I'll be playing in the North American Poker Championship, got my seat playing a $160 satellite, then moving up to the $1200 at fallsview, and winning that one.
I'm going as well. I qualified the same as Popkorn. Actually, I won two $160 satellites, and won the $1200 on my first try, so I sold the second $1200 ticket for $1100. Got a $10,000 seat and almost $800 profit.
Congratulations to coolblue24 and Popkorn for winning a WPT seat. If you have time, please write about your satellite wins.
It's great that you found somebody that was willing to pay $1,100 for the $1,200 voucher. I would have preferred using that same amount to play in the $160 satellites up to seven times instead.
I'm hoping to play one or both but I've gotten owned in every online satellite I've played for the WPT event so it's looking a bit unlikely right now, at least for the wpt. There's probably a good chance I suck it up and drop the entry for the $2700 at least but we'll see how things go in the next week or so.
Congratulations to coolblue24 and Popkorn for winning a WPT seat. If you have time, please write about your satellite wins.
I'm not usually good at writing these, so I'll try my best to make it coherent. And it's been about a month and a half ago since I played, so my memory is a bit blurry.
Once I found out satellites were starting at Fallsview, I think I went down right at the end of August to try my luck at winning a seat. The starting stack wasn't much, so most likely it was going to be a preflop game. Very first hand, I was dealt pocket 8's in LP. Blinds were 25-25, MP opened the pot for 125, folded around to me and I made the call, and we took the pot heads up. Flop came out 4 4 3 with 2 clubs. MP bets out 175, I made the call, not wanting the pot to grow too much, since we did only start with 1000, and just incase a bad card came on the turn I can still fold and be left with 700 chips. Then I hit gin on a turn, it was an 8 of hearts. MP checks to me, I check behind him, just incase he had a hand like AK. River was a 10 or a 7 (I can't remember, all I know it was a brick card. MP bets out 500 chips, I just casually fiddled with my chips and stuck it all in for his last 200 chips. I show my full house, and he shows pocket aces. So I got pretty lucky and doubled up the very first hand. With the added chips, I was able to pick my spots wisely and chip away at everyone. Then at the final heads up, I just sat there waiting to trap my hyper aggressive opponent that was pushing all in preflop with K 2, and won the tournament.
The Saturday right after, I decided to cash in and play the $1200 sat. The tournament took a bit of time to get all set up, cause a player forgot their card, and I guess they needed time, since it was only their 2nd Saturday running these $1200 sats. I think we were on our way at around 12:30pm. I started off ok, winning the first pot. Then later on as the blinds moved up to the 2rd level, I decided to play a big pot against my opponent on my right. I was UTG, and looked down at J 10 suited. I limped in for 50. as did about 5 other players. Then BB raises it up to 550, which my read on him was most likely AK, I decided to call, knowing that he's pretty agressive and I had enough chips to take the pot away from him if an ace or king doesn't flop. Flop comes out 10 8 4 with 2 hearts. He fires out 500 at a 1200 pot. Since it looks like a continuation bet, I just flat call, knowing he'll probably do a big bet on the turn, if I make him think I'm on a flush draw, and I'll grab him for all his chips. But then right away a king spikes on the turn. He fires out a bit over 500 again. I decided to make the call, just in case my read was wrong, I really wanted to see what he did on the river. River was another 8. And he pushes me all in. I fold, and then he tells me he had AK. That put me pretty short stacked, to around 1000 chips, and then the blinds moved up to level 3 (50-100) right when I'm going into BB. Soon enough I found myself short stacked to 550. I pick up pocket jacks in MP, I push all in, I take the blinds. But then as time moved on, I found myself short stacked again at around 1000 chips after the blinds just went up again. I look down and find pocket aces, I push all in UTG, MP rerasies all in which helps protect my hand, and he flips over pocket jacks. I double up. I continue attack the blinds, and I'm sure people at the table are picking up on my aggressive habits. Then one hand it was folded around to me in the SB. I look down and see two black kings. Blinds at this point were 150/300 with an ante (I don't remember exactly what the ante was). BB was the chip leader, that's pretty sick and tired of me raising all the time. I was about 2nd in chips so I could do some serious damage to his stack. I did my standard raise to 1000. He calls me, flop comes out 10 7 5, I fire out my usual 1000 continuation bet, he sticks me all in, and I quickly call. He turns over 10 2 of spades. And I double up. I take command of the whole table after that double up. When it came down to heads up, we played for about 1 hour, and I took the win. The final hand I picked up K 10 on the button, I did my usual raise. He called, Flop comes out K 6 4, he checks to me, I bet half the pot, he calls. Turn is another K, checks to me again, I bet half the pot, he calls, river is a 6. Suddendly he says to me, "All in", I'm like thinking, please don't be a split pot. I call him and he turns over ace-four.
