Card Squad http://www.cardsquad.com Card Squad http://www.cardsquad.com/media/feedlogo.gif Card Squad http://www.cardsquad.com en-us Copyright 2012 Blogsmith, LLC. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/SE7EN Magazine Launchedhttp://www.cardsquad.com/2007/01/30/se7en-magazine-launched/http://www.cardsquad.com/2007/01/30/se7en-magazine-launched/http://www.cardsquad.com/2007/01/30/se7en-magazine-launched/#commentsFiled under:


Bluff Media, along with Publications Services of America, launched their newest magazine SE7EN at the Sundance Film Festival. The publication is geared towards men whose interest lay in sports, gaming, and an affluent lifestyle. According to Bluff:

The premier issue of SE7EN magazine boasts Hollywood icon and man's man Ray Liotta on the cover. Inside, he speaks to readers about his much anticipated upcoming film 'Smokin' Aces' due out at the end of January. Other features include exclusive stories with top athletes, such as Michael Strahan and Oscar de la Hoya, as well as SE7EN's selection of the sexiest female athletes, the SE7EN Guide to the Well-Rounded Man, and an entire section on gambling aptly named JUICE.

For more info on the magazine, you can visit their website.
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]]>ray liottase7en magazineSe7enMagazinesundance film festivalJoanne Lutynec2007-01-30T18:45:00+00:002007 Card Player POY Scoring Criteriahttp://www.cardsquad.com/2007/01/17/2007-card-player-poy-scoring-criteria/http://www.cardsquad.com/2007/01/17/2007-card-player-poy-scoring-criteria/http://www.cardsquad.com/2007/01/17/2007-card-player-poy-scoring-criteria/#commentsFiled under: ,

Yesterday I mentioned that Michael Mizrachi won the 2006 Card Player Player of the Year award, and as I was checking out their website I noticed that they made a few changes in the scoring criteria for the 2007 season. Some of this is new, some of it isn't, but according to their website, tournaments that qualify for this year's POY points must meet the following criteria:

- Overall tournament prize pool must meet or exceed $750,000
- Single events must have a prize pool that meets or exceeds $250,000
- 60 player minimum
- Buy-in must be at least $300
- Invitationals must have at least 60 players and a prize pool of $500,000
- International events must have min. 60 players and prize pool must meet or exceed $1,500,000
- Online tourneys must have a prize pool of more than $5,000,000 and player must release their real name to accumulate points

Full details on the criteria, as well as how they are calculating points for the 2007 season, can be found at their website via the "read" link below.
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]]>2007card playerCardPlayerplayer of the yearpoker tournamentJoanne Lutynec2007-01-17T09:04:00+00:00Card Player People's Choice Awardshttp://www.cardsquad.com/2006/12/27/card-player-peoples-choice-awards/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/12/27/card-player-peoples-choice-awards/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/12/27/card-player-peoples-choice-awards/#commentsFiled under: , ,

CardPlayer.com has opened the polls for the Reader's Choice portion of the 2006 Player of the Year Awards.

You can vote at their website in the following three categories:

Most entertaining player of 2006
Favorite tournament poker player from 2006
Favorite poker television show from 2006

To vote you must add your comments to the appropriate thread in their forums, and explain why you think that player/show should be the winner. After skimming through it appears that Daniel Negreanu has the majority of the votes as Most Entertaining Player so far, though some people definitely have their own opinions: (copied verbatim from the forum)

How can it NOT be ERIC MOLINA????
He chucked the ALL IN chip at that jerk Gold, He called a guy with a good chip stack BLIND. He ended that guys chances of winning the event without even looking at HIS CARDS. He got a penalty. He bluffed all his money in a horrible spot.
That kid is awesome. If he works out some we might see him punch a guy. He might steal an old guys chips when that guy isnt looking. He could throw the all in chip at a dealer after a bad beat.
Matusow is just annoying, he always says how good he is yet he is really low on money, he sucks at the WPT, where better players like grinder and DN do very well.
Hellmuths act is pathetic, he says hes gonna stop being the poker brat, and lose the shades, but he is ON CONTRACT TO ALWAYS WEAR THE SHADES when he is on tv. Thats lame. He isnt so entertaining hosting celebrity poker.
Could you imagine molina hosting that? That guy should be picked up by full tilt.
Plus he gives validity to the theory that all Nova students are ******.
Vote Eric Molina

Alrighty. Moving on.

Though I haven't counted, it appears that Negreanu also has the lead in Favorite Tournament Player of 2006. Hellmuth, Ivey, Cunningham, and Hachem have also received a lot of votes, and JC Tran and Matusow have been mentioned repeatedly.

As far as Favorite Poker Television Show - really is there any question? High Stakes Poker has garnered almost every single vote so far.

