PARTYPOKER.COM INTRODUCE PLAYER SPONSORSHIPS FOR THE FIRST TIME EMPHASIS ON VIPS AS THEY SEEK TO FORM A GRASSROOTS TEAM
Juni 29, 2009
Gibraltar – 24th June 2009 — http://www.partypoker.com/ is pleased to announce that it has signed a sponsorship deal with UK player Ian Frazer to become an ambassador and sponsored player for the leading online poker room.
Ian is the first cog in a new strategy from PartyPoker.com, which has previously stayed out of the player sponsorship market with the exception of main site ambassador Mike Sexton. PartyPoker.com will now be sponsoring players as it seeks to create a grassroots team. The emphasis is on VIPs, player loyalty and historic links to PartyPoker.com. More members of the team will be announced in the near future and more details on the team concept will follow as the team is shaped.
Ian ‘The Raiser’ Frazer is a very successful 50-year-old building contractor from London with live tournament winnings of over $1.3 million. The link to his success and Party is strong as he started playing online at the site in 2004 and has finished on the final table of five offline Party tournaments. He is a valued member of VIP club http://www.palladiumlounge.com/. His biggest live successes are scooping $500,000 by taking down the UK Open in 2005 and winning the first prize of $125,000 at the PartyPoker.com European Open II in 2006. Ian has cashed three times in six handed events at the WSOP and is known and feared as a specialist in that format.
Ian will be hosting his own invite only private tournaments on PartyPoker.com and only last Sunday won a package online for the Asian Poker Tour Macau event where he will join a large group of online qualifiers. He will be representing PartyPoker.com at a number of events at the WSOP in Las Vegas and he has already started blogging about life on and off the felt in Vegas on the PartyPoker.com Blog http://blog.partypoker.com/.
Ian said: “I am delighted to have got a deal with PartyPoker.com – it allows me to focus more on my poker than my everyday job. I have been involved with Party since the early Poker Den days so it is a deal that makes sense and is based on a strong relationship over a number of years. I left Party for a while as I felt the software got dated and the VIP service dropped from the original top level but since the October re-launch, the software is second to none and I’ve seen a massive amount of extra value given back through the new VIP system which puts Party back at the top. I’m looking forward to finding out who will join me.”
A PartyPoker.com spokesman said: “The sponsored player and grassroots team initiative will continue to grow with all VIPs reviewed for suitability. We have seen growth in VIPs coming back to Party since our launch of the new software and continued huge strides in the VIP programme which culminated in the launch of the new PartyPoints Store this week.”
“We are looking for players that have shown themselves to have star quality in their play but who are also fun, humorous and possess a strong character and willingness to co-operate. Our extensive international television distribution gives players the chance of brilliant exposure.”
FELIPE RAMOS AND REMY BIECHEL JOIN GRASSROOTS TEAM ASSIGNMENT ONE FOR REMY – COACH A CONFIDENT WORLD CUP WINNING FOOTBALLER!
Juni 29, 2009
Gibraltar – 25th June 2009 — http://www.partypoker.com/ is pleased to announce that http://www.palladiumlounge.com/ members Felipe ‘Mojave’ Ramos and Remy Biechel are the latest players to be signed up for the grassroots team concept. They join Ian Frazer and Mike Sexton in the PartyPoker.com ranks.
26-year-old Ramos is an aggressive young professional poker player from Sao Paulo, Brazil and is a popular and influential figure on the Latin American poker circuit. A top VIP at PartyPoker.com, he started playing professionally in January 2008. Already, in that short period of time he has accumulated more than $700,000 in winnings both online and offline. Only last week he finished in 6th place winning $67,663 in the $5,000 PLO (Event 35) at the World Series of Poker. This was another key turning point for the growth of Brazilian poker as he now sits alongside bracelet winner Alexandre Gomes (Event 48, 2008) and Leandro Pimentel (4th Event 49, 2007). A Brazilian Series of Poker winner, Ramos is also a contributor to magazines and is tipped for great things in the future. He plays online under the names ‘mojave14’ and ‘FelipeMojave.’ Ramos will soon be writing his own blog for the site and help nurture fellow players with tutorials. You can find him on twitter (PartyBrasil), Facebook (Embaixador Brasil) and Orkut (Embaixador Brasil).
“I am really looking forward to representing PartyPoker.com in Latin America,” said Felipe. “When I started playing poker online it was with PartyPoker.com, it is the site that will always be special to me. I stopped playing there for a while but I came back as i love the software and new VIP programme. I strongly feel that my association with the site is a natural fit. By signing a deal with them I also hope to get to a position where I can exploit opportunities to play in their big televised events worldwide.”
