The Nightly Turbo: Cada's Return to PokerStars, Mizrachis Make DeepStacks Final Table
Miss any of the day's biggest poker stories? You've come to the right place to get caught up. In this edition of the Nightly Turbo, we're bringing you Joe Cada's return to PokerStars, two Mizrachi brothers making the final table of a DeepStacks Poker Tour event, and more.
In Case You Missed It:
Can Phil Ivey or Patrik Antonius make the final table of the Aussie Millions Main Event? They're both alive and healthy with 36 players remaining.
As you'd expect, the 20-player field in the Aussie Millions $250,000 Challenge was loaded with talent. German pro Tobias Reinkemeier leads the seven-handed final table going into Friday.
The World Poker Tour Borgata Poker Open played down to the final 28 players on Wednesday. Yung Hwang was on top, and reigning WPT Player of the Year Joe Serock was sixth in chips.
Will New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie sign an Internet gambling bill into law by next week? The Poker Players Alliance is concerned that Christie will veto the bill again.
The 2012/2013 World Series of Poker Circuit is going strong in Tunica this week. Before the Main Event begins this weekend, we take a look back at some of the preliminary events.
The Global Poker Index rolled out a brand new fantasy poker product on Thursday. Read all about the Fantasy Poker Manager in the article by Matthew Pitt.
The Kid is Back
After being absent from the PokerStars tables since Black Friday, Team PokerStars Pro and former world champion Joe Cada recently made his return to the virtual felts.
This week, Cada wrote a blog entry about setting up a second residence in Canada to resume online poker at PokerStars. As a Michigan resident, Cada is only a 45-minute drive from the Canadian border, and he now he intends to make weekend trips to play the online game that he’s been away from for so long. He joins a slew of American players — including Team PokerStars Pros Chris Moneymaker, Chad Brown, Randy Lew and Isaac Haxton — who have made the move outside the U.S. to play poker.
"Don't know why it took me this long to start back online poker," Cada posted on Facebook about his first day back playing online. "Feels good to be motivated again and first day went really well online. I actually feel lucky to live in Michigan to be able to make the drive once or twice a week to play and be able to be home with family and friends. Now I need to find a way to play more live tournaments because I hate traveling most of the time for poker."
Since Black Friday hit the U.S. on April 15, 2011, Cada hadn't played a single real-money hand at PokerStars. Before that, he found tremendous success as a cash-game player and also had big scores in a number of tournaments. In the fall of 2009, shortly before becoming the youngest WSOP Main Event champion ever, he won the WCOOP 2nd Chance No Limit event to bag $28,872. After that, he won the Sunday $200 Rebuy in August 2010 for another $38,012.
Cada also blogged about an African Safari that he recently ventured on with fellow PokerStars pros Chris Moneymaker and Liv Boeree. According to Cada, the group had a chance to interact with giraffes, lion clubs, and observe other wild animals. “It was amazing, really a once in a lifetime experience,” Cada said about the trip.
Cada ended the blog in good spirits, saying: “It's a new year with new opportunities on the horizon. Let's hope it's a good one.”
Read Cada's full entry at the PokerStars Blog.
Mizrachis Headline DeepStacks Final Table
The DeepStacks Poker Tour launched its second season this week with a $1,500 buy-in Main Event at the Isle of Pompano Casino in Pompano Park, Fla. The tournament had a $100,000 guaranteed prize pool and saw many of Florida's top poker talents participate — and even make the final table.
DeepStacks Pro Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi and his brother Donny were both among the final nine, along with two-time World Poker Tour champ Tommy Vedes. But it was Montreal native Eric Afriat who was the last man standing after besting the 79-player field. Afriat scooped the title and the top prize of $32,590 after agreeing to a heads-up chop with John Depersio. As part of the deal, Depersio received $26,590 plus the $3,000 package to the DSPT World Championship at Mohegan Sun in November.
For Michael Mizrachi, one of the most accomplished tournament players in poker history, it marked his first final table of a DeepStacks Poker Tour event. He has made regular appearances at tour stops since its inception last year, and at last February's DeepStacks Poker Open Western New York Poker Championship he was the chip leader after Day 1 before being eliminated in 14th place on Day 2.
"DeepStacks is really establishing itself in the South Florida market and it's nice to have a partner like the Isle that believes in what we are doing," said Mizrachi, who hosted the event at Pompano Park.
Here's a look at the final table results from the inaugural DSPT-PPC South Florida Main Event:
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eric Afriat | Quebec, Canada | $32,590* |
| 2 | John Depersio | Parkland, FL | $26,590* |
| 3 | Bobby Gray | Orlando, FL | $13,988 |
| 4 | Daniel Mizrachi | Cooper City, FL | $9,684 |
| 5 | Fernando Halac | Aventura, FL | $7,532 |
| 6 | Tommy Vedes | Fort Mohave, AZ | $5,918 |
| 7 | Michael Mizrachi | Miramar, FL | $4,842 |
| 8 | Jonathan Arcangel Rivera Padilla | Newark, NJ | $3,766 |
| 9 | Barry Pevner | Cooper City, FL | $2,690 |
*Denotes heads-up deal
For more info, visit DeepStacks.com.
EPT Returns to Deauville
Day 1a of the France Poker Series Main Event began Wednesday at the Casino Barriere in Deauville, France. The €1,100 buy-in tournament attracted Team PokerStars Pros Vanessa Rousso and Charlotte Van Brabander leading up to the European Poker Tour Deauville Main Event, which kicks off on Sunday.
Last year, EPT Deauville posted big numbers, drawing 889 players to the Casino de Deauville and generating a €4,267,200 prize pool. Vadim Kursevich won the Season 8 event, taking the title for a first prize of €889,000 after besting the massive field.
Starting Sunday, PokerNews will be on site providing live updates on the EPT Deauville Main Event, so keep it locked into the PokerNews Live Reporting page for up-to-the-minute coverage. The full schedule can be found at the European Poker Tour website.
Scientific Games Acquires WMS for $1.5 Billion
In a deal that could eventually have an effect on the online poker landscape in Nevada, Scientific Games Corporation has agreed to purchase slot machine operator WMS Industries Inc. for $1.5 billion.
According to a press release, the transaction "combines two leading companies in the gaming industry to create an organization that will supply an extensive range of products and services to public and private sector lottery and gaming customers throughout the world."
Last July, online gaming operator WMS announced a strategic partnership with 888. The deal will see the launch of a real-money online poker offering once the licensing and regulation process is completed in Nevada and other U.S. states.
Under the terms of the partnership, WMS will market and distribute 888’s online poker platform to land-based casino customers in venues in the U.S., initially with a play-for-free offering. The joint offering will be ready to go as soon as a real-money platform is given the green light by gaming authorities.
WMS was granted a Nevada online gaming license in September. 888 has applied for a license and is waiting to meet with state regulators.
"The combination of Scientific Games and WMS yields tremendous benefits to our customers, shareholders and employees," said WMS chairman and CEO Brian R. Gamache. "We view this transaction as the next logical and strategic step in offering continued innovation in gaming.
Read more here.
High Rollers in Oz
On Thursday, the Aussie Millions $250,000 Super High Roller got under way at Crown Casino in Melbourne. Even though Phil Ivey, Patrik Antonius and Dan Shak were unable to play, the field was still stacked with high-stakes regs. Lynn Gilmartin spoke with some of them, including the Asian businessmen who frequent the big cash games in Macau.
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