2010 World Series of Poker Final Table Set

7,319 poker players each paid the $10,000 buy-in for the 2010 World Series of Poker World Championship, a $10,000 buy-in, No Limit Hold'em tournament.747 places were paid with the top winner guaranteed an astonishing first place prize of $8,944,138, and of course a very prestigious WSOP gold bracelet.

The final table for the 2010 WSOP World Championship will be played out on November 9, 2010. The top 9 players who comprise the final table include:

Seat No. 1: Jason Sentl, a 25 year-old poker pro from St. Louis Park, Minnesota, who will mark his first time to cash at the WSOP. Jason Sentl has a chip stack of 7,625,000.

Seat No. 2: Joseph Cheong, a 24 year-old poker pro from Li Marada, California, who sits at a chip stack of 23,525,000.

Seat No. 3: John Dolan, a 24 year-old poker pro from Bonita Springs, Florida, who has six WSOP cashes including three in this year's WSOP. John Dolan has a chip stack of 46,250,000.

Seat No. 4: Joanthan Duhamel, a 24 year-old poker pro from Boucherville, Quebec, who marks his third time to cash at this year's WSOP. Jonathan Duhamel is the current chip leader with 65,975,000.

Seat No. 5: Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, a 29 year old poker pro from Miami, Florida, who won his first WSOP gold bracelet in the 2010 Poker Player's Championship, and has final tabled in three events and cashed in four events this WSOP. This marks his fourth final table, and his fifth cash, and possibly his second WSOP gold bracelet. Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi is a top contender for 2010 WSOP Player of The Year. His stack sits at 14,450,000.

Seat No. 6: Matthew Jarvis, a 25 year-old poker pro from Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, who marks his first time to cash at the WSOP. He has a chip stack of 16,700,000.

Seat No. 7: John Racener, a 24 year-old poker pro from Port Richey, Florida, who is one of the stars of the national WSOP Circuit, including a 2007 WSOP Circuit Main Event championship. His current stack is at 19,050,000.

Seat No. 8: Filippo Candio, a 26 year-old poker pro from Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy, and has a chip count of 16,400,000.

Seat No. 9: Cuong "Sui" Nguyen, a 37 year old medical supplies salesman and the only amateur at the final table, who has the shortest stack with 9,650,000.

2010 WSOP: Tomer Berda Wins Event 56

1,942 poker players vied for the total net prize pool of $4.4 Million in Event 56 of the 2010 World Series of Poker, a $2,500 buy-in No Limit Hold'em tournament. 198 places were to be paid with the biggest prize of $825,976 going to the big winner Tomer Berda, who also wins a WSOP gold bracelet.

Tomer Berda is a 34 year-old Israeli Software Developer, who now resides in Menlo, California. It was the fourth time for Tomer Berda to cash in the WSOP. His most notable previous cash was a fifth place finish in Event 5 of the 2010 WSOP. After that, he endured 12 straight non-cashes before finally breaking through with a huge victory.

It was also a tough-climb as he head to overcome a 3-to-1 chip disadvantage in heads-up play.

“I never lost hope. I think he was playing better than me. I am supposed to be a good player heads-up. He was playing better than me, heads-up – I have to admit. But I was lucky because I did manage to win a coin flip and then another two big pots. So, I was lucky on the big pots. But he kept chopping me down. I was lucky to win the pots that mattered most,” explained Tomer Berda.

The runner up was Vladimir Kochelaevskiy from Moscow, Russia, and was paid $510,939, marking his fourth time to cash at the WSOP.

The third-place finisher was 25 year old poker pro Bryan Porter from Wilmington, North Carolina, who cashed for the second time this year worth $353,260.

The fourth-place finisher was Salvatore Bonavena from Cessaniti, Italy, who marked his second time to cash in a WSOP event, and got paid $254,777.

The fifth-place finisher was 39 year old poker pro and WSOP gold bracelet winner Mike Wattel from Scottsdale, Arizona, who now has 25 career cashes at the WSOP, earning $186,250 for this finish.

The sixth-place finisher was 35 year old Hungcheng Hung from Taipei, Taiwan, who marked his second time to cash this year, which paid $137,946.

The seventh-place finisher was Ali Alawadhi from Longwood, Florida, who marked his second WSOP final table appearance to win $103,527 in prize money.

The eighth-place finisher was 24 year old pro gambler Joseph Curcio from New York, New York, who marked his second time to cash at the WSOP, which paid $78,705.

The ninth-place finisher was Alfonso Amendola from Catania, Italy, who earned $60,580.

Former WSOP gold bracelet finishers who cashed in this event included – Mike Wattel (5th), James Mackey (10th), David Baker (35th), Jason Dewitt (65th), “Captain” Tom Franklin (83rd), David Singer (87th), Dan Heimiller (129th), and Jamie Gold (195th).

This was Dan Heimiller’s seventh time to cash this year. He is having one of his best WSOP years ever, having achieved six five-figure payouts.

Craig Marquis, who was one of the inaugural “November Nine,” finished in 16th place. Marquis finished 9th in the 2008 Main Event.

Poker Bankroll Update

The life of tournament poker can be very difficult. Good play, good decisions and a good call can sometimes still succumb to the dangers of an unfortunate bad beat, and just when things were going well - they turn for the worse - and you're out of the tournament.

In the past month, I've played (1) The Filipino Poker Tour 14; (2) The FHM Sexy Poker Night Last Leg; (3) The APT Resorts World Manila Satellite Series #2; (4) The Php 40,000 Guaranteed at Resorts World; and (5) The Php50,000 Guaranteed Freeroll at Resorts World.

I free-rolled for The Filipino Poker Tour 14, winning a seat from The KC Show, and did not win anything. Zero risk, Zero win, although zero risk and winning Php 2 Million would've been so much juicier. I didn't go home empty-handed. I still got to play at the 25/50 cash table of The Metro, and got a decent pay-out. After busting out of the FPT14, I cashed out 13K from a 25/50 table, buying in for only 3K. Buy-in: Php3,000. Cash-Out: Php13,000. Profit: Php10,000.

At the FHM Sexy Poker Night Last Leg at The Metro Card Club, I bought in for Php2,000 and did not cash at the tournament. I also lost 8,000 at the 25/50 cash tables. Not a good poker day. Total Buy-In: Php10,000. Cash-out: 0 Profit: - Php10,000.

Back to Zero Balance.

I played a mid-week cash game at the 50/100 cash tables of the Resort World, and bought in for Php10,000 and cashed out Php30,000 by getting a lucky streak of flopped nut flushes that got paid off well. Buy-in: Php10,000. Cash-out: Php30,000. Profit: Php20,000.

Feeling the success of that day, I came back again the next day to the 50/100 cash tables of the Resort World, and bought-in again for Php10,000 and cashed out Php27,000, playing really well, and making most of my money from someone trying to bluff me off my top set of 10s on the flop. Buy-in: Php10,000. Cash-out: Php27,000. Profit: Php17,000.

On the weekend, I played a Mega Satellite for the APT Resortd World Satellite Series 2, and bought in for 500. I didn't cash on that tourney or win a seat. Instead, I played the 25/50 cash tables at the Resorts World, and turned my 4K buy-in to a 8.5K cash out, winning a very tricky hand with my pocket 6s on a board with a lot of outs and draws, and thankful that none of them hit. Total buy-ins: Php4,500. Cash-Out: Php8,500. Profit: Php4,000.

That same night, I went to the "New York Home Game" at a good friend's house, and lost Php1,500 on the single table tournament, but had a very fun time enjoying drinks and great conversation with friends I haven't seen in a long time. Buy-in: Php1,500. Cash-out: 0. Profit: -Php1,500.