40-year-old Biechel is a very popular figure on the French circuit and a valued Palladium Lounge member. He is already very busy with his new commitments in Las Vegas as he is being followed by television station RTL9, who are covering the WSOP in Vegas. He is also coaching French World Cup winning ex-footballer Frank Lebeouf, ahead of Frank representing PartyPoker in next week’s Vegas charity extravaganza Ante Up For Africa. Remy currently has over $840,000 in lifetime live tournament winnings and has cashed significantly in two big international side events. He won the €5000 side event at this year’s EPT Monte Carlo, taking home €280,000, and secured second place in the main side event at the 2008 WPT Festa Al Lago for $163,000. Remy started playing no limit hold’em online on PartyPoker.com back in 2005, graduating to regular live play at the Aviation Club and since then has consistently been rated amongst the top French players. He cashed four times on his first trip to the WSOP in Vegas last year.
Remy said: “I am very happy to join the grassroots team. I have played on PartyPoker.com for many years and have significantly increased my play recently with the new software and new VIP programmes. Easier multi-tabling and the new design got me hooked! Poker is now big news in France and I turned down several offers from sponsors because I wanted to find a room that I felt comfortable with, that shared the same values. PartyPoker is one of the original players in the online poker world, and I felt from the word go that they wanted to set up a sound partnership.”
Felipe and Remy are the latest cogs in a new strategy from PartyPoker.com, which has previously stayed out of the player sponsorship market with the exception of main site ambassador Mike Sexton. PartyPoker.com will now be sponsoring players as it seeks to create a grassroots team. The emphasis is on VIPs, player loyalty and historic links to PartyPoker.com. More members of the team will be announced in the near future and more details on the team concept will follow as the team is shaped. The sponsored player and grassroots team initiative will continue to grow with all VIPs reviewed for suitability. The grassroots team concept comes with changes to the VIP programme which culminated in the launch of the new PartyPoints Store this week.
A PartyPoker.com spokesman said: “We’re delighted to welcome Felipe and Remy to the team. Like Ian Frazer, they both have history as loyal customers and have increased their play since the re-launch of the new software and VIP programmes. Our extensive international television distribution gives players the chance of brilliant exposure.”
World Series of Poker”® and “WSOP”®, WSOPE”® are registered trade marks of Harrah’s License Company LLC. No license, affiliation, sponsorship, or endorsement is claimed, or should be inferred from the use of these trademarks here. PartyGaming is not licensed by or otherwise affiliated with Harrah’s License Company LLC or the World Series of Poker®, in any way.
CHANGES TO PARTYPOINTS STORE COMPLETED POINTS NOW WORTH UP TO 50% MORE AND EQUIVALENT OF 40% RAKE-BACK IS AVAILABLE
Juni 23, 2009
Gibraltar – 23rd June 2009 – http://www.partypoker.com/ has finished making changes to the PartyPoints Store and is happy to announce that PartyPoints are now worth up to 50% more!
The PartyPoints store has a whole new look and an expanded range of items and options. The main changes http://www.palladiumlounge.com/ members will benefit from are the improved bonuses and cash offers in the store, which are worth the equivalent of up to 30% rake-back, and in some cases up to 40%.
A PartyPoker.com spokesman: “We’ve completed the changes to the PartyPoints store and challenge you to look at them closely as they undoubtedly offer market leading value.”
Higher-level tournament entries can be purchased in the store at better rates than ever before. As well as increasing in the value of your points, we’ve also revamped the key levels:
|
New System |
||||||
| Loyalty Level | Points | Cash | Cash % back | Bonus | Bonus % back | |
| Bronze | 400 | $10 | 5% | N/A | N/A | |
| Silver | 1,500 | $50 | 7% | $100 | 14% | |
| Gold | 4,000 | $200 | 10% | $350 | 18% | |
| Palladium | 10,000 | $600 | 12% | $1,200 | 24% | |
| Palladium | 20,000 | $1,500 | 15% | $3,000 | 30% | |
| Palladium Elite | 100,000 | $15,000 | 30% | $20,000 | 40% | |
Cash is great, but don’t overlook the great bonuses that are available at all levels from silver and above. Bonuses effectively let the customer buy more cash for the same number of points: they just have to earn a set number of points in order to release the cash. We’ve even slashed the number of points a customer needs to earn in half, so they can clear bonuses twice as fast as before.
PartyPoker.com has also made it easier to maintain membership of the exclusive Palladium Lounge as we’ve reduced the quarterly entry target. More details on all these changes can be found at http://www.partypoker.com/rewards/
** The Million Dollar Hand continues on PartyPoker.com until Sunday 28 June. A second customer has just hit a straight flush paying out $10,000 **
THE MILLION DOLLAR HAND CONTINUES… STRAIGHT FLUSH SCOOPS $10,000 FOR ONE PLAYER FOR JUST EARNING PARTYPOINTS!
