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So long, Ante Up!

It's been a long and winding road (cue Beatles music), but one I am very glad I took. Most of you who read this blog likely have already heard our final podcast for the St. Petersburg Times, so this post may touch on some of those thoughts.

On my last day at the Times I just want to thank the Ante Up! Nation one more time for tuning in, for subscribing, for re-subscribing because we changed the feed AGAIN, for arguing with me about Random Card Generators, for making us our own Ante Up! Ale, for buying our shirts (which you can still do!) and thongs (which you can NOT still do!), for getting us plastic bananas and for cherishing them when we gave them back to you for an AIPS victory, for sucking out against me when we were heads-up for a banana, for playing me heads up and losing every time, for sending us lucky pieces of your clothing to carry with us when we played in the World Series, for coming out and meeting us at Binions and Foxwoods and the Commerce, for providing theme music that we could and could not use, for the 4-colored Lucky Charms Copags, for calling me when you made the final table of the WSOP Main Event in 2007, for starting an Episode Guide for our shows, for hosting our results, for running a forum for us, for the Most Wanted Playing Cards, for providing interesting (and not so interesting) Hands of the Week, for calling the Hotline from your car over and over again, for hosting Ante Up! Nation chapters throughout the world, for getting together in London and thinking of us, for acting as rogue reporters for us at poker events around the globe, for getting up in the middle of the wee hours on the other side of the world just to play with us, for buying our first item on the Ante Up! Store even though you live in The Netherlands, for sending us pictures of you with famous poker players, for the large pepperoni pizza, for the classified ad you ran in one of our north regional newspapers supporting Ante Up! even though you live five states away, for calling me after you won the AIPS Main Event because you were so excited you had to call me, for driving all the way from Manhattan and other places in NY just to play cards with me in CT, for screwing with our MySpace page and trying to make it cool, for running the controls for us in the studio and for running the controls for us at the radio station, for sponsoring us when no one else had the brains to do it, for giving us news and results when we didn't have any, for watching our promo video and making fun of my "Space Shuttle" Magnum Kems, for voting for us to win Bluff Magazine's Readers Choice Awards and the Chicago Poker Club (TWICE!) and for practically overloading the servers over at Pokerati to let them know who has the best damn poker podcast on the planet, for informing us our show was featured on iTunes, for having flashing-green lights, for being the Cowboy, for introducing me to the Cowboy, for calling me and saying you really are AJ Benza and then doing a kick-ass show for us, for standing behind us no matter how narrow-minded others were being, for feeding my ego ... and, most of all, thanks for being our friends.

It's been great, and this would be a sad post if it were not for the fact that we will be continuing this great relationship with you over at anteupmagazine.com.

Keep on listening!

-- Chris

Episode #159: A look back

After more than three years, growing a listenership that spans more than 30 countries, recording 159 shows in a row and having one heck of a good time, Chris and I have posted our final Ante Up! episode for the St. Petersburg Times today. Click here to listen to it.

We'd like to thank everyone here at the Times who has helped us accomplish what we have, and who let us keep doing it in the face of these very difficult times for newspaper companies everywhere.

And, of course, we never would have lasted this long without all of our enthusiastic listeners. We can't thank you enough. We hope you follow us as we embark on the next chapter in our poker lives.

- CHRIS & SCOTT

World Series of Poker: Events #40-41

John Phan, a pro from Stockton, Calif., wins his second bracelet of the week by winning the World Series of Poker's Event #40 (Deuce to Seven Triple Draw Lowball).

Event #40, Deuce to Seven Triple Draw Lowball, $2,500 entry, 238 entrants

Ante Up guests
11. Greg Raymer, $9,579

Frank Gary, a 42-year-old retiree from Fort Myers, wins Event #41 (Mixed Hold'em).

Event #41, Mixed Hold'em, $1,500 entry, 731 entrants

No Ante Up Nationals, Ante Up guests or Tampa Bay area players cashed.

