Mucking the winner?!?!?!?!?!?

While watching the WSOP ME 2009 Episode 27 a hand came up in which Phil Ivey (Acclaimed best player on earth) mucked the winning hand! The hand went as follows: Phil Raised UTG with Snowmen (88), with one being a spade. He was re-raised pre-flop by an A9 in the BB. The flop came mostly bricks, but had two spades on board. The action went check, check. The turn brought the Q of spades (pairing the board). It was checked over to Phil and he checked behind. He was called. The river brought the ACE of spades. Check and check. Player in BB announced an "ACE" and did not show, and Phil Mucked his winner flush thinking the ace had him beat.

This has happened to the best of us, we are so concentrated on what the other player is doing and reacting to bets/calls/checks, that we forget to read the board fully and accumulate the best information from the hand. Phil had half given up on the hand when he was saw the turn and river. He misread the board and never even seen the 4 spades which were in front of him. This is a mistake that Phil normally will never make, but under extreme pressure and playing as long as he was (day 7). We can understand why it did happen.

So double check your whole cards and compute everything when a showdown takes place! TRIPPLE CHECK, you have nothing to lose, because you have already lost the pot if you haven't anyway!

Here is the footage on Youtube: Phil Ivey Mucks winning hand!

SHODOWN

SHODOWN is hosting the first annual Canadian Poker Expo Official After-Party. For more information join the Facebook Page or check out CPE's website. This party will be the first for Shodown and believe us when we tell you it is going to be insane! We have reduced cover, special MGD bottled pricing and 8-12 top Pro's making an appearance. The venue is Cabana nightclub in downtown Toronto and is sure not to disappoint.

Party's and other special events will be vital to the success of the poker industry. In the future expect many events that will be suited towards poker players and poker fans. Any suggestions can be commented on this blog or sent to info@shodown.ca So look out for a crazy night on the 7th and don't forget to take part in the HUGE free rolls presented by FullTilt and Betfair at the Expo on Nov. 7th and 8th. Pre-register to make sure you get a seat!

SHODOWN

Field size and buy ins?

Attendance has been down as of late to many of the TOP events. FoxWoods WPT and Bellagio WPT have not drawn numbers like they have in the past. Could the economy be to blame? Yes, that could be a major factor, but what we believe is that the buy in is just to big for most amateur players and their is a wide variety of events to choose from. Their are new events and new tours popping up all over the place. EPT, APPT, LAPT, WSOP Circuit, Heart Land, and many more.

The last WSOP circuit event in Oct. 2009 gained a record 1412 people at only a $345.00 buy in. You may say that the prize pool would not be ridiculous, but the play should most likely be a lot easier and soft. After all how many pro's are really going to play this event? The field size was large enough where if you were a good player you can cash fairly easily.

So the question is: Can poker survive on small buy ins?

Answer: DEFINITELY!!

You can't rely on these monster 10k buy ins all the time. Most players who win a seat try to get the cash, and not too many recreational players can afford to pony up 10k. So casino's out there; Get moving and get larger field tournaments at smaller buy ins! The money tree will grow for poker and the smaller events will lead to players playing the larger events.

For more information on the WSOP circuit start visit:

http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com/news/article.asp?newsID=2563

SHODOWN

Running it twice?!?!?!?!?!

Today it was announced on FullTilt poker that they now have the option to "Run it Twice" on their site. It is cool that the option is there but realistically running it twice takes away from the game. Some may say it is a professional courtesy, but this thought is stupid! That's correct STUPID!!

The whole essence of poker is to take, trick, suck out, and bewilder your opponent and take all their money! Chopping the pot only helps the rake and the house! Most players who run it twice are friends; who really shouldn't be at the same table anyway! Or a player tricks their opponent into giving them 20% twice! Where's the gamesmanship?

One example of running it twice was with Guy Laliberte and David Benyamine on an episode of High Stakes Poker. They both flopped monster hands, but after the cards were turned over, David was visibly shaky and upset about the hand. He stood to lose a lot, the offered to run it twice and then actually he gave up the pot to Guy without seeing a turn or river for $115 000. Understandable this was a lot of money but this was just awful for a fan. Your suppossed to be the best in the world. If you can't lose the money in front of you, DON'T PLAY! It's that simple!

