October 15 2012, Chad Holloway

The Season X World Poker Tour $25,000 World Championship continued on FSN on Sunday night with part two of a three-episode arc. The tournament originally took place at the Bellagio in Las Vegas from May 19 to 26, 2012, and attracted 152 players, creating a prize pool of $3,660,500. At stake was a top prize of $1,196,858 and the title to one of the world’s most prestigious poker tournaments.

In Part I of the WPT Championship, the early stages of the tournament were highlighted, which saw Joe Serock emerges at the Season X Player of the Year after the tightest race in WPT history. It also showcased the first elimination of the final table, which happened when Trevor Pope moved all in for 1.46 million from the button holding . Philippe Ktorza then moved all in for 1.7 million from the small blind with , pushing Michael Mizrachi out from the big blind. Pope was a 3-1 dog and was up out of his seat even before the flop fell , giving him a gut-shot draw to a wheel. The turn gave Ktorza a set, but it also gave Pope an added flush draw. Unfortunately for him, the river was not what he needed and Pope finished in sixth place for $155,571.

Here’s how things stacked up at the top of the broadcast:

WPT Season X $25,000 World Championship Final Table

The Fashion Report: The WPT’s Mike Sexton has been a proponent of dressing nicely at high-profile final tables, and they don’t get much bigger than the WPT Championship; as such, I figured I’d put my keep fashion eye to the test and size of the five finalists.

Michael Mizrachi: I’ve seen “The Grinder” on the circuit quite a bit, and more times than not he wears a hat. That wasn’t the case at the final table as Mizrachi sported a shaved head and a plaid long-sleeve maroon and grey button-up complete with a Deepstacks patch. It was a strange getup in that it wasn’t too casual, but wasn’t really fancy. Grade: B-

Nick Schulman: A black t-shirt is definitely not classy, but when you look at the big, strapping Nick Schulman, you think more bad-boy outlaw, so the black t-shirt, which showed off the tattoo on his right arm and silver bracelet, worked just fine for the young pro. Grade: B

Marvin Rettenmaier: Those Europeans sure know how to dress, and this German pro is no different. “Mad Marvin” was sporting a long-sleeve white button-up, and when rolled up, the sleeves showed a fancy design. He completed that with a PartyPoker patch and a light brown scarf fastened in a way I’ve only seen in Europe. All he needed was a haircut! Grade: A

Steve O’Dwyer: A blue and white plaid button-up isn’t particularly special, but then again Steve O’Dwyer’s look is more about his trademark beard and flowing locks than anything. A shirt is a mere accessory, and in this case it did its job. Grade: B

Philippe Ktorza: Much like his European counterpart, Ktorza sported a white button-up with the sleeves rolled up. The Frenchman didn’t have a scarf, but he did sport a patch of the French flag, a nice watch, and a pair of sunglasses. It didn’t pop, but it was definitely upscale casual. Grade: B+

Steve O’Dwyer

Crazy Three-Way: With the blinds at 40,000/80,000 and a 10,000 ante, Michael Mizrachi looked down at and raised to 200,000. Marvin Rettenmaier, who was next to act, came in with a three-bet to 485,000 holding , prompting Steve O’Dwyer to move all in for 965,000 with . Mizrachi proceeded to five-bet all in for 2.14 million, and after thinking about it for a few moments, Rettenmaier called to put both players at risk.

Mizrachi was a 57 percent favorite to take down both the 2.35 million chip side pot and 3.025 million chip main pot, while O’Dwyer had just a 2 percent chance of winning outright, though he could still chop the main pot with Rettenmaier. The flop wasn’t of note, and neither was the turn. The river gave Mizrachi, who was going for his third WPT title, the chip lead with 5.375 million while sending O’Dwyer to the rail in fifth place for $192,176.

