Fun and games… and song expected at 2008 WSOP
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Created:
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6/26/2008 5:14:07 PM
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26 June 2006. The world’s first ever poker musical, is set to make its debut at the 2008 WSOP. A special preview of this one-hour concert, will be screened on the 3rd of July for all “VIP’s; luminaries and the media” at the Masquerade Theatre at the Rio in Las Vegas, and two more shows will be held on the 4th and the 5th of July.
Produced by Tim Molyneux, with the support of WSOP and Phil Helmuth in particular, the show features 9 characters that illustrate the core values of true poker players, how that reflects on the game of life, and the songs are riddled with poker quotes and analogies. As told by Phil Helmuth: “"Through the lyrics of the songs and style of music, we see not only who these final nine players are, but we are able to see ourselves, our
families, and our world."
Molyneux is an internationally acclaimed director and creator of a number of large-scale production shows, and has worked with big names in the entertainment industry, including the likes of Dolly Parton and Playboy and he is currently also featured on the Lifetime Channel and on E! Entertainment Television.
Described as fast-paced, witty, sexy and fun, the show will relive a variety of music styles, pop, rock, country, the blues, jazz and musical broadway theatre- all chosen carefully to enhance and compliment the poker theme. "The game of poker is metaphor for the game of life," said Jeffrey Pollack, WSOP commissioner. "Now one man's vision and creativity will show us just how close they really are in this special concert.”
So for fun, games and well.. song of a different kind at the 2008 WSOP, look out for this groundbreaking musical! For more interesting snippets and news of what’s what at the 2008 WSOP, keep your eye on this spot!
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Event 37 set to start today at WSOP
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Created:
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6/19/2008 12:46:44 PM
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Event 37, World Championship Omaha Hi-Low Split - 8 or better, is set to strat today at 5pm (Vegas time). It will be taking place at the Rio. The first day will see eight levels of play, with a very similar field to last year. WSOP organisers are expectig a turnout of approximately 280 players.
Defending champion, John Guth, walked away with a sizeable $363,216 last year - let's see if he can do it again.
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Cyril Jassinowsky performs at WSOP
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Created:
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6/19/2008 12:28:16 PM
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3 Piggs Poker regular Cyril Jassinowsky performs at 2008 WSOP.
2008 WSOP Event # $10,000 Limit Hold'em World Championship drew a strong field of 218 players, comprising the ELITE of the poker scene, including big names to the likes of JC Tran; Andy Bloch and Eric Buchman. But it was one of our local players, 3 Piggs Poker regular Cyril, aka Cy, Jassinowsky that made it to that final table! Seated at the final table with him, were: Andy Bloch; Rob Hollink; Tommy Hang; Jerrod Ankenman; Chris Vitch; Brock Parker; J.C. Tran and Aaron Katz. Cy held it up brilliantly, and it was only during the 64th hand of the final play, that he was finally eliminated in the 8th place, cashing in a substantial $66,599!
This is how the action went down during his last hand of the tournament: Leading it out from the button was Andy Bloch, with Rob Hollink bumping it to three bests from the small blind. Tommy Hang then continued the action, by making it four bets. Cy called, going all in with his R40,000 chips. Bloch then folded, but Rob made the call. Kc 6d 9c came on the flop, Rob Hollink checked, after which Tommy led out. Rob bowed out, Tommy flipped a pair of Queens and Cy flipped Ad 2d. The turn brought 5d and the river 7c; knocking Cy out in the 8th place.
“Cy clearly illustrated that our local Southern African players have what it takes to hold it up against the best of the best, and we are curious to see how he will fare during the rest of the 2008 WSOP, and of course at that Main Event,” says Wendy Graaf, Group Marketing Manager of Piggs Peak Group of Casinos. From the 3 Piggs Poker Team: “You go Cyril, we are sure that you will continue to make is proud!” For updated news and snippets of our local players’ performance at the 2008 WSOP, keep your eye on this spot!
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Another big gun walks off with a bracelet at 2008 WSOP
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Created:
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6/19/2008 9:06:30 AM
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After playing his way though a field of 457 determined players at Event 24, Pot-Limit Hold’em/Omaha at the WSOP Max “the Italian Pirate” Pescatori claimed victory and added another WSOP bracelet to his arm, as well as a $246,471 pay day on Sunday 15t June 2008.
