Final of the World Poker Challenge

The companies offering balloon rides over Reno could soon be going out of business as Lee Markholt JR reached “cloud 9” by winning the World Poker Challenge on Friday. As a former bull rider, he’s used to hearing a completion buzzer after 8 seconds and although this particular test was a little longer, he still managed to make 260 opponents look like rodeo clowns as he steered his way to the $493,815 first prize.

His control and rhythm were assets as he entered the heads up play against Bryan Devonshire, as the latter decided to push on the second hand. When Lee called, Devonshire knew he was heading for a tumble as he was holding only a pair of 4s. When it was revealed he was drawing dead, as Markholt had flopped two pair, it was time for him to leave the arena.

For Markholt, it was an opportunity to buck a monkey off his back as it was the seasoned pro’s first WPT title. He also has another opportunity to try and remain seated next month as the first prize also includes a $25,000 entry into WPT championship at the Bellagio. As it promises to be a tough tournament, he’ll need a strong grip on his bull rope.

Top 6 at the World Poker Challenge

1. Lee Markholt Jr – USA – $493,815
2. Bryan Devonshire – USA – $271,625
3. Zachary Hyman – USA –$149,862
4. Jason Potter – USA – $103,030
5. David Pham – USA – $93,664
6. Jeff Dewitt – USA – $84,297

World Poker Challenge

Reno, Nevada, likes to label itself ‘the biggest little city in the world’. It’s easy to understand why. It’s possible to be ‘engulfed in the nightlife’; take a hot air balloon ride or simply enjoy the culture in a place that is the ‘opposite of ordinary’. It has a unique impact, one that possibly explains why a song by The Grateful Dead, Friend of the Devil, begins with: I set out from Reno; I was trailed by twenty hounds.

For those of us who do not particularly enjoy standing in a glorified wicker basket at high altitude watching a flame shoot up into a large nylon rag bag, the city may appear to have little appeal. However, if poker’s your thang, you may start to salivate at the news that Reno is playing host to the latest event on the WPT, the World Poker Challenge, at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino.

Today sees the players sit down at the final table. 261 hopefuls peeked at the hole cards at the outset but 255 have been jettisoned like sandbags, leaving 6 high flyers praying that they will not suffer spontaneous combustion. Thus far, the flame burning brightest is Jason Potter, a pro from Tulsa, who has 1,156,000 chips. Amongst those trying to steer him to rocky grounds, best placed is Lee Markholt with 1,137,000 chips.

It promises to be an exciting race, particularly as the prize pool is a toast-worthy $1,873,275, with a $493,815 slice going to the winner. There are other blogs out there but stick with Eyebrows for the best review of the last day’s play: to go elsewhere is to just get information straight from the arse’s mouse.

Chip Stacks for the Final Table – World Poker Challenge

Jason Potter – USA – 1,156,000
Lee Markholt Jr – USA – 1,137,000
Bryan Devonshire – USA – 674,000
David Pham – USA – 406,000
Zachary Hyman – USA – 285,000
Jeff Dewitt – USA – 249,000

APAT European Amateur Poker Championship

Last weekend saw the climax of the APAT European Amateur Poker Championship at the Poker Royale Casino in Vienna. Attracted by the low entrance fee of €75, 188 players had placed their bums on seats but the last man to walk away from the tables was Andy Kingan.

However, he’ll soon be sitting down again because his 1st prize package includes a seat at the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour Grand Final (worth $8000) as well as a bank account boosting payment of €4900.

Haling from Wallasey, Merseyside, an area that boasts a ‘pleasant shopping street’, Andy claimed that he was ‘chuffed to win it’ and implied it might help offset the piercing pain of Manchester United’s thrashing of his beloved Liverpool.

The players had plenty of time to see red cards as the tournament featured a 10,000 starting stack and a slow clock, making it ideal for those who want to gain experience. As the numbers slowly fell away, it was highly refreshing to see none of them contesting their dismissal.

