Le Monde du Poker.

NEW 2011-11-10
Kristy talks with two-time World Poker Tournament champion Randal Flowers about preflop play in tournament poker. Download(39.59 MB)

Play 2011-11-08
PokerNews Podcast: November Nine Day Two feat. WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel - World Series of Poker Tournament Director Jack Effel joins the PokerNews crew as they preview the final day of the 2011 WSOP Main Event.

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Play 2011-11-06
PokerNews Podcast: Dinner Break of the 2011 WSOP Main Event Final Table - The PokerNews crew gets together during dinner break of the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event final table to discuss the atmosphere, the action, and to predict what's to come during four-handed play.

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Play 2011-11-03
Strategy With Kristy: Easy Game feat. Andrew “BalugaWhale” Seidman - Kristy sits down with Andrew 'BalugaWhale' Seidman to discuss the third edition of his book Easy Game.

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Play 2011-11-02
PokerNews Podcast: November Nine Preview feat. Barry Greenstein - The crew is back to preview the November Nine, and Kristy talks with 2011 Poker Hall of Fame inductee Barry Greenstein.

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Play 2011-10-27
Strategy With Kristy: Andrew Robl - Kristy Arnett sits down with Andrew Robl to discuss some of his more famous televised hands.

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Play 2011-10-26
PokerNews Podcast: EPT San Remo feat. Lex Veldhuis - The PokerNews crew is in San Remo, Italy for the PokerStars EPT San Remo. Dutch pro Lex Veldhuis joins the program to discuss his new-found tranquility, and how he's doing in the tournament.

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Play 2011-10-21
Strategy With Kristy: Mike “Timex” McDonald - Kristy Arnett is joined by Mike 'Timex' McDonald in Cannes, France to discuss his EPL win and the WSOPE.

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Play 2011-10-19
PokerNews Podcast: WSOPE Main Event feat. Sam Holden - The PokerNews crew discusses the World Series of Poker Europe from Cannes, France, and is joined by November Niner Sam Holden to talk about life since July, and how he's preparing for the Main Event final table.

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Play 2011-10-14
PokerNews Podcast: Point and Grab featuring Tony G - The PokerNews crew is in Cannes, France for the World Series of Poker Europe! PokerNews.nl blogger Remko 'happyfreaked' Rinkema joins the team to talk about the leading stories across the pond, and special guest Tony G joins the program to discuss his recent statements regarding Full Tilt Poker and the Alderney Gambling Control Commission.

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Play 2011-10-07
Strategy With Kristy: Amanda Musumeci - Kristy Arnett is joined by Amanda Musumeci to discuss her deep run in the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event.

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Play 2011-10-05
PokerNews Podcast: Messing With The Bull feat. Scott “URnotINdanger2? Palmer - The crew is back to talk about Groupe Bernard Tapie "acquiring" Full Tilt Poker, the AGCC's latest statement, and EPT London. Scott "URnotINdanger2" Palmer then joins the program to discuss how he got into poker, how not getting paid from FTP has affected him, and what to do when playing Isildur1 heads up.

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Play 2011-09-29
Strategy With Kristy: Olivier Busquet - Kristy Arnett is joined by Olivier Busquet to talk about tilt control, money management, and to break down a few hands.

Download (19.65 MB)

Play 2011-09-28
PokerNews Podcast: A Daily Fantasy feat. Taylor Caby - The crew is back to talk about Full Tilt Poker's response, Matt Giannetti's victory at WPT Malta, and the WCOOP Main Event. Taylor Caby then joins the program to talk about his new, daily fantasy football site DraftDay.com and life after Black Friday.

Download (17.66 MB)

Play 2011-09-22
Strategy With Kristy: Ben Wilinofsky - Ben Wilinofsky joins Kristy Arnett to discuss tournament strategy.

Download (25.48 MB)

Play 2011-09-20
PokerNews Podcast: Tom Dwan Speaks - Tom Dwan joins the PokerNews Podcast to finally speak on Full Tilt Poker, and the Department of Justice's newest amendment.

