National Deaf Poker Tour

We are pleased to have a listing of all winnings of all of our NDPT tournaments in a table and searchable by name.

Check It Out!

July 24 – 26 At the Venetian

Registration is at the Venetian. They do EVERYTHING! See you there.

Event Listing:

Friday – ASL’s Poker Tournament Buy in: $120 ($90 to pot) 2PM Start
Friday – NDPT Texas Hold’ Em Madness Buy in: $120 ($90 to pot) 9PM Start
Saturday – National Deaf Poker Tour Main Event Buy in: $200 ($160 to pot) 12:30PM Start
Saturday – NDPT’s Deaf Women Poker Event Buy in: $120 ($90 to pot) 6PM Start

Hotel

Call 1-877-444-3777 and use code CPNDPT. It is $139 a night for a room with two queen beds.

NOTE: 4th of 4 tournaments for 2008-2009 NDPT Champion and Prize

NDPT from SportsMX on Vimeo.

101 players played this event. Both Jesse Wilson and Victor Yu split the money.

1st and 2nd place - Jesse Wilson and Victor Yu - $2863 each            
3rd- Michael Friess – $1090       
4th- John Taylor- $636                
5th- Jamie O’hea- $ 500
6th- George Harrison- $409
7th- Ricky Cooper- $319
8th- Michael Coppage- $228
9th- Paul Sutherland- $182

Total of 62 Ladies played this event which is a new record for number of ladies. Alicia Epstein took the title and bracelet.

1st- Alicia Epstein- $2046
2nd- Tadie Cross- $1092
3rd- Susan Kovacs- $698
4th- Karrie Smith- $465
5th- Lori Hower- $233
6th- Lauren Clarke- $116

A Player’s Perspective of the NDPT – 2009

By Anthony LoBue

I arrived at Taj Mahal on Friday March 6th about 6:30 pm, and checked into my room that I was sharing with 4 other friends to keep the costs down. Lucky for me, my roommate (thanks again V!) got a comp offer for a free night for Friday night and we paid for Saturday. It was an excellent deal, as I paid only $41 dollars to stay at Taj for 2 days. What surprised me was that my group was staying in the new Chairman Tower. This room reminded me so much of the Venetian’s in Las Vegas. The bathroom was HUGE, two sinks, a side toilet closet and a large shower with see through glass.

First I went up to my room to settle in and unpack my bags while waiting for my roommates to arrive from New York. I had expected to see them in the room prior to playing the Madness tournament however they decided to go directly to registration for the Madness tournament. I then made my way down about 8:25 pm, and headed to the NDPT table to pay for my buy in for both the Madness & Main event. I wasn’t planning on playing the ASL tourney at the moment. Madness was starting at 8:30, and I took my time getting to the table, which I finally sat down about 8:50 pm. 135 players participated in the Madness tournament, according the NDPT website it was the largest turnout since, so that’s good! Unfortunately, I didn’t do as well as I had hoped for the Madness, as I wasn’t getting any good cards to play with and eventually my chip stack dried up, I don’t know what place I exited. However, my rival, Peter Vitucci had hit the triple crown of the National Deaf Poker Tour, winning the 2009 Madness. He had previously won the NDPT in 2008, and the ASL tourney in 2007. As much as I’d have liked seeing him not achieve this Triple Crown, I extend my congratulations to him.

After I exited the tournament, I made my way to the casino tables in hopes of winning some money in the 3 card poker. I was still thinking about that big win I had in Las Vegas this past October at Binion’s casino, which I hit a straight flush and won some 900 dollars on a 15 dollar bet. Unfortunately, the cards weren’t friendly to me and took me for a loss. So I then headed back to the Trump poker room to play a couple rounds of 1-2 no limit, playing for about a few hours and then cashing out up $250. I was still down from my 3 card poker debacle. As I saw that it was getting late and that I needed my sleep, I headed back to my room. Not surprisingly, my friend’s girlfriend was the only one sleeping while everyone else was still in the casino at about 4 AM. I forced myself to sleep as I was still thinking of playing.

I awoke up early at about 9:00 AM, before my alarm was scheduled to wake me at 10, and lucky for me that I did wake up that early because the maid who made my bed pulled the alarm vibrator off from underneath the bed (I didn’t even check before I went to sleep). I got ready for the tournament, and woke the others up on my way out. I went downstairs. I arrived a bit early and tried to get my table assignment. Unfortunately the NDPT crew was short staffed with only 2 of the official NDPT members available that weekend, Joey & James. All the others had conflicts which they couldn’t make it. I have to extend my congratulations to James & Joey for managing to carry on the weekend. I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for both of them.