The next day I played at the APT RWM Satellite Series 2 at Resorts World, and bought in for Php5,000. I didn't make it in the money despite playing a bit well. I got screwed with a set 5s over set of Tens, and a very unfortunate two pair of A-10 that got rivered by a K to lose to an AK two pair.I still had a manageable big stack. I got dented when my AK flopped two pair on a A- K-2 board, and was pushed all in by someone trying to make a play with KJ. Unfortunately for me a 10 on the turn and a Q on the river made him a runner-runner straight (SICK!!!), and I became extremely short stacked to die a natural death to the blinds. The few times I pushed all-in, I only stole blinds and antes, and it wasn't enough to keep me going any longer when the blinds where about to increase and the big blind covering my stack. After busting out, I headed to the 50/100 cash table, and managed to cash out 26K after buying in for 10K, enough to win back my tourney buy-in and then some. Buy-ins: Php15,000, Cash-out: Php26,000 Profit: Php11,000.

On my own friendly 5/10 home game - I managed to cash out 5K from a 1,000 buy-in, playing tighter than usual in a game filled with loose calls and big moves, and unusually big pots for a 5/10 cash game. It's always good to be around the home game guys to catch up and wind down with some cards. Buy-in: Php1,000. Cash-out: Php5,000. Profit: Php4,000.

I bought in for Php500 at the Resorts World 40K Guaranteed, and did not expect the turbo structure of the tournament. I didn't last too long. Instead, I tried my luck at the 25/50 cash table, and did well enough to cash out Php8,000 from my Php4,000 buy-in, doubling up with my AA vs someone's KK on a low flop of 7-8-4. It was easy for me, I bet out the pot of 700, and the KK pushed me all-in for Php3,500, and I easily made the call. Buy-ins: Php4,500. Cash-out: Php8,000. Profit: Php3,500.

A few days after, I played the Forbes Park home tournament, and it was the only tourney win I did make this month. I won first place for 5K after outlasting 12 players for a Php500 buy-in, and didn't have to make a re-buy. Buy-in: Php500. Cash-out: Php5,000. Profit: Php4,500.

So far, up Php62,500.

I played the Resorts World 50K Freeroll, and made a great start to push me up the leaderboard in chips. A few duty calls with my big stack actually had me ahead preflop, but getting unfortunate on the board. My 10s losing to 9s, who turned a set, and my AJ dominating an A4 suited who caught his flush on the river. I could've gone deep, but instead I busted maybe 27th out of 90+ players and only 10 to get paid. As usual, I played the 25/50 cash table, but unfortunately lost Php3,000, mostly to an old lady who couldn't help but keep calling with any two cards to bad beat my big cards like JJ and AK with cards like, 9-4 (she flopped two pair against my JJ) and K-3 (she rivered the 3 to give her two pair against my AK all-in on the turn.)
Buy-in: Php4,000. Cash-out: Php1,000. Profit. -Php3,000.

I played the Pacific Place single table tourney, and was one of the few to make a rebuy, and lost Php4,000. I also got taken down for Php2,000 at the 25/50 cash game. However, I did win Php4,000 on side bets when I correctly guessed the hole cards of each player in a particular hand. Well, not down to the letter, but I did manage to guess who was on a straight draw, who had a mid-pair waiting to see the turn, and who hit two pair or better, and I even guessed correctly that it was a set of 3s. Buy-in: Php6,000. Cash-out: Php4,000. Profit: -Php2,000. *Guessing the hole cards side bet win - Priceless.

Total Buy-Ins: Php70,000. Total Cash-Outs: Php127,500. Total Profit: 57,500.

Around 60% of the profit helps cover some monthly expenses like car gas bills, electric bills; cell phone, land line and internet bills and groceries, which averages around Php35,000. The rest is used to pad up the bankroll, or set aside for an upcoming tournament with a big buy-in, such as the upcoming 2010 Asian Poker Tour Philippines, which has a buy-in of $2,700, or something like Php120,000.

While the profit is in the positive side - still a good news for any poker player - it largely helps if I can make it deep in big tournaments, where finishing at a final table could already be equal to what I've struggled to make in one month. It's been over two months since I last cashed at a big tournament with the last one being a 24th place finish in the Resorts World Manila Inaugural Poker Tournament for around Php28,000. Prior to that, my big finish was winning a 90 player satellite for the $1M PAGCOR Chairman's Cup for a seat worth $2,500 or Php110,000, which I was able to turn to sell for Php100,000. Before that, was a 3rd place finish in the Metro 225K Guaranteed for Php45K.

Anyway - I'm itching for a big tournament win. It's about time.

UFC 118: Frankie Edgar vs BJ Penn Again!

On UFC 112: Invincible, BJ Penn and Frankie Edgar slugged it out for the full five rounds in a UFC Lightweight Championship bout. Eventually, it was contender Frankie Edgar who was given a unanimous decision win over BJ Penn, which saw BJ Penn lose his UFC lightweight championship belt. It was heartbreaking for BJ Penn, who was considered a big favorite to win and defend his title. But then, that's all in the past now - and all there is left to do is to look forward for the rematch which comes in UFC 118.

UFC 118 will feature several interesting fights, but the main event will be the rematch of Frankie Edgar vs BJ Penn, but this time it will be Frankie Edgar looking to defend his title against the challenger BJ Penn.

Frank Edgar has a very impressive 12-1 MMA record, and his only loss was an upset unanimous decision against Gray Maynard back in UFC Fight Night 13 in April 2008. Since then, Frank Edgar has improved and become unstoppable, booking huge wins against popular lightweights like Hermes Franca, Sean Sherk, Matt Veach and of course BJ Penn. Frankie Edgar trains with the Renzo Gracie Combat Team and is proficient in boxing, wrestling and has a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Frank Edgar has booked Fight of The Night honors thrice in his illustrious career, and is capable of winning via TKO and submission. While most of his fights have gone the full distance and ended in a unanimous decision win, it just goes to show how Frank Edgar is conditioned to last the entire fight and find ways to win.

BJ Penn is the more popular of the two fighters, and will probably be a name etched in the UFC Hall of Fame as a champion in the welterweight and lightweight divisions. BJ Penn has had 22 MMA fights in his career, fighting a who's-who in the world of mixed martial arts like Matt Hughes, Georges St. Pierre, Lyoto Machida, Kenny Florian, Diego Sanchez, Joe Stevenson, Renzo Gracie, Caol Uno and Jens Pulver to name a few. The loss to Frank Edgar may have come out as a fluke, and certainly BJ Penn is the kind of fighter who learns from his losses and trains 200% harder to bounce back and win.

Personally, I'm a big fan of BJ "The Prodigy" Penn, and I would put big money for BJ Penn to win back his UFC Lightweight title from Frank Edgar on UFC 118.

UFC 118 will be held on August 28, 2010 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachussets. Other exciting matches lined up for UFC 118 include Randy Couture vs James Toney, Nate Marquardt vs Rosimar Palhares, Kenny Florian vs Gray Maynard, Nate Diaz vs Marcus Davis and many more.

2010 WSOP: Daniel Alaei Wins 2010 Pot Limit Omaha World Championsihp

Event 55 of the 2010 World Series of Poker was the $10,000 buy-in Pot Limit Omaha World Championship, where 346 players vied for a piece of the $3.2 million prize pool. 36 players would be lucky enough to take a share of the prize pool with the biggest winner earning over $780K and a coveted WSOP gold bracelet.

The big champion was none other than Daniel Alaei, a 25 year old poker pro from Los Angeles, California, who won his third WSOP gold bracelet, and marked his 20th time to cash at the WSOP for $780,599. According to official records, Daniel Alaei now has three wins, five final table appearances, and 20 cashes at the WSOP. His career WSOP earnings now total $1,535,621.

“It’s right up there. It’s really important to me. But they are all important. The first one, of course was special. The second one, too, because it solidifies the first one. And then the third one solidifies the first two. They all feel good. I want to keep on winning more,” says Daniel Alaei about winning his third WSOP gold bracelet.

The runner up was Miguel Proulx from Saint Charles, Quebec, Canada, who collected $350,803 in prize money.

The third-place finisher was Ville Mattila from Orimattila, Finland, who won $255,076.

The fourth-place finisher was Ludovic Lacay from Paris, France who won $186,818.

