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FBI Tapes Give Glimpse into the World of Illegal High Stakes Gambling in New York

Firat Dural — Sat, 18 May 2013 12:42:37 +0000

On Tuesday April 16, nearly three dozen people were charged in what investigators said was a Russian organized crime operation that included illegal, high-stakes poker games for the rich and famous and threats of violence to make sure customers paid their debts. FBI tapes reveal more information about the crackdown on illegal high stakes gambling ring in New York.

According to official court papers, FBI had an active surveillance on what federal authorities have described as two related multimillion-dollar money-laundering and gambling rings. According to the assistant United States attorney Harris Fischman, who is prosecuting the case, nine cellphone were tapped and as many as 25,000 calls were recorded by investigators. Calls were mostly in English but a few in Russian. Investigators also searches emails, houses and businesses, seizing computers and gathering bank records from 300 different bank accounts, producing thousands of pages of evidence.

Surveillance shows that illegal high stakes poker games were run out-of-sight settings like a suite at the Plaza Hotel or an apartment in skyscraper on Fifth Avenue. Top quality food and drinks were always available, as well as masseuses to help relieve the tension. With one pink chip worth $25,000, sometimes there was as much as $2 million on the table to be lost or won. Games were frequented by celebrities like Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire.

At one game, in an apartment Trump tower on Fifth Avenue, as the poker game continued, the Russian organizers suspected that a new player did fit in, although he had arrived with a regular. Two of them were kindly asked to leave. Apparently the Russians had a good hunch: The new player was an undercover F.B.I. agent.

Meanwhile the same Russian organizes were also busy with taking enormous bets on both college and professional sports. One man was heard betting 300.000$ on Super Bowl last year, and losing. Another punter placed a $1 million wager on another sporting event.

Many details of the poker games and the wagers were found in hundreds of conversations and text messages secretly captured by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, exposing the shadowy and illegal world of high-stakes gambling in New York City. All the information led investigators come to the conclusion that there are two related multimillion-dollar money-laundering and gambling rings.

One of these rings were run by a very powerful art dealer family in New York who owns one of the largest collections of Impressionist and Modernist works in the world. This family is based in New York and Los Angeles and mostly served hedge fund managers, real estate magnates, A-list celebrities and famous athletes.

34 year old son of this New York family of enormous power in art world Hillel Nahmad, or Helly as called by his friends, was released on bail on 16 of April. He is charged with racketeering, gambling and money laundering.

The other illegal gambling ring mostly served to wealthy all over the world and was led by a Russian organized crime figure.

The course of the investigation is detailed in hundreds of pages of wiretap and search-warrant affidavits which contain several suspicious conversations and transactions. In one conversation, Helly a woman to wire $150,000 to the bank account of his father, who is not charged, and advises her to lie about the reason of the wire: “You just be like, Oh yeah, I bought a, you know, Picasso drawing or something.” He says to the woman. There are also pages of recordings of Mr. Nahmad taking bets over his cellphone.

On the Russian side of the gambling ring, a father Vadim Trincher, and his two sons, Illya and Eugene seem to have the leading role. One time Eugene picked up approximately $500,000 in cash from someone associated with an online gambling Web site, and then brought it home, saying to his dad: “Dad, give it to Mom for a couple of days so she’ll give it to somebody else.”

One other time, a bettor called “Tabor” won $600,000 from the illegal gambling ring betting on the New York Giants won the Super Bowl in 2012. However moving such an amount of money without drawing attention from authorities was a problem for Nahmad-Trincher organization. According to the records, Helly Nahmad received the wire information from “Tabor” and sent it to Illya Trincher on March 1 and the wire went through as planned. In April, Tabor felt that the money can be traced and planned to send all the money back.

Tapes also revealed the ugly side of this illegal gambling operation, involving another bettor called “NYU Dave”. According to the Prosecutors, NYU Dave lost $1.2 million and fell into debt, he eventually tried to pay his debt off by signing over %10 of his fashion company to to Mr. Trincher. Another unfortunate gambler, Peter Skyllas, eventually had to sign his company Titan Plumbing over to the gambling organization to save himself from his debt which was over $2 million. This incident apparently cheered Illya Trincher up, he joked that they had just gotten “some free plumbing work.”

Prosecutors believe that that one of the highest members of Russian mafia, Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov, who was once accused of fixing 2002 Winter Olympics events, is also involved. However Mr Tokhtakhounov is still at large.

Oregon Poker Room Bill Debated

Bruno de Paiva — Sat, 18 May 2013 05:40:43 +0000

A bill that would close poker rooms in the US state of Oregon went under preliminary debate before a panel of state lawmakers this week.

The debate showed that the issue is divisive within Oregon’s legislature, with a number of representatives voicing their staunch opinions both for and against the bill. One view that was put forward for the bill was that of its sponsor, Republican Party Representative Julie Parrish. Ms Parrish, who had previously described poker rooms as being akin to “hookah lounges”, said that poker operations throughout Oregon were operating outside of social gaming statutes.

Ms Parrish elaborated on that assertion by stating poker rooms and clubs in the state charge cover fees for entry into their venues, act as the bank for poker chips and dealers often receive tips from players. This would be in breach of current Oregon laws which state poker rooms are only permitted to earn income from sales of food and beverages, not from the poker games taking place on their premises.

A lobbyist for a number of Oregon’s poker rooms and establishments was also present at the debate. Geoff Sugerman, who described himself as a frequent player of tournaments at poker clubs in the state, said poker rooms have done all they could to comply with existing laws they are obligated to operate under.

"We should be applauding and helping their entrepreneurial spirit, not trying to shut them down," Mr Sugarman said at the debate. “These folks are not felons. They have never been raided, shut down or even cited.”

Another pro-bill figure present at debate was attorney Tom Rask, who first aired concerns to Ms Parrish regarding Oregon poker rooms. Mr Rask said that there was “no question” that illegal poker facilities were operating in the state, especially in Portland, Oregon’s largest city.

Mr Rask, however, also represents poker and card rooms in the town of La Center in the state of Washington. La Center, a town of roughly 2,800 people, is situated approximately 42km from Portland and is home to four gaming establishments which only allow poker and other card games to be played.

Four card rooms in such a small town would more than likely mean that gaming is a solid contributor to La Center’s economy. Any legislative moves in Oregon that would result in the closure of Oregon poker rooms would, obviously, leave Oregionians with no legal place in their state to play the game.

This would make the card rooms at La Center a more favourable option for Oregonian poker players who still wish to play poker in a legal setting, given the reasonable distance between the two areas. It is unfair, at this stage, to imply and assume that Mr Rask has ulterior motives by speaking in support of the bill at the debate. However, it is fair to believe poker rooms in La Center would gain a greater number of clientele from Oregon if this bill passes and poker rooms in Oregon are forced to close down.

In its present from, the bill would limit the playing of poker to religious, fraternal and charitable organizations. At this stage, it is unclear whether or not the bill will be voted on in the Oregon legislature before August, which is when the legislature’s session ends.

WPT and TransGaming Announce Partnership

Bruno de Paiva — Sat, 18 May 2013 02:57:13 +0000

World Poker Tour (WPT) Enterprises has announced a partnership with social video games developer TransGaming to launch a new WPT-branded game on the GameTree TV gaming platform.

The new game will be made specifically for the Freebox Revolution, a ‘latest generation’ set-top box created by the French telecommunication company Free. TransGaming has said that the game will feature capabilities such as Multi-screen support and Multi-player gameplay which will give players an experience that “mirrors World Poker Tour TV programming”.

President for WPT Enterprises Adam Pliska said the partnership would give its fans a greater, better and more interactive involvement in poker via its newly created video game.

“WPT is known for providing its players with incredible poker experiences both in live events and online,” he said. “We couldn't be more pleased with our new game from TransGaming, which gives our global fan base an immersive and authentic WPT experience on their connected televisions.”

The game is also set to include an exact replica of the World Poker Tour stage as well as original voiceovers from the show's on-air personalities. It will also include a range of micro-transaction capabilities that will allow players to purchase products, such as poker chips, while they play a tournament.

Chief Executive Officer and President for TransGaming Vikas Gupta said the deal to produce the game will be mutually beneficial to TransGaming, WPT and poker fans alike. "When we saw the possibilities that GameTree TV offers, we felt strongly that World Poker Tour needed to be on it. It will be a true-to-life World Poker Tour experience that our fans will love,” Mr Gupta said.

“We have seen strong traction and revenue growth since our migration to a subscription-only model with GameTree TV and the availability of WPT is expected to catalyse this growth… We are going to set the bar for quality gaming with World Poker Tour that will drive gaming to the forefront of Smart TV based living room entertainment.”

While an exact date for the launch of the game has not yet been set, the Canadian-based software gaming company has said it is expected to be launched sometime in the fall.

New Jersey Posts Draft of Online Gambling Regulations

Charles Rettmuller — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:52:47 +0000

In anticipation of a projected November 16 launch date, New Jersey gaming officials have released a draft of the state's online gaming regulations to give interested parties the opportunity to comment.

The regulations will be published officially on June 2 in the New Jersey Register, but have been released a couple weeks early on the state's legislative website in order to allow those wishing to do so to peruse the regulations before a 60-day comment period commences. Comments will be permitted until August 2. The Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) will look over and provide responses to the comments received.

The announcement of the egaming regulations being published has prompted DGE officials to toot their own horn with regards to the Garden State's online gambling legislation. David Rebuck, director of the DGE, told eGR that the state has "proven to be in the forefront of casino gaming with the development of Internet wagering regulations for all casino games.” Rebuck added that he commends the DGE staff "for their commitment and diligence to developing regulations that ensure both effective oversight and the integrity of operations.”

The launch of online poker and casino games in New Jersey is now only six months away. State law requires an official announcement to be made by the DGE at least 45 days before virtual gaming begins. Prior to the launch, the DGE is seeking to hire Internet gaming consultants to assist in the implementation of the regulatory framework.

“We are looking forward to having additional technical resources and expertise as we enter into a new era of gaming regulations and anticipate completion of this process in the near future,” Rebuck said.

Poker's 'The Don' Gets Four More Years for Fraud

Khurram Aziz — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:47:46 +0000

Achilleas Kallakis, known in poker circles as “The Don”, has just had four more years slapped onto his seven-year sentence for committing the biggest mortgage fraud in British history.

The multimillionaire tycoon, nephew of a Greek shipping magnate, will now serve 11 years in total, dating back to his January sentencing, for conspiring to defraud two banks of £740 million ($1.1 billion).

According to Bloomberg, the money was used to “to pay for trophy property, private planes, a yacht in Monaco, luxury cars, helicopters and artwork”.

Kallakis was a regular feature in live poker tournaments between 2005 and 2009, where he is said to have won $300,000 during this period. The highlight of his careers appears to have been a third place finish during the Pacific Poker Open which netted him a bonus of $100,000.

Prosecutors had asked for another four years on his sentence after convincing the judge that the original verdict was too lenient.

Bloomberg sites judge Christopher Pitchford as saying that Kallakis and co-conspirator Alexander Williams used “determination and audacious dishonesty to commit a commercial fraud with international proportions”.

Solicitor General Oliver Heald, who made the case in one of the few instance where the government’s law officers were seeking longer sentences, said, “We welcome the Court’s finding that ‘the culpability of the offenders was at the highest level because they set out and persisted over a significant period with planning, determination and audacious dishonesty to commit a commercial fraud with international proportion.

“We are pleased that the Court agreed that consecutive sentences were required to reflect the fact that two separate banks fell victim to the offenders.”

The 44-year-old, along with Williams, spent five years between 2003 and 2008 forging documents, sham legal letters and bogus guarantees to mislead the banks, which eventually lost £60 million when the scam folded.

George Carter-Stephenson QC, defending Kallakis, is reported in the Daily Mail as saying, “One has to wonder whether there was ever an intended loss, ie whether the defendants ever thought there would be a loss to the bank, given that these transactions were taking place during the course of what may be described as a major property boom when nobody saw an end to it and the events of 2008 took many bankers as well as ordinary people by surprise.”

Both defendants will now first proceedings to confiscate their assets as a means of repaying some of the money lost.

Gov. Brian Sandoval Looking To Cooperate With Other States On Internet Poker

Firat Dural — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:30:47 +0000

Yesterday, during a tour of the new corporate headquarters in Las Vegas for BMM International, one of two laboratories that tests gaming equipment for Nevada regulators, Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval said that he had preliminary talks with other state governors on partnering with Nevada on Internet poker.

He didn´t say which states he was in preliminary talks with but gaming sources close to the governor´s office think Texas could be a target.

Gov. Sandoval said “I’ve talked with a few governors and I’m introducing the concept of compacting, it’s very much in the early stages and we have a great opportunity because we have the infrastructure and other states have the players,” and he added “I’m hopeful we’ll continue to talk.”

Nevada is the first state to have the only active and legal internet poker website in the nation, however it won´t be the only one for long. New Jersey and Delaware have already passed bills and made the way for licensing and several other states like California, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Iowa, are exploring their options.

Gov. Brian Sandoval is known to be very enthusiastic about allowing internet poker in Nevada since the beginning. In February, it took less than 7 hours for Nevada lawmakers to pass Assembly Bill 114 and Sandoval to sign the measure into law. Assembly Bill 114 allowed Gov. Brian Sandoval to move ahead with online poker without needing any federal legalization. Eventually on April 30, Ultimate Poker became the first legal real money poker website in Nevada. Ultimate Poker, which is owned by Station Casinos, already dealt its 1 millionth hand last Tuesday.

Ultimate Poker won´t be alone for too long though. Other websites already applied for licenses and they are in the process of being approved by testing labs and Nevada gaming regulators.

“We’re already ahead of other markets, people are signing up (for Ultimate Poker) from all over the world. Other companies are in the queue.” said Gov. Brian Sandoval and he added: “There are some things that have to happen in other states before compacts can be signed. Texas, for example, needs to legalize Internet poker and lawmakers have until May 27 to pass the measure before the regular legislative session ends.”

Sandoval is happy with Nevada’s progress in Internet gaming although the websites seem to be slow in coming to market. “(The Gaming Control Board) needs to be extremely careful on how they do this,” Sandoval said. “Over time, people will forget about that part and see how successful it will become.” His tour of BMM International´s new corporate headquarters in Las Vegas for BMM International was more than a regular visit for Gov. Sandoval. BMM, which worked on Ultimate Poker approval, moved from a 7,500-square-foot facility on Eastern Avenue, to a 23,500-square-foot building on Pilot Road in the McCarran Executive Center and BMM Vice President of Operations Travis Foley said the number of employees at the facility has doubled since the move to 65. BBM plans to hire another 100 employees depending on the increase in business.

Gov. Sandoval was delighted: “This is exactly what we had hoped for when the law was approved, BMM is a wonderful Nevada success story.”

California Native American Tribes Present New Poker Bill

Wootae Min — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:21:07 +0000

A new California online poker bill has been introduced by leaders of eight tribes. The Internet Poker Consumer Protection Act of 2012 is being supported by the powerful Pechanga tribe and is the second tribe-backed bill to be introduced in the past year.

The new bill contains stipulations that place strict restrictions on the regulation of online poker in the state of California. Under this legislation, California Native American owned card rooms would be the only eligible operators to apply for an online poker license. Furthermore, license applicants would need to establish an online poker business utilizing its own assets and credit. This clause would exclude most, if not all, out of state and international operators from “buying” their way to a license in the manner of 888 in Nevada, and potentially, PokerStars in New Jersey.

The Internet Poker Consumer Protection Act would also require the state of California to opt out of any future federal legislation. This bill would also restrict the ability to increase player liquidity by banning compacts with state and international jurisdictions. A “bad actor” clause is included in the bill to ban operators or related companies from building online poker products in California.

The new bill also has financial clauses that are generally friendly towards the potential tribal operators, especially the controlling powers. Licensing fees would be relatively low and the tax rate would be a modest 10% on gross gaming revenue. Operators would need to have a land based establishment that has been in operation for 5 years in order to apply for a license. Most importantly to the tribes, the great majority of online poker revenues would go to the Native American tribes.

California’s new online poker bill contains protectionist language that provides the greatest benefit to the Native American tribes. Although California boasts a large number of card rooms and poker players among its 27.7 million inhabitants, it has struggled to develop legislation that satisfies the gambling community and the desires of the tribes. Mainly, gambling interests have been unable to agree upon a revenue sharing structure and online poker licensing regulations.

The constant struggle to develop a suitable and agreeable legislation in California has led to several failed bills and the introduction of clashing, simultaneous bills. The new bill will be the third one in circulation with Senator Wright’s and the San Manuel tribes’ potential legislations. Senator Wright’s bill would provide a more lenient stance on operators in California and leaves the possibility of a federal bill and online poker compacts.

The San Manuel tribes’ bill has similar language and stipulations to new bill. Sources have stated that the two bills may be combined in order to gain more support, although the COPA consortium was disbanded due to online poker disagreements. Nevertheless, all tribes have voiced strong opposition to the Wright Bill that would essentially allow racetracks to participate in online poker and force tribes to relinquish sovereignty during the licensing process.

California is currently feeling pressured to pass a bill in the near future with neighboring state, Nevada, already in operation. Some predict that new legislation will be passed before the end of the year, but a 2014 time table seems to be more reasonable at this point. The new tribal bill will also face some issues in the Senate Governmental Organisation Committee that will oversee the new online poker legislation. Currently, Senator Wright chairs this committee and is committed to pushing his bill through the state government.

Illinois Gaming Bill Up For Debate

Bruno de Paiva — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:24:23 +0000

The legislature in the US state of Illinois is set to debate the legislation of most forms of online gaming – of which poker is included – after a State Senator circulated proposals for his bill.

A new bill dedicated solely to online gaming was created after it was originally part of a broader gaming expansion bill before online gaming aspects were removed from it in April. The current bill being put forward by Senator John Cullerton would not permit online sports betting to take place but would allow other forms of gaming over the internet.

A licence fee of US$20 million would be charged to online gaming services wishing to operate in the state, with taxes on gaming revenue set to be between 7.5 per cent and 20 per cent. The bill would also lead to the creation of a Division of Online Gaming, which would help regulate the market along with the already established Illinois Lottery.

A measure to block online gaming companies which had illegally accepted bets from US players in the last decade was originally included in the bill. This has been removed from the bill, however, and only persons and companies convicted of illegally accepting bets would be banned from obtaining an Illinois licence.

The upcoming debate on the Illinois online gaming bill is the latest of a series of legislative events relating to poker in the US. Recently, Governments in the states of New Jersey, Delaware and Nevada have all passed legislation to permit online poker and online gaming in general. A bill in Pennsylvania to legalise online poker is set to be viewed by a state Government committee in the future.

While at present, the Illinois bill has many legislative hurdles to go through, the trend towards legislating online poker means that there is certainly a realistic chance it may pass. A date for the bill’s debate has not yet been confirmed. However, it is widely believed that State Senator Cullerton will attempt to give the bill its first committee hearing later this week.

WSOP Conference Call Roundup: What to Expect from This Year’s Tournaments

Khurram Aziz — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:48:18 +0000

The World Series of Poker held its annual preview conference call yesterday, offering members of the media an opportunity to ask questions regarding this year’s series.

WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart and WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel were on hand to discuss what players can expect from the upcoming tournament season and answered all the pertinent questions.

Opening week spectacle

With the world-championship Main Event now annually scheduled as the final tournament of the summer, the WSOP always ends on a high note. But this year, it will also open with a spectacle.

“One of our big goals over the past few years has been to kick off the series with a bang,” Stewart said, according to Poker Network.

The first day of the series will feature a $5,000 buy-in, eight-handed no-limit hold’em tournament that will attract a field of elite professionals. A $1,500 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament that starts Saturday should draw more casual players and guarantees the winner at least a $1 million prize.

ESPN partnership

The WSOP is again partnering with ESPN to provide some forty hours of televised coverage of a number of WSOP events, starting with coverage of the WSOP-APac Main Event which Daniel Negreanu won earlier this year, airing on July 23rd, followed by the July 30th broadcast of the National Championship from New Orleans.

Every hand of the WSOP Main Event final table will be live-streamed, with all hole cards, on a thirty minute delay. In addition, WSOP.com will feature live streaming of all final tables, one per day, with enhanced production including hole cards of those players who are in the action or hold the winning hand.

WSOP.com will launch real money events

Pending approval from Nevada gaming, WSOP.com will come on line sometime during the series, with players who register onsite at the Rio eligible for special promotions. This real money, online poker site will be even easier to access thanks to the free WiFi that will be available at the Rio.

According to Vegas Inc, WSOP.com will become the second website in Nevada to offer real-money poker games.

“I think the market is ready for a first-class product,” Stewart said. “We’re absolutely thrilled to get WSOP.com up and ready concurrent with our signature offline series.”

The World Series of Poker held its annual preview conference call yesterday, offering members of the media an opportunity to ask questions regarding this year’s series.

Opening week spectacle

With the world-championship Main Event now annually scheduled as the final tournament of the summer, the WSOP always ends on a high note. But this year, it will also open with a spectacle.

“One of our big goals over the past few years has been to kick off the series with a bang,” Stewart said, according to Poker Network.

ESPN partnership

WSOP.com will launch real money events

According to Vegas Inc, WSOP.com will become the second website in Nevada to offer real-money poker games.

“I think the market is ready for a first-class product,” Stewart said. “We’re absolutely thrilled to get WSOP.com up and ready concurrent with our signature offline series.”

The Carnivale of Poker is back

At one time, this was the second largest poker event in the world, but it only ran for two years between 1998 and 2000.

This year, the Carnivale will offer 21 tournaments, primarily NLHE, on Mondays and Tuesdays at 11:00 a.m., with buy-ins ranging from $365-$1,675, similar to the WSOP circuit. On days when there are no WSOP events at 5 p.m., the Carnivale of Poker will instead feature various mixed games. Winners will receive gold and diamond medallions and there will be a prize pool for top point earners with the top ten splitting $100K.

At one time, this was the second largest poker event in the world, but it only ran for two years between 1998 and 2000. This year, the Carnivale will offer 21 tournaments, primarily NLHE, on Mondays and Tuesdays at 11:00 a.m., with buy-ins ranging from $365-$1,675, similar to the WSOP circuit. On days when there are no WSOP events at 5 p.m., the Carnivale of Poker will instead feature various mixed games. Winners will receive gold and diamond medallions and there will be a prize pool for top point earners with the top ten splitting $100K.

Doyle Brunson Bows Out Of WSOP Tournaments

Khurram Aziz — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:12:37 +0000

Doyle Brunson, a living legend of the game and Poker Hall of Famer, tweeted that he will be passing on tournament play at the WSOP this summer.

At 79 years old, Brunson, who won the event in 1976 and 1977, said age was catching up with him.

Afraid I am finally gonna give in to Father Time and pass on tournament play at WSOP. #toomanyhours
— Doyle Brunson (@TexDolly) May 15, 2013

Brunson finished 17th in the 2009 WSOP Main Event, the last time he would place in the money, taking home £31,198. The last of his 10 gold bracelets came in the 2005, accompanied by a $367,800 jackpot, which at the time was one of the largest cash wins of his career, propelling him amongst the all time greats of the game.

Plaudits for the aging poker master have trickled in across the web. In its article on Boyle’s semi-retirement, the website Poker News Daily said, “During the better part of the last decade, one of the highlights of the WSOP has been the day Brunson sits down at the Main Event. The eyes of the room are always trained on him, as everyone wants to see if it is going to be the year he makes a deep run. And when he does finally get knocked out, he always gets a standing ovation upon his departure.”

The last time he made the money in the traditional WSOP Main Event was in 2004 when he placed 53rd.

Station Casinos Revenue Drops in First Quarter

Bruno de Paiva — Thu, 16 May 2013 09:07:29 +0000

First quarter revenue for Station Casinos dipped slightly after it fell two per cent from revenues at the same time last year.

The company attributed this mainly to customers’ gambling less throughout the period as a result of increased taxes and delayed tax refunds. Station Casinos’ Chief Financial Officer Marc Falcone said that while there were a number of reasons for the revenue decrease, revenues appeared to be improving once again.

“Net revenues in the first quarter were impacted by a combination of the increase in Social Security payroll tax, federal tax refund delays and one less day in February this year versus last year,” he said. “Results improved meaningfully in March.”

Station Casinos recently made headlines in the poker world after the launch of Ultimate Poker in the US state of Nevada. The company owns 57 percent of the parent company of Ultimate Poker, which is the first and currently only real money online poker service to operate in the state.

While Ultimate Poker appears to have had a solid start, Mr Falcone did not want to be drawn to the company with regards to Station Casinos’ first quarter revenue performance. “It’s too early to understand revenues and profitability of this start-up business at this point,” Mr Falcone said.

He did add, however, that Ultimate Poker’s launch had exceeded the company’s expectations and that the company is viewing online poker as an increasingly significant area of its total business following the launch. “We are committed to expanding our presence in Nevada while, at the same time, expanding our reach to other states as online poker becomes legalized on a broader scale,” Mr Falcone said.

Ultimate Poker is currently 36^thon Pokerscout’s Online Poker Traffic list, with a seven-day average of 167 players on the site. The poker site dealt its one millionth hand on Tuesday, two weeks after its anticipated launch.

Aldergott the Super High Roller at EPT Monaco

Bruno de Paiva — Thu, 16 May 2013 03:42:01 +0000

He was an outsider going into the EPT Monaco Super High Roller final table let alone the event itself, but Max Altergott proved that didn’t matter as he won the event in Monte Carlo last night.

It is the first ever recorded live tournament cash win for the Austrian-based German, who is better known for playing high stakes cash games. He’s now shown that no matter the style of poker game, he can dominate as long as there’s big money on the line.

All eyes were on American Jason Mercier going into the final table as he held a commanding chip lead over the other players at the start of the day. However, Mercier was unable to continue the fine run he had going in the previous days of the tournament, with his chip lead gradually diminishing as Altergott and Canadian Sorel Mizzi increased their stacks.

Mizzi was knocked out by Aldergott after the German hit a full house with his Pocket Jacks, beating Mizzi’s King Queen. It was not a hugely sad ending for Mizzi, however, as he still took home a respectable €679,100 (around US$878,000) for three days of solid poker play.

This left Aldergott and Mercier to battle it out for first and second place. While Aldergott had the chip lead going into heads-up play, Mercier was able to retake it after the first few hands and it looked like Mercier found his rhythm once again.

Aldergott, on the other hand, had other ideas and effectively crushed all hopes of a Mercier comeback after winning a huge hand against the American.

The German, who had Pocket Queens, raised to one million preflop after a series of back and forth raises. Mercier called with King Seven of Diamonds and a flop of Jack of Diamonds, Eight of Spades and Seven of Hearts was shown. Mercier called Altergott’s post-flop bet of 700,000 and the turn brought the Four of Diamonds.

Mercier checked, which prompted Altergott to bet a further 1.2 million into the ever growing pot. The two-time WSOP Gold Bracelet winner would not be deterred, responding to the bet by moving all-in, a move that was eventually called by Aldergott. While the German’s Queens were ahead at that point, Mercier had 14 outs that could have won him the event.

The Two of Clubs came on the river, which meant Aldergott’s Queens stood and Mercier was now severely short stacked. After shoving a short time later with a Ten Six of Diamonds, Mercier was knocked out of the tournament after Aldergott’s Jack Nine hit a straight on the river.

Aldergott won €1,746,400 (around US$$2,259,100) for his stellar play in the Super High Roller event. Mercier, on the other hand, won €1,115,700 (around US$$1,443,000), a great ending to his time at the EPT Monaco after winning the €2,000 open-face Chinese poker re-entry event and finishing seventh in the Main Event.

Lawsuit Aims to Curb Wisconsin Tribe's Electronic Poker Games

Charles Rettmuller — Wed, 15 May 2013 17:33:53 +0000

A federal lawsuit filed by the state Attorney General is attempting to shut down electronic poker games played at the Ho-Chunk Casino in Madison, Wisconsin.

The case centers around a dispute between Wisconsin authorities and the Ho-Chunk tribe. An arbitrator's ruling last year determined that the compact agreement between the parties does not permit poker at the tribe's land-based operation in Madison, the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel reported. However, U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Crabb later vacated that order. Crabb ruled that the arbitrator overstepped his authority to make such a determination, allowing electronic poker games to resume.

That angered the Attorney General's office, who promptly filed papers seeking an injunction. "Poker, including the form of poker being offered at (the Madison facility), is not explicitly authorized and is explicitly prohibited by the laws of the State of Wisconsin," the complaint read.

The Ho-Chunk tribe points to the fact that poker differs from other casino games in that gamblers compete against one another and the casino has no preference in the outcome, merely collecting a rake for hosting the games. Tribal leaders believe electronic poker falls under the state's Class II gaming statute, which would allow electronic poker to be offered without a compact agreement. The state argues that poker is a Class III game that requires a compact.

The classification of poker and casino games is in accordance with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. The Ho-Chunk tribe has several gaming locations throughout the state. Some are permitted to offer slot machines, craps and roulette, while others are restricted to Class II games such as bingo.

Electronic poker speeds up the game as players compete in a live setting. Players are dealt cards automatically that are displayed on private screens. A large screen available to all players provides general information. Some casinos are in favor of the practice due to the increased revenue seen from a greater number of hands dealt per hour. It also reduces labor costs by negating the need for a live dealer.

Babakhani Wins Canada Spring Championship

Bruno de Paiva — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:06:23 +0000

Amir Babakhani is $442,248 richer after taking out the 2013 PartyPoker World Poker Tour Canadian Spring Championship in Montreal.

The Canadian was the player to watch out for well before the final table given his strong play throughout the tournament. Babakhani had over 6.6 million chips going into the last day, over two million chips more than the second highest chip stack at the time.

His dominant play continued at the final table as he knocked out all but one player on the last day of play. Babakhani particularly shone when the tournament came down to the last three players, knocking out Jason Duval with an Ace high. Duval shoved all-in pre-flop with a suited Queen Nine of Spades, which was called by Babakhani, who had Ace Four off suit.

The Jack of Hearts, Ten of Hearts and Three of Spades on the flop gave Duval an open ended straight draw, potentially putting him back in the game. The Jack of Spades on the turn did not help Duval, however, leaving Babakhani ahead with his Ace. The river brought the Three of Hearts, which meant Duval missed his straight draw and was knocked out in third place with a little under $200,000 won.

This left just Babakhani and fellow Canadian Barry Kruger in heads-up play. Kruger had also done well for himself throughout the event, something seen by the fact he was second on the chip ladder coming into the final table. He was going to need everything in his poker arsenal to beat Babakhani, however, who looked unstoppable up to that point.

Babakhani would keep up that unstoppable streak in heads-up play, obtaining a whopping 10 to 1 chip lead over Kruger after winning 10 of the first 14 hands. Kruger would not give up though, winning two major hands to drop Babakhani’s chip lead to 2.5 to 1.

It was not enough for Kruger as both players flopped trip fives on the final hand. Kruger, with Five Four of Hearts, check-called Babakhani’s post-flop bet of 600,000. With Five Eight off suit, Babakhani had the higher kicker and was on his way to winning the tournament.

Kruger moved all-in, which was promptly called, after the Two of Clubs came on the turn. The Queen of Clubs on the river did not help Kruger’s cause and he was the last player knocked out of the tournament, leaving Babakhani as the last man sitting.

It was a surprise victory for Babakhani given that his previous live poker earnings totalled around US$16,000. He won CAD$442,248 (around US$431,000) by taking out the 2013 PartyPoker World Poker Tour Canadian Spring Championship, absolutely eclipsing all of his previous winnings.

Partouche Poker Site Closing

Charles Rettmuller — Wed, 15 May 2013 08:30:00 +0000

Partouche.fr will close its virtual doors prior to this summer season in what may result in a call for French gaming regulators to make changes in the country's rigid tax structure and ring-fenced player base.

Currently ranked 36th on PokerScout's worldwide rankings with a seven-day average of 167 cash game players, Partouche.fr trails other French sites in player traffic such as Winamax, PokerStars.fr, both iPoker and PartyPoker's France offerings, and Barrierepoker.fr.

Group Partouche has come under heavy criticism in recent months beginning last year when the popular Partouche Poker Tour failed to reach its guaranteed €5 million prize pool and group chairman Patrick Partouche attempted to renege on the guarantee. After being pressured by angry poker players and the media, Partouche decided to kick in the additional €736,880 to honor the €5 million commitment. But in an angry tirade, Partouche cancelled the tour following the 2012 season.

Another controversy erupted earlier this year when pokerenligne.com was first to broadcast a video that allegedly shows the top two finishers in the 2009 Partouche Poker Tour Main Event cheating by using hand signals to reveal their hole cards to each other. Jean-Paul Pasqualini and Cedric Rossi collected a combined €1,600,000 by soft-playing each other until they were the last two remaining players.

That discovery followed German player Ali Tekintamgac being kicked off the final table of the 2010 Main Event also for cheating. Tekintamgac was in cahoots with others posing as journalists who fed him information about his opponents' hole cards via hand signals. Tekintamgac and his chips were removed from the final table and the remaining eight players finished the event.

The latest issue to sully the Partouche name ocurred less than three months ago when French regulator ARJEL announced that Group Partouche was under investigation for permitting employees and family members to play at Partouche.fr and receive cash rewards and free entries to tournaments. Regulators scrutinized 40 accounts for possible improprieties.

The demise of Partouche.fr was first reported on PokerUpdate as early as September of last year. Rampant rumors circulated that the site was on the outs. The controversies that followed appear to have sealed the fate of Group Partouche and their French poker site, as evidenced by posters on 2 + 2 and a poker52 article.

Poker rooms in France are subject to strict regulations that include a heavy tax rate and a player pool confined within French borders. There has been talk of the need to allow for increased liquidity and a relaxing of the tax structure to allow for greater profitability for operators.

Mercier Leads Going In Super High Roller Final Table

Bruno de Paiva — Wed, 15 May 2013 05:30:32 +0000

While the EPT Grand Final Monaco Main Event is well and truly over, the event’s Super High Roller tournament has just established its final table.

When the final day of the tourney begins later today, it will be American Jason Mercier who will have the chip lead out of the seven remaining players. It will be a huge chip lead too – with a stack of 4,165,000, Mercier will over 2 million more chips than second placed Vladimir Troyanovsky, who will enter the final table with 2,150,000 chips.

All expectations will be on Mercier to use the huge lead to win the event at the end of the night. It will be somewhat of a happy ending for the 26-year-old two time World Series Of Poker bracelet winner after he finished in seventh place in the Main Event. With a cash prize of €1,746,000 going to the first placed player in the Super High Roller event, it would certainly be a great bounce back for Mercier.

Despite the gap between Mercier and the rest of the table, it is unfair to count some of the remaining players out just yet. It would take just one double-up or a few good hands for Troyanovsky to pose a great threat to Mercier and his dominant run.

For those in the know, it will be no surprise if this happens; the Russian has found a niche in high roller tournaments, having placed second in January’s PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $25,000 High Roller Event. He also placed seventh in the Caribbean Adventure’s $98,000 Super High Roller Event, winning a combined total of over $1 million in a little over one week of play.

Canadian Sorel Mizzi is also a realistic threat to Mercier’s stranglehold on the chip lead. Currently third on the chip tally, 27-year-old Mizzi is a regular at the WSOP and many other professional poker tournaments. He came in tenth spot at last week’s €25,000 High Roller tourney at the EPT Monaco, but he is in a good position to go one better and take first place in this event.

A bunch of household names in poker were knocked out on Day 2, including Issac Haxton and Victor Blom. WSOP Asia Pacific Main Event winner Daniel Negreanu was also eliminated as was the Magician Antonio Esfandiari and Malta-based American Justin Bonomo, who won last year’s Super High Roller event.

Steven Silverman won the EPT Monte Carlo High Roller event on Tuesday, beating Tony Gregg in heads-up play to take out the top prize. He won €775,400 in the event after agreeing a three-way deal between himself, Gregg and third-placed Fady Kamar.

UK Hedge fund Tycoon Gambles Away More than €1 million in Monte Carlo Poker Game

Khurram Aziz — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:19:54 +0000

They say you need quick wits and ice-cold nerves to become one of London’s richest hedge fund tycoons, but that didn’t seem to help Talal Shakerchi who lost more than €1 million (£850,000) in Europe’s biggest cash poker game.

The Midlands-born financier was one of six high-rollers who staked €500,000 each to join an unofficial game at the final of the European Poker Tour in Monaco over the weekend. With as much as €4 million rumoured on the table, poker experts said that it was probably the biggest sum ever wagered in a public game on European soil.

Shakerchi, whose hedge fund Meditor has around £3 billion of assets under management, is known in the amateur poker circuits and has reportedly won more than £1 million in live tournaments over the last few years.

He began playing the game as a hobby before moving on to play in live events, but luck was not on his side on Saturday. According to the Daily Mail, the 49-year-old lost his buy-in within hours and went on to lose more than a million on the table.

He was up against four of the world’s top professional players, including Sam Trickett, the UK’s biggest winner in live tournaments with £13 million in recorded career earnings, and Paul Newey, another highly-regarded UK amateur who made an estimated £220 million fortune through a Midlands-based consumer lender.

“I was lucky to be in a position to play in high buy-in events, which gave me the chance to observe,” Shakerchi once said, as reported by the Daily Mail.

Despite losing, he was heard to say at the end of play: “Goodbye, see you guys tomorrow,” to the remaining two players, according to the Independent.

The news site also published tweets from Pokerstars.com commentator Frank Op de Woerd, who was at the event.

"While they're playing 100k+ pots the conversation is very friendly and all 3 of them are laughing a lot. £whatalife,” said one tweet from de Woerd.

“Talal seems very unlucky and running very bad - can't seem to win a hand,” he wrote later.

Shakerchi, who is worth an estimated £100 million, is regarded as a generous philanthropist, but is little known outside the City where those in financial circles say he is one of the best stock-pickers of his generation.

Of Kurdish descent, he joined BP’s graduate training scheme in the 1980s and later worked at Old Mutual before setting up his own hedge fund, Meditor, in 1998.

Here's a clip of Mr Shakerchi in action, at the Party Poker Premier League VI, during more fruitful times:

Lockwood Publishing´s Avakin Poker will feature 3D Avatars

Firat Dural — Tue, 14 May 2013 09:06:46 +0000

The Nottingham UK based studio Lockwood Publishing will debut a new 3D avatar that exists across mobile games on a variety of platforms. Lockwood Publishing studio has been a very successful publisher which makes free-to-play games on Sony’s PlayStation Home virtual world and now it is expanding its market with mobile games.

Lockwood Publishing has been around since 2005, mostly focused on social platforms until they got a game deal with Sony to work on Home titles. But in contrast to PlayStation Home, Lockwood has focused its avatars on mobile devices, which haven’t been powerful enough in the past to run 3D avatars. The England-based studio will debut the avatars for the first time in its own title, Avakin Poker, which will available this spring on iOS, Android, and Web browsers.

The main idea behind creating 3D avatars is to allow players to create realistic human characters based on the Unity 3D game engine and use it across games, having a single XP inventory and a single account across multiple platforms. This system is already used in Xbox Live Avatars and PlayStation Home where players can create a custom 3D avatar and use it when playing different games.

3D avatars will be first used on the poker game as the first of many other games. “The poker offering features 3D renders, and it will feel much more like you’re sitting at a poker table in Las Vegas” say the studio officials.

The Avakin technology will debut in UK first and then company will collect feedback from consumers to be able to fine tune it before entering new markets. Second stop probably will be South America since the studio has a partnership with the Latin American BoaCompra. They are also looking for new opportunities for partnerships in other parts of the world where free-to-play system is popular.

Joel Kemp, Lockwood Publishing’s co-founder, thinks it was the right time to enter a new path “We had great success with Sony, but this is what we have been doing over the last couple of years.” He said in an interview with GamesBeat. Kemp believes they are the first studio to enable player-versus-player competition across platforms in real-time using exclusively 3D avatars.

The self-funded studio has already more than 40 employees working on different projects, mostly on 3D games that serve as social multiplayer experience

Amaya Ongame and mybet Sign Online Poker Deal

Bruno de Paiva — Tue, 14 May 2013 06:24:35 +0000

Amaya Gaming’s Ongame network has made yet another move in firmly establishing itself in the European online poker market. It was announced on Monday that the service provider has been chosen by German company mybet to power its .com and .it websites.

The announcement means mybet will no longer be using iPoker to service its sites, which it had done prior to making the switch to Ongame. Mybet and Amaya have had a direct business relationship since 2005, when it began using the Canadian headquartered company’s online casino software.

Mybet Holding CEO Mathias Dahms said that the switch was done as part of his company’s aim to further boost the success of its online poker service. "Amaya's casino games have proven to be not only highly popular but also very profitable (for mybet),” he said.

“Now, we are aiming to achieve the same results for our poker and live dealer offerings. Switching to Ongame Poker and adding Amaya's Live Dealer enables us to improve both customer satisfaction and profitability."

Amaya CEO David Baazov also expressed his delight at the deal, saying the expansion of the Amaya Ongame – mybet business relationship was important for its ambitions in Europe. "Being able to support partners like mybet with a full range of games and products is an advantage for both parties,” Mr Baazov said. “It improves our relationship and presents new business opportunities".

Amaya has made a number of major announcements with regards to its online gaming business, including the appointment of former Ultimate Bet COO Paul Leggett as the head of its online wing. Its Ongame network also recently signed an agreement with Italian gaming giant Cogetech to power its newly launched poker site, Izipoker.it.

The company also signed an agreement with US company Aristocrat to integrate its software into its online gaming platform, which may be a huge move considering the trend towards online poker regulation in a number of US states.

Mybet has experienced a strong growth in the online poker side of its business so far this year. Earlier this month, the company stated that first quarter revenue for its ‘Casino and Poker’ services increased by 39 per cent year-on-year to €6.6 million, which was reflective of a shift in mybet’s focus. This focus has been further reflected and strengthened through its deal with Amaya and its Ongame network.

Former CEO Appointed Malta Gaming Authority Chairman

Bruno de Paiva — Tue, 14 May 2013 03:41:53 +0000

The Lotteries & Gaming Authority of Malta (LGA) has a new Chairman, and he is a familiar face to those in the Authority. Former LGA CEO Mario Galea was appointed to the role by Parliamentary Secretary for Competitiveness and Economic Growth Edward Zammit Lewis, whose portfolio oversees the LGA.

Mr Galea, who was the Authority’s CEO between 2004 and 2008, has a solid reputation in the pro-online gaming community. It was under Galea’s watch that Malta’s laws permitting online gaming in the southern European country were introduced. Those laws have helped cement Malta’s status as the largest online gaming jurisdiction in the world today.

While Mr Galea’s term as CEO was successful in establishing a solid Maltese online gaming market, it was far less successful on Mr Galea’s personal life. He resigned from the post in October 2008 – four months before the end of his contract – due to health reasons.

In a May 2009 interview with Malta’s Business Today, Mr Galea said that he “worked an average of 18 hours a day – including weekends” while CEO of LGA, which led to rapid weight gain and his health “being seriously affected by the job”. He has since embarked on a weight loss regimen and established his own gaming consultancy business, and it seems he is now ready to be a central figure in Malta’s online gaming industry once again.

"I am delighted to be returning to the LGA and looking forward to work with the staff to keep Malta as a centre of excellence for gaming policy," Mr Galea said on his appointment.

The appointment of Mario Galea is a clear sign of the recently elected Maltese Government’s view of online gaming as an important area of the country’s economy. Dr Zammit Lewis echoed this, saying that the Government, formed in March, views online gaming in Malta as a top priority.

"The new government is committed to strengthen and growing the online gaming industry, both strategically and organically," he said following the announcement of Mr Galea’s appointment.

The island nation’s positive views on online gaming can be seen in the poker community. Professional players such as Justin Bonomo and Isaac Haxton moved to Malta following the infamous Black Friday in the US, which impacted their ability to make a living from the game in their native country.

Malta became the first EU member state to regulate online gaming in May 2004, which was also the same year the 400,000 person nation joined that organisation.

CVC Faces Deadline to Increase Bid for Betfair

Charles Rettmuller — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:59:49 +0000

CVC Partners has until today to renew its bid to take over Betfair after the the popular betting exchange rejected last month's proposal.

The offer of £910 million put forth by CVC three weeks ago was found by Betfair executives to be less than acceptable. Analysts of the deal have surmised that upping the purchase price by £10 per share might be enough to take the company private, especially considering Betfair's recent projected revenue figures that show estimates for fiscal year 2013 to be well above £387 million.

“We would expect CVC to come forward with a higher-priced approach to reflect the extra value in the core business highlighted by [the latest] update,” said Simon French of Panmure Gordon.

Betfair's latest increased revenue projections may entice the company to invest its holdings in new acquisitions instead of paying off its shareholders. CEO Breon Corcoran has stated that he would like to follow the purchase of Blue Square Bet in April with similar “targeted acquisitions" that would expand Betfair's geographic reach and close certain product gaps.

Rumours abound that today's deadline may be extended, but Takeover Panel rules require the London-listed Betfair to agree to any such considerations.

Ultimate Poker Updates Verification Services

Wootae Min — Mon, 13 May 2013 13:47:02 +0000

Ultimate Poker has decided to make two major changes to its player verification services over the past few days.

First, the Nevada based site has terminated its agreement with player verification service provider Iovation. The poker community voiced concerns over the past week when it discovered that the former Ultimate Bet software provider was being used for player verification. Given Iovation CEO Greg Pierson’s involvement in the Russ Hamilton SuperUser Scandal, players were uncomfortable with providing personal information to this company. Ultimate Poker hopes that this move would help players feel comfortable about the player verification process.

Ultimate Poker has also announced that the website can now verify online poker players that have cellular plans with Verizon, Cricket, and Virgin Mobile.

Since its launch, Ultimate Poker has experienced technical difficulties with its cell phone triangulation service. Several cellular network providers were not compatible with the triangulation service software. Given Nevada’s strict geolocation and verification rules, Ultimate Poker was unable to allow real money play to a large majority of Nevada residents due to this technical difficulty in the player verification process.

The resolution of this phone verification service means that a large number of accounts can be verified. Ultimate Poker expects that traffic on the site will increase given the resolution of this issue.

Ultimate Poker has experienced some success and failures since its launch in Nevada. Its first Sunday tournament exceeded the guarantee and player traffic has been steadily growing since its debut. However, the site has experienced some key technical difficulties including download issues and player verification problems. Nevertheless, the site has been a relative success in the infant real money gambling market in Nevada. The site hopes to build upon its early successes and resolve the lingering issues.

Crockfords Accuses Phil Ivey of Reading Cards in $12.1 million dispute

Khurram Aziz — Mon, 13 May 2013 13:12:36 +0000

The secretive Mayfair gambling club at the heart of a $12.1 million dispute with poker star Phil Ivey has shed more light on its reasons for refusing to pay up.

The Daily Mail reports, complete with an illustration, that the secret to Ivey’s success was reading asymmetrical patterns on the back of the cards during the high stakes game of punto banco last August.

During the game, each player draws two or three cards in an attempt to achieve a sum total closer to nine than the dealer. In a normal situation, the game is designed to be completely unpredictable, entirely contingent on the luck of the draw.

During Ivey’s game, the 37-year-old and an unidentified woman were playing ‘heads-up’ against the dealer. Ivey started his bets at £50,000 (around $77,000) per hand, ultimately raising the stakes as high as £150,000 (around $230,000). At one point during the three-night gambling spree, Ivey fell as far as £500,000 ($770,000) into the red, before rallying to achieve over $12 million in winnings.

Crocksfords believes that Ivey was able to spot tiny imperfections in the game’s cards, using knowledge to identify when cards of a certain value were in play.

Playing cards are designed to be marked identically, to prevent this sort of action. In addition, casinos usually replace playing cards at the end of each night, although Ivey was able to convince the casino to use the same set of cards throughout his three-day run. If the cards were indeed marked by defects, Ivey could conceivably have turned that knowledge to his advantage.

"I was given a receipt for my winnings, but Crockfords has withheld payment," Ivey said in a statement. "I have no alternative but to take legal action."

Ivey, who has won nine World Series of Poker bracelets during his career, enjoys a spotless reputation among card players. Gambling pundit Lance Bradley of Bluff Magazine described Ivey’s reputation to ABC News last October.

"There's nothing in his past that would hint at his being a cheater or unethical in any way," Bradley said. "People say he's arguably the best poker player in the world; but, really, there's no argument: He's number one. He's known both for his skill and for his love of high-stakes games. He loves anything where there's some sexiness at stake."

Still, Crocksfords isn’t backing down either. The Mayfair, London casino has enlisted fraud prevention specialists to study the tapes that captured Ivey’s wild night.

According to the Daily Mail, Crockfords believes that Ivey’s mystery companion, who is banned from at least two casinos around the world, was also able to spot the imperfections and helped Ivey place his bets. During the game, she is said to have instructed the croupier to rotate the cards 180 degrees before dealing them, claiming it was because Ivey was superstitious, but in reality, Crockfords suggests, to allow him to read the patterns on the back easier.

Along with two others, the mystery woman is said to have won more than $1 million in similar fashion in the US in 2011, but the money was similarly withheld and the casino’s decision was later upheld by a gaming commission.

It is not clear if Ivey and the woman heard about the rogue cards at Crockfords before arranging the punto banco game or simply noticed them while playing.

The 184-year-old Mayfair club is the oldest private gaming club in the world, and it initially agreed to transfer Ivey’s winnings to his bank account, but nine months on it has returned only his £1 million stake. Crockfords is owned by Genting, a Malaysian gaming corporation, which sent investigators to London to question employees and scrutinise hours of CCTV footage.

The case has divided opinion. Many believe that this is a straight case of cheating. An expert on the Daily Mail believes that asking the cards to be turned 180 degree so the asymmetry in the cards could be easily identified is no different to “marking” the cards.

But is this really Ivey’s fault? Card manufacturers are under huge pressure to produce more and more cards, mainly due to massive demand in Macau where millions are used — and destroyed at the end of each session — every day.

Flaws in production are bound to become introduced and something a seasoned card player can probably spot through the course of a night. If something fishy is going on, then it’s up to the dealer and the supervisor, along with the ten cameras aimed at Ivey during the night, to spot this – but they didn’t.

Instead, they acquiesced to Ivey’s request to use the same cards several nights in a row and even to turn some cards 180 degrees as requested – allowing him to raise his bet and raise his potential losses.

Online Poker Drops Sharply in Italy

Bruno de Paiva — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:42:48 +0000

Revenues for online poker in Italy have dropped drastically during the first quarter of the year, according to figures published by regulatory authority AAMS.

The figures showed that online cash poker in the southern European country fell by 34.6 per cent, resulting in a total revenue of €43.1 million in the first three months of the year. Online tournament poker, on the other hand, had a total revenue of €28.7 million, a 36.4 per cent drop from the same period last year.

In a statement released with the figures, AAMS stated the reasons for the sharp drop were a “decline in popularity of online poker in Europe” as well as “a general decline of spending on games in Italy”. The drops also offset the strong 84.7 per cent increase in online casino revenues in Italy over the first quarter.

As was expected, PokerStars remained the major player in Italian online poker throughout the first quarter, with the company occupying more than half of the poker market in the country. The company also had roughly one third of the cash game market in Italy during that time.

While PokerStars dominates the Italian market, other online poker companies are still surviving in the market despite the first quarter drop. The online company iPoker still has a solid chunk of Italy’s online market, with its .it domain having a seven-day average of 550 players, according to Pokerscout.

Ongame’s Italian domain is not too far behind, with a seven-day average of 495 players, good enough for it to be the world’s 20^th most popular online poker site. PeoplesNetwork’s .it domain had an average of 485 players over the same period while International averaged 445 players on its online Italian domain.

Other online games in Italy, including bingo and sports betting, also decreased sharply during the first quarter of 2013.

O'Dwyer Wins EPT Monaco Main Event

Bruno de Paiva — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:44:43 +0000

He came into the final table with the chip lead and was head and shoulders above all but one fellow player, so it was little surprise that Steve O’Dwyer reigned supreme in the EPT Grand Final Monaco Main Event.

The Irishman beat a field of 531 players to take out the top spot and the €1,224,000 (around US$1.59 million) cash prize. It was his first win since February last year, where O’Dwyer came in first place at the WPT National Series Main Event in Denmark. That event, however, did not have the remarkable talent that participated in the EPT Monaco Main Event, which made this win a whole lot more significant.

It was also little surprise that the runner up was Canadian Andrew Pantling, the only other player going into the final table with a stack that rivalled that of O’Dwyer. While Pantling has previously seen poker success in Monaco – He won the €5,000 No-limit Heads-up event in the EPT Monaco back in 2010 – he has had mixed fortunes on the general live poker scene. The London-based Canadian takes home €842,000 (around US$1.1 million), by far the biggest cash win in his poker career.

At the start of the last day, it looked like Pantling may have been on the way to take out the Main Event after he eliminated short stacked Australian Grant Levy in eighth place. He then knocked out Jason Mercier in seventh spot and took the chip lead from O’Dwyer in the process.

Pantling and O’Dwyer did briefly have a fellow rival in Johnny Lodden, however. Lodden held the chip lead for a long period of time in the middle stages of the tournament, and he was always not going to let it go without a fight. The tourney eventually came down to just Lodden, Pantling and O’Dwyer, and the chip lead briefly bounced between the three of them like a hot potato.

The Norwegian ended up getting knocked by the man responsible for taking away his two-day long chip lead earlier in the tournament, Steve O’Dwyer. It came after O’Dwyer’s Ace Jack outkicked Lodden’s Ace Ten, sending him out in third place and €467,000 (around US$610,000) richer.

Lodden’s departure left Pantling and O’Dwyer in heads-up play, with Pantling holding a small chip lead at the start of it. This would not last long, with the Irishman gradually taking back the chip lead and building up a solid buffer between his and Pantling’s chip stacks.

The last hand of the Main Event saw O’Dwyer and his Ten Eight starting hand hit trips on the Eight of Diamonds, Eight of Spades and Jack of Spades flop. Pantling check-called the Irishman’s post flop bet of 300,000 with his King Five of Spades and the Four of Spades on the turn gave him a flush.

Pantling would raise 1,425,000 – a significant amount of his stack - after the third spade came on the board. O’Dwyer re-raised all in, a move that was promptly called by Pantling. While it looked like Pantling was likely to win the hand, the river would bring him bad news, with the Eight of Clubs showing up as the last on the board. This gave O’Dwyer quads as well as the top prize of the tournament.

It was a remarkable end to six days of top level poker play at this year’s EPT Grand Final Monaco Main Event.

Phil Hellmuth Releases Statement About His UB Regret

Firat Dural — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:33:17 +0000

13 Time World Series of Poker Champion and a former ambassador for Ultimate Bet Poker Phil Hellmuth released a statement via his agent, Poker Royalty president Brian Balsbaugh, in which he states his regret over his long term relationship and involvement with the UltimateBet poker and its former administration.

Phil Hellmuth was an early investor and he owned a small part of the company. He also acted as the ambassador and the face of UB in media for more than 10 years.

The statement, which is released via his agent Brian Balsbaugh, was first published on the 2+2 forums by the independent poker journalist Kevin “Kevmath” Mathers. The statement caused mixed emotions among 2+2 members. While most users supported Hellmuth´s statement, some asked, “But why now?” and questioned the timing of it.

Timing of the statement is quite interesting indeed. Tapes were released only a couple of days ago which reveal that UB founder Greg Pierson, Russ Hamilton, Daniel Friedberg and Sanford Miller not only participated in the cheating, but actively tried to minimize payments back to victims of the theft. Hellmuth´s statement right after the tapes seem to be part of a damage control attempt on his behalf.

“I’ve made a living off of reading people at the poker table and in the business world, trusting my gut has allowed me to be at the top of my profession and develop a lifetime of friends and great experiences. Unfortunately, I made a horrible read regarding my relationship with the founders of the now defunct online poker site Ultimate Bet. I trusted their team and believed in their ability to run a first class website and business. Most importantly, I allowed them to convince me that they were honest and forthright. I’ve never been more wrong about anything in my life.” Hellmuth says in the first paragraph of his statement.

That´s definitely a sharp turn on Hellmuth´s stance regarding UB officials whom he considered family and best friends only 5 years ago. “Then it was time to go into the Hall, and I was thrilled to have in attendance: my wife, my sister Molly, my dad (my mom had to leave), Iovation CEO Greg Pierson, UBT (Ultimate Blackjack Tour) CEO Russ Hamilton, Carl and Court Wescott, and my most trusted advisor Dan Friedberg (and his wife Reina). The above represent my best friends, and some of my family.” He was heard saying during a speech when he entered Poker Hall of Fame.

When it comes to the question why he stayed with Ultimate Bet after the cheating scandal, he says he did it hoping that he would help those who were cheated get paid back. “When I became aware of the cheating scandal, I immediately insisted that everyone be paid back and whoever was responsible be banished from the company. At the time, I was led to believe that if I left UB right away the business would be impacted and then less likely to pay it’s obligations to the victims. As such, I made the decision to believe the leaders of UB and stayed on in the hopes that they would make right to anyone cheated.”

However the above paragraph especially drew skepticism among poker community. The fact is after learning about the cheating scandal, Hellmuth continued to work for the company and continued to be paid of stolen money. He tried to assure players that everything was ok and he encouraged people to deposit on Ultimate bet; because of that, lots of those people eventually had their money stolen. And for his work, he didn´t only receive his regular paycheck but he also continued to receive investment payouts from his UB ownership into 2012.

To clear those very legitimate doubts about his statement, Hellmuth is offered an exclusive interview by Scott (ElevenGrover) Bell, who is currently producing a documentary of the UB scandal. “You should answer these and other questions on film. I will reiterate my offer to give you semi-final cut on the edit. I offered Brian Balsbaugh something I offered nobody else. Phil could review the questions before an interview and have input on the cut we make of the interview.” Said Bell on two separate 2+2 forum posts about the subject.

Don’t bet on that interview happening though. Claiming ignorance and honesty behind a lawyered-up public relations release is a lot easier than actually answering questions.

Ben Affleck's loss in Ultimate Bet scandal overstated

Craig Fulton — Mon, 13 May 2013 09:16:17 +0000

The 40-year-old "Argo" director was one of hundreds of players who lost money on a website called 'Ultimate Bet' during their infamous cheating scandal. One of the owners of the website would play in high stakes games and use the ability to see other players' cards to help him win. There have been reports from the site's former owner that claimed Affleck lost close to half a million dollars to the site.

But, website TMZ reports that this is nowhere near the case: “We’re told Affleck did ‘lose’ some money back in 2003, but since the money was ‘won’ through cheating, it was refunded,” said TMZ.

Although it happened over half a decade ago, the 2008 “superuser” scandal at Ultimate Bet still has the attention of the online poker community. Recently released audiotapes of discussion of that sordid part of online poker’s past have now surfaced, which have reignited the controversy all over again.