Final 5 of the APAT European Amateur Poker Championship

Andy Kingan - UK – €4900
Hendrik Kroll - NOR – €3500
Martin Tu – NOR- €2100
Linda Iwaniak –UK – €910
Martin Klaser – GER – €910

The Irish Open Round Up

The Easter holiday has made Neil Channing a very happy bunny as yesterday he won 2008 Irish Open at the Citywest Hotel, Dublin. For the English professional, it was his first major title and, as it was achieved at the expense of 666 rivals, he can be considered a true champion. (Although, given his career earnings exceed $1,200,000, he probably didn’t suffer too many dark nights of the soul or liberate too many branded bathrobes)

The Irish Open is Europe’s longest running No Limit Hold ‘Em tournament and last year’s competition attracted a record 706 card sharps. Maybe this year’s slightly reduced field is a sign that even poker players are wary of a global economic downturn and didn’t want to pay the €4500 entrance fee, an increase of €1000 on 2007.

Anyway, as an ex-bookie and now €801,400 richer, Neil Channing will be feeling particularly recession proof. The hand that landed his Easter harvest saw him a slight underdog but, as he used to have a reputation for setting slightly generous odds at the track, he was more than happy to watch a race. When Donal Norton pushed all in with 55, Channing called with A9 and when an ace flopped he shot into what proved to be an unassailable lead.

As the local boy, Norton had the support of even the Culshies* in the crowd but, although it proved to not be a night to crack open the red lemonade, few would resent Channing’s smiling eyes.

* what city folk call their rural friends, i.e. someone who wears a jumper, not a heavily marketed, over priced sweater; someone who can name their neighbours (and their neighbours’ houses)

Top 6 at The Irish Open

1. Neil Channing – UK – €801,400
2. Donal Norton – IRE – €420,000
3. Thomas Dunwoodie – UK – €275,000
4. Tim Blake – UK – €220,000
5. Kai Danilo Paulsen – DEN - €175,000

6. Edwin Tournier - FRA - €135,000

APAT European Amateur Championship - Preview

Upon first reading, an organisation with an acronym APAT would seem to have little place on the pages of Eyebrows. We will understand if any reader assumes that it is a body formed for the promotion of kindness to puppies. Rest assured, that is not the case. It stands for the Amateur Professional Association & Tour and, as that is a bit of a mouthful, we’ll stick with the acronym.

A worthwhile body, it offers the chance to experience high quality poker tournaments at the affordable entry price of £75 with no registration charges – all of the prize money is awarded back to the successful players. Coupled with a lack of membership fees, it is a group with the players’ interests at heart.

Enchanted readers may want to consider a late minute Easter break to Vienna to check out the association’s latest offering: the city’s Poker Royale Casino will host the APAT European Amateur Championship on Saturday.

The corresponding event last year featured 300 entrants playing freeze-out and incorporated a slow clock. This weekend’s event is likely to match 2007’s first prize of £3,750 so it may be worth hopping over to Austria for an Easter sweetener.

The Wynn Classic - Final

And so Las Vegas can breathe again. After a gruelling four days of play, the main event of The Wynn Classic has finally spat out a winner. The player that managed to avoid the fold catastrophe was Chicago’s Chris Moore, whose ability to ride the cusp has now left him enriched by $692,286.

He had started the heads-up action with 1,470,000 to Ryan Young’s 2,100,000 but within five minutes, there was a hand that left Moore nostril-deep in chips. Young, on the button, decided to make it 50k to go and Chris called. The flop landed J-8-5. After a check from Moore, Young bet 100k. He was smacked back with a check-raise for 400k.

Some see the check-raise as a sneaky move - they are wrong: timed well, it can become a piece of brilliance. It often offends the opponent’s sense of propriety that he or she does something irrational.

