Poker

Records are made to be broken, and PokerStars players do just that with astounding regularity. Eighteen months ago, PokerStars celebrated its tenth anniversary and the surrounding festivities included its fourth World Record tournament, where 200,000 players played for a $250,000 prize pool. But after Thursday's bombastic 100 Billionth Hand celebration (don't think about how big 100 billion is, it will either trigger an existential crisis or make your head explode) did you really think we weren't gonna take the opportunity to smash that record again? By game time, a capacity crowd of 225,000 players had gathered, officially breaking the record for the largest poker tournament ever played. Their $1 buyins contributed $225,000 to the $300,000 guaranteed prize pool, PokerStars kicking in a $75k overlay to sweeten the pot even further. 60,000 players earned a share of it with first place set to earn $25,000. After only an hour of play, the crowd thinned to 28,000 and another hour later only 2,595 remained. Hour three saw the field reduced to 190, and with five minutes left before the fourth break, the final table bubble hit and play went hand for hand. With the blinds up to 3M/6M with a 750k ante, chip leader Mr.SlavaPro opened for a min-raise to 12 million. With 3.75 milllion of his remaining 4.1 million already committed in the small blind, MattDooms called all-in and Ravic77 folded his big blind. MattDooms' [5h][Ts] was already drawing thin against Mr.SlavaPro's [Kd][Kc], but went completely dead on the [Kh][Ks][5c] flop. Mr.SlavaPro raked in the 19 million pot with quad kings and sent us to the final table, while MattDooms exited in eleventh place. Final table chip counts Blinds: 3,000,000/6,000,000, ante 750,000 Seat 1: johnnykara75 (17,560,748 in chips) Seat 2: SOY PATO355 (14,065,727 in chips) Seat 3: Evgeniy33377 (3,729,288 in chips) Seat 4: Mr.SlavaPro (87,268,525 in chips) Seat 5: KARI#9 (64,386,794 in chips) Seat 6: Ravic77 (17,422,024 in chips) Seat 7: jpstef06 (13,712,929 in chips) Seat 8: 1star09 (52,884,148 in chips) Seat 9: Tormenter85 (34,974,394 in chips) Seat 10: jmmetra (31,495,423 in chips) johnnykara75 doubles with aces, Evgeniy33377 eliminated in tenth It took 11 minutes and only 20 hands to distribute the $73,000 in remaining prize money. The jumps were huge and the stacks extremely shallow, the chip average only 6.25 big blinds as the final table began. On Hand #1, jmmetra picked up [9h][9c] and moved all-in for 30.7 million on the button, only to have johnnykara75 wake up with [Ac][Ah] in the small blind. Johnnykara75's aces held and he doubled to 47.1 million, leaving jmmetra on only 14.5 million (2.5 bb). However, jmmetra's situation wasn't quite as dire as Evgeniy33377's. On Hand #2, Evgeniy33377 was all-in for 1.97 million in the big blind while SOY PATO355 had 4 of his remaining 7.3 million committed in the small blind. Johnnykara75 limped in for 8 million on the button, SOY PATO355 called all-in and the cards went on their backs. SOY PATO355 [Qc][9h] Evgeniy33377 [3c][3h] johnnykara75 [Td][4h] SOY PATO355 snagged the lead on the [As][9s][6c] flop and held onto it, the turn and river falling the [Jc] and the [Ac] to send Evgeniy33377 to the rail in tenth place ($1,000). Ravic77 out in ninth, jmmetra exits eighth Evgeniy33377's elimination left jpstef06 as the table short stack. On Hand #3, jpstef06 moved all-in for 11 million from UTG+1 and KARI#9 called the 3 million balance from the big blind. Jpstef06's [As][Qh] held up aganist [6c][7h] and he doubled to 35 million, only to move all-in from UTG on the next deal. Ravic77 called all-in for 5.67 million more with [Qs][Js] in the big blind, but did not improve against jpstef06's [7s][7c]. For ninth place, Ravic77 took home $1,500. With only one more hand to go before he'd be committed in the 8 million big blind, jmmetra pulled the trigger with [Qc][Td] and moved all-in for 9.9 million from UTG+1. 1star09 called with

Here's a recap of the #rewards we're giving away in #Zynga #Poker today! (Remember you can get one type of reward per day.) http://zynga.tm/cny http://zynga.tm/fr3 http://zynga.tm/fr2 <-- Pimp Cup collectible.