Juni 17, 2009
Gibraltar – 17th June 2009 – The http://www.partypoker.com Million Hand Promotion has now been running for 12 days! Already hundreds of thousands of dollars have been paid out to players for just earning PartyPoints. To date there has been 36,911 pairs, 4,180 two pair, 1,879 three of a kind, 365 straights, 195 flushes, 112 full houses, 28 four of a kind and 1 straight flush! The straight flush was hit by a German Palladium Lounge member last Sunday, who saw the board come down 6d 7d 4d 8d 5d to scoop $10,000.
After a successful running back in March, the popular promotion was brought back due to public demand and runs from Friday 5 June – Sunday 28 June. The promotion offers the chance to win a cool $1 million or even more! Players at PartyPoker.com’s real money tables will get a playing card for every 15 PartyPoints they earn during this period and will receive a prize when they’ve built a five-card hand. There’s a guaranteed cash prize if the hand features a pair or better – a royal flush will pay $1 million!
The promotion is longer this time around and players can now earn 48 hands, which equates to 2 hands per day over 24 days, instead of the 34 hands it was limited too last time around. With more hands available the chances of a $1 million Royal Flush are much greater in June than it was when the promotion ran in March. The insurance premiums paid by PartyPoker.com for a $1 million Royal Flush payout are significantly higher than they were last time!
A PartyPoker.com spokesman said: “Hundreds of thousands of dollars have already been paid out in this run of the Million Dollar Hand and we still have a way to go! We have already paid out $10,000 for one straight flush and if the last run of the promotion is anything to go by there could be more as there were three straight flushes back in March.”
There is no limit on the number of royal flushes that can be hit and the promotion starts with players getting their first card for free. Cards become available in a player’s PartyAccount. Points are not removed from player accounts following the promotion – they all count towards Palladium Lounge targets.
PartyPoker.com: ‘The Million Dollar Hand’ 5th - 28th June 2009 – Prize Structure
Royal flush $1,000,000
Straight flush $10,000
Four of a kind $1,000
Full house $250
Flush $100
Straight $50
Three of a kind $20
Two pair $10
One pair $3
Players will only be able to reveal a maximum of two hands per day and 48 across the whole of the promotion period. All players have to go to their Party Account to reveal their cards; any unrevealed card/hand will not be taken into account. Full terms and conditions can be found at PartyPoker.com. http://www.partypoker.com/news/items/mdh.html
NEW LANDMARKS FOR PARTYCASINO.COM AND PARTYBINGO.COM MORE ADDITIONS TO WORLD’S LARGEST ONLINE CASINO AS NUMBER OF GAMES DOUBLES IN SIX MONTHS
Juni 16, 2009
Gibraltar — 16th June – http://www.partycasino.com/ and http://www.partybingo.com/ are both currently offering record jackpots that are waiting to be hit! The PartyCasino.com Gold Mega Jackpot is at a record level and stands at over $2.4 million, while the PartyBingo.com jackpot in the Lillac Lounge is industry leading at over £63,000 and is rated as highly winnable by independent comparison checks.
Gold Mega Jackpot games on PartyCasino.com include The Godfather, Super Star, Super Joker, Super Fortune Wheel, Super Mystic and Mega Fortune Wheel. PartyCasino.com now offers over 120 games and pays out well over $10 million EVERY DAY to players. The world’s largest online casino continues to expand rapidly – in fact the number of games on PartyCasino.com has DOUBLED in just six months and there are a lot more to come! The latest release has seen dozens of new games added with the highlights being the in-house developed dinosaur themed Raptor Island and online casino classic Cleopatra. They join the group of Cryptologic licensed Marvel games, Wagerworks games like the very popular Monopoly and Next Gen slots such as Dolphin Reef.
With rights acquired from Frank Sinatra Enterprises (FSE), a joint venture of the Sinatra Estate and Warner Music Group, PartyCasino.com has also developed the Sinatra Slot – a five-reel, 20 line slot game with a Sinatra Big Band feature. Play through the three ages of Frank in Hollywood, Las Vegas and New York, collecting and writing big band tunes on the way. The game features an accumulating bonus trigger; collect a Treble Clef for each reel to build up a Sinatra track at the top of the screen. Complete the track to see Frank sing a classic track and then get a chance to write your own number in the Big Band Bonus feature. The minimum bet is $0.01 and maximum is $1,000. To celebrate the recent introduction of this innovating slot, PartyCasino.com is offering the chance to win trips to New York, Las Vegas or Hollywood and free spins until July 7 – see http://www.partycasino.com/news/newsletter/ for more details. Other highlights include film themed slots such as Mission:Impossible, The Terminator, Top Gun, Saturday Night Fever, Gone with the Wind and Rambo.
The PartyBingo.com jackpot in the Lilac Lounge is now over £63,000, the largest in the industry at the current time. It is rated by independent adjudicators to be one of the most ripe to be hit and the ball count has been increased to 37 make it easier to hit!
A PartyGaming spokesman said: “PartyCasino.com is a completely different product to what it was six months ago with so many great new games added. The Gold Mega Jackpot just continues to grow and grow past previous record levels – we’re surprised it hasn’t been hit yet. At the same time jackpot hunters are going to find PartyBingo.com very attractive, £63,000 would be a seriously big bingo win!”
