sixth-place finisher. Shamilov is originally from Russia. Shamilov won an event previously held at the Trump Taj Mahal, in Atlantic City. He is engaged to be married soon to his fiancé “Inna,” who he wished to credit for providing the inspiration to play well in the tournament and succeed away from the game, as well.

Fifth Place:  Scott Davies, a 30-year-old poker pro from Las Vegas. He earned a law degree a few years back, but soon discovered that he had no interest in being an attorney, even though he had passed the Florida Bar Exam and worked for a firm specializing in aviation law. Davies took a gamble instead and decided to play poker. So far, his investment has paid off. Davies has now been playing poker full time for about three years. He ended up finishing in fifth place in this tournament. Davies has numerous other cashes in tournaments, mostly in Nevada and California.

Fourth Place:  George Ash was the fourth-place finisher. He enjoyed a few nice cashes last year, including cashing in the 2010 Shooting Star Main Event. But this was his first occasion to cash in a WSOP-related tournament. Ash is an architect from Carmel, CA.

Third Place:  Josh Evans ended up in third place. He is a 26-year-old part-time poker player from Plano, TX which is in the Dallas area. Evans’ biggest career cash was a 76th-place finish in the 2007 WSOP Main Event, where he earned more than $100,000. Evans now has more than $200,000 in live tournament winnings. He cashed in two WSOP Circuit events held earlier this year, at Choctaw (in Oklahoma).

Second Place:  Leonid Ryadynskyy finished as the runner up. He is a 34-year-old part-time poker player from Kharkov, Ukraine. This marked his first time to cash in a WSOP-related tournament. His only other previous recorded tournament finish took place in a tournament held last year at the Venetian.

When heads-up play began, Biancoviso enjoyed nearly a 3 to 1 chip advantage. The two finalists battled for only a short time when the final hand was dealt. The card were played as follows:

Biancoviso – Js 7h
Ryadynskyy – As Jd
Flop – 8h 6h 5h
Turn – Kh
River – 9c

All the chips went in on after the flop.  Biancoviso had his opponent covered by more than a 2 to 1 margin. Biancoviso flopped a monster draw – which was an open-ended straight flush. However, Ryadynskyy had the lead with his ace high and was actually a slight favorite on the hand. Then, it all ended. The turn brought another heart, giving Biancoviso a flush. Since he did not have a heart, Ryadnyskyy was drawing completely dead. Biancoviso won the hand and the tournament with his king-high flush.

First Place: Giuseppe Biancoviso became the latest WSOP Circuit champion. He received $28,398 for first place. Biancoviso earned his first WSOP-related victory and first gold ring. This was the first time Biancoviso has cashed in a WSOP tournament.

Biancoviso rocketed to the top of the leaderboard as the early point leader in the Best-All Around race for the Caesars Palace series.  The player who accumulates the most overall points in the ten gold ring tournaments receives a pre-paid entry into the $1 million 2010-2011 WSOP Circuit National Championship, to be held at Caesars Palace Las Vegas, next month. At least two players from Caesars Palace will qualify for the WSOP gold bracelet event.

2010-2011 Caesars Palace Las Vegas WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

2011 Caesars Palace Las Vegas WSOP Circuit Ring Event 1 Results

There are nine more gold ring events remaining. The WSOP Circuit at Caesars Palace continues through April 30th.  This year’s schedule includes ten gold ring events, along with multiple second-chance tournaments, single table and mega satellites, plus cash games going around the clock inside the Caesars Poker Room.

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Where to Play Online Poker if you are from the United States

April 18th, 2011

We have been contacting various online poker rooms to get their reaction to the recent seizure of the PokerStars, Full Tilt and UB.com domains. Below are some statements that we have received so far.

Carbon Poker, PDC Poker and Aced Poker issued the following statement:

“To keep things short and to the point, – It’s business as usual around here!”

They have assured me that US based poker players funds are safe at any of these poker rooms. They have said that they are still letting US based players on real money poker tables. In addition, they have said that they are processing deposits, transfers and withdrawals for US based poker players.

Carbon Poker – PDC Poker – Aced Poker

Lock Poker has issued the following statement:

“Lock Poker is staying in the US market. US funds are safe at Lock. Deposits, transfers and withdrawals are all going as fast as usual.”

