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EDITORIAL
Poker52 Europa features an exclusive interview with Sam Trickett, a British player who burst onto the poker scene a couple years ago
Dear Readers, Surely enough 2011 has been quite a hectic year for poker: Black Friday, which happened this spring, has acted like a tsunami on the poker industry in the United States, and its consequences have also influenced the European poker scene. Still, there are many good moments in 2011 that one will always remember, such as the great victory of our German friend, Pius Heinz, at the Main Event of the World Series in Las Vegas, the enormous success of the WSOP-E in Cannes and, of course, the great feat of Sam Tricket. To celebrate his victory, Poker52 Europa features an exclusive interview with this British player who burst onto the poker scene a couple years ago, moving directly from middlestakes to the Big Game. Trickett is the big thing, the guy no one can miss at a poker table and every time he appears on TV or in a big cash-game, even the best players are afraid by his mastery of the art of poker. A few weeks ago, before the Epic Poker League, Trickett even decided to go back to Macau, the new place to be for high-rollers, and had a tremendous sessions out there, even competing with the likes of Phil Ivey —along side some big Chinese whales who made those cash-games all the more juicy. Who can stop Sam Trickett, the British lad who seems to have already won it? Just discover his secrets in our pages… I hope to meet you soon in some big European poker tournaments, and I do wish you the best runs possible during 2012!
POKER 52 €uropa // JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2012 // ISSUE 3
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ISSUE 3 // JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2012 // POKER 52 €uropa
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CONTENTS 10 14
NEWS EUROPEAN POKER AWARDS
20
INTERVIEW
30
And the nominees are… Sam Trickett
UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS 32 EPT Deauville 38 WPT Mauritius 44 EFOP Aviation Club de France 48 CAPT Seefeld 52 EPT Copenhague 56 WPT Los Angeles
70
HENDON MOB RANKINGS
81
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
18
38
CHRONICLES 18 Kara Scott
Thanksgiving 2011
26 Daniel Negreanu
Long Time No Chat!
64 Tony G.
Meet the French guy
66 Fabrice Soulier On the run
68 High Roller - Bruno “KING” Fitoussi A quick bust 72 Hendonmob Tournament Director 84 Isabelle Mercier WSOP-E: From Cannes with love
24
36
is published by Game Prod - 14 rue de Berri 75008 PARIS / France +33 (0)1 53 89 14 00 www.poker52europa.com Directed by: Bruno Benveniste +33 (0)1 53 89 14 08 - brunobenveniste@poker52europa.com Assisted by: Samantha Delmas - samantha@poker52europa.com Chief editor: Jérôme Schmidt - jerome@poker52europa.com Writers: Julien Morello, Antoine Salvi, Philippe Lemaire, Philippe Aronson Cover picture: Sam Crickett, DR Inside pictures: Jules Pochy, Neil Stoddart, XDR Re-writing and translation: Alexander JE Bradley Advertisment: +33 (0)1 53 89 14 06- marine@poker52europa.com Founder: Bruno Fitoussi
DESIGN
www.mayapress.net Artistic Director: Sébastien Martorell - s.martorell@mayapress.net Layout: Jennifer Bouvard, Cécile Chatelin, Laetitia Rossi Print: EUROprintCZ s.r.o.
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NEWS // GOOD RUN
PATEYCHUK WINS THE WPT PRAGUE TITLE including the $25,500 seat into the 2012 WPT World Championship at Bellagio in Las Vegas. An epic heads-up battle featured two players hungry for the WPT title. The chips bounced back and forth between the pair, but in the end Pateychuk took a giant leap closer to becoming Russia’s first Triple Crown winner. The red-hot Pateychuk recently won EPT San Remo and also ran deep in the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event, finishing 15th.
22-year-old Andrey Pateychuk has won the recordbreaking World Poker Tour Prague, moving him one monumental step closer to completing poker’s Triple Crown. The inaugural WPT Prague was a massive success, and now holds the esteemed honour of attracting the biggest field in a WPT Event in Europe. With 571 runners, the €3,500 reentry tournament presented by bwin.com had a total prize pool of more than €1.7 million, which allowed Pateychuk to scoop a first prize of €468,200
// WINTER SALE
PARTYPOKER.COM LAUNCHES A NO-RAKE JANUARY MONTH
The January sales are on! All multi-table tournaments (MTT’s) at PartyPoker.com are rake free with all tournament fees waived from the 1 – 31st January 2012. In January, you can also get a special reload bonus AND get access to a big freeroll. Thus, $1, $2 and $3 total buy-ins will have all the money added to prize pool (i.e $2.70+$0.30 becomes $3+$0) ; $6+ tournaments will see their total buy-in reduced to incorporate no fee (i.e. $20+$2 becomes $20+$0). It gives the customer amazing unique value and more money to play more! As the rake free period applies to ALL MTT’s online qualifiers for offline events, including WPT’s, will have new structures which incorporate no fees.
FINAL TABLE STANDINGS 1. Andrey Pateychuk (Russia): €468,200 including a $25,500 seat into the 2012 WPT World Championship at Bellagio in Las Vegas 2. Adria Balaguer (Spain): €238,000 3. Stanislaw Kretz (Germany): €158,000 4. Benjamin Pollak (France): €104,000 5. Sigurd Eskeland (Finland): €80,000 6. Russell Carson (Canada): €63,000
// GERMANY
CAPT BREGENZ TO BE LAUNCHED
After the first leg of the CAPT 2012 in Seefeld, this great poker tour stops at Bregenz from 19 to 26th February 2012. With an anticipated prize pool of €800,000, poker manager Joe Fuchshofer and team will provide for a first-rate tournament. Do not miss the €2,000 Main Event with its second chance and its incredible structure…
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// RESULTS
LOCAL PLAYER WINS WPT MARRAKECH Houssam Mohamed Ali wins World Poker Tour Marrakech, triumphing over an impressive international field of 274 runners in the €3,000 Main Event at Casino Es Saadi. The local hero from Casablanca brings home the WPT title, MAD 2,011,962 (Moroccan Dirham) including a $25,500 seat into the 2012 WPT World Championship at Bellagio, Las Vegas. Ali enters WPT history as the first WPT Champion from Morocco and only the second player
from Africa to gain entry into the prestigious WPT Champions Club. The final day started with nine elite players battling to win WPT Marrakech, including Jonathan Duhamel, Arnaud Mattern and WPT Season VII Player of the Year Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier. While ElkY (8th place) and Duhamel (7th place) bowed out relatively early, Arnaud Mattern made a strong run at the WPT Final Table and finished in 4th place, pocketing MAD 519,600.
FINAL TABLE STANDINGS 1. Houssam Mohamed Ali (Morocco) – MAD 1,798,400 + a $25,500 seat into the 2012 WPT World Championship at Bellagio, Las Vegas 2. Adria Balaguer (Spain): €238,000 3. Stanislaw Kretz (Germany): €158,000 4. Benjamin Pollak (France): €104,000 5. Sigurd Eskeland (Finland): €80,000 6. Russell Carson (Canada): €63,000
// NEW TOURNAMENT
ENGLAND SCORES BIG IN EPT LOUTRAKI British poker pro Zimnan Ziyard has won EPT8 Loutraki for €347,000 at the first ever EPT event in Greece. A total of 336 players from 38 countries competed in the €4,400 Main Event at Club Hotel Casino Loutraki, creating a €1,344,000 prize pool and making it the biggest poker tournament ever held in the country. Ziyard, 25, from Eastbourne, triumphed following a marathon final. Although five players were eliminated by 5pm, it took a further six hours before third-placed John Taramas was knocked out, ending Greek hopes of a local champion. A two-hour duel then commenced between Zinyard and fellow PokerStars qualifier Hauke Heseding, 24, from Berlin, a part-time player currently doing a year’s national service in the army.
FINAL TABLE/ PAYOUTS: 1. Zimnan Ziyard (UK) PokerStars qualifier €347,000 2. Hauke Heseding (Germany) - PokerStars qualifier €221,800 3. John Taramas (Greece) €134,400 4. Florian Schleps (Austria) PokerStars qualifier €100,800 5. Pierre Mothes (Germany) PokerStars qualifier €67,200 6. Andras Kovacs (Hungary) €53,700 7. Charalampos Kapernopoulos (Greece) €40,300 8. Mario Puccini (Germany) PokerStars qualifier €27,000
POKER 52 €uropa // NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2011 // NUMÉRO 2
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NEWS // ONLINE
THE LARGEST ONLINE TOURNAMENT EVER ON POKERSTARS.COM Until today the high-water mark for the Sunday Millions participants was 59,128 players-a record set this past March on the Million’s fifth birthday. Today, that number topped out at 62,116, creating a prize pool of $12,423,200. Previously, the 2010 WCOOP Main Event held the top spot when it came to PokerStars prize pools, ($12,215,000) and that event carried a $5,200 buy-in. While today’s first-place finisher wouldn’t top POTTERPOKER’s $2,278,097.50 haul in that event, there was a $2 million guarantee on the number 1 spot. Five hours and fifty minutes into play, the money bubble burst, guaranteeing the remaining 7,682 players at least two and a half times their $215 buy-in. Four minutes later, 1,000 players had busted and in the seven minutes that followed, another 1,000 joined them on the rail. The Red Spade Army was out in force with dozens of members of Team Pro, Team Online, and Team SportsStars all vying for a seat at the final table. Ten of them finished in the money including Sigge «ClarkKent89» Reichard (7,166th), Gualter Salles
(5,916th), Pius Heinz (4,338th), Johnny Lodden (4,202nd), Rino Mathis (4,081st), Matthias De Muelder (3,149th), Mickey «mement_mori» Petersen (2,377th), George Danzer (1,654th), and Andre Akkari (798th). However, it was everyone’s favourite Flying Dutchman, Marcel Luske, who claimed Team Pro last-longer honours with his 129th-place finish.
POKERSTARS SUNDAY MILLION 10TH ANNIVERSARY $10M GUARANTEED RESULTS 1. First-Eagle (Canada) 2. Unstoffable (Spain) 3. BLAABAR (Sweden) 4. tunafish919 (Australia) 5. Dimedroll (Russia) 6. SkunkDen (Australia) 7. fireballdia (Portugal) 8. kaalen (Sweden) 9. yokouno1980 (Israel)
$1,146,574.65 $580,724.34 $709,896.78 $627,317.26 $995,996.85 $758,986.42 $182,406.00 $119,866.80 $86,512.56
// NEWCOMER
ANOTHER EPT TITLE FOR GERMANY
Germany has scored yet another major poker victory tonight with PokerStars qualifier Martin Finger taking down the €5,300 EPT Prague Main Event for €720,000. He joins a growing roster of Germanophones who have walked away with EPT trophies this season – Ronny Kaiser (from Switzerland) won the season’s first event in Tallinn, Martin Schleich won
EPT Barcelona and Benny Spindler won EPT London. Business science student Finger, a Supernova Elite on PokerStars, won his seat to Prague via PokerStars’ step satellites. He took up poker three years ago, kicking off in home games with friends before finding his way into online poker. Although today’s victory was his first ever EPT Main Event cash, he has had considerable success on the tour already - runner-up in the EPT Barcelona €1k event for €42,000, third in the EPT Barcelona Headsup tourney in Season 7 and ninth in a €1k EPT Berlin side event. His victory came after a gruelling fourhour heads-up battle against Dutch banker David Boyaciyan. Boyaciyan, 32, is a recreational player who took
the poker world by storm last month when he won the Amsterdam Master Classics for €382,200. His runnerup place in Prague has netted him another €535,000.
FINAL TABLE STANDINGS 1. Martin Finger (Germany) PokerStars qualifier
€720,000 €535,000 €270,000 €205,000 €160,000
PokerStars qualifier
€125,000
PokerStars qualifier
€90,000 €66,700
2. David Boyaciyan (Holland, 3. Nicolas Levi (France) 4. Guillem Usero (Spain) 5. Denys Drobyna (Ukraine) 6. Ari Engel (USA) 7. Andreas Wiese (Germany) 8. Mads Wissing (Denmark)
12 ISSUE 3 // JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2012 // POKER 52 €uropa
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// INNOVATION
A NEW SHIELD FOR THE BUBBLE BOYS Bubble Protection, a Las Vegas company that offers online poker players the opportunity to insure their tournament entry fees against being lost, “On the Bubble” is now live at www.BubbleProtection.com. For players that purchase bubble protection, the “New” online bubble is 10% of the field. By increasing the “Bubble” from one static position, the Bubble Protection “Bubble Range” is now 10% of the total number of entrants in a tournament. With Bubble Protection, poker players can now purchase protection on their tournament buy-in and poker site fees
for a modest premium. A player’s buyin and tournament site fees will be “Paid Back” to the player’s account upon finishing in the “Bubble” with instant verification and settlement of claims. Unique in the industry, with Bubble Protection, the player doesn’t need to make a claim, or engage in any additional money requests. Player accounts are settled automatically. With Bubble Protection, online players worldwide can now preserve their bankroll and enjoy more tournaments, without the hassle or distraction of excessive losses or long forms. Chris Moorman is the brand’s spokesman.
// ITALY
AN ITALIAN WINNER FOR WPT VENICE Edoardo Alescio has pulled off one of the most unlikely
comebacks of Season X to take down WPT Venice, presented by
PartyPoker.it. The
23-year-old
economics
student
triumphed at Casino Di Venezia Ca’ Noghera to get his name
onto the WPT Champions Cup and win €194,000, including
a seat at the $25,000 2012 WPT World Championship at Bellagio in Las Vegas. European attention now turns to the
internationally televised WPT Venice Grand Prix, taking place 6 – 11th February, 2012. Hosted by the historic Casino
Di Venezia, the oldest casino in the world, the €4,950 buy-in
WPT Season X event runs during the famous carnival season. WPT Venice Grand Prix will feature Mike Sexton, Vince Van
Patten, and the Royal Flush Girls and will also mark the debut of Marianela Pereyra, presiding as WPT Anchor while
FINAL TABLE STANDINGS 1. Edoardo Alescio (IT) 2. Steve O’Dwyer (US) 3. Michele Caroli (IT) 4. Andrea Dato (IT) 5. Andrea Benelli (IT) 6. Alex Dovzhenko (UKR)
€194,000 €95,930 €66,090 €43,170 €34,245 €27,035
Kimberly Lansing takes maternity leave.
POKER 52 € €uropa uropa ur opa // JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2012 // ISSUE 3
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AWARDS
EUROPEAN POKER AWARDS
AND THE NOMINEES ARE… The climax is at its maximum before the gala ceremony of the European Poker Awards, which will take place in Paris on the evening of 25th January, the night before the Gold Championship of the EFOP at the Aviation Club de France. The nomination panel has now voted to determine the nominees, the who’s who of the European poker scene. The final jury will pick its winners but a few hours before the ceremony itself…
T
The awards stand as a symbol that both money and even poker skill cannot buy: the respect and recognition of ones peers and a place in Poker History. For their 11 th Edition, the European Poker Awards will once again honour the best Europeans pros and newcomers, as well as the people involved in running the poker industry. The award ceremony is a highlight in the poker year that no one wants to miss, especially because of its prestigious ceremony and its incredible field of players and poker VIPs who attend it every year. Last year, the ceremony hosted by the lovely Michelle Orpe awarded great champions like Jake Cody, Tony G, James Bord and Liv Boeree. We truly believe this new venture will capture the attention of the poker world and we hope it will be the same for you. The evening will be broadcasted and covered by magazines and poker-dedicated websites. The “Rob Gardner Memorial Award for the Poker Personality of the Year” was introduced in memory of the contribution Rob Gardner gave to the poker scene. Rob Gardner was best known for being the producer of
14 ISSUE 3 // JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2012 // POKER 52 €uropa
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Player of the year
Jake Cody (England) Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier (France) Pius Heinz (Germany) Eugene Katchalov (Ukraine) Andrey Pateychuk (Russia) Sam Trickett (England)
Best Tournament performance Jake Cody (England) Pius Heinz (Germany) Fabrice Soulier (France) Benny Spindler (Germany) Sam Trickett (England)
Rookie of the year Adrien Allain (France) Pius Heinz (Germany) Sam Holden (England) Oleksii Kovalchuk (Ukraine) Andrey Pateychuk (Russia)
Europe’s Leading Lady Liv Boeree (England) Victoria Coren (England) Nesrine Kourdourli (France) Barbara Martinez (France) Natalia Nikitina (Russia) Cecilia Pescaglini (Italy)
Poker Staff Person of the year
Barny Boatman (England) Neil Channing (England) Bertrand “Elky”Grospellier (France) Tony Guoga (Lithuania) Jesse May (Denmark)
Nicolas Fraioli (France) Warren Lush (International Public Relation Department Bwin Party, England) Edgar Stuchly (EPT President) Kirsty Thompson (President of the UKIPT, England) Simon Trumper (Dusk Till Dawn Live Poker Director England)
Internet Player of the year
Rob Gardner Memorial Award for the poker personality of the year
Best European Event of the year EPT London International Poker Open Dublin Finale du Partouche Poker Tour WPT Grand Prix de Paris WSOPE Cannes
Lifetime Achievement Award The winner will be announced on 25th January.
Jude Ainsworth (Ireland) Viktor Blom (Sweden) Rui Cao (France) Chris Moorman (England) Ilari Sahamies (Finland)
the first three series of Late Night Poker, the first televised poker show of the modern era. He was the first ever person to successfully pioneer the idea of showing player’s hole cards by using under-the-table cameras…it was this concept which kick-started televised poker. Rob died at the age of 36 in 2007. The people getting the most nominations in each category are invited to Paris for the final judging and presentation ceremony, which will take place during the annual Euro Finals of Poker at the Aviation Club de France on 25 th January 2012. The judges discuss the relative merits of each nominee and then a secret ballot is held so that even the judges themselves do not know who the winners are. This is only revealed when the envelopes containing the winners’ names are opened. The lifetime achievement award is based solely on votes of the nomination panel. The winners receive unique trophies shaped like a golden spade, specially created for the European Poker Awards by Samy and Antonella Haffaf.
