Author: Pokerstats

It’s Friday Prop Bet Day – let’s have some fun! 1996 World Series of Poker Main Event winner Huck Seed is back for Prop Bet Friday! Never one to shy away from a challenge, fellow WSOP Main Event Champ Phil Hellmuth bet Huck that he couldn’t stand in the Pacific Ocean, with water up to his shoulders, for 18 consecutive hours. The Poker Brat put $50,000 on the line. Three hours in, Seed was making his way back…

The post 18 | How many hours can Huck Seed stand in the ocean appeared first on pokerstats.

Scott Clements has a total of 17 victories on the live tournament circuit, including a pair of World Series of Poker bracelets and a World Poker Tour title. One of those 17 victories came on this very day, in 2010. It was in Las Vegas at the 2010 Wynn Classic where Clements would earn career victory #11 in the $545 Omaha Hi/Lo event, defeating Hassan Kanoei heads-up for the title. The Washington native would win the…

The post 2010 | #TBT Scott Clements wins prelim at Wynn Classic appeared first on pokerstats.

Just like any other professional poker player, GPI World #1 Steve O’Dwyer enjoys collecting flags on the live tournament circuit. Each time a player collects a cash in a country for the very first time, he/she earns a “flag” on the THM Database. A recent trip to Georgia (at the first-ever World Series of Poker Circuit event in Tbilisi) saw O’Dwyer earn flag #20, one step away from joining the Top 5 list, led by the incredible…

The post 20 | Steve O’Dwyer to add another flag to his collection appeared first on pokerstats.

It’s Friday Prop Bet Day – let’s have some fun! Barry Greenstein is a big Tiger Woods Fan … John “World” Hennigan? Not so much. The three-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, who just made a deep run at the WPT L.A. Poker Classic never shies away from a fun prop bet. That’s why, when Barry Greenstein offered Johnny World a bet when Tiger Woods was making his way onto the PGA Main Tour,…

The post 200,000 | How Tiger Woods cost John Hennigan a lot of money appeared first on pokerstats.

The first ever #GPLDraftDay took place in Los Angeles last week as the 12 Team Managers of the Global Poker League added the first four players on their rosters. Rome Manager Max Pescatori was first on the clock. He went with rising Italian star Mustapha Kanit with the 1st overall selection while Montreal followed with Canadian legend Mike “Timex” McDonald. Former GPI World #1 Jason Mercier was the first American pro off the board on #GPLDraftDay…

The post 48 | The game’s best selected at #GPLDraftDay appeared first on pokerstats.

The countdown is on … The 2nd Annual GPI American Poker Awards are just five days away! The game’s biggest names will all gather at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills and you’ll be able to catch the action, live on Twitch.tv/GPL starting at 8:30pm PT on Thursday, February 25th! 1st Annual American Poker Awards Winners Top Player in the World – Dan Smith Charitable Initiative – “All In” for Kids (CHOP/WPT Foundation) Tournament Performance – Mark Newhouse…

The post 5 | Countdown to the American Poker Awards appeared first on pokerstats.

It’s Friday Prop Bet Day – let’s have some fun! We take you back to 2008 where high stakes poker player Andrew Robl challenged his friend Jay Kwik to live in a hotel bathroom for a period of 30 days. The big problem with this bet? Kwik would stay at the Bellagio on the Las Vegas strip plus he would allowed to actually setup a bed inside the luxurious bathroom. Kwik would quickly find a home…

The post 40,000 | Andrew Robl buys out of bathroom bet appeared first on pokerstats.

It’s a double-dose of #TBT today as a pair of legendary names in the game would win L.A. Poker Classic prelim events on this very day in back-to-back years. First to 1995 where Minneapolis Jim Meehan would earn his very first tournament victory, winning the $500 buy-in Limit Hold’em event. WPT television fans will remember Meehan, a 2003 WSOP bracelet winner, at the 2004 WPT Mirage Poker Showdown final table. 1996 saw the presentation of the…

The post 95/96 | Back to the 90s with Minneapolis Jim, Miami John appeared first on pokerstats.

  A massive 2,416-player field has assembled near Philadelphia to play the opening event of the WPTDeepStacks – Big Stax XV series at Parx Casino in Bensalem. The $300 buy-in event winner will fetch a massive $113,190 for first place, 377 times the amount the entry into the tournament – certainly a nice bonanza for the the lone person left standing as champion. The total prize pool for the event is set at $688,560. The…

The post 2,416 | Huge field competes in WPTDS Parx opening event appeared first on pokerstats.

  Just under $600,000 in winnings sees poker icon Erik Seidel move past the $26,000,000 mark in winnings, pushing him to 2nd on the THM All-Time Money List, moving ahead of Antonio Esfandiari. Seidel is only the third player in poker history to cross the $26M mark. The aforementioned Esfandiari and Daniel Negreanu, who sits 1st on the All-Time Money List, are the two others to have accomplished the feat. Fab Five | THM All-Time Money…

The post 26,000,000 | A new milestone for Erik Seidel appeared first on pokerstats.

It’s Celebrity Sunday on PokerStats! Michael Phelps, the most decorated athlete in the history of the Olympic Games, will be making a comeback this summer, in hopes on adding to his 22 medal count at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio. When he’s not in the pool, Phelps has also enjoyed spending time at the poker table. Back in 2008, he even final tabled a preliminary event at the Caesars Palace Classic in Las Vegas….

