Speedyfold Poker Blog

Popular pro Scotty Nguyen picks up his 5th WSOP bracelet

Event 45 - $50K HORSE - 148 entrants
1 $ 1,989,120 Scotty Nguyen
2 $ 1,243,200 Michael DeMichele
3 $ 781,440 Erick Lindgren
4 $ 568,320 Matt Glantz
5 $ 444,000 Lyle Berman
6 $ 355,200 Barry Greenstein
7 $ 284,160 Huck Seed
8 $ 230,880 Patrick Bueno

Event 39 - $1500 NLHE - 2720 entrants
1 $ 631,656 David Woo
2 $ 389,844 Matthew Wood
3 $ 278,460 Eric Beren

Event 40 - $2500 2-7 Triple Draw - 238 entrants
1 $ 151,896 John Phan
2 $ 95,795 Shun Uchida
3 $ 61,583 Gioi Luong

Event 41 - $1500 Mixed Holdem - 731 entrants
1 $ 219,508 Frank Gary
2 $ 140,093 Jonathan Tamayo
3 $ 84,814 Nick Binger

Event 42 - $1000 Senoirs NLHE - 2218 entrants
1 $ 368,832 Dan Lacourse
2 $ 235,141 Dale Eberle
3 $ 156,424 Marc Fluss

Event 43 - $1500 PL Omaha Hi-Lo - 720 entrants
1 $ 216,249 Martin Klaser
2 $ 137,985 Casey Kastle
3 $ 83,538 Michael Fetter

Event 44 - $1000 NLHE w/rebuys - 879 entrants
1 $ 693,444 Max Greenwood
2 $ 445,523 Rene Mouritsen
3 $ 267,314 Albert Iversen

3 tables left in the $50K HORSE event in the WSOP (8 players per table), and some great poker players amongst them. Probably my favorite looking table is Table 3 (below), which includes Erick Lindgren (1 bracelet already this year), Daniel Negreanu (1 bracelet already this year), Doyle Bruson (10 bracelets, and all-round poker god), and The Grinder Michael Mizrachi

Table 3 Players
Seat 1: Matt Glantz — 521,000
Seat 2: Raymond Davis — 438,000
Seat 3: Erick Lindgren — 485,000
Seat 4: Edwin Ting — 261,000
Seat 5: Daniel Negreanu — 1,226,000
Seat 6: David Bach — 801,000
Seat 7: Michael Mizrachi — 701,000
Seat 8: Doyle Brunson — 777,000

Here are the chip leaders, with some more very notable names like Greenstein, Perry, and Scotty Nguyen:-

Michael DeMichele 1351000
Barry Greenstein 1311000
Daniel Negreanu 1226000
Ralph Perry 1043000
Scotty Nguyen 1033000
Lyle Berman 939000
Patrick Bueno 806000
David Bach 801000
Doyle Brunson 777000
Michael Mizrachi 701000

No matter how long you have been playing poker it is difficult not to be occassionally annoyed by some of the inane comments, language, moans, and opinions of your fellow poker players at the online poker tables.

I think quite a large percentage of these chat annoyances come from noobs to the game. Others of course come from just general idiots. You’re always going to get a few of those.

So, to limit the lame witterings of the majority (the noobs) I have devised a potential solution. All new members of a poker site should get a 3 month period of chat probation. They will be restricted from chatting at all tables, apart from perhaps play money tables and freerolls.

That way at least the chat will be restricted to those who’ve put in a little service, and maybe know a few fundamentals of the game. Hopefully by the end of the 3 months they will by more cultured and versed. Perhaps it will limit the general “rigged” type comments when someone loses a 60/40. Perhaps some will take their beats like a man. Perhaps the tables will be full of insightful and interesing discussions. Hmmmm, but then again, hell might freeze over tomorrow also.

Played a few more sessions towards the cash game challenge I have set on SunPoker. I am still down overall, but at least I’ve ground it back close to even. I will play some longer sessions soon to put a bigger dent in the hands played requirement.

Current Balance = $196.12. Total Challenge Profit = $3.88 down. Total hands played = 908

Event 32 - $1500 NLHE - 2304 entrants
1 $ 573,734 Jose Luis Velador
2 $ 366,387 Anthony G Signore
3 $ 243,734 Osmin Dardon

Event 33 $5000 Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo - 261 entrants
1 $ 328,756 Sebastian Ruthenberg
2 $ 202,406 Chris Ferguson
3 $ 125,737 Bob Lauria

Event 34 - $1500 Pot Limit Omaha w/rebuys - 320 entrants
1 $ 577,725 Layne Flack
2 $ 355,050 Daniel Makowsky
3 $ 222,659 Jacobo Fernandez

Event 35 - $1500 Seven-Card Stud - 381 entrants
1 $ 135,753 Mike Rocco
2 $ 83,210 Al Barbieri
3 $ 50,186 Levon Torosyan

Event 36 - $1500 NLHE - 2447 entrants
1 $ 610,304 Jesper Hougaard
2 $ 389,128 Cody Slaubaugh
3 $ 258,862 Aaron Kanter

Event 37 - $10,000 PLO8 - 235 entrants
1 $ 535,687 David Benyamine
2 $ 331,350 Greg Jamison
3 $ 209,855 Jason Gray

Event 38 - $2000 Pot Limit Holdem - 605 entrants
1 $ 244,546 Davidi Kitai
2 $ 155,806 Chris Bell
3 $ 94,695 Keith Greer

Tipping the dealer at cash poker tables is a concept which is fairly alien to many players in countries outside of the USA. In any regular European casino you can merrily go about your business without even the slightest thought of tipping. Most casinos go to the extent of not even allowing it, even if you were that way generously inclined.

