This weekend’s lousy weather may have stunted the prize pool at Caesar’s World Series of Poker circuit event’s main event, keeping it below $1 million (the city really can’t catch a break on the weather these days). But poker pro Roland Isra, 52, of New York, probably can live with the $264,715 top prize. The event, a $4,900 + $250 No Limit Hold’em tournament, still managed 174 entrants, from 20 states and seven different nations for a total prize pool of $817,015.

Roland Isra

The tournament was played over three days beginning Friday and finishing up late Sunday and attracted several notable pros. Among those who cashed was Paul Wasicka, perhaps best known as the runner-up finisher to Jamie Gold in the 2006 WSOP Main Event. Wasicka finished 12th. Another top pro who cashed was Jacobo Fernandez (14th), who enjoyed a huge year at the 2008 WSOP when he cashed seven times and made three final tables. Las Vegas pro Nick Binger also made the money, finishing in 17th place, according to the WSOP blog.

Isra won the top spot after facing down second place finisher Christopher Mitchell of Sumter S.C. heads-up for about three hours. Mitchell, who suffered several bad beats at the final table, eventually lost to Isra’s two pair after missing an inside straight draw. He took home $138,894.

The meet lasted 12 events with most topping $50,000 in winning payouts. The entire event also had a strong showing for amateurs, despite the presence of several pros, and drew players from throughout the country — even after the rains came.

For more info on the tournament and the later events go here.

College students have made quite a mark on the poker scene the last few years and the Caesar’s World Series of Poker circuit event is no different. Event 5 of the 12-event circuit meet has gone to emerging poker star Alexandru Masek of San Diego, who won $39,372 in the $300 + $40 No Limit Hold’em event.

The 25 year old is attending law school at the University of San Diego (so technically he’s graduated college, but he’s been playing since his undergraduate days in Florida) and has already won a WSOP circuit event, which means he now has two WSOP rings. He won his first at Harrah’s Rincon in California less than a year ago. Masek had a fairly easy final table as he had the chip lead going in and outlasted the rest of the field.

Alexandru Masek

The Caesars event has shown a strong drawing power and has been bringing in players from around the country. Still, it’s nice to see a local player make good and in Event 5, Kerry Small, a real estate appraiser from Ventnor came in third collecting just over $10,000.

Today’s Circuit event (March 9) is a large one with a $1,000 + 80 buy-in, No Limit Hold’em tourney beginning at noon. Tomorrow features a $1,500 + $100 deep stack tournament ($20,000 in chips) and, of course, Friday starts the circuit meet’s Main Event, a $4,900 + 250 No Limit Hold’em tournament. The winner, along with cash winnings, gets a $10,000 seat at the WSOP Main Event in July at The Rio in Las Vegas. You can follow the Caesars action here and get a tournament schedule here.

It’s been a great showing for amateurs as things kept rolling through the weekend at Caesars World Series of Poker circuit event, with more winners being announced.

Event 2, a $500 + 60 No Limit Hold’em tournament saw Ithaca N.Y. plumber Michael J. Morusty face down pro Luis Nargento, (Queens N.Y.) for the tournament win.  The two players dominated the tournament from start to finish and appropriately found themselves in a final showdown. Morusty, 54, won $39,731 and added to an already impressive amateur record which includes a 4^th place finish in the 2009 Seniors World Championship at last year’s WSOP.

Earnest Whistler

Event 3 was a $300 + $40 tournament which attracted a big field of 662 and posted a $53,940 top prize. Virginian Earnest Whistler, 41, survived an about four-hour final showdown between himself and pros Adam “Lippy” Lippert and Vinny Pahuja, who have more than $1.6 million in tournament wins between them. According to the WSOP blog, the brash amateur challenging two pros heightened tension at the final table, but eventually Whistler outlasted both of them and is credited with getting more than a few improbable suck outs.

Event 4, a $500 + $60 No Limit tournament saw another amateur, John Hubiak, 29, of Taylor Pa. pick up a $58,937 top prize after agreeing to a final two-player deal with semi-pro William Daloisi, who pocketed $30,419. Hubiak won the WSOP ring which all winners of the events major tournaments receive.

Today’s event is another $500 + $60 No Limit Hold’em tournament beginning at noon. The circuit event also includes daily satellites for the event’s main tournament, a $4,900 + $250 No Limit Hold’em tournament beginning March 12 where the winner gets a $10,000 seat at the WSOP Main Event this July at The Rio in Las Vegas. To follow the action, check out The WSOP blog here. For a tournament schedule go here.

