The Weekly Turbo: Scott Seiver Wins Premier League, WSOP $1 Million Event, and More
Did you miss any of the top poker news stories this week? Well you've come to the right place to get caught up. We're covering Scott Seiver's triumph at the PartyPoker Premier League V, 30 players confirmed for the $1 million buy-in event at the 2012 WSOP, and more.
Poker Tournaments
Scott Seiver Wins PartyPoker Premier League V
In his very first crack at the PartyPoker Premier League, Scott Seiver walked away with the title and $500,000 after winning the eight-handed final table on Tuesday evening in Vienna, Austria.
Seiver bested a talented field that included Tom Dwan, Dan "Jungleman" Cates, Patrik Antonius, Sam Trickett, Phil Laak, Tony G, and qualifier Mathew Frankland, who entered the final table with the chip lead after generating the most points in the preliminary heats. In the end, though, it was Seiver who finished on top, joining David Benyamine, Andy Black, JC Tran and Juha Helppi in the PartyPoker Premier League winner's circle.
Seiver was also awarded a seat to next month's $25,000 World Poker Tour Championship, the same event he won last year for $1,618,344.
Premier League V Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scott Seiver | $500,000 |
| 2 | Daniel Cates | $300,000 |
| 3 | Phil Laak | $175,000 |
| 4 | Patrik Antonius | $125,000 |
| 5 | Tony G | $100,000 |
| 6 | Tom Dwan | $80,000 |
| 7 | Mathew Frankland | $65,000 |
| 8 | Sam Trickett | $55,000 |
Read the full final table recap at PokerNews.com.
30 Players Confirmed for $1 Million Buy-in at WSOP
It appears the $1 million buy-in Big One for One Drop at this year's World Series of Poker will be crammed with amateurs.
WSOP media director Seth Palansky said Thursday 30 players are committed to playing in the prestigious event, but only 10 are professional poker players. Among the poker pros already confirming their participation are Erik Seidel, Patrik Antonius, Gus Hansen, Johnny Chan, Daniel Negreanu, Justin Smith, Jonathan Duhamel, and Tom Dwan. They'll be rubbing elbows with at least 20 wealthy businessmen when the tournament begins on July 1.
The field will include Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte, casino owner Phil Ruffin, and businessmen Sean O'Donnell, Andy Beal, Richard Yong, Paul Phua, Paul Newey, Arnaud Mimran, Cary Katz and Bob Bright, among others.
WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart told PokerNews in March that it's "very possible" the event will hit its cap of 48 players. Last week, the WSOP announced a satellite program that could allow players to win a seat into the tournament for as little as $65.
For more, check out the story at PokerNews.com.
Super High Roller in Manila
As if the high-stakes games weren't already massive in Asia, they just got bigger. On Thursday, the Asian Poker Tour (APT) and Resorts World announced the launch of the Manila Millions, a HKD$1,000,000 buy-in tournament Resorts World Manila’s Genting Club on April 20.
Phil Ivey and Tom Dwan have already confirmed their participation in the super high roller event, and several other big names — likely even Sam Trickett — are expected to make the trip to the Philippines for the prestigious event. It will be the biggest buy-in tournament ever in Asia.
“The Asian Poker Tour and Resorts World Manila are going to make poker history once again and this time it’s by staging Asia’s biggest super high roller event," said Asian Poker Tour CEO Jeff Mann. "A buy-in of this magnitude will put the Philippines on the world poker map and the APT is excited to once again be working with Resorts World Manila to make it all possible."
Read the story at PokerNews.com for more.
Bon Voyage?
According to a report by Lorraine France Bleu Nord, the World Poker Tour will not be renewing its contract with the Seven Casino d'Amnéville at the end of this season. The casino in Amnéville, France played host to WPT events in 2010 and 2011, but declining attendance and a "lack of glamor" could have played factors in the decision to abandon the city, according to the report.
The WPT saw 543 entrants put up the €3,500 entry fee at Amnéville in 2010. The tournament was considered a huge success as Sam El Sayed collected more than €426,000 for his victory in one of the country's largest tournaments ever. However, those numbers dropped considerably in 2011 when only 379 players entered the event. WPT Grand Prix de Paris had fewer entrants (312) than Amnéville in 2011, but the event in Paris featured a €7,500 buy-in.
Read more at livepoker.fr.
Kevin Vandersmissen Wins 2012 Irish Poker Open
The 2012 PaddyPowerPoker.com Irish Poker Open came to a close on Monday night in Dublin, Ireland. After three days of play, Belgium's Kevin Vandersmissen outlasted a field of 502 players to claim his second major title and the top prize of €420,000.
A handful of notables reached the final table, including Andy Black and Samuel Chartier, both of whom made early exits on Monday. Online qualifier Ian Simpson entered the final table with the chip lead, but his dreams of glory were dashed when he exited in fourth place for €107,500.
After David Dean was sent to the rail in third place, Vandersmissen bested Thomas Beer heads-up for the title. On the final hand of the match, Beer got his remaining 2.1 million chips in with A♠K♥ on a board of 9♠4♥3♠. Vandersmissen called with 9♦7♠, and the 8♦ turn and 9♥ river sealed the championship for the Belgian pro.
Vandersmissen added another six-figure score to his resume; he had previously won the 2010 Full Tilt Poker Series Grand Final for $198,641 and finished second at the European Poker Tour Snowfest for $368,601 in 2011.
