Poker forum archive

Attorneys from one of Nevada's largest law firms said Wednesday the state is taking the correct approach by getting into the game early should the federal government legalize Internet poker.

Nevada gaming regulators will consider the first set of proposed online poker regulations during a public workshop later this month. The mission is to have a structure for regulating Internet poker in place by the end of January, in advance of any action by Congress that would legalize the activity.

Attorney Mark Clayton said the move could put Nevada at the forefront in becoming the jurisdiction that would license and regulate Internet poker for the rest of the country.

"The first state out to capture the market is going to have a tremendous advantage," said Clayton, one of several attorneys from Lionel Sawyer & Collins who took part in a two-hour seminar on Internet gaming at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' Boyd School of Law.

Clayton said servers, software and computer equipment that are used by Internet gaming companies are not small nor are they easily transportable. Once they are in Nevada, they are here to stay. In addition, the state would collect licensing fees from the Internet gaming companies that would set up headquarters in the state, as well as tax revenues from any wagering activities.

The lawyers, all members of the firm's gaming practice, said the proposed regulations include rules for the finding of suitability, technology approvals and accounting matters. The initial regulations don't allow for the granting of credit play or markers, as is done for high-end customers in Strip casinos.

Also, an Internet gaming company hoping to gain approval from the state would have to become affiliated with a licensed Nevada casino company in order to have access to U.S. players.

"The regulations dictate that there be a connection with a traditional bricks and mortar casino," said attorney Dan Reaser.

Added attorney Greg Gemignani, "It seems the regulators want to make sure Nevada casinos have some skin in the game."

In April, several Internet poker companies struck deals with Nevada casino operators. PokerStars entered into an agreement with Wynn Resorts Ltd. while FullTilt Poker signed a deal a company run by Fertitta Gaming, which operates Station Casinos.

But after the operators of PokerStars, FullTilt and Absolute Poker were among the 11 individuals named in an federal indictment on April 15, charged with money laundering and bank fraud, the deals were canceled.

The attorneys said two companies, Caesars Entertainment Corp., which is affiliated with Gibraltar based Internet gambling provider 888 Gaming, and International Game Technology, which acquired a Swedish Internet gaming company in the spring, stand to benefit quickly if Internet poker is legalized. Both Internet companies run gambling websites that excludes wagers from Americans.

The attorneys said companies that accepted wagers from American gamblers after the approval of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in 2006 could be prohibited from gaining access to the U.S. gamblers once Internet poker is approved on a federal level.

Clayton said companies like PokerStars and FullTilt, which may not be licensable in Nevada, could sell their databases of U.S.-based players to other Internet poker firms.

"The database would have the most value because a company isn't starting from scratch," Clayton said.

He anticipated companies like Yahoo and Google might explore becoming Internet poker providers if the activity becomes legal because of the Internet companies large customer databases.

Gemignani said there are two separate bills in Congress that address Internet gaming, one that is specific to Internet poker. However, he didn't think either bill would be passed during the current session.

However, the lawyers said congressional approval of Internet poker seemed "inevitable."

Nevada first approved the establishment of regulations governing Internet gaming in 2001. However, the U.S. Department of Justice suggested the Gaming Control Board halt the process of drafting regulations.

The approval of Assembly Bill 258 in last Spring's legislative session called for gaming regulators to establish Internet poker regulations.

Nevada Gaming Commission member Randolph Townsend said Wednesday the state actually started researching the regulatory language two years ago. He said the regulations would be "a work in progress" and could be amended as situations change.

"This is absolutely crucial to our future," Townsend said.

Who came out on top in the weekly $100,000 guaranteed online poker tournament held this past Sunday, September 4th ilmagowalter took first place this week, earning $23,600. They were followed by KJulius10
($13,600.00) and ZBEAMER , who rounded out the top three spots while earning $9,100. Here's the rest of the final table results: bigtruck60 ($7,000.00); Onepocket21 ($5,700.00); samson97 ($4,500.00); PokerJedi79 ($3,300.00); mailbomb ($2,200.00) and BlueShaggy ($1,300.00).

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Caesar’s Entertainment Group Chairman Gary Loveman claims that his contacts within the Congress have informed him that the US federal government is well on the way to legalizing online poker. He is absolutely sure that US online poker will be legalized because it will generate jobs for Americans all over the country. Confirming Loveman’s statement, Congressman Harry Reid told the Las Vegas Review Journal that the online poker market in American can expect a brighter future. Last month, President Obama constituted a super committee to devise ways to overcome the budget deficit for the next decade, and the super committee has suggested legalization and regulation of online poker as one way to raise part of $1.5 trillion required. This committee comprises 12 people who are all for the legalization and regulation of the online poker industry in the US.