The post 9th | Michael Phelps final tables in Las Vegas appeared first on pokerstats.

The Global Poker League announced that a total of 203 poker pros declared themselves eligible for the inaugural GPL Draft Day, which is set to take place at the iconic SLS Hotel in Los Angeles on Thursday, February 25th, starting at 2pm PT. Byron Kaverman, Anthony Zinno, Jason Mercier, Mike McDonald, Phil Galfond and Vanessa Selbst are just a few of the superstar pros who will be available for selection at the SLS. You will be…

The post 203 | Poker players declare for GPL Draft Day appeared first on pokerstats.

It’s Friday Prop Bet Day – let’s have some fun! In a “that came out of left field” bet, Howard Lederer bet Huck Seed, a man who is known to take on any bet or challenge, $10,000 to perform a standing back flip. He would have two days to accomplish the task. In the end, the 1996 World Series of Poker Main Event Champion got the job done! Huckleberry reached out to his uncle for help in accomplishing…

The post 10,000 | Huck Seed backflips his way into some money appeared first on pokerstats.

  Time flies when you’re having fun! We take you back 13 years in this #TBT where Mike Sexton was the man of the hour in beautiful Paris, France. Playing the 2003 Euro Finals of Poker at the historic Aviation Club de France, Sexton would defeat English legend John Duthie in the final match of the European Heads-Up Championship earning what was, at the time, the 24th tournament victory of his career. Fab Five Four…

The post 2003 | #TBT Mike Sexton wins Euro Finals Heads-Up title appeared first on pokerstats.

We have one simple request for Luiz Duarte Ferreira Filho … never play another poker tournament in your life, we mean never, never ever, call it quits, hang ’em up, time to retire. The reason is a very selfish one. The Brazilian has collected a fun $456,789 in total lifetime earnings – he has basically created the 1,2,3’s of poker earnings. Earlier this year, he earned a 14th place finish in a Turbo event at the…

The post 456,789 | Luiz Duarte Ferreira Filho and his earnings appeared first on pokerstats.

  Jennifer Harman’s love for cats and dogs led her to start a charity poker event way back in 2007. The inaugural Jennifer Harman Celebrity Poker Tournament, benefiting the Nevada SPCA, was first held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in April 2007. 1998 World Series of Poker gold bracelet winner Kirk Morrison would end up winning the event, earning a free entry the 2007 WSOP Main Event. Morrison pledged to donate a portion of his…

The post 125,000 | It’s raining Jennifer Harman, cats and dogs! appeared first on pokerstats.

Amarillo Slim’s Superbowl of Poker used to be a fixture on the American poker circuit back in the day. The festival would play host to some of the best in the world, all meeting up in Las Vegas for some fun while enjoying “The Big Game”. It’s on this day 26 years ago where Gene Fisher, a two-time World Series of Poker Bracelet winner, would defeat four-time bracelet champ Artie Cobb heads-up for the 1K…

The post 1990 | #TBT Gene Fisher wins at Amarillo Slim’s Superbowl of Poker appeared first on pokerstats.

Life’s good if you’re World #1 poker pro Steve O’Dwyer. Not only are you king of the rankings, but you’re also off to a monster start to 2016 with two wins and a remarkable $2,837,488 through the first month of play. That amount ranks seconds amongst O’Dwyer’s biggest earning years on the circuit … and we’ve only barely entered February. Even more impressive? Four of his five scores, 80%, have resulted in six-figure earnings – not a bad…

The post 80% | Steve O’Dwyer is breaking the bank in 2016 appeared first on pokerstats.

Toronto’s Ari Engel has secured the second major title of the season for Canada on the live tournament poker circuit. After Mike Watson‘s victory at the PCA in the Bahamas, Engel earned his very first career major, winning the 2016 Aussie Millions in Melbourne. Engel, who’s literally played all over the world, earned his 18th career victory, defeating American Tony Dunst for the title. Fab Five | 2016 Aussie Millions 1. Ari Engel (CAN) 2. Tony…

The post 18th | Ari Engel wins a major Down Under appeared first on pokerstats.

  Ben Affleck’s appearance in “poker” film Runner, Runner may not have been a success, but his appearance at the California State Poker Championship in 2004 certainly was! It’s Celebrity Sunday on PokerStats and they don’t get any bigger than Batman himself! Affleck may only have on line on his THM profile, but it’s an impressive one. Affleck would defeat Stan Goldstein heads-up for the Championship title. He would take home $356,400 for his effort. Fab…

The post 356,400 | Ben Affleck wins big in Los Angeles appeared first on pokerstats.

Fedor Holz is one of the best poker players on earth. The 2015 GPI European Poker Player of the Year has always started off 2016 with a bang, winning the inaugural Triton Super High Roller Series at WPT National Philippines in Manila – taking home the massive $3,463,500 first-place prize. Holz is always willing to give back. In 2013, he setup a challenge where he would play $500 buy-in Zoom Poker tournaments on PokerStars and donate…

The post 45,834 | Fedor Holz is always in a giving mood appeared first on pokerstats.

