March 15 2011, Donnie Peters

The 2011 World Poker Tour Bay 101 Shooting Star Championship Event began on Monday with 142 players taking to the felt on Day 1a. At the end of the ten levels played out, 57 of them remained. Topping the pack is Brian Schmidt with 187,700 in chips.

What’s so unique and fun about this event is right in the name, Shooting Stars. Various players have a bounty on their head worth $5,000 to the player who knocks them out of the tournament. What’s more is that there is a $10,000 bonus for the player who ends Day 1a and Day 1b on top of the leader board. In total, 45 players will be Shooting Stars and 25 of them played on Day 1a.

Some of those with a $5,000 bounty posted on them include Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, Justin Smith, Dwyte Pilgrim, Tony Dunst, Joe Sebok, John Juanda, Erik Seidel and Jason Mercier. Kara Scott was the Shooting Star who bagged up the most chips at 137,100, good enough for third place overall.

Seidel is the hottest player on tour in 2011, but his hot streak has cooled off for the time being as he was eliminated in Level 8 of Day 1a. Shortly after doubling through fellow Shooting Star Men Nguyen, Seidel found all his money in again with the against the for John Pries. The board ran out and Seidel hit the rail. Of course, he was sure to autograph the t-shirt for Pries that accompanies every Shooting Star knockout.

Freddy Deeb was another start shot towards the end of the night. With the binds at 400-800 with a 100 ante in Level 9, Deeb called off all of his chips on a board of . His opponent, Alex Yi, tabled the for the nuts and Deeb mucked his hand.

A few of the other notables players who hit the rail on Day 1a include Dan Shak, Dan Harrington, Scott Seiver, Victor Ramdin, Joe Tehan and Jonathan Aguiar.

On the flip side of the coin, Mike Matusow was one of the players who thrived on Day 1a. He finished with well over 100,000 in chips and that’s good enough to put him in the top pack of players bunched up behind chip leader Schmidt.

One of the big hands of the day for Matusow came when he doubled up through Richard Toth. With the board reading , Matusow and Toth found all of the money in the middle with Matusow being the player at risk. Matusow tabled the for a flopped two pair that turned a flush draw. Toth was out-flopped, but pulled back in front on the turn as he held the for a set. The river card was dealt the and the Matusow eruption came loud and proud. “That’s what you get mother f***er! That’s what you get mother f***er!” he yelled out in celebration while running around the tournament room.

Upon settling down a bit and returning to the table, Matusow gave Toth a hug and apoligized, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that, really.” It didn’t stop there tough as according to the World Poker Tour Live Update Team, Matusow popped back up from the table and began yelling, “I finally punished him for playing bad! Finally punished him for playing bad!” That pot was good enough to put Matusow at 74,000 in chips, while Toth was quietly left with 35,000.

Day 1b is set for Tuesday at a nice-and-early 10:00 AM PST start. Be sure to check back right here on PokerNews for the recap of the action.

If you love poker, be sure to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook for all the latest updates on the World Poker Tour.

March 29 2011, Rich Ryan

On March 21, 2006, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey tweeted the first message: “just setting up my twttr.” Now, five years later, Twitter users send 50 million tweets per day and nearly one billion per week.

The Twitter explosion has had a direct effect on the poker world. It’s the most powerful marketing tool for players, online poker sites and casinos because it allows you to instantly speak with your fans or customers. Two of the most important poker tweeters are World Series of Poker Vice President Jack “@WSOPTD” Effel and World Poker Tour Executive Tour Director Matt “@SavagePoker” Savage. They go to Twitter for feedback regarding their respective tournaments and they love the social networking tool because it allows them to discuss issues in a public forum. This saves them time – there is no paperwork involved – and it allows other people to read and comment, making it a larger conversation.

Other noteworthy tweeters include Kevin “@Kevmath” Mathers, who disseminates information at lightning speed. Joe “@joesebok” Sebok, who has over a million followers. And Doyle “@TexDolly” Brunson, who is 77 years old and still tweets to his more than 300,000 followers.

