WSOP 2005: Tournament Of Champions Aftermath

READ MORE: 2005 WSOP, Daniel Negreanu, Poker

The recently-completed World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions (whew) has been hailed as having one of the most entertaining final tables of all time. With Mike Matusow and Phil Hellmuth seated in such close proximity, that comes as no surprise. What WAS a surprise to many of the players who fought and clawed to gain entry to the TOC is that Hellmuth was there at all. The Poker Brat, Johnny Chan and Doyle Brunson were given “sponsor’s exemptions” to the event. This kicked off a firestorm of dissent, spearheaded by a blog post written by Daniel Negreanu, who said flat out that those who played by the rules and got into the TOC fair and square were lied to. Steve Rosenbloom of ESPN also wrote a column about the controversy. After the jump, you’ll see there’s still some hard feelings here, and a hell of a lot of ineptitude…

SCREWED IN A TWO POINT FIVE MILL FREEROLL

Since the criticism started, Jeffrey Pollack, the vice president of sports and entertainment marketing for Harrah’s, has been making the rounds explaining how and why this happened. He met with both Negreanu and Rosenbloom to clear the air. To Pollack’s credit, he made the call to Rosenbloom and apologized for what happened when speaking to both writers. So, thumbs up there.

But thumbs down to the reason Pollack gave over and over for the reason the brouhaha happened in the first place—that he’d just started his job and didn’t know better. Uh, is that the best line to take with professional poker players, most of whom have bullshit detectors set permanently on “high?”

Rosenbloom asked questions that probably had Pollack channelling Scott McClellan:

Rosenbloom: “There was never any indication [of sponsor exemptions], unless there is fine print. Is there fine print in this? Because it was repeated enough that there was never a hint, threat, suggestion, indication that there would be a sponsor exemption or Mystery Guest No. 1.”

Pollack: “The communication predates me. I don’t know. I haven’t taken the time, nor do I have the interest to go figure it out at this point. It’s history.”

That’s not an answer likely to engenger much good feeling among poker pros.

Rosenbloom: “If you were going to consider sponsor’s exemptions, wouldn’t it behoove you or somebody to say, ‘Can we do this? Is this what we advertised this thing as?’ Wouldn’t it be incumbent upon somebody to check the fine print to see what kind of standing you have on this? Because somebody in your organization has to be poker-savvy enough to know that bringing in somebody who can knock you out of a tournament is not a poker player’s idea of fair and equitable.”

Pollack: “I’m not a lawyer. But I do know absolutely without question we have the right and had the right to put these players in under sponsor exemptions. There’s no question about that.”

Rosenbloom: “Based on what? Is there a standard clause in your contracts or the way you draw up terms and conditions?”

Pollack: “Three rules governing World Series of Poker events clearly state that all decisions regarding the interpretation of rules and eligibility lie solely with us and our decisions are final.”

One of the big reasons certain people gravitate toward playing poker for a living is because they want to live outside the world of rules and bureaucracy. They loathe petty politics and want to live by their wits and their guts. Perhaps there’s just no way to prevent the spread of corporate politics once a critical mass of money accumulates.

But Pollack did apologize, Negreanu said he was honestly interested in making things better his “customers”, and Rosenbloom’s next column will focus on how Pollack plans to improve service for those customers. And here we reach some ominous news—according to Negreanu, Pollack’s brother is NHL commisioner Gary Bettman. Which can’t exactly be heartening for poker fans. If the entire slate for the 2008 World Series is cancelled, and then the following year the television rights are sold to, oh, Animal Planet, well, we should’ve seen it coming.

Pollack discusses TOC exemptions [ESPN]
Poker Superstars III and Dinner with Jeffery Pollack [Daniel Negreanu’s Poker Journal]

Twenty Four Months Of The Mouth

READ MORE: 2005 WSOP, Mike Matusow, Poker

· November 2003 - Arrested on Felony Drug Charges [The Poker Forum]

· October 6, 2004 - Sentenced to Six Months in Jail [LasVegasVegas]

· April 2005 - Released From Jail After Serving His Six Months [Wikipedia]

· July 2005 - Finishes Ninth at WSOP Main Event [Full Tilt Poker]

· Today - Wins WSOP Tournament of Champions [LasVegasVegas]

The Mouth Makes Good

READ MORE: 2005 WSOP, Mike Matusow, Poker

Matusow v. Hellmuth sounds like the poker equivalent of Freddy vs. Jason. In the WSOP Tournament of Champions, redemption was served on a personal level. After the jump, we’ll let FlipChip from LasVegasVegas tell you all about it…

WHERE ELSE DO YOU GO AFTER HITTING ROCK BOTTOM?

