RISKY BUSINESS: POKER PAYS OFF BIG FOR CHINO RHEEM

November Niner Has Been on Fire, and Has Sights Set on a Bracelet

Playing it safe has never been David Rheem’s game. Widely known by his nickname “Chino,” the Korean may be young, but he is already a seasoned pro. Rheem’s high-risk style finally paid off late last year when he earned millions of dollars in just two major tournaments. Chino admits that having an amazing year is no easy feat especially when you play like he does.

“I’ve always played and shot for the moon,” said Chino. “My style, what I’m known for, is an aggressive player who is never really afraid to take risks.”

To this day Chino acknowledges that the most challenging thing for him is managing his money. Chino’s never been afraid of taking a risk at the table and he’s used to buying in to tournaments without any regard to his bankroll. Throughout his career David has always played as high as he could and since he’s landed on the moon, now it’s time for him to reach for the stars.

“When you win and you have money, it’s a lot easier to improve on everything that you want to improve on.”

After earning his spot in the WSOP’s November Nine last July, Chino burst onto the poker scene in a big way. All the media attention surrounding the World Series of Poker’s first delayed final table made Chino a recognizable personality overnight. He was the player at the final table with the most experience, but he was also the wild card because of his style.

“When it came down to the final table, I guess the whole world expected me to play that way, but that wasn’t the case. I already knew how I was going to play. I knew what the goal at hand was and I just tried to accomplish that goal as best as I could.”

Read the full article AFTER THE JUMP...

Redemption at Bellagio

Even though busting in seventh place from the WSOP Main Event made him $1.8 million richer, it was not what Chino had in mind. The knockout was delivered by eventual champion Peter Eastgate with a bad beat of A-Q against David’s A-K. He was understandably upset and showed it in interviews immediately following the final table. David was looking for the win and only a month later he would redeem himself with a World Poker Tour victory at Bellagio. “It just made me feel really good, especially coming off the final table of the World Series. The first WPT main event I played, I won – and that was definitely a lot of redemption for me personally.”

Chino entered the $15,000 buy-in WPT Doyle Brunson Poker Classic in December and successfully outlasted 497 players to earn $1.5 million and the title. The tournament field was stacked with tables full of professional players looking for a big payday from the last major prize pool of the year. “I went into this WPT and for the most part made all the right decisions. I just did a lot of things that I’m normally not used to doing. I did a lot of things to change my game and make me a better player and a better person overall – I definitely needed to change.”

On the third day of the tournament David said he kept running into hands and lost a lot of chips. By maintaining his composure and focus Chino was able to rebound by the end of the day. From there he says it was pretty much smooth sailing. “I just started stacking chips every day; I got some nice gifts, I had some big hands and got paid off and things just went my way.”

It is necessary to be lucky in a tournament to win and Chino acknowledges that luck was actually on his side at this final table. But you have to have the skills and Chino proved this fact by making good calls. “I did play one hand where I called most of my chips off with ace-high. People have said that was like the big hand of the tournament. On the final table when we were six-handed, I was all-in a couple of times on the flip where I was dominated but I did get lucky and win those hands.”

When it got down to heads-up, Justin Young would prove to be a difficult opponent. The chip lead swung back and forth over more than a hundred hands but eventually Chino would come out on top to win his first WPT title (and $1.5 million). “Actually, winning the tournament and taking down the WPT, that’s my biggest accomplishment so far. Hopefully it won’t be my biggest accomplishment ever and hopefully I can accomplish something bigger. As of right now, that’s like my baby.”

Newfound Glory

“I consider myself an all-around poker player. I don’t just play no-limit, I don’t play just tournaments, I play everything. I play mixed games and just poker in general.” On his home turf in the Los Angeles area, Chino proved this poker prowess at the L.A. Poker Classic by finishing runner-up in the first-ever $10k buy-in H.O.R.S.E. event at Commerce Casino. Before heads-up play the players reached an agreement where Scotty Nguyen was crowned the champion and they would chop the prize money, so David added $181,227 to his bankroll.

Chino knows where his strength lies. “I would say that I’m a better tournament player than I am a cash player. Obviously, my results in tournaments have been pretty good. I definitely say I play tournaments better than I play cash games.”

