California Considering Legalising Online Poker - 27th February 2009
Legislators in the American state of California are so intent on legalising online poker that they are reportedly looking to attend an upcoming iGaming conference in order to meet with prospective operators.
According to a report from online news portal Gambling911.com, the western state is looking towards online poker as a way to help solve its troubled economy, which has the second highest foreclosure rate in the country and near double-digit unemployment.
However, Gambling911.com reported that the state would not be speaking with PartyGaming due to Anurag Dikshit, the online operator’s billionaire co-founder who recently pled guilty and agreed to pay a $300 million fine.
'Too much baggage,' Gambling911.com quoted a source.
'California is not going to have an online poker room licensed in the state where one of the founders pleaded guilty before he was even charged with a crime.
'888.com is one that's been mentioned. They are looking at companies that are publicly traded and 888.com fits the bill. They are also trying to settle any issues with the US Government in relation to their taking bets from US customers prior to passage of poker prohibition in 2006, much like PartyGaming, but nobody there is turning themselves in.'
Although California is the world’s eighth largest economy, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger reached a compromise with legislators this week that increased taxes and cut services in order to close a $42 million budget deficit.
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Friday, February 27, 2009
Annie Duke Breaks Down Celebrity Apprentice, by Annie Duke - Poker News Daily - 15th February 2009
Well, the Celebrity Apprentice cat is out of the bag now. The cast has been announced and, yes, I am part of it. Okay, so what would make me do this show? I mean I have tried to avoid reality TV. Over the years, I have had a few offers to do a reality show about my poker life with four kids. My answer is always that I won’t put my kids on TV, so they quietly go away. I really value my private life and protecting the privacy of my kids. So then why on Earth would I agree to do this show?
Here is how it went: My manager called and told me that he had a meeting for me with the Celebrity Apprentice people. I was not happy about it because I wasn’t really interested in being on a reality show. We had had this argument before about “Dancing with the Stars.” He kept saying he wanted to pitch me for it. I kept saying a) I am not a big enough celebrity by any stretch of the imagination and b) I can’t dance.
My boyfriend teases me when I dance and imitates me (making sure I never ever dance in his presence, by the way). Joe is an amazingly good dancer, made more amazing by the fact that he is a 200+ pound burly dude with crazy long curly hair who doesn’t look like he could dance his way out of a paper bag. Yet, he used to break dance for money on the streets of Boston as a kid and got his first job in Hollywood as a dancer. I once even had the pleasure of witnessing a dance-off between Joe and Jeff Donovan (the star of the show “Burn Notice”). That was pretty awesome and really too close to call. It has to go down as one of the funniest dance-offs I have ever seen because both of them were doing some kick ass dancing while trying to be funnier at it than the other one. Imagine doing some popping and locking while essentially miming going down on each other in the middle of a club. It was pretty hilarious. Okay, I have really digressed.
The point is I was not interested in Dancing with the Stars. OMG that would be humiliating. And I was not interested in Celebrity Apprentice either, particularly since I can be, shall we say, snarky and I didn’t really want that to be seen in all its glory on national television. But, then I went in for the meeting and, not having watched the previous season, was shocked to find out that the cast had raised $1 million for charity during the run of the show. I thought to myself that I have to do this show because that is a lot of money for charity and would be really good for Ante Up for Africa. You see, I didn’t know the show was for charity and now I realized it would be hard for me to say no.
To be honest, it is a game. I mean a game. And we all know I love a good game. This was a pretty cool game that involved managing your opponents, raising money for charity, and doing some pretty cool marketing tasks. It seemed to me that maybe I was pretty well-suited for that particular type of game since I play one for a living, one that also involves managing your opponents. I also do marketing work for Ultimate Bet and have raised $2 million with Don Cheadle and Norman Epstein for Ante Up for Africa in the last two years.
Game. Charity. Cool.
So I decided I should do it. I got the last season on DVD and started studying the tapes madly… you know, because that is what I do. If I am going to agree to a competition, I am going to make sure I analyze how the game is played and come in super prepared knowing exactly what people did right the last season and what people did wrong. I am going to have a good handle on it and get all of my ducks in a row money raising-wise and all that. I analyzed the whole last season and starting working a formula for how much money I needed to raise and what the highest percentage part of the tasks was to do to make sure you didn’t get fired, but also got noticed and impressed Donald Trump. I was obsessed for the couple of weeks before doing the show.
So, of course, I cannot tell you anything about how it all turned out, right? That annoys me because I want to talk about the game because I LOVE talking about games. You are going to have to watch to see how I do and whether my preparation pays off. The thing is that, well, I am direct. That is a nice way to put it: direct. The thing I was most worried about going into the game was that my fellow players would not really get my interpersonal style. When people first meet me, they sometimes come away with the impression that I am a jerk. To be fair, I can be a jerk, particularly if I think someone is saying something stupid. I suffer fools very poorly and I have to remember to work on that more. I was really concerned because even though this is an individual game, you still have to have your teammates like you so they don’t throw you under the bus and I am just not good at making nice nice and pretending that I can deal with everyone. It probably comes from doing a job my whole adult life where you only have to answer to yourself. Oh, and I have stupidly high expectations of people.
