SOREL "Imper1um" MIZZI

Sorel Mizzi One River Card Away From Winning WSOPE Bracelet

2008-09-29T14:35:00.000-04:00

Sorel "Zangbezan24" Mizzi was one card away from winning a World Series of Poker Europe bracelet in the 5k Pot Limit Omaha event. In the end though, it just wasn't meant to be, as Theo Jorgensen walked away with the title and the bracelet.

The World Series of Poker bracelet was within Mizzi's grasp. The tournament was down to heads-up play, and Mizzi had the chip lead. The flop came A-J-4, and both of the players soon had their remaining chips in the middle of the table.

Mizzi showed 2-5-4-3 for a couple of straight draws and a backdoor flush draw, while Jorgensen held top two pair and a backdoor flush draw. Mizzi would win with a 2, 3, 5 or running clubs, while Jorgensen would win with an Ace, a Jack or running diamonds.

The turn was the 3 of spades, and Mizzi now had the five-high straight. All he had to do was avoid the four-outer and he would join Betfair teammate Annette Obrestad as a WSOPE bracelet holder.

The river was a dagger through his heart, as the Ace of spades hit. Just like that, Jorgensen had snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and was now chipleader once again.

The end for Mizzi came a short while later when the two players got their chips into the middle after a flop of K-8-J with two hearts. Jorgensen held K-3-K-A for top set, and Mizzi held 6-A-Q-5 for the nut flush draw and gutshot straight draw. The turn was the 2 of spades and the river was the 7 of diamonds, and Jorgensen took down the tournament.

Theo Jorgensen overcame a loaded final table that included the likes of Mizzi, Erik Friberg and Chris "Jesus" Ferguson to take down his first ever World Series of Poker bracelet. For his victory, Jorgensen took down 218k pounds and the WSOPE bracelet. Mizzi collected 132k pounds for finishing in second place.

2008-09-24T12:09:00.001-04:00

Tournament Indicator Free for 48hours

2008-08-31T11:23:00.001-04:00

FREE DOWNLOAD
Got a tournament coming up? Just download and install now, then browse the Video Guide. You can try Tournament Indicator for FREE for 48 hours.

Tournament Indicator is unlike any other poker calculator because it is specifically designed for Texas Holdem online tournament play. The indicators used in the software are the same you would use in a real tournament situation, but are quite different from a ring or cash game.

Poker calculator designed for ring games simply cannot offer the critical information used to make correct decisions in tournaments. Correct decision making at game critical intersects is what makes a tournament player successful.

Here are some of the features Tournament Indicator offers an online tournament player:

Instant MZone Calculations
Now you will know what MZone you are in as well as every other players' at your table. Depending on which MZone you are in can drastically alter your strategy, and the same is for your opponents. Only now, you are the only one with ALL the critical information at the table.

Player Profiling
In early tournament play you can learn a lot about your opponents by watching everything they do. Harder said than done, but Tournament Indicator does it all for you tracking VPIP%, Aggression, PFR%, showdown wins, and more. All these combined make for real-time player classifications that you can use against your opponents at the right time.

Tilt Factor Monitoring
New to poker calculator also is Tournament Indicator's ability to provide you with insight as to your opponent's tilt potential. By tracking hand streak in wins and losses and a tally on the player's stack over the last 10 hands gives you even more insight into that players current psyche.

MatchCard Showdown
Different criteria enter into the decision making process as a tournament winds down. Whether you are short stack, big stack or other, in the money or on the bubble, you will be faced with numerous all-in confrontations as part of the normal play of tournaments. What Tournament Indicator's MatchCard feature offers is a quick view of potential hands you might be up against.

Odds Calculations
Holdem Indicator set the standard for quick, easy to understand odds display while incorporating a visual display of comparing win odds to pot odds in each betting round. Tournament Indicator uses that same technology to give users the most relevant information with proven, reliable technology.

MiniView and Customized Settings
You won't feel squeezed on your computer screen as Tournament Indicator can be minimized on the game window. We like our profile settings but if you don't, just go ahead and adjust the profiling, and tilt factor settings to where they make more sense for you.

Video Tutorial Guide
Tournament Indicator introduces the Video Tutorial Guide compiled by Marty Smith. Watch these quick, informative videos and you will be using Tournament Indicator to it's full extent in your very first tournament.

Does Low Stake Grinding Beat a Day Job?

2008-08-30T11:17:00.000-04:00

Originally uploaded by HolyokeHangover

The saying goes that grinding low-stakes poker will suck the life out of you, but playing poker for a living has its obvious benefits. And it doesn't matter if you 17-table $25 NL 40 hours a week or you bust a couple chumps a week at Ivey deathmatch.

Drawbacks are pretty much guaranteed, true, but the positives so outweigh the negatives that it's really no contest. Let's go over the positives, as they are the most fun.

Best of all, you work for yourself. There's nobody breathing down your neck telling you to get stuff done. You are your own boss. You have nobody to answer to but yourself.

This freedom is easily the best benefit by far. If you don't feel like playing one day, guess what? You don't have to. Which brings me to my next point:

You can take time off whenever you want. Oh, your friends are going to be heading out of town for the week and want you to join them? No problem; you can just play more leading up to that week and take the whole week off. No holiday problems; no nothing. You want the time off, you take it. Simple as that.

