Weekly RankingHero Highlights

Poker's fastest-growing social network welcomes its new members and congratulates all who cashed in events big and small around the world!

Some great players joined our community in the past week. Please welcome and give distinctions to new members @Zal Irani @Eric Morris  @Alexi Dimitrov @Frederic Asta and @Mike Leung! Alexi is also our winner of the week after taking down the H.O.R.S.E. $570 buy-in event at @Commerce Casino. Congrats to all of the RankingHeroes who cashed in the past week :)

This week we invited you to relive the worst bad beat of WSOP 2012 with @Marc-Andre Ladouceur and the most talked-about poker hand of 2014 - Mark Newhouse's back-to-back elimination in 9th place from the WSOP Main Event.

On the live poker scene this week, our attention was split between Malta and Nottingham. We watched and rooted for @Michel Pons in the @Malta Poker Championship at @Casino at Portomaso and were proud to see him finish Day 1A as the chip leader and take down the Super Bounty Event! Well done, Michel, and we are sure you'll be taking the RankingHero patch to many more final tables :)

Meanwhile, there was lots of action and drama at the legendary @Dusk Till Dawn casino where another successful edition of the partypoker WPT500 tournament format was completed crowning PKR ambassador Eleanor Gudger as its champion!

The elite of UK poker and some of the top live poker pros in the world showed up for the WPT UK Main Event where @Chris Moorman flopped his second Royal Flush this year and where two other RankingHero members - @Sylvain Loosli (10th) and @Luca Moschitta (7th) - inspired us with their deep runs. The final table is starting as we write and French poker fans will no doubt be cheering for Antoine Saout! 

Next week we'll stay in the UK where the 30th edition of the @Unibet Open has a fantastic warm-up poker show scheduled before the Main Event - the three-day Golden Cash Games, which will be livestreamed from @Aspers Casino - Westfield Stratford City. And guess who will be doing the commentary on  Day1 - none other than RankingHero co-founder @Nicolas Levi :)

Looking forward to another week of shared poker moments on RankingHero, Facebook, and Twitter,

Yours truly,

@Annie RKH 

#RKHweekly 

Award Winning Producers of Unibet Open Present Golden Cash Games Starring Viktor Blom

Two award-winning brands in poker - Unibet and Aspers - have teamed up to offer a spectacular 30th edition of the @Unibet Open poker tour in London next week. The celebrations begin with the inaugural invitational Golden Cash Games, which will be live-streamed from @Aspers Casino - Westfield Stratford City Monday through Wednesday, Nov 24-26. 

Some of the notables already confirmed include @Viktor "isildur1" Blom @Neil Channing and football star @Teddy Sheringham! RankingHero co-founder and ambassador @Nicolas Levi will be doing the commentary on Day 1 and will join the action on Tuesday!

Added Value: £20k in gold bars to be distributed to the players via prop bets in the game – any player who wins and shows down 72 will be awarded £1,000 in gold bars.

Starting on November 27, the largest poker room in London will host the Unibet Open €250,000 GTD Main Event!

Confirmed so far in Golden Cash Game, Nov 24-26:

@Dan Glimne – Unibet Ambassador (Sweden)

@Frode Fragerli – Owner of Donkr.com and organiser of the Norwegian Poker Championship (Norway)

@Nicolas Levi – Co-founder of RankingHero.com (France)

@Teddy Sheringham – Former Manchester United and England Footballer (UK)

@Morten Langli – Sports Commentator (Norway)

Esa Tikkanen – Ice Hockey Star (Finland)

@Neil Channing – Poker Pro (UK) 

Cash Game Live Streaming:

Monday 24th November: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahIABz3vN2E

Tuesday 25th November: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w86MTZbH7I

Wednesday 26th November: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAtnxO2yV8I

General Info:

Dates: Monday 24th – Wednesday 26th November

Times: 16:00 – 02:00 (UK time)

Venue: Aspers Casino, Stratford

Stakes: £5/£10; min buy-in £1,000, no maximum buy-in and unlimited reloads

Aspers - winner of European Casino Operator of the Year award at the International Gaming Awards 2014

Unibet - winner of the 2014 EGR Innovation in Poker Award

Moorman Cruising through 2014: Two Royal Flushes, a Champion's Title and a Million Dollar Win

Probability problem: what are the odds of hitting two royal flushes in two major WPT events in one year (incidentally, the same year that sees him win his first champion's title and a million-dollar first place prize)? Whatever the odds, the world's leading online tournament player - @Chris Moorman has beaten them, and in passing, he picked up a Royal Flush bonus and a Caribbean cruise in the partypoker WPT UK Main Event at @Dusk Till Dawn :) 

Photo: http://blog.worldpokertour.com/royalflushbonus-moorman/

Moorman hit the first Royal Flush at @Bicycle Casino, tripling up on Day1B in WPT Legends of Poker, from which he was to be eliminated on Day 2. Unfortunately, it was before the recent introduction of the royal flush bonus - since the WPT Caribbean, any player who makes a royal flush with two hole cards in any @World Poker Tour Main Event wins the Royal Caribbean International Royal Flush Bonus!