Poker52 Europa readers had picked... Player of the year : Bertrand «ElkY» Grospellier Best tournament performance : Bertrand «ElkY» Grospellier Rookie of the year : Adrien Allain Europe’s leading Lady : Liv Boeree Poker staff person of the year : Nicolas Fraioli Rob Gardner Memorial Award for the Poker Personality of the year : Bertrand «Elky» Grospellier LifeTime Achievement Award : Fabrice Soulier Internet player of the year : Chris Moorman Best event of the year : WSOPE Cannes
POKER 52 €uropa // JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2012 // ISSUE 3
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CHRONICLE KARA SCOTT
KARA SCOTT
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2011
THANKSGIVING I have been in a food coma since American Thanksgiving. Being a non-US transplant in California has certainly been an interesting experience over the past couple of years. Although Canada and the USA are geographically close (note: but not ACTUALLY the same country, thank you very much) there are just enough cultural differences to constantly remind me that I am indeed in a foreign nation. Over the past couple of weeks, the only topics of conversation seemed to be Thanksgiving and Black Friday. No, not the poker version of Black Friday but this strange day which sounds ridiculously ominous but is actually just an extreme and slightly frightening version of the Boxing Day sales you non-Americans might be more familiar with. People camp out with real tents and everything and line up in front of stores like Walmart ALL NIGHT in order to be allowed in early to pick up deals on merchandise. People get really wound up about Black Friday and the news has been full of stories of people going a little bit too far in their shopping zeal. One lady even used pepper spray to fend off purchasing rivals who were approaching things she wanted to buy. I really don’t understand the whole thing and I’m sure there must be more to it that I’m missing, because it all sounds utterly bonkers to me. Thanksgiving though, now THAT I can get behind! This is a holiday created for nothing short of gluttony - something that I’m quite fond of as a pastime. Some friends of mine invited me over to share their dinner, along with about 15 family members and other friends. It was, in a word, awesome. The taste and variety of foods was staggering although of course turkey was the centrepiece. And the amounts, dear god, the sheer volume of food that we ate. It was really lovely to be able to watch her family dynamic as everyone teased and told jokes and caught up on each other’s lives and they welcomed me in like
People get really wound up about Black Friday and the news has been full of stories of people going a little bit too far in their shopping zeal
a long lost Canadian cousin. I endured a lot of ‘eh’ jokes but we bonded over the humour from the classic Canadian movie Strange Brew. They are a great group of people and if they don’t invite me back next year for some reason, I might just camp outside their house pre-Thanksgiving in my own version of crazy Black Friday consumption madness. I hope you all enjoyed your November, whether turkey was involved or not!
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INTERVIEW RENCONTRE
SAM TRICKETT CRUSHING THE BIG GAME
The kid from East Retford (United Kingdom) is only 25 but is already part of the happy few British poker millionaires. Moreover, now that he has won so much in tournament, he can play with the big boys at any high-stakes NLHE table. Trickett is simply a genius, the bad boy that UK has been waiting since Devilfish to crush again the Big Game. In 2011, he has won the PPT for a good million euros and totaled more that 4 millions in a row, especially during the Aussie Millions. Some rumors say that he is stacked by one of his fellow poker millionaires, James Bord, in exchange for the ticket to the Macau big games. For Trickett, life must be lived on the fast lane: in 2007, at 22, he discovered online poker and its small-stakes sit’n’gos. One year later, he made a final table in a 5k NLHE event at the WSOP in Las Vegas, winning his first 6-digit sum —$245,000. After this, he never looked back. The former professional soccer player who had to put an end to his career in 2005 after a knee injury could be considered as the next “Poker Brat”: he is loud, funny and full of talent. And we has cash in his pockets, he just spends it in expensive sports car, gifts for his lovely girlfriend or buy-ins for the Big Game in Macau. The Asian gaming city has thus become his number one spot, winning 2 millions in a night, losing half of it the next 48 hours, and then coming back to the grind to win a new mil after… Just after his winning in Cannes, he went back to Macau to win big, along with Phil Ivey, Johnny Chan, Tom Dwan, Andrew Robl or Patrik Antonius. Playing 25-hours straight sessions, he was one of the biggest winners versus the Chinese whales, ex-communist billionaires who play highlimit poker as they can spew at the baccarat table. A perfect fresh meat for Trickett’s insatiable appetite… By Jerome Schmidt / picture : Titan Poker
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POKER 52 €uropa // JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2012 // ISSUE 3
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INTERVIEW
You just come back from the Macau Big Games, how was it?
There is a lot action out there, especially since the Chinese billionaires have decided to try their luck at the poker tables. But it’s not as soft as one could have expected… First time I’ve been there, I played directly in the middlestakes cash, the 300/600 HK$ (which equals 30/60 in Europe), where I built up a little bankroll, at the autumn 2010. Then I moved up to the Big Game, the 4000/8000 HK$ (400/800 in Europe) thanks to some stacking, which is like a roller coaster. Hopefully, I ended pretty good, despite the huge upswings and downswings you can endure… And lastly, during my trip this autumn 2011, I played so long sessions, like 25 hours in a row, which is pretty tricky for sure… How can you endure such long sessions?
Well, I don’t know personally! (laughs) In fact, to give you an example, I played a 26 hours session, and was a big winner
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until 25 hours and 30 minutes… and lost it all in 30 minutes, with some set-ups… It’s really hard, emotionally speaking, but I went to sleep afterwards, and came back the next day, in full force, to win!
How are the pros doing there?
Well, as I told you it’s not as soft as one could expect: those guys are not whales, they are pretty tricky sometimes because it’s hard to have clear reads or expectations with them… And they have so much money that they can play any big draw, putting a lot of money pressure on you. That’s why I think it’s good to be stacked in such big games, to feel less scaredmoney, even if it’s not especially my type (laughs)…
There seems to be a very good fraternity between all the British pros…
Indeed, and I have to admit I’m lucky enough to be friend with the coolest
poker guys in UK. Since my very beginning, when I was playing the very smallstakes tournaments at Dusk Till Dawn, in Nottingham, I’ve been close to the old school guys, like Neil Channing, Paul Jackson or Julian Thew. Thew was the one who first stacked me to enter the “bigger” tournaments, the £200 or £300 tourneys, to help building up my bankroll. He bought 10% share of me and it really helped me a lot to move up quickly…
In 2005, you were still a soccer player, and now, you’re already one of the biggest cash-game players on earth… How did you move up so quickly?
Some say I’m fearless, others put it differently by saying I’m a crazy gambler! (laughs) I always had competition throbbing in my blood, and I want to be the best. When doctors told me in 2005 that I could never play soccer properly due to a knee injury, I just wanted to be the best in another field… It’s pretty funny because a lot of other pros have previously been
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Some say I’m fearless, others put it differently by saying I’m a crazy gambler! I always had competition throbbing in my blood, and I want to be the best.
sportsmen who had to stop because of injuries, like Doyle Brunson for example. Thus I started poker in pubs and did pretty well, winning small sit’n’gos in a row and hitting the runner-up place for my first casino tournament. Competitiveness is my first and foremost quality, because it has always been driving my whole life. And in fact, it might be a reason why bankroll management is not such important for me: I want to play the highest possible with the best players around. I might be not the best technical player around, but I always give hard times to my opponents. I want them to leave the comfort zone and to think a lot when they play against me. Indeed I prefer to push them around so that they are forced to take huge decisions… and to regret it!
How is the interaction between the British players?
If you had ever experienced a final table at the World Series where a British player is heads-up, believe me, you’d understand it quite easily! When one of us makes a big final table, the rows are crowded with
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lads singing and screaming at every hand their fellow mate is involved in… Most of us are friends, from the old school guys to the new guns, like Jake Cody. We discuss a lot about our hands, how we played it, etc. James Bord is a also a central man in UK because he stacked a lot of guys, and believe me it was good stacking… First time I flew to Macau, he bought 30% of my action. I always discuss with him my big hands, to determine if I did good or not. For example, you don’t play a tournament in Europe like a cash-game in Macau. In Macau, I won almost a million euros with just top-pair, versus two Chinese rich men who were on draws… On these tables, you’d better not bluffing, as Bord always tells me, or only versus the pros or in special spots.
What has been your best tournament experience?
Aussie Million 2011 for sure. Before that, I was already part of the big pros but these two high-roller and super high-roller tournaments just changed my life… I came first in the $100,000, for more than
$1,500,000 and second in the $250,000 for almost the same amount. It put me on a winning streak: I made the finale table of WPT Diamond in Paris and won the PPT afterwards… My only regret was this year’s WSOP where I just did nothing almost. It was strange because when you win so often and so big, it’s very stressing not to be able to at least do a final table in 3 months! (laughs)
When you’re so young and have won so much, how can you still be motivated?
If I look back at my young career, I have to admit 2011 has been incredible, and that I might not do as well in the upcoming years. Though, I’d like to concentrate more on the big cash-games because that’s where all the money and thrill are, and also win a major event, like an EPT, a WPT or, even better, a WSOP bracelet. I know I can do it, I almost made it in 2010… I just have to focus during 4 weeks and not regret a single hand I had played!
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INTERVIEW
RANKING
2011
Tournament
Result
10 oct.
€ 5,000 Pot Limit Omaha 2011 World Series of Poker Europe, Cannes
9 oct.
£ 20,000 No Limit Hold’em High Roller Event EPT/UK & Ireland Poker Tour London, London
7th
12 sept.
€ 8,500 No Limit Hold’em Main Event Partouche Poker Tour Main Event, Cannes
1st
9 aug.
$ 20,000 No Limit Hold’em Six Handed - League Main Event 2011-12 Epic Poker League - Event 1, Las Vegas
11th
22 june
$ 1,500 No Limit Hold’em 42nd World Series of Poker (WSOP) 2011, Las Vegas
7 june
4th
winnings $ 103,719
$ 107,534
25 june
$ 1,500 No Limit Hold’em 41st World Series of Poker (WSOP) 2010, Las Vegas
17th
$ 25,838
8 june
$ 5,000 No Limit Hold’em 41st World Series of Poker (WSOP) 2010, Las Vegas
2nd
$ 505,725
2009
Tournament
Result
winnings
28 aug
$ 10,000 Finals Late Night Poker 2009, Cardiff
4th
$ 45,000
$ 49,360
15 aug.
£ 500 No Limit Hold’em Main Event 2009 Coral British Masters Poker Tour - Nottingham, Nottingham
5th
$ 4,552
57th
$ 7,516
14 aug.
1st
$ 7,581
$ 1,500 No Limit Hold’em Triple Chance 42nd World Series of Poker (WSOP) 2011, Las Vegas
£ 200 No Limit Hold’em 2009 Coral British Masters Poker Tour - Nottingham, Nottingham
16th
$ 12,952 16 jul.
10th
$ 16,328
9 feb.
€ 5,000 WPT Diamond Championship EFOP Diamond Championship/ WPT Regional Series, Paris
6th
£ 2,500 No Limit Hold’em Main Event The Grosvenor Victoria London Poker Championships & Unibet Open, London
19 mar.
1st
$ 13,997
27 jan.
A$ 250,000 Super High Roller No Limit Hold’em 2011 Aussie Millions Poker Championship, Melbourne
2
£ 1,000 No Limit Hold’em Main Event 888.com London Poker Circuit , London
22 jan.
A$ 100,000 No Limit Hold’em 2011 Aussie Millions Poker Championship, Melbourne
1st
2010
Tournament
nd
$ 1,364,666
$ 59,403
$ 1,384,631 2008
Result
$ 1,508,258
6 sept.
1st
$ 200,000
28 aug.
€ 5,000 No Limit Hold’em Main Event EPT Vilamoura, Vilamoura
4th
$ 177,519
30 june
$ 25,000 No Limit Hold’em Six Handed 41st World Series of Poker (WSOP) 2010, Las Vegas
7th
$ 141,168
Result
winnings
15 nov.
£ 300 No Limit Hold’em Grosvenor UK Poker Tour Leg 9, Blackpool
1st
$ 20,022
7 aug.
£ 1,000 No Limit Hold’em Main Event Grosvenor UK Poker Tour Leg 6, Luton
1st
$ 215,178
26 june
$ 5,000 No Limit Hold’em 39th World Series of Poker (WSOP) 2008, Las Vegas
4th
$ 245,927
winnings
$ 10,000 No Limit Hold’em PartyPoker.com World Open VI, London
Tournament
Total (all time) : $ 6,304,096 Total 2011 : $ 4,598,038
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DANIEL NEGREANU “Kid Poker”
LONG TIME NO CHAT! 08 December 2011
The two month long trip to Europe absolutely drained me both mentally and physically. On the last leg of that trip, EPT San Remo, I played good for the first three hours or so, then just
collapsed and had no interest or energy to continue. I was spent, and played terribly, hoping
C H R O N I C L E DA N I E L N E G R E A N U
to either get lucky and double up, or catch the next flight home. I can’t remember the last
time I mailed in a tournament like that, but I just didn’t have it. I definitely needed a break from the game... so I took one.
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I started working on «Me». I got on a schedule where I was waking up at 8am and doing Bikram Yoga everyday, doing some reading, more specifically an Eckhart Tolle book that I’m rereading called «A New Earth.» The book is really deep, and I’ll probably read it at least once a year for the rest of my life as a reminder of what I’ve learned, and what I continue to learn. I also started volunteering in the kitchen at threesquare.org, a great organization that feeds thousands of needy kids in Las Vegas. I plan to do a lot more in the coming year to help them, both with fund raising efforts as well as hands on work in the kitchen. This coming Thursday I’m doing Extreme 1 0 7 . 5
locally, and listeners will have the chance to have dinner with me, along with a poker tourney/ lesson sometime in January. This is no joke, but for every $1 donated Three Square can provide three nutritious meals for kids in Vegas. The place is run like a well-oiled machine. I’m super impressed with how well the program is run and I promise you, they do a lot of good. If you plan on donating, and hope to join me for the dinner/poker lesson, I promise you we will have a blast! We’ll do Vegas up right. My focus really isn’t on poker at the moment, and that’s not something I feel the need to apologize for. I’ve worked hard in this industry for many years, both at the tables and away from the felt, and I needed a little time for me, so I took it. I’m sure that fire and passion will resurface, I’m way too competitive of a person for that not to be the case, but it wasn’t really there in the WPT event this week. I played OK, pretty good actually, but I’d rate my focus at about a D. Tomorrow is a small field $100,000 buy in event at Bellagio. I never really felt very excited about playing, and I still don’t really feel gung ho about entering, but I think I’m going to give it a go anyway. I played two $100k buy in events this year, finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively, my only two really good results in what was otherwise a bad year for me tournament
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wise. Those two cashes were worth $1,500,000 and that pretty much sums up all my highlights for the year, outside of a strong showing in the WCOOP where I had 15 cashes and placed 3rd in the race for player of the series. In the last Bellagio 100k, I felt similarly to the way I do now. I wasn’t going to play unless they got at least 27 players. The event started at noon, and at about 3:30pm they hit that number so I showed up at 4pm and ended up finishing 3rd. If they get 22 players for tomorrow I’ll be there. I often do things in a very extreme fashion and have done all my life. As mentioned, I was «living right» doing Bikram Yoga everyday, etc. but this last week, while I’ve been having a blast, I’ve kind of been living in the fast lane. I invited my friend Maria Ho to go see the new Michael Jackson Cirque du Soleil show on Saturday, and somehow it ended up turning into a three-night binge of «clubbing» with her and her friends. Haze, Marquee, and Bank, with dinners and drinks mixed in a long the way. I had a lot of fun, but that is definitely not the best way for me to prepare for a tournament! I have «rules» when it comes to playing tournaments, and I definitely broke them this week. I’m not disappointed in myself to be honest, I just felt like going out.. so I did. Today I’m being a good boy vegging on the couch watching some NHL Hockey. I started betting again this November and have done pretty well so far. I rarely
every lay a price on any game, and I’ve been hitting a lot of underdogs pretty consistently: November: 11-8 +4.93 units, December: 5-2 +4.25 units, Total: 16-10 +9.18 units There is no chance I can keep up that pace all season, but I do think I can pick in the 50% range, and since I’m always being laid odds as opposed to laying a price, that will be a good result by the end of the year. If you feel like gambling on some hockey, I tweet my picks before the games when I do bet @realkidpoker. I finally made the switch from Blackberry to iPhone, but sadly, I’m with Sprint and it doesn’t look like that company is capable yet of hosting the product. I’m dropping calls habitually, texts barely go through, and the 3G network connection fails me regularly here in Las Vegas. I think I’m going to be forced to switch providers, and after doing some research it looks like Verizon is going to win my business. I’m going to be heading to Toronto for Christmas, and I’m likely going to take in a Leafs game on the 17th, 19 th, and 22 nd, while also playing in the Sunday Million on PokerStars.com with a ridiculously big 10 th anniversary guarantee. After that, the only thing I’m looking to plan is NYE this year, likely in Vegas again, and then it’s off to the PCA, with hopefully, renewed focus and determination for a better 2012.
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UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS
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EUROPEAN POKER TOUR DEAUVILLE SEASON 8
THE BIGGEST
FRENCH POKER SERIES The European Poker Tour will stop once again in one of the most prestigious French seaside resorts, the city of Deauville, known as the “Queen of the Normandy beaches”. Crowds of players are awaited for this week-long series highlighted by its €5300 buy-in Main Event starting on 31st January 2012 in the mythical Casino Barrière de Deauville. Who will succeed Frenchman Lucien Cohen as Deauville’s prince of poker? Here is an overview of what you can expect for the 8th season of the EPT in Normandy.
S
Since the first season of the EPT in 2005, Deauville has been one of the most important stops of the major European circuit. Each year, more and more players have traveled to the Normandy seaside, reaching the record number of 891 participants last year, generating a €4,276,800 prize pool. The most talented poker pros have played this amazing tournament each year since the beginning, as German pro Moritz Kranich and British young gun Jake Cody, who
By Julien Morello won the big prize respectively in 2008 and 2009. Kranich went back home with €851,400 after overtaking French pro Arnaud Esquevin and Cody won €847,000 after his heads-up against Romanian Teodor Caraba. Last year, Lucien Cohen took the title on home soil for a first place prize of €880,000, emerging from the 891 player-field after 6 days of tournament play.
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More and more players coming to the French temple of gambling An increasing number of players come each year to EPT Deauville, and it’s not surprising. Indeed, this small city on the coast of the English Channel has a lot to offer: a century-long tradition of high-class gambling and the equestrian, with perfectly organized facilities and impeccable staff, beautiful natural surroundings, gorgeous turn-of-thecentury architecture, international cultural events and some of the most sumptuous palaces in France. Located in the city center, the Casino Barrière de Deauville is a must-see in itself. This mythical building was erected in 1912 on the seafront, the Promenade des Planches, and has attracted European high stakes gamblers ever since. It was designed in the classic Belle Epoque style by French architect Georges Wybo, who is also the creator of the Printemps Haussmann department store and the Four Seasons George V Hotel in Paris. With a luxurious setting worthy of the grandest of palaces, this legendary casino includes 356 slot machines, 3 restaurants, 3 bars, ballroom, discotheque, meeting rooms and also Le Petit Trianon, an
Italian theater hosting a celebrated ensemble performing more than 125 shows per year. Within the premises you will also find a cinema, famous for hosting the annual American Film Festival in September.
