PokerStars
PokerStars’ Peter Eastgate, Youngest Ever WSOP Champion, Quits Poker
Poker fans were amazed by 22 year old
Peter Eastgate’s performance at the 2008
World Series of Poker when he took not only the title of
Main Event champion but also became the youngest player to do so.
Now, less than two years after setting the record, Eastgate is
shocking industry spectators again by announcing that he’s retiring
from professional poker.
Eastgate hails from Denmark and became an instant star after defeating Russia’s Ivan Demidov at the 2008 WSOP and cashing over nine million dollars. His win broke the previous record for youngest WSOP champion held by Phil Hellmuth (who triumphed in 1989 when he was only 24 years old) and also gave Eastgate access to the lucrative sponsorship opportunities that led to his signing with Team PokerStars Pro. Despite a career that continued to demonstrate a profound level of talent, Eastgate recently announced that he has lost his motivation for playing professional poker. Stating that his goal was always just to become financially independent, Eastgate now feels that the poker world has little left for him.
Neither PokerStars nor Eastgate have spoken to press as to the young player’s future plans but, for better or worse, they won’t include the world of professional poker. Peter Eastgate has only commented that he wants to “. . . try to focus on Peter Eastgate the person” rather than on his career in cards.
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Eastgate hails from Denmark and became an instant star after defeating Russia’s Ivan Demidov at the 2008 WSOP and cashing over nine million dollars. His win broke the previous record for youngest WSOP champion held by Phil Hellmuth (who triumphed in 1989 when he was only 24 years old) and also gave Eastgate access to the lucrative sponsorship opportunities that led to his signing with Team PokerStars Pro. Despite a career that continued to demonstrate a profound level of talent, Eastgate recently announced that he has lost his motivation for playing professional poker. Stating that his goal was always just to become financially independent, Eastgate now feels that the poker world has little left for him.
Neither PokerStars nor Eastgate have spoken to press as to the young player’s future plans but, for better or worse, they won’t include the world of professional poker. Peter Eastgate has only commented that he wants to “. . . try to focus on Peter Eastgate the person” rather than on his career in cards.
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Two New Players Join the Team PokerStars Pro Roster
Team PokerStars Pro has
added two new members to its prestigious line-up of players.
David Williams and Vanessa Selbst mark the two
most recent professionals to sign on with PokerStars ,
both players bringing years of experience and talent to the team.
Selbst, a Brooklyn, New York native and current Yale Law School student, is only 25 years old and comes to the PokerStars line-up with an impressive resume. Her credentials include roughly $1.5 million in live tournament wins, a World Series of Poker bracelet and impressive showings at various other international events.
Williams, 30 years old and a Texas native, entered the poker world in earnest in 2004 when he made a splash at that year’s World Series of Poker by fighting his way all the way through PokerStars online satellites and to the main event where he nearly won against Greg Raymer. Williams has raked millions of dollars, a bracelet at the 2006 WSOP and titles from high profile events including the World Championship of Online Poker and the 2010 World Poker Tour’s $25,000 Championship.
The roster of professionals at Team PokerStars Pro is sure to benefit from the addition of Williams and Selbst’s combined skill. The website has revealed that David Williams will play under the handle “Dwilliams” and that Vanessa Selbst will use “V.Selbst” for her online sessions.
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Selbst, a Brooklyn, New York native and current Yale Law School student, is only 25 years old and comes to the PokerStars line-up with an impressive resume. Her credentials include roughly $1.5 million in live tournament wins, a World Series of Poker bracelet and impressive showings at various other international events.
Williams, 30 years old and a Texas native, entered the poker world in earnest in 2004 when he made a splash at that year’s World Series of Poker by fighting his way all the way through PokerStars online satellites and to the main event where he nearly won against Greg Raymer. Williams has raked millions of dollars, a bracelet at the 2006 WSOP and titles from high profile events including the World Championship of Online Poker and the 2010 World Poker Tour’s $25,000 Championship.
The roster of professionals at Team PokerStars Pro is sure to benefit from the addition of Williams and Selbst’s combined skill. The website has revealed that David Williams will play under the handle “Dwilliams” and that Vanessa Selbst will use “V.Selbst” for her online sessions.
