Main Event Action

The schedule for the 2012 World Series of Poker has yet to be announced but already one important detail about the Main Event has been leaked to the media.

“A few hints on WSOP schedule coming tomorrow…you won’t find the November Nine returning.”

This was the tweet sent out by @WSOP, the official source for World Series of Poker updates and news.

The November Nine was a term that referred to the Main Event’s Final Table being staged in November, a few months after the Main Event had played and its field narrowed down to just nine players.

The original intention of staging the Final Table in November was to increase the suspense for the television audience. Critics claimed, however, that the November event did not increase public interest in the event. The extended break also crushed hopes of players “on a run” to continue all the way through the early stages of the tournament to the coveted WSOP bracelet.

@WSOP also tweeted:

“The WSOP Main Event this year will be 3 days shorter without compromising structure at all.”

And:

“Another good change coming to WSOP in 2012…no off day during Main Event.”

And:

“The 43rd Annual WSOP will take place from May 27 to July 16, 2012.”

The full schedule of the 2012 World Series of Poker is due to be released later today.

Oh yeah, he also won nearly $4 million actually playing poker during that span.

The times are changing for Hachem, however, as last month he announced he was leaving long-time sponsor PokerStars, which he helped build into the biggest online poker room in the world.

It turns out the whirlwind tour that Hachem has been on since winning the Main Event is finally starting to take its toll.

 “I’ve been on the road for seven years now and I’m totally exhausted,” he said during a break in the 2012 Aussie Millions Main Event.

Hachem is one of the few players who has actually defined poker for an entire country and it’s never more apparent then when the Aussie Millions rolls around and thousands of Australian poker players and fans converge on the Crown Casino.

“It’s our pride and joy to be honest,” said Hachem, who lives lives in Melbourne. “It’s a special event and it stands alone in that regard. It’s not connected to the EPT, LAPT, WPT or whatever.”

Joe Hachem winning the 2005 WSOP Main Event

 

It’s questionable if the tournament would even exist if it weren’t for Hachem’s record-setting haul at the WSOP in 2005.

Since Hachem became the first Australian to win the Main Event poker has exploded Down Under and where there used to be only one poker room in the entire country there is now one or more in every state.

Therefore it was somewhat of a shock when PokerStars and Hachem parted ways in December. The two brands had been synonymous since 2005.

A few days ago Hachem announced that he had reached an agreement to work with the lesser-known AsianLogic and help develop their future strategies for the online poker market.

It was a somewhat surprising move for the Australian considering there’s a good chance he received attention from major industry players like 888poker, PartyPoker or Titan Poker.

“I had a big offer from a large poker room on the table,” he said.

“I thought ‘OK, do I sign on as an ambassador for a big room or do I partner up with a solid company that’s close to home and looking to expand with plenty of opportunities to let me help it grow?’ It was a no-brainer for me.”

Hachem went on to say that he was tired of “dancing like a monkey” and wanted to be more involved in the day-to-day business for a company.

AsianLogic, he said, was the natural fit.

With his new deal Hachem will also limit the amount of travelling he does and right now only has plans to play the LAPC, WPT Bay 101, WSOP, WSOPE, Epic Poker Tour and the two AsianLogic-backed APT events.

It’s a big difference for a guy who lives thousands of miles from every major tournament outside of the Aussie Millions.

Joe Hachem flashing his PokerStars patch in 2010.

 

“Every trip that I go on takes at least a day,” he said. “It’s a hell of a lot of time to spend on an airplane.”

At this point it would be easy to say that Hachem has lost an edge in his poker playing abilities or he’s now in the twilight of his career but the feisty Australian would beg to differ.

Earlier this week Hachem outlasted some of the best poker players in the world – including Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan and Gus Hansen – to take third place in the massive $100k buy-in tournament at the Aussie Millions for an impressive $330k.

It was his biggest cash since 2006 and the most he’s ever won in his hometown casino.

In the past Hachem has been a somewhat decisive figure in the industry thanks to his penchant for taking it personally when the cards don’t go his way.

Although a fan of rising Aussie online stars Jonathan Karamalikis and Jarred Graham, Hachem has been critical of young online poker players in the past and encouraged them to “grow up.”

He still maintains that it takes more than skill to become a true star in the poker world.

“A lot of these kids don’t have any manners or respect,” he said. “They live and die behind their computer screens so they don’t feel like they have to own up to anything.”

Despite his desire to remain closer to home and work behind the scenes, Hachem will always have fond memories of the last seven years where he seemed to have a PokerStars patch tattooed to his chest.

“I feel blessed that I’ve had the opportunity to do this,” he said. “It’s been amazing but at the same time I’ve worked my ass off to be the best ambassador and best poker player I could be.”