You set your own hours. Sure, playing poker is a job just like any other. If you don't put the time in, you're not going to get ahead. However, when playing poker you get to decide when you put those hours in.

If the games are no good then you can go for a run and come back or try again in the evening when the games are better. If you are going out at night then get your hours in earlier in the day. Flexibility my friend: it's the spice of life.

You can get up whenever you want. Obviously a huge bonus. Who likes getting up early? Nobody, unless they are sick and twisted. When you bend cards for a living you can get up whenever you want. Sleeping in till 1 p.m. never felt so good. I mean what else are you going to do when you are taking flops till 5 a.m.?

You can work from home. If you don't want to make a trip to the casino, any number of online sites are only a click away. Online poker has brought poker into our living rooms. And me and my 42-inch LCD TV and wireless mouse and keyboard are more than happy to welcome it in from the couch.

You can make serious money. Rarely are you going to be able to make the money that is out there to be made doing anything else for yourself. There are supernovas on Stars making 100k+ a year grinding microstakes.

How sick is that? You need no schooling for poker. Just the will to put in time to get better. Anyone can beat this game; it's just whether or not you want it bad enough.

So there you have it - even if you are just playing microstakes, you get to reap the rewards of the poker lifestyle. Contrast that with working every day in a cubicle getting blinded by fluorescent lights.

(Source)

Omaha Hi-Lo Beginners Guide Part 1

2008-08-29T11:22:00.001-04:00

Omaha Hi-Lo, or O8 as it's commonly called, is growing in popularity both live and online thanks to its heavy action and the complexity of play compared to No-Limit Hold'em.

This article details basic beginner strategy for playing O8 in a loose-aggressive cash-game setting.

The majority of O8 games you will play - especially at the lower limits - will be very active and aggressive games, with upward of five players seeing a flop every hand. This is even common in many higher-limit games.

For the basic rules of how a Hi-Lo game works, refer to this article: More to Poker Than Hold'em Part 1: Omaha.

Key Skills for Winning at Limit Omaha Hi-Lo

>Seldom raise before the flop.
>Remember that your aim is to scoop the pot.
>Be able to fold on the flop very often.
>Play premium starting hands.
>Select your table carefully. Only play in loose games where five or more players see the flop on average.
>Hone your ability to quickly calculate accurate odds.
>All of this advice is very general, but will serve you well if you apply it judiciously. Seldom raising before the flop does not mean it's incorrect to ever raise before the flop.

In a game like O8, with almost-guaranteed high, loose action, raising before the flop with anything less than a premium hand does little more than increase the size of the pot.

Key Advice for Limit Omaha Hi-Lo

Much as Omaha Hi is, O8 is considered to be a nut game. Meaning that if you do not have the nut hand, there is a very good chance you will not win the pot. For this reason, you want to be very selective in the hands you play, only playing hands with "nut" potential.

The most important thing to remember is the scooping advice. Your main goal in O8 is to win both the high and the low. In reality, scooping (winning both the high and low) is a difficult thing to do and, for the most part, rather rare.

When playing Omaha, your goal is to play for the high, with a redraw to the low. If you have the nut high, you are guaranteed half the pot. Holding nothing but the nut low still puts you at risk for being quartered, or worse.

Common Mistakes in Limit Omaha Hi-Lo

>Playing too many starting hands.
>Calling all the way with only a low potential.
>Seeing flops with four middle cards, like 6-7-8-9.
>Raising with A-2 in early position and making players fold instead of seeing the flop cheaply with more players in.
>Starting Hand Guide for Limit Omaha Hi-Lo (full table, 8-10 players)

The best starting hands in Omaha Hi-Lo are A-A-2-3 double-suited, followed by A-A-2-4 double-suited. This kind of hand is very strong because it can be played for both high and low, which gives it great scoop potential. Of course, being suited or (even better) double-suited adds value to every hand.

Profitable starting hands
A-A-2-x
A-A-3-x
A-A-4-5
A-2-3-x
A-2-K-K
A-2-Q-Q
A-2-J-J
A-3-4-5
A-A-x-x
A-2-K-Q
A-2-K-J
A-2-x-x (suited ace)
A-3-K-K
A-3-4-x
2-3-4-5 (fold if there is no ace on the flop)
J-Q-K-A
T-J-Q-K
K-K-Q-J
Q-J-T-9
2-3-4-x (fold if there is no ace on the flop)

Beginners may find themselves getting overzealous with any hand containing an ace-deuce. Although A-2 will make the nut low more often than any other two-card combination, it's a losing-money proposition to be overly aggressive with weak hands containing strictly low possibilities.

You're also better off folding hands that hold two gaps (for example A-4-5-9). The chances of making a straight are under 1% and you seldom win the low.

Hands like 3-4-5-6, 4-5-6-7, 5-6-7-8 and 6-7-8-9 also have a negative expected value. Omaha variants being the nut games they are, these sorts of middle-connected hands are useless. They have a very low possibility of making the nuts and thus should not be played.

High pairs with two random cards like K-K-x-x or Q-Q-x-x are rarely, if ever, playable on a full table, although a high pair with two low cards that also make your hand suited or double-suited is playable in most games.

