Tag Archives: professional poker

April 7, 2010 · 10:24 AM

Jennifer Harman Celebrity Charity Poker Tournament in Las Vegas on April 13

The fourth-annual Jennifer Harman Charity Poker Tournament, benefiting the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) no-kill animal shelter, will take place on April 13 at the Venetian poker room in Las Vegas. The tournament will start at 5 p.m., and the event kicks off at 4 p.m. with a red carpet and silent auction. 

The $330 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament will also feature $100 rebuys for the first three 20-minute levels, and a one-time $100 add-on for double your starting stack. Matt Savage will be the tournament director. 

The grand prize of the tournament is a $10,000 World Series of Poker main-event seat, and a Curtis & Co. watch. The top-10 finishers will be awarded prizes that have a combined total value of $30,000. 

Celebrities who have been confirmed attendance for the event include Cheryl Hines from “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Dennis Haskins from “Saved by the Bell,” actor Lou Diamond Phillips, modern artist Michael Godard, and ESPN commentator Lon McEachern. 

Professional poker players in attendance will include Marco Traniello, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson, Eli Elezra, Hoyt Corkins, Andy Bloch, Chau Gian, David Chesnoff, Lacey Jones, Jeff Madsen, Todd Brunson, Erica Schoenberg, David Greay, David Singer and Lee Watkinson. 

The three previous champions of this event: David “HEYIMDRO” Rowan (2009), Seth Dupree (2008), and Kirk Morrison (2007).

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March 5, 2010 · 6:37 PM

Poker Pros & Celebrities Compete in Las Vegas on Saturday

Sat., March 6, starting at 10 a.m., celebrities and poker pros will mingle at Caesars Palace to play poker for NBC’s Heads-Up Poker Championship.  Slated to play are Don Cheadle, Orel Hershiser, Jennifer Tilly, Annie Duke, Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chen, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu.  

You’re welcome to get out of bed early and try to see the spectacle on a first-come, first-served basis.

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February 15, 2010 · 10:37 AM

Poker Pro Antes Up Las Vegas World Series of Poker Winnings “For a Song”

A professional poker player and award-winning songwriter, Jason Mershon, has come up with a unique and ambitious plan to promote his new poker song called “Playin’ Poker for a Livin’.” 

In what is believed to be the first offering of its kind, Mershon is planning on entering the 2010 Main Event at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas this summer, and is agreeing to share 50 percent of any Final Table winnings with the first 15,000 people who download and purchase his song at his website: www.playinpokerforalivin.com. 

“It’s just my way of saying ‘thank you’ to those fans who like my new song,” says Mershon. “I wrote the song to humorously tell what it’s really like being a professional poker player; the sarcastic attitudes of many professional poker players; and the monotony of actually playing poker for a living and grinding out the long hours in a casino card room.” The song itself, “Playin’ Poker for a Livin’,” has already received great reviews from poker players and card room owners alike, who have stated that it’s the best song written about poker in years. 

Mershon has spent most of his life in the entertainment business, and is now a recognized professional poker player in Southern California. He plans to update his progress during the tournament on his Twitter and Facebook page, thus giving people a “virtual seat” at the tournament. 

Since winning two awards at the Los Angeles Music Awards in 2006 for his rock musical, “Rock and Roll Heaven” (aka “Heaven Rocks”) which can be found at www.rnrheavenrocks.com, Jason Mershon has been a regular fixture in the California and Las Vegas poker circuit. 

“I probably spend 90% of my time playing in cash games,” says Mershon, “but I’m also considered a pretty good tournament player as well. So, I don’t want people to think I’m ‘dead money’ in the World Series of Poker,” he laughed. 

“Additionally,” he concluded, “I’m offering a special extended limited edition of my poker song which will only be available to the first 15,000 fans who purchase the song.”

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December 28, 2009 · 12:47 PM

Aria’s New Poker Room in Las Vegas

Fans of Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio will be happy to hear there is an equivalent in the Aria poker room in the new CityCenter complex and it has already been put to use.  Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte, Davide Benyamine, Tom Dwan, and Patrik Antonius were all spotted recently playing in the secluded VIP lounge. 

