Exclusive $15,000 Main Event Passport Freeroll on PokerStars

info by pokernews.com
Qualification for the $15,000 Main Event Passport Freeroll has started. To qualify, all you need to do is download PokerStars, and when signing up, use the marketing code POKERNEWS.COM. Then you need to earn 75 VPPs between June 1 and 26, and you'll be eligible to play in the freeroll on June 30 at 1500 EDT.
The 2011 World Series of Poker is in full flow, and you can follow our exclusive PokerNews Live Updates from the Rio, presented by PokerStars. Not only do PokerNews and PokerStars want to bring you all the action from the WSOP, we want to send you there, for free.
Once again, PokerNews referred PokerStars players are in for a real treat, as on June 30 at 1500 EDT we will be hosting a $15,000 Main Event Passport Freeroll. The top prize of which will be a $13,000 PokerStars Main Event Passport Package, with the remaining $2,000 being distributed as per PokerStars standard pay out structure.

Visit PokerStars
To play in this freeroll, all you need to do is download PokerStars via PokerNews, register a new account using our marketing code, "POKERNEWS.COM", and earn 75 VPPs in between June 1 and 26. Existing PokerNews-referred PokerStars account holders are also welcome to play as long as they achieve the VPP target.
Although 75 VPPs may seem steep, it is actually less than $13 in rake paid. That's the equivalent of about 250 hands for a $1/$2 limit hold'em player, less than 400 hands for a $0.25/$0.50 no-limit hold'em player, or 13 $11 SNGs.

The winner of this freeroll will be able to pick and choose which of the following main events they want to play.
•World Series of Poker (WSOP)
•PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA)
•European Poker Tour (EPT)
•Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT)
•Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT)

Win the Main Event Passport and you’ll receive a prize package worth $13,000, which includes Main Event buy-in, hotel accommodation and cash. Then, all you have to do is select which event you want to play, and you’ll get more for your money if you choose EPT London or the 2012 PCA, as these packages are worth more than $13,000.
But really, how can you choose anything but the package to play in the World Series of Poker Main Event? The biggest tournament of the year at the Mecca of poker that is Las Vegas. If you haven’t got WSOP fever yet you surely will have by the time the $15,000 Main Event Passport Freeroll rolls around.
We have $30,000 in freerolls with PokerStars in June, and $15k freerolls are a regular occurance for players who sign up to PokerStars through PokerNews. So download PokerStars today and earn 75 VPPs before it's too late. Don't forget that marketing code, "POKERNEWS.COM", and the bonus code, "STARS600", for a 100% up to $600 deposit bonus

2011 World Series of Poker Day 1: Benyamine, Hansen, and Mortensen Advance in Event #2

info by pokernews.com

The 2011 World Series of Poker kicked off on Tuesday from the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Anticipation was high as Event #1, the $500 Employees Event, kicked off at noon. As the day wore on, the money bubble burst and Jordan Dhooghe emerged as the chip leader going into Day 2. Poker's elite turned out in the evening for Event #2, the $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em World Championship. After two rounds of play, 32 players advanced to take their shots at the first open bracelet of 2011.

Event #1: $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold'em

Heading into Event #1, many people worried about the turnout at this year's WSOP. If this event is any indication of things to come, though, then the WSOP is in for a stellar year. The event attracted 850 players, up 129 players from last year's total. Among the players in the field were defending champion Hoai Pham, WSOP vice president Ty Stewart, and legendary tournament directors Jack McClelland and Matt Savage. Jean-Robert Bellande was a surprise entrant. His position as ambassador at the Aria casino made him eligible for this event. Unfortunately, these players were unable to survive to Day 2.
As action continued into the night, Jordan Dhooghe and Thanh Ngo emerged as chip leaders. Ngo finished the day with 101,400 chips off the strength of a sizable pot against two players. The small blind moved all-in for 3,450 after the button raised. Ngo three-bet to 8,125 and was called by the button. Ngo held against pocket kings for the small blind and pocket tens for the button. An ace on the flop gave Ngo the lead, and she was able to fade the remaining kings and tens in the deck to knock out two players.
Dhooghe began his march to the chip lead after catching a six-outer to drag a huge 35,000 chip pot. He was all-in on a flop of holding for an open-ended straight draw. His opponent was in great shape holding pocket eights. The turn missed both players, but the river gave Dhooghe the straight, and he never looked back. He will start Day 2 with 129,800 in chips.
Action resumes Wednesday at 1430 PDT (2100 GMT), and you can follow all the action here at PokerNews.