It was on this day two years ago that poker superstar Mustapha Kanit would win a second event in 48 hours. Kanit, who clinched the victory for Italy at the 2015 GPI World Cup in Malta, would follow up a victory in the kickoff event at the 2014 Aussie Millions in Melbourne with a No-Limit Hold’em Six Max win, defeating Aussie Tam Trong heads-up for the title. *Photo courtesy of: GPI World Cup

The post 2014 | #TBT Mustapha Kanit doubles Down Under appeared first on pokerstats.

Phil Ivey’s four-year streak is in danger of being snapped at the Aussie Millions in Melbourne. After collecting at least one score at the Aussie Millions since 2012, including three big victories in the $250,000 Challenge, Ivey is in danger of being shutout at this year’s event. Ivey is set to begin his $250,000 Challenge title defense on Sunday. *Photo courtesy of: Neil Stoddart/Global Poker Index

The post 4 | Phil Ivey streak on the line at Aussie Millions appeared first on pokerstats.

Ben Tollerene will take the lead in the 100K Challenge at the Aussie Millions once play resumes on Saturday. The final six players will take a break from the event for a few days as play in the Aussie Millions Main Event continues in Melbourne. Former World #1 Jason Mercier and Fedor Holz, who won back-to-back high roller events in Las Vegas and Manila just a few weeks ago, are also still in the competition….

The post 1,522,000 | Ben Tollerene leads 100K Challenge in Australia appeared first on pokerstats.

If you’re ever looking for Mike ‘Timex’ McDonald anytime between the end of January and the beginning of February, chances are he’s collecting paychecks in Melbourne. In the past two years, McDonald has amassed a whopping $4,304,176 at the Aussie Millions in Melbourne. Timex certainly seems to be enjoying his time at the Crown Casino, playing – and more than likely cashing – in some of the biggest buy-in events in the world. Here are the…

The post 4,304,176 | Timex loves to spend February in the outback appeared first on pokerstats.

Inspired by a PokerNews: Ten Years of High Stakes Poker article celebrating the 10th anniversary of the debut of ‘High Stakes Poker’ on GSN in America, we’ll take a look at some of our favorite hands from the iconic TV show. Poker stars Antonio Esfandiari and Phil Laak love to find new ways to have fun – or get themselves in trouble from time to time – and on this episode of poker, their proposal…

The post 72 | Fun bet turns Hellmuth vs Matusow into a great tv moment on High Stakes Poker appeared first on pokerstats.

Inspired by a PokerNews: Ten Years of High Stakes Poker article celebrating the 10th anniversary of the debut of ‘High Stakes Poker’ on GSN in America, we’ll take a look at some of our favorite hands from the iconic TV show over the next few days. Cirque du Soleil foudre Guy Laliberté loves to play poker … and doesn’t mind being on a wrong end of a massive pot, given that he recently sold the…

The post 1,227,900 | Laliberte’s circus act helps Benyamine out in a big way appeared first on pokerstats.

Inspired by a PokerNews: Ten Years of High Stakes Poker article celebrating the 10th anniversary of the debut of ‘High Stakes Poker’ on GSN in America, we’ll take a look at some of our favorite hands from the iconic TV show over the next few days. You may have felt really bad for “The Bear” Barry Greenstein if you read yesterday’s post … well, this time, it’s Barry handing out the bad beats, taking a HUGE pot from…

The post 548,700 | The Bear turns on Durrrr on High Stakes Poker appeared first on pokerstats.

Inspired by a PokerNews: Ten Years of High Stakes Poker article celebrating the 10th anniversary of the debut of ‘High Stakes Poker’ on GSN in America, we’ll take a look at some of our favorite hands from the iconic TV show over the next few days. It’s the hand that may have made High Stakes Poker ‘Must See TV’… On the final hand of the night, as players are counting their chips and discussing dinner…

The post 361,800 | Sammy does Barry dirty on High Stakes Poker appeared first on pokerstats.

Inspired by a PokerNews: Ten Years of High Stakes Poker article celebrating the 10th anniversary of the debut of ‘High Stakes Poker’ on GSN in America, we’ll take a look at some of our favorite hands from the iconic TV show over the next few days. Season 4 saw two High Stakes Poker faves go head-to-head in a monster hand that last well over 10 minutes!   2006 World Series of Poker Main Event winner (the…

The post 391,300 | Sammy vs Jamie in a High Stakes Poker hand for the ages appeared first on pokerstats.

Yesterday, we talked about a lapse in judgement that cost superstar Antonio Esfandiari a shot at a first title of 2016 at the PCA following a prop bet gone wrong with high stakes player Bill Perkins. Although Antonio would go on to win the bet, he was obviously disappointed with his actions, which prevented him from a deep run at the PCA: “I am embarrassed of the actions I took to win that bet. On…

The post 50,000 | Antonio Esfandiari’s disqualification has a silver lining appeared first on pokerstats.

We talked about Antonio Esfandiari and his love for prop bets last week not knowing that “The Magician” would find himself in hot water (no pun intended) just a few days later after his latest prop bet would lead to his disqualification from the Main Event at the 2016 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, losing over 100,000 chips and a chance at winning his first title of the season. High stakes player Bill Perkins bet Esfandiari he…

The post 100,000 | Antonio Esfandiari’s lunge bet goes awry appeared first on pokerstats.

