Poker Blog

Ronald Lee 122,700
Balazs Botond 90,000
Christian Harder 55,100
John Racener 50,000
Andrew Cohen 48,000
John Dolan 46,000
Davidi Kitai 45,000
Jason Newburger 44,500
Ali Eslami 44,500
Alessio Isaia 43,900
James Dempsey 40,000
Justin Flitz 40,000
Cody Slaubaugh 40,000
Rene Angelil 38,000
Mike Leah 35,600
Matt Hawrilenko 34,000
Steve O’Dwyer 34,000
Dan Heimiller 30,500
Noah Schwartz 30,000
James Carroll 28,500
Jeff Hakim 27,100
Allen Kessler 23,500
Owen Crowe 21,500
Grant Hinkle 20,000
Chris DeMaci 20,000
Pierre Neuville 19,000
Hoyt Corkins 13,800
Pat Pezzin 11,000
Ted Lawson 10,400
Robert Cheung 9,300
Tony Cousineau 9,000
Randall Flowers 9,000
Joe Sebok 8,400
Mickey Petersen 5,000

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E-Poker Room in Madison Wisconsin
Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison opened a live poker room that features electronic poker tables. The electronic only poker room was opened last fall, while most people believed the electronic live game would be obsolete. Not only has this room not disappeared, but it has thrived in the last several months, where other places have failed.
This electronic poker set up is as follows:
Each table can play up to 10 players in a live game. Players can converse, exchange tells and read each other without viewing hold cards. There is no involvement from the gaming establishment, nor do players compete against an automated computerized player. The graphics are colorful, active and accurately represent the cards, dealer button and chips. There is no need for a live dealer. Many view this to be a blend of online poker and a live poker room.
In many previous situations, live poker rooms have dominated the face to face experience. Venues such as the one created in Madison, Wisconsin have often been closed in under a year. This one, however, has proven the crowds wrong. Speculation on the matter yields some realistic reasons for this. Among them is the limited number of legal poker options in the city. Until now, most of the poker games available have been backroom, unregulated and unmonitored games. Concerns for integrity and standards were negligent at best. In the Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison Poker room, the electronic tables uphold the best of the game and perform consistently at high standards. This kind of high quality and high standard allows for a poker player to be assured the table is competitive, and enjoyable.
Although they have limited options in Madison, it appears this poker room is here to stay.

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2011 WSOP Predictions by James Guill

The 2011 WSOP Main Event is less than 2 months away. As such, predictions and speculation around the events have begun, and as many of you know, I like to share my opinions on all things poker. Here are my predictions for the 2011 WSOP.

Jason Mercier Takes Down $25,000 Heads-Up Title

I had Jason Mercier going deep in the NBC National Heads-Up finals and ultimately falling to Phil Ivey. Sadly, neither prediction came true. However, Mercier has been one of the more dominating forces in poker over the last three years, and I feel that he takes down another bracelet this year. This event I think sets up perfectly for Mercier and I think he kicks things off with taking down the first open bracelet of 2011.

Phil Ivey Takes Down $10,000 Stud World Championship

Normally I wouldn’t make a prediction on an event like the Stud World Championship, but Phil Ivey has to win something. He typically shows well in this event and was heads-up for this very title 4 years ago when it was a $5,000 buy-in event. Stud is easily his best game and I think he takes down his 9th bracelet in this event.

Erik Seidel Takes Down $50,000 Poker Player’s Championship

With Erik Seidel’s epic run so far in 2011, it is hard to not put him as a favorite in any event with a buy-in of $25,000 or more. The reason I picked him for this event is partially for his epic run and partially because he tends to run better later in the WSOP. He has made final tables or won bracelets in just about every even in the 8-game mix, so he definitely has the skills. Back in 2006, I asked him who he thought would take this down and he told me without hesitation “Chip Reese.” This year, I think most will not hesitate to tell me “Erik Seidel” if I ask them the same question.

Phil Hellmuth Takes #12

He has come close the last couple of years, but this year I think Phil takes down bracelet #12. He is looking to reestablish himself in the poker world after leaving UB.com and I think a bracelet win will help to do so. A win in something other than Hold’em would earn him more respect among the pro community, but any bracelet win should put him back in the forefront of poker.

