A Weston man is the overall chip leader after two days of play in the World Series of Poker Main Event.

Amir Lehavot, 34, finished Day Two in Las Vegas late Wednesday night with 610,500 chips, tops among the 2,044 remaining players.

Lehavot was born in Israel and arrived in the United States at age 16. Before playing poker for a living, Lehavot worked as an engineer, specializing in design, he told WSOP officials. He lived in San Francisco before moving to Weston, and has the online poker handle of AmirSF.

The World Series of Poker is poker's most popular event, and ESPN tapes the play, edits it down and shows the action the rest of the year.

Lehavot recently started a poker website (with strategy content) at www.pokerwit.com. The site contains Lehavot’s comments about key hands he played at various times during the WSOP.

"It feels great. But I have played in a lot of tournaments and I know. There is a long way to go and it does not necessarily mean that much (to be chip leader) at this point. It's nice, but there is still a long way to go," he said on the site.

Lehavot has survived the opening days in two prior WSOPs, but failed to cash. He says his goal goes beyond cashing, and you can't blame him: First prize is $8.5 million.

"If I cash, it is really not life-changing for me," he said. "I am looking to go deep."

To get the whole field seated, "Day One" consisted of four separate days, each lasting about 12 hours; "Day Two" was held Tuesday and Wednesday, also for about 12 hours.
The players are off today and resume Friday.

Players started with 30,000 in chips, and Lehavot was down to 7,000 on Day One, before catching a card on the river when he was beaten to stay alive -- a "suck-out" in poker lingo.

He wasn't the chip leader most of Day Two, but 30 minutes before it ended, "I had a huge hand," he said, and gained 250,000 when he was dealt a pair of threes and then one came up on the flop.

"Most of my chips came from that one pot," he said.

Note: I did a quick Sun-Sentinel archive search and got nothing, and a Google showed a couple of minor cashes, and that he has patented two things. So, again, I'm at the mercy of the South Florida poker world: Anybody know him?

> Discuss this entry

The unofficial home for low-limit poker is South Florida is undergoing changes.

“We’re gearing ourselves more toward no-limit players,” Mardi Gras Gaming’s Wil Herrera said.

Among the incentives: a $500 bonus for the highest hand at 6 p.m. weekdays in the casino’s no-limit poker games. And high hand promotions from 10 a.m. to midnight every day, with the prizes doubled if they hand comes during a no-limit game.

Located near a handful of high-rise condominums in Hallandale Beach, Mardi Gras continued to draw patrons interested in playing poker that required as little as a $1 bet, even after the state raised the stakes in July 2007.

Herrera, who took over as senior director of poker operations at Mardi Gras this spring, said he is trying to change the clientele to improve the casino’s revenue. (The house rakes in a percentage of each hand played.)

A first attempt – 18 tournaments with buy-ins of under $50 and a $145 tournament at 11:30 a.m. on Sundays – debuted April 13, but didn’t draw interest. Herrera said he has modified the tournaments, making them deeper-stack events.

Attracting more no-limit players is difficult because neighbors Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Gulfstream Casino & Racing and even Dania Jai-Alai already have pieces of that pie, he said.

That’s where the $500 promotion comes in.

“I figure if players are going to play no-limit in one place or another, they might as well do it where they can win another $500,” he said.

He also has adjusted the options for limit players. After briefly discontinuing the least-expensive poker game available – which had a maximum bet of $2 – the casino now offers it if there is player interest. There are also $25 and $50 one-table winner-take-all tournaments for lower-stakes players, and a “$2-$5 spread” limit game, meaning players can bet $2, $3, $4 or $5, which has fared well.

“You have much more flexibility and control because what you bet can either entice players to call or push them out,” he said.

Overall, the action has swung from being mostly low-limit to slightly more no-limit, he said.

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Bobby Huff of Hallandale Beach was declared the winner of the Dan Le Batard Celebrity Poker Tournament recently at Dania Jai-Alai. The Wednesday night multi table Texas Hold’em tournament drew 230 players paying $50 to enter.

Ten players remained as midnight approached, and they agreed to “chop” the pot equally. Each player took home $790. Since Huff was the chip leader, he was awarded the tournament trophy. (I wasn't there, but I heard a certain Metro columnist also was in on the chop; not sure if Mayo would mind me mentioning him here, so I'll think about it.)

Dania Jai-Alai features the Dan Le Batard Celebrity Poker Tournament each month, usually on a Wednesday, promoted on 790 The Ticket.

Dania Jai-Alai’s Cardroom is open Sundays through Thursdays from noon to midnight, Friday and Saturdays from noon to 2 a.m. The fronton is located at 301 E. Dania Beach Blvd in Dania Beach.

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This is a story about re-entries, chops and a poker player who hopes her luck is changing.

Ebony Kenney, 27, prevailed in the main event of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Summer Open Poker Series June 22. Here's the story.

Kenney, who lives in Estero, near Fort Myers, had played poker full-time for two or three years, including some World Series circuit events, but took a break for about eight months after a long losing streak.

"I enjoy poker so much, but just hit a bad slump," she said. "I couldn't win a race."

A single mother of two, she recently earned her real estate agent's license, and came to the Hard Rock with three friends to play in the tournament, which has two opening days. She used to player there some, especially in $500 single-table tournaments before more players switched to cash games.

She got knocked out on the first day of the main event. But the tournament allows those knocked out on the first day to re-enter on the second day, something most tournaments don't allow. (It's written in state gambling rules, but the Seminoles don't have to comply with the Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering.)

"I had not heard of tournaments doing that before, but I said 'What the heck,'" she said.

So she surived her second "Day One," and was in 49th place out of 50.

"But then I just hung on, and caught a couple of hands," she said.

She was among the two top chip leaders when the field narrowed to about seven. They agreed to divide the pot -- a "chop" in poker parlance -- with Kenney and one other player getting a little bit more. (She took home $54,230 in the tournament, which had 182 entries/counting some people twice. Entry fee was $1,100.)

To determine the trophy-winner, the choppers each drew a card, and Kenney and the other leader were allowed to draw two, to more fairly weight the chop.

She got the ace of hearts, and a king of hearts kicker.

And the trophy.

Now she's in Las Vegas for the World Series of Poker. She busted out of a $1,500 event on Monday but hopes to play in the main event this weekend. She's cobbling together a backer or two to cover part of the $10,000 entry -- common practice in the poker world.

The "other" poker that goes on during WSOP can be just as lucrative, players note, and that's part of Kenney's plan. She's playing the $300 tournaments that aren't associated with the WSOP, and perhaps that will also help bankroll her.

"I'm in Vegas, and playing poker," she says. "You never know what can happen."

> Discuss this entry

Results from the Isle's main event, which wrapped up Monday:

Amount Name Home Town
$67,860.00 Harrison Gimbel Jupiter
$39,780.00 Taylor Jon Stelfox Edgewater, MD
$25,740.00 Claudionel Barbosa Deerfield Beach
$16,380.00 Glenn Fullone St. Petersburg
$11,700.00 Robert Blanchette Ft Lauderdale
$10,062.00 Marc Bronstein Delray Beach
$7,722.00 Daniel Vranich Lake Park
$5,616.00 Jerry Leong Boca Raton
$5,382.00 Peter Han Boca Raton
$5,148.00 Greg Rosen Plantation
$4,914.00 Adel Jo Miami
$4,680.00 Stuart Paterson Boca Raton
$4,446.00 David Gerber Deerfield Beach
$4,212.00 Michael Lipman Miami
$3,978.00 Fernando Halac Aventura
$3,744.00 Nissin Vaknin Davie
$3,510.00 Robert Chusid Cooper City
$3,276.00 Howard Darnold Fort Pierce
$3,042.00 Mike Delgigante Boca Raton
$2,808.00 Frank Andrews Boca Raton
$1,840.00 John Lacognata Coral Springs
$1,840.00 Anthony Ruberto Everett, Ma
$1,840.00 Marc Levy Boynton Beach
$1,840.00 Donald Keneipp Ft Lauderdale
$1,840.00 Jacob Roden Estero, FL
$1,760.00 Romel Nicolas Miami Gardens
$1,760.00 Dave Albertson Margate
$1,760.00 Charles Alexandra Coconut Creek
$1,760.00 Devin Shalmi Boca Raton
$1,760.00 John Davis WPB
$1,600.00 Alan Gould Plantation
$1,600.00 Leonard St Germain SW Ranches

> Discuss this entry

Ebony Kenney of Fort Myers won the main event of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino's Summer Open Poker series.

