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The Online Railbird Report: Wild Weekend for Dwan, Sahamies and Isildur1

2010-03-09T22:00:00+00:00

Full Tilt Poker hosted some huge action this weekend, largely driven by the presence of everyone’s favorite online poker punching bag “Isildur1.” There were epic heads-up matches, swingy six-max games, and as many as eight tables of $300/$600...

Qualification for the 2010 World Series of Poker Has Begun at PartyPoker

2010-03-09T19:00:00+00:00

Its time to start dreaming of a life of fame and fortune, its time to qualify for the WSOP via PartyPoker!

World Poker Tour Bay 101 Shooting Star Day 1a: The Sharks Smell Bounty Blood

2010-03-09T17:24:00+00:00

The unique format of the World Poker Tour Bay 101 Shooting Star makes it stand out from the tournament crowd during this blossoming springtime poker season. Day 1a of the $10,000-buy-in event ran on Monday, and the Bay 101 Casino in San Jose...

Video of the Day: Poker Heist

2010-03-09T16:58:06+00:00

NOTE: To watch this video, click on the VIDEO LINK above. Police are still searching for suspects after a bold heist targeting a high-stakes poker tournament in Germany over the weekend.

The "durrrr" Challenge: Dwan Widens Lead to $1.75 Million

2010-03-09T15:00:00+00:00

Patrik Antonius capped off a miserable day at the online tables with another losing session in the "durrrr" Challenge, his tenth in their last eleven meetings. Antonius and Tom "durrrr" Dwan met for only a bit over an hour and 364 hands, but the...

Bipartisan Tax Fairness and Simplification Act Analysis

2010-03-09T14:02:00+00:00

Mainstream media coverage of the Bipartisan Tax Fairness and Simplification Act introduced in the Senate two weeks ago often didn't even mention the bill's clause to license and regulate Internet poker. This might seem like a slight to the...

$500 Carbon Poker PokerNews Cash Freerolls Every Wednesday Through May

2010-03-09T14:00:00+00:00

PokerNews is bringing you $500 cash freerolls at Carbon Poker every Wednesday through May. There are no minimum deposits or point requirements to qualify. All you have to do is sign up for a Carbon Poker account through PokerNews. The freeroll...

Ross Jarvis Wins Sky Poker Tour Luton, Shane Lynch Joins Ladbrokes + more

2010-03-09T12:00:00+00:00

Poker journalist Ross Jarvis took down the Sky Poker Tour Luton event over the weekend and another celebrity poker sponsorship has been announced.

Armed robbers grab $1 million from Berlin Grand Hyatt poker tournament

2010-03-09T08:54:52+00:00

The men grabbed bags of money and left - leaving the participants and audience stunned.

$500 Carbon Poker PokerNews Cash Freerolls Every Wednesday Through May

2010-03-09T07:00:00+00:00

Yet another fantastic regular freeroll series for Pokernews readers, with a weekly $500 freeroll from Carbon Poker!

durrrr Challenge: Antonius in Trouble

2010-03-09T04:00:00+00:00

Other than four hands on Saturday (where Dwan lost $1,000) the durrrr Challenge picked up where it left off on February 15th with an hour-long 364 hand session Monday.

The session started with Antonius in the midst of an epic down-swing which has cost him over $3.2 million so far this year.

Three pots worth over $100k played out, the largest of which saw Dwan win $213k after hitting one of his many outs on the turn to beat Antonius' kings.

The pot, which felted Antonius at one of their four challenge tables, appeared to be the last straw for the Finnish pro, who ended the session down $306,558.

With Dwan's lead now over $1.7 million, Antonius has just 16,758 hands to get out of the hole, or he will lose the challenge, along with an extra $500k.

If we assume that all remaining Challenge sessions will be exactly 364 hands - the length of this most recent session - Antonius would have to profit an average of $38,135 over 48 sessions to get back to even.

For Antonius to pull this off, he would have to average $104.77 profit per hand for the remainder of the challenge.

durrrr Challenge by the numbers:

273,423,095: Total amount wagered
118,000,000: Number of Google search results for the term Poker
1,755,708: Amount durrrr is ahead
33,242: Hands played overall
342,157: Amount made by Dwan in the last session
258,000: Number of Google search results for the term "durrrr Challenge"
7,501: Amount of rake made by Full Tilt from the Challenge
105: Hours played in the challenge
66: Percentage of challenge completed
8: Number of Google search results for the phrase "cork it durrrrballs"

Below are the two largest hands from the Challenge session. To see more hand replays head to MarketPulse.

He was hoping for the flush, but two-pair will do.

Interesting runner-runner.

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Isildur1 Steps on Sahamies

2010-03-09T03:30:00+00:00

Ilari "Ziigmund" Sahamies would be the first player to take on the unknown Swedish pro.

After 451 hands of $300/$600 Pot-Limit Omaha, with Sahamies losing over $487k, the two moved their game to $500/$1,000 PLO, where they remained for 40 minutes.

