Poker From The Rail
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Posted by AlCantHang | Filed under Bloggers on the Rail
One of the last $10,000 Championship tournaments aside from the Main Event should award it’s bracelet today in H.O.R.S.E. where they just made it into the money at the end of Day 2. Michael Binger leads the field followed by a who’s who of top tournament pros, cash game players, and a few high rollers from across the Pacific.
Mid-way through Day 2, there appears to have been a little dustup between Binger and Daniel Negreanu where the latter virtually accused the former of being an angle shooter. In the 3000/6000 Limit Hold’em portion, Binger put out a 1500 chip bet and his opponent (not Negreanu) through in 3000. While it looked like a check/raise, Bingers bet was actually half the bet size and the opponents apparent raise was indeed ruled to just be a call.
Negreanu took Binger to task, even though he was not involved in the hand, and things became quite heated. In the end it all worked out. Binger has the chip lead, Negreanu moved on to the next event, and played nice nice by shaking hands.
The 23 returning players are in the money and will attempt to play it down. 1st place collects $609,130.
1 – Michael Binger – 742,000
2 – Fabrice Soulier – 560,000
3 – Daniel Ospina – 532,000
4 – Jacobo Frenandez – 526,000
5 – Ram Vaswani – 505,000
6 – Shanw Buchanan – 479,000
7 – Tam Wang – 440,000
8 – Fu Wong – 398,000
9 – Kyle Loman – 388,000
10 – John Monnette – 325,000
Other Notables: Chau Giang (243,000), Joe Cassidy (184,000), Tom Dwan (135,000), Yuval “yuvee04″ Bronshtein (135,000), Robert Williamson III (22,000)
The young guns in poker, by which I mean most of those who have adopted twitter, seemed to be very excited for the start of yesterday’s $2,500 Pot Limit Hold’em/Omaha mix game. It’s standard fare to watch the players ram and jam, gambling it up for some big pots. Bracelet winner David Williams finished the day on top and looks to continue applying pressure to the table. Also among the 131 players returning are Scott Clements, Adam Junglen, Mohshin “chicagocards1″ Charania, and 2009 WSOP Player of the Year Tom “Donkeybomber” Schneider.
63 player will make the money and move towards the final table.
1 – David Williams – 137,700
2 – Mitch Schock – 121,600
3 – Ashkan Razavi – 115,000
4 – Scott Clements – 108,700
5 – Adam Junglen – 90,000
6 – Tyler Patterson – 77,800
7 – David Lestock – 76,200
8 – Lee Grove – 76,100
9 – Sean Grover – 72,000
10 – Sergey Altbregin – 71,300
Other Notables: Carter Gill (69,900), David “Bakes” Baker (65,300), Mohshin “chicagocards1″ Charania (47,800), Tom “Donkeybomber” Schneider (40,200)
Remember to keep an eye out on our @FullTiltPoker twitter and Facebook page for updates during the day. The Fantasy WSOP contest is also up and running for non-US players, get in the game and challenge your favorite pros.
Tags: 2011 World Series of Poker, AlCantHang, Bloggers on the Rail, Huck Seed, Michael Mizrachi, Scott Clements, WSOP
Posted by AlCantHang | Filed under Bloggers on the Rail
We’re just a few short days away from the start of the 2011 World Series of Poker and things are beginning to buzz. Plans are being solidified, airfare booked, and rolls wired to the Rio cage. While the world winds itself up for the coming series, we thought it would be nice to head back to last year for a few highlights.
Last week I put together a list of some of the best pictures of the summer and today I tried to come up with my 5 favorite stories from last year. It was not an easy task as I didn’t add the much anticipated first WSOP for Annette Obrestad, the incredible class shown by Brandon Adams getting berated on the way to a second place finish, or the incredible run of 2010 WSOP Player of the Year Frank Kassela.
While they may come off as a strictly Full Tilt Poker list, as a long time poker observer, these were the stories I consider the most memorable.
Tags: 2010 World Series of Poker, AlCantHang, Bloggers on the Rail, Gavin Smith, Michael Mizrachi, November Nine, Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan, WSOP
Posted by AlCantHang | Filed under Bloggers on the Rail
Day 2 of the 2011 National Heads-Up Championship is getting ready to go later this afternoon. 32 players are still alive for the title and they will play in two separate flights to start the day. By the time we are done, there will be just 8 players remaining to play on the final day. There are no soft spots in this field and it will continue to get rougher with each match.
There are a few interesting matches in the first heat. The Clubs and Spades Bracket will be the first to battle it out including HU monster Olivier Busquet versus Liv Boeree (Liv B versus Liv B), Andy Bloch will battle young gun Jason Mercier, and in another battle of Tilt against Tilt with Carlos Mortensen against David Oppenheim. Play is schedule to kick off around 12:15, which likely means closer to 1:30. Back with updates throughout the day, matchups and pictures below.
