888.com Hosts Charity Poker Tournament for Australia Wildfire Victims - Gambling911 - 17th February 2009
Gambling911.com applauds 888.com for its efforts in trying to raise money for those affected by the wildfires in Australia last week. Our friend, The Media Man, has advised that 888.com will be hosting an online poker tournament to help Australia wildfire victims. The publicly traded online gambling firm has been making some serious inroads into Australia over the last year.
Sadly, the wildfire death toll heading into Wednesday (Australia time) had reached 200.
A judge launched an inquiry into the deadly Australian wildfires on Tuesday as authorities announced they would find ways to make the region safer before the next season of inevitable blazes.
Media Man, Greg Tingle, questioned why one individual had been fined by environmentalists for clearing trees and brush away from his property prior to the fires.
"He was the only survivor in his neighborhood," said Tingle.
The nightmarish blazes tore across Victoria with 400 fires destroying more than 1,800 homes and scorching about 1,500 square miles (3,900 square kilometers) of farms, forests and towns.
Police suspect at least two of the fires were deliberately set, and have charged one man with arson causing death and lighting a wildfire. Brendan Sokaluk, 39, faces a maximum sentence of 25 years on the first charge and 15 years on the second. He was being held in protective custody to prevent revenge attacks against him.
A class-action lawsuit was filed against electricity supplier SP AusNet, alleging that defective power lines caused losses and damage in connection with one of the fires. SP AusNet, which is 51 percent owned by the Singapore Power Group, said it would "vigorously defend" the claim.
As for the online poker tournament, details appear below:
Due to the tragic events caused by the bushfires in the Victoria region,
888 will be hosting the "Bushfire Relief Charity Tournament" to help
families in need. The No-Limit Texas Hold'em tournament will take place
on Sunday, February 22nd at 8:30pm AEDT. The buy-in for this tournament
will be $30 and all buy-ins (and re-buys) will be donated to the relief
efforts. Entrants to this special tournament will be playing for great
prizes donated by 888;
1st place: $500 US
2nd place: $300 US
3rd place: $200 US
4th-10th place: Free entry into the 888 NZ Poker Champs Sunday Qualifier
on March 1 ($120 Value)
As well as these great prizes, if you knock out 888 ambassadors Brendan Fevola (bfevola25) or Jeff Fenech (fenech888) you will receive an $50 bounty prize (credited next day).
We hope you take this opportunity to Enjoy The Game while helping your fellow Australian families during this difficult time. Thank you for your support.
What: Tournament- "Bushfire Relief Charity Tournament"
Buy-in: $30 with optional $30 rebuys (all going to charity)
When: February 22nd @ 8:30pm AEDT
Charity: The Variety and Shane Warne Foundation Bushfire Relief Fund
Where: 888Poker
To download and join 888Poker please click on the link below:
DOWNLOAD HERE
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Tuesday, February 17, 2009
PartyPoker.com European Open V Live Reporting Continues
London – 11th February 2009 – The PartyPoker.com European Open V runs until Friday 13 February.
Heat 11 is currently underway and features Annette Obrestad, Stuart Rutter, former champion Liam Flood, Christophe Haller, Paul Bracken and Richard Wheatley.
Amongst the players who signed up to play in the famous 72 runner $7,000 buy-in event include Roland de Wolfe, Vicky Coren, Juha Helppi, Ciaran O’Leary, Eoghan O’Dea, Ian Frazer, Surinder Sunar, Barny Boatman, James Akenhead, Padraig Parkinson, Julian Thew, Donnacha O’Dea, May Maceiras, Marc Goodwin, Thomas Bihl, Robin Keston, Neil Channing, Roberto Romanello and UK Open champion Michael Keiner.
The Matchroom Sport organized tournament features 12 six seat heats and two six seat turbo runner-up heats. There will be two seven seat semi finals and one six seat final. The top three players in each of the semi-finals take their chip stacks through to the final. The total prize pool is $504,000 with first place scooping $200,000. Coverage of the event will be first broadcast on Five in the UK and then distributed internationally. Coverage of the PartyPoker.com European Open is amongst the best distributed in the world and commentary will be led by the one and only Jesse May.
45-year-old Nick Slade, a professional from Preston, Lancashire in the UK took down the biggest title of his career when he scooped $200,000 and the European Open IV title last year. Slade ended up heads-up with 45-year-old Worcester internet sports trader Craig Burgess and both were regarded as outsiders on a final table that also included WSOP Europe winner Annette Obrestad, Juha Helppi, Ian Frazer and Josh Tyler.
PARTYPOKER.COM EUROPEAN OPEN IV – 3 Mills, London 1st-8th February 2008
1st Nick Slade $200,000
2nd Craig Burgess $100,000
3rd Ian Frazer $50,000
4th Annette Obrestad $30,000
5th Josh Tyler $25,000
6th Juha Helppi $20,000
PARTYPOKER EUROPEAN OPEN IV - CHIP COUNTS AT THE START OF THE FINAL TABLE
Ian Frazer – 469,000
Josh Tyler – 351,000
Annette Obrestad – 235,000
Nick Slade – 124,000
Juha Helppi – 114,000
Craig Burgess – 107,000
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London – 11th February 2009 – The PartyPoker.com European Open V runs until Friday 13 February.