The website LegalPokerSites.com published audiotapes that were released by Travis Maka – one of the key conspirators in the scandal. Maka released a bounty of information regarding the case, including screen shots and recordings of meetings, in which he alleges that several prominent persons involved in Ultimate Bet were responsible for the cover up of the situation. In those files there is damaging evidence on several people that have been or are still a part of the gaming community.

Former World Champion and former Ultimate Bet owner Russ Hamilton is featured prominently in the audiotapes discussing the issue. In those tapes, he admits to using the “God Mode” that allowed a player to see their opponents hole cards to steal between $16 million to $18 million. As the tapes continue to roll, Hamilton and UB personnel discuss how to “limit” the liability for the site. The tapes also discuss the amounts of money that certain players lost. During the conversation, it is revealed that poker pro Prahlad Friedman was taken for $360,000 and actor Ben Affleck was down a half million dollars, much of it to Hamilton by his admission.

In fact, Iovation is alleged to have created software that allowed Hamilton and others to be informed of when Affleck was on the site. The actor’s sources denied this but no further details were released by TMZ.

EPT Monaco Final Table Set

Bruno de Paiva — Sun, 12 May 2013 09:32:45 +0000

Irishman Steve O’Dwyer will go into the final table of the EPT Grand Final Monaco Main Event tonight with the chip lead.

O’Dwyer will go into the last day of the tourney with 4,452,000 chips to his name, a few hundred more than second placed Andrew Pantling, who has a stack of 4,180,000. While the lead is small, especially in this stage of the game, the gap between the current top two and the rest of the table is massive.

UK’s Jake Cody will go into the final table as third on the chip ladder with 1,633,000 chips, less than half of Pantling’s stack. This does not mean that the top two have no threats besides each other – while they will begin the final day’s play in a solid position, the calibre of players on the final table means they cannot afford to be complacent.

Among them is none other than Daniel Negreanu, who comes into the final table with 1,581,000 chips. While Negreanu hopes to emulate his first place performance at last month’s WSOP Asia Pacific, he will not have the commanding chip lead he had at the same point in that event. Despite this, Negreanu’s experience, track record and skill on the poker table makes him a legitimate threat to the top placed O’Dwyer.

Also on the final table is Norwegian sensation Johnny Lodden, who has held the chip lead for most of this event. While he lost a number of chips on the fifth day, most of them to O’Dwyer, Lodden will be hungry to regain the chip lead he once had en route to winning the Main Event.

Two-time WSOP Gold Bracelet winner Jason Mercier is also in the final table. Although he’ll go in with 824,000 to his name, the 26-year-old’s track record also means that he is one to watch for on the final day.

While all of the players in the final table have the capabilities to take the chip lead and win the event, all eyes and expectations will certainly be on O’Dwyer. The Irishman is no stranger to final tables, having been in no less than nine of them in major tournaments over the last year.

O’Dwyer’s last major tournament was the EPT/UK & Ireland Poker Tour Main Event in March, where he took out fifth place and won £146,000 (around US$220,000). He came in second place at the same event in September 2011 and took out his biggest cash win to date with £465,000 (around US$727,000).

He will be hoping to go one better tonight and win the Main Event and take home the €1,224,000 (around US$1.59 million) first prize. While nothing is guaranteed on the poker table, he is certainly in a great position to take out the coveted top spot.

The last day of the EPT Grand Final Monaco Main Event takes place tonight at Monte Carlo’s Salle des Etoiles.

UK Online Gaming Bill Passes Review

Bruno de Paiva — Sun, 12 May 2013 07:09:23 +0000

The UK’s proposed gambling bill for online casino and betting operators has passed its first major hurdle, after it passed the review of the UK parliament’s DCMS Select Committee.

Proposed by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the Gambling Bill for Point of Consumption (POC) Tax passed the UK parliament’s DCMS Select Committee’s review on Friday. The bill aims to regulate online gaming companies based outside of the UK on a point of consumption basis.

The bill also calls for all online gaming companies taking money from UK-based customers to obtain a licence from the country. Up to now, only companies which have ‘key equipment’ in the UK require a licence to operate, while companies with licences in UK territories, Gibraltar and the European Union are allowed to advertise in and take bets from the UK.

By passing the DCMS Select Committee’s review, the bill can now be introduced into the parliament to be voted on and put into legislation pending the bill’s success.

The bill has not come without its opponents, however, with the Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association (GBGA) threatening to take legal action against the Government if it did not change the point of consumption tax part of the bill. A number of online gaming companies with UK customers have their headquarters in Gibraltar, and they are likely to be one of the hardest hit by the tax if it is put into legislation.

The current point of consumption tax on Gross Gaming Revenues in the UK stands at 15 per cent, and would be the tax imposed on companies which are affected by this bill. While the bill passed the committee’s review, the DCMS select committee did so whilst requesting the country’s Treasury Department review that rate of tax.

This request came as the UK office of professional services firm Deloitte stated that the current rate could lead to approximately 40 per cent of existing non-UK based online gaming companies away from the UK market. UK-based online gaming operators pay corporate taxes in the country rather than a point of consumption tax, and will continue to do so even if the bill passes.

While a date has not been set, the bill could be introduced into the UK parliament as early as next week following the review’s passing of the committee.

888 Caught Violating Ridiculous New Italian Gambling Advert Law

Charles Rettmuller — Fri, 10 May 2013 17:56:11 +0000

Italian gaming regulators have cited 888 Holdings for violating a new law that severely restricts the way in which gaming companies can advertise their products.

In effect since January, the legislation forbids operators to advertise in such a way that would cause the “incitement to gamble or exaltation of the practice.” In other words, gambling can not be shown or marketed as being a good thing.

The country's Court of the Institute of Advertising Self-Regulation called 888 out for broadcasting an ad on television that showed a barrage of gold coins raining down on a punter who was playing a slot game, eGR reported. The Court found the ad to be misleading in that viewers may falsely believe that gambling is a way to make quick money. This, the regulators determined, could prompt certain individuals to perhaps fall victim to gambling addiction.

The ad in question clearly included statements regarding responsible gambling practices in compliance with the statute that requires the risk of addictive gambling to be prominently displayed. Despite attempting to cater their advertisement to the constraints of the new regulations, 888 may be fined for their actions. The Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (Competition Authority) are allowed to levy fines up to €500,000 for the most serious breaches of the law according to the standards set.

The whole problem with the law is that companies are not allowed to "incite" people to gamble. But inciting people to use or buy your product is the essence of advertising itself.

As explained by Giulio Coraggio, an attorney with DLA Piper, “It might be argued that such decisions are in breach of the general principle of freedom to perform business since advertising is an essential part of a business.” In other words, if a gaming company is offering the possibility of winning a huge jackpot, it should be permitted to advertise as much.

This is the first time since the law was enacted that a company has been cited for breaching the new regulations. Though its not clear what time of day the ad ran and did not accuse 888 of pandering to minors, those regulations include the airing of advertisements during times that children are most likely to be watching television or listening to the radio.

Looking at a literal interpretation of the Italian advertising statute, any online poker or gambling website that includes a banner featuring a welcome deposit bonus could be guilty of promoting an incentive to gamble, Coraggio said. He also noted that the ad legislation makes the Italian regulator the sole authority on the country's advertising regulations pertaining to gambling. As such, the AAMS can "decide on the legality of gambling ads without having any case law or precedents to rely on.”

Its good and fine to protect children from gambling advertisements and to warn players that gambling involves risk. Pointing out that a small percentage of gamblers may also cross over the line into addictive behavior if they don't or can't gamble responsibly is also crucial.

But to restrict companies from advertising their product in a responsible fashion and enforcing a ridiculous law that lacks specifics is very unfair. How can gambling be promoted and advertised without pointing out the possibility of financial gain?

BREAKING: Muchos Poker Banned from iPoker Network

Craig Fulton — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:35:40 +0000

In a strong worded document from the iPoker Policy Enforcement Team, all Muchos poker activity is now banned on the iPoker network.

The document that was sent to all licences on the network, including those who currently work with Muchos, states: “All Muchos poker activity is now officially banned on the iPoker.com Network. From this point on all card rooms are to stop accepting any new players from Muchos poker.”

“All existing accounts are to be banned, if funds are present in accounts they are allowed to be withdrawn following normal checks relating to collusion, fraud or account verification.”

The news is another major blow for the faltering Muchos brand who were recently subjected to an ongoing security investigation on the network. One can only assume the conclusion of the investigation coincides with the decision to ban Muchos from the network. Sources close to PokerUpdate have also confirmed that The Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LGA) have recently fielded and processed complaints regarding Muchos from the players.

Muchos Poker was once seen as an innovative solution to move money between poker networks through one centralised client. Working with brands such as 770, William Hill and Dafa, the brand grew popular amongst grinders and frequent table selectors.

However, despite being lauded for its innovation, voices of discontent could be heard around the financial implications of such a solution. Player accounts suffered from lock outs on such brands as William Hill and Dafa, as concerns about security grew.

One must now consider with the latest revelation, which other networks will follow the tune of iPoker and finally seal a once thought leader of the poker world's fate.

Full Tilt Launches Mobile Product

Wootae Min — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:41:21 +0000

Full Tilt Poker has launched a beta version of its mobile application that will feature its speed poker offering, Rush.

The launch of the Rush application will be the first mobile offering since Full Tilt’s acquisition by the Rational Group last year. Full Tilt’s mobile Rush application will feature ring game stakes ranging from $0.02/$0.05 to $2/$4 for No Limit Hold’em, Fixed Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha, and Omaha Hi/Lo. The mobile application is currently available as a HTML5 application, but it will be developed into an iOS and Android application in the near future.

Full Tilt Poker will follow sister site, PokerStars, into the rapidly growing mobile gambling market. Stars currently has an iOS application for its speed poker offering, Zoom, and is available in dot.com and dot.country markets. Full Tilt was one of the first companies to offer a mobile gaming platform when it offered a similar product in 2010. However, the events of Black Friday rendered the innovative offering obsolete until its recent relaunch under the new parent company.

Mobile Gaming has become the fastest growing sector in the online gambling market and several operators are developing products to take a piece of this lucrative business. Recently, iPoker and Paddy Power have launched mobile offerings. Most operators have reported great success with their mobile products, although the market is still in its infancy. With the launch of the Rush Mobile Product, Full Tilt Poker is seeking to return to its pre-Black Friday glory.

Amateur Las Vegan wins first real-money online poker tourney in U.S.

Firat Dural — Fri, 10 May 2013 08:19:16 +0000

Amateur Daniel Healey won the first $10,000 Sunday Tournament at Station Casino´s Ultimate Poker. Ultimate Poker’s first $10,000 Sunday Tournament was capped at 200 players and Daniel Healey managed to take home a first place prize of $4,173 in the first legal, real money online tourney ever held in the United States.

“It is really exciting to be a part of history, winning the first tournament,” Tournament winner Healey said. “I have been keeping up with the news updates and poker blogs ever since Black Friday hit and was extremely excited to hear that legal online poker is here. I am excited to be living in Nevada and playing my favorite game.”

This particular event has been getting a high level of demand from players since Daniel Healey´s win, a deep starting stack of 10,000 chips and 15-minute levels provide hours of action-packed poker. Ultimate Poker officials didn´t ignore this demand and they replied by doubling the the limit for Ultimate Poker’s Sunday Tournament to a capacity of 400 players, doubling the potential prize pool to $20,000.

“Since going live on April 30, there has been no downtime whatsoever, and demand to play in our first $10,000 Sunday Tournament exceeded our expectations,” said Joe Versaci, Ultimate Gaming Chief Marketing Officer. “We ended up reaching our 200 player cap 45 minutes before the tournament opened.”

Satellites are available every day for this tournament, with greater frequency on Sunday, and range from $1 to $20. The next tournament starts Sunday at 6 p.m. On April 30

Ultimate Gaming, a majority-owned subsidiary of Station Casinos LLC, launched real money online poker at UltimatePoker.com. Players age 21 and over in Nevada can play, while any player in the world can sign up and deposit at UltimatePoker.com in advance of visiting Nevada.

Lock Poker Situation Worsening

Wootae Min — Fri, 10 May 2013 04:30:43 +0000

After controversy over its delayed withdrawals and segregated cash tables, Lock Poker may have officially reached the bottom over its actions in the past weeks. The embattled site has been criticized by the poker community for months and it has culminated in a situation that has reached critical levels.

In its most recent controversy, Lock Poker sent emails to several players stating that withdrawals have been cancelled and that player-to-player transfer funds were no longer eligible to be withdrawn. Originally, the site required players to have a 1:1 play through requirement for transferred funds before utilizing the withdrawal functions. Violators of the service agreement policy were assessed a 15% penalty on the transfer. However, the policy was arbitrarily changed to a no withdrawal policy last week.

Lock Representative Shane stated that this new policy for transfers was “due to an influx of players abusing transfer tool solely for bulk withdrawals, negatively impacting withdrawal times for actual players.” He continued by stating that this policy was targeted at players who were withdrawing funds after a player-to-player transfer with minimal play. The representative also stated that Lock was taking this measure to prevent fake affiliates from driving down transfer values and slowing withdrawal times by purchasing large amounts of player funds.

In spite of the Lock representative’s claims, players have claimed that his statements were false and accused the site of controversial practices. A reputable poster, theJuggernaut, stated that his withdrawal of nearly five figures was cancelled even though he had raked thousands of dollars from this particular transfer. Furthermore, players have accused Lock of preventing transfers and withdrawals to benefit the site. Withdrawals and transfers would essentially lead to less money and less rake being circulated on the site.

The height of the controversy eventually led TwoPlusTwo CEO Mason Malmuth to contact Lock Representatives to address the worsening situation. After the conversation, Malmuth posted that Lock Poker officials were working towards answering all concerns and implementing new policies to facilitate withdrawals and transfers. Furthermore, Malmuth announced that TwoPlusTwo forums were banning Lock Poker advertisements until the issue was resolved to the satisfaction of the TwoPlusTwo community.

In response to angered players and Malmuth’s conversation, Lock Poker officially changed its transfer and withdrawal policy. Representative Shane Bridges stated that the site was implementing a 15% Gross Gambling Revenue policy that would require players to rake a minimum of 15% of the transferred money before cashing out the particular sum.

Despite this move to temporarily appease players, Lock Poker has lost the trust and support of its players as evidenced by the reactions on the Lock centered forum on TwoPlusTwo.

The entire situation has led poker players to call out Lock Poker professionals including celebrities such as Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi and Annette Obrestad. In a show of solidarity, MTT professionals Chris Moorman and Paul Volpe announced that they would not be renewing their sponsorship contracts with the site. Their pictures were removed from the Lock Pro section immediately.

Some players have even taken extreme measures to call out the owner of Lock Poker, Jennifer Larson. A TwoPlusTwo thread has officially threatened to send Jennifer Larson to the Department of Justice.

Nevertheless, Lock Poker has been on a sliding mountain since its launch of the Revolution Network in the United States black market. The embattled site has been dealing with payment processing issues for several months and have angered players over these transaction policies. Most Lock Poker withdrawals were given a 10 week time table, but several players have claimed that they have been waiting months for cash outs that most likely total in the mid six figures.

The unfriendly withdrawal times have led to the creation of Lock Poker trade market. Several players have been selling funds for as low as 50c on the dollar in order to part ways with the embattled site. This poker economy was the primary reason for the recent cancellation for withdrawals. However, poker players have blamed Lock Poker for creating such a trade market given the long wait for cash outs.

In addition to the withdrawal controversy, Lock Poker recently implemented a player segregation policy at stakes higher than $100NL ($0.50/$1) in order to improve player ecology. This new policy unfortunately backfired for the site as many players did not have many tables to choose from on the site.

With United States legislation on the horizon, Lock Poker and its Revolution Network seem to be close to becoming obsolete. At one point, the Revolution Network held the top spot for United States facing online poker websites. After months of controversy, the Bovada (Bodog) online poker site has taken the top spot with Revolution slipping to second place.

Players around the world have voiced their concerns over the policies of the network and the ability to pay out respective balances. Several players have even jested by taking proposition bets on the solvency of Lock Poker.

Lock Representatives have promised to solve the underlying issues over the next month. For now, the players remain unsatisfied and cheated by the actions and policies of this embattled site.

PokerStars Plans Construction of Online Museum

Wootae Min — Fri, 10 May 2013 03:07:33 +0000

PokerStars has announced its plans to build an online museum that chronicles the history of the online poker site.

The operator has stated that the online museum will contain features that relate to business milestones and the poker experiences of its players. Representative Michael J of PokerStars has requested that players submit material for the museum including screenshots of interesting hands, pictures of live PokerStars hands, and interesting online poker connections made on the site. Players are encouraged to submit any type of material to E-mail.

The dominant market leader in online poker is set to reach a significant milestone in the upcoming weeks as it nears 100 billion dealt hands. Although PokerStars was involved in the Black Friday indictments, the site has been a consistent and dominant presence in the online poker world. Stars has been innovative in its technology, game selection, and marketing for the online poker game. It continues to be the dominant site in the world and has plans to enter the land based casino market as well.

Optimus Poker Shuts Down

Wootae Min — Fri, 10 May 2013 02:40:12 +0000

Optimus Poker, a Merge Network skin, has announced that it has ceased to exist as of May 8, 2013.

The website operated under the domain OptimusPoker.eu and boasted a small customer base for the struggling United States facing network. The website operator has assured players that funds are secure and that these funds will be available for play on the Merge Gaming Network. Furthermore, the Merge Gaming Network has encouraged players to transfer to one of the flagship websites such as Carbon Poker.

The shutdown of Optimus Poker is the latest casualty in a string of losses for the Merge Gaming Network. Recently, popular sites such as Hero Poker and RPM have closed business after a relatively successful run on the Merge Network. The reasons for the shutdown of these sites have not been specified.

The Merge Gaming Network has seemingly decided to trim its business in order to facilitate easier withdrawals and minimal complications in the United States black market. It has decided to cut its rakeback program and has lost several skins in favor of flagship sites like Carbon Poker. Recently, the network has decided to increase rake for its big bet games.

Turkey Proposes Severe Online Gambling Penalties

Charles Rettmuller — Thu, 09 May 2013 16:56:41 +0000

New legislation in Turkey has been proposed that aims to severely penalize both players and operators of unlicensed poker and gambling websites.

A bill before the Turkish parliament has set maximum fines of 500,000 Turkish Lira (£180,000) for players caught wagering on unlawful gaming sites. Illegal site operators and payment processors would also be subject to fines and prison sentences under the new proposal.

Media companies who accept advertising for gambling websites would not escape punishment according to the new measure. Those deemed to be responsible for running such ads may face a three-year stint in prison.

The bill calls for the Turkish Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BDDK) and Telecommunication Communications Agency (TİB) to oversee enforcement of regulations. The BDDK would be in charge of banning the use of debit and credit cards with unlawful operators, while blocking IPs will fall under the jurisdiction of the TİB.

Turkey banned online gambling in 2007, but has been unable to stop its proliferation, eGR reported. Operators located outside of the country continue to service the Turkish market, where players seem eager to continue frequenting online poker and gambling websites.

GVC is one gaming company that continues to be active in Turkey. The company's recent report of revenue earnings for 2012 reached €21.2 million, with a good percentage of that coming from Turkish citizens.

Ultimate Poker Utilizing Former Ultimate Bet Software Provider

Wootae Min — Thu, 09 May 2013 16:13:42 +0000

Ultimate Poker has decided to utilize former Ultimate Bet software provider, Iovation, to provide player verification services.

Iovation was at the heart of the 2008 Russ Hamilton cheating scandal that devastated the poker community. Ultimate Bet co-creators Greg Pierson and Jon Karl are the founders and current owners of the software company.

During the early 2000s, Pierson and Karl decided to create Ultimate Bet in connection with its software company, Iovation. In the early stages, the partners needed some funding and contacted 1994 Main Event Winner Russ Hamilton. After the launch and public offering of Ultimate Bet, Pierson and Karl authorized the creation of a tool called “God Mode” that allowed the owners to view player hole cards in real time. Although this tool was not endorsed by the software team, Pierson and Karl allowed Hamilton to utilize this software to catch cheaters at the high stakes poker tables.

Russ Hamilton utilized this super user software from 2004 to 2008 to extract millions from players. In 2008, the Kahnawake Gambling Commission accused Hamilton of masterminding a cheating ring that involved several other members. It eventually led to a $15 million settlement for the owners of the company and a full refund for all cheated players. Although Pierson and Karl were not indicted in this scandal, many people in the community believe that the two were closely involved with Hamilton and authorized the use of this software.

Pierson and Karl remain the current owners of the company and have evolved the business into a verification and online gambling reputation service. Although the company is not licensed in Nevada, Iovation has entered the market through its partnership with Verifi’s CAMS, which is being used by most online providers in the state. Ultimate Poker has explicitly stated that it has no direct relationship with Iovation and is connected only as a subcontracter for certain services.

Nevertheless, poker players have voiced their concerns over the use of this software company to provide verification for security purposes. Former Ultimate Bet players have voiced concerns over the use of the software that was utilized in the super user scandal, especially since the verification service asks for highly personal information. Many players feel that the two current owners were intricately involved in the scandal and stole millions from players through this device.

Despite the discovery of this controversial connection, Ultimate Poker had a great debut for its grand opening tournament and has been steady in its player traffic since its launch.

Phil Hellmuth Experiencing Vanity Problem

Charles Rettmuller — Thu, 09 May 2013 15:37:09 +0000

Most players wouldn't mind having the problem that Phil Hellmuth is currently facing. It seems the Pokerbrat would like fellow motorists in California to know the exact number of WSOP bracelets he has won.

Hellmuth took to Twitter to tell his fans that he recently applied for the vanity plate "POKER13" in the Golden State. However, the DMV reportedly told the 48-year-old that he may have to wait two months before receiving his order.

The problem is, with the 44th annual WSOP set to kick off in Las Vegas later this month, Hellmuth may already be wearing bracelets 14 and 15 by the time his vanity plate commemorating 13 WSOP gold bracelets arrives.

Hellmuth avoided such dilemmas with his Nevada vanity license plate that reads "PKRBRAT."

Station Casino Is Aware of Ultimate Poker´s Shortcoming

Firat Dural — Thu, 09 May 2013 10:49:44 +0000

At 9 a.m. local time on April 30th in Nevada, Ultimate Poker, an offshoot of Station Casinos, has launched real money online poker at UltimatePoker.com, making history as the first company in the United States to offer legal and secure online poker. The first hand was the first ever in a U.S. jurisdiction that licenses and regulates the Internet gambling industry.

Since the owners of PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker left the American poker scene in April 2011, the poker community has been waiting for a Nevada casino firm to finally get involved with the business. That´s why dealing the first legal hand of real money online Poker in the United States created great enthusiasm among poker players although online poker is limited to those within the state’s borders for the time being. But still it is enough to create hope for other states, Delaware and New Jersey are two states which followed Nevada´s path and already legalized online poker.

It has been a little more than a week since Ultimate Poker launched in Nevada and there are already various complaints about the software. To be honest, if you ever played a single hand of online poker on any of the big poker rooms like Pokerstars or Fulltilt, Ultimate Poker´s software will look like a trip back to 1995.

But the design isn´t the only flaw, the lack of customization options and glitches seem to take the fun out of the game for seasoned players who are accustomed to more sophisticated software.

For example, hand histories are available to players however they are quite difficult to find and view. Players can´t disable card animations or shrink the tables as they wish which is quite annoying if you plan to play at more than one table at a time. And if you want to play some Omaha, well you are out of luck. Ultimate Poker does not spread Omaha games for now.

Verizon is another problem to players who want to use their mobile devices to play online poker. Online players must be in Nevada to gamble online and Ultimate Poker has an obligation to verify the location of those mobile devices however Verizon still didn´t give Ultimate Poker the permission. As a result of this, players with Verizon service remains locked out of the site.

Ultimate Poker doesn´t work with Apple computers either. So players who want to play on their macs ultimately need to buy a software which allows them to install and run windows OS on their macs. Ultimate Poker tries to make it up to you and offer to reimburse $200 for the purchase, but that´s only if you accumulate that much in rake. So in other words, Ultimate Poker makes it up to you, with your money.

Station officials are aware of the flaws and glitches of their software but they say they had to sacrifice some feature to reach their goal; being the first legal, real-money poker site in the country. And they did that.

“What was really important to us was getting the early-mover advantage. We figured what we should do is prioritize the most popular game with the skinniest offering. That allows us to get through the field trial with few things that could hold us up in terms of hurdles.” says Ultimate Gaming Chief Marketing Officer Joe Versaci.

Ultimate Poker is on a 30 day field trial at the moment and a public hearing will be held at the end of it for The Gaming Control Board to review its findings.

“We feel our technology is a major advantage. Ultimate Poker’s proprietary software is completely owned and operated by parent company Ultimate Gaming, allowing for continuous investment and product development,” said Ultimate Poker Chief Executive Officer Tobin Prior. “The technology was acquired in 2011 and initially developed by a U.S. based company with a completely clean regulatory profile.”

Station Casino officials said that an upgrade for the basic features is on the way however more advanced features, which are likely to benefit the experienced online players, will probably take more time since it is a question of design.

Versaci is cautious about adding more advanced features which will probably end up drawing more and more multi-tabling grinders. “It’s a delicate economy, we feel prudent and like we have a responsibility on how we roll out limits and multi-tabling (playing multiple hands at once). We want to make sure our poker economy is healthy and active before we open the reins and allow huge multi-tabling and HUDs (heads-up displays). We want it to be fun.”

Despite the criticism, Brand Ambassador and professional poker player Antonio Esfandiari doesn´t seem to lose his enthusiasm about the return of online poker to United States; “This day has been a long time coming. Online poker in the United States is finally here and totally legit. I signed on to be the ambassador for Ultimate Poker because I knew the people behind this company would do it right. I signed on because Ultimate Poker is where I would come to play. Now we all can."

Hacking charges dropped against video poker jackpot winners in Nevada

Khurram Aziz — Thu, 09 May 2013 09:25:54 +0000

John Kane, 54, and Andre Nestor, 41, still face wire fraud charges; however, following a public outcry, the “exceeding authorised use” counts under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) of 1986 have been dropped.

Judge Miranda Du of the US District Court for the District of Nevada cited a recent Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling which sought to more strictly confine the ambiguous wording of the CFAA to prevent abuse. She demanded prosecutors to justify their use under the Ninth Circuit’s Nosal ruling; federal prosecutors were unable to so they dropped the CFAA charges against the defendants.

Four years ago, Kane, an avid gambler stumbled onto a software bug in IGT’s Game King video poker machine that allowed him to effectively play back a prior winning hand at ten times the original value. He phoned his friend Andre Nestor, who joined Kane in Vegas to allegedly exploit the bug at a string of casinos. Nestor then returned to Pennsylvania and used the bug at a casino there to the tune of $400,000 in winnings.

Shortly after, engineers from Nevada’s Gaming Control Board followed up on suspicions that something was not quite right with the video poker game on the floor of the Silverton Casino Lodge. After dismantling the machine and taking it back to the lab, it was found that the software had a bug which was being exploited by the defendants. The Gaming Control Board accused the players of fraud and took them to court under contravention of the CFAA. This controversial act was originally passed to punish hackers who remotely access banks or defence systems, but in this case, prosecutors were using it against those who win at video games. They argued that the complex sequence of button presses needed to activate the bug made it a form of hacking. But defence lawyers argued that Kane and Nestor only played by the rules imposed by the machine.

“The case never should have been filed under the CFAA,” Kane’s lawyer, Andrew Leavitt told Wired. “It should have been just a straight wire fraud case. And I’m not sure it’s even a wire fraud. I guess we’ll find out when we go to trial.”

The pair are due to go to trial later in April.

Lodden Leader after Day 2 of EPT Monaco

Bruno de Paiva — Thu, 09 May 2013 05:22:58 +0000

The second day of the EPT Grand Final Monaco Main Event is now over and the chip lead has changed hands yet again.

This time it’s Norwegian poker ace Johnny Lodden at the top of the heap, with 605,200 chips to his name at the end of Day 2. Lodden will enter Day 3 as the only player with a stack of over 500,000 chips. Calvin Anderson, currently with the second highest chip count, will go into the third day with 472,600 chips, while third placed Noah Schwartz is not far behind with a stack of 453,400.

While Lodden’s lead is substantial, the tournament is still in its early stages, with four days of play remaining. A total of 126 players will come into Day 3, all of whom will have the eyes on the chip lead and, more importantly, first place in the Main Event.

One of those players with their eyes on the prize is none other than poker great Daniel Negreanu, who currently has the seventh highest stack of the tourney with 340,100 chips. The Canadian star will hope to emulate the success he had in last month’s WSOP Asia Pacific Main Event, where he became the first player to take out that tournament in Melbourne.

While Negreanu is still well and truly in the tournament, the same cannot be said for renowned players Barry Greenstein and Humberto Brenes, who were both eliminated on Day 2. Brenes’ elimination from the Main Event was especially unfortunate, as it was also the Costa Rican's 61st birthday.

The prize pool for this year’s EPT Grand Final Monaco Main Event was also released during Day 2 of play. One of the 126 remaining players in the tourney is set to receive a whopping €1.224 million for first place. There will be payouts to the top 80 players in the Main Event, with the minimum cash prize set at €16,000 out of a total prize pool of €5.31 million.

In an EPT Monaco Day 2 side event, Belarusian Siarhei Sharkota took out €2,100 No Limit Turbo 8-Handed Bounty tournament, winning €43,400 for his stellar efforts. Sharkota beat Spanish player David Gutierrez Lebron en route to winning the event, which featured 2010 WSOP Main Event winner Jonathan Duhamel. The 25-year-old Duhamel managed to get tenth place in the 143-player event, good enough to still be in the money.

Day 3 of the EPT Grand Final Monaco Main Event is set to resume today at Monte Carlo’s Salle des Etoiles.

Holland Casino: Online Gaming a Few Years Away

Bruno de Paiva — Thu, 09 May 2013 03:51:26 +0000

Holland Casino is one of the latest companies to announce its intention to develop an online gaming wing of its business, but has said such a move will happen in 2015 at the earliest.

Despite this, the company also said that it will aim for a launch of freeplay online poker later this year. While Holland Casino appears to be keen on creating a full online gaming business, it has given the date of 2015 as it believes that will be the time when the Government of the Netherlands will begin issuing online gaming licences.

The Dutch company, which owns 14 live casinos throughout the northern European country, had a slight decrease in the number of visitors to its establishments in 2012. The visitors it got also spent slightly less money at the casinos, with an average of €96 being spent in 2012 compared to €98 in 2011. This helped culminate in total losses of €652,000 for the company in 2012, according to Holland Casino’s annual financial report, which was released this week.

The company hopes to benefit from the recent increase in online poker popularity in the region. German gaming company Mybet recently announced that its 2013 first quarter revenues for its poker and casino services increased by 39 per cent. UK-listed company 888 also announced increased poker revenues of 15 per cent in the first quarter of this year, helping result in record revenues.

In October last year, the Dutch Government announced its intention to pass legislation permitting online gaming in the country. It is expected that Parliament will approve legislation before the end of the year, which will result in the Government approving online gaming licences from early-2015.

Holland Casino has wasted no time in getting the groundwork done in establishing an online gaming arena, however, releasing a tender document for an online gaming supplier last month. The selected supplier will provide – among other attributes – an online poker platform and network.

ISPT Banked on Full Tilt Acquisition

Charles Rettmuller — Wed, 08 May 2013 18:34:51 +0000

A little over three weeks remain before the International Stadiums Poker Tour makes its live debut at Wembley Stadium in London on May 31.

One of the most talked about (and ridiculed) poker tournaments to ever be scheduled, the ISPT has gained a bit of credibility recently by partnering with the likes of The Hendon Mob and Dusk Til Dawn. That followed sponsorship deals with Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi and Sam Trickett, among others, which proceeded to change the minds of many in the poker community from skepticism to perhaps even belief that the event may prove to be successful after all.

The initial concept of 30,000 players competing via laptop while seated in the stadium until the final 10% transition to the playing field to conclude the event in a live format has long ago been scrapped as a logistical nightmare. Also discarded was a €20,000,000 guaranteed prize pool, replaced with €1,000,000 guaranteed to the winner.

While the confusion surrounding the event resulted in numerous jokes as to how Prosper Masquelier and Laurent Tapie could conceive of such an event and hope to make it work, it should be remembered that the acquisition of Full Tilt was in the works at the time. Group Tapie was nearing a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice to acquire the site, hoping to use that as a catalyst to promote the ISPT.

When that deal fell through and PokerStars came to the rescue to acquire the assets of Full Tilt, Tapie was left without the proper springboard to make the event a success as originally envisioned. Changes had to be made that severely hampered the ability to promote the tourney as planned. Those changes included running satellites to the ISPT at a number of other poker rooms.

But imagine if Tapie had managed to pull off the Full Tilt deal. The ISPT would have greatly benefited from the relaunch of Full Tilt. All the fanfare and hoopla involved with rest-of-world players being reunited with some $184 million could have also been extended toward promoting the ISPT through the newly-relaunched site.

The tournament is set to go on May 31. That date conflicts with the 44th annual WSOP in Las Vegas. That's yet another problem that the ISPT has had to encounter along the way. Wembley Stadium had to be booked well in advance of the announced dates of the WSOP.

It's not yet known how many will buy-in and participate or if the ISPT will be deemed a success. But credit should at least be given to Tapie for continuing with the project despite the numerous problems that have ensued. And the main problem was the eventual demise of the Full Tilt deal. Had that not ocurred, things may have looked completely different.

Paddy Power Signs Mobile Casino Deal

Wootae Min — Wed, 08 May 2013 15:58:32 +0000

Paddy Power has announced an agreement with Realistic Games to provide a number of mobile gambling products.

The multi-year deal allows Paddy Power to utilize Realistic Games software to offer fourteen games that are available for iPhones, iPads, and Android platforms. Currently, the games will include roulette, blackjack, and slot machines that will be played on the ReGal server via an Openbet RGI integration. In addition to these basic offerings, the new mobile gaming system provides popular slot games such as Pirate radio, Tutankhamun, and Snakes & Ladders. Paddy Poker has hinted that other games such as poker may available in the near future as well.

Like most operators, Paddy Power has invested heavily into its mobile sector in recent months and plans to expand upon the rapidly growing market. Recently, the operator has launched its own casino platform as an iPhone application and a casino application for iOS in partnership with Viaden Gaming.

The mobile gaming investment has paid major dividends for the operator as it contributed 32% of Paddy Power’s online revenues after a near 200% increase on its recent year-on-year revenue statistics.

Mobile gaming has become a major part of the online gambling market over the past year. Several operators including Playtech have debuted mobile offerings that have been successful. It is currently the fastest growing sector in online gambling and has bolstered revenues for several companies. Although the mobile sector is in the infancy stages, operators are planning to significantly enhance products on these devices as well as provide more games such as online poker.

PokerStars Announces 100 Billionth Hand Promotion

Wootae Min — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:48:13 +0000

PokerStars has announced the details of its final promotion in its long running “Road to 100 Billion”. The six week promotion will feature a number of cash prizes that amount to $5 million that will provide players with extra incentive to play on the celebrated poker site over the next several weeks.

This edition of the “Road to 100 Billion” promotion will feature a Mega Milestone that will pay out a $1 million prize to the table that is dealt the 100 billionth hand. The winner of this particular pot will receive a minimum of a $100,000 for being involved in the promotion while the other players at the same stakes as this lucky table will share the remainder of the $1 million prize pool.

PokerStars will also run promotions to allow all players including MTTs and SNG players to take part in this historic promotion. Like previous editions of this promotion, players will be awarded cash prizes totaling a $1 million for being involved at each milestone increment over the next six weeks. Furthermore, PokerStars has announced that there will be special promotions totaling $3 million for all players on the flagship site, although exact details have yet to be announced by the site.

PokerStars has been running this promotion for the past few years and it has led to large increases in player traffic during these month long promotions. The dominant market leader has dealt nearly 5 billion hands every 3 months since the beginning of its boom and it has been the most consistent presence in the poker market for the past several years.

The last promotion occurred in February where the 95 billionth hand was dealt. PokerStars player ‘RichB17’ was awarded $23,920 for winning the milestone pot. Each promotion has been a great success and the pinnacle of this “Road to 100 Billion” promises to be better.

Firms threaten to sue over poker machine levy in Australia

Khurram Aziz — Wed, 08 May 2013 13:50:59 +0000

Gambling firms Tatts Group and Tabcorp say the government in the Australian province of Victoria is charging them an exorbitant levy on poker machines that they no longer operate, and have threatened a lawsuit in retaliation.

Both companies said on Monday that they had received a letter from the Victorian Treasurer advising that they must pay a health benefit levy of around AUS$42 million each in respect of gaming operations conducted over the 2012/13 financial year.

What’s more, the horse racing industry will also be charged 25% of the amount Tabcorp owes because that company operated its gaming machines as a joint venture with the racing industry.

The health benefit levy was introduced by Victoria’s government in July 2000 and applied to poker machines operated in the province to help fund hospitals and charities.

However, the companies in questions lost their licence to operate poker machines outside of Melbourne’s Crown casino, on 15 August 2012.

As a result, Tatts and Tabcorp say their gaming operations in Victoria were limited to 46 days, generating earnings before interest, tax and depreciation of about AUS$29 million - much less than the amount of the levy sought by the province.

“Tatts strongly disputes the reasonableness of the determination made by the Treasurer and its legal sustainability,” the company said in a statement.

It added that would also rely on an indemnity granted by Victoria in 2009 in consideration of Tatts consenting to an extension of its licence from 14 April 2012 to August 2012.

“This defies any test of common sense,” Tatts chief executive Robbie Cooke said. “We have had no conversation with government. First we knew that they were going to levy this amount was the letter in the mail this morning.”

In a statement to the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX), Tatts said it strongly disputed the “reasonableness of the determination” and its “legal sustainability.”

Both companies warned they would take legal action over the latest demands, but said they hoped to resolve the issue in talks with the state Treasurer.

According to ASX filings, Tabcorp had allocated AUS$3.7 million in its accounts towards its levy bill, while Tatts has earmarked AUS$7 million.

Tabcorp’s bill will be slightly less than Tatts’ because it operated some poker machines under a joint venture with Racing Victoria, which will pay some of the bill.

In comments to the Herald Sun, Racing Victoria chief executive Bernard Saundry said, “We are surprised, shocked in fact... We are looking at our options and that starts with an immediate meeting with Tabcorp and then the government.” “The surprise is the extra AUS$8.5 million we have just been informed about. Racing’s share of that is about 70% (trots and dogs make up the rest),” added Saundry. “It would hurt our budget badly”.

In a statement to The Australian, a spokesperson for the Treasurer said, “The Health Benefit Levy is applied consistent with the Gambling Regulation Act, and has been levied in the same way for more than a decade... There is no discretion under the (legislation) to apply the levy in any other way.”

Poker ace Phil Ivey Sues UK casino for £7.3m in winnings

Khurram Aziz — Wed, 08 May 2013 11:27:40 +0000

Phil Ivey is taking action legal against Crockfords, an exclusive club in Mayfair, London, for allegedly withholding money he accrued during a private game of punto banco last August. The American is thought to be the world’s sixth-highest earner from punto banco tournaments, a card game similar to baccarat, amassing winnings of $14.6m (£9m).

The 36-year-old filed the case in the High Court in London, according to a press release from his representatives. Ivey said in the release that he was given a receipt for his winnings, but that they were never delivered.

“I am deeply saddened that Crockfords has left me no alternative but to proceed with legal action following its decision to withhold my winnings,” he said.

Crockfords is owned by Genting, Southeast Asia’s largest casino operator which in March bought a Las Vegas site, once home to the Stardust resort, for $350 million.

Ivey’s run at the casino drew a lot of attention last year, after he fell $800,000 in the hole when the game began. However, over the next two nights, he and a female companion launched an impressive run to build their profit to a then-reported $11.7 million, apparently arousing the suspicions of the casino management.

Investigators interviewed employees who worked that night and pored over surveillance video. They also checked out the cards that were used in the largely no-skill game in which the outcome is determined strictly by the deal of the cards.

The casino has been reluctant to publicly discuss any alleged impropriety from Ivey, telling the press it wants to keep the matter private. But in an emailed statement, it told the Huffington Post, “In line with our customer privacy policy we do not comment on matters involving individual members."

“However in this rare instance we are able to confirm that our position, which is supported by strong legal advice, has been made very clear to Mr Ivey’s solicitors from the start. We shall be filing our defence shortly and defending this claim vigorously.” Ivey has won nine World Series of Poker bracelets and is “arguably the best poker player in the world,” according to WSOP.com.

At last year’s tournament, he lost to Andy Frankenberger, a former derivatives trader at BNP Paribas SA.

Is Poker Safe From Terrorism?

Firat Dural — Wed, 08 May 2013 10:26:27 +0000

Boston Marathon bombings on April 15 triggered a discussion among poker players on Twitter about safety and security at the upcoming World Series of Poker, which starts later this month.

The first concern was voiced by a poker player named Randy Murfin; “Does anyone else worry about backpacks and bombs at the WSOP??.. #backpackseverywhere #nosecuritychecks #crowds @WSOP @WSOPTD @RealKidPoker” tweeted Murfin on april 29 which got a reply from Jack Effel, tournament director at the WSOP, 3 days later; “We are looking into the concern @WSOP @RandyMurfin @RealKidPoker”

The exchange between Murfin and Effel seems to have opened the pandora´s box. Many poker players jumped in the discussion who commented that checking backpacks at the WSOP would be invasion of privacy since many players carry their entertainment, food, clothing or money in their backpacks.

Others pointed out that a heist is more likely than a bomb at the WSOP hence the cash carried around by the players. But is Vegas really safe from global or even local terrorism?

A few days after bombs rocked Boston, The Southern Nevada Counter-Terrorism Center opened its doors to press to share a rare look at how terrorism threats are tracked in Las Vegas.

When events like the bombings in Boston occur, the first thing officials try to figure out is if attack is headed to Clark County. Once it´s determined that there is no threat to Vegas, they examine and try to learn from what happened.

There are efforts aimed at keeping a close watch on terrorist activities like plan to have more cameras on the Strip but is terrorism really a threat for Vegas?

When it comes to tourists, Southern Nevada authorities say Las Vegas is as safe as it gets. But when U.S. Department of Homeland Security cuts funding to Southern Nevada for anti-terrorism efforts, terrorism suddenly becomes a real threat for the sin city.

Since now, Metro Police has been funding Southern Nevada Counter-Terrorism Center with the money from Department of Homeland Security. The amount of federal funding, which accounts for the majority of its budget, was at its peak in 2005 with $9 million. It went as low as $1.8 million last year. And now they are about to lose that as well.

The main formula this funding is based on weights on three main variables; threat of an attack, a city’s vulnerability and the potential consequences of an attack. This year Southern Nevada’s ranking fell from 30 to 33, which will likely result in elimination of all funding for Southern Nevada Counter-Terrorism Center.

“We’re down to the area where it’s extremely dangerous. If we lose the remaining funding we have left, it’s a huge concern,” county Commissioner Steve Sisolak said. “I don’t know how we’re going to be able to make up that funding...The potential future of the center is in jeopardy.”

Commissioner Larry Brown joined him and other elected officials who think eliminating all funding for Southern Nevada is unacceptable and indefensible.

“On one corner of the Strip we have more hotel rooms than most of the cities have in their entire jurisdiction. We have major special events — New Year’s Eve, the marathon, Electric Daisy Carnival, NASCAR. It just doesn’t seem practical that Las Vegas as an international destination would not only be taken off the list but not moved up the list, especially in light of what happened in Boston.” said Commissioner Larry Brown.

Statistics show them global terrorism is in a sharp decline since 2007; The total number of worldwide attacks dropped by almost 29 percent and of the 13,288 people killed by terrorist attacks last year, seventeen were private U.S. citizens, or .001 percent.

Saying Las Vegas is as safe as it gets or saying Las Vegas is an obvious terrorist site are both two extreme stances. Just like over funding the Southern Nevada Counter-Terrorism Center and cutting the funding totally. Unfortunately when politics are involved, it is all about two things; extreme stances and funding.

Sbrissa EPT Monaco Chip Leader After Starting Flights

Bruno de Paiva — Wed, 08 May 2013 07:32:04 +0000

With both starting flights of the EPT Grand Final Monaco Main Event now over, Brazilian poker marvel Victor Sbrissa will hold the chip lead going into Day 2.

Sbrissa will go into the event's second day with 224,800 chips to his name and will be one of just two players with over 200,000 chips at the start of Day 2. Noah Schwartz is the other player with that accolade; he is currently second on the chip ladder with 204,600 chips.

It was a solid start to the Main Event by Sbrissa, who looks to be riding the momentum he has going his way after his win at the LAPT Brazil Main Event last week. His play so far in Monte Carlo has been especially great considering the amount of players who registered to take part in the last starting flight.

A total of 423 players came into the Salle des Etoiles on Day 1B for a chance to win the last EPT event of the season. This was significantly higher than the 108 players who registered on the first starting flight of the tournament. The number of players who made it to the tourney’s second day was also unsurprisingly higher on Day 1B, with 215 players making the cut. 53 players from Day 1A made it to Day 2 of the event.

Last year’s Main Event champ Mohsin Charania is one of the players who will be back later today. The American will come into Day 2 with a chip stack of 51,000; not much compared to other players, but his experience in Monaco will still make him a legitimate threat over the coming days.

One player who will not be back for Day 2 is the Tiger Woods of Poker, Phil Ivey, who was knocked out during the second starting flight. He was just one on a list of world renowned poker greats to be eliminated on the first day of the Main Event. 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event winner Chris Moneymaker was also knocked out on Day 1B along with Victor Blom, Gus Hansen and Michael Mizrachi.

2010 WSOP Main Event winner Jonathan Duhamel was eliminated on Day 1A, but came back to take fifth place in the €5,200 No Limit 8-handed turbo side event that also took place yesterday. Duhamel won €14,000 for his efforts in the 36-player event, which was won by Brazilian David Dayan. Dayan beat British player Senh Ung in heads-up competition to win the event, taking home a respectable €64,600 for his stellar play.

Day 2 of the EPT Grand Final Monaco Main Event is set to resume today at Monte Carlo’s Salle des Etoiles.

Californian Tribes May Put Forward Poker Proposal

Bruno de Paiva — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:54:08 +0000

A proposal to legalize online poker in the US state of California may be put forward to that state’s Congress in the near future. It comes after a meeting of representatives of some of California’s most influential tribes to create a universally accepted proposal on the issue.

Such a proposal has not been agreed to previously, largely due to the opposition of some casino-owning tribes throughout the state. Those figures have opposed the state legalisation of online poker due to their belief that business at their live casinos may come under threat from online gaming if such legislation was passed.

Recently, however, members of some of the anti-legislation tribes have changed their opinions, largely due to the legislative changes in online poker that have occurred in other American states. Governments in the states of New Jersey, Delaware and Nevada have all recently passed legislation officially legalising online gaming, which includes poker.

A bill to legalise and regulate online poker in Pennsylvania – which borders both Delaware and New Jersey – was put forward in that state’s Congress late last month and is set to be viewed by a Government committee in the future. Back in Nevada, Ultimate Poker made headlines just last week for being the first online poker service to legally operate in the United States.

The increasing openness to online gaming in the US, along with the ongoing proof that live casinos can co-exist with – and even compliment – online gaming mediums, has led to more tribes viewing online poker as an alluring business venture. The fact that the number of Californians playing poker through unregulated online services is estimated to be in the millions has also helped boost its appeal.

Regulation of online poker in California may also help boost the recovering economy of the Golden State, which has experienced recent growth after an economic slump which lasted five years. While unemployment has dropped to under ten per cent after a high of over 12 per cent in 2010, the rate is still among the highest in the US.

While there are hopes of a proposal being put forward, there already is a bill in the Californian Congress to legalise and regulate online poker. That bill, put forward by State Senator Rod Wright, would allow businesses to apply for five-year long licences to operate online poker services in the state.

The bill has encountered some opposition from some of the tribes, however, and that opposition was said to have been relayed to the State Senator at Tuesday meeting, at which he was also present.

Paf Preparing Relaunch in Spain

Charles Rettmuller — Tue, 07 May 2013 16:39:11 +0000

After closing its poker product in Spain last February due to low player traffic numbers, Paf is preparing a dot.es relaunch in the future that will give players a new online poker-playing experience.

Without releasing specific details, the Åland-based gaming operator promised to re-enter the Spanish market. Paf was awarded an egaming license in Spain in June of 2012 and took over Unibet's dot.es customer database during that month. The site closure roughly three months ago was seen as only temporary.

“We really want to have a poker product in Spain so we are currently looking into our options and hope to relaunch poker soon again with a better customer experience,” said Paf director Anders Wiklund.

The company recently released 2012 financial reports that saw it surpass €100 million. That total was a 9% increase over 2011 numbers, with group operating profits climbing almost 26%.

Last year, Paf also enjoyed improving market share numbers in Estonia of 20%. The prior year, the company entered the dot.ee market in Q1 with only a miniscule 1.5% share of the market. Part of the increase is attributable to Paf buying out the minority shareholders of Spordiennustus in Estonia during fiscal 2012.

Paf's market numbers are shifting along with its executive personnel. Former deputy Chief Executive Officer Thomas ‘Pitchi’ Lundberg left in February of 2012. His successor, Johanna Backhholm, was not named until almost a year later in March of 2013.

Video Poker Lobby in Louisiana Takes Action

Firat Dural — Tue, 07 May 2013 10:30:29 +0000

Video Poker Lobby in Louisiana suspects that legislators are planning to raise the taxes on revenue from video poker machines and they are getting organized and ready to fight against any possible raise on taxes.

No bills were actually filed during the Legislature’s current session that specifically target video poker for a tax increase so there is no real evidence that legislators are planning to raise the taxes on poker devices however Stan Guidroz, president of the new Louisiana Video Gaming Association, suspects that a raise is on the way and moreover he fears that the tax raise will only affect them but not on riverboats and other casinos. Guidroz is also the vice president for Jacobs Entertainment Inc so it would obviously hurt his personal financial interests as well.

According to Stan Guidroz, while bars and restaurants pay 26.5 percent tax on gambling revenue, Truckstops now pay a tax of 32.5 percent which appears to be the highest tax on gambling in the state of Louisiana. Riverboats, racinos (A racino is a combined race track and casino but the gambling is mostly limited to slot machines) and Harrah’s New Orleans Casino pay lower rates as well. This is also an indispensable part of local government´s income since %25 of tax collected on gambling goes to the local government´s budget.

In Louisiana State, the video poker industry is regulated by the state police through a centralized computer system which is moving to new software. According to Guidroz, the oldest video poker machines won’t be able to communicate with the new software. This will inevitable bring the need to replace half of the 14,000-plus video poker machines in Louisiana state. An upgrade will get the job done for the rest of the devices.

Video poker industry in Louisiana State is planning to invest around $100 million in new machines by the end of 2015.

Guidroz says “We’re going to unplug a machine that’s paid for or roughly paid for and we’re going to go buy another $13,000 machine, plug it in and play the exact same thing.”

Video Poker industry appears to be the center of controversy in many different countries all over the world lately.

Last month, Australia were debating whether to ban video poker or not to ban them but raise the taxes and stricken the regulations on them. The debate heated after 'The Australian National University's Centre for Gambling Research' has reported that up to 85 per cent of gambling addicts have a problem with poker machines and it is estimated that 40 per cent of poker machines revenues come from the gambling addicts which sums up to almost $2.5 billion annually.

The report also pointed out that psychologists are highly involved in the design of these machines and they use very different tricks to mess with a gambling addict´s brain. These tricks range from making sure every light, sight and sound dull your senses to creating the illusion of control from button pressing, generated "near misses", and payouts that fake a connection between betting more and winning.

It seems like it will take some more time until universal regulations are accepted and Video Poker industry stabilizes all around the world.

Mybet Expects German Licence

Bruno de Paiva — Tue, 07 May 2013 10:27:07 +0000

Gaming company Mybet has said that it expects to be granted a German federal sports betting licence after recently lodging a formal licence application.

Despite its confidence that it satisfied the minimum requirements of the application, the company also believed that there were requirements in the bidding process that were misleading and contradictory, which was likely to have resulted in misinterpretations. Mybet said one example of this was that according to media reports in March, the Hesse Ministry (where the application was lodged) of the Interior "held initial hearings involving initially only 14 companies”.

The company also said it was not involved in the first wave of hearings but they were hopeful that the Ministry will hold further hearings. This confidence comes after a lawsuit that was brought to the Hesse Administrative Court to involve more applicants in the hearings was successful. A Mybet representative said due to the success of the lawsuit, the company “still firmly expects to be granted one of the nationwide licences.”

Mybet’s confidence came after the company recorded total gross revenues of €20 million in the first quarter of 2012, up eight per cent from €18.5 million at the corresponding point in 2012. This came despite the loss of income from the lottery operations that Mybet sold off last year, which the company said was offset by increased poker, as well as casino and sports betting, revenues.

First quarter revenues for Mybet’s poker and casino services increased by 39 per cent to €6.6 million, which highlights a substantial shift’s in the company’s focus. The ‘Casino and Poker’ area of the company experienced the largest growth of all of Mybet’s business areas, far exceeding the second highest growth area, ‘Sports Betting’, which experienced just under 14 per cent growth.

The number of registrations to the company also increased by 52,000 during the first quarter, which has put the total number of registrations at Mybet to 1.1 million.

Mybet said that its forecasts and expectations for the year as a whole is positive, with consolidated revenue forecast to reach between €80.0 and €87.0 million. The company also declared that its primary goal in the second quarter is to further improve profitability while maintaining strong growth in its core business areas, of which poker is a part.

Cogetech and Amaya Sign Agreement

Bruno de Paiva — Tue, 07 May 2013 05:15:46 +0000

Online gaming service provider Ongame has been chosen by Italian company Cogetech to power its new poker site Izipoker.it. The move was announced by Ongame's owner, Amaya Gaming Group, which said its the online poker provider would provide its services to the recently launched Italian site.

The news comes a week after it was discovered that the Canadian headquartered company has hired former Absolute Poker CEO Paul Leggett to be the head of its online gaming area. IZIplay is a well-known brand in Italy as the online gaming company is a sponsor of Italian Serie A Football Club AC Milan, and offers its gaming services – including poker – via the website of the football powerhouse.

The deal is the latest in a growing global network for Gibraltar-based Ongame, which operates in France, Belgium, Denmark, Spain as well as Italy. It also helps further establish Cogetech’s presence on the online gaming market via IZIplay. The company is already strongly established in the live Italian gaming scene – it currently owns 189 gaming establishments in the country, all of which operate under the IZIplay name.

Cogetech CEO Fabio Schiavolin expressed his delight at the agreement and was hopeful the partnership would help lead to good things for online poker in Italy. "Amaya is a perfect partner for us in the Italian market with outstanding products for both poker and casino," Mr Schiavolin said. "Ongame Poker is the only provider with full mobile support including both Android and iOS compatibility."

His sentiments were echoed by Amaya Gaming Group CEO David Baazov, who said that his company was looking forward to working closely with such a major brand in Italy well into the future. "The signing of Cogetech is an important achievement for us in a key market," he said. "Amaya will be able to support them across the board and we look forward to working together."

The agreement between Amaya Gaming Group, Ongame Poker and Cogetech was done through Active Games, the distributor of Ongame Poker in Italy.

EPT Monaco Gets Underway

Bruno de Paiva — Tue, 07 May 2013 04:00:27 +0000

The European Poker Tour (EPT) Grand Final in Monaco got under way last night, with the first starting flight of the Main Event taking place in the principality.

At the end of Day 1A, Las Vegas-based player Dan Smith currently sits atop of the chip ladder, albeit only just. Smith will start the second day of play with 136,500 chips to his name, 600 chips more than second placed Pablo Fernandez. While the lead is miniscule and the other starting flight is yet to be played, all eyes are set be on Smith throughout the tournament.

The American is no stranger to the EPT nor to Monaco – He blitzed last year’s EPT in the tiny rich country, taking out first space in all three events he took part in. For his stellar play in last year’s EPT Monaco, he won a total of €521,480 (around US$690,000), not bad for less than one week’s work.

His accolades have not just been limited to Monaco, however. Smith also placed first in the €50,000 No Limit Hold'em Super High Roller event in August’s EPT Barcelona, earning himself €962,925 (around US$1,183,000) in the process. Such accolades – and they are just the cream of Smith’s amazing poker resume – certainly make Smith one to watch over the next few days. Given his performance in last year’s EPT Monaco, he is certainly a favourite to take out this year’s Main Event.

It will not be an easy ride for Smith though, as 52 other players made the cut from Day 1A, and a larger field will be playing in today’s second starting flight. One player who didn’t make the cut after Day 1A is tennis legend Boris Becker, who busted out before the end of the first day’s play. It was a quick and unfortunate end for the German, who first played in the EPT Monaco five years ago and was hoping to build on his relative success at last month’s EPT Berlin Main Event.

Gleb Privalov took out the first side event at the EPT Grand Final Monaco, winning the €5,200 PLO six-max turbo event. Privalov won €48,000 (around US$62,800) for his efforts in the 28 player tournament. Russian player Artem Litvinov came in second place, taking home a respectable €35,600 (around US$46,600) for his solid play in the event.

Day 1B of the EPT Grand Final Monaco Main Event takes place later today at Monte Carlo’s Salle des Etoiles. Numerous other events, including an 8-handed no limit event and a no limit heads up event, are also set to take place over the next nine days.

New Jersey Judge Reinstates PokerStars Bid to Acquire Atlantic Club

Wootae Min — Tue, 07 May 2013 01:41:23 +0000

Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Raymond Batten has officially issued a restraining order against the Colony Capital to prevent the sale of the Atlantic Club casino to any bidder other than PokerStars.

The New Jersey Superior Court ruling comes about after PokerStars filed a civil lawsuit against the owners of the Atlantic Club. The online poker operator claimed that the Atlantic Club violated the terms of the agreement by demanding more money and asking for a chance to negotiate with another bidder. PokerStars’ attorneys cited a clause in the New Jersey Casino Control Act in which no casino purchase in progress can be cancelled once the application has been approved.

The original agreement was terminated recently with the owners of the CEO of the Atlantic Club stating that the agreement was terminated in accordance with agreed upon terms. The Atlantic Club supposedly asked PokerStars for a sum in the range of $6 million to extend the exclusive negotiating period, but the online poker operator countered with a lawsuit in New Jersey Superior Courts. As a result, the court order revitalizes the $15 million purchase agreement between the casino and the online gambling operator.

