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2006/12/07
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29893
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Even before Black Friday, online poker platforms were jockeying for position with brick and-mortar casinos in the United States, all in an attempt to be a participant in a licensed and regulated online poker market.
No place is more indicative of the trend than Las Vegas. In March, amidst an intrastate backed bill by soon to be indicted PokerStars, Wynn Resorts announced its entry into a “strategic relationship” with the Internet giant. The duo was planning to split profits 50-50 from a PokerStarsWynn.com. Casino boss Steve Wynn’s decision came after previously opposing legalized Internet gaming and calling it impossible to regulate, according to the New York Times.
While the business deal disintegrated, the Nevada Gaming Commission’s unanimous approval of the suitability of a relationship between Caesars Entertainment, owner of the World Series of Poker brand, with subsidiaries of Israel-based operator 888 has held to the present day. The arrangement allowed the U.S. land-based gaming company to operate a site in the U.K but not on U.S. soil.
The deal between Caesars Entertainment and 888 was the first of its kind for a Nevada licensee and was quickly followed by the Wynn-PokerStars alliance, and finally with Fertitta Interactive, an entity established and co-owned by Station Casinos’ founders, getting in bed with Full Tilt Poker. Full Tilt subsequently was unable to pay out balances to players, and is currently not operating.
In addition, rumors have surfaced that MGM and PartyGaming, parent company of the once largest U.S. facing poker site in PartyPoker. com, have formed an alliance to offer an online poker product. In April 2009 PartyGaming reached a non-prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. As part of the agreement, PartyGaming paid $105 million in fines with the assurance that the U.S. government will not prosecute the company or any of its subsidiaries “for providing internet gambling services to customers in the U.S. prior to the enactment of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) on 13 October 2006.” While land-based casinos were acquiring new partners, some software providers were making moves in an effort to position themselves to offer online poker.
Nevada-based slot machine manufacturer International Game Technology (IGT) in early May announced its intent to purchase Swedish-based Entraction Poker Network for $115 million. Entraction, a 112-room network which includes a number of popular poker sites open to foreign players, provides IGT with a position in the online gaming realm, allowing the company to “partner with land based casinos around the world.”
In June, iPoker network owner Playtech, in a joint venture with the Scientific Gaming Corporation, signed an agreement with the California Online Poker Association, an organization backed by gaming interests such as Commerce Casino, Bicycle Club, Hollywood Park Casino and the Morongo and San Manuel bands of Indians in Southern California, to provide the state with “play for fun” poker. With its residents spending $13 billion a year in the past on Internet poker, California is actively considering an intrastate system, despite efforts stalling for 2011’s legislative session.
The Road Ahead
There are many hurdles to overcome before any form of legislation is passed. The finer points related to licensing, taxes, and detailing the regulatory framework for the nascent industry are all still in the works. Any legislation that gains momentum must also please its detractors. As such, the bill’s language must include provisions for offering U.S. citizens a safe environment in which to play online poker.
The AGA emphasizes a few points related to ensuring game integrity. Potential online poker operators must be able to properly police their players, prevent underage gambling, and ensure the integrity of the game by restricting access to any software that could create an unfair advantage. Perhaps most importantly in the wake of Black Friday, any operator must be held accountable for player funds, guaranteeing that deposits are not being used for money laundering or any other illegal activities.
“I view online poker legislation as an anti-crime-consumer-protection bill,” said Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., president and CEO of the American Gaming Association. “Now the result is also that it will generate some revenue. It will generate some revenue for the states involved, the states where the bettors are, and revenue generated to the federal government because there will now be tracking on winnings.”
The powerful lobbying group could be joining current efforts to push a piece of online poker legislation through Congress. Fahrenkopf told Card Player back in May that his organization is working toward its own version of a bill, and as of July, the organization said it was still in the processing of drafting such a measure.
Online poker is a game that millions of Americans play. If the industry is to have any sort of longevity, then a system must be created that not only benefits the government in the form of tax revenue, but also protects the consumer by employing the historically accountable aforementioned brick-and-mortar operators we examined. Despite the uncertainties in its implementation, many players, politicians, and businessmen alike all want one thing: licensed and regulated online poker in the United States.
No place is more indicative of the trend than Las Vegas. In March, amidst an intrastate backed bill by soon to be indicted PokerStars, Wynn Resorts announced its entry into a “strategic relationship” with the Internet giant. The duo was planning to split profits 50-50 from a PokerStarsWynn.com. Casino boss Steve Wynn’s decision came after previously opposing legalized Internet gaming and calling it impossible to regulate, according to the New York Times.
While the business deal disintegrated, the Nevada Gaming Commission’s unanimous approval of the suitability of a relationship between Caesars Entertainment, owner of the World Series of Poker brand, with subsidiaries of Israel-based operator 888 has held to the present day. The arrangement allowed the U.S. land-based gaming company to operate a site in the U.K but not on U.S. soil.
The deal between Caesars Entertainment and 888 was the first of its kind for a Nevada licensee and was quickly followed by the Wynn-PokerStars alliance, and finally with Fertitta Interactive, an entity established and co-owned by Station Casinos’ founders, getting in bed with Full Tilt Poker. Full Tilt subsequently was unable to pay out balances to players, and is currently not operating.
In addition, rumors have surfaced that MGM and PartyGaming, parent company of the once largest U.S. facing poker site in PartyPoker. com, have formed an alliance to offer an online poker product. In April 2009 PartyGaming reached a non-prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. As part of the agreement, PartyGaming paid $105 million in fines with the assurance that the U.S. government will not prosecute the company or any of its subsidiaries “for providing internet gambling services to customers in the U.S. prior to the enactment of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) on 13 October 2006.” While land-based casinos were acquiring new partners, some software providers were making moves in an effort to position themselves to offer online poker.
Nevada-based slot machine manufacturer International Game Technology (IGT) in early May announced its intent to purchase Swedish-based Entraction Poker Network for $115 million. Entraction, a 112-room network which includes a number of popular poker sites open to foreign players, provides IGT with a position in the online gaming realm, allowing the company to “partner with land based casinos around the world.”
In June, iPoker network owner Playtech, in a joint venture with the Scientific Gaming Corporation, signed an agreement with the California Online Poker Association, an organization backed by gaming interests such as Commerce Casino, Bicycle Club, Hollywood Park Casino and the Morongo and San Manuel bands of Indians in Southern California, to provide the state with “play for fun” poker. With its residents spending $13 billion a year in the past on Internet poker, California is actively considering an intrastate system, despite efforts stalling for 2011’s legislative session.
The Road Ahead
There are many hurdles to overcome before any form of legislation is passed. The finer points related to licensing, taxes, and detailing the regulatory framework for the nascent industry are all still in the works. Any legislation that gains momentum must also please its detractors. As such, the bill’s language must include provisions for offering U.S. citizens a safe environment in which to play online poker.
The AGA emphasizes a few points related to ensuring game integrity. Potential online poker operators must be able to properly police their players, prevent underage gambling, and ensure the integrity of the game by restricting access to any software that could create an unfair advantage. Perhaps most importantly in the wake of Black Friday, any operator must be held accountable for player funds, guaranteeing that deposits are not being used for money laundering or any other illegal activities.