With all of that going on in my head, knowing that I had analyzed the hell out of last season, but also knowing that I might have some issues with my teammates liking me, I headed off to New York to try my hand at the game. March 1st, everyone. That is when you can start seeing how I do! (Credit: Poker News Daily)
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Well, the Celebrity Apprentice cat is out of the bag now. The cast has been announced and, yes, I am part of it. Okay, so what would make me do this show? I mean I have tried to avoid reality TV. Over the years, I have had a few offers to do a reality show about my poker life with four kids. My answer is always that I won’t put my kids on TV, so they quietly go away. I really value my private life and protecting the privacy of my kids. So then why on Earth would I agree to do this show?
Here is how it went: My manager called and told me that he had a meeting for me with the Celebrity Apprentice people. I was not happy about it because I wasn’t really interested in being on a reality show. We had had this argument before about “Dancing with the Stars.” He kept saying he wanted to pitch me for it. I kept saying a) I am not a big enough celebrity by any stretch of the imagination and b) I can’t dance.
My boyfriend teases me when I dance and imitates me (making sure I never ever dance in his presence, by the way). Joe is an amazingly good dancer, made more amazing by the fact that he is a 200+ pound burly dude with crazy long curly hair who doesn’t look like he could dance his way out of a paper bag. Yet, he used to break dance for money on the streets of Boston as a kid and got his first job in Hollywood as a dancer. I once even had the pleasure of witnessing a dance-off between Joe and Jeff Donovan (the star of the show “Burn Notice”). That was pretty awesome and really too close to call. It has to go down as one of the funniest dance-offs I have ever seen because both of them were doing some kick ass dancing while trying to be funnier at it than the other one. Imagine doing some popping and locking while essentially miming going down on each other in the middle of a club. It was pretty hilarious. Okay, I have really digressed.
The point is I was not interested in Dancing with the Stars. OMG that would be humiliating. And I was not interested in Celebrity Apprentice either, particularly since I can be, shall we say, snarky and I didn’t really want that to be seen in all its glory on national television. But, then I went in for the meeting and, not having watched the previous season, was shocked to find out that the cast had raised $1 million for charity during the run of the show. I thought to myself that I have to do this show because that is a lot of money for charity and would be really good for Ante Up for Africa. You see, I didn’t know the show was for charity and now I realized it would be hard for me to say no.
To be honest, it is a game. I mean a game. And we all know I love a good game. This was a pretty cool game that involved managing your opponents, raising money for charity, and doing some pretty cool marketing tasks. It seemed to me that maybe I was pretty well-suited for that particular type of game since I play one for a living, one that also involves managing your opponents. I also do marketing work for Ultimate Bet and have raised $2 million with Don Cheadle and Norman Epstein for Ante Up for Africa in the last two years.
Game. Charity. Cool.
So I decided I should do it. I got the last season on DVD and started studying the tapes madly… you know, because that is what I do. If I am going to agree to a competition, I am going to make sure I analyze how the game is played and come in super prepared knowing exactly what people did right the last season and what people did wrong. I am going to have a good handle on it and get all of my ducks in a row money raising-wise and all that. I analyzed the whole last season and starting working a formula for how much money I needed to raise and what the highest percentage part of the tasks was to do to make sure you didn’t get fired, but also got noticed and impressed Donald Trump. I was obsessed for the couple of weeks before doing the show.
So, of course, I cannot tell you anything about how it all turned out, right? That annoys me because I want to talk about the game because I LOVE talking about games. You are going to have to watch to see how I do and whether my preparation pays off. The thing is that, well, I am direct. That is a nice way to put it: direct. The thing I was most worried about going into the game was that my fellow players would not really get my interpersonal style. When people first meet me, they sometimes come away with the impression that I am a jerk. To be fair, I can be a jerk, particularly if I think someone is saying something stupid. I suffer fools very poorly and I have to remember to work on that more. I was really concerned because even though this is an individual game, you still have to have your teammates like you so they don’t throw you under the bus and I am just not good at making nice nice and pretending that I can deal with everyone. It probably comes from doing a job my whole adult life where you only have to answer to yourself. Oh, and I have stupidly high expectations of people.
With all of that going on in my head, knowing that I had analyzed the hell out of last season, but also knowing that I might have some issues with my teammates liking me, I headed off to New York to try my hand at the game. March 1st, everyone. That is when you can start seeing how I do! (Credit: Poker News Daily)
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PKR Launch Massive Saturday Tournament - 26th February 2009
The fastest growing poker room in the world, PKR Poker are really putting themselves on the map this weekend by boasting the biggest buy-in tournament anywhere in online poker on Saturday night. The $500 Saturday Big Shot will be the biggest tournament of the night at 8pm GMT and has one of the best structures, with 10,000 chips and 20 minute levels. Players can parlay their way into the event for as little as $5.06 round the clock on PKR Poker.
Neil Wright of PKR commented "We're delighted to be able to introduce the Saturday Big Shot. There's been a growing demand from our players for a big buy-in event with an ultra-playable structure and we're happy to oblige. It shows just how far we've come that Saturday night's biggest buy-in tournament will be at PKR."
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The fastest growing poker room in the world, PKR Poker are really putting themselves on the map this weekend by boasting the biggest buy-in tournament anywhere in online poker on Saturday night. The $500 Saturday Big Shot will be the biggest tournament of the night at 8pm GMT and has one of the best structures, with 10,000 chips and 20 minute levels. Players can parlay their way into the event for as little as $5.06 round the clock on PKR Poker.