Last year's winners at the POY Gala were as follows:

Breakthrough Player
Michael Gracz

Best Cash Game Player
Chip Reese

Poker Ambassador
Mike Sexton

Best No-Limit Player
Phil Ivey

Best Heads-up Player
Phil Ivey

Best Mixed Game Player
Chip Reese

Most Underrated Player
Allen Cunningham

Most Feared Player
Phil Ivey

Best Female Player
Jennifer Harman

Most Entertaining Player
Mike "The Mouth" Matusow

People's Choice Award-Best Celebrity Poker Player
Jennifer Tilly

People's Choice Award-Favorite Overall Player
Daniel Negreanu

Lifetime Achievement Award
Doyle Brunson

Card Player of The Year
Men Nguyen
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]]>card playerCardPlayercunninghamgraczhachemhellmuthhigh stakes pokeriveymatusowplayer of the yearsextonJoanne Lutynec2006-12-27T19:10:00+00:00PokerStars Voted Best Online Poker Roomhttp://www.cardsquad.com/2006/12/19/pokerstars-voted-best-online-poker-room/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/12/19/pokerstars-voted-best-online-poker-room/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/12/19/pokerstars-voted-best-online-poker-room/#commentsFiled under: , ,

BLUFF Magazine's Readers Choice Awards were just announced, and I was ecstatic to read that PokerStars was voted the Best Online Poker Room.

Though I'm not the most impartial observer, since pretty much everyone at PokerStars is a friend of mine, and I play for Team PokerStars -- you know, come to think of it, I'm about as far from an impartial observer as you can get -- I'm not surprised at all. I've spent a lot of time with members of the support and marketing teams, and I am constantly impressed with their passion for poker, their respect for their players, and their desire to give everyone the best customer service and playing experience possible.

So congratulations to everyone at PokerStars, and thank you to the readers at BLUFF!
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]]>BluffPokerStarsWil Wheaton2006-12-19T13:00:00+00:002006 Player of the Year, Power Ranking Updateshttp://www.cardsquad.com/2006/09/12/2006-player-of-the-year-power-ranking-updates/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/09/12/2006-player-of-the-year-power-ranking-updates/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/09/12/2006-player-of-the-year-power-ranking-updates/#commentsFiled under: ,

It's been a while since I have updated the various Player of the Year contests, so without further ado, following are the top 25 players in Card Player Magazine's Player of the Year race, followed by the Bluff-ESPN Power Rankings and Bluff Magazine's POY Top 25.

CardPlayer Player of the Year Race
For an explanation of CardPlayer's scoring criteria, click here.

1 Michael Mizrachi 5,865
2 Nam Le 3,985
3 Phil Hellmuth Jr. 3,755
4 Shannon Shorr 3,692
5 Jeff Madsen 3,680
6 John Hoang 3,672
7 Allen Cunningham 3,344
8 Erick Lindgren 3,286
9 David Williams 3,152
10 William Chen 3,146
11 Anthony Reategui 2,887
12 Kenna James 2,692
13 Ralph Perry 2,546
14 Joe Bartholdi 2,500
15 John Phan 2,419
16 Joe Tehan 2,390
17 Tom Franklin 2,372
18 David Daneshgar 2,370
19 Alex Jacob 2,320
20 Stanley Weiss 2,304
21 Al Barbieri 2,286
22 Joe Brandenburg 2,268
23 Max Pescatori 2,258
24 Alan Goehring 2,224
25 Jamie Gold 2,220



Bluff - ESPN Power Rankings, Top 25
According to Bluff:
Bluff Power Rankings are based on the results of major tournaments over a trailing 24-month period. Qualifying tournaments must have a minimum $5,000 buy-in, at least 100 participants. Bluff Media reserves the right to include high-denomination, high profile events. Tournaments occurring in the trailing 12-month period are given additional weighting. Players must finish in the money to earn points.
John Juanda 805.67 pts
Men Nguyen 631.25 pts
Gavin Smith 626.86 pts
Phil Ivey 622.32 pts
Barry Greenstein 588.03 pts
Kathy Liebert 552.11 pts
Michael Mizrachi 545.17 pts
Chris Ferguson 509.27 pts
Kenna James 508.97 pts
Erick Lindgren 502.76 pts
James Van Alstyne 502.09 pts
Allen Cunningham 469.19 pts
Chad Brown 467.66 pts
David Singer 462.96 pts
Scotty Nguyen 461.50 pts
Erik Seidel 460.79 pts
David Williams 459.94 pts
Hieu Ngoc (Tony) Ma 458.26 pts
Justin Cuong Van (JC) Tran 436.53 pts
Chris Bell 435.93 pts
Darrell Dicken 430.14 pts
Hasan Habib 414.66 pts
Alan Goehring 408.20 pts
Patrik Antonius 406.88 pts
Casey Kastle 406.46 pts