“I view online poker legislation as an anti-crime-consumer-protection bill,” said Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., president and CEO of the American Gaming Association. “Now the result is also that it will generate some revenue. It will generate some revenue for the states involved, the states where the bettors are, and revenue generated to the federal government because there will now be tracking on winnings.”
The powerful lobbying group could be joining current efforts to push a piece of online poker legislation through Congress. Fahrenkopf told Card Player back in May that his organization is working toward its own version of a bill, and as of July, the organization said it was still in the processing of drafting such a measure.
Online poker is a game that millions of Americans play. If the industry is to have any sort of longevity, then a system must be created that not only benefits the government in the form of tax revenue, but also protects the consumer by employing the historically accountable aforementioned brick-and-mortar operators we examined. Despite the uncertainties in its implementation, many players, politicians, and businessmen alike all want one thing: licensed and regulated online poker in the United States.
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
In breaking news announced today, Chipsplit (the affiliate program behind Carbon Poker + many other Merge Gaming brands) has released a statement announcing that Carbon Poker will be accepting new registrations (and allow existing accounts to once again play) from players residing in the United States from 12.01AM server time. Carbon Poker is part of the well established network, Merge Gaming, which has established a strong worldwide poker player base.
This begs the question: Which is now the safest online poker site for US players to play real money poker at? With this change, the team at NoLimitStrategy-net would have to go in favour of Carbon Poker due to its large player base, fast cashout times and strong brand history in the online poker market.
Here is the full statement that was released earlier today:
“ChipSplit is excited to announce that as of Wednesday, October 13th at 12:01AM Server Time CarbonPoker and PDC Poker will be accepting new players worldwide.
This move reflects ChipSplit’s commitment to creating outstanding earning opportunities for our affiliates, including access to the world’s largest and most profitable online poker markets. With two premiere brands in CarbonPoker and PDC Poker now available to players everywhere, and Aced Poker targeting North and South American countries outside the U.S.
Regards,
The ChipSplit Team
Note: ChipSplit brands do not accept players from the following countries and states: Australia, France, New York, Kentucky, Washington DC, Maryland, Washington, Missouri and Louisiana.”
So to conclude, we would say that Carbon Poker is now the safest online poker site for US players to play real money online poker. A word of warning would be that there have been rumours on the 2plus2 forums that Carbon make be a potential target for the DOJ, although this should also be taken with a pinch of salt.
This begs the question: Which is now the safest online poker site for US players to play real money poker at? With this change, the team at NoLimitStrategy-net would have to go in favour of Carbon Poker due to its large player base, fast cashout times and strong brand history in the online poker market.
Here is the full statement that was released earlier today:
“ChipSplit is excited to announce that as of Wednesday, October 13th at 12:01AM Server Time CarbonPoker and PDC Poker will be accepting new players worldwide.
This move reflects ChipSplit’s commitment to creating outstanding earning opportunities for our affiliates, including access to the world’s largest and most profitable online poker markets. With two premiere brands in CarbonPoker and PDC Poker now available to players everywhere, and Aced Poker targeting North and South American countries outside the U.S.
Regards,
The ChipSplit Team
Note: ChipSplit brands do not accept players from the following countries and states: Australia, France, New York, Kentucky, Washington DC, Maryland, Washington, Missouri and Louisiana.”
So to conclude, we would say that Carbon Poker is now the safest online poker site for US players to play real money online poker. A word of warning would be that there have been rumours on the 2plus2 forums that Carbon make be a potential target for the DOJ, although this should also be taken with a pinch of salt.
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
Who came out on top in the weekly $100,000 guaranteed online poker tournament held this past Sunday, October 9th? landersp took first place this week, earning $23,600. They were followed by briguy8189 ($13,600.00) and herave , who rounded out the top three spots while earning $9,100. Here's the rest of the final table results: Ev_WooD ($7,000.00); WillyNilly ($5,700.00); NotToSharp ($4,500.00); Sponger760 ($3,300.00); Deejey40 ($2,200.00) and EstyzBalln ($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!
October 3 • $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: cash flowinnn ($3,685.00)
October 4 • $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: bad4_yourhealth ($3,630.00)
October 5 • $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: WaThoHuck ($3,946.25)
October 5 • $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: Im_An_Idiot ($3,312.37)
October 9• $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: ITALIAN_PIMP ($3,660.25)
October 9 • $10k Guaranteed Turbo Double-Stack solohomer ($4,922.50)
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!
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!
October 3 • $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: cash flowinnn ($3,685.00)
October 4 • $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: bad4_yourhealth ($3,630.00)
October 5 • $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: WaThoHuck ($3,946.25)
October 5 • $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: Im_An_Idiot ($3,312.37)
October 9• $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: ITALIAN_PIMP ($3,660.25)
October 9 • $10k Guaranteed Turbo Double-Stack solohomer ($4,922.50)
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!
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
This past weekend, five more players won their way into the Punta Cana Poker Classic, so let's have a big hand for El Rubio, JaredsBack, CarnePicante, Mr_Mojorisin and love34bug
You still have a shot at getting seats — the final five seats
If you've never heard of the Punta Cana Poker Classic: here's what you need to know.
It's a 5 day Texas Hold’em poker tournament
It takes place November 8th to 13th, 2011
It's held at the luxurious, all inclusive five-star Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic
Most importantly – you can get there free with Bodog!
That's right – we're sending thirty online poker players to fun in the sun while the rest of us try to deal with the autumn blues.
Bodog is setting up winners with a $4,000 prize package that includes a buy=in to the $500,000 main tournament (valued at $1,650) along with a five-night all-inclusive stay at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Punta Cana, a $1,000 travel allowance and a $1,500 spending voucher for hotel services like gold, spa, tours and more. What's even better than the prize package is how easy we've made it to qualify!
You can win your way to a seat at the Punta Cana classic for as little as $.55 thanks to our cheap seat tourneys held every day. You can also buy directly into semifinal events for $35+.3.50 or the satellite events for $230+20. We're also offering two players the chance to qualify through a draw held by Bodog!
Want more information? Visit Bodog Poker
You still have a shot at getting seats — the final five seats
If you've never heard of the Punta Cana Poker Classic: here's what you need to know.
It's a 5 day Texas Hold’em poker tournament
It takes place November 8th to 13th, 2011
It's held at the luxurious, all inclusive five-star Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic
Most importantly – you can get there free with Bodog!
That's right – we're sending thirty online poker players to fun in the sun while the rest of us try to deal with the autumn blues.
Bodog is setting up winners with a $4,000 prize package that includes a buy=in to the $500,000 main tournament (valued at $1,650) along with a five-night all-inclusive stay at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Punta Cana, a $1,000 travel allowance and a $1,500 spending voucher for hotel services like gold, spa, tours and more. What's even better than the prize package is how easy we've made it to qualify!
You can win your way to a seat at the Punta Cana classic for as little as $.55 thanks to our cheap seat tourneys held every day. You can also buy directly into semifinal events for $35+.3.50 or the satellite events for $230+20. We're also offering two players the chance to qualify through a draw held by Bodog!
Want more information? Visit Bodog Poker
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
Several skins on the Merge Poker Network have finally lifted their block on new registrations from poker players in previously restricted locations – opening the doors for a new influx of players from around the world.
Following a four month interval, during which many of the network´s online poker rooms restructured their payment processing facilities and moved their servers to Antigua, news is slowly being released about which sites are prepared to accept new sign-ups from players living in the world´s biggest online poker market.