Clubs Bracket Round 2:
Olivier Busquet versus Liv Boeree – Secondary feature table
Jason Mercier versus Andy Bloch
Barry Greenstein versus Ayaz Mahmood
Jonathan Duhamel versus Antonio Esfandiari – Main feature table
Spades Bracket Round 2:
Doyle Brunson versus Dennis Phillips
Daniel “jungleman12″ Cates versus Chris Moneymaker
Carlos Mortensen versus David Oppenheim
Patrik Antonius versus Eugene Katchalov
15:00 – The Spades/Clubs Bracket heat is complete, 8 players are in the money and through to Round 3.
It didn’t take long for us to have the first casualty of the day and it was produced on the feature table. 2010 WSOP Champion Jonathan Duhamel and Antonio Esfandiari put all the chips in the middle with a flush draw. Unfortunately for Esfandiari, his 2nd nut flush draw was up against the nut flush draw. The diamond on the turn had The Magician drawing dead and hitting the rail.
Andy Bloch was the next to exit at the hands of Jason Mercier and was never ahead in the match. Fan favorite Patrik Antonius ran into a tough hand against Eugene Katchalov when he had top pair/top kicker versus two pair. Half the rail left the building along with Antonius. In the battle of Full Tilt, David Oppenheim and Carlos Mortensen were all-in several time and finally The Matador’s hot streak came to an end. The “made for TV” hand came in the much anticipated battle of Liv Boeree against Olivier Busquest. Boeree was ahead pre-flop when the chips went in with QQ versus Busquet’s ATd. An all diamond flush was the death knell for the English pro.
Chris Moneymaker continued to run good and knocked out monster grinder Daniel “jungleman12″ Cates with AT versus AK by flopping a ten. Doyle Brunson gained his revenge over Dennis Phillips winning a race with AQ versus 77. The longest match saw 2010 WSOP Heads-Up Champion Ayaz Mahmood dodge a ton of river out to knockout Barry Greenstein.
It wasn’t a particularly good round for the Full Tilt pros but there are still a few bullets left in the Hearts/Diamonds heat.
Hearts Bracket Round 2:
Andrew Robl versus Emmitt Smith
Gavin Smith versus James Bord
Phil Laak versus Michael Mizrachi
Tom Dwan versus David Benyamine
Diamonds Bracket Round 2:
“Elky” Grospellier versus Phil Galfond
Vanessa Selbst versus Peter Eastgate
Jennifer Harman versus Erik Seidel
Greg Raymer versus Phil Gordon
17:00 – The Hearts/Diamonds Bracket gave the TV audience a little more entertainment when they paired Phil Laak with Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi on the feature table. The two were very animated and put on a great show. There were several all-ins at the table with the chip lead bouncing back and forth. Each time they were joined on stage by their significant others, Jenn Tilly and Lilly Mizrachi. “The Grinder” eventually out-dueled Laak to move to the next round and in the money.
The quickest match of the event occurred between Phil Gordon and Greg Raymer. The cards were barely in the air when a dealer called out “all-in and a call”. It took several minutes to get the production crew and they were racing when the cards were tabled. Gordon’s big slick flopped a king and the 2004 WSOP Champions tournament was complete. Gavin Smith quickly followed when he put his chips in the middle on a flop giving him a nut flush draw against the flopped set of James Bord. The turn ended things quickly when the board paired and another fan favorite was sent out.
David Benyamine knocked out Tom Dwan and Phil Galfond made a huge comeback against EklY Grospellier. The secondary table feature the NFL all-time leading rusher Emmit Smith who tried to double up against Andrew Robl and was looking good when his K4k flopped a 4 but Galfond went runner runner for a straight. The last match of the night was Vanessa Selbst and Peter Eastgate who also traded the chip throughout the match but it ended on the feature table with QQ versus JJ.
Next up is Round 4 of the Clubs and Spades Brackets. The crew is breaking down tables and set to resume in an hour.
Spades Bracket Round 3:
Doyle Brunson versus Chris Moneymaker
David Oppenheim versus Eugene Katchalov
Clubs Bracket Round 3:
Olivier Busquet versus Jason Mercier
Ayaz Mahmood versus Jonathan Duhamel
18:30 – The Round of 16 is about to get underway. Before Michael Mizrachi took on Phil Laak at the feature table, I asked his brother for a prediction.
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20:00 – As expected with just four matches, this round went quickly. Poker legend Doyle Brunson was the first casualty while playing Chris Moneymaker on the feature table. Brunson put all his chips in the middle with top pair and Moneymaker made the call but was holding a better kicker. Brunson rode to the rail and Moneymaker promised to go straight home to bed before the 10am start tomorrow. He will meet up with Full Tilt’s David Oppenheim who eliminated Eugene Katchalov holding A6 versus A8, hitting a 6-ball on the flop.