Lock Poker

Cake Poker has issued the following statement:

“Cake Poker is not a party to any ongoing US legal proceedings and it’s business as usual.”

Cake Poker

We are also waiting on statements from several other online poker rooms in regard to their policy on United States online poker players.

I have personally been playing on PDCPoker and have been able to play any real money game at their room. I have not tried to process a withdrawal since April 15th, but I will in the next several days. I will keep you updated on what is going on at PDCPoker.

We will have some additional information on this situation as soon as we receive new facts.

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UB.com Response in Reaction to Recent Seizure of Domain

April 16th, 2011

We have received a statement from our affiliate manager at UB.com:

Currently the information I have on the AP / UB situation is US players are blocked from registering and US players cannot make a deposit, withdraw or transfer from their accounts.

As for your affiliates links right now we are in the process of moving our affiliate links to a different server which will allow the affiliates and their current links to continue to be active and tracking to our new websites. www.absolutepoker.eu and www.ubpoker.eu. However, please note that US traffic will be blocked from registering.

We will keep you updated on this ongoing situation.

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PokerStars and Full Tilt Sites are Down – Options for US Online Poker Players

April 15th, 2011

In case you have not heard, today the FBI has seized several online poker site domains including PokerStars, FullTiltPoker, Absolute Poker and UB.com. When you try to visit these online poker sites you will receive a message from the Federal Bureau of Investigation stating that the domains have been seized.

For more information on this hot topic event, I recommend this article:

Online Poker’s Big Three Indicted – via PokerNews

If you can not play online poker at Full Tilt, Poker Stars, Absolute or UB.com, here are some options:

Carbon Poker
PDC Poker
Aced Poker
Cake Poker
Lock Poker
Doyle’s Room

Please join the Poker Players Alliance

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2011 Harrah’s St. Louis WSOP Circuit Main Event Final Results

April 13th, 2011

2010-2011 World Series of Poker Circuit
Season Seven
Harrah’s St. Louis
No-Limit Hold’em Main Event
Buy-In: $1,600
Total Entries: 449
Total Prize Pool: $646,762
April 10-12, 2011

Final Results:

1 Kyle Cartwright Bartlett, TN $142,290
2 Asheesh Boyapati Sterling, VA $87,927
3 Ronald Segni Ln, CA $64,249
4 Phillip Stelzer Columbia, MO $47,705
5 Troy Weber W Terre Haute, IN $35,973
6 Christopher Viox Glen Carbon, IL $27,533
7 Mitchell Franks Tupelo, MS $21,382
8 Steven Goff Secor, IL $16,842
9 Nick Jivkov Des Plaines, IL $13,453
10 Scott Carlson Green bay, WI $10,891
11 Yury Parad Chicago, IL $10,891
12 Samuel Ansley Colleyville, TX $10,891
13 Matthew Thornton Keokuk, IA $8,938
14 Gary Herstein Chicago, FL $8,938
15 Thomas Cronin St Peters, MO $8,938
16 Mark Koeln St Louis, MO $7,438
17 Lance Craig Grapevine, TX $7,438
18 Ryan Sponaugle Palm Harbor, FL $7,438
19 Douglas Winters St Louis, MO $6,267
20 Matthew Stern Rock Island, IL $6,267
21 Harris Paroya N Kansas City, MO $6,267
22 Terry Stuhldreher St Charles, MO $5,349
23 Kelly Johnson Louisburg, Ks $5,349
24 Samuel Devers Fenton, MO $5,349
25 Gaetano Mondello Chesterfield, MO $4,624
26 Daniel Chambers St Louis, MO $4,624
27 Steve Galey Petersburg, IN $4,624
28 Dylan Thomassie Champaign, IL $4,049
29 Brett Schwertley Omaha, NE $4,049
30 David Schaarf Maryland Hts, MO $4,049
31 Brandon Steven Wichita, KS $3,590
32 Cory Drury Florissant, MO $3,590
33 Aaron Massey Elmwood, IL $3,590
34 Johnathan Dahlberg St Charles, MO $3,221
35 William Blood Excelsior Spgs, MO $3,221
36 Gary Lucht Cissna Park, IL $3,221
37 Clayton Hamm Yorkville, IL $2,923
38 Nadezhda Magnus Palatine, IL $2,923
39 Christopher Juul Kansas City, MO $2,923
40 Gary Schaan St Louis, Mo $2,923
41 J. Austin Hijar St. Louis, MO $2,923
42 David Potter Ballwin, MO $2,923
43 Gregory McCurry Prospect, KY $2,923
44 Timothy Hebert Maurice, LA $2,923
45 Todd Bartlett Dallas City, IL $2,923