The First Sites to Confirm the News
Among the first sites to confirm that they were now accepting “worldwide” registrations from new online poker players were Carbon Poker, Lock Poker and Pokerview – the innovative Pokercam web site (no bots here!) who recently left the Everleaf Gaming Network in anticipation of a relaxing of the registration regulations.
Some States and Countries are still Excluded
The news that the Merge Poker Network is now relaxing its embargo on new registrations from selected locations will not be a cause of celebration for every American poker-playing citizen. Residents of the District of Columbia and the States of Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Maryland, New York and Washington will be unable to create new real money poker accounts, as will those from Australia and France due to their national licensing legislation.
Why is There No Fanfare?
One possible reason for the Merge Poker network keeping this news subdued for the present is that there were many issues surrounding withdrawals prior to the suspension of American players in June. Although these have now been resolved, a huge influx of new players could seriously compromise their payment systems and the network could return to the scenario at the beginning of the year, when it could take up to six weeks for a cashout.
Are Your Dollars Safe With Merge?
One of the reasons that the Merge Poker Network has been able to provide online poker facilities to players in countries which other online poker sites shy away from, is that Merge´s use of payment processors and banks outside of the US avoids the risk of prosecution by the US Department of Justice. Skins on the Merge Network have not taken the risks that larger companies took in the past and segregates player´s funds for security.
Traffic Expected to Boom
Traffic on the Merge Poker Network increased dramatically after Black Friday when the PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker domain names were seized by the US Department of Justice, and the same response is anticipated again as new registrations start to flock in from the previously restricted areas. Other poker players from around the world are also expected sign up to take advantage of the larger player pool that will be created, as playing at online poker sites such as Carbon Poker, Lock Poker and Pokerview becomes more lucrative.
Following a four month interval, during which many of the network´s online poker rooms restructured their payment processing facilities and moved their servers to Antigua, news is slowly being released about which sites are prepared to accept new sign-ups from players living in the world´s biggest online poker market.
The First Sites to Confirm the News
Among the first sites to confirm that they were now accepting “worldwide” registrations from new online poker players were Carbon Poker, Lock Poker and Pokerview – the innovative Pokercam web site (no bots here!) who recently left the Everleaf Gaming Network in anticipation of a relaxing of the registration regulations.
Some States and Countries are still Excluded
The news that the Merge Poker Network is now relaxing its embargo on new registrations from selected locations will not be a cause of celebration for every American poker-playing citizen. Residents of the District of Columbia and the States of Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Maryland, New York and Washington will be unable to create new real money poker accounts, as will those from Australia and France due to their national licensing legislation.
Why is There No Fanfare?
One possible reason for the Merge Poker network keeping this news subdued for the present is that there were many issues surrounding withdrawals prior to the suspension of American players in June. Although these have now been resolved, a huge influx of new players could seriously compromise their payment systems and the network could return to the scenario at the beginning of the year, when it could take up to six weeks for a cashout.
Are Your Dollars Safe With Merge?
One of the reasons that the Merge Poker Network has been able to provide online poker facilities to players in countries which other online poker sites shy away from, is that Merge´s use of payment processors and banks outside of the US avoids the risk of prosecution by the US Department of Justice. Skins on the Merge Network have not taken the risks that larger companies took in the past and segregates player´s funds for security.
Traffic Expected to Boom
Traffic on the Merge Poker Network increased dramatically after Black Friday when the PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker domain names were seized by the US Department of Justice, and the same response is anticipated again as new registrations start to flock in from the previously restricted areas. Other poker players from around the world are also expected sign up to take advantage of the larger player pool that will be created, as playing at online poker sites such as Carbon Poker, Lock Poker and Pokerview becomes more lucrative.
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
Types of Poker Players You'll Encounter at the Table.
Poker Players 1
Poker Players 2
The hottest profiles include an extensive biography as well.
:dirol
Poker Players 1
Poker Players 2
The hottest profiles include an extensive biography as well.
:dirol
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
For the third time in as many years, PKR-com has been selected as a candidate for the Poker Operator of the Year award at the 2011 e-Gaming Review Awards. The category distinguishes the operator making the most advancements in the poker sector over the last 12 months.
PKR won the coveted Poker Operator of the Year trophy in 2010, and also earned the International Gaming Awards Online Poker Operator of the Year award in both 2010 and 2011.
PKR-com CEO Malcolm Graham said: 'We are delighted to be nominated for Poker Operator of the Year for the third consecutive year. It's been challenging period for the entire industry and we are very proud to be recognised for our hard work and dedication. Being the current holder of both of the industry's top awards has been a real achievement and we look forward to the event.'
The poker site is also in the running for the e-Gaming Review's Innovation in Gaming award. The prestigious event takes place on Wednesday 30th November inside The Artillery Garden at the HAC in London, hosting 800 top professionals from the gaming industry.
The eGaming Review Awards have been penned by the hosts as the 'eGaming industry event of the year'. One of the reasons PKR are nominated year upon year is their commitment to improving their service - they launched a 2D Poker Lite version of their software this year to accommodate players using low spec machines.
If you want to learn more about how innovative PKR is as a 3D poker site visit Play online poker in 3D at PKR. Let's play. and sign up to what is already a multi-award winning hub for online poker.
About PKR ( Play online poker in 3D at PKR. Let's play.
PKR is a revolutionary new concept in online poker that has changed the way that online poker is played.
Featuring stunning real-time 3D graphics and a uniquely engaging and immersive gaming system, PKR brings an unparalleled and previously unseen level of realism to online poker.
Developed by some of the brightest stars in the video games and poker industries, PKR continues to be the most innovative poker room in the world.
Stunning PKR screenshots are available for the press at: PKR | Online poker game environments | play poker in 3D - PKR]
High resolution imagery available on request.
PKR won the coveted Poker Operator of the Year trophy in 2010, and also earned the International Gaming Awards Online Poker Operator of the Year award in both 2010 and 2011.
PKR-com CEO Malcolm Graham said: 'We are delighted to be nominated for Poker Operator of the Year for the third consecutive year. It's been challenging period for the entire industry and we are very proud to be recognised for our hard work and dedication. Being the current holder of both of the industry's top awards has been a real achievement and we look forward to the event.'
The poker site is also in the running for the e-Gaming Review's Innovation in Gaming award. The prestigious event takes place on Wednesday 30th November inside The Artillery Garden at the HAC in London, hosting 800 top professionals from the gaming industry.
The eGaming Review Awards have been penned by the hosts as the 'eGaming industry event of the year'. One of the reasons PKR are nominated year upon year is their commitment to improving their service - they launched a 2D Poker Lite version of their software this year to accommodate players using low spec machines.
If you want to learn more about how innovative PKR is as a 3D poker site visit Play online poker in 3D at PKR. Let's play. and sign up to what is already a multi-award winning hub for online poker.
About PKR ( Play online poker in 3D at PKR. Let's play.
PKR is a revolutionary new concept in online poker that has changed the way that online poker is played.
Featuring stunning real-time 3D graphics and a uniquely engaging and immersive gaming system, PKR brings an unparalleled and previously unseen level of realism to online poker.
Developed by some of the brightest stars in the video games and poker industries, PKR continues to be the most innovative poker room in the world.
Stunning PKR screenshots are available for the press at: PKR | Online poker game environments | play poker in 3D - PKR]
High resolution imagery available on request.
