WSOP-Circuit: Dwyte Pilgrim Leaves Rincon with Ring

Dwyte Pilgrim can come out from under the hood now. He's got a second WSOP Circuit championship ring to show off.
Dwyte Pilgrim can come out from under the hood now. He's got a second WSOP Circuit championship ring to show off.
Dwyte Pilgrim has a crush on the World Series of Poker Circuit and after Tuesday night it might just have one back.

Pilgrim captured his second WSOP-Circuit ring with a win in the $5,000 Championship event at the WSOP-Circuit Rincon just outside of San Diego, CA. His first ring came in a $500 buy-in event on the other side of the country at Caesars Atlantic City earlier this month. He has now cashed nine times in his short career with eight of them coming at Circuit events in Atlantic City and now Rincon. All four of his final table appearances have come at Circuit events in the past 3.5 months.

Esther ‘E-Tay’ Taylor finished second after coming into the final table with the chip lead. Taylor also cashed in a preliminary event and now has five cashes in 2009. Taylor held on during the heads-up battle but after becoming severely short-stacked she was forced to move in with 9 3 and Pilgrim called with K 2. The board ran out A Q 8 6 2 giving Pilgrim a pair of twos and the title. Taylor earned $100,620.

The two-day event attracted 106 players putting the total prize pool at $530,000. The next WSOP Circuit event is at Caesars Palcae Las Vegas April 11 -29.

  1. Dwyte Pilgrim - $125,775
  2. Esther “e-tay” Taylor - $100,620
  3. Charles Williams - $75,465
  4. Chris Tryba - $50,310
  5. Thao Thiem - $40,248
  6. Josh Prager - $35,217
  7. Pogos Simityan - $30,186
  8. Jonathan McGowan - $25,155
  9. John Pharrell - $20,124

Florida Gaming Law Changes Could Raise Limits and Lower Age

Through the will of the people and the sense of many government officials, it seems that Florida could be on the verge of radically changing its gaming laws. But the difference between the two pieces of legislation - one in the House and one in the Senate - may be the difference between the life and death of poker in the state.

The Florida House of Representatives is currently examining a proposal that would dramatically reduce the amount of poker that is played in the state. The legislation moving through the House looks to rid many casinos of card games, as well as blackjack and baccarat, entirely, which would affect resorts like the Hard Rock Resort & Hotel and six other Seminole-run casinos, as they would only be allowed to offer slot machine action for their customers.

In contrast, the Senate is moving in the other direction with a gambling expansion bill that was introduced last week. Not only would the legislation allow Seminole resorts to expand casino operations with roulette and craps, but it would push for more slot machines to be installed at locations throughout the state. Florida would reap another $400 million per year from the Seminoles in exchange for the expansion rights. In addition, some racetracks in the state would be allowed to add blackjack and no-limit poker to their repertoire, and their tax rate would be lowered. All in all, the legislation, if passed, would bring another $1 billion in revenue to the state that would be dedicated to its underfunded education system.

The Senate plan is the most progressive by far, even seeking to lower the gambling age of Florida residents to 18 from its current age of 21. And most pertinent to the poker community, the gambling proposal looks to completely lift the current limit of $100 on cash game buy-ins and the slightly higher limit on poker tournament buy-ins.

In an interview with the Miami Herald, World Poker Tour founder and CEO Steve Lipscomb noted, “People will come and have a unique experience, not just in the casino, but in the community. And those people actually come back and bring other people with them.” And in reference to previous talks between the WPT and the Seminoles regarding a tour stop in Florida, he added, “We were ready to make a deal, and we couldn’t get around that. Doing a $500 event just isn’t what we do.”

And according to many Florida news outlets, numerous Representatives who initially opposed the Senate bill are reconsidering their votes as they are presented with the poker skill argument and state revenue possibilities.

In a time when states are suffering in the midst of a nation-wide recession and struggling to cut budgets and find revenue where possible, there seems to be no better time than now to embrace the high-stakes poker phenomenon. Poker can bring people and subsequent revenue to a state facing a multi-billion dollar budget deficit, and combined with the growing recognition that poker is a game of skill, the Senate might have the winning hand in this legislative match-up.

