WSOP live from Las Vegas 2010-06-28
I take this opportunity to personalize this last report of the WSOP.
Like the players participating, it was a great experience for me, and to simply follow our players has been an adventure for me that I would repeat anytime. But I’m here to tell you about a wonderful man, YANICK RANZI whom I got to know throughout this journey.
I’ll tell you about Mr. Ranzi. CONGRATULATIONS for your PERFORMANCE, earning him the 38th position at the WSOP 2010 with a gain of more than $11,000.
At one point, he even allowed himself to think about buying a new home! Everything is allowed, isn’t it?
But with his great tenacity, he managed to get back to his "FOCUS" mode and continued climbing positions. After almost 10 hours of play on this day # 2 of the Event 49, he kept his game disciplined and mostly picked and chose his spots before acting. He said he "passed all the bluffs" that he instigated, allowing him to repeatedly win important pots.
However, as the saying goes, "all good things come to an end". At 1 h 30 of the end of day # 2, the last two hands cost him dearly. The blinds are 5K and 10K with 500 antes.
He first gets a pair of Aces, but ends up splitting the pot with his opponent. Yanick is disappointed because this pot would have allowed him to maximize his chips, but hey, at least his Aces haven’t been cracked!
The next hand, Yanick is on the big blind and gets an AQ of spades. He puts it all-in and gets called immediately by the same opponent once again; he has a pair of J-J.
The flop comes J-5-7, nothing to improve his situation. The turn brings a 9, and finally the river delivers his Ace, but that’s not enough to save the outcome and Yanick is out of the tournament.
He thinks that these two hands could have changed the outcome of the tournament...
But the fact remains that this young man is going back home with $11,000, through his efforts and his performance in the many CNPTL tournaments. When all expenses are paid, it’s quite wonderful! Imagine for a moment to be sitting in Vegas, at the other end of the world and playing in the most coveted tournaments in the world, for only $2/session a few nights a week in the league. It’s nothing to make a fuss about. Even if there is no t-shirts or all sorts of gizmos, for these players, the mere fact of being there, that’s the GIFT!
So on behalf of the management at Gestion Poker Tour, I would like to congratulate YANICK RANZI for his performance!
By France Lajoie
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REPORT on the second day of play - 6:30pm
Blinds every hour
Starting stack : 4500
15 levels played so far
List of CNPTL players’ stacks after the start of the second day
Boisvert Raymond : eliminated at 1h08pm
Lefebvre Steve : eliminated at 1h30pm
Carignan Dominic :eliminated at 1h40pm
Thibeault Sylvain eliminated at 5h25pm
Comeau Karl : eliminated at 6h00pm
Denis Francis : eliminated at 5h15pm
Levesque André : eliminated
Ranzi Yannick : 95,000
Vincent Patrick : eliminated at 8:35pm
Giasson Claudia : eliminated at 5h00pm
Leclerc Jean-Philippe : eliminated at 8:20pm
Goulet Steve : eliminated at midnight
List of other Quebecers playing in the WSOP’s Event 49:
Boyer André : eliminated at 11:45pm
Martel Pierre : eliminated at 5h10pm
Fugère Dominic : eliminated
Angélil Jean-Pierre : eliminated at 6h00pm
Tremblay Odette : eliminated at 6h20pm
Lacroix Marc : eliminated at 5h15pm
Martel Denis : eliminated at 4h00pm
Linda Huard : eliminated
Our chip leader and CNPTL champion in Vegas, Yanick Ranzi is still in the running! There are currently 128 players left in the tournament, Yanick is sure to get at least $3,880. The money will increase to $5,000 once we have reached 99 players.
Good luck Yanick!