By the end of the 259-hand nosebleed session, Sahamies logged off, down another $290,965.

With Sahamies gone, Isildur1 went on the hunt for his next opponent, finding him in Justin "ZeeJustin" Bonomo. The two played $200/$400 NLHE for 791 hands with Bonomo finishing up $187k.

Looking to bounce back after that NLHE loss, Isildur1 took on the CardRunners team, playing both Cole South and Brian Hastings heads-up at the same time.

Despite starting the year off with a white-hot streak of wins, South lost $334k over his 825 hands, while Hastings made $330k over a shorter 224-hand match, all at $300/$600 PLO.

Hastings, who holds the online record for most money made in a single session after crushing Isildur1 for $4.2 million on Full Tilt late in 2009, tried to repeat his feat, convincing Isildur1 to move their game back up to $500/$1,000, where they played for another 468 hands.

Although Hastings was unable to make anything close to $4.2 million, he came away from the nosebleed session with another $219k, up over half a million total on the day.

After some small sessions at smaller stakes games, Isildur1 sat for his final heads-up sessions, giving South a chance to get even on the day.

After 565 hands of $100/$200 PLO, and South getting himself suck another $222k, the two doubled the stakes, finishing their session with 344 hands at $200/$400.

Although he wasn't able to get completely out of the hole, South managed to make back $77,958 before the end of the match.

In total, Isildur1 added $572,746 to his roll, putting him up well over $1 million in 2010 so far.

Below you can find Isildur1's three largest hands of the day. To see more hands from Isildur1, including the $1.3 million dollar largest-ever online pot, head to MarketPulse.

Ziigmund, drawing to 6.

Omaha is definitely a drawing game.

A brutal turn for Isildur1.

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Annie Duke wins $500,000 headsup poker title

2010-03-09T03:14:45+00:00

Annie Duke wins $500,000 heads-up poker title Eds: APNewsNow. LAS VEGAS Former "Celebrity Apprentice" star Annie Duke has won $500,000 and become the first woman to win the National Heads-Up Poker Championship in Las Vegas.

Women’s World Open Dates Confirmed

2010-03-09T02:00:00+00:00

The PartyPoker.com Women's World Open IV will take place in London, England March 23 and 24 featuring 24 of the best female poker players on the planet.

Amongst those already confirmed to take part are Team PartyPoker's Kara Scott, Betfair pro Annette Obrestad, Women's World Open III winner Aisling Collins and runner-up Wooka Kim.

Also scheduled to play are Laurence Grondin, Shelley Rubenstein, Stefanie Bergener, Maria Demetriou, Christine Klecz, Pippa Flanders and season two winner Soraya Homam.

The $3,000 buy-in will create a $72,000 prize pool for the tournament. The event's format dictates that the top two players from each of the three deep-stacked eight handed heats carry their chips through to a six-handed final table.

"Last year Aisling proved that Britain's got talent, but the same can be said about Japan in the form of Wooka Kim," said a PartyPoker spokesperson. "Both will be strong contenders for the title this year. We've made the stacks deeper and the competition is just as fierce."

Matchroom Sport director Eddie Hearn said he's looking forward to the action.

"The PartyPoker.com Women's World Open has proved extremely popular with players, viewers and broadcasters over the last three seasons," he said. "As the game continues to grow, we have made a number of changes to our formats that enables the viewers to watch a deeper-stacked game with more skill, where players can really showcase their ability and flair."

Commentary for the TV broadcast will be provided by Jesse May, with presenting duties shared between Kara Scott and Tatjana Pasilic. Coverage of the event will first be broadcast on Five in the UK later this year and then distributed internationally.

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The Nightly Turbo: MiniFTOPS Starts This Week, Negreanu's Thoughts on Top Tournaments, and More

2010-03-09T00:28:00+00:00

In tonight's Nightly Turbo, we'll be reminding you that the MiniFTOPS is around the corner, talking about Negreanu's latest blog post, and more.

Raw Gunmen steal $1.3M poker jackpot

2010-03-08T22:34:50+00:00

German police say four heavily armed robbers who stormed a Berlin poker tournament and escaped with the jackpot are still on the run.

Inside Gaming: Casino Opens in St. Louis while Companies Deal with the Unexpected in Berlin and Santiago

2010-03-08T19:40:00+00:00

While you've been doing work at the poker tables, others have been busy at the boardroom table. Good thing PokerNews is skilled at multi-tabling. We'll get you up to speed on what's new in the gaming business. This week, a new casino opened as...

EPT Berlin, a Day to Remember

2010-03-08T18:30:00+00:00

Top UK pro Stuart Rutter was playing in Berlin during the armed robbery over the weekend. He shared his experiences and views on the event.

Poker Pro Charged With Defrauding Bank

2010-03-08T17:11:44+00:00

A top Greek poker pro has been charged with defrauding Allied Irish Bank to the tune of A 56m.

