Kid Poker back in top form

Daniel Negreanu had a dream year in 2004, winning two World Poker Tour events and being named player of the year both at the World Series of Poker and in the Cardplayer rankings.

But for as good as 2004 was to Danny, 2005 was horrible. No final tables and a plethora of day-one bustouts.

However, the calendar has changed once again, and Danny appears to be showing signs that the slump is over, as he sits in second place at the final table of the WSOP Circuit event in Tunica. And even though the big stack has one-and-a-half times the chips, I still think Danny is in position to win this event. Play concludes today.

2006 World Series of Poker Circuit -- Grand Casino-Resort –- Tunica, Mississippi Official Report

Day Three
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $9,800 (+200)
Number of Entries: 241
Number of Players Remaining: 9
Total Prize Money: $2,289,500

End of Day Three Standings (Chip Counts):
1. Brian Lamkin, Austin, TX, 600,000
2. Daniel Negreanu, Las Vegas, NV, 410,000
3. Kia Mohajeri, Bockledge, FL, 331,000
4. Wendell Barnes, Charcton, MA, 237,000
5. Robert Schulz, Southaven, MS, 229,000
6. Bryant King, Spokane, WA, 200,000
7. Lee Markholt, Eatonville, WA, 177,000
8. Chad Brown, Los Angeles, CA, 123,000
9. Brandon Adams, Boston, MA, 103,000

Eliminated Players (in-the-money)
10. Ernie Shepherd, Lizella, GA, $32,055
11. Mark Gregorich, Las Vegas, NV, 32,055
12. Daniel Alaei, Las Vegas, NV, 32,055
13. Don Barton, Pahrump, NV, 27,475
14. Hertzel Zalewski, Houston, TX, 27,475
15. Bill Edler, Las Vegas, NV, 27,475
16. Michael Tait, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 22,895
17. Larry Satterwhite, Houston, TX, 22,895
18. Phil Galfond, Gaithersburg, MD, 22,895

Texan Brian Lamkin the Chip Leader Going into Final Table in WSOP Circuit Championship at Tunica Grand

The Final Table:

Seat 1: Brian Lamkin
Hometown: Austin, TX
Chip Count: 600,000
Brian Lamkin is from Austin, TX. He is the 37-year-old owner of a commercial flooring company. Lamkin has been playing poker for 20 years and has entered three WSOP events, to date. His highest cash up to this point was in a major tournament at the Bellagio (Las Vegas) last month. Lamkin is engaged to be married and there would be no sweeter wedding gift than to win first prize here in Tunica – which is over three-quarters of a million dollars. He comes in as the favorite, with a respectable chip lead.

Seat 2: Daniel Negreanu
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV
Chip Count: 410,000
Born in Canada, Daniel Negreanu is now one of poker’s biggest superstars. His breakthrough win came at the 1999 World Series of Poker, when he won his first gold bracelet. He has since won two more. Negreanu was named Card Player Magazine’s ‘Player of the Year’ in 2004. He is just as famous for his poker writings, which are carried by several top poker websites. Now, at age 31, Negreanu is married and has settled down in Las Vegas. When he’s not sitting at final tables, he can usually be found playing in the highest-limit cash games in the world. Yet Negreanu candidly admits that last year was an off-year for him. He would like nothing more than to start off 2006 with a big win. He’s well on his way, currently ranked second in the chip count.

Seat 3: Robert Schulz
Hometown: Southaven, MS
Chip Count: 229,000
If anyone at today’s final table has a home field advantage, it is Robert Schulz from nearby Southaven, MS. Schulz, age 27, was actually born in the New York City area. He was once a craps dealer before he turned to poker playing to make his living. Schultz came close to winning an event here last summer when he cashed in second place in a field of 879. He’s in good shape coming in to this final table, with about an average stack size.

