https://betting.betfair.com/poker/news/2012/11/ Betfair Poker's talented team of poker enthusiasts bring you the very latest poker news from around the globe. Covering both online poker and the live poker scene, the Betfair Poker blog is your one-stop site for the very best in poker related news, views and gossip. Along with select poker news stories, visitors will also find detailed reports and results of major online and live poker tournaments, interviews with some of poker's key figures and players and bespoke poker articles and editorials. Join Betfair Poker Now en Copyright 2026 Fri, 30 Nov 2012 15:15:00 +0000 http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification It has been an historic couple of weeks for poker in Canada, with the World Series of Poker Circuit recently making its first ever stop in Vancouver and the World Poker Tour triumphantly returning to Canada for this week's WPT Montreal event. Both tournaments saw fields of more than 1,000 players participate, and in both cases local players took the titles, with John Crncic of Vancouver winning the WSOP-C event and Jonathan Roy of Boucherville (a Montreal suburb) winning WPT Montreal. We reported on Crncic's victory here a couple of weeks ago in which he overcame a field of 1,032 at the River Rock Casino Resort in Vancouver to win a WSOP-C ring and $288,382 first prize in the $1,675 buy-in Main Event. Crncic also earned a spot in the 2012-13 WSOP National Championship that will take place at the conclusion of the current season in May 2013 at Harrah's New Orleans. Whereas the WSOP-C event in Vancouver saw mostly Canadians take part -- and a final table comprised solely of Canadian players -- the WPT event in Montreal attracted many players from the United States and around the world. It was the first time the WPT has visited Canada since 2008, and a whopping 1,173 players entered WPT Montreal at the Playground Poker Club in nearby Kahnawake, well exceeding expectations for the event. With a $3,000 buy-in (Canadian dollars, worth just slightly more than USD), the prize pool added up to $3,412,930 (C$), making the tournament one of the largest in WPT history and one of the biggest ever staged in Canada. The top 117 finishers made the money, with several familiar names among those who did including Mark Radoja (111st, $5,420), Ken Aldridge (99th, $6,100), Xuan Liu (86th, $6,775), Marc-Andre Ladouceur (53rd, $10,840), Dan Smith (42nd, $12,535), Christian Harder (31st, $14,905), Mike McDonald (27th, $17,615), Timothy Adams (25th, $17,615), Jason Koon (22nd, $17,615), Bruce Buffer (19th, $17,615), Amanda Musumeci (14th, $25,070), and Ashton Griffin (13th, $25,070) (all c$). After two Day 1 flights and two more days of poker, the fourth and final day began with the six-handed final table where Sylvain Siebert of Ontario began the day with the chip lead with more than 8.8 million followed closely by Jeff Gross of Michigan. Meanwhile, returning to the shortest stack among the final six was Gavin Smith, a native of Ontario currently living in Las Vegas, who began his fifth WPT final table with just over 1.6 million. Also coming back to a short stack of about 2.4 million was Peter Kaemmerlen who would in fact commit all of those chips in the very first hand with Jd-Jh and find himself up against the Ah-10d of Gross. The flop and turn were safe for Kaemmerlen, coming nine-high, but the Ad on the river paired Gross and sent the New Yorker out in sixth place. That hand catapulted Gross into the chip lead momentarily, but he was soon overtaken by Pascal Lefrancois of Sainte-Therese, Quebec when the latter scored a big double-up through leader Siebert. That hand crippled Siebert, and it wouldn't be long before he'd push all in from the small blind with 6c-5d, get called by Roy in the big blind with Qc-Qs, and after Seibert failed to improve he hit the rail in fifth. Smith continued to battle with his short stack, doubling up once through Gross.  But eventually he was all in and at risk again with Ad-5s versus Roy's Kc-7s in another blind-vs.-blind battle. The 8d-8s-2c flop was okay for Smith, but the 7d on the turn put Roy ahead. The river was the 3c, and Smith finished fourth. The remaining trio would battle for three more hours, with much of that time spent with Roy and Lefrancois battling for first position with big stacks of 14 million-plus while Gross endured in third. Then Gross scored a big double-up through Lefrancois when the pair got all of Gross's stack in on a Qc-Qs-7h flop and Gross had pocket sixes to Lefrancois pocket treys. Two cards later Gross still had the best hand and had moved into second position just ahead of Lefrancois. Over the next hour Gross slipped back, however, and after a few more hands was open-pushing for just under 2.5 million from the button and getting called by Roy in the small blind. Gross had Kd-Qc and