2012 Irish Open Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kevin Vandersmissen | €420,000 |
| 2 | Thomas Beer | €225,000 |
| 3 | David Dean | €158,000 |
| 4 | Ian Simpson | €107,500 |
| 5 | Steve Watts | €78,000 |
| 6 | Jordan Lewis | €59,000 |
| 7 | Samuel Chartier | €44,500 |
| 8 | Andy Black | €32,700 |
| 9 | Philip Magennis | €23,000 |
For more, check out the PaddyPowerPoker Blog.
Poker Business
Ferguson, Lederer Face Lawsuits
It's been nearly one year since Black Friday turned the poker world upside down. Yet, the lawsuits are still rolling in against Full Tilt Poker and its executives.
On Thursday, four poker players filed suit against Chris Ferguson and Howard Lederer, claiming that the two FTP board members ''exercised unlawful dominion and control'' over players’ funds in Full Tilt Poker accounts before and after Black Friday. The lawsuit claims that Lederer received an estimated $42 million in distributions and ''profit sharing'' payments; Ferguson allegedly received $85 million.
The suit was filed by the same plaintiffs that had a lawsuit dismissed by a federal judge in January. The group of players, which includes poker pro Todd Terry, are requesting that the defendants refund player funds and pay punitive damages upward of $150 million.
Read more at PokerNews.com.
Unibet Purchases Bet24
Unibet Group plc acquired one of its competitors in the European gaming market on Wednesday. The company purchased Nordic Betting Plc, best known for its Bet24 gaming operation, for approximately €13.5 million.
Bet24's poker arm resides on the OnGame Network and is home to a growing list of sponsored pros such as Jesper Hougaard, Paul Foltyn, and World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) Main Event winner Thomas "kalllle" Pedersen. The company also recently signed Danish football national team coach Morten Olsen and former Liverpool FC player Jan Mølby to represent the Bet24 poker brand.
The future of those players is now unknown as Unibet plans to rebrand Bet24’s products and services and migrating Bet24’s customers to its own platform. However, Unibet will transfer approximately 45 Nordic Betting Ltd employees to its operations in Malta.
Read more at PokerNews.com.
Poker Legislation
Utah Sends a Message
Utah is one of only two U.S. states without any form of gambling, and Gov. Gary Herbert is making it a priority to keep it that way.
Herbert recently sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) suggesting that gaming laws should be decided by states and not the federal government.
"It is a matter of both constitutional and social preference that matters relating to gaming be regulated by states for the benefit of their residents," Herbert wrote. "Specifically, the residents of the State of Utah have always been very clear about our views that allowing gambling on the Internet or other venues is not in Utah’s best interests."
The news comes less than a month after Herbert signed into law an anti-online gambling bill that makes it a misdemeanor offense to play Internet poker in Utah. House Bill 108 states that Internet gambling is included in the state ban on gaming, even if the activity is legalized by Congress.
Hawaii is the only other state that prohibits any form of gambling within state lines. Hawaii made efforts to legalize the activity earlier this year, but a group of bills in the Hawaii state legislature were put to rest last month.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal has more.
Bovada Blocks Washington State
In March, Bovada announced it would no longer accept new players from New York, Utah, Maryland and Washington. The site then banned existing players in Maryland from accessing the site. Now, the Bovada will also block players from Washington state, giving them until the end of April to request their funds.
Players in Washington recently received an email from Bovada saying that the poker room was unable to continue offering its services in the state because of "continuing difficulties finding and maintaining acceptable payment options." Here's an excerpt from the e-mail:
As a resident of Washington, your account has been closed to further activity. Your balance remains safe and in place – simply contact us prior to April 30th to arrange for a payout via the most suitable method. Past this date we cannot guarantee an immediate availability of options for payments to your state.
Please note that due to this decision we expect an increase in payout requests and this may delay receipt beyond our standard 15 days. We always honor our payouts so rest assured you will receive your funds.
Washington state has long been opposed to online gambling within its borders. In 2010, the Washington Supreme Court upheld an amendment that made wagering on online poker a Class C felony. PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, the two leaders in the U.S. market at the time, exited the state shortly after the ruling.
Follow the player reactions at TwoPlusTwo.com.
Poker Players
"Biggest Pot I Have Ever Won"
Last month, we reported that Sam Trickett had won the biggest pot of his life during a high-stakes cash game in Macau. Naturally, we were curious about the details of the hand, and Trickett was kind enough to post them in his latest blog on Tuesday.
According to Trickett, who has been a regular in the Macau games since last year, he was playing three-handed against two other "top pros" with the blinds at HKD$10K/20K (USD$1,300/2,600). The button raised to HKD$60K, Trickett three-bet to HKD$220K with J♦10♦ in the small blind, and the big blind and button called. The flop came 5x4x3x with two diamonds. Trickett checked, the big blind fired HKD$440K, and the button and Trickett called.
The turn was the 6♦, giving Trickett a flush, and all three players checked. "I’m obviously now feeling pretty confident my hand is good," Trickett explained.
The river was the 2♥, which put a six-high straight on the board with three diamonds. Trickett checked again and the big blind bet HKD$2.2 million. The button called, and Trickett decided to move all in for around HKD$7.7 million. The big blind called and the small blind folded, saying later that he had a seven in his hand. Trickett's flush was the winner, and he scooped a pot worth an estimated HKD$16 million (USD$2 million).
Said Trickett, "It’s actually not the biggest pot I have played and I have lost a few pots bigger than that where I took some nasty beats but it was certainly amazing to win my first big pot."
Read Trickett's full blog at sam-trickett.titanpoker.com.
Daniel's Weekly Rant
Daniel Negreanu was back with his Weekly Rant on Wednesday. This week, Kid Poker discussed the inaugural iSeriesLIVE, his trip to Ireland, and more failure from the Epic Poker League.
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