The 2010 WSOP Heads-Up Champion Ayaz Mahmood’s run also came to an end at the hands of 2010 WSOP Champion Jonathan Duhamel. He will meet the 2009 Borgata Poker Open Champion Olivier Busquet who came from a big deficient against Jason Mercier to move into the final 8. After a series of all-ins, Busquet flopped Kings up versus Mercier’s 34. All four players will return tomorrow to determine the champion.
Hearts Bracket Round 3:
Andrew Robl versus James Bord
Michael Mizrachi versus David Benyamine
Diamond Bracket Round 3:
Phil Galfond versus Vanessa Selbst
Erik Seidel versus Phil Gordon
21:00 – Round 3 matches are underway for the Hearts and Diamonds Bracket, caught up with Michael Mizrachi before his match with David Benyamine (and my unimproved shaky-cam).
22:30 – The final matches of the day are complete and we now have our Elite 8. 2010 World Series of Poker Europe Main Event Champion James Bord was the first victim of the round. He called Andrew Robl’s all-in when they were practically dead even in chips, unfortunately his ATd was no match up against AK. Robl was a last minute replacement and is making it all count. Michael Mizrachi good run was ended by David Benyamine after a series of unlucky hands, eventually shoving his last few blinds in with 86d into AJ. Team Mizrachi has left the building.
In a hand no one in the room saw coming or going, Vanessa Selbst eliminated Phil “OMGClayAiken” Galfond to move on. There was no fan fare or camera to let the crowd know a big hand was in progress. While that was hand was in progress, a shortstacked Phil Gordon shoved a dominated Ace into Erik Seidel’s AQ to finalize tomorrow’s field.
Diamond Bracket final: Vanessa Selbst versus Erik Seidel
Heart Bracket final: Andrew Robl versus David Benyamine
Club Bracket final: Olivier Busquet versus Jonathan Duhamel
Spade Bracket final: Chris Moneymaker versus David Oppenheim
Tags: AlCantHang, Bloggers on the Rail, David Oppenheim, Michael Mizrachi, National Heads-Up Poker Championship
Posted by admin | Filed under Heads Up
Michael Mizrachi took down Phil Laak in Round 2 of the National Heads Up Poker Championship, here’s Eric Mizrachi’s prediction before the game, confident in his brother and rightly so.
Round of 16 up next
Clubs
Olivier Busquet versus Jason Mercier – Winner Busquet
Ayaz Mahmood versus Jonathan Duhamel – Winner Duhamel
Spades
Doyle Brunson versus Chris Moneymaker – Winner Moneymaker
David Oppenheim versus Eugene Katchalov – Winner Oppenheim
Hearts
Andrew Robl versus James Bord – Winner Robl
Michael Mizrachi versus David Benyamine – Winner Benyamine
Diamonds
Phil Galfond versus Vanessa Selbst – Winner Selbst
Erik Seidel versus Phil Gordon – Winner Seidel
More Full Tilt battles on the way, in fact the third in a row for Erik Seidel after beating Allen Cunningham and Jennifer Harman in round 1 and 2.
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Tags: 2011, championship, eric mizrachi, heads up, Michael Mizrachi, nbc, Poker, round of 16, video
Posted by AlCantHang | Filed under Bloggers on the Rail
One of the more interesting aspects of the November Nine Reunion at Foxwoods Resort Casino a few weeks ago (writeup here) was getting a chance to speak with the players now that they had some time to process the entire scene. It was also the first real time we were able to speak with them at the same time about the final table together. After busting in November, they were quickly whisked off to a mad house of flashing cameras and floating microphones.
This was no formal press conference where the players were up on a dias while getting peppered with questions. It was a casual affair with everyone milling around, eating some tasty cheeses courtesy of the fine folks at Cabot Creamery, and discussing the final table. While asking about strategy and action, I was able to throw in some zingers to keep them on their toes courtesy of our Facebook friends.
*Congrats to jawoca780, nwo321, Darkone1, DertyJerz1014, aplusmhs, watchdog26, Henreiman. Thanks for the questions, the FTP points are in your accounts.
How has their lives changed? For the better?
“Nothing much has changed about me. I still go to work every single day then grind online, go out w my friends. I mean beside I can’t walk into a card room without getting recognized, a big target on me.” – Soi Nguyen
“I was a good player before the final table, nothing has really changed. I was in Vegas to play $1,500 event. This is my biggest score, and maybe the best score I’ll ever have in my life. But when I came back home, I continued my life. I love my life.” – Filippo Candio, rockstar.
What was the first thing you did with the winnings?
