DAILY BUZZ: Townsend Suspended, Negreanu Defeated, Houston Robbery

Search BLUFF News

DAILY BUZZ: Townsend Suspended, Negreanu Defeated, Houston Robbery

Jason Kirk | December 21, 2009

Welcome to the BLUFF Daily Buzz, where we scour the entire internet for all the latest news in and around the world of poker. If it involves chips and cards, or people known to associate with chips and cards, we’re there.

Brian Townsend has red pro status revoked for one month on Full Tilt

CardRunners instructor and Full Tilt Poker pro Brian Townsend has had his “red pro” status revoked for one month thanks to a breach of the online poker room’s terms of service - using hand histories for hands he didn’t play himself.

Townsend acquired 30,000 hand history files from hands played against Isildur1 by Brian Hastings and Cole South and added those to the 20,000 he had himself, building a database so he could analyze the mystery Swede’s tendencies. It was all that work that Hastings praised in an ESPN article by Gary Wise last week, which brought the spotlight onto the three pros’ actions and eventually led to Townsend’s sanction for violating Full Tilt’s rules.

On his blog, Townsend defends his fellow CR pros against a slew of accusations that have been thrown at them since Hastings’ story first went up on ESPN, saying that he was the only person to break the TOS. “I have never played on Brian H’s or Cole S’s account,” he wrote. “I analyzed the database I put together, and the three of us chatted about my analysis, and optimal strategy against Isildur. According to Full Tilt’s T&C this is a permissible discussion as it’s super common for players at all stakes to discuss strategy and certain players tendencies. Any discussion we had occurred away from the table when we were not playing a session.”

This isn’t the first time Townsend has violated the Full Tilt TOS. He had his red pro status suspended for six months late last year for playing under two different accounts.

(Allegations - Brian Townsend’s poker blog)

9/11 hero beats Negreanu on Million Dollar Challenge

Mike Kosowski, a 21-year-veteran of the New York Police Department and 9/11 first responder, is the champion of the PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge after defeating four-time bracelet winner Daniel Negreanu heads-up in the show’s first season finale.

Kosowski was originally scheduled to only be an alternate for the fourth episode of the show, but when he went to Los Angeles for the show’s taping he got the chance to play after the three contestants were unable to beat model Joanna Krupa. He lost to her as well, but then he won against the other contestants in a backstage game to advance to the final. There he faced the other three episode winners, including Andrew Trapp, the Poker Playing Priest, and came out on top again. Finally he faced off with Negreanu, bringing a dream to reality when he conquered the pro to win the top prize.

Kosowski’s career as a policeman to an end in 2004 due to injuries received on 9/11, and in the aftermath he developed a passion for poker when he discovered the online game. Kosowski’s hometown paper, the Staten Island Advance, profiled his 9/11 experience and his poker trajectory in an article today.

The final episode of the Million Dollar Challenge will air on Sunday, Dec. 27th, following the NFL on FOX.

Underground poker game robbery foiled in Houston

Pokerati tipped us off today to this post at PocketFives from user beaver316, who was playing in an underground Houston poker game a few nights ago when it was robbed by three armed men.

According to beaver316, the game had about $8,000 on the table, which was more than twice what would be in play on an average night in this particular game. Like so many other robbery stories, the bad guys in this one entered the building behind a player who had been outside smoking. Armed with pistols and an assault rifle, they took the game for everything it was worth and made off with a Range Rover belonging to one of the players. Rather than rolling over, though, beaver316 jumped to action.

“I get about 2-3 miles down the road when i stop at the light and see that guys range rover a lane over,” he wrote. “I say to myself i can’t believe they stole his car. i follow them as they get on the highway. I see a cop on the shoulder and as i pass him i tap on break 5-6 times and he pulls up beside me. ‘Those motherfkers in the range rover just robbed me.’ He pulls up behind them and lights em up. They take off and the chase is on.”

All ended well when the three men, still carrying their take from the game, ditched the car and fled on foot only to be arrested by police two hours later. The players got their money back, and beaver316 himself got a $3,000 reward for his quick thinking.

Bayou Poker Challenge wraps up at Harrah’s New Orleans

Harrah’s New Orleans closed out its Winter Bayou Poker Challenge this weekend in style - with a championship win by Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler.

A Las Vegas-based tournament grinder who plays in more major events per year than you’ve watched on television in the last three, Kessler is something of a cult hero on poker forums like 2+2. WSOP Media Director Nolan Dalla describes him as “one of the game’s most prickly personalities - he’s demanding, he’s opinionated, and he can certainly be razor sharp.” He came out on top after the final four players made a deal, details undisclosed, that named him the tournament’s champion. On his Twitter account, Chainsaw noted that an article by Justin Bonomo in this month’s issue of Bluff Magazine helped him win the tournament.

While the Main Event played down to a conclusion, the Ladies’ and Seniors’ events closed out the BPC schedule. The Ladies Event saw a repeat champ when Trish Marks topped a small field of 41 players, while the Seniors’ Event saw an eight-way chop of the prize pool that was originally set only to pay five players. Big tournament poker action will return to New Orleans next May, when the WSOP Circuit again returns to the Crescent City.

Share this story with others: