UT Student One of the Final 9 in WSOP Main Event
Posted by geminiamp
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A 23 year old student from The University of Texas, Arlington is on break. He started playing poker a little less then two years ago and he recently outlasted 6,800 amateur and professional poker players to make the final table of the World Series of Poker.
He is now guaranteed a payout at least $900,000 dollars and he could get up to $9 million dollars if he takes first place in November when the Main Event continues. Craig Marquis was wearing dark Oakley sunglasses to help maintain his poker face at the tables and drinking coffee to keep up with the game.
Marquis was the man that sent home the 10th place finisher Dean Hamrick after Craig’s pocket Queens knocked out Dean’s Ace Jack to make the final nine players. Now we will have to wait until November as tournament officials have changed the structure of the final table this year to coincide with the airing of the event on television.
Marquis is happy with the four month break because it will allow more time for the excitement and buzz to build. According to an interview he plans on spending his time relaxing and is considering heading to Europe to play more poker.
Up until the Main Event he said that he was disappointed with his WSOP results because he had only cashed in one event. “I jokingly told my friends, ‘I’m saving all of my luck for the Main Event,’” he said.
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University Of Maryland Nineteen Year Old Student Wins the HPT Title and over $100,000 at Turning Stone
Posted by ladyh
Verona, New York- Turning Stone Resort Casino, June 30, 2008- Dan Smith, a 19 year old University of Maryland student, was the last man standing today at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino winning over $100,000. Smith outlasted the field of 250 players to win the HPT Main Event Title. Smith went wire to wire in the tournament, establishing an early chip lead on day one of the event and riding it to victory. For Smith it was his first tournament cash in a live poker event at the 18 and over casino.
“I actually wanted to stay home and go to the beach,” said Smith. “My buddies talked me into coming out here this weekend. I guess it worked out pretty good for me.”
Smith, a die hard New York Yankees fan, was wearing his lucky Yanks Jaba Chamberlain jersey for the event.
For the Heartland Poker Tour, Smith is just the latest in a long line of “real people” to win an HPT event and take home “unreal” money. Smith says he plans to use his winnings to finish paying for his education.
Next up for the HPT is a return trip to the Majestic Star Casinos in Gary, Indiana. Qualifiers for that event start July 19th.
2008 – Island Resort & Casino -Harris, Michigan-Final table Sunday, May 11th
Total Players in the Main Event – 250
Total Prize Pool – $375,000
Final Table
- Dan Smith – Manalapan, NJ $101,960
- Nick Tollefson – Mountain Top, PA $62,710
- Greg Miller – Corning, NY $39,395
- Carl Doyon – Montreal, Canada $28,045
- Newton Graziano – Cheektowaga, NY $20,442
- Garen Nichaniam – Montreal, Canada $15,714
Founded by Todd Anderson and Greg Lang in 2005, Heartland Poker Tour is built on a grass roots strategy, “Real People, Unreal Money”. HPT provides poker enthusiasts a televised Texas No Limit Hold’em poker tour with affordable buy-ins. HPT owns and operates the Heartland Poker League where poker players can build their skills through local weekly tournaments. HPT is currently in Season IV and is viewed in over 74 million homes throughout the United States. For more Online Poker News visit 4flush.com
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