Chino has a bravado that is unmatched. Even before he was victorious at the Bellagio, he was confident in his game. “Confidence helps a lot,” he says. “Before the final table of the World Series I didn’t know what to expect. I just wanted to go in there and do my best. Once the World Series was all said and done, I just had a newfound confidence and a new look at life.”

Getting in Behind

Like many Asian players, David’s introduction to poker came from his family. He remembers staying up late just to spy on his father’s home games. “When I was supposed to be sleeping so I could wake up and go to school, I’d hide and watch them play cards.”

After David turned 18 he was old enough to enter a casino in Florida, and that’s when he started playing poker. His first stomping ground was an old Seminole casino in South Florida (Hollywood) where he mostly played $100 sit-n-gos. “The thrill of making fast money instead of working a 9-to-5 got me hooked.”

The most challenging part of poker for Chino was learning to play better. Looking back, he admits that when he first started out, he didn’t have a clue. “I would chase a gutterball to the river like it was no problem, and I just really had no idea what I was doing. I just knew what beat what and if I had A-2 offsuit I thought I had a good hand or if I had had K-4 I’d say: ‘Oh well, I could make three kings.’ I really had no idea how to play poker.”

Who Needs Enemies?

David is a good friend of Michael and Robert Mizrachi – fellow South Florida players – and Robert told him early on that he was a natural at the game. Chino realized that they might be on to something and that’s when he made the decision to go pro. “Once I met the Mizrachi brothers we started going to certain home games and cash games in Florida before we were traveling on tour and actually started taking it serious.”

In just over a decade, Chino has accumulated more than $4.1 million in tournament earnings. David says all of his success – and the person he is today – he owes to his friends.
“If it wasn’t for them to help mold and shape me mentally to be the person that I am today, I don’t think I ever would have made it. I’ve gotten great support from everyone.”

Like a Rock Star

“Being a professional poker player doesn’t just mean you’re good at the game of poker,” says David. “You’re good at the entire lifestyle of a poker player.”

“When you’re a professional poker player you sometimes live a good lifestyle somewhat like a rock star. You travel to a lot of nice countries to play big buy-in tournaments and the money’s good.”

In order to be successful in this game, Chino says you just need to be smart. Thinking things through, making good decisions and being strong mentally is what got him where he is today.
“Once you become a winning tournament player and you’ve had some great success – if you taste it then the sky’s the limit on what you want to do and how you want to improve your life and your game. Anything is possible.”

The Future

“I do play poker for the money, but certain tournaments there’s prestige in winning them. As far as me personally, money’s not going to change me. I’m still going to be the same person just with nicer things or more of the freedom to do things that I want to.”

David’s life is clearly on the upswing now, but it wasn’t always that way. When Chino made the November Nine, reports surfaced detailing a criminal past and an outstanding warrant for his arrest. Chino admits to making mistakes in his youth but also that poker got him back on track and turned things around.

“That’s why I love poker so much – it’s like the American Dream for me. If I wasn’t playing poker today, to be honest with you, I might be in jail or six feet under. The path that my life was taking before I found poker…it really wasn’t good and it’s nothing that I’m proud of. I’m really happy to walk away from it all and make something good of my life.”

Golden Opportunities

In life and in poker there is always room for improvement. Though his resume is already pretty impressive, David is just getting started. “To make the final table of the Main Event is pretty strong, but when you look ten years down the road, nobody’s gonna remember the person who came in seventh place in 2008. They’re going to remember the winner.”

The Main Event final table was David’s third at the WSOP and he definitely doesn’t think it will be his last. After coming so close to winning the gold that many times you can bet that Chino does not want to fall short again. “Just because of the opportunities I’ve had to win a WSOP bracelet, I definitely know how I’m going to play the next final table I make at the World Series.”

When you play to win, you can’t always play it safe. Chino is a perfect example of how great the gains can be when you’re willing to take a risk. “It’s just a tremendous feeling – when I look back right now at how far I’ve come, it’s just truly amazing. I really did come from nothing.”

Michael Vu is a professional photographer, blogger and poker writer. His portfolio can be found at www.imgmav.com. You can contact him at michael.vu@pokerpromagazine.com.

