Dream Team Poker a flop?

It looks like the dream team poker event at this years WSOP is going to be a dud which is a shame because it's a pretty cool idea and has been well received in the past. Basically, teams of 3 players compete against each other in a single tournament. However, they keep extending the registration deadline for teams, first it was,

"the first 300 teams that register get free custom Jersey's", then it was "register before June 16th"...now I saw an add on bluff magazine's site and it's "register before July 1st"

Maybe people are just waiting to register or real pros figure they will be burned out on poker and a $500 buyin event just doesn't interest them.then:

Quotes from DTP:

BEVERLY HILLS & LAS VEGAS, MAY 19, 2009:
Dream Team PokerTM has taken
theindustry by storm in the few short months since their inaugural event. Giving
teambasedpoker validation with their successful structure, Dream Team Poker will
host atournament at the 2009 World Series of Poker®. The event will be held at
the Rio® All-Suite Hotel & Casino from July 12-13, 2009 with the buy-in of
$500 + $60 per player($1,680 per team). The first 300 teams that pre-register on
www.dreamteampoker.comwill receive personalized jerseys for the tournament.

later:

Teams to register online on or before (extended by demand) June 16th , 2009 will
receive a set of three (3) customized jerseys with their specified sizes and
team name.

Guy from my homegame busts Negreanu (almost)

From his facebook updates during the WSOP $1k Donkulus (stimulus), names changed to protect the guilty. How'd you like to be on Negreanu's left all day.

XXX does not like having Daniel Negreanu sitting directly on his right. He and another Canadian one seat over stole my blinds mercilessly for 4 hours.

XXX got tired of Negreanu stealing his blinds and reraised in the SB with K-T suited. Negreanu reraised all in and as I was contemplating folding, he joked that I had too much in the pot to fold. Short as I was, he was right. So I called my last 1000 and the flop came A-K-x and my kings beat his pocket Queens. After the hand, he said he had a feeling he was going to lose that one.

XXX, After Kid Poker doubled me up, I beat him in another big pot. I had TT and he had a seven. I made a hero call on the river with a board something like 7-Q-J-4-2. I don't know what his other hole card was, he announced a pair of sevens when I called, then mucked when I showed TT. That put me back in the tournament and Negreanu busted out soon after when he bet all in on a random low flop with A-K and the other Canadian to his right turned over KK.

Funny thing about Negreanu was that he was posting everything live on Twitter. "Running bad. QQ lost to K 10 guy called all in. Weird cause I felt like I was gonna lose it." http://twitter.com/REALKIDPOKER.

Anyway, Kid Poker was pretty much like you see him on TV. Very patient with all the fans interrupting him for autographs. He gets thumbs up.

Congrats to Phil Ivey, condolences to Eli Elezra.

So Phil Ivey won a bracelet in the 2-7 single draw lowball, but the real story is that with that braclelet Phil supposedly won $3 million, the lion share of which was bet with Eli Elezra who offered Phil 2.7 to 1 on his money.

This is Ivey's 6th bracelet, so by the time he's as old as Phil Hellmuth he should have about 25.

I watched a little bit of the final table broadcast over at BluffMagazine.com but duece to seven isn't exactly interesting TV since you virtually never see anyone's cards plus it took about 5 years to finish.

So Congratulations Phil and buck up Eli...at least you won a bracelet bet last year.

And congrats to me, in my 2 sit n go's yesterday I finished in 1st and 3rd...I'm rich!

WSOP Tournament of Champions..haha..

So ESPN decided to only air 4 tournaments on TV this year (they are showing tables on ESPN 360 this year). They picked the main event, the $40k Hold'em, the Ante Up for Africa charity event, and the Tournament of Champions which featured only former main event champs.

ESPN figured that they would guarantee big names at the final tables which would be "better" for TV. For the $40k, they got Ted Forrest and Greg Raymer at the final table, sure they are well known but they don't really make for exciting TV.

In the Tournament of Champions the final 4 was Robert Varkonyi, Dan Harrington, Tom McEvoy, and Jim Bechtel...possibly the four least known guys. They are all good guys but they aren't going to fire up the non-poker public.

The event was basically a cheesy made for TV tournament that ESPN thought they would film and cash in....all the while only giving out a corvette as a prize. No wonder a few of the guys didn't show up. A few years ago they had a invitational and paid out millions, this year a car. haha.

ESPN is reaping what they sow with their ridiculously limited coverage.

World Series of Poker!

I don't know about you, but I'm pumped about this year's World Series of Poker. No more rebuy tourneys and a sweet $40k buyin to start it off. Rebuys suck because I'm poor and basically rich players can just buy a bracelet. Personally I think it's a mistake to have the $40k so early, not that many people will buyin since they can get better overall value out of smaller tournaments. Plus some of this year's winners would have probably tried to parlay other cashes into an entry into the $40k.

I can understand Harrah's and ESPN wanting as many big names at the final table as possible, but it certainly didn't turn out that way with two of the more boring big names making it. No offense to Ted Forrrest but he's not exactly Mr. Personality at the tables and Greg Raymer should probably get rid of those lizard glasses. Raymer now signs a fossil and gives it to whomever knocks him out of a tournament which is pretty cool but an obvious rip off of Barry Greenstein; who signs a copy of his book and gives it to the guy who knocks him out. I guess that's easier than giving his winnings to charity.

Most of the other guys who made the final table are well known online pros like Justin "zeejustin" Bonomo, Ansky and Ike Haxton (who strangely resembles Ally Sheedy from the breakfast club in this pokernews.com picture, so far pokernews has had the best WSOP coverage by the way).

It should be a pretty entertaining table to watch on ESPN later this year; the headsup battle was pretty epic and I'm sure ESPN will show about 1 or 2 hands from it.

ESPN also made the strange yet cost effective decision to hold the $40k event and the Legends of poker event (pitting all the prior WSOP champs in a sigle tournament; except for Russ Hamilton who everyone thinks is a cheating piece of crap due to the ultimatebet scandal) basically at the same time which precluded Greg Raymer from really playing in the Legends event. They probably scheduled it that way to reduce production costs since we all know ESPN is hurting for money and poker is such a high priority for them, this year they are going to show an entire 4 events on TV, and luckily all of them hold'em!!! As Antonio Esfandiari would say.....Wheeeee!