2009 WSOP Round-Up: Bonomo Still Crushing $40k; Annie Duke Among Event #3 Chip Leaders

As Lex 'RaSZi' Veldhuis and Vanessa Rousso, a woman, play in the $40k, on-lookers demonstrated the official "I'm standing here with my arms-folded" look of the 2009 WSOP.

:: Event #2 ($40,000 NLH):After his dinner break vlog, Justin Bonomo continued to crush, ending Day 2 as chip leader, stacked at 2,678,000. Right behind him is Ted Forrest with 2,586,000. Rounding out the top 5 big stacks are David 'WhooooKidd' Baker (2,367,000), Greg Raymer (2,287,000),  and "Please stop referring to me as Evy's bf" Lex 'RaSZi' Veldhuis (2,103,000). Just like high school, many of the marquee names have busted. Chris Moneymaker took a quick tumble, missing the money by about 10 spots. Making the money but making exits shortly thereafter were Vanessa Rousso, a woman, the spectacularly-breasted J.C. Tran, and David "The Dragon" Pham*, all of whom happen to be on the Wicked Chops ESPN WSOP Fantasy team. Thanks for nothing. Only 24 remain. Get full chip counts here.

:: Event #3 ($1,500 Omaha Hi/Lo): A record-setting field of 918 entered play and 197 remain for Day 2. Big names still alive include Annie Duke, a going for bracelet #12 Phil Hellmuth, Lee Watkinson-Markholt, Brandon Cantu, Todd Brunson, and Jon "Pearljammer" Turner. Despite looking quite stunning in our previous post, Gavin Smith busted before play concluded. Get a more robust recap here.

For additional WSOP coverage, visit FOWCP sites: TaoPoker| Pokerati.com| Benjo| PokerListings| LasVegasVegas| AlCantHang| PokerRoad

* Not a real dragon.

Justin Bonomo Vlogs at $40k NLH Dinner Break

Watch Justin Bonomo is Killing the $40,000 NLH at the 2009 WSOP on RawVegas.tv

Team Bodog member Justin Bonomo has been right at the chip lead for the entire $40k NLH event. As of post-time, he's third overall, stacked at 1,273,000.

In his first vlog with RawVegas.tv (kid is a natural at this) and in between Chris Moneymaker trying to eavesdrop on the convo, Bonomo talks about the general ease he's had with the tournament.

Daniel Negreanu's WSOP Vlog Is Here

Watch Negreanu and His 2009 WSOP Prop Bets on RawVegas.tv

With the 2009 WSOP if full swing, Daniel Negreanu is back to vlogging. In his first WSOP vlog, Negreanu discusses the big prop bet(s) he and Erick Lindgren have with a number of pros, his bad beat by Doug "Toolbox" Lee in Event #2, and why Omaha Hi/Lo is just like high school.

View all of Negreanu's vlogs here and learn more about his Big Swing charity event here.

2009 WSOP Shirt Of The Day

 

Heard that the NBA was considering a new logo on the radio today, and we think Erick Lindgren has the right idea for its replacement.

2009 WSOP Event #2 ($40k NLH) Recap: Chris Moneymaker Among Chip Leaders

Given The Economy^TM, an impressive showing of 201 pros forked over $40,000 for 2009 WSOP Event #2, creating a first place prize of $1,891,012.

By the end of the day, 88 remained.

Bruno Fitoussi closed out Day 1 play as chip leader, stacked at 812,500. Fitoussi is a high-stakes player who finished second to half-man, half-amazing Freddy Deeb at the 2007 WSOP $50k H.O.R.S.E. event.

Second overall is Chris Moneymaker with 805,000. Suffice to say, if Moneymaker can make a deep run (something we were a year off maybe on predicting, as we tabbed last year as his John Daly-esque resurgence), that would be good for poker. Justin Bonomo is third overall with 738,000. It's just like high school. Evy Ng's boyfriend Lex 'RaSZi' Veldhuis is fourth with 646,500. And Kyle 'krisqueen' Wilson is fifth, stacked at 611,500.

Other notable big stacks include Brian Townsend (609,000), Michael "Glambert" DeMichele (519,500), Andy Black (449,500), Phil "OMGClayAiken" Galfond (443,000), Sorel Mizzi (431,000), Mark Seif (411,500), Ted Forrest (401,500), and Isaac Haxton (392,500).

On a side note, Haxton gets an honorary mention into our Top 5 New Poker Pro looks post. Thanks to FOWCP BJ Nemeth for the at left pic and notice. That Haxton kid cleans up well.

Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson, the spectacularly-breasted J.C. Tran, and Huck Seed are all still alive as well. Get full chip counts here.

