Mu$on here again, with all the stuff happening in poker I didn’t follow much of the WSOP. Ryan did however, so here’s his news coverage from that event with prediction on what will happen from here.

After 12 total days of poker, including four Day 1′s and two Day 2′s, the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event is finally down to its November Nine. The Main Event always draws a ridiculously large field, and this year was no different with 6,865 players, and an incredible $64,531,000 in the prize pool. A stat even more incredible than that? The first place winner takes home over $8.7 million, nice pay day huh? Let’s take a look at the final nine, their chip stacks, and a little more in-depth at who has a real shot to take this thing down.

Here are the final nine, in order of chip stacks:

1. Martin Staszko- 40,175,000
2. Eoghan O’Dea- 33,925,000
3. Matt Giannetti- 24,750,000
4. Phil Collins- 23,875,000
5. Ben Lamb- 20,875,000
6. Badih Bounahra- 19,700,000
7. Pius Heinz- 16,425,000
8. Anton Makiievskyi- 13,825,000
9. Sam Holden- 12,375,000

The chip stacks don’t exactly tell the story of how the final day went though. Texas Hold’em play was down to ten handed, and John Hewitt (who finished 10th) struggled to pick up anything playable throughout ten-handed play. But the biggest stories of the day were of Ben Lamb and Matt Giannetti. For anyone who watched the final ten fight to get down to the November Nine, the play of both of these players was impressive. Ben Lamb raised and three-bet players in perfect spots, and made very strong decisions. He put pressure on the shorter stacks, forcing them to decide if they wanted to risk their entire stacks. Lamb has made huge strides this year in the World Series, as he won his first gold bracelet, had a 2nd place finish, an 8th place finish, and a 12th place finish. He’s hoping to add a Main Event gold bracelet to that resume as well.

Matt Giannetti is the other player who caught the eye of a few spectators. He was in the top three of short stacks throughout a good amount of ten handed play, but he made all the right moves. The man was patient as he waited to pick up a big hand, and showed no fear getting his chips in the middle. His biggest hand came against Ben Lamb, when Lamb raised pre-flop, and Giannetti made the huge decision to shove over top of him with his pocket jacks. Lamb turned over King-nine off suit, and Giannetti doubled up. From there, Giannetti started putting pressure on the shorter stacks, and just continued to build up his stack. He’s looking to be one of the strongest players out of the final nine, and has a great shot to win it all.

Who Could Win It All?

Well, one of the great things about the game of poker is that anyone can get hot at the right time. If Sam Holden can pick up a few hands, he’ll be at the top of the leader board. But based on pure talent, strong decision making, and confidence heading into the final nine? It looks like it’s a three horse race in my opinion. Matt Staszko ran very well, and did make some good decisions in ten handed play, but I think these three players will be able to overtake him at the top. Eoghan O’Dea, Matt Giannetti, and Ben Lamb are the ones who I have my eyes on.

O’Dea was calm, cool, and collected, and just continued to chip up and keep his chip stack near the top throughout ten handed play. Most of all though, O’Dea is an excellent decision maker, just like Giannetti and Lamb. Giannetti showed a lot of poise and composure while he was waiting for a big hand to push all in, and instantly showed that he could play big stack bully as well. Giannetti is going to be a scary player at this final table, especially now that he has chips. Ben Lamb looks like the player of destiny at this World Series. It’s tough to bet against a guy who has played this great in the World Series, but watching his play just makes it even more convincing that he’ll be in the top 3 in the end.

Even though the 2011 November Nine doesn’t feature big names like Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, or Doyle Brunson; the nine players who did make it will definitely give the fans a pretty interesting final table. The November Nine will get underway on November 5th to and will finish up on November 7th of this year.

Pokerstars are so much bigger than their rivals these days that they can throw around the odd million or two just for fun. With the inaugural ‘Red Spade Open’ due to kick off at 15:00 ET on the 31st July – Pokerstars have laid down that million to see if they can get more than 20,000 fish to compete at any one time – and beat their own guaranteed prize pool.

Knocking the entry price down to $55 still leaves out a lot of potential fish, you know the ones who get really angry in 1c / 2c games when the black aces they slowplayed to the river get beaten on a 4-5-6-7-K board with 4 hearts. Ensuring that as many fish as aquatically possible get into the game, satellite qualifiers are already running starting at just $1.

