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Last November, nearly 1,200 players ponied up $3000+$300 to participate in WPT Montreal, creating a massive prize-pool of roughly $3.4 million dollars and a top prize worth more than $775,000; the largest 1st place poker The star studded field included All Time Money tournament leaders Antonio Esfandiari and Daniel Negreanu, past WPT Champions David Williams and Gavin Smith, top female players Xuan Liu and Isabelle Mercier, young guns Mike “Timex” McDonald and Mike “SirWatts” Watson as well as 2012 Global Index POY leaders Dan Smith and Marvin Rettenmaier…So how do you make the third largest field in World Poker Tour history shine even brighter?

You give the players what they want and bring in the cameras in for a full televised PartyPoker.net WPT Montreal Main Event from November 29th to December 5th, you bump the stakes just enough to a $3,500 + $350 and you look to make room for even more players to participate. Throw in the very real possibility of adding a “High Roller” side event for poker’s elite and you just should have the right recipe to see Canadian poker history made once again.

Players won’t have to wait until fall to take their shot at a Canadian WPT title however, now that would just be cruel! Instead, they will want to start making plans and qualifying for the PartyPoker.net WPT Montreal Canadian Spring Championship from May 3rd to 9th at Playground Poker Club. The $3,000 + $300 Main Event will feature a live stream of the same caliber that covered Jonathan Roy’s victory in 2012 and both this and the November event will be Main WPT tour stops, awarding Player Of the Year points and the signature Championship Belt along with their name engraved on the coveted WPT Trophy.

While the the side schedules of events are yet to be announced, organizers are working hard at putting together a line up of varying buy-ins and disciplines sure to be well received by players.

Qualifiers and promotions will once again be offered by Party Poker for both events and begin on March 11.

In 2012, hundreds of players gained entry to WPT Montreal via satellites, with online qualifiers far exceeding expectations an guarantees. Perhaps the only complaint heard by players last year was that they didn’t start playing those available sooner.

Stay tuned for more details on Party Poker qualifiers and full schedules to come!

WPT Montreal arrives in Montreal Canada Nov 23-27, 2012 at the Playground Poker Club, and you can qualify for the main event online at Party Poker and Bodog.  The winner of this now 5 day event will receive a World Poker Tour Title, and a matching Playground Poker Club Championship belt, along with first place prize money, and an entry into the $25k championship final.

Party Poker is offering a 3 seat guarantee satellite every Sunday at 3:30pm est at an entry fee of $270+30.  There are also subqualifiers daily to get into this satellite.  Party Poker packages are worth $5500 and include the $3,300 main event buyin, $1,300 in spending money, Hotel accomodation, and world class hospitality.  The last satellite runs on November 11.

Qualify for WPT Montreal at Party Poker Today!

Bodog is offering a 3 seat guarantee satellite for 3 Sundays at 4:35pm est at an entry fee of $270.  There are also subqualifiers daily to get into this satellite.  Bodog packages are worth $5000 and include the $3,300 main event buyin, $1,700 in spending money for travel and accomodations, and a Bodog swag bag.  The satellites take place on October 14, 21, and 28th.

Qualify for WPT Montreal at Bodog Today!

Mobile poker available include tournaments (available soon), sitngos, cash games, and zoom poker.  Mostly microstake cash games at the moment, but as this becomes more popular, more higher stake tables will soon be open.

Get entered in the PokerStars VIP Club Mobile Freeroll.  Also any time you pay ring game rake or a tournament fee on the Mobile client, you’ll earn VIP Player Points (VPPs). Earn just 100 VPPs while playing real money games on Mobile from July 9 – August 15 and you’ll get a ticket to an exclusive $100,000 freeroll!

Play Mobile Poker on Poker Stars Today!  Sign up here

PokerStars Top 1o Mobile Tips

1. Find the same Hold’em and Omaha games you are used to playing on your computer
2. Only have a few minutes to spare? Play Zoom poker games on the go
3. Multi-table by tapping the table you want to jump, or by swiping left or right
4. Play Multi-table tournaments (MTTs), Sit &Go’s and satellites –  anytime, anywhere
5. Queuing for lunch? Waiting for a train? Hit ‘Play Now’ to fire up a quick game in seconds
6. Chat with your friends and other poker players at the table
7. Improve your skills by viewing and requesting your hand histories from the app itself
8. Play Mobile poker in over 15 languages
9. Use the ‘Search’ function to easily find your friends at the tables
10. Use Advanced Filters to set your preferred game type, buy-in and much more, for ring games and tournaments

The World Series of Poker will finally be heading North of the Border, Canada!  A WSOP circuit event will be held at the River Rock Casino and Resort in Richmond British Columbia from October 27 to November 7, 2012 during this 9th season.  WSOP Canada 2012 will be the first time that a WSOP circuit event will be held outside the United States.  This is some fantastic news for poker tournament enthusiasts after hearing the big news that the World Poker Tour (WPT) will be coming back to Canada.

