Matthew Parvis Blog

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Ace-queen is Matt Stout’s least favorite hand.  He busted out of the 2007 World Series of Poker main event with those cards and suffered a string of misfortune with them in the world’s most prestigious poker competition.  “I had five races with ace-queen in the championship last year and I lost every one of them,” Stout recalled, in reference to his very respectable 118th-place finish.  But after winning Event #7 at the Caesars Atlantic City series today, holding ace-queen, Stout might readjust his thinking.  On the final hand of the tournament, the ace-queen ended up spiking two pair and gave the 23-year-old poker pro his first-ever World Series of Poker Circuit victory.

Seat 1: Elizabeth Grey-Pardo 175,000

Seat 2: Chris Reslock 208,000

Seat 3: Frank Passantino 266,000

Seat 4: Matt “All In” Stout 464,000

Seat 5: David Godfrey 70,000

Seat 6: Steve Merrifield 110,000

Seat 7: B. Batkhuu 79,000

Seat 8: Thomas Kim 320,000

Seat 9: Lou Esposito 194,000

Blinds began at 3,000-6,000 with a 1,000 ante.  From the first hand of play, the action was fast and furious.  Players were eliminated in the following order: 

9th Place - The first key hand was a bad beat, with David Godfrey on the receiving end of the knock-out punch.  Godfrey moved all-in pre-flop with his last 60,000 holding pocket aces.  Matt Stout had plenty of chips with which to make the call, and showed 10-7.  The final board showed J-9-7-8-5, giving Stout a straight.  That meant Godfrey’s tournament life was over, resulting in a ninth-place finish.  David Godfrey, a corrections officer from Belleville, NJ, locked up $3,820.

8th Place - A few hands later, Stout knocked out another player when he was dealt A-4 and called an all-in raise by Bayarsaikhan Batkhuu, who was severely short-stacked.  Batkhuu showed K-Q.  Stout ended up making two pair - aces and fours — when the final board showed A-Q-J-4-9.  Batkhuu went out as the eighth-place finisher, worth $5,730 in prize money.  

7th Place - Steven Merrifield became the low stack and moved all-in with his last 80,000 holding pocket sixes.  Elizabeth Grey-Pardo had doubled up early in the finale and had slightly more than 300,000 in her stack.  She decided to call and showed J-10.  Things looked good for Merrifield on the turn, as the board showed A-7-4-Q.  But a king on the river gave Grey-Pardo a straight and Merrifield’s pocket sixes hit the muck.  Steven Merrifield, a 22-year-old aspiring poker pro from West Virginia, finished in seventh place.  This was his first major cash in a live poker tournament.  He was paid $7,640.

6th Place - Lou Esposito was not happy about the course of eventstha followed.  With about 200,000 in his stack, Esposito moved all-in before the flop, hoping to steal a round of blinds and antes.  He had A-5.  Frank Passantino contemplated his decision with A-6 and finally decided to call.  “What a sick call!” Esposito stated, unveiling his displeasure with the action.  Esposito was even more displeased with the final board, which showed A-10-9-6-5.  Despite hitting two pair, Passantino also hit (a higher) two pair and scooped Esposito’s chips.  That jolted Passantino close to the chip lead and left Esposito in sixth place.  Lou Esposito, who won last year’s WSOP Circuit championship at Harrah’s New Orleans, pocketed $9,550.

5th Place - The next hand was much uglier.  Elizabeth Grey-Pardo moved all-in before the flop with K-K and Matt Stout called with A-8.  The board came with four spades, matching Stout’s ace of spades, which completed a flush.  Grey-Pardo and actress and writer from Yonkers, NY was forced to settle for $11,460.  This was her fourth time to cash in a WSOP Circuit event.  

4th Place - Stout held approximately a 3 to 1 chip advantage over Thomas Kim - with the other two players lagging behind.  Then, Frank Passantino went out when he moved all-in with A-8 and was called by Thomas Kim, holding A-J.  Both players flopped an ace, but neither improved which meant Kim’s jack-kicker played.  Passantino ended up as the fourth-place finisher, worth $13,370    

3rd Place - With Passantino’s elimination (and chips) Kim moved closer to Stout.  Meanwhile, the experienced tournament pro Chris Reslock was forced to gamble to get chips and did so when he moved all-in with A-5, which was called by Stout, holding K-7.  The flop came 7-4-4, not exactly the flop Reslock hoped to see.  Reslock failed to pair his ace and Stout dragged the pot with two pair, sevens and fours, which meant a third-place finish for the former taxi driver.  Chris Reslock, a longtime Atlantic City local, has won three previous WSOP Circuit events, including the championship event held at the Atlantic City Showboat two years ago.  Reslock insists he is not a poker professional, but his tournament winnings in excess of $1 million would suggest otherwise.  

