EPT Berlin Poker Robbery Featured on Most Wanted TV Show

March 11, 2010 - by WiseGamblers · Filed Under News Leave a Comment 

The armed robbery that took place during the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Berlin festivities was featured on the German television program “Aktenzeichen XY Ungelöst,” the equivalent of “America’s Most Wanted.”

The episode aired on Wednesday night and German police are now awaiting tips that could help bring the perpetrators to justice, according to Abendblatt.de. Viewers and anyone else in the poker industry with information are encouraged to pick up a phone and call 089-95 01 95, which will connect you to the program’s studios in Munich. “Aktenzeichen XY Ungelöst” appears on the television station ZDF. Its producers work in conjunction with local police.

Like “America’s Most Wanted,” “Aktenzeichen XY Ungelöst” is a longstanding staple of the television airwaves. “Aktenzeichen XY Ungelöst” premiered in 1967. Episodes feature a handful of unsolved mysteries and, according to “Aktenzeichen XY Ungelöst” officials, about 40% of the cases presented on the program are ultimately solved. Whether the mega-heist of EPT Berlin will be among them is unknown. Four gunmen held up the registration area of the PokerStars sponsored tournament and escaped with an undisclosed amount of money on Saturday afternoon.

Meanwhile, officials from PokerStars and the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Berlin have been dissecting the robbery to improve security measures in the future. Poker News Daily caught up with EPT Berlin winner Kevin “ImaLuckSac” MacPhee and asked him what steps should be taken: “Don’t have poker tournaments’ cash desks in hotels or, if you do, beef up security. The staff, security, and players all pulled together to fix a disastrous situation. I actually think Thomas Kremser of TK Poker Events did an excellent job.” MacPhee appeared on CBS’ “Early Show” on Monday morning and also virtually sat down with CNN’s Campbell Brown.

As can be seen by the numerous video clips of the melee circulating online, poker chips were strewn about EPT Berlin’s tables and dealers and floor staff alike were left running for the exits. Fortunately for those involved, the gunmen never entered the tournament area. MacPhee praised the heroic efforts of the event’s staff: “The dealers saved the day, especially Fred (the best dealer in the world), who kept the deck intact during the chaos on one of the outer tables. That’s a good dealer and the security was extremely tight afterward. I was getting escorts everywhere, so my hat goes off to them for handling a difficult situation in the best possible way.”

On Thursday, Time Magazine posted a column about the robbery featuring video footage of the midday shenanigans as they unfolded. Time writers described what they saw: “The entire caper looks like something out of a movie, although it’s less ‘Oceans 11’ and more like Woody Allen’s comedy, ‘Take The Money and Run.’” Posters on popular online poker forums were quick to recall the top casino capers featured in the 2001 movie “Oceans 11.”

A wide variety of reports also surfaced as to the amount of money plundered from the German poker tournament. The Las Vegas Sun newspaper pegged the total at $328,000, while Doyle Brunson’s blog claimed the bandits took more than triple that amount. The Las Vegas news outlet described its take on the surveillance footage: “Footage on German television showed a hotel security guard battling with one of the robbers, then wrestling a second one to the floor. The captive escaped after his accomplice returned from another room wielding a large metal post and chased the guard away.”

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest updates on the EPT Berlin high-stakes heist.

Poker Game Shows Need Fixing

March 11, 2010 - by WiseGamblers · Filed Under News Leave a Comment 

For several years, the only two poker television shows that anyone knew about were the World Series of Poker (WSOP) on ESPN and the World Poker Tour (WPT) on the Travel Channel (now on Fox Sports).  When poker erupted in the United States, many new shows were born, such as the Ultimate Poker Challenge, Celebrity Poker Showdown, and Poker Superstars Invitational.  There was even a show on MTV where Phil Laak would go to a celebrity’s house and deal a sit and go for the celebrity and his/her celebrity friends.  The airwaves became over-saturated with poker, ratings declined, and shows died.

Today, it looks like we are in the middle of a televised poker rebirth.  Aside from first-run episodes of the WSOP, High Stakes Poker and Poker After Dark have taken over as the go-to programming for poker fans.  Now, a new type of program, the poker game show, has invaded the public consciousness.  Full Tilt Poker’s Face the Ace debuted on NBC in August, the PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge hit the air on Fox last fall, and it was recently announced that newly-inducted Poker Hall of Famer Mike Sexton will host a new game show called Shuffle Up and Deal in 2010.

