Poker News - WPT winds down with POY race still open

WPT winds down with POY race still open

Now that the Foxwoods Poker Classic has been written into the history books, the eyes of the tournament poker world turn to Las Vegas, where the sixth $25,000 World Poker Tour Championship begins at Bellagio on April 19. Along with the standard monster prize pool, there's something else up for grabs: the WPT Player of the Year title.

Getting to the top

The formula for determining the winner of the POY award is straightforward: award points based on final-table finishes, add up the points, and the player with the highest total wins. The points for each tournament are distributed as follows:

• 1st place: 1,000 points
• 2nd place: 700 points
• 3rd place: 600 points
• 4th place: 500 points
• 5th place: 400 points
• 6th place: 300 points
• 7th place: 200 points

In the running

#img: jonathan-little_18252.jpg: left: It could be a little too late for players to catch up with Jonathan Little.#

Currently sitting atop the Season 6 POY standings with 1,900 points is Jonathan Little. The Pensacola, Fla., native terrorized WPT fields early in the season, adding first-place (Mirage Poker Showdown), second-place (North American Poker Championships) and seventh-place (Gulf Coast Poker Championship) finishes to an already-impressive tournament resume.

Just behind Little is Phil Ivey, arguably one of the greatest players poker has ever known. Ivey finished fifth at the Mirage tournament Little won to kick off the season, earning himself 400 points in the POY race. Then he took down the title at the LA Poker Classic in February, adding another 1,000 points for a total of 1,400.

Steve Sung sits in third place despite not having won a Season 6 event. His second-place finish at Bay 101 and fourth-place finish at the WPT Spanish Championship give him 1,200 points heading to Bellagio.

David "The Dragon" Pham is familiar with POY honors, having won the Card Player POY award in 2007. His 1,100 points come from a second-place finish at the Legends of Poker and a fifth-place finish at the World Poker Challenge.

Rounding out the field of potential contenders with 1,000 points are the season's other champions, including newly crowned Foxwoods Poker Classic champion Erik Seidel. Also in contention with 1,000 points is Mike Matusow, who totaled 1,000 points by finishing second at Bellagio Cup III and sixth at the Borgata Poker Open.

Danny Wong, who accumulated 900 points with a third-place finish at Bellagio Cup III and sixth place at the Mandalay Bay Poker Championship, could tie for the title with a win at Bellagio.

The possibilities are (somewhat) endless

To some degree, every player in the running for the POY title controls his own destiny at Bellagio next week.

That's certainly the case with front-runner Little. If he finishes in third place or higher, he puts himself out of reach and seals up the POY title. Even a fourth-place finish would give him 2,400 points, meaning he could do no worse than tie for the honors.

If Little finishes worse than fourth at Bellagio, a number of scenarios may develop in which someone else wins the title.

#img: phil-ivey_18587.jpg: right: If anyone can do it, Ivey can.#

For instance, if Little takes fifth place to leave himself with 2,300 points, Ivey would secure the title by winning the WPT Championship. A sixth-place finish by Little (2,200 points total) would open the door for Steve Sung to tie with a Bellagio win, while a seventh-place finish would give Pham a chance to tie by winning the final event.

If Little fails to make the top seven, the race opens up even further. Ivey could win the title outright by finishing in third place or higher, or tie by taking fourth. Sung could win outright by winning the tournament, or tie for the honor by finishing in second place. Pham, meanwhile, would need to win the WPT Championship and have Ivey finish in third place or worse.

Should Little not pick up any points but still manage to stay ahead of his three closest competitors, he could still be knocked out of the top spot by a win from any of the season's champions. Dan Harrington, Gavin Griffin, Bill Edler and Brandon Cantu, along with the rest of the season's winners and two-time Season 6 final-tablist Matusow, would total 2,000 points and secure the POY crown with a win at the WPT Championship.

How important is the award?

To be sure, the five players who have previously won the title - Howard Lederer, Daniel Negreanu, Erick Lindgren, Gavin Smith and J.C. Tran - form an elite group. But the impact of winning the WPT's Player of the Year title can't be summed up neatly, mostly because the award's true importance depends on who comes out on top.