She took home $54,230; the $1,100 buy-in event drew 182 entrants.

I'm trying to find out more about Kenney, who I've never met. She shows up on CardPlayer magazine rankings and such, but there's only spotty info.

Anyone else help me out?

Meanwhile, the Hard Rock's complete list:

EVENT# 1 $150 BUY IN (6/12) (25K) 305 $36,600 Luis Cristobal $9,744
EVENT# 2 $150 BUY IN (6/13) (20K) 224/169RB $39,555 Ronnie Johns $11,262
EVENT# 3 $75 BUY IN (6/14) (10K) 310 $18,600 Gary Lopes $4,960
EVENT# 4 $75 BUY IN (6/15) (6K) 173 $10,380 David Albertson $3,114
EVENT# 5 $300 BUY IN (6/15) (25K) 139 $34,750 Steven McKean $11,120
EVENT# 6 $150 BUY IN (6/16) (15K) 190 $22,800 Edgar Villamil $6,800
EVENT# 7 $75 BUY IN (6/17) (10K) 267 $16,020 Anonymous $4,385
EVENT# 8 $1100BUY IN (6/19) (150K) 182 $182,000 Ebony Kenney $54,230
EVENT# 9 $75 BUY IN (6/17) (10K) 276 $16,560 Steven McKean $4,507

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Dania Jai-Alai, which doesn't have the advantage of a spillover slots crowd, is holding its most lucrative poker tournament ever on July 11. The fronton's promotions for entries into that tournament begin now.

The guaranteed prize pool is $40,000, with about $13,000 going to the winner. Entry fee is $250, and entries are capped at 250.

Single-table $30 satellite tournaments for those who want to earn an entry into the big game are being held through July 10.

There also are $55 single-table satellites where the top two get in and even a multi table satellite game where all of the players that make the final table score a ticket.

Meanwhile, the fronton promotes its $100 Friday night game, where players start with 9,000 units and blinds are 30 minutes apart. Dania is giving one "golden ticket" each Friday night to the big tournament.

And note that the monthly Dan Le Batard Celebrity tournament is set for 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 24.

Visit www.betdania.com or call 954-920-1511.

Just a note here, though, to keep it in perspective: a $40,000 tournament isn't that unusual; it's just unusual for Dania. For example, the main event at the Isle over the weekend carried a $150,000 guarantee, and even their No. 2 event had a $75,000 guarantee.

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Three regulars at Gulfstream Park Casino & Racing earned seats in next month's World Series of Poker.

Billy Greisman of Davie, Toufik Beloualhi of Sunrise and Erwin Saltos of Aventura survived the field of 50 and will play in the WSOP main event, which begins July 3. Greisman, who finished in first place, earned a seat at the main event, airfare and hotel stay. Beloualhi, runner-up, received a seat and hotel stay. Saltos receives a seat only.

The event is the culmination of Gulfstream's spring poker season. Gulfstream keeps a points leaderboard -- it's called the "Tournament Challenge Series" -- for a couple of months, then awards a prize. It started with a tournament last December and a Mercedes, then the winter season ended a couple of months ago, with a Rolex as prize. The top 50 point winners play down for the prize.

The summer series begins July 1,with a 2009 Harley Davidson motorcycle as first prize.

Four female qualifiers made it to the recent free roll event at Gulfstream, with two, Mia Higginbotham and Peggy Penning, making the final table, according to Gulfstream's Scott Poole. Penning was the top female finisher, eliminated in seventh place and receiving $500.

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Here are the results of the early tournaments at the Hard Rock's Summer Open Poker Series, as, provided by the casino.
There are two opening days for the main event, Friday and Saturday.

The rest of the schedule left: $150 tournament, 6:30 p.m. June 16; $75 tournament, 6:30 p.m. June 17; $150 satellites into main event, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. June 18, and $50 satellite at 7:30 p.m. June 18; $1,100 main event, with two starting days, at 11 a.m. June 19 and 20, continuing on June 21.

More info: 954-327-ROCK or www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com

In event No. 1, (a $150 buy-in), Luis Cristobal of Coral Gables outlasted a field of 305. He took home $9,744.

In event No. 2 (also a $150 buy-in, but with rebuys), Ronnie Johns of Labelle prevailed. He earned. $11,262.

Event No. 3 (a $75 buy-in) went to Gary Lopes of Naples. His first place netted $4,960 in the field of 310.

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Here are the results of the early tournaments at the Isle's Florida State Poker Championships, provided by the casino.
There are two opening days for the main event, Friday and Saturday:

The rest of the remaining schedule: a $550 No-Limit tournament, 1 p.m. June 17; $60 satellites for Florida State Championship, 2 and 7 p.m. June 18; $800 Florida State Championship, with two starting days, at 2:30 p.m. June 19 and 20, continuing through June 22 or 23.

More info: 954-972-2000, ext. 5123 or 5124.

Event 1: $330 buy-in to the six-handed no-limit tournament:
Name Home Town $
1 Kevin McBride Boca Raton $11,000
2 Jeffrey Balsewich Boynton Bch $9,500
3 Steven Senter Plantation $8,500
4 Ezekiel Eberly Ft Meyers $3,690
5 Alex Ripps Boca Raton $2,706
6 Sal Kamal Coral Springs, FL $2,214
7 Jay Green Boca Raton $1,624
8 Mike Amato Boca Raton $1,181
9 Michael Tait Hallandale, FL $1,132
10 David Fetzner Jensen Bch, FL $1,082
11 Chaim Halpern Boynton Bch, Fl $1,033
12 Richard Gettino Weston, FL $984
13 Shane Biggar Coral Springs, FL $935
14 Daniel Gimbel Jupiter, FL $886
15 Donald Keneipp Ft. Lauderdale, FL $836
16 Walter Scovronski Hardeeville, SC $787
17 Todd Rich Loxahatchee, FL $738

Florida Ladies' Championship ($200 buy-in)

Name Home Town $
1 Susan Tolson Fort Lauderdale, FL $3,917.00
2 Lisa Woodburn Margate, FL $2,398.00
3 Christy Pham Kissimmee, FL $1,562.00
4 Georgia Felgev Lantana, FL $1,085.00
5 Sirima Hecht Deerfield Beach, FL $792.00
6 Lisa Adams Boca Raton, FL $608.00
7 Ruth Gaskins GreenAcres, FL $488.00

Event 3: $225 buy-in, which drew 253 players:
1 $13,977.00 Robert Zelinjka Delray Beach
2 $8,194.00 Francisco Regalado Miami
3 $5,302.00 Jerome Weinberg Lake Worth
4 $3,374.00 Scott Debenidetto Boca Raton
5 $2,410.00 Johnathan Gold Boca Raton
6 $2,073.00 Allen Epstein West Palm Beach
7 $1,591.00 Michael Sarabjit Miramar
8 $1,157.00 Richard Bratter Ocala
9 $1,109.00 Seth Gregg Elovitz Pompano Beach
10 $1,060.00 Max Gesenhues Fort Meyers
11 $1,012.00 Gus Decarlo Aventura
12 $964.00 Ravi Varma Palm Beach Gardens
13 $916.00 Thomas Battaglia Pompano Beach
14 $868.00 Orlando Comrie Davie
15 $819.00 Nissin Vaknin Davie
16 $771.00 Christy Pham Kissimmee
17 $723.00 Tim Morgan Pompano Beach
18 $675.00 Daniel Genachte Deerfield Beach
19 $627.00 Hosney Boutros Fort Lauderdale
20 $598.00 Arnold Erenstoft Margate, FL
21 $400.00 Doug Eddy Hollywood, FL
22 $400.00 Dan Kolchkov Pompano
23 $400.00 Marene Ledo Miami
24 $400.00 Tony Aobano Deerfield
25 $400.00 Brian Sekel Oakland, NJ
26 $400.00 Mike McBribe Lighthouse Point

