September is one of the best times of the year for the poker industry, as momentum continues to build leading up to the WSOP main event final table on Nov. 4. While Anthony Zinno's World Poker Tour victory at the Borgata stole many headlines, the beginning of the Full Tilt Poker remission process is what has moved the needle most.

Some quick hits:

• After essentially two years of frustration, players were notified via e-mail last week by the Garden City Group about the ability to file a Petition for Remission. By doing so, former FTP players are requesting the return of their money, which has been frozen in their FTP account since April 15, 2011. Petitions for Remissions can be filed until Nov. 16, but a firm date for the return of funds has not been set. If you believe you should've received an email but did not, you should first check your spam folder, and if it's not there, head here for more information.
• In New Jersey, Zinno earned his first WPT title and $825,099 at the Borgata Poker Open. He defeated Vanessa Selbst heads-up for the title, getting in with the best hand and holding during their two major all-in confrontations. Zinno's previous best live cash was for $86,964. Selbst earned $492,569, giving her $2.3 million in tournament earnings in 2013. Other notable finishers in this event include Cong Pham (third), Jeremy Kottler (fourth), David Randall (fifth), Eric Fields (sixth) and Cliff Josephy (ninth). November Niner Ryan Riess finished 68th. The $3,500 re-entry event offered a $3 million guaranteed prize pool that was easily eclipsed with the 1,189 entries ($3.8M total).
• Earlier this year, the World Series of Poker announced that their Circuit National Championship would take place in New Jersey. Now, the World Poker Tour is following suit. For the first time in the tour's existence, the WPT Championship event will take place at the Borgata. There's a pretty clear reason for this, as both are banking on the online poker market in the state opening strong this December.
• The World Championship of Online Poker continues on PokerStars and will conclude this weekend with a $5,200 buy-in, $8 million guaranteed main event. After the first 50 events, "-Rebus1980-" is in great shape to win the best overall player award, as he's got one win, three final tables and 14 cashes. Over the past week, Jonathan Jaffe and Darren Elias both earned their second career WCOOP titles.
• The 2014 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure is beginning to take shape, and the site announced on Wednesday that the $10,300 main event will include a $10 million guarantee. Given their ability to run online satellites, plus utilize the Full Tilt brand, plus potentially offer satellites in New Jersey later this year, that number should be easily attainable. The tournament series will also include a $100,000 Super High Roller and $25,000 High Roller event.
• WSOP.com launched last week in Nevada to much fanfare but a limited player base. Expect the buzz around that site to grow in the coming weeks with the debut of their first online poker tournament series that includes a live final table tie-in. Additionally, the eight tournaments that make up the WSOP Online Championships all include added money to the prize pool.
• 888 has partnered with Wynn Resorts to operate its online poker offerings in Nevada and New Jersey as part of the "All American Poker Network." On a strange note, according to Bloomberg, Wynn's hardware will be hosted on a Caesars' property in Atlantic City in order for them to operate in New Jersey. Caesars will probably be its biggest competitor in both states.

Coming up:

• WSOP Europe begins on Oct. 11 with the newly-added Ladies Event, which will be the first of eight bracelet events at the Casino Barriere in Enghien-les-Bains. The tournament series will conclude with a 25,600 euro high roller event.
• One of the biggest stops each year on the European Poker Tour, EPT London, begins in early October and concludes on the first day of WSOPE. Smart timing by both parties will allow for players to go from one event to the next with ease and should boost participation.
• The WSOP main event final table. The two-day live event on ESPN and ESPN2 should be one of the best yet.

The past month has been filled with good times for Blair Hinkle. First, after waiting more than two years, the wheels are finally in motion for him to reclaim his seven figures stuck on Full Tilt since Black Friday. The Garden City Group, the organization that is assisting the asset forfeiture unit of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York and the asset forfeiture and money laundering section of the United States Department of Justice, will start accepting petitions for remission on Sept. 16. At the time of his repayment, Hinkle would become a millionaire once again.