Chris Moorman is among the 51 players who made it to Day 3 in #WPTUK and will be competing for the 45 paid places! 

He will also be one of the stars in The British Poker Awards 2014 presented by @Bluff Europe. Moorman has been nominated in three categories and you can vote for him on thebritishpokerawards.com Ten lucky voters will be invited to attend the awards ceremony so you might even get the chance to meet Chris in person :)

More and More of Moorman - 2014 WPT LAPC Champion

Chris Moorman Nominated in Three BluffEurope British Poker Awards Categories

The British Poker Awards - Nominees for Best Live Tournament Player

Why the Poker World Would End Without Bad Beats

We've all been there and done that, yet the bad beats of others never seem to lose their hold over us. What is so fascinating about them? 

1. They are reassuring: 'it happens to the best of us"

2. They reinforce the all-mighty mantra of poker: variance!

3. They help us learn table manners from good and bad examples of bad beat reactions

4. They keep the industry alive: behind every bad beat there is a lucky fish that will keep depositing and feeding the sharks :)

So maybe we can't live with them, but the industry can't live without them - bad beats are that unpredictable, exciting (and at times so frustrating!) luck element that keeps both poker addicts and occasional recreational players in the game. But they are also the key to the hearts of TV producers and mainstream media. Without bad beats, the poker world could never be as we know it and we'd be all be playing bingo or chess, depending on whether we get our kick out of luck or skill :) 

Cruel as it may be, sometimes one feels the bad beat is well-deserved...

Can you even imagine busting out of a tournament with quad Aces?...

When bad beats are made even worse by the highest stakes in live tournament poker: @Connor Drinan out with AA vs AA in The Big One for One Drop 2014:

Watch Ladouceur's face when the flop brings the horrible premonition of a bad beat on the verge of the biggest final table in poker - @Marc-Andre Ladouceur goes out in 13th place in WSOP 2012 Main Event to the visible dismay (and sincere sympathy) of @Andras Koroknai :

#PokerHand #badbeat 

WPT500 Crowns New Champion for Women in Poker - Eleanor Gudger

Another successful edition of the partypoker WPT500 tournament format has concluded at @Dusk Till Dawn in Nottingham and the winner is @PKR's charming ambassador @Eleanor Gudger! 

Photos from WPT Live Updates

With seven starting flights (one re-entry per day allowed) and an affordable £500 buy-in, the #WPT500 unsurprisingly managed to reach and exceed its £1 million guarantee. 1,793 players and a total of 2133 entries brought the 1st place prize to £140,000! 

In the end, a rather cold deck in terms of heads-up hands ended the spectacle, when Matthew shoved with A9 and Eleanor called with AQ.  Railers for both players cheered on for their friend, but a grimace from Matthew and step away from the table showed how crestfallen the cards being on their back made him.  Eleanor sat still, hands pressed together, staring at the flop, waiting for the cards to obey the odds and fulfil her dream, ready for the next hand if they wouldn't.  The dealer fanned KKA , three cards that surely would have seen the chips go in post-flop if they hadn't gone in before it.  "Chop it up!" shouted Noonan's rail.  "No chop, no chop" shouted Gudger's. Still she couldn't look away from the felt.   The turn was a 5 and a look of resignation came across Noonan's features, the headphones around his neck. The rail didn't cheer this time, just waited, hoped, half for the miracle nine, the others for anything but.  The 4 on the river led to an almighty roar from Eleanor's supporters, the victor's head finally dropped away from the table she seemed to have a hypnotic stare on during the final.  Both players shook hands, and you felt like in the end, a gladiatorial respect took over.  WPT Live Updates

We greeted the PKR ambassador in April this year when she said:

"I want to win a major live title as part of Team PKR of course!! I know some people frown about setting result-orientated goals but the goal has always got to be to win. I hope luck is on my side when I need it but in having that goal, all I can do is ensure I'm in the best position to achieve it."