Event 4: $330 tournament, with $100 bounties. The tournament drew 230 players, a record, according to director of poker operations Mike Smith:
1 Tony Petruzzi Boca Raton, FL $4,869.00
2 Toufik Beloulki Sunrise, FL $4,869.00
3 Aleem Chandrani Fort meyers $4,869.00
4 Daniel Letts Miami, FL $4,869.00
5 Ray Nalbandian Tamarac, FL $4,869.00
6 Tim Morgan Pompano, Fl $4,869.00
7 David Fetzner Jensen Beach $4,869.00
8 Alan Winters Gainsville, FL $1,068.00
9 Walt Vanzuidam Lighthouse Point, FL $1,024.00
10 Brandon Terry Kady, TX $979.00
11 Ken Campos Miami, FL $935.00
12 Michael Mack Tamarac, FL $890.00
13 Gil Nagar Hollywood, FL $846.00
14 Devin Barta Coral Springs, FL $801.00
15 Amy Devoe (who got a seat via AIFP) Oakland Park,FL $757.00
16 Jorge Aristizabal Parkland, FL $712.00
17 Roy Goodman Pompano, Fl $668.00
18 Nick Visconti Boca Raton, FL $623.00
19 Anna Calder Hallandale, FL $579.00
20 Eric Kolodny Aventura, FL $534.00
21 Robert Drexler Delray Bch, FL $500.00
22 David Weaver Ft. Laud., FL $500.00
23 Mark Yee WPB,FL $500.00

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No, NickSortal isn't in there. Yet. (Hint: Add now!)

Bluff Magazine listed its top five Twitter feeds, and why. Meanwhile, I'm compiling my own post of my Twitter faves -- got any ideas?

From Bluff:

1.) dwpoker (David Williams). "The busiest Tweeter in the poker world," Bluff says.

2.) barrygreenstein (Barry Greenstein). Greenstein, known as a cerebral player, includes details such as seeking a new mouse for his computer after a Sprite spilled.

3.) Phil_Hellmuth (Phil Hellmuth). The life of one of the most famous names in poker.

4.) JeffMadsenobv (Jeff Madsen). Not only does he tell about his hot streak, but also about al his prop bets and his sudden obsession with golf, Bluff says.

5.) RealAnnieDuke (Annie Duke). The Apprentice runner-up has plenty to say.

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If you need a reason to check out Florida’s poker rooms, a new tour might be enough for you to reach for the keys and hop into your car.

Ante Up magazine, which covers Florida poker, has created a yearlong series of tournaments with a special incentive to the player who accumulates the most points: a spot on the magazine’s cover.

There are 30 poker rooms in the state, at horse tracks, dog tracks, jai-alai frontons, cruise ships and Indian casinos. About half of them have agreed to hold a tournament connected to the Ante Up tour in the first month. The tour began June 6 in Immokalee; the first South Florida event is Friday.

“The goal is to get people to travel around the state and see all the great poker rooms,” said Scott Long, co-publisher of Ante Up.

Long and co-publisher Chris Cosenza are former St. Petersburg Times editors who began a poker blog and podcast at the paper in June 2005. In July 2008, they left the paper to start the magazine.

The magazine is free in racks at 29 rooms, or sold by subscription for $25 at AnteUpMagazine.com.

Players accumulate points by finishing in the top 10 in a tournament. The person who earns the most points through May 31, 2010, will be on the magazine’s cover and receive a championship bracelet. Meanwhile, Long and Cosenza are lining up other tour prizes.

In South Florida in June:

6:30 p.m. Friday: Dania Jai-Alai, $100

9:30 a.m. Sunday: Palm Beach Princess Casino, $100

2:30 p.m. June 19: Isle Casino & Racing, $900

6:30 p.m. June 20: Gulfstream Park, $150

6:30 p.m. June 25: Mardi Gras Gaming & Racetrack, $100

1 p.m. June 27: Palm Beach Kennel Club, $200

More information is at AnteUpMagazine.com/tour.

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Earl Stewart was declared the winner of the May Dan Le Batard Celebrity Poker Tournament held at Dania Jai-Alai. It was a 10-person chop, with each player receiving $690. Stewart was the chip leader and took home the trophy.

I heard somewhere that you want the good players to your left, and that was my case Wednesday night; I had Earl, then another player to his left (the guy in the striped shirt in the photo/send me your name!) who made the final 10 of the 196-player tournament.

Apparently, Earl is a regular at the fronton, because when players came to our table, most of them knew him. Seems like a nice guy; I'm glad he won.

He was all-in a few times, but I can't remember if he had any more luck than the rest of us. Seems like we had a ton of pocket aces, and other pocket pairs, especially sixes.

We were entertained late in the tournament when a new player came in whining about how he got rivered, then went all in with king-queen, only to run into pocket aces. Then he drops the name of David "Chino" Rheem, loses another race, and is gone, but not before dropping several f-bombs. (See earlier post, re: Phil Hellmuth and civility.)

The entry fee for the monthly event is $50. Dania Jai-Alai’s cardroom is open Sundays through Thursdays from noon to midnight, Friday and Saturdays from noon to 2 a.m. The fronton is located at 301 E. Dania Beach Blvd in Dania Beach.

Meanwhile, big Friday night tournament at Dania, with a $100 buy-in. I'll update with the details soon; I had the flyer but now can't find it.

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The HighHeelsPokerTour is conducting a charity event at 7 p.m. Saturday at Eden Roc Resort on Miami Beach. Cards fly at 7:30 p.m.

Buy-in is $180 at the door, $160 in advance, with 5,000 starting chips. There's a $20 and $40 and $80 rebuy options. The event benefits Dress for Success Miami.

In addition to the poker tournament HighHeelsPokerTourAcademy will be having a short instructional session.

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Which card game is this? Texas Hold 'em or War?

Two Broward County card rooms have booked a series of poker tournaments that, not coincidentally, both start June 12.

The Isle Casino & Racing is conducing the Florida State Poker Championships, seven events with $300,000 in guaranteed prize money.

The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino has scheduled the Summer Open Poker Series, nine events with $270,000 guaranteed.

Last year, the Isle embarked on a poker tournament schedule aimed at four major events a year. The first was its Florida State Poker Championships, which started June 16. The dates were picked to give poker players who didn't go to the World Series of Poker events in Las Vegas something here locally to do, said the Isle's Mike Smith, director of poker operations.

The Isle announced its dates late last year; the Hard Rock's came out this spring.

"Interesting," said Hard Rock president Philip Madow. He added the Hard Rock wanted an event around the time of its $3,000 charity tournament held last year, which was May 30. Also, they wanted an event to mark the anniversary of blackjack at the Hard Rock, which began on June 22, 2008.

Said Avi Indik, a regular player at both casinos: "Sometimes I think if the Isle has a sneeze the Hard Rock is afraid they might catch a cold. Instead of full cooperation with the two best poker rooms in South Florida we got something like the cold war."

Poker players, any comments?

The Isle events: $300 six-handed tournament, 2 p.m. June 12; $175 Florida Ladies Championship, 7 p.m. June 12; $200 No-Limit tournament, 2 p.m. June 13; $300 No-Limit bounty tournament, 1 p.m. June 14; $175 Florida Poker Room employees, 1 p.m. June 15; $60 satellites for $550 event, 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. June 16; $550 No-Limit tournament, 1 p.m. June 17; $60 satellites for Florida State Championship, 2 and 7 p.m. June 18; $800 Florida State Championship, with two starting days, at 2:30 p.m. June 19 and 20, continuing through June 22 or 23.

More info: 954-972-2000, ext. 5123 or 5124.