“This step has been taken to protect Rational Group’s rights and interests under the purchase agreement,” PokerStars representative stated to NJ.com, “and reflects the group's desire to complete the acquisition of the Atlantic Club.”

PokerStars has brought a lot of press and controversy over its application to purchase the Atlantic Club. The American Gaming Association pleaded with the Atlantic Club to prevent the purchase from a company that had been accused of charges such as bank fraud, money laundering, and illegal gambling. The Atlantic Club also expressed its doubts about the agreement and asked for more money after PokerStars invested $11 million.

The court ruling has settled the legal dispute in this case and will allow PokerStars to pursue an online gambling license in New Jersey after the completion of its purchase.. Given the international compacts clause, the dominant online poker site may be available to New Jersey in the near future.

Congressional Caucus to Focus on Gambling

Charles Rettmuller — Mon, 06 May 2013 20:49:15 +0000

Two federal legislators are heading a Congressional Gaming Caucus to get their fellow congressmen more involved with the gambling industry.

Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson (D) and Nevada Rep. Joe Heck (R) received approval last month from the House Administration Committee to revive the caucus to keep lawmakers talking and informed about the gambling industry. The pair sent letters to fellow legislators recently, urging their colleagues to become members, delawareonline.com reported.

Although Heck and Thompson are not proposing any legislative efforts at this time, they cited the overwhelming number of jobs that gambling expansion endeavors are creating in various states throughout the U.S. That includes online poker and gambling, which has been passed by three states thus far and considered in a number of others.

Heck stated that he would like to keep gaming issues at the “forefront of the congressional conversation and advance responsible federal policies that will allow the gaming industry to continue to thrive as the national job-creating engine it is.”

Statistics from 2010 show that more than 815,000 jobs opened up in gaming in over 200 congressional districts. With more land-based casinos expected to be added and online gambling also on the front burner, even more opportunities exist for the economy to be strengthened via gaming positions.

“If we truly want to promote economic development and jobs, we must begin to work with businesses that exist in the communities we serve – like the commercial gaming industry,” said Thompson.

The American Gaming Association, representing 513 casinos all over the U.S., is totally behind the efforts to revive the caucus. “The time is ripe with the growth of the industry and its expansion for there to be something like this” on the federal level, said AGA spokeswoman Holly Wetzel.

Individual state legislatures continue to entertain various online gaming proposals due to the DoJ ruling in December 2011 that found the 1961 Wire Act as being applicable to only sports betting. While the push for state regulations is highly encouraging, legislation on the federal level is viewed as a much more workable solution that would alleviate a myriad of problems likely to be encountered on a state-by-state framework.

PokerStars Releases EPT Season 10 Schedule

Charles Rettmuller — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:38:18 +0000

The schedule for the tenth season of the European Poker Tour has been announced by PokerStars, with the biggest changes being the London and Sanremo stops moving to their previous dates of October and April, respectively.

A total of eight destinations are again on this year's schedule, beginning with Barcelona on August 28 and ending in Monte Carlo in May of 2014. Following the first locale in Spain, the tour progresses to London in October, Prague in December, and the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas in January, 2014.

In the same month, a stop in Deauville will be followed by Berlin in March. The tour will wrap up with almost the full month of April on the Riveria in Sanremo and Monte Carlo.

EPT President Edgar Stuchly said that feedback from players was taken into high regard in establishing the Season 10 schedule, which calls for "less time spent traveling and more time spent playing."

“Players at the EPT will see that we have made a deliberate decision to focus on stability,” Stuchly added.

Season 9 saw the amount of cities visited reduced from 13 to eight and included partnering with a number of regional poker tours such as the UK & Ireland Poker Tour and Estrellas Poker Tour. This resulted in a wider choice of buy-ins and more tournaments to play. It was deemed a smashing success when previous records for numbers of entries and prize pools were shattered at such stops as Barcelona, Prague and Berlin.

Also implemented last year and continuing in Season 10 will be more High Roller tourneys at each locale of the tour. Barcelona, London, Prague, Deauville, Berlin and Sanremo all feature a €10,000/£10,000 High Roller, while Barcelona and London also offer €50,000/£50,000 tournaments. The PCA and Grand Finals have slated both $25,000/€25,000 High Rollers and $100,000/€100,000 Super High Rollers.

"Really excited to see all of the top EPT stops back for Season 10 and I think this is the best schedule yet with several big festivals planned, which is great for those making the trip overseas," Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu said. "It really gives players bang for their buck with all of the side events available at each stop."

PokerStars will begin hosting EPT Season 10 online satellite qualifiers on Wednesday May 15 at 14:15 ET with a €1 freeze-out satellite to Barcelona's first event. Two full €8,300 packages are guaranteed. The regular EPT 10 satellite schedule will kick-off in late May.

The schedule of EPT Season 10 is as follows:

Barcelona: 28 August, 2013 - 7 September, 2013

London: 2-12 October, 2013

Prague: 8-18 December, 2013

PCA: 3-12 January, 2014

Deauville: 22 January, 2014 - 1 February, 2014

Berlin: 12-22 March, 2014

Sanremo: 6-16 April, 2014

Monte Carlo: 23 April, 2014 - 2 May, 2014

Sim Takes Out APPT Cebu

Bruno de Paiva — Mon, 06 May 2013 02:08:21 +0000

He rode the short stack for most of the APPT Cebu Main Event and it looked like he would not go far in the tourney, but Jae Kyung Sim proved any naysayers wrong by taking out top spot.

The South Korean was a beast on the final table, showing from the outset that he was on a mission. After just 15 minutes into the final day’s play, Sim claimed his first final table scalp en route to first place, knocking out Andrew Nguyen in ninth spot.

Sim would then eliminate Michael Allmrodt, Timo Kohijoki and Bawod Hyunshik Yun in succession, quickly building up his stack before taking a break from knocking out other poker players from the tourney.

Australian WSOP Asia Pacific Gold Bracelet winner Jim Collopy was initially in a great position to take first place. He was the chip leader going into the final table and played excellently throughout the entire tournament. Luck would not go his way in his last hand, however, as his pocket Queens were no match for Irishman Andrew Wright’s pocket Aces, which held to knock Collopy out in fourth spot.

Despite the knockout, Wright would also not last long after Sim decided it was time to get back to cleaning up the final table. The Irishman’s pocket Sixes looked promising against the South Korean’s Ace King after the pair held on the flop. Sim, however, turned an Ace and eventually won the hand, claiming his fifth same-day scalp in the process.

This left just two players remaining in the Main Event – Sim and Philippines-based Swede Magnus Carlsson. While Carlsson had played well in the final table, especially given his moderate stack coming into the last day, he was unable to stop the stellar run of Sim. It took just three hands of heads-up play for Sim to do away with the Swede.

It came after a flop which saw Four of Diamonds, Seven of Hearts and Fives of Spades on the board. After some back and forth raising and re-raising, there would be a post-flop showdown, where Kim showed Eight and Six of diamonds, giving him a straight. Carlsson, on the other hand, showed Ten of Spades and Six of Hearts, putting him behind, but not totally out, with an open ended straight draw.

The Seven of Diamonds on the turn and the Three of Hearts of the river did nothing for Carlsson and Sim was declared the winner of the APPT Cebu Main Event, netting himself a nice PHP3,948,000 (around US$97,000) in the process.

Sim’s win is by far the largest in his poker career. He came eighth in last year’s APPT Cebu Main Event, winning PHP658,500 (around US$15,000), but that is now a distant memory as he reigned supreme this year.

High Stakes Event in Macau Announced

Bruno de Paiva — Sat, 04 May 2013 09:06:22 +0000

At least one high rolling poker player is set to be a whole lot richer next month after the announcement of the upcoming GuangDong Ltd Asia Millions event in Macau.

Organised by both PokerStars and GuangDong Group Macau Ltd, the event will be held between June 4-7 at the PokerStars LIVE at the City of Dreams, which was also the venue for last month’s Macau Poker Cup. The event will have a buy-in of HK$1,000,000 (around US$130,000) and will have an allowance for two further HK$1,000,000 rebuys.

Guangdong Group CEO Winnie Wong said that the event is a sign of the continued establishment of Macau as a global poker stronghold along with the growing bond between the company and PokerStars. “I see strong synergy between Guangdong and PokerStars,” said Ms Wong. “I believe this event will be exciting, stunning and will leave a mark in Macau poker history.”

Director of Live Poker Operations for the Asia Pacific for PokerStars Danny McDonagh agreed with these sentiments, saying the company had high expectations for the GuangDong Ltd Asia Millions. “It’s going to be seriously huge!” Mr McDonagh said. “We are expecting over 100 players to sit down and play and one of the biggest prize pools for a poker tournament outside of the World Series of Poker.”

This will not be the first time the GuangDong Group organises a high stakes poker tournament. In August last year, the company – then known as the Neptune Group – held a HK$2,000,000 (around US$260,000) buy-in event in Macau which attracted a total of 73 players. A prize pool equivalent to US$23,511,000 was created, including US$6,465,746 for the top spot which was ultimately won by businessman Stanley Choi.

While that event was certainly big in terms of prize pool, the GuangDong Ltd Asia Millions may very well surpass it. Should the event attract the expected 100-plus players, it would more than likely result to a prize pool of at least US$30 million should eliminated players buy back into the event. This would dwarf the prize pool at GuangDong’s previous event last year.

A HK$250,000 (US$ 32,500) GDAM Warm-Up tourney will also be held during the GuangDong Ltd Asia Millions on its opening day.

Spence Leads in Cebu After Day 2

Bruno de Paiva — Sat, 04 May 2013 02:48:17 +0000

Poker players continued to be knocked out left, right and centre on the second day of play at the APPT Cebu Main Event in the Philippines. The day began with 76 players vying for the winner’s spot, but just 25 remained when it ended.

While the top spots on the chip ladder were dominated by Australians coming into Day 2, that dominance has now been lost. The current chip leader going into the third day is Daniel Spence, a little-known Canadian player hoping to make his mark in this tournament. Spence had a fabulous day of play in Cebu, bumping his chip stack up to 260,800 as he hopes to continue his stellar run on Day 3.

It wasn’t such a fabulous day for Ivan Kalac, however. Although the Australian came into the second day with the chip lead, a massive three way pot on the last level of the day did not go his way and he was knocked out of the tournament empty handed. Other high profile poker players such as Sam Razavi, Bryan Huang and Antoine Amourette were also knocked out on Day 2 of the Main Event.

Hot on the heels of Spence is Irish player Anthony Wright, who will go into the third day of play with 224,500 chips to his name. While he’s not as established as other players still in the tournament, Wright will be aiming to consolidate on his great play so far and further prove that it’s much more than just ‘luck of the Irish’.

Jim Collopy will also be one to watch out for as the Main Event progresses. The young Aussie is having a great year on the poker table, having placed third at the Aussie Millions No Limit Hold'em Six Max tourney in February. The man known as ‘MrBigQueso’ then became the first Australian to win a WSOP tournament on home soil when he took out the $1,650 Pot-Limit Omaha event at last month’s WSOP Asia Pacific in Melbourne.

He will have 200,800 chips going into Day 3, good enough for third on the chip ladder. Given his great run of form on the poker circuit so far this year, Collopy will certainly be a favourite to make it into the final table and possibly even to take out the tournament’s top spot.

Day 3 of the APPT Cebu Main Event gets underway today at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino, with the highly anticipated final table to be played on Sunday.

PokerStars Still Intent on Completing Atlantic Club Deal

Charles Rettmuller — Fri, 03 May 2013 17:30:30 +0000

PokerStars' executives expressed surprise that an agreement to acquire the Atlantic Club casino was allowed to terminate without the parties merely extending the deadline.

Through its parent company, the Rational Group, PokerStars had agreed to purchase the New Jersey casino from owner Colony Capital for $30 million contingent on PokerStars being granted a casino operating license from state regulators. The deal between the parties called for an interim casino license to be issued no later than the end of April for the deal to move forward.

But PokerStars' application submitted to the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement was not completed until April 10. State regulators have 120 days from that date to make a final decision on the matter, which would be in early August.

Colony Capital sent PokerStars a termination notice following the expiration of the agreement a few days ago, much to the dismay of Rational Group's Head of Corporate Communications, Eric Hollreiser.

“It was the Rational Group's expectation and understanding, based on the ongoing dealings between the parties, that the closing date would be extended to allow the transaction to be completed," Hollreiser said. "The Rational Group remains entirely committed to resolving this situation and to our investment in New Jersey.”

PokerStars has reportedly already invested $11 million to operate the casino during the last few months and has promised to sink another $40 million into the ailing casino over the next five years. The deal between Colony Capital and Rational Group had been brokered prior to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signing online gambling legislation in late February.

Now that the Garden State is preparing to launch an Internet poker and casino gambling regime that promises to be quite lucrative, Colony Capital may decide to entertain other offers for the Atlantic Club. Its value has undoubtedly increased since the parties first sat down at the bargaining table in December.

PokerStars has been accused of being a bad actor by the American Gaming Association and others in the industry for obtaining dominance in the marketplace by flouting the UIGEA in 2006 and continuing to cater its online poker services to U.S. customers. New Jersey's online gaming statute initially had bad actor language included, but the provision was removed prior to Christie signing the bill into law.

As such, New Jersey appears to be the best opportunity for PokerStars to enter the U.S. online poker market. But with time expired on the acquisition agreement, PokerStars has seemingly been dealt a bad beat.

Merge Network Increases Rake

Wootae Min — Fri, 03 May 2013 16:13:01 +0000

The Merge Gaming Network implemented a new rake system for No-Limit and Pot-Limit games that went into effect on Wednesday.

The new rake system increases the rake percentage from 5% to 5.5% and also features changes to the rake cap. The rake cap for heads up games and three hand games have doubled from 50c to $1 and $1 to $2, respectively. Furthermore, the rake cap for full tables (6 max or higher) has been changed from $3 to $4 for low stakes and $5 for midstakes and higher.

Carbon Poker representatives have promised that Limit Games and tournaments will not be affected by the new rake system. Furthermore, network representatives have stated that the increase in rake will be alleviated with more rake chases, bigger guarantees, and cash back promotions.

Merge Poker is currently one of the few networks that provide real money betting to current United States players. It has been battling with Bovada (Bodog) and Revolution for player liquidity and has remained in the third spot consistently. However, Revolution Poker has been experiencing some issues with its new segregation policy and controversial withdrawal methods. The Merge Network is hoping that the recent fallout by the Revolution network will provide a boost in player traffic.

The rake increase signals a major business change for the struggling network, which seems to have adapted to a policy of austerity and simplicity over the past months. The network recently lost several popular poker skins including RPM and Hero Poker. Furthermore, Merge has encouraged players to move to the flagship sites such as Carbon Poker and Aced Poker. Recently, Merge Gaming also cut its rakeback program and transitioned its players to its VIP system.

With United States legislation soon to come, the Merge Gaming Network and the rest of the US black market may become obsolete within the next few years. Nevertheless, the Merge Gaming Network is attempting to survive through increases in rake and measures to cut down on costs. The increases in rake have brought about negative reactions from the poker community, but most United States facing players also understand that the choices are limited.

Aristocrat Signs Deal With Ongame Poker Network

Khurram Aziz — Fri, 03 May 2013 13:11:48 +0000

Amaya Gaming Group and Aristocrat Technologies have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding whereby Aristocrat will offer the Ongame poker network platform to its US customers through Aristocrat’s nLive online gaming platform.

Amaya purchased Ongame from bwin.party digital entertainment in October 2012 to add to its product portfolio. The Ongame poker platform is accessible via Aristocrat’s nLive online gaming solution, which offers land-based operators a turnkey method of providing customers with a virtual online casino.

The platform is available immediately for free-to-play games and can quickly be switched over to real-money use once regulatory approvals are in place.

“Aristocrat and Amaya share a common vision of integrating land-based gaming with online gaming,” said David Baazov, chief executive of Amaya Gaming Group. “Integrating our online poker offering into the Aristocrat nLive platform opens up a wide range of new opportunities in the United States. This is a strategic relationship in the most promising market in the world."

Ongame is one of the world’s largest business-to-business poker providers. The global network includes more than 25 of the e-gaming industry’s strongest brands and operators. Ongame also operates in regulated markets including France, Italy, Denmark, Belgium and Spain.

Prior to the Aristocrat deal, Ongame recently welcomed InterPoker on its platform. The veteran online poker room, which has been dealing cards online since 2002, first announced it would be moving off SPIELO’s IPN Network (commonly known as Boss Media) earlier in April and completed the move to Ongame last wek.

“We are delighted to partner with Ongame to offer online poker on the nLive platform,” said Atul Bali, president of Aristocrat Americas. “This aligns perfectly with our strategy of bringing our best-of-breed wagering, free play and social platform, while integrating both Aristocrat and leading third-party content as part of the nLive offering.”

Aristocrat’s move comes as online poker begins to be rolled out across the US, with Nevada welcoming its first online poker service this week. Aristocrat says it will be involved with a future Nevada intrastate, and eventually interstate, online poker market.

Solid Start for Aussies in Cebu

Bruno de Paiva — Fri, 03 May 2013 12:41:44 +0000

It has been a great showing from the 'Land Down Under' at Days 1a and 1b of the Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) Cebu, with chip leaders from both starting flights being Australian.

Ivan Kalac finished Day 1a with the lead, with 110,100 chips to his name; while fellow countryman Milan Gurung finished just short of 100,000 chips on Day 1b. Gurung will be fourth on the chip ladder going into the second day of play, with Day 1a players Khac Trung Tran and Sotirios Koutopas sitting ahead of him with 105,900 and 101,800 chips respectively.

Also hailing from Australia, Tran also looks like he’s picked up from where he left off after reigning victorious at the APT Philippines Main Event in the capital, Manila last week. Tran, who won $124000 for his efforts at the APT Philippines, had a solid first day of play in Cebu and will be hoping to capitalise on the massive momentum he currently has going his way.

A total of 76 players will be back for the second day of play in the Main Event, all of whom will be gunning for the event’s top spot and the 3,948,000 Philippine Pesos (around US$97,000) cash prize that comes with it. It has been determined that at least 20 of the tournament’s best players will receive cash prizes, with a minimum of PHP 141,000 (around US$3,430) to be won.

Despite the abundance of and high participation in tournaments in the region over the last month, this year’s APPT Cebu Main Event has attracted a smaller field. Organisers had expected and hoped for at least 200 competitors on each of the two starting flights in this event. This was not to be, however, as 158 players took their seats for the entire tournament this year, down from the 246 player field that participated in the 2012’s Main Event in Cebu.

Despite this surprise, competition at this year’s tournament is solid and the standard of players is high. Sharks such as WSOP Asia Pacific Gold Bracelet winner Jim Collopy, 2012 APT India winner Sam Razavi and French pro Antoine Amourette have all made it to Day 2.

The APPT Cebu Main Event is set to be a four-day long affair, with the tourney’s final table set to take place this Sunday at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino. Other tournaments, such as a two-day knockout bounty no limit event and a no limit deep stack, will also be held over the next three days.

Caribbean Community Backs Antigua in Dispute

Bruno de Paiva — Fri, 03 May 2013 06:29:47 +0000

Antigua and Barbuda has achieved a boost in its long running battle with the United States over online gambling issues, with the Caribbean Community (Caricom) reiterating its support for the country in the dispute.

It came after the Secretary General of the regional organisation, Irwin LaRocque, accepted the credentials of Antigua and Barbuda’s new key representative to Caricom, Dr Clarence Henry. During the acceptance, LaRocque said that the region “reiterates its full support” of the country in its online gaming dispute, and that the support was “fully in keeping with Caricom's belief that all sovereign member states should be regarded as equals, and respected accordingly within the WTO.”

The online gaming dispute between the US and Antigua dates back to 2003, when the Caribbean nation went to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to challenge the United States' total prohibition of cross-border gambling services offered by Antiguan-based companies. Four years later, the WTO gave Antigua and Barbuda the right to target US services, trademarks and copyrights in retaliation to the prohibition up to a WTO-imposed limit of $21 million.

Online gaming has been a major and integral part of Antigua and Barbuda’s economy since the mid-late 1990s. According to an April 2011 Reuters article, online gaming was the second-largest employer in the country, which has a population of around 82,000 people.

A number of online gaming companies have established or moved their operations to the nation, the overwhelming majority of which are run out of Antigua, the larger of the two islands. One of the first such companies to set up shop on the island was World Sports Exchange (WSEX), which began operations in 1996. WSEX recently made headlines last month due to its ceasing of operations and the subsequent death of one of its founders, Steve Schillinger, in Antigua.

Blanca Games, which owned Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet, also operated out of Antigua before becoming insolvent following the infamous Black Friday. Bodog also bases some of its operations on the Caribbean island, although they too have taken a mammoth battering following the US crackdown on online poker. This has also affected other businesses that were fully or partly reliant on the industry for its success.

One such business was Call Center Services (CSS), a company which operated in Antigua and had Bodog as its largest client. All 156 of the centre’s employees lost their jobs after CSS closed its doors in May 2012 due to US indictments on four figures closely associated with Bodog, including founder Calvin Ayres. Such closures have been anything but positive for the country, which has an unemployment rate of around 11 per cent.

While the reiteration of Caricom’s support is highly likely to be welcomed by Antigua and Barbuda, it is unlikely to speed up any resolution to the ongoing dispute.

Nevada Launch Prompts New Federal Online Poker Bill

Charles Rettmuller — Thu, 02 May 2013 17:00:38 +0000

A new federal online gambling bill is being drafted by New York Rep. Peter King that is expected to address issues of criticism pertaining to last year's Reid/Kyl bill that failed to gather enough support.

The new proposal is apparently limited to online poker, but includes the participation of state lotteries in ways that the Reid/Kyl bill did not. That failed measure was attacked by a number of organizations, including the National Governors Association, and both the Kentucky and Massachusetts lotteries.

Though the details of Sen. King's bill have not yet been fully revealed, the measure will be introduced shortly, according to an email sent by King spokesman Kevin Fogarty to politico.com.

The launch of online poker in Nevada on Tuesday by Ultimate Poker has apparently stirred interest among federal lawmakers to reconsider an Internet poker proposal. Delaware and New Jersey are also expected to roll out of a full menu of online casino games later this year. It is apparent that individual states have decided to move forward with their own legislation instead of waiting for a slow-moving Congress to act on the matter.

In addition to the trio of states that have already enacted forms of online gambling legislation, other states such as Pennsylvania and California are considering regulations as well. Reports indicate that some pro-Internet gaming federal legislators would like to approve a measure on the federal level in order to put an end to the state-by-state scheme that is beginning to take hold.

While many players are ecstatic that online poker is gaining steam under the individual state format, most would certainly agree that federal legislation continues to be the better option. However, in the absence of such legislation, states have had no choice but to forge their own path following the DoJ's 2011 ruling that found the 1961 Wire Act to be applicable only to sports betting.

There was talk earlier in 2013 that Sen. Reid was preparing to introduce his bill this year. But it now appears that the proposal of Rep. King may get a closer look considering that it aims to fix the issues that drew criticism on the Reid/Kyl bill. The Nevada senator received considerable flak for his proposal seemingly bending backwards to favor casinos in his home state.

A federal online poker bill would permit all states to participate in an online poker regime, which would increase player pools and remove many of the hassles involved in a state-by-state model. Of course, those states wishing to opt out of legalization may certainly do so.

Delaware Selects SciGames, 888, and WMS for Online Gaming Contract

Wootae Min — Thu, 02 May 2013 15:47:33 +0000

After months of reviewing, the Delaware Lottery has chosen a joint venture by 888 Holdings, Scientific games, and Williams Interactive to provide online gambling software and services to the state.

The announcement ends a long application process that saw dozens of operators apply to win the bid to provide online gaming products to the newly legislated state. The applicants for this lucrative contract included industry giants PokerStars, IGT, Stan James, and SHFL Entertainment.

Scientific Games is currently the supplier of Delaware Lottery Products and partnered with companies who specialized in different online gaming products. WMS owned Williams Interactive specializes in providing casino platform and support services like geolocation and e-wallets. The gaming software company also plans to offer a poker product through its partnership with 888 Holdings, which allows WMS to offer 888 online poker products to land based casinos. The partnership between the three companies was solidified in February to make a joint bid for the Delaware Lottery contract.

888 Poker has already secured a license and a partner in Nevada where it will be opening a site for the upcoming All American Poker Network, which has been incorporated in Delaware. It has been the most active European operator in the United States and its products are due to debut in the upcoming months.

In addition to the development of the new market, the Delaware Lottery has been developing ideas for potential compacts with state and international jurisdictions. Delaware is currently the smallest market in the United States and would most likely need a compact to maintain strong liquidity.

Full Tilt Poker Launches New Affiliate Program

Wootae Min — Thu, 02 May 2013 15:17:05 +0000

Full Tilt Poker (FTP) has officially launched its new affiliate program after abstaining from third party marketing at the beginning of its new tenure.

The new program offers a 50% revenue share for all traffic referred to Full Tilt Poker before the end of July. Furthermore, the new program will be launched in partnership with PokerStars to provide a marketable and reliable presence as well as allow sites to use existing Stars site trackers to refer players.

Before its relaunch, Full Tilt Poker angered several affiliates with its deceitful business tactics and its lack of payments. Major affiliate PokerStrategy.com was awarded a judgment of €828,600 in Irish Courts after it accused the site of retroactively turning off trackers and non-payment of revenue share. Unlike PokerStrategy.com, most Full Tilt Poker affiliates were unable to retrieve any money from the former owners. The Rational Group announced that it was not obligated to take upon the affiliate debt when it acquired the embattled site.

Full Tilt Poker has enjoyed slight success since its relaunch and hopes that this new program helps them return to its former dominance. Currently, Full Tilt Poker has struggled to hold down the second spot in the PokerScout traffic rankings. It has fluctuated over the past few months with PartyPoker and iPoker making strong moves to challenge for the spot.

The new affiliate program is another step towards remodeling the site and using the superior software to bring it to its former greatness. Although Full Tilt Poker boasts one of the best poker clients, it has struggled to market to a community that has been ravaged by its former owners. Furthermore, its absence in the market has allowed Poker Stars to dominate the global poker market.

Is it a crime to exploit a bug in a video poker game? Vegas court to rule on controversial "hacking" case

Khurram Aziz — Thu, 02 May 2013 13:06:09 +0000

As Wired reports, the case was filed after engineers from Nevada’s Gaming Control Board followed up on suspicions that something was not quite right with an International Game Technology Game King video poker game on the floor of the Silverton Casino Lodge. After dismantling the machine and taking it back to the lab, it was found that the software had a bug which was being exploited by John Kane, a local Vegas resident, and others like him.

The Gaming Control Board accused the player of fraud for winning over $500,000 because of the bug and took him to court under contravention of the CFAA. This controversial 1986 act was originally passed to punish hackers who remotely access banks or defence systems. But, with major advancement in technology since then, its use in court has been widely criticised, especially when it is used to accuse people of violating websites’ terms of service and other unrelated areas.

Notoriously, the law was used against internet guru Aaron Schwartz before his suicide in January for making available large amounts of data publicly. There have been moves to amend the law since Schwartz’s suicide, most notably, Representative Zoe Lofgren’s ‘Aaron’s Law’, but that bill is yet to be put before congress and, in the meantime, hacker Andrew Auernheimer was sentenced last March to three-and-a-half years in prison under the CFAA for running a script that downloaded 120,000 customer e-mail addresses that AT&T exposed on its iPad support website.

According to Kane’s lawyer, Andrew Leavitt, his client stumbled upon the bug accidentally after spending more than $12m on the game in one year, and losing half a million dollars.

“He’s played more than anyone else in the United States,” Leavitt told Wired.

It was during one of these games in April 2009 that Kane “accidentally hit a button” and “presto”, he discovered that his payout for an $820 win could be transformed to $8,200 in an instant.

Kane got in touch with his friend, Andre Nestor, also being charged, who flew out to Vegas and over the following weeks one or both of the men allegedly showed up at the Fremont, the Golden Nugget, the Orleans, the Texas Station, Harrah’s, the Rio, the Wynn, and the Silverton, beating the house everywhere they went.

“What you see in most gambling cheating cases is the guy’s got a magnet in his boot or he’s shocking the machine with static electricity.” says Leavitt. “All these guys did is simply push a sequence of buttons that they were legally entitled to push.”

The prosecution disagrees.

In court filings, they say that the complex series of button-presses Kane and Nestor used to exploit the bug makes it more like computer hacking than poker-playing.

Under the relevant section of the CFAA, Kane and Nestor are charged with exceeding their otherwise legitimate access “to obtain or alter information in the computer that the accesser is not entitled so to obtain or alter.”

“In short, the casinos authorised defendants to play video poker,” wrote Assistant US Attorney Daniel Bogden. “What the casinos did not do was to authorise defendants ‘to obtain or alter information’ such as previously played hands of cards. To allow customers to access previously played hands of cards, at will, would remove the element of chance and obviate the whole purpose of gambling. It would certainly be contrary to the rules of poker.”

However, Judge Miranda Du, overseeing the case, has already questioned whether the CFAA is the correct law to be trying the defendants. In an April 15 order, she asked the parties to submit supplemental briefings whether video poker machines are “protected computers” under the CFAA, and, considering the “considerable legislative history demonstrating that Congress intended the CFAA to punish computer hacking, rather than computer misuse,” was Kane and Nestor’s behaviour akin to hacking or misuse?

The briefings are due on May 8 with a trial set for August 20.

Online Poker Agreement Signed in Sweden

Bruno de Paiva — Thu, 02 May 2013 10:21:53 +0000

The future of online poker in Sweden appears to be solid following the signing of a new agreement between Swedish Government-run gaming company Svenska Spel and Spielo G2.

The agreement means that Spielo G2 will continue to provide its digital software services to the Swedish gaming company for at least the next four years. This may be extended for a further four years at the behest of Svenska Spel. Today’s agreement is a further sign of strong relations between Swedish Spel and Spielo G2, who has provided video lottery technology to the state company for a number of years.

Svenska Spel will likely be hoping that the new agreement helps boost its presence in the online poker market, which has taken a battering in recent times. The company’s revenue from its online poker operations fell by 13.8 per cent in the first quarter of this year while a number of its other gaming services increased by as much as nine per cent.

Both companies expressed their delight at the agreement, with Spielo’s International President Walter Bugno saying the company was “delighted to renew our iGaming partnership with (Svenska Spel) and maintain a key stronghold in the Nordic countries.” Svenska Spel’s Senior Vice President of Sports, Numbers and Instant Games Peter Zäll described Spielo G2 as a market-leading partner and that Svenska Spel was happy to continue its partnership with it.

Formed in 1997, Svenska Spel has provided an online poker service for the last seven years in conjunction with Spielo G2. According to Pokerscout, Svenska Spel’s online poker service is the twelve largest in the world in terms of user traffic with an average of 730 players over seven days.

While the new agreement may set the stage to increase this number, overtaking eleventh placed Bodog will be a hard task, with that site currently averaging 1100 players – 50 per cent more traffic than Svenska Spel.

Poker Champion Marcus Bebb-Jones faces 20 years in prison over wife's murder

Khurram Aziz — Thu, 02 May 2013 09:48:18 +0000

Marcus Bebb-Jones, 49, denied killing his wife Sabrina in 1997 before dumping her body in a Colorado national park. However, he changed his plea to guilty earlier this year in a deal with state prosecutors.

On Wednesday he was sentenced to 20 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections, four years after his arrest at his home in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, in 2009.

He admitted second-degree murder, telling police he killed his wife in a “heat of passion”. Court documents show that she was murdered during a hiking trip as the pair took a rare day off from managing a hotel they owned in the Colorado resort town of Grand Junction.

Claiming that she had run off after a fight, he drove to Las Vegas where her family lived but instead of contacting them he hired prostitutes and indulged in high-stakes gambling, partially funded on her credit cards.

Detectives said nearly $5,700 had been charged to credit cards and a further $7,000 was refused. The spree is said to have included cash advances at casinos, hotel rooms and car rental.

Four days after he arrived in Las Vegas, Bebb-Jones’ toddler son was found alone in a hotel room and taken into state care. The next day a maid found Bebb-Jones in another hotel room, with a “self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head”, according to court documents.

Having refused to speak to US police, Bebb-Jones moved back to the UK with his son in 1998, after selling the hotel.

That’s when he reinvented himself as one of the country’s top poker pros. He became a well known face on the circuit and won £90,000 in the Grosvenor Grand Prix in 2007.

That life came to a sudden end after his arrest and subsequent extradition to the US in 2011 to face charges of first degree murder, concealing death and domestic violence.

In February, Bebb-Jones made a plea bargain, admitting murder in the second degree in exchange for a sentence of no more than 20 years. He was jailed at Garfield County Court and his sentence will be reduced to reflect the time he has already served awaiting the trial.

PEI Government Questioned Over Online Gaming Report Involvement

Bruno de Paiva — Thu, 02 May 2013 06:28:47 +0000

An opposition politician in Canada’s Prince Edward Island (PEI) has questioned the provincial Government’s involvement in plans to pave the way for an online gaming industry to be established on the island.

The accusations were raised by politician James Aylward, who highlighted a report completed by a United Kingdom firm. Mr Aylward said the report showed the Prince Edward Island Government wished to use financial services technology as a way to support the regulation of online gaming on PEI.

Prince Edward Island’s Finance Minister Wes Sheridan responded by saying that there was no direct involvement from the Government in the report. Instead, Mr Sheridan reasserted to the opposition that the report was commissioned by an indigenous tribal council and Provincial Territorial Organization known as the Mi’kmaq Confederacy.

Mr Aylward was not convinced, however, saying that the 41-page report had the “government of Prince Edward Island all over it” and that it did not mention the Confederacy once in the entire report. He also mentioned that the report’s executive summary stated that “’The government of P.E.I. has committed to creating a global transaction platform in order to both generate income and create jobs.’”

Situated off the south east of the Canadian mainland, Prince Edward Island has around 140,000 people with an economy largely consisting of seasonal industries such as fishing, agriculture and tourism.

The island’s Government has run successive budget deficits since the 2007/2008 financial year, and is predicted to continue running deficits until at least 2015. It’s believed that between $7 and $10 million is spent on online gaming, including poker, in Prince Edward Island alone. A 2010 report, however, suggested that Islanders spend around $50 million on unregulated sites every year.

While developing an online gaming industry on the island would unlikely lead to automatic budget surpluses, it would likely have some sort of economic benefit. It would also further diversify the island’s economy, something it has been doing over the last decade via the devlopment of renewable energy and aerospace industries.

While the Finance Minister said the Government did not commission nor pay for the report, he did admit that the Government did explore the viability of an online gaming industry after the Confederacy approached it back in 2009. He also stated his belief that the Government should further explore the viability of establishing an industry.

Larger Canadian provinces such as British Columbia and Quebec already have online gaming sites. The province of Ontario is also expected to launch its own online gaming service, which is set to include online poker, later this year.

Sbrissa The Man At LAPT Brazil

Bruno de Paiva — Thu, 02 May 2013 04:21:25 +0000

Following four days of stellar poker play and battling through a field of nearly 750 players, Victor Sbrissa showed that he’s a force to be reckoned with by taking out the LAPT Brazil Main Event.

The Brazilian won the Latin American Poker Tour event on Tuesday in his home town of Sao Paulo and will take home $255,400 for his excellent efforts in the tournament…Not a bad return for a $4,000 buy-in. While Sbrissa had played a solid game throughout the tournament, it was Leo Fernandez who was the favourite to take the top spot going into the final table.

Fernandez held a major chip lead when the final table started, but the chips disappeared into the stacks two other players on the table before he was eliminated in seventh place. Sbrissa made his presence felt on the final table when he knocked Marcos Paulo Ximenes out in sixth place. Ximenes’ – who had pocket Threes – went all-in pre flop, which the eventual winner called with pocket Sixes, which held to give him top pair.

Sbrissa would again show his poker playing dominance by knocking out short stack Leonardo Brescia out in fourth place. After calling Brescia’s King Queen of Clubs all-in with pocket Eights, Sbrissa hit a full house on the flop, which almost sealed Brescia's fate. Things then went from bad to worse for Brescia after Sbrissa hit quads on the river, putting the nail in Brescia’s coffin.

These two eliminations helped give Sbrissa the chip lead going into heads-up play against fellow Brazilian Daniel Murta. After Murta’s stack dwindled further, there was finally a showdown after Sbrissa called an all-in from Murta after a flop.

Murta showed Ace Jack, which gave him middle pair on a Jack of Hearts, Queen of Clubs and Six of Clubs flop. Sbrissa, on the other hand, had Queen Four, which gave him top pair. The King of Diamonds on the turn and the Three of Spades on the river was of no help to Murta and he was knocked out in second place. Sbrissa was crowned the LAPT Brazil Main Event winner as his supporters cheered and chanted loudly in typical Brazilian fashion.

The $255,400 cash prize is the largest for the Brazilian, who is predominantly an online player. The LAPT Main Event win, however, has proven Victor Sbrissa to be a force in the live scene as well as behind the computer screen.

PokerStars' Atlantic Club Purchase May Be in Jeopardy

Charles Rettmuller — Wed, 01 May 2013 18:49:28 +0000

The acquisition agreement between PokerStars and the Atlantic Club casino's owner expired last Friday, which may result in the world's top poker site getting shut out of the U.S. online gaming market in New Jersey.

Colony Capital, the investment firm listed as owner of the Atlantic Club, and PokerStars' parent company the Rational Group, had agreed to terms in December on a purchase price of the struggling casino. A stipulation within the agreement required PokerStars to have secured a casino license by April 26 to complete the deal, the Wall Street Journal reported.

PokerStars applied for an interim casino license in January, but was forced to re-submit the application when New Jersey gaming officials found the initial application to be incomplete. The Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) announced on April 10 that PokerStars had complied with the necessary application requirements.

Following the re-submission, the DGE has 90 days to investigate PokerStars' suitability and file a report with the New Jersey Casino Control Commission. That report would be due July 9. The commission is permitted 30 more days, until August 8, in which to hold a hearing and rule on the application. However, those deadlines may no longer be of consequence if the agreement between the buyer and seller has expired, which the WSJ claims to be the case.

The expiration of the agreement is the latest snafu that may hamper PokerStars' ability to enter the U.S. online poker market. It follows by almost two months a strongly-worded petition filed by the American Gaming Association that urged New Jersey gaming officials to disallow the purchase of the Atlantic Club by PokerStars.

The AGA blasted PokerStars by stating that the site obtained dominance in the industry through deceptive practices that included virtually ignoring the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in 2006. PokerStars continued servicing the American marketplace while other companies bowed out. New Jersey regulators have yet to decide if the AGA's petition may be taken under consideration in determining license suitability. But it may not have to rule on such matters if the acquisition agreement has expired.

Rumors abound that Colony Capital may choose to entertain other offers for the Atlantic Club, as its value has certainly increased following passage of online gambling legislation in late February. That legislation has no bad actor clauses that seemingly would preclude an alleged UIGEA violator from obtaining a license. Nevada does have a bad actor provision, so New Jersey is currently seen as PokerStars best chance of getting a foot in the door of the U.S. online gaming market.

French Regulator Submits Proposal for Stricter Legislation

Wootae Min — Wed, 01 May 2013 16:07:03 +0000

French Gaming Regulator, ARJEL, has submitted thirty-three new proposals to curb the issue of problem gambling for real money online gaming players.

The series of proposals have been submitted to the French government and specifically targets marketing issues as well as internal measures to prevent gambling addiction. These proposals call for the restrictions on advertising, including a ban on advertising for unlicensed sites and a control on marketing on certain sites. ARJEL has also proposed that operators utilize marketing for positive purposes such as a campaign to warn players of the dangers of gambling addiction and direct them to possible modes of treatment.

The regulator has also recommended internal changes for operators in order to prevent online gambling addiction. These recommendations include a pop-up notice for players who are playing excessive hours or making too many deposits within a day. Also, operators would have to keep records of player activity in order to identify compulsive gambling.

ARJEL has proposed these changes to the online gambling laws after publishing its first investigation into problem gambling in France. According to the report, nearly half (47.8%) of the adult population placed a wager in 2010 and about 11% of this population were considered regular gamblers who placed wagers more than 52 times per year.

The report also showed that about 22.7% of the gambling population placed a wager on an online gambling site. It contended that 1.3% of the population showed a tendency for problem gambling and that 200,000 players were playing excessively.

Gambling addiction has been a concern for several nations who feel that it is becoming a problem with the rise of online, mobile, and social gaming mediums. Some countries like the United States have used gambling addiction as a key aspect in the lack of online gambling regulations. The ARJEL proposals are considered to be relatively novel in the fight against gambling addiction.

New Online Gaming Operations Director For Ladbrokes

Bruno de Paiva — Wed, 01 May 2013 12:00:44 +0000

Ladbrokes has taken a major step in increasing its focus on its online gaming operations after it announced the hiring of Jim Mullen. Currently the Chief Operating Officer of Ladbroke’s key UK rival William Hill, Mr Mullen is due to join the company in November. He is set to take on the role as Director of the Digital area of Ladbrokes, which includes its poker site, Ladbrokes Poker.

42-year-old Mullen will take the helm after a successful three years at William Hill, where the company became the United Kingdom’s market leader in the country’s online gaming industry. Ladbrokes, on the other hand, has struggled with the online gaming side of its business –it issued a profit warning just last month, attributing poor performance in online gaming, as well as horse racing for the notice.

The warning and the subsequent recruitment of Mr Mullen as digital Director shows that Ladbrokes is serious about becoming a greater player in online gaming by focusing on and developing its online poker and other gaming sites.

Chief Executive of Ladbrokes Richard Glynn said Mullen’s recruitment outlines the growing importance of its digital operations in Ladbrokes future growth.

“Today marks a significant step in our positioning of Ladbrokes as a major player in the rapidly evolving digital market,” Mr Glynn said. “The appointment of Jim Mullen means we have strong foundations in place to accelerate our growth in this important area.”

“(Mr Mullen) brings a wealth of hands on experience, having worked with Playtech for the last three years. He will join at an exciting time and we look forward to him helping us make the Ladbrokes brand as strong in the digital arena as we are on the High Street."

The announcement of Mr Mullen as the digital Director of Ladbrokes also coincided with the opening of Ladbrokes’ new digital marketing services operation, Ladbrokes Israel. Based in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, Ladbrokes Israel begins operations as part of the March agreement between the company and Playtech.

The agreement between Ladbrokes and Playtech was signed after the gaming software development company sold its 29 per cent stake in William Hill Online to Ladbroke’s rival.

EU Politician Attacks Gibraltar Gaming Industry

Bruno de Paiva — Wed, 01 May 2013 04:11:06 +0000

A member of the European Parliament has hit out at gaming companies based in Gibraltar and called on the European Commission to crack down on them as part of measures against tax havens and tax evasion. It came during a parliamentary session, where Belgian MEP Marc Tarabella put forward a set of questions on the issue to members of the commission.

A Parti Socialiste member of the EU parliament since 2004, 50-year-old Tarabella challenged the commission on whether Gibraltar’s gaming industry should be part of its tax crackdown.

“What action is (the European Commission) planning to take in respect of Gibraltar and the online gambling operators which have established themselves on the island in order to enjoy its tax breaks?” Mr Tarabella said.

“Gibraltar’s appeal to gambling operators has little to do with its tourist attractions. Online poker and casino sites which base their operations in Gibraltar can provide services both to countries which are already moving towards more relaxed gambling laws and to those which still impose restrictive measures.”

A British Overseas Territory of around 30,000 people, Gibraltar acts as a headquarters and base of operations for a number of the world’s online gaming companies. Bwin.party Digital Entertainment - the company behind PartyPoker - is one such company, having moved their operations to Gibraltar in 2001. The company has grown significantly following the move and is now the world’s largest publicly traded online gambling company.

888 also has its headquarters in Gibraltar, having moved there from Antigua in 2003. The company recently announced a first quarter revenue of $103 million, a figure that – if repeated for the remaining three quarters – would beat last year’s $376 million in revenue.

Mansion is also based in Gibraltar after being set up on the peninsula in 2003. The main sponsor of English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, Mansion has established itself as a popular online poker and gaming site due from its operations in Gibraltar.

While some countries in the EU, such as the Czech Republic, are taking measures that may benefit online poker and gaming, Belgium has blocked numerous online poker sites. PKR and Redbet were the latest to be blacklisted, with the Belgium Gaming Commission blocking their sites last month. Such regulations in the northern European country may explain Mr Tarabella’s recent calls in the EU parliament.

There has not yet been any comment or response from the European Commission to Mr Tarabella’s questions.

Online Poker Traffic Continues to Fall

Charles Rettmuller — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:23:29 +0000

For the eighth week in a row, industry-wide online poker traffic spiraled downward, resulting in a market decline of 14% from last year's end of April totals.

Player numbers dropped 3% last week, with only one poker room in the top ten showing better results than the week before. That site was Full Tilt Poker, which managed to regain second place in PokerScout's worldwide rankings following a third place showing the previous week. Full Tilt picked up 8% more cash game action and has a seven-day average of 3,000 players. The iPoker Network slipped back to third place, averaging 2,600 ring game players throughout the week.

PokerStars.fr managed to creep into the top ten and MPN also moved up one slot to ninth place, as Bodog fell to 11th place. However, the exclusively anonymous poker room continues to hold down first place among sites and networks that accept U.S. players. Bodog is averaging 1,120 cash game players in a seven-day span.

Second place among U.S.-facing sites belongs to the Revolution Gaming Network as of this writing. But recent issues concerning denied cashout requests to Lock Poker players involved in large player-to-player cash transfers has many in that network concerned about the safety of their funds. Coupled with a new skill level segregation policy, Revolution ring game traffic is off by 25%. The decline has allowed Merge to pick up steam, gaining 9% more players in the past two weeks and making a run for second place in the category of U.S.-friendly rooms.

All eyes are now fixed on the U.S. market, as Ultimate Poker made its historic debut as the first legal online poker room in Nevada. Additional sites are expected to follow suit in the coming months in the Silver State. However, with Nevada's population of roughly only 2.7 million, the effect on industry-wide player traffic will likely be minimal at best. Overall traffic numbers may begin to edge upward once Delaware, New Jersey and other states that are considering online poker legislation eventually join the mix.

Children Should Play Poker To Learn About Risk Says Headmaster

Khurram Aziz — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:01:37 +0000

In a speech to the Boarding Schools' Association (BSA) annual meeting in Brighton today, BSA chairman Christian Heinrich will spell out how he believes private schools should encourage children to spend more time developing life skills.

"Children and young adults learn about sharing and borrowing, about others' feelings, concerns and priorities, about self-control and perseverance and, perhaps most importantly, about curiosity, in an environment in which it is possible and much encouraged to learn safely from your mistakes rather than to repeat them," Heinrich will tell delegates.

"So I exhort children at my school: 'Climb trees! Cook your own lunch! Drive a go-kart around the car-park (cordoned off!). Even play poker!'. There's more to school than classrooms and exams. Make mistakes whilst the consequences can be managed and the lessons learned."

Heinrich is headmaster of Cumnor House School in Sussex, a prep school for four to 13-year-olds in the south west of England. Schools like his are well placed to offer children activities outside of the curriculum, according to Heinrich, but are instead, like the state sector, pressurised to achieve particular scores in different cognitive ability tests, at nine, 10, 11 and 12.

"To an increasing degree our senior schools are using these rather bland and sometimes quite harsh tests to decide whether to take children. They do not take into account their full abilities," says Cumnor.

His call for children to be exposed to activities such as poker and its many benefits in engendering "self-control", "perseverence" and risk taking will come as no surprise to the poker community. Only last week, PokerUpdate's Firat Dural published a piece comparing poker skills to stock trading in the financial markets.

The article draws attention to men such as David Einhorn, the founder of Greenlight Capital fund and Andy Frankenberger, an ex-trader for JP Morgan, who also both happen to be World Series of Poker champions.

As Firat says, both the world of financial markets and poker teach you money management and risk management: an insight Heinrich seems to share.

And, considering the number of prep school kids who go on to become leading financiers, the headmaster's advice is salient - at least in this writer's opinion.

Like life, poker teaches you that sometimes you have to cut your losses and fold. At others, you need to be aggressive, have a plan and play a long game. But perhaps the best lessons that poker teaches you are learnt hard - sometimes you could do 20 things right, all of which are negated by one wrong move.

Ultimate Poker Becomes First US Website to Take Real Money Bets

Wootae Min — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:49:30 +0000

After two years of silence, the United States online poker market officially made its debut in Nevada today. Ultimate Poker has become the first United States facing website to offer real money online gambling.

The online gaming division of the Las Vegas based Station Casino has officially opened its site to the public. Poker players around the world are able to create an account and deposit money from any location. However, the player must be physically present in state in order to place a real money wager.

Poker players are able to make transactions (withdrawal and deposit) at any of the 16 Station Casinos or through electronic methods such as wire transfers, paper checks, or credit cards.

Ultimate Poker plans to run a series of daily $50 buy-in tournaments with a $1,000 guarantee as well as a $100 Sunday tournament with a $10,000 guarantee. The site will also host free roll tournaments as promotions. Currently, the site offers a daily $100 free roll as well as a $10,000 free roll as an opening promotion. In addition to these guaranteed money free rolls, a 1 million boarding pass points free roll will also occur within the week for members who create an account.

Ultimate Poker has also launched a cash game offering that is currently limited to No Limit and Fixed Limit Hold ‘em. No Limit Hold’em games are spread from $2NL ($0.01/$0.02) to $1000NL ($5/$10) while the Limit Hold’em games are currently spread from 5c/10c to $10/$20. The poker site hopes to launch other games such as Omaha and Stud in the future, but hasn’t released any specific plans regarding these variants.

The company also has plans for some interesting takes on poker tables including a 5 big blind game. The plans for this type of table have been mentioned on the website, but it has yet to be implemented in its initial launch. The 5bb game is very similar to the all-in or fold cash games that are popular on 888poker. Major sites like Poker Stars have capped games, but offer a greater buy-in.

Ultimate Poker has also released its rake structure that was a highly anticipated and controversial issue in the online poker forums. Although many thought the high licensing fees and taxes would lead to unbeatable rake levels, the Station Casino owned site has constructed a relatively reasonable rake structure that will implement a 4.5% rake across all No Limit Hold’Em games. The rake is capped at certain amounts for the micro stakes and is determined by the stakes and the number of players at the table. A list of the rake schedule has been posted below.

The online poker site has yet to release a rewards or rakeback program that is generally associated with all poker sites across the world. Currently, the Station Casino has a loyalty program called the Boarding Pass and it will most likely transfer to the online website. However, the company has not released an official loyalty program, although one is expected in the near future.

Ultimate Poker is currently being powered by a CyberArts software client and it features a relatively solid poker client. The interactive division initially started developing and testing after it obtained a license from the Commission in October 2012. The company has also struck a deal with CAMS to provide geolocation, player age verification, and payment processing services.

The company has also launched its marketing campaign with Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari as the main poker ambassador. Furthermore, the site has linked itself to the popular MMA league, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and has placed a picture of MMA legend Chuck Lidell on its site. Currently, Fertitta, the parent company of the Station Casinos, owns the UFC league and plans to promote alongside its first interactive gaming product. Players are able to win VIP tickets and other great prizes to UFC fights, although specific promotions have yet to be released.

Ultimate poker also signed an affiliate marketing deal with Income Access who may be linked to potential rewards or rakeback deals.

The debut of Ultimate Poker marks the start of a new era of online gambling in the United States and it is the first site to legally launch since the UIGEA laws of 2006. The success of this site may be an indicator of the United States market and more real money gambling sites are expected to debut over the next few months.

Rake Structure

No Limit Rake: 4.5%

Stakes	% Rake	2 Player Cap	3-4 Player Cap	5+ Player Cap
$0.01/$0.02	4.50%	$0.30	$0.30	$0.30
$0.05/$0.10	4.50%	$0.50	$1.00	$1.50
$0.10/$0.25	4.50%	$0.50	$1.00	$2.00
$0.25/$0.50	4.50%	$0.50	$1.50	$3.00
$0.50/$1 to $3/$6	4.50%	$0.50	$1.50	$3.00
$5/$10	4.50%	$0.50	$1.50	$3.00
5BB Games	2.00%	$0.25	$0.50	$3.00

Fixed Limit Rake: 4%

Stakes	2 Player Cap	3-4 Player Cap	5+ Player Cap
$0.05/$0.10	$0.04	$0.04	$0.05
$0.10./$0.20	$0.10	$0.10	$0.10
$0.25/$0.50	$0.15	$0.15	$0.15
$0.50/$1	$0.40	$0.40	$0.40
$1/$2	$0.50	$0.70	$0.80
$2/$4	$0.50	$0.70	$1.20
$5/$10	$0.50	$2.00	$3.00
$10/$20	$0.50	$2.00	$3.00

Fan The Red Dragon In Macau

Bruno de Paiva — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 05:10:44 +0000

It was an exciting and entertaining ten days in the gaming hub of Asia as poker players came together for the Macau Poker Cup.

After the Cup’s Red Dragon Main Event came to an end, Taiwan’s Terry Fan reigned supreme, taking out top spot and the $HK1,771,000 (around US$228,190) cash prize that came with it. Fan was the one to watch even as the final table began; He was the chip leader when it came down to the last nine, and he never faltered from there on in.

Fan played a highly smart game in the final table – not to mention the entire tournament – remaining elusive while most of the remaining players knocked each other out. It was only when the Red Dragon got down to its last three players that Fan really upped his aggressiveness, shown by the elimination of Neil Chen in third place. Chen would enter into a showdown with Fan holding pocket Sixes, while Fan held pocket Queens. The Queens held and Fan once again held the chip lead.

Then heads-up play began.

Gie Angelo Reyes was the only player sitting between Fan and the Red Dragon’s top prize. Both players had played extremely well leading into heads-up play, and a long battle of wits was anticipated.

This was not to be, however, as heads-up play between the Taiwanese Fan and Filipino Reyes only lasted a few minutes before the end of the Main Event. Reyes called Fan’s pre-flop all-in, which came after a 600,000 chip three-bet from the Filipino. Reyes showed King Eight off-suit while Fan was in front after showing Ace Five of Spades.

Despite this, the flop was kind to Reyes as the Eight of Diamonds, Seven of Clubs and Four of Diamonds flop gave him top pair. The Three of Spades turn was also kind, albeit only just, to Reyes, keeping him in the lead but giving Fan a number of outs in the process. With the Ace of Clubs coming on the river, Reyes chances of staying in the tourney were dashed and Fan would be crowned winner of the Red Dragon Main Event.

It was a good week and a half for the 30-year-old Fan. Along with winning the Main Event, he also came in sixth place in the Macau Poker Cup’s HKD$5,500 No Limit event. It was also a solid showing for Taiwan at the Cup. Along with Fan's Red Dragon victory, fellow countryment Pipi Huang took out the HKD$20,000 Deepstack tournament, the first event of the Cup.

A total of 891 players competed in the Red Dragon Main Event, obliterating the 635 player record that had been set previously. Yet another sign that poker in the Asia Pacific region is going from strength to strength.

Skillbet Shifts to Social Gaming Arena

Charles Rettmuller — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:33:11 +0000

Skillbet, a form of real-money "duplicate poker" that attempted to cater to U.S. players by marketing itself as being legal in 28 states, has announced a change in strategy that will now pander to the social gaming crowd.

Players who have account balances on the site, which is likely not very many, needn't worry as a recent announcement on 2 + 2 by a Skillbet representative stated that "we have plenty of money (in addition to having all our players’ money segregated) so if you'd like to withdraw, no problem. We will turn around withdrawal request in a few days like we always have."

Skillbet was structured so that two players compete against each other playing No-Limit Texas Hold'em at separate tables. The players each receive identical hole cards and play each hand versus tablemates that are actually robots who also have identical hole cards as their counterparts. A winner is determined by the player who plays his cards more successfully against the "bots" at his or her table after a predetermined amount of hands.

The concept apparently skirts existing online gambling laws in some states by claiming that skill is involved in making better decisions than an opponent under the same circumstances. The real-money game was available starting last year in 28 states. Expansion permitting players throughout the world to log on followed this year. However, three states have recently been dropped from the service list, as the legality of the game remains questionable.

Skillbet has come under fire of late by 2 + 2 posters for allegedly using prop players in order to increase player traffic numbers and possibly entice others to join in. Skillbet spokeswoman Renee Revel admitted as much in the recent announcement, stating that props were used "to play and create more traffic like other poker sites and card rooms." However, this followed the apparent use of shills who attempted to convince other players to partake in Skillbet action at the same online poker forum.

Revel also stated that the website has ceased marketing efforts and will "spend the next 4-5 months developing (what we hope will be) an awesome social play-money game based on SkillBet (sort of a cross between SkillBet and Draw Something or Words with Friends). Our plan is to advertise this broadly and convert people to SkillBet (solving our current challenge) and re-launch SkillBet, assuming this plan works."

Whether or not this new approach will be successful remains to be seen. Perhaps a new following of players can be had in the social arena for Skillbet. Duplicate poker was somewhat popular as a Zynga social game on Facebook. In late 2011, Zynga fielded a team of social players that competed in the International Federation of Poker in London against pro poker players. The amateurs finished a respectable fourth out of 12 competing countries.

Gala Coral Poker Joins iPoker Top Tier

Wootae Min — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:33:28 +0000

Gala Coral Poker has announced its move to the “Top Tier” of the iPoker Network on Wednesday, May 1, 2013.

The rapidly growing skin will join flagship sites such as Bet365 and Titan Poker in the higher tier and enjoy the benefits of this level. The “Top Tier” of the iPoker Network requires skins to maintain a 6,000 player base and sign an average of 850 new players per month. Given the stringent requirements, the poker sites in the “Top Tier” enjoy greater player liquidity and marketing advantages over the sites in the “Low Tier”. Although tournaments and Speed Poker are not affected by the network split, the cash game player liquidity and loyalty programs are significantly better in the “Top Tier”.

The move will also provide current and future Gala Coral players to enjoy new benefits and a better gaming experience. These features include a new loyalty scheme program that features a new “Elite” VIP level.

"The promotion to the top tier means that the combination of a great loyalty scheme and exciting monthly promotions will be available to even more players through the increased liquidity on ‘the right side’ of the network split" Poker Room Manager Ian Wylie has stated. "The move should mean more choice and a more balanced variety games for both the recreational player and the more serious poker aficionado, and is good news for all current and future poker players at Gala Casino."

Gala Coral Poker originally moved to the iPoker network in May 2012 after its tenure in the OnGame network. Since its move to the network, the skin has rapidly developed into a popular skin with its promotions and customer service. The company hopes to grow further with the rapid development of the iPoker Network.

The largest network in the world has held the second spot in the Poker Scout traffic rankings and has added some major poker websites to its already large base of skins. These poker websites include Betfair and Betclic Everest as well as the eventual inclusion of the Ladbrokes poker brand.