Tournament lasted about 4 hours, heads up play was for 1 hour, and I think we had a 10 minute break in between.
I just picked up my voucher yesterday at Fallsview, since the next time I'll be there is on tournament day, and they suggested I do so to avoid the rush of players trying to redeem their voucher the day of. I felt I was pretty lucky and blessed with the good cards at the right time, to be able to win both of them on my first shot.
I'm in too - so we now have three guys from the forum in the big game. Hopefully in the last week we get some more. Go team!
Hey Popkorn - I was told not to pick up my voucher and leave it at the cage until next wednesday, in case I lost it. Because if you lose it, you are screwed. Maybe because I drank a few vodka redbulls that day and was levitating at the time, they thought I was a nut case. Oh well, I am getting there bright an early.
Did you guys book rooms yet? I live in Mississauga right now, but I will probably book something though, just in case. Thinking positive all the way through.
I am also wondering how many pros are going to come... I figure Daniel, Gavin Smith and the other Canadians are going to represent. Don't they have to as ambassadors of the game in Canada?
Anyone know if this event is getting a lot of buzz in Vegas, or is it going to be a locals filled game with a few big names smattered about. I don't care either way, just interested to know...
13CARDS - if you are reading this - what is the field looking like so far. Do you expect to hit 300 for the NAPC?
13CARDS - if you are reading this - what is the field looking like so far. Do you expect to hit 300 for the NAPC?
I expect that there will be two Day 1 events (which will happen if there is 301 or more entrants). Personally, I think we will be maxed out to our physical limitation*
So there is potentially going to be only half the field playing on the first day (a la wsop)? Or two separate events on the 25th? If that is the case, when will we know what days we are playing?
This is important information - if I can work on the 25th and only take the thursday/friday off, that would be huge.
But I am guessing everyone will need to register, in person, on Wednesday morning, regardless if you are playing that day or not, which kind of screws me.
So what you are really saying is the grand ballroom only has capacity for 30 tables?
I was just doing some snooping around and Paradise Poker is sending 50 players for the NAPC. With Poker Room also running satellites, they'll probably send a bunch too.
And when I was at Fallsview last Saturday, they had four Step B's running at the same time. With them running from this saturday until tuesday, I bet at least 150 players will qualifiy through the satellites, maybe more. So a field of 300 shouldn't be out of reach.
What I would love to know is how many people will just poney up the 10 dimes... There has to be a ton of pros out there who think this will be a very soft field and a great chance to get a WPT title.
Fallsview said there's probably going to be a crazy lineup of people waiting to pick up their vouchers the day off, so to beat the wait, you can grab it early.
Aren't other online sites sending a lot of people too? I play on UB a bit, and noticed that they have a lot of WPT Niagara satellites running. I actually wouldn't be surprised to see a turn out of over 400 people.
I am a journalist and this just came off the wire. It's bad enough I can hardly concentrate on work as it is, without these e-mails appearing in my inbox...