Hard Rock events: $150 No-Limit tournament, 11 a.m. June 12; $150 tournament, 1 p.m. June 13; $75 tournament, 6:30 p.m. June 14; $75 tournament, 11 a.m. June 15; $300 tournament, 6:30 p.m. June 15; $150 tournament, 6:30 p.m. June 16; $75 tournament, 6:30 p.m. June 17; $150 satellites into main event, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. June 18, and $50 satellite at 7:30 p.m. June 18; $1,100 main event, with two starting days, at 11 a.m. June 19 and 20, continuing on June 21.

More info: 954-327-ROCK or www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com

> Discuss this entry

The World Series of Poker is working on ... sportsmanship.

Based partially on the behavior of Phil Hellmuth, but also on Scotty Nguyen, the WSOP has new guidelines and other info on the tournament.

Going for the local angle here... do you think South Florida players are so unsportsmanlike that there needs to be new rules?

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Talk about getting momentum...

With the World Series of Poker kicking off in Las Vegas, three local players got in a final tuneup in New Orleans, in what is billed as a "circuit event" before the WSOP.

Richard Kirsch of Fort Lauderdale finished 10th in the main event, earning $17,976. Kirsch is a regular player at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and has made the final table on World Poker Tour shows.

Andy Slater finished in 16th place, earning $13,982. Slater, who I've never met, apparently hosts a radio show on 640 AM, but I can't figure out when it airs. If you Google him, you get his Wikipedia page.

Maurice Hawkins, another Hard Rock regular with a solid resume, came in 29th, but apparently missed the money.

The casino employees' tournament was Wednesday; the $40,000 event starts Thursday.

If you're a local and you're out there reading, e-mail me when you cash. Good luck!

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The Mega Bad Beat hit at the Isle Casino Pompano Park Poker room. Ten players took home a share of over $237,000 in cash prizes. Thomas Gennaro of Miami Beach was big end 50 percent winner and walked away with over $118,000.

Jeffrey Finlayson of Pompano Beach with small end 25 percent share won over $59,000. The share for the others at the table was $7,434 each. Finlayson actually won the hand: he had 6-7 of diamonds, Gennaro has Ace-2 of diamonds and the flop, turn and river included the 3-4-5 of diamonds, making for straight flush over straight flush.

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T.J. Shulman of Duluth, Ga., won the Heavyweight Division of the May series of tournaments at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Shulman outlasted a field of 81 other players.

He earned $27,880.

Robert Fava of Homestead won $15,300 in the Cruiserweight Division. There were 90 entries.

Anthony Hammond of Coventry, R.I., won the Middleweight Division and $11,090. There was a field of 112 players.

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AnteUpMagazine beat me to the story, so I'm taking info from them and a press release:

George Guzman of Fort Lauderdale, a 49-year-old professional poker player who concentrates mostly on live-action games, won the $550 buy-in pot-limit Omaha tournament at Harrah’s New Orleans. The event attracted 78 players.

Guzman (check out his shirt!), a former electrical engineer, started the final table as one of the chipleaders
and was a consistent force throughout the four-hour battle. It marks Guzman’s first major tournament victory. He’s cashed twice at the WSOP in Las Vegas, an it was Guzman’s third time to cash at the WSOP circuit event this year (twice in New Orleans and once in Tunica).

Guzman won $12,921.

I posted on him last year at the WSOP. Anybody know him?

Updated: After Guzman finished sixth in the $500 buy-in Mixed Event (Half Pot-Limit Omaha and Half Pot Limit Omaha High/Low) tournament, the press release included this:

Guzman, who won the $500 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha event a few days ago, ended up in sixth place. This was Guzman’s third cash so far at this year’s series. The former cable television company owner is originally from Argentina and now lives in Fort Lauderdale.

Robert Campbell, a professional player from Miami, finished third. Last Saturday, Campbell won Event No. 2 (O8/B) at Harrah’s New Orleans. He now has 29 career cashes and over $100,000 in tournament winnings. In Campbell’s victory he defeated fellow Floridian Vittario “Victor” Iemolo when it got to heads up. Iemolo is a 44-year-old poker player originally from New York who now lives in Sarasota. This was Iemolo’s third cash in a major tournament, which includes an in-the-money finish at the 2006 WSOP.

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While the media hordes flocked around Vanessa Rousso Sunday at the European Poker Tour High Roller event in Monte Carlo, there's a pretty good story about the guy who finished second.

He's Randy Dorfman, 51, a stock trader who moved to South Florida from New York in about 2000 (I'm trying to get a picture of him). He reached the final table in the inaugural $3,000 charity event at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino last year (the one with Barry Gibb) but he mainly plays all over the world, stopping at his condos in Fort Lauderdale and Coconut Grove to catch his breath.

"If I could sell everything and move to Vegas, I would," he said.

He uses the stock trader comparison to poker, which he started a few years ago.

"It's similar to how you approach opponents," he said. "On the floor people act friendly with each other. But really no one is your friend on the floor. It's the same in poker, although you're always civil."

Dorfman was up 3.5 million chips to her 500,000, but, as happens in poker, cards fell Rousso's way, she doubled up at least twice and she emerged with the win.

"I had her crushed, but the kid is unbelievable, just incredible," Dorfman said. "I call her 'The Goddess.'"

No, he's not hitting on her. Dorfman also lauds Rousso's fiance, Chad Brown: "They're both class acts," he said.

"What was amazing what that after I lost, nobody cared about me. But I think she's the greatest thing to happen to poker," he said. "I might be her biggest fan now."

The tournament included top poker names such as Phil Ivey, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson and Daniel Negreanu, so Dorfman thought it was interesting that two players with ties down here would make the final two.

"Kind of like South Florida tackles the world," he said.

UPDATE: You know, he's not kidding about being ignored. Check out this video on the tournament; they interview almost everybody BUT Dorfman. Barely even gets face time. But lotsa Vanessa.

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So, here's a case where a player makes a deal then wins. I'm sure she's happy but sometimes you wonder...

South Florida's Vanessa Rousso, who's been in print more this year almost as much as Barack Obama, prevailed in the €720,000 first-prize tournament in Monte Carlo.

Poker News has the story.

UPDATED: Turns out the player she beat in the heads-up portion was Fort Lauderdale resident Randy Dorfman, 51. I'll do a separate update on him later this afternoon.

The gist, to me: When it got to the final three, they all agreed to a €450,000 deal, with another €150,000 going to the winner. So instead of winning €720,000 (about $1 million), she got €600,000 (about $800,000 by my math). Chopping up the prize money is common when it gets late in a tournament; I look at it as buying insurance, kind of.

I'm emailing her for a further quote on how she feels about that. After you read the details in the Poker News story, tell me what you think.

So far this year, Rousso finished second in the National Heads-Up Championship, started a poker boot camp and posed for a two-page advertorial spread in Sports Illustrated.

For you Twitterers, she Twittered her tourney: go to http://twitter.com/VanessaRousso.

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Mark Duper can go long when it comes to poker, too.

Duper, the former Dolphins star wide receiver (top picture), was among the four players who split first prize in the Dan Le Batard Celebrity Poker Tournament at Dania Jai-Alai Wednesday night.

Ryan Fears, Rommel Brioso, Dustin Sher, and Duper agreed to “chop” the prize money, each taking home $1,485. Brioso, the chip leader, was declared the official winner and took home the tournament trophy.

"We love having this tournament at Dania Jai-Alai,” said Marc Hochman, of 790 The Ticket, who regularly reads this blog, so I throw his name in gratuitously.

Myself, it was a disastrous night (and I left long before I could get a quote from Duper). I got ace-queen about 30 minutes in in the small blind and called (mistake No. 1?). The big blind bet 300 and two or three of us called. Flop came K-10 and a low card. For some reason, I thought the big blind was on a middle pair, so I fired 300 out to knock him off. He called.

I bet another 300 after the turn (a blank) and got called, then 1,000 on the river (another blank) to knock him off. He came over the top of me, and I had to lay down that monstrous Ace-high hand I had. Let us count the ways that this is stupid poker.