Bluff Magazine's Player of the Year

Chad Brown 1st 364.88 pts
Paul Wasicka 2nd 345.20 pts
Gavin Smith 3rd 323.42 pts
John Juanda 4th 322.26 pts
David Williams 5th 314.71 pts
David Singer 6th 314.36 pts
Barry Greenstein 7th 291.17 pts
Casey Kastle 8th 290.18 pts
Victor Ramdin 9th 281.92 pts
Thomas Koral 10th 270.18 pts
Jeffrey King 11th 267.02 pts
Kenna James 12th 263.43 pts
Men (The Master) Nguyen 13th 256.81 pts
Kevin O'Donnell 14th 246.60 pts
Galen Kester 15th 244.65 pts
Hasan Habib 16th 234.83 pts
Erick Lindgren 17th 229.15 pts
Shannon Shorr 18th 227.77 pts
Michael Mizrachi 19th 226.69 pts
Phil Ivey 20th 211.71 pts
Michael Woo 21st 210.30 pts
Brian Nadell 22nd 209.30 pts
Peter Feldman 23rd 207.69 pts
Rodeen Talebi 24th 206.71 pts
Daniel Negreanu 25th 206.03 pts

(source & images: CardPlayer.com and BluffMagazine.com)
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]]>bluff magazinecard playercardplayerplayer of the yearJoanne Lutynec2006-09-12T12:35:00+00:00Casino Player Magazine - Survey Resultshttp://www.cardsquad.com/2006/08/01/casino-player-magazine-survey-results/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/08/01/casino-player-magazine-survey-results/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/08/01/casino-player-magazine-survey-results/#commentsFiled under: ,

Casino Player Magazine has released the results of their "Best of" survey for 2006. The Bellagio tops the list for Best Poker Room, followed by the Mirage and then Wynn Las Vegas. Sorry April, the MGM didn't make the top three. The top picks for Best Poker Tournaments is led by Harrah's, Bellagio in second, and the Rio in third.

Following is a small portion of the results as copied from CasinoPlayer.com. You can check out their website for the entire list if you are interested in seeing if your favorites won. I definitely don't agree with all the choices, but it is interesting to see who the masses chose.

RESORT CATEGORIES
Best Overall Hotel Casino
1) Caesars Palace
2) Bellagio
3) Rio

Best Overall Hotel
1) Bellagio
2) Wynn Las Vegas
3) Venetian
CASINO CATEGORIES
Best Overall Casino
1) Caesars Palace
2) Rio
3) Harrah's Las Vegas

Best Players Club
1) Harrah's Las Vegas
2) MGM Grand
3) The Mirage

Best Comps
1) Harrah's Las Vegas
2) Caesars Palace
3) MGM Grand

Best Cashback
1) Harrah's Las Vegas
2) MGM Grand
3) The Mirage

Best Casino Promotions
1) Harrah's Las Vegas
2) Rio
3) Caesars Palace

Best Service
1) Harrah's Las Vegas
2) Bellagio
3) Rio

Best Dealers
1) Harrah's Las Vegas
2) Bellagio
3) Rio

Best Hosts
1) Rio
2) Harrah's Las Vegas
3) Bellagio

Best Race/Sports Book
1) Caesars Palace
2) Las Vegas Hilton
3) The Mirage

Best High-Limit Players Lounge
1) Bellagio
2) Wynn Las Vegas
3) Caesars Palace

Best Table Game Tournaments
1) Harrah's Las Vegas
2) Rio
3) Las Vegas Hilton

(image & source: CasinoPlayer.com)
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]]>bellagiocasino player magazineCasinoPlayerMagazinevenetianwynn las vegasJoanne Lutynec2006-08-01T09:15:00+00:00Time Magazine Honors Wynnhttp://www.cardsquad.com/2006/05/08/time-magazine-honors-wynn/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/05/08/time-magazine-honors-wynn/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/05/08/time-magazine-honors-wynn/#commentsFiled under: ,

Stating "He Didn't Invent Las Vegas. He Just Makes It Work", 64-year old Steve Wynn has been named by Time Magazine's 'TIME 100 Issue' as one of the top professionals in their Builders and Titans category. Responsible for the 1970's expansion and renovation of the Golden Nugget, as well as the mastermind behind The Mirage and Bellagio, Wynn is often credited with bringing luxury and elegance back to Las Vegas and setting a new standard of excellence for real estate developments in the city.

In 2000, Wynn sold his company Mirage Resorts, Inc. to MGM Grand, Inc. and subsequently built Wynn Las Vegas on the former site of the Desert Inn. His next development will be in China with Wynn Macau, scheduled to open in September of this year.

(image: Time.com)
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]]>bellagiomgm grandmirage resortssteve wynnSteveWynntime 100time magazinewynn casinoJoanne Lutynec2006-05-08T18:05:00+00:00Update: Card Player's Player of the Yearhttp://www.cardsquad.com/2006/05/03/update-card-players-player-of-the-year/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/05/03/update-card-players-player-of-the-year/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/05/03/update-card-players-player-of-the-year/#commentsFiled under: ,

Michael Mizrachi is still leading the pack in Card Player Magazine's 2006 Player of the Year standings, which I am sure comes as no surprise to anyone after his explosive start to the year. He has yet to cash in a tournament since March 6th though, which has allowed some other players to climb the ladder a bit.