Seat 4: Brandon Adams
Hometown: Boston, MA
Chip Count: 103,000
If formal education were a prerequisite for winning poker tournaments, then today’s championship would go to Brandon Adams. He is scheduled to earn his PhD later this year from Harvard University. Adams was at a televised final table a few months ago, when he appeared in the 2005 Tournament of Champions. He has the toughest challenge of anyone in today’s finale – with the shortest chip count.

Seat 5: Wendell Barnes
Hometown: Charcton, MA
Chip Count: 237,000
Wendell Barnes, age 38, is from Charcton, MA. He is married and has two children. Barnes says he started playing poker about 15 years ago and mostly plays with friends. He is certainly going to have a lot more friends if he wins this tournament. To date, his best finish was at the New England Poker Classic – a second-place showing worth $80,000. He also won Event #12 here in Tunica last week, the no-limit hold’em shootout. Barnes lists his occupation as a welder. He hopes to catch fire and melt all of his opponents at today’s final table

Seat 6: Bryant King
Hometown: Spokane, WA
Chip Count: 200,000
Bryant King is a 38-year-old concert promoter originally from Kentucky. He now lives in Spokane, WA. King says he learned to play poker from his grandmother. King came close to the big prize in last year’s main event at the World Series of Poker. He finished 21st – a remarkable accomplishment considering there were 5,619 entries. This event started with 241 players and King is currently sixth in the chip count.

Seat 7: Lee Markholt
Hometown: Eatonville, WA
Chip Count: 177,000
Lee Markholt is a 42-year-old professional poker player from Eatonville, WA. He is married and has two children. Markholt is no stranger to playing for big prize money. He has made it to two WSOP final tables in his distinguished poker career, but has yet to win a gold bracelet. He did win $225,000 at the Five Diamond Classic at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, last year. Markholt won his way into this tournament via a one-table satellite. He arrives seventh in the chip count.

Seat 8: Kia Mohajeri
Hometown: Bockledge, FL
Chip Count: 331,000
Today’s senior citizen at the final table is 52-year-old Kia Mohajeri. He was born in Tehran, Iran – and now lives in Florida. Kia is married and has one child. He lists his profession as an electrical engineer. Mohajeri hopes to shock the poker world with a victory today and he is well on his way – currently third in the chip count. Mohajeri won a major poker tournament held last year at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas.

Seat 9: Chad Brown
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Chip Count: 123,000
Chad Brown has appeared in front of more television cameras than everyone else at this final table – combined. That’s because he was, and remains, a professional actor. He has appeared in films, on television, and as host of a TV game show. Brown has been a commentator on poker programs and is currently working on a project with fellow-actor Joe Mantegna. But today, Brown’s focus will be on winning a poker tournament. Brown, who lives in Los Angeles, has appeared at many final tables and has won his fair share. It will take quite a performance today by Brown to overcome his chip disadvantage. He’s currently eighth in chips.

The final table begins on Friday, January 27th at 2 pm CST.

Report by – Nolan Dalla (Media Director)
Tunica Grand Poker Room Manager – Karen Kaegin
Tournament Director – Johnny Grooms
Co-Tournament Director – Jack Effel

Looking back, looking ahead

Sorry for the long absence, but things have been a little more hectic than usual lately, which is saying something.

I knew I'd be away during the holidays, not because of the holidays but because of work during the holidays. We have a fellow at work who hails from Spain and he left to visit home for three weeks. I was the only one left to cover for him, since I've been covering for another person in that department who left 7 or 8 months ago and hasn't been replaced. So, instead of doing my usual two jobs at work, I was taking on a third and knew it would difficult, if not impossible, for me to dedicate any time to my blog.

Then, about halfway through that three weeks, a coworker's mother died and she was out a week. Once again, I was the one who had to cover for her, so now I was up to four jobs. That's when you start getting some perspective about things. I started thinking, "Damn, I can't wait until I'm working two jobs again, so I can get some rest."

