Troubled Poker Player Brandi Hawbaker Commits Suicide at Age 26.
April 17, 2008
In a story that has been confirmed by several top online poker media websites, troubled poker player Brandi Hawbaker has apparently committed suicide, ending her young life at just 26 years of age. Brandi first made headlines around the world when she flashed a cameraman at the Festa Al Lago main event at the Bellagio back in 2006. Although she would end up finishing a personal-best 35th in that same $10k event, the life of this young woman would never be the same again.
From the conclusion of the Festa Al Lago tournament, the story of Brandi Hawbaker would become a never-ending tale of drama, controversy, and random mental episodes. Her life would become a public soap opera, and any hopes of her trying to hide her personal demons would just never be possible. And while the life of Brandi Hawbaker was continually showcased on many popular internet gambling forums, I can still say that the situation itself is still very sad and tragic.
Regardless of the negative incidents and PR that Brandi put on herself throughout her later years, the fact of the matter is she was still a person that just got herself caught up in the torrid world that is known as Sin City. Las Vegas swallowed this girl up whole, and her dreams of becoming a great poker player were tarnished by getting involved with the wrong people and never being able to break her degenerate-like cycle of always needing money just to gamble on the felt.
(oh, and to David Sklansky: You really should be proud of what your words and actions have finally resulted in.)
Glen Chorny Wins 2008 EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final!
April 17, 2008
It was the longest and most grueling tournament the European Poker Tour has ever had in it’s short history. From day 1 all the way to the final table, the action at the PokerStars 2008 EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final was slow-paced and every move was calculated precisely. All for good reason of course - I mean when 862 of the world’s best players show up to put down $13.6k to play - it’s definitely in the players’ best interest to play smart and make sound decisions. Oh yea, did I mention first place is over $3 million?
The final 8 players sat down today with their eyes on that very first place prize. Antonio Esfandiari, the chipleader throughout most of the final stages of the tournament, entered the final table as the short stack, with Team PokerStars member Luca Pagano also trailing in the chip department. Rising online poker stars Michael “Martine23” Martin and Isaac “WestMenloAA” Baron were also at this pro-packed final table, both with sizeable chip stacks.
However, in the end, it would be a PokerStars qualifier from the USA who would end up steam-rolling his competition en route to a very impressive victory. That qualifier was Glen Chorny, and it was his tournament to lose as he entered the final table with over $3.6 million in chips and a very decent chip lead over his opponents.
In between the 12-hour final table affair, it would be top favorites like Esfandiari, Pagano, and Baron who would actually exit quite early - leaving the door open for Chorny to expand his lead even further. And trust me, from what I was watching during the EPTLive telecast, he did just that. Chorny dominated when he needed to, and made critical folds when it was warranted. It would be an unknown Hungarian named Denes Kalo who would find himself heads-up with the powerhouse that was Glen Chorny.
Kalo was down 10 to 1 in chips at the start of heads-up action, and unfortunately for him his situation didn’t exactly improve when his KQ would clash with the A5 of Chorny on the final hand. The flop brought an Ace for Glen, and when the board didn’t improve, it would be the young American who would lay claim to the $3 million+ first place prize and the beautiful EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final trophy!
Congratulations Glen - great showing.
Final 8 Set at 2008 EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final.
April 17, 2008
The final table is now set over at the EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final, with a stellar lineup of live and online pros vying for the $3 million+ plus first place prize.
Antonio Esfandiari, the chip leader throughout most of the final stages of the tournament, was massively coolered just before the final table was set and comes in as the short stack with just over $500k in chips. Team Pokerstars player Luca Pagano comes into the final 8 with nearly $700k in chips, with online pro Michael “Martine23” Martin holds a stack of just over $1.3 million.
You can watch the final table live later on today by visit EPTLive.com.
EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final Shenanigans: Negreanu and Hachem Edition.