“Lexus ISF, it has like 420 horsepower or something like that. But I’m never home to drive it.” – Matthew Jarvis
“I bought a Bentley.” – Soi Nguyen, the guys like their rides.
“I got an Xbox 360, and Halo Reach. That was probably my only real splurge so far.” – Joseph Cheong
“I literally bought nothing.” – John Dolan
What was the 1st thing they did after the tournament?
“I just kind of hung out with my girlfriend for a bit. I hadn’t drank anything in a year, but we went out that night and partied it up. Yeah, started drinking again. Me and Joseph swapped some percentage too, so I still had a bit of a sweat.” – Matthew Jarvis
“I actually had a party at PURE for the November Nine, nothing too crazy because I stuck out Vegas for a few weeks after that just doing nothing.” – Michael Mizrachi
“I just went back to my room and laid on my bed for 10, 15 minutes by myself. All of my friends we down in the suite partying, giving me some time alone. After about 15 minutes I went down and we partied.” – Soi Nguyen
“It was pretty late when I busted. I went to sleep right away. My apartment was just ten friends all over the floor just sleeping.” – Joseph Cheong
Can I borrow $10,000 so I can play next year?
They all said “no”. Better luck next time.
Filippo Candio and John Racener relax before the November Nine Reunion tournament
Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi hands with Eric Ramsey from PokerNews
Filippo Candio rocking his custom Full Tilt November 9 jersey
Tags: 2010 World Series of Poker, AlCantHang, Bloggers on the Rail, Filippo Candio, John Dolan, Matt Jarvis, Michael Mizrachi, November Nine, Soi Nguyen, WSOP
Posted by AlCantHang | Filed under Bloggers on the Rail
Some of the fringe benefits of this gig are getting to witness history in person, attend cool gatherings, and watch some of the best players in the game ply their trade. Last week I received a unique invitation to attend a once in a life time reunion of a WSOP Main Event final table. On just 24 hours notice I found myself in the middle of the Connecticut wilderness at Foxwoods Resort Casino.
It was Bernard Lee, Foxwoods resident poker pro, who came up with the brilliant idea to reunite members of the 2010 November Nine in one spot. He scheduled the special gathering around their Mega Stack series which included a 3-table freeroll for their regulars to play with those nine as well as a meet-and-greet with the players. As the youngest final table in history, this 2010 group was perhaps the best suited for this type of activity. They all seem to generally like to hang out with each other and enjoy their company. This was never more evident then the Monday night activities which included an impromptu highstakes bowling match.
Apologies for the low-grade, cell phone capture of the bowling action. Jason Senti was the hands down best bowler, Michael Mizrachi and Matt Jarvis were a very close 2nd, Joseph Cheong was spotted several dozen pins and managed to win, Jonathan Duhamel will always be invited to highstakes bowling.
Those festivities were just the preliminary fun before getting to the reason everyone was in town. The players, media members, fans and random people walking by gathered in front of the poker room for the first official reunion of the final nine members of the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event. They spent their time before the tournament joking around with each other, answering any questions thrown at them, and acting like a group of players who didn’t have a care in the world.
The tournament itself was set up as a 3-table, 10-handed Sit N Go which would feature the November Nine, Foxwoods pro Bernard Lee, ESPN WSOP commentator Lon McEachern, editor Kasey Thompson, and the remaining seats occupied by lucky Foxwoods regulars who qualified to have their names entered into a raffle. While this freeroll was sporting a $25,000 prizepool, the November Niners had plenty of side action going on their in the form of last longer bets that boosted their stake in the game to around $50,000.
After Lon McEachern took over the mic to introduce the November Nine, play was underway. This was a much more relaxed experience then the last time these nine were together with plenty of chatter. Autographs were signed between hands and pictures taken with their fans on the rail. Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi shared fan favorite honors with WSOP Champion Jonathan Duhamel and was also the first one to claim a knockout, sending Joseph Cheong to the rail in an early hand.
After a few hours of play the final table was formed and included three of the November Niners in Jonathan Duhamel, Michael Mizrachi, and Matt Jarvis along with Lee. The Grinder and Jarvis spent most of the day on the featured (and live streamed) table but Mizrachi would be an early casualty. Duhamel was enjoying himself throughout the day but could finish no better in this tournament then 5th place and soon we had Matt Jarvis going heads up for the win, and quite a bit of side action, with Foxwoods regular Ben Hopkins. The heads up battle went back and forth as the two traded punches but it was Hopkins who would bring home the title for the Foxwoods poker room sending Jarvis out in 2nd place but a pocket full of his November Niners cash.
Foxwoods Resorts put on a fantastic event which had the perfect combination of poker and good times, a great atmosphere for a special group of players to come back together. I’m not sure if this could ever be pulled off again successfully but these were the right guys at the right time.
