Online Poker Site Bonus Codes

Are you familiar with the 2008 World Series of Poker? Have you heard of the November 9? How about Dean Hamrick? Hamrick was the player who got knocked out at 10th position at the 2008 world series of poker main event in Las Vegas.

Out of a field of 6844 players, their are 9 left to battle it out the top prize of $9.1 million. These 9 players are referred to as the “November Nine” because they will be competing for the WSOP championship on November 9th.

Last July, more than 6000 players coughed up the $10,000 main event buy-in fee. Normally, the main event is played out to one winning player. Not so this year. The tournament was stopped when Dean Hamrick was knocked out and their was 9 players left. The main event is scheduled to resume play on November 9th and expected completion on the 11th.

A few days from now you are going to see the following main event final table, “november 9″, players hit the felt for some of the greatest poker and a whopping $9.1 million US first place prize. Watch the november 9 speak on video about their upcoming main event final table:

Dennis Phillips, 53, from St. Louis, Missouri. 26,295,000 in chips, seat 1

Craig Marquis, 23, Arlington, Texas - 10,210,000 in chips, seat 2

Ylon Schwartz, 38, Brooklyn, New York - 12,525,000 in chips, seat 3

Scott Montgomery, 26, Perth, Ontario, Canada - 19,690,000 in chips, seat 4

Darus Suharto, 39, Toronto, Ontario, Canada - 12,520,000 in chips, seat 5

David “Chino” Rheem, 28, Los Angeles, California - 10,230,000 in chips, seat 6

Ivan Demidov, 27, Moscow, Russia - 24,400,000 in chips, seat 7

Kelly Kim, 31, Whittier, California - 2,620,000 in chips, seat 8

Peter Eastgate, 22, Odense, Denmark - 18,375,000 in chips, seat 9

Online Poker site - several top poker rooms to choose from

There are numerous online poker rooms to choose from. Some differences among the sites include; software features, game types, graphics, character and avatar features, and number of players at the site.

The best way to choose an online poker room is to try it out. It’s as simple as downloading the free software, signing up and joining a table. I will explain this in more detail on the next few pages. As well, I will show you how to get a free cash sign up bonus at each site. Take a look at some online poker sites in this review:

FullTiltPoker (US friendly) 100% bonus up to $600 free - enter bonus code RIVERNUTS during sign up.

PokerStars (US friendly) 100% bonus up to $50 free - click here poker stars

CarbonPoker (US friendly) 100% bonus up to $200 free - click here Carbon Poker

Ultimatebet (US friendly) 100% bonus up to $650 free - enter bonus code BONUSMONEY

Ok…so you noticed I only mention 4 poker rooms. Obviously there are plenty more online poker sites, but these four online poker rooms are the top choices. Each of these poker sites are strong in almost all aspects of online poker play. I have included the bonus offers and bonus codes for you to take advantage of. The bonus offers are free…but you have to complete a certain number of raked hands before they are released. I suggest playing lower limits at first (within the sites bonus guidelines) and then moving up in limits when you are comfortable.

I am going to talk about some interesting aspects of the game of online poker in future posts.

• tips
• strategies
• online tells
• poker cheats
• sit n go tournaments
• seeing an opponents hand (when no one else can)

This is my second in a series of three profiles of Full Tilt’s final table trio. See also my profile of Craig Marquis and my coming profile of Kelly Kim. Also, check out the contests accompanying the Marquis profile - Cash Game Killer - and this one - Tournament Star. Kelly Kim’s profile will also [...]

I’m trying to get a few things confirmed with Scott Montgomery before I post my profile of him, but I didn’t want to delay the contest suggested by his tournament prowess. This is a slightly modified version of the “Buy the Coach” contest. It replaces that contest.
You’ve made the Final Table of the Main Event [...]

Apologies for any inconvenience and delay resulting from my suspending/modifying the contest announced last week. But I realized that it could be even better if I replaced that contest with THREE contests, each geared toward a characteristic about one of Full Tilt’s WSOP final table trio. This contest, inspired by Craig Marquis, is titled CASH [...]

New Year’s Eve, 2007 - Craig Marquis, 21, attends the New Year’s Eve party of Tom Dwan and David Benefield, a pair of even younger men who recently bought a house in Forth Worth, Texas. Marquis is, like most 21 year-olds, just beginning the journey to get to where he wants to go: he was [...]

First, I am changing the contest rules to Buy the Coach.
Second, I am officially over my spiralling depression.
I had a nice talk with my dad - he’s always there when things are messed up in my life and I think I’m always there for him, though I routinely miss birthdays and anniversaries and neglect to [...]