The relationship between Twitter and the poker industry is not perfect, however, and that’s where we come in. Below we’ve listed ten rules that – if followed – will enhance the Twitter experience for players, fans, media and all other consumers. They might also bring a little peace to the Twitter war front.

(NOTE: We are probably guilty of breaking all of these rules at some point, but admission is the first step to recovery, right?)

Twitter Rules

1. No Texting

It’s acceptable to send a couple of “@” messages back and forth with someone but sending six or seven in a row clogs everybody’s time line. Unless the conversation you’re having is relevant to your followers, take it elsewhere. You can send the person a text or direct-message (DM) them but please stop spamming my page with your dinner plans.

2. Stop Beefing

During March, there have been a handful of Twitter-wars, including a spat between the aforementioned Joe Sebok and Jonathan “@JonAguiar” Aguiar. Both people were at fault, Sebok should’ve never pushed the “send” button, and Aguiar should not have posted the message. DMs are private and should be kept as such, except in an emergency or if the sender gives permission to post it. The overarching theme is that personal issues should not be dealt with on Twitter. While tweeting is efficient, talking face-to-face is still the best way to remedy larger problems.

3. Don’t Trash Your Table

This one is for everybody, but it is especially pertinent for popular players. When you sit down at a poker table – whether it’s a cash game or a tournament – don’t start tweeting about how soft the table is or how bad the players are. This is a bad habit because (1) even if you don’t know who you’re playing against, they might know you and follow you on Twitter, and (2) you come off as arrogant. Tweeting a few names is perfect because then our tournament reporters know where to go, but giving away free information and boasting your own ego isn’t a good idea.

4. Tweet Your Suckouts

Bad beat stories are the worst, especially on the tournament circuit or during the WSOP. We hear them all day, every day, and the routine gets old fast. If you are going to tweet bad beats then you must tweet your suckouts as well. Variance works both ways and so should the information you convey on Twitter. For bonus points, you can add “#Isuck” or “#oops” to these tweets, as well.

5. How to Post Chip Counts

Tournament chip counts should never ever have “$” signs in front of them. The only symbol that should precede a tournament chip count is a capital “T” for tournament. The use of dollar signs should be restricted to cash games.

6. Use the “#” Symbol

Random information doesn’t help anyone. Online and live tournaments run every second of every day, so if you tweet a chip count, tell us what you’re playing using the “#” symbol. This rule is especially helpful for unknown players who want media coverage because it leads us to you. If you’re feeling really daring, then add your table number, but we understand why some players don’t want to be identified (see rule number 3.)

7. Don’t Retweet the Chimes of a Famous Clock Tower Every Hour on the Hour

#UnfollowShane

8. Keep Your Handle Simple

The simpler your Twitter handle is, the easier it is to find and “@” mention you. Vanessa “@VanessaSelbst” Selbst recently changed her handle from her online name “FslexcDuck” to her actual name and it made everyone’s life a little easier. Players who should follow suit include Ashton “@arfarfhowl” Griffin, Kevin “@BeL0WaB0Ve” Saul and Andy “@bkice_” Seth. Changing your handle is quick and easy, so you have no excuse not to do so.

9. Be Responsible

If you represent a site and tweet promotions for it, then everything you say can and will be connected with your employer. So when you are out having a good time, try to censor your tweets if necessary. Likewise, if there is a big debate raging, think before you tweet. Our emotions get the best of us at times — we’re human — but don’t allow them to ruin your reputation and marketability. Of course, you can always take the @AsianSpa route and create an anonymous account. Then you can fire off anything you want and not worry about the consequences.

10. Be Entertaining

Erik “@Erik_Seidel” Seidel hardly tweets about poker, but when he does, it’s short and sweet. Instead, he makes us laugh with dry jokes like “Told my daughter it’s been a great month, so I’m playing the 250k w house money. She said, ‘​I hope that’s figurative speech’” or “Wish hotels had a ‘Do Not Disturb Unless You’ve Got Chocolate’ sign to leave out.” If you don’t follow the rules, then the least you can do is make us laugh. We promise we’ll try not to complain if you do.

Disagree or have your own rules for Twitter? Then tweet them at us!

*Photo courtesy of SmashingMagazine.com