Thirty days, two-hundred dollars, one goal in mind: Grace the cover of Bluff Magazine. The stars will be out in force for the Bluff Online Poker Challenge, which kicks off on March 1st on Lock Poker. Some of the top (and sometimes controversial) online poker players in the world have already signed up, including Josh “JJProdigy” Fields and Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi.
Each contestant in the Bluff Online Poker Challenge begins with a bankroll of $200. They have exactly 30 days, beginning on March 1st, to build up their bankroll. The player who posts the best mark at the end of the 30 day period will be featured on the cover of the Atlanta-based magazine. The only caveats are that players may not hit the cash game felts and no reloading is allowed. Participants in the challenge may only play in sit and go tournaments and multi-table tournaments.
Eric Morris, Co-Founder of Bluff, commented in a press release, “We wanted to find a way to recognize the best players online and give them a real challenge. By putting the winner on the cover of Bluff, we’re not only recognizing the achievement, but also giving the players something to play for.” Fields’ presence should create quite a buzz. Nearly three years ago, he was found to be multi-accounting on PartyPoker using the screen name ABlackCar. It was then revealed that he was also just 16 years-old, well below the minimum age to play on many of the world’s online poker sites.
Mizzi chopped the PaddyPower Irish Open in 2007, officially taking third place for $280,000. He finished as the runner up to Theo Jorgensen in a £5,000 Pot Limit Omaha tournament held during the 2008 World Series of Poker Europe festivities for $240,000. Late last year, he won a $3,000 No Limit Hold’em preliminary event held during the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic in Las Vegas. This past weekend, the Team Betfair member finished third in the $200 rebuy on PokerStars for $23,000 and took second in the Absolute Poker $100,000 Pro Bounty in November for the same amount.
Also slated to participate is Poker News Daily columnist Eric “Rizen” Lynch, an instructor for popular poker training site PokerXFactor.com. Lynch made a deep run in the 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, finishing 24th out of nearly 9,000 people for $494,000; the tournament was eventually won by Jamie Gold. One year later, he finished second to Scott “BigRiskky” Clements in a $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha tournament for $119,000. Clements is a two-time WSOP bracelet holder; both pieces of hardware have come in Omaha tournaments.
Jeff “Yellowsub” Williams, who will also be participating in the Bluff promotion, took second in a $1,000 rebuy tournament held as part of the 2008 WSOP schedule in a tournament that was won by Michael Banducci, who goes by the name worldsgrtest in the online poker world. Williams is best known for winning the 2006 running of the European Poker Tour (EPT) Monte Carlo Grand Final, amassing over $1 million in winnings. That tournament featured a star-studded final ten players who included Canadian Tony Karam, Ross Boatman, Marcel Luske, and Thomas Wahlroos.
Garrett “GBecks” Beckman finished 31st in the 2008 WSOP Main Event for $193,000. He’s also racked up a series of impressive cashes online, where he goes by the name GBecks. He took second in the Full Tilt Poker $750K Guaranteed in June for $80,000 and won the $150 rebuy on the same online poker site in October for $57,000. Joining him will be Phil “USCphildo” Collins, who has posted wins in the high-stakes Full Tilt $1K Monday tournament as well as the PokerStars $100 rebuy.
Brett “bhanks11” Hanks, Maria Ho, Soren Kongsgaard, Jon “apestyles” Van Fleet, Brian “SNo0oWMAN” Hawkins, Adam “a_junglen” Junglen, Matt “Plattsburgh” Vengrin, Russell “rdcrsn” Carson, Brett “gank” Jungblut, Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad, and Ari “Bodog Ari” Engel are also confirmed.
One final player will have the opportunity to participate in the Bluff Online Poker Challenge. Between now and the end of February, the player who racks up the most Frequent Player Points on LockPoker will be invited to battle it out with online poker’s elite.