Winning would not be easy though, following a phenomenal performance from the Dutch Kyle Kloeckner, who at his second appearance at the WSOP made his first final table debut.
To add to his extraordinary initiation into the poker spotlight the youngster even managed to take down Allan Cunningham, who boasts a remarkable 5 bracelets to his name!
The final battle ensued, with Pescatori going heads up against Kloeckner… With a triple chip lead over Kloeckner, things were looking promising for the Italian Pirate.
The final hand saw Kloeckner call a monster bet on a short stack, holding J-10-10-3. The board showed K-J-3-2-2 with three diamonds and Pescatori took the pot with K-J-8-7 (including two diamonds). For his runner up finish, Kloeckner collected $152,410.
So if you’re amongst those who are on their way to try their luck at the WSOP, take note: Before you bluff Max “The Italian Pirate” Pescatori at the poker tables, just remember that you are staring at a player who has two WSOP bracelets under his belt, more than $2 Million in total live earnings and an impressive TEN first place finishes!
On a very positive note though- considering the performances of the big names on the poker scene at the 2008 WSOP so far, the phrase that fills the hallways at the moment is: “The Year of the Pro.” However, what is worth mentioning is that there has been an equal number of newcomers to the scene, like Kloeckner, who have managed to outplay many of the pro’s to reach the final tables. So although there are not that many newbies collecting bracelets, a surprising number of them, are definitely cashing in! For your updated news and snippets on what’s happening at the WSOP, keep your eye on this space!
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Man vs Robot
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Created:
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6/19/2008 8:58:18 AM
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Will you pit your poker skills against a poker playing robot?
Paranoid Sci-fi enthusiasts may believe that the human race will come to its knees, to submit to Artificial Intelligence and giant robots… While this may not be the case, the Poker scene is in for a ride as the AI dubbed: “Polaris 2” penetrates the Poker World.
While its first bid proved unsuccessful last year, after its trial run against some top poker professionals failed (two losses, a win and a draw, playing against Phil Laak and Ali Eslami)… Polaris has already developed to the point where it can easily rule standard poker player. However, technology evolves particularly fast…And already the next test matches against the upgraded version of Polaris have been cast in stone and a batch of professional poker coaches are set to compete against the Artificial Intelligence in Early July this year. This is bound to at least create some diversion from the happenings at the 2008 WSOP, as it will be presented at the 2008 Gaming Life Expo at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino, in Vegas.
Will the human players remain competent against the machine, or will the enhanced abilities prove impossible to beat? Polaris’ most intimidating new feature is the ability to adjust its strategy, through consistently observing its opponent’s play style!
The tournament will now take place again and preserve its: 500 duplicate hand Texas Hold ‘em format, whilst the competition will be slightly trickier…so how will you feel about pitting your poker skills against that of a machine…?? Watch this space to see how the human team fares against the robot, in early July.
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Kenny Tran takes his first WSOP 2008 bracelet!
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Created:
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6/19/2008 8:52:29 AM
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On Father’s Day, during the 2008 WSOP $10,000 Heads-Up Championship, Kenny Tran beat Alec Torelli in two straight matches, and proudly collected his first WSOP Bracelet, as well as a handsome prize of $539,056! Now we’d say that THAT makes for a VERY nice Father’s Day present!
Kenny was very public about how he did this. “I definitely have a strategy. I like to grind people out and make them feel bored. I just torture them and let them finally make a mistake, “he said. And this strategy definitely seemed to cut it for him.
Day 3 saw both the semifinal and final matches being played out. So let’s take a look at how the action went down:
Recap of the Semi-finals
Jonathan Jaffe vs Kenny Tran
Jonathan Jaffe was initially on a roll, kicking off this semi-final match with seven straight hands against Tran. But, they were fairly small pots, so it only took one monstrous bet on Tran’s side to recover. This occurred during Hand #26, when Jaffe was forced to fold to Tran's monstrous 500,000 bet on the river.