It was a battle of Wills on this day in 2010 as William Reynolds would get the best of Will Molson heads-up to win the second-ever event on the North American Poker Tour (NAPT), the PCA High Roller event. The win remains his only win on the live tournament circuit. The man originally from Iowa has won just under $1.7M in online tournaments according to our friends over at PocketFives. Fab Five | 2010 NAPT PCA…

The post 2010 | #TBT William Reynolds wins on the NAPT appeared first on pokerstats.

If you were lucky enough to win a package to the Bahamas to play the Main Event of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) … would you ever dare skip it? Well believe it or not, five players no-showed at the PCA, meaning that free money would be added to the prize pool for all those participating in the kickoff festival to the 2016 poker season. What would cause five people not to show at the…

The post 5 | Would you no-show the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA)? appeared first on pokerstats.

‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘The Hunger Games’ star Natalie Dormer stars in a new movie, ‘The Forest’, released on Friday. But did you know that the Reading-born actress has some poker skills as well? Dormer participated in the PartyPoker Women’s Poker Open II in London back in 2008. After putting up quite the fight, she would fall to Emma Kennedy heads-up in her opening heat, preventing her from moving on in the competition. With the continued success of…

The post 2nd | ‘The Forest’ star Natalie Dormer, poker player? appeared first on pokerstats.

A pair of superstar poker players – former World #1 Dan Smith and 2014 GPI Player of the Year Dan Colman – challenged others in the poker community over the holidays, setting up a charity drive in order to help those in need. Smith announced details of the drive in December, hoping to amass funds for various charitable donations with the pair matching all donations up to $70,000. In the end, $210,854 was raised! Fantastic work…

The post 210,854 | Dan Smith and Dan Colman’s charity drive a success! appeared first on pokerstats.

Prop bets between Antonio Esfandiari and Phil Laak have become legendary. The pair can’t seem to let a day go by without a challenge! Back in 2012, the dynamic duo was invited to Montreal to play in the ‘Laak & Esfandiari Open‘ at the famed Playground Poker Club. A bet as to who would go deeper in the Heads-Up event would fall through – each player was eliminated in the 2nd round – so a last-longer…

The post 500 | Ice cold bet costs Antonio Esfandiari more than his buy-in appeared first on pokerstats.

There is no rest for the wicked – especially when the wicked are high stakes poker players. Just days after poker hit its only “break” of the season, a $200,000 USD buy-in tournament is being held in Manila. With 52 total entries, the winner of the Triton Super High Roller Series Cali Cup will receive $3,463,500 from a massive $10,039,120 prize pool – not a bad way to start the year! Fab Five | Cali Cup…

The post 10,039,120 | Players start year off with a bang appeared first on pokerstats.

Over 106,000 different people who visited the THM Database in 2015 clicked on Daniel Negreanu’s profile, making Kid Poker the Most Popular Player in the database for the year. It should come to no one’s surprise that Negreanu also leads the All-Time Most Popular List with the great Phil Ivey trailing Negreanu on both lists. Fab Five | Most Popular in 2015 1. Daniel Negreanu (CAN) 2. Phil Ivey (USA) 3. Daniel Colman (USA) 4. Ole Schemion…

The post 106K | Daniel Negreanu wins the popularity contest appeared first on pokerstats.

American grinder DJ Mackinnon scored an impressive 42 times in 2015, cashing in 37 of them travelling the US poker circuit. The other cashes came at the PCA in the Bahamas and in a pair of WPT events in Canada: a prelim event at Fallsview and a 78th place finish at partypoker.net WPT Montreal. Mackinnon earned 11 Top 10 finishes for the second straight season, crossing the 100K mark for the third year in a…

The post 42 | DJ Mackinnon racked up the scores in 2015 appeared first on pokerstats.

One of the most popular stats on the THM Database is the amount of flags captured by a player in his or her career. Bulgaria’s Atanas Kavrakov’s 2015 season started with 5 scores during the PCA in the Bahamas and ended with 7 combined scores during WPT and EPT events in Prague … in between? Scores in 10 other countries, allowing him to collect 12 flags for the season: Bahamas Cyprus France Austria Malta Monaco…

The post 12 | Atanas Kavrakov captured the most flags in 2015 appeared first on pokerstats.

We countdown the Top 5 money earners on the live tournament circuit for 2015… #1 Brian Rast – $8,618,663 Win the Super High Roller Bowl and chances are you’re going to end up on top of the 2015 Money List. Well, that’s exactly what Brian Rast did, defeating Scott Seiver heads-up for the biggest prize in poker in 2015, a $7,525,000 windfall this past summer at Aria. Rast went on to collect over a million dollars more on…

The post 8,618,663 | Brian Rast is the year’s biggest earner appeared first on pokerstats.

We countdown the Top 5 money earners on the live tournament circuit for 2015… #2 Scott Seiver – $7,920,590   Scott Seiver finishes second in earnings this season, earning at least $4M USD in winnings for a third consecutive season. Seiver’s season included the biggest payday of his career, finishing 2nd at the inaugural Super High Roller Bowl, presented this summer at ARIA. Seiver also earned a victory on tour this year in a 5K PLO event…

The post 7,920,590 | Scott Seiver is 2nd biggest earner of 2015 appeared first on pokerstats.

