The Nightly Turbo: Negreanu Loses LHE Challenge, Carlsson Wins ANZPT Perth, and More
We're here to get your week started on the right track by bringing you the day's biggest poker news. In this edition of the Nightly Turbo, we're covering the results from the ANZPT Perth Main Event, Daniel Negreanu's Limit Hold'em Challenge at PokerStars, and more.
In Case You Missed It
How did the Sunday Majors play out on PokerStars? Who took down the biggest score? Find out in the Sunday Briefing.
The 2012 PokerStars Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) kicked off on Sunday. Mickey Doft and Martin Harris recapped Day 1 of the first two events.
Did you miss Sunday's World Poker Tour coverage on FSN? Read our WPT recap to get caught up.
Now that he's a member of Team PokerStars Pro, what does Bryan Huang have planned for the future? Find out that and more in the latest edition of Seat Open.
The PokerNews Live Reporting team is in Pennsylvania for the World Series of Poker Circuit Harrah's Philadelphia Main Event. For a look at the action from Day 2, check out our WSOPC recap.
"rUaBot" Crushes Kid Poker
The inaugural PokerStars Limit Hold'em Challenge took place Saturday afternoon, pitting one of poker's most familiar faces against a player whose identity remains unknown to the poker masses.
Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu was set to face off against German limit hold'em specialist "rUaBot" in a match consisting of at most 1,250 hands of $200/400 limit hold'em. Both players began with $75,000, and the winner would be determined by whoever had more money at the end of the match.
After a back-and-forth battle for the first couple hundred hands, "rUaBot" gradually extended his lead and closed out the $75,000 win after just 937 hands. Negreanu, a two-time limit hold'em bracelet winner at the WSOP, was noticeably frustrated after just over four hours of play, as evidenced by his chat after the match:
KidPoker: gg
rUaBot: gg
rUaBot: sorry for the sick run
KidPoker: its ok just glad its over!
KidPoker: have never in my life played 2 tables HU LH and I never will again
rUaBot: big thanks for playing here
rUaBot: oh
KidPoker: good night
For more details of the match, check out the PokerStars Blog.
Mat Carlsson Wins ANZPT Perth
The Australia New Zealand Poker Tour (ANZPT) Perth Main Event came to a close over the weekend with hometown pro Mat Carlsson taking down the $1,100 buy-in Main Event. The Perth native bested a field of 340 players to claim the $78,275 top prize.
Nine Aussies made up the Main Event final table, and after eight hours of play it came down to Carlsson and Anthony Marenko playing for the title. Marenko held a slight advantage when the heads-up match began, but Carlsson took control when he made two pair against Marenko's top pair. Then, on the final hand of the tournament, Marenko moved his short stack all in preflop with K♠2♦ and Carlsson called with 7♣7♠. The board ran dry for Marenko, who collected $49,600 for his runner-up finish.
PokerNews' Nicki Pickering spoke with Carlsson shortly after his win:
ANZPT Perth Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mat Carlsson | $78,275 |
| 2 | Anthony Marenko | $49,600 |
| 3 | Anthony Aston | $27,590 |
| 4 | Jon Curtis | $21,545 |
| 5 | David Lloyd | $17,050 |
| 6 | Didier Guerin | $13,950 |
| 7 | John Shin | $11,160 |
| 8 | Paul Satzke | $8,835 |
| 9 | Lucas Mierzwa | $6,510 |
For a detailed report of the ANZPT Perth Main Event, check out the PokerStars Blog.
Sam Trickett Leaves Titan Poker
Late last week, high-roller extraordinaire Sam Trickett announced via Twitter that he has parted ways with Titan Poker. Trickett signed with Titan as a virtual unknown in 2010 before breaking through in 2011 with wins at the Aussie Millions High Roller and the Partouche Poker Tour Main Event. In all, Trickett cashed for more than $4.5 million on the tournament circuit last year.
Now, he may be moving on to bigger and better things.
