Antonius’s first match started in the early morning hours Sunday on his personal $500/$1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha table against world1969.

Rumored to be Johnny “World” Hennigan, world1969 lasted only 16 hands against Antonius before losing a $212k pot and leaving the match down $191k.

Antonius then turned his attention to 7-Game, where he made an additional $385,000. With $1.4 million in losses, Antonius is now the second biggest loser on the year, less than $2,000 ahead of Brian Townsend.

Tom “durrrr” Dwan played two big-money sessions yesterday as well. The first, at $100/$200 PLO against Townsend, ended after 76 hands and Townsend had lost $133k, the majority of his $164k total loss on the day.

Dwan tried to continue his run-good at 7-Game only to lose $141k, finishing the day down $7,723.

Phil Ivey also showed up for a short session, playing 123 hands of PLO and 190 hands of 7-Game. After losing half of his PLO profits in the mixed games, Ivey finished the day up $36k.

In the meantime, Alexander “PostflopAction” Kostritsyn continued to crush the 7-Game tables, making $332k in a 905 hand session Sunday. This puts the Russian pro up to over $2 million in earnings on the year.

At press time, Kostritsyn sits in second place for the year’s top earner, $500k behind Cole South.

Some of the other big names to get in a few hands yesterday included Gus Hansen (-$189k), Ashton “theASHMAN103″ Griffin ($78k), Hac “trex313″ Dang (-$67k) and Phil “OMGClayAiken” Galfond ($16k).

Below are three of the largest pots of the day. Head to MarketPulse to see more.

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The 24-year-old Full Tilt Pro outlasted field of 766 and a final table with several well known pros to book the win and bank the $625,006 first-place prize.

“It feels good,” Madsen told Borgata bloggers. “It takes a while for it to set in, but in a few days I’ll look back on it. It was a really good tournament.”

The final table in the $3,000 event began at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa with New York pro Matt Matros saying goodbye 10th losing a race with pocket sixes to Nick Kamen’s big slick.

Soon, Chan Pelton ran ace-ten into Madsen eights and failed to improve, bowing out 9th.

Ross Mallor was the next to go, running king-queen into Al Grimes’ ace-ten before David Fox joined him on the rail after Grimes made two pair to crack his ace-seven.

All of Grimes’ work was for naught, however, as he dropped out sixth pushing with a turned straight draw into Madsen’s trips and bricking the river.

Kamen then ran ace-eight into Barkley Hamilton’s kings before Hamilton himself fell, losing a massive set-over-set pot versus Madsen.

David Marchese then took third when he lost a race with pocket nines against Madsen’s ace-queen.

But despite picking off the last two players, Madsen began heads-up with two-time WSOP final tablist Sirous Jamshidi about even in chips.

Within an hour he had built a 2:1 chip lead before Jamshidi pushed with queen high, Madsen called with king-high and the title was his.

“I’ve had success in the past,” Madsen said. “But it feels good to get these big wins and to continue to prove myself in the poker world.”

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Full Tilt, PokerStars and UB all awarded millions of dollars last Sunday, and throughout the week Cole South, Brian Townsend and Patrik Antonius took turns winning hundred thousand dollar pots in the high stakes cash games.

There were a few stories that didn’t make the front page of PokerListings.com, however, and as part of our Poker News in Brief feature we’ve compiled a list below.

This week we’ll take a look at Isabelle Mercier’s latest promotion, two poker sites switching networks, UB teaming up with an MMA promoter and more.

No Mercy Cash Games on BetClic

It’s been months since Isabelle “No Mercy” Mercier signed with BetClic, but the room is offering its first major promotion involving the famous French-Canadian.

All this month Mercier will host her own “No Mercy” cash game table on BetClic with stakes ranging from €.12/€.25 No-Limit all the way up to €2/€4 No-Limit.

BetClic will also offer No Mercy Magic Hands where any player that makes a straight flush on the Mercier tables is entered into a special Sit ‘N’ Go with up to €2,000 up for grabs.

The No Mercy cash game tables can be found under the private tab of the BetClic lobby.

To learn more go to the BetClic website.

