Dream Team Poker WSOP Event Final Report

2009 World Series of Poker

Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino

Las Vegas, Nevada

Official Report

No-Limit Hold'em / Dream Team Poker Structure

Buy-in: $500 +60 per person / $1680 per team

Number of players: 366

Number of Teams: 122

Total Net Prize Pool: $177,510

Top Payout Individual: $16,473

Top Payout Team: $33,017

Places Paid Individual: 36

Places Paid Team: 10

 

July 12-13, 2009

 

Get more information at www.dreamteampoker.com

 

Tournament Highlights

 

Ø  Team Tao of Poker won the 1st place team prize with a combined score of 30 points. The team was anchored by great play from Dan Michalski and Dr. Pauly McGuire who finished in the money in 17th and 13th place respectively

 

Ø  Dan Michalski demonstrated excellent team strategy when he folded pocket K's rather than play them. The move allowed him to survive another orbit and lock in the 1st Place Team prize due to other players busting out.

 

Ø  Kenna James took 1st prize in the tournament outplaying and outlasting 366 players. In typical James fashion he entertained the crowd with pushups, serenades and high-fives when winning a big pot. Several times he declared, "I'm Kenna James Bitch!" before calling and subsequently busting out a player.

 

Ø  The Domino Team Effect - On one hand rested the fate of 5 teams!

With only 8 players remaining 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 10th place for team prizes had yet to be determined. When Kenna James (Poker Host) busted out Ricardo Felix Matos (Machine Team) the result was a $16,000 swing in team prize money and a domino effect on the final standings:

o   Ricardo finished 5th in the tournament giving Machine Team a team score of 55pts tying them with team Diaboloco's for 3rd place. All team members from Diaboloco's had been eliminated. The tie-breaker came down to the third man and Diaboloco's triumphed taking 3rd place.

o   Team Simpletrak had also been vying for the top 3 spots and with all three team members out, they took 2nd place with a score of 54

o   Team Poker had been sitting on the money bubble in 10th place and were eliminated with in this exchange by Team Min Cash Masters who locked up 10th place

o   Had Ricardo from Maching Team survived one more place they would have secured 2nd place with a score of 54 and would have beat Team Simpletrak in the tie breaker

 

Ø  Kenna James had no monetary invested interest in the team prize pool when he busted Ricardo and the cash on the line in the hand was greater for the players already out of the tournament than for those remaining

 

Ø  Two women players made the final table, London Gallagher (Team Wicked Chops Poker II) and Judy Tejwani (Team SOCRR). London finished in 7th place and Judy seemed bullet proof up until a critical hand heads-up against Kenna James.

 

Ø  There were 59 women entered into the tournament, comprising more than 16% of the entire field.

 

Ø  There were 3 all-women teams in the event:

Kegslist.info (lead by Lacey Jones)

Tush Pushers (lead by Pam Brunson)

Wicked Chops Poker II (Lead by London Gallagher)

 

Ø  There were 15 teams who played in the DTP WSOP event that also played in the DTP Caesars event in March 2009. These teams were:

Hellmuth Busters

Bluff Magazine

Wicked Chops Poker

Poker Road.com

Tao of Pokerati

Los Chingones

6Hands 4Nuts & a Rack (Jerry Yang)

The Maven VT (3 teams)

PicClub.com

West Coast Rounders

USA Rounders

BPC

 

 

Ø  More than 30 professionals played the Dream Team Poker WSOP Event including:

David Williams, Evelyn Ng, Justin Bonomo (Team Bodog)

Barry Greenstein, Joe Stapleton (Team PokerRoad.com)

Gavin Smith (Team Zurvive)

Pam Brunson (Tush Pushers)

Liz Lieu (ChiliPoker)

Jerry Yang, Christina Lindley, Eric Aude (Team Six Hands, Four Nutz, and a

Rack OnTilt)

Marsha Waggoner, James Worth, Young Phan (Team True Poker)

Barbara Enright, Paul Darden and David Levi (Team Bookmaker Poker)

David Chicotsky, Lauren Kling (Team TheMaven VT 1)

Kenna James (Poker Host)

Susie Isaacs (Team Simpletrak)

Bryan Micon, Dustin Woolf (Team Neverwinpoker.com)

Tom McEvoy (Magic Dragons)

Captain Tom Franklin, TJ Cloutier (Captain Krunch)

Lacey Jones, Christina Hall (Kegslist.info)

Maureen Feduniak (Jersey Girls)

Thor Hansen, Yosh Naknano (Team IPPA Tour)

Matt Savage (Slightly Above Saverage)

Men "The Master" Nguyen (MenMaster)

Linda Johnson, Jan Fisher, Rick Fuller (Bike.com)

Amir Vahedi (team Picclub)

Jose Canseco ()

 

NOTABLE QUOTES

"I believe that Judy is Bulletproof!" Stephen Nelson, 3rd place finisher, said just seconds before Judy rivers a full house to double up against Kenna James heads-up!

