Random Table Draw

Poker Snow Birds Decend on West Palm Beach (Kennel Club)

2012-02-17T11:00:00.008-08:00

Ace the Poker Bear mugs for the camera with record breaking action behind him.

It's a sell out. It's official. Event #1 of the WSOP Circuit at the Palm Beach Kennel Club is down to those ~~desperate~~ excited enough to get here at 6am to try for the leftover tickets for those who bought ahead and made it though day 1a or 1b or the remaining alternates (capped at 70.) They literally ran out of chips to run any more players today, putting the field up right at 820 for 1b, 750 on 1a plus 220 in an ad hoc 4pm second flight. With tomorrow hitting the 800+ wall as well, my wholly unofficial math puts the potential prize pool well above the $1 million dollar guarantee and make this the second largest tournament in WSOP Circuit history. That prize pool should be right at $1.3 million.

What does this mean? We'll, it shows the power of reasonable buy-in, high guarantee tournaments. It show the size of both the local player base and regional traveling base around Florida. (I met dozens of players from North and Central Florida and traveling players from Georgia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Mississippi.) It shows that the WSOP brand is still a prime selling point. Most importantly, it shows that poker is still alive and well, despite the best efforts of a small group of legislators to cut it out of our lives unless it's sanctioned under the donations of their campaign donors.*

Tournament stalwarts, local heroes and hopeful donkeys all love good action. This kick off for the WSOP-C in South Florida is the perfect way to start the action. Seriously, when West Palm Beach outdraws the action in Las Vegas, Atlantic City and Tunica -- capitals of gambling -- you know they are doing something right. This should mean we have a fantastic turnout for the very reasonably priced $1600 main event in one week.

This stalwart reporter slept on buying tickets early for event #1 (the Kennel Club is selling seats online with PokerTickets.com) and because of that, I had plenty of time to write this blog post, but never saw a hand today. Don't miss out on your shot if you are coming down. Buy in early, buy in frequently and play hard. A ring is within reach.

*Don't get me wrong, I'm not lambasting the country I live in and love, but the process that keeps us free to do what we want be that live in the hills like a hermit, gamble like a fiend on Wall Street or have 2.4 kids, a mortgage and a dog with a 9-5 job. Calling online or home poker a crime on par with domestic abuse or child molestation (we're looking at you Washington state) is not only an embarrassing overreaction but a drastic overuse of legislative force. I mean, I wish people would pick up after their dogs, but I don't think a 5 year prison sentence or a $50,000 is reasonable.

WPT "Raw Deal" Host Tony Dunst does Random Questions

2011-08-25T18:48:00.000-07:00

Season IX is in the books for the world's premier poker tour! It grew by 30% and got it's first million viewer episode making it the best year ever. Some tried to say that the World Poker Tour was grinding down to a nub, but at the masterful hands of Adam Pliska & Company, it's now off Tilt (both figuratively and sponsorship wise) and playing better than ever. But they aren't stopping at just a few tweaks. No, there is a lot more in store for poker fans both casual and hard core. This year we'll get the European Royal Flush Girls, two new OG RFG's, an interactive fan arena, new US stops in Philly and Jacksonville plus more stops in Europe.

The one thing I'm most excited about would have to be the Live Streaming. Starting on August 30th, you'll be able to watch every hand of every final table. Not just a boom cam and some scratchy sound from a single mic, but hole cards, professional production and our old friend Ali Nejad hosting every final table. (For a blast from the past, check out Ali's Random Questions interview from 2008 here.) For poker purists, knowing what happened before the edit is what poker is really all about and where you can learn the most about winning final table play. This is key for the WPT to keep up with the quantum leap in WSOP coverage and the trend set by the EPT so it is not only welcome, it drives up the quality standard for what has become standard in the poker industry.

However, one of the things I'm most excited about is the return of some of the Season IX personalities. Kimberly Lansing as the anchor and Tony Dunst doing the "Raw Deal." Particularly Dunst's skewing of players and honest dissections of hands that add a new and a very enjoyable dimension to the coverage.