Heat 11 is currently underway and features Annette Obrestad, Stuart Rutter, former champion Liam Flood, Christophe Haller, Paul Bracken and Richard Wheatley.
Amongst the players who signed up to play in the famous 72 runner $7,000 buy-in event include Roland de Wolfe, Vicky Coren, Juha Helppi, Ciaran O’Leary, Eoghan O’Dea, Ian Frazer, Surinder Sunar, Barny Boatman, James Akenhead, Padraig Parkinson, Julian Thew, Donnacha O’Dea, May Maceiras, Marc Goodwin, Thomas Bihl, Robin Keston, Neil Channing, Roberto Romanello and UK Open champion Michael Keiner.
The Matchroom Sport organized tournament features 12 six seat heats and two six seat turbo runner-up heats. There will be two seven seat semi finals and one six seat final. The top three players in each of the semi-finals take their chip stacks through to the final. The total prize pool is $504,000 with first place scooping $200,000. Coverage of the event will be first broadcast on Five in the UK and then distributed internationally. Coverage of the PartyPoker.com European Open is amongst the best distributed in the world and commentary will be led by the one and only Jesse May.
45-year-old Nick Slade, a professional from Preston, Lancashire in the UK took down the biggest title of his career when he scooped $200,000 and the European Open IV title last year. Slade ended up heads-up with 45-year-old Worcester internet sports trader Craig Burgess and both were regarded as outsiders on a final table that also included WSOP Europe winner Annette Obrestad, Juha Helppi, Ian Frazer and Josh Tyler.
PARTYPOKER.COM EUROPEAN OPEN IV – 3 Mills, London 1st-8th February 2008
1st Nick Slade $200,000
2nd Craig Burgess $100,000
3rd Ian Frazer $50,000
4th Annette Obrestad $30,000
5th Josh Tyler $25,000
6th Juha Helppi $20,000
PARTYPOKER EUROPEAN OPEN IV - CHIP COUNTS AT THE START OF THE FINAL TABLE
Ian Frazer – 469,000
Josh Tyler – 351,000
Annette Obrestad – 235,000
Nick Slade – 124,000
Juha Helppi – 114,000
Craig Burgess – 107,000
Casino News Media Profiles
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Poker News
Monday, February 16, 2009
European Open Semi Finals Set - 13th February 2009
The much coveted Party Poker European Open has been running heats in Maidstone for over a week now and we have finally reached the semi final stages after the heats and second chance turbo heats have run their course. The final three players from each heat will progress into the final with the chips they end their semi final on. Its a nice mix of old school and new school UK players with Bambos Charalambos, Neil Channing and Marc Goodwin representing the old guard and Karl Mahrenholz, Andy Ward and Roberto Romanello flying the flag for the new breed of poker players. They will play to a winner over the weekend with the eventual champion scooping $200,000.
SEMI-FINAL 1 – Thursday 12 February
SEAT 1 - Chris Bury
SEAT 2 - Bambos Charalambos
SEAT 3 - David Rudling
SEAT 4 - Karl Mahrenholz
SEAT 5 - Andy Ward
SEAT 6 – Marc Goodwin
SEAT 7 - Craig Burgess
SEMI-FINAL 2 – Friday 13 February
Neil Channing
Peter Wood
Paul Marrow
Soraya Homam
Christoph Haller
William Taylor
Roberto Romanelllo
Casino News Media Profiles
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PartyCasino.com
Poker News
The much coveted Party Poker European Open has been running heats in Maidstone for over a week now and we have finally reached the semi final stages after the heats and second chance turbo heats have run their course. The final three players from each heat will progress into the final with the chips they end their semi final on. Its a nice mix of old school and new school UK players with Bambos Charalambos, Neil Channing and Marc Goodwin representing the old guard and Karl Mahrenholz, Andy Ward and Roberto Romanello flying the flag for the new breed of poker players. They will play to a winner over the weekend with the eventual champion scooping $200,000.
SEMI-FINAL 1 – Thursday 12 February
SEAT 1 - Chris Bury
SEAT 2 - Bambos Charalambos
SEAT 3 - David Rudling
SEAT 4 - Karl Mahrenholz
SEAT 5 - Andy Ward
SEAT 6 – Marc Goodwin
SEAT 7 - Craig Burgess
SEMI-FINAL 2 – Friday 13 February
Neil Channing
Peter Wood
Paul Marrow
Soraya Homam
Christoph Haller
William Taylor
Roberto Romanelllo
Casino News Media Profiles
PartyPoker.com
PartyCasino.com
Poker News
888Poker Presents The "Bushfire Relief Charity Tournament"
Due to the tragic events caused by the bushfires in the Victoria region,
888 will be hosting the "Bushfire Relief Charity Tournament" to help
families in need. The No-Limit Texas Hold'em tournament will take place
on Sunday, February 22nd at 8:30pm AEDT. The buy-in for this tournament
will be $30 and all buy-ins (and re-buys) will be donated to the relief
efforts. Entrants to this special tournament will be playing for great
prizes donated by 888;
1st place: $500 US
2nd place: $300 US
3rd place: $200 US
4th-10th place: Free entry into the 888 NZ Poker Champs Sunday Qualifier
on March 1 ($120 Value)
As well as these great prizes, if you knock out 888 ambassadors Brendan
Fevola (bfevola25) or Jeff Fenech (fenech888) you will receive an $50
bounty prize (credited next day).