The tournament was a tough one, there was only one person on the table that I knew, and all others were new faces to me. Playing that table wasn’t as bad as last year in which so many people got knocked out before the break. That was okay with me I came to play poker, and I wanted to win this championship so badly. The tournament started at 11:30 am with some delays, and I didn’t finish till about quarter to 6, and I exited around 26th place. I was so close, but yet so far…. At least I achieved my goal of bettering my NDPT finish last year which I finish some 50th place. I’ll have to try again in Las Vegas in July. I want to congratulate Mike Hylinski for winning his first Main

After I exited the tournament, I pondered whether to play the ASL tournament or play in the Midnight Trump Tournament. However due to the fact that I wanted to play in the World Series of Poker at Caesar’s Palace on Sunday at 12 pm, I knew that if I played the Midnight tournament, it wouldn’t finish till 7 AM and I would only have a few hours of sleep. I decided then that I was going to play the ASL tournament and stood in line. While standing in line, the NDPT crew announced that the cutoff was a few people in front of me as there was going to be one table. I was greatly disappointed that Taj provided a limited number of tables for this particular tournament. The best they could do was fit in 2 more tables, and there were more than 40 others who wanted to join this tournament. Lucky for me I BARELY made it into this tournament as at first they announced the cutoff, but I still waited around hoping that maybe there would be a chance. Like I said, I barely made it in, and the tournament started a bit after 6:30 pm, and I played until about 11 pm, which I made it to the final two tables, and once again, my chip stack was defeated by the clock. I then made my way over to the cash tables where I met Brad Gibson, the Madness champion of 2007 and current professional poker player. We had a number of good conversations before I lost my chips to him at about 2 AM, and that was ok to me, it was time for me to get my sleep because I knew that I was going to play in the WSOP. I was impressed with his reading ability on the table, he read that I had pocket kings when I bet and everyone folded, where he was on the button, he too folded.

Sunday morning, I woke up before everyone, packed my bags and said goodbye to my roommate and to pass the message that I said good bye. I headed downstairs and made my way to my car. I wanted to get something to eat, and the only thing quick open was McDonalds, I was running a bit late as it was about 11:30 AM, and I needed to get some cash before getting into the tournament. It took me some time to find a bank ATM, as I didn’t want to pay the ridiculous high surcharge in the Casino. After I got my cash, I drove to Caesars’ Palace and parked my car in the garage. I couldn’t believe how full the garage was that I ended up parking near the top floor. Anyway, I made my way down expecting to see the super long line from when I played in the WSOP in October. This time the line wasn’t that bad. I got to the cashier window within 20 minutes after I got my player’s card first and the card reprint machine was on the fritz. Brad Gibson and Greg Randall stopped by Caesars, and wished me luck along with other two who were playing. Much appreciated!

As I seated on my table, I counted my chip stack, which the WSOP starting chip stack is 4k chips, and I lost only $150 to the blinds, which wasn’t that bad. I identified two players on my table that I knew to be cautious as they had more chips than the rest of the table. After a while, I got my read on the players and gradually turned my 4k chip stack to 12k, and then went on to dominate my table growing my chip stack a little over 50k. Blinds for this tournament increased every hour, and every 4 levels there was a break including a 60 minute dinner break after the 8th level. I played this tournament from 12 PM until 11:45 pm, which out of 619 players, I finished 34th. The last hand I had, I was on the big blind, of 1600/3200. I had an Ace/King off suit and had two callers preflop. I went all in, the fellow next to me called my all in of 22k, and the other guy called. Both of these guys checked all the way to the river which I was pissed as I wished the guy who called me called all in to force a heads up play. Nobody had any pockets, and I had the strongest hand with the A/K offsuit. Unfortunately the 3rd guy hit his 10 from his J/10 suited club, and knocked me out of the tournament, which I finished, 36th and earned $650, and nearly double my buy in. Jon Kovac and Yusef Yusefov were also playing in this tournament. Yusef exited this tournament early, and Jon finished at 19th, so congratulation goes to him. I was happy to have made it this far in the WSOP tournament. I played exactly as I had predicted I would play and totally enjoyed my WSOP experience. What surprised me on Monday when I checked the website, that I had finally made it into being in the Bluff Magazine as being a ranked poker player! Phil, Gus, Doyle… I’m coming after you!

I look forward to seeing everyone again in July. Until then, shuffle up and deal because I’m all in! You can always contact me at AnthonyLoBue@gmail.com if you have any questions about my experience.

163 Players played the Main event. Mike Hylinski took the top prize of $9937 and bracelet for the March 2009 Main Event.

1 Mike Hylinski $9937
2 Justin Lathus $5216
3 Larry Minckler $2608
4 Al Wilkins $1565
5 Francis Steffl $1174
6 Dustin Warren $912
7 Tomeka King $652
8 Shaun Cronin $522
9 Wilson Gonzalez $443
10 Mike Coppage $339
11 Paul Kaufman $339
12 Elijah Gold $339
13 Dennis Studer $339
14 Mark Panella $339
15 Tony Ratcliff $339
16 Mike Friess $339
17 Simi Zfati $339
18 Duane Vonada $339

Friday night’s Hold ‘Em Madness has a record breaking 135 participants! Peter Vitucci makes it a TRIPLE CROWN by winning the tournament. Peter now has won Hold ‘Em Madness, Main Event and ASL tournaments in his career. An amazing accomplishment by Peter! Congratulations!