Meanwhile, I still fail to learn the lesson that ace-queen is a great, great trouble hand, and, as I did, is just way too often over played. If ace-king is really a drawing hand, then so is ace-queen.

I also drew the seat next to Le Batard and enjoyed the visit, although we both got knocked out before the first break. He played the "good sport" role and had a $100 Brazilian steakhouse bounty on him (I forget the name of the restaurant), while my celebrity "bounty" status The Ticket awarded me in earlier tournament has disappeared (that's not a whine, just an observation). But the good news is my lousy play gave me something to write about, and design-wise I now have room for a picture taken by Dania's Marty Fleischman of Sabrina, who worked the beer tub at Dania. I'm still behind The Ticket in photos of this ilk, way behind.

Meanwhile, the fronton is wrapping up its "Play Your Way to Borgata" promotion. The cardroom, at 301 E. Dania Beach Blvd., is open Sundays through Thursdays from noon to midnight, Friday and Saturdays from noon to 2 am.

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I followed Fred Goldberg even before I got the gambling beat.

He finished 10th in the World Series of Poker main event a couple of years ago, and the next year won a bracelet in an earlier event.

Then he hit a slump. I'd bump into him at the Hard Rock and feel a little bad, like my story on him jinxed him.

OK, I'm feeling better. Goldberg won an event at the Isle's Battle at the Beach last month, and this month won the heavyweight event in the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Main Event.

Goldberg, of Hollywood, paid $1,100 to win $25,550. Cruiserweight division ($575 buy in) went to Ward Martin of Lantana, who earned $11,910. Middleweight division ($350 buy in) went to Steven Karp of North Miami Beach; he took home $8,770.

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The TV journey of Wellington High 2001 valedictorian Vanessa Rousso begins at noon on NBC Sunday with the first National Heads Up Poker Championship.

The poker tournament, with head-to-head matches, is like the NCAA basketball tournament; lose and go home. The finals are best of three.

Celebrity Apprentice star Annie Duke, comedian Brad Garrett, actor Don Cheadle and the world’s best poker pros are the featured participants in this year’s event.

GoDaddy.com is the presenting sponsor of the broadcast.

Rousso faces poker legend Doyle Brunson in the first round. The matches were taped March 6-8.

More information is available at NBC's web site.

To cheat and see already how she did, go to an earlier post I did.

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Mardi Gras Gaming Casino and Racetrack is unveiling a new set of poker tournaments, and if you’re an early bird or a night owl, you’ll be especially happy.

There are five tournaments, including $35 buy-ins – among the lowest in South Florida -- at 11:30 a.m. and 2 a.m. The new schedule begins Monday.April 13.

“They have small buy-ins because the main goal is to get people who haven’t been coming to our poker room to try it out,” poker room manager Wil Herrera said. “We want to get people in the door.”

Mardi Gras went to a 24-hour poker room last summer after the state determined that both of Mardi Gras’ two 12-hour racing permits were valid, so the Hallandale casino was eligible to stack them up and hold poker around the clock. Nearby competitor Gulfstream can operate for only 12 hours, often from noon to midnight.

Herrera said the 11:30 a.m. tournament will draw retirees, who frequent the casino anyway early; the 2 a.m. tournament will attract bartenders and perhaps dealers from other casinos. All are titled along the Mardi Gras theme.

Also on Monday, the casino will replace its $100 high hand promotion with a $1,000 “rack attack.” When a player gets the best hand of the hour, they will receive an entry into a contest. Every six hours, the recent high hand winners will be blindfolded for 30 seconds and will grab as many chips as they can from a rack, up to $1,000 in value. The player who gets the most chips gets everyone’s; others get a consolation prize.

The tournaments:

Canal Street Carnival: 11:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday, $35.

Bourbon Street Bounty: 7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, $45.

Voodoo on the Bayout: 2 a.m. daily, $35.

Hurricane Sundays: 11:30 a.m. Sundays, $145.

Crescent City Challenge: 11:30 a.m. the second Sunday of each month, $490.

More information: www.playmardigras.com or 954-924-3200.

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A 19-year-old Florida Atlantic University freshman was the big winner during The Isle Casino and Racing's Battle at the Beach over the weekend. Most people are thrilled to win one tournament; Hayden Fortini won two.

First Fortini, originally of Vero Beach, won a $900 tournament that had 258 players. He took home $59,044.

Next in line were: Brett Borgersen, West Palm Beach ($34,612), Tim Seidensticker, Miami ($22,396) and Dennis Grant, Miramar, ($14,252). Chad Brown, the fiance of Vanessa Rousso, was fifth ($10,180). Rousso made it through Day One but didn't finish in the top 27 (cashes).

Fortini said a key hand came when he and Brown both went all-in on a five-way pot: Fortini turned over ace-king; Brown flipped over jacks. Fortini hit an ace to take the pot.

"My strategy was to stay out of his way," Fortini said.

Also cashing: Kevin Deng, Barrington White, Kevin Collins, Mikko Koskinen, Scott Williams
Steven Senter, Maurice Hawkins, Phillip Girian, Marcus E Gurley, Dustin Pisani, Keith Ingham
William Swiciciki, Tomas Cuce, Pat Madden, Vincent Spadavecchia, Larry Jean,
Brian Lindsey, Jeff Gross, Ory Hen, Avi Indik, Don Todd and James Deleo.

"With a big smile on my face," Fortini also won the Heads-Up Championship, which drew 111 players. He took home $50,000, defeating Jose Torres of Cooper City ($23,000) in the final. Stuart Newman of Weston ($7,300) was third, and James Reilly of Boca Raton ($5,000) was fourth. By my records, it's the only heads-up tournament we've had here in South Florida.

His toughest heads-up match, he said, was against Stu Patterson of Boca Raton.

Fortini says he has been playing since he was 16 and playing for money since age 18. He's had some success online but also plays a lot at the Isle, Seminole Coconut Creek and the Hard Rock.

He's studying psychology, but says it's difficult to balance poker with school.

"It gets you in a mindset where school becomes very boring. But I’m very interested in psychology," he said.

"I want to get an education; I think that’s important, then figure it out from there, in case the whole thing doesn’t work out for me."

The reason for his success?

"I just put a lot of time and I’ve played a lot of poker. If you play a lot, you’re going to learn a lot from your mistakes, and I’ve made a million mistakes, so I’ve learned a lot.

"You just learn the game and learn how to play against different people."

Fred Goldberg of Hollywood won the $550 tournament, which drew 184 players. He received $20,000. Next were: Antuan Bunckly, Samuel Mayer-Backer, Irving Rice, Sean Irvin
Daniel Genachte, Gilbert George, Adam Berman, Daren Stabinski, Logan Richetti, Clark Brzozowski, Sonia Sanchez, Marcus Gurley, Dolphy Garricks, Timothy Morgan, David Sultan
Robert Cheney, Richard Gollin and Jason McCarty.

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Vanessa Rousso explains more of her boot camp and The Art of War in a quick interview that ran in our Showtime newspaper section on Friday.

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Mike Mendez of Weston was declared the winner of the Dan Le Batard Celebrity Poker Tournament held Wednesday night at Dania Jai-Alai.

The multi table Texas Hold’em tournament drew 250 Hold’em and 790 The Ticket fans paying $50 to enter.

According to a release from the fronton, with six players remaining as midnight approached, an agreement was reached to “chop” the pot equally giving each player just over $1,200. Mendez (at left, with Le Batard), being the chip leader, was awarded the tournament trophy. (Note to Marc Hochman, who comlained of 'No Love' in Action: Hi, Marc! and your picture has been in this space before.)

Dania Jai-Alai’s Cardroom is open Sundays through Thursdays from noon to midnight, Friday and Saturdays from noon to 2 a.m. The fronton is located at 301 E. Dania Beach Blvd in Dania Beach.

I had a decent night. I was down to 1200 chips early, and with blinds at 300-600 I jumped into a five-way pot with K-3 out of the big blind. Doubling up wouldn't have gotten it done. Cards turn up 4-5-6-7, so I hit the straight and have enough chips for awhile.