Download (32.68 MB)

Play 2011-09-15
Strategy With Kristy: PLO with Lex Veldhuis - Kristy Arnett is back with a new strategy podcast, and this week the topic is pot-limit Omaha. PokerNews' own Donnie Peters and PokerStars Team Pro Lex 'RaSZi' Veldhuis join the program and break down three hands from one of Veldhuis' mega sessions.

Download (15.94 MB)

Play 2011-09-14
PokerNews Podcast: Skipping Finals feat. Mike “Timex” McDonald - The PokerNews crew is back with host Kristy Arnett to discuss the newest EPL, WPT and WCOOP winners. Mike 'Timex' McDonald joins the program to talk about his EPL win, business school, and burning out.

Download (23.11 MB)

Play 2011-09-08
Strategy With Kristy: Tommy Angel Part II - Tommy Angelo is back with Kristy for part two of their poker strategy conversation. The topics include meditation, making choices and Angelo's next book.

Download (15.26 MB)

Play 2011-09-07
PokerNews Podcast: Raw Dealing feat. Tony Dunst - The PokerNews crew is without host Kristy Arnett this week, but they plow forward, covering EPT Barcelona, the second EPL Pro/Am, the WCOOP and the tragic death of Thuy Doan. The host of the World Poker Tour's Raw Deal Tony Dunst then joins the program to talk about Season X and other ventures.

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AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Czech player Martin Staszko is a bit of an unknown in the North American poker community - or at least he was until last night.

A former auto-plant worker (he worked in the paint shop), he's been a full-time poker professional for just one year and his biggest previous live cash is an 11th-place finish at the 2010 EPT Deauville Main Event for €35,000.

According to the Hendon Mob database, he’s 19th on the all-time live earnings list for poker players from the Czech Republic at $83,235.

Online he goes by the name "filfedra" and has over $100k in cashes including a recent win in Event 5 of the 2011 SCOOP on PokerStars for $91,539.

He’s now turned those wins into five more cashes at the 2011 WSOP and the chip lead at the most prestigious final table in the world. 

Staszko is guaranteed to make at least $782,155 for making the November Nine, which will move him up to fourth on the all-time Czech money list.

Staszko was down to just 12,000 in chips on the money bubble in this tournament but apparently folded “40 hands in a row” (according to Erick Lindgren) to survive.

He’s the first player from the Czech Republic to make the final table of the WSOP Main Event.

Right in line with PokerListings.com's 2011 WSOP predictions, he's also a competitive chess player.

Martin Staszko

Age: 35

Online Handle: filfedra

Twitter: n/a

Home town: Trinec, Czech Republic

Current Residence: Trinec, Czech Republic

Staszko enters the final table as the chip leader with 40,175,000 in chips.

For a full list of players who have made the final table, check our November Nine recap.

Also, get to know Martin Staszko a little better through the magic of video below.

View the original article here

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

The 2010 WSOP Main Event final table is just around the corner so we're getting you ready with a brand new series of November Nine video interviews.

Today we've got Filippo Candio, the first Italian to ever make the ME final table. Candio's got some cool stuff to say about what winning $9 million would do for him so give it a watch and let us know what you think below.

Watch More New November Nine Interviews

View the original article here

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

He may be the short stack coming in to the 2011 WSOP Main Event final table, but with 24 big blinds left Sam Holden isn't just looking to get it in on the first hand and go home in ninth.

If you caught our feature article with Sam in the news section yesterday, below is the full transcript of the interview.

PL: What’s it been like for you since making the November Nine?

SH: It’s obviously been pretty cool. I’ve been doing a lot of mainstream interviews here in the U.K. but that’s finally died down a bit and I’m starting to a more poker interviews. It’s generally a lot more fun doing the poker interviews because the questions tend to be more interesting.

I just got back from UKIPT Edinburgh as well. That was really the first live poker I’ve played since Vegas.

It was fun to get back to playing poker again.

PL: Can you talk a little bit more about your experience with the media so far?

SH: It’s been great. I’m just trying to take it all in stride. I’m obviously not used to it at all and didn’t really know what to expect.

It’s been a lot of fun and generally the attention is pretty nice. Everyone seems very interested in the story, even people that don’t follow poker.

