Good God almighty! Talk about versatility!

After virtually dominating the recently held 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, Aquaman himself proved that not only can he make his mark on water, he can also go toe-to-toe with the best of them on the poker tables.

You read it, multi gold medalist Michael Phelps proved that he can also play poker after scoring a final table appearance at Caesars Palace. Sure, we all know that the guy can swim like a freaking fish and he can win gold medals in effortless fashion in the Olympics, but if we’re going to judge him based solely on event No.2 at the Caesars Palace Classic, yes, apparently, he can play awesome poker as well.

The American swimmer, who as everyone knows, holds the distinction of having his face plastered all over the world for being the world record holder for most medals won in a single Olympics event, is no longer just a fish, at least not on the poker tables.

Phelps used some of his hard-earned endorsement money to buy into a $1,500 buy-in tournament and ended up finishing in ninth place in a field of 150 players. Not a bad payday for Phelps. He won over $5,000 for his feat.

It wouldn’t be fair to think that Michael Phelps is a total newbie when it comes to poker. Amanda Beard, another…

Read More » Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps can Play Poker

Who do you think will win the big one this Sunday?

In case you’ve been living under a rock lately, the 2008 World Series of Poker main event final table is ON this Sunday as the final nine players remaining, now dubbed as the ‘’November Nine'’ will play it out to determine who’ll be the 2008 WSOP champion.

One of the final nine participants this Sunday will be Peter Eastgate. Eastgate could become the youngest professional poker champion in the history of the World Series of Poker and yes, history could be made then.

If he achieves this enormous feat, he would surpass the victory celebrated by Phil Hellmuth when he became champion at 24 years old dating back in 1989. Eastgate was just three years old during that time.

Hailing from Odense, he has an association with Ladbrokes Poker though has been wearing PokerStars gear and is primarily an online player.

Peter Eastgate is regarded as one of the top Internet pros in Denmark, where he specializes in short-handed and heads-up high limit cash games ($200/$400 levels). He has had a couple of promising offline showings recently however, most notably finishing 9th in the 2007 Irish Open for…

Read More » 2008 World Series of Poker Part 10: Peter Eastgate

Yes, the countdown for that final table in the WSOP continues.

We are merely a few more days away from the 2008 World Series of Poker main event final table as we continue to give ya’ll the final nine participants, all hoping to win the 2008 WSOP bracelet when it’s all said and done.

This time we have David ‘’Chino'’ Rheem. Rheem may not have the most chips going into the 2008 WSOP main event this November but he is arguably the most well-known player among the November Nine group at the final table.

The 28-year-old professional poker player has won over $700,000 in live tournament earnings since he first hit the World Series of Poker circuit in 2005. He already has 5 WSOP wins to his name and finished 2nd in the 2006 $1,000 No Limit Texas Hold’Em Re-Buy event.

The World Series of Poker is not the only place Rheem has taken the prize. He has also won three Bellagio Cups and made it the final table of the 2005 EPT grand final, finishing in 3rd place and earning $10,219. David Rheem qualified for the 2008 WSOP by playing at the online poker room, PokerStars.

However, Rheem’s stellar performance has been scrutinized heavily about past criminal convictions that he was…

Read More » 2008 World Series of Poker Part 7: Chino Rheem

How in the hell can you do that? I have no idea but apparently, this guy did.

PokerStars’ APPT Auckland Main Event was the largest poker tournament ever held in New Zealand, rivaling the 2008 World Series of Poker. A total of 306 players flocked to the SKYCITY Hotel and Casino to try to clinch the NZD $257,040 first prize and an entry to the APPT Main Grand Final to be held in Sydney.

On Day 3, only eleven players remained. After the elimination of Edward Holdcroft (11th) and Eric Mutrie (10th), a final table was formed with Luke Stanford in chip lead with 860,000 in chips. Lowest chip stack was held by Jani Karke who had a measly 49,000.