MIKE SEXTON FOR THE POKER HALL OF FAME! HOWARD LEDERER AND ANNIE DUKE ENDORSE THE AMBASSADOR OF POKER
Juni 10, 2009
Gibraltar – 10th June 2009 — Nominations are still open for this year’s induction to the Poker Hall of Fame. For the first time in the history of the Poker Hall of Fame the early stage of the nomination process is open to the general public. Amongst those who have already publicly endorsed nominations for http://www.partypoker.com/ Ambassador and WPT commentator Mike Sexton are Erik Seidel, Steve Lipscomb, Annette Obrestad, Padraig Parkinson and historian Des Wilson. They are now joined by a whole raft of prominent figures from the game.
You can make your Poker Hall of Fame endorsement now at: http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com/pokerhalloffame/halloffamevoting.asp
Here is a selection of the recent endorsements:
Poker’s ‘Professor’ Howard Lederer: “More than any single poker player, Mike Sexton promoted the game of poker throughout the ’90s and into this decade. He had a singular belief in the game as something that could be much bigger. Every poker player owes a great debt of thanks to Mike for helping to extend poker to places we could have never imagined before.”
Celebrity Apprentice runner-up Annie Duke: “There is quite possibly no single individual who did more to mainstream poker and grow the game than Mike Sexton. During the 90’s , when tournament poker was still an obscure, insular world, Mike always believed in and promoted what poker could become even as many of us remained steadfast in our skepticism. Mike saw the potential for the game and never gave up in his promotion of it and for that we should all be deeply grateful.”
The First Lady of Poker Linda Johnson: “I nominate Mike Sexton for the 2009 Poker Hall of Fame. I can’t think of anyone who has done more for the poker industry than Mike. He has exhibited tremendous skills as a poker player and incredible vision in his ability to market the poker world. Mike is the best poker commentator in the world and is a household name to millions of players. He is generous, hard working, and donates his time and money to many various charities. Mike is a role model to all poker players and is very deserving of being inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame.”
Recent inductee into the Women’s Hall of Fame Jan Fisher: “I’ve known Mike Sexton for nearly 30 years. During this time, Mike has always worked hard to promote poker. His stellar reputation speaks for itself. One of the true good guys in poker, no one deserves this honor at this time more than Sexton. I’ve worked on both sides of the tables, and I believe that Mike is a role model for the poker industry. I am proud and honored to call him my friend.”
From the famous poker family, Todd Brunson: “Mike Sexton helped take poker to a level never before achieved and without him we would not be seeing the prize pools we have today. We all owe Mike our most sincere gratitude and appreciation.”
Leading Tournament Director Matt Savage: “Mike Sexton should be a slam dunk, not only for the over 40 WSOP cashes but especially for the work he has done to promote the world’s greatest game. Poker would not be where it is today without the ambassador work that Mike has done.”
Irish Open Tournament Director Liam Flood: “I have known Mike for 25 years and I have always found him to be a true gentleman. He is the best ambassador poker could ever have. Whether it be in Las Vegas, Paris or Dublin he is always the same and is always prepared to listen to anybody about the game he loves.”
Recent WSOP bracelet winner and Asian Poker Tour ambassador Steve Sung: “The first poker commentators’ voice I ever heard was Mike Sexton. The man’s a legend – get him into the Poker Hall of Fame.”
Top professional David Williams: “Mike Sexton is a true professional and I wholeheartedly believe that he should enter Poker’s Hall of Fame this year.”
Top professional Roland De Wolfe: “He is a personality and voice that has opened the game up to new people. He is a component of poker’s story and a significant part of poker history.”
The Poker Hall of Fame was established in 1979. Its membership includes poker’s most influential players and other important contributors to the game. There are 16 living members, and to date 37 members have been bestowed the honour of entry. The WSOP Hall of Fame traditionally elects one or two new members annually. The enshrinement ceremony is now held during the final table of the Main Event of the WSOP. The criteria for selection is as follows:
A player must have played poker against acknowledged top competition
Played for high stakes
Played consistently well, gaining the respect of peers
Stood the test of time
Or, for non-players, contributed to the overall growth and success of the game of poker, with indelible positive and lasting results
Mike ticks the boxes! The Hall of Fame needs its ambassador! Amongst the most recent inductees include Henry Orenstein, Dewey Tomko, Phil Hellmuth, Barbara Enright, TJ Cloutier, Bobby Baldwin, Johnny Chan and Lyle Berman. Doyle Brunson was given Hall of Fame status in 1987. Once the public has voted the top ten among consideration are announced during the Main Event. It then goes to a committee stage in August and then a secret ballot of living Hall of Famers in September. In addition, a select group of media members will also be sent a ballot for ranking the finalists.