Event #2: $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship

The first open event of the 2011 WSOP was one of the most anticipated. The 128-player field created a $3,040,000 prize pool. Two significant changes were made to the event's structure. First, the buy-in was raised from $10,000 to $25,000. Second, the event was made a triple-stack event with players receiving 25,000 of their 75,000 stacks to start with, as well as two clear add-on buttons.
The field was cut from 128 to 32 over two rounds. Round 1 presented some interesting match-ups, including Peter Jetten versus Tom Dwan, Daniel Negreanu versus Alex Kostritsyn, Isaac Haxton against Robert Mizrachi and Jason Mercier versus Gus Hansen. King of the high-roller tournaments, Erik Seidel, failed to make it out of Round 1 against Dani Stern. Seidel got it in with against the for Stern. The flop missed both players, but the turn gave Seidel a sweat. That sweat turned into an early exit when the hit the river.
Round-2 matches included Daniel Alaei against Justin Bonomo, Yevgeniy Timonshenko versus Dan "Jungleman12" Cates, Kenny Tran against John Juanda, and John Duthie versus Jonathan Duhamel. Tom "durrrr" Dwan was among those advancing to Round 3, and the final hand of his match with Bryn Kenney saw him flat-call the turn with the board showing . When the river brought the , Kenney bet out for 33,000. Dwan moved all-in, having Kenney covered. Kenney called and Dwan showed for a straight.
Other players advancing to Round 3 action included David Benyamine, Dani Stern, Isaac Haxton, Ashton Griffin, Gus Hansen, Steve Zolotow, Carlos Mortenson, Andrew Robl, and Nick Shulman.

Phil Ivey Suing Tiltware; Boycotting the 2011 WSOP

info pokernews.com

While the big story of the day seemed to be the start of the World Series of Poker and the $25,000 Heads-Up Championship, the poker world was shocked by an announcement so stunning that it is sure to have a massive ripple effect throughout the entire poker community. Late Tuesday night, Phil Ivey, largely regarded as the best poker player in the world, broke his six-week long silence regarding the events of online poker’s Black Friday and the subsequent holding of player funds by Full Tilt Poker.

On his Facebook account, that Wicked Chops Poker has confirmed to be authentic, Ivey informed the poker world that he will not be playing this year’s WSOP, and that he has filed a lawsuit against Tiltware, the software and marketing company for Full Tilt.
Here is Ivey’s complete post on Facebook:
“For many years, I have been proud to call myself a poker player. This great sport has taken me to places I only imagined going and I have been blessed with much success. It is therefore with deep regret that I believe I am compelled to release the following statement.
I am deeply disappointed and embarrassed that Full Tilt players have not been paid money they are owed. I am equally embarrassed that as a result many players cannot compete in tournaments and have suffered economic harm.
I am not playing in the World Series of Poker as I do not believe it is fair that I compete when others cannot. I am doing everything I can to seek a solution to the problem as quickly as possible.
My name and reputation have been dragged through the mud, through the inactivity and indecision of others and on behalf of all poker players I refuse to remain silent any longer. I have electronically filed a lawsuit against Tiltware related to the unsettled player accounts. As I am sure the public can imagine, this was not an easy decision for me.
I wholeheartedly refuse to accept non-action as to repayment of players funds and I am angered that people who have supported me throughout my career have been treated so poorly.
I sincerely hope this statement will ignite those capable of resolving the problems into immediate action and would like to clarify that until a solution is reached that cements the security of all players, both US and International, I will, as I have for the last six weeks, dedicate the entirety of my time and efforts to finding a solution for those who have been wronged by the painfully slow process of repayment.”
This statement is now on Phil Ivey's website.
This is a breaking story that the poker world is still reacting to. As always, PokerNews will be here to bring you all the latest developments as they happen.