Digging Out of a Hole

2010-03-08T17:00:00+00:00

We've all done it at the cash game tables-dug ourselves into a hole so deep that it might as well be our grave. You can blame variance, the fickle poker gods, or that idiot from Helsinki who chased a gutshot and cracked your set of aces. But freaking out and placing the blame on your horrendous opponents won't solve your problem. Rather, you must remain as calm as possible in order to focus on getting unstuck, otherwise you might as well start picking out coffins and making funeral arrangements.

The most satisfying sessions are the ones when I dig myself out of a hole and break even. Those gritty and determined bouts mean more to me than the ones when I annihilated my opponents and ran over the table. I thrive on competition and welcome strenuous challenges. And what can be a more troublesome obstacle than being stuck a couple of buy-ins early in a session?

Losing a significant amount of your stack at the onset of a session can be a recipe for disaster. Be... Continue reading Digging Out of a Hole

Jeff Madsen Strikes Gold at the Borgata Winter Poker Open

2010-03-08T17:00:00+00:00

Poker pro Jeff Madsen walked away with $625,000 for winning the Borgata Winter Poker Open, a $3,500 buy-in tournament and annual event that was formerly a stop on the World Poker Tour. That score pushed his career winning just above the $3 million mark.

The Atlantic City tournament offered a $2 million guaranteed prize pool and attracted 766 players and easily exceeded the guarantee. In heads-up play Madsen bested Sirous Jamshidi, who went all in Q-2, only to find himself up against Madsen's K-10, and when Madsen paired his king on the turn the 2010 Borgata Winter Poker Open was his. It was no surprise. Madsen led for most of the heads-up confrontation, playing small-ball and grinding down his opponent until he achieved victory.

This win adds to Madsen's two victories at the 2006 World Series of Poker-a $2,000 no-limit hold 'em victory worth $660,000 and a $5,000 short-handed no-limit hold 'em tournament that was good for $643,000.

It's been... Continue reading Jeff Madsen Strikes Gold at the Borgata Winter Poker Open

Annie Duke Wins NBC's 2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship

2010-03-08T17:00:00+00:00

LAS VEGAS (March 7, 2010) - Annie Duke triumphed against the crème de la crème of the poker world to win the 6th Annual National Heads-Up Poker Championship presented by GoDaddy.com, the world's largest domain name registrar, at the Caesars Palace Poker Tournament Room. Duke defeated Erik Seidel, who has won eight World Series of Poker bracelets and ranks 9th all-time money list, in the tournament's best-of-three finals to claim the championship and the $500,000 first-place prize. Seidel takes home $250,000 as the second-place finisher. The National Heads-Up Poker Championship is taped for broadcast on NBC over six consecutive Sundays beginning April 18 (Noon - 1PM ET).

'I'm so excited to win such a prestigious event and join the likes of Huck Seed, Chris Ferguson and Phil Hellmuth as Heads-Up Champion,' said Duke, who became the first-ever woman to win the National Heads-Up Poker Championship. 'I came into this tournament really focused and it feels great to finally ... Continue reading Annie Duke Wins NBC's 2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship

John Hubiak Wins WSOP Circuit Event and $58,937 Top Prize

2010-03-08T17:00:00+00:00

Atlantic City, NJ - Some professions make poker seem rather unimportant, by comparison. Matters of war and peace and life and death put the game in its proper perspective that for as exciting as poker might be at times, it pales in contrast to life's greatest challenges.

No one knows this better than John Hubiak. He is a 29 year old nurse who works in the intensive care unit of a trauma center. To say Hubiak works in a stressful environment on a daily basis would be an understatement. Indeed, the part-time poker player and full time medical professional from Taylor, PA often has the lives of strangers in his hands. His split second decisions can sometimes mean the difference between life and death.

Hubiak brought that depth of worldly experience and broader perspective to the poker table, and based on the most recent tournament results from the World Series of Poker Circuit at Caesars Atlantic City, it served him quit... Continue reading John Hubiak Wins WSOP Circuit Event and $58,937 Top Prize

The Sunday Briefing: "MAE9690" Claims Top Sunday Prize

2010-03-08T16:00:00+00:00

Another Sunday on the virtual felt is in the books as the major online poker sites ran their standard Sunday tournaments. The PokerStars Sunday Million had over 10,000 entrants again, four of whom emerged six figures richer. The biggest win went...

Annie Duke Claims NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship

2010-03-08T15:00:00+00:00

After three long days, the NBC Heads-Up Poker Championship has concluded with Annie Duke taking down the coveted title and $500,000. Annie Duke didn't have an easy road to the winner's circle of the 2010 National Heads-Up Championship. Over...

Get $50 Free at PartyPoker - Win Your Way to the WPT Grand Prix de Paris

2010-03-08T14:00:00+00:00

There's no better time to sign up for a PartyPoker account than now. Our exclusive PartyPoker Free $50 Promotion is still running - get $50 to hit the tables, with absolutely NO deposit. You can use that to parlay your way to a seat at the World...