2nd Place - Stout had a chip lead of about 3 to 2 over Kim.  Appropriately, the two biggest stacks at the start of the final table ended up squaring off for the gold and diamond ring.  After two hours of fast and aggressive play, during which time seven players went out, the heads-up match was considerably more cautious and calculating.  The two finalists battled back and forth for 55 minutes, during which time only a few flops were seen.  No hand went past the turn.  Predictably, it would take a monster hand with both players holding big cards to tilt the balance.  That moment came when Stout was dealt A-Q.  He raised 70,000 pre-flop, and Kim re-raised to 300,000.  Stout, true to his name, moved “all in” and Kim called with J-J.  The flop made it appear that Kim would gain the advantage as three blanks fell - 9-6-2.  Then, a queen rained down on the turn giving Stout top pair.  An ace on the river was the definitive final action, giving Stout the victory.

The runner up was Thomas Kim, from Brooklyn. NY.  The 27-year-old salesman was down to just 1000 in chips at one point midway through the tournament.  He managed to triple up on a key hand and coasted all the way to a payout a day later totaling $30,560. 

1st Place - Matt “All In” Stout attended college for a time before taking up poker as his primary means of support.  He won an event at the US Poker Championship last year and also took 24th place in the Aussie Millions (held in Australia).  In addition to his in-the-money finish in the WSOP main event last year, Stout has won a number of online poker tournaments.  In fact, he was recently ranked in the top 50 worldwide by a source that tracks online players.  Stout plays up to ten games at once, while on his home computer.

“This win was great.  I wanted this one really bad,” Stout admitted in a post-tournament interview.  “Now give me the ring.  Where’s my ring?”

Upon his command, Stout was presented with the coveted WSOP Circuit gold and diamond ring, awarded to all players at this year’s Caesars Atlantic City tournament series.  With this victory, Stout now has nearly $400,000 in lifetime tournament winnings, which has come in just two years.

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Miami, FL (PRWeb) March 12, 2008 - World poker champion and UltimateBet star Annie Duke is en route to Montreal and Ottawa, Canada this weekend for UltimateBet.net’s Cross Canada Tour. While teaching Canadians how to elevate their poker game is undoubtedly an important cause, the UltimateBet pro will be making a pit stop in New York for something even more worthy.

Duke will be playing in the The Montel Williams MS Foundation Gala and Pro-Celebrity Poker Challenge, a roaring ’20s speakeasy-themed event featuring a cocktail reception, awards ceremony, pro-celebrity poker tournament, buffet dinner, entertainment, and dancing. She’ll join a host of other poker celebrities including Russ Hamilton, Ken Eininger, Freddie Deeb, Barbara Enright, Scott Fischman, Jamie Gold, Susie Isaacs, Karina Jett, Chip Jett, Mary Jones, Marsha Waggoner, and Robert Williamson III.

The Montel Williams MS Foundation Gala and Pro-Celebrity Poker Challenge gets underway at 5:30pm ET on March 13th in New York City at Cipriani 42nd Street. 

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LAPT President Glenn

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Seat 1:  Michael Scipione    115,000

Seat 2: Jeff Morrill 66,500

Seat 3: Mike Huguenot 148,500

Seat 4: Allen Bari 151,000

Seat 5: Ed Berger 175,000

Seat 6: Dewey Whitmore 100,000

Seat 7: Lance Carter 85,000

Seat 8: Vinny Pahuja 470,000

Seat 9: Soheil Shamseddin 86,500

From the very start, play was aggressive.  Predictably, there were some early bust outs.  Players were eliminated in the following order:

9th Place - On the second hand of play, Lance Carter moved all-in with A-Q.  Vinny Pahuja called with 10-10.  The pocket pair went from having a slight edge to an overwhelming favorite when a ten flopped, giving Pahuja trip tens.  Pahuja ended up with a club flush on the hand (four clubs on board to match the 10c in his hand) while Carter failed to improve and exited as the ninth-place finisher.  The aerospace engineer from Arlington VA rocketed out of the tournament with $4,500 in prize money. 