Do you want a part of a record prize pool? There is a lot to do and see around Deauville: its twin sister Trouville is a delightful, quiet a historical town, famous for inspiring its well-known residents Claude Monet, Alexandre Dumas and Gustave Flaubert. The lovely medieval maritime town of Honfleur, with its picturesque, colorful narrow houses, is also easily reached by car. Close by is the dramatic D-Day landing beaches, the famed coastline where the Allied forces broke the Atlantic Wall during WWII. But the only struggle you’ll see this winter will take place at the Deauville International Center, the elegant annex of the Casino Barrière. From 27th January to 6th February, alongside high stakes NLHE and PLO cash game tables, this series will host no
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LIST OF THE EPT MAIN EVENT WINNERS Season 1 - 2005
field: 243 players 1st Brandon Schaefer 2nd Carl Olson 3rd Mark Ristine
€144,000 €80,000 €40,500
Season 2 - 2006 field: 434 players 1st Mats Iremark 2nd Mark Boudewjin 3rd Kirill Gerasimov
€480,000 €259,000 €155,000
Season 5 - 2009
field: 645 players 1st Moritz Kranich 2nd Arnaud Esquevin 3rd Tristan Clémençon
less than 20 events, with buy-ins ranking from €300+€30 to €10,000+€300, such as a 2-day €3,000+€250 Heads Up Event, a 3-day €2,000+€200 Hold’em Event, a 6-handed €5,000+€250 High Roller Event, a 2-day €10,000+€300 High Roller Event, as well as the most awaited 6-day Main Event. A large number of French players are expected, as each year, trying to best the greatest international poker pros in a major high-level tournament to keep the title on home soil. Last year, WSOP winner Jonathan Duhamel grabbed €203,232 in the High Roller Event, and the prize pool of the Main Event reached an amazing record of €4,276,800, but the ever-growing EPT Deauville should attract more players for its 8th season, and generate an even bigger cash prize. Do you want a part of it?
€851,400 €.495,400 €284800
Season 6 - 2010
field: 768 players 1st Jake Cody 2nd Teodor Caraba 3rd Mike McDonald
€847,000 €516,000 €295,000
Season 7 - 2011
field: 891 players 1st Lucien Cohen 2nd Martin Jacobson 3rd Alex Wice
€880,000 €560,000 €330,000
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HOW TO GET THERE
Air: There is a small international airport in Deauville-St Gatien with connections limited to Marrakech, Athens, Crete, Funchal, Palma. For other international flights, you will first have to fly into Paris, with direct fights from almost all European and many North America cities, then continue to Deauville by car or train. Train: From London, take the Eurostar to Paris (2 hours 15 mins, from £69 return). Crossing from Paris Gard du Nord via RER train (Line E), or a taxi (around €8) to Paris Gare St Lazare. Trains to Deauville leave St Lazare 4 times a day, (approx. 2 hours). Road: Caen-Deauville: N176 then N177;
Paris-Deauville: A13, 195km, including 186km of highway (approx. 2 hours).
Sea: Multiple trips per day from England. Brittany Ferries: Portsmouth – Caen/ Ouistreham. P&O: Southampton - Portsmouth Le Havre.
HOTELS Normandy Barrière *****
This beautiful Anglo-Norman dwelling offers 290 rooms, including 28 suites and 8 apartments, decorated in style and tradition with authentic Toile de Jouy. Each suite has character and is warm and refined, with views of the sea, the old town or the hotel’s magnificent courtyard, for stays full of charm. The classic atmosphere and the enchanting natural surroundings will make you forget that you are right in the city center. Special rates for EPT participants. • 38 rue Jean Mermoz, Deauville
Royal Barrière Deauville *****
“At the Royal Barrière, each guest is a star”. The 220 rooms and 31 suites are the most luxurious in Normandy and have been recently refurbished by the well-known designer Jacques Garcia. Erected with sumptuous 1900 architecture, French doors that open to a great, unspoiled ocean view, the Royal seems to be the British and American visitors’ favorite. €250-500 per night. Special rates for EPT participants. • Boulevard Cornuché, Deauville
Mercure Deauville Hotel du Yacht Club ***
If you don’t want to stay in a palace of a hotel, but still want comfort and great services, you can enjoy one of the 53 recently renovated, contemporary and tasteful rooms or duplex suites at the Mercure Deauville Hotel du Yacht Club. Located in the heart of the city, opposite the marina and just a stone’s throw from the casino and beach, this hotel offers rates starting at €91. • 2 rue Breney, Deauville
RESTAURANTS Le Drakkar
The place-to-be for EPT players. Situated just 100 meters from the casino back entrance, the Drakkar is the perfect restaurant for seafood lovers, french cuisine and grilled meat. Ask for the signature grilled lobster or the Isigny oysters, and do not forget to taste the mussels as a side-dish. Always crowded, fun and entertaining with a special terrace even in winter time for smokers.
Ciro’s
With its windows opening onto the beach, this gastronomic brasserie is a must try. Great sea food, fish tartare, and sole meunière, the menu is a tribute to the sea. You can sit on the terrace or on the mezzanine and enjoy the view, or stay inside in the cosy early 1900s atmosphere. The cellar holds some prestigious French bottles, but the restaurant also offers some affordable decent wines. Menus from €60 to €90. • Boulevard de la Mer, Deauville
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La Régence
Located in the famous fishing village of Trouville, La Régence is a timeless restaurant which dates back 1853. Right on the quay near Trouville’s seaside promenade and casino, the restaurant’s ornate interior, with mirrored walls and decorative whitewashed wood paneling, is the perfect setting for romantic meals and celebrations. You’ll be able to enjoy the finest seafood, as grilled lobster and fresh Isigny oysters are La Régence’s signature dishes. • Boulevard Fernand Moreau, Trouville
NIGHTLIFE The O2 Sofa Bar
With a lounge spirit and a terrace opened towards the sea, the modern and baroque sofa bar of the mythical casino
Barrière offers a great choice of cocktails and a specialty menu of vodkas and sakes. Enjoy the Oxygen bar and dance to the music of guest Djs, coming every week end. • Rue Edmond Blanc, Deauville
Vintage café
Just a stone’s throw from the picturesque harbor of Honfleur, a lovely small town located 15 kilometers form Deauville, this Jazz club and wine bar is a great place to grab a cocktail and listen to some live Jazz late into the night. • 8 quai des Passagers, Honfleur
Le Point Bar
Open late at night, le Point Bar is quite attractive for those who are searching for some action together with their friends, with a piano bar, lounge, billiards and table-football. • 94 avenue de la République, Deauville
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WORLD POKER TOUR NATIONAL SERIES MAURITIUS
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HOW TO GET THERE? • Several airlines serve Mauritius directly from Paris and Frankfurt daily. You can also reach Mauritius via Reunion. • At the Airports of Mauritius, you can rent a car for an affordable prize with Pingouin Car Rental Ltd, and Mauritius-rentacar.
After America, Europe and North Africa, the World Poker Tour will make a stop for the first time ever in the southern hemisphere, from 25th February to 4th March in Mauritius Island, a sparkling gem in the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar and southeast of the Seychelles. The Ti Vegas Casino of Grand Baie will host 8 events and several satellites for the €1,200 Main Event, and you’ll be able to enjoy the beauty of this charming paradise island, playing poker for a huge prize money. Welcome to a land full of colours, where Europe meets India, China and Africa for a melting pot of scents, cultures and savors… welcome to Mauritius!
F
Far from the world major spots of poker like America, Europa and Asia, the southern hemisphere, apart from Australia, New-Zealand and Latin America (and the WSOPC South Africa), has been waiting for a very long time for its first international poker tournament series. And after a great deal of effort, the passionate Sylvain Liotard, CEO of Paradise Events, a company located between Madagascar, La Reunion and Mauritius which is trying to develop the poker scene in this part of the world, managed successfully to bring the World Poker Tour National to its small island, in partnership with the French poker website PMU.fr and the Paradise Girls…
The charms of Mauritius are waiting for you…
The beautiful Mauritius Island, on the east of Madagascar and La Reunion, is waiting for poker players, for the biggest poker series of the small country’s history, hosted in the Ti
By Antoine Salvi
Vegas Casino (meaning “Small Las Vegas” in French Creole) of Grand Baie, in the northwestern part of the island. While winter will strike Europe, this part of the world will enjoy summertime, the perfect moment to discover the white sandy beaches, the turquoise sea and one of the most beautiful coral reefs in the world. Activities in Mauritius are limitless: golf, water sports, fishing, walks with lions, snorkeling, scuba diving, swimming with dolphins, catamaran cruises, sky diving and so much more. You won’t have time to rest… But if you want to enjoy your stay in an easy way, the island owns all the facilities to offer you the unforgettable holiday, such as all-inclusive 4 star seaside resorts, where luxury and comfort are perfectly combined for a leisurely tranquility. You would also appreciate the delicate and tasteful food of the island, a result and a symbol of the Mauritian history, a cross between European, African, Indian and Chinese cultures.
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TOURNAMENT
If you’re looking for a full
gambling stay, the Ti Vegas
Casino will be your head quarter!
WPT MAURITIUS PROGRAM 26/02 Deepstack Event €500
The Ti Vegas Casino and the Paradise Girls And if you’re looking for a full gambling stay, the Ti Vegas Casino will be your head quarter, where you will find slots machine, blackjack, Chinese blackjack, roulette, sic bo and No Limit Hold’em tables. Designed with the uppermost professionalism, innovation and latest technology, it is definitely the perfect place to pop in with your dear ones for a thrilling gambling session.
27/02 Shorthanded Event €230 28/02 Shoot the Donkeys Event €230 29/02 WPT Main Event €1,200 01/03 Girls Power! Event €280 03/03 High Roller Event €4,000 04/03 8-Handed Event €500
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TOURNAMENT
HOTELS Lux* Island Grand Gaube
Conveniently located only 15 minutes from the casino, this 4-star resort is the closest you can get to paradise. 172 rooms, 23 suites and 3 villas - the biggest one being 288m2 - are all waiting for you on a stunning beachfront. Absolute luxury and comfort, splendid view on the Northern Islands and the Indian Ocean, all kinds of sports and activities to have fun and relax... Just make sure you don’t forget you came here to play poker! Special rates for WPT participants. • Pointe Rejane, Grand Gaube, Mauritius
Le Mauricia
Just a stone’s throw from the casino, Le Mauricia is a 4-star Beachcomber hotel where the atmosphere is cosmopolitan and relaxed, simple yet cozy. 237 rooms, suites, apartments, lofts and villas are built along the beach and amazingly large saltwater pools, decorated with exquisite taste. Sit back, look at the sea, relax, enjoy. • Grand Baie, Mauritius
broadcasted in Indian Ocean countries and France. The Mauritian sisters of the Royal Flush Girls will host the WPT opening ceremony on 29th February. And if one fantastic party is not enough for you, don’t worry; the beautiful Paradise Girls will display all their charm and glamour during the entire series!
A series shaped for poker lovers
With Affordable buy-ins, the WPT Mauritius series is perfectly shaped by director tournament Matt Savage especially for poker lovers: alongside the 4-Day €1,100 + €100 Main Event, with 20,000 starting chips and 1 hour levels, the WPT will provide several interesting side events, with buy-ins ranking from €200 + €30 to €3,700 + €30. A €450 + €50 Deepstack Event will kick off the Mauritius festival, followed by a €200 + €30 6-Handed tournament and a €150+50 + €30 “Shoot the donkeys” Bounty Event. Then the Main Event will debut with an opening ceremony, succeeded by the “Girls Power!” Tournament, a €400 + €50 Ladies event. On 3rd March, the €3,700 + €300 High Roller Event will begin, with 40,000 starting chips and 1 hour levels, for a final table expected the next day. Finally, the €450 + €50 8-Handed Event will close this fantastic series, as the Main
Le Royal Palm
A proud member of “The Leading Hotels of the World”, Le Royal Palm is the finest hotel in Mauritius. Stretching along a pure white sandy beach, this tranquil tropical haven that has an uncompromising commitment to excellence. Luxury and refinement at their best. • Grand Baie, Mauritius
Le Legend
This hotel offers special deals for all the poker players and can be included in the most interesting packages. This 5-star venue will provide you will all the top-notch amenities and delights available in Mauritius.
Event finalists will play on the featured table, broadcasted in France, South Africa, Mauritius, Reunion, Seychelles and Madagascar.
An official WPT tournament
The WPT Mauritius is an official series, and it offers the same options as in Europe, North Africa and America, such as the re-entry option, which allow players who busted on the Day 1A of the Main Event to enter once again in the tournament on Day 1B, for the same prize and for a new chance to grab a part of the prize pool. All players making the money are sure to double at least their buy-in, and 12% of players will be paid in the Main Event. We hope you will be a part of it! Paradise settings, comfortable facilities, exciting activities and, of course, high level poker tournaments, everything is ready to give you a magical stay in the blue lagoons and the tropical gardens of the Indian Ocean! You can qualify to the Main Event and win a WPT package via satellites on PMU.fr. For more information, have a look at www.wptmauritius.com.
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RESTAURANTS
NIGHTLIFE
The Kitchen
The Bar
Set against a breath-taking lagoon backdrop, The Kitchen is LUX* Grand Gaube’s main gastronomic attraction, offering everything from fresh, healthy and bountiful breakfast buffets to lively themed evenings and flavorful Chef’s Specials throughout the week. • Lux* Island Grand Gaube, Pointe Rejane, Grand Gaube, Mauritius
Les Quais
Les Quais, Le Mauricia’s main restaurant, is set amidst roofed terraces and extended wooden decks that run the length of the slate swimming pool. The décor, enhanced by white ceilings, is evocative of a marina wharf. Modern storage cupboards and cooking stations are shaped like boat hulls and a unique feature is a stainless steel bridge that spans over the buffet areas. • La Mauricia, Grand Baie, Mauritius
La Goélette
La Goélette, the romantic terrace restaurant of Le Royal Palm Resort, has acquired well-deserved international status over the years. Today, the restaurant is recommended worldwide. You can enjoy an eclectic mix of international and local favorites, combining the world’s finest ingredients with the freshest produce in Mauritius. • Le Royal Palm, Grand Baie, Mauritius
Located right next to the main swimming pool of the Lux* Island Grand Gaube, The Bar is a lively hangout for guests to quench their thirst while lounging on comfortable sofas and bar stools facing the lagoon. Enjoy an extensive range of drinks, along with live music and entertainment. • Lux* Island Grand Gaube, Pointe Rejane, Grand Gaube, Mauritius
Spirit Lounge & Bar
The Spirit Lounge & Bar is the perfect place to enjoy a relaxing drink and a cigar after what’s sure to have been another amazing day of poker. Elegant and refined, it offers the finest champagnes, caviar, cocktails and aperitifs to savor, while the talented local entertainers make every night one worth remembering. • Lux* Island Grand Gaube, Pointe Rejane, Grand Gaube, Mauritius
Les Enfants Terribles
Are you and your friends looking for a great night out? Look no further as Les Enfants Terribles is the place where the music is pumping and the lights are bright. Simply the biggest and the best club in the whole island nation of Mauritius! • Royal Road, Pointe aux Canonniers, Mauritius
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EURO FINALS OF POKER AVIATION CLUB DE FRANCE
THE CONTINENTAL DIAMOND SERIES The Euro Finals Of Poker are coming soon! 10 European Champion titles will be granted for the 11 th edition of this great European tournament, held in the Aviation Club de France in Paris from the 13 th until 29 th January. These two weeks of poker in the prestigious French card room will be the occasion to play varied styles of poker and to multiply your chances to win one of the numerous competitions or satellites events. The climax of this amazing series will be on the 26th January, with the €5,000 No Limit Hold’em Diamond Championship, but you might also want to attend the European Poker Awards that will reward the most important poker personalities of the year on the 25th. Here’s the program!
S
Since 1999, the Aviation Club de France, the well-known card room located on the “most beautiful street in the world”, the Champs-Elysées, holds the Euro Finals Of Poker, one of the oldest annual poker series in Europe. For the first series of 2012, you’ll get two complete weeks entirely dedicated to poker in all styles of the game, featuring several tournaments with buy-ins ranking from €150 to €10,000, which will grant no less than 10 European titles, in NLHE, H.O.R.S.E. and PLO. The most prestigious events will be the €500 buy-in Bronze Championship on the 16th January, the €1,000 buy-in Silver Championship on the 18th January, the €2,000 buy-in Gold Championship on 20th January, and the €5,000 buy-in Diamond Championship on the 26th. Hey, and don’t miss the €10,000 buy-in High-Roller on the 28th...
Lots of poker stars, but also challengers and surprises
The best poker players have participated in this amazing series, such as the Franks Fabrice Soulier, Bertrand Grospellier, Jean-
By Steven Hall
Paul Pasqualini and Antoine Saout, the Britons Sam Trickett, Dave Ulliott and Ram Vaswani, the Dane Theo Jørgensen and the Spaniard Santiago Terrazas, as well as the poker’s most famous icon, the American Mike Sexton, and the Canadian Isabelle Mercier. The field is always very diverse and can be full of surprises. Last year, Natalya Nikitina became the first lady to win the EFOP Diamond Championship, overtaking 187 opponents and earning €243,830 for her great performance. The Russian dominated a very cosmopolitan and tough final table, with really strong players coming from Italy, Germany, England, and France, such as Sam Trickett, Tobias Wagner, Benjamin Pollack and Alexandre Bivot, her last opponent, for a true European sized victory. The same year, the High-roller Event was won by Senegalese Imad Derwiche for €125,000. During the previous season, in 2010, the French player Hugo Lemaire confirmed his good live results after being one of the most successful European online players by winning the Diamond Event against his fellow countryman Eric Qu for €213,570.
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Everyone wants to be the European champion
The prestigious series attract players from all across Europe who want a share of the huge prize pools, but also the muchcoveted European championship title. French players are numerous each year for this European series, but the English are never very far. Massive crowds of English players take chance in Paris, and they get impressive results. Almost as many Englishmen have won the NLH events of the EFOP as the French. It’s a real war between these two countries on the poker tables but their fellow European neighbors are also there, and they too want the prize money and the title... The competition is harsh, the field is tough: it’s a real high-level series, exciting to play and captivating to watch.
Omaha, the French’s domination
Omaha is a completely different world, clearly dominated by the French. PLO is a very popular poker game in France, and the Aviation Club de France has been the place where the best local players like David Benyamine, Antony Lellouche
EFOP MAIN EVENT LIST OF WINNERS 2011: Natalya Nikitina: €243,830 2010: Hugo Lemaire: €177,000 2009: Dave Ulliott: €133,880 2007: Joe Grech: €132,400 2006: Jérôme Zerbib: €141,060 2006: Alexandre Nowak: €70,930 2005: Gilles Haddad: €81,000 2004: Paul Maxfield: €83,600 2003: Christer Johansson: €500,000 2002: Ram Vaswani: €107,500 2001: Alan Betson: FF935,000 2000: Mike Sexton: FF1,153,500 1999: Paul Testud: FF724,000
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WHERE TO STAY? 1. Hotel California starting €240
2. Hotel Warwick starting €240
3. Royal Hotel starting €200
4. Hotel Napoleon starting €200
5. Hotel Balzac starting €300
6. Hotel Lord Byron starting €150
7. Hotel Mayflower starting €130
8. L’Arc Elysées starting €160
9. Hotel Lancaster starting €320
Join the crowds of players that will rush to the European Finals of Poker in Paris this January! and Fabrice Soulier have trained for years. Over the last five years, French players have always trusted the top places in Omaha Championship, and they are awaiting the next PLO events to confirm their supremacy in the European circuit. Patrick Hanoteau will be there in January to defend his title, after his victory in 2011 for €17,490, as well as other former French champions. H.O.R.S.E is also one of the favorites poker games of the French players, and Fabrice Soulier, winner of the 2011 $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship WSOP bracelet, will surely be in the Aviation Club de France to prove all his skills in this mix game. So, if you want to live the first great series of poker of 2012 and maybe win a share of the huge prize pools or a European title in one of the most amazing cities in the world, hurry up and join the crowds of players that will rush to the European Finales of Poker in Paris this January!