Jono Beck Wins DTD Deepstack, Pokerstars Release New EPT Berlin Statement + more

2010-03-08T12:00:00+00:00

We have the latest statement from Pokerstars on the EPT Berlin Armed Robbery and the results from Dusk Till Dawn and the London Poker Masters.

PokerStars.net EPT Berlin Final Table: Kevin "ImaLuckSac" MacPhee Wins First EPT Title

2010-03-08T09:00:00+00:00

After an unusual Day 4 at PokerStars.net EPT Berlin, things returned to normal for the final table. Kevin "ImaLuckSac" MacPhee earned the inaugural EPT Berlin title and €1,000,000. MacPhee began the day with the chip lead, but to secure the win...

Ocean's Eleven gang grabs 250,000 in poker heist

2010-03-08T08:45:52+00:00

A MAJOR manhunt was under way across Europe last night after six heavily-armed gangsters stormed a poker tournament and escaped with about 250,000. The masked gang, toting machine guns, grenades and machetes, made off with the jackpot cash after an audacious daylight heist reminiscent of the Hollywood film Ocean's Eleven .

Women Rule the Day at Bay 101

2010-03-08T08:30:00+00:00

After all, Bay 101 has seen deeper runs by women than any other venue on the World Poker Tour.

At the 2007 edition of the popular bounty event, Joanne Liu made runner-up to Ted Forrest in an attempt to become the WPT's first female champion.

Then last year, veteran pro Kathy Liebert matched the feat, finishing second to 2009 champion Steve Brecher.

Liebert's runner-up finish helped push her up and over $5.6 million in career tournament earnings, making her far and away the number one earning female poker player of all time.

Being the number one female player in the game is not exactly the reason Liebert plays, but it's certainly an honor she cherishes.

"Being a top poker player is more important to me than being a top female poker player," she said. "But being the top woman in poker is something I'm proud of. There are a lot of women trying to catch up to me."

One of the women chasing Liebert is two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner and respected high-stakes cash game pro Jennifer Harman.

Though Harman, who currently sits fifth on the all-time female money list and made the final table at Bay 101 in 2008 finishing third, really sees herself as just one of the boys.

"I look at myself as a poker player," she explained. "I don't believe in the whole gender thing because this is a co-ed sport.

"You shouldn't get kudos for being a woman or a man, you should get kudos for being a great poker player and that's all."

International Women's Day is about celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past.

But even as women like Liu, Liebert and Harman continue to achieve in poker, it appears many men on the felt refuse to treat them as equals.

"I think some men treat women with no respect at the table and some men treat women with too much respect," said Harman. "For me, since I'm like old furniture in this business, they just treat me the same as anybody else. They don't play any differently against me because I'm a woman, but I know with some women they do."

Regardless, Harman, who booked her first major cash in a poker tournament 16 years ago, says the game is changing all the time and more women are flocking to it every day.

"When I first started, I would walk into a poker room and there would be me," she said. "Now you walk into a poker room and there are one or two women at every table.

"I think it's grown and it will continue to grow. A lot of women are still intimidated, but I know they enjoy the game and they want to do it, they just need to take that next step, because poker can be a lot of fun."

Liebert says she feels a lot of love and support from female fans of the game, many of whom she sees following her lead.

"I always have women coming up to me and telling me they are rooting for me," she said. "And they feel like if I'm a woman and I can do it they can do it to."

Action at the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star continues through March 12. For comprehensive coverage, tune in to PokerListings' Live Updates and News.

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Get $50 Free at PartyPoker - NO deposit required!

2010-03-08T08:00:00+00:00

You cant get something for nothing....wrong! You can get $50 for FREE at PartyPoker.

Isildur1 and Dwan Crush the Weekend

2010-03-08T04:30:00+00:00

The first big session for Dwan came Saturday evening when he sat for 413 hands of heads-up $200/$400 Pot-Limit Omaha against Isildur1.

Dwan left the session up $81k, logging off for the night.

Eight hours later, before dawn on Sunday, Dwan sat for 360 hands of $300/$600 PLO against Patrik Antonius and PixKim.

By the end of that four-and-a-half-hour session, Dwan had massed over $624k in profit, the majority coming from the quickly floundering Antonius.

After the $81k loss to Dwan, Isildur1 went on a series of swings.

First he made back $79k of his losses, then dumped another $177,990 at $200/$400 Cap PLO.

He was soon back on the up-swing, however, making $64k from Cole South heads-up before meeting up with Dwan again, this time at a six-max $300/$600 PLO game.

The six-max game saw hours of furious action between Isildur1, Dwan, Ilari "Ziigmund" Sahamies, Hac "trex313" Dang, Patrik Antonius and others.

And despite playing against some of the most prolific players in the world, Isidlur1 left after 1,689 hands with a profit of $517,223.

Dwan took a $229k loss at the same game, Sahamies nearly broke even losing just $10k, Dang made away with $119k and Patrik Antonius took a massive hit, losing over $874,000.

After breaking the six-max game, Isildur1 moved on to play a couple of cap games, losing $18k at $200/$400 Cap PLO and making around $90k from LarsLuzak at $500/$1,000 Cap No-Limit Hold'em.

