Poker News
Poker News

Ivey's $5m Bracelet Bet

Monday, April 19, 2010

It should come as no surprise that Phil Ivey enjoys making hefty wagers on any number of things. So why all the hubbub about his most recent betting venture?

It seems that Daniel Negreanu has let the cat out of the bag on a $5 million prop bet between Phil Ivey and his Full Tilt Poker colleague Howard Lederer. The two are no strangers to winning World Series of Poker bracelets, as Ivey has seven and Lederer two, but The Professor seems to think Ivey's bracelet-winning days are well behind him.

Negreanu broke the news that Phil Ivey and Howard Lederer have a $5 million even-money bet riding on whether Ivey can pick up two WSOP bracelets in the next two years. Now, just how many opportunities does Ivey have to pick up those lovely silver bits of jewellery over the next couple of years?

Eighty.

That's right, Phil Ivey will have around 80 events in which to pick up a pair of bracelets, and when you consider that he won two in two weeks last year, and the fact that he had a three-bracelet haul way back in 2002, you'd have to think Lederer doesn't really care about dropping a cool $5m into Ivey's pocket.

That said, Lederer has already won a high-profile proposition bet when he ate a cheeseburger - despite being a vegan - in front of David Grey. Cheeseburgers and World Series of Poker bracelets: they're pretty much the same thing, right?

What are your thoughts on Ivey's latest foray into the world of lucrative prop betting with fellow poker pros? Do you think he has what it takes to tip his WSOP bracelet tally over to nine, or will Lederer have the last laugh this time? Let us know by commenting below!

-TheDoctor


Posted at 10:00 PM Permalink | 0 comments | Talk on the Poker Forum


WSOP ToC Front Runners


Poker fans have been voting for which of the best WSOP bracelet winners should get a spot in the 2010 Tournament of Champions, and the results thus far have been quite interesting after more than 250,000 votes. The current Top 20 includes:


There is still a long time left to vote, as entries do not close until June 15th, so this list will obviously change somewhat before then. Also, Joe Cada gets an entry due to his WSOP Main Event win last year, as does Barry Shulman for winning the WSOPE Main Event. Previous WSOP Tournament of Champions winners also get invited - which means Annie Duke, Mike Matusow, and Mike Sexton can all be expected to play. Nevertheless, there are many strange picks on the current list, as well as many glaring omissions. Of course, only previous WSOP bracelet winners are eligible, which means that many excellent online players cannot be considered. Which is kind of unfortunate, really.

First off, let's talk about players who really should be on that list. Annette Obrestad is an obvious choice, as without her Annie Duke and Jennifer Harman will probably be the only female players. While there are plenty of other more established female WSOP champs, Obrestad appeals to a younger demographic, as well as to viewers in Europe. I also think Jason Mercier would be a good addition, as I feel he'd be surprisingly competitive, definitely more so than many of the fading stars in this list.

Now for the players who just don't make sense in this tournament. Greg Raymer is a questionable pick, as he hasn't really set the world on fire since his WSOP Main Event win in 2004 and is unlikely to fare well against the other players. I'm also not too sure of Dan Harrington, who hasn't really been active enough in recent years, despite being an excellent live poker player. TJ Cloutier is also a suspect pick, especially given the controversy surrounding the sale of his WSOP bracelet last year. I'm not annoyed that these players are in there, but I don't expect that they'll still be on the list come June.

Some of the picks that I think are particularly good are Phil Hellmuth and Scotty Nguyen, if only for potential entertainment value. Now, the benefit of having them relies on at least one of the two staying in long enough to get on TV, but I think the chances of that are reasonably good.

Who have you voted for and who do you think should be included in the 2010 WSOP Tournament of Champions? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.

-Shad


Posted at 2:55 AM Permalink | 0 comments | Talk on the Poker Forum


Bodog Poker CEO Bounty

Thursday, April 15, 2010


Bodog Poker Network CEO Patrik Selin is really keeping up the adventurous Bodog spirit by putting a 1,000 Euro bounty on himself. He'll pay the bounty to whoever busts him out of the PokerStars European Poker Tour Grand Final, so put those shotguns away. He figures involvement in live events could be a great way to improve his own poker room. In the man's own words:

"I think it's a shame more senior management of poker rooms do not play at these events as it is the best way to find out what players want."

Maybe. Asking them what they want probably also works.

"Everybody at a live event is passionate about the game and happy to talk about their likes and dislikes which is invaluable to anybody running a poker room," said Selin

I'm not sure people are all that happy to talk about their likes and dislikes while playing. In fact, if I were playing, I'm pretty sure I'd troll you to death by just making up ridiculous complaints to see if I could put you on tilt. Especially if you're offering a 1,000 Euro bounty to bust you out!

