Le Monde du Poker.

February 21 2012, Rich Ryan

This past week, Daniel Negreanu recorded a rant and then final-tabled the Latin American Poker Tour Grand Final, Drew McIlvain gave his side of the chip-dumping story, Jason Somerville made a big announcement, and online poker legislation failed again in the United States.

We’ve got some thinking to do.

1. Kid Poker rehashes hatred, then crushes São Paulo

On Feb. 15, Negreanu uploaded a vlog on his YouTube channel titled, “Real Talk.” During the ten-minute video, Kid Poker talks about his upcoming trips to Brazil and Ireland, the World Series of Poker schedule, and, of course, Full Tilt Poker.

“I’ve come to realize that those comments are pretty harsh,” he admits, alluding to a past blog post where he advocated for old-school Vegas punishment for Ray Bitar, Chris Ferguson, and Howard Lederer. “I’ve had some time to think about what I said, and..um…yeah! I think they’re absolutely appropriate! I do, Howard! If you’re listening and watching this, I do! I don’t think I would have any problem with somebody who had $15,000 of their hard-earned money or your site, come up to you and bash you in the nuts with a baseball bat.”

This vlog — like everything Negreanu does — received mixed reviews. Some people just can’t stand him and how open he is, while other people, including some of the Negreanu-haters, champion his stance and hatred of FTP. Unsurprisingly, Matt Glantz served as the voice of reason, tweeting the following to Kid Poker:

MattGlantz Matt Glantz At the risk of ur wrath @RealKidPoker, u would better serve ur purpose so much better without the vulgarity and inciting violence imo. February 15 2012

Negreanu will always be vocal, and that turns people off, but right now he has more support than ever because (1) he’s right, and (2) he’s playing well.

What FTP did was inexcusable, and the repercussions will be felt for a long time. That being said, advocating violence isn’t always the best course of action, Daniel. I love that you’re honest, and that you’re not afraid to be yourself, but there are times where self-censorship is necessary. Please, bash FTP all you want, but don’t tell everybody that it’s OK to bash Lederer’s genitals. There are better, more productive ways to solve this problem.

Right or wrong, Negreanu’s opinions will remain in the headlines as long as he’s producing. This year alone, Kid Poker’s finished fifth in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $100,000 Super High Roller, bubbled the Aussie Millions $250,000 Super High Roller, and finished sixth in the LAPT Grand Final. That’s an impressive two-month résumé.

I’m positive that we’ll hear more from Negreanu in the future, and I am certain that one of his recurring topics will be FTP.

2. It’s not about intent

Last week, I had a chance to talk with both Drew McIlvain, the player who was banned from Harrah’s Tunica, and Seth Palansky, the vice president of corporate communications at Caesars Entertainment. McIlvain, while his interview was interesting to say the least, says he did not intend to cheat or steal “Terry’s” chips. It’s not about intent however; it’s about following the rules.

“The definition of collude in the dictionary that I have in my hands,” Palansky told me. “Is two words: conspire together.”

McIlvain admits to having multiple conversations with “Terry,” but this doesn’t allow him to plead ignorance. After the first conversation, he should’ve known something strange was going on. After the second conversation, you have to tell somebody. If McIlvain called the floor at that point, what’s the worst that could happen? They tell him he’s wrong, and when “Terry” donks off his chips, he gets to keep them.

Some are arguing that only a small percentage of players would notify the floor in this situation, and that these types of things happen “all the time.” I don’t believe either claim is true. Had these people been in McIlvain’s shoes and were told the things McIlvain was told by “Terry,” they would’ve done something about it. Likewise, this doesn’t happen regularly. Sure, we’ve all seen someone get crippled then say something like, “I’m either going to triple-up or bust in the next orbit,” but that scenario is clearly different. “Terry” and McIlvain spoke player to player, away from the table, and there was a plan in place.

McIlvain didn’t make the plan, but he didn’t turn it down either.

Should McIlvain have been disqualified? Yes. Should he be banned from all Harrah’s properties? No. Will he be banned? I don’t think so. I think he’s learned a valuable lesson, and, after the appeals process, he will be welcomed back.

I hope he’s learned something from his mistakes, however, both on and off the felt.

3. Jason Somerville is a courageous man

Upon entering the poker media at the 2009 WSOP, Jason Somerville was one of the first players I met. He was very cordial, and didn’t act like he was above me in any way. As a rookie in the game, I appreciated that greatly. And, despite making four WSOP final tables, winning one bracelet and racking up over $1.6 million in live tournament earnings since our first encounter, Somerville hasn’t changed. He’s still one of the nicest players in the game.

