PokerStars Round-up 9 July 2009
Up The Ante in Vegas
138 players turned up for the third annual Ante Up For Africa Charity poker tournament in Las Vegas. It was Alex Bolotin who emerged victorious; he donated half of his $176,000 winnings to the ENOUGH Project and International Rescue Committee. The event attracted star-studded field that included Hollywood A listers Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, Seinfeld actor Jason Alexander, Hip-Hop Star Nelly, Everybody Loves Raymond's Brad Garrett, comedian Sarah Silverman, actor Dean Cain and ex-boxer Mike Tyson (http://www.pokerstars.tv/AUFA)
The poker community turned out in force too with a host of Team PokerStars Pros and many more top players. Friend of PokerStars Jason Alexander this movie starts should run the world (http://www.pokerstars.tv/movies/moviestarsrule)
PokerStars Celeb Players
There are a group of poker playing celebrities entering joining the PokerStars team for the WSOP Main Event this year. NBA Legend turned actor John ‘Spike' Salley, actor and comedian Marlon Wayans, WWE superstar Torrie Wilson, actor Lou Diamond Phillips and LA Lakers point guard Jordan Farmer.
Garrett's last gag
In a hand with PokerStars qualifier Peter Kremenliev comedian Brad Garret might have lost his chips but he provided some good entertainment by insisting all at the table play the next hand standing up. He attained a huge crowd of media cameramen and other players, cracking jokes and breaking 9 rule violations along the way, but nobody raised an eyelid. (http://www.pokerstarsblog.com/wsop/2009/wsop-main-event-kremenliev-provides-garr-047211.html)
PokerStars WSOP update
The 2009 WSOP Main Event is underway and the official numbers are out. 6,494 players have entered the event with a total prize pool of $61,043,600. PokerStars, the world's largest online poker room, is proud to have an estimated 1,100 sponsored players in the event; around one fifth of the field are PokerStars players.
PokerStars has been running online satellites to the WSOP for three months. Over 1,826 seats have been awarded to players with close to 1,000 of those players accepting the challenge and following in the footsteps of Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer, Joe Hachem and Peter Eastgate. The winner of this year's event will collect an $8.5 million grand prize and the title of WSOP Champion.
Team PokerStars players Dennis Phillips, Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier, Hevad Khan, Maria Mayrinck, Humberto Brenes, Noah, Andre Akkari, Luca Pagano, Ray Rahme, JC Alvarado, Thierry van den Berg , Tony Hachem, Darus Suharto, Benjamin Kang and Juan Manuel Pastor, not forgetting former world champions Joe Hachem, Greg Raymer and Peter Eastgate all sitting on healthy stacks going into Day 3. ElkY is leading the pack with 200,000 chips and is in search for his first WSOP bracelet. For live updates go to http://www.pokerstarsblog.com
PokerStars celebrity players are holding their own with actor Lou Diamond Phillips, NBA basketball player Jordan Farmar and Friend of PokerStars Jason Alexander still in. Phillips was demonstrating his survival skills with a monster stack of 190,000 chips; the I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! Winner talks us through his WSOP experience (http://www.pokerstars.tv/movies/7GS/wsop-2009-lou-diamond-phillips-chripin-chips.html). Jordan Farmar explains that he is not afraid to lose and ponder his decisions which are his edge over his opponents (http://www.pokerstars.tv/movies/7GQ/wsop-2009-jordan-farmar-b-ball-and-poker.html).
Unfortunately funny man Marlon Wayans took a bad beat towards the end of Day 2B, all in pre flop with Kings against Queens and his opponent hits a one outer on the river! Marlon will have to wait until next year before he find Phil Ivey (http://www.pokerstars.tv/movies/7GT/wsop-2009-marlon-wayans---yall-feel-me.html)
Goral vs. the Shark
Watch Humberto Brenes and Marcin Horecki in a race diving for horseshoes in the pool. (http://www.pokerstars.tv/movies/7G2/wsop-2009-marcin-and-humberto-in-the-pool.html?canonical=true)
Super Mario PokerStars Kart
Brazilian Team PokerStars Pro's Andre Akkari and Alex Gomes get owned when they challenge pro race car driver and Friend of PokerStars Guallter Salles to a few laps around the track. (http://www.pokerstars.tv/movies/7FM/wsop-2009-go-karting.html)
Gavin Griffin Hits a Home Run
Gavin Griffin takes his mind of the WSOP while hitting some balls at the batting cage (http://www.pokerstars.tv/movies/7FB/wsop-2009-griffin-hits-a-home-run.html