Visit PokerStars.com For the best online Poker experience now
PokerStars Opens Satellite Series for the Upcoming EPT Tallinn
Amateur poker players looking to break
into a professional event will be happy to learn that PokerStars has just
revealed its newest satellite series— and a great prize package for
its winners. By providing entry to the upcoming EPT Tallinn
premier, PokerStars are giving many
hopefuls the chance to compete in one of the largest (and most
lucrative) poker events to hit the Baltic region.
The satellite qualifying tournaments for EPT Tallinn have already kicked off with PokerStars recently accepting new entries (at as little as €5.45/250 Frequent Player Points) and outlining prize packages. Just under 50 players have already won their way to EPT Tallinn through PokerStars ’ satellites and the recent PokerStars Baltic Adventure but there are still spots for determined players. Those that are able to triumph in the EPT Tallinn satellite will win a €6,000 value prize package that includes Main Event buy-in, a full week of accommodations and a further €770 in spending cash.
Those that win the satellite will still have to face some tough opponents if they want to make a mark in Estonia however. Team PokerStars Pro members and notable professionals (including Katja Thater, Carter Phillips, Max Lykov, Kevin MacPhee and more) have already signed up to take part in the event.
Visit PokerStars.com For the best online Poker experience now
The satellite qualifying tournaments for EPT Tallinn have already kicked off with PokerStars recently accepting new entries (at as little as €5.45/250 Frequent Player Points) and outlining prize packages. Just under 50 players have already won their way to EPT Tallinn through PokerStars ’ satellites and the recent PokerStars Baltic Adventure but there are still spots for determined players. Those that are able to triumph in the EPT Tallinn satellite will win a €6,000 value prize package that includes Main Event buy-in, a full week of accommodations and a further €770 in spending cash.
Those that win the satellite will still have to face some tough opponents if they want to make a mark in Estonia however. Team PokerStars Pro members and notable professionals (including Katja Thater, Carter Phillips, Max Lykov, Kevin MacPhee and more) have already signed up to take part in the event.
Visit PokerStars.com For the best online Poker experience now
PokerStars North American Poker Tour Adds Scheduling Details
The PokerStars
North American Poker Tour (NAPT) has already made
waves throughout the continent with its massive prize pools and
fierce competition. Now the next event in the series has been
announced, bringing the tournament to California and giving PokerStars site members
another chance to gain entry.
PokerStars has started to reveal details of the next stop scheduled in its NAPT series, outlining information for this fall’s Los Angeles tour leg. The industry giant has announced that Southern California’s The Bicycle Casino will act as the venue for the fourth event in the NAPT. From 12 November through to 17 November, 2010, poker players will flock to the city to compete in either the $5,000 Buy-In Main Event or a wide variety of side events that have been designed to accommodate any size of bankroll. Team PokerStars Pro, Daniel Negreanu told press of his excitement to compete against California’s local players and the thrill that comes with being part of an event that draws in undiscovered talent from the LA poker community.
As always, PokerStars will be giving its fans the chance to get in on the NAPT excitement through a series of qualifiers and other site-hosted events. The PokerStars North American Poker Tour has previously enjoyed successful events this year as tournaments took place during January (at the Atlantis in Bahamas), February (at Las Vegas’ The Venetian) and, most recently, in April (at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut).
Visit PokerStars.com For the best online Poker experience now
PokerStars has started to reveal details of the next stop scheduled in its NAPT series, outlining information for this fall’s Los Angeles tour leg. The industry giant has announced that Southern California’s The Bicycle Casino will act as the venue for the fourth event in the NAPT. From 12 November through to 17 November, 2010, poker players will flock to the city to compete in either the $5,000 Buy-In Main Event or a wide variety of side events that have been designed to accommodate any size of bankroll. Team PokerStars Pro, Daniel Negreanu told press of his excitement to compete against California’s local players and the thrill that comes with being part of an event that draws in undiscovered talent from the LA poker community.
As always, PokerStars will be giving its fans the chance to get in on the NAPT excitement through a series of qualifiers and other site-hosted events. The PokerStars North American Poker Tour has previously enjoyed successful events this year as tournaments took place during January (at the Atlantis in Bahamas), February (at Las Vegas’ The Venetian) and, most recently, in April (at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut).