PARTYPOKER.COM AND PARTYCASINO.COM LAUNCH NEW GLOBAL CAMPAIGN PARTYPOINTS STORE TO BE IMPROVED AT END OF JUNE
Juni 9, 2009
Gibraltar – 9th June 2009 – An exciting new global campaign has been launched for both PartyPoker.com and PartyCasino.com.
Extensive worldwide customer research helped PartyPoker.com and PartyCasino.com develop a new proposition and this is delivered through the new strapline ‘Feel it’. The research identified ‘it’ as the intense rush as the river card is turned or the wild anticipation as the roulette wheel begins to slow. In fact ‘it’ is something different to every player and with its range of new games, promotions and tournaments PartyPoker.com and PartyCasino.com are constantly innovating to deliver the best customer experience in online poker and casino.
The campaign will roll out on TV, online, billboards and in press in territories worldwide. At the heart are thrilling TV commercials for both PartyPoker.com and PartyCasino.com that show players caught up in a whirlwind of excitement. The whirlwind captures the journey of the game for poker and the fun and excitement of casino as players enjoy the games in a virtual world. The campaign also sees the introduction of a redesigned logo.
The television advertisements were filmed on the biggest stage at the famous Shepperton Studios in the UK where so many blockbusters including the Bond movies are shot. All the action was overseen by Hollywood film director Paul WS Anderson – his experience in directing Event Horizon, Resident Evil and Alien versus Predator was key to delivering the action packed footage. A look at the tv ads can be found at http://www.partypoker.com/ and http://www.partycasino.com/
The campaign was created by Leeds based agency Home, in conjunction with PartyGaming’s in-house team.
A PartyGaming spokesman said: “The new campaign has gone global and you will already see the brand changes when you log on to PartyPoker.com and PartyCasino.com. PartyPoker.com has just launched the Million Dollar Hand promotion for June, while PartyCasino.com is the world’s largest online casino and is continuing to expand at a rapid pace. The Gold Mega Jackpot at PartyCasino.com currently stands at just over a record breaking $2,281,000 and is waiting to be hit!”
At the end of June, PartyPoker.com will be improving the PartyPoints store. Customers are advised to hold on to their PartyPoints until then to make the most of the changes that will be introduced. See http://www.partypoker.com/mails/new_store_prelaunch.jsp for more details.
Sunday’s Monthly Million had 1446 runners and was dominated by Scandinavia, with a Swedish one/two/three!
1st WHOaaaaaaaa (SWE) $157,144
2nd Svxxxsen (SWE) $152,856.01
3rd EmmaSweden (SWE) $69,000
4th DBE_123 (POL) $54,500
5th brogba84 (DEN) $46,000
6th ozencc (NET) $34,500
7th sherdil (SWE) $26,500
8th spiros81 (GRE) $17,500
9th S_ckOUTking (DEN) $13,500
10th Does888 (NET) $9,500
PUBLIC DEMAND BRINGS THE MILLION DOLLAR HAND BACK SUNDAY’S MONTHLY MILLION OFFERS VALUE YOU SIMPLY WONT FIND ANYWHERE ELSE!
Juni 4, 2009
Gibraltar – 3rd June 2009 – The http://www.partypoker.com Million Hand Promotion is back! After a successful running back in March the popular promotion is back due to public demand and runs from Friday 5 June – Saturday 28 June. The promotion offers the chance to win a cool $1 million or even more! Players at PartyPoker.com’s real money tables will get a playing card for every 15 PartyPoints they earn during this period and will receive a prize when they’ve built a five-card hand. There’s a guaranteed cash prize if the hand features a pair or better – a royal flush will pay $1 million!
A PartyPoker.com spokesman said: “The promotion was so well received last time that the Million Dollar hand rides again from Friday onwards. The promotion is longer this time around and players can now earn 48 hands, which equates to 2 hands per day over 24 days, instead of the 34 hands it was limited too last time around. With more hands available the chances of a $1 million Royal Flush are much greater in June than it was when the promotion ran in March. The insurance premiums we paid for a $1 million Royal Flush payout are significantly higher than they were last time!”
“The last run of the Million Dollar Hand promotion was extended by five days because it was so popular. A total number of 70,908 pairs, 8059 two pairs, 3611 three of a kind, 628 straights, 436 flushes, 245 full house, 41 four of a kind and 3 straight flushes were paid out between the 11-27 March. In total 83,931 WINNING HANDS paid out over $700,000.”
There is no limit on the number of royal flushes that can be hit and the promotion starts with players getting their first card for free. This card will be available in a player’s PartyAccount on the 5th June. Points are not removed from player accounts following the promotion – they all count towards Palladium Lounge targets.