Twisted Gambler has to ask – what will a deep stacked tournament with more than 20,000 fish look like?

Well, for a start getting anywhere near deep is going to involve a lot of holding up, dodging bullets and hitting big draws. It is pretty safe to say that the huge majority of the field will eventually go out while holding the best hand when the chips went in. This is great for Pokerstars of course, the more players who believe that they are really very good – just unlucky – will increase the number for future tournaments.

A number of players will undoubtedly blind away, having joined before realizing it was their anniversary dinner that night and not being able to raise interest from any friends to play the game for them.

There will of course be a huge number of clever moves made in this game, based on intelligent reads, a high level of situational awareness and the math worked out to 3 decimal places. Unfortunately these will go straight over the heads of the other players in the hand who will call half of their stack on the turn anyway – because, well, if they river is a club they will have a 9-high flush – and probably win a big pot.

Looking deeper into the crystal ball we predict more than 22 instances of short stacked players complaining that late all-ins are just ‘bingo’ and that nobody really wants to play any real poker anymore. With your 8 big blinds we look forward to some exciting post flop play, with a 2.5 raise pre, 2/3rds pot continuation bet and, ah, damn it, you have no chips left for the turn.

With more than 10k of the field from Europe likely to completely mess up their sleeping patterns for a disappointing double-up, we look forward to the Red Spade open with baited breath… or do we?

Check out Pokerstars now for the biggest and best tournaments anywhere online!!

Although we’re not sure it is going to last, Full Tilt Poker is now closed! This isn’t an exaggeration, you’re not reading the National Inquirer, this is Mu$on – have I let you down in the past?

To give you a quick run down, a federal indictment was unsealed against Full Tilt Poker on April 15, 2015. In short, their crime was providing Americans with a service they demanded and doing a good job at that. The penalty for such crime is a three billion dollar fine (nope – not exaggerating that’s $3,000,000,000 with 10 digits / 9 zeros after the three) and a bunch of years in prison.

Well included with the indictment the terrorist the US authorities took their bank accounts and held their domain name for ransom. (Full Tilt paid the US DOJ’s ransom demands and got their domain name back). All this has left Full Tilt near broke.

They have no money. Well now they are offline *Poof* just like gone! But wait… it appears this isn’t a case where they just headed for the hills. Which Bingo is reporting this is the result of Full Tilt’s gambling licenses getting suspended.

Even more interesting here is the company who suspended it was kinda sorta in a way backing them just a little while earlier. Alderney Gambling Commission in their last update on this topic said:

“initial investigations indicate no reason to believe that player fund transactions are fundamentally threatened by any consequence of the US authorities’ actions”

^THAT WAS MAY 16!!

We haven’t heard boo from Alderney Gambling Commission since. All of us are sitting feeling our funds are okay, Alderney has out backs! Then those jerks pull the plug! *Poof!* Full Tilt Poker is gone.

Where is the apology from AGCC, which for the record is Alderney Gambling Countrol Commission and their website is gamblingcontrol.org <-- yes no link, Mu$on give you jerks no link love - sorry AGCC.

Well get this.. as Online Poker Sites pointed out these guys removed their May 16, 2011 post where they were kinda sorta telling us Full Tilt Poker was fine, they investigated and see no reason players won’t be paid.

HELLO “McBiff, are you in there?”!!

Full Tilt is not a publicly traded company, we can’t see their financials etc. We can assume however their licensing body can. So not only did you deceive players you have now covered up and removed your tracks, where you kinda sorta told us Full Tilt was going to be fine post (again – sure insinuated all was well from the way I and others had read it). AGCC = Rigged! <-- you head it here first from Mu$on.

In any case maybe they'll be back online later but for now Full Tilt Poker is closed.

Jake Cody a 22 British poker player has taken down the 25k No Limit Hold Em Heads-Up event in the 2011 World Series of Poker. A young professional from Britain, Cody has exploded onto the poker scene over the past two years and has shown he has what it takes to dominate no limit tournaments.

Cody took down $851,192 dollars with his 1st place finish, he felted Yevgeniy Timoshenko to win the title and before that took he took down circuit veteran Gus Hansen. The final hand Cody shoved all in with K-9 putting pressure on Timoshenko as he did all match, Timoshenko tanked and then called. Cody hit his K on the flop and his K-9 held as he celebrated with friends.