The iPoker network has also introduced anonymous tables to the network and has pushed its business to cater to the recreational player base while maintaining a healthy regular player balance. The network’s parent company also plans to launch a mobile offering to take advantage of the future of online poker.

EPT Berlin Season 9: Daniel Pidun wins €880k top prize

Khurram Aziz — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 11:26:31 +0000

Pidun simply destroyed his opponents – taking the chiplead early and never faltering as he knocked out player after player and increasing his lead to what would eventually become insurmountable.

The win marks an exceptional three-year stretch for amateur player Pidun, who finished ninth in this event in 2011 and 17th a year ago. He found victory this time earning €880,000 after putting away Robert Haigh to seal the tournament.

With just three players remaining Pidun had amassed a huge chip lead over his two opponents. Lasse Frost was knocked out in third place and he took home €325,000. Haigh doubled up once but it wasn’t nearly enough to get a chance to compete with Pidun’s huge stack. On the final hand Pidun shoved all in with nine-eight of spades and Haigh snap-called with ace-king. The flop gave Pidun a pair of eights and Haigh did not manage to catch up.

Haigh walked away with €531,000 for his second place finish while Pidun was crowned the Season 9 EPT Berlin winner.

Commenting on his win, Pidun said, “I don’t know, [Berlin] seems to be my city. But I’m very happy. It’s a dream come true.” The final table payouts and Card Player Player of the Year points were:

Daniel Pidun (Germany) — €880,000  (1,824 Player of the Year points)
Robert Haigh (Germany) — €531,000  (1,520 PoY points)
Lasse Frost (Denmark) — €325,000 (1,216 PoY points)
Pascal Vos (Netherlands) — €255,000  (912 PoY points)
Alexander Helbig (Germany) — €202,200  (760 PoY points)
Roman Herold (Germany) — €155,000  (608 PoY points)
Julian Thomas (Germany) — €110,000  (456 PoY points)
Roman Korenev (Russia) — €77,000 (304 PoY points)

With his points, Pidun is now joint ninth place in the Card Player Player of the Year rakings, tying with French pro Remi Castignon.

Elsewhere in Berlin, 28-year-old Griffen Benger from Canada won the EPT High Roller tournament for €429,000. The €10,300 buy in event attracted 103 players plus 37 re-entries creating a prize pool of €1.37 million.

With the EPT Berlin event over, the European poker world will now set its sights on Monte Carlo for the Season 9 finale for the EPT. The EPT Grand Final will be contested in Monaco from 6-15 May with a huge field expected to be in attendance for what is essentially the EPT’s Grand Championship.

Casino Legislation Push In Japan Boosted

Bruno de Paiva — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 04:11:42 +0000

Legislation to legalise casinos and live gambling, which would likely include poker, may be put forward in Japan’s parliament later this year.

It comes as an influential pro-casino lobby group in the country names a member of Japan’s governing party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), as its leader and political face of the group’s push for change. Hiroyuki Hosoda is a long-time member of Japan’s House of Representatives, having first been elected to the house in 1990. 69-year-old Hosoda holds some degree of clout in the LDP, having been the Chief Cabinet Secretary of the Government, a highly prestigious position, in the mid-2000s.

While Japan is known for having traditional, conservative views with regards to most social issues, the lobby group may get some traction if it can pitch its desired reforms as having an economic benefit. The Japanese economy is notorious for having stagnated since the 1990s following a rapid and impressive economic ascendency following the Second World War.

Gambling is prominent throughout Japan, even though it is technically illegal. The country has been described as the largest casino and gambling market in Asia after Macau, with the potential for an industry worth hundreds of billions of dollars to officially exist. This could prove to be a point that may entice others in Japan’s parliament to agree to the legalisation of casinos in the country.

Another point that may entice gambling and casino reforms to occur in Japan is the growing popularity and exposure of poker among Japanese throughout the nation. It largely comes following the performances of a number of Japanese players on the global professional poker stage in recent times, performances which are beginning to be noticed by their countrymen.

One such player is Naoya Kihara, who captured headlines in June 2012 as the first ever Japanese winner to win a Gold Bracelet in the World Series of Poker. Kihara took out the Pot Limit Omaha Six Handed event at last year’s WSOP, earning himself $512,029 in the process. The Tokyo native’s victory did not go unnoticed in his country, and he has since become a notable advocate of casino legalisation.

Another Japanese poker player succeeding on the world stage is Yoshitaka Okawa. In January, just seven months over Kihara’s WSOP win, Okawa won the largest tournament in the Macau Poker Cup, the Red Dragon Main Event, topping a 532-player field to take out HK$1,123,000 (around US$144,880). Kihara and Okawa’s victories in such short succession are likely to further spur the growth of poker in their country.

A bill for the legalisation of casinos may be tabled in September, following an election of Japan’s upper house which is set to occur in July.

Poker Rooms Risk Closure Under Oregon Bill

Bruno de Paiva — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 06:20:19 +0000

A bill currently being considered in the US state of Oregon may force poker rooms across the state to close if it passed.

Currently in the draft phase, the bill seeks to amend the State definition of ‘social gaming’ which, in its current form, would affect all games of poker that are not played outside of religious, charitable or fraternal organisations. This means normal poker rooms that are run as a business may be at risk if the bill gains any traction and widespread backing.

The bill has support among some members from both major parties in the Oregon State Legislature, with Republican Party members and the House of Representatives Speaker, a Democrat, announcing their desire for it to pass. The Speaker, 46-year-old Tina Kotek, recently likened poker rooms in Oregon to the American casino heartland of Las Vegas.

A number of clubs exist throughout the state, situated in the northwest of the country. Most are concentrated in the state’s largest city, Portland, with at least nine known poker rooms operating there according to the Pokeratlas website. Poker rooms also operate in at least ten other Oregonian cities and towns including Albany, Lincoln City and Salem.

The state has also played host to major poker tournaments in the past, a recent example being the DeepStacks Poker Tour PacWest Poker Classic in February. While the bill still appears to be in its very early stages, poker room owners and players all over Oregon will likely be watching closely to monitor what progress, if any, it makes in the Legislature.

Haigh New EPT Berlin Chip Leader

Bruno de Paiva — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 04:43:02 +0000

We said anything could happen in the EPT Berlin Main Event given the unpredictability and exciting play that has gone on in it. Day 5 of the tourney showed this to be the case as the day ended with a new chip leader and an eight-seater final table going into the final day.

German poker player Robert Haigh currently sits a top of the leaderboard heading into the final table, with his strong play on Day 5 putting 5,495,000 chips to his name. Haigh is arguably the most accomplished player in the final table, having placed second in the No-Limit High Roller tournament at the EPT Prague in December. In August, the German reigned supreme in the 1,000 Euro No-Limit Hold Em tourney at the EPT Barcelona, taking home $101,807 in the process.

While these accolades make Haigh dangerous, especially at this point of the Main Event, the strength of every player at the final table means he cannot afford to be complacent on the final day.

One such player is fellow German Daniel-Gai Pidun, who is hot on Haigh’s heels with the second highest chip lead (5,250,000). Pidun is now stranger to the EPT Berlin – He played in both the 2012 and 2011 Main Events and took out 17th and ninth places respectively. While he has already put in his best ever Main Event performance at this year’s Main Event, Pidun is now in with a solid chance of taking out top prize should his great play continue tonight.

Roman Herold also must not be forgotten going into the final table. Day 4’s chip leader may not have had the best day, ending Day 4 with over a million chips less than the start with 3,050,000. Despite this, he just might be able to take back top spot and the Main Event if he can reclaim some of the prowess that has gotten him this far in the tournament.

One player who won’t be in tonight’s final table is Russian Dashgyn Aliev, who was the final player eliminated on Day 5 in ninth place. With the second highest chip count after Day 4, Aliev was in a good position coming into the fifth day. However, Aliev ran into trouble when he went all in with an Ace Queen hand, which was called by Alexander Helbig’s pocket Queens. The German’s pocket pair held and Aliev was knocked out.

The final table action is set to resume tonight at the Grand Hyatt Berlin, where one of the eight remaining players will leave as the 2013 EPT Berlin Main Event Winner.

Tower Gaming Shuts Down Business

Wootae Min — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 19:11:10 +0000

Tower Gaming has announced it will be closing its online poker business today. The online poker operator has sent emails to current players and has posted a message on its website.

On the website, Tower Gaming has stated that the company has partnered with Jetbull Gaming and Cake Poker. Both online poker and casino players will be directed to one of these sites for the continuation of online gaming. Tower Gaming has also guaranteed that player’s account information, funds, bonuses, and VIP status will be maintained in Cake Poker or Jetbull Gaming. Players are able to seek instruction for this migration by logging onto the Tower Gaming website.

Tower Gaming was considered one of the flagship skins of the Ongame network and boasted a great VIP system and solid traffic. The online skin decided to move to the Revolution Gaming Network in November 2011 following popular skins like Lock and Cake Poker. Although the move signaled a slight decline, the online poker skin continued to offer great customer service and a solid product

However, the online company has been suffering through some undisclosed issues and provided a statement in regards to it.

After years of fun and excitement around the tables and more good times than we can remember, we’re stepping out of the game. It’s become apparent to us that we’re no longer able to provide you with the level and quality of customer service we’d like to offer and you deserve.

The loss of Tower Gaming signals another blow to the controversial and struggling Revolution Gaming Network. It can be speculated that the shutdown of Tower Gaming has been due to the struggling traffic numbers on the Revolution Gaming Network. Regardless, the network continues to be the primary option for United States players until the start of regulation in states such as Nevada, Delaware, and New Jersey.

Playtech Extends Deal with Finland's RAY

Charles Rettmuller — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:54:20 +0000

Playtech and Finland state gaming operator Rahaautomaattiyhdistys (RAY) have extended their license agreement by signing a two-year deal.

In 2010, the Finnish government amended RAY's license to allow online gambling. Since that time, Playtech has provided RAY with online poker, casino and mobile products following a successful bid that resulted in a four-year contract.

RAY holds an exclusive right to run all of Finland's licensed gambling operations. The company reported gross gaming revenue of €50 million last year, with 6% of that attributable to online gambling, eGR reported.

"With the recent launch of Playtech's mobile casino, RAY will have yet another platform to drive revenue and engage players in the Finnish market for years to come," Playtech COO Shay Segev said. "RAY is a strategic Playtech partner, demonstrating our strong position in regulated markets."

Full Tilt Poker on the Hunt for New Chief Executive

Khurram Aziz — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:50:49 +0000

Full Tilt has hired a leading executive recruitment firm, Odgers Berndtson, to head up the search for a new leader.

Bitar was arrested last July at New York's John F Kennedy Airport on his return to the US. He was originally charged, along with 10 others, in 2011 as part of a US crackdown on illegal internet gambling.

Prosecutors said that Full Tilt, along with Absolute Poker and PokerStars, tricked banks into processing billions of dollars of illegal internet gambling proceeds through shell companies that appeared legitimate.

On his arrest, Bitar faced a maximum of 35 years in prison, but he escaped the severest penalty by pleading guilty and agreeing to forfeit his assets. Last year, shortly after Bitar’s arrest, Full Tilt was bought by PokerStars owner Rational Group, whose chief operating office, Rafi Ashkenazi has been running the gaming site ever since.

However the group opted not to appoint a chief executive ahead of the Full Tilt Poker re-launch in November and is still looking for a new incumbent for the role.

The new CEO will be based in Dublin although no frontrunners have been named.

Meanwhile, the US government has detailed the assets its hopes to seize from Bitar as well as the financial records of nine companies Bitar had a stake in. Ante Up Magazine reports that he will forfeit $40 million in assets following a forfeiture order filed by the US Department of Justice this week.

Billionaire Declines Ambassador Role Over Poker Ring

Bruno de Paiva — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 10:28:18 +0000

A prominent New Yorker picked by US President Barack Obama to be the next US Ambassador to France has abruptly turned down the post due to asserted ties to the recently uncovered high-stakes poker ring.

Fifty three-year-old billionaire investor Marc Lasry was originally offered the prominent post by the President. Lasry made no secret that he was highly interested in being the top US representative in France, even planning to move his family to the country. However, the Co-founder of the $12 billion Avenue Capital investment firm declined the offer after his friendship with an accused senior figure in the ring, Illya Trincher, came to light recently.

Born in Morocco and raised in the US state of Connecticut, Lasry is known for being a major supporter and financial supporter of the US Democratic Party. Former US President Bill Clinton is one of his best friends and he raised just under $1 million for President Obama’s re-election campaign last year.

Lasry also has a passionate hobby in poker, having professed a love for the game due to the mathematical aspect and the fun of playing it with other people. He is known among a number of high-stakes poker players in the Big Apple for playing for high amounts of money that has been said to occasionally run into the millions.

The father of five also hit the poker news waves in 2011 after he and larger-than-life tycoon Donald Trump stated their intentions to launch an online gambling joint venture. It is currently unclear whether or not these plans are ever set to go ahead in the future.

Lasry’s withdrawal from the ambassador position is certain to cause some embarrassment to President Obama, given the context of the situation and Lasry’s heavily support of the Democrats. However, the extent of Lasry’s involvement with the recently busted poker ring is not yet known, which means there is unlikely to be any major consequences for the President.

Herold Takes Reign as EPT Berlin Chip Leader

Bruno de Paiva — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 07:41:05 +0000

What do EPT Berlin Main Event participants Boris Becker and Roman Herold have in common? At least two things – Both are German and, more interestingly, both were once professional level tennis players. What do they not have in common? Well, Becker did become a legend on the court, but in the context of this article, Herold is currently in first place after Day 4 of the tourney while Becker was knocked out in 49th place.

Herold’s rise to the top came after a spectacular day for him on the poker table as he won a number of huge hands throughout Day 4. The German’s stellar play has put him at 4,485,000 chips going into the second last day of the Main Event, the only player to currently have over four million chips at this stage of the game.

Going into the fourth day, it seemed like little would stop the impressive run of Finnish player Aku Joentausta, who had been chip leader for two successive nights going into Day 4. This was until the 21-year-old Finn encountered the 26-year-old Herold in an all-in encounter, which Herold won after he hit a two-pair, ending Joentausta’s three-day long tear and sending him home in 31^st place.

It was part of what was overall a day of excellent play from the Germans in the tournament. Eight of the seventeen remaining players are German and every single of them are in the top ten at the end of the fourth day.

The only player currently an immediate threat to Herold’s reign, however, is Russian Dashgyn Aliev, who goes into the Main Event’s fifth day in second place with 3,931,000 chips. Khiem Nguyen, who is third on the chip leader tally, has more than one million chips less than Aliev, with 2,788,000 to his name. Aliev has come into the Main Event as a virtual unknown, having not yet recorded a single live poker cash to date.

Herold, on the other hand, placed 35^th in the EPT Barcelona Main Event in 2012 and took home $28,690 for his efforts. This would pale significance to the prize money, not to mention the accolades, he would win if he were to continue his fine play and win the EPT Berlin Main Event.

Given the current dominance of the German so far, Herold currently has the biggest chance to take the top prize. However, if the events of Day 4 are anything to go by, anything could happen in the next two days of what has been a highly exciting and unpredictable EPT Berlin Main Event.

Tran Wins APT Philippines Main Event

Bruno de Paiva — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 03:34:30 +0000

Aussie poker player Khac Trung Tran has dominated in the Asian Poker Tour (APT) Philippines Main Event, taking out top spot along with the $124,000 cash prize.

It ended what could be truly described as an epic run of dominance for Tran at the Resorts World Manila. The Aussie knocked out the last four remaining players, one of them being seasoned pro Nam Le, of the tourney en route to claiming the coveted top spot.

The Aussie’s first scalp was Canadian Homad Houshiar, who was knocked out by Tran just 20 minutes into the final day’s play after his Tens were outpaired by Tran’s Aces. Nam Le was next up on Tran’s chopping block after a bluff gone wrong. After going all-in with a King Eight off-suit, Le was called by the Aussie, whose Ace King outkicked Le’s hand after they both hit a King on the flop.

Japanese player Sekiya Yosuke was next to go. While his Ace Nine was behind Tran’s pocket Sixes before the flop, his potential outs meant that all hope was not lost. This changed when Yosuke’s hand did not hit the board, which meant the Aussie's pocket pair held up and Yosuke was out in third place and with $48,700.

Yosuke’s exit meant the APT Philippines Main Event was down to its last two players, Tran and fellow Aussie poker pro Thang Truong. Fresh from in-the-money finishes in tourneys at this month’s WSOP Asia Pacific and March’s PokerStars ANZPT Sydney, Truong was certainly in with a good chance to take out this Main Event. However, even he was unable to stop the magnificent run and play of fellow Aussie Tran as he settled for second place after just two hands of heads-up play.

Truong was ahead pre-flop in the final hand, with Ace Six off-suit against Tran’s Queen Jack off-suit. Troung would hope that this would continue for the whole hand, as he had over a million chips less than his rival going into the hand. It was not to be as the Three of Clubs, Nine of Diamonds and Jack of Diamonds flop gave Tran top pair. The turn brought even more good news for Tran, with the Queen of Diamonds giving him two pair, essentially guaranteeing him the victory.

The Queen of Clubs on the river was the final nail in the coffin for Truong, giving Tran a full house to give him first place at the APT Philippines Main Event. Truong does not back to the land down under empty handed, however, taking home $71,600 for his efforts in the tournament.

Tran’s $124,000 first place finish at the APT Philippines Main Event gives the Australian his biggest poker cash win to date. While he won $74,295 after taking out fourth spot in the Aussie Millions back in January 2010, Tran’s best cash prize since then has been a little over $6,000. This must make the six-figure prize and APT victory even sweeter for Khac Trung Tran.

Art Gallery with Ties to Poker Ring Reopens

Charles Rettmuller — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 20:40:34 +0000

The Helly Nahmad Gallery in New York, shuttered four days prior to last week's raid by federal agents who accused the operator of running a gambling ring featuring high-stakes poker games and a very wealthy clientele, has reopened.

The feds allege that Hilel Nahmad, a/k/a Helly, is tied to the Russian mob. The 34-year-old was charged with racketeering and conspiring to launder money. Charges were also filed against 33 others that included a handful of well-known poker players.

Nahmad has hired famed criminal attorney Benjamin Brafman, who has a client list that includes former mob enforcer turned snitch Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano, World Sports Exchange founder Jay Cohen, and recording artist and industry executive P. Diddy, a/k/a "Puff Daddy."

“We do not believe that Mr. Nahmad knowingly violated the law and we anticipate that he will be fully exonerated,” Brafman told Bloomberg News. “This case will not in any way impact the continued lawful operation of the Nahmad Gallery.”

The gallery had actually closed April 12 to prepare for a new show before being stormed by U.S. agents on April 16. The new exhibit featured at the gallery is “Impressionist & Modern Masters.” It's open to the public and features works by Wayne Thiebaud and Mark Rothko, among others.

Nahmad and Illya Trincher allegedly masterminded an operation that included illegal Internet gambling sites to accept wagers in the millions of dollars. The indictment claims that gallery proceeds were used to support the operation.

Nahmad was freed on $500,000 bail after surrendering his Brazilian, Italian and U.S. passports. His apartment on Fifth Avenue was also used as security as part of his release. Similar to former Full Tilt CEO Ray Bitar, Nahmad's travel restrictions are limited to areas in both New York and California. The art dealer faces a possible 92 years in prison.

Playtech Seeks to Expand Business After Strong Earnings

Wootae Min — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:35:19 +0000

Playtech has made several strides over the past two years to bolster its business and expand into new regulated markets. Its efforts have paid major dividends and the software company is seeking to build upon this success.

The software giant posted a 16% increase in the first quarter of the 2013 fiscal year with a total €102.5 million in revenue. Playtech’s online gambling division posted a 28% increase from 2012 Q1 by generating €44.1 million, which represented nearly half the earnings of the company. In addition to the online casino revenues, the company’s support services division posted a small 2% increase from last year’s figures.

Within the online gambling division, the sports book sector was the most successful venture for the company. Revenues for the sportsbook increased by 128% to €4.6 million and saw a strong contribution from its mobile offering, Mobenga. Online bingo was also considered a success for the first quarter with revenue increases of 9% to €4.4 million.

Despite the overall success in the online gambling division, poker revenues continued to decline with an 18% drop from 2012 Q1 figures to €4.4 million. This trend has been a bit troubling as the online poker division saw an 18% decrease in revenue in the fiscal year 2012. Although the company has seen a steady decrease in revenue, the iPoker network has continued to be the gold standard for network poker in Europe and generally holds the second or third spot in Poker Scout rankings. The online poker division hopes to see increases in its revenue following the inclusion of Ladbrokes, which is considered a major skin.

In addition to its European business, the Asia-Pacific region continues to be a solid contributor to the company’s growth. Playtech has also initiated talks with regulated states in the US in order to enter the soon to debut market. Nevertheless, the European market still maintains the majority of the business and the company hopes to expand upon its presence.

Playtech has already made some recent business deals to maintain that stronghold on the European market. It recently sold its 29% stake in William Hill Online for £424 million. Also, the company recently agreed to a licensing deal with Ladbrokes, which will see the Gibraltar-licensed company use Playtech’s technology and marketing services.

CEO Mor Weizer has stated that the company plans to seek alternative strategies to increase revenues and expand its business to the global market.

"With the completion of the sale of our stake in William Hill Online, we are focused on exploring strategic alternatives that will enable us to continue the growth and development of the business,” Weizer stated to eGaming Review Magazine.

Playtech has a bright future and it hopes to grow stronger.

Atlantic City’s Borgata casino ready to welcome online gambling

Khurram Aziz — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:26:23 +0000

During a conference call with investors, the hotel’s chief executive officer, Keith Smith, said Borgata will quickly introduce online betting once New Jersey officials finish the regulations.

“We intend to be among the first to offer online gambling in the state of New Jersey and are confident the Borgata brand will allow us to capture a substantial share of this lucrative market,” said Smith, as reported by the press of Atlantic City.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed legislation in February 27 legalising online gambling in an attempt to help the state’s struggling casino industry and generate casino tax revenues. At the moment it’s the most populous state in the US to give the green light to online gambling and follows similar moves from Delaware and Nevada.

Other states, such as Pennsylvania, are pencilling similar laws.

The push to legalise online gambling isn’t only happening at state level, either. Reuters reported in March that the federal government is also considering similar legislation.

“I think the states’ passage gives some incentive to the federal government to act,” said Representative Joe Barton last month. Barton introduced an online poker bill in 2011 that failed but he plans to introduce a new bill this spring.

"Whether you're for or against Internet gambling," said Barton, "you don't want 50 sets of state laws. You want uniformity."

Borgata’s Smith would not give any estimates as to how much he believed the hotel and casino would benefit from the new laws, although he agreed that New Jersey, as a whole, would generate internet gambling revenue from $200 million to $1.2 billion each year, as has been predicted by gambling analysts and industry experts.

Addressing fears that online casino games and online poker would have a detrimental effect on the existing casinos in Atlantic City, Smith said that there was little chance that internet gambling would “cannabilise” business for the casino. In fact, he believes that the casino’s ability to offer these services would increase the number of visitors.

Smith added, “We think it’s going to be a great addition to our land-based platform.”

Like many casinos in the area, Borgata has been struggling in recent years with declining vistors, competition from neighbouring states and a string of bad weather events such as hurricane sandy.

The hotel and casino’s parent company, Boyd Gaming, isn’t fairing much better. According to the Wall Street Journal, Boyd, one of Las Vegas’s oldest gambling companies, reported a first quarter loss this quarter of $7.2 million. However, despite the loss, overall revenues were up 16% from the previous quarter leading to a massive 24% jump in the firm’s share price.

Chinese police solve ‘poker card’ murder mystery

Khurram Aziz — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:38:02 +0000

A 24-year-old man from Anhui Province was arrested in a garment factory in Jianggan District in Hangzhou after confessing to killing his 19-year-old girlfriend, surnamed Cheng.

Police say the suspect, surnamed He, killed Cheng in a fit of jealousy and dumped the body in Yuhang District in Hangzhou. At the time of the murder, police found three playing cards, the Five of Spades, King of Spades and Jack of Diamonds. In search of information from the public, police published details of the murder and the cards online, leading to widespread speculation that the murderer was a serial killer with a poker obsession.

According to China Daily, police received almost 2,000 pieces of information daily from online sleuths and other interested parties. But, in his testimony to policy, He said the poker cards fell in with the body purely by accident.

Police said He met Cheng on an unnamed online game site in December and the pair became lovers shortly after. However, Cheng kept in contact with another man which sent He into a jealous rage. After killing her, he hid her body in a cardboard box sealed with tape, but had no idea the cards would fall in with her or that they’d cause media headlines.

“I saw the media reports after the discovery of the body. I remembered that the poker cards were in the drawer. Since I hit her with the drawer, the cards must have fallen at that time or she grabbed them during our fight,” He told police. “I was nervous after I killed her. I wrapped her in a quilt and put her in the box.”

In the end, the poker cards turned out to be a red herring. As China.org reports, police apprehended the man after receiving information from a supermarket owner who said a man with He’s description had bought tape in his shop recently.

Zynga Announces First Quarter Profit

Bruno de Paiva — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:34:41 +0000

Online social gaming service Zynga has announced a $4.1 million profit in the first quarter of 2013. While the news was welcomed by those at the company, it came as a surprise due to the dwindling number of people playing the games on Zynga’s service. Analysts even predicted the company would actually lose over $27 million in the quarter.

But Zynga’s top brass worked hard to ensure this would not happen.

They were able to turn things around largely due to aggressive cost-cutting endeavours undertaken in recent months. As part of the measures, at least eleven games offered by Zynga were shut down in December and January. The company also saved on costs by removing a number of its games from app stores and laying off a number of their employees.

Among the games offered by Zynga is Zynga Poker, which has the distinction of being the first social game offered by the company. Zynga also boasts that its poker game is the biggest free-to-play online poker service on the planet, the fourth most popular game on Facebook, as well as a top-10 grossing game in the Apple App Store. Zynga Poker does not seem to have been affected by any of the company’s cost-cutting initiatives.

Despite the surprising profit, the company seems to have a cautious outlook on the situation ahead. The company’s CEO, Mark Pinkus, has already predicted a significant decline in second quarter bookings and expects Zynga to lose between three and four cents per share in the next quarter. This would be in contrast to Zynga’s one cent per share profit it achieved in the first quarter.

Joentausta EPT Berlin Chip Leader

Bruno de Paiva — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 06:20:34 +0000

Poker players at the EPT Berlin Main Event kept falling like dominos on the tournament’s third day, reducing the current field to 56 leading into Day 4. Among the king of the crop is Aku Joentausta, who was the event’s chip leader at the end of the day, the second night in a row he has had that accolade.

The 21-year-old Finnish player currently has 1,039,000 chips to his name as he continues his attempt to take out the top prize. He has some fierce rivalry in the form of Swedish poker player Emil Ohlsson, however, who ended Day 3 with 1,011,000 chips. It will be a difficult task for anyone to take the chip lead from Joentausta given his stellar play so far. Ohlsson, however, may have enough hunger and motivation to do just that.

The Swede took out first place in his last major tournament, the WPT Copenhagen Main Event, in November. Getting first place in two straight major poker tourneys would more than likely establish Ohlsson as one of the top players currently on the European poker scene. This will make it hard for Joentausta and any other player to shake him off for the rest of the tournament.

It won’t be easy to take the lead from Joentausta if he continues the good run he has had so far in the Main Event. The fresh faced Finn has had some moderate success in the past year, winning a little under $58,000 in the 2012 EPT Barcelona Main Event and coming third in the 2012 WSOP Europe Pot Limit Omaha Six Handed event. He also took out ninth spot in January’s Helsinki Freezeout and fourth place in Austrian Poker Festival’s 220 Euro No Limit tourney in February.

While solid – especially for a 21-year-old – these achievements would pale insignificance compared to the top prize in the EPT Berlin Main Event. This makes Joentausta, already a dangerous player in this tourney, a crushing shark who is unlikely to give up his chip lead without a fight.

One of the Finn’s potential rivals in the next half of the Main Event is tennis legend Boris Becker. The 45-year-old German, who once held the record of the youngest ever Wimbledon Grand Slam champion, has since found a hobby in professional poker. It’s a hobby that he is certainly improving in as, being one of 56 players left, he has already secured his best ever cash win in his poker career.

With 196,000 chips, it will be a surprise if Becker makes it to the final table on Saturday. Despite this, his performance this week shows that he has the potential to be successful on the poker table as well as the tennis court. His appearance in the EPT Main Event has also given the tourney a welcomed profile boost.

Day 4 of the Main Event continues later today in the German capital, with the final table set to take place on Saturday.

VPNs Worry NY Senator Tim Kennedy

Charles Rettmuller — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 20:33:55 +0000

New York Senator Tim Kennedy (D-Buffalo) is concerned that under-aged and gambling-addicted New Yorkers will become victims of companies that use "virtual private networks" (VPNs) to bypass age and location requirements and allow players to gamble illegally.

Kennedy has called on the New York State Gaming Commission to begin investigations to prevent his constituents from using such VPNs. He believes that legislation passed in neighboring New Jersey will permit gamblers in his home state to align themselves with illegal companies and gamble from within New York while their true location is masked and relayed as being in New Jersey.

"The technology is very simple and could easily be manipulated to prey on those with gambling addiction across the country – often charging over-the-top fees," Kennedy said.

Following the virtual shutdown of online poker in the U.S. as a result of the Black Friday indictments that stopped the top three poker rooms of PokerStars, Full Tilt and Absolute Poker from operating in the American market, the use of VPNs proliferated. U.S. players who had been playing online poker professionally for years were faced with a dilemma.

The options were to either: a) relocate to another country and continue playing online at major poker rooms and networks; b) play at unregulated U.S.-friendly sites that had minimal player liquidity with extremely slow cashouts and no assurances that funds were safe; c) continue playing from the U.S. through the use of an illegal VPN; or d) find a new line of work.

Many pros are known to have chosen the first option and moved to sunny locales such as Mexico and Costa Rica. Still others selected option 'b' and are playing at Merge and the Revolution Network, never knowing if the feds will one day shut the network down and often waiting months to receive a cashout. Some players have used the sudden time on their hands to find a new area of expertise in which to make a living and have transited away from playing poker professionally as in option 'd.' And those players who didn't want to leave home or take chances on unregulated sites or make a living in some other fashion have chosen the least talked about option, which is 'c.'

It's not widely talked or written about because its illegal. But players in the U.S. are playing at major poker rooms through the use of VPNs right now. For those unaware, a VPN allows users to mask their geographic location by extending a private network across a public network. For a better description, allow me to borrow from Wikipedia, which states that a virtual private network "enables a host computer to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if they were an integral part of the private network with all the functionality, security and management policies of the private network. This is done by establishing a virtual point-to-point connection through the use of dedicated connections, encryption, or a combination of the two."

Sen. Kennedy is obviously aware of the ease in which players in his state of New York can access online gambling sites through the use of VPNs. He has been an outspoken advocate on preventing minors and those who cannot control themselves from the perils of gambling addiction. And he is urging his state gaming commission to properly investigate and regulate online gambling so that those who should not be gambling do not.

Safeguards and protections for citizens who are underage or problem gamblers are all well and good and necessary. But there are countless other online poker players in his home state of New York and most likely throughout the entire country who are of legal age and not problem gamblers who continue to make a living in their chosen profession by using VPNs. Knowing that people will find a way to gamble or play poker if they have a mind to do so, wouldn't it make more sense to legalize online poker at the federal level so the use of VPNs would be moot? If the time spent attempting to eradicate the use of VPNs would be used to gain federal support for online poker, the U.S. would be much better off.

Virtual Attacks Become More Common for Poker Sites and Players

Wootae Min — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:25:22 +0000

Virtual attacks and cheating have become a common threat since the rise in popularity of online poker. At first, the main virtual indiscretions were attributed to computerized automated players (bots) and the ability to see opponent’s hole cards. The most famous case became the Absolute Poker scandal involving a player named “Potripper”, who was able to see the hole cards of his opponents on his way to a near million dollar victory.

After some major computer issues, poker sites and players have taken measures to protect the security of the accounts and prevent any attacks or cheating. These measures have included the removable key that allows players to protect the password for their site in addition to peer monitoring over forums such as 2p2. These measures have been able to reveal cheating scandals such as that of former WSOP main event winner, Russ Hamilton.

However, a new virtual attack has been affecting the poker world. It has led to the shutdown of some poker sites such as SealswithClubs, Full Tilt Poker, and Titan Poker. Furthermore, these attacks have been affecting poker players at the high stakes, who have stated that disconnections were happening at some inopportune moments.

The new virtual attack is called a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack and it is an attempt to make a machine or network resource unavailable to the user. The hacker(s) usually impair the website’s capability by flooding servers with traffic from thousands of different locations at once, which ends up causing an overwhelming task for the servers. This attack is usually used by remote computers that are infected a virus or latent code and can transfer onto innocent computers once the attack is activated.

In addition to these attacks on websites, high stakes players have been experiencing similar attacks on their accounts. In a TwoPlusTwo forum thread, players ‘sa1251’ and ‘ownage4u’ speculated that their accounts were attacked by bots or players using this attack. Essentially, these two players were involved in relatively large pots at high stakes tables and were disconnected after strong action (3-bet pots and Multi Street Pots) in a heads up battle.

The DDoS attacks on poker players may actually be a major problem for many who use the popular chat/video program, Skype. A hacker is able to retrieve a player’s IP address by finding out a person’s Skype screen name. After finding the screen name, a hacker can use an online service like SkypeGrabber to retrieve the IP address and use an online DoS provider to block the internet connection. This disconnect would allow any player to quickly bet and take a massive pot at any point. Furthermore, the hacker does not need to be a Skype friend to attack you, although Skype must be in use for this attack to work.

Although the reasons for these attacks are unknown, online poker operators and serious poker players are now considering solutions to solve this problem. Programs such as Skype Resolver Blocker are helpful in keeping IP addresses from getting in the wrong hands. Furthermore, online operators are currently working to update their servers and software to prevent these types of attacks.

Poker and Trading; So Different, Yet So Alike

Firat Dural — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:15:01 +0000

David Einhorn, the founder of Greenlight Capital fund and Andy Frankenberger, an ex-trader for JP Morgan have two things in common: Each is very successful in the financial markets and both are world champion poker players, winning the World Series of Poker more than once. They are only two of many traders turned poker players in time. Migration between two professions are both ways.

When the partners at Wall Street upstart Toro Trading finished with their questions, Chris Fergis was almost relaxed, thinking his big job interview was over. Then the Wall Street execs broke out a deck of cards and a green-felt card table. Did he mind playing a few hands of poker? This was the final stage of hiring process and Chris couldn´t be more relieved. He had been an online poker pro for the last six years, grinding from his Manhattan apartment. Within a few days, Fargis received a call, he was offered a position as a trader. The voice on the phone told him that his poker skills sealed the deal.

“He clearly understands risk-reward and size management (how much to risk) from years of poker. That’s a useful skill in our business and life.” Says Danon Robinson of Toro Trading.

There is no magic book which will turn you into a profitable trader or a successful poker player instantly. The only thing you can really learn are the basics of how the stock market or poker functions and some advice from successful experienced traders or poker players. And still, it won´t be more practical than learning how to ride a bike from internet. However every book you read about how to win in trading or poker, is going to spend a lot of words telling you about two vital concepts; money management and risk management. Basically you never spend more money than you take in and you do not spend money for business, poker, or the stock market that would take the food off your table.

Both winning poker players and profitable traders have a lot of qualities in common. Both develop a strategy and constantly refine it. Both know that what worked yesterday may not work tomorrow. In both professions, profit is the ultimate goal but not the only measure of day-to-day success. At the end of the day, success is measured by the number of good decisions you made however in both trading and poker, good decisions sometimes lose money. What keeps traders and poker players going is they know that over time, good decisions make them money.

Trading the markets and playing poker both require strict money management rules, stable emotional balance and a solid game plan. If you don’t consider and employ these tools, you will most likely fail sooner rather than later and lose a lot of money along the way.

As the electronic trading arcades replaces traditional trading pits and online poker replaces live poker, both traders and online poker pros need to be quick on the mouse as well as ice cool under pressure.

"It is unlikely that we would hire someone who didn't show good proficiency at a GameBoy or online poker or similar video-type game where hand-to-eye coordination is important" says Mary McDonnell from Geneva Trading about their hiring process. "It's the discipline of not getting too emotional about your transactions, and also the mathematical ability to keep track of numbers, as in card counting, Online poker practice helps traders to read the markets correctly. It helps to determine if people are bluffing, trying to make the market move one way or another." She adds.

In the end, what seems to separate good traders and poker players from others appear to be emotionally ready to cut their losses and their unbeatable desire to come back tomorrow and get back at it.

InterPoker Puts a Stop to €16k Pooled Race as it makes the Switch to OnGame Network

Khurram Aziz — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:29:51 +0000

The pooled race is a rake race involving players from Rakerace.com as well as participants from three other InterPoker partner sites. It was due to run between 1 April and 30 April, and offered a prize of €3,000 for first place, €2,000 for second and €1,500 for third. However, the rake race has now come to an abrupt end.

InterPoker hasn’t elaborated on what the problem is, exactly, but it has something to do with the poker room switching from the International Poker Network (IPN) to OnGame later in the week.

The move was announced at the beginning of the month, and InterPoker initially reassured players of the pooled race that the transition to the new network would be smooth. But instead, in a widely circulated email, the poker room said that InterPoker itself will be unavailable for 48 hours as it goes live on OnGame this Friday, and that “all payments will be made to [players] e-cash accounts and this and any balance will be transferred direct to their new OnGame accounts.”

OnGame is more than twice the size of IPN and the network recently introduced the Instant Rewards system, designed to make rewards available to casual, low stakes players instead of just professional grinders.

IPN, meanwhile, has been struggling with several of its big poker rooms leaving the network. Aside from InterPoker, Fortune Poker shut its doors for good earlier in the month.

However, for InterPoker players, other than the cosmetic changes attributable to the shift in software platforms, most other features of the poker room will remain the same.

Poker Night at the Inventory 2 Slated for Release on All Platforms

Khurram Aziz — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:10:31 +0000

The game, which was first released in 2010, is based on poker but the experience is much more involved than that and it features a series of cross-over characters from other video games with which to interact.

The first version had four main crossover characters: Max from the Sam & Max franchise, the Heavy Weapons Guy from Team Fortress 2, Tycho from the Penny Arcade webcomic, and Strong Bad from the Homestar Runner.

The game is set in a secret club built underneath a video game storage warehouse and allows a player to compete with the characters in a friendly game of Texas Hold’em Poker. According to Telltale CEO Dan Conners, Poker Night grew out of an idea from Telltale employees, wondering “what video characters do when they’re not ‘on the clock’ in the games we play.”

To this end, the game is dialogue centric and Telltale has promised a new cast of characters for the sequel, including, Claptrap from Gearbox Software’s Borderlands, Brock Samson from Adult Swim’s animated series The Venture Bros, and Ash Williams from the cult classic movie Army of Darkness.

What’s more, the dealer will be GLaDOS of Portal fame.

Conners said, “It’s great to revisit our roots after the success of The Walking Dead. People might not know that we have a strong history of humor in our games and players are going to find a lot of laughs in Poker Night 2. Poker Night 2 is another example of our ability to work with phenomenal partners and bring great characters to life in the gaming universe.”

Xbox 360’s player will be able to snag a seat in the Inventory today, April 24^th, while Steam will carry the game on Friday, April 25th, and in North America, it will be available to PlayStation Network users from the 30^th of April. Telltale is hoping Europe’s PSN will see the game on May 1st, but has yet to set that date in stone. No date has been set for the iOS version either.

The PC and Mac version of the game is priced at $5 while console users can expect to pay $10.

WSEX Co-Founder Dead

Bruno de Paiva — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:58:23 +0000

One of the co-founders of World Sports Exchange (WSEX), Steve Schillinger, passed away on the weekend. Originally from Chicago, Illinois, 60-year-old Schillinger was found in his Antigua apartment by neighbours who had gone there to invite him to a social function. According to Antigua police, Schillinger had a single gunshot wound to the head and a pistol was found next to his body.

The tragic death came during unfortunate times for Schillinger and the company he founded along with Jay Cohen and Hayden Ware. WSEX was forced to stop its business activities due to what was described on its website as “inadequate capitol resources”. This had followed reports that the company had been slow in paying players their funds for at least a year. Given the latest announcement, the likelihood of WSEX having the ability to pay players their money does not seem very high.

Reports dating back to 2011 suggested that WSEX may have owed at least $300,000 to players who were subscribed to its service. A report last year suggested that the figure was more than double that at $700,000, which WSEX blamed on processor issues. WSEX decided to shut down its exclusively dedicated poker service, World Poker Exchange, in February 2012 due to its debts and dwindling popularity among players.

Schillinger, Ware and Cohen, who had all worked as stock traders in the US, launched World Sports Exchange in November 1996 after relocating to the Caribbean island nation of Antigua some time before. WSEX attained some popularity and success after the launch, perhaps due to it being one of the few offshore online gambling services of its time. Schillinger likened WSEX to “combining the stock market with sports gambling."

By 1998, the three co-founders were charged by the US for violating the 1961 Wire Wager Act due to the availability of WSEX to US citizens. Schillinger, along with Ware, refused to go to the US and answer the charges, maintaining that he did not break US law as, in his view, betting on WSEX took place in Antigua. Cohen, on the other hand, did face the charges imposed on him, was found guilty and sentenced to 21 months in prison before being released in March 2004.

Despite the failure and debts of WSEX, Schillinger had been described by those who knew and met him as cheerful, smart and generous. He is survived by two children, who are believed to be living in the United States.

Warm Weather Causes Decline in Online Poker Traffic

Charles Rettmuller — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 19:43:35 +0000

A 6% drop in online poker player traffic last week is partly attributable to spring fever, as many grinders apparently took advantage of warm weather across Europe to get away from their monitors and keyboards for a spell.

PokerScout reports that the top ten ranked websites all saw a drop in traffic. The iPoker Network edged back into second place following the conclusion of Full Tilt's popular "Take 2" promotion that briefly allowed the sister site of PokerStars to regain the no. 2 standing. PartyPoker remains in fourth place. The effect of parent company bwin.party's decision to pull out of 18 jurisdictions to focus on "regulated and soon-to-be regulated" markets won't be known for some time as players with existing PartyPoker accounts in those countries will be allowed to continue playing.

PokerStars.it slipped into sixth place in the worldwide rankings after its 3.5 billionth hand promotion ended. More than 8,000 ring game players were hoping to be dealt into that milestone hand, more than double the normal. Following the promo, 888Poker reclaimed fifth place and announced that Q1 earnings for its poker product are now responsible for about 26% of its revenue. Active poker players on the site are nearing half a million and new signups increased at a rate of 17%.

On the tournament watch, PartyPoker is blaming a technical snafu on the cancellation of four of the first six events in Pokerfest. Rumors circulated that the events were cancelled due to huge overlays. However, that was not the case and the site is running freerolls for players who had registered in order to make up for the inconvenience of cancelling the tourneys.

Over at Full Tilt, a $350,000 guaranteed mini FTOPS event had an overlay of $87,000. That is likely all that sun-worshipping grinders need to hear to get them back to their laptops and desktops and out of the sun.

Pennsylvania Introduces New Online Gaming Bill

Wootae Min — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:00:26 +0000

Representative Tina Davis has introduced an online gambling bill (HB 1235) that would regulate several games to the state legislature.

The new online gambling bill would allow any establishment with a slot machine license to offer online gambling products. The legislation would allow operators with slot machine licenses to develop online gambling products. HB 1235 would legalize several different casino games including poker, roulette, baccarat, blackjack, and craps.

The bill also has a provision to allow the Gaming Control Board to form domestic and international compacts in order to share player liquidity. Licensed operators are required to be in the state, but the bill does not restrict the formation of partnerships with outside companies. Each licensed operator would be required to develop a satisfactory product that will be tested for safety and quality.

The Pennsylvania bill also includes an interesting clause for players interested in signing up for an online account. It requires the player, who must be 21 or older, to physically sign up for an account at the operator’s location. The provision would allow the operators to verify the age of the participant and add to the security for players.

The bill originally contained a extremely high license fee of $16.7 million and a bad actor clause. However, the sponsors of the bill amended it to create a business and competition friendly environment.

Although the exact dates of the legislative process are unclear, the bill has been recommended to the House Committee on Gaming Oversight.

Czech Republic Calls for New Online Gambling Legislation

Wootae Min — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:27:48 +0000

The Czech Republic government has stated its desire to introduce a new online gambling bill before the end of June. Legislators have asked finance ministers to develop a bill that would satisfy the demands of the European Commission.

Last year’s proposal was considered a failure after the European Commission recommended that a new bill would be the best option. The Commission believed that there were serious systematic flaws in the bill that would be detrimental to competition, technological development, and consumer safety. The 2012 Czech online gambling bill had serious restrictions for foreign operators and had failed to take into account basic technology such as remote gaming.

“The conclusion that the draft regulation is compatible with EU law, even if, in the question of the condition that the operator be domiciled in the Czech Republic,” however it recognizes that this element “May be problematic with regards to European law.”

The finance ministers plan to take into account the full context of the recommendation to develop a bill that would address the serious flaws. The new bill is expected to be competition friendly for both domestic and foreign operators in addition to providing safety for the market and consumers.

888 Enjoys Record Q1 Revenue

Firat Dural — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:24:51 +0000

It has been a great year for 888 so far, breaking the $100m quarterly revenue barrier for first time. There are various reasons behind the record revenues of US$103m in Q1 2013; casino revenues rose to 13% mostly due to the launch of slots in Italy and Poker revenues climbed 15% to $24m.

London-listed 888 Holdings Plc´s CEO Brian Mattingley is obviously delighted by Q1 results. “Our excellent product offering, supported by our constantly innovative marketing and CRM capabilities, has helped us to deliver consistent growth and has positioned us well to take advantage of positive regulatory developments.” Says Mattingley. There was also an official statement from 888 which said “Our performance continues to be led by our core casino and poker products and we are continuing to experience increases in customer deposits, bets and first time depositors.”

888 is already looking for future growth in new markets such as USA, Italy and Spain. London-listed company was granted a license by Nevada Gaming Control Board last month via its deal with Las Vegas casino Treasure Island. "In Nevada we are awaiting final sign-off by the gaming control board on our software," 888 CEO Brian Mattingley told Reuters on Tuesday, adding that its online poker product should be live by the third quarter and should start to see the full effects of more open U.S. markets from 2015.

Now, 888 has its eye on New Jersey, another state where a ban on Internet betting is being lifted. Although it is not as big as Nevada´s Las Vegas, New Jersey´s Atlantic City is another center for land-based American gambling. “I am optimistic that New Jersey might clear the way for both online casino and poker games when detailed legislation is finalized, rather than limiting it to poker as is the case in Nevada. I imagine we will start to see some really influential numbers to our business from 2015,” Says 888 CEO, adding that next year would involve a lot of marketing spending as companies jostle for position in the United States.

The prospects for a return to the United States helped drive a doubling in 888's share price since the middle of 2012 and the company is now worth almost 600 million pounds.

Casino and sports betting is another battleground where 888 is gaining a lot of territory lately. Business in Italy had been boosted after the government allowed companies to offer online slot machine products and this has been one of the reasons behind the record revenue in Q1 2013. Online slot machine products are highly popular with gamblers playing Internet casino games. Spain is also expected to follow Italy and lift the ban on slots - effectively the online version of "one-arm bandit" arcade games.

In an analyst conference call 888 CEO said “There is an opportunity for the firm to become a “more serious player” in sports betting by moving into territories where sports betting is dominant in the online gambling business, namely Spain and Italy”. Before entering these new markets, 888 is looking to replace supplier for its sportsbook. In a statement, 888 said a deal with a new supplier for its sportsbook was “imminent”. 888´s sportbook is currently provided by Blue Square Bet whose assets and customer database bought by Betfair for £5m earlier this month. The company plans to offer online sports betting in both Italy and Spain by the summer.

Huang Wins Event 1 of Macau Poker Cup

Bruno de Paiva — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:26:20 +0000

The first event of the ever popular Macau Poker Cup has been won by Taiwanese player Pipi Huang. 27-year-old Huang, who works as an engineer in his home country, reigned supreme in the cup’s Deepstack Event, taking home HK$131,000 (around US$16,870). While it may seem like a modest payout compared to those at other major poker events, it’s a very nice pay day for Huang given the HK$2,000 (around US$260) buy-in.

It was an even sweeter victory for Huang, who mostly plays online poker, as it was his first live tournament trophy. On top of this, he was also the runner-up in the very same event in last year’s Cup, undoubtedly helping to make him a happy man after this year’s improved performance. Fellow Taiwanese player Kai Yang settled for runner-up in the Deepstack, winning HK$90,000 (around US$11,590) for his efforts in the first event.

Organisers of the Macau Poker Cup are also likely to be happy given the popularity it has garnered in the early stages of the ten-day event. The Deepstack Event attracted 334 poker players from all over Asia and the world, the most for a side event held at the Cup since its inception. Other events currently underway at the event have also started with upwards of 300 players.

Now in its fifth day, the Cup will hold two tournaments tonight – the second and last day of the HK$5,000 KO Bounty and a HK$3,000 no-limit turbo event. A satellite to the premier tournament in the Cup, the Red Dragon Main Event, is also being held.

With a HK$5,000,000 Guarantee, the Red Dragon Main Event is set to begin tomorrow night, with the winner to be determined this coming Sunday. Other tourneys, such as a HK$20,000, HK$6,000 no-limit events, along with a HK$2,500 KO Bounty, will also be held while the Red Dragon takes place.

Two Sentenced for Poker Player Extortion

Bruno de Paiva — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 05:03:40 +0000

Two California men, 23-year-old Tyler Schrier and 39-year-old Keith James Hudson, were sentenced on Monday over attempts to extort professional poker players by threatening to post naked pictures and personal information stolen from their email accounts.

While he faced a maximum of 17 years imprisonment for his crimes, Schrier was sentenced to three and a half years in prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy, extortion and unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information. Hudson, on the other hand, faced a maximum of five years, but was sentenced to two years imprisonment after he also pleaded guilty to hacking into email accounts, stealing personally intimate photographs and working in conjunction with Schrier to extort professional poker players.

In court, Schrier also admitted that before this case he also extorted $26,000 from professional poker players after threatening to reveal information with regards to their online poker activities. Along with the two extortion threats, Schrier was also found to have stolen around $4,000 from players’ online poker accounts in 2012 while free on bond from the extortion case.

One poker player targeted by the extortionists was Californian Joe Sebok. The step son of three WSOP gold bracelet holder Barry Greenstein, Sebok was threatened by the men to give them hundreds of thousands of dollars or they would post intimate pictures of him along with his private details online. Sebok refused to give any money and Schrier sent a naked photograph of the player to around 100 people online in November 2010.

Speaking to the court during the trial, Sebok said that what the extortionists had done had shattered and changed his and other victims’ live in ways that he described as “irreparable”. Sebok, who has been playing professionally since 2005, also said that the publication of his details by the extortionists damaged his ability to make a sustainable living in the game of poker.

Sebok further described the entire situation he was forced to endure as a “nightmare” and that he felt he was unable to represent his sponsors in a manner he had done prior to the incidents taking place. He also said that he felt it dented his potential to represent other companies going forward. The situation also compounded what has been a rather difficult time for Sebok in poker. He was also greatly impacted by the infamous Black Friday, which led to his contract being terminated by UltimateBet in May 2011 as well as a reduced schedule of PokerRoad, a website owned by Sebok and Greenstein.

Along with Schrier and Hudson, a third person has also been charged with the extortion crimes. 22-year-old Ryder Finney pleaded guilty to conspiracy and is set to receive his sentence later this year in Philadelphia. Like Hudson, Finney also faces a maximum of five years in prison. Despite this, it is likely Finney will receive considerably less than that given the less-than-maximum sentences handed down to Schrier and Hudson.

Australia´s Dilemma with Poker Machines

Firat Dural — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 17:37:17 +0000

The State Government of Australia has a long standing promise to remove the 800 remaining poker machines from hotel lobbies and this week finally plans were announced for a new gambling industry regulation.

Australia is a democracy and a direct consequence of living in a democracy is granting people the right to do stupid things as long as it doesn´t harm anyone else. We acknowledge the right of friends drink 8 beers and embarrass themselves on a Saturday night or the right of our girlfriends spending a week's hard-earned wages on a pair of shoes. As long as you are fully aware of the consequences of your stupid action, no one should have the right to stop you.

Hard as it can be to recognize, gambling falls into the category of stupid things you probably shouldn't do but should be allowed to anyway. However it is highly doubtful if poker machines fall into that category or not.

The Australian National University's Centre for Gambling Research has reported that up to 85 per cent of gambling addicts have a problem with poker machines and it is estimated that 40 per cent of poker machines revenues come from the gambling addicts which sums up to almost $2.5 billion annually.

The main reason behind this high figure is the way poker machines are designed. Psychologists are highly involved in the design of these machines, making sure every light, sight and sound dulls your senses while emptying your pockets and leave you wanting to come back for more.

However it is not the only trick psychologists use to mess with a gambling addict´s brain; they create the illusion of control from button pressing, generated "near misses", and payouts that fake a connection between betting more and winning. Everything is specifically designed to rob you as fast as possible.

This isn´t the first time Prime Minister Julia Gillard tries to tackle the poker machines. Last year she came up with a national poker machine reform which she had to back down over eventually. This should give you an idea about how powerful the hotel lobby is.

However hotel lobby isn´t the only obstacle in front of the reform. In 2016, the government is expecting a $399 million tax income from poker machines alone. Most informed observers already consider that expectation on the laughably high side of what will be delivered.

So the government is trying to come up with a middle way; leaving the poker machines where they are but cutting the spin limit from $10 to $5. The most you could lose per spin would be $5. $5 is definitely better than $10, however it is still pretty short of the bar demanded by social services. They argue that limiting the loss per spin to $1 is the biggest difference the government can make at this point. Business Services and Consumers Minister John Rau also has plans to divide venues into two; big venues with 60 poker machines and small venues with 20 poker machines. However his plan is scheduled for 2017.

All plans are strongly opposed by the hotel lobby who obviously doesn´t want to make one tenth of what they are making as things are at the moment.

State elections are next year so the next government may actually see the damage done by poker machines and actually do something about it. Or maybe they simply choose to enjoy the jump on the poker machine tax income. Knowing how the politics go, I think we all know which option is more likely.

Online Site Prompts Players to Seek Live Casino Action

Charles Rettmuller — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 17:04:25 +0000

One of the issues hindering the progress of online poker and gambling legislation in the U.S. is that a number of Indian tribes throughout the country hold the belief that their land-based casino revenue will take a dive if people are able to remain in their homes to gamble. The logic employed behind this reasoning is why would anyone go to a casino when the availability of gambling is available at their fingertips with a few clicks of a mouse?

One need only look at the success of a free-play site opened by Maryland Live! casino to see that online gambling can be used to enhance the participation of live players and can actually bring more gamblers into the casino. The casino rolled out MyLiveOnlineCasino.com in April of last year just two months prior to the grand opening of its brick and mortar operation.

Although the online gaming launch was done without high expectations for its success, the results have caused casino executives to take a long, hard look at how to best operate their business. Initially hoping to merely familiarize themselves with online gaming in advance of regulation someday, the whole process required re-evaluation.

"As soon as we launched we started getting online registrations more quickly than anybody had anticipated, said Maryland Live!'s Senior Vice-President of Marketing Mario Maesano.

Player numbers have grown ten percent month-on-month to where the site has tallied over 165,000 registered players. Further inspection revealed that 85% of new online registrants return to play again and that 70% became regulars who access the site and play more than ten times a month, iGaming Business reported.

At first, casino officials believed that the overwhelming amount of sign-ups were the result of "pent-up demand" and Maryland residents feeling excitement about the casino's opening. But when looking at the numbers more closely, casino executives discovered that the free-play site was bringing in a steady stream of customers to the live casino.

“Fully twelve percent of our online free-play database after opening their online account with us had then come into the casino to play for real money," Maesano said. "Not only that, but these players were coming 40% more frequently, worth 20% more per visit to us and stayed 10% longer than the average patron during a visit."

Maesano admits that he and his colleagues didn't expect to get such numbers from an online site that was merely added on in conjunction with the grand opening of Maryland Live! The website has since become a marketing tool for the land-based casino complete with valuable data regarding the preferences and spending patterns of players.

One might say that the free-play online casino merely whet the appetite of a percentage of players who were prepared to play for real-money and couldn't do so online, which resulted in live casino visits. That may be true to a certain extent, but when looking at the big picture, online websites and live casinos have a tremendous opportunity to work in tandem and complement each other.

The game of poker seems to be able to benefit from that more than other casino games. Running online satellites in which winning players move on to compete in live tournaments in the poker rooms of casinos is a fine example of that. The structure of tournament play lends itself to those types of promotions that can enhance live play participation as opposed to causing casino visitor numbers to decline.

However, there is no reason why sharp marketing professionals can't devise some method of tournament play in other games such as blackjack or slots in which real-money online players can also be 'winners' who can be lured into live casinos. The point is, whether operating a free-play or real-money site, live casinos should work together with their website counterparts to attract players in all casino games. To say that online gambling would hurt the profits of land-based casinos is keeping a closed mind to the magnificent opportunity that truly exists if marketed properly.

Party Poker Network Cancels First Five PokerFest Events

Wootae Min — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:45:34 +0000

The first event, a $215 No Limit Hold’Em tournament, was cancelled after an initial 45 minute delay. The tournament had a guaranteed prize pool of $350,000 with a massive overlay. The network subsequently cancelled four more events after experiencing more technical problems with the software.

The Party Poker Network immediately offered an apology for the technical difficulties and refunded the entry fees for the first five events. In addition to the apology, the network will host two free rolls over the next two Sundays that will allow players to win $15,000 worth of entries to the Pokerfest events. There has also been some rescheduling of events and the whole series will feature a massive 61 tournaments.

The Pokerfest Event #6, a $530 tournament with a $250,000 guaranteed prize pool, was held on Sunday and went smoothly after an initial pause.

The generally popular tournament series has also been experiencing overlays that have ranged from $500 to amounts in the thousands. The tournament entries have not been reaching the guarantees.

Foxwoods and Game Account Reach Online Gambling Agreement

Wootae Min — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:21:13 +0000

The Foxwoods Casino and Game Account Network have reached an agreement to jointly offer an online gaming product.

According to the deal, the Game Account Network will provide an online gaming platform for Foxwoods to launch an online casino product as well as offer B2B and B2C online gaming services to other United States casino operators. The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation casino intends to initially launch a free play product with a real money offering to follow after regulations have been put in place.