If anyone but Little wins, the mystique of having come from behind to win the POY race by taking down the second-richest poker tournament in the world will forever be attached to their name.

#img: steve-sung_18607.jpg: left: Could Sung sneak into the top spot as well?#

Should either Little or Sung win the title, the WPT would have its youngest-ever Player of the Year. Both players would further enhance a growing reputation for consistency at the table. It's even possible that a POY win for Little could give him the kind of PR boost needed to overshadow for good his recent loss of sponsorship at Full Tilt Poker.

A win by Ivey would be another notch on a belt already notched aplenty. Considering Ivey finally got the WPT monkey off his back with his Commerce win in February, coming out on top of the POY race would cement Ivey's status as one of poker's all-time greats.

Likewise, a POY win for Pham would be another trophy on the shelf for one of the most consistent tournament players over the last few years.

Unfortunately for Pham and Sung, any immediate boost in marketability from such a win is questionable; even the most successful Asian poker players haven't seen the same sort of windfall from sponsorships during the poker boom as some of their fellow champions from Caucasian or African-American backgrounds.

At the end of the day, the only sure thing about the WPT's Player of the Year race at this point is that it holds the potential for a lot of drama at Bellagio next week. If you ever needed another reason to follow the tournament with our star reporters here at PokerListings.com, consider yourself justified!

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Poker News - Brad Garrett to host charity tournament

Brad Garrett to host charity tournament

The event will also feature Ray Romano, Mimi Rogers, Cyndy Violette, Joely Fisher, Anthony Anderson, Jennie Garth and Peter Facinelli playing in what is slated to be a fun-filled day of poker, laughter and celebration.

"Brad will be hosting a Texas Hold'em Poker Tournament, and each hand played will be a strong step forward in ending the violence against women and children," said 1736 Crisis Center in a press release.

The 1736 Crisis Center operates an emergency youth shelter in Hermosa Beach and four shelters for domestic violence victims and their children at confidential locations throughout Los Angeles County.

"Homeless children, runaway teens and beaten wives/mothers are housed and protected completely free of charge," said Garrett in a letter on the 1736 Crisis Center Web site.

"They are given food, clothing, daily therapy, legal help, transportation, case management, and most important a home where they can thrive and feel safe with loving reinforcement from counselors and therapists in a 24-hour helpful, nourishing environment; something that every human being deserves, yet tens of thousands never receive."

The Center's five shelters, three clinics and five 24-hour emergency response stations, and its associated outreach services, helped approximately 25,000 abuse victims and children in 2007.

To provide these services, the Center relies 100% on grants and donations, and all the proceeds from the charity poker tournament will go to benefit the Center.

The tournament starts at 1 p.m., on April 20, and will have a $350 buy-in.

"And if you play like I do, you'll appreciate the opportunity to purchase additional buy-ins at only $100," Garrett said. The event will offer the $100 rebuys for the first hour of the tournament.

Not only will the 1736 Crisis Center benefit from the event, participants have a shot at prizes as well. The winner of the tournament will receive $10,000 cash, and the second-place finisher will get a seat in the 2009 World Poker Tour Invitational.

The final 10 players will receive prizes as well.

"I am grateful for your consideration. If you can't make it, please consider a donation," Garrett said. "There are also sponsorship opportunities for businesses that can further your company's goals while being charitable to this wonderful organization."

Buy-ins or donations can be sent to:

1736 Family Crisis Center
Attn: Poker Tournament
2116 Arlington Ave., Suite 200
Los Angeles, CA 90018

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WSOP champions: Where are they now, Part 3

Now that we've taken a look at the eight champions who have died since becoming poker's World Champion, there are plenty of winners left who continue to make a mark on the poker world.

This week explores the earliest living winners who took down the Main Event in the 70s, including Amarillo Slim Preston, Doyle Brunson and Bobby Baldwin.

Amarillo Slim Preston (1972)

There have been many champions over the years and many "characters" in the game of poker, but Amarillo Slim was one of the first to get noticed by the mainstream public.

The self-proclaimed best gambler that ever lived won the World Series of Poker Main Event in 1972, taking out Puggy Pearson in heads-up play. The top prize was a now-paltry $80,000, but Slim managed to parlay his win into fame and popularity.

