The Daily Rewind: Annie Duke, EPT Barcelona Begins, APPT and WPT Updates
Today we focus on Annie Duke's response to David "Chino" Rheem's probation and the start of the EPT Barcelona. We also bring you APPT and WPT Legends of Poker updates. Take a look at the best poker faces....and another look at Tatjana.
The Daily Rewind is your one-stop-shop for a sharp review of the day in poker. Join us here for a mix of the latest news and a more irreverent insight into the poker world. Today we discovered the following topics for you:
Duke Speaks Out
Whaddup y'all!
The "Chino" conundrum has proved to be a bit of a stumbling block for the Epic Poker League - how does it sound when your inaugural champion is embroiled in debt scandals? The EPL recently declared that it would put Rheem on probation. Commissioner Annie Duke has finally explained the decision to Bluff Magazine.
When complaints about Rheem started flooding in, Duke forwarded them to the Standards and Conduct committee, chaired by Stephen Martin. The branch includes former WSOP Main Event champ Joe Hachem, and Boston M.I.T. blackjack guru Andy Bloch, as well as five other members.
Duke states that she had no impact on the decision, as she is not allowed to vote. Since the debts were ongoing, the committee decided that Rheem would be placed on probation whilst he honoured his financial obligations to other players.
Duke, whose brother Howard is also under the cosh with the ongoing Full Tilt Poker saga, spoke positively about Rheem, "He is willingly submitting to the disciplinary policy, and certainly has behaved in the manner of someone who is looking to honor his financial obligations going forward".
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| Annie Duke |
EPT Barcelona Begins
One of the more colourful EPT stops kicked off today in Barcelona. Last year, more than 750 players generated a prize pool of €3,790,000, with €825,000 going to Swedish winner Kent Lundmark.
The PokerStars pros are out in full force, with the likes of Johnny Lodden, Vanessa Selbst and Lex Veldhuis taking to the tables on Day 1A. Aggressive female star Annette Obrestad seems to be one of the early movers. Presumably she'll be checking her cards this time.
You can follow the live updates here.
APPT Queenstown
We are down to the final table at the APPT Queenstown, with play due to commence shortly. Marcel Schreiner of Germany seems to be carrying the flag for Europe, starting as chip leader with 591,500. He'll have a tough time trying to fight off the strong Australian / New Zealand contingents. Here is the final table chip count:
| APPT Queenstown Final Table Counts | |
| Player | Chip Count |
| Marcel Schreiner | 591,500 |
| Matty Yates | 523,500 |
| Tom Grigg | 296,000 |
| Daniel Laidlaw | 193,000 |
| Carl Knox | 180,500 |
| Jonathan Karamalikis | 174,000 |
| John Waterman | 153,500 |
| Hugh Cohen | 146,500 |
| Xiao Dong Xia | 117,500 |
You can follow live updates for the event here.
WPT Legends of Poker
We are roughly at the half-way stage of the WPT Legends of Poker. Day 1B has concluded, which leaves 340 of the 757 entrants remaining.
Shrewd tournament star JC Tran is the chipleader, with 265,000. Other notable names left in contention include Isaac Baron (130,000), Faraz Jaka (60,000) and Gavin Smith (36,000). Our own Jonathan Little is also battling away on 47,700.
You can keep tabs on proceedings here.
Give us Your Best Pokerface
The NVG section on twoplustwo has been rife with scandal, controversy and serious discussion over the past few weeks, so we thought it was time to highlight a more light-hearted thread.
Who has the best poker face? The imperious Phil Ivey stare and the eerie Tom Dwan glazed look are strong contenders. But what about the suave Sammy Farha with his Goodfellas-esque pose? Feel free to have your say on the best poker look.
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| Cool Customer: Sammy Farha |
Hot Shot of the Day
We just can't get enough of Bodog's Tatjana Pasalic at the moment. Here she is being interviewed by Dana Workman:
