http://www.floptech.com/blogs/ FlopTech Blog - Photo blogs of major poker events and more en-us Fri, 23 December 2011 07:39:33 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog83 It was a grueling 14+ hour marathon, but the poker was great. And that made it all worthwhile. Especially for Chris Klodnicki, who took home the $801k top prize and the sweet Champion's Ring. We were there for the duration, and here's our report... Fri, 23 December 2011 07:39:33 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog83 http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog82 The stage is set for Sunday's Epic Poker League Main Event final table of five! Play lasted less than 5 hours today, as the short stacks busted more or less in order. And unlike yesterday, there were no beats when all the chips were in the middle... Sun, 18 December 2011 07:28:30 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog82 http://www.floptech.com/index.html#blog81 We've all seen beats in poker. Happens every day, life in the big city, sorry kid. But there are few beats like the one Joe Tehan uncorked on Faraz Jaka and Vanessa Rousso in "The Hand." On the money bubble. In a nationally televised $20K buy-in tournament with $2.3 million in prize money at stake... Sat, 17 December 2011 18:27:53 GMT http://www.floptech.com/index.html#blog81 http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog80 Vegas in the Fall. The crisp cool air, the crisp guitar solos, and all those bricks of freshly printed crisp Benjamins piled up on a poker table! We were there for all that and more, and we took plenty of pix... Sat, 03 December 2011 00:57:17 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog80 http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog79 Just when you thought this year's November Nine play had become a little too predictable, 3-handed play completely shook things up. The action started with a bang and just kept on bangin' until there was only one man standing... Wed, 09 November 2011 11:46:20 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog79 http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog78 The short stacks busted, the big stacks battled, and there were all manner of shocking flops, turns, and rivers. For the most part, play was solid and predictable. But there was plenty of drama and one player in particular had more than his share of run-good... Tue, 08 November 2011 01:23:11 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog78 http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog77 What happens in Vegas gets blogged. There's a whole lot more to do in Vegas than just poker. We snapped shots of lions, mermaids, volcanos and a whole lot more while we were there for the WPT Championship and the WSOP... Mon, 03 October 2011 16:38:01 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog77 http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog76 We are done for the summer. The November Nine played their hearts out to get this far, and this fall they will continue until only one is left standing. Congratulations to them and good luck to all! Fri, 21 July 2011 04:45:03 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog76 http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog75 61% of the remaining players were eliminated on day 7, prize money started ramping up faster, and each bustout became more emotionally charged. But the 22 day 7 survivors must have had only two goals: make the November Nine, then win the thing in November. Tue, 19 July 2011 18:05:28 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog75 http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog74 There are still many big-name pros and rising superstars in the WSOP Main Event field. And there's a woman player who could make history. The field played down from 142 to 57 on day 6 of the Main Event and we were there. Mon, 18 July 2011 18:55:44 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog74 http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog73 Could Phil Hellmuth win his 12th WSOP bracelet? Could his name be etched on the perpetual base of the David "Chip" Reese Trophy? It certainly looked like it could happen... Fri, 08 July 2011 09:12:21 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog73 http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog72 The WSOP's most prestigious event is the $50K Players Championship, and it always brings out the best. The final two tables feature young and old, all tough, all well-rounded, and all nearly bust-proof. Play continued until almost 6am the day of the final table TV taping, because the 9th place bustout never quite happened. Fri, 08 July 2011 02:30:27 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog72 http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog71 Nobody is perfect, but one of the TV six at this year's WPT Championship played a near-perfect game to win the thing. Toward the end there was little doubt who would win, but we're looking forward to watching it on TV just to relive the awesomeness. Sat, 21 May 2011 11:22:03 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog71 http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog70 We love it when talented players show their chops at WPT final tables. We got that and much more, in the form of hero calls, monster hands, and true grit. This is going to be great on TV, and we can hardly wait to see those hole cards... Sun, 20 Mar 2011 22:09:18 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog70 http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog69 We can't wait for play to start at the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Stars TV table. Mike Sexton playing his first WPT final table, but with the short stack. Mike Matusow is playing his first Bay 101 final table 3rd in chips, and the nearly unstoppable Vivek Rajkumar is playing his second consecutive WPT final table. We'll be there and tweeting... Fri, 18 Mar 2011 19:59:36 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog69 http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog68 Day 2 of the World Poker Tour Bay 101 Casino Shooting Stars event is always one of massive attrition. And of transition. When the magic number of 36 players is reached, the players re-draw and play 6-handed. Play continues until only 24 players are left, setting the stage for day 3. Thu, 17 Mar 2011 19:55:59 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog68 http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog67 The World Poker Tour returned to the heart of Silicon Valley for the Bay 101 Casino Shooting Stars event. This is a fan and player favorite on the WPT circuit, but maybe the Shooting Stars with bounties on their heads might disagree. We will be there and tweeting throughout the event. Thu, 17 Mar 2011 19:55:59 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog67 http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog66 We hit the Mandalay Bay's Shark Reef Aquarium on the Sunday between November Nine play days. And we got up close and personal with some of the most exotic creatures in Las Vegas... Thu, 18 Nov 2010 23:42:04 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog66 http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog65 Racener faced an uphill battle against Duhamel's massive chip lead. He would need to be aggressive and lucky to beat Duhamel, but in the end it just didn't happen for him. Duhamel's historic win was well-deserved, and we were there for it all. Tue, 09 Nov 2010 11:49:43 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog65 http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog64 They brought family and