Mike Sexton Previews the PartyPoker.com World Open V
Heat One
Andy Ward
James Akenhead
Luke Schwartz
Yevgeniy Timoshenko
Jason Adams
Ian Frazer
Christian Schafer
As a member of the November 9, James is the Pride of England. After reaching the final table of the WSOPE Main Event he has completed an amazing double! That says it all and he is certainly one to watch! I expect high stakes online player Luke Schwartz to talk it up. He is going to be entertaining and fun to watch.
Timoshenko has to be a favourite on this table. He has achieved so much and he i still only 21-years-old with wins at the Asian Poker Tour, the $25k buy-in WPT Championship as well as being an online superstar! I am so impressed with him, before the final table of the WPT Championship he went out and bought a suit and got a haircut! He is one of the good guys in poker. What impresses me mainly, however, is that he has made over $2 million in tournaments without the WSOP! That is quite something. He is a superstar now as well as being a superstar of the future.
Timmy won the Asian Poker Tour Macau in 2008 (pictured)
I love the way Ian Frazer plays– he lets his game do the talking. He’s got loads of tremendous tournament results and is highly regarded.
Mike’s picks
James Akenhead
Luke Schwarz
Yevgeniy Timoshenko
Ian Frazer
Heat Two
Phil Laak
Simon Zach
Andy Greekfish
Nathan Lee
JP Kelly
Remy Biechel
Wayne O’Brien
Gustav Ekerot
Phil Laak is undoubtedly one of the most liked pros on the circuit – a WPT champion who is always entertaining. I have never been at a table where people don’t have a great time when he’s around.
JP Kelly has to be watched. Here’s a guy that has won a bracelet at the WSOP and WSOPE this year. That pretty much says it all and he’ll be a local favourite.
Remy Biechel is a great up and coming player who cashed in the Main Event this year. This PartyPoker.com ambassador is excellent with a short stack – if he gets low certainly don’t count him out!
Remy Biechel (pictured)
Mike’s picks:
Phil Laak
JP Kelly
Remy Biechel
Heat Three
Sammy George
Jennifer Tilly
Paul Zimbler
Neil Channing
Roland De Wolfe
Mike Sexton
Patrick Funke
Robert Sherwood
Neil Channing and Jennifer Tilly (pictured)
I have a very tough heat here – I would much prefer to have been in heat two. Jennifer Tilly has a WSOP bracelet, while Neil Channing has a phenomenal record and has to be one of the favourites here.
Roland De Wolfe is a brilliant player and as a triple crown winner he is highly respected. He’ll be the hardest to put on a hand and the player with the most imagination at the table.
I do fancy my chances – I wont be a walkover for anybody. Whoever wins will certainly have their hands full!
Mike’s picks
Jennifer Tilly
Neil Channing
Roland De Wolfe
Mike Sexton
Heat Four
Scott Fischman
Ryan Fronda
Layne Flack
Simon Craig
Antoine Saout
Teddy Sheringham
Johannes Nord Jorgensen
Fabian Quoss
A couple of years Scott Fischman was a real superstar – this star has faded slightly but he’s a very tough pro and is going to be hard to beat here.
Layne Flack is my pick to take down this down. ‘Back-to-Back’ Flack is the only player to win back to back bracelets at the WSOP. Also a WPT champion, he is my favourite.
Like James Akenhead, Antoine Saout has reached the November Nine and made the final table at the WSOPE Main Event. It’s remarkable that two guys have done this great double. This no fluke – Antione is no one time wonder.
Mike’s picks
Scott Fischmann
Layne Flack (nap)
Antione Saout
Heat Five
Liam Flood
Andy Black
TBC
John Magill
Andrew Feldman
Bodo Sbrzesny
Paulo Melo
Richard Makkinnon
This is all about the Irishmen for me. Andy Black is one of the most imaginative players in the poker world. His stack will never stay level. Liam is an archaic old school player and I can tell you one thing – he will be the only player at the table wearing a tie!
Andy Black (pictured)
I’m looking forward to seeing Bodo Sbrzesny, I heard great things about his first appearance at a PartyPoker event. He’s very creative and to see him lock horns with Andy Black is going to be very entertaining. They are two gunslingers – it is going to be a matter of who hits the target!
Mike’s picks
Liam Flood
Andy Black
Bodo Sbrzesny
Heat Six
Marty Smyth
Roberto Romanello
Ellis Reuben
Dixie
Tom Dwan
Bruno Fitoussi
Felipe Ramos
Marty is a highly respected and a top class pro. Tom Dwan – this guy is taking the poker world by storm and you have got to make him favourite here.
Bruno Fitoussi is definitely one to watch. He runs the Aviation Club but people don’t realise how good a player he is. He doesn’t play a lot of events but when he does he always does well. People think about him as a businessman but he definitely plays a better game than people think.
Felipe Ramos is one of the sensations of South America. Brazil is an up and coming hotbed of the poker world and he is certainly one not to write off.
From left: Ian Frazer, Bodo Sbrzesny, Remy Biechel, Mike Sexton and Felipe Ramos
Mike’s picks
Marty Smyth
Tom Dwan
Bruno Fitoussi
Felipe Ramos
Overall
This is a phenomenal field featuring very successful pros that have proven themselves in the biggest events. It is certainly going to be great entertainment as there are a lot of guys here who can talk and a lot of very creative players. Every single heat is not one to miss and whatever happens it looks like an extraordinary final table will be created which you wont want to miss.
My tip – watch out for the online qualifiers. They may not have profile at the moment but these guys have some game!
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