We’ve got the details on the Sunday Million, the Warm-Up and the 500 right here on the Sunday Scoop.

Akenhead Crushes Sunday Million

7,125 players found their way into the Sunday Million this week with UK pro James “Asprin1” Akenhead taking the top spot and the $213,750 first-place prize.

In 2008 Akenhead made the final tables of the WSOP main event in Las Vegas and the WSOP Europe main event in London and now he can add a Sunday Major title to his list of accomplishments.

Akenhead defeated pnp23 of Romania who pocketed $157,277 for second.

Finishing third was German pro Giuseppe “Ansgar2000” Pantaleo who is currently ranked 175th on the Global Poker Index thanks to 16 cashes, eight final tables and over $450,000 in results in less than two years.

Pantaleo has also earned more than $1.8 million playing online poker tournaments as Ansgaar2000 on PokerStars and previously as LeChiffre19 on Full Tilt and UB.

In total 1,080 players got paid. Here are the full final table results:

Denmark On Top in Sunday Warm-Up

Danish player RasA86 defeated a field of 3,569 yesterday in the Sunday Warm-Up, winning $112,067.

Pius Heinz cashed in this Sunday on PokerStars.

 

The Warm-Up smashed its guarantee, putting $713,800 in the pot to be divided among the top 540 finishers.

Celina Lin just made it into the money, finishing 537th, while reigning world champion Pius Heinz made it to 367th before going bust.

Here are the full results for the final table of this week’s Sunday Warm-Up:

Pateychuk Comes Close in Sunday 500

Super hot Russian player Andrey Pateychuk, who won EPT San Remo last October and WPT Prague in December, narrowly missed a win in the Sunday 500 this week.

Pateychuk was edged out by Romanian player ALIN76poker who made a deal heads-up with Spanish player Rocks_Strato to take $64,500 and $59,500, respectively.

In total 117 of the 800 who played got paid, sharing the $400,000 prize pool.

Notables to finish in the money include Leo Fernandez (23rd), Pat Pezzin (62nd) and Shane Schleger (69th).

Here are the full final table payouts for this week’s Sunday 500, adjusted to reflect the heads-up deal:

Today in the 3-Bet we catch another humble brag from Phil Hellmuth, get a look into Vanessa Rousso's other passion and watch a blast from Isildur1's past.

1) Hellmuth Floored

In demand.

 

Owner of perhaps the most @humblebrag-y Twitter account in poker, Phil Hellmuth was up to his usual tweet tricks again yesterday.

While the rest of the big names in the poker world were busy playing side games at the PCA or winning $1m at the Aussie Millions, Phil was playing the $1,600 WSOP-C event at the Bike in LA.

Not to be outdone, though, he found some high-stakes action afterwards and now, Hellmuth says, he's needed courtside at the Golden State Warriors-Orlando Magic game tonight in Oakland.

Nothing but floor seats for Phil, of course:

No rest for the weary. Played poker for about 24 hrs straight starting in tourney yesterday at Bicycle Club and ending at Commerce Casino

Lost 7k in day yesterday, watched 3 movies, then lost 17k in 300-600 game. Now flying back to Nor Cal to sit on the floor GSWarriors/Magic

Stay tuned for his name-drop tweet featuring Warriors owner (and Hellmuth pal) Joe Lacob later.

Watch the game streaming live on atdhenet.tv.

2) Rousso Kicks Out the Jams

Rhythm has got her.

 

Fans of PokerStars pro Vanessa Rousso might also know she has a burgeoning side career as a DJ/musician.

Players might remember her sets at the WSOP main event last year, thanks in large part to her classes at the Berklee Music school.

Taking up to five classes at a time, Rousso says in a new video endorsing the online school that Berklee has taught her a ton and that a career playing poker tournaments and DJing/playing her songs on the side would be pretty much the perfect life.

Comparing music to poker, she says:

"One of the things which makes poker and music kind of analogous is the fact that there are so many variables at stake.

Whereas in poker you have all the variables like the psychology, the math, the player history … you have the odds, the cards that are out.

In music, you have, you know, the harmony, the melody, the rhythm. You have the production. All of these different things."

Watch the full video here.

3) Blom Goes the Dynamite

As Viktor “Isildur1” Blom goes about burning through his PCA Super High Roller winnings in marathon high-stakes online sessions, we couldn’t help but be reminded of this awesome clip of an 18-year-old Blom at the 2009 World Series of Poker Europe.

Saying anything would ruin it (although his exit really makes the whole clip), so just watch below:

Today in the 3-Bet we find former Main Event runner-up Ivan Demidov scorned for his PokerStars patch, Matt Glantz calling out young pros to be responsible for the game and Gus Hansen joining the movement to Macau.