 

Ante Up WSOP totals

Ante Up Nation: 3 cashes, 0 bracelets, $34,013 prize money
Ante Up guests: 44 cashes, 2 bracelets, $2,404,722 prize money
Tampa Bay area players: 25 cashes, 0 bracelets, $549,994 prize money

World Series of Poker photos

World Series of Poker: Event #39

David "The Magnificent" Woo, a 30-year-old pro from Atlanta, wins the World Series of Poker's Event #39 (No-Limit Hold'em). And congrats to Ante Upper/Ante Up guest Kenna James on his second cash of the series, and congrats to Barry Greenstein, who is closing in on the top spot in the Player of the Year race.

Event #39, No-Limit Hold'em, $1,500 entry, 2,720 entrants

Ante Up Nationals
143. Kenna James, $3,527

Ante Up guests
108. Barry Greenstein, $4,084
143. Kenna James, $3,527

Ante Up WSOP totals

Ante Up Nation: 3 cashes, 0 bracelets, $34,013 prize money
Ante Up guests: 43 cashes, 2 bracelets, $2,395,0143 prize money
Tampa Bay area players: 25 cashes, 0 bracelets, $549,994 prize money

World Series of Poker photo

World Series of Poker: Events #34-38

Layne Flack, a Las Vegas pro and the original poker crush of Mrs. Long, wins the World Series of Poker's Event #34 (Pot-Limit Omaha w/Rebuys).

Event #34, Pot-Limit Omaha w/Rebuys, $1,500 entry, 320 entrants

Ante Up guests
34. Clonie Gowen, $16,849

Mike Rocco, a 48-year-old Las Vegas pro, wins Event #35 (7-card stud).

Event #35, 7-card stud, $1,500 entry, 381 entrants

Ante Up guests
16. Chad Brown, $4,680
17. Charles Jett, $3,640

Jesper Hougaard, a 24-year-old pro from Copenhagen, Denmark, wins Event #36 (No-Limit Hold'em).

Event #36, No-Limit Hold'em, $1,500 entry, 2,447 entrants

Tampa Bay area players
48. Howard Millian, New Port Richey, $9,018
93. Matthew Smith, Lithia, $4,676

David Benyamine, a well-known 35-year-old pro from Paris and Las Vegas, wins Event #37 (Omaha 8 World Championship).

Event #37, Omaha 8 World Championship, $10,000 entry, 235 entrants

Tampa Bay area players
No Ante Up Nationals, Ante Up guests or Tampa Bay area players cashed in Event #37.

Davidi Kitai, a 28-year-old economic analyst from Brussels, Belgium, wins Event #38 (Pot-Limit Hold'em).

Event #38, Pot-Limit Hold'em, $2,000 entry, 605 entrants

Ante Up guests
18. Eugene Todd, $8,808
34. Clonie Gowen, $5,505

Tampa Bay area players
15. Christopher Dombrowski, Dade City, $11,561
54. Veronica Castellana, Tampa, $4,074

 

Ante Up WSOP totals

Ante Up Nation: 2 cashes, 0 bracelets, $30,486 prize money
Ante Up guests: 41 cashes, 2 bracelets, $2,387,403 prize money
Tampa Bay area players: 25 cashes, 0 bracelets, $549,994 prize money

World Series of Poker photos

Ante Up MeetUp Vegas: July 2

If you're going to be in Las Vegas on Wednesday, July 2, Fasso and I would love to meet you and play some cards.

Here are the details:

• When: 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 2
• Where: Imperial Palace poker room
• What: Still no confirmation from the IP poker room, but we'll ask for a private or semi-private mixed games table, likely with $3/$6 limits.

If you think you can make it, kindly post a comment here.

- SCOTT

World Series of Poker: Events #32-33

Luis Velador, a 44-year-old pro from Lake Elisnore, Calif., wins the World Series of Poker's Event #32 (No-Limit Hold'em).

