Seven days ago Joe Cada sat across from Darvin Moon in pursuit of a world championship at the WSOP Main Event. Monday night he sat ringside at Madison Square Garden for World Wrestling Entertainment’s Monday Night Raw along with his agent Dan Frank and fellow Team PokerStars member Dennis Phillips for a Main Event of a different kind.

Towards the end of the two-hour episode RAW the three appeared behind the announcer’s table. Cada is slowly adjusting to life as world champ and the chance to be at Madison Square Garden was, apparently, too good to pass up.

“Life has gotten real interesting all of a sudden. Tonight I was ringside at WWE Monday Night Raw, tomorrow I’m taping with David Letterman and I’ll be playing in a cash game backstage with the Late Show production crew, capping it off with seats on the glass for the New York Ranger game,” said Cada. “I highly recommend playing poker for a living and shipping the Main Event. I’m very grateful”

Cada will be appearing on the Late Show with David Letterman Tuesday along with Phillips.

Joe Cada becomes youngest WSOP ME Champ in history.

Peter Eastgate, step aside. Joe Cada rode a roller coaster of a chip stack and emotions late Monday night into Tuesday morning to defeat Maryland logger Darvin Moon to win the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event. In the process the 21 year old Cada - he turns 22 next week - became the youngest WSOP Main Event champion ever. 

Many pundits were predicting a quick night and they nearly got exactly that on the first hand of the night. Moon limped from the small blind and Cada raised to 3,500,000 and Moon called. The flop came K 3 2, Cada bet 2,500,000 and Moon raised to 10,000,000. Cada called. The turn was the A, Moon followed Cada’s check with a bet of 10,000,000 and Cada called. Both players checked the K river. Cada tabled 9 9 and Moon showed Q Q to take the 47,000,000 chip pot.

After the first break of the night Moon became a man on a mission. He picked up four of the first five pots by countering Cada’s aggression with even more aggression. Cada’s raises were almost always met with a reraise from Moon forcing Cada to fold without even seeing a flop and the shift caused Cada some concern.

“It threw me off. Every time he did something it was different. every time I did something or made a move it was a misstep. He played perfect poker,” said Cada who saw his chiplead turn into a 3-1 chip deficit at one point.

Cada’s tournament seemed to turn around on the 80th hand of heads-up play. Cada put in a preflop button raise to 3,000,000 and Moon called. The flop came T 9 5 and both players checked. The turn came T and after Moon checked Cada bet 3,000,000. Moon responded by announcing all-in. Cada took some time to replay the hand in his head and after tanking for some time made the call and tabled J 9. Moon showed 7 8 and was behind needing a six or jack to complete his straight draw. The river was the 3 and Cada doubled through to 109,000,000 and the chip lead.

“I was almost positive I was ahead. The only problem was the bet compared to the pot size. It was a big bet, it was like 50 million and I bet 3 million into a 6 million pot,” said Cada. “Once you break down the hand and think about it, it’s not that tough of a call.”

Only eight hands later the tournament was over. Cada raised to 3,000,000 from the button and Moon followed the pattern he’d been following with a re-raise to 8,000,000. Cada announced all-in and Moon called almost instantly. Cada showed 9 9 and Moon tabled Q J and all of Cada’s cheering section went wild. The flop came 8 7 2 and Cada stayed ahead. The turn was the K and the river was the 7 and with Moon missing his draw Cada was world champion.

“It’s a pretty sick flip that you have to wait,” said Cada. “I thought he had queens at first when he flipped it over. Once I saw queen-jack it was one of those things, if I win I win, if I lose I lose.”

For his part Moon realized he was behind but was prepared to race in hopes of taking back the chip lead.

“I knew where I was at. I was in better shape than I thought. I thought I was 40/60. He told me I was 48/52,” said Moon. ”There’s my shot to take a tremendous chip lead. I didn’t get it.”

The two-hour final table broadcast will air on ESPN on Tuesday night beginning at 9 pm ET.

Antoine Saout’s roller coaster at the WSOP Main Event Final Table has come to an end. Saout was eliminated on the final hand of the night by Joe Cada.