Come back later this week for another post going over our time before the tournament when they answered any and all questions. Click the video below for Lon McEachern’s introductions.
Tags: 2010 World Series of Poker, AlCantHang, Bloggers on the Rail, Filippo Candio, Jason Senti, John Dolan, John Racener, Jonathan Duhamel, Joseph Cheong, Matt Jarvis, Michael Mizrachi, November Nine, Soi Nguyen, WSOP
Posted by AlCantHang | Filed under Bloggers on the Rail
It was just a week ago when the poker world turned it’s eyes back towards the Rio in Las Vegas as the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event champion was set to be crowned. Once again the hallway between the casino and the theater were packed with players, family, and friends waiting to get their seats to watch history.
The WSOP continues to build the hype each year and add little quirks to the process but in the end it comes down to the players to determine how each event is remembered. Great players, excitable fans, and crazy hands will be burned in our memory long after the thoughts of confetti explosions and ring girls. In the end it’s always about the players.
We were lucky last weekend to have a few great photographers running around the Penn & Teller theater getting some fantastic shots of the action. Their access was limited, understandably, due to restraints from ESPN for taping but they did a great job including the picture above showing the WSOP bracelet for the November Nine victor.
Below are a few of my favorite pictures from the 2010 November Nine.
(Click to enlarge)
Tags: 2010 World Series of Poker, AlCantHang, Bloggers on the Rail, Filippo Candio, John Dolan, John Racener, Joseph Cheong, Matt Jarvis, Michael Mizrachi, November Nine, Soi Nguyen, WSOP
Posted by Dave McCarthy | Filed under Bloggers Corner
The WSOP Main Event Final Table is only days away. On Saturday November 6, the November Nine – Soi Nguyen, Filippo Candio, Matthew Jarvis, John Racener, Joseph Cheong, John Dolan, Michael Mizrachi, Jason Senti, and Jonathan Duhamel – will play down to two. Heads up play will resume Monday November 8, and ESPN will air the Final Table (probably not coincidentally) on November 9.
With so many Full Tilt Pros playing for the lion’s share of the 2nd largest purse in the history of poker – just short of $9m – we’ll have plenty of exclusive November Nine content.
In particular, our WSOP 2010 Final Table Coverage page will be bringing you videos, hourly updates, interviews, photos, and more – live from the Penn and Teller theater at the Rio.
Readers of the blog will have already seen AlCantHang’s November Nine handicapping, in which Al, Kevmath, and Spaceman analyzed and made their predictions for the final table’s constituents. There, you can also find the chip counts, M-ratios, and Vegas odds of all nine players.
November Nine Handicapping Part 1 reviews Jonathan Duhamel, John Dolan, and Joseph Cheong.
November Nine Handicapping Part 2 reviews John Racener, Matthew Jarvis, and Filippo Candio.
November Nine Handicapping Part 3 reviews Michael Mizrachi, Soi Nguyen, and Jason Senti.
Below, you’ll find a quick bio of the guys we’re rooting for, along with some Full Tilt commercials that never made it to TV over fears that it would spoil WSOP broadcasts for those who didn’t already know who made the November 9. They’re pretty good, even if we are a bit partial…
Hometown: Santa Ana, California, USA
Age: 37
Bio: The only remaining competitor who doesn’t play poker professionally, Nguyen works for a medical supply company in his home state of California. The Vietnamese-born Nguyen has many friends within the California pro poker community, including Nam Le, who have been helping Soi to improve his game since play was suspended. Soi doesn’t play poker too often and claims to have only played in three or four prior live tournaments, but still managed to cash in this year’s L.A. Poker Classic. His nickname is derived from his childhood love of soy sauce.
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Hometown: Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
Age: 26
Bio: Candio is the first ever Italian player at the WSOP final table and the last remaining European this year. Filippo has been playing professionally for a little over 3 years now and has cashed in several Italian events, including a win at the Italian Pro Championships in San Remo which netted him 185k. This is his first year at the WSOP, where he played in 7 events and cashed in only one before landing a coveted place amongst the November Nine.
Hometown: Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Age: 26
Bio: One of two remaining Canadian players vying to be the first ever Canadian Main Event Champ, Jarvis played well in online tournaments, but didn’t cash too often in live tournaments prior to the WSOP. Since becoming a member of the final nine, Jarvis has won two tournaments, the Canadian Open Poker Heads Up Championship and the 1k buyin Festa al Lago, showing just how dangerous he can be at this final table. Jarvis almost didn’t attend the WSOP this summer, when his dad was diagnosed with cancer, but his father insisted he play anyway.
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Hometown: Port Richey, Florida, USA
Age: 24
Bio: Racener has been a poker professional since finishing third in a WSOP Circuit Event which started within hours of his 21st birthday. He has never held any other job since discovering just how profitable the poker tables could be. Despite his youth, Racener is already well known in most poker circles, with over a million dollars in tournament winnings. Perhaps even more impressive, this November marks the 3rd straight year that he will make a WSOP final table.
