Trials of a Poker Apprentice

Monday, March 24, 2008

Tonight is poker night

Just a reminder that the World Poker Tour kicks off its new season on a new night and channel tonight.

Tonight's episode will be the Mirage Poker Showdown. Those at the final table include:

Richard Kirsch
Jonathan Little
Cory Carroll
Phil Ivey
Darrell Dicken
Amnon Filippi

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

WPT, GSN launch new website

One week away from the premiere of the new World Poker Tour at its new home on Game Show Network, the two new partners celebrated St. Patrick's Day by announcing a new website.

www.WPTonGSN.com will feature background on each week's tournament, along with player biographies, stats and behind-the-scenes coverage. There will also be a contest to let viewers compete all sorts of cool WPT-related prizes.

Below is the full announcement from WPT:

WORLD POKER TOUR AND GSN TEAM UP TO LAUNCH INTEGRATED WEBSITE, WPTONGSN.COM

LOS ANGELES – WPT Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ: WPTE) and its new network partner, GSN, are collaborating on an innovative business model where networks and production companies team up to reach fans together. The two companies—who signed a deal in 2007 to air Season VI of the World Poker Tour® (WPT) on GSN, premiering Monday, March 24 at 9pm ET/PT—have taken their partnership online, aligning their business objectives and consumer offering with the launch of a new website, www.WPTonGSN.com.

The new site provides a built-in call to action for viewers to find the World Poker Tour show on GSN while featuring both brands on one website. www.WPTonGSN.com delivers new information each week tailored to the final table airing on GSN, taking fans beyond the 2-hour show to experience with behind-the-scenes footage, player history, archived WPT Live Updates, statistics, as well as unique GSN content offerings.

The site also features exclusive previews, show clips, a GSN channel locater, airdate schedules, episode guides, announcer biographies—including new hostess, Layla Kayleigh-- and complete Season VI WPT details. Additional content and features will become available as the WPT season premieres on GSN.

"WPTonGSN.com is the one-stop shop for everything poker fans would want in a website,” said Jamie Roberts, Senior Vice President of Programming, GSN. “It provides exclusive content, features, information and much more about the new season of the WPT as it premieres on its new network home, GSN.”

The two brands are also teaming up to deliver multiple consumer promotions to further engage World Poker Tour fans on GSN. Beginning March 24th, the WPT VIP Sweepstakes, in association with Southwest Airlines will prompt fans watching the show to text in or visit www.WPTonGSN.com to enter for a chance to win WPT VIP prizes such as WPT Boot Camp experiences, WPT Cruises and more. Additionally, WPT and GSN will be running a contest on GSN Live, giving away five trips to Las Vegas where the winners can compete in the WPT Ladies Championship tournament at the Bellagio on April 13thand 14th. Women are a rising force in poker and the two brands are positioned to deliver content and experiences that will foster growth and support of ladies who watch and play.

“The ink was still wet on our network deal when WPT and GSN came together to find the very best way to support both brand initiatives while still delivering a unified message to consumers,” said WPT Founder, President and CEO, Steve Lipscomb. “In a time where the television industry is working to come back together, we are grateful to have a network partner who supports innovative ideas that bring the brands together to deliver the ultimate experience for fans and viewers.”

Big changes for new season of WPT

We are less than a week away from the premiere of the sixth season of the World Poker Tour, and this year there are more than a few changes.

The WPT jumps ship from its home for the past five years, the Travel Channel, and moves to Game Show Network. As part of the move, Wednesday night will no longer be poker night, as the show is also switching to Monday nights.

Finally, the show will once again have a new hostess, and this is one to get excited about. Layla Kayleigh takes over the microphone, and she should be a dramatic improvement over the hostesses of the past couple of seasons. If you've ever seen her reading the news on G4's "Attack of the Show," you know what I'm talking about.