Saout entered the day 8th in chips and after what seemed like an endless string of double-ups found himself with the chip lead when three-handed play began. The Frenchman’s 80,600,000 had him ahead of Darvin Moon’s 75,900,000 and nearly double the 39,200,000 of Joe Cada.

The first hand of three-handed play saw Cada and Saout get all their chips in the middle with each player holding a pocket pair. Cada was behind with pocket twos while Saout held pocket queens but a two on the flop left the Frenchman hoping for a favorable turn or river. When neither came the roles had been reversed with Cada now holding the chiplead.

Four hands later Saout’s night was over and not surprisingly it was at the hands of Cada. The two players again got all the money in preflop with Saout ahead with pocket eights to the ace-king of Cada. The flop and turn were both harmless but the K on the river sent the remaining fans inside the Penn & Teller Theatre into a tizzy. Saout was the final player eliminated before play broke for the night.

He leaves with an extra $3,479,670 to his name for his third place finish. The 25 year old posted a 7th place finish at the WSOP Europe Main Event final table and over the past three months has learned as much about himself as he has about his poker game.

“I’ve learned to be more aggressive, more confident and more comfortable around the cameras and lights,” said Saout. “I’m very happy with the way I’ve played.”

Eric Buchman was in control of the 2009 WSOP Main Event Final Table for most of the day Saturday, but early Sunday morning things took a turn for the worse.

In what was at the time the biggest pot of the tournament Buchman button raised to 2,500,000, Antoine Saout reraised to 9,000,000 and Buchman moved all-in. Saout made the call, creating a pot of 89,000,000, and flipped over A K and found himself ahead of Buchman who showed A Q. The flop came K T 7 and Saout made top pair but would have to fade Buchman’s newfound broadway draw. The K on the turn and 6 on the river gave Saout the pot and overall chiplead while Buchman was left with just shy of 9,000,000.

Six hands later Buchman moved all-in and was called by Darvin Moon. Buchman was behind with K T to Moon’s A 7 but the board ran out K 9 5 K Q and Buchman doubled up. On the very next hand he got all his money in against Moon again but this time held the upper hand. Buchman had A 5 while Moon held K J but after a flop of Q 9 2 Moon made top pair when the K came on the turn. The river blanked for Buchman and the 30 year old New Yorker was out in 4th with a $2,502,890 payday.

Eric Buchman was eliminated by Darvin Moon.

Jeff Shulman’s run at a WSOP Main Event title is over. Shulman was eliminated by Antoine Saout in fifth place just after 3 am PT Sunday morning.

Shortstacked for the better part of four hours Shulman found himself all-in after Antoine Saout raised to 5,400,000 from the small blind. Shulman called all-in from the big blind and turned over 7 7 and found himself racing against the A 9 of Saout. The flop came T 9 6 and Saout was head with a pair of nines. Neither the Q on the turn or the 4 helped Shulman and he was eliminated in fifth place. He earned $1,953,452.

Following his elimination Shulman, whose father Barry won the WSOP Europe Main Event in September, joked that the family patriach was less than impressed with his premature exit.

“How disappointed he was. No, he was pumped. Everybody was pumped,” said Shulman.

“I think they’re all playing well right now. I think Darvin made some mistakes early. Joe is relentles, he keeps on raising and Buchman has been playing perfectly since he hit his kings,” said Shulman. “Saout is playing great also. They’re all playing really well right now.”

Steven Begleiter made the same mistake Phil Ivey made only minutes earlier. He tangled with Darvin Moon and watched as the best hand preflop fell to the wayside.

Begleiter raised t0 1,600,000 and Moon responded by moving all-in. Begleiter called instantly and tabled Q Q while Moon showed A Q. The flop came 8 7 4 giving no help to Moon. The 3 on the turn meant only an ace on the river could eliminate Begleiter. Sure enough, the A hit the river and while Begleiter’s supporters went silent the rest of the Penn & Teller Theatre went nuts as Moon collected his second consecutive elimination with A-Q.

Walking away with $1,587,160 Begleiter was still in shock as he exited the theatre.