A couple days ago, I announced the start of the Blog’s third essay contest, Buy the Coach. Maybe the process of explaining how you’d prepare for the final table of the WSOP Main Event is a daunting one or you’re taking admirable care in crafting your entries, but I haven’t gotten very many responses.
I’m giving [...]

I’m trying to maintain some equilibrium in my life because, after all, results-oriented thinking should be discouraged in poker. The key is to play well all the time. The results will follow, but not always equal to the quality of your play.
That’s the theory, anyway. But results feel good - or bad. Getting aces cracked [...]

Dear Uncle Tilty:
Nobody can say it hasn’t been a rocky road for us lately. The World Series was a disjointed mess. London was a disaster. When I look back on it, I think some of the writing was good, but there were definitely times I wanted to quit, and probably some times where I should [...]

Level 12 has recently just ended, and there have been some major movements in the past couple of hours.

In the literal sense of that word, Johnny Lodden has been relocated to sit next to Sorel Mizzi and opposite Luca Pagano, offering a real treat for the online poker-obsessed rail bird. Meanwhile the big movers on the chip ladder seem to be Martin Jacobson, of Sweden, and Annette Obrestad, of Norway, who have gone in the opposite direction to one another. Jacobson started the day with just 29,300, but now has 155,000. Obrestad began with 101,300, but now has about 40,000. It’s still workable.

Mauro Corsetti still leads - he’s up to 192,000. And Lukas Benkovic, from Slovakia, is second with 185,000. Meanwhile, three minutes into the break, the Hungarian player Zoltan Toth was still involved in a hand, but was mighty glad that he stayed. He ended up cracking aces with J-10, flopping a jack and turning a 10 to double up to 102,000.

While the players take 15 minutes to exchange their stories, have a look at what some of them have been saying to our team of video bloggers. Dan Muraiu is a local PokerStars qualifier, who made it through to day two:

Watch EPT Budapest 08: Interview with Dan Murariu Day 1b on PokerStars.tv

And the Team PokerStars Pro remains in the field going in to the second half of day two:

Watch EPT Budapest 08: Interview with Luca Pagano Day 2. on PokerStars.tv

Like the blaze of glory performed at times yesterday by Team PokerStars Pro Dario Minieri, Arnaud Mattern is displaying similar flare at his table which features Danny Ryan, Paul Testud and the last remaining Polish player Jecek Ladny. The Frenchman just won three of four pots simply by raising in late position (and once from the small blind to mix it up a little).

The table alongside is presided over by Sorel Mizzi, chip leader and punisher of mistakes, who has PokerStars sponsored player Johnny Lodden, Ionel Anton, and Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano for company. There’s also Micha Hoedemaker who was all-in for nearly 40,000 when I stopped by.

First Anton counted out the call, separating it from the bulk of his stack, before folding his hand instead. Not so Sorel Mizzi who did the same with his stack, separating the call, before going into the tank, rubbing his face and brow for a few moments before the clock was called on what had been a fairly pedestrian hand.
Mizzi made the call. Hoedemaker turned over Ad-Td whilst Mizzi showed 9s-9c.

The flop came 4c-Qd-Ah-Js-Ks. Hoedemaker took the pot, being congratulated by his friend Noah Boeken behind him as he raked in his new chips. A 40K bump to his stack, a 40K dent for Sorel Mizzi.

The Irish player Fintan Gavin scored the biggest success of his poker career when he came second to Sebastian Ruthenberg at the recent EPT event in Barcelona, earning him €792,000. He did so by endearing himself to the Catalan poker gods by kitting himself out in the immediately distinctive red and blue of Barcelona FC - or, more precisely, the blaugrana of Barça.

Fintan Gavin

Here in Budapest, he’s trying the same trick. Although the white shirts with green trim of the Budapest team Ferencváros (or Ferencvárosi TC) are not as instantly recognisable on the world stage as those striped colours of Barcelona, Gavin has sought out such a shirt and is wearing it proudly here in on day two of EPT Budapest. And he’s faring just fine, up to 95,000 as the players went into their first break.

Peter Zamiska is also nailing his national colours to the mast.

Peter Zamiska

Few will be surprised to learn that Zamiska hails from Slovakia - it’s writ large across his chest. Slovakia just might be another emerging market in poker, with Dag Palovic making two final tables on last year’s EPT. And here, there is also another PokerStars qualifier from Slovakia making waves. Lukas Benkovic has more than 100,000 (probably about 125,000 actually), confirming that there might just be something in the water over there.

