Jon Turner was in the lead with 607,000 in chips entering the final table. Close behind was Carlos Mortensen with 482,000 and Ming Lee with 466,000 in chips. Phil Ivey had the second lowest stack with 217,000 in chips while Tom Koral brought up the rear with 155,000.

It was Peter Gelencser who was eliminated first when Dutch Boyd raised pre-flop in Omaha hi/lo. Gelencser called and the flop was 9d-2d-2c. Gelencer pushed all-in after a raise from Boyd and was called. Boyd had two pair and a flush draw with Qs-Qd-Jd-7c. Gelencser was holding Ad-7d-5d-6h for a backdoor low draw and a better flush. The 3c and 9c on the turn and river gave Boyd a better two pair and Gelencser went home with $23,600. After a while, Phil Ivey erupted to life and in three pots was able to wrest chip lead. Soon, his measly stack of around 200,000 chips turned into 560,000.

Tom Koral was the next player to fall courtesy of Carlos Mortensen when the latter hit a third-nut flush. Koral only had two pair and he ended up in seventh place for $27,993. A few hands later, it was Eric Buchman All-In during Stud Hi/Lo. He lost to Dutch Boyd and Buchman settled for sixth place and $34,747. Meanwhile, Phil Ivey had taken a commanding chip lead as his chips has gone over the million mark.

Jon Turner’s luck had thoroughly dissipated as he could only muster up a fifth place finish after entering the final table as chip leader. He was eliminated by Dutch Boyd while holding two pair. Boyd hit a flush on the river and Turner had to settle for $45,237. Boyd was then hurt by Phil Ivey and was eliminated by Carlos Mortensen during a Stud Hi/Lo round when Boyd moved in with Split Jacks versus Mortensen’s Split Tens. Mortensen improved to a full house and Boyd ended up with $61,919 for fourth place.

Mortensen ended up in third place when he fell short against Ming Lee. Mortensen pushed all-in holding Ad-3c-6d-10c versus Lee’s Ac-Ks-4d-Kd. The board ran Qh-4h-8d-Kc-4c to give Lee a Full House. Mortensen enjoyed a hefty $89,342 for his good run.

Ivey had 1,785,000 in chips versus Lee’s 1,035,000 coming into heads up play. After battling back and forth, their chips stacks became nearly even. Unfortunately for Lee, he lost a key hand to Ivey when ran into Ivey’s King-High Flush. Ivey then crippled Lee during an Omaha Hi/Lo Hand when the former got a Full-House leaving Lee with only 150,000 in chips.

In the final hand, Lee was forced to shove his chips with Jh-6c-7d. Ivey called with Qh-Qs-3c. Ivey ended up with set of queens by the river versus Lee’s Pair of Jacks.  His win has tied Ivey with Billy Baxter for fourth all-time bracelet wins.

It took less than four hours to tournament to end after the final table of nine females commenced. Lisa Santy was the first to be eliminated courtesy of Kim Rios. Santy moved all-in for 171,000 after Hamilton raised to 40,000. Kim Rios also moved in from the Small Blind and Hamilton folded.Santy showed Ah-Qh which was well behind Rios’ Pocket Aces. The board ran Qs-Js-9s-5s-8h and Santy went home with $15,973.

Dawn Thomas was the next to leave when she pushed all-in pre-flop after a raise by Lori Bender. Bender called with Pocket Kings versus Thomas’ Pocket Tens. The board didn’t help Thomas and she warned $18,742 for eighth place. The next one to leave was Lisa Parsons who raised to 116,000 after Rios bet 40,000. Rios called to see the 3c-9h-7h flop. Parsons check-raised Rios’ all-in and was called. Parsons was ahead with a set holding 3s-3d while Rios only had top pair with Jc-9c. The turn was 7h giving Parsons a full house and Rios outs. Unfortunately for Parsons, a 9d fell on the river giving Rios a bigger full house. Parsons took home $22,880 for her seventh place finish.

Despite her winning ways, Rios was eliminated in sixth place courtesy of Hamilton. Rios bet 100,000 after seeing the Kd-8h-4c flop. Hamilton raised to 350,000 and Rios countered by going all-in. Hamilton called with Pocket Fours after hitting a set and Rios only had Kc-Jd for top pair. The turn and river was of no help to Rios and she had to settle for $29,121.

Kimberly Cunningham was a desperate short-stack when she shoved with 51,000 with Pocket Sixes. Angel Pedroza called with 10c-7d but hit a pair on the Kc-10h-9c flop. Cunninghan didn’t improve and she settled for $38,719 for fifth place. Unfortunately for Pedroza, a confrontation with Hamilton hurt her stack and with half of her chips already in Big Blind, she called Mari Lou Morelli’s all-in from the button for the rest of her chips with 5h-3c. Morelli had Ac-10c. The board ran 3s-Ah-2h-7s-Ah. Pedroza took home $195,390 for fourth place.

