Mattress Poker Tour

Bigfus Tops 2011 MPT Money List

2012-01-01T00:01:00.001-05:00

Bigfus did it again. For the third time in her career she topped the Mattress Poker Tour (MPT) money list, winning more than any of her competitors by a wide margin in the 2011 season. Bigfus cashed in five out of seven events to finish just $5 short of her all-time record for winnings in a season, set last year. Harv29 was her closest competitor, as he topped his previous season best by $5, winning $280 this season, good enough for runner-up on the money list. Harv29 started cashing in the first three events of the season, which he topped off by winning the year's biggest prize as champion of the Las Vegas Spectacular, before earning his third career Main event cash.

Here is the complete list of money leaders for the 2011 season.

1. Bigfus ($490)
2. Harv29 ($280)
3. Tss777 ($205)
4. Betdponies ($175)
5. Mr. Lucky ($155)
6. RowanB ($100)
7. Ghosthunter ($70)
8. Trouble ($50)
9. Sass ($35)
10. Tennis_bum ($30)
11. 2timeace ($5)

MPT 2011 Schedule

2012-01-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

Mattress Poker Tour events were played on the following dates and locations during 2011.

May 28 - Caesars Atlantic City
July 2 - Bally's Atlantic City
August 1 - Palazzo Las Vegas
September 3 - Harrah's Atlantic City
October 8 - Stone Harbor, NJ
November 19 - Borgata Water Club, Atlantic City
December 29 - Main Event, Harrah's Atlantic City

NOTE: This information is being posted now for archival purposes.

Pillow Talk: Improving Your Performance on the Mattress

2011-12-28T14:39:00.001-05:00

Volume II – Preparing for the Main Event

In 2009, the Mattress Poker Tour introduced a somewhat subtle change to the Main Event tournament structure. The change is rather small – neither the blind levels nor the length of the levels were changed. However, in the grand history of tournament structures being changed subtly so players don’t often notice the difference, the starting chip stack has been changed. However, in this case, the chip stack is increased – approximately 40% more chips – not the usual decrease associated with cost savings by host casinos.

This change in chips has some affects on the play of the tournament and therefore should be considered when approaching the overall tournament and each hand individually. Let’s review the stages of the tournament and how the different chip stack will affect the game. It might seem strange at first, but we will start at the middle of the tournament and then move forward and backward. Hopefully, it will become clear as we go through the discussion why we are doing this.

The middle stages of the tournament, actually remain pretty much unchanged. The quick levels and logarithmically raising blind structure used by the MPT once the blinds clear 50 100 render the relatively small increase in starting stack mostly inconsequential to play. This is because by this point players chip stack will vary greatly. This means that though individual stacks may remain out of the danger zone a little longer, the collective table will have stacks in the danger zone at about the same point in the tournament.

However, the polar ends will be effected. In the beginning, players have an extra 1000 chips to gamble with before reaching the danger zone. The move in zone is coming at about the same time anyway and having 2500 chips versus 3500 chips at that point isn’t going to make that much of a difference. Therefore, those extra 1000 chips can be used for a different purpose than a players first 1000 chips in a normal tournament starting with only 2500 chips. This must be adapted for.

Specifically, this is going to let the better postflop players take some more chances and see more flops in the early levels. Whereas a raise to 100 off of a 2500 stack may scare some players off – the extra 1000 chips allows the players to take more of a risk without dire consequences and also allows for a greater reward if they hit a big hand and can get it paid off. This play then makes for more interesting postflop play as there is also more room for bluffing. The end result is that much more care may be taken in postflop play in the early going as bigger hands and bigger bluffs are more likely.

The very end of the tournament may also change. With 3 or 4 players left, the distribution of the chips will be such that the extra chips in play (say 8000 if there are eight players) will not have that great an effect as they are very unlikely to be evenly distributed and someone will most definitely be on the hot seat as blinds clear 200 400 and beyond. However, when the game gets to heads up, now there are 8000 or so additional chips in play and that is significant if the stacks somewhat even out. That many more chips in play may allow for a little more play at the end of the tournament, with a few flops seen, rather than just preflop shoving.

Remember to take your larger stack into account and here’s hoping it helps you to go deep on the mattress.

Pillow Talk: Improving Your Performance on the Mattress

2011-11-29T00:44:00.002-05:00

Welcome to Pillow Talk, the MPT's post tournament analysis series. Pillow Talk's aim is to disect and analyze various portions of a recent MPT event with the aim of stimulating conversation and enhancing performance. As this is the first in this series, this article is going to take on three topics to give an idea of the kind of items that can be considering as players attempt to raise their stacks - an analysis of one individual hand, a specific situational strategy, and an overall tournament approach.

THE HAND
In the early going of the tournament, Bigfus was standing on nearly double her starting stack when she tangled in a hand with rookie teammates Trouble who were sitting on just about the starting stack. The hand held several nuances as will be analyzed momentarily, but the bottom line was Bigfus was very lucky to only lose about 900 in chips rather than nearly twice that.

The hand became interesting as the turn put three hearts on the board. A keen observation of Bigfus as the heart hit the board showed clear unconcious indicators of a very strong hand as her eyes immediately darted to her opponent's stack and her foot began to bounce. Couple that with a tight player leading out for a significant bet and it was clear Bigfus was holding a flush. At this point, the rookie team of Trouble calls, but that doesn't tell much. By watching prior hands, it should be known that they could be calling very light here ("calling light" means calling with a weak hand). Further, because of their inexperience, it is difficult to guage a lot from their tells as it is unclear if they will understand the relative strength of their hand.

The river is a very interesting card because it offers so many options on how to play the hand as it pairs the board. First, let's look at the play from Trouble's point of view. At this point, though it is unlikely anyone at the mattress knew it, Trouble now has a full house. And here they make the best play they possibly could at first by checking. It is clear from both her physical tells and her bets on the turn that Bigfus has a flush and a check will almost always get her to bet. Indeed Bigfus did bet 300 in chips giving action back to Trouble. Here, however, Trouble made a rookie mistake. The pot is over 1000 in chips already and Bigfus has a strong hand that will be nearly impossible for her to fold, especially against an unpredictable opponent. The check raise amount that they made was the minimum possible, 300 more than the original bet. That gave Bigfus a calling opportunity of only 300 to win about 1500 in chips. This was a trivial call. Too trivial. WIth the pot near 1200, a reraise near to 1000 more (say 1240 total (940 more)), especially from an unpredictable opponent, would have forced Bigfus to call. So, by checkraising to only 600 total, Trouble shorted themselves from winning an addition 650 or so chips on this hand, or more than 1/4 of a starting stack.

Now, perhaps a more interesting investigation is to sit in Bigfus's seat on the river. With a strong flush and an inexperienced opponent, value betting is definitely the right play. With a pot near 400, the goal should be to bet as much as possible and still get a weak hand from an inexperienced player to call. In this case we want to avoid round numbers as they are scarier to our opponent and make the calculations easier. So, instead of the bet of 300, a slightly better bet would be something like 285 or occassionally 315.

Be that as it may, Bigfus raised 300 and was checkraised an additional 300. Given the opponent's experience level they may be way overvaluing their hand. There is no way that folding should be considered seriously here. Instead, the question that needs to be answered is whether to call or to reraise. The two biggest considerations here should be the lack of experience of our opponent and the size of Bigfus's chipstack versus's Trouble's. First, as discussed, Trouble is very inexperienced and may not very well understand the strength of their hand. Despite the river checkraise, Trouble's hand could have been a weaker flush or three Aces or even two pair. There is good reason to reraise their checkraise here for value. However, there is a further consideration that should be taken. For the most experienced players, survival in the tournament while there are weaker players still in is of utmost importance as there should still be relatively easy chips to win. In this hand, if Bigfus's stack was not significantly larger than Trouble's, then calling would be appropriate as there was one higher flush possible, and, of course, a full house or quads. However, Bigfus has twice a starting stack and twice Trouble's stack. Given this situation, despite what hindsight tells, reraising the check raise is probably the best approach. In this case, keeping the reraise at the minimum 300 again would serve two purposes - juicing the pot without scaring our opponent off if they are weak. It, however, also controls the pot and encourages our opponent, if they are really strong, to make another critical error and only mini reraise again (rather than making a large reraise which is going to give us a difficult decision and cost us a lot of chips) and not make it extraordinarily expensive to call. If that happens, then it is time to just call.

Of course, with hindsight, calling the first time would have been better than reraising based on the actual cards. However, given the situation and a consideration of the hands Trouble might have had, mini 3-betting on the river has to at least be a consideration, if not the play you make.

THE SITUATION
There comes a time in some tournaments where calling a bet or posting a blind will leave you with almost no chips - less than a small blind in many cases. It is very common for a player in this situation to, rather than just calling, to throw the additional chips into the pot because they think it is the right thing to do. This is very wrong, especially when multiple other opponents are in the pot.

First, it is important to realize that putting your extra few chips into the pot, when they are less than a big blind, is not going to get anyone to fold. It is also important to recognize that if anyone does raise, you are compelled to call once such a high percentage of your stack is in the pot. That, however, does not mean you have to put your last chip in if your opponent does not make you. There are several reasons to guard that last chip. First off, without it, you are out of the tournament. There is obviously no chance to move up in the rankings, sneak into the money, claim a cheap bounty or even win the whole thing. Your last chip is your most valuable chip as it represents your tournament life. Don't just throw it into the pot before the river because it has no friends. Only do so if you are forced to.

Another consideration is if you have multiple opponents. Let's assume you are on the button with 450 chips while the blinds are 200 400 and one loose player has limped and it is action on you with AJ. The correct play here is to call. Raising the last 50 in chips will not get anybody to fold. Indeed, it will do the opposite. The small or big blind may be considering raising, but a raise on our part, even a measly 50 chips may dissuade that action. The common action of many players when an opponent is all in is to "check it down" in order to eliminate that player. So, many players will just call if we are already all in.

However, if we are not all in, this forces a player to raise preflop or bet on a later street in order to put us all in, which is exactly what we want as it may thin the field, increasing our chances of winning the hand. And if they don't, we can check down the hand (unless it is a definite winner) and survive even if we lose the hand.
There is a final reason not to bet those last chips if you don't have to. Those final chips are worth a lot more than your other chips because they can win more than your other chips. Usually, when you have say 20 Big Blinds or more, when you get your 20th big blind (last chips) in, you are facing usually only one opponent. Meaning your 20th big blind can only win 1 additional big blind. However, when you have less than one big blind in total, you can often find a raised pot where everyone else including the blinds may fold, meaning you can win 3 times your chips while only facing 1 opponent rather than 1 time your chips. Thus, your last few chips have higher earning potential and should not just be thrown into the pot for the sake of throwing them into the pot.

THE TOURNAMENT
When you sit down to play a poker tournament, it is essential to determine your situation as soon as possible and adopt a strategy to maximize your chances of succeeding given your situation. A tournament amongst known opponents such as the MPT makes this skill critical. Because of the familiarity of this tournament type, it is easy to do this, so if you are not doing it, you will quickly find yourself at a disadvantage against your opponents that are.

In the just completed tournament, Rowanb did this masterfully. This tournament presented an opportunity to play against inexperienced players that would likely be calling too much as well as some experienced MPT veterans which Rowanb had position on. His tactic appeared to be a nice blend of trying to play hands against the less experienced players while also trying to isolate them by raising his more experienced opponents out of hands when they attempted to limp in with weak hands. Once in a hand with the less experienced players he recognized that against this set of opponents, making hands was the way to win so for the most part he checked when he didn't have a hand and value bet when he did, with fewer than normal targetted bluffs. This was critical because opponents were calling with weak hands, making bluffing less effective and often costly, but value betting very profitable. Against inexperienced opponents that are calling too often, this simple approach is the best way to win and Rowanb played this tournament with a master stroke all the way to a well earned victory.

Statistical Notes Following MPT 2011 Event #6

2011-11-21T21:42:00.001-05:00

Observations following the sixth event of the 2011 season, held at the Borgata Water Club in Atlantic City on November 19, 2011.

The Borgata became the sixth different venue to host more than one MPT event
RowanB has now won both events held at the Borgata
The two-player team named Trouble was the 47th different player in MPT history (and the first two-person team)
Mr. Lucky is the 30th different player in MPT history to participate in more than one event
Mr. Lucky became the tenth different player to cash in more than one MPT event, and the first since Betdponies and Bigfus did so (in the first two events of the series) to cash in his first career two events
Baccarat King was the first player in MPT history to be eliminated on the first hand
Baccarat King tied the Amazon for longest career streak without cashing, which currently stands at eight events
RowanB ended a streak of five events out of the money, which tied to fifth longest streak of all-time
Bigfus ended a four tournament in the money streak, which tied the second longest streak of all-time
Sass' absence from the tournament ended her streak of 29 straight MPT events played
RowanB was the first player in MPT history to win with pocket Aces on the final hand
Baccarat King tied Betdponies for the most career last place finishes, being the first player eliminated first for the sixth time in his MPT career

Pictures from MPT 2011 #1

2011-06-05T01:15:00.004-04:00

Pictures from MPT 2011 Event #1, held in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Saturday, May 28, 2011 in the Caesars Atlantic City Centurion Tower.

Ging, Bigfus, and Demon in the early stages of the tournament

A wide look around the table as players and spectator look on

Bigfus stands during an important hand, while Harv29 deals

TSS777 studies his opponent intently, while his hole card camera records his play

Bigfus tries to hide from her opponent's glare

Sass, enjoying the early rounds of the tournament

TSS777 throws in a call

TSS777 stands up to record the cards on the board to review later

The dealer reveals the next card to the camera before dropping it on the mattress

TSS777 watches, something

While feeling no pain most of the night, Sass finally experiences the agony of defeat

The prize money for heads-up play and the new bobbling chip trophy on display

The final hand, after a less than epic heads up battle

The champion receives the trophy from the Tournament Director, who was also the runner-up

While absent for most of the tournament, the MPT Monkey returned for postgame ceremonies

Bigfus Wins 2010 MPT "Rising Star" Award

2011-01-02T00:01:00.004-05:00

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - In 2008, she cashed in seven out of eight events, led the money list, and finished five points away from winning the Sealy Cup, but Bigfus was not yet a "star". The following year saw her finally break through and win her first MPT tournament, but Bigfus followed that win in the season's opening event with a streak of six straight out of the money finishes. 2010 was to be an important year in establishing Bigfus' MPT career.

For the second year in a row, Bigfus won the opening event, but this season she followed that result up with a second place in the season's second event and cashes in five of the last six events. Two wins, four runner-up finishes, a Player of the Year title, while breaking the all-time records for money won and points earned in a single season, not to mention that all-time lead in cashes, points, and earnings, proved that Bigfus is and will continue to be a force to be reckoned with on the MPT circuit. She has finally earned her place as one of the true starts of the Mattress Poker Tour.

Bigfus Wins MPT Player of the Year in Record Setting Season

2011-01-02T00:01:00.003-05:00

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - Bigfus rebounded from a disappointing 2009 season in a big way. After leading the money list and finishing second place in the player of the year standings two years ago, she fell to fifth in the Sealy Cup standings, failing to cash in the last six events of that season. Bigfus won the opening event of the 2010 season, repeating her feat from the year before, but this time backed that win up with five finishes in the money in the last six events. In October, Bigfus also became only the second player in MPT history to win two tournaments in a single season , joining TSS777.

TSS777 was the only other player with a chance at the Player of the Year prize going into the main event. The two players dueled throughout the season, winning the first three tournaments. TSS777 won the two most prestigious events of the season, the Main Event and Las Vegas Spectacular, but that was not enough to overcome missing two events. His three victories set a single season mark, but it was Bigfus who set a series of records, smashing her previous record for money won in a season and also topping Sass' record for points in season by a considerable margin. She did fall short of one record, however, cashing in one fewer event than in 2008, but she did not win a tournament during that season.

After 2010, we don't expect to see 2010 Mattress Poker Tour Player of the Year, Bigfus, fall short of much anymore.

Here are the complete "Sealy Cup" point standings for the 2010 season.

1. Bigfus (94)

2. TSS777 (75)

3. Sass (57)

4. Harv29 (55)

5. Betdponies (42)

6. RowanB (37)

7. Hammah (20)

7. 2timeace (20)

9. Amazon (17)

10. Pixie (15)

11. Demon (14)

12. Janek13 (11)

13. Civicmon (10)

14. Tennis_bum (9)

14. Judykq (9)

16. mghenry (8)

17. Syrorange3042 (7)

18. Sherlock (6)

19. Ghosthunter (5)

20. JTinLV (4)

20. Cushla (4)

22. Eileen (3)

22. Noahcat (3)

22. Stumerrian (3)

25. Cocktail Master (2)

26. Baccarat King (1)

Bigfus Tops 2010 MPT Money List

2011-01-01T00:01:00.003-05:00

Two players dominated the 2010 Mattress Poker Tour (MPT) season. TSS777 won three tournaments, but Bigfus cashed in six out of seven events and joined TSS777 and the only player to win more than one tournament in a single season. Her record $495 in a single season, topped the previous single season record, also held by Bigfus in the 2008 season.

Here is the complete list of money leaders for the 2010 season.

1. Bigfus ($495)

2. TSS777 ($405)

3. Sass ($270)

4. Harv29 ($145)

5. Betdponies ($125)

6. Hammah ($100)

7. RowanB ($70)

8. Janek13 ($55)

9. Demon ($50)

10. 2timeace ($40)

11. Civicmon ($25)

12. Judykq ($5)

MPT 2010 Schedule

2011-01-01T00:01:00.002-05:00

Mattress Poker Tour events were played on the following dates and locations during 2010.

April 17 - Harrah's Atlantic City
July 2 - Fourth of July Spectacular, Bally's Atlantic City
August 1 - ECLVA Las Vegas Spectacular III, Las Vegas Hilton
September 25 - ECLVA Fall Classic, Stone Harbor, NJ
October 23 - Resorts Atlantic City
November 13 - Trump Taj Mahal
December 28 - Main Event, Bally's Atlantic City

NOTE: This information is being posted now for archival purposes.

Pictures from MPT 2010 Main Event

2010-12-31T00:02:00.003-05:00

Pictures from MPT 2010 Main Event (Event #7), held in Atlantic City, New Jersey in Bally's Atlantic City on Monday, December 28, 2010.

Statistical Notes Following MPT 2010 Event #7

2010-12-30T13:00:00.001-05:00

Observations following the seventh event of the 2010 season, the Mattress Poker Tour Main Event, held at Bally's Atlantic City on December 28, 2010.