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
Andrew Hinrichsen's appearance at this year's World Series of Poker was good, but it looks like he's really thriving at the WSOPE, where he just won event #2. The €1,090 buy-in tournament yielded the 23-year-old Australian pro €148,030. He took on a field of 771 players in Cannes, the largest so far in a WSOPE event.
The large fields seen this year were part of the reason the WSOP Europe was moved form London to Cannes and the supply and demand seem to have met to spectacular results. A total of 81 players shared in the prize pool of €740,160. While the final table was mostly devoid of household names, Robert Romanello – who ultimately finished 5th – might be recognized by some. Romanello has previous won European Poker Tour and World Poker Tour events, and was looking to become poker’s 5th "Triple Crown" winner by taking down his first WSOP title.
Other notable players who made deep runs and ended in the money included Vanessa Selbst (32nd), Dan Kelly (39th), and Joseph Cheong (48th).
With Hinrichsen winning $302,005 from the WSOP Main Event for his 23rd place finish, this definitely looks like a profitable year for the young pro, who now can claim over $700,000 in earnings in his live tournament career.
The final table earnings were as follows:
Andrew Hinrichsen (€148,030)
Gianluca Speranza (€91,262)
Tarcisio Bruno (€67,281)
Bernard Guigon (€50,146)
Roberto Romanello (€37,874)
Eric Baudry (€28,977)
John Eames (€22,449)
Nabil Nadjai (€17,608)
Gregory Lejolivet (€13,982)
The large fields seen this year were part of the reason the WSOP Europe was moved form London to Cannes and the supply and demand seem to have met to spectacular results. A total of 81 players shared in the prize pool of €740,160. While the final table was mostly devoid of household names, Robert Romanello – who ultimately finished 5th – might be recognized by some. Romanello has previous won European Poker Tour and World Poker Tour events, and was looking to become poker’s 5th "Triple Crown" winner by taking down his first WSOP title.
Other notable players who made deep runs and ended in the money included Vanessa Selbst (32nd), Dan Kelly (39th), and Joseph Cheong (48th).
With Hinrichsen winning $302,005 from the WSOP Main Event for his 23rd place finish, this definitely looks like a profitable year for the young pro, who now can claim over $700,000 in earnings in his live tournament career.
The final table earnings were as follows:
Andrew Hinrichsen (€148,030)
Gianluca Speranza (€91,262)
Tarcisio Bruno (€67,281)
Bernard Guigon (€50,146)
Roberto Romanello (€37,874)
Eric Baudry (€28,977)
John Eames (€22,449)
Nabil Nadjai (€17,608)
Gregory Lejolivet (€13,982)
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
With the World Series of Poker* Europe Main Event a few days away, some of poker's biggest names have been making their way to Cannes to take on what is widely regarded as one of the absolute toughest fields in poker. One, pro, however, believes that the American contingent needn't have bothered to show up and is even willing to refund any losing bets on one popular online sports betting site.
As Bord told one site: "I don't think an American can win the bracelet, Europeans are now far superior. We used to look up to the US players back in the day, but those days are now long gone. I'm prepared to put my money where my mouth is and refund any losing bets up to $500 if an American wins."
Bord's been known as a mixed-game specialist for some time, but has more recently been seen at some of the biggest tournaments around. He is best known for winning the 2010 WSOPE Main Event for a cool £830,401 and now has lifetime tournament winnings of $1,923,337.
The British Pro also runs a poker community that helps up and coming pros with coaching, staking deals and outright sponsorship.
As Bord told one site: "I don't think an American can win the bracelet, Europeans are now far superior. We used to look up to the US players back in the day, but those days are now long gone. I'm prepared to put my money where my mouth is and refund any losing bets up to $500 if an American wins."
Bord's been known as a mixed-game specialist for some time, but has more recently been seen at some of the biggest tournaments around. He is best known for winning the 2010 WSOPE Main Event for a cool £830,401 and now has lifetime tournament winnings of $1,923,337.
The British Pro also runs a poker community that helps up and coming pros with coaching, staking deals and outright sponsorship.
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
According to the latest news, a huge percentage of Full Tilt Poker players waiting for a refund will get nothing when the company’s potential investors have completely pulled it to its feet. Groupe Bernard Tapie, an investment company based in France, is about to purchase Full Tilt Poker in a bid to rejuvenate it. Full Tilt Poker was driven out of the US poker market following the events of Black Friday and shortly thereafter, it lost its licenses to provide online poker services in the European market.
While it is true that Groupe Bernard Tapie is mulling over the idea of offering equity in Full Tilt Poker to ex players, only players with large sums of money in their accounts might get a share, not the huge majority of players who had small amounts. According to a London-based source, “Several bigger players left this deal alone precisely because of Full Tilt Poker’s liabilities. A rescue bid would have to recognize that and place an upper-limit on potential payments, or it simply isn’t a viable business.” Since Tapie is a sensible investment firm, it will work at reducing liabilities and might place a limit on how many players it will compensate.
Currently, Full Tilt Poker has been sued by the US federal government, which is seeking fines of as much as $1 billion for its alleged money laundering and bank fraud activities. Ever since Black Friday, the day on which the US Department of Justice (DoJ) seized its domain name and indicted its executives on various counts of money laundering, bank fraud, and illegal gambling, US players have been unable to access their accounts. Reportedly, over $300 million belonging to poker players all over the globe is locked up in Full Tilt Poker’s frozen accounts.
The investment firm seeking to purchase Full Tilt Poker might provide equity to only players who have over $10k in their accounts, writing off a major portion of the amount owed to poker players with lesser amounts in their accounts.
The proposed purchase of Full Tilt Poker is being handled by Laurent Tapie, the son of French entrepreneur Bernard Tapie, who owns Groupe Bernard Tapie. The company had previously owned shares of Olympique Marseille, the football club, and Adidas, the sportswear company.
Last month, the US government accused Full Tilt Poker of cheating players of over $440 million and paying it to board members and professional poker players.
While it is true that Groupe Bernard Tapie is mulling over the idea of offering equity in Full Tilt Poker to ex players, only players with large sums of money in their accounts might get a share, not the huge majority of players who had small amounts. According to a London-based source, “Several bigger players left this deal alone precisely because of Full Tilt Poker’s liabilities. A rescue bid would have to recognize that and place an upper-limit on potential payments, or it simply isn’t a viable business.” Since Tapie is a sensible investment firm, it will work at reducing liabilities and might place a limit on how many players it will compensate.
Currently, Full Tilt Poker has been sued by the US federal government, which is seeking fines of as much as $1 billion for its alleged money laundering and bank fraud activities. Ever since Black Friday, the day on which the US Department of Justice (DoJ) seized its domain name and indicted its executives on various counts of money laundering, bank fraud, and illegal gambling, US players have been unable to access their accounts. Reportedly, over $300 million belonging to poker players all over the globe is locked up in Full Tilt Poker’s frozen accounts.
The investment firm seeking to purchase Full Tilt Poker might provide equity to only players who have over $10k in their accounts, writing off a major portion of the amount owed to poker players with lesser amounts in their accounts.
The proposed purchase of Full Tilt Poker is being handled by Laurent Tapie, the son of French entrepreneur Bernard Tapie, who owns Groupe Bernard Tapie. The company had previously owned shares of Olympique Marseille, the football club, and Adidas, the sportswear company.