With 12 events in 12 days the action will be hot and heavy.  Event 1 starts off with a $345 2 day event, and the series ends with Event 12 a $345 Omaha and Holdem 1 day mixed event.  Event #7 is the main event, a 5 day (3 day 1s) $1,650 buyin event starting on Friday November 2.  Players will start with 20,000 chips, with the structure remaining the same as other WSOP circuit main events.

All these WSOP Canada events are Ring events, so winners will take home a WSOP ring for their winning efforts.  Win the WSOP Canada main event, and you will also gain entry into the National Championship, where a gold bracelet will be on the line as well as $1,000,000 prize pool in which you will be freerolled into.  Next year’s 2013 WSOP National Championship will take place May 21-23, 2013 in New Orleans.

There will also be 2 online events yet to be scheduled as part of the WSOP Canada circuit. These online events will be ring events and will be played on PlayNow.com, the BC Lottery’s gaming site. For now only B.C. residents may play on PlayNow.com, but hopefully there will be an exception for these 2 wsop events so that all Canadians have a chance to win a WSOP ring online.

There is no word on satellites to WSOP Canada events yet.

More details to follow.

World Cup of Poker IX

Represent CANADA in Poker’s World Cup!

The World Cup of Poker (WCP) is the event where you get to represent your homeland in one of the biggest events anywhere online. What’s more, countries that advance from the group stages get to go to the live final – held as part of the 2013 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) in The Bahamas. It’s about bragging rights, national pride, and proving that you are the best – and you can take part now as a member of Team Canada.  Qualify today on Poker Stars!

The final World Cup of Poker teams will win packages – including travel expenses and accommodation at Atlantis in The Bahamas – to play before a live audience at The 2013 PCA. The WCP prize pool ($290,000) at the live event will be distributed as follows:

• 1st: $100,000 ($25,000 per person)
• 2nd: $70,000 ($17,500 per person)
• 3rd: $50,000 ($12,500 per person)
• 4th: $30,000 ($7,500 per person)
• 5th-7th: $10,000 ($2,500 per person)
• 8th-9th*: $5,000 ($1,250 per person)

The competition begins by deciding which eight teams will travel to The Bahamas for the live finals at the 2013 PCA. This will be decided by splitting the 72 competing nations into eight equal groups.

Each group will then play four $2.20 heads-up No Limit Hold’em Super Knockout tournaments. Each country will receive a score that is equal to their highest individual cash in each tournament. The team that has the best combined score across all four tournaments will win their group. Dates, times and countries for each group are listed below. To find the tournaments and register, open the PokerStars lobby and go to ‘Tourney’ > ‘Regional’.

Canada is in Group 1 along with Argentina, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Chile, Peru.

The Stage 1 Tournaments take place on: August 11, 12, 18, and 19 all at 19:00 ET

Stage 2 – Player Selection

Team player selection tournaments will take place for the winner of each Stage 1 group on August 26. Tourney times will be published on August 20 after the completion of Stage 1.

There are four types of Stage 2 qualifiers:

• Freeroll – open to all players from the qualifying nation
• TLB Freeroll – open only to the top 10 TLB from each country for 2011
• $1.10
• $11

– Be a Member of Team Canada Today! –

PokerStars is sponsoring the Stardust Canadian Poker Classic, and you can win your seat for the $1,100 Main Event* via satellite qualifiers running now.

This prestigious live event takes place in one of Canada’s most stunning and newest card rooms – the Stardust Poker Mansion, in Montreal. It runs from August 17-September 2, with the $1,100 Main Event starting August 30. It’s your chance to compete for your share of a huge cash prize pool, and challenge yourself against the best poker players from across Canada, including other PokerStars players and Team Pros!

Satellites range from FPP use to @2.55 Hyper Turbos, to the popular $109 satellite every Sunday at 19:00 ET with 7 seats guaranteed.

–  Qualify on Poker Stars Now !–

Expanding on its mission to introduce world-class tournament poker to new players and markets around the globe, World Poker Tour is pleased to announce the addition of WPT Emperors Palace Poker Classic and WPT Montreal to its Season XI schedule.

Canada has been missing from the WPT, since the last time it was played at the Fallsview Casino and Resort in Niagara Falls.  There have been many rumours of the stop coming back, but nothing ever materialized.  This recent news has taken everyone by surprise, a welcome one that is.

From November 23 – 26, World Poker Tour returns to Canada for the first time since 2008 with the WPT Montreal event at the popular Playground Poker Club in Quebec. With its CAD $3,000 + $300 buy-in and opportunity for re-entry, this new WPT Main Event – sponsored by PartyPoker.net – is expected to draw some of the biggest names in the game, including Playground Poker representatives Antonio Esfandiari, Phil Laak, and Erik Cajelais.

