Small-Time Crooks, he says

According to Police Chief Rainer Wendt, the four armed gunmen who raided the Grand Hyatt Hotel were mere ‘small-time crooks’. The police investigation showed that the culprits held nothing more than a handgun and a machete. The tabloids were just all over the case, grossly overestimating the story by saying that the four men had Kalashnikov assault rifles and hand grenades. Well, everyone knows how much they love to juice up a story, anyway, so it’s really no surprise there. Furthermore, rumors about the amount of cash stolen by the thieves were an over-estimation. In fact, according to the police, the amount they mulched off of the casino was ‘substantially less’ than the numbers circulating in cyberspace. Another news article, however, hinted that more than 800,000 Euros were stolen from the casino, which is not exactly a paltry amount, especially compared to the standard rakeback earnings of the modern poker player, such as Only Poker Rakeback. Still, there’s no way for us to verify, as the official statement from the casino and from the police are really the best we can go by in terms of truth.

Tightening Casino Security

Still, despite the small-time nature of the crime, the police were putting a great emphasis on revamping the casino security in the city. There were no injuries that happened during the incident, but it could have easily turned into a disaster had the crooks been more inclined to pull the triggers on their guns. Spiegel said, “A Few guards and a hotel intern are not enough. That was really quite negligent.” Indeed, the security force at the casino was not armed, and was thus relatively powerless against the attackers. However, most of the blame should be laid against the door of the tournament officials. They asked the security not to be armed during the said event, and though the guard could have used other, more physical means to subdue the culprits, they sensibly reiterated that it’s not that simple to ‘break a person’s neck’. They did, however, respond with much resourcefulness, subduing the culprits not by using the ropes used for the visitor lines. Still, the culprits were able to escape. It was fortunate, however, that the police managed to lift a DNA sample from one of the suspects and that a casino employee managed to find a bag containing 500,000 Euros, probably abandoned by the thieves in their haste and panic.

Girl Power

Annie Duke has long been revered as one of the best female poker pros, and she just further solidified her position with this most recent win. However, let it never be said that her journey to the top spot was an easy one. Duke had to undergo some of the most grueling and most dramatic matches in the history of the tournament, not to mention some of the longest ones. On her way to the top spot, she had to best a good friend, a WSOP runner-up, a former Heads-up champion, and finally, Erik Seidel.

The first match was against Andy Bloch, one of Annie’s good friends. It was a tough match, and certainly very conflicting, but all’s fair in love and war, so they say, and so it is in the world of poker. As such, Annie Duke bested her friend and moved on to the next match, which was against 2009 WSOP runner-up, Darvin Moon. With Darvin Moon’s prowess at the felt, Annie was surely up against a tough opponent. But as it was, she was able to hold her on against Moon. Then, her next fight was against the 2007 NBC Heads-up Poker Champion, Paul Wasicka. Wasicka probably did not know that he was playing against the 2010 winner back then, but Duke was certainly aware of her opponent’s stature as former champion.

Sure enough, the two went all out against each other, giving rise to one of the most epic matches in the history of the tournament. Duke was at a very tough spot as she went all in with her ace-ten. Wasicka, at that point, had pocket Aces. It was a huge risk for Annie Duke to take, but her luck held out and she managed to river a straight, allowing her to move up to the next level. Her next fight was against Jerry Young who managed to double up against her for several instances. Annie Duke was at a shaky bridge back then, but she managed to pull through once more, which allowed her to move up into the semi-final match against Dennis Phillips. Phillips was as ruthless as Duke’s previous opponents, yet he too had to bow down to Duke’s prowess as a poker player and her utilization of great poker strategy.

Finals

Finally, Duke had to battle against Erik Seidel, another good friend of hers. Still, friends or no, Erik did not go easy on her at all. They played three rounds in all before Duke finally managed to emerge as a winner. Afterwards, Duke and Seidel were escorted into the tournament room for the awarding, which they both graciously and gratefully took.

The Prelude

The first sign that something was wrong came when a group of people came running down the long hallway that led to the media room. They were on the second floor of the hotel and were in full view of several guests, including some media men. Curious, some people walked to where the group had come from to see what was going on. What they saw was chilling. At the opposite end of the hallway, the security guards were fighting with two masked men. One of the two managed to break free and came charging towards the media men, brandishing a weapon about. Of course, the people did the only wise thing they could do: they ran in the opposite direction. Heading straight towards the media room, they closed the door behind them and barricaded themselves in. This was where they stayed until all the commotion died down – a rather wise move since it deprived the thieves of the chance to take them hostage.

The Best Poker Rakeback Deals Can Turn Your From A Break-Even Player To A Huge Winner.