We hope you take this opportunity to Enjoy The Game while helping your
fellow Australian families during this difficult time. Thank you for
your support.
What: Tournament- "Bushfire Relief Charity Tournament"
Buy-in: $30 with optional $30 rebuys (all going to charity)
When: February 22nd @ 8:30pm AEDT
Charity: The Variety and Shane Warne Foundation Bushfire Relief Fund
Where: 888Poker
To download and join 888Poker please click on the link below:
Download here
We hope you take this opportunity to "Enjoy The Game" while helping your
fellow Australian families during this difficult time. Thank you for
your support
Media Man Australia Profiles
Pacific Poker
888
Poker News
Due to the tragic events caused by the bushfires in the Victoria region,
888 will be hosting the "Bushfire Relief Charity Tournament" to help
families in need. The No-Limit Texas Hold'em tournament will take place
on Sunday, February 22nd at 8:30pm AEDT. The buy-in for this tournament
will be $30 and all buy-ins (and re-buys) will be donated to the relief
efforts. Entrants to this special tournament will be playing for great
prizes donated by 888;
1st place: $500 US
2nd place: $300 US
3rd place: $200 US
4th-10th place: Free entry into the 888 NZ Poker Champs Sunday Qualifier
on March 1 ($120 Value)
As well as these great prizes, if you knock out 888 ambassadors Brendan
Fevola (bfevola25) or Jeff Fenech (fenech888) you will receive an $50
bounty prize (credited next day).
We hope you take this opportunity to Enjoy The Game while helping your
fellow Australian families during this difficult time. Thank you for
your support.
What: Tournament- "Bushfire Relief Charity Tournament"
Buy-in: $30 with optional $30 rebuys (all going to charity)
When: February 22nd @ 8:30pm AEDT
Charity: The Variety and Shane Warne Foundation Bushfire Relief Fund
Where: 888Poker
To download and join 888Poker please click on the link below:
Download here
We hope you take this opportunity to "Enjoy The Game" while helping your
fellow Australian families during this difficult time. Thank you for
your support
Media Man Australia Profiles
Pacific Poker
888
Poker News
WPT Invitational To Have Charitable Side, by Earl Burton - Poker News Daily - 13th February 2009
For the first time in the tournament’s seven year history, the 2009 World Poker Tour Invitational - which caps off the month long L. A. Poker Classic at the Commerce Casino on February 28th - will feature rebuys for the invite-only tournament that will entirely go to charity.
The WPT Invitational has become one of the signature stops on the tour since its inception. Drawing celebrities from the movie, music and television worlds, as well as the cream of the top professional poker players on the circuit, the tournament has traditionally been an event that is as much fun as it is a competition. In the announcement on Thursday, the WPT will add a charitable aspect to the proceedings by teaming up with actor Mekhi Phifer’s pet charity, The Vine Group USA.
For the first two hours of the start of the tournament at the end of the month, players will be able to rebuy back into the tournament for a minimum $200 donation. The entirety of these donations will be donated to Phifer’s TVG, a non-profit organization set up to provide educational assistance in the form of scholarships, textbooks, and technological equipment to academic institutions in various English-speaking countries in Africa.
During the announcement, Phifer - who serves as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the organization - stated, “The Vine Group USA is very pleased to partner with the World Poker Tour and Commerce Casino for the Invitational. This is an event that everyone loves to be a part of. Attendees will be able to have fun at the tables while learning about our organization and the important cause it supports.” Steve Lipscomb, the founder and CEO of the WPT, echoed Phifer’s statements when he commented, “The Invitational is always one of the most exciting and entertaining events on our schedule. It is the one event where celebrities gawk at poker players who gawk at celebrities.”
The change to the traditional freeze out tournament will certainly make for a different experience for those at the tables, admitted Lipscomb. “The rebuy factor will certainly add a whole new flavor to the WPT Invitational and we couldn’t be happier that it also supports a great organization like The Vine Group.”
Past tournaments have featured such celebrity poker players as actors Vince Vaughn, former California state poker champion Ben Affleck, Don Cheadle and PokerStars sponsored player Jason Alexander and actresses Mena Suvari, Camryn Manheim and Cheryl Hines, who starred in the poker-themed movie “The Grand.” Top pros make this a “must play” event on their schedules, with players such as Daniel Negreanu, Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, Jennifer Harman and 2006 WPT Invitational champion Barry Greenstein partaking of the festivities in the past few years.
The tournament, which awards the champion with a seat at the WPT Invitational at the Bellagio in April, will be a three day event. The players who survive the first day will return for action on March 1st and the final table is scheduled to be played out on March 2nd. Fans will be able to watch the action in two separate one hour segments of the broadcast of Season Seven action on Fox Sports Network in May. (Credit: Poker News Daily)
Media Man Australia Profiles
World Poker Tour
Poker News
For the first time in the tournament’s seven year history, the 2009 World Poker Tour Invitational - which caps off the month long L. A. Poker Classic at the Commerce Casino on February 28th - will feature rebuys for the invite-only tournament that will entirely go to charity.
