Poker News and Poker Gossip

After the success of last year’s European Championship of Online Poker (ECOOP), VC Poker has brought the event back for a second showing, making it bigger and better than last year. This year, they are offering over $3.6 million in cash prizes, which will be spread over 10 separate tournaments. The 10-day online event starts on May 23^rd, with the $1.5 million main event taking place on June 1^st.

Qualifiers have already started and are running several times a day at VC Poker’s website. With buy ins starting as low as $2.20, players of every bankroll and caliber can take their chances to become a part of this world-class event. Winning a seat in any of the tournaments 10 events will earn you a place at the virtual felt with online poker’s elite. Of course, you cannot forget the prestige of winning an ECOOP bracelet and the bragging rights that go along with it.

Capping off the monumental event is a 100 player MVP freeroll, being played on Wednesday, June 4^th. To take part in this $50,000 prize pool tournament event, players must accumulate MVP points within the regular tournament events. Those with the top 100 points totals after the Main Event on Sunday, June 1^st, will be invited to take part in the freeroll, giving them an additional chance to win, based on their amazing performance in the ECOOP.

Poker is becoming more and more a global pastime and it is showing with the addition of yet another poker tour. This time players from all over the world will be descending on Central and South America for the first ever Latin American Poker Tour. Beginning in May, this series will be visiting a few of the top Latin American countries and opening another door for the world of poker.

The tour kicks off in Rio De Janiero, Brazil on May 7^th through May 10^th. Later in May, the second event will be held in San Jose, Costa Rica, and the tour will wrap up in Punta Del Este, Uruguay in August. Organizers expect to see at least 250 entrants in each tournament, with a cap of 300 players and prize pools are estimated to reach $600,000 or better. This tournament will give Latin American poker pros, like Humberto Brenes and Andre Akkari, a chance to show their skills in front of a hometown audience.

As with the European Poker Tour and Asia Pacific Poker Tour, the Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT) is sponsored by Pokerstars. Players can win a prize package that includes entry into the first tournament, as well as accommodations and money for expenses through the Steps sit-and-go satellite tournaments at Pokerstars. For those who want to don’t want to win their way in, you can buy-in to the tournament for $2500 and get information about accommodations through the LAPT website.

PartyPoker.com is the world’s largest poker room, inviting player’s from across the globe to test their skill. Usually, it’s every man for himself, but recently it became every country for itself when PartyPoker.com held the 2008 Poker Nations Cup. Teams from Ireland, the United States, Great Britain, Germany, Holland and Sweden, among others, competed against each other for the $100,000 prize.

In the end, Great Britain claimed the title, but it wasn’t easy. Team captain Roland de Wolfe had to exercise a great deal of forethought and strategy as he determined the order of his players; he began with Surinder Sunar, then Joe Beevers, himself, Ian Frazer and second to last Charlie Durbin. Neil Channing took the final spot and secured the victory in a heads-up with Ireland’s Donnacha O’Dea.

For all involved it was a phenomenal win - one worthy of much pride, particularly since the men were playing as representatives of their country rather than just themselves. Channing and de Wolfe were both quoted as saying that this victory was equal to if not better than any previous solo win.

Great Britain, however, was not the only team to play well. Ireland defeated the others, coming in second and giving its final opponent a run for the pot. The United States, sadly, got knocked out almost immediately, followed by Sweden, Germany and Holland. For the first year in quite a while the United States did not have a solid showing in any international team event.

None the less, it was a close competition for the entire week, one that no nation will soon forget.

Last Saturday Ultimate Bet brought things down the their final four in the Smack Down Heads Up Poker Tournament. The 11 time World Series of Poker Bracelet holder, Phil Hellmuth,  will compete in a heads up match against one of these final four, as was determined last Saturday: The Captainn, Redbull77, Butternuts and Fkthisup2. These final four are  going to be narrowed down to the final two  this weekend, and it is going to be a match to watch.

After the successful launch in the summer of 2007, the event is coming down the the final heads up matches, with Phil Hellmuth awaiting the winner.  The 9 months of feirce competition that began with 64 heads up holdEm poker players,  will come down to the final table competitor on April 12th, when the 64 heads up hold’em poker players are narrowed down to only 1 vs Phil Hellmuth. The winner of that table be one of the above four they will pocket 30 thousand dollars, and have  the right to brag they beat  the  brat.

For the second year running, Jennifer Harmon has put her name behind a huge charity poker event, benefiting the Nevada SPCA. On April 18^th, Harmon will join some of the biggest names in the world of poker at the Venetian in a fundraising tournament for this no kill animal shelter. Proceeds from the tournament, as well as auction events that are scheduled as part of the fund raiser, will go directly to the SPCA to help care for abused and abandoned animals.

Some of the names that have been confirmed for the event include Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth, Johnny Chan, Doyle Brunson, Evelyn Ng, Jennifer Leigh, and many more huge poker stars. Last year’s winner, Kirk Morrison, will also be returning to the felt to help raise money for this worthy cause. This year’s winner will receive $10,000 and a seat at the WSOP main event.

Last year, the event raised over $130,000 for the Nevada SPCA, and helped to fund two brand new wings at their Las Vegas branch. Jennifer Harmon cut the ribbon to open the new wings, and was joined by an array of poker celebrities at the ceremony. The directors of the SCPA were thrilled at the results of last year’s tournament and are looking forward to the outcome of the Second Annual Jennifer Harmon Charity Poker Tournament.

If you are going to be in the Vegas area on April 18^th, and would like a chance to play alongside these poker professionals, as well as donate to a good cause, visit the website of the Nevada SPCA. The recommended donation/buy-in is $300+$30 and tournament seats are limited.

Mansion Poker is doing a great job of narrowing the field for two of the biggest live events in Europe. The European Poker Tour in Monte Carlo which starts next week and the Swedish Live Poker Championship which begins at the end of the month. Back to back both events will bring in many players from around the world, including some big names. Will you be among them?

Mansion Poker has been qualifying talent for both events since the beginning of the year, and as the dates draw close the field is becoming much smaller. Currently to enter into the Swedish Live Poker Championship players need to have made it to the final elimination level. This event is held every Thursday night at 20:00 CET  and holds a buy in of 300+20 a mere drop in the bucket if you win the prize package to the event valued at more than 4000.

The already awarded prize packages for Monte Carlo are valued at 20, 000! What a way to enter these great April Live Events!  This may seem like old news to qualify for, but until you are across the felt from the biggest poker talent in the world, it’s not over.

EPT Monte Carlo Details:
Location: Monte Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort
Date: 12-17, April 2008.

The Swedish Live Poker Championship Details: 

(this event is restricted to Swedish Players and Swedish Passport holders; Min. Age Required to play is 21.)

Location: Reval Park Casino, Tallinn, Estonia.
Date: 21-27 April, 2008.

See you at the table.