ESPN ups ante on WSOP coverage - Network to air poker on same day as tourney,
By Mike Flaherty - Variety - 7th November 2008
With "you are there" programming the coin of the TV sports realm and the once-ubiquitous poker craze getting a little long in the tooth, ESPN's trying to, um, up the ante on its Texas Hold 'Em coverage.
This year the cabler will offer its first-ever same-day airing of the World Series of Poker.
That's "same-day," not "live."
Here's the plan: Play between the WSOP's final two contestants will begin on Monday, Nov. 10 at 10 p.m. PST from the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The sports net will begin its broadcast at 9 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Nov. 11. Thus, the live event technically begins Nov. 11 in the Eastern and Central zones, and since play will likely extend past midnight Pacific, the broadcast will also count as same-day on Mountain and Pacific time.
Got that?
(Credit: Variety)
Media Man Australia Profiles
World Series of Poker
ESPN
Poker News
Casino News
Saturday, November 08, 2008
UIGEA Regulations Inch Closer to Being Finalized, by Dan Cypra - Poker News Daily - 7th November 2008
After an article was published by the Dow Jones Newswire, word spread like wildfire through the online poker world that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) had received the final regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) on October 21st. The regulations may be enacted before the end of the 2008 calendar year. The UIGEA was signed into law on Friday, October 13th, 2006 by outgoing U.S. President George W. Bush.
The UIGEA was passed in the waning moments of the 2006 Congressional session and attached to the Safe Port Act, an unrelated measure dealing with port security. The bill was not voted on in the United States Senate and instead passed by unanimous consent. In a move reminiscent of the 2006 actions by former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who pushed the UIGEA through at the last minute, the Bush administration is urging for these regulations to be enacted before it departs at the end of 2008. The Dow Jones Newswire article states, “It’s standard practice for outgoing administrations to finalize controversial regulations before leaving office, a practice known as a midnight drop.”
Regulations drafted last year, which were open to public comment, lacked clarity as to what the phrase “unlawful internet gambling” meant. John Pappas, President of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), told Poker News Daily that although the organization does not have a copy of the final regulations given to the OMB by the U.S. Treasury, to his knowledge this concern was still not met. In addition, he commented on why there is a renewed interest in the UIGEA just three days following the 2008 general elections: “The rush is that the Bush administration is trying to put a final stamp on public policy before they leave much in the way that the UIGEA was passed in the dark of night.”
The final UIGEA regulations reached the OMB on October 21st. Agencies had a deadline of November 1st to submit any pending measures. Pappas gives a glimpse into the forthcoming timeline: “The key date is to finalize the rules before November 19th. That way they go through the standard 60 day review process, after which they can be implemented.” The reason for the date of November 19th is that newly elected President Barack Obama will be inaugurated on Tuesday, January 20th, 2009, just outside of the 60 day review window. This means that he will not be able to intervene in this or any other regulations that are finalized before November 19th.
According to the Dow Jones story, Pappas is scheduled to meet with OMB officials today. He told Poker News Daily, “The rules themselves do not comply with the standards and rules of our government.” The PPA has been actively campaigning against the regulations since they reached the OMB two and a half weeks ago.
Ed Leyden, President of the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA), whose organization is suing to declare the UIGEA unconstitutional, noted that even if the final regulations included a clear-cut definition of what is legal and illegal under the UIGEA, the process of defining what is acceptable is the responsibility of Congress, not the Executive Branch: “The legislature writes the law, not the Executive Branch. The UIGEA does not change existing law. They would be rewriting a new federal statute that defines what ‘unlawful internet gambling’ is and would be violating the UIGEA itself in the process.” The UIGEA defers to existing internet gambling law to determine what is and is not legal.
Formal statements by the PPA and Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative (SSIGI) may be released this afternoon. We’ll have more information on this developing story as it unfolds right here on Poker News Daily.
(Credit: Poker News Daily)
Media Man Australia Profiles
Poker News
Casino News
After an article was published by the Dow Jones Newswire, word spread like wildfire through the online poker world that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) had received the final regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) on October 21st. The regulations may be enacted before the end of the 2008 calendar year. The UIGEA was signed into law on Friday, October 13th, 2006 by outgoing U.S. President George W. Bush.
