Daniel Colman Overtakes Phil Ivey in All-Time US Live Poker Ranking

'Good run' doesn't even begin to describe it and neither does good 'sprint'. 'Skyrocketing' is more like it :) In 2014 alone, @Daniel Colman has earned $21,039,323 and has just surpassed @Phil Ivey's 16 YEARS of live tournament winnings!

We are still in awe of his $15 million Big One for One Drop 1st place prize. And we still can't stop talking about his million+ cash in @European Poker Tour Barcelona, where he made a chop deal with his friend and mentor @Olivier Busquet for $1,142,538. And he did it again! Colman just won the @Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino - Hollywood 10 Million Guaranteed event for $1,446,710 and his FOURTH $ million+ cash this year!!! Not to mention his 3rd place finish in a Super High Roller at @ARIA Resort & Casino for a 'minor' cash of $796,821...

Three wins, a runner-up, and a 3rd place for phenomenal 6 months in live tournament poker and earnings totaling $21,533,574! And he doesn't even like poker!..

RKH: 

The Monte-Carlo EPT Super High Roller - a Clash of Cultures, Generations, and Poker Styles

Second-Biggest Winner in Poker History Refuses to Promote the Game

Dan Colman Speaks Out on the 'Ugly World' of Poker, Daniel Negreanu Looks on the Brighter Side

Colman Continues Fantastic 2014 Run with Six-Figure Score at the Aria

The 15 Million Dollar Ten of Spades

http://www.bluff.com/ : Daniel Colman Continues Historic Year With SHRPO Title, $1.4M 

Top Four $1,000,000+ Cashes in EPT Barcelona Decided in Chop Deals

Four out of the five $ 1 million+ cashes in the recently finished #EPT100 in Barcelona were agreed in chop deals among the finalists. The biggest prize in the entire combined EPT/ESPT festival did not go to the champion, but to the runner-up in the 100th Main Event in EPT history. @Samuel Phillips thus became the biggest winner in Barcelona with $1,384,050.  Even the Estrellas Main Event payouts were chopped four-way, with Bulgarian runner-up @Vladislav Donchev taking home a larger cash than the champion @Matias Ruzzi. Here are the 5 players who scored $ million+ at @Gran Casino de Barcelona:

Good friends @Olivier Busquet and @Daniel Colman came to a quick agreement after reaching heads-up in the High Roller; the process was not as smooth at the Main Event final table, where three-way negotiations between Samuel Phillips, @Andre Lettau and @Hussein Ensan took longer but agreement was reached eventually. 

A lot of chopping has been going on lately across the Atlantic as well, rekindling the year-long 'to chop or not to chop' debate. 

Read on:

RKH: Millionaires Made at the Bellagio in 100K Super High Roller, Dan Smith Second Only to Ivey in 2014

http://calvinayre.com/: JUST SAY NO TO FINAL TABLE DEAL MAKING

http://ca.pokernews.com/: Would Poker Tournaments Benefit from a Flatter Payout Structure?

http://www.flushdraw.net/: 2015 PCA to Feature “Double Bubble” Tournaments

What do YOU think about final table chop deals? Aren't they undermining poker's aspiration to achieve 'sports status'? Robbing fans and viewers of the thrill and excitement we expect from the champions of our favorite game? And if the money at stake is simply too much to resist a chop deal, shouldn't major festivals be moving towards a flatter, more even payout structure? 

If Online Poker Is Your Religion, Here Are Your 10 Commandments and 7 Deadly Sins

The World Championship of Online Poker is approaching and you may want to brush up on your skills, knowledge, and tactics. Here are two great articles by poker writers Steve Ruddock for nj.com and Carlos Welch for TwoPlusTwo Magazine!