PL: What was the reaction from your friends and family when you got back to the U.K.? They must have been pretty excited...

SH: Yeah absolutely. I mean they were following along online when I was out there so I was even getting reaction from them when I was still in Las Vegas.

Everyone was very excited and as soon as I got home I was getting a lot of phone calls. It was great catching up with everyone that I could.

Obviously they all had their own questions, wondering what it was like. Everyone is obviously delighted and very excited.

PL: Did you find a lot of friends you hadn’t seen in awhile coming out of nowhere to say hello?

SH: (Laughs) No, not too much. There have been a few people on Facebook I wouldn’t normally hear from but it’s really just been nice comments. Generally the people who were congratulating me were close friends before I went to Vegas.

PL: Were your poker friends fairly amazed you made the November Nine?

SH: Yeah definitely. I mean lots of them had a piece of me so they were extra, extra happy. Obviously it’s what every poker player dreams of. Making the Main Event final table isn’t something any poker player expects to do.

It’s probably more real to my friends than it is to me because it still hasn’t sunk in completely. It’s all pretty crazy.

PL: Could you talk a little more about your upbringing and where you grew up?

SH: I was born near a place called Eastbourne in East Sussex. The actual village I grew up in (Herstmonceux) was very small and only had a couple of shops.  

When I turned 18 and I went to university in Canterbury. I’ve lived in Canterbury for the last four years.

I graduated from university last June. I’ve been playing poker professionally since then. Obviously I’ve been playing poker longer than that.

PL: What were you into when you were growing up? Did you play sports? Any hobbies?

SH: I played a lot of sport when I was growing up, especially at school when I was younger. I was never particularly good at one sport. I just enjoyed playing all of them. I wasn’t bad but I never really excelled either.

I just enjoyed the competition and exercise like most kids. I enjoyed school too, though, I always did pretty well. I guess I stopped playing most sports when I was about 18 because I was playing poker by that point.

PL: How did you actually get into poker?

SH: I think I saw it on TV when I was in university and then started to play for free online. Just sort of teaching myself the rules and very basic strategy. 

I met a few other guys that played and we talked about online poker. I made a few deposits and would usually lose them after a month or so.

Eventually I got better and started beating the micro stakes.

It turned into kind of a part-time job for me. I just used it to essentially fund my life instead of going back to the bar I was working at.

PL: What initially attracted you to the game?

SH: I’ve always enjoyed maths and statistics and that side of the academic world. I definitely understand and enjoy that part of the game.

I’ve always enjoyed competition as well. I liked card games and strategy games. It was a combination of those things.

I like the way poker players think and constantly try to improve.

PL: What do you think is your best attribute as a poker player?

SH: I think removing emotion from decisions and thinking rationally is probably the best part of my game. I was quite surprised at the WSOP that I could break hands down just like any other game of poker even though there was a lot of pressure.

I just tried to think about the situation, the players, the chips and the cards and what the optimal decision was.

PL: Are you primarily an MTT player online or do you play cash games as well?

SH: I play mainly tournaments. I’ve played a bit of cash over the years but tournaments were always what I enjoyed the most.

It could have been because I had the most success in tournaments but after awhile I just focused primarily on them.

PL: Did you have any big scores in the early stages of your poker career?

SH: Not big scores. I final tabled the Sunday Million earlier this year. Finished sixth. That was my biggest score before Las Vegas.

I was doing OK at MTTs but I was nowhere near crushing it. I was making a good living but I definitely had a lot more to learn. I mean, really, I still do.

PL: What did your parents think when you told them you wanted to play poker professionally?

SH: I think they sort of saw it coming because I was playing through university and taking it more and more seriously.

They’d heard I was doing quite well, although I guess they really had no proof at the time.

When I graduated I just wanted to give it a go for a year and see if I still enjoyed it and what kind of living I could make.

My initial plan was to go back to university after a year and maybe go for a Master's degree.

As I carried on through the year I started making good money and really enjoying myself and once my parents could see that I was making money and could pay my bills they were happy.

Obviously they were worried I would go broke because they don’t really know much about poker.

PL: This was your first World Series of Poker. Why did you decide to play?