The only problem was that Hinkle didn't want to wait any longer to fill his bank account and, conveniently, one of the largest main events ever was about to kick off the new poker season.

The Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Championship boasted a guarantee that is essentially unheard of these days: $10 million. Now, there are only a handful of events that get close to that number throughout the year, and putting it in August right after the WSOP seemed like a real challenge. With a $5,300 buy-in ($300 in fees), event organizers needed to hit the magic number of 2,000. With re-entries, it seemed possible to achieve, and with growing buzz surrounding the event for months, the players came through and all expectations were exceeded. A total of 2,384 entries created an $11.9 million prize pool, and it was Hinkle who outlasted them all to earn $1.7 million, his first career seven-figure live score.

According to the Seminole Hard Rock, the final table began with four eliminations in the first 58 hands. Greg Lehn (sixth), Samuel Bernabeau Guilabert (fifth), Ray Qartomy (fourth) and Mukul Pahuja (third) each turned their investments into at least $378,138, and once Pahuja was sent home, Hinkle and Justin Bonomo would settle in for a five-hour, 165-hand heads-up battle with a total of $2.9 million still up for grabs.

Hinkle began the match with a few million-chip edge, but given that the two had played extensively against each other in the past, that advantage was far from comforting. Once the cards were back in the air it was all Bonomo. He earned the lead quickly and peaked near a 5:1 edge. From that point, it seemed like a rinse and repeat. Hinkle would chip away to nearly even through smart, timely aggression and just when he was about to seize control, Bonomo would put the hammer down and take the lead once again.

Each time around it seemed that Bonomo's lead was simply insurmountable … but Hinkle never gave up. He earned his first double up with A-A against Q-9 to get back into it after 120 hands, but once again Bonomo was relentless and moved closer and closer to victory. After 200 hands, Hinkle's turning point finally arrived and at the perfect time with the blinds creeping higher. Down 3:1, Hinkle's 6-6 held all-in against Bonomo's 2-2 and just hands later, he had the lead. After a few hours of Bonomo's aggression rewarding him, Hinkle began to add pressure postflop to win some big pots and earn a little bit of breathing room. A 3:2 lead became a 6:1 lead in eight hands and Hinkle would score the win on the 223rd hand of the night as Bonomo moved all-in with Q-8 on a Q-9-5-J board and was drawing dead against Hinkle's K-10.

"It's a grind, especially with Justin being so good," Hinkle said of the heads-up match to the Seminole Hard Rock. "He just kept on putting pressure on me, and I kept waiting, and eventually the cards turned my way."

Hinkle, a bracelet winner in 2008, was supported by his friends and family, who continue to be amazed by his accomplishments.

"I am so proud of Blair for his win at SHRPO, but moreso for the character he's shown the last few years while dealing with a tough situation that was out of his control. He's shown nothing but class and has battled back without taking any shortcuts," said Blair's brother and bracelet winner Grant Hinkle to ESPN via Twitter. "The win was just the icing on the cake and validation of all the work he's put into the game of poker."

Bonomo, who initially wasn't planning on playing this event, just the $100,000 Alpha8, earned $1,163,500 to give him $7.1 million in career tournament earnings. "TY so much tweeps!! This is the biggest score of my poker career!," Bonomo tweeted as his timeline was flooded with messages of congratulations.

Here are the final table results from the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Championship Event:

1. Blair Hinkle ($1,745,245)
2. Justin Bonomo ($1,163,500)
3. Mukul Pahuja ($872,625)
4. Ray Qartomy ($639,925)
5. Samuel Bernabeau Guilabert ($494,490)
6. Greg Lehn ($378,138)

 

Small blinds: November Niners offered a strong performance at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open. In the $5,300 event, Amir Lehavot finished 16th for $69,810 and in the $100,000 World Poker Tour Alpha8 debut, JC Tran finished second to Steven Silverman for $526,890. Silverman topped the 21-entry field for $891,660. Jeff Gross and Matt Glantz finished third and fourth. … Poker legend Bobby "The Wizard" Hoff died Sunday at age 73. "So sad to hear about Bobby Hoff. He was a true NL artist + always such a pleasure to see at + away from the tables. #RIPwizard," Erik Seidel said on Twitter. … The poker room at Maryland Live casino is buzzing after opening. … Real money online poker is coming to Delaware in October. … Promotion for Runner Runner has begun, and the AGA is hoping to use the movie as a motivator for legalizing the online game. … The World Championship of Online Poker begins on Sept. 8. … And finally... sorry Carter Gill, but you have replaced Mike McClain as the new face of WSOP agony.