Last week, on his blog, Somerville admitted that he was gay. More importantly, he said that he’s “honestly happier now than I’ve ever been.”

To those of you who don’t believe this is news, I ask you to name another high-profile male poker player who is openly homosexual. OK, now can you name an openly gay NFL player? NBA player? MLB player? NHL player? Golfer?

Having trouble?

It’s 2012, and while we’d like to think that things like race, creed, and sexuality don’t matter, they do. There are still stigmas, there are still arrogant people, and, above all, there is still fear.

“That same year, the second and third people I came out to were my parents (probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done),” Somerville writes.

Pressing “post” on this blog was probably in Somerville’s top 10, but the response from players and fans has been overwhelmingly positive. Even Perez Hilton reached out to Somerville:

PerezHilton Perez Hilton @JasonSomerville You are #awesome! Just had to say that. February 15 2012

There may not be a ton of homosexual poker players, but if there are any who were previously afraid to be themselves, I hope that Somerville’s post will make them more comfortable. We can’t change who we are inside, but it should be mandatory for us to live life to the fullest. It’s impossible to enjoy life while living in fear, however, and I commend Somerville for his courage.

4. Gullible is written on the ceiling

The millisecond I filed last week’s Five Thoughts, I came across something — I forget if it was a tweet or an article — that basically said online poker had no chance of making it on the payroll tax cut extension. A few days later, the ship sailed, and online poker was left on the dock again.

Optimism is the worst, and I really have no reason to be optimistic. Senator Harry Reid has been rumored to save the day twice now, and both times we were woefully disappointed. Even if something was passed, it would take months for anything substantial to occur, and that would be on a state-by-state level. It’s a never-ending bureaucratic nightmare.

I’m here to formally announce that Five Thoughts will no longer be optimistic towards online gaming legislation in the United States. Five Thoughts' official stance: I’ll believe it when I see it.

This will be a hard-line stance, and I promise it won’t change until the next rumor pops up.

5. Carnival!!!

Enjoy

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AppId is over the quota
October 11 2011, Rich Ryan

Phil Hellmuth made another World Series of Poker final table, this time in beautiful Cannes, France. Can he really surpass Ben "Benba" Lamb and win WSOP Player of the Year? What is SouthPointPoker.com? Who is Benny Spindler? Who framed Roger Rabbit?

OK, that last one is a 1988 movie about an animated, crime-solving rabbit, but the rest of those questions are addressed in this week's five thoughts.

1. Insert Cannes pun here

In February, the World Series of Poker announced that the WSOPE would be relocating from London, England, to Cannes, France. The poker boom is just now taking off in France, and both BarrierePoker.fr and Caesars Interactive Entertainment were looking to capitalize on the situation. During the months leading up to the WSOPE, many people within the industry believed it would be a good move, and their premonitions have already been confirmed in the first week of play.

Entering the 2011 WSOPE, the largest event ever was in 2009, when a £1,000 event attracted 608 runners. That record was quickly demolished, as Event #2 €1,090 No Limit Hold’em welcomed 771 entrants over two days, making it the largest WSOPE event in history.

The numbers aren't the only upside in Cannes, though — the scenery and weather are awesome. Even poker players (who stay inside for roughly 23 hours a day) would agree that mid-seventies and sunny is light-years better than low sixties and cloudy. Also, Cannes is not as busy as London, making it easier to get around. Poker players love being able to arrive at a poker tournament during the last seconds of late registration, and in Cannes they won't have to worry about congestion and maneuvering around red double-deckers.

Canadian poker pro Terrence Chan wrote an extensive blog post about the pros and cons of the new location. You should check it out, especially if you’re looking for another Cannes pun.

2. Hellmuth is on the hunt

We make fun of Phil Hellmuth all the time. In fact, during the WSOP, yours truly predicted that the self-proclaimed Poker Brat would never win a non-hold’em bracelet. Hellmuth promptly final tabled the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo Championship and the $50,000 Poker Player’s Championship, finishing runner-up in both and giving your boy a good sweat.

That’s what Hellmuth does though — he refuses to quit. Sometimes his heightened competitive nature gets him in trouble (see: every televised cash game he’s ever played), but there is something to be said for his determination to be great.

Hellmuth traveled to France determined to snatch the WSOP Player of the Year lead away from Ben “Benba” Lamb, and with a seventh-place finish in Event #1 €2,500 Six-Max No Limit Hold’em Hellmuth is inching closer. Lamb sits with 659.05 points (759.05 if you add the 100 he’s guaranteed with a ninth-place finish in the Main Event), but Hellmuth is technically on top with 755.25. With a min-cash (5 points), he would surpass Lamb, and then have to fade Benba at the final table. Hellmuth isn’t thinking min-cash, however.

