Archive for Tournament
Tournament of Champions Announced for 2010 WSOP
Опубликовал | КомментарииSeveral years had passed since the last Tournament of Champions was held at a World Series of Poker, and while fans requested that it be reinstated, the freeroll was a costly venture and left off the schedules in lieu of other big buy-in events.
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Early Voting Strong for WSOP’s Tournament of Champions
Опубликовал | КомментарииSo far, the World Series of Poker is quite pleased with the fan turnout for its first Tournament of Champions since 2006. In the first 24 hours that fans could …
Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas to Host Jennifer Harman SPCA Tournament
Опубликовал | КомментарииOne of the most popular celebrity poker tournaments in Las Vegas will be making its return in April, with a host of top professional poker players and celebrities turning out.
On Monday, the Venetian Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas announced that it would once again play host to the Jennifer Harman Charity Poker Tournament on April 13th (a Tuesday). The event, now in its fourth year of play, consistently draws out the cream of the poker playing world along with notable celebrities for an evening of charitable support and poker. The Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) will once again be the recipient of the proceeds raised.
The tournament, which begins at 5:00pm on April 13th, is a $300 buy in No Limit Hold’em event and players will have the opportunity to buy back in for $100 during the first three 20-minute levels. At the end of this period, there is also a $100 add-on option that will give players double their starting stack. Poker’s premier tournament director, Matt Savage, will once again oversee the proceedings and also helm the silent auction that will take place prior to the start of the tournament. The winner of the tournament will take away a seat at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event and a special Curtis & Co. watch, with the remainder of the final table splitting up prizes valued at $30,000.
This year’s event will not lack celebrity star power or poker skill. Confirmed celebrities include “Curb Your Enthusiasm” actress Cheryl Hines, “Saved by the Bell” Principal Dennis Haskins, actor Lou Diamond Phillips, modern artist Michael Godard, and ESPN poker commentator Lon McEachern. Top professionals who are slated to appear for the tournament include Marco Traniello, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson, Eli Elezra, Hoyt Corkins, Andy Bloch, Chau Giang, David Chesnoff, Lacey Jones, Jeff Madsen, Todd Brunson, James Van Alstyne, Shun Uchida, Erica Schoenberg, David Grey, David Singer, and Lee Watkinson.
The defending champion of the tournament, David “HEYIMDRO” Rowan, will attempt to repeat and 2008 champion Seth Dupree will seek to take his second victory. The inaugural champion of the tournament, noted poker player Kirk Morrison, was able to parlay his win into a deep finish at the 2007 WSOP Main Event, finishing 56th for $154,194, of which he contributed 5% back to the NSPCA. Even with the poker enjoyment and the silent auction, however, the event is about raising funds for the NSPCA, a no-kill animal shelter in Las Vegas.
With the $130,000 in proceeds from the first year of the tournament, the NSPCA was able to add a wing to the property (that was named for Harman) and expand the number of animals it is able to support. Since that first tournament, Harman’s charity event has raised over $500,000 for the NSPCA. Harman has also lent her name to past charitable poker tournaments outside of the NSPCA, such as last year’s two-day event in Reno that raised $111,000 for the National Kidney Foundation, another charitable outreach close to her heart.
The Jennifer Harman Charity Poker Tournament at the Venetian has all the markings of being one of the top charitable poker events of the year. A good cause, high-profile celebrities, and top poker players in attendance all will make for an enjoyable evening for those in attendance.
Daniel Negreanu gets under Hellmuth’s skin at Bay 101 poker tournament
Опубликовал | КомментарииThe good natured ribbing began when Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth were seated at the same table on Day 2 of the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star tournament. Negreanu, never one to hold back on a Phil Hellmuth needle, stated, “Hellmuth is probably 800-to-1 to win the Player’s Championship at the World Series of Poker.” [...]
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BLUFF Magazine Partners With V Foundation for Charity Tournament
Опубликовал | КомментарииBLUFF Magazine will partner with The V Foundation to host The V Foundation Charity Poker Tournament in an effort to raise money in the fight against cancer. The Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, NV will host the event on Wednesday, March 24, 2010.
The eventual champion will have a grant to The V Foundation [...]
