A hand from the Ballys Las Vegas World Series of Poker Circuit Championhip between Thang “Kido” Pham and J.C. Tran. Pham and Tran would eventually go on to take first and second, respectively, winning $453,456 and $251,920 for their efforts, outlasting a final table stacked with the likes of Lee Watkinson, Joe Hachem, and Scotty Nguyen.
Hevad Khan during the 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event
Watching his performance all these years later still makes me want to go out and stab the first vagrant I see. Khan defines the word “obnoxious”–bolded, italicized, and underlined–with the full-body seizures he called his post-hand celebrating. His “oohs” and “aahs” as he mimicked a gorilla, or yelling “BULLLLLLLDOOOOZZZZEERRRRRR” then doing his tubby little mad man shuffle, saw me clenching my fists harder than I would have around my door handles staring down the impending head-on collision of a Mac truck. If the Mississippi River was the line for this self-proclaimed funny man’s behavior, Khan crossed it into Alaska. It was arguably the most egregious table display of any televised poker broadcast and a perfect example of how sometimes, people aren’t laughing with you but at you.
His behavior was so notorious that a new rule was enacted the following year to prevent copycat douchebaggery:
“Excessive celebration through extended theatrics, inappropriate behavior, or physical actions, gestures, or conduct may be subject to penalty. Any player that engages a member of the tournament staff during the celebration or utilizes any property of Harrah’s will be penalized in accordance with Rules No. 31 and/or 51. Harrah’s property includes but is not limited to chairs, tournament tables, and stanchions.”
One of his random tablemates said it best: “Just act normal, OK?” Let’s find a nice, soft patch of land behind the ol’ tool shed, right next to where Old Yeller resides, and toss Khan’s 15 minutes of fame deep down into a hole to never be heard from again.
Scotty Nguyen during the 2008 $50k H.O.R.S.E. World Championship
A man whom many pros considered to be one of the greatest to play the game, Chip Reese died on December 4, 2007 due complications with pneumonia. It seemed only fitting that a year after winning the inaugural $50k H.O.R.S.E. tourney just months before his untimely passing, the event was renamed in his honor and the “David ‘Chip’ Reese Memorial Trophy” was to be presented to the winner (the trophy is now handed out at the $50k Poker Player’s Championship after the sudden decline of the H.O.R.S.E. event).
What better way to honor one of your well-respected and beloved peers in the wake of his absence? Make a complete ass of yourself as you drunkenly belittle the remaining players at the final table and defecate on his memory in the process. While not so much obnoxious as it was graceless and an atrocious display of character and tact, Scotty Nguyen, the “Prince of Poker”, looked more like a serf tending to the horse’s stables. It was a performance that would have even seen the words “ridiculous” and “embarrassing” stop returning his calls.
It all started with a spark, provided when young gun Michael DeMichele irked all the old poker pro gatekeepers with his giddy demeanor, excessive celebrating, and questionable plays which made more enemies than friends when it looked like he slow-played Barry Greenstein and misread his winning flush against Huck Seed, telling him he had two pair. While his youthful exuberance was certainly trying on the patience of all that played witness, even it could not prepare us for Nguyen’s televised train wreck.
The compound interest of a botched 11th place finish in the 2007 Main Event, fleeting luck in his hands, a few too many cocktails, and DeMichele’s behavior turned that spark into a structural fire that would go on to burn down 10 city blocks, when Nguyen proceeded to turn his anger on the twentysomething, with a bombardment like a verbal Pearl Harbor. But it didn’t end there.
Nguyen, who saw his luck turn in several hands with well-respected Erick Lindgren, then turned the onslaught in his direction, continuing his drunken Jekyll and Hyde act and further shaming the glistening legacy of Chip Reese.
His classiest moment came when he finally shut up after winning the event, the $1,989,120, and the Chip Reese trophy, which immediately needed to be washed and polished to remove the tarnish from Nguyen’s shame. While the nearly $2 million was certainly undeserved, onlookers could take solace in the fact that it was just the steep price Nguyen paid for his televised personality suicide. If I was DeMichele or Lindgren though, I would have grabbed him by his Jerry curls in the parking lot and put his face all-in through the pavement.