Bally's Atlantic City became the most frequent home to the Mattress Poker Tour, hosting it's first Main Event and sixth tournament overall
TSS777 became the first player in MPT history to win Player of the Year (2007) and the Main Event (2010)
TSS777 became the first player to win three MPT events in a single season
TSS777 tied Stan for the third highest single event point total, and set the record for an event held outside of Las Vegas
Bigfus extended her streak of cashes to four events, tying the second longest streak of all-time
Both Bigfus and TSS777 broke the previous record for Sealy Cup points in a single season
Bigfus' nineteen point lead in the final Sealy Cup standings is the largest margin of victory over second place in MPT history
Bigfus became the first MPT player to top $1,000 in career earnings, while TSS777 moved into second place on the all-time money list
Bigfus and TSS777 also finished first and second on the season money list
2010 marked the second time in three years that Bigfus topped the season money list
Amazon failed to cash for the sixth straight event, one short of the longest out of the money streak
Betdponies moved into first place on the list of last place finishes, becoming the first player eliminated for the sixth time in 24 career events

Pictures from MPT 2010 #6

2010-11-15T00:02:00.000-05:00

Pictures from MPT 2010 Event #6, held in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Saturday, November 13, 2010 at the Trump Taj Mahal Taj Tower.

Statistical Notes Following MPT 2010 Event #5

2010-11-02T22:18:00.004-04:00

Observations following the fourth event of the 2010 season, held at Resorts Atlantic City on October 23, 2010.

Resorts Atlantic City became the eleventh different venue to host the Mattress Poker Tour
Stumerrian became the 40th different player to play in a MPT tournament
Noahcat is the 17th player to participate in three or more events
Bigfus jumped into the Sealy Cup lead, while Sass also leapfrogged over TSS777 to move into second place in the season standings
Bigfus also took the season money lead, after her fourth cash in five chances
Bigfus became the third player two win two tournaments in the same season, joining Amazon and TSS777
RowanB became only the eighth different player to cash this season, through five events (and 16 paying positions)
RowanB broke a streak of four straight events without a cash
Amazon and Betdponies each failed to cash in their fifth straight event, tying for the fourth longest streak of all-time
Bigfus extended her lead on the all-time, while Sass passes TSS777 to move into second place
RowanB jumps to from sixth to fourth in all-time earnings, also becoming the fifth player to break the $500 mark for prize winnings
Sass retains the all-time points lead, though Bigfus overtook Harv29 to move into second, only four points behind the career leader
Bigfus became the first player in MPT history to win a tournament by only eliminating only one player
Noahcat became the 13th different player to finish last place during a MPT event

Pictures from MPT 2010 #5

2010-11-02T21:46:00.004-04:00

Pictures from MPT 2010 Event #5, held in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Saturday, October 23, 2010 at the Resorts Atlantic City Rendezvous Tower.

An external computer monitor showed the blind levels while the television was occupied watching the National League Championship Series

The MPT Monkey guards the prize money during heads-up play

Sass and Bigfus heads-up, while Harv29 deals and the MPT Monkey watches

Sass watches as Harv29 reveals a river card

Bigfus looks concerned as Harv29 counts her chip stack near the end of the tournament

Bigfus with her winning cards, the MPT Monkey, and friends

The final hand

Statistical Notes Following MPT 2010 Event #4

2010-10-20T22:17:00.003-04:00

Observations following the fourth event of the 2010 season, held in Stone Harbor, New Jersey on September 25, 2010.

Sass becomes the 14th different winner of an MPT event
Harv29 cashed in his second straight event, with back to back third place finishes
Syrorange3042 bubbled for the second consecutive event in which he has played
The top four positions in the season points standings remained the same, as Bigfus, Sass, and Harv29 each closed on on points leader TSS777
RowanB continues a horrendous year, with his first last place finish since 2007.
Both RowanB and Betdponies have earned fewer points for the season than points leader TSS777 is averaging for each of the three events he has played
Ghosthunter became the 27th player to participate in more than one MPT event
Bigfus takes back the top spot for all-time prize winnings, $25 ahead of TSS777
Harv29 passes RowanB in all-time cashes and on the all-time winnings list, where he moved into the top five
Sass jumps into the top spot in the all-time points race, ahead of Harv29 and Bigfus, who passed RowanB to move into third place
Bigfus moves into the top five in Points Per Event, dropping RowanB to sixth place on the all-time list
Bigfus became the first non-Rowan to earn 13 points in a single event

Pictures from MPT 2010 #4

2010-10-18T22:31:00.007-04:00

Pictures from MPT 2010 Event #4, the ECLVA Fall Classic, held in Stone Harbor, New Jersey on Saturday, September 25, 2010.

Bigfus checks her hole cards while Harv29 and Sass look on

Ghosthunter flashes "the prettiest card in the deck" during play midway through the event

Play as the bubble approaches

The MPT Monkey and friends watch over the bar and snacks

Sass rakes in a big pot during heads-up play

Bigfus maintains her "poker face" while Sass watches

The MPT Monkey sits guard over the trophy and prize money

Bigfus and Sass wait for the turn and river during what would be the final hand

Bigfus congratulates the newest MPT champion

Sass raises the bounty chip in triumph, after knocking out 2010 Event #1 champion, Bigfus

Harv29 presents Sass with her first black chip trophy

Sass celebrates with The MPT Monkey

The MPT Monkey with the cards from the final hand

A behind the scenes look at setting up for the MPT

MPT 2010 #4 - ECLVA Fall Classic (9/25/2010)

2010-09-27T12:00:00.008-04:00

Last of the ”Original Six” takes title

STONE HARBOR, NJ - It took over four years, but that made Sass’ victory at the ECLVA Fall Classic that much sweeter. After winning last year’s Player of the Year and Rising Star awards, Sass finally has an MPT Championship to add to that collection. After finishing 2nd four times in seven events (and one 3rd place) last year and two 3rd place finishes this year, Sass bested a field of 9 seasoned MPT veterans to win the ECLVA Fall Classic.

The event started with TSS777 looking for the “Three-peat”, having won at Bally’s and making his trip to Las Vegas worthwhile by winning the event there but ended up hitting the rail early. It would be difficult in this field with 7 former champions in attendance, including last year’s ECLVA Fall Classic Champion, Syrorange3042.

Play started out as it usually does, with players avoiding to be out before the break. In a desperate move before the break, Harv29 pushed with Ah-Kh with just under half the starting chips and was eventually called by TSS777 with 8-8. The flop did not improve either player but a king on the turn helped Harv29 double up before the break.

Pixie made sure that the evening’s dinner would not be burnt by Rowanb’s inattentiveness by his tournament participation by eliminating him first. Betdponies followed him four minutes later, being eliminated by Harv29.

Four minutes seemed to be the magic number as TSS777 was eliminated by Bigfus, then Pixie hit the rail four minutes after him, being busted out by Harv29. It took another eleven minutes before Ghosthunter was busted out by Syrorange3042, but he could not hold on and was bubbled out by Bigfus eight minutes later.

That left Bigfus, Harv29 and Sass in the money. Bigfus had a nice chip lead on the others with Sass being the short stack. Harv29 survived elimination with A-9 against Bigfus’ A-K with a friendly 9 on the flop. However his 5-5 could not hold up against Sass’ A-9 and he doubled the eventual champion. On the very next hand Harv29 pushed his remaining chips with 5-5 again, and this time Sass had A-Q, which hit again, sending Harv29 out in 3rd place.

The heads up battle only lasted 6 minutes with Sass eventually taking the championship.

Sass is having another successful campaign, cashing in 3 of 4 events and bubbling in the other, however with his back-to-back victories, TSS777 remains atop of the Player of the Year standings, with a 3 point lead over Bigfus. Sass trails by 9 points with Harv29 down by 15.

With her victory, Sass takes over the career points lead with 167, 3 points over Harv29 and 6 points over Bigfus. She vaults into third place in career cashes, behind leader TSS777 and second place Bigfus.

There is still plenty of time for some players to catch up to the PoTY leader, TSS777 with two events before the Main Event in December.

The results:

Sass
Bigfus
Harv29
Syrorange3042
Ghosthunter
Pixie
TSS777
Betdponies
RowanB

Statistical Notes Following MPT 2010 Event #3

2010-08-22T23:02:00.003-04:00

Observations following the third event of the 2010 season, held at the Las Vegas Hilton on August 1, 2010.

The field of 15 players was the second largest in MPT history, trailing only last year's Las Vegas Spectacular
TSS777 extended his lead in all-time wins, becoming the first player to top six tournaments
TSS777 became the first player to win back-to-back tournaments twice in their MPT career
Harv29 continued his streak of cashing in every Las Vegas Spectacular, with his second third place finish in the last two years
Tennis_bum finished in 7th place for the second straight year in the Las Vegas Spectacular
RowanB finished a career worst 11th place
Baccarat King tied Betdponies for the most career last place finishes, being first out for the fifth time in his MPT career
Noahcat was the second player eliminated from the Las Vegas Spectacular for the second straight year
TSS777 set an all-time record for the most points in a single event, besting Trojanrabbit's mark of 30 in last year's Las Vegas Spectacular by a single point
TSS777 also set an all-time record with nine kills in a single event, two more than
Trojanrabbit's record seven in last year's Las Vegas Spectacular
The nine kills by TSS777 in more than all-but the top six players in MPT history have recorded in their entire careers
TSS777 jumps into the Sealy Cup lead with 47 points, while Bigfus and Sass remain in contention
Harv29 leaps into the Player of the Year race with his third place finish
Betdponies became the fifth player to participate in 20 MPT events
The seven leaders in career appearances all played in this year's Las Vegas Spectacular
JTinLV became the fourteenth player to participate in three or more MPT events
Tennis_bum, Noahcat, Hammah, and Eileen became the 23rd, 24th, 25th, and 26th different players to participate in more than one MPT event
2timeace and mghenry became the 38th and 39th different players to play in at least one MPT event
Hammah and 2timeace became the 22nd and 23rd different players to cash in at least one MPT event
TSS777 takes over the season monkey lead, while Hammah rockets into third place
TSS777 moves into first place on the all-time money list, passing Bigfus and Sass
The all-time points race continues to be close, with the top four spots separated by only five points.
Harv29 moves from fourth to first in all-time points, leading RowanB and Sass by just two points
After nine events, Baccarat King now averages a (natural) ninth place finish
2timeace and Hammah became with 27th and 28th different players in MPT history to eliminate at least one opponent from a tournament
TSS777 earned the second highest cash in a single event in MPT history
Hammah became the 20th player with a triple-digit cash in a single event, earning $100 for her runner-up finish

Pictures from MPT 2010 #3

2010-08-22T22:42:00.007-04:00

Pictures from MPT 2010 Event #3 at the Las Vegas Hilton, held in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, August 1, 2010.

Harv29 appeared in full Elvis regalia to celebrate the tournament in the last Las Vegas home of The King

Elvis29 poses for photos

The paparazzi looks on during Harv29's entrance

A rare wet bar during the MPT provided ample liquid refreshments for the competitors and fans

A wide selection of snacks was also on hand for the players

The large Las Vegas Hilton suit provided plenty of room for the competitors to enjoy the tournament

Another reminded that players had plenty of refreshments on hand

Jacques, the MPT Monkey sat guard over the trophy and prize money

TSS777 in the black hat in the foreground of the Mattress the he dominated, with (clockwise from TSS777) Bigfus, Sass, JTinLV, and mghenry still alive

Play at the table in the later stages, with Betdponies dealing, while hammah, tennis_bum, 2timeace, and Harv29 continue and Eilleen looks on

hammah gets ready to bet, while tennis_bum and Harv29 watch and Betdponies deals

Play at the Mattress, shortly before the final table

JTinLV took over dealing at the final table

A crowd gathered to watch the final table action, while Harv29 look to the bar for inspiration

(clockwise from left) 2timeace, TSS777, and hammah late in the tournament, while JTinLV deals; note the Kill Phil hats, as all the players pictured were regulars in that tournament series

Jacques bring the money and trophy to the table as heads up play begins

TSS777 and hammah share a laugh shortly before the final hand

Don't let the smiles fool you during heads up play, since both players wanted to win their first MPT Las Vegas Spectacular title

Player watch as the final river card is revealed

TSS777's pocket 6's made a straight on the river after both players were all-in preflop on the final hand

Elvis29 returned for more pictures after the event ended, seen here presenting the spoils of victory to TSS777

Amazon lives up to her name

Amazon poses for a more conventional photograph with Elvis and Jacques

MPT 2010 #3 - Las Vegas Hilton (8/1/2010)

2010-08-22T22:34:00.004-04:00

LAS VEGAS, NV - It was a tale of two tables and TSS777 had the best of times. From the start of the third annual Mattress Poker Tour Las Vegas Spectacular it was clear that one table would be more lively than the other. When the winningest player in series history quickly built a big stack by eliminating his most unpredictable opponents he was well positioned to earn his second MPT title of the season and first Las Vegas victory. At the same time, hammah rebounded from a disappointing early exit in 2009 to take command of the more sedate "Feature Table" and came close to taking the MPT chip trophy back to California for third straight Las Vegas event. Ultimately, veterans of the Las Vegas Advisor Kill Phil tournament series swept the four paying positions, while perennial MPT money machine, Sass, fell just short of the money.

Feature Table

hammah
Tennis_bum
2timeace
Harv29
Betdponies
Eileen
RowanB

Satellite Mattress

Bigfus
Sass
JTinLV
Amazon
mghenry
noahcat
Baccarat King
TSS777

With loose aggressive players noahcat and Baccarat King acting before him and notoriously tight passive MPT veterans to his left, TSS777 sat well in the early going and even better when he chipped up against the tournament's biggest wild cards. With Baccarat King and noahcat's early exits at the hands of the early chipleader, TSS777 took command of the mattress. Back on the table, play was less exciting in the early going, with players exchanging small pots until Hammah took a big chunk of Betdponies stack right before the first break. Only five players had more chips than they started with when the action resumed, and only two players had chipped up significantly in the early rounds.

Chip Counts at First Break:

TSS777 = 7,575
hammah = 5,025
Bigfus = 3,025
Amazon = 2,775
Eileen = 2,650
RowanB = 2,425
Tennis_bum = 2,375
JTinLV = 2,375
Harv29 = 2,175
Sass = 2,125
mghenry = 2,125
2timeace = 2,050
Betdponies = 800
noahcat = 0
Baccarat King = 0

The table and mattress alternated eliminations as the blinds grew bigger, with Eileen being first eliminated from the table. RowanB also fell out shortly after the break, losing with A-K against Harv29's Q-Q a few hands after doubling the short-stacked Betdponies when his A-J lost out to the A-5 of the multiple Main Event winner. Shortly afterward, Betdponies and Bigfus joined fellow MPT regular RowanB on the rail and the final table was set.

Chip Counts as Final Table Began

TSS777 = 12,975
hammah = 7,500
Harv29 = 4,900
Sass = 3,550
2timeace = 3,325
mghenry = 2,275
Tennis_bum = 1,750
Amazon = 1,200

Play was fast as desperate short-stacks tried to double up and were quickly dispatched to the sidlines by the bigger stacks. After 2timeace eliminated mghenry and Tennis_bum on the same hand, TSS777 did most of the damage, eliminating the last five players, doing so in just over half an hour. Harv29 hung on for his third straight cash in three MPT Las Vegas Spectaculars, the only player to achieve that feat, while 2timeace took on the chip leader and lost his promising chip position to fall to fourth, still earning his first MPT cash in his first MPT appearance. Hammah's solid play throughout the tournament kept her in position to win before falling short to the big stack of TSS777. Hammah went out fighting, trying to steal blinds during heads up play, but running into TSS777's pocket sixes. After flopping a ten for a glimmer of hope, the river brought a straight and back-to-back MPT titles for TSS777 for the second time in his career.

The results:

TSS777
hammah
Harv29
2timeace
Sass
Amazon
Tennis_bum
mghenry
Bigfus
Betdponies
RowanB
JTinLV
Eileen
noahcat
Baccarat King

MPT to retire "Rising Star" award

2010-08-20T11:57:00.000-04:00

FAIRFAX, VA - Mattress Poker Tour Tournament Director Harv announced today that the "Rising Star" award will be retired at the end of this season.

"Since there is pretty much an established field of players, it is really hard to say who's star is "rising"" Harv said in a statement released today. "Besides, everyone is a star in the Mattress Poker Tour".

A new award will be announced for 2011.

Pictures from MPT 2010 #2

2010-07-25T21:00:00.011-04:00

Pictures from MPT 2010 Event #2 at Bally's Claridge Tower, held in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Friday, July 2, 2010.

The Tournament Director sets up the computer prior to the tournament

The world famous MPT bar

The hotel room television doubles as computer monitor showing the tournament information

TSS777, Mrs. TSS777, Sass, and Bigfus as the bubble nears

The MPT's youngest fan plays with the series mascots

Bigfus looks concerned late in the tournament

Harv29 deals while TSS777 and Bigfus play heads up

The winning hand

Harv29 pays TSS777 after the win

MPT 2010 #2 - Bally's Claridge Tower (7/2/2010)

2010-07-25T20:32:00.003-04:00

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - TSS777 bested a field of eight MPT superstars to become the all-time leader in series wins, but he had to fight off that MPT's all-time leading money winner to do it. The event featured seven series regulars, this time joined by Mrs. TSS777, making her second career MPT appearance. TSS777 also became the only player with wins in each of the last four seasons.

Play in the early stages was typical of many recent MPT events, with players wary of playing big pots, and everyone was still alive at the first break. As the blinds grew larger, players started to risk their stacks on preflop all-ins and the field shrank. Janek13 was the first to fall, becoming the twelfth different player to finish in last place in a MPT event. By the time the event reached the bubble, TSS777 had built a good-sized stack.

TSS777's three opponents - Mrs. TSS777, Sass, and Bigfus - all seemed to be waiting for a big hand to trap the four-time champ, but never found the opportunity, as he ground their stacks down to the point where it would be difficult for anyone to challenge for the first place trophy. Eventually, the winner's wife fell short of the money, though her fourth place finish moved her up in the all-time standings. That left the MPT's all-time leading money winners to fight it out with the most-frequent champion. Again, the experience of TSS777 in closing out tournaments paid off, as he won small pot after small pot, taking a huge chip lead. During heads-up play with Bigfus, she was able to come back, take the chip lead, and nearly score her second win of the season, but the cards didn't fall her way.

Not only is TSS777 now the all-time winningest player in MPT history, but he has also positioned himself to contend for his second Sealy Cup season championship. The fast start for Bigfus gives her the leg up in that race, but with his first ever trip the ECLVA Las Vegas Spectacular, TSS777 is showing that he will make a serious commitment to this season's series championship. His biggest single event point total in his first event of the season makes him the Bigfus' biggest challenger in the early stages of the year.

The Results

TSS777
Bigfus
Sass
Mrs. TSS777
Betdponies
RowanB
Harv29
Janek13

Statistical Notes Following MPT 2010 Event #2

2010-07-24T13:13:00.003-04:00

Observations following the second event of the 2010 season, held at Bally's Atlantic City on July 2, 2010.

