cr4zybe4utifu1’s blog

This afternoon at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles, California, the final table of the World Poker Tour’s Legends of Poker got underway.  Six players remain, with the young Amit Makhija leading the way, holding almost 30% of the chips in play. He has held the chip lead since Wednesday, proving to give the other players a run for their money.  Makhija was quoted saying, “This feels like any tournament. I don’t think it’s set in yet and I haven’t played that many World Poker Tour events. It feels good to run well right off the bat.”

Makhija is a young player, better known for his online playing, but is moving into the brick and mortar arena.  Some of his recent accolades include a fifth place finish in the 2008 WSOP Event 1, two other WSOP cash finishes, and a 20th place finish for the EPT Grand Final.

Other players entering the battle for the championship include John Phan, Zachary Clark, Kyle Wilson, Paul Smith, and Trong Nguyen.  Phan starts in a sizeable second place position, with two recent 2008 WSOP braclets under his belt.  Clark is another experienced online player, taking down the Main Event of the Fifth Full Tilt Online Poker Series, and is sure to pose some exciting opposition to Makhija’s pursuit for first place.  Wilson, Smith, and Nguyen wrap up the bottom, Wilson being the most experienced out of the three.  He has four WSOP and one WPT cash finishes.  Perhaps Smith and Nguyen can put their skill above the experience of their competitors and come out on top.

First place grants a $25,000 seat to the Season 7 WPT Championship and $1,116,428.

Last year, 485 players entered for a chance at the WPT final table for their share of the $4,642,500 prize pool.  Dan Harrington dueled it out against David “The Dragon” Pham for the first place prize of $1,634,685.

Last week, the Sixth Annual Irish Poker Classic’s Main Event attracted a record 169 players - signs that the popularity of this international tournament is growing.  The event had a €150,000 guarantee with a €1,500+€100 buy-in.  Ten out of the 169 placed in the money, with Rob Taylor taking home the grand prize of €46,000 and the title.

Irish pros Marty Smyth and Roy Brindley made their apperance at the tournament with other names such as Michael Greco and Ian Woodley.  Annette Obrestad, who at only 18 is the youngest winner of a WSOP braclet off American soil, also played.  She will soon be defending her 2007 WSOPE Main Event Championship.

Winner Rob Taylor is also no stranger to poker, as he himself is one of Ireland’s top professionals.

The Irish Poker Classic Main Event was part of the Irish ClassicPoker Festival 2008.  The tournament ran from August 11th to August 17th at the Macau Sporting Club in Cork, Ireland.

The standings of the final table fell as:

1. Rob Taylor €46,000
2. Oliver la Rochelle € 47,500
3. Ryan O’Donoghue €38,250
4. Nicky Power €41,250
5. Jeff Duvall €15,000
6. Jonathan Butter s €12,500
7. Mick O’Brien €10,000
8. Ben Blackmore €7,500
9. Paul Corrway €5,000
10. Michael McKeever €4,000

Over 1,000 players took their chances in Event 9 of FTOPS IX this past Sunday. The No-Limit Hold’em Heads Up tournament started at 4:00pm ET with a $500 + $35 buy-in. Only 128 of the 1,322 hopefuls were able to place in the money. Tedsfishfry took home the victory landing himself a nice $115,014.00. Even though the guarantee for Event 9 was $500,000, the prize pool reached a whopping $661,000.

Honorable mentions include Team Full Tilt’s Stefan Rapp, who placed sixth, and Ram “Crazy Horse” Vaswani, who busted out at 34th.

Listed below are the results of FTOPS IX Event 9.