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Hometown: La Mirada, California, USA
Age: 24
Bio: The South Korean born pro emigrated to the United States with his parents when he was 6 years old. Cheong is a very active online tournament player, entering in over 10,000 events and earning countless final table appearances under the moniker ‘subiime’. He has only started transitioning to live events in the past two years and his discipline in online play has given him remarkable stamina in live tournaments. He played every single day of the 2010 WSOP, entering in 19 events and cashing in two of them before becoming one of the November Nine.
For Joseph’s Cheong never-to-be-aired commercial, visit Friend of the Blog Dr. Pauly’s Tao of Poker. Cheong’s is a particularly good one…
Hometown: Bonita Springs, Florida, USA
Age: 24
Bio: Dolan attended Florida State, studying business for two years before dropping out to concentrate on poker. It’s a move that he admits was premature and risky, but has worked out in the end. Dolan has earned most of his money playing online where his most notable win is probably the 1k Monday on Full Tilt in 2009 which earned him about 94k. This tournament will be the 3rd WSOP event Dolan has cashed in this year, and his 6th cash finish in his career.
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Michael Mizrachi
Hometown: Miami, Florida, USA
Age: 29
Bio: ‘The Grinder’ has been one of the top tournament players for years, with over 8 million dollars in tournament winnings since his first event in 2004. He was Card Player Magazine’s 2006 Player of the Year, but 2010 looks like it will be his best year to date. Coming into this WSOP, Mizrachi was considered to be one of the best players to never win a bracelet. The Grinder ended that quickly, winning event #2, the 50k buyin Players Championship, for over 1.5 million dollars. It’s a hefty sum to add to the 22 other times he has cashed in a WSOP event. The Main Event could add another 9 million dollars and gold bracelet to an already impressive poker resume. One of the more interesting bits of trivia from this year’s Main Event is that all three of Mizrachi’s brothers (Robert, Danny, and Eric) cashed as well. Since the Grinder is married with three children, it may only be a matter of time before we have an entire final table of Mizrachis.
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Tags: 2010 World Series of Poker, Filippo Candio, John Dolan, John Racener, Joseph Cheong, Matt Jarvis, Michael Mizrachi, Soi Nguyen
Posted by AlCantHang | Filed under Bloggers on the Rail
Just a few short days before the remaining players in the 2010 World Series of Poker gather back at the Rio in Las Vegas to play down to the winner. The November Nine spent 3 plus months preparing for the biggest two days of poker in their careers, in the end we will have one player collect nearly $9,000,000 and a shiny new bracelet. The title will bring the additional prestige of being crowned the World Champion and shuffled around the world for interviews as the involuntary “ambassador of poker”. Such are the expectations after winning the WSOP Main Event.
We’ll spend the few days leading up to the first day of play highlighting the process some of the players went through preparing for their time on the big stage, pressure they’ve felt over the last months from influences outside of the game (family, tickets, endorsements, interviews, etc), as well as what they think their chances are with just 8 players between them and the title. Until then we bring you the final chapter of our November Nine Handicapping.
Our guest bloggers give you their thoughts on the smallest three stacks at the table. While they may not be favored by those making the odds, you will find the most well known pro, the only true amateur, and the shortstack who will be looking for some quick action if he can pick up a big hand. The Grinder, The Rookie, and The Shortie. You should already know about our distinguished panel of prognosticators in Jason “Spaceman” Kirk and Kevin Mathers so we’ll get right to it.
In addition to their thoughts, I’ve also attached the videos/advertisements produced for Michael Mizrachi and Soi Nguyen. They were rejected by ESPN because it removed some suspense about who would make the November Nine.
2010 World Series of Poker – November Nine Handicapping Part 1
2010 World Series of Poker – November Nine Handicapping Part 2
By chip count:
1 – Jonathan Duhamel – 65,975,000
2 – John Dolan – 46,250,000
3 – Joseph Cheong – 23,525,000
4 – John Racener – 19,050,000
5 – Matt Jarvis – 16,700,000
6 – Filippo Candio – 16,400,000
7 – Michael Mizrachi – 14,450,000
8 – Soi Nguyen – 9,650,000
9 – Jason Senti – 7,625,000
By seat assignment:
Seat 1 – Jason Senti – 7,625,000
Seat 2 – Joseph Cheong – 23,525,000
Seat 3 – John Dolan – 46,250,000
Seat 4 – Jonathan Duhamel – 65,975,000
Seat 5 – Michael Mizrachi – 14,450,000
Seat 6 – Matt Jarvis – 16,700,000
Seat 7 – John Racener – 19,050,000
Seat 8 – Filippo Candio – 16,400,000
Seat 9 – Soi Nguyen – 9,650,000
Michael Mizrachi – Seat 5 – 14,450,000 (M=18.06)
Current odds from 5/1 to 7/1 (+500 to +700)
Last year we had Phil Ivey, this year we get Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi as the most recognizable professional at the Main Event final table. The comparisons with Ivey end there as Mizrachi came into the 2010 WSOP as one of those players carrying the dreaded “one of the best without a bracelet” title. He had the results away from the series but just a handful of painful close calls when a bracelet was on the line.