So, pondering a check-raise, Young decided to push. He was instantly called and flipped over AJ. Chris had J5. The turn and the river provided no help for Young and he was left with just 400k. AJ was a hard fold but, at the time he was suckered, he had only committed 150k: had he folded, he would still have had the chip lead.

Fifteen minutes later, it was Chris Moore’s title, when a set of kings ravaged his opponent’s A5. Ryan Young was left with the silver medal, or $355,020. The heads up proved to a tale of two plays – it was the best of raises, it was the worst of raises.

The Wynn Classic Main Event – Final Standings

1. Chris Moore - $692,286
2. Ryan Young - $355,020
3. Blake Cahail - $177,510
4. Ardavan Yazdi - $95,855
5. Jace Margraf - $71,004
6. Larry Wright - $53,253
7. Ricky Chow - $44,378
8. Alemu Tesema - $35,502
9. Eugene Todd - $31,952

The Wynn Classic Main Event

Catastrophe theory states that there are two main types of event. (Actually, there are other, minor, types but Eyebrows feels that this is not the space for convoluted explanations of Swallowtail Catastrophes. Suffice to say, it’s not like downing a beer)

Firstly, there is a fold catastrophe. In life, this could be the bursting of a balloon – there is no way it can be unburst, much to the annoyance of little Johnny. In poker, a fold catastrophe occurs when you’ve gone all against a bigger stack and your opponent (bless him) rivers a gut shot.

Secondly, there are cusp catastrophes – these have a chance of recovery. So, this time, Johnny’s tower of building blocks is punted around the nursery. Tears are shed but this event, subject to skills in tantrum management, can be reversed. In poker, you re-raise pre-flop but your adversary pushes all in. You muck, with a dent in your stack, but with the chance to regroup (subject to skills in tantrum management).

Fold and cusp: in any tournament, players will be subject to these two catastrophes. We pray to ride the cusp and avoid the fold. It’s not always possible, but we try.

On Sunday, 183 players floated their balloons in an attempt to win 1st prize of the main event at The Wynn Classic, Las Vegas. As the tournament goes into the final day, only 9 have survived the pricks. Current chip leader Ryan Young has weathered his share of cusp catastrophes, but as his 714,000 stack is less than twice the average of 406,667, the other players will be looking to kick his chips around the table. Check with Eyebrows tomorrow to see which player managed to avoid the fold catastrophe and netted $692,286.

Final of the EPT Polish Open

Saturday was a big night for poker as the EPT Polish Open reached its climax after a gruelling ten hour final table. German Michael Schulze, who had been chip leader at the start of the day, held off the heads up challenge of Portugal’s Ricardo Sousa and was presented with a surfboard-sized cheque for PLN 2,154,000 (approx €609,782) at the Hyatt Regency in Warsaw

After a lengthy period of folding and stealing, the final hand arrived as a bit of a surprise. Imagine watching a battle of ‘rock, paper, scissors’ between two confused children and, for the first hundred minutes, they both opt for the rock. Then, a kind, but bored adult whispers in their ears. At first, the players have blank expressions. After a few seconds, there is a penny-dropping moment and they both stare at their hands with a new sense of wonder. A look of craftiness insinuates itself on their faces; determination follows: it’s time to slice ‘n dice.

So, with an embryonic sense of guile, Ricardo raised 150k from the small blind. Michael looked at his cards and ushered 500k into the middle. For some at the two tiered rail, this proved to be gasp inducing. Sousa pushed all in. (There could have been some random swooning at this point.) His opponent called and turned over A-6: players who think this hand is winning after that level of betting are the same ones convinced there are pixies at the end of the garden (Ed - ??? Say it ain’t so).

Sousa flipped. He also had 77. It survived the flop but, after an ace hit the turn, it became a rotten toadstool. He looked like he had found the end of the rainbow but had discovered a disturbing smell originating from the crock. However PLN 1,220,600 (€345,543) can host a decent tea-party. We will see him again.