TSS777 takes over the career lead in MPT victories, becoming the first player with five wins
Bigfus and Sass have both cashed in the first two events of the season
Mrs. TSS777 became the 22nd player to participate in more than one MPT event
Bigfus widens her lead in the Sealy Cup standings, with her second consecutive cash to start the season
TSS777 jumps into second place in the points standings, with his cash
Sass moves into third place in the season standings, with her second consecutive cash to start the season
RowanB retains a slim lead in the all-time points standings, despite his poor finishes in the first two events of the season
Bigfus passes Sass on the all-time points list, while both Bigfus and Sass pass Harv29, dropping him into fourth place all-time
TSS777 moves from fourth to first place on the all-time points per event list, while Bigfus climbs to fifth place
TSS777 set his personal best for points in a single event, earning sixteen, tied for the 8th highest all-time single event total
Bigfus remains atop the 2010 money list, with TSS777 moving into second place
Bigfus remains atop the all-time money list, with TSS777 moving into third place, only $5 behind Sass
Mrs. TSS777 became the 26th different player to earn a "kill"
Janek13 became the twelfth different player to finish last in a MPT event

Pictures from MPT 2010 #1

2010-04-29T20:32:00.004-04:00

Pictures from MPT 2010 Event #1 at Harrah's Waterfront Tower, held in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on Saturday, April 17, 2010.

Betdponies Royal Flush was the second in MPT history

Players around the mattress on the bubble

Harv29 and Bigfus (foreground) playing against Janek13, while Mrs. Janek13 and Cocktail Master look on

The Waterfront Tower provided ample space of the MPT bar

The Cocktail Master's apprentice prepared specialty drinks for some of the players

The Tournament Director deals during the late stages on the tournament

Bigfus stares down Janek13 during heads up play

The still-unnamed MPT Monkey sits with the prize money and trophy

Janek13 considers his options during heads-up play

The cards revealed preflop for what would be the final hand

Bigfus studies the flop on the final hand

Waiting for Bigfus to react to her win

A less exuberant champion wins her second consecutive season opener

Bigfus receives the spoils of victory from Harv29

MPT 2010 #1 - Harrah's Waterfront Tower (4/17/2010)

2010-04-22T21:51:00.004-04:00

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - The 2010 Mattress Poker Tour season started just like 2009. Last year Bigfus broke through after a frustrating series of second place finishes for her first career victory in the first event of the season, so it was no surprise when she broke her longest career streak without a cash with a victory in this year's season opener. Runner-up, Janek13, also returned to form, with his first cash since recording his first career victory in last season's second event, while Sass continued her remarkable streak of consistency, with her sixth cash in the last eight MPT events, dating back to the beginning of last season.

There was little action in the early stages of the tournament, as most players began carefully in the early blind levels. All seven participants were still alive at the first break and continued that way well into the tournament. Janek13 was the most active player in the early rounds, once showing a bluff with 7-2 to win a small pot, but Betdponies, fueled by the second Royal Flush in MPT history, looked like the early favorite after taking a big pot from Janek13 and holding the chip lead at the break. Within minutes of the Royal Flush, Harv29 drew a straight flush to win another substantial pot with a big hand and also position himself to take a run at his first victory in more than a year.

Chip stacks at first break

Betdponies = 4,750
Harv29 = 3,375
Sass = 2,200
Bigfus = 2,150
Janek13 = 1,925
RowanB = 1,575
Cocktail Master = 1,525

As the blinds grew large, the action picked up. With a mostly veteran field, most players realized they had to take chances to chip up. Early chip leader Janek13 was the first to put his tournament life at risk, as he survived an all-in on the turn against Betdponies. RowanB was next to take his chances against the chip leader, calling an all-in from the big blind after it was folded to Betdponies in the small blind. RowanB's Qh 9s held up against Qs 2s, and he was nearly back to his starting stack, while Betdponies chip lead was gone. Harv29 was next to take his chances against Betdponies, when he moved all-in with A-K and Betdponies called with A-Jo. A flop of Q-10-9 made things exciting, but blanks on the turn and river kept Harv29 alive and put Betdponies in peril. Janek13 put an end to Betdponies' fall from grace, when his A-J held up against A-6 to make the one-time chip leader the first player to head to the rail.

Janek13 upped the aggression with his chip lead, but it was a hand he did not play that proved to be the key to the tournament. After a short-stacked Cocktail Master, making her MPT debut, limped most of her stack into the pot with Ks 8h and Sass moved all-in with Qc Jc and then Bigfus called with Ac 9c, then Cocktail Master reluctantly called. Sass put both players at risk, but Bigfus survived after hitting an ace on the flop and surviving a straight draw. The hand eliminated Cocktail Master and vaulted Bigfus into contention, while taking a big bite out of Sass' chip stack.

RowanB fell victim to a dwindling chip stack, when his J-To lost a race against Harv29's small pocket pair. The fifth place finish ended RowanB's cash streak at four events, falling short of Bigfus' record six cashes in a row. Harv29 and Sass also busted, leaving the winners of the first two events of 2009, Bigfus and Janek13, to battle to be the first champion of 2010. After a patient heads-up battle, Bigfus called Janek13's all-in with Ks Jc and beat his Qc 9s to take the title. A disappointingly subdued celebration followed.

The win for Bigfus makes her the fifth player in 22 MPT events to win more than one tournament and keeps her ahead of Sass for the most all-time cashes with eleven. Bigfus also tied her personal bests for a single event, with 16 points and four kills, while Betdponies broke a tie with Baccarat King to become the first player to finish in last place five times.

The results:

Bigfus
Janek13
Sass
Harv29
RowanB
Cocktail Master
Betdponies

Sass Tops 2009 MPT Money List

2010-01-17T17:46:00.003-05:00

In a season where no player won more than one Mattress Poker Tour (MPT) event, consistency paid off for Sass. A third place finish in the season opening event, followed by four second places in the next five tournaments fueled Sass' run toward Player of the Year and Rising Star; you can now add 2009 money leader to her list of accomplishments.

Sass' $320 earned in this season's tournaments fell just five dollars short of the single season record $325, earned by Bigfus during the 2008 season, which included one more tournament than this year. Averaging nearly $46 per event led to a profitable season for the MPT's most accomplished veteran yet to take home a trophy and moved Sass to withing striking distance of Bigfus for the all-time money lead, with $495 in career earnings.

Here is the complete list of money leaders for the 2009 season.

1. Sass ($320)
2. RowanB ($220)
3. Trojanrabbit ($185)
4. Betdponies ($135)
5. TSS777 ($130)
6. Syrorange3042 ($120)
7. Ghosthunter ($115)
8. Bigfus ($110)
8. Stan ($110)
10. Janek13 ($105)
11. Harv29 ($90)
12. Whispering Eye ($45)
13. Sionow ($40)
13. Judykq ($40)
15. Tennis_bum ($5)
15. Ging ($5)
15. Amazon ($5)

Sass wins 2009 MPT “Rising Star” award

2010-01-16T17:39:00.002-05:00

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - The 2009 MPT Player of the Year also earned the MPT “Rising Star” award for her consistent play in 2009. Sass cashed in five of seven events, placing second four times and placing third once. Her 69 Player of the Year points were a 27 point increase from the previous year, where she had one second and one fourth place finish in eight events. Sass also broke Amazon’s year old record for average points per event in a single season, averaging 9.9 points for every tournament she entered this year. She also topped the 2009 money list with $320 in earnings, easily topping her previous year of $90 and almost tying the season record for earnings, $325 held by Bigfus.

While still seeking her first MPT victory, Sass proved she will be a force to be reckoned with in future MPT events.

Sass Wins MPT Player of The Year in Surprisingly Close Race

2010-01-13T21:55:00.002-05:00

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – When the 2009 Mattress Poker Tour (MPT) Main Event began most players figured finalizing the Player of the Year race was a mere formality. Following a remarkably consistent season, which included five cashes in the first six events of the season, Sass held a commanding nineteen point lead when the first hand was dealt. Only one player, RowanB, was close enough to even have a chance to catch her in the season standings, and he had not won a MPT tournament since April, 2008. The MPT’s web site reported on the slim chances for the Sealy Cup to fall from Sass’ grasp (http://mptpoker.blogspot.com/2009/11/is-sealy-cup-locked-up-almost-but-not.html), noting that Sass earned double-digit point totals in the last five events of the season, while RowanB only earned ten or more points four times in his entire MPT career. Trouble is, sometimes things never turn out to be as easy as they look.

In the early stages of the Main Event RowanB thought his chances were over after he failed to eliminate either of the first two players, which prevented him from earning the valuable “kill” points to move up in the standings. However, things got much more interesting when Sass was the third player to bust in the tournament and RowanB was the player to knock her out. This was the first time since October, 2008 that Sass failed to make a deep run in a MPT tournament. As the tournament went on and RowanB busted more players and built a big stack few in the crowd realized just how close he came to winning his first Sealy Cup. Ultimately, it may have been Sass’ husband, Betdponies, who locked up the Player of the Year for her, when he eliminated Judykq in third place in the Main Event. One more kill point would have earned RowanB a tie, as when the final point totals were added up he had 68 Player of the Year points. Sass earned 69.

Despite the anxious moments at the end, Sass earned her first Sealy Cup with cash after cash after cash. Her third place in the season’s first event at the Showboat in June got her rolling. She then began a string of four second place finishes in five events, interrupted only by a sixth place finish in Las Vegas, where she was busted by Trojanrabbit’s pocket aces late at the final table. While Sass is still seeking her first MPT title, she accomplished something neither of the two previous Main Event Champions have ever done in becoming Player of the Year. She joins TSS777 and Harv29 as the third recipient of the Sealy Cup.

The MPT congratulates Sass, 2009 Mattress Poker Tour Player of the Year.

Here are the complete "Sealy Cup" point standings for the 2009 season.

1. Sass (69)
2. RowanB (68)
3. Betdponies (51)
4. Harv29 (45)
5. Bigfus (36)
6. TSS777 (33)
7. Trojanrabbit (30)
8. Syrorange3042 (26)
9. Stan (22)
9. Janek13 (22)
11. Judykq (18)
12. Ghosthunter (16)
13. Sionow (15)
14. Tennis_bum (11)
15. Whispering Eye (9)
15. NMchop (9)
17. Dorianmac (8)
18. Ging (7)
18. Amazon (7)
20. Eileen (5)
20. Civicmon (5)
22. Big Jer (4)
22. JTinLV (4)
24. Baccarat King (3)
25. Noahcat (2)
26. Mrs. TSS777 (1)
26. Hammah (1)

Assorted Statistics Following 2009 Main Event

2010-01-11T01:26:00.004-05:00

Judykq and Syrorange3042 became the 20th and 21st players to participate in more than one MPT event
RowanB became the fourth player in MPT history to win more than one event
Bigfus became the fifth player in MPT history to finish in last place in more than one event
RowanB moved into a tie for second place in all-time career cashes with Sass, each with 9
Betdponies moved into solo position of 5th place on the all-time cash list with 6, now one ahead of TSS777
Judkq became the 21st player to cash in a MPT event
Sass's one-point victory in the Player of the Year race tied TSS777's 2007 title for the closest margin of victory in the Sealy Cup race
RowanB's second place marked his second consecutive year of improving on his place in the Sealy Cup standings, moving from fifth to third before this season's runner-up finish
Betdponies jumps to third place in the Player of the Year race after his second cash in the last four events
Harv29 secured fourth place in the Player of the Year standings with his second cash of the season and second consecutive Main Event cash
Bigfus falls to fifth in the Player of the Year standings after her third straight early exit
Syrorange3042 cracks the top ten in the Player of the Year race, moving up to eighth place, despite playing in only two events
RowanB and Harv29 each pass Sass on the all-time points leader race, with RowanB moving into first place and Harv29 into second place in that category
RowanB's fourth consecutive cash is the second longest streak in MPT history, trailing only Bigfus' amazing run of six straight cashes starting in the 2008 season and continuing through her victory in June, 2009
Baccarat King's early exit marked his sixth consecutive failure to cash in a MPT event he has played, one short of RowanB for the most tournaments in a row without making the money
Bigfus also failed to cash in her sixth straight event, having not reached the money since her win in June, 2009, following a string of 8 cashes in 9 events
RowanB's four kills tied him with several other players for the sixth most in a single MPT event and moved him into sole position of second place on the all-time list, trailing only Betdponies
RowanB eliminated a player for the fifth consecutive event, continuing the longest such streak in MPT history
RowanB's eleven kills during 2009 was one short of Harv29's single season record, set during the 2008 season
Betdponies three kills brought his season total to ten, making him only the third player in MPT history to earn double-digit kills in a single season
RowanB's 21 points were the third most in a single MPT event, trailing only Trojanrabbit and Stan, who both set their records in the largest field in MPT history in July, 2009
Betdponies' seventeen points was the seventh highest total in a single MPT event

Pictures from MPT 2009 Main Event

2010-01-11T01:04:00.005-05:00

Pictures from MPT 2009 Main Event (Event #7), held in Atlantic City, New Jersey in the Borgata Casino Hotel and Spa on Monday, December 28, 2009.

Before the tournament, players celebrated a new arrival to the Tournament Director's family

The MPT Monkey stands (sits) guard over (under) the coveted Main Event trophy

TSS777 deals, while Betdponies and RowanB (Richards) look on in the late stages of the event

Still three-handed, Judykq hangs in against RowanB and Betdponies, while TSS77 deals and Syrorange3042 watches

RowanB watches his opponent bet during heads-up play

The pivotal hands in heads-up play, as RowanB turns over his 10-7 suited, revealing he was ahead of Betdponies 6-4s

The final cards from the final hand, where RowanB's K-7 held up against Betdponies' J-7

The new champion, his cash and his new trophy

Harv29 presents the third Main Event bracelet to the second Main Event Champion

The future MPT champ (Harv30? Harvette29?) rests with the MPT Monkey after the event

MPT 2009 #7 - Main Event, Borgata (12/28/2009)

2010-01-11T00:57:00.002-05:00

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – This year’s MPT Champion did not come as a complete surprise, but not many people expected RowanB to take home the Main Event trophy last month. After failing to cash in the last four events of 2008 and the first three events of 2009, it looked like RowanB had lost the form that made him a Player of the Year candidate early in the 2008 season and looked more like the player who finished in last place in three of his first six MPT events (and second to last in another). An agonizing loss on the bubble in Las Vegas against Trojanrabbit’s pocket aces could have made 2009 a lost year for one of the MPT’s season veterans, but RowanB regained his lost confidence at his own tournament during this year’s ECLVA Fall Classic, when he began a series of four straight cashes, culminating in December’s Main Event victory.

The tournament started with Baccarat King providing the early action, losing a big pot to TSS777 and taking those chips back and then some before the end of the first blind level. Baccarat King also crippled Bigfus early in the event and took what appeared to be a commanding chip lead. Baccarat King was looking like the player who ran over a field of MPT veterans back in October, 2007, but lost a series of big pots to fall back into the pack before eventually falling out just after the short-stacked Bigfus finally was the first player eliminated for the second time in her last four events. Both former MPT champs, Bigfus and Baccarat King, finished out of the money for the sixth straight event, one short of RowanB’s record seven straight tournaments without a cash.

With Amazon knocking out Bigfus and Har29 eliminating Baccarat King, it looked like RowanB’s run at Player of the Year was just about over. Despite cashing in the three previous events, recording kills in the last four events, and never finishing more than two spots out of the money since the first event of the season, Sass’ amazingly consistent season of four second place finishes and one third in the first six events of the year barely left the door ajar for the biggest comeback since the Sealy Cup was first presented after the 2007 season. However, a fortuitous flop for RowanB ended Sass’ day early in the Main Event and by eliminating the Player of the Year leader, he kept his slim hopes for the season championship alive.

It appeared for a while that two-time MPT champion Amazon might be poised for another run at a championship, but both she and TSS777 fell victim to Betdponies. Those two kills not only vaulted to three-time defending Main Event Champion back into contention to win again, but all but sealed his wife’s Player of the Year title. RowanB took the chip lead in the later stages of the tournament, but failed to translate this edge into the early kills he needed to overtake Sass for the season title. Still, it was shaping up to be an interesting battle in the later stages of the tournament.

Betdponies had a lot of momentum going in the late stages of the event, but never could amass enough chips to run over the table as he has done many times. However, despite his chip disadvantage, he did have the positional advantage over RowanB, as the two MPT regulars were the most aggressive remaining players and appeared to be the favorites to win as the bubble loomed. 2009 ECLVA Fall Classic champion Syrorange3042 was next the fall, as both he and Harv29 fell victim to RowanB’s bigger chip stack after calling preflop all-ins. The Tournament Director, Harv29, appeared ready to double back into contention, but a runner-runner straight sent him to the rail in fourth place.

Following those two eliminations, only Judykq stood between a heads-up battle between two MPT regulars, but she didn’t seem too eager to let that happen. She had played a patient tournament up to that point, not putting her chip stack at risk until she was forced to, but also not being afraid to move all of her chips in with an above average hand in the late stages. She doubled through RowanB at one point when he called her preflop all-in with a smaller pair than she showed, but eventually fell victim to Betdponies. In the process, she continued the trend of at least one woman cashing in every MPT Main Event and also for the sixteenth time in the last seventeen events (with this year’s Las Vegas spectacular being the only event in that stretch where all the money went to the men in the field).

With two experienced players and the blinds and antes representing such a big portion of each player’s stack the heads-up battle didn’t figure to last very long, but after a quick double up when Betdponies had an ace in the big blind against RowanB’s king in the small blind it took a while before we saw a flop. Each player moved all-in a few times, with Betdponies being a little more aggressive and eventually overcoming his chip deficit to take the lead when he chose to call RowanB’s all-in with 6-4 suited. RowanB showed 10-7 suited and his hand held up, leaving Betdponies with fewer chips than the blinds. Shortly afterwards, RowanB’s K-7 finished off Betdponies who turned over J-7 and the MPT crowned a new Main Event Champion for the first time since 2006.

RowanB’s victory broke a string of thirteen straight tournaments between victories, the longest in MPT history. His win plus four “kills” almost allowed to close the gap from to a single point behind Sass for the MPT Player of the Year, where going into the Main Event he trailed by 19. The one point margin of victory by Sass ties the previous closest margin by TSS777 in 2006, where he edged out Betdponies, 20-19 (places 1 to 7 were all separated by 1 point). The win moved RowanB to second place on the 2009 money list with $220, behind Sass’ $320, and moved him moves into first place in career points with 140, leading Harv29 (129). RowanB also became the fourth player in MPT history to win more than one series event - joining Betdponies, TSS777, and Amazon – while also extending his record to five straight events with at least one “kill”. Bigfus became the fifth player to finish in last place in more than one MPT event.

The results:

RowanB
Betdponies
Judykq
Harv29
Syrorange3042
Tss777
Amazon
Sass
Baccarat King
Bigfus

MPT All-Time Single Event Points Leaders

2010-01-02T21:17:00.011-05:00

A complete list of players who have earned more than ten points in an individual MPT event, with the number of Sealy Cup points earned listed after each player's name.

