The wind has picked up beneath the sails of the Aria High Roller action in Las Vegas.
It’s been four months since Sam Soverel won the Poker Masters in the poker room many believe is the best in the world, and the back-to-back Poker Central High Roller of the Year featured again once the cards were in the air.
We begin with a $10,000 No-Limit Hold ’em (NLHE) event, and a victory for Jacob Daniels. The first of three high roller events attracted 35-entrants, and Daniels secured the third live tournament of his career (all three have been six-figure wins).
Daniels has his oars in the water.
In December, he won a $5,000 NLHE at the World Poker Tour (WPT) Five Diamond World Poker Classic, conquering a field of 127-entrants to win the $203,263 first prize (a career-high).
Daniels took that form into Uruguay for the partypoker MILLIONS South America, last week, and finished 3/30 in a $25,500 NLHE event for $150,000.
It is the first time Daniels has cashed in the Aria.
Daniels overcame one of the top men in the business, Seth Davies, in heads-up action. Davies has been a maelstrom of late, winning the $25,000 NLHE at the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic in December after beating 53-entrants to win the $424,000 first prize, a month after picking up $1m for his fifth-place finish in the Super High Roller Bowl (SHRB) in the Bahamas.
Here are the ITM results.
ITM Results
Jacob Daniels – $117,000
Seth Davies – $114,000
Ralph Wong – $56,000
Ben Yu – $35,000
Tom Marchese – $28,000
Cary Katz Wins The Second $10,000 NLHE.
A familiar face won the second $10,000 NLHE event.
If you’re superstitious, then Cary Katz is the last player you want to duel with at the Aria. The 24th victory of Katz’s career, sees his total live earnings exceed $27.2m. He’s ranked #15 in the world, the best of all non-pros, and he ranks #1 in the Aria All-Time ITM finishes with 64.
The two men who rank behind him, Jake Schindler (61) and Sam Soverel (46), finished third and fourth. Erik Seidel squeezed in the middle. If the Poker Hall of Famer was in the poker doldrums, that’s ended. Seidel made four final tables in the Aussie Millions and Australian Poker Open including a 5/820 finish in the Aussie Millions Main Event, so he’s on form.
The event attracted 25-entrants.
ITM Finishes
Cary Katz – $110,000
Erik Seidel – $75,000
Jake Schindler – $40,000
Sam Soverel – $25,000
Ali Imsirovic and Jake Take the $25,000 Aria Title.
The official calling of the $25,000 NLHE event is still hanging in a cobweb in some stained area of Aria H.Q., but we know from Twitter that Ali Imsirovic banked $180,000 after chopping with ‘Jake’. What we’re unsure of is whether Imsirovic won or lost and whether ‘Jake’ is Jake Schindler, Jacob Daniels or Jake’ The Snake’ Roberts.
We’ll rewrite this piece when we get the final word from Paul Campbell. (or maybe not, I like the Jake the Snake line).
Next up at the Aria is the U.S. Poker Open 19-31 March.
British Poker Open
Poker Centrals’ British baptism was more of a lit match than a
fully stoked fire. The British Poker Open (BPO) began in fine fettle with the
opening events gathering not too shabby headcounts. But then, in the end, as
PokerStars unleashed the World Championships of Online Poker (WCOOP), numbers
dwindled towards the dust.
And the surest
fire way to ensure the event returns for a second stab is to create a storyline
that sees the founder forge a declarative memory that will stick in his craw
until the day he dies.
And that’s what
we got.
The SHRB London
attracted 12-entrants, and £3m in prize money, and that left two in the money
(ITM) positions with the runner-up receiving £900,000, and the winner
collecting £2,100,000.
Day 2, the
final day, the only day that matters, was about one man. The purse-string holders
say that these things are all about winning your all-ins – well Cary Katz could
have played until a beard formed, and he would still be winning them.
Katz defeated
Ali Imsirovic, heads-up, to claim his 22nd victory and his most significant win
to date. Katz has now earned $24.3m playing live tournaments, ranking 18th in
the world – not bad for a ‘part-timer.’
It’s Katz’s
third win of the year for the man with the PokerGO cap winning the AUD 100,000
Challenge at the Aussie Millions for $1,074.908, and a $26,000 High Roller at
ARIA where he still holds the record for most ITM finishes in ARIA events (62).
