Category: My news, views and fun facts

When you work in poker long enough, you see the Corvettes coming up between the Cortinas, and in 2019, few looked as tip-top as Daniel Dvoress. The Canadian has been gatecrashing final tables of European Poker Tour (EPT) events for fun for a while, but it was at Triton’s starting grid where he looked most at home.

Dvoress made six final tables at Triton events in 2019, securing two runner-finishes, and netting $3m (gross). Yet, there was one thing missing from that impressive list of accolades – a win.

Until now.

Dvoress took down the inaugural Super High Roller Bowl (SHRB) Bahamas during partypoker’s MILLIONS World at the Baha Mar Resort, and it was a fantastic time for the Canadian to crack his cherry. 

51-entrants made it the third most successfully attended SHRB of all time. The buy-in was $250,000, and Dvoress collected $4m for his troubles after beating another Triton Titan, heads-up, in Wai Leong Chan. 

It was a final table brimming with the best players in the world.

Erik Seidel was making his third visit to an SHRB final table after his previous jabs fell short of the mark in 2015 & 2016. Jason Koon finished ninth in the SHRB China, and third in Las Vegas last year. Steve O’Dwyer is, well, Steve O’Dwyer.

Seth Davies finished runner-up to Juan Pardo Dominguez in the €50,000 at the European Poker Tour (EPT) in Barcelona in August, and fifth in the most recent $50,000 Poker Masters Main Event. Kathy Lehne became the first woman to cash in an SHRB event (she was also the first woman to play in 2016). Then you had Justin Bonomo, the beast who won both 2018 SHRB games in China & Vegas as part of his $25.4m annual haul.

Let’s see how Dvoress managed to sneak past all of those rabid wolves. 

The Nutshell Action

Final Table Seat Draw

Seat 1: Daniel Dvoress – 1,925,000
Seat 2: Jason Koon – 2,720,000
Seat 3: Seth Davies – 2,915,000
Seat 4: Justin Bonomo – 1,430,000
Seat 5: Steve O’Dwyer – 1,935,000
Seat 6: Kathy Lehne – 2,100,000
Seat 7: Wai Leong Chan – 1,390,000
Seat 8: Erik Seidel – 885,000

The first player to fall like a calamitous crane was the man with the acronym SHRB tattooed into his pre-frontal cortex, Justin Bonomo. Following him to the wrong side of the rail were Koon and O’Dwyer. 

Davies then made a river hero-call with king-high on a paired board only for Dvoress to eliminate him in the fifth place with a two-pair hand. Dvoress then set his sights on Seidel’s orbit, flopping a set at the same time the Poker Hall of Famer flopped a flush draw. Seidel made a pair on the turn and called a shove when Dvoress made a boat on the river. That hand reduced Seidel to chip sherbert, and he busted in the next hand to leave in fourth place.

The three-handed play saw Chan double through Dvoress, and Dvoress double through Chan, at which point, Dvoress held onto the chip lead like Dora the Explorer holds onto her map. 

Dvoress kept increasing his stack, leaving Chan and Lehne duelling for a place in the heads-up battle. The final hand saw Chan get it in with sixes against aces only to hit his two-outer on the river to eliminate her and take his place in the final with a 2:1 chip deficit.

Heads-up lasted 90-minutes, during which time Dvoress had created an 8:1 chip lead. The last piece of action saw Dvoress’ A9 beat Chan’s J7 to win his first major title and $4m in prize money.

While Chan will no doubt be disappointed in losing, it’s worth remembering than the man from Malaysia has now earned more than $5m in each of the last two years, including an ITM finish in the Triton Million London for £1.2m.

Here are the final results:

Final Table Results

1. Daniel Dvoress – $4,080,000
2. Wai Leong Chan – $2,677,500
3. Kathy Lehne – $1,785,000
4. Erik Seidel – $1,275,000
5. Seth Davies – $1,020,000
6. Steve O’Dwyer – $765,000
7. Jason Koon – $637,500
8. Justin Bonomo – $510,000

Sam Soverel has followed up his win at the British Poker Open (BPO) by winning the 2019 Poker Masters, inching him closer to locking up the Poker Central Player of the Year for a second successive stint. 