“I knew him for 35 years, I never saw him get mad or raise his voice,” said Doyle Brunson to The Associated Press following Reese’s passing. “He had the most even disposition of anyone I’ve ever met. He’s certainly the best poker player that ever lived.”
Touching sentiment that makes this somehow even harder to watch:
Phil Hellmuth during anything
The name speaks for itself. One part accomplished no-limit hold’em player, one part 12-year-old temper tantrum, and all narcissist, his antics are that laughable, pathetic, “make you feel better about yourself” sort of disgraceful. His lack of respect for other players, for the game, and for himself have produced a highlight reel of some of humanity’s worst moments. The rants about Europeans, the progressively awful entrances at the WSOP Main Event, the insults about people not even being able to spell “poker”–Hellmuth knowns no bounds and makes everyone around him feel better about themselves every time he speaks. It’s all been said and done about “The Poker Brat”, a horse that’s been beaten so many times that if I went in depth about his antics again, PETA may begin to publicly boycott this blog.
Nobody knows poker like Phil Hellmuth, who would be the first and only person to tell you that. He also knows overweening, shame, and self-importance better than anyone else, too.
With Peter Eastgate’s World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event championship bracelet reaching $147,500 on eBay at the closing bell, it seems as though he’s started a trend in the poker world.
Paul “Eskimo” Clark is a name that hasn’t been muttered since the WSOP broadcasts back in 2002-2003. He is a three-time bracelet winner, with victories held in the 1997 $5000 Stud Limit 7 Card Stud, the 1999 $1500 Razz, and the 2002 $1500 Limit 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo events. With $2,695,439 in tourney winnings over the decades of his pro status, words like “how?” and “why?” are all that you’re left with looking back at his career.
The eBay auction is a listing for his Razz bracelet, which he bested a field of 141 players to gain. The item’s current location is Ireland, a magical, far away land that apparently saw Eskimo placing his gold in the pot at the end of the rainbow rather than taking it. From this alone, we can deduce that the bracelet is likely years removed from his ownership and that the seller is of no obvious relation.
As is evidenced by its incredibly underwhelming presentability, the bracelet was years before the poker boom created a monster and had respectable jewelry to match the now universally accepted Vegas accomplishment. A side-by-side comparison of eBay auctions with Eastgate’s Main Event bracelet to Eskimo’s Razz is like comparing a Picasso to a child’s Paint by Number. Albeit wins of different calibers, it’s amazing what a difference a couple years make.
Aside from his three bracelets and first and second place finishes at World Poker Tour events, Eskimo’s real claim to fame is his introduction of Badugi to American poker, a three card draw lowball variant. Heavily popular in Korea and Vietnam, Eskimo took the premise with him back to the high stakes Las Vegas card rooms after discovering it while enlisted in the military. It isn’t known when exactly the mixed-game was invented, but it has never been refuted that its introduction to western culture is due wholly to Eskimo.
Sadly though, there’s a thin line between “donating to charity” and “flat broke”. Actually, scratch that–there’s a line the size of a swelling fire hose between the two, and it’s safe to assume that a name as faded as the Goo Goo Dolls is just another pro down on his luck. Eskimo is in all likelihood another T.J. Cloutier story, that of a man who’s vices away from the felt in a town that chews up credit lines was spit out soulless and face down in the gutter. As soon as the savings account reaches meth head status, the kneejerk reaction is to pawn off your valuables to fuel your fix, which is sad when it’s something as prestigious as a WSOP bracelet. Some people will go their entire lives falling short of attaining one, but to Eskimo, it was just another item with a price .
Tom “durrr” Dwan and Barry Greenstein battle for a $548,700 pot, the second largest in High Stakes Poker History.
As poker keeps evolving, more than a few players are turning towards poker coaching as a means of getting better. And while we all know that getting a second opinion on our game could be very helpful, most of us don’t have several hundred dollars a month to throw at poker coaches. So does this mean coaching is totally out of your budget?