For Michael Schulze, a polite man who had rebooked his flight every day because he had expected to be eliminated, the tour rolls on to San Remo in April and, as he is a winner, he’ll be at EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo. We think this win will change his flight booking policy.

Final Places at the EPT Polish Open (all cash € approx)

1. Michael Schulze, Germany – 609,782
2. Ricardo Sousa, Portugal – 345,543
3. Mathias Viberg, Sweden – 203,261
4. Mehdi Ouakhir, France – 152,445
5. Christian Oman, Sweden – 123,989
6. Juan Maceiras, Spain – 97,565
7. Niclas Svensson, Sweden – 77,239
8. Trond Erik Eidsvig, Norway – 56,913
9. Dan Woolson, USA – 34,554

Day 3 of the EPT Polish Open

Ham n’ eggs, wine n’ cheese, an ace and a king – all great combinations. But poker players and daylight? They are not natural bedfellows but as Day 3 of the EPT Polish Open finished in a record breaking two hours and six minutes on Friday, our chip riffling friends were forced to contemplate the prospect of some pre-dark free time. Some players looked like they were worried they might suffer from Vitamin D toxicity due to the unforeseen exposure to Warsaw’s sunlight.

Nine players will be bathed in the reassuring light of the Hyatt Regency’s bulbs when play resumes at 2pm today. Twenty-six hopefuls had began Day 3 but, as some were plunging their chips into the middle with the carefree enthusiasm of a Labrador puppy bounding into a pond, it was inevitable that some would regret the recklessness of their actions.

The first person to droop his head was Spain’s Raul Paez, who was treated to approximately €8,130 for his efforts. The beleaguered Andy Black lost his last dogfight a short while later and walked away with €12,196. Presumably he will be pleased that Christian Oman, the man that cracked Andy’s AA with 88, is represented at the final table.

Current top dog is German Michael Schulze who, with 1,162,000, will be hoping to sink his teeth into the juicy 1st prize of €609,782.

Final Table of the EPT Polish Open

1. Michael Schulze, Germany – 1,162,000
2. Ricardo Souza, Portugal – 756,000
3. Juan Maceiras, Spain – 437,000
4. Mehdi Ouakhir, France – 360,000
5. Mathias Viberg, Sweden – 229,000
6. Trond Erik Eidsvig, Norway – 220,000
7. Niclas Svensson, Sweden – 174,000
8. Daniel Woolson, USA – 164,000

9. Christian Oman, Sweden – 110,000

Day 2 of the EPT Polish Open

Tilt.

Most poker players, at one level or another, even though they don’t like to admit it, go on tilt to some degree. It’s a huge part of what makes the game fascinating. It happens in cash games but the players with a modicum of self knowledge walk away and come back another day. Tournaments don’t allow that luxury. A played can be hit with a tidal wave of bad luck and he or she has to sit there trying to breathe in a measured manner, resisting the urge to bellow “Mayday, Mayday!”

Day 3 of the EPT Warsaw saw Ireland’s Andy Black withstand outrageous storms of bad luck at the Hyatt Regency Casino. After he saw his pocket aces drown against 88, when the snowmen hit a runner-runner flush, he must felt like he was being chased by muggers. It is to his credit that he didn’t chuck away his chips, wailing ‘Have ‘em all, you bastards!’

Appropriately enough for a player who is a ringer for actor Paul Giamatti, he managed to go sideways for a while before he was presented with an opportunity to put his nose into the action. When Leszek Krawczynski was faced with Black’s bet of 17,200, he decided to force him all in for 53,600. The clouds had parted over Black’s head: he called, flipped over aces and the rail was left baffled by Lesek’s play as he revealed AQ.

Andy Black’s ability to temper his emotions has left him with a fighting chance when play resumes today. His 85,000 chips place him 18 of 26 and guarantee him a take home of approximately €8,130.