Unfortunately this will be a non televised event, but things could always change from now till November.  There has been no word of preliminary events, but after Playground Poker Club put up a magnificent schedule up for their Playground Poker Classic, there most likely be some tournament goodness around the same time.  Also no news on online satellites to WPT Montreal at Party Poker yet, but we will surely post when they start.

– Qualify for WPT Montreal on Party Poker –

The greatest season of poker is here, as with every summer in Las Vegas, Canadians and other poker players chase their dreams of winning a World Series of Poker bracelet.  Canadian poker players will try and follow the footsteps of their poker heroes, WSOP champions such as Jonathan Duhamel, Daniel Negreanu, and possibly the next wsop main event winner, YOU.

Care to make a wager?  Bodog has several 2012 WSOP Main Event Props that may interest you.  Prop bets such as:

2012 WSOP* Main Event – Which of these past champions will last longer in the 2012 WSOP Main Event?

Jonathan Duhamel      3/1

Pius Heinz                   3/1

Joe Cada                     7/2

Peter Eastgate             7/2

Jerry Yang                   4/1

2012 WSOP* Main Event – Who will last longer in the 2012 WSOP Main Event?

Howard Lederer                     3/2

Chris ‘Jesus’ Ferguson            7/4

Russ Hamilton                                    2/1

 – Bet on the 2012 WSOP at Bodog –

Here are the Final Table Results of Canadians playing the 2012 WSOP.  Note Canadian citizens only, and nohttps://www.canadapokernews.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=702&action=editt Americans who have moved to Canada to play online poker!

Ashkan Razavi has started it off, winning Canada’s first bracelet of the 2012 WSOP.  With a boisterous crowd wearing “Ash Can Do It” shirts, Ashkan took down Event #9 the $1500 No Limit Holdem Re-Entry event and $781,000.  Also on the final table at this event was fellow Canadian and friend Greg “FBT” Mueller

Simon Charette becomes Canada’s 2nd bracelet winner after winning event#23, a $3,000 6max event.  By winning his first bracelet, not only does he take home a nice sum of $567,624, he makes up for all his near misses at the 2011 WSOP after a couple final tables including a heads up.

Timothy Adams is Canada’s newest bracelet winner after topping all in a fun event#28, a $2,500 4max event. Tim from Burlington ON, takes home $392,476.

Canadian Final Tables at the 2012 WSOP

Event #4 $1,500 7 Card Stud Hi-Low 8 or Better: Xuan Liu 6th for $29,985
Event #5 $1,500 Pot Limit Holdem: Daniel Negreanu 5th for $41,683
Event #7 $1,500 7 Card Stud: Caroline Hermesh 7th for $15,135
Event #9 $1,500 No Limit Holdem Re-Entry: Ashkan Razavi 1st for $781,398
Event #9 $1,500 No Limit Holdem Re-Entry: Greg Mueller 7th for $103,258
Event #11 $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha: Brian Garbe 7th for $31,375
Event #16 $1,500 No Limit Holdem 6max: Mark Radoja 2nd for $281,502
Event #16 $1,500 No Limit Holdem 6max: Robert Muzzatti 5th for $81,202
Event #17 $10,000 Pot Limit Holdem: Matt Marafioti 7th for $65,840
Event #21 $1,000 No Limit Holdem: Jason Manggunio 8th for $42,749
Event #22 $2,500 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball Limit: Jason Lavallee 5th for $28,585
Event #22 $2,500 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball Limit: Shawn Buchanan 6th for $20,322
Event #23 $3,000 No Limit 6 max: Simon Charette 1st for $567,624
Event #28 $2,500 No Limit 4 max: Timothy Adams 1st for $392,476
Event #29 $1,000 Seniors No Limit Holdem: William Thomson 7th for $83,332
Event #32 $10,000 H.O.R.S.E: Paul Sokoloff 3rd for $183,784
Event #33 $1,000 No Limit Holdem: Joseph Marzicola 5th for $101,802
Event #35 $2,500 Mixed Holdem: Erik Cajelias 2nd for $129,766
Event #37 $2,500 Eight Game Mix: Greg Mueller 2nd for $167,637
Event #40 $2,500 Limit Holdem 6 max: Sorel Mizzi 5th for $33,541
Event #46 $2,500 No Limit Holdem: Joe Gaultieri 6th for $110,775
Event #47 $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha 8b: Roch Cousineau 3rd for $103,538
Event #47 $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha 8b: Sonu Sharma 6th for $41,589
Event #49 $1,500 No Limit Holdem Ante Only: Mike McDonald 6th for $39,931
Event #51 $1,000 Ladies No Limit Holdem: Leslie Amos 7th for $20,184
Event #51 $1,000 Ladies No Limit Holdem: Freda Lawrence 8th for $15,559