The Ten Commandments of Online Poker

I. Thou shalt have no other gods before math

II. Thou shalt not make for thyself an idol

III. Thou shalt not take math in vain

IV. Remember the Saturday, to keep calm and chill out

V. Honour thy coach

VI. Thou shalt not kill thy chances to win

VII. Thou shalt not cheat

VIII. Thou shalt not steal

X. Thou shalt not covet

to full article on TwoPlusTwo Magazine

The Seven Deadly Sins of an Online Player

Thinking you have nothing left to learn

Playing while distracted

Neglecting your health

Playing too many tables

Discounting the tools online poker offers

Playing on autopilot

Leading an unbalanced life

to full article on nj.com

#RKHreads 

2014 PokerStars WCOOP Schedule Announced

Hey :) Richard From My Poker Pal here :)

You guys have a Club for MPP on RKH i was wondering can i get access to it for posts etc please :)

Thank you

Phil Ivey: “Nobody really plays a perfect session.. You just wanna play as near to perfect as you can”

Is reviewing your hands part of your daily routine? How much time do you spend on analyzing your game? Hear and learn from the best!

Joe McGowan with @Phil Ivey and @Patrik Antonius:

Jason Mercier Overtakes ElkY in the All-Time EPT Leaderboard

With his latest $645,626 runner-up prize in the EPT Barcelona 10k High Roller, @Jason Mercier overtook the long-time leader by EPT earnings, French star of poker @Bertrand Grospellier. However, ElkY is still the only Triple Crown winner among the Top 10:

Both Grospellier and Mercier won EPT titles in 2008, WSOP bracelets in 2011 and each has two World Championship of Online Poker titles. Jason Mercier leads with two WSOP bracelets (2009 and 2011), but ElkY has one other crucial advantage - his World Poker Tour title (2008) and thus the most coveted prize in poker - the Triple Crown.

ElkY hasn't had a six-figure EPT score since 2012, when he finished third in the EPT Monte Carlo Super High Roller. However, Jason now only has a $28,000 lead and the French champion could easily regain his No 1 position at the next EPT stop in London!

Top Most Annoying Things Poker Players Say and Do

An oldie but goodie (and very funny video!) from PokerNews' Sarah Grant with some of the most typical and/or annoying things poker players say :)

A Top 10 list from the PartyPoker blog of the most annoying things people do at the poker tables:

1. Teaching and Berating the Fish

The most annoying thing that poker players tend to do at the table is to teach and berate the fish. Smart pros believes that trying to teach the fish how to play better, and then later telling them off for playing badly crushes his soul; another pro cries when he sees fish leaving because of this problem; She particularly hates it when they castigate them moments after they have busted; others believe everyone has paid the same buy-in and they can do what the hell they like and get annoyed when the pros create an unwelcome atmosphere for the recreational players.

2. Abusing the Dealer

Players who abuse dealers are the next in the list of annoyances. Marvin Rettenmaier doesn’t like it when playing cards are thrown at the dealer; a fellow pro feels likewise, but also hates it when the cocktail waitresses end up getting unwarranted stick; and takes the very gentlemanly line that people who are sleazy to female dealers should walk the plank.

"Can I win a flip, ever?!!.."

3. Poor Personal Hygiene

Poor personal hygiene ranks highly in the list of professional poker player annoyances. Who doesn't hate life when seated next to someone who smells like puke or gets a little too close with their halitosis; and one French pro who doesn’t do the garlic thing…he hates everyone who smells.

4. The Tank

Players who like to spend exorbitant amounts of time in the tank are a complete turn off. One pro particularly hates it when the decision is so obvious and isn’t too keen on the fake tanking professional either.

5. Trash Talking

It’s true; poker players can talk an incredible amount of trash. One pro who counts people who spout nonsense to him as his number one pain in the gluteus; and he’s not alone. Another has a complete disdain for people who tell terrible jokes.

6. Talking Strategy

Yes…yes…we know you are a super-duper-nova-elite, who has out leveled a leveler, but we don’t want to hear about your 12-bet squeeze thingymajig. Most don’t hold much sway for professionals exchanging in depth strategy tips at the table; and one female pro wants to stick toothpicks into the eyes of the young Internet kids who do likewise.

"Ship it!!!"

