Poker Players

Poker Player News

Chris Moneymaker Back on Top

Former World Champion Chris Moneymaker last night won the €1,100 8-Game for €12,000 and a lovely shiny PokerStars trophy. Okay, it's not the $2,500,000 that he won back in 2003, nor is it going to boost his $3,488,787 in live winnings radically, but a win's a win.

Moneymaker, whose WSOP win is partly credited with kicking off the online poker revolution, topped a 1-2-3 podium finish for Team PokerStars Pro beating Matthias De Meulder and Chad Brown to the trophy.

Submitted by Press Release on, May/10/2013

Victor Sbrissa Leads Going into Day 2 of EPT Grand Final

LAPT Sao Paolo champion Victor Sbrissa is chip leader at the end of Day 1b of the PokerStars and Monte-Carlo®Casino EPT Grand Final today with 224,800.

The 24-year-old from Sao Paolo, one of ten Brazilians competing here, had an emotional victory in his home city just over a week ago when he took down the LAPT Main Event for $250,000, beating a 753-strong field - and a final table that included Team PokerStars Pros Leo Fernandez and Andre Akkari.

Submitted by Press Release on, May/08/2013

Poker Pro Matt Roth Commits Suicide: A ‘Black Friday’ Casualty

Many a US-based poker pro has struggled since indictments were handed down against the big 3 American facing online poker rooms on April 15, 2011.  PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Ultimate Bet were forced out of the US market.  The later two would eventually shut down, owing millions of dollars to customers.  And while Full Tilt Poker may have been resurrected by fellow indictee PokerStars, American have yet to see any payouts going on two years now. 

Submitted by Nagesh Rath on, Apr/30/2013

Daniel Pidun of Germany Wins EPT Berlin 2013 for €880,000

It’s the third time he’s run deep, but this time German businessman Daniel Pidun achieved his dream and won EPT Berlin – for a massive payday of €880,000.

Submitted by Press Release on, Apr/27/2013

17 Players Remained Heading Into 2013 EPT Berlin

German player Roman Herold was the chip leader going in to Day 5 of EPT Berlin.

The 26-year-old has 4,485,000 after winning a monster pot against fellow German Alexander Helbig in the penultimate hand of the day. There were 17 players left in the tourney heading in Friday, all guaranteed at least €27,000 but all hoping to snag the first prize of €880,000.

Submitted by Press Release on, Apr/26/2013

Khac Trung Tran Wins 2013 APT Philippines Main Event

Australia native Khac Trung Tran has won the 2013 APT Philippines Main Event and the $124,000 grand prize.

205 players took part in the $2,700 buy-in event at Resorts World Manila. 

Until recently, Tran has had 20 cashes in live poker events, having amassed just over $100,000 total.  This is his biggest win to date.

Submitted by Patrick Flanigan on, Apr/25/2013

Two Men Sentenced in Poker Player Extortion Plot: Hacked and Stole Naked Pics

Keith James Hudson, 39, has plead guilty to hacking into professional poker players accounts and stealing naked pictures then attempting to extort money.  Hudson will serve two years prison time.

Also pleading guilty, Tyler Schrier, 23, who was sentenced to 3 1/2 years behind bars. He was sentenced for conspiracy, extortion and unauthorized access to another personal's computer information without permission. 

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on, Apr/23/2013

EPT9 Berlin Results: Day 1A

German player Ronny Voth is leading the EPT9 Berlin Main Event at the end of Day 1a with 196,100 in chips. There were 347 players today including tennis legend Boris Becker and Team Pros Liv Boeree, Matthias de Meulder, Johnny Lodden, Max Lykov, Michael Keiner, Jan Heitmann and Marcin Horecki.

Please click for: Day 1a survivors | Day 1a players

Day 1b players are set to include Team Pros Vanessa Selbst, Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier, Eugene Katchalov, Sebastian Ruthenberg, Luca Pagano, Dario Minieri and Jake Cody as well as former Berlin champ Kevin MacPhee.

Submitted by Press Release on, Apr/21/2013

Anatoly Filatov Chip Leads at Berlin Cup

Russian player Anatoly Filatov is chip leader for the final table tomorrow of the inauguaral €1,100 Berlin Cup event. The 24-year-old has 5,880,000 after eliminating Eddy Scharf.

Also still in contention for the €180.000 first prize are EPT Snowfest champion Vladimir Geshkenbein from Russia, EPT Grand Final winner Pieter de Korver from Holland and German pro Sebastian Gohr.

Submitted by Press Release on, Apr/20/2013

Geshkenbein Leads at Berlin Cup 2013

EPT Snowfest champion Vladimir Geshkenbin is leading the remaining 36 players as the debut €1,100 Berlin Cup goes into Day 3 with 1,500,000 in chips. The 24-year-old Russian has already accrued more than $1.1million in live tournament winnings, including the €390,000 he snagged for taking down Snowfest in Season 7.

