260 plus players made the $2500 buy-in for the main event of the Asian Poker Tour recently held at the Dusit Thani hotel in Manila. Three exciting days of No Limit Texas Hold’em tournament play saw some of the best poker professionals from all over Asia visit the Philippines and take their shot at a pot that was supposed to be a guaranteed $1 Million.

However, the lack of participants forced APT CEO and Chairperson Chris Parker to withdraw his guarantee for the $1 Million, but still the prize pool for the APT Main Event still was a whopping $600,000 plus. That’s still a lot of cash to play for.

And eventually, when it was all said and done, it was the Philippines very own Neil Arce who emerged as the APT Main Event champion, winning for himself a whopping $200,000, a pimp ass trophy to show off, and indeed a reinforced reputation as one of the best poker players in the country.

The poker success of Neil Arce was first noted when he became the first Filipino (with a Philippine address) to go deepest in the WSOP Main Event back in 2007 where Neil Arce placed 222nd in a field of 6,300+ players, also earning himself $51,000+.

Neil Arce also won the 2008 Filipino Poker Tour (FPT), and eventually caught the eye of the top brass of Pokerstars.net, and took Neil Arce into the family of Pokerstars.net.

A week prior to the APT Main Event, Chris Parker confessed that Neil Arce had confidently told him that he was going to win the tournament, and he certainly kept true to that promise.

I had followed the progress of the APT Main Event since the doors to the APT opened on Tuesday January 27. I visited the Dusit Thani regularly, grinding out the cash games. But then, this post isn’t about my meager accomplishments as a poker player, this is about Neil “Dirty Ice Cream” Arce!

On the first day of the tournament, Neil Arce had a monster chip stack to lead all poker players on Day 1a. On Day 2, I caught Neil Arce struggling a bit, dropping from the chip leader to going around average. There were 18 poeple left the last time I checked his progress in the 2009 APT Main Event.

Going back for final table action, I wasn’t surprised to find Neil Arce there. But when I arrived at the Dusit Thani, there were only 3 players left, and I was already ecstatic for Neil Arce at being guaranteed $70,000 for his assured 3rd place finish.

Neil Arce assured himself of at least second place when he busted out Casey Kastle with a showdown of A-6 vs A-K. The A-6 of Neil Arce looked dominated by the Big Slick of Casey Kastle, but a 6 on the flop kept Neil Arce ahead, and eventually lead to the elimination of Casey Kastle, and forcing heads-up action against APT Macau runner-up Steve Yeah of Korea.

The heads-up showdown between Neil Arce and Steve Yeah lasted 25 minues with Neil Arce bullying Steve Yeah in several hands before the final showdown of K-Q suited of Neil Arce against the A-K Big Slick of Steve Yeah.

Neil Arce was indeed worried that Steve Yeah had the advantage with a better hand. In fact, the flop looked even more worrisome for Neil Arce as his hand failed to improve. However, a Queen showed her panties on the turn and Neil Arce erupted in celebration along with the legions of Filipino fans cheering their kababayan. The Queen held up to knock out Steve Yeah, and Neil Arce was then crowned 2009 APT Manila Main Event champion.

A fine performance for Steve Yeah who gets another 2nd place finish in the Asian Poker Tour main events, the first in Macau and now in the Philippines. And while Steve Yeah didn’t win, his two runner-up finishes certainly shows him as one of the best poker players in the Asian Poker Tour.

Of course, there to cheer Neil Arce on were his lovely girlfriend Maike Evers and his good friends Nick Galan and Miguel Cuneta of the Metro Card Club, (which is also where Neil Arce plays most of his poker).

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Event # 12 of the 2009 Aussie Millions was festive as 42 of the toughest poker players in the world forked over the $3,250 buy-in to join the Pot-Limit Omaha w/ Rebuys tournament. A staggering 87 rebuys pumped up the pot as poker professionals strategized in an attempt to grab the championship ring. In the end, Michael Binger beat back online phenom Josh “JJProdigy” Field to win the top prize of AUD $123,840.