TOP POINT TOTALS

1. TSS777, Las Vegas Hilton (8/1/2010), 31
2. Trojanrabbit, Rio Las Vegas (8/2/2009), 30
3. Harv29, Palazzo Las Vegas (8/1/2011), 23
4. Stan, Rio Las Vegas (8/2/2009), 22
4. TSS777, Bally's AC Main Event (12/28/2010), 22
4. Betdponies, Palazzo Las Vegas (8/1/2011), 22
7. RowanB, Borgata Main Event (12/28/2009), 21
7. Betdponies, Trump Taj Mahal (11/13/2010), 21
9. Syrorange3042, Stone Harbor, NJ (9/26/2009), 20
9. Hammah, Las Vegas Hilton (8/1/2010), 20

OTHER POINT TOTALS

19 Points
Amazon, Showboat HoB (7/6/2008)
Bigfus, Stone Harbor, NJ (10/8/2011)

18 Points
Harv29, Rio Las Vegas (8/2/2009)
Mr. Lucky, Stone Harbor, NJ (10/8/2011)

17 Points
Betdponies, Borgata Main Event (12/28/2009)
Harv29, Las Vegas Hilton (8/1/2010)

16 Points
Bigfus, Showboat Orleans Tower (6/13/2009)
Janek13, Bally's AC (7/3/2009)
Ghosthunter, Caesars AC (11/21/2009)
Bigfus, Harrah's Waterfront Tower (4/17/2010)
TSS777, Bally's Claridge Tower (7/2/2010)
2timeace, Las Vegas Hilton (8/1/2010)
Sass, Stone Harbor, NJ (9/25/2010)
Bigfus, Trump Taj Mahal (11/13/2010)
Bigfus, Bally's AC Main Event (12/28/2010)
RowanB, Borgata Water Club (11/19/2011)

15 Points
Sionow, Rio Las Vegas (8/2/2009)
Sass, Stone Harbor, NJ (9/26/2009)
TSS777, Caesars AC (10/3/2009)

14.5 Points
TSS777, Caesars AC (5/28/2011)

14 Points
Baccarat King, Showboat AC (10/20/2007)
"E", Showboat HoB, (7/6/2008)
Scurvydog, Main Street Station (8/9/2008)
Harv29, Caesars AC (11/22/2008)
Betdponies, , Showboat Main Event (12/28/2008)
RowanB, Rio Las Vegas (8/2/2009)
Betdponies, Stone Harbor, NJ (9/26/2009)
Bigfus, Resorts AC (10/23/2010)
Demon, Bally's AC Main Event (12/28/2010)
Bigfus, Bally's AC (7/2/2011)

13 Points
RowanV, Stone Harbor, NJ (6/7/2008)
RowanB, Showboat HoB, (7/6/2008)
Bigfus, Stone Harbor, NJ (9/25/2010)
Bigfus, Palazzo Las Vegas (8/1/2011)

12 Points
TSS777, Showboat HoB (7/5/2007)
Sass, Caesars AC (11/21/2009)
Bigfus, Bally's Claridge Tower (7/2/2010)
Sass, Resorts AC (10/23/2010)
Harv29, Caesars AC (5/28/2011)
Betdponies, Stone Harbor, NJ (10/8/2011)

11 Points
Civicmon, Showboat Main Event (12/28/2008)
Sass, Bally's AC (7/3/2009)
Tennis_bum, Rio Las Vegas (8/2/2009)
Sass, Rio Las Vegas (8/2/2009)
RowanB, Caesars AC (11/21/2009)
Judykq, Borgata Main Event (12/28/2009)
Sass, Las Vegas Hilton (8/1/2010)
Harv29, Stone Harbor, NJ (9/25/2010)
Harv29, Trump Taj Mahal (11/13/2010)
Mr. Lucky, Borgata Water Club (11/19/2011)

10 Points
Sass, Showboat HoB, (7/6/2008)
Bigfus, Main Street Station (8/9/2008)
RowanB, Main Street Station (8/9/2008)
Amazon, Stone Harbor, NJ (9/27/2008)
TSS777, Bally's AC (10/25/2008)
Sass, Caesars AC (10/3/2009)
Janek13, Harrah's Waterfront Tower (4/17/2010)
Amazon, Las Vegas Hilton (8/1/2010)
Civicmon, Trump Taj Mahal (11/13/2010)
RowanB, Bally's AC Main Event (12/28/2010)
Tennis_bum, Palazzo Las Vegas (8/1/2011)
Bigfus, Harrah's AC Waterfront Tower (9/3/2011)
Betdponies, Harrah's AC Waterfront Tower (9/3/2011)

NOTE: Starting in the 2009 season, the scoring system was changed to award bonus points to individuals who "cash" in an event.

MPT All-Time "Kills"

2010-01-02T21:14:00.019-05:00

A complete list of players who eliminated others players at each MPT event, with the number of "kills" listed after each player's name.

TOP SINGLE EVENT KILLS

1. TSS777, Las Vegas Hilton (8/1/2010), 9

2. Trojanrabbit, Rio Las Vegas (8/2/2009), 7

3. Baccarat King, Showboat Bourbon Tower (10/20/2007), 6
3. Amazon, Showboat HoB (7/6/2008), 6
3. Betdponies, Palazzo Las Vegas (8/1/2011), 6

6. TSS777, Showboat HoB (7/5/2007), 5
6. Harv29, Caesars AC (11/22/2008), 5

8. Betdponies, Bally's AC (3/17/2007), 4
8. RowanV, Stone Harbor ECLVA Spring Classic (6/7/2008), 4
8. Betdponies, Showboat Main Event (12/28/2008), 4
8. Scurvydog, Main Street Station (8/9/2008), 4
8. Bigfus, Showboat Orleans Tower (6/13/2009), 4
8. RowanB, Borgata Main Event (12/28/2009), 4
8. Bigfus, Harrah's Waterfront Tower (4/17/2010), 4
8. Betdponies, Trump Taj Mahal (11/13/2010), 4
8. TSS777, Bally's AC Main Event (12/28/2010), 4
8. Harv29, Palazzo Las Vegas (8/1/2011), 4
8. Betdponies, Harrah's AC Waterfront Tower (9/3/2011), 4
8. Mr. Lucky, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (10/8/2011), 4

OTHER SINGLE EVENT KILLS

3 Kills

Betdponies, Trump Plaza Main Event (12/27/2006)
Sweeney, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (9/15/2007)
Betdponies, Harrah's Main Event (12/27/2007)
RowanB, Bally's AC (4/27/2008)
Amazon, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (9/27/2008)
Ging, Caesars AC (11/22/2008)
Janek13, Bally's AC (7/3/2009)
Betdponies, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (9/26/2009)
Syrorange3042, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (9/26/2009)
TSS777, Caesars AC (10/3/2009)
RowanB, Caesars AC (11/21/2009)
Betdponies, Borgata Main Event (12/28/2009)
TSS777, Bally's Claridge Tower (7/2/2010)
2timeace, Las Vegas Hilton (8/1/2010)
Harv29, Caesars AC (5/28/2011)
Amazon, Bally's AC (7/2/2011)
RowanB, Borgata Water Club (11/19/2011)

2.5 Kills
TSS777, Caesars AC (5/28/2011)

2 Kills
TSS777, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (9/15/2007)
Harv29, Stone Harbor ECLVA Summer Classic (6/7/2008)
"E", Showboat HoB (7/6/2008)
RowanB, Showboat HoB (7/6/2008)
RowanB, Main Street Station (8/9/2008)
Harv29, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (9/27/2008)
Ging, Bally's AC (10/25/2008)
Civicmon, Showboat Main Event (12/28/2008)
Harv29, Showboat Main Event (12/28/2008)
Betdponies, Bally's AC (7/3/2009)
RowanB, Rio Las Vegas (8/2/2009)
Stan, Rio Las Vegas (8/2/2009)
Betdponies, Caesars AC (11/21/2009)
Ghosthunter, Caesars AC (11/21/2009)
Bigfus, Bally's Claridge Tower (7/2/2010)
Sass, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (9/25/2010)
Bigfus, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (9/25/2010)
Harv29, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (9/25/2010)
Betdponies, Resorts AC (10/23/2010)
RowanB, Resorts AC (10/23/2010)
Sass, Resorts AC (10/23/2010)
Civicmon, Trump Taj Mahal (11/13/2010)
Bigfus, Trump Taj Mahal (11/13/2010)
Demon, Bally's AC Main Event (12/28/2010)
JudyKQ, Bally's AC Main Event (12/28/2010)
Bigfus, Bally's AC (7/2/2011)
Bigfus, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (10/8/2011)
Trouble, Borgata Water Club (11/19/2011)

1 Kill
Bigfus, Trump Plaza Main Event (12/27/2006)
Harv29, Trump Plaza Main Event (12/27/2006)
Baccarat King, Showboat HoB (7/5/2007)
Meridith, Showboat Bourbon Tower (10/20/2007)
Sass, Harrah's Main Event (12/27/2007)
Sweeney, Harrah's Main Event (12/27/2007)
Bigfus, Bally's AC (4/27/2008)
Just Jason, Stone Harbor ECLVA Spring Classic (6/7/2008)
Sass, Stone Harbor ECLVA Spring Classic (6/7/2008)
Civicmon, Showboat HoB (7/6/2008)
Dave, Showboat HoB (7/6/2008)
Bigfus, Main Street Station (8/9/2008)
Harv29, Main Street Station (8/9/2008)
JTinLV, Main Street Station (8/9/2008)
Betdponies, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (9/27/2008)
Bigfus, Bally's AC (10/25/2008)
RowanB, Bally's AC (10/25/2008)
TSS777, Bally's AC (10/25/2008)
RowanV, Showboat Main Event (12/28/2008)
Harv29, Showboat Orleans Tower (6/13/2009)
Sass, Showboat Orleans Tower (6/13/2009)
Sass, Bally's AC (7/3/2009)
TSS777, Bally's AC (7/3/2009)
Bigfus, Rio Las Vegas (8/2/2009)
Harv29, Rio Las Vegas (8/2/2009
Sionow, Rio Las Vegas (8/2/2009)
Tennis_bum, Rio Las Vegas (8/2/2009)
Ging, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (9/26/2009)
Sass, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (9/26/2009)
RowanB, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (9/26/2009)
Bigfus, Caesars AC (10/3/2009)
RowanB, Caesars AC (10/3/2009)
Sass, Caesars AC (10/3/2009)
Sass, Caesars AC (11/21/2009)
Amazon, Borgata Main Event (12/28/2009)
Harv29, Borgata Main Event (12/28/2009)
Janek13, Harrah's Waterfront Tower (4/17/2010)
Harv29, Harrah's Waterfront Tower (4/17/2010)
Pixie, Bally's Claridge Tower (7/2/2010)
Sass, Bally's Claridge Tower (7/2/2010)
Hammah, Las Vegas Hilton (8/1/2010)
Harv29, Las Vegas Hilton (8/1/2010)
Syrorange3042, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (9/25/2010)
Pixie, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (9/25/2010)
Bigfus, Resorts AC (10/23/2010)
Sherlock, Trump Taj Mahal (11/13/2010)
RowanB, Bally's AC Main Event (12/28/2010)
Bigfus, Bally's AC Main Event (12/28/2010)
Harv29, Bally's AC (7/2/2011)
Sionow, Palazzo Las Vegas (8/1/2011)
Bigfus, Harrah's AC Waterfront Tower (9/3/2011)
Betdponies, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (10/8/2011)
RowanB, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (10/8/2011)
Harv29, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (10/8/2011)
Mr. Lucky, Borgata Water Club (11/19/2011)
Bigfus, Borgata Water Club (11/19/2011)

0.5 Kills
Bigfus, Caesars AC (5/28/2011)

MPT All-Time Cashes

2010-01-02T21:00:00.014-05:00

A complete list of players who have won money at each MPT event, with the amount of money won listed after each player's name.

TOP CASHES

1. Trojanrabbit, Rio Las Vegas (8/2/2009), $185
2. TSS777, Las Vegas Hilton (8/1/2010), $180
3. Amazon, Showboat HoB (7/6/2008), $155
4. Harv29, Palazzo Las Vegas (8/1/2011), $140
5. Harv29, Caesars AC (11/22/2008), $130

6. RowanB, Borgata Main Event (12/28/2009), $125
6. Betdponies, Trump Taj Mahal (11/13/2010), $125

8. Betdponies, Showboat Main Event (12/28/2008), $120
8. Syrorange3042, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (9/26/2009), $120
8. Sass, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (9/25/2010), $120
8. TSS777, Bally's AC Main Event (12/28/2010), $120
8. Bigfus, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (10/8/2011), $120

13. TSS777, Showboat HoB (7/5/2007), $115
13. RowanV, Stone Harbor ECLVA Spring Classic (6/7/2008), $115
13. Scurvydog, Main Street Station (8/9/2008), $115
13. Ghosthunter, Caesars AC (11/21/2009), $115

17. Stan, Rio Las Vegas (8/2/2009), $110
17. Bigfus, Showboat AC (6/13/2009), $110

19. Betdponies, Harrah's Main Event (12/27/2007), $105
19. Amazon, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (9/27/2008), $105
19. Janek13, Bally's AC (7/3/2009), $105
19. TSS777, Bally's Claridge Tower (7/2/2010), $105

23. TSS777, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (9/15/2007), $100
23. Baccarat King, Showboat AC (10/20/2007), $100
23. Hammah, Las Vegas Hilton (8/1/2010), $100
23. Bigfus, Bally's AC Main Event (12/28/2010), $100
23. RowanB, Borgata Water Club (11/19/2011), $100

OTHER RESULTS

$95
TSS777, Caesars AC Centurion Tower (5/28/2011)
Bigus, Bally's AC (7/2/2011)
Bigfus, Harrah's AC Waterfront Tower (9/3/2011)

$90
"E", Showboat HoB (7/6/2008)
TSS777, Bally's AC (10/25/2009)
TSS777, Caesars AC (10/3/2009)
Sass, Caesars AC (11/21/2009)
Bigfus, Harrah's AC (4/17/2010)
Bigfus, Resorts AC (10/23/2010)

$85
RowanB, Bally's AC (4/27/2008)
Mr. Lucky, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (10/8/2011)

$80
Civicmon, Showboat Main Event (12/28/2008)
Sass, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (9/26/2009)
Betdponies, Borgata Main Event (12/28/2009)
Bigfus, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (9/25/2010)
Sass, Resorts AC (10/23/2010)
Betdponies, Palazzo Las Vegas (8/1/2011)

$75
Betdponies, Trump Plaza Main Event (12/27/2006)
Bigfus, Trump Plaza Main Event (12/27/2006)
Bigfus, Trump Taj Mahal (11/13/2010)

$70
Bigfus, Stone Harbor ECLVA Spring Classic (6/7/2008)
Harv29, Rio Las Vegas (8/2/2009)
Mr. Lucky, Borgata Water Club (11/19/2011)

$65
Bigfus, Main Street Station (8/9/2008)
Harv29, Las Vegas Hilton (8/1/2010)

$60
Betdponies, Bally's AC (3/17/2007)
RowanB, Showboat AC (10/20/2007)
Sass, Bally's AC (7/3/2009)
Sass, Caesars AC (10/3/2009)
Bigfus, Bally's Claridge Tower (7/2/2010)
Harv29, Caesars AC Centurion Tower (5/28/2011)

$55
RowanB, Showboat HoB (7/6/2008)
Sass, Caesars AC (11/22/2008)
Janek13, Harrah's AC (4/17/2010)
TSS777, Bally's AC (7/2/2011)
Bigfus, Palazzo Las Vegas (8/1/2011)
Betdponies, Harrah's AC Waterfront Tower (9/3/2011)

$50
Sweeney, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (9/15/2007)
Betdponies, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (9/26/2009)
Demon, Bally's AC Main Event (12/28/2010)
Trouble, Borgata Water Club (11/19/2011)

$45
Sass, Harrah's Main Event (12/27/2007)
Harv29, Stone Harbor ECLVA Spring Classic (6/7/2008)
Harv29, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (9/27/2008)
Bigfus, Bally's AC (10/25/2009)
Whispering Eye, Showboat AC (6/13/2009)
RowanB, Caesars AC (11/21/2009)

$40
Harv29, Bally's AC (3/17/2007)
Sass, Showboat AC (10/20/2007)
Bigfus, Bally's AC (4/27/2008)
JTinLV, Main Street Station (8/9/2008)
RowanB, Main Street Station (8/9/2008)
Bigfus, Caesars AC (11/22/2008)
Bigfus, Showboat Main Event (12/28/2008)
TSS777, Bally's AC (7/3/2009)
Sionow, Rio Las Vegas (8/2/2009)
Judykq, Borgata Main Event (12/28/2009)
Sass, Bally's Claridge Tower (7/2/2010)
2timeace, Las Vegas Hilton (8/1/2010)
Harv29, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (9/25/2010)
RowanB, Resorts AC (10/23/2010)
Harv29, Trump Taj Mahal (11/13/2010)
Betdponies, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (10/8/2011)

$35
Sass, Showboat HoB (7/6/2008)
Sass, Caesars AC Centurion Tower (5/28/2011)
Harv29, Bally's AC (7/2/2011)

$30
Harv29, Showboat Main Event (12/28/2008)
Sass, Showboat AC (6/13/2009)
RowanB, Caesars AC (10/3/2009)
Sass, Harrah's AC (4/17/2010)
RowanB, Bally's AC Main Event (12/28/2010)
Tennis_bum, Palazzo Las Vegas (8/1/2011)

$25
Bigfus, Bally's AC (3/17/2007)
RowanB, Showboat HoB (7/5/2007)
Dave, Showboat HoB (7/5/2007)
Harv29, Main Street Station (8/9/2008)
Bigfus, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (9/27/2008)
Civicmon, Trump Taj Mahal (11/13/2010)
TSS777, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (10/8/2011)

$20
TSS777, Caesars AC (11/22/2008)
RowanB, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (9/26/2009)
Harv29, Borgata Main Event (12/28/2009)

$10
Baccarat King, Showboat HoB (7/5/2007)
Ging, Bally's AC (10/25/2009)

$5
Dave, Showboat HoB (7/6/2008)
RowanB, Bally's AC (10/25/2009)
RowanB, Showboat Main Event (12/28/2008)
Tennis_bum, Rio Las Vegas (8/2/2009)
Ging, Stone Harbor ECLVA Fall Classic (9/26/2009)
Betdponies, Caesars AC (11/21/2009)
Amazon, Borgata Main Event (12/28/2009)
JudyKQ, Bally's AC Main Event (12/28/2010)
2timeace, Palazzo Las Vegas (8/1/2011)

NOTE: This list also includes prize money from earning bounties in addition to "cashing" in the tournament, but does not include money from side bets.

MPT All-Time Field Sizes

2010-01-02T20:34:00.010-05:00

A complete list of the field sizes for each MPT event, with the number of players listed after the description of each event.