Even though Mizrachi cashed in four tournaments, the highest money earner (by far) in 2006 tournaments is Joe Bartholdi at $3,819,034 - mainly due to his 1st place win at the largest tournament of the year to date, the 4th Annual Five-Star Diamond Classic which was held at the Bellagio last month.

Two players in the current top 20 have made five final tables each - Jason Stern of San Jose, California, currently in 10th place with 1,866 points, and William Edler of Las Vegas who is in 15th place with 1634 points.

Last year's Player of the Year, Men Nguyen, is currently in 140th place.

Top 40 players and their earnings listed after the jump.
         
 POY Standings - Data Compiled from Card Player Magazine.

1  Michael Mizrachi    3,957        $1,907,577
2  Kenna James        2,692        $1,005,014
3  Joe Bartholdi        2,500        $3,819,034
4  Victor Ramdin        2,176        $1,578,349
5  Erick Lindgren        2,044     $588,211
6  David Daneshgar    1,938        $341,510
7  Nam Le            1,920        $1,198,300
7  Alan Goehring        1,920        $2,391,550
7  Mike Schneider         1,920        $1,000,000
10 Jason Stern        1,866        $592,399
11 Scotty Nguyen        1,746        $1,020,720
12 David Baker        1,744        $240,742
13 David Plastik        1,730        $585,645
14 An Tran            1,700        $222,915
15 William Edler        1,634        $240,600
16 Michael Woo        1,604        $594,886
17 Alex Jacob        1,600        $655,507
17 Ravi Udayakumar    1,600        $629,500
17 Daniel Quach        1,600        $1,164,413
17 David Matthew        1,600        $1,903,950
21 Barry Greenstein    1,548        $489,162
22 John D'Agostino    1,520        $635,247
23 Norm Ketchum Jr.    1,510        $116,813
24 Denis Ethier        1,506        $188,451
25 Steve Paul-Ambrose    1,440        $1,432,535
25 Marcel Luske        1,440        $450,288
25 Mike Simon        1,440        $1,052,890
25 Jeff Williams        1,440        $1,082,070
25 Lee Nelson        1,440        $972,822
30 Thomas Sipes        1,332        $279,075
31 Anthony Reategui    1,305        $275,358
32 Al Barbieri        1,294        $142,824
33 David Nguyen        1,288        $186,301
34 Scott Buller        1,280        $500,000
34 Edward Jordan        1,280        $426,670
34 Danny Smith        1,280        $340,000
34 Roland De Wolfe    1,280        $1,025,205
34 Raul Paez        1,280     $331,917
39 Jack Amyx        1,260     $589,035
40 Daniel Negreanu    1,236     $830,525

For a full listing of the Player of the Year Standings, visit CardPlayer.com.
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]]>bellagiocard player magazineCardPlayerMagazinemen nguyenmichael mizrachiplayer of the yearpokerJoanne Lutynec2006-05-03T19:35:00+00:00Card Player's Player of the Year updatehttp://www.cardsquad.com/2006/03/26/card-players-player-of-the-year-update/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/03/26/card-players-player-of-the-year-update/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/03/26/card-players-player-of-the-year-update/#commentsFiled under: ,

We are three months into 2006, and no one seems to be able to touch Michael Mizrachi in the Card Player Magazine Player of the Year race. Mizrachi leads the pack with 3,957 points, followed by Kenna James in second place with 2,692.

So far this year, Mizrachi has placed within the top nine players in six events:
  • No-Limit Hold'em event at the 2006 National Heads-Up Poker Championship, placing 9th
  • Limit Hold'em event at the 2006 Winnin' O' the Green, placing 1st
  • No-Limit Hold'em Championship Day Final Day at the 2006 Borgata Winter Poker Open, placing 1st
  • No-Limit Hold'em event at the 2006 L.A. Poker Classic, placing 2nd
  • No-Limit Hold'em Championship Day Final Day at the 2006 Gold Strike World Poker Open, placing 2nd
The top 25 players in the Player of the Year standings are currently as follows:
            
1  Michael Mizrachi 3,957   
2  Kenna James 2,692   
3  Mike Schneider 1,920   
3  Alan Goehring 1,920   
3  Nam Le 1,920   
6  Scotty Nguyen 1,746   
7  An Tran 1,700   
8  Michael Woo 1,604   
9  Daniel Quach 1,600   
9  Ravi Udayakumar 1,600   
11 David Daneshgar 1,590   
12 William Edler 1,534   
13 John D'Agostino 1,520   
14 Norm Ketchum Jr. 1,510   
15 Denis Ethier 1,506   
16 Steve Paul-Ambrose 1,440   
16 Jeff Williams 1,440   
16 David Plastik 1,440   
16 Lee Nelson 1,440   
20 Thomas Sipes 1,332   
21 Danny Smith 1,280   
21 Raul Paez 1,280   
21 Scott Buller 1,280   
24 David Nguyen 1,240   
25 Daniel Negreanu 1,236   

