David Thompson, who along with his wife Patricia built up one of Britain’s most important breeding and ownership operations in Cheveley Park Stud, has died of renal failure at the age of 84.
Category Archives: Gambling
Point-Counterpoint: Damian Salas is the Real 2020 Poker World Champion
If next Monday’s Alabama-Ohio State winner deserves the right to be College Football’s national champion, Damian Salas is the real 2020 poker world champion, in my opinion. He earned it, he deserves the title, and he’ll make a fine ambassador for this great game.
Damian Salas and Joseph Hebert joke around after the 2020 WSOP Main Event. (Image: Twitter)
Salas defeated Joseph Hebert heads-up at the Rio in Las Vegas Sunday night to secure the bracelet. In doing so, he won an extra $1 million (had already won $1.5 million) and was crowned the 2020 world champion. He originally reached and won the GGPoker final table — played in the Czech Republic. Hebert won the WSOP.com bracket of the Main Event after shipping the final table for $1.5 million at the Rio. They both earned the right to face-off heads-up for all the marbles.
CardsChat’s Daniel Smyth wrote on Monday that he doesn’t consider Salas the “real” world champ, of which I wholeheartedly disagree. My colleague makes a valid point about the Main Event that ran this past summer on GGPoker, won by Stoyan Madanzhiev. He argues that Madanzhiev was the presumed world champ by the poker community at the time and then the WSOP reversed course and decided to host a separate Main Event later in the year.
€11.3 million Germany Lottery jackpot goes unclaimed
After three and a half years of waiting for the winner of a €11.3 million (US$13.9 million) Lotto 6aus49 jackpot to turn up, one of Germany’s largest-ever unclaimed prizes is going back into the prize pool.International, Unclaimed Prize, Jackpots, Germany
Eight of Note Make Their Mark Heading Into New Year
At Santa Anita, Rock Your World won his debut Jan. 1 and Roman Centurian found the winner’s circle Jan. 3; while on the opposite coast several of note earned their first win.
Hall of Fame Trainer Sheppard Retires
Jonathan Sheppard, a Hall of Fame trainer whose horses excelled on dirt, turf, and over steeplechase fences, announced Jan. 4 that he is retiring from American racing. For now, he will continue to train a small stable in Ireland.
Point-Counterpoint: Damian Salas is NOT the Real 2020 Poker World Champion (Op-Ed)
2020 has been a year where, for better or worse, we all had to adapt. The WSOP adapted and offered two Main Events, which raises the question: is Damian Salas a legit champion?
Even though he’s achievement can’t be overlooked; we can’t really call Damian Salas the 2020 WSOP Main Event champion. (Image: WPT)
There’s no easy answer. Damian Salas clearly put in a strong performance to win the hybrid Main Event finale, so we can’t diminish that fact.
We also know that 2020 was a tough year for everyone and COVID-19 forced everyone to make the best of a bad situation. In that respect, the WSOP’s efforts are commendable and Salas is the champion. However, in other respects, it may have been better to wait.
Gramm Sees Payoff as Horseplayer and Owner
Marshall Gramm collected $492,750 by winning the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge contest in November, and the racing partnership he heads with co-founder Clay Sanders, Ten Strike Racing, surpassed $3 million in earnings in 2020.
Damian Salas is the 2020 WSOP Main Event Champion
Damian Salas defeated Joseph Hebert in a marathon heads-up match to win the 2020 WSOP Main Event title, and an extra $1 million in cash. The champ also takes home the coveted gold bracelet and is officially the reigning world champion of poker.
Damian Salas is your 2020 World Series of Poker champion. (Image: WSOP.com)
It took more than five hours for Salas to finish off his opponent. Even once the blinds got so big that there weren’t many decisions left to be made, play still resumed for quite some time. Neither player was willing to give in as there was so much riding on this match.
Both players had already won just north of $1.5 million for beating their respective final tables. But they each were chasing that extra $1 million paid to the winner of Sunday’s heads-up finale. And the player who lost the heads-up match took received nothing beyond the $1.5 million already won.