Dunst created his own legend on the 2+2 forums and brought it to life on the felt and parlayed that into an audition and a TV role with the WPT. I knew of Tony before we ever did an interview and I've had the honor of discussing several points of poker with him and getting his views for a wide variety of poker topics since, but the most impressive moment was actually after his bustout deep in the 2010 WSOP.

Then, he was most known for his savvy with the ladies and a jaunty pocket square, but that day my opinion of him changed. Tony busted out very deep in the Main Event - a situation that is considered the worst day of the year for any poker player - and instead of being angry, storming off or even being a little dour, he was smiling, happy with his accomplishment and ready for the next challenge in his life. It may be the best I've ever seen anyone take a beat and it really showed me the core of a man that was focused on enjoying life and its triumphs instead of its tragedies. It's a complete shame that I did not have a camera with me then, but I did have one at this year's WSOP and I sat "Bond18" down for a Random Questions round that goes a long way to telling you a bit more about the man behind the chipstack & the camera. Hell -- he even took off his jacket and loosened his tie for you people. And this guy, he does not do that for just anybody...

EDIT: Oh holy S#%*!! I can't believe I forgot the Jess & BJ show!! Season X gets everyone's favorite daily update webcast too! Tune in every day for a catch up, over/unders, inside news and well...bickering.

2011 Florida State Poker Championship Main Event -- And the winner is...

2011-08-03T21:29:00.000-07:00

Remember all those concerns, issues and problems the Final Six were running into yesterday? Well, turns out they were bad enough that the only answer was “Play On!” While play last night was tight and measured, things flipped a on their head overnight.

Mark Hazlett
6th - $52,600

The ‘lack of chop’ seemed to effect last nights chip leader, Mark Hazlett. It only took 20 minutes (about 5 hands) to completely reverse his fortunes. Hazlett, originally from the Ft. Lauderdale area, now living in Satellite Beach, has been playing since he was 18 at Florida State. When he turned 21, he took a trip to Vegas and ended up working with the legendary Jack Binion into the 90s. (He says Binions secret was ‘a fair gamble, any stakes, with great service – never a loyalty card in the place, all comps were hand paid.) Mark turns 50 on August 12, but he would not be getting an early birthday present in this tournament. Variance had a mid life crisis and Mark quickly went home in 6th place for $52,600.

Sam William
5th - $65,750

Our next elimination was a bit ironic. Taking home fifth place was Samal “Sam” William. Sam has been a pro since 2005, primarily playing cash NL and PLO games at Horseshoe Casino in Hammond. The FSPC was only his 10th live tournament and he came down to the FDPC to visit a buddy after grinding cash at the WSOP for 5 weeks. Turned out to be a good trip. He final tabled the bounty event the previous Thursday and even coolered a poker star at the start of the final table. But, that turned right back around on him. Willam clipped Michael Mizrachi’s AA all in on an 8 high flop with A8 when he turned a second eight and sent the day 2 chipleader (and WSOP $50k Player’s Championship final tablist) home in eighth. It was the same Ace-Eight that would crack his pocket Jacks and send him home in fifth for $65,750.

Mukul Pauja
4th - $92,050

Next to go was Mukul Pahuja. Mukul, who has been playing since 2004, playing seriously for two years and playing for a living for the last 4 months, would see his fledgling poker career grab a nice bankroll builder. He would not take home the title though as a classic cooler got him four handed. He woke up with pocket Kings only to have Connor Drinan’s pocket aces slam the snooze alarm on his championship dreams. The bankroll gets a $92, 050 infusion to start him off on his road to poker stardom. I've seen a lot of Mukul in the Florida card rooms lately and he is a class act, so I hope we see a lot more of him soon.

Byron Kaverman
3rd - $144,650

24 year old pro Byron Kaverman of Medina, Ohio – a former online MTT specialist now searching for a living on the live felt – would be the next to fall. Byron is an extremely quiet player at the table, taking in everyone’s every move. That kind of attention to detail helped him take down a $5k 8max NLH event at the PCA this year for a score that would come close to a win here – but sadly much more than the $144,650 he would take home for third. His AJ out flopped Connor’s TT, hitting two pair and looking very solid, but the Ten on the turn changed everything and when he could not river a boat, he found the rail.