The Nuts is a monthly feature that takes a look at the best poker players in the world. This feature aims to produce a list of the best players at the moment. Our panel of 10 is composed of ESPN.com's poker contributors (Bernard Lee and myself); ESPNdeportes.com poker editor Nahuel Ponce; Bluff magazine editor-in-chief Lance Bradley, senior writer Tim Fiorvanti and information manager Kevin Mathers; WSOP.com managing editor Jessica Welman; PokerNews editor-in-chief Donnie Peters; World Poker Tour's Eric Ramsey; and PocketFives' Dan Cypra.

The August rankings are always unique. For the majority of the year, the poker tournament circuit is busy with stops nearly every weekend. However, during the weeks after the World Series of Poker, tournament organizers offer a brief respite in the schedule. There are very few must-attend events on the calendar as the poker world, for lack of a better word, recovers from seven weeks in Vegas. After all, the WSOP can create superstars, but it also can cripple bankrolls and end careers.

The heavy influence of the WSOP on the panelists resulted in three Nuts debuts this month. David "Bakes" Baker has been successful for years, but the Michigan native shined even brighter this year and makes his Nuts debut at No. 3. Although he didn't win, his nine cashes and four final tables were one of the most talked about stories this summer. Bakes sits behind No. 1 Phil Ivey, who managed only one cash this Series, and Daniel Negreanu, who had an impressive effort with six cashes and is currently in second in the WSOP player of the year race.

The second debut belongs to Mike Watson (sixth), and his success extends far beyond the walls of the Rio. Watson did cash eight times during the 2013 WSOP, but his run really began this past December. Since that time, he's made eight final tables, cashed for more than $1.4 million on the live felt and continued to add to his poker success online, where he's collected more than $2 million.

One of the best parts of the WSOP is the discovery of new stars, and this year, the standout was Matthew Ashton. Ashton makes his Nuts debut in seventh thanks to his four final tables and victory in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship. He is the current leader in the WSOP player of the year race, but unless the stud-focused Brit changes his approach, he'll have a hard time moving up this list in the future.

Scott Seiver moved up two spots to No. 5 after his WSOP effort, but Phil Hellmuth, Vanessa Selbst and Sam Trickett fell to the bottom of the rankings as a result of their struggles in Vegas.

The circuit hits full speed in a hurry as the next month includes a $10 million guarantee in the Seminole Hard Rock main event, the 2013 World Championship of Online Poker, the debut of the Alpha8 series, WPT Legends, EPT Barcelona and the start of the 2013-14 WSOP Circuit season. With so much in store over the next month, we can expect September's rankings to look substantially different.

Did we leave out your favorite player? Who should be ranked higher? Who should be completely off the list? Leave us your thoughts in the comments below. Here's a look at August's top 10:

On the bubble

Where should we start? Dan Kelly was this month's bubble boy after a WSOP to remember. The online phenom-turned-bracelet winner cashed eight times in Vegas, including a fifth-place finish in the Millionaire Maker. Had Kelly won that event, there's little doubt he would have been in the top 10 this month. … Jason Mercier remains on the minds of the voters after six cashes at the WSOP, but for the first time in his career, he failed to make a final table. … Max Steinberg might have scared away some panelists after his jack-high hand on a recent WSOP broadcast, but everyone will get to see a lot more of him this summer. Steinberg had two runner-up finishes in bracelet events this Series and was the chip leader of the main event for a few levels. He has three six-figure cashes over the past year. … Joseph Cheong, Philipp Gruissem, Antonio Esfandiari, Paul Volpe, $111,111 High Roller champion Anthony Gregg, double-bracelet winner Tom Schneider, Viktor Blom, Phil Galfond, Jeremy Ausmus and main event chip leader JC Tran also received consideration this month.