For example K-K-2-4 double-suited is a playable hand with decent scooping potential. Be sure not to over-value the hand when hitting second nuts.

Part two of the beginners guide to Omaha Hi-Lo will go into basic strategy and play on all five streets, plus how to put your starting hand selection into use.

(Source)

Brian Townsend a LIAR & CHEAT

2008-08-28T13:53:00.000-04:00

brian-townsend-03
Originally uploaded by fulltiltpoker

For the past 6 months I have been playing under the 2nd aliases Stellarnebula on FTP and makersmark66 on PokerStars. I have not used the aba20 account on Stars since I began playing on the Makersmark66 account. I have since gone back to using the aba20 account and will play only that account. During this time I played the 25/50 and 100/200 PLO games. I played under the Stellarnebula account from February until the end of June at which time Lee Jones and I had a discussion and we came to an agreement that I needed to close it.

During this time I was playing under the Brian Townsend account, never at the same table with the Stellarnebula. Under the Stellarnebula account I played 25/50, 50/100, and 100/200 PLO. During this time I played a very small amount of 50/100 PLO and primarily 200/400 PLO under the Brian Townsend account. I wanted to have come forward and make this public sooner, but unfortunately because of certain business relationships I could not do that. What I did was wrong and I am going to be punished by FullTilt poker by having my red pro status revoked for 6 months. I am unsure what action, if any, PokerStars will take. I have also hurt those that I work closely with primarily at CardRunners but also at FullTilt.

To compensate those that were hurt by my actions I am going to be donating $25,000 dollars to a charity to be determined in the future. This money will be removed from my CardRunners distributions. This is by no means me making my actions correct but I hope that it shows some good faith towards those that I work closely with. I am very proud of CardRunners; we are doing something very special. My first reaction when this occurred was to go hide under a rock. I am not going to do that and I will answer any questions that are asked of me. I feel that I have nothing to hide. Those are the pertinent facts. The reason why I created these accounts was because I enjoy anonymity when playing smaller and am very prideful in what I do.

The past two years I have made a lot of money playing poker. This year I have been breakeven. For me it’s correct to play smaller when things aren’t going well. I have never played poker for the money; it has always been a byproduct of my play. Whatever I do I want to be the best at it. For me playing the 200/400 PLO games was not the right thing to do because my results haven’t been good. I think I am a winner in those games and I intend to prove to myself that I am one of the best poker players in the world. I believe what it takes is an incredible amount of focus and work to accomplish this goal. I intend to work harder than anyone to prove this, because I have not been playing my best for the past year. I have something to prove to myself. I have removed what I have online and left myself with 100K. From here I am going to play 25/50 PLO until I have 200K then 50/100 until I have 400K online then 100/200 until I have 800K online. From there I will play 200/400. If things don’t go well when I first move up I will move back down and rinse and repeat until I am at the 200/400 PLO games. I used to think that playing 25/50, 50/100, and 100/200 was a failure because I wasn’t playing the largest limits. I am smart enough to move down when things aren’t going well; I was just too prideful to make it public.

Along with this I plan on continuing managing CardRunners and create the best poker instructional videos. I have put a lot of effort into my past videos and I want my partners to know that effort will continue, as well as the effort I put into running the company. I hope that people can look to me and not only learn about poker and bankroll management, but also how to do the right thing and be a good person.

Poker isn’t about luck or how you are running. It’s about the work and effort that you put into it. I have not had good results this year because of my poor play and lack of focus, not because I have run below expectation. I want to prove that to everyone. If you follow my play as I move up you will see the trials and tribulations that I face. There will be days of intense frustration and times when I will doubt my game. But I know that with hard work I can accomplish the goal I am setting. I hope that people can not only look to me for poker education but also for the way to live their lives. I made a mistake and I am willing to take responsibility for it. I am willing to stand up and face the music. I apologize to entire the online community. I will never partake in this type of activity in the future. This post should act as a full admission of my guilt, and I sincerely apologize to anyone that I've wronged.

(SOUCRE - My Apology)

Beating Low Limit No Limit Hold’em Cash Games

2008-08-28T13:20:00.001-04:00

Online Poker prep, originally uploaded by mojohouse.

For all you grinders just starting a bankroll, let’s discuss a few points on how to beat the low limit no limit cash games online. The games at this level are surprisingly mixed with new poker players who can and will draw out on you, and multi-tabling sharks that play 10 tables at a time and grind out $50 an hour while playing low limit poker and clearing bonuses.
There are few adjustments that need to made to your game, regardless of your level of experience.

Low Limit Poker Strategy: Don’t Bluff
Bluffing works, and it’s very profitable but not at this level. A key concept in using a bluff in no limit hold’em is relying on your opponent being good enough to fold his hand. When you’re grinding it out in the micro no limit games, you cannot do this profitably except for rare situations, very rare situations. The likeliness of your opponent folding a bad hand is not great.
Cash poker games are not like tournaments where you need to steal blinds and antes just to survive. In these games, we are looking to buy in with the maximum allowed stack and wait patiently for the nuts (the best possible poker hand) and someone who will pay it off. Thank you for your whole stack sir, fish again.