CAPTION HERE if you’re not willing to back me. In this week’s episode, er, I mean last week’s … Andrew embarks on the Las Vegas Strip low-stakes Summer circuit (Rio, Venetian, Caesars Palace, Bellagio, Aria, Wynn …) only to make a valiant 0-fer run, leaving us time to discuss a caravan of high-stakes cash games sprouting up around town — it’s open-face Chinese blossoming at the Rio, Doyle popping up at the Venetian, and Doyle doing his best Deadmau5 in the Ivey Room. Meanwhile Dave takes a look at the Carnevale of Poker and the fields it draws, and we all get a chuckle out of getting so drunk at the Carnival Court that you’re banned forever from the WSOP. (Surely no one will get that drunk at the premiere party for the online poker documentary Bet Raise Fold, right?) All that and some patch bonuses available for those willing to pimp for WSOP.com, Ultimate Poker, and/or those crazy kinds at QuadJacks. Vegas Grinders 1.18 Download audio file (VG1point18.mp3)

Earlier today Schneider came out on top in a rapid-fire four-handed finish to Event 29 $5,000 H.O.R.S.E.  It was Schneider’s second bracelet of the summer, fourth overall, with both coming in the multiple-game H.O.R.S.E format. The Arizona-native couldn’t have been happier to win another H.O.R.S.E. title. “If you’re just a No-Limit Hold’em player, you really don’t learn a lot of skills that are valuable in poker,” he said. “[Learning H.O.R.S.E.] makes you think really hard about how to play certain games and gives you an edge in all games.” Schneider took down a $258,000 first-place prize for winning his fourth WSOP bracelet. Back in 2007 Schneider put together a spectacular run that included three final tables and two WSOP bracelets. It was enough to earn Schneider WSOP Player of the Year. Considering Schneider now has five cashes at the 2013 WSOP and two bracelets, he’s certainly in the running for this year’s POY. Daniel Negreanu is currently in the lead with just 20 more points than Schneider. Mueller Nearly Misses Becoming 8th Canadian Winner of the Year Greg Mueller   The final four of Event 29 also featured Greg Mueller, Benjamin Scholl and Viatcheslav Ortynsiky but Schneider held a massive chip lead. The entire event was extended by one day when the final four were still battling it out until 2 a.m. yesterday. Mueller had a shot at becoming the astounding eighth Canadian to win a bracelet in this year’s series but instead busted in third place for $129,600. Schneder isn’t done either. He was already thinking about taking a run at third bracelet of the summer just minutes after winning his second. “I feel really good about it,” he said. “I really do. I don’t know what it is. It’s like there’s something in the water or something. I feel like I’m playing well and I’m sensing what’s going on with other players.” Here’s a look at the complete final-table payouts: 1st: Tom Schneider - $318,955 2nd: Benjamin Scholl - $197,228 3rd: Greg Mueller - $129,600 4th: Viatcheslav Ortynsiky - $94,664 5th: Chris Klodnicki - $70,093 6th: Adam Friedman - $52,613 7th: David Benyamine - $40,039 8th: Konstantin Puchkov - $30,876 Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Caesars Interactive Entertainment announced it was forming a social poker development studio to expand the free-to-play World Series of Poker game through its Playtika division. The Montreal-based subsidiary of Caesars Entertainment, which owns the World Series of Poker brand, will add a social gaming format of the tournament to its free-to-play slot machine, casino game and bingo franchises. Caesars acquired Playtika a few years ago to expand its social gaming platform. A Montreal-based team of 19 employees will form the core of Caesars Interactive’s studio. The plan is to expand and enhance the features and functionality of the current World Series of Poker game. Playtika is responsible for all of Caesars Interactive’s social and mobile games assets. Caesars Interactive acquired certain World Series of Poker game assets and intellectual property from Electronic Arts (EA). Under the agreement, EA transferred global rights and ownership of its World Series of Poker game for mobile devices and Facebook to Caesars Interactive, ending a previous licensing agreement. Financial terms of this transaction were not disclosed.

With Black Friday cases winding up, Mark Scheinberg could make out as the biggest winner in the poker universe. The chief executive of online gaming giant PokerStars agreed to forfeit $50 million to federal prosecutors to rid his himself of a two-year-old complaint filed by the U.S. government. In a settlement agreement this week with the Department of Justice, the money being paid by PokerStars CEO Mark Scheinberg is based on allegations contained in the April 15, 2011, complaint filed by federal prosecutors against PokerStars as part of the government’s “Black Friday” crackdown on illegal Internet gaming operations. “The agreement is not in response to any action that had been brought against Mark and contains no admission of wrongdoing, culpability or guilt on his behalf,” PokerStars spokesman Eric Hollreiser said in an emailed statement. Last July, PokerStars accepted a $731 million forfeiture to the federal government to end the company’s legal battle with prosecutors. Three senior officers of PokerStars were charged in April 2011 with bank fraud, money laundering and running an illegal Internet gambling enterprise. The Justice Department absolved the company of any wrongdoing in accepting Internet wagers from American customers. PokerStars also wasn’t prohibited from entering legal U.S. gaming markets. Meanwhile, PokerStars Isle of Man-based parent company has appealed a judge’s May 17 ruling that ended the company’s efforts to acquire an Atlantic City casino. In a filing this week in New Jersey state court, the Rational Group said the judge made several errors, including misinterpreting a time limit for getting the deal done. Hollreiser declined comment on the legal filing. PokerStars wanted the Atlantic Club to serve as the hub for its legal Internet gaming business in New Jersey. The state hopes to launch Internet gaming by Thanksgiving and has restricted operation of the website to Atlantic City’s 12 casinos. The state Gaming Enforcement Division has told the casinos they have until June 30 to arrange Internet gambling deals. New Jersey gaming regulators need time to examine the qualifications and backgrounds of the companies partnering with the casinos. Gibraltar-based online gaming giant Bwin.party is a partner with Boyd Gaming Corp. which operates the Borgata. Caesars Entertainment’s four Atlantic City casinos are partners with 888 Holdings, which operates European online versions of the World Series of Poker for Caesars Interactive Entertainment. Earlier this year, Rational Group agreed to pay $15 million for the Atlantic Club, which would allow PokerStars to become the first online gambling company to own a land-based casino in the United States. Rational Group already paid $11 million of the purchase price, claiming the money was used to keep the Atlantic Club open during the winter. PokerStars said the 120-day deadline should have started from the day their application for state approval to run a casino was deemed complete, not from the date of the sale contract. The Atlantic Club claimed it had the right to end the sale because the Rational Group failed to obtain New Jersey regulatory approval for the deal by an April 26 deadline agreed to by both sides. The Atlantic Club has operated under several names and has been owned since 2005 by Resorts International Holdings, an affiliate of the California-based private real-estate investment firm Colony Capital LLC. The casino suffered a $19.2 million operating loss in 2012, following a nearly $20 million loss in 2011. For the first five months of 2013, gaming revenue at the Atlantic Club is up 27 percent, including an industry-leading 25 percent increase in May. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact reporter Howard Stutz at hstutz@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3871. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.