The evolution is interesting.  Originally, we had major tournament poker.  Big tournaments attract attention and have drama built right in.  As poker programming expanded, smaller tournaments started to be shown.  Then, as standard tournament poker began to jump the shark, smaller matches featuring celebrities, poker pros, or both entered our living rooms as fans became more interested in watching personalities they knew rather than Joe Boring from Normal, Illinois.

Non-poker celebrities quickly lost their luster, as poker fans wanted to see quality poker.  We had all been there and done that with big tournaments, so television producers gave us the more intimate settings of the cash game (High Stakes Poker) and the small sit and go (Poker After Dark).  High Stakes Poker, in particular, has been a huge hit because we get to see top pros and a few deep-pocketed amateurs put a lot of their own money on the line and we really get a feel for what they go through in the toughest cash games.

Now, we have poker game shows with a live audience, a host, an announcer, lights, and music, the whole shebang.  The ones currently on the air, however, are inherently flawed.  Well, you could say they are terrible, but really, they were behind the eight ball from the beginning.

Why?  Because they want to force real poker, regardless of the added gimmick, into a game show format.  It just doesn’t work.  The problem is in the pace of the game.  Poker is a slow game.  Yes, there is excitement with big hands, but overall, it’s really boring to watch.  On the other hand, game shows are rapid fire, a pace that poker just can’t match.  Poker can’t win – if you show lots of hands to please the avid poker fan, it’s too slow for the masses.  If all you do is show all-ins, the avid poker fans don’t like it because it’s not real poker.

Another byproduct of the slow pace is that it makes not caring about the contestants an issue.  Look, it’s cool if some guy beats Howard Lederer, but it’s not like I haven’t seen that before in tournaments.  Make me want to root for the guy.  Face the Ace is terrible at this.  Million Dollar Challenge is okay – it helped that the first contestant was a priest who said he was going to donate his winnings to his church.  On a regular game show, the action is fast enough where the game itself is what is interesting, regardless of who the players are.

Now, to spice up the show, colorful personalities can be added, but that’s easier said than done in poker.  The contestants have been hit and miss and let’s face it, many of the top poker pros that the contestants face off against aren’t brimming with personality either.  Take the first match-up of Face the Ace.  It was a guy who could barely utter two words against Phil Ivey.  Great!  Ivey is a guy we want to see!  Oh, but we forgot that Ivey, as tremendous of a player as he is, is less than chatty at the table.  What ensued were uncomfortable silence and even more uncomfortable forced dialogue.

I am actually quite intrigued by Sexton’s new show and am looking forward to watching when it debuts.  Shuffle Up and Deal sounds like it could fit better into the “game show” category and hold the interest of casual viewers, although it may lose some hardcore poker fans.  There aren’t a ton of details on the game yet, but what we do know is that each show will pit amateur players against each other, each selecting cards from an electronic board in an effort to make the best five card hand.  The player who wins the most money will advance to a bonus round for a chance to win a progressive jackpot that starts at $250,000 and goes up $10,000 every time someone doesn’t win.  So, while it won’t really be poker – more like a hybrid of poker and Deal or No Deal – it sounds like it has a chance to excite viewers with its fast pace.  If there is enough strategy involved, die-hard poker players may enjoy it too.

Who knows, it may turn out that game show poker isn’t meant to be.  While I have not been thrilled with the offerings so far, I do applaud the shows’ creators, producers, talent, and staff for trying to offer the viewing public something other than the standard fare.  One day, someone may get it right and when they do, I’ll be watching.

PokerStars Cancels LAPT Vina del Mar Event

March 11, 2010 - by WiseGamblers · Filed Under News Leave a Comment 

PokerStars, the world’s leading online poker site, has announced the cancellation of its Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT) Chile event in Vina del Mar from March 19th to 23rd. The cancellation comes as a result of a massive earthquake that rocked the South American nation on February 27th approximately 175 miles north of the Vina del Mar Casino and Resort.

Much of Chile is still in a state of recovery following the 8.8-magnitude quake that killed at least 500 people and left the region’s infrastructure demolished. It was one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded and was followed by a flurry of 30 aftershocks, some measuring greater than a 6.0 magnitude. More than 500,000 homes were destroyed and many highways and hospitals were severely damaged.

At least three more aftershocks struck central Chile on Thursday, March 11th, the strongest with a magnitude of 7.2, which was more powerful than the quake that annihilated the country of Haiti. The first aftershock hit as President-elect Sebastian Pinera was being sworn in during a ceremony in Valparaiso, a city outside of Santiago. A tsunami warning was issued by Chile’s Navy immediately after the aftershocks hit. No news on the extent of the damage is known at this time.