Following is WPT's official statement on the new season, complete with the season schedule:

GSN, THE NEW NETWORK HOME OF THE WORLD POKER TOUR®, ANNOUNCES SEASON VI TELECAST SCHEDULE

LOS ANGELES – WPT Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ: WPTE) and its new network partner, GSN, announced today the sixth season television schedule featuring 23 two-hour World Poker Tour® (WPT) episodes. The season premieres in its new timeslot on GSN Monday, March 24 at 9 PM ET/PT kicking off with the Mirage Poker Showdown.

The new season features three new tour stops, more than 20 new WPT Poker-Made Millionaires and new hostess, Layla Kayleigh. Making Monday nights the ultimate destination for poker entertainment, the WPT will follow GSN’s popular HIGH STAKES POKER “cash game” series.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to have GSN as our partner and the new home of WPT,” said WPTE President, Founder and CEO, Steve Lipscomb. “GSN and WPT are dedicated to collectively broadening the poker experience for fans and viewers and cannot wait to kick off our best season yet.”

“The WPT is one of the strongest brands on television, and poker fans will enjoy the action every Monday night on GSN,” said Jamie Roberts, Senior Vice President of Programming, GSN. “With the popularity of our original cash game HIGH STAKES POKER and the WORLD POKER TOUR, there is no better place to watch poker on television.”

As the new home of the WPT, GSN will televise tournaments from the most prestigious casinos and locations around the world including Barcelona, Spain; Turks and Caicos Islands in the British West Indies; and Niagara Falls, Canada. The WPT schedule begins with two events from Las Vegas and continues to feature popular stops at The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, Bellagio in Las Vegas, Commerce Casino in Los Angeles, Foxwoods Casino Resort in Mashantucket, Conn. and many others.

Returning for their sixth season is the popular announcing team of Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten. Joining them this season is new hostess, Layla Kayleigh, who is making her poker debut and will be reporting from the sidelines with updates and player interviews. Layla has previously appeared on G4 and Fox Sports Net. WPT live update online hostess, Kimberly Lansing, will also make her debut on GSN providing a behind-the-scenes look at the tournament action that led up to the final tables.

Other highlights from the WPT on GSN this season include Barry Greenstein and contender for WPT Season VI Player of the Year, Jonathan Little, colliding at the final table of the North American Poker Classic, WPT Ladies Night following Mother’s Day in May, the Foxwoods World Poker Finals in June, the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond Poker Classic at the Bellagio, the popular WPT Celebrity Invitational at Commerce Casino in Los Angeles and the season ending WPT World Championship airing August 25.

The WPT on GSN will feature encore showings Monday nights at Midnight ET/PT and the following Sunday nights from 7 to 9 PM.

The WPT created a global phenomenon by making poker a televised spectator sport. To date, the WPT has aired over 100 episodes, awarded over $300 million in cash prizes and crowned over 80 WPT Poker-Made Millionaires™. Steve Lipscomb and Joseph Grimm are the Executive Producers of the World Poker Tour. Robyn Moder is the Executive Vice President of WPT Studios.
About WPTE

WPT Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: WPTE) is a company engaged in the creation of internationally branded entertainment and consumer products driven by the development, production, and marketing of televised programming based on gaming themes. WPTE is the creator of the World Poker Tour®, a television show based on a series of high-stakes poker tournaments that will begin broadcasting in the United States on its new network home, GSN, in March 2008. WPT is licensed for broadcast globally. WPTE also offers a real-money online gaming website which prohibits wagers from players in the U.S. and other restricted jurisdictions. WPTE currently licenses its brand to companies in the business of poker equipment and instruction, apparel, publishing, electronic and wireless entertainment, DVD/home entertainment, casino games, and giftware. The company is also engaged in the sale of corporate sponsorships. For show information, tools for improving poker play, and other WPT news, fans may log on to www.worldpokertour.com. WPT Enterprises, Inc. is a majority owned subsidiary of Lakes Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: LACO).