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Harrah’s Announces Return of Tournament of Champions
Опубликовал | КомментарииAfter being on hiatus for three years, Harrah’s Entertainment announced the Tournament of Champions will be returning to the World Series of Poker. The Tournament will be changed into an ‘All-Star’ format and will have a $1 million prize pool up for grabs. ESPN will be filming the event and then air it on August 3rd as a two hour event.
Tournament of Champions Returns at 2010 WSOP
Опубликовал | КомментарииThe World Series of Poker are always coming up with new ideas and formats to keep the yearly poker mecca fresh and exciting. Alongside a raft of new features for the 2010 WSOP, an old favorite is set to re-take the stage. The WSOP Tournament of Champions will have it’s very own 2010 edition, with increased TV coverage, big-money players, and unprecedented fan interaction. The popular tournament debuted in 2004 and ran for three years until 2006. It has long been a leading candidate for revival, and the WSOP team felt that 2010 was the right time to dust off this invitational centerpiece and return it to pride of place on the World Series schedule.
The new Tournament of Champions will pit 27 former bracelet winners against each other in a $1 million freeroll. Two of these spots are reserved for sponsors, who may use them to draft in stars who are yet to win a bracelet. Also confirmed is the 2009 WSOP Champion Joe Cada, who will still be the reigning world champion when the tournament begins. Alongside him will be the WSOP Europe Main Event winner Barry Shulman and the three previous winners of the Tournament of Champions: Mike Sexton (2006), Mike Matusow (2005), and Annie Duke (2004). The remaining 20 places are open to any of the 512 living bracelet winners.
The decision on who gets to play is being left to the poker-loving public. Head over to the WSOP website to register and pick your own dream 20. So long as there’s still breath in their body, anyone who has won a bracelet in the WSOP’s 40-year history is up consideration. Letting the fans choose who they want to see at the table may result in some worthy players missing out on a seat, but it should make for one of the most entertaining tournaments in recent memory. Voting has already begun and concludes at midnight on June 15th.
You can take a look at the current Top 50, less than half of whom will eventually make it into the event. At the time of going to press, there are plenty of big names on the list, many of whom must be shoe-ins for a seat. A selection of the high-profile players currently leading the race includes: Johnny Chan, Peter Eastgate, Doyle Brunson, Antonio Esfandiari, Dario Minieri, Erick Lindgren, Huck Seed, Jeff Lisandro, Phil Ivey, Joe Hachem, Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, Phill Hellmuth, Chris Moneymaker, Allen Cunningham, Erik Seidel, Jason Mercier, Daniel Negreanu, John Juanda, Barry Greenstein, Scotty Nguyen, and Annette Obrestad. There are few more obscure characters on the list, including the legendary Amarillo Slim, who has been largely absent from the poker scene in recent years. Costa Rican Humberto Brenes undoubtedly has the skill to qualify, but given his lack of TV exposure, it’s a surprise to see him up with these well known superstars. Other outside bets who have snuck into the Top 50 include 27-year-old double bracelet winner Daniel Alaei, 2008 Limit Hold ‘em Championship winner Rob Hollink, and veteran Chinese grinder Chau Giang.
“Winning the ToC marks one of the most memorable events in my poker career and I’m ecstatic that the WSOP is hosting this prestigious event,” announced Annie Duke. She’ll have another shot at taking down that title on June 27th, when the 27 entrants will play down to a final table. There will then be a mini – November Nine style – delay until Jun 4th, when the tournament will conclude, the day before the Main Event gets underway. The Tournament of Champions will be filmed by ESPN and turned into a two-hour dedicated broadcast, due to air on August 3rd. The tournament has no buy-in and will not award a bracelet, but it does carry a hefty $1,000,000 prize pool. The winner will pick up $500,000, with $250,000 and $100,000 for 2nd and 3rd respectively. The remaining prize money will be split into $25,000 chunks from 4th down to 9th.
WSOP Tournament of Champions Returns as Poker All-Star Game
Опубликовал | КомментарииThe National Basketball Association (NBA) has one. So does the National Football League (NFL). Now, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) will introduce an All-Star Game featuring 27 players in a made-for-television Tournament of Champions.