Ganesh "some_novice" Letchumanan
2nd 223,550

Ganesh “some_novice” Letchumanan, a self described ‘weekend player’ from Falls Church, VA came down for a long weekend and the poker tournament. When he made the final table, he also had to make up an excuse for his boss about why he would not be returning on Monday (and again on Tuesday.) While he claims to have just ‘caught cards and ran like a god’ up to this point, he does have some success in his resume. He’s won $20 & $50 rebuys on Stars and even final tabled the infamous $100 rebuy. He wanted to thank the forums on 2+2 for helping him build his poker knowledge thanks to the solid contributors that posted there. The 2+2 community might be looking for a stake now that Ganesh as $233,550 in his pocket. Letchumanan made a stand with K8 and could not win a race with the eventual champ Connor “Blanconegro” Drinan, who took it down with a lowly pair of deuces.

Connor "blanconegro" Drinan
Champion - $378,719

Connor, a recent graduate of Indiana University, has now found him self with the time and the need to travel. Black Friday shut down his very lucrative career as a dominant force in online multi-table tournaments. He has final tabled the Sunday Million three times (2nd, 4th and 9th) and combined with his scores in other majors on all the ‘big three’ sites his work has netted Connor over $1.2 million in his brief career. Live, things had not be as good. While he traveled the EPT circuit before turning 21 (ironically, because of school commitments, he played more his senior year of High School than any other year) he only cashed in two live tournaments previous to this one. Another piece of irony? He was one of four out of the 8 final table players that grew up learning the game in the Chicagoland/Indiana border area (he grew up in Arlington Heights, IL.)

While this win was off camera, it is a breakthrough win for Drinan and sure to be one that launches his live career. Dridan withstood a rollercoaster chip stack ride on the way to the final table, but got a solid feel for the live players around him and put the online winning experience to work like a seasoned ‘leather-ass’ from the card room. Connor Drinan takes home $378,719 dollars and the Florida State Poker Championship Main Event trophy and ‘BlancoNegro’ started writing his legend on the pages of live poker history.

Your FSPC Main Event Champion -- Scooping chips on his way to the title.

Florida State Poker Championship Part Deux - ALMOST the end of days.

2011-08-02T11:21:00.001-07:00

Some things are best left to the people. Certainly democracy has it’s place in this great country…even if it won’t help you balance the national checkbook…but when the final 30 in a tournament with just 29 getting paid say “that’s a wrap” well, then that’s a wrap. That is exactly what Director of Poker Mike Smith was facing when the time ran out on level 18 last night and the players decided to pack it in, just one away from the money bubble.

The forums at 2+2 and certainly the onlookers at the Isle Casino in Pompano Park, Florida thought this was strange, but that is how it happened. One from the bubble, play ended for the day and they all came back to fight it out the Monday at high noon. And fight they did.

It took 50 minutes – despite almost a dozen very short stacks in the field – to determine the overnight bubble boy. That dubious honor went to John Dobson who, I’m sure, went home to a combination of everyone’s delight and sympathy. Such is the fate of bubble boy.

I’ll post the pre-final table cash rankings below, but needless to say, it was a pretty quick knock down, drag out fight to the final table from there. After taking nearly an hour to drop one, the field made the final table about four hours later a little past 5 PM. The eliminations would include tour regular Todd Terry in 25^th, Sunny Isles Beach local Noah Schwartz in 23^rd, Scarlett’s proprietor Mike Beasley in 13^th and young gun Andrew “LuckyChewy” Lictenberger in 11^th. While the final table had a few newly minted pros, the marquee face of the final 8 was Robert Mizrachi.

(Note: Check out running chip counts on Twitter @IsleCasinoPP)

Robert had held the chip lead at the start of day 2, but took two quick, very large shots to his stack to get knocked down to nearly half. In a testament to his professionalism and dedication, he did not let it deter him and held on through the day and fought his way up on day three (18^th place) to hit the final table in good shape. His elimination was cold. Mizrachi was in the big blind and was raised by Samar ‘Sam’ William in the small blind. Rob raised and Sam flatted and they saw an 8 high flop come down with two diamond. William checked, Mizrachi bet and Sam shoved over the top. Mizrachi did not waste much time calling holding two red aces and was WAY ahead of William’s As8s but the turn immediately brought on of Sam’s outs and the 8h left @PokerRob24 drawing to the case ace that did not materialize. Instead of a comeback victory, the elder Mizrachi settled for 8^th place and $35,505.