7. Over Exuberance

Over exuberance can wind up the professionals. A pro was once seated next to a player who shouted muaahahahaha every time he won a pot and found that particularly annoying; and he gets a little bit rankled when people start singing.

8. Angle Shooters

Nobody likes an angle shooter who tells me that he doesn’t get annoyed that easily, but angle shooters really grind his gears. One pro has a problem with angle shooting, but it’s generally when people are accusing him of it.

9. Hollywood

All poker actors are terrible actors. Keep the charades for New Years Eve. Well that’s the opinion of a pro who from a game flow perspective wants to do nothing but pluck the nostril hairs of his opponents whenever they start putting on a show at the poker table.

10. The Obvious Chip Stack Question

You’ve all experienced this one. Your opponent looks at your stack and asks you how much you have when it is obvious what you have. This is many a pro's pet peeve, and we can understand their frustration because everyone knows he has 30k irrespective of what stage of the tournament he is in.

Now be honest, which annoying poker habit are YOU guilty of?.. :)

For Your Best Poker Reads Collection

@Alex Fitzgerald's piece in @Bluff Magazine about being a professional poker player is a must read! Here's an excerpt and will look forward to your comments! #RKHreads 

So You Want To Go Pro?

LASTING AS A PRO IS NOT AS EASY AS IT LOOKS

I received an email a couple weeks ago that got to me: “Hey Alex, I’m going through some tough times right now and thought you might be able to help me with the answer to this question … How do you know when you should give up on trying to make it as a professional poker player?”

Not going to lie; it kind of broke my heart. There’s no worse feeling than debating whether it’s time to give up on your dream, any dream. I know the feeling well. Every professional poker player does.

Going broke wasn’t something I did once in a blue moon. Over the years, going broke became like an old friend. I’ve been busto on four continents. Each time, it was the same story. I would have been playing for tens of thousands at 3 a.m., and then wondering how I was going to buy a cup of noodles at 4 a.m. I had no self control.

read on

Weekly RankingHero Highlights

The @European Poker Tour kicked off Season 11 at @Gran Casino de Barcelona with a record-breaking festival that brought together some of the biggest names in poker, as well as many newcomers and lucky online qualifiers. You can check out all of the winners on the EPT Barcelona and Estrellas Poker Tour results pages! Congratulations to the brand-new millionaires @Andre Lettau and @Samuel Phillips!

Check out the #PokerHand page on RankingHero for some great poker moments, most recently with Super High Roller winner @Olivier Busquet : A Must Have for Your Poker Hand Collection from EPT Barcelona.

Philanthropy has been gaining ground in the poker world in the past year - find out more in the article Poker Overcome with Joy of Giving. Latest Project: Matt Stout and Charity Series of Poker! The second CSOP event took place last week at the @Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino - Hollywood Seminole and the third one is scheduled for September at the @Borgata.

Champion of Poker Victoria Coren Mitchell Wins Favorite EPT Moment and is a favorite in the upcoming PokerListings Spirit of Poker Awards. Two of our favorite up and coming players are among the nominated in the Rising Star category: @Dominik Panka and @Sofia Lovgren.

The hottest hashtag on RankingHero at the moment is #M6BPT! RankingHero, in association with @Barriere Poker Tour and Custompok, gives you the chance to win a €570 Buy-In for BPT Lille (September 12-14). Current mission: compose your own Top 10 list of players who haven’t gotten the recognition they deserve in 2014!

Warm welcome to the 239 new members who joined the RankingHero community in the past week and good luck in the current Mission 6! Special thanks to @Olivier Thiry whose Top 10 list honors 10 men and women who make it possible for us to enjoy our favorite game through their work as tournament directors, floor managers, dealers and poker association activists.

Don't forget to check @Ina's page for news about the latest database updates and visit us on Facebook, too :)

Yours truly,

@Annie RKH 

#RKHweekly 

Rising Stars Dominik Panka and Sofia Lovgren Nominated for Spirit of Poker Award