About GSN

GSN is an industry-leading, game content provider distributing competition programming through its 66-million subscriber cable television network and its casual and skill-based online games site, GSN.com. As the premier television network for games, GSN produces some of the most popular original casino and game show series on TV today. GSN.com features all types of game play: flash games for fun, skill cash game tournaments and free downloadable games. GSN is distributed throughout the U.S. and Canada by all major cable operators, satellite providers and telcos. The company is jointly owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment and Liberty Media Corporation. For further information, visit GSN’s press website at corp.gsn.com.

THE WPT ON GSN SEASON VI SCHEDULE

Monday Nights at 9 PM ET/PT

March 24
Mirage Poker Showdown
The Mirage, Las Vegas

March 31
Bellagio Cup III part 1
Bellagio, Las Vegas

April 7
Bellagio Cup III part 2
Bellagio, Las Vegas

April 14
Legends of Poker
The Bicycle Casino, Los Angeles

April 21
North American Poker Classic
Fallsview Casino Resort, Niagara Falls, Canada

April 28
Mandalay Bay Poker Championship
Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas

May 5
Borgata Poker Open
Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City

May 12
WPT Ladies Night V
The Bicycle Casino, Los Angeles

May 19
Turks and Caicos Poker Classic
The Players Club, Turks and Caicos, British West Indies

May 26
Gulf Coast Poker Championship
Beau Rivage, Biloxi, MS

June 2
WPT Spanish Championship
Casino Barcelona, Spain

June 9
Foxwoods World Poker Finals
Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket, CT

June 16
Doyle Brunson Five Diamond Poker Classic
Bellagio, Las Vegas

June 23
World Poker Open Part 1
Gold Strike, Tunica, MS

June 30
World Poker Open Part 2
Gold Strike, Tunica, MS

July 7
Borgata Poker Classic
Borgata, Atlantic City, NJ

July 14
L.A. Poker Classic
Commerce Casino, Los Angeles

July 21
WPT Celebrity Invitational
Commerce Casino, Los Angeles

July 28
Bay 101 Shooting Star
Bay 101, San Jose, CA

August 4
World Poker Challenge
Grand Sierra Resort, Reno

August 11
Foxwoods Poker Classic
Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket, CT

August 18
WPT Ladies Championship
Bellagio, Las Vegas

August 25
WPT World Championship
Bellagio, Las Vegas

*** All WPT on GSN events will be replayed Monday nights at Midnight ET/PT and the following Sunday evenings at 7-9 PM ET/PT.

(Schedule is subject to change.)

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

They don't get much shorter than this ...

Full Tilt Poker Game #3260954692: $5 + $0.25 Heads Up Sit & Go (24934057), Table 1 - 10/20 - No Limit Hold'em

The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to evilbilly [Ks Kd]

Cool! Nice way to start first hand of a heads-up tournament. I wonder how I'll get sucked out on this time?

Girlz-R-Better raises to 60

Even better!

evilbilly raises to 180
Girlz-R-Better raises to 1,500, and is all in

Ah crap! Did I just get cold-decked? Oh well, no choice here ...

evilbilly calls 1,320, and is all in
Girlz-R-Better shows [Kh As]
evilbilly shows [Ks Kd]

Let me guess ... ace on the flop?

*** FLOP *** [8s 6d Ts]

So far, so good.

*** TURN *** [8s 6d Ts] [7h]

Nice, but river will probably bring the ace, or at the very least a 9 for the split.

*** RIVER *** [8s 6d Ts 7h] [Tc]

Yay!

Girlz-R-Better shows a pair of Tens
evilbilly shows two pair, Kings and Tens
evilbilly wins the pot (3,000) with two pair, Kings and Tens
Girlz-R-Better: gg

Good game? Maybe for me. Maybe I should congratulate her for overplaying her hand, over-betting the pot and for the whole tournament just being over after the first hand. Naa ...