1) Right Sport, Wrong Guy

Over the years, Vice Magazine’s “Do’s and Don’ts” have been pretty astute and/or hilarious, but they’ve clearly gone downhill with founding editor Gavin McInnis no longer at the helm.

Former WSOP Main Event runner-up Ivan Demidov was recently caught by a Vice photog and taken to task for his “card-playing team” patch.

Ivan Demidov looks very out of place on Vice's list of fashion Don'ts.

 

A certifiably weak attempt all around, it’s clear Vice has little to no idea just how much that little patch of PokerStars is worth.

Or that it doesn’t really make Demidov a fashion loser.

But they’re on the right track by homing in on poker. If they want to capture some legitimate fashion don’ts, spend a day at the WSOP in Las Vegas this summer.

(H/T to The Poker Muppet from 2+2 for sharing the news)

2) Glantz Speaks on “Responsibility in Poker”

Veteran tournament pro and master tweeter Matt Glantz recently published a blog entry that’s managed to ruffle a few feathers.

Titled “Responsibility in Poker,” Glantz takes aim at the “top of the food chain” young guns in poker and admonishes (or asks) them for not always acting as the game’s best representatives.

Check out this excerpt:

You guys are looked up to by the entire poker world. Whether you are in a major televised poker tournament or just in your local card room, you are always on stage. Your actions have many ripple effects. As a young person, this is a hard fact that you must come to understand.

Matt Glantz appeals to young pros as "the future of the poker industry".

 

Poker needs you to come to this realization. You have to present yourself in a positive light at ALL times for the game. If poker is your career, you need to do your best to help grow poker for the long term.

I am not here to bash or scold you guys. You know I am your biggest fan. The young guns of poker, all one hundred or so of you, are the future of our poker industry.

3) Gus Goes To Macau … But Might Not Play

Somewhere in Macau a Chinese businessman is smiling.

While most poker players are getting ready for the upcoming PCA, Gus Hansen is packing up and plotting a course for the big games in Macau.

Besides hating on Christmas and talking about board games, Hansen’s latest blog post outlines his plan for Macau. Here’s part of what he had to say:

“Heading to Hong Kong and Macau tonite.

“I have heard a lot about the crazy action going on out there and now I will have a chance to see it with my own eyes.

“Whether I will be playing some serious high stakes poker in the next week or so is still up for debate?

“First of all I might not be able to get a seat and if I get a seat I might not want to play.”

With elite players like Tom Dwan and Phil Ivey filling the seats not taken up by maniac billionaires, it’s safe to say Gus might get in a little trouble.

Today we hit up an essential well with David “Raptor” Benefield (including his thoughts on durrrr), a surprising reveal from Jamie Gold and a reflection from Shane Schleger on a year that "kicked his ass."

1) Raptor Goes to the Well

Known to some as the “old roommate” of Tom "durrrr" Dwan, David "Raptor" Benefield is a certified high-stakes poker icon in his own right

And as is tradition with high-stakes poker icons, he’s now paying back the poker community on the 2+2 forums with a must-read “well."

For those unfamiliar with a well, it’s basically an open platform for anyone to ask any question and Raptor does his best to answer open and honestly.

So far in the well he delves deep into his poker past, his non-poker future, his thoughts on poker strategy, his favorite restaurants and, of course, durrrr.

Ask him anything.

 

Some highlights:

“I have made over 5m from poker. I don't know what peak net worth was, but I am not at it now. I invested the majority of my money in a variety of startups, so hoping one of them turns into the next google or I will have to find a job at some point.”

On his peak earnings:

“10k+ per hour. 2-4 and 3-6 PLO/NL HU. There are certain people I think I do really well against.”

On durrrr:

"I spent a lot of time with durrrr, and there were a couple of times where I would actually have more money than him, but he would be playing 5x bigger stakes, go on a superheater and have twice my net worth the next day. It made me feel like a bitch. Happy for him, but still a bitch."

"I met him through 2p2 then met him in person at PCA. I always thought he was a fish, but a really creative/smart fish."

Here’s the well.

2) Jamie Gold Coaching Jim Carrey?

Carrey's poker coach?

 

In honor of National Card Playing Day on December 28th (who knew?) 2006 WSOP Main Event champ Jamie Gold sat down with gossip blog Wonderwall and broke down a bunch of celebrities he’s apparently played poker with.

Included in the list:

Jennifer Love Hewitt ("The first time I met her -- three years ago -- she was just learning the rules of the game. But I bet she can really play now."), Kirstie Alley, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Jon Hamm, Tobey Maguire and Anne Hathaway, among others.

