The Nightly Turbo: WPT Slovenia Update, PokerStars Adds Sunday Tournaments, and More
The whirlwind that was the 2011 World Series of Poker is behind us - barely. If you missed any of the action, you can find it all in our Live Reporting Blog. As for today's news, while the 2011 WSOP Main Event may have ended, the World Poker Tour Slovenia is into its third day, so we'll bring you an update from there. We'll also let you in on the new PokerStars tournaments that have been added to the Sunday schedule, and more.
In Case You Missed It
You don't make it to the final table of the WSOP without knowing a thing or two - or ten about poker. That's why we sat down with Phil Collins recently to get his thought process on a hand he played during Day 5 of the 2011 WSOP Main Event.
If you fell victim to sleep Tuesday night, then you're probably wondering who made the 2011 WSOP November Nine. Don't worry, you can read all about it in our daily WSOP recap.
Senators Harry Reid and Jon Kyl penned a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder last week regarding Internet poker.On the surface, it might look bad for Internet poker, but if you read between the lines, it might be a good sign.
Update from Slovenia
When Day 3 of the World Poker Tour Slovenia began, 26 players remained looking to burst the money bubble and make their way to the final table.
About three hours into play, PokerNews' own Tony G went busto with pocket nines no match for Ferdi Ciorabai's king-queen. Shortly after he busted, the G tweeted, "Busted in the WPT Slovenia my 99 ran into KQ. It's life. Bike time for me."
Casey Kastle and John Eames were also eliminated, as was start-of-day chip leader Gianluca Speranza. At the time of writing, 17 players remained with the money bubble looming over their heads. Only 14 players will get paid in this event.
If you're looking for more action from WPT Slovenia, head on over to WorldPokerTour.com.
Spades and Cubes
PokerStars recently announced a new addition to its Sunday tournament lineup and a one-time change to one of its staple Sunday tournaments.
The Sunday Cubed, a $55 buy-in tournament with one rebuy and one add-on, kicks off on July 31. It will take place every Sunday at 0500 EDT (1100 CET) and boasts a $50,000 guaranteed prize pool. You can find the tournament under "Tourney" and "Regular" in the PokerStars lobby and if your bankroll isn't as ample as you'd like it to be, satellites run through the week for this tournament.
Want to take on some PokerStars Pros and win cash while doing it? You can in the Red Spade Open. This tournament takes place on July 31 at 1500 EDT (2100 CET). Any Pros who enter the event will have a $100 bounty on their heads. There's a guaranteed $1 million prize pool for this event and first place is guaranteed at least $200,000. The Red Spade Open will replace the Bigger $55 tournament, which will return to its weekly spot beginning August 7.
You can find out more about the Sunday Cubed and the Red Spade Open on PokerStars.com.
Wanna Bet On It?
We're pretty sure bookmakers were waiting intently on the announcement of which players made it to the 2011 November Nine. SkyBet has already published its odds for all nine of the players and if you're looking at placing your bet on a long shot, you can take Badih Bounahra and Samuel Holden at 12/1. The favorites? Of course you have the chip leader Martin Staszko and Eoghan O'Dea, who is second in chips, who are both coming in at 9/2.
| Player | Chip Count | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Martin Staszko | 40,175,00 | 9/2 |
| Eoghan O'Dea | 33,925,000 | 9/2 |
| Phil Collins | 23,875,000 | 11/2 |
| Ben Lamb | 20,875,000 | 5/1 |
| Matt Giannetti | 24,750,000 | 7/1 |
| Pius Heinz | 16,425,000 | 9/1 |
| Anton Makievskyi | 13,825,000 | 9/1 |
| Badhi Bounahra | 19,700,000 | 12/1 |
| Samuel Holden | 12,375,000 | 12/1 |
Find out more at SkyBet.com.
Getting to the WSOP
There are plenty of stories of how players got to the 2011 World Series of Poker. There are the pros, who make the trek no matter what, the "home-game players" with a hope and a dream, and the bloggers, the dealers, and floor staff who come from all over to help make the event go off without a hitch.
Colson Whitehead decided to bring us into his world as he works his way to the 2011 WSOP Main Event. In his first piece on the subject on Grantland.com, he tells us how he brushed up on his game in AC and offers a vivid look at the people he came across and how he learned the game.
When you click the link we're about to give you, you might sigh and say TL;DR, but do yourself a favor and give it a read.
Check out the entire piece on Grantland.com.
Take Two
The PokerNews hostesses produced plenty of videos throughout the summer to keep you all informed on the goings on inside the Rio. While what you saw may have looked perfect, it wasn't always done in one take, or two, or — well you get the idea.
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