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REPORT after a day of play
Blinds every hour
Starting stack : 4500
10 levels played so far
List of CNPTL players’ stacks after 10 hours
Boisvert Raymond : eliminated at 1h08pm
Lefebvre Steve : eliminated at 1h30pm
Carignan Dominic :eliminated at 1h40pm
Thibeault Sylvain eliminated at 5h25pm
Comeau Karl : eliminated at 6h00pm
Denis Francis : eliminated at 5h15pm
Levesque André : pending
Ranzi Yannick : 56,500
Vincent Patrick : eliminated at 8:35pm
Giasson Claudia : eliminated at 5h00pm
Leclerc Jean-Philippe : eliminated at 8:20pm
Goulet Steve : eliminated at midnight
List of other Quebecers playing in the WSOP’s Event 49:
Boyer André : eliminated at 11:45pm
Martel Pierre : eliminated at 5h10pm
Fugère Dominic : 4,000
Angélil Jean-Pierre : eliminated at 6h00pm
Tremblay Odette : eliminated at 6h20pm
Lacroix Marc : eliminated at 5h15pm
Martel Denis : eliminated at 4h00pm
Linda Huard : 50,200
Our chip leader and CNPTL champion of the day in Vegas, Yanick Ranzi has shown his opponents that he was a tough guy. Very focused on his game, he doesn’t miss a single opportunity to add chips to his stack.
Jean-Philippe Leclerc could not hold his breath any longer, he left the party at 8:30pm.
Andre Boyer gets his aces cracked by an offsuit K3. Weird play... not need to tell you what color were his eyes when he exited the tournament!
Steve Goulet was able to stay awake and play until midnight, despite the lack of action at his table ... He will keep a fond memory of this tournament!
Patrick Vincent played a hand or two after the supper break and hop, he’s out! He says he loved the experience and he is now prepared to go celebrate and visit Las Vegas!
Linda Huard continues on her lucky road and says that "Hopefully the good cards will keep coming".
Dominic Fugère, with his meager 4000 chips, still managed to sneak into the second day like a little tadpole!
After a first full day of play:
Yanick Ranzi: 56,500 chips
Dominic Fugère: 4,000 chips
Linda Huard: 50,200 chips
The tournament ended at 1:00am and will resume tomorrow at 2:30pm with 309 players remaining. Let’s not forget that from the 270th position onward, players will start to be in the money!
See you tomorrow and have a good sleep!
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REPORT after 6 hours of play
Blinds every hour
Starting stack : 4500
6 levels played so far
List of CNPTL players’ stacks after 6 hours
90 minute supper break.
Boisvert Raymond : eliminated at 1h08pm
Lefebvre Steve : eliminated at 1h30pm
Carignan Dominic :eliminated at 1h40pm
Thibeault Sylvain eliminated at 5h25pm
Comeau Karl : eliminated at 6h00pm
Denis Francis : eliminated at 5h15pm
Levesque André : pending
Ranzi Yannick : 35,000
Vincent Patrick : 1100
Giasson Claudia : eliminated at 5h00pm
Leclerc Jean-Philippe : 3500
Goulet Steve : 15,000
List of other Quebecers playing in the WSOP’s Event 49:
Boyer André : 15,500
Martel Pierre : eliminated at 5h10pm
Fugère Dominic : 5775
Angélil Jean-Pierre : eliminated at 6h00pm
Tremblay Odette : eliminated at 6h20pm
Lacroix Marc : eliminated at 5h15pm
Martel Denis : eliminated at 4h00pm
Linda Huard : 18,625
Our chip leader Yanick Ranzi demonstrates exceptional strength of character, he is not impressed by the other players and he imposes his own tempo.
Jean-Philippe Leclerc is, as he says, "on the artificial respirator"
André Boyer maintains is cruising speed.
Steve Goulet doesn’t ruffel any feathers, he wants to continue on the same run, be patient and careful.
Patrick Vincent makes it to the supper break, with his meagre 1100 chips. He is still optimistic and hopes for a turnaroundr!
Pierre Martel, Marc Lacroix and Jean-Pierre Angélil fail to make to the supper break and will be content to go play blackjack for the rest of the evening... Good luck boys!
