August 2010 Archives

We were expecting big things from this final table, and from the moment that the first hand was dealt, right through to the intense heads-up battle, it was pure entertainment for the crowd here on the rail of the Jupiters Poker Room that watched it all unfold. We rocketed out...more

6:15pm: Ricky Kroesen eliminated in 2nd place; Nauv Kashyap wins the ANZPT Gold Coast! Ricky Kroesen was down to around 600,000 when he moved all in from the button. Nauv Kashyap snap-called in the big blind and the cards were on their backs. Kroesen: K♦2♦ Kashyap: T♣T♠ The board was...more

6:00: Ten-minute break 5:50pm: Nothing like flopping the nuts Nauv Kashyap raised to 110,000 from the button and Ricky Kroesen made the call in the big blind. They saw a flop of 9♦A♦5♦ and Kroesen checked to Kashyap who fired 130,000. Kroesen made the call. The turn was the 3♠...more

3:40pm: O'Rourke bluffs his way to the break Liam O'Rourke has been caught bluffing on a couple of occasions, and Nauv Kashyap has already shown a tendency to call down pretty light. So it was a no surprise to see O'Rourke muck his cards when Kashyap made a call for...more

The final table is meant to be the showcase day for any poker tournament. It's the best of the best; the cream of the crop; the most talented players rising to the top to battle it out for the title, the trophy and all the cash. However in tournament poker,...more

Seat 1 - Aaron Benton, Woolongong, NSW, PokerStars Sponsored Player (751,000 chips) This 32-year old recruitment consultant known online as azzabentonaces was working in Singapore when he finished runner-up in a major online tournament worth US$262,500. He went on to win the 2009 APPT Grand Final in Sydney, stamping his...more

Day 3 of the 2010 Gold Coast Main Event was a day that saw our field of 42 reduced to the final nine players within seven levels of play. There was plenty of action early as the short stacks struggled to survive, but as the day went on and the...more

6:30pm: Balaban eliminated in 10th place; Final table is set! It didn't take long for our final table bubble to burst after the short-stacked Darko Balaban pushed his last chips in preflop against Aaron Benton. Balaban had a monster with his K♦K♥ as Benton would need help with his A♦J♦....more

5:55pm: Break 5:53pm: Dodds is back Joel Dodds was having a pretty good day, after getting himself into the chip lead, but things went awry and he slowly slid into the pack. Well, Dodds is now back on track after grabbing a double up to get himself back into contention....more

3:45pm: Break time Once again the Jupiters Hotel and Casino have spoilt us with a wonderful buffet of sandwiches. Back in ten! 3:40pm: Maurie Pears eliminated After a brief lull in play, we've just had another elimination. The gallant run of Maurie Pears has come to an end. Pears opened...more

1:30pm: Break time Just before the break we lost Ian Parnell in 29th place. He moved all in with A♦J♣ against the Q♥K♦ of Liam O'Rourke. Parnell flopped a jack on the flop of J♦3♣8♣, but the T♥ turn and 9♥ river gave O'Rourke a running straight to take it...more

It was a nervous night for 42 people on the Gold Coast last evening. Some would've slept better than others. But some would've had a restless night as they think of a strategy to avoid being one of the ten casualties on day three of play that will go home...more

Poker players can be a strangely superstitious lot. Many own a lucky card protector, some wear their lucky cap at every event, while some players have been known to re-wear the same clothes over and over for the duration of the tournament to avoid the wrath of lady luck....more

7:00pm Saving the best until last On the second last hand of the day, we witnessed the biggest pot of the tournament as Hong Kong's Nick Wong landed a river of dreams to end the day as our chip leader. The action went down on a flop of T♠J♦Q♣. Wong...more

5:50pm: Break The players are now taking their last ten-minute break of the day. When they return, we'll play just one more level before we call it a night. 5:38pm: Steicke takes out Watson Andrew Watson won't be able to replicate his runner-up finish in Queenstown as he's just been...more