Those more likely to be tussling for the 1st prize of approx. €609,782 include an online qualifier – Spain’s Juan Maceiras, chip leader with 388,000 - and Christian Oman, whose total of 147,500 chips include some from the hand that may well be giving Andy Black nightmares.

Day 1b of the EPT Warsaw

Day 1b of the EPT Warsaw proved not to be noble in the minds of 229 players as they suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune and crashed out of the tournament. Only 130 players of 359 entrants are left to contest Day 2, due to begin at 1pm GMT at the Hyatt Regency Casino.

An impressive turnout has generated a prize pool of 7,180,000 Polish Zloty. For those readers who are currently suffering a brain fart or who are not whizz-kids at exchange rates, Eyebrows is happy to state that the cash translates to approximately €2m, with a first prize of €600,000.

One player clearly not currently enduring any mental fog is Sweden’s Robert Flink as he is topping the leader board with 113,300 chips. Presumably Frenchman Jan Stefan Smolarczyk is experiencing minor intestinal discomfort as, with only 2600 chips, he is lingering at the bottom.

The tournament will conclude on Saturday with 32 players financially rewarded for their endeavours: some will successfully take arms against a sea of troubles, whilst others will head to that undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveller returns. Eyebrows will provide the latest news, even if our writers have to swap the motherboard for the Ouija board.

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EPT Warsaw - Day 1a

So, at the EPT Polish Open we wave a fond farewell to Day 1a and look forward to Day 1b. (It’s an interesting philosophical conundrum: remember those posters from the sixties that stated ‘Today is the first day of the rest of your life’ – well, what if today is Day 1a of the rest of your life? Get your spaced out brains around that one, hep-cats)

One player who could probably comprehend metaphysics is Polish rock star Michel Wisniewski. With a dyed red bob, pale skin and dark sunglasses, he appears to be the offspring of Oscar winning actress Tilda Swinton and Chia Chia, the giant panda. A colourful character, with an appreciation of the finer points of both poker and vodka, he is one of Poland’s highest selling musicians.

He was also happy to serve his country in the Eurovision Song Contest, which is a bit like a poker tournament but the wailing is a tad more tuneful. Sadly he has some pain to process as his set of aces was busted by a straight on the river and left him short stacked.

Although his outro lingered a bit longer, by the end of the day we had waved ‘bye, bye, baby, goodbye’ to 112 players, leaving only 78 left to contest Day 2. With another 200 players expected to begin their challenge today at the Hyatt Regency Warsaw, it is shaping into an exciting tournament, one that will require a balancing act of fear and greed – too much or too little of either can kill you. Maybe Michel Wisniewski could write a song about that.

WPT Celebrity Invitational

This week saw a historical event in poker as Van Nguyen became the first woman to win a WPT event when she outlasted 444 competitors and won the Celebrity Invitational at the Commerce Casino, Los Angeles.

Van is the wife of poker pro Men ‘The Master’ Nguyen and the double act is cutting up the field in 2008. Mr and Mrs Master can add Van’s $100,000 payday (and a $25,500 seat at the WPT World Championship) to Men’s 3rd place at the WPT Tunica, his 10th place at the WPT Borgata and his two Player of the Tournament Awards. Clearly their relationship will not breakdown due to financial reasons.

Men taught his wife to play but the pupil may yet outshine The Master. She showed great patience coupled with timely aggression as she battled on the final table, particularly on the final hand when, after looking at K4 on the button, she put Ethan Ruby all in. After his QJ failed to improve, she was crowned queen with a king high holding.

The tournament had included over 100 celebrities battling for a $30,000 charity sidepot. Frasier star Tom Mc Gowan won a $10,000 donation for the charity of his choice by outlasting the other camera friendly types but the real star was Van Nguyen. With three women in the last eight, the sisters are doing it for themselves.