“The final table was a dream team affair with each end anchored by two outspoken tough-as-they-come professionals, Phil Hellmuth opposite Mike Matusow. Claiming some of the real estate between the two was the usually quiet, but equally tough playing Hoyt Corkins and that’s the final three list. Hellmuth was the first to go after they played three way for over three hours. Mike and Hoyt then went heads with Mike having an approximate 2-3 chip advantage; which, he gave to Hoyt in one hand. Was there a trademark Matusow Meltdown? Was there probably going to be a timeout for the guy that holds the WSOP timeout record? Not tonight, a new and improved Mike Matusow came to play this table. Mike never lost his sense of wanting to win this tournament and he still had about forty percent of the total chips. He not only wanted to win this one, he needed this win to cap a roller coaster year in his life. Mike truly has been on an emotional ride that went from the low point of his life to tonight’s new upper benchmark. He got paid a million dollars and owns the bragging rights of being the best of the best poker players. This win was a very strong moment in Mike’s so overcome with emotions he was often speechless, a rare thing for “the Mouth.” I was there for his low point and I was there this early morning for the highest point.”

With as huge as the WSOP fields were, it’s either luck or skill or some surreal combination of the two that gets you to the final table. While it’s easy to say Tiffany Williamsen’s run was mostly luck, Matusow is playing as well as anyone ever has right now. This will be telecast on ESPN on Christmas Eve, should be great TV.

Mike Matusow Wins 2005 World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions! [LasVegasVegas]
World Series of Poker

Poker Pros Complain About Donkeys Too

READ MORE: 2005 WSOP, Daniel Negreanu, Poker

Ah, the “Internet Player,” bane of the professional poker player’s existence. Expect now that the WSOP is all over ESPN, that the pros will be getting a little more media attention than usual, and will be focusing their ire on the legions of idiots and morons that chopped them off at the knees in the Main Event. From Steve Rosenbloom’s column, posted at the Jackson Hole Star Tribune:

“Instead, Negreanu was all in. Then all out after the river came a blank. And he was left to consider how the growing number of amateurs with their unconventional play will force him to alter his, force him to wait for good cards and wait on the fancy moves.

“You just have to dummy up,” Negreanu said. “Don’t try to be sophisticated with them because they’re not going to understand sophisticated play. You want to play fundamentally correct. Don’t get as flashy, don’t get as creative because it’s going to get lost on them. Just go back to peddling the nuts.”“

Does “sophisticated” mean “he should fold to me because I’m Daniel Fucking Negreanu?” Isn’t poker about “shifting gears” and “being unpredictable,” not to mention finding those razor-thin edges you can exploit to hopefully get your opponent to put his own chips in the pot first? Don’t blame the Internet if you can’t catch up to “asshattery” used as “strategery.”

Sometimes the trick is luring them in [Jackson Hole Star Tribune]

WSOP 2005: Ten Is The Magic Number, and Welcome Back Kaplan

READ MORE: 2005 WSOP, Poker

Clear your schedule kids, we’ve got history being made on ESPN tonight. Well, history was made this summer in WSOP Event #31, when Doyle Brunson took down his tenth bracelet, catching up to Johnny Chan who passed him earlier in the WSOP - we’re just getting to see it televised tonight. Doyle’s event is hour two, the NL Hold ‘Em short-handed event (six to a table). Hour one is Event #28, the $5K Limit Hold ‘Em event featuring one of the owners of Card Player magazine, Annie Duke, Barry Greenstein’s kid, and Gabe “Mr. Kotter” Kaplan. Star-studded evening, let’s just hope Epstein and Washington don’t come up with any hair-brained schemes that cost Kaplan a shot at the bracelet he’s been chasing for years.