8th Place - Jeff Morrill went out a short time later.  In his defense, he moved all-in with the best hand but took a terrible beat.  Morrill had 10-9 in the blind and raised all-in after the flop came A-10-9 - good for tens and nines.  Ed Berger made the call with A-Q, holding top pair with a solid kicker.  After a blank on the turn, the river came with a queen, giving Berger the higher two pair.  Morrill staggered away from the final table in despair and was forced to settle for eighth-place.  The 37-year-old poker player from Brentwood, TN took a payout of $6,770.

7th Place - Soheil Shamseddin joined Morrill on the rail with his own bad beat story when he moved all-in with K-K.  Mike Scipione called and showed A-Q suited.  All suspense ended when an ace flopped, killing Shamseddin’s hopes of doubling up.  Although the deck dealt some beats on this day, Scipione did not take one on this hand as the paired aces held up.  Meanwhile, Soheil Shamseddin was forced to exit the tournament in seventh place.  The president of his own golf company, Shamseddin cashed twice at last year’s WSOP in Las Vegas.  He collected $9,000 this time.

6th Place - Yet another exciting hand took place when Ed Berger went out just a short time later.  Berger held A-K and moved all-in on a semi-bluff after the flop came Q-J-4.  With two overcards (A-K) and a straight draw (10), Berger did not want a caller.  But after deliberating for nearly five full minutes, Vinny Pahuja finally decided to make a tough call with Q-10, good for top pair, with a suspect kicker.  The turn brought Berger to his feet as a king fell, suddenly reversing the advantage in Berger’s favor.  However, Pahuja has picked up a flush draw with two diamonds.  A fifth diamond rained down on the river, crushing Berger’s hopes of victory.  The owner of a marketing and advertising company, Berger is an avid offshore fisherman and outdoor writer.  He collected $11,250 in his first WSOP-related cash.

5th Place - About two hours into play, Michael Scipione found himself sitting with the lowest stack.  With blinds and antes escalating, Scipione had to play a weak hand in an attempt to double up.  He ended up losing to pocket queens and ended up as the fifth-place finisher.  The 21-year-old poker player from Philadelphia pocketed $13,500.

4th Place - Vinny Pahuja maintained his chip lead, although Allen Bari was a close second.  Dewey Whitmore and Mike Huguenot were low on chips, although both players still had enough weight in their stacks to be dangerous.  Play was conservative over the next half hour, with the foursome trading off blinds and antes.  Then, a big hand took place where both players were destined to move their chips into the pot.  Mike Huguenot was dealt Q-Q and flopped trip queens when the board showed K-Q-4.  Slow playing his big set in an attempt to trap his unsuspecting rival, Huguenot gave his opponent a free card.  That turned out to be a mistake.  When an ace fell on the turn, Huguenot decided it was time to push with his entire stack and just as he did so, Vinny Pahuja nearly beat his adversary into the pot.  Pahuja called instantly and showed J-10 for the nut straight.  The board failed to pair on the river, which meant Pahuja had increased his chip lead once again.  Huguenot was forced to exit in fourth place.  The attorney from Pleasantville, NY earned a settlement good for $15,750.   

3rd Place - Dewey Whitmore went out next when he moved all-in with A-10 and was called by Allen Bari with K-J.  This turned out to be quite a decisive hand, as Whitmore’s (former) chips catapulted Bari closer to the chip leader Pahuja.  Whitmore loved the flop, which came ten high.  He held a pair of tens, with top kicker.  However, a king rudely fell on the river which removed Whitmore from the poker trio.  Bari won the pot with a pair of kings while Dewey Whitmore, a West Virginia contractor nailed down a payout totaling $20,250.

2nd Place - When heads-up play began, Pahuja still held the chip lead.  But everything would change on one big hand, which essentially determined the outcome of the tournament.  On the biggest hand of the night, Pahuja was dealt the A-4 of clubs.  Bari was dealt A-3.  After the flop came 8-6-3 with two clubs, Bari was all-in with bottom player (threes) against Pahuja’s club draw.  However, two big red face cards fell on the turn and river, which meant Pahuja had completely missed his flush draw.  That gave Bari an overwhelming chip advantage and left Pahuja on life support.  With just enough chips left to post a blind, it all ended just a short time later when Bari won the final hand of the night and the tournament officially ended. 

Vinny Pahuja was visibly disappointed with the turn of events.  What had been potential wire-to-wire victory at the final table had been shattered by losing one critical hand.  Cheered on by his younger brother in the audience, Pahuja finished as the runner up.  The former bond salesman from New York City who now works in real estate added $39,600 in prize money to his investment portfolio.