  They call him the ‘Robin Hood of Poker’ – three-time World Series of Poker gold bracelet winner and WPT Champions Club member Barry Greenstein has been such a successful cash game player throughout the years that he has donated plenty of his winnings on the live tournament circuit to charitable initiatives. Moments after winning Million Dollar Seven Card Stud tournament at the 2003 edition of Larry Flynt’s Poker Challenge Cup, Greenstein donated $440,000 of his…

The post 440,000 | Barry Greenstein, The ‘Robin Hood of Poker’ gives back appeared first on pokerstats.

Does Santa Claus play poker when he’s not busy building toys and delivering them once a year? A Hendon search actually does bring up Santa, aka Chris Cringle!!! The man from ‘Great White North, Canada’ collected a pair of scores in tournaments in Los Angeles (The Bike, Commerce) in 1994. One of his scores? A victory in the Big Poker Oktober series … no word yet on whether or not Matt Savage was there to hand the…

The post 8,769 | Santa has a Hendon profile? appeared first on pokerstats.

  We take you back to Christmas Eve 2012 as Vinh Than and John Holdren (pictured) would battle it out for the chance to become the winner of the Colorado Poker Championship 5 … Than would end up with the win. Holdren, however, has since earned a pair of Top 10 finishes at the Colorado Poker Championship, 9th earlier this year and 10th in 2013. Fab Five | 2012 Colorado Championship 1. Vinh Than (USA) 2. John…

The post 2012 | #TBT Than and Holdren battle in Colorado Championship appeared first on pokerstats.

Fedor Holz certainly enjoyed his first full season on the live tournament circuit, capping off a big 2015 with the biggest win of his career at the WPT Alpha8 event presented this past weekend at Bellagio in Las Vegas. The win saw Holz finish 2015 with $3,837,029 in total earnings. Holz’s other 2015 win came in the High Roller event at the Israeli Poker Championship, held in Vienna, Austria. Fab Five | Holz’s Biggest Scores…

The post 3,492,368 | Fedor Holz ends big year with a bang! appeared first on pokerstats.

Thr year was 2007 and there wasn’t a hotter poker event than the NBC National Heads-Up Championship, presented at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. While top-ranked pros filled most of the bracket, a few celebrities were always invited as well, to spice things up. American Pie star Shannon Elizabeth would receive an invitation in 2007 and she would not disappoint, making it all the way to the semi-final, winning four matches before falling to eventual…

The post 3rd | Shannon Elizabeth’s deep run at the NBC Heads Up appeared first on pokerstats.

Many will be using FedEx’s services this holiday season, sending and receiving presents. While the shipping giant will serve as your personal Santa, there was a time where FedEx founder Frederick Smith was so desperate for funds to keep the company afloat, he took the company’s last remaining $5,000 and took the next plane to Las Vegas, hoping for a miracle. The gamble paid off as Smith turned the remaining 5K into a $22,000 profit…

The post 27,000 | How a Vegas blackjack session saved FedEx appeared first on pokerstats.

With only a few weeks left to the 2015 poker season, we already count 84 players who have earned at least $1,000,000 on the live tournament circuit this season according to The Hendon Mob Poker Database. Led by Super High Roller Bowl winner Brian Rast, 8 of the Top 10 money earners this season come from the mighty USA! We should see a few more millionaires added to the list as major tournament series wrap…

The post 84 | Plenty of poker-made millionaires in 2015 appeared first on pokerstats.

Balazs Botond needed to weed his way through a record 1,738-player field in order to win the Eureka! Main Event twelve months ago in Prague … This year’s winner? Well he or she will need to survive the charge of an extra 155 runners as a grand total of 1,893 players were in contention in this edition of the Eureka! Prague Main Event that kicked off over the weekend. Fab Five | Largest Fields in Eureka! History…

The post 1,893 | Eureka! Prague packs ’em in appeared first on pokerstats.

On the heels of yet another successful season, the WPT Deepstacks crew is in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where the 2015 Championship is currently taking place at the Grey Eagle Casino. With 18 players left, it’s 2012 WSOP bracelet winner Ashkan Razavi who is leading the way as 567 players all took a chance at this year’s Championship event, creating a massive $1,238,895 CAD prize pool. Tristan Wade leads the GPI WPT Deepstack Player of the…

The post 1,238,895 | Big numbers in WPT Deepstacks finale appeared first on pokerstats.

In an episode of High Stakes Poker that would air on March of 2010, the players around the table started talking about how much money it would take for them to become a vegetarian for a full year … after a lot of chatter, it’s poker superstar Phil Ivey who would take the bait, although even he had a feeling that he wouldn’t be able to make it through the 365-day “ordeal”… “I’ll do it for…

The post 1,000,000 | Phil Ivey goes vegetarian appeared first on pokerstats.

Johnny Lodden is one of a shot list of professional players who’s very first line on The Hendon Mob happens to be a victory! In this #TBT, we take you back to 2004 where Lodden would survive a 146-player field to win a side event at the 2004 St Maarten Open in the Caribbean sunshine. Lodden has gone on to win two other times on the circuit. Fab Five | Lodden’s biggest scores $612,355 – 3rd,…

The post 2004 | #TBT Johnny Lodden wins event at St Maarten Open appeared first on pokerstats.