He turned his reputation as a golden-tongued gambler into lucrative sponsorship deals following his win. He also made appearances on national television shows such as 60 Minutes and Good Morning America.

It was rare in those days for someone involved in such a shady occupation as playing poker such as Amarillo Slim to be welcomed by the mainstream media. In that way, he played a big part in bringing the early years of the WSOP to the attention of the average public.

Some of the results of his fame included the introduction of his own "Superbowl of Poker" tournament that ran for years at a few locations in Nevada, plus the release of his book Play Poker to Win in 1973. He also made a cameo appearance in Robert Altman's film, California Split.

After years of being a prominent figure in the game of poker, which includes winning four WSOP bracelets, Preston has been quieter on the poker scene in more recent years.

In 1992 he was inducted into the WSOP Hall of Fame, but he continued to cash in WSOP events and other tournaments around the world. In 2002 he nearly made the final table of two different Omaha events, hitting the rail in 16th and 17th places. It wasn't until 2007 that he made his mark at the WSOP once again with a cash in the Seniors event.

He may not be the face of the game that he once was, but Amarillo Slim continues to play the game that made him famous. According to an interview at the 2007 WSOP, Preston has played in nearly all the Championship events of the WSOP since it began. Even if there were good odds given, it's probably not safe to bet against Amarillo Slim not being at the 2008 WSOP either.

Doyle Brunson (1976, 1977)

#img: doyle-brunson_17654.jpg: left: Doyle Brunson#

If you polled the poker players of the world, there's probably not much doubt who they'd list as the top living legend of the game. Doyle Brunson has lived and breathed poker for pretty much his entire adult life, and winning back-to-back WSOP championships in 1976 and 1977 was just the start of an amazing tournament career for him.

Only two other players have been able to duplicate his back-to-back wins - Stu Ungar and Johnny Chan - which just goes to show the caliber of play it takes to achieve that. His mark on the World Series extends way beyond the double championship win, however.

Doyle is also a 10-bracelet winner, a record he shares with Johnny Chan and is only surpassed by Phil Hellmuth. What's really impressive is that he's won bracelets both pre- and post-poker boom.

His first six bracelets were all picked up within four years. The two years he won the championship, he also won another event each year, giving him four, and he followed that up in 1978 and 1979 with a win each year.

He won two more bracelets in the 1990s, and then the poker boom hit with Chris Moneymaker winning the WSOP Main Event in 2003. That same year, Brunson picked up his ninth bracelet and could very easily have retired from tournament play a legend at that point and avoided the increased pressure of larger player fields and younger players.

Retirement, Brunson says, will come when he quits winning. In 2005, he proved that his game could evolve and compete among the growing playing fields by winning his 10th WSOP bracelet.

His success at the World Series and other tournaments around the world isn't the only mark Brunson has made on the poker world. The Texas Dolly also penned a few poker books over the years. The first of which was Super/System in 1979 which is considered to be a must-have for any serious poker player.

Since then he's published Super/System 2 as well as a book of memoirs and a book about the greatest hands he's ever seen.

Brunson's interests have also expanded from live poker and the publishing world into the Internet realm. He owns and endorses an online gaming site, DoylesRoom.com, where he and some of the other top players of the game play on a regular basis.

Brunson has proved that an old dog can learn new tricks as he's managed to stay relevant and influential in the poker industry, however, he once told PokerListings.com in an interview, "I don't consider myself to be anything besides a poker player. I'm just fortunate that I've been able to survive all this time and seen it all evolve to this point, and I just feel very grateful."

Bobby Baldwin (1978)

#img: bobby-baldwin_10208.jpg: right: Bobby Baldwin#

A shrewd poker player, Bobby Baldwin knew how to play his cards right both at and away from the poker table.

In the late 1970s he took the tournament poker world by storm. He'd been on the Vegas cash game scene for a few years, taking on some of the biggest names in poker. Brunson once joked that he couldn't wait to get Baldwin across the table from him, but after their first meeting he was stuck $40,000.

His appreciation for the young player grew, and Brunson asked Baldwin to write the Limit Hold'em section of Super/System. By the time the book came out in 1979, Baldwin had picked up two WSOP bracelets in 1977 and won the 1978 Main Event.