Then late, I'm at about 20,000 chips, blinds at 3,000-6,000. Get J-10 suited in the big blind; three callers, one an all-in. Flop comes Q-9-6, so two of us start to check it down. Third guy raises 10,000. So it's 26,000 in the pot (with antes) and I'm at 32 percent to hit my straight on turn or river. So I call, and call when he puts me all-in on the turn. He flips over A-6, so he has a pair of sixes and I have the open-ended straight draw and two overs! A 14-outer, which doesn't hit. And I go home.

Did I misplay it?

(FYI, to Isle poker players: I'll have all the Battle at the Beach results together, including the win by Hayden Fortini, as soon as I get them all; I just got a little behind.)

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Buried beneath the talk of blackjack, roulette and compacts, are two words, magic words in the Florida Senate's gambling proposal: No limit.

It's two words that mean the world to the best poker players, but if you're not a regular, it doesn't mean squat.

So let me explain.

We play what is called "no-limit" Texas Hold 'em at poker rooms here. But that's a false title. There's a $100 limit buy-in. That means the largest bet you can make is $100, unless you win a hand or two. Just compare that to slots, horses and the Lottery, where you can spend as much as you want whenever you want, and you see that it's an arbitrary rule, written in by the state on July 1, 2007, presumably to "protect us."

Now, look at what the Senate is offering not just the Seminoles, but every pari-mutuel in the state: "No-limit poker."

Think of it this way: If you play for nickels at home, you likely call your opponent on every hand. If you were playing for, say, $20, you'd stop and think. Extrapolate the economics and apply to no-limit.

Real poker players, the ones with money (not me!), know the difference. That's why they never come to Florida to play and prefer to play elsewhere. When a player has to call with flush draw when his opponent likely has a pair, and it costs only $100, well, he's often "priced in." Now, make that same decision with $5,000 out there...

"No-limit should be just that. No limit," says poker pro Clonie Gowen, who on her recent visit said she wouldn't play the current $100 buy-in game because, essentially, it's not really poker.

Adds Jon Marks of Weston, a regular player who rolls numbers around in his head so much that he's part man, part abacus: "The current game just becomes an all-in Yahtzeefest."

I put out some emails for comments to poker players who know more than me. Here we go:

Chris Costenza, co-publisher of AnteUp Magazine, which covers the state: "We were placated by the no-limit concession back in 2007, thinking it would give us a chance to ply our poker skill. But in the end it was merely a mirage that turned the game into a lottery. A true no-limit
poker game where bets can be crafted to separate the chaff from the wheat has endless possibilities. Real poker players, with real money, will find their way to Florida now, and we'll benefit from the influx of gambling dollars from around the country."

Marks notes that at the Bogota the $5-$10 game is a $500 minimum buy in with a $2,500
max. The $2-$5 is a $300 minimum with a $1,500 max. You can buy in as often as you want so the upper limit is more of a guideline.

Wil Herrera, manager of Mardi Gras Poker Room, says in some ways, players lose more at $100 buy-in, than if it were, say, $500. Players push all-in for $100 a few times, then re-buy when they lose.

"He’s not going to push all in every hand if it's $500," Herrera said. "You see peple lose $1,000 by losing $100 at a time.

An increase to no-limit would bring big tournaments here, he said, because players come not only for the tournament, but for the side action cash games afterward.

"Poker would explode down here," he said. "For the player who travels across the country, the tournament is part of it, but the main part of it is the side action."

So, my point is that even if they didn't go all the way with no-limit, maybe they'll bump it up to say, $500 or $1,000 buy-in.

Meanwhile, tell me. Would any of this affect your poker habits?

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Another Dan Le Batard Celebrity Poker Tournament is set for 8 p.m. Wednesday at Dania Jai-
Alai. The tournament, enhanced by merriment from Le Batard's 790 The Ticket radio show staff, costs $50.

Meanwhile, the fronton is giving away airfare for two to the Borgata in Atlantic City, two nights of hotel and $1,000 in chips in April. It works like this:

1.) Players sign up for their "Play Your Way" card, which logs players non-tournament time.
2.) For each 10 hours spent playing in April, the fronton gives you a drawing entry.
3.) The fronton will draw a name for the trip.

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Vanessa Rousso, the 2001 Wellington High valedictorian who was featured in a two-page advertorial spread in Sports Illustrated's swimsuit edition, will be playing Monday in the Battle at the Beach at the Isle Casino and Racing.

Rousso will do a meet-and-greet at 11 a.m. Monday, then play Monday afternoon in the $900 tournament. There are two "first days" of that tournament, on Sunday and Monday.

Rousso is in town to promote her series of "Big Slick" boot camps, which I'll write more about March 27 in Showtime.

The quick details: The boot camp covers Rousso game theory (she's a math whiz) and costs $399. She's doing a short promotional freebie Saturday at the Palm Beach Kennel Club, then starts the instruction April 5 at the Isle, April 11 at the Jacksonville Orange Park Kennel Club and April 26 at the Palm Beach Kennel Club.

Meanwhile, the Battle at the Beach highlight begins Thursday, a heads-up tournament that I wrote about in Friday's Showtime section.

Rousso, interestingly, finished second in the recent heads-up tournament filmed by NBC.
Events: $900 Deep-stack event with opening days Sunday and Monday; finals on Tuesday; $550 one-day event on Wednesday; $900 Florida Heads-Up Championship, with opening days Thursday and March 27; finals March 28-29.

Call 954-972-2000.

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Mirta Estrada on Miami won a High Heels Poker Tour Academy tournament at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
She outlasted 64 players, including poker pros Karina Jett (who Estrada is pictured with) and Lisa Adams.

Estrada was a student in the High Heels Poker Tour seminar the day before.

"The lab tutorials were very beneficial in pointing out weakness in my play and how to make the needed adjustments," she said.

The finishers: Mirta Estrada, Miami, $4,000; Marisa Stellar, Parkland, $2,340; Wendy Dry, Oakridge, Tenn., $1,555; Rosanna Derosa, Miramar, $1,100; Lisa Teebagy, Lighthouse Point,
$815; Paula Alibrandi, Miramar, $630; Christine Difiore, Plantation, $500; Karina Jett, Las Vegas, $400.

The tour hits Derby Lane in St. Petersburg on April 25, then Harrah's New Orleans Turning Stone Casino Resort in New YOrk.

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Playing off its niche as South Florida's only "smoker friendly" poker room, the Seminole Casino Hollywood is giving away $5 in chips and a lighter with any $100 buy-in.

The poker room at the casino, commonly known as "Seminole Classic," is celebrating its 15-year anniversary. They are offering $500 for every royal flush.

Other promotions include:

Aces cracked at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays & Thursdays. $100 to first 10 players to lose with pocket aces in the showdown.

9 a.m. – Noon on Wednesdays and 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. on Saturdays, the top high hand every hour will receive $100.

On Fridays from 2 p.m. to midnight, there will be half hour Splash Pots where random tables will be splashed with $100 in chips.

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Her disease is called Spinal Muscular Atrophy. She cannot bear any weight on her legs, cannot lift her head when laying down, cannot even take deep breaths while sleeping.

But despite all that, Madison Cay Smith is a happy smiling, 2-year-old, her parents say.

What does that have to do with poker?

Well, Friday night friends are conducing a charity poker tournament to raise money for her medical needs. She needs respiratory therapy, physical therapy, water therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. She is on a special amino acid medical food formula for easier digestion and to support her intestinal tract, in addition to a strict vegan diet.

The tournament is at 7 p.m. Friday at HIllcrest Country Club, 4600 Hillcrest Drive, Hollywood. Buy-in is $150 and top prize is an entry into a World Series of Poker event. Call 954-444-5937.

The Pembroke Pines family spends more than $2,100 a month for treatment; funds raised will go to help pay those bills.

For more info, go to www.madisonswish.com.

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Former Heisman Trophy winner and University of Miami quarterback Gino Torretta will host an exciting weekend of poker, golf and festivities on March 7-9 to raise money for his foundation, The Torretta Foundation, which benefits ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis a.k.a. Lou Gehrig’s Disease) Research, the Hard Rock said in a press release.