Poker After Dark International Week III Debuts Tonight

Poker After Dark had so much success with its previous two International Weeks that it’s starting another one on NBC Monday night. International Week III will feature a lineup of true poker heavyweights hailing from all over the globe. The six players battling for $120,000 are Brad Booth (Canada), Allen Cunningham (United States), David Benyamine (France), John Juanda (Indonesia), John Phan (Vietnam), and Ivan Demidov (Russia).

Booth has only made one previous PAD appearance, the first International Week; he finished in second place after coming out on the losing end of a heads-up match with Patrik Antonius, the longest in the show’s history. Meanwhile Cunningham, who has amassed five World Series of Poker bracelets and over $9.5 million in tournament winnings, will make his fourth appearance on the show. He’s only 1-2 so far, but his win came in the $50,000 Mega Match for a $300,000 score.

Juanda brings more heft to the table. Still basking in the afterglow of his grueling 2008 WSOP Europe Main Event win and subsequent runner-up finish in the EPT London High Roller event, Juanda will be looking to improve on his career 1-2 PAD record. Also looking for his second win is high stakes cash game giant Benyamine, who record so far on the show is 1-3.

Phan and Demidov are newcomers to PAD, but both have earned their way into the lineup. Phan , the reigning BLUFF Player of the Year, currently sits in fourth place in the BLUFF Power Rankings thanks in large parts to wins last year in two WSOP events and at the Legends of Poker. Demidov has earned almost $7 million in the last year thanks to a runner-up finish at last year’s WSOP Main Event and a third-place result at the WSOP Europe Main Event won by Juanda.

International Week III kicks off late night Monday night on NBC at 2:05 a.m. ET and will air at the same time for the rest of the week, with the Director’s Cut airing late night on Saturday, April 4, at 1:00 a.m.

Bluff Announces 40 Greatest WSOP Champions Program

Between now and the start of the 2009 WSOP, BluffMagazine.com will name the 40 Greatest Champions exclusively on WorldSeriesofPoker.com.
Between now and the start of the 2009 WSOP, BluffMagazine.com will name the 40 Greatest Champions exclusively on WorldSeriesofPoker.com.
Every human being who has ever turned 40 will tell you that on that grand occasion you look back at your previous 40 years and take stock of what you’ve accomplished. Now the World Series of Poker is far from a human being but as the 40th annual WSOP approaches BluffMagazine.com decided to look back at the first 40 years of poker’s most prestigious event. Between now and the start of the 2009 WSOP BluffMagazine.com will be presenting the 40 Greatest Champions exclusively on WorldSeriesofPoker.com.

“The opportunity to look back over 40 years of bracelet winners and try and pick the 40 who best represent the game of poker wasn’t a task we took on lightly,” said Lance Bradley,  Managing Editor of BLUFF Magazine and Editor-in-Chief of WorldSeriesofPoker.com. “Some of the choices for the list were obvious, but their ranking created a lot of debate and is sure to spark discussion within the poker community.”

Rather than go through each World Champion from 1970 to present day BluffMagazine.com editors consulted with poker players and journalists to create a list based on criteria including bracelets won, Main Event performances, overall contributions to the WSOP and historical importance. Each weekday, between Monday, March 30th and Monday, May 25th, a new member of the 40 Greatest Champions will be profiled on WorldSeriesofPoker.com beginning with #40, Jamie Gold.

“As the World Series of Poker turns 40, we will use this milestone to celebrate the history, heritage and tradition of the great game of poker,” said WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack.  “We look forward to a very special 2009 WSOP, and will use it as a platform to commemorate the great champions and characters of the game who made the WSOP what it is today.”

Some of the names will be easily recognizable by even the most casual poker fan but there is sure to be a few surprises along the way. Stay tuned to WorldSeriesofPoker.com as the countdown to #1 continues.