This Guy Is Really Short-Stacked

 

Poker pro Brett Richey is really short on chips. Really short. On chips. He's among the many short stacks right now in the $40k event. Also among the short stacks are Phil Laak (55,000), Shawn Buchanan (37,000), and Michael Binger (28,000). With dinner break approaching, we're sure they'll really try to grow their stacks and survive into Day 2.

Not short are chip leaders Antonio Esfandiari (395,000) and Justin Bonomo (330,000). Get full chip counts at wsop.com here.

Jeffrey Pollack 2009 WSOP Vlog - Ep. 1

Watch Jeffrey Pollack's 2009 WSOP Vlog - Ep. 1 on RawVegas.tv

RawVegas.tv will be running regular vlogs with WSOP Commish Jeffrey Pollack. Above is the first, where Pollack runs down the happenings from the first couple days of the 2009 WSOP.

2009 WSOP: $40k Buy-In Update

There is nothing funny about the above photo.

A respectable 201 players entered 2009 WSOP Event #2 ($40,000 NLH), creating a first place prize of $1,891,012.

In probably the first "wtf" moment of the Series, Phil Laak was the early chip leaders. Then in not so shocking news, he lost just about all of his chips and is under the starting stack level.

Current chip leaders as of about 4:30pm PT include Ted Forrest (310,000), Antonio Esfandiari (no, seriously) (302,000), Justin Bonomo (275,000), and Jeffrey Lisandro (270,000).

Get full chip counts and updates at wsop.com here.

Chat With Wicked Chops Tomorrow on ESPN.com

At least one Entity who comprises Wicked Chops Poker will be chatting on espn.com tomorrow at 2pm ET, possibly joined by another Entity as well.

We'll be covering the latest 2009 WSOP news and other stories trending well on WCP and RawVegas.tv.

Get an early start on the question submissions here.

2009 WSOP Girl on the Rail - Let's Get It Started

 

Pretty slim pickings for Girls on the Rail at the $500 buy-in casino employees event today (i.e. no pros with lots of cash around). That will probably change with the $40,000 NLH tourney tomorrow.

We think this girl made an appearance last year, but we're not sure. Also pretty sure when she plays poker she usually has top pair.

Sucking Out On The Rivers Charity Poker Tournament Red Carpet (VIDEO)

Watch Annie Dukes Sucking Out On The Rivers Charity Poker Event on RawVegas.tv

Not a ton of big WSOP events or parties going on yet. There was a party at Blush featuring Huck Seed that didn't allow media, and that's about it. So fortunately the Sucking Out On The Rivers charity poker tournament, hosted by Annie Duke, stepped up and filled some of that void.

A bunch of top pros and 20 Joan Rivers impersonators showed up, all to the benefit of Refugees International. Above is the red carpet video. It's just like high school. Highlights include Annie Dukes' take on American Idol and Jeffrey Pollack on anticipated WSOP turn-out.

Why, the WSOP Must Really Hate Us So-Called "Media" Types

 

Wow. Really? Russ Hamilton's mug dangling over media row? They must really hate us...

2009 WSOP: Shuffle Up and Deal

Watch Shuffle Up and Deal with Pollack and Hellmuth on RawVegas.tv

The 2009 World Series of Pokeris officially underway with the casino employees event. Commish Jeffrey Pollack and Phil Hellmuth kicked it off with the above shuffle up and deal.

Funny side story, but really only funny if you're an Entity or honorary Entity Eric Newby (our faithful producer of The TOKE). We had this following convo right before the vid went up:

Newby: "Not really much to edit. I'll probably just post as is, eh?"
Entity: "Ok, I'll just make up to watch for 'something shocking' at the 2:12 mark."
Newby: "Lemme check what's at 2:12 first just in case, eh?"
Entity: "Actually, that's kind of shocking, what he says. It's just like high school."
Newby: "Pretty sick call there, eh?"*

* Gratuitous use of "ehs" might not have happened.

2009 WSOP Guide: What to Expect on Wicked Chops Poker + RawVegas.tv

Will our favorite 2008 WSOP Girl on the Rail, THO Girl, be making a return visit this year?

For our final 2009 WSOP Guide post, here's some things to look forward to on WCP (and through RawVegas.tv video) over the next two months:

:: A new site design (could be as soon as today or as late as Monday, so probably expect it in two more weeks...damn you technology!).

:: A Russian language site (only look forward to it if you're Russian).

:: Many, many Girls on the Rail^TM.

:: Regular Daniel Negreanu video blogs.

:: Caption This contests.

:: The occasional Phil Hellmuth video blog (including one today).