The UIGEA was passed in the waning moments of the 2006 Congressional session and attached to the Safe Port Act, an unrelated measure dealing with port security. The bill was not voted on in the United States Senate and instead passed by unanimous consent. In a move reminiscent of the 2006 actions by former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who pushed the UIGEA through at the last minute, the Bush administration is urging for these regulations to be enacted before it departs at the end of 2008. The Dow Jones Newswire article states, “It’s standard practice for outgoing administrations to finalize controversial regulations before leaving office, a practice known as a midnight drop.”
Regulations drafted last year, which were open to public comment, lacked clarity as to what the phrase “unlawful internet gambling” meant. John Pappas, President of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), told Poker News Daily that although the organization does not have a copy of the final regulations given to the OMB by the U.S. Treasury, to his knowledge this concern was still not met. In addition, he commented on why there is a renewed interest in the UIGEA just three days following the 2008 general elections: “The rush is that the Bush administration is trying to put a final stamp on public policy before they leave much in the way that the UIGEA was passed in the dark of night.”
The final UIGEA regulations reached the OMB on October 21st. Agencies had a deadline of November 1st to submit any pending measures. Pappas gives a glimpse into the forthcoming timeline: “The key date is to finalize the rules before November 19th. That way they go through the standard 60 day review process, after which they can be implemented.” The reason for the date of November 19th is that newly elected President Barack Obama will be inaugurated on Tuesday, January 20th, 2009, just outside of the 60 day review window. This means that he will not be able to intervene in this or any other regulations that are finalized before November 19th.
According to the Dow Jones story, Pappas is scheduled to meet with OMB officials today. He told Poker News Daily, “The rules themselves do not comply with the standards and rules of our government.” The PPA has been actively campaigning against the regulations since they reached the OMB two and a half weeks ago.
Ed Leyden, President of the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA), whose organization is suing to declare the UIGEA unconstitutional, noted that even if the final regulations included a clear-cut definition of what is legal and illegal under the UIGEA, the process of defining what is acceptable is the responsibility of Congress, not the Executive Branch: “The legislature writes the law, not the Executive Branch. The UIGEA does not change existing law. They would be rewriting a new federal statute that defines what ‘unlawful internet gambling’ is and would be violating the UIGEA itself in the process.” The UIGEA defers to existing internet gambling law to determine what is and is not legal.
Formal statements by the PPA and Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative (SSIGI) may be released this afternoon. We’ll have more information on this developing story as it unfolds right here on Poker News Daily.
(Credit: Poker News Daily)
Media Man Australia Profiles
Poker News
Casino News
Small Starting Field For Day 1A Of WPT World Poker Finals - Poker News Daily - 6th November 2008
The World Poker Tour kicked off action on Wednesday for its seventh visit to the World Poker Finals at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut and was greeted with a smaller than usual crowd.
While attendance at the tournament has seen a decline in the past couple of years – from its apex in 2005 of 783 players to last year’s 575 runners – it looks as though it will be difficult for the final total to reach even last year’s figures. 162 players signed up for Day 1A but, even with this said, the champion of the event should still take away a $1 million payday, as Hoyt Corkins did in 2003 when the field was 313 players strong.
For such a small gathering, there were still many notable names from the tournament poker and online poker worlds. The ladies were represented at the tables by PokerStars player Vanessa Rousso, Kathy Liebert and East Coast poker powerhouse Svetlana Gromenkova. Top male players on the tables included David “The Dragon” Pham, T.J. Cloutier, Full Tilt Poker’s Erik Seidel, defending champion Mike Vela and Poker News Daily’s own columnist Bernard Lee. Finally, top online players Shaun Deeb, Thayer Rasmussen, Kevin Saul and defending WPT Player of the Year Jonathan Little were in action on the tables in Foxwoods.
The field for Day 1A started with 30,000 chips and 90 minute levels, scheduled to play through five levels. Typical of play when the chip stacks are deep, there was very little action through the first two levels with only a handful of players departing and none of the top names. As the evening wore on, however, the pros began to drop and a familiar name emerged to the top of the Day 1A leader board.