Winning three events in two years and authoring a section of a poker legend's book is quite an accomplishment for a 26-year-old. And he didn't stop there.

In 1979 he picked up a fourth bracelet at the World Series of Poker and cashed in six more WSOP events by the end of the 1982 series before surprising his poker peers by taking a job with Steve Wynn at the Golden Nugget.

There he influenced the world of poker from a different angle with the shaping of casinos. He started out his new job by revamping the casino's card room and then took on other projects from there. In 1984 he was promoted to President and CEO of the Golden Nugget.

In 1989 he was given even more responsibility with the design, development and operation of three major properties on the Las Vegas Strip: The Mirage, Treasure Island and Bellagio. He held that position until May 2005.

Baldwin was also appointed president and CEO of Mirage Resorts Inc. when Steve Wynn sold his holdings in the company to Kirk Kirkorian in 2000. It's been reported that Baldwin's bonus for signing a contract to stay with the company once Kirkorian took over was more than $7 million.

The casinos under Baldwin's purview as the president of Mirage Resorts are Bellagio, The Mirage, Treasure Island, New York-New York, Monte Carlo, Circus Circus, Slots-A-Fun and Boardwalk Hotel and Casino, all in Las Vegas: Circus-Circus and Silver Legacy in Reno; Gold Strike and Beau Rivage in Mississippi.

Baldwin was also appointed to the MGM Mirage board of directors in 2000, where he continues to serve as a board member.

One of Baldwin's current projects at MGM is overseeing the creation of Project CityCenter, a multi-billion dollar, mixed-use urban development project underway on the central Las Vegas Strip.

Project CityCenter is the largest privately funded development in U.S. history, according to MGM Mirage, and will create a mini-city with a casino resort and high-rise residential areas, with its own fire station, on-site power plant and lots of pedestrian space.

It is a project that could revolutionize the city of Las Vegas, and Baldwin is the man at the wheel to make it happen.

You would think all his work for MGM would have left him with very little time for poker. However, he did continue his tournament play fairly successfully for several years. Between 1986 and 1995 he had six more cashes at the World Series of Poker.

He was inducted into the WSOP Hall of Fame in 2003, and though he may not always be at the tournament felt, you can occasionally find Baldwin playing some cash games at the Bellagio where he takes a seat with Brunson in his namesake poker room, Bobby's Room, to play in the "Big Game."

The early days of the WSOP produced many players who would be considered legends now. Next week, we'll take a look at the impact Tom McEvoy, Berry Johnston and Johnny Chan have had on the poker world since attaining Champion status.

Related Articles:

• WSOP Champions: Where Are They Now, Part 2
• WSOP Champions: Where Are They Now, Part 1

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Poker News - Atlantic City to ban smoking in casinos?

Atlantic City to ban smoking in casinos?
Atlantic City’s city council will try to ban smoking on casino floors today. This is the second time in two years that the issue will come before city council. According to majorwager.com: An ordinance scheduled to be introduced Wednesday night would still let smokers light up, but only ��...full article

Atlantic City’s city council will try to ban smoking on casino floors today.

This is the second time in two years that the issue will come before city council.

According to majorwager.com:

An ordinance scheduled to be introduced Wednesday night would still let smokers light up, but only in smoking lounges where there are no gambling tables or slot machines.

The change would eliminate a compromise worked out last year in which smoking was restricted to no more than 25 percent of the gambling floor.

Whole thing here.

Poker News - Full Tilt Poker Announces FTOPS VIII

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Canuck wins WSOP seat at Full Tilt

Cuthbertson, a head golf professional and general manager at a golf club in Morinville, Alberta, won his seat in the 2008 Main Event online through an exclusive freeroll for PokerListings.com players at Full Tilt Poker.

After signing up at Full Tilt Poker through PokerListings.com, all it took for Cuthbertson to qualify for the freeroll was to earn 300 player points during the qualification period before the freeroll.

That wasn't too difficult a feat for Cuthbertson, who said he plays three to five days a week online during the winter months.

"I rarely play in the summer due to the hours required for my job, [and] for the most part, I'm just a recreational player," Cuthbertson said.