Soverel underlined his ability to compete against the best in the business across all formats of poker by cashing in seven of ten Poker Masters events, winning two, and cashing for $1.4m (gross). 

“A lot of the guys I thought were really good I saw make mistakes online recently, and I actually think now that the playing field is a lot more level than I originally thought.”

The BPO Champ flew through this thing like a gunshot after winning Event #7: £25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha. He overtook Chance Kornuth at the top of the charts, and never relinquished the lead, taking fourth in Events #8 & 9 (both $25k No-Limit Hold’em), before winning the $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event.

Soverel has now made $12.9m playing live tournaments, with 17 of his 21 wins coming in the past two-years – not bad for a cash game reg. 

The Nutshell Action

Vertebrae belonging to 34-entrants stiffened in chairs, safe in the knowledge that it would only be a single shift. 

Six players would take a seat at the final table, with only five pulling out a profit. Stephen Chidwick faced the reigning champion, Ali Imsirovic, in the chaotic bubble hand. Chidwick was all-in on the turn holding QcJc on Tc6h9d5c, and Imsirovic called with AhTh for top pair. The Bosnian had to dodge an incredible 21-outs. He didn’t. Chidwick hit his river, and Imsirovic’s only job was to hang around so he could drape the purple jacket over someone else’s shoulders.

Seth Davies was next to twirl into the rail after running pocket queens into the kings of Soverel, and Chidwick went on a magic carpet ride to the cash desk a little earlier than he would have liked when he played out the same hand combo with Chris Hunichen.

The table dirt stopped gathering beneath Elio Fox’s fingertips when he exited in third place. Soverel crippled him when the pair rivered boats, only for Soverel’s to turn out to be a warship. Fox would lose his chip dust not long after.

Fox’s elimination gave Soverel a 4:1 chip advantage over Hunichen, and there was no valiant comeback. Soverel set Hunichen into the deliberation tank when moving all-in with QT, and Hunichen called it off with pocket deuces. The lowest pair in the deck didn’t rise to prominence, and Soverel stepped into the crosshairs of the photographer.

ITM Finishes

1. Sam Soverel – $680,000
2. Chris Hunichen – $442,000
3. Elio Fox – $272,000
4. Stephen Chidwick – $170,000
5. Seth Davies – $136,000

Poker Masters Championship Results

1. Sam Soverel – 1160 points ($1,396,800)
2. Kahle Burns – 630 ($585,950
3. Chance Kornuth – 630 ($556,400)
4. Sean Winter – 480 ($495,350)
5. Ali Imsirovic – 450 ($497,600)
6. George Wolff – 420 ($404,500)
7. Alex Foxen – 330 ($169,450)
8. Kristen Bicknell – 300 ($408,000)
9. Sergi Reixach – 300 ($369,000)
10. Isaac Baron – 300 ($223,100)

The lung-bursting run is nearly over. The finishing line is in sight, and four lions remain in the hunt for the $100,000 in prize money, a snazzy purple jacket, and the title of 2019 Poker Master.

Amongst the pride is Kahle Burns. The Australian won the penultimate event: $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em, and $416,500 in prize money, after defeating a 49-entrant field.

I don’t know what prayers Burns emits to the Poker Gods, but they’re working. After winning two bracelets at the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) in Rozvadov, Burns has cashed in three Poker Master events and occupies the second spot in the championship leaderboard.

Burns’ 2019 Poker Masters Record

2nd – $10,000 Big Bet Mix
4th – $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha
1st – $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em

The win is Burns’ fourth of the year, and his $3.7m haul is more than double his previous best ($1.8m, 2017).

The favourite to win the 2019 Poker Masters remains Sam Soverel. The British Poker Open (BPO) winner, finished fourth in Event #9, to extend his reach at the top to 180 points. Should Soverel finish third or higher in the final game: $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event, then he will secure his second major series win of the year. 