It took 2 hours of final table play to get Mizrachi and the pace would continue to crawl as it took 2 more hours to claim the next victim. Matthew O’Donnell, a former USF student who turned to poker 3 years ago after continued success online, was the next to go. The Terre Haute native had been bashed around pretty good and 4 bet all pre flop in vs. Byron Kaverman who called with JJ. O’Donnell’s KQo was in a race situation and while the 9A7J4 board gave a bit of a sweat, he would lose that race and become crippled. Hoping to find a spot, Matthew folded the next 4 hands until he was all in for the BB and when Ganesh Letchumanan 3 bet from the small blind vs. Connor Drinan, he knew he was in trouble. Ganesh showed two black kings and O’Donnell flipped his hand to find 54o. Ganesh flopped top set and turned a full house (ironically with 4s) and Matthew O’Donnell was eliminated in 7^th for $39,450.

Play went through almost two levels without an elimination and it was approaching the cut-off to bring the final 6 back for a day 4. Discussions of a chop had been bantered since they were 7 handed but young guns O’Donnell and Kaverman held firm against it. Mark Hazlett, a Satellite, FL real estate man who had spend the 80s working for Jack Binion at the famous Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas, kept captaining the early equal division as he chipped up inching in front of Mukul and Connor. It’s anti-climatic to finish such a big event with a chop, but with no TV glory at stake and somewhere between 3^rd and 2^nd place money available to take home – it’s hard to deny the allure of guaranteed money. Especially when you could be leaving 6 figures on the table if just one hand turns against you. Counter to that, everyone still had almost even chips with average holding almost 25 big blinds – and no one was far off the average – so it was still anyone’s game. The short stack could double through to chipleader, but it was getting tight.

In the end, with 30k/60k/5k blinds looming and 1.5 million as the chip average, the table decided to table the discussion overnight. While plans for a hybrid decision (guarantee X and play for the rest) seemed to be winning, the stark reality of modern poker kicked in. 4 out of the final six were pros and a couple of them had backers. They’d have to clear any chop through them and there were make-up considerations to add to players profits. Top that off with Uncle Sam wanting his cut and casinos not being inclined to report earnings as chopped and you have a very sticky situation. Wednesday at three PM (right after this posting) you can expect to find out the decision, but it’s likely to have some money saved – hey, the economy is tight!

This author could not help but be struck by how much the above chop scenario mimicked the US Governments debate on the debt ceiling. There were movements to save face, hardliners, moves that failed and an eventual compromise that moved the hard decision further down the calendar. Ah poker – you are such a versatile teacher. Thankfully, with rising antes, no one can filibuster the whole damn thing (though some people can seem dead set on trying!)

The Final Six return like this:

Table:Seat:Name:Chip Count

29-1 Samar William 990,000
29-3 Connor Drinan 1,555,000
29-4 Mukul Pahuja 1,825,000
29-5 Ganesh Letchumanan 1,505,000
29-7 Mark Hazlett 2,001,000
29-8 Bryon Kaverman 1,480,000

Everyone else got paid out like this:

