Poker News Rundown: January 23, 2012

by Dougie Goguen | Jan 23 2012

Oklahoma
Raja Kattamuri took the gold ring in the first-ever Heads-Up No Limit Hold 'Em event on the World Series of Poker Tournament, giving him a total of two gold ring victories and a runner-up finish in just the last seven days. While Heads-Up events have been a major part of the World Series of Poker for some time now, they're just now making their debut on the Circuit. The addition of Event #8, $555 No-Limit Hold'em Heads Up, was a first, and it went off perfectly.

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Kattamuri took on a field of 172 other players with a prizepool of $83,905 up for grabs. He was awarded $27,475 for the win along without the ring, which joined the one he won for Event #3 after beating WSOP bracelet holder Tex Barch for over $37,000.

Las Vegas
While Oklahoma's winding down, the WSOP stop at Caesars Palace in Sin City is just getting underway. New Jersey poker pro Dan Di Zenzo won the opening tournament, an event that say 482 players competing for a $140,262 prize pool in a two-day $350 No-Limit Hold 'Em competition. In a testament to how competitive the environment was, only 30 players were remaining at the start of Day Two and four hours later, the ten-man final table was set.

While Andrew Youngblood arrived at the final table with a nice chip lead, he was unable to seal the deal when things went to heads-up play, even with his impressive WSOP record of eight cashes and $127,000 in winnings.  Di Zenzo's first WSOP Circuit gold ring earned him $30,151, giving the 25-year-old pro a nice addition to his bankroll. His only previous experience in the WSOP Circuit gave him a cash at Harrah's in Atlantic City.

Lithuania
You might not know it, but rambunctious poker pro Tony G is a man of means beyond the poker table and he proved it earlier this month by winning the Lithuanian Business Lighthouse Award, presented by ekonomika.lt. He qualified for the award along with 43 other successful entrepreneurs and businessmen from Lithuania and the won the voting.

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Tony G's been involved in multiple projects that have helped create jobs in the former Eastern Bloc nation, included a popular resort and online sports betting site. He told a poker news website "I am humbled and honored to have won the Lithuanian Business Lighthouse Award and I am hoping to be even more involved in my home country in the coming years."

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