At 4:30 p.m. Saturday is an invitation-only meet-and-greet for casino players attending the weekend festivities.

Later that evening, Passion Nightclub in Seminole Paradise will host live performances by Steve Azar, Keith Burns, and the USO Liberty Bells. There will be a silent auction and Torretta will also host a live auction. Tickets cost $100.

At 2 p.m. March 8, Torretta will host a charity poker tournament in the Poker Room at Seminole Paradise. The buy-in for the Texas Hold’em Charity Tournament is $1,100. First prize of up to $30,000 (based on 100 entries) will be awarded to the winner with the rest of the proceeds benefiting The Torretta Foundation.

There will be a super satellite tournament at 7:30 p.m. March 6. Buy-in is $150.

The fundraiser wraps up with a celebrity golf tournament at Jacaranda Golf Club in Plantation on on Monday. Registration starts at 9 a.m. with a shotgun start at 11 a.m. Bacardi drinks, a buffet and gift bags are included. Foursomes can be purchased for $6,000 and individual play cost $1,500.

Past celebrity guests include Mike Rozier, Johnny Rodgers, Keith Byars, Steve Walsh, Kijana Carter, Jim McMahon, John Friesz, Mike Eruzione, Keith Burns, Steve Azar, Ken Dorsey, Pam Fletcher, Steve Lundquist, John Congemi, Chris Wienke, Ty Detmer, Kelly Pavlick, Rich Waltz, Tom Hutton, Craig Erickson, Jeff Cross, Brad Culpepper, Lamar Thomas, George Rogers, Reggie Givens, Troy Drayton, Walter Briggs, Bennie Blades, Shaun Hill, O.J. McDuffie, Bernie Kosar and Darryl Williams, according to the casino.

To participate, contact Kevin Pickard at 954-985-5701 ext. 10613 or kevinpickard@semtribe.com.

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Sheldon Gross of Hillsboro Beach prevailed in the most recent Heavyweight Division poker tournament at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

Gross prevailed in a field of 66 and took home $23,800.

Juan Naranjo of Miami outlasted 79 others to win the cruiserweight and $14,000.

And the middleweight was Matt Waxman of Parkland, in a field of 96. He got $9,792. I couldn't get his picture up here, but it's on the "continued" line.

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The High Heels Poker Tour, the all women's poker tour, will hold a ladies-only event at Mardi Gras at 7 tonight. Buy-in is $150.

It's the first women's tournament event ever held at Mardi Gras Gaming in Hallandale Beach and has a $5,000 guaranteed prize pool.

The next HHPT event and academy after Mardi Gras will be held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino March 6-8. The women who attend any academy will also receive promotional give-a-ways, prizes and more.

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Big money from the recent "Main Event" poker tournaments at the Hard Rock:

Serge Clerveaux of Miami clinched the Middleweight division with a $350 buy-in and 85 entrants while winning $8,670.

Juan Mubarek Peralta of Miami won $15,470 in the Cruiserweight division with 91 entries and a $575 buy–in.

Thomas Collazo of Davie was the Heavyweight division champion, winning $35,510 with 106 entries and a $1,100 buy-in.

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A tournament to raise money for the family of Charles "Chip" Dale is set for 5 p.m. Jan. 25 at the Isle.

Dale was a popular member of the All-in-Free Poker community (which offers free poker in bars), and died Nov. 15 at the Isle, right in the middle of a cash game. The Isle is conducting the tournament without taking a share (a "rake" in poker parlance) of the entry fees. Dale had three children, ages 3-9.

The tournament cost $50, with $20 re-buys (and double re-buys) after the first hour. Chip stack is 1,500, with another 1,000 for a $10 dealer tip. Freeze-out after the first hour.

For more info, contact the Isle or www.allinfreepoker.com.

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Imagine Tim Finchem winning a golf tournament. Don King promoting a fight, then stepping into the ring. Bud Seling in the Brewers' locker room with the World Series trophy.

OK, it's not at all like that. But Dan Le Batard did win his owner poker tournament Tuesday night at Dania Jai-Alai, prevailing in a field of more than 300. (I know the photo doesn't work, at least I got one on to download.)

Le Batard, who hosts a radio show weekday afternoons, said he had a hot run of cards. He was the chip leader when the field got down to 13 players.

As has been the custom at his monthly tournaments, players all agreed to “chop” the pot, each player collecting $857. Le Batard got the trophy, which had some reference to Dan Rather that I forget at this time.

“I have always been against “chopping” pots, I play to win," he said in a Dania press release. "But, it is amazing that I got that far in my own tournament, it was the right thing to do.”

790 The Ticket's Stugotz bowed out at 25th place, the best finish of all his tournaments.

Meanwhile, Pablo Ugando from Hollywood, playing in a no-limit Hold’em game about 20 minutes before the tournament hit a Royal Flush in hearts. The jackpot paid $11,080 and drew a roar from the players getting ready for the tournament.

And, as an aside, the jai-alai fronton had something I had seen there in quite awhile: people. Seems like this week is a big week, with local people off and visitors in town looking for something to do. I'd guess 2,000 or so, but it's only a guess. Usually there's fewer than 100 and bettors' calls of "DROP IT, FOUR!" have a pathetic echo to them.

Dania also celebrated its 55th year of operation, giving away bottles of champagne during the poker tournament, selling concession items for 55 cents and giving away free cake. First prize in the poker tournament was $5,500.

The fronton is located at 301 E. Dania Beach Blvd in Dania Beach. The cardroom is open seven days a week, Sunday through Thursday from noon to midnight, Friday and Saturday from noon to 3 a.m.

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Now poker has an all-women's teaching academy, with South Florida ties.

The Women’s Ultimate Poker Academy (WUPA), launched Dec. 6 at Harrah’s New Orleans in Louisiana with the "Queen of Poker" Barbara Enright, the only women to ever make the final table at the World Series of Poker Main Event. (She finished fifth.)

The WUPA offers a free three-hour teaching seminar with Enright and other players, including Susie Issacs, JJ Liu and Karina Jett.

There will be hand by hand instruction, individual attention from the top female pros in the industry and personal feedback, according to a news release.

The next WUPA academy will be held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino March 6-7. Cost is $1295 and includes a free-roll into the High Heels Poker Tour Event at noon March 8 at the Hard Rock.

The Women’s Ultimate Poker Academy was established in 2008 by partners Lisa Adams and Lauren Failla, who also created the High Heels Poker Tour.

For more information contact the info@womensultimatepokeracademy.

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A new car promotion and players’ leaderboard have revived a poker room option: one-table tournaments.

Gulfstream Casino and Racing began the “Mercedes-Benz Poker Challenge” in October.

Players collect points by playing in tournaments, and the top 50 vie for free for a Mercedes-Benz C Class at 3 p.m. Sunday.

Casinos usually have promotions to develop loyalty with slot players, but poker – which is less profitable – offers little, if any, incentive to choose one venue over another.

Gulfstream poker room manager Scott Poole said the Poker Challenge has changed that. Casinos in the western United States have run such promotions before, but it’s the first to come to South Florida, partially because to be worthwhile, the casino has to make enough money to cover the cost of the car. In this case, the Mercedes lists at $32,000.

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If you're planning on watching the World Series of Poker show tonight, click away quickly...

Peter Eastgate became the youngest person ever to win the World Series of Poker, taking down Ivan Demidov about an hour ago, at 2:42 a.m. Las Vegas time.

The Dane won $9.1 million, winning with an Ace-through-5 straight against Demidov's two pair, twos and fours. (I'm leaving their pictures off in case to avoid a visual spoiler.)

ESPN is doing a quick live-to-tape edit today; looks like they'll have about 14 hours to get this portion done. The final table ended early Monday morning, and that airs at 9 p.m.; the final two airs at 10 p.m. A preview show airs at 8.

Dennis Phillips, the chip leader going in, finished third. David Chino Rheem got knocked out in seventh, which I posted about earlier.