Some of the greatest names in poker busted out early in the game including Billy “The Croc” Argyros, Tony Bloom and Van Marcus. Chris Ferguson almost reached the final table but ended up being eliminated by JJProdigy when he missed his draw. JJProdigy entered the final table with 121,500 in chips—a very dominant lead. Poker pro Tony G had 46,000 in chips and eventual winner Michael Binger had 22,000.

Sam Youssef busted out short of the in 9th place followed by Tony G. Both didn’t make it into the money. David “Chino” Rheem was the next to go against Michael Binger who tables the nut straight. Chino won $15,480 for his seventh place finish.

In a four way flop with Binger, JJProdify and Jason Gray, Michael Pesek was eliminated. Pesek’s smaller straight ran into JJProdify’s nut straight and he ended up with $23,220. Daniel Ewing finished in fifth place ($30,960) after Michael Zowie’s King-high straight dominated his straight.

Michael Binger then sent Jason Gray to the rail after Gray’s sets proved to be not enough for Binger’s second-nut straight. For fourth place, Gray won $42,570. Three-handed play went on for a while and after over an hour, it was Michael Zowie who was sent to the rail in third place with $61,290 courtesy of Binger’s trips.

Michael Binger was in chip lead going into heads-up play and at around 6:00am, the final hand was dealt. JJProdigy bet out on a 2h-Jh-6d flop and Binger raised. Field went all in with Qh-Qc-10h-3h and was called. Binger had 2s-6h-Kh-Qd for two pair and a higher flush draw. The turn was 8c and the river 2d, giving Binger the gold championship ring. JJProdigy won $89,010 for second place.

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With a staggering AUD $100,000 buy-in, Event # 8 at the 2009 Aussie Millions attracted the who’s who of the poker world. A total of 23 players entered the event, including luminaries such as Phil Ivey, Tony G, John Juanda, JC Tran, Chris Ferguson, Erik Seidel, Patrik Antonius and Gus Hansen. In the end, it was Hong Kong commodities trader David Steicke who came out on top of a very tough field to win the $1.2 million top prize.

To add to the fun and level of difficulty, the tournament was in “speed format”. This meant that players only had 30 seconds to act. The betting was also pot-limit pre-flop and no-limit after the flop. This may confuse some poker beginners but for the pros who entered this tournament, the format wasn’t the problem. It was the tough competition.

At the end of Day 1, it was David Steicke in the lead entering the final table. He had 631,000 in chips. JC Tran was close behind with 528,000. John Juanda was also a contender with 480,000 in chips.

But it was clearly David Steicke’s day as he practically blew open the final table. The first to be eliminated was John Juanda who was sent to the rail by JC Tran. Juanda raised with pocket jacks and was called by Tran on the big blind with Qh-4h. The flop was Qs-Qd-10h, giving Tran trips. Tran check-raised Juanda who moved all in and was called. Tran then proceeded to add insult to injury by hitting a full house.

After Juanda’s elimination, it was the David Steicke Show all the way. He eliminated Bill Jourdanou who found himself facing Steicke’s pocket kings with his pocket queens. Then it was Dan Shak’s turn to feel Steicke’s wrath when his pocket 3s were clearly dominated by Tran’s pocket 7s.

By now, Steicke had a massive chip lead versus remaining opponents JC Tran and Tony Bloom. After Steicke raised with Kd-Jh before the flop, Tran went in for all his chips with Kc-6d. Steicke’s hand help

Steicke would enter heads-up play with a 10-1 chip lead over Tony Bloom. A mere few hands into heads-up, Bloom pushed with Ac-4s. Steicke called with 10s-3s. Unfortunately for Bloom, Steicke hit the 10 on the river giving him the win. Bloom won $600,000 for his 2nd place finish.