9^th Sharon Levin $32,875

10^th Robert Zlatkiss $30,903

11^th Andrew Lictenberger $28,930

12^th Zach Milchman $26,958

13^th Mike Beasley $24,985

14^th Gabor Peteri $23,670

15^th Brian Hawkins $22,355

16^th Cesar Fuentes Moncada $21,040

17^th Norman Zapczynski $19,725

18^th Eric Andrews $18,410

19^th Overson Benoit $17,095

20^th Chris Dombrowski $15,780

21^st Christopher Bolek $12,000

22^nd Luis Torres $12,000

23^rd Noah Schwartz $12,000

24^th Amir Ashmawy $12,000

25^th Todd Terry $12,000

26^th Roger Goindoo $10,000

27^th Nader Bahhur $10,000

28^th Cong Pham $10,000

29^th Sam Monks $10,000

Florida State Poker Championship, Isle Casino Pompano Park, FL

2011-08-01T13:26:00.000-07:00

For the poker pro, Black Friday was almost universally bad. While a few have found solace and the occasional silver lining in their newfound social time with other players, for most, it means that they have had to hit the road. So, if you are doing your job well as a poker pro (looking for value & maximizing returns) you want to find a nice, big buy in tournament where you have an edge. Enter the Florida State Poker Championship in Pompano Beach, Florida at the Isle Casino. A non-televised, $5000 buy in Main Event (and quite a nice selection of prelims) full of satellite-entered locals, some tough-ish spots with locals grinders and maybe a touring pro or two. Oh, and the million dollar guarantee is nice too.

...Turns out, more than a few displaced pro's thought the very same thing and opted for a working vacation on the sunny beaches and air-conditioned casinos of South Florida. Along with the Florida born superstar Jason Mercier, we saw Christian Harder, Ebony Kenny, Micah Raskin, Stuart Paterson and WSOP Ladies Champion Marsha Wolek make a run at it but fall short on day 1a & b. But, we were no where near done with the all-star poker pro roll-call. Robert Mizrachi, the often overshadowed but equally talented brother to Michael "The Grinder", came into day 2 with the chip lead at T189,400. Also finishing day 1 with a big stack where Massachusetts native and WPT Seminole Shootout champion Taylor VonKriegenbergh, local entertainment tycoon Mike Beasley, online superstar Connor "BlancoNegro" Drinan and Bluff Player of the Year Thomas "Kings of Cards" Marchese. Locking up seats in day two as well were November Niner John Racener, WPT final tablist Shawn Cunix, Todd Terry, Cory Ziedman, Andrew "LuckyChewy" Lichtenberger, Matt Waxman, Adam Katz, Paul Volpe, David Paredes, Jamie Rosen, Noah Schwartz, former FSPC champion and PCA champ Harrison Gimbel, WPT Champion Dwyte Pilgrim, colorful Steven "Cuz" Buckner, Darryll "Best name in poker" Fish, Shawn Busse, Raj "BadCardsAA" Vohra and Andy Seth.

When all was said and done, 283 runners showed up creating a $1,415,000 and a first prize of over $387,000. An amazing achievement for a little known race track casino that has continued to invest in and promote this amazing south Florida poker event.

It may be a beautiful room with a view, but the players were not wasting any time staring at the scenery. By the end of the first days 140 players had hit the rail but we were still looking at what could be a long play down to the final table since there were only 9 levels and the rest would have to return on Monday to play down to a final table. But action started fast and furious and stayed that way. 6 players busted in the first 20 minutes and it was on from there. Players ran well past the estimated finishing number of 45 and finished with 30 runners when the clock ticked down. Interesting bit there as 29 were getting paid -- so one player was going all the way back on Monday to go home broke. Maybe they'll get a buffet comp.

Anyway -- when the cards went back in the air, early chip leader for the day Andrew "LuckyChewy" Lichtenberger had slipped a bit on a roller coaster ride along the top of the chip charts to finish well behind local hero Brian Hawkins had rocketed to over a million. Other than 'LuckyChewy', the pros did not finish too high on the rankings (or survive the day) leaving the locals and the yet-to-be-known internet kiddos to dominate the top of the charts. Local big tournament veteran and entrepreneur Mike Beasley topped the touring players list at 15th, followed by Jersey Grinder Todd Terry in 16 while Robert Mizrachi faded losing 100k early in the day to rally back and start Monday in 18th and cash game specialist Noah Schwartz brought up the tail end of our pro-watch in 27th. WPT Champ VonKreigenbergh bubbled the almost-bubble final day and Dwyte Pilgrim, Andy Seth and Darryll Fish all got close, but did not make the money cut.