“I’m a little numb obviously, I would have liked to have won that pot,” said Begleiter. “But what else can I do, I got my money in really good and I was one card away from being right back in the thick of it.”

Despite suffering a bad beat and not being able to collect his first WSOP bracelet Begleiter was happy with the way he played and takes comfort in having gone out with the turn of a card rather than his own mistake.

“In a way going out like that is actually easier than making some horrendous play and ending up with 3,000,000 chips and having to push with nothing. That was my fate.”

Begleiter, who talked publicly about being coached by Jonathan Little leading up to the final table, admitted afterwards he also spent some time working with 2008 November Niner Ylon Schwartz.

Phil Ivey will have to wait another year for a shot at the one bracelet he desires the most. Ivey, shortstacked at 6,350,000, moved all-in on the first hand back from a break and found a caller in Darvin Moon. The resulting bad beat ended his 2009 WSOP Main Event run with a 7th place finish.

Ivey tabled A K and found himself dominating Moon’s A Q. The flop however brought horror for the Ivey fans inside the Penn & Teller Theatre as the doorcard was the Q followed by 6 6. The air was sucked from inside the theatre with the collective gasp of all of Ivey’s fan club. The turn and river brought no help for the seven time bracelet winner and his quest for a third bracelet this year was snuffed out by the logger from Maryland.

Following the hand Phil Ivey gave a quick interview to WSOP officials but decided against speaking to the assenlbled media. Within an hour of his elimination Ivey was on FullTiltPoker.com playing $2,000/$4,000 Stud Hi Lo.

Kevin Schaffel got all his money in with the hand most poker players dream of; pocket aces versus pocket kings. Only the hand turned into a nightmare in a hurry.

Schaffel opened the betting with a raise to 1,250,000, Steven Begleiter called from the cutoff and Eric Buchman re-raised to 5,750,000. Schaffel moved all-in for 17,000,000 causing Begleiter to fold. Buchman went into the tank, stood up and after asking for a count of Schaffel’s bet made the call. Buchman tabled K K but Schaffel showed A A and for the second time at the final table we had aces versus kings.

The flop came K Q J giving Buchman a set but giving Schaffel the four remaining tens as outs to a straight as well as the final two aces for a higher set. But the K on the turn gave Buchman quad kings and rendered the river meaningless.

“Up until (today) I think one of the biggest things is I haven’t gotten unlucky and that always helps,” said Schaffel. “I’m a little speechless right now. It’s really hard to take in.”

Buchman walked away with $1,300,231 which he will add to his $607,421 lifetime earnings.

It took longer than expected and included a roller coaster ride but James Akenhead was eliminated in 9th place at the WSOP Main Event Final Table.

The 26 year old Englishman started the day as the short stack with only 6,800,000 but found himself moving up the chip counts thanks to a timely triple up with K-Q. After moving all-in for just over 4,000,000 Akenhead found himself in trouble after Steve Begleiter called and Eric Buchman re-raised to 12,000,000. Begleiter folded and the two players flipped over the hands. Buchman held A K to the K Q of Akenhead.

The flop came J 3 2 helping neither player. The K on the turn gave both players top pair. The crowd went silent waiting for the turn to come and then errupted as the Q hit to give Akenhead two pair and triple him up.

“I was getting dealt so much trash. I find king-queen and I’ve got ten big blinds so to me it’s automatic push,” said Akenhead.

Only ten hands later though the cards turned on Akenhead and a cooler sent him back to short stack.

Kevin Schaffel opened with a raise to 1,150,000 and Akenhead called from the big blind. The flop came J 9 4 and Akenhead lead out for 1,600,000. Schaffel announced all-in and Akenhead made the call. Schaffel tabled A A and Akenhead showed K K. The turn and river both failed to produce one of two remaining kings and Akenhead was right back to being shortstacked.

On his final hand of the night he moved all-in for 4,450,000 with 3 3 and his nemesis from earlier, Kevin Schaffel, called with 9 9. The board came T 7 2 2 9 to give Schaffel a full house and send Akenhead home in 9th place with $1,263,602.

The coming week might seem a little bit Christmas for many poker fans and now BLUFF Media is hoping to play the part of Santa Claus.