“5 events left; I’M NOT DONE!” he tweeted on Monday.

It looks like I’ll be sweating another non-hold’em bracelet event, and unless Lamb can aslo cash in one or two WSOPE events, he may be in trouble.

3. SouthPointPoker.com has a nice ring to it

Not really, but Michael Gaughan, the owner of the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa, is on to something. Gaughan announced the launch of SouthPointPoker.com at the Global Gaming Expo (G2E), and the site launched on Oct. 6. The 100% free and 100% legal site was approved by the Nevada Gaming Board and plans to offer a $10,000 WSOP Main Event seat each month. Even though South Point has a very, very small poker room, it has strong ties to the poker world — both Poker After Dark and High Stakes Poker have been filmed there.

The initial reviews of the software are not good, but this is a step in the right direction. South Point became the first land-based casino to open an online poker room (there is an argument for Caesars Entertainment and WSOP.com), and this could lead to a Pandora’s box-like chain reaction. Gaughan told PokerNews that, “Supposedly the Nevada Gaming Commission is going to come out with regulations for intrastate [gambling] in January of 2012. So, what I’m trying to do is learn.”

It sounds like something is on the horizon, and perhaps Gaughan simply wanted to be “the first.” If this is the case, then there may be a light at the end of the tunnel for American players, but only time will tell. What we do know is that land-based casinos will be major players when the time comes, and perhaps, with this move, SouthPointPoker.com will be among them.

4. Spindler ships second $1 million cash

Benny Spindler entered the final day of the 2011 European Poker Tour London Main Event third in chips, but battled his way to the top, eventually defeating Steve O’Dwyer heads up to win £750,000 ($1,172241), and the EPT title. This is Spindler’s second big cash of 2011 (he finished second in the €25,000 High Roller event at EPT Grand Final for €316,000 (469,017)), and his second career $1 million cash (he finished third in the 2009 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event for $1,100,000). Spindler now has over $3 million in career earnings, and, with nearly $1.8 million in earnings this year, is 15th on Hendon Mob’s 2011 Money List.

Spindler isn’t a household name because he hasn’t fared well at the WSOP (only three cashes that total less than $50,000), but his résumé is obviously very impressive. The 26-year-old German native is probably most famous for flopping quads against Alex Gomes at the aforementioned 2009 PCA Main Event, and rocking a Justin Bieber-like hair cut. We’ll be keeping our eyes on Spindler for the remainder of 2011 and into 2012, when perhaps he will make another big splash in the Bahamas.

5. Musumeci’s Main Event

Usually the fifth thought is reserved for a video, but last week’s Strategy With Kristy Podcast featuring Amanda Musumeci was awesome. Listen in as she recounts her 2011 WSOP Main Event.

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AppId is over the quota
October 04 2011, Rich Ryan

Last week, we learned that there may be a (legitimate) potential buyer for Full Tilt Poker, the biggest poker event ever will be on May 10, 2012, Phil Hellmuth is the worst drafter in history, and there will be a dealer's choice tournament at the PCA.

As Buddha teaches, "We think, we become." Or something like that.

1. All day I dream about venture capitalists

On Friday, we learned that Full Tilt Poker signed an acquisition agreement with Groupe Bernard Tapie. The announcement was made by Laurent Tapie, Bernard Tapie's son, who told iGaming France, “We have shown that we have the funds necessary to repay player debts. We want to find ways where we don’t have to put in all the money and will be talking to the U.S. Department of Justice next week.”

Party time.

If this is true, then the Tapies will be crowned as heroes of online poker. Unfortunately, there are dozens of obstacles to overcome before the deal is finalized, most notably the DOJ, and Bernard Tapie has a bit of a shady past. In the 1990s, he was accused and convicted of fixing football football matches with his club Olympique Marseilles and was incarcerated. He is very business savvy, however, and has a very good track record rebuilding broken, or failing companies. Tapie’s biggest success is the sports apparel company Adidas, which he bought in 1989 and sold in the early 1990s for nearly double the price.

We’re only concerned with one thing though: getting the players paid. The longevity of Full Tilt Poker is a secondary thought. If Tapie is able to repay the players, then who cares about his checkered past? Don’t play on his site (if he chooses to relaunch it), take your money and run. This is by far the best news we’ve received since Black Friday, and if it all holds true, then it may positively affect the poker landscape forever.