1st Place - The winner was Allen Bari.  He had done just enough to quietly survive for two full days until he found himself heads-up against the chip leader.  Then, all it took was essentially one big hand to tilt the balance in his favor, and Bari ended up waltzing away with his biggest poker payday ever.  Bari was also presented with the gold and diamond ring awarded to all event winners at this year’s Caesars Atlantic City tournament series.  Looking back on that job loss now, maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

For more information, please contact: 

Nolan Dalla — WSOP Media Director at (702) 358-4642

e-mail:  nolandallawsop@gmail.com

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Team CardRunners who, collectively, have earned a reputation as the hottest young players and instructors in online poker now play exclusively at Full Tilt Poker. 

Comprised of Taylor “Green Plastic” Caby, Andrew “muddywater” Wiggins, Brain “sbrugby” Townsend, Brian “Stinger885″ Hastings, Eric “p3achy_keen” Liu, Mike “Schneids” Schneider, and Cole “cts” South, Team CardRunners regularly share their expert insight and advice on all forms of poker with their members through exclusive online video lessons, hand histories, chats, and blog posts on their website, www.CardRunners.com.  

Because they are all strong believers in practicing what they preach, the members of Team CardRunners can regularly be found playing in high-stakes ring games and tournaments onwww.FullTiltPoker.com. As the newest additions to the Full Tilt Poker pro roster, Team CardRunners join more than 100 other elite pros in representing the world’s second-largest poker room both online and at live events around the world. 

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“Team Full Tilt,” is a select group of the world’s finest professional poker players, including Chris Ferguson, Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, Jennifer Harman, Erick Lindgren, Erik Seidel, Andy Bloch, Phil Gordon, Clonie Gowen, John Juanda, Mike Matusow, Gus Hansen, and Allen Cunningham who have collectively won 32 WSOP bracelets. Full Tilt Poker offers players the unique opportunity to Learn, Chat and Play poker with the best poker pros in the game. 

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Atlantic City, NJ - It is said that every poker tournament winner needs

just a little bit of luck to win.

There always seems to be at least one key hand that made a significant

difference and catapulted the winner on to victory. Playing in the $1,000

buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament, part of the World Series of Poker Circuit

events being held this week at Caesars Atlantic City, Bonavita absolutely

demolished everyone in his path and earned his biggest poker prize ever –

$123,300 for first place. This is

not to say Bonavita did not play magnificently, or that he didn’t deserve his

victory. To the contrary, given

the course of events that transpired in the final two hours of the tournament, had

Bonavita not been victorious, it would have been a travesty.

The

tournament winner and headline would have been completely different had it not

been for an earth-shattering hand that took place about 30 minutes into play at

the final table. That’s when

Bonavita caught his first miracle.

With eight players still alive, Bonavita was dealt Q-Q. He was all-in and was drawing slim at

one point against an opponent who showed 4-4.

yes”> However, running aces were dealt which made the final board

A-4-2-A-A. That meant Bonavita

made the higher full house - aces over queens.

After

that bell weather hand, Bonavita went on to eliminate every single player at

the final table. It was as

dominating a performance as has ever been witnessed on the WSOP Circuit scene. On four of the eight key hands,

Bonavita started as the favorite.

On the other four hands, he managed to get struck by a bolt of lucky lightening. For his eight opponents who were forced

to bear witness to Bonavita’s supreme command of cards and fate, it was a

shocking experience indeed.

The tournament began on the previous day with 411

entries. After 402 players were

eliminated on the first day and a half of play, the nine finalists took their seats

as the feature table. Bonavita

arrived with a comfortable chip lead.

However, second-place Larry Nelson appeared that he could make things

interesting. Each of the remaining

players had some catching up to do.

Players and starting chip counts began as follows:

Seat 1: Victor

V. Bonavita 685,000

Seat 2: Steve Oh 250,000

Seat 3: Stuart Elkin 215,000

Seat 4: James English 91,500

Seat 5: Matthew CasterellaSeat 6: Al Garver 199,000

Seat 7: Tim Bryan 270,000

Seat 8: Jason B. Goldman 134,500

Seat 9: Larry Nelson 435,000

th Place - He decided to re-raise all-in before

the flop but ran into what might was well have been a roaring freight

train. Al Garver was delighted to

call with his A-A. Garver’s pocket

rockets held up and within minutes the first player of the final nine had been

blasted away. Han Steve Oh, a network

engineer, connected for $8,220 in prize money for ninth place.

th Place -

The overpair appeared strong.