PROGRAM • 13/01 Ladies Championship €150 • 14/01 Re-Entry Tournament, untill midnight €250 • 15/01 Seniors Championship €250 • 16/01 Bronze Championship €500 • 18/01 Silver Championship €1,000 • 20/01 Gold Championship €2,000 • 22/01 H.O.R.S.E Championship €250 • 24/01 Omaha Triple Chance Championship €1,000 • 26/01 Diamond Championship €5,000 • 28/01 High Roller €10,000 • 29/01 Omaha Hi-Lo Championship €250
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CASINOS AUSTRIA POKER TOUR
FIRST STEPS INTO
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For countless years Casinos Austria Poker Tour has been a landmark of the European poker scene. Its first festival in 2012 is located in Seefeld, from 20th until 29th January. Starting with a €500 deepstack, the festival’s highlight is undoubdtedly the CAPT 2012 Seefeld Main Event, a NLHE €2000 tournament which begins on 28th January and lasts two days.
W
By Steven Hall
Winter has come, and it is time to enjoy the best holidays ever: poker and skiing in one of the most beautiful ski spot in Europe, Seefeld. Located in Tirol, 20 kilometres from Innsbruk, it is one of the most popular Tyrolean tourist destinations especially for skiing in winter. The Nordic events at both the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics were hosted at Seefeld. The 1985 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships also took place here. World Cup competitions have been located here a number of times. The alpine skiing area is small and appropriate for beginners. There are two separate small areas that are not connected except by a ski bus or taxis. The terrain itself is quite good and there is good access to other facilities (walks, shops and the Olympia swimming complex).
HOW TO GET THERE? Arrival by aircraft
• Innsbruck Airport : 20km - 20min • München (D): 152km - 1:20
Arrival by car
• Innsbruck: 20km 20min • München (DE): 152km 1:20 • Milano (IT): 414km 4:15 • Venezia (IT): 403km 4h • Zürich (CH): 264km 3:10 • Stuttgart (DE): 304km 3:50 • Wien (AT): 495km 4:50 • Linz (AT): 333km 3:20 • Salzburg (AT): 203km 2h • Bregenz (AT): 159km 1:35
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A very professional festival
The “savoir-faire” of the CAPT teams do not have to be proven: it has now been years that every leg of this annual festival welcomes the best European poker players as well as top-notch German and Austrian stars of poker, like Sandra Naujoks. The structure of the Main Event is particularly interesting, with a starting stack of 15,000 chips and the possibility of a second chance, up to level 3. There are nine levels of play for Day 1, and the tournament starts at 2pm for everyone.
The Casino Seefeld
Cross-country ski trails and jackpot machines, carriage ride and roulette game in the cozy and elegant ambience. Whether as a conclusion of a sports day, crowning a romantic evening or after a cup of coffee, Casino Seefeld is always worth a visit. All those who stop here will find games, fun and excitement in a special atmosphere. In the midst of Seefeld’s pedestrian zone the casino still has many things to offer... After a delicious Dinner & Casino evening with domestic or international specialties charming croupiers invite you to submit a detailed explanation of the games. Groups of guests entertained at a show tournament with pretty prices. At the «Münzturm» the slotmachines wait with attractive jaclpots. The casino bar with a
wonderful view over the park, is the best place for a rendezvous or a birthday party.
Some interesting side-events
The side-events program is also very interesting, with numerous satellites for the 1k and the 2k tournaments, starting at €150. The €1,000 tournament will begin on 25th January, whereas the €500 Deepstack features two Day 1s, with a re-entry option on 21st and 22nd. With a starting stack of 20,000 chips and a cap of 150 entries per day, no doubt that this Deepstack will be easily sold-out and feature a very interesting prize pool for all the players… For Omaha lovers, a €500 PLO tournament is organized on 27 th January, with a second chance up to level 3. The tournament will surely welcome about a hundred players, and will take place along other side-events, like a bounty (€350 NLHE, with a €50 bounty) or a NLHE €300 tournament, to welcome all the players busted from the Main Event. And for those who just want to have fun, the CAPT will organize a crazy “Players Party Night” for all the players and their companion on 25 th January! With the moon reflecting on the snow and the great amenities of the casino, it will be surely be a night to remember…
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With the moon reflecting on the snow and the great amenities of the casino, it will be surely be a night to remember...
WHERE TO SLEEP ? Falkensteiner Hotel & Spa Royal Seefeld*****
The luxury Falkensteiner Hotel & Spa Royal Seefeld in Tyrol is well worth a visit at any time of year. The Tyrolian Alps alone are enough reason to visit Austria. The Falkensteiner Hotel & Spa Royal Seefeld promises an astonishing 3,500sqm dedicated to providing holistic well-being and natural health. There could be no better place to find relaxation at its best. • Price per person/day from € 90
Hotel Eden****
Through the charm of tradition and the comfort of modern living, the day can be whiled away in style in a generously designed park landscape. In suites and rooms equipped to the most modern standards, your holiday dreams will also come true. While you’re playing at the tables or taking Austria in, expectations become reality in the exquisite designer atmosphere. •Price per person/day from € 99
Krumers Post Hotel & Spa****
... enjoying, relaxing and discovering! Opposite of the Casino at the village square of Seefeld. All rooms, junior suites and suites have free internet access. The breathtaking spa area with more than 2,200sqm high above the rooftops of Seefeld is an invitation to relief stress and tension (pool and spa area for adults from 16 years only!). The first class chef will take care of your culinary well-being and spoile your taste buds.
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THE GREAT
EUROPEAN POKER TOUR SEASON 8 - COPENHAGEN
NORDIC SERIES
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HOW TO GET THERE? Air
You can fly into Copenhagen International Airport which is conveniently located in Kastrup, 9km southeast of the city center.
Boat
Daily ferries connect Oslo to Copenhagen, and Bornholm to Copenhagen.
Train
Central Station (Hoved Banegården) is the terminal for westbound rail services from Sweden and eastbound from the Danish regions of Funen and Jutland, and night trains from Amsterdam, Basel, Berlin and Prague.
Fresh off of its French stop in Deauville, the PokerStars European Poker Tour will return to the Casino Copenhagen in the Danish capital for the eighth time for an amazing week of poker. Things will get serious on the 20th February with the DKK 35,000+DKK 2,250 Main Event that will attract, as every year, crowds of players coming from all around Scandinavia and beyond. Last season, Swedish player Michael Tureniec took DKK 3,700,000 back home to Stockholm. Will the Vikings dominate the field once again? Here are the main reasons for taking pot luck in Copenhagen in 2012.
T
The EPT has never missed a season in Copenhagen, and Scandinavians wouldn’t miss the Danish series for the world. All those Scandis form quite a tough field, and even though players from all around the world take their chances each year, only twice in eight seasons has the first place been won by a non-Scandinavian. Last year, Swedish pro Michael Tureniec survived a field of 448 opponents, beating countryman Per Linde after a hardfought heads-up duel lasting over three and a half hours to take down the EPT Copenhagen title and earn DKK 3,700,000 (€497,690). The year before, another Swede, young pro Anton Wigg, dominated a field of 423 players and won the DKK 3,675,000 prize.
By Julien Morello
A long gambling tradition, luxurious restaurants and hotels
There are many good reasons to join the Danish series: first of all, it is the opportunity to play high-level poker with top pros such as Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, Peter Eastgate, Annette Obrestad and Gus Hansen. Second, there might only be one casino in Copenhagen, but it has been running for 110 years. With such a long gambling tradition, the Danes really know their subject and always offer the perfect organization for the only Scandinavian stop on the EPT. Last but not least, it’s a great time to enjoy the winter wonderland in the beautiful, clean and walkable city of Copenhagen, which has the best restaurants in the world, some of the greatest designers’ hotels, and the magical amusement park Tivoli, with its gorgeous 19th century charm. So pack your coats and get ready for an amazing week!
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HOTELS Radisson Blu Scandinavia Hotel*****
The most convenient hotel option for tournament players is at the venue itself, the Radisson Blu Scandinavia Hotel. On a clear day you can see Sweden from your room in this 26-story building. 260 rooms and suites offer refined comfort with unique designs and the most stylish Scandinavian décor. Special rates for EPT participants. • Amager Boulevard 70, Copenhagen
The square****
This cool and trendy hotel is a design gem in down-town Copenhagen, just a stone’s throw from the casino. 267 stylish rooms, based around the square, are available for you to have a perfect sleep before heading across to the poker tables. Comfortable and affordable. Rooms from DKK 740. • Rådhuspladsen 14
Hotel CHP Living***
This floating hotel is an experience in it’s self: close to the pulse of the casino yet relaxing by the water at the same time. A great combination of comfort and originality, with the city’s finest views. The sound of water and seagulls will tune your mind to unwind and prepare for new adventures that await you. Special rates for EPT participants. • 1C Langebrogade, Copenhagen
No doubt you will find the perfect spot to enjoy high level poker during your stay in the Danish capital. Held og lykke! All kind of events, for all kind of budgets
No less than 14 events will be held during this series along with the 5-Day DKK 35,000 + DKK 2,250 Main Event, with buy-ins ranking from DKK 2,200 + DKK 240, such as the Ladies Event and the Pot Limit Omaha Event, to DKK 50,000 + DKK 2,990 for the 2-Day High Roller Event, won last year by Anton Wigg, for DKK 324,000. Several Turbo and Bounty Events will be provided as well, alongside the traditional DKK 22,500 + DKK 1,500 Heads Up Event and the DKK 7,500 + DKK 500 Pot Limit Omaha Event. No doubt about it, you will find the perfect spot to enjoy high level poker during your stay in the Danish capital. Held og lykke! 54 ISSUE 3 // JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2012 // POKER 52 €uropa
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RESTAURANTS Noma
While you’re in Copenhagen, why not try the best restaurant in the world? With two Michelin stars, two Best Restaurant in the World awards in 2010 and 2011, Noma will offer you the ultimate food experience. Scandinavian classics are revisited with a twist of genius for a transcendent meal you will never forget. DKK 745-DKK 1,150 • Strandgade 93
Kong Hans Kælder
LIST OF THE EPT MAIN EVENT WINNERS Season 1 - 2005
Located in the oldest building in Copenhagen, this astonishing one Michelin star restaurant has a gothic, medieval atmosphere and serves the most daring mix of French and Nordic cuisines. Luxury at its best, fantastic local meat and fish served in a fine and artistic way, it’s not food, it’s poetry. DKK 1,100-DKK 2,800 • Vingårdstræde 6, Copenhagen
(field: 156 players) 1st Noah Boeken, DKK 1,098,340 2nd Ram Vaswani, DKK 549,170 rd 3 Charalambos Xanthos, DKK 271,695
Dag H Café & Restaurant
(field: 228 players) 1st Mads Andersen, 2nd Edgar Skjervold, 3rd Marc Naalden,
Located by the northernmost lake in Copenhagen, the more affordable Dag H is the place to go for international classics and Danish cuisine, relaxed ambience and hearty meals. From Danish baked cod to American burgers and French foie gras, and a good selection of wines from around the world will assure you a quality, cozy diner. DKK 150-DKK 350 • Dag Hammarskjölds Allé 38
NIGHTLIFE NASA Club
This club is the place to be to enjoy the best of Copenhagen’s nightlife. With a futuristic design reminiscent of Stanley Kubricks “2001: A Space Odyssey” as well as white Japanese carp in a grand aquarium by the entrance, it will make you feel like you have entered the year 3000. Actors, models, artists, photographers and designers gather every night and party to the best music in town. Gothersgade 8F, Copenhagen
Charlies Bar
If you’re a beer lover you must head to Charlies bar right away! It’s the only pub in the Danish Capital with at least 6 taps serving real ale from England and about ten other beers from around the world. Great atmosphere, highly recommended. Pilestræde 33, Copenhagen
Nimb Bar
Located in the enchanting Nimb complex in Tivoli Gardens, shaped like the most gorgeous Moor palace, this stunning ballroom bar is an attraction in itself. Kick-started by legendary bartender Angus Winchester, Nimb’s cocktails are seasonal, classically styled and wittily named (Pornstar Martini anyone?). Ernstorffsgade 5, Copenhagen
Season 2 - 2006 DKK 2,548,040 DKK 1,401,422 DKK 716,636
Season 3 - 2007
(field: 400 players) 1st Magnus Petersson DKK 4,078,080 2nd Bertrand Grospellier, DKK 2,308,608 3rd Richard Toth, DKK 1,340,928
Season 4 - 2008
(field: 460 players) 1st Tim Vance, 2nd Søren Jensen, 3rd Magnus Hansen,
DKK 6,220,488 DKK 3,521,429 DKK 2,045,381
Season 5 - 2009 (field: 462 players) 1st Jens Kyllönen, 2nd Peter Hedlund, 3rd Anders Langset,
DKK 6,542,208 DKK 3,703,551 DKK 2,151,166
Season 6 - 2010 (field: 423 players) 1st Anton Wigg, 2nd Francesco de Vivo, 3rd Morten Klein,
DKK 3,675,000 DKK 2,275,000 DKK 1,400,000
Season 7 - 2011 (field: 449 players) 1st Michael Tureniec, 2nd Per Linde, 3rd John Eames,
DKK 3,700,000 DKK 2,450,000 DKK 1,400,000
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WORLD POKER TOUR LOS ANGELES POKER CLASSIC
THE WEST COAST
MAJOR TOURNAMENT The World Poker Tour L.A. Poker Classic is part of the major circuit since its creation ten years ago, and has been since its first edition in 2003, one of the most prestigious tournament series in the world. All the poker pros come each year to the Commerce Casino, the largest cardroom in the world, making its $10,000 Main Event title one of the most desired in the poker scene. The list of winners is just amazing: Phil Ivey, Gus Hansen, Antonio Esfandiari and Michael Mizrachi, all those poker superstars won the title in Los Angeles, overtaking tough fields including some of the best players of the planet. This season, action will run from 24th until 29th February. Are you ready for the greatest poker experience?
A
Alongside the Five Diamond World Poker Classic, the Legends of Poker and the WPT Championship, the WPT L.A. Poker Classic remains one of the most renowned series of the poker scene since the creation of the WPT circuit ten years ago. During one month, the Commerce Casino holds its biggest tournament series of the year and attracts crowds of players. Among them figures some of the best poker players in the world, as the list of players who made the money
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By Steven Hall
since 2002 proves it: Gus Hansen, Carlos Mortensen, Barry Greenstein, Jennifer Harman, Antonio Esfandiari, David Benyamine, Andy Bloch, Michael Mizrachi, Erik Seidel, Scotty Nguyen, J.C. Tran, Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth, Jennifer Tilly, Bertrand Grospellier, Shawn Buchanan, Surinder Sunar, Eugene Katchalov, Hoyt Corkins, and Daniel Negreanu, all those top pros reached, at least once, the money of the $10,000 Main Event.
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A time-honored series in a legendary casino
This time-honored Main Event offers some of the biggest first prizes of the world circuit, and it reached its record in 2007 when the American Eric Hershler bested a field of 791 players and grabbed $2,429,970 after a heads-up against his fellow countryman J.C. Tran. It provided memorable
With 2200 employees, the Commerce Casino of Los Angeles is a real little city victories for some of the best players of the planet as well, who have since entered the history of poker: The Great Dane in 2003, The Magician in 2004, The Grinder in 2005 and The Tiger Wood of Poker in 2008. These four champions felt the taste of victory in Los Angeles, and they achieved almost
$40 million profits combined in their live tournament, 11 WSOP bracelets and 26 WPT final tables so far. Their life changed right inside the Commerce.
The Commerce, a real little city
With 2200 employees, the Commerce Casino of Los Angeles is a real little city. Home to the biggest card room in the world, with all kinds of card games, poker and California Games, at all kind of limits, the complex of 6131 East Telegraph Road includes 200 rooms and suites in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, three huge restaurants and tableside dining, several shops and entertainment centers, many banquet rooms, a pool and sundeck, spa and beauty salon. It also hosts live boxing events as well as a poker university. The Commerce is not the Mecca of poker, it’s a sanctuary dedicated to poker players. And their annual festival will begin soon.
One month of games and a 6-Day Main Event
The 6-Day $10,000 Main Event will kick off on 24th February, but the 2012 L.A. Poker Classic will run from 17th January, with dozens of tournaments, shaped for all kinds of budgets,
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WPT LOS ANGELES POKER CLASSIC LIST OF WINNERS 2003 – Season 1
field 136 players 1st Gus Hansen 2nd Daniel Rentzer 2rd Andy Bloch
$532,490 $253,595 $125,460
field 382 players 1st Antonio Esfandiari 2nd Vinnie Vinh 3rd Mike Keohan
$1,399,135 $718,485 $359,245
2004- Season 2
2005 – Season 3 field 538 players 1st Michael Mizrachi 2nd Haralabos Voulgaris 3rd Hung La
$1,859,909 $904,122 $444,312
field 692 players 1st Alan Goehring 2nd Daniel Quach 3rd Michael Woo
$2,391,550 $1,162,560 $571,315
field 791 players 1st Eric Hershler 2nd J C Tran 2rd Jacobo Fernandez
$2,429,970 $1,177,010 $607,490
2006 – Season 4
2007 – Season 5
with all kinds of poker games: No Limit Hold’em, Limit Hold’em, H.O.R.S.E, Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo, Omaha Hi/ Lo, 2/7 Triple Draw, Chinese Poker, Pot Limit Omaha and even Eight Game Mix, the LAPC is the West Coast poker festival. The end of the series will be highlighted by the 2-Day WPT Celebrity Invitational, the $2,000 NLHE Ironman Event, the $2,575 6-Handed Event, the $1,300 Heads-up Championship, the $5,000 NLHE Event and, last but not least, the $25,000 Commerce High Roller Event, running over three days. Last year, Erik Seidel won $144,570, Bertrand Grospellier $146,055 and Darren Elias $153,975, after a day dream tournament. Indeed, the Main Event will keep all the attention during six days. The tension will be at its top as players, TV cameras and crowds of spectators fill up the poker room. The starting stakes will have 30,000 chips, and the two Day 1s will last 5 levels of 90 minutes each. Then, Day 3 will play down to the money, and if you’ve been able to make that far, you’ll then have made a big step to enter the poker history yourself. May your stay in the City of Angels be full of fun and success!