The WPT Invitational has become one of the signature stops on the tour since its inception. Drawing celebrities from the movie, music and television worlds, as well as the cream of the top professional poker players on the circuit, the tournament has traditionally been an event that is as much fun as it is a competition. In the announcement on Thursday, the WPT will add a charitable aspect to the proceedings by teaming up with actor Mekhi Phifer’s pet charity, The Vine Group USA.
For the first two hours of the start of the tournament at the end of the month, players will be able to rebuy back into the tournament for a minimum $200 donation. The entirety of these donations will be donated to Phifer’s TVG, a non-profit organization set up to provide educational assistance in the form of scholarships, textbooks, and technological equipment to academic institutions in various English-speaking countries in Africa.
During the announcement, Phifer - who serves as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the organization - stated, “The Vine Group USA is very pleased to partner with the World Poker Tour and Commerce Casino for the Invitational. This is an event that everyone loves to be a part of. Attendees will be able to have fun at the tables while learning about our organization and the important cause it supports.” Steve Lipscomb, the founder and CEO of the WPT, echoed Phifer’s statements when he commented, “The Invitational is always one of the most exciting and entertaining events on our schedule. It is the one event where celebrities gawk at poker players who gawk at celebrities.”
The change to the traditional freeze out tournament will certainly make for a different experience for those at the tables, admitted Lipscomb. “The rebuy factor will certainly add a whole new flavor to the WPT Invitational and we couldn’t be happier that it also supports a great organization like The Vine Group.”
Past tournaments have featured such celebrity poker players as actors Vince Vaughn, former California state poker champion Ben Affleck, Don Cheadle and PokerStars sponsored player Jason Alexander and actresses Mena Suvari, Camryn Manheim and Cheryl Hines, who starred in the poker-themed movie “The Grand.” Top pros make this a “must play” event on their schedules, with players such as Daniel Negreanu, Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, Jennifer Harman and 2006 WPT Invitational champion Barry Greenstein partaking of the festivities in the past few years.
The tournament, which awards the champion with a seat at the WPT Invitational at the Bellagio in April, will be a three day event. The players who survive the first day will return for action on March 1st and the final table is scheduled to be played out on March 2nd. Fans will be able to watch the action in two separate one hour segments of the broadcast of Season Seven action on Fox Sports Network in May. (Credit: Poker News Daily)
Media Man Australia Profiles
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Sunday, February 15, 2009
NHL's defence of Sundin's PokerStars promotion is on shaky ground, By David Baines - Vancouver Sun - 14th February 2009
For several months now, hockey star Mats Sundin has been promoting a free, strictly-for-fun gambling website called PokerStars.net.
A television commercial shows him playing hockey, enthusiastically shooting the puck and decking opponents, interspersed with shots of him playing poker, enthusiastically trumping his opponents with aces and scooping up the spoils.
"Same buzz, different game," the commercial states, suggesting that playing poker can be as much fun as playing hockey.
When the commercial was made, Sundin was not signed with any NHL team. But he has since joined the Vancouver Canucks, and despite his return to professional hockey, the commercial is still playing.
Is there anything wrong with this?
Offering online gambling services for real cash is illegal in Canada and the United States. The U.S. Justice Department, in particular, has been waging war against companies that offer such services to U.S. citizens.
But PokerStars.net doesn't use real cash. It's strictly for fun. So technically speaking, it's legal. This is the argument the National Hockey League uses to defend Sundin's promotion of PokerStars.net.
"The NHL has no objection with Mats having a relationship with and endorsing the free, educational website PokerStars.net," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told me in an e-mail this week.
He added that "many of our Clubs have similar relationships." (The Toronto Maple Leafs, for one, have a sponsorship arrangement with PokerStars.net.)
On the other hand, he said, "We do not allow endorsement or sponsorship relationships with 'for money' gaming websites of any kind."
In my view, this is a specious argument. Industry experts agree the real purpose of these free "dot-net" gambling sites (nearly all the major online gambling companies have them) is to groom players for their "dot-com" cash gambling sites.
In this case, PokerStars.net serves as the introductory site for PokerStars.com, where the real business is transacted.
"Obviously, it makes a lot of sense," says Chris Costigan, founder and editor of Gambling911.com, a Miami-based firm that provides news about the online gambling industry. "Once people are on their dot-net site, the operators hope they can pull them into the real-cash poker site and get them to deposit real money."
For Costigan, there's nothing ambiguous about the link between the two: "These guys don't make money on free sites, they make money on the real cash sites. They wouldn't be in business if they just relied on their free websites."
Keep in mind that Costigan has nothing against online gambling, whether it's for free or for cash. In fact, he is in favour of legalizing it. All he is doing is stating the obvious, that the free sites are there to promote the cash sites.
So what we essentially have here is an NHL hockey player promoting for-cash Internet gambling, an activity that is illegal in both Canada and the United States, and the NHL turning a blind eye to it. (Where the Canucks stand is not clear. They did not return my calls on Thursday or Friday.)