Still, the 35-year-old checks in at Full Tilt Poker almost daily, whether he actually plays a hand or not. He likes to head to the site to see what's going on, read the pro tips and watch the pros play online.

"I love the Full Tilt site," he said. "The graphics are great and the action is fantastic. You can always find a game no matter what your limits are."

He also heads to PokerListings.com almost daily to read the blogs and advice as well as to take a look at the Question of the Day.

"It has been very helpful," Cuthbertson said. "I love to read the tips from the different pros as well as read the forum for the discussions on poker."

All the reading up on strategy paid off for Cuthbertson as he took on the 110-person playing field in the Full Tilt Poker WSOP freeroll Sunday.

"The tables I played at, for the most part, seemed like fairly good players," Cuthbertson said of the freeroll playing field. "There were very few times that any one player really went crazy."

The playing field got tougher as play got down to the top 20. Cuthbertson commented that players were well aware of what was at stake at that point. But when play got down to the final table, things sped up.

"It seemed like the first five players to be knocked out of the final table went quickly," he said. "Four-handed, things went back and forth for about 40 to 45 minutes before two players were eliminated and heads-up began."

That's when Cuthbertson, who plays under the name jcmd at Full Tilt Poker, took on Tilt Bluffer for the top prize. Cuthbertson had a small chip lead starting out the heads-up matchup, but it still only took two hands to eliminate Tilt Bluffer.

On the final hand, Cuthbertson was in the small blind with pocket queens and made a minimum raise to make it look like he was trying to steal with a weak hand. Tilt Bluffer re-raised all-in for his remaining $68,000 in chips.

"I made a fairly quick call," Cuthbertson said. "He had Q-T suited. The flop left Tilt Bluffer no flush possibilities, but a three-card straight."

The turn gave Tilt Bluffer a gut-shot straight possibility, drawing to four outs, according to Cuthbertson. But the river blanked, allowing Cuthbertson's pocket queens to hold up.

"It actually left me stunned when we both turned our cards over," Cuthbertson said. "I'm still trying to believe that it happened."

Not only was this his biggest win ever, live or online, Cuthbertson said winning a seat for the World Series of Poker Main Event is like a dream come true. His closest contact with the event so far has been to watch the coverage online and on TV.

"I have always said that someday I will play in the Main Event but never expected it to happen like this," Cuthbertson said. "I am already trying to figure out how to arrange my schedule to take the days off from work."

In the Main Event, Cuthbertson could end up facing some of the game's top pros and legends, something he's very much looking forward to. He said he would be excited to go up against Doyle Brunson just because of who he is and what he has meant to the game of poker.

#img: phil-ivey_17645.jpg: right: Care for a game of golf, Phil?#

"I'm also a big fan of Daniel Negreanu and Phil Ivey," Cuthbertson said. "I figure if they bust me at the tables, maybe I can get them out on the golf course. I also hope to see Phil Hellmuth explode in a rant. That would make for a great trip!"

Cuthbertson said he isn't all that nervous about taking on the championship event, however, just excited at the opportunity.

"After all, I'm getting to play for free," he said. "Can it get any better than that? I guess only if I cash."

Of course, winning the event would be even better. The Main Event has made millionaires and now multimillionaires of its winners for years, with the biggest first-place prize going to Jamie Gold when he won $12 million for his 2006 win.

If he won, Cuthbertson said he would first thank PokerListings.com and Full Tilt Poker. But a win would not necessarily send him into a professional poker career.

"That kind of money would allow me to take a chance at playing tour golf for a living," he said. "It would be fun to know that all the bills are paid while trying to work my way up to one of the big tours. Also, the doors that this would open in the poker world would be fun to explore as well. I think almost everyone who takes the game serious[ly] wonders what it would be like to be a professional poker player."

* World Series of Poker and WSOP are trademarks of Harrah's License Company, LLC ("Harrah's"). Harrah's does not sponsor or endorse, and is not associated or affiliated with PokerListings.com or its products, services, promotions or tournaments.

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Poker News - #361 – NBC Heads-Up Championship #11 – Opinions Are Like A-Holes; Everybody Has One

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WPA increases efforts with WSOP events

To help its efforts along, the WPA will host its first educational conference at the Rio May 28-29. Mike Caro, poker pro and author, will MC the event.