Wai Yuen was the first booted out when she moved all-in with A-K after Wang Jung raised pre-flop. Jung called with Qc-Jc and proceeded to outflop Wai Yuen when a Jack turned up on the flop. A mere two hands later, it was Michael Mariakis’ turn to be eliminated by Jung. Mariakis pushed with As-Qs and was in a coin flip with Jung’s 7-7. Unfortunately for Mariakis, Jung hit his set on the flop.

Jani Karke was able to hold on to his short stack and ended up in seventh place when he was sent to the rail by the reason why you’re probably still reading this story, Daniel Craker.

Jung continued his final table rampage by busting out Nathanael Seet in…

Read More » Some guy named Daniel Craker makes Poker History without competing in the 2008 World Series of Poker

Yes, this guy is definitely having one heckuva’ year.

When PokerStars’ EPT Barcelona ended, one thing was certain, professional poker player Sebastian Ruthenberg is having a great poker year. He won a 2008 World Series of Poker bracelet already and he now has an EPT trophy to go with it. Aside from bragging rights, the young German also takes home €1,361,000 in prize money. Not bad eh?

Sebastian Ruthenberg started the final table just shy of the chip lead (1,204,000) coming in second after Martin Nielsen (1,229,000). But anything can happen in poker and true enough, it was Nielsen who ended up being eliminated first when Jason Mercier flipped open a better two pair. Samuel Chartier followed Nielsen to the exits just moments later in seventh place after he was eliminated by Fintan Gavin.

EPT San Remo champion Jason Mercier ran out of luck when he pushed with a pair of sevens against Fintan Gavin’s pocket queens.

The board didn’t help and Mercier was eliminated in sixth place. Gavin continued his winning streak by taking out Dren Ukella who failed to make his nut flush draw. Urkella had to be content with a fifth place finish.

Daniele Mazzia’s two pair was no match to Sebastian Ruthenberg’s straight after Ruthenberg and Davidi Kitai both called his all-in and checked down the board. Mazzia’s fourth place finish earned him €351,000.

Ruthenberg then took Davidi Kitai out when his pocket fours held up against A,Q of diamonds. Kitai won €455,000 for third place.

When the dust cleared, it was Ruthenberg against…

Read More » Sebastian Ruthenberg adds another achievement after winning a 2008 World Series of Poker Bracelet

Well, they’re hoping him to become a star anyway.

And although it’s quite a bit late for him to be a part of the 2008 World Series of Poker, this guy definitely has what it takes to make a name for himself in this game. After all, those guys from PokerStars won’t recruit him if he doesn’t have shit now right?

Who is it? A dude that goes by the name of Alexander Kravchenko. And although that name sounds more like a guy who plays football for Chelsea FC, he is the new member of Team PokerStars.

A former business investor, Alexander Kravchenko started playing poker in 1997 and I guess you can say he’s made a good use of his time on the felt. He made a name of himself when he made it in the money a more-than-impressive six times during the 2007 World Series of Poker.

Kravchenko even went so far as winning a World Series of Poker bracelet at the $1,500 Limit Omaha Hi/Lo event on that same year. He also finished fourth at the Main Event ensuring television time and instant worldwide recognition.

It was only natural for PokerStars to train its sights on Kravchenko. He holds the distinction of being the first Russian citizen to win a…

Read More » PokerStars added another er… Poker Star to maybe win a WSOP Bracelet in the 2008 World Series of Poker

Unfortunately, strippers are not included in these parties… YET.

Are you sick of bad beat stories? Along with the rest of the world, of course. Online poker conglomerate Party Poker, however, has one bad beat story that even the most jaded poker player would want to hear. Particularly, since it involved the biggest bad beat jackpot in history.

Judith75 was playing in a $0.50/$1 Limit table. Yes, those tables where a $20 pot is considered monstrous. Anyway, Judith 75 found herself with two black nines and joined the flop with Shoulderguy (who had two red Kings) and Hiyall who had Ac-Qc. The flop hit Kc-9h-10c. Shoulderguy and Judith75 now had sets while Hiyall had a straight, a nut flush draw and a royal flush draw.

They say anything can happen in poker. And true enough, ANYTHING just happened. If only they were playing for something bigger huh? Like a freakin’ 2008 WSOP bracelet perhaps? Now that will be something.