Low Limit Poker Strategy: Play Post Flop Poker
Keep in mind, you will run into a lot of people limping in with big hands. Ace King and high pocket pairs like Aces or Queens. All of these hands will be limped a lot both by beginners who are afraid to broadcast the strength of their hand, and more experienced players looking to trap you. While I don’t encourage limping with these hands myself, I definately don’t over commit to them pre-flop either.

Knowing the large range of hands I will be called with, I prefer to put in “value-raises” of 2.5 x the big blind with big hands and see where the cards fall before putting them on a hand to continue the action on later streets.
You can and should fold JJ and QQ, or AK AQ after missing a flop, it simply depends on the reads you make. The exception to this style of play is that if you hold KK or AA, you should raise AT LEAST 4 times the big blind. It is also okay to open shove all in with hands like this, you never know who will wake up and call behind you with a pocket pair of fives!

If you feel you have the best hand, but aren’t quite sure or know that your opponent will call to the river on a strong draw, don’t be afraid to use a small value bet or even check the flop to see if the draw hits. Using the turn to extract value instead of the flop helps insure you won’t be semi-bluff shoved all in by an opponent with a 30% draw that may or may not hit. After the turn, you can evaluate your odds to win much easier by seeing how it may or may not have improved your opponents hand.

These poker tables are a gind and you should treat them as such, for the most part you need to play very tight poker and wait for 80% or greater edges to get your money in with, this will help your bankroll grow at a steady pace without big risks and with the added benefit of clearing your first bonus. Players who can multi-table four or more of these low limit cash game tables find that it is easier to play tight poker as they don’t get “bored” as easy.

(Source)

When To Bluff In No Limit Hold’em

2008-08-27T20:06:00.000-04:00

Bluffed, originally uploaded by PotD.

A well timed and perfectly executed bluff in No Limit Hold’em is a relative work of art, but it is not as easy to do profitably as it may look on the television. Good poker players know that a successful bluff on the river or catching a bluffer in the act can add a lot to a winning players expected value over a players career. Picking your spots and knowing the other players at the tables tendencies (how they react based on similar situations in the past) are key skills, and bluffing is not to be attempted at low limit games with a large number of bad players.

When deciding to bluff, it helps to put your opponent on a range of hands first, starting pre-flop. This will allow you to set-up the bluff, by becoming what the player fears in a hand. I can and do successfully bluff Pocket Aces out of scary boards, but only when I deem the player good enough to be capable of folding (and this is simply not the case at low limit games for the most part). If you are confident in your play, and your read of the opponent – you can represent any hand that is possible on the board. A few tips:

Holdem Strategy: Don’t Bluff On The Turn:
Bluffing on the turn is the hardest to pull off, and I generally don’t recommend it. If a player stayed in after the flop the turn usually improves a hand or adds a draw, so players are simply more likely to call or even re-raise on a draw at the turn, because the potential to make their hand becomes great in their own eyes (straight and flush draw for example). Instead, the one time I highly recommend using this play as by semi-bluffing a big draw – that is, give yourself a lot of outs if you are bluffing on the turn, because it might just turn into a big pot. And when we are playing big pots, we want to have the maximum chance of scooping it as possible.

Holdem Strategy: Do Bluff The River
And do it often, especially versus tight/passive players. A player with pocket queens is susceptible to a river King or Ace, a flush card, or even a gutshot. Become the hand they fear most, and prey on their ability to “make a good fold”. Bluffing on the river can be risky of course, but I swear by it – it works well especially in heads up poker games. In multi-handed pots I only recommend attempting a stone cold bluff if you have position in the hand, thus ensuring you have the most information possible on what the other players might have – but in general a bluff works best in heads up poker situations.

If you haven’t been trying the occasional river bluff, you are losing a lot of pots that you don’t need to. Target players that check behind in showdown situations with hands like top pair weak kicker – just don’t over use the play as this style should fit solidly into your winning tight aggressive image to ensure the highest success rates, good luck!

Annette Obrestad winning a 180 person Sit&Go without looking at her cards

2008-08-27T20:05:00.001-04:00

This 2 part video shows how Annette Obrestad won a 180 person Sit&Go by playing position and the player and NEVER looking at her 2 hole cards. You will see her folding KK and great hands because SHE NEVER LOOKS AT THEM. Its an amazing accomplishment in poker. She played completely blind.

Part 2 of series of video that shows how Annette_15 wins a 180 SNG by playing position and player and NEVER looking at hole cards. BLIND PLAY!!

Poker Stars Sunday Million Ups Guarantee to $1.5 Million

2008-07-31T12:16:00.003-04:00

Sunday Warm-Up Guarantee Also Increases to $750,000

PokerStars, the largest poker site in the world, is staying ahead of the game as it recently announced that its flagship tournament, the Sunday Million, will now have a guarantee of $1.5 million, an increase of 50 percent.

The $215 buy-in Sunday Million runs weekly at 4:30 p.m. ET. Satellites run around the clock for as little as $3. This isn’t the only tournament getting increased guarantees, either. The Sunday Warm-Up is also offering an upped minimum prize pool of $750,000. That event also features a buy-in of $215 and is no-limit hold'em, but it runs just before the Sunday Million at 12:45 p.m. ET. The $1,050 buy-in Super Tuesday tournament's guarantee will now be $300,000 (up from $250,000).

Poker Stars Sunday Million Ups Guarantee to $1.5 Million

2008-07-31T12:16:00.001-04:00

David Benyamine up $910,984 WSOP 2008

2008-06-29T10:26:00.001-04:00

David Benyamine is having a great year!!

WSOP: Phil 'OMGClayAiken' Galfond Wins $817,781 Event No. 28

2008-06-17T14:43:00.001-04:00

2008 39th Annual World Series of Poker
Event 28 - Pot-Limit Omaha with Rebuys
06/16/2008 1 $817,781.00

Galfond Wins Marathon Heads-Up Match for His First Bracelet

In what has been regarded by some as the best final table ever formed at the World Series of Poker, two online players took out some of the game's best to match up in an epic battle. In the end, after nearly 120 grueling heads-up hands, Phil "OMGClayAiken" Galfond finally got the better of his fierce opponent, Adam Hourani.

Here were the chip counts heading into the star-studded final table:

Phil Galfond -- 1,393,000
Brian Rast -- 1,176,000
David Benyamine -- 1,041,000
John Juanda -- 694,000
Johnny Chan -- 624,000
Kirill Gerasimov -- 558,000
Daniel Negreanu -- 460,000
Adam Hourani -- 300,000
Phil Hellmuth -- 119,000

Here are highlights from all of the action, as featured in CardPlayer.com’s live coverage of the final table:

2008 39TH ANNUAL WORLD SERIES OF POKER

2008-06-10T12:15:00.000-04:00

2008 39TH ANNUAL WORLD SERIES OF POKER

05-30-2008 to 07-15-2008
Rio Suite Hotel & Casino
3700 W. Flamingo Road - Las Vegas, NV

LIST OF EVENTS - CLICK HERE

FOLDING POCKETS ACES

2008-06-10T12:10:00.001-04:00

TOURNAMENT: 2007 38th Annual World Series of Poker
EVENT: Event 55 - World Championship No-Limit Hold'em Day 4
EVENT DATE: July 13, 2007 12:00 PM

By Sorel Mizzi - I started the day with about $603,000 and was very happy with my table. No one other than Lurped was a very strong player there. I got into a few pots with him.

One hand I'm proud of is when I held 10d 6d, which is my favorite hand. I just couldn't resist playing it to a raise in position. So some guy raises - who hasn't raised a single pot - from mid-position. And I call from the cutoff with my favorite hand. Everyone else folds. On the flop is a Q 9 8 rainbow. He checks and I bet $32,000. He insta-called. The turn is a five. He bets $100,000 with $220,000 behind. I go all in and he folds. I put him on a underpair there. All I know is when people make those kinds of plays, they usually have something they are not calling an all in with. They are just betting to see where they're at. He told me he had jacks. And I believe it.

Another hand I had 8d 5d suited and I raised UTG. I got called in five spots. The flop came 9 7 3. I had 8 5. The 3 was a diamond. The bb checked and I bet $55,000 and Lurped raises to $180,000 and is committed to the pot. I fold. He had 8 10 suited.

In a hand right before the break I raised from late position with A A and got called by the button. The flop was A K 2 with two clubs. I bet $36,000 and he called. The turn was 3c. I bet $85,000 and he went all in for over $600,000. I know the player from online (WPT Hero) and he wouldn't make that play with anything less than the second nuts or the nuts. I probably fold a lower flush there as well.

I'm at $725,000.

- Imper1um

2008 LIVE PLAY OFFLINE WINNINGS

2008-06-05T11:46:00.000-04:00

Lindsay Lohan has a real nice rack!

2008-06-04T15:21:00.001-04:00

HANCOCK Trailer - extended version

2008-05-27T12:22:00.000-04:00

David Benyamine up $1.8 million dollars in May 2008

2008-05-23T11:55:00.001-04:00

David Benyamine is currently up over $1.8 million dollars in Pot Limit Omaha games on FullTilt Poker just in May. He just finished a session where he won over $700k, beating players such as "Durrrr" and "Alstonprice" out of six figures each.

David Benyamine in May has played 18,302 hands (in the PLO games) and is up $1.15 million dollars. This works out to an unbelievable $62.83 in profit for each hand that he has played so far in May.

Since the beginning of 2007, according to HighStakesDB, Benyamine's various aliases have dropped $3 million dollars on Full Tilt Poker playing No Limit Hold'em.

On the flip side, since the beginning of 2007, Benyamine has dominated the biggest PLO games on the site like no one else.

If you include his 700k the "David Benyamine" alias has won around $5.3 million in the PLO games on FTP since the beginning of 2007.

Another one of his old aliases, "ballsrider", generated $1.51 million in total profits over that same time period, before being shut down. Yet another one of his aliases, "magicpitch1", is up over $682k from the beginning of 2007 until now. Add those three aliases up, and Benyamine is up around $7.6 million playing PLO on Full Tilt Poker since the beginning of 2007. That makes him by far the biggest PLO winner on the site during that time.