Top Canadian Poker Pros To Return Home For Inaugural World Poker Tour Canadian Open(TM) At Fallsview Casino Resort
fallsview 10-18 0925
News release via Canada NewsWire, Toronto 416-863-9350 -ME-
Attention News/Assignment/Entertainment Editors:
Top Canadian Poker Pros To Return Home For Inaugural World Poker Tour Canadian Open(TM) At Fallsview Casino Resort
Daniel Negreanu, Isabelle Mercier, and Gavin Smith will compete in the
sold-out tournament beginning October 22
NIAGARA FALLS, ON, Oct. 18 /CNW/ - WPT Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ-WPTE)
and Fallsview Casino Resort announced today that the anticipated field of 300
local and U.S. players at the inaugural WPT Canadian Open(TM) will also
include three of Canada's premier poker pros - Daniel Negreanu, Gavin Smith,
and Isabelle Mercier.
Adding more excitement to the much-anticipated event, the three recently
confirmed that they will return to their native country to celebrate the first
ever Canadian stop on the WPT circuit and compete for the first Canadian Open title.
"It is certainly fitting that these three, who have risen to prominence
on the WPT, are coming home to pay tribute to the millions of Canadian poker
fans who have watched them become worldwide celebrities on their TV sets,"
said Steve Lipscomb, CEO and founder of WPT Enterprises, Inc. "Daniel, Gavin
and Isabelle's participation in this ground breaking WPT event represents the
importance of establishing a tournament that Canadians can call their own."
It was also announced today that the WPT Canadian Open is completely sold
out - a remarkable accomplishment for a first-time tournament.
The WPT Canadian Open begins on October 22 and runs through October 24 at the Fallsview Casino Resort in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Immediately following
the event is the WPT North American Poker Championship(TM) (NAPC), which runs from October 25-28. The NAPC final table will be played on October 29 followed by the WPT Canadian Open final table on October 30. Both will be played in front of a television audience. The WPT Canadian Open will give many players a chance to experience a large-scale professional poker event at a lower buy-in cost than a large-scale main event and is the first major event of its kind in Canada.
I have been thinking about this a lot actually. Obviously, I want to win, so not crossing paths with any pros would be perfect. But at the same time, a little piece of me wants to battle a few, just for the experience. It's that whole "where else can anyone step up on the big stage and play against the world's best" mentality I guess.
I definitely hope the entire event is stocked with internet qualifiers, not that I'll take them lightly, because I won't, but because they are just not as experienced as the grizzled grinders of poker.
But I have to admit, I might be a little bit sad if I don't see Johnny Chan or Phil Ivey. Not at my table of course, I am not a masochist, but at least to give the event some star power.
I've been searching around the web to see who has committed and I can't find nary a soul other than the Canadians mentioned above.....
I was at Fallsview yesterday - tried 2 $160 sats....no luck. But I did make some of my money back at the 1/2NL game.
Asked one of the floor-people how many people they expected for the $10,000 event and he said they had over 400 already, and also mentioned "a lot of Americans" had registered. Asked about 2 day 1's, and he said he didn't know how they would work it.
Yeah El, those Step A's are a crap-shoot. With only 1k in chips, there is little room for error. It's completely different for the Step B's, but I guess that's how it has to be. They need as many Step A winners as they can get to feed the Step B's, which they don't mind dedicating more table-time to. Mine lasted 4.5 hours and that is with 30 minute blinds. We were almost through the 500-1000 200a level when it finished.
Wow - already over 400 players is huge. They were targeting 300, so they must be thrilled. 13 cards said they are splitting the field if they get over 300, but he didn't mention exactly how (half on wednesday and half on thursday, or two half days on wednesday...). I am thinking it's probably the former...
I hope that I don't see any of the professionals at my table until I am in the money. I will be so intimidated by them that I will either fold pocket aces out of fear or use Sklanksy's "System" against them.
Paradise Poker Sends Stacked Canadian Team to First-Ever Canadian World Poker Tour Event
NEW YORK, Oct. 6 /CNW/ - More than 50 Paradise Poker players have already
qualified for the first ever World Poker Tour (WPT) North American Poker
Championship in Canada at the Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls, Ontario from
October 25 - 29. No other online poker site will be as strongly represented as
Paradise Poker in the 300 person WPT field.