The partners also plan to offer a B2B solution for other potential online gaming operators throughout the United States. The initial software deal will allow United States online gaming operators to utilize the software for the launch of unique online sites. The Mashantucket tribe and the Game Account Network hope that this offering will allow the partnership to grab a sizable share of a potentially lucrative market.

The two companies have positioned themselves to take advantage of the new market in the United States.

Game Account entered the United States market in 2012 through an agreement with Australian Operator, Aristocrat. The joint venture launched gaming software called nLive that provided a free play online casino in Nevada, a casino site for Maryland Live, and a free play gaming site for Michigan’s Island Resort & Casino. However, the partnership dissolved after Aristocrat bought the rights to replicate the software and excluded Game Account.

The Mashantucket owned Foxwoods Casino and Resort also have a strong presence in the United States market. The famed casino is considered the largest resort and casino in North America and second only to a Macau casino in the world. It offers the largest slot machine area in the world and has one of the biggest poker rooms (soon to be renovated) in the world.

Full Tilt Poker's MiniFTOPS XXII Kicks Off

Firat Dural — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:09:13 +0000

Fulltilt Poker´s MiniFTOPS are under way with three new and exclusive tournament types: Irish Tournaments (Event #1), 5-Card Stud Tournaments (Event #25) and Escalator Tournaments (Event #30). Also there will be Multi-Entry Tournaments, Rush Tournaments, and Double Chance Tournaments like every year. In total there will be 38 events and $4,000,000 in guaranteed prize money up for grabs.

Event #1, No-Limit Irish, was played on Sunday with 3,805 entrants. The $26 buy-in tournament exceeded the $50,000 guarantee with a prize pool of $76,100. When it came down to heads-up on the final table, both players requested to discuss a deal. After a relatively quick negotiation U.K.'s Matthew "thegingerone45" Hunt took the top seat and shipped the first place prize of $11,849.21.

Event #2 ,The $22 no-limit hold’em, also took place on Sunday, There were a total of 13,134 entrants and a guaranteed prize pool of $350,000. Eventually mr_broomball won the top prize of $52,500.

The MiniFTOPS are going full speed on Monday as well, with three tournaments: Event #3, $22 PL Omaha Hi Rush with a guaranteed prize pool of $25,000; Event #4, $109 NL Hold’em 6-Max with a guaranteed prize pool of $200,000, and finally Event #5, $22 NL Hold’em Turbo with a guaranteed prize pool of $40,000. Satellites are currently under way for all three tournaments.

Fulltilt Poker´s MiniFTOPS are just like the FTOPS; they feature the same events, but with a one-tenth the buy-in. MiniFTOPS include six Rush Poker Tournaments, Double Chance Tournaments as well as nine Re-Entry Tournaments, which allow you to take another seat in the tournament if you are knocked out while late registration is available.

Fulltilt offers more than money in MiniFTOPS. They are offering a limited-edition MiniFTOPS jacket to all players who make the final table of a MiniFTOPS event and a silver MiniFTOPS jersey to winners from each event.

MiniFTOPS XXII will be completed with the Main Event on Sunday, May 5th at 13:00 ET. The Main Event will be a $70 + $5 buy-in Re-Entry Tournament and if players are knocked out during late registration they will be given the opportunity to re-enter.

PokerVIP Launches Interactive Poker School

Wootae Min — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:38:39 +0000

Online affiliate PokerVIP has launched a new Interactive Poker School that will allow poker players to learn the game through videos, articles, and a virtual classroom.

The Interactive Poker School features a unique virtual classroom that utilizes visual and hands-on techniques to teach the basics and strategy of poker. Currently, the school features two course levels (Beginner, Intermediate) that contain 25 lessons for the game such as Pre-Flop Basics and Bankroll Management.

Each lesson features a unique interactive hybrid test and game that challenges players to answer a number of poker questions within a given time. Players are able to determine relative skill by comparing their results to others on a Leaderboard. Although seasoned veterans may find lessons such as Hand Rankings to be quite easy.

The Interactive Poker School also allows players to create their own lessons to challenge friends and provide a new competition for the school. The new lesson feature provides an opportunity for school members to share ideas and truly have an interactive experience. Poker players can email the team at PokerVIP (E-mail) for more information about creating lessons.

The PokerVIP team has also added a feature that allows players to earn cash prizes for participation in the school. Players are able to earn a free bankroll while learning and competing in the interactive poker lessons. After completing the courses in the beginner section, participants will be allowed to take a ‘Final Exam’ that features WSOP Main Event winner Joe Hachem. Members who score higher than 80% on the ‘Final Exam’ will win a free $25 bankroll. Also, the top 3 overall users each month will be awarded bigger cash prizes including $250 in a poker account of the player’s choice!

In addition to the unique interactive features, the PokerVIP school also offers strategy articles and videos from top online coaches such as James “SplitSuit” Sweeney and Paul “Internet” Otto. These articles and videos provide advanced players with the tools to succeed at the respective stakes.

The PokerVIP Interactive School is featured in the newly renovated site that features content such as rakeback deals, poker products, and poker related media. Members are able to access an array of poker related content through PokerVIP sites like PokerTube.com and PokerUpdate.com. The site also plans to launch a social desktop application, PokerCube, which allows players to track and post online poker hands in a replayer and reader friendly format.

The Edinburgh based company has created a poker conglomerate that allows players of all skills to enjoy the game of poker through several different mediums. For more information and a great experience, visit the new site!

Betfair Rejects CVC Capital Services Bid

Bruno de Paiva — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:07:00 +0000

After a week of careful consideration, Betfair has chosen to turn down a $1.38 billion bid from CVC Capital Partners. The largest shareholder of the Formula One group, CVC had offered Betfair eight pounds and eighty pence per share, a little over half of the price of each share when it was first launched on the London Stock Exchange in 2010.

The reason for Betfair turning down the bid was that the Board of the company believed the price was too low. In a statement released by Betfair on the bid, it stated that the bid fundamentally undervalued the company and its attractive prospects for the future. It also stated that the bid was “highly conditional”.

These sentiments were echoed by Betfair Chairman Gerald Corbett. Mr Cobrett stated that the solid position of Betfair meant that the bid was not appealing enough to him nor his senior company colleagues.

“We have a unique business with a market position, profitability, cash flow and prospects that this proposal fails to recognise,” Mr Corbett said. “Our new management team are implementing the strategy announced in December 2012 and it is this that will realise value for shareholders. We will provide an update to the market on 7 May 2013 to set out the good progress we are making in the implementation of our strategy, including cost efficiencies, and our recent trading performance."

Colourful characters emerge in New York poker crackdown

Khurram Aziz — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 07:00:00 +0000

The son of one of the wealthiest families in the art world and a notorious Hollywood poker princess were among the 34 people to appear in court in New York over charges stemming from an illegal high-stakes poker ring that was frequented by sports stars, celebrities and Wall Street executives.

Prosecutors allege that all had roles in a sprawling scheme by a Russian organized crime enterprise which laundered at least $100 million in illegal gambling proceeds through hundreds of bank accounts and shell companies in Cyprus and the United States.

Every one of the accused arraigned in a Manhattan court pleaded not guilty to the charges, including Hillel “Helly” Nahmad and Molly Bloom.

Nahmad’s arrest has become the talk of the art world according to sources such as The Financial Times. The 34-year-old is one of the wealthiest families in the art world and it was his Helly Nahmad Gallery in Manhattan which is thought to be at the centre of the poker ring.

Prosecutors say he is part of the ‘Nahmad-Trincher Organisation’, which is alleged to be “a nationwide criminal enterprise” running high-stakes illegal gambling businesses. Nahmad is alleged to have financed the organisation.

Bloom, who also pleaded not guilty, is said to have organised high-stakes poker games for A-list celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Alex Rodriguez, Tobey Maguire and Matt Damon. She is said to be facing bookmaking charges.

The FBI made the arrests, which spanned between, Los Angeles, Miami and New York, last week, but have not named any of the high-profile players who played in the games. However, it is suspected pro’s such as Bill Edler, Peter Feldman, Abe Mosseri, Joe Mancuso, John Hanson and Eddie Ting, are those who are involved.

But the net could go wider than that. Nahmad, for example, runs in a dizzying social circle of A-list friends, which include supermodel Gisele Bundchen and her football quarterback husband Tom Brady, according to the New York Post. Like Bloom, he is also friends with DiCaprio, who, according to the Washington Post, played in games run by Bloom in Los Angeles.

Apart from the more recognizable names, a 32-year-old JPMorgan Chase branch manager in New York was arrested and charged with helping one of the other defendant’s structure transactions in order to avoid bank reporting requirements, the 84-page indictment states.

Infamous Russian crime boss Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov, nicknamed ‘the Little Taiwanese’, has also been indicted in the case, although he remains in hiding in Russia.

Tokhtakhounov was indicted previously for rigging the figure skating competition at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics and is thought to be among the highest ranking members of Russian organized crime.

A judge set a trial date for the summer of 2014.

EPT Berlin Main Event Kicks Off

Bruno de Paiva — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 03:10:30 +0000

The first day of the European Poker Tour (EPT) Berlin Main Event got underway on Sunday, with the first starting flight of the tourney taking place. Day 1A of the six-day tournament began with 347 players from all around Europe and the globe, and ended with around 250.

Little known German player Ronny Voth currently has the chip lead after the first day, with 196,100 chips to his name. Mike Kunze is hot on Voth’s tail, however, trailing him by just 8,000 chips. Thomas Richter and Sebastian Trisch are not too far behind either, with 176,100 and 173,500 chips respectively.

The start of the Main Event coincided with the ending of the Berlin Cup, which was won by Dutchman Pieter de Korver. De Korver took home €145,400 from the €1,100, 911 player event, edging out German Sebastian Gohr and Russian Anatoly Filatov. The Dutchman will hope to replicate his Berlin Cup success this week as he plays in Day 1B of the Main Event.

The EPT Berlin captured news headlines around the world in 2010 after four armed men stormed the tournament before robbing a little under €300,000. They were caught, charged, tried and sentenced some time later. That infamous setback has not deterred some of Europe’s best poker players from playing in EPT Berlin, however, as seen by the first ever Belgian WSOP gold bracelet winner, Davidi Kitai’s spectacular win in the Berlin Main Event in 2012.

Day 1B of the EPT Berlin Main Event begins later this afternoon, with the final table of the tournament set to be held this coming Saturday. This will also herald the end of the EPT Berlin 2013.

Cheong wins APT Manila Millions

Bruno de Paiva — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 11:10:23 +0000

Joseph Cheong has shown that he has a place among the kings of high-stakes poker after taking out the Asian Poker Tour (APT) Manila Millions tournament. Held in the Philippines capital, the two-day tournament had a buy-in of HKD$1,000,000 (around US$129,000) and 18 players participate, including renowned pros Joe Hachem, Phillip Gruissem and Nam Le.

It was a very well-played tournament by Cheong, proven by the fact that he was the chip leader at the end of the first day. With seven players remaining on the second and last day of the tournament, the online poker marvel was in a great position to take out the HK $10,428,000 (US$1,343,122), something he did in great fashion.

Cheong took out each of his final three rivals en route to winning the Manila Millions in a spectacular ending to the tourney. Malaysian Paul Phua was the first of Cheong’s final three victims, knocked out after Cheong’s Eight Seven of spades hit a full house on the turn. Canadian resident Peter Chan was the next scalp on the winner’s list. Although Chan had a Queen-high flush after the river, it was no match for Cheong’s King-high flush, which ended Chan’s chances of a victory in Manila.

This left Malaysian businessman and poker enthusiast Richard Yong and Cheong in heads-up play, and it took little time for Cheong to be the last man sitting - one hand to be exact. The final two players undertook a showdown, with Yong’s Ace King being in front of Cheong’s Ace Ten pre-flop. Cheong paired his Ten on the flop, however, and with the turn and river respectively bringing the two of clubs and four of spades, it was a quick end to the heads-up play and the tournament.

The victory ended what was a stellar week for Cheong on the poker table. Along with winning the Manila Millions, Cheong also placed second at the WSOP Asia Pacific No Limit Hold’Em High Roller tournament in Australia, taking out $537,386 for his efforts. Cheong’s earnings from the two tournaments total around $1.9 million, not a bad amount for a little over one week’s work.

Born in South Korea before moving to the US with his family as a child, Cheong has steadily made a name for himself on the poker table in recent years. He began perfecting his game online, building himself a solid bankroll before deciding to participate in live tournaments. Cheong’s big break came in the 2010 WSOP Main Event where he finished third, taking home a hearty $4,130,049. He has earned $7,981,768 in live tournaments since coming onto the scene in 2009.

While he has not yet been able to replicate that performance in subsequent Main Events or major tournaments, it looks like he may have found a niche for the high-roller tournaments given his excellent performances this month.

Macau Poker Cup Begins

Bruno de Paiva — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 03:40:54 +0000

There was little rest for high-rate professional poker in the Asia Pacific this week after the Macau Poker Cup got under way in the casino mecca last night. It came just four days after the end of the successful five-day long WSOP Asia Pacific in Melbourne, Australia.

Organised by PokerStars in their 'PokerStars LIVE at the City of Dreams' poker room in the Chinese special administrative region, the Cup is scheduled to run for 10 days. The Red Dragon Main Event, with a HKD$11,000 (around USD$1,420,) is the pinnacle of the Cup and will have a guarantee of HKD$5,000,000 (around USD$644,000).

The Macau Poker Cup also features various other poker tournaments throughout the next week and a half, including a two-day HKD$5,500 no limit event with a HKD$500,000 guarantee as well as a HKD$3,000 no limit turbo event and a HKD$2,000 deep stack poker tournament. Wednesday will be when the long-awaited three-day long Red Dragon Main Event kicks off, with the best poker players in Asia set to compete for the Macau Poker Cup’s top prize.

Last night began with the launching of the Cup, followed by two satellites to the abovementioned HKD$5,500 no limit poker tournament, which is set to kick-off today in the afternoon. With a HKD$750 buy-in for the satellite, it could prove to be small investments for a large return should the sattelites’ winners repeat their success in the two-day tournament.

Day one of the Macau Poker Cup finished up with the first day of the two-day HKD$2,000 deep stack event, which is set to continue and finish tonight. Besides this and the $5,500 no limit tourney, two other sattelites to the latter tournament will be held to kick off the second day. Sattelites for the Red Dragon Main Event, with a HKD$1,200 buy-in, will also be held throughout the cup, starting on Sunday.

April is set to be a huge month for poker in the Asia Pacific region. Besides the Macau Poker Cup, the first-ever WSOP Asia Pacific was held in Australia earlier in the month and the APPT (Asia Pacific Poker Tour) Cebu begins on April 29, the day after the Macau Poker Cup comes to a close.

World famous poker players, such as Antonio Esfandiari, Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Jonathan Duhamel and Phil Hellmuth took part in the WSOP APAC, with Negreanu winning its Main Event. The Macau Poker World Cup and APPT Cebu, on the other hand, are both organised by PokerStars, a household name in the world of poker. Such high-level poker events have established the Asia Pacific as one the global centres of poker.

The second day of the Macau Poker Cup kicks off at 2.00pm local time at the PokerStars LIVE at the City of Dreams poker room.

Bwin.party Closing Operations in 18 Countries

Charles Rettmuller — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 19:16:48 +0000

Bwin.party has announced that they will no longer be accepting new players in 18 countries in a massive shutdown that is designed to focus concentration on markets where regulation is not in a so-called grey area.

The announcement came in the form of an email to company affiliates stating that for "commercial reasons," new traffic will no longer be accepted in the following jurisdictions: Argentina, Armenia, Belarus, Brazil, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and the Ukraine.

A bwin.party spokesperson told eGR that the company business strategy entails focusing on markets that are "regulated and to-be-regulated" and has resulted in "making adjustments in various dot.com markets." The pullout is effective April 30, 2013, but does not include players in the aforementioned countries who have already established accounts at bwin.party sites such as PartyPoker.

Bwin.party CEO Norbert Teufelberger hinted toward the changes earlier this year when the company's financial results for 2012 were deemed inadequate. The CEO said at the time that bwin.party would be “reducing the number of markets we are putting a focus on." The missive sent to affiliates today bears that out.

One of the markets bwin.party is expected to focus on is the new U.S. online gambling market expected to launch this year in Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey. Bwin.party has partnered with casino companies Boyd Gaming and MGM Resorts, and also has an agreement in place with the United Auburn tribe in California.

Stanford University Study Reveals Key to Physical Tells in Poker

Wootae Min — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 18:39:54 +0000

The face and its various movements have been a key aspect in several psychological studies involving behavior and emotion. Studies have shown that basic facial movements are universal for emotions such as happiness, anger, and excitement. Furthermore, eye movement has been an important aspect of psychological studies in infants and in marketing.

Given the importance of the facial movements, most poker players have believed that the best physical “tells” come from the face. This notion has been popularized by top professionals who seem to glare at the opponents face for a sign of emotion or some form of a “tell”. It has even inspired a pop culture song by Lady Gaga entitled “Poker Face”.

However, a recent study by Psychologist Michael Slepian of Stanford University and his colleagues have debunked the popular notion of facial tells. The study published in Psychological Science suggests that poker players are more likely to give away emotional tells with their hands than their faces.

In the study, 78 undergraduates were shown video clips of players placing wagers at the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event. The short clips (1.6 seconds) showed an array of poker players’ anatomies during the act of betting. Some clips show the entire body above the table while others focus on the face or hands/arm. Each volunteer was only able to see one type of anatomy clip and was shown several instances of this particular part. After the viewing, the volunteers were asked to rate the strength of the players’ hands on a seven point scale. Furthermore, the volunteers were asked to rate personal experiences in poker on a similar scale.

The study found that there was a negative correlation between the actual hand and the “face only” volunteers’ perception of the hand (0.07). In this group, the actual hand actually became worse when the volunteers perception of the quality of the hand increased. There was no correlation when a person was able to see the entire posture. However, there was a positive correlation between the volunteers’ perception and the actual hand strength in the group that was shown only the hands and the arms (+0.07)

Michael Slepian and his colleagues confirmed the results of this initial experiment by repeating it. Furthermore, Slepian concluded that this phenomenon occurred due to the fact that anxiety had a tendency to disrupt smooth body movements. To test this hypothesis, Slepian conducted a third experiment by showing the same clips to 40 volunteers. However, the volunteers were asked to rate the players’ confidence or the smoothness of a players’ movement of chips into the middle of the table.

Slepian found that those players who rated as confident or smooth in chip movements tended to have better holdings. There was a 0.15 correlation when the students considered confidence and an astonishing 0.29 correlation when focusing on the smoothness. From the statistics, Slepian and his colleagues were able to empirically prove that hand movement and smoothness were better indicators of hand strength.

Overall, the Stanford study reveals the fact that anatomical tells at the live poker table can be irrelevant when focusing on the face or posture. However, the study does confirm that players should look at the hands and the motion of wagering when trying to gain a read on an opponent.

Although physical tells have diminished in value given the dominance of online poker, players can now use this study to gain a little more information at the brick and mortar casino. Although the correlations are not as strong as some would like, any given information is considered an edge in poker.

Belgian Regulators Take Action on Gambling Sites

Wootae Min — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 16:31:33 +0000

The Belgian Gaming Commission (BGC) has officially placed poker operators PKR and Redbet on the online gambling blacklist.

The regulator has blocked the primary dotcom domains of the Alderney-licensed PKR and the Malta-licensed Redbet. The BGC has also added Curacao-licensed GoldenCherry Casino and Klaver Casino on the black list as well. The addition of PKR and Redbet brings the total blacklist online gaming sites to sixty-nine.

The Belgian Gaming Commission has been attempting to develop the online gambling market in the country through approvals of licensed operators while combating black market operators. Recently, the BGC confirmed the dot.be domains such as bwin.party.be and circusbet.be to offer online gambling products such as poker and casino games. Bwin.party also received a license to operate its sports betting product, CKO Betting NV, which will include Formula One wagers.

According to regulations, online gambling operators must secure a land based casino or a partnership with an existing casino to be approved for dot.be site. At the moment, nine online gaming companies have received approval to offer different types of wagering.

In an e-mail to players PKR stated: "Existing Belgian PKR players will have 40 days to withdraw their balances from their accounts."

Calls to Legalise Poker Clubs in Norway Grow Louder after Firebombing

Khurram Aziz — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:13:12 +0000

An underground poker club in Oslo, was hit with a Molotov cocktail earlier this week, in a further sign of the growing involvement of organised crime in Norway’s gambling sector.

The attack has led to calls for Norway to legalise poker clubs and bring the multitude of poker games that pervade the capital into the light.

Danish porker site, PNN, reports that an unknown person threw an “incendiary bomb through a window and directly into one of Oslo’s small poker clubs”. Five players and one dealer were in the room at the time, although no one was harmed in the incident.

Norway has some of the strictest gambling and poker laws in Europe, and some say that is precisely what’s to blame for driving organised crime into the game.

“It’s incredibly unfortunate that something like this happens. We believe that it is a consequence of Norway’s gaming policy,” said Sigurd Eskeland from the Norwegian Poker Prohibition group, which is actively campaigning to liberalise poker clubs in the country. “We want to legalise poker, so it can be played in a safe environment – even here in Norway. Today’s gaming policy is outdated and must be adapted to new times.”

Gambling in Norway is for the most part illegal, with the exception of Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto, which are the two only companies allowed to offer gambling services in the country.

Both are state-owned monopolies run by the Ministry of Culture and Church affairs, and have strict rules around who can gamble and how much they’re allowed to bet. But while it’s legal to hold private poker games at home, large scale commercial operations are strictly outlawed.

Norway has made all forms of online gambling illegal and is in June 2010 the Norwegian government passed a law that forced all banks in Norway to deny the customers the use of credit and debit cards at land and online casinos all over the world.

World-renowned Norwegian poker player, Thor Hansen, believes that this strict policy against poker in the country, is contributing to the growth of organised crime.

In February, he told PNN, “Unfortunately it is not legal to play poker in Norway... Eventually the politicians must surely surrender. Hopefully [this] happens when there is a new government – it must happen soon. I get angry when I think of that Norsk Tipping [h]ave so much power that they have. They are the ones that drive mafia business.”

However, Norway isn’t the only country suffering from the effects of organised crime on its poker games. On the same day as the bombing in Oslo, FBI agents stormed an illegal poker club in Manhattan, arresting several Russian nationals believed to be connected to the mafia.

The individuals arrested were said to be in charge of high-stakes poker games in the city which included unnamed celebrities and “very wealthy individuals working in the financial industry”.

In the 84-page indictment, US prosecutors accuse the men of laundering money through bank accounts and shell companies in Cyprus, routing funds back and forth through Russia. The unnamed celebrities, athletes and financiers are not accused of participating in the criminal enterprise.

"Runner, Runner" Already Has a Release Date

Firat Dural — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 10:46:31 +0000

Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake will star in the newly acquired project “Runner, Runner” , from the writers of “Rounders”. The dramatic thriller, which will be directed by Brad Furman who recently directed “Lincoln Lawyer”, is a set in the world of illegal online gambling and will hit the theaters in 27th of September 2013.

Producers include Leonardo Di Caprio´s Production Company Appian Way and Jennifer Davisson Killoran, Double Feature’s Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher, Stone Village Pictures’ Scott Steindorff and Koppelman and Levien.

It seems like Justin Timberlake, who played Napster guru Sean Parker in David Fincher's "The Social Network, will be going back online but this time he will be entering the high stakes online gambling world.

The movie is about businessman Ivan Block, played by Affleck, who operates an offshore gambling business online. Richie, a Princeton college student who pays for school with on-line gambling, bottoms out and travels to Costa Rica to confront the on-line mastermind, Ivan, whom he believes has swindled him. Ivan sees a kindred spirit in Richie and brings the younger man into his operation. Richie becomes his younger protégé however things start to change when stakes get incredibly high and dangerous.

The screenwriter Brian Koppelman said “There was [a script] we wrote that I knew was a movie. It was mind-boggling to me that it wasn’t a movie.” on the Comedian Jay Mohr´s conversational comedy podcast Mohr Stories. Koppelman and Levien began writing it in August 2010 and turned in a first draft by January 2011. By April 2012, “Runner, Runner” was in production.

“Runner, Runner” has caused both excitement and controversy in real online poker community. Some argue that going from Matt Damon/Edward Norton to Ben Affleck/Justin Timberlake is quite a big down step although they seem to miss the point that this movie is not a sequel or prequel to Rounders in the traditional sense. Others think that any publicity is good publicity for online poker. One thing is for sure though; “Runner Runner” is yet another sign of the way online gambling has made its way into mainstream culture, as more and more people from around the world take up this form of entertainment.

Massachusetts Considers Internet Poker Bill

Charles Rettmuller — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 20:07:18 +0000

An amendment to a budget bill in Massachusetts proposes the legalization of online poker, but restricts the number of licenses allowed to three.

The proposal has the support of 18 lawmakers who attached their names to the plan that would require site operators to dole out a $10 million license fee within 30 days of being awarded a license. Licenses would be valid for 10 years, with taxation being waived for the first two years until the $10 million shelled out for licensing is reached. The tax rate percentage to be levied on poker room operators is not specified in the bill, eGR reported.

The amendment comes about two months after state legislators proposed a scheme under which the Massachusetts State Lottery would operate Internet poker sites. The new proposal does not permit other forms of online gambling, as Amendment #365 to House Bill 3400 is specifically titled "Internet Poker Licenses."

Lawmakers point out that a large number of Massachusetts residents currently patronize unregulated offshore gambling websites that afford no safeguards or protection of funds. Regulation would eliminate that insecurity, as well as create a number of employment opportunities, earmark funds for programs to benefit addicted gamblers, and provide substantial revenue to the Bay State.

Although Massachusetts has no existing commercial casinos, legislation was approved late in 2011 that calls for three land-based casinos to be allowed in the state. Wagers likely won't be accepted from live gamblers before 2016 at the brick and mortar establishments. Conceivably, the "Internet card rooms," as the sites are identified in the amendment, could be active prior to the live casinos. Licenses for the land-based operations will be granted in 2014 and presumably, the three brick and mortars will also run the online poker sites.

Gaming companies who catered to the U.S. market after passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act on Oct. 13, 2006 would be precluded from obtaining a license in Massachusetts. Other states that have or are contemplating bad actor clauses, such as Nevada, have used Dec, 31, 2006 as an arbitrary cutoff date for UIGEA violators. New Jersey removed bad actor language from its statute that was signed by Governor Chris Christie in February and Illinois' latest proposed bill did the same.

The language of the Massachusetts amendment seemingly calls for intrastate online poker only, but the Massachusetts Gaming Commission has the authority to permit interstate agreements sometime in the future. The population of the Bay State is roughly 6.5 million, which is almost three times as large as Nevada. Whether that is enough to operate viable intrastate Internet card rooms is debatable.

It is anticipated that Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey will launch online poker and gambling sites this year. Industry analysts believe that a number of states will join the mix in 2014. Massachusetts could be one of those states if this latest measure is viewed with more favor than those proposed previously.

Switch Poker Launches New Website

Wootae Min — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 17:15:01 +0000

Online Poker Operator, Switch Poker, has launched its new website and a new promotion that provides a challenge to high volume players.

The new website will feature an upgrade to its current software and interface as well as a new promotion. The new site will be much easier to navigate than its predecessor and will provide customer friendly features.

In addition to changes in the website, Switch Poker has announced the introduction of a promotion called “Shoot for Gold Medals”. The promotion will allow players to compete against each other for an Olympic style medal structure. Players will receive points for achievements and milestones relating to the number of days played, big hands, stakes played, and win rates. The medal tally will be displayed on the respective seats at a Switch Poker Table. Ultimately, the promotion will have a leaderboard that will determine the bronze, silver, or gold status.

The basic list of the current medal categories is available on the site, www.switchpoker.com, and several other categories will follow the initial offerings.

Switch Poker, the first primarily online mobile poker offering, hopes that the new promotion will attract players who are looking to compete for these medals. The company believes that these types of competitions will help boost traffic on the relatively new site.

iPoker Announces Launch of Mobile Casino

Wootae Min — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 16:51:40 +0000

Playtech has announced that the company plans to launch a mobile product for select sites on its iPoker network in the upcoming weeks.

The mobile offering will be available on both the iOS and HTML5 platforms and will be available for select dotcom and dot.fr networks. The software company also plans to offer mobile platforms for the iPoker.es and iPoker.it networks in the future, although exact plans have not been released.

Playtech has recently been making several changes to its products and business to combat the increasing competition in a growing market. Recently, iPoker introduced the idea of the anonymous tables in order to attract more recreational players. Furthermore, the network has added several sites over the past months, including Betclic, Everest, and Unibet. The recent business additions have launched iPoker traffic into second place in the Poker Scout rankings behind dominant leader, Poker Stars.

Finally, the software company has tentative plans to release a major software update called “iPoker 13.1” that will improve the basic clients as well as add features such as shootout and heads-up tournaments.

The software company has made major strides over the past few years and it has paid great dividends. The iPoker network currently ranks as the largest poker network in the world and it has made an astronomical rise in traffic rankings over the past year. The software company continues to expand into various markets and various technological platforms.

Bodog Stops MoneyBookers Transactions

Wootae Min — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 16:33:41 +0000

Betting Partners, parent company of Bodog.eu, has announced that it will no longer supports Skrill (Moneybookers) as a payment method.

The online gambling operator has stated that its decision to drop Moneybookers has been due to the high fees and the lack of interest from its customers. Bodog.eu has also stated that it will no longer provide payments to its affiliates through this ewallet.

A notice has been sent to bodog.eu affiliates and players alike to immediately change payment methods. The site recommends that players and affiliates move transactions to international bank wires (available in CAD, EURO, or GBP), NETeller (USD), or Courier (North America).

Moneybookers or Skrill has been a highly popular method of transaction for online gambling sites over the past few years. The ewallet is widely used on European based sites and by poker players around the world. The convenience and security of the ewallet has been viewed as a positive for those players making several transactions with online gambling sites.

However, the ewallet is known for some steep fees and some online poker rooms have shied away from its use due to this rake.

PokerAce Offers Professional Contract through Promotion

Wootae Min — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 16:15:51 +0000

PokerAce, The Asian Online Poker Room, has announced the Hero Poker Asia promotion that would lead to a sponsorship with the site and a contract valued at an estimated $30,000.

The Poker Hero Asia promotion will feature a 7 seat final table that will determine the winner of the promotion and the contract. The first 6 seats will be available through $1 Qualifiers on the PokerAce site

The final seat will be reserved for Asian Pacific Tour live players. This live poker seat will be awarded to the player topping the leaderboard for a series of “Poker Hero Asia” tournaments at each APT stop. The winner of this exclusive final table will ultimately gain the 12 month sponsorship with PokerAce and a full year’s worth of buy-ins and travel expenses to various APT stops.

About PokerAce - PokerAce currently has a stable of top professionals representing its site, including Joe Hachem, JC Tran, Nam Le, and Steve Gee. The online poker site mainly targets residents of countries in Asia. The poker room is gaining attraction from European players for its soft play, wide variety of games and impressive flash software. The Poker Hero Asia promotion hopes to increase popularity for the site as well as groom the next Asian poker star. In this sense, the promotion is currently restricted to players who reside near the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Tournaments are running now and for full details on how to qualify visit www.pokerheroasia.com.

EPT Grand Final Confirms Full Cash Game Slate

Firat Dural — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 13:37:32 +0000

Your dreams have come true! European Poker Tour President Edgar Stuchly announced that this year’s PokerStars and Monte-Carlo®Casino European Poker Tour Grand Final will be the largest festival of cash games in the tour’s history.

The Pokerstars European Poker Tour is a series of poker tournaments similar to those in the World Poker Tour, created by John Duthie in 2004, winner of the inaugural Poker Million tournament. However this year, it will be a lot more than a series of poker tournaments. It will be filled with juicy cash games, cash games organized and run by EPT. They still will have full championship tournaments and side events and Sit & Gos. But this year, cash games are a part of the official European Poker Tour Grand Final schedule.

Of course this isn´t the first time the cash games are run in an EPT. Anyone who participated in an EPT tournament has seen cash games. But this time it is quite different than the past. This time cash games will be spread directly by EPT Grand Final. They will be ones deciding which games and limits will be spread.

Stakes from €2/€5 up to €1,000/€2000 will be offered in a huge variety of games including Hold’em, Omaha, Omaha 8, Stud, Razz, Stud 8, Draw, 2-7, Badugi, Badeucey, Badacey, Chinese, Open Face Chinese and more. They will be spread over 35 tables from 12pm to 6am. Moreover these games will be dealt by professional EPT dealers using shuffle machines to make the experience even better as we will be able to deal more hands per hour. Also there will be a special high stakes host for the nosebleed players.

Good news aren´t over yet; the rake will be as player friendly as it gets. Rake will be limited to 3% and there will be rake caps on each game. For €2/€5 games, the rake will be capped at €15. The €5/€10 and €10/€20 games are capped at €20. All bigger games will be capped at €25.

European Poker Tour President Edgar Stuchly this to be the largest festival of cash games in the tour’s history so he will personally be present there from the beginning to the end, overseeing that everything goes as planned. And that´s not an insignificant thing; Edgar Stuchly has almost 20 years experience in the poker industry, most recently with Casinos Austria, where he was Head of Poker for four years. In his time there he managed European Poker Championships, and founded the Casinos Austria Poker Tour (CAPT). In 2009 he was also recognized as ‘Poker Staff Person of the Year’ for his contributions to the live poker industry in Europe. Edgar is the official spokesperson for the EPT, helping refine the vision for the tour, improve the customer experience for participating players, and grow the brand across Europe.

So pack your bags, fill your pockets with cash and don´t miss the biggest cash game festival in the history of European Poker Tour Grand Final!

New to the Game Tables from FullTilt Poker

Firat Dural — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 12:47:58 +0000

In a new attempt to capture more users, Fulltilt poker has introduced New to the Game tables. These special tables are designed for beginners and new players. They aim to give new players a chance to learn different game types and get better at them without being eaten by multi-tabling sharks.

The difference between a regular table and a New to the Game table is in a New to the Game table the hand is played in a slower pace and tool tips are shown to indicate the player key aspects and options of the game. Moreover current hand strength is always shown which makes it quite harder to muck the nuts involuntarily.

Obviously not everyone will be allowed to play in these games; otherwise they would be filled with 16 tabling low stakes semi-pros. The key variation for eligibility to enter these New to the Game tables is the number of hands you´ve played. Similarly, your eligibility to register for New to the Game tournaments (scheduled and Sit & Go) depends on the number of tournaments you’ve played. The limit is 2000 hands for ring games or 75 tournaments, not matter schedules ones or Sit & Gos. These limits are set for each type of poker. For example, if you play 2000 hands of Pot Limit Omaha in New to the Game tables, you can still sit down and play No Limit Hold´em in the same tables. Also, if you reach to the limit in Pot Limit Omaha Games, you can still go ahead and play Pot Limit Omaha tournaments.

It is a lot easier to find New to the Game tables in Basic View in Fulltilt Poker client. To enable Basic View, open the Options menu in the game lobby and select Lobby View > Basic View. When searching for a type of game in Basic View, you will be automatically directed to New to the Game tables. That is of course, if you are eligible to play those games. When you complete 2000 hands in ring games or 75 tournaments, you will be directed to the standard games. You can identify New to the Game tables in the standard view lobby by the icon “N”.

Since the real reason of these tables are to learn new types of games and enhance the poker skills, only the smallest stakes are offered. Also you can sit at a maximum of two New to the Game ring game tables or tournament tables simultaneously.

NJ to Rule in August on PokerStars' Bid to Buy Casino

Charles Rettmuller — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 20:43:03 +0000

PokerStars' attempt to purchase the Atlantic Club casino and enter the U.S. online poker market via New Jersey will be decided by the state Casino Control Commission in August.

The timetable was set in motion when the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) announced that the Rational Group's application for a casino license was completed on April 10. As the parent company of PokerStars, Rational began discussions to acquire the floundering casino in December. However, the initial application submitted to gaming officials was found to be lacking certain particulars.

With the application now fully complete, the DGE will commence an investigation of PokerStars and has 90 days to file their findings with the commission, putting the deadline at July 9. The Casino Control Commission is allowed 30 days after that to hold a hearing and make a decision on PokerStars' suitability for casino licensure.

PokerStars is banking on acquiring the Atlantic Club Hotel and Casino and forging their way into the U.S. online poker market. The idea is to dominate the American marketplace as they do in nearly every other jurisdiction throughout the world. PokerStars has applied in Delaware in hopes of being a part of that state's Internet gambling scheme, but the company chosen as the primary vendor in Delaware will have a large say in controlling most of that action.

PokerStars has not applied in Nevada, where a bad actor clause will likely keep them out of the picture until 2018. The top online poker site still has the option of challenging their status as a bad actor in Nevada in a court of law. If they could somehow prove that the UIGEA was not violated, they could lose their designation as a bad actor. But with New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware being the only three states that have enacted online poker and gambling legislation thus far, PokerStars' best shot appears to be in New Jersey.

The American Gaming Association (AGA) has strongly opposed PokerStars' attempt to muscle their way into the U.S. market in the Garden State. The AGA has petitioned New Jersey gaming officials to block the acquisition, stating that 'Stars built their empire on deceit and unlawfulness by willfully violating the UIGEA almost seven years ago.

PokerStars fired back at the AGA petition, calling the filing a misguided attempt to promote anti-competitiveness in the marketplace. PokerStars cited their 2012 purchase of Full Tilt in which they admitted no wrongdoing regarding the Black Friday fallout and received somewhat of a blessing from the U.S. Department of Justice to enter the American market whenever it is legal to do so.

In mid-March, the commission held a meeting in which the merits of the AGA petition were to be considered. However, the issue was removed from the docket when officials decided that more time was needed to review the petition.

The odds of PokerStars being found unsuitable by New Jersey gaming officials are extremely high. With Governor Chris Christie aiming to recharge the Atlantic City casinos and already factoring online gambling revenue into his 2014 budget, who better to invite to the party than PokerStars?

New Jersey had a bad actor clause written into its first draft of the online gambling bill. But that provision was conveniently removed. Sen. Ray Lesniak, the biggest supporter of the online gambling bill signed by Christie in February, has practically already christened their arrival.

"PokerStars is the biggest company in online poker, and we should welcome them bringing their American headquarters to New Jersey," Lesniak said.

You can roll out the red carpet now instead of waiting until August.

PokerStars SCOOP 2013 Schedule

Pablo Pagla — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 19:10:05 +0000

Each year, PokerStars hosts the Spring Cup Of Online Poker, which consists on a couple of events in three different Buy-Ins: Low, Medium and High.

Today, the boss of Online Poker rooms announced the 122 events to be played. The Buy-Ins go from as little as $5.50, to a huge highroller of $21.000.

Here you have the complete list of tournaments of 2013 SCOOP:

Event #	Category	Date	Time	Game	Buy-In (US $)	Guaranteed Pool (US $)
1	Low	May 12th	11.00	NL Hold’Em 6max	27	300k
1	Medium	May 12th	11.00	NL Hold’Em 6max	215	600k
1	High	May 12th	11.00	NL Hold’Em 6max	2100	1m
2	Low	May 12th	14.30	NL Hold’Em	27	400k
2	Medium	May 12th	14.30	NL Hold’Em	215	1m
2	High	May 12th	14.30	NL Hold’Em	2100	1.25m
3	Low	May 13th	11.00	NL Hold’Em 6max / Action Hour / Rebuy	5.50	200k
3	Medium	May 13th	11.00	NL Hold’Em 6max / Action Hour / Rebuy	55	300k
3	High	May 13th	11.00	NL Hold’Em 6max / Action Hour / Rebuy	530	500k
4	Low	May 13th	14.00	FL Badugi	27	30k
4	Medium	May 13th	14.00	FL Badugi	215	40k
4	High	May 13th	14.00	FL Badugi	2100	50k
5	Low	May 13th	17.00	NL Hold’Em Turbo / Rebuy	11	250k
5	Medium	May 13th	17.00	NL Hold’Em Turbo / Rebuy	109	500k
5	High	May 13th	17.00	NL Hold’Em Turbo / Rebuy	1050	750k
6	Low	May 14th	11.00	NL Draw 2xChance	11	30k
6	Medium	May 14th	11.00	NL Draw 2xChance	109	40k
6	High	May 14th	11.00	NL Draw 2xChance	1050	50k
7	Low	May 14th	14.00	NL Hold’Em Heads-Up	7.50	50k
7	Medium	May 14th	14.00	NL Hold’Em Heads-Up	82	150k
7	High	May 14th	14.00	NL Hold’Em Heads-Up	700	250k
8	Low	May 14th	17.00	NL Hold’Em	11	100k
8	Medium	May 14th	17.00	NL Hold’Em	109	300k
8	High	May 14th	17.00	NL Hold’Em (Super Tuesday Special Edition)	1050	1m
9	Low	May 15th	11.00	PL 5-card Omaha H/L 6max	7.50	25k
9	Medium	May 15th	11.00	PL 5-card Omaha H/L 6max	82	50k
9	High	May 15th	11.00	PL 5-card Omaha H/L 6max	700	100k
10	Low	May 15th	14.00	NL Hold’Em Super KO	27	200k
10	Medium	May 15th	14.00	NL Hold’Em Super KO	215	400k
10	High	May 15th	14.00	NL Hold’Em Super KO	2100	800k
11	Low	May 15th	17.00	Stud	27	30k
11	Medium	May 15th	17.00	Stud	215	40k
11	High	May 15th	17.00	Stud	2100	75k
12	Low	May 16th	11.00	NL Single Draw 2-7	27	30k
12	Medium	May 16th	11.00	NL Single Draw 2-7	215	40k
12	High	May 16th	11.00	NL Single Draw 2-7	2100	50k
13	Low	May 16th	14.00	PL Omaha Heads-Up	27	25k
13	Medium	May 16th	14.00	PL Omaha Heads-Up	215	75k
13	High	May 16th	14.00	PL Omaha Heads-Up	2100	200k
14	Low	May 16th	17.00	NL Hold’Em Big Antes / Rebuy	11	150k
14	Medium	May 16th	17.00	NL Hold’Em Big Antes / Rebuy	109	250k
14	High	May 16th	17.00	NL Hold’Em Big Antes / Rebuy	1050	400k
15	Low	May 17th	11.00	NL Hold’Em Big Ante Up	7.50	50k
15	Medium	May 17th	11.00	NL Hold’Em Big Ante Up	82	75k
15	High	May 17th	11.00	NL Hold’Em Big Ante Up	700	150k
16	Low	May 17th	14.00	FL Omaha H/L	27	25k
16	Medium	May 17th	14.00	FL Omaha H/L	215	50k
16	High	May 17th	14.00	FL Omaha H/L	2100	100k
17	Low	May 17th	17.00	NL Hold’Em 6max / Turbo / Super KO	27	200k
17	Medium	May 17th	17.00	NL Hold’Em 6max / Turbo / Super KO	215	400k
17	High	May 17th	17.00	NL Hold’Em 6max / Turbo / Super KO	2100	800k
18	Low	May 18th	11.00	NL Hold’Em 10max / Shootout	27	100k
18	Medium	May 18th	11.00	NL Hold’Em 10max / Shootout	215	150k
18	High	May 18th	11.00	NL Hold’Em 10max / Shootout	2100	150k
19	Low	May 18th	14.00	PL 5-Card Omaha 6max / Rebuy	11	75k
19	Medium	May 18th	14.00	PL 5-Card Omaha 6max / Rebuy	109	150k
19	High	May 18th	14.00	PL 5-Card Omaha 6max / Rebuy	1050	300k
20	Low	May 18th	17.00	NL Hold’Em Turbo / Zoom	27	150k
20	Medium	May 18th	17.00	NL Hold’Em Turbo / Zoom	215	350k
20	High	May 18th	17.00	NL Hold’Em Turbo / Zoom	2100	500k
21	Low	May 19th	11.00	NL Hold’Em	27	300k
21	Medium	May 19th	11.00	NL Hold’Em	215	600k
21	High	May 19th	11.00	NL Hold’Em	2100	1m
22	Low	May 19th	14.30	NL Hold’Em	27	400k
22	Medium	May 19th	14.30	NL Hold’Em	215	1m
22	High	May 19th	14.30	NL Hold’Em	2100	1.25m
23	Low	May 19th	17.00	PL Omaha 6max / Turbo / Rebuy	11	50k
23	Medium	May 19th	17.00	PL Omaha 6max / Turbo / Rebuy	109	100k
23	High	May 19th	17.00	PL Omaha 6max / Turbo / Rebuy	1050	200k
24	Low	May 20th	11.00	Mixed NLHE/PLO	11	50k
24	Medium	May 20th	11.00	Mixed NLHE/PLO	109	100k
24	High	May 20th	11.00	Mixed NLHE/PLO	1050	200k
25	Low	May 20th	14.00	FL Hold’Em 6max	27	25k
25	Medium	May 20th	14.00	FL Hold’Em 6max	215	50k
25	High	May 20th	14.00	FL Hold’Em 6max	2100	75k
26	Low	May 20th	17.00	PL Courchevel H/L Turbo / 1R1A	11	50k
26	Medium	May 20th	17.00	PL Courchevel H/L Turbo / 1R1A	109	150k
26	High	May 20th	17.00	PL Courchevel H/L Turbo / 1R1A	1050	300k
27	Low	May 21st	11.00	Triple Draw 2-7	27	25k
27	Medium	May 21st	11.00	Triple Draw 2-7	215	50k
27	High	May 21st	11.00	Triple Draw 2-7	2100	100k
28	Low	May 21st	14.00	Stud H/L	27	25k
28	Medium	May 21st	14.00	Stud H/L	215	50k
28	High	May 21st	14.00	Stud H/L	2100	75k
29	Low	May 21st	17.00	NL Hold’Em	11	100k
29	Medium	May 21st	17.00	NL Hold’Em	109	300k
29	High	May 21st	17.00	NL Hold’Em (Super Tuesday Special Edition)	1050	1m
30	Low	May 22nd	11.00	Razz	27	25k
30	Medium	May 22nd	11.00	Razz	215	50k
30	High	May 22nd	11.00	Razz	2100	100k
31	Low	May 22nd	14.00	NL Hold’Em KO	27	250k
31	Medium	May 22nd	14.00	NL Hold’Em KO	265	500k
31	High	May 22nd	14.00	NL Hold’Em KO	2600	750k
32	Low	May 22nd	17.00	PL Omaha Turbo / Zoom	27	40k
32	Medium	May 22nd	17.00	PL Omaha Turbo / Zoom	215	75k
32	High	May 22nd	17.00	PL Omaha Turbo / Zoom	2100	100k
33	Low	May 23rd	11.00	8-game	27	30k
33	Medium	May 23rd	11.00	8-game	215	50k
33	High	May 23rd	11.00	8-game	2100	100k
34	Low	May 23rd	14.00	PL Omaha H/L	27	50k
34	Medium	May 23rd	14.00	PL Omaha H/L	215	100k
34	High	May 23rd	14.00	PL Omaha H/L	2100	150k
35	Low	May 23rd	17.00	NL Hold’Em Turbo 2xChance	27	250k
35	Medium	May 23rd	17.00	NL Hold’Em Turbo 2xChance	215	400k
35	High	May 23rd	17.00	NL Hold’Em Turbo 2xChance	2100	800k
36	Low	May 24th	11.00	NL Hold’Em 1R1A	27	250k
36	Medium	May 24th	11.00	NL Hold’Em 1R1A	215	350k
36	High	May 24th	11.00	NL Hold’Em 1R1A	2100	500k
37	Low	May 24th	14.00	HORSE	27	30k
37	Medium	May 24th	14.00	HORSE	215	60k
37	High	May 24th	14.00	HORSE	2100	100k
38	Low	May 24th	17.00	NL Omaha H/L	27	40k
38	Medium	May 24th	17.00	NL Omaha H/L	215	70k
38	High	May 24th	17.00	NL Omaha H/L	2100	100k
39	Low	May 25th	11.00	PL Omaha 6max	55	100k
39	Medium	May 25th	11.00	PL Omaha 6max	530	200k
39	High	May 25th	11.00	PL Omaha 6max	5200	400k
40	Low	May 25th	12.30	NL Hold’Em Heads-Up Highroller	215	200k
40	Medium	May 25th	12.30	NL Hold’Em Heads-Up Highroller	2100	300k
40	High	May 25th	12.30	NL Hold’Em Heads-Up Highroller	21000	400k
41	Low	May 25th	14.00	NL Hold’Em 4max	27	200k
41	Medium	May 25th	14.00	NL Hold’Em 4max	215	350k
41	High	May 25th	14.00	NL Hold’Em 4max	2100	600k
42	Low	May 26th	11.00	NL Hold’Em 8max	27	300k
42	Medium	May 26th	11.00	NL Hold’Em 8max	215	600k
42	High	May 26th	11.00	NL Hold’Em 8max	2100	1m
43	Low	May 26th	14.30	Main Event	109	1m
43	Medium	May 26th	14.30	Main Event	1050	2m
43	High	May 26th	14.30	Main Event	10300	3m
44	Low	May 26th	17.00	SCOOP Wrap-Up Turbo 3xChance	11	100k
44	Medium	May 26th	17.00	SCOOP Wrap-Up Turbo 3xChance	109	250k
44	High	May 26th	17.00	SCOOP Wrap-Up Turbo 3xChance	1050	400k

Don’t miss the chance to play this huge events with the opportunity of winning some life changing money!

Betfair Advertisement Banned by ASA

Wootae Min — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 17:16:08 +0000

The Advertising Standards Authority of the United Kingdom has officially banned a Betfair television advertisement.

The advertisement contended that the sports book operator offered better value than its competitors. It stated that Betfair offered a better price than William Hill on 506 of 640 runners, Paddy Power on 549 of 640 runners, and Betfred on 543 of 640 runners for the London Marathon about 30 minutes prior to the race. The advertisement was flagged after a viewer challenged this claim with evidence that the latter three sports book also claimed the “Best Odds Guaranteed”.

Betfair argued that the price comparison reflects the most up to date and meaningful point due to price convergence leading up to the race. Furthermore, the sports book argued that “Best Odds Guaranteed” was a restricted payout given to losing or new customers.

However, the ASA ruled that the Betfair ad erroneously compared its prices to the competitors and offered misleading information about the relative pricing and odds for the London Marathon.

This is the second time that a Betfair advertisement has been banned.

Bodog Poker Network is Sending Zorro to APT Philippines

Firat Dural — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:40:48 +0000

In a new publicity stunt attempt, Bodog Poker Network decided to send an anonymous player dressed in a specially designed Zorro outfit to play at APT Philippines. Moreover they are offering a 1000$ bounty to whoever knock them out of the tournament.

For the special Zorro style hat, Bodog went out of his way and hired the very famous hat designer Tara O´Callaghan who is the student of Philip Treacy. Tara O´Callaghan is also known for designing hats for Zara Philip, the eldest granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The Zorro hat for Bodog will be hand make in UK.

Bodog Poker is known to promote recreational players. "When we first introduced the Recreational Poker Model we were much ridiculed and so it is satisfying that virtually all major poker rooms have now changed direction and are seeking to improve the poker eco-system by introducing incentives to the all-important net depositing player. While I am not a fan of the Player Segregation Model unveiled by Party Poker recently there is no mistaking the reasoning behind it." Says Bodog Poker Network President, Jonas Odman.

He adds "The costume and bounty for our anonymous player at the upcoming APT is partly a bit of fun but it is also there to serve as reminder that we believe the Bodog Network is far and away the fairest place to play poker online. We are the only Network based in Asia with the emerging Asian player in mind and we are specifically optimised for sports betting sites that want access to a network but don't want their players' money diverted away to poker pros."

Bodog´s Zorro will also participate in Grand Final of the APS with a prize pool of $100,000 in January 2014. Bodog will definitely make one anonymous, recreational online poker player dressed in Zorro outfit very happy!

Celebrities and Poker Pros Implicated In Illegal Games in New York

Khurram Aziz — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 08:23:55 +0000

Some of New York’s biggest names in entertainment and finance could be implicated up in an FBI crackdown on an underground poker games run by alleged Russian mobsters, according to an indictment filed in Manhattan Federal court on Tuesday.

Among the men charged is Vadim Trincher, a poker pro who won the WPT Foxwoods Poker Classic in season 7 back in 2009. Other pros said to have played in the illegal poker games are said to include Bill Edler, Peter Feldman , Abe Mosseri , Joe Mancuso , John Hanson and Eddie Ting.

Twenty of the thirty-four defendants have been taken into custody, while Bill Edler is not among those being detained and is considered a fugitive, according to one source.

The indictment, which runs to 84-pages, alleges that unnamed celebrities and “very wealthy individuals working in the financial industry” played poker in games run by organised criminals.

The indictment was filed the same morning the FBI raided the Carlyle Hotel on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, arresting several individuals. According to the Washington Post, dozens of people in the New York City region, Florida and elsewhere have been charged with operating a criminal enterprise centred around racketeering, illegal gambling, money laundering and extortion.

There also were FBI raids at a $6 million apartment in Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue and a prestigious Madison Avenue art gallery owned by two of the defendants.

George Venizelos, head of the New York FBI office, told the Wall Street Journal that charges against 34 individuals "demonstrate the scope and reach of Russian organised crime".

He added: "The defendants are alleged to have handled untold millions in illegal wagers placed by millionaires and billionaires, laundered millions, and in some cases are themselves multimillionaires. Crime pays only until you are arrested and prosecuted”.

The indictment names three people as the main leaders of the alleged gambling ring: Alimzhan Tokhakhounov, Vadim Trincher and Anatoly Golubchik.

Trincher is accused of operating the sports gambling side of the business that catered mostly to “oligarchs” living in the Ukraine and Russia, Golubchik is depicted as the alleged ringleader and Tokhakhounov is described in the indictment as an allegedly “powerful figure in former Soviet Union organized crime”.

He was already under indictment in a separate US case accusing him of bribing Olympic figure skating judges at the 2002 Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Prosecutors allege that Tokhtakhounov was paid $20m (£13m) in illegal proceeds from the operation during a two-month period in late 2011.

In the indictment, prosecutors accuse the men of laundering money through bank accounts and shell companies in Cyprus, routing funds back and forth through Russia. The unnamed celebrities, athletes and financiers are not accused of participating in the criminal enterprise.

Without naming any names, federal authorities in New York said the poker players included Hollywood actors, professional athletes and top Wall Street bankers.

None of the players are facing charges.

Those arrested are expected to be arraigned in federal court in Manhattan, Florida and elsewhere later this week.

CVC Partners Considers Bid for Betfair

Charles Rettmuller — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:47:56 +0000

CVC Partners is currently in discussions with Betfair to takeover the popular betting exchange, which would transform the publicly-listed company into a private entity.

A deadline of May 13 at 5:00 p.m. has been given to CVC in which to place a bid for Betfair, whose initial public offering ocurred less than three years ago in October of 2010.

In a statement distributed by CVC to the London Stock Exchange, a CVC spokesperson said that the company typically “keeps a wide range of opportunities under regular review” and that the acquisition of Betfair is one of those options.

Betfair countered with a statement of its own, advising shareholders to stand pat because there is "no certainty that an offer will be made." A buyout would likely result in a windfall for both Betfair shareholders and management.

CVC's interest in Betfair follows a restructuring of the company that included the hiring of CEO Breon Corcoran last August and the departure of Betfair from various unstable markets such as Cyprus and Greece. Betfair has also recently taken over certain assets of Rank Interactive's Blue Square Bet for £5 million.

"Betfair is currently going through one of the most exciting phases in its development,” chairman Gerald Corbett said. “Our management team is actively implementing the new business plan for the company and we remain fully committed to delivering on the new strategy and providing improved returns for our shareholders.”

Betfair was valued at £1.5 billion when made available on the London Stock Exchange in 2010. Its share price was £15.50 at the time, but fell to 567p in 2011. It currently trades at 775p, an increase of 11%.

CVC Partners holds investments in both Samsonite and Formula One. A buyout of Betfair would allow the betting exchange to undergo less reporting and regulation requirements, permitting the operator to better focus on particular long-term goals instead of managing earnings in the short term. However, going private would mean that Betfair could not raise additional money by issuing more stock and would also lose the brand equity associated with being listed on the London Stock Exchange.

U.S. Online Gambling Market Estimated to Be Worth $9.3 Billion

Wootae Min — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 14:55:07 +0000

Morgan Stanley has predicted that the United States online gambling market will be worth $9.3 Billion by the year 2020.

The investment bank released an investor analysis ahead of the debut of the regulated online gaming market in New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware. It has predicted that the online gambling market would reach an estimated $670 million in its initial year, 2014, and reach levels surpassing the 2012 combined revenues of Las Vegas ($6.2 billion) and Atlantic City ($3 billion). Furthermore, Morgan Stanley has stated that its estimated valuations of the online gambling market are relatively conservative.

Given the forecast, analysts have focused their attention to the stock of Boyd Gaming, who has established a partnership with Bwin.party. Morgan Stanley has set a target price of $12 for the stock and Boyd Gaming shares climbed 10.37% to $9.05 after the release of the analysis. According to Barron’s:

“We view BYD as best positioned stock in our US coverage to benefit from the US online gaming opportunity given its positioning and relative size. BYD currently has a $710 million market cap, is 7x levered, and we expect it to generate $634 million of 2013 EBITDA. The other well positioned operator in our coverage for online is MGM Resorts International (MGM) but it has a market cap of ~$6 billion and we expect it to generate ~$2 billion of EBITDA in ‘13e, making online less of a driver.”

The United States online gambling market was valued at $5.6 billion before the enactment of the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. Some analysts have speculated that the post-UIGEA black market was equally as strong as the previous legal market.

However, the United States online gambling market included customers from all fifty states prior to 2006. At the moment, only three states have brought about regulations for online gambling and the legislative outlook in other states has been disappointing.

Investment Analysis Firm, Barron’s, initially warned investors about aggressively buying gaming stocks in February. The initial earning projections for the public, U.S.-focused casino and gaming operators are weak and a national law would be necessary to significantly increase profits for this sector.

Although the valuations from Morgan Stanley seem to hinge on several factors (mainly, legislative), the predictions has given some optimism for gaming stock investors and poker players alike.

Poker and Golf ; Rafael Nadal´s New Battlegrounds

Firat Dural — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 11:50:45 +0000

Last few months haven´t been easy for the former world no.1. A knee injury in Wimbledon has kept him away from courts since last June. He wasn't allowed to even run or jump for the most part. So he did what every logical person would do, started playing poker.