The fifth-place finisher was Trevor Uyesugi from Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, who won $138,107.

The sixth-place finisher was Stephen Pierson from Brooklyn, New York, who won $103,061.

The seventh-place finisher was Dmitry Stelmak from Moscow, Russia, who earned $77,633.

The eighth-place finisher was WSOP gold bracelet winner Alexander Kravchenko from Moscow, Russia, who won $59,020.

The ninth-place finisher was Matthew Wheat from Dallas, Texas, who got paid $45,286.

Former WSOP gold bracelet finishers who cashed in this event included – Daniel Alaei, Alexander Kravchenko (8th), Jason Mercier (10th), Phil Hellmuth (15th), Jason Lester (16th), Blair Rodman (18th), David “Devilfish” Ulliott (20th), Jordan Smith (25th), Nenad Medic (31st), and Fabrice Soulier (32nd).

Tony Cousineau from Daytona Beach, Florida cashed again. He finished 14th. Tony Cousineau now has 46 career cashes at the WSOP -- which is the most of any non-gold bracelet winner in history.

Phil Hellmuth finished in 15th place. He now has 79 career cashes and is the all-time in-the-money finishes leader in WSOP history.

2010 WSOP: Marcel Vonk Wins WSOP Gold Bracelet In Event 54

3,844 poker players competed over 4 grueling days of poker for a $3.4 million prize pool in Event 54 of the 2010 World Series of Poker, a No Limit Hold'em event. 396 places grabbed a piece of the prize pool with the first place prize of $570,960 and a WSOP gold bracelet going to 36 year old theoretical physicist Marcel Vonk from Utrecht, Holland, who marked his second time to cash in the WSOP in only the fourth event he has ever played. That's a pretty impressive batting average.

“It means a lot. When I first started playing, I was an amateur player. And while the money means a lot, I play in tournaments because I want to win something. Otherwise, I would play in cash games. The $500,000 is a lot. But the bracelet is almost more important than the money," explained Marcel Vonk on winning the WSOP gold bracelet.

The runner up was 23 year old poker pro David Peters from Toledo, Ohio, who marked his second time to cash this year, which paid a very respectable $350,803 in prize money.

The third-place finisher was Paul Kerr from Bothwell, England, who now has two cashes at the WSOP with this payout totaling $255,076.

The fourth-place finisher was Nathan Jessen from Blair, New England, who marked. He marked his first time to cash at the WSOP in Las Vegas, which paid $186,818.

The fifth-place finisher was 22 year old poker pro Henrik Tollefsen from Trondheim, Norway, who got paid $138,107.

The sixth-place finisher was Matthew Lupton from Scottsdale, Arizona, who got paid $103,061.

The seventh-place finisher was Mehul Chaudhari from San Francisco, California, who won $77,633.

The eighth-place finisher was 24 year old Espen Moen from Bodo, Norway, who cashed for $59,020.

The ninth-place finisher was 24 year old poker pro Dustin Dorrance-Bowman from Austin, Texas, who marked his second time to cash at the WSOP, which paid $45,286.

Former WSOP gold bracelet finishers who cashed in this event included – Jesse Rockowitz (33rd), Al Krux (118th), Frank Gary (234th), James Dempsey (277th), and Toto Leonidas (358th).

2010 WSOP: Ryan Welch Wins Triple Chance No-Limit Hold'em

965 poker players joined Event #51 of the 2010 World Series of Poker to compete for a prize pool of over $2.6 million. 90 places were paid with the biggest chunk of the pie going to  27 year old poker pro Ryan Welch of Henderson, Nevada, who won his first ever WSOP gold bracelet and a first place prize of $559,371.

“It feels really amazing. It really hasn’t quite sunk in yet, but I’m sure it will, in a while. But it’s the most amazing thing. It’s the goal I have always had as a poker player,” explains Ryan Welch.

Coming in second was 26 year old poker pro Jon Eaton of Las Vegas, Nevada, who is actually a good friend of Ryan Welch.

“Obviously, Jon is a great player. We know a lot about of each other. We play together all the time, even online. I could not have asked for a better final table and to play heads up against each other was really special,” explains Ryan Welch.

Jon Eaton won $344,830 for his second place finish.

The third-place finisher was Guillaume Darcourt from Suresnes, France, marking his first time to cash at the WSOP worth $223,459.

The fourth-place finisher was Will “the Thrill” Failla from Smithtown, North Carolina, who won $163,532.

The fifth-place finisher was Bradley Craig from Cleveland, Ohio, who won $121,451.

The sixth-place finisher was Sergey Lebedev from Troitsk, Russia, who marked his second time
to cash this year, which paid $91,407.

The seventh-place finisher was Tommy Vedes from Fort Mohave, Arizona, who booked his eighth WSOP cash with a $69,647 payout, making his winnings over half-a-million dollars.

The eighth-place finisher was 24 year old poker pro Noel Scruggs from Del Mar, California, who marked his second time to cash at the WSOP, which paid $53,694.

The ninth-place finisher was 36 year old poker pro Tad Jurgens from Tempe, Arizona, who cashed for the seventh time this year and got paid $41,842.
 
Former WSOP gold bracelet finishers who cashed in this event included – Gavin Griffin (27th), Vitaly Lunkin (31st), Peter Traply (36th), “Captain” Tom Franklin (39th), David Singer (46th), Ken Aldridge (52nd), William Haydon (55th) and Alexander Kravchenko (59th).

Full Tilt Poker's Big Little Tournament: 100K Guaranteed For A Buy-in of Only 2 Dollars!

Full Tilt Poker is hosting THE BIG LITTLE TOURNAMENT, which is a $100,000 Guaranteed Pot with a buy-in of only $2 +.20. There will be eight $100,000 Guaranteed tournaments with a guaranteed first prize of $9,000. The tournaments will be held every Sunday (Monday in Manila) starting July 8th up to October 24th.
Satellites are also available for as low as 10 cents if $2 is a bit steep for your bankroll.

Anyway - just click on the Full Tilt Poker banner to download the software and make a deposit. If you need help in making a deposit, then feel free to contact me, and I can give you suggestions, especially for players based in the Philippines.

JJ Duque Books Multiple Wins At BetUS Poker

I joined multiple tournaments at BetUS Poker playing 4 tournament tables simultaneously.

First tourney was the $750 Guaranteed No Limit Hold'em for a $3 +.30 buy-in. 263 players entered with 50 places getting in the money, and the first place prize was a pretty decent $165.69. I played well enough to make ITM at 18th place to win $7.73.

Another tourney was the $4,000 Satellite Turbo Rebuy and Add-On Six-Handed for $2 +.20. 22 players, 29 rebuys and 14 add-ons. First three places would win a $33 seat to the $4,000 Bounty Guaranteed. I played really well enough to make the final table, and with four players left the big stack SB pushed all-in to my BB. I was holding AK and made the call. The SB had Pocket Threes, which held up to eliminate me at fourth place, and short of the ticket. Instead, I win $15.30.

Next tourney was the $1,500 Guaranteed Bounty No Limit Hold'em with a buy-in of $6 +.60, where $2 would be paid for every player you knock out of the tournament. 249 players entered the tournament, which guaranteed 40 places paid and a first prize of $212.44. I made $20 on bounties, and made good use of my big chip stack to make it to 23rd place and win $8.52. Unfortunately for me, my QQ ran into AA, and my AA got cracked by JJ, which made a straight (UGH!!!) to knock me out of the tournament. We pushed on the flop of 10-9-8, and I too would've called the all-in with the JJ. A Lady showed on the turn and that was all she wrote. At least, I made a total of $28.52.

The last tourney I played was the $6,000 Guaranteed Re-buy and Add-On with a buy-in of $10 +1. 204 players entered with 40 places to make it in the money. I made an add-on, and played well enough to make it once again ITM for 18th place and got paid $64.80. I didn't have a big stack here like the other tourneys, and was just content to be tight and maintain with the average. Eventually, I pushed my 77 all in on a flop of 7hJhKd to be called by KhQh, with a top pair and flush draw. The flush hit on the river and I was out at 18th. Had I made it to 15th, I would've made $81. But well, that's the way it goes.