Neil Wright of PKR commented "We're delighted to be able to introduce the Saturday Big Shot. There's been a growing demand from our players for a big buy-in event with an ultra-playable structure and we're happy to oblige. It shows just how far we've come that Saturday night's biggest buy-in tournament will be at PKR."
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Virgin Poker Festival Shows its Poker Face in Newcastle - 26th February 2009
The Virgin Poker Festival will be returning to Newcastle with its biggest prize pool yet - £32,500.
Following the success of last year's festival in the city, the ultimate poker experience will be taking place at the Aspers Casino on Saturday, April 4, and Sunday, April 5.
Set to be bigger and better than last year, the 2009 Newcastle Virgin Poker Festival, will give poker fans the opportunity to compete in a two-day live poker tournament as well as a variety of activities taking place alongside the main event for players of all abilities.
The main event at the festival will be a €150 Texas Hold'em No Limit Freezeout tournament for up to 200 players, with 10,000 starting stacks, 40 minute levels and £5,000 added to the prize pool.
Players wanting to secure a place at the main event will need to qualify via online satellites at www.virginpoker.com
Fun is definitely the name of the game at the Virgin Poker Festival, with a variety of side events taking place alongside the main tournament to give everyone an opportunity to get involved – regardless of their poker playing abilities.
Practice tables will offer 'live play classes' for less experienced players, whilst Wii bowling will be taking place over the weekend in search of a player worthy of the Wii bowling crown.
Virgin Poker is also offering local Newcastle residents a shot at winning a seat at the Virgin Poker Festival through a series of pre-tournament sessions which will be held at the Aspers Casino week commencing March 2.
To add a further twist to the Virgin Poker Festival, players will be able to knock-out key poker professional opponents whose heads carry bounties of fantastic Virgin giveaways.
Poker pros Maria Demetriou, Shelley Rubenstein, Kara Scott and Nick Wealthall will all be in attendance to ensure players have an all round jam-packed winning weekend.
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The Virgin Poker Festival will be returning to Newcastle with its biggest prize pool yet - £32,500.
Following the success of last year's festival in the city, the ultimate poker experience will be taking place at the Aspers Casino on Saturday, April 4, and Sunday, April 5.
Set to be bigger and better than last year, the 2009 Newcastle Virgin Poker Festival, will give poker fans the opportunity to compete in a two-day live poker tournament as well as a variety of activities taking place alongside the main event for players of all abilities.
The main event at the festival will be a €150 Texas Hold'em No Limit Freezeout tournament for up to 200 players, with 10,000 starting stacks, 40 minute levels and £5,000 added to the prize pool.
Players wanting to secure a place at the main event will need to qualify via online satellites at www.virginpoker.com
Fun is definitely the name of the game at the Virgin Poker Festival, with a variety of side events taking place alongside the main tournament to give everyone an opportunity to get involved – regardless of their poker playing abilities.
Practice tables will offer 'live play classes' for less experienced players, whilst Wii bowling will be taking place over the weekend in search of a player worthy of the Wii bowling crown.
Virgin Poker is also offering local Newcastle residents a shot at winning a seat at the Virgin Poker Festival through a series of pre-tournament sessions which will be held at the Aspers Casino week commencing March 2.
To add a further twist to the Virgin Poker Festival, players will be able to knock-out key poker professional opponents whose heads carry bounties of fantastic Virgin giveaways.
Poker pros Maria Demetriou, Shelley Rubenstein, Kara Scott and Nick Wealthall will all be in attendance to ensure players have an all round jam-packed winning weekend.
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Hopes for Online gambling ban to be repealed - 25th February 2009
In 2006 congress passed a bill to ban gambling in America. This was then signed into law by President George Bush. The law made online gambling illegal in America and there were heavy penalties put into place for those who profited from internet gambling. Even companies that promoted online gambling were penalized.
This law forced European companies such as PartyGaming and 888.com out of the US market. These European companies still face criminal prosecution for their activities before the ban was imposed. The founder of PartyGaming, Anurag Dikshit pleaded guilty to online gambling charges and agreed to pay $300million in fines. He could still face a custodial sentence.
EU officials claim the US put pressure on Dikshit to make a deal and that the US justice department had crossed the line. An industry petition has lead the European Commission to begin formal investigation to ascertain whether the US was only singling out European companies.
As a result of this, one US lawmaker is eager to have the ban on internet gambling repealed. He claims that the anti-gambling law is affecting the relationship between the EU and the United States and has already hurt trade ties between them.
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In 2006 congress passed a bill to ban gambling in America. This was then signed into law by President George Bush. The law made online gambling illegal in America and there were heavy penalties put into place for those who profited from internet gambling. Even companies that promoted online gambling were penalized.
This law forced European companies such as PartyGaming and 888.com out of the US market. These European companies still face criminal prosecution for their activities before the ban was imposed. The founder of PartyGaming, Anurag Dikshit pleaded guilty to online gambling charges and agreed to pay $300million in fines. He could still face a custodial sentence.
EU officials claim the US put pressure on Dikshit to make a deal and that the US justice department had crossed the line. An industry petition has lead the European Commission to begin formal investigation to ascertain whether the US was only singling out European companies.