SH: Tournaments had been going very well online and I’d started to play a little bit live. I knew live games could be a lot softer and there were a lot of recreational players, especially in the World Series.

I knew there was a lot of value out there. I knew I could beat the games. Plus it’s the WSOP and every poker player wants to be there.

I was very excited to get out there and play it.

PL: Did you play any prelims?

SH: I did play three events.  I didn’t cash in any of the big tournaments I played but thought I was playing well and was encouraged by the amount of players in each tournament.

To be honest I expected a higher standard of play in general at the WSOP but there were just so many poker tourists.

Obviously there is so much variance in table draws because the pros are there as well. I definitely had some luck in the Main Event to draw some softer tables.

PL: Heading into the final table this year you are one of the shorter stacks, is that a situation you feel comfortable with?

SH: Yeah absolutely. Having an online MTT background I’m pretty used to playing a 20-30 big blind stack. I feel it’s one of my strengths.

Whilst I’m ninth in chips, I’ve still got 24 big blinds. There’s some room there. I’m definitely not heading out to Vegas just to stick it in on the first hand.

I feel I’ve got a good chance to win or go very deep. We’ll see what situations arise.

PL: Could you talk a little bit your preparation leading up to the final table? I’m assuming you’re going to be watching as much footage of your opponents as possible.

SH: This year there is even more footage around because of the live stream so I’ll be taking a close look at that and I’m sure everyone else will be.

Obviously I’ll be trying to work on my own game as well. In my opinion every poker player has things they can improve.

I have a lot I can improve. Hopefully I’ll be able to use my time wisely. I definitely want to get some live practice in other tournaments.

PL: Some players distance themselves from the game in the months leading up to the November Nine, I take it that’s not going to be your approach?

SH: Personally if I didn’t play before November it would all feel very foreign to me. It would feel quite unnatural to be playing poker for the first time in four months. I wouldn’t feel very comfortable.

I’m trying to get as much live experience as I possibly can against good players.

Someone who is more experienced might take a different approach.

PL: What do you think of the table draw?

SH: My seat is kind of tough because on my direct left is Pius Heinz, who’s a very good player, and on his left is Ben Lamb and then the chip leader Martin Staszko.

To be honest the whole table is tough and anything can happen.

PL: Are there any players at the final table that particularly impressed you during the play down?

SH: (Laughs) Pretty much all of them. I think these days there are so many good players in the world and the structure is so good in that tournament I don’t think we’ll ever see a weak final table in the Main Event.

That said, I guess I’d have to say Pius really impressed me. The only reason I say that is because I didn’t see him show down many of his hands, which is usually a good sign.

PL: Winning the Main Event is a huge and obviously there would be a ton of media attention that would come with it. How would you feel about receiving that kind of attention and essentially acting as an ambassador for poker?

SH: Obviously it’s what every poker player dreams of. The ambassador role would be kind of intimidating but it’s something I’d try to enjoy and do as best I can.

Poker has done a lot for me and I enjoy the game and the industry behind it so I would be very proud to represent it.

It would be fantastic and present a lot of opportunities for me I’m sure.

PL: Are there any players you look up to?

SH: At the moment it’s guys like Isaac Haxton and Scott Seiver. They think on such a high level and they do a great job of taking their emotions out of the game.

I love how rationally they tend to think and the way they break decisions down.

PL: Do you think the U.K. poker scene is fairly strong?

SH: Yeah there are some awesome U.K. players at the moment. People like Jake Cody and EPT winner David Vamplew have been crushing it.

I love how Vamplew thinks about the game. He’s so consistent. He doesn’t take any spot for granted. He never disregards any spot he’s in as “standard” whereas so many players just make instant assumptions.

PL: You currently live in Canterbury, are you planning to stay there for the near future?

SH: No I’m actually hoping to move to London in September. I was planning on doing that anyways but making the November Nine makes it a lot easier financially because London is such an expensive place.

I’m really looking forward to it.

PL: Have you had any unusual media requests yet?

SH: Most of it's pretty standard. I’ve been watching some of the other players do skits and such and I’ve been thinking that doesn’t look like too much to me (Laughs).