The unknown Swede went on to make another $83k from Triko at $200/$400 PLO, and after just ten hands of heads-up $200/$400 PLO against Sahamies, called it quits.

By the end of the weekend Isildur1 had made $526,083, bringing his total profit for the year up to around $915,000.

Meanwhile, Dwan put in two more heads-up sessions and a couple small Cap PLO sessions before logging off.

His first heads-up match resulted in a $76k to LarsLuzak after 222 hands of $500/$1,000 Cap NLHE.

But Dwan turned it around in his final heads-up match of the weekend, taking another $306k from Antonius, this time over 344 hands of $300/$600 PLO.

All toll, Dwan finished the weekend with a massive profit of $856,489, bringing him up to around $1.7 million profit for the year so far.

Antonius came out of the weekend as the biggest loser by far, finishing stuck over $960k bringing his losses in 2010 up to $2.8 million in so far.

Below are three of the largest hands from the weekend, to see more head to MarketPulse.

Isildur1 hit the crap out of that flop

I like how 3256 wins this pot.

Antonius really needs to start running better.

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Berlin Poker Heist (Video) High Dollar Armed Haul Captured on Tape

2010-03-08T00:01:17+00:00

A Berlin poker heist was caught on tape and the haul by the armed robbers was reported 'in the six-figures' by the Associated Press out of a stunning $1.36 billion pot for the tournament.

Duke Dominates in NBC Heads-Up Win

2010-03-07T23:00:00+00:00

"I'm so excited to win such a prestigious event and join the likes of Huck Seed, Chris Ferguson and Phil Hellmuth as Heads-Up Champion," said Duke, who became the first-ever woman to win the NBC Heads-Up title.

"I came into this tournament really focused and it feels great to finally break through in this event."

The road to victory at Caesars Palace was not an easy one for the UB sponsored pro. She beat 2008 runner-up Andy Bloch in the first round before getting past 2009 WSOP Main Event runner-up Darvin Moon in the round of 32.

Next up was 2007 champion Paul Wasicka who looked to have the best of Duke when she was all in with ace-ten against his pocket aces at one point. Miraculously, Duke went runner-runner to make a straight, take the lead and eventually move on.

"I would have loved all of my matches to be easy," said Duke. "I'm sure (Producer) Mori (Eskandani) is happy though, because it's going to give the show some serious drama.

"One thing's for sure, I can never complain about bad beats again after hitting that runner-runner king-queen against Paul Wasicka."

In the end, Duke beat eight-time WSOP bracelet winner Erik Seidel in the best-of-three final to bank the $500,000 first-place prize.

"Annie was my number one pick to win," said Seidel. "She played very tough. She had no fear. She really played the way you're supposed to play in this sort of structure."

A mother of four, Duke took some time off from her career as a professional poker player to film The Celebrity Apprentice last season.

Now she says a little time away from the game did her a world of good.

"I know what my main priority is and that's my family, so I'm never going to play as much poker as everyone else, but it's really nice to come back with a bang," she said. "I took the time off, I readjusted and now I've had some good results."

Vanessa Rousso made runner-up at the Heads-Up Championship in 2009, the deepest finish by a woman in the event before this year.

Duke said it's great to see so many female poker players rising to the top.

"I think it's great that a woman came in second last year and a woman finished first this year to really represent woman players," she said. "There are some great female poker players out there."

NBC's coverage of the 64-person event will air Sunday's at 12 p.m. ET beginning April 18 through May 23.

- With files from Matthew Showell

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The Sunday Scoop: West Books Second Chance Win

2010-03-07T22:00:00+00:00

West, who has close to $900k in live tournament earnings over the past four years, banked $51,853.44 for the win.

But he wasn't the only well know pro to post some big numbers Sunday.

Jordan "Octavian_C" Rich won the $215 H.O.R.S.E. on PokerStars beating a field of 143 players while Tyler "puffinmypurp" Reiman, runner-up at the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, final tabled the $109 Rebuy taking sixth.

Once again, the PokerStars Sunday Million was the biggest draw on an action-heavy Sunday with 10,123 players helping create a $2,024,600 prize pool, smashing the $1.5 million guarantee.

MAE9690 got the lion's share of a four-way chop at the top and went on to secure the victory and the extra $30k the players had reserved for the winner.

In all, MAE9690 added $260k to his online bankroll, earning just shy of the $283,449.40 he would have won had no deal been made.

In the meantime, Full Tilt Poker's $750k Guaranteed drew a considerably less 4,180 players with shiftzerg taking down the $147,629.24 first-place prize.

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MacPhee Wins Robbery-Delayed EPT Berlin

2010-03-07T21:00:00+00:00

The 29-year-old from Idaho beat Finnish player Ilari Tahkokallio heads-up to take down the largest poker tournament in German history and its massive €1 million first prize.

A star in the online game that broke the PokerStars record for most Tournament Leader Board points in April 2008, accruing more than $100,000 in profits that month, MacPhee has previously played in 15 European Poker Tour events, satelliting in through PokerStars for 14 of them.