Gambling is a regulated activity in most major countries for good reason. First, governments want to ensure the games are fair. Second, they want to ensure the people running the businesses are of good character, so that the companies aren't being used for illicit purposes such as laundering drug money. Third, they want to ensure that these businesses pay taxes, just like any other business.
In Canada, several land-based casino operators have sponsorship arrangements with NHL teams. The Canucks, for example, have a sponsorship arrangement with Richmond-based Great Canadian Gaming Corp. But these companies are fully licensed and regulated to do business in Canada.
At present, neither Canada nor the U.S. has licensed any private "for-cash" Internet gambling firms. That means anybody who offers such services in either country is acting illegally.
Still, PokerStars.com, like many other online gambling firms, continues to offer for-cash games to Canadian citizens. To date, the government has been loathe to intervene, mainly because many of these operators are located in the Kahnawake Reserve in Quebec, which native leaders consider to be sovereign soil. The government is not anxious to walk into another Oka-type confrontation.
All other operators are located in offshore tax and secrecy havens, such as Antigua and Costa Rica, which make prosecution problematic. (PokerStars -- both the dot-net and dot-com versions -- is located on the Isle of Man, and the majority owner is Isai Scheinberg of Israel.)
In the United States, however, it's been a different story. The U.S. Justice Department has been aggressively pursuing offshore operators that take bets from U.S. residents.
In July 2006, FBI agents arrested David Carruthers, chief executive officer of BetonSports Plc, a publicly traded British company that owns several Internet sportsbooks and casinos, at the Ft. Worth, Tex., airport. He was changing planes en route to Costa Rica, where BetonSports has operations. Ten other individuals and four companies were similarly indicted on 22 counts of racketeering, conspiracy and fraud.
In October 2006, the U.S. Congress, aiming to attack online gambling at its roots, passed legislation prohibiting U.S. financial institutions from processing credit card, cheque or electronic fund transfers for online betting.
In January 2007, John Lefebvre of Saltspring Island, founder of online money processor NETeller Inc., was arrested in Malibu by FBI agents and charged with conspiring to promote illegal gambling. His partner, Stephen Lawrence, was similarly charged.
Bodog, an Antigua-based online gambling empire formerly run by ex-Vancouver resident Calvin Ayre, has been under similar pressure. The U.S. Internal Revenue Service has seized $24 million of Bodog's funds from U.S. payment processors and is pressing for more. Concerned about possible indictment, Ayre does not dare step foot on U.S. soil.
In December, Anurag Dikshit, one of the founders of London-based Party Gaming PLC, entered into a plea bargain with the U.S. Justice Department for his participation in taking wagers from U.S. citizens. He agreed to pay a fine of $300 million, and still faces a possible jail sentence. His firm no longer takes bets from U.S. citizens.
Despite this strong response, PokerStars.com still takes bets from U.S. residents. In doing so, it is essentially thumbing its nose at U.S. authorities. (It also takes bets from Canadian residents, although authorities here have not publicly raised any concerns.)
This is the legal context in which our hockey star, Mats Sundin, is promoting this seemingly benign "educational" website. As in all forms of gambling -- whether based on land or in cyberspace, whether licensed or unlicensed -- there is also a moral context.
As Costigan notes, gambling for free naturally leads to gambling for cash, which can be a nasty business. It can take over people's lives. It can financially ruin people. It can wreck entire homes.
Why the NHL and apparently the Canucks allow Sundin, who is supposedly a role model for young people, to promote this potentially ruinous activity is beyond me. (Credit:
The Vancouver Sun)
Media Man Australia Profiles
Poker
PokerStars
Poker News
For several months now, hockey star Mats Sundin has been promoting a free, strictly-for-fun gambling website called PokerStars.net.
A television commercial shows him playing hockey, enthusiastically shooting the puck and decking opponents, interspersed with shots of him playing poker, enthusiastically trumping his opponents with aces and scooping up the spoils.
"Same buzz, different game," the commercial states, suggesting that playing poker can be as much fun as playing hockey.
When the commercial was made, Sundin was not signed with any NHL team. But he has since joined the Vancouver Canucks, and despite his return to professional hockey, the commercial is still playing.
Is there anything wrong with this?
Offering online gambling services for real cash is illegal in Canada and the United States. The U.S. Justice Department, in particular, has been waging war against companies that offer such services to U.S. citizens.
But PokerStars.net doesn't use real cash. It's strictly for fun. So technically speaking, it's legal. This is the argument the National Hockey League uses to defend Sundin's promotion of PokerStars.net.
"The NHL has no objection with Mats having a relationship with and endorsing the free, educational website PokerStars.net," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told me in an e-mail this week.
He added that "many of our Clubs have similar relationships." (The Toronto Maple Leafs, for one, have a sponsorship arrangement with PokerStars.net.)
On the other hand, he said, "We do not allow endorsement or sponsorship relationships with 'for money' gaming websites of any kind."
In my view, this is a specious argument. Industry experts agree the real purpose of these free "dot-net" gambling sites (nearly all the major online gambling companies have them) is to groom players for their "dot-com" cash gambling sites.
In this case, PokerStars.net serves as the introductory site for PokerStars.com, where the real business is transacted.