As a result of this, one US lawmaker is eager to have the ban on internet gambling repealed. He claims that the anti-gambling law is affecting the relationship between the EU and the United States and has already hurt trade ties between them.
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Wednesday, February 25, 2009
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PKR increase Sunday Classic Prize Pot - 24th February 2009
Revolutionary online poker operator, PKR.com, have increased the prize pool of their popular Sunday classic game to $50,000.
PKR is famous for it's unique style of online poker gaming, allowing users to create virtual avatar characters with their own dress code, personality and strategy.
The site holds several hundred games every day of the year, many of which have huge prize pots. There most popular event is the Sunday Classic tournament which will now have a $50,000 prize pool.
Previous Sunday Classics have attracted thousands of players all hoping to win the guaranteed prize pot of $30,000. The weekly buy in will continue to be an affordable $65, allowing for any experienced player to join in the fun.
Neil Wright Cardroom manager at PKR said, “We’re delighted to be able to increase a big money tournament guarantee by such a large amount. Not only does the re-structure offer players the chance to participate for a big prize, but with a manageable field size it strikes the perfect balance between playability and reward.”
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Revolutionary online poker operator, PKR.com, have increased the prize pool of their popular Sunday classic game to $50,000.
PKR is famous for it's unique style of online poker gaming, allowing users to create virtual avatar characters with their own dress code, personality and strategy.
The site holds several hundred games every day of the year, many of which have huge prize pots. There most popular event is the Sunday Classic tournament which will now have a $50,000 prize pool.
Previous Sunday Classics have attracted thousands of players all hoping to win the guaranteed prize pot of $30,000. The weekly buy in will continue to be an affordable $65, allowing for any experienced player to join in the fun.
Neil Wright Cardroom manager at PKR said, “We’re delighted to be able to increase a big money tournament guarantee by such a large amount. Not only does the re-structure offer players the chance to participate for a big prize, but with a manageable field size it strikes the perfect balance between playability and reward.”
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Money Bubble Bursts at World Poker Tour LAPC Event, by Dan Cypra - Poker News Daily - 24th February 2009
There are 63 players remaining in the World Poker Tour (WPT) L.A. Poker Classic, which originates from the Commerce Casino. Online poker pro Jeff “ActionJeff” Garza eliminated Patrick Stemper from contention in 64th place, leaving the survivors to finish in the money. Now, the field will have to change gears in this marquee WPT event as players jockey for the $1.6 million first place prize.
Kofi Farkye, a former winner of the Nordic Masters of Poker, sits with the chip lead entering Tuesday’s play with 837,500. He’s tailed by Mike “SowersUNCC” Sowers, a savvy online and live poker pro with considerable final table experience. Sowers holds 741,500, or 97,000 fewer chips than Farkye. At the bottom of the field is World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet holder David Daneshgar, who has just 4,000 chips to his name, the equivalent of one big blind. He survived an all-in on the money bubble and asked Tournament Director Matt Savage if he could forfeit his chips and not return to play on Tuesday. Savage, however, declined his request.
On Sunday, Antonio Esfandiari was a commanding chip leader. However, he found the rails on Monday, sent packing after coming out on the losing end of a bad beat against Sowers. Esfandiari held A-K and was in favorable shape to double up against Sowers’ A-Q. The flop came A-J-J, giving both players aces up. However, a queen on the turn gave Sowers a better two pair and the river was no help to The Magician, as the 2004 L.A. Poker Classic winner hit the exit.
Here is a look at the top 10 chip stacks entering play on Tuesday:
1st: Kofi Farkye - 837,500
2nd: Mike Sowers - 741,500
3rd: Donald D’Auria - 666,500
4th: Jeremy Kottler - 574,500
5th: Chris Karagulleyan - 543,000
6th: Daniel O’Brien - 534,500
7th: Anthony Venturini - 508,000
8th: Dan The Lu - 507,500
9th: Chris Ferguson - 468,500
10th: Matt Woodward - 420,000
Chris “Jesus” Ferguson is a five-time WSOP bracelet holder whose most recent piece of hardware came after winning a $2,000 buy-in Limit Hold’em and Seven Card Stud tournament during the 2003 tournament series, one of two bracelets he won that year. Since 2005, he’s taken down Circuit Event featured tournaments at Harrah’s Rincon, Harrah’s Las Vegas, and Harvey’s Tahoe. All told, he has six Circuit Event cashes to his name for $1.3 million. Ferguson is a card-carrying member of Team Full Tilt along with Phil Ivey and Patrik Antonius, among others. He’s also a proponent of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the main lobbying voice of the online poker industry.