I also played a $5 +.5 Six-Handed 12 Player Max SNG with 3 places paid, but I came short lost at sixth place and did not ITM.

All in all, not a bad morning for poker. I started playing at 6:45 am after I took my son to school , and it's not even 11:00am, and my results are:

Buy-ins: $3.30 + $2.20 + $6.60 + $11 + $11(add-on) + $5.50 = $39.60
Winnings: $7.73 + $15.30 + $28.52 + $64.80 = $116.35
Total Profit: $116.35 - $39.60 = $76.75.
Current Bankroll at BetUS Poker now improved to $307.65

2010 WSOP: Brendan Taylor Wins WSOP Gold Bracelet In Event 53

548 poker players signed up for Event 53 of the 2010 World Series of Poker, a $1,500 buy-in Limit Hold'em Shootout tournament that netted a prize pool of $739,800. 64 places were to take a piece of the pie with the biggest piece being awarded to the champion 30 year old poker pro Brendan Taylor, who marked his first WSOP gold bracelet win and a first place prize of $184,950.

The runner up was poker pro Ben Yu  from Henderson, Nevada, who happens to be a good fiend of Brendan Taylor. They actually share the same house in Las Vegas with four other pro poker players.
Ben Yu won $114,484 for his second place finish, and perhaps a lifetime of trash talk from Brendan Taylor at their  house.

According to Brendan Taylor and his thoughts on winning the much coveted WSOP gold bracelet, he said, “When I came out here in 2005, I told myself ‘I am going to win a gold bracelet this year.’ My goal was to win a limit event. Of course, I didn’t do it that year. I didn’t do it the next, and the next, and the next (laughing). Two years ago, we got down to four-handed and I had an average chip stack and I think I was the best player at the table. And, sure enough I was the next player out within 10 hands. So, this is a great feeling.”

The third-place finisher was Jonathan Little from Las Vegas, Nevada, who marked his fifth time to cash at this year’s WSOP to win $73,218. Jonathan Little has accumulated more than $4 million in overall tournament winnings but has yet to achieve a breakthrough win at the WSOP even though he has 11 WSOP cashes.


The fourth-place finisher was Joseph McGowan who made his 13th career WSOP in-the-money finish in this event to win $48,546.

The fifth-place finisher was Brian Tate from Tempe, Arizona, who marked his first time to cash at the WSOP, worth $33,276 in prize money.

The sixth-place finisher was Michael “Car Wash” Schneider from Minneapolis, Minnesota, who has more than $400,000 in overall career tournament earnings, winning $23,563 for this effort, on his fifth WSOP ITM finish.

The seventh-place finisher was Sijbrand Maal from Amsterdam, Holland, who won the Belgium Poker Championship in 2008, and marked his first time to cash at the WSOP to win $17,215.

The eighth-place finisher was Terrence Chan from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, who marked his 15th time to cash at the WSOP worth $12,961 in prize money.

Former WSOP gold bracelet finishers who cashed in this event included – Chau Giang, Jeff Ahmadi, Jimmy Shultz, and Tomas Alenius.

2010 WSOP: Dan Kelly Wins WSOP Gold Bracelet In Event 52

Event 52 of the 2010 World Series of Poker was a $25,000 buy-in Six-Handed No Limit Hold'em tournament, which netted a prize pool of $4.5 Million. 191 players entered with 18 places getting paid in the money. The biggest winner of all was 21 year old Villanova college student Dan Kelly, who won his first ever WSOP gold bracelet and a whopping $1,315,518. Dan Kelly had been winning online tournaments, and had yet to prove himself in a live tournament, and no better way to do it than with a huge pot at the $25,000 buy-in Six-Handed No Limit Hold'em event.

The runner up was poker pro Shawn Buchanan from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, who has now cashed 17 times since 2007, and currently has eight cashes this year with this one paying out $812,941.

Two-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Frank Kassela was the third-place finisher, who came close to winning his third bracelet this year.  Had Frank Kassela won, that would have matched the WSOP record for wins in a single year, held by Phil Ivey, Puggy Pearson, Ted Forrest, Phil Hellmuth and Jeffrey Lisandro. Frank Kassela is now the player to catch in the 2010 WSOP Player of the Year race. Third place paid $556,053 giving him $1.3 million in earnings at this year’s WSOP.

The fourth-place finisher was Jason Somerville from Stony Brook, New York, who marked his ninth time to cash at the WSOP. He now has a 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th-place finish at the WSOP over the past three years alone – and earned $386,125 for his fourth place effort.

The fifth-place finisher was Mikael Thuritz from Las Vegas, Nevada, who final tabled the Poker Players Championship held earlier this year and finishing eighth. This time Mikael Thuritz got paid $272,084.

The sixth-place finisher was Eugene Katchalov from New York, New York, who has made three final table appearances this year alone. Eugene Katchalov has earned more than $500,000 at the 2010 WSOP after adding another $194,559 to his poker bankroll.

Former WSOP gold bracelet finishers who cashed in this event included – Daniel Negreanu (11th), Abe Mosseri (12th), and Carlos Mortensen (17th).

With his 11th-place finish, Daniel Negreanu now has 47 career cashes. This currently ranks in a tie for 12th place on the all-time WSOP cashes list.

2010 WSOP: Chance Kornuth Wins WSOP Gold Bracelet In Event 50

460 poker players competed for Event 50 of the 2010 World Series of Poker, a $5,000 buy-in Pot Limit Omaha event, which had a total prize pool of $2.1 Million. 45 entries would receive a part of that pot, and the biggest winner of them all was 24 year old poker pro Chance Kornuth from Denver, Colorado, who won his first ever WSOP gold bracelet and a first place prize of $508,090.

The runner up was Kevin Boudreau from Colorado Springs, Colorado, who marked his fourth time to cash this year, and fifth cash overall, winning $313,792 for this effort.

The third-place finisher was 26 year old poker pro Danny Smith from Folsom, California, who won $226,923.

The fourth-place finisher was Ted Martin from New York, New York, who marked his second time to cash at the WSOP and biggest poker payout ever worth $165,825.

The fifth-place finisher was Scott Mandel from Chicago, Illinois, who won $122,455.

The sixth-place finisher was Julian Gardner from Manchester, England, who has 14 in-the-money finishes and nearly $1.7 million in WSOP earnings, winning $91,387 in this tournament.

The seventh-place finisher was Eric Liu from San Francisco, California, who came in tenth last year in the WSOP Europe Main Event championship, and marked his sixth time to cash at the WSOP to win $68,902.


The eighth-place finisher was former gold bracelet winner Robert Mizrachi from Miramar, Florida, who marked his fifth time to cash this year and third final table appearance, winning $52,471.


The ninth-place finisher was Jose-Nacho Barbero from Buenos Aires, Argentina, who marked  his eighth time to cash at the WSOP to win $40,364 in prize money.

Former WSOP gold bracelet finishers who cashed in this event included – Robert Mizrachi (8th), Jason Mercier (16th), Joshua Tieman (21st), Ayaz Mahmood (22nd), and Annette Obrestad (36th).

2010 WSOP: Mike Linn Wins WSOP Gold Bracelet For Event 49

2,543 poker players competed in Event 49 of the 2010 World Series of Poker, a $1,500 buy-in No Limit Hold'em tournament. 270 places would win a piece of the $3.4 million pot, and the biggest winner of all was 22 year old English major college student Mike Linn, who won his first ever WSOP gold bracelet and $609,493.

Mike Linn already cashed three times at the WSOP, and his most notable achievement before this was placing 191st out of 6,494 players in last year's WSOP Main Event championship.