3:40pm: Ten-minute break 3:35pm: Kittos doubles Chris Kittos was all in for his tournament life with 7♣7♥ against the A♠Q♥ of Wayne Hockey. The race was short-lived as Kittos spiked a set on the board of 7♦8♣9♥8♥5♠ to double up to 45,000. 3:25pm: Moussa crashes and burns It wasn't long...more

1:30pm: Break 1:22pm: Gray climbing ANZPT Canberra champion Jason Gray is on the move after coming into the day with a below average stack. He got his day going when his J♦J♠ held up against Koudai Suzuki's T♣T♥ when the board was spread 6♠K♥9♠4♠5♥. Arguably Australia's most consistent player of...more

The Gold Coast is renowned for being a fun, family holiday destination with its expansive beaches, sports activities and of course, the theme parks. There's six of them sprinkled only a short drive from Surfers Paradise and many poker players were heard to be enjoying themselves yesterday on the thrills...more

It was a day that brought with it a lot of expectations. And after eight levels of frantic action, you would have to say that those expectations were met. Last night we knew we were in for a big day as the whispers surfaced of a likely capacity field. The...more

8:15pm: A few late stumbles The final five hands provided a couple of rough moments for Karl Krautschneider and David Steicke to finish the day. Krautschneider got himself into trouble in a button versus big blind battle against Dominic Coombe. With all the chips in preflop, Krautschneider held king-queen but...more

5:55pm:Ten-minute break 5:44pm: Vo sets it up Is there anything better than flopping a set against an overpair? It's one of the most deceptive, and profitable, situations in the game and Tommy Vo has just taken full advantage of it to eliminate Swiss player Serge Mazza from the tournament. The...more

3:45pm: Break time One player who won't be back after the break is Wayne Carlson. He was all in preflop with pocket eights but he found himself running smack-bang into Jimmy Ghobrial's pocket aces. The board ran out 9♥4♦5♣3♦9♣ as we lose another player. Ghobrial is up to 53,000 and...more

1:35pm: Early break for Scarf As the players take their first ten-minute break of the day, one player who was able to beat the rush to the bathroom was Andrew Scarf. Currently in the top three in the ANZPT Player of the Year points race, Scarf was spotted dashing to...more

A warm good morning from the Gold Coast, where the sun is beaming down, the local cafes are bubbling with activity and for those 69 survivors from Day 1A yesterday, it's a great day to relax on the beach and soak up some rays. Of course, the perfect weather...more

You've been asking for it, we've been waiting for it, and now the PokerStars Big Game is back. After a short hiatus, the Big Game hit the small screen again this week with a brand new Loose Cannon. For the big money game, PokerStars staked qualifier Troy Howard $100,000....more

The day started with high expectations for 137 entrants to the 2010 ANZPT Gold Coast Main Event and by the end of eight levels of play that number had been reduced to just 69. It was a field of the highest calibre, with multiple ANZPT champions, an Aussie Millions champion,...more

8:15pm: Da Silva succumbs as Abdine heads the pack In the final stages of play we lost one of the Da Silva brothers as Bruno lost the war with Scott Kerr. Da Silva's final chips were in on the turn on a board of 7♠K♣3♥5♠ holding 6♦3♦ for a pair...more

6:00pm: Break The players are now taking their final ten-minute break of the day. 5:45pm: Mixed fortunes for two champions "COME ON!!!!!" was the cry heard around the room as Bruno Da Silva had the defending champion Scott Kerr in bad shape. Kerr committed his last chips preflop with...more

3:45pm: Break Time The players are now taking their second ten-minute break of the day. 3:34pm: Freeman freed Paul Freeman is free to enjoy his afternoon on the Gold Coast following his recent elimination from the tournament. Freeman made his last stance with A♣J♠ but ran into the dominant A♠K♠...more