The event has been scheduled to take place over two days during the 2010 WSOP, beginning on June 27th with a final table taking place on July 4th. No new WSOP tournaments begin on either day, meaning that attending the soon-to-be prestigious event won’t take away from other festivities at the Rio. ESPN will air the All-Star Game, being dubbed the $1 Million 2010 WSOP Tournament of Champions Freeroll, on August 3rd.
Five entries into poker’s version of an All-Star Game are automatic and are awarded to the three prior WSOP Tournament of Champions winners and the reigning WSOP and WSOP Europe Main Event champs. The first Tournament of Champions took place in 2004, when UB.com and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke earned a $2 million winner-take-all prize after besting Phil Hellmuth heads-up to become the series’ first winner.
In 2005, Mike Matusow defeated DoylesRoom pro Hoyt Corkins to earn gold. Others at the final table included Hellmuth and Steve Dannenmann. Matusow won $1 million for his efforts and a total of 117 players entered. In 2006, World Poker Tour (WPT) Host and Poker Hall of Fame member Mike Sexton came out on top, outlasting PokerStars pro Daniel Negreanu. Matusow finished third that year in an impressive showing and Sexton banked $1 million for the win. Also gaining automatic entry to the 2010 Tournament of Champions are Joe Cada and Barry Shulman, who took down the 2009 WSOP and WSOP Europe Main Events, respectively.
Two slots in the 27-player field will be sponsor exemptions. WSOP officials will award both seats, although details on how they would be dished out were not available at press time. The general public will determine the final 20 seats in a fan vote. Balloting opened today at Noon ET on WSOP.com and will close on June 15th at Midnight ET on WSOP.com. The top 20 vote-getters will gain entry into the newly-forged $1 million freeroll.
The only requirement for voting by the general public is that a player must be a WSOP bracelet holder, eliminating the likes of Tom “durrrr” Dwan from contention. Open voting for the 2009 class of the Poker Hall of Fame led to Dwan being included as one of the final ten nominees; a committee later struck him of his bid, charging that he did not stand the test of time, one of several criteria needed for enshrinement. There are 521 living WSOP bracelet holders. Click here and vote now!
The top nine players in the Poker All-Star Game will finish in the money, with the tournament’s winner pocketing $500,000. The runner-up will bank $250,000, while the third place finisher will score $100,000. All other players in the top nine will see their bank accounts grow by $25,000. In case you’re wondering who is in the running to vie for the half-million dollar top prize, the WSOP will provide a list of the top 50 vote-getters after every ballot is cast on its website.
With a considerable amount of money at stake in poker’s version of an All-Star Game, Harrah’s officials will take steps against players artificially inflating vote counts. A press release distributed by the WSOP on Monday explains, “In an effort to avoid ballot-stuffing, the tally of individual votes won’t be divulged during the open voting period and balloters will be required to complete an authentication process to ensure one vote per e-mail address.”
WSOP officials expect the Tournament of Champions Freeroll to become an annual staple of the extravaganza in Las Vegas. Harrah’s Interactive Entertainment Vice President Ty Stewart noted in the same press release, “The Tournament of Champions brand has heritage in delivering the big moments. We’re thrilled to reinvent it around a model that should elevate the game by engaging millions of poker fans. We have received a lot of input from players and their affinity for the TOC and we are excited for them and the fans and hope its here to stay.”
Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest on the WSOP All-Star Game, this year’s version of the Tournament of Champions.
World Series of Poker reintroduces Tournament of Champions
Опубликовал | Комментарииhas announced they will once again be running an invitation-only tournament at the 2010 World Series of Poker. This will mark the first time since 2006 that the WSOP will feature the Tournament of Champions, but unlike the three previous TOC’s the 2010 version will take place in the midst of the World Series [...]
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WSOP: 2010 Tournament of Champions Will Be All-Star Game
Опубликовал | КомментарииThe World Series of Poker has announced that they will be bringing back the Tournament of Champions (TOC) in 2010 with one major change. The tournament will be an All-Star game with the majority of the participants being voted in by fans.
In a move that Ty Stewart, Vice President of Harrah’s Interactive Entertainment, called “An [...]
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