Photo credit: Steve Quinn

When you’re trying to hide more than tells – Disabilities in Poker

Player Profile

-You may have not heard of Mike Wiseman but this local pro has been crushing the Vancouver cash game scene since 2008.  Until recently he has mainly been focusing on cash games all over Canada and Las Vegas. He has started to take his skills into the tournament world and has shown signs of success, he made a deep run and placed 21^st out 256 players at the Venetian Deep stacks last year in November. He has cashed in some local tournaments and is starting to develop his tournament skill. Another thing you may not know about Mike is that he has a speech impediment that he has been dealing with all of his life. He still has to fight little battles on the felt that any regular poker player would not think twice about. His Stutter has also made him a better player and a more cautious one, in poker patience pays off and when you’re dealing with a stutter; you need all the patience you can muster.

Q&A

How did you get into poker?  When did you first start playing?

“I got into poker in 2007 because I was looking for a hobby or activity where I could make a second income without having to talk a lot. What better activity then poker? When one of my close friends introduced me to the game, I instantly fell in love.  I try to become a better player after every session and learn from the mistakes I make.  You can always keep learning that is what makes this game so great.”

How has your speech impediment affected your poker game?

“Most of the betting in poker is verbal, so you have to be very careful about what you say when you are placing a bet. I have to tweak my betting routine so it is non-verbal.  Most players can verbalize their bet and move their chips across the line without worrying about string bets. I don’t have the luxury of doing that so I have to be very careful when I make my bets. Another situation most players don’t have to worry about is their chip denominations when they start a tournament.  When I played in a Venetian Deep Stack event last year in Las Vegas, I asked one of the tournament directors if I could get a good variety of chip denominations at the beginning of the tournament. The reason is because I would have a very difficult time verbalizing my bets when the action is on me. When most players throw in a 5000 chip and say “1750” they don’t even think about it, for me that would take forever. Not to mention all of the eyes on me and everyone would be mad I am stealing precious blind level time trying to speak.  My stutter could give really observant players a read on me, which could be crucial to make the money in a tournament.  If I have a wide variety of chips to begin with, I won’t run into that problem.  Instead of having just one $5000 chip, I split the chips into denominations of 2 $1000, 2 $500 and 20 $100 chips. By doing this it makes my tournament experience so much easier and stress free because I can just put the chips in and not say a word to place my bet.”

“Poker is a social activity, when I am sitting down at a cash game at a local casino I would like to have the freedom of making friendly conversation with the players sitting beside me.  My stutter sometimes hinders me in making “table buddies” which can cost me money.  The more liked you are at a poker table, the more money you make! That is a fact! Nobody wants to pay off the mute grinder in seat 10 with his headphones on who has not said one word to the table.”

“Even the simple things for your regular poker player can be difficult for me. When I want to order food or a drink when the server comes by, people stare at me if I have a hard time saying what I want. It can get embarrassing.”

Has your Stutter had any positive effects on your poker game?

“My stutter has made me a better player though, it is not all negative. I would say my game is more methodical and patient due to my speech. I have to take my time and think things through before I make a bet or a call. I never rush anything. I tend to analyze hands deeper than most people do”

Who do you credit for helping your development? Who are you favorite poker players?

Brad Booth helped me when I first started playing poker; he gave me a lot of advice and helped me improve my game.  I am saddened about the recent events in Brad’s life, I am happy that he came clean in that video he posted online. That is not enough though, he needs to do right and pay back what he owes to people. He owes it to himself and the poker community; his actions have to speak louder than his words.  I really hope he can turn his life around; we all need to learn from his mistakes and make sure we are making the right choices in life.  Another player who I respect is Daniel Negreanu.  I really love his recent video blog’s, he is being so honest and just speaking his mind.  Not only is he a talent but he such a great Canadian ambassador for poker and a world class player”

What do you think of the Vancouver Poker scene?

“I am proud to be from Vancouver, there is so much well-known local talent, players such as Brad Booth and Matt Jarvis are some of the elite players. Matt won his 1^st WSOP Bracelet last year and is just crushing tournaments.  Ashkan  Razavi just won his 1^st WSOP bracelet this year in event #9 at the 2012 WSOP, this is a guy that has put in so much work and deserves what he has accomplished. Not many people knew about him but now they will know what he is capable of. There are many other local players who are not as well-known that I respect like Jonas Mackoff, Chris Back, John Agelakis, Mark-Daniel Hughes, Jip Roc and Adam Young. These guys are grinding it out every day and just working hard to achieve their goals. Edgewater Casino is where I learned the ropes and I must say that room is probably one of the toughest rooms in the country.  Vancouver should be proud of the poker players that it produces; we are truly a force to be reckoned with!”