So for those of you out there who want to run it twice, check yourself at the door because there will never be a pot with us involved that will be ran twice! Same attitude as always: Destroy your opponents on the felt and friends off the felt. It's not your fault if they can't afford to lose. They shouldn't be playing if that's the case.

SHODOWN

Major bounce back!

Daniel Negreanu recently was the runner up for the World Series of Poker Europe Main Event to Barry Shulman.

Every time you think Daniel is overrated he bounces back, this time from his disappointing performance at the WSOP ME (he did have a gross cold) and has a great performance with a 2nd place finish in a very tough field. After this performance he is now the #1 live tournament money winner of all time!

Congratulations to a Canadian poker pro who can now arguably be called one of the best of all time! Even when you place 2nd and can't ever be quiet!

SHODOWN

Main event capped at the WSOP?

On the final day to register for the WSOP ME approximately 300 players were turned away. This was a first and hopefully a last for the tournament. It has been prided as being the biggest tournament in the world and to have a bigger prize pool year after year.

Now you may ask, how did this happen? How did Patrik Antonius and TJ Cloutier not get into what is the super-bowl of poker? Well to be honest it was their own fault. Too many people waited to register for the last day. We were at the WSOP and they even had tables running for the ME out in the little Rio pit (which is a 5 min walk form the amazon room). TJ has spoken out and said that it was his own fault. Well yeah it was, he only had 4 months to register to make sure he had a spot! TJ will learn form the mistake, and I am sure he will be hungrier next year for it, because sitting on the rail when you don't even get to play is heartbreaking!

Jeffery Pollack (WSOP Commissioner) has said that they will do everything in their power to make sure this is resolved for next year, but lets get real. People must register in advance to give them the option to have more tables and to fill it. Poker players all want the prize pool to be bigger. So lets get on top of this so that each year the prize pool increases! Day 1b was not that full. Poker players get it in check!

SHODOWN

Sebok signs with UB - Conflict of Interest?

Joe Sebok (Founder of PokerRoad and step son of Barry Greenstein) recently signed on with Ultimate Bet (UB).

At first I was a little skeptical at the idea but after reading a few articles, I think it was a good decision for both parties. UB has not had a good reputation since the scandal that happened a few years ago. The poker community has really wanted to know: who was behind all of this?

Part of the reason Joe signed with UB was there promise to reveal and publicize what really happened and the parties involved in this mess. This will hopefully give UB a "clean slate" and allow them to grow and prosper.

The only real concern is that UB will receive biased favors from PokerRoad. This is something however that I think Joe will be able to handle maturely and respectively towards the industry he loves so much.

An example of someone who handles this currently well and Joe should take after is: Eric Morris (Bluff Magazine). He was wearing a PKR patch and is still very professional and fair within his magazine.

So some may say that this is a "conflict of interest" but what helps promote the poker industry is really what is best, and a great ambassador of the game promoting himself and two companies only grows the industry.

Check out:

http://www.pokerroad.com/

http://www.ultimatebet.com/

SHODOWN

WSOP November 9

Lets face it, the November 9 is the best thing to happen to poker since the Moneymaker effect. For the players; they have the opportunity to make lucrative deals with online sites for wearing patches. The WSOP and ESPN have improved ratings because people actually are interested in the who the CHAMP will be. Also, this just lead to a 7 year contract with ESPN with the WSOP.

The years prior, you knew who won before you watched. This was awful. Have you ever watched a MMA fight that you were looking forward to, and someone spilled the beans about who won and what round? I have, and watching the fight just wasn't as exciting; no mystery.

This year also is significant for two reasons:

#1 Phil Ivey- He is regarded by his peers as one of the best to ever play. If he wins and does the poker ambassador gig as well as Raymer, or even close to the excelletn job Greg has doen; then poker will spark interest again on a mass scale. #2 Jeff Shulman- Owner of Cardplayer magazine has been rumored to "throw the bracelet in the trash" if he wins. This is in regard to the contract to Bluff Magazines rights to the WSOP as the official media sponsor. If he wins, the buzz around what he will do will be very interesting to watch.

More thoughts to come, feel free to comment.

SHODOWN