SportsBook.com, PlayersOnly.com Move to Merge Network

PlayersOnly.com and SportsBook.com are leaving the Cake Poker network in favor of the Merge Poker Network.

Jezette Enterprises, which owns both sites, made the announcement on Wednesday citing the chance to give players a better platform on which to play.

“This is an industry changing deal and we are delighted to have an agreement with Jazette Enterprises,” said Anthony Taylor, CEO of Merge Gaming.

The migration, which is scheduled to occur by mid-April, 2010, will see Jezette move all its brands onto the Merge Gaming Network.

PlayersOnly.com and SportsBook.com will join sites such as Carbon Poker, Poker Nordica and ACED on the Merge Gaming Network.

Meanwhile the Cake Poker network recently added a number of new rooms including the signature room of Phil Laak – Unabomberpoker.com.

Honeybone Finds Gold in Auckland

Established Kiwi poker pro James Honeybone won the SkyCity Auckland Anniversary Championships this weekend.

He outlasted 121 players including poker pros Dan Sing and Martin Cardno to win the NZ$36,030 prize for first place.

Honeybone finished fifth at APPT Korea in 2007 and also made an $84,970 score at the Ongame Network Poker Classic in Barcelona in 2005.

The win in Auckland catapulted Honeybone into ninth place on the all-time New Zealand tournament money list with $161,806.

TSN, PokerStars Launch TSN Poker Club

Canadian sports broadcaster TSN has teamed with PokerStars.net to create a custom built poker environment for poker players.

“Poker’s popularity in Canada continues to grow and the TSN Poker Club gives poker players of all levels a chance to get into the action and win exclusive prizes,” says Geoff Fardy, Canada Country Manager, PokerStars.net.

The club will allow members to enter a series of free-to-play tournaments with prizes like poker tables and snowboards, all while learning the game of poker.

PokerStars.net and TSN will launch the club with three daily tournaments from now until July 31.

UB Teams Up with MMA Promoter

UB has entered into an exclusive sponsorship deal with the Bellator Fighting Championships.

The agreement will see UB logos in upcoming Bellator fights while UB will advertise for the fighting brand in its poker client lobby.

“We’re super excited to tie the new UB logo to Bellator—the hottest MMA success story of 2009—and are proud to partner with them in their sophomore year,” said Paul Leggett, chief operations officer of Tokwiro, the owner/operator of UB.net.

The Bellator Fighting Championship began last year with headline bouts involving MMA stars Hector Lombard, Eddie Alvarez and Joe Soto.

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The following freerolls are open to all PokerListings.com players. Qualify in the specified qualification period, then take your seat to win a boatload of free cash.

If you’re not a PL.com registered player on any of the following sites, click on the site’s name in the list to sign up. Getting your free seat in the tournament can be just as simple as that.

Titan Poker

The next $5,000 Monthly freeroll is almost here, buy in with just 25 points.

• Date: Feb. 7
• Value: $5,000
• Qualify with: 25 points

Pacific Poker

Just two days left to earn your seat in February’s montly freeroll.

• Date: Feb. 7
• Value: $1,000
• Qualify with: 100 points
• Qualify between: Jan. 1-31

Full Tilt

A makeup freeroll for the missed Saturday $1,500’s. This $4,500 event replaces the standard $1,500 freeroll.

• Date: Feb. 13
• Value: $4,500
• Qualify with: 100 points
• Qualify between: Jan. 07-12

Party Poker

With your final two days to earn your points and qualify, be sure to have collected 100 points in January for your seat in the next $2,000 Party Poker freeroll.

• Date: Feb. 13
• Value: $2,000
• Qualify with: 100 points
• Qualify between: Jan. 1-31

PokerStars

The next massive freeroll from PokerStars comes as a $25k event awarding $24k worth of “turbo takedown tickets” plus $1k cash for the final table. Collect 100 points in January as a PokerListings player to earn your seat.

• Date: Feb. 21
• Value: $25,000
• Qualify with: 100 points
• Qualify between: Jan. 1-31

bwin Poker

Monthly freerolls for all PokerListings players on the site. Just 50 pts to qualify.

