Encore Poker Series VIII

Still no results posted for the four EPS events from a couple weeks back, either to Facebook or Hendon Mob.

Encore, by the way, is going through some rebranding this week.

Final Table $100K Guarantee

I was sitting next to Rich when we were still around seven tables. I had an above-average stack with 20+ big blinds and Rich was down to about 6. Then he went on a tear and shot up to a couple hundred thousand in the space of an orbit. Meanwhile, I lost most of my chips (not to Rich) and went out shortly after our table broke. Congratulations to everyone for another great event.

Payouts for the Final Table $100K. There were 240 entrants, with 87 rebuys and 200 addons.

The Last Month

There’s just four weeks—to the day!—before the first open event of the 2016 World Series of Poker, the $7M Guarantee Colossus II. So much to do, so much money to pull together.

As I mentioned in last week’s Planner, I’m going to be in Las Vegas as a live reporter for the WSOP from Memorial Day weekend until mid-July (as of today, I’m sort of still looking for a place to stay, as well, so if you have any leads, send me a message on Twitter). I will attempt to keep the Planner going, but I may cut the Deal until I return to Portland. In any case, things are probably going to be a little truncated for the next couple of months.

Seniors World Championship of Poker

Throwing back to the Deal a few weeks ago which rounded up seniors events during the WSOP:

Wild Kingdom

If you liked A Game That Will Live In Infamy—my equity examination of a 6-Max NLHE tournament—I posted the first 20 hands of a Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo hand-by-hand yesterday. All cards exposed, down to the last hand of the tournament. More tomorrow.

Deal of the Day: Vegas

Let’s just say the Deal for next month is being in Las Vegas. By my count, for most of June, there are six tournament series running: the WSOP, the Venetian Deepstack Extravaganza III, Golden Nugget’s Grand Poker Series, the Goliath (WSOP’s younger sibling at Planet Hollywood), Binion’s Poker Classic at the WSOP’s birthplace, and the Wynn Summer Classic.

I could link to all of the individual tournament venues, but those links are all in #PNWPokerCalendar. Instead, here I’ll direct you to Kenny Hallert’s Grand Unified Poker Schedule on Dropbox. It has all of the above, plus the shorter series at Aria, M, and Bellagio, in an Excel spreadsheet. The spreadsheet has extra tabs with non-NLHE events, contact info, and rake for each buy-in level. It’s an incredibly detailed piece of work.

The other draw, of course is cash games. Frustrated tournament players need something to do to fill in the hours between games, and the ones with extra money go to the cash tables. Last year during the weekend of the Colossus, I saw morning 1-2 games at Planet Hollywood last year with $800 going into a pot. It was amazing. And PH is just a small poker room in a city of a lot of small poker rooms and some really big poker rooms.

So. Vegas.

This Week in Portland Poker

• It’s time for another First Friday $20K guarantee at Final Table this week. $100 buyin/rebuy, $50 addon, 7pm.
• Encore Club has its own $20K this Friday. $80 buyin/live rebuy, $40 addon. This starts at 8pm.
• See The Game about their Cinco de Mayo complimentary nacho bar Thursday, with $2 Mexican beers and $3 margaritas. For Mother’s Day Weekend, (this Friday through Sunday) there’s a complimentary door fee and some free food and drink items. They’re also offering a drink to the first players seated in the morning game on Friday. Beginning Sunday and next Wednesday, The Game will be contributing $100+ twice a day to a Bad Beat Jackpot. And beginning next Wednesday, they start a weekly $1.5K guarantee tournament at 2pm. Coming up 21 May at 2pm is a WSOP Main Event satellite event. $100 entry/rebuy and $50 addon and the winner receives a package including a seat and travel to Las Vegas. Maybe you’ll meet me there!

Only a Day Away

• The Cal State Poker Championship at Commerce Casino in LA is in the middle of its run. Tomorrow is the first of two starting days for a $240 buyin $250K guarantee NLHE tournament.
• Saturday is the start of the WPTDeepstacks Central California, at Turlock Poker Room. Six events, with a $100K Main Event for $1.1K buy-in.
• Saturday is also the 2nd Annual Central Valley Omaha Championships, an Omaha Hi-Lo tournament with a $160 buy-in. The one I won a seat for in a drawing but couldn’t get into my schedule (Fresno is a looooong drive for a $20K).
• The 14th is Day 1A for the Rivercard $150K at Pala Casino north of San Diego. There are daily entry flights (except for Mondays and Tuesdays) through 28 May. With Day 2 on 29 May. An entry to the WSOP Main Event is taken out of the prize pool and awarded to the first place finisher.
• Last week’s Deal, the Gardens Poker Festival starts 15 May with a $350 buyin $500K guarantee tournament.
• The Deepstack Extravaganza Warm-Up at The Venetian gets going 16 May with a $250, 3-day $100K guarantee.

Check out the #PNWPokerCalendar for more poker.