_FULLFLUSH1_ VS. DURRRR

FullFlush1 rose to online poker infamy with his aggressive chat and insults towards the high stakes professionals on Full Tilt. Challenging many of the nosebleed regulars to drop down in stakes and play on his terms, FullFlush1 usually won and his internet bankroll grew along with his ego.

PokerNews caught up with Luke “FullFlush1” Schwartz at the EPT Monte Carlo High Rollers event. When the reporter brought up Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Schwartz gave a one-word answer – “Gay.” Schwartz then summed up his statement by saying there are two types of people in the poker world: those who are cool and those who are not. According to Luke, “durrrr and his crew, they’re all a bunch of geeks.” More AFTER THE JUMP...

Things became even more heated over the airwaves of internet radio. When asked why he made the comment in Monte Carlo, Schwartz told The Poker Show Live he wanted to get Dwan a bit tilted. “He might tilt it to me anyway soon so let’s just start it now. Why not?” In a separate on-air interview Dwan said they haven’t played much together because Schwartz keeps their online sessions short, suggesting he has a hit-and-run style. “I just assume he’s not that good like everyone else but he has won a little bit and he does like to talk a lot of shit so who knows?”

On his official blog Schwartz wrote that he wants to be next in line to take on the durrrr Challenge. “If he actually manages to finish with Patrik and ever has the money to do it, then yeah, I’ll definitely play him. I’m up loads over him online, and am pretty good at four-tabling, so of course I’m not gonna say no to a 3:1 bet.” Dwan’s response in a forum thread on the subject: “I call.”

In his latest blog post, Schwartz makes it seem as if he's getting cold feet. "There hasn't been much change in the durrrr challenge, they're still taking ages. I wanna do it, but have been thinking of making a different offer, say 15 or 20k hands for 2:1 odds. I just can't be bothered to play 50k hands if it's going to take ages to complete."

DE WOLFE'S TRIPLE CROWN, FBT'S FIRST BRACELET

Roland De Wolfe won the WPT's Grand Prix De Paris, in 2005. He won an EPT tournament in Dublin, in 2006. Now, De Wolfe has won the most coveted prize in poker, a WSOP gold bracelet, in 2009. With this victory, the Briton won what some refer to as the “Triple Crown of Poker.” De Wolfe is now one of only two players to hold titles from each of the three largest poker tournament series. On being the second person ever to accomplish this Roland said, “Damn Gavin Griffin!” Find out more about Roland, Greg "FBT" Mueller and other winners AFTER THE JUMP...

:: Event 27 ($5000 PLO H/L): Pot-Limit Omaha High-Low Split tournaments are relatively new. De Wolfe stated that this was only the third such tournament he had played in his life. At the final table, De Wolfe wore a colorful union jack flag across his shirt, proudly representing the United Kingdom. He won $246,616 for first place.

:: Event 28 ($1500 NLH): The champion of this event is Mike Eise, a 30-year-old pipefitter from St. Charles, Missouri. Eise came to this year’s WSOP with a group of friends from a St. Louis-area poker club called “Wanna’ Be Poker Series.” Membership requires regular dues to be paid but every year the club holds tournaments to determine which members will go to the Rio and play in the WSOP. “I always wanted to come to Las Vegas and play in the World Series," said Eise. "I had one chance to get into this event, and here I am. I won the bracelet.” For the win Eise collected $639,331.

:: Event 29 ($10,000 Heads Up NLH): A law student from Fairfax, VA is the new World Champion of Heads-Up No Limit Hold'em. Leo Wolpert, 26, played online poker professionally for two years and built a huge bankroll playing cash games. Wolpert decided to use his winnings to go back to school and enrolled at the University of Virginia. He once appeared on the popular television game show “Jeopardy” and faced Ken Jennings during the middle of his record-setting 74-game win streak. Wolpert claims his life won't change because of a gold bracelet win and a $652,682 payday. “I am still going to be in law school next year,” Wolpert said. "Actually, I have to go back home and check my grades.”

:: Event 30 ($2500 PLO): J.C. Tran’s first WSOP win came last year in a $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em event. Best known as an expert Hold’em player, this was Tran's first tournament win in a different game. With this victory, Tran earned his second gold bracelet and $235,685. "PLO is the kind of game where you always have room to learn," said Tran. "Even after I win this bracelet, I still feel I have a lot to learn."