Linda Huard continues on her lucky road, she says that "everything is going well, the cards are good".
Il est maintenant 20h00 à Vegas ( 23h00 heure de Montréal) la pause du souper se termine dans 15 minutes et nos 6 derniers joueurs sur une balance de 802 sur 2543 joueurs au total soit :
It is now 8pm in Vegas (11pm Montréal time), the supper break ends in 15 minutes and our last six players out of 802 players left and out of 2543 players in total include:
Ranzi Yanick, Goulet Steve, Leclerc Jean-Philippe, Vincent Patrick, Boyer André and Dominic Fugère will have for mission to make it to the 10th blind level, after which they’ll be guaranteed to come back tomorrow morning.
The cash starts at $2781 for the 270th position, amount with which we’d be quite happy after a hard days "work" like André Boyer likes to say!
We’ll be back tomorrow afternoon with more stories! Good night!
France
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Report after 4 hours of play
Blinds every hour
Starting stack: 4500
4 levels played so far
List of CNPTL players’ stacks after 4 hours
Boisvert Raymond: eliminated at 1h08pm
Lefebvre Steve: eliminated at 1h30pm
Carignan Dominic: eliminated at 1h40pm
Thibeault Sylvain: eliminated at 5:25pm
Comeau Karl: 9000
Denis Francis: eliminated at 5:15pm
Levesque André: pending
Ranzi Yannick: 8650
Vincent Patrick: 4500
Giasson Claudia: eliminated at 5pm
Leclerc Jean-Philippe: 3400
Goulet Steve: 8900
List of other Quebecers playing in the WSOP’s Event 49:
Boyer André: 11600
Martel Pierre: 7200
Fugère Dominic: 4700
Angélil Jean-Pierre: pending
Tremblay Odette: 20000
Lacroix Marc: pending
Martel Denis: eliminated at 4pm
4 hours into the tournament and 4 blind levels later, the antes are going to start haunting the players!
Denis Martel, a Quebecer member of the League had decided to pay for this great adventure and it ended a few minutes before the second break with a pair of ACES!
Claudia Giasson after experiencing a disturbing early tournament; she had forgotten her ID card. Unable to access her seat, she quickly regained control of her chips by winning several pots early after that, which put her in a good position for several minutes... until she got a pair of kings. She raised a player, who called. On the flop, Claudia has the advantage, she checks, the other player goes all-in... Claudia calls, which puts her all in as well since she has fewer chips than her opponent ... A pair of aces in the hands of her rival and she’s out the door! "That’s okay, I enjoyed my experience and I know that I played as I should have"
Jean-Philippe Leclerc is always taken by the nonchalance of his table. "There is not much action at my table." He had a pair of KK which has not paid at all, so now he’s in a "patient" mode.
Andre Boyer takes the bull by the horns, proof that "as long as one has chips, they’re still in the game"
Steve Goulet, after four hours of being patient, says he got some good hands here and there but wants to take his time and wait for the right ones.
Odette Tremblay lost 6000 chips a few minutes before the break, but is still in good position with 20,000 chips in front of her. The average chip count is 6000.
Francis Denis for his part has not been spoiled, because according to him, three bad beats have determined the turn of his tournament.
A special mention for Linda Huard, a Quebecer who arrived last Wednesday in order to play a few tournaments here... here’s her story... and it’s glorious!
Wednesday she played a $175 satellite (Sit & Go). She won this tournament, giving her $1,500. She decided to take the money and play in Event #43.
On Thursday, she played another $525 satellite, and she won again, giving her $5,000 cash.
Friday she played in the $1,500 Event #43, where she went through the first day and where, during her second day, she finished in 120th position, which gave her $4,348 cash.
Sunday she spent the day relaxing, but still decided to go play the late night $525 Mega-Satellite where 83 players registered. This tournament offered a seat to the top three finalists for the $ 10,000 Main Event. She finished in 3rd position, so she’s registered in the Main Event!