Five Tournaments Everyone Should Play at Least Once

info by pokerstrategy.com
Tons of poker tours are hosting tournaments all over the world, and players have never before had so many choices of tournaments to play in. Which ones are really worth the time and money? Here are five tournaments we think every player should try and play in at least once.
It seems like there's a new poker tour every week. Between WSOPs, EPTs, WPTs, APPTs, LAPTs, NAPTs, and STDs, there are more acronyms to keep track of than anyone should have to.
Here are five tournaments that are worth remembering, and that every player should try and play in at least once during their poker career:

1. World Series of Poker Main Event
This is the king of all poker tournaments. Consistently the biggest tournament of the year in both number of entrants and prize pool, the WSOP Main Event is the only tournament where the winner instantly becomes a household name to poker players everywhere.
The buy-in is $10,000, the location is Las Vegas, and last year Jonathan Duhamel won just shy of $9 million for finishing in first place. Even if you don't win, you can walk away with life changing money.
Money, fame, and more money- what more can a poker player ask for?

2. European Poker Tour Grand Final
This year the EPT Grand Final moved from Monte Carlo to Madrid. Although the location changed, many features of the tournament remained the same - beautiful scenery, a high entry fee, and an impressive prize pool to name a few.
The EPT Grand Final is likely the most prestigious annual tournament outside of the WSOP in Las Vegas. The €10,000 buy-in is pricey, but the experience makes it worthwhile. This year's winner, Ivan Freitez, went home with €1,500,000 of the close to €7 million prize pool.

3. World Poker Tour World Championship
Entering this tournament is not for the faint of heart, or for players with reasonable game selection. However, taking down this shark-infested tournament is sure to gain the respect of poker pros everywhere.
The WPT World Championship is held annually at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. The field is typically somewhat small due to the $25,000 buy-in and tough field, but playing this event gives anyone the chance to prove themselves against the best players in the world.

4. Aussie Millions
With so much focus in the U.S. and Europe on the WSOP, EPT, and WPT, sometimes we forget that our friends in the southern hemisphere host some great tournaments. Amongst those tournaments, the stand-out event is the Aussie Millions.
The Aussie Millions Main Event is a $10,000 buy-in tournament held at the Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia. The attendance is excellent, and if you happen to bust you can head over to the Australian Open tennis tournament which takes place the same week.

5. Playboy Mansion Celebrity Poker Tournament
Admittedly, this one is -EV for your bankroll. Despite that, it's definitely +EV for your happiness. The tournament itself is a re-buy event, and the buy-in is typically between $1,500 and $3,000.
The prize pool goes to charity, and most players don't care very much about playing their best poker. As soon as you lose your chips, you can spend the evening mingling with celebrities and models at the Playboy Mansion.We recommend chip dumping as early as possible.

What is your top 5 list?
What about you? What do you think are the top 5 tournaments that poker players should not miss?

Negreanu's blog: A Look Into the World of High Stakes WSOP Drafting

info by pokerstrategy.com
Every year at around this time, fantasy WSOP drafts pop up on poker forums. Fans aren't the only ones who do this, however. High stakes pros take place in an annual draft as well, and Daniel Negreanu's latest blog shows exactly what happened this year.
This year's high stakes WSOP Fantasy Draft was publicized by Daniel Negreanu, and through his blog, fans everywhere can see exactly how it went.
The entry fee was $25,000. Each team received 200 points to bid on players. All teams ultimately consisted of 8 players.
The scoring system is heavily weighted towards final tables, and all points are doubled for $10,000 buy-ins and up.
Therefore, the most valuable players are the ones who will play the high buy-in mixed game tournaments, and great No Limit specialists are often taken for very few points.
15 teams entered, and the top 3 places will be paid out at 65%/25%/10%.
For a close look at all of the teams and Daniel Negreanu's thoughts on them, check out his blog post at Full Contact Poker.
My favorite is Team #7, owned by Scott Seiver, Justin Bonomo, and Eric Froehlich. Which do you think is strongest?

