Rounders Report

• Finished second in the 2007 WSOP $3K No-Limit Hold ‘em event
• Three consecutive years of WSOP cash finishes
• More than $450K in career poker earnings

Beth Shak plays online at Full Tilt Poker.

Beth is a woman of many talents, only one of which happens to be playing poker. When she’s not managing her family or her various business interests, you’ll often find her building a chip stack at the tournament tables.

Though Beth has only been playing poker for a little more than three years, she’s made a strong impression. In just her second live tournament, Beth finished a solid eighth at the 2005 World Series of Poker Ladies’ event. She cashed again in 2006 and proved that three times truly is a charm when, in 2007, she worked her way through a field of 827 players to finish second in the $3K No-Limit Hold ‘em event, earning more than $328K. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 10% [?]

Patrik Antonius and Tom “durrrr” Dwan completed some more hands in the “durrrr Challenge” on Tuesday, moving the nine-month battle a bit closer to completion.

Dwan was able to book a small win on Tuesday, meaning that he is now up around $780k in the challenge.

“durrrr” started out strong on Tuesday, thanks in large part to a sizable $300k pot that was shipped his way. Antonius managed to battle back a bit after that, but Dwan still walked away the winner from Tuesday’s battle. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 12% [?]

2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) November Nine member Phil Ivey graces the cover of the November 2nd issue of ESPN: The Magazine. The expose, entitled “4 Days, 3 Nights, $1 Million,” chronicles Ivey’s jet-setting exploits at the craps tables in casinos around the world.

Chad Millman followed Ivey from Foxwoods to Austria, with his article explaining Ivey’s stature in the industry: “Phil Ivey is a poker pro, but to call him that limits the scope of his game. It’s like saying Jay-Z is just a rapper. Ivey is an all-around player, a man with the need and nerve to wager obscene amounts on poker, pro and college sports, craps, or his own golf game.” Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 13% [?]

Paul Sexton plays online at Full Tilt Poker.

If you ask a lot of pros how they developed their poker skills, they’ll tell you, “Poker was big in my family.” When Paul Sexton tells you that story, he’s not kidding.

Paul is the son of Full Tilt Poker pro Keith Sexton. A quick glance at his tournament record so far shows that this education wasn’t wasted; in a short time, he’s gone from being a student to teaching his opponents a few lessons.

In his first major outing, a 2005 No-Limit Hold ‘em World Series of Poker (WSOP) event, Paul finished fifth in a field of 1,403 players. Competing against a star-studded field, Paul outlasted seasoned pros such as Men “The Master” Nguyen and Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi on his way to the final table. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 7% [?]

• Over $9K in Career Tournament Earnings

Matt Sexton plays online at Full Tilt Poker.

If the ability to play poker professionally is hereditary, then Matt Sexton should be a natural. Son of Keith Sexton and brother to Paul Sexton, both Full Tilt Poker pros, Matt is just starting a professional career of his own.

While he’s already demonstrated his ability as a winning online player, he’s just beginning his foray into live tournament play. Keep an eye out for him as he starts his journey on the tournament circuit.

If you want to see him in action, look for Matt playing online at Full Tilt Poker.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Tom “durrrr” Dwan has continued his rollercoaster of a year in October, banking an estimated $1.32 million dollars over 6,263 tracked hands.

Dwan has been all over the place in 2009. He got off to a horrendous start in 2009, dropping millions of dollars to start the year. “durrrr” then battled back to breakeven status, only to drop millions of dollars once again.

With his October upswing, Dwan has battled back once again, and currently sits with a profit of $215k on Full Tilt Poker for the year. Given how much he was down earlier in the year, I’m sure that Dwan isn’t too disappointed with a profit of over $200k. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 10% [?]

The World Poker Tour (WPT) kicked into action once again on Wednesday with the first five rounds of play in the 2009 Festa al Lago Championship Event, a $15,000 buy-in tournament at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

The Festa al Lago, the fourth stop on the Season 8 schedule for the WPT, was in danger of being one of the lowest attended events since the inception of the tour. During much of Festa al Lago schedule at the Bellagio, tournaments were significantly smaller than in past years due to the continuing strains of the economy on the bankrolls of some of the biggest players in the game. For example, Full Tilt Poker’s head man Howard Lederer was able to capture the $5,000 Festa al Lago HORSE Championship, but the field only contained 19 players and paid the top three. Thus, there was a great deal of concern when the cards hit the air at Noon local time on Wednesday. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 8% [?]

• Multiple WSOP final tables
• One of the best 7-Card Stud players in the world

Keith Sexton is a native Midwesterner, born in Dayton, Ohio.

In 1988, Keith moved his family to Las Vegas. It turns out his timing was excellent. He started building homes and speculating on real estate right before the housing market in Vegas exploded.

Soon after arriving in Vegas, Keith found he had a natural feel for 7-Stud, so that’s what he focused on. In 2003, after 20 years of polishing his 7-Stud game, Keith decided to branch out, learning everything he could about No-Limit Hold ‘em. It seems to be paying off. In 2005, while playing No-Limit Hold ‘em, Keith finished sixth in the WSOPC tournament at Harrah’s Rincon, and eighth in the WSOP Tournament of Champions. His biggest finish to date was in the 2005 WSOP. That time he played his old favorite, 7-Stud, and finished second. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 5% [?]

• 1996 WSOP Main Event Winner
• 4 WSOP Bracelets
• 2009 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Champion

Huckleberry Seed plays online at Full Tilt Poker.

Huckleberry won his first World Series of Poker bracelet in 1994 in a Pot-Limit Omaha tournament. Two years later, he won the WSOP Main Event, his second bracelet and $1 million dollars. In 2000, he won his third WSOP bracelet playing Razz, and he proved his skill at the game again in 2003 when he earned the fourth WSOP bracelet of his career.

In 2008, Huck won the C$4,650 No-Limit Hold ‘em Canadian Open Poker Championship in Calgary for C$100K. Later that year he placed 7th in the WSOP $50K HORSE event, taking home more than $280K in prize money. In 2009, Huck became the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Champion, banking $500K. His victory increased his NBC Heads-Up record to 18 wins and 4 losses, making him the most successful player in the history of the event. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 5% [?]

Run It Twice

Full Tilt recently upgraded their software. With their new Run It Twice feature, players can pre-select the option while competing in cash games, allowing themselves the opportunity to see up to all five community cards dealt a second time.

The feature is only available at Run It Twice tables, which is currently being utilized in “Ivey’s Room.” After a trial run is completed, more tables will be added to the lobby. So far, the response from the players on the rail has been positive, but some are wary of the extra rake taken out of the pot Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 4% [?]