On an estimate, people are spending over $6 billion on online poker games, and the US government is aware that it cannot just ignore that amount of money. Moreover, Black Friday and its consequences have proved to Uncle Sam beyond doubts that US players are determined to gamble irrespective of what the government does about it. Although the US federal government shut down Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars, and Absolute Poker, American poker players simply shifted to small, but trustworthy online poker rooms. Besides, many professional poker players decided to leave the US for countries friendlier to online poker.

Greg Gemignani, a lawyer based in Las Vegas, says that the super committee is seriously considering the legalization of online gambling. Republican Senator John Kyl, whose voice was once the loudest while opposing online gambling, now says that online gambling will definitely be legalized in the US.

Certain big land casino operators, who were once against the legalization of online poker, are now speaking in favor of legalization. Caesars Entertainment Group, which is now for the legalization of online gambling, is the owner of the World Series of Poker (WSOP); besides, they have already created an online poker room for the US online poker market.

Besides, lawmakers in Nevada are so sure that the federal government will legalize online poker that they have made major amendments to their gambling laws and will also organize a workshop on online gambling at the University of Nevada, Boyd Law School the following week. Besides, states such as California and New Jersey have also proposed bills to legalize online poker.

Titan Poker might not be the most well known or the longest running poker room in the online world, but it has managed to create a niche for itself and carve a space out in the crowd. Titan Poker has finally completed six years as an online poker website and those six years have been extremely successful according to the management. Titan Poker offers a great many regular choices to players on a regular basis, and these choices are based on the best of offers that they have documented and come across in online poker rooms. Titan Poker is powered by Playtech software and it is very obvious that they have an extremely powerful interface based on this software. Titan Poker’s website is stable, user-friendly and easy to navigate and is spectacular when it comes to the interface and design.

Titan Poker’s offers have always been ones to welcome, and hence players who play for big prizes always play at Titan Poker. This website never falters even though there are several players logged onto it during peak hours. Titan Poker offers its players many different games and playing strategies that makes their experience simpler and fun. Titan Poker players have different tournaments and challenges that they can take part in all the time and hence they will never get bored at this site. It offers the best of bonuses and during this 6th year anniversary they have decided to increase these offers.

The $6000 Anniversary Freeroll will be taking place on the 6th of October and players will be able to play at this event once they have 60 or above Titan Points based on the games they have played previously. There is another offer called the Mystery Week Giveaway Poker Promotion that is exactly what it sounds like! Players need to register and say that they want to take part in this even for the same. Another promotion, the Heads-Up Championship will also be held during this time, and players will be able to take part in 24-hour races to win. The top eight players will be given a nice $7500 prize.

Titan Poker has always offered the best of choices and is continuing to do the same, while they focus on creating unique promotions for their anniversary. Players will welcome this opportunity to play new kinds of games and have more fun.

The Epic Poker league's second Main tournament of season one is underway at the palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, but things are looking just a bit wobbly. The popularity of the this event was already under question after a Pro/Am preliminary qualification satellite failed to raise enough funds to cover the price of the nine Main Event entries worth $20,000 each. This apparent lack of interest was then confirmed after the Main Event attracted just 97 of the 200 players eligible for the tournament.

Even with less than half the qualifying players showing up, though, the $20,000 buy-in and EPL's $400,000 addition to the prize pool swells the total up for grabs to over $2.3 million, with the winner earning $762,410 for the top spot.

Day 1 of the event saw the field reduced to just 50 and at the end, of day two, only 23 players remained. 19 players will cash in this event. Leading the way so far is French pro Fabrice Soulier, who has managed to amass a 453,500 stack, while eliminating pros like Mike Sowers and Andrew Robl along the way.

Play resumes at 12pm Pacific time with the remaining players playing down to a final table of eight.

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Attorneys from one of Nevada's largest law firms said Wednesday that the state is taking the correct approach by getting into the game early should the federal government legalize Internet poker.

Nevada gaming regulators will consider the first set of proposed online poker regulations during a public workshop later this month. The mission is to have a structure for regulating Internet poker in place by the end of January, ahead of any action by Congress that would legalize the activity.

Attorney Mark Clayton said the move could put Nevada at the forefront in becoming the jurisdiction that would license and regulate Internet poker for the rest of the country.