Other notable names remaining in the 63 player field include:
13th: Nick Schulman – 321,000
16th: Peter “Nordberg” Feldman – 302,500
17th: Andre Akkari – 296,000
18th: Jeff “ActionJeff” Garza – 290,000
20th: Nancy Todd Tyner – 247,000
22nd: Hoyt Corkins – 233,500
30th: Greg “FBT” Mueller – 156,500
35th: Daniel Shak – 144,000
36th: Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier – 143,500
44th: Nenad Medic – 115,000
45th: Men “The Master” Nguyen – 107,500
48th: Erica Schoenberg – 96,500
49th: Paul Wasicka – 90,500
50th: Maria Ho – 89,500
56th: Steven Paul-Ambrose – 59,000
57th: Paul Darden – 41,000
60th: David “The Dragon” Pham – 16,500
63rd: David Daneshgar – 4,000
The average chip stack is 220,865. When play concluded on Monday, blinds were 2,000-4,000 with a 500 chip ante. Haralobos Voulgaris, who sits in 24th place, told WPT Live Updates Hostess Amanda Leatherman after play had concluded, “I started the day with 210,000 chips and I went to 280,000 right away. Then, I lost every hand for an hour and a half or two hours. I got really unlucky in a bunch of hands.” Voulgaris, the runner up in the 2005 L.A. Poker Classic, has 214,500 chips entering Day 4.
The tournament will crown a champion on Thursday. Each player at the six-handed final table will receive at least $240,000. Here’s a look at the scheduled payouts for the televised table:
1st Place: $1,686,760
2nd Place: $935,424
3rd Place: $654,797
4th Place: $430,963
5th Place: $310,694
6th Place: $240,538
Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from the WPT L.A. Poker Classic. (Credit: Poker News Daily)
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There are 63 players remaining in the World Poker Tour (WPT) L.A. Poker Classic, which originates from the Commerce Casino. Online poker pro Jeff “ActionJeff” Garza eliminated Patrick Stemper from contention in 64th place, leaving the survivors to finish in the money. Now, the field will have to change gears in this marquee WPT event as players jockey for the $1.6 million first place prize.
Kofi Farkye, a former winner of the Nordic Masters of Poker, sits with the chip lead entering Tuesday’s play with 837,500. He’s tailed by Mike “SowersUNCC” Sowers, a savvy online and live poker pro with considerable final table experience. Sowers holds 741,500, or 97,000 fewer chips than Farkye. At the bottom of the field is World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet holder David Daneshgar, who has just 4,000 chips to his name, the equivalent of one big blind. He survived an all-in on the money bubble and asked Tournament Director Matt Savage if he could forfeit his chips and not return to play on Tuesday. Savage, however, declined his request.
On Sunday, Antonio Esfandiari was a commanding chip leader. However, he found the rails on Monday, sent packing after coming out on the losing end of a bad beat against Sowers. Esfandiari held A-K and was in favorable shape to double up against Sowers’ A-Q. The flop came A-J-J, giving both players aces up. However, a queen on the turn gave Sowers a better two pair and the river was no help to The Magician, as the 2004 L.A. Poker Classic winner hit the exit.
Here is a look at the top 10 chip stacks entering play on Tuesday:
1st: Kofi Farkye - 837,500
2nd: Mike Sowers - 741,500
3rd: Donald D’Auria - 666,500
4th: Jeremy Kottler - 574,500
5th: Chris Karagulleyan - 543,000
6th: Daniel O’Brien - 534,500
7th: Anthony Venturini - 508,000
8th: Dan The Lu - 507,500
9th: Chris Ferguson - 468,500
10th: Matt Woodward - 420,000
Chris “Jesus” Ferguson is a five-time WSOP bracelet holder whose most recent piece of hardware came after winning a $2,000 buy-in Limit Hold’em and Seven Card Stud tournament during the 2003 tournament series, one of two bracelets he won that year. Since 2005, he’s taken down Circuit Event featured tournaments at Harrah’s Rincon, Harrah’s Las Vegas, and Harvey’s Tahoe. All told, he has six Circuit Event cashes to his name for $1.3 million. Ferguson is a card-carrying member of Team Full Tilt along with Phil Ivey and Patrik Antonius, among others. He’s also a proponent of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the main lobbying voice of the online poker industry.
Other notable names remaining in the 63 player field include:
13th: Nick Schulman – 321,000
16th: Peter “Nordberg” Feldman – 302,500
17th: Andre Akkari – 296,000
18th: Jeff “ActionJeff” Garza – 290,000
20th: Nancy Todd Tyner – 247,000
22nd: Hoyt Corkins – 233,500
30th: Greg “FBT” Mueller – 156,500
35th: Daniel Shak – 144,000
36th: Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier – 143,500
44th: Nenad Medic – 115,000
45th: Men “The Master” Nguyen – 107,500
48th: Erica Schoenberg – 96,500
49th: Paul Wasicka – 90,500
50th: Maria Ho – 89,500
56th: Steven Paul-Ambrose – 59,000
57th: Paul Darden – 41,000
60th: David “The Dragon” Pham – 16,500
63rd: David Daneshgar – 4,000
The average chip stack is 220,865. When play concluded on Monday, blinds were 2,000-4,000 with a 500 chip ante. Haralobos Voulgaris, who sits in 24th place, told WPT Live Updates Hostess Amanda Leatherman after play had concluded, “I started the day with 210,000 chips and I went to 280,000 right away. Then, I lost every hand for an hour and a half or two hours. I got really unlucky in a bunch of hands.” Voulgaris, the runner up in the 2005 L.A. Poker Classic, has 214,500 chips entering Day 4.