Haven’t really had any odd requests yet.

PL: What did you think about being referred to as the “Jobless Brit” in the The Sun?

SH: Yeah that was one of the first stories I did with the mainstream media over here. They phoned me up for an interview, which was fine, and the story was fine as well but they went for a headline of “Jobless Brit” and then told readers I’d been playing poker professionally for a year so they contradicted themselves a bit.

(Laughs) I didn’t take it too personally. I think they were just looking for an eye-catching headline. Lots of my friends do now call me “The Jobless Brit.” It’s all in good fun.

PL: What tournaments are you planning on playing over the next few months?

SH: I’ve already made plans to play the WSOPE in France and I’ll probably play EPT London as well. I’ve also been thinking about playing WPT Paris but we’ll see what happens. There are a couple more maybes in there as well.

PL: Thanks Sam, we’ll see you at WSOPE.

SH: Sounds good.

View the original article here

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

The 2010 WSOP Main Event final table is just around the corner so we're dropping our latest series of November Nine video interviews to get you ready.

Today we listen to John Dolan, aka JRD312. He's second in chips, he's an experienced online player and many rate him as one of the most likely people to take this thing down.

Listen to John and then check out the rest of the videos in this series using the links below.

Watch More New November Nine Interviews

View the original article here

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AppId is over the quota

Anton Makiievskyi is a 21-year-old student from the Ukraine who exploded out of the pack on Day 7.

Hitting a full house on the flop with K-J in a massive cooler against Chris Moore at the very end of the day, Makievskyi raked in a 20 million pot to become the new chip leader.

He hasn't looked back since.

Only receiving his travel visa in late June to come play in the WSOP, Makiievskyi is a very unlikely candidate to have made the final Nine. 

"I just don't believe everything that's happening now," Makiievskyi told ESPN yesterday. "I understand that I may not have any other chances in life like this, but I don't feel it.

"I just play my game. "

He did exactly that on Day 8, gradually chipping up throughout the day with the exception of one big pot again against Moore when he hit an ace on the flop to top Moore’s pocket kings.

Throughout the last few days of the tournament, Makiievskyi has worn the baby blue and gold Team Ukraine jacket of close friend Oleksii Kovalchuk, another 21-year-old Ukrainian who won a WSOP bracelet this year.

Makiievskyi would become the youngest player to win the Main Event should he go on to take the title in November.

Anton Makiievskyi

Age: 21

Main Online Handle: Unknown

Twitter: n/a

Hometown: Dnipropetrousk, Ukraine

Current Residence: Kiev, Ukraine

Makiievskyi enters the final table in eighth position with 13,825,000 in chips.

For a full list of players who have made the final table, check our November Nine recap.

Additionally, get to know Anton Makiievskyi through the magic of video below.

View the original article here

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

View the original article here

AppId is over the quota
October 04 2011, Chad Holloway

Although it seems like an eternity, it was only in July when the 2011 World Series of Poker November Nine was set, igniting a nearly four-month hiatus. During this time, the 2011 November Niners have been traveling, playing tournaments, and preparing for the biggest final table of their lives.

In anticipation of the final table, PokerNews is touching base with the November Nine to get the lowdown on what they’ve been up to the past couple of months. We’ve already talked to the chip leader, Martin Staszko, and the short stack, Sam Holden, so this week we thought we’d catch up with Eoghan O’Dea, who begins the final table second in chips.

If the name O’Dea sounds familiar to you, it should. The 26-year-old poker pro from Dublin, Ireland, is the son of poker veteran Donnacha O’Dea, who is regarded as one of the most popular Irish poker players after making two WSOP Main Event Final Tables and winning a bracelet in a preliminary event in 1998. Eoghan obviously comes from good poker stock, evidenced by six WSOP cashes of his own, including four this summer.

His biggest score, aside from this year’s Main Event, came in the 2007 WSOP Event #33 $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha w/Rebuys, where he finished in 26th place for $16,001. While the younger O’Dea may have flown beneath the radar, his performance in the Main Event has brought him out of his father’s shadow and into his own poker prime. Interestingly, 20 years after his father last made a final table (1991), Eoghan made his own to make him and his dad the first father-son duo to final table the WSOP Main Event (though Barry and Jeff Shulman final-tabled the WSOP-Europe and WSOP Main Events respectively).