Girlz-R-Better stands up
evilbilly stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 3,000 | Rake 0
Board: [8s 6d Ts 7h Tc]
Seat 1: evilbilly (big blind) showed [Ks Kd] and won (3,000) with two pair, Kings and Tens
Seat 2: Girlz-R-Better (small blind) showed [Kh As] and lost with a pair of Tens

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

California Resident Wins World Series of Poker Main Event

Psychologist Tops Field of 6,358 to Capture $8.25 Million

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jerry Yang became poker’s newest champion this morning by besting a field of 6,358 players from around the globe to win the $10,000 No-Limit Texas Hold’em Championship at the 38th Annual World Series of Poker presented by Milwaukee’s Best Light.

Bad Beat Jackpot Tables at Absolute Poker

Yang, a 39-year-old psychologist and social worker from Temecula, California, caught an inside straight on the final card of the final hand and won the $8.25 million top prize at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino around 4 a.m.

Second-place finisher Tuan Lam of Canada won $4.84 million and Raymond Rahme of South Africa took home $3.05 million. The final table saw four Americans and five players from outside the United States compete for more than $22 million in prize money.

“The feeling is just unbelievable,” said Yang. “Words can’t explain it. I’m looking forward to using the money to help as many people as I can. I have promised to split 10 percent of my winnings among three different charities – the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Feed the Children, and the Ronald McDonald House – and that is the first thing I am going to do.”

A record 55 events made up the 2007 World Series of Poker, attracting 54,288 total registrants – the most in its 38-year history. The total prize pool at this year’s World Series of Poker topped $159 million.

The $10,000 No-Limit Texas Hold’em Championship, commonly referred to as the Main Event, generated a prize pool of nearly $60 million; 621 players finished in the money and received at least $20,320.

Due to its starting size, the Main Event playing field was spread over four days, beginning July 6. The Main Event final table began July 17 at noon Pacific, with the remaining nine players finishing in the following order:

2nd Place: Tuan Lam, 41, of Mississauga, Ontario (Canada), $4,840,981

Lam is a professional poker player who was born in Vietnam and eventually immigrated to Canada at the age of 19. Prior to turning pro, Lam worked as a general laborer for a metal company. He is married with two children.

3rd Place: Raymond Rahme, 62, of Johannesburg, South Africa, $3,048,025

Rahme is the first person ever to appear at the final table of the Main Event from the continent of Africa. Prior to his retirement, he owned and operated a bed and breakfast. He and his wife, Teresa, have six children.

4th Place: Alex Kravchenko, 36, of Moscow, Russia, $1,852,721

Kravchenko is a businessman originally from Archangel, USSR. He became the first Russian citizen in history to win a WSOP gold bracelet when he was victorious in the $1,500 buy-in Omaha High-Low championship at this year’s WSOP.

5th Place: Jon Kalmar, 34, of Chorley, Lancashire (UK), $1,255,069

Kalmar is a professional poker player who competes mostly in clubs located in the north and the Midlands region of England. Married with one child, Kalmar once was the lead singer in a punk rock band.

6th Place: Hevad “Rain” Khan, 22, of Poughkeepsie, NY, $956,243

Khan is a professional poker player who attended college at the State University of New York-Albany. Regarded by many as the most aggressive player to make the final table, Khan was eighth in the chip count at the start of final table play.

7th Place: Lee Childs, 35, of Reston, VA, $705,229

Childs holds a BBA in computer information systems from James Madison University. He recently left a high-tech position with a firm affiliated with the National Geographic Society to pursue his passion for poker.

8th Place: Lee Watkinson, 40, of Cheney, WA, $585,699

Watkinson is a poker pro, businessman and animal rights activist. Among the businesses he owns are a record company and a clothing line.

9th Place: Philip Hilm, 31, of Cambridge (UK), $525,934

Hilm, a native of Denmark now living in England, was the chip leader heading into the final table. He earned an economics degree in Copenhagen.