 

Kenna James to Judy Tejwani, ""You are officially the toughest soccer mom I have ever met!"

 

INTERVIEW WITH KENNA JAMES BY ALEX OUTHRED

 

Alex: Can you tell us what you thought of the DTP Format? Is this something you would recommend to folks to play?

Kenna: "I have to hand it to the Dream Team Poker team, they really run a class event. From all the information they provide, to having them out there, to having the music in the background, they really know how to generate the feeling that this event is all about. It was really special."

 

Alex: You have been known for having a fun time at the table, you're a guy that is not shy about bring his personality out. Can you just tell us about this final table; was it as grueling as it looked?

Kenna: "From two tables in it was really tough. It was really tough because nobody was giving anything away and there was so much great crowd support, and there was so much emotion!"

 

Alex: What do you have to say about your opponent Judy?

Kenna: "You have to hand it to Judy, she was so great. I mean when you raise to $200k, you expect to take the pot but she says, " I call" and I am out there with K high of course! She played great! I got lucky on a few hands where I just went with my heart, and that is what this tournament is about, playing with heart and playing with your fans and friends. Its what I try to do and it just came my way today. "

 

Alex: That is one thing that has been beautiful about your play for years and years, outside of your talent, is that you put your heart out there. In a game like this with so much emotion flying around you had a "feel" call with the three Jacks on the river with a flush draw in a scary situation, was that the difference maker?

Kenna: "I'm playing against a lady who rarely if ever bluffs, she raises me $200k on the flop, there was a flush draw out there, she checked the turn and then when the diamond fell on the river she had me guessing. I always tell people, "keep them guessing and get them to guess wrong." I just happened to guess right in that situation."

 

ADDITIONAL QUOTES

 

Dan Michalski - Team Tao of Poker

"This was my third time playing in a DTP tournament, and I had a great time and I am having fun collecting jerseys! I played in ways I never thought I would especially when the team championship was on the line!

Side Note: Dan folded pocket K's rather than risk getting them cracked when he saw they had a chance to wrap up the team prize. Dan has played in all three DTP events and according to him, was playing with one eye tied behind his back.

 

Dr. Pauly McGuire - Team Tao of Poker

"Like a lot of people I was skeptical at first but after the first hour I was won over immediately. This is probably the most fun, festive event in all of poker."

Side note: Pauly is the author of the upcoming book, "Lost Vegas" due out this fall.

 

James Page: The Maven VT III - 9th Place

"I played the Caesars event in March and I'll be back the next time too, its always a fun experience to have your friends cheering you on. The team time outs are really helpful to discuss strategy and definitely helped me make the final table."

Side Note: James is from South Carolina and came out for the WSOP and Venetian for the summer to play. He trained with The Maven a year ago and is a professional online player.

 

Bojan Miljkovic - Juzni Vetar - 6th Place

"This is the first WSOP that I played, I thought that it would be fun to play with a team in an event, and I think that Dream Team Poker is a great idea for people who enjoy poker."

Side note: Bojan is from New York City and is in investment management. Originally from Serbia, Bojan has been playing for only 6 months. He won several tournaments on PokerStars with more than 1600 contestants, which provided the bankroll to come to the WSOP.

 

Jerry Yang (2007 World Series of Poker Champion)

This was my second DTP event. I came back because I like the format and the excitement of the tournament. The competition is different in the DTP event, I get to play for my team rather than just myself."

 

Lacey Jones (Professional Poker Player/ Model / Actress)

"This is my third time playing a Dream Team Poker event and I have had the most fun playing these events than any other poker tournament. I can't think of any better way to enjoy the game of poker than to play with your friends and have them cheer you on!"

Side note: Lacey Jones captained "Team Lacey" to win the 1st place team prize in the Dream Team Poker / World Series of Poker Media Event on July 9th.

 

Tom McEvoy (World Series of Poker Champion)

"I love the Dream Team Poker structure! I played in March and finished on the final table. In a Dream Team Poker event, you want to try harder because you don't want to let your teammates down. You try to stay alive as long as possible for them, its not just about yourself, you try to maximize your team's result."

Side note: Tom played the Dream Team Poker event at Caesars Palace in March 2009. He made the final table finishing in 6th place

 

Eric Morris (Publisher, Bluff Magazine)

"Dream Team Poker is the most fun I have ever had with my clothes on! This is a great time, great people, why wouldn't you play!"

Side Note: Bluff Magazine won the inaugural Dream Team Poker event in March 2009. His video editor Marc Rizzo won the top individual prize at the Dream Team Poker / WSOP Media event on July 9, 2009

 

Valerie Palermo - Member of Team Hellmuth Busters

"The first time I played in the Dream Team Poker Event in March I had so much fun that I had to come back again. I loved the team based atmosphere and the structure. I have found that the players are more friendly and fun, it seems less stressful and tense than a regular tournament."

Side Note: Valerie's team "The Hellmuth Busters" played the Dream Team Poker Event in March at Caesars Palace. The team finished in the money taking the 5th place team prize for $6660.

 

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