Most surprisingly, maybe, Gold hinted Jim Carrey is both a poker player and on his way to taking the game more seriously.

"He's just beginning to play,” said Gold, “but I am dedicated to making him a great player."

We’ll keep an eye out at the 2012 WSOP.

Check out the full slideshow here.

3) Shaniac Humbled by 2011

Au Revoir 2011.

 

We tipped you off to Tao of Poker’s year in review post on Tuesday, now we’ll ship you off for a retrospective from another of the most astute and cogent poker commentators out there, Shane “Shaniac” Schleger.

This isn’t a full "year in review" per se, but more a brief look back at how the year shaped up for Schelger and how it affected him in a few unexpected ways.

As always, it’s a clear and insightful read and yet another reminder how hard it is to keep poker and all of the other things in life in balance – especially when you live in the US and it’s how you make your living.

An excerpt:

“I am not feeling overly sentimental towards the year that has passed, because it feels just like a bridge in the ongoing arc of my life, just an arbitrary period of time that doesn't encapsulate anything in particular other than a fair amount of chaos.

“And it feels like 2011 kicked my ass. It was a humbling year, and I am just looking forward to moving on.”

Check out the full post here.

Riding his 2011 WSOP bracelet win and a third-place finish in Epic’s inaugural event, Mercier has a stranglehold on the ranking until January ushers in a new year of major tournaments.

The rest of the top ten remains relatively static with a lull in major tournaments as the holidays approach. Here is this week’s GPI Leaderboard:

Farther down the GPI list, which ranks the top 300 tournament poker players in the world, we saw serious movement.

Andrey Pateychuk was the biggest mover, rocketing 183 spots up to 89th thanks to an unbelievable month that included wins at EPT San Remo and WPT Prague. Those two results count along with his 15th place finish in the 2011 WSOP Main Event.

That’s because the GPI formula takes into account results from the last six, half-year periods, with serious emphasis place on the most recent six-month period.

Canadian Russell Carson recorded the second-biggest gain, jumping 151 spots to 129th thanks to his final-table finish at WPT Prague.

Plummeting down the rankings was Max Lykov, who now has zero results in his most recent scoring period. Lykov won a WSOP bracelet this summer but the $1,000 buy-in isn’t enough to qualify it for inclusion in the Global Poker Index. He fell 147 spots to 264th.

The second biggest loss was Chris Bell whose win at the WSOP Circuit event in Atlantic City last year passed from Period 2 to Period 3. Bell dropped 139 spots to 297th.

January is sure to be a turbulent few weeks for the BPI, with big events at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure and Aussie Millions giving players big chances to score points.

Click here for the full Global Poker Index ranking from Epic Poker.

Keep an eye on the PokerListings.com Poker News section for our weekly GPI report.

Busting Agris Klaise, Denis Pisarev, Tobias Reinkemeier, Thomas Frandsen and Jan Bendik over the day, Kretz also took huge pots off of Chris McClung and Day 2 chip leader Martins Adeniya to take a commanding stack of 6.3 million chips into the final table and put himself in the driver’s seat for his first major cash.

His only previous live tournament cash was for just $1,476 at a tournament in Austria last year.

Kretz will still have his work cut out for him as he leads a final six of very experienced players including Russian Andrey Pateychuk, fresh off two huge scores this summer.

Pateychuk made a very deep run at the 2011 WSOP Main Event before busting in 15th for $478,174. He followed that up with a win at EPT San Remo in October for €680,000.

Pateychuk enters the final table third in chips with 2.3 million.

Frenchman Benjamin Pollak is looking to build on his $500k in career live tournament earnings and comes into the final table second in chips with 4.86 million.

Norway’s Sigurd Eskeland, a 2010 WSOP bracelet winner, will come in fourth in chips with 1.575 million. Spain’s Adria Balaguer is fifth with 1.315 million.

Canadian Russell Carson, an online poker icon in his own right with almost $6 million in earnings, is the short stack on just 750k

The seating assignments and chip counts for the final table, courtesy of wpt.com:

The day started with Brit Adeniya, a former London trader, leading the way by a wide margin. Not much went Adeniya's way today however and he busted in 19th place for $16,520.

Eugene Katchalov, Tristan Clemencon, Day 1b chip leader Casey Kastle, Basil “French durrrr” Yaiche, McClung and Jamie Rosen all also made the money but hit the rail today.

Former WPT champion Mike “SirWatts” Watson busted out just short of the final table in ninth. German Tobias Renkemeier ended up in 11th.

Because of the long day today the final table won’t start until 3 pm. tomorrow (CET). First place pays out €450,000.

Follow the action live on the WPT Live Updates pages and catch the live stream on a 30-minute delay here.