1 tedsfishfry $115,014.00
2 Antonio18 $68,744.00
3 Duhglas $35,033.00
4 RandomDonk $35,033.00
5 bballer88 $18,508.00
6 Stefan Rapp $18,508.00
7 PAW717 $18,508.00
8 Snapout $18,508.00
9 HUGO_BUSTO $9,915.00
10 RikJamesB1atch $9,915.00
11 B_O_K_E $9,915.00
12 Plotinus $9,915.00
13 STELLA05 $9,915.00
14 DoctorLesh $9,915.00
15 OMFGFISHBOY89 $9,915.00
16 Eiffel $9,915.00
17 esquilo $5,288.00
18 aZeg $5,288.00
19 Annette_15 $5,288.00
20 McBurge $5,288.00
21 JustJokeMan $5,288.00
22 Don89 $5,288.00
23 JustLuck1337 $5,288.00
24 btwfupkmgr $5,288.00
25 GetThere1time06 $5,288.00
26 carter8080 $5,288.00
27 pepsi_zero $5,288.00
28 pokernubz $5,288.00
29 chicagocards1 $5,288.00
30 VARICO $5,288.00
31 psychology321 $5,288.00
32 Colonel Mustard $5,288.00
33 keledry $2,644.00
34 Ram Vaswani $2,644.00
35 biggjohnny $2,644.00
36 ubetchaimafish $2,644.00
37 Tornado52 $2,644.00
38 Grazza No1 $2,644.00
39 Masterhp $2,644.00
40 DrOfDonkology $2,644.00
41 Yasmine1 $2,644.00
42 crzysavage $2,644.00
43 babayaro $2,644.00
44 hecks $2,644.00
45 Mayo2 $2,644.00
46 TheeAlphaMale $2,644.00
47 WPThero $2,644.00
48 AJKHoosier1 $2,644.00
49 bobcards2 $2,644.00
50 Mabbe $2,644.00
51 plzlemmewin $2,644.00
52 madmax79 $2,644.00
53 bixiu $2,644.00
54 Donnieslasko $2,644.00
55 Genius28 $2,644.00
56 IRULEALOT $2,644.00
57 Proctor998 $2,644.00
58 mojorisin22 $2,644.00
59 MR RUBBIES $2,644.00
60 urbandb888 $2,644.00
61 obtrice11 $2,644.00
62 tiltingtoomuch $2,644.00
63 JungleKing $2,644.00
64 mastrblastr $2,644.00
65 wobblymr $1,322.00
66 geewhizdawg $1,322.00
67 wywrot $1,322.00
68 mman_status $1,322.00
69 Balderdashin22 $1,322.00
70 Phiphi tak $1,322.00
71 fCkmEsIdEwAy $1,322.00
72 tyme2gamb0l111 $1,322.00
73 Megah $1,322.00
74 ryanbluf $1,322.00
75 ntsikal $1,322.00
76 SlCK_1 $1,322.00
77 pocketrockets11 $1,322.00
78 torden $1,322.00
79 ChrisChun $1,322.00
80 BaDMnKeY $1,322.00
81 KingDan23 $1,322.00
82 DayDough $1,322.00
83 xxxnutxxx $1,322.00
84 BarFine600 $1,322.00
85 Pasterbator $1,322.00
86 Agreus $1,322.00
87 OnlyGodAbove $1,322.00
88 yoshdog22 $1,322.00
89 DaMurdera3 $1,322.00
90 oh hi $1,322.00
91 Captain Irish $1,322.00
92 cs11T $1,322.00
93 PederDingo $1,322.00
94 MclovinLovin $1,322.00
95 GewissBallan $1,322.00
96 mattyv $1,322.00
97 DontBluffMePLZZ $1,322.00
98 cormoran $1,322.00
99 riversidejoe $1,322.00
100 theSkyisBIue $1,322.00
101 bchornet1 $1,322.00
102 benba $1,322.00
103 Nom Sayin $1,322.00
104 NemoStars22 $1,322.00
105 EMSBas $1,322.00
106 AKat11 $1,322.00
107 Limpnfold24 $1,322.00
108 BETFISHANDCHIPS $1,322.00
109 Past $1,322.00
110 sillylife $1,322.00
111 Pechorin $1,322.00
112 Kirbynator $1,322.00
113 TheFatFISH $1,322.00
114 THE_GOLDMINE $1,322.00
115 no not baxter $1,322.00
116 gooster36 $1,322.00
117 Transeporter $1,322.00
118 StreepHetWeg $1,322.00
119 Angela1987 $1,322.00
120 POPPY K $1,322.00
121 f_aAshaof4our $1,322.00
122 asdf0987 $1,322.00
123 Jean-Robert B $1,322.00
124 GeoffRas22 $1,322.00
125 qihu00 $1,322.00
126 Woldere $1,322.00
127 Codecci $1,322.00
128 gambleup $1,322.00

On Saturday, September 6, history will be made as Full Tilt Poker hosts the $25K Heads-Up PLO World Championship. The world’s best in both live and online poker are expected to to show for the highest buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha tournament ever held. Excitement is sure to mimic that of past May’s $25K Heads-Up World Championship, which went down in history as the largest buy-in heads-up event.

Team Full Tilt’s Phil Ivey, Gus Hansen, and Patrik Antonius are among some of the professionals that are anticipated to play. No doubt the playing field is going to be tough. Everyone wants to prove that they are top dog. To get in on the action, the buy-in starts at $25,000. Satellites are also an option, starting at $1 or 50 Full Tilt Points.

The tournament begins at 15:00ET on Saturday. On Sunday, the final two rounds of play start at 16:00ET.

Just enjoy watching? There’s still a chance to win some money with Full Tilt’s Sweat Tournaments. Watch for your favorite player compete and you will also compete for a share of $5,000. If you do miss any of the action, Full Tilt will have video highlights from the final two rounds.