Two more players are in contention for the title.

Chance Kornuth didn’t cash in Event #9, but his previous three runner-up finishes have earned him 630 points, level with Burns, but behind on money-earned. 

Sean Winter did cash in Event #9, finishing in the third spot, and although he’s an outside shot with 480-points, he could still win the series should he win the event, and the other three fail to make an impression. 

Championship Standings

1. Sam Soverel – 810
2. Kahle Burns – 630
3. Chance Kornuth – 630
4. Sean Winter – 480

Event #9 Round-Up

Coming into the final table of six, the defending champion, Ali Imsirovic, had the chip lead, but it was David Peters who started the better. The action folded to Peters on the button, and he moved all-in, holding Q2dd. Imsirovic called for his tournament life from the small blind holding AJdd and won to leave Peters with chip dust. Peters would exit in the sixth place not long after.

The challenge of Elio Fox withered away in fifth place. Kahle Burns moved all-in holding A7o, and Fox made an easy call with a pair of queens. A second ace appeared on the turn, and there was no salvation on the river for Fox. 

Soverel could have locked up the title had he won this event, but instead, PokerGO fans will see the series go to the wire after the Poker Central Player of the Year busted in the fourth-place. Soverel made his final stand with KQcc but lost a race against the pocket nines of the eventual winner. One hand after Soverel hit the dirt, so did Winter. Burns continued his role as vanquisher, with A9 beating KQ to bring the tournament to an exciting conclusion. 

Imsirovic needed to beat Burns, heads-up, to retain hope of defending his title, but it didn’t happen. The final hand saw Imsirovic all-in holding QJs, and Burns holding the dominating AJ. Imsirovic did flop a queen to take the lead, but Burns rivered a flush to end Imsirovic’s hopes of placing a second purple jacket in the closet. 

Event #9 ITM Results

1. Kahle Burns – $416,500
2. Ali Imsirovic – $269,500
3. Sean Winter – $183,750
4. Sam Soverel – $122,500
5. Elio Fox – $98,000
6. David Peters – $73,500
7. Alex Foxen – $61,250

A common theme runs through the spine of the 2019 Poker Masters – the winners are all players bang in form. No crow’s feet. No bloodshot. Every single winner has a twirl in the skirt cocksureness about them, and the latest is Sergi Reixach.

The Spaniard won Event #8: $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em. 41-hunters entered the fray, and nobody could strip down a rifle quicker than Reixach. I don’t know how many bullets he loaded into the thing, but he never missed a shot.

It’s his third win of an incredible year that’s seen him earn $3,385,930 in gross annual revenue. Those two other wins are a 64-entrant €100,000 No-Limit Hold’em Super High Roller at the European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona for €1,816,210, and a 22-entrant, £26,000 No-Limit Hold’em event at the British Poker Open for £253,000. 

How did he win this one?

“I was very lucky.”

They all say that.

The Nutshell Action

Orpen Kisacikoglu began the final table with the chip lead, but Reixach took command with a double knockout right off the bat. Sean Winter opened to 160,000 with QsJh, Andras Nemeth moved all-in for 515,000 holding AdKh, Sergi Reixach called with pocket tens and exposed his hand leaving Winter with a decision for his remaining shrapnel. The call came, and Reixach dodged every ace, king, queen and jack in the deck to eliminate both players.

Reixach then set his sights on Sam Soverel. 

The reigning British Poker Open (BPO) winner, moved all-in for eight big blinds and QTs and lost to Reixach’s K5o. Soverel left in the fourth place, but it was good enough to overtake Chance Kornuth at the top of the championship leaderboard.

Reixach maintained his sublime relationship with the Poker Gods after ousting Kisacikoglu in the third spot. The London-based Turkish star got it in good with JJ versus 88 only for the Spaniard to flop a set and river quads. 

The heads-up match-up between Reixach and George Wolff lasted until Wolff flopped a pair of sixes on Qh7s6c holding 64hh, and he moved all-in over a Reixach bet, holding pocket aces. 