Brandi Hawbaker Confirmed Dead @ 26

2008-05-21T17:08:00.000-04:00

The Real Truth About Brandi Hawbaker - Two Plus Two Poker Forum
The Real Truth About Brandi Hawbaker News, Views, and Gossip.

Tournament Titan Winner Sorel Mizzi Doesn't Know Pot Odds, but Knows Poker

2007-12-23T09:14:00.000-05:00

Canadian poker player Sorel Mizzi, captured first prize at the $1 Million Guaranteed Prize Tournament Titan staged this month by online poker room Titan Poker.

(PRWEB) December 23, 2007 -- Canadian player Sorel Mizzi, one of the most successful online poker players in the world, says he doesn't have a clue when it comes to math and doesn't even know what pot odds are.

Not knowing what pot odds are didn't stop Mizzi from capturing first place at The Tournament Titan, the $1,000,000 Guaranteed Prize Sit 'n' Go Tournament staged on December 9 by Titan Poker, the largest online poker room on the iPoker Network.

"I'm best at tournaments," Mizzi said, after defeating an exclusive field of nineteen other players from across the globe to take home a first prize package valued at $200,000, including cash and an entry to the upcoming 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event.

At his peak, Mizzi was playing online poker 16-18 hours a day, taking time off only on Thursdays and Fridays. "Lately I've been playing only on Sundays," Mizzi said. "High stakes heads-up sit 'n' go tournaments and high stakes cash games are my fave, but I'm best at tournaments," he added.

"I like the Titan Poker software, and especially the fact that there is live player support," Mizzi said. "If there's ever an issue, it can be resolved quickly by calling in, something they don't have at other poker rooms."

The Tournament Titan, with its Million Dollar guaranteed prize pool, was the richest sit 'n' go tournament ever staged online. In order to qualify, players had to make the final table at a select group of cash tournaments or win a Player Points race staged by the popular online poker room. The Tournament Titan promotion had attracted eager poker players for over a year at Titan Poker until the list of 20 skilled poker players was finalized.

Mizzi, who has achieved great success in high stakes poker action online with his Imper1um nickname, also had three cash finishes in the 2007 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas and has won more than half a million dollars in land-based poker tournaments.

The Tournament Titan is just the latest of a long string of innovative promotions run by Titan Poker. Titan Poker this month staged the European Championship of Online Poker 2007, a highly successful ten-day tournament series that awarded more than $2.5 Million in prizes. Titan Poker regularly awards its players with seats at the world's most well-known poker tournaments, such as the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, various European Poker Tour events and the upcoming Aussie Millions and Irish Open Tournaments.

Sorel "Zangbezan24" Mizzi Takes Down Another High Stakes Showdown on Pokerstars

2007-12-18T11:32:00.000-05:00

Sorel "Zangbezan24" Mizzi took down yet another High Stakes Showdown on Pokerstars Sunday afternoon, besting "Dariominieri" to take down the $25k first prize. Other competitors in this week's High Stakes Showdown included "Bebop86" and "MrSweets28."

Mizzi has absolutely owned this event since it was launched. No one else has come even close to matching his success in the High Stakes Showdown.

According to thepokerdb.com, Mizzi has now taken down this event 6 times since it began on July 8th.

On December 16th, he took down the 4-man Showdown for $25k.

Last week, on December the 9th, he took down the 2-man Showdown for $20k.

On December 2nd, he placed second in the 8-man Showdown for $30k.

On September 23rd, he took down the 8-man Showdown for $50k.

On September 9th, he came in second in the Showdown for $15k.

On August 5th and August 12th, Mizzi took down 8-man fields both weeks for $50k cashes.

And finally, on July 15th, Mizzi took down the 16-man field for a total cash of $72k.

That's a ridiculous $312k in total cashes and six victories since the event started in July.

The next closest to Mizzi in terms of victories in this event is "$tinger 88", who currently has three victories.

Sorel Mizzi tops Tournament Titan

2007-12-13T11:53:00.000-05:00

It took more than a year to find the 20 players for the Tournament Titan, but in the end it was a familiar name who reigned supreme. Sorel Mizzi, aka "Imper1um," took home the top prize.

The first 18 players had to make three consecutive final-table finishes in participating tournaments to qualify for the Tournament Titan. The final two qualifiers participated in a points race for spots in the tournament.

Mizzi qualified for Titan Poker's Tournament Titan in December 2006 after he made the final table of the $7,500 GP twice and final-tabled once in a $7,000 GP tournament. He's had to wait a year since qualifying to actually play for a piece of the $1 million prize pool.

During that time, he came in fourth during the €1,000 No-Limit Hold'em event and first in the €200 No-Limit Hold'em event of the Vienna Spring Poker Festival in March.

He followed that up in April with a third-place finish in the Irish Open for €210,000, and a 15th-place finish in the World Poker Tour Championship for $154,705. At the 2007 World Series of Poker, he also cashed in three events, including the Main Event.

With his Tournament Titan win, he'll have his buy-in paid for the 2008 WSOP Main Event, as well as $188,000 in cash to add to his bankroll.

Second- and third-place finishers in the Tournament Titan also received 2008 Main Event prize packages with their cash prizes.