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Here’s one victory for us poker folks who are forced to tangle with so many legal issues just to enjoy the sport we love. In a decision handed by one very smart judge from Eastern Pennsylvania, poker has now been officially declared (at least in his courtroom) as NOT a game of luck. Instead, he goes on to state that poker is a game of skill—something we’ve been harping about since time immemorial.

The judge we should applaud for this ground-breaking decision is Columbia County Judge Thomas A. James. In his ruling, James absolved a certain Walter Watkins who was slapped a lawsuit after a poker game he was hosting was raided. Unfortunately for Watkins, an undercover Pennsylvania state trooper was present during his game. During the sessions, Watkins stressed that he wasn’t charging rake. Instead, he merely encourages players to tip his dealers after every hand. Nothing wrong with that. After all, it’s a difficult job.

Judge James based his decision on, among other factors, the numerous poker books available that talk about the skill factors involved in poker. His logic? If chance predominates the game of Texas Hold’em, it is gambling. Since skill predominates the game, Texas Hold’em should not be considered gambling. In his closing, James states, “It is apparent that skill predominates over chance in Texas Hold’em poker.” Now, if only Congress and the rest of government thought that way.

The case against the dealer, Diane Dent, was also dismissed. Despite the dismissal of his case, Watkins lamented the ordeal they had to go through. He talked about being arrested, handcuffed and being forced to spend the night in prison just for playing poker. Let’s hope that Judge Thomas A. James’ ruling sets a precedent for future poker litigation so this doesn’t happen again. This is definitely one positive step for poker.

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Event # 3 of the 2009 Aussie Millions was the $1,100 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo event. A total of 102 players signed up—including poker notables such as 2008 Aussie Million Main Event winner Alexander Kostritsyn, Jamie Pickering, Tony G and WSOP Main Event runner-up Ivan Demidov. Thanks to the game’s limit structure and tough contenders, the tournament went on for 17 hours! When Mel Judah came out on top, you can be sure he earned it.

Demidov and Kostritsyn were among the early bust-outs. Soon, other poker pros such as Tony G and Harry Demetriou soon followed. When it came time for the final table, Rainer Quel was in chip lead with 132,000. Mel Judah was in the middle of the pack with 109,500 in chips. Mick Stanton was in the cellar with a mere 12,500 in chips.

By this time, the blinds were so high that people were sent to the rail in quick succession. Mick Stanton was the first to bust and he ended up in 9th place with $2,550. Mel Judah then eliminated Michael Guzzardi in eighth place ($3,570) after the latter moved all-in pre-flop with Ah-Qc-10c-4s. Judah called with Ad-Ks-10s-9c. The board favored Judah with 2s-2d-8s-Kh-9d giving him a two-pair.

Mark Furniss was the next to go after being busted out by Derek Raymond. For his seventh place finish, Furniss collects $4,590. Derek Raymond continued his winning ways by busting out Billy “The Croc” Argyros in sixth place with his straight. Soon after, it was Danny Mountt’s turn to exit with $8,160 for fifth place courtesy of Jeffrey Duvall.

By this time, Derek decided to make a stand by going all-in. Unfortunately for him, Jeffrey Duvall came up with the nut flush and he was left with a fourth place finish and a very respectable $10,170. Unfortunately for Duvall, his success was short-lived. He busted out in third place with $14,280.

By this time, blinds were crazy. Still, heads up between Judah and Rainier Quel took over two hours. Quel had a 4:1 chip lead but in the end, Judah’s experience paid off and he was able to wrench victory from Quel’s hands. Quel’s second place finish landed him $21,420. Judah, on the other hand, took home $30,600 for first place and the championship ring.

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The 2009 PokerStars Carribean Adventure’s Main Event has ended and when the dust cleared, an underdog emerged as champion. Online qualifier Poorya Nazari has joined the list of poker millionaires with his triumph in a tough field of 1,347 entrants. To win his millions, Nazari had to wade through a sea of 746 online qualifiers, WSOP bracelet winners and EPT champions.

