It really isn’t that long since we heard that Greg Raymer was leaving Team PokerStars and they weren’t that hard-up about losing him. He is kind of one of the old-guard of online poker players which PokerStars seems to be purging as they get far more marketing mileage out of the hot new young-bloods at the site. Many of the old guys have been offered less than favourable terms as their contracts expire so Raymer decided to walk. A couple of weeks after his leaving announcement he was seen wearing the Full Tilt Poker patch at the 2011 National Heads-Up Poker Championship (NHUPC) on the tables at Caesars Palace.
This year NHUPC players gathered together at the Pure nightclub – Caesars Palace, and what seems to be of great interest to Bluff Magazine is the fact that Raymers’ sponsorship was a once-off, specific for this event. Apparently Raymer has to prove himself in solid play before the site will consider full-time sponsorship contract. In the first round he played against Mike Matusow and in the second round this was Phil Gordon. 64 of the poker elite were lined-up to battle it out for the title.
Raymer was the second player after Chris Moneymaker, to win a World Series of Poker Main Event after having played and qualified online. His bracelet was won in 2004.
This is the first event in the history of the championship a that winner did not defend their title. Last years’ winner was Annie Duke, and brother Howard Lederer were both conspicuous by their absence. Sadly both were away, at the bed-side of their mother who had suffered a near-fatal stroke according to Tweets from Mike Matusow.
After some fast and intense action in the field the grand title winner in an epic heads-up poker battle between Chris Moneymaker and Erik Seidel; Seidel came up the winner again. We don’t know what happened to Raymer. Erik Seidel on the other hand has won more live tournament money since the beginning of 2011, than any other poker pro. He took away another grand prize of $750 000 – not bad for a days work; but small potatoes for this professional poker player.
Chris Moneymaker says he tried every trick in the book, he was however also short-stacked, and in the end Seidels’ superior skill won the day – but he is having a very good run. Moneymaker won $300,000 for his runner up finish and called Seidel a “true champion”!
As far as Raymer is concerned, he was also selling shares of himself for the NHUPC (have you seen him – there is plenty to share?) at ChipMeUP, a popular online staking site. The partial stakes cost $3 each and 4 000 shares were available. “Tony G” Guoga, purchased 2,000 of the shares which cost him $6000! Raymer reserved 60% of his winnings from the NHUPC for himself and 40% for the ChipMeUp shares; however 40% of nothing is still zero!