Katz has been
in Europe since flying to compete in the Triton Million London. Things didn’t
go too well for Katz in that series ‘on the felt’, but off it, things were much
better, with his named pro, Bryn Kenney winning the elephant share of the money
£16m+.
Katz then went
on to make the final table of the €25,500 and €100,000 at the partypoker
MILLIONS Europe in Rozvadov and finished runner-up in a €25,000 during the
European Poker (EPT) in Barcelona. He then made three final tables at the
British Poker Open (BPO), including a runner-up finish in the £100,000 for
close to half a million bucks.
Now he has a
win.
Let’s see how
he took it down to Cary Katz’ Town.
Day 2 Seat Draw
Seven players
made it through to Day 2 with all of their consonants and vowels intact.
Previous SHRB
winner, Christoph Vogelsang, had the chip lead, and Katz began second in chips.
Seat 1:
Christoph Vogelsang – 889,000
Seat 2: Cary
Katz – 631,000
Seat 3: Stephen
Chidwick – 508,000
Seat 4: Mikita
Badziakouski – 238,000
Seat 5: Ali
Imsirovic – 546,000
Seat 6: David
Peters – 104,000
Seat 7: Sam
Greenwood – 84,000
The Action
He may look
demure, but when it comes to poker, Ali Imsirovic is a pure demon, taking his
fork to anyone who sits in his way, including men as talented at David Peters
and Sam Greenwood.
Imsirovic made
it 12,000 to play holding two black aces, Peters moved all-in with pocket fives
for 146,000, and Greenwood moved all-in with pocket eights and 96,000.
Imsirovic made one of the easiest calls of his life.
The flop gave
both Peters and Greenwood catch-up potential with back-door straight
opportunities, but they never materialised. The fleet sailed taking Peters and
Greenwood back across the Atlantic.
Imsirovic made
it scalp #3 when Mikita Badziakouski limped into the hand holding AdJh and then
moved all-in after Imsirovic had raised to 24,000 holding pocket kings. There
was no drama on the flop, turn or the river, and the winner of the £50,000
No-Limit Hold’em at the BPO fell a few spots shy of the money.
Imsirovic
surged to the top of the counts after that hand. The other bookend was Cary
Katz, and the Poker Central founder’s stack was so low, his position remained
unchanged when he doubled through Imsirovic 99>A2o.
Then Katz
doubled through Christoph Vogelsang twice, once when ace rag beat queen rag,
and a second time when pocket sevens out flipped A9o. Katz began moving up the
leaderboard, and it was Imsirovic that stepped dangerously close to the
faultlines.
It quickly
became the ‘Cary Katz Double or Nothing’ show, when the Poker Central founder
doubled through Vogelsang for the third time. Chidwick opened with a raise
holding KJo, Vogelsang called with pocket sevens, and then called Katz’s jam
with AK; Chidwick folded, and Katz hit his ace in the window.
Then Katz
doubled through Chidwick for the second time to take the chip lead when pocket
sixes out flipped the AK, and the Global Poker Index (GPI) #1 fell in the
fourth place not long after when his 75o failed to beat the KQo of Katz in a
threeway pot that also involved Imsirovic.
Chidwick’s
elimination took us to the bubble, and it was the former SHRB winner,
Vogelsang, who would leave without the need to hire a painter to dab him
holding his second SHRB trophy. Vogelsang moved all-in with pocket sixes,
Imsirovic called with Ks7h, and two more sevens on the flop brought the
competition to its heads-up phase.
Heads-Up
Ali Imsirovic –
1,810,000
Cary Katz –
1,190,000
Chip stacks
didn’t separate the pair.
Styles and
experience did.
Katz was the
first to land a sock to the jaw when Imsirovic made it 85,000 to play holding
pocket sevens, Katz raised to 250,000 holding AK, and Imsirovic called.
Imsirovic maintained his lead in a Jc9h5c flop, and he called a 200,000 Katz
bet. The turn was the 3c, giving Katz extra flush outs, and he moved all-in.
Imsirovic burned through a time extension chip before folding, and the bluff
gave Katz the 2:1 chip lead.
Imsirovic then
won a series of pots to take a more than 3:1 chip lead.
Katz pulled it
back.
Then Katz won.
Katz called
with Qs3s, Imsirovic raised to 150,000 holding pocket tens, and Katz called.
The AsKc6s flop gave Katz a flush draw, and he called a 35,000 Insirovic bet.