Event #32, No-Limit Hold'em, $1,500 entry, 2,304 entrants

No Ante Up Nationals, Ante Up guests or Tampa Bay area players cashed.

Sebastian Ruthenberg, a 24-year-old pro from Hamburg, Germany, wins Event #33 (7-Card Stud 8 World Championship.

Event #33, 7-Card Stud 8 World Championship, $10,000 entry, 261 entrants

Ante Up guests
14. Barry Greenstein, $18,400

Ante Up WSOP totals

Ante Up Nation: 2 cashes, 0 bracelets, $30,486 prize money
Ante Up guests: 36 cashes, 2 bracelets, $2,347,921 prize money
Tampa Bay area players: 21 cashes, 0 bracelets, $520,665 prize money

World Series of Poker photos

World Series of Poker: Events #27 & 31

Dario Minieri, a 23-year-old pro from Italy who is fond of scarfs, denied the Tampa Bay area its first bracelet of the year when he outlasted Seth Fischer of Palm Harbor to win the World Series of Poker's Event #31 (Six-Handed No-Limit Hold'em). But Manelic Minaya of Tampa cashes for the fifth time this Series, and Christopher Dombrowski of Dade City picks up yet another cash.

Event #31, Six-Handed No-Limit Hold'em, $2,500 entry, 1,012 entrants

Tampa Bay area players
2. Seth Fischer, Palm Harbor, $330,519
37. Manelic Minaya, Tampa, $8,379
69. Christopher Dombrowski, Dade City, $4,655

Vitaly Lunkin, a 37-year-old businessman from Moscow, Russia, wins Event #27 (No-Limit Hold'em). 

Event #27, No-Limit Hold'em, $1,500 entry, 2,706 entrants

Ante Up guests
37. Jean Robert Bellande, $10,711
78. Mark Seif, $6,279
158. Russell Fox, $3,509

Tampa Bay ares players
126. Joshua Bird, Dade City, $4,063

Ante Up WSOP totals

Ante Up Nation: 2 cashes, 0 bracelets, $30,486 prize money
Ante Up guests: 35 cashes, 2 bracelets, $2,329,521 prize money
Tampa Bay area players: 21 cashes, 0 bracelets, $520,665 prize money

World Series of Poker photo

World Series of Poker: Events #28-30, Lee Childs cashes!

We haven't received results of Event #27 from the World Series of Poker yet (media mixup, we think), but here we go for Events #28-20. Congrats to Lee Childs in Event #29!

Phil Galfond, a 23-year-old pro from Madison, Wis., wins Event #28 (PLO).

Event #28, PLO w/rebuys, $5,000 entry, 152 entrants

Ante Up guests
4. Johnny Chan, $246,874
7. Daniel Negreanu, $123,437

John Phan, a 33-year-old pro from Stockton, Calif., wins Event #29 (No-Limit Hold'em). And, as mentioned, Lee Childs, who last year made the final table of the Main Event, cashes and Don Mullis of St. Pete Beach gets another cash.

Event #29, No-Limit Hold'em, $3,000 entry, 716 entrants

Ante Up Nationals
12. Lee Childs, Alexandria, Va., $24,702

Ante Up guests
12. Lee Childs, Alexandria, Va., $24,702

Tampa Bay area players
16. Dan Mullis, St. Pete Beach, $14,821

Rob Hollink, a 46-year-old pro from Groningen, Netherlands, wins Event #30 (Limit Hold'em World Championship). Andy Bloch continues his nice WSOP run as well.

Event #30, Limit Hold'em World Championship, $10,000 entry, 218 entrants

Ante Up guests
7. Andy Bloch, $81,968

Ante Up WSOP totals

Ante Up Nation: 2 cashes, 0 bracelets, $30,486 prize money
Ante Up guests: 32 cashes, 2 bracelets, $2,309,022 prize money
Tampa Bay area players: 17 cashes, 0 bracelets, $173,049 prize money

World Series of Poker photos