Largest Events
1. MPT 2009 #3 - Las Vegas Spectacular II - Rio Las Vegas (8/2/2009) - 16
2. MPT 2010 #3 - Las Vegas Spectacular III - Las Vegas Hilton (8/1/2010) - 15
3. MPT 2008 #3 - Showboat House of Blues (7/6/2008) - 13
4. MPT 2011 #3 - Las Vegas Spectacular IV - Palazzo Las Vegas (8/1/2011) - 12
5. MPT 2010 Main Event - Bally's AC (12/28/2010) - 11

Other Events
10 Players
MPT 2008 #4 - Las Vegas Spectacular I - Main Street Station (8/9/2008) - 10
MPT 2008 Main Event - Showboat Orleans Tower (12/28/2008) - 10
MPT 2009 #4 - ECLVA Fall Classic - Stone Harbor, NJ (9/26/2009) - 10
MPT 2009 Main Event - Borgata Casino Resort and Spa (12/28/2009) - 10
MPT 2010 #6 - Trump Taj Mahal (11/13/2010) - 10
MPT 2011 #5 - ECLVA Fall Classic - Stone Harbor, NJ (10/8/2011) - 10

9 Players
MPT 2008 #2 - ECLVA Spring Classic - Stone Harbor, NJ (6/7/2008)
MPT 2008 #7 - Clash at Caesars (11/22/2008)
MPT 2009 #6 - Return to Caesars AC (11/21/2009)
MPT 2010 #4 - ECLVA Fall Classic - Stone Harbor, NJ (9/25/2010)

8 Players
MPT 2007 #4 - Showdown at Showboat (10/20/2007)
MPT 2009 #2 - Bally's Beach Bash (7/3/2009)
MPT 2010 #2 - Bally's Claridge (7/2/2010)
MPT 2010 #5 - Resorts Atlantic City (10/23/2010)
MPT 2011 #6 - Borgata Water Club (11/19/2011)

7 Players
MPT 2007 #2 - Showboat House of Blues (7/5/2007)
MPT 2008 #5 - ECLVA Fall Classic - Stone Harbor, NJ (9/27/2008)
MPT 2009 #1 - Showdown at Showboat (6/13/2009)
MPT 2009 #5 - Clash at Caesars (10/3/2009)
MPT 2010 #1 - Harrah's AC Waterfront Tower (4/17/2010)
MPT 2011 #1 - Caesars Atlantic City Centurion Tower (5/28/2011)
MPT 2011 #2 - Bally's Atlantic City (7/2/2011)

6 Players
MPT 2006 Main Event - Trump Plaza (12/27/2006)
MPT 2007 #3 - ECLVA Fall Classic - Stone Harbor, NJ (9/15/2007)
MPT 2007 Main Event - Harrah's Atlantic City (12/27/2008)
MPT 2008 #6 - Back to Bally's (10/25/2008)
MPT 2011 #4 - Harrah's Atlantic City Waterfront Tower (9/3/2011)

5 Players
MPT 2007 #1 - Battle at Bally's (3/17/2009)
MPT 2008 #1 - Brannigan at Bally (4/27/2008)

MPT Career Money List

2010-01-02T20:26:00.025-05:00

A complete list of the all-time money list for each player to win money in a MPT event, with the winnings in parenthesis following each player's name.

1. Bigfus ($1,510)
2. Tss777 ($1,065)
3. Harv29 ($830)
4. Betdponies ($785)
5. Sass ($780)
6. RowanB ($660)
7. Amazon ($265)
8. Trojanrabbit ($185)
8. Ghosthunter ($185)
10. Mr. Lucky ($155)
11. Janek13 ($150)
12. Scurvydog ($120)
12. RowanV ($120)
12. Syrorange3042 ($120)
15. Baccarat King ($110)
15. Stan ($110)
17. Civicmon ($105)
18. Hammah ($100)
19. "E" ($90)
20. Sweeney ($50)
20. Demon ($50)
20. Trouble (50)
23. Whispering Eye ($45)
23. Judykq ($45)
23. 2timeace ($45)
26. JTinLV ($40)
26. Sionow ($40)
28. Tennis_bum ($35)
29. Dave ($30)
30. Ging ($15)

NOTE: The MPT money list leaderboard does not include side bets made by participants, but does include bounties offered as part of the MPT prize pool

MPT Career "Kills" Per Event

2010-01-02T03:20:00.015-05:00

A complete list of the all-time average number of players busted per MPT event, with the number of "kills" per event and number of events played in parenthesis following each player's name. (Players must have played at least six events to qualify)

1. Betdponies (1.50, 28)
2. TSS777 (1.43, 22)
3. Amazon (1.27, 11)
4. Harv29 (0.85, 34)
5. Bigfus (0.84, 34)
6. RowanB (0.76, 34)
7. Baccarat King (0.70, 10)
8. Janek13 (0.44, 9)
9. Sass (0.39, 31)

MPT Career "Kills"

2010-01-02T03:10:00.012-05:00

A complete list of the all-time number of players busted in MPT events, with the number of "kills" in parenthesis following each player's name.

1. Betdponies (42)
2. TSS777 (31.5)
3. Harv29 (29)
4. Bigfus (28.5)
5. RowanB (26)
6. Amazon (14)
7. Sass (12)
8. Baccarat King (7)
8. Trojanrabbit (7)
10. Ging (6)
11. RowanV (5)
11. Civicmon (5)
11. Mr. Lucky (5)
14. Sweeney (4)
14. Scurvydog (4)
14. Janek13 (4)
14. Syrorange3042 (4)
18. 2timeace (3)
19. "E" (2)
19. Stan (2)
19. Ghosthunter (2)
19. Pixie (2)
19. Demon (2)
19. Judykq (2)
19. Trouble (2)
26. Meredith (1)
26. Dave (1)
26. JustJason (1)
26. JTinLV (1)
26. Tennis_bum (1)
26. Sionow (1)
26. Hammah (1)
26. Sherlock (1)

MPT Career Average Finishes

2010-01-02T02:00:00.016-05:00

A complete list of the all-time average finishes by players in MPT events, with the average finish and number of events played in parenthesis following each player's name. (Players must have played at least six events to qualify)

1. Bigfus (3.88, 34)
2. Tss777 (4.05, 22)
3. Harv29 (4.12, 34)
4. Sass (4.52, 31)
5. RowanB (4.68, 34)
6. Betdponies (5.18, 28)
7. Amazon (5.45, 11)
8. Janek (7.13, 8)
9. Baccarat King (8.90, 10)

MPT Career Points Per Event

2010-01-02T01:48:00.015-05:00

A complete list of the all-time total Player of the Year points per event played by players in MPT events, with the number of Sealy Cup points per event and number of events played in parenthesis following each player's name. (Players must have played at least six events to qualify)

1. Tss777 (8.57, 22)
2. Bigfus (8.01. 34)
3. Betdponies (7.04, 28)
4. Harv29 (6.97, 34)
5. Amazon (6.73, 11)
6. Sass (6.45, 31)
7. RowanB (6.21, 34)
8. Janek13 (4.78, 9)
9. Baccarat King (2.70, 10)

NOTE: Starting in the 2009 season, the scoring system was changed to award bonus points to individuals who "cash" in an event.

MPT Career Points Leaders

2010-01-02T01:22:00.012-05:00

A complete list of the all-time total Player of the Year point totals by players in MPT events, with the number of Sealy Cup points earned in parenthesis following each player's name.

1. Bigfus (292.5)
2. Harv29 (248)
3. RowanB (218)
4. Betdponies (202)
5. Sass (201)
6. Tss777 (199.5)
7. Amazon (78)
8. Janek13 (43)
9. Ghosthunter (42)
10. Civicmon (35)
11. Syrorange3042 (33)
12. Trojanrabbit (30)
12. Tennis_bum (30)
12. Judykq (30)
15. Ging (29)
16. Mr. Lucky (29)
17. Sionow (27)
17. Baccarat King (27)
19. 2timeace (24)
20. Stan (22)
21. RowanV (21)
21. Hammah (21)
23. JTinLV (20)
24. Dave (19)
25. Pixie (16)
26. "E" (15)
26. Demon (15)
28. Scurvydog (14)
29. Sweeney (12)
30. Whispering Eye (11)
31. Dorianmac (9)
31. NMchop (9)
31. Trouble (9)
34. Eileen (8)
34. mghenry (8)
36. Sherlock (6)
36. Noahcat (6)
37. Meredith (4)
37. Neil (4)
37. Big Jer (4)
37. Cushla (4)
42. Just Jason (3)
42. Stumerrian (3)
42. Bardolator (3)
45. Cocktail Master (2)
46. DJ Chuck Chillout (1)
46. Fast Harry (1)

NOTE: Starting in the 2009 season, the scoring system was changed to award bonus points to individuals who "cash" in an event.

MPT Career Cashes

2010-01-02T01:03:00.012-05:00

A complete list of the all-time total cashes by players in MPT events, with the number of in-the-money finishes in parenthesis following each player's name.

1. Bigfus (21)
2. Harv29 (15)
3. Sass (14)
4. RowanB (12)
4. Tss777 (12)
6. Betdponies (10)
7. Amazon (2)
7. Janek13 (2)
7. Civicmon (2)
7. Mr. Lucky (2)
7. Ghosthunter (2)
12. Dave (1)
12. Baccarat King (1)
12. RowanV (1)
12. Scurvydog (1)
12. Sweeney (1)
12. "E" (1)
12. Whispering Eye (1)
12. Trojanrabbit (1)
12. Stan (1)
12. Sionow (1)
12. Syrorange3042 (1)
12. Judykq (1)
12. Hammah (1)
12. 2timeace (1)
12. Demon (1)
12. Tennis_bum (1)
12. Trouble (1)

MPT Career Appearances

2010-01-02T00:48:00.013-05:00

A complete list of the all-time total appearances by each player to participate in a MPT event, with the number of events played in parenthesis following each player's name.

1. Bigfus (35*)
1. Harv29 (35*)
3. RowanB (35)
4. Sass (32)
5. Betdponies (29)
6. Tss777 (23)
7. Amazon (12)
8. Baccarat King (10)
9. Janek13 (9)
10. Pixie (5)
10. Ging (5)
12. Civicmon (4)
12. JTinLV (4)
12. Noahcat (4)
12. Dave (4)
12. Judykq (4)
12. Ghosthunter (4)
18. RowanV (3)
18. Syrorange3042 (3)
18. Sionow (3)
18. Tennis_bum (3)
18. 2timeace (3)
23. Sweeney (2)
23. "E" (2)
23. Whispering Eye (2)
23. Dorinamac (2)
23. Hammah (2)
23. Eileen (2)
23. Demon (2)
23. Mr. Lucky (2)
31. Meredith (1)
31. DJ Chuck Chillout (1)
31. Just Jason (1)
31. Neil (1)
31. Scurvydog (1)
31. Big Jer (1)
31. Trojanrabbit (1)
31. Stan (1)
31. NMchop (1)
31. Cocktail Master (1)
31. mghenry (1)
31. Stumerrian (1)
31. Cushla (1)
31. Sherlock (1)
31. Bardolator (1)
31. Fast Harry (1)
31. Trouble (1)

NOTE: Harv29 and Bigfus played in the inaugural MPT event prior to detailed records being tracked, so they are currently the only players credited with playing in all MPT events.

MPT Career Victories

2010-01-01T23:39:00.010-05:00

A complete list of the all-time totals for victories, with the number of wins in parenthesis following each player's name.

1. Tss777 (8)
2. Bigfus (7)
3. Betdponies (5)
4. RowanB (3)
5. Amazon (2)
5. Harv29 (2)
7. Baccarat King (1)
7. RowanV (1)
7. Scurvydog (1)
7. Janek13 (1)
7. Trojanrabbit (1)
7. Syrorange3042 (1)
7. Ghosthunter (1)
7. Sass (1)

MPT Career Lasts

2010-01-01T23:33:00.009-05:00

A complete list of the all-time totals for last-place finishes, with the number of "lasts" in parenthesis following each player's name.

1. Betdponies (6)
1. Baccarat King (6)
3. Sass (5)
4. RowanB (4)
5. Bigfus (2)
5. Noahcat (2)
5. Harv29 (2)
8. "E" (1)
8. DJ Chuck Chillout (1)
8. Dorianmac (1)
8. Pixie (1)
8. Hammah (1)
8. Janek13 (1)
8. Demon (1)
8. Fast Harry (1)

MPT 2009 Schedule

2010-01-01T23:29:00.000-05:00

Mattress Poker Tour events were played on the following dates and locations during 2009.

June 13 - Showboat Atlantic City
July 3 - Fourth of July Spectacular
August 2 - MPT Las Vegas
September 26 - Stone Harbor, NJ
October 3 - Caesars Atlantic City
November 21 - Caesars Atlantic City
December 28 - Main Event, Borgata

NOTE: This information is being posted now for archival purposes.

Main Event Changes Confirmed

2009-12-20T21:15:00.004-05:00

FAIRFAX, VA - The 2009 Mattress Poker Tour (MPT) Main Event will be held at the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa. The tournament moves from the previously announced tentative location at Harrah's Atlantic City.

The tournament will begin with 3,500 chips for each player, an increase of 1,000 chips from the regular season MPT events. The rest of the tournament structure will remain the same as other MPT events.

These changes that were being considered by the MPT Executive Committee ( see Possible Changes for Main Event from 12/13/2009) were made official this evening in an announcement by Tournament Director, Harv29. In the same announcement, Harv29 noted that the start time may move forward from the previously planned 8:00 PM registration. As always, please watch this site for details.

Is the Sealy Cup Locked Up? Almost, But Not Quite

2009-12-16T19:00:00.000-05:00

Sass will take a 19 point lead over RowanB into the final event. While that is not an insurmountable lead, Sass is pretty close to having locked up the season championship. Third and fourth place Harv29 and Bigfus are 30 and 31 points back, meaning that RowanB is the only other player who has a realistic chance to overtake Sass and win this year's Sealy Cup.

A number of things would have to go right for RowanB for this to happen, starting with a field of at least eight players for the Main Event. A field of seven would yield a maximum of 18 points to the winner (7 for outlasting six opponents, 5 bonus points for first place, and 6 "kills" for eliminating every player), which would leave RowanB just short even if he eliminated every player in the field while Sass finished in last place.

RowanB's chances improve as the field size grows. For example, consider this year's Las Vegas MPT, where Sass finished in sixth place out of a sixteen player field, but earned only 11 points while the winner, trojanrabbit, earned 30 points (16 for outlasting fifteen opponents, 7 bonus points for first, and 7 kills). The winner of that event at the Rio picked up 19 points on Sass, despite her respectable finish. If the "December Dozen" becomes a reality and twelve players start this year's Main Event, then there would be a maximum of 30 points available to the winner of that event, if that person can eliminate every opponent. An early exit by Sass, combined win and a lot of "kills" by RowanB could tighten up the Player of the Year race considerably.

On the other hand, the possibility a victory for RowanB becomes more remote when you consider a few other factors. Sass has only six kills in 18 career events, which opens the door slightly for a comeback for the season title, but RowanB has never eliminated more than three players in a single event. If he ties he personal best for kills, then RowanB would need to win the tournament and for Sass to finish in last place in a 10 player field, and even doing that would just earn him a tie in the season standings. However, Sass has not finished an event in last place since September 2008 and has not been more than two spots outside of the money since October 2008. She has also earned ten or more points in five consecutive tournaments, no fewer than six points in each of her last eight events, and fewer than six points only five times in 18 career tournaments. During that same time, RowanB has earned more than ten points in only four events, and never more than 14 points, while winning only one out of twenty career tournaments.

All that adds up to a slim chance for RowanB and virtually no chance for anyone else to unseat Sass as this season's Player of the Year.

Possible Changes for Main Event

2009-12-13T22:15:00.005-05:00

FAIRFAX, VA - The Mattress Poker Tour is considering two significant changes for its upcoming Main Event, the MPT Tournament Director and Commissioner, Harv29, revealed in discussions over this past week. Currently being considered are a change in venue and a change in tournament structure to add more "play" to the Main Event.

The Main Event, formerly known as the Tournament of Champions, is currently scheduled to be held at 8:00 PM at Harrah's Atlantic City. The MPT Steering Committee has discussed moving the event to the nearby Borgata Casino Resort and Spa to take advantage of a rare chance to hold a tournament inside of Atlantic City's most glamorous resort. Of course, should the tournament remain at Harrah's, the newly built Waterfront Tower would be an equally luxurious home for this year's end of year party. Regardless of the venue, the start time is likely to remain 8:00 PM.

In recent weeks, some more experienced MPT players have asked that changes be made to the tournament structure to differentiate the Main Event from regular season MPT Events. The Steering Committee has listened to these requests and is considering increasing the starting chip stack by 1,000 chips, from the standard 2,500 chips to 3,500 chips. At this time, it is likely the tournament will use the same blind structure as a regular season event, since many of the MPT players have also requested that the tournament length not be increased because of other constraints on their time while they are in Atlantic City. The MPT has heard all of the player's requests and believes it will offer a solution that meets the needs of all participants.

Please watch our web site for more information about these changes and for our final decision. We will also share updates with our fans on Facebook.

MPT Final Hands

2009-12-13T21:58:00.007-05:00

Having nearly finished our fourth season and about to play our 21st event it seems time to compile some additional statistics from our tournaments. Below is a list of the starting hands for each MPT event, with the exception of the December, 2006 Main Event, where we have incomplete data about the second place hand and the September 2007 event, where no photos or other records exist showing the winning hand.

2006

12/27/2007 - Betdponies defeats Bigfus with 8h4h over 7 and 5 or 6

2007

3/17/2007 - Betdponies defeats Harv29 with 9c7c over KhKd
7/5/2007 - Tss777 defeats RowanB with Ac7c over AdKs
9/15/2007 - Tss777 defeats Sweeney
10/20/2007 - Baccarat King defeats defeats RowanB with 5d2d over 8d6d
12/27/2007 - Betdponies defeats Sass with Jd5d over 10s8h

2008

4/27/2008 - RowanB defeats Bigfus with 9s6d over 10c and another card
6/7/2008 - RowanV defeats Bigfus with Ks5c over 8s5d
7/6/2008 - Amazon defeats "E" with Ac4c over As2d
8/9/2008 - Scurvydog defeats Bigfus with As3c over 10c10d
9/27/2008 - Amazon defeats Harv29 with 2c2d over Ks3h
10/25/2008 - Tss777 defeats Bigfus with KsQc over As8s
11/22/2008 - Harv29 defeats Sass with with Qd5d over 10h10s
12/28/2008 - Betdponies defeats Civicmon with 10c9c over As4c

2009

6/13/2009 - Bigfus defeats Whispering Eye with 4s2s over 9d7s
7/3/2009 - Janek13 defeats Sass with QdJs over 10d8s
8/2/2009 - Trojanrabbit defeats Stan with Kc8h over 10h3c
9/26/2009 - Syrorange3042 defeats Sass with JhJc over 8s4h
10/3/2009 - Tss777 defeats Sass with Jc9c over Ad3s
11/21/2009 - Ghosthunter defeats Sass with Jc8d over 6c5c

Statistical Musings Following MPT 2009 Caesars Atlantic City Part II

2009-11-25T15:55:00.002-05:00

Ghosthunter became this season's fifth first-time winner, while joining Betdponies, RowanV, Scurvydog, Trojanrabbit, and Syrorange3042 as the only players to win their MPT debut
Sass broke a tie with Bigfus for most consecutive second places, with her third straight runner-up finish, fourth in the last five events, and sixth career second place in 18 events
Sass cashed for the fifth time in six events this season
Sass holds a commanding 19 point lead in the Sealy Cup standings
RowanB earned his third straight minimum cash to hold onto second place in the Player of the Year race
Ghosthunter became the 36th different player to participate in at least one MPT event and the twelfth different person to make their MPT debut during the 2009 season
Sass pulled to within one of Bigfus for most career cashes, with her ninth in the money finish in 18 career events
RowanB earned his eighth career cash, moving past Harv29 into third place on the all-time list
Ghosthunter became the 20th different player to cash in at least on MPT event
Harv29 moved past Bigfus into third place for the season point standings
Sass passed her husband, Betdponies and TSS777 to leap into second place on the all-time money list, trailing only Bigfus
Sass took the all-time point lead with 123 and now holds a three point lead over Harv29 and a four point lead over RowanB
RowanB has eliminated at least one player in four consecutive events, setting a record for the MPT, breaking a tie with Ging for the longest such streak
Baccarat King tied Betdponies for most career last place finishes, with four

Pictures from MPT 2009 #6

2009-11-22T23:43:00.007-05:00

Pictures from MPT 2009 Event #6, held in Atlantic City, New Jersey in the Caesars Centurion Tower on Saturday, November 21, 2009.