It is still anybody's game and here's what it looked like as we started the penultimate day of the tournament, looking to make the final table:

Table:Seat:Name:Chip Count

23-9 Brian Hawkins 1,070,000
23-6 Andrew Lichtenberger 695,000
29-4 Connor Drinan 684,000
28-1 Sharon Levin 450,000
23-1 Roger Goindoo 437,000
23-7 Bryon Kaverman 432,000
30-5 Mark Hazlett 396,000
29-8 Samar William 385,000
23-2 Matt O'Donnell 383,000
30-7 Cesar Fuentes 365,000
30-4 Zack Milchman 359,000
30-1 Luis Torres 350,000
29-9 Gabor Peteri 335,000
28-3 Eric Andrews 291,000
30-3 Mike Beasley 275,000
28-4 Todd Terry 235,000
30-8 Norman Zapczynski 222,000
28-2 Robert Mizrachi 210,000
29-6 Chirs Borek 205,000
28-6 Cong Pham 204,000
29-1 Chris Dombrowski 180,000
23-3 Robert Zlatkiss 179,000
29-2 Nader Bahhur 148,000
28-9 Ganesh Letchumanan 145,000
28-5 Ovenson Benoit 141,000
29-3 Sam Monks 131,000
28-7 Noah Schwartz 127,000
30-2 John Dobson 124,000
23-5 Amir Ashmawy 117,000
30-9 Mukul Pahuja 110,000

And here is what they are playing for:

1st $378,719
2nd $223,550
3rd $144,650
4th $92,050
5th $65,750
6th $52,600
7th $39,450
8th $35,505
9th $32,875
10th $30,903
11th $28,930
12th $26,958
13th $24,985
14th $23,670
15th $22,355
16th $21,040
17th $19,725
18th $18,410
19th $17,095
20th $15,780
21st $12,000
22nd $12,000
23rd $12,000
24th $12,000
25th $12,000
26th $10,000
27th $10,000
28th $10,000
29th $10,000

For photos from the event, click the happy little scrolling box in the top left or just watch them roll by. More videos from some great interviews once I get time to produce them.

The Brat is back? Phil Hellmuth Jr. emerges as POY front-runner at 2011 WSOP

2011-06-23T06:38:00.000-07:00

The "Poker Brat" is stunning the poker world again at the World Series of Poker. No, he hasn't claimed a record setting bracelet #12. No, he isn't doing a Main Event entrance in Lady Gaga Drag. BUT, he's made two major final tables -- both in NON No Limit Hold 'Em events, coming runner up in each! He's on top of the leader-board now, but can he maintain his spot?

People have bashed the bellicose Hellmuth for years for his antics, the fact that all his bracelets are only in one discipline of poker and the fact that others are catching up but the Brat says all that is changing. In this telling video -- shot at the LA Poker Classic in March of 2011 -- we hear how things have changed since his two WPT Meltdowns (Bay 101 and WPT Championship in 2010), what his plans for the future are and maybe...just maybe...the secret to his new non-Hold 'Em success. Since this video we've heard about Phil getting punished (and winning) in the Aria mixed games with the likes of Shawn Deeb and Jean-Robert Bellande (who are both having great runs this year) and it seems like these 'sweat lodge' sessions have paid off. I know Hellmuth knows how to play games other than Hold 'Em and he's even won tournaments back in the day. (He proudly, and poignantly showed me his 7-stud trophy when I visited his home to do the interview/cover-story you hear about in the interview.) But the "new Phil" mentioned in both the article and the video is a Phil that is -- first and foremost -- back to being a 'full time player' after taking the last 7 years on a limited schedule to take time for family and business ventures. A "new Phil" dedicated to the right mindset. A "new Phil" studying the game and applying strategy and his historic poker acumen to the "new game."

Then again...the Brat shows up now and again. About 7min20sec in, you'll hear a beauty, but at least he catches himself. And then you might feel a little sorry for the guy (okay...probably not) when you hear him lauding his future opportunities with all sorts of site sponsorship, a new 'poker job' and all the opportunities open to him that fizzled thanks to Black Friday (Or, like Dancing with the Stars, sheer rational reality.) you see that dreaded date in April hit Phil just like the rest of us mere mortals. The question is -- can the Brat overcome himself?

This video from earlier this year does a pretty good job showing the Black-and-Gold Butterfly trying to emerge with a new attitude, a new branding and hopefully without the need to make an grandiose entrance into this year's Main Event.