Final thoughts

Bradley: The list seems to reflect some of the WSOP magic. Prior to June, the name Matt Ashton would have drawn blank stares from most people in the poker world, but he put on a show at the 2013 WSOP to boost his profile and his lifetime earnings. Given that he seems to be a stud specialist, he'll be hard pressed to find any more big scores the rest of the year. That also doesn't help his chances of becoming the 2013 WSOP player of the year.

Phil Ivey seems to have the top spot on lockdown still. I am curious as to what it will take to unseat him again. The first player to do it, Jason Mercier, is not on this list, and you have to wonder whether the amount of Open Face Chinese that he's been playing the past nine months has had an effect on his tournament play.

Feldman: There are 10 really strong players on the list this month, but I'm stuck wondering who will survive the cut in September. Baker is one of the true talents of the game, but it took four quick final tables to finally break into the heads of the panelists. That said, No. 3 is surprising for a debut, but when you perform on the game's biggest stage, it's deserved.

I've been in the "Rank SirWatts" camp for months, and I'm glad to see he finally made it. Seiver should have been higher. There really isn't anything he hasn't accomplished in the game, and it might be his outward modesty that brings down his overall awareness.

I do think the bottom of this list could have been better. Hellmuth, Selbst and Trickett just haven't performed recently, and it might be time for the panelists to re-evaluate. So many players who fell to the bubble -- such as Joseph Cheong, Dan Kelly, Paul Volpe, Philipp Gruissem and Viktor Blom -- could have been better fits for those spots.

The dreams of 6,352 have been reduced to only nine. The World Series of Poker main event final table is set with superstar JC Tran in the lead with 38 million in chips. He battled through a tough Day 7 to emerge with the biggest stack, mostly because of his relentless aggression as the final table bubble approached.

Day 7 began with 27 players and Anton Morgenstern in complete control. He spoke after play on Day 6 about his patience and many of the game's best told me before the day that they expected him to coast into the final table. Unfortunately the cards wouldn't oblige. Morgenstern made an interesting call and was dealt a major cooler during the second level to Mark Newhouse, flopping trip aces to Newhouse's full house. Morgenstern lost more than half his stack on that hand and shortly after he'd run into aces with A-J to fall in 20th.

The chip lead changed continually early as Newhouse and James Alexander couldn't hold on to their edges. Alexander had an epic blow-up before dinner and that opened the door for Amir Lehavot to take control and for most of the night, there was little doubt that Lehavot would be a November Niner. Once only two tables remained, the short stacks tried to find the right spots with timely three- and four-bets all-in. For some, such as Ryan Riess, it worked. For others, such as Rep Porter (12th), it did not.

Tran eliminated Matt Reed in 11th to create the unofficial final table. Seated on the main stage in front of hundreds of cheering and screaming friends and family, Newhouse walked up to the table with six big blinds and an agenda. He said he was going to make the final table and after a double up with A-6 over Q-4, that was absolutely the case.

With Newhouse slightly out of danger, Tran began to pressure the other stacks and ran into some interference. Riess capitalized most, moving from one of the short stacks to the middle of the pack.

Nobody in the Amazon Room expected to see what happened next: 2001 World Series of Poker main event champion Carlos Mortensen bubbled the final table. Mortensen didn't sit back and blind away, but got involved in few hands, which had onlookers stunned. Tran eventually captured Mortensen's chips after the Spaniard called all-in with Ac-9h on the turn of a 10c-6c-3s-9c board. Tran showed 8c-7s for a straight and Mortensen needed to find another club on the river to keep his dreams of a second title alive. With the 2d placed on the felt, the entire room erupted. The players headed to their rails to celebrate as Mortensen stood in the center of the stage just wondering how it all went wrong. For his 10th-place finish, Mortensen earned $573,204, his fifth-highest career cash.