On the second day of the conference, the WSOP has agreed to host a mega-satellite tournament at the World Series of Poker.

Wendeen Eolis, newly crowned chair of the WPA Board, secured the deal soon after being named chair and convinced the tournament organizers to have nine-handed tables for the mega-satellite.

According to the WPA Web site, the organization will soon begin working with WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel in an effort to incorporate various additional rules recommended by the WPA for the mega-satellite as well.

"This is a good first step in the WPA's efforts to improve playing conditions for tournament competitors around the world," Eolis said.

#img: wpa-logo_2505.jpg: left#

Eolis has also been talking to Director Thomas Kremser, tournament rules chairman, to work on continuing to expand the WPA Tournament Rules. The rules build on those set out by the Tournament Directors Association.

"Wendeen has been the work horse of the executive committee," said Harry Thomas Jr., WPA treasurer and executive committee member. "Seldom have I seen someone do in the private sector for money what she has done for this organization gratis. Without her, Jesse Jones' vision would be nowhere near where it is now. We owe her a debt of gratitude."

Eolis previously served the WPA as the vice-chair of the board. She has had a hand in several of the major projects the association has undertaken since it was created by Jesse Jones.

Eolis oversaw drafting of an ethics code. A finalized Code of Ethics is being completed by re-appointed Ethics Chair and WSOP Champion Tom McEvoy and newly appointed Ethics Co-Chair Roger Saad for approval by the board of directors and presentation to the membership at WPA's first annual meeting.

Eolis also worked directly this past year on bylaws provisions. She has turned over the chairmanship of the Bylaws and Elections Committee to Ken Adams. Adams will oversee completion of bylaws and a board of directors slate for approval by the board of directors and presentation at the annual meeting.

"I plan to keep my foot on the pedal and our collective feet to the fire so as to provide concrete results that serve our membership's interests - sooner rather than later," Eolis said.

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Tim Vance takes down WSOPC event

Vance, who won a European Poker Tour event in February, returned to his home country to take down the WSOPC event. He is joined by the winners of Event 4 and Event 6.

Event 4, $300 No-Limit Hold'em

Event 4 at the WSOPC Caesars Indiana stop was number one for Tim Laws as he registered his first win after quitting his job in December to play professional poker.

Laws, 29, is from Columbia, Miss., where he worked previously installing granite and marble in home kitchens and bathrooms. Since January, he's played in eight WSOPC events and made two prior final tables.

His best finish was third in a $300 event at Council Bluffs, Iowa, but now he's got a win under his belt as well, winning an official $49,239 after having made a deal when the final table got down to heads-up play.

Laws wasn't the favorite heading into the final table. He was second in the chip count, but the leader, Justin Scott, had more than double his chips with $560,000 to Laws' $214,000.

As the table played out though, Scott ended up in third place, while Mark Wright and Laws were left to duke it out heads-up. However, Laws had more than a million of the $1.573 million chips in play, and he and Wright took a break to discuss a deal.

When they came back to the table, a couple of hands were played to make the ending official and Laws had the win.

The final-table results were:

Place	Name	Hometown	Prize
1st	Tim Laws	Columbia, Mo.	$49,238.56
2nd	Mark Wright	Nashville, Tenn.	$25,498.54
3rd	Justin Scott	Redford Twp, Mo.	$14,068.16
4th	Dan Hill	Mason, Ohio	$12,310.64
5th	Matt Ready	Cincinnati, Ohio	$10,551.12
6th	Brian Tweedie	Independence, Mo.	$8,792.60
7th	Stephen Raz	Fort Wayne, Ind.	$7,034.08
8th	Thaddeus Haas	Naperville, Ill.	$5,275.56
9th	Douglas Carli	Alliance, Ohio	$3,517.04

Event 5, $500 No-Limit Hold'em

Another Tim came to the forefront during the $500 No-Limit Hold'em event as Tim Vance took down the event for a $61,020 win.

That's pocket change for Vance, who won the PokerStars European Poker Tour Scandinavian Open in February to earn more than $1 million.

This win came a little more easily for the Illinois resident, however. Coming into the final table in the middle of the pack, Vance worked his way to heads-up play against Brian Roberts, from Indiana.