Many of Team Paradise's most accomplished players are Canadian, and are
excited to play in a WPT event at home for the first time. "A chance to win at home is special," said Jody Trainer, Abbotsford, BC-based Team Paradise player who recently won the Orleans Open in Las Vegas and was the number one poker tournament winner at BC's River Rock Casino in 2005. "A lot of the Canadian players stick together on tour and I know everyone is excited to have qualified to play in this event with Paradise Poker."
In addition to Jody Trainer, Canadian Paradise Poker champ David Matthew,
who recently won $1.9 million at the WPT Championship at the Bellagio Casino
in Las Vegas, has already qualified as have northern Canadian card kings Sean
Daulat and Benny Chen. All four play the poker circuit successfully and all
four participated in this year's World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.
"Team Paradise is working hard to bulk up and send a strong Canadian team
to the North American Poker Championship in Niagara Falls," said Scott Butler,
Marketing Director for Paradise Poker. "We think it would be wonderful for
Canadian poker to have a Canadian win the event."
Comments
It's great that you found somebody that was willing to pay $1,100 for the $1,200 voucher. I would have preferred using that same amount to play in the $160 satellites up to seven times instead.
I'm not usually good at writing these, so I'll try my best to make it coherent. And it's been about a month and a half ago since I played, so my memory is a bit blurry.
Once I found out satellites were starting at Fallsview, I think I went down right at the end of August to try my luck at winning a seat. The starting stack wasn't much, so most likely it was going to be a preflop game. Very first hand, I was dealt pocket 8's in LP. Blinds were 25-25, MP opened the pot for 125, folded around to me and I made the call, and we took the pot heads up. Flop came out 4 4 3 with 2 clubs. MP bets out 175, I made the call, not wanting the pot to grow too much, since we did only start with 1000, and just incase a bad card came on the turn I can still fold and be left with 700 chips. Then I hit gin on a turn, it was an 8 of hearts. MP checks to me, I check behind him, just incase he had a hand like AK. River was a 10 or a 7 (I can't remember, all I know it was a brick card. MP bets out 500 chips, I just casually fiddled with my chips and stuck it all in for his last 200 chips. I show my full house, and he shows pocket aces. So I got pretty lucky and doubled up the very first hand. With the added chips, I was able to pick my spots wisely and chip away at everyone. Then at the final heads up, I just sat there waiting to trap my hyper aggressive opponent that was pushing all in preflop with K 2, and won the tournament.
The Saturday right after, I decided to cash in and play the $1200 sat. The tournament took a bit of time to get all set up, cause a player forgot their card, and I guess they needed time, since it was only their 2nd Saturday running these $1200 sats. I think we were on our way at around 12:30pm. I started off ok, winning the first pot. Then later on as the blinds moved up to the 2rd level, I decided to play a big pot against my opponent on my right. I was UTG, and looked down at J 10 suited. I limped in for 50. as did about 5 other players. Then BB raises it up to 550, which my read on him was most likely AK, I decided to call, knowing that he's pretty agressive and I had enough chips to take the pot away from him if an ace or king doesn't flop. Flop comes out 10 8 4 with 2 hearts. He fires out 500 at a 1200 pot. Since it looks like a continuation bet, I just flat call, knowing he'll probably do a big bet on the turn, if I make him think I'm on a flush draw, and I'll grab him for all his chips. But then right away a king spikes on the turn. He fires out a bit over 500 again. I decided to make the call, just in case my read was wrong, I really wanted to see what he did on the river. River was another 8. And he pushes me all in. I fold, and then he tells me he had AK. That put me pretty short stacked, to around 1000 chips, and then the blinds moved up to level 3 (50-100) right when I'm going into BB. Soon enough I found myself short stacked to 550. I pick up pocket jacks in MP, I push all in, I take the blinds. But then as time moved on, I found myself short stacked again at around 1000 chips after the blinds just went up again. I look down and find pocket aces, I push all in UTG, MP rerasies all in which helps protect my hand, and he flips over pocket jacks. I double up. I continue attack the blinds, and I'm sure people at the table are picking up on my aggressive habits. Then one hand it was folded around to me in the SB. I look down and see two black kings. Blinds at this point were 150/300 with an ante (I don't remember exactly what the ante was). BB was the chip leader, that's pretty sick and tired of me raising all the time. I was about 2nd in chips so I could do some serious damage to his stack. I did my standard raise to 1000. He calls me, flop comes out 10 7 5, I fire out my usual 1000 continuation bet, he sticks me all in, and I quickly call. He turns over 10 2 of spades. And I double up. I take command of the whole table after that double up. When it came down to heads up, we played for about 1 hour, and I took the win. The final hand I picked up K 10 on the button, I did my usual raise. He called, Flop comes out K 6 4, he checks to me, I bet half the pot, he calls. Turn is another K, checks to me again, I bet half the pot, he calls, river is a 6. Suddendly he says to me, "All in", I'm like thinking, please don't be a split pot. I call him and he turns over ace-four.