"Now I have raised the stakes and will be putting 1,000 Euro straight into to the hand of the person who knocks me out which should make the banter even more fun in Monaco," said Selin.

More fun for whoever knocks you out, sure, but more fun for you? Can Selin really hand over 1,000 Euro to the player who just knocked him out? Even if they are a total donkey who only beat him because they got lucky on an absolute joke of a hand? If he really is so calm about getting knocked out, then he's a better man than I.

While I see some problems with Selin's approach to finding out what players want, I do think this is a very nice gesture. The man's no slouch at poker, either, as he managed a money finish at the 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event. He's also reached two televised final tables, with a Ritz Club Live Tournament win in 2006 and a second placing at the UK Open Main Event in 2007.

Who knows, maybe this isn't so much a bounty as a bet that Selin has made with himself to add some motivation for a victory? Plus, "Bodog Poker CEO Wins PokerStars Tournament" could be a nice headline... And think of the marketing potential! If he loses, he gets goodwill because of the bounty. If he wins, he'll get props from everyone and a symbolic victory over PokerStars.

...

My God, this man is a genius!

Is anyone out there looking to play in Monte Carlo? Do you have your sights set on knocking out Patrik Selin? Tell us of your plans in the comments.

- Shad


Posted at 11:30 PM Permalink | 0 comments | Talk on the Poker Forum


Texas Hold'em Hits FB

Wednesday, April 14, 2010


It seems that Facebook never fails to latch onto the latest bandwagon and roll with it. This time around they've sunk their teeth into the sensation of online poker.

A free-to-play version of the World Poker Tour's Texas Hold'em game has been made into an online application for Facebook members to join in on. Free online poker is all good and well for learning how to play the game, but what excitement is there when there's no real cash to be won?

I know from personal experience that playing free online poker games on certain websites teaches you nothing but the basics of Texas Hold'em. Since nobody is using real money, most will flagrantly go all-in every hand, ultimately destroying the very nature of the game.

I'm more than a little skeptical that something like this will catch on with proper online poker fans, even with a couple of prizes thrown in. When you sit down to a game of online poker at Full Tilt or Bodog, you are not only able to join a room with people of a similar skill level and knowledge of the game, but also with a comparable bankroll.

Honestly, why play on Facebook (a social networking site, of all places!) when you could be playing a proper game of online poker against fellow lovers of the game? And it's not like you can't practice at online poker sites for free, either. As soon as you have had a few games to warm up, you can jump right into the real money action, without having to change online poker venues.

Call me a cynic, but this seems like one of the countless Facebook applications that will blow over after a couple of months. Without a proper incentive to "win" each hand, there's no real reason to play, other than against your FB friends.

I'll be sticking to the real online poker sites. How about you? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below.

- TheDoctor


Posted at 9:31 PM Permalink | 0 comments | Talk on the Poker Forum


Poker Trek: Wrath of Dwan

Tuesday, April 13, 2010


Going by the number of hands and frequency of the last 10 sessions of the 'durrrr' Challenge, it's looking like I was right about the need for a short time limit on these things. We can currently expect another 10 months of playtime if we take the past 10 sessions as a guide - though that's probably too optimistic. If we just look at the time it took to play the hands in the last 5 sessions... it's looking more like 14 to 15 months.

That's right, it could easily be more than a year until the completion of the first 'durrrr' Challenge. At this point, I think it would be a great idea for Full Tilt Poker to add some kind of incentive for Patrik Antonius to get back to the Challenge tables. He's at an incredible disadvantage now, and to be honest, there's really no reason any poker player of his calibre would keep playing at this point unless he was enticed to do so... or obliged. Yes, this assumes that it's Antonius that is delaying, but why would Dwan not want to get this done with and collect an extra $500K? If it all ends up in some kind of lawsuit, I won't be shocked.

I have some ideas for rules in any future 'durrrr' challenges:
  1. Time limit of one year for the whole challenge (hopefully less)
  2. At least half the hands to be completed by 6 month mark
  3. A maximum win amount - if one player is up by an agreed on amount, the Challenge is over
  4. A partially set schedule - one game guaranteed per month, minimum of 3 hours (preferably more, but the players will need flexibility)
  5. Penalties for missing scheduled games
Maybe those rules would help, maybe they need a little more thought. I'd be interested in what everyone out there thinks. Mostly I just think there needs to be a way to keep the Challenges within a reasonable time limit, and for the challengers to have a reasonable total risk to their bankroll.

What do you think about the situation? Does someone like Full Tilt Poker need to step in and convince the two to play through the rest of the Challenge quickly? Tell us what you think in the comments.

PS: I apologize for the title pun. I could resist no longer!