Jaffe quickly regained control a few hands later, when his two pair of kings and tens edged out Tran's queens and tens. But things heated up again some hands later when the board showed A-Q-Q. After lengthy consideration, Jaffe fired out a huge bet which amounted to approximately 40% of the pot. Tran responded by taking an equal amount of time before he too pushed out a substantial re-raise. You could cut the atmosphere with a knife as a lengthy stare-down followed. Jaffe caved under the pressure, and Tran triumphantly showed a 7-5 for the bluff!
Going into the final hand, Tran just had the chip lead. Both players raised and re-raised pre-flop, which finally lead to Jaffe going all in. Tran then showed some of that grinding that he refers to when he shares his strategy. Painstakingly taking his time, he talked to himself and then shocked everyone by making that call. Luck was on Tran’s side with his pocket Jacks against Jaffe's K-8, and his luck continued as the rest of the board remained to his advantage. Tran advanced to the finals as he sent Jonathan Jaffe home with $108,288.
Vanessa Selbst vs. Alec Torelli
Vanessa Selbst and Alec Torelli were both clearly first testing the waters, by limping in with their first few hands. But the action kicked into gear during Hand #17. Torelli raised pre-flop, after which Selbst re-raised and bet the J-J-6 flop. Taking his time, Torelli called. The turn brought an Ace and Selbst fired out another bet, which Torelli called again. When the board rivered a K, both of them checked. Torelli showed a pair of nines, leading Selbst to muck her hand. This hand was definitive for Torelli, as he gained the chip lead, and managed to maintain that for the remainder of the match.
The match came to an end during Hand # 35, when both players went all in on the turn. The board showed J-5-4-10, at which point Selbst still had the advantage with her K-10 over Torelli's K-Q. The river miraculously brought that nine to complete Torelli's straight- and Selbst was busted. For her effort, she cashed in $108,288.
Finals Recap
Kenny Tran vs. Alec Torelli
Match One:
Kicking off slowly too, it took until Hand #18 for anything significant to occur and see Alec Torelli pulling into the lead. Torelli bet 72,000 pre-flop, after which Tran raised to 260,000. Torelli contemplated his options for a while before he re-raised to 585.000. Tran was visibly reluctant but made that call. When the flop showed 10d 9d 8d, Torelli went all in and scared Tran out of the pot. This lead to Torelli having almost twice as many chips with his 3,231,000 to Tran's 1,889,000.
Tran was persistent however, and slowly but surely grinded it back to even over the next dozen hands. He finally pulled slightly ahead on hand #32, when Torelli bet 72,000 preflop, which Tran called. Both players checked down the flop of J-8-4 and the subsequent king on the turn. When the river showed an Ace, Tran checked again and Torelli bet 100,000. Tran had a drink of water, hesitated somewhat and then check-raised it to 400,000. This time Torelli was the one who let the hand go.
From there it was a rollercoaster ride, with both players taking turns to go up and then down again. It was only Hand #93, which finally saw the end of the match. Tran opened for 110,000 and Torelli responded without hesitation, by re-raising to 350,000. Torelli then went all in on the 8-4-2 flop, which Tran called. At that stage Tran had made middle pair with A-4, while Torelli was on a thin draw for A-J. The board turned up a seven and an ace, busting Torelli and awarding the first match of the finals to Tran.
Match Two:
Torelli was evidently making an attempt to come back from his drawback when he kicked off very aggressively. But Tran was a force to be reckoned with and the match was stretched out for almost just as long as the first one. Torelli admittedly gained the advantage during the early stages of play, but after 65 hands of play, the two players were more or less evenly stacked.
The final hand came during Hand #80. Tran opened betting with 110,000 and Torelli made the call. After a Qc 7c 4s flop, Tran bet 150,000, which Torelli re-raised to 430,000. Tran then took it all the way up to a monstrous 1,030,000. The heat was clearly on, but Torelli took only a brief moment before he went all in. Tran made the call showing Ac 8c for the nut flush draw and Torelli tabled Q-10 for top pair. An 8h fell on the turn, giving Tran additional outs. But it was that Jc on the river that brought Tran the flush and won him the match. Alec Torelli received $336,896 for his second plae finish.