:: Event 31 ($1500 HORSE): Professional player James Van Alstyne came close to a bracelet many times but this was his first win. Just three days before this victory, he finished second in the $3,000 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. event. For the win, Van Alstyne collects $247,033 and his first piece of WSOP gold. “It feels really good to win," said Van Alstyne. "With closing this out, I feel a sense of relief.”

:: Event 32 ($2000 NLH): The champion of this event, Angel Guillen, is the second Mexican national to win a WSOP gold bracelet. He earned himself a $530,548 payday. Nine days before this win, Guillen pocketed $312,800 for a runner-up performance in a $2,500 buy-in NLH event. He hopes his WSOP victory will inspire more Mexican citizens to take up the game and help overturn current laws in Mexico which forbid casinos and poker tournaments. "We mostly play online and in underground games – and sometimes in home games," explains Guillen. "Like Chris Moneymaker did for you (in the U.S.), I want to do the same thing in my country. Hopefully, I can."

:: Event 33 ($10,000 FLH): After seven final table appearances and two runner-up finishes in the last three years, Greg "FBT" Mueller finally has his first WSOP bracelet. "It’s like huge weight lifted off my shoulders. I was starting to think I was a second-place pony there for a while." Prior to playing poker for a living, Mueller played professional ice hockey in Europe. Interestingly enough, play at the final table was paused about midway into action due to a special ceremony to honor the NHL’s Stanley Cup. It was placed up on a pedestal, only a few feet away from the final table where Mueller was sitting. "I saw the Stanley Cup and I said to myself, ‘maybe this is destiny. Maybe this is my night.'" Mueller collected $460,841 for finishing in first place.

**Gavin Griffin was first to achieve the Triple Crown.

[Images via IMPDI]

SCHULMAN'S FIRST BRACELET, IVEY WINS AGAIN

Phil Ivey is the second double-bracelet winner of the 2009 WSOP. After winning his first bracelet in four years earlier this summer, Ivey took down his seventh career gold and likely millions more in prop bets. More about Ivey and other bracelet winners AFTER THE JUMP...

:: Event 20 ($1500 PLH): John-Paul Kelly, 23, held onto this final table's chip lead from start to finish to earn $194,045 for first place. After winning his first WSOP gold bracelet Kelly said, “This has to be the highlight of my life, so far.” Unsure of how he will celebrate the victory, Kelly told reporters “I don’t know. But it will probably involve a lot of alcohol.” Only one former WSOP champion made the final table of this event. Erik Seidel's attempt to win a ninth gold bracelet came up short as he was the seventh-place finisher.

:: Event 21 ($3000 HORSE): Zachary Fellows is an internet affiliate earning most of his living from marketing and referring players to various online sites. Last year at the final table in a $1,500 buy-in FLH event, Fellows came in second and vowed to win a bracelet if ever given another chance. Fellows accomplished that feat in this tournament and collected $311,899 for first place. After winning Fellows admitted to running good, especially heads-up against professional player James Van Alstyne. “James definitely has a gold bracelet in his future,” said Fellows. "If we ran this ten times, he might come out on top more than me."

:: Event 22 ($1500 NLH Shootout): Jeff Carris, 23, earned his first WSOP gold bracelet and $313,673. At the final table, a large cheering section of Carris' supporters all wore bright orange t-shirts. The shirts were lettered with the words, “Jeff ‘the Wildcat’ Carris,” with a photo of his face plastered on a vicious feline. “I knew it was going to be crazy because they all said they were going to be drunk," Carris said. "They stayed up all night until 10 am making those shirts. I had no idea what was going to be on them.”

:: Event 23 ($10,000 NL 2-7 Draw Lowball): At age 21, Nick Schulman became the youngest winner of a WPT event in history when he won the World Poker Finals in Season Four. Schulman, now 24, will add a WSOP championship bracelet to his already impressive poker resume. The $313,673 first place prize didn't come easy as the final table saw the likes of John Juanda, David Benyamine, Archie Karas, Steve Sung, Michael Binger and Justin "boostedj" Smith. “There wasn’t a weak spot in the field," said Schulman. "The bracelet is a little sweeter than the cash.” The runner up was Ville Wahlbeck, this year's Mixed Games World Championship winner. Wahlbeck has cashed in all four of the $10,000 buy-in World Championship events played thus far and currently leads the 2009 WSOP Player of the Year race.