But two hearts on board gave Victor Bonavita a flush draw and he

called. A third heart fell on the

turn, breaking the heart of English who staggered away from the table as the

eighth-place finisher. English, a

Florida real estate broker, collected a commission totaling $12,333. To his credit, English now has more

than $1 million in lifetime poker tournament earnings.

th Place - Bonavita had lost his chip

lead in the early stages of the finale.

No one could possibly have expected the massacre that was to follow over

the next two hours. His second of

seven victims was Matthew Casterella, who has enjoyed great tournament success

in the past two years. Casterella

ranked 27th on Card Player magazine’s yearly rankings in 2007. He added to his tournament earnings

with a seventh-place showing in this event. Indeed, the last thing

a player holding pocket jacks wants to see is three overcards (A-K-Q). Bonavita showed A-10, good for a pair

of aces, and Casterella settled for a payout totaling $16,440.

Bonavita’s

next target was Tim Garver. The

Centerville, VA poker player ended up losing to a straight on his final hand of

the tournament. Garver made a pair

on the hand, but lost when a runner-runner straight materialized, held by (who

else?) Bonavita. Garver, who works

as an IT consultant, was unplugged from the final table. But he did collect $20,550 for sixth

place.

Down

to five, Jason Goldman was now low on chips.

Bonavita called the raise and showed A-9. Neither player made a pair,

which meant the ace-high played.

Goldman was forced to accept defeat and a fifth-place finish which paid $24,660.

th Place - th hand of play at the final table. Victim number five. Stuart Elkin, a Florida dentist may

spend a fair amount of time with delicate tools in his hands. But Elkin was absolutely drilled on

what became his final hand of the tournament. Victor Bonavita, on the roll of his

life, called the all-in raise with J-J.

It appeared Bonavita’s dominance would finally end when an ace flopped. Suddenly, Elkin had the best hand. A blank fell on the turn. Then the river shattered Elkin and

brought the cheering crowd to its feet.

A jack gave Bonavita trip-jacks and a 450,000 pot. Elkin looked like he’d been hit in the

head with a brick. No amount of

novacane could alleviate the pain of losing to a two outer. Elkin earned $28,770 for fourth

place.

3rd

Place - Despite Bonavita’s run of good fortune,

Al Garver and Larry Nelson had won just enough pots along the way to maintain

their positions as threats to win the tournament. That created tighter play as

the prize money came more into focus, with the jump between first and third

place a whopping $91,000.

It’s tough to say exactly which hand was more shocking to

the players and spectators watching events unfold at Caesars Atlantic

City. Larry Nelson would probably

cast his vote for the following abomination: When the flop

came K-4-3, Nelson had to be pleased.

An ace on the turn provided Bonavita with a few extra outs. Then, almost as if preordained, a jack

rivered. Wham! Bonavita had spiked an inside straight

and scooped the largest pot of the night.

All poor Nelson could do was shake his head in disbelief and try to

figure out how he managed to lose with such a dominant hand. Nelson, a salesman of medical

equipment, collected $32,880 for third place.

2nd Place -

It would be wrong to suggest Bonavita’s victory was a foregone conclusion. Al Garver still had enough chips to

double up a few times and take the chip lead. Sensing

victory on the horizon, Bonavita took advantage of his stack size and gradually

increased his margin until the following final hand ended all suspense. Garver was dealt Q-10. Bonavita was dealt A-Q. Given the many exciting hands over the

course of the final table, the finale was anti-climatic. Neither player made a pair. Bonavita’s ace-high won, and the

tournament was over. The runner-up

was Al Garver, who served many years proudly in the U.S. Air Force. He now flies as a private pilot. Garver, who now resides in Montana,

flew off with a very respectable $66,171 for second place. Garver qualified to play in this event

by winning a single-table satellite, that cost him only $80.

1st Place -

Victor A. Bonavita is a 36-year-old owner of his own pest control company. Exterminating bugs is not exactly the

world’s most glamorous job. So,

Bonavita enjoys playing poker in his spare time. He had

previously played in some charity and home games near his home in Bellmore,

NY. If Bonavita’s recreational

poker skills are indicative of his full-time work in pest control, all the bugs

back in New York are drawing dead.