The 1st place in her first ever @World Poker Tour tournament now  tops her live poker resume and newly engaged Eleanor has secured a 'super honeymoon' for herself and poker-playing fiance ForFoxSake :)

Next step for Eleanor and a host of poker notables from all over the world: #WPTUK Main Event!

Flashback:

PartyPoker and WPT introduced the innovative WPT500 format this summer at @ARIA Resort & Casino.  RankingHeroes may remember that we celebrated our official US launch during this hugely successful event and organized a special Last Longer promotion. The RankingHero patch then went all the way up to number one with  @Sean Yu!

Join RankingHero at the Aria for the WPT500 $1,000,000 Guaranteed, July 4-9th!

RankingHero Proudly Presents WPT500 Winner Sean Yu

New PKR Ambassador - English Pro Eleanor 'Elz442' Gudger

10 World Stars You Are Likely to Bump Into at UK's Hottest Poker Event in November

Poker's Social Network RankingHero Proud & Happy with Day1A Chip Leader in Malta Poker Championship

Season 1 of @Malta Poker Championship has kicked off at @Casino at Portomaso and the RankingHero patch seems to be working its magic! RankingHero qualifier @Michel Pons is the Day1A chip leader!

Michel won a great prize package including the €570 buy-in, airfare, and hotel (and a surprise limo addition!) in a fun contest on RankingHero. Entrants in the MPC Interview Mission were asked to give an imaginary winner's interview, post a winner's photo collage of themselves and had to compete for most likes by other members of the community. Michel's entry won with 277 likes!

The 52-year-old Frenchman from Verdun has $8,292 in his live tournament resume and scored his biggest cash to date ($5,008) at @Grand Casino La Mamounia in Marrakech last year. He loves live poker and dreams of a breakthrough in the WSOP one day! 

Michel might be making a big step towards this goal. Malta Poker Championship offers a €20,000 sponsorship contract to the overall Season 1 winner with most accumulated points from all four steps, including WSOP 2015 participation as MPC ambassador! Good luck on Day 2, Thursday, November 20!

For more information, pls visit the MPC website and Facebook page!

Will Tonking: "I kept my promise but I didn't reach my goal"

@William Tonking, the November Niner from New Jersey who finished 4th in the WSOP 2014 Main Event, has posted a touching thank-you letter to all of his supporters, family and friends. Whoever was your favorite to win the Main Event, take the time to read it and you will no doubt be moved and inspired by this talented player's humility, gratitude, and resolve not to disappoint himself or any of the people who believe in him! 

My promise when I came to Las Vegas on November 3rd was that I was as prepared as possible to give it everything I had and represent everything and everyone that I stand for on the largest stage in poker. My goal was to win the World Series of Poker Main Event. I kept my promise but I didn't reach my goal.

Where I come from the former means more than the later. However, the later can be heart breaking in a way that only those that have been through it can understand. To come that close to something that significant and fall just short was the most devastated that I've ever been in my life. We really were right there.

However, in poker we can't always control the outcome. We can only control how we handle each situation.

We make decisions based on limited amounts of information with the hopes that we have more information than our competition. This guarantees a profit in the long run but not always in the short run. I felt that I had as much information as any of my competitors and that with 7 left having the most chips we were the favorite to win. From that point forward what I couldn't control did not cooperate and the outcome was disappointing relative to the position I was in. Anyone that's been there will tell you that when it gets down to a certain point and if you truly understand the opportunity you have that it's not about the money or anything else. It's only about winning.

I can tell you without any hesitation that there was no one at that table, in that tournament, or in this world that wanted to win more than I did. Not just for me but for us. For where we're from, for my story, and for what I stand for.This experience was unlike anything else and I will be forever grateful for the opportunity and for everyone that made it so special.

To the more than 120 of my people that came this past Monday night and stayed for over 12 hours cheering on my every move and chanting my name until voices were lost, you made a 27 year old kid from a small town in central New Jersey feel like he mattered. I don't know if I can ever repay you for this but I will try. My best friends in poker Andre Nyffeler and Pat Mullaney along with my best friend in life Matt Diehl selflessly helped me prepared for this over the past two months and they did as great of a job as they are people. From the bottom of my heart I thank you.

My parents Cathy Thomsen Tonking and Bill Tonking and my grandparents Raylene Thomsen Tom Thomsen Ruth Hipple Tonking and Bill Tonking Sr. taught me how to be a man. Matt Diehl taught me how to be a poker player and how to do it with grace and class. Me and Matt have been through seemingly everything in our lives together and there isn't a word in any language to describe the bond we have and the respect we have for one another.