PartyPoker.com: ‘The Million Dollar Hand’ 5th - 28th June 2009 – Prize Structure
Royal flush $1,000,000
Straight flush $10,000
Four of a kind $1,000
Full house $250
Flush $100
Straight $50
Three of a kind $20
Two pair $10
One pair $3
Players will only be able to reveal a maximum of two hands per day and 48 across the whole of the promotion period. All players have to go to their Party Account to reveal their cards; any unrevealed card/hand will not be taken into account. Full terms and conditions can be found at PartyPoker.com. http://www.partypoker.com/news/items/mdh.html
As this Sunday’s Monthly Million gets closer, extra qualifiers are now online at http://www.partypoker.com for the $1 million guaranteed online poker tournament which promises to offer great value.
A PartyPoker.com spokesman said: “This Sunday’s Monthly Million will definitely be very juicy. It will offer value that you will not find anywhere else.”
The “50 Seat Frenzy” will run this Saturday at 11:25 EST (16.25 BST, 17.25 CEST) with 50 seats guaranteed. There are also “Super8” qualifiers running over the weekend which feature an $88 buy-in and a one in eight chance of getting through. Further to this there is an “Ultimate Qualifier” which is to be held on Sunday at 11:15 EST (16.15 BST, 17.15 CEST) which has a buy-in of $340 and 10 seats guaranteed in the one in two chance.
The PartyPoker.com Monthly Million is a $1 million guaranteed online poker tournament every first Sunday of the month. The fifth Monthly Million takes place at the end of this week on Sunday 6 June at 12.45 EST (17.45 BST, 18.45 CEST) and features a championship blind structure. The buy-in is $600+$40 but the diverse qualifying paths means you can join the qualifiers from as little as $1. The wide range of qualifiers includes $64+$4 daily satellites with 18 seats guaranteed, a MEGA Friday $50+$5 satellite that guarantees 20 seats and Super Satellite Saturday qualifiers with a $32+$3 buy-in and 18 seats guaranteed.
The paths into the Monthly Million are many – check out http://www.partypoker.com/news/items/monthly_million1.html
PartyPoker.com Monthly Million – Sunday 3 May 2009 – 1361 runners, 200 places paid – total prize pool $1,000,000
1st sailorboyxxx (FIN) $137,177.49
2nd super_proper (RUS) $123,802.28
3rd BLDNgSWTRs (SWE) $118,020.25
4th ChimpDumping (AT) $54,500
5th pr0tst (SWE) $46,000
6th AmyRied (GER) $34,500
7th mf8480 (DEN) $26,500
8th LordAton (CZ) $17,500
9th Lavalanche (CAN) $13,500
10th PokaLoco (FIN) $9,500
ALL ROADS LEAD TO VICTORY! ONLINE QUALIFIER JASON BRENNAN WINS PARTYPOKER.COM SPORTS STARS CHALLENGE IV
Juni 2, 2009
London – 2nd June 2009 – 34-year-old unemployed road builder Jason Brennan scooped £27,000 after emerging victorious at the http://www.partypoker.com/ Sports Stars Challenge IV in London. Sports stars, both past and present, joined a group of online qualifiers in taking their seats in the hope of being crowned the ultimate sporting poker champion in the strongest and most international line-up to date.
Brennan, from Archway in London overcome Irish boxing legend Dave ‘Boy’ McAuley heads-up at the climax of an exciting final table. The key hand came when McAuley raised to 800 with Kh 10h and Brennan pushed all-in with Ah 3h. The board failed to help either player and the online qualifier sealed a memorable victory.
“I’m completely stunned, this is a dream” said Brennan. “Not only did I get to play poker with many of my sporting heroes, I also managed to win and qualifying did not cost me a penny! It means so much to me. I am currently out of work and the money couldn’t have come at a better time.” Brennan was cheered on by his mother Mary, who was overcome with emotion after he sealed his win. “I am so proud of him, especially the fact that he believed in himself and believed that he could do it,” she said.
Brennan qualified for the tournament through a series of online freerolls which were entered by a staggering 140,000 people. Brennan came through the darts qualifier. He won his heat with the darts stars, taking out legendary world champion and keen poker player Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor heads-up to secure his spot on the final table. The final table featured three online qualifiers in the form of Brennan, Scott O’Reilly and Paresh Patel. They joined England rugby union star Henry Paul, Germany’s European Championship football winner Thomas Helmer, boxing legend McAuley and popular French golfer Jean Van De Velde in the fight for glory.
Boxing legend McAuley was a gracious runner-up. The Belfast hero retired from boxing in 1992 but was involved in some of the biggest and most memorable fights of the late 1980s. “I lost my first two world title fights and won the third so maybe next time the title will be mine,” he said. McAuley previously played in the event two years ago but was eliminated very early.
First out on the final table was golfer Jean Van De Velde, who will forever be famous for the 18th hole at the 1999 Open Championship. In this poker debut he reached the 18th but at least he made the fairway and proved that he was no fish in these waters. Next to go was 42-year-old online qualifier Paresh Patel from Blackpool – he got to play with football stars and took out French World Cup winner Frank Leboeuf heads-up in his heat to win a place in the final. He was shortly followed by German European Championship winning footballer Thomas Helmer.
