Fantasy Poker Manager Announced as Official Fantasy Game of WSOP

Today, it was announced the Facebook App Fantasy Poker Manager™, which is owned by Zokay Entertainment (the same company as the Global Poker Index[GPI]) has signed a 3 year deal with the World Series of Poker. This deal makes Fantasy Poker Manager the exclusive fantasy poker game for the WSOP.

This deal has been announced just in time for the inaugural WSOP APAC starting in less than 24 hours in Melbourne, Australia.

Alexandre Dreyfus

“It is an honor for us to be recognized as the exclusive fantasy game of the World Series of Poker,” said the CEO of Zokay Entertainment, Alexandre Dreyfus. “We plan to continue our investment into Fantasy Poker Manager to make sure that poker fans get the best fantasy poker experience possible and are completely entertained during this year’s WSOP.”

 Ty Stewart, the WSOP Executive Director was also excited by the new deal;

“We know that many of our players and WSOP fans love the idea of fantasy poker,” he said. “Now they have a great tool on Facebook that lets them compete with other fans around the world.”

The rise of Fantasy Poker Manager has been astounding. Only launched in a beta less than 2 months ago, it has already grown to become the most popular fantasy poker game on Facebook, with over 20,000 users, including many of the GPI’s top 300 players. The game was also named as the Official Fantasy Game of the World Poker Tour in mid February, in another 3 year exclusivity deal.

Fantasy Players can prepare for the WSOP summer by getting in some practice at the WSOP Asia Pacific event starting tomorrow. You can start your team by going here.

The game, like poker, is pretty simple to learn, but can take a lifetime to master. It’s free-to-play model, powered by the Global Poker Index makes it similar to other more established fantasy games (such as Fantasy Football/Baseball etc) and uses a lot of the same skills.

But in the spirit of fudging numbers, just like the fish does when justifying a bad call, we’ll swing $1 million to mean pots in the vicinity of $1 million. $900k and $750k pots? Yes, these are still amazingly huge pots. In fact, the game of poker can still boggle your mind after a decade playing it. A fortune of a lifetime changing hands in 90 seconds? That’s poker.

For your perusal and entertainment, some of the more massive pots you’ll ever see:

Tom Dwan and Barry Greenstein Flip Coin for $900k

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Jamie Gold Proves His Style in $750k Pot

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The Largest Pot In the History of Televised Poker

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Unsurprisingly, these involve players like Phil Hellmuth and Daniel Negreanu, some of the more entertaining personalities on the poker scene today. Hellmuth falling out of chairs, Negreanu’s famous reading skills totally stymied…it’s the recipe for great TV poker, and even better bad beat stories. Players love to share bad beat stories, because it helps them feel vindicated. Yes, you played your odds, bet the stronger hand, and ultimately lost. We’re so sorry…but at the same time, we can be very entertained! After all, trolling through YouTube poker clips you’ll find out that the clips with the most views are (more times than not) bad beats! Bad beats are as exciting as they are improbable.

Below are my top five bad beat TV poker clips, each offering the type of thorough entertainment only possible with poker pros going broke:

Barry Greenstein, Happily Providing Bad Beats

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Miraculous Bad Beat with Chris “Jesus” Ferguson

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Jennifer Harman Has A Full House

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Who knows when the great poker pro will turn back up on the scene? Likely only himself and his representatives. It may take the Full Tilt fiasco to boil over, a few hundred million returned to Full Tilt players, or, if we’re lucky, he might just decide to resurface anyways. In the meantime, as we await Ivey’s return, let’s take an entertaining look at some of Ivey’s more celebrated plays:

6) The stone cold read

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5) Even the great Phil Ivey needs a miracle every now and then

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4) Bluff vs. bluff

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3) Durrrr takes on Ivey, fireworks of course ensue

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2) Now THIS is how you value bet

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1) Where the best hand doesn’t hold up to the best player

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To become a loose cannon, players compete through three qualifying rounds on PokerStars. If a loose cannon makes more than the $100k they were staked, they take it home. With blinds at a friendly $200/$400 and $100 ante, and frequented by flop junkies, the game sees a lot of action. It also plays host to big timers like Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth, and others. The dynamic of a staked amateur taking on a set of world famous poker pros is always interesting. The best moments in the Big Game come when the loose cannon works up the nerve to aggressively challenge the pros. Here are the top 5 loose cannon moments from Seasons 1 and 2 of PokerStars’ The Big Game:

Loose Cannon vs. Hellmuth

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$117,000 Pot with the Loose Cannon

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Hellmuth Takes on Loose Cannon for $240,200

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Loose Cannon Felts Pros

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AA vs. KK

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But when it comes to satisfying moments in poker, it feels good to see the old school make a come back. Doyle Brunson was born in 1933. To put that in perspective, Tom Dwan wasn’t born until 53 years later. He’s won ten WSOP bracelets (only one behind Phil Hellmuth’s eleven), was the first player ever to earn $1 million, and is one of only four players to have won the WSOP Main Event multiple times.