David ‘ODB’ Baker, Mark Gregorich Win Westgate SuperContest for $435K
David “ODB” Baker and Mark Gregorich teamed together to win the famous Las Vegas Westgate SuperContest sports betting competition for $435,000. The poker duo also took second in another major sports betting contest at the Circa in Las Vegas for $200,000.
David Baker and Mark Gregorich took down the famous Las Vegas Westgate SuperContest. (Image: World Poker Tour)
Baker is a two-time WSOP bracelet winner and the 2019 WPT LA Poker Classic champion. In total, he has over $5 million in live tournament cashes. Gregorich, the author of “52 Tips for Texas Hold’em Poker,” is also an accomplished poker player. He has 70 cashes in bracelet events, but is still looking for his first WSOP title.
The two poker pros teamed together for the top NFL football betting contests in the world. And they showed the gambling community they’re skilled at more than just poker.
Kalypso Notches Graded Victory in Santa Ynez
Kalypso dueled early but had plenty left in the tank to secure her first graded score in the $200,500 Santa Ynez Stakes (G2) Jan. 3 at Santa Anita Park.
Pegasus World Cup Invitation List Released
Bob Baffert-trained Mucho Gusto and Charlatan are among a dozen grade 1 and grade 2 winners on a list of 16 horses invited Jan. 3 to the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream Park.
Jockey McMahon Charged With Attempted Murder
Jockey Charles Jantzen “C.J.” McMahon was arrested Jan. 2 by the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office in Louisiana. He was charged with attempted murder of the second degree, illegal use of weapons, and possession of marijuana.
Life Is Good, Medina Spirit Exit Sham in Good Form
Sham Stakes (G3) winner Life Is Good and runner-up Medina Spirit came out of the race well according to trainer Bob Baffert.
Galileo Remains On Top Ahead of 2021 Breeding Season
Like the word Blackpool running through the center of a stick of seaside rock, Galileo’s influence was a constant feature during 2020.
Racing Community Mourns Loss of Trainer Davison
Trainer Zoe Davison died Jan. 3 following a long battle with cancer. She was 60 years old.
Group 2 Winner Headman to Stand in France
Dual group 2 winner Headman has retired from racing and will stand at Figerro Breeding Farm in Saône-et-Loire, France, this year.
NYRA Registers All-Sources 2020 Handle of $1.8 Billion
The New York Racing Association’s 2020 race meets conducted at Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course generated all-sources handle of more than $1.8 billion, NYRA announced Jan. 3.
WSOP Main Event Heads-Up Finale Preview: Joseph Hebert Vs. Damian Salas
Although it’s technically 2021, the 2020 WSOP Main Event winner will finally be crowned tomorrow at the Rio in Las Vegas. And that individual will either be Joseph Hebert or Damian Salas.
Will Damian Salas or Joseph Hebert win the 2020 WSOP Main Event? (Image: ESPN)
This year’s $10,000 buy-in world championship event is vastly different compared to the previous 50 years due to COVID-19. Not only did the event take place in December instead of the summer. But most of the tournament was played online instead of at the Rio.
GGPoker kicked off the event for the international players on Nov. 29 and then WSOP.com in Nevada and New Jersey ran the same tournament in December. The nine finalists of the GGPoker tournament met at King’s Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic for a live final table. And then the WSOP.com final table ran at the Rio in Las Vegas.
Life Is Good Passes Two-Turn Test in Sham
Life Is Good passed his first two-turn test and improved to 2-for-2 in the $100,000 Sham Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Jan. 2, though a diminishing three-quarter of a length margin of victory suggests the 3-year-old may still be in need of fine-tuning.
Anothertwistafate Lands Turf Score in San Gabriel
Anothertwistafate entered the $201,000 San Gabriel Stakes (G2T) Jan. 2 at Santa Anita Park with a dirt graded victory and a synthetic stakes win on his résumé and added a turf score to his record when he opened up in the nine-furlong event.