Following these eliminations there was an exciting period of four handed play with Brennan the aggressor – never being afraid to get his chips in and intimidate the rest of the field. Next out was England Rugby Union international Henry Paul, followed by online qualifier Scott O’Reilly. After finishing 54th in the WSOP Main Event in 2006 for over $165,000, O’Reilly was undoubtedly the favourite to triumph and had ended the dominance of Brennan but a couple of cruel beats sent him to the rail. O’Reilly is a member of PartyPoker.com’s VIP club http://www.palladiumlounge.com/ and came through a high octane motorsport heat that featured F1 icons Giancarlo Fisichella and Jacques Villeneueve. This left Brennan and McAuley heads-up but the online qualifier always looked the more likely winner.
A PartyPoker.com spokesman said: “We’d like to congratulate Jason on his win – it is truly remarkable that he managed to be the last man standing from over 140,000 players. He says his poker hero is Tony G but he looks like a contender to become UK poker’s Ali G figure in a straight fight with Luke ‘Full Flush’ Schwartz and Josh Tyler! Kara Scott’s win in this event in 2008 was a huge springboard to further success so it will be interesting to see what the future holds for Jason.”
Eddie Hearn, Director of Matchroom Sport said: “It was a fantastic event and there was no surprise that the fastest heat was the motorsport one. All the sports stars were great fun and spent plenty of time socially with all those lucky players that won seats online. Giancarlo Fisichella and Ronald De Boer, in particular, showed they have some serious form on the green felt and they were unlucky not to be in the final.”
Amongst the sports stars knocked out in the heat stages included 2008 European Ryder Cup team member Graeme McDowell, David Frost and Sam Torrance. Footballers included Holland’s Ronald De Boer, Romania’s Florin Radiciou and Denmark and Liverpool legend Jan Molby. The boxing tear-up featured Germany’s former unbeaten World Champion Sven Ottke, while the rugby heat didn’t prove fruitful for union’s former France and Wasps captain Raphael Ibanez. For the first time in the Matchroom Sport organised event’s history there were heats for motorsport professionals, top golfers and an online qualifier element. Full hand details can be found at: http://www.matchroompokerforum.co.uk/
PartyPoker.com players had the chance to win a seat through a freeroll in the sports heat of their choice. The sports were football (two heats), rugby (union and league combined), motorsport, boxing, darts and golf. The winner of Sports Stars Challenge I was former rugby union star Austin Healey, while the second instalment saw victory for Irish snooker champion Ken Doherty. Last year’s winner was television presenter Kara Scott, who used the tournament as the starting point for a breakthrough successful year on the circuit that also included big cashes at the WSOP Main Event and Irish Open. Scott won £20,000 after defeating Manchester United football legend Norman Whiteside heads-up. There was no presenter heat in the format this year.
The winner of each of the seven heats took their seats at the seven seat final table. Each player sat down with 2,000 chips with the heat winner getting £7,000. The overall winner received £20,000 with second getting £10,000 and third receiving £5,000.
Coverage of the event will be aired in the UK later this year on Sky Sports in the UK and then distributed internationally. Jesse May leads the commentary and was joined by Nik Persaud, Ian Frazer and Matt Broughton.
PARTYPOKER.COM SPORTS STARS CHALLENGE IV – PRIZE POOL – London – 29th May – 1st June
1st – JASON BRENNAN (ONLINE QUALIFIER DARTS) £20,000
2nd – DAVE MCAULEY (BOXING) £10,000
3rd – SCOTT O’REILLY (ONLINE QUALIFIER MOTORSPORT) £5,000
4th – HENRY PAUL (RUGBY)
5th – THOMAS HELMER (FOOTBALL)
6th – PARESH PATEL (ONLINE QUALIFIER FOOTBALL)
7th – JEAN VAN DE VELDE (GOLF)
PARTYPOKER.COM SPORTS STARS CHALLENGE IV FINAL TABLE – London – 29th May – 1st June
SEAT 1 – JEAN VAN DE VELDE (GOLF)
SEAT 2 – DAVE MCAULEY (BOXING)
SEAT 3 – JASON BRENNAN (ONLINE QUALIFIER DARTS)
SEAT 4 – HENRY PAUL (RUGBY)
SEAT 5 – THOMAS HELMER (FOOTBALL)
SEAT 6 – PARESH PATEL (ONLINE QUALIFIER FOOTBALL)
SEAT 7 – SCOTT O’REILLY (ONLINE QUALIFIER MOTORSPORT)
POKER LEGEND ERIK SEIDEL ON MIKE SEXTON FINAL TABLE SET AT PARTYPOKER.COM SPORTS STARS CHALLENGE IV
Juni 2, 2009
Poker legend Erik Seidel’s endorsement of Mike Sexton for induction into Poker’s Hall of Fame.