1:35pm: Break The players are now off to enjoy their first ten-minute break of the day. 1:25pm: Stoltz stays strong Andrew Stoltz appears to still be the big stack of the field with his early double up seeing him sit on 43,000 chips. A couple of PokerStars qualifiers are progressing...more

Fresh off the slopes of Queenstown, the best players in Australia and New Zealand have traded skis and snow for surf boards and sand, as the ANZPT heads to the "Sunshine State" for the sixth event of the 2010 PokerStars.net Australia and New Zealand Tour. We find ourselves at...more

by James White We'll hear a lot more about Estonia this week when Season 7 of the European Poker Tour kicks off in Tallinn, but for now it's an Estonian player, Alexander Kuperman, making the news after winning the Russian Poker Series event in Riga, Latvia for €95,468.50. He beat...more

by James White Artur Egorov may not be a name that rolls off the tongue, but the Russian will let his stack do the talking today when he fights for the PokerStars RPS Riga title. Egorov's 1,392,000 chips will take some catching for the other eight final tablists. They're all...more

Amid the crowds, the noise and the television cameras packed into the auditorium at the Costa do Santinho resort, Matthias Habernig, a 19-year-old from Klagenfurt, Austria, travelling through South American on vacation, has won the newest Latin American Poker Tour title in Florianopolis and a cheque for R$435,000. The...more

4.45pm: Matthias Habernig wins LAPT Florianopolis. Dayan Vardanega re-raised Matthias Habernig's preflop bet to 395,000 in what was to be the last hand of the day. Habernig called, and a A♠7♦T♥ flop hit the felt. Vardanega bet 480,000 and Habernig called, bringing the Q♦ on the turn. Action was...more

3.50pm: Break time That's the end of the level. Players are taking a five minute break. 3.45pm: the big Mo Dayan Vardanega seems to have seized the momentum Habernig opened for 130,000 which Vardanega called for a flop of Q♦7♦7♣. Vardanega checked and Habernig bet 155,000. Vardanega then raised...more

Welcome back to the LAPT Florianopolis. Just eight players remain, each in pursuit of a first prize of R$435,000. There are locals and a couple of foreign raiders intent on stealing glory away from home, but there'll be obstacles in the way in the form of some hefty local...more

by James White After eight hours of play today the field of 110 players who started Day 2 was cut to just 36. They now move forward to Day 3 and a have real shot at cashing here at the Russian Poker Series in Riga. Miguel Candeias, from Spain, began...more

Poker arenas can become known for the atmosphere they generate. The feature stage of the Amazon Room for example can send a double-up echo back up the corridor to drown out the Masquerade Show; places like San Remo and Prague rock the EPT with a gladiatorial spirit, usually backed...more

7.30pm: All over Pedro Velasco is eliminated by Matthias Habernig in the last hand of the day. In this last hand, Velasco responded to Habernig's 66,000 raise by moving all-in for 350,000. Matthias found a reason to call, it was probably his T♠T♦. Velasco showed Q♦J♠ and needed some...more

5.15pm: Break time That's the end of the level and another 15 minute break. 5.10pm: Rodrigo still rolling Rodrigo Scartezini just took a few steps further up the chip chart. It started with a bet of 50,000 from Pedro Velasco followed by a raise by Mario Donoso to 135,000....more

2.30pm: Chips The news form the last two levels is the stack building of Matthias Habernig who ends the leavel on 810,000. Meanwhile Rudy Blondeau has slipped down the scale to 300,000 while Dayan Vardenega has had his own power surge, sitting with 660,000 at the break. 2.26pm: Break...more

Welcome back to Florianopolis, which these days has put behind it the rainy and bleak past it was known for two days ago and has instead embraced the optimism of bright sunshine; perfect stuff for that old cliché of things getting hot inside as well as outside. But we...more

by James White There was a landmark turnout for the second Russian Poker Series event of the season yesterday with 183 runners taking to the felt in Riga, Latvia. That number, which exceeded all expectations, generated a bumper €328,393.50 prize pool. The winner will get €95,468.50. Of the 110 players...more

