2011 August 17 Poker News, Events and Happenings
The Nightly Turbo is bringing you the day’s top poker news stories including a look at Wynn Resorts looking to acquire Bwin.Party, Daniel Cates interview, and more.
On Tuesday, ESPN aired the first two episodes of the 2011 WSOP Main Event. With 24 episodes leading up to the November Nine, the action starts here with Day 3!
In the latest Inside Gaming, we’ll give you the scoop on a possible implosion on the Las Vegas Strip, a sobering six months for the Cosmopolitan, and more.
PROFILE
Name: Anton Makiievskyi
Age: 21
Hometown: Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine
Online Handle: Unknown
Anton Makiievskyi represents the Ukraine at the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event final table as the youngest member of the November Nine. In fact, the 21-year-old student has a chance to replace Joe Cada as the youngest Main Event winner ever if he’s able to claim victory in November.
Makiievskyi stormed to the top of the leaderboard on Day 7 and, despite slipping toward the end of Day 8, managed to reach the most coveted final table in all of poker. He’ll enter Penn and Teller Theater at the Rio eighth in chips with 13,825,000 with the blinds starting back up at 250,000/500,000.
Makiievskyi has a limited amount of live poker experience, but he’s still totaled more than $75,000 in earnings across the world, including a $17,500 payday at the ripe age of 18 at the 2008 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event. He only received his travel visa in June 2011 to make his debut at the WSOP, so his Main Event run marks his first cash on U.S. soil.
During the waning days of the tournament, the youngster wore a blue and gold Team Ukraine jacket of close friend Oleksii Kovalchuk, who won his first WSOP bracelet in a $2,500 NLHE Six-Max event for $689,000 in June. Poker players can be a superstitious bunch, so it’s assumed he’ll be donning the same jacket when play resumes on November 5.
HOW HE GOT THERE:
Day 1: 77,675
Day 2: 227,100
Day 3: 306,000
Day 4: 598,000
Day 5: 1,806,000
Day 6: 3,385,000
Day 7: 21,045,000
Day 8: 13,825,000
KEY HAND: A massive cooler on Day 7 gave Makiievskyi the chip lead and left one of the most dangerous players remaining crippled. With the blinds at 100,000/200,000, Makiievskyi raised to 400,000 from early position and Chris Moore called from middle position. Action folded around as the dealer revealed a flop of Ks-Jc-Jh. It was then that all hell broke loose.
Makiievskyi fired a continuation bet of 400,000 before Moore raised to 1.1 million. Makiievskyi responded with a three-bet to 2.8 million, leaving about 7 million behind. Moore decided to move all in and Makiievsky insta-called, generating the largest pot of the tournament:
Makiievskyi: Kd-Js
Moore: Ah-Jd
Makiievskyi flopped a full house and Moore was left drawing to an ace. The turn brought the 6s and the river was the 4h, giving the Ukrainian the overall lead with more than 20 million in chips. He finished the day in the pole position before handing it over on Day 8.
WHY HE CAN WIN: Makiievskyi isn’t fazed by all of the glitz and glamour that goes along with being a member of the November Nine. As he explained to ESPN after reaching the final table, he’s just been playing poker:
“I just don’t believe everything that’s happening now. I understand that I may not have any other chances in life like this, but I don’t feel it. I just play my game. I just push all-in when I need to push all-in.”
Should that hold true in front of the cameras and a raucous crowd at the Rio in November, Makiievskyi stands a good chance to make a run at the title. He’s not afraid of busting early, which makes him a dangerous opponent. Though he’s short stacked going in, the Ukrainian is just a double-up away from sitting third in chips.
PROFILE
Name: Badih “Bob” Bounahra
Age: 49
Hometown: Belize City, Belize
Online Handle: LEB_BEL
At 49 years old, Badih Bounahra is the elder statesman of the 2011 November Nine. He’s also the first player from Belize to ever reach the final table of the World Series of Poker Main Event.
Bounahra was born in Lebanon but now makes his home in Belize City, where he runs the private poker room in the Princess Casino. He’s also a businessman and a father of three, but has still managed to find time to travel the tournament circuit and rack up some nice scores over the years.
In 2008, Bounahra won a $1,020 No Limit Hold’em Second Chance tournament during the PokerStars Latin American Poker Tour’s stop in San Jose, Costa Rica for just over $30,000. He also collected $11,000 for a 2nd place finish in a $1,000 event at the 2009 Ultimate Bet Poker Classic.
His biggest cash will come in November. A minimum payday of $782,115 is up for grabs, and the world champion will pick up $8,711,956. Bounahra sits sixth in chips with 19,700,000 entering the final table and is one of the wild cards remaining as not much is known about his game.
HOW HE GOT THERE:
Day 1: 105,375 chips
Day 2: 35,900
Day 3: 205,500
Day 4: 924,000
Day 5: 640,000
Day 6: 1,860,000
Day 7: 3,835,000
Day 8: 19,700,000
KEY HAND: Like all of his November Nine counterparts, Bounahra won several key pots late in the Main Event. But it was a hand against Phil Collins that put a short-stacked Bounahra back in contention on Day 8.
On a heads-up flop of Js-6d-5c, Bounahra fired a bet of 675,000 into Collins, who thought for a moment before moving all in. Bounahra called off his remaining 4.5 million chips and was in great shape to double up and creep into the top 10 on the leaderboard:
Bounahra: 6c-5h
Collins: Ks-Jh
Bounahra’s two pair was well out in front, and the 10c turn and 4c river were no help to the online legend Collins as Badih survived. Bounahra was at risk again on the final table bubble but his pocket kings held up against the K-Q of John Hewitt, leading to Hewitt’s ultimate demise as the bubble boy of the Main Event final table.
WHY HE CAN WIN: Bounahra was never among the chip leaders of the tournament but still landed safe and sound at the final table with nearly 20 million in chips. His greatest asset going into November may be that he’s a polite, soft-spoken gentleman that didn’t bring any attention to himself during the eight-day event. That could create problems for his tablemates if they’re trying to get a read on Bounahra during a critical moment.
The PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour is headed to the self-proclaimed ‘Adventure Capital of the World’ next week. If you will be joining us then here’s a guide to the adventurous, yet relaxing, ski-town.
Before Black Friday, options for American online poker players were limited, but most people were perfectly happy with the two giants, PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. But since those two poker rooms closed to U.S. players (the latter shutting down completely, at least temporarily), it has become very hard for players stateside to find a reliable place to grab some cards. For those who just play poker as a hobby, it’s frustrating, but not the end of the world. But for full time grinders, those people who play poker to pay the bills, the virtual elimination of online poker in the U.S. is a major problem.
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