Just days after hosting the LAPT Grand Final, Sao Paulo, Brazil is playing host to yet another monster event, the BSOP Millions. The Brazilian Series of Poker is one of the hottest tours on the circuit and this event is no exception as a grand total of 3,457 players are battling for their share of the massive R$1,380,000 prize pool! The winner is set to take home approximately $335,000 USD. Sao Paulo, Brazil is one of…

The post 3,457 | Brazil’s BIG poker boom! appeared first on pokerstats.

With one month left in the 2015 poker season, Byron Kaverman is the player to beat as he enters December ranked atop the 2015 GPI Player of the Year race. Kaverman’s lead, however, is far from wrapped-up. Season XIII WPT Player of the Year Anthony Zinno trails Kaverman by only 87.82 points while Nicholas Petrangelo, Steve O’Dwyer, Dzmitry Urbanovich and a few other players are still within striking distance. Fab Five | 2015 GPI Player…

The post 87.83 | Byron Kaverman leads by slimmest of margins appeared first on pokerstats.

The holiday season is about to get a whole lot better for one of seven players returning for final day play at the opening event at WSOP Circuit Cherokee, currently taking place in North Carolina. A massive field of 2,712 players each put up $365 for their chance at the minimum $500,000 guaranteed prize pool. The winner of the event will take home $117,991 … that’s over 323 times the amount they paid in order to…

The post 323x | Someone’s about to enjoy the holidays a little more down in NC appeared first on pokerstats.

Those who were fans of late-night poker shows during the poker boom will remember the late Chad Brown hosting the Ultimate Poker Challenge, presented at the Plaza Hotel & Casino in downtown Las Vegas. Each week, some of the biggest names in poker would participate in a series of tournaments. The Season 3 Championship was concluded on this day in 2005. Amir Vahedi, who passed away in 2010, would win the event, defeating Chip Jett heads-up…

The post 1st | Amir Vahedi wins Ultimate Poker Challenge appeared first on pokerstats.

It was on this day in 2007 that Antanas Guoga – better known as Tony G  to most – won the Moscow Millions, defeating Kirill Boydachenko heads-up for the title, and $205,000 first-place prize. The poker legend has moved on to the political world; Guoga is a member of the European Parliament. Fab Five | 2007 Moscow Millions 1. Tony G (AUS), $205,000 2. Kirill Boydachenko (RUS), $102,500 3. Alexander Kravchenko (RUS), $77,000 4. Alexander Lukyanov (RUS),…

The post 1st | Tony G wins the Moscow Millions appeared first on pokerstats.

Norwegians were able to play their National Championship in Norway for the first time since 2003 earlier this week! Due to legislation, the Norwegian Championship was played abroad for years as players needed to travel to Ireland to play their National tournament. 2014 WSOP Main Event runner-up Felix Stephensen was able to win the Championship as a monster 1,974-player field (all from Norway) participated in the historic event. Congratulations to all that made this event possible – great…

The post 1,974 | Record field as Norwegian Championship comes back home appeared first on pokerstats.

A painting of Dogs Playing Poker is an absolute must for your home poker room or your basement … but did you know that they’re not all worth the $10 you may have paid for yours? A ‘Dogs Playing Poker’ painting by American artist Cassius Marcellus Coolidge was part of a recent Sotherby’s auction … what price did the painting go for, you may ask? Well, the Coolidge painting fetched (pun intended) an shocking $658,000!!!…

The post 658,000 | ‘Dogs Playing Poker’ Gone Wild appeared first on pokerstats.

It was on this day, one year ago today, that star UK player John Eames would collected the biggest win of his career, in the Main Event at WSOP Circuit Las Vegas, hosted by the Planet Hollywood Hotel & Casino. Eames would go on to outlast 1,043 opponent en route to the career win, which earned him a $289,706 payday. He defeated fellow pro Matt Berkey heads-up for the circuit ring. This marked the seventh…

The post #7 | Career win for John Eames at WSOPC Las Vegas appeared first on pokerstats.

It took poker pro Ashton Griffin less than 24 hours to run 70 miles on a treadmill in order to win a $300,000 prop bet, only taking short breaks from time-to-time to fill up on carbs and liquids. At one point, those involved in the bet were starting to worry about Griffin’s condition. His parents actually drove up to his home in order to hopefully convince him to stop … but Ashton could not be…

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It was on this day just 365 days ago that Phil Hellmuth would earn his last non-WSOP bracelet victory on the live tournament circuit, winning the Pittsburgh Poker Open, presented at the Rivers Casino.   Hellmuth defeated David “ODB” Baker heads-up for the title which, at the time, ended a 13-month winless streak for the Poker Brat. Joseph Couden and Matt Glantz would each earn Top 5 finishes in the tournament. Fab Five | 2014 Pittsburgh Poker Open 1….