Online Poker: ‘RoxmorE’ Sunday Million Champ After Four Way Chop

Early Monday morning the last four players in the PokerStars Sunday Million agreed to a chop loosely based on their chip counts. The player coming out with the biggest chunk was ‘AmirSF‘ who took home just over $142,000 for his eventual runner-up finish. However the player who ended up walking away with the title might have taken the worst of it. ‘RoxmorE‘ eventually took home the win and the extra $30,000 left on the table to bring his total winnings to $121,000.

Over at Full Tilt PokerLudvigA‘ navigated a tough final table which included red Full Tilt pro Peter ‘Nordberg’ Feldman to win the $750,000 Guaranteed tournament. He walked away with nearly $140,000 more in his account than when the day began. Here’s how the rest of the final tables from the Sunday Major went down:

PokerStars Sunday Warm-Up ($200 + $16)
Entrants: 4,722
Prize pool: $944,400

  1. bundy604 - $120,883.20
  2. Eham5 - $84,523.80
  3. homanga - $56,286.24
  4. scarface0928 - $47,220
  5. profontaine - $37,776
  6. PiKappRaider - $28,332
  7. HustlerGrune - $18,888
  8. skrabukes - $11,332.80
  9. Scarer - $7,366.32

PokerStars Sunday Million ($200 + $16)
Entrants: 7,651
Prize pool: $1,530,200

  1. RoxmorE - $121,664.40
  2. AmirSF - $142,970.07
  3. HuBaer582 - $95,744.61
  4. ILIOS72 - $108,780.23
  5. detroitj6 - $54,322.10
  6. ikszorn - $39,020.10
  7. Coconut Soda - $26,778.50
  8. matt1269 - $17,597.30
  9. MarleyGroup - $10,711.40

PokerStars Sunday Second Chance ($200 + $16)
Entrants: 1,345
Prize pool: $269,000

  1. melikman - $48,850.40
  2. MaltLiquor40 - $35,508
  3. BobbyFi - $26,900
  4. jakz101 - $20,175
  5. JMaster130 - $14,122.50
  6. acehighdro - $11,432.50
  7. draqq - $8,742.50
  8. Believer82 - $6,052.50
  9. ZooterFitz - $3,766

Full Tilt Poker Sunday Brawl ($240 + $16)
Entrants: 2,382
Prize pool: $476,400

  1. lolli82 - $97,161.78
  2. WiLDmAn75 - $62,884.80
  3. mcc3991 - $46,687.20
  4. bokpower - $35,253.60
  5. gboro780 - $24,772.80
  6. DuckU - $16,197.60
  7. Raisin Daisy - $10,957.20
  8. paddiewaddie - $7,622.40
  9. gerlucker - $5,716.80

Full Tilt Poker $750,000 Guaranteed ($200 + $16)
Entrants: 3,937
Prize pool: $787,400

  1. LudvigA - $139,409.17
  2. flipchik24 - $84,251.80
  3. toetagu - $55,118
  4. BegsClutch - $43,464.48
  5. BP7000 - $32,598.36
  6. auhoman - $24,173.18
  7. Nordberg - $18,110.20
  8. Brundaddy - $14,173.20
  9. Dman112 - $10,551.16

Full Tilt Poker Sunday Mulligan ($200 + $16)
Entrants: 1,346
Prize pool: $269,200

  1. thebidster - $59,224
  2. supanova99 - $27,688
  3. acumen53 - $27,593
  4. vanBomelll - $21,872.50
  5. grimmy101 - $16,825
  6. joonklee - $12,114
  7. folds00 - $7,806.80
  8. | Sycho | - $5,653.20
  9. Dirky D - $4,145.68

Team Aced Wins Dream Team Poker Tournament

Jamie Gold has another title to add to his resume and just like his 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event win, he’s going to have to share the winnings. This time though, that was the point.

Team Aced, which included Gold, Ashley Nataupsky and Houston Waldie, walked away with the Dream Team Poker title and the $59,000 first place prize thanks to Nataupsky’s 4th place showing and Gold’s 9th place finish. Waldie busted on the first day of play but thanks to the unique Dream Team format he’ll still get to call himself a champion. Each three-person team is awarded points based on their overall finish and the team with the most points is declared tournament champion.