"The first state out to capture the market is going to have a tremendous advantage," said Clayton, one of several attorneys from Lionel Sawyer & Collins who took part in a two-hour seminar on Internet gaming at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' Boyd School of Law.

Clayton said servers, software and computer equipment that are used by Internet gaming companies are neither small nor easily transportable; once they are in Nevada, they are here to stay. The state would also collect licensing fees from the Internet gaming companies that would set up headquarters in the state, and tax revenues from any wagering activities.

The lawyers, all members of the firm's gaming practice, said the proposed regulations include rules for the finding of suitability, technology approvals and accounting matters. The initial regulations don't allow for the granting of credit play or markers, as is done for high-end customers in Strip casinos.

Also, an Internet gaming company hoping to gain approval from the state would have to become affiliated with a licensed Nevada casino company to have access to U.S. players.

"The regulations dictate that there be a connection with a traditional bricks- and-mortar casino," said attorney Dan Reaser.

Added attorney Greg Gemignani, "It seems the regulators want to make sure Nevada casinos have some skin in the game."

In April, several Internet poker companies struck deals with Nevada casino operators. PokerStars entered an agreement with Wynn Resorts Ltd. while Full Tilt Poker signed a deal a company run by Fertitta Gaming, which operates Station Casinos.

But after the operators of PokerStars, Full Tilt and Absolute Poker were among the 11 individuals named in an federal indictment on April 15, charged with money laundering and bank fraud, the deals were canceled.

The attorneys said two companies, Caesars Entertainment Corp., which is affiliated with Gibraltar based Internet gambling provider 888 Gaming, and International Game Technology, which acquired a Swedish Internet gaming company in the spring, stand to benefit quickly if Internet poker is legalized. Both Internet companies run gambling websites that exclude wagers from Americans.

The attorneys said companies that accepted wagers from American gamblers after the approval of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in 2006 could be prohibited from gaining access to the U.S. gamblers once Internet poker is approved federally.

Clayton said companies like PokerStars and Full Tilt, which may not be licensable in Nevada, could sell their databases of U.S.-based players to other Internet poker companies.

"The database would have the most value because a company isn't starting from scratch," Clayton said.

He suspected that companies like Yahoo and Google might explore becoming Internet poker providers if the activity becomes legal because of the Internet companies' large customer databases.

Gemignani said there are two separate bills in Congress that address Internet gaming, one that is specific to Internet poker. However, he didn't think either bill would be passed during the current session.

However, the lawyers said congressional approval of Internet poker seemed "inevitable."

Nevada first approved the establishment of regulations governing Internet gaming in 2001. However, the U.S. Department of Justice suggested the Gaming Control Board stop drafting regulations.

The approval of Assembly Bill 258 in last spring's legislative session called for gaming regulators to establish Internet poker regulations.

Nevada Gaming Commission member Randolph Townsend said Wednesday that the state started researching the regulatory language two years ago. He said the regulations would be "a work in progress" and could be amended as situations change.

"This is absolutely crucial to our future," Townsend said.

For 200 years the world has flocked to Oktoberfest, the only festival that celebrates everything beer, bratwurst, and beautiful babes. With 7 million liters of beer served, you do not want to miss this.

Oktoberfest is Germany’s answer to our friends the Irish and their famed St. Patrick Day making this one of the biggest booze-loving holidays of the year. And this year, Bodog Casino is sending one lucky player and a guest to experience it in true Bodog Style!

We’ll have you saying Wunderbar! before you know it.

When Bodog takes over Munich, it’s going to be a Rocktoberfest to remember.

Between September 10 and 19, 2011 you have a shot to win the ultimate trip for two to Germany. Imagine guzzling down your favorite beers served by a gaggle of gorgeous beer maids. Biting into Bavarian-made bratwursts with sauerkraut to wash them down with. Better Double Down on that side of mustard, you’re gonna need it. And just think of representing Bodog with five million people cracking mugs and rocking out decked out in your finest lederhosen.

Even if you don’t grab the tickets to Rocktoberfest, you’ll still have bonuses to create your very own beer factory at home. Every day during Rocktoberfest, Bodog’s online casino will be featuring a different online game. And every day Bodog gives you a $25 match bonus on the featured game! Fantastisch! Rocktoberfest must mean Germany for awesome!

Every bonus you redeem gives you an entry into the draw for Rocktoberfest! Redeem five codes and you get an extra $25 cash bonus. Redeem all 10 and an extra $50 cash bonus is yours! Das ist super!