But, fate stepped in and saw that since I was performing an overabundance of jobs, my wife should lose hers. That wasn't a pleasant experience. Nor is it very conducive to the old poker bankroll, when you suddenly lose 40 percent of your family income and health insurance.

(How's that for a segue? It was rough, but I finally brought it back around to poker.)

During this time, I have managed to catch a few minutes here and there at the online tables, but I would have been better off if I hadn't. Maybe it was the stress and exhaustion, but I have not played well at all for a month or more. I've seemingly developed some strange type of poker cancer that is just eating away at my bankroll.

And it's been that way for some time. My goal for 2005 had been to have poker winnings five times higher than I had in 2004. Instead, they were 10 times less. I guess things could have been worse, since I actually posted a small profit instead of a loss for the year as a whole, but it was a razor-thin margin. Really, one or two bad nights would have put me into the loss category.

Part of my problem, I think, is that I've been overdoing it, and for quite awhile. There are just too many times that I've been playing when I really don't feel like it, thinking that I've got to play more to get better. The result of playing when I'm bored or tired has been that I haven't played well, or I've been overly tiltable and have played even worse. And what is the use of playing more if you're only going to play poorly?

It's frustrating, especially since I feel like I'm a much better player than ever, when I'm playing up to my full potential. I feel I have a solid understanding of the game and would not be intimidated playing against anybody. My reads have become much more accurate than I ever thought they could be, and I've picked up moves that I never would have imagined existed a short time ago. So what the hell is holding me back?

The answer, I've come to conclude, is that I need to work on myself, rather than my game. I need greater emotional control at the table. What is the use of learning the game, if you're just going to go on tilt and throw all of your knowledge away? I also need to learn better when NOT to play. Again, what is the use of learning the game, if you're going to play when you are physically or mentally unable to put it to use?

So, for 2006, I've decided I need to work on gaining better mental and emotional control. Learning to weather the storms better. Learning when to stop playing or when to not play. I'm confident that I know how to beat my opponents. I just need to be able to beat myself. How I can quantify that so that I can measure it and tell if I'm improving or not, I don't know.

But enough soul-searching. As always, there's a lot going on in the world of poker, and it's all so much better than my own table angst. I was finally able to catch the first episode of High Stakes Poker last night, and I was extremely impressed. Based solely on the first episode, it is by far the best poker programming I have seen on television.

If you haven't seen it, it comes on the Game Show Network, which has been prone to airing the worst poker swill imaginable in the past. But High Stakes Poker is different from everything else on TV, because instead of a tournament, it's a cash game. It features some of the best players playing some of the best poker I've seen. I was amazed by one hand in particular, when Daniel Negreanu picked up pocket kings against an A7 by Amir Nasseri and pocket 10s by Jerry Buss, the two supposed "amateurs" on the show. When the flop came 7 high, giving Nasseri top pair, top kicker and Buss and overpair, they both folded to a big bet by Negreanu. I know I've gone broke many times being in either Nasseri's or Buss' shoes and thought they made brillant reads, especially to be "amateurs." And watching Ted Forrest stay calm, even happy, after losing $100,000 in a single hand gave me a role model to pattern myself, in light of the improvements I feel I need to make.

If you haven't had a chance to see High Stakes Poker, I wholeheartedly recommend it. It comes on Mondays at 9 p.m., which explains why I'm a week behind in seeing it, since that is the same time as 24 and nothing, not even good poker, must get in the way of Jack Bauer saving the world.

And this is a little old, but I think the decision by Harrah's to add a $50,000 buy-in HORSE event to this year's WSOP is great news. Whoever ends up winning that event would certainly be deserving of being called a world champion. Still, I thought some of the reaction to the news was amusing. I know there has been criticism of the WSOP for quite some time for keeping the main event $10,000 while inflation has reduced that number to an amount much more affordable than it used to be, and for Harrah's stressing Texas hold'em much more than other games. Some have even called for the main event to be a HORSE (hold'em, Omaha, razz, seven-card stud) event because it would be a more reliable way to judge card playing talent. So what happened when Harrah's made the announcement? Bitching, apparently from a different crowd, who thought it was too much and would detract from the $10,000 hold'em main event. Go figure. Personally, I think it's a good thing.