Play is progressing at a breakneck pace, with players sliding out the door like greased pigs down a fireman’s pole. Among those notable fallers are William Thorson, Alan Smurfit and Denes Kalo, all of whom started with small stacks, and Pierre Husson, who was one of the overnight leaders but had a catastrophic day two. The young Frenchman suffered at the hands of Claudio Pagano earlier and could not arrest the decline.

At the other end of the ladder, the Italian Mauro Corsetti continues to occupy the spot he filled overnight: tournament chip leader. The Canadian Sorel Mizzi overtook him at one point earlier in the day, but Mizzi slipped back to about 140,000 during the last level. Corsetti has nearly 160,000; Mizzi has close to 150,000. But they’re both in the sights of the PokerStars sponsored player Johnny Lodden, who is up to 140,000-odd. Then there’s Annette Obrestad and Arnaud Mattern, giving the top of this tournament’s chip table a formidable appearance.

We now have two loads of chip counts for you to look at: the full, official counts from the end of level 10, or these ones, which are the very latest, approximate, selected counts.

The Paganos, or “Pagani” as one person quipped, are still in contention albeit with stacks at opposite ends of the favourable scale. Whilst son Luca is one of the short stacks at a table that features tournament leader Sorel Mizzi, father Claudio just escaped elimination with a fortunate double-up against Pierre Husson, whose day has gone from high flying luxury to one of club class misery.

With the chips all in Husson had the better deal, pocket aces to Pagano’s pocket sevens. Crucially though one of Pagano’s sevens was a diamond and on a board of Qd-8s-8d-Td-9d that was worth its weight in gold. He rockets up to 65,000. Husson, who started today on 76,100 now has less than 20,000.

Pierre Husson earlier this week

Over on Praz Bansi’s table it seems the Londoner is still reeling slightly from the pressures the A-K v A-K hand placed on his soul. Bansi watched as a player at his table called a sizeable all-in with pocket aces, up against A-K. An ace hit the flop and by the river a full house was complete.

“It must be nice…” said Bansi, smiling.

“It is” answered the victor.

Ricardo Sousa almost became the first Portuguese EPT winner in Poland last year where he finished runner-up to Michael Schulze. His chances of a repeat performance in Budapest just ended at the hand of Lukas Benkovic from Slovakia.

The clock was called on Sousa with a board reading 8h-Qc-Tc-Qh. Sousa tried to put on a show of casual contemplation by picking up the knife and fork and cutting up some of the salad he was eating. But after a few chopping motions he put them down again, unable to stomach it.

Slowly, he stood up and shoved his chips across the line, showing Ad-Td. Benkovic flipped up Ks-Qd for the pot, sending Sousa out to enjoy the rest of his meal in peace.

With the blinds getting steeper the pace of the action seems to be increasing. Team PokerStars Pro Alex Kravchenko just pulled off one of those world class calls, holding A-5 against A-Q. When the A-Q player bet on the five river card, Kravchenko’s read told him that his opponent had nothing. With a pair of fives Kravchenko called, taking down the pot.

Praz Bansi just used various words that we all know but rarely use on the blog to describe his latest predicament, down now to less than 20,000. He lost out on a 100,000 chip pot, all-in with A-K against A-K. For his mood to be so sour you can guess what happened, his opponent making a flush.

“As good as I run in the World Series I run bad in the EPT” Bansi said.

PokerStars qualifier Danny Ryan just arrived at Arnaud Mattern’s table, carrying a bucket of chips, the same type of bucket you’d use to carry your slot machine quarters back to the cage. Arnaud was in the process of continuing his assault on the chip lead, raising on the button pre-flop and then again on the flop to persuade the others in the hand that their intentions were now folly.

Lastly, whilst the Frenchman bounds onwards PokerStars shooting star Johannes Strassmann is out, A-9 against pocket queens that made a set.

That’s the kind of welcome you get for day two of the EPT Budapest…

Watch EPT Budapest 08: Introduction into Day 2. on PokerStars.tv

“My name is Kenny Rogers! I’m the gambler!”

Actually his name is Ivo Donev and he was talking to one of the chip leaders, Annette Obrestad, explaining to her his intention to raise from the button regardless. Obrestad was in the cut off and made a bet of 1,800. The gambler, true to his word, re-raised to 4,000 in total. Obrestad called.

Ivo Donev

The flop came 5h-Jc-6c. The gambler bet again, another 4,000 and then buried his head in his arms, resting them against the side of the table. Obrestad thought for a second, turning her head slightly to see the gambler crumpled over. She mucked her cards then banged on the table to wake up her opponent.

“You want to see one card?” he asked.