friends to cheer them, they played some of the most dramatic hands we've ever seen, and some of them blew up spectacularly. They're the 2010 World Series of Poker November Nine and we were there at the Rio to rail them as they played down to the final two... Mon, 08 Nov 2010 06:01:38 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog64 http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog62 This summer's WSOP is over, but we'll need to wait until November to see who becomes this year's Main Event Champion. What we do know is that Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi made the November Nine and he has also made history in doing so. But it wasn't easy. There was plenty of pain to go around on day 8, plus a few gruesome bad beats... Tue, 20 Jul 2010 04:10:59 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog62 http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog61 Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi is the last of the Mizrachi brothers left in the 2010 Main Event, and he made the final 27. We railed the featured table, and three players in particular had some wild rides to make it to day 8. We focused on those three and one particularly infamous set of hole cards that sealed several players' fates... Sat, 17 Jul 2010 17:48:05 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog61 http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog60 Could Phil Ivey win his 2nd WPT event? Could the returning Justin Smith improve on last year's 3rd place finish? We had our hopes pinned on these two, but it just wasn't in the cards... Fri, 16 Jul 2010 18:10:31 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog60 http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog59 We only saw the last hour of play on Main Event Day 5, but it was an action-packed hour. Many well-known pros remain in the field of 196, perhaps the most famous of which is Johnny "The Orient Express" Chan who finished the day in 9th chip position. Dare we say it? Chan still has a chance to tie Phil Hellmuth's all-time bracelet record... Thu, 15 Jul 2010 18:16:24 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog59 http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog58 Apple's products provide their users with the best experience, period. But that's not Apple's real goal. That's just the end result of what Apple has been working on for more than a decade... Sat, 03 Jul 2010 00:01:58 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog58 http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog57 We took pix at Grinder's $50K Championship bracelet ceremony, plus plenty of pix of other WSOP action. And we added our thoughts on where the WSOP will be moving to in 2011... Mon, 14 Jun 2010 22:47:06 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/index.html#blog57 http://www.floptech.com/blogs/56.html Every year the $50K Championship is an emotional roller coaster ride. This year it was almost unbearable, with two very close brothers and six other extremely tough players. We were there, and we captured the biggest moments in photos... Sat, 05 Jun 2010 23:22:09 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/56.html http://www.floptech.com/blogs/55.html We're huge fans of the $50K mixed game event because the field is full of the world's best players and because it's a tough mix of games. This year it's even tougher, with NLH, PLO, and 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball added to the original HORSE mix. We've posted day 4 pix, with more to come from the final table tomorrow... Tue, 01 Jun 2010 21:02:34 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/55.html http://www.floptech.com/blogs/54.html The iPod has totally replaced Walkman. And is Apple replacing Sony? We think it is, in many ways. We also think Apple has huge plans for the future... Tue, 25 May 2010 19:04:29 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/54.html http://www.floptech.com/blogs/53.html If you're going to visit Las Vegas and plan to spend any time outdoors, Spring is the best time of year to go. No too cold, not too hot, and not too crowded. We didn't venture too far from Luxor or Bellagio on this trip, but we still snapped quite a few photos. Tue, 18 May 2010 22:31:30 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/53.html http://www.floptech.com/blogs/52.html Six quiet players plus hundreds of their (extremely loud) fans returned to Bellagio for TV table play. The Fontana probably reached a record decibel level at some point that night, and we hope the WPT's microphones weren't damaged... Wed, 05 May 2010 22:27:45 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/52.html http://www.floptech.com/blogs/51.html The WPT Championship never disappoints. Great players, great poker, and a great venue. Most of the action took place in the Fontana Lounge as usual, but final table play from ten to six players took place in Bellagio's high-limit poker room. Mon, 26 Apr 2010 06:43:09 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/51.html http://www.floptech.com/blogs/50.html The chips were flying at Bay 101, and we mean whole stacks of chips. (Even Phil Hellmuth's!) It'll be great TV viewing when it airs, like two 1-hour highlight reels of non-stop action... Mon, 05 Apr 2010 09:34:42 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/50.html http://www.floptech.com/blogs/49.html If you haven't seen City Center yet, it's a must-see on your next Vegas trip. We've posted some new photos of City Center and its neighbor Bellagio in the meantime... Wed, 30 Dec 2009 04:12:11 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/49.html http://www.floptech.com/blogs/48.html Six great players, 7+ hours of great poker, and only one winner. The newest WPT champion is one of the best all-around players, he's widely known and liked, and we're glad he's finally won a WPT event. Sun, 20 Dec 2009 12:32:51 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/48.html http://www.floptech.com/blogs/47.html Ten players were knocked out in five hours, including some of yesterday's big stacks. We got down to the final "TV six" in a rollercoaster of bustouts and triple-ups. And the end result is one of the toughest WPT TV tables ever. Sat, 19 Dec 2009 10:01:51 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/47.html http://www.floptech.com/blogs/46.html It was crunch time in the Fontana Lounge as the remaining player count was cut by more than half. The lead had changed by the end of the day, and the TV table is nearly in sight. Fri, 18 Dec 2009 09:08:23 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/46.html http://www.floptech.com/blogs/45.html Short stacks, tall buildings. Our roving, railing CEO was on hand for day 3 of the WPT event at Bellagio and also for the grand opening of Aria next door at the massive new City Center complex. Check out the fireworks! Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:01:26 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/45.html http://www.floptech.com/blogs/44.html Wow, so you can completely skip day 1 of a WPT event, buy in on day 2, and get a full chip stack? About 30 players did just that, and about 10 players also shaved their heads... Wed, 16 Dec 2009 08:55:20 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/44.html http://www.floptech.com/blogs/43.html The WPT is back at Bellagio, and so is our roving CEO railbird. He took more photos of the weird, wonderful, and gigantic new City Center than of the WPT action. But hey, it's only day 1, and there's lots more to come... Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:07:56 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/43.html