Here are the 2013 November Nine:

JC Tran (38.0 million in chips): The poker world wanted a star at the final table and in JC Tran, they definitely have one. He has won two WSOP bracelets, a WPT title and has $8.3 million career tournament earnings. This is his sixth cash of the 2013 WSOP and his sixth main event cash over the past 10 years. He had no fear of putting millions in the pot late and that's what boosted him into the final table as the chip leader. Tran said that the final table is just one of two great things to happen in November as his wife is due with their second child.



"It's all for them now, it's not about myself anymore," said Tran. "I go out there for them and play for my family. ... The one guy that I really respected the most was the guy I just busted, Carlos Mortensen. I've played with him for many years and him and I have had some really good battles. ... I like the guy a lot, it's sad to see him go, but at the same time, I'm happy he's gone because he was the one I respected the most at that final table."

Amir Lehavot (29.7 mllion): Talk about flying under the radar. The winner of the $10,000 pot-limit hold 'em event in 2011 was one of the shortest stacks to begin the day, but he capitalized most off of James Alexander's blow up during the third level on Day 7. This is the 38-year-old's 13th career WSOP cash and he will be the oldest player at the final table, where he'll try to become the first Israeli to win the main event. He's a professional poker player by trade, but also has a degree in engineering.

Marc-Etienne McLaughlin (26.5 million): It has been quite a year for Canada at the World Series of Poker and McLaughlin is looking to continue that trend. This is his seventh career WSOP cash and more impressive, his third top-86 main event cash over the past five years. He has made one WSOP final table, finishing third in a $1,500 event in 2011.

"It's a wonderful feeling, and I don't think I fully realize it right now," McLaughlin said. "Three months of party and joy. That's what I'm thinking about. And some sleep."

Jay Farber (25.9 million): The 28-year-old nightclub promoter played a lot of poker before Black Friday and just recently turned to having a, as he said, "real job." He plays the cash games in Vegas and decided to enter some satellites because he believed there was added value. Farber won his way in and as far as his November Nine preparation, two players on his rail were none other than former November Niners Ben Lamb and Michael Mizrachi. This is his first career WSOP cash and second main event.

"I'm amazed I made it," said Farber. "You just think you're going to show up and see what happens. I just stuck with my style of poker and played the way I thought would be the most effective with the least amount of variance and it worked out well."

Ryan Riess (25.8 million): You're going to hear a lot about "Riess The Beast." The Michigan State grad found poker and has been motivated since a second-place finish at a WSOP Circuit main event to find greatness. Well, now he's here. Riess had one of the most vocal rails on the day, but he battled from the short stack with perfect aggression to make it this far. Expect the same heartfelt effort to show in November.

"I'm so happy, time to win this tournament in November," said Riess. "When we were short-handed, five-handed and six-handed, I feel like everyone was playing a little soft and I had the chance to run over them. I think they were all just really excited to make the November Nine and so I decided to start mashing."

Sylvain Loosli (19.6 million in chips): The 26-year-old Frenchman is making his first career World Series of Poker cash and has only one tiny score on the EPT as part of his tournament resume. That said, he plays $25/$50 no-limit cash games online and if we look back at last year, some guy named Merson had those same credentials. Loosli likes being underestimated and hopes that he can exploit that image come November. More than anything, he wants to win this for France.

"I've very proud to represent my country," said Loosli. "I will do my best to prove that French players can be as good as American ones. ... [For the next four months] I'm planning on going on vacation and playing more live tournaments to keep improving my [live reads], plus work with some coaches."



Michiel Brummelhuis (11.2 million): The Dutch pro has been successful around the world for the past six years and is one of the most respected players in that poker community. He has made WSOP final tables, earned six-figure scores and won side events. Now he has the biggest opportunity of his life and a chance to become the first world champion from the Netherlands. Brummelheis, 32, owes his tournament to a river 7 that gave him a straight with J-9 against Loosli's A-J, and now that he has the second chance, he isn't going to let it go easily. Just like Tran, he's expecting a child this year.