The tournament will crown a champion on Thursday. Each player at the six-handed final table will receive at least $240,000. Here’s a look at the scheduled payouts for the televised table:
1st Place: $1,686,760
2nd Place: $935,424
3rd Place: $654,797
4th Place: $430,963
5th Place: $310,694
6th Place: $240,538
Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from the WPT L.A. Poker Classic. (Credit: Poker News Daily)
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Tuesday, February 24, 2009
ICOP Poker - €600,000 Guaranteed Prizepool!
London, 21 February 2009
We know it’s a bit early, but we could not keep quiet about this fantastic promotion we have lined up for your players in March! So get ready to prepare your players for the ‘International Championships of Poker’ (ICOP), where we are guaranteeing a cool €600,000 in prize pool.
Held over the period of the 9th to the 15th of March, the ‘International Championships of Poker’ is a truly inclusive poker promotion, designed to test players overall poker skills. Buy-ins for this promotion range from just €5 with tournament formats ranging from Hold’em to 7 Card Stud!
Plus Virgin Poker is holding back 3% of the prize pools, which will be given to the top three overall performers. So whoever wins this promotion, will have the ultimate poker bragging rights!
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Virgin Casino
London, 21 February 2009
We know it’s a bit early, but we could not keep quiet about this fantastic promotion we have lined up for your players in March! So get ready to prepare your players for the ‘International Championships of Poker’ (ICOP), where we are guaranteeing a cool €600,000 in prize pool.
Held over the period of the 9th to the 15th of March, the ‘International Championships of Poker’ is a truly inclusive poker promotion, designed to test players overall poker skills. Buy-ins for this promotion range from just €5 with tournament formats ranging from Hold’em to 7 Card Stud!
Plus Virgin Poker is holding back 3% of the prize pools, which will be given to the top three overall performers. So whoever wins this promotion, will have the ultimate poker bragging rights!
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Jamie Gold Hosts Charity Poker Tournament after Oscars, by Tom Jenkins - Poker News Daily - 22nd February 2009
Tonight, the 81st annual Academy Awards will take place from the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles. Many in the poker world are in town not for the Oscars, but for the L.A. Poker Classic, a World Poker Tour (WPT) event taking place at the Commerce Casino. One notable exception is 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Jamie Gold, who is hosting a charity poker tournament late Sunday night benefiting Children Uniting Nations.
The winner of the fundraising event will receive a $10,000 entry into the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, held at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas beginning on July 3rd. The all-expense paid trip to Sin City includes a private dinner and coaching by Gold. The Los Angeles tournament will be held at 10:00pm on Sunday night at the Beverly Hilton after the Oscar festivities have concluded. Confirmed to appear alongside Gold are Lee Watkinson and Full Tilt Poker pro Howard Lederer. The tournament is sponsored by the Merge Gaming Network online poker room ACED, which recently signed Gold. The Network accepts players from the United States.
Seating in the event will be capped when 30 players have registered and the field will consist of a mix of celebrities and poker fans. The gala is co-sponsored by the Hollywood Reporter and will feature musical performances by Colby O’Donis, JabbawockeeZ, Sophie B. Hawkins, Doug E. Fresh, Teairra Mari, and D.J. AM. According to a press release distributed by tournament organizer GreasieWheels, Jennifer Aniston, Pierce Brosnan, Christina Milian, Jane Seymour, Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Bill and Hillary Clinton are all proud supporters of Children Uniting Nations.
According to the non-profit organization’s website, Children Uniting Nations “is committed to help every child find a way out of cruelty, neglect, and anger. This organization is dedicated to help children find their way to fulfill their dreams. Children Uniting Nations’ mission is to create loving, tolerant, and capable world citizens.” The Los Angeles-based organization was founded by entertainment mogul Daphna Edwards Ziman. The Oscar Viewing Party taking place at the Beverly Hilton has a price tag of $1,000; After Party tickets can be purchased for $150.
Gold famously won the 2006 WSOP Main Event, defeating Paul Wasicka heads-up and pocketing $12 million. Since then, Gold has served as a front man for 50 charity events and helped raise over $110 million. In addition to Children Uniting Nations, Gold’s efforts have benefited The Sunflower Organization, Montel Williams MS Foundation, and The Michael J. Fox Foundation. He’s right at home in Hollywood after originally gaining fame as a talent agent.
Gold took 35th in the 2007 WSOP Europe Main Event, taking home £27,150. He’s also competed on GSN’s “High Stakes Poker” and NBC’s “Poker After Dark.” During the 2007 installment of the “National Heads-Up Poker Championship,” which also airs on NBC, Gold bested Jennifer Tilly in the first round before falling to Phil Gordon in the round of 32. In 2008, he also bowed out in the second round, this time to Scott Fischman. Gold served as the keynote speaker at the Casino Affiliate Programs (CAP) Euro 2008 conference in Barcelona, Spain.
The Academy Awards recognize the best in the motion picture industry annually. Accolades will be handed out for Best Picture, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Director, and Best Original Score, among others. Presenters will include a veritable “who’s who” of Hollywood personalities and the festivities begin at 8:00pm Eastern Time. Previous Best Picture winners include “No Country for Old Men,” “The Departed,” “Crash,” “Million Dollar Baby,” “Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” “Chicago,” “A Beautiful Mind,” and “Gladiator.” This year’s nominees include “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Frost/Nixon,” “Milk,” “The Reader,” and “Slumdog Millionaire.” Actor Hugh Jackman will host. (Credit: Poker News Daily)
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Tonight, the 81st annual Academy Awards will take place from the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles. Many in the poker world are in town not for the Oscars, but for the L.A. Poker Classic, a World Poker Tour (WPT) event taking place at the Commerce Casino. One notable exception is 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Jamie Gold, who is hosting a charity poker tournament late Sunday night benefiting Children Uniting Nations.