In Copenhagen, Vance had to endure a grueling four and a half hours of heads-up play before claiming his EPT win. This time it only took 10 hands and he had another title to add to his resume.

The final-table results were:

Place	Name	Hometown	Prize
1st	Tim Vance	Milstadt, Ill.	$61,020
2nd	Brian Roberts	Ridgeville, Ind.	$32,747
3rd	Bob Miller	Dubois, Ind.	$16,272
4th	Chad Hahn	Indianapolis, Ind.	$14,238
5th	Cy Dixon	Lexington, Ky.	$12,204
6th	Bill Varga	Paris, Ky.	$10,170
7th	David Cupps	Bedford, Ill.	$8,136
8th	Pat Peercy	Fortville, Ind.	$6,102
9th	Daniel Numan	Johnson City, Tenn.	$4,068

Event 6, $200 Ladies Only

From the looks of the final table, it seemed that Patty Till should have had an easy win in the Ladies Only event of the WSOP Caesars Indiana. She entered the final table with $235,000 in chips, while her nearest competitor, Kelley Kiser, was sitting with $92,000.

As the final table played out, however, Kiser started to close the gap as she and Till took turns taking out most of the other players at the table. Kiser even pulled ahead in the chip count when the table was four-handed, and when she entered heads-up play against Till, she had a 3-2 chip lead.

After 10 hands of play heads-up, the two players were nearly neck and neck again. They took a short break, and when they returned, they played one hand all-in.

Till had pocket fives, while Kiser had J-8. Initially it looked like Till's pocket fives were going to hold up, but an eight on the river gave Kiser the win.

The final-table results were:

Place	Name	Hometown	Prize
1st	Kelley Kiser	South Bloomfield, Ohio	$12,879
2nd	Patty Till	Avon, Ind.	$7,083
3rd	Janet Branson	Greenfield, Ohio	$3,622
4th	Jennifer Legowski	Poplar Grove, Ill.	$2,817
5th	Carrie Oster	Greenwood, Tenn.	$2,415
6th	Rita Davison	Loveland, Ohio	$2,012
7th	Rikki Herriman	Indianapolis, Ind.	$1,610
8th	Amanda Zeger	Galion, Ohio	$1,207
9th	Linda McDonald	Columbia, S.C.	$805

Related Article: Fast play, major comebacks at Indiana WSOPC

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The Other Side of the Felt, Vol. 8: Tournament Tipping an Issue
This issue has been a very difficult one for me to write about but I think that it is a topic that currently deserves discussion. I like to think that my reputation was built on integrity and that money has never been the most important...

PokerStars Announces 'Battle of the Planets'
Leading online poker site PokerStars has just announced a new sit-and-go (SNG) tournament leader board concept, launching its 'Battle of the Planets' promotion that will pay out over $3,000,000 per year to its participants.

Poker News - PaddyPowerPoker deals 1 billionth hand

PaddyPowerPoker deals 1 billionth hand

Every 200,000 hands in the countdown to 1 billion is a "Countdown Hand," while every 5 millionth hand is a "Jackpot Hand." Cash players who participate in one of these hands can win prizes up to $14,000. The winners of the Jackpot Hands also win ECOOP II tickets.

All players participating in the final 100 hands leading up to the billionth hand gain entry to a special $10,000 freeroll. And that's not all:

The Billionth Hand

If you're fortunate enough to be part of the billionth hand, not only will you get a seat in the $10,000 freeroll, you'll also receive $30,000. If you happen to win the 1 billionth hand, you will be awarded $50,000, and have a $2,500 bounty put on your head for the $10,000 freeroll.

Starting at cash table hand ID 950,000,000, PaddyPower Poker will give out cash prizes to Countdown and Jackpot hands as outlined below.