By Debbie Burkhead Seats are still available for the second annual poker seminar, sponsored by Poker Player Newspaper, with former World Champion, Tom McEvoy, and 2008&rsquo;s Online Player of the Year, David &ldquo;The Maven&rdquo; Chicotsky. Attendees will enjoy a full-day of poker information and lunch, with snacks and beverages served throughout the day. The price of the seminar also includes entry into the 5 pm satellite for a chance to win a $600 seat into the Poker Player of the Year tournament. The seminar will be held in the Conference Center at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas on July 3 with the Poker Player of the Year event on July 4 at noon. The seminar will begin at 9 am-12 pm followed by lunch until 1 pm and end at 4:30 pm. The information you will take away from the seminar is worth many times more than the small fee of $390. Last years&rsquo; attendees placed high in the Poker Player of the Year tournament, proving the value of this expertise. read more

The Borgata Summer Poker Open Championship drew 296 entries and a total buy-in of $740,000, easily covering the $500,000 prize pool guarantee.They'll play down to a winner by Thursday as Day 2 started today with 174 players still in the hunt.Follow all the action at our live tournament blog and check the Borgata Summer Open Schedule for more tournament action. The Open runs to June 21.

STORIES TO WATCH THIS WEEK #1. PokerStars filed a request for interlocutory appeal late last week in connection with their attempt to purchase the Atlantic Club Casino. This week could bring a response from either the ACC or the NJ courts, moving us closer to a final resolution. Read an in-depth analysis of PokerStars’ filing on OPR here. #2. New Jersey regulators recently set a deadline of June 30th for casinos to ink online gambling partnerships . With more than half of the state’s potential operators still unaffiliated, the new deadline could spark a series of deals in the brief window that remains. A deal involving Trump and an as-yet-unnamed partner could come this week. #3. Illinois lawmakers will convene for a special session this week to address the state’s pension crisis. Gambling expansion and pension reform have been joined at the hip politically in Illinois, meaning that if pension reform is on the table, gambling expansion probably is too. Movement on online gambling is a long, long shot, but not completely implausible in a session that could potentially produce unexpected results. … + THE WEEK THAT WAS PokerStars CEO Mark Scheinberg reached a $50mm settlement with the U.S. government. Former Absolute Poker principal Brent Beckley was reportedly released from prison. A key Pennsylvania legislator said online gambling was a dead issue until 2015. PokerStars began investigation of an alleged case of forced disconnection attacks. An interesting attempt to “short” the market for staking poker players failed. OPR OUTPUT On this week’s Rabbit Hunt, Mark and I talk PokerStars’ appeal, Scheinberg’s settlement and controversy over the the growth of hold’em at the WSOP. And I offered what I see as 5 Reasons Rep. Peter King’s Online Gambling Bill is DOA. Finally, I have a new article in the June issue of CEM - “Player Segregation in Online Poker: Fad or Future?” PICKS #GoodRead - Missed this one while I was on vacation, but Grange95 has the most in-depth writeup of thePokerStars Purchase Agreement with the Atlantic Club Casino that I’ve seen anywhere. The OPR Weekly Bulletin is delivered directly to subscribers and appears first at OnlinePokerReport.com. To connect with Chris Grove:  chris@onlinepokerreport.com / @OPReport / Google + / Skype: chrisgrove404.

Poker pro Martin Finger's hopes for a Triple Crown added a second leg when he locked up Event #21 $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em (Six Handed). He battled back for a come-from-behind win in the heads-up battle with Matt Stout. In 2011 Finger won the...