:: Absolutely random and arbitrary uses of phrases like, "It's just like high school." (Trust us, by the 50th time it gets funny)

:: Hopefully regular Jeffrey Pollack vlogs/updates (including one today).

:: A new vlog series starring the one and only Prince of Poker.

:: Many, many more vlogs from other top pros/personalities (more on this later in the week). Side note, Michael Fay should start a flog vlog. It's just like high school.

:: And finally (for now), a freeroll giving away two seats to a $1,500 buy-in event (guess what: more on this possibly today).

Stay tuned. For more "real time" "on the scene" updates, follow us on twitter here or @wickedchops. And if you're playing in the 2009 WSOP, book your hotel and club passes here.

2009 WSOP Odds and Betting Lines

Foreshadowing: The scene at the Rio Amazon Room over the next few days will look eerily reminiscent to this picture from the 2005 Main Event (Entity's Note for New Readers: We use this picture a lot), except replace the PartyPoker banners with more mainstream sponsors and some beef jerky.

The 2009 World Series of Poker begins today at noon with the $500 casino employees tournament. So really, the 2009 WSOP starts tomorrow as far as you care. Regardless, we're pumped and we'll be there today to interview commish Jeffrey Pollack and 11-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth.

Lots of prop bets abound covering this year's WSOP. Here are a few we like from Bodog. Go throw some money down on bet on your favorite lines here.

Will a player win 2 or more bracelets in the 2009 WSOP occurring in Las Vegas beginning May 27th? Bracelets won in events #1, #17 and #43 do not qualify. (Entity's Note: Until the streak ends, take the Yes)

Yes +130 / No -180

Will a player win 3 or more bracelets in the 2009 WSOP occurring in Las Vegas beginning May 27th? Bracelets won in events #1, #17 and #43 do not qualify.

Yes +1200

Will a female win a WSOP 'open' event at the 2009 WSOP in Las Vegas? Bracelets won in events #1, #17 and #43 do not qualify. (Entity's Note: This one is laughable. Take the -180)

Yes +130 / No -180

Will Phil Hellmuth win his 12th bracelet at the 2009 WSOP occurring in Las Vegas beginning May 27th? (Entity's Note: Take the Yes)

Yes +300 No -500

How many of the living eligible WSOP Main Event Champions that have been invited to play in the Champions Invitational Event on May 31st will participate? (Entity's Note: Pump the over)

Over 18½ (-120)o / (-120)u

Which of the following former WSOP Main Event Champions will win the 2009 Champions Invitational to take place on May 31st? (Entity's Note: Assuming he plays, great value in Ferguson at 15/1, comparatively)

Peter Eastgate 13/1 | Jerry Yang 15/1 | Jamie Gold 15/1 | Joseph Hachem 23/2 | Greg Raymer 23/2 | Chris Moneymaker 15/1 | Robert Varkonyi 19/1 | Carlos Mortensen 23/2 | Chris Ferguson 15/1 | J.J. "Noel" Furlong 24/1 | Scotty Nguyen 23/2 | Huck Seed 23/2 | Dan Harrington 23/2 | Russ Hamilton 65/1 | Jim Bechtel 24/1 | Hamid Dastmalchi 24/1 | Brad Daugherty 19/1 | Mansour Matloubi 24/1 | Phil Hellmuth 9/1 | Johnny Chan 23/2 | Berry Johnston 24/1 | Tom McEvoy 19/1 | Bobby Baldwin 24/1 | Doyle Brunson 23/2 | Amarillo Slim Preston 24/1

Which pairing will have the most winnings in the Main Event of the 2009 WSOP (Event #57) beginning in Las Vegas on July 3rd 2009? (Entity's Note: Take Greenstein and Sebok)

Doyle and Todd Brunson 6/1 | Marco Traniello and Jennifer Harman 6/1 | Barry Greenstein and Joe Sebok 9/2 | Annie Duke and Howard Lederer 15/2 | Evelyn Ng and Justin Bonomo 15/2 | Phil Laak and Jennifer Tilly 6/1 | David and Shirley Williams 6/1 | Chad Brown and Vanessa Russo 10/1 | Tom 'Durr' Dwan and Tiffany 'Hot Chips' Michelle | 9/2 Patrik Antonius and Kathy Liebert 4/1

Again, place your bets here.

Dream Team Poker at 2009 WSOP

The last Dream Team Poker event was pretty hot. 

While in a mad rush to get the new WCP site up by mid-next-week (and the new Russian site, not kidding), there is one news item we couldn't let slip by: Dream Team Poker will hold a (non-bracelet) tourney during the 2009 World Series of Poker.

We played in the last Dream Team Poker event, and while the Entities didn't so much do well as they did the opposite of well, we all had a blast and it was a really well put together...and dare we even say...classy?...event.