For more information, please contact:

Nolan Dalla — WSOP Media Director at (702) 358-4642

e-mail: nolandallawsop@gmail.com

Or visit our official website: www.worldseriesofpoker.com

Jeffrey Pollack - Commissioner, WSOP

Ty Stewart - Director, Sponsorship and Licensing, WSOP

Craig Abrahams - Director, Broadcasting and New Media,

WSOP

Seth Palansky - Communications Director, WSOP

Executive Staff, World Series of Poker Circuit - Caesars

Atlantic City

Vice President of Table Games - Fred Niceta

Director of Table Games - Paul A. Natello

Table Games Manager (Poker) - Thomas McDonough III

Poker Pit Manager - Jake Devries

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Ryan Osborne Wins World

Series of Poker Circuit Event at Caesars Atlantic City

Computer Programmer Makes

Late Decision to Play in Tournament and Wins $72,500

By: Nolan Dalla

Atlantic

decision to actually play. Many tournament winners who have

achieved fame and fortune contemplated doing other things on what turned out to

be a fateful day.

Ryan

Osborne, a 27-year-old computer program manager knows the feeling. A few days ago, he was at his home in

Atlantic City to play in a World Series of Poker Circuit event. A colleague mentioned that the first

few events held at Caesars would be an excellent investment opportunity. With huge turnouts expected, a trip to

earn his first major victory.

Two

colleagues, $72,500 richer for having made a wise decision. Osborne topped a competitive field and

ever. On a cold and cloudy day on

stale by comparison.

The $500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament

generating a prize pool totaling a quarter-million dollars. After 491 players were eliminated on

two. New York City poker player

David Zeitlin arrived with a substantial chip lead. However, the large number of players with a near-average

ship stack made the final table a wide open competition. Osborne, the eventual winner arrived

dead last in chips. Players and starting

chip counts began as follows:

Seat 1: Victor

Johnson 195,000

Seat 2: Artie

Smith 171,000

Seat 3: Bryce

Carroll-Coe 260,000

Seat 4: Jake Neff 346,000

Seat 5: Sallie

Stohler 234,000

Seat 6: Adam

Steinback 267,000

Seat 7: Ryan

Osborne 154,000

Seat 8: John

Doran 225,000

Seat 9: David

Zeitlin 654,000

Players were eliminated in the following order:

9th Place - About 20 minutes into play, the

Stohler, with A-K. All suspense

was shattered when a king flopped, giving Stohler a higher pair. An ace on the river was overkill,

making two pair for Stohler. Smith

became the day’s first elimination.

A furniture maker who has “three children and four dogs” living at his

North Carolina home, Smith picked up $5,000 for ninth place.

8th Place - Victor Johnson went out next

when he was getting seriously low on chips and moved all-in with A-Q. Ryan Osborne had Q-Q and called

immediately. The pair of ladies

held up, which meant a dreaded walk for Johnson off the final table pier. The 49-year-old retiree from

Middletown, NY collected $7,500 in prize money for eight place.

7th Place - The next player to hit

the rail was John Doran, from nearby Woolwich Township, NJ. Doran was desperately low on chips and

saw a four-way pot develop when he was dealt J-7. Hoping to quadruple up and jump back into contention, Doran

called the bet but failed to improve.

Doran ended up busting out in seventh place, good for $10,000 in prize money. Doran, a mortgage broker had previously

made it to a final table at the WSOP in Las Vegas.

6th Place - When six-handed play began, the

chip lead was shared by Sallie Stohler and David Zeitlin, who were about even. Then, Stohler lost a big pot when Jake

Neff doubled up. Adam Steinback

was not so fortunate. In fact, he

against Jake Neff’s A-10. Neff had

fell on the turn - hitting a three-outer good for a pair. The previously dominated hand ended up

winning the pot, which meant a rude departure for Steinback. The 23-year-old poker dealer - who had

$12,500 for sixth place.

5th Place - Meanwhile, Jake Neff was on

fire. He had doubled up twice in

just five minutes. Then, he managed

to double up again, taking K-J up against A-K. Neff spiked a jack which catapulted him into a close call

for first in chips. When Bryce

decided to make a bold move with 9-5 and jammed the pot with a raise. David Zeitlin made an instant call -

and flipped over K-J. The flop

destroyed any hopes Carroll-Coe had of staging a comeback. The board cards showed A-Q-10 and gave

Zeitlin a straight. Carroll-Coe

was gone. The guitarist from

Detroit, MI ended up with a royalty check totaling $15,000.

4th Place - Sallie Stohler is usually

quite busy this time of year. She

works as a full-time political consultant based in Washington, DC. She advises many successful Senatorial

and Congressional candidates. But

weekend visit to Atlantic City. That

cashing out for $17,500. Unfortunately,

out holding 2-2 against A-J. A

jack flopped, meaning defeat for Stohler.

Remarkably, Stohler has a very impressive record of results given her

limited exposure to tournaments.

She also finished in-the-money in the 2007 WSOP main event.