(Source: CardPlayer.com, image: MichaelMizrachi.com)
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]]>card playerCardPlayerchampionshipkenna jamesmichael mizrachiplayer of the yearpokerJoanne Lutynec2006-03-26T19:35:00+00:00NEWS BRIEFS: McMahon in Muncie, A Magazine for the Ladies, Tuesday Night in Tulsahttp://www.cardsquad.com/2006/03/15/news-briefs-mcmahon-in-muncie-a-new-girlie-mag-tuesday-night/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/03/15/news-briefs-mcmahon-in-muncie-a-new-girlie-mag-tuesday-night/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/03/15/news-briefs-mcmahon-in-muncie-a-new-girlie-mag-tuesday-night/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Ed McMahon has long been associated with giant cardboard checks and dumping huge sums of money on people, so he was a natural choice to help open a new casino in Muncie, Indiana: [Ed McMahon] joined Mayor Dan Canan in cutting the ribbon last night on the Royal Crown Hold 'Em Club.

The legality of the games have been challenged, but since the Royal Crown club is neither a bingo hall nor a bar it doesn't have a charity gaming permit or liquor license at risk. Boy, I tell you what: as we face bills in Congress which would turn online poker players into criminals, and read story after story about small homegames or low-stakes tourneys getting busted, I have to wonder: when is law enforcement going to catch up with the rest of America? Poker is our generation's bridge. It is wildly popular, and it's not going anywhere. It is fantastically hypocritical for states to have legalized lotteries while criminalizing poker.

Poker News dot Com reports that a new poker magazine has hit the shelves. This one is aimed at women, as its title, Woman Poker Player suggests: There is quality in the writing staff that has been assembled for "Woman Poker Player" as well. [Editor Barbara] Enright joins in to pen articles as well as other respected female poker players Susie Isaacs, Cat Hulbert, Roxci Rhodes, online player Tanya Peck and humorist Jen Leo. The excellence in writing isn't limited to just the female players, however; such testosterone powered poker players as Lou Krieger, Max Shapiro, John Vorhaus and PokerNews' Ashley Adams offer compelling articles as well.

The articles aren't broken up throughout the magazine (one of my personal pet peeves) and in general have an excellent mix of information. The strategy articles neatly intermingle with recipes for healthy drink alternatives and a view of poker through a woman's eyes. A couple of the articles (dealing with relationships in poker and one writer's unfortunate health situation and how she was dealing with it) gave the magazine a nice feel and truly seemed aimed toward their audience, which neatly separated "Woman Poker Player" from other poker magazines. I link to PokerNews all the time, and I want to take a moment to thank all their writers for putting together such a great resource. If you haven't subbed them in Bloglines, you're missing out.

Finally, there is an incredibly entertaining account of a Tuesday Night game in Tulsa, OK, that you've got to read: I can't tell you where I am because what's going on is illegal. I can't tell you who's here, either, or how much money they're gambling, because that's also illegal and, more importantly, there will be wives and girlfriends, not to mention other people to whom they owe money, reading this.
 
It's 9:30 on a Tuesday night and there's the unmistakable sound of cards, ESPN Sportscenter, and men getting away with something.
 
Suffice it to say there are five of them (and only one willing to use his real name) and their beverages: Linus is drinking red Zinfindel; Oklahoma Jim is drinking dirty Martinis (no Vermouth, all olive juice and vodka); Big Rod is drinking red wine and would be smoking a big-ass Macanudo but he's been overruled; AG, who's the pro, and the only one not wearing glasses, is drinking coffee; Michael has a Coors Light on the floor behind him; and Crush is drinking water because he says "he wants to stay alert during competition," which makes Oklahoma Jim laugh.
 
"Yeah, imported water from Arkansas." Barry Friedman's story reminds me of my own Lying in Odessa series from WWdN, and makes me want to get in the car and find an underground game to play in right now.

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]]>News BriefsNewsBriefsWil Wheaton2006-03-15T15:29:00+00:00Poker Newshttp://www.cardsquad.com/2006/03/05/poker-news/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/03/05/poker-news/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/03/05/poker-news/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

All In Magazine recently launched their new web site. In a press release discussing the launch, managing editor Eric Raskin mentioned poker bloggers. I thought that was cool of him.

He said, "Our goal was to help our readers find the best poker blogs out there and help drive traffic to the community of bloggers. There are some great blogs out there, including Pokerati, Guinness and Poker, Tao of Poker, Bill Rini, Wicked Chops Poker, Absinthe's Troubles, and many others."

I couldn't agree with him more so go check out these poker blogs now!

*****

Even though the National Heads Up Poker Championship already started, I thought I'd mentioned a few interesting stats that I saw online.

Full Tilt Poker had Phil Ivey listed as the favorite to win this year's championship at 35-1.

Phil Hellmuth was listed at 45-1 along with Doyle Brunson, TJ Cloutier, Erick Lindgren, Scotty Nguyen, and Erik Seidel.