With great fortune comes great responsibility and I am ready for that responsibility.

This experience is now over but I am far from done. I will continue to compete to be the best I can be in everything I do and I hope that those that have supported me will continue to be a part of it. I thank you all for everything once again. Until we see each other again God bless and be well my friends. Published by Will Tonking on Facebook, November 16

Watch Will Tonking rise to chip leader after calling @Mark Newhouse's bluff and eliminating him in 9th place for the second year in a row:

Will Tonking Sends Back-to-Back November Niner Mark Newhouse Into Poker History

2014 November Niner Will Tonking Bio and Poker Profile

November Nine Moments: Kings for Tonking!

World of Poker in Awe of Newhouse for Achieving Mission Impossible

Will Tonking Sends Back-to-Back November Niner Mark Newhouse Into Poker History

A shocking moment from the WSOP 2014 Main Event: the first and only back-to-back November Niner, @Mark Newhouse, is the first to bust the final table for the second year in a row. He already had a special page in poker history dedicated to his unique achievement but after the second ninth place elimination Newhouse deserves at least a chapter...

Here is how the hand unfolded:

Mark Newhouse explains:

#NovemberNine #WSOP2014 #PokerHand 

More on RankingHero:

World of Poker in Awe of Newhouse for Achieving Mission Impossible

Will Tonking: "I kept my promise but I didn't reach my goal"

2014 November Niner Will Tonking Bio and Poker Profile

Back-to-Back November Niner Mark Newhouse Bio and Poker Profile

PocketFives:

Poker coach Alex Fitzgerald: Analyzing Mark Newhouse's WSOP Main Event Bust-Out Hand

Weekly RankingHero Highlights

In the past week we were happy and honored to welcome to RankingHero the winner and runner-up in the record-breaking Battle of Malta Main Event - @Antoan Katsarov and @Alan James Brincat! Congratulations once again to Antoan and Alan, as well as to another member of poker's fastest-growing social network - @Hugo Lemaire who finished fifth! Starting tomorrow, Malta will again be in the center of our attention with the @Malta Poker Championship where our own  @Michel Pons will be wearing the RankingHero patch! 

The RankingHero interview series continues with a big favorite among all EPTLive fans - comedian and commentator Joe Stapleton talked to @Pedro Canali about the industry and his own experience with poker!

Meanwhile, the culmination of the poker year - the WSOP 2014 Main Event final table - is behind us and you will find several articles about the November Nine:

World of Poker in Awe of Newhouse for Achieving Mission Impossible

Pappas Era in Poker Cruelly Ended Before It Began

Martin Jacobson Wins WSOP Victory for Sweden, Charity, and Live Tournament Pros

Heartbreak and Euphoria on the November Nine Rail

More results have now been uploaded from the @Barriere Poker Tour at @Casino Barrière d'Enghien-les-Bains where many of our members played and cashed. Congratulations to @Sarkis Assaturov (42nd) @Nicolas Le Floch (10th) and @Saber Harrazi (7th) in the Main Event!

We've also had some good news from @Commerce Casino with several members cashing in 2014 LA Poker Open events - GG @Orez Mokedi and @Edison Shields!

Warm welcome to all the players from @PLAINE POKER club and new members @Alida Veliu @Sakis Nicolaou @Florence Allera and @Christophe Rosso who recently finished second for $64,900 in WPT Caribbean NLHE Championship at @Casino Royale - Maho Beach ST Maarten!  

Hoping for another busy week with lots of posts and new scores by RKH members,

Yours truly :)

@Annie RKH 

#RKHweekly 

https://www.facebook.com/Rankinghero

https://www.facebook.com/RankingHeroFR

https://twitter.com/RankingHero

10 World Stars You Are Likely to Bump Into at UK's Hottest Poker Event in November

The partypoker WPT UK Festival at @Dusk Till Dawn is attracting a fantastic line-up of poker pros from around the world! Take a look at some of the confirmed entrants in the Main Event who will be competing for the £1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool. And if the £3,000 buy-in seems a bit steep for your bankroll, you still have time to first try your luck & skill in the partypoker WPT500 on Day1F tomorrow and Day1G on Saturday! 

Which team is YOUR favorite to win? And which one do you think will be the first to bust?.. RankingHero will soon bring you more news about this great event!

The confirmed entries so far are on the Dusk Till Dawn website 

 #WPT500 #WPTUK