2008 | All Africa Poker Blog

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2008 | All Africa Poker Blog

All Africa Poker ends the year off on a high note

Dec.31, 2008

2008 has been another successful year, with Piggs Peak Casino home of All Africa Poker crowning 4 new champions and adding them to the All Africa Poker Millionaires Club.
The All Africa Poker schedule for 2009 is jam packed, starting with Team All Africa Poker off to the Aussie Millions in mid – January 2009. We will return just in time to take part in the R3,500,000 All Africa Poker Tournament being held from 26 February – 1 March 2009 in Swaziland.
We wish you and your loved one's a very happy and safe festive season.
Here’s to making more Millionaires in 2009!

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Category: Poker News 2008

Who will be 2008’s Poker Player of the Year?

Dec.30, 2008

After a year’s worth of battling behind the poker tables, Bluff Magazine is but one tournament away from announcing the 2008’s Player of the Year. The top five players in the running this year are: David “Dragon” Pham, John “Razor” Phan, J.C. Tran, Men “The Master” Nguyen, and Jonathan Little. The last opportunities for any of these players to score more point will be at the Trump Poker Classic hosted at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. Watch this space for more news on these esteemed awards soon.

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A poker legend on preparing for the Aussie Millions

Dec.29, 2008

Ray Rahme will forever go down in history as the first ever South African to make it to the WSOP Final Table. However, Rahme’s performance was not just simply a flash in the pan. Ever since then, he has managed to consistently feature at the final tables of world wide major poker events…And as Team All Africa Poker is preparing to participate in the 2009 Aussie Millions soon, it’s only suitable to take a few tips from the poker legend himself… So let’s see what Ray Rahme has to say about playing poker internationally:

Q: Ray, you’ve made poker history by becoming the first ever South African player to finish 3rd at the 2007 WSOP Main Event. At the time you were only playing poker for around two years. What would you attribute that success to?

A: A lot was luck and the rest was:
Endurance (17 hours a day for 11 days)
Patience
Getting a good read on other players
Knowing when to call, raise or put a big hand down (having lost my whole stack on a pair of Aces in the 2006 WSOP)
..And determination to better my 1600 position (out of 8890 players) in 2006’s WSOP.

Q. Was it intimidating to compete against thousands of poker players from all over the world, including some of the most formidable international poker professionals and celebrities? If so, how did you overcome that?

A. I knew that they were some big name pro’s that had more experience then me, but at the end of the day it’s the cards you are dealt and how you decide to play them.

Q. Ever since then, you have been on the roll and have featured at the final tables or finished deep at major tournaments internationally and locally. Why do you think you have managed to be consistently successful?

A. I didn’t need to make any changes to my style, because I succeeded with the format I used in Vegas…Yet you have to have a few good breaks and your big hands need to hold up, or you can go out of the tourney….. That’s Poker!

Q. During 2008, you finished in the money at three international poker tournaments that we know of: the EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final; the San Remo EPT Event and the Crown Aussie Millions Championship. Locally, you won an All Africa Poker Tournament, the PokerAce, the Inaugural Emperor’s Palace Poker Classic , and was seen performing well at the SA Poker Open, Monte Casino and Rumble in the Jungle. Which one of these achievements were you proudest of, and why?

A. After being taken out in the EPT Grand Final with pocket Q’s, winning the All Africa Poker Tournament for the first time towards the end of 2008, after placing 4th and 5th before, is definitively one of my proudest moments.

Q. You have competed in the 2008 WSOP again. Why would you say have you not been able to improve upon or at least equal that fantastic performance of 2007?

A. Well I managed to recover from my worst start ever, only to be taken out by no less than two bad beats. Once I flopped an Ace-High Straight, but got beaten by a Full House and the second time my King-High Flush didn’t hold up against a 4 card Ace-High Flush… Once again… That’s Poker.

Q. Will you be competing in the 2009 Aussie Millions again?

A. Yes I am in Australia already and will be most certainly be trying to better my 46th position of last year.

Q. Rumour has it that Australia is one of your favourite places. Why is that?

A. I’ve been going to Australia for the past 20 odd years and because it’s so similar to South Africa, it feels like a home away from home.

Q. In 2008, you managed to place 46th out of 780 players at the Aussie Millions Main Event, and earned $18,984 for your effort. What was it like to compete in this illustrious event?

A. The tourney, blinds structure and Poker Room, are all very well structured and controlled… and the Hotel rooms with its friendly management and staff is outstanding. The Crown Casino Venue is one of the best, if not THE best.

Q. Many seem to think that our local players still have a long way to go, compared to international standards. What is your stance on that?

A. I don’t think so… If I could perform on an international level, so can everyone else. Most of our local players are just as capable as I am.

