Jeff Lisandro Steals His 3rd WSOP Bracelet

A couple of weeks ago, we reported that Jeff Lisandro had clinched his second WSOP bracelet at a Seven Card Stud event. Well, the guy is continuing to light up the tables. He took down his third bracelet at the $10k Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo event, walking away with over $430,000 in prize money.



























Along with Phil Ivey and Brock Parker, Lisandro is a multiple braclet winner for the 2009 WSOP.

Frankly, had he not won the $10k Stud event, we're fairly certain he would have walked with the bracelet anyway.
























"Seriously, if you win, I'm just going to take the bracelet from you out in the parking lot."

In all seriousness, good show, Jeff.


The durrrr Challenge Gets Exciting... Finally

Just last week, we were saying how mind-numbingly tedious the "durrrr Challenge" had become. We would rather have listened to the guy on the right tell us bad jokes all night...

















Well, the durrrr Challenge heated up a few days ago. At one point, Tom "durrrr" Dwan was up over $700,000 on Patrik Antonius. It took 4,253 hands and 15 hours, but he did it.














Geez, have we mentioned how white he is?

Anyway, as of today, he's up a half million for the year. That may not seem like a lot for a guy who's used to nosebleed stakes. But, keep in mind he was down $4 million at one point.























Now, if we can only have a few more bouts like the recent one between he and Antonius, we might actually start caring about the durrrr Challenge again.


Doyle Brunson Fights For His 11th Bracelet

Doyle "The Boss" Brunson is practically a staple of the WSOP.
























"What did you call me?"

With 10 bracelets under his belt, he's hoping to take down his 11th this Saturday. To date, Hellmuth holds the record with 11 bracelets.























But, Brunson's aiming to join him at the top of the poker heap. He hasn't won a major bracelet for a few years, but we're definitely rooting for him. C'mon, how can you not like this guy?


























And Speaking Of Phil Hellmuth...

The self-described Poker Brat was hoping to widen the gap between he and Brunson (and Johnny Chan) by locking in his 12th WSOP bracelet. He wanted to take it down at the $2k Limit Hold'em event this past Saturday.
















Alas, it was not to be. We're sure Phil is pretty disappointed since his crown may soon be at stake.


























Update On The U.S. Poker Seizures

The recent poker asset seizures that we told you about have definitely taken their toll. Poker Stars saw their traffic decline 7%. Full Tilt Poker was able to get a few replacement payment processors up and running, so they seem to be doing fine.

Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker may be on the federal prosecutors' radar soon. But, a lot of folks are switching from checks to bank wires, which seems to be working for now.




















Another week, another wrap. To recap...

1. Jeff Lisandro shows the poker world who the real stud is.
2. The durrrr Challenge shows a brief spark of excitement (and Dwan still needs a tan).
3. Good 'ole Doyle Brunson is battling for his 11th bracelet on Saturday (Go, Brunson!).
4. Phil Hellmuth lets a 12th bracelet slip through his fingers.
5. U.S. federal prosecutors haven't touched wires... yet.

As always, bringing you the poker news that's fit to print.

See you next time...

The Mystery Of The Bouncing Checks... SOLVED!

Last week, the news broke that checks from Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars were bouncing higher than Clonie Gowen's hopes for a FullTilt payout. We blamed the incident on good 'ole Phil Hellmuth because he always looks like he's up to something shifty.

























We're happy to say (sort of) that Hellmuth had nothing to do with the mess. The real story is that federal prosecutors swept down and froze the accounts of the payment processors.

















Boooo! Incidentally, some legal experts are calling foul. A law professor in California says, "It's very aggressive, and I think it's a gamble on the part of the prosecutors."

So, while this guy is fighting for us in Congress...






















... the feds are rattling their sabers. It's still not clear where this mess is going to head. But, we'll keep you posted.


2009 WSOP Updates

Things are still cookin' over at the WSOP and there's no shortage of exciting tidbits to report.

First up... the incredibly alert Johnny Chan.

























We're pretty sure those bottles weren't filled with water.

In any case, those of you keeping score will know that Chan has 10 WSOP bracelets to his name. He's one behind Hellmuth and as of yesterday, was looking to tie him at the top. We're still waiting to hear whether he's done it or not.