"He's one of the nicest, most well-respected tournament players and down-to-earth players I've ever had the chance to cover," said Remko Rinkema of PokerListings. "He's been winning online tournaments since 2007."

Mark Newhouse (7.3 million) After his win on the World Poker Tour in 2006, Mark Newhouse fell quickly out of the poker spotlight and fell onto tough times. After the performance he put on during Day 7, many will remember the 28-year-old's determination and even though he's short, you can't count him out at the final table. Newhouse finished 182nd in the 2011 main event. Including ninth-place prize money, he has $2.7 million in career earnings.

"I'm feeling great, it was a crazy day," said Newhouse. "Anyone who knows me and who plays poker with me on a regular basis knows I'm not a patient person, but there's so much on the line [for the final table], you just have to do it sometimes."

David Benefield (6.3 million): "Raptor" is one of the original online poker superstars in the post-boom era. The 27-year-old Texan was part of the support squad during Craig Marquis' run in 2008 and now he'll have his own shot. According to Brian Hastings, Benefield been active in the Macau cash games as of late while also studying political science and Chinese at Columbia. Prior to the main event, he had only one WSOP cash this Series, but made $115,000 in October with an eighth-place finish at the WSOP's 50,000 euro high roller event. If there was someone who played nearly perfect today, it was Benefield. While he tightened up on the bubble, he deserves this final table bid.


The November Nine leave the Rio with ninth-place prize money and will return to battle for the WSOP bracelet Nov. 4 and 5. The final table will be broadcast by ESPN.

1. $8,359,531
2. $5,173,170
3. $3,727,023
4. $2,791,982
5. $2,106,526
6. $1,600,792
7. $1,225,224
8. $944,593
9. $733,224

The dream has ended for Sergio Castelluccio, Bruno Kawauti, Chris Lindh, Fabian Ortiz and Jan Nakladal. The post-dinner action featured numerous changes in the chip lead and now only 13 remain the 2013 World Series of Poker main event.

The first three eliminations occurred at the secondary table with Nakladal's coming quick after players returned. The last Czech standing was coolered in 18th, running Q-Q into the A-A of Matt Reed. This was his first career WSOP cash. Reed used this momentum to jump into the top 10, but is seated in a tough spot with many big stacks surrounding him.

JC Tran headed to break second overall and his picking off Fabian Ortiz's river bluff is what propelled his run to the top. On a board of Ks-9c-7s-4h-6s, Ortiz moved all-in for 2.6 million and Tran tanked. He thought for a few minutes as his opponent sat back in his chair, avoiding eye contact. Finally, Tran put the chips in and Ortiz threw his A-Q dejectedly into the center of the table. Tran flipped over 9-8 and won the pot.

A few hands later, Chris Lindh three-bet all-in over an Marc McLaughlin open and was dominated as McLaughlin showed A-9. Lindh, with 10-9, flopped a gutshot straight draw (Kd-Qd-4d), but couldn't get there. The Goshen, N.Y., native turned Las Vegas resident was the final player at the $357,655 level.

When the final 15 returned from break, Rep Porter got lucky once again to score the elimination of Kawauti. The Brazilian rail got behind Kawauti's 10-10, but was silenced instantly as a seven-high flop gave Porter a set of sevens. Porter started the day 23rd out of 27 and now sits in ninth.

Castelluccio's exit came a few hands later as he ran A-5 into Amir Lehavot's K-K. Lehavot is now leading the field with 13 remaining.

Here are the chip counts:
1. Amir Lehavot (30.3 million in chips)
2. Sylvain Loosli (28.6 million)
3. Jay Farber (24.9 million)
4. JC Tran (22.9 million)
5. Marc McLaughlin (21.7 million)
6. David Benefield (12.3 million)
7. Matthew Reed (10.8 million)
8. Michiel Brummelhuis (8.5 million)
9. Rep Porter (7.8 million)
10. Carlos Mortensen (7.8 million)
11. Mark Newhouse (6.4 million)
12. Ryan Riess (6.1 million)
13. Alexander Livingston (3.9 million)