Winning in poker seems to be running in Mike Linn's blood as he is the nephew of poker star Barry Greenstein. However, despite this close connection, Mike Linn has never received advice or financial assistance with regards to poker. According to Mike Linn, Barry Greenstein advised him that he would have to graduate from college before he would receive any advice or even financial backing to stress the importance of finishing college. Luckily for Mike Linn, he already has proven his worth in poker without the masterful advice of Barry Greenstein, who was cheering at the rail during the final table.

According to official records, Mike Linn now has one win, one final table appearance, and three cashes at the WSOP. His career WSOP earnings now total $649,341. Oddly enough, Mike Linn’s prize money won in this event, amounting to more than $600,000, is more than all three combined gold bracelet payouts achieved by Barry Greenstein.

Mike Linn even jokes, "I always knew my uncle was a gambler. But I had no idea he was a very good poker player. Six months into me taking poker seriously, I realized he had a lot to do with the game. To be honest, his deal with me is that he will not mentor me or coach me in any way until I graduate from college. But now that I think about it, when I graduate from college I should teach him! (laughing)”

The runner up was Taylor Larkin from Siloam Springs, Arkansas, who marked his first time to cash at the WSOP to win $378,905.

The third-place finisher was Mihai Manole from Targoviste, Romani, who got paid $268,189.

The fourth-place finisher was Ben Smith from West Palm Beach, Florida, who won $193,418 for his first final table appearance.

The fifth-place finisher was Chad Grimes from Greenville, North Carolina, who won $141,235.

The sixth-place finisher was Alexander Kuzmin from Moscow, Russia, who marked histhird time to cash at the WSOP and his second final table appearance to win $104,354.

The seventh-place finisher was Justin Zaki from St. Petersburg, Florida, who earned $78,067.

The eighth-place finisher was Erle Mankin from Sacramento, California, who marked his third WSOP cash and biggest payout ever to win $59,082.

The ninth-place finisher was John Myung from Vienna, Virginia, who has more than $2 million in overall career tournament winnings, and added $45,247 for this effort.

Former WSOP gold bracelet finishers who cashed in this event included – Roland de Wolfe (60th), Marc Naalden (134th), Robert Cheung (183rd), Matt Matros (194th), David Daneshgar (201st), and J.P. Kelly (208th). Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler (191st place) became the first player at this year’s WSOP to cash eight times. The record for most cashes in a single year is 10, held by Nikolay Evdakov in 2008.

2010 WSOP: Sigur Eskeland Wins Event 48

Event #48 of the 2010 World Series of Poker was a $2,500 buy-in Mixed Games event. Among the games featured in this poker tournament included Triple Draw 2-7, Hold'em, Omaha 8 or better, Razz, Stud, Stud 8, No Limit Hold'em and Pot Limit Omaha.

In other words, the poker player who wins this has to be a master at all forms of poker games. 453 poker players went to prove their worth and a piece of the $1 Million pot. However, only 48 places would be paid. The biggest winner of all the 48 was none other than Norwegian poker pro Sigur Eskeland, who won his first WSOP gold bracelet and a healthy first place prize of $260,497.

Sigur Eskeland explained that live poker is illegal in Norway, and he hopes that wins like his and his fellow Norwegians before him - like Thor Hansen and Annette Obrestad - will make them realize that it isn't gambling, but a sport which uses a lot of elements of skill.

The runner up was former WSOP gold bracelet winner Steve Sung, who won the $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em championship at last year’s WSOP for $771,338. For this cash, Steve Sung earned $160,952, and he now has in excess of $1.3 million in WSOP earnings.

The third-place finisher was 21 year old Alexander Wice from Toronto, Ontario, Canada , who marked his first time to cash at the WSOP, winning $102,314.

The fourth-place finisher was Nikolai Yakovenko from Brooklyn, New York, who marked his third WSOP cash in the last two years to win $73,776.

The fifth-place finisher was Stephen Su, from Houston, Texas and was paid $54,032.

The sixth-place finisher was WSOP gold bracelet winner Scott Seiver from Las Vegas, Nevada, who cashed for the fourth time at this year’s WSOP, winning $40,175.

The seventh-place finisher was Jared Jaffe from Brooklyn, New York, who won $30,319.

The eighth-place finisher was Kirill Rabtsov from Moscow, Russia, who made his second final table appearance this year to win $23,223.

Aside from Steve Sung and Scott Seiver who both made the final table, former WSOP gold bracelet finishers who cashed in this event included – Todd Brunson (10th), Alexander Kravchenko (11th), Dario Minieri (14th), Kirk Morrison (16th), David Singer (23rd), Michael Mizrachi (26th), Dario Alioto (27th), Frank Kassela (36th), Vitaly Lunkin (39th), Diego Cordovez (42nd), and Chris “Jesus” Ferguson (48th).
2000 world champion Chris “Jesus” Ferguson’s 48th place finish gives him 63 in-the-money finishes for his career, which ranks third on the all-time WSOP cashes list.

2010 WSOP: Shawn Busse WinsFirst WSOP Gold Bracelet at No Limit Hold'em Event

3,128 players signed up for Event 47 of the 2010 World Series of Poker, a $1,000 buy-in No Limit Hold'em tournament to compete for a pot worth over $2.8 Million. 324 players received a piece of the pot with the biggest winner being a 21 year old poker pro Shawn Busse of Massapequa, New York. Shawn Busse won his first WSOP gold bracelet in his 16th try this year to win a WSOP tournament. Shawn Busse failed to cash in the first 15, but in this one, he cashed the top prize of $485,791, which is certainly enough to make up for his other losses.


His family had not been too fond of him taking up poker at the young age of 21, but it's really what Shawm Busse wanted to do, and a WSOP gold bracelet and almost half a million dollars should earn the nod of approval from his parents.

The runner up was Owen Crowe from Darmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada.who markled his eighth time to cash at the WSOP to win $300,494. Owen Crowe’s most notable previous achievement was a 15th-place finish in the 2008 WSOP Main Event championship.

The third-place finisher was Pekka Ikonen from Helsinki, Finland, who has cashed in a few European tournaments, but this marked his biggest score to win $212,660.

The fourth-place finisher was 21 year old student Chuan Shi from Plano, Texas, who marked his first time to cash at the WSOP and win $153,935.

The fifth-place finisher was Wenlong Jin from Shanghai, China, who made his highest career cash to date to win $112,720.

The sixth-place finisher was Ilya Andreev from Roster-on-Don, Russia, who marked his first time to cash at the WSOP to earn $83,498.

The seventh-place finisher was Jason Mann from Hermitage, Arizona, who marked his first WSOP final table appearance, and won $62,553 in prize money.

The eighth-place finisher was Allan Baekke from Fredriksberg, Denmark,  who won $47,379.

The ninth-place finisher was Adam White from Tempe, Arizona, who cashed for the eighth time at the WSOP to win $36,287. Adam White now has more than $500,000 in career earnings, among the notable cashes were a second place finish at the 2005 WSOP and at the 2007 Main Event championship.

Aside from those who made the final table, former WSOP gold bracelet finishers who cashed in this event included – Scott Montgomery (29th), Antonio “the Magician” Esfandiari (73rd), Peter Traply (75th), Simon Watt (118th), Mickey Appleman (156th), Jeff Madsen (200th), David Sklansky (247th), and Al Krux (276th).

2010 World Cup: Spain Are Slight Favorites To Defeat Germany

Spain vs Germany for the Semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup. Spain last defeated Germany in the Euro 2008 Finals, and certainly Germany would like to see that loss avenged with a big win in the semi-finals over Spain.

Spain had been favored to win the 2010 World Cup even before the tournament started. And for sure, they have played well enough to reach the semi-finals. However, Spain haven't been as convincing with their wins, only winning 1-0 over Portugal in the Round of 16, then 1-0 over Paraguay in the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, Germany have been impressive, racking up loads and loads of goals against very formidable opponents. Germany defeated England 4-1, and then defeated 2010 World Cup favorites Argentina with a score of 4-0. Miroslav Klose and Thomas Mueller of Germany each have scored 4 times in the tournament so far.