Fortunately, the answer is ‘no.’ In fact, there are a couple of affordable ways for lower bankroll players to receive the coaching that they desperately need. The first and most common way is to receive an online coaching session or two (as opposed to actually meeting with the coach). With an online session, you’ll have to use an instant messenger service to communicate with the coach and find out where the leaks are in your game. Some coaches might even have you use a service like TeamViewer where the coach can actually see your screen. Depending on how long the session(s) is, you might only end up paying $100 or $200 for some great coaching advice.
Another option for getting affordable coaching advice to enter a staking agreement where you hand over a certain percentage of your profits in exchange for coaching (usually 50%). This is definitely a good idea for those who can’t get over the hump, yet need some coaching advice. However, the drawback is that your agreement could turn you into an indentured servant depending on how long the coach is allowed to keep taking profits.
In any case, both of these methods at least allow you to get some important poker coaching if you’re worried about the effect that it will take on your wallet. Just make sure that you find a knowledgeable coach who commonly plays the same poker format that you do.
The Asian Poker Tour recently just came through Macau, China for it’s 2010 stop on the circuit. Not an impressive story by any means. The impressive part were Macau’s cash games, which saw some of the world’s premier high stakes players, including Phil Ivey, Tom “durrr” Dwan, John Juanda, and Chau Giang, battling for their share of the endless wealth of the local Chinese businessmen.
First reported by world renowned tournament director Matt Savage, the action has been chronicled on the Two Plus Two Poker Forum and is the stuff of legend, giving new definition to the words “big game”. Forum user “Stella Yeh”, who was confirmed to be the Marketing Director at the Poker King Club card room at the StarWorld Casino (home to a significant portion of the epic sessions), submitted the following post:
How it went down:
Blinds: $10,000, $20,000HKD blinds, $10,000 Ante/person
There was a straddle of $40,000 HKD.
Chinese guy: bumps it up to $100,000HKD (with Ace, Jack)
Chau Giang: raises to $500,000HKD (with Ace, Ace)
Chinese guy: calls ….(everyone else folds) it’s now heads up
Flop comes out: J, J, 10
Chau Giang: Checks (two pair, aces and jacks)
Chinese guy: bets $1.2 million (with trip Jack’s, ace kicker)
Chau Giang: Calls
Turn: Ace ( WOW, Chau Giang has now made a Full house Aces over Jacks….While Chinese Guy has Full house Jacks over Aces)
When translated into US Dollars, the hand was worth $2.58 million, an absolutely massive pot that stands as a testament to the action that has been seen day in and day out for the past two weeks. If not the largest, it was certainly one of the most notable hands.
While the aforementioned hand lined Giang’s pockets handsomely, rumor has it that it is Dwan who was the biggest winner at the tables (see picture). Originally down over $20 million HKD, he apparently rocketed back to over $62 million HKD, roughly $7.99 million US, the end result of a 15 hour heads-up marathon session.
Play has all but ended, with Ivey headed back to the states up on his visit and with Dwan taking time away from the tables to vacation across the rest of Asia, most likely to find a prospective third world nation to purchase with his winnings.
Tony G, the brash, loud-mouthed Australian poker pro that makes Phil Hellmuth look like Hanson has been chronicling his next poker related investment on his blog. It’s not a blind in the big game or a $10,000 tourney entry. It’s his first World Series of Poker bracelet, the easy way.
In a blog entry from November 17th, Tony announced his plans to be the winning bidder for Peter Eastgate’s WSOP Main Event bracelet eBay auction. The illustrious, diamond-studded wristwear of a champion will now become the lavish address collar for a dog. Not just any dog–Tony’s German Shepherd Zasko.
“What am I going to do with Peter’s bracelet? Well, the plan is to get it adapted into a special collar for my trusted German Shepherd Zasko. The ultimate dog bling – as my gladiator and protector he deserves to be kitted out in such style. You may not think I am serious, but I am deadly serious – my dog is going to be wearing the Great Dane Eastgate’s bracelet – mark my words.”
It only took a couple of days for bids to exceed Tony’s initial maximum of $17,500 and for the proverbial lid to come off. As a man that never backs down–on the table or off–what Tony wants, Tony gets.