The world is close to coming to an end. Close, but not quite "Mayan 2012" status yet. Allen "Chainsaw" Kessler nearly takes home WSOP gold and Phil Hellmuth Jr. nearly captures a non-Hold 'Em title twice in one series and is threatening for the WSOP Player of the Year.

If you wrote your autobiography, what would the title be?

2011-05-23T10:37:00.001-07:00

Who the hell gave me a book deal? The tale of a lucky sucker.

Ask me to find out whatever you want at tournaments, of your favorite players or just random questions!

Seminal Seminole Shootout at the Hard Rock Casino, Hollywood, FL USA

2011-05-04T23:21:00.000-07:00

Tour: WPT
Location: Hollywood, FL
Venue: Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hard Rock LIVE arena
Dates: April 27th to May 2nd

433 Turn out for Florida's first ever World Poker Tour Championship, New Poker Made Millionaire Crowned

The energy and size of the first ever WPT stop in Florida could not be contained in a poker lounge or ballroom. Nope, it had to be head in an arena! Just like the frequently visting Hair Bands, Power Balladeers and the Monsters of Metal, the World Poker Tour put on a hell of a show at Hard Rock Live venue. Tables lined every bit of the floor space and by the end of registration at the start of day two...they almost needed every one. Even with EPT San Remo going on across the Atlantic and the Borgata Spring tournament series to the north, 433 runners ponied up $10,000 to create a massive prize pool and a $1.2 million first prize.

The pros in the field...and there were several...faded as the field barreled along towards the finish and even though some fairly well known grinders finished early days with the chip lead (Randy Dorfman Day 1,Todd Terry Day 2) the young guns and unknowns took over from there. Young Taylor Von Kriegenbergh continued a rookie hot streak to jumped into the chip lead on Day 3. In fact, the top four on Day 3 which included Abbey Daniels, Justin Zaki and former WPT Champion Tommy Vedes -- would all carry the momentum forward to the final table on a very fast paced day day with Daniels and Von Kriegenberg pushing the action. Meanwhile, the remaining two: The caustic Vegas pro Allen Bari and the WPT regular Curt Kohlberg (making his 3 final table on the tour) would come back from the short stacks to reach the magical, mystical TV final table. Here is how they came in:

1 Taylor Von Kriegenbergh 4,384,000
2 Justin Zaki 2,197,000
3 Abbey Daniels 2,192,000
4 Allen Bari 1,984,000
5 Tommy Vedes 1,570,000
6 Curt Kohlberg 655,000

Tomy Vedes

First out was WPT Champion Tommy Vedes. Particularly disappointing after he built his moderate stack into the chiplead only to have it crushed when he made the nut straight against Abbey Daniels rivered flush and then took a cold decking when he flopped top pair with a flush draw (Kh9h) vs. the 56o of Curt Kohlberg on a 9c5h6h flop -- despite even better odds when the turn brought the 7d, Vedes could not find that winning magic again and would go home before the rest of the table with a hair over $166k. Vedes, bursting onto the scene with his Festa al Lago win in Season 8, has been a monster on the tour with 4 cashes and two final tables in two seasons. One can only bet that hard charging, soft spoken New Yorker will be back again soon

Allen Bari

Vitriolic Vegas veteran Allen Bari made a great run from a low stack on Day 3 to make the final table, but the run was stopped when, down to just over a million, he reraised all in over Justin Zaki's opening raise and was called. Bari needed to when a race as his AdTd was up against a pair of fives. The pair held up though and Allen was on the rail in fifth taking home about $212k for himself and his backer. Despite a huge pro-heavy rail and his deepest run in the WPT, Bari was not happy to go out on a flip. When asked about that and what he'll do next he stated "This sucks, to go out like that against these idiots. Horrible. I guess this would make a decision to quit easier. I'll probably head out for Madrid and Las Vegas for the WPT Championships if I don't kill myself.