The MPT Monkey stands guard over the trophy as heads-up play begins

Sass and Ghosthunter square off as TSS777 deals to begin heads-up play

Bigfus looks on, Baccarat King looks at his iPhone, Betdponies eats a pretzel, while TSS77 deal and Sass checks her cards

A closer look at Sass taking a closer look at her cards

A view of the crowd gathered to watch the final hands

Ghosthunter watches a key hand late in the tournament

Everyone anxiously watched the flop, turn, and river as each player was all-in several times during heads-up play

Ghosthunter watches as the final river card unveiled

The final hand

Tournament Director, Harv29, presents the trophy to the newest MPT champion

MPT 2009 #6 - Return to Caesars (11/21/2009)

2009-11-22T23:36:00.004-05:00

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - He heard about the Mattress Poker Tour for years, but never joined in. We may never know what convinced Ghosthunter to play in his first MPT event last weekend, but we do know that the man knows how to make an entrance. Patient play in the early stages put him in good position to start the tournament, a bit of good fortune in a big hand against one of the MPT's winningest players, and surviving heads up play with the blinds at a high level made him the newest MPT champion. Ghosthunter became the sixth different player to win their MPT debut, joining Betdponies, RowanV, Scurvydog, Trojanrabbit, and Syrorange3042. He was also the fifth's player to win their first MPT championship this season, sixth different winner in six events this season, thirteenth different winner in twenty MPT events.

The tournament featured a run of river and ugly beats, including a preflop all-in by RowanB with 2-3 that survived against Betdponies' A-K, and rivered straight by Ghosthunter to cripple TSS777 when those two players clashed as big stacks late in the tournament, and Sass doubling through RowanB with 5-5 against his 9-9 near the bubble. These were just a few examples of the roller coaster ride of those who survived to the higher blind levels, as each player will tell his or her story of how their evening came to and end.

Most of the field hung on through the early stages of the event, as only Baccarat King was eliminated before the first break in the action. He vowed before the event to be more selective about his starting hands and kept to his word, though he twice found himself playing big pots with small pairs against boards with quite a few scare cards on the boards. Undeterred, Baccarat King took his hands to the river and found himself first to the rail for the third consecutive tournament he played and fourth time in the last five tournaments, since winning the October 2007 event.

Play among the remaining players was rather uninteresting before the break to color up the red chips. At this stage, TSS777, fueled by a big pot against Baccarat King, was in the lead with 4,200 chips, followed by Ghosthunter with 3,850, Civicmon with 3,550, Sass with 3,025, Betdponies with 2,350, RowanB with 2,000, Bigfus with 1,950, and Harv29 with 1,575.

After the break, some players picked up their aggressiveness looking to double up for a chance at the win, while others limped into pots with speculative hands hoping the cards would fall their way. Civicmon and Harv29 took the more passive approach, calling preflop raises and waiting to see flops before deciding if they wanted to commit their chips, while RowanB and Betdponies took a more aggressive approach before the flop, with a series of raises and all-in moves. TSS777 slowly accumulated chips and had Ghosthunter all-but eliminated until a straight on the river brought the eventual champ off the ropes and back into the action. Sass played patiently aggressive to survive into second place, but lost out in the battle of all-ins during the big blind stages to earn her third straight and sixth career second place finish.

The results:

Ghosthunter
Sass
RowanB
Betdponies
Civicmon
Harv29
TSS777
Bigfus
Baccarat King

Pictures from MPT 2009 #5

2009-10-07T20:36:00.003-04:00

Pictures from MPT 2009 Event #5, held in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Saturday, October 3, 2009.

Heads up play begins with TSS777 concentrating as Sass watches, while Harv29 and Betdponies deal

More heads up action

The championship trophy and the MPT mascot

Sass studies her opponent

Sass surveys the flop

The final board gives TSS777 the win

The Tournament Director presents the trophy to the 4-time champ

MPT 2009 #5 - Clash at Caesars (10/3/2009)

2009-10-07T20:04:00.008-04:00

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - A champion returned to form, while the favorite to earn Player of the Year honors remains a bridesmaid. The early season talk was whether perennial runner-up Bigfus would break through to win a tournament, but Bigfus took home a trophy and Sass has now passed her for the career lead in second place finishes. Despite being the only series regular to not record a MPT tournament title, Sass' consistent play has given her a commanding lead over a surprising RowanB, who cashed for the second straight event, but has yet to seriously contend for a win this season. However, none of this should overshadow the play of TSS777, who rebounded from one of his weakest showings in his MPT career to remind players and fans why he is one of the most successful players in the short history of the tournament series.

The tournament began with some aggressive play from the three-time Main Event Champion Betdponies, who fell into a trap bluffing all-in on the river against RowanB's three of a kind and busting before the tournament was twenty minutes old. The big hand gave RowanB a small chip lead going into the first break, 100 chips ahead of Bigfus, who won a race of preflop all-ins with AQ over pocket tens to knock off Amazon just before the break. TSS777 was close behind as well, with Harv29 and Sass lagging behind with roughly the same chip stacks as they started the tournament with.

After the break, there was little action until near the end of the second hour of the tournament, when Sass knocked out Bigfus for the second consecutive tournament, marking only the second time in her MPT career that she has recorded "kills" in back to back events. The bubble didn't last long, as Harv29 moved all-in with a dwindling stack and couldn't beat TSS777. That left TSS777 and RowanB in strong chip positions, but RowanB's run didn't last very long, as he shoved A-7o from the small blind with the blinds increasing and ran into the A-K of TSS777. That hand left TSS777 with a commanding chip lead. Sass hung in and gave TSS777 a run for his money, but fell short for the third time this season and for the second straight MPT event at Caesars, Atlantic City.

The win tied TSS777 with Betdponies for the all-time lead in tournament victories, with four.

The results:

TSS777
Sass
RowanB
Harv29
Bigfus
Amazon
Betdponies

Pictures from MPT 2009 #4

2009-09-29T00:25:00.003-04:00

Pictures from MPT 2009 Event #4, held in Stone Harbor, New Jersey on Saturday, September 26, 2009.

The control center for the MPT technical operations

The always popular MPT bar

TSS777 deals late in the tournament, as Sass prepares to bet while Betdponies checks his cards

Syrorange3042 rakes in a pot, while Ging and Eileen watch

More action from late in the tournament

The MPT Monkey guards the trophy and prize money

Syrorange3042's pocket Jacks hold up to give him the win

The champion with his trophy

Tournament Director, Harv29, presents the trophy to the new champion

Mrs. Harv29 celebrates with her friend from college

MPT 2009 #4 - ECLVA Fall Classic (9/26/2009)

2009-09-28T23:51:00.004-04:00

STONE HARBOR, NJ - He was there in the beginning and watched the MPT grow. Syrorange3042 won the first Mattress Poker Tour Event. There was no prize money, no trophy, and no web site to promote his victory. A few leftover cream puffs and bragging rights over his friends was all that he could take home, so it must have been extra special for the former "uncrowned champion" to finish off a field of MPT veterans in his return to the series.

The ECLVA Fall Classic started quietly, with the all players lasting past the first break. The field of ten matched the largest New Jersey field since last year's end of year Main Event and marked the second consecutive time the tournament participants hit double digits. Syrorange3042, who retained his MPT "rookie" status for this event, was joined by Eileen in debuting on the MPT felt. They marked the 34th and 35th different players to play in an MPT tournament.

The action started to heat up after an hour and a half of play, when Sass scored her fifth career knockout, eliminating Bigfus, who became the eleventh different player to finish in last place in an MPT event. Only a few hands later, another of the MPT's most consistent winners, TSS777 fell victim to Betdponies, while Janek13 busted soon after at the hands of Ging, who collected her sixth career "kill" and second career bounty. The eliminations kept coming, as Harv29 and Eileen were knocked out within the next ten minutes, then Betdponies burst the bubble by busting Ging.

With the bubble not even lasting for an entire blind level, RowanB survived to cash for the first time since last year's Las Vegas event, ending the longest cashless drought in series history, but his night would end only a few hands later after a small preflop raise with pocket kings gave Syrorange3042 a chance to call from the big bling with 8-2o. After flopping trip 8's, Syrorange3042 checked to the MPT veteran, who shoved his remaining chips into the pot and was left to begin preparations for dinner sooner than he had played. The influx of chips put Syrorange3042 in command, though the final three players battled for nearly and hour before Syrorange3042 eliminated the husband and wife duo of Betdponies and Sass to earn his first official MPT victory.

The results:

Syrorange3042
Sass
Betdponies
RowanB
Ging
Eileen
Harv29
Janek13
TSS777
Bigfus

Statistics Posted Following MPT 2009 ECLVA Fall Classic

2009-09-28T20:19:00.002-04:00

Notable observations following the fourth event of the 2009 season.

Syrorange3042 became the fifth player to win his MPT debut, joining Betdponies, RowanV, Scurvydog, and Trojanrabbit
Syrorange3042 and Eileen became the 34th and 35th players to play an MPT sponsored tournament
The field of 10 players, tied the third largest in MPT history, trailing only last month's tournament at the Rio Las Vegas and the July 2008 Showboat House of Blues event
Sass tied Harv29 for second place in all-time number of cashes, with seven
Sass moved into second place on the season money list, trailing only Las Vegas champion Trojanrabbit
Sysorange3042 became the 23rd different player (out of 35 participants) to earn money from an MPT event
Syrorange3042 became the 19th different player to "cash" in an MPT event, based solely on prize money earned from finishing position (not counting bounties and bonuses)
With a third place finish, Betdponies cashed for the first time in a tournament that he did not win. The cash moved him into second place on the all-time money list, trailing only Bigfus
The career average finish list shook up quite a bit over the weekend, as perennial top finishers Bigfus and TSS777 were the first players eliminated; Sass moved into a tie for first place on that list with Harv29, while Bigfus dropped to third place, just ahead of RowanB and TSS777
Sass moved into the top spot in the Sealy Cup standings, taking a 15 point lead over the closest series regulars, Bigfus and RowanB, who are tied for third place
Syrorange3042 earned the third most points in a single event, with 20
Bigfus became the 11th different MPT player to finish last in the 18 series events

Statistics Posted Following MPT 2009 Las Vegas Spectacular

2009-08-11T00:06:00.001-04:00

Notable observations following the third event of the 2009 season.

The 16 player field bested the previous largest MPT turnout, surpassing the previous record of 13 players, at the July 2008 Showboat House of Blues event
7 players made their MPT debut in this event, bringing the total number of different players in MPT events to 33
Trojanrabbit became the 11th different MPT event winner
Trojanrabbit's $185 cash was the biggest payout in MPT history
Sionow, Stan, and Trojanrabbit became the 16th, 17th, and 18th players to cash in MPT history
Trojanrabbit became the second consecutive California-based winner of the Las Vegas MPT event
Harv29 is the only player to cash in both Las Vegas MPT events
Hammah became the 10th different player (in 17 MPT events) to finish last
RowanB extended his "cashless" streak to 7, dating back to his third place finish in last year's Las Vegas event
Trojanrabbit took over the Sealy Cup point lead by earning a record 30 points in the Las Vegas event
Sass took the points lead among series regulars, upping her season total to 29 points with her 6th place finish
The large field and revised scoring system for 2009 meant that both first place finisher, Trojanrabbit, and second place finisher, Stan, surpassing the previous record for most points in a single event, previously held by Amazon during the July 2008 Showboat House of Blues event
Harv29's third place finish, combined with the early exit of Bigfus, meant he moved back into the all-time MPT points lead
Harv29 also tied Bigfus for best average finish among MPT regulars
Harv29's $70 cash moved him into second place on the all-time MPT money list
RowanB broke a streak of 4 consecutive tournaments without eliminating a player (he does hold the all-time record drought for "kills" at 6, a mark he shares with Sass and Harv29)
The 7 players eliminated by Trojanrabbit set a new record for "kills" in a single event, surpassing the previous record of 6, set by Baccarat King and Amazon

Pictures from MPT 2009 #3

2009-08-10T22:55:00.006-04:00

Pictures from MPT 2009 Event #3, held in the Rio Las Vegas Masquerade Tower Rooms 32020 and 32022.

Pre-game talk with Kill Phil Forum folks, Trojanrabbit, JTinLV, and Hammah
(Photo courtesy of Judykq)

NMChop talks shop with Noahcat, while Dorianmac listens in
(Photo courtesy of Judykq)

NMChop, Sass, Bigfus, Noahcat, and the back of Harv29's head as play begins at the feature mattress
(Photo courtesy of Sionow)

On the feature mattress, Tennis_bum looks set to rake in a pot, while Betdponies and NMChop watch and Harv29 looks puzzled
(Photo courtesy of Sionow)

Away from the feature mattress at the start of the tournament, where Janek13, Trojanrabbit, Hammah, Stan, and RowanB started off
(Photo courtesy of Sionow)

Early action from Table 2, as Stan, RowanB, Sionow, and JTinLV look on
(Photo courtesy of Sionow)

The more modest traveling MPT bar, after a few bottles of champagne and wine were consumed

Ever wonder what a Rio suite would look like with the furniture removed? This is what happens when you need the chairs, couch, and table in the adjoining room

The MPT Monkey guards JTinLV's chip case

Betdponies watches the board while he has Bigfus on the ropes
(Photo courtesy of Judykq)

...and Bigfus is apologetic when her AJ beats Betdponies' AK, while NMChop looks on
(Photo courtesy of Judykq)

The always smooth MPT Monkey tries his luck with the ladies
(Photo courtesy of Judykq)

The tournament pauses for some additional monkey business, as RowanB helps cover for the MPT Monkey's shenanigans

The "Final Four", Stan, Harv29, Sionow, and Trojanrabbit, right after the bubble burst late in the tournament

Harv29 deals late in the tournament, as Sionow and Trojanrabbit wait to see the flop

The hand that eliminated our Tournament Director, as Trojanrabbit "re-sucked" on the river when Harv flopped a pair after his short-stacked all-in

The trophies and prize money, dwarphed by Trojanrabbit's massive chip stack as heads-up play begins

Stan watches Harv29 deal a flop as he is blinded all-in against Trojanrabbit

The winning hand!

A rare look at the MPT Photographer in action, while the winner celebrates and JTinLV puts away his chips
(Photo courtesy of Judykq)

MPT 2009 #3 - Rio Las Vegas (8/2/2009)

2009-08-10T21:01:00.003-04:00

LAS VEGAS, NV - A record setting field of sixteen players gathered for last weekend's Mattress Poker Tour Las Vegas Spectacular II and when all the cards were dealt, online poker star and Kill Everyone co-author Trojanrabbit emerged victorious. Trojanrabbit was one of seven players making their MPT debut during this event, as was second-place finisher Stan. Tournament Director, Harv29, became the only player to cash in both Las Vegas MPT events with a third place finish.

The tournament got off to a fast start for Trojanrabbit, when he caught veteran poker player and MPT rookie, hammah, attempting to resteal and his A-K held up to put him into the early chip lead. By the first break, all of the chip leaders were at the satellite table 2, while play was more steady at the feature mattress, particularly after Noahcat's aggressive play in the early stages did not pay off. Defending MPT champion, Janek13, also busted early in the tournament, helping Stan hold the chip lead with over 5,100 chips at the break. Trojanrabbit and dorianmac also had added substantially to their chip stacks, while Harv29 and Sass were dominated the early action on the mattress, before Sass moved to table 2.

As the tournament continued, the poker author showed a textbook example of how to bully players with a big stack. While he admittedly "ran good" and had strong enough hands to call a few times when re-raised, he kept pressure on his opponents throughout the tournament, steadily accumlating chips while carefully avoiding confrontations that could have put a big dent in his stack. Trojanrabbit took a commanding lead in the tournament, one that he would never relinquish, while playing 6-handed when MPT veteran RowanB moved all-in preflop against a short-stacked Sass in the big blind, only to be called by 'rabbit's pocket aces. The rockets held up and knocked both Sass and RowanB out, while bursting the bubble.

Sionow, returning for his second MPT after playing in last year's Las Vegas event, played a patiently aggressive tournament, catching his opponents attempting to steal blinds on a few occasions and lasting long enough to earn his first MPT cash. The MPT host and defending season champion, Harv29, earned his first cash of 2009 after chipping up early and hanging around to finish third. Stan, who built a big early chip stack and continued to accumulate chips when he moved to the more passive feature mattress, took some hits at the final table that put him far behind when heads up play began, but prooved he was no novice in his first MPT outing. Still, the night belonged to Stan's brother-in-law, who taught the MPT field how to play like a pro.

The participants:

Betdponies - Three-time Main Event Champion, in search of his first regular season MPT cash since March, 2007
Bigfus - The most successful player in series history, but coming off a rare out of the money finish following her breakthrough win in June
Dorianmac - Returning for his second MPT and looking to improve on last year's early exit
Hammah - World Series of Poker veteran and California cash game specialist, making her MPT debut
Harv29 - Tournament Director and defending Sealy Cup champion, in search of his first cash of the 2009 season
Janek13 - Winner of the last MPT event
JTinLV - Las Vegas local and cash game specialist; also supplied the chips for this event
Judykq - Video Poker star, making her MPT debut
NMchop - Actually awake for this year's Las Vegas event, making him sure to improve on last year's finish (or non-start)
Noahcat - A true wildcard in the field, moving on the MPT stage after practicing in local cash games and during her last trip to Las Vegas
RowanB - A Sealy Cup leader at one point during last season, who has fallen into a record-setting slump for failing to cash
Sass - One of the most consistent players in recent events, but feeling the pressure of most MPT starts without a win
Sionow - Professional vacationer, taking time during his 55 days away from home to join the festivities
Stan - A late addition to the tournament roster, accompanying Trojanrabbit to the event
Tennis_bum - Long-time Las Vegas Advisor forum contributor and veteran poker player who is finally available to buy into a MPT event
Trojanrabbit - Online poker pro and co-author of Kill Everyone: Advanced Strategies for No-Limit Hold 'Em Poker Tournaments and Sit-n-Go's, meeting some of the folks from the Kill Phill online forum that he contributes to

The results:

Trojanrabbit
Stan
Harv29
Sionow
RowanB
Sass
Tennis_bum
NMchop
Dorianmac
Judykq
Bigfus
Betdponies
JTinLV
Janek13
noahcat
hammah

Listen to Podcast of 2009 Event #2 Postgame Interviews

2009-07-13T00:58:00.002-04:00

Listen to the Tournament Director interview MPT 2009 Beach Bash at Bally's winner Janek13 and runner-up Sass.