Kyle Cartwright Wins Championship Main Event at Harrah’s St. Louis

Picks up Third Gold Ring since Playing in First Live Tournament in February

Cartwright Clinches Seamless Victory in Four-Hour Final Table Whirlwind

2011 Harrah's St. Louis WSOP Circuit Main Event Winner Kyle Cartwright

2011 Harrah's St. Louis WSOP Circuit Main Event Winner Kyle Cartwright

Back in February with the encouragement of friends and just $2,000 to his name, 23-year-old online poker player Kyle Cartwright decided to make a go at the live tournament circuit.

The decision would soon prove to be one the best choices that the University of Memphis graduate had ever made. Just 100 days later, Cartwright is a three-time World Series of Poker Circuit champion and has parlayed that initial $2k investment into over $200,000 in WSOPC earnings.

Cartwright, who back in February accomplished the astounding feat of winning two consecutive WSOPC Gold Rings in only his third and fourth-ever live tournaments, picked up a third gold ring playing in only his 12th live tournament in the Harrah’s St. Louis World Series of Poker Circuit Main Event Championship.

For the win, Cartwright booked the largest score of his budding career – $142,290.

Cartwright started day two near the bottom of the leader board but after building up a healthy stack with the help of a good run of cards, the 23-year-old University of Memphis graduate turned up the aggression to distance himself even further from the pack.

“After that first day, Sam Barnhart (the Tunica Main Event Champion) told me how he started day two with around the same amount of chips and he gave me confidence,” said Cartwright.

“That really helped me a lot going into day two.”

The $1,600 buy-in event drew 449 players, generating a total of $646,762, the largest poker tournament prize pool in Missouri state history.

Greg Raymer, Dennis Phillips, Dwyte Pilgrim and TJ Cloutier were among the notables who competed in the three-day event.

Raymer, who went to high school in St. Louis and graduated with a degree in chemistry from the University of Missouri-Rolla, took to the mic just before day one play began to share a few words with the players and make the announcement to shuffle up and deal.

A barrage of day one eliminations which included Pilgrim and Cloutier left 92 players bagging up their chips for the night and returning for day two play which began promptly at noon CST. Raymer and Phillips were among the survivors along with WSOPC veterans Mark “Pegasus” Smith and John “Cowboy” Land.

Unfortunately, all four men saw their exit on day two before the money bubble burst shortly after 4pm.

Harris Paroya of Lee’s Summit, MO started day two atop the leaderboard, but was eliminated late in the day finishing in 21st.

The final nine players resumed day three play just after 1:00 pm CST with Cartwright holding nearly a third of the chips in play to start the day. In less than four hours, it would all be over.

Name Hometown Seat Chip Count
Kyle Cartwright Bartlett, TN 1 2,875,000
Mitch Franks Tupelo, MS 2 460,000
Nick Jivkov Des Plaines, IL 3 206,000
Ron Segni El Cajon, CA 4 983,000
Asheesh Boyapati Sterling, VA 5 1,138,000
Chris Viox Glen Carbon, IL 6 346,000
Troy Weber West Terre Haute, IN 7 1,000,066
Steve Goff Eureka, IL 8 1,270,000
Phil Stelzer Columbia, MO 9 637,000

Eliminations took place in the following order:

Ninth Place
With blinds and antes at 15,000/30,000 Nick Jivkov moved his short stack all-in UTG with [Ah][9s] and was called by Ron Segni with pocket sevens. The board was dealt out [5d][6c][6h][3c][4h], giving the pot to Segni and sending Jivkov to the rail in ninth. Jivkov is a former logistics company owner who now plays poker for a living. The 32-year-old married father of two collected $13,453 for ninth.