Vela will be unable to defend his title as he was eliminated before the final level of play of the evening. He was joined on the rail by not only the aforementioned Liebert, Cloutier, Deeb and Rasmussen but also professionals Tony Ma and Joe Sebok, who was cruelly eliminated just before the end of the night’s play.
On the other side of the ledger, pro Jason Potter – who has over $400,000 in career earnings and made a WPT final table this year at the World Poker Challenge in Reno – ran roughshod over the field. He used two key double ups – one in a set over set situation and the other when he out-flopped Jason Young’s pocket Queens – to build his stack to 183,825, good for the chip lead at the end of the day. Other familiar names in the Top Ten include Vadim Trincher (163,600), Saul (135,350), Little (134,400) and Pham (109,200).
With Day 1B action already underway with its noon Eastern Time start, the field may still crack the 400 mark. 244 players, including Daniel Negreanu, Chris Ferguson and Phil Ivey have made appearances on the second starting day and the survivors from today’s action will join the remaining 99 players from Day 1A tomorrow for the continuation of the tournament. Poker News Daily will have a full recap of today’s action and keep you posted of all the action as the WPT’s Foxwoods World Poker Finals continues to its final table on November 11th.
(Credit: Poker News Daily)
Media Man Australia Profiles
World Poker Tour
PokerStars.com
Poker News
Casino News
The World Poker Tour kicked off action on Wednesday for its seventh visit to the World Poker Finals at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut and was greeted with a smaller than usual crowd.
While attendance at the tournament has seen a decline in the past couple of years – from its apex in 2005 of 783 players to last year’s 575 runners – it looks as though it will be difficult for the final total to reach even last year’s figures. 162 players signed up for Day 1A but, even with this said, the champion of the event should still take away a $1 million payday, as Hoyt Corkins did in 2003 when the field was 313 players strong.
For such a small gathering, there were still many notable names from the tournament poker and online poker worlds. The ladies were represented at the tables by PokerStars player Vanessa Rousso, Kathy Liebert and East Coast poker powerhouse Svetlana Gromenkova. Top male players on the tables included David “The Dragon” Pham, T.J. Cloutier, Full Tilt Poker’s Erik Seidel, defending champion Mike Vela and Poker News Daily’s own columnist Bernard Lee. Finally, top online players Shaun Deeb, Thayer Rasmussen, Kevin Saul and defending WPT Player of the Year Jonathan Little were in action on the tables in Foxwoods.
The field for Day 1A started with 30,000 chips and 90 minute levels, scheduled to play through five levels. Typical of play when the chip stacks are deep, there was very little action through the first two levels with only a handful of players departing and none of the top names. As the evening wore on, however, the pros began to drop and a familiar name emerged to the top of the Day 1A leader board.
Vela will be unable to defend his title as he was eliminated before the final level of play of the evening. He was joined on the rail by not only the aforementioned Liebert, Cloutier, Deeb and Rasmussen but also professionals Tony Ma and Joe Sebok, who was cruelly eliminated just before the end of the night’s play.
On the other side of the ledger, pro Jason Potter – who has over $400,000 in career earnings and made a WPT final table this year at the World Poker Challenge in Reno – ran roughshod over the field. He used two key double ups – one in a set over set situation and the other when he out-flopped Jason Young’s pocket Queens – to build his stack to 183,825, good for the chip lead at the end of the day. Other familiar names in the Top Ten include Vadim Trincher (163,600), Saul (135,350), Little (134,400) and Pham (109,200).
With Day 1B action already underway with its noon Eastern Time start, the field may still crack the 400 mark. 244 players, including Daniel Negreanu, Chris Ferguson and Phil Ivey have made appearances on the second starting day and the survivors from today’s action will join the remaining 99 players from Day 1A tomorrow for the continuation of the tournament. Poker News Daily will have a full recap of today’s action and keep you posted of all the action as the WPT’s Foxwoods World Poker Finals continues to its final table on November 11th.