Anyway, that's enough for today. Hopefully, I will be able to return to this humble blog on a more regular basis, now that it seems life is getting much more manageable. See you soon.

Scotty wins World Poker Open, baby

Official Results:
1. Scotty Nguyen, Henderson, NV, $969,421
2. Michael Mizrachi, Hollywood, FL, 566,352
3. Raul Paez, Barcelona, Spain, 298,908
4. Gavin Smith, Las Vegas, NV, 173,052
5. An Tran, Las Vegas, NV, 125,856
6. Bau Le, Atlantic City, NJ, 88,099
7. Johnny Donaldson, Monticello, AR, 62,928
8. Rodeen Talebi, Dallas, TX, 62,928
9. Matt Keikoan, Richmond, CA, 50,342
T-10. Karlo Lopez, San Juan, PR, 34,610
T-10. Gary Gibbs, Hot Springs, AR, 34,610
12. Chris Bell, Raleigh, NC, 31,464
13. Josh Arieh, Atlanta, GA, 31,464
14. Josh Tieman, Kildeer, IL, 31,464
15. Allie Prescott, Memphis, TN, 31,464
16. Fred Ferrington, Barkburnett, TX, 26,171
17. Eric Cloutier, Lafayette, LA, 26,171
18. Farzad Rouhani, Gaithersburg, MD, 25,171
19. Franklin Caldwell, Lexington, KY, 25,171
20. Dwight Derringer, Louisville, KY, 25,171
21. Casey Kastle, Chicago, IL, 18,878
22. James Haley, Van Ormy, TX, 18,878
23. Dale Morrow, Horn Lake, MS, 18,878
24. Liz Lieu, Los Angeles, CA, 18,878
25. Zac Reynolds, Edmund, CA, 18,878
26. Howard Perry, Nashville, TN, 18,878
27. Dwayne Moyers, South Lake, TX, 18,878
28. Robert Brind, Philadelphia, PA, 18,878
29. Ray Babb, Soldiers Grove, WI, 18,878
30. Thomas Schreiber, Danielson, CT, 18,878
31. Mark Kroon, Madison, WI, 15,732
32. Michael Stamboly, Hilton Head, SC, 15,732
33. Galen Kester, Senatobia, MS, 15,732
34. Chris Gildone, Cleveland, OH, 15,732
35. Allen Kessler, Huntingdon Valley, PA, 15,732
36. Darrell Dicken, Waterloo, IA, 15,732
37. Chad Brown, Los Angeles, CA, 15,732
38. Bob Stupak, Las Vegas, NV, 15,732
39. John Spadavecchia, Lighthouse Pt., FL, 15,732
40. Neal Hensarling, Lafayette, LA, 15,732
41. Vassilios Maniotis, Hilton Head, SC, 12,586
42. Doug Carli, Alliance, OH, 12,586
43. Padraig Parkinson, Dublin, Ireland, 12,586
44. Mark Napolitano, Austin, TX, 12,586
45. Jerri Thomas, Hamilton, OH, 12,586
46. Bill Seber, Houston, TX, 12,586
47. Mark Cole, Naples, FL, 12,586
48. Mark Mulloy, Humble, TX, 12,586
49. Dan Alspach, Las Vegas, NV, 12,586
T-50. Barry Shulman, Las Vegas, NV, 6,293
T-50. Andy Miller, Abilene, TX, 6,293

Another Nguyen for Scotty: ‘The Prince” Wins 2006 World Poker Open Championship

After several WPT final table appearances, Scotty ‘the Prince’ Nguyen finally breaks through and earns victory; Mike ‘the Grinder’ Mizrachi is runner up in wild finale

Poker tournaments are won and lost not necessarily at final tables and in front of television cameras. What the public rarely sees are the hundreds, if not thousands of mind-numbing hands played out on previous days leading up to the crescendo. Small pots, blind steals, semi-bluffs, tough calls and excruciating laydowns are the building blocks of a final table appearance, and ultimately of a tournament victory. And, as any poker champion will surely attest – it takes a little luck to win, too.