Visit PokerStars.com For the best online Poker experience now
Finnish Poker Player, Ville Wahlbeck, Signs to Team PokerStars Pro
The prestigious Team
PokerStars Pro has just gained its newest member with the
signing of Finnish player, Ville Wahlbeck. PokerStars, one of the
most popular online poker websites in the gaming industry,
officially announced the addition of Wahlbeck to the team recently
and will be promoting him at the upcoming PokerStars.com Baltic
Festival.
Wahlbeck is thirty-four years old and has become the first Finnish poker player to join PokerStars’ famous team of professional competitors. Hailing from Helsinki, Wahlbeck has made a name for himself through six outstanding years of professional level play. He finally caught the notice of PokerStars when he took down 193 competitors to win a World Series of Poker bracelet, becoming Finland’s first player to do so, and earning a $492,384 cash prize. His performance at the WSOP also saw Wahlbeck cashing six times, receiving over a million dollars, and becoming the runner-up for the title of WSOP Player of the Year.
Team PokerStars Pro is composed of some of the biggest names in the poker world and Wahlbeck now stands alongside celebrities such as Joe Cada, Daniel Negreanu and Vanessa Rousso. Ville Wahlbeck’s first appearance under PokerStars’ sponsorship will be at upcoming the PokerStars.com Baltic Festival in Tallinn, Estonia. In the 2009 edition of the same event, Wahlbeck won $52,000 at the high roller event.
Visit PokerStars.com For the best online Poker experience now
Wahlbeck is thirty-four years old and has become the first Finnish poker player to join PokerStars’ famous team of professional competitors. Hailing from Helsinki, Wahlbeck has made a name for himself through six outstanding years of professional level play. He finally caught the notice of PokerStars when he took down 193 competitors to win a World Series of Poker bracelet, becoming Finland’s first player to do so, and earning a $492,384 cash prize. His performance at the WSOP also saw Wahlbeck cashing six times, receiving over a million dollars, and becoming the runner-up for the title of WSOP Player of the Year.
Team PokerStars Pro is composed of some of the biggest names in the poker world and Wahlbeck now stands alongside celebrities such as Joe Cada, Daniel Negreanu and Vanessa Rousso. Ville Wahlbeck’s first appearance under PokerStars’ sponsorship will be at upcoming the PokerStars.com Baltic Festival in Tallinn, Estonia. In the 2009 edition of the same event, Wahlbeck won $52,000 at the high roller event.
Visit PokerStars.com For the best online Poker experience now
WCOOP Schedule Announced by PokerStars
It’s getting close again to that time
of year when online poker players get ready for the biggest virtual
event of the season, the World Championships of Online Poker
(WCOOP). Now the WCOOP schedule has been announced with tentative
dates and outlines for the events and timeline players and fans can
expect for this year.
The current schedule will see the WCOOP adding twelve brand new events to the line-up, bringing the prize money guarantee to a formidable $40 million. A total of 45 events will kick off with the $215 Buy-in No Limit Hold ‘Em Six-Max event ($1.25 guarantee) on September 3rd at 2.30pm EST. Later that day the schedule continues with a $215 Razz tournament ($200,000 guarantee) before September 4th hosts a $215 Pot-Limit Omaha Six-Max game ($500,000 guarantee), a No-Limit Single Draw 2-7 tournament and a $109 Buy-in Eight Game competition ($50,000 guarantee).
With the 2009 World Championships of Online Poker bringing in over 20,000 players, the added events (and prize money) should help to guarantee an even greater showing for PokerStars and co.. The decision for PokerStars to accept fan suggestions and comments before the September 16th, 19th and 20th final events will also play a large part in keeping the monumental Championship viable for years to come, showing a commitment to improvement and player interaction not yet demonstrated in other tournaments.
The current schedule will see the WCOOP adding twelve brand new events to the line-up, bringing the prize money guarantee to a formidable $40 million. A total of 45 events will kick off with the $215 Buy-in No Limit Hold ‘Em Six-Max event ($1.25 guarantee) on September 3rd at 2.30pm EST. Later that day the schedule continues with a $215 Razz tournament ($200,000 guarantee) before September 4th hosts a $215 Pot-Limit Omaha Six-Max game ($500,000 guarantee), a No-Limit Single Draw 2-7 tournament and a $109 Buy-in Eight Game competition ($50,000 guarantee).
