The Nightly Turbo: Mizrachi and Marchese Enter One Drop, Matt Glantz Signed, and More
Michael Mizrachi was the big story at the World Series of Poker on Thursday. "The Grinder" won his second $50,000 Poker Players Championship event in three years. What did he do with most of his winnings? We'll cover that story, plus Matt Glantz signing a deal with a poker room, in this edition of the Nightly Turbo.
In Case You Missed It
Michael Mizrachi won his second $50,000 Poker Player Championship on Thursday. Read about how he ran over the table in the WSOP Day 33 recap.
How was the high-stakes action at the PokerStars tables this week? Read the Online Railbird Report to find out the week's biggest winners and losers.
Melanie Weisner joined the Strategy with Kristy podcast this week. Weisner discusses some hands she's played so far at the World Series of Poker.
Jason Mercier landed back near the top of this week's Global Poker Index. Mickey Doft breaks down the biggest movers and shakers in the GPI rankings.
Looking for a fun, behind-the-scenes perspective of life at the WSOP? All Mucked Up has daily stories from inside the Rio, so check it out!
Big One for One Drop Update
On Thursday, Michael Mizrachi became the first player to win the Poker Players Championship twice. He was also the first player to treat the prestigious $50,000 tournament like a satellite.
In his winner's interview with PokerNews' Lynn Gilmartin, Mizrachi said he would use his winnings from the PPC to buy in to the $1 million Big One for One Drop. "The Grinder" earned more than $1.4 million for his victory on Thursday, leaving $400K left over from the One Drop buy-in. Most of that probably went toward his victory party at Tryst.
Other players who have confirmed buying into the One Drop event include Andrew Robl, Daniel Negreanu, Antonio Esfandiari, Jason Mercier and Tom Marchese. Meanwhile, according to ESPN, banker Andy Beal has dropped out of the event. His reasons for backing out are unknown at this time.
Sources close to the event told PokerNews' Rich Ryan that 36 players had posted the $1 million as of early Friday morning. Officials still expect to reach the 48-player cap before the tournament kicks off Sunday afternoon.
Matt Glantz the Ambassador
Poker pro Matt Glantz has been revealed as the new ambassador for Parx Casino, which is just outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Glantz, a regular in some of the biggest cash games on the East Coast, boasts more than $4 million in live tournament cashes. His biggest score came at the 2009 European Poker Tour London High Roller for $862,837. He's currently grinding at the World Series of Poker where's he has already made a pair of final tables.
Glantz's roots are from the Philadelphia area. He grew up Lafayette Hill and went to college at Temple, making him a logical choice to represent the budding Parx poker room. Parx will host its first televised World Poker Tour event in August.
"I am very proud to have reached this milestone in my poker career and honored to be partnering with Parx Casino," Glantz said. "It will be my mission to support Parx in becoming the premiere poker room on the east coast. They have proven their commitment toward this goal since opening day, and I look forward to doing my part to make this vision a reality."
Read more at the Parx Poker Blog.
WPT National Madrid Under Way
The first of two Day 1s kicked off at the €1,650 buy-in World Poker Tour National Series Madrid on Thursday. Day 1A saw 57 players hit the felts at Casino Gran Madrid, and only 25 survived the day. The 32 players who busted on Day 1A had the opportunity to re-enter the event on Friday.
Alexander Stevic finished Day 1A as the chip leader, bagging nearly double the number of chips as his next closest competitor, Kak Wan Lau. Stevic won a massive pot near the end of the night when he got his chips in with 3♣8♣ against an opponent's 5♠5♠ on a board of 10♣6♣5♥. The 2♣ on the turn gave Stevic his flush, and the river brought no help to the other player.
Poker pro Raul Mestre landed third in chips. Breixo Gonzalez Peva and David Cabrera Polop rounded out the top five, respectively.
Here's a look at the top 10 stacks after Day 1A:
| Place | Player | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexander Stevic | 138,900 |
| 2 | Kak Wan Lau | 76,600 |
| 3 | Raul Mestre | 72,500 |
| 4 | Breixo Gonzalez Peva | 65,400 |
| 5 | David Cabrera Polop | 61,200 |
| 6 | Marvin Levant | 59,300 |
| 7 | Gonzalo Martin | 58,400 |
| 8 | Isidoro Berreva Diaz | 56,300 |
| 9 | Rachid Gallant | 49,800 |
| 10 | Ben Harrington | 46,700 |
For more on the WPT National Series Madrid, visit PokerNews Spain.
Town Hall Meeting
The Poker Player's Alliance will be hosting a town hall meeting on Saturday, June 30, to discuss issues facing the poker community around the country.
The meeting will take place at 12:15 PST at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino during the World Series of Poker. PPA leaders will answer questions from those in attendance, and U.S. Congressman Joe Barton, poker pro Greg "Fossilman" Raymer, and poker Hall of Famer Linda Johnson will be among the guest speakers.
"This free town hall event will include a discussion of the issues facing the poker community in Nevada and across the nation," said PPA VP of Player Relations Rich Muny. "Executive Director John Pappas, Director of Grassroots and External Affairs Drew Lesofski, Nevada State Director Lupe Soto, and I will be on hand to answer your questions regarding your poker rights. Please be sure to make plans to attend this important meeting. If you are in the Las Vegas area that day, I hope you and your poker friends will attend!"
Find out more about this weekend's town hall meeting at theppa.org.
Onnit's Last Sticker Standing
Onnit Labs, a health and fitness company specializing in vitamin supplements, is giving away $750 to the winner of the Last Sticker Standing promotion for this weekend's WSOP Ladies Event. More than 50 women had signed up at the Onnit booth in the Rio as of Friday afternoon, and the last woman standing in the tournament will earn $750!
All qualifying players are wearing an Onnit patch during the event. Some of the women taking part in the last longer challenge include PokerNews' own Lynn Gilmartin, Kristy Arnett and Sarah Grant.
We'll provide the results of the Last Sticker Standing contest on Monday. Onnit will also be running similar promotions during Event #59, a $1,000 no-limit hold'em tournament, and the Main Event, where the winner will take home $5,000!
Want to focus on your poker game? Get Onnit.
Tilly's Power Naps
Why was Jennifer Tilly sleeping during breaks at the World Series of Poker this week? Kristy Arnett finds out.
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