“I have just looked at e-bay [sic] and seen the price has dramatically risen from $17,500 to $50,000. Didn’t I tell you to not touch my blinds, don’t touch my bling and under no circumstances never ever mess with Zasko? Do you listen? Do you want me to call the clock on you all now? Carry on bidding, this bracelet is going to go for six figures. I respect Zasko too much to not pay what it takes but I do have limits. For $2 million I could buy him his own private jet!”
As we had previously posted, Eastgate is auctioning off his 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event bracelet for UNICEF, a United Nations charity aimed at helping feed and educate underprivileged children. It is a noble decision that helps further remove Eastgate from his poker lifestyle, having declared his retirement from the game earlier this year.
“Zasko and I spoke to the Great Dane Peter Eastgate on the phone and the only thing I would really like with the bracelet is for Zasko to become a global UNICEF ambassador. He can join the likes of Roger Moore, David Beckham, Roger Federer and Lionel Messi. Hell, even Ricky Martin is an ambassador so if he can, Zasko can.”
The auction (seen here) is already at $56,700, and with over three days left, is sure to climb well into six-figures, a price tag Tony’s swelling pride is sure to afford and one that puts cats eating out of crystal glasses in Fancy Feast commercials to shame.
As great of a game as poker is, there are few movies that do it justice. Okay, basically there’s like one movie that does it justice (Rounders), and some decent older movies that few people in this generation have ever heard of (The Cincinnati Kid, High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story, A Big Hand for the Little Lady).
So at this point, I’m not expecting much from the new movie that Brad Pitt will be starring in called “Cogan’s Trade” just based on previous results. Even still, I guess it’s worth mentioning the plot.
Pitt is a mob enforcer who’s sent to investigate a high stakes poker game that got robbed right under the mob’s nose. Not a whole lot of details are known on the movie, but some of the actors’ names being thrown around include Casey Affleck, Mark Ruffalo, Javier Bardem and Sam Rockwell. The director is going to be Andrew Dominik, who has directed “Chopper” and “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.”
I’m already skeptical as to how much of the high stakes poker game this movie will show, and how much of it will be about Pitt diving through the air with two guns in his hands trying to re-create Mr. Smith. Anyways, if you want a loosely-based preview of the movie, maybe you should check out the novel that this film is based on.
And another thing, when is the online poker movie with Leonardo DiCaprio set to come out? I heard about this film in the middle of last year, and not a word has been said about it since. Are they still doing it? I sure hope so because this movie sounds even more interesting than Rounders since it involves DiCaprio as an obsessed online poker player, and the film is supposed to take a look into the actual industry. Maybe we’ll finally get to see it in 2012 or 2013….
While they were decided months ago back in July, ESPN’s regular season broadcast of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) culminated earlier this evening with the televised unveiling of the 2010 November Nine. The nine remaining players are all that remain standing out of the original field of 7,319, a turnout second only to the 2006 Main Event turnout and its 8,773 registrants. All of the players who made this year’s final table are already guaranteed $811,823, their share of a staggering $68,798,600 prize pool.
The payouts are as follows:
Every year, the players who traverse the largest field in poker never cease to amaze me, with one always seemingly being luckier than anyone should ever be allowed to be in life and somehow managing to outdo the Jamie Golds and Jerry Yangs and Joe Cadas of poker. Potential candidates included Soi Nguyen, who is playing in only his forth tourney and didn’t know what “the button” was until a dealer explained it to him. There’s Filippo Candio, who made a terrible play into pocket aces and ran runner runner straight for his tourney life to earn himself 20 million in chips at the time. But this year, that glaring luckbox who exceedingly defies all logic with his unbelievable ability to win with the worst of it is Jonathan Duhamel.
Duhamel is a Canadian pro that was down to 10 big blinds. You could tell by the sounds of both Norman Chad and Lon McEachern”s voices when they showed him short-stacked and all-in earlier in the tourney that it wouldn’t be the last time you saw him in front of this year’s cameras. He now sits atop a throne of just under 66 million chips he has built with crushed souls while defying all laws of logic and reason in the process. Below are the chip counts for him and his tablemates:
In what was easily the grossest (and the largest) beat of the entire tourney, top contender Matt Affleck’s pocket aces were cracked by the pocket jacks of Duhamel for an over 42 million chip pot, after calling Affleck’s all-in on a 10-7-9-Q board. Television cameras condensed the hand down into the span of a minute, but Duhamel’s decision alone to call the all-in on the turn took him in upwards of five minutes to call before it reached the editing room. Those of you familiar with 2009′s coverage will remember Affleck domineering his way into a commanding chip lead early on in the tourney, maintaining steady momentum up until his monumental implosion and stacking off to a bluff gone bad in 80th place. He returned this year only to see another fantastically deep run snuffed out before his eyes in 15th place when the 8 came on the river. I almost wanted to cry for him.