What a glorious journey for this Quebecer who came to try her luck and will end up sitting at the hottest poker tournament on the planet. Then we’ll say that it is not possible ... WRONG! EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE, ALL YOU NEED IS TO BELIEVE!
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Report after 2 hours of play
Blinds every hour
Starting stack: 4500
2 levels played so far: 25/50 and 50/100
List of CNPTL players’ stacks after 2 hours
Boisvert Raymond: eliminated at 1h08pm
Lefebvre Steve: eliminated at 1h30pm
Carignan Dominic: eliminated at 1h40pm
Thibeault Sylvain: 6150
Comeau Karl: 2500
Denis Francis: pending
Levesque André: pending
Ranzi Yannick: 6650
Vincent Patrick: pending
Giasson Claudia: pending
Leclerc Jean-Philippe: 4800
Goulet Steve: pending
List of other Quebecers playing in the WSOP’s Event 49:
Boyer André: 1800
Martel Pierre: 7200
Fugère Dominic: pending
Angélil Jean-Pierre: pending
Tremblay Odette: 7500
Lacroix Marc: pending
Martel Denis: 5000
After two hours of play, our players can now breathe easier, the ice has been broken.
Raymond Boisvert, our first player to be eliminated, could not do anything with his two hands where is two pairs were favorite on the flop but once the turn and river were on the table, he’d be beaten.
Steve Lefebvre meanwhile could do nothing other than get beat by a flush versus his straight.
Yannick Ranzi finds the hall impressive and said that he find this experience fun. The final pot before the break enabled him to amass enough chips to be above the starting stack.
Jean-Philippe Leclerc, accompanied by his parents, has not had much luck and had to make due and somehow manage to stay with the same starting stack.
Andre Boyer noted that "it’s not going well", not a lot of good hands and when he makes plays, they’re not successful. In addition, it has to be said that on his right there’s quite a player: Tom Durrr Dwan, which sometimes gives him a hard time!
Sylvain Thibault said he "made a mistake that has been beneficial" because with KQ of hearts he called a raise pre-flop and once the turn comes a K of clubs, it puts him ahead, but his opponent, talking first, raises to $ 350 but in Sylvain’s think about raising to $ 1,000, so he threw a 1000 chip on the table without saying anything, which is interpreted as a "call". He then got his change back and the river came which do not change his hand, so this time he makes it 1000, making sure to specify it’s a raise. His opponent folds his cards OUF! Sylvain picks up a pot of more than 3000 chips!
Karl Comeau gets to the first break a bit bitter because his pocket kings could not hold against an ace on the river. He however feels very confident for the rest of the tournament.
For other players, we have no news for now, we will surely have some for the next report, in more than 2 hours. See you soon!
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Opening of the first campground to offer League tournaments 2010-06-24
Why not enjoy Canada Day weekend by visiting the beautiful Outaouais region and setting your tent at the Camping & Resto 4 Saisons in Lac Cayamant?
You could then play poker in a summer atmosphere by participating in the opening tournament on Friday, July 2 at 7:30pm. The owner, Eric Cyr will welcome you warmly. It’s a date!
The Billard Master’s now a master in the art of promoting its venue 2010-06-24
The Billards Master’s in McMasterville has created a very attractive promotion to attract and retain new clientele of poker players. A reward system where coupons were issued based on the player’s attendance at tournaments allowed participants to increase their chances in a raffle for a trip to Las Vegas including airfare, hotel accommodations and a $1,500 entry in a WSOP tournament.
This experiment which was conducted last fall has proved so popular that the owner, Marc Lessard, has decided to renew it for a second 16 week period. The draw, held last April 16th will thus allow the two lucky winners, Patrick Vincent and Claudia Giasson, to join the group of winners from the league to participate in the June 28th’s "Event 49" at the WSOP.
Congratulations for this great initiative and creativity on the part of an owner to promote his venue through the league!