In the midst of all the political upheaval of the 2008 National Democratic Convention in Denver, the Poker Player Alliance will be hosting Poker at the Ballpark, a charity poker tournament. Proceeds will help benefit the Paralyzed Veterans of America. With the event taking place during the political excitement, you can be sure that many politicians will have poker on the brain since the tournament takes place right in their area at Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rookies. Playing begins at 10:00pm on Tuesday, August 26.

Buy-ins begin at $500, but you can also buy-in half a table for $3,500 or a whole table for $7,500. The buy-ins for half a table and whole table include more than just the seat; recognition on all event collateral material and signage, spectator seats (which are $250 each), and access to the VIP reception beforehand and general reception are included.

Right now, confirmed guests include the likes of Andy Bloch, Barry Greenstein, and Ben Affleck. With such a good cause up at the plate, poker-playing politicians are sure to not miss the opportunity to get a fun and noteworthy fund-raiser under their belt.

The Paralyzed Veterans of America was founded in 1946 and is the only Congressionally chartered veterans organization that specifically serves veterans with spinal cord injury or dysfunction. By being a leading advocate in several fields, they strive to improve the quality of life for the members. The PVA focuses on research and education for spinal injuries and dysfunctions, quality health care, veteran benefits, civil rights, and any opportunities that can maximize the independence of their members.

The grand prize winner of this tournament will also be nicely rewarded for their skill and generosity. A seat to the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event is up for grabs for anyone who can outlast the competition.

This is a great strategic move by the Poker Player Alliance, a non-profit organization that promotes poker and protection of poker players’ rights. Not only are they proving that poker players care about the people who serve our country and that poker can be an incredible way to raise funds for those who need it, but they are also involving the politicians that may get a say in future poker policies.

Now, for a limited time only, FlopTurnRiver is teaming up with PokerRoom and EuroPoker to offer great new bonuses! When you sign up for either of these rooms through FlopTurnRiver, you can get a 100% sign-up Bonus up to $500. Already signed up through FlopTurnRiver? PokerRoom and EuroPoker are also offering a 200% reload Bonus!

When making your account at PokerRoom, make sure to use the the PokerRoom Bonus Code FTR to take advantage of this special Bonus. Also, use the links on this page to create your account. The 100% up to $500 is five times greater than their usual sign-up Bonus of 20% up to $100, so it is best to take this offer up while it lasts. The PokerRoom Bonus Code for the reload Bonus is ORD3. If you take advantage of both bonuses, you can earn up to $12,000 total!

If you’d like to play at EuroPoker, start by using any of the links provided on this page. Be sure to use the EuroPoker Promo Code FTR when setting up your account to get the 100% sign-up Bonus up to $500. Their usual sign-up Bonus only runs at 50% up to $100, so this is quite a deal. If you know a friend, you can also earn $20 extra for referring them. Already have your account set up at EuroPoker through FlopTurnRiver? Use the EuroPoker Promo Code F3 when making your next deposit to earn a 200% reload Bonus up to $700.

Don’t wait around on these bonuses; they won’t be around forever! These bonuses last through August 31st. For specific details on these bonuses, click on the links on this page and then get started!

Think you have what it takes to play Team Full Tilt’s Patrik Antonius? Now you have the chance to find out with Full Tilt’s One on One with Patrik Antonius. The winner of the prize package will receive one on one poker instruction from Patrik Antonius himself, dinner with Antonius and other members of Team Full Tilt, and $5,000 for travel and other expenditures. The lucky winner leaves September 25 for London and their chance to learn from the best. Not only does the winner get cash and quality time with Antonius, but they also get to play Antonius heads-up for a seat in the 2008 European Series £10,000 Main Event! Could you beat him?

Entry into tournament can be gained a few different ways. First, players may enter by participating in any of the round-the-clock Sit & Go Freerolls. From here, 360 winners will advance to Round 2. Round 2 consists of Multi-Table Tournaments on Wednesdays at 22:05 ET and Saturdays at 15:05 ET. The first tournament was August 2 and will continue until September 6th. From each MTT, the top nine players will be submitted to the One on One Qualifier. The One on One Qualifier takes place on September 7 at 16:05 ET and the winner will take all with the London prize package.

If you’d prefer to buy-in, and have the extra Full Tilt Points to do so, both the MTTs and One on One Qualifier can be bought into. Round 2 MTTs require 100 FTP and it takes 1,000 FTP to make it into the One on One Qualifier.