The turn card brought a Jack of clubs giving Hiyall his royal flush. The river card was a nine of diamonds giving Judith75 quads. Shoulderguy had a King full house but who cares at this point, right? Naturally, the three players started betting like crazy and when the dust settled, the pot stood at a paltry $24 and everyone in the table got richer by thousands of dollars.

When the table was informed that they won the…

Read More » It’s always a Party at Party Poker, even with bad beats

How? Beats me, but one thing’s for sure, you don’t have to be an experienced player to have just that.

You read it, while the toughest poker players in the world fight for position in the 2008 World Series of Poker, an inexperienced newbie just won the whole shebang online.

And in case you have no idea what I’m talking about, I’m referring to that newbie winning a whopping $250k in an online tournament at Titan Poker. Was it beginner’s luck or sheer skill?

Some random guy named Reimer Koester signed up for an account at online poker site Titan Poker and ended up with thousands of dollars in cash a mere four days after. Sounds like a fairy tale but in poker, anything is possible.

Koester registered for his very first tournament on Titan Poker last August 3 hoping to get a piece of the prize pie at the $250,000 guaranteed tournament. With a tough field of almost 2,000 players, Koester was clearly not a favorite to win. Seven and a half hours later, Koester has defied his odds and was playing heads up.

Koester was well on his way to a win but…

Read More » Titan Poker can Realize your Dreams on a Poker Table

How’s that for making a name for yourself huh?

While the 2008 World Series of Poker gets ready for the final table on November, Jose Miguel Espinar wanted to prove his poker prowess despite being a newbie in the game.

Well, do that he just did. Jose Miguel Espinar came out on top at the end of PokerStars’ Latin America Poker Tour Punte del Este championship. This may have proven that despite starting his poker career only in December 2007, Espinar’s previous cash win at PokerStars’ Caribbean Adventure was not a fluke.

The LAPT Punte del Este, which kicked off last August 7, attracted a total of 351 players. It was a $2,500 buy-in tournament and the total prize pool exceeded $850,000. This meant that the Spaniard Espinar took home a very respectable $241,735.

This guy only started in late 2007? This is the stuff poker dreams are made of.

Espinar was third in chips coming into the final table but he soon emerged on top after eliminating Paulo Cesar Ribeiro and Jose Perez in quick succession. Espinar’s luck seemed unbeatable early in the game when he hit quads to bust Ribeiro and dealt Perez with an ugly bad beat after his A-J won against…

Read More » Espinar wins PokerStars LAPT Punta del Este Title

A contest of endurance.

That’s exactly what poker players not participating in the 2008 World Series of Poker will have once the 36-hour poker cash game gets underway. Some people call it the toughest cash game in the world, obviously because of how long players would have to sit on that table.

A handful of the most-seasoned professional poker players will fight it out in a marathon high-stakes cash game in front of TV cameras. Poker TV doesn’t get any better than this. It’s no wonder Party Poker’s ‘’Poker Den - The Big Game,'’ the entity hosting this poker marathon, is back for a third installment in London’s Poker Den.

The poker pros set to make an appearance are some of the best and most colorful personalities in the game. Scheduled to play are Phil Hellmuth, Dave Ulliot, Tony G, Jamie Gold, Phil Laak, Antonio Esfandiari, Brian Townsend, Mike ‘’The Mouth'’ Matusow, Jennifer Tilly, Andrew Feldman, Sammy ‘’Any Two'’ George, and Robert Williamson III.

The third game is going to be even more tasking for the seasoned veterans. While the first two Big Games were held for 24 hours, this year, the Big Game will run for 36. ‘’The Poker Den has come a long way since we started back in the summer of 2005,'’ noted Eddie Hearn, head of the online gaming at Matchroom Sport. ‘’The Big Game has been such a huge success, and the two series so far have attracted the best players in the world.'’

You can be sure you’ll see some great poker action since the stakes are…

Read More » Can Poker Players in the 2008 World Series of Poker withstand this 36-Hour Cash Game Marathon?