The individual winner was Danny Nelson who walked away with $13,000. A percentage of the prize pool is put aside for individual performances. Nelson, runner-up Philip Rousseaux and Gerald Percival agreed to a chop shortly after Nataupsky busted out.

The tournament was the first Dream Team event open to the public and the initial response gives every indication this version of team poker might be here to stay. A total of 148 teams (444 players) paid the $1,500 to enter the event putting the total prize pool at $222,000. Team’s were fighting for $133,200 of that prize pool while individuals were left to fight for $88,000.

Team Bluff, which won the inaugural event back in November, was unable to repeat as champions. Each team in the tournament was given the opportunity to choose a team name and players worse jerseys from their team. Tournament organizers took a poll from collected media on the most original team name and selected “6 Hands, 4 Nuts and a Rack” a team consisting of Jerry Yang, Kristy Gazes and Erik Aude.

Details on the next Dream Team Poker tournament are expected to be announced soon.

EMILIE14 Hits Absolute Poker Bad Beat Jackpot

The only time it’s good to lose in poker is when you’ll take home more money than you would if you won. That’s exactly what happened to Absolute Poker player ‘EMILIE14‘ this week at the online poker room’s bad beat jackpot tables.

At 6:25 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the 28-year-old resident of Orlando, Fla., made a jack-high straight flush while playing at an AP jackpot table. In order to win the jackpot a player must make four eights or better and be beaten, so EMILIE14 needed one opponent to beat a straight flush. Luckily ‘PEACE2UALL‘ hit a royal flush, beating EMILIE14’s hand to win the pot and trigger several hundred thousand dollars worth of bad beat payouts.

For losing the hand, EMILIE14 took home $270,843.03, the largest share of a jackpot worth a total of $807,543.95. PEACE2UALL grabbed $132,904.14 for winning the pot, while the other two players at the table who saw the flop got $2,678.25. The other 57 players who were sitting at bad beat jackpot tables of the same stakes all got $1,678.25 for being in the right place at the right time.

The payouts totaled 65% of the jackpot. The other 35% being held over to seed the new jackpot, which will be built fifty cents at a time on AP’s jackpot tables until another player has quad eights or better beaten.

Annie Duke to Host Ladies Only WSOP Academy

For the third straight summer the WSOP Academy Ladies Only Event is returning to Caesars Palace - and this time Annie Duke is going to be running the show. The Celebrity Apprentice star and World Series of Poker bracelet winner will play drill sergeant to aspiring female poker players June 5-6, just ahead of the $1,000 Ladies No-Limit Hold’em World Championship at the WSOP.

The scheduling synergy has worked out well for Academy graduates in the past: in 2007 Sally Anne Boyer got her diploma and then captured the ladies event bracelet, while Patty Till took third place in the same event in 2008 after attending the Academy. Mary Jo Belcore-Zogman, also a graduate of the WSOP Academy Ladies Only Event, was named the 2008 Heartland Poker Tour Player of the Year award after winning one HPT event and final tabling two others.

“The success of our grads is testament to the level of instruction Annie Duke and all of our instructors offer our participants,” said Brandon Rosen of Post Oak Productions, the company that runs the WSOP Academy. “We’re expecting to see more WSOP Academy grads at final tables in 2009.”

Duke will be joined in instruction by BLUFF Magazine contributor and tells expert Joe Navarro and Alex “The Insider” Outhred. The three will provide a total immersion crash course emphasizing a wide variety of no-limit strategies, including playing position, calculating odds, aggression, and changing gears . Navarro, meanwhile, will host a special seminar focusing on female-specific nonverbal behavior.

Full tuition for the WSOP Academy Ladies Only Event is $1,699, but only $425 is needed to lock down a spot (with the rest billed later).  Space is limited so early registration at the WSOP Academy website is always recommended.

Team PokerStars Pro Adds Johnny Lodden

Norway's Johnny Lodden is the newest international poker superstar to join Team PokerStars Pro.
Norway's Johnny Lodden is the newest international poker superstar to join Team PokerStars Pro.
Online poker giant PokerStars.com announced yesterday that Johnny Lodden will become the first Norwegian to join its roster of sponsored pros on Team PokerStars Pro.