Be sure to check out all of the MPT podcasts at: http://mpt.podomatic.com/.

Pictures from MPT 2009 #2

2009-07-12T16:24:00.005-04:00

Pictures from MPT 2009 Event #2, held in a crummy room (aren't they all?) in the Claridge Tower at Bally's Atlantic City.

Tense moments on the bubble, as players wait for a flop

Donuts were available during the tournament, which gave players the busted out early some consolation

A modest MPT bar also kept part of the field in good spirits

Janek13's aggressive betting frustrated TSS777 in the early stages of the tournament

The MPT Monkey made his debut during this event

TSS777 reacts to a positive development as he fights with Sass to stay alive during 3-handed play

How quickly fortunes can change in the late stages of a fast tournament, as the tables turn and Sass enjoys her position and TSS777's mood changes

Frustration again, for the former champ, who believes he is beat during this hand

The misery of the short stack late in the tournament, as TSS777 bemoans his lost chips and perhaps a lost opportunity to win the tournament

Folding just isn't much fun

The prize money and trophy appear on the mattress as heads up play begins

Lack on inputs on the second-rate Claridge Tower television forced players to look to a small laptop screen to follow blind levels

The final hand, as Janek13 and Sass vied for their first MPT victory

The Tournament Director congratulates Janek13 on his first Tour title

The MPT Monkey poses with the winning board

MPT 2009 #2 - Bally's AC (7/3/2009)

2009-07-12T15:46:00.006-04:00

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - Playing in only his third MPT event, Janek13 made his first cash in series history a memorable one. After winning a huge pot in the early stages he put his opponents to tough decisions throughout the tournament, playing and unpredictable mix of starting hands and keeping his more experienced opponents off guard. However, Janek13 never relinquished the chip lead until the late stages of the tournament, and then quickly put himself back into a lead the he would never give up again.

Sass, playing her first tournament after dropping the Mrs. Betdponies moniker, stepped out of her husband's shadow by earning her second consecutive cash of the 2009 season. She played patiently during the early stages of the tournament, then increased her aggressiveness in the late stages, while also recognizing when her opponents lessened their starting hand requirements to make some astute calls when the money was on the line.

The play of Sass and Janek13 helped frustrate multiple MPT champion TSS777, who put himself in position to win in the late stages, but was unable to close out the tournament. His third place finish marked his first MPT cash in which he did not win. Despite his disappointment with this finish, it did prove that TSS777 continues to be a force to be reckoned with in MPT events.

Finishing out of the money for the first time since the tournament during last year's Fourth of July weekend was MPT 2009 Event #1 champion Bigfus, who ended a MPT record streak of six consecutive cashes. Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, MPT 2008 Event #1 champion RowanB extended his streak of out of the money finishes to six, breaking a tie with Harv29 and Betdponies for the most consecutive MPT events without a cash. The aforementioned Harv29 and Betdponies also continued their early season struggles, while Mrs. TSS777 became the ninth different player to finish last place in a MPT event.

The participants:

Betdponies - trying to win a regular season event for the first time since March, 2007
Bigfus - looking to follow up on her first series win and extend her streak of cashes
Harv29 - hoping for a good result to put himself back in contention to defend his Player of the Year title
Janek13 - returns to the MPT after a year absence; in search of his first MPT cash
Mrs. TSS777 - making her MPT debut and hoping to beat her husband
RowanB - looking to avoid the longest streak of futility in MPT history
Sass (formerly Mrs. Betdponies) - trying for her third cash in her last four events
TSS777 - looking to rebound after two out of the money finishes; hoping to tie Betdponies for the most wins in series history

The results:

Janek13
Sass
TSS777
Bigfus
RowanB
Betdponies
Harv29
Mrs. TSS777

Listen to Podcast of 2009 Event #1 Final Hand

2009-06-24T01:03:00.003-04:00

Enjoy the latest feature of the MPT, as you can now listen to podcasts from key moments of our tournaments. Our first audio offering is the final hand from Bigfus' dominating performance at the Showboat in MPT 2009 Event #1.

Listen to this clip and be sure to check http://mpt.podomatic.com/ for updates after each tournament!

Pictures from MPT 2009 #1

2009-06-15T22:37:00.003-04:00

Pictures from MPT 2009 Event #1, held in room 2068 of the Orleans Tower at Showboat Atlantic City.

Contenders in the middle stages of the tournament, as Betdponies looks on after his early elimination

Whispering Eye studies the "table" while Harv29, Big Jer, and Betdponies look at the camera

Once again, the MPT bar was well stocked

Bigfus watches Harv29 count chips during heads-up play, while Whispering Eye looks concerned as his short stack is on display

Bigfus waits to see if her hand will hold on the river

After the final river card, Bigfus tries to grasp what has happened

As the result sinks in, the new champion expresses her emotion

Bigfus can't wait for the trophy presentation to get her hands on the coveted prize that she finally earned for herself

The final, as 4s 2s takes the lead on the flop and holds on

The champion with her trophy and winning hand

MPT 2009 #1 - Showboat AC (6/13/2009)

2009-06-15T21:54:00.003-04:00

Atlantic City, NJ - Season three of the Mattress Poker Tour kicked off with a bang, as the most consistent player in series history finally secured the coveted black chip trophy, while also taking home a black chip's worth of prize money. Bigfus won the first hand of the afternoon, eliminated defending MPT Main Event Champion, Betdponies, before the event was an hour old, and never looked back to win her first event in 15 series tries. Bigfus widened her lead as the series' all-time leading money winner and passed Harv29 as the all-time points leader in MPT history.

The normally passive Bigfus was involved in pots throughout the tournament and displayed a more aggressive style, raising with strong draws and opening up her starting hand requirements in the late stages when the blinds grew large. She proved she has learned from her series record five second-place finishes and will be a force to be reckoned with during the 2009 season. Bigfus also secured her astonishing sixth straight cash and eighth in the money finish in the past nine events, dating back to last season's first event, in April 2008.

The win by Bigfus overshadowed the solid play of Whispering Eye, who became the second straight player adorned in San Diego Chargers garb to finish runner up to a series regular, and the debut of Big Jer, who travelled with the Tournament Director from Virginia to be part of this event. Big Jer played patiently until busting with AJo against KQo from Mrs. Betdponies, as the blinds forced players to take chances with preflop all-ins. Mrs. Betdponies secured her second cash in the last three events.

The participants:

Betdponies - Defending Main Event Champion, looking to rebound from mediocre regular season in 2008
Bigfus - Arguably, the most successful player in MPT history, but still seeking her first win
Big Jer - Joining the fray for the first time
Harv29 - Looking to build on strong finish in 2008 and defend his series points title
Mrs. Betdponies - Trying not to upset her husband with her play
RowanB - Needing to get back into form after four consecutive finishes out of the money
Whispering Eye - Seeking redemption after early exit in his first MPT outing

The results:

Bigfus
Whispering Eye
Mrs. Betdponies
Big Jer
Harv29
RowanB
Betdponies

Event 1 Cash and Sealy Point totals

2009-06-15T14:31:00.005-04:00

Here are the standings after Event 1:

$100 - Bigfus
$45 - Whispering Eye
$30 - Sass

16 - Bigfus
9 - Whispering Eye
7 - Sass
4 - Big Jer
4 - Harv29
2 - Rowanb
1 - Betdponies

Statistics Posted Following MPT 2009 Season Opener

2009-06-15T00:15:00.003-04:00

Notable observations following the first event of the 2009 season.

The 4 "kills" by Bigfus equaled the number of players she eliminated in her 14 previous tournaments
By eliminating 4 players in one event, Bigfus tied for the 5th most players eliminated in a single event. This was last accomplished in December, 2008 by Betdponies.
Mrs. Betdponies eliminated the third player in her 13 tournaments
Bigfus and Harv29 continued their streaks of playing in every MPT event
Big Jer became the 25 different player to participate in an MPT event
Whispering Eye became the 13th player to play in at least two MPT events
Whispering Eye became the 17th player to cash in an MPT event
Bigfus widened her lead in the all-time money winners standings
Betdponies became the third player in MPT history to finish last place in 3 different events, joining RowanB and Baccarat King as the all-time leaders in that category

Follow the MPT Live on mpt.updates.blogspot.com

2009-06-09T23:15:00.003-04:00

Can't make it to the MPT event this Saturday? You can follow the action online now. Check on your favorite players at http://mptupdates.blogspot.com.

Watch this site this Saturday afternoon as the Mattress Poker Tour launches season three.

Revised List of Proposed 2009 MPT Dates

2009-05-06T00:19:00.001-04:00

Harv sent around the following schedule via e-mail to potential participants. If you did not receive this message, then please let us know as soon as possible, so you can be added to the MPT mailing list:

MPT Event #1: Showboat Atlantic City - Saturday, June 13, 4:00 pm

MPT Event #2: Bally's Atlantic City - Friday, July 3, 8:00 pm

MPT Event #3: TBD Las Vegas - Sunday, Aug 2, 4:00 pm

MPT Event #4: Stone Harbor Event - Sept?

MPT Event #5: Caesars Atlantic City - Saturday, Oct 3, 8:00 pm

MPT Event #6: TBD (Bally's?) - Nov

MPT Main Event: Harrah's - Dec 27 or 28

Please let me know your interest or availability for these dates.

MPT 2009 Schedule In Progress

2009-04-05T16:40:00.002-04:00

The Mattress Poker Tour Executive Board met this past weekend to begin organizing this year's schedule of events. Following up on the wildly successful second full MPT season, the Tour will hold at least six events in 2009. While the exact dates and locations have yet to be finalized, players and fans should look at the following tentative schedule to see where the MPT will be this year.

May 15-17 - MPT Atlantic City Event
June 12-14 - MPT Atlantic City or Stone Harbor Event
July 3-6 - MPT Fourth of July Spectacular
Late July or Early August - MPT Las Vegas
October 2-4 - MPT Caesars Atlantic City
December - MPT Tournament of Champions Main Event

MPT 2007 Money Leaders

2009-01-08T23:28:00.003-05:00

Here are the leading money winners from the 2007 MPT season. This information is being posted now for archival purposes.

TSS777 ($215)
Betdponies ($165)
Baccarat King ($110)
RowanB ($85)
Mrs. Betdponies ($85)
Sweeney ($50)
Harv29 ($40)
Bigfus ($25)
Dave ($25)

MPT 2008 Schedule

2009-01-05T01:03:00.003-05:00

Mattress Poker Tour events were played on the following dates and locations during 2008.

4/27: Bally's AC
6/7: ECLVA "Spring" Classic - Stone Harbor, NJ
7/6: House of Blues AC
8/9: Main Street Station - Las Vegas, NV
9/27: ECLVA "Fall" Classic - Stone Harbor, NJ
10/25: Bally's AC Bounty Bowl
11/22: Clash at Caesars AC
12/28: Tournament of Champions - Showboat AC

NOTE: This information is being posted now for archival purposes.

Bigfus Finishes as 2008 Leading Money Winner

2009-01-05T00:47:00.008-05:00

Fueled by an astonishing seven cashes in eight events this season, Bigfus, the MPT's most successful player yet to earn a victory, finished the season as the leading money winner with $325 in prize money, averaging $41 per event. Her "average cash" was second only to two-time champion Amazon, who averaged $65 per event she played, among those who played in more than one tournament during the season.

The consistent performances for Bigfus put her in contention for the Sealy Cup throughout the season and also vaulted her to the top of the career money leaders, with $425 in prize money over the last three seasons. Bigfus will look to extend her streak of cashing in five straight events when the 2009 season begins.

Here is the complete list of money leaders for the 2008 season.

Bigfus ($325)
Harv29 ($275)
Amazon ($260)
RowanB ($185)
Scurvydog ($120)
RowanV ($120)
Betdponies ($120)
TSS777 ($110)
"E" ($90)
Mrs. Betdponies ($90)
Civicmon ($80)
JTinLV ($40)
Ging ($10)
Dave ($5)

Amazon Earns First "Rising Star" Award

2009-01-05T00:21:00.004-05:00

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - Mattress Poker Tour rookie, Amazon, was presented with the Rising Star Award following the recent MPT Main Event at the Showboat Hotel and Casino. Amazon earned the award with wins in two of her first three events this season. She finished fifth in the season long "Sealy Cup" points standings, despite playing only four events, averaging a stunning 8.8 points per event. She finished the season second in "Kills", with 9 players eliminated and third on the money list with $260 in earnings. She also led the MPT in vodka consumption.

Amazon's impressive debut in 2008 sets a high standard for future Rising Star contenders.

Pictures from MPT 2008 Main Event

2009-01-03T02:33:00.006-05:00

Pictures from the second annual MPT Main Event, held at the Showboat Atlantic City on Sunday, December 28, 2008.

Play during the middle stages of the tournament.

RowanV, Mrs. Betdponies, and Harv29 watch dealer TSS777 unveil a flop

Betdponies and Civicmon prepare for heads-up play, joined (in the center) by Harv29, while Baccarat King rests in the adjoining room

A closer look at the Main Event hardware

The champion points to his hole cards from the final hand

Betdponies keeps possession of the Main Event trophy for another year

Betdponies tries on his second Main Event bracelet

Harv29 Earns MPT 2008 Player of The Year

2009-01-03T01:57:00.010-05:00

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - In a ceremony immediately following this year's Mattress Poker Tour Main Event, series Tournament Director, Harv29, earned his second trophy of the season when former series champion TSS777 presented him with the Player of the Year award for MPT 2008. This comes on the heels of Harv29's first career victory during the November MPT event at Caesars Atlantic City. The Player of the Year honor followed a season in which Harv29 earned five cashes in eight events, breaking through after finishing on the "bubble" - one spot away from cashing - in five of the first seven MPT events.

Harv29 combined patience to outlast some of his more aggressive opponents with selective aggression to earn this year's title. Player of the Year runner-up Bigfus cashed in more events, but was only credited with three "kills" (for eliminating other players) this season, while Harv29 knocked twelve opponents out of tournaments. He led the MPT in "kills", which when combined with his consistent finishes this season made Harv29 a worthy successor to TSS777 as MPT Player of the Year.

Here are the complete "Sealy Cup" point standings for the 2008 season.

Harv29 (61)
Bigfus (56)
RowanB (54)
Mrs. Betdponies (42)
Amazon (35)
Betdponies (29)
RowanV (21)
Ging (20)
TSS777 (20)
civicmon (20)
Scurvydog (14)
"E" (14)
Dave (8)
Baccarat King (5)
Neil (4)
Sionow (4)
JustJason (3)
Janek13 (3)
Whispering Eye (2)
DJChuckChillout (1)
Dorianmac (1)

MPT 2008 #8 - Main Event, Showboat AC (12/28/2008)

2009-01-03T01:02:00.007-05:00

The third annual Mattress Poker Tour Main Event finished with a familiar face atop the standings. Despite a disappointing regular season, which did not include a single cash before the Main Event, Betdponies defended his Tournament of Champions victory last year and won his third straight MPT event held in December at the Showboat Atlantic City Hotel and Casino on Sunday, December 28, 2008.

The event featured one of the largest fields in MPT history, as ten players crowded the Orleans Tower room before the crowd was able to spill over into the adjoining room next door (after the tournament's co-host, RowanB, was finally able to check into the hotel). The tournament got off to a late start and was beset with delays, include the temporary loss of the Tournament Director software on the computer, but after a nearly three hours of play, and over five hours after the scheduled start time, a new champion was crowned.

The participants:

Amazon - Trying for a record-setting third win of the season, while looking to secure the "Rising Star" award and looking to get out of the crowded hotel room and onto the casino floor.
Baccarat King - Trying to regain the form that earned him his first MPT title last season
Betdponies - Looking to salvage a miserable MPT season
Bigfus - Seeking her fifth consecutive MPT cash and first career win
Civicmon - Returning for his second MPT event on the season
Harv29 - Hoping to secure the Player of the Year title and take home his second trophy of the season
Mrs. Betdponies - Trying to finish ahead of her husband for the fifth time this season
RowanB - Trying to rebound from a series of mediocre finishes following a promising start to the season
RowanV - Seeking to prove her first MPT victory was no fluke and work her way back into "Rising Star" contention
TSS777 - Looking to rebound from his worst finish in MPT history and claim his first Main Event title

The results:

Betdponies
Civicmon
Bigfus
Harv29
Mrs. Betdponies
RowanV
RowanB
Amazon
TSS777
Baccarat King

Play through the early rounds was mostly conservative, as most players tried to avoid busting during the early blind levels. Playing contrary to the rest of the field, was the typically aggressive Baccarat King as his loose call on the river with an AK after not improving on any street cost him all of his chips. Pre-tournament favorites TSS777 and RowanB each were eliminated from the tournament with pocket Aces, though in very different situations. TSS777 bet preflop and on the flop with the best hand, but was drawing to only two outs when he called RowanV's all-in on the turn after her pocket 7's improved to a set. RowanB busted with AA for the second time this season after trapping Betdponies with a preflop call of his raise to 200 during BB 100 Level and then making a small re-raise after Betdponies bet into a Q-Q-4 flop. RowanB, then called the all-in raise from Betdponies for his last 500 chips, only to fall victim to a runner-runner flush from 4-5 of spades. That hand catapulted the defending champion into excellent position to repeat.

Rising Star front-runner, Amazon, also suffered an early exit when she flopped top pair with A-10 and was all-in against Bigfus, who also flopped top pair, but her A-Q held up to give her a big chip stack in the early stages of the tournament. Bigfus was unable to capitalize on that early lead, but did hold on for her fifth straight cash of the season and 7th "in the money" finish in the eight events this year. Despite those gaudy numbers, Harv29 finished high enough in the final event while eliminating two players to win the Player of the Year trophy, which was presented after the Main Event concluded.

Civicmon patiently survived the experienced field of MPT veterans to earn his first career cash, though when heads-up play began he faced a significant chip deficit as was quickly eliminated, though he can take heart that his As 4c was in good shape against Betdponies' 10c 9c before the the 9h 5s 2s flop fell. Betdponies put himself into position to win the tournament by aggressively attacking the blinds and antes as the stakes were higher, while his opponents seemed content to wait for the perfect opportunity to play back at him. By the time they had that chance it was too late and Betdponies proved why he is the only four-time MPT champion.