Johnny Chan, Chris Ferguson,  Barry Greenstein, John Juanda, and Daniel Negreanu were all listed at 40-1. Celebrities Jen Tilly and James Woods were 75-1 favorites.
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]]>Derek McGuire2006-03-05T09:00:00+00:00Bay 101 Day 1A Resultshttp://www.cardsquad.com/2006/02/28/bay-101-day-1a-results/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/02/28/bay-101-day-1a-results/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/02/28/bay-101-day-1a-results/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Day 1B is set to begin this morning at the Bay 101 Shooting Stars tournament in San Jose, California. The players that make it through today will join the fifty-nine others who survived yesterday's action.

Some notable bustouts from Day 1A:

Cyndy Violette, Daniel Negreanu, Mike Gracz, Tom McEvoy, Phil Hellmuth, Men Nguyen, Todd Brunson, and Chau Giang.

The chip leaders from Day 1A:

1.  Stuart Fahmy  125,100
2.  Farzad Bonyadi  107,600
3.  Kirk Morrison  104,600
4.  Larry Elliott  100,600
5.  John Smith  91,500
6.  Jason Stern  89,100
7.  Brad "Yukon" Booth  88,700
8.  Todd Arnold  83,600
9.  Xin Shen  81,500
10.  Luong Trinh  72,100

Figures. I removed Farzad Bonyadi from my Fantasy Poker Pool on Sunday night. Anyways - if you want to see who else made it through 1A, go check out Jason 'Spaceman' Kirk who is live blogging the action over at Bluff Magazine. We will also give more updates later so check back!

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]]>bay 101cyndy violettemike graczphil hellmuthpokerpoker tournamentshooting starsJoanne Lutynec2006-02-28T10:05:00+00:00Player of the Year Awards - Winnershttp://www.cardsquad.com/2006/02/17/player-of-the-year-awards-winners/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/02/17/player-of-the-year-awards-winners/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/02/17/player-of-the-year-awards-winners/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

On February 15th, professional poker players walked their version of the red carpet at the Music Box Theatre in Hollywood, California, for the Card Player, Player of the Year Awards Banquet. The event was hosted by Calvin Ayre, founder and CEO of Bodog, and Master of Ceremonies was none other than Brad Garrett of 'Everybody Loves Raymond' fame.

The winners of each category were as follows:

Breakthrough Player
Michael Gracz

Best Cash Game Player
Chip Reese

Poker Ambassador
Mike Sexton

Best No-Limit Player
Phil Ivey

Best Heads-up Player
Phil Ivey

more....

Best Mixed Game Player
Chip Reese

Most Underrated Player
Allen Cunningham

Most Feared Player
Phil Ivey

Best Female Player
Jennifer Harman

Most Entertaining Player
Mike "The Mouth" Matusow

People's Choice Award-Best Celebrity Poker Player
Jennifer Tilly

People's Choice Award-Favorite Overall Player
Daniel Negreanu

Lifetime Achievement Award
Doyle Brunson

Card Player of The Year
Men Nguyen

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]]>awardsbodogbrad garrettcalvin ayrecard playerCardPlayerdaniel negreanumichael graczmike sextonplayer of the yearpokerpoker playersJoanne Lutynec2006-02-17T19:15:00+00:002006 UK Gambling Awards - Resultshttp://www.cardsquad.com/2006/02/14/2006-uk-gambling-awards-results/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/02/14/2006-uk-gambling-awards-results/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/02/14/2006-uk-gambling-awards-results/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

On January 25, the 2006 UK Gambling Awards were held in London, England. More than ten thousand readers of InsideEdge, PokerPlayer, and Total Gambler magazines voted for their favorites. Results were as follows:

Top Poker TV Show
Winner: Poker Night Live
Runner Up: 2005 World Seris of Poker

Poker Player of the Year
Winner: Phil Ivey
Runner Up: Daniel Negreanu

Poker Site of the Year
Winner: PokerRoom.com
Runner Up: Ladbrokes Poker

Online Casino of the Year
Winner: 888.com
Runner Up: Coral

Betting Exchange Firm of the Year
Winner: Betfair
Runner Up: Cantor Spreadfair

iGaming Software Provider of the Year
Winner: Wagerlogic
Highly Commended: Ongame and Playtech

Bookmaker of the Year
Winner: Coral
Runner Up: Ladbrokes

Spread Betting Firm of the Year
Winner: Sporting Index
Runner Up: IG Sport

Gambling Personality of the Year
Winner: Dave 'Devilfish' Ulliott
Highly Commended: Helen Chamberlain and Tom 'Pricewise' Segal

The Dennis Gambling 'Best of 2005' Award
Winner: Betfair
Highly Commended: Paradise Poker and Oddschecker

Source: Inside Edge

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]]>casinodaniel negreanugamblinginsideedgeladbrokesonline casinophil iveypokerpoker night livepokerplayerpokerroom.comtotalgambleruk gambling awardsUkGamblingAwardsworld series of pokerJoanne Lutynec2006-02-14T08:14:00+00:00Card Player's Fantasy Pokerhttp://www.cardsquad.com/2006/02/13/card-players-fantasy-poker/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/02/13/card-players-fantasy-poker/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/02/13/card-players-fantasy-poker/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

If you just can't get enough of poker, you may want to check out Card Player's new Fantasy Poker contest. They are waiving the registration fee so you can try it out for free and possibly win one of three prizes: A $500 entry into a weekly tournament at UltimateBet, or one of two entries to their $200 tournament.

