The Nightly Turbo: Ari Engel Chases WSOP History, Liv Boeree Photoshoot, and More
Is there a new record holder emerging on the World Series of Poker Circuit? We'll bring you that story, plus a PokerStars photoshoot featuring Liv Boeree, in this edition of the Nightly Turbo.
In Case You Missed It
There's been high demand for a Strategy With Kristy podcast with live cash-game grinders. Therefore, Kristy Arnett has started a multipart series focusing on just that. In the first installment, Arnett spoke with Las Vegas pros Andrew Moreno and Lincoln Garner about a variety of topics, including bankroll management guidelines and how to handle downswings.
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.
Thursday's NFL game provided one of the most unusual sports betting situations we've seen in a long time. Rich Ryan discusses that and gives his picks for the rest of Week 7 in the latest Pigskin Diaries.
Poker power couple Kevin MacPhee and Liv Boeree will soon be starring in a reality television show on the Travel Channel. Take a look at I Bet My Life over in The Muck.
Did you miss anything from the past week? Don't worry, we've got you covered. Kristy Arnett and Sarah Grant break down all the big stories in the PokerNews Weekly.
Engel Eyes History
Ari Engel won his fourth World Series of Poker Circuit ring on Thursday, moving him within one victory of catching the all-time leaders. Engel won the WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Hammond Event #8, a $1,125 buy-in no-limit hold'em tournament, for the top prize of $55,503.
Engel, perhaps still known best as "BodogAri" from his massive success playing online, bested a field of 222 players to collect ring No. 4. He began the final table in the middle of the pack, but after around nine hours, he finished off runner-up Darren Rabinowitz to claim the title. Corey Burbick, another prominent high-stakes online grinder, finished third.
The victory leaves Engel one win shy of WSOP Circuit record holders Mark “Pegusus” Smith and Kyle Cartwright, who each own five rings. After six years grinding the WSOP Circuit, Engel has now set his sights on becoming the all-time ring leader.
“Winning a fifth gold ring is something I'm definitely after,” Engel said after his win Thursday. “I really respect the other players who have five rings, but I am going to try and go after the record.”
Here's a look at the results from the Event #8 final table:
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ari Engel | $55,503 |
| 2 | Darren Rabinowitz | $34,303 |
| 3 | Corey Burbick | $24,966 |
| 4 | Jeffery Winchell | $18,464 |
| 5 | Gregory Jennings | $13,868 |
| 6 | Matthew Colvin | $10,578 |
| 7 | Joel Casper | $8,192 |
| 8 | Ngoc Nguyen | $6,438 |
| 9 | Corrie Wunstel | $5,135 |
The World Series of Poker Circuit kicked Horseshoe Hammond Main Event kicked off on Friday, so be sure to follow the live updates here at PokerNews.com. For more on Engel's victory, visit WSOP.com.
Boeree Poses for PokerStars
Last month, PokerStars rolled out a mobile poker ad featuring Rafael Nadal that was a huge hit in the poker community. The 30-second television spot showed Nadal walking the streets of Barcelona while using the PokerStars Mobile app as a large crowd gathered to watch.
The world's leading poker site recently continued its mobile marketing efforts with a photo shoot featuring Team PokerStars Pro Liv Boeree. The U.K.-based pro is shown using the mobile app while doing a variety of activities, including bike riding, roller blading, and even sailing. Here's a look at a couple of the shots:
Take a look at all of the photos at Boeree's Facebook page.
Online Poker Traffic Report
PokerScout.com reported an online poker traffic increase of 1.1 percent this week, marking the third consecutive week of growth worldwide.
PartyPoker maintained the No. 2 spot in the rankings behind PokerStars for the second consecutive week, but its lead over the iPoker Network trimmed considerably during the second week of its Card Rush promotion. Last week, PartyPoker held a 9 percent lead over the iPoker Network in cash-game traffic, but that number dropped to less than 4 percent this week.
With the relaunch of Full Tilt Poker less than three weeks away, a shake-up is likely to occur near the top of the rankings early next month. According to PokerScout, Full Tilt boasted an average of around 9,000 cash game players before Black Friday. In order to move past PartyPoker, Full Tilt would only need to bring back one-third of its player base to reclaim the No. 2 ranking. The company has ramped up its marketing campaign by signing Gus Hansen, Tom Dwan and Viktor Blom to its team of sponsored players called "The Professionals," and it is preparing to unveil a new reward system that will benefit all players.
Here's a look at the top 10 online poker rooms as of Friday:
| Rank | Site | 7-Day Average (Real-money ring players) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PokerStars | 22,400 |
| 2 | PartyPoker | 2,800 |
| 3 | iPoker | 2,700 |
| 4 | 888Poker | 2,150 |
| 5 | PokerStars.it | 2,000 |
| 6 | PokerStars.es | 1,800 |
| 7 | Ongame Network | 1,640 |
| 8 | Winamax.fr | 1,640 |
| 9 | Dollaro | 1,620 |
| 10 | Microgaming | 1,440 |
Check out the full report at PokerScout.com.
The Final Table
October Niner Russell Thomas is gearing up for the WSOP Main Event final table (taking place Oct. 29 through 30), and he's hired Jason Somerville to prepare him for every possible situation he might face during the biggest poker experience of his life. As we told you last week, Somerville is is filming the entire process and sharing it with the poker community. Here's a look at episode three of The Final Table:
Keep an eye out for the rest of the series at Jason Somerville's YouTube page.
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