Next up... Archie "The Greek" Karas.

If you don't know Archie, you don't know poker lore.























To say he's had a few ups and downs would definitely be an understatement. We'll let you discover the sordid tale of his life for yourself. We mention him because he was at the WSOP gunning for his first bracelet. Sadly, he didn't get it, but we're rooting for him next year. Keep your spirits up, Archie.























Next up... Roland de Wolfe

Yesterday, de Wolfe became the second player to take down the Triple Crown of Poker award. We're not talking about the second player at the 2009 WSOP. We're talking the second player in the history of people wearing crowns.

You're given the Triple Crown after you win the WSOP, EPT, and WPT. Another feather in de Wolfe's cap is the fact that he did it by winning his first WSOP bracelet. Nice goin', Roland!





















Hmmm... he's not actually looking at the camera, is he?


And ending the WSOP news on a high note... Phil Ivey

Phil has already locked down two bracelets for the 2009 WSOP, including his seventh overall.

























That has a few people wondering if he's going to catch Hellmuth one of these days.

Rumor has it that Phil gets bored at the tournaments pretty quickly. To liven things up, he's been making bets with the other players regarding how many bracelets he can take home.

















Oh, we'd say he has a few more left in him. Go get 'em, Ivey.


The Slowest Poker Tournament In The World

After 786 hands, it looks like Tom Dwan has fought his way back to breaking even.


























Frankly, as poker tournaments go, this is like watching paint dry. But, we're here to report the news, not make it.


Another week, another wrap. To recap...

1. The Department Of Justice is playing dirty with online poker players.
2. Johnny Chan needs to lay of the "water."
3. Archie Karas misses his shot at a WSOP bracelet.
4. Roland de Wolfe makes history with his Triple Crown.
5. Phil Ivey cannot stop betting.
6. Tom Dwan is embroiled in the most boring poker tournament on the circuit.

As always, bringing you the poker news that's fit to print.

See you next week...

Full Tilt Poker And PokerStars Bouncing Checks?!

Say it ain't so!

A couple of weeks ago, folks began noticing their Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars checks were bouncing. Making matters worse, Instant eChecks (the company that processes deposits and withdrawals for a ton of poker players) was down.

The rumors are flyin' and FullTilt.com and PokerStars haven't released any official comments yet. We're certain they'll get the mess sorted out soon. Most folks seem to be blaming the US Attorney General’s office. But, if you're a conspiracy nut, blame it on this guy...

























For the record, Hellmuth's probably not involved. We just enjoy pinning stuff on him.

Okay, let's get this party started with some WSOP updates...


Phil Ivey Scores A Sixth Bracelet

We're a little behind in getting this news to you.

Our man Phil Ivey sat down at a $2,500 NL Deuce-to-Seven game at the WSOP. Even though he went to the final table a few chips short, he managed to claw his way to a sixth bracelet.


























We're not sure what's going on with the cat, but our hats are off to Phil. Good show. Slightly creepy picture, but good show.


Lisandro Lights Up The Tables

Jeffrey "The Iceman" Lisandro took the $1,500 Seven Card Stud event yesterday, claiming his second WSOP bracelet in the process. For those of you with short memories, Lisandro took the same event back in 2007. The year before, he went deep in the Main Event (17th), but had a minor "disagreement" with Prahlad Friedman along the way.

Quick note to Friedman: this is not the man you want to mess with...

























Seriously, we'd actually be afraid to win against him.

In any case, congrats to Lisandro. We're looking forward to seeing him at WSOP 2010.


Negreanu Misses His Fifth Bracelet

We we're definitely pulling for Daniel and wanted to see him win his fifth WSOP bracelet. Alas, the cards were not kind. He was doing pretty well for awhile in a $2,500 Limit Hold'em heads up with Brock "t_soprano" Parker. In the end, Parker got the best of him.

Of course, KidPoker's always a good sport.

