Scotty Nguyen’s most fortunate moment came on Day Three, with four tables still to go. Nguyen, like 326 others in this event, had put up his $10,000 entry fee hoping to win the nearly $1 million first prize. With many in the field already eliminated, Nguyen was sitting comfortably with about 100,000 in chips when he looked at his two hole cards and saw pocket queens. Nguyen moved “all in” at the worst possible time. His opponent had been dealt pocket aces. Both hands were turned face up, and it appeared Nguyen would be eliminated. 38th place paid about $15,000. Not bad, but not Scotty Nguyen-type prize money. As luck would have it, four diamonds were dealt out matching his queen of diamonds. Nguyen’s eyes glanced over to the black aces. The diamond flush was good. Nguyen had not only dodged a bullet (two of them, actually), he had doubled up into serious contention with over 200,000. That proved to be the turning point. It was, in fact a flush that netting Nguyen $950,000 in extra prize money.

Four hours later, Nguyen had over a million in his stack and was the chip leader. A day later, “the Prince of Poker” took his seat at the final table with over two-million in chips. The World Poker Open championship finale was set and the Scotty Nguyen Show was about to begin.

6th Place: Bau Le arrived with the lowest chip stack. But it still took over an hour for the former software engineer from Atlantic City, NJ to hit the rail. On his final hand of the night, Le was dealt pocket tens. Raul Paez had A-J and more than enough chips to cover Le. A jack flopped and Le was out. Bau Le, one of three Vietnamese-born players at the final table, also managed to win WPO Event #2 – good for nearly $100,000. He added $88,099 more to his poker bankroll for sixth place.

5th Place: Of his final table performance, An ‘the Boss’ Tran would later say, “Nothing went right for me. I never caught a hand. The only pair I got was (pocket) deuces.” Tran’s misery was played out on his final hand of the night when he was short-stacked and ended up in a three-way pot against Raul Paez and Michael Mizrachi. With Tran “all in” both opponents checked down a board showing J-8-5-3-3. Tran sheepishly showed K-10 (no pair) and Mizrachi scooped up Tran’s final chips with a pair of eights. An Tran, the second Vietnamese-born player in the finals – earned $125,856 for fifth place.

4th Place: It took a few hours for the next player to go out. Three of the four survivors – Gavin Smith, Scotty Nguyen, and Michael Mizrachi – turned the final table into what seemed like a typical Monday night poker game. All that was missing was the potato chips. After (more than) a few drinks, Smith and Nguyen traded some good-natured taunts which brought the capacity crowd to life. “I raise,” Nguyen would say. “That’s not a raise, Smith retorted. “This is a raise,” he countered, pushing his entire stack onto the felt. Mizrachi joined in the fun and for over an hour, every hand came with verbal jabs and running commentary. Spanish-speaking Raul Paez was fortunate enough to only pick up a few words of the exchange. He must have wondered what all the babbling was about.

Smith played near perfect poker for four days. He had a commanding chip lead during much of the tournament and each time he lost momentum, he somehow managed to crawl back into the chip lead. But his final hand was puzzling to the most savvy poker aficionados.

Smith was dealt pocket sevens. He raised 350,000 pre-flop. Michael Mizrachi was dealt pocket queens. He raised 900,000 more, enough to cover the whisky-drinking Canadian. Smith called the re-raise quickly and was disappointed to see Mizrachi’s crippling overpair. Neither player improved. Smith was eliminated. Gavin Smith, originally from Ontario (and now living in Las Vegas), received $173,052 for fourth place. This was his best tournament performance since his WPT victory at the Mirage back in March 2005, where he won $1 million.