:: Event 24 ($1500 NLH): Panayote "Pete" Vilandos collected $607,276 for first place and was awarded his second WSOP bracelet. Vilandos, 69, finished second ($473,282) in Event 4, the $1,000 buy-in “Stimulus Special.” After impressively outlasting all but one of the 6,011 other players in Event 4, Vilandos conquered a field-size of 2,506 in this tournament. His previous gold bracelet victory in 1995 was in a Pot-Limit Hold’em event with only 264 entries. Of the poker boom and the younger generation in the game Vilandos said, “The Internet players – they are very good players. But we are the old fellows and we have a gut feeling that we go with.”

:: Event 25 ($2500 Omaha/Seven-Card Stud H/L): Ivey collected $220,538 for first place and was also awarded his seventh WSOP gold bracelet. At the 2002 WSOP Ivey won three of his bracelets. He has not yet won a bracelet in Hold’em. In his post-tournament interview Ivey commented on his place in poker history. "I know I have the chance to win and be the all-time bracelet leader if I can continue at this pace." Truly a high stakes gambler, Ivey routinely makes stratospheric-sized prop and sports bets. He reportedly wagered $1 million on last year’s Super Bowl and won. Many people speculate that this year Ivey has won millions in bracelet props alone.

:: Event 26 ($1500 FLH): Tomas Alenius worked inside small casinos scattered throughout Stockholm while in his 20s. At age 33, Alenius has won $197,509 and his first WSOP gold bracelet. Alenius, a former blackjack dealer, started playing poker online seven years ago and eventually turned pro upon realizing he made more money at his recreational activity. “It’s awesome," Alenius said of his first bracelet. "It’s what you dream about.”

[Images via IMPDI]

ALAEI, LISANDRO WIN BRACELETS, T_SOPRANO TAKES TWO

Brock "t_soprano" Parker is known and respected in the world of online poker. In just four days at the WSOP, Brock became a respected live pro by banking two wins, both in short-handed Hold'em tournaments. Parker earned his first and second bracelets in back-to-back events and denied Daniel Negreanu a career fifth by defeating him in heads-up play.

More about Parker and other winners AFTER THE JUMP...

:: Event 11 ($2000 NLH): Anthony Harb, 28, won his first bracelet and collected $569,254 for first place. Harb said his good-luck charm was a small turtle given to him by a friend which he used as a card protector the entire tournament. “I really like the concept of the turtle. He is chubby and slow. But when he strikes, he bites hard. He does not win a lot of races, but when he comes out of his shell, he’s dangerous.” Harb said he has a name for his turtle – “This is Pedro. Don’t mess with Pedro,” he said.

:: Event 12 ($10,000 Mixed): Finnish poker professional Ville Wahlbeck won $492,384 for first place and was awarded the championship bracelet. Incredibly just days earlier, Wahlbeck finished third in the Seven-Card Stud World Championship won by Freddie Ellis. Wahlbeck now has a first and a third in his two cashes this year. “Playing in the Stud event and coming in third was great for me,” Wahlbeck stated. “Of course, I wanted to win. To come back and to win this event after that happened – it’s a dream come true.”

:: Event 13 ($2500 NLH): This final table was played lightning-fast. With a one-hour dinner break omitted, actual play lasted just over three hours, or 70 hands. It was the shortest final table at this year’s WSOP and 23-year-old Keven Stammen walked away from it with $506,786 and his first bracelet. “It’s good to have a bracelet,” Stammen said. “Last year I came out here and cashed four times. I got close a few times. But I took a few beats. This sure makes up for it.”

:: Event 14 ($2500 FLH 6-Max): Brock Parker defeated veteran bracelet winner Daniel Negreanu heads-up to win $223,697 for first place. Parker's real first name is John, but he prefers to go by Brock. His interest in poker evolved from another card game that's been played by many other top professionals. Magic is a card game that is similar to poker in that it combines skill, psychology, and luck. Parker laughed off the “David versus Goliath” description of the result. “Yeah right, whatever,” he said.