April 17, 2008
I was reading through some of my favorite poker sites, and came across some silly shenanigans from this year’s EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final. The first one is a video I found of Danieal Negreanu being interviewed by SikTilt.com. Check it out below and YOU judge whether it’s complete and utter bullshit - or just semi-ok acting on D.N.’s part (and for Godsakes how do you embed video here???? LOL). Either way, it was pretty comical and I enjoyed the final touch at the conclusion of the interview.
Daniel Negreanu blows up at SikTilt reporter
Now the second part of the story involves 2005 WSOP Main Event champion Joe Hachem. When the tournament was trimming the field down to the money bubble on day 3, Hachem got into a near-physical altercation with someone at his table. On a hand where the famed Aussie mucked his cards in disgust, one of the players that wasn’t even involved in the hand demanded that the dealer reveal Joe’s cards.
However, Hachem told his competitor that he didn’t have to reveal his cards since the winning hand had already been turned up. When the dealer concurred, his opponent told Hachem it looked like he was trying to play a certain angle, and then abruptly told the fiery WSOP champ, “Don’t be an asshole.”
After that, the words between Joe Hachem and the other man got pretty crazy - and even other players at the surrounding tables got up to see what was going on. After a few minutes, the dust had finally settled without any punches being thrown.
World Series of Poker Circuit Event in Indiana Concludes.
April 16, 2008
After just two days of play, Wilbur Futhey walked away the winner of the 2008 WSOPC Indiana Main Event. The tournament drew only 117 players, most likely because of the EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final going on across the way in Europe.
Even with the smaller-than-average field, the total prizepool still managed to exceed over a half-a-million dollars, with Duthey taking home the 1st place prize of $180k. He also earned himself a $10k Main Event seat in this year’s WSOP in Las Vegas, as well as the championship ring that all WSOPC winners receive.
Here are the final results of this tournament:
1. Wilbur Futhey – $180,2892. Steve Merrifield – $94,5963. Dale Poynter – $55,6454. Doug Carli – $44,5165. Benjamin Hock – $33,3876. Jason Mann – $27,8227. Giovanni Marcacci – $22,2588. Jerry Martin – $16,6939. Michael Iacovone – $11,129
Two Scottish Players Get Busted For Las Vegas Gambling Spree!
April 16, 2008
In more news located across the pond, it looks like 2 Scottish poker pros were recently arrested and convicted of stealing roughly £150,000 from the Bank of Scotland to fund multiple Las Vegas gambling sprees. The elaborate scheme saw the pair utilize a bank error glitch in various cash machines that helped them get thousands upon thousands of dollars in stolen money.
The Scotland natives, identified as Mohammed Imran and Mohammed Ifran (brothers), frequented many hot spots in Las Vegas - especially at the famed Bellagio Hotel and Casino. The two brothers also played against such high stakes players as Microsoft founder Bill Gates and millionaire entrepreneur Kerry Packer.
According to online publication The Scotsman:
“In the scam, the pair used information given to them by ‘an insider’ after Halifax and Bank of Scotland overhauled their autoteller programming system following their merger three years ago. About 400 staff in Scotland and England helped implement the changes.
Imran Bashir, prosecuting, told Glasgow Sheriff Court an error in the system later became apparent although it was not known if it was deliberate.
‘What is clear is that a member of staff … had communicated information of this fault to either of the two accused or other persons,’ he said.”
Mr. Bashir convinced jurors to sentence the two men to 18 months in prison and both have been permanently banned from every casino in the UK, and the judge has stripped them of their privileges of getting a visa to the United States.
Too bad these Scots didn’t have the luck of the Irish, lol….(I slay me)
Antonio Esfandiari Leading 2008 EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final.
April 15, 2008
Antonio Esfandiari, also known as “the Magician,” is the chip leader heading into the final days of the 2008 PokerStars.com EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final. He is trying to hold off high stakes cash game player Johnny Lodden[and a handful of other big-time players] for top dog at the $13.6k buy-in tournament.