• Date: Feb. 21
• Value: $2,000
• Qualify with: 25 points

Qualify between: Dec. 1- Mar. 19

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At 11 p.m. ET Wednesday night, Dang and Kostritsyn sat heads-up at $300/$600 Pot-Limit Omaha, where they remained for 1,248 hands until 2 a.m. Thursday morning. Kostritsyn left the match up over $245k.

Both Dang and Kostritsyn put in a few hands on Thursday afternoon, Dang making $147k, Kostritsyn losing $41k.

But at 5 p.m. yesterday, the two players sat for a re-match, this time at $200/$400 PLO. After almost five hours and 2,038 hands, Kostritsyn logged off up over $436k, up $681k on Dang in less than 24 hours.

Dang stuck around until 7 a.m. this morning chasing his losses, but his winning sessions were small and losing sessions large. By the time Dang called it quits he had accrued another $184k in losses, losing a total of $718k.

Meanwhile, Patrik Antonius suffered through a day of swings Thusrsday, but thanks to beating Brian Townsend for the second largest pot of the day (worth $200k), the Finn came out up $257k. ?

Townsend, who has been on a losing streak ever since his 30-day pro-status suspension, sat for 1,393 hands of PLO spread across ten tables. Townsend ended up losing money at eight of those tables, losing both the largest pots of the day in the process. Townsend finished the day down $377k.

Fellow CardRunners pro Brian Hastings had a relatively stress free day sitting at seven tables, turning a profit on six of them and losing just $9,501 on the seventh. In just 392 hands, Hastings earned an impressive $302k.

Below are the three largest pots from yesterday’s action. To see more hands and stats, head to MarketPulse.

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South’s massive run started Tuesday evening at $300/$600 Pot-Limit Omaha, where he sat with Phil Ivey heads-up for 208 hands, earning $152k in the process.

Ivey went on to grind back his losses on the 6-max tables, making $190k, mostly from unknown player rumprammer, who lost $500k during his 709 hand stint at the tables.

After defeating Ivey, and a few hands with Hansen and rumprammer, South sat heads up with Antonius in the early morning hours Wednesday.

By the end of this match, South had punished the struggling Full Tilt pro for around $350k, mostly thanks to winning the largest pot of the match worth $307k.

After an eight hour break (presumably to sleep), South returned to the $300/$600 tables to play Sahamies heads-up, who has been running white hot since the start of 2010.

South struggled from the start of the heads-up match, and in a chat between South, Sahamies and PostflopAction, a clearly frustrated South claimed to be stuck “like a mill” in the four hours he’d been playing.

But almost immediately after making the comment, the cards began to fall South’s way, putting him on yet another heater. In the midst of this heater, South took down all four of largest pots in the match, the smallest of which was worth over $380k.

The largest pot of the session saw the money go all in on the flop, with South holding the nut flush against Sahamies’ top set. The board failed to pair awarding South $634,777, the largest pot of the year so far.

When the dust settled, Sahamies found himself stuck for over $750k.

In the end, South earned over $1.1 million on the day, possibly a new personal record.

Below are the three largest pots of the South/Ziigmund battle. To see more hands, including South’s $307k pot versus Antonius, head to MarketPulse.

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Professional poker player and presenter Lacey Jones is set to become the new face of the CPT and will be featured prominently on the tour’s new online video network - Canadian Poker Player Television.

“I truly love Canadians and am so happy to be a part of the Canadian Poker Tour”, said Jones.

Female participation in the CPT has been on the decline over the last two years and tour-owner HeadsUp Entertainment is hoping that their new host will help bring women back out to the tables.

“Here is a girl that loves hockey, loves Canadian beer and is an amazing poker player to top it off,” said CPT President Kelly Kellner.

“We believe that by having Lacey attend many of our events and the fact that she is about to move to Vancouver, the partnership couldn’t be stronger.”

Jones will also be featured on the cover of an upcoming issue of Canadian Poker Player Magazine.

Originally hired by a poker company to do modeling work, Jones proved to be more than a pretty face at the poker table and has since made cashes at the WSOP and Borgata Poker Open. Online poker room Absolute Poker took notice and signed her as a full-fledged pro.