WPT Celebrity Invitational – Final Payouts

1st: Van Nguyen - $125,500

2nd: Ethan Ruby - $50,000

3rd: Billy Baxter - $20,000

4th: Justin Marchand - $15,000

5th: Elias Madias - $10,000

T-6th: Debby Perkins - $2,500

T-6th: Beverley Kuskol - $2,500

EPT Polish Open Preview

At first glance poker tournaments and actions of political upheaval appear to have little in common. One usually involves an angry mob intent on smashing the existing social structures and establishing a new order; the other is a revolution.

However the two activities may soon share one thing in common as the forthcoming EPT Polish Open at the Hyatt Regency, Warsaw, will not be televised. Interested spectators will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out and so will be forced to march to the casino to watch this €5,750 (approx) event. (Would-be revolutionaries confused by these similarities will be reassured that the casino’s dress code does not permit ripped jeans or shorts so they should not find themselves ponying up the big blind when they are meant to be tussling with the pigs.)

Plenty are expected to demonstrate their skills and last year’s winner Dane Peter Jepsen smashed his way through 283 stacks to claim the €325,633 1st prize. The party starts with free canapés, liquor and a DJ but the real action begins on March 11 at 2pm. The tournament may not have a theme song but rely on Eyebrows to keep you in the driver’s seat.

The Wynn Classic - Update

Although we are still over a week away from the $10,000 main event of The Wynn Classic, Las Vegas, there has already been plenty of action at this festival of poker.

It’s good to see a casino offering a range of tournaments and Tuesday saw talented American Alan Kessler scoop $52, 962 in the $1,000 Omaha Hi/Lo Split event. It had attracted 140 buy ins and offers further proof that players are prepared to vary their games.

However, it is somewhat inevitable that the biggest win so far came in Wednesday’s NL tournament. 258 players dropped a grand in the coffers of the casino and created a prize pool topping $250,000. San Fran resident Nathan Mullen took a baby step towards the Forbes 400 by raking in the $92,593 1st prize.

Saturday should see another big payout as the casino is offering a $2,000 NL buy in, but for those craving variety, there is also a $1,000 H.O.S.E. tournament. These are increasing in popularity because they require players to be skilled in four different versions of poker – H for hold ‘em, O for Omaha Eight or Better, S for 7 Card Stud and E for 7 Card Stud Eight or Better. Organisers sometimes keep the players on their toes by labelling them S.H.O.E but they are excellent for types that can think outside the box.

CAPT Bregenz Open - Main Event

On Monday or Tuesday, a common question is ‘How was your weekend?’ One man that won’t have to try to make a trip to an out of town furniture centre sound interesting is German Markus Lehmann, as he scooped €95,930 by winning the main event of the CAPT Bregenz Open on Saturday.

187 players had resisted the call of the couch and headed to Casinos Austria to spoon over the €2000 buy in for the NL tournament but only 20 were paid for their buttock shifting efforts. Things were tight as the final table’s action began but, by the end, Lehmann had taken his career earnings a step closer to $1m. In 2nd place was rookie Carsten Joh, who had to be content with €67,510 as the winner took the new boy’s game, grilled it, sliced it and served it to him in a toast rack.

The week-long series of games was a huge success and is highly likely to return next year. Other notable winners include ex-footballer Wilhelm Brueer, (a man who has his marital status listed as ‘yes’) who netted a 1st prize of €22,000 for leap-day’s PL Omaha tournament and managed 4th place in the main event; and Swiss Sam Morda el Sayed who can bank €36,480 after accounting for 174 rivals in the €1,000 NL buy in on Thursday. Clearly playing poker is a better form of DIY.

CAPT Bregenz Open – Main Event Results

1 Markus Lehmann - €95,930
2 Carsten Joh €67,510
3 Marco Liesy AKA ‘Kill-Bill’ €49,740
4 Wilhelm Breuer AKA ‘Dr Big’ €35,530
5 Rein Zijda €24,870
6 Markus Zinniker €17,760
7 Andreas Krause €14,210