Morelli was next to go courtesy of Lori Bender after she raised to 75,000 and was called. Bender bet 125,000 on the 8c-Kc-10h flop and Morelli pushed for 185,000. Bender called with 9c-8h versus Morelli’s Qc-10s. The 7s at the turn helped no one but the 9s at the river gave Bender two pair leaving Morelli with $78,132 for her third-place finish.

With over a 2 to 1 chip lead going into heads up play, it didn’t take long for Hamilton to dispose of her final competition. In the last hand, Hamilton bet 100,000 on a Jc-3s-8c flop after Bender checked. Bender made the call to see the 4s on the turn. Bender checked again and Hamilton bet 300,000. Bender moved all-in with the rest of her chips and was called by Hamilton who was holding Qs-8s for 2nd pair. Bender had the same pair with 8h-9s but had the worst kicker. The river was of no help and Bender received $120,575 for second place.

Nitsche was Day 3 Chip Leader and he entered the final table with 817,000 in Chips. Quite dominant considering that Sergio Farias with 474,000 was his nearest contender. Alfons Fenijn was last in chips with 65,000 but it was Jose Barbero who busted out first courtesy of Farias who hit a set on the flop. Barbero collected $28,220 for his ninth place finish.

It was Fenijn’s turn to bust in eight place courtesy on Farias once again who was holding pocket jacks. Farias’ Jacks held up against Fenijn’s Q-10, sending the latter home with $35,280 for eighth place. After which, it was Rodolfo Awad’s turn to shine when he busted our Derek Lerner in seventh place with his pocket Queens. Lerner won $49,400.

Nitsche suddenly burst to life by busting out Sergio Farias and Leo Fernandez in one hand. Nitsche raised and Fernandez moved all-in. Farias pushed all-in as well and Nitshe called with Pocket Aces. Farias was holding Pocket 10s while Fernandez was holding Pocket Kings. The board ran J-8-4-Q-6 and Nitshe emerged with a monster stack. Fernandez finished in sixth place ($63,250) while Farias won $77,620 for fifth place.

Jason Skeans was swallowed up by Rodolfo Awad when he tried to bluff with 6d-2h. Unfortunately for Skeans, Awad called his steal with Ac-7s. The board was Kd-9d-4h-3s-10d and Skeans was sent home with $105,860 for fourth place. Awad’s victory was short-lived as he was sent to the rail next courtesy of Jorge Landazuri’s pocket nines. Awad’s pocket fours were simply no match and he ended up with $141,140 for third place.

It was the battle of the teenagers, going into heads up play. Nitsche had a 2-to-1 chip advantage and he in the end, it only took one hand for the tournament to end. Nitsche raised from the button and Landazuri called. Nitsche bet out the Kh-9d-8h flop and Landazuri raised. Nitsche called to see the 10s turn. Landazuri bet and the river brought up a Kd. Landazuri moved all-in and Nitsche called holding K-J for a set. Landazuri only had Js-5c or a busted straight draw. But it was a good day for Landazuri who won $211,700 through a PokerStars freeroll. Nitshe, on the other hand, experienced his first victory in a major tournament.

PokerRoom.com is considered a dinosaur compared to some of the new poker sites. It was founded in 1999 by Swedish poker players Oskar Hornell and Claes Lidell. The site grew and in 2003, the site revamped its software to offer other poker games such as Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo and Seven-Card Stud. PokerRoom.com was considered one of the most popular poker sites and it became part of the Ongame Network.

In 2006, PokerRoom was taken under Austrian gaming company bwin’s wing. Unfortunately for PokerRoom, after the passage of the much-hated (at least among U.S. poker players) Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act in September 2006, its demise was soon in sight. It had to withdraw from the U.S. market and after a few years, bwin was left with no choice but to close PokerRoom.com for good.

The casualties are mounting and PokerRoom.com has become one of the biggest names affected by the ban on U.S. players. Through the years, PokerRoom has enjoyed a solid reputation among its huge player base. As we say farewell to PokerRoom.com, let us laud the site for becoming a pioneer in the world of online poker.

Terris “tpreston” Preston entered the final table as the short-stack and he was the first to be eliminated for $11,068.50. Rabbiej, who was also nursing a short stack, was eliminated several hands later in eight place for $18,183.80. BigSexyKN was the next one to go courtesy of a bad beat dealt by Carter King. BigSexyKN settled for seventh place and $27,671.

At 250,000/500,000/50,000, Craig “1GENERAL_TAO” Bergeron was eliminated when his all-in push was called by *xen. Bergeron went home with $40,320.60. Soon after, it was Liqqa’s turn to hit the rail when his all-in push at the small blinds was called by reef2287 who was sitting on the big blind. Liqqa was eliminated in fifth place, taking home $56,132.60.

