Isabelle Mercier busted on the poker scene at the 2004 WPT Ladies Event and then again in 2008 with a fantastic new rack.
Isabelle Mercier, a woman, has left Team PokerStars, deciding not to renew her sponsorship deal.
She told Poker Listings in an email that she “currently has extensive projects, both nationally and internationally, in the world of poker,” and, “is not about to give up her life’s passion.” Read the full story here.
Mercier, who is best known for showing up to the 2008 WSOP with a killer new rack and then making out with Dario Minieri at a party at the Palms later that week, has amassed over $1M in career tournament earnings.
While Mercier’s reason for departing from the poker limelight seems very vague, maybe she’s just pulling a Paul Phillips and getting out while she’s ahead. If so, she’d be approximately the second person in poker to ever do that.
Tagged as: isabelle mercier
Our “Caption This” photo of Isabelle Mercier and Dario Minieri just got more interesting.
If you weren’t among the few thousand people last night at the PokerStars party who witnessed firsthand the new and improved Isabelle Mercier getting it on with our favorite scarf-wearing Euro Dario Minieri, then consider yourself lucky. Maybe if it happened a few weeks ago when we still thought Dario was a chick, we’d think it was awesome. But now, that shit just ain’t right. Not sure why. Perhaps it’s because we hear Dario had cock-blocked Bill Chen. Or maybe because Dario’s a little boy and we have laws about this kind of thing.
Just ask Sheiky.
After the jump, an exclusive WCP photo of Isabelle reading Dario a bedtime story . . .
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Tagged as: 2008 WSOP, Dario Minieri, isabelle mercier, poker
Isabelle Mercier, a woman pro, is one of the many pros still fighting to ensure that the 2008 WSOP remains The Year of the ProTM.
The talk around the Rio Amazon room today among so-called poker "media" and industry types completely surrounds whether or not Erik Seidel and his non-win of Event #43 means that it is no longer The Year of the ProTM.* Or maybe it signals a changing of the tide. Or maybe it’s just a blip on the screen, and pros will continue making it the year of them in the last few tourneys before the Main Event starts next week. Like that song from Asia, only time will tell.
:: Event #43 ($1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo) - You’ve probably figured out by now that Erik Seidel, a pro, did not win Event #43. He finished fourth. A win by Seidel would’ve all but solidified the 2008 WSOP as The Year of the ProTM. A win by Kasey Castle would’ve at least been a nice consolation, as his hot porn star sounding name gives us a little chubber. Until we see his face. Which then obliterates said chubber. Kastle finished second. Martin Klaser, who is not even a pro, won the event. Further hammering home Klaser’s non-pro status is the fact that this is his first ever WSOP cash, let alone bracelet. For the win, Klaser banks $216,249. Get full payouts here.
:: Event #44 ($1,000 No Limit Hold’em w/ Rebuys) - What the fuck is going on here man. We’re willing to say that the wildly under-rated Alex Bolotin is a pro, but he’s pretty much it at the final table, and he’s among the short-stacks, sitting with 308,000. This is Bolotin’s third final table of the 2008 WSOP, and for the sake of pros everywhere, he better win. And if not for the pros, than for the sake of The Year of the ProTM and all the money we spent trademarking it and dividends we’re expecting in return. Jesse Chinni, not a pro, will bring the big stack to final table play with 2,160,000. Get full chip counts here.
:: Event #45 ($50,000 H.O.R.S.E.) - Now we’re talking! The leaderboard for this one has more pros on it than a Chinese phonebook. Let’s count ‘em down: Lyle Berman (pro, 507,000), Patrick Bueno (not a pro, 485,500), Barry Greenstein (such a pro you should count him twice, 473,000), Minh Ly (pro, 451,000), Chris Reslock (pro, 435,500), Joseph Michael (Internet pro and Davidson Matthew Club member, 401,000), Erick Lindgren (pro, 397,500), Justin Bonomo (pro, 384,000), Daniel Negreanu (pro, 374,500), Doyle Brunson (pro, 366,000), and Andy Bloch (pro, 362,500). So counting Barry Greenstein twice, that makes 11 of the top 12 chip leaders in Event #45 pros. That’s 91.6%!!! Of the other 49 remaining (counting Greenstein twice still), we’d be willing to bet that at least 80% are pros. And we’d even be willing to count Isabelle Mercier twice (146,000), just because of her fantastic new rack. Get full chip counts here.
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Tagged as: 2008 WSOP, Daniel Negreanu, Doyle Brunson, Erick Lindgren., Erik Seidel, isabelle mercier, world series of poker
David Benyamine (above right), continues his assault on 2008 WSOP POY honors as he’s among the chip leaders in the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event.