Tony Cheng

We have a winner in the first event of the WSOP circuit tournament now underway at Caesars (running to March 14). According to the WSOP blog, the first champion of the Caesars series is Yat “Tony” Cheng, from Atlanta, GA. The 32-year-old, Chinese born poker pro usually plays cash games and often plays in A.C. Cheng was short stacked for a time at the final table, but eventually coasted to his first major tournament victory, collecting $55,569 in the $300 + $40 tournament. That won Cheng a WSOP Circuit gold ring.

The 12 daily major events scheduled for the tournament are set for two days, but event one (which began Wednesday) went into a third day even though 90 percent of players went down in day one. The $198,462 prize pool paid the top 63 players. The final table started Thursday evening and didn’t wrap up until 7am today (March 5). Cheng wasn’t the only short-stacked player to persevere as chip leaders fell pretty consistently, including pro Chris Manouge of Philly who had the early chip lead.

Along with the daily events with WSOP rings at stake, the tournament includes daily satellites for the tournaments main event, a $4,900 + $250 tournament to begin March 12.  The winner of that tournament gets a $10,000 seat at the WSOP Main Event in July at The Rio in Las Vegas (as well as top prize from an expected $1 million plus prize pool).

Today’s major event, event three on the schedule, is another $300 + $40 tournament beginning at noon. Go here for a schedule of tournaments and here to follow the WSOP blog.

The Tropicana is worried about your poker game and wants you to get better. They figure all it will take is a little poker boot camp. So to help, the casino will hold a World Poker Tour Boot Camp April 9-10 taught by poker pros Kathy Liebert, Nick Brancato, Rick Fuller and Nick Binger.

In a press release, the Tropicana says the about $1,895 camp “will teach players of all skill ranges how to become a consistently winning player. The pros will share their secrets of tournament play and help players learn to build a big stack, adjust play based on the rounds, learn to play based on their and their opponents stack size, use your table image to your advantage and not be fooled by your opponent and know how to get correct pot odds and keep your opponents from getting them.”

Kathy Liebert

The camp includes breakfast and lunch each day, an eight-and-a-half-hour lecture with the four tour professionals, two and a half hours of lab instructions, a private tournament on Friday night where the winner will receive entrance into the Alumni World Poker Tour Boot Camp, and two hours of sit-n-go tournaments on Saturday.

To register for the World Poker Tour Boot Camp at the Tropicana Casino & Resort go here or call 1-866-WPT-BOOT.

Tropicana Turf Club members can also win a spot in the boot camp by playing in the Poker Room. For info visit www.tropicana.net

Jeff Madsen

While “snowmageddon” was the big story around the region this weekend, poker pro Jeff Madsen generated some heat just in the nick of time Friday by winning $625,000 in the Borgata Winter Open’s main event.
Madsen’s win came Friday evening, just about when the flakes started to fall.
“It feels good,” Madsen tells The Borgata’s poker blog after beating Sirous Jamshidi (Broomall, PA) heads-up to take the title and the first place prize of $625,006. “It takes a while for it to set in, but in a few days I’ll look back on it. It was a really good tournament.”
Madsen was the tournament’s chip leader after day 2 and Jamshidi had the chip lead going into the final day. The two ended up playing the final hands for more than an hour heads-up. Finally, with about 10 big blinds left, Janshidi went all in for about $1.9 million in tournament chips with queen and deuce of spades. Madsen called with king of hearts, 10 of diamonds.
The board came out jack of diamonds, seven of hearts, six of clubs, king of diamonds, five of clubs, giving Madsen a pair of kings and the win.
Madsen, a two time bracelet winner at the WSOP now has more than $3 million in tournament cashes.
“I’ve had success in the past,” Madsen says, “but it feels good to get these big wins and to continue to prove myself in the poker world.”
Here’s a list of the final table payouts:
1. Jeff Madsen, $625,006
2. Sirous Jamshidi, $367,794
3. Tom Marchese, $190,027
4. Barkley Hamilton, $165,508
5. Nick Kamen, $140,988
6. Al Grimes, $116,468
7. Dave Fox, $91,949
8. Ross Mallor, $67,429
9. Chan Pelton, $49,039
10. Matt Matros, $31,876
For a recap of the last table action go here.