Rock on with a trip you’ll never forget and earn your ticket by playing in Rocktoberfest!

A Canadian class-action lawsuit against the online gambling site Full Tilt Poker has been launched in Montreal.

The suit, which has to be authorized by a Quebec judge before proceeding, could benefit Canadian gamblers who saw their accounts with the site frozen following a U.S. crackdown on Internet poker sites this summer.

Canadian patrons had between $5 million and $10 million withheld when Full Tilt shut down its online card rooms to all players on June 29, lawyer Jeff Orenstein said Friday. Orenstein, of Consumer Law Group Inc., filed the class action with the Quebec Superior Court.

In April, Full Tilt held about $150 million of its players' money, the court documents said. Orenstein estimated that about 10 per cent of the company's players were Canadians.

He said he has already been contacted by one Edmonton man who claims Full Tilt was holding $250,000 of his funds when it pulled the plug while a second gambler said he had $10,000 in his account.

The average patron probably had much smaller accounts, Orenstein said.

The lead plaintiff in the class action is a Montreal man, Mitchell Schnurbach, who had between $1 and $5 in his player account.

Key executives of Full Tilt and related companies are also named in the suit.

One of the third-party payment processors for Full Tilt - Terricorp Inc. - has bank accounts in Canada, the class action notes.

The U.S. only allows bricksand-mortar casinos because of a law passed by Congress in 2006 making it illegal for business and banks to knowingly accept payments related to Internet gambling.

On April 15, the U.S. Justice Department charged Poker Stars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker - the world's three biggest online gaming sites - and their founders with illegal gambling and fraud.

As of that day, U.S. players were unable to access their accounts with those sites.

Canadians were still able to play, but on June 29, the gaming commission of Alderney suspended Full Tilt's licence and the site shut down its rooms to all players.

For further information about the class action, go to Class Action | CLG.ORG.

In January 2012 the World Poker Tour (WPT) will host its first ever tournament in Ireland, and online poker players at Littlewoods Poker can currently win themselves a WPT Ireland package which will allow them to participate in the Main Event. Each WPT Ireland package is worth $6,500 and includes the Main Event buy-in (worth €2,500), $1,400 for travelling expenses and spending money, accomodation for six nights at the City West Hotel in Dublin and a Littlewoods Poker Live Event Merchandise Kit.

That’s quite a package, so how do you go about winning it? Well, there are actually two approaches that you can take. The first is to buy straight into a weekly Qualifier for $200+$20. These take place at 19:05 GMT every Saturday until 17 December, so there is plenty of time to have several attempts at the top prize if you don’t succeed first time round.

The alternative approach is to participate in satellites which are currently running at Littlewoods Poker and which cost as list as $1.35 to join. Satellites take place every two hours which means that everyone should be able to find an event to suit their schedule. Play well in your chosen satellite(s) and you can win yourself a seat into a weekly Qualifier for a fraction of the regular buy-in cost.

Those of you who manage to win yourselves a WPT Ireland package at Littlewoods Poker will of course need to know when the event itself takes place. The Main Event runs from Wednesday 4 to Sunday 8 January, so you will need to check-in to your accomodation at the City West Hotel in Dublin on Tuesday 3 and check-out on Monday 9 January.

The first World Poker Tour event in any locale is always notable, so the opportunity to not only attend the first WPT tournament in Ireland but to also take part in the Main Event really is something special. Visit Littlewoods Poker today to find out more, good luck at the tables and go easy on the Guinness if you win!

The WCOOP is without a doubt the most prestigious poker series ever to hit the online poker world. Thousands of players have come to participate in its numerous events and even US players have moved to a place that will let them play the game legally.
Event 11

The $300 No Limit Hold’em Ante Up Two Day event ended up with player “Ugnis” as the champion with a total of $73,717 of winnings. Player “vitalya155” ended up on second place with $53,912. On third place is player “BILLIE1971x” with $40,709 to transfer in his bank account. Player “boaboa99” comes in at fourth with a nice $29,926. Player “andyhin22” manages to grab a good $21,564 while player “deluxe” enters the ranking at sixth with a decent $17,163. Right behind deluxe on the rankings is player “z81ima” with $12,762. On eighth place is player “Big_Nemo” with $8,361 with James Obst with a player name of “Andy McLEOD” right behind hum with $4,533.
Event 12