From left: Jason Senti, Joseph Cheong, John Dolan, Jonathan Duhamel, Michael Mizrachi, Jack Effel--WSOP Tournament Director, Matthew Jarvis, John Racener, Filippo Candio, Soi Nguyen
The main theme though of this year’s WSOP can be summed up with one word: Mizrachi. After winning his first bracelet at the WSOP Player’s Championship along with the illustrious first place prize of $1,559,046, “The Grinder” would go on to final table both the $10,000 WSOP 7 Card Stud and the Limit Hold’em Championships. Making history with his three brothers–Eric Mizrachi, Daniel Mizrachi, and Robert Mizrachi–in being the first family to collectively make the money bubble at the Main Event, Michael then goes on to final table it, pushing back from the brink of elimination multiple times in last night’s broadcast. Sitting currently in 7th, a win will tie him with current 2010 Player of the Year front runner Frank Kasella, as well as earn him the most impressive feat to ever be accomplished in the history of the WSOP.
Play resumes this Saturday (November 6th) at the Penn and Teller Theater at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and will continue until heads-up play has been decided. The two finalists will then reconvene on Tuesday (November 9th) to determine the 2010 WSOP Main Event Champion. Coverage will air later that evening on ESPN after hours of play are whittled down into a few major hands. Check your local listings.
Poker charities are all the flutter nowadays, so much so that even the World Series of Poker (WSOP) hosts its own with the “Ante Up for Africa” event. What better way to raise money for a good cause than giving contributors a fail-safe fun time in the form of something that isn’t a PBS tote bag or smooth jazz CD compilation. Randy Couture agrees.
The third annual “Operation All In” takes place at 8 p.m. on October 30th. All proceeds benefit the Xtreme Couture G.I. Foundation, a non-profit organization which helps raise money and awareness for soldiers and their families affected by the war against terror. The 2 p.m. start time kicks off the $225 buy-in tourney, which features $100 rebuys and a $10,000 first place prize, with the subsequent top 20 places paying out in sponsored product prizes. Players not making the money will be strapped down to a theater seat with no popcorn or soda and subjected to The Expendables without pause or interruption.
For those unfamiliar with the man behind the philanthropy, Randy “The Natural” Couture is a bona fide Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) superstar and multiple time UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion. He is no stranger to dedication himself for his country, having served in the 101st Airborne Division prior to his Hall of Fame accomplishments in the UFC.
Already confirmed for the event are Xtreme Couture fighters Tyson Griffin, Ryan Couture, Martin Kampmann (fresh off a unanimous decision loss to Jake Shields at UFC 121), Gray Maynard (who fights current lightweight champ Frankie Edgar at UFC 125 on New Years Day), Jason Ron, Ray Sefo, Mike Pyle, and John Alessio. Familiar faces from late-night poker cash game and WSOP reruns making their Vegas rounds include the likes Howard Lederer, Andy Bloch, Layne Flack, Gavin Smith, Perry Friedman, Antonio Esfandiari, Todd Brunson, Nick and Michael Binger, Dutch Boyd, Lacey Jones, Matt Savage, and Bryan Micon.
Your tourney entry also grants you admission to the inaugural Randy Couture Halloween Bash at the Gold Digger nightclub. Tickets at the door are $25, and no, wearing an Affliction graphic tee and detailing fake barbwire and dragon tattoos on your arms won’t score you any points with this crowd in the Halloween costume contest.
At CarbonPoker, gaming security and integrity is extremely important. We maintain a high standard of advanced encryption to ensure all of our games and features meet the expectations and interest of our players. All player and game information is protected to the highest degre.