The Stampede

Back to where the other masked man was wrestling with the guards, people were starting to get hysterical. People were running about, trying their best to get away from the scene as quickly as possible. Johannes Strassman was even said to have been seen leapfrogging chairs and tables and yelling frantically in German. Chips were strewn all over the posh casino floor, forgotten in the midst of fright. Everyone – media men, guests, and players alike – were scrambling to get to the back corner of the room where the exit was located. It was practically a stampede. But thankfully, nobody was seriously hurt save for a few minor bumps and scratches. By the time the commotion ended, everyone was already standing outside of the building, waiting for confirmation that the situation was under control. The venue for the tournament, however, did not fare quite as well.

The stampede left the whole place in complete disarray, tables upturned, chairs strewn about, chips everywhere – it was practically a disaster site. As a result, the €1,000 side event and ladies event had to be sidetracked and the players could opt for a refund if they so desired. The €1,000 was completely cancelled but the Ladies Event resumed play once things settled down. According to the rumor mill, there were six men who attacked the building. They were armed with guns, knives, and machetes and their aim was simply to steal as much as possible.

A Show that’s simply too specific

While 2 Months, $2 Million was a show that poker fans enjoyed immensely, most of the world could not, for the life of them, truly get into it. To begin with, it had a very good concept. Basically, it was about four online poker players who would endeavor to earn $2 million dollars collectively by the end of two months. The first season featured Dani Stern, Brian Roberts, and Jay Rosenkrantz, and Emil Patel. They worked together to reach their goal of 2 million but ultimately fell short – very short. Together, they only managed to earn $676,000. However, the show also incorporated quite a bit of drama, with all the players experiencing various highs and lows during the course of the season. They rented a spiffy house in Vegas for the duration of season 1, adding to the ‘poker’ feel. Poker players were able to relate to their hardships brilliantly and thus watched the show avidly. The rest of the world, however, found it painfully dull. They just could not relate. Thus, G4 found it prudent to not renew the series. The show had lots of potential and G4 even said that it fit their network perfectly and was fitted to their target demographic. However, though it was certainly popular when it first aired, its success only lasted for 3 weeks. By the third week, ratings took a turn for the worse, and the show never recovered after that.

The Best Poker Rakeback Deals Can Turn Your From A Break-Even Player To A Huge Winner.

Don’t give up just yet

However, just because G4 won’t be renewing it, it does not mean that all hope for this poker show is lost. The members of the cast are still discussing their options. Jay “Krantz” Rozenkrantz, for one, said that they learned a lot from Season 1 and would certainly apply these things in season 2. They have a lot of ideas on how to improve the show, now that they “know what people like about it and what they don’t”. One thing, particularly, is the goal. 2 Million is a bit too much, even for 4 people, and the fact that they were unable to achieve even half of their aim was simply disappointing. Changing the 2 million to 1 million would, no doubt, be one of the first goals.

Lady’s Privilege

With women being the underrepresented minority in the world of poker, it’s only right that they finally get the proper treatment they deserve. With the establishment of the PokerStars Luxury Ladies Poker Club, several women will get the chance to participate at one of the biggest annual events in the poker industry. It’s in the works right now but when it’s properly established, it will be running some daily and weekly satellites. Through these satellites, some lucky women will be sent to the €1,100 Ladies Championship that is slated to be held at one of the most beautiful hotels in Monte Carlo, the Columbus Monaco. These satellites come at different levels, so many women will be able to compete, regardless of how big their wallets are. Furthermore, the club will be hosting a freezout tournament and a rebuy, which ultimately makes the game more exciting and more challenging. Each tournament will have a minimum of one seat to the Monte Carlo event up for grabs.

Poker and Pampering

However, it’s not just poker that makes the Lady’s Poker Club interesting. The chance of winning a prize package that’s worth €3,500 is also a huge plus. This package has everything a lady needs for a luxurious trip, complete with several amenities that will make their trip even more memorable. Furthermore, they’ll have a 5-nights’ worth of accommodation at the Columbus Monaco, easily one of the most impressive hotels in the region. Furthermore, they get to participate in Vanessa Rousso’s Ladies Boot Camp, an event that has a prize worth €300. Of course, there’s also the goodie bag that contains various types of PokerStars paraphernalia, particularly a PokerStars Lady’s Shirt. As if that isn’t enough, PokerStars will also offer the women a chance to watch the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique on May 1 and 2, which features several vintage Formula One racecars.

Sign Up At Pokerstars To Qualify For The EPT + $600 Signup Bonus: Use The Marketing Code “psa2040“

No Men Allowed

Because of certain incidents in a Lady’s tournament last year, PokerStars decided to add a new clause in this year’s rule book. Men who try to participate in this event will be disqualified and will be banned from this year’s events. So, if there are any men out there who are set on making trouble, know this now: It will not work.