At the $200 No Limit Hold’em Heads up event, player “ricky” takes the number one spot with $75,616. $25k behind ricky17 is player “crossybig” with $40,032. Michael Wywrot, named “wrywrotX” comes in at third with $24,264. Player “jenbizzle” comes in at fourth with $23,464 closely behind Wywrot. Player “Fragdenlnder” is on fifth with players “Love2Spl00ge”, “BOKPOWER”, and “mikki696” with $12,232 each.
Event 13

At the WCOOP event 13, the $200 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo Six-Max event, “Pandochat” takes on the first place with $42,408. On second place is “Madalain” with $31,248. Player “Tlick777” is on third with $22,878 followed by player “Make” with $15,624. On fifth is “Tumppi82” with $11,160. And finally, “jjsbryan” sits on sixth place with a good $7,142.
Event 14

At the $250 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max Knockout Event, Andras “probirs” Nemeth takes the chip lead to the next day with 2,672,824 chips with “ghth” following at a distance with 1,788,200 chips. Player “Vsegris” goes to the next day with 1,759,555 chips and following him closely is player “Hissoka” with 1,718,590 chps. On fifth is “caprizas with 1,462,990 chips. Player “nikov” sits on sixth with a good 1,325,768 as “Tat0chka” and “rolex101” come in on seventh and eighth with 1,228,607 and 1,058,719 respectively.
Event 15

The WCOOP Event 15 is the $200 Razz with player “Fred_Brink” as the winner with $29,962.50. Jim “Mr_BigQueso” Collopy who almost turned as the winner for the event sits on second with a good $21,573. Player Kecinpulach went on to the third place with $15,980 as player “donat1505” comes in on fourth with $11,985. On fifth place is player “texaspl” with $7,990 as Vincent Gabel manages to come in on sixth with $5,593. The “1337Gambl0r” comes in on seventh place with $3,595.50 as “lg123456789” sits on eighth with $2,397.

Mike “Timex” McDonald , one of the ten members of the Epic Poker League´s Standards and Conduct Committee, has won the second EPL Main Event after a colossal final day – most of which he spent short-stacked.

In a truly remarkable day, Mike McDonald showed great perseverance and skill to first remain in the event and to then claim the EPL 2 title, Champion´s ring and a first place prize of $782,410.


Epic Poker League 2 – Final Placings and Payouts

Place Name Prize
1 Mike McDonald $782,410
2 David Steicke $506,260
3 Fabrice Soulier $299,160
4 Erik Seidel $184,100
5 Nam Thien Le $126,570
6 Isaac Baron $92,050
7 Sean Getzwiller $69,040
8 Dutch Boyd $57,530
9 Adam levy $46,020
10 Amit Makhija $46,020
11 Timothy West $46,020
12 Matthew Glantz $46,020

World champion Scotty Nguyen said his first trip to Bossier City wasn't about winning. It was about spreading the love and being an ambassador for the game of poker.

He wasn't lying. What seemed to be a minute after a news conference featuring Nguyen ended Friday, the 1998 World Series of Poker Main Event champion sat down in a $45 satellite event at the World Series of Poker Circuit event at the Horseshoe Casino and went all-in on the first hand without looking at his cards.

After revealing king-deuce, Nguyen caught another 2 on the turn and doubled-up. His stunned opponent, who held ace-10, went home after one hand.

The man who made the phrase, "You call and it's all over, baby," went blind all-in on the next two hands and was soon left with just a couple of chips.

"I didn't come to win," Nguyen said. "I'm only here for entertainment. I haven't thought about winning."

"The Prince of Poker" is scheduled to leave town today and head to a major event in Paris. This was short, but was destined to be memorable for everyone involved.

"I make sure when I leave I left behind a good thing — love," the 49-year-old Vietnam native said. "So next time when I come, I can see the welcome, the love in people's eyes — the players and the fans. I don't just come to win."

Nguyen has always looked to promote poker, even during live action.

"Talking is part of the game. You make people love you and hate you at the same time," he said. "I'm one of a kind, Scotty Nguyen baby. You never see the other players do something like that. I'm not saying it's the wrong thing to do, but you have to make it fun."

Nguyen often uses Twitter to make surprise phone calls to fans.

"It's the most enjoyable part of all this," Nguyen said. "They'll pick up the phone and I'll say, 'What's up baby?' and they'll say, 'Oh my God, is it really you?' I'll say, 'The one and only.' I'll talk to their wife and they feel good.