Last month, the US government accused Full Tilt Poker of cheating players of over $440 million and paying it to board members and professional poker players.
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2006/12/07
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29893
Just when poker players and operators thought it was safe to go back in the water, the USA has again dropped the hammer on another couple of payment processors. The Greenville South Carolina US Attorneys Office and the Secret Service have seized the assets of two international money processing firms. The announcement points to over $2m in “criminal assets” from Prime Investment Ltd. and Trading 24/7 Ltd. whose principals are accused of illegally processing transactions associated with online poker operators.
Bill Watkins the assistant the US Attorney has said the operators processed more than $40 million during October 2010 and February of this year. It has been alleged that the processing firms routed the transactions so that the actual source of the money could not be known. While there is speculation that the poker firms are known that was not revealed during the announcement.
Thomas Griffin an agent with the US Secret Service which is now part of the Department of Homeland Security, has said the investigation was an ongoing nationwide endeavor. He continued to say, “ many of the online gambling sites were set up in South Carolina.”
After tracking he transactions officials said they contacted South Carolina residents to whom the funds were traced. The players confirmed the money was connected to online poker winnings.
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act has been violated said, US Attorney for the District of South Carolina Bill Nettles adding that other federal laws that deal with fraud and money laundering have also been breached. The USA continues to crack down on online poker in its efforts to wipe the slate clean and get on with legalizing and regulating online gambling in America. The government and its police enforcers are focusing on the money processors’ “dubious business activities,” and not on players at least for now.
Bill Watkins the assistant the US Attorney has said the operators processed more than $40 million during October 2010 and February of this year. It has been alleged that the processing firms routed the transactions so that the actual source of the money could not be known. While there is speculation that the poker firms are known that was not revealed during the announcement.
Thomas Griffin an agent with the US Secret Service which is now part of the Department of Homeland Security, has said the investigation was an ongoing nationwide endeavor. He continued to say, “ many of the online gambling sites were set up in South Carolina.”
After tracking he transactions officials said they contacted South Carolina residents to whom the funds were traced. The players confirmed the money was connected to online poker winnings.
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act has been violated said, US Attorney for the District of South Carolina Bill Nettles adding that other federal laws that deal with fraud and money laundering have also been breached. The USA continues to crack down on online poker in its efforts to wipe the slate clean and get on with legalizing and regulating online gambling in America. The government and its police enforcers are focusing on the money processors’ “dubious business activities,” and not on players at least for now.
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2006/12/07
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29893
The Punta Cana Poker Classic is about as close as you can get to a perfect poker tournament. It's a five-day event held at the all-inclusive five-star Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic this November and we're sending 30 online poker players there!
Bodog Poker is setting up winners with a $4,000 prize package that includes a buy-in to the $500,000 main tournament (valued at $1,650) along with a five-night all-inclusive stay at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Punta Cana, a $1,000 travel allowance and a $1,500 spending voucher for hotel services like gold, spa, tours and more. What's even better than the prize package is how easy we've made it to qualify!
You can win your way to a seat at the Punta Cana classic for as little as $55 thanks to our cheap seat tourneys held every day. You can also buy directly into semifinal events for $35+.3.50 or the satellite events for $230+20. On the final day, there's a whole slate of tournaments with buy-ins ranging from $10 to $50 that get you in on the five-seat satellite! We're also offering two players the chance to qualify through a draw held by Bodog! With five seats left, competition is getting fierce but you still have a chance to get in on the action.
Visit the Punta Cana Poker Classic page to download our software and start playing your way to paradise!
Bodog Poker is setting up winners with a $4,000 prize package that includes a buy-in to the $500,000 main tournament (valued at $1,650) along with a five-night all-inclusive stay at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Punta Cana, a $1,000 travel allowance and a $1,500 spending voucher for hotel services like gold, spa, tours and more. What's even better than the prize package is how easy we've made it to qualify!
You can win your way to a seat at the Punta Cana classic for as little as $55 thanks to our cheap seat tourneys held every day. You can also buy directly into semifinal events for $35+.3.50 or the satellite events for $230+20. On the final day, there's a whole slate of tournaments with buy-ins ranging from $10 to $50 that get you in on the five-seat satellite! We're also offering two players the chance to qualify through a draw held by Bodog! With five seats left, competition is getting fierce but you still have a chance to get in on the action.
Visit the Punta Cana Poker Classic page to download our software and start playing your way to paradise!
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
Black Friday, the day on which the US federal government seized the domain names of Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars, and Absolute Poker and indicted their CEOs of money laundering, bank fraud, and illegal gambling, was just the beginning of Full Tilt Poker’s tale of woe. On September 20, federal prosecutors accused Full Tilt Poker of being a massive Ponzi scheme, which cheated players of millions of dollars.
These events have just intensified the struggle to legalize and regulate the US online poker industry. Those who are in support of legalizing online poker state that it will increase tax revenue and solve the financial problems of the nation, while those who oppose it warn of dire consequences. The Congressional Committee on Taxation says that over a decade, around $42 billion can be generated in tax revenue if the online poker industry is legalized, taxed, and regulated.
The people who shout the loudest for legalization of online poker in the US are the hapless victims of Full Tilt Poker. Bradley Cole, a player who had $5000 in his Full Tilt account, says, “It’s the only industry on earth that is clamoring for the US government to impose regulations.” Interestingly, online gambling is legal in Washington DC, with Columbia being the first US jurisdiction to legalize the industry. Poker industry experts believe that Barton’s bill of June has greater chances of being passed because it focuses on the issue of online poker.
The debate regarding whether poker is a game of skill or chance is now getting hotter than ever. Alfonse M. D’Amato, the chairman of the Poker Players’ Alliance, has effectively argued for poker as a game of skill, with his opinions being echoed by the online poker gaming community. For instance, Texas Republican Joe Barton says, “It’s not dice. It’s not just randomly watching where the roulette wheel stops. It’s people who can think and analyze probability and analyze their opponents.”
Moreover, poker is not just a game anymore to hundreds and thousands of people; it is a full time job, their only means of generating income. Brian Mogelefsky, a mortgage broker, became a full-time poker player when the housing market collapsed. Black Friday has been a shock to players like Brian Mogelefsky. Although a number of poker sites such as Bodog and others have thrown open their services to US players, players are afraid of signing up out of fear that there will be another federal crackdown.
These events have just intensified the struggle to legalize and regulate the US online poker industry. Those who are in support of legalizing online poker state that it will increase tax revenue and solve the financial problems of the nation, while those who oppose it warn of dire consequences. The Congressional Committee on Taxation says that over a decade, around $42 billion can be generated in tax revenue if the online poker industry is legalized, taxed, and regulated.
The people who shout the loudest for legalization of online poker in the US are the hapless victims of Full Tilt Poker. Bradley Cole, a player who had $5000 in his Full Tilt account, says, “It’s the only industry on earth that is clamoring for the US government to impose regulations.” Interestingly, online gambling is legal in Washington DC, with Columbia being the first US jurisdiction to legalize the industry. Poker industry experts believe that Barton’s bill of June has greater chances of being passed because it focuses on the issue of online poker.