Day two at the LAPT Florianopolis was always about the money. The only additional detail being who would have it and who wouldn't. Of the 185 players who returned today just 48 of them would get such a payoff, a bundle of local Rials higher in value than the...more

2.35am: This is the end Level 20 has finished and so has Day 2. Full chip counts are coming, but our likely chip leader is Rudy Blondeau, with more than 500,000. 2.20am: Last one out The last elimination of the day goes to Jose Santiago in 37th place. Santiago...more

1.16pm: Break time Another break at the end of level 18. When we return for level 19 blinds will be 4,000-8,000 with a 500 ante. 1.10pm: His name was Guillermo Montero His name was Guillermo Montero, he was a brave man. He got all his chips in preflop against...more

9.46pm: Dinner break We've had 8 levels of play today and the tournament staff has decided to give players a one hour dinner break. We'll be playing down to 24 players today, 55 remain. We'll see you in an hour. Ate mais! 9.40pm: Flying Dutchman Sander Aalders just won...more

7.22pm: Break time That's the end of the level. Players are on another 20 minute break. 7.20pm: Fifteen minutes to change your tournament A 230,000 pot, which took about 15 minutes to play, has left Canadian Rudy Blondeau with the lot and Mario Donoso a meagre 8,000 left. Donoso...more

4.45pm: Break time That's the end of the level and another 15 minute break. 4.40pm: Arias still going strong "I'm still alive," said Team PokerStars Online Jorge Arias as he collected his newly earned chips. He moved all in from under the gun for 13,500 and got a call...more

2.20pm: Break and color up Players are now on a 20 minute break. Also, the green chips will be colored up and taken out of play. 2.15pm: Braga-rights Faced with a 3,000 raise from Alessandra Braga, Miguel Solano re-raised to 9,000. Braga responded by moving all-in for 49,000. Solano...more

Something happened over night in Florianopolis. The total cloud cover, that had this been a musical rather than a poker tournament would have had the cast of players singing They call the wind Maria shifted from these parts, and instead headed out to sea, leaving behind nothing but clear...more

The Latin American Poker Tour made its welcome return to Brazil today. It was in Brazil that the tour was born two years ago, and its latest incarnation didn't disappoint, with a world champ and a few local heroes here for the day one festivities. All the familiar faces...more

8.40pm: Habernig leads at end of day one With the last hand dealt it appears Austrian player Matthias Habernig is the chip leader with 130,325. A full report on the day will be on the blog shortly. 8.25pm: Victor defeated We're in the last stages of the day. The...more

6.35pm: Six levels done, two to go That's it for another level and players are on their last break of the day. When they return they will play two more levels and call it a night. 6.25pm: Cada update Even though the contenders for the 2010 WSOP Main Event...more

4.10pm: Break time That's the end of the level. Players are now on the second break of the day.. 4pm: Andre a Super Sa Max Goncalvez was raising, making it 800 pre-flop. He got callers in three spots, including Andre Sa and Gorge Arias. Goncalvez has a big grin...more

2pm: Break time We're reaching the end of level two. 1.50pm: Brenes battered Roberto Brenes, son of Humberto, just took a knock, down to 11,000 after an ugly board gave him a set but gave his opponent a full house. On a board of Q-J-K-Q-4 Brenes the younger showed...more

Welcome to Florianopolis, Brazil, and the start of the next leg of the Latin American Poker Tour. This event marks a welcome return to Brazil which was the first ever LAPT event back in season one. Then it was Rio hosting the festivities, a tournament eventually won by Julien...more

While established PokerStars tours like the LAPT and EPT are about to get under way (the LAPT in Brazil today, and EPT in Estonia next week), a new kid on the block is opening its doors tomorrow. The PokerStars Russian Poker Series welcomes the second event of its first season...more