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Mike Binger would earn his third win of the 2008 poker season on this very day as Binger would outlast 131 opponents to win the Main Event at the WSOP Circuit tour stop at Harvey’s Lake Tahoe in Northern Nevada.   Binger would defeat Tyrone Stewart heads-up to close out the year with over 1M USD in winning and a total of 11 Top 10 finishes. Allen Kessler, Scott Clements and Chris Ferguson would each…

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New York poker pro Joseph Cappello would earn the biggest score of his career on November 15, 2007, winning the Deep Stack Poker Main Event at the famed Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa in Atlantic City. Cappello would earn a trio of six-figure scores in 2007, including a 221K windfall after bursting the 7th place bubble at the WPT Borgata Winter Open … John “World” Hennigan would go on to win that one. Still active,…

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There is no doubting Vanessa Selbst’s amazing track record on the live tournament poker circuit. Multiple bracelets, WPT close calls, numerous EPT spade trophies on the mantle and some performance stats that even the most accomplished pros could only dream about. Yet the former #1 ranked poker player in the world set a mark that no one ever ranked atop the GPI World Poker Rankings wanted to set … she became the very first World…

The post #301 | Vanessa Selbst is the first appeared first on pokerstats.

Congratulations go out to Jennifer Harman and John Juanda who were both elected to enter the Poker Hall of Fame. While the duo had to wait a few years before getting the call, each are very deserving of their nominations. Harman still plays the biggest game in Las Vegas while Juanda’s recent performances, including a big win at EPT Barcelona, certainly went a long way to help him enter the HoF. Harman and Juanda will…

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Dan Livingston certainly enjoyed his time at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana – situated right outside of Chicago, Illinois – back in 2009. It was on this day six years ago that Livingston would finish 1st in the WSOP Circuit Hammond Main Event, taking home $291,740 for his efforts.   Amazingly, Livingston only has one other result on the live tournament circuit – that came earlier this year in a Rio Daily DeepStacks event…

It was a Grand day for American poker pro Dan O’Brien on this day in 2011 … O’Brien outlasted 70 opponents en route to his first-ever victory on the live tournament poker circuit in the Main Event at the Grand Challenge Tournament Series in Las Vegas. O’Brien would defeat legendary Norwegian star Thor Hansen heads-up in the finale. Top 5 | 2011 Grand Challenge Series Main Event 1. Daniel O’Brien (USA), $53,250 2. Thor Hansen (NOR), $36,715 3. Terry…

Make it another million dollar season for poker superstar Jason Mercier. In fact, Mercier has already crossed the 2M mark for 2015, already making this the fourth best year in earnings in Mercier’s outstanding poker career. This year marks the seventh time in Mercier’s eight years on the circuit that he has collected seven-figure earnings – 7/8 – not a bad stat! Top 5 | Mercier Earnings Per Season 2014 – $3,672,602 2008 – $2,752,423 2011…

There is no doubting that Vanessa Selbst is a world-class poker player … but just how good of a closer is she? Three stats caught our attention, including the one about Vanessa finishing in the Top 5 of events she cashes in 46% of the time – as close to a sure bet as there is in the poker world! SELBST STATS: 72 – Total results 21% – Win rate 46% – Top 5 finish…

  50! That’s the amount of weight, in pounds, that six-time World Series of Poker gold bracelet winner Ted Forrest had to lose in order to win a $2,000,000 bet against Mike “The Mouth” Matusow and Justin Smith. It took Forrest a little over two months to lose the weight … DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! *Photo credit: World Series of Poker  

Erick Lindgren loves to play golf but even he admits that playing 72 holes in one day – in the middle of the sweltering Las Vegas desert – was probably not the best he ever made in his lifetime … but he still did it! While the former WPT Player of the Year suffered through heat exhaustion – and was rumored to have lost 15 pounds during his four rounds of play – Lindgren would collect…

When word first got out that a poker-themed movie featuring Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake was in the works, poker fans were excited. Sadly, when Runner Runner was finally released in theatres – on this day in 2013 – it failed to deliver. And while poker fans were very critical of the movie, the experts over at Rotten Tomatoes were even more brutal. The film received a 8% rating on the Tomatometer – ouch! Top 5 |…

UK poker pro Sam Razavi hit one out of the park last month, collecting a foursome of championship trophies in a single week at the APT Asian Poker Series event presented in the Philippines. Coming off a remarkable four-win effort, the three-time APT Player of the Year is well on his way to a fourth PoY title. Top 4 | Razavi’s Cebu Grand Slam ›› Aug 12, 2015: Ante Up for Charity, 63,200 PhP ›› Aug 15, 2015: Pot Limit…

Marcel Luske, the Flying Dutchman, has won a remarkable 32 tournaments in his 16-year career on the live tournament circuit. Even more impressive? Luske would win 6 of the first 8 tournaments he would earn results in, including winning a trio of tournaments in a 30-day span in 2001. Luske’s impressive 6/8 streak, which saw him collect victories in all of his first four cashes on tour, would culminate in a Seven-Card Stud tournament victory at…

We close out Vanessa Rousso Week with a look at the woman herself, who after qualifying for CBS’ ‘Big Brother’ finale, competed for the title last night. After a strong showing, Vanessa Rousso ends up taking 3rd spot on CBS’ ‘Big Brother’. Rousso played a strong game and pulled off one of the most shocking blindsides in the game’s history, according to many fans. She may be gone from the Big Brother house, but will certainly not be forgotten….