After a few days of downtime, the hype/action/buzz returned to the 2008 WSOP yesterday with the start of the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event. The Rio Amazon Room was packed with newly arrived so-called poker "media,"
railbirds, fanboys, and industry types. Action for the H.O.R.S.E. event picks up again today at 3pm.
:: Event #42 ($1,000 Seniors No Limit Hold’em) – Whatever.
:: Event #43 ($1,500 Omaha Hi/Lo) - The big story here is that Erik Seidel is making his second run at bracelet #9 this year. Seidel is stacked second overall with 340,000. He only trails Jon Maren (377,000), who you’ve likely discerned then must be the chip leader. Also in contention is Casey Kastle (188,000), who joins Shannon Shorr as the two dudes on the circuit with the best hot porn star sounding names. Let’s just say if we saw a DVD called "Girl-Girl-Guy Threesomes Galore! (43)" starring Casey Kastle, Shannon Shorr, and Brock Parker, we probably wouldn’t even do a double-take. Get full chip counts here.
:: Event #44 ($1,000 No Limit Hold’em w/ Rebuys) - 115 remain of the original 879, and with all the rebuys, first place with pay $693,444. Jamel Maistriaux ended Day 1 as chip leader, stacked at 169,300. Big name big stacks remaining include Mark Seif (133,000), Joe Tehan, whose name sounds too much like "Tehran" for our liking (108,200), and the spectacularly-breasted J.C. Tran (54,900). Get full chip counts here.
:: Event #45 ($50,000 H.O.R.S.E) - The big one. The event everyone was waiting for and the title the pros most want to claim. Each table is stacked with a who’s who of poker greats. Surely the event will continue the trend this year that we exclusively trademarked as The Year of the ProTM. Frightening the competition with fearlessness that could only be accomplished by someone lacking a soul is James "mig dot com" Mackey, a ginger, with 214,000. With 140 of the initial 148 remaining, and with virtually every person in the field someone that you’ve heard of, it’d be, as Dr. Pauly would say, "redunkulous" to list all the notables. But we will mention that Phil Hellmuth, seen here talking about the bad WSOP he’s having right before the event began, was one of the eight eliminated on Day 1. Also, the four pros most likely to claim 2008 WSOP POY honors (and solidify this year as the Year of the Pro), Erick Lindgren, Daniel Negreanu, Barry Greenstein, and David Benyamine, are all above averaged stacked going into Day 2. Get full chip counts here.
After the jump, a photo of the fantastically stacked and looking-better-than-ever Isabelle Mercier next to Dario Minieri. Mercier seriously looks like that hot teacher everyone wanted to bang in 9th grade and Dario like the student who gets a little too nervous around her. Also after the jump is possibly the best photo we’ve ever taken of Tom Schneider.
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Tagged as: 2008 WSOP, Daniel Negreanu, Dario Minieri, Erick Lindgren., Erik Seidel, isabelle mercier, j.c. tran, Phil Hellmuth, world series of poker
She’s one of only a few women poker players who was silly enough to throw $50k away on the Horse Event because they don’t have a snowball in hell’s chance to win this thing and if a woman did win, it was nice knowing you world are playing in the $50,000 buy-in World Championship HORSE Event at the 2008 WSOP.
Yeh the PS patch gives it away but if you’re still guessing or want to see more photos of her busting out of her top go here.
Tagged as: 2008 WSOP, isabelle mercier
Phil Hellmuth is focused this year. He wants that 10th bracelet. He neeeeeeeeds that 10th bracelet.
And he may just get it.
Hellmuth, a WCP fave (for real), has put himself in position to tie Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan for most all-time WSOP bracelets by making the final table of Event #9 ($5,000 NLH).But it won’t be a cakewalk, or a walk in the park, or some other walk that signifies that it won’t be easy. Hellmuth faces a final table that…dare we say…is star-studded?
Leading the way big-stacked at 784,000 is Vinnie Vinh, a man who likes to say his name more than Chops does. The table also includes Flying Dutchman Marcel Luske (458,000) and a woman(!), Isabelle Mercier (301,000). We’ll just throw it out there right now, if Mercier ends up winning this event, somebody will publish a “Have Mercy!!!” type headline. It will happen. You heard it here first. (It will probably be us.)
Hellmuth has some work to do, but he’s in good shape, stacked second overall at 461,000.
Follow the action at Card Player today starting around 2pm (PST). With the personalities involved at this final table (Hellmuth and Vinh have already been jawing), fireworks are sure to go off at any time.
Tagged as: 2006 world series of poker, 2006 WSOP, 2006 wsop tournament report, Flying Dutchman marcel luske, isabelle mercier, most all time wsop bracelets, Phil Hellmuth, vinnie vinh
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