The tournament results are:

Place Name Prize
1st Imper1um $200,000*
2nd supakef $125,000*
3rd bioman $75,000*
4th backeast $65,000
5th Nuervitre $55,000
6th SirFlopsAlot $50,000
7th JAHAAA $45,000
8th WayneyG $40,000
9th simaar $35,000
10th dutcher777 $32,500
11th neooen2 $30,000
12th tyler345 $30,000
13th Catfang $30,000
14th asdfsmh $30,000
15th muuli $27,500
16th shahmat0 $27,500
17th feffou $27,500
18th hupp $25,000
19th cuspide $25,000
20th rubeo $25,000

*Total prize includes $12,000 prize package for 2008 Main Event seat.

SOREL MIZZI - ESPN POKER INTERVIEW

2007-12-13T11:52:00.000-05:00

If you strictly follow the live tournament circuit, Sorel Mizzi might be a name with which you are only vaguely familiar. Having just turned 21, Sorel has burst onto the circuit with over $500,000 in live tournament winnings, including deep finishes in both the WPT and WSOP main events in 2007.

If you follow Internet poker at all, Sorel Mizzi is a name you are undoubtedly very familiar with. One of the most popular and recognizable players in Internet poker's short history, Sorel plays as "zangbezan24" on PokerStars and "Imper1um" on Full Tilt, and has amassed well over $1 million in online tournament winnings in his lifetime, making him one of the most successful online tournament players of all time.

Bluff had the opportunity to sit down with Sorel and talk about live poker, Internet poker, and how his life has changed since turning 21 years old.

Bluff: How did your summer go at the World Series of Poker? Did you stay in Las Vegas the entire time?

Sorel Mizzi: Not the entire summer. I was actually in France for a good part of it. I played a tournament at the Aviation Club and tried to qualify for the Paris Open as well. I got to Vegas just before the WPT Mandalay Bay main event and I played that. During the WSOP, I played between 12-15 events.

Bluff: How did you do at the WSOP?

Mizzi: It went decently, but definitely not as well as I had expected. I cashed three times, one of which was in the main event. I did, however, put myself in a very good position to do well in a few tournaments by having a huge stack right on the bubble, but ended up being unlucky in key pots late in the tournament and always against the one stack on the table that could bust me. Bluff: What was it like playing the main event? We know you built one of the more imposing stacks very deep in the tournament and a lot of people in the poker world picked you as one of the favorites to win it all. Do you feel that you played as well as you could? Is there anything you would have changed?

Mizzi: I think that's one of the few tournaments I've ever played in that I felt I didn't make one mistake. The entire Day 1, I had been struggling and didn't get my stack above $24,000, and then the last level of Day 1, I found myself short-stacked with about $6,000 and the blinds at $300/$600. I took some necessary gambles, got lucky twice, and from then on, it was almost no-showdown poker. I'm so happy with myself for making some of the moves that I did. It was the first tournament that I felt almost 100 percent confident with my live reads and was able to play live poker almost the same as I play online. This is something that I've struggled with in the past: trusting my instincts and going with my initial read.

Bluff: That brings up something interesting: the difference between live and online play. Recently, Brian Townsend, regarded as perhaps the best online cash game player, mentioned in his blog a conversation he had with Barry Greenstein about the differences between live and online players in tournaments. They decided to make a bet, and Brian picked you as one of the online players to compete against Barry. What is your position on this?

Mizzi: I feel Brian is right. First of all, I think that a lot of the known older players are no longer as ambitious as they used to be, having already established themselves, and most of them have income from sources outside of poker, not to mention endorsements. I think the young online players are thirstier for blood. Not only that, but I'm convinced that most professional online players have played far more hands than live professionals and have seen far more situations. That is an incredible edge in itself. For online players, it's just a matter of getting used to the live setting and learning to be more patient when you're only playing one tournament at a time. That has been the biggest struggle for me, but I think I'm starting to get this live poker thing.

Bluff: When you say "get," are you referring to making live reads? Do you feel that you have to play much differently in live tournaments than you do in online tournaments? Has your overall style of play changed from playing online to playing live?

Mizzi: Yes, live reads and the ability to make decisions live as I would online, with minor adjustments. For example, those who have seen me play online know that I usually make very quick decisions when I'm involved in a pot. Even when it's for my entire stack, the most time I usually spend is 10-15 seconds on any one decision. But when I played live, I would take a lot longer. I started calling the clock on myself in live tournaments because I overthink situations and sometimes I convince myself off of my initial read, which often ends with me making the wrong decision. I made a bad decision after taking nearly three minutes in the $1,000 rebuy event at the WSOP. I believe that thinking about that decision for so long caused me to convince myself that my initial instinct was wrong.

Another thing, I think it's important to give a lot of credit to some players and very little credit to others; the big challenge is finding out which player deserves which. When you play live poker, it's so much easier to profile players and put them into a category just by talking to them or generalizing them by how they look and talk, then playing according to those generalizations until they prove otherwise. For example:

Young equals aggressive
Old equals conservative
University educated equals math-oriented
High school education equals more instinct-based.

These, of course, are not always true and are just examples, but you can pick up vital information on players from anything -- from the way they comb their hair to whether or not they have a wife and/or kids.

