The Nightly Turbo: Gus Hansen and Viktor Blom Play Micro-Stakes, Annie Duke on Fox News
How can you play online poker against Viktor Blom and Gus Hansen without posting a five-figure buy-in? Full Tilt Poker has the answer. We'll bring you that story, plus Annie Duke making two appearances on Fox News, in this edition of the Nightly Turbo.
In Case You Missed It:
How did Kenny Tran get started playing poker? Find out that and more in the latest Seat Open.
Did you miss any of our coverage from the 2013 Aussie Millions Poker Championship? Chad Holloway recaps some of the biggest hands from the Main Event, $100,000 Challenge and $250,000 Challenge.
A final table was reached at the 2012-13 World Series of Poker Circuit Harrah's Tunica Main Event early Monday morning. Andrew Rothfolk led the way with 4.575 million in chips going into the final day.
Didn’t get a chance to sweat all of the big online tournaments this weekend? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered in this week’s edition of the Sunday Briefing.
Play Against The Professionals
Viktor "Isildur1" Blom is recognized as one of the most fearless high rollers in all of poker. The Swede has taken shots at the biggest online cash games in existence, and his name is tagged to each of the 10 largest pots in online poker history.
So why was Blom playing $.50/$1 pot-limit Omaha cash games on Monday?
Confirmed busto? Nah, not even close. After all, Blom is the biggest cash-game winner in the world so far this year.
Blom's appearance at the micro tables this week is part of Full Tilt Poker's Challenge Tables, giving low-limit players a chance to test their skills against two of The Professionals — Blom and Gus Hansen. According to Full Tilt Poker, Hansen and Blom will sit down at one or more of their designated Challenge Tables a few times each week and face players already seated or anyone else willing to accept the challenge.
Challenge Tables are identified within the game software as Gus Hansen’s Table or Isildur1’s Table, and various games types are available: Omaha hi, Omaha hi/lo, razz, stud hi/lo, draw poker games, and mixed games. The stake levels encompass both micro-stake and low-limit games, starting at the $0.05/$0.10 tables and working up through the levels to the $3/$6 games.
For more info on how to play against Blom and Hansen, visit FullTiltPoker.com.
Annie Duke on Fox News
As you've probably noticed, Annie Duke hasn't been seen much in the poker world over the past few years. Once regarded by some as the best female player in the world, Duke's last cash in a live event was back in 2010. She made an appearance at the 2012 WSOP but failed to cash in any of her 10 events, losing $42,000.
Despite her absence from the tables, though, Duke continues to be outspoken regarding the skill-versus-luck argument in poker. Last week, she resurfaced in the mainstream media on The Young Turks and Fox Business News. Both appearances were related to a controversial discussion on gambling and its effects in society.
While on The Young Turks, Duke defined her poker career as a non-gambling related business: “I’ve made zero money through gambling because what I do isn’t gambling. The definition of gambling is playing when you are at a disadvantage. I run a business, I place bets, I know what the mathematical outcome of the bet is supposed to be, I know whether it’s a money-making bet or not.”
When asked whether casinos play a role in creating an environment that fuels addiction, Duke responded partially: “It’s a business; they’re not pretending that they don’t have an edge and these are adults walking in and choosing to do that [gamble].”
During her time on Fox Business, Duke defended gambling being called an "epidemic" by arguing that "Less than 1 percent of the people who engage in any kind of gambling activity have a gambling problem, and that's compared to alcohol, where 7 percent to 9 percent of people who use alcohol have issues. It's a really small problem. Even if those people are having problems, they're making those choices for themselves as consensual adults. They're not hurting anybody."
Duke also made valid arguments in regards to the legalization of sports betting. You can check out her appearance on Fox Business below:
World Poker Tour on FSN
The 11th season of the World Poker Tour will debut on Fox Sports Net on Sunday, Feb. 24, bringing viewers the same level of exciting broadcasts they've seen in recent years. Season XI, which is once again sponsored by ClubWPT.com, will continue the tradition by providing viewers with 33 original, hour-long episodes from events such as the WPT Legends of Poker, the WPT Borgata Poker Open, the WPT Grand Prix de Paris, the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown, and the WPT World Championship at Bellagio.
WPT commentators Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten will be calling all the action for the 11th consecutive year while Kimberly Lansing returns as the show’s anchor. Raw Deal analyst Tony Dunst and the Royal Flush Girls round out the cast, along with sideline reporter Matt Savage. In addition to the popular Raw Deal segment, this season’s programming will feature a new crop of the World Poker Tour’s Ones to Watch, focusing on the lives of some of the game’s hottest young stars and rising prospects.
"Viewers have responded very positively to the changes we’ve made in the show over the past two seasons, rewarding us with historic viewership numbers and ratings,” said WPT President Adam Pliska. “This year, we’re continuing to push the envelope with even more compelling improvements that complement what is turning out to be a record-breaking season with some of the greatest poker moments we’ve seen in the WPT’s television history.”
The WPT Blog has more.
The Hachem Legacy
In Australia, being a Hachem in poker is a lot like being a Manning in the National Football League in the U.S. Joe Hachem is a former World Series of Poker Main Event champ and a World Poker Tour winner, and brother Tony has nearly $640,000 in live tournament earnings.
Now, a third Hachem is emerging on the scene. Over the weekend, Anthony Hachem — Joe's son — won the $600 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em Cubed event at the Aussie Million Poker Championship. The event attracted 94 entrants and generated a prize pool of AU$117,000, of which Anthony took home AU$37,500. Amazingly, the victory came just hours after Anthony's uncle Tony took sixth in the $2,500 Six-Handed Event for AU$30,000.
According to the Hendon Mob, Anthony now has five live cashes in his career, and three of those came in the Joe Hachem Deep Stack Series, named after his father.
The Aussie Millions came to a close on Sunday, but you can find extensive coverage at the PokerNews Live Reporting page.
Charity Poker in Chicago
On Thursday, Feb. 7, One Step Programs will host the 2013 Charity Poker Championships benefiting Children’s Oncology Services, Inc. Participants will compete for more than $15,000 in prizes including a seat at this year’s World Series of Poker Main Event.
The $275 buy-in poker tournament will begin at 6 p.m. at the River East Art Center in Downtown Chicago, Ill. Spectator passes, available for $75, include a premium buffet and entertainment provided by Dan Bernstein from WSCR "The Score" AM 670.
“Every poker player knows the difficulty of playing an uncertain hand,” said Stuart Lissner, event chair and board member of Children’s Oncology Services. “This event is a great way to support camping and educational programs that seek to brighten and enrich the lives of kids with cancer so that they are better prepared to manage through the uncertain and difficult times in their lives. Not only is this event a fun way to compete and win prizes, but also it’s going to help more of our kids go to camp.”
Children's Oncology Services, Inc. was founded in 1978 by Dr. Edward Baum, a pediatric oncologist at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to improving the quality of life of children diagnosed with cancer. This year’s poker tournament will be the eighth that One Step Programs has thrown to support a great cause.
For more information about the tournament, visit OneStepCamp.org.
F***in' Tour of Deauville
The European Poker Tour has made its way to Deauville, France for the 2013 PokerStars.fr EPT Deauville Main Event. Our very own Kristy Arnett gave viewers a unique tour of the city, inspired by a f***in' viral video.
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