Lose a Bet, Get a Tattoo

There really is nothing worse than a permanent reminder of a loss. It’s absolutely humiliating for a guy to have the face of another guy tattooed on his body. However, some people simply can’t avoid making a bet like this when they’re under the influence of alcohol. Sure, at the heat of the moment, it’s fun, it’s exhilarating, and the sheer riskiness of it makes one feel oddly like he’s invulnerable. Afterwards, though, there is only regret – deep-seated and embarrassingly hard to admit. It’s also what Joe Sebok has a surplus of now that he has to make good his promise and have Jeff Madsen’s and Gavin Smith’s face tattooed on his body. He was the first one who was eliminated from the WPT LA Poker Classic, which makes him the biggest loser in the bet since there’s no longer any chance of having his own face tattooed on the bodies of the other two. Jeff Madsen, on the other hand, is caught somewhere between losing and winning.

The Best Poker Rakeback Deals Can Turn Your From A Break-Even Player To A Huge Winner.

He was the second one to make an exit, and will there have to get Gavin Smith’s face tattooed on his body. The two of them will have no choice but to comply with the terms of the bet, as the alternative is simply unthinkable. Apparently, the only way to wiggle their way out of the bet is to pay their way out, and this is simply something that Sebok’s pride will not allow. Sebok claims that ‘paying’ them is even worse than actually having their faces tattooed on his body. He also said that he will ‘never’ drink alcohol with either Smith or Madsen, whom he affectionately dubbed ‘clowns’, again. But then, we all know what it really means when ‘alcohol’ and ‘never’ are placed in the same sentence.

Clean and Smooth Skin

Gavin Smith is the only one who will walk away from this incident with his pride and dignity intact. He did not win the WPT tournament per se, but he did outlast the other two, and this is enough to guarantee that he can keep his skin clean and smooth and free from any humiliating tattoos.

If you are a bit strapped for cash but want to get into this year’s WSOP, then you should definitely look at what 888.com has in store for you. At 888.com, you need not shell out a huge lump of money just so you could enter and join this very prestigious poker tournament. So, how can you participate at the WSOP through 888.com?

What 888.com Offers

Because this is a major event, it follows that the buy-in fee for some of its games can be huge, especially if you want to get into the Main Event of the WSOP. For this reason, 888.com makes it all the more accessible and reachable for those players who do not have enough money to get into the games, and this is through their Everyman’s WSOP Promotion.

Here are the details to get into their Promotion.

First and foremost, you have to be 18 above, and you also have to submit proof of your age before you can get into the promotion. Second, you also have to sign up and make a deposit into your player account at 888.com. 

This special promotion will begin on February 8 and will end on May 7, 2010, and there will be three “races” for the WSOP prize packages, one for each month where the prizes will range from $5,000 to $15,000.

The $5,000 prize package earns you a seat into a side event, the #54 entry with a $1,000 buy-in fee, which is going to be held on July 1 or 2 of this year. The $15,000 prize package, on the other hand, earns you a seat into the Main Event with a buy-in fee of $10,000. Both prize packages include accommodations in a five-star hotel in Las Vegas, six nights for the $5,000 prize and ten nights for the $15,000 prize. The packages will also include $2,500 for traveling expenses as well as special items from 888.com, including access into the exclusive party provided by the promoter.

The dates of the three races are February 8 to March 7, March 8 to April 7, and April 8 to May 7.

>> Sign Up At 888.com To Get Your Free WSOP Package <<

More Offers from 888.com

There are more big prizes tied to this promotion.

In the event that you win two $15,000 prize packages on two different races, then you also get to win a seat into the 2011 Aussie Millions, although you forfeit the second prize package. The same goes for the player who wins two $5,000 prize packages on two different races, although the prize is subjected to the discretion of the promoter. There are more, so it really is advisable that you check out the site of 888.com and read through their terms and conditions to find out more about them. Altneratively, if you are looking for Poker Rakeback offers on the 888 network then check out ReturnMyRake for their 30% rakeback offer at Pacific Poker

A Unique, New Format

One of the things that made this High-roller event different from the others was that it had a format that was new and unique. Those who got to the final table would all start with 150,000 chips regardless of how much they won prior or how many players they eliminated. As such, the final players were put at a level playing field, making the action more intense and more unpredictable. So it really did not matter who among the seven players went into the final table as the chip leader and who the most short-stacked one was. Still, when it all comes down to it, there’s always one person who has to be eliminated first. This time, it was Peter Eastgate. He was the only member of team Pokerstars who made it into the final seven, but he had to make his exit when his hand lost to Scott Seiyer’s.

