the 40th edition. For poker players, the WSOP is the ultimate in “thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.” It’s where dreams come true and also where dreams are shattered. Many of us dote about the bracelets, the history, and the tradition that set the WSOP apart from other tournaments, but the beauty is that most players really can win life-changing money.
This year’s kickoff event was a $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament commemorating the 40th annual WSOP. Personally, I think it’s a dumb idea to ever have a bigger buy-in for a No Limit Hold’em tournament than the Main Event, so I wasn’t for it. I didn’t play in it because I missed the first week of the WSOP this year. I took a vacation with my wife Karen and son Ty (nine months old) to Yellowstone National Park – and it was great! It was a vacation for our second anniversary and Ty is the first child for either of us. It’s official - my priorities have changed from poker to parenting!
I do love the WSOP, though. I’m guessing I will play in 10 to 12 events this year. It may be their 40th, but it’s my 25th WSOP, my Silver Anniversary. One thing’s for sure: I will never forget my first-ever WSOP. It was 1984. I lived in North Carolina back then and had been a professional player for about six years. I always wanted to go the WSOP and play against the best. I never went, though, because I was an avid Little League coach back then (which, incidentally, was the greatest joy of my life). We started practicing in April and our season started in May – the same time as the WSOP in those days – and, therefore, I couldn’t go.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Traply Wins First WSOP Bracelet For Hungary
Earlier in the World Series of poker, Ville Wahlbeck became the first Finnish native to win a WSOP bracelet. Now Peter Traply has replicated that feat for Hungary.
Traply, a 22-year-old professional poker player from Budapest, defeated Andrew Lichtenberger in heads-up play to win the $5,000 No Limit Hold'em Shootout.
"I feel amazing," said Traply. "This is one of my poker dreams and it came true."
The victory came after a steady stream of disappointments for the former Communications major.
"I played every single No Limit Hold'em event except the $40k and I didn't manage one single cash," he said.
To win the tournament, Traply had to defeat a final table that included the likes of Danny Wong and EPT regular Nasr El Nasr.
El Nasr looked dominant early at the five-handed final table but would flame out in fifth place, with Wong going broke in fourth.
Maxim Lykov would bust in third, leaving Traply and Lichtenberger heads-up with the bracelet on the line.
Traply jumped out to a monster lead early in the heads-up match when his pocket sixes turned a set against Lichtenberger's A-Q after the latter had flopped an ace.
The hand gave Traply a monster chip lead, but Lichtenberger would double up three times to pull back within striking distance.
Traply banks $348,728 in prize money to complement the bracelet. Lichtenberger earned $215,403 for his second-place finish.
And with the win, Traply assumes the role of poster boy for the burgeoning Hungarian poker revolution.
Traply, a 22-year-old professional poker player from Budapest, defeated Andrew Lichtenberger in heads-up play to win the $5,000 No Limit Hold'em Shootout.
"I feel amazing," said Traply. "This is one of my poker dreams and it came true."
The victory came after a steady stream of disappointments for the former Communications major.
"I played every single No Limit Hold'em event except the $40k and I didn't manage one single cash," he said.
To win the tournament, Traply had to defeat a final table that included the likes of Danny Wong and EPT regular Nasr El Nasr.
El Nasr looked dominant early at the five-handed final table but would flame out in fifth place, with Wong going broke in fourth.
Maxim Lykov would bust in third, leaving Traply and Lichtenberger heads-up with the bracelet on the line.
Traply jumped out to a monster lead early in the heads-up match when his pocket sixes turned a set against Lichtenberger's A-Q after the latter had flopped an ace.
The hand gave Traply a monster chip lead, but Lichtenberger would double up three times to pull back within striking distance.
Traply banks $348,728 in prize money to complement the bracelet. Lichtenberger earned $215,403 for his second-place finish.
And with the win, Traply assumes the role of poster boy for the burgeoning Hungarian poker revolution.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
40 Years Of The World Series Of Poker
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is the most storied and significant poker event in the world. It started in 1970, when Benny Binion, a legendary Vegas pioneer, invited six of the best players in the world to The Horseshoe Casino in Downtown Las Vegas. That year the winner was decided by a vote, but in every year since a tournament has been held to determine who’s the best in the world.
From very humble beginnings, the WSOP is now an unbelievably huge event. Lasting over a month, with more than fifty events and hundreds of millions of dollars in prize money up for grabs, the Series is as good as it gets.