(Credit: Poker News Daily)
Media Man Australia Profiles
World Poker Tour
PokerStars.com
Poker News
Casino News
Friday, November 07, 2008
ESPN Senior Director Comments on WSOP Main Event Broadcast - Poker News Daily - 1st November 2008
The World Series of Poker is one of the marquee events to air on ESPN. New episodes currently air on Tuesdays and are replayed numerous times throughout the week on its family of networks. On November 11th, just a few hours after it concludes, the WSOP Main Event final table will air. In a move that sent shockwaves across the industry, a delayed final table was announced just before the 2008 WSOP began. It is just one of the topics Poker News Daily discussed with Doug White, Senior Director of Programming and Acquisition for ESPN.
Poker News Daily: What feedback have you received regarding the move of the final table from July until November, a 117 day gap?
White: Everyone has been buzzing about it and the controversy of moving it out of the summertime and into the fall has been high. We see that as good because it gets people talking about poker. The comments have been positive and we have some great stories about some of those who have made the final table. Ivan Demidov, for example, made the final table of the World Series of Poker Europe.
PND: Were you involved in the move of the final table? What are your thoughts on it in general?
White: I came to ESPN at the back end of it and took over late in the spring. I had some dealings with it and think it is positive for poker. It helps shake up the community.
PND: We understand that WSOP ratings are the highest since 2006. What other information can you share?
White: The movement of the final table has definitely helped in terms of creating buzz. We also did some things scheduling-wise that have helped our cause. We aired all of the bracelet events up front and did all of the Main Event programming at the very end. It’s similar to the way most sports leagues air their seasons, with the regular games first and then a championship.
PND: Talk about the importance of the hole card cam, whose creator is about to be enshrined in the Poker Hall of Fame, and how that’s become not only a basis for the booming popularity of poker, but also an important marketing tool.
White: It revolutionized the game. It let poker players and poker fans in on the game. That was the turning point for poker. Being able to see what a player had in their hands allowed fans to learn by seeing the strategy behind each player’s move. It was the missing piece. The hole card cam is also another device to sell to advertisers. It keeps advertisers interested in the sport.
PND: Talk about the editing of the Main Event before it airs on ESPN. We understand that you edited over 7,000 hours of film into the episodes that have aired until this point. How challenging is it to film, edit, and have the show ready to air to a primetime audience in such a truncated window of time?
White: Typically it’s not that hard to do what we call in the business “short turnaround,” but in dealing with this particular sport, our normal production takes quite a bit of time. You have to edit hundreds of hours of footage. Our production company is going to be charged with weaving a story out of the hours of footage it has. It’s really complex and is going to be an extreme difficult challenge, but we’re up for it.
PND: Do you foresee the Main Event being pushed back again in 2009?
White: We want to finish out this year and see how things go. It’s been pretty successful so far and we’ll evaluate when it’s over. We have had very preliminary discussions on it, but we’re going to wait and see how everything wraps up.
(Credit: Poker News Daily)
Media Man Australia Profiles
Poker
World Series Of Poker
ESPN
Poker News
Casino News
The World Series of Poker is one of the marquee events to air on ESPN. New episodes currently air on Tuesdays and are replayed numerous times throughout the week on its family of networks. On November 11th, just a few hours after it concludes, the WSOP Main Event final table will air. In a move that sent shockwaves across the industry, a delayed final table was announced just before the 2008 WSOP began. It is just one of the topics Poker News Daily discussed with Doug White, Senior Director of Programming and Acquisition for ESPN.
Poker News Daily: What feedback have you received regarding the move of the final table from July until November, a 117 day gap?
White: Everyone has been buzzing about it and the controversy of moving it out of the summertime and into the fall has been high. We see that as good because it gets people talking about poker. The comments have been positive and we have some great stories about some of those who have made the final table. Ivan Demidov, for example, made the final table of the World Series of Poker Europe.
PND: Were you involved in the move of the final table? What are your thoughts on it in general?
White: I came to ESPN at the back end of it and took over late in the spring. I had some dealings with it and think it is positive for poker. It helps shake up the community.
PND: We understand that WSOP ratings are the highest since 2006. What other information can you share?