"Obviously, it makes a lot of sense," says Chris Costigan, founder and editor of Gambling911.com, a Miami-based firm that provides news about the online gambling industry. "Once people are on their dot-net site, the operators hope they can pull them into the real-cash poker site and get them to deposit real money."
For Costigan, there's nothing ambiguous about the link between the two: "These guys don't make money on free sites, they make money on the real cash sites. They wouldn't be in business if they just relied on their free websites."
Keep in mind that Costigan has nothing against online gambling, whether it's for free or for cash. In fact, he is in favour of legalizing it. All he is doing is stating the obvious, that the free sites are there to promote the cash sites.
So what we essentially have here is an NHL hockey player promoting for-cash Internet gambling, an activity that is illegal in both Canada and the United States, and the NHL turning a blind eye to it. (Where the Canucks stand is not clear. They did not return my calls on Thursday or Friday.)
Gambling is a regulated activity in most major countries for good reason. First, governments want to ensure the games are fair. Second, they want to ensure the people running the businesses are of good character, so that the companies aren't being used for illicit purposes such as laundering drug money. Third, they want to ensure that these businesses pay taxes, just like any other business.
In Canada, several land-based casino operators have sponsorship arrangements with NHL teams. The Canucks, for example, have a sponsorship arrangement with Richmond-based Great Canadian Gaming Corp. But these companies are fully licensed and regulated to do business in Canada.
At present, neither Canada nor the U.S. has licensed any private "for-cash" Internet gambling firms. That means anybody who offers such services in either country is acting illegally.
Still, PokerStars.com, like many other online gambling firms, continues to offer for-cash games to Canadian citizens. To date, the government has been loathe to intervene, mainly because many of these operators are located in the Kahnawake Reserve in Quebec, which native leaders consider to be sovereign soil. The government is not anxious to walk into another Oka-type confrontation.
All other operators are located in offshore tax and secrecy havens, such as Antigua and Costa Rica, which make prosecution problematic. (PokerStars -- both the dot-net and dot-com versions -- is located on the Isle of Man, and the majority owner is Isai Scheinberg of Israel.)
In the United States, however, it's been a different story. The U.S. Justice Department has been aggressively pursuing offshore operators that take bets from U.S. residents.
In July 2006, FBI agents arrested David Carruthers, chief executive officer of BetonSports Plc, a publicly traded British company that owns several Internet sportsbooks and casinos, at the Ft. Worth, Tex., airport. He was changing planes en route to Costa Rica, where BetonSports has operations. Ten other individuals and four companies were similarly indicted on 22 counts of racketeering, conspiracy and fraud.
In October 2006, the U.S. Congress, aiming to attack online gambling at its roots, passed legislation prohibiting U.S. financial institutions from processing credit card, cheque or electronic fund transfers for online betting.
In January 2007, John Lefebvre of Saltspring Island, founder of online money processor NETeller Inc., was arrested in Malibu by FBI agents and charged with conspiring to promote illegal gambling. His partner, Stephen Lawrence, was similarly charged.
Bodog, an Antigua-based online gambling empire formerly run by ex-Vancouver resident Calvin Ayre, has been under similar pressure. The U.S. Internal Revenue Service has seized $24 million of Bodog's funds from U.S. payment processors and is pressing for more. Concerned about possible indictment, Ayre does not dare step foot on U.S. soil.
In December, Anurag Dikshit, one of the founders of London-based Party Gaming PLC, entered into a plea bargain with the U.S. Justice Department for his participation in taking wagers from U.S. citizens. He agreed to pay a fine of $300 million, and still faces a possible jail sentence. His firm no longer takes bets from U.S. citizens.
Despite this strong response, PokerStars.com still takes bets from U.S. residents. In doing so, it is essentially thumbing its nose at U.S. authorities. (It also takes bets from Canadian residents, although authorities here have not publicly raised any concerns.)
This is the legal context in which our hockey star, Mats Sundin, is promoting this seemingly benign "educational" website. As in all forms of gambling -- whether based on land or in cyberspace, whether licensed or unlicensed -- there is also a moral context.
As Costigan notes, gambling for free naturally leads to gambling for cash, which can be a nasty business. It can take over people's lives. It can financially ruin people. It can wreck entire homes.
Why the NHL and apparently the Canucks allow Sundin, who is supposedly a role model for young people, to promote this potentially ruinous activity is beyond me. (Credit:
The Vancouver Sun)
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London analyst's advisory raises some intriguing possibilities
February 13, 2009 (InfoPowa News) -- A recommendation this week from a London analyst firm, Daniel Stewart & Company, that investors switch their holdings from PartyGaming to 888 has industry observers trying to second guess what may soon be in the corporate works.
The recommendation is based on the possibility that 888 is “likely” to consolidate or outsource its online poker interests in 2009, although little in the way of specifics is available. The analyst reports that 888 recently produced strong end-of-year accounts, but that poker revenues suffered, while PartyGaming continued to post mixed results with poker revenue falling but player numbers growing.
The Stewart note also reprised the optimistic note in a recent Ernst and Young assessment by advising that the gambling sector was outperforming the market, up 9.5 percent, with more to come. Other major online firms with poker interests remain on the "buy" recommendation list.