Lacey Jones Photo by Barret Appelgate

A Woman Makes the WSOP Main Event Final Table

You read that right folks. A woman will make the WSOP Main Event final table this year. However, I don’t think it will be a known pro, or at least one that is known now. Everyone tried to make last year the “Year of the Woman” and for the poker world as a whole, it was true. The WSOP, not so much. I think this year a woman breaks through, but I do not see her taking it down. Maybe a 3rd place finish at best. Otherwise, don’t expect a big name at the WSOP Main Event final.

This years WSOP will boast the largest field of participants ever and will produce a ton of great stories. With any luck, the above stories will be among them, but regardless of what happens, this promises to be an exciting summer for poker.

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Isildur1 VS Daniel Negreanu

The much anticipated matchup between Viktor Blom screen name Isildur1 finally kicked off at 3 pm EST on Sunday afternoon. Both players brought $150,000 to the tables and the two four-tabled $50-$100 NL Hold’em.

Isildur1 wasted no time getting out of the gates. In the first three hands of the match, Blom was all-in twice and came out on top in each hand. The result was $26,150 lead for Blom.

Negreanu tried to keep things close between the two, but by about hand 658, Isildur1 had jumped out to a $61,300 lead. To say that Isildur1 was running well was an understatement. Often, he was behind in hands against Negreanu, and managed to find a way to come out on top. For example, in the following hand, Blom shoved all-in on the flop with just a flush draw. Negrenau had flopped top pair with best kicker and called. The turn came trips for Negreanu, but the river fell a disastrous spade to give Isildur1 a $25,604 pot.

By the time we got to hand 935, Isildur1 had broken the $100k mark and play had degraded down to just three tables. Isildur1 led by $119k at this point. Isildur1 wasn’t winning them all by luck however. In the following hand, Negreanu decided to shove on the flop with an open ended straight draw. Isildur1 had pocket aces and made the easy call. Daniel couldn’t hit his outs, and Isildur1 took another $14k pot.

Play was down to about two tables and things looked to be about over with when Negreanu made a final comeback attempt around hand 1,165. He managed to grow his roll back to enough to force the online poker match back to four tables. Part of his comeback was based on doubling up against Isildur1 after catching quads on the turn. Negreanu had flopped a set of sixes and Isildur1 a flush draw. The turn brought another six and Isildur1 decided that shoving with a flush draw here was a good move. Daniel obviously wasted no time in calling and the rail got a good laugh as Negreanu doubled up with quads.

That was really the last gasp for Negreanu as it was all downhill from that point. Eventually, the match moved down to three tables, then two, and then finally to just a single table. Negreanu was down to his last $11,000 when he decided to gamble with Isildur1. After Blom made it $300, Daniel raised to $1,000. Isildur1 decided then super-shove for $22,903. Daniel thought for a while and finally said “meh” and “let’s gamble I guess.” He then made the call showing Ks-Jc. Isildur1 showed Ac-Kh and Daniel was dominated. The flop fell 10s-7d-Jd to give Negreanu top pair. Of course, as was customary on this day, Isildur1 hit the turn when the Qc. Only a river ace would allow Negreanu to chop the pot. The river fell the 4d and the beat down was over.

The first match between Daniel Negreanu and Viktor Blom ended with Blom busting Daniel in 1,439 hands. After the match, Daniel stated ” That was pretty frustrating. Lost the match in 1439 hands. In 20k + pots he beat me 12-2 and I ran 44k under par in all in pots again.” This is the first challenge that has ended early due to someone busting. Of course, this is not much of a surprise considering that Negreanu has been getting his teeth kicked in recently at the $50-$100 heads-up tables. Perhaps he should have taken his own advice and waited a while longer to play Blom.

This challenge had been originally scheduled to take place over two weekends and for a total of 5,000 hands. It is unclear whether week two will now happen due to Negreanu’s busting. An announcement has not been made regarding the 2nd week as of the time of the posting of this article.

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