2005 WSOP Poker Night on ESPN [LasVegasVegas]
Event #28 Live Blog [Tao of Poker]
Event #31 Live Blog [Tao of Poker]

WSOP 2005: Woke Up This Morning, Won Myself a Bracelet

READ MORE: 2005 WSOP, ESPN, Phil Ivey, Poker

What would a Tuesday be without a little WSOP action on ESPN? Well, it’d be just like a Wednesday, but that’s a lousy punchline. Anyway, two new episodes of poker grace the tube tonight, highlighted by a classic match between Robert Williamson and Phil Ivey in the $2500 Pot Limit Omaha with rebuys tourney. Excuse the spoiler, but the circumstances of Ivey’s participation in this tourney are too good not to relay. From Las Vegas Vegas:

Phil Ivey wasn’t going to play in Event #27 $5000 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys. He was sleeping at the time that the event was scheduled to start. Barry Greenstein noticed he was not registered, so he woke him up with a phone call. Barry knew that Pot Limit Omaha is one of Phil’s better games and insisted that Phil get over to the Rio to play. Phil Ivey mainly concentrates on cash games these days and he chose to play a light tournament schedule this year. It’s a good thing that Phil Ivey woke up and answered Barry Greenstein’s phone call because he picked up his fifth WSOP bracelet.

The PLO tourney is hour two, hour one is good ol’ Hold ‘Em action (Event 24, $2500 NL) with nearly no big names in sight. When Farzad Bonyadi is the guy you’re asking for autographs out of this bunch, you can probably guess the rest of these guys aren’t TV-table material.

WSOP on ESPN Tonight… [LasVegasVegas]
Event 27 (PLO) [Tao of Poker]
Phil Ivey Wakes Up to Win 5th Bracelet [LasVegasVegas]
Event 24 Wrapup ($2500 NL) [LasVegasVegas]
Event 24 [Tao of Poker]

ESPN Poker Coverage Is Rigged?

READ MORE: 2005 WSOP, ESPN, Paul Phillips, Poker

Professional poker player Paul Phillips examines a hand from ESPN’s Tuesday night telecast of the Lake Tahoe WSOP Circuit Event, and comes away a little more than skeptical:

…on the first hand they show jeff lisandro raise with TT and ivey call with 99. The flop comes 444, lisandro bets and is called. The turn is a 5, lisandro bets, ivey goes all-in, and lisandro folds. There is not one chance in a million lisandro held TT on that hand.

…people often misunderstand what’s going on here. It’s not that they set out to invent alternate holdings because they think it’ll make more exciting television, it’s that the information is not recorded but for whatever reason they wind up broadcasting the hand anyway. So they wing it, asking the players what they had or just taking a guess if necessary. After 2003 I got the impression they had come to understand why this is completely lame and that if they want any respect from knowledgeable players they must stick to the facts, but the lisandro/ivey hand smacks of a return to old habits.

Wait… Reality TV sometimes fakes it? Color us irretrievably disillusioned. We’ll never watch poker on TV again, at least not until next Tuesday’s WSOP telecast.

ESPN almost certainly inventing hole cards again [Paul Phillips]

WSOP 2005: ESPN Says “We’re Almost There”

READ MORE: 2005 WSOP, ESPN, Phil Ivey

Tonight’s ESPN World Series of Poker telecast is - again - not an actual WSOP event not-so-plausibly live from the Rio, but another one of those “circuit” events, this one from Harvey’s Lake Tahoe Resort back in May.

We won’t spoil it for you, but wunderkind of poker Phil Ivey is sitting at the final table. He’s pretty good at playing cards and all, but we’d beat the shit out of him in Slap Jack until his fingers swelled to the size of a Ball Park Frank. Bring it on Tiger Woods.

ESPN Presents WSOP Poker Tonight [Las Vegas Vegas] (spoilers)

WSOP 2005: World Series Series Circuit Series… Series

READ MORE: 2005 WSOP, Tunica

Are you as confused as we were when ESPN started in on their WSOP coverage, only it wasn’t the WSOP from the Rio in Vegas, but some sort of circuit event instead? Really? Just us? Never mind. Anyway, if you happen to be in Mississippi in the next couple of weeks, stop in to the Grand Casino for the World Series Circuit, uh… Series.

Last year saw the debut of the World Series of Poker Circuit tournaments in five locations around the United States. Much like the original WSOP, each stop on the Circuit offered tournaments in at various buy-in levels… (T)he Circuit proved to be quite successful. Last year 11,079 participants fought it out over $17.1 million in prizes. Some of the biggest names in poker made the final tables, and more than a few amateurs took home big-time prize money.

You’re likely to see some of the world’s greatest tournament poker players being gawked at by Mississippi’s unwashed masses, who will then spend half an hour trying to talk a blackjack dealer into letting them bet their food stamps. Blind Bet Poker will be one of the sites covering the event, and they’ve got the whole circuit series schedule posted here.