Germany are capable of getting goals, and they will certainly put the defense of Spain to the test with their attack. Spain will have to step up their game against Germany if they want to continue their dream of a 2010 World Cup. David Villa of Spain is one of the World Cup's top scorers with 5 goals to his name, and is on top of the leaderboard for the Golden Boot if he can maintain his lead, and score more goals.

UFC 117: Anderson Silva Favored To Defend Middleweight Title Against Chael Sonnen

UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva has won his last 12 matches, and has successfully defended his UFC Middleweight Championship title 6 times, the most by any UFC Fighter. Now, Anderson Silva is favored to make it a 7th straight title defense when he faces top contender Chael Sonnen in UFC 117, which will be held on August 7, 2010 at the Oracle Center in Oakland, California.

Chael Sonnen is three for four wins since he entered the UFC, and most notable were the wins of Chael Sonnen over Nate Marquardt, Dan Miller and Yushin Okami.

While Chael Sonnen has booked these wins, he has done so via decision, and he hasn't delivered a KO or a TKO since 2007. So, it is highly unlikely that Chael Sonnen will get to KO Anderson Silva. Chael Sonnen may be a good fighter, but he doesn't have the phenom-like striking power to finish a fight, although he surely has the skills to last in one.

Anderson Silva has dominated his last opponents, but maybe not in the style that UFC fans expect of Anderson Silva. Most UFC fans want to see Anderson Silva knock out his opponents and be very aggressive, but lately he's just settled to dominate without going in for the finish as was seen in his championship bout against Demian Maia, were fans felt Anderson Silva could have ended the fight much earlier and with much more gusto.

Nevertheless, Anderson Silva knows how to win UFC championship matches, and he knows how to pace it and win rounds. And if necessary, Anderson Silva is also capable of a knock-out punch, which is what he's done to the likes of title contenders Forrest Griffin, Rich Franklin and James Irvin.

UFC President Dana White though has suggested that if Anderson Silva fights again like the way he did in Abu Dhabi against Demian Maia, then he might get cut from the UFC.

Maybe Anderson Silva's hardest enemy will be hope to please Dana White with a spectacular win.

2010 World Cup: Netherlands Favored To Beat Uruguay

Netherlands were the clear underdogs in their World Cup quarterfinal match against Brazil, but they managed to find a victory, defeating Brazil 2-1. Wesley Sneijder of the Netherlands scored twice in the second half to come back from behind to take out the top seeded Brazil from the 2010 World Cup.

Meanwhile, Uruguay ended the hopes of Ghana as the lone African nation left int he 2010 World Cup who had a shot at it. After a 1-1 draw through extra time, it was Uruguay who won the penalty shootout. Ghana had a chance to win it with a penalty spot kick after a deliberate handball by Uruguay star player Luis Suarez, but Asamoah Gyan of Ghana failed to convert. The momentum carried on Uruguay's way to the penalty shootout where Ghana were outscored 4-2.

Having beaten Brazil, the Netherlands will certainly be a heavy favorite, but certainly adjustments will have to be made in the roster as several players who picked up their second yellow card of the tournament will not be illegible to play on the Semi-final match against Uruguay.

Uruguay will also have the same problem, and might even have more to lose as their top goal-scorer Luis Suarez was red-carded for the deliberate handball, and will certainly miss an opportunity to play in the World Cup semi-finals.

At least, Netherlands is assured that their top players like Arjen Robben, Robin van Persie and Wesley Sneijder will be certain to play.

JJ Duque Places 76th In $1K Guaranteed Pot Limit Hold'em & Omaha Tournament

 646 poker players qualified for the $1,000 Guaranteed Pot Limit Hold'em & Omaha event of Full Tilt Poker through the FTP Fantasy Poker League. I was able to earn my seat through the success of Andy Black, David Chiu and Steve Zolotow at this same kind of tournament in the 2010 World Series of Poker. David Chiu was the big points earner for me.

The Pot Limit Hold'em & Omaha tournament basically means that different games will be interchanged once the level changes. First round saw Pot Limit Hold'em action while the second round saw Pot Limit Omaha action.

I did well early in the Pot Limit Hold'em section to boost my chip stack up, but got hit at the Pot Limit Omaha section making loose calls, chasing for hands that weren't even the nuts. Like, for example, I would have a 17 outer for an open ended straight draw and flush draw, but when I spiked my flush, it would've been out-kicked by a better flush.

In retrospect, although I do understand the concept of Omaha, I still have to learn to fold more hands on the flop, especially if I might be drawing to only second best, as was the case with the flush. However, Omaha gives good training in seeing what the nuts could be, and what hands could have me beat, and it invokes some discipline to fold a lower straight when a higher straight is out there. And to avoid such situations, I have to rethink my starting hands to see if they have good odds to begin with. When playing Omaha, high pairs and suited connectors are nice, and preferably both in the hole.

When the game shifted again to Hold'em, I once again built my stack. I guess my prowess at Hold'em stll outweighs my skills at Omaha. After all, I'm still more fluent in Hold'em.

Anyway, without much fuss. I played well enough to get ITM at 76th place with 90 places paid. And for my effort, I won $2.50, which I will probably use to play the Daily Dollar Rebuy at Full Tilt Poker with a guaranteed pot of $10,000. The first place prize of $205 would've been sweet, but for me I'm just happy to make it in the money, and have the opportunity to brush up on my Omaha, and continue the learning process.

As they say in poker - you can never stop learning.

Satellite Schedule For APT 2010 Philippines Main Event

The Asian Poker Tour 2010 Philippines Main Event is set at a buy-in of $2500 + $200. That's a pretty big buy-in, and will certainly attract some of the biggest poker names in Asia. For those who can't afford it, Resorts World Manila will be holding satellites to give hopefuls an opportunity to win seats.

The RWM Satellite Series Event #2 will be held at Resorts World Manila’s poker room on Sunday, July 11 at 2:00 PM. Buy-in is set at only Php 5,000 with no registration fee

Up for grabs will be a Php 500,000 guaranteed prize pool, inclusive of a seat to the APT Philippines 2010 main event! Of course, other prizes will be given to top placers.

If you don’t have Php 5,000 to spare? A mega satellite to the RWM Satellite Series #2 will be held at 2:00 PM on Saturday, July 3 and 10. Both will have a buy-in at only Php 500 (with optional one rebuy and one add-on) and no registration fee.

If you want to qualify online, then you can also play at PKR.com.

2010 WSOP: Chris Bell Wins $5,000 buy-in Pot Limit Omaha High-Low Split

284 poker players competed for a piece of the $1.3 Million prize pool in Event 46 of the 2010 World Series of Poker, a $5,000 buy-in Pot Limit Omaha High-Low Split tournament. 27 places got paid, but the ultimate big winner of the much-coveted WSOP gold bracelet was Chris Bell, who also won $327,040 to top it off.


Chris Bell's big win is something he needed so much. A year ago, Chris Bell was running bad - really bad - to the point that he admitted he was broke. Definitely, it was tough for Chris Bell as a poker pro, who joined several tournaments to come short of ITM, eating up on his bank roll. Chris Bell eventually began questioning himself and even began to contemplate his future in the game, and he had to make some brutally tough decisions about his prospects for success in a game that has clearly become more
challenging in recent years, especially for the sake of his family - his wife and two kids. It was through the help of his good friend Erick Lindgren, who gave him the financial backing he desperately needed to bridge the tournament poker playing psyche-wrecker called variance. Apart from that, Erick Lindgren also provided Chris Bell with a lot of self-confidence, and certainly enough for him to get back on the winning track after several disappointments.

On his speech after winning, Chris Bell shared, “I want to thank Erick Lindgren. I would not be in Las Vegas right now if it weren’t for Erick," Bell stated afterward. "A lot of people had given up on me the last year or so. But Erick didn’t. He’s never told me ‘no.’ He will beg and borrow for his friends. I appreciate him giving me this opportunity. Without a friend like him, I would not be here right now.”