With the World Series of Poker Main Event Final Table set to get underway this Saturday BLUFF is proud to announce they will be broadcasting live audio from the first hand until a new World Champion has been crowned early Tuesday morning.

The live audio broadcast will be available at BluffMagazine.com and will be hosted by 2008 BLUFF Magazine Online Player of the Year David “TheMaven” Chicotsky. Joining the founder of TheMavenVT in the broadcast booth will be a wide-ranging selection of respected professional poker players including Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth.

“We’re excited to be able to bring poker fans the type of coverage they’ve come to expect,” said Eric Morris, BLUFF Publisher. “With the likes of Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth in the booth it’s sure to be a broadcast for the ages.”

Along with the audio poker fans wll be given graphic displays throughout the final table showing up-to-the-minute chip counts and statistical information. The broadcast gets underway at Noon PT on Saturday and will continue until play stops when play reaches heads-up. The broadcast will resume on Monday at 10 pm PT when the final two players sit down to play to a winner.

“I’m thrilled to have been asked by Bluff to be the voice of the November Nine broadcast,” said Chicotsky. ”This is poker’s premier event and I’m looking forward to being a part of it. Working alongside Annie and Phil is sure to be a blast.”

Other pros expected to join Chicotsky include Jonathan Little, Ari Engel and Bryan Micon.

The 2009 November Nine

Tuesday night’s episodes of the World Series of Poker Main Event on ESPN will continue to introduce poker fans to the November Nine.

Tuesday’s first one hour episode begins with 27 players left in the tournament including BLUFF contributor Antonio Esfandiari and Maryland logger Darvin Moon. Also featured in this episode is the last woman standing Leo Margets who hopes to continue her run at becoming only the second woman to ever make the final table.

The second hour will begin with 23 players left in the tournament including Phil Ivey and Jeff Shulman as well as Billy Kopp and Steven Begleiter.

ESPN’s coverage of the 2009 WSOP Main Event continues each Tuesday until November 10 when the two episodes from the November Nine will air and a new world champion will be crowned.

BluffMagazine.com is helping poker fans get excited for the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event final table with the launch of a new video player and exclusive content from the 2009 WSOP.

The video player, which is sponsored by UltimateBet, will give fans the chance to see the 24 final tables which were broadcast by BLUFF Media in an edited format complete with all bustouts and heads-up battles.

“Between now and November 7 we’ll add a new final table each day,” said Eric Morris, BLUFF Magazine publisher. “On top of that we’ll be adding all the interviews from the 2009 WSOP as well.”

Fans will be able to see the final table of the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event, the $10,000 Heads Up World Championship and both of Phil Ivey’s bracelet wins. Also available will be a Phil Hellmuth channel featuring the footage from his historic 11th bracelet win in 2007.

On the day Ivey and the rest of the November Nine regroup to determine a new world champion fans will be able to tune into BLUFF’s live audio broadcast from tableside. Fans will also be given live chip counts and graphics throughout the final table.

“Our radio coverage of the November Nine will give hardcore poker fans the chance to step inside the ropes for poker’s biggest event,” said Morris.

To check out the new video player for yourself visit http://www.bluffmagazine.com/videoplayer.asp

For the second time in two years a player has managed to win a WSOP bracelet on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. J.P. Kelly captured the first event of the 2009 World Series of Poker Europe Monday in London to take home £136,803 and the gold bracelet. Kelly won his earlier bracelet in a $1,500 Pot Limit Hold’em tournament (Event #20) in Las Vegas.

Given his pedigree Kelly’s win is hardly a surprise but the first few hours of final table looked and felt more like a coronation for Fabien Dunlop who entered the day with the chip lead. Dunlop held onto that lead throughout the day and even when heads-up play began he was well in front of Kelly.

The first elimination of the day came after only six minutes of play. James Tomlin, the shortest stack at the start of the day moved all-in from middle position and then things got a little bit crazy. William Martin moved all-in over the top and Thor Drexel called from the big blind. Tomlin found himself in bad shape with A 7 against the A K of Drexel and A K of Martin. The board ran out K J 4 4 8 and despite flopping the nut flush draw Tomlin wasn’t able to complete the flush and was sent packing in ninth place with a £13,115 payday.