The Dream Team WSOP tournament will take place on July 12-13. The buy-in is same as last time, $500 + $60 per player ($1,680 per team).

The first 300 registered teams get a personalized jersey, which will either be super-cool (like ours) or super-sleeveless (like Sebok's). So there is a little bit of a risk there.

Anyway, we don't do this much, but the Entities give Dream Team Poker their official endorsement. You should play. It's different and fun. Go to dreamteampoker.com to register/learn more.

Watch our March Dream Team Poker updates:

Interview with WSOP Commish Jeffrey Pollack at March Dream Team Poker Event
Dream Team Poker Pre-Event Party (Update #1)
Dream Team Poker Tournament (Update #2)

WSOP Champions Invitational: Who's In, Who's Out + Helps Us Track Down The Outs

Autumn Reeser is one of the 6.77 billion people on Earth who did not receive an invite to the WSOP Champions Invitational. However, she looks significantly better in a bikini than the 27 people who did. View more of Autumn in a bikini here.

One of the "buzz worthy" events at this year's World Series of Poker is the WSOP Champions Invitational.

To recap: the event takes place from May 31-June 1 and airs on ESPN (one of the few WSOP events making it to TV this year) on August 4th from 8-10pm ET. The winner gets a commemorative Binion Cup (presented by Jack Binion) and a new car. And bragging rights, which you can't fade, man. Because as any one of our friends whose wife we slept with can attest, bragging rights can go a long way. You can rub that shit in people's faces for years and they literally have no comeback. We love us some bragging rights.

Further recapping: the previous 39 Main Event winners got invites (although four of those have multiple titles: Doyle Brunson, Stu Ungar, Johnny Moss, and Johnny Chan). So that leaves 34 invites, except that none of the departed obviously get an invite either, which sucks actually because we'd probably bet that a dead Stu Ungar could outplay an alive Jerry Yang but whatever. So unless Doyle Brunson loses his Bucket Bet before May 31, there are seven former Main Event champs who have passed on, leaving us with math math math seven less than 34.

Of those 27, there are still a few unconfirmed/disappeared off the face of the Earth.

Straight up NOT playing are Russ Hamilton (who had disappeared off the face of the Earth until this happened, and let's face it, his invite probably got lost in the mail anyway) and Bobby Baldwin, which isn't a surprise.

That leaves just four other former champs who are AWOL and yet to be confirmed: Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, Noel Furlong, Mansour Matloubi (no fly list?), and Jose Canseco Hamid Dastmalchi.

So consider this an APB of sorts. All of you Team Full Tilters who read this site, get Jesus off his ass and in the game. Otherwise it's just Jerry Yang wearing your patch, and like having Scott Lazar involved in your movie, that's never a good idea.

What's funny is this may be the only tournament ever in poker where the most patches you'll see is for Doyle's Room. They love patching up the old guys.

Anyway, if any of you readers know Noel, Mansour, or Hamid, get them to respond already by emailing [email protected]. Proof that you personally got them to personally respond to Harrah's will get you a WCP t-shirt and Skull Candy headphones. For reals.

Get more of the same info over at Pokerati here.

2009 WSOP Media Conference Call Live Blogging

Last year we vowed to never do this "live blogging" thing again, but if there's one thing we learned from the Celebrity Apprentice, it's this: always give something a second chance.

The 2009 WSOP media conference call takes place today at 1pm EST (10am PST). We'll be on it, live blogging away.

Stay tuned...

7:50am PST: Finishing up post about live blogging today's conference call.

7:51am PST: Flushing toilet...

9:39am PST: All right, gearing up for the call. Any questions you might want to hear asked, please leave in the comments section. Here are some questions though we are definitely NOT asking: 1) Will the prize money given be soaked in blood? 2) Will Russ Hamilton's invitation to the Tournament of Champions be "lost in the mail"? (actually, may ask that one), 3) Do you anticipate Phill Hellmuth or Brad Garrett even being able to play a full event given the new Code of Conduct rules? 4) Will strippers be allowed back at the Pokerpalooza convention?

9:54am PST: Just remembered that last year forgot to write-down what we needed to do to ask a question. Mental note: write down instructions for submitting a question this year.

9:56am PST: Be sure to hit pokerati.com after the call for a full audio download.

9:58am PST: Dialed in. This hold music feels like we're all attending a funeral. Ok, now it's a muzaky/Scott MacIntyre sounding version of "One More Night" from...Phil Collins, right? Cause Iiiiiiiii can't wait forevvverrr!

10:02am PST: The call is running a few minutes late. Actually, we're off. And wrote down how to submit a question!

