Live Tournament News

Veteran poker pro Lee Nelson added another notable score to his decorated resume on Sunday after being crowned the latest PokerStars Australia New Zealand Poker Tour champion in Melbourne.

The Australian Poker Hall of Famer has earned over $2.5 million in the live arena during the last decade but his desire to succeed at the top of the game remains undiminished after besting a 310 runner field at the Crown Casino for a $156,550 jackpot.

A busy weekend of live tournament action was rounded out in Dublin as elite poker players traveled to the Emerald Isle for the debut stop of the Betfair Live Poker Series.

Italy's Sadri Mokni, who enjoyed a deep run in the English Deepstack Poker Championship in Birmingham seven days ago, was on form for the second week in succession.

However, Mokni's quest for a breakthrough live tournament title ended in fourth place. The up and coming talent added a €2,390 sum to the $2,606 score he recorded at the Broadway Casino.

The International Federation of Poker publicized two new tournaments which are set to grace the English capital later this year.

It has been reported the first Duplicate Poker Nations Cup will take place in London on November 17-18. The unique EDF Energy London Eye will play host to players from twelve different countries who will battle it out for the Championship Trophy and national bragging rights.

The picturesque setting is not the only unique aspect in the offing though as the tournament will also use the Duplicate Poker variant. The IFP believes this game type lends itself to a more absorbing competition.

What makes Duplicate Poker an exciting and different variation is that each table is dealt from an identical pack which results in players in the same seat at a different table playing with the same hand.

The World Series of Poker Circuit Horseshoe Bossier City event came to a conclusion earlier this week as 475 runners battled it out for a $148,590 first prize in Louisiana.

Monday evening's final session saw only the leading ten return to the felt with Matt Newcombe the overwhelming chip leader. Newcombe amassed a 2 million chip stack over the first two days of action.

Boxing star Manny Pacquiao has been honored with his own Asian Poker Tour event following an agreement announced late last week. The Manny Pacquiao World Poker Event, which will be an official APT accredited event, will play out in the Philippines later this year.

The 32 year-old is a huge icon in his native country following his staggering achievements in the ring. Pacquiao has won world titles in eight weight divisions during his career and is currently the number one pound for pound boxer in the world.

The World Poker Tour next travels to the Borgata Hotel Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey for the Borgata Poker Open. The competition has been running since the start of September but the Main Event gets underway on the 18th September and is set to run over six days. To join in the No Limit Hold’em action costs $3,300 + $200 and has a guaranteed prize pool of over $3 million.

2011 November Niner Matt Giannetti began his preparations for the elite final table by producing an impressive display on Day 1b of the Partouche Poker Tour Main Event on Tuesday.

Giannetti is set to battle it out for a huge $8 million prize jackpot at the Rio in Las Vegas in two months’ time and his road to being a potential world champion began at Palm Beach Casino in Cannes this week.

“This is my first hands of No-Limit since the final table, so I’m going to be playing quite a few tournaments in the next month and a half or so, trying to get back to the No Limit tournament mode,” Giannetti revealed

Matthew Waxman from the United States took the title at the prestigious Aviation Club in Paris over the weekend, collecting the World Poker Tour and Grand Prix de Paris title in addition to €500,000 in cash and a seat at the $25k Bellagio tourney later in the year as well.

Europe continues to be a hotbed of live tournament action and the Fox Poker Club was on hand at the weekend to host the latest FPC Main Event in London.

128 players made the journey to the English capital but it was Mohammed 'Truth' Haque who stole the show with an impressive breakthrough live tournament performance.

The 28 year-old has been a stalwart on the London circuit for some time but he finally fulfilled his promise earlier this week after outlasting a final table stacked with notable names.

Recent Grosvenor United Kingdom Poker Tour champion, Alan Mansbridge and former FPC Main Event winner Hakim Bouzroura featured during the final session but neither could prevent a dominant Haque from closing out a maiden live victory.