Despite surviving that hand and chipping up a bit, Drexel didn’t last much longer. Adnan Alshamah opened with a raise, Drexel called all-in and Anthony Roux also called from the big blind. The flop came A J T, Roux checked and Alshamah moved all-in. Roux folded, Alshamah showed A K and Drexel showed Q Q. The J on the turn paired the board and gave Drexel more outs to stay alive but the 3 on the river ended his night. He cashed for £14,835.

Dunlop captured his first scalp of the night by eliminating William Martin in seventh place. Dunlop opened with a raise, Martin moved all-in for just over 100,000 and Dunlop made the call. Martin showed A J and found himself racing against the 7 7 of Dunlop. The K 9 4 flop brought no relief for Martin and when the 4 hit the turn and 3 hit the turn his run at the bracelet was cut short with an extra £17,535 in his pocket.

Neil Suarez was the next player eliminated. With a short stack he moved all-in from the button. Dunlop called from the big blind and revealed K K while Suarez showed 4 4. The flop, turn and and river all failed to help Suarez win with a bad beat and he was ousted in sixth place for £21,700.

A little while later pocket kings again meant the end of the night, and the tournament, for another player. Roux moved all-in and J.P. Kelly called. Roux revealed T T and found himself unfortunate enough to run into Kelly holding K K. The board brought A 9 2 Q 2 and Roux, the last remaining player at the table not from the United Kingdom, was eliminated in fifth position.

With Dunlop holding more than half the chips in play Dunlop began to make things a little more interesting by picking up another elimination. With action folded to him on the button Kelly opened with a raise and Richard Allen responded by moving all-in from the big blind. Kelly called and tabled 9 9 while Allen showed A 4. The community cards ran nearly dry for Allen and despite pairing his four on the turn he was unable to overcome Kelly’s hand and was out in fourth for £38,499.

That elimination by Dunlop meants heads-up play began with him holding 1,365,000 chips to Kelly’s 498,000. But while the previous seven eliminations all lacked in any real drama the heads-up battle more than made up for it.

On the first significant pot of heads-up play Dunlop raised to 31,000 and Kelly responded by making it 90,000 to go. As he had done in a few hands of heads-up action Dunlop moved all-in. Kelly called and showed A T while Dunlop turned over A 5. The J T 8 flop brought the sweat level up a notch with Kelly flopping a pair and Dunlop catching the nut flush draw. The 4 on the turn and J on the river gave Kelly the hand and a much needed double up.

The drama continued a few hands later as Kelly slowplayed pocket queens to perfection to take even more chips from Dunlop. But his slowplaying ways cost him a few hands later. Dunlop raised from the button and Kelly called. The flop came 9 3 2, Kelly checked, Dunlop bet less than the pot and Kelly then announced raise. After watching his opponent put in the check raise Dunlop moved all-in. Kelly snap-called and showed A A while Dunlop tabled 7 3. The turn brought disaster for Kelly though when the 3 hit giving Dunlop trip three. Unable to improve on the end Kelly was back to being the underdog.

After doubling up a few hands later and putting the two Brits on nearly even terms Kelly put the tournament to its end. After a Q T 7 flop Kelly bet, Dunlop raised, Kelly re-raised all-in and Dunlop called. Kelly showed K 8 for the second nut flush draw while Dunlop tabled J 2 for no pair and a worse flush draw. The 5 on the turn helped neither player but the 2 on the turn gave both players a flush with Kelly winning. The hand didn’t quite eliminate Dunlop but left him with a little more than one big blind. The next hand sealed the deal for Kelly who captured his second bracelet of 2009.

When three-handed play began Dunlop held 65% of the 1,830,000 chips in play with Alshamah hanging on with only 190,000 to his name. Alshamah’s night didn’t last much longer. He opened for 70,000 from the button and after Kelly folded his small blind, Dunlop moved all-in. Alshamah called and showed K Q and Dunlop flipped over A 8. The flop came K 5 2 giving Alshamah top pair but the A on the turn left him drawing to only five more outs. The 4 on the turn wasn’t one of those outs and his night was over with a respectable third place finish good enough for £55,468.