With the 2009 World Championships of Online Poker bringing in over 20,000 players, the added events (and prize money) should help to guarantee an even greater showing for PokerStars and co.. The decision for PokerStars to accept fan suggestions and comments before the September 16th, 19th and 20th final events will also play a large part in keeping the monumental Championship viable for years to come, showing a commitment to improvement and player interaction not yet demonstrated in other tournaments.
Justin Bonomo Secures Win in PokerStars Super Tuesday
PokerStars
Super
Tuesday is one of
the biggest recurring tournaments in online poker and is
consistently filled with talented and ambitious players. The second
last week of July saw one of these determined contestants rise to
the top of the pack, winning plenty of cash (and bragging rights)
thanks to some excellent playing and a few spots of good
fortune.
Justin Bonomo (who goes by the handle, “ZeeJustin&rdquo
went up against a number of other
PokerStars members in
order to secure a stunning victory at the tables. Of the 389
entrants to the Super Tuesday event Bonomo managed to emerge
triumphant, making his way to the final table as chip leader (with
344,256 to the second highest player’s 256,900 chips) and holding
the position through until the end of the game. With a 3-1 chip
lead, Bonomo went heads up against contender, Mumtum23 and clinched
a win with a bit of luck and a decent helping of bravado. Bonomo
held a K and 7 of hearts while Mumtum23 was facing a jack of spades
and 4 and 9 of hearts with a K of clubs and 4 of diamonds.
Bonomo finished the game with a total of $75,855.00, a considerable lead over second place winner “Mumtum23” (with $57,377.50) and third place entrant, “Opperstoof69” (with $42,790.00). The cash winnings are sure to help finance the PokerStars member as he continues to advance in the game both in online and real-world tournaments.
Justin Bonomo (who goes by the handle, “ZeeJustin&rdquo
went up against a number of other
PokerStars members in
order to secure a stunning victory at the tables. Of the 389
entrants to the Super Tuesday event Bonomo managed to emerge
triumphant, making his way to the final table as chip leader (with
344,256 to the second highest player’s 256,900 chips) and holding
the position through until the end of the game. With a 3-1 chip
lead, Bonomo went heads up against contender, Mumtum23 and clinched
a win with a bit of luck and a decent helping of bravado. Bonomo
held a K and 7 of hearts while Mumtum23 was facing a jack of spades
and 4 and 9 of hearts with a K of clubs and 4 of diamonds.Bonomo finished the game with a total of $75,855.00, a considerable lead over second place winner “Mumtum23” (with $57,377.50) and third place entrant, “Opperstoof69” (with $42,790.00). The cash winnings are sure to help finance the PokerStars member as he continues to advance in the game both in online and real-world tournaments.
PokerStars Holds on to Guinness World Record for another Year
PokerStars Holds on to Guinness World Record for another Year
After battling it out with another of the world’s most notable internet poker platforms, fan favourite, PokerStars managed to hold on to its Guinness World Record title for yet another year. The record in question was previously awarded to PokerStars for the site’s ability to hold the largest-ever online poker tournament in 2008, and now, they have been confirmed as the winner of the position for 2009 as well.PokerStars had to hold off attempts at the record by another enormously popular online poker network, Full Tilt Poker in the weeks leading up to the award. Earlier in the year PokerStars held an $11 buy-in tournament that attracted a total of 35,000 players to the game.
While this was certainly a difficult milestone to top, Full Tilt Poker recently announced their plans to top the record as part of their fifth birthday celebrations. Full Tilt’s “The Record Breaker” hosted a 50,000 player cap and a $5 buy-in, all but ensuring the win until PokerStars retaliated with a 60,000 player cap, $1 buy-in event that managed to draw in the full number of players, securing the record for another year.
The site’s ability to provide such an enormous series of games is sure to help drum up publicity for poker fans and Guinness readers alike. Although Full Tilt Poker failed to wrest the title from PokerStars this year it would still not come as much of a surprise if yet another attempt was made at the record in the time leading up to the Guinness World Records for 2010.