Lodden has been a fixture on the international tournament circuit since winning his first live tournament, the 2004 St. Maarten Open, at the age of 18. He won the 2008 Scandinavian Poker Awards trophy for Best Online Poker Player, and has cashed four times one the European Poker Tour in the last two years, including a final table appearance at this season’s EPT Budapest. Lodden also just missed out on the WSOP Europe Main Event final table in 2008, finishing in 11th place.

“This signing is fantastic for PokerStars, Johnny Lodden, and the Norwegian poker community,” said Thomas Udness, PokerStars.com Marketing Manager for Norway. “Since his breakthrough in 2004 Johnny has played on a really high level and he deserves the title as the first Norwegian Team PokerStars pro.”

Next up for Lodden will be the Norwegian Poker Championships, followed by the last two events of the EPT season, San Remo and the Grand Final in Monte Carlo.

Texas Hearing Shows Support for Menendez Poker Bill

When a state legislature committee hearing is taken over by poker players, the game of skill argument, and general poker lingo, a good day for the game can be logged in the books. But an official committee vote next week will determine whether that is indeed a true statement.

The March 25th hearing in the Texas House Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee set aside an afternoon time to listen to testimony regarding House Bill 222. The bill, also known as the Poker Gaming Act of 2009, introduced by Rep. Jose Menendez (D-San Antonio) in November 2008 is one that intends to make poker legal, regulated, and taxed in Texas. The legislation is also intended to create a safe playing environment for those who simply want to play cards rather than risk their lives, as has been the case with a recent rash of armed robberies of private games.

Many came to the State Capitol to take the stand on behalf of HB 222, such as poker player and Bluff columnist Michele Lewis, who discussed the safety concerns of playing in back room games as well as the contention that poker is a safer investment in today’s economy than the stock market or real estate. She also discussed the recent Cigital study that unequivocally showed poker as a game of skill.

Also on hand was Vernon Harrison, president of the Texas Card Players Association. Representing its 500 members, he discussed the tax that would be placed on establishments that would choose to run poker rooms. “Poker players are the only people in the state of Texas saying, ‘Please tax us.’ We want what we would get for that tax, which is a safe place to play poker.”

The committee will hold a vote on HB 222 next week, though an exact date has not been announced. But the majority of the nine-member committee may vote it through to push it forward in the legislative process. According to Dan Michalski of Pokerati.com, as a former Texas resident and state politics insider, four of the committee members are very likely to vote for the bill, while two will definitely vote against it. The others, especially Chairman Edmund Keumpel, are unknown in their stand on the issue. Thus, the importance of reaching out to those committee members en masse through e-mails and phone calls can’t be overstated.

Visit the Poker Players Alliance to get involved and make your voices heard to the Texas legislature.

Antonius Grabs Lead Back From Dwan in Durrrr Challenge

Tom Dwan and Patrik Antonius played another 460 hands of the Durrrr Challenge Thursday with the lead, and $92,021, changing hands.

The session took just under 90 minutes with Antonius, who trailed Dwan by almost $67,000 at the start of the day, winning the biggest pot of the session just before play broke. Things started well for Dwan with a nearly $80,000 pot coming his way. Antonius raised to $1,200, Dwan made it $3,600 to go and Antonius called. The flop came Q J T. Dwan lead the way with a $4,800 wager, Antonius followed with a raise to $21,600 and Dwan made it $72,000 to go and Antonius called all-in. Dwan showed A 8 K 6 for the high end of the straight while Antonius showed 8 9 7 7 for the low end. The board ran out 2 6 and the $79,594.50 pot went to Dwan.

The next big pot went down in a similar fashion. Dwan raised pre-flop to $1,200, Antonius made it $3,600 and Dwan called. The flop came Q 7 6. Antonius bet $4,800, Dwan raised to $21,600, Antonius moved all-in for $33,850 and Dwan called. Antonius showed bottom set with 6 6 T T but Dwan held top set with Q Q K 7. The turn 5 and river 8 were no help to the Finnish superstar and Dwan dragged a $74,899.50 pot.

