After an initial turn-down from togel Singapore, feel-good poker sensation Jared Huggins has received an invite to the television taping of The Big Game.
This change of heart was largely prompted by the overwhelming support the formerly homeless Huggins has received from the gaming community. Spearheading his campaign are pro’s like Justin “BoostedJ” Smith and Daniel Negreanu.
Noted spokesman “PokerStars Steve” posted the following message on his TwoPlusTwo account just a few days ago:
“The seven Loose Cannons scheduled for the February, 2011 taping of The PokerStars.net Big Game are:
Gonzales Cannon II – Sacramento, CA
Courtney Gee – Vancouver BC
Jared Huggins – Los Angeles, CA
Massimiliano Martinez – Rome, Italy
Cari Bershell – Las Vegas, NV
Kenneth Hrankowski – Vancouver BC
Anton Dunyushkin – Moscow, Russia
Not all of the above will necessarily appear. Fewer than 7 LC’s may get to play if another LC wins and decides to come back for a second day.
The list above is not necessarily in order of appearance or schedule.”
So, the thrust of things here is that, while he’s not absolutely guaranteed a spot, it’s a safe bet that Huggins has a television appearance in his near future. The folks at PokerStars have a nose for publicity, and a show featuring such a heartwarming story would certainly make for increased traffic and television ratings.
For those who may not know his story, Huggins first emerged on the TwoPlusTwo forums under the user name “Relaxed Precision.” After moving to Los Angeles and being plagued by illness, he lost his apartment, bankroll, and each of his three jobs in February 2010. Living out of his car, the young man earned spare money by making videos in which he offered “Free Hugs” to passersby. Support swelled around Huggins who, at several points throughout the ordeal, seriously considered ending his own life.
But now, thanks to his own strength and courage, it appears that Huggins has his life back on track. And who knows? Maybe a career as a full-time poker professional could be somewhere down the road.
2-Day Events Abundant in SCOOP 2011
Tournament players have been waiting impatiently for weeks, and today PokerStars finally released it: the 2011 SCOOP schedule. This is the third year for the wildly successful Spring Championship of Online Poker. Last year there were 38 events, and a total of $63 million was awarded over 114 tournaments. The Main Event was won by toetagU who won almost $1.2 million! This year the series is guaranteeing $45 million.
SCOOP is so unique because it suits everyone. Whether you have been playing online poker for 5 years or have yet to download free poker for the first time, this series is for you. This is because each event has three buy-ins: high, medium, and low. You can choose the buy-in level that bests suits your bankroll, or you can choose to play all three. It’s up to you!
The series starts on Sunday May 8, 2011 with two No Limit Holdem events. Event 1 features 6 max and has buy-ins of $22, $215, and $2,100 for low, medium, and high respectively. Event 2 is a standard full-ring freeze-out and features the same buy-ins as in Event 1. The guarantee for both the medium and the high in Event 2 is $1.5 million!
Last year there was a lot of criticism regarding SCOOP because the events went far too long. While it’s great to have a structure that allows for deep stacks and plenty of post flop play, many players have jobs and simply cannot afford to play until 6 am the next day. To fix this, PokerStars has made many of their tournaments 2-day events. Event 1 and 2 are both 2-day events. In fact, you will find that most of the No Limit Holdem events are scheduled for two days because they have huge guarantees and large expected turnouts.
PokerStars is one of the best US poker sites online because they offer a wide range of different types of poker, and SCOOP really highlights this fact. Whether you prefer HORSE, No Limit Omaha Hi/Lo or Triple Draw 2-7, your game is featured in SCOOP. It isn’t everyday you can say that you played $22 and $2,100 buy-in Razz tournaments at the same time!
SCOOP wraps up on Sunday May 22nd with Event 38, the No Limit Holdem Main Event. The low buy-in features $1 million guaranteed at a $109 buy-in, medium has $3 million guaranteed for $1,050, and high has a whopping $5 million guaranteed for $10,300. You just know that someone is going to be winning 7-figures on May 22nd, and several more people are going to cash in for 6-figures! SCOOP has something for everyone, so take a look at the schedule and start freeing up your days in May. See you at the tables!