2008 – Season 6 field 665 players 1st Phil Ivey 2nd Quinn Do 3rd Charles Moore
1,596,100 $909,400 $625,630
field 696 players 1st Cornel Andrew Cimpan 2nd Binh Nguyen 3rd Mike Sowers
$1,686,760 $935,424 $654,797
field 745 players 1st Andras Koroknai 2nd Raymond Dolan 3rd Tri Huynh
$1,788,001 $1,002,710 $665,136
field 681 players 1st Gregory Brooks 2nd Vivek Rajkumar 3rd Carlos Mortensen
$1,654,120 $908,730 $640,680
2009 – Season 7
2010 – Season 8
2011 – Season 9
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HOTELS
Crowne Plaza Commerce Casino Hotel
With 184 rooms and 9 suites, lush gardens and impressive accommodations within minutes of LA’s best, this Babylonian-style hotel is the best in the Los Angeles area. Guests can easily venture to Commerce Casino, within the hotel, or take the free shuttle service to the Citadel Outlets. And if you’re not lucky at poker, you can make the best of your stay and go downtown. Staples Arena, LA Live, Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood, are all close by. Special rates for WPT participants. • 6131 Telegraph Rd, Commerce
DoubleTree Commerce Hotel
The DoubleTree hotel is owned by the Hilton group, which guaranties comfort, luxury and great facilities. Nestled
inside the historic walls of the Citadel Outlet Mall, just two blocks from the Commerce Casino, it is a perfect option for those who don’t want to worry about anything but the game. Enjoy a great night’s sleep on the signature Sweet Dreams bedding, and then be whisked away in their complimentary shuttle for door to door service to the casino, ready to knock out everyone at your table. Rooms from $85. • 5757 Telegraph Road, Commerce
Quality Inn & Suites Montebello
Just 3 kilometers from the casino, the Quality Inn & Suites Montebello is an affordable option, with good facilities such as an outdoor heated pool an exercise room and all the modern conveniences you’ll need. Rooms from $70. • 7709 Telegraph Rd, Montebello
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RESTAURANTS
NIGHT LIFE
Manhattan Deli Restaurant & Bakery
The Arena Sports Bar & Grill
You can order food at your poker table at the Commerce casino, but if you want to go to a restaurant, the Manhattan Deli is the closest option. Located in the Lobby of the Crowne Plaza Hotel, it’s the best place to enjoy hearty burgers, cakes or pastries. $11-$30. • Crown Plaza Hotel, 6131 E Telegraph Rd, Commerce
Terra Nova Lounge
Multiple large screens display all kinds of sporting events while costumers enjoy drinks and the casual atmosphere. Every Thursday evening brings a comedy show and DJ sets to dance the game’s tension away on upbeat dance music. Also live bands on weekends. Commerce casino, 6131 E Telegraph Rd, Commerce
Avalon Hollywood Night Club
The restaurant of the DoubleTree Hotel offers excellent breakfast, lunch and dinner. The international menu will satisfy all your cravings, from American steak to Sicilian salmon and French filet-mignon. One of the best options in the area. $25-$50. DoubleTree Hotel, 5757 Telegraph Road, Commerce
If you’re sleepless and you want to discover Los Angeles’ vibrant nightlife, the best place to go is Avalon. This night club has seen everything, from the Beatles’ first west coast appearance in 1964 to the world’s greatest DJs. If you want to live the craziest night ever, join the crowds that gather to dance to the best electronic music in town! • 1735 Vine Street, Hollywood
Stevens Steak and Seafood House
Canter’s
Instilled with a low-key elegance, the 1960s landmark is the temple of delicious meat and fresh seafood. Enjoy the best huge American dinner ever. The atmosphere is warm and can get festive on Sunday nights, when dancers from across the metropolis gather for salsa lessons. $25-$50. • 5332 Stevens Pl, Commerce
Open 24/7, this Jewish deli is a must-see. Celebrities like John Travolta, Elvis Presley and Brad Pitt as well as mobsters’ call this their favorite hangout in town; it has been featured in many TV shows and became a real institution. • 419 North Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles
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TONY G.
MEET THE
CHRONICLE TONY G
FRENCH GUY
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I recently got to meet Thibaud Guenegou, who has given me faith that French poker is on the up and up. I heard he is a fan of Enrique Iglesias. Yes, “I can be your hero baby, I can wash away your tears,” here is the next generation. This man is the bwin.fr poker hero – just to be called a poker hero is good enough for me! Who said the days of great sponsorship packages were over? He won a €100,000 package beating 100 players and convincing a jury – to top this, he did it up the Eiffel Tower. Who said French poker players could never reach such heights?
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Anyway Thibaud, it was nice to chat to you – you went deeper than me at the WSOPE Main Event but just remember you may be some hero in your country but you should aim to become a worldwide super hero. You also smashed it up at WPT Amneville. Did Superman save France? No, he saved the world and he came from Kryptonite and not Paris. Poker needs a hero – now go and get them, I can’t do it on my own! The true test of whether you are a real hero will come in 2012. Phil Hellmuth would agree with me (which is rare) that players often explode on to the scene but it is being around in five - ten years and consistently winning that is the most important thing. As I write this I am looking forward to Christmas and a visit to the Aussie Millions in 2012. I heard all the big businessmen are coming from Macau – it is going to be a feast. I am getting increasingly irritated by the fact that I am not invited to these big games in Macau and am considering a protest there (involving having my own pet pandas) – I need to resolve this at Crown in Melbourne. Thibaud, if you are such a hero, can you fix this for me? Why don’t they let me in? I am fun for the game and a lot of people mistakenly call me a whale fish? Why don’t I qualify? One person I am definitely after is Daniel “Jungleman” Cates – he challenged the world and I am willing to take him on down under – 100k heads-up is fine by me. I heard his live play wasn’t that impressive at WPT Prague, so I definitely feel I have an edge. I have my people trying to make this happen. Jungleman wants to be a poker hero and save the world – I am going to show him what being a real hero means (note this down Thibaud) and clean him out! Who is the real king of the jungle? I think you all know the answer to that question! Last year I took a dog with me into the 100k event but
this year the private jet is on standby for Zasko – I want him to enjoy the relaxing wild land of New Zealand in an exclusive resort – it could make him less aggressive. After a winter sat on frozen lakes in Lithuania hunting fish in vain most of the time he needs the five star treatment. At the Aussie Millions I intend to play most events – it is without doubt one of the greatest tournaments in the world and the Crown hospitality is first class. They are even willing to put on the G v Jungleman show – very accommodating and open-minded - this event qualifies (and you can do that on PartyPoker.fr now). Once I have made enough money to feed Zasko and all the wolves in Lithuania I intend to head to Europe and to the WPT Venice in early February. This one is for TV so I am looking forward to all the showboaters and Americans coming along (whoever called me a showboater?). I am also intending to spend some time in the USA in early 2012. Don’t worry, France is definitely on the agenda for 2012 – Bruno Fitoussi’s cognac at the Aviation Club is outstanding and there is little doubt in my mind that the players there could have improved greatly in the past 12 months. I also heard that Bruno had Hellmuth over there and that the G is needed – just remember who the real hero is! The bottom line though is I don’t skip France unless I really have too. I go where the best opportunities to make money are! For those of you that have not seen I have released a pop record aiming for number one in the Christmas charts. Check out You Tube and search for Tony G – I’m Qualified. I wish you all the best for 2012 – to paraphrase the great Mike Sexton - may your bike rides be long and your poker be qualified!
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FABRICE
l” SOULIER
u “Fabso
ON THE RUN
Sometimes poker and life suck. Sometimes the feeling lasts for days, weeks, even
months and the cards’ gremlin is still there… Your stack is not even average, nor better than the starting stack, or as if by miracle, chips start flying away to the other player
like lightning. Even if you keep on grinding for three or four hours, there will always be a big set-up where you can bust on a single hand. That’s poker, as they say, and poker
C H R O N I C L E FA B R I C E S O U L I E R
pros have to deal with it anyway.
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Doyle is almost 80 year-old and he’s still a shark in the cash-game... He is a truly a dedicated player to the poker cause and I wish I could grow old like him
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It is thus very important to struggle and keep up the good work, so that your bad run does not become a complete nightmare. It has now been three months since I finished ITM in more than 20 tournaments… For example during EPT Prague, I lost in a row KK, QQ, AA and AK, and it was always during perfect set-ups where I could not avoid it. Here is an example of a sick hand I had to endure at the very beginning of the EPT. With the 30,000 chips starting stack, I open KK, all red. I re-raise 250 in MP, button calls, BB 3-bets up to 900. I 4-bet him to 2250, button folds and BB 5-bets to 7000. Ouch! It’s very expensive at the beginning of a tournament, and I even considered folding that hand, but I finally remembered that often during those EPTs, qualifiers often play their hand overaggressively. I thus called to see the flop: Ad, Qd and a 5. My opponent bets a ridiculously low amount: 1750 in a 14,000 pot! Two solutions: either he hates the flop, or he just wants to keep me in the hand. I flat call. The turn is a third diamond, the Jd. It opens up many draws to me, and even the Royal Flush. He bets 4500 into the 17,500 pot, which gives me perfect odds. I decided to call. The river is… king of spade. Strangely enough he decides to check, and I follow suite. He opens AA for trips on the flop… It would have been hard to lose less than this —or I should have folded on the flop. Those tricky hands have been my daily meat: set-ups, missed draws, missed flops, etc. And as I have just noticed, it is very hard to play your best poker then. It is the well-known vicious circle of the bad-run: no A-game is possible when you lose your trust in your game. For example, when you are pretty sure your opponent is bluffing, you do not dare raising. It happens to me very rarely (I try to force myself to take the best decision) but it does happen. I do not know where those cycles are coming from, but it’s like an algorithm, like maths… Hopefully I had a good time on the circuit: some nice poker holidays in the paradise island of St Marten, and also the finale table of my French buddy, Nicolas Levi,
who finished 3rd in EPT Prague. That was such a magical moment for all of us! When such exhilaration happens, it reminds me why I still play poker after all these years. Hopefully, my past bad runs were worse than nowadays: I’m lucky enough to be sponsored by Everest Poker and I can thus endure the financial loss of a bad series. I also have to admit that 2011 has been my best year ever, and many of you may laugh at my complains! And damn right, but one does not change: I am a terrible loser and in tournament poker, it’s sometimes hard to live through all those losses. Though, I have to admit that I worked a lot to not be as terrible as before: ten years ago, when I went busto, I could crush chairs, throw a punch in the wall or break doors (I told you I was THAT terrible!). Now I just mumble some polite good bye and I leave the tournament room without any other words. Now I am in Las Vegas to play the Epic League’s new leg. Of course I busted on Day 1, and it makes me sad because I would have liked so much to feel the taste of another EPL finale table. I was happy enough to be upgraded to a crazy 150sqm penthouse suite on the top of the Palms Hotel where I could admire Vegas. I also had time to go back to the grind in cash-games at the Bellagio for the mixed-games limit. No 150/300 or 200/400 nowadays, just 40/80 and 80/160 which have been so far soooo good to me! I like so much the mixed-games for cash-games, I wish I could forget all my tournaments out there! I also had the honour to witness Doyle Brunson’s special ceremony for the opening of the EPIC festival. The speeches from his friends were really moving —especially Barry Greenstein and Jennifer Harman, and I have so much respect for this great man and icon. Doyle is almost 80 year-old and he’s still a shark in the cash-game… He is a truly a dedicated player to the poker cause and I wish I could grow old like him, always sharp. I do hope that you’ll enjoy a wonderful year in 2012 and that I’ll see you around the poker tables —especially the finale one!
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STRATEGY
HIGH ROLLER
BRUNO “KING” FITOUSSI
A QUICK BUST
T
Enter the mind of Bruno “King” Fitoussi whilst playing a hand, and follow his analysis “in the tank”. For this issue, let’s go back in time, to the FPT High Roller tournament where Bruno plays Level 2 of Day 1. The France Poker Masters, a NLHE 2,500 event, is considered to be the high roller event of the FPT, the historical French amateur poker championship. I am now playing Level 2, during Day 1, and my 36,000 chips are just below the average stack. I receive A3 hearts in MP, and decide to raise. The player on my left folds and the hi-jack re-raises to 1500. He is a very active player, and it’s now been 30 minutes that we are playing together. On the button, an older and wiser player flat calls. SB and BB fold and I finally decide to call the 1000 remaining chips. There are 4800 chips in the pot now. Flop comes: 7x – 8h – 10h
Seat 2 Call : 1,500
I am the first to act, and I check. The hi-jack bets 2500, but the button, after serious thinking, decides to raise him to 8500. I can only imagine he has a straight or trips, because I don’t think he would make this move with a flush draw. There are now 15,800 chips in the middle. With 34,500 chips as the stack, I feel involved in the hand with my flush draw max. If I re-raise, I don’t think that the button will fold anyway, and I still have no clue what the hi-jack can have because he just did a classic continuation bet. With my draw, it’s better for the odds not to scare him too much… I will also be able to fold my hand on the turn if the flush does not
Bruno Fitoussi Raise : 500
Seat 1 Re-Raise: : 1,500
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FRANCE POKER TOUR – HIGH-ROLLER € 2,500 STARTING STACK
40,000 CHIPS
BRUNO FITOUSSI’S STACK
ABOUT 36,000 CHIPS
LEVEL 2, DAY 1
100/200
POSITION
MIDDLE-POSITION
HAND
arrive; I’d still have 26,000 chips, which equals 130BB! Thus, I flat call the 8500 in this huge hand for this deepstack tournament. Surprisingly enough, the hi-jack who just had bet 2500 decides to go all-in, 30,000 total. The button seems to be very annoyed by this move because he has a good hand for sure, but not the nuts. The hi-jack represents straight max or top set. I don’t think he has the low straight with 6-9, because he would not have re-raised pre-flop with it. I don’t think he is on a flush draw as well because he would analyse the hand the same way I did, and would have just called in this situation. But he knows now for sure I have such a hand, because my call does not represent straight, double pair or set. Finally, the button player goes all-in as well, 33,000 total. There are now 76,000 chips in the middle and I have to call 24,500 (I’d still have a 500 chip left). As I’m pretty sure they have straight or top set, I now have 8 outs, without the 7 of heart, to win the hand. That means around 25% and
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A
3
the odds are thus interesting. Moreover, this kind of situation suits me: I am very active at the beginning of a tournament, playing marginal hands —small pairs to do some set mining, or drawing hands— so that I can build up a huge stack during the early levels and use it the following days. I prefer to gamble and take the risks at the beginning, not during the finale table… Here, I have the opportunity to triple up and move above 100,000 chips, becoming the chipleader. With my flush draw max, I can beat sets and straights. I call. My analysis was pretty correct: the button has a set of 8s, and the hi-jack shows Jack9… of hearts! Unfortunately, this means three hearts less for my draw, as the queen of hearts would have given him a straight flush. I only have five remaining outs, which means 16% of chance to win the hand. None of those cards come on turn or river and I bust early this tournament…
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YOU ARE THE TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR SERIES 4
CHRONICLE HENDONMOB
ALL THE PLAYERS ON ONE TABLE TAKE AN UNSCHEDULED BREAK This one was posted on the Mob Forum by Danmonkey “Okay, happened to me tonight and I have never before seen anything like it: Ten pound (£10) NLH rebuy tournament at a casino. 48 runners, £1500 prize pool (300,000 chips in play), pays 6 places – tournament is self deal (player dealt) until the 9-handed final. There are 11 players left in on two tables. 18 minutes left on the clock at 800/1600 before a scheduled 10 minute break. The table of 5 simultaneously ‘decide’ to all go to the toilet and get up and walk off. They don’t return for 10 minutes. All their chips and cards are left on the table and with no players left, obviously no hands are dealt. I was shocked. What do you do? Would your ruling be any different if it wasn’t self dealt and all the 5 players did the same thing?
dealer should call the TD who should rule that the dealer keeps dealing no matter what. I have no experience in self deal tournaments but this situation would clearly be unfair to the other table. As it is so close to the final table the players would normally watch the other table carefully and shout if the other table takes an unscheduled break and the TD would have to stop the clock. Now that 10 minutes has passed I would stop the game on the 6 handed table for 10 minutes and I would let the 5 handed table play for 10 minutes to catch up, then continue together.
No prizes for guessing which table I was sat at!”
Matt Savage
First of all I would make the other table stop dealing as well and then give them a break and then skip the scheduled break. Upon their return I would ask them what in the heck are they thinking and more importantly did they remember to wash their hands?
Thomas Kremser
In a tournament with a dealer this situation would never happen because the dealer will keep dealing until the end of the round. If players decide to stand up all together, the
Jack Effel
Because the tournament is self dealt, players at the other table should stop play and freeze the clock until all players return from their toilet break. That would be in all fairness and in the best interest of the tournament. If at least two players have returned after five minutes or a reasonable amount of time, they should resume play and pass the deal. If not, suggest having a person who is not involved in the tournament act as a dealer and resume play. If this were a tournament being dealt by dealers and all the players decided to take an unscheduled break, I would rule to stop play at the second table, and make an announcement for
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How many times have you sat down at the start of an Multi Table Tournament and heard someone joke: ‘Why don’t we all pass the blinds round all day so that we all get into the money?
all players to return to their seats within five minutes. After five minutes, I would resume play and have the dealer blind off anyone not present.
Nicolas Fraioli
We don’t have any self deal tables (tournaments or cash games) at the Aviation Club De France. In this case I would tell the dealer from the other table to stop dealing and to take the break now, because the players on this table shouldn’t be disadvantaged playing more hands than the other players. My decision would be that all the players who left the table would get a penalty of one orbit as soon as we reach the final table.
Dave Simpson
All players are entitled to leave the table as they wish. However, in any tournament if the clock is running the tournament continues regardless of how many players are present at the table. If there are no players at the table in a dealer dealt competition all blinds and antes are collected as normal, the hand is dealt and if no player is present at the conclusion of the deal this will become a dead pot. It will carry on in this manner, creating several dead pots. If a player is all in in one pot and not present for the end of the deal of the next hand he is eliminated from the tournament. In a self deal tournament the blinds and antes would be posted according to how many hands had been played on the corresponding table in this period creating a large dead pot and possible elimination for anyone short stacked. This also comes with a recommendation - travel a little further to an establishment that is dealer dealt.
Tab Duchateau
All players at a table taking an unscheduled break during a tournament cannot be tolerated. I don’t have any instances where a dealer wouldn’t be present, so my ruling would only be a dealer in the box ruling. I would have the dealer continue to deal…. shuffle, get antes and blinds, deal the cards out, then take the antes and blinds for each hand, until a player returned, out of play. The players would find fewer chips in their stacks upon their return, and I imagine they wouldn’t try that again.