Me an Titan have decided to part ways. I have enjoyed representing them and they was a absolute pleasure to work with.Thanks again Titan....
— Sam Trickett (@Samtrickett1)
In addition to his tournament exploits, Trickett has been a regular in the nosebleed cash games in Macau (and has reportedly been thriving in the games). As one of the game's rising superstars, we wouldn't be surprised if the top online poker rooms have already begun lining up for his services.
Lock Poker Leaving Merge Network
Lock Poker is making big changes in the next few weeks. The online poker room announced Monday that it will be leaving the Merge Gaming Network and launching a new network called Revolution Gaming on June 1, 2012. As part of the move, Lock will be purchasing "selected" assets from the Cake Poker Network.
Lock Poker said in a press release that members of the LockPRO ELITE team will play a major role in "driving technology, marketing, player rewards and implementing a richer tournament schedule" at the new network, which will remain open to players residing on the U.S. Lock Poker is the largest skin on the Merge Gaming Network, which ranks eighth worldwide in online poker traffic according to PokerScout.com.
“We are very excited at the prospect of driving the product, marketing and overall vision of the network. It is a dream come true,” said Lock Poker CEO Jennifer Larson. “Merge was a great stepping stone for us but we have outgrown them. We really need to forge our own path to continued success. The only way to do this is to stay true to our of core philosophy: partnering with our players.”
For more, read the story here at PokerNews.com.
WSOP Ups the Ante
If you didn't think playing in a World Series of Poker event offered enough value before, Caesars Entertainment has added more incentive to play in 2012.
Starting this summer, all WSOP tournament entrants will receive Total Rewards credits for playing in events at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino. The food vouchers handed out in the past will no longer exist; now players will have rewards added directly to their Total Rewards card to use toward tournament buy-ins, dining, hotel accommodations, travel, and more.
Tournament Reward Credits will be awarded based on the size of the entry fee. For example, those playing in the $10,000 buy-in Main Event will receive 3,000 Reward Credits. Those credits can then be used in all Total Rewards properties.
We have more info right here at PokerNews.com.
Catching Up with Moneymaker
Since he turned $39 into $2.5 million at the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event, Chris Moneymaker has become one of the most compelling figures in poker. His story makes for a fascinating interview, no matter how many times we hear him talk about it.
PokerWorks.com's Linda Geenen recently caught up with Moneymaker to discuss All In: The Poker Movie, a documentary that hit theaters earlier this year. In the interview, Moneymaker touches on his degenerate gambling habits before his historic win at the 2003 WSOP, as well as his nitty bankroll management after the victory, and more.
We highly recommend you check out this two-part interview. You can find it at PokerWorks.com.
Bwin.Party Enters California
On Monday, bwin.party digital entertainment announced another partnership in anticipation of intrastate online poker legislation in the U.S. The U.K. online gaming giant agreed to a 10-year deal with the United Auburn Indian Community (UAIC) to provide online poker services in California once the activity is legalized.
In February, two California Senators introduced a bill that would allow online poker to be played within the state's lines. The Internet Gambling Consumer Protection and Public-Private Partnership Act of 2012, also known as SB 1463, is still working its way through the California legislature amidst opposition from several tribal casinos.
Bwin.party co-CEO Jim Ryan told PokerNews in February that California is a "compelling market" for online poker, but realistically online poker won't launch in the U.S. until 2013.
"California is the largest state in the U.S. in terms of population and is known to have a significant number of poker players who like to play poker online," Ryan and co-CEO Norbert Teufelberger said in a press release on Monday. "Combining our own significant assets and resources with those of UAIC will create a strong partnership that is well-placed to seize the opportunities that will arise if appropriate online poker legislation is enacted in the Golden State."
Bwin.party partnered with MGM Resorts and Boyd Gaming last October to offer intrastate online poker in Nevada. The company submitted a license with the Nevada Gaming Control Board in March.
Read more in the press release at MarketWatch.com.
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