Antonio has been holding strong to his impressive stack as the field has been narrowed to just 39 players - significantly less than the original 842 entrants that had started the event a few days ago. Team PokerStars players Joe Hachem and Raymond Rahme are still in the hunt, but with smaller-than-average stacks heading into Day 4 of play.
It will be an interesting progression as the final table looms right around the corner. Play should conclude when they hit the final 9 late Wednesday evening. The final table taping will take place on April 17th and will see the eventual winner walk away with $3.2 million! The final results will surely be on the front pages of PokerOwnage.com by the end of the week.
Jennifer “Jennicide” Leigh Banned by 2+2 Tilt Master Mason Malmuth.
April 14, 2008
Jennifer Leigh, also known as Jennicide, is making headlines yet again in the poker news world.
This time - believe it or now - it’s not for baring it all in Playboy magazine.
In a recent post made over at one of my favorite degenerate poker forums (NWP), it looks as if the poker princess has revealed that she is the latest poker pro to be banned from 2+2!
Jennifer, who has been a long-time member of NWP for years, made a recent appearance on the weekly radio show that’s hosted by the site’s owner, Bryan Micon. Many believe that little cameo, combined with many unusual posts at 2+2 lately, were the most likely grounds for her permanent dismissal.
It’s been a terrible last couple of weeks for members of the popular gossip site, with posters being banned left and right just for speaking up about the recent troubles of David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth - with some even being banned just because they’re associated with NeverWinPoker! Even NWP owners Bryan Micon, Dustin “Neverwin” Woolf, and Todd “Dan Druff” Witteles have all been ban-hammered at the 2+2 forums just for being the ones facilitating the trash talk between the two powerhouse websites.
Oh the drama…
Michael J. Garcia: Online Poker Player Enemy #1 - Again.
April 13, 2008
It was recently discovered that Michael J. Garcia (pictured Left), U.S. District Attorney for the state of New York, was the man responsible for putting pressure on popular gaming wallet ePassporte - subsequently resulting in it’s recent pullout from the U.S. market.
If the name sounds familiar, well then it’s probably because it should be. You might recall that it was Mr. Garcia’s office that was the main reason NETeller was forced to shut its doors down to United States online poker players early in 2007.
During the Department of Justice’s investigation, thousands of innocent American gamblers’ accounts were frozen. Now while the NETeller situation was eventually resolved without going to court, it has and always will leave a bitter taste in the mouths of those that were affected.
In a situation that is looking eerily similar to NETeller, it looks as if ePassporte is buckling to Garcia and U.S. pressure to pull the plug on any “aiding and abetting” of online gambling in America. This gambling news source posted a letter that ePassporte issued to online poker room Pitbull Poker, which clearly states that the company doesn’t wish to be apart of “anything illegal” in the eyes of the U.S. government - even though ePassporte doesn’t fully believe they’ve done anything wrong in the first place.
It is unclear at the moment whether there will be a full-scale audit of the company, but sources close to the industry say it may not be as bad as it seems. Cashouts seem to be going through just fine at the present moment, and it doesn’t look as if accounts will be frozen any time soon.
Poker Rumor Confirmed: ePassporte Is Shutting Down To U.S. Poker Players.
April 11, 2008
“To all Cake Poker Customers:
We have received notice from ePassporte today that they are unable to continue to provide CakePoker with merchant e-wallet services. We have since confirmed that this situation is not unique to CakePoker and is, in fact, industry wide.
While we are disappointed with this decision, we want to reassure all players that there will be no impact to either your account balances or your account status at Cake. We are pleased to have launched earlier this week with a new payment processor and have already secured alternative processors/eWallets that we will be launching in the weeks to come.
We are also in discussions with other providers that will be making their services available in the CakePoker cashier soon. Players are welcome to inquire with Customer Support for more details.
As always, we value your business and will continue to make every effort possible to make your poker experience a great one.
Regards,
The Cake Poker Team”
