Although there were no additional cash prizes for the Pro/Am due to the smaller turnout, nine players won their main event seats; Mueller and Hellmuth, Nam Le, Michael DiVita, Russell Rosenblum, Sean Getzwiller, Brandon Meyers, Jeremy Ausmus and Norwegian high-roller Andreas Hoivold. Both Meyers and Getzwiller also qualified in the first August EPL Pro/Am, with Meyers going on to finish ninth for over $70k last month.
EPL officials adjusted the play schedule which was originally scheduled to be stopped when they reached the final nine. EPL officials honored the player request that they play out the tournament to the finish so players could earn extra Global Poker Index points.
One piece of controversy affected one qualifier, Michael DiVita. He had finished in eighth place winning a main event seat but was prevented from registering from the Main Event Monday. According to BluffMagazine, DiVita was eventually escorted off the Palms property after he was told he was not welcome in the EPL Main Event or on Palms property due to a previous criminal record that caught the attention of other players and eventually the EPL. According to public records DiVita is a convicted sex offender with very specific offenses that include assault with intent to commit a specified sex offense, annoy or molest child under 18 years of age, sexual battery and sexual battery involving a restrained person. The interesting element is that his convictions were prior to the formation of the EPL's Player Code of Conduct which states:
“While criminal conduct is clearly outside the scope of permissible professional conduct (and persons who engage in serious criminal conduct are subject to League discipline), our standard of conduct as professional poker players is considerably higher. It is not simply enough to avoid being convicted of a serious criminal offense.”
A public announcement should be forthcoming from the EPL Tuesday but in the meantime DiVita was refunded his $1,500 EPL Pro-Am buy-in and the 10th place finisher, Jamie Kaplan,was awarded the $20,000 EPL Main Event seat. The EPL $20,000 but-in main event begins at noon Vegas time at the Palms Casino Tuesday.