The turn was the Tc to provide Imsirovic with a set, and he bet 250,000, and
Katz made the call. The 5s on the river gave Katz his flush. Imsirovic moved
all-in, and Katz called quickly to win the SHRB London and £2.1m first prize.
ITM Results
1. Cary Katz –
£2,100,000
2. Ali
Imsirovic – £900,000
Until next
year?
One can hope.
Long before the ARIA, European Poker Tour (EPT) or the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series controlled the live tournament scene for the most affluent echelon in the game, the Aussie Millions had it by the scruff of the neck.
Then in 2016, the organisers opened up a vein and squirted sodium pentathol leading to the axing of the AUD 250,000 Challenge. The pancuronium bromide arrived the following year when the AUD 100,000 Challenge only attracted 18-entrants, and after last year’s AUD 50,000 only inspired four people to take a pew, most people were expecting the potassium chloride to stop the show altogether.
Today, the heart still beats, and the muscles spasm; the Aussie Millions High Roller scene is conscious again.
The AUD 100,000 Challenge attracted 42-entrants making it the third most attended event of that ilk in history. Day 1 pulled in 33-entrants, and 14 players advanced to Day 2 with Cary Katz leading the charge.
One notable absence from Day 2 was the AUD 50,000 Challenge winner, Toby Lewis, who exited after moving all-in on Jc6h3hTc holding AcKc in a three-bet pot against Koray Aldemir who had flopped top pair and improved to a two pair hand on the turn, holding JThh. The man from the UK was down to five big blinds after that hand, and Aymon Hata snaffled them up with A9>Q6.
The AUD 25,000 winner, Rainer Kempe, did make it through, bagging 107,000 chips. Chip Counts
1. Cary Katz – 1,108,000
2. Alex Foxen – 999,000
3. Manig Loeser – 872,000
4. Abraham Passet – 751,000
5. Johannes Becker – 730,000
6. Tsugunari Toma – 713,000
7. Thomas Muehloecker – 528,000
8. Michael Zhang – 496,000
9. Huang Shan – 489,000
10. Mustapha Kanit – 419,000
11. Michael Soyza – 399,000
12. Dominik Nitsche – 390,000
13. Andras Nemeth – 242,000
14. Rainer Kempe – 107,000
The Day 2 Action
Registration remained open for a full level. Kristen Bicknell entered for her third bullet, Koray Aldemir reloaded, and Michael Addamo took a pew after finishing 17th in the Main Event.
Andras Nemeth busted quickly and re-entered, Sam Higgs joined the fun before falling to Bicknell within the level A6<QQ, Becker busted Kempe, who then re-entered, and at the end of the level, Jack Salter and the new Aussie Millions Main Event Champ, Bryn Kenney, had made it 42-entrants. The final table came into view after Rainer Kempe eliminated Huang Shan.
Final Table Starting Lineup
1. Johannes Becker – 3,065,000
2. Kristen Bicknell – 1,360,000
3. Alex Foxen – 1,288,000
4. Cart Katz – 1,055,000
5. Abraham Passet – 1,013,000
6. Rainer Kempe – 770,000
7. Manig Loeser – 710,000
8. Jack Salter – 697,000
9. Michael Soyza – 585,000
The first big pot of the final table saw Alex Foxen open to 65,000 from early position, and Salter called in position. The pair checked through to the turn on Td7h3hKd; Foxen checked, Salter, bet 95,000, and Foxen made the call, The river was the 5s; Foxen checked again, and Salter moved all-in for 366,000 sending Foxen into deep thought. The Global Poker Index (GPI) #1 ranked player burned through several timebank chips before calling with pocket sixes, and Salter turned over pocket aces for the winning hand.
Next Cary Katz got lucky to take the chip lead from Becker when the pair got it in with Katz way behind with kings versus aces only for a third king to hit the flop.
Manig Loeser was the first player to hit the rail in another cooler. With blinds at 15k/30k/30k Passet opened to 60,000 from early position and Loeser defended his big blind. The flop was Ad6h3c; Loeser checked, Passet bet 50,000, Loeser check-raised to 195,000, and Passet called. The turn was the 2c, and Loeser moved all-in for a smidgen over 70,000, and Passet made the call. Loeser showed As3h for the two-pair hand, and Passet showed pocket sixes for the set. The 8c completed the action, and Loeser was out in ninth place.