World Series of Poker
Blind Bet Poker

2005 WSOP: Come To Jesus

READ MORE: 2005 WSOP, Chris Ferguson, ESPN, Poker

So are we finally getting actual honest-to-god ESPN WSOP coverage from the Rio tonight? No, not yet. Instead, they’re trotting out another circuit event featuring a star-studded final table. We put our crack research staff on the case to dig up information on the participants:

· Prahlad Friedman - the world’s eleventh-ranked Hindi-Hassidic poker player.
· Jim Worth - heir to the Little League equipment-maker fortune.
· Chad Brown - former pass-rush linebacking Seahawk, now savvy Patriot veteran.
· Chris “Jesus” Ferguson - changing gutshots to the nuts since 1988.
· Mark Hanna - frequent Tonight Show guest, brought a koala bear and a rare Amazonian spitting gecko with him from the zoo.
· Reno Williamson - Fred Ward resurrects his role as a “dead” cop trained to become a secret government assassin - the adventure begins.
· Naseem Salem - linebacker out of Alabama drafted by the Niners a couple years ago. Showed promise, but has been dinged up throughout his young career.
· Alex Prendis Jr., Lonnie Alexander, and Keith Sexton - we got nothing.

Damned if we don’t have to get ourselves some new interns. Or maybe hire a fact-checker or two. Anyway, spoilers are all over the recap we linked to below, so click at your own risk. On the plus side, the article did say that due to the relatively low blind level at the time they got down short-handed, this table probably had the best percentage of hands played to a flop of any final table in No Limit WSOP history. Should be fun to watch.

Results of WSOP circuit event [PokerPages]

2005 WSOP: First Hand Perspective

READ MORE: 2005 WSOP, Poker

Here’s a piece of WSOP reporting you’re not likely to see written up in the mainstream: PokerStars satellite winner Bernard Lee is recapping his World Series experience on The Poker Stars Blog.

How does it feel to be one of the last 27 people to walk into Benny’s Bullpen at Binion’s with a chance to win the last gold bracelet and World Championship they’ll ever award there? Ask Bernie:

We headed upstairs to the tournament room. As we walked down the hallway, people started to recognize me and the other players. In some ways, I felt like I was entering a boxing match with my “entourage” leading the way. I was one of the first people to arrive at the room. One by one, the others entered the “ring.” But instead of an antagonistic atmosphere, it was extremely collegial, almost like a fraternity (a co-ed one with Tiffany Williamson). We were the final 27 players in the world still competing in the 2005 WSOP Main Event. I shook hands and wished good luck to practically everyone. Special handshakes and hugs went to John McGrane, Joe Hachem, Tommy Vu, Conor Tate, Steve Dannenmann and Johnny Howard. These were the players that I knew the best since I had played with them the longest. If the poker gods did not choose me to win, then at least have one of these gentlemen take the title.

You won’t get this type of story in your local rag, no matter which yahoo from three towns over managed to win a seat on SuckoutPoker.com. We’ll link you to part one below. It’s a long series of posts, but you can print them out and read them on your mid-afternoon “break.” What the hell else are you going to do on the can? Nap?

Part 1 — Before the Storm [PokerStars Blog]

Not 2005 WSOP: Ultimate Poker Challenge Crowns a Champ

READ MORE: 2005 WSOP, Cyndy Violette, Poker

Wait, Cyndy Violette didn’t make the final table? Then why are we leading with a pic of her on this story?

Will you look at that rack? We got some comments from readers over the past couple of days about our inclusion of Cyndy in that journalistically integrityish expose on the websites of various pro poker babes, and to answer, we’ll just point you to that picture courtesy of Las Vegas Vegas. Cyndy’s like your mom’s best friend that you’re not entirely sure hasn’t been making eyes at you every time she makes a flimsy excuse to stop over to your mom’s house. Does anyone really scrapbook, or is that just a euphemism for middle-aged women getting crocked on cheap Chardonnay while griping about how bad their hot flashes are getting?

Fine, yeah, there was a poker tournament yesterday too. Andy Bloch ended up winning the thing. He took home $167,500 for his troubles, beating Blair Rodman at the end with Jack-Four, also known as “The Jackhammer.” It’s not real cute when you slam Jack-Four down on the table, showing a stone bluff while yelling, “Y’all just been JACKHAMMERED!” Doesn’t mean we haven’t done it though.

UPC Final Table Update [Tao of Poker]
Ultimate Poker Challenge Final Table Recap [LasVegasVegas]
Previously: Nice Website Isabelle - Where’s Your Webcam? [Oddjack]