"The people hang up happy and talk to their friends and family and say Scotty called. I like to do things like that — it just doesn't make me feel good, I made their day. I make people smile."

Nguyen is a gem for people like Nolan Dalla, the World Series of Poker's media director.

"He's a personality and a character," Dalla said. "A person's character is revealed at the poker table in wins and losses. Not everybody behaves like a champion. Scotty Nguyen is certainly one of a kind."

LSU Tigers faithful have even more reasons to take to Nguyen, who owns three African servals — animals known as "giraffe cats" — at his Las Vegas home.

Although he went bust numerous times early in his career, Nguyen advocates financial sense.

"You have to be comfortable," Nguyen said. "You have to make sure you can lose whatever the buy-in was the day. If you can't afford to lose the buy-in, you can't play because it puts so much pressure on your shoulders. Everybody counts on you — the loved ones, the mortgage, the car payment, the bills, and you take chances."

Nguyen bears pride in how his sport has grown in leaps and bounds since he won the WSOP's $1 million first prize in 1998. When Nguyen won there were 350 entries. The $10,000 buy-in event topped out at nearly 9,000 in 2006.

This year's first prize will be more than $8.7 million.

"It's something that money cannot buy — the feeling when you close your eyes. You sleep so good. All the hard work you put in day in and day out," he said.

Nguyen said the worldwide growth of poker has made the veterans bring their games to the next level. "We need to step up," he said.

Nguyen was eliminated on the second day in this year's WSOP Main Event. However, his graciousness with fans paid off despite the early exit.

"I got stopped by fans on the way to the car —- you can see the love in their eyes," he said. "They're sorry you got knocked out. It makes up for it right there."

Nguyen played in two of the 12 ring events that highlight the Circuit's 12-day stop in Bossier City. The 30-tournament schedule is highlighted by a $1,500 buy-in event that starts next weekend.

Nguyen won't play in the Main Event, but judging by the lines of people who waited to take his picture or go head-to-head with a legend at the poker table, his short trip here was a success.

"I'm not here to win, I'm here to make friends," Nguyen said. "There will be plenty of money to make in Paris."

Washington is looking to skirt the federal ban on Internet gambling. Preparations are under way for the launch of iGaming, the District’s expansion of the lottery to include various online games of skill and chance.

This would be America’s first legalized virtual casino since Congress in 2006 prohibited banks and credit-card companies from conducting transactions across state lines with gambling websites. D.C. has doubled down on Councilman Michael Brown’s Lottery Modernization Act, which was slipped into the 2011 budget.

Congress had 30 days to call the District’s bluff, but it didn’t do so. That means the D.C. Lottery will soon bring Texas Hold ‘Em poker, blackjack and electronic versions of scratch games and bingo to anyone over the age of 19 within city limits with a computer and a bank account.

Some Washingtonians feel they are being dealt a bad hand, and opposition has forced postponement of the planned Oct. 1 start date.

Buddy Roogow, executive director of D.C. Lottery and Charitable Games, told The Washington Times, “We don’t want to move forward with the program until we are given guidance from the the city council.”

The idea remains controversial. D.C. City Council Chairman Kwame Brown told The Washington Times in a newsmaker interview that he thinks iGaming is a bad idea.

“I oppose all gambling,” he said. “I don’t even like the lottery - the money from it was supposed to go to education, but just goes into a general fund. … I don’t believe we should have casinos and gambling because we want to raise revenue. You can’t tell me that the only way to raise revenue is to put slot machines in 7-Elevens.”

The council’s gambling advocates, on the other hand, hope to rake in about $14 million over four years.

To keep gambling-addicted residents from losing their shirts in a single hand, players will be restricted to depositing no more than $250 a week into their gambling account. By comparison, online casinos in places like British Columbia, Canada, allow weekly deposits of $10,000.

“We’re not trying to appeal to professional gamblers,” explained Mr. Roogow.

This multimillion jackpot for the spending-addicted District government is a cause for concern. As Mr. Brown pointed out, the money will be thrown into the general fund for more and more big-government programs. Now that D.C. has thrown down its cards, states such a Nevada, New York and California aren’t far behind with their own efforts to harness Lady Luck to balance their books.

People like to gamble and should have the right to do whatever they want with their own money. Governments shouldn’t grant themselves an online poker monopoly, considering private companies can do the job just as well or better.

The fiscal mess at every level of government comes from too much spending, not from too little revenue. Instead of bureaucratizing games of chance, government needs to do less and live within its means.

