
His cheering area had good reason to celebrate their hero’s $10 million win: out of 6,683 players who began the WSOP, Swede Martin Jacobson was last standing.
Martin Jacobson is your 2014 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion, which, if you didn’t know at this point, our apologies that are sincere the spoiler. Before this year’s $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Championship, few had heard about the 27-year-old from Stockholm, Sweden.
Some 6,683 players from 87 countries entered poker’s tournament that is biggest, however in the finish, it was the Swede holding the gold bracelet and using the ten dollars million prize.
So how did the man utilizing the second-shortest stack entering the November Nine make such a run that is incredible? While oddsmakers labeled him a shot that is long Jacobson maybe should not happen. He had more career WSOP earnings than any other player at the table, and he had been close while he had never won a live event.
Improbable Feat?
Once you start in the position that is eighth of nine, winning can be a far-fetched concept, but Jacobson’s application suggests otherwise. The now-champ discovered poker at 18 after viewing it on television, and quickly began playing with friends and online. After realizing he had a knack for success with satellite qualifiers in 2008, he focused his attention on playing cheaper live events.
Throughout the next six years, Martin became a globetrotter, as he traveled to EPT and WSOP events, collecting $5.5 million in the act. Before winning on Tuesday, he ranked second all-time on Sweden’s money list, behind only Chris Bjorin. This past year during the Big One Drop $111,111 buy-in, Jacobson scored their largest payout for finishing 6th with $807,427. With momentum on his side, he somehow were able to mostly fly under the radar heading into poker’s signature tournament.
WSOP Main Event
Although he is a pro that is seasoned it comes down to World variety of Poker tournaments, 2014 marked the Swede’s very first entry into the Main Event. The $10,000 buy-in is something you work up to, and his game was without question prepared to go. He took part into the 1A action, where he ended the session as the chip leader day. He remained in command through the July play until the table that is final where he finished 8th heading into the break.
Fast-forward to November and Dutchman Jorryt van Hoof was dominating the field. Jacobson was never really in contention to overtake the leaders until belated Monday night as he eliminated both Billy Pappas and William Tonking. Going to Tuesday, just three players remained, all Europeans: van Hoof, Jacobson, and Norway’s Felix Stephensen.
With slightly below 90 million chips, van Hoof had nearly 25 million more than Martin, but he did actually lose his swagger and leaked fingers one after another. Following a few losses, Jacobson eliminated the first choice for the past two days and moved to head-to-head play with Stephensen. In the 328th hand associated with final table, Jacobson took the name with pocket tens and another ten on the flop to give him a collection therefore the winning hand.
Cool, Calm, Collected
While van Hoof attempted to scare his opponents away from the dining table, and Stephensen attempted to pay for any clues by sporting sunglasses and a hoody, Jacobson did neither. He folded quickly, called swiftly, and overall seemed 100 percent relaxed. At times van Hoof could be seen sweating and also shaking. Stephensen ended up being aesthetically frustrated often times. Jacobson seemed refreshed, and in total control, which, plainly, he was.
Amaya and Playtech Named for Possible bwin.party Takeover
Bwin.party says it’s entered into ‘preliminary discussions’ over a possible takeover. Amaya Gaming is rumored to be a contender that is likely with Playtech also known as. (Image: stoiximaonline.com)
Bwin.party is the belle of this ball this week, as rumors swirl that online monster Amaya Gaming is preparing a $1.2 billion takeover. But there are simultaneous whispers of a Playtech bwin.party acquisition, keeping the online gaming community on pins and needles till the situation is put to bed.
Amaya’s name was mentioned on Wednesday by analysts regarding the Markets Live real-time information that is financial on the London Financial Times website.
FT Alphaville Editor Paul Murphy and Bryce Elder through the FT‘s London markets team dropped the bombshell, stating that market chatter was suggesting that the deal had been ‘all but wrapped up,’ according to ‘usually dependable sources.’
‘We now think it’s real enough,’ stated Murphy. ‘[There have actually been] lots of rumors of an approach, as repeated a few times in the paper’s influential Bowler Hat column. Though we didn’t have a name. Amaya’s a good name.’
However, it must be noted that the announcement happens to be flagged as a ‘natural Alert,’ which means, in line with the accompanying FT boilerplate, that the data that ‘has not been formally tested through old-fashioned journalistic networks (PRs, etc).’
The plot thickened having a report in London’s Evening Standard on Wednesday naming market-leading software company Playtech as being a buyer that is potential.
‘Online gambling pc software maker Playtech today announced it absolutely was raising a $315 million war chest, via a convertible bond issue, for acquisitions and ‘organic opportunities,’ ‘ it claimed. ‘a youthful edition of the night Standard reported down-on-its luck online gaming peer Bwin could be a takeover, and simply a couple of hours later it confirmed it was ‘early’ speaks with a number of potential suitors that could cause the company on the market.’