2009 WSOP Europe Event #1 Final Table Payouts

1. J.P. Kelly - £136,803
2. Fabien Dunlop - £84,512
3. Adnan Alshamah - £55,468
4. Richard Allen - £38,499
5. Anthony Roux - £28,181
6. Neil Suarez - £21,700
7. William Martin - £17,535
8. Thor Drexel - £14,835
9. James Tomlin - £13,115

The second event, a £2,500 Pot Limit Hold’em/Pot Limit Omaha mixed event, is already underway at the Casino at the Empire. You can follow all the Live Updates and Chip Counts until the second bracelet has been awarded.

Casino at the Empire

The Casino at the Empire in Leicester Square was jumping for Day 1a of Event #1 of the 2009 World Series of Poker Europe.

Day 1a of Event #1 (£1,000 No Limit Hold’em) is in the books at the Casino at the Empire in London as the 2009 WSOP Europe kicked off with 295 players showing up. By the end of the day however that field was reduced significantly and one name stood atop the leaderboard far from any of his competitors.

An astonishing 254 players hit the rail before the day was out including 11-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth along with Barry Greenstein, Jeff Madsen, Andy Bloch and Erik Seidel. While there was some big names being bounced the story of the day is the name at the top of the leaderboard and his commanding chip lead.

JP Kelly sits atop the leaderboard with 98,825 chips, over 31,000 more than his closest competitor. Richard Kellett, a fellow Brit, sits in second with 67,225. Kelly’s lead is so impressive that if David Stucke, who sits in third, and Ian Frazer, fourth place, added their chips together they’d still trail Kelly. Stucke has 45,875 while Frazer has 43,625.

The most well known name near the top might be South Africa’s Raymond Rahme. The 2007 WSOP Main Event 3rd place finisher sits in 14th with 24,000. Another top pro who survived the day was Roland De Wolfe (10,000).

The second starting day kicks off Saturday at Noon BST (4 am PT) and the 41 players from Day 1a will join the Day 1b survivors on Sunday. Follow all the action live on WorldSeriesofPoker.com.

On the WSOP broadcast on ESPN on Tuesday night Kent Senter tugged at the heartstrings of every American watching and now the poker community will have a chance to make a difference in the Senter family’s lives.

Fighting Multiple Myelome Cancer, Kent’s dream was to play in the WSOP Main Event. His wife Patty reached out to Bluff Magazine seeking help in making it happen and through PokerStars Kent, Patty and their two children, flew to Las Vegas where Kent played in the Main Event making it all the way to Day 2 before running into the buzzsaw that was Bertrand Grospellier.

“I’m so grateful and there’s no way to thank everyone for what they’ve done,” said Patty Senter, “PokerStars and Bluff have gone above and beyond and anything they could have possibly done for us, they have. A ‘random act of kindness’ doesn’t even describe what these generous people have done. This is something we will never forget and are forever grateful.”

Saturday, September 12 online poker players are being encouraged to enter a $10 w/rebuys benefit tournament that will help Kent and his family escape from the debt caused by the mounting medical bills. Bluff Magazine is matching all donations up to $1,000. Prizes, including a WCOOP Main Event buy-in, are being provided by both PokerStars and Bluff Magazine.

Tournament Details

Date & Time: September 12, 2009: 8:00PM EST
Tournament Name: Kent Senter Benefit Tournament
Register for the event in the Tourney / Private tab
Structure: $10 buy-in with $10 rebuys for the first hour

Prizes:

PokerStars and Bluff Magazine have come together to put together a great prize package for tournament participants:

1st place: Buy-in to the PokerStars WCOOP Main Event
2nd Place: Seat to a WSOP Academy provided by Bluff Magazine. 
3rd Place: PokerStars tournament credit voucher for $1000
4th Place: PokerStars tournament credit voucher for $500
5th Place: PokerStars tournament credit voucher for $300
6th Place: PokerStars tournament credit voucher for $200

All players who reach the final table will also receive a free year subscription to Bluff Magazine and Fight magazine courtesy of Bluff.