Submitted by Press Release on, Apr/19/2013

Poker Brat Phil Hellmuth Left Out of Commemorative High School Year Book

Wisconsin native and – yes – high school graduate Phil Hellmuth has apparently been left out of that school’s commemorative yearbook. 

Hellmuth, the current record holder for most World Series of Poker bracelets at 13, is arguably among that high school’s most famous alumni.

The self-proclaimed “Poker Brat” tweeted Thursday evening: 

Submitted by Patrick Flanigan on, Apr/19/2013

Majestic Star Casino in Gary to Host Heartland Poker Tour in August

Gary, IN –Heartland Poker Tour (HPT), one of the longest-running televised poker tours in the United States, announced today its upcoming return to Majestic Star Casino & Hotel this summer, August 9th-19th.  Majestic Star, located just 25 minutes outside of Chicago in Gary, IN, has been one of HPT’s most popular stops, hosting the tour each year  since its second season in 2006. 

Submitted by Press Release on, Apr/17/2013

FBI Names Poker Hostess Molly Bloom, Others in Massive Gambling Ring Raid

Feds released the names of poker players connected to an investigation into a Russian organized crime ring that held high stakes poker games.

FBI agents arrested several people Tuesday in New York, Los Angeles, Miami and elsewhere as part of the investigation.  Federal agents also searched a Madison Avenue art gallery located within the prestigious Carlyle Hotel.

Submitted by C Costigan on, Apr/16/2013

Online Poker Phenom Isildur1 Closes in on $2 Million in Just Over Week

One of online poker’s most famous young players, Viktor “Isildur” Blom, has won over $1.5 million in just over a week.

Following last week’s $1 million in winnings, Isildur1 took in another $548.1 million yesterday playing against another notable online poker, Tom “Durrrr” Dwan.

Blom had sought sweet revenge for a defeat Sunday at the hands of Dwan.

HighStakesDB.com highlighted one of the biggest pots of the day:

Submitted by Ace King on, Apr/16/2013

Sam Trickett and Team Europe Win WSOP Asia Pacific Caesars Cup

The greats of poker from three continents went up against one another down under at the 2013 Caesars Cup.  Ultimately, Sam Trickett’s Team Europe came up victorious.

The event took place at the World Series of Poker Asia Pacific in Melbourne, Australia.

Trickett’s team consisted of fellow Europeans Marvin Rettenmaier, Phil Gruissem, Dominik Nitsche, Sam Holden.

Submitted by Patrick Flanigan on, Apr/14/2013

Daniel Negreanu, Antonio Esfandiari Among Chip Leaders at WSOP APAC Main Event

Among the 15 players remaining at the World Series of Poker Asia Pacific (APAC) Main Event were none other than big name pros Antonio Esfandiari and Daniel Negreanu. 

Russell Thomas was the overall chip leader after Day 3.

15 of 94 players that started out the day have advanced.

There is a AUD$1,038,825 top prize waiting for the winner of the WSOP APAC Main Event.

Submitted by Patrick Flanigan on, Apr/13/2013

WPT Seminole Hard Rock Showdown 2013: Day 1b Standings

The WPT Seminole Hard Rock Showdown 2013 is well underway with Micah Smith leading in chips followed by Ebony Kenney.  Big name pros Paul Volpe and Shawn Deep were among the top 10 chip leaders after Day 1b.

205 players entered Day 1a with 75 remaining.  Last year’s Day 1a entries totalled 290 but did not feature a re-entry day.  Volpe busted in Day 1a.

This year has single day re-entry, two starting days and a $5,000 buy-in.

Noteable poker player Mike Sexton busted out earlier in the evening.

He tweeted:

Submitted by Nagesh Rath on, Apr/12/2013

A Dozen Players to Receive $3,500 packages for Latin Series of Poker

If you thought last Sunday's $200,000 Guarantee at Americas Cardroom was big, get ready for another whopper of a tournament. On Sunday, April 14th at 6pm ET, Americas Cardroom is holding a 12-package guaranteed tournament for the Latin Series of Poker. The event costs just $50+5 to get into and awards at least 12 packages for the LSOP Main Event. The land-based tournament runs from May 20th through 25th in Lima, Peru at Casino Atlantic City.

Submitted by Press Release on, Apr/12/2013

Poker Pros in Love: Kara Scott to Marry Giovanni Rizzo

Sorry gentlemen, poker pro and hostess Kara Scott is no longer available.

Sorry ladies, Giovanni Rizzo is no longer available.

Rizzo proposed to Scott this week and the beautiful co-host of GSN’s “High Stakes Poker” accepted.

We saw it coming as the couple recently moved into a home in Rizzo’s native Italy.

Readers will be able to learn more about the couple’s engagement when she updates her blog shortly, according to PokerNews.com

Submitted by Nagesh Rath on, Apr/11/2013

Phil Ivey Wins 9th World Series of Poker Bracelet

Big name poker pro Phil Ivey managed to win his 9th World Series of Poker bracelet Wednesday World Series of Poker Asia-Pacific Event #3.