The debate regarding whether poker is a game of skill or chance is now getting hotter than ever. Alfonse M. D’Amato, the chairman of the Poker Players’ Alliance, has effectively argued for poker as a game of skill, with his opinions being echoed by the online poker gaming community. For instance, Texas Republican Joe Barton says, “It’s not dice. It’s not just randomly watching where the roulette wheel stops. It’s people who can think and analyze probability and analyze their opponents.”
Moreover, poker is not just a game anymore to hundreds and thousands of people; it is a full time job, their only means of generating income. Brian Mogelefsky, a mortgage broker, became a full-time poker player when the housing market collapsed. Black Friday has been a shock to players like Brian Mogelefsky. Although a number of poker sites such as Bodog and others have thrown open their services to US players, players are afraid of signing up out of fear that there will be another federal crackdown.
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2006/12/07
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29893
Thomas Pedersen hit the poker headlines late September when he won the $5,200 main event of the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) receiving $1,260,018 for outlasting a strong field of 1,627 opponents.
But online poker success is peculiar. Despite Pedersen’s prestigious victory he was no celebrity when part of Team Victor Chandler Poker at the recent European Masters of Poker (EMOP) in Barcelona. A couple of gentle acknowledgements and the odd hand shake — it seemed like the previous night’s side event winner was getting more recognition. This hardly mattered to the affable Dane. Being made an overnight millionaire appears to restrain any social neediness. Having won such a landmark tournament earlier in the week, he was free to relax and breathe the sweet air of success, for he is now an online poker world champion.
Pedersen’s buoyancy is infectious. Nimble, he seems to float around Barcelona’s Gran Casino without having to lift his feet. At 28-years-old he has, just a few days previous, won close to the lifetime earnings of the average Dane at one online tournament sitting. It’s no wonder he’s cheerful. His final table performance at the WCOOP was awe-inspiring. Using his chip lead to full advantage, Pedersen knocked out six of his eight final-table opponents en route to his online championship bracelet. A poker pro for the last three years, this is his coming-out party as he now enters the upper echelons of his country’s poker talent. “I played poker for about six years but I began playing for a living about three years ago,” he explained. “Before I started poker I was a sports bettor and it was a natural transition. I was a part-time waiter, about 10 hours a week, but more importantly it was beside where I did my sports betting at that time!’
Reserved, Pedersen’s speech is calm and deliberate as he sits patiently taking in the warm Barcelona afternoon sun. Like a rockstar, being interviewed poses as much of a challenge to him as opening a window. He exhibits the confidence and poise of a man who is clearly at ease with his recent success. He appears like poker glory was something which he was anticipating rather than something which had crept up on him.
Following on from his sports betting endeavours, Pedersen found poker and from it he would find both enjoyment and profit. “At the start it was fun and you could make money on it. This was the start of my poker career,” he says.
Cash Game Beginnings
From there Pedersen searched for a niche within the game as he continued to dabble with his poker pursuits. Weighing up his options between poker tournaments and cash games he would also have to decide if hold’em or Omaha would be the game of choice on which his poker career would be built. “I am a cash game player and not a tournament player that much. I started playing shorthanded hold’em and converted to pot-limit Omaha [PLO] heads-up and that’s what I’m doing now for cash games.”
A warrior at the tables ever since, it’s no wonder Pedersen chooses Gladiator as his favourite film of all time. His performance at the WCOOP main event has been his biggest battle to date and it was one which did not begin as planned.
“I started playing a satellite and I was pretty unlucky when a maniac called me in a big pot and I got unlucky. I then reloaded in the satellite and the same guy called and busted me again.” Pedersen had also endured a tough WCOOP prior to the main event. Despite playing plenty of events, his results were not encouraging. “I played some PLO events — the heads-up event and the shorthanded and also some hold’em ones. I played about eight or 10 events at the WCOOP. I cashed in the PLO heads-up event, I think I got 16th, but that was my only cash besides the main event.”
Combining the poor series with having failed to satellite into the main event, Pedersen was pretty unsure about even entering the tournament he would ultimately win. “I actually hadn’t planned on playing, a friend of mine alerted me to the tournament and three hours into the late registration I signed up and next day I was world champion.”
But online poker success is peculiar. Despite Pedersen’s prestigious victory he was no celebrity when part of Team Victor Chandler Poker at the recent European Masters of Poker (EMOP) in Barcelona. A couple of gentle acknowledgements and the odd hand shake — it seemed like the previous night’s side event winner was getting more recognition. This hardly mattered to the affable Dane. Being made an overnight millionaire appears to restrain any social neediness. Having won such a landmark tournament earlier in the week, he was free to relax and breathe the sweet air of success, for he is now an online poker world champion.
Pedersen’s buoyancy is infectious. Nimble, he seems to float around Barcelona’s Gran Casino without having to lift his feet. At 28-years-old he has, just a few days previous, won close to the lifetime earnings of the average Dane at one online tournament sitting. It’s no wonder he’s cheerful. His final table performance at the WCOOP was awe-inspiring. Using his chip lead to full advantage, Pedersen knocked out six of his eight final-table opponents en route to his online championship bracelet. A poker pro for the last three years, this is his coming-out party as he now enters the upper echelons of his country’s poker talent. “I played poker for about six years but I began playing for a living about three years ago,” he explained. “Before I started poker I was a sports bettor and it was a natural transition. I was a part-time waiter, about 10 hours a week, but more importantly it was beside where I did my sports betting at that time!’
Reserved, Pedersen’s speech is calm and deliberate as he sits patiently taking in the warm Barcelona afternoon sun. Like a rockstar, being interviewed poses as much of a challenge to him as opening a window. He exhibits the confidence and poise of a man who is clearly at ease with his recent success. He appears like poker glory was something which he was anticipating rather than something which had crept up on him.
Following on from his sports betting endeavours, Pedersen found poker and from it he would find both enjoyment and profit. “At the start it was fun and you could make money on it. This was the start of my poker career,” he says.
Cash Game Beginnings
From there Pedersen searched for a niche within the game as he continued to dabble with his poker pursuits. Weighing up his options between poker tournaments and cash games he would also have to decide if hold’em or Omaha would be the game of choice on which his poker career would be built. “I am a cash game player and not a tournament player that much. I started playing shorthanded hold’em and converted to pot-limit Omaha [PLO] heads-up and that’s what I’m doing now for cash games.”
A warrior at the tables ever since, it’s no wonder Pedersen chooses Gladiator as his favourite film of all time. His performance at the WCOOP main event has been his biggest battle to date and it was one which did not begin as planned.
“I started playing a satellite and I was pretty unlucky when a maniac called me in a big pot and I got unlucky. I then reloaded in the satellite and the same guy called and busted me again.” Pedersen had also endured a tough WCOOP prior to the main event. Despite playing plenty of events, his results were not encouraging. “I played some PLO events — the heads-up event and the shorthanded and also some hold’em ones. I played about eight or 10 events at the WCOOP. I cashed in the PLO heads-up event, I think I got 16th, but that was my only cash besides the main event.”
Combining the poor series with having failed to satellite into the main event, Pedersen was pretty unsure about even entering the tournament he would ultimately win. “I actually hadn’t planned on playing, a friend of mine alerted me to the tournament and three hours into the late registration I signed up and next day I was world champion.”
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2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
The Oct. 10 Metro article “For many young men, poker is norm” briefly noted recent fraud charges against online poker companies, but readers may not be aware that current law inhibits law enforcement from shutting down the estimated 1,700 rogue international gambling sites that are accepting approximately $6 billion each year in bets by Americans.