Playing for more than 50 years, the Godfather of Poker is still going strong. And when it comes to the new school, well, Brunson still has a thing or two to say about that. Below, here are five moments of Brunson crushing his opposition:

Daniel Negreanu is an amazing player: watch him get trapped by Brunson:

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Brunson absolutely runs over Phil Hellmuth. Hellmuth might have more bracelets, but Brunson has more stones:

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Tom Dwan, internet sensation, 24 year-old millionaire…gets owned by Brunson:

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Doyle shakes down Guy Laliberte:

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Bluff me once…

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5. The WSOP Circuit

There’s nothing more prestigious in poker that a World Series bracelet. Players will fight tooth and nail to get their hands on that sliver of gold and to earn the respect of their peers. The top players are constantly compared by the number of bracelets they’ve earned, with the likes of Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu on a lifetime quest to overtake Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, and Phil Hellmuth.

World Series Rings? Not so much. No pro is ever lauded for their large ring collection or goes all out to win one. The Harrah’s attempt to create a new icon of poker success has been a down and out failure.

The WSOP-C launched to much fanfare in 2005. In the heart of the poker boom, the WSOP would go on tour, bringing its brand of high-class cards to casinos across the U.S.

After a successful start, the tour quickly began to corrode. Slowly but surely, attendance fell and the pros began to migrate to more lucrative fields. The WPT, NAPT, and EPT all seemed more alluring prospects, with bigger prize pools and greater prestige.

4. The Onyx Cup

Perhaps one day this aborted super high-stakes tournament series will reappear, but that seems unlikely.

Just weeks before Black Friday, Full Tilt announced that they were throwing caution to the wind. Soon, they told us, the best players in the world would gather together to compete in tournaments like no other. The fields would be stacked with only the best players and the prize pools would be astronomical.

The Onyx Cup events were to have buy-ins of between $100,000 – $300,000. In short, the kind of money that gets Phil Ivey to leave the sportsbook and play some actual poker. With Erik Seidel in their stable, Full Tilt also had the perfect figurehead for elite High Roller events.

Fast forward a few weeks and Full Tilt is announcing that the Onyx Cup has been canceled. With their owners indicted and bank accounts seized, the future of poker in the U.S. looks dicey. After all the build up, the Onyx Cup became just another casualty of the DOJ.

3. Jamie Gold/Jerry Yang

It’s hard to choose which of these two WSOP Main Event champions was the most disappointing. Jamie Gold alienated a lot of viewers with his brash attitude on the way to the title, but at least he’s played in the occasional tournament since his victory. Jerry Yang faded into the mist so effectively, it’s difficult to be sure that we didn’t all dream his victory in 2007.

It’s important to consider these champions in context. Had they been the latest in a long line of media-shy champions, there wouldn’t be nearly as much dissatisfaction. Jamie Gold burst onto the scene in the wake of three great Main Event winners. Chris Moneymaker in 2003 made the WSOP what it is today, Greg Raymer in 2004 was a character with real ability, and Joe Hachem in 2005 had made regular appearances around the world improving his game and promoting poker.

Gold and Yang did none of that. Perhaps because neither of them had the playing skill of their forebears or maybe they were just too self-centred to care? Either way, fair or not, there’s an assumption that the Main Event winner will take some time to promote poker in the mainstream. It’s the game’s yearly chance to break through and improve its stature among the populous. Champs that wholly reject that burden will always be looked upon with scorn.

2. Phil Ivey in the November Nine

I think everyone who knows what a poker table looks like was rooting for Phil Ivey to make the November Nine in 2009. Not only would his presence there be ‘good for poker’, it would add another layer of prestige to his legend.

Widely regarded as the best player on the planet, this was hyped as his opportunity to prove that was the greatest ever. Despite trailing far behind the chip leader Darvin Moon, he was still topping pundit’s lists of picks to take home the crown.

With that kind of build-up, anything but a victory would have been a flop. As it was he bowed out in 7th, without ever making much of an impact. In retrospect it was an incredible achievement, outlasting such a huge field, but at the time it was a damp end to what could have been the greatest poker story of all time.

1. The Durrrr Challenge

In 2008, Tom Dwan was the hot ticket in online poker. After bursting onto the scene with massive bankroll swings, he single-handedly made the nosebleed cash games on Full Tilt relevant. The cocksure young kid, only 22-years-old, issued a challenge to anyone with the bankroll and the balls to take him on.