The victory yielded $51,840 in cash.

Ivey managed to fend off the likes of Daniel Negreanu to win the $2,200 Mixed Event.

Submitted by Ace King on, Apr/10/2013

WPT Barcelona 2013 Final Table Set

Sergio Fernandez, 23, is a local Spaniard who has enjoyed the lead through a good portion of this event. 

Cake-Square-010712.jpg

Fernandez lost a 1.6 million pot against Chanracy Khun when his pocket kings were cracked by the ace-king of the Canadian. How close the Spaniard came to carving a huge advantage for himself, but instead he will have to settle for fifth in chips when the action starts.

Submitted by Patrick Flanigan on, Apr/09/2013

Jim Collopy Wins 2013 WSOP APAC Event #2: Hellmuth Ousted

Jim Collopy has won the 2013 PL Omaha WSOP APAC Event #2 while Phil Hellmuth found himself out of Event #3.

Cake-Square-010712.jpg

Collopy takes home $69,622 for his efforts. This is his 10th live tournament cash and his biggest payout to date. 

Submitted by Patrick Flanigan on, Apr/09/2013

Bryan Piccioli Wins 2013 World Series of Poker Asia Pacific Event #1

Bryan Piccioli has won the 2013 WSOP Asia Pacific Event #1 and its $211,575 cash prize.

The Allegany, NY native will add to his life time earnings of $371,038.  This is his second 1st place finish and his first World Series of Poker bracelet.  Jonathan Duhamel, the 2010 WSOP Main Event champ finished a strong 4th.

The WSOP Asia Pacific Event #3 is definitely one to watch as both Daniel Negreanu and Phil Ivey advanced to the next day.  Ivey had the 7th largest chip count after Day 1.  81 players registered.

Submitted by Patrick Flanigan on, Apr/08/2013

Jonathan Duhamel Makes Final Table of WSOP Asia Pacific Event #1

2010 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Jonathan Duhamel has made the final table of the WSOP Asia Pacific Event #1.

Bryan Piccioli leads the final table with chips.  This is the first ever AUD$1000 No-Limit Hold’em Accumulator. 

Meanwhile, the AUD$1,650 Pot-Limit Omaha event #2 kicked off Sunday with 172 players and a prize pool of $258,000. 

Andrew Gaw led with chips.

Submitted by Ace King on, Apr/07/2013

Online Poker Player Ben Tollerene Wins Back $1.5 Mil From Isildur1

Last week, online poker phenom Viktor “Isildur1” Blom took Ben “Bttech86” Tollerene to the cleaners, winning $1.7 million playing against Tollerene.  This weekend, much of that money was won back.

Cake-Square-010712.jpg

Submitted by Ace King on, Apr/07/2013

2013 World Poker Tour Barcelona Day 1a, WSOP APAC Updates

The 2013 World Poker Tour Barcelona kicked off Saturday with Sergio Fernandez the Day 1a chip leader late in the evening

143-players entered Day 1B, creating a total field size of 249-players. 89 players made it through the day giving Day Two field of 148-players when the 2013 WPT Barcelona kicks off at 14:00 (CET).

As for the 2013 WSOP Asia Pacific Event #1 Day 1c, 419 entries were recorded following a total of the unlucky 666 participating over the previous two days.

Submitted by Nagesh Rath on, Apr/06/2013

World Series of Poker Champ Greg Merson May See Fallout From Macau Comments

2012 World Series of Poker champion Greg Merson appears to have gotten himself in some hot water after disclosing a few tightly held secrets about Macau high stakes poker games.

Submitted by Patrick Flanigan on, Apr/06/2013

Antoine Saout Leads Day 1B of 2013 World Series of Poker Asia Pacific

Event #1 of the 2013 World Series of Poker Asia Pacific had Antoine Saout as the chip leader after Day 1B.  Players who previously busted by re-enter for Day 1C.

A field of 337 players showed up for the $1,100 No-Limit Hold'em Accumulator in Melbourne, Australia Friday with 329 participating the day before.

Four other events will follow this “accumulator” event with each rewarding a WSOP bracelet.

Chip leader Saout is one of the most successful players on the circuit today, having garnered just shy of $4 million in career earnings. 

Submitted by Nagesh Rath on, Apr/05/2013

Online Poker Phenom Viktor Blom Wins $1.7 Million in Under 6 Hours

Online poker sensation Viktor Blom (AKA Isildur1) continued his hot streak this week, beating player Ben “Bttech86” Tollerene for a mere $1.7 million.

The most impressive part in all of this is that Blom made that money in just under 6 hours at the virtual felts of Full Tilt Poker.

Isildur1 had been down more than a million dollars at one point during the Wednesday night session.

Tollerene isn’t the only one suffering a headache this week.

Submitted by Nagesh Rath on, Apr/05/2013

Breaking News