Roy As-Qs, and after the flop brought an ace Gross was already drawing dead by the turn to be eliminated in third. Heads-up play began with Roy in front with just over 19.1 million while Lefrancois was just under 16 million. The two would play nearly 30 hands, with Lefrancois gradually edging out in front himself. Then came a huge preflop all-in confrontation that saw Lefrancois hoping his 6h-6c would hold versus Roy's Ks-Qc. But the flop brought a king and the turn a queen, and suddenly Roy had nearly all of the chips while Lefrancois had fallen below 1 million. All in on the next hand with 8c-3h, Lefrancois saw Roy turn over Ks-Jh, and again the community cards were good for Roy, coming Kc-4d-Jc-Qd-9d to give Roy the hand and the title. 2012 WPT Montreal final table payouts (C$): 1.  Jonathan Roy -- $779,210 2.  Pascal Lefrancois -- $470,920 3.  Jeff Gross -- $317,450 4.  Gavin Smith -- $211,745 5.  Sylvain Siebert -- $146,360 6.  Peter Kaemmerlen -- $113,155 The win marks the biggest cash by far for Roy, a relative newcomer to the poker tourney scene whose first cashes came in 2011. That three-quarter million dollar payday is more than 10 times his previous best score for winning a preliminary event at EPT Monte Carlo in April of this year. For his win, Roy also earns a spot in the $25K WPT World Championship that will conclude Season XI in May 2013 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada. Join Betfair Poker Now. https://betting.betfair.com/poker/news/jonathan-roy-tops-field-of-1173-wins-wpt-montreal-301112-77.html https://betting.betfair.com/poker/news/jonathan-roy-tops-field-of-1173-wins-wpt-montreal-301112-77.html News Fri, 30 Nov 2012 15:15:00 +0000 Greg "Fossilman" Raymer has found himself back in the poker spotlight as 2012 comes to a close thanks to a jaw-dropping string of Main Event victories on the Heartland Poker Tour. Since July, Raymer has won no less than four $1,650 buy-in Main Events on the HPT, repeatedly topping fields of hundreds of players in order to do so. Raymer has remained a prominent figure on the professional poker circuit ever since his 2004 World Series of Poker Main Event title in which he bested a field of 2,576 to win the bracelet and a $5 million first prize. And while he's continued to add steadily to his career tourney earnings over the years, his recent success on the HPT represents a remarkable return to the winner's circle for the Raleigh, North Carolina resident.  Many remember how in 2005 Raymer followed up his WSOP ME victory with another deep WSOP Main Event run that ended in 25th (out of 5,619 entries), earning $304,680 for that finish. That would be his largest tourney score until 2009 when he took third (of 201) in the special $40,000 buy-in 40th Anniversary event at that year's WSOP to earn $774,927. Raymer has 18 total cashes at the WSOP, including four other final tables, two in stud events and one 2-7 no-limit. Raymer's tourney resume also includes cashes on the World Poker Tour, the European Poker Tour, the North American Poker Tour, and in other venues. But it is his recent dominance on the Heartland Poker Tour over the last few months that has garnered him renewed attention in the poker world. The Heartland Poker Tour was first launched in 2005 by Greg Lang and Todd Anderson amid the poker "boom" that accompanied the victories of Chris Moneymaker and Raymer at the WSOP. Originally based in the American midwest, the tour and HPT television show was consciously geared as "something completely opposite of the glamorous poker shows on-air at the time," as Anderson explains on the HPT web site, with the tour adopting the slogan "Real People, Unreal Money." After a rocky start, the HPT found its feet and in the years since has grown into a respectable and popular tour. The recently completed eighth season of the HPT saw 15 events take place, with the tour stopping in nearly every state that has casinos and legal table games. The accompanying television shows are additionally available on a wide range of networks and cable providers in the U.S. Full episodes of the show can also be viewed on the HPT website.   Fields for the $1,500+$150 buy-in Main Events (with re-entries) during Season VIII of the HPT were often in the 200-300 player range, with the two stops at the Golden Gates Casino & Poker Parlour in Black Hawk, Colorado attracting record-sized fields for the HPT of 820 (in April) and 739 (in September), good for $1 million-plus prize pools in both cases.    