Poker News Round-up

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Poker News Round-up: Week #22

By Adam Noone, 01/06/2007

Heads up play is said by some to be the purest form of poker there is. In some ways it’s a battle of wits like a game of chess yet in other ways more like a pit bull fight where pure aggression is the order of the day. It’s a game where you simply can’t just play strong hands but often have to play hands strongly whatever they are. In fact one of the foremost thinkers in the game, Chris Ferguson, has a very interesting theory on heads up play demonstrating the value of aggression. In a game starting with fifty big blinds each, a player going all in on every hand regardless of their cards would still stand a 40% chance of winning the game. Conversely a weaker player trying to outplay a superior opponent whilst playing a series of smaller pots might stand as little as a 10% chance of winning. Not that the words of wisdom of a quintuple bracelet winner need any further endorsement but the following clip perfectly illustrates how often the most ballsy play is the winning play.

Heads up tournaments have become more popular recently and at this year’s World Series a new world championship heads up event has been added. Barcelona though has been hosting a tournament for seven years now which has become the world heads up poker championship. England has provided the runner up in this tournament for the past three years in the form of Simon Nowab, Paul Jackson and Mark Banin and was well represented in the event again this year. 128 players entered for €2500 each and by the time that number was whittled down to two, England was guaranteed to take both first and second places in the form of Jeff Kimber and Daniel Carter. “Jaffacake” Jeff took an early lead in the final match which he never relinquished and made off with the €125,000 first prize. At just 19 years old Carter is too young to follow this up with a visit to the World Series this year, so it is highly commendable that he made his way through a strong field in this event, including Dave Ulliott whom he knocked out in the quarter finals.

Just as the first event of this year’s WSOP is about to kick off, it has been announced that an International Players Advisory Council has been assembled that will consult with WSOP management with the aim of improving the playing experience of entrants from outside the USA. Recognising the increasingly multinational composition of WSOP fields these days, perhaps even more so this year now the likes of Party Poker are focusing on different markets, the committee has been formed drawing a wealth of experience from six different nationalities. Ben Roberts, Donnacha O’Dea, Willie Tann, Andy Black, Marcel Luske, Isabelle Mercier, Gus Hansen and Joe Hachem will form the council whilst American Wendeen Eolis will chair the group.

Those fortunate enough to cash in any of the 55 events this year will find claiming their money a more relaxing experience than in previous years when players, sometimes from more than one event, had to queue to claim their money from the cage. This time around the process has been automated and players’ services lounge has been set up outside the tournament room. Players will be issued with a card detailing the event and payout which is handed in at the lounge whilst the payment is processed and any tax forms are printed off, leaving players to ponder whether they could have played that final hand any better in comfort.

This time next week we will know the identities of the first nine bracelet winners, and the first of the amazing stories that will undoubtedly be generated will be rolling in. Last year saw Jeff Madsen explode onto the scene with two firsts and two third places in the space of three weeks, Chip Reese won the newly re-introduced HORSE event amid claims from some that he was the real poker champion of the world, and of course Jamie Gold scored a monstrous $12 million win in the main event to become the official world champion. With more events than ever this year there is bound to be plenty to get excited about, and whilst most players would be delighted to win just one World Series bracelet in their lifetime, Hellmuth, Brunson and Chan will be vying to become the first player ever to pick up eleven.

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