If you register for the 'real' contest, you have a shot at winning a seat to the 2006 World Series of Poker and $2000 in spending money.

You can read the full details through the 'read' link below.

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]]>card playerCardPlayercontestfantast pokerprizeweekly tournamentworld series of pokerJoanne Lutynec2006-02-13T09:12:00+00:00The Oscars - Poker Stylehttp://www.cardsquad.com/2006/02/03/the-oscars-poker-style/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/02/03/the-oscars-poker-style/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/02/03/the-oscars-poker-style/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

It is thirty days until the Oscars, but only twelve until the Player of the Year Awards Banquet Gala. Which is more exciting? If you are a poker player, I can only hope your answer is the latter. The event will be held on February 15th at the Henry Fonda Music Box Theater in Los Angeles, and is sponsored by Card Player Magazine along with Bodog, who are also producing the show. Set to emcee the event is none other than Brad Garrett - best known for his role on Everybody loves Raymond, though he is also an avid poker player himself.

Even though we already know who wins Player of the Year, (Men Nguyen, in case you haven't been paying attention) the other winners will be kept secret until the night of the event.

Additional categories are:

  • Best Cash Game Player
  • Poker's Top Ambassador
  • Most Entertaining Player
  • Best Heads-Up Player
  • Best No-Limit Player
  • Best Mixed Game Player
  • Most Feared Player
  • Most Underrated Player

Card Player has also been taking votes for the People's Choice Awards in the following two categories:

Favorite Overall Player (Final nominees listed)

  • Doyle Brunson
  • Chris Ferguson
  • Phil Ivey
  • Mike Matusow
  • Daniel Negreanu

Best Celebrity Poker Player

  • Gabe Kaplan
  • Tobey McGuire
  • Jennifer Tilly

UPDATE: You can read the full list of winners via this link!

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]]>best playerbrad garrettcard playerCardPlayerchris fergusondaniel negreanudoyle brunsoneverybody loves raymondfavorite playergabe kaplanjennifer tillymen nguyenmike matusowoscarsphil iveyplayer of the yearpokertobey mcguireJoanne Lutynec2006-02-03T08:55:00+00:00Poker Magazines: 2005 All In Awardshttp://www.cardsquad.com/2006/01/24/poker-magazines-2005-all-in-awards/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/01/24/poker-magazines-2005-all-in-awards/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/01/24/poker-magazines-2005-all-in-awards/#commentsFiled under: ,

The January edition (not as pictured) of All In Magazine ran their picks for the '2005 All In Awards', highlighting excellence in various poker categories over the past year. Though I agree with most, there are a few questionable picks - but aren't there always? Let's see if you agree with them. The winners are:

Player of the Year

1. Phil Ivey (No surprise here)
2. Chris Ferguson
3. John Phan
4. Allen Cunningham
5. Mike Matusow
6. Ted Forrest
7. Michael Gracz
8. John Juanda
8. (tied) Tuan Le
10. Minh Ly

Most Improved Player of the Year

Winner - Mark Seif
Runner Up - Jennifer Tilly

Comeback Player of the Year

Winner - Mike Matusow
Runner Up - Erik Seidel  

Newcomer of the Year

Winner - Michael Gracz
Runner Up - Joseph Hachem

Hand of the Year

Winner - 'Jesus' Heads Up Miracle' (vs. Phil Hellmuth in the National Heads-Up Poker Championship)
Runner Up - 'Kanter Crushes the King' (Aaron Kanter knocking out Greg Raymer in the 2005 main event, catching a flush on the river vs. Raymer's KK)

Final Table of the Year

Winner - Brunson's 10th WSOP Championship Bracelet
Runner Up - WPT Season Three Championship

Heads-Up Battle of the Year

Winner - Chan vs. Laak at the WSOP $2,500 Pot Limit Hold'em event
Runner Up - Hellmuth vs. Ferguson, Best of three for the title of National Heads-Up Champion

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]]>all in magazineallen cunninghamAllInMagazineawardschris fergusonjennifer tillyjohn juandamark seifmichael graczmike matusowphil iveyplayer of the yeartuan leJoanne Lutynec2006-01-24T16:20:00+00:00BLUFF Names Ivey Player of the Yearhttp://www.cardsquad.com/2006/01/17/bluff-names-ivey-player-of-the-year/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/01/17/bluff-names-ivey-player-of-the-year/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/01/17/bluff-names-ivey-player-of-the-year/#commentsFiled under: ,

Whenever I get together with serious pro players, I ask them who, in their opinion, is the best player today. Without exception, from Barry Greenstein to Paul Phillips, they respond, "Phil Ivey."