Eighth Place
Steve Goff got it all-in on the button with pocket deuces vs. Cartwright, who tabled [Ac][Kh]. Goff remained ahead after a [Td]Qc][7h] flop and [5s] turn, but the river was disaster – [Kd] and his tournament run was over. Goff is a 25 years old from Euerka, IL. Eighth place paid $16,842.

Seventh Place
A short while after Goff’s exit, Mitch Franks moved all-in, running his pocket tens into Phil Stelzer’s pocket kings. The jack-high board was no help to either player, sending Franks on his way to collect seventh place prize money. Franks is a 41-year-old engineer from Tupelo, MS. He is a married father of three and an avid fan of Mississippi State University athletics. For his seventh place finish, Franks took home $21,382.

Sixth Place
The final table exodus continued when Chris Viox found himself all-in for his tournament life in a race situation with Cartwright after showing A-Q to Cartwright’s pocket nines. The nines held steady through a king-high flop and blanks on the turn and river, moving Cartwright up to over 4.7 million in chips and sending Viox to the payout table to collect $27,533 for sixth.

Viox is a 35-year-old poker player and investor from Glen Carbon, IL. The married father of two placed third in the 2008 $1,500 buy-in Razz event. For his performance at the Harrah’s St. Louis Main Event he pocketed $27,533.

Fifth Place
With blinds now at 20,000/40,000, Troy Weber would be the fifth place finisher. All in with pocket fives vs. Asheesh Boyapati’s [Ah][Jd], Weber was outflopped after a spread of [Kd][Js][3d]. Weber stayed behind after a [9d] turn and [7h] river, and his Main Event was finished. Weber is a 40-year-old salesman from West Terre Haute, IN. He has numerous previous circuit event cashes with his latest one worth $35,973.

Fourth Place
It was another all-in coin flip after Segni opened for 125,000 with pocket sixes only to see Stelzer move all-in over the top with [As][Kd]. Segni made the call for his tournament life and the two went heads up to an 8-9-K flop. It appeared that Segni would be going home, but after the [6c] fell on the turn, Stelzer was drawing dead and was left crippled. He was eliminated by Boyapati a few hands later.

With his fourth place finish, Stelzer overtook the current all-around points leader at Harrah’s St. Louis, Jordan Drummond to claim the title of Casino Champion and earn an automatic seat to the WSOP Circuit National Championship to be held in May at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. Stelzer is a 69-year-old grandfather of 12 children who began playing poker in 1950 for baseball cards. Stelzer’s fourth place finish earned him $47,705.

Third Place
Segni was soon all-in for just over a million in chips with [As][Ts] and was called by Cartwright who showed [Ad][Kh]. Segni fell farther behind after a flop of [Ac][Kc][2d] , where he stayed after the [2c] and [3d] fell on the turn and river. Segni is a contractor from El Cajon, CA and has a son and daughter both in college with his wife of 26 years. His $64,249 third place prize will hopefully be enough to keep the kids enrolled for another year.

Second Place
Heads up play began at about 4:30 pm with Cartwright at more than a 3-1 chip lead over Boyapati. Play lasted only a few hands before Boyapati moved all-in with [8h][5c] after Cartwright made it 110,000 to go pre-flop. Cartwright made the call, showing [Kd][Qs] and after a final board of [2d][Jd][Td][Tc][3s], Cartwright was declared the winner.

For second place, Boyapati took home a healthy $87,927 in prize money. Boyapati is a 25-year-old software engineer from Sterling, VA. He is a recreational poker player who picked up the game just last year.

Harrah’s St. Louis’ 2010/2011 Main Event Champion was awarded $142,290 and his third WSOP Circuit Gold Ring.

“I feel like I have a small advantage for some reason. I’m not sure how to explain it but I think I do,” said Cartwright about his phenomenal run over the last hundred days.

This was the second year that the World Series of Poker Circuit Events has come to Harrah’s St. Louis. Tournament organizers have deemed this year’s series to be an overall success with increases over last year’s attendance and prize pools. This year’s opening event saw a 20% increase in attendance over 2010.

2010-2011 Harrah’s St. Louis WSOP Circuit Events Schedule and Results

2011 Harrah’s St. Louis WSOP Circuit Main Event Final Results

The next stop on the 2010/2011 World Series of Poker Circuit Event schedule is Caesars Palace Las Vegas. The sixteen-day event runs from April 14 through April 30th.

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