He was one of 243 players who won their seats online to EPT Berlin, but until now a big score had eluded him.

"Winning an EPT was a real goal of mine," he said." I have worked very hard for this. It feels awesome."

A total of 945 players from 48 countries entered the €5,300 Main Event creating a total prize pool of €4,725,000.

EPT Berlin was interrupted on the event's penultimate day when armed robbers stormed the registration desk outside the tournament area at the Grand Hyatt Hotel.

No one was seriously injured and the suspects fled after a security guard intervened. The tournament resumed after a few hours and a police investigation is continuing.

Next up for the EPT is EPT Snowfest set for March 21-26 in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria.

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The Weekly Turbo: PokerStars Revised SCOOP Schedule, Sponsorships for Sports Stars, and a Robbery at EPT Berlin

2010-03-07T17:00:00+00:00

There was a robbery at the EPT Berlin, the SCOOP schedule was revised, and more this week in the world of poker. Find out all about it in the Weekly Turbo.

Search Intensifies for Brazen Poker Jack

2010-03-07T16:26:56+00:00

German police say four heavily armed robbers who stormed a poker tournament and escaped with the jackpot are still on the run.

Ketul Natwani Makes EPT Berlin Final Amidst Armed Robbery Scandal

2010-03-07T11:00:00+00:00

UK pro Ketul Nathwani is 2nd in chips but all the talk today is on the armed robbery that took place yesterday at EPT Berlin.

Priyan de Mel - Interview with Back to Back GUKPT Champion Priyan de Mel

2010-03-07T10:59:00+00:00

We catch up with property developer Priyan de Mel, who this year made history becoming the first player to win back to back GUKPT £1,000 Main Events.

Gunmen Storm Poker Tournament in Germany

2010-03-07T10:52:41+00:00

A Hollywood style hold-up in 5 star hotel: Several masked and armed persons robbed a Poker tournament that took place in the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Berlin.They were armed with machetes, machine guns and hand grenades.Panic spread among the 400 guests and there were reports of minor injuries.The robbers escaped with an estimated 1 million ...

$2k and $500 Cash Freerolls at Betfred Poker

2010-03-07T07:00:00+00:00

Not many freerolls remain in the current Betfred series, but you can still play them all, find out how inside!

PokerStars.net EPT Berlin Day 4: Kevin MacPhee Maintains Lead as Final Table is Set Amid Robbery Drama

2010-03-07T06:00:00+00:00

Day 4 of PokerStars.net EPT Berlin was not your average day on the tournament circuit. The top 24 players in the €5,000 main event returned to battle down to the final table of eight. They were down to 20 players when things took a turn for the...

SNG Madness Returns to Full Tilt this Weekend

2010-03-07T05:00:00+00:00

This weekend there is $125,000 in added value for SNG specialists at Full Tilt Poker - Its SNG Madness!

Shocking Video: Poker Tournament robbed by 6 gunman Live! http://bit.ly/eptrobbed

2010-03-07T02:11:43+00:00

Frankly I'm shocked this doesn't happen more often. It's well known that card rooms can get knocked off because they are operating under the law and there can be large sums of cash there, however to rob a major tournament that is on live TV is unprecedented.

Poker News in Brief: March 1-7, 2010

2010-03-06T23:00:00+00:00

Between the LAPC and WPT Invitational winners, Isildur1 getting busy online and the start of the NBC National Heads-Up Championship there was nary a dull moment for poker fans.

As usual, we’re going to list some of the poker stories you might have missed as part of our ongoing Poker News in Brief feature.

This week we’re going to take a look at online gambling in Iowa, a WSOP all-star game, Roland de Wolfe winning a London tournament and more.

Legal Online Gambling in Iowa?

Iowa is the latest U.S. state apparently looking at legalizing online gambling.

Rep. Doug Struyk of Council Bluffs told the Quad City Times that 50,000 people in Iowa already participate in online gambling and the government could provide better protection for them if the industry was legalized and regulated.

Struyk’s proposal would regulate the practice through the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission.

If the proposal goes through Iowa would become the first state in the country to allow online gambling.

Tiger Woods Turns Down Paddy Poker Deal

Many of Tiger Woods major sponsors have dropped him since his sex scandal broke but at least one online poker room seems to have no problem with the golfer.

Ireland-based Paddy Power Poker reportedly offered the disgraced sports star a five-year deal worth $75 million to represent the site.

Although Woods has already turned the offer down, Paddy Power Poker has claimed it is planning on coming back with an even better offer in the future.

It’s not the first time a poker organization has offered a deal to a fallen sports star. Last summer the Asian Poker Tour invited Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps to its Macau event.

A picture of Phelps holding a bong surfaced on the internet in early 2009, which led to several sponsors dropping the multiple gold-medalist.

Check Paddy Power Poker for more.

Roland de Wolfe Wins London Open

Full Tilt pro Roland de Wolfe outlasted 110 players to win the 2010 Mansion Poker Les A London Open last week.