Countdown Hand Bonus

Table Stake	Winner Takes	Participants in Hand Split
Micro	$65	$65
Low	$250	$250
Medium	$1,000	$1,000
High	$3,500	$3,500

Jackpot Hand Bonus

Table Stake	Winner Takes	Participants in Hand Split
Micro	$250	$250
Low	$1,000	$1,000
Medium	$4,000	$4,000
High	$14,000	$14,000

Table Stake Definitions

Table Stake	Fixed Limit	NL/PL
Micro	$0.02/$0.04 - $0.10/$0.20	$0.01/$0.02 - $0.05/$0.10
Low	$0.25/$0.50 - $1/$2	$0.10/$0.20 - $0.50/$1
Medium	$2/$4 - $5/$10	$1/$2 - $2/$4
High	$10/$20 and up	$3/$6 and up

Related Articles:

• Paddypowerpoker Offers Golden Ticket
• Irish Open Qualifiers on Tap for paddypowerpoker.com
• 2008 Irish Open pot grows
• Two Million Reasons to Tune in to the Irish Poker Open

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Titan Poker to send players to Austria

The Salzburg Poker Cup is anticipated to attract 400 players for its Main Event as well as hundreds more to the two side events scheduled.

Not only will winners at Titan Poker get a shot at the main event, they'll also get to play in Event 2 of the Poker Cup. The $4,000 prize packages being given out at Titan Poker include the buy-ins for both events.

The prize package also includes accommodation, flights and spending money as well as the opportunity to enjoy what the city has to offer. Titan Poker will take its players on a private beer tour, provide an exclusive iPoker lunch, and give players a chance to explore the city.

The first super-satellite at Titan Poker for the Salzburg Poker cup took place April 3, and players will get their final chance to win a prize package April 10.

The super satellite has a $100+$9 buy-in and will start at 8:05 p.m. (CET). There are also ongoing and daily qualifiers for players to win their way into the super-satellite for much less of an out-of-pocket investment.

The schedule of qualifiers is as follows:

Date	Time	Event	Details
Ongoing	Ongoing	$10.90+$1 Stage 1 SNG	One seat in super-satellite for every 10 players
Daily	5:30 p.m.	$15+$1.50 Stage 1 Freezeout	One seat in super-satellite for every $109 collected
Daily	8:50 p.m.	$10+$1 Stage 1 R/A	One seat in super-satellite for every $109 collected
Ongoing	Ongoing	$1.10+20¢ Stage 2 SNG	Seats awarded to next daily Stage 1 at 8:50 p.m. (CET)
Daily	12:10 p.m.	$2+20¢ Stage 2 Freezeout	One seat for every $16.50 awarded for daily Stage 1 Freezeout
Daily	1:45 p.m.	2+20¢ Stage 2 Turbo R/A	One seat for every $11 awarded for daily Stage 1 R/A

Titan Poker hands out plenty of seats and other prizes to its players. Along with the EPT San Remo seats, the site has dished out Aussie Million, World Series of Poker, World Poker Showdown, Irish Open and other EPT event seats.

The poker site also recently signed on as the main sponsor of the Eurocity Poker Tour, which is hosting its inaugural event, the Madrid Open, in May.

The European Championship of Online Poker II will also take place on Titan Poker this May with $3.5 million in guaranteed cash spread through 10 days of events.

Related Articles:

• Titan Poker Sending Players East
• Titan Poker to stage $2 million tournament
• Titan player wins seats in two European events
• Titan Poker sending players to San Remo

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#362 – NBC Heads-Up Championship #12 – Highlights from High Noon
In the second pair of brackets today, Clubs/Spades, all but one of the matches ended in 70 minutes and without as much weird action has the Diamonds/Hearts round of 32. I was saving up my round-up notes for the end...

Poker game leads to stabbing death in Atlantic City
A disagreement at a poker table led to a stabbing death Saturday at the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort in Atlantic City. According to a story at majorwager.com: Vicente Perez, 57, of Georgia, began arguing with another man at a Taj poker table, Vitale said. They stepped ��...full article

A disagreement at a poker table led to a stabbing death Saturday at the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort in Atlantic City.

According to a story at majorwager.com:

Vicente Perez, 57, of Georgia, began arguing with another man at a Taj poker table, Vitale said. They stepped out of the casino and into the valet parking area of the garage near the Virginia Avenue entrance, where the argument descended into violence.

The victim, whose identity was not released pending the notification of his family, was pronounced dead at 4:05 p.m. at AtlantiCare Medical Center in Atlantic City.

Whole thing here.

Perez is in custody and faces charges of aggravated manslaughter and two weapons charges.