Looking at the outcome of the side events building up to the Main Event at the 2008 WSOP, there is no doubt that the professionals have been dominating the scene. To such an extent actually, that 2008 has now been dubbed the “Year of the Pro.” Will this good run of the pro’s continue into the Main Event, or will there be some similar surprises as at the final table as in 2007…?? Keep your eye on this spot, for the updated news of the 2008 WSOP.
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Online Poker Guru features at WSOP
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Created:
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6/5/2008 1:18:11 PM
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The hugely successful 21-year old Internet poker player Mike Sowers, alias SowersUNCC, featured at the final table of the first large-field event of the WSOP 2008, which kicked off on the 30th of May 2008. Sowers illustrated some excellent play throughout, showing no sign of being intimidated by the seasoned big guns he was facing across the poker table.
The final play commenced with seating arrangements as follows:
Mike Sowers in Seat 1 with 675,000 chips; Chris Bell in Seat 2 with 455,000; Amit Makhija in Seat 3 with 525,000; Patrik Antonius in Seat 4 with 230,000; Andy Bloch in the chip lead in Seat 5 with 2,115,000; Mike Sexton in Seat 6 with 1,130,000; Phil Laak in Seat 7 with 425,000; Nenad Menic in Seat 8 with 1,200,000 and Kathy Liebert in Seat 9 with her 285,000 chips.
During the first hand, Phil Laak got busted by Patrick Antonius and he was therefore the first to be eliminated in the 9th place. Shortly thereafter, ironically enough, the young Sowers was caught up in a battle of generations, as he faced the much older Mike Sexton. Sowers raised pot over the top of Sexton's preflop raise. But when Sexton went all in over the top, he found himself pot committed with his 9H 4S Sowers called, and was up against Sexton’s QH QD . The board came down in Sexton’s favor with KS 8C 3C AC JS, and Sowers collected $99,264 for his eighth-place finish.
It was Nenad Medic who then eventually triumphed after going heads-up with the tenacious Andy Bloch. Nenad claimed his first WSOP bracelet ever, and $794,112 worth of prize money. Andy Bloch won $448,048 and the rest of the top finishes looked as follows: Kathy Liebert 3rd with $306,064; Mike Sexton 4th with $248,160; Amit Makhija 5th with $198,528; Chris Bell came 6th with $157,168 and Patrick Antonius finished 7th with $124,080.
Since last year, Sowers has been seen around final tables of major live tournaments frequently. In April 2008 he finished 17th at the 2008 EPT San Remo Main Event and cashed in € 16,000. At the 2008 Borgata Winter Open in January, he won Event #12 No Limit Hold’em and won himself a handsome $399,000. And end of last year, during October 2007, he won Event #7 of the Aruba Classic, for which he collected $35,730.
No doubt, the perception that online poker players cannot convert to live tournaments successfully, is a myth. The young Sowers is clearly destined for big things in the poker environment, and we expect to see a lot more of him. For all the updated news and snippets on what’s currently happening at the WSOP 2008, keep your eye on this space.
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David Saab First APT 2008 Champion
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Created:
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6/5/2008 1:12:24 PM
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The Korean-born Australian David Saab claimed the victory in the first 2008 Asian Poker Tour Event which took place in Manila, Philippines from the 27th of May to the 2nd of June. Saab outplayed 316 international opponents and for that he collected a handsome $280,000 USD for himself in prize money. And it was none other than an Ace that cracked the deal for him.
This is how the final action went down: The flop brought an A 7 4. Roh bet 90,000 after which Saab re-raised to 300,000. Roh then moved all in and Saab called. Roh showed a K 4, and Saab who had the advantage at this point, had an A 8. The turn and the river remained in Saab’s favor, as it brought a 9 and a 10, knocking Roh out. For his second place finish, Roh took home US $150,000.
The rest of the players at the final table finished in the following order:
3rd Satoru Ishii of Japan- USD $100,000
4th Kwang So Lee of Korea- USD $73,000
5th Michele Ferrari of Italy- USD $55,000
6th Man Jin Yun of South Korea- USD $45,000
7th Don Cormona a local from Philippines- USD $35,000
8th Terry Gonzaga- USD $25,000
Upon the conclusion of the event, Matt Savage, Tournament Director of the APT, made an official announcement that the next APT event is set to take place at StarWorld Hotel & Casino, Macau, from 26-30 August 2008. This event will have a mouthwatering guaranteed prize pool of USD $1,000,000! For more news and updates on all the latest international and local poker events, keep your eye on this spot.