While the room is semi-private, ogling railbirds can still get a peek at their favorite high-stakes players through the glass front door.  According to one of the employees at Aria, Phil Ivey is currently in talks to loan his name to the room in the same fashion that Bobby Baldwin did at the Bellagio, so news of big games being played in “Phil’s Room” could be on the horizon. 

A number of poker pros have taken time to check out the new poker room, including Jimmy “Gobboboy” Fricke and and UB.com sponsored pro Bryan “Badbeatninja” Devonshire.  Both had generally positive remarks about the new room and they took the time to relay their sentiments recently to Poker News Daily. 

When Poker News Daily paid a visit to the new room, the emphasis on service was apparent.  There was a short wait for $1/ $3 No Limit Hold’em, but everyone was being seated in a relatively short amount of time and the use of chip runners helped to speed up the process even further.  Beverage service is currently available and food service is said to be supposedly coming in the near future.

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November 2, 2009 · 12:37 PM

Final Table of World Series of Poker Starts Saturday in Las Vegas

The final nine poker players will square off next Saturday at Noon at the Rio at the final table of the World Series of Poker.  It will conclude when two remain and await the championship. The winner will receive a payout of $8.5 million; ninth place takes home $1.3 million. 

The top four at the Main Event final table will control 75 percent of the chips. 

If you want to take in the action, the Penn & Teller Theater viewing is free to the public to anyone 21 and older. Space allocated on first-come, first-served basis. 

ESPN will air a two-hour telecast on Saturday and Monday’s final table. 

Las Vegas Backstage Access has followed the action and will continue to do so until the end. 

Player standing and stats going into the Main Event: 

1. Darvin Moon, 45, Oakland, MD, $58.9 million (in chips)

2. Erich Buchman, 29, Hewlitt, NY, $34.8 million

3. Steve Begletter, 47, Chappaqua, NY, $29.9 million

4. Jeff Schuman, 34, Las Vegas, NV, $19.6 million

5. Joseph Cada, 21, Shelby Township, MI, $13.2 million

6. Kevin Schaffel, 51, Coral Springs, FLA, $12.4 million

7. Phil Ivey, 32, Las Vegas, NV, $9.8 million

8. Antoine Saout, 25, St. Martine des Champs, France, $9.5 million

9. James Akenhead, 26, London, England, $6.8 million

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September 30, 2009 · 9:02 AM

Harrah’s Extends World Series of Poker Contract with IMG Sports & Entertainment

Harrah’s Interactive Entertainment and IMG Sports & Entertainment announced a four-year contract extension for global representation of the WSOP property. 

According to the agreement, IMG will continue to use its international network to help establish the brand in areas beyond Las Vegas and London. 

“We are looking to emphasize the ‘World’ in World Series of Poker as our vision of the brand extends beyond the annual events in Las Vegas and London,” said Mitch Garber, CEO of Harrah’s Interactive Entertainment. 

“By tapping the global reach and expertise of IMG, we are confident that together we can take the brand to new levels on the international stage through new international bracelet events and other WSOP licensed poker events.”

 IMG has worked with the WSOP since 2005 and helped attract corporate sponsors like Jack Link’s, Hershey’s and Planters.

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June 7, 2009 · 7:42 AM

Rare World Series of Poker Feat Pulled off by Las Vegan

Las Vegan Thang Luu, a 34-year-old Vietnam native who has been living in the United States for the past 17 years, has won the $1,500 buy-in Omaha High-Low World Series of Poker (WSOP) event for the second year in a row.   Luu also finished second in the same event in 2007. ThangLuu

Luu raked in $263,135 for first place, the largest cash prize ever awarded in an Omaha High-Low tournament.  He defeated a field of 918 players over three days. 

The last time any poker player has finished first, first and second in the same event at WSOP was Johnny Chan’s accumulated record in the $10,000 buy-in Main Event in 1987-1989.  Chan won the titles the fist two years but finished runner-up to poker “bad boy” Phil Hellmuth in 1989.

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