10:07am PST: Pollack says the headline for today's call is that this is the best ever year to play in the WSOP. He's reviewing the $40k NLH event, the Champions Invitational (the winner will receive the newly created Binion Cup, no word yet if Russ Hamilton got his invite for this one), and the Pokerpoolaza event. There will also be a new Hall of Fame process to make it more legit, plus the public will be involved in the voting process. Hopefully basketball follows suit so we don't get more obscure foreign players or mediocre college coaches inducted into that one.

10:14am PST: This new addition is cool: every day at 2pm there will be a formal "bracelet ceremony" for whoever won the previous day (or morning's) tournament. So just in case you wanted to honor this year's Gerry Drehobl, well, now you'll get your chance daily at 2pm.

10:16am PST: Jack Effel is now talking. You'll get triple the starting chips (vs. double like last year) for each tournament. This was done to benefit better players and ensure more stacked final tables/less random winners (see: Drehobl, Gerry).

10:18am PST: Last year's call was at 11am. So a quick thanks to Pollack and crew for moving it an hour earlier so those of us on the West Coast won't have to miss Maurey Povich, especially because today is a paternity test/DNA episode. Andrew, you are NOT the father!

10:19am PST: Effel just said something about "role playing" in some seminar. Since he didn't follow that with the names "Lacey Jones" or "Liv Boeree," not sure if that is something we want to be involved with.

10:22am PST: ESPN will be airing fewer event, but the same amount of hours, plus about 2 1/2 hours of the final table.

10:24am PST: Sweet, more Taylor Makakoa pics.

10:30am PST: Open to Q&A...first question is regarding getting more women, a women, involved in tournament play. Really? What's the point? Seriously? Why even bother? A dude asked the question too. Maybe he's just looking for more dead money. Pollack gets in a good closing shot saying, "We want more women playing...unless it's Joan Rivers."

10:35am PST: Pre-registrations are up this year, surprisingly. Not "drastically" up but up. Given The Economy^TM, that's a good sign. Although this AP guy wants the number. Don't give him the damn number, Seth! Why are you buzzkilling the good news, Oscar from the AP? Why?

10:38am PST: Oscar from the AP is just hogging the phone. One question and move on, man! Come on! Oscar is four questions deep now. Leave some for the rest of us...

10:39am PST: Oscar now on question 5...if Oscar and Phil Hellmuth ever had to compete with each other for camera time, someone may die.

10:44am PST: Rates as low as $69 mid-week for the WSOP. Hey, book your hotel rooms here.

10:47am PST: Another question bogarter. This guy is three deep. Somewhere Gary Wise is like, "Wtf! I have 47 questions ready to go and you a-holes are taking all of them!"

10:51am PST: Celebrity Apprentice keeps coming up in questions and answers. Pollack says what a great group poker players are in general. Agreed, save for maybe this guy and this guy.

10:53am PST: So for those playing the "Guess Who Annie Duke Was Yelling At..." game, it was not Brian Balsbaugh (go three tweets down) or Jeffrey Pollack (confirmed via our question on the call).

11:03am PST: Interesting and haven't really heard this brought up much, but someone asked whether or not the rebuy event was KO'd do to the collusion that was taking place. It was? Effel didn't really deny it, but did say that it was done more to create a level playing field.

11:05am PST: Has a woman, a woman, asked a question on this call yet? Don't think so. Amy Calistri, you out there? Haley?

11:08am PST: Got Kev Math's question in re: live streaming, the answer is "yes, but hasn't been finalized yet."

11:18am PST: Concluding...only 29 days away from the start...follow the WSOP has twitter @WSOPliveupdates and via @JeffreyPollack. Be sure you know the tweeting rules at the table, definitely when hands are in play.

And there you have it. Go to pokerati.com for the audio. Should be posted shortly.

Daniel Negreanu Is Ready for The 2009 WSOP

Is the 2009 World Series of Poker really just five weeks away? Really? It seems like it was just last week that we were snapping these photos of hot girls on the rail. What do we have in store this year? Among the many new things, let's just say one involves Somali pirates. Leave it at that.

Anyway, or as the girl that Danny Gokey is trying to get with now would say, "anyhoozer," Daniel Negreanu is getting ready for the 2009 WSOP by playing as little poker as possible.

Watch Daniel Negreanu is Ready for WSOP 2009 on RawVegas.tv

Harrah's Hires Ex-Party Poker CEO Mitch Garber to Head Up WSOP.com

Spanish model Marisa Jara is probably unfamiliar with Mitch Garber.

Read in between the lines on this one, but Harrah's has hired ex-Party Poker CEO Mitch Garber to run it's wsop.com website.