2. The International Stadiums Poker Tour video is tantalizing

Wow. Go ahead and slam the play button a few more times on that beauty.

This International Stadiums Poker Tour (ISPT) ad popped up on TwoPlusTwo last week, and if it doesn’t send a tingle down your spine then you’re not human. Ironically, the aforementioned Groupe Bernard Tapie is involved again — it owns a 30 percent stake of ISPT.

Coincidence?

The title “biggest poker event ever” is a bit dramatic. For example, if the buy in is $10,000, like your typical main event, to reach the $30 million guarantee (why is it in U.S. dollars?) the field would only have to be 3,000 runners. The World Series of Poker Main Event has eclipsed 3,000 runners seven times and more than doubled it six times. The only way this will be the “biggest poker event ever” is if Wembley Stadium is filled to capacity with spectators, which isn’t likely unless Wayne Rooney is bending screamers from the 18.

We’ll believe it when we see it (May 10th, 2012), but until then somebody should hire whoever produced this video to make a Super Bowl commercial.

3. Phil Hellmuth is the worst drafter in history

Phil Hellmuth and Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier were chosen to captain two teams for the Caesars Cup — a Ryder Cup-style poker event to be held at the World Series of Poker Europe in Cannes, France. Hellmuth and Grospellier had to chose four players from the Americas and Europe respectively, and Hellmuth couldn’t have drafted more poorly.

According to the WSOP.com staff, “The Caesars Cup will feature the game no-limit hold’em with two teams of five doing battle over a series of unique partner and heads-up formats, with points awarded for each victory.” Seeing that it was a short-handed, heads-up format, Grospellier chose young, aggressive players: Jake Cody (United Kingdom), Gus Hansen (Denmark), Dario Minieri (Italy) and Maxim Lykov (Russia). Hellmuth, who plans to, “show them that decades of experience are much more valuable,” countered with Doyle Brunson (USA), Johnny Chan (????), Daniel Negreanu (Canada), and Huck Seed (USA).

Is Brunson going to even show up to Cannes? He only played a handful of events at the WSOP, which is in his backyard, not thousands of miles away, and had to be coaxed into playing the Main Event. Also, can Chan really be considered a member of Team Americas? Didn’t he represent Team China in the World Team Poker tournament last year? Negreanu and Seed are obviously great picks, but Brunson and Chan are weak, even for a made-for-TV event.

C’mon Phil, don’t hold a constant grudge against the young, Internet idiots. We all know how much they frustrate you, but you’re putting yourself at a great disadvantage. Besides, it’s criminal not to include Tom Dwan on the team. We’re guessing it might have something to do with this.

4. Paradise beckons

The 2012 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure schedule was released late last week, and the tournament series just keeps getting better year after year. Paradise Island will be buzzing come Jan. 5 when the PCA will kick off with another $100,000 Super High Roller event. The $10,000 Main Event will begin on Jan. 7, the $25,000 8-Max High Roller will begin Jan. 12, and in-between there are a myriad of events featuring basically every game you can think of.

We’ve got our eyes on two events in particular. First, there’s the $1,000 6-Max 6 Pack, which features no-limit hold’em, pot-limit Omaha, pot-limit Omaha eight-or-better, pot-limit Pineapple, pot-limit Krazy Pineapple eight-or-better, and pot-limit 2-7 triple draw. We love rhyming and pineapple, so this seems like a perfect fit. The second event on our radar is the $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em/Pot-Limit Omaha Dealer’s Choice event. The strategy in this one will be great, because you’ll not only have to adjust for what game you’re better at, you’ll also have to adjust for your table.

PokerStars always hits a home run with the PCA, and, even though it’s only October, we’re ready to hop on a flight and get down to the Bahamas right now.

5. When I say Jason, you say…

Sarah Grant caught up with Jason Mercier over the pond at EPT London. He’s wearing an awfully ugly shirt but is entertaining as always.

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AppId is over the quota
September 13 2011, Rich Ryan

Predictions are a gift and a curse. They're fun to make, but when you get them wrong, people go crazy. Thankfully, I've been able to hide from my horrible 2011 predictions, but Mike "Timex" McDonald is making me revisit them. His big win leads off our five thoughts for the week, which conclude with my dream cast of Survivor. Let's get it started!