Seven months was a long time to be "caged in" for a highly competitive sportsman. Nadal had recently signed with Pokerstars as sports ambassador and the unfortunate injury gave him the time to learn how to play poker and practise both online and offline. He started inviting friends over to his magnificent home on the Mediterranean island of Majorca.

"I learnt to play poker. I did not understand the game, and now I understand it I see it's fun, competitive. You need to have self-control, to measure times in which you can attack or defend," he says in a recent interview. And it has paid off for him, he won his first online poker tournament last January.

Poker isn't the only new hobby of Nadal which requires self-control. When asked about his golf game and if he will chase a professional golf career after his retirement, "I don't feel that good," Nadal says. "If someone comes up to me at 18 and says he wants to be a tennis pro, I'll advise him to try but tell him he probably will not make it. At 27, 31, 32 or 33, when my (tennis) career ends, I will not have the opportunity to become a golf pro. I will improve my handicap, but to be a professional you need to start as a child." It means The King of Clay won´t be following the footsteps of Andy Murray´s coach and a former world number one Ivan Lendl, who persuaded a professional golf career after his retirement and didn't do as good as he was hoping.

Since his return to the courts after being out of the ATP tour for almost 7 months, Nadal already won three tournaments, including an Indian Wells win, and lost the fourth one at the final. Despite his 8 Monte Carlo titles and 44 wins in 45 matches, he states that he is not the top favourite to win that tournament this year. "My only fear, and of course I am still scared, is about when I may get to feel that the knee is completely strong again, 100 per cent,” he says, but he tries to stay optimistic “I have to think positive, I cannot think that I've forgotten how to play tennis in seven months,"

Now, however, his poker hours may have to be cut back a bit. Rafa will be playing at Monte Carlo, Roma, Conde de Godó in Barcelona and Roland Garrós to claim the world number one position which he reluctantly left in the summer of 2011.

Lawsuit Launched by Black Friday Prisoner

Bruno de Paiva — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 10:45:33 +0000

A payment processor who processed payments from online poker services before the infamous Black Friday has filed a lawsuit against a lawyer for negligence in advising him of the laws relating online poker. Chad Elie, an investor in SunFirst Bank, which processed payments for online poker services, regularly consulted with former Full Tilt Poker lawyer Jeff Ifrah before and during the time both their respective companies conducted business together.

Currently in his third month of a five month prison sentence for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and to operate illegal gambling businesses, Elie claims to have paid Ifrah a total of around $4 million for his services. According to Elie, Ifrah has received $100,000 per month from his processing company, 21 Debit, for brokering deals with banks that agreed to conduct transactions from online poker.

The lawsuit put forward by Elie claims that Ifrah gave Elie “wrong advice regarding poker processing so that he could make a windfall from Elie, Full Tilt Poker and Pokerstars.” It also states that throughout the time they worked together, Ifrah “Made continuous representations...that according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) there were no problems with Pokerstars, Full Tilt Poker and Elie continuing to process poker transactions.”

Elie was one of 11 people indicted in 2011 in what has become known in the poker community as Black Friday. He was one of eight of those eleven who eventually pleaded guilty to the Black Friday related crimes he was indicted for. Ifrah, on the other hand, still has professional associations with PokerStars, and has not yet provided any official comment on the legal proceedings brought against him by Elie.

Ray Bitar Avoids Jail as Judge Accepts Guilty Plea

Charles Rettmuller — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 02:10:31 +0000

On the two-year anniversary of Black Friday, former Full Tilt CEO Ray Bitar pled guilty to conspiracy charges and agreed to forfeit his assets, but was not given any time in jail due to his health problems.

Bitar is in desperate need of a heart transplant and may not be long for this world without one. His plea deal was announced by prosecutors last week and accepted Monday by U.S. District Court Judge Loretta Preska in New York, the Wall Street Journal reported. The ailing Bitar will part with various properties and some $40 million in assets.

The judge pointed out that Bitar, who appeared on videotape from a courtroom in Los Angeles because doctors advised against traveling in his condition, is eligible for upwards of six years in prison. But she showed mercy on him, sentencing the 47-yeard-old to time served and forfeiture of his assets.

The time served was seven days that Bitar spent in the slammer last summer upon his arrival from Ireland as he surrendered to authorities. Federal agents didn't wait for Bitar to step off the plane, going on board to serve him with an indictment on a slew of criminal charges related to his mismanagement of Full Tilt Poker.

After reviewing medical documents submitted by Bitar's physicians, Judge Preska ruled that the U.S. Bureau of Prisons would not be able to provide the care Bitar needed and a prison sentence would hinder his chances of receiving a heart transplant.

"I don't think anyone would trade positions with him no matter what," Preska said.

Bitar was apologetic during his plea hearing, confessing that he did conspire to process several hundred million dollars of online poker revenue through various U.S. banks by setting up phony Internet companies that were not gambling-related. He also promised players following Black Friday that their funds were safe and held in segregated accounts knowing full well that that wasn't the case.

"I regret my actions. I know they were wrong and illegal," Bitar admitted. "I am very sorry."

When Bitar's condition was made public last week -- he may not live longer than six to 12 months without a heart transplant -- posters on various online poker forums were quite distasteful in their comments. Many felt that "karma" came into play and that Bitar was getting exactly what he deserved.

Although he did commit an egregious offense and jeopardized the finances of millions of players, to express joy over his unfortunate medical condition is showing profound ugliness and a severe lack of humanity.

Poker Software Developer Promises to Fix Security Flaw

Khurram Aziz — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 22:50:44 +0000

Days after a report on online security was published, one gaming company, Malta-based B3W Group, said it will implement a fix within a week.

The security flaw was first revealed in a report from vulnerability research company, ReVuln, and centred on how online poker games which use offline apps, fail to connect using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). This exposes the data passed between servers to the risk of interception.

B3W is a specialist in gambling software, which includes the development of online poker rooms, also known as skins, for a variety of poker games including Stud, Omaha and Texas Hold’em.

According to the report’s authors, Luigi Auriemma and Donato Ferrante, an analysis of B3W’s poker software shows that software updates occur over an insecure HTTP connection. Furthermore, these updates don’t have digital signatures and contain unverified ‘.exe’ files which are installed on the user’s computers. The user’s password is also very simply obscured and not difficult to reveal.

“Software updates are very important for this kind of software. All Poker software must adhere to certain standards, and include an auto-update feature which is the ﬁrst action performed by the software launcher,” warns the report. “This mechanism can be used by attackers to inject malicious updates on the player’s system, while the software is performing the update operation. For example, this can be achieved with insecure public connections, compromised connections, or malware.”

In an email to IDG News, B3W director of strategy, AJ Thomson, said that none of its service has been hacked in 12 years of operating online, but that the company takes “our clients’ security extremely seriously”.

Thomson explained that one of the problems with fixing the security flaw in its software is that B3W uses a content delivery network from Fileburst which doesn’t match the digitally-signed security of the software.

“We have therefore decided to move all client updating to our own data centres over SSL using a signed certificate trusted by the poker client code,” he wrote.

However, B3W isn’t the only gaming company named in the report. Microgaming, which bills itself as the world’s largest provider of online gaming software, and Playtech, which runs the iPoker poker platform, is also said to have problems.

The report says that both Microgaming and Playtech have bad signed update systems and weak password protections. Specifically, Microgaming is said to be vulnerable to a buffer overflow attack, while Playtech stores insecure files which could allow an attacker to redirect a player to a malicious website.

Neither of those companies have made a statement about their security flaws.

Online poker players are particularly vulnerable to threats from hackers, as their accounts can often hold up to thousands of dollars.

In September last year, Naked Security reported that an online poker player, with the handle _MicahJ_ had over $115,000 in poker winnings emptied out of his account by malicious software over three days.

And in 2011, hacker Ashley Mitchell, 29, received two years in jail for stealing $12m worth of online poker chips from the gaming site Zynga.

Daniel Negreanu Wins WSOP APAC Main Event!

Pablo Pagla — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 20:59:48 +0000

Daniel was not able to stand over the top of the field at a WSOP event since 2008. Well, that wait is over for him, as he just conquered the poker world once again, winning the World Series of Poker – Asia Pacific Main Event along with his 5th Bracelet.

A total of 405 players paid a Buy-In of $10.000 to play in this event, which awarded Negreanu A$1.038.825 for his 1st Place finish. Daniel made himself the leader of the final table since hand 1, which, added to the good luck he had in a couple of spots, allowed him to crush the final table to start the Heads-Up match with a 10 to 1 chip advantage.

The Team PokerStars Pro started the day 2nd in chips behind Benjamin Spindler. However, a huge pot played by these 2 catapulted Daniel to the 1st spot, which he kept for the rest of the tournament.

A key hand came when there were four players left:

Negreanu raised to 130k (blinds at 30k/60k/10k) from Under The Gun and received a 3-bet from George Tsatsis to 290k. Daniel called, and the Flop came Qs Js Jd . Daniel check-called Tsatsis’ bet of 275k to see the 4d on the Turn. Daniel checked again, and after Tsatsis bet 510k, he moved All-In and received a call. Ah Qh for Daniel, which was way behin Tsatsis’ Jh 9h . However, the poker gods were with Daniel here, and a huge Qd appeared on the River, busting Tsatsis in 4th and boosting Daniel’s stack to 9 million chips, more than 70% of the chips in play.

During Heads-Up play, Daniel struggled in some spots: lost an all in preflop with Ad 8s against Qs Js and chopped Ah 8c against 8d 4s after the same preflop action. On the end, Daniel was lucky enough to win a huge flip with 2s 2h against As 7s to win the tournament.

Here we have the final positions of the Final Table:

1st Place: Daniel Negreanu – A$1.038.825
2nd Place: Daniel Marton – A$637.911
3rd Place: Winfred Yu – A$423.225
4th Place: George Tsatsis – A$284.715
5th Place: Kahle Burns – A$201.994
6th Place: Benjamin Spindler – A$146.205
7th Place: Mikel Habb – A$107.730
8th Place: Russell Thomas – A$82.721

Congratulations to Daniel on winning the first ever WSOP APAC Main Event!!

Black Friday Anniversary: A Tale of Two Worlds

Wootae Min — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 17:47:12 +0000

The Dawn of an Era

The world of online poker has been a constantly evolving and developing entity since its emergence at the turn of the century. During this decade long period, the beloved game and the surrounding industry have undergone several changes and some significant milestones.

The early part of the new millennium saw a rise in the popularity of poker after former amateur Chris Moneymaker’s Main Event victory ushered the “Poker Boom” era. The game’s popularity soared with this momentous victory and players flocked to popular sites such as Paradise Poker and the former Party Poker.

The online poker game suffered its first major obstacle with the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. The legislation forced popular companies such as Party Poker and Netteller to withdraw from the United States market.

However, the legislation couldn’t stop the juggernaut that was online poker. Full Tilt Poker and Poker Stars quickly filled the void left by Party Poker and fueled the post-UIGEA growth of online poker.

The game would continue to grow on a global level and players continued to flock to the beloved game despite the seemingly tenuous legislative landscape.

Traffic at the Big 2 sites, Full Tilt Poker and Poker Stars, numbered in the mid six figures daily. Poker professionals like Tom Dwan and Phil Ivey became legitimate celebrities with the rise in television marketing and the growth of the nosebleed games. Poker became a global phenomenon with the growth of global tournament series and the rise of an international group of poker celebrities. For a moment, it seemed like nothing could stop the growth of this game and a level of comfort was felt by players and industry giants alike.

Black Friday

"Few players recall big pots they have won, strange as it seems, but every player can remember with remarkable accuracy the outstanding tough beats of his career." – Jack King, Confessions of a Winning Poker Player

Few poker players can tell you the exact date of the Moneymaker victory or the exact date of the UIGEA legislation. Even fewer players can tell you the exact date of their first deposit on an online site. However, nearly every poker player can state with amazing accuracy the exact date and moment of the game changing Black Friday.

April 15, 2011. The date brings forth some painful memories of bankrolls lost, livelihoods ruined, and the ultimate change in a once growing industry.

The Department of Justice indictments brought forth some frightening revelations and a sense of urgency for regulation. Millions of players lost money on sites like Full Tilt Poker and Absolute/UB. Former beloved stars such as Chris “Jesus” Moneymaker were demoted to villain status. Most importantly, the largest poker market in the world was shut down in a move that had a deafening effect on the global poker market.

Poker Players immediately panicked over money in limbo, wages in peril, and a game lost in the hands of the tyrannical United States government. It seemed like the rapidly growing and beloved game had hit an insurmountable obstacle.

Black Friday had officially altered the landscape of the Poker World.

Two Worlds and a New Era

Despite the despair, confusion, and panic over the events of Black Friday, the poker world has recovered to a certain extent and the excitement over the game has been replaced by the dawn of the regulated era.

At the time of Black Friday, European Union members Italy, France, and Spain introduced a new wave of legislation for the regulation of online poker. The rise of regulation combated the vast poker black market and provided a safe haven for online poker players. Other European Union countries have followed suit with legislation introduced in countries such as Belgium and the Netherlands.

The online poker game made a quick recovery in the European countries. Poker Stars recovered from its downfall in the United States to maintain its dominance in the global market. The company even bailed out and relaunched its former disgraced rival, Full Tilt Poker.

In addition to the recovery of the two disgraced companies, poker operators such as Playtech (iPoker) and Bwin.party (Party Poker Network) saw a rise in traffic and took advantage of the new landscape. Since Black Friday, these European based companies have been busy with developments to increase global market reach and prepare for newly regulated markets.

Despite the major hit of Black Friday, the global online poker market has made a remarkable recovery and industry analysts see a rise in the new era of online poker. The game continues to grow in markets such as Asia and South America. The game and the industry are continuing to evolve and develop in similar ways to the pre-Black Friday era.

In spite of its recovery around the world, the poker scene has been marked by darkness and slow development in the former global leader in poker. The United States online poker scene is nearly obsolete with increasingly unreliable and shady sites scraping profits from the few players that are willing to risk money to play the beloved game.

Networks such as the Merge Network and Revolution Network (Lock) have been the dominant leaders in the United States market. The two networks have provided an extremely unreliable and fickle product for the remaining United States players. Forums such as TwoPlusTwo are filled with complaints about the two networks. Although popular immediately following Black Friday, the two networks have lost a solid base of players and have degenerated into a rogue, unreliable entity.

In addition to the lack of a reliable poker site, the United States poker scene has been hit with some setbacks in regulation. Federal legislation has failed to materialize into anything but a deceptive form of hope. States such as Kansas have brought about legislation that actually bans the online form of the game. More importantly, legislation has failed to materialize in several states, leading to despair and disappointment for the future of United States poker.

At the two year anniversary of Black Friday, the United States poker market has become a shell of its former self with players longing for the game that their peers enjoy across the borders and the sea.

Future

Despite the current low of the United States poker market, three states, Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware, have provided hope for a new online poker market. In 2013, these three states passed legislation to provide online poker to citizens of each jurisdiction. Furthermore, each state has included provisions to enter into compacts with other jurisdictions, which would allow for the expansion of player liquidity.

The new states have already licensed operators to develop products that are expected to debut in the coming year. Furthermore, other states like Texas and California are attempting to follow suit in the regulation trend.

In spite of this hope, the poker market in the United States has been filled with speculation and uncertainty. Will the market ever recover from Black Friday? Can legislation provide a viable form of online poker? When will players recover lost money on Full Tilt Poker?

The questions and speculations are seemingly endless.

Nevertheless, the second anniversary of the Black Friday events has been marked by some hope and a new era in the poker world. The poker industry and landscape entered a new era after Black Friday and the beginnings have provided a lot of hope for a strong recovery. Although there is much speculation about this new era, it is certain that the landscape of poker will never be the same.

Romania Legalizes Online Gambling

Firat Dural — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 17:20:26 +0000

Today, newly created National Gambling Office in Romania has opened his doors to potential operators. The National Gambling Office (NGO), which was appointed on 4th of April, will be mainly responsible for licensing the operators as well as regulating and monitoring the gambling in the country,

This is the latest of Romanian efforts to legalize and tax gambling in the country. Previously, there were two legislations covering online gambling; one in 2010 which aims to regulate online gambling and a secondary legislation on 2011 which allows the licensing of such websites. However without a regulating judicial agency, both legislations were ineffective and licensing of websites were blocked.

Objections of the EU Commission have forced Romanian lawmakers to apply some changes to the original 2010 legislation, mostly about the method used in calculating the tax. For example in poker, the method in the original legislation was to tax all bets in all streets. Now this has been changed to the "Gross Gaming Revenue" (GGR). GGR is widely used on taxation of online gambling and is more favorable especially for poker players since it excludes unraked pots from taxation.

The 2011 legislation has some strict regulations for both operators and players. To acquire the license, the company should be legally based in Romania. If the company is not licensed in Romania but legally based in EU, legislation imposes some very strict resitrictions in marketing and promotions. For players, the legislation make it a criminal act for any Romanian citizen to gamble on a unlicensed operator and imposes a prison sentence up to 2 years.

Despite the changes presented by Romanian lawmakers, EU Commission still states that the legislations don´t comply with EU laws. Considering all the strict restrictions and non compliance with EU laws, it seems like only the biggest operators will be interested in obtaining a license in Romania.

Philipp Gruissem Wins WSOP APAC High Roller

Pablo Pagla — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:38:17 +0000

Despite being an event which awards no bracelet to the winner, the A$825.000 prize for first place was more than enough for Gruissem to be happy for it, being his 2nd six-figure cash at the Crown Casino in 2013.

Gruissem was knocked out from the tournament on its early stages, but was ready to go for it again and decided to re-enter, a decision that was definitely profitable for him after multiplying his investment more than 8 times!

From the field of 44, 6 players made it to the money, finishing the tournament in the following positions:

1st Place: Philipp Gruissem - A$825.000
2nd Place: Joseph Cheong - A$511.000
3rd Place: Paul Phua - A$325.000
4th Place: Lo Shing Fung - A$225.000
5th Place: Elton Tsang - A$155.000
6th Place: Tom Hall - A$115.000

Also, Daniel Negreanu JUST won the Main Event for over $1m! More information about that will be available soon.

NextGen Gaming USA Acquires Zen Entertainment

Wootae Min — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 15:18:21 +0000

The NYX Gaming Group has acquired the Las Vegas-based social gaming developer, Zen Entertainment.

Zen Entertainment had been a social gaming developer that primarily focused on poker. The company had operated a network of subscription based poker sites. However, after a brief existence, the company filed for bankruptcy in January 2013 after conceding flaws in its business model. The operator was unable to attract enough clients to its subscription based site.

Despite Zen Entertainment’s failures, NYX Gaming Group hopes that the acquisition will aid its transition into the emerging United States market. The NYX Gaming Group created its United States gaming division, NextGen Gaming USA, in October 2012 to form partnerships with land based casinos in Las Vegas.

The company plans to develop social gaming and real money poker products in the upcoming years. Currently, the group has established a partnership with Nevada Gold Casino Group.

Final Table set in WSOP Asia Pacific

Bruno de Paiva — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 13:15:58 +0000

With one day to go in the WSOP Asia Pacific Main Event, eight players remain on what will be the final table on the tournament’s last day. German poker standout Benny Spindler will come into the last day of the event as the table’s chip leader, with 2,931,000 chips to his name at the end of today’s play.

A former ranked StarCraft protoss player, Spindler has gained a reputation for hyper aggressive play on the poker table. It’s a style that has worked out very well for the German in the Main Event so far as he holds a near 500,000 chip lead over the player with the second highest number of chips, Daniel Negreanu.

Day 4 of play began with the final 15 players of the tournament playing on two tables. As expected, each one of the final 15 would not be eliminated easily. However, as time went on and the blinds went up, six players were eventually knocked out, leaving just one more needing to be added to the casualty list before the end of the day’s play.

After holding on as a short stack for the last few hours of play, Antonio ‘the Magician’ Esfandiari would be the seventh and final player to be eliminated from the Main Event. He called pre-flop before chip leader Benny Spindler, who was in the big blind, raised to 75,000. Esfandiari, who had around 400,000 chips to his name at this point, moved all-in, which was instantly called by the German.

The showdown commenced and both players turned their hands over. Spindler turned pocket Queens while Esfandiari had Ace King off-suit. Spindler was in front, but there were many outs that could have won the hand for the Magician. It was not to be, however, with the five of diamonds, jack of clubs, two of clubs, three of spades and nine of hearts board giving Spindler the win and knocking Esfandiari out of the Main Event.

Attention now turns to the fifth and final day of play in the WSOP Asia Pacific Main Event. With eight formidable players remaining, it is shaping up to be an entertaining and nail-biting end to the first ever World Series of Poker Asia Pacific at Melbourne, Australia’s Crown Casino.

Negreanu leads WSOP APAC Main Event

Pablo Pagla — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 18:51:02 +0000

Yesterday was Day 1 of the WSOP APAC Main Event at the Crown Casino (Melbourne). Almost 400 players invested $10.000 to play, and that number will grow as late registration is still available. After a lot of action at the tables, Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu managed to emerge as the unofficial chip leader (It is not official because no exact chipcounts were made).

Daniel ended the day with 136.500 chips, followed by Joel Feldman with 132.050 and Phil Ivey, who apparently is not happy with his win on the Mixed event and wants more!

Other big names who are still alive on the tournament are Barry Greenstein, Greg Merson, Erik Seidel, Antonio Esfandiari, Sam Trickett and Phil Hellmuth.

Day 2 is on its way while I write this, so we will let you know how the pros do in the next days!

Will Daniel confirm his chip lead all the way to the final table? Stay tuned!

Zynga Poker Off to Slow Start

Wootae Min — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:06:26 +0000

The highly anticipated launch of Zynga Poker on the Party Gaming Network has been met with some disappointment in traffic numbers. The popular social gaming brand has failed to elevate the cash game traffic for the Party Poker Network, allowing Full Tilt Poker and the iPoker network to move up in the Poker Scout rankings.

Several gaming industry members have expressed their lack of worry over the possible loss of market share to the popular Zynga brand. Most gaming experts agree that Zynga will not be able to realize major gains until it expands its business beyond the UK poker market.

Currently, Zynga has an agreement with Facebook to provide real money gaming to UK customers and plans to launch a real money gaming product in the near future. Furthermore, the social gaming company has filed for licensing in Nevada.

The social gaming giant hopes that the popular brand on Facebook would lead to a successful real money venture. Zynga Poker had millions of users on the Facebook platform and it has been very popular with poker enthusiasts on social media. However, the brand recognition has yet to start a boom for the companies’ real money gaming ventures.

Despite the slow start, Zynga Poker remains a highly marketable brand and the operator hopes to increase traffic in the future.

New Florida Law Bans Internet Cafes

Charles Rettmuller — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 16:57:36 +0000

A three-year federal and state investigation that culminated in 57 arrests has led to Florida lawmakers enacting legislation that shuts down the state's Internet cafes.

Florida Governor Rick Scott signed the bill into law Wednesday after both chambers of the legislature hurriedly approved the measure. The cafes, said to be numbered in the hundreds, were found to be offering a variety of online gambling options.

"The House and Senate did the right thing to crack down on illegal gaming," Scott said.

The lengthy investigation discovered that the Allied Veterans of the World, operator of the cafes who promoted their efforts as a charitable organization designed to benefit veterans, kept all but 2% of the generated revenue. That revenue amounted to some $300 million. Racketeering and money laundering charges were levied against 57 cafe owners and operators affiliated with Allied.

When the allegations first surfaced, the state's former Lieutenant Gov., Jennifer Carroll, resigned from her duties due to her public relations work on behalf of Allied Veterans. Carroll is not one of the 57 indicted in the probe.

The Internet cafes acted as social gathering places for the Sunshine State's large population of retirees. The cafes had allegedly been running in accordance with a law that allows various sweepstakes as promotions. Estimates show that the cafe closings will put about 14,000 citizens out of work. Also, businesses operating in the vicinity of the cafes are expected to lose substantial revenue.

"With the stroke of the governor's pen, thousands of jobs were lost today," said Gale Fontaine, the Florida Arcade Association's president. "With all the effort that is put into this state to create jobs, it is unconscionable that the state is acting to put people in the unemployment line."

Opposition by the association and senior citizen groups saw many staging protests outside of a number of Internet cafes in Tallahassee. However, anti-gambling groups and the state's racinos applauded the new bill.

"Expanded gambling and Internet cafes is not an economic strategy," David Hart, a lobbyist on behalf of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, told the Orlando Sentinel. "It's a bad bet for Florida."

The new law requires 'games of skill' to be coin-operated, which favors establishments such as Dave and Buster's or Chuck E. Cheese. Also, the maximum amount allowed to be won on each game is 75 cents.

Any prospect of online poker and gambling regulations being considered in Florida took a big hit with the latest legislation. It's expected that legislators will not be interested in entertaining such proposals while the Allied Veterans' scam is still fresh in their minds.

US Department Of Justice Indicts Sports Book Operation

Wootae Min — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 16:44:42 +0000

The Department of Justice has brought indictments upon 34 individuals and 23 companies over illegal activities involving Legendz Sports. Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman and US Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma Sanford C. Coats have spearheaded the indictments that allege illegal gambling activity on United States soil.

According to the 95 page indictment, the alleged operatives offered online and telephone sports betting services to customers in the United States through sites under the Legendz Sports operation. The individuals supposedly offered sports book services to a nearly exclusive United States client base and provided services such as “post up” and credit wager options. The report alleges that this illegal gambling operation has been running since the inception of Legendz Sports (formerly MVP Sports) in 2003.

In addition to the individuals, Payment processors and companies related to the operation were also named in the indictments. Legendz Sports founder “Luke” King and current CEO Edward Buonnano were included in the list of individuals related to this case. The charges against the individuals and companies include illegal gambling operation, wire fraud, and money laundering.

The Department of Justice is currently seeking more than $1 billion in forfeiture, prison time for the individuals, and assets such as cars and real estate. The document contains evidence of numerous email and telephone correspondences as well as a plethora of financial transactions involving various payment processors and wire services. As for the Legendz Sports operation, the Department of Justice is seeking the forfeiture of six dotcom addresses even though the indictment names 22 domains connected with the online sports book.

This latest indictment sheds light on the crackdown on illegal gambling sites by the US Department of Justice and the role of the black market in the unregulated country. The first major online gambling indictments came about during April 15, 2011 when the DoJ of SDNY brought charges against three major poker sites, Absolute/UB, Full Tilt Poker, and Poker Stars. The Department of Justice followed the events of “Black Friday” with indictments against lesser known sites within the Merge Network. In 2012, the DoJ struck again with separate indictments for online sports book operations, Jazz Sports and Pinnacle Sports.

After a decade of unmitigated growth, black market online gaming operations have been hammered by the series of indictments brought on by the US Department of Justice. The post Black Friday online poker scene has been reduced to unreliable operations and a player base that numbers in the thousands. The online sports book black market may also see a similar decline after the recent series of indictments.

The indictments also show the need for regulated markets for games that are extremely popular in the United States. For nearly a decade, millions of US customers have placed wagers on black market sites that catered to a starving populous. Even with the indictments, black market operations will continue to exist in unregulated markets, which may lead to disasters such as the Full Tilt Poker debacle. Although it may be more difficult, certain companies will take the risk to cater to a lucrative and popular industry.

The recent activity from the Department of Justice has also coincided with the regulation of online gaming in Europe and the United States. Different jurisdictions have attempted to regulate online gaming to curb black market activity as well as gain revenue from the popular gambling industry. A regulated market offers security to customers and prevents criminal activity such as money laundering and stealing.

The indictment of Legendz Sports is another sign of a changing times and the dawn of a regulated era. The black market operations truly flourished in the first decade of the new millennium, but the turn of the decade has proven to be disastrous for many of these companies.

Lim First Aussie to Win at WSOP APAC

Bruno de Paiva — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 11:23:59 +0000

Australian Aaron Lim is a hefty $233,800 richer after taking out the WSOP Asia Pacific Event #4 on Thursday. On top of the nearly quarter million dollars, Lim is now also a proud owner of a WSOP gold bracelet after his victory in the $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Six Max tournament.

Hailing from the Western Australian city of Perth, the 24-year-old’s win is his biggest in what has so far been a stellar year in poker for Lim. It was only four weeks ago that Lim took out first place in the 2013 PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour Seoul Main Event, where he won 121,700,000 Korean Won, or approximately US$111,000. Not bad at all for one month's work.

While Lim played solidly throughout the tournament – illustrated by the fact he was the chip leader with the final seven players remaining – he was trailing Malaysian Australian Andy Lee in the chip count at the beginning of heads up action. This did not deter Lim, however, with his smart, bold and confident play eventually regaining him the chip lead.

The final hand of the tournament saw Lim make another bold move when he reraised his King Five of hearts all-in pre-flop. Lee, who had Ace Queen off-suit, had his stack covered by Lim and made an attempt to double up by calling. It was a good move by Lee, with his starting hand being vastly superior to that of Lim.

However, with all four cards being live and with Lim’s hand being suited, Lee was not out the woods just yet. The Jack of spades, six of clubs and three of spades flop gave Lee more reason to be confident, as did the eight of diamonds on the turn. Unfortunately for Lee, things drastically changed on the river, when the five of spades showed up on the board, giving Lim a pair and emerging victorious in the process.

Lim’s victory is remarkable in that it is the first WSOP Asia Pacific event of the four that have taken place that has been won by an Aussie on home turf. The winners of the first three events - Bryan Piccioli, Jim Collopy and the Tiger Woods of poker, Phil Ivey - all hail from the US. The victory is also significant for Lim as it puts his total live tournament winnings to over $1 million, $1,059,611 to be exact.

All eyes are now on the 390 player WSOP Main Event, which will cap off what has so far been a successful first WSOP Asia Pacific at Melbourne’s Crown Casino when it finishes on Monday, April 15.

New Documentary About Online Poker Creates Anticipation in Poker World

Firat Dural — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 09:01:33 +0000

Previously known as “Boom”, Bet Raise Fold: The Story of Online Poker, the long awaited online poker documentary, finally has a release date: June 2013. Online poker legends Jason 'Krantz' Rosenkrantz and Taylor Caby joined forces with director Ryan Firbo, who previously directed “From Busto to Robusto”, to tell the story of the online poker boom starting from Moneymaker´s $2.5 million win in the World Series of Poker Main Event 2003 to “Black Friday” in April 2011 when the US Department of Justice shut down online poker in America.

The production started in 2010, before the Black Friday, and was funded fully by online high stakes poker players. The story appears to revolve around 3 main characters; Tony “Bond18” Dunst, Danielle “dmoongirl” Moon-Andersen and Martin “Alexeimartov” Bradstreet. All characters represent a different profile; Tony Dust poker player turned into TV celebrity, Danielle Moon-Andersen humble and responsible mother, playing to support her family and finally the analytical strategist Martin Bradstreet. Besides the main characters, interviewees from a wide spectrum of professions in poker share their two cents as well. Online poker legends Tom “durrrr” Dwan and Phil “OMGClayAiken”, WPT President Adam Pliska, professional poker player Daniel Negreanu and online gaming lawyer Stuart Hoegner just to name a few.

Now the post production is done, the biggest obstacle facing the documentary crew seems to be the distribution strategy. “We are really inspired by the success of Indie Game: The Movie's "nontraditional" distribution strategy. They wrote a case study that's really interesting reading; we're intending on following their playbook as much as we can, but adapted for the poker world rather than the video game world.” Says Jason Rosenkrantz in a twoplustwo forum post. However Indie Game: The Movie first appeared in festivals, then in theatres and only then it was digitally launched while it seems like Bet Raise Fold: The Story of Online Poker will be launched digitally first and then will try its chance in theatres.

It is a good project to tell the rest of the world that online poker is not only about young kids winning easy money and driving expensive cars and ordering bottles of champagne but it is also about teenagers paying for their college tuition, mothers supporting their families, young entrepreneurs having the money finally to turn their dream project to reality. It is, of course, if the documentary can reach the rest of the world. If not, unfortunately it will fall under the category of “Self-propaganda”.

Illinois Gambling Expansion Plan Sparks Fears of Corruption

Charles Rettmuller — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 20:32:51 +0000

Illinois' proposal to expand gambling throughout the state including over the Internet has some state officials worried that corruption will become widespread.

Representatives from both the Chicago Crime Commission and the Illinois Gaming Control Board voiced concerns over SB 1739, a proposal calling for five new casinos throughout the state, the installation of slot machines at thoroughbred and harness racing tracks, and online gambling. Such a large expansion plan might overburden the state's regulatory and crime-fighting efforts.

"Without the necessary regulations being in place, there is every likelihood that organised crime and corruption will enter the gaming system and Illinois will suffer another blow to its national reputation,” said Arthur Bilek, the director of the Chicago Crime Commission.

Bilek's comments were stated in a letter that was presented at a hearing held in order to air grievances related to SB 1739. His concerns were echoed by state control board chairman Aaron Jaffe, who stated that the measure as its currently written is much too broad and his staff would not be able to properly regulate such a large increase in gambling, eGR reported.

Illinois has long suffered from crime and corruption dating back to the Al Capone era in the roaring 20's when the Chicago mob boss paid off cops and politicians in order to run his criminal enterprise. Six Illinois governors have been accused of crimes while in office or shortly after entering the private sector. The last of those was former Governor Rod Blagojevich, currently incarcerated on a 14-year bid on fraud charges related to his efforts to sell Barack Obama's Senate seat after Obama was elected president.

Illinois' current governor, Pat Quinn, is well aware of the state's reputation. Quinn is open to considering gambling expansion, but wants to include a provision that would prevent gaming companies from contributing to political campaigns in order to stop corruption.

Team America and Team Asia ready for Caesars Cup

Pablo Pagla — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:27:39 +0000

As you may already know now, the Caesars Cup will take place at WSOP APAC on April 14th. In this edition of the classic event, three teams will compete instead of two. This time, Team Asia will join Team America and Team Europe. Each Team is comprised by four players of the region, including the captain: Phil Ivey for Team America, Sam Trickett for Team Europe and Joseph Hachem for Team Asia. The captains have the responsibility of choosing the other three members of their team. So far, only Ivey and Hachem confirmed their lineups:

Team America

Phil Ivey (captain)
Phil Hellmuth
Greg Merson
Daniel Negreanu
Antonio Esfandiari

Team Asia*

Joseph Hachem (captain)
Jeff Lisandro
Jackie Glazier
Shane Warne
Andrew Hinrichsen
Richard Yong

*Only 5 members are allowed per team, so Hachem has to decide which will be out of his group.

Regarding Team Europe and its captain Sam Trickett, we can expect a lineup of all high-level players coming from different parts of Europe. So far, the only name confirmed by Trickett is Marvin Rettenmaier.

Right now, Trickett’s head is on the pursue of his first Bracelet, but as soon as his participation on all the event finishes, he will let the world know his picks! Who would you choose?

Italian Regulator Opposes Raise to Online Gambling Tax

Wootae Min — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:38:37 +0000

Luigi Magistro, Deputy Director of the Italian Customs Authority, dismissed discussions of a rise in online gambling taxes.

At a public hearing organized by the European Social and Economic Committee, the Italian regulator expressed his intention to maintain status quo tax rates and stated that a reasonable tax level would be necessary to combat black market activity. He stressed the fact that a raise in taxes would hurt the ability of licensed operators to effectively compete with any illegal establishment that might offer a better product.

Magistro also added that the consequences of a potential black market would outweigh the benefits of a raise in online gambling taxes. Currently, the online gambling sector raises about 2.2% of the tax revenue from the entire gaming sector. A rise in online gambling taxes would have a small effect on the overall revenue stream from that entire gaming sector.

The Italian Regulator’s speech came about after statistics showed a decline in Italian gross gaming revenue for 2012. Despite this decline, Magistro believed that the online gaming sector could see an upward trend with a recovering economy and potential cooperation with other countries.

Phil Ivey Aiming for Phil Hellmuth in WSOP Bracelets

Charles Rettmuller — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 20:18:36 +0000

Phil Ivey's victory in Event #3 at the WSOP APAC at the Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia for his ninth WSOP win has him thinking of making a run at Phil Hellmuth, who leads the world in WSOP bracelets with 13.

"I’m trying to catch Phil [Hellmuth]," Ivey declared. "It’s tough. He keeps winning them, but I’m looking forward to the summer.”

Ivey's win put him in a tie with Johnny Moss for fourth place in the WSOP bracelet chase. Their nine bracelets trail the ten collected by both Johnny Chan and Doyle Brunson and, of course, Hellmuth's 13. Ivey is also in fourth place in live tournament winnings with more than $17.6 million. In that category, he is on the heels of Antonio Esfandiari, Sam Trickett and Hellmuth.

Ivey told WSOP officials how special his most recent victory was to him. “I definitely wanted to win this event, especially when I got deep and realized I had a chance,” Ivey said. “The last five final tables I made, I didn’t win. I was getting very frustrated, so I was very happy to win this tournament.”

The AUD$2,200 Mixed Event featured a rotation of games that included Limit Hold’em, Omaha Hi/Lo, 2-7 Lowball, Triple Draw, Razz, No-Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha and Seven-Card Stud. A total of 81 players bought in, bringing the total prize pool to AUD$162,000. Only six places cashed, with Ivey collecting AUD$51,840 and sixth place finisher Kevin Song taking home AUD$8,978.

There has been some talk on online poker forums regarding the value of Ivey's ninth WSOP bracelet, considering the short field of players and low prize pool. And WSOP APAC Event #2 also had a rather modest first place prize of AUD$69,000. It caused poker pro John Eames to question the value of the bracelets as he tweeted "@WSOPTD do you think having first prizes of $69k and $52k help keep a @WSOP bracelet the most coveted prize in poker?"

It didn't seem to bother Ivey, who admitted that his legacy in poker is sometimes on his mind. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to think about my place in poker history and where I’m going to stand, so it is important to me to win these bracelets," Ivey said.

Ivey won't have much time to celebrate, as the AUD$10,000 Championship Event starts on Thursday and the AUD$50,000 High Roller Event is slated for Saturday. And don't forget the Caesars Cup on Sunday, where Ivey will captain Team America against Team Asia/Pacific and Team Europe.

Betfair Integrates Blue Square Bet

Wootae Min — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:32:05 +0000

Betfair has officially integrated its recent acquisition, Blue Square Bet, into its platform and brand name.

The gaming operator informed former Blue Square Bet customers about this new integration. Players will be able to log into the website bluesq.com to learn more about their account. Betfair has assured customers that all funds and earned rewards have been transferred to the site.

The new acquisition has allowed Betfair to open new markets and customers with a popular sports book. Blue Square Bet had nearly 120,000 customers in the UK. Betfair hopes to expand upon this number through its market reach in other countries.

Former Blue Square Bet customers can speak to Betfair customer service for more information and assistance with login.

Bitcoin Value Increase Makes Switch Player a Millionaire

Charles Rettmuller — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:28:50 +0000

A Switch Poker player who converted his winnings on the felt into Bitcoins and left them lying dormant in his account for several months became a millionaire when the value of Bitcoins skyrocketed.

The unnamed player apparently was seeking a way to easily withdraw funds last year and transferred nearly €150,000 into Bitcoins on Switch Poker, the Costa Rica-based poker room featuring the use of mobile devices that was the first to embrace using the "internet currency" in 2011. The value of Bitcoins shot up from about $15 in November to its current trading price of more than $200.

Whether the player allowed the coins to sit idly in his account due to laziness or speculating on a value increase is uncertain, cardplayer.com reported. What is certain is that his Bitcoins are now worth around €1.2 million.

The use of Bitcoins as a means of online poker currency is still in its infancy. Whether or not it catches on and its usage become widespread remains to be seen. Only a handful of lesser-known poker rooms are currently accepting Bitcoins as a way to transact funds. One of those sites, SealsWithClubs, suffered two Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks last month, forcing the site to shutdown for a few days.

A DDoS attack results when a number of computer systems are able to overload a website with incoming traffic. It is not known who was responsible for the attack and whether the theft of Bitcoins was the main goal of the hackers. However, with the spike in value of Bitcoins and the discovery that Bitcoin thievery has been on the rise at other Internet locations not directly related to online poker, most agree that pirating Bitcoins was the intent of the attack.

In any event, the U.S.-facing SealsWithClubs is back online with new software. But Bitcoin theft is certainly worrisome for any poker rooms that are considering adding the digital currency as a payment processing option for players.

WinPoker on the iPoker Network is another poker room that currently uses Bitcoins to transact funds. The room promotes the use of Bitcoins as being completely secure, stating that "transactions cannot be reversed and chargebacks are not possible. You cannot be locked out of your e-wallet account, and you have total ownership rights over your funds." The site makes no mention of the possibility of Bitcoin theft or the market volatility.

Granted, the low processing costs, quick processing times, elimination of credit card fraud, and anonymity associated with using Bitcoins as an online poker payment processing function are all positive. Also, if you're lucky enough to sit on a load of Bitcoins while the value shoots through the roof as the player on Switch Poker was able to do, you can end up a millionaire.

Phil Ivey wins Mixed Event at WSOP APAC

Pablo Pagla — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:03:16 +0000

Yesterday, Ivey started as chip leader of the last six players in the A$2.200 Mixed event with no other than Daniel Negreanu on his right. Despite starting as chip leader, Ivey was not involved in too much action in the first hours of the final table, but managed to reach heads up against Brandon Wong (Daniel Negreanu was eliminated in 4th place).

Heads-up play was extremely long. They played exactly 179 hands where the chip lead changed several times. The last hand of the match was played in 2-7 Triple Draw, where Ivey defeated Wong to win his 9th WSOP Bracelet, none of which have been in Hold’em events.

Along with the bracelet, Ivey received a ‘modest’ prize of A$51.840, which seemingly meant little in comparison to his bracelet. This confirms what most people think: Phil Ivey is the best all-around player in the world. I share that opinion, and believe most of you too.

These are the final numbers of the six finalists:

1st Place - Phil Ivey: A$51,840
2nd Place - Brandon Wong: A$32,039
3rd Place - Graeme Putt: A$22,427
4th Place - Daniel Negreanu: A$16,336
5th Place - Rob Campbell: A$12,020
6th Place - Kevin Song: A$8,978

Today is the first of the Main Event of the WSOP APAC and we will be tracking the pros’ performance to keep you informed!

Alderney Urges Nevada to Consider International Compacts

Wootae Min — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:37:23 +0000

The Alderney Gambling Control Commission has asked Nevada legislators to amend the current gaming regulations to allow for compacts with International jurisdictions.

Governor Brian Sandoval and the Nevada Gaming Commission have been developing ideas for an interstate compact structure. Last month, the Nevada Gaming Commission made a public request for legally viable suggestions on key issues of the interstate compacts. The two most important issues surrounding compacts were the structure of revenue sharing and taxation.

The Alderney Gambling Control Commission has responded to this public request with its basic view on revenue sharing and an urge to reconsider a restriction on International compacts. The regulator expressed interest in forming a compact with Nevada if the current regulations are amended to allow such an accord.

The gaming commission also argued that the location of the gaming server, as opposed to the location of the player, should be the determining factor in allocating tax revenue. The regulator added that secondary states containing players would still be subject to indirect taxes such as a gaming duty.

The Nevada Gaming Commission has received several responses to its request. Most responses urged the Commission to stress player safety and the segregation of funds.

The Commission also received a response from the CEO of the Automated Revenue Collection System. Gary Mullally argued that the players should be directly taxed based on their physical location. The CEO argued that this system would provide the most effective way to increase revenue for the states.

This response has been considered one of the biggest fears for poker players with regards to regulation. Several players have argued that an extra tax on wagers would essentially lead to unbeatable games. They have contended that an increasing price to play online poker would render the relatively small edges in an increasingly tough game.

Nevertheless, the Nevada Gaming Commission hopes to develop a plan for interstate compacts over the next year. New Jersey and Delaware have also considered ideas for interstate compacts, although neither has made any publicized plans.

Australian Politician Calls for Apple Poker App Ban

Bruno de Paiva — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 12:30:23 +0000

An Australian politician recently put technology company Apple to task over their offering of online poker apps to Australian users of Apple phones.

One particular app, developed by PokerStars, was singled out earlier this month by Australian Senator Richard Di Natale, after it was found that the app allowed players to deposit and play with real money, just like on a computer. The app was launched in May last year and is available at several Apple App Stores for use on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, as well as on Android.

While the Senator has previously stated his view of allowing online poker tournaments to be accessed and played by Australians, he is also stated his opposion to allowing cash games the same access due to his belief that they are a more harmful form of gambling.

The provision of online poker services in Australia is officially banned under the country’s Interactive Provisions Act. The Act states that a person is found guilty of providing an interactive gambling service (which includes online poker) to customers in australia if they “intentionally provide an interactive gambling service” and if “the service has an Australian‑customer link.”

Prohibition of providing online poker services under this Act was echoed by Senator Di Natale in his call for Apple to stop offering the app. The Senator said that due to Australia’s ban on online gambling, Apple “have got an obligation to take down apps that are against Australian law and they should do it."

The maximum penalty for those breaking the Act is $1.1 million per day the service remains open after being cited. Despite the perceived toughness of the Interactive Provisions Act, not one person has been prosecuted under it since the bill since it came into effect back in 2001.

Senator Di Natale’s call for Apple to shut down the app and for the Australian Government to help ensure such services do not operate in the country may be taken into consideration given the current make-up of the Australian Government. Senator Di Natale is a member of the Greens, a leftist party which lent its support to the Labor Party in forming a minority Government in 2010.

Despite this, Australians go to the polls in September in an election in which the current Government is expected to lose in a landslide. In an attempt to gain more public support, the Labor Government have been, and will continue to focus on, issues of more importance to Australians, such as broadband and the economy. It knows that while problem gambling certainly affects some in the country, it is not a major issue and the game of poker is not responsible for many of those affected by it.

One does not have to play on the major online poker services for that long to see at least a few Australians playing the game, some playing it seriously for 'big money', others playing more for a social pastime. It would be detrimental to the already fledgling Australian Government if they were to act on Senator Di Natale’s advice and attempt to shut those services down so close to the election.

Online poker will not be shut down to Australians anytime soon, if ever, as it is not a major issue in the country. However, it is worth noting that there are Australian politicians who are passionate about addressing gambling services, which means calls to shut down online poker services will also not stop anytime soon.

iPoker Takes Over 2nd Place in Player Traffic

Charles Rettmuller — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 19:05:17 +0000

The iPoker Network stands alone in second place in cash game player traffic rankings.

In late March, the industry's top network pulled into a dead heat for second place with PartyPoker for a short spell, but eventually dropped back to third place. The latest PokerScout statistics show iPoker posting a seven-day average of 3,100 cash game players to 3,000 for PartyPoker. Full Tilt Poker is close behind in fourth place with 2,950 players, as of this writing.

Full Tilt held down second place for several months following its Nov. 6 relaunch, but slipped to fourth a few weeks ago. The drop in player numbers resulted in PokerStars' sister site bringing back its Black Card promotion, as well as instituting a VIP amnesty program that allows players to transfer their VIP status from other rooms to Full Tilt.

In last week's numbers, Full Tilt gained 8% in player traffic in three days of running a Take 2 promotion that rewards multi-tablers. That promotion runs through April 14. After announcing upon relaunching that their marketing strategy would not include catering to multi-tablers who play cash games for hours on end, Full Tilt has seemingly done an about face with their latest promotional offerings. Whether its enough to regain second place remains to be seen.

MPN moved up a notch to ninth place, pushing PokerStars.fr into tenth. ZyngaPlusPoker's UK launch did nothing to help PartyPoker's traffic numbers, as their player tallies dropped 7% despite Zynga joining the player pool. iPoker's launch of anonymous tables was not responsible for their second place showing, as their player traffic didn't improve. It was more a case of taking over second place due to PartyPoker's large decline in traffic.

Industry online poker traffic dipped 3.2% overall last week. That makes five straight weeks of declining player traffic, according to PokerScout. Since April 9, 2012, the market has fallen 10%.

Ivey & Negreanu Lead WSOP APAC Event #3 Final Table

Pablo Pagla — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:07:11 +0000

Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu are the current chip leaders in the World Series of Poker Asia $2,200 8-game tournament. The two star poker players hold more than half of the chips in play leading into the final table.

Phil Ivey currently has a chip lead over Negreanu and has been positioned to the exact left of the Canadian Pro. The final table set up most likely will be a tough spot for Daniel Negreanu, who expressed the magnitude of this challenge in his favorite tournament format on his Twitter account.

I guess all the Poker world will look forward to a heads-up match between these two monsters, but will they both make it that deep? Stay tuned!

PokerStars Launches Free-Play App in U.S.

Charles Rettmuller — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 15:55:48 +0000

Insistent in getting their foot in the door in the U.S. online poker market, PokerStars has launched a free-play mobile application for both iOS and Android devices.

Although the PokerStars.net app is available for download in markets worldwide, the free-play offering is aimed directly at U.S. players. The app allows players to access tournaments and fast-fold Zoom tables in Texas Hold'em and Omaha games. Players also have the capacity to multi-table and chat with their opponents.

PokerStars' app has been available since April 4 in Android's Google Play store and Apple's App Store in certain iPad and iPhone variations. Two months ago, the free-play poker app made its debut as a closed beta version on Facebook and has built up a customer base of over 9,500 active monthly users, eGR reported. PokerStars.net currently trails only Zynga Poker in play-money player traffic figures tabulated by PokerScout.

PokerStars has been desperately trying to find its way into the U.S. market following the Black Friday indictments in April of 2011 that forced the top poker site from servicing the American market. The company negotiated with the U.S. Department of Justice and purchased the assets of Full Tilt Poker last year, seemingly getting in the good graces of U.S. prosecutors and admitting no wrongdoing despite ignoring the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006.

PokerStars is also trying to wrangle their way into U.S. online gaming by bidding on the Atlantic Club Hotel and Casino in New Jersey. That purchase has met resistance by the American Gaming Association, who said the company has built its business "on deceit, chicanery and the systematic flouting of US law." In Delaware, PokerStars is one of 14 applicants hoping to participate in that state's online gambling regime. Nevada has seemingly shut out PokerStars with "bad actor" legislation that will keep the company out of the Silver State at least until 2018.

Ray Bitar Reaches Plea Deal

Wootae Min — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 15:45:21 +0000

Former Full Tilt Poker CEO, Ray Bitar, has reached a plea deal in his case with prosecutors from the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Judge Loretta Preska has set an official date, April 19^th, for the plea hearing and a final decision.

According to Bitar’s legal team, Bitar has pleaded guilty to a number of charges and faces penalties of nearly $40 million in asset forfeiture and possible prison time. Originally, Bitar was facing nine felony charges, including wire fraud, money laundering, and operating an illegal gambling business. The former FTP boss was facing nearly 145 years in prison and major financial penalties.

However, Ray Bitar has been recently diagnosed with a heart condition that will require a transplant surgery. According to medical experts, Bitar would have a 50% probability of survival over the next 6 months without a heart transplant. He is expected to undergo surgery in California in the near future.

The medical condition has become a pertinent aspect of the case and the cited likely outcome reflects this situation. Judge Preska has agreed to allow Bitar to attend the hearing through a video conference from California. Furthermore, federal prosecutors have agreed to accept any decision that excludes prison time. According to sources, a sentence with any prison time would essentially prevent a heart transplant for Bitar. Given this situation, the final decision will most likely exclude any penalty of incarceration.

Nevertheless, Judge Preska will hand down the ultimate decision within the next two weeks and nothing is guaranteed at this point. Although his condition may prevent prison time, Bitar will face some stiff penalties during his battle with heart failure.

Caesar’s Recruiting Players in Nevada for Online Poker Site

Wootae Min — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 14:40:55 +0000

Caesar’s Interactive Entertainment has announced the recruitment of players for the beta testing of its new online poker software. Nevada residents are able to submit an online application on the Caesar’s site and take part in a preview of the World Series of Poker online poker website.

Although an exact date has not been released, Caesar’s Entertainment has hinted that the beta version of the WSOP brand website will be launched in the near future. The online poker site will be operated within the borders of Nevada and utilize software from recently licensed operator, 888 Holdings.

Since its license approval in 2012, Caesar’s Interactive Entertainment has been developing business relationships and preparing for the launch of its WSOP site. In addition to its partnerships with 888, Caesar’s has hired marketing agency, Zambezi, to promote the new WSOP website. The company also hopes to create its own platform in the future and is utilizing its partnership with French company, Barriere, to begin development on that level.

The launch of the actual WSOP site is set for the summer or fall and will be one of the first regulated online poker sites in the United States.

Phil Ivey Selects Teammates for Caesars Cup

Charles Rettmuller — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 21:00:15 +0000

Team America is now in place for the 2013 Caesars Cup, as team captain Phil Ivey has chosen four fellow pros to join him in competition against Team Europe and Team Asia Pacific.

Phil Hellmuth, Antonio Esfandiari, Greg Merson and Daniel Negreanu were selected by Ivey to make up the five-player American squad and defend the title, which was last played and won in 2011 at the World Series of Poker Europe in Cannes. Hellmuth was the captain of that winning team and was joined by Negreanu, Johnny Chan, Ben Lamb and Jason Mercier.

This year, the Caesars Cup will be contested at the Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia as part of the WSOP Asia-Pacific on April 14. Team Europe is captained by Sam Trickett, the UK's all-time tournament money winner. Trickett has not announced his teammates as of this writing.

For the first time, Team Asia will field a squad of pros and will be led by 2005 WSOP Main Event champ Joe Hachem. Fans can make suggestions on who Hachem should select via his Twitter account.

Merson is the reigning WSOP Main Event champion, winning the bracelet and over $8.5 million in 2012. Hellmuth won the WSOP Europe Main Event last year, which was his his all-time leading 13th WSOP victory. Esfandiari won $18.3 million in 2012 as the $1 million buy-in Big One for One Drop champion. And Daniel Negreanu is, well, Daniel Negreanu.

Online High Stakes games on fire

Pablo Pagla — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 20:20:10 +0000

The player who has been on everybody’s mouth these days was, once again, Viktor “Isildur1” Blom, after he managed to win $1.7 million in a couple of hours only to lose it back the following day. After the huge swings of the PLO games, Blom decided to go back to the NLHE CAP tables, where he battled against “Sankler” with blinds of $500/$1000.

In the past, Sankler had good results against Isildur, and again that was confirmed here. In just 45 minutes $213k of Blom’s bankroll was in Sankler’s account and he opted to end the session right there.

Another big winner of that day was “Bttech86” who had a payday of more than $130k, completing an amazing comeback from the $1.7m loss against Blom.

The next one to earn over a $100k came from PokerStars. “Odd_Oddsen” made a huge profit at the PLO $50/$100 6-max tables.

Rob Akery, who plays as “Vaga_Lion” at Full Tilt, booked a $90k profit against Phil Galfond after less than half an hour at a PLO $200/$400 CAP table to finish the day with a total profit of $99.5k.

Another interesting match was at the NLHE tables of PokerStars, where “WCGRider” fought against Ben “Sauce123” Sulsky over 4 tables of $100/$200 and later another 4 tables of $200/$400, playing a total of 5 hours, with WCG emerging as the winner after taking away just over $100k from Sulsky’s account, ending his day with a profit of $92.1k due to a little loss at the beginning of the day.

Best numbers of the day:

Sankler: +$212.8k
Bttech86: +$131.4k
Odd_Oddsen: +$118.6k
Vaga_Lion: +$99.5k

The action is bigger day after day, so we can expect a month with non-stoping action at the tables of the Online Poker world!

No-Skill Poker Tourney Nets $10 Million Prize

Charles Rettmuller — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 20:09:48 +0000

A Massachusetts man won $10 million in a poker tournament that required no skill whatsoever. In other words, it wasn't really a poker tournament.

Eugene Condon Jr. from East Falmouth, Massachusetts was the lucky winner of a contest sponsored by the Massachusetts State Lottery. Billed as a "simulated Hold'em poker tournament," the event started with a field of 560 players who each had won $2,000. Hole cards were dealt to the players electronically and the community cards were distributed without allowing any betting. The winners advanced to the next rounds based solely on the luck of the cards.

The final 64 players each took home $10,000 and the last dozen players standing collected $50,000. Three remaining players became instant millionaires when Lady Luck shined their way and the 51-year-old Condon took home the grand prize of $10 million, the Boston Globe reported.

The Massachusetts State Lottery said that no other state has held such a contest, which was the grand finale of a lottery instant ticket game.

Oklahoma Tribes Plan to Operate Real Money Gambling Site

Wootae Min — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:27:30 +0000

The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes have been authorized by the Oklahoma State Governor to operate a real money gambling site.

The approval allows the two tribes to accept wagers from international players on their joint venture site, Pokertribe.com. However, the tribes will not be allowed to accept wagers from United States players given the lack of poker regulations in the state. The site will officially launch in the summer and a mobile application will shortly follow this debut.

The tribes, who own two land based casinos, previously operated Pokertribes.com as a social gaming network. Recently, the tribe attempted to run an internet casino that accepted United States players until the state decided to shut the operation given current statutes. The new approval ends the negotiation between the two parties and opens a new opportunity for the two tribes.

The online gambling site will operate under the internet gambling exception made through the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Under this statute, Native American tribes are exempt from the laws of the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006.

The green light from the Governor’s office also opens the possibility of online gaming in the state. Although such legislation has been a low priority in the state, the operation of real money gaming site within borders may entice legislators to consider introducing an online gambling bill.

SkyBet Launches Rakeback System

Wootae Min — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:00:19 +0000

Independent operator Skybet has announced the launch of a new rakeback system for its online poker site.

The rakeback system will replace the current rewards structure and will debut on May 1, 2013. The Sky Poker Rewards will provide rakeback to players who earn more than 10,000 points on the online poker site. The rakeback tiers begin at 20% and reach a maximum level of 30% for qualified players. Low volume players will remain in the current structure, which allows them to receive 1 or 2 pence for each point earned on the site.

The Sky Poker Rewards system is a unique rewards structure that bypasses the need for an affiliate or third party facilitator. Given its strong advertising campaign on its own satellite television channel, the United Kingdom centered site is able to save on marketing costs and attract heavy volume players.

The new system also deviates from the general trend of VIP systems in other independent sites like Poker Stars and Full Tilt Poker. Although most poker sites offer rakeback through an affiliate, several operators are considering moving to a VIP points system employed by Poker Stars and Full Tilt.

Skybet hopes that this new system attracts regular grinders and maintains the strong pool of recreational players on the site.

Piccioli wins first ever WSOP Asia Pacific tournament

Bruno de Paiva — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 11:19:02 +0000

American Bryan Piccioli has made history by taking out the first ever tournament in the World Series of Poker Asia Pacific (APAC) today in Australia.

The 23-year-old won the Event #1, a $1,100 No Limit Hold’em Accumulator, by beating Australian Jonathan Karamalikis heads-up in a tournament that also featured poker greats Phil Hellmuth, Antonio Esfandiari, Daniel Negreanu and Jonathan Duhamel. With 2,022,000 chips at the start of heads-up play, Piccioli had a major chip advantage over the Australian online poker sensation, who had 1,249,000.