He began playing tournament poker in 2004 and won his first WPT title at the L.A. Poker Classic. In 2006 he was CardPlayer Magazine Player of the Year after several big results including his second WPT title at Borgata Winter Poker Open. He cashed seven times in the 2008 WSOP but with nearly $8,000,000 in career tournament earnings his best WSOP result was a third place finish. That all ended with the first open event in 2010 with the $50,000 Player’s Championship when he defeated the entire field including his brother Robert at the final table for his first bracelet.
Mizrachi is also mathematically eligible to tie Frank Kassela for the 2010 WSOP Player of the Year but I’m certain the bracelet and ~$9,000,000 are a more pressing concern on the “The Grinder”.
From Spaceman:
In some ways there is a ton of pressure on Michael Mizrachi at this year’s WSOP Main Event final table. He isn’t the only professional poker player at the table, but he is the only one recognized all over the world thanks to his many televised final table appearances and his long track record of winning. He is also the only remaining player who can tie Frank Kassela for this year’s WSOP Player of the Year award, needing to win the tournament to do so. That’s a lot to have on your mind with the biggest tournament title in the world – and a huge prize to boot – up for grabs.
Mizrachi had to fight against his nature to even make it to this point, noting after the lineup was set that he’d never folded so much in his life as he did on the final day of play in July. Understanding the magnitude of opportunity that making the final table and having a shot at the POY award would afford him, he locked down and survived the grueling final day. If he chooses to play his position in the same way as Phil Ivey did last year in a nearly identical chip position, that experience from July should come in handy. Of course, there’s one major difference between Mizrachi this year and Ivey last year: Mizrachi has a much better seating assignment than Ivey did. His decisions should be relatively easy in the early going since the stacks surrounding him are fairly similar to his own, whereas Ivey had a more dynamic group of stack sizes to contend with last year.
If Mizrachi doubles up, I love his chances to win this tournament; few players have the kind of track record in big tournaments that he has. Even if he only picks up smaller pots here and there, I think he will be a serious problem for at least half of his tablemates. But with a shortish stack, one early run of bad luck is all it will really take to sink him. The odds being offered him are a little bit skewed because of his popularity, so I can’t value him too highly, but lots of people will want to bet on him and I can’t really blame them.
A proven record as one of the world’s top poker pros, a decent seating assignment, but a stack on the short side at this final table and a skewed set of odds – if you absolutely have to bet on Mizrachi, take him as close as you can get to the +700 end of the spectrum.
From Kevmath:
The Grinder is this year’s Phil Ivey, the player the established pros hope takes down the title after years of lesser known players and amateurs winning the Main Event. Like Ivey last year, Mizrachi’s starts 7th in chips and his chances of winning have been highly overestimated. Mizrachi has to deal with the big stacks of Dolan and Duhamel acting in front of him, expect the Grinder to grind his way up to a fifth place finish.
Soi Nguyen – 9,650,000 – Seat 9 (M=12.06)
Current odds from 14/1 to 18.5/1 (+1,400 to +1,850)
Soi Nguyen comes into play on Saturday as the only true amateur remaining in the field, he has just one other cash on his resume which came after he was already locked up for a November appearance. The Main Event was his first ever WSOP event and he was often heard telling his tablemates he wasn’t 100% solid on what was happening. While it is entirely possible the rookie was in above his head, you would never know by the company he keeps such as former WSOP champions Steve Sung and JC Tran.
Nguyen works for a medical supply company and until now just considered poker as his hobby. He spent the down months studying the game and picking the brains of his professional friends. His lack of experience and shallow stack will make him a long shot to win it all but stranger things have happened.
From Spaceman:
As the only true amateur at this final table, there’s really zero pressure on Soi Nguyen. If he flames out early, it’s all because of his short stack and amateur status. If he hangs in there and makes it near the end – or even wins it – he’s a Cinderella story that will make ESPN’s producers very, very happy. With no worries on his mind, Nguyen will be free to enjoy the moment and make the most of his opportunity.