THE MOB VERDICT
How many times have you sat down at the start of an Multi Table Tournament and heard someone joke: ‘Why don’t we all pass the blinds round all day so that we all get into the money?’ Well, you like to think it’s a joke. It sounds as though someone on the table made a similar suggestion and through a kind of naive deviousness they convinced themselves they could slip off unnoticed and come back when they were all in the final. Or maybe they really did just take an unscheduled toilet break and didn’t consider the other table. Either way, this amounts to a stroke and we sympathise with those TDs who want to penalise them in some way. However, the most important thing is to ensure that the remaining table is not disadvantaged in any way. We think that Thomas described perfectly what needs to be done to rectify matters. Having the five handed table play on it’s own for ten minutes to ‘catch up’ could result in an unusual situation where one or more players were knocked out and the tables could not be balanced or merged, but the chance of players being knocked out during those ten minutes is precisely why it is the correct and fair thing to do. It should also be said that the action taken by the five handed table can be viewed as a form of collusion. The tournament director should take a view of how cynical and deliberate their action was. If he wants to give them the benefit of any doubt he should at least issue a warning with any further infraction resulting in time penalties or even removal from the tournament.
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2011
RANKING
EUROPEAN POKER RANKING FROM JAN. 1ST 2011 TO DEC. 15TH 2011 With Pius Heinz winning the WSOP Main Event, no doubt he is number one for Europe in our ranking! And, of course, we find just after him another European hero from the WSOP Main Event, Martin Stazko. Sam Trickett, the new British star, had a very different way to go up to third place, winning several tournaments and cashing in numerous other festivals, like his followers, Eugene Katchalov, Chris Moorman or Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier. More than 25 European players have hit the million mark this year, which makes it the best year ever in our ranking! Congrats to you all, and let’s meet in 2012 for even better results... Hanking Country
Player
Player
Gains (en $)
8,830,087
21
Danyel Boyaciyan
1,257,411
Martin Staszko
5,462,876
22
Martin Schleich
1,245,687
Sam Trickett
4,598,039
23
Fabrice Soulier
1,057,215
2,572,726
24
James Keys
1,055,001
1
Pius Heinz
2 3 4
Eugene Katchalov
Gains (en $)
Hanking Country
5
Chris Moorman
2,324,030
25
Martin Finger
1,037,916
6
Bertrand Grospellier
2,296,620
26
Alessio Isaia
1,019,334 1,019,250
7
Andrey Pateychuk
2,085,013
27
Anton Makiievskyi
8
Anton Ionel
1,846,025
28
James Dempsey
9
Eoghan O'Dea
1,803,928
29
Tony Bloom
964,296
10
Benjamin Spindler
1,796,226
30
Sam Holden
937,900
11
Max Heinzelmann
1,640,961
31
Mikhail Lakhitov
907,648
12
Max Lykov
1,606,780
32
Roger Hairabedian
903,707
977,373
13
Oleksii Kovalchuk
1,600,782
33
Tamas Lendvai
901,246
14
Philipp Gruissem
1,589,880
34
Niall Smyth
897,961
15
David Benyamine
1,529,171
35
Dimitar Danchev
858,615
16
Rupert Elder
1,487,866
36
Sami Kelopuro
855,230
17
Lucien Cohen
1,394,310
37
Antonin Teisseire
850,859
18
Torsten Brinkmann
1,372,978
38
Carlos Mortensen
850,708
19
Jake Cody
1,335,744
39
Marvin Guido Rettenmaier
827,952
20
Martin Jacobson
1,334,943
40
Michael Tureniec
823,172
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Hanking Country
Player
Gains (en $)
41
Adrien Allain
42
Yevgeniy Timoshenko
43
Alexander Kuzmin
44
Hasan Alexander Anter
784,333
Hanking Country
Player
Gains (en $)
87
Eros Nastasi
792,081
88
Sadan Turker
382,052
790,990
89
Thorsten Schafer
381,044
90
Grzegorz Cichocki
374,808
793,883
382,535
45
Dragan Kostic
773,333
91
Samad Razavi
370,189
46
Dmitry Gromov
771,856
92
John Shipley
369,575
47
Moritz Kranich
744,378
93
Danilo Donnini
364,694
48
Igor Kurganov
738,269
94
Ronan Collet
363,306
49
Juha Helppi
736,914
95
Aleksandr Mozhnyakov
361,380
50
Roberto Romanello
732,199
96
Richard Ashby
355,914
51
Mustapha Kanit
696,058
97
Tom Middleton
355,402
52
Andrey Danilyuk
682,523
98
Julien Claudepierre
353,871
53
Vladimir Geshkenbein
626,494
99
Thomas Wahlroos
353,861
54
John Eames
620,582
100
Alexander Kostritsyn
353,277
55
Per Linde
613,258
101
Benjamin Pollak
347,398
56
Rob Akery
608,604
102
Kenny Hallaert
346,763
57
Raul Mestre
601,524
103
Alexander Debus
339,625
58
Zimnan Ziyard
590,088
104
Elie Payan
338,628
59
Juan Maceiras Lapido Jr.
580,542
105
Kaspars Renga
338,126
60
Vadim Kursevich
573,509
106
Francesco De Vivo
337,831
61
Hugo Lemaire
568,798
107
Sebastian Winkler
336,648
62
Nicolas Levi
568,484
108
★ ★★
Jan Bendik
335,181
63
Vadim Shlez
559,821
109
Anton Wigg
334,745
64
Govert Metaal
557,767
110
Natalya Nikitina
334,077
65
Maksim Kolosov
526,042
111
Guillem Usero
333,599
66
Lars Bonding
513,802
112
Lukas Berglund
327,546
67
Surinder Sunar
507,211
113
Fabian Quoss
327,371
68
Alexander Dovzhenko
503,651
114
Tomeu Gomila
69
Kevin Vandersmissen
497,863
115
Basil Yaiche
70
William Thorson
494,364
116
Guillaume Darcourt
321,927 320,659 317,765
71
Vyacheslav Zhukov
492,319
117
Tobias Reinkemeier
316,864
72
Pieter-Michael De Goede
489,998
118
Jussi Nevanlinna
314,406
73
Ronny Kaiser
471,437
119
Hauke Heseding
313,822
74
David Vamplew
470,294
120
Dimitry Stelmak
313,678
75
John Paul Kelly
464,871
121
Luca Pagano
310,616
76
Andre Klebanov
464,584
122
Alexandre Brivot
310,501
77
Erich Kollmann
457,480
123
Michael Gathy
307,819
78
Dermot Blain
455,304
124
Frederic Magen
304,481
79
Sebastian Ruthenberg
442,238
125
Raigo Aasmaa
304,356
80
Julian Kabitzke
433,407
126
David Sonelin
303,130
81
Dominik Nitsche
432,029
127
Domenico Cordi
302,937
82
Barny Boatman
425,161
128
Kimmo Matias Kurko
301,903
83
Szabolcs Mayer
417,540
129
Alain Roy
300,712
84
Juan Manuel Pastor
391,996
130
Jon Spinks
300,219
85
Andrey Zaichenko
386,256
131
Nikolay Evdakov
297,507
86
Simon Ravnsbaek
385,873
132
Massimiliano Martinez
297,404
POKER 52 €uropa // JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2012 // ISSUE 3
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RANKING Hanking Country
Player
Gains (en $)
Hanking Country
Player
Gains (en $)
133
Max Silver
295,921
179
Mads Wissing
238,891
134
Andras Kovacs
294,197
180
Dario Alioto
237,096
135
Zoltan Szabo
292,539
181
Yorane Kerignard
236,661
136
Warren Wooldridge
291,326
182
Dominykas Karmazinas
236,315
137
Robbie Verspui
291,207
183
Marton Czuczor
236,011
138
Jean Luc Marais
288,915
184
Mikica Mitrovic
235,608
139
Guillaume Humbert
288,545
185
Toby Lewis
235,594
140
Patrik Antonius
288,362
186
F. A. Fontoura Brito
234,693
141
Andrea Dato
288,269
187
Vincenzo Scarpitti
234,602
142
Jean Noel Thorel
287,578
188
Edoardo Alescio
234,597
143
Gus Hansen
283,966
189
Martins Adeniya
234,316
144
Davidi Kitai
283,225
190
Gianluca Speranza
234,294
145
Dmitry Vitkind
282,615
191
Sigurd Andreas Eskeland
232,610
146
Khiem Nguyen
281,494
192
Vladimir Schemelev
232,061
147
Kristijonas Andrulis
274,592
193
Ruben Visser
148
Max Pescatori
273,255
194
Arnaud Mattern
230,035
231,378
148
Daniel Drescher
273,255
195
Antonio Dieguez Rodriguez
228,926
150
Adrien Braesco
272,351
196
Maurizio Musso
227,402
151
Antony Lellouche
271,560
197
Cecilia Pescaglini
226,975
152
Armin Mette
270,132
198
Natale Albanese
226,538
153
Julien Jolivet
270,127
199
Konstantin Puchkov
226,103
154
Koen De Visscher
269,732
200
Michel Leibgorin
225,433
155
Darren Woods
269,524
201
Jean-Philippe Rohr
225,101
156
Massimiliano Manigrasso
268,670
202
Eric Haik
224,501
157
Denys Drobyna
268,641
203
Casey Kastle
223,369
158
Jani Sointula
267,597
204
Oleg Ohotskiy
221,938
159
Christophe Lesage
266,219
205
Kent Lundmark
219,988
160
Aleksi Savela
264,749
206
Jean-Baptiste Tomi
219,586
161
James Bord
264,540
207
Walter Ferrero
217,447
162
Martin Petri
260,044
208
Annette Obrestad
216,911
163
Carlos Lopes
257,926
209
Mario Adinolfi
215,618
164
Walter Treccarichi
256,952
210
Ondrej Vinklarek
214,558
165
JC. Olivier Rene Ouin
256,774
211
Ana Laura Marquez Esteban
212,760
166
Jean-Paul Pasqualini
256,235
212
Ruben Sanchez Cebollada
212,246
167
Praz Bansi
256,137
213
Alessandro De Michele
211,438
168
Markus Onni Antero Ristola
255,822
214
Pierre Neuville
211,005
169
Thibaud Guenegou
255,278
215
Stanislaw Kretz
210,568
170
Alexander Kravchenko
251,748
216
Paul Vas Nunes
210,429 209,480
171
Selim Oulmekki
251,267
217
Seamus Cahill
172
Mikko Sundell
250,046
218
Tristan Clemencon
207,801
173
Andrew Teng
245,899
219
Dan Murariu
207,130
174
Joep van den Bijgaart
245,731
220
Nichlas Mattsson
207,097
175
Stephen Chidwick
245,593
221
Omar Karib
206,530
176
Ricky Hale
245,409
222
Alexandre Coussy
205,009
177
Giacomo Maisto
244,249
223
Ilyasov Timur
203,787
178
Mattias Bergstrom
242,263
224
Adrien Garrigues
203,786
74 ISSUE 3 // JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2012 // POKER 52 â‚Źuropa
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Hanking Country
Player
Gains (en $)
Hanking Country
Player
Gains (en $)
225
Nicolas Cardyn
202,507
271
Rocco Palumbo
172,802
226
Arcangelo Anservino
202,134
272
Miikka Anttonen
171,685
227
Matt Perrins
201,129
273
Ludovic Lacay
171,616
228
James Mitchell
200,773
274
Matthias Kurtz
171,177
229
Philip Hammerling
199,650
275
Michele Dattani
170,889
230
Vincenzo Natale
199,592
276
Andrew Moseley
170,425
231
Patrik Hirvonen
199,497
277
Jean-Louis Tepper
170,359
232
Michele Di Lauro
196,600
278
Alessandro Fasolis
169,850
233
Guillaume Lamour
195,723
279
Manig Loeser
169,676
234
Shander De-Vries
195,215
280
John Kabbaj
169,148
235
Marco Mancini
193,604
281
Mateusz Moolhuizen
167,862
236
Stephane Albertini
193,362
282
Dmitry Klemeshev
167,700
237
Stefan Huber
192,830
283
Vitaly Lunkin
166,203
238
Costantino Russo
192,048
284
Fabienne Graffouillere
166,104
Ognjen Sekularac
191,994
285
Jonas Garstick
166,002
240
Philip Meulyzer
191,503
286
Clemens Manzano
165,589
241
Joel Nordkvist
189,966
287
Giacomo Loccarini
165,388
242
Martin Hanowski
189,875
288
Andreas Wiese
243
Taramas Ioannis
189,813
289
Morten Mortensen
244
Álvaro Santamaría
189,717
290
Joel Dodds
239
★ ★★
164,179 164,040 161,805
245
Joni Jouhkimainen
189,338
291
Florian Schleps
161,714
246
Roberto Nulli
187,628
292
Maksim Panyak
161,082
247
Jude Ainsworth
185,985
293
Ramzi Jelassi
160,979
248
Attilio Donato
185,293
294
Lauri Varonen
160,358
249
Oleg Prohorov
184,982
295
Laurent Polito
160,294
250
Eddy Sadoun
184,805
296
Mathew Frankland
160,245
251
Nicolo Calia
184,425
297
Raul Paez Corral
159,779
252
Adrian Bussman
184,043
298
Alex Bolotin
159,686
253
Jonathan Layani
183,247
299
Harald Olsen
159,134
254
Vojtech Ruzicka
182,530
300
Richard Fridvalszki
158,981
255
Stefan Rapp
181,019
301
Nikolas Liakos
158,838
256
Sallustro Pellegrino
181,014
302
Luca Moschitta
158,627
257
Viktor Wessman
180,530
303
Pim Van Riet
157,915
258
Konstantin Tolokno
179,582
304
Alexander Vaserfirer
157,646
259
Anthony Hnatow
179,461
305
Aku Joentausta
157,578
260
Gareth Walker
179,237
306
Chris Bjorin
157,390
261
Joao Barbosa
178,917
307
Juan Manuel Perez
156,674
262
Daniel Reijmer
178,594
308
Rosa Giacomo
156,175
263
Alain Confino
175,981
309
Tore Lukashaugen
155,960
264
Jerome Bradpiece
175,814
310
Frederic Bussot Fuentes
155,400
265
Stefan Raffay
175,157
311
Isabel Baltazar
154,462
266
Karl Rudwall
174,765
312
Milan Joksic
154,263
267
Jeff Lisandro
174,318
313
Peter Harkes
153,598
268
Julian Thew
174,055
314
Andrew Feldman
151,327
269
Richard Toth
173,867
315
Thomas Pettersson
151,044
270
Romain Matteoli
173,016
316
Paul Nash
150,008
POKER 52 €uropa // JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2012 // ISSUE 3
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RANKING Hanking Country
Player
317
Mykola Chornyi
Gains (en $)
Hanking Country
Player
Gains (en $)
149,542
363
John Duthie
136,165
318
Stuart Fox
148,482
364
Jan Fernandez Collado
135,921
319
Marko Neumann
148,264
365
Jérome Zerbib
135,712
320
Paul Testud
148,232
366
Nikita Nikolaenko
135,323
321
Maksim Semisoshenko
148,128
367
Roy Finlay
134,690
322
Paul (William) Gibbons
148,074
368
Sampo Ryynanen
134,609
323
Luke Schwartz
148,060
369
Anders Henriksson
134,583
324
Miroslav Hurta
147,308
370
Björn Lindberg
134,253
325
Stanislav Alekhin
146,701
371
Marco Figuccia
134,100
326
Franck Pepe
146,197
372
Anatoly Gurtovy
133,900
327
Simon Deadman
146,040
373
Mike Brandau
133,088 132,840
328
Alexander Roumeliotis
145,904
374
Evgeny Zaytzev
329
Turgay Guneser
144,830
375
Grzegors Gosk
131,711
330
Dmitry Bayramov
144,766
376
Gilbert Toutati
131,613
331 332
★ ★★
David Callaghan
144,547
377
Anatoliy Ojenilok
131,439
Miha Travnik
144,399
378
Matteo Fratello
131,267
333
John Keown
143,484
379
Philip Jacobsen
131,062
334
Davor Pavic
143,268
380
Fabian Spielmann
130,918
335
Victoria Coren
143,008
381
Michele Limongi
130,532
336
Flavien Guenan
142,998
382
Søren Larsen
130,274
337
Dobromir Nikov
142,822
383
Steven Moreau
130,229
338
Youcef Benzerfa
142,677
384
Marek Blasko
130,077
★ ★★
339
Berndt Gleissner
142,255
385
Lari Sihvo
129,930
340
Xavier Carruggi
142,191
386
Andrew Peters
129,743
341
Andreas Hagen
141,470
387
Tobias Peters
129,730
342
Valeriy Strelnikov
141,297
388
Konstantin Streletskiy
129,459
343
Ricardo Escobar
141,195
389
Steve Watts
129,336
344
Alessandro Limblici
141,002
390
Gianni Bonetto
129,134
345
Charles Chattha
140,968
391
Ville Haavisto
128,864
346
Balazs Somodi
140,452
392
Benjamin Jackson
128,797
347
Pascal Junkar
140,187
393
Andrea Benelli
128,110
348
Sunny Chattha
139,939
394
Dara Ruairi O'Kearney
127,987
349
Giuseppe Pantaleo
139,326
395
Yuliyan Nikolaev Kolev
127,907
350
Izak Muday
138,724
396
Alex Goulder
127,859
351
Emile Petit
138,713
397
Melis Polucavjou
127,620
352
Karen Sarkisyan
138,539
398
Marc Inizan
127,526
353
Luke Marsh
138,156
399
António Palma
126,659
354
Valentin Stroiescu
137,938
400
Filippo Adelfio
126,047
355
Juha Vilkki
137,890
401
Mihails Morozovs
125,725
356
Sam El Sayed
137,815
402
Dario Guarnuto
125,651
357
Emmanuel Rodrigues
137,705
403
Yann Enzinger
125,618
358
Ivan Starostin
137,622
404
Phillippe Ktorza
125,217
359
Dmitry Chop
137,324
405
Dmitry Motorov
125,105
360
Igor Sharaskin
137,198
406
Matthew Ashton
124,584
361
Fabrizio Leonardi Alfio
136,808
407
Tobias Garp
123,932
362
Joeri Rick Van Der Sman
136,773
408
Peter Gelencser
123,758
76 ISSUE 3 // JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2012 // POKER 52 €uropa
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Hanking Country
Player
409
Richard Sinclair
410 411 412
★ ★★
Gains (en $)
Hanking Country
Player
Gains (en $)
123,653
455
Hanh Tran
114,271
Richard Trigg
123,637
456
Jon Tomasson
114,242
Joeri Zandvliet
123,560
457
Luigi Agostini
114,197
123,313
458
Alejandro Pineiro Barcelo
114,047
Dorde Jovanovic
413
Daniel Carlsson
123,269
459
Gaetano Preite
113,960
414
Salvatore Castorina
122,944
460
Teemu Autio
113,930
415
Martin Kabrhel
122,665
461
Leonid Bilokur
113,742
416
Steven van Zadelhoff
122,659
462
Noel O'Brien
113,059
417
Andreas Griesser
122,569
463
Alessandro Speranza