De Wolfe overcame a final table of mostly unknown players to win the £77,000 first place prize. The Hendon Mob’s Ross Boatman came in eighth place for £6,600.

The inaugural £2,000+£200 buy-in Mansion Poker Les A London Open ran February 23-24.

WSOP to Introduce All-Star Tournament?

It appears Harrah’s is interested in hosting some form of an all-star tournament at the 2010 WSOP.

Harrah’s released a cryptic message via the WSOP Twitter account this week that read:

“Which 20 WSOP Bracelet-Holders would you like to see compete in an All-Star game? Stay tuned…”

Last summer the WSOP held the 40^th Anniversary Champions Invitational, which was open to every player that had won the Main Event. The tournament was won by 1983 World Champion Tom McEvoy.

In previous years, Harrah’s held a Tournament of Champions that featured a large number of notable pros. Annie Duke, Mike Matusow, and Mike Sexton were all winners of that event.

More Gold for Cake Poker Players in March

Cake Poker is giving its players two exclusive promotions during the month of March.

The first is the Cake Poker Turbo Gold Cards March Madness event that features Gold Cards dropping four times more often.

Gold Cards randomly appear in your account when you are playing ring games on Cake Poker. The cards are redeemable for cash or tournament entries depending on what card you receive.

Cake Poker will also be offering more satellites to the 2010 Irish Open, starting March 14.

"Dublin is a wonderful town and when you bring a major tournament there with the accompanying insane side action, it's hard to beat,” said Cake Poker room manager Lee Jones.

To learn more visit the Cake Poker website.

Visit PokerListings.com

Bandits storm German poker tourney

2010-03-06T18:01:43+00:00

Police say a group of armed men stormed a poker tournament in a German luxury hotel in order to take the jackpot.

Breaking News: Armed Robbery Suspends Play at EPT Berlin (Video Update)

2010-03-06T16:35:00+00:00

The 2010 PokerStars.net EPT Berlin came to an abrupt halt in the action around 2:30 p.m. local time on Saturday when a group of armed men raided the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Berlin where the tournament is being held. The men were after money and no...

NBC Heads-Up Poker Championship: Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson and Phil Hellmuth Among 32 Advancing to Day 2

2010-03-06T16:30:00+00:00

64 players took the stage on friday at the sixth-annual NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship at Caesars Palace, but only 32 will return to play again tomorrow. It was a generally subdued day here in the tournament room, with very few...

Home bails out mob's alleged 'poker king'

2010-03-06T12:21:29+00:00

The alleged video poker king of Chicago, who once said he wasn't sure who owned the Bridgeport home he lives in, saw that home pledged to make his $250,000 bond Friday for his release from jail.

PokerStars.net EPT Berlin Day 3: Kevin "ImaLuckSac" MacPhee Takes the Lead

2010-03-06T08:50:00+00:00

Day 3 at PokerStars.net EPT Berlin saw 124 players whittled to just 24 in nine hours. By the end of the day, Kevin "ImaLuckSac" MacPhee had maneuvered to the front of the pack. Macphee, a 29-year old from Coeur d'Alene...

PokerNews Super $10k - Winner Poker

2010-03-06T07:00:00+00:00

You don't see many $10,000 freerolls with small fields, but you do now. An amazing $10,000 freeroll series, including cash and tournament tickets, from Winner Poker and Pokernews!

A $911k Morning for Dwan

2010-03-06T06:30:00+00:00

After losing $245k at $25/$50 Pot-Limit Omaha, Dwan sat for his first Full Tilt high-stakes session of the day across from LarsLuzak, Gus Hansen, skjervoy, Sir Watts and eventually Brian Hastings.

This $200/$400 PLO session lasted for 619 hands with Dwan finishing up over $317k.

At the same time, he took on skjervoy and TheGorn at $100/$200 PLO, where he earned another $44,687.

Dwan's next stop was an hour of $200/$400 Cap PLO, adding $62k to his profit before returning to PLO 6-max to play $300/$600 against many of the same players from the earlier $200/$400 table.

Once again, Dwan came out on top, this time up $280,847.

High-stakes player andrewkirk was brave enough to sit at Dwan's reserved heads-up $500/$1,000 PLO table, but only managed to last just 33 hands before losing his entire $50k buy-in.

On a roll, and seemingly unable to lose, Dwan moved his streak of run-good to $500/$1,000 Cap No-Limit Hold'em. After 364 hands, he had added another $35,750 to his morning.

Dwan's second last session of the morning came playing just 63 hands of $300/$600 PLO versus PixKim and Gus Hansen. Up another $137k, Dwan was rapidly approaching $1 million in total profit for the day.

In his final attempt to reach that magic mark, Dwan sat for a 245-hand re-match at $200/$400 PLO with unknown Swede Isildur1. Unfortunately for Dwan, Isildur1 would get the better of him again, ending his win streak with a $16k loss.

In total, Dwan finished the morning up $911,434, bringing his profit for the year up to $1.8 million so far.