If you want to be considered a world-class champion, you simply need to have a WSOP winner’s bracelet. The winner of each tournament gets one (on top of their prize money) and in the poker tournament world, bracelets are how the greats keep score. Here’s a list of the players with the most hardware:
Phil Hellmuth 11
Johnny Chan 10
Doyle Brunson 10
Johnny Moss 9
Erik Seidel 8
Phil Ivey 7
Billy Baxter 7
Men "The Master" Nguyen 6
TJ Cloutier 6
Jay Heimowitz 6
Layne Flack 6
Chris "Jesus" Ferguson 5
Berry Johnston 5
Allen Cunningham 5
Scotty Nguyen 5
Ted Forrest 5
Stu Ungar 5
That’s an impressive list, and you’d be hard pressed to find an all-time great that isn’t on it. Of course, as poker has gained in popularity throughout the years, the fields have grown in size.
From very humble beginnings, the WSOP is now an unbelievably huge event. Lasting over a month, with more than fifty events and hundreds of millions of dollars in prize money up for grabs, the Series is as good as it gets.
If you want to be considered a world-class champion, you simply need to have a WSOP winner’s bracelet. The winner of each tournament gets one (on top of their prize money) and in the poker tournament world, bracelets are how the greats keep score. Here’s a list of the players with the most hardware:
Phil Hellmuth 11
Johnny Chan 10
Doyle Brunson 10
Johnny Moss 9
Erik Seidel 8
Phil Ivey 7
Billy Baxter 7
Men "The Master" Nguyen 6
TJ Cloutier 6
Jay Heimowitz 6
Layne Flack 6
Chris "Jesus" Ferguson 5
Berry Johnston 5
Allen Cunningham 5
Scotty Nguyen 5
Ted Forrest 5
Stu Ungar 5
That’s an impressive list, and you’d be hard pressed to find an all-time great that isn’t on it. Of course, as poker has gained in popularity throughout the years, the fields have grown in size.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Poker Players Alliance Announces National Poker Week
In a press conference at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino on Monday, the Players Alliance unveiled several new initiatives as part of a build-up for this year’s National Poker Week, set for July 19-25, 2009. In addition to debuting several new online sites designed to increase players’ participation in the political process, the conference also announced plans for this year’s PPA “fly in” to Washington D.C., where dozens of high-profile professionals and state PPA representatives are expected to lobby on the game’s behalf.
The midday conference included participation by several major PPA figures, with PPA Executive Director John Pappas opening the meeting and returning to detail several new PPA programs. In between came brief but energetic speeches from PPA Chairman Alfonse D’Amato and U.S. Representative Shelley Berkley (D-NV), plus short appearances by PPA board members Linda Johnson and Greg Raymer. D’Amato, who also took part in Monday’s Seniors Event at the 2009 World Series of Poker (his first-ever WSOP appearance, photo shown), detailed some of the history of the legislative fight over online poker and Internet gaming in his talk. Berkley, who after her appearance gave the traditional “Shuffle Up and Deal!” command to the Seniors players, outlined the manner in which the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was shoved through Congress, attacking the act’s insertion into an unrelated “must pass” port-security measure as a blatant attempt by then-Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN) to buttress his own presidential aspirations, which fell apart only weeks after the UIGEA’s passage.
The midday conference included participation by several major PPA figures, with PPA Executive Director John Pappas opening the meeting and returning to detail several new PPA programs. In between came brief but energetic speeches from PPA Chairman Alfonse D’Amato and U.S. Representative Shelley Berkley (D-NV), plus short appearances by PPA board members Linda Johnson and Greg Raymer. D’Amato, who also took part in Monday’s Seniors Event at the 2009 World Series of Poker (his first-ever WSOP appearance, photo shown), detailed some of the history of the legislative fight over online poker and Internet gaming in his talk. Berkley, who after her appearance gave the traditional “Shuffle Up and Deal!” command to the Seniors players, outlined the manner in which the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was shoved through Congress, attacking the act’s insertion into an unrelated “must pass” port-security measure as a blatant attempt by then-Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN) to buttress his own presidential aspirations, which fell apart only weeks after the UIGEA’s passage.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Poker-Yamba is winner for poker player
PAUL Tarasenko likes to mix work and play. The director of P&J Financial Planning in Yamba is a keen player and believes his financial planning skills give him an edge.
“Poker's a great hobby and there's lots of mathematics involved,” he said.
“It's (poker) become very popular in the Clarence Valley and the world over the past couple of years and I enjoy using my financial planning skills in the game.”
Paul grew up in Orange and has fond memories of his home town. He moved to Sydney in 1985 to undertake an accounting and financial planning degree. Now, it seems this keen player is hooked on our very own Yamba.
“Poker's a great hobby and there's lots of mathematics involved,” he said.
“It's (poker) become very popular in the Clarence Valley and the world over the past couple of years and I enjoy using my financial planning skills in the game.”
Paul grew up in Orange and has fond memories of his home town. He moved to Sydney in 1985 to undertake an accounting and financial planning degree. Now, it seems this keen player is hooked on our very own Yamba.
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