Q. What advice would you give the players who are preparing to compete in the 2009 Aussie Millions?

A. Remember that as good a game as it can be, poker can also be cruel. Try not to go on tilt, play your cards well and make the absolute best of your good hands!

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Category: Poker News 2008

Comments on a poker commentator

Dec.18, 2008

As one of the presenters of “Ask the Commentators” on the Poker Channel of DSTV, as well as one of the most successful players in Africa, Ryan Brauer is quite used to receiving and handling questions on poker hands. But this time we put Ryan on the hot seat and interrogated him about everything BUT poker hands….

Tell us more about Ryan. How would you describe yourself and would your friends and family describe you in the same way? “Loud, extrovert, talkative, I like to joke around. I think most people would describe me in the same way.”

How did you first get into poker in 2004 and what did you do before that? “I was working in design and media, while starting to play socially at home games with friends and the bug bit me.

You decided to pursue poker full-time in 2006. What lead to that decision? “I started winning against my friends consistently. I also managed to start winning more regularly online after I had paid my school fees learning the game there. I proceeded to enter some live tournaments in which I was fairly successful too. (His first big tournament result was landing himself an impressive 30th place finish (against a 750 player field) in the Aussie Millions, followed by a second place finish at the All Africa Poker Tournament.) At the same time we were trying to the rights to launch America’s biggest poker magazine in South Africa. After 6 months of preparations with the magazine, that idea was put on hold and after a few tourney successes, I decided to give it a full go playing professionally, a decision which I haven’t looked back upon.”

As someone who plays poker professionally, what would a week or a month in your life consist of and is it lucrative? “90% of the time I play poker online. I only enter for the bigger live tournaments, such as the All Africa Poker Tournament, Poker Ace and SA Poker Open and I also compete internationally from time to time, in the likes of the Aussie Millions; World Series of Poker and so on. I make a decent living out of it.”

We’ve noticed that you are not single anymore. How does playing poker affect your relationship? “I wouldn’t say it has a big effect, but one has to learn to compromise. If you play poker online and you’re on a winning streak, you naturally want to continue playing. And when you lose, you also want to keep on playing to win your money back. But you can’t sit in front of your computer 24/7. You need to know where to draw the line, and devote as much attention to your partner as you would to your work.”

What differentiates you as a poker player from the next guy? “I’d have to say my banter and table talk.” We smile, because anyone who has played against Ryan can attest to that. So are you trying to be the local Poker Brat? Ryan laughs out loud. “There has certainly been some comparisons between me and Phil Helmuth, but I am not deliberately trying to imitate him (although I’d kill to have a record like his, him being probably the most successful No Limit Hold’em tournament player ever). What happens at the table, stays at the table. Everyone who knows me, understands that my comments are made in good spirit. And I have become friends with many of these very players who were the recipients of my remarks around the poker tables.”

What are your most favourite poker moments or experiences? “I’d have to say it was in 2006 when I won the Bellagio Cup as well as the Sun City Heads Up Tournament within 6 weeks from one another. I was particularly proud of beating well-established players like Peter Vermaas and Cyril Jassinowsky (Piejay). There was also a bit of good-humoured revenge in there, as Peter was the one who beat me at the All Africa Poker Tournament prior to that.”

Who do you look up to in poker and why. “It’s hard to say. Locally I tend to form friendships with the players, and a form of mutual respect is developed. On an international level I’d have to say guys like Patrik Antonius and Kenny Tran. I admire Patrik for his aggressive play and his ability to win in mixed games at the highest level. And I take my hat off to Barry Greenstein for being the Robin Hood of Poker. He donates all of his tournament winnings to charity.”

Has anything occurred to you during your poker career that has changed the way you looked at poker before? “I haven’t had a light-bulb moment. But since I am in a committed relationship and have responsibilities such as a house and a dog, I tend to take poker more seriously. I can’t afford to fool around anymore.”

Where have you learnt the most about poker? “Definitely from playing frequently with my buddies such as Darren Kramer and Sami Sidia. We’d play and then sit and analyse our hands and sit and chat about how one could have handled these hands in different scenarios.”

What do you aspire to do with your poker career from here? Just to keep at it. I would also like to play in more international tournaments, but not necessarily the World Series of Poker, as I’ve played there a couple of times already. I want to play more in European Poker Tour events if possible, hopefully visiting Prague, Barcelona and Paris along the way.

On that note, how do you think our local players compare to international standards. “We’ve got some good players, but I think we still have a long way to go. It’s all about the numbers. Our poker community here is still very small in comparison, whilst there are thousands of poker players overseas and just as many playing poker professionally.”