What was the one hand that was most responsible for your deep run?

There’s one good hand on Day 3 where I was all-in with . It was kind of a funny hand because I didn’t have many chips and I check-raised under the gun. There was a few limpers and I called. Somebody raised, and a few people called, then I check-raised. The initial raiser called and the small blind, who had loads of chips, moved in and it was back to me. I thought for a long time. I just didn’t really see him, at the time he was playing pretty solid and he announced to the table that he wasn’t getting involved in any big hands and stuff.

So I called and the other guy folded with queens I think, and [the small blind] turned over pocket fives, and it came . I doubled through, or more than doubled through. I think the other guy might have knocked me out in that hand. I never expected the guy to turn over fives. After that, he blew up.

After the final table was set, what did you do the rest of the night? We understand you went out and celebrated hard, subsequently missing the WSOP interview the following day, is that true

Yeah, we finished pretty late at 4 a.m. At this time I was really low on sleep, but I really wanted to go out and have a few drinks. One of my Irish friends was still around, so we had a few drinks in the Rio. [Then we] headed out to a club and bumped into some friends. We were there quite awhile I think. [Laughs] Yeah, there was no chance I was ever gonna make the interviews the next day, I mean they’re at twelve, and once I had a few drinks, you know, I was pretty tired. I’m surprised everybody else made.

Did you get in any trouble with the WSOP for missing the interviews?

No, I don’t think there really were. I mean, I think they should do it a bit later than 12 o’clock, because you finish 4 a.m. and you go have a few drinks, considering a lot of people haven’t gotten much sleep over the last few days, I think it’s pretty hard to make that time.

How long did it take for the fact that you made the November Nine to sink in? Has it yet?

Yeah, it has. Maybe like, oh I don’t know, maybe like a week I suppose.

What was the reaction of your family and friends?

I received loads of really good comments, and obviously my parents, sister, and everybody was really happy, delighted it seemed like.

What have you been up to since the WSOP has been on hiatus?

I haven’t been playing any poker really. Well, I played a little bit. I started playing maybe the last couple weeks a bit again, but for August I didn’t play at all really, just a couple of times. I’m kind of taking it easy, I was playing a little bit of tennis, and I did a triathlon at the start of September with two other friends. So, there wasn’t too much poker.

I just arrived in London this week, there’s an EPT on Friday, so I’m going play that, and then I go to Cannes after the EPT. For the next three weeks I’ll be playing a bit more poker.

Who will you be bringing to Las Vegas in November to support you? Will your father be in attendance?

I think quite a lot of people. I imagine like 60 people coming. He’ll be there, yeah.

As someone with final table experience, has your dad given you any words of wisdom?

No, he hasn’t. He said to me, you know, if you’d like any advice you can ask me whatever, that kind of thing, but we really haven’t talked about it much at all. I haven’t really brought it up too much.

What’s more important: money or the Main Event bracelet?

I’d probably have to say the money. I think years ago it was a different story, you know, it was more prestigious to win 15 to 20 years ago. It’s kind of changed, because there are 7,000 people in it and not necessarily the best player in the world wins the thing, like in the old days with Doyle [Brunson] and [Johnny] Chan. There’s a lot more luck in the tournament, and [winning] wasn’t as big as it was 20 years ago. Obviously it’s still massive, and it’s a huge amount of money, but I don’t think it’s as prestigious as it was back in the day.

As part of making the November Nine, you’ve already taken home the ninth-place prize of $782,115. Have you made any big purchases with that money? If not, what do you plan to do with the money after the final table?

No, I haven’t. Probably change my car. Not sure what I’ll get, but if I win it I’ll definitely get a new car.

Other than yourself, who do you feel has the best chance of taking down the title?

The guys who are pretty close in chips to me, like behind me, Phil [Collins], Ben [Lamb], and Matt [Giannetti], they all have a very good chance, and of course the chip leader [Martin Staszko], as well. Obviously a little tougher for the guys around 14 to 16 million, but Ben Lamb is probably the most confident player, you know what I mean. He’s like Player of the Year and running and playing really well, so he’s going to be the most confident going in. All the American guys have a very good chance. Matt Giannetti just won a WPT in Malta...it’s always nice to win a big title.