Raymer's run of Main Event victories on the Heartland Poker Tour began in July at the Route 66 Casino Hotel in Albuquerque, New Mexico just after the summer portion of the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas concluded. That event attracted 131 players, with Raymer earning a $71,875 payday for his victory. Then in September Raymer was back at the River City Casino in St. Louis, Missouri where he bested a field of 336 to take his second HPT title. Former November Niner and 2008 WSOP Main Event third-place finisher Dennis Phillips was among those Raymer outlasted at that final table, with Phillips finishing seventh. The following month Prairie Meadows Racetrack Casino Hotel in Altoona, Iowa was the venue for Raymer's third HPT title. A total of 186 players participated in that event, with Raymer earning $72,089 for the win. Season VIII then concluded this week with the HPT Championship Open at the Belterra Casino Resort in Florence, Indiana. A total of 283 players played in the season finale, with Raymer entering the six-handed final table as the short stack. But he quickly doubled up, then chipped up some more to have the lead when heads-up play began between himself and Jacob Bazeley. And 14 hands later Raymer had won another HPT title and a $106,030 first prize. Raymer had already locked up the 2012 HPT Player of the Year race even before his win at Florence. HPT Main Event winners earn 50 POY points, thus Raymer finished Season VIII with a whopping 200 POY points, well ahead of second-place finisher Stan Jablonski's 83. Raymer receives six HPT Main Event buy-ins (with hotel accommodations) for Season IX for winning the Player of the Year title. Raymer's win at Florence also made him the first four-time winner on the tour and landed him on top of the all-time HPT money leaders list with $371,967 career earnings on the tour, pushing him past Craig Casino's total of $347,207. The run has not only grabbed renewed attention for Raymer in the poker world, but has helped bring the HPT into the spotlight as a well-run, competitive tour with reasonable buy-ins and lots of reasons for players to participate.   Following the season finale, HPT Director of Operations Jennifer Mastrud spoke of further expansion for HPT's Season IX. "HPT will stop in new markets across the country while still visiting some of our favorite casinos and local players," promised Mastrud. Join Betfair Poker Now. https://betting.betfair.com/poker/news/raymers-run-continues-with-4th-hpt-main-event-win-since-july-231112-77.html https://betting.betfair.com/poker/news/raymers-run-continues-with-4th-hpt-main-event-win-since-july-231112-77.html News Fri, 23 Nov 2012 14:21:00 +0000 With the World Series Main Event now in the rearview mirror, the professional poker circuit continues in earnest around the world, with champions recently crowned in Asia, North America, and Europe. Merson talks about WSOP ME win Before getting to the tourney round-up, let's note how 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Greg Merson has begun making the rounds with interviews following his victory at that marathon final table a couple of weeks ago.  After becoming one of the final nine players out of a field of 6,598, Merson survived a final table lasting 399 hands to win the title and $8,531,853 first prize. Merson appeared on the Two Plus Two Pokercast this week for a lengthy one-hour interview in which he discussed several key hands from his tournament run.  Merson has also joined the new Phil Ivey-backed instructional site IveyPoker for which he gave another short video regarding his victory, available on YouTube. By the way, the WSOP has already announced dates for 2013, slated to begin May 29 and continue through July 16 when once again the Main Event will be halted with nine players remaining. Xing Zhou wins first Asia Championship of Poker in memorable fashion I happened to have been in Macau during the first part of November covering the Asia Pacific Poker Tour's stop in the popular gambling destination, a.k.a. the "Vegas of the East."  It was an exciting trip, marked by some fascinating finishes in the events I witnessed. First I saw the Australian Jeff Rossiter win the ACOP Warm-Up event, a $25,000 (HKD) buy-in event, outlasting a field of 358 to win a first prize of $1,777,000 (HKD) -- the equivalent of about $227,821 USD.  Joseph Cheong took third in that event, with the one and only Johnny Chan finishing seventh. Then in the $100,000 (HKD) Main Event it was Xing Zhou of China prevailing over Ying Kit Chan of Hong Kong, although in truth the pair chopped first- and second-prize money evenly following more than six hours of heads-up play.   I'd never seen anything quite like it, to be honest.  Zhou had a huge 8-to-1 chip lead over Chan to start heads-up play, but Chan battled back to even the score and even take the lead.  Zhou then seized the advantage again, but suddenly after their long battle they decided upon a 50-50 split of the remaining prize money.   That's when they agreed to push all in on the final hand without even looking at their hole cards!  Zhou ended up drawing a straight, beating Chan's two pair, to win the trophy and title.  Both players earned $3,547,500 (HKD) or about $454,807 (USD) for being the last two standing from the field of 184. 2012 Asia Championship of Poker Main Event final table payouts (*two-way deal): 1. Xing Zhou -- $3,547,500 (HKD); $454,807 (USD)*