Reef2287’s victory was short-lived as he was eliminated by Carter King who was holding Kings at 300,000/600,000/60,000. The board was no help to Reef2287 and he ended up in fourth place with $71,944.60. King continued on his winning ways by eliminating bbs99 next. Bbs99 settled for third place with a very respectable payday of $88,457.20.

Heads-up play was between Carter King who was holding 48,778,949 in chips and *xen who had 30,281,050 in chips. Despite his lead, it wasn’t looking good for King when *xen doubled up. The tables were turned, however, when *xen lost a hand while he was holding a 2:1 chip lead versus King. A few hands later, *xen was eliminated in second place, adding $130,607.12 to his bankroll. King, who has emerged victorious, has now become one of the men to beat in online poker.

For those who have been dreaming of getting a cheap seat to the 2009 WSOP Main Event, Full Tilt offers daily double shootouts for 81 players with $216 buy-in. The winner takes home a $12,000 package inclusive of the buy-in and $2,000 pocket money. Tournaments will begin at 3:30PM EST and 9:30PM EST.

Another interesting satellite is Full Tilt’s 150-seat guarantee to the Main Event which will start on June 21st at 6:00PM EST. Buy-in for the 150-seat Guarantee tournament will cost $500 + $35. If that’s a little pricey for you, you can get in through satellites that can cost as little as $1.

There will also be weekly cash qualifiers for the Main Event. Every Monday, a $322 satellite will be held at 9PM EST where two seats will be guaranteed. During Tuesdays, you can try your luck at a $216 satellite at 4:30PM EST where one seat is guaranteed. Thursdays will feature a $1,060 satellite at 9PM EST where five seats are guaranteed. Players can also play the $322-buyin on Saturday at 9PM EST to vie for the two guaranteed seats. Sundays will feature a $535 satellite at 4:30PM EST with two guaranteed seats.

If you’re really broke and you want to get into the Main Event for free, you’ll be pleased to know that Full Tilt is giving away 50 seats for free. Join the daily freerolls that will run until 21. To qualify for the seat, you must win a Round 1 freeroll and then finish in the top two in the Round Two tournaments. Those who do so will get into the Main Event Race Finals Freeroll which will be held every Sunday. The top three in the Finals Freeroll will get a seat for free.

For more information on Full Tilt’s satellites’ to the Main Event, visit http://www.fulltiltpoker.com.

CogniSafe Ltd claims to have the solution to the problem. Based in Tel Aviv, the company has announced that it has developed a program called PitBoss that online rooms can use to detect cheating from online bots, software cheats, hacking, super user accounts and even collusion. The Chief Technical Officer of CogniSafe has dubbed the software as “the complete solution to online cheating” and assures everyone that it works across a large variety of game types.

It sounds complicated and it is. The knowledgebase is an elaborate data model that has a cheat detection engine that is rooted in semantics. It is supposed to read some behavioural aspects of the player; as well as game logic and processes. It can work across a lot of game types because a lot of card games share rules and policies. Aside from varieties of poker, PitBoss can also work with Blackjack.

The benefits of employing the software are apparent. Real-time detection can prevent money from being shipped to the alleged poker cheat. This can prevent a lot of bad press which can result in loss of business. Online sites who utilize the software can also attract new players who would feel safer playing in a secure environment.

Although it sounds complicated, we don’t really have to understand exactly how PitBoss works. What’s important is finding out if PitBoss is really effective. If it does what it claims it can do, online poker rooms should look into integrating this software (or one like it) as soon as possible. After all, with all the online poker scandals that have occurred over the years, it is only fair that players once again feel safe playing poker online.

Now that months have passed, the moment everyone has been waiting for has officially begun. Dwan has announced that the challenge has started and that he has played a total of 1,541 hands with Antonius. A very long way to go considering we’re talking about 50,000 hands. That’s merely 3%! If the trend continues, Dwan may very well be looking at a massive payday as he is now up $134,911.50.

Other top poker players such as Phil Ivey and David Benyamine has expressed their interest in taking Dwan’s challenge. Antonius, however, wanted to go first. Ivey and Benyamine need not worry about not getting their shot though. Dwan has said he would almost definitely play two and will probably play against all three.

We’re talking about a lot of hands so don’t expect to hear about final results soon. Antonius estimates that the challenge would take around four to six months to complete. The great thing about the challenge is that both players can continue playing even if they are hundreds of miles away. Currently, Antonius is in Thailand and he is scheduled to spend a month in Monaco. Both players, however, has promised to play as often as you can.