112,967
418
Tuomas Erkki Lauri
122,004
464
Chris O'Donnell
112,911
419
Marco Bognanni
121,434
465
Vadim Ostomatij
112,800
420
Thomas Traboulsi
120,623
466
Salvatore Pugliese
112,711
421
Francisco Jose Torres-Hermoso
120,414
467
Fabian Deimann
112,514
422
Matthew McDerra
120,286
468
Massimo Federiconi
112,416
423
Alexander Martin
120,160
469
Grudi Grudev
112,347
424
Manfred Hammer
120,067
470
Kiryl Radzivonau
112,043
425
Iulian Iacob
120,016
471
Lalit Khajuria
112,030
426
Fedor Zapsha
120,000
472
Julien Muel
111,689
427
Nicola D'Arrigo
119,977
473
Sergey Rybachenko
110,934 110,905
428
Alexander Rettenbacher
119,678
474
Ismet Sahin
429
Matteo Sbrana
119,475
475
Peter Muhlbek
110,714
430
Roberto Spada
119,443
476
Marcel Schreiner
110,517
431
Mudassar Khan
119,424
477
Brett Angell
110,493
432
Ruslan Prydryk
119,375
478
Johann Fest
109,734
433
Pasquale De Simone
119,217
479
Jannick Wrang
109,707
434
Stepan Dzhigarkhanyan
118,873
480
Thomas Brauner
109,033
435
Pratik Ghatge
118,838
481
Felix Daniel Schulze
108,859
436
Grigoropoulos Georgios
118,597
482
Davide Cerrato
108,702
437
Federico Petruzzelli
117,860
483
Niall Charlton
108,412
438
Max Lehmanski
117,712
484
Jan Peter Jachtmann
108,167
439
Denis Murphy
117,702
485
Joao Ribeiro
108,100
440
Makarios Avramidis
117,322
486
Glenn De Backer
108,091
441
Michael Schurpf
117,291
487
Gabriel Nassif
107,750
442
Rob Angood
117,192
488
Arvi Vainionkulma
107,610
443
Jesper Hoog
117,185
489
Gerasimos Deres
107,090
444
Alexandr Gnatenko
117,089
490
Sergio Marti Aguilar
106,921
445
Cristian Dragomir
116,994
491
Alex Repik
106,865
446
Luca Fiorini
116,990
492
Anton Ponomarev
106,807
447
Bulat Bikmetow
116,961
493
Mauro Palazzo
106,476
448
David Zampini
116,115
494
Nazim Guillaud
106,449
449
Mikhail Yakovlev
115,332
495
Bouali Saiah
450
Frederik Brink Jensen
115,013
496
Marco Leonzio
106,036
106,122
451
Louis Nyberg
114,861
497
Jeremie Guez
105,996
452
Fintan Gavin
114,783
498
Craig Sweden
105,919
453
Anas Tadini
114,680
499
Yoni Houri
105,913
454
Thomas Macdonald
114,533
500
David Giorsetti
105,693
POKER 52 €uropa // JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2012 // ISSUE 3
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RANKING
TOP 25
ALL TIME MONEY LIST
As time flies by, tournaments have grown bigger and prizepools as well. This year, there have been more than 25 new poker millionaires, and newcomers like Sam Trickett —who beats the big tables since couple years only— takes for example number one of All Time Money List for England, even better than the cult-player Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliott! Only few other European players beat the British pro: the new WSOP Champion, of course, the German Pius Heinz and also old-timers like the fabulous Spanish champion Carlos Mortensen, the Great Dane Gus Hansen (along with his fellow Peter Eastgate, previous Main Event winner) and the French supernova Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier... Italy Hanking 1
England Player Jeff Lisandro
Gains (en $)
Hanking
Player
Gains (en $)
4,785,971
1
Sam Trickett
6,304,098
Dave Ulliott
6,006,899
2
Filippo Candio
3,398,535
2
3
Max Pescatori
3,199,984
3
Roland de Wolfe
5,330, 556
4
Salvatore Bonavena
2,191,149
4
Surinder Sunar
4,569,126
5
Alessio Isaia
1,947,752
5
Ram Vaswani
3,477,251
6
Luca Pagano
1,863,70
6
Tony Bloom
3,308,051
7
Dario Minieri
1,856,098
7
John Gale
3,301,782
8
Dario Alioto
1,381,370
8
Jake Cody
3,055,395
9
Gianni Giaroni
1,111,616
9
James Akenhead
2,994,779
10
Gino Alacqua
1,047,956
10
Mark Teltscher
2,933,941
11
Francesco De Vivo
1,001,280
11
Neil Channing
2,909,504
12
Mustapha Kanit
891,159
12
John Duthie
2,774,963
13
Cristiano Blanco
799,119
13
Julian Thew
2,701,549
14
Andrea Benelli
784,824
14
Praz Bansi
2,665,083
15
Michele Limongi
752,514
15
Julian Gardner
2,527,772
16
Fabrizio Ricci
719,190
16
Joe Beevers
2,465,292
17
Massimo Di-Cicco
718,461
17
John Kabbaj
2,442,058
18
Sergio Castelluccio
643,670
18
Chris Moorman
2,427,021
19
Emiliano Bono
637,880
19
Harry Demetriou
2,159,342
20
Marco Figuccia
637,220
20
Marc Goodwin
2,156,365
21
Luigi Pignataro
620,990
21
Barny Boatman
2,078,237
22
Antonio Turrisi
588,911
22
Paul Maxfield
2,040,752
23
Nicolo Calia
568,552
23
Jonathon Kalmar
1,922,233
24
Giovanni Salvatore
539,770
24
Peter Costa
1,885,097
25
Alioscia Oliva
536,002
25
Ross Boatman
1,874,964
78 ISSUE 3 // JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2012 // POKER 52 €uropa
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Germany Hanking 1
Russia Player
Gains (en $)
Pius Heinz
8,830,087
Sebastian Ruthenberg
3,457,185
Benjamin Spindler
3,134,924
Moritz Kranich
2,905,460
6
Tobias Reinkemeier
2,265,427
Andreas Krause
2,232,968
8
Florian Langmann
2,013,634
Sandra Naujoks
1,710,496
2 3
4 5
7
9
10 11
Max Heinzelmann
1,674,632
Philipp Gruissem
1,626,840
Fabian Quoss
1,438,318
13
Torsten Brinkmann
1,434,835
Marco Sander
1,383,759
15
Marvin Guido Rettenmaier
1,370,463
16
Michael Keiner
1,336,026
Markus Lehmann
1,319,613
18
Eddy Scharf
1,300,771
Dominik Nitsche
1,264,672
Martin Schleich
1,257,736
12 14
17
19
20 21
22 23
24 25
Ali Jalali
1,147,584
Johannes Strassmann
1,104,004
Davood Mehrmand
1,087,345
Carsten Joh
1,085,471
Martin Finger
1,043,383
Michael Eiler
1,022,331
Denmark Hanking 1
2 3
4 5
6 7
8
9
10 11
12 13
14 15
16
Player
Alexander Kostritsyn Max Lykov
2,915,269 2,583,844
7
Kirill Gerasimov Andrey Pateychuk
2,563,108 2,127,793
9
Dmitry Gromov Vladimir Schemelev
1,459,228
11
Konstantin Puchkov Mikhail Tulchinskiy
1,203,695
13
Stanislav Alekhin Alexander Kuzmin
1,173,955 1,155,785
15
Nikolay Evdakov Mikhail Lakhitov
1,151,705 1,103,902
17
Vladimir Geshkenbein Andrey Zaichenko
1,036,166
19
Igor Kurganov Valery Ilikian
837,063
Dmitry Vitkind
822,809
6 8
10 12 14 16 18
20 21
22 23
24 25
Gus Hansen
9,386,494
Theo Jørgensen
2,856,998
Rehne Pedersen
2,299,640
Jan Sorensen
2,107,963
Søren Kongsgaard Nielsen
1,988,594
Lars Bonding
1,816,746
Sander Lyloff
1,712,552
Frederik Brink Jensen
1,445,057
Rene Mouritsen
1,402,834
Rasmus Nielsen
1,397,656
Christian Grundtvig
1,288,6
Mads Andersen
1,194,321
Jesper Hougaard
1,129,125
Martin Wendt
926,698
Henrik Gwinner
814,062
Casper Hansen
769,788
Soren Jensen
754,882
Albert Kirk Iversen
717,319
Mads Wissing
685,728
Phillip Hilm
676,414
Peter Willers Jepsen
593,864
Brian Jensen
590,444
25
4,254,916
5
1
19
23
Vitaly Lunkin
6,763,309 3,754,190
Hanking
879,556
24
Ivan Demidov
Gains (en $)
Alexander Kravchenko
4
10,918,44
849,818
22
Player
3
Gains (en $)
Allan Bække
21
2
Peter Eastgate
Jonas Klausen
20
1
Nikolay Losev Dimitry Stelmak Sergei Altbregin Sergey Rybachenko Vladimir Kochelaevskiy
1,519,319 1,425,226
998,421 890,778
788,016 776,908 769,185 766,111 716,074
Sweden
17
18
Hanking
Player Chris Bjorin
Gains (en $) 5,094,404
2
Martin De Knijff
3,372,383
4
William Thorson
3,265,907
Johan Storakers
2,968,257
6
Erik Marcus Friberg
2,751,068
7
Michael Tureniec
2,733,153
Martin Jacobson
2,646,739
9
Christer Johansson
2,161,275
Kent Lundmark
1,524,541
3
5
8
10
Nichlas Mattsson
1,510,929
12
Ken Lennaard
1,500,653
Jakob Carlsson
1,206,563
Anton Wigg
1,201,779
11
13
14 15
16
Ramzi Jelassi
1,197,287
Mats Rahmn
1,133,284
Peter Hedlund
1,131,591
Bengt Sonnert
1,082,663
Anders Henriksson
1,048,402
20
Per Linde
1,029,757
Mats Gavatin
916,294
22
Magnus Petersson
891,744
Bo Sehlstedt
871,662
17
18
19 21
23
24 25
Hasan Alexander Anter
784,333
Daniel Larsson
783,362
Philip Yeh
766,095
POKER 52 €uropa // JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2012 // ISSUE 3
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RANKING Norway
Spain Gains (en $)
Hanking
1
Trond Eidsvig
1,623,879
1
3
Andreas Hoivold
1,609,071
Bjorn-Erik Glenne
1,092,588
5
Kristian Kjondal
1,057,150
Johnny Lodden
1,029,692
Hanking 2 4 6
Player
Marcel Bjerkmann
948,193
7
Kevin Stani
714,515
9
Thomas Aleksander
709,215
Torstein Iversen
660,426
Oyvind Riisem
649,120
Andreas Hagen
575,024
8
10 11
12
Sigurd Andreas Eskeland
554,123
Aage Ravn
514,668
Sverre Sundbo
477,684
Kai Danilo Paulsen
453,038
Martin Gudvangen
420,326
18
Eirik Bjourklund
382,652
Anders Langset
372,203
20
Henning Granstad
364,943
21
Henrik Tollefsen
362,532
Morten Klein
339,461
23
Age Spets
320,392
Edgar Skjervold
300,785
Vegard Nygaard
294,542
Jonas Helness
288,039
13
14 15
16 17
19
22 24 25
Irland
2
10,782,201
Raul Paez Corral
1,571,248
4
Raul Mestre
863,598
Jesús Cortes
805,244
3
5
Dragan Kostic
787,510
7
Leonor Margets-Perez
672,266
Santiago Terrazas
651,405
6 8
9
510,534
12
455,079
Javier Martinez Gil
418,931
13
14 15
16 17
18
19
20
Player
Padraig Parkinson
1,623,023
Fintan Gavin
1,396,124
John Magill
1,207,856
7
Dermot Blain
1,167,481
9
Noel Furlong
1,145,807
Liam Flood
1,142,446
Donnacha O'Dea
1,137,412
Ciaran O'Leary
954,952
13
George McKeever
954,385
Niall Smyth
939,035
15
Mickey Finn
910,669
Roy Brindley
885,387
Mike Magee
866,845
18
John O'Shea
832,526
Donal Norton
704,467
20
Alan Betson
618,509
Tony Cascarino
589,431
Jude Ainsworth
588,625
21
22 23
John Conroy
532,049
Jim Reid
522,475
25
Peter Roche
517,974
Michael McCool
479,077
24
311,476
Cayetano Garcia Ayala
295,690
Maria Maceiras
286,142
275,827
Pablo Ubierna
272,816
Javier Etayo Fernandez
261,988
25
2,513,592
19
312,635
Angel Blanco Puras
Romain Feriolo
Eoghan O'Dea
17
326,559
Miguel Angel
23
24
3
16
329,303
Jose Luis Navarro
277,160
3,873,993
14
Manuel Labandeira
276,136
Marty Smyth
11
373,206
Fernando Martin Blanco
22
1
12
391,573
Carlos Fuentes
Pedro Javier Piazuelo Ferrero
Hanking
10
Diego Bordonaba Perez
21
4,380,253
8
546,662
Ruben Velasco Merino
Gains (en $)
6
552,801
Tomeu Gomila Oscar Blanco Carrasco
11
Andy Black
5
Juan Manuel Pastor
10
1
4
Gains (en $)
France
Hanking 2
Player Carlos Mortensen
Player Bertrand Grospellier
Gains (en $) 8,646,603
2
David Benyamine
6,189,182
4
Antoine Saout
3,863,435
Fabrice Soulier
3,589,802
3
5
6 7
Roger Hairabedian
3,295,258
Antony Lellouche
2,523, 540
8
Jean-Paul Pasqualini
2,476,629
Bruno Fitoussi
2,416,651
10
Alain Roy
2,182,471
11
Arnaud Mattern
2,104,725
Ludovic Lacay
1,965,206
13
Paul Testud
1,739,346
Pascal Perrault
1,724,714
Nicolas Levi
1,692,705
9
12 14 15
Jan Boubli
1,539,199
17
Antonin Teisseire
1,494,645
Lucien Cohen
1,402,345
19
Adrien Allain
1,318,497
Raphael Kroll
1,213,287
16 18
20
Hugo Lemaire
1,148,147
22
Thomas Bichon
1,093,907
Cedric Rossi
1,055,807
Patrick Bruel
1,013,686
Jérome Zerbib
1,009,224
Remy Biechel
992,386
21
23
24 25
80 ISSUE 3 // JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2012 // POKER 52 €uropa
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TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE JANUARY
5 - 8 Jan 2012 WPT Dublin, Dublin 5 - 8 Jan 2012 Partouche Poker Tour - Lyon Vert, Lyon 5 - 14 Jan 2012 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, Paradise Island 5 - 22 Jan 2012 WSOP Circuit - Choctaw Durant, Durant 6 - 8 Jan 2012 DTD Monthly Deepstack, Nottingham 6 - 13 Jan 2012 Helsinki Freezeout 2012, Helsinki 6 - 26 Jan 2012 2012 Southern Poker Millions, Biloxi 7 Jan 2012 Spielbank Halle Quarterly Tournament, Halle 7 - 8 Jan 2012 Fox Poker Club - January Main Event, London 7 - 8 Jan 2012 LIPS - US Ladies Poker Championship, Atlantic City 9 - 15 Jan 2012 2012 Dakar Poker Tour, Dakar 9 - 25 Jan 2012 2012 Merit Winterfest, Kyrenia 12 - 30 Jan 2012 2012 Aussie Millions Poker Championship, Melbourne 13 - 15 Jan 2012 Ostend Poker War II (OPW II), Oostende 13 - 29 Jan 2012 Euro Finals of Poker 2012, Paris 14 Jan 2012 Pala 3rd River Card Quest, Pala 14 - 22 Jan 2012 Dusk Till Dawn Grand Prix, Nottingham 16 Jan 2012 Martin Luther King Jr. Tournament, Pala 17 Jan - 29 Feb 2012 2012 L.A. Poker Classic, Los Angeles 18 Jan 2012 2012 Great Blue Heron Casino Tournament, Port Perry 18 - 22 Jan 2012 2012 Mega Poker Series - Vienna, Vienna 18 - 22 Jan 2012 Paradise Poker Tour 3 - Prague, Prague 18 - 23 Jan 2012 1st Pravets Poker Masters, Pravets 19 - 20 Jan 2012 APAT - European Amateur Poker Championship, Brighton 19 - 30 Jan 2012 WSOP Circuit - Caesars Palace, Las Vegas 20 - 29 Jan 2012 2012 CAPT Seefeld Open, Seefeld 22 - 29 Jan 2012 2012 Grosvenor UK Poker Tour - Leg 1, Manchester 23 - 29 Jan 2012 Dom Classics 2012, Utrecht 26 Jan - 21 Feb 2012 Deep Stack Extravaganza I, Las Vegas 27 - 29 Jan 2012 2012 Super Stack Series - Leg 1, London 27 Jan - 12 Feb 2012 WSOP Circuit - Tunica, Robinsonville 27 Jan - 12 Feb 2012 2011-12 Epic Poker League - Event 4, Las Vegas 28 Jan 2012 The Ladies International Poker Series - Pala, Pala 28 Jan 2012 Poker Live Adverture - Malta, Portomaso
28 - 29 Jan 2012 Sky Poker Tour - Leg 3, Luton 29 Jan - 5 Feb 2012 WSOP.com Season Opener, Brighton 31 Jan - 6 Feb 2012 EPT Deauville, Deauville
FEBRUARY
25 Feb - 4 Mar 2012 WPT Mauritius, Grand Bay 25 Feb - 31 Mar 2012 The Super Poker Event of Europe, Dublin 29 Feb 2012 2012 Great Blue Heron Casino Tournament, Port Perry
1 - 5 Feb 2012 Genting Poker Series - Leg 1, Birmingham 1 - 7 Feb 2012 APT - Asian Series Cebu, Cebu 2 - 5 Feb 2012 European Masters of Poker IV - Prague, Prague Feb 2012 GSOP Live - Salzburg, Salzburg 3 - 13 Feb 2012 2012 Heartland Poker Tour - Daytona Beach, Daytona Beach 4 - 12 Feb 2012 Foxwoods Mega Stack Challenge XXIII, Mashantucket 6 Feb 2012 Palm Beach Big Game, London 6 - 12 Feb 2012 Reigate Winter Festival, Reigate 7 - 12 Feb 2012 European Deepstack Poker Championship V, Dublin 8 - 14 Feb 2012 German Championship of Poker - Grand Final (GCOP), Rozvadov 10 - 12 Feb 2012 Partouche Poker Deepstack - Lyon Vert, Lyon 10 - 14 Feb 2012 Lucky Hearts Poker Open, Hollywood 13 - 14 Feb 2012 2011-12 Epic Poker League - Championship, Las Vegas 15 - 19 Feb 2012 Mid-States Poker Tour - Columbus, Columbus 16 - 20 Feb 2012 UK & Ireland Poker Tour - Galway, Galway 16 - 27 Feb 2012 WSOP Circuit - Palm Beach Kennel Club, West Palm Beach 17 - 19 Feb 2012 Betfair Poker Live! London, London 17 - 20 Feb 2012 Foxwoods Presidents Day Weekend Specials, Mashantucket 17 - 24 Feb 2012 Latin American Poker Tour IV - Grand Final, Sao Paulo 17 - 26 Feb 2012 2012 Heartland Poker Tour - Oklahoma, Quapaw 18 - 26 Feb 2012 Macau Poker Cup - Red Dragon Event, Macau 19 - 26 Feb 2012 2012 CAPT Bregenz Open, Bregenz 20 - 25 Feb 2012 EPT Copenhagen, Copenhagen 20 - 26 Feb 2012 WPPT Goa, Goa 21 - 26 Feb 2012 WSOP Circuit - Vanderbijlpark, Vanderbijlpark 23 - 26 Feb 2012 Partouche Poker Tour - Aix en Provence, Aix En Provence 25 - 26 Feb 2012 2012 Super Stack Series - Leg 2, Birmingham
MARS