The Ladies Love Ktorza: Nick Schulman opened for 250,000 with only to have Philippe Ktorza move all in for 1.55 million after looking down at . Schulman thought long and hard before asking, “Hammer time?” He then dropped in a call and both players were up out of their seats. I’d like to say there was a good sweat, but the flop made sure there wasn’t one as Ktorza flopped four queens, leaving Schulman drawing dead. The French contingent went wild on the rail as the meaningless turn and river completed the board.

Five Questions Outtakes: Throughout Season X, the WPT aired a popular segment called Five Questions. This week’s segment featured outtakes from throughout the season. Here’ a small sample:

What is with your hairdo?

Will Failla: “Well, I was in Cannes, south of France, I’m watching all these French fries win all these chips, and I’m saying to myself, ‘What is it? What is it?’ And all of a sudden it hit me, I see their hairdo, and everybody’s got this French comb over. Haven’t lost a tournament since I’ve had the French comb over.”

Irv Gotti on his friend Phil Ivey: “I’ll give you one Phil Ivey story, he’s going to hate this too. He was really pissed when he lost that [WSOP] Main Event when he got to the final table, so when he got interviewed and everything, he kept his poker face, but when we went out, he was like, ‘[BLEEP].’ It was the first time I’ve ever seen him upset about poker. Usually he’s got ice in his veins.”

Schulman Out in Fourth Place: With the blinds at 60,000/120,000 and a 20,000 ante, action folded to Marvin Rettenmaier in the small blind and he raised to 280,000. Nick Schulman responded by moving all in for 2.765 million and was snap-called by Rettenmaier. Even before the cards were turned up, Schulman’s face said he was in trouble.

Nick Schulman

The crowd was unusually quiet, and both Rettenmaier and Schulman were on their feet. Schulman needed some help, but the flop left him wanting. The turn paired Schulman, but the 27-year-old pro still needed either another five or an ace on the river keep his hopes of a second WPT title alive. The dealer burned and revealed the . Rettenmaier celebrated with his rail as Schulman exited in fourth place for $256,235.

“I just thought maybe he was a little card dead, getting a little desperate. I thought I might have him dominated, but you know, in retrospect, maybe I never do. It was probably a bad call,” Schulman told Jessica Welman in his post-elimination interview after being asked about his curious call against Philippe Ktorza. “I think I played pretty well, this last hand, he’s opening almost every hand in that spot… sometimes it just doesn’t go your way.”

Who will be the next to join this prestigious list:

Tune in Next Week:The conclusion of the WPT World Championship is set to air on Sunday, Oct. 21, on FSN, so be sure to check your local listings. If by chance you miss it, check back next week for the latest recap of all the action here on PokerNews.

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*Pictures courtesy of World Poker Tour.

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May 30 2012, Brett Collson

The summer tournament scene in Las Vegas will have a major impact on the Player of the Year races. Is Jonathan Duhamel already in danger of losing his lead in the GPI Player of the Year? We’ll cover that story plus a survey about online poker in California, in the latest edition of the Nightly Turbo.

In Case You Missed It

What effect does music have on your mood at the poker table? Lynn Gilmartin takes a look at some tracks that might help players stay focused in the latest Stay Stacked.

Some big-name players made Day 3 of the WSOP $1,500 no-limit hold’em Event #2. Find out which pros are vying for a bracelet in our daily WSOP recap.

Which story lines should you be watching for at the WSOP on Wednesday? Read about them in the latest WSOP What to Watch For.

Looking for a fun, behind-the-scenes perspective of life at the WSOP? The Muck will offer several daily stories from inside the Rio, so check it out!

Rettenmaier, O’Dwyer Enter GPI Player of the Year Top 10

Jonathan Duhamal topped the 2012 Global Poker Index Player of the Year rankings for the 14th straight week, but a couple contenders have entered the race following impressive performances in Las Vegas last week.

Marvin Rettenmaier and Steve O’Dwyer vaulted into the top 10 after making the final table of the $25,000 buy-in World Poker Tour World Championship at the Bellagio. Rettenmaier won the event, collecting nearly $1.2 million in the process, and jumped 50 spots in the rankings to No. 6 in the GPI Player of the Year race. O’Dwyer finished fifth in the WPT Championship and improved 12 spots to No. 4.