Jeffrey Madsen

Poker pro Jeffrey Madsen of Las Vegas is the chip leader at The Borgata Winter Open’s main event after Day 2. Madsen ended the day with $880,700 in tournament chips. Madsen won two WSOP bracelets in 2006 and has more than $2.2 million in tournament earnings in his career.
He’s looking to cash in on the tournament’s $625,000 winning payout from the about $2.45 million prize pool. Entering Day 3 today (Feb. 3) 134 players remain out of a field of 766 entries.
Pro Rahjesh Vorha of Pompano Beach Fla. is second with $591,500 in tournament chips. David Cairns, a pro from Toronto is at No. 3 with $492,700. And since we’ve highlighted his appearance in A.C., Bryn Mawr Pa.’s Dan Shak  is at 27th with $252,000.
The tournament will pay the top 72 finishers. Go here to follow the action,

The Borgata Winter Open poker tournament’s main event has gone past the guaranteed $2 million prize pool, coming in with 766 entries and a total pool of $2,451,966. The winner of the No Limit Hold’em tournament will take a $625,006 payout. The tournament will cash 72 players, with the following payouts, according to The Borgata:

1st: $625,006
2nd: $367,794
3rd: $190,027
4th: $165,508
5th: $140,988
6th: $116,468
7th: $91,949
8th: $67,429
9th: $49,039
10th-12th: $31,876
13th-15th: $23,294
16th-18th: $14,712
19th-27th: $11,034
28th-36th: $9,317
37th-45th: $7,846
46th-54th: $6,866
55th-63rd: $6,375
64th-72nd: $6,130

As predicted, Monday’s Day 1-B field was a little bigger than Sunday’s opening day with about 500 players entering the $3,300 buy-in tournament.

Melanie Wesiner

Meanwhile, opening day play had a valuable lesson for tournament play — Don’t muck your cards until you know you’ve read your hand correctly. Melanie Weisner of Houston was sitting on ace, queen when the board came out A-K-10-K-Q. That reads as two pair, aces and kings with a queen kicker as her hole queen was no help. Her opponent had ace, 10, but misread the cards and mucked them thinking he’d lost. He hadn’t since he too had aces and kings with a queen kicker by not playing his own 10.

Long story short, what should have been a chopped pot went to Weisner. Remember, haste makes waste.

For more stories on the action go here.

There’s a lot to report from the Borgata Winter Open poker tournament, which moved into its main event, a $2 million guaranteed prize pool no-limit hold’em tournament, on Sunday (Jan. 31). Day 1-A (today is Day 1-B), saw about 279 players register for the $3,300 + $200 buy-in. Borgata officials expect a larger crowd today as there were some major online events happening Sunday.

Dan Shak

One of the clear day one stars has to be Dan Shak, who just won the $100,000 Challenge at the 2010 Aussie Millions in Melbourne to the tune of $1.2 million. Shak beat Phil Ivey, who you may recall from an earlier blog, became the all-time tournament money leader with his $600,000 finish. Shak’s ex-wife and poker pro Beth Shak, is also expected to play in the main event.

Michael Phelps

The open has seen its fair share of pros so far. At last week’s $2,000 buy-in heads up event pros included Gavin Smith, Matt Glantz, Jeff Madson, Jason Mercier, Adam Gerber, Michael Binger, Nicholas Binger, Paul Wasicka, this past September’s Borgata Poker Open Champion Olivier Busquet, and in a celebrity sighting, Olympian Michael Phelps. Despite the names, the winner of the tournament was listed as Freddie Najafabadi.

Meanwhile, in one of the last big buy-ins before the main event, Daniel Garon of Sunny Isles Beach, Fla. won  $143.051 in a $1,500 no-limit hold’em event Sunday.

You can follow the main event action here.

Poker pro Phil Ivey may not live near Atlantic City these days, (Like The Miss America Pageant, he moved to Las Vegas), but the resort’s casinos are still where he cut his teeth and learned the game. So that now means A.C. has produced poker’s all-time leader on the tournament money list.
Ivey moved past pro Daniel Negraneu with a second place finish Monday at the $100,000 Challenge at the 2010 Aussie Millions in Melbourne. Ivey’s about $600,000 payday leaves him with about $12.8 million in tournament cashes.

Dan Shak

Ivey lost to Dan Shak of Bryn Mawr Pa., who took in $1.2 million. On the final hand, Shak pushed all in on the short-stacked Ivey with ace, seven of clubs. Ivey called with ace, 10 of diamonds. Shak then hit a seven of hearts on the flop and no help came to Ivey on the turn or river.
“This is something I’ve been working towards for such a long time and I may not show the excitement, but inside I’m extremely excited.” Shak told PokerListings.com after the tournament. “I’m not going to jump up and down, but inside I probably already am.”
The 24 player tournament carried a $100,000 buy-in.”

Beth Shak

And in a startling coincidence, Shak’s ex-wife is poker pro Beth Shak, who is scheduled to be in the main event of the Borgata Winter Open that starts Saturday. Beth Shak posted a “congratulations” on twitter after the tournament — “Congrats 2 Dan..not enough money in the world to change my marital status,” she joked.
Go here for more on the story.