CNPTL to attack a fifth WSOP bracelet...? 2010-06-22
Next Sunday, June 27, 12 of our champions will meet in Las Vegas to play the Event 49 of the World Series of Poker (WSOP).
Alain Allard, Raymond Boisvert, Steve Boulet, Dominic Carignan, Karl Comeau, Francis Denis, Jean-Philippe Leclerc, Steve Lefebvre, André Lévesque, Yannick Ranzi and Sylvain Thibeault, accompanied by the sympathetic Jean-Pierre Angélil, will gather on the morning of June 28th in the lobby of the famous Rio Hotel to encourage each other and to prepare for an unforgettable experience: playing in a WSOP tournament!
Already two of our fellow Quebecers have had the Canadian National Anthem sung at the WSOP by winning a bracelet. Indeed, on June 17th, Miguel Proulx of Québec finished first in the $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha tournament and pocketed $315,311, while Pascal LeFrançois from Rosemère had already completed the feat last June 4th by winning the $1,500 No-Limit Hold’Em tourney and the cash prize of $568,974 that came with it. For Ontario, Aadam Daya from Mississauga, on June 1st, won the $1,000 No-Limit Hold’Em and $625,872 in prize while Scott Montgomery from Perth won his first bracelet in the $1000 No-Limit Hold’Em of June 19th with 481,760 $. And this is without mentioning the Canadian players who have distinguished themselves by finishing among the top places paid.
Will one of our players be the 3rd Quebecer to receive the precious bracelet? We can all hope. Whether in June 28th’s Event 49 or July 5th’s Main Event in which Patrick Boyer and Hugo Foisy will play, our players have nothing to envy from the many amateurs and professionals worldwide who have gathered today in the Mecca of poker to compete in one of the most prestigious tournament series on the planet.
For many, it may just seem like a dream to one day join the fray and compete in the WSOP but for our winners, that dream has materialized. For them the "I will go to the WSOP" became "I can go to the WSOP" to finally get transformed, comfortably seated in the plane, into "I am going to the WSOP!". The dream became reality! Anything is possible! Will you the be part of the next trip?
We wish our champions the best of luck and may they return with the coveted little charm in their pocket or at least many greenbacks!...
Interview with Patrick Boyer 2010-06-14
Interview with Patrick Boyer
Winner of the CNPTL Stage Championship - Season II
By Suzie Paris
Patrick Boyer is this happy man of 34 years residing in Les Côteaux Québec who won the CNPTL Stage Championship - Season II last November at the Casino de Montréal. Those who have already played in a tournament like this know that in these circumstances, that chance alone is not enough, you also need a good dose of strategy, experience and a lot of nerve to make it to the final table and win the grand prize. And what a grand prize! $20,000 in cash, a trip to Las Vegas and the entry to the $10,000 main event of the prestigious World Series of Poker (WSOP), the object of all desires in the poker world.
The WSOP are in full swing right now, Patrick was kind enough to tell us about him and share his thoughts on the approach of July 5th, milestone date when he will be first ambassador of the League for such an event and will find himself sitting alongside the best .
What is your background in poker? What brought you to this game?
There are two main things that brought me to poker... My curiosity was aroused when I watched the movie "Rounders", filmed in 1998 and starring the actor Matt Damon, for the first time. It was a revelation! The "dark energy" of poker emerging from the movie, the money aspect, the strategy and the good luck/bad luck facet. This movie fascinated me, in all, I must have watched it close to forty times. The second thing was the Chris Moneymaker phenomenon, an amateur player who won the main event of the WSOP in 2003.
Subsequently, I started playing with my buddies at home. At first, we played "double draw", 5 hole cards and other games we invented until I played in an establishment and won my first cash tournament. I then started my own poker group called "Poker Soulanges" with which I still play today. I’ve always been attracted by the winnings, the money aspect and I love to play cash tournaments more than cash games.
What is your style as a player?