Reports the Times Online:

"HARRAH’s, the Las Vegas gaming group that owns Caesars Palace is to install Mitch Garber, a former chief executive of Party Gaming, as the head of a new company formed to house its internet operations and the popular World Series of Poker.

The gaming giant is spinning these businesses out into a newly-created [non-Wicked Chops] entity. The move is likely to fuel speculation over the possibility of Harrah’s making acquisitions in the online-gaming sector."

So...the unfortunately named Anurag Dikshit settles with the U.S. American government. Then Party Poker does the same. Then Harrah's hires ex-Party CEO Mitch Garber to run the wsop.com.

Interesting...VERY...interesting.

Read more here and here.

Jeffrey Pollack Discusses 2009 WSOP Changes

Last weekend at Dream Team Poker, we caught up with Jeffrey Pollack to discuss the changes (including the f-bomb rule and if we'll ever see the Main Event final table on ABC) coming to the 2009 World Series of Poker.

Watch WSOP 09 Official Changes on RawVegas.tv

Scotty Nguyen to Win $4M at 2009 WSOP or Quit Poker

 
Just found this in our archives from 2007. See if you can spot the two things that stood out to us in this pic.

Maybe he's drinking again or maybe he's just feeling it because he's Scotty Nguyen, baby, but in the below video, the Prince of Poker (<--seriously how did he get that nickname?) claims that if he does not win $4 million during the 2009 WSOP, he's going to quit poker.

We're not math majors, but basically that means Scotty needs to win the $50k H.O.R.S.E. again plus the new $40k NLH event, or finish first or second in the Main Event. Ok.

In related news, this.

Scotty Nguyen Quitting Poker? from PokerListings TV

Ria Antoniou Brings You Today's Poker News

 
A gift from God from Greece, Ria Antoniou brings today's poker news. She's also a clue, of sorts, to our new "Official Pick to Win It All." See, now that Huck Seed won a major event, we have to retire him as our official pick, meaning we are naming someone else in the near future. And Ria is a big clue to who that is. See if you can figure it out.

:: The 2009 WSOP is no longer allowing profanity at the tables (#36). Fuck! [link]

:: For some reason this is funny. [link]

:: Erica Schoenberg likes the ecstacy dance scene from Eastbound & Down, which is about the only few minutes from that show that we liked too. [link]

:: Annie Duke and the women are just pwning the Celebrity Apprentice. [link]

:: And lastly, props to the new Up for Poker facelift. [link]

   

Matt "Allinat420" Stout Does Not Win WSOP-C Tunica

Ok, so maybe it wasn't inevitable.

Despite dominating play throughout the tournament and having more than 2x the chips of his nearest competitor at the WSOP-C Tunica final table, Matt "Allinat420" Stout did not walk away with the title.

The win instead went to Kai Landry of Biloxi, Mississippi. Kai banks $183,974 for his first major cashing plus an entry into the 2009 WSOP Main Event.

David Dao finished second, and the aforementioned Stout burned out in third.

Get full final table results and payouts here.

Daniel Negreanu Is Just Killing .02-.05 Online

After a long hiatus, Daniel Negreanu is back with another (few) vlogs. In this first one we catch him grinding it out at the .02-.05 tables, where he's padded his bankroll $9 today. Which means he's about $3,530,009 better this month than durrrr.

He also gives his out his thoughts on the 2009 WSOP schedule.

Watch for his thoughts on Michael Phelps and the Gus Hansen vs. Theo Jorgensen boxing match shortly.

Watch Daniel Negreanu is Enjoying Life on RawVegas.tv

Suze Orman Wants You to Play The 2009 WSOP Main Event

If Suze Orman approves of some guy to play in the 2009 WSOP Main Event, then we'll go ahead and approve these pictures of Canadian model Sarah Mutch. Good times all around.

We've never actually watched Suze Orman outside of the skits SNL does on her, but we kind of get the gist: she's a middle-aged lesbian who tells you to save your money all of the time and doesn't "approve" of any wasteful spending. So with the way The Economy^TM is these days, we get why she's so popular.

Given the above, apparently it was a big shock then that she actually "approved" a caller's request to her show, some 43 year-old named Ray, to play in the 2009 WSOP Main Event.

Given the way Ray laid out his finances though, sounds like he's got money to burn. He should consider backing some people too (see: Chops, Wicked) with that much coin sitting around, doing nothing.

Seriously though, Ray, whoever the f' you are, if you happen across this post, shoot us an email and we'll keep tabs on you come July.

View Suze Orman approving Ray to play in the 2009 WSOP here.

2009 WSOP Schedule Released

The 40th edition of the World Series of Poker is set to start May 27th.