They say that Ivey is a scary opponent, because he just doesn't care about the money on the table, and will relentlessly attack any weakness he sees, regardless of his cards.

According to a press release from BLUFF, Ivey's accomplishments include:
  • Over $3.4 million in tournament earnings.
  • 7 final tables; a World Series of Poker bracelet in $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha.
  • A top 25 finish in the WSOP Main Event.
  • A win at the 2005 Monte Carlo Millions.
Ivey won his first WSOP title in 2000 at the age of 23 when he beat Phil Helmuth and Amarillo Slim in the Pot-Limit Omaha event, and picked up three more in the 2003 WSOP. He is a regular player in The Big Game at Bellagio, where he is described as "a consistent winner" in the 2000/4000 mixed game. (That's also known as 'The game where they wager more in one round than I earn in a year.")

To determine their player of the year, BLUFF uses the Bluff/ESPN Poker Power Rankings, which are "based on the results of major tournaments over a trailing 24-month period. Qualifying tournaments must have a minimum $5,000 buy-in, at least 100 participants."

The 2006 race, just a few weeks old, is currently lead by PCA winner Steve Paul-Ambrose.

Congratulations, Phil! I hope I never have to sit to your right.
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]]>Wil Wheaton2006-01-17T13:09:00+00:00Tunica Tourneyshttp://www.cardsquad.com/2006/01/16/tunica-tourneys/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/01/16/tunica-tourneys/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/01/16/tunica-tourneys/#commentsFiled under: , ,

There are several poker tournaments going on in Mississippi right now. The 2006 World Poker Open is taking place at the Gold Strike Casino in Tunica. The lower buy-in events started on January 9th.

This tournament is pretty Hold'em heavy. Here's the current tournament winners courtesy of Card Player Magazine:
  • $2,000 No Limit Hold'em Event: Galen Kester won $101,212. Liz Lieu finished in 5th place in this event and won $12,309. Thanks to Flipchip for the photo of Liz.
  • $500 No Limit Hold'em Event: Richard Stoeckmann won $58,346.
  • $1,000 No Limit Hold'em Event: Theodore Garner won $95,311.
  • $500 No Limit Hold'em Event: Steven Hipes won $44,851.
  • $1,500 No Limit Hold'em Event: Hoe Puan won $75,368.
  • $500 No Limit Hold'em Event: Michael Terrell won $42,868.
  • $500 No Limit Hold'em Event: Collin Wilson won $52,103.
  • $1,000 No Limit Hold'em Event: Jeremy Phipps won $146,821.
  • $500 No Limit Hold'em Event: Tommy White won $56,728.
  • $500 No Limit Hold'em Event: Ernest Jackson won $63,152.
  • $1,500 No Limit Hold'em Event: Bau Le won $124,326.
The 2006 Jack Binion WSOP Tournament Circuit-Grand Tunica is the other tournament and it started on January 5th.  This tournament structure is a little better because the WSOP scheduled several non-Hold'em events.

Here's the tourney winners courtesy of Card Player Magazine:
  • $500 NL Hold'em: RJ Sciamarella won $125,905.
  • $500 Pot Limit Omaha: Michael Weyer won $78,710.
  • $500 NL Hold'em: Gregg Merkow won $170,555.
  • $500 Limit Hold'em: Robert Willis won $75,800.
  • $500 7 Card Stud: Burt Bronson won $29,470.
  • $500 Pot Limit Hold'em: George Bronstein won $56,035.
  • $500 NL Hold'em: Tom McGrath won $98,330.
  • $500 Omaha 8OB: Robert Turner won $56,960.
  • $1,000 Limit Hold'em: Charles Glorioso won $55,635.
Jason Kirk will be covering some of these events. Go check out his poker blog in the coming days.
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]]>Derek McGuire2006-01-16T01:00:00+00:00Bluff Magazine: Reader's Choice Awardshttp://www.cardsquad.com/2006/01/12/bluff-magazine-readers-choice-awards/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/01/12/bluff-magazine-readers-choice-awards/http://www.cardsquad.com/2006/01/12/bluff-magazine-readers-choice-awards/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

For all you opinionated people out there - It is time to cast your vote for Bluff Magazine's 2006 Reader's Choice Awards. Bluff will be giving away iPod Nanos to five random voters who take part in the survey which consists of nineteen different categories. These include:

  • Best all-around online poker room
  • Best multi table tournaments and cash games
  • Best loyalty program
  • Best customer service
  • Your favorite poker forum
  • Best live poker room
  • Best poker broadcast and commentary
  • Most entertaining player to watch
  • Favorite professional poker player

The winners will be announced in the August issue of Bluff Magazine.

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]]>bluff magazineBluffMagazineloyalty programonline pokerpokerpoker roomprofessional pokerreaders choice awardsJoanne Lutynec2006-01-12T16:26:00+00:00