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February 13, 2009 (InfoPowa News) -- A recommendation this week from a London analyst firm, Daniel Stewart & Company, that investors switch their holdings from PartyGaming to 888 has industry observers trying to second guess what may soon be in the corporate works.
The recommendation is based on the possibility that 888 is “likely” to consolidate or outsource its online poker interests in 2009, although little in the way of specifics is available. The analyst reports that 888 recently produced strong end-of-year accounts, but that poker revenues suffered, while PartyGaming continued to post mixed results with poker revenue falling but player numbers growing.
The Stewart note also reprised the optimistic note in a recent Ernst and Young assessment by advising that the gambling sector was outperforming the market, up 9.5 percent, with more to come. Other major online firms with poker interests remain on the "buy" recommendation list.
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Friday, February 13, 2009
PartyPoker.com European Open V Live Reporting Continues...
***Coming soon: PartyPoker.com - The Big Game III – the famous 36 hour cash game. A preview can be seen at http://www.matchroompoker.com/promo-deniii.php The final of PartyPoker.com Women’s World Open II is broadcast on Five in the UK tonight at 00.05.***
London – 11th February 2009 – The PartyPoker.com European Open V runs until Friday 13 February. Live reporting for all the heats can be found at: http://www.matchroompokerforum.co.uk.
Heat 11 is currently underway and features Annette Obrestad, Stuart Rutter, former champion Liam Flood, Christophe Haller, Paul Bracken and Richard Wheatley.
Amongst the players who signed up to play in the famous 72 runner $7,000 buy-in event include Roland de Wolfe, Vicky Coren, Juha Helppi, Ciaran O’Leary, Eoghan O’Dea, Ian Frazer, Surinder Sunar, Barny Boatman, James Akenhead, Padraig Parkinson, Julian Thew, Donnacha O’Dea, May Maceiras, Marc Goodwin, Thomas Bihl, Robin Keston, Neil Channing, Roberto Romanello and UK Open champion Michael Keiner.
The Matchroom Sport organized tournament features 12 six seat heats and two six seat turbo runner-up heats. There will be two seven seat semi finals and one six seat final. The top three players in each of the semi-finals take their chip stacks through to the final. The total prize pool is $504,000 with first place scooping $200,000. Coverage of the event will be first broadcast on Five in the UK and then distributed internationally. Coverage of the PartyPoker.com European Open is amongst the best distributed in the world and commentary will be led by the one and only Jesse May.
45-year-old Nick Slade, a professional from Preston, Lancashire in the UK took down the biggest title of his career when he scooped $200,000 and the European Open IV title last year. Slade ended up heads-up with 45-year-old Worcester internet sports trader Craig Burgess and both were regarded as outsiders on a final table that also included WSOP Europe winner Annette Obrestad, Juha Helppi, Ian Frazer and Josh Tyler.
PARTYPOKER.COM EUROPEAN OPEN IV – 3 Mills, London 1st-8th February 2008
1st Nick Slade $200,000
2nd Craig Burgess $100,000
3rd Ian Frazer $50,000
4th Annette Obrestad $30,000
5th Josh Tyler $25,000
6th Juha Helppi $20,000
PARTYPOKER EUROPEAN OPEN IV - CHIP COUNTS AT THE START OF THE FINAL TABLE
Ian Frazer – 469,000
Josh Tyler – 351,000
Annette Obrestad – 235,000
Nick Slade – 124,000
Juha Helppi – 114,000
Craig Burgess – 107,000
Casino News Media Profiles
PartyPoker.com
PartyCasino.com
Poker News
***Coming soon: PartyPoker.com - The Big Game III – the famous 36 hour cash game. A preview can be seen at http://www.matchroompoker.com/promo-deniii.php The final of PartyPoker.com Women’s World Open II is broadcast on Five in the UK tonight at 00.05.***
London – 11th February 2009 – The PartyPoker.com European Open V runs until Friday 13 February. Live reporting for all the heats can be found at: http://www.matchroompokerforum.co.uk.
Heat 11 is currently underway and features Annette Obrestad, Stuart Rutter, former champion Liam Flood, Christophe Haller, Paul Bracken and Richard Wheatley.
Amongst the players who signed up to play in the famous 72 runner $7,000 buy-in event include Roland de Wolfe, Vicky Coren, Juha Helppi, Ciaran O’Leary, Eoghan O’Dea, Ian Frazer, Surinder Sunar, Barny Boatman, James Akenhead, Padraig Parkinson, Julian Thew, Donnacha O’Dea, May Maceiras, Marc Goodwin, Thomas Bihl, Robin Keston, Neil Channing, Roberto Romanello and UK Open champion Michael Keiner.
The Matchroom Sport organized tournament features 12 six seat heats and two six seat turbo runner-up heats. There will be two seven seat semi finals and one six seat final. The top three players in each of the semi-finals take their chip stacks through to the final. The total prize pool is $504,000 with first place scooping $200,000. Coverage of the event will be first broadcast on Five in the UK and then distributed internationally. Coverage of the PartyPoker.com European Open is amongst the best distributed in the world and commentary will be led by the one and only Jesse May.