Even though he barely missed his bracelet, Negreanu's been collecting a few dollars at the tournament. Four events, four cashes. It may not be "Tom Dwan" money, but $200,000+ can buy a few beers.


durrrr Sprints Back In May

Despite having a phenomenal 2008, Tom "durrrr" Dwan dug himself into a pretty deep hole this year (pink ostrich hat notwithstanding).

























He was literally down millions of dollars. (cough, cough)

Lo and behold, May turned out to be his month. Dwan swiped just over $2 million in profit and started June down less than $650,000.















Nice going, Tom. You're too young to go broke (but definitely lose the hat).


Another week, another wrap. To recap...

1. Something fishy is going on with Full Tilt and PokerStars (and we're not ruling Hellmuth out).
2. Jeffrey Lisandro could work as a capo for the Gambini family. Just kidding, Jeff (don't hurt us).
3. Daniel Negreanu just missed his fifth WSOP bracelet, but he ain't starvin'.
4. Tom Dwan is climbing his way back into the red.

As always, bringing you the poker news that's fit to print.

See you next week...

The KickAssPoker 2009 WSOP Edition

It's time to take a brief sabbatical from the usual shenanigans erupting throughout the poker world. The 2009 World Series of Poker has officially launched. It seems like the entire poker community has dropped what they're doing to watch or participate.

No emotional outbursts from Phil Hellmuth.

No boxing matches between Hansen and Jorgensen.

We can't even find a good reason to post a shot of Vanessa Rousso in a bikini.

So, let's shift attention over to the WSOP. Here's a recap of what's been happening in the tournament...


Jack Binion Gets His Due

For those of you who don't know Jack Binion, he's the guy that gave us the WSOP in the first place.


















40 years ago, Binion created the WSOP. Today, it's arguably the juggernaut of professional poker tournaments. As WSOP President, Jeffrey Pollack said yesterday before Binion kicked off Event #4, "Jack, on behalf of everyone here, thank you. Thank you for the World Series of Poker... You wrote the song, Jack. We merely cover it."

Nicely said. Our hats are off.


Lunkin Who?!

One of the big surprises so far is the upset by Vitaly Lunkin during Event #2, a $40K NL holdem tourney. He vaulted past Tom Dwan, Phil Gaffond, Phil Ivey, and Doyle Brunson himself to clinch a $1,800,000 purse. Surely, Lunkin is wondering how he'll spend the cash...

















If you haven't been keeping count, this is the second WSOP bracelet that Lunkin has won. He took one down in 2008.


Daniel Negreanu Goes For A Fifth

Negreanu has been a contender since becoming the world's youngest bracelet winner in WSOP history back in 1998. He's been pushing for a fifth bracelet and hopes this year's tournament does the trick.




















Is it us or does Daniel never take good pictures? Let's try again...

























Nope. It's not us. Daniel's great on the tables, but he's not very photogenic. Still, it's hard not to like the guy, so we're hoping he locks in his fifth bracelet.


It Ain't No Thang

In the "Names That Are Fun To Say" column, Thang Luu sprinted ahead of the pack a few days ago to win a $1,500 Omaha Hi/Lo bracelet.

























It's not a fluke. Luu took that event in 2008 and barely missed winning it in 2007. You might say, it's his Thang.

His total tournament winnings haven't hit the $1,000,000 marker, yet. But, we're keeping an eye on him and think you should, too.


Online Tournaments Still Going Strong

And just in case you think that the WSOP has siphoned all of the action from the online tourneys, Bluff Magazine reports different.

























Even though PokerStars (read our PokerStars review) didn't hit their Sunday Million $1,500,000 guarantee a week ago, they came cranking back this past Sunday. Over 8,700 people entered their Sunday Million, which shot the pool to over $1.7 million.

Obviously, there's still a lot of action online if you're not in Las Vegas for the WSOP.

Another week, another wrap. To recap...

1. The 2009 WSOP has taken the stage (and the spotlight).
2. Vitaly Lunkin left a few poker stars scratching their heads.
3. Daniel Negreanu should never, ever shave his head again. Seriously, did you SEE that picture up there?
4. Thang Luu has a name that's impossible to say without smiling.
5. Bluff Magazine has some very nice covers.

As always, bringing you the poker news that's fit to print.

See you next week...