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3 Piggs Poker Online Player achieves at All Africa
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Created:
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6/5/2008 1:02:01 PM
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Tongues are wagging about the past All Africa Poker Tournament which took place from the 29th to the 31st of May 2008, at Piggs Peak Swaziland… Apart from the ten WSOP packages that all the players were fiercely competing for and African poker legend and 3 Piggs Poker player Raymond Rahme bagging his first ever AAPT victory… There was another player who grabbed the headlines, with his very own triumph of note.
You certainly don’t need to be a mathematical genius to see that the odds of a R77.00 investment paying off a five figure return in the space of a few months, isn’t very likely. But Allistair Didloff would prove to be an exception to the odds after his recent incredible feat.
Yes, most people would regard winning a seat to the All Africa Poker Tournament valued at R23,000.00 through a satellite tournament at 3 Piggs Poker- at an expense of only R77.00 as an achievement on it’s own already. But Didloff wouldn’t stop there. He played his way through the tough and determined player field at the All Africa Poker Tournament, until he was Head’s Up with Raymond Rahme himself at the final table.
Didloff ended up runners up, winning himself an impressive consolation prize of R400,000.00 and an all expenses paid seat to the upcoming WSOP Main Event to the value of R150,000.00, where he will be joining Team All Africa Poker. So who says online players cannot convert to live tournaments successfully…??
To see how Allistair fares against top international poker professionals at the World Series of Poker, keep your eye on this spot.
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Pokersupporter
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6/19/2008 2:46:32 PM
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Well done 3 Piggs Poker Players - we'll be watching you at WSOP!
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ECOGRA approved as Isle of Mann testing facility
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Created:
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6/2/2008 4:21:55 PM
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London, 1 June 2008 - The independent online gambling standards and player protection organisation eCOGRA has been approved as an accredited testing facility by the Gambling Supervision Commission on the Isle of Man, a premier European licensing jurisdiction.
The accreditation followed extensive presentations by eCOGRA Chief Executive Andrew Beveridge, the organisation's Independent Directors and audit team to the Commission earlier this year, which delivered credentials and explained the testing methodology used.
Commenting on the accreditation, Beveridge said: “We are delighted that a regulator of the calibre of the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission has accepted our credentials, audit experience and professional qualifications after intensive study. Our testing principles and methodologies have now been recognised by several international jurisdictions concerned with protecting players through the professional and continuous testing of online casino and poker room operators.
"Over 130 tier one online casinos and poker rooms currently use our test and audit services, and we number 25 leading operator companies and 16 quality software providers among our clientele. In addition, we have the added scrutiny of the leading audit firm KPMG through its annual quality assurance reviews, thus providing an unrivalled verification programme.“
The organisation's Total Gaming Transaction Review, used for continuous monitoring and data analyses to assess accurate payout percentages and certify Random Number Generation fairness, has previously been extensively evaluated and accredited by other leading jurisdictional authorities.
eCOGRA’s professionally qualified specialist team provides the most comprehensive data verification service available to online gambling operators to date.
The service includes:
* Onsite audits to ensure that software used by the online casinos and poker rooms is being developed, implemented and maintained in a manner representative of best professional practice standards;
* Independent verification of the completeness and accuracy of all data used in the calculation of the payout percentage and RNG reports;
* Annual quality assurance reviews by leading audit firm KPMG on the methodology and processes used to produce the payout percentage and RNG reports; and
* Continuous oversight and monitoring of accredited online gambling operations following approval by eCOGRA’s Independent Directors.
About eCOGRA:
eCOGRA is a non-profit London-based organisation that sets online gambling standards and provides an international framework for best operational and player protection practice requirements, with particular emphasis on fair and responsible gambling. These are enforced through inspections and reviews, and continuous monitoring.
Companies that have achieved accreditation with eCOGRA are entitled to bear the organisation's "Safe and Fair" seal, indicating to players everywhere that all operational systems and games are fair and continuously monitored to consistently high standards.
Accreditation remains open to all software companies and their operators. For more information, go to www.ecogra.org.
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