It was Wolff’s third cash of the series, finishing seventh in the $10,000 8-Game, and third in the $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO). Only Kornuth and Soverel have more points in the race for the Poker Masters title with two events to go. 

ITM Results

1. Sergi Reixach – $369,000
2. George Wolff – $246,000
3. Orpen Kisacikoglu – $164,000
4. Sam Soverel – $102,500
5. Andras Nemeth – $82,000
6. Sean Winter – $61,500

Poker Masters Championship Leaderboard

1. Sam Soverel – 690 points
2. Chance Kornuth – 630
3. George Wolff – 420
4. Sean Winter – 330
5. Kahle Burns – 330

Remaining events:

Event #9: $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em
Event #10: $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em

The Poker Gods have added another spice to the Poker Masters pot, and it tastes familiar. Sam Soverel, the king of the British Poker Open (BPO), and the reigning Poker Central Player of the Year sits within spitting distance of Chance Kornuth at the head of the Poker Masters Championship Leaderboard after winning Event #7: $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO).

Soverel was the only apple remaining in an orchard that began with 34 of them dangling from cadaverous tree limbs. It’s his seventh live tournament victory of the year, and his second PLO title, after winning a 12-entrant $10,000 event at Aria in the summer. 

The win in Event #7 is Soverel’s fourth cash of the series: fifth in the $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em, sixth in the $10,000 Short-Deck, and fourth in the $10,000 Big Bet Mix. Soverel’s $340,000 purse means he has now won $4,325,903 this year, his best effort since he left his gazebo to play live tournament poker, eight years ago. 

Another Cracking Final Table

It wouldn’t be a Poker Masters Final Table without a host of players wiping away the dribble from the fountain of shit-hot poker knowledge. 

Soverel had to beat Sean Winter, heads-up, to win the event. Like Soverel, Winter has enjoyed a spanking 2019, earning $3.29m. It’s his second cash of the series, after finishing ninth in the $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em, and his fourth runner-up finish of the year.

Another player who has had a fab year is George Wolff. Gross annual earnings of $760,513 are his best year to date (Only 29 ITM cashes). Wolff won the £10,500 PLO at the BPO and finished second in the £26,000 PLO at the same event. This is his second Poker Masters ITM finish after finishing seventh in the $10,000 8-Game. Wolff also finished runner-up to Luke Schwartz in the $10,000 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Championship at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in the summer.

Kahle Burns is another star who has gone supernova this year. The Australian cashed at the Poker Masters for the second time after finishing runner-up to Julien Martini in the $10,000 Big Bet Mix, and that’s good enough for a third-place spot in the leaderboard overall. Burns came into Las Vegas after winning two bracelets at the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE).

Anthony Zinno also made it a 1-2 cash in the Poker Masters PLO events after finishing ninth in the $10,000 version. Zinno also had a splendid WSOPE, finishing third in the €10,350 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event for €485,291. Zinno has won $1,523,812 this year, the second-largest annual haul of his illustrious career.

The Nutshell Action

The first contract that Soverel took out belonged to Zinno. The triple World Poker Tour (WPT) Main Event winner, opened with AKT7 (3 x spades), and Soverel defended the big blind with JT76 (2 x clubs). The dealer placed 689 (2 x spades) onto the flop to give both players a straight. Zinno had flush outs, and Soverel had outs to a higher straight, and it was the latter that struck gold when a seven hit Fourth Street. 

The short-stacked Burns was the next player with time on his hands, and once again, Soverel was the man with the claws. Soverel opened with QT76, and Burns called with QJ43 (2 x clubs). The dealer planted AT5 (2x diamonds) onto the flop, Burns bet the pot, and Soverel called. The turn was a four, Burns moved all-in, and Soverel made the call. A second ace hit the river, and Soverel’s pair of tens was enough to send Burns home in the fourth place.

Wolff left in third place after getting it in with trip tens on a TT6 flop, holding AQT9, only for Winter to call and turn a straight holding J987. The river was no help to Wolff, and we were heads-up for the title.