Michael Soyza fell in eighth place when he moved in for 475,000 at blinds of 20k/40k/40k holding AJcc, and Cary Katz called with pocket queens. The ladies held to send the final seven players onto the bubble, and it was Foxen who would be the last person to leave without any change when his A2o lost to the pocket eights of Becker.
If Foxen was hoping to catch up on a little Netflix time before his partner joined him in his hotel room, he was out of luck. Kristen Bicknell fell in sixth when her A2dd failed to beat the KQo of Rainer Kempe after the AUD 25,000 Challenge winner turned a king.
Jack Salter hit the rail in fifth when his pocket eights lost a flip against the AQo of Katz, and Kempe joined him soon after when he ran AQdd into the pocket kings of Abraham Passet.
Abraham Passet – 5,590,000
Johannes Becker – 3,285,000
Cary Katz – 1,625,000
Katz doubled into the chip lead through Passet when he found aces at a time the German felt like partying with pocket sixes, and he never surrendered it from that point onward. Fortunately for Becker, he was able to make a fist of heads-up after eliminating Passet QQ>ATo to set up a 6,605,000 v 3,895,000 heads-up encounter with Katz holding the lead.
Becker closed the gap temporarily but never created enough sustained momentum to overtake the American. The final hand played out with blinds at 50k/100k/100k when Katz moved all-in from the button holding pocket nines, and Becker called and lost holding K2cc.
It’s the third $100,000 buy-in victory for Katz with his other two coming in the ARIA High Roller Series, and the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, and it’s his first-ever cash on Australian soil. Here are the final table results:
ITM Results
1. Cary Katz – $1,066,867
2. Johannes Becker – $681,610
3. Abraham Passet – $444,528
4. Rainer Kempe – $325,987
5. Jack Salter – $329,280
6. Kristen Bicknell – $207,446
The skinny redhead burns; the scent of sulphur sends Puff the Magic Dragon flying through your nostrils, and before you know it a discarded match on a hike through the Californian hills leads to horse owners trotting them down a billowing freeway in a bid to save them from becoming toast.
Wildfire.
It spreads rapidly, given the right circumstances.
Short-Deck No-Limit Hold’em Poker, anyone?
Born in the private Asian cash games, and given centre stage at the Triton Poker Series events in Montenegro and Jeju, Short-Deck is fast becoming as cool as squid ink eyeballs.
PokerStars are about to add it to their lobby.
America’s Cardroom, the same.
And yesterday, for the first time since Homo Sapiens left Africa to look for a football to kick about, the game showed up in a Western live arena.
The 2018 Poker Masters is now four events old.
The latest, Event #4: $10,000 Short Deck Poker, gave players three bullets worth 100,000 each, and for most of them, a new concept to master.
The event attracted 55 entrants, and there were six left at the end of Day 1.
Final Table Standings
Seat 1: Dominik Nitsche – 4,980,000
Seat 2: Ryan Tosoc – 3,025,000
Seat 3: Maurice Hawkins – 1,025,000
Seat 4: Cary Katz – 830,000
Seat 5: Isaac Haxton – 1,775,000
Seat 6: Andrew Robl – 4,865,000
I’m pulling my finger from my mouth and holding it in the air when I say only Cary Katz and Andrew Robl have experienced this format of poker.
Let’s take a look at the highlights.
The Run-In Hawkins Becomes a Contender.
Maurice Hawkins tripled up when all-in holding pocket kings against the QTdd of Ryan Tosoc, and the Tc9s of the chip leader Dominik Nitsche. The Cowboys managed to run through a five card town lined with Gattling guns without receiving a single shot, and Hawkins emerged the other end as a contender.
Dominik Nitsche Eliminated in 6th Place.
Oh boy, the beauty of Short-Deck.
Nitsche went from the chip leader to first to bust after clashing with Isaac Haxton in the following hand.
Nitsche moved all-in for 1,440,000, holding pocket jacks, and Haxton made the call with pocket tens. Unbeknown to the pair, Andrew Robl had folded a ten, leaving Haxton with a single out heading to the flop, but he didn’t need it. The dealer burned and turned the allotted number of cards, handing Haxton a straight, and we had a new chip leader, and only five players remaining. Nitsche earned $33,000 for his endeavours.
Hawkins Doubles
Hawkins looked down to see the rockets and raised to 800,000. Ryan Tosoc made the call holding T9ss. The dealer put the Td9d6h flop onto the felt to give Tosoc the lead with the two pair hand. Tosoc moved all-in, and Hawkins made the call and was at risk of finding something else to do. Then the dealer placed the 6c down on the fourth-street, giving Hawkins a stronger two pair hand, and the double up.