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 fails to clearly define what constitutes “illegal gambling” and makes banks the primary enforcers of the law rather than appropriate law enforcement agencies. Also, online poker is not regulated by U.S. law. The lack of clear law and proper regulation leaves millions of Americans who are currently playing online poker at risk. Offshore sites can endanger minors and expose adult consumers to fraud, as well as become sources for illegal money laundering.
Changing the law to provide greater clarity and enhanced law enforcement authority, combined with the use of state-of-the-art technology and strict regulation, can help combat the money-laundering threat and better protect consumers as well as those who choose to play legal online poker.
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 fails to clearly define what constitutes “illegal gambling” and makes banks the primary enforcers of the law rather than appropriate law enforcement agencies. Also, online poker is not regulated by U.S. law. The lack of clear law and proper regulation leaves millions of Americans who are currently playing online poker at risk. Offshore sites can endanger minors and expose adult consumers to fraud, as well as become sources for illegal money laundering.
Changing the law to provide greater clarity and enhanced law enforcement authority, combined with the use of state-of-the-art technology and strict regulation, can help combat the money-laundering threat and better protect consumers as well as those who choose to play legal online poker.
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2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
In a recent report in the Washington DC publication Politico contends that the deficit reduction super-committee cold be the vehicle by which intrastate online poker could be legalized in the USA.
Texas Republican Joe Barton, and Massachusetts Democrat, Barney Frank, have been doing their level best to persuade members of the committee that legalizing online gambling could create as much as $42 billion in tax revenues. They also contend that a regulated online gambling industry would create a number of jobs and taxes could b gained in that way too.
The Poker Players Alliance in America has 1.2 million members and has been very active in keeping the issue in the super committee’s focus. The organization has been lobbying by sending e mails. The director for PPA John Pappas says 7,000 have been directed to members of the super committee including Senator Pat Toomey a republican from Pennsylvania and John Kerry a Democrat from Massachusetts. The PPA has spent $800 000 lobbying Congress in the first half of 2011 by talking to committee members and promoting legalization of internet poker as a way to create jobs, generate revenue and ensure a safe gambling environment for consumers. The PPA has also been putting up a petition under a White House communication initiative called "We The People", which asks for legal changes in the federal laws for online poker.
On other fronts Frank Fahrenkopf the American Gaming Association chief has stated, “We’re hoping that another piece of legislation will be introduced to legalize online poker,” bypassing the super committee possibility. The Fair Play USA action group, which was started by MGM and Caesars Entertainment, is hoping that Congress will address the issue anyway so they are not pressing the super-committee. Executive director, Marisa McNee, said the organization is focused on law enforcement officials at this time.
Looking at the multi facetted approach to legalization of online poker there may be some hope that it will get the Congress nod eventually.
Texas Republican Joe Barton, and Massachusetts Democrat, Barney Frank, have been doing their level best to persuade members of the committee that legalizing online gambling could create as much as $42 billion in tax revenues. They also contend that a regulated online gambling industry would create a number of jobs and taxes could b gained in that way too.
The Poker Players Alliance in America has 1.2 million members and has been very active in keeping the issue in the super committee’s focus. The organization has been lobbying by sending e mails. The director for PPA John Pappas says 7,000 have been directed to members of the super committee including Senator Pat Toomey a republican from Pennsylvania and John Kerry a Democrat from Massachusetts. The PPA has spent $800 000 lobbying Congress in the first half of 2011 by talking to committee members and promoting legalization of internet poker as a way to create jobs, generate revenue and ensure a safe gambling environment for consumers. The PPA has also been putting up a petition under a White House communication initiative called "We The People", which asks for legal changes in the federal laws for online poker.
On other fronts Frank Fahrenkopf the American Gaming Association chief has stated, “We’re hoping that another piece of legislation will be introduced to legalize online poker,” bypassing the super committee possibility. The Fair Play USA action group, which was started by MGM and Caesars Entertainment, is hoping that Congress will address the issue anyway so they are not pressing the super-committee. Executive director, Marisa McNee, said the organization is focused on law enforcement officials at this time.
Looking at the multi facetted approach to legalization of online poker there may be some hope that it will get the Congress nod eventually.
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2006/12/07
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29893
The €10,400 World Series of Poker Europe main event begins in its new home, Cannes, today and will find a champion on Oct. 20. The seventh bracelet event kicks off at 12 p.m. (local time) every day and has two starting days.
Players sit down to 30,000 in tournament chips and all levels last 90 minutes; there will be six levels per day with a 20-minute break at the end of each level. Dinner break will take place after four levels each day.
Last year’s champion James Bord took home £830,401 for topping a field of 346 in London. Bord recently got the poker world talking when he said an American couldn’t win the WSOPE main event and offered to refund losing bets (up to $500) at Matchbook.com if a player from the US won the bracelet.
Through the conclusion of the first four bracelet events, attendance has been up 48 percent on the first four events last year. Time will tell how many will turn out for this year’s main event and just how much they will be fighting for.
Two other bracelet events are currently not far from wrapping up and finding their winners; the €10,400 no-limit hold’em split format event and the €1,620 sixhanded pot-limit Omaha event.
Players sit down to 30,000 in tournament chips and all levels last 90 minutes; there will be six levels per day with a 20-minute break at the end of each level. Dinner break will take place after four levels each day.
Last year’s champion James Bord took home £830,401 for topping a field of 346 in London. Bord recently got the poker world talking when he said an American couldn’t win the WSOPE main event and offered to refund losing bets (up to $500) at Matchbook.com if a player from the US won the bracelet.
Through the conclusion of the first four bracelet events, attendance has been up 48 percent on the first four events last year. Time will tell how many will turn out for this year’s main event and just how much they will be fighting for.
Two other bracelet events are currently not far from wrapping up and finding their winners; the €10,400 no-limit hold’em split format event and the €1,620 sixhanded pot-limit Omaha event.
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2006/12/07
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29893
The number of Independent Chip Modeling calculators available to online poker players has increased by one. The Poker RAT ICM Calculator, available free of cost for a limited time, is a poker range analysis tool that can be used for performing calculations related to situational sit and go bubble play and more.
The application is easy to download from the Poker RAT website (there's a link to donate if you wish to do so). Once downloaded, you'll be able to open up the program and immediately begin calculating.
The initial interface comes with flop, turn, and river spaces to input cards and serves as a basic odds calculator. From there, you can add the number of players, chip amounts, and your opponents' ranges in order to come up with equity percentages. These will serve you well for deciding whether a shove, fold, or call is appropriate deep in a sit and go.
You can bring up the card selector by clicking on the "Edit" button for each player. From here, you can select the hand range by pocket pairs, top-tier hole cards, and even input chip amounts.
The first thing seasoned sit and go players who have used calculators before will notice is that the Poker RAT interface is very easy to use and snaps up immediately for any calculation. Its features include a range input option, flexible syntax, an automated selection of ranges, clear visualizations of weighted ranges, Monte Carlo and exact enumeration, and weighting of hands.
You can analyze hand ranges visually and have them shown with a complete breakdown of made hands, combos, air, and draws.
The hand ranges can be conveniently color-coded and overlapped and you can add a multitude of players very easily in order to come up with the calculations you need to analyze a certain hand history. For now, there is no automatic hand history importer, so the player will need to enter the information into the Poker RAT calculator manually.