More info at www.worldseriesofpoker.com.

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World Series of Poker Norman Chad is employed a.) to analyze poker, which isn't that hard because the cards are right there in front of all of us; and b.) to entertain, which is hard because you gotta think of stuff to say and be creative (which in the preceding phrase I was not).

So below is his take on the November Nine in the World Series:

Meanwhile, Casino City Times explains the machinations ESPN is facing.

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If you're reading this blog you probably owe Henry Orenstein a great debt. Go with me here...

Orenstein, the man who patented the idea of showing hole cards in poker to television audiences, will be enshrined in the Poker Hall of Fame at the World Series of Poker main event Saturday in Las Vegas.

If it weren't for Orenstein, how many of us would be watching poker on TV? How many of us would then be playing poker? (Tell the truth.) How many gambling writers (Mirror, meet Nick. Nick, meet mirror.) would even be in existence if it weren't for the popularity of Texas Hold 'em? Bottom line: Wendy's would have at least one more employee. Me.

Trivia: Orenstein, of Verona, N.J., also created “Transformers” toys.

Three-time bracelet winner Duane “Dewey” Tomko also will be honored for his 35-year participation streak in the Texas Hold ’em main event. The former kindergarten teacher has $2.6 million in winnings in the poker series.

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At Dania Jai-Alai: The fronton has established a Play Your Way Card and rewards those who play non-tournament games. Among the prizes for those who play the most during the month are a 67-inch Samsung DLP HDTV with stand, a 37-inch ViewSonic LCD HDTV, a 31-inch AOC LCD HDTV, a 26-inch Envision LCD HDTV and a 16-inch ViewSonic Widescreen HDTV.

The Isle Casino’s poker room at Pompano Park is holding a $100 no-rebuy tournament at 7 p.m. on Nov. 1. Winner gets a seat into the WPT Boot Camp at The Isle, which will be held Nov. 15-16. For more info call the Isle poker room at (954) 972-2000, ext. 5123 or 5124.

Mardi Gras is holding an Election Day tournament, at 7 p.m. Nov. 4. Buy-in is $150, with $15,000 in prizes being paid out. (Assuming at least 75 players.) The casino is also giving away seats in the tournament to winners of $35 single-table tournaments.

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Pembroke Pines resident Elizabeth McKinney flopped a full house of fives full of sevens to take the biggest pot of the night and the trophy at the third Dan Le Batard Celebrity Poker Tournament at Dania Jai-Alai Thursday night.

The fronton reported almost 300 participants, including "the world’s greatest American jai-alai player," Joey Cornblit. (I couldn't make it, so this is their report.)

“I was so nervous after I won that pot that my hands were shaking,” said she told Dania officials, as she posed for a post-tournament picture with 790 The Ticket’s host Dan Le Batard, whose name I am happy to spell correctly for once.

She chopped the pot with nine other players at the final table. They all got $1,077.

The card room is open Sundays through Thursdays from noon to midnight, Friday and Saturdays from noon to 3 am (or later). It's at 301 E. Dania Beach Blvd in Dania Beach.

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Twenty-four hour poker rooms make a difference to people like Harvey Factor.

The retired Aventura developer pops into Mardi Gras Gaming a couple of mornings a week now and sits down to play $2-$4 limit Texas Hold 'em.

"I'm glad to have that option," he said.

The expanded poker room hours at Mardi Gras apparently are drawing plenty of players like Factor: The card room's revenues are up 20 percent since going to a 24-hour format July 1.

Poker rooms based at horse tracks, dog tracks and jai-alai frontons have 12-hour licenses and usually operate from noon to midnight. But Mardi Gras has two racing permits, and this summer the state decreed that Mardi Gras could stack the permits and go to 24-hour poker.

The result: Mardi Gras' action has increased, while poker action a mile away at Gulfstream has dropped.

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The bad beat jackpot has passed the $150,000 mark at Seminole Casino Coconut Creek.

It'll pay off if someone has aces full of jacks and loses to four of a kind or better.

50% will go to the qualifying losing hand, 30% will go to the qualifying winning hand and 20% will be divided among the players at the table who were dealt cards when the qualifying hand was dealt.

So, someone's going to win $75,000.

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The High Heels Poker Tour will have another women's tournament, at 1 p.m. Sept. 6 at the Isle.

Buy-in is $250. Starting chip stack is 8,000.

Lauren Failla of Hollywood launched the tour last October with a tournament at the Isle. Since then, she has organized events at Seminole Casino Hollywood and Turning Stone Casino Resort in New York.

For info, go to www.highheelspokertour.com.

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The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino will host the third in a series of $3,000 buy-in charity poker tournaments to benefit local non-profit organizations on Aug. 22-24 in the Poker Room at Seminole Paradise.

Players can choose either of the first days of play, either 10 a.m. Aug. 22 or 23, with the second day of play on Aug. 24.

The benefit this time is the Ann Storck Center, which serves children and adults in South Florida afflicted with severe and multiple developmental disabilities.

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I'm gathering a roster of local names who are headed out to Las Vegas for the events. I can't go myself -- maybe next year -- but in the meantime, the more contacts I have, the better I can follow it -- and the more I can root vicariously for everyone else.

So, send me an email at nsortal@sun-sentinel.com if you're going to play, as well as any contact info you're willing to include.

Meanwhile, I'm working on a story about Palm Beach Kennel and the Isle giving away World Series of Poker main event seats to their tournament winners. If anyone has any observations or thoughts on what they're doing -- which has been offered for years at other casinos across the U.S. -- email me.

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Beginning Tuesday, April 1, the Hard Rock will have a $100 tournament at 11 a.m. Mon.-Tues.-Weds. with an option: two $100 add-ons.

Hard Rock officials said the structure will give players an option of adding on twice during the first three levels. Each add-on, and the starting stack are 3,000 units each.

They point out that they are "add-ons," not "rebuys," meaning it's not necessarily a move you have to wait to be knocked out of in order to make the buy. In similar tournaments, such as the Saturday $575 tournament with a $500 add-on, about 60 percent of the players make the add-on.

The main reason: a way to build the prize pool without forcing people to pay the higher price.

Which brings up my strategy question: When would you go for the add-on? Always? Or only if you have a good stack and want to give yourself a chance to win? Or if you're down to the felt?

My thinking -- and I admit I'm not a great player -- is that if I'm down to a very short stack anyway, why throw another $100? But if I have a chance to make money in a tournament, I'll pay the $100 twice with the idea of going for the win.

What do you think?

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I've been holding off on writing about these guys until we get some space in the print version of the Sun-Sentinel, but now I kind of have to. As Leonardo DiCaprio said in Titantic: Hey, I'm involved.

I listen to Poker Talk America on WBZT almost every day from 4-5 p.m., getting tips and insight from the hosts, including Frank Greentree and Antonio Pinzari.

Antonio always says stuff I don't know, and he does seminars that I'd think would be pretty good. (Although I'm also partial to the WPT Boot Camps, which I sat in on once and heard Clonie Gowen and Alex Outhred.)

So earlier this week, he's giving away seminars. Just answer the question: If you have 2 suited cards, what are the odds of flopping a flush?

I knew: it's 118 to 1. Frank had said it the week before.

So, I'm taking the seminar ASAP. And I'll have them start posting their programming stuff each week, because, if you're like me, you need all the help you can get.

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I'll do a lengthier response to Taimy's post below in a day or two, but my first reaction was to steer her toward bar poker.

It works like this: a bar needs entertainment. Instead of a karaoke machine, they bring in a company that has poker tables and dealers. People come in and play for free -- often at non-peak hours, say at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays or Saturday afternoons -- with the implication that, hey, maybe you'll buy a beer or two or some food.

Good deal all the way around; usually involves a $5 dealer tip, but still a cheap way to play with live cards, learn protocol and make reads. (You also pick up bad habits, but that's for another post.)

So, I'd like to list all the bar poker organizations on this blog somewhere. If you run such an operation, please respond to this and we'll set up the links for potential players to shop for a game.

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