3rd Place: After nearly four hours of methodical play and relatively few major confrontations, the next two bust-outs would come lightning fast. In part because the blinds were so high, players could not sit around and wait for big hands. Guaranteed at least third-place prize money, Raul Paez suddenly got super-aggressive and moved his last 750,000 into the pot with Q-10 suited after an initial button raise by Nguyen. It took about a minute of deliberation for Nguyen to finally make the call, holding A-Q. Nguyen had Paez completely dominated. Five small cards on board gave Nguyen the pot with his ace-high, and Paez said “adios.” Raul Peaz, from Barcelona, won a gold and diamond bracelet at last year’s WPO. He collected $298,908 for third place.

The poker table is not the place to find justice. However, it was most fitting that the final two players in the 2006 World Poker Open happened to make it to the final table last year, as well. Ultimately, both were disappointed with their results back in 2005 – Mizrachi getting crushed by a one-outer on the river, and Nguyen going out a disappointing fourth. Now, it was time for redemption – at least for one player.

Spectators prepared themselves for what promised to be an epic poker duel. Two great players. Both players with enthusiastic cheering sections. Mutual respect. And each player had over three-million in chips. When heads-up play began, Scotty Nguyen had a slight chip lead -- 3,340,00 in chips to Mizrachi’s 3,210,000. It seemed the match might go long into the night.

Instead, the Nguyen-Mizrachi poker duel lasted exactly one hand.

Nguyen was dealt A-Q of spades. He raised 300,000 in the small blind. Mizrachi, with A-J offsuit, re-raised up to 1,200,000. Nguyen pushed “all in” and Mizrachi called instantly.

“I knew I had the best hand,” Nguyen said later. “If he had a big hand, he would try to trap me. He would not make a raise like that (pre-flop). I had A-Q suited, and I did not hesitate to move in.”

Nguyen’s read of the situation was dead on. Mizrachi was dominated. “We have known each other for a long time,” Nguyen added. “I could feel it. I could taste it.”

The board made things more interesting. The flop came K-9-2 (with one spade), leaving Nguyen in the lead. The ten of spades came on the turn, giving Nguyen a spade draw. However, Mizrachi had a possible straight if he managed to catch one of three remaining queens. The crowd rose to its feet. Nguyen and Mizrachi shook hands. The final card was dealt. The eight of spades on the river completed Nguyen’s flush, purely for dramatic effect. The crowd roared. Mizrachi was out and Nguyen was the winner.

2nd Place: Michael ‘the Grinder’ Mizrachi made it to two WPT final tables last year, and won one (LA Poker Classic). He also earned $3 million overall in tournaments for 2005. Mizrachi sets incredibly high standards for himself and accordingly, was disappointed with the end result, despite his impressive payday totaling $566,352. Mizrachi was quick to congratulate his rival Nguyen. “He played terrific,” Mizrachi said. Of the final hand (A-J versus A-Q) he said, “You have to gamble to win, and I did some gambling to get here. That’s just the way it goes sometimes.” At age 25, Mizrachi certainly has one of the brightest futures of anyone in the game. It’s only a matter of time before he wins another WPT event.

1st Place: Scotty Nguyen is in a league all his own when it comes to playing poker or exhibiting his unique personal flair. The 1998 World Series of Poker champion – and four-time gold bracelet winner – has been in a dry spell during the past year. This marked his biggest tournament win in seven long years full of personal and professional ups and downs. It was his first-ever World Poker Tour victory.

First place paid $969,421.

“It’s so sweet, baby,” Nguyen said.

Gold Strike Poker Room Manager – Robin Fisackerly
Tournament Director – John Nieznanski
Director of Poker Operations – Ken Lambert