Bluff: Do you feel your notoriety and popularity have affected your game at all? Do you feel the "Hellmuth Effect" -- having people play hands differently against you than the way they might play against others?

Mizzi: Absolutely. Most online players know who I am and play against me in a certain way. Some people fear me, while others constantly try to outplay me. Again, the challenge is finding out which player fits into which category. I think that's part of the reason why I have had so much success online and Hellmuth has had so much success live. It has a lot to do with the fact that players are willing to put their entire stack in on a bluff, just to say they bluffed us out of a pot. This makes accumulating chips much easier. When I play live I usually know who knows me and who doesn't and for those who do, I will pay very careful attention to how they play against me in order to decipher if they're trying to stay away from me or get involved with me in spots they might not normally be in.

Bluff: We all know that your success and accomplishments are well-documented all over the Internet, because you had a pretty amazing year. How much did you profit in online tournaments this past year?

Mizzi: Somewhere around $600,000.

Bluff: Do you think this put you at the top of the list of online tournament earners?

Mizzi: I think I was near the top, but I'm pretty sure there are a few who are in the same league, if not higher.

Bluff: Which online players should we look for to make a big splash in the upcoming years on the live tournament scene?

Mizzi: Just to name a few, Chad Batista (lilholdem) is a gem when he's not on tilt. Josh "JJprodigy" Field and Annette "Annette_15" Obrestad will take all the money when they turn 21. Aditya "Intervention" Agarwal, Justin "ZeeJustin" Bonomo, and Isaac "westmenloAA" Baron are some others whose games I really respect.

Bluff: With all this money coming in from online and live play, did you buy yourself any cool presents?

Mizzi: Yes, I finally treated myself to a Porsche Boxster recently. It is pretty much my first car. I used to drive my brother's 1989 Toyota, but it wasn't mine. I promised myself at a young age that I'd buy my first house before I bought my first car and I kept that promise.

Bluff: Owning your own house and car at 21 is quite a feat. Do you plan to stay at your house in Canada or do you want to move out west toward Vegas?

Mizzi: I'm planning on living in Canada during the summer and then have a place in Costa Rica or somewhere hot/exotic during the winter. I definitely won't be living in Las Vegas though; there is no way I can handle that kind of lifestyle. Especially because I have so much gamble in my blood and there are so many bad gambling opportunities surrounding you at all times.

Bluff: A lot of online players and young players on the live circuit have backers who put them in tournaments in order to handle the big swings of being a professional poker player. Do you have a backer, or have you ever? How do you feel about staking in the poker world?

Mizzi: I have never had anyone put me in tournaments. There have been a few points in my career where I might have needed one, but I hung in there. I always seem to play my A game and come through with big wins when I really need the money. I do back a few players, however, so we will see how that goes.

Bluff: Do you have any specific poker goals for the upcoming year?

Mizzi: Nothing specific yet. With the WSOP over, I plan to write down a few goals. I just want to get to a point in my live game where I make zero mistakes and make live reads with the same accuracy and confidence that I do online.

Bluff: Is there anyone in the poker world you credit as a mentor or someone who specifically helped you mold your game?

Mizzi: Someone I mentioned earlier. Josh "JJprodigy" Field was the biggest influence on my game. He taught me all the basics and key concepts/fundamentals that I still use today. However, Josh and I play very differently and I've developed my own style just by playing a lot and by learning from trial and error, while constantly experimenting with new strategies.

Bluff: Those strategies have obviously worked, as your name has extended past the online community. This year at the WSOP, a Hollywood celebrity came to say "Hey" to you when he heard that you were playing in a tournament. Tell us about that.

Mizzi: Yeah! Norm Macdonald came up to my table while I was playing the main event and a friend introduced me to him. I was stunned that a real celebrity knew who I was and had actually watched me play online. I asked him for his online screen name, but he wouldn't tell me! We had actually met prior to this incident, when we played in a tournament together, but he hadn't recognized me at that time.

Sorel Mizzi/Chris Vaughn Update – Vaughn Out at Bluff

2007-12-11T08:33:00.000-05:00

As the developments of the recently revealed account purchase story between Sorel Mizzi and Bluff Managing Editor Chris Vaughn continues to unfold, Bluff Media released the following statement this morning regarding the status of Chris Vaughn.

Vaughn's win as 'BluffMagCV' in a major Full Tilt online tournament several weeks ago later drew scrutiny from that site, which led to the eventual disqualification of Vaughn's account from the event. Poker forums and the poker media were instantly on fire with the topic, with the issue of a member of the poker media being involved among the more active questions.

Bluff Statement:

Bluff Media, publisher of Bluff Magazine, has made the decision to terminate Chris Vaughn as Managing Editor. In light of Chris' involvement, recently admitted facts and the feedback obtained from industry professionals, it became apparent that the credibility required to perform the job functions of Managing Editor of Bluff Magazine at our company's level of standards have become severely diminished. While we regret having to make this decision, we believe that it is the best alternative for all parties involved, including Chris, Bluff Media and the poker playing community at large. We wish Chris the best of luck.

It was not announced yet as to who will assume Vaughn's duties at Bluff. PokerNews.com will continue to follow this developing story, and will update as needed.