The winner of the fundraising event will receive a $10,000 entry into the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, held at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas beginning on July 3rd. The all-expense paid trip to Sin City includes a private dinner and coaching by Gold. The Los Angeles tournament will be held at 10:00pm on Sunday night at the Beverly Hilton after the Oscar festivities have concluded. Confirmed to appear alongside Gold are Lee Watkinson and Full Tilt Poker pro Howard Lederer. The tournament is sponsored by the Merge Gaming Network online poker room ACED, which recently signed Gold. The Network accepts players from the United States.
Seating in the event will be capped when 30 players have registered and the field will consist of a mix of celebrities and poker fans. The gala is co-sponsored by the Hollywood Reporter and will feature musical performances by Colby O’Donis, JabbawockeeZ, Sophie B. Hawkins, Doug E. Fresh, Teairra Mari, and D.J. AM. According to a press release distributed by tournament organizer GreasieWheels, Jennifer Aniston, Pierce Brosnan, Christina Milian, Jane Seymour, Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Bill and Hillary Clinton are all proud supporters of Children Uniting Nations.
According to the non-profit organization’s website, Children Uniting Nations “is committed to help every child find a way out of cruelty, neglect, and anger. This organization is dedicated to help children find their way to fulfill their dreams. Children Uniting Nations’ mission is to create loving, tolerant, and capable world citizens.” The Los Angeles-based organization was founded by entertainment mogul Daphna Edwards Ziman. The Oscar Viewing Party taking place at the Beverly Hilton has a price tag of $1,000; After Party tickets can be purchased for $150.
Gold famously won the 2006 WSOP Main Event, defeating Paul Wasicka heads-up and pocketing $12 million. Since then, Gold has served as a front man for 50 charity events and helped raise over $110 million. In addition to Children Uniting Nations, Gold’s efforts have benefited The Sunflower Organization, Montel Williams MS Foundation, and The Michael J. Fox Foundation. He’s right at home in Hollywood after originally gaining fame as a talent agent.
Gold took 35th in the 2007 WSOP Europe Main Event, taking home £27,150. He’s also competed on GSN’s “High Stakes Poker” and NBC’s “Poker After Dark.” During the 2007 installment of the “National Heads-Up Poker Championship,” which also airs on NBC, Gold bested Jennifer Tilly in the first round before falling to Phil Gordon in the round of 32. In 2008, he also bowed out in the second round, this time to Scott Fischman. Gold served as the keynote speaker at the Casino Affiliate Programs (CAP) Euro 2008 conference in Barcelona, Spain.
The Academy Awards recognize the best in the motion picture industry annually. Accolades will be handed out for Best Picture, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Director, and Best Original Score, among others. Presenters will include a veritable “who’s who” of Hollywood personalities and the festivities begin at 8:00pm Eastern Time. Previous Best Picture winners include “No Country for Old Men,” “The Departed,” “Crash,” “Million Dollar Baby,” “Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” “Chicago,” “A Beautiful Mind,” and “Gladiator.” This year’s nominees include “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Frost/Nixon,” “Milk,” “The Reader,” and “Slumdog Millionaire.” Actor Hugh Jackman will host. (Credit: Poker News Daily)
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Monday, February 23, 2009
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Sunday, February 22, 2009
Barney Frank to Introduce Internet Gambling Legislation in March, by Dan Cypra - Poker News Daily - 21st February 2009
Now that a $700 billion bailout has successfully passed the United States Senate and House of Representatives, lawmakers’ attention may now turn to internet gambling, according to an article released by Reuters on Friday. It was revealed that Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), Chairman of the powerful House Financial Services Committee, will introduce legislation in March addressing the ambiguities of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). The Reuters article did not mention what Frank’s bill would specifically include.
The UIGEA was unceremoniously passed into law attached to the unrelated SAFE Port Act at the end of the 2006 Congressional session on the urging of former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN), who is no longer on Capitol Hill. The SAFE Port Act was passed 421-2 in the House and approved by unanimous consent in the Senate. Its regulations were passed in a similar fashion as a midnight rule by the outgoing Bush Administration. They went into effect on January 19th, 2009, one day prior to Barack Obama assuming the Presidency.
A spokesperson for Frank told Reuters that the Congressman will be introducing “legislation to repeal the UIGEA” next month. Many in the industry have been speculating as to what form the new internet gambling legislation would take. During the previous Congressional session, Frank introduced HR 2046, the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act. The bill, which was introduced on April 30th, 2007, called for a complete licensing and regulatory framework for internet gambling in the United States. It garnered 48 co-sponsors, but did not see time on the House floor.
At the close of 2008, HR 6870, which was introduced by Frank and co-sponsored by Congressman Peter King (R-NY), was approved by the House Financial Services Committee by a 30-19 vote. However, the September vote was followed immediately by the collapse on Wall Street, which diverted attention away from internet gambling. HR 6870 would have clarified what is legal and illegal under the UIGEA, a question many banks will now face when compliance is due in December.