PokerStars’ World Championship of Online Poker, also known as WCOOP, is in full swing and over half way over. Since the tournament series began on September 4th, the action has been high. Due to the absence of US players at the tables, there has been a major trend in British players sweeping the series. First, event #2 $10,000 NLH High Roller event got down to two players from the UK facing off, with “DYBYDX” winning in the end against “xraypies.” DYBYDX took the $430K prize. Xraypies took the second place seat with a $310K payout, which is a pretty decent come up considering he satelilted in for only $33.

The next title taken by the UK was event #5 $320 NLH 6-Max Shootout. In the end, a six-way split of the payout landed Britain’s “Mossop7” with a $50K+ payout and first place title.

A third WCOOP win for the UK came in event #12 $215 NLH Heads Up. UK player “ricky” took the title and a $75K+ prize. And yet another title came to England in event #13 $215 PLO H/L 6-Max, and another deal was made. The last four players split the prize with “Pandochat” taking $28K+ and third-place Brit “Tick777” taking $32K, the two largest amounts.

The UK isn’t the only European country dominating the WCOOP though this year. With four wins, they are in the lead, but Russia has three, and Norway, the Netherlands, and Australia all have two. Twenty-three Russians have made final tables-the most of any other country and have the most cases at 747. And there have been more Russians registered at WCOOP events than any other nationality thus far. Russian players “K_0_S_T_A_Y”, “ranayr,” and “Tat0chka” took first place in events #3, #7, and #14, respectively.

Florida-based poker pro Matt Maxman took the top spot World Poker Tour Grand Prix de Paris Main Event, and got himself a very lovely €518,750 first place prize. The play at the final table was, to say the least, pretty twitchy, maybe because there were massive jumps in payouts. For instance, sixth place was worth worth €88,900 but fifth earned €133,330. The conservative nature of the play meant that it took 27 hands for the first player, Martin Jacobsen, to be sent to the rail. Considering that he started very short stacked against the rest (with only 24 big blinds,) it was a respectable performance.

Play continued with mike Sundell, Byron Kaverman and Fred Magen being eliminated in fifth, fourth and third place and finally Hugo Lemaire set out to try to beat Waxman's massive lead over him. Maybe it was just a reaction to earlier rounds, but it only took three hands of one-on-one play for the new champion to be crowned.

Waxman's victory netted him an impressive trophy, a solid silver card protector worth €2,000, a place in the newly formed Champion's Club and that stack of cash. His victory also puts his name in the history books as the first-ever American player to win a WPT Main Event taking place in Europe, something that has not happened in the previous nine seasons of the long-running tour. The WPT now heads to the States for the Borgata Poker Open before jetting back to Europe for WPT Malta in just over a week's time.

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A PROFESSIONAL poker player who won $550,000 in one season at Crown and other casinos has been dealt a 14-year jail term for smuggling $8.5 million worth of cocaine into Melbourne.

Former bankrupt turned card whiz David Saab, 30, was "an aspiring Walter Mitty, a fantasist with a desire for success'' who rubbed shoulders with the rich and became a major poker tournament player, the County Court heard.

But he and two accomplices, Darren Hughes, 27, and Robert Remeeus, 28, were given a combined 30-year jail term by Judge Liz Gaynor today after pleading guilty to importing 14.6kg of coke in agricultural equipment from Canada.

Customs and Australian Federal Police intercepted the air-cargo shipment on its way through Sydney on January 15 this year and replaced the cocaine with other material in plastic-wrapped parcels inside the legs of a mechanical spreader, the court heard.

Hughes - who also gained a seat at Crown's card tables as a serious poker player - was then monitored as he hired a van to bring the equipment to his Kew address, where it was later smashed open with a hammer to access what the trio believed was still cocaine, just before their arrest on January 24.

South Korean-born Saab had struggled as a young man in Australia before becoming a semi-professional backgammon player and setting up his own internet service business.

After running into financial trouble he turned his hand to poker and won big during two tournaments in 2008, the court was told.

His barrister, Robert Richter QC, had earlier told the court he aspired to a glamorous life and gravitated towards the rich he met at casinos.

Judge Gaynor said Saab was chief organiser of the smuggling operation from the Australian end and stood to personally collect $110,000.

Hughes was to be paid $10,000 for his involvement, the court heard.

Police phone intercepts showed the drugs - which had a street value estimated between $6.5 million and $8.5 million - were already destined for specific buyers.