Who would you want to be heads-up with for the bracelet in November? Who would you least like to face?

Yeah [laughs], I’m not going to mention that. Least, probably Ben. Apart from playing so well, he’s running well, as well.

What are you doing to prepare? Are you getting lessons or advice from anyone notable?

I don’t really think I’ll do that. I’ll go through the videos. I think I’m back home for two weeks before I go back to Vegas. I’ll have two weeks to go through the videos and just prepare. Not much apart from playing a lot of tournaments and going through a few videos. I’m not really going to get any coaching, I don’t think.

Does that include looking at your opponent’s weaknesses? Are you scavenging all the information you can get about your opponents?

Yeah, maybe myself as well to see if I do anything strange or whatever.

Did you have the chance to become close with any other November Niners?

I would have preferred to play it straight through, but I mean it’s fun this way, as well. If I had the option, I would have preferred to go straight through. I think my chances would have been better if we played it straight through.

Did you have the chance to develop relationships with any of the other November Niners?

No, I haven’t. I haven’t bumped into any of them yet. I think they’ve been playing a few tournaments in Europe and stuff, I think all of them, but I didn’t play any tournaments during all of this, so I haven’t bumped into any of them.

Do you have your entrance music picked out yet for the final table?

[Laughs] No, I haven’t thought about that at all actually.

Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

Follow Chad Holloway on Twitter — @ChadAHolloway

View the original article here

AppId is over the quota
September 25 2011, Donnie Peters

The 2011 World Poker Tour Malta was completed on Saturday and another WPT champion was crowned. Walking away with the title and a $273,200 first-place prize was 2011 World Series of Poker November Niner Matt Giannetti.

At the start of the day, Tristan Clemencon held the chip lead. Mats Karlson fell in eighth place and was followed out the door by Christofer Williamson in seventh to set the official WPT final table. With six players remaining, Ceclia Pescaglini was in pole position and Giannetti was in second. From there, it only took two hands to see the first player hit the rail.

Fabian Sartoris moved all-in from the button and Simon Trumper called from the big blind. Sartoris held and Trumper . The board ran out and Sartoris hit the rail in sixth place.

Although Clemencon began the day as the chip leader, he fell in fifth place at the hands of Pescaglini. According to the WPT Live Update Team, Trumper raised to 65,000 with the blinds at 15,000/30,000 with a 5,000 ante. Clemencon called from the small blind and then Pescaglini reraised to 230,000 from the big blind. Trumper folded and Clemencon moved all-in. Pescaglini called and tabled the . Clemencon held the . The flop, turn and river ran out eliminating Clemencon.

Trumper was next to go in fourth place, on the 19th hand of the official final table. According to the World Poker Tour Live Updates Team, Pescaglini also sent him to the rail, hitting an ace with her against Trumper's . The money went in preflop and the board ran out .

Over 100 hands went by during three-handed play. Then, Filippo Bianchini fell in third place on the 122nd hand of play with the blinds at 50,000/100,000 with a 10,000 ante. Bianchini was all-in preflop for his last 300,000 and was called by both of his opponents, Giannetti and Pescaglini. The flop came down and Giannetti bet 375,000. Pescaglini called to see the land on the turn. Both players checked and the river completed the board with the . Both checked again. Giannetti showed the and Pescaglini the . Bianchini tabled the and Giannetti's two pair, sixes and fives, won the pot.

Heads-up play only lasted a few hands before Pescaglini and Giannetti got all the money in on the flop. Pescaglini held for top pair and Giannetti held the for an open-ended straight draw. The on the turn gave Giannetti his straight and then the river completed the board with the . Pescaglini was eliminated in second place, giving Matt Giannetti the WPT win, while he awaits his chance on poker's biggest stage — the WSOP Main Event Final Table.

Final Table Results

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*Photo courtesy of the World Poker Tour

Follow Donnie Peters on Twitter — @Donnie_Peters

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