The WPT Festa al Lago has an interesting registration and blind structure that had many in the room like, wtf...
This year’s WPT Festa al Lago took a different approach then most major tournaments. Instead of splitting the field into two Day 1’s, they decided to allow registration through about half of Day 2. You could register at any point up until the Day 2 cut-off and get the same 60,000 starting stack (so you’re not blinded off). As BJ Nemeth wrote in his tourney recap:
“In retrospect, more than half the field would have been better off starting on Day 2 — only 48% of the field managed to build up a chip stack higher than they started with.”
We further agree with that assessment, as among those planning on starting on Day 2 is Andy Bloch, and you know he spent a week developing theorems and algorithms on when the optimum time to register for such a tournament structure would be. Let’s just put it like this, if we played professionally, and there was a tournament with a structure like the Festa al Lago, we’d let Bloch do all of the homework, call him up the day before the event begins, and be like, “Andy, buddy, pal, when do you think you’re registering…” (it’s just like high school).
Anyway, 195 of the initial 244 remain. As the headline indicates, Mike Matusow ended Day 1 as chip leader, stacked at 224,200. He’s followed by Mark Seif with 222,425. Other notable big stacks include but are certainly not limited to Phil Laak (185,850), Dutch Boyd (176,075), Chino Rheem (172,175), Jonathan Little (162,575), Jennifer Tilly, a woman (139,450), Falcon Heene (138,200), Lee Markholt-Watkinson (122,000), and Justin Bonomo (115,600).
Among those departed include Joe Sebok, the spectacularly-breasted J.C. Tran, Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi, Antonio Esfandiari, Darrell “Deep” Dicken, and Daniel Negreanu.
Speaking of Negreanu, read his top WPT R.O.I. blog post here. Should ruffle some feathers.
It’s been about two years since Mark Seif last publicly discussed the Absolute Poker scandal (view his RawVegas.tv interview here), but he joined ESPN’s Inside Dealto revisit it again. Watch the above video around 13:00 minutes in.
In somewhat related news, Poker Stars has gotta be happier than pigs in shit that the first non-Poker Stars guest on Inside Deal is talking about a cheating scandal on his site. Can’t script it better than that.
The long awaited 60 Minutes feature on the Absolute Pokeronline poker cheating scandal took a big step to hitting the small screen today. And Wicked Chops Poker is the only site with photos of the news event.
Anchor Steve Kroft, 62, interviewed Mark Seif (wearing an Absolute Poker jersey), Mike Sexton (not wearing a Party Poker one), Linda Johnson (why? was Shari Flanzer unavailable?), and Greg Raymer (wearing a Poker Stars shirt). The interviews took place in an empty Rio Amazon Room around 11am.
We overheard Raymer discussing the need for the U.S. American government to regulate online poker, and we can surmise because we’re smart-like-that that the rest of the messaging from the group was on point with the PPA’s platform. Raymer, a Libertarian, said he doesn’t see why the government should regulate his actions if they cause no harm to others. Johnson (why her again?) and Sexton both agreed with the need for regulation and taxation.
The wild card in this mix is that 2+2 poster and founder of the AbsolutePokerCheats.com website (here), Michael Josem, was also interviewed. How the stories weaved by Seif and Josem regarding the Absolute scandal will surely be a focal point of the piece and may eventually influence (ever so slightly) how legislators decide to handle the legality of online poker moving forward.
Unfortunately, word from our sources indicate that this 60 Minutes feature will be an outright "hatchet job" on the online poker industry. Although that’s really not much of a shocker. But it’s certainly not good news either.
More photos from the interviews below. The one of Josem with Seif in the background (second from left) is particularly great.
View the full 60 Minutes online poker scandal photo galleryhere. If you swipe photos we appreciate the link back to WCP. And definitely re-watch Mark Seif’s interview on the Absolute scandal from last October here or view it in its entirety after the jump.
Todd Witteles, otherwise known as Dan Druff from NeverwinPoker.com is pissed. In our last episode of Wicked Chops Poker’s "The Toke", Mark Seif had some choice words for Dan. Now Detective Druff is in studio to defend himself and give his stance on the Absolute Poker Super-User Account scandal.
Watch Dan Druff’s video rebuttal below or at RawVegas.tv
Neverwin Poker’sDan Druff (at right) is set to respond to Mark Seif on RawVegas.tv on Wednesday around 9am EST. Click here around 9am to watch the video, or come back to WCP for the embedded version.
In case you missed AJ Green’s potripper.com site launch, click here.
Earlier today, Seif blogged about his interview on RawVegas.tv, clarifying some key points. Read that post here. Watch his RawVegas.tv interview here.
For the top 10 topless movie scenes of all-time, a list that features poker player Shannon Elizabeth, click here.
For this week’s websiode of “The Toke,” Absolute Poker pro Mark Seif talks about the super-user account scandal at AP and attempts to clear the air about his involvement while addressing accusations leveled against him. The two-time WSOP bracelet winner shares how he initially heard about the scam and gives his take on AJ Green, the creepy looking kid reportedly behind the insider cheating scam. Seif also says that what happened could also happen at PokerStars.com or Full Tilt. Later in the video, Seif addresses accusations that he himself cheated during a session back in 2006 and takes shots specifically at DanDruff, co-owner of NeverwinPoker.com, for “fanning the flames.”
Watch the full Mark Seif video below or at RawVegas.tv here.
robertcarroll: Discussion with the @wickedchops guys about my wsop cinnobun bet. 4 full size buns in 25 minutes. /via @JoeUgly I'll go 15 minutes! Easy!
Joseph Reitman: Discussion with the @wickedchops guys about my wsop cinnobun bet. 4 full size buns in 25 minutes. I think I can but the debate continues.
Bill Maendele: @wickedchops Madsen Greenstein Doyle Ivey Annette E-Dog Daniel Raymer Moneymaker, Eric Baldwin, Dario M, Jason M, hellmuth, Brock Jeff L.
"Wicked Chops Poker are nobodies, the site is garbage." - Anna Benson
"A sophisticated and creative blog that pokes rambunctious, irreverent and most of all sexy fun at the game of poker and everyone who is connected with it." - PokerMagazine.com
"You've made me so angry I wish I could reach into my screen and just pound your scummy worthless head in!!" - a Nickelback fan
"If you ask me, you should just go straight to Wicked Chops Poker instead. These guys are awesome." - Kajagugu Poker
"...el blog más irreverente de la blogocosa norteamericana..." - Poquer Red
"Wicked Chops is wickedly funny. And wickedly irreverent. And posts a lot of photos of wickedly attractive women. If that ain't poker, what is?" - TypePad
Comments