Regarding the cancellation of the Vina del Mar event, PokerStars has apologized to all of the players who planned to attend the festival. Anyone who qualified or bought into the tournament will be fully refunded both their buy-in and any out-of-pocket expenses. Any questions about the event can be sent to lapt@pokerstars.com. The next stop on the LAPT will be the Grand Final in Argentina, the date yet to be confirmed.

This isn’t the first time an unforeseen incident has shaken up a PokerStars-sponsored tour event. In December 2008, the LAPT Mexico was postponed when government officials shut down the tournament on Day 2 of the three-day event. PokerStars was forced to distribute the prize pool among the 89 remaining players and then hold an online freeroll to decide the final table. The final nine were then flown into Punta del Este to play a televised final table with a $50,000 prize pool.

Just last week, the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) stop at Berlin was raided by armed robbers, who escaped with £250,000 in prize money. The break-in caused panic in the poker room as players fled to the exits and chips scattered all over the tables and floor. Nobody was hurt during the scuffle and players returned to their seats four hours later. American Kevin “ImaLucSack” MacPhee went on to win the Main Event and £1,000,000.

Fundraising for the catastrophe in Chile has been slower than that of Haiti, but President Barack Obama has promised U.S. support for victims and the American Red Cross has pledged $50,000 in aid for the country.

Poker in Twitter: Players in Action at Bay 101 and Doyle Talks Movie About His Life

March 11, 2010 - by WiseGamblers · Filed Under News Leave a Comment 

Twitter is one of the hottest social networking sites around nowadays and poker players take advantage of it to the fullest. Whether they are playing poker or just going through their daily routines, the world of poker provides a great deal of entertainment through the 140-character Tweets. Poker News Daily constantly monitors these messages over Twitter and provides a look at the best of the lot.

After the conclusion of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship in Las Vegas, players quickly moved the action to San Jose for the always popular World Poker Tour (WPT) stop at the Bay 101. Prior to the start of the event, Daniel Negreanu decided he wanted to cross-book his action with online phenomenon Tom “Durrrr” Dwan. “Made a bet with Durr,” Negreanu fired across the Twitterverse. “He set a line I picked sides. He made me a 6/5 fav on crossbook. I bet on him so I have 12 pct of him he has 10 of me.” Unfortunately, neither Negreanu nor Dwan – who were two of the 50 bounties at the Bay 101 event – was able to make the money in the tournament.

Other players were having similar difficulties with the unique tournament, which is the only bounty event on the WPT circuit. For knocking out one of the bounty players, the victor claims a $5,000 prize and a shirt to commemorate the event. “Poker2Nite” host Joe Sebok was among those with the $5,000 on his head and didn’t run well from the start of the tournament. “So frustrated. Lose every hand that I play. Really don’t get this run I’m in for a while. Losing every way imaginable,” Sebok tweeted before being eliminated by Bobby Suer. “This is not going well,” Sebok’s father, Barry Greenstein, commented over Twitter. “Joey has already been knocked out, and I’m down to 15k, 75BB at 100-200 blinds.” Greenstein, also a bounty in the tournament, met the same fate as his son.

“Steamed my way back 2 Vegas right after got knocked out of Bay101,” 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe Main Event champion John Juanda reported on Wednesday. “I’m sick & tired of poker! Good news is there wont be any pkr till April.” Howard Lederer had much the same feeling as Juanda when he Tweeted, “I don’t like to do much before noon. And going bust @bay101live is not one of those things. Had a flip for about 70k. Oh well.”

Not too concerned about her performance at the Bay 101 tournament was recent National Heads-Up Poker Championship victor Annie Duke. Duke made a joke prior to the start of the Bay 101, Tweeting, “I won the Heads Up Poker Championship on NBC but Donald Trump gave the trophy to Joan Rivers,” a reference to her stunning defeat on NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice” last year. Duke continued to ride the high of her Heads-Up championship when she jokingly chirped, “They introduced me at Bay 101 and @Erik_Seidel booed me. Sore loser.” Although she wouldn’t be around for the money portion of the tournament, Duke took it in stride when she Tweeted on Thursday morning, “Happy to be back to Bikram (yoga) cause I like to celebrate a big win by sweating my ass off.”

Doyle Brunson commanded the Twitterscape with news that a movie about his life is being considered by Hollywood. “A studio called about making a movie about my life,” the legendary poker veteran tweeted on Monday. “Said they would get my favorite actor to play me. Problem, Denzel Washington is my fav,” finished Brunson, which opened the floodgates to other poker players to chirp in. “If anyone could pull that off, it’s Denzel!,” Tweeted Alex Outhred, while Brunson 10 member Amit “amak316” Makhija agreed with Outhred when he Tweeted, “Denzel playing dolly = instant Oscar.”