Sign Up At Pokerstars With The Marketing Code: “psa2040” To Qualify For The NAPT + $600 Signup Bonus

Following him shortly was Brett Richey, who fell to Ashton Griffin. Faraz Jaka was the next one to go, also courtesy of Seiyer. At this point, people were already predicting that Seiyer would take home the top prize. His performance was simply remarkable. However, Seiyer lost everything to Corkins and was unexpectedly set home packing in fourth place. Corkins then came precariously close to monopolizing the game, but then Griffin pulled out some luck from his pocket and sent Cassidy packing. As such, the odds were fairly balanced with Corkins and Griffin preparing for heads-up play.

Heads-up

The players took a short break before they finally sat down for the heads-up match. However, they needn’t had to do so. Heads-up play lasted only a matter of minutes before one of the two dominated the other. Corkins had 9H3H but Griffin had 9D8D. Griffin had the better hand, but only by a hair’s breadth. The flop was revealed to be 9S5D4S. which gave both of them pocket 9s, with griffin at a slight advantage with his higher kicker. The turn was revealed to be 7H and the river turned out to be JC. Griffin’s superior hand managed to hold out, effectively making him the winner of the event, despite not having had any sleep the night before.

Sign Up At Pokerstars To Qualify For The NAPT + $600 Signup Bonus

The Final Table

Players from all over the globe went to the US to play at the first ever NAPT. However, it seemed that the US citizens were insistent on keeping the honor of winning the inaugural event in their home country, as the players in the final table were all American. However, even if they shared the same country, it did not mean that they went easy on each other. So it wasn’t long before the first casualty left the table. Eric Blair had to go away at eight place, falling to Marchese. Next to go was John Cernuto who fell against Stein. Cernuto was the only Full Tilt Pro who made it into the final table, so with him gone, so did Full Tilt’s chance of winning the PokerStars Sponsored event. He was followed soon after by Thomas Fuller, who fell against Clemente. David Paredes fell on fifth place right on a hand that effectively handed 70% of the chips in the game to Stein. Yunus Jamal was next to go, having been eliminated in fourth place by Marchese. Then, it was Clemente’s turn to go as calling all-in on an A-8 turned against him, with Marchese having pocket queens. Finally, it was just Stein and Marchese left for heads up play.

Heads-up Play

Stein and Marchese were well matched as they went into heads up play, though Stein held most of the chips. Both players fought valiantly until, finally, it was time for the last hand. The board was 4-5-9-3-10 when Marchese pushed all in. Thinking that a pair of 4s would be enough, Stein made the call. However, Marchese revealed that he had pocket 10s, effectively making him the winner of the NAPT Venetian Main Event. He was able to win $827,000 worth of prize money all in all, not to mention the prestige of holding the title for the inaugural event. Marchese will certainly have another notch to tie into his resume after this win.

The Highest Rakeback Deals Can Greatly Increase Your Poker Winnings.

The Lucky Youngsters on the Main Event

There were eight lucky youngsters who made it into the final table. But of course, just calling them lucky would be a gross injustice – you need more than luck, much more, to survive the grueling pace of a poker tournament as huge as the NAPT. As mentioned, Sam Stein would be coming into the final table as the chip leader with $6.1 million. Stein is a pro with over $400,000 in live tournament winnings and has several deep finishes tucked under his belt. Thomas Fuller comes in second place in terms of chip count, having $4.7 million. He is, however, on a tie with David Paredes who also has roughly $4.7 million. On fourth place is Yunus Jamal, who has $3.9 million. There’s quite a big gap between Jamal and Marchese who comes in 5^th place with $2.3 million. He is followed by Eric Blair with $1.6 million then Daniel Clemente and John Cernuto, both with $1.3 million. Cernuto, on the last place, has a lot to catch up on, but you never know how things can go in the world of poker. One moment, you may be at the very top, and the next you could hit rock bottom, or vice versa.

Sign Up At Pokerstars To Qualify For The NAPT + $600 Signup Bonus

Pros on the High Roller Shootout

It may not have been the main event, but it’s still one of the most highly anticipated in the whole NAPT, mainly because only the biggest pros were invited to it. However, the final table was not quite what everybody expected. With pros like Daniel Negreanu, Antonio Esfandiari, and John Duthie, everyone already had ideas on who would be on the final table. However, surprises seemed to be rampant in the NAPT, as it was Peter Eastgate, Joe Cassidy, Ashton Griffin, Hoyt Corkins, Faraz Jaka, Brett Richey, and Scott Seiver who managed to make it into the final table. Despite the unexpected results, the fight will surely be quite exciting and very new. This High Roller Shootout will certainly be one to watch.

The Best Poker Rakeback Deals Can Turn Your From A Break-Even Player To A Huge Winner.