Winter began with a 2:1 chip lead, but Soverel fought back and took the lead. The final hand saw Soverel open with J964, and Winter called with AKT8. The flop was K66 to give Soverel trip sixes, and both players checked. The turn was a deuce; Winter bet 260,000, Soverel raised the pot to 1,070,000, and Winter moved all-in. The river didn’t help Winter, and Soverel was our champion.

ITM Results

1. Sam Soverel – $340,000
2. Sean Winter – $221,000
3. George Wolff – $136,000
4. Kahle Burns – $85,000
5. Anthony Zinno – $68,000

2019 Poker Masters Championship Standings

1. Chance Kornuth – 630 points
2. Sam Soverel – 570
3. Kahle Burns – 330
4. Kristen Bicknell – 300
5. Isaac Baron – 300

2019 Poker Central Player of the Year Standings

1. Sam Soverel – 2,580 points
2. Cary Katz – 2,000
3. Ali Imsirovic – 1,685
4. Stephen Chidwick – 1,580
5. Sean Winter – 1,090

I don’t know if Kristen Bicknell has a hoard of female acolytes feeding off her inspiration, but it sure feels good to write about a woman taking a sledgehammer to the highest echelons of poker. 

Bicknell smashed Event #6: $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em to bits, earning a career-high $408,000 in the process, taking down the Poker Masters new warlord, Chance Kornuth, in heads-up action. 

Whereas Bicknell hogs the headlines, it’s Kornuth who is in the prime position to win the 2019 Poker Masters after finishing runner-up for the third event of the series giving him a big lead on the Championship Leaderboard.

The biggest buy-in event of the series attracted 51-entrants, and Bicknell entered the fray in fine fettle after finishing 5/1109 in the WPT Montreal Main Event. But she wasn’t the only player in the cult of outstanding performances.

The defending champion, Ali Imsirovic, made his second final table of the series (he finished fifth in the $10k PLO). Ralph Wong was also making his second appearance at a Poker Masters final table (he finished third in the $10k NLHE). Andras Nemeth has been one of the top high rollers both live and online in the past 18-months. And Ben Heath finished third in the recent £100,000 at Triton Million London for £1.35m and won his first bracelet in the summer claiming the $1.4m first prize in the $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller. 

The Nutshell Action

Heath was the first player to take that not so magical carpet ride to the rail after running kings into the aces of Nemeth. Next Bicknell doubled through Kornuth: AT>J7 before Kornuth went on a killing spree. Wong went first when A9 came up against the dominating AJ, Nemeth’s A3 was no match for Kornuth’s pocket fives, and then the defending champion became a slug bathed in salt when J3cc beat K8o after Kornuth turned and rivered trip jacks. 

Heads-Up

Bicknell – 3,470,000
Kornuth – 6,375,000

The pair traded blows for two-hours before Bicknell coolered Kornuth to take the title. The Global Poker Index (GPI) World #1 Female Player moved all-in with pocket eights, Kornuth called with pocket nines, but Bicknell rivered a straight to win her third title of 2019. 

ITM Results

1. Kristen Bicknell – $408,000
2. Chance Kornuth – $267,500
3. Ali Imsirovic – $178,500
4. Andras Nemeth – $127,500
5. Ralph Wong – $102,000
6. Ben Heath – $76,500
7. David Stamm – $63,750
8. Elio Fox – $51,000

2019 Poker Masters Championship Standings

1. Chance Kornuth – 630 points
2. Kristen Bicknell – 300
3. Isaac Baron – 300
4. Ryan Laplante – 300
5. JulienMartini – 300

James Bond will tell you there is only one way to enjoy a Martini.

“Shaken, not stirred.”

A stark contrast to poker’s Martini {Julien}, because when you see him play, you get the impression that nothing can shake him.

In the summer of 2018, Martini was down to less than a big blind during his involvement in a $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8-or-Better event at the World Series of Poker (WSOP).

Unshaken, Martini doubled and doubled until he had enough chips for hope to stir. The Frenchman went on to win the 911-entrant event for $239,771, and yesterday, Deja Vu. 