“I don’t know if I want to…”

Stop press: Notable Hungarian player Denes Kalo has been eliminated, all-in with queens against the K-Q of a countryman no less, on a board that arrived 6-9-T-J-x.

Often poker is a non-verbal pursuit. As long as you make your intentions clear, don′t under-raise, don′t act out of turn, and don′t get embroiled in any unnecessary controversy, then you can pretty much play as a mute. Plenty of players like to talk around the table, of course, but it’s really not essential - especially when you can say so much with a carefully contorted facial expression.

Such was the case moments ago as Kara Scott peered up from under her cap at the reporters swarmed around her table. Scott, sponsored here by PokerStars, is most familiar on the EPT with a microphone in her hand, presenting the television and PokerStars.tv broadcasts in the most verbal of media. But here she is a player, and she just said as much with her eyes as she possibly could in a five-minute to-camera spot. She flashed her eyes left, right, straight ahead and then rolled them, accompanying this with a uncharacteristic grimace.

Kara Scott

The reason was simple. Peering immediately left, there was Annette Obrestad. Peering a seat or two further round was Ivo Donev. Then Ramzi Jelassi. Then the PokerStars qualifier Dave Hardy. In three predictable words: Table. Of. Death.

Still, Scott might not be happy, but she’s unikely to be intimidated. On her last outing in the PokerStars livery, Scott went super-deep in the World Series Main Event, finishing 104th from more than 6,000, good for $41,816.

She’s mixing with the world’s best here again in Budapest. Is a repeat on that magnificent showing on the cards?

Someone had to do it, hang around to see whether William Thorson’s 3,400 day two starting stack would be the beginning of something great, or the end of something that could have been. Sadly it was the latter.
Not that Thorson had much choice on a table featuring Alex Kravchenko and blinds starting at 400/800 with a running 100 ante.

With just three hands available to him before the blinds struck Thorson was forced out of hand one by Lazlo Lajos of Hungary, sitting to his right, who raised to 2,200. On the second hand Lajos did the same. But with time running out Thorson moved all-in, waiving his hand as a gesture to Lajos to do the same. Lajos did, showing Ad-9d to Thorson’s Kc-4c.

Team PokerStars Pro William Thorson

The flop brought some hope with two clubs, but the turn and river brought little else. Team PokerStars Pro William Thorson out first on day two.

Watch EPT Budapest 08: Interview with William Thorson Day 2 on PokerStars.tv

Day two on the EPT, and here are a few facts about today’s play, sprinkled with fairly safe predictions:

The remaining players from the two day ones are now merged in the ballroom of the Las Vegas Casino, Budapest. That’s a total of 182 in the field, who will hope to play the eight, one-hour levels scheduled for the day. If they do, they will probably be among about 30-40 players surviving to go into tomorrow’s day three.

Before that - and possibly sometime later tonight - the cash bubble will burst, leaving us with the lucky 10 percent who will take some money away from Hungary, happy with their week’s work. Lucky, yes, but also massively skillful; you don’t navigate through a field of this class and quality without knowing what you’re doing.

Top of the pile at the moment, as players are taking their seats and the cards are being shuffled, is the Italian player Mauro Corsetti, who has a clear 35,000 more than his closest challenger. But that challenger is arguably the single player you’d like least to be breathing down your neck: the formidable Annette Obrestad. And not far behind her is the EPT Prague champion Arnaud Mattern, and a chasing pack of the highest quality: Sorel Mizzi, Praz Bansi, and the PokerStars sponsored player Johnny Lodden, who is making his usual charge.

Before the day is out, though, there will almost certainly be at least three other names coming from the main bulk of the pack to challenge the very top. Few would bet against either of the Team PokerStars Pros Luca Pagano and Alex Kravchenko being among them. And then there’s William Thorson, a short-stack at the moment, but more than capable of the umpteen double ups that will put him back in the mix.

Look out also for the PokerStars qualifiers Dwayne Stacey, Lukas Benkovic and Aditya Agarwal, who are also all lurking with intent.

Sit tight, this will be frenetic.

As always, you can follow all this in Swedish, in German and Hungarian. You can also check out the latest chip counts, and the payout structure.

And then there’s always PokerStars.tv, where you can watch all of the action from the video blog team. All of this will be updated throughout the day. In the meantime, here’s how the PokerStars players Johnny Lodden and Kara Scott saw it yesterday. They’re both back today for more of the same:

Watch EPT Budapest 08:Interview with Johnny Lodden Day 1b on PokerStars.tv

Watch EPT Budapest 08: Interview with Kara II Day 1b on PokerStars.tv