And as if the universe conspired for Chris Bell, his good friend Gavin Smith also won a WSOP gold bracelet the previous day for a Mixed Hold'em event.

On that topic, Chris Bell said, “Last year, I was broke. That was a pretty low moment. That’s another thing Gavin and I had in common. We stayed broke together for the last year. I wanted Gavin to win more than anybody. This is something we can talk about the rest of our lives. We will always be friends. When I was playing the other day, I almost could not concentrate because I was paying attention to what Gavin was doing. I know how bad he wanted it. He is such a good guy.”

The runner up was Dan Shak from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, who won $202,142. Dan Shak had won the 2010 Aussie Millions Championship earlier this year. Dan Shak is also fondly remembered as the co-winner of the inaugural Ante-Up for Africa charity tournament. In 2007, Dan Shak and his co-champ Brandon Moran collectively donated the entire cash prize for first and second place to the international relief effort in Darfur amounting to $380K.

The third-place finisher was former WSOP gold bracelet winner English poker star Dave “Devilfish” Ulliott from Hull, England, who won $150,925. Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott now has 30 WSOP cashes.

The fourth-place finisher was Joe Ritze from Hamilton, Ohio, who. made his second cash at the WSOP and got paid $113,444.

The fifth-place finisher was eight-time gold bracelet winner Erik Seidel, who now has more than $4.3 million in WSOP earnings after collecting $85,800 in this tournament.

The sixth-place finisher was Leif Force from Tallahassee, Florida, who marked his seventh time to cash at the WSOP, winning $65,311 in this tournament to bring his career WSOP winnings to over $1.2 million.

The seventh-place finisher was former gold bracelet winner Rob Hollink from Groningen, Holland, and got paid $50,014.

The eighth-place finisher was Perry Green from Anchorage, Alaska, who marked his first time to cash at the WSOP in four years, and his first final table appearance in 13 years. The three-time WSOP gold bracelet winner earned his titles in 1976, 1977, and 1979. Had Perry Green somehow won this tournament, he would have shattered the record for longest gap between WSOP wins – at 31 years. He once finished second to poker legend Stu Ungar in the 1981 WSOP Main Event. Many poker fans were happy to see Perry Green’s name back on the cash out list. His win in this tournament amounted to $38,549.

The ninth-place finisher was Jeremy Harkin from Troutdale, Oregon, who marked his third time to cash at the WSOP and marked his first final table appearance to win $29,886.

Aside from those who made the final table, former WSOP gold bracelet finishers who cashed in this event included – “Miami” John Cernuto (12th), Dan Heimiller (19th), and Barry Greenstein (24th).

Erik Seidel now has 60 career cashes. This currently ranks fifth on the all-time WSOP cashes list.

Dan Heimiller cashed for the sixth time this year.

Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler cashed for the seventh time at this year’s WSOP. He is now in serious contention to challenge Nikolay Evdakov’s record set in 2008 for most cashes in a single year – at 10. Nine more open events remain on the schedule, with five more gold bracelet events scheduled for WSOP Europe (which count towards all WSOP records).

2010 WSOP: Jesse Rockowitz Wins $1,500 No Limit Hold'em

3,097 poker players competed for a piece of a $4.1 Million prize pool in Event 45 of the 2010 World Series of Poker, a $1,500 buy-in No Limit Hold'em. With 324 places paid,  some of the big poker names and former WSOP gold bracelet winners who cashed in include: Dutch Boyd (15th), Ayaz Mahmood (55th), John “Razor” Phan (59th), Berry Johnston (121st), Tom Schneider (128th), John Juanda (297th), and Jeffrey Papola (308th).

Of course, the big payouts were awarded to the top players who made the final table. The biggest winner of all was 24 year old poker pro Jesse Rockowitz from Petaluma, California, who won his first ever WSOP gold bracelet and a huge payout of $721,373. This event was the third WSOP event ever joined by Jesse Rockowitz, and according to official records, he now has one WSOP gold bracelet, one final table appearance and two cashes, finishing ITM at 86th place in a previous No Limit Hold'em Event this year.

The runner up was 24 year old poker pro Raymond Coburn from Jackson, New Jersey, who marked his fourth time to cash at the WSOP to win $446,274.

The third-place finisher was 31 year old poker pro Thiago Nishijima from Sao Paulo, Brazil, and earned $315,828.

The fourth-place finisher was 40 year old chiropractor Kevin O’Dell from Birmingham, Michigan, who has now cashed in all three $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournaments he has played, but this being the best finish by far to win $228,614.

The fifth-place finisher was Michael Goldfarb from Coral Springs, Florida, who won $167,405.

The sixth-place finisher was Steven Brown from Cape Town, South Africa, who won $124,006.

The seventh-place finisher was 49 year old IT manager Shaun Malough from Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada, who won $92,900.

The eighth-place finisher was 22 year old poker pro Justin Conley from Prestonburg, Kentucky, who cashed for the second time this year, and earned $70,365.

The ninth-place finisher was Johan Jakobsson from Umea, Sweden, who collected $53,892.

Incidentally, Four-time WSOP gold bracelet winner John Juanda cashed for the fifth time at this year’s WSOP and 56th time in his career. This ranks ninth on the all-time WSOP cashes list.

John Juanda now appears to be at the top of the 2010 WSOP “Player of the Year” race, with other tournaments still pending.

2010 World Cup: Spain Are Huge Favorites To Win Over Paraguay

Spain has never won the World Cup. But despite not being former champions, Spain were actually the top seeds to win the 2010 World Cup even before the tournament began in South Africa. However, a snag on their first game of the group stages saw them in an unlikely 1-0 defeat to Switzerland. Spain was expected to breeze through their opponents, and lately they've shown that form, winning all of their matches since, including a very impressive win against Portugal in the round of 16. Spain striker David Villa is one of the top goalscorers of the World Cup with already 4 goals to his name. Of course, it helps that he has support from key players like Sergio Ramos, Andres Iniesta, Xabi Alonso and Iker Casillas.

Paraguay surprised everyone when they topped their group which included defending World Cup champions Italy. Paraguay may have also been lucky by edging out Japan in the penalty shootout to book their spot in the World Cup quarterfinals, but maybe their run of luck can still get them past Spain. Of course, it is an unlikely scenario, but this World Cup has been full of unpredictability, and maybe Spain might have a vulnerable lapse as they did in their loss to Switzerland. Paraguay will look to its stars like Roque Santa Cruz and Nelson Valdez.

However, the odds lean heavily for Spain, who look to become the first team to lose an opening match in the World Cup, and still move on to win it.

2010 World Cup: Argentina Favored To Win Over Germany

It's Argentina vs Germany in the 2010 World Cup quarterfinals stage.

Former World Cup champions Argentina are the clear favorites to defeat Germany after they had a perfect 3-0 record in the group stages, and also showing a decisive win in the round of 16 over Mexico, wining 3-1. Argentina also has a lot of attacking power with the likes of Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez and Gonzalo Higuain, who is the one of current top goal scorers of the 2010 World Cup with 4 goals to his name, including a rare hat-trick against the South Korea.

Of course, former World Cup champions Germany are no slouch either. Despite booking one loss in the group stages due to being undermanned 10 players to Serbia's 11, Germany has also proven that they can show some amazing football against strong teams. Germany showed that dominance in their 4-1 victory over England, who many predicted would be among the top contenders for the World Cup. Germany may have a young team that lacks World Cup experience, but they certainly have a lot of scoring power with the likes of Lukas Podolski, Thomas Muller and Miroslav Klose in their roster.In fact, Thomas Muller is one of the top goal scorers of the 2010 World Cup with three goals to his name.

While Argentina may seem to be the favorites to win over Germany, it seems like Germany are stills trong contenders, having gained confidence after they whipped the highly ranked team of England. 

2010 World Cup: Brazil Favored To Win Over Netherlands

It's Brazil vs Netherlands in the quarterfinals of the 2010 World Cup.