3rd Place -

The three remaining players were relatively

close in chips, which meant anyone could still win. Yet the $48,000 money swing between first and third places

did not dissuade some aggressive play by the finalists. After Ryan Osborne won a big hand

a final nail in Zeitlin’s coffin.

Neff’s A-K ended up hammering Zeitlin’s A-8. A king flopped, which was the decisive card in bouncing

Zeitlin out of the tournament.

Zeitlin, an ex-lawyer, is certainly no stranger to the pressure of making

it to the final table. He finished

year’s WSOP held in Las Vegas.

2nd Place - When heads-up play began, Jake Neff (with 1,700,000)

enjoyed about a 2 to 1 chip lead over Ryan Osborne (with 780,000). The two finalists battled back and

forth for nearly an hour before the tournament’s most exciting hand unfolded. Essentially, the outcome of the two-day

event came down to a single card.

It all started when Osborne

raised pre-flop, Neff re-raised all-in, and Osborne called. Neff showed 8-8. Osborne revealed A-10. Once again, the standard confrontation

finalists. The flop came K-J-9,

presenting some added possibilities for Osborne. Short of hitting a pair, this was still a favorable flop for

Osborne. But Neff, holding the

only made pair, still had the lead.

A seven on the turn created even more outs for Osborne, with added straight

possibilities. Then, Neff hit the

card he dreaded most - a third eight which made trips. However, the final board showed

pot of the tournament.

The river eight was the

tournament’s most decisive card and accelerated Neff’s defeat. Desperately low in chips, Neff was

finally eliminated a few hands later, making Osborne the champion.

As the runner up, Jake Neff

collected $38,250. No stranger to

came in second at the United States Poker Championships.

1st Place - Ryan Osborne was paid $72,500 for first place, plus

this year’s Caesars Atlantic City series.

A native of Seattle, Osborne is a University of Washington

graduate. He now lives in Florida

where he works in the computer field.

“I’m going to pay for my

prize money. “I told her before we

started this tournament that I would pay for her wedding if I won.”

When told that weddings can

his future plans in poker. “Well

then, I might have to play in a few more poker tournaments, too” he said.

For more information,

please contact:

Nolan Dalla — WSOP

Media Director at (702) 358-4642

e-mail: nolandallawsop@gmail.com

Or visit our official website: www.worldseriesofpoker.com

Jeffrey Pollack -

Commissioner, WSOP

Ty Stewart - Director,

Sponsorship and Licensing, WSOP

Craig Abrahams - Director,

Broadcasting and New Media, WSOP

Executive Staff, World

Series of Poker Circuit - Caesars Atlantic City

Vice President of Table

Games - Fred Niceta

Director of Table Games -

Paul A. Natello

Table Games Manager

(Poker) - Thomas McDonough III

Poker Pit Manager - Jake

Devries

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Despite the screen name, folding pre-flop is apparently not what “foldpreflop85? did last night as he battled through the field of 185 entrants to take down Event No. 4 of the inaugural Bodog Poker Open.

Indeed, it required a combination of patience, aggression and definitely a lot of post-flop play to get through a tough field that included Team Bodog poker pros David Williams, Josh Arieh and Jean-Robert Bellande as well as noted online poker players and Bodog regulars Joe “Dyzalot” Morneau, “daisyxoxo,” “iLLNuGWichee,” Smith “nevertilt22? Collins, Jonathan “UFPokerStar” Westra and Matt “thatsNice” Larsh. For the win, “foldpreflop85? walked away with the $14,100 top prize and a $500 seat to the BPO Main Event.

Also displaying post-flop skills at the tables last night was PocketFives.com favorite “alcarmo,” who reached his third consecutive final table of the Bodog Poker Open. The online player keeps moving up a spot or two with every tournament, from sixth place in Event No. 2 to fourth place in Event No. 3 and then third place last night. At this rate, he has to be the odds-on favorite to take down the Main Event. “alcarmo” has taken home a total of $17,628.50 so far from the BPO prelims.

Here are the full final table placings and payouts:

1. foldpreflop85 - $14,100

2. shipthechezz -$9,400

3. alcarmo - $5,593

4. basebaldy - $3,760

5. Jack Splat - $3,055

6. MOBstar - $2,350

7. cmizzles3687 - $1,645

8. PROMETHEUS - $1,222

9. vinnyb9 - $799

The last preliminary event, Event No. 5 - $150 + $10 buy-in Limit Holdem, gets underway tonight at 8 p.m. EST, and Bodog will once again juice the pot by adding $10,000 in additional money to the cash prize purse. There are two satellites running today in the Bodog Poker Room that will get players into that event.