The final hand of the tournament saw Piccioli raise the button pre-flop to 50,000 chips, which Karamalikis then three-betted to 124,000. Piccioli, who had Ace Eight off-suit, would not be thrown off. He shoved, which led Karamalikis to call all-in with his pocket 10s, which gave him the slightly stronger starting hand.

The flop and turn favoured the Australian, with the nine of diamonds, four of hearts, three of hearts and five of diamonds board not giving Piccioli anything better than Ace High. Things turned better on the river for the American, however, with the two of spades giving Piccioli a straight, knocking Karamalikis out and winning the tournament. It was the culmination of a brilliantly played tournament by Piccioli, who was the chip leader going into the third and final day of the tournament.

Piccioli won $211,575 and a WSOP gold bracelet, his first, for winning the Accumulator tournament while runner-up Karamalikis took home $130,743. The top prize adds to the five million plus dollars Piccioli has won throughout his poker career, largely via online poker play, where he has carved his niche and made a name for himself in the poker world.

Although they were the only two places paying six figures, third place Malaysian poker player Junzhong Loo was not far off that amount, winning $96,305 for his solid poker play. It was Loo who eliminated 2010 WSOP Main Event winner Jonathan Duhamel off the final table. Loo slow played his set of Queens against Duhamel’s Ace Eight two-pair, putting the Canadian all-in at the river before sending him out in fourth place.

The first event of the WSOP Asia Pacific has garnered major attention from global poker enthusiasts and local media outlets, fascinated by the biggest and most prestigious poker tournament taking place on their shores. There will be very little rest for those participating in the WSOP APAC, with the $1,650 Pot Limit Omaha tournament beginning tomorrow afternoon at Melbourne’s Crown Casino.

Tollerene pulls amazing comeback against Blom

Pablo Pagla — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 16:44:26 +0000

A few days ago we talked about how Viktor Blom crushed Ben Tollerene, taking away Ben’s whole bankroll (or at least everything he had in Full Tilt’s cashier). After six hours, “Bttech86” lost $1.7m to “Isildur1” that day, but it looks like surrendering was not an option for Ben…

The day after, Tollerene was able to book a win over Blom for $1.5m, recovering almost all of his loses from the day before.

At this point, both players have winnings of over $2 million in 2013 and are definitely hungry for more. Looks like the race to be the highest winner of the year is on fire, with a lot of huge names fighting it out to be the chosen one.

iPoker Rolls Out Anonymous Tables

Charles Rettmuller — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 20:00:35 +0000

The iPoker Network has begun using anonymous tables in furtherance of its efforts to improve the overall ecology of the network and to keep recreational players from being swallowed up by more experienced sharks.

Anonymous tables have been rolled out on certain stakes on the Titan Poker skin, with Betfair and Betclic Everest expected to follow suit shortly. Plans are for all skins on the entire network to eventually offer players the ability to play anonymously, eGR reported.

"We offer these tables where we believe it serves the purpose we have defined for them," said iPoker operations manager Asaf Younger. "[To] allow our players to play freely without having to worry about being tracked or 'targeted' by others."

iPoker is confident that the concept will be well-received, but will further asses the anonymous table concept over the course of time allowing for "feedback and requests brought to us by our players’ community," Younger added.

The network began tweaking its ecology last year by implementing a two-tier system that ring-fences player pools on the upper tier at various stakes and for certain games. That system was designed to extend the lifetime expectancy of a number of players. The iPoker Network has branded its dual tier system successful in maintaining a balance of skill levels of players on each tier.

Players at anonymous tables will be identified as "player1" or "player2," without using actual screen names. PartyPoker and MPN currently host anonymous tables at a small number of cash tables. Bodog uses the concept exclusively at all tables, including tournament play.

Those most typically opposed to anonymous tables are the more shrewd and experienced players who use tracking software that allows them to gain an edge by studying hand histories and tendencies of other players, resulting in making better decisions while playing. Most agree that such practices will eventually drive recreational players away from the game, severely upsetting the poker room ecology.

Sickest Computer Setup Could Win 50,000 FPPs

Charles Rettmuller — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 17:54:18 +0000

Only three days are left in PokerStars' contest to find the players with the sickest computer setups that will award 50,000 Frequent Player Points to the top 10 winners.

Whether you multi-table using six monitors or play with one screen on an outdated computer in a ramshackle apartment, PokerStars wants to see the computer setup that allows you to build your bankroll! All submissions will be considered, including serious, humorous, high-rolling, and low-budget.

To participate, players need to submit a photograph of their online poker computer setups via Instagram and use the tag #starssickestsetup. Remember to include your PokerStars ID somewhere in the picture submitted such as written on a piece of paper or a post-it note within the photo. You must also be playing on Poker Stars in the photograph. The contest began March 25 and will end following the conclusion of PokerStars Sunday Storm 2nd Anniversary on April 7.

The 10 best photos will each receive 50,000 FPPs, with five selected by poker players themselves and the other five chosen by PokerStars Team Online members.

To vote on submitted entries and to see the sick setups of your competitors, go to the PokerStars Instagram page. The five winners selected by PokerStars players will be those submissions that receive the most 'likes.' Voting is underway now and will end at 07:00 ET on April 8. PokerStars Team Online members are not eligible to win, but will be allowing the public to see their sick setups.

Ronaldo joins Team SportStars

Pablo Pagla — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 15:23:49 +0000

Rumours about Ronaldo joining PokerStars have been whispered around the Poker world for some time. Now, the rumour has become a reality: Luis Nazário de Lima, known as Ronaldo, has signed with PokerStars to become a member of Team SportStars.

This legendary forward won the World Cup twice with Brazil, bagged two ‘Golden Ball’ awards, and was declared the best player in the world three times by FIFA. Now, after a successful footballing career, Ronaldo is swapping the green pitch with the green felt and is trying his hand at the game he loves: poker.

“I always try to give my best in everything I do. I did it in football and in my life. Poker is a new challenge for me, you must know how to read the game and your opponents in order to find the best strategy to win” Ronaldo said. For PokerStars, the brand have hit top pair as the Brazilian encapsulates the core values of the brand: talent, dedication and passion; the make-up of successful athletes and poker pros alike.

Ronaldo has been playing poker recreationally for a few years, although he did make an appearance on a special athlete exclusive table; organised by Andre Akkari and Team PokerStars Pro. With Ronaldo joining forces with PokerStars, it is certain we will see him playing in many live events around the continent and as the face of the brands marketing drive alongside his star-studded teammates; which include the likes of Rafael Nadal and Boris Becker amongst other top athletes.

Ronaldo will start by playing LAPT Sao Paulo which is only days away from now. Will he be able to hit the back of the net and score big? Maybe, maybe not, though he is sure to be the big talking point regardless of how he performs.

Viktor Blom Wins $1.7 million in 6 hours

Pablo Pagla — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 21:23:52 +0000

During the last few days, we have seen Viktor “Isildur1” Blom struggling at the Nosebleed tables. He run way below EV in a few consecutive sessions. Well, you know that variance is Lady Justice, and Blom finally got what he deserved.

Everything happened today, after Blom and high stakes pro Ben “Bttech86” Tollerene opened a $500/$1000 CAP PLO table. They single-tabled for a while, but then decided to add two more tables to speed up the action. After two hours at the tables, Blom was leading with a $200k profit. They played some more hands, and decided to add more tables. At this point, Blom’s winnings matched EV results, but Lady Variance was ready to give him back what she took him the last days.

Isildur managed to build a stack of over $1m in a single table, something incredible considering the fact that it was a CAP game. After 2 hours of play in that table, Isildur was $1m above EV, with a profit of $1.25 million.

The next period of the match was for Bttech’s benefit, who was able to recover from the big hits to find himself down ‘only’ $600k. The players split their stacks and start playing 4 tables with more aggressive action.

Blom recovered the control of the match and, after playing almost 5 hours, he won $1 million from Bttech86. Bad news continued to come for the Tollerene, who lost another $680k in the last hour of the match. In the end,Isildur took a profit of over $1.7 million after this terrific six-hour match.

With this performance, Viktor Blom is once again the biggest winner of the year up to date at the nosebleeds, having won over $4 million dollars.

Once again, the sickest player in the world paralyzes the world with his action at the tables. How much will this amazing run last? Don’t miss the action at the Nosebleeds!

Tribes Schedule Online Gambling Conference

Charles Rettmuller — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 18:28:16 +0000

Native American tribes will hold a conference this summer that focuses on both the challenges and opportunities that tribal gaming interests are expected to face in the realm of online gambling.

Pechanga.net has teamed up with the Spectrum Gaming Group as co-presenters of a conference at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California on June 3-4. Pechanga.net is a website devoted to native American news, while Spectrum is a company with a specialized focus in gaming research and analysis.

With tribes all over the U.S. still not in complete agreement over whether online gambling will prove to be beneficial to their land-based casinos, Victor Rocha, the owner of Pechanga.net, saw that the issue needed to be addressed.

“I felt there was an urgent need for us to look beyond the current debate on online gaming and focus on the entire industry, including the myriad of business opportunities that will be created by iGaming and e-commerce,” Rocha told the Indian Country Today Media Network. “Creating this conference is my way of pulling back the curtains and demonstrating that every tribe in the country can have a role and an opportunity to benefit in some real and direct way.”

The conference is titled “Indian Country Online: The 2013 Congress" and is promoting the theme of "No Tribe Left Behind." Rocha encourages gaming industry professionals and the leaders of tribes to attend. While the conference agenda is not yet set in stone, registration and sponsorship opportunities are available at www.indiancountryonline.net.

Experts in the gaming industry are scheduled to present information at the conference advising tribes how to cope with the financial, technological and regulatory issues that online gambling creates. Rocha believes the conference is "sure to be a transformative event in the history of tribal gaming.”

States Look to Ban Online Gambling

Wootae Min — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 16:53:12 +0000

After a period of despair and failure following Black Friday, the year 2013 has brought some hope and optimism for the regulation of online poker in the United States. Over the past few months, Delaware, Nevada, and New Jersey have passed legislation to regulate the operation of online poker. Other states such as Texas and Washington are currently considering the possibility of online poker legislation. Furthermore, United States Congressmen have recently stated that federal legislation remains a possibility in the future.

In spite of this optimistic news, several states have been hesitant or opposed to the idea of online gambling in the United States. The Illinois governor recently stated his unease with the relatively “new” idea of online gambling. Online poker bills in Iowa and California have met strong opposition from moralists and other gambling interests.

Today, two states, Kansas and New Mexico, took a step towards the ban or restriction of online gambling within their respective borders.

In New Mexico, a new proposed gambling compact between the state and the Navajo Nation would ultimately provide disincentives to the legislation of online gambling.

According to the Albuquerque Journal, the proposed new compact would allow the Navajo Nation to cease slot machine revenue sharing if the state decided to authorize online gambling within the state or through a multi-state compact. Furthermore, the Navajo Nation has agreed to abstain from any online gambling venture without state or federal authorization. If such legislation is passed, the Navajo Nation would be forced to share all internet gambling related revenue under the Class III statutes with the exception of poker related earnings.

Although the compact leaves some room for the possibility of online gambling and poker, the ultimate goal of the agreement will be to discourage the adoption of any form of online wagering. Furthermore, the new compact may set a precedent for other tribes looking to protect themselves from the supposed business crushing online gambling regulations.

“This provision was intended to discourage the adoption of Internet gaming in the state, while ensuring that, if Internet gaming is adopted, revenue sharing continues in light of any new benefit/detriment to the (Navajo) Nation,” said Enrique Knell, a spokesman for Gov. Susana Martinez.

The Kansas State Senate took the disincentives to another level by approving modifications to its gambling laws that would make the playing of internet gambling a Class B nonperson misdemeanor. The punishment for engagement in any online gambling would be a possible penalty of a $1000 fine and up to six months in jail. The modifications to the law would essentially punish any operator and player engaging in any type (mobile, computer, machine) of online gambling, including poker. Although it would lead to more brick and mortar casinos, the modifications would be a detrimental setback to the possibility of online poker in the state of Kansas.

The proposed legislation in these two states epitomizes the general sentiment in certain areas around the United States. Although poker and gambling remain popular among citizens, governments are heeding to the whims of the Tribal Nations and the voice of the Moral Right.

Tribal Nations, who control a vast majority of land based casinos in states, have been some of the strongest opponents of online gambling regulation. Given the struggle of some of these Tribal casinos (see Foxwoods Casino & Resort, CT), leaders view internet gambling as a threat to the revenues built upon land based establishments. Given the lack of knowledge and supposed lack of effort to understand the effects of internet gambling, legislators and tribe leaders alike have sought to restrict or ban the introduction of such gambling in light of recent legislation in states like Nevada, Delaware, and New Jersey.

The Moral Right has also been a huge opponent of the online gambling movement and it has been apparent in states that are populated with such constituents. Southern states such as Alabama have already implemented or have considered the ban on online gambling. Furthermore, Congressmen from these states have been the strongest opponents of a Federal Bill.

In addition to the strong opposition from these groups, states such as Illinois and Iowa have failed to form a bill that would satisfy the state and its citizens. Some legislators believe that there is not much understanding of internet gambling and that further investigation needs to be done.

Nevertheless, the United States landscape for online poker and gambling is currently looking bleak despite the supposed victories in Nevada, Delaware, and New Jersey. These three states are the only jurisdictions that have non-Tribal control of the gaming industry and are generally liberal or libertarian in terms of social issues.

United States poker players outside the three states will most likely wait years until viable legislation allows an online form of a “skill” based game. Although the United States has been a pioneer on many fronts, this country has been relegated as the last frontier and has harbored the least educated legislators in terms of the regulation of online poker and gambling.

Jay Tan Re-Signs With Team Bodog

Charles Rettmuller — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 16:24:49 +0000

Following a recent final table finish at the 2013 Aussie Millions Main Event in February, Jay Tan has renewed her sponsorship agreement with Bodog, signing a one-year extension to promote the website.

Tan finished in 7th place in the Aussie Millions, scoring a AUD$150,000 payday that boosted her career tournament earnings in live action to $252,707. The lovely Asian pro was knocked out of that event when her A-Q failed to connect versus the pocket Kings of Patrik Antonius. Tan's resume includes cashes at the WSOP and the Asian Poker Tour.

“Jay has had a great year and is a natural in front of the camera as well as at the felts,” said Bodog President Jonas Odman. “She is an integral part of the ongoing Bodog Poker story which has seen us create the only network made in Asia with the emerging Asian player in mind. We are thrilled to have her back on board for another year and hope she can light up the WSOP in the same way she did the Aussie Millions.”

Tan promotes Bodog along with Tatjana Pasalic and was ecstatic to continue her affiliation with the site. “Becoming a sponsored player has always been a dream and to do so well in my first year was an unexpected bonus,” Tan said. “I feel very at home with Bodog and look forward to carrying on where I left off.”

The WSOP Asia Pacific tour kicks off today in Melbourne, Australia. Tan will no doubt be in attendance. But check her out at the 2013 Aussie Millions on the video below brought to you by PokerTube.com

High Stakes Poker - A New Month Begins

Pablo Pagla — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 01:18:26 +0000

One of the big losers of March was “SallyWoo”, who lost $1 million in the tables, mostly in hands of Viktor "Isildur1" Blom. However, the FLO8 specialist started April booking a win after a long session against Full Tilt Pro, Gus Hansen.

“SallyWoo” started the session with a $100k loss after 30 minutes of heads-up play, but managed to leave the table with a profit of $231.8k after almost 3 hours. Gus Hansen, who was able to take some money from “Cottonseed1” before that day, ended as a day’s big loser with $147.6k lost.

Another big winner of April 1st was Ben “Sauce123” Sulsky, who played $100/$200 NLHE against “WCG|Rider” on 4 tables and made his way into a $197k profit.

The most thrilling pots were, where if not, in hands of Mr. Viktor “Isildur1” Blom, who played more than one hour $500/$1000 CAP PLO against “Bttech86”. The players battled ina number of large pots. Blom’s bad run continued as he ended the match with $279k in losses by running nearly $400k below expected value.

The last big winner of the day the “kaju85”, who won $112.9k out of PokerStars’ $50/$100 PLO tables. Although he played some ring games in that format, most of his profit came in a heads up match against “egozeem45”

Here is the list of the biggest winners:

SallyWoo: +$231.8k
Sauce123: +$197k
kaju85: +$112.9k
KPR16: +$86.7k

Will their good run continue for the rest of the month? Will Gus Hansen finally recover from his disastrous period? Action is guaranteed and non-stop in the Nosebleeds, watch out!

Zynga Poker Debuts on the Party Poker Network

Wootae Min — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 16:33:50 +0000

Zynga has officially launched its real money online poker site, Zynga Poker Plus, on the Party Gaming Network. Zynga Poker Plus joins a network that is currently battling for the second spot in the Poker Scout rankings.

The online poker site operates on the bwin.party platform and features identical components to the current skins on the Party Gaming Network. Zynga Poker Plus maintains several Party promotions and has a rewards structure that is similar to the Palladium VIP system. The layout of the site provides the familiar design of the free play application that was highly popular on Facebook.

The social gaming giant has also released its first real money gaming casino, Zynga Plus Casino. The gambling site offers basic casino games like Blackjack, Roulette, and Baccarat as well as FarmVille themed slot games.

The real money gaming launch comes about 6 months after Zynga announced its partnership with the Bwin.party Digital Entertainment Company. Zynga made the necessary business moves to clear the way for this launch, including a renegotiation with longtime partner, Facebook. The company initially launched a real money social gaming product, Bingo & Slots Friendzy, on the UK Facebook platform. Now, the social gaming giant has officially entered the regulated real money gambling market.

"Our long term vision is to offer our players the next generation of real money games on multiple platforms in regulated markets worldwide," Zynga CEO Barry Cottle wrote on the company blog.

This long term vision also includes the possibility of a United States facing poker site in the state of Nevada. The social gaming company has initiated the license application process in the Silver State and plans to expand into other regulated states. The Zynga brand has been highly popular in the United States market and the company hopes that it could take advantage of the brand recognition.

Ian Simpson Ships Irish Open...

Pablo Pagla — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 01:43:06 +0000

Action in the Irish Open 2013 finished yesterday at the Burlington Hotel from Ireland. After a couple of days of thrilling action at the tables,Ian Simpson, 4th place finisher in this event in 2012, took the poker world under his arm by taking down the Main Event title and winning €265.000 in the process. However, that was nothing compared to the “YES!” his Girlfriend gave him seconds after winning when he asked her to marry him.

From the eight players who started the final table, the first one to go home was Adam Fallon, after he decided to jeopardize his stack with AJs against the dominating AK of Michael Farrelly.

7th Place was for Tom Brady, who receive two callers after pushing his shortstack to the middle of the table. His two opponents checked it all the way as the board came A5KT7. Brady held 6 high with his unsuited 63 and could not beat the top pair of Namir Mohamed.

A couple of hands later, Declan Connolly found a perfect spot to gain a huge chip lead when he got it in preflop with AA against Farrelly who was holding AJs. However, a runner-runner flush delivered the bad beat and consequently Connolly’s stack was crippled. He busted the next hand after his 97o was not able to beat Simpson’s pocket Jacks

The next player eliminated was Calvin Anderson, who in a blinds war ended all in preflop with Q5o against 33 (quiet a sick flip, huh?), but couldn’t connect with one of his "infinite" outs on the river after the board was KJTK. He took home a healthy prize for 5th place finish. Anderson also earned €60.000 for the “Sole Survivor” prize, which was awarded to the best online qualifier performance.

After several hands, Simpson and Mohamed had a preflop battle that resulted in a coin flip situation. Mohamed was at risk with AQ against Simpson’s TT. Five low cards hit the felt and Mohamed was out in 4th Place.

3rd Place finisher was Mark David, who managed to make it this far after starting the final table with the second smallest stack. In his last hand, he decided to 4bet shove A7s and after some deliberation, Simpson called with 77. No miracles this time, and the heads-up play was ready to start!

Simpson was able to take the title in a matter of 3 hands. On a flop of Q65 rainbow, Farrelly decided to bet, Simpson raised, Farrelly shoved, and Simpson called. The two opponents flipped over the hands. Simpson found out that he was dominated by 7 High!

Farrelly: 74
Simpson: 43s

The flop brought an open ended straight draw for both players. The Turn was the 8 of Diamonds, completing Farrelly’s straight but giving Simpson a Flush Draw. A two of diamonds fell on the river to give Simpson the win. Michael Farrelly was delegated to 2nd Place and Ian Simpson was crowned as the Irish Open 2013 Champion!

Seconds after this, Simpson got down to his knee and asked his Girlfriend Emma to marry him. She said YES!

Final Positions:

1st Place – Ian Simpson, €265.000
2nd Place – Michael Farrelly, €141.500
3rd Place – Mark Davis, €99.000
4th Place – Namir Mohamed, €67.500
5th Place – Calvin Anderson, €49.000
6th Place – Declan Connolly, €37.500
7th Place – Tom Brady, €28.000
8th Place – Adam Fallon, €20.500

Ultimate Poker Signs Antonio Esfandiari

Charles Rettmuller — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 22:37:36 +0000

Preparing for a real-money online poker launch in Nevada this year, Ultimate Poker has tabbed Antonio Esfandiari as its brand ambassador.

UltimatePoker.com is owned by Station Casinos, a Las-Vegas based company that already holds an interactive gaming license in the Silver State. The website's software is currently being tested by independent laboratories. Once gaming officials give the site's technology the green light, Esfandiari will bring his magic to promote the brand.

Esfandiari tops the all-time poker tournament winning money list after taking down $18.3 million in the $1 million buy-in Big One for One Drop last year. "The Magician" has won more than $23 million in his career, including two World Poker Tour championships and two WSOP bracelets in addition to the special One Drop platinum bracelet.

"We're thrilled to have Antonio Esfandiari represent our company," said Ultimate Poker Chairman Tom Breitling. “Antonio is the ultimate champion and modern poker player. He brings the gaming lifestyle to the online arena with his work-hard, play-hard attitude.”

Along with his poker-playing prowess, Esfandiari has increased his growing fan base by passing on his knowledge of the game as a commentator during ESPN's WSOP broadcasts. His signing with Ultimate Poker makes him the first pro to represent a licensed U.S. online poker company.

Ultimate Poker is run by Ultimate Gaming, which promotes and operates the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The company plans to fuse ultimate fighting with online poker, merging the two competitive sports in marketing campaigns geared toward fans of the gaming lifestyle.

Interpoker Announces Move to Ongame Network

Wootae Min — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 17:48:37 +0000

Interpoker has announced that the skin will leave the Spielo G2 Poker Network for the established Ongame network.

The movement of Interpoker was inevitable given that the poker site and the Ongame network are both owned by the Amaya Gaming Group. The website is owned by CryptoLogic, which was acquired by Amaya in a $36 million deal in February of 2012.

The online poker website will relaunch on the Ongame network on the 24^th of April and will have a mode of facilitation for the movement of player liquidity. Interpoker’s Danish players will remain on the Spielo G2 Poker Network until the website receives approval from the Danish Gaming Authority.

The Ongame Network has added a reputable poker skin to its offering of poker sites. The acquisition will allow the network to remain relevant, especially after losing its flagship skin, Betfair to the Playtech’s iPoker Network. Betfair plans to migrate from the network in July. The Ongame network also plans to launch a Playboy-branded poker website in the upcoming year as well.

Ongame's parent company, Amaya, is also making plans to enter the United States market. The gaming operator has an agreement with Bally Technologies to provide software and gaming products.

Betfair Acquires Blue Square Bet

Charles Rettmuller — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 16:17:56 +0000

Betfair has announced the the purchase of Internet sportsbook Blue Square Bet from the Rank Group for a reported £5 million.

The world's largest online betting exchange will add roughly 120,000 punters to its customer base in the deal. Rank Group acquired Blue Square Bet in 2003. An increase in marketing expenditures saw the Rank Group report a loss of £4.8 million for the six-month period ending on Dec. 31, 2012.

Betfair's sports revenue has been heading in the opposite direction, rising 39% to £7.5 million in Q3 tallies announced last month. The acquisition of Blue Square Bet coincides with the London betting exchange's "strategy of growing its sportsbook and gaming operations alongside its core exchange product," a Betfair spokesman told eGR.

Betfair is in the midst of an overhaul in its operational strategy. The company has withdrawn from grey markets such as Greece and Germany in favor of expanding its focus in regulated markets.

PokerView the Latest Merge Skin to Close

Charles Rettmuller — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 15:22:40 +0000

PokerView, a Merge Gaming skin that allowed players to see each other via webcam while playing, has unexpectedly shut down effective April 1.

The closure is not an April Fool's joke, as a visit to PokerView.com reveals the following message:

Dear PokerView Customer,

We are writing to inform you that PokerView recently transferred to Merge Gaming Limited certain assets which form part of the PokerView brand. As a result, PokerView will cease to operate PokerView.com as of 6:00 p.m. (EST) on April 1, 2013.

We want to take this moment to assure you that your player funds are secure; and you will have access to your funds and the ability to play on the Merge Gaming Network. All player funds will continue to be managed by Merge Gaming in the usual course.

It has been our pleasure to serve the poker community and we wish you all the best moving forward. For further instructions related to your accounts and support, please login to the PokerView client.

Sincerely,

The PokerView Team

Those who do log in to the client are informed to choose a new skin among Carbon Poker, PlayersOnly or Sportsbook.com. Player balances will be promptly transferred to the chosen skin. Unfortunately, it appears that any uncleared bonuses and accumulated VIP points will not be transferred along with player account balances.

Merge skins have been closing their doors at a rapid pace of late, as Overbet and Iron Duke shut down last month. That followed the demise of Hero Poker and RPM Poker late last year. Black Chip Poker left Merge at roughly the same time as Hero and RPM, but is now accepting wagers at the Winning Poker Network.

Merge is currently ranked third among U.S.-friendly poker networks, trailing Bodog and the Revolution Network in cash game player traffic, according to recent PokerScout tabulations. Merge has long been criticized for excessive delays in payment processing.

PokerView was originally associated with the Everleaf Gaming Network and moved to Merge in the fall of 2011. The move came during a period when Merge had suspended new sign-ups from U.S. players but still allowed Americans with current accounts to log on. A number of U.S. players are believed to have joined PokerView prior to the migration to Merge in order to avoid the new player suspension on Merge.

Revolution Gaming Issues Lead to More Problems for Skin and Players

Wootae Min — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 18:54:12 +0000

The Revolution Gaming Network has made headlines for the wrong reasons in its short period of existence. The largest United States facing network and home of Lock Poker has been accused of slow cash out times and non-payment to affiliates. Now, a Revolution skin, Adameve Poker, has decided to suspend withdrawals and segregate player pool over issues regarding the network.

Adameve Poker’s recent decisions have risen from the lack of reconciliation payments from the Revolution Gaming networks. The skin explained that the suspension of withdrawal and player segregation will be in effect until the network pays “all due settlements with AdamevePoker”. Despite the suspension of withdrawal and player segregation, the poker skin operator has assured the safety of all player deposits and the continued operation of the website. The player segregation will begin on 2 April 2013 and the suspension of withdrawal has already taken effect.

The Adameve Poker fallout has been another notch in the ongoing saga of the Revolution Gaming Network. Recently, the network introduced Fair Play Technology to separate recreational players from the highly skilled players. This segregation was intended to create solid poker ecology.

However, the network has continued to come under fire for its lack of communication with withdrawals and payments such as the one owed to Adameve Poker. Players in the TwoPlusTwo forum have continued the barrage of complaints and negative comments. The network has even drawn the ire of non-United States players who have a high balance on the flagship skin, Lock Poker. Given the plethora of issues, many players have decided to move onto other sites, although the site remains popular in the United States.

Rocco Palumbo Wins WPT Venice

Pablo Pagla — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 00:55:07 +0000

Today, the last 6 players from the 173 who started in the event played the Final Table to crown a champion at Casino di Venezia, Venice, Italy. Four levels of play were enough for Rocco Palumbo to emerge from the field as the champion, earning $180.097 in the process.

The first player eliminated was Erion Islamay. He shoved his short stack with A6 from the button and ran into the pocket tens of Marcello Montagner, the chip leader at that time.

The next casualty of the day was Xia Lin, who went all in from the big blind after Palumbo raised and Begni called from the small blind. Palumbo decided to go over the top with AJ and forced Begni to fold. The bracelet winner had Lin’s A6s dominated. No surprises on the board, and Lin was out in 5th place.

Afterwards, Begni exited from the final table when he pushed with A6 from the small blind after Montagner open-raised from the button. Montagner decided the odds were good and called with J2o, spiking a deuce on the river to eliminate Begni in 4th place.

The 3rd place finisher was Mike Sexton. He opened in the button and received the calls from both Montagner in the small and Palumbo in the big blind. Both blinds checked on a J76 flop and Sexton made a standard continuation bet which only Montagner called. The turn was an Ace, and after checking, Montagner called Sexton’s all in. J9 for Sexton and A7 for Montagner. There would be no miracles for Mike and his elimination set up the final heads-up.

In the last hand of the tournament, Palumbo opened from the button and Montagner answered with a 3-bet to 170k. Palumbo called, and the flop came JT8 rainbow. Montagner continued with 180k, which Palumbo quickly raised to 480k. Montagner called and moved all in after a 4 hit the turn. Snap-call from Palumbo who had J8 and was in good shape against Montagner’s 99. The river card was a 3, ending the tournament for Montagner in 2nd place and crowning Rocco Palumbo as the new WPT Venice Grand Prix champion!

Final Positions:

1st Place – Rocco Palumbo - $180.097
2nd Place – Marcello Montagner - $108.316
3rd Place – Mike Sexton - $69.723
4th Place – Robert Begni - $51.585
5th Place – Xia Lin - $38.721
6th Place – Erion Islamay - $31.002

Phil Ivey wins $540k in 24 Hours

Pablo Pagla — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 18:58:40 +0000

Phil Ivey has continued to dominate the poker world with his amazing performance on the online felt. After a dark start in 2013, Ivey was the biggest winner of the day, finishing with a profit of $244k after some action in the PLO and FLO8 Heads-Up tables at Full Tilt Poker, where he plays as “Polarizing”.

To start the day, Ivey found some action against KPR16, but ended up losing $17k to him. Afterwards, Ivey managed to extract $19k against NiklasReinecker in a short $500/$1000 No Limit Hold’Em CAP session.

Some hours later, Ivey clashed heads with Viktor “Isildur1” Blom in a $500/$1000 PLO CAP game, where he was able to take a profit of $90k out of another very short session.

Even with his success in a relatively short time, players began to commented on the relatively short duration of matches. Ivey has been known to be a bit more discerning in his game selection recently and it has brought the ire of top players like Fixed Limit Omaha Eight Specialist SallyWoo.

Polarizing: quit when u want
Polarizing: i may play 2 min
SallyWoo: nah, u too nitty
Polarizing: ha
SallyWoo: we play another time
Polarizing: play 8 games
SallyWoo: well when i played u lhe u said play other games, i moved to 08, now here u wont really givve action, so ill move to another game will it happen again at plo?
SallyWoo: will you quit me at horse if i play that? or can we battle?
SallyWoo: like in future
Polarizing: what are u talking about
Polarizing: i have no idea what your talking about
Polarizing: u have issues
SallyWoo: issues?
Polarizing: i will play i just quit when i want
Polarizing: simple as that
SallyWoo: u lose 2bb and quit 9 out of 10 times and i have issues gotcha
Polarizing: ha

After a brief tense chat, Ivey returned to the felt to face high stakes regular KPR16. Ivey profitted a total of $161k in this battle, ending Phil's day with a total profit of $244k.

Apart from Ivey, the day had two other six-figure winners: Sanlker won $211k, and Trueteller, acPokerStars’ regular, won almost $138k playing $200/$400 No Limit Hold’Em 6max.

Ivey and KPR16 played again the following morning, where Ivey destroyed his opponent, winning almost $300k in a couple of hours. With this session, Phil ended a 24-hour period with winning of $540k.

Given his recent success, it looks like it is just a matter of time for Ivey to recover the 2 million dollars he lost since new year.

Greg Raymer Provides Statement and Answers in FlopTurnRiver Interview

Pablo Pagla — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 18:09:12 +0000

World Series of Poker 2004 Main Event Winner, Greg “Fossilman” Raymer provided an "Ask Me Anything" format interview for the poker forum , FlopTurnRiver. The “Ask Me Anything” format allowed poker players to ask Raymer about various subjects including important moments in his poker career and his most recent arrest for prostitution.

The Fossilman introduced his hour long question and answer session with an important statement about his recent arrest:

Thanks for coming to my AMA here on www.FlopTurnRiver.com! I will be answering many of the questions posted in this thread during the next hour. Sorry if I don’t get to your question, not enough time to answer them all. I know that many of you are curious about my arrest a couple of weeks ago, and want to know more. I appreciate your questions and your interest, but I am still at a point in the process where my lawyers have advised me to not answer most questions on that subject. What I would like to say is that I am very sorry for the pain and suffering I’ve caused my wife, daughter, and family, as well as for any disappointment or difficulties I’ve caused to my friends and fans. Also, I appreciate very much the words of support and encouragement received from many of you. Now let’s talk about poker!

After this initial statement, Raymer answered a plethora of questions that ranged from United States legislation to his stance on the recent gay marriage issue. Through this interview, players learned that about some of his most important moments in poker as well as his political affiliation and personal goals. Participants in the AMA session were generally supportive of Raymer and mainly asked questions about his poker career and strategic view.

The beloved tournament professional had been making headlines over the past year with his accomplishments and shortcomings. Raymer recently made a strong comeback into the upper echelon of the tournament world with an unprecendented four victories in a single year. His success on the felt and work in the legislative world (Poker Players Alliance) were positive stories that increased the popularity of the beloved professional and provided hope to the older generations of poker players.

Even with the recent success on the felt and work in the poker community, the media has been focused on his recent arrest for the alleged solicitation of a prostitute. Raymer was one of six men arrested in a police sting operation and has been set to face trial on April 18, 2013. The incident brought some shock to the poker world, especially in light of his respected and previously clean status. He has not provided an official statement on the recent arrest, but has agreed to do an interview for forums and news outlets like FlopTurnRiver. In addition to the interview, Raymer has stepped down from his position in the Poker Players Alliance in order to focus on personal matters.

Despite the incident, Raymer remains a beloved figure in the poker community and this was certainly evident from the support given by fans and peers alike.

You can go the AMA’s thread and view the session by CLICKING HERE.

Multimillionaire Guy Laliberté Decides to Take a Break from the Nosebleeds

Pablo Pagla — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 01:18:41 +0000

In the world of high stakes poker, there seems to be a symbiotic relationship between the "sharks" and the "whales". These "sharks" are dependent on the availability of "whales" in the high stakes world. These "whales", who range from businessmen to celebrities, play poker for the love of the game and laugh at the thousands of dollars at stake in each game. In the online world, the most infamous whale has been Guy Laliberté, founder and CEO of the worldwide known Cirque Du Soleil, who is in the 831st position of the world’s richest individuals according to the Forbes magazine.

Guy has played High Stakes all around the globe against top professionals such as Phil Ivey and Tom Dwan with very little success. In addition to his big losses in the high stakes live games, Laliberté has also lost huge amounts of money playing online at PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. According to assopoker.com, the Cirque Du Soleil founder has lost about 15 million dollars playing poker over his lifetime.

“I have lost a lot in the Online tables, so I decided to take a break from Poker. I started playing about 7 years ago in Las Vegas, when a friend brought me to my first table. I liked the social aspect of this game and it’s competitivity. I also like to be able to read the other players, their approach to the game and strategy. Poker is a game that fits extremely well with my personality” – Laliberté explained.

With his gambling attitude, Guy may start to study the game and use smart bankroll and game management, even though he has lost colossal amounts of money over the years.

The news of this loss has most likely been disheartening to high stakes regulars, but these "sharks" just plan to await the next big "whale".

Poker Gossip Update: Phil Hellmuth Makes An Interesting Appreance at Tournament

Pablo Pagla — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 23:26:50 +0000

The 13-time WSOP bracelet winner, who is known for his infamous table talk, has decided to introduce a new side of his "Poker Brat" personality. Even tough it looked like the memorable times were gone, the Poker Brat made his entrance to the World Poker Tour Venecia Grand Prix wearing a combination of clothes of the famous “Phantom of the Opera” and “Severus Snape”, dark wizard from Harry Potter saga. The appearance of Hellmuth has attracted questions of a possible prop bet loss or some form of statement.

The WPT event is currently being held in Venecia and will be completed on the 31st of March.

Unluckily for him, magic abilities came for Hellmuth along with his costume. He made his whole stack dissapear very quickly!

Washington State Online Poker Initiatives Submitted for Petition

Wootae Min — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 16:10:31 +0000

A Pro-Poker Grassroots Organization has filed two separate petitions to legalize and regulate online poker in the state of Washington.

The organization, led by Curtis Woodward, hopes to gain 300,000 signatures for the petition and bring the two measures to the legislature by 2014. In addition to the petition, the organization has initiated relationships with state lawmakers to promote the initiatives and encourage the construction of one within the legislature. A third option for these initiatives will be a November ballot vote, although the ballot will be limited to one proposal. .

The two proposals provide the regulation and legalization of online poker within the borders of Washington State. Initiative Measure 582 (I-582), otherwise known as the Washington State Internet Poker Act(WSIPA) of 2014, aims “to authorize the play of real money internet poker, to direct the Washington state gambling commission to license operators providing internet poker, and to regulate licensed operators’ activity within the state of Washington”.

Initiative Measure 582 (I-582) also outlines the exact specifications of the regulation for online poker in the state. It requires that the licensed poker operator to segregate funds, complete transactions within three days, have experience in electronic gaming, and have a physical location within the state. The player pool will be limited to those who are 21 and over and a problem gambling disclaimer must be clear on the site.

The second initiative (I-583) addresses the current criminalization of online poker in the state of Washington. This initiative would essentially decriminalize the play of online poker in the state, although it would not regulate it. Currently, online poker is considered a Class C felony in Washington State and is comparable to the crimes of third degree child rape. Convicted felons are subject to nearly 5 years in jail and appropriate fines. This law was intended to protect the land based casinos in the state, but has been viewed as an overly protective law, considering the legislation of poker around the world and in three current states.

The website for the grassroots organization can be found here: http://waipokernow.blogspot.com/

Party Poker Announces Pokerfest III Schedule

Wootae Min — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 00:52:41 +0000

Party Poker has announced the tournament and qualifier schedule for the third edition of PokerFest. The tournament series will be held from April 21 to May 5 and will feature 64 no limit hold em, fixed limit hold’em, and pot limit omaha events.

Pokerfest III will have a total of $4 million in guaranteed prizes and a number of satellites for all the events. Each day will feature four tournaments increasing in buy-in from VIP points to the high stake buy-in. The series features buy-ins for all types of bankrolls, including $0.50 and $1 tournaments as well as the normal $108 buy-in events. The points-only tournaments

Party Poker PokerFest III qualifiers have already begun and will continue through the $1.5 million guaranteed main event. The tournament will also include a Daily Prize Card, which can be used to qualify for the actual events.

PokerFest was introduced in the inaugural series on October 2011 and has been a bi-annual event with the exception of Fall 2012. The tournament series used to feature unique promotions and only 47 events. The third edition expects to see improvements in tournament software as well as prize pools.

Schedule:

Week 1 (21st April)

Event	Time (CET)	Gtd	Game	Buy-in
Sunday
1	19:30	$350,000	NLH	$215
2	20:00	$2,500	NLH	20 Points
3	20:15	$75,000	NLH	$108
4	20:30	$5,000	NLH	$2
5	20:30	$50,000	NLH	$22
6	21:00	$250,000	NLH	$530

Week 2 (22nd April - 28th April)

Event	Time (CET)	Gtd	Game	Buy-in
Monday

7	20:00	$500	NLH Speed	5 Points
8	20:30	$2,500	NLH Speed Rebuy	$0.50
9	20:30	$25,000	NLH Speed Rebuy	$6
10	21:00	$80,000	NLH Speed Rebuy	$54
Tuesday

11	20:00	$500	PLO	10 Points
12	20:30	$750	PLO	$1
13	20:30	$7,500	PLO	$11
14	21:00	$40,000	PLO	$108
Wednesday

15	20:00	$500	NLH Turbo	10 Points
16	20:30	$1,500	NLH Turbo	$1
17	20:30	$15,000	NLH Turbo	$11
18	21:00	$70,000	NLH Turbo	$108
Thursday

19	20:00	$500	FLH Speed	10 Points
20	20:30	$750	FLH Speed	$1
21	20:30	$4,000	FLH Speed	$11
22	21:00	$20,000	FLH Speed	$108
Friday

23	20:00	$750	NLH	10 Points
24	20:30	$1,000	NLH Bounty	$1
25	20:30	$10,000	NLH Bounty	$11
26	21:00	$50,000	NLH Bounty	$108
Saturday

27	20:00	$750	NLH Speed	10 Points
28	20:30	$1,500	NLH Speed Rebuy	$1
29	20:30	$10,000	NLH Speed Rebuy	$6
30	21:00	$50,000	NLH Speed Rebuy	$54
Sunday
31	19:30	$350,000	NLH	$215
32	20:00	$2,000	NLH	20 Points
33	20:15	$75,000	NLH	$108
34	20:30	$4,000	NLH	$2
35	20:30	$35,000	NLH	$22
36	21:00	$450,000	NLH	$1,060

Week 3 (29th April - 5th May)

Event	Time (CET)	Gtd	Game	Buy-in
Monday

37	20:00	$750	NLH	5 Points
38	20:30	$2,000	NLH Rebuy	$0.50
39	20:30	$20,000	NLH Rebuy	$6
40	21:00	$70,000	NLH Rebuy	$54
Tuesday

41	20:00	$500	PLO Speed	5 Points
42	20:30	$1,000	PLO Speed Rebuy	$0.50
43	20:30	$7,500	PLO Speed Rebuy	$6
44	21:00	$35,000	PLO Speed Rebuy	$54
Wednesday

45	20:00	$500	NLH Heads Up Speed	5 Points
46	20:30	$750	NLH Heads Up Speed	$0.50
47	20:30	$7,500	NLH Heads Up Speed	$6
48	21:00	$25,000	NLH Heads Up Speed	$54
Thursday

49	20:00	$750	NLH 6Max	10 Points
50	20:30	$1,500	NLH 6Max	$1
51	20:30	$15,000	NLH 6Max	$11
52	21:00	$70,000	NLH 6Max	$108
Friday

53	20:00	$1,000	NLH Speed	10 Points
54	20:30	$3,000	NLH Speed Rebuy	$1
55	20:30	$25,000	NLH Speed Rebuy	$11
56	21:00	$100,000	NLH Speed Rebuy	$108
Saturday

57	20:00	$1,000	NLH	20 Points
58	20:30	$2,000	NLH Bounty	$2
59	20:30	$20,000	NLH Bounty	$22
60	21:00	$75,000	NLH Bounty	$215
Sunday
61	18:30	$5,000	NLH	30 Points
62	19:00	$7,500	NLH	$3
63	19:00	$60,000	NLH	$33
64	19:30	$1,500,000	NLH	$640

Game types:

NLH = No Limit Hold ‘em
FLH = Fixed Limit Hold ‘em
PLO = Pot Limit Omaha

Full Tilt Poker's New Loyalty Program Details Revealed

Stewart Dunlop — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 18:10:52 +0000

Full Tilt Poker have announced details of their new player loyalty program. The big changes include:

The reinstatement of the Full Tilt Poker Black Card
A compromise on player reward level. Black Card members will be able to instantly exchange points for cash at a rate of 40%.
A VIP Amnesty, allowing players to transfer their VIP level from another poker room to Full Tilt.

As of yet, a date has not been announced for the relaunch. However, it's clear that Full Tilt are taking their recent slip in rankings very seriously.

The VIP Amnesty is certain to worry competing rooms. It should be noted, however that this same tactic was used by a number of rooms post Black Friday to little effect. PaddyPower even ran a Green Card promotion, in an attempt to take advantage of the situation.

"Full Tilt Poker is also offering a 'VIP Amnesty’ to all poker players throughout April, giving players the opportunity to seamlessly apply the status they’ve earned on other (poker) sites toward the equivalent status under the Full Tilt Poker loyalty program"

To rub salt in to a wound, they're also offering paid sponsorship contracts to the top performers in each game type, with the fine metrics of the system yet to be decided.

The news will be sure to frustrate competitors. Not only is Full Tilt offering an improved VIP scheme with a top tier of up to 40% cashback, but they're poaching new customers by actively encouraging them to join their own scheme at an equivalent status and a pro sponsorship system.

It remains to be seen whether this tactic will prove successful. It contradicts the current industry stance of catering towards recreational players and some industry insiders have already come out and said that marketing ploys such as this will lead to tougher games and a poor poker ecology.

Full Tilt Poker is also offering a ‘VIP Amnesty’ to all poker players throughout April, giving players the

opportunity to seamlessly apply the status they’ve earned on other sites toward the equivalent status

under the Full Tilt Poker loyalty program.

iPoker and PartyPoker Tied for 2nd in Player Traffic

Charles Rettmuller — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:10:37 +0000

The iPoker Network has caught PartyPoker in cash game player traffic, with both locked in a dead heat for second place.

As of this writing, PokerScout tabulations show both to be enjoying 3,250 cash game players on a seven-day average. PartyPoker lost about 50 players from last week's totals, while iPoker gained 100 to pull into a second place tie.

iPoker has been buoyed recently by the addition of skins such as Dusk Till Dawn and Betfair. Ladbrokes is also set to migrate to the top online poker network by the end of May, which could very well allow iPoker to claim the second place ranking all alone.

Full Tilt, who held second place almost exclusively since relaunching on Nov. 6 until tumbling to fourth place last week, saw its cash game player numbers decline even further. Weighing in at 3,100 players on a seven-day average just a week ago, the sister site of number one ranked PokerStars now averages 2,950. Rounding out fifth place, 888Poker is 500 players behind Full Tilt at 2,450.

Overall, online poker traffic dropped 2% last week, the third week in a row showing a decline. There are 8% fewer players than one year ago at this time despite the influx of some $184 million when rest-of-world Full Tilt players were reunited with their funds less than five months ago.

PokerStars continues to dwarf the competition with a seven-day average of 23,600 cash game players. The top online poker site also unveiled last week the new games of 5-Card Omaha, 5-Card Omaha Hi/Lo, Courchevel and Courchevel Hi/Lo. Time will tell if these these Omaha variants will find a loyal following among online players.

Ivey, Trickett and Hachem Named Captains for Caesar's Cup

Pablo Pagla — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 20:11:41 +0000

The first edition of the “World Series of Poker Asia Pacific” will take place in two weeks in an attempt to take the WSOP brand around the world. The tournament series will feature many events including a Main Event and the popular Caesar’s Cup.

The Caesar’s Cup has become a popular event given its competition among the top players from respective regions such as the United States and Europe. This year’s edition will have feature three teams: Team America, Team Europe, and Team Asia.

The teams will consist of one captain and four other players who will battle until a final Heads-Up match to determine the champion. The respective captains are in charge of selecting their team’s members. The Caesar’s Cup teams will be headed by Phil Ivey, Sam Trickett, and Joe Hachem.

Ivey will be the head of Team America, which in previous editions had players like Phil Hellmuth and Daniel Negreanu as captains. On the other hand, Trickett will be in charge of selecting the players for Team Europe like Annette Obrestad and Bertrand Grospellier did before. Finally, Hachem will command the inaugural Team Asia.

The Caesar’s Cup plans to bring the same type of excitement and solid play from the top professionals in the world. The WSOP Asia will be held from April 4 - 15, 2013.

High Stakes Action - Viktor Blom wins big

Pablo Pagla — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 20:04:30 +0000

The last couple of days at Full Tilt Poker have been pretty weak in terms of action at the Nosebleed tables. However, the most thrilling player, Victor “Isildur1” Blom is back to the games.

At the beginning of his session, Blom got a little bit of action at the PLO, FLO8 and 2-7 Triple Draw tables and managed to end with profits of almost $180k.

First, he battled Ketse at $200/$400 CAP PLO, where he won $32k in only 28 minutes. After an initial win, Blom had to wait some minutes before Full Tilt’s biggest winner at FLO8, “cottonseed1”, decided to take a seat at the $2k/$4k tables. In this case, Blom only needed 45 hands and 15 minutes of play to take $109k from his opponent.

Blom quickly returned to the $200/$400 CAP PLO, where he won another $37k from Ketse in a brief half hour battle. Through these three matches,“Isildur1” ended with a profit of $177.9k with a mere 2 hours of play.

Besides the High Stakes action at Full Tilt, PokerStars $200/$400 PLO games also ran for four hours with players like “RealAndyBeal”, “Barcode”, “Ben86” and “Jeans89”. High stakes legend “Jeans89” became the big winner with a $159.8k profit, powered by a pot of over $100k won against Barcode, who end up losing $212k to conclude a catastrophic day for him.

Another six-figure winner of the day was “jungleman12”, who had an amazing run at a $300/$600 NLHE table. Jungleman faced two opponents for the day. First, “ComeOnAndPlayMe” lost over $20k in twenty minutes and decided to stop before any further losses. “KidPoker705” decided to challenge Cates, but did not have much more success than his predecessor. “KidPoker705” began his heads up match with a small win, but ended the match with a $100,000 downswing in a short 100 hands. The main contributor to the loss was a $141.4k pot in which KidPoker705’s bluff ran into the nuts of the legendary Cates.

The action at PokerStars continued to be strong at the PLO tables. “Egozeem45” had a strong day with a massive $92k win at $50/$100 and “GVOZDIKA55” took $72.9k from the $200/$400 tables.

After the action-packed day, these were the biggest winners:

Isildur1: +$177.9k
Jeans89: +$159.8k
Jungleman12: +$127.5k
Egozeem45: +$92k

Daniel Negreanu Announces his WSOP Schedule

Pablo Pagla — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 19:43:28 +0000

After his curious appearance in the reality show “The Millionaire Matchmaker”, the most famous Team PokerStars Pro member has decided to turn serious at poker again and has announced his schedule of events for the 2013 World Series of Poker.

Negreanu will participate in 19 out of the 64 events of the Series, including several high buy-in events. Daniel will be seeking another bracelet to add to his resume. Negreanu has not accomplished the feat since 2008. Although he will play the important No Limit Hold Em events such as the Main Event, his schedule will mainly consist of non-No Limit Hold Em events. Daniel will invest a total of $276.111 in Buy-Ins.

Here is the list of events we are going to find him playing:

May 29th - $5.000 No Limit Hold’Em (8max)
June 2nd - $2.500 8-Game Mix
June 5th - $5.000 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo
June 7th - $10.000 No Limit Hold’Em (Heads Up)
June 9th - $5.000 Pot Limit Hold’Em
June 12th - $2.500 7 Card Stud
June 13th - $5.000 Omaha 8 or better
June 15th - $5.000 H.O.R.S.E.
June 18th - $5.000 No Limit Hold’Em (6max)
June 20th - $5.000 Limit Hold Em
June 22nd - $5.000 Pot Limit Omaha (6max)
June 23rd - $10.000 2-7 Single Draw No Limit
June 26th - $111.111 No Limit Hold’Em
June 27th - $2.500 10-Game Mix
June 28th - $25.000 No Limit Hold’Em (6max)
June 30th - $50.000 Players Championship
July 3rd - $2.500 2-7 Triple Draw
July 5th - $10.000 Pot Limit Omaha
July 8th - $10.000 No Limit Hold’Em Main Event

Will Daniel win a bracelet this year? Don’t miss his action!

Pari Mutual Urbain Will Sponsor European Football Poker Tour

Wootae Min — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 19:23:27 +0000

The European Football Poker Tour representatives have announced that Pari Mutual Urbain (PMU) has been chosen as the lead sponsor for the 30 May event in France.

The tournament will feature a €1,000 buy-in main event and will be held at the famed Aviation Club de France. The European Football Poker Tour will also host a €500 “legends tournament’ charity event that may include some of the top footballers in the world. Fundacion Privada Samuel Eto’o is one of the main sponsors of the charity event along with five other noble charity organizations.

The tournament will coincide with the beginning of the International Stadiums Poker Tour at Wembley Stadium in London. However, organizers do not see a conflict of interest in this matter.

Players can qualify for the tournament through satellites on the Pari Mutual Urbain and Aviation Club de France dot.fr sites on the Party Poker network.

PokerStars Releases Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) Schedule

Wootae Min — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 18:57:38 +0000

PokerStars has officially released the first draft of the 2013 edition of the SCOOP tournament series.

The popular compliment to the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) will feature 42 events with the usual low, medium, and high buy-in events. The events feature a wide variety of games, structures, and buy-ins. PokerStars has decided to continue with the Zoom tournaments and has added its new slate of games, 5-Card Omaha (Hi and Hi/Lo) and Courchevel, to the list of events. The SCOOP will be held from May 12 to May 26 and will feature 3 tournaments each day with the exception of two on Sundays.

Last year, the SCOOP became the largest online tournament in history in terms of participants and paid out more than $65 million in prize money. Online MTT legend, Shaun Deeb claimed the Player of the Series award after some strong finishes and his fifth SCOOP title. Nick “GripDsNutz” Grippo captured the SCOOP Main Event title after a three-way deal was made at the final table.

PokerStars has promised to provide updates to players in the upcoming months and more information can be found on their website and blog.

Schedule:

Sunday, 12 May 2013

11:00 ET: Event 01 - NL Hold'em (6-Max)
Low: $27, Medium: $215, High: $2,100

14:30 ET: Event 02 - NL Hold'em
Low: $27, Medium: $215, High: $2,100

Monday, 13 May 2013

11:00 ET: Event 03 - NL Hold'em (6-Max, Rebuys, Action Hour)
Low: $5.50, Medium: $55, High: $530

14:00 ET: Event 04 - FL Badugi
Low: $27, Medium: $215, High: $2,100

17:00 ET: Event 05 - NL Hold'em (Turbo, Rebuys)
Low: $11, Medium: $109, High: $1,050

Tuesday, 14 May 2013

11:00 ET: Event 06 - NL Draw (2x Chance)
Low: $11, Medium: $109, High: $1,050

14:00 ET: Event 07 - NL Hold'em (Heads-Up)
Low: $7.50, Medium: $82, High: $700

17:00 ET: Event 08 - NL Hold'em
Low: $11, Medium: $109, High: $1,050

Wednesday, 15 May 2013

11:00 ET: Event 09 - NL Hold'em (Super-Knockout)
Low: $27, Medium: $215, High: $2,100

14:00 ET: Event 10 - 7-Card Stud
Low: $27, Medium: $215, High: $2,100

17:00 ET: Event 11 - PL 5-Card Omaha Hi/Lo (6-Max)
Low: $7.50, Medium: $82, High: $700

Thursday, 16 May 2013

11:00 ET: Event 12 - PL Omaha (Heads-Up)
Low: $27, Medium: $215, High: $2,100

14:00 ET: Event 13 - NL Hold'em (Big Antes, Rebuys)
Low: $11, Medium: $109, High: $1,050

17:00 ET: Event 14 - NL Hold'em (6-Max, Turbo, Super-Knockout)
Low: $27, Medium: $215, High: $2,100

Friday, 17 May 2013

11:00 ET: Event 15 - NL Hold'em (Ante Up)
Low: $7.50, Medium: $82, High: $700

14:00 ET: Event 16 - FL Omaha Hi/Lo
Low: $27, Medium: $215, High: $2,100

17:00 ET: Event 17 - NL Hold'em (Turbo, Zoom)
Low: $27, Medium: $215, High: $2,100

Saturday, 18 May 2013

11:00 ET: Event 18 - NL Hold'em (10-Max, Shootout)
Low: $27, Medium: $215, High: $2,100

14:00 ET: Event 19 - PL 5-Card Omaha (6-Max, Rebuys)
Low: $11, Medium: $109, High: $1,050

17:00 ET: Event 20 - Triple Stud
Low: $27, Medium: $215, High: $2,100

Sunday, 19 May 2013

11:00 ET: Event 21 - NL Hold'em
Low: $27, Medium: $215, High: $2,100

14:30 ET: Event 22 - NL Hold'em
Low: $27, Medium: $215, High: $2,100

Monday, 20 May 2013

11:00 ET: Event 23 - Mixed NL Hold'em / PL Omaha
Low: $11, Medium: $109, High: $1,050

14:00 ET: Event 24 - NL Hold'em (4-Max)
Low: $27, Medium: $215, High: $2,100

17:00 ET: Event 25 - PL Courchevel (Turbo, 1 Rebuy, 1 Add-On)
Low: $11, Medium: $109, High: $1,050

Tuesday, 21 May 2013

11:00 ET: Event 26 - Triple Draw Deuce-to-Seven
Low: $11, Medium: $109, High: $1,050

14:00 ET: Event 27 - 7-Card Stud Hi/Lo
Low: $27, Medium: $215, High: $2,100

17:00 ET: Event 28 - NL Hold'em
Low: $11, Medium: $109, High: $1,050

Wednesday, 22 May 2013

11:00 ET: Event 29 - Razz
Low: $27, Medium: $215, High: $2,100

14:00 ET: Event 30 - NL Hold'em (Knockout)
Low: $27, Medium: $215, High: $2,100

17:00 ET: Event 31 - NL Omaha Hi/Lo (Turbo, Zoom)
Low: $27, Medium: $215, High: $2,100

Thursday, 23 May 2013

11:00 ET: Event 32 - Eight-Game
Low: $27, Medium: $215, High: $2,100

14:00 ET: Event 33 - PL Omaha Hi/Lo
Low: $27, Medium: $215, High: $2,100

17:00 ET: Event 34 - NL Hold'em (Turbo, 3x Chance)
Low: $27, Medium: $215, High: $2,100

Friday, 24 May 2013

11:00 ET: Event 35 - NL Hold'em (1 Rebuy, 1 Add-On)
Low: $27, Medium: $215, High: $2,100

14:00 ET: Event 36 - FL Hold'em (6-Max)
Low: $55, Medium: $530, High: $5,200

17:00 ET: Event 37 - NL Omaha Hi/Lo
Low: $27, Medium: $215, High: $2,100

Saturday, 25 May 2013

11:00 ET: Event 38 - PL Omaha (6-Max)
Low: $55, Medium: $530, High: $5,200

12:30 ET: Event 39 - NL Hold'em (Heads-Up, High-Roller)
Low: $215, Medium: $2,100, High: $21,000

14:00 ET: Event 40 - H.O.R.S.E.
Low: $27, Medium: $215, High: $2,100

Sunday, 26 May 2013

11:00 ET: Event 41 - NL Hold'em (6-Max)
Low: $27, Medium: $215, High: $2,100

14:30 ET: Event 42 - NL Hold'em Main Event
Low: $109, Medium: $1,050, High: $10,300

Dan Shak Wins Drama-Filled PartyPoker Premier League VI

Wootae Min — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 17:56:11 +0000

The Party Poker Premier League has always provided some memorable moments and a cast of the best players in the world. The sixth edition of the popular invitational tournament series was filled with some great poker and unexpected drama from top professionals. At the end, Dan Shak outlasted Sam Trickett to take the title and the $450,000 first place prize.

