Luke Schwartz has been banned from most British casinos
It is safe to say poker has blossomed in 2009. The ongoing legal rumblings of the UIGEA, governmental threats to increase taxation on tournament winnings and Microgaming / Pitbull Poker scandals symbolise the only weeds in the otherwise rosy poker garden.
Money talks in poker, and the combustible, nosebleed stakes environment has captured the imagination of all poker fans. Nothing can match the prestige and tradition of the World Series of Poker, which celebrated its 40th anniversary this year, but for pure entertainment, the high stakes action on Full Tilt Poker is the nuts.
Bracelet accumulation may still rank high in the minds of seasoned, savvy pros, but for the new breed of aggressive internet stars, the million dollar sessions are all too enticing. Jeff Lisandro proved there is fun to be found in mastering all variants of the game, as he scooped three bracelets in different Stud disciplines. The morbid Italian, who dons a trademark bowler hat, pipped the likes of Vitaly Lunkin (winner of the inaugural $40k Hold’em event) and Brock Parker to the coveted title of ‘WSOP Player of the Year’.
Phil Ivey underlined his status as the world’s premier poker player, adding two bracelets to increase his overall tally to seven. Ivey’s blistering run in the Main Event restored a degree of credibility to an event which has suffered from the anonymity of past winners, including Jamie Gold and Jerry Yang. His elimination from the November Nine however, when his AK was usurped by Darvin Moon’s AQ, gave a timely reminder of the luck involved in tournament poker.
The fairytale story of humble logger Moon came to an end when Joe Cada beat him into second place to claim the prestigious World Championship crown. Cada, the youngest player to win the title, was duly rewarded with a PokerStars contract, however the jubilations were dampened slightly by long-time WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack’s decision to step down from his role. The WSOP was a summer to forget for several players, with the likes of Phil Hellmuth, Mike Matusow and Chris Ferguson all enduring barren spells.
Outgoing Canadian Daniel Negreanu put his dismal High Stakes Poker season behind him by bulldozing his way through the field of the WSOPE Main Event. The European rendition was eventually won by Barry Shulman, who rivered a two-outer in one of the decisive final hands. Negreanu had to settle for second place, but his success saw him return to the top of the all time, poker tournament money list. But it was obnoxious Brit Luke ‘FullFlush1’ Schwartz who managed to grab the headlines as poker fever gripped the English capital. In a scandal dubbed ‘Sandwichgate’, the flamboyant ‘Jakey’s wearing’ youngster pilfered a baguette from a stand at the EPT London. The opinionated Schwartz was adamant his registration fee for the Main Event covered a free baguette and queue jump.