Cody becomes the 3rd player to win a World Series of Poker bracelet, a World Poker Tour title, and a European Poker Tour title. He is the youngest ever to accomplish this feat, with the main event still looming the future is looking bright for Jake Cody.

A lawyer from Toronto named Steven Cohen enjoyed the recreational card game seven-card stud with his friends and family. Following a dream from every poker player that plays the game as a hobby, he decided to take the plunge into world of professional poker. Steven had a high hopes for his career, after all he had left a 200,000 a year job at his law firm.

Hoping to make a half a million within a few years, he read books and attended seminars on bluffing and reading opponents mannerisms. He traveled to tournaments and played online poker for 40 hrs a week, after a few initial wins, he began losing. A year later, Mr. Cohen found himself fed up with professional poker and down 122,000 after his 1st year. He filed a professional and assumed he was in line for deductions from the Canadian Revenue Service.

The CRA however disagreed, they made the case because Mr. Cohen had not even had a one profitable month in his poker career and did not qualify as a poker professional. Mr. Cohen’s main source for poker bankroll was his credit cards, the CRA argued that he did not conduct himself in the nature in which his poker hobby would fall within the definition of a legal business.

Steven Cohen disagreed with the CRA ruling and of course with the judge presiding over his case. Not many Canadians have been able to convince the CRA that are professional poker players rather than hobbyists. There is no written set of rules that qualifies one as a professional and with such a grey area, there may be many cases like Mr. Cohen’s going to the courts in the future.

In the small town of Hamburg, NY a town with just over 55,000 people, Jeffrey Lavelle patrols the streets as a local police officer for the Town of Hamburg Police Department. A poker aficionado back in Hamburg, Mr. Lavelle formed a poker group called the Pour House Poker Club, in which members would pay monthly dues for a chance to go the World Series of Poker.

The group has 19 members, 9 of which made the trip to the World Series, one of them of course being Jeffrey Lavelle. On June 11th, Jeff began to play in a 1500 dollar no-limit hold em’ tournament, two days later he would become almost 322,000 dollars richer, with a 3rd place finish in the event. The Pour House Poker Club has a rule that any member who cashes, must donate 1% of his winnings to the members of the poker club. Mr. Lavelle won a little over 3k for the members of the Pour House Poker Club, a pretty nice profit for his friends back home.

Lavelle was taken out by Foster Hays, who felted him after he hit top pair on a 9-5-3 board with K-9, the turn was a 7 and Lavelle went all in only to see Hays showdown AA and hit trip aces on the river. Lavelle is grateful and enjoyed his experience at the WSOP. Lavelle has three children, including an 18 year old pre-med student. Congratulations, Officer Lavelle!

Mu$on has no time for this stuff. I want to write a post that said if you play at Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker or Ultimate Bet at the moment you’re a effing moron. However that wouldn’t make an interesting post, so Mu$on coughed up $41.46 and paid some dude named Mark to write a warning to avoid these sites like the plague. Of course he’s still politically correct (which I told him not be) but whatever. Here is post.

Paid For Guest Post (by Mark)

Since the Black Friday of online poker, when the domain names of the three largest US facing poker rooms were seized and the owners indicted by the United States government, there have been varying degrees of clarity regarding the status funds of players on those sites.

The situation at Pokerstars become clear very early on, as they contacted high volume players by phone on Black Friday and posted status updates poker forums in the coming days. Pokerstars began to return funds within two weeks of Black Friday and the payments have been successfully deposited into US bank accounts.

At the Cereus network the situation is not crystal clear yet, but it appears that the company is in a very bad financial situation and that there is a very high chance players will not receive their funds. It has laid off 95% of staff and rumors of bankruptcy have been floating around, although the parent company, Blanca Games, denies this. Cereus has not communicated with the players, other than through press releases. In addition, the Cereus network has imposed very low withdrawal ceilings for non-American players, suggesting that they do not possess enough capital to payout players.

