The Nightly Turbo: Greg Raymer Wins 3rd HPT Title, View Dan Smith's Hole Cards, & More
Greg Raymer and Dan Smith are on fire in 2012, especially after each won a tournament (again) this week. We'll bring you those stories, plus the new member of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, in this edition of the Nightly Turbo.
In Case You Missed It
On Tuesday morning, Josh Williams won the World Series of Poker Circuit Main Event in Hammond, Indiana. Read about the lengthy final table in our WSOP final table recap.
The October Nine is right around the corner. What has Steven Gee done to prepare for the biggest final table of his life? Find out in his interview with Chad Holloway.
Many of poker's best online players never get a chance to shine in the spotlight. We're here to change that. In the latest edition of Online Chat, Sofia "welllbet” Lövgren discusses being a part of Team PKR, her relationship with a fellow online pro, and more.
Have you seen the sizzle reel for Johnny Chan's new reality TV show? Check it out in The Muck.
Greg Raymer's Triple Crown
Greg Raymer's success on the 2012 Heartland Poker Tour continued Monday when he bested a 185-player field at Prairie Meadows Racetrack Casino Hotel in Altoona, Iowa. Raymer collected $72,089 for the victory, his third on the HPT this season. He won his first title in July at the Route 66 Casino Hotel in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and followed it up with a win at River City Casino in St Louis, Missouri in September.
Raymer secured the Triple Crown Monday by putting away amateur Chad Lawson in a mostly one-sided heads-up match. After the two men began play with nearly identical stacks, Raymer crippled Lawson on the first hand and eventually finished off the Iowa native when his AxKx held up against Ax5x on the final hand of the tournament.
With the win, Raymer became the first player to win three Heartland Poker Tour titles in one year. Minnesota’s Jeremy Dresch is the only other three-time champ during the tour's eight-year history, earning his titles in 2009 and 2011.
Raymer thanked his fans and supporters via Twitter after his win:
Thx everybody for all the kind words in your tweets. Winning a 3rd HPT title this year was a blast, and your support makes it even better!
— Greg Raymer (@FossilMan)
Here's a look at the final table results of the 2012 Heartland Poker Tour Prairie Meadows Main Event:
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greg Raymer | $72,089 |
| 2 | Chad Lawson | $41,771 |
| 3 | Craig Casino | $26,275 |
| 4 | Ben Stroh | $22,233 |
| 5 | Ed Sinnett | $16,978 |
| 6 | Josh Birkenbuel | $14,526 |
The next Heartland Poker Tour event kicks off Oct. 26 at Route 66 Casino Hotel in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the same venue where Raymer won his second HPT title this year. For more on Raymer's victory in Iowa, visit the Heartland Poker Tour website.
Dan Smith's Heater
"King" Dan Smith is the hottest poker player on the planet right now. The current Global Poker Index Player of the Year leader has six wins on the live tournament circuit in 2012 and more than $3.6 million in cashes. On Sunday, he added another achievement to his incredible year by winning the PokerStars Sunday Million for nearly $220,000.
While it wasn't his most lucrative victory of the year, Smith bested a field of more than 7,000 to win the $215 buy-in tournament on Sunday. How is winning just about everything he plays this year? Check out the final table replay of the Sunday Million — with hole cards — and take some notes.
New Member of the Board
On Monday, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval named Terry Johnson as the third member of the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
Johnson, the director of the Nevada Department of Business and Industry, replaces Mark Lipparelli, who resigned as chairman of the NGB panel late last month. Johnson will serve out the remaining two months of Liparelli's term, which expires at the end of the year. Johnson will then likely be reappointed to a four-year term at the beginning of next year.
"I am pleased that Terry has agreed to serve our state in this capacity," Sandoval said in a statement. "Terry's strategic leadership and innovative thinking has helped him effectively operate one of the more complex departments in state government. I have no doubt that his regulatory experience and public service background will serve as a strong foundation for this next step."
Johnson's new appointment will take effect Nov. 12. He'll immediately become a decision maker in the license approval process for companies looking to enter Nevada's intrastate online poker market. Interactive gaming license applicant must meet with the three-member Nevada Gaming Control Board for preliminary approval before receiving a license from the Nevada Gaming Commission.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal has more.
The Final Table
The World Series of Poker Main Event final table is less than a week away. How is October Niner Russell Thomas preparing with his crew of training partners? Find out in episode four of The Final Table, created and produced by Jason Somerville.
Keep an eye out for the rest of the series at Jason Somerville's YouTube page.
Qualify for the 2013 Aussie Millions
It's never too early to gear up for the Aussie Millions Poker Championship. Even though the 2013 series is still three months away, Melbourne's Crown Casino has already unveiled the satellite schedule for the flagship AUD$10,600 buy-in $10,600 Main Event.
The qualifiers begin Wednesday, Nov. 7 with a $65 Phase 1 satellite. The Phase qualifiers offer players an opportunity to win a Main Event seat by advancing through each of the steps, the biggest one being a $1,150 Phase 3 satellite. There will also be free Aussie Millions mega satellite qualifier starting next month that gives players a chance to win a AUD$10,600 Main Event seat for a shot at the estimated $2,000,000 first prize.
The 2013 Aussie Millions Poker Championship begins on Thursday, Jan. 17 with a AUD$1,100 no-limit hold 'em event. The series will be highlighted by the AUD$10,600 Main Event, as well as the $100,000 Challenge and the $250,000 Challenge.
For more on the Aussie Millions satellite schedule, visit AussieMillions.com.
WSOP on ESPN
ESPN's coverage of the World Series of Poker continues Tuesday night with more action from Day 7 of the Main Event. The broadcast begins at 9:30 p.m. ET and will focus on the remaining 13 players battling for a spot at the final table.
The action will pick up with big stacks Marc-Andre Ladouceur and Russell Thomas leading the way, but the big story is the deep runs by Elisabeth Hille and Gaelle Baumann. The last time a woman made the WSOP Main Event final table was in 1995, and even though they're short-stacked late on Day 7, the odds are in in their favor to make history.
Here's a look at a teaser of Tuesday's ESPN coverage:
For more on tonight's ESPN coverage, check out the story at WSOP.com.
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