Below are three of Dwan's largest pots from this morning, to see more hands head to MarketPulse.

Dwan sucks out.

skjevoy had lots of outs, wiffed on all of them.

And Dwan flopps the second nuts.

Visit PokerListings.com

Luke Schwartz and Devilfish Confirmed for EurosportBet French Heads-up Poker Championships

2010-03-06T05:00:00+00:00

Two of UK pokers most fierce ambassadors have been confirmed for the EurosportBET French Heads-Up Poker Championships this month. You can still join them, find out how inside!

The Nightly Turbo: Tiger Woods Not a Gambler, Chicago Poker Classic, and More

2010-03-06T00:32:00+00:00

In tonight's Nightly Turbo, we're bringing you some news on Tiger's latest sponsorship offer, some results from the Chicago Poker Classic, and more. In Case You Missed It The 2010 World Poker Tour LA Poker Classic is officially in the books...

Armed Robbery at EPT Berlin

2010-03-06T00:30:00+00:00

Panic struck at the first-time ever EPT Berlin event when four masked men raided the hotel with two others standing guard outside just after 2 p.m. local time.

Berlin tabloid B.Z. has reported as much as €800,000 was stolen before the culprits took off across the Marlene Dietrich Platz in front of the hotel and blended into the crowd at the nearby Potsdamer Platz Arcades.

Although none were seriously hurt, the newspaper claims as many as eight security personnel suffered minor injuries.

PokerStars released the following statement.

"An armed robbery by 5-6 men took place today at EPT Berlin," the statement reads. "Nobody was seriously injured. We hope to restart all events at 4 p.m. local time. A police investigation is underway. If you have video footage or photographs that could help the police, please contact the EPT organizers as soon as possible."

A stampede of players and floor staff running for safety was seen on the EPT Live broadcast before play was suspended.

There were approximately 22 players left in the event when the incident occurred.

Tournament staff was in the process of verifying chip counts in attempt to restart the event just before 6 p.m. in Berlin.

See the startling footage captured by a bystander below:

Visit PokerListings.com

Stockings And Bonds Poker Tournament Giveaway

2010-03-06T00:14:56+00:00

So! Caesars is putting on a poker tournament * Saturday, March 13 and they want you to be there! Most people need to sign up and pay their own way but one Dealbreaker reader will get his or her buy-in/room/after party access paid for, provided you answer simple question: Who is responsible for Dealbreaker/Breaking Media's recent technology woes? ...

Weekly Freerolls: $6k for Sunday

2010-03-06T00:00:00+00:00

The following freerolls are open to all PokerListings.com players. Qualify in the specified qualification period, then take your seat to win a boatload of free cash.

If you're not a PL.com registered player on any of the following sites, click on the site's name in the list to sign up. Getting your free seat in the tournament can be just as simple as that.

Titan Poker

Offered monthly, PokerListings players on Titan Poker can get their seat in a monthly $5,000 freeroll for just 25 points.

Date: Mar. 7
Value: $5,000
Qualify with: 25 points

Pacific Poker

Earn 100 points as a PokerListings player in the previous month to play in the monthly Pacific Poker $1,000 freeroll.

Date: Mar. 7
Value: $1,000
Qualify with: 100 points
Qualify between: Feb. 1 - Feb. 28

Pacific Poker

Weekly freeroll for new depositing players only.

Date: Mar. 9
Value: $500
Qualify with: Deposit and play

Party Poker

Be sure to have collected 100 points in February for your seat in the next $2,000 Party Poker freeroll.

Date: Mar. 13
Value: $2,000
Qualify with: 100 points
Qualify between: Feb. 1 - Feb. 28

Betfair Poker

Open to all new PokerListings.com players who signed up in February, or any existing players who earned 10 points before March 1^st.

Date: Mar. 14
Value: $3,000
Qualify with: 10 points

Sportsbook Poker

The next $2,000 Monthly freeroll is almost here, buy in with just 200 points.

Date: Mar. 14
Value: $2,000
Qualify with: 200 points

bwin Poker

Monthly freerolls for all PokerListings players on the site. Just 50 pts to qualify.

Date: Mar. 19
Value: $2,000
Qualify with: 25 points
Qualify between: Dec. 1- Mar. 19

Titan Poker

All PokerListings players are welcome to earn their seats in the next quarterly $15k freeroll from Titan Poker. Just 750 points to qualify.

Date: Mar. 28
Value: $15,000
Qualify with: 750 points

Visit PokerListings.com

Full Tilt $1,000 Freerolls Are Back

2010-03-05T20:00:00+00:00

They are back baby! Two 1k freerolls a month from Pokernews and Full Tilt Poker!

NBC Heads-Up Poker Championship: The Bracket is Set

2010-03-05T19:00:00+00:00

The who's who of the poker world descended upon Pure, the nightclub inside Caesars Palace Thursday night for the annual NBC Heads-Up Championship draw party. The evening is always action packed, as the poker pros and celebrities in attendance are...