:: Event 15 ($5000 NLH): Brian Lemke, 32, outlasted a 655-player field to take home $692,690 for finishing first. He is a relative of former PokerRoad Radio producer Justin Shronk. As a tribute to his late cousin**, Lemke dedicated his first gold bracelet win to Justin and his family. "He was with me the whole time – the entire time. I know he brought that queen for me,” Lemke said, referring to the winning card on the final hand of the tournament. “I know he is up there looking down now. He should have been right here with me.”

:: Event 16 ($1500 Seven-Card Stud): Prior to winning his first gold bracelet in 2007, Jeff Lisandro was near the top of everyone’s list of best players never to have won a gold bracelet. He now owns two and is $124,975 richer. With this victory, Lisandro has sealed his reputation as one of the world’s top Seven-Card Stud players. He won his previous gold bracelet two years ago playing Seven-Card Stud and also finished ninth ($36,266) in this year’s $10,000 buy-in Seven-Card Stud World Championship.

:: Event 17 ($1000 Ladies NLH): Lisa Hamilton is a high-stakes cash game player who rarely plays in poker tournaments. “I entered at the last minute,” Hamilton said. “I kept telling my friend, 'I’m not playing! I am not playing in this event!' I decided to play and I don’t even know how I made it this far. I’m shocked!” Hamilton earned her first gold bracelet and banked $195,390.

:: Event 18 ($10,000 Omaha H/L): The 2009 WSOP Omaha High-Low Split champion is Daniel Alaei. He collected $445,898 for the win and his second gold bracelet. “In the poker world, bracelets are like trophies,” Alaei said afterward. “So it is good to win. Now I want a third bracelet." The final table had three other former bracelet winners including Scott Clements (2nd place), Daniel Negreanu (4th place) and Annie Duke (8th place).

:: Event 19 ($2500 NLH 6-Max): Four days after his first bracelet win, Brock Parker earned his second by taking down another short-handed event and winning $552,745. "I don’t know if people are afraid, but they think I’m running good. They want to stay out of my way and that helps with my confidence and lets me pull off (moves) I might not pull.” After the tournament Brock said, “I haven’t had much time to do much else other than sleep and play poker.”

**On April 22, Justin Shronk unexpectedly passed away at the age of 27 from health-related causes.

[Images via IMPDI]

NEWS: ECHECKS FROZE, HEATHER GRAHAM, MATUSOW, PPA

• According an AP News report, the federal government has frozen more than $30 million in the accounts of payment processors that handle the winnings of thousands of online poker players. John Pappas, executive director of the Poker Players Alliance: "The PPA will pursue every legal course available to ensure that poker players' funds are not seized and their right to play poker online is protected."

• Are imprisoned American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee at the center of a poker game between North Korea and the United States? "They want to use these two detainees as bargaining chips," said Former U.N. Ambassador Bill Richardson on NBC's TODAY Show. "It's a high-stakes poker game."

• What's your Donkey IQ? Take the test.

• Mike "The Mouth" Matusow on his new book, Check-Raising the Devil: "I wrote it to help people and help younger poker players so they don't go through the same problems and situations that I went through. And I didn't like being described in a certain way and being described as a certain person that I wasn't. I wanted to write the book and set the record straight and show people what I go through when I play poker and how hard it is to play poker."

• Nevada gambling revenues drop 14 percent in April, the 16th straight month that has experienced a decline.

• June Field, Jan Fisher and Cyndy Violette inductees of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame.

• Actress Heather Graham got hooked on poker while working on her latest film, The Hangover. "We had a poker tournament and I did really well; I came in fourth." The Boogie Nights starlet says she's a demon poker player who hardly ever loses and wants to take money off the big Hollywood players. "I'm waiting to be invited to the tournaments that Brad Pitt organizes. But I'd need to be careful. Those guys play for huge stakes. I'd be afraid of running a losing streak and ending up writing out huge IOUs." According to Graham, she also enjoys tantric sex and is teaching herself to levitate.

• Last month Minnesota attempted to block access to all online poker sites for their residents. The action was officially dropped last week as they've abandoned the attempt for an online gaming ban.