Abbey Daniels

The home crowd was behind local player Abbey Daniels. Daniels, two time CEO and 55 year old band mom, was playing in her third WPT Main Event and had fearlessly rose to the chip lead and maintained it right up until the final table. Abby kept the heat on and, once she fell to less than 12 big blinds, adopted a "shove or fold" strategy for Ace-7 or better and any pair. She got it in on a flip holding A8o versus the sixes of Curt Kohlberg. When the board ran out 5c 3h 2h 7s 3d she got a heavy sweat, but would not continue her race for a WPT title and the honor of being the first female to win a WPT open championship. As the current CEO of a medical-device start up, it's unlikely that it was the first time she hoisted a $287,000 check, but it must have felt good to earn it all for herself and not her shareholders.

Justin Zaki

The final three would set off the longest set of play without an elimination since the marathon to bust Vedes out in 6th. The trio traded chip leads, stacks and quips with each other an the rail and, right before the elimination of Justin Zaki, had pulled almost dead even in stack sizes having less than 2 big blinds of difference between them and 15 BB average stacks. This isn't your local Sunday afternoon tournament though, this is the World Poker Tour, so don't think we'll be looking at a chop. The last Floridian standing, Zaki was no rookie to tournament poker, but in his biggest potential cash to date, he would go no further than 3rd when he called Taylor Von Kriegenburg's all in from the button holding AJo to find himself in good shape versus the agressive young pro's 6c7c. But as so often is the case when you are only 60/40, the game can fall away in a hurry. The "Kriegenbeast" spiked a 6 on the turn and it was all over. Zaki took home an impressive $415,680 for third and he and his boisterous crowd set out to celebrate the bittersweet "win" inside the confines of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Curt Celebrates

The elimination of Zaki left WPT Veteran and (according to long time poker media, all around-nice guy) Curt Kohlberg at a massive chip disadvantage. Von Kriegenberg held a 11,125,000 chip to 1,185,000 chip lead over Kohlberg (who had fell to the back of the pack after the final three pulled even) but Curt still fought valiantly to the end. But when it got in, Kohlberg did have the best of it. Von Kriegenberg continued to shove with anything playable and Curt found a hand to make his stand with, AsTc. Taylor showed his Q8o and we were off to another race with the short stack in the lead. But the flop went the way of the chip leader, falling Qs4s4dQhKh and sending the veteran Kohlberg home with $586,109 and crowning Taylor Von Kriegenberg with the Seminole Hard Rock Showdown title. While it was Curt Kohlberg's third final table, it was his deepest finish (5th both other times) and he felt some satisfaction in the fact that early in the final table, he won his first coin-flip ever when his AK held up against 99 to get him off the short stack.

Our newest WPT Champion exploded onto the scene about 6 months ago and had amazing live success after playing exclusively online before venturing out the the PokerStars Big Event in Los Angeles final tabling the main event and finishing 4th in his first live major. He then followed the NAPT to Mohegan Sun where he cashed in the main event in 18th and then finished 5th in the High Roller Bounty Shootout. This win marks not only his first championship, but the largest win in the young Boston pro's short but stellar history. There is a lot of speculation about how well Von Kriegenberg will do in the upcoming end of the poker season. With his seat now paid for at the $25,000 WPT Championship and the WSOP looming right after, it could be that the WPT Title is just the thing to kick of a legendary year and truly cement the nickname of "VonKriegenbeast." That is, as Kriegenberg noted, if he can stay motivated when he feels like he is being "forced" to play and gets involved in more than just the two main events. As funny as that may sound to the average player, motivation and mindset are a huge part of the game, so we'll wait patiently to see what he does. In the meantime, he's leading the rookie squad on my fantasy poker team at the WSOP this year.

WPT Champion of the Seminole Hard Rock Showdown, Taylor Von Kriegenber poses with his cash, the Royal Flush Girls and the hosts of the WPT Broadcast, Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten. He ran out of things to do while posing with the cash piles...

1st: Taylor Von Kriegenbergh - $1,122,340

2nd: Curt Kohlberg - $586,109

3rd: Justin Zaki - $415,680

4th: Abbey Daniels - $286,819

5th: Allen Bari - $211,997

6th: Tommy Vedes - $166,272

Welcome to your seat on the Poker Tournament trail via Random Table Draw

2011-04-28T17:53:00.000-07:00

Giving you an seat at the biggest and most exciting tournaments in the world with pictures, interviews and coverage with professional poker's biggest stars. This is your Random Table Draw.