In celebration of Vanessa Rousso qualifying for CBS’ ‘Big Brother’ finale, we take a look at the numbers behind other poker players who have competed on reality tv/game shows – Go get ’em Vanessa! 2006 U.S Poker Championship winner Alex Jacob made a return to TV screens earlier this year participating in the popular game show Jeopardy. Jacob shocked Jeopardy purists when he used an unusual style of play by picking questions from the middle to the…

In celebration of Vanessa Rousso qualifying for CBS’ ‘Big Brother’ finale, we take a look at the numbers behind other poker players who have competed on reality tv/game shows – Go get ’em Vanessa! We told you earlier about JRB’s failed attempt at winning ‘Survivor: China’, well, one poker player was able to pickup the Survivor title! Dutch Olympic gold medal winner turned star poker pro Fatima Moreira de Melo won Expeditie Robinson 2012, the Netherlands…

In celebration of Vanessa Rousso qualifying for CBS’ ‘Big Brother’ finale, we take a look at the numbers behind other poker players who have competed on reality tv/game shows – Go get ’em Vanessa! One Leg after finishing second on the 15th season of the Amazing Race, top-ranked female poker pro Maria Ho and part-time poker player Tiffany Michelle were forced to abandon the Race. They would be eliminated in 6th position – one step away…

In celebration of Vanessa Rousso qualifying for CBS’ ‘Big Brother’ finale, we take a look at the numbers behind other poker players who have competed on reality tv/game shows – Go get ’em Vanessa! Before she became a top poker pro, Liv Boeree was on the UK game show ‘Split or Steal’ … the concept? Pretty easy … work with your partner to collect as much money as possible and in the end, decide if you want to split…

In celebration of Vanessa Rousso qualifying for CBS’ ‘Big Brother’ finale, we take a look at the numbers behind other poker players who have competed on reality tv/game shows – Go get ’em Vanessa! 2015 WSOP Poker Players Championship runner-up Jean-Robert Bellande was a castaway on Survivor: China back in 2007. Although he didn’t win, Bellande was able to “Outwit, Outlast, Outlplay” seven of the 15 other castaways, making it all the way to Day 24 on…

Win #14 for Phil! Believe it or not, we’re not talking about Phil Hellmuth‘s record-continuing 14th bracelet victory this summer at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas but his 14th win on the live tournament circuit, which happened in this day in 1994. Hellmuth won a preliminary event at the Queens Poker Classic in Las Vegas, defeating a legendary final table which would eventually include a pair of fellow Hall of Famers in Mike…

If they ranked video poker players, Allen Kessler would more than likely be the #1 ranked player in the World. Kessler was back at it over the weekend, hitting a ten-handed royal flush! We hope that the “Chainsaw”, a 15-time winner on the live tournament circuit, had plenty of pockets as the jackpot earned him an unbelievable 84,000 quarters – $21,000! PS, we won’t be too harsh on Kessler and his skills as a photographer,…

The Scotty Nguyen Nguyen Poker Challenge was presented at the Cherokee Casino Resort in Tulsa, Oklahoma, between 2005 and 2008. The series was then revived for one year, branded the Scotty Nguyen Dream Catcher World Poker Challenge, moving to the Choctaw Casino Resort in Durant, Oklahoma. Which tour player enjoyed the most consistent success you may ask? Why Scotty Nguyen himself! The five-time WSOP bracelet winner and WPT Champions Club member has earned six results, including…

Each year, poker players all make their way to the Nevada dessert for a get-together … however, plug-in these numbers in your GPS (40.786944, -119.204444) and you’ll soon realize that you’re not in the heart of Las Vegas playing the World Series of Poker, but instead, you’re in the middle of nowhere, connecting with other humans at Burning Man. For a full week 65,000 friends meet at Burning Man for an experience of a lifetime….

Each year, poker players all make their way to the Nevada dessert for a get-together … however, plug-in these numbers in your GPS (40.786944, -119.204444) and you’ll soon realize that you’re not in the heart of Las Vegas playing the World Series of Poker, but instead, you’re in the middle of nowhere, connecting with other humans at Burning Man. For a full week 65,000 friends meet at Burning Man for an experience of a lifetime….

Rounders hit theatres 17 years ago today. Written by David Levien and Brian Koppelman, Rounders features an all-star cast with Matt Damon playing the role of the poker hero and John Malkovich playing the poker villain. The 1998 poker player favourite would lead the box office at the end of its first weekend, collecting a respectable $8,459,126 USD on opening weekend. Top 5 | September 11-13, 1998 at the Box Office #1 Rounders, $8,459,126 #2 There’s…

Rounders hit theatres 17 years ago today. Written by David Levien and Brian Koppelman, Rounders features an all-star cast with Matt Damon playing the role of the poker hero and John Malkovich playing the poker villain. The 1998 poker player favourite would lead the box office at the end of its first weekend, collecting a respectable $8,459,126 USD on opening weekend. Top 5 | September 11-13, 1998 at the Box Office #1 Rounders, $8,459,126 #2 There’s…

While the world awaits the Finals at the U.S. Open – currently ongoing at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York – we are reminded of former World #1 tennis star Yevgeny Kafelnikov, and his exploits on the live poker tournament circuit. The former French Open and Australian Open winner is also a double-winner on the poker circuit, earning a total 0f 8 results between 2004 and 2005. Two of those results were…

While the world awaits the Finals at the U.S. Open – currently ongoing at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York – we are reminded of former World #1 tennis star Yevgeny Kafelnikov, and his exploits on the live poker tournament circuit. The former French Open and Australian Open winner is also a double-winner on the poker circuit, earning a total 0f 8 results between 2004 and 2005. Two of those results were…