1 - 12 Mar 2012 WSOP Circuit - Atlantic City, Atlantic City 4 Mar 2012 2012 Super Stack Series - Leg 3, London 4 - 11 Mar 2012 WPPT Gold Coast, Gold Coast 5 Mar 2012 Palm Beach Big Game, London 5 - 9 Mar 2012 Bay 101 Shooting Stars, San Jose 7 - 11 Mar 2012 2012 Mega Poker Series - Nottingham, Nottingham 7 - 11 Mar 2012 APPT - Seoul, Seoul 9 - 11 Mar 2012 2012 Barriere Poker Tour - Bordeaux, Bordeaux 10 Mar 2012 Sky Poker Tour - Leg 4 South, Brighton 10 Mar 2012 PaddyPower Student Masters, Dublin 10 Mar 2012 Poker Live Adverture - Malta, Portomaso 10 Mar 2012 Sky Poker Tour - Leg 4 North, Glasgow 11 - 18 Mar 2012 2012 Grosvenor UK Poker Tour - Leg 2, Walsall 14 Mar 2012 2012 Great Blue Heron Casino Tournament, Port Perry 15 - 18 Mar 2012 WPT National Series - France, Paris 15 - 25 Mar 2012 WSOP Circuit - Rincon, San Diego 17 - 18 Mar 2012 LIPS - US Ladies Poker Championship, Lincoln 17 Mar - 1 Apr 2012 2012 Foxwoods Poker Classic, Mashantucket 23 - 25 Mar 2012 WPT Regional Series - St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg 23 Mar - 2 Apr 2012 2012 Delta Gold Poker Classic, Tunica 24 Mar - 1 Apr 2012 Mid-States Poker Tour - Tama, Tama 26 - 31 Mar 2012 WPT Vienna, Vienna 28 Mar - 1 Apr 2012 Genting Poker Series - Leg 2, London 29 Mar - 1 Apr 2012 European Masters of Poker IV - Lisbon, Estoril 29 Mar - 9 Apr 2012 WSOP Circuit - Council Bluffs, Council Bluffs 30 Mar - 1 Apr 2012 2012 Super Stack Series - Leg 4, London 30 Mar - 1 Apr 2012 Partouche Poker Deepstack - Saint Amand, Saint-Amand-les-Eaux 30 Mar - 1 Apr 2012 2012 Super Stack Series - Leg 5, Melbourne 30 Mar - 1 Apr 2012 2012 Barriere Poker Tour - Ribeauvillé, Ribeauvillé
POKER 52 €uropa // JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2012 //ISSUE 3
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DISTRIBUTION DISTRIBUTION POINT Regency Casino Tirana Pokertreff Linz PokerClub Kufstein Poker Royale Poker Royale Poker Casino Bregenz Montesino Poker Club Graz Montesino Concord Card Casinos Salzburg Concord Card Casino Concord Card Casino Concord Card Casino Concord Card Casino Concord Card Casino Concord Card Casino Concord Card Casino Concord Card Casino Club Hotel Pascha City Poker Casinos Austria Baden Casino Wien Casino Velden Casino Seefeld Casino Salzburg Casino Royal Casino Kleinwalsertal Casino Kitbuhel Casino Innsbruck Casino Innsbruck Casino Graz Casino Bregenz Casino Badgastein Poker Liege M.Pokerspa Casino Oostende Casino de Spa Casino de Namur Grand Hotel & Casino Casino Royal Casino Cezar American Chance Casino Merit Crystal Cove Hotel Spearment Casino PokerClubLive Poker Club Live Pavel Skopek Hotel Bobycentrum Casino Praha Casino Atrium Hilton Banco Casino Card Casino Prague Royal Scandinavian Casino River Club Kalundborg Pokerklub Dansk Poker Forbund Casino Odense K/S Casino Munkebjerg Vejle Casino Marienlyst Casino Copenhagen Casino Aalborg Dusk till Dawn Cardroom ALEA Gala Regency Casino Gala Regency Casino WRCC Manhattan Club The Suited Club@ The Ivory The Regency Club The Empire Casino TC Poker The Sports Bar Stanley Wirral Casino Stanley Newcastle Casino Stanley Casino Stanley Albion Casino Simon Stocken Shaftesbury Casino (Poker room) S.E. Svendsen River Card Club Plymouth Grand Casino Norwich Poker Club Napoleons Casino Leeds Napoleons Casino 30 Napoleon’s Casino Maxims Casino
TOWN Tirana Linz Kufstein Wr.Neustadt Liezen Bregenz Graz Vienna Salzburg Linz St.Polten Graz Feldbach Dornbirn Leoben Vienna Innsbruck Salzburg Wien Baden Vienna Velden Seefeld in Tirol Salzburg Innsbruck Klienwalsertal Kitzbuhel Innsbruck Innsbruck Graz Bregenz Badgastein Liege ( Wandre) Spa Oostende Spa Namur Varna Zagreb Zagreb Podstrana-Split Praha 8 Brno Liberec Plzen Brno Praha 1 Praha 8 Praha 1 Praha 5 Aarhus Valby Kalundborg Charlottenlund Odense C Vejle Helsinger Copenhagen Aalborg Lenton Nottingham Nottingham Bournemouth Harrogate London London London Farnborough Newcastle-upon-Tyne Derby Salford Doncaster Birmingham Lincs London Plymouth Norwich Leeds Bradford Kingston upon Hull Birmingham
COUNTRY Albania Austria Austria Austria Austria Austria Austria Austria Austria Austria Austria Austria Austria Austria Austria Austria Austria Austria Austria Austria Austria Austria Austria Austria Austria Austria Austria Austria Austria Austria Austria Austria Belgium Belgium Belgium Belgium Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Croatia Croatia Cyprus Czech Rep. Czech Rep. Czech Rep. Czech Rep. Czech Rep. Czech Rep. Czech Rep. Czech Rep. Czech Rep. Denmark Denmark Denmark Denmark Denmark Denmark Denmark Denmark Denmark England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England
DISTRIBUTION POINT Loose Canon Sports Bar Ladbrokes eGaming Grosvenor Casino Grosvenor Casino Grosvenor Casino Gala Regency Casino 20 Gala Regency Casino Gala Regency Casino Gala Casino Leeds Gala Casino Gala Casino Equal Chance Club Circus Casino Star City China Palace Annabelles Stanley Casino Alea Casino Westcliff Casino The Western Club The Sportsman Casino The Isle Casinos Ltd The Poker Club TCs Sports Club Stanley Southport Casino Stanley Circus Casino Stanley Casino Stanley Casino Stanley Bristol Casino Rubicon Casino Rendezvous Casino @The Kursal Rendezvous Casino Reading Sporting Club Qstix Snooker Room Pokernitez Palm Beach Casino Oriel House Opera House Casino Napoleons Casino Hillsborough Napoleons Casino Eccleshall Maxims Casino Club Masino Gaming Manchester Casino International Club High Stakes Bookshop Hastings Terrace Club Hastings Terrace Club Harbour House Casino Grosvenor Casino Grosvenor Casino Grosvenor Casino Grosvenor Casino Grosvenor Casino Grosvenor Casino Grosvenor Casino Grosvenor Casino Grosvenor Casino Grosvenor Casino Grosvenor Casino Grosevenor Victoria Casino Gala Casino Teeside Gala Casino Barracuda Gala Casino Full House Club Fox PokerClub Drummond Central Ltd Circus Casino Castle Hill Casino Club Broadway Casino Big Bluff Aspers Casino Olympic Casino Classic Casino Casino Mapau PokerMarketti Poker Saloon Helsinki Grand Casino Helsinki Casino PAF Monte-Carlo Sun Casino Casino de Monaco Spielcasino Aachen Spielbank Wiesbaden Spielbank Trier Spielbank Schenefeld Spielbank Potsdam
TOWN London Harrow, Middx Plymouth Salford Bournemouth Leeds Stockport Leeds Liverpool Bristol London Birmingham Birmingham Coventry Leeds Westcliff on Sea London London Coventry London Berks Stoke-on-Trent Southampton Coventry Bristol Wolverhampton Southend on Sea Brighton Reading London Wokingham London Portsmouth Scarborough Sheffield Sheffield London Chester Manchester London London Hastings Hastings Southampton Blackpool Leeds Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs Sheffield Luton Brighton Newcastle upon Tyne Bentley Leeds Bolton Southampton London Stockton on Tees London Wolverhampton Surrey London Newcastle Upon Tyne Manchester Dudley Birmingham London Newcastle upon Tyne Tallinn Tallinn Tallinn Tampere Helsinki Helsinki Mariehamn Monaco Monaco Aachen Wiesbaden Trier Schenefeld Potsdam
COUNTRY England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England England Estonia Estonia Estonia Finland Finland Finland Finland France France Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany
82 ISSUE 3 // JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2012 // POKER 52 â‚Źuropa
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DISTRIBUTION POINT Spielbank Osnabruck Spielbank Neuenahr -Ahrweller Spielbank Mainz Spielbank Lindau Spielbank Konstanz Spielbank Hohensyburg Spielbank Hanover Spielbank Hamburg Spielbank Garmisch-Partenkirch Spielbank Berlin Spielbank Baden-Baden Spielbank Bad Wiessee Spielbank Bad Reichenhall Spielbank Bad Kissingen Spielbank Bad Homburg Spielbank Bad Harzburg Spielbank Bad Ems Spielbank Bad Bentheim Spielbank Bad Zwischenahn Sielbank Saarbrucken Pokerclub Bad Beat Berlin e.V Kupferkessel Nattheim Deutscher Poker Sport verbande.v Casino Westerland Casino Travemunde Casino Schloss Berg Casino Luzern Casino Kiel Casino Flensburg Casino Feuchtwangen Casino Erfurt Casino Berlin Bremer Spielbank Spiel Casino Ladbrokes International Ltd Gala International Casino Holland Casinos Holland Casinos Holland Casino Venlo Holland Casino Utrecht Holland Casino Rotterdam Holland Casino Nijmegen Holland Casino Holland Casino Club Pool Hall Holland Casino Eidhoven Holland Casino Zandvoort Holland Casino Groningen Las Vegas Casino Voodoo Poker Room The Q Club The Nutz The Gold Club Casino The Castle Casino The Blackthorn Casino The Big Slick P.M.C. The Ace Club Stix Sporting Emporium Silks Casino Pocket Kings Ltd New Vic Card & Gaming Club Macau Sporting Club Jools Poker Jackpot Casino Club J P Poker Fitzwilliam Card Club Eglinton Casino Drogheda Poker Club Club Oasis BankCasino & Card Club Aces Poker Club Circolo Citta di Treviso Casino Vendramin Calergi Casino San Remo Casino Noghera Casino dela Vallee Olympic Voodoo Casino Reval Hotel Club Tobago Casino du Liban Maameltein Olympic Casino Lietuva Grand Casino World Appolonia Hotel
TOWN Osnabruck Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweller Mainz Lindau/Bodensee Konstanz Dortmund Mitte Hamburg Garmisch-Partenkirchen Berlin Baden-Baden Bad Wiessee Bad Reichenall Bad Kissingen Bad Homburg Bad Harzburg Bad Ems Bad Bentheim Bad Zwischenahn Saarbrucken Berlin Nattheim Dresden Westerland Lubeck-Travemunde Nennig Bad Fussing Kiel Flensburg Feuchtwangen Erfurt Berlin Bremer Bad Oeynhausen Amsterdam Breda Venlo Utrecht Rotterdam Nijmegen Valkenburg aan de Geul Enschede Amsterdam Eindhoven Zandvoort Groningen Budapest Dublin 7 High Street, Market Square Letterkenny Castlebar Co Donegal Athlone Buncrana Limerick City Dublin 2 Dublin 2 Dublin 18 Limerick Cork Letterkenney Dublin 2 Saggart Dublin 2 Galway Drogheda Dublin 2 County Cork Galway Treviso Venezia San Remo (IM) Venezia Saint-Vincent Riga Riga Jounieh Vilnius Vilnius Gevgelija
COUNTRY Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany Gibraltar Gibraltar Holland Holland Holland Holland Holland Holland Holland Holland Holland Holland Holland Holland Hungary Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Italy Italy Italy Italy Italy Latvia Latvia Lebanon Lithuania Lithuania Macedonia
DISTRIBUTION POINT Casino Europa Mongolia Sport Poker Association Movenpick Hotel and Casino Malabata Mazagan Casino Casino Marrakech The Fortune Rooms Luckys Bingo Club Frontier Bingo Club Dormans Poker Room The Bridge Club Red Gaming Club Empire Bingo Group East Belfast Poker Club Olympic Casino Sunrise Casino Royal Casino Poland Casino Espinho Edinburgh Circus Casino Wabash Club The International Casino Stanley Berkeley Casino Riverboat Casino Glasgow Stanley Casino Gala Maybury Casino Gala Dundee Casino Caplins Club Alea Casino Casino Terroubi Slovensky Pokovry Zvaz Caesar Poker Club Korona Casino & Hotel Hit Casino Perla Grand Casino Ljubljana Casino Portoroz Olympic Carlton Casino The Irish Fiddler Gran Casino Mallorca Gran Casino de Barcelona Gran Casino Costa Meloneras Centro Nordico Casino Marbella Casino Gran Madrid Casino de Torrequebrada Casino Castillo de Perelada 5th Street Club Malmo PokerKlubb Casino Cosmopol AB Casino Cosmopol Casino Cosmopol Casino Cosmopol Blekinge Pokerklubb Value Poker Twins Poker Swiss Pokerlounge Runner Runner Club Royal Kings Poker Passion Poker Maniacs Poker Klub Poker Fever Poker Fame Poker Cracks Other Poker Club No Smoker Poker Grand Casino St.Gallen Gran Casino Baden Casino Lugano Casino Kursaal Interlaken Card Casino Thun Card Casino Thun Card Casino Biel Campione D’Italia Dav Enterprises Ltd Dav Enterprises Ltd Royal Poker Club Olympic Casino Opera Circolo Club Casino Favorit Aspers at Salubrious Place Les Croupiers Casino Grosvenor Casino Grosvenor Casino Gala Casino
TOWN Chisnau Ulan Batar Tanger El Jadida / Casablanca Marrakech Bangor Ballymena Co.Down Co.Londonderry Co.Down Armagh Magherafelt Belfast Warszawa Warszawa Warszawa Espinho Edinburgh Glasgow Aberdeen Edinburgh Glasgow Glasgow Edinburgh Dundee Dundee Glasgow Dakar Bratislava Bratislava Kranjska Gora Nova Gorica Ljubljana Izola Bratsilava Arguinan Islas Baleares Barcelona San Bartolome Mijas Marbella Torrelodones Malaga Prov Girona Malaga Malmo Sundsvall Malmo Goteborg Stockholm Nattraby Dubendorf Wohlen Dietikon Balerna Zurich Biel Hombrechtikon Koniz Prattein Littau Kloten Basel Frauenfeld St.Gallen Baden Lugano Interlaken Thun Thun Biel Lugano Mersin 10 Kordonboyu, Girne Kharkov Kyiv Kiev Odessa Swansea Cardiff Swansea Cardiff Cardiff
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COUNTRY Moldova Mongolia Morocco Morocco Morocco N.Ireland N.Ireland N.Ireland N.Ireland N.Ireland N.Ireland N.Ireland N.Ireland Poland Poland Poland Portugal Scotland Scotland Scotland Scotland Scotland Scotland Scotland Scotland Scotland Scotland Sénégal Slovakia Slovakia Slovenia Slovenia Slovenia Slovenia Sovakia Spain Spain Spain Spain Spain Spain Spain Spain Spain Spain Sweden Sweden Sweden Sweden Sweden Sweden Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland Turkey Turkey Ukrainia Ukrainia Ukrainia Ukrainia Wales Wales Wales Wales Wales
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2012 // ISSUE 3 83
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” y c r eMERCIER
ISABELLE o M “N
WSOP-E:
FROM CANNES WITH LOVE
CHRONICLE ISABELLE MERCIER
It has been such a thrill to enjoy the Croisette in Cannes and to celebrate it in the best possible way with this international poker festival! First stop, for an incredible dinner at “La Petite Maison de Nicole”, located in the heart of the luxurious 5-star Majestic hotel. The casting for this dinner was quite surreal, and had been shot for the WSOP-E TV show: the one and only Phil Hellmuth, the incredibly funny Tony G, the adorable Freddy Deeb, the star-studded Fabrice Soulier and his girlfriend Claire Renaut, as well as the French captain: Bruno ‘King’ Fitoussi! It has really been a magical night, with great food —the truffled macaronis and salmon tartare were really top-notch— as well as the incredible stories and poker chats… I particularly enjoyed Freddy Deeb’s story, when he and Bruno went heads-up in the HORSE $50,000 tournament for the win. When Freddy finally won the title, he kindly asked Bruno if he still would share the cab back with him to the Bellagio! Bruno and Freddy have been friends for ages now and it had been such a crazy experience to play heads-up for such a prestigious title. After the dinner, it was time to party at The Beach, a private club that was run that night by Barrière Poker and WSOP-Europe. “Free floating champagne” was advertised by WSOP guru Ty Stewart and indeed there was: a crazy night with DJs, dancers, disco feeling and lot of pictures by the international press… Only one friend was missing, my buddy Phil “Crazy” Boucher, the Canadian pro who would win his first WSOP-E title the following day! Congrats Phil for all the good work! I have launched a very special project, to encourage the ladies to experience the thrill of poker —as well as new male players of course! I now run special Poker coaching stays in Monte-Carlo, in partnership with the palace Monte Carlo Bay Hotel & Casino. Every Saturday since November 2011, I run a six-hour master-class, consisting of two hours of theory, two hours of play and then a one-table sit&go with cards revealed. The field is capped to eight players per week and the success is a gauge! For 830, you’ll enjoy two nights (single or double, Friday to Sunday), breakfast
included, the six-hour master class, a buffet lunch, and complimentary coffee and snacks. You can book it through the hotel hotline : +377 98 06 00 50. Isabelle “No Mercy” Mercier plays at Sun Casino Monaco and runs the Poker Coaching Master classes seminars at Monte Carlo Bay Hotel & Casino.
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