Reader Beware
‘The tale might be complete trash,’ continues the FT disclaimer, ‘but if we think there is some substance to it we will say so. In either case, Reader Beware.’
While bwin.party, along with Borgata, is the market leader in the brand New Jersey on line gaming space, it’s struggled in other markets recently.
The product of a merger between online activities betting bwin that is giant the once-mighty partypoker, (which in 2005 was well worth over $12 billion, before UIGEA sent it retreating from the US market), bwin.party has received to fend down rumors of a sale of part or most of its assets since as far back as final June. However, following the speculation that is new the press this week, the company confirmed that the sale is indeed on the cards.
Bwin.party Statement
‘Further to recent media conjecture regarding a possible bid for bwin.party, the Board of bwin.party confirms that it has entered into initial discussions with a quantity of interested parties regarding a variety of potential company combinations with a view to making value that is additional bwin.party shareholders,’ it said. ‘Such discussions may or may not end in an offer being made for the Company. However, as all such talks stay at a stage that is preliminary there may be no certainty as to whether or not they will result in any form of transaction with any party.’
Stocks in bwiin.party, that have seen a constant rise throughout November, shot up by 13 percent within the aftermath of this business’s statement on Wednesday.
Should rumors prove to be true, Amaya would increase its monopoly in the online that is global market and pull further away from the nearest competitors 888.com together with iPoker system. PokerStars, which was acquired by Amaya this 12 months for $4.9 billion, currently has eight times the traffic of 888.com.
Legendary Gambler Archie Karas Sentenced as Blackjack Cheat
Archie Karas, whom continued the most gambling that is famous and losing streak of most time, turning $50 into $40 million after which blowing the lot, is granted probation for cheating at blackjack. (Image: ESPN)
Archie Karas, the gambler and poker player who in the 1990s went on perhaps the most famous streak that is winning of time, has been sentenced to 3 years’ probation, having been found responsible of cheating at blackjack.
Karas, real name Anargyros Karabourniotis, 63, was spotted by surveillance cameras marking cards at a blackjack table at the Barona Casino in San Diego County in 2013. A search warrant executed on his household later revealed hollowed out chips, which prosecutors believe was indeed used to conceal ink.
The court heard that Karas had been arrested by Nevada Gaming Control Board four times since 1988 on suspicion of cheating by marking cards, secretly exchanging cards with somebody and bets that are pressing.
Karas won $8,000 at the Barona on July 16, 2013, and had been ordered by El Cajon Superior Court Judge Daniel Goldstein to cover $6,800 in restitution to your casino, which had been determined to be his profit from the session where the cards were being marked. He initially spent 73 days in jail before being released on bail.
The Run
‘This defendant’s luck ran out thanks to extraordinary cooperation between several different police agencies whom worked together to research and prosecute this case,’ said District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis.
Karas’ legendary winning streak, now just known as ‘The Run,’ kicked off sometime in early 1993, when he found its way to Las Vegas with $50 in his pocket. He straight away began wining at the poker tables, and soon convinced an acquaintance to lend him $10,000 so that he could play greater. Karas promptly won $30,000 playing $200/$400 restriction Razz and returned $20,000 to his friend.
He took their winnings to a regional pool hallway where he began playing a ‘wealthy pool and poker player,’ whom Karas has always refused to name. The two men played pool for increasing stakes, until Karas had beaten his adversary for $1.2 million over a period of a couple of months. Then they played poker together and he won $3 million.
The pros formed an orderly queue as news spread that Karas now had millions burning a hole in his pocket and was willing to play anyone for any stakes. Stu Ungar, Chip Reece, and Doyle Brunson; all were sent. The only player to beat Karas during his winning streak was Johnny Chan, who fundamentally overcome him for $900,000. Nonetheless, by the time the poker dried up, he had been up $17 million.
The Downfall
Undeterred by the dearth of action, he turned to the pit games at Binions Horseshoe, playing craps for $100,000 a roll. Two and a years that are half he turned up in Vegas with $50 in his pocket, Karas had amassed a$40 million gambling fortune.
But then, in a turn of activities as unbelievable as how he racked up the fortune to start with, Karas lost all of the money, some $30 million of it, in roughly three days. Then a break was taken by him, visited Greece, came back and lost the rest.
‘Money means absolutely nothing to me, I don’t value it,’ he once told Cigar Aficionado magazine. ‘I’ve had all the product things i could want ever. Everything. The things I want cash can’t buy: health, freedom, love, happiness.’