Judge Gaynor, in sentencing Saab to a minimum of 10 years for cocaine importation, said the "illusory world you have constructed for yourself'' had been shattered by his arrest, as had his "delusions of wealth''.

She said both Remeeus, at the time a disability worker with the Department of Human Services, and Hughes, whose brother works for the Australian Federal Police, were both seduced into the scheme for their own reasons but were otherwise unlikely suspects.

Convicted of attempting to possess the cocaine, Hughes and Remeeus were given eight-year jail terms with a minimum of five.

Who came out on top in the weekly $100,000 guaranteed online poker tournament held this past Sunday, September 11th? BBQbowser took first place this week, earning $23,600. They were followed by bkgotgame ($13,600.00) and coleman285 , who rounded out the top three spots while earning $9,100. Here's the rest of the final table results: Swervedriver ($7,000.00); soggyvag2 ($5,700.00); flywithme ($4,500.00); vke1231 ($3,300.00); MrSoloDolo17 ($2,200.00) and jjn4207 ($1,300.00).

In addition to our show-stopping Sunday events, Bodog hosts its regular weekly tournaments to players, and here's the winners of last week's events!

September 5 • $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: D0ES0N ($3,960.00)
September 6 • $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: skibob1 ($4,097.50)
September 7 • $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: jimbopolis ($3,588.75)
September 8 • $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: xTHEFOXx ($3,539.25)
September 11 • $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: deadmoney627 ($3,520.00)
September 11 • $10k Guaranteed Turbo Double-Stack CheckRaz0r ($5,160.00)

Bodog's guaranteed tournaments mean that there's always a big cash pool and with more players getting in on the action every week, that means there's more to be won Play poker online at Bodog and get your share!

With the AGCC hearing very close, betting site services can see that the story with Full Tilt Poker is coming to an end.

The story of Full Tilt Poker is coming to an end as the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) is setting the final date of September 19th for the hearing on their licensing.

After not being able to find an investor in the month that was given to them, and having been deserted by their lawyers, it does not look like the betting shop will be able to return to the poker spotlight. This would be leaving thousands of fans and poker players left without their money, as there is no answer on where the money went, and Full Tilt has not been quick to tell anybody, which left many people wondering.

It is a very sad ending for a poker betting site that once had some of the most amazing online tournaments that could be found on the entire World Wide Web. With cutting edge software and a list of pro player spokesmen and part owners that would make all of their rivals very envious, the Full Tilt Poker betting shop was the place to play online poker.

This was the site’s public face, but there were dodgy dealings taking place in the backrooms, fraud being perpetrated and money being laundered, all of which ended up taking the site from being the world’s second most popular to a state of collapse with furious fans everywhere wanting their money back.

Since Full Tilt Poker stopped operating, other betting sites and poker rooms saw a huge increase in poker players. Many of the former Full Tilt poker players signed up with William Hill Poker since they can be assured that the famous brand will not collapse in the same way that Full Tilt so amazingly has.

What happened with Full Tilt is indeed very sad, but players that use betting sites know that there are other more reliable options available.

AAMS, the Italian gaming authority, confirmed that from November onwards, players will be able to use betting software and access poker cash games online.

This week, Italian gaming regulations saw that they were again under scrutiny after new moves to introduce online poker cash games.

The resolve is coming in the immediate aftermath of the recent decision made by the government to allow online casino games for customers, which is a move that was embraced by keen players all over the country that use betting software and sportsbook software. AAMS, the Italian gaming authority, has set a deadline for November to launch poker cash services.

Latest reports indicated that in recent months, consumers in Italy have been very quick to respond to their new freedoms, as they were flocking to online casino sites in order to use betting software.

The gaming volume has been estimated to be between three and ten times larger than in previous periods, while turnover for 2011 is expected to hit, if not surpass, the € 10 billion mark. The 2012 turnover is currently predicted to reach €20 billion.

The introduction of online slot games in 2012’s first quarter, along with the entry of foreign operators has been expected to boost industry profits even more – which would be ushering a brand new golden era for the online gaming sector, and many in the industry are looking forward to this.

In the meantime, leading software developers such as Playtech have identified the possibilities that are afforded by such a quickly expanding market. The firm represents the first provider to undertake and complete the ‘Collaudo’ testing process in accordance with AAMS specifications.

Various sites that are powered by Playtech already established a strong online presence with well recognised brands such as William Hill taking the centre stage. Now, from November 2011 onwards, Playtech will offer access to poker cash games as Italian gamers are rushing like never before to use betting software at their online casinos.