50,000 hands across four simultaneous tables of high stakes No Limit Hold ‘em or Pot Limit Omaha. If Dwan finished the victor, you pay him $500,000 extra, but if you win, durrrr will issue a $1,000,000 reward.

This kind of contest is one of beautiful things about poker. The best players putting their livelihood and their abilities on the line to prove who is the greatest of them all. These gladiatorial fights have fostered great excitement in the past. From The Corporation vs. Andy Beal right back to Johnny Moss vs. Nick the Greek.

The first to step up to the plate was online hound Patrik Antonius. The Finn and the American began their slugfest to much fanfare, but two years later, they still have over 10,000 hands to play. The only other player to take up the challenge is Dan “jungleman12″ Cates, with the pair not even half way through their match.

In a few short months, the durrrr challenge went from being the most talked about thing in poker to an irrelevance. Nobody really cares who wins anymore, it’s taken far too long to sustain any kind of interest.

Worse, PokerStars came along and showed Full Tilt how to do it properly. Viktor “Isildur1″ Blom – in many ways the new durrrr – runs his SuperStar Showdown almost every week online. He takes on all comers in a reasonable amount of hands at a scheduled time. The events are properly reported and analysed and have the potential to create big news. Since starting in December, Blom has already completed eight Showdowns. Mr. Dwan should take heed.

But did I mention that I’m also a feminist? I support total equality in all things. Now is the time, in this modern age, to abolish gender-based toilets and instate a policy of All Lipstick All The Time. These are my heartfelt beliefs and for that reason I would never dream of classing these talented humans on such a puerile basis. It has nothing at all to do with the fact that another FTR writer recently published an article along those lines.

So what sort of objective measure could I subject poker’s finest females to? The answer was simple. Money makes the world go round and it makes poker tick. So here are the top 5 female poker players, ranked according to their hauls from live events across the world.

5. Vanessa Rousso

For a long time, Vanessa was best known as online player LadyMaverick, but the last few years have seen her make a splash on the live circuit. She now has almost $3 million in career tournament earnings, gathered from results like 3rd in the WPT Doyle Brunson Classic and 2nd in the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. The latter is perhaps her most high profile score, battling past Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, and Doyle Brunson to reach the final.

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4. Vanessa Selbst

The second and final Vanessa in this top five list is notable for having amassed the vast majority of her winnings in the last 12 months. Having collected more than $3.6 million in cash, we’ll see if she ever returns to complete that postponed law degree. Selbst’s most profitable results were both big 2010 event wins, including 1st at the NAPT Mohegan Sun and 1st at Partouche Poker Tour in Cannes, France.

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3. Annette Obrestad

Few people had even heard of this Norwegian master before she won the inaugural WSOPE in 2007. Those that had weren’t surprised to see Annette_15 become the youngest every winner of a WSOP bracelet. Since then she has gone on to post many impressive finishes, making her the most successful female player to have graduated from online to live play.

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2. Annie Duke

In 2009, Annie became more than poker player. Her appearances on Celebrity Apprentice made her a bona-fide household name. More than any other female player she has courted the limelight. Only Phil Hellmuth and Amarilo Slim have bettered her in terms of mainstream air time. Back on the felt she has over $4.2 million in live tournament winnings and shows no sign of slowing down.

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1. Kathy Liebert

Kathy has been the premiere female poker player for as long as most can remember. She posted her first tournament cash in 1994 and has continued to lead the field up to the poker boom and beyond. With over $5.8 million in her pocket, she is far and away the winningest lady of the felt.

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In case you missed it, Todd began tweeting on Friday about a fist fight between himself and Shawn Sheikhan. Referring to the much derided Iranian as ‘Sheepy’, Todd told the tale of how he goaded The Sheik into an outburst that got him banned from the Aria poker room, before punching him in the face when he returned.

The messages were all conveniently posted on April 1st, leading many to believe it might be a well executed April Fools joke. If it is all a work of fiction, it’s one of the more believable pranks I’ve seen. Brunson Jr. has a well known distaste for Shawn, a player renowned for this abrasive attitude and questionable legal status.

So sit back, relax, and watch other people get angry as we run down 8 of the most bombastic tete-a-tete’s. You’ll see a handful of players reappearing time and time again. No prizes for guessing who they are.

8. Who’s The Idiot?

Why start anywhere but with Phil Hellmuth? He is such a masterful blowup artist that in this clip, he’s managing to start a fight about who started a fight that just happened. It’s all very petulant and while Dani ‘Ansky’ Stern manages to maintain his cool for a few minutes, eventually the Poker Brat’s tirade is too much for him. Also keep an eye of for that cheeky scamp Daniel Negreanu egging both parties on and laughing himself silly at the results.