45-year-old Nick Slade, a professional from Preston, Lancashire in the UK took down the biggest title of his career when he scooped $200,000 and the European Open IV title last year. Slade ended up heads-up with 45-year-old Worcester internet sports trader Craig Burgess and both were regarded as outsiders on a final table that also included WSOP Europe winner Annette Obrestad, Juha Helppi, Ian Frazer and Josh Tyler.
PARTYPOKER.COM EUROPEAN OPEN IV – 3 Mills, London 1st-8th February 2008
1st Nick Slade $200,000
2nd Craig Burgess $100,000
3rd Ian Frazer $50,000
4th Annette Obrestad $30,000
5th Josh Tyler $25,000
6th Juha Helppi $20,000
PARTYPOKER EUROPEAN OPEN IV - CHIP COUNTS AT THE START OF THE FINAL TABLE
Ian Frazer – 469,000
Josh Tyler – 351,000
Annette Obrestad – 235,000
Nick Slade – 124,000
Juha Helppi – 114,000
Craig Burgess – 107,000
Casino News Media Profiles
PartyPoker.com
PartyCasino.com
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Preventing Problem Gaming on the Internet, by Dan Cypra - Poker News Daily - 12th February 2009
Recently, Poker News Daily became aware of a study by Caroline Jawad and Stephen Griffiths that sought to find ways to curb problem gambling on the internet. The authors are giving readers of Poker News Daily a sneak preview as to what they can expect from their research as well as a chance to participate. Poker News Daily sat down with Jawad to learn more about her University of Wales research. Click here to participate.
Poker News Daily: Tell us how your research became focused on internet gambling.
Jawad: Gambling has been a popular source of entertainment for many centuries across many cultures. The emergence of internet gambling has been one of the most significant and controversial developments over the past two decades. Though clearly economically substantial, little is factually known about this sector, its customers, and its social and economic impacts. Online poker and electronic video-poker machines have become increasingly popular in recent years and players have begun to compete in online poker rooms.
Television stations regularly broadcast poker tournaments and the game has received substantial media coverage. But while the explosion in online gambling and online poker popularity has brought fame and fortune to some, it has brought addiction to others.
PND: Tell us about your study. What does it seeking to investigate and what methods are involved?
Jawad: Internet gaming is an industry of tremendous growth. Revenue has increased from $30 million in 1994 and, according to a PriceWaterhouseCoopers study, worldwide legal gambling revenues are set to reach $100 billion by the end of the decade. Online gambling revenues represent approximately 4% of the total global gaming market (Centre for Policy Initiatives 2004). The number of sites has increased from 30 in 1994 to over 2,000 in 2005 (GamCare, 2006).
However, there are many concerns related to the growth of internet gambling. I am trying to determine attitudes and awareness of responsible gambling and problem gambling with the help of readers of Poker News Daily. The ideal method would involve contacting a random sample of customers, most likely through e-mail, and requesting their consent to participate in an online survey. Another option is to include a link on a gaming site that asks customers to participate in a research study. While tentative approaches have been made to individual sites, it is anticipated that with the assistance of organizations promoting responsible gambling, a gaming site will approve such a link.
PND: Have other studies been done that are similar to yours? What have they found?
Jawad: A review of 60 popular internet poker, casino, and sports-betting sites revealed wide variations in the extent and types of player protection strategies (Wiebe, 2006). Information ranged from as little as a statement of age limits or a link to Gamblers Anonymous to self-exclusion options, an on-site counselor, and opportunities for setting time, money, and loss limits (Jawad, 2006, Wiebe 2006).
The independent online gambling authority, eCogra, released the results of its survey of online gamblers from 100 different countries in 2008. According to the survey, the typical online casino player was most likely to be female (54.8%), aged between 46 and 55 years old (29.5%), play two to three times per week (37.0%), and wager around $50 per session (18.1%). The survey found out that while women tend to spend more time playing at the internet casinos, they spend less money than men, who play for shorter periods of time, but more money.
The top three things people want in an online casino are good bonuses (76.2%), variety of games (62.0%), and different depositing methods (56.8%). The average online poker player is more likely to be male (73.8%), between 26 and 35 years-old (26.9%), plays two to three times per week (26.8%), and feels that there is more skill involved than luck (31.9%).
The available research offers little insight into the extent and nature of problems associated with internet gambling and the effectiveness of player protection options. Most information is based on general population prevalence studies. There is a lack of research that has investigated features of responsible gambling and their effectiveness. What little has been done has been either inconclusive or has only found partial support for their effectiveness (Blaszczynski, Sharpe and Walker 2001; Loba et al 2002; Schellinck and Schrans, 2002).
What is clear is that further research is urgently needed to investigate the applicability and the general effectiveness of responsible gambling features. This needs to be done in ecologically valid settings with the help of the operators and other industry stakeholders rather than in psychology laboratories at academic institutions. Only then can competent conclusions be reached regarding their role in social responsibility in the remote gambling environment.
PND: What do you expect to find when you’re done? Are there any preliminary results?
Jawad: My review of internet gambling and responsible gambling literature found disproportionately fewer studies addressing the issues of responsible gambling features. However, it has