Cary Katz Eliminated in 5th Place.
Katz limped into the action holding KQhh. Sitting in the next pew was Haxton, who moved all-in, and Katz called what little he had left. Haxton turned over AdTc, and despite Katz taking the lead after flopping a second queen, Haxton turned an ace and rivered a ten to bust the man who brought the game to the ARIA from his recent trip to Jeju.
A Double Decker For Tosoc.
Tired of the taste of metal in his mouth, Tosoc reminded his tablemates that he was a force to be reckoned with after doubling up twice, firstly through Robl: AT>AQ, and then Haxton AJ>KQ.
Andrew Robl Eliminated in 4th Place.
Then we lost the most experienced Short-Deck proponent at the final table in Andrew Robl.
The first blow came when Robl saw a Kd8h6c flop with both him and Hawkins searching for a straight with Robl holding 9d7s, and Hawkins sitting behind T7cc. The turn card was the 9h filling Hawkins up, and both players checked. The river card was the, Ah, to give Robl a weaker straight (the ace plays like a five). Hawkins checked, Robl bet 900,000, Hawkins raised to 2,400,000, Robl called and looked as sick as a walnut left in bathwater overnight when he saw the nut hand.
That hand saw Robl drop to 400,000 in chips.
Robl would double against Haxton when his K7hh turned a boat against AT, and then his luck ran out when he moved all-in holding T9o and Tosoc also moved all-in holding QJo. The battle of the short stacks went the way of Tosoc who flopped trips and turned a full house to seal the deal. Robl walked away with $55,000.
Chip Counts
Maurice Hawkins – 7,840,000
Ryan Tosoc – 4,995,000
Isaac Haxton – 3,665,000
Haxton Doubles Through Tosoc.
Haxton limped into the hand holding pocket queens, and then called after Tosoc jammed AK. Broadway decided to shut down for five cards, and Haxton gathered up a chip stack capable of winning this thing.
Ryan Tosoc Eliminated in 3rd Place.
Tosoc moved all-in for 490,000 holding ATo, and Haxton made the call with AJo, and there were no flags of victory for Tosoc once the dealer had done his job.
We were heads-up.
Tosoc banked $77,000 for his troubles.
Heads-Up
Haxton won the first four hands to take a 2:1 chip lead.
Hawkins fought back like a tiger to take the lead.
Then Haxton doubled up.
Hawkins limped into the pot holding pocket queens, and then called after Haxton moved all-in holding AJo. A second ace appeared on the turn smelling all fresh and fancy, and Haxton took a big lead.
Then it was Hawkins’ time to double up, after the pair both turned a straight in a limped pot, only for Haxton to find himself staring up at a loftier hand.
And then it was over.
Hawkins looked down to see 97dd and moved all-in. Haxton peeled back the top of his cards, saw an ace and a queen, and thought, ‘What the hell.’ The dealer planted the Ad8h8c onto the flop, improving Haxton’s lead, but giving Hawkins a straight draw. The Kc reduced Hawkins’ odds. The Qh gave him zero odds. It was all over. Ike Haxton was our champion.
Final Table Results
Isaac Haxton – $176,000 (300)
Maurice Hawkins – $115,500 (210)
Ryan Tosoc – $77,000 (150)
Andrew Robl – $55,000 (120)
Cary Katz – $44,000 (90)
Dominik Nitsche – $33,000 (60)
Only 18 people in poker’s history have won more live tournament dollars than the $19,313,033 that has passed through Ike Haxton’s bank accounts, and yet, despite making more final tables than an Ikea table maker, this victory was only the fifth of his illustrious career.
It was also the first time he has ever played Short Deck.
Let’s hope this success gives him the confidence to try the more significant buy-in events on future Triton Poker Series events.
Here is the current state of affairs with three tournaments remaining.
Poker Masters Leaderboard
– Brandon Adams – 510 points
– Isaac Haxton – 480
– David Peters – 300
– Keith Lehr – 300
– Jared Jaffee – 210
– Jonathan Depa – 210
– Brian Green – 210
– Cary Katz – 210
– Maurice Hawkins – 210
Cary Katz hadn’t played Short-Deck before arriving in the Landing Casino, Jeju, South Korea, resplendent in his trademark black jacket and peaked cap.
Not that it matters.