Antonius recovered though thanks to the $102,589.50 pot shortly before the two called it a day. Dwan raised to $1,200 and Antonius called. The flop ran 9 7 3, Antonius checked, Dwan bet $1,750, Antonius raised to $7,650, Dwan three-bet to $16,900 and Antonius made it $53,100. Dwan called all-in and revealed A 8 4 3 for the nut flush. Antonius showed A J 9 9 for a set of nines. The 3 on the turn gave Antonius a boat and left Dwan drawing dead as the 6 fell on the river.

Antonius now leads the Challenge by $23,467 after a total of 7,068 of the 50,000 hands.

Bodog Releases 2009 WSOP Odds Including Scotty Nguyen Prop

Scotty Nguyen's future in poker is now available for poker fans to bet on at Bodog.
Scotty Nguyen's future in poker is now available to bet on at Bodog.

The start of the 2009 World Series of Poker is a lot closer than you realize. Thursday morning online sportsbook and poker room Bodog released a number of wagers on the 2009 WSOP including one on the controversial Scotty Nguyen.

Nguyen recently stated that if he didn’t win at least $4 million at this year’s WSOP he would quit poker for good. Bodog is offering his fans the chance to wager that he makes the $4 million mark. The betting line opened at +2500 meaning for every $100 wagered a bettor could win $2500 if Nguyen is succesful. At the 2008 WSOP only three players, Dennis Phillips, Ivan Demidov and eventual Main Event champion Peter Eastgate cracked the $4 million mark.

Another wager offered gives bettors the chance to wager on whether or not one player will win multiple bracelets this year. The “Yes” option opened at +140 giving bettors $140 for every $100 wagered while the “No” option started at -200 meaning bettors would have to wager $200 to win $100. There has been at least one multiple bracelet winner every year since 2000. In 1999 the WSOP consisted of only 16 events and 16 different players walked away with the jewelry.

After Denmark’s Eastgate walked away with the title last year American players will be working to bring the World Championship back home this year. Bodog is offering odds on whether or not an American-born player will win the title. Even with more and more Europeans making their way to Las Vegas to play the Main Event the “Yes” option is still the heavy favorite at -230.

A total of 20 props are available with some of the others including Will a female player win the Main Event?, Will a female player make the final table? and which former Main Event champion will last the longest in the 2009 championship? To view the full selection of 2009 WSOP odds available visit BodogLife.com.

UltimateBet Unveils 10th Anniversary Celebration

UltimateBet is celebrating their 10th anniversary with a new logo and a slew of WSOP qualifiers.
UltimateBet is celebrating their 10th anniversary with a new logo and a slew of WSOP qualifiers.
Online poker room UltimateBet.com is celebrating its first decade in business with a bevy of new promotions for its players - including a chance to become sponsored by the online poker room for the next ten years. They’ve also released a new logo with a gladiator theme that may give some hints as to what UB sponsored player Phil Hellmuth is planning for his special entrance to the World Series of Poker Main Event this year.

The “From a Dime to a $10 Million Dream” promotion at UB offers players the chance to qualify for the WSOP Main Event for as little as ten cents by playing a series of ten STEP tournaments. Successfully making it to the top of the STEP ladder earns players a $12,000 WSOP prize package, and the first ten players to start from the bottom and win a WSOP package will also win entry into the 2009 Aruba Poker Classic.

All players who qualify for this year’s WSOP through UB will have a shot at much more than just the most coveted tournament title in poker. The room is offering a 10-year sponsorship worth $10 million to any UB qualifier who wears UB gear throughout the prestigious tournament and manages to win, with scaled-down prizes waiting for anyone who makes the final table without winning. That means some lucky soul might turn a dime into more than $20 million at this year’s WSOP.