Needless to say, five-time World Cup champions Brazil are the definite favorites to beat Netherlands in the quarterfinals. Brazil has a very star-studded roster with the likes of Elano, Robinho, Kaka, Maicon, Dani Alves and Luis Fabiano all very capable and talented to bring home the World Cup to Brazil. In their round of 16 match against Chile, Brazil dominated with a score of 3-0. It may look likely that they will continue to dominate when they face Netherlands in the quarterfinals.

Of course, Netherlands are also a strong team. They topped their group in splendid fashion, walking away with 9 points. In fact, the Netherlands were only one of two teams to score a perfect 3-0 in the group stages. The other team was Argentina. Netherlands also showed a lot of spunk in the round of 16 by surpassing Slovakia 2-1. Netherlands are relying on their key players like Dirk Kuyt, Arjen Robben, Robin van Persie and Giovanni van Brockhorst to bring the win for the Netherlands.

2010 World Cup: Uruguay Favored To Defeat Ghana

 It's the quarterfinals of the 2010 World Cup and one of the featured matches will be Uruguay vs Ghana.

Uruguay are two-time World Cup champions, but haven't won the World Cup in over 50 years. Nevertheless, Uruguay has that history and tradition to be a good footballing nation, and certainly very capable of getting deep in the tournament. Uruguay topped their group in the group stages, and did well in eliminating South Korea with a score of 2-1 in the Round of 16. Uruguay has played well with their star striker Luis Suarez among the top goalscorers of the 2010 World Cup with three goals, and still looking to add more when they face Ghana.

Ghana, meanwhile, are the lone African nation who have made it through to the Round of 16 and to the quarterfinals, following a deserved victory over the relentless United States. Ghana certainly have the home crowd support as the entire African continent roots for them to win the 2010 World Cup in African soil. Ghana will look to its stars like Asamoah Gyan, who has scored thrice this World Cup, and also to Kevin-Prince Boateng, who is one of its imminent threats on offense.

Uruguay are slight favorites, but Ghana should not be discounted, considering they are playing in their African home turf.

JJ Duque To Play $1,000 Guaranteed Limit Hold'em

In just a few minute, I will be playing a $1,000 Guaranteed Limit Hold'em tournament at Full Tilt Poker. I won my seat courtesy of the success of Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, who placed 8th in the Limit Hold'em Championship in the 2010 World Series of Poker. Thank you, Michael Mizrachi, for not failing me in my Fantasy Poker picks. Hopefully, I will get to carry on the same success as you did in this event at the 2010 World Series of Poker, and maybe I can walk away with the top prize of $235. It's not much, but it certainly could go a long way.

My Run At The Filipino Poker Tour 14

 First of all, I would like to thank KC Montero of The KC Show for awarding me a seat to play The Filipino Poker Tour Php 5 Million Guaranteed at the Metro Card Club just last weekend. The KC Show was awarding a seat to someone who could submit a picture showing how happy you would be if you won Php5 Million Pesos. Apparently, my picture won! But, of course, just to ease the mind of KC Montero - I also gave him some details on my poker talent, where I've won and even threw in some references. Then, if that wasn't enough, I promised KC that he would get a 40% share of whatever I win. Eventually, he agreed to even just 30%. KC said he needed new shoes. I said I hope we win more than just for shoes.

Anyway, this is the winning picture.

I played on Day 1a, and kept at pace with the average stack for the first two rounds. I played carefully, and avoiding trouble early on. I even folded a small flush just because I felt it was still too early to call a 10,000 raise with a starting stack of 20,000. It wasn't until the 3rd level that I started to win big hands, and move my chip stack to around 40,000+ after taking out a player when my nut flush beat my opponent's smaller flush.

My stack received a huge dent when my set of sixes lost to a set of eights. From around 40+K, it went back down to less than the starting stack at 17,000. I managed to win a big pot after when my KK doubled up against the JJ of another player, pushing my stack to around 37K.

A few pots later, my set of tens ran into a player making the all-in call with a gusthot and two dead overcards. Unfortunately for me, he spiked his four-outer straight on the river. That bad beat brought me down to around 8K and severely crippled with the blinds at 250/500 and antes of 50. The cards ran cold, and I eventually pushed all-in on the button with A-9 to run into the KK of the small blind, which eventually busted me out of the tournament when I failed to improve.

I played well for the short 7 levels or so that I played. Getting dented really made it difficult, and I was put in a desperate position with my back against the wall. I had a pretty decent-sized stack that sadly got hit by bigger hands. Like they say - it takes two big hands to make a big pot, and eventually someone's big hand is not as big as the other.

Anyway - there will be other opportunities. I'm looking forward to the Asian Poker Tour in August.

By the way - congratulations to Johnny Tan for winning Php 2M and for being the champion of the Filipino Poker Tour 14. I heard he went heads-up against runner-upVic Catalan for a grueling 6 hours, which The Metro Card Club announced is the longest heads-up poker marathon the Philippines has ever witnessed.

The other big winners include: Derrick Hernandez (3rd), Tess Datu (4th), Ramil Tandoc (5th), Ronald Dimaano (6th), Percy Shy (7th), Michael Boling (8th).

2010 WSOP: Gavin Smith Wins $2,500 Mixed Hold'em

507 players competed for a piece of a $1.1 Million prize pool in Event #44 of the 2010 World Series of Poker, a $2,500 buy-in Mixed Hold'em event. Mixed Hold'em means that the variants of Limit Hold'em and No Limit Hold'em would be played at different levels.

The big winner was 41 year old poker pro Gavin Smith, who took down the first place prize of $268,238 and his first ever WSOP gold bracelet. Gavin Smith is one of poker's most lively personalities, and is always fun and entertaining to be with. Should you mention his name among poker players, they'll probably smile or laugh, and remember some of the funny antics of Gavin Smith.

But while it may seem Gavin Smith is about jokes, he is a very qualified poker pro, earning over $3 Million since he's turned pro 6 years ago. Of course, what has eluded Gavin Smith since then was a big win - like maybe a WSOP gold bracelet. Well, the wait is over because Gavin Smith has one now.

According to official records, Gavin Smith now has one win, three final table appearances, and 16 cashes at the WSOP. His career WSOP earnings now total $836,454.
.
Gavin Smith’s victory was arguably the biggest crowd-pleaser of any so far at this year’s WSOP. As players were eliminated from the final table, the number of spectators swelled to the point where the entire ESPN Main Stage was filled to capacity. One veteran tournament reporter, B.J. Nemeth, stated that in all his years of covering poker tournaments he had never witnessed so many people – fans, players, media, and staff – coming up to offer heartfelt congratulations to the winner.

The runner up was 28 year old poker pro Danny “Hurricane” Hannawa from West Bloomfield, Michigan, who marked his first time to cash in a WSOP tournament to win $166,005.

The third-place finisher was Timothy Finne from Fanwood, New Jersey, who made his 7th WSO cash to win $110,324.

The fourth-place finisher was Michael Michnik from Vorhees, New Jersey, who marked his. He marked his fourth time to cash this year to win $81,871 in prize money.

The fifth-place finisher was Jamie Rosen from Boca Raton, Florida, who.made his third WSOP final table – and was paid $61,441 for a fine achievement.

The sixth-place finisher was Jarred Solomon from Johannesburg, South Africa, who made his second final table appearance this year to win $46,562 in prize money.

The seventh-place finisher was Dan Idema from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, who made his second final table appearance after being a runner-up in the Poker Player's Championship. Dan Ideam won $35,601 for this effort.

The eighth-place finisher was Dwyte Pilgrim from Brooklyn, New York, who made his first WSOP final table appearance to win $27,438 for eighth place.

The ninth-place finisher was 40 year old poker pro“Karate” Mike Santoro from Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, who marked his first WSOP in-the-money finish to earn $21,304.

Former WSOP gold bracelet finishers who cashed in this event included – Eli Elezra (23rd), Ivo Donev (51st), Svetlana Gromenkova (52nd), and Eric Froehlich (53rd).