1. Just in the nick of Timex

In January, I made 11 predictions for 2011. Naturally, nearly all 11 have crashed and burned brutally, but one is still alive, thanks to Mike “Timex” McDonald. By defeating David Steicke heads up to win the second Epic Poker League Main Event, McDonald’s 2011 live earnings now total $948,838 — just $51,162 short of my million-dollar prediction. That’s only two min-cashes in high-roller events! Let’s go Mikey!

Of course, McDonald could quit poker (again) before the new year, or he could take a break, but I have the feeling that won’t be the case. In his blog he admitted that, “This was probably my happiest I’ve ever been after a poker tournament. This win feels amazing and I couldn’t have asked for a better early birthday present (I turn 22 tomorrow).”

Sounds like McDonald is going to play his heater, and with more than three months left, I’m confident he can eclipse seven-figures. If not, I’ll be wrong again — to no one’s surprise.

2. Mizzi and Waxman take Paris

Sorel Mizzi and Matthew Waxman both had very successful trips to the City of Light for the 2011 World Poker Tour Rendez-Vous à Paris. Mizzi shipped the High Roller for $234,495, and Waxman took down the Main Event, earning $518,750.

Mizzi’s score was his second largest (he finished third in the 2010 Aussie Millions Main Event for $659,917) and has now earned $588,616 in 2011. Mizzi’s year started off promising with another final-table appearance in the Aussie Millions Main Event, but it was overshadowed by controversy from a Chinese Poker game with John Racener at the 2011 PokerStars Carribean Adventure. The Mizzi hate has died down since January, however, and this win certainly comes at a good time for him after a less than stellar World Series of Poker.

For Waxman, this was by far the biggest score of his life. The New Jersey native’s previous biggest score came at the 2009 WSOP where he finished sixth in a six-handed event for $138,393. A handful of pros, including Jason Mercier and Phil Collins who were on his rail in Paris, were delighted to see Waxman take down the event. “Boom @Matthew_Waxman ships WPT Paris. Yeah buddy,” Mercier tweeted after the win. Fellow pro Vanessa Selbst took to Twitter to congratulate him as well: “Very happy that @Matthew_Waxman won the WPT, he’s one hell of a poker player.”

Congrats to both Matthew and Sorel — especially Matthew, though, because he’s a New York Jets fan.

3. Isildur1 who?

When Viktor “Isildur1 Blom was signed by PokerStars, I was excited to see what would happen with the high-limit cash games on Stars. Unfortunately, for the better part of nine months, nothing extraordinary happened. So, when Black Friday rolled around and Full Tilt Poker took a nosedive, I was afraid we wouldn’t see crazy cash-game action for a very long time.

Enter Ilari “Ilari FIN” Sahamies.

Better known as Ziigmund, Sahamies was a regular at the nosebleeds on FTP and now has won the two biggest pots in PokerStars history. Both hands occurred during the same session at the same $200/$400 pot-limit Omaha table. Sahamies scooped ”bernard-bb” and Andreas “Skjervøy” Torbergsen in the first pot for $421,000, and then scooped Torbergsen and ”socutiesf” for $283,102. During the past couple of weeks, Sahamies and Blom have reportedly been butting heads, leading to massive swings, which is exactly what us railbirds need. This type of action gives the site great exposure, which is exactly what Stars was looking for back in January when they brought Blom aboard.

4. Survivor: Poker Edition

Producers at CBS approached Daniel Negreanu a few years ago to see if he would participate on the hit reality show Survivor. Despite showing interest, Negreanu didn’t want to miss the WSOP (it was taped during the summer), so the producers locked up Jean-Robert Bellande instead. Bellande finished eighth, which put him on the jury to give him a little more exposure. This season, on Survivor: South Pacific, a gentleman named Jim Rice is competing, and he says in his bio that he’s won over 40 poker tournaments. His Hendon Mob results under “James Rice” tell a different tale however — maybe they were all online?

I wish the best of luck to Rice, but I want to see poker players I know compete on Survivor. So, I’ve compiled a list of two dream tribes below:

Super System Tribe

Todd Brunson (representing Doyle)Erik SeidelAllen CunninghamPhil HellmuthAndy BlochScotty NguyenJennifer HarmanJennifer TillyAnnie DukeBarbara Enright

Triple Range Merge Tribe

Tom “durrrr” DwanPhil GalfondDaniel NegreanuShaun DeebJason MercierBertrand “ElkY” GrospellierMaria HoVanessa SelbstLiv BoereeErika Moutinho

I’m not sure how well poker players can make fire, nor do I want to see most of these (males) people in bathing suits, but I know this would be awesome.

5. Prop-betting at its finest

Can’t believe I missed this gem last week. Here’s Lex Veldhuis on how to prop bet:

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