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7. Get on Your Tricycle

Tony G has his own particular way at the table. Some would call it obnoxious needling, others would call it masterful mind trickery. Either way, his barrage of taunts is clearly having an effect on Andrew Robl in this episode of The Big Game. Not enough of an effect though. Despite Tony screaming in his ear and calling the clock, the internet wizard maintains his composure and makes a good lay-down.

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6. Big Balls vs. Tiny Balls

On his way to becoming the first post-boom Main Event champion, Greg Raymer had to get past Mike ‘The Mouth’ Matusow. The three-time bracelet winner is at his most mouthy here as he attempts to pound The Fossilman into submission.

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5. A Bad Winner

“I wish I weren’t a bad loser, but it’s ten times worse to be a bad winner.”

So speaks Sensei Hellmuth of his opponent, who just so happens to be Tony G. If you throw these two players in front of the camera you’re bound to get a dynamite face-off. Watch, and revel, in the majesty of two of the biggest loudmouths ever to hit the felt.

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4. You Have Until 2013

This match from the 2008 National Heads-Up Poker Championship features a very early TV appearance from online sensation Tom Dwan. At this point, durrrr was known only to the pros and internet railbirds, but his verbal sparring with The Poker Brat would help make him a household name.

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3. Too Much Chatter

Here’s the first appearance from Shawn Sheikhan in our list of rage, butting heads with Phil Hellmuth. The Poker Brat is annoyed by the amount of table-talk going on during his hand and while most of the players are happy to let Phil blow off some steam on the sidelines, Shawn isn’t the kind of man to let a good needle go to waste. Hellmuth almost pulls a Todd Brunson at the end of this video, dragging Sheiky down into his seat with a less than friendly arm around the shoulder.

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2. You Are An Idiot

This is the last Phil Hellmuth video, I promise. The man is such a wonderfully uncouth argumentative asshole at the table, he can’t help but attract the ire of his opponents. This is Hellmuth at his worst. Laying into an opponent over and over, until a beleaguered Cristian Dragomir finally snaps and begins to bite back.

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1. Mouth vs. Sheep

This video is a perfect example of why people don’t like Shawn Sheikhan. The Mouth can be a tough player to sit with, but there’s a mean streak to Sheepy that makes him stand out amongst a crowd of bullies. Although he doesn’t distinguish himself in the politeness stakes either, at least here we get to see Matusow putting The Sheik in his place.

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Neophytes quickly learn that there’s a lot more finesse and patience involved in being a good poker player, but it remains true that there’s no finer spectacle than the perfectly executed bluff. For the bluffer, it’s a heart-pumping experience that can make you look like a genius or an idiot. Today we’re going to take a look at five of the best poker falsehoods ever to be caught on camera.

Shoot a comment into the box below if you think I’ve missed any gems.

What better place to start that with Phil Ivey. The man many consider the greatest in the world has plenty going for him, but perfect timing might be his most impressive skill. In this hand from the 2008 WSOP Main Event, it looks like Phil is just dusting off chips chasing a fold that will never come, but we don’t see the game like Ivey sees the game.

And just to prove that FlopTurnRiver is not biased, here’s a rare example of Mr. Ivey being outplayed. In the past couple of years, few people have played more hands with Phil that Tom “durrrr” Dwan and he makes good use of that experience with this ballsy river bet.

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“You can’t call. One-hundred thousand? That’s too much faw you.”

It’s not quite, “You call it gonna be all over baby,” but this fantastic verbal prod from the Prince of Poker has Humberto Brenes scrambled. Scotty Nguyen is a polarising figure at best, but there are few greater showmen in poker and few players willing to commit so wholeheartedly to a bluff on the world’s biggest stage.

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If your home game isn’t bluffy enough, why not instate the 7-2 game? That’s what these pros (and Gabe Kaplan) did on an episode of Poker After Dark and it worked a charm. For those unfamiliar with the ruse: Any time a player shows a winning 7-2 hand, the rest of the table pony ups $1000 for the lucky bluffer.

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If you’re the sort of person who likes to type ‘poker’ rather than ‘skateboarding kitten’ into Youtube, chances are you’ve already seen this video. I don’t think you grizzled veterans will mind another look though. It more than bears repeating.

This dramatic face-off took place at the 2005 Monte Carlo Millions, during heads-up play. Both players know their rival has nothing but air, but Phil Ivey with guts made that telling all-in push. It’s that kind of moxy that smoothed his way to victory in that event, a crown worth $1,000,000.

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