MPT Unveils Main Event Championship Bracelets

2009-01-03T00:05:00.004-05:00

ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY - Prior to the December season-ending tournament at the Showboat Atlantic City, The Mattress Poker Tour added a Main Event Championship bracelet to the honors for the champion of that tournament. MPT 2007 Tournament of Champions winner betdponies received his 2007 bracelet prior to putting the Main Event trophy on the line. Winners of each year's "Main Event" will now have a token to commemorate their championship, even as the trophy is passed to each year's champion.

MPT Main Event qualifications

2008-12-12T15:06:00.005-05:00

The ranking of qualifiers for a Main Event will be the following:

The defending Main Event Champion
The defending Player of the Year
Any current year champion
Any current year cashing player (excluding bounties and high hand/bad beat jackpots)
The player with the most points in the current year not qualifying through any of the above
Any past year champion

These players will make the Main Event pool from 9-12 players. Should there be more than 12 players able to attend, then ties in qualifying will be broken by current year points (I want to favor current year active players over prior year non-active ones). If 9-12 players cannot be made from the above, then the remaining players will be filled in the order of the following:

The remaining players for the current year, in order of current year points earned
Any prior tournament player, in order of career points earned

Should a "full field" still not be filled, it will be the Tournament Director's discretion to either proceed "short handed" or invite other players to participate. The Tournament Director may grant a "provisional" entry to a player not qualifying, but this will be kept to a minimum. The "Executive Committee" will meet to determine outside eligibility.

If there are at least 13 entries, then the Tournament Director may have a Satellite tournament to determine Main Event qualifiers.

A Message from the Tournament Director

2008-12-03T18:02:00.006-05:00

Springfield, VA - Just an update on a couple of items:

1) The high hand jackpot is being “retired”. After two hits paying out a total of $60, management has decided to end the progressive part of the jackpot. Now a standard $5 bonus will be paid to a high hand of four-of-a-kind or better while using both your hole cards. This bonus will be paid out “as the cards lie”, meaning that you do not have to go to a showdown to win the bonus (no "rabbit hunting" allowed). For example, if you flop four-of-a-kind and bet everyone out, you will still get the bonus, even though everyone folded out. This is to prevent someone from wanting to alter their strategy to get a call down to the river (of course, that could lead to a bad beat, which leads me to the following):

2) The bad beat jackpot will remain in place, currently at $35. The money for this jackpot comes from any additional funds from the tournament fee. The minimum qualifying hand for the bad beat jackpot is losing with a full house consisting of aces full of jacks (three aces and two jacks). One hole card must be played by the winner and loser in order for the bad beat jackpot to be paid. Approximately 75% of the jackpot will be paid to the loser with the remaining 25% going to the winner. This jackpot will also fund the high hand bonus (and possibly bounties) and other operating expenses (such as the Player of the Year and Rising Star trophies) not covered by the tournament fees (this will make sure the tournament fee is never more than $5, except for first time Main Event players who will pay $10 for their first Main Event tournament), so its value may fluctuate.

3)The Main Event tournament fee for first time participants is $10. This is due to the cost of the winner's trophy that was incurred by the inaugural Main Event participants. For returning Main Event participants, the tournament fee is the "standard" $5. The excess funds from the tournament fees will go into the bad beat jackpot (subject to further distribution as explained above).

4) The “Rookie of the Year” award has been changed to the “Rising Star” award. This is because I do not want to limit the award to just new players, since there may not be enough “rookies” in future years. This award will go to the best new player or player who has shown the most improvement from the prior year. Of course, “improvement” can be measured on different levels. Although I will take the poll into consideration, the Tournament Director will make the final decision.

5) I am going to tweak the Player of the Year point values for next season, giving extra points for the cashing players. In addition to the current point system, the following will be implemented (with a minimum of 5 players):

· 3 bonus points for first, 1 bonus point for second
· 5 bonus points for first, 3 bonus points for second, 1 bonus point for third
· 7 bonus points for first, 5 bonus points for second, 3 bonus points for third, 1 bonus point for fourth

In the unlikely event there are more than four cashing positions, then the first place bonus points will increase by 2 and then the second place will receive the previous first place bonus and so on. This gives a little more weight to winning events (and a pretty huge weight to winning large events).

6) Questions have been asked about the 2009 schedule. Even with the current economic conditions, the MPT will continue in 2009. Although nothing has been planned as of yet, I imagine the two Shore House events (be they Spring, Summer or Fall) will continue on to 2009.

Due to recent changes in the playability of video poker in Atlantic City, alternate venues may be chosen. We are establishing dialogs with the other casino properties in order to have new tournament hosts. With the market the way it is and the rumors of possibly four casinos going Chapter 11, this may be a daunting task. I would not be opposed to holding the event at the Sheraton (or other viable hotel), providing the cost is acceptable (I’ve stayed there many times before I got comped rooms in AC and it is a very nice hotel). I believe the Las Vegas event will happen again in 2009. I would consider other venues such as Foxwoods/Mohegan Sun, Reno/Tahoe, Tunica, Gulfport/Biloxi, New Orleans, etc, or even a non-gaming venue (if you can imagine that). We could have had an event at Turning Stone over Memorial Day weekend, but there was not enough interest.

2008 was a busy year for the MPT, as we expanded from four tournaments in 2007 to seven regular events plus the Main Event in 2008, in fact, having six straight months of tournaments! I think for 2009 we may set a six tournament schedule plus the Main Event. My job keeps me from really having one until after April 15 (although I am currently planning on being in AC in January), I am close enough to be pretty flexible regarding the schedule. The main thing is booking the venues far enough in advance where we can get a good attendance.

I believe that is all for now. I welcome your questions and/or comments regarding anything that I have mentioned. Thank you for making the Tour as great as it is, because it is the players who make the tour what it is, and I look forward to a successful Main Event (with a few surprises in store) as well as a successful 2009 tour.

Satellite to Expand Tournament of Champions Field

2008-11-30T03:23:00.004-05:00

In order to provide opportunities for players who have failed to qualify for this year's Tournament of Champions to play in the Main Event, while maintaining the integrity of that event, The Mattress Poker Tour is pleased to announce a satellite into this year's final event. The qualifying tournament will allow any individuals who would not otherwise be eligible for this year's Tournament of Champions one final chance to qualify for that event.

The Main Event field will be capped at 9 or 10 players (at the discretion of the Tournament Director). All non-qualifiers who are present on Sunday, December 28, 2008 will be eligible to compete for any spots not filled by qualifying players. The buy-in for the qualifying tournament will be determined by the number of available Main Event spots and the number of participating players. The blind structure will be a "turbo" version of the standard MPT structure. The start time of the qualifying tournament will be announced closer to the date of the event.

Any individuals planning to play in this qualifying event should contact the Tournament Director as soon as possible. The deadline for registration in the Main Event is Monday, December 8, 2008.

Pictures from MPT 2008 #7

2008-11-26T17:25:00.008-05:00

Pictures from the recent MPT Clash at Caesars, held in the recently renovated Caesars Atlantic City Temple Tower on Saturday, November 22, 2008.

Bigfus and Mrs. Betdponies in early action, while half of the MPT crowd prepares for a nap

A look at the world famous MPT buffet and bar

A flat panel television in the hotel room made keeping track of tournament status easy

The final hand for Bigfus, as her short-stacked preflop all-in move ran into a big hand from the chip leader

TSS777 took over as dealer after busting in 6th place

The trophy and prize money appear on the mattress during heads-up play

Mrs. Betdponies makes a bet, while her mother enjoys the late tournament action

Mrs. Betdponies stayed alive during heads-up play when the chip leader called her preflop all-in with K-8o

Mrs. Betdponies looks on as the final flop reveals Harv29's 2 pair

A closer look at the final hand reveals a strong hand for Mrs. Betdponies before the flop, but with few outs after the flop

The Tournament Director is finally on the receiving end of a trophy presentation!

The champion with his spoils

MPT 2008 #7 - Clash at Caesars (11/22/2008)

2008-11-26T17:01:00.006-05:00

Below is a detailed hand history of the recent MPT Clash at Caesars, hosted by Tournament Director, Harv29. Hand history is also courtesy of Harv29.

The participants:

Baccarat King - Trying to earn a spot in his second straight Tournament of Champions
Betdponies - Still looking for his first cash of the season
Bigfus - The MPT cash machine, still seeking her first win
Ging - Looking to improve on her finish on the bubble of the last even
Harv29 - Trying to rebound from his first career last place finish
Mrs. Betdponies - Looking for bragging rights, playing against her husband and mother
RowanB - Hanging on to a slim lead in Player of the Year race, despite recent mediocre finishes
TSS777 - Playing in consecutive MPT events for the first time this season and looking to defend his title from the previous event
Whispering Eye - Making his MPT debut

The Results:

Harv29
Mrs. Betdponies (aka Sass)
Bigfus
Ging
RowanB
TSS777
Betdponies
Whispering Eye
Baccarat King

The Hand History - Key Hands

Round 6
Flop: 9h5cQh

Wandering Eye check, TSS777 check, baccarat king $250, bigfus fold, sass fold, ging call, Wandering Eye fold, TSS777 fold.

Turn: 2h

Baccarat king $500, Ging raises to $1,000, Baccarat King calls

River: 6d

Baccarat king $575, Ging raises all-in, baccarat king calls

Ging shows flush, king high, baccarat king has pair of queens.

Baccarat king eliminated

Chip count estimates at break

Ging = 6,575
TSS77 = 3,825
Mrs. Betdponies = 2,800
Bigfus = 2,675
RowanB = 2,450
Harv29 = 1,625
Betdponies = 1,425
Wandering Eye = 625
NOTE: total is short $500

Round 7
Ging calls, Wandering Eye all-in $625, TSS777 calls, Ging calls

Flop: Qc, 10c, Jh

Check, check

Turn: Jc

Check, check

River: 7c

Check, check

Ging shows 2c for flush, others muck.

Wandering Eye eliminated

Round 9
Betdponies goes all-in for 1,350, called by Ging

Betdponies has 9d8d, Ging Ah5c

Flop: Jh, 10d, Kd

Turn: 8?

River: 6h

Betdponies doubles up

Flop: Qs, 9d, 10d

Betdponies $3,275 all-in, Ging calls, TSS777 folds (A,10)

Betdponies has 9s10h, Ging AdJd

Turn: 7s

River: 8?

Ging wins with J high straight, Betdponies eliminated

Harv29 all-in for $1,075, Mrs. Betdponies calls

Harv29 shows AA, Mrs. Betdponies has Ax10x

Flop: Js6sKx

Turn: Xs (Mrs. Betdponies has spade draw and straight draw)

River: 4h

Harv29 wins and doubles up.

(Next hand)

Harv29 all-in for $2,850, Ging calls

Harv29 has 10c10h, Ging has Ah3h

Flop: Qh2s3c

Turn: 7d

River: Qx

Harv29 wins and doubles up.

Round 11
Ging calls, Harv29 all-in, TSS777 calls, RowanB folds, Ging folds.

Harv29 shows KK, TSS777 shows 99

Flop: Jh5dQc

Turn: Ac

River: Xx

TSS777 is eliminated

Round 12
Rowanb goes all-in for $1,675, Ging calls, Harv29 calls

Flop: 7h10h8c

Ging checks, Harv29 goes all-in, Ging calls

Turn: Xh

River: Xx

Harv29 made a flush on the turn to eliminate RowanB and Ging

Bigfus goes all-in for 1,000 more, Mrs. Betdponies calls

Bigfus Qh2h, Mrs. Betdponies Kh8h

Flop: Ac3d8c

Turn: Qc

River: 6c

Bigfus doubles up.

Harv29 goes all-in, Bigfus calls

Harv29 has 6x6x, Bigfus has AhXx

Flop: As7c10h

Turn: Qh

River: Ac

Bigfus doubles up

Round 13

Bigfus goes all-in with 9s7s and is called by Harv29 with AhQs

Flop: 2dJc4h

Turn: 8d

River: 3s

Bigfus is eliminated

Round 14
Mrs. Betdponies goes all-in for $3,500 (on top of the pot of $2,400).

Harv29 calls.

Mrs. Betdponies had Ad5s, Harv29 had Ks8h

Flop: AsQh7d

Turn: 6h

River: 3d

Mrs. Betdponies doubles up

(Next hand)

Harv29 goes all-in, Mrs. Betdponies calls

Harv29 has Qd5d, Mrs. Betdponies has 10s10h

Flop: 8hQh5s

Turn: 6d

River: 7h

Mrs. Betdponies eliminated.

Harv29 Wins Clash at Caesars

2008-11-23T21:39:00.002-05:00

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - The host finally brought home a trophy from the MPT. Harv29 bested a field of nine players, including eight MPT veterans, to become the eighth different player to win a MPT tournament title. With the win and several "kills", Harv29 moves into the "Sealy Cup" point lead for the season and moves atop the career points list. Harv29's also earned his third cash in his last four events and fourth finish in the money this season.

Mrs. Betdponies tied her top career finish with a second place showing, once again finishing the season strong as she prepares for the Tournament of Champions, while Bigfus continues her cavalcade of cashes, with a third place finish. Bigfus has now finished in the money in every MPT tournament held in the state of New Jersey this year, with her record setting sixth cash in this event.

Former series points leader RowanB finished with a disappointing fifth place result, failing to earn money for the third straight event, leaving himself in need of a strong Tournament of Champions to have any hope of earning his first Player of the Year trophy.

Showboat 2007 Champion, Baccarat King, missed the beginning of the tournament and never recovered, earning his second last place finish of the season. This was the one blemish on an otherwise absurdly successful gambling weekend for the MPT's most upscale host. I suspect we'll hear more about this on his blog.

A third member of the Betdponies clan, Ging, seems to be taking over Harv29's former role, as she finished on the bubble for the second consecutive event, but her early eliminations of other players helped her earn enough Player of the Year points to qualify for this year's Tournament of Champions in December.

Stay tuned for the hand by hand account of the tournament later in the week.

Pictures from MPT 2008 #6

2008-11-05T20:48:00.004-05:00

Images from the October 25 MPT "Bounty Bowl" in the Bally's Atlantic City Claridge Tower.

Most of the field looks on, while the crowd seems less than enthusiastic with the early play.

Bigfus attempts the RowanB "hide under the bed" technique, while TSS777 tries to figure out how to "read" her; also notice the crowd of interested spectators has grown

Ging and Harv29 await a flop

The final hand, as bigfus was all-in preflop and TSS777 made the call and drew a straight on the river to end the tournament

Harv29 presents TSS777 with his third MPT Championship trophy

MPT 2008 #6 - Bally's Bounty Bowl (10/25/2008)

2008-11-05T20:28:00.006-05:00

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - TSS777 returned to the Mattress Poker Tour in style, earning his third career victory in only his 5th event on the circuit. The defending Player of the Year competed in only his second event of the season and secured a spot in the season-ending Tournament of Champions. He will be joined in that event by the hottest player on Tour, Bigfus, who cashed in yet another event with her fourth second place finish and fifth cash of the year.

The participants:

Bigfus - Trying to become this year's 5th first time MPT winner
Ging - Returns for her second straight event
Harv29 - Looking to move up in Player of the Year standings, while seeking first career win
Mrs. Betdponies - Trying to stay awake for the duration of the event after a rough previous night
RowanB - Looking to defend lead in Player of the Year race
TSS777 - returning to the MPT after missing the last 3 events

The Results:

TSS777
Bigfus
Ging
RowanB
Mrs. Betdponies
Harv29

October Statistics Update

2008-11-03T22:37:00.002-05:00

Revised MPT season and career statistics have been posted following the October, 2008 MPT event. Some noteworthy items appear below.

TSS777 ties Betdponies for first place on the career victory list
TSS777 becomes the second player to break $300 in all-time earnings, while Bigfus remains the all-time money leader
Ging becomes the 14th player on the MPT career earnings list, collecting two bounties
RowanB holds onto the Sealy Cup point lead, while Bigfus inches closer to the season title and Harv29 slips into third place
Amazon remains atop the season money list, but Bigfus moves within $15 of the top spot
Bigfus widens her lead in career cashes, with another finish in the money
RowanB moves back to the top spot on the career points list, while previous lead Harv29 drops two points behind, into third place; Bigfus moves into second place, a point off the lead
TSS777 moves into a tie for second place on the all-time "kills" list
TSS777 improves his average finish to widen his lead in that category, while also extending his lead in average points per event
Harv29 becomes the 8th player in MPT history to finish last place in a tournament

"Bounty Bowl" for Bally's

2008-10-08T11:26:00.004-04:00

SPRINGFIELD, VA - Tournament director, Harv29, has announced that the M.P.T. return visit to Bally's Atlantic City on October 25, 2008 will be a "Bounty Bowl". Whereas in previous tournaments only past champions have had a bounty on them, in this tournament each player will carry a bounty. Also as an added incentive (if you didn't already need an incentive to win one of the most prestigious poker titles in the world), "kill" points for this tournament will be doubled.

We look forward to seeing you at Bally's Atlantic City!

MPT to Award Rookie of the Year in December

2008-09-30T21:08:00.007-04:00

SPRINGFIELD, VA - Mattress Poker Tour Founder and Tournament Director, Harv29, announced today the creation of a Rookie of the Year award, to be presented during the awards ceremony during the season ending banquet that with follow this year's Tournament of Champions main event, in December.

Competition for this year's trophy will be tight, after players making their debuts this season have won four events in a row. Two-time tournament champion Amazon appears to be the early favorite, but with three events remaining there is still a lot of poker left to be played.

The Tournament of Champions main event with be played on Sunday, December 28 at the Showboat Hotel and Casino, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Nine players have already qualified for this year's tournament, either by "cashing" in a tournament during 2008 or by virtue of previous main event championships.

New Statistics Posted

2008-09-30T20:25:00.003-04:00

Revised statistics following the ECLVA Fall Classic have been posted. The author has observed the following noteworthy items:

With only three events left and with Amazon likely to play in only one of those, barring an extraordinary finish and some large fields the Player of the Year race is shaping up to be a three horse race, with RowanB leading the way and Harv29 and Bigfus close behind.
Harv29 closes to within three points of the top spot for the season points lead, breaking a second place tie with Bigfus.
Amazon now tops the season money list, with her second win of the season. The win also moves Amazon into the third place spot in all-time earnings.
Bigfus also passes RowanB, with her 4th cash in 5 events, while becoming the first MPT Superstar to pass the $300 mark in career earnings.
Harv29's second place finish coupled with his two "kills" catapulted him to the top of the all-time points standings
Betdponies tops the all-time list for number of players eliminated, with 11. He is one of only three MPT regulars to average more than one elimination per tournament.
Of those who have played 4 or more tournaments, both TSS777 and Baccarat King have led the way in players eliminated, each averaging nearly 2 eliminations per event.
This season's rookie sensation Amazon has averaged 3 eliminations per event, but has to play in one more tournament to qualify for the all-time "kill" leaders