 2. Ying Kit Chan -- $3,547,500 (HKD); $457,807 (USD)*
 3. Michael Kanaan -- $1,731,000 (HKD); $221,923 (USD)
 4. Jacques Zaicik -- $1,384,000 (HKD); $177,436 (USD) 
5. Alan Sass -- $1,125,000 (HKD); $144,231 (USD)
 6. Tsugunari Toma -- $952,000 (HKD); $122,051 (USD)
 7. Andrew Hinrichsen -- $779,000 (HKD); $99,872 (USD)
 8. Tom Alner -- $606,000 (HKD); $77,792 (USD) 
9. Henry Wang -- $432,700 (HKD); $55.474 (USD) Another big event at the ACOP was the $250,000 (HKD) "High Rollers" event in which 39 participated and Jonathan Karamalikis won, earning $3,707,000 (HKD) or about $475,256 (USD) for the victory.  Rossiter took second in that one, with Cheong finishing fourth. Wojtek Barzantny big winner at UKIPT Bristol A day after the ACOP concluded, the United Kingdom Ireland Poker Tour concluded its latest stop in Bristol, England, where the young German player Wojtek Barzantny bested a field of 550 players in the £700 buy-in Main Event to win the £90,400 first prize. The win marked Barzantny's third UKIPT title and second in just one week following his victory in a preliminary event during this year's Bristol stop.  The UKIPT will resurface in Edinburgh, Scotland in January for its next tournament series. 2012 UKIPT Bristol final table payouts: 1. Wojtek Barzantny -- £90,400
 2. James Greenwood -- £54,500
 3. Robert Bull -- £33,300
 4. Anthony Forsyth-Forrest -- £24,400
 5. Amanda Sidark -- £19,000
 6. Craig Goddard -- £15,100
 7. Niall Murray -- £11,600
 8. Jonathan Prince -- £8,800 John Crncic wins first Canadian WSOP Circuit stop at River Rock The WSOP Circuit wound its way north of the border to Vancouver, Canada for its first-ever non-U.S. stop at the River Rock Casino Resort, with local Vancouverite John Crncic taking the Main Event title and $286,382 (Canadian) for beating out a field of 1,032. That field marked the largest ever for a live cash tournament in Canada.  Like all winners of WSOP-C Main Events, Crncic also won an entry in the WSOP National Championship that will conclude this 2012-2013 season. WSOP-C River Rock final table payouts: 1. John Crncic -- $288,382 2. Ryan Biermann -- $177,060 3. Justin Ciolfitto -- $131,580 4. Mal Hagan -- $98,917 5. Sonny Sekhon -- $75,217 6. Calvin Anderson -- $57,864 7. Tyler St. Clair -- $45,031 8. Michael Collins -- $35,449 9. Glenn Sullivan -- $28,236 Noah Schwartz notches WPT title in Jacksonville Finally, the World Poker Tour also found another champion this week with Noah Schwartz beating out a field of 477 -- and dominating the final table -- to win his first WPT title in the WPT bestbet Jacksonville Fall Poker Scramble.    Schwartz entered the six-handed final table with more than half the chips in play and was never seriously threatened on his way to the win, ultimately taking care of Byron Kaverman heads-up.   All of the chips went in on the turn on the final hand, with the board showing 10h-9s-3h-4s, Kaverman holding 10c-9c and Schwartz Qs-10s.  The river brought the Qc, improving Schwartz to two pair and giving him the title. WPT bestbet Jacksonville Fall Poker Scramble final table payouts: 1. Noah Schwartz -- $402,970
 2. Byron Kaverman -- $236,592
 3. Ryan Hartmann -- $153,403
 4. Hans Winzeler -- $106,848
 5. Brian Senie -- $77.083
 6. Lee Markholt -- $61,819 Join Betfair Poker Now. https://betting.betfair.com/poker/news/the-week-in-poker-zhou-crncic-schwartz-among-winners-161112-77.html https://betting.betfair.com/poker/news/the-week-in-poker-zhou-crncic-schwartz-among-winners-161112-77.html News Fri, 16 Nov 2012 15:36:00 +0000 Saturday the 10th of November saw nearly 100 Betfair invited guests attend the magnificently impressive Centenary hall at Stamford Bridge to play in a poker freeroll event worth $10,000. With plenty of other activities to keep the players entertained whilst overlooking the Chelsea pitch it was sure to be a great day for all involved! https://betting.betfair.com/poker/news/betfair-vip-poker-event-stamford-bridge-london-121112-326.html https://betting.betfair.com/poker/news/betfair-vip-poker-event-stamford-bridge-london-121112-326.html Betfair Poker Live News Mon, 12 Nov 2012 10:16:00 +0000 This week Betfair Poker launches the Team Betfair Ambassador Bounty Series (TBABS), a new competition in which Betfair Poker players are invited to play against the world-renowned poker pros that make up Team Betfair (as well as some soft bounty targets in the form of Betfair staff and bloggers!) https://betting.betfair.com/poker/news/players-take-on-pros-in-new-betfair-poker-tournament-051112-163.html https://betting.betfair.com/poker/news/players-take-on-pros-in-new-betfair-poker-tournament-051112-163.html News Mon, 05 Nov 2012 14:28:00 +0000