Martini is one of the most improved players on the live tournament circuit, in recent years. That or he’s one of the luckiest.

Check this out for progress.

2017: $76,984
2018: $905,502
2019: $3,496,705

“I came to the Poker Masters because even though I’m having an incredible year I didn’t have a single win and I really wanted one,” Martini told reporters after tying up loose ends in Event #5: $10,000 Big Bet Mix. 

It’s the third win of his career, and all three have been different variants, showing his ability to understand all poker’s protocols. His two previous wins came in 2018, winning a 30-entrant $5,200 No-Limit Hold’em during the WPT Bellagio Elite Poker Championships, and the aforementioned bracelet win. 

Martini had a decent showing at the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) finishing fifth in the €25,500 Mixed Games Championship, and seventh in the €10,300 WSOPE Main Event. The bulk of his earnings came in January, finishing runner-up to Ramón Colillas in the $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC) for $2,974,000.

The Final Table

The final table attracted a host of assassins looking to give someone a good pistol-whipping. 

Kahle Burns is having the best tournament year of his life. The Australian won two bracelets in the WSOPE (€2,500 Short Deck, and €25,500 No-Limit Hold’em), made two final tables in Triton Million London (£25,500 & £50,000 No-Limit Hold’em), finished runner-up to Anuj Agarwal in the $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Max Championships at the WSOP, and won an Aussie Millions side event.

Van Hoof was making his fourth final table since August, including a fourth-place finish in Event #3: $10,000 Short-Deck, an event that Erik Seidel also finished ITM. 

Sam Soverel is the 2018 Poker Central Player of the Year, and the odds-on favourite to win it in 2019, Yuri Martins won his first bracelet in the summer, and Stephen Chidwick is the Global Poker Index (GPI) World #1.

The Nutshell Action

The ‘official’ final table began after Erik Seidel and Yuri Martins Dzivielevski departed in 8th and 7th respectively. Chidwick held 65% of the chips in play, but started disastrously, losing double-ups quicker than the flap of a hummingbird’s wing.

Burns eliminated Pedro Bromfman in the sixth position during a hand of No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw. Then Soverel sent Chidwick to the library to find a book on how to deal with crushing disappointment after his AQ beat J9s when all-in pre-flop in a hand of No-Limit Hold’em. 

Soverel took command of the final table after eliminating the World #1, but it wasn’t long before he had Chidwick’s IV drip hanging out of his vein. 2-7 Single Draw was the game, and Soverel failed to hit when drawing to an 8-6 low, against the J-8 low of Burns.

Burns voluminous chip stack continued to grow as we entered three-handed play, leaving Martini and Van Hoof to fight it out for the right to face the Australian, heads-up, for the title. 

Then came the critical hand. 

Van Hoof moved all-in with a 10-7 draw, Martini moved all-in with J-8, and Burns called with J-8. Burns stood pat. Van Hoof drew two cards to draw to a 7-5-4. Martini drew one card to an 8-7 and got there to knock Van Hoof out and double through Burns.

Heads-up action lasted an hour before Martini was able to tell the valet to get his Aston Martin out of the garage. The final hand saw the pair clash with Martini holding A8, and Burns K3, in a hand of No-Limit Hold’em. Burns check-called a small bet on a T54 flop before the action checked through to the river after a jack and deuce turned up. Burns moved all-in for 3m (double the pot), and Martini called with ace-high for the win.

ITM Results

1. Julien Martini – $166,400
2. Kahle Burns – $109,200
3. Jorryt van Hoof – $72,800
4. Sam Soverel – $52,000
5. Stephen Chidwick – $41,600
6. Pedro Bromfman – $31,200
7. Yuri Martins Dzivielevski – $26,000
8. Erik Seidel – $20,800

2019 Poker Masters Championship Standings

1. Chance Kornuth – 420 points
2. Isaac Baron – 300
3. Ryan Laplante – 300
4. JulienMartini – 300
5. Jared Bleznick – 300