Poker News Daily continues to keep track of the world of poker through various Tweets. We also chirp in with some nuggets of our own on Twitter, so be sure to add @pokernewsdaily to follow the poker world and the world of poker players in Twitter.

Phil Hellmuth Leads WPT Bay 101 Entering Play Down Day

March 11, 2010 - by WiseGamblers · Filed Under News Leave a Comment 

UB.com pro and 11-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth leads the World Poker Tour (WPT) Bay 101 Shooting Star event entering its play down day. By the end of Thursday, six players will be left standing.

It’s hard to believe. Hellmuth holds the record for number of bracelets won and has made three WPT final tables. However, one accolade the decorated poker pro lacks is a WPT title. After a two-year hiatus from reaching a final table on the roving tournament series, Hellmuth is poised to buck the trend by leading the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star event after two days of play.

Hellmuth told WPT Live Updates Hostess Jacque following Wednesday’s action, “It feels pretty good. I played about as well as I could play today. I had a huge hand against Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka. He’s a great young player and has so much talent. He moves his chips so well and the only way I could beat him was to try to play tight.” In a key hand between the two, the final board read J-J-4-3-Q, Hellmuth led out for 21,000, and Jaka made the call. Hellmuth showed Q-J for a boat and coverage found on the WPT’s website explained, “Jaka didn’t appear to expect such a strong hand, and he says with sincerity, ‘Wow! Nice hand,’ as he mucks his own cards.”

Hellmuth’s competition was anything but soft on Day 2. The feature table included Hellmuth, Jaka, Andy “BKiCe” Seth, Unabomber Poker’s Phil Laak, Justin “Boosted J” Smith, Tyler “brainwash” Cornell, J.C. Tran, and Day 1B chip leader Eugene Katchalov. Jaka doubled through Katchalov early on after his pocket queens caught a set against Katchalov’s pocket aces. Jaka ended with the seventh largest stack at 332,500, with Hellmuth amassing 550,000 chips during two days of play.

Seth, an online poker legend, busted two Shooting Stars in back-to-back hands at the feature table to collect a pair of $5,000 bounties and autographed shirts. Tran was all-in with K-5 of spades on a board reading K-8-5-10 for top and bottom pair. However, Seth flipped over a wired pair of eights for a set. Tran shouted for a king on the river to stave off elimination, but a seven fell.

On the very next hand, 2007 WSOP Main Event champ Jerry Yang called all-in with pocket fives on a board of 9-5-2. However, he was the victim of a set over set situation, as Seth showed pocket nines. The board filled out 10-4 and Seth claimed his second straight Shooting Star bounty. The youngster will enter Day 3 with the third largest stack at 453,000.

The money bubble burst on Wednesday with the elimination of Michael Cooper in 37th place. Cooper ran pocket tens into the pocket aces of Scotty Nguyen. Then, a bevy of bust outs occurred, including Mohsin “chicagocards1” Charania in 34th, Steve “gboro780” Gross in 33rd, and PokerXFactor instructor Chris “Fox” Wallace in 28th. Twenty-seven players survived to see Day 3:

1. Phil Hellmuth – 550,000
2. Hasan Habib – 496,000
3. Andy “BKiCe” Seth – 453,000
4. Dan O’Brien – 439,000
5. Matt Keikoan – 426,500
6. Nick Schulman – 381,500
7. Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka – 332,500
8. Brian “tsarrast” Rast – 322,000
9. Chau Giang – 307,500
10. David Forster – 305,500
11. Joseph “BigEgypt” Elpayaa – 302,000
12. Vanna Tea – 279,000
13. Lon Diamond – 242,000
14. Lars Elmoe – 216,000
15. Taylor Raines – 198,000
16. John Monnette – 179,000
17. Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little – 177,500
18. Dan Gamon – 170,500
19. Jonathan “driverseati” Tamayo – 154,000
20. “Miami” John Cernuto – 134,500
21. Scotty Nguyen – 132,500
22. Tom Marchese – 117,500
23. Ted Jivkov – 105,500
24. Tim McDermott – 80,000
25. Thuy Phan – 78,000
26. Kafir Nahum – 73,000
27. McLean Karr – 30,500

When play wrapped up on Wednesday night, the blinds were 1,500-3,000 with an ante of 500. Each player remaining is assured at least $17,000 and today’s action will conclude when the six-handed final table is determined. The survivors will battle on Friday for an $878,000 top prize. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest WPT results.

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