The eight-handed final table featured an all star cast that included Antonio Esfandiari, Jonathan Duhamel, Daniel “jungleman12” Cates, Tobias Reinkemeier, Jennifer Tilly, Dan Shak, Sam Tricket, and Talal Shakerchi.

The first five levels of the final table saw an intense battle, but the next few levels saw Shakerchi, Tilly, Cates, and Reinkemeier exit the tournament. Jonathan Duhamel, who played brilliantly in the early levels, was next to exit after holding a sizable chip lead with four players left.

Dan Shak ultimately took matters into his own hands by eliminating Esfandiari with his A2 vs. the Magician’s pocket nines. The champion also took a crucial pot in which he overbet the river for eight times the pot size and somehow extracted value for his flush from Trickett’s two pair. The heads up battle subsequently ended after this defining moment for Shak.

The Party Poker Premier League VI also featured some drama filled moments in which players failed to control emotions. In one incident, Scott Siever criticized Daniel Cates for folding out of turn. Cates retaliated with a profanity laced comment and a brief tense filled moment ensued at the table. Phil Hellmuth and Daniel Negreanu eventually relieved the drama by politely asking Cates to be more cognizant of his pre-flop folding behavior.

Daniel Negreanu also became the center of some drama when he splashed his chips across the table after a devastating bad beat. The PokerStars pro caught Duhamel’s steal with 74s with a strong AQ. The flop brought both an Ace and Four to give Negreanu a strong advantage in the hand. Unfortunately, the river brought another Four and Kid Poker reacted by angrily pushing his chips over the table before an official count.

The most recent edition of the Party Poker Premier League saw great drama and some great action from the top professionals in the world. The next edition should bring similar action and memorable moments.

Amateur Poker Player Hits Major Jackpot in Party Casino

Wootae Min — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 19:11:03 +0000

Poker is considered a unique form of gambling because of its skill based nature and the lack of a structured house edge. Although poker players venture to beat games like the blackjack or craps, slot machines have been generally frowned upon as a predominantly luck based game. Nevertheless, online poker players are forced to view an icon for the supposedly negative expected value realm of online casinos in their respective clients. Most players seem to ignore the casino as they fire up tables, but some curious souls venture into the realm of interactive online slots.

One amateur poker player happened to be curious over the weekend and it surely paid off for him.

A 46-year old Canadian poker player ventured into the Party casino and decided to try his luck at a slot game called Melon Madness. The player was attempting to qualify for the Montreal World Poker Event on Party Poker when the sight of the jackpot caught his eye. He had $21 left on his account after registering for the satellite tournament and decided to see if he could win some money to purchase another tournament entry. After wagering a mere $3 on a five-reel, thirty slot line, the poker player hit a record breaking jackpot of $7,525,851.

According to Reuters, the stunned lucky winner stated, “Two years ago, I left my job after 23 years and decided to try my hand at poker…I thought to myself, wow, it took me 2 years to realize that I’m a mediocre poker player and only 2 or 3 spins to realize that I’m really, really good at slots!”

The $7.5 million jackpot has been recorded as the biggest one in PartyCasino history and smashed the previous record of $4,978,336 set in December 2009. In perspective, the total winnings would be greater than any prize won in the WSOP with the exception of the Main Event winner and the One Drop high roller event. Furthermore, the total jackpot would be higher than the total tournament earnings for some of the best professional poker players in the world. Although these tournament accomplishments cannot be compared to one single lucky spin, the 46-year old amateur has certainly proven that it is better to be lucky than be good.

888 Holdings Approved for Nevada License

Wootae Min — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 18:43:42 +0000

The Nevada Gaming Control Board officially granted an interactive gaming license to Gibralter-based operator, 888 Holdings. After a month long wait, 888 becomes the 21^st licensee and the first foreign operator to gain this approval. Las Vegas Casino and 888 partner, Treasure Island, was also granted a interactive gaming license as well.

Over the past few months, 888 Holdings has formed partnerships and placed itself to become a power player in the United States market. The operator plans to continue its partnership with Caesars to launch a WSOP brand poker site in Nevada. Also, 888 Holdings plans to operate a poker website for the Treasure Island casino and is providing WMS Industries with gaming technology. 888 has officially set up a corporation in Delaware to start the first US network.

“888 has chosen Nevada as its first U.S. market, and we are hopeful that future developments will present even greater commercial opportunities for 888’s Nevada-facing business,” 888 CEO Brian Mattingley told the gaming commission.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board cited 888 Holdings success in developing technology for player security, age restrictions, and safe payment processing. The operator currently does most of its business in the UK market, but has placed itself in a position to find similar success in a young US market. Its partnership with a highly recognized brand (WSOP) and the general success of first movers points to major plans for the operator.

888 Holdings hopes to launch a site before the end of 2014 and will continue to work with its partners to test and develop technology. The Nevada Gaming Control Board and independent testing laboratories will have to make a final approval before any online gambling product launch.

Major Gaming Operators Apply for Delaware License

Wootae Min — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:02:58 +0000

Fourteen Gaming Operators have applied to provide online gambling services to the Delaware State Lottery. The applicants, including PokerStars and 888, filed a Request for Proposals (RFP) before the Friday deadline in a highly competitive licensing process.

Following the approval of online gaming in June 2012, Delaware has become one of the leaders in the push for online gambling in the United States and gaming operators are fighting to become a part of it.

PokerStars parent company Rational Services submitted an application to offer B2B services despite the controversy surrounding the company in New Jersey and Nevada. Amaya Gaming and Bally Technologies have filed a joint application to provide gaming for the state. Finally, 888 has partnered with Scientific Games and subsidiary WMS to submit an application to the Delaware State Lottery. SHFL Entertainment (formerly Shuffle Master), IGT, Stan James, and Continent 8 Technologies have also submitted applications.

The fourteen applicants will be fighting to provide a wide variety of services including a backend platform, content vendors, and support services such as e-wallets, identity verification, and customer service. Delaware plans to only offer one version of poker and casino games as well as multiple video lottery games. Although it only plans to offer one version, Delaware Lotteries have stated that multiple vendors would contribute to the overall structure.

Nevertheless, the application process is set to be a very competitive venture for the fourteen hopeful companies.

PokerStars Launches Four New Omaha Games

Wootae Min — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:40:05 +0000

PokerStars has announced the addition of four new Omaha games that will be available for real and play money games over the next couple of days.

The new poker variants include 5 Card Omaha, 5 Card Omaha Hi/Lo, Courchevel, and Courchevel Hi/Lo. Each game will be spread in a Pot Limit and Fixed Limit form ranging from stakes of $0.10/$0.25 to $200/$400 for the PL games and $1/$2 to $1000/$2000 for the FL games. The games will initially launch in a 6-max format, although the full ring and heads up variant may possibly launch in the near future. According to its site, PokerStars has also launched tournaments for these new games as well.

PokerStars’ new games provide an interesting twist on the highly popular game of 4 card Omaha. In 5-card Omaha and 5-card Omaha Hi/Lo, players are dealt five cards that can be used in connection with the community cards to make the best hand. Like 4-card Omaha, players must use two cards from the initial holdings and three cards from the community cards. The Omaha game strives to reach the best possible high hand while the lowest and the highest hands take the respective halves of the pot in Omaha Hi/Lo. The betting structure remains the same as Pot Limit and Fixed Limit Omaha games.

Courchevel and Courchevel Hi/Lo are popular home game variants of 5-card Omaha where the players are able to see the first card of the flop before the first betting round. The next two cards of the flop are dealt after the initial betting round and the game proceeds like a 5-card Omaha and 5-card Omaha Hi/Lo game.

The Omaha variants are the first new games to be introduced on PokerStars since the debut of Badugi in October 2008. The new games speak to the popularity of Omaha in the European markets of PokerStars. High stakes professionals like Johnny Lodden and David Williams are considered seasoned veterans at these games and the games are becoming viral in the high stakes world.

Team PokerStars Pro Johnny Lodden stated: “Hopefully these games will be a great success and more people around the world will find them fascinating. A good tip for beginners in 5 Card Omaha is to fold low cards as it can turn out to be an expensive mistake – you will often flop a part of the board but very often will not draw to the nuts.”

Greg Raymer Granted Leave of Absence from PPA

Charles Rettmuller — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 10:33:20 +0000

Following his arrest on charges related to soliciting the services of a prostitute, Greg Raymer has been formally granted a leave of absence from his duties as a board member of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA).

The 2004 WSOP Main Event champion decided "that it is best for the PPA that he step away from his position on the Board while he deals with his legal and personal issues," PPA Executive Director John Pappas explained to PocketFives. Raymer is no longer listed on the Board of Directors of the PPA website.

Raymer and five other men were arrested at a Wake Forest, North Carolina hotel last week by law enforcement officials who conducted a sting operation. The arrest of the popular poker pro has been the subject of numerous articles throughout poker media outlets. Some of those articles erroneously reported that Raymer had sought the services of a male prostitute.

Raymer has been both lambasted and supported by members of the poker community. While some questioned his judgment as being foolhardy, others have supported the "FossilMan" and pointed out that prostitution is a victimless crime. Whatever your opinion on the issue, Raymer has been a strong advocate for the rights of poker players for a number of years.

"Mr. Raymer is very sorry for this lapse in judgment," his attorney stated. "He regrets deeply the pain he has caused his family, friends, and fans. Mr. Raymer is grateful for the many expressions of support he has received."

The length of the leave of absence is not known at this time. Pappas did say that Raymer "is eligible for future reinstatement should the Board deem it to be in the interest of the organization." Pappas also added that the PPA is "at a critical juncture in the fight for poker rights and we have to make sure side issues do not obscure focus from the main issue."

Raymer posted $1,000 bond and was released shortly after his arrest. He is scheduled to appear in court on April 18.

Microgaming (MPN) Re-launches Record Breaking Bad Beat Jackpot

Wootae Min — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 17:17:52 +0000

The Microgaming Poker Network (MPN) has officially released its new version of the bad beat jackpot with a record breaking €921,603 prize pool. The bad beat jackpot was suspended in early March for a revamp of its policies and requirements.

Microgaming’s new bad beat jackpot has a lowered requirement for qualifying hands and allows for a greater number of participants. The new qualifying hand has been lowered to four of kind twos from the original losing hand of four of kind eights. The lowered requirement will eventually lead to a higher frequency of hit jackpots.

The new bad beat jackpot also allows a new opt-in feature for all cash tables above €0.10c/€0.20c. Players will have the option to participate in the bad beat jackpot by clicking the “bad beat” ticker at the bottom right of any qualifying table. This option will automatically lead to a €0.02 per raked hand contribution towards the bad beat jackpot pool.

Microgaming has also changed the payout structure of the bad beat jackpot and has taken out the administrative fee. The total prize pool will be broken down into five pieces including 40% to the losing player and 20% to the winning player in the qualifying pot. The remaining players at the qualifying table will have 10% equity of the prize pool. Furthermore, players who are simultaneously playing at the same stakes will be able to share in the jackpot by receiving a part of the 10% equity in the total prize pool. The remaining 20% share will be used to contribute to the next bad beat prize pool.

BetVictor CEO Andy Horne reflected upon the exciting changes to the bad beat jackpot.

“Will it reach EUR1 million? Who knows! The changes mean it will be won more often and by more people now. The current Jackpot will see over EUR90,000 paid out to opted in players playing at the same stake as the winner so even if you're not at the table where it hits you can share in the good fortune and that's no bad beat!"

Microgaming’s new bad beat jackpot is a novel approach to the concept of this popular promotion. Most online poker sites and land-based casinos have relatively strict policies on the bad beat jackpot. The new bad beat jackpot has set an industry record for prize pool and has introduced an original way to include more participants.

Bernard Tapie Probe

Jamie Nevin — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 12:30:24 +0000

The Telegraph has recently reported that the French police raided IMF (International Monetary Fund) chief Christine Lagarde's flat as part of a probe into one of the main financiers of the International Stadiums Poker Tour.

The alleged purpose of the raid was to establish whether former French finance minister Lagarde acted illegally when approving a €285 Million arbitration payout to Bernard Tapie. Although specific details remain unknown, Lagarde’s lawyer has assured the public that his client is innocent.

Notorious Millionaire Bernard Tapie is used to being the centre of controversy. In December, he risked a major sum to acquire one of France's most influential regional press groups. Famous for his high risk investments and ambitions, Tapie has been involved in politics as Cabinet Minister, has bought one of the country's oldest football clubs, and has claimed responsibility for rejuvenating sportswear giant Adidas. Even with his impressive resume, Tapie was also embroiled in controversy, especially after his 1996 imprisonment for football match fixing charges.

His company, Groupe Bernard Tapie, is the main financial backer for the International Stadiums Poker Tour. Laurent Tapie is currently the chairman of the ISPT. Also, the Groupe Bernard Tapie was previously placed in the poker spotlight after a failed attempt to purchase Full Tilt Poker.

The ISPT has been on a credibility rollercoaster ride within the poker community over the past couple of years. Its association with controversial skin Lock Poker and the scandal ridden Partouche Poker Tour have unsettled potential participants of the novel tournament series. The event has come under most scrutiny due to poor scheduling and a lack of clarity regarding how the event will actually be executed.

The poker community will have to wait to see if this latest saga involving Tapie has an effect on the already fragile reputation of the ISPT.

Chris Moorman Captures First FTOPS Title

Charles Rettmuller — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 03:31:37 +0000

Chris "Moorman1" Moorman, whose online achievements include winning over $9 million in multi-table tournaments and a Triple Crown, bested a field of 399 players to capture his first FTOPS championship.

Moorman took the title and $21,250 in FTOPS XXII Event #3, a Pot-Limit Omaha Rush tourney with a $216 buy-in. Following his victory, the Lock Poker pro attributed his success in the event to fellow pro Phil Galfond.

"Finally won an FTOPS! Of course it was in Rush PLO!!," Moorman tweeted. "Thanks @PhilGalfond for those PLO videos I grind every night just before bed."

Galfond responded via Twitter with a plug for his RunItOnce.com poker training site, tweeting, "@Moorman1 NP! Many people don't realize that watching my videos is good luck."

Event #3 provided players with an overlay as the just short of 400 entrants contributed $79,800 to a prize pool that Full Tilt had guaranteed for $85,000. Moorman defeated "Hudzzzzzz" in heads-up action to take the crown, with the runner-up scoring a payday of $13,175.

You can watch Moorman competing in live poker action at the WSOPE and Aussie Millions in a number of videos at PokerTube.com.

William Hill Eyes Major Growth with Acquisitions

Wootae Min — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 22:54:12 +0000

The regulatory movement and the rise in popularity of online gambling have forced companies to develop their business to meet the constant evolution of the market. The past two years have seen the major companies such as Playtech and the Rational Group expand their empire into different markets.

Over the past month, William Hill has claimed its place among the gaming powerhouses with two acquisitions. The gaming operator began its growth with a £424m purchase of Playtech’s share in William Hill Online joint venture. The company officially took full control over its online business with this acquisition. William Hill followed this major transaction with a £459.4m joint acquisition of market leading SportingBet.

These acquisitions place William Hill in a position to expand its reach to various global markets and build upon its already successful business. The Sportingbet acquisition allows the gaming operator to take a major share of the sports betting market in Australia, which is one of the largest licensed markets in the world. Furthermore, the acquisition of its own shares allows the company to expand its business without sharing its profits.

According to eGaming Review, CEO Ralph Topping echoed the push for expansion. “Taking full ownership of William Hill Online is an important strategic step for William Hill as we continue to develop our online business, which plays a key part in our growth strategy,”

He added that “the Australian business offers us a well-recognised brand, an experienced team and a market-leading position in a highly competitive market. We look forward to working with our new colleagues to use the capabilities of both businesses to maximise that position.”

William Hill has seen significant growth over the past two years in its online division. In 2012, the gaming operator reported a 24% increase in net revenues for the online business and an astounding 56% overall growth. The company hopes to further expand upon these excellent figures with these acquisitions.

Allen "Chainsaw" Kessler Joins IveyPoker.com

Charles Rettmuller — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 12:28:14 +0000

The pro roster continues to expand at IveyPoker.com as Allen Kessler has signed on as the newest coach.

"Chainsaw" has been slicing up opponents for some 15 years and building up a resume that includes 29 WSOP cashes and more than $2.6 million in career earnings. The former marketing researcher with degrees in both marketing and management has amassed 180 live tournament cashes, 70 of which landed him at the final table. Of those 70, Kessler has collected 14 first place titles.

Kessler hails from Pennsylvania but eventually moved to Las Vegas when his poker success was outperforming his decade-long career in marketing. Known as one of the nittiest players around, Kessler adds another dimension to Team Ivey, which now boasts a roster of 31 pro players.

Tony Guoga Ends Sponsorship Deal with Party Poker

Wootae Min — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:47:49 +0000

The outspoken and polarizing Tony G has officially ended his three year sponsorship with Party Poker. The announcement ends a great era that saw the rise in popularity of both Tony G and Party Poker.

The Pokernews founder has decided to focus his attention to his online gambling business, TonyBet. The Estonia licensed site offers gambling products including a sportsbook and an online casino.

Tony Guoga has expressed his desire to develop this website that offers a wide range of games. TonyBet has already gained a pool betting agreement with Unibet’s B2B division Kambi. Recently, TonyBet opened the EU’s first land based sports betting venue in Estonia. Also, Tony Guoga has stated that an online poker client should be running in the near future and discussions have been made with the Microgaming (MPN) Network.

Despite his commitment to his new business venture, Tony G has expressed his intention to stay in the Party Poker Premier League as well as continue his successful poker career. He still remains the founder and owner of one of the most popular sites in PokerNews.

Nevada Asks for Input on Interstate Compact Regulations

Charles Rettmuller — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 12:52:34 +0000

With its interstate online poker legislation in place, Nevada is asking for comments from state licensees and other interested parties on how best to draft regulations regarding revenue sharing.

The Nevada Gaming Commission website is actively soliciting input on whether revenue sharing among partnered states should be based upon the location of the wager or on the location of the server or licensed host. Another issue requiring a solution is which state will govern disputes between players who are located in different states. Those who wish to comment on these matters are required to back up their reasoning with legal support.

The deadline for submitting suggestions to the commission is April 12, 2013. Replies to comments are permitted for one week, until April 19, 2013. To send a comment, address a letter to Sally P. Elloyan, Executive Secretary of the Nevada Gaming Commission, located at 1919 College Parkway, P.O. Box 8003, Carson City, Nevada, 8970. Emails should be sent to selloyan@gcb.nv.gov.

Parties submitting comments may also include suggestions on other topics related to interstate compact regulations. Following the submission deadlines, the commission will schedule a regulatory workshop to consider all comments received.

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval signed the interstate compact legislation into law late last month. The Silver State is aiming to be the hub of online poker throughout the U.S. and to set regulation standards for other states to follow when entering the online poker market.

Full Tilt Drops to Fourth Place in Player Traffic

Charles Rettmuller — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 12:37:37 +0000

Full Tilt cash game player traffic has fallen to a seven-day average of 3,100, knocking the site down to fourth place as PartyPoker and the iPoker Network took over the second and third place rankings, respectively.

PartyPoker shows a seven-day average of 3,300 cash game players as of this writing, while iPoker players are tallied at 3,150 by PokerScout. Full Tilt enjoyed a second place ranking almost exclusively since relaunching about 4 and 1/2 months ago. But player traffic began dwindling after the Deal Me In Bonus expired three weeks after the relaunch. That bonus added at least $200 to each player's account and up to $600 to some players depending on their volume of play.

With Full Tilt offering one of the lowest rakeback reward programs in the industry, cash game traffic has seen almost a steady weekly decline as a result. However, tournament action is still quite popular at the site, as FTOPS XXII began yesterday with a $240 + $16 Irish Poker tourney as Event #1. A total of 38 tournaments will be played over fifteen days, with a combined prize pool of $10 million.

Greg Raymer Arrested in Prostitution Sting

Wootae Min — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 17:35:40 +0000

World Series of Poker Champion Greg Raymer was one of six men arrested in a prostitution sting in Wake Forest, North Carolina.

The 2004 Main Event Champion contacted a prostitution advertisement posted by an undercover police officer. According to the Wake Forest Police Department, the police operation was set up as the prostituion sting in an attempt to catch men soliciting paid sexual activities. Six men, including a high profile attorney and Raymer, attempted to solicit services from a supposed female prostitute through the online advertisement on a website called backpage.com.

According to Bill Crabtree of the Wake Forest Police Department Information Services, "Six men were arrested in separate incidences at the Wake Forest Hotel. Each men were not guests of the hotel. The six men were attempting to solicit services from a female prostitute"

A $1,000 bond has also been set for the six men and a trial has been set for April 18, 2013.

Greg “Fossilman” Raymer is considered one of the most respected poker players in the world. Since his victory in the 2004 WSOP Main Event, Raymer has added a WCOOP title and millions in tournament earnings over the past several years. Recently, the Fossilman made an unbelievable run in the Heartland Poker Tour with an unprecedented four victories in one year. In addition to his success at the tables, Raymer has been an avid spokesperson for the poker community and has worked for advocacy groups such as the Poker Players Alliance. His kindness and respectful nature on and off the poker tables have brought him some popularity within the community as well.

Greg Raymer has been married to his wife for several years.

Playtech Eyeing New Jersey as Entryway to U.S. Market

Charles Rettmuller — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 11:25:39 +0000

Although refusing to reveal his hand entirely, Playtech CEO Mor Weizer did admit that the company is negotiating with several partners in the U.S. in regards to entering that country's online gaming marketplace, with New Jersey the likely starting point.

“If you ask me whether we can benefit from New Jersey regulation I’d say yes,” Weizer told eGR. “New Jersey presents a new incremental revenue stream for the company. Yes, we’d be disappointed if we didn’t get something signed there.”

Playtech owns a 10% stake in Sportech, which is one of the world's leading operators of tote betting. It is one of a few European companies licensed to process bets in America and holds almost 30 licenses in several states.

"We enjoy a very good relationship with [Sportech]" Weizer admitted, "and [they are] uniquely positioned in certain states where they operate gaming operations for themselves or for others, so I would say this can definitely be a route into the U.S. market."

Playtech has applied for a service provider license with the Nevada Gaming Control Board under the William Hill Online application. However, William Hill acquired Playtech's 29% stake for a reported £424 million earlier this month, with a completion date set for April 30. It is not known at this time how that transaction will affect Playtech's involvement in the Nevada licensing process. But Weizer did mention that competition in the Silver State is expected to be intense.

“We believe the right thing for us [in Nevada] is to work with our licensees," Weizer said. "The number of licences is not restricted so competition is higher than other jurisdictions, so the best thing for us is to work as a software provider and help licensees with investment in U.S.”

New Jersey Gaming Officials Postpone Vote on AGA Petition

Charles Rettmuller — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 12:33:36 +0000

The New Jersey Casino Control Commission postponed making a decision on whether to allow the American Gaming Association (AGA) to participate in the licensing process of PokerStars' acquisition of the Atlantic Club Hotel Casino.

Last week the AGA filed a petition urging New Jersey gaming regulators to disallow PokerStars' parent company, the Rational Group, in their bid to purchase the struggling brick and mortar casino. The AGA asserted that PokerStars is a “business built on deceit, chicanery, and the systematic flouting of U.S. law.” PokerStars virtually ignored the UIGEA in 2006 and continued servicing the U.S. online poker market.

PokerStars answered with a 15-page letter of their own attacking the AGA's credibility as a lobbying organization for its member casinos. 'Stars referred to the petition as "economic warfare" designed to eliminate competition and its inclusion would “set a precedent inviting competitors to intervene in every licensing proceeding." The world's top poker website pointed out its good standing as a licensed gaming operator in a number of licensing bodies around the world.

The Casino Control Commission held a board meeting Wednesday with an agenda that included a possible vote on the AGA petition. However, the issue was removed from the docket. Commission Chairman Matthew Levinson explained the reason by saying, "Additional time is needed for the consideration of this matter," the pressofAtlanticCity reported.

A date in which the AGA petition will be ruled upon has not been set.

DoJ Announces Hiring of Full Tilt Claims Administrator

Charles Rettmuller — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 12:12:43 +0000

Former U.S. Full Tilt players moved one step closer to being reunited with their frozen funds as the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) announced the hiring of the Garden City Group (GCG) to oversee the remission process.

The GCG has a proven track record in facilitating claims of this magnitude. The class action settlement and bankruptcy administration company has been undertaking such legal administration projects for almost 30 years. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara called the selection of GCG "a significant step forward in the process of compensating victims of the Full Tilt Poker scheme.”

Those U.S. victims have been waiting for about $150 million for almost two years since the Black Friday allegations rocked the online poker industry and left American players with few choices to play online and forever wondering if the DoJ may target another U.S.-facing online poker room.

Rest-of-world players were reimbursed following the relaunch of Full Tilt on Nov. 6 after PokerStars purchased the assets of Full Tilt from the DoJ. But U.S. players have been left in the lurch since the DoJ insisted on handling the remission process. The wheels of progress in U.S. government offices turn very slowly, as evidenced by the fact that the DoJ had previously announced that a claims administrator would be hired in January, some six weeks ago.

At least the remission process is moving forward. To that end, GCG has set up www.FullTiltPokerClaims.com in order to eventually allow players to submit claims for their funds electronically. A date upon which claims will be accepted has not yet been established, with the website saying only that the "process will begin shortly."

GCG also plans to allow players to register on the site and receive notification emails regarding the status of the claims process. However, attempting to register at this time is met with a message that the registration process is "to be added" and to "check back soon." Players desiring more information can call the GCG toll-free hotline at (866) 250-2640 or shoot an email to Info@FullTiltPokerClaims.com.

Many players are wondering if 100% of their account balances will be returned. Various rumors have alluded to the possibility that the DoJ may only reimburse the amounts that players have deposited. But keep in mind that non-U.S. Full Tilt players were made whole four months ago upon the site's relaunch and the DoJ also agreed to allow PokerStars to fully reimburse U.S. players just a few weeks after Black Friday.

My guess is that players will receive their full account balances less some type of administration fee. However, in the case of players with significant sums, the Internal Revenue Service may want to take their cut. But that is purely speculation at this point.

New York State Senate Proposes Online Poker Regulation

Wootae Min — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 21:33:22 +0000

New York Senate and Assembly passed a non-binding version of the Budget Bill that included a statement on the regulation of online poker.

Senate co-leaders Jeff Klein and Dean Skelos stated that “the Senate supports authorizing and regulating internet gaming for games of skill, including poker, to reflect recent changes in the classification of these games.”

The proposed regulation reflects the recent court ruling from Brooklyn Judge Jack Weinstein that determined that poker is “not predominantly a game of chance”. The federal court ruling has opened the doors for online poker regulation as the game would not be classified under the terms of the Illegal Gambling Business Act.

The development of online poker regulations along with the remainder of the Budget Bill is expected to be finalized in early spring. The proposed legislation would add to pro-gambling efforts in the state legislature. Currently, the state is working on the authorization and placement of new brick and mortar casinos and the establishment of an online lottery system.

Poker Supporters in New York hope to follow the footsteps of Nevada, Delaware, and New Jersey in regulating online poker. This budget bill is being viewed as the final push for online poker in New York until 2014. Many states such as Iowa and California have introduced similar bills that have failed to materialize or overcome opposition. Nevertheless, the process for interstate online poker regulation continues to develop throughout the United States.

Online Poker Bill Set to Face Public Vote in Texas

Wootae Min — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 20:16:52 +0000

State Senator Leticia Van de Putte introduced a joint resolution that would establish a program to license the operation of online poker sites in the state of Texas. State citizens will be able to vote on Texas Ballot Measure SJR No. 43 in the upcoming November elections.

The unique bill provides stipulations that would permit licensed operation of online poker regardless of the regulatory landscape. The proposed program would authorize online poker operators to accept wagers from Texas residents if a federal bill becomes law. In the absence of federal legislation, the Texas Lottery would gain permission to operate licensed online poker rooms. Finally, the bill permits the formation of interstate compacts that would lead to the sharing of player liquidity.

The new joint resolution follows an anti-online poker bill that was introduced in February by State Senator Eddie Rodriguez. The Texas Poker Gaming Act of 2013 would license Brick and Mortar establishments to offer poker, but ban an online form of the game. The bill was proposed in response to recent issues with illegal poker institutions and home games throughout the state. Although it would bring poker to Texas, the proposed ban on online poker was met with confusion and surprise as all forms of poker are considered skill based games under Federal and State interpretation.

Texas remains a crucial state for the legislation of online poker due to its massive population and the popularity of the game. It is arguably considered the birthplace for the most popular variant of poker (Texas Hold’Em) and is home to iconic players such as Doyle Brunson. The competing measures are expected to clash over the next year as Texas citizens weigh the option of live and online forms of poker.

Full Tilt in Jeopardy of Losing No. 2 Player Traffic Ranking

Charles Rettmuller — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 11:41:00 +0000

Full Tilt Poker has held down second place in cash game player traffic almost exclusively since its relaunch on Nov. 6. Except for a short blip when PartyPoker climbed into the no. 2 spot following the migration of bwin players from the Ongame Network, Full Tilt has trailed only sister site PokerStars in seven-day average player traffic numbers.

But Full Tilt's hold on second place is tenuous as of this writing, showing a seven-day average of 3,350 cash game players, only 50 more than PartyPoker's average of 3,300. The fourth place iPoker Network is also not far behind, averaging 3,200 players, according to PokerScout. And with Ladbrokes' recent announcement that it will in due course move its players off MPN and onto iPoker, a change in traffic rankings that pushes Full Tilt out of the no. 2 slot is beckoning.

Last week, Full Tilt saw player traffic drop 11%. A new Game of the Week promotion that awards two times as many player points and a discount in buy-ins for playing the week's designated game is underway. But such a promotion tends not to attract new players as much as it encourages existing players to try new games. This week's designated game is Pot-Limit Omaha.

PartyPoker lost 3% of player traffic last week, while iPoker gained 3%. PartyPoker's new policy of segregating players according to ability may be partly responsible for its decrease. Tables populated with less-skilled players are not available to players who show consistent profitability. This may have prompted a number of better players to log on elsewhere.

Industry-wide, online poker traffic dipped 3% last week and is down 7% from the same time last year. While there hasn't been any change in rankings among the top five spots for quite some time, we may see Full Tilt tumble from second place in the future.

Ladbrokes Announces Plans to Move to iPoker Network

Wootae Min — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 17:13:17 +0000

Microgaming Network’s popular skin, Ladbrokes, has announced a long term licensing agreement with Playtech to move its poker products to the iPoker network.

The Playtech-Ladbrokes deal allows the struggling operator to utilize industry leading technology and gain advice from its consulting firm, PT Turnkey Services. Ladbrokes hopes to reverse its recent annual revenue decline of 39% through the use of the rapidly growing Playtech platform. In addition to its deal with Playtech, the operator has also acquired The Nation Traffic (soon to be named Ladbrokes Israel) to bolster its customer service and marketing campaign.

Ladbrokes plans to move its entire offerings to the Playtech platform over a set period of time beginning in May 2013. The operator plans to launch an initial “Vegas” tab that will offer Playtech casino and game suite products on the mobile and tablet devices.

Ladbrokes has also announced the migration of its poker products to the largest network in the world. The flagship skin for MPN has seen its poker products struggle in the face of strong competition from independent PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. The migration will allow Ladbrokes to reinvent its product and move to a rapidly growing network. Although the timeframe for this move has not been announced, the operator hopes for a smooth transition to the iPoker network following its contractual obligations to the Micrograming Network (MPN).

The Playtech-Ladbrokes deal comes two weeks after William Hill announced its £424m purchase of software provider’s 29% stake in the popular operator. The purchase voided the non -compete clause of the initial agreement and allowed Playtech to take on business ventures with rivals such as Ladbrokes. The recent business moves have bolstered the stock prices of the three companies and has given more flexibility to Playtech and William Hill.

PokerStars Cries Foul Over AGA Intervention

Charles Rettmuller — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 10:48:58 +0000

The American Gaming Association's attempt to derail PokerStars' acquisition of an Atlantic City casino has forced the world's top poker site to fight back, sending a scathing 15-page letter to New Jersey gaming officials.

The letter informs both the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement and the Casino Control Commission that the AGA has no significant interest in the case and will not "add constructively to the case without causing undue delay or confusion." PokerStars also argues that the AGA's participation would be anti-competitive and would further be an offense to the citizens of New Jersey.

In support of its argument, the Rational Group, PokerStars' parent company, cites the fact that PokerStars is "one of the world's largest and most respected Internet gaming companies" that works intimately with regulators in many jurisdictions around the world. It has resolved the Black Friday case against it without admitting any guilt and plans to aid New Jersey's economy by creating jobs as well as providing brand name recognition in its acquisition of the Atlantic Club Hotel Casino.

The letter asks New Jersey gaming regulators to determine PokerStars' suitability without allowing participation by "trade associations whose members wish to eliminate competition for purely economic reasons." The AGA's involvement would be counterproductive to the entire process and would cause "administrative inefficiencies," thereby setting a bad precedent regarding who determines whether a casino is suitable for licensing.

The Casino Control Commission has docketed the matter for Wednesday, March 13. It is hard to imagine PokerStars being denied the right to purchase the casino and obtain a gaming license. Despite virtually ignoring the UIGEA, which is partially the reason why 'Stars now dominates the online poker marketplace, New Jersey is intent on rescuscitating its struggling Atlantic City casinos.

Following Gov. Chris Christie signing online gambling legislation last month, the Garden State's 2014 budget is banking on a tremendous amount of tax dollars coming from Internet gaming. And what better way to do that than permit the online behemoth known as PokerStars to enter the mix?

The AGA claims that a license for PokerStars "would send a damaging message to the world of gaming, ... that companies that engage in chronic lawbreaking are welcome in the licensed gaming business.” Such a message, the AGA reasons “could cripple the industry’s public image for many years.”

The industry's public image has already been crippled by the events of Black Friday. As far as New Jersey is concerned, letting PokerStars in can do nothing but help. And since the Garden State did away with the bad actor clause before passage of the online gambling legislation, a safe bet would be to put your money on PokerStars acquiring the Atlantic Club Hotel Casino.

888 Finalizes Plans to Open the All American Poker Network

Wootae Min — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 18:32:08 +0000

Gaming operator 888 has finalized its joint venture agreement with investment group Avenue Capital Group to form the Delaware-incorporated company, All American Poker Network. The newly formed network will offer the 888 gaming platform and brand in the United States.

888 Incorporated has been actively forming partnerships over the past couple months in anticipation of the US regulated market. The gaming operator has an agreement with Caesar’s Interactive Entertainment to provide WSOP brand website in Nevada. 888 has agreed to provide the platform and technology to launch a poker site under the WSOP name. Also, the operator has a similar deal with WMS gaming to offer other real money gambling products. However, this agreement was made in anticipation of a federal bill for online gambling.

Recently, 888 has entered into an accord with Treasure Island to create the first online poker skin for the All American Poker Network. Under the agreement, 888 will be able to launch an online poker site in Nevada through the use of Treasure Island’s gaming license. The operator will be allowed to provide its own brand and software through this agreement. Treasure Island plans to collect 5% of future US profits under this deal in return for use of the gaming license. The launch of this new skin will be contingent upon the expected final approval from Nevada Gaming Commission.

The recent legislation and business developments signal the beginning of the regulated US online poker market. Several operators such as Poker Stars are seeking the same type of business ventures. The first online poker sites are expected to launch before the end of the year and states such as Illinois and California are considering legislation. Although liquidity and revenue issues remain, the legislated states are considering compacts with other states as well as international partners.

Team PokerStars Crushes The Professionals

Charles Rettmuller — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 13:20:29 +0000

The heads-up challenge between PokerStars and Full Tilt was handily won by PokerStars 3-0, as Daniel Negreanu and his teammates each won their respective matches.

Each match was played across three tables and the Full Tilt pros managed to win only one table, taking an overall beating of 8-1 in games. Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier got things rolling for PokerStars by shutting out Viktor "Isuldur1" Blom in three straight. Blom is considered by many as perhaps the world's best heads-up No-Limit Hold'em player, so ElkY's accomplishment was no small feat.

"It was a really amazing feeling to win, especially three in a row," Grospellier said, alluding to Blom's reputation as a top-notch heads-up opponent.

Isaac Haxton then continued the 'Stars dominance by taking the first two games against Tom "durrrr" Dwan, winning the match. Dwan managed to eke out a victory on the final table, the only win for the Full Tilt team.

PokerStars' championship was cemented even before Negreanu and Gus Hansen sat down to face each other battleship-style at the EPT London. The challenge itself was borne from a tweet made by Hansen to Negreanu in which the Dane recalled scooping a $575,000 pot from "KidPoker" in a 2006 High Stakes Poker contest.

Negreanu managed to get $50,000 of it back by winning all three tables against Hansen despite timing out twice with the nuts due to his excitement and unfamiliarity playing on Full Tilt software.

Talk of a rematch has been heating up on Twitter. Negreanu said he'd be happy to play again and fully expects The Professionals to part with more cash to himself and his PokerStars teammates. Each winning PokerStars player collected $50,000 from his opponent and also won $10,000 in tournament credit on Full Tilt Poker.

Merge Gaming Network loses Two More Poker Skins

Wootae Min — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 17:56:52 +0000

Two Merge Gaming Skins, Overbet.com and Iron Duke, have unexpectedly closed in the past week after a couple months of stability for the network.

The Overbet.com website has posted a message stating that the skin has been purchased by a third party and that player funds are safe. The IronDuke website remains operational, but it has released a similar message to its current players and potential new players. Both websites have advised players to move to the preferred partners of the Merge Gaming Network: Players Only, Sportsbook, and Carbon. Although player funds remain safe, VIP points will not be able to be redeemed or transferred to another site.

The close of Overbet and Iron Duke signals the further decline of the Merge Gaming Network in the increasingly stringent United States market. Several skins have closed their doors or have moved onto other networks, including Lock Poker, Black Chip Poker, RPM Poker, and most recently, Hero Poker. The Network has experienced peak traffic of 1282 in the past 24 hours and recent PokerScout data has not shown a big increase from this number. Despite its losses, the Merge Gaming Network remains the 3^rd most popular site for US players behind the Revolution Gaming Network and Bovada/Bodog.

The Merge Gaming Network has been steadily declining since its peak during the aftermath of the Black Friday indictments. Throughout the past two years, the Network has undergone major changes to remain relevant in the constantly evolving US online poker. These changes have included the switch from rakeback, the loss of major sites like Lock Poker, and the constant change in payment processing. The network might also lose another skin in the near future as PokerView has been soliciting potential buyers in the past month.

Although the recently closed sites have not offered any reason for the abrupt departures, sources have speculated that the lack of revenue and the support for the “preferred partners” have led to decline of smaller skins within the network. Nevertheless, the closing of two more skins has become signs of tough times for the Merge Gaming Network.

Illinois Again Considers Online Gambling

Charles Rettmuller — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 09:31:27 +0000

Although Illinois Governor Pat Quinn vetoed a gambling expansion bill just a few days ago, a Senate committee approved another bill that calls for new casinos throughout the state, as well as online gambling.

The Illinois Senate Executive Committee voted 10-4 in favor of Senate Bill 1739. Supporters hope to see the bill promptly voted on by the full Senate, but that may not happen until the 555-page document can be further scrutinized. Several members of the committee felt that the bill was acted on too hastily.

“I don’t understand why we are in this big of a hurry to do this,” Sen. Matt Murphy (R-Palatine) told the State Journal-Register.

Gov. Quinn certainly won't be in any hurry. Although his budget address included mentioning that he would consider gambling expansion, Quinn wants to make sure that the state's pension fund and education programs would greatly benefit. He is also adamant that the legislation meets the highest of ethical standards.

Sen. Terry Link (D-Waukegan) said that SB 1739 addresses some of Quinn's concerns, such as banning political contributions from companies that hold gaming licenses and reducing the expansion efforts.

Illinois' proposal includes a bad actor clause that would prevent online sites who have serviced the U.S. in the previous 10 years from participating in license eligibility. That exceeds Nevada's recently-enacted bad actor provision that forbids companies who catered to Americans after Dec. 31, 2006 from being licensed until 2018. New Jersey removed bad actor language from its bill entirely.

Applicants for online gaming licenses must already be gambling license holders in the state, such as racetracks and casinos. A non-refundable $250,000 fee must accompany each application and a $20 million advance payment will go toward wagering taxes. The duration of each license would be five years. Interstate and international player pool agreements would be allowed, provided that no laws are violated -- either state or federal.

Illinois' population is about 12.8 million, ranking fifth in the U.S. Should the gambling expansion bill in Illinois meet Quinn's standards, both Nevada and New Jersey would be clamoring to team up with the Land of Lincoln in an interstate online poker scheme.

PokerStars vs. Full Tilt Poker: Looking at The Numbers

Wootae Min — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 17:37:09 +0000

The PokerStars vs. Full Tilt Challenge is set for the EPT London and will feature some of the best cash game and tournament professionals in the world. Since the announcement of the lineups, the poker world has been buzzing with predictions of the outcome and analysis of the matchups.

The PokerStars team will feature players who have amassed over $33.1 million in tournament earnings. Isaac “Ike” Haxton has been a fixture in the high stakes games on PokerStars for several years and is considered one of the best heads up no limit hold’em players in the world. Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier has arguably been the most successful online and live tournament in the world for the past decade. Finally, Daniel “KidPoker” Negreanu is one of the most influential poker players in the world and has built an impressive live tournament resume.

Although the Full Tilt Team falls short to PokerStars in tournament earnings, the trio of Blom, Dwan, and Hansen are widely considered the top heads-up cash game players in the world. Tom “Durrr” Dwan is arguably considered the top poker player in the world and has amassed millions at high stakes games. Victor “Isildur1” Blom is considered one of the top heads up no-limit hold’em cash game players in the world. Gus “TheGreatDane” Hansen has been one of the top tournament players in the history of poker and regularly battles his two teammates at the high stakes tables.

Here are some of the results of the players.

Team Statistics

	Team PokerStars Pro	Full Tilt Poker ‘The Professionals’
WSOP bracelets	5	1
PCA title	2	2
EPT final tables	3	1
Live tournament winnings	$30 million	$15 million
Online tournament winnings	$3.1 million	$813,000
Professional gamers (excl. poker)	1 (Grospellier: StarCraft)	1 (Hansen: Backgammon)
Heads-up poker specialists	1 (Haxton)	2 (Dwan, Blom)
Authors	1 (Negreanu)	1 (Hansen)
Vegans	1 (Negreanu)	0
Players born in 1970s	1 (Negreanu)	1 (Hansen)
Players born in 1980s	2 (Grospellier, Haxton)	1 (Dwan)
Players born in 1990s	0	1 (Blom)

Individual statistics

	Daniel Negreanu	Bertrand Grospellier	Isaac Haxton	Gus Hansen	Tom Dwan	Viktor Blom
Nickname	Kid Poker	ElkY	Ike	The Great Dane	durrrr	Isildur1
Team	PokerStars	PokerStars	PokerStars	Full Tilt Poker	Full Tilt Poker	Full Tilt Poker
Country	Canada	France	USA	Denmark	USA	Sweden
Age	38	32	27	39	26	22
WSOP bracelets	4	1	0	1	0	0
PCA titles	0	2	0	1	0	1
EPT final tables	1	2	0	1	0	0
Live tournament winnings	$14m	$11m	$4m	$11m	$2m	$1.5m
Online tournament winnings[1]	$483,000	$2m	$408,000	N/A	$330,000	$480,000

*Provided by PokerStars

[1] Only includes scheduled multi-table tournaments at PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. Does not include winnings from Sit & Go tournaments.

MPN Bad Beat Jackpot Suspended at €921,603.29

Charles Rettmuller — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 13:07:22 +0000

One of the highest Bad Beat Jackpots in the history of online poker has been suspended and will resume on March 19 after new changes have been implemented.

Currently sitting at €921,603.29 at MPN, formerly the Microgaming Network, the jackpot will be revamped. The first change will reduce the qualifying hand from four 8's or better to four deueces or better. Naturally, this will allow the jackpot to be hit more frequently.

The next change calls for the jackpot to be available on all cash game tables starting at €0.10/€0.20c and higher. But no longer will €0.50 be taken from each pot. Instead, the jackpot will be funded and won on an "opt in" basis. Each player who opts in will contribute €0.02 to the jackpot from each hand. All players who are opted in at the same stake in which the jackpot is won will be included in the payout.

“The new Bad Beat Jackpot structure will see many more players share in the prize pool and because it will hit more often we’ll boost many more bankrolls as a result," said Andy Horne, BetVictor's head of poker.

If the players involved when the jackpot hits have not opted in, players who have opted in at the same stake will still receive their prize money. However, the shares reserved for the bad beat winner or loser will go toward seeding the next jackpot. Also, MPN has decided not to assess an administration fee on the jackpot payout. In other words, 100% of the jackpot will be distributed to player accounts.

A total of 40% will go to the losing hand, 20% is reserved for the winning hand, 10% will be doled out to opted in players seated at the same table where the jackpot hits, another 10% will be distributed to MPN players seated at the same stake as the jackpot table, and the remaining 20% will seed the next Bad Beat Jackpot.

Bad Beat Jackpots have fallen out of favor among online poker sites recently. Both PartyPoker and the Merge Gaming Network did away with the concept last year. One reason for doing so was to prevent segregation between Bad Beat and non-Bad Beat Jackpot tables, as such a scheme reduces player liquidity.

MPN hopes to avoid the segregation problem with its opt in system by allowing players at all cash game tables the option to participate in the jackpot or not.

Caesars Offered to Sell PokerStars the Rio and WSOP

Charles Rettmuller — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 14:57:39 +0000

Caesars Interactive Entertainment approached PokerStars in February and offered to sell both the Rio Casino in Las Vegas and the WSOP brand, Forbes reported.

PokerStars had previously made a bid on the Atlantic Club casino in New Jersey and "declined the offer because we had no plans to acquire another casino in the near term," said Eric Hollreiser, head of corporate communications of Rational Group, parent company of PokerStars and Full Tilt.

A day earlier, PokerStars was assaulted with a legal filing by the American Gaming Association that seeks to prevent the world's top poker site from acquiring the struggling Atlantic City casino and getting a foot in the door of the online gambling market. The AGA has urged New Jersey gaming officials to turn down PokerStars' application, calling the site a "criminal enterprise."

PokerStars flouted the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in 2006 and continued catering to U.S. customers. That alleged unlawfulness allowed PokerStars to become the worldwide leader in online poker, thoroughly dominating the market. The AGA represents a number of casino companies, including Caesars, who find it unfair that PokerStars may not be penalized for virtually ignoring the UIGEA.

Nevada's online poker bill prohibits companies that serviced the U.S. after Dec. 31, 2006 from operating in the state for a period of five years. However, New Jersey's online gambling bill signed by Gov. Chris Christie on Feb. 26 does not include such a bad actor provision. Sen. Ray Lesniak, the bill's sponsor, has even rolled out the welcome mat.

“New investment in Atlantic City is good for New Jersey," Lesniak stated. “PokerStars is the biggest company in online poker and we should welcome them bringing their American headquarters to New Jersey.”

Although some industry insiders believe such an offer was never made, Hollreiser stated that Caesars implied that purchasing the Rio would be beneficial for PokerStars in obtaining online poker licensing in Nevada. Whether or not they would be able to convince Nevada gaming officials is debatable. However, selling the WSOP brand does not seem prudent, considering its stature as the game's most elite and recognizable tournament series worldwide. Caesars also plans to operate WSOP.com in Nevada's online poker regime.

PokerStars' argument is that they admitted no wrongdoing and received the U.S. DoJ's blessing upon acquiring the assets of Full Tilt Poker last year. The company cites its current lofty standing in the online gaming industry and points to the fact that it holds gambling licenses in nearly a dozen jurisdictions.

American Gaming Association Files Petition to Block Poker Stars

Wootae Min — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 22:45:23 +0000

The American Gaming Association has filed a petition asking New Jersey gaming regulators to prevent PokerStars acquisition of the famed Atlantic Club.

The 28-page petition outlines the unlawful history of PokerStars operation in the United States and argues that the operator’s past has shown its inability to meet the standards of US law. The petition cited the “federal criminal prosecution for bank fraud, money laundering, and gambling offenses” as proof of PokerStars’ unlawful operations. The petition concludes that PokerStars’ entrance into the US gaming market would send a damaging message to the gaming industry.

PokerStars representatives have countered the petition by stating that the regulators should determine the eligibility of gaming operators. Furthermore, the operator has argued that the company is reputable and has good standing with governments across the world.

In July 2012, the operator reached a $731 million settlement with the Department of Justice over the Black Friday indictments. PokerStars was able to settle its case without admitting any wrongdoing. The online poker site has remained the largest and most reputable site in the world after the Black Friday indictments. It continues to expand globally and has started a trend of purchasing brick and mortar establishments. Recently, the operator has purchased casinos in Spain and Macau.

PokerStars is currently in the process of purchasing the famed Atlantic Club that was started by gaming mogul Steve Wynn. The operator hopes that the acquisition would allow it to reenter the slowly developing US market. The acquisition would save the struggling casino and potentially save nearly 2,000 jobs. Legislators and regulators will have to determine if the benefits of a PokerStars casino would outweigh the previous indiscretions.

The PokerStars acquisition has come under fire recently in light of the “bad actor” debate. The New Jersey legislators originally placed the “bad actor” clause in the bill, but removed it from the final draft that was signed by Governor Chris Christie in February. Nevada has decided to maintain the “bad actor” clause that prevents PokerStars or Full Tilt from entering the market for 5 years.

Minted Poker Announces Intention to Leave Everleaf Gaming Network

Wootae Min — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 17:42:24 +0000

Minted Poker officials have informed players of their intention to leave the Everleaf Gaming Network. The online poker site operator has cited frustration with the lack of communication and lengthy cash out times as reasons for this announcement.

Minted Poker has cited frustrations with the lack of communication involving pertinent issues of delayed withdrawals. The operator has stated that the Everleaf Gaming Limited CEO and COO have been unresponsive over the past 4 months. Given the many issues, Minted Poker has tentatively announced its intention to leave the network, although it acknowledged the possibility of opposition from Everleaf.

Over the past year, Everleaf Gaming Limited has drawn the ire of its network sites, affiliates, and players over the increased delays in withdrawals. The network attempted to alleviate the issue by withdrawing from the US market in early 2012. However, withdrawal issues have remained an issue for both non-US players and US players with funds in the Everleaf Gaming Network.

Non-United States players have experienced average withdrawal delays that have lasted nearly 6 months. Some players have waited nearly 9 months for such full withdrawals of payments. United States players were informed that they would be able to withdraw funds into a Moneybookers, Neteller, or non-US bank account. Unfortunately, these options are unavailable to the most players as the options require opening a foreign bank account.

Minted Poker and its affiliates have taken action to prevent further problems with the Everleaf Gaming Network. The poker site operator removed all cash out options in early February to prevent further loss of player funds. Furthermore, a reputable affiliate informed players that the Everleaf Gaming Network was an unsafe place to play and that it has decided to remove Minted Poker from its rakeback offerings.

The Lotteries and Gaming Association of Malta has also issued a statement that it would be monitoring the Everleaf Gaming Network. The Commission has ensured “the remittal of all legitimate outstanding funds owed by the licensee to its registered players who have made a request to that effect” in a statement issued last month.

Minted Poker has advised all players to remove funds from the Everleaf Gaming Network as soon as possible and outlined the following steps to obtaining funds.

1. Please complete this form: E-mail

2. Email complaints@lga.org.mt

3. Complete this form: http://www.lga.org.mt/lga/Contact.aspx?id=85807

Minted Poker has been one of the flagship sites of Everleaf Gaming Network. It gained some popularity in 2011 after it announced the availability of Western Union cash outs for United States players. However, this policy and the inclusion of US players were short lived and problems began to ensue for the network. The latest debacle for Everleaf may signal the beginning of the end for the embattled network.

Ongame Launches Fast Fold "Strobe Poker"

Charles Rettmuller — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 12:13:56 +0000

The Ongame Network skin Redbet has announced the launch of "Strobe Poker," a fast fold variant that allows players to immediately transition to a new table upon folding.

"We're delighted to be able to offer Strobe Poker to Redbet players," said Adam Vella, Redbet's Head of Poker. "We believe Strobe will greatly enhance our poker offering and improve players' experience on the site while keeping the game fun."

Strobe Poker joins a fast fold market that began with Full Tilt's Rush Poker in 2010. Many other sites and networks have developed their own version of fast fold poker including Zoom Poker at PokerStars, FastForward on PartyPoker, and Speed Hold'em on the iPoker Network.

Ray Bitar Reportedly Plagued with Medical Problems

Charles Rettmuller — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 02:40:29 +0000

Former Full Tilt CEO Ray Bitar is apparently suffering from a medical condition that is having an affect on the criminal case lodged against him by federal prosecutors.

At a court hearing last Friday, attorneys informed Judge Loretta Preska that plea negotiations had commenced, Flushdraw.com reported. However, Bitar's illness has seemingly hampered those discussions. To protect the defendant's privacy, one of Bitar's attorneys asked the judge to clear the courtroom of spectators and allow only principals in the case to remain prior to revealing Bitar's malady.

Preska honored the request and after re-opening the courtroom, indicated that the parties should continue discussing a plea deal due to Bitar's medical condition. She continued the case for one month.

Bitar has been on electronic home-monitoring since posting $2.5 million bond following his surrender to authorities in early July. He is facing criminal charges that include bank and wire fraud that were unsealed upon his surrender. The former CEO also must eventually answer to the Black Friday civil allegations for his part in the mismanagement of Full Tilt. Fellow board members Rafe Furst, Howard Lederer and Chris Ferguson all recently settled the civil charges against them in the case, agreeing to no wrongdoing and receiving fines and punishment that many view as a slap on the wrist.

Online Poker Sites Implement Skill Based Player Pool Segregation

Wootae Min — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 18:31:28 +0000

Online poker has been constantly evolving since the rise of its popularity during the Moneymaker Boom. Since this phenomenon, online poker has changed from a vast sea of players in an unregulated environment to its presently restricted and legislated form. The skill of players has increased exponentially and the technology pertaining to the online game has become mandatory for success. Furthermore, the strict regulations in Europe and the lack thereof in the United States have hurt the player pool and the traffic at poker sites with the exception of Poker Stars and Full Tilt Poker.

The difficult regulatory environment has forced major poker networks to evolve in their marketing, site technology, and product offerings. Poker websites have offered various bonus promotions, increased marketing in countries, improved technology, and changed game structures in hopes of attracting more players. Despite these improvements, poker networks such as Bwin.party, Revolution gaming, iPoker, and Ongame have failed to match the juggernaut that is Poker Stars. Now, online poker sites have decided to target a new area for improvement: Poker Player Ecology.

The Revolution Gaming Network and Party Poker Gaming Network have announced the implementation of skill-based player pool segregation. Both networks have made plans to separate strong regular players from the pool of recreational players. The online poker sites hope to protect the pool of recreational players from seasoned professional players in an attempt to maintain healthy poker ecology.

Revolution Gaming have announced plans to implement a product called Fair Play Technology, which will replace the recent segregation of higher stakes games. The new technology will separate players into three basic categories of skill: recreational, normal, and advanced. The recreational and advanced players will not be able to face each other at tables while “normal” players will be able to face players in all three categories. Although the implementation and categorization requirements remain unclear, network representatives plan to reveal more information over the next few weeks. More importantly, Revolution Gaming representatives believe that this new feature will improve the quality of sites and player liquidity.

Lock Poker Representative Shane Bridges stated:

Lock Poker fully supports this move by the network and will be removing the segregation when it’s put in place. We feel this new feature will make huge strides to improve the ecology of the network and want to return our players to the network player pool to give this feature the best chance to be a big success….This plan still allows the overlapping of player types to ensure the liquidity remains strong at all levels and the natural flow of funds through the poker ecology still occurs.

Party Poker has also decided to implement a similar system that will separate the advanced winning players from the new and losing ones. Although the exact implementation remains unclear, Party Poker representatives have confirmed the experimentation of this new policy. According to posts on the TwoPlusTwo forums, winning regulars have been seeing less table options while losing or new players have seen the regular choices of tables on the site. The exact requirements and implementation have been vague, but players have noticed the changes to table selection.

Party Poker Representatives have issued a similar statement in response to the recent changes and expressed its concerns regarding the maintenance of a recreational player pool.

We are continually looking for ways to balance our poker room ecology. As we have said before, we are testing various features to make poker a more fun and entertaining game for both new and inexperienced players. Our extensive research shows that new and inexperienced players enjoy the game more and continue playing for longer if in the early stages they play with players of a similar ability, this includes, but is not limited to our welcome lounges. These players are free to play on any table they chose.

The news of this skill-based segregation have faced some strong opposition from several regular players on both sites. The Lock Poker thread on TwoPlusTwo was filled with angry posts about the failures of the site and threats to leave the site. Many regular players have cited the fact that traffic has dropped immensely at stakes higher than $1/$2 NL after the initial Lock segregation plan. These players have also voiced concern that the higher stakes games will become unbeatable and cease to exist if the “recreational” players are unavailable in these games. Although the Party Poker thread contained a more productive discussion, players still continued to express unease and disappointment about this new policy.

Player segregation isn’t a new concept and major networks such as iPoker have implemented such splits. However, online poker sites have never used player winning rates to separate liquidity. With traffic dropping for both sites, Revolution and Party Poker have decided to target the protection of recreational players who provide much needed deposits and traffic.

Poker Player ecology has always been a hot topic of discussion and it has been a concern with data mining technology such as Poker Table Ratings and Heads Up Displays (HUD). Given the zero-sum and skill-based nature of poker, recreational players have been decreasing in numbers given constant losses and defeats at the hands of highly skilled veterans. Unlike other forms of gambling, the aspect of luck slowly decreases as players play more hands and the long run expected value is realized. Revolution and Party Poker hope to reverse this trend by protecting recreational players.

Although these policies are in the beginning stages, poker players continue to worry about the consequences of this new technology. For now, poker players await more details about the new policies and hope that it will not hurt the games. Nevertheless, the online poker world continues to evolve and it has become a vastly different environment since the Moneymaker Boom.