Admittedly, he’s facing an uphill battle as one of the table’s short stacks. If he does manage to pick up chips, he’ll be forced to play with some of the toughest players at the table to his left. And of course, there are some tough players on his right as well. As the tournament was winding down to this final table lineup, Nguyen didn’t seem to have much luck against his tablemates, dropping pots to Michael Mizrachi and Joseph Cheong. I honestly don’t expect that he’ll be able to put up much of a fight against them unless he’s the beneficiary of some extremely good cards.
The table’s only true amateur, a lack of pressure, but a short stack – if you’re going to bet on Nguyen, take him at +1700 or higher.
From Kevmath:
Soi Nguyen is the lone amateur at the final table, as well as the oldest player. Age doesn’t mean he has more experience, as the Main Event was Nguyen’s fourth live tournament. On the ESPN broadcasts, he’s been portraying himself as not knowing too much about various poker terminology. He’s good friends with Nam Le and some other California pros, so he could be trying to psych out his opponents. However, I expect Nguyen to be shoving with any two cards at the start against a field that’s expected to play more cautiously at the start. Unfortunately for Nguyen, I suspect Nguyen will run into a monster when he makes one of those moves, and be knocked out in ninth place.
Jason Senti – 7,625,000 – Seat 1 (M=9.53)
Current odds from 16/1 to 25/1 (+1,600 to +2,500)
Jason Senti comes to the final table with the smallest stack and perhaps the most obvious strategy at the resumption of play. With an M of under 10 his options will be limited. But if there is anyone at this final table that is capable of pulling the classic shortstack ninja plays it would be Senti.
“PBJaxx” to the online community, Senti is an instructor at Phil “OMGClayAiken” Galfond’s poker training site. He has successfully climbed his way up from the micro-limit cash games to know grinding away online in the $50/$100 games. It didn’t take long for the electrical engineering graduate to realize he had the talent and math skills to become a successfull poker player. He has plenty of work ahead of him if he wants to come from the back of the pack to win it all but it would be an interesting story.
From Spaceman:
Thanks to his position as the shortest stack, Jason Senti has the clearest game plan of any player at this final table: wait on a big hand and play it fast. If he can’t get a big hand in the early going, the path before him won’t become any more difficult – he’ll just have to find a semi-strong hand and make an all-in move. That clarity of mission will take all the pressure off Senti and put it on his opponents, who will all know what kinds of hands the Minnesota pro is going to play and will be faced with the prospect of doubling up the table short stack with a bad call.
The biggest problem for Senti is that he’ll find himself with a below-average chip stack even if he manages to double up. While it’s possible that his game plan might change if he were to find himself in that position, I think it’s much more likely that Senti would stick with the tight-is-right mentality and look to move up the pay ladder. It would take quite a run of cards to put him in position to start playing creative poker, and that’s nothing to bet on.
A clear game plan, but an uphill battle even if he manages to get back in the hunt – I wouldn’t take Senti at anything less than +2,500.
From Kevmath:
Jason Senti is good friends with forum favorite Phil “OMGClayAiken” Galfond, but his status as the shortest stack means he’ll be following Nguyen’s strategy and shoving early and often to accumulate chips. As a trainer at Galfond’s training site Bluefire Poker, Senti will have plenty of personal experience in working out a plan that will help him move up in the chip counts. Unfortunately, I don’t see Senti getting far at the final table, but will be able to get a pay jump after Nguyen’s elimination.
Tags: 2010 World Series of Poker, AlCantHang, Bloggers on the Rail, Guest Posts, Jason "Spaceman" Kirk, Jason Senti, Kevmath, Michael Mizrachi, November Nine, Soi Nguyen, WSOP
Posted by AlCantHang | Filed under Bloggers on the Rail
It was another crazy week around the halls of Full Tilt this week as things kept coming at us one after another. Emails were coming in on a regular basis with news and updates faster than we could keep up. The two biggest stories this week were obviously the latest “durrrr Challenge” as well as the Open Letter to the Commerce Casino but there were other bits that didn’t make the cut. This weekend brings the latest edition of Sit n Go Madness, the Big Little Tournament ($2 buyin, $100,000 prizepool), and non-stop satellites running for MiniFTOPS XVII.
Here are 5 of the top stories that grabbed my attention, details after the jump.
1. “durrrr Challenge 2″ is underway between Tom Dwan and Daniel “jungleman12″ Cates. We have all the details and a short interview with Dwan.
2. Howard Lederer and other top players release an open letter to the Commerce Casino voicing their displeasure over the casino’s stance on HR 2267.
3. Episode 3 of the Doubles Poker Championship airs this weekend on GSN.
4. Full Tilt’s Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi appears on ESPN’s Poker Edge podcast.
5. The Full Tilt Merit Cyprus Classic comes to an end, Gloria Balding and Fillipo Candio take a flying leap.
Tags: AlCantHang, Bloggers on the Rail, durrrr, durrrr Challenge, ESPN, Lacey Jones, Michael Mizrachi, Tom Dwan
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