The Nightly Turbo: PokerStars' 90 Billionth Hand Pays $228K, WPT Dublin, and More
Six players sitting at a $1/$2 cash game table at PokerStars shared a promotional jackpot worth $228,000 on Thursday. We're bringing you that story, plus the schedule for the World Poker Tour National Series in Dublin, in this edition of the Nightly Turbo.
In Case You Missed It
Jonathan Roy won the inaugural World Poker Tour Montreal event this week. Chad Holloway caught up with the champ to talk about his big win, poker in Canada, and plans for his prize winnings.
Former Full Tilt Poker exec Rafe Furst settled his civil case with the Department of Justice on Thursday. Get the full story here at PokerNews.com.
World Poker Tour Mazagan continued Wednesday with the second of two Day 1 flights. Clement Beauvois emerged as the overall chip leader, besting Day 1a leader Guillaume Darcourt.
Dan Smith maintained his lead in the Global Poker Index this week. But Mickey Doft says there's about to be a noticeable shift in the rankings.
PokerStars Celebrates 90 Billion
PokerStars dealt its 90 billionth hand on Thursday, giving the players at one lucky table more than $228,000 combined as part of the Mega Milestone celebration. PokerStars rewarded hundreds of winners leading up to the 90 billionth hand, but the big prize came at a six-handed $1/$2 no-limit hold'em table on Thursday.
Railbirds and several members of Team PokerStars Pro (including Chris Moneymaker and Liv Boeree) flocked to table "Ornamenta" as six players were informed of their good fortune. After the announcement was made at the table, excitement from the players escalated.
carambaWOW: sick
Balazska87: wow
Kud3: its my first
guss23778: :)
m1sspiggy: bzzzz
m1sspiggy: buzzing
SHUR43: yes))) I am shocked))))
After a few minutes setting up the momentous hand, the cards were dealt and all six players moved all in preflop for a total of $1,689. The board slowly rolled out Q?7?9?4?5?, and the 7?4? of "m1sspiggy" was good enough to win the $1,220 main pot, plus another $66,380 for winning the promotion. The other five players split $162,150, with each receiving at least $14,000.
The next Mega Milestone at PokerStars will be hand No. 95 billion. For more on the 90 billionth hand, visit the PokerStars Blog.
WPT Returns to Dublin
The World Poker Tour has announced the schedule for Season XI's WPT National Series Dublin from Jan. 3 through 6, 2013. The series will feature a �1,200+�120 buy-in Main Event, as well as a promising selection of side events.
Season X's stop in Dublin was part of the WPT schedule and drew 338 players for the higher-priced �2,500 buy-in, creating a prize pool of �760,500. The event attracted the likes of Sam Macdonald, Dermot Blain, William Dorey, Ken Doherty, David Nicholson, Daniel Smyth, Ross Boatman, Stuart Fox,and Shaun Conning. Well-known online player David "CrabMaki" Shallow went on to win the tournament and the �222,280 first-place prize.
Satellite tournaments for the Main Event will be running throughout the series at WPT Dublin, and online satellites will be made available at PRK.com.
For a complete look at the WPT National Series Dublin schedule, visit UK.PokerNews.com.
Poker and Tennis With Rafael Nadal
Earlier this month, PokerStars jump-started a new promotion in which one contestant would have the opportunity to spend the day with tennis icon and Team PokerStars Sports Pro Rafael Nadal.
The Rafa Nadal Dream Day competition was simple; submit a photo of your best poker face via Facebook or Twitter for the chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to Majorca (Spain) to not only have dinner with Nadal but also play a session of tennis and a home poker game.
Joshua Jacobs, a 19-year old U.K. resident, submitted the winning photo �� of a collage of himself looking confused and awkward �� which grabbed the panel��s attention through creativity and humor.
Although Jacobs doesn��t rate his poker skills up to par, he does feel confident in his match against Nadal on the court. "How do I fancy my chances? Quietly confident. I'll target his back hand," he said.
Best of luck with that, Joshua.
Read more about the winner at the PokerStars Blog.
Bill��s Gamblin�� Hall Closing
It was a sad day for several members of the PokerNews Live Reporting team as Caesars Entertainment Corp. announced that Bill��s Gamblin�� Hall is scheduled to close Feb. 4 for a $185 million renovation project.
The 198-room hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip will reinvent itself with a new theme and name, and is scheduled to reopen in early 2014. Some changes will include the addition of a rooftop pool, additional restaurant, and dayclub/nightclub that will be overseen by Drai Management Group.
"This project exemplifies our strategy to develop new experiences that will help attract a broader spectrum of visitors to Las Vegas and our properties," Caesars Entertainment Chairman Gary Loveman said in a statement. "The renovated property will provide visitors with a sophisticated, upscale experience, including a unique rooftop pool and club, which will have a panoramic view of the Las Vegas Strip."
The building has seen its share of turnaround, originally opening as Barbary Coast Hotel & Casino in 1979, only to be renamed Bill��s Gamblin�� Hall and Saloon in 2007 after being acquired by Harrah��s Entertainment.
Bill��s Gamblin�� Hall has been a popular spot for many PokerNews staffers looking to wind down after a long day covering WSOP events. The poker room offered no-limit hold'em cash games as low as $.50/1 and always attracted a diverse collection of drunks players.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal has more.
PokerNews Nominated for Affiliate Award
The nominations are in for the Sixth Annual iGB Affiliate Awards, and we're excited to announce that PokerNews.com is up for the award of Best Poker Affiliate! The honor recognizes the poker affiliate that has excelled most in 2011-2012. When selecting their choice, voters are asked to consider criteria such as volume of traffic, innovation, reputation with players, and brand power.
The awards are taking place Friday, Feb 8. at The Brewery in London. Tickets are for sale for ��125 for affiliates, ��2,000 for a table for 10 for non-affiliates and ��275 per seat for nonaffiliates if you want to check it out solo.
To place your vote for PokerNews, head on over to iGBAffiliateAwards.com.
SexyLady Taking Her Shot
On Nov. 18, a player with the username "sexylady409" won the PokerStars Sunday Million for $132,928 after a four-way deal. Some players might put a huge score like that toward a house or a car, but "sexylady409" is using it to take a shot some of the biggest games available at PokerStars, including $50/100 no-limit hold'em cash games.
We've seen this before, and it usually doesn't end well. But according to members of the TwoPlusTwo forum, "sexylady409" has been holding her own so far. Is she good enough to win at those stakes long-term? Take a look at her play from the Sunday Million final table and decide for yourself:
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