White: The movement of the final table has definitely helped in terms of creating buzz. We also did some things scheduling-wise that have helped our cause. We aired all of the bracelet events up front and did all of the Main Event programming at the very end. It’s similar to the way most sports leagues air their seasons, with the regular games first and then a championship.
PND: Talk about the importance of the hole card cam, whose creator is about to be enshrined in the Poker Hall of Fame, and how that’s become not only a basis for the booming popularity of poker, but also an important marketing tool.
White: It revolutionized the game. It let poker players and poker fans in on the game. That was the turning point for poker. Being able to see what a player had in their hands allowed fans to learn by seeing the strategy behind each player’s move. It was the missing piece. The hole card cam is also another device to sell to advertisers. It keeps advertisers interested in the sport.
PND: Talk about the editing of the Main Event before it airs on ESPN. We understand that you edited over 7,000 hours of film into the episodes that have aired until this point. How challenging is it to film, edit, and have the show ready to air to a primetime audience in such a truncated window of time?
White: Typically it’s not that hard to do what we call in the business “short turnaround,” but in dealing with this particular sport, our normal production takes quite a bit of time. You have to edit hundreds of hours of footage. Our production company is going to be charged with weaving a story out of the hours of footage it has. It’s really complex and is going to be an extreme difficult challenge, but we’re up for it.
PND: Do you foresee the Main Event being pushed back again in 2009?
White: We want to finish out this year and see how things go. It’s been pretty successful so far and we’ll evaluate when it’s over. We have had very preliminary discussions on it, but we’re going to wait and see how everything wraps up.
(Credit: Poker News Daily)
Media Man Australia Profiles
Poker
World Series Of Poker
ESPN
Poker News
Casino News
Listen to the World Series of Poker Final Table Live - Bluff - 5th November 2008
Bluff Media, the official digital media partner of the World Series of Poker, will be broadcasting live from the historic Main Event final table this Sunday and Monday as a new World Champion is crowned.
Hosted by Nick Geber and current BLUFF Magazine cover girl Lacey Jones, the broadcast will be available via WorldSeriesofPoker.com beginning at 10 am PT. The pair will be joined by special guests throughout the broadcast.
Along with the live audio feed poker fans will be treated to an onscreen display including live chip counts and the most in-depth real time statistics available.
To listen to the live feed visit www.WorldSeriesofPoker.com beginning Sunday morning.
(Credit: Bluff)
Media Man Australia Profiles
Bluff
World Series Of Poker
Poker News
Bluff Media, the official digital media partner of the World Series of Poker, will be broadcasting live from the historic Main Event final table this Sunday and Monday as a new World Champion is crowned.
Hosted by Nick Geber and current BLUFF Magazine cover girl Lacey Jones, the broadcast will be available via WorldSeriesofPoker.com beginning at 10 am PT. The pair will be joined by special guests throughout the broadcast.
Along with the live audio feed poker fans will be treated to an onscreen display including live chip counts and the most in-depth real time statistics available.
To listen to the live feed visit www.WorldSeriesofPoker.com beginning Sunday morning.
(Credit: Bluff)
Media Man Australia Profiles
Bluff
World Series Of Poker
Poker News
PKR's Oktoberfest comes to an end - 5th November 2008
LONDON, England - (PRESS RELEASE - The second annual Oktoberfest has come to a climax with lucky winners of the 12 hot events staking claim to their share of over $318,000 in prizes.
The curtain fell on the richest PKR.com poker festival to date with the guaranteed prize pool for every single event smashed! The most prestigious of the series, the $100,000 Guaranteed PKR Masters, was won by 'keepsmiling' who will be living up to his username following a display which earned a huge $27,360 payout.
Community stalwarts took charge and dominated the Oktoberfest leaderboard – the title eventually scooped by 'Zeorbok', who topped the chart just out of reach of PKR.com hot-shot 'Discomonkey'. Rounded off by the 'Tournament of Champions', the series served up some memorable action – especially for 'sourshark' who took home the top prize of the final event for a cool $5,000.