-Shad


Posted at 1:28 AM Permalink | 0 comments | Talk on the Poker Forum


8 Poker Tactics for Newbies

Thursday, April 08, 2010


 VentureBeat published a great article recently that explains how skill plays an important roll in being not only a successful poker player, but also a successful startup businessman. The poker tactics themselves are just too good not to share, and you can take a look at all eight tips here.

Too many newcomers to the game don't understand how veteran rounders play their hands, and more often than not end up losing a lot of the time. And while that's no different to learning any other sport (practice makes perfect, as they say), there are countless online poker guides out there that will provide you with the information necessary to compete against the big boys.

Even if you've been playing Texas Hold'em for years (or even decades), there's a lot of great info in Emmanuel Marot's article that, if nothing else, will make you sit up and say, "You know what? That's actually a good idea." Who knows, it might just help you win that all-important hand during your next game.

Some of the best excerpts from the feature include:

"Don't fall in love with your hand - Sometimes, in a game of Texas Hold'em, players imagine they'll get a monster hand when all they get are promising cards. When the flop, turn and river are revealed, their dreams crash to earth. Novice players tend to stick with their original assumptions and behave as their good fortune is due. Experts cold-bloodedly re-assess the situation."

This is a big one, and not restricted simply to beginners. I'm sure most of us can recall a moment when our pocket Aces were met with a sickeningly low flop that gave us nothing. Still, we soldiered on, calling every bet in the hope that the next card would produce an Ace, or at the very least that no-one else would be able to top our Deuce Aces, despite there clearly being an outside straight draw in the community cards. How very, very wrong we all were.

"Use Probe Bets - Good players sometimes bet money while they know they have very little chance of winning. They push a 'probe bet' only to discover what the other players may have, and often fold if they meet resistance."

No matter where you play your online poker, you are bound to come across probe bettors on a regular basis. While newcomers may feel that they need to hang back for the first few rounds - folding potentially winning hands in the process - sometimes the best defense is a good offense.
"Take meaningful details into account, but no others - Playing a hand isn't just a matter of the cards you hold. It's also about the positions of other players, the stack's size and a million other things. World-class players take those into account, but can learn to disregard the irrelevant details (e.g. your opponent may look like a moron, but you shouldn't take for granted that he is one)."

Just this weekend, I defeated an opponent that had been the chip leader for the majority of the game. By the time the table had whittled down to just the two of us, it was obvious that he was only betting on "sure thing" pocket cards. I recognized this, exploited it with constant betting and smart folding, and eventually won. Identifying facets of your opponent's game is integral to success, but don't be fooled into excessive bets simply because they play like a "moron" - that could be exactly what they want you to think.

You can read all eight poker tactics discussed in the article here, and be sure to let us know of any online poker tactics you have in the comments section below!

- TheDoctor


Posted at 2:20 AM Permalink | 0 comments | Talk on the Poker Forum


Everest Sues WSOP

Tuesday, April 06, 2010

Ultra Internet Media, the company that owns Everest Poker, is trying to get out of its sponsorship contract with the WSOP. It was the on-the-felt sponsor of the World Series of Poker for 2008 and 2009, having paid a total of about $14.6 million for the privilege. UIM is now trying to get out of a further $8.4 million sponsorship for the 2010 WSOP, citing a breach of contract by the WSOP where RTL9, a French ESPN affiliate, showed Full Tilt Poker logos on the felt of the final table broadcast, but no Everest Poker logos. While meetings were apparently held to rectify issues with the RTL9 broadcasts, it would seem that the problem did not improve.

This has got to be particularly grating for Everest Poker given so many of their players come from France. They do not accept US players, so a sponsorship arrangement that shows their logo all over US screens but not on French screens would be a pretty bum deal. With no guarantee that they will get the exposure they want in their biggest market, and with the meetings they've claimed to have had with ESPN and Harrah's about this sponsorship deal suggesting they've tried and failed to get what they want, it's understandable that Everest would want to pull out.

It has to be said that it's a bit late to be doing this, which can only be seen as a tactical move by UIM. With the 2010 WSOP just over a month and a half away, this puts the World Series in an unfortunate position. There are so many possibilities for how this could go down, and the WSOP may have to run the advertizing before a decision has been reached. How would that affect the case, and could Everest end up with free advertizing? Who else could the WSOP find to advertize? There are a lot of questions, with even more uncomfortable answers.

My feeling is that this is simply a play by UIM to show they are really serious about Everest Poker coverage in France this year. It seems too late in the game for them to be seriously bringing this to court, but it should be a wake up call for Harrah's and ESPN to keep affiliate channels playing for the team. I agree that Full Tilt Poker is a great poker room, but Everest have paid quite a bit of money for their extra special coverage, and they really need that French audience.

What do you think will happen, and will this affect the 2010 WSOP? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.

-Shad


Posted at 2:58 AM Permalink | 0 comments | Talk on the Poker Forum

Powered by Blogger