Jones’ first event as the face of the CPT will be the upcoming Winter Freezeout to be held at Cash Casino in Calgary from Feb. 24-28.

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Full Tilt is taking online poker to a new level with the unveiling of Rush Poker, a new and ground-breaking poker game built to provide the latest in high-speed online poker experience and reduce the wait time between hands.

This extremely fast and extreme poker action gives players the opportunity to move through different tables, play different challengers in every poker hand and choose the type of game (Hold’em, No Limit, etc) and fix the stakes they want to play. Rush Poker players will also be able to organize the game list by other classes such as number of players, average pot or number of hands per hour.

Once you choose the Rush Poker game you wish to play, all you need to do is double click on that game to enter the Rush Poker lobby. Players are also able access a Rush Poker game by using the “Rush Poker Lobby Widgets” offered in Standard View.

Rush Poker is the world’s quickest poker game and can only be played at Full Tilt. Check it out today for the most intense poker action on the planet.

For more details, please visit http://www.fulltiltpoker.com/rush-poker/details

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Harrah’s Enterprises, owner and operator of the World Series of Poker 2010, has unveiled the official schedule of events for the 41st annual World Series of Poker set to kick off from May 27th, 2010 with the Casino Employees No-Limit Hold’em, and closing events on November 9th, 2010 with the Main Event Table.

The World Series of Poker schedule of events features a total of 57 bracelets events, including three new poker events ($50,000 Player’s Championship Event #2, $10,000 H.O.R.S.E Event #43, World Championship, $25,000 6-Handed No-Limit tournament Event #52). The 2010 World Series of Poker schedule of events mentions several changes, for example, the $50.000 H.O.R.S.E event has been replaced with the $50,000 “Player’s Championship” (Event #2), featuring eight unique poker games (Limit Hold’em, Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better, Seven Card Razz, Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better, No-Limit Hold’em, Pot-Limit Omaha, 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball).

The initial 5 weekends of the poker series (May 29-30, June 5-6, June 12-13, June 19-20 and June 26-27) will include $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournaments with two opening flights. In addition, a sixth schedule on July 1-2, will also offer the same event at the same buy-in level. The 41st annual WSOP 2010 will close on Monday, July 5th with the $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Championship Main Event. The Main Event will take a break on July 17th, and will continue on four months later with the “November Nine” final table running from November 6th-9th

Other variations announced for the World Series of Poker 2010 consist of several new rules that will regulate the daily amount of play, and the addition of more poker tables. According to the 2010 WSOP site, the entire convention center of the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino will be commited to the World Series of Poker, with tournament tables in the 58,000 square foot Pavilion and the 38,000 square foot Amazon Room.

The WSOP is also giving participants more than five months to sign-up for the first event on the 2010 WSOP schedule. Pre-registration for the WSOP is accessible at the Main Cage of the Rio Las Vegas and online at the World WSOP 2010 website. Sign-up for all bracelet events will stay open until the start of the third level (approximately 2 hours, 20 minutes after start time) or until all seats are sold.

“Whatever your game and whatever your bankroll, the 2010 WSOP schedule offers something for everyone. We are planning for the largest WSOP ever and look forward to welcoming all players to the Rio in Las Vegas next summer.” said WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel.

World Series of Poker schedule of events

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As we reported here over the weekend, it has recently been made public that Dwan has officially signed up with Full Tilt. The online poker room has given the poker celebrity a warm welcome with an Tom Dwan Website featuring a welcome video clip and other interesting tidbits from the career of ”durrrr”.

One of the most interesting parts of the ”durrrr” Website is the welcome video from Team FullTiltPoker.com members Howard Lederer, Andy Bloch, Jennifer Harman and others. The Tom “durrrr” Dwan video on FullTilt Poker also features an appearance from the legendary online poker player, ”durrrr”.

Tom “durrrr” Dwan has been keeping himself busy as of late with a new Tom Dwan blog, which will actually be published from events of Tom “durrrr” Dwan himself. Without mentioning the durrrr Challenge which is on its 27,185th hand out of the projected 50,000 total hands.

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