In what is rapidly becoming the format du jour for poker players to demonstrate their prowess, 15-time World Series of Poker champion Phil Hellmuth completed his domination of fellow pro Antonio Esfandiari. Making “The Magician” “disappear,” Hellmuth finished off by winning three consecutive matches and, in the final match, $400,000. PokerGO Program What Poker World… Read more »
Veteran poker pro Sam Grizzle passed away Tuesday after suffering a massive stroke. According to reports from friends close to the situation, the stroke was so bad that Grizzle fell into a coma with no hopes of recovering. His family made the decision to end life support. My introduction to Sam Grizzle was the same… Read more »
Blitzing through a field highly reminiscent of 2019, Matt ‘Bodeyster’ Bode grabbed his first WSOP bracelet in winning the $500 No Limit Hold’em Super Turbo event in slightly more than six hours last night. Finishing off the fourth event of the WSOP.com leg of the 2020 online WSOP, Bode was able to pick up just… Read more »
It is one of the great things to discuss around the bar or during a home game when the drinks and chips are flying. “Who is the greatest poker player of all-time? Who is the G.O.A.T. in poker?” There have been plenty of people who have tried to quantify that answer but, in all honesty,… Read more »
When we’re talking about the different Player of the Year rankings in the poker world, you’ll often hear many grousing about how the “High Roller” tournaments affect the standings. Over the past decade, these tournaments – which are usually identified as those tournaments with a buy-in of $25,000 or more – have become more of… Read more »
At the current time, the poker world has ground to a halt. This has given this writer a chance to catch up with some other media productions that, previously, would have been overwhelmed by the tournaments and other poker politics that’s been going on. One of those things that I’ve caught up with is the… Read more »
The most decorated World Series of Poker player of all time and the most recent WSOP Main Event champion came close to adding to their legacies this week, but close will have to satisfy them, as both fell just short of titles. Phil Hellmuth finished second in the €25,500 Mixed Games Championship and Hossein Ensan… Read more »
The history of tournament poker isn’t a long one. At best it dates back to the 1960s, when the first “Texas Road Gamblers” (the predecessor of the World Series of Poker) convention was held in Reno. Even in 1970, when the late Benny Binion brought the convention to his Horseshoe in Las Vegas and rebranded… Read more »
Everyone knows that Phil Hellmuth has the record for the most World Series of Poker bracelets won (15), but when it comes to the best of those that have never won a piece of the coveted jewelry, it is a lively debate. On Saturday, three men who were arguably atop the list for the dubious… Read more »
The first weekend of the 2019 World Series of Poker will wrap up today, but there’s no rest awaiting those in the Rio on Sunday. Two tournaments will be looking to crown champions while the “BIG 50” enters its final Day One and the Mixed Triple Draw tests the wills of its competitors. “BIG 50”… Read more »
Over the last 50 years, the World Series of Poker has not only become the preeminent tournament poker series in the world but also built up a lengthy and storied history. As this year marks their Golden Anniversary, the WSOP will be commemorating the event with a special evening of honors, called the “First Fifty,”… Read more »
It doesn’t seem like it was that long ago, but the World Poker Tour is in the midst of their Season XVII schedule as we speak. As the final few events prepare to wrap ahead of the 2019 WPT Tournament of Champions, the broadcasts of the prior WPT events that make up Season XVII will… Read more »
If there’s one thing that poker legend Phil Hellmuth is noted for, it is his incessant self-promotion. He could sit back and let his resume do the talking – the 15 World Series of Poker titles, 136 total career cashes and nearly $23 million in career earnings – but the “Poker Brat” isn’t that way.… Read more »
This was written 14 years ago, circa this time of the year, as a way of letting people know that there is more to life than the world of poker. Sure, some of the names have become dated; some may even be, shall we say, despised. But rather than update the names, I’ve always left… Read more »
While it might not be as popular as it once was, reading someone’s guidelines for success in business, athletic endeavors or life in general through a book is a great way to learn. Picking up these useful tools as recounted by successes in that field is also popular in poker, but it has been a… Read more »
After the longest heads-up battle in World Series of Poker Championship Event history, Illinois’ John Cynn was able to outlast Florida’s Tony Miles to capture poker’s World Championship in winning the 2018 WSOP Championship Event. The Early Action Coming to the three-man finale on Saturday night, both Miles (the chip leader) and Cynn were solidly… Read more »
On the whole, behavior by players at the World Series of Poker is good. While there might be occasions that arguments, disagreements and other altercations break out, floor staff and security are usually quick to snuff it out. Two situations have come to light recently, however, which demonstrate either the difficulty of the floor personnel’s… Read more »
One of the biggest days of the World Series of Poker Championship Event is when the money bubble pops. That occurred on Saturday at the 2018 version of the $10,000 spectacle, with the 1182 players determined that will pocket at least a $15,000 payday for their efforts in poker’s greatest event. Event #65 – $10,000… Read more »
The final Day 2 of the 2018 World Series of Poker Championship Event wrapped up its action on Friday night. After all the chips were counted, Ignacio Sanchez – an amateur player who plays the “Main Event” every year as his only poker tournament – emerged with not only the Day 2B lead but the… Read more »
The 2018 World Series of Poker has entered its third weekend of action and the big guns have come out. In one event, an extra day was required to determine a champion while, in another, one of the most prestigious events in the game got underway. Event #27 – $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship After having the… Read more »
The World Poker Tour returns tonight with the inaugural on-air broadcasts of their Season XVI schedule on Fox Sports’ regional network of outlets. There are a few changes to the show, some that haven’t been done since the start of the program back in 2002. For the first time in the history of the WPT,… Read more »
We’re a couple of months away from the 2018 Super High Roller Bowl and, just like previous years, the number of players wanting to take part is more than what will get in. Last night, former SHRB champions Christoph Vogelsang (the defending champion) and Brian Rast were selected to participate, but High Roller regulars Fedor… Read more »
This was originally written in 2006 and, in each subsequent year, it has been tradition for it to be run. Some of the players in the game might not be as well-regarded as they once were but, instead of changing the names, we’ve decided to leave it as it was originally written for posterity’s sake.… Read more »
The Thanksgiving turkey’s carcass has been cast into the trash, people have gotten over their tryptophan comas and life is moving on, so you know what that means…it’s time to start thinking about Christmas! Yes, that delightful time of the year when we look at our loved ones and say to ourselves, “What the heck… Read more »
The second day of the 2017 World Series of Poker Europe is in the books with the close of Day 1B of Event #1, the €1000 No Limit Hold’em Monster Stack. Although Sergio Fernandez would end the day with the Day 1B edge over the 35 players left, it is still Ismael Bojang who can… Read more »