Some highlights (taken from WorldSeriesofPoker.com)

· 57 gold bracelet events over 50 days.
· A “stimulus special” $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament on the opening weekend, May 30-31, 2009, which is anticipated to draw the largest-ever live tournament field outside the Main Event and offer a prize pool approaching $5,000,000.
· 10 “World Championship” $10,000 buy-in events (“World Championship” refers to tournaments with a buy-in of $10,000 in each of the various disciplines of poker).
· The third annual $50,000 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. tournament, with an enhanced gold bracelet and the Chip Reese Memorial Trophy awarded to the winner.
· A one-time commemorative gold bracelet event, a $40,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament to help mark the 40th annual WSOP on Thursday, May 28, 2009.
· Seven open $1500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournaments, the most popular events in poker.
· The 3rd annual Ante Up For Africa $5,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em celebrity and charity tournament on Thursday, July 2, 2009, (the day before the Main Event begins) featuring the opportunity for anyone age 21 or older to enter and be seated at the same table as A-list celebrities and top poker pros.
· The Ladies Only No-Limit Hold’em World Championship on Sunday, June 7, 2009, featuring a $1,000 buy-in and helping to raise awareness for the Nevada Cancer Institute, the official community relations partner of the World Series of Poker.
· The Seniors Only No-Limit Hold’em World Championship on Monday, June 22, 2009 for all poker enthusiasts 50 years of age or older.
· The return of the “November Nine” where the nine finalists of the Main Event (July 3-15) return to the Rio on November 7-10, 2009 to vie for the multi-million dollar prize and the title of 2009 World Champion of Poker in front of a live audience with special primetime coverage on ESPN.

This is interesting in that we heard rumors WSOP officials were going to shorten the time by up to two months for the November Nine^TM, but apparently they're going to give the four-month hostage holding the old college try one more time.

Read more here. Get a side-by-side of the 2008 WSOP vs. the 2009 WSOP here.

Michael Phelps and Phil Ivey Partying in Las Vegas Over New Year's

All right. Ok. Now we get it. Poker player/swimmer Michael Phelps probably wasn't a stud growing up. As in, if it wasn't for that swimming hobby of his, he might not of been the coolest guy. No shame in that, but it is what it is.

So he's really relishing being cool right now. And he should. Because with 8 gold medals on his belt after the 2008 Summer Olympics, Phelps is doing one of the best, "Yeah I have 8 gold medals and $100 mil coming my way the next few years, so suck my d--- world! Yo DJ, pump A Milli again so I can grind on my hot Asian girlfriend..." that we've ever seen.

Over New Year's, Phelps was seen (yet again) in Vegas partying this time with Phil Ivey. Phelps already seemed to have some wicked poker chops before hanging with Ivey et. al., so if he's getting any tips (likely at a ridiculous hourly rate), watch out 2009 WSOP (if he plays, as predicted upon here).

View the full Phelps/Vegas gallery here.

Wicked Chops Poker Predictions for 2009

(This column is running in the current Bluff Magazine. Funny thing is if we had waited a month, we would have altered some of these, but whatever.)

As any regular reader of our site knows, the Entities who comprise Wicked Chops Poker have a truly sick ability at making accurate predictions. Our call on Chino Rheem on Day 1 of the 2008 WSOP Main Event solidified our status in that respect for awhile.

We could go on a Nostradamus-esque 500 year run of off-base whack-job vague and ambiguous prognostications now and nobody would care. Our rep is secured. Our track record for accurate predictions in Bluff Magazine ain’t so bad either. Let’s look back at last year’s Bluff column: We predicted that Daniel Negreanu would have a monster year (check), Jerry Yang will fade into oblivion (check), female poker players will continue to prove us wrong and win a few things (check), the UIGEA will not shrink the number of online poker players (check), Shawn Sheikhan won’t be deported (check), then a couple that we got wrong but whose counting? Bottomline is we make the aforementioned Nostradamus look like Neville Chamberlain when it comes to accurate takes on the future.

On with our official Wicked Chops Poker predictions for 2009.

:: The World Poker Tour will stop the bleeding. While we’re not predicting a resurgence and record profits for the WPT in 2009, we actually think they’ll start righting the ship this year. With a partnership in place with Full Tilt Poker, cutting some more events, and staffing itself more efficiently, the WPT may only lost eleventy billion dollars this year instead of four gazillion.