It is said that if you want success you should define what it is you want, find someone who has it, learn how they did it, and go do what they did. If you want to accomplish what Patrik Antonius has or achieve his lifestyle, this is a great chance to learn directly from him so you can go out and do it, too. If you haven’t already registered with Full Tilt Poker, click on the link to get started. Don’t miss your chance! Now go find a Sit & Go Freeroll and qualify yourself today!

Now through August 31, you can receive a $25,000 European Series prize package from Full Tilt Poker. Weekly qualifying tournaments will be running until the end date. The tournaments run each Sunday at 16:30 ET for buy-in of $500 + $35. Satellites are also available starting at $1 or 50 Full Tilt Points. The prize package includes the $20,000 buy-in and an additional $5,000 in spending money.

The 2008 World Series of Poker Europe begins September 19 in London. Four multi-day events make up the tournament, instead of last year’s three. Event 1, starting the first day, is a 4-day event of no-limit Hold’em. Event 2’s H.O.R.S.E. is a 3-day event starting on Monday, September 22. Wednesday, September 24, the 3-day Pot Limit Omaha Event 3 starts. The last and main event starts Saturday, September 27 as a 6-day No-Limit Texas Hold’em.

Last year, Annette Obrestad won the main event taking home $1,000,000.

If you’d like to take your chances at winning a European Series prize package from Full Tilt Poker, just click on any of the links here to get your account started today!

Starting Friday, August 1 at 16:00 ET until 16:00 ET on Sunday, August 3, Full Tilt’s Sit & Go Madness Part IV will on the rage. More than $75K in cash and prizes are up for grabs for those who choose to play. Just look for a selected SNG and play to win!

All the tournaments are broken up into four groups based on the size of the buy-in. Group A consists of $1 - $2, Group B $5 - $11, Group C $20 - $33, and Group D $50 - $110. The higher the stakes you play, the better the payoff for finishing in the top seven. Since the 48 hours of tournament play is broken up into 24 two-hour blocks, the top seven players from each group will be rewarded prizes at the end of each time block. That means there are 24 chances to win for each group! Each group will also be provided with a leaderboard to keep track of the players that are to be payed at the end of each tie block.

An Overall Leaderboard will keep track of the players’ stats for each group, over the entire tournament. However, it is not a cumulative board. Instead it is calculated based on the best score achieved out of one of the two-hour blocks. If you make it to be in the top two of a group on the Overall Leaderboard, you will make it to a $5K SNG Freeroll against all the other top two finishers of the other groups. This Freeroll will take place at 16:30 ET on Saturday, August 9.

Want even more from winning a SNG? For every qualifying SNG that you win during the Full Tilt SNG Madness, you’ll not only get the prize money, but also a raffle ticket. More than 1,000 prizes will be given away in this Madness Raffle. The raffle ticket gets you in for a drawing for entries into Sunday events and some Full Tilt Poker gear at the Full Tilt Store. The top prize for the Madness Raffle is a Full Tilt Poker Deluxe Home Game Package. In includes a deluxe poker table, deluxe 500 piece chip set, black leather poker deck case, and red leather poker deck case.

To register go to the Sit & Go button on the lobby, select the 1-table tab, and look for the qualified green highlighted SNG tables. Then click the Register Now button. If you don’t already have an account with Full Tilt, get started by clicking on any of the Full Tilt links on this page, set up your account, and be a part of the the Full Tilt Sit & Go Madness Part IV!

For a limited time only, Bodog players who earn at least 2,000 poker points in a month will be rewarded the double points Bonus. This allows players to double their cash rewards! Points can also be used for poker points tournaments. This Bonus makes right now a great time to be an avid poker player at Bodog, or to get started being one.

Points are earned based on the amount of raked pots a player partakes in, the amount of tournament fees paid, and the amount of time actually spent playing. Up to 1 poker point is earned per raked pot, 3 poker points per tournament fee dollar, and 1 poker point per hour of play.

Other limited time bonuses at Bodog Poker are the 110% Poker Sign-up Bonus and 100% Poker Reload Bonus. New players, in addition to the usual upfront 10% Sign-up Bonus, will receive $1 per 10 poker points earned within the first 30 days, up to 100% of the deposit with the 110% Poker Sign-up Bonus . For existing players, they can take advantage of the 100% Poker Reload Bonus. It uses the same concept, awarding $1 per 10 poker points earned within 30 days after a deposit, up to a match of 100% of the deposit. Both bonuses have a maximum payout of $500.

This Bonus comes in addition to the already great bonuses Bodog offers. As a Bodog Poker player, if you refer a friend, you will receive 20% of their first deposit up to $100. Bodog also offers a Bad Beat Bonus and Royal Flush Bonus.

If you can’t take advantage of these bonuses because you don’t have an account at Bodog, click on any of the links here, make an account, and get started!