Full Tilt Poker Publishes New Statement Regarding US Situation

info by pokerstrategy.com
FTPDoug released a new statement in which he answers four questions related to the payout situation for players in America. We quoted the full statement for you below.

"To our customers:
We acknowledge that our lack of communication reflects poorly on us, and rightfully so. We have been too optimistic in estimating how long it would take to sort through the issues we have faced since Black Friday. And as frustrating as the delays have been for us, we recognize that it cannot compare to the frustration you have been feeling.
We further recognize that our lack of communication has led to much speculation and many unsubstantiated rumors, which have often been contradictory. With this message, we hope to clear up as much confusion as we can, while at the same time keeping in mind the constraints imposed on us as a result of the cases brought in the Southern District of New York.

The most pressing questions:
1. When will the US players be paid?
We still do not have a specific timeframe for this. There has been, and remains, no bigger priority than getting US players paid as soon as possible, and we have been working around the clock to get this done.

2. Is FTP bankrupt?
No. FTP's worldwide business is healthy and, although we've had some short-term challenges, it is operating as normal.

From: Gamblingcontrol.org

"The AGCC’s investigation into the affairs of it licensee Vantage Limited, trading as Full Tilt.com, is ongoing; initial investigations indicate no reason to believe that player fund transactions are fundamentally threatened by any consequence of the US authorities' actions. Delays caused by these actions are in the process of resolution, with normal service now being restored for non-US players. We understand that progress in respect of US player fund repatriation is anticipated and will be the subject of a separate statement from Full Tilt in due course. The Commission will remain engaged in this process."

3. What is the company doing to speed up payouts to the US players?
We are raising capital to ensure that the US players are paid out in full as quickly as possible.
It is important to remember that Full Tilt Poker has always paid out our players, even in the face of previous legal obstacles or factors not in our control, such as payment processor defaults and prior actions by the US government which resulted in US player funds being seized.
In all of these previous instances, Full Tilt Poker has covered these losses and intends to do the same again.

4. Why are the Full Tilt Pros remaining silent?
It is not their choice. But they are constrained by the pending legal actions.
As a final note, we understand -- and have always understood -- the effect that our brief statements have had not only on our customers, but also on our reputation. It has not been easy to stay silent and watch the damage being done to our company brand and personal reputations, but we need to be mindful of the complicated and serious legal issues raised in the pending cases."

The 42nd Annual World Series of Poker Kicks Off Tuesday

info by pokernews.com / Elaine Chaivarlis

The 42nd Annual World Series of Poker gets under way Tuesday, May 31, at the Rio All Suites Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The May 31 - July 19 schedule boasts 58 gold-bracelet events -- one more than last year. There are a few new events on the docket and PokerNews will be there providing all the action from the felt inside the Convention Center at the Rio as the Official Live Reporting Team of the WSOP.

There are a few new events to the schedule, such as Event #2, the $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em Heads Up Championship. That event, along with Event #1, the $500 Casino Employees event start things off on Tuesday. From there, you can expect much of the same event lineup as years past being played throughout the Pavilion and Amazon Rooms. One event fans will be anxious to see is the Grudge Match promotion. The Grudge Matches were designed to recreate classic heads-up battles in WSOP history. There are three in all -- two were announced by the WSOP (Phil Hellmuth vs. Johnny Chan (1989 WSOP Rematch) and Chris Moneymaker vs. Sammy Farha (2003 WSOP Rematch)) and one was voted on by the fans (Johnny Chan vs. Erik Seidel (1988 WSOP Main Event)). The Grudge Matches will take place on June 2 at the Rio, will be filmed for ESPN, and then broadcast July 26 in two back-to-back episodes.

It all culminates with the $10,000 buy-in Main Event on July 7. Thirteen days later, on July 19, the 2011 November Nine class will be set and the Rio Convention Center will be empty -- until November that is. Beginning November 5, the final nine will retake their seats to play down to a champion.