Right now, Dwan may be ahead but the tides can very well turn. Although the rules state that either player can call off the challenge prematurely and merely pay the side bet, it is highly doubtful that we won’t see this challenge until its end. Antonius has been very vocal that he was not the type who quits.

Unfortunately for railbirds, the challenge doesn’t have a set schedule since both players are just far too busy. If you want to catch the action online, you can check out Full Tilt Poker and look for the “Durrr Challenge” tables in the “Omaha Hi” cash game tab.

It took almost 13 hours before the final table. Eventual winner csimmsux was in 2nd place with 6,785,550 in chips. KA1SERfknS0ZE was in the lead with 8,652,650. Event # 9 winner Luie Sojo also made it to the final table with 2,624,144 in chips. Bringing up the rear was Supermanpunch with 1,607,481.

Luie Sojo ended his winning streak when he was eliminated first at the final table. His As-8s was no good when Clubflush5’s pocket fives hit a set on the flop. Luie Sojo hit two pair at the flop but didn’t improve. He left with $34,365.50. Supermanpunch was the next one to go courtesy of a bad beat by KA1SERfknS0ZE. Supermanpunch was holding pocket aces against KA1SERfknS0ZE’s pocket 10s but his dreams were dashed when a 10 hit the river.

It was 23bigd23’s turn to leave when he went all in only to be called by Dump22 and PartyPimp. Unfortunately for 23big23, his pockets sixes were not enough to beat Party Pimp’s 6c-2c after the latter hit a flush on the flop. 23bigd23 took home $60,800.50. Dump22 was the next to go after KA1SERfknS0ZE re-raised him all in from the small blind. Dump22 had A-J vs KA1SERfknS0ZE’s pocket sixes but a six on the turn sealed his fate. CHOOK2120 busted a mere few hands later after he shoved with Kh-9h and got called by Clubflush5 with pocket eights. Clubflush5 hit a straight and CHOOK2120 got $140,418.25 for fifth place.

Clubflush5 was the next to go after Csimmsux got chip lead courtesy of Party Pimp. Csimmsux had A-A versus Clubflush5’s 10h-2c. No miracle happened and Clubflush5 was sent to the showers with $138,783.75 for fourth place. PartyPimp ended up giving the rest of his stack to Csimmsux and ended up in third place for $177,643.20.

Csimmsux started heads up play against KA1SERfknS0ZE with a 2:1 chip lead but ended up losing the lead when his K-Q was simply no match against KA1SERfknS0ZE’s A-K. Csimmsux, however, rallied as he ended up regaining the lead. In the last hand, KA1SERfknS0ZE called csimmsux’s shove after the flop with an open ended straight draw against csimmsux’s top pair. Unfortunately for KA1SERfknS0ZE, csimmsux ended up hitting a full house, leaving him with $276,245.75 for second place. This was csimmsux’s third Full Tilt Online Poker Series victory.

Chris “The Universe112” Leveroni is having a great run at FTOPS XI and this event was no exception. After winning Event # 7, he enters the final table of Event # 12 with the chip lead holding on to 3,419,801. Mike “SowersUNCC” Sowers wasn’t too far behind with 2,033,579. Eventual winner Silverman was in fifth place going into the final table with a respectable 1,410,969 in chips.

JohnnyM77 had the least amount of chips with 242,096 and he never fully recovered as he ended up busting out on the very first hand. JohnnyM77 pushed all-in with Ad-Qc and was called by Andrew “Adgee” Jeffreys who was holding pocket Kings. Randomizer2 was the next person to go when his top pair at the flop (Ac-8c) on a board of 3s-8d-7h proved to be no match against Leveroni’s pocket Queens.

Adgee busted out in sixth place for $70,090 after he was re-raised all in by Sowers Although Adgee was ahead with As-Jd against Sowers’ Ks-Qc, Sowers ended up hitting a straight. Fourth place and $97,800 went to Tzahi “tzahi2008” Dagan who ended up suffering a bad beat. Dagan was holding pocket Aces against Silverman’s pocket Kings. Unfortunately for Dagan, Silverman hit trips on the flop.

Chris “The Universe112″ Leveroni was eliminated in third place by Sowers who had two pair against his open-ended straight draw. Leveroni was forced to settle for $130,400 for his fourth place finish. Pwnosaurus was forced to go all in from the small blind with 8s-6s and was eliminated next. Sowers called his all-in with Ac-3h and proceeded to hit top pair on the flop.

Entering heads-up play, Sowers had almost double Silverman’s chips. But Silverman persevered. In the last hand, Sowers was slightly trailing when both players went all-in pre-flop. Sowers had Ah-Jh versus Silverman’s pocket 4s. Flop was 9c-Kd-Kc. The 8d gave Sowers more outs but in the end, he had to settle for 2nd place when the river hit a 7d. Sowers won $221,680 for his bridesmaid finish.