:: The November Nine™ concept will be an unequivocal success. If there’s one thing that Jeffrey Pollack and crew have shown us it’s that they learn from their mistakes and get better and better each and every WSOP. From June to July, this year’s WSOP was the best on the books. But the much trumpeted November Nine™ hostage concept fell flat. There was zero mainstream build-up or appeal. Even hardcore poker fans gave it a big “meh” for the most part. Not this year though. Look for the November Nine™ to be an actual TV spectacle event in 2009. Or at a minimum, look for it to be a few ticks above the Stanley Cup Finals in the public’s general consciousness.

:: Annie Duke will be in the spotlight. We’ll just keep this one simple. We predict a deep run on the Celebrity Apprentice for the super-smart Annie Duke and a switch of online poker site affiliation away from UltimateBet and to something that rhymes with Bull Filt Moker.

:: This will be Doyle’s last WSOP Main Event. We’ve watched Doyle’s enthusiasm for big tournament poker wane over the years. At the few tourneys we saw him at, he showed about the same amount of enthusiasm as Kim Kardashian did in her sex tape with Ray-J (i.e. not much). So it just feels like he’ll throw his cowboy hat in after completing the WSOP Main Event in ’09. Let’s just hope he has a Jack Nicklaus ’86 Masters run left in him.

:: Michael Phelps will no show. The poker world was in ecstasy after Michael Phelps declared his love of online poker in 2008 and showed up at a few tournaments. “Hey, look at us world! We’re legitimate!” Things look even more promising now that he’s rumored to be dating Las Vegas cocktail waitress Caroline “Caz” Pal. “He’ll definitely be in Vegas playing more poker now!” Well, one of two things will happen: 1) Caz will step in and say, “Michael, stop playing so much poker and spend more time with meeeeeeeeeeeee,” which he’ll do because she’s hot and because all women except our current/first wives do that, or 2) his handlers will get a hold of him and say, “Uh yeah Michael, see, palling around with a bunch of degenerate gamblers is kind of like Barack Obama having barbeques with Bill Ayers. We’ve got $100 million in endorsements lined up so can you just stay out of the Rio Amazon Room for six weeks this summer, please?”

:: Either UltimateBet or Absolute Poker will fold. It’s got to happen, right? The fact that anyone still plays on either of these sites, especially UltimateBet, whose co-founder Russ Hamilton is allegedly implicated in cheating players out of hundreds of thousands of dollars (if not more), baffles us. Sure, they’ve come together to form a network called CEREUS, but either mounting public pressure for regulation or hopefully through some form of karmic retribution, one of these sites will go under. If it doesn’t happen, we’re going to go club some baby seals and immediately go buy lottery tickets afterwards.

2009 WSOP To Eliminate Rebuy Events? Flack Cracks Doyle? Other WSOP News

The 2009 World Series of Poker may send rebuy events to the rail, according to Communications Director Seth Palanksy.

In an article on Card Player, Palansky says:

"There is a movement to not have any rebuy events...There is the growing concern that a pro can buy a bracelet in a rebuy event."

Surprisingly even guys like Daniel Negreanu, who once rebought 43 times in an event (which he eventually finished 3rd in), agree with this decision.

One guy who doesn't, however, is Layne Flack. "That's bullshit," Flack told Card Player. Flack won the $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Rebuy event at this year's WSOP. He continued his rant with possibly our favorite quote of the year, cracking on poker's all-time legend:

"You want to talk about buying a bracelet? Let’s talk about Doyle’s bracelet when there were eight people in the tournament...The critics should look back in history and see where a bracelet has been bought."

We've always held a similar opinion, but you rarely hear a pro say it.

In other 2009 WSOP news, Palansky said that they are considering adding a winner-take-all event to the roster. While Palansky told Card Player that they will "likely" keep the Main Event final table delay, we've heard speculation that it will be moved earlier than November next year. While a delay will still occur, most WSOP officials we've learned believe that four months is too long. Look for a final table perhaps in September or October next year. So much for all the work we spent trademarking the clever "November Nine^TM."

 

Michael Phelps Cashed at Caesars Palace Poker Tournament

Michael Phelps was making the rounds in Las Vegas this weekend.

But instead of solely banging the hundreds of skank groupies that throw themselves at him wherever he goes, he spent much of his time at the poker tables.

Phelps, an avid online poker player, final tabled a $1,570 buy-in event at the Caesars Poker Classic (at Caesars Palace). Phelps banked $5,213 for his efforts.

According to Norm Clarke, Phelps was "letting it be known" that he wants to play in the 2009 World Series of Poker. Only question now is will he be wearing a Stars or FTP cap.

In related news, we're working on landing a TOKE interview with him right now. Developing...

UPDATE: So Phelps signed some sort of exclusive deal for vid coverage with...Card Player? CARD PLAYER? What a douche move. Who does that? And Card Player hasn't been relevant for about two years now. Still working on it though...