Tournament lasted about 4 hours, heads up play was for 1 hour, and I think we had a 10 minute break in between.
I just picked up my voucher yesterday at Fallsview, since the next time I'll be there is on tournament day, and they suggested I do so to avoid the rush of players trying to redeem their voucher the day of. I felt I was pretty lucky and blessed with the good cards at the right time, to be able to win both of them on my first shot.
Hey Popkorn - I was told not to pick up my voucher and leave it at the cage until next wednesday, in case I lost it. Because if you lose it, you are screwed. Maybe because I drank a few vodka redbulls that day and was levitating at the time, they thought I was a nut case. Oh well, I am getting there bright an early.
Did you guys book rooms yet? I live in Mississauga right now, but I will probably book something though, just in case. Thinking positive all the way through.
I am also wondering how many pros are going to come... I figure Daniel, Gavin Smith and the other Canadians are going to represent. Don't they have to as ambassadors of the game in Canada?
Anyone know if this event is getting a lot of buzz in Vegas, or is it going to be a locals filled game with a few big names smattered about. I don't care either way, just interested to know...
13CARDS - if you are reading this - what is the field looking like so far. Do you expect to hit 300 for the NAPC?
I expect that there will be two Day 1 events (which will happen if there is 301 or more entrants). Personally, I think we will be maxed out to our physical limitation*
*Is that work-speak or what??
So there is potentially going to be only half the field playing on the first day (a la wsop)? Or two separate events on the 25th? If that is the case, when will we know what days we are playing?
This is important information - if I can work on the 25th and only take the thursday/friday off, that would be huge.
But I am guessing everyone will need to register, in person, on Wednesday morning, regardless if you are playing that day or not, which kind of screws me.
So what you are really saying is the grand ballroom only has capacity for 30 tables?
AK
And when I was at Fallsview last Saturday, they had four Step B's running at the same time. With them running from this saturday until tuesday, I bet at least 150 players will qualifiy through the satellites, maybe more. So a field of 300 shouldn't be out of reach.
What I would love to know is how many people will just poney up the 10 dimes... There has to be a ton of pros out there who think this will be a very soft field and a great chance to get a WPT title.
Aren't other online sites sending a lot of people too? I play on UB a bit, and noticed that they have a lot of WPT Niagara satellites running. I actually wouldn't be surprised to see a turn out of over 400 people.
Top Canadian Poker Pros To Return Home For Inaugural World Poker Tour Canadian Open(TM) At Fallsview Casino Resort
fallsview 10-18 0925
News release via Canada NewsWire, Toronto 416-863-9350 -ME-
Attention News/Assignment/Entertainment Editors:
Top Canadian Poker Pros To Return Home For Inaugural World Poker Tour Canadian Open(TM) At Fallsview Casino Resort
Daniel Negreanu, Isabelle Mercier, and Gavin Smith will compete in the
sold-out tournament beginning October 22
NIAGARA FALLS, ON, Oct. 18 /CNW/ - WPT Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ-WPTE)
and Fallsview Casino Resort announced today that the anticipated field of 300
local and U.S. players at the inaugural WPT Canadian Open(TM) will also
include three of Canada's premier poker pros - Daniel Negreanu, Gavin Smith,
and Isabelle Mercier.