Once you get the hang of using Poker RAT, you'll find it’s a breeze for offline study. One solid feature is that you can use the pre-flop rankings of Sklansky-Malmuth, PokerStove, or Stox. Post-flop study can be achieved with Poker RAT as well and it serves as an extremely useful learning tool.
For online poker players who are new to implementing information obtained from ICM calculators, Poker RAT is a huge bargain at its current price (absolutely free). The statistical analysis possible with this calculator is likely to take any beginning sit and go player to at least the intermediate level if he or she dedicates time to studying and analyzing the information available. Quite frankly, players who do not make use of ICM calculators of this type are losing out on an enormous amount of equity that could positively affect their bottom line.
The support and explanation areas of Poker RAT’s website go into further detail on how to use the wide array of features that the application offers. This includes how to make sense of grid representations, filter hand ranges, and much more. If you need further assistance, you can select the "Contact" link.
Since the 0.9 Beta version, the following updates have been added to the Poker RAT calculator: Stox range added to ranking, updated licensing engine was added, post-flop filter test boxes are at "all" by default, a number of cosmetic changes were made, and a "clear all bug" has been addressed.
The application is easy to download from the Poker RAT website (there's a link to donate if you wish to do so). Once downloaded, you'll be able to open up the program and immediately begin calculating.
The initial interface comes with flop, turn, and river spaces to input cards and serves as a basic odds calculator. From there, you can add the number of players, chip amounts, and your opponents' ranges in order to come up with equity percentages. These will serve you well for deciding whether a shove, fold, or call is appropriate deep in a sit and go.
You can bring up the card selector by clicking on the "Edit" button for each player. From here, you can select the hand range by pocket pairs, top-tier hole cards, and even input chip amounts.
The first thing seasoned sit and go players who have used calculators before will notice is that the Poker RAT interface is very easy to use and snaps up immediately for any calculation. Its features include a range input option, flexible syntax, an automated selection of ranges, clear visualizations of weighted ranges, Monte Carlo and exact enumeration, and weighting of hands.
You can analyze hand ranges visually and have them shown with a complete breakdown of made hands, combos, air, and draws.
The hand ranges can be conveniently color-coded and overlapped and you can add a multitude of players very easily in order to come up with the calculations you need to analyze a certain hand history. For now, there is no automatic hand history importer, so the player will need to enter the information into the Poker RAT calculator manually.
Once you get the hang of using Poker RAT, you'll find it’s a breeze for offline study. One solid feature is that you can use the pre-flop rankings of Sklansky-Malmuth, PokerStove, or Stox. Post-flop study can be achieved with Poker RAT as well and it serves as an extremely useful learning tool.
For online poker players who are new to implementing information obtained from ICM calculators, Poker RAT is a huge bargain at its current price (absolutely free). The statistical analysis possible with this calculator is likely to take any beginning sit and go player to at least the intermediate level if he or she dedicates time to studying and analyzing the information available. Quite frankly, players who do not make use of ICM calculators of this type are losing out on an enormous amount of equity that could positively affect their bottom line.
The support and explanation areas of Poker RAT’s website go into further detail on how to use the wide array of features that the application offers. This includes how to make sense of grid representations, filter hand ranges, and much more. If you need further assistance, you can select the "Contact" link.
Since the 0.9 Beta version, the following updates have been added to the Poker RAT calculator: Stox range added to ranking, updated licensing engine was added, post-flop filter test boxes are at "all" by default, a number of cosmetic changes were made, and a "clear all bug" has been addressed.
Join:
2006/12/07
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29893
Ever since the internet made it possible to play online poker, the game's popularity has increased exponentially. There are now hundreds of websites offering poker games and lucrative bonuses and rewards to lure customers. Of late, however, another fresh challenge to online gaming has risen - mobile poker. Whether it can pose a threat to online poker is a matter of debate, but PlayPokerOnline.com feels that mobile poker has a promising future.
Mobile poker has now enabled poker players to enjoy the game on the move. Anybody who owns a Blackberry, iPhone or Android mobile phone can now play mobile poker very conveniently. Most often, the mobile poker service is provided by some of the leading poker sites themselves but the games will have been tweaked to make them compatible with mobile phones.
The process of registration to play online poker real money games through mobile phones is by providing your mobile number and country to the poker site. A message with a confirmation code will be used to activate the user's account. The poker games can be played by downloading them individually from the poker site. Like most online games, mobile poker can also be played either against a computer or against real players. The deposits can be made through mobile banking.
The mobile poker phenomenon has spread like wildfire in the online gambling industry among those seeking an alternative to playing poker online. This has led to major gambling portals like 888, Bwin, Lady Luck and Wild Jack launching mobile versions of their poker games. A number of other poker sites also have proved to be a hit in the mobile market. Learning how to play poker online for money through mobiles is not hard either.
PlayPokerOnline set out to identify the poker apps that are doing well in the mobile poker market. Among users of Android smartphones, Live Hold'em Poker Pro, developed by Dragon Play, is one of the most popular ones. Other popular poker apps in the Android market include VIP and Playphone poker. Of the iPhone compatible poker apps, Bwin poker is seemingly the best with VIP Poker close behind.
Though mobile poker is yet to catch up with the popularity that online poker currently enjoys, it has become a hot topic in online gambling circles and is likely to provide a more convenient alternative to playing poker on a computer.
Mobile poker has now enabled poker players to enjoy the game on the move. Anybody who owns a Blackberry, iPhone or Android mobile phone can now play mobile poker very conveniently. Most often, the mobile poker service is provided by some of the leading poker sites themselves but the games will have been tweaked to make them compatible with mobile phones.
The process of registration to play online poker real money games through mobile phones is by providing your mobile number and country to the poker site. A message with a confirmation code will be used to activate the user's account. The poker games can be played by downloading them individually from the poker site. Like most online games, mobile poker can also be played either against a computer or against real players. The deposits can be made through mobile banking.
The mobile poker phenomenon has spread like wildfire in the online gambling industry among those seeking an alternative to playing poker online. This has led to major gambling portals like 888, Bwin, Lady Luck and Wild Jack launching mobile versions of their poker games. A number of other poker sites also have proved to be a hit in the mobile market. Learning how to play poker online for money through mobiles is not hard either.
PlayPokerOnline set out to identify the poker apps that are doing well in the mobile poker market. Among users of Android smartphones, Live Hold'em Poker Pro, developed by Dragon Play, is one of the most popular ones. Other popular poker apps in the Android market include VIP and Playphone poker. Of the iPhone compatible poker apps, Bwin poker is seemingly the best with VIP Poker close behind.
Though mobile poker is yet to catch up with the popularity that online poker currently enjoys, it has become a hot topic in online gambling circles and is likely to provide a more convenient alternative to playing poker on a computer.
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2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
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Before then, though, the WPT stop in Amneville, France starts on November 1. Last year, 542 players created a prize pool over over €1.6. Sam El Sayed won last year's event and got a very tidy €426,425 for his efforts. Just a few days after that, there's WPT in Bohemia in the Czech Republic and it's a very new event held at the King's Casino, where the larger poker room in Europe is held. The Main Event kicks off on Nov. 18 and the affordable $2,150 buy-in is sure to make this a popular stop for tournament players from all around the world.