Robbery During PokerStars European Poker Tour’s Berlin Main Event, Kevin MacPhee Triumphs After Delay
Viewers watching the European Poker Tour’s Main Event in Berlin, Germany through the EPTLive.com live feed (with about 20 people remaining) were quite shocked when a major commotion took place before the feed cut out. For those who were there the scene was much scarier. Anywhere from three to six armed masked men stormed the Grand Hyatt’s Hotel’s Casino.
Thankfully, nobody was seriously injured, as the robbers got away with a portion of the buy-ins to the High Roller event, estimated to be around $1,000,000. Footage from both the EPTLive.com footage and from some members of the media has found its way to the internet.
The set-up of how the EPT was accepting registration money has been questioned by players who attended the tournament series. The registration money was being taken in a lobby that didn’t have cameras or armed security guards. When money was taken for the event, event organizers simply set it on a table behind them, in the open. A discussion of the events, and the apparent security issues, is in full swing on TwoPlusTwo and can be followed here.
After a lengthy delay, play resumed with Kevin “ImaLuckSac” MacPhee taking down the event, winning €1,000,000, which equals over $1,300,000.
Annie Duke Battles Through Tough Field to Win Heads-Up Championship
In five other attempts at winning the National Heads-Up Championship Annie Duke has never made it past the second round, but that changed this weekend as she navigated her way through a tough field to win $500,000 and the coveted National Heads-Up Poker Championship.
In the final match, Duke defeated eight-time World Series of Poker Championship Erik Sidel in a best-of-three series. Other big names she defeated on the way to becoming the first woman to ever win the event were Andy Block, Darvin Moon, Paul Wasicka, Jerry Yang, and Dennis Phillips. In all matches but the final it was a single elimination format, and during her third round match-up with Wasicka she was nearly felted before making a roaring comeback. She was able to carry that momentum all the way to the first place prize.
NBC’s broadcast of the event will begin on April 18. Full schedule is below:
- April 18 - Noon - 1PM ET/9:00-10:00 AM PT
- April 25 - Noon - 2PM ET/9:00-11:00AM PT
- May 2 - Noon - 2PM ET/9:00-11:00 AM PT
- May 9 - Noon - 2PM ET/9:00-11:00 AM PT
- May 16 - Noon - 2PM ET/9:00-11:00 AM PT
- May 23 - Noon - 3PM ET/9:00-Noon AM PT
Tiger Woods Reportedly Turns Down $75,000,000 Sponsorship Offer From Paddy Power Poker
While it’s true that Tiger Woods lost a majority of his major sponsorships following all the recent drama surrounding him, it is also true that many companies are still vying for a piece of arguably the greatest golfer in history. The latest company to show they still have faith in Woods being able to bounce back from the scandals is Paddy Power Poker.
It was reported by gossip website TMZ, and later confirmed by other sources, that Paddy Power Poker had offered Woods a whopping $75,000,000 to be the official face of the website. Paddy Power Poker is undeterred from Woods rejection, and is apparently set to offer Woods another offer in the near future.
Durrrr Challenge Quickly Stalling Out
When the “Durrrr Challenge” was announced more than a year ago it sparked the interest of railbirds everywhere. The first person to accept Tom “Durrrr” Dwan’s challenge was Patrick Antonius. At the beginning they played at a fast pace, but the challenge has stalled in recent months, leaving many to question exactly what is going on. The challenge continued, ever so briefly, on Sunday when the two sat down, but for whatever reason only played four hands. Speculation has risen that the challenge has stalled because of Antonius’s large downswing in high stakes games to start this year. Additionally, Dwan is up over $1,500,000 32,878 hands into the 50,000 hand challenge.
If the first portion of the challenge versus Antonius ever concludes, Phil Ivey and David Benyamine wait for their chance with Dwan.
Phil Ivey and Tom Dwan Agree to $1,000,000 Vegetarian Prop-Bet on GSN’S High Stakes Poker
If you follow the poker forum scene you’ve probably already heard of this prop bet, but it wasn’t until Game Show Network’s High Stakes Poker this past Sunday night that you heard the bet both discussed and agreed too.
During taping of the show, Phil Ivey agreed to a $1,000,000 prop bet from Tom Dwan to go vegetarian for a year. After it was determined exactly what Ivey could and could not eat (no fish, but eggs), the two rather nonchalantly agreed to the bet via fist bump, and that was that.
To most, one million dollars would be enough to keep one motivated for such a bet, but for Ivey, many wonder. After all, it’s nothing for Ivey to bet a million dollars or more on the outcome of a sporting event. If he wants a $1,000,000 bite of steak, he can probably afford it.
Ivey is believed to have started the bet after returning to his native Las Vegas after the Aussie Millions.
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