The situation is the least clear at Full Tilt Poker, where the company has been in communication with customers on a regular basis but has not provided unambiguous information about when and how players will receive their funds. There are a lot of assertions being thrown around the poker world about the solvency of Full Tilt Poker. For example, Tony G has been claiming that Full Tilt just needs a small amount of time to clear things up, but then was accused by Mike Matusow, a Full Tilt pro, of trying to attract attention to his website by creating fake news. An official company statement indicates the need to “raise capital.” Phil Ivey, a prominent poker player with a vested financial interest in Full Tilt Poker filed a lawsuit against Tiltware LLC, the Full Tilt parent company, to free himself from his contract and to faciliate the payment of player funds. The lawsuit was met with condemnation from Tiltware and an assertion that Ivey in fact owed Tiltware money. Very few people know for sure whether Full Tilt will be able to meet its obligations, and the ones that do know aren’t very likely to share the truth with the world.

For players from outside the United States this is a very important situation to keep abreast of. Keeping money in a Full Tilt Poker account definitely exposes players to the possibility of losing the funds due to Full Tilt going bankrupt. Players should not only avoid sites that have been indicted, but should also avoid sites that are currently US facing. There is no one who can give a 100% guarantee that money is safe on any poker site, but the risk of losing your funds on Full Tilt is significantly larger than it is on other poker sites. That being said, Full Tilt continues to be the second most popular online poker site in the world and is successfully processing payments for players outside of the United States. With the absence of American grinders and the migration of non-American pros to less risky sites, the games could be fishier than usual. As long as players know the risks associated with play on Full Tilt they may make an informed decision, but considering that the survival of Full Tilt is up in the air at this point, it might be wise to pick a safer poker site.

Most of the largest 10 or 15 online poker sites are very safe, but for extra security, a site like Party Poker is a very good option. Party Poker has a longstanding reputation in the online poker world and is publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange (all three indicted poker sites are privately owned). Combine that with the fact that Party Poker does not accept US customers and is the third largest poker site in the world and you have a site that is extremely unlikely to be in serious financial trouble any time soon.

We all know that forums such as 2P2 and Pocket Fives are the shizz when it comes to talking about hand histories and strategy. However, there’s still a ton of value to be had from reading good old fashioned paper books. You know, the ones with colorful covers and names like “Super System” and “Play Poker Like The Pro’s“? LOL Bookaments.

Forums have their value but so do these books, often written before poker strategy forums became such a driving force in educating wannabe ballers. So if you’re ready to unplug the laptop and finish reading the latest “Heads Up for Rollz” thread from the morons at 2P2, try checking out Google or Amazon for some of the Best Poker Books to add to your collection.

Take Phil Hellmuth’s book, you can read all about how he’s made sick reads and crushed inferior opponents over the years. In the process, you may learn the best starting hands for Texas Hold’em as well. While we only recommend this book for the noobest of noobs, there’s still a case to be made for trying out a book or two vs. keeping your head stuck in Internet forums all day.

It’s been a while since I railed on a moron from Two Plus Two but this post absolutely wins the prize for moron of the year (and to think, he almost waited to win the award for 2009!).

So what happens when you (apparently) win some cash online playing poker while dipping and taking pain killers? You guy buy this gay ass pistol, that’s what!

(sung to “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer”)

Hellmuth got run over by a Cowboy

At a final table on TV.

You may not believe in Alabama Cowboys,

But as for me and Hellmuth, we believe.

Phil would wonder how he’d keep shovin’

With what could not have been too much.

But when Phil finally had the guts to call him,

Hoyt would calmly show him the stone cold nuts.

Phil knew it had to just be awful timing,

That soon enough he’d catch Hoyt with rags.

But in the end the Poker Brat was ranting

And Hoyt walked out dragging money bags.

Hellmuth got run over by a Cowboy

At a final table on TV.

You may not believe in Alabama Cowboys,

But as for me and Hellmuth, we believe.

Now Phil went off and planned his vengeance,

Telling all who’d listen Hoyt’s a fish.

One day he’ll be able to trap him,

And Phil would be the one walking away rich.

They met at several final tables,

And many crucial hands were dealt.

The Cowboy stuck to shoving all-in,

And knocking Hellmuth’s stack down to the felt.

Hellmuth got run over by a Cowboy

At a final table on TV.

You may not believe in Alabama Cowboys,

But as for me and Hellmuth, we believe!