The win by Nazari is sure to be declared another Cinderalla story by the press who are starved for another Chris Moneymaker story. Nazari won his seat to the Main Event via a $700 investment in a rebuy qualifier. This investment turned into a $3 Million dollar payday and instant poker fame.

The win didn’t come easy for Nazari. He had to deal with a very tough final table with 2008 WSOP bracelet winner Alexandre Gomes at chip lead during the start of play. Lucky for Nazari, Gomes ended up busting in fourth place versus Benny Spindler. Gomes’ demise was painful as he had a full house versus Spindler’s unbeatable quads.

The final table play started fast and furious. After a mere three hours, four players were sent to the rail. After Gomes’ elimination, table play slowed down and it took four and half-hours for Benny Splinder to bust out in third place so heads up play could begin. Splinder also joins the list of poker millionaires as he takes hom $1,100,000 for his third

place finish.

It was Nazari versus Tony Gregg heads-up but it only took Nazari four hands to put the nail in the coffin. In the last hand, both players were all-in pre-flop—Nazari with Ac-10h and Gregg with Qd-7s. The flop was 10c-6c-5c giving Nazari top pair. The turn was 3s giving Gregg an inside straight draw. But luck wasn’t on Gregg’s side this time when the river came up 9d, giving Nazari the win. Gregg’s runner-up finish earned him $1,700,000.

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Here’s your chance to be included in one of the most prestigious online poker events! Full Tilt has announced the schedule for the site’s immensely popular Full Tilt Online Poker Series. This is the 11th series and it will begin on February four with a $216-buy in NLHE tournament. The prize pool? A cool $1 million guaranteed for that event.

A far cry from the FTOPS I debut where the eight events combined for the then guaranteed prize pool of just over $1 million. Last year, the tenth series of FTOPS gave away over $15 million in 25 events. This year, Full Tilt aims to do the same.

The FTOPS will have a wide variety of games to suit just about anyone. The games will include Hold’em (both limit and no-limit), Omaha (Pot Limit and Hi/lo), Stud, H.O.R.S.E., and Razz. There will be rebuy tournaments, knockouts and shootouts. The 25 events are scheduled to take place over twelve days.

The FTOPS XI will end with its main event—a $535 buy-in tournament that will be held in February 15. The main event will have a $2.5 million guaranteed prize pool. The FTOPS XI will have what they call a “Bouncebackability” freeroll. Here, every person who gets eliminated on the bubble in any FTOPS event will get a seat in a Freeroll where they can win the buy-in to the FTOPS XII Main Event. The Freeroll will take place in February 21.

Full Tilt is also giving away a few perks to the final players of any FTOPS XI event. Those who make the final table of any event will receive a limited-edition FTOPS jacket. An FTOPS XI event winner will receive the jacket, a gold FTOPS jersey and a gold jersey avatar which they can use while they play on Full Tilt poker.

Eager to take part but having problems with your bankroll? Then visit Full Tilt as soon as possible since there are satellites ongoings where you can win tournament entries and tournament dollars. For more information, visit Full Tilt poker.

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Has Tom “durrr” Dwan taken on more than he can chew? After Dwan discussed a poker challenge where he would put up $1.5 million of his own money versus any challenger’s $500,000, both Phil Ivey and Patrik Antonius indicated their interest in playing against him. In his deal, Dwan stated that the challenger wins if he or she beats him heads-up in either No-Limit Hold’em or Pot-Limit Omaha with a minimum of 50,000 hands played simultaneously at four tables at $200-$400 stakes.

Ivey, who has reputedly won more than $6 million last year solely through on-line play at ring games, has said that he would play anyone at every game there is. His acceptance of Dwan’s challenge isn’t really a surprise. After all, Ivey has had a history of accepting prop bets.