Frenchman Phillippe Ktorza finished runner-up to Rettemaier in the event and jumped 130 spots to No. 23 in this week’s standings. Other big movers this week were Moon Kim (up 137 spots to No. 45), Tom Marchese (up 199 spots to No. 54) and Matt Juttelstad (up 135 spots to No. 73). Marchese bested a tough field of 34 players to win the $100,000 buy-in WPT High Roller for more than $1.3 million.

Here’s a look at the Top 10 of the Global Poker Index Player of the Year standings:

GPI Player of the Year Top 10

The Global Poker Index Player of the Year, presented by PokerNews, honors the player who has the strongest performance in live tournaments during the calendar year, according to the USA Today Global Poker Index point system.

For the full GPI Player of the Year standings, head on over to EpicPoker.com.

California Divided on Internet Poker

A new survey conducted by USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times shows that California voters are nearly split on the prospect of legalized intrastate online poker.

More than 1,000 registered voters were questioned between May 17 and 21 about online poker and other forms of gambling. The poll showed that 47 percent of voters would favor legalization of online poker if the activity could raise money toward education, public safety and other government services for the cash-strapped state.

The Los Angeles Times reports that many of the polled voters were concerned about problem gamblers setting a bad example for young people.

In February, California Sen. Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) and Sen. Roderick Wright (D-Inglewood) introduced a bill that would allow online poker to be played within the state. The Internet Gambling Consumer Protection and Public-Private Partnership Act of 2012, also known as SB 1463, seeks to generate hundreds of millions of dollars for the state in the fiscal year 2012-13.

Read more at the Los Angeles Times.

Bwin.Party Launches Social Gaming Strategy

Online gambling giant bwin.party has launched strategy that will see the company invest up to $50 million over the next two years in a new social gaming platform.

This week, bwin.party broadened its reach into social gaming by acquiring gaming developers Velasco and Orneon. Bwin.party says that the $23 million purchase for the companies covered several existing business-to-business social gaming contracts and significant software engineering resources.

The investment will include the establishment of a social games studio called Win, which will develop and launch social games, as well as a dedicated social gaming technology platform.

Bwin.party’s first social gaming product will be a poker-based product followed by a casino and sportsbook application by the end of the year.

Commenting on Wednesday’s announcement, bwin.party co-CEOs Jim Ryan and Norbert Teufelberger said: “We have chosen a ‘build and partner’ strategy, one that provides us with both the resources and additional management expertise to execute our planned extension into social gaming – an exciting and fast growing area of digital entertainment that is the latest addition to our business strategy.”

Read more at bwin.party.com.

Perfect Match

Matchbook.com doesn’t have an online poker room, but the betting company has loaded up with high-profile pros to sponsor during the 2012 World Series of Poker.

The site, which is striving to become the top destination for all poker betting, has put together a team of ten poker pros during the two-month poker festival in Las Vegas. The team is starred by Sam Trickett and Dan “Jungleman” Cates, both of whom are considered among the toughest cash-game players in the world. Trickett also has a striking tournament résumé and will be playing in the $1 million buy-in Big One for One Drop tournament during this summer’s WSOP.

“It was an easy choice partnering with Matchbook for the WSOP,” Trickett said. “Not only are all the players extremely talented but the majority of the team is also very good friends. It’s a unique environment to have as a poker team but provides us all with added support. I’m sure we are all going to have a fun and profitable summer together.”

Other members of Team Matchbook are WSOP bracelet winners JP Kelly and Matt Perrins, Roberto Romanello, James Akenhead, Martins Adeniya, Ben Vinon, Jarred Solomon and John Hewitt.

Read more right here at PokerNews.com.

Explain This: Shaun Deeb

After his quick exit from WSOP Event #4, Shaun Deeb sat down with PokerNews’ Sarah Grant for the latest edition of Explain This.

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