“Next up should be Mike Sexton. He has some impressive accomplishments as a player, he won the Tournament of Champions in 06′, the European Heads Up, and is one of the leaders in WSOP cashes including one bracelet. If I’m not mistaken he also won the 1st 10k event at Foxwoods as well. I can’t think of anyone though who has contributed more to the growth of the game then Mike and that’s why he should be the next inductee. As the WPT’s announcer he is the guy who introduced no limit poker to millions of people, and who explained it in a way that drew them in and got them interested. I meet people all the time who don’t even play poker but watch the WPT because he manages to keep it exciting for everyone. People can tell his enthusiasm is real, Mike loves poker and fortunately is able to translate that for the viewer. He deserves huge credit too for the growth of the online game. As a consultant for PartyPoker he helped the online game get started and helped Party create the biggest poker site in the world. Party was just another poker site until Mike’s commercials on the WPT started running, then overnight the numbers doubled, tripled and very quickly they became the largest site poker has ever seen. He is one of the best ambassadors poker has ever seen and I hope he is on deck for admission in 09’.”
You can vote for Mike now at:http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com/pokerhalloffame/halloffamevoting.asp
London – 1st June 2009 – The final table is set at the http://www.partypoker.com/ Sports Stars Challenge in London. Sports stars, both past and present, have taken their seats in the hope of being crowned the ultimate sporting poker champion in the strongest and most international line-up to date. For the first time in the Matchroom Sport organised event’s history there were heats for motorsport professionals, top golfers and an online qualifier element. Live reporting can be found at: http://www.matchroompokerforum.co.uk/
The final table features three online qualifiers in the form Scott O’Reilly, Jason Brennan and Paresh Patel. They join England rugby union star Henry Paul, Germany’s European Championship football winner Thomas Helmer, Irish boxing legend Dave ‘Boy’ McAuley and popular French golfer Jean Van De Velde.
O’Reilly is a member of PartyPoker.com’s VIP club http://www.palladiumlounge.com/ and came through a high octane motorsport heat that featured F1 icons Giancarlo Fisichella and Jacques Villeneueve. Previously he ran deep in the WSOP Main Event in 2006 winning over $165,000 as a PartyPoker.com qualifier. Jason Brennan, a 34-year old unemployed road builder from Holloway, London found his way to the final table after chinning darts legend Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor in his heat. Paresh Patel is 42 years-old from Blackpool and got to play with football heroes and took out French World Cup winner Frank Leboeuf heads-up in his heat.
A PartyPoker.com spokesman said: “ 140,000 people overall took part in the special Sports Stars Challenge freerolls online and three players have made the final table. A number of the sports stars have shown they have real game when it comes to poker with Ronald De Boer and Giancarlo Fisichella, in particular, showing solid aggressive games. Both were unlucky not to make the final table.”
Amongst the other sports stars who were knocked out in the heat stages included 2008 European Ryder Cup team member Graeme McDowell and Sam Torrance. Footballers included Romania’s Florin Radiciou and Denmark and Liverpool legend Jan Molby. The boxing tear-up featured Germany’s former unbeaten World Champion Sven Ottke, while the rugby heat didn’t prove fruitful for union’s former France and Wasps captain Raphael Ibanez.
PartyPoker.com players had the chance to win a seat through a freeroll in the sports heat of their choice. The sports were football (two heats), rugby (union and league combined), motorsport, boxing, darts and golf.
The winner of Sports Stars Challenge I was former rugby union star Austin Healey, while the second instalment saw victory for Irish snooker champion Ken Doherty. Last year’s winner was television presenter Kara Scott, who used the tournament as the starting point for a breakthrough successful year on the circuit that also included big cashes at the WSOP Main Event and Irish Open. Scott won £20,000 after defeating Manchester United football legend Norman Whiteside heads-up. There is no presenter heat in the new format this year.
The winner of each of the seven heats will take their seat at the final table, where seven players will battle it out until one of them walks away with the title. Each player sits down with 2,000 chips with the heat winner getting £7,000. The overall winner receives £20,000 with second getting £10,000 and third receiving £5,000.
Coverage of the event will be aired in the UK later this year on Sky Sports and then distributed internationally. Jesse May leads the commentary.
PARTYPOKER.COM SPORTS STARS CHALLENGE IV FINAL TABLE – London – 29th May – 1st June
SEAT 1 – JEAN VAN DE VELDE (GOLF)
SEAT 2 – DAVE MCAULEY (BOXING)
SEAT 3 – JASON BRENNAN (ONLINE QUALIFIER DARTS)
SEAT 4 – HENRY PAUL (RUGBY)
SEAT 5 – THOMAS HELMER (FOOTBALL)
SEAT 6 – PARESH PATEL (ONLINE QUALIFIER FOOTBALL)
SEAT 7 – SCOTT O’REILLY (ONLINE QUALIFIER MOTORSPORT)
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