“This year, in UltimateBet’s 10th year online, we remain dedicated to giving our players the ultimate online poker experience, while offering a range of unique promotions and life-changing prize money on the table,” said Annie Duke, UltimateBet’s Card Room Consultant. “Our ten-cent WSOP STEP qualifiers are just the beginning of a slew of exciting initiatives to be rolled out over the coming months that are sure to capture the attention of players across the globe and keep them coming back well beyond our 10th Anniversary.”

The gladiator-inspired logo may lead Hellmuth to enter the Amazon Room at the Rio on a chariot complete with appropriately dressed models at his side. In 2007 Hellmuth entered the Rio in full NASCAR driver garb to promote the UltimateBet race car and last year he followed the UB Army theme by arriving dressed as General Patton.

To sign-up for UltimateBet and win your way to the 2009 WSOP click here.

Brian “SNO0OWMAN” Hawkins Dominating BLUFF Online Poker Challenge

Somewhere in the background of the BLUFF Online Poker Challenge the fat lady is warming up her vocal chords. She’s not singing yet but with only five days remaining the race for first just might be over already. And once it’s actually over for good BluffMagazine.com and LockPoker.com are inviting everybody to a party.

Brian “SNO0OWMAN” Hawkins is the runaway leader with over $20,000 in winnings. His total eclipses the winnings of the other seven players who have all turned a profit on Lock Poker during this challenge. Hawkins has played a total of 673 tournaments and sit-n-gos over the course of challenge for a total of 457 hours.

His next closest competitor is Garrett “GBECKS” Beckman who has hovered near the top of the leaderboard since the challenge first started. He’s managed to build his initial $200 bankroll up to $4,132 through 487 hours of play.

The next two players on the leaderboard haven’t put in the volume of play that Hawkins and Beckman have but they’ve been winning. Brett “GANK” Jungblut is up $1,196.81 after only 107 hours of play and Maria ”MARIAHO” Ho is up $354.21 after only 25 hours of play. Jungblut and Gank sit third and fourth respectively making Hawkins’ numbers even more impressive.

The busiest player without question has been 2008 BLUFF Magazine Online Player of the Year David “THE MAVEN” Chicotsky. After 879 tournaments and sit-n-gos and multiple days in which he played for 24 hours straight Chicotsky is up $291.76, good enough for fifth best. He’s also played the most hours of any of the entrants putting in an incredible 507 total hours.

The day after the BOPC ends officially, April 1, BLUFF readers can take part in a special $5,000 guaranteed tournament on LockPoker.com. Each of the BOPC pros will have a $100 bounty on their heads and the buy-in is only $2.20. The tournament begins at 9:30 pm PT and the password is “bluff” (all lowercase). To sign-up with LockPoker.com click here.

FTOPS XII Schedule Includes Huge Guarantees and MiniFTOPS

The twelfth installment of the Full Tilt Online Poker Series kicks off May 6th with $18 million in guaranteed prize pools over 25 events and a new twist for lower stakes players, MiniFTOPS.

The schedule includes the normal FTOPS standards; six tournaments with a guarantee of at least $1 million, a $2,500 + $120 buy-in two-day event with a $2 million guarantee and a $500 + $35 buy-in Main Event with a guaranteed prize pool of $2.5 million. If those buy-ins are a little out of your current bankroll you need not worry, Full Tilt has taken care of you as well.

MiniFTOPS will have 25 events that mirror the FTOPS schedule but the buy-in will be 10% of the FTOPS event. This includes the two-day event and the Main Event which have guaranteed prize pools of $200,000 and $500,000 respectively. The MiniFTOPS Main Event guarantee is actually double that of the regular FTOPS Main Event offering lower stakes players an ever better value.

Another new twist for players with FTOPS XII is the inclusion of FTOPS Challenges. Players will be rewarded with special prizes for completeing certain tasks while playing in any of the events. One such task is the Zero to Hero Challenge which will award prizes for players who are able to turn $1 into an FTOPS buy-in and subsequent in-the-money finish in that event.

Buy-ins for the FTOPS event range from $100 + $9 for the rebuy events to the $2,500 + $120 for the two-day event. Players can buy-in directly or use their FTP points or cash to buy in to any satellite events that are running now. For more information or to sign-up with Full Tilt Poker click here.