Asides from bragging rights, fat payouts and 'champions' titles, final tablists of the most exciting tournaments will gain their moment of fame on PKR Tournament TV. In-game footage will be broadcast with expert commentary to millions of homes across Europe and episodes can also be viewed on demand via PKR.com's dedicated online channel, PKR.tv.
Media Man Australia Profiles
PKR Poker
PKR Casino
PKR Casino News
PKR
Poker News
Casino News
LONDON, England - (PRESS RELEASE - The second annual Oktoberfest has come to a climax with lucky winners of the 12 hot events staking claim to their share of over $318,000 in prizes.
The curtain fell on the richest PKR.com poker festival to date with the guaranteed prize pool for every single event smashed! The most prestigious of the series, the $100,000 Guaranteed PKR Masters, was won by 'keepsmiling' who will be living up to his username following a display which earned a huge $27,360 payout.
Community stalwarts took charge and dominated the Oktoberfest leaderboard – the title eventually scooped by 'Zeorbok', who topped the chart just out of reach of PKR.com hot-shot 'Discomonkey'. Rounded off by the 'Tournament of Champions', the series served up some memorable action – especially for 'sourshark' who took home the top prize of the final event for a cool $5,000.
Asides from bragging rights, fat payouts and 'champions' titles, final tablists of the most exciting tournaments will gain their moment of fame on PKR Tournament TV. In-game footage will be broadcast with expert commentary to millions of homes across Europe and episodes can also be viewed on demand via PKR.com's dedicated online channel, PKR.tv.
Media Man Australia Profiles
PKR Poker
PKR Casino
PKR Casino News
PKR
Poker News
Casino News
Poker News Media Profiles Updated
Poker
Poker Babes
Poker Tournaments
World Series Of Poker
Poker Rooms
Poker News
Casino News
Poker
Poker Babes
Poker Tournaments
World Series Of Poker
Poker Rooms
Poker News
Casino News
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Poker News, Casino News and Hitwise News
Media Man Australia, the parent company of Casino News Media, won the Hitwise Australia top ten award again yesterday. Media Man Australia placed #7 in the Entertainment - Personalities industry.
As a result of this we have also registered our Casino News Media website for Hitwise, in addition to further ramping up of our poker celebrities, poker babes and casino babes website content.
Media Man Australia Profiles
Poker News
Casino News
Hitwise
Websites
Media Man Australia
Casino News Media
Media Man Australia, the parent company of Casino News Media, won the Hitwise Australia top ten award again yesterday. Media Man Australia placed #7 in the Entertainment - Personalities industry.
As a result of this we have also registered our Casino News Media website for Hitwise, in addition to further ramping up of our poker celebrities, poker babes and casino babes website content.
Media Man Australia Profiles
Poker News
Casino News
Hitwise
Websites
Media Man Australia
Casino News Media
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Monday, November 03, 2008
Poker News Media Achieves Sign Off From Poker News Daily - 2nd November 2008
The Poker News Media blog, edited by Media Man Australia and Casino News Media, has achieved official approval from Poker News Daily to include some of their news, with credit of course, in the updated. This marks another significant step in the growth, reach and news media coverage from Media Man Australia and Casino News Media. We're most impressed with Poker News Daily and MMA and CNM is confident that this marks a mutually beneficial arrangement. Poker News Daily has also achieved cross over media coverage into the mainstream media spectrum in the process. It may even warrant a mention at the upcoming CAP Down Under, put on by our friends at Casino Affiliate Programs.
Media Man Australia Profiles
Poker News
Casino News
Casino News Media Profiles
Poker News
Casino News
The Poker News Media blog, edited by Media Man Australia and Casino News Media, has achieved official approval from Poker News Daily to include some of their news, with credit of course, in the updated. This marks another significant step in the growth, reach and news media coverage from Media Man Australia and Casino News Media. We're most impressed with Poker News Daily and MMA and CNM is confident that this marks a mutually beneficial arrangement. Poker News Daily has also achieved cross over media coverage into the mainstream media spectrum in the process. It may even warrant a mention at the upcoming CAP Down Under, put on by our friends at Casino Affiliate Programs.
Media Man Australia Profiles
Poker News
Casino News
Casino News Media Profiles
Poker News
Casino News
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)