Antonius, like Ivey, takes pride that he plays anyone. In an interview, he explained that he also took on the challenge because he believed it would be interesting, and even if he lost, it would help his game a lot. When asked whether he would be playing Hold’em or Omaha, Antonius chose the latter.

During Barry Greenstein’s “Tuesdays with Ivey” show on PokerRoad Radio, Ivey also mentioned that David Benyamine was considering the challenge as well. This might be a cause of concern for Dwan since Benyaminme is considered one of the best Omaha players today.

Dwan’s challenge is not open to everybody, though. Phil “OMGClayAiken” Galfond is disqualified from entering the challenge. Dwan has his reasons for not opening the deal to Galfond—first, because he respects Galfond’s play. Second, because Galfond is his close friend.

The challenge has been raised and the call has been answered. No one is certain when the games will take place but one thing is for sure, 2009 is starting to look like a very interesting year for poker.

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Can’t get enough of poker TV? Well, one thing is for sure, you won’t go wrong with NBC. The new batch of Poker After Dark episodes will be definitely be anything but boring as some of the most colorful professional poker characters are expected to liven up the felt. The episodes that will air on NBC at 2:05am will feature poker players that have reputations of hamming it up on the table—definitely an effort at giving some good TV to the show’s thousands of viewers.

The main spotlight would probably shine on Phil Hellmuth whose less-than-charismatic antics on the felt are known far and wide. The other players—Todd Brunson, David Grey, Phil Gordon, Gabe Kaplan and Cory Zeidman – are also not known for holding their tongues. You can be sure that with the skills and personalities involved, we’re going to get some good poker and even better, a lot of poker backtalk.

To add even more drama (as if a good poker game really needs more drama), some of the players have history amongst each other. Hellmuth and Gordon have been known to go after each other’s throats during poker games. Kaplan and Zeidman are at odds with each other after Kaplan dissed Zeidman’s style of play.

In the previous episode of Poker After Dark, Mark Matusow came out on top after beating Andy Black in heads up play. Reruns are scheduled to run next week but starting February 9, Poker After Dark will host an episode featuring Chris Ferguson and Andy Bloch amongst others.

This will be Brunson and Zeidman’s first appearance on Poker After Dark. Hellmuth and Kaplan, on the other hand, have had two PAD titles and will be giving it their all to get another one. For more information on Poker After Dark ,check out the NBC website.

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The year has just begun and what better way to start 2009 than to kick off one of the largest poker events of the year? The PokerStars Carribean Adventure (PCA)’s main event starts January 5, 2009 at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. The event will have a now staggering $10,000 buy-in. Last year, the PCA buy-in for the main event was only $8,000. The PCA will be part of the European Poker Tour schedule for the second time in the row, as the sixth stop on the EPT schedule for season 5.

This year, the PCA will also have a High Roller Event with a $25,000 buy-in (effectively dwarfing the $10,000 mentioned earlier) which will start in January 7. The PCA will surely draw over a thousand poker professionals more than eager to make it in the money during one of the most prestigious poker events in the world.

Aside from the Main Event and High Roller Event, the PCA will also have a $2,000 No Limit Hold’em Event on January 8. On January 9, players will be able to buy in to the $5,000 No Limit Hold’em Event. For those on a stricter budget, there will be a $1,000 No Limit Hold’em Event on January 10.

Last year, a total of 1,136 players joined the Main Event. Despite the tough playing field, Betrand “ElkY” Grospelier came out on top during the PCA main event. For his efforts, Grospellier took home $2,000,000. Hafiz Khan had to settle for $1,094,976 for second place. Third place and $800,000 went to Kris Kuykendall.

Other notable cashes in the main event last year include David “The Dragon” Pham who came in 4th place for $600,000. William Thorsson finished in 9th place, Eric Lynch in 26th and Peter Jetten came a very respectable 42nd place. 120 places were paid in last year’s Poker Caribbean Adventure Main Event.

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