Adding more excitement to the much-anticipated event, the three recently
confirmed that they will return to their native country to celebrate the first
ever Canadian stop on the WPT circuit and compete for the first Canadian Open title.
"It is certainly fitting that these three, who have risen to prominence
on the WPT, are coming home to pay tribute to the millions of Canadian poker
fans who have watched them become worldwide celebrities on their TV sets,"
said Steve Lipscomb, CEO and founder of WPT Enterprises, Inc. "Daniel, Gavin
and Isabelle's participation in this ground breaking WPT event represents the
importance of establishing a tournament that Canadians can call their own."
It was also announced today that the WPT Canadian Open is completely sold
out - a remarkable accomplishment for a first-time tournament.
The WPT Canadian Open begins on October 22 and runs through October 24 at the Fallsview Casino Resort in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Immediately following
the event is the WPT North American Poker Championship(TM) (NAPC), which runs from October 25-28. The NAPC final table will be played on October 29 followed by the WPT Canadian Open final table on October 30. Both will be played in front of a television audience. The WPT Canadian Open will give many players a chance to experience a large-scale professional poker event at a lower buy-in cost than a large-scale main event and is the first major event of its kind in Canada.
I have been thinking about this a lot actually. Obviously, I want to win, so not crossing paths with any pros would be perfect. But at the same time, a little piece of me wants to battle a few, just for the experience. It's that whole "where else can anyone step up on the big stage and play against the world's best" mentality I guess.
I definitely hope the entire event is stocked with internet qualifiers, not that I'll take them lightly, because I won't, but because they are just not as experienced as the grizzled grinders of poker.
But I have to admit, I might be a little bit sad if I don't see Johnny Chan or Phil Ivey. Not at my table of course, I am not a masochist, but at least to give the event some star power.
I've been searching around the web to see who has committed and I can't find nary a soul other than the Canadians mentioned above.....
Asked one of the floor-people how many people they expected for the $10,000 event and he said they had over 400 already, and also mentioned "a lot of Americans" had registered. Asked about 2 day 1's, and he said he didn't know how they would work it.
Wow - already over 400 players is huge. They were targeting 300, so they must be thrilled. 13 cards said they are splitting the field if they get over 300, but he didn't mention exactly how (half on wednesday and half on thursday, or two half days on wednesday...). I am thinking it's probably the former...
NEW YORK, Oct. 6 /CNW/ - More than 50 Paradise Poker players have already
qualified for the first ever World Poker Tour (WPT) North American Poker
Championship in Canada at the Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls, Ontario from
October 25 - 29. No other online poker site will be as strongly represented as
Paradise Poker in the 300 person WPT field.
Many of Team Paradise's most accomplished players are Canadian, and are
excited to play in a WPT event at home for the first time. "A chance to win at home is special," said Jody Trainer, Abbotsford, BC-based Team Paradise player who recently won the Orleans Open in Las Vegas and was the number one poker tournament winner at BC's River Rock Casino in 2005. "A lot of the Canadian players stick together on tour and I know everyone is excited to have qualified to play in this event with Paradise Poker."
In addition to Jody Trainer, Canadian Paradise Poker champ David Matthew,
who recently won $1.9 million at the WPT Championship at the Bellagio Casino
in Las Vegas, has already qualified as have northern Canadian card kings Sean
Daulat and Benny Chen. All four play the poker circuit successfully and all
four participated in this year's World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.
"Team Paradise is working hard to bulk up and send a strong Canadian team
to the North American Poker Championship in Niagara Falls," said Scott Butler,
Marketing Director for Paradise Poker. "We think it would be wonderful for
Canadian poker to have a Canadian win the event."