The arc of a poker tournament is usually hard to define. Chips move, leaders come, and leaders go. It is rare to see a story define itself as well as it did at the NAPT Venetian event. By the penultimate day, a leader had established himself, and the story...more
Sam Stein is a wrecking ball. Broad-shouldered and burly, Stein has approached the last two days of this tournament with a grim-faced determination that makes it look like he's been told he has to mow the lawn or clean out the garage. No matter whether he's flopping sets against...more
8:15pm: And that's a wrap for Day 4 With eight players, we have our NAPT Venetian final table with Sam Stein as its chip leader. A full wrap of today's events will be posted in short order. Join us tomorrow at 2pm for live coverage of all the action...more
Joseph Cutler - 14th place Thomas Fuller got involved with a raise from under the gun, and Cutler came along from the big blind. The flop came T♠ 7♣ 2♦, and Cutler raised to 150K. But Fuller came back with a raise all-in, and Cutler called all-in, as he...more
Ready for some high stakes fun? For games within games? For something special to mark this first ever North American Poker Tour stop at the Venetian in Las Vegas? Today's first round the NAPT Venetian $25,000 High Roller Bounty event brings together a collection of the poker world's most famous,...more
Welcome back to beautiful Las Vegas and the luxurious Venetian. Inside, the poker room is buzzing with excitement already. Players will trickle in shortly. Fans will gather outside the ropes. We have some important poker to play today. The 24 players that start Day 4 have proven themselves to be...more
by Martin Harris When we started at noon on Saturday, there were nearly 90 tables filled with 872 players, filling the entire poker room and curling all around the immediate environs, zig-zagging every which way. Sort of like those famous canals of the Italian city from which the Venetian...more
1:12am: Day 3 concludes With that last flurry of eliminations, Day 3 swiftly comes to a close. The remaining 24 players are starting to bag up their earnings thus far, but all well know there's still a long way to go to that $827,648 first prize. 1:06am: Rousso hits...more
10:35pm: End of level That's 20 levels in the books. Of the 872 who began on Saturday, just 36 remain. 10:17pm: Cernuto survives "Miami" John Cernuto left for the dinner break after a very tough laydown to an all-in from his opponent, and he was left with less chips...more
What we have just witnessed is no short of history in the making. Sure, we know we tend to get hyperbolic around these parts, but we feel comfortable in suggesting that what we'll witness this week will be the stuff poker people will talk about for ages. When the...more
6:38pm: Gimme a break! Ok, settle down. Players are on a break. They are taking 15 minutes and will return to start Level 19. (Hint: There will be another blog for Level 19. Go there after this.) 6:29pm: Oh, aces, how they can hurt sometimes Martin Medina played aces...more
3:22pm: Break time The 91 remaining players are taking a 15-minute break. 3:15pm: Double-ups keep hope alive Despite being in the money, most poker players do not want to leave the tournament. The final table is two days away, and a few key double-ups could put them in contention...more
The day in Las Vegas will start with some unknowns. Outside the Venetian Hotel & Casino, the day began with rain and cloudy skies. But as the hours passed, the sun emerged and blue skies now reign, despite some rather brisk desert winds. All in all, a beautiful day is...more
Stardom may be too strong a word. This is only the first American stop of the inaugural season of the North American Poker Tour, a series of live poker tournaments that has already proven itself a serious contender in the poker world. And there were 872 players in the $5,000...more
9:21pm: Day 2 concludes The last hands of Day 2 have been dealt, and Andrew Lichtenberger is the one bagging the most chips with 618,000, followed by Day 1 chip leader Andy Seth with 602,600, and Steve Billirakis with 591,200. It appears we're still about 20 eliminations away from...more
6:13pm: Break time Players are now on break. 6:02pm: Negreanu doubles When Daniel Negreanu alerted the media via Twitter that he was down to 15K chips, we planted ourselves in the area to see the forthcoming action. It didn't take long for him to push all-in for his last...more
3:03pm: Break it up The second break of the day is upon us, and players are stretching their legs and recounting hands to anyone who will listen. When their 15 minutes are over, they will enter the third level of the day. 2:58pm: Moving on As the field thins,...more
by Martin Harris It's a quiet Sunday morning here at the Venetian. Well, relatively speaking. "Quiet" has a slightly different significance inside a Vegas casino than it might there on your front porch perusing the latest news on your laptop. But let's appreciate together the contrast of the present...more
Anyone who has ever thrown a party has shared the same anxiety. What if no one comes? What if too many people come? What if I didn't buy enough bean dip? It's a nerve-rattling time, and one that can only be soothed when everything turns out to perfection. The North...more
6:49pm: Last break With six levels complete, we have reached our last break of the day. 6:40pm: You want numbers? We got your numbers right here... The first North American Poker Tour stop at the Venetian in Las Vegas had its challenges. Not only was it the inaugural NAPT...more
4:29pm: Break time This is the midway point for day 1. Players are now on a 15 minute break 4:23: It's not a chicken Caesar salad If only Bill Chen and Jason Mercier had waited for the salad announcement. They've already had their lunch. Mercier seems to have devoured...more