People like Katz don’t fear games of poker, even one without the deuces, treys, fours and fives. Successful men like Katz adapt, evolve and more often than not come out on top.
After testing the water in the HKD 100,000 (USD 13,000) and HKD 500,000 (USD 64,000) buy-in Short-Deck events without coming up with as much as a conch shell, the Poker Central founder, finished second in the HKD 1,000,000 (USD 127,000) buy-in event for HKD 13,920,000 (USD 1,773,722).
The game had flung out a lure, and you could see it, flashing brightly, from his stiff upper lip.
The man who created the ARIA High Rollers, and has cashed in more of them than anyone alive or pushing up tulips, went home to the US, and I get the feeling there was only one thing on his mind.
The Poker Masters is Back
The second edition of the Poker Masters is back, and the ARIA and Poker Central have released the menu.
It looks tasty.
Events #1 – #5 are double re-entry Events #6 – #7 are single re-entry
As you can see, Katz has introduced a Triton Hold’em event (Short-Deck) into the schedule, and I think that’s a good thing for the high roller stratum.
The Triton Poker Series is the father of the Short-Deck Ante-Only variant. The brand has become THE tour for the games biggest winners, but only a select few top-tier pros have given this format a shot because the buy-ins are so huge.
In offering a $10,000 price point (which isn’t Triton’s niche), it allows a broader tranche of players to have a taste of the newest meat in town. If they like the marble; they are likelier to compete in what is fast becoming the most significant high stakes tournament variant in the world.
Last year, Steffen Sontheimer won the Waraire Boswell designed Purple Jacket when he made four of the five final tables, winning two of them, including the $100,000 Main Event for $1.5m, leaving Las Vegas with $2,733,000 in winnings. “Including Short-Deck is fine since it’s just the ’10k'”, Sontheimer told me in a brief interview.” It’s a little tryout for everybody and won’t influence the overall results. I’d prefer to make The Poker Masters pure NLH since we have the USPO for mixed games, but it’s fine either way.”
A lot of players coming into the Poker Masters spending more time in the zone than out of it. Justin Bonomo has to be the favourite after winning both Super High Roller Bowls and the Big One For One Drop, Jason Koon is another man picking up seven-figure scores at the rate a hammerhead shark picks up jokes about his face from other sharks, and Mikita Badziakouski has just won back-to-back Triton Poker Series Main Events.
Form.
Heat.
Luck.
Call it what you want, it’s essential coming into an event like this. “I felt good going into the event last year,” said Sontheimer. “I had a great summer doing alright in Vegas; cashing big in Montenegro and Velden, and cashing in Rozvadov. Life was great. For me, it was the first time experiencing Vegas with nice weather. My friends and I got there two days early, and we hung out and had a good time. I felt like my game was great, confidence was at an all-time high at that point.”
The Poker Masters is still in its infancy. Given its annual calling, it will take time to settle into a rhythm, and become one of the genuinely great poker events. The schedule and lineup will ebb and flow depending on the times, and feedback from those involved. “I loved the idea and the concept of having a week-long grind of those tourneys,” said Sontheimer. “I figured out early that the overall ranking was kinda messed up; pretty much guaranteeing the winner of the Main Event the title. But since you only win the jacket with no money on top, it’s not a big deal. There wouldn’t be any point where I play differently to win the title. My job was to go max $-EV. Everything that comes along with that is a cherry on top. They changed the ranking system for this year which makes sense. They should’ve asked players earlier to start like that right away.”
After Sontheimer won the Purple Jacket, Daniel Negreanu called him the best No-Limit Hold’em live tournament player on the planet. High praise from the undisputed Player of the Decade.
“I felt great getting so many warm words from a legend and poker icon like Daniel,” said Sontheimer. “I always enjoy playing and competing with him. It feels great to be seen as one of the top guys by people that play the same stuff. Whether it is being picked early in a draft, getting asked for swaps by the best players or getting those kinds of articles written about you.”
And media folks looking forward to writing more Poker Masters articles about Sontheimer are going to be sorely disappointed. PokerGO relies on the story arc of poker, and there is no better narrative than a man returning to defend his title.
Not this year. “I won’t play this year,” Sontheimer confirmed. “I don’t think it’s the best value of the year and I have private things during that week that I value a lot. So I decided to skip and watch some of the streams. I’m a bit sad for sure, but I’m happy with my decision.”
I imagine there are twenty plus other people who are also happy with his decision.