1st- Peter Vitucci  -$4629                 
2nd- Eric Dubow – $2430                   
3rd- Natan Zfati- $1215                     
4th- Robert Capece- $729                 
5th- Martin Peabody – $547       
6th- Sung Park- $425                
7th- Michael Friess- $304    
8th- Arroyo Hiram Jr- $243
9th- Leo Bourgeois- $206
10th- Dale Sharp- $158
11th- Teddy Rouseret- $158
12th- Jason Ingraham- $158
13th- Ely Dorsey- $158
14th- Henry Sawicki – $158
15th- Elijah Gold- $158
16th- Ronald Gabriel- $158
17th- Justin Brown- $158
18th- Patrick Driscoll- $158

NDPT: Are You Ready? from National Deaf Poker Tour on Vimeo.

Attention Ladies: We have made a change in the schedule – We moved the Ladies Tournament to Saturday at 4pm.  It is our great pleasure to announce that Arlene Kim Weinstock will now be representing the NDPT Ladies Tournament.  Please email Arlene Kim with questions or comments about Ladies Tournament to her email address: akwsportscenter@aol.com

Friday March 6 

Friday Night Texas Hold’ Em Madness. Starts at 9:30pm and buy-in is $120. Get 5k in chips and blinds will be 20 minute levels.

Saturday March 7

Main Event. Starts at 11:15am and buy-in is $200. Get 7.5k chips and blinds will be 30 minute levels.
Ladies Event. Starts at 4pm and buy-in is $100. Get 5k in chips and blinds will be 20 minute levels.
ASL Tournament. Starts at 6pm and buy-in is $120. Get 5k chips and blinds will be 20 minute levels.

ROOM RATES and PAYMENT:

Taj has given us a block of rooms at a low rate of $149 Fri night and $179 sat night.
The Poker Room has requested that anyone who wants these room rates to CONTACT NDPT DIRECTLY and not Taj Mahal themselves.

To get these room rates – please send a check for ANY one of these events above and your name. We will put your name on the list and when you arrive at Taj you will be all set.

If you do not give us a check and a name, you will NOT get these rates. If you call Taj directly you will NOT get these rates. This is what the Poker Room wants and we need to abide by that.

If you are not sure – feel free to email us and we can clarify this further.

Keep in mind the number of rooms at these rates are LIMITED and we are running out of these rooms FAST. So hurry! If you are not sure if we have any available, email us or check our website. We will keep this info up to date.

The DEADLINE for mailing us a check is February 22nd post-marked. That gives us time to see if your check clears the bank. The DEADLINE to confirm a room at these rates if you have already mailed a check is February 22.

TRAIN SERVICE to Atlantic City from NYC and Philadelphia

New York City

Thinking about driving to Atlantic City from New York City? Check out ACES – the new train service with only one stop (Newark) to Atlantic City…A great way to travel and not having to worry about driving and traffic!

ACES will provide you with a safe, comfortable and convenient travel experience between New York and Atlantic City with a stop in Newark. The eight multi-level rail cars will offer passengers upgraded leather seating, a private lounge, custom-designed food and beverage kiosks and both first and coach class travel experiences. First-class seating is found on the upper deck of the train with servers available for food and beverage options.

Upon arrival in Atlantic City, complimentary shuttle service will be provided for passengers to one of the joint venture partners – Caesars Atlantic City, Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City and Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa. You can take a cab to Trump Taj Mahal where our events are usually held at.

Introductory ticket prices will start at $50 for one-way coach seat and $75 for one-way first class seat. Additional ticket pricing and purchase information, along with full schedules will be announced in the coming weeks and will be available through www.acestrain.com.

Philadelphia

You can take the Atlantic City Rail Line (operates between Atlantic City and Philadelphia, serving points in between). 

For those who fly into Philadelphia, take the SEPTA R1 airport line (Operates every half hour) costs $6 one way from Philadelphia airport to 30th street station in downtown Philadelphia. Then take the NJ Transit from Philadelphia 30th Street Station to Atlantic City - Fares are $8 for Adult one way.

Schedule on NJTransit from Philadelphia 30th Street Station to Atlantic City for Friday. 

04:24 AM – ATLC 06:00 AM 96 minutes
05:41 AM – ATLC 07:20 AM 99 minutes
06:25 AM – ATLC 08:02 AM 97 minutes
07:54 AM – ATLC 09:24 AM 90 minutes
09:01 AM – ATLC 10:34 AM 93 minutes
12:00 PM – ATLC 01:35 PM 95 minutes
01:47 PM – ATLC 03:21 PM 94 minutes
03:20 PM – ATLC 04:52 PM 92 minutes
04:47 PM – ATLC 06:28 PM 101 minutes
05:48 PM – ATLC 07:19 PM 91 minutes
07:14 PM – ATLC 08:45 PM 91 minutes
08:45 PM – ATLC 10:21 PM 96 minutes
10:18 PM – ATLC 11:49 PM 91 minutes
11:42 PM – ATLC 01:22 AM 100 minutes
01:50 AM – ATLC1 03:23 AM 93 minutes

For more information about NJTransit:
http://www.njtransit.com

For more infomation about SEPTA:
http://www.septa.org