The five preliminary events of the Bodog Poker Open have all been leading up to the series’ championship, the $500 buy-in Bodog Poker Open Main Event, which will be held on Sunday, March 9 at 4 p.m. EST. To sweeten the pot even more than the series’ preliminary events, Bodog is adding $25,000 in additional money to the championship’s total prize purse.

On Saturday, March 8, once the preliminary events are finished, the focus in the Bodog Poker Room switches to giving online poker players a chance to qualify for the Main Event. Starting early at 6:00 a.m. EST, satellites will be running at least every hour all the way up until the Main Event on Sunday. Additionally, starting at 9:00 a.m. EST on Sunday, satellites will be running at least every half hour, with “Last Chance” qualifiers running every 15 minutes as the tournament draws closer.

Buy-ins for the BPO Main Event satellites range from $25 + $2.50 to $100 + $9, and the formats run the gamut from multi-table tournaments to single-table super turbo sit ‘n’ gos. Visit the poker tournament schedule page for all tournament times or go directly to the Bodog Poker Open home page to get the full scoop on this high-value tournament series.

In the end, the inaugural Bodog Poker Champion will be crowned and walk away with the top cash prize and an engraved Omega Speedmaster watch valued at $4,400.

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Bluff readers, don’t miss out on your chance to win a seat at the first ever Bodog Poker Open Main Event ($500 Value)! Your chance to win you’re way in, takes place this Saturday March 8th at 1:05pm EST with the exclusive Bluff Magazine private tournament for only $10+1. Bluff will also be giving away 3 customized Bluff Poker Padz to the top 3 finishers. The Poker Padz have a retail value of $20.00.

After opening the Bodog poker software, click on the “Daily” tab and then the “Private” button to get into the private tournament section. The Bluff Private tournament is called “Bluff Magazine Forum Tournament”, and make sure you use the password: bluffmag (case sensitive).

The Bodog Poker Open is a week long series with every single event guaranteeing fantastic value with $75,000 being added to the prize pools! The winners of the Main Event will not only walk away with their share of the prize pool and be crowned the first ever “Bodog Poker Champion,” but they will also receive an engraved Omega Speed Master watch worth $4,400!

If you don’t already have a Bodog account, sign up here to get into the action!

Find out more about the Bodog Poker Open here: bodoglife.com

Comment

Texas Hold’em is

strength in numbers when it comes to this year’s World Series of Poker. UltimateBet today launched online qualifiers

force to be reckoned with’ by the online poker room.

“We’re looking

spokesperson George MacLean.

Online poker

of poker camaraderie. Highlights of being a member of the UB ARMY include:

 Main Event

Grand Entrance at the WSOP with Phil Hellmuth and fellow comrades

 Exclusive

UltimateBet parties and access to the UltimateBet Barracks

 UB ARMY gear

including Camo wear, UB Army tags, and t-shirt

 Boot camp

sessions located in the UB Barracks with online poker pros and Phil Hellmuth

But it isn’t

comrades.

signature island tournament set to get underway this September.

MacLean notes

the main event, securing an impressive $296,860.

Full details on

UltimateBet.com.

About

UltimateBet

Designed

with the assistance of the best poker players in the world - Phil Hellmuth and

Annie Duke - UltimateBet provides the best poker games available on the net.

Players can download the free poker software, play in free ring games and

tournaments and get tips from these pros to learn the sport or to enhance their

playing strategy. UltimateBet currently has over 2 million registered players.

###

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Eurolinx Poker has been selected to do a thorough beta test for

Microgaming’s newest software release, which is the most comprehensive poker

software released by the software giant to date.

Updates include (but are not limited to):

1. Resizable tables
2. New instant hand

   history (showing mucked cards at showdown!)

3. Players can create

   their own avatars

4. Modifiable table

   and card colors

5. Best Hand Display
6. Improved slider bar

   for NL and PL games

7. Bet amounts next to

   chipstacks

8. Players can select

   their own seat

With this new release, Microgaming has launched itself into

the ranks of the top poker software providers. Microgaming is actively

seeking player feedback for this release through Eurolinx.

This is a great coup for Eurolinx, which is well-known for

close relationships with its players and is one of the fastest-growing rooms on

the Microgaming Network. Feedback

from players so far has been predominantly enthusiastic, and development is

already begun on new requested features.

Eurolinx players can send feedback about the new software to

newsoftware@eurolinx.com.

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