Most casinos and card rooms in all countries will charge a fee in terms of a percentage rake, or in terms of an hourly charge, or in terms of a set fee per hand. That is where the line usually stops, and your main job as a player is to stay ahead of the rake/charge and carve out a profit on top. However in the States tipping becomes almost an extra “hidden” fee on top. An extra tier of juice so to speak.

This is great for the dealers, who can potentially earn good amounts at the right tables, however it is slightly less good for the player. From my perspective I have never really liked the idea of tipping in any casino based or card room based game. When you’re lucky you give up some winnings, but when you are unlucky no-one is going to give those earlier tips back. There is a sort of underlying injustice there. That injustice is probably most obviously seen in a fixed-edge game like roulette. The house has a very specific fixed edge in their favor. The longer you play the more you can expect to gradually lose. So to tip a “winning” spin with the odds always set at negative expected value seems borderline crazy, yet amazingly almost compulsary in the USA. Where it is less easy to define the odds against you at a cash poker table against your piers, it is still equally absurd to be expected to do it.

Sometimes social conventions become established which have no sensible place in existing. This is certainly one of those instances.

Event 27 - $1500 NLHE -2706 entrants
1 $ 628,417 Vitaly Lunkin
2 $ 387,837 Brett Kimes
3 $ 277,026 Bobby Firestone

Event 28 - $5000 PLO w/rebuys - 152 entrants
1 $ 817,781 Phil “OMGClayAiken” Galfond
2 $ 493,748 Adam Hourani
3 $ 316,307 David Benyamine

Event 29 - $3000 NLHE - 716 entrants
1 $ 434,789 John Phan
2 $ 277,452 Johnny Neckar
3 $ 167,973 Matt Vengrin

Event 30 - $10,000 Limit Holdem - 218 entrants
1 $ 496,931 Rob Hollink
2 $ 307,380 Jerrod Ankenman
3 $ 194,674 Tommy Hang

Event 31 - $2500 NLHE Six-handed - 1012 entrants
1 $ 528,418 Dario Minieri
2 $ 330,519 Seth Fischer
3 $ 214,139 Justin Filtz

An update on my cash game challenge on Sun Poker. I’m currently getting battered. I’ve played a few sessions too tired (literally one eye open), and had cold decks on other sessions. Nothing major too worry about. The usual poker swings. I know one slight leak that I identified several years ago, and that is in Omaha I tend to play a little too loose when I buy-in for the minimum, but play a lot more solid poker with a larger stack. Time to replug that leak nice and early ready for the rest of the challenge

Current Balance = $184.96. Total Challenge Profit = $15.04 down. Total hands played = 733

Event 13 - $2500 NLHE - 1390 Entrants
1 $ 666,777 Duncan Bell
2 $ 428,948 Steven Merrifield
3 $ 260,261 Nathan Doudney

Event - 14 $10,000 7-Card Stud - 158 entrants
1 $ 415,856 Eric Brooks
2 $ 259,910 Fu Wong
3 $ 163,372 Alexander Kostritsyn

Event - 15 $1000 Ladies NLHE - 1190 entrants
1 $ 244,702 Svetlana Gromenkova
2 $ 144,567 Anh Le
3 $ 87,715 Patty Till

Event 16 - $2000 Omaha Hi-Lo - 553 entrants
1 $ 226,483 Andrew Brown
2 $ 143,420 Ted Forrest
3 $ 88,065 Jim Pechac

Event 17 - $1500 NLHE Shootout - 1000 entrants
1 $ 335,565 Jason Young
2 $ 209,527 Mike Schwartz
3 $ 129,675 John Strzemp III

Event 18 - $5000 NL 2-7 Trip Draw w/rebuys - 85 entrants
1 $ 537,862 Mike Matusow (Full Tilt Poker pro)
2 $ 347,004 Jeff Lisandro
3 $ 225,552 Barry Greenstein

Event 19 - $1500 PLO - 759 entrants
1 $ 227,965 Vanessa Selbst
2 $ 145,459 Jamie Pickering
3 $ 88,062 Stanley Statkiewicz Jr

Event 20 - $2000 Limit Holdem - 480 entrants
1 $ 204,874 Daniel Negreanu (PokerStars Pro)
2 $ 126,671 Ugur Marangoz
3 $ 78,624 David Baker

Event 21 - $5000 NLHE - 731 entrants
1 $ 755,891 Scott Seiver (PokerStars online player gunning4you)
2 $ 482,372 Dave Seidman
3 $ 292,034 Ben Sprengers

Event 22 - $3000 HORSE - 414 entrants
1 $ 298,253 Jens Veortmann
2 $ 182,822 Doug Ganger
3 $ 110,264 Marcel Luske

Event 23 - $2000 NLHE - 1344 entrants
1 $ 507,563 Blair Hinkle (brother of Event 2 winner Grant Hinkle)
2 $ 326,552 Mark Brockington
3 $ 198,132 Daniel O’Brien

Event 24 - $2500 PL Holdem/Omaha - 457 entrants
1 $ 246,471 Max Pescatori
2 $ 152,410 Kyle Kloeckner
3 $ 94,599 Greg Hurst

Event 25 - $10,000 NLHE Heads-up - 256 entrants
1 $ 539,056 Kenny Tran
2 $ 336,896 Alec Torelli
3 $ 108,288 Vanessa Selbst

Event 26 - $1500 Razz - 453 Entrants
1 $ 157,619 Barry Greenstein (PokerStars Pro)
2 $ 97,389 Chris Klodnicki
3 $ 58,743 Chris Viox