Tell us more about “Ask the Commentators.” How has it been for you, and do you feel you that it actually fills a need for players out there? “It’s been a whole lot of fun. People e-mail us our questions on poker hands, but we don’t prepare our answers before the time. We feel that there needs to be an element of spontaneity in how we approach the possible solutions. We are not necessarily the best players out there, but we have certainly analysed a LOT of poker hands. We think beginners or intermediate players can gain from our experience. And I’ve actually been approached by some players at live tournaments, who told me that it helped them a lot and that it improved their game.

“Ask the Commentators” can be viewed on the All Africa Poker Channel on DSTV, available through the interactive touch menu. The programme is specifically aimed at addressing any poker queries, which are then handled by Ryan, as well as esteemed poker professionals and All Africa Poker Commentators Ryan Dreyer and David Dadic. Send all your burning poker questions to questions@allafricapoker.com or to catch them in action, visit www.allafricapoker.com for a screening schedule.

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Category: Poker News 2008

Piggs Peak, Swaziland And East Coast Radio Spreads The Christmas Spirit

Dec.18, 2008

East Coast Radio’s annual toy collection, Toy Story, always adds to the Christmas spirit and this year is no different with the team who is out and about spreading festive season cheer at hospitals around the Kwa-Zulu Natal province, uplifting the spirits in the pediatric wards. Piggs Peak, Swaziland signed up for this good cause and donated 100 soft pig toys to be added to the toy collection, which is currently being distributed to various hospitals.

Over the past two months, Toy Story 2008 has collected R550,000 and 21,000 new toys. Every cent of the money raised is used for food parcels, supplied by Spar, that are distributed to child headed households in the region, with a focus on those affected by HIV/ AIDS and children at our local hospitals benefit from the toys collected.

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Aussie Millions preparations start coming together!

Dec.17, 2008

The tickets are booked, the accomodation paid for and the visa's are being organised. Team All Africa is almost ready and set to head down under for the Aussie Millions 2009 at the Crowne Casino in Mebourne, Australia. Some of our players are headed to Melbourne a little early, with Andre Johnstone leaving beofre New Years, and Melanie Banfield leaving early Jan. We wish all of Team All Africa a happy holiday and a wonderful and successful 2009! stay tuned for all the news from Aussie Millions 2009.

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Graham slimming down to lowest weight yet!

Dec.15, 2008

Sports Betting journalist, Brent Graham, set himself the challenge of losing 23.4kg in 6 months and as a reward pledged to purchase himself a ticket to the All Africa Poker tournament. All Africa Poker offered to sponsor him an add on and a rebuy if he reached his goal by the time the February AAPT rolled around. However, Tournament Director Sandy Koor has just surprised us all with the announcement that if Graham hits his goal weight by February, All Africa Poker will stake him the full cost of a seat to the tournament! As Graham approaches his lowest weight in ten years, he has assured All Africa Poker that he will be seeing us in Swaziland in 2009. Stay tuned for updates on this hefty challenge!

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EPT sees first ever Italian champion

Dec.15, 2008

This past weekend, the European Poker Tournament (EPT) saw the first ever Italian poker player walk away with the title at the Prague Main Event. Salvatore Bonavena is a newcomer to the poker scene, whose only reasonably notable former cash in was 1,850 Euro for a 36th place in the 7 Tappa Campionato Italiano Main Event in February 2008. However, for his triumph at the EPT Prague, he collected a grande €774,000! Coincidentally the runner-up was also an Italian, Massimo Di Cicco, who walked away with €445,000

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Weight Loss Challenge Starts Heating Up

Dec.10, 2008

Sports Betting journalist, Brent Graham, set himself the challenge of losing 23.4kg in 6 months and as a reward pledged to purchase himself a ticket to the All Africa Poker tournament. All Africa Poker offered to sponsor him an add on and a rebuy if he reached his goal by the time the February AAPT rolled around. However, Tournament Director, Sandy Koor, has just surprised us all with the announcement that if Graham hits his goal weight by February, All Africa Poker will stake him the full cost of a seat to the tournament! As Graham approaches his lowest weight in ten years, he has assured All Africa Poker that he will be seeing us in Swaziland in 2009. Stay tuned for updates on this hefty challenge!

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AAPT players set to compete against some of the World’s best

Dec.09, 2008

Team All Africa Poker will face a host of the World’s most formidable players in January 2009 when they will be playing in the 2009 Aussie Millions Main Event Championship.
Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Antonio Esfandiari, Joe Hachem, Gus Hansen, Phil Ivey, Kenna “Cowboy” James, Phil Laak, Patrik Antonius, and celebrity poker enthusiasts Jennifer Tilly, Michael Vartan and Shannon Elizabeth have now all officially confirmed attendance and will be amongst the anticipated 700+ player field who will all be partaking in this year’s main event action.
Watch this space for updates on the performance of our local players against these poker giants at the 2009 Aussie Millions, regarded as one of the five largest poker tournaments in the world.

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