Jesper Hougaard Wins PokerStars Sunday Million
Jesper Hougaard Wins PokerStars Sunday Million
Jesper Hougaard has been making quite a splash throughout the poker world during the last few years, racking up high-profile wins and quite a reputation in the process. Now the Danish pro has done it again at the recent PokerStars Sunday Million event, taking home a massive cash prize and yet another title to add to his constantly improving reputation.Hougaard is no stranger to the Sunday Million having won the title of tournament champion once before in April of last year. Although his recent win in this Sunday Million came at one of the few PokerStars events that failed to reach the $1.5 million prize pool, Hougaard did manage to take home a considerable reward for his stellar performance. He finished ahead of users with the handles “philipoo” and “praetoriancz”, ending up at the final table without having actually eliminated any other players throughout the rest of the game. Despite his cautious play, Hougaard entered into the final hands as the chip leader and beat philipoo after forcing his competitor into an all-in push for the victory.
For his troubles Hougaard walked away with $206,834.57 from the overall pot provided by PokerStars for the venerable tournament event. philipoo finished second with $174,580.93 and praetoriancz came in third with a still impressive $129,139.50. Hougaard made his mark against some 7,177 opponents registered at the Sunday Million, emerging as the champion after coming up through the daunting task of fighting off six other players with higher chip counts.
PokerStars Launches the UK and Irish Poker League
PokerStars Launches the UK and Irish Poker League
PokerStars has provided some good news for British Isles poker fans with the announcement of the brand new UK and Irish Poker League. The league has been set up to provide incentive and reward for frequent play at the site, giving members the goal of reaching for the top of the heap and becoming part of a select group of winners.The UK and Irish Poker League will be determined based on a leaderboard now active on the PokerStars client. Members of the popular PokerStars site will have their table time recorded for entry into the competition ladder, tracking accumulated points and exactly how they stack up against other British and Irish players. The more events that members enter, the higher their win and the larger their point earnings, the better they will fare on the leaderboard which rewards $300 to the top one hundred players on a monthly basis.
PokerStars players can choose to compete within all or any one of the three league divisions. Division One requires a $1 buy-in while Division Two allows free play (2,000 play money chips equal one buy-in). Division Three (or the FPP Division) allows the exchange of 25 Frequent Player Points for one buy-in. There are new opportunities for substantial rewards every month, a system that should help encourage stiff competition and busy tables at the PokerStars network.
PokerStars Offers up the UK Poker Open
After the success enjoyed by PokerStars with its UK and
Irish Poker League leaderboards
the site has continued to branch out with the announcement of an
upcoming tournament series. The UK Poker Open is set
to kick off soon in order to provide a little more excitement for
the spring before tournament season starts off in earnest this
summer.
The Open is a No-Limit Texas Hold ‘Em tournament that gives players from all across the United Kingdom and Ireland the opportunity to win out against stiff competition and take home the guaranteed $50,000 prize pool. The tournament begins on Sunday, March 24th at 7.30pm GMT (3.30pm EST) with the chance to take home the considerable pot.
PokerStars has made the UK Poker Open available for essentially any poker player with the determination to enter and compete in the games regardless of the size of their bankroll. Even without much money to their name, would-be competitors can still prove their worthiness by testing their skills against others in qualifying satellites leading up to the event.
Interested players can buy-in or register to the UK Poker Open through a few different methods. The most up-front manner of gaining Open entrance is via the $111 direct buy-in but poker fans can also get into the tournament by qualifying through the daily cash ($2.20 required) or Frequent Player Point (10 FPP required) satellites.
The Open is a No-Limit Texas Hold ‘Em tournament that gives players from all across the United Kingdom and Ireland the opportunity to win out against stiff competition and take home the guaranteed $50,000 prize pool. The tournament begins on Sunday, March 24th at 7.30pm GMT (3.30pm EST) with the chance to take home the considerable pot.
PokerStars has made the UK Poker Open available for essentially any poker player with the determination to enter and compete in the games regardless of the size of their bankroll. Even without much money to their name, would-be competitors can still prove their worthiness by testing their skills against others in qualifying satellites leading up to the event.
Interested players can buy-in or register to the UK Poker Open through a few different methods. The most up-front manner of gaining Open entrance is via the $111 direct buy-in but poker fans can also get into the tournament by qualifying through the daily cash ($2.20 required) or Frequent Player Point (10 FPP required) satellites.