The enactment of the UIGEA also prompted an investigation by the European Commission into potential violations of World Trade Organization (WTO) obligations by the United States as a result of its stance towards internet gambling. A separate Reuters article revealed that the Commission is likely to recommend that the WTO act next month. However, the report added, “Sources said the E.U. executive, which oversees trade policy for the 27-nation bloc, would try to find a solution with the new U.S. government before taking any case to the global trade watchdog.”
In September, trade officials from the European Union traveled to the United States on a fact-finding mission in order to determine whether WTO obligations were being trampled on. The complaint to the Commission was brought by the Remote Gambling Association (RGA). The organization’s membership includes 888 and Party Gaming, which are both publicly-traded companies on the London Stock Exchange (under the symbols “888″ and “PRTY,” respectively). Upon the passage of the UIGEA, their online poker sites were forced to abandon the U.S. market out of deference to shareholders. Meanwhile, the co-founder of Party Gaming, Anurag Dikshit, admitted to violating the Wire Act of 1961 in a New York court room in December, paying the U.S. Government $300 million and potentially facing jail time.
Other RGA member companies include Ladbrokes, Bet 365, Littlewoods, PKR, Unibet, Victor Chandler, Cryptologic, and William Hill. The organization is chaired by Clive Hawkswood and based in London.
The industry will now wait and see what the text of Frank’s bill will include. Although in the September mark-up hearing of HR 6870 Frank declared that he seeks to repeal the UIGEA entirely, many have speculated that a poker-only bill may take shape during this Congressional session. In 2007, Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL) introduced HR 2610, the Skill Game Protection Act, which exempted poker, mah jong, bridge, and other player versus player games from all existing federal legislation, including the Wire Act of 1961 and the UIGEA.
We’ll have more news for you as it develops right here on Poker News Daily. (Credit: Poker News Daily)
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Now that a $700 billion bailout has successfully passed the United States Senate and House of Representatives, lawmakers’ attention may now turn to internet gambling, according to an article released by Reuters on Friday. It was revealed that Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), Chairman of the powerful House Financial Services Committee, will introduce legislation in March addressing the ambiguities of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). The Reuters article did not mention what Frank’s bill would specifically include.
The UIGEA was unceremoniously passed into law attached to the unrelated SAFE Port Act at the end of the 2006 Congressional session on the urging of former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN), who is no longer on Capitol Hill. The SAFE Port Act was passed 421-2 in the House and approved by unanimous consent in the Senate. Its regulations were passed in a similar fashion as a midnight rule by the outgoing Bush Administration. They went into effect on January 19th, 2009, one day prior to Barack Obama assuming the Presidency.
A spokesperson for Frank told Reuters that the Congressman will be introducing “legislation to repeal the UIGEA” next month. Many in the industry have been speculating as to what form the new internet gambling legislation would take. During the previous Congressional session, Frank introduced HR 2046, the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act. The bill, which was introduced on April 30th, 2007, called for a complete licensing and regulatory framework for internet gambling in the United States. It garnered 48 co-sponsors, but did not see time on the House floor.
At the close of 2008, HR 6870, which was introduced by Frank and co-sponsored by Congressman Peter King (R-NY), was approved by the House Financial Services Committee by a 30-19 vote. However, the September vote was followed immediately by the collapse on Wall Street, which diverted attention away from internet gambling. HR 6870 would have clarified what is legal and illegal under the UIGEA, a question many banks will now face when compliance is due in December.
The enactment of the UIGEA also prompted an investigation by the European Commission into potential violations of World Trade Organization (WTO) obligations by the United States as a result of its stance towards internet gambling. A separate Reuters article revealed that the Commission is likely to recommend that the WTO act next month. However, the report added, “Sources said the E.U. executive, which oversees trade policy for the 27-nation bloc, would try to find a solution with the new U.S. government before taking any case to the global trade watchdog.”
In September, trade officials from the European Union traveled to the United States on a fact-finding mission in order to determine whether WTO obligations were being trampled on. The complaint to the Commission was brought by the Remote Gambling Association (RGA). The organization’s membership includes 888 and Party Gaming, which are both publicly-traded companies on the London Stock Exchange (under the symbols “888″ and “PRTY,” respectively). Upon the passage of the UIGEA, their online poker sites were forced to abandon the U.S. market out of deference to shareholders. Meanwhile, the co-founder of Party Gaming, Anurag Dikshit, admitted to violating the Wire Act of 1961 in a New York court room in December, paying the U.S. Government $300 million and potentially facing jail time.
Other RGA member companies include Ladbrokes, Bet 365, Littlewoods, PKR, Unibet, Victor Chandler, Cryptologic, and William Hill. The organization is chaired by Clive Hawkswood and based in London.
The industry will now wait and see what the text of Frank’s bill will include. Although in the September mark-up hearing of HR 6870 Frank declared that he seeks to repeal the UIGEA entirely, many have speculated that a poker-only bill may take shape during this Congressional session. In 2007, Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL) introduced HR 2610, the Skill Game Protection Act, which exempted poker, mah jong, bridge, and other player versus player games from all existing federal legislation, including the Wire Act of 1961 and the UIGEA.
We’ll have more news for you as it develops right here on Poker News Daily. (Credit: Poker News Daily)
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