Premier League betting

Hot on the heels of the announcement that Phil Hellmuth is the last entrant into the PartyPoker Premier League III, a full betting market has been released for the prestigious tournament. Bookmaker www.partybets.com make Peter Eastgate the 6/1 favourite to win the Premier League, followed by JC Tran at 13/2. The full odds can be found at www.partybets.com/betfinder.action?sport=66719

A spokesman for PartyPoker.com said: “The odds say everything about the added strength of the players in PartyPoker.com Premier League III. The five young gun newcomers all head the betting. We didn’t just fill in spots – we brought in players who are more than capable of giving those who thought they were the best a whipping.”

Below are the PartyBets.com odds for each player and a comment on each from Phil Hellmuth. The ‘Poker Brat’ topped the league table in season one but finished bottom of the table in season two.

6/1 (Fav) Peter Eastgate

“Only a few weeks back, Peter Eastgate broke my record as ‘youngest world champion of poker in history’ at the tender age of 22-years-old. Talk about being on form, this kid won over $9 million, and the WSOP Main Event in mid-November!! I’m looking forward to watching the way this young gun plays his hands in the Premier League.”

13/2 JC Tran

“JC is one of the best texas hold’em tournament players in the world today, and he is one of the 5 ‘young guns’ in the Premier League in 2009. He has both a WSOP title and a WPT title!”

7/1 Nenad Medic

“Nenad is on form right, having just finished fourth in a WPT event in Las Vegas in late October. Nenad has a WSOP win this year, as well as a big WPT win a few years back. Certainly one to watch.”

15/2 Annette Obrestad

“Before it is over, Annette could be one of the greatest in the poker world. She is only 20, but already she won the main event at the WSOPE (at age 18!!) and millions of dollars playing online poker.”

8/1 Tom Dwan

“Tom, or ‘Durrr’, has amazing talent! He has reportedly won many millions of dollars playing online poker, and he is only barely 22 years old! I have played with him many times in the real world, and he plays super fast, and still manages to win. For this he has my highest marks.”

9/1 Phil Hellmuth

“I never leave the house to play poker for anything less than a prestigious tournament, and with any goal less than winning, period. I’m coming to London to win! I must say that I am so impressed by the lineup of players that I’ll be battling along the way!”

9/1 Roland de Wolfe

“Roland moved from reporter to contender in a very short time. He has tons of talent, and even more personality!”

9/1 Devilfish

“Devilfish is a world class, absolutely fearless poker player who has two WSOP bracelets, a WPT title, and dozens of titles from all over the poker world. He won ten years ago, and he wins today, enough said!”

10/1 Tony G

“Tony G was the Premier League II points leader. Tony is fearless, feisty, and makes for great television viewing!”

15/1 Andy Black

“Andy is long on talent, but short on closing the deal. However, he did close the deal in the Premier League II after he overplayed K-Q in a massive pot and outdrew his opponents’ Q-Q.”

15/1 Juha Helppi

“Juha is a mathematical player with tons of success in the poker world. Juha played me heads up for my tenth WSOP bracelet in 2006, a match that I won; but then he got a measure of revenge when he busted me out in third at the first Premier League finale in 2007.”

20/1 Vicky Coren

“Vicky is a well mannered, sophisticated, and classy competitor who also is a presenter over here in the UK.”

Our Verdict

Putting Eastgate as the favourite surely offers little value here. Obviously, he is a very good player, as seen from his online cash prowess and, of course, his recent WSOP victory but to put him at the top of this group of players is quite the overstatement.

Instead, the best value seems to be in the online players who will be very familiar with this 6-max shootout style; Tom Dwan and, specifically, Annette Obrestad. At 15/2, and with unparallelled experience in fast-paced tournaments, she has to be worth a shout.

And for those who want a safe bet for the final, look no further than motormouth Tony G. The highest-points scorer last year, he always brings his best game to the table for the Premier League and is at a long 10/1 for some good value.