I would describe myself as "tight-aggressive". I currently play a bit more on the internet, especially satellites, but I prefer to play live. I like the game, the competitive side, the deep stack tournaments like the one at the Casino de Montréal.
What place does poker hold in your life?
It takes a lot of space as a hobby. Like hockey, it is a hobby for which I don’t grow tired.
Since you’ve won the CNPTL Championship last November, has your image as a player changed at the table?
For sure I am called more often. My buddies don’t try because they know me and know that I have good cards, but those who don’t know me call much more often.
What do the World Series of Poker (WSOP) represent for you?
It’s a dream! ... It’s the dream of every poker player. The most prestigious of tournaments, especially the main event! Just like in "Rounders", the movie ends with the character going to seek his fortune as a professional player at the WSOP in Las Vegas with $30,000 in his pocket. That’s not my case, I won’t become a professional player, but like him, I’m leaving for the main event of the WSOP in Vegas!
It’s your first trip to Las Vegas, what do you expect? Are you ready?
I don’t really expect anything. I’ll have a room at the Rio and will be able to observe the media frenzy before the main event.
I haven’t had the opportunity to play live recently, so I played more on the internet.
What I have to work on is trying to not be affected by the loss of a pot. For example, if you manage to keep your stack average and after you’ve lost one or two hands, you start to be behind and worry. You have to adjust quickly, press your reset button. My main preparation will probably be to follow the advice of my girlfriend Marie-Ève and stop playing two weeks before leaving, to clear my head, be cool, to play my best and enjoy my main event.
Do you have a game plan, a goal? How will you approach this type of tournament?
A goal... For sure I would like to be in the money. A game plan, yes and no. With blinds every 2 hours, you play very little, you grind. There will be many more good players. I’ll try to keep my stack average and be content to pick up small pots on the first day. On days 2 and 3, when the pressure is higher, if my stack dips below average, I’ll have to gamble a little more, but that’s part of the game. I still played four times at the Congress Centre before winning at the Casino de Montréal, which helped me to play marathon style tournaments. Besides the Congress Centre, I had the opportunity to have André Boyer at my table and I have appreciated his kindness, he’s passionate. Often, one might think that professional players will prove unapproachable, but he is of a beautiful simplicity. I was really impressed.
How do you feel as the day of the "main event" is drawing near? Do you handle stress well?
Every time I approach something big in my life, I do it carelessly even while knowing that it is important. Yes, it’ll be a blast to sit there and I’m excited, but I have no pressure, I know it will be a great trip, a great adventure...
***
Patrick Boyer will play the main event of the WSOP in Las Vegas accompanied by Hugo Foisy, who finished second last November in the same CNPTL Championship - Season II at the Casino de Montréal.
With all the players of the league behind them to cheer them on, no doubt that Patrick and Hugo should feel well "supported"!
Good luck and good tournament to you both! "Shuffle up and deal!"
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This 1st online monthly tournament... so exciting! 2010-06-07
A cup of coffee at midnight? Why not?
Anything goes to stay awake when the bubble is coming during a first online monthly tournament such as the one on last Saturday, June 5th. Out of 149 players, 20 finalists have qualified; 19 for October’s online regional tournament and the winner, Danny Cloutier who plays at Anavets Club in Montreal, has added his name to the list of players qualified for the next CNPTL Championship held in November 2010.
Roy Rochette, the owner of the Riverain Quilles et Bar in Monteregie, won first place out of over 68 players in the online directors and owners monthly tournament. The 9 runners up have qualified for the players online regional tournament of October while the whole final table will meet again at the directors and owners online final tournament taking place also in October 2010 where a WSOP package will be up for grabs. Congratulations to the winners !
Carry on with your good fortune! The qualifiying rounds for the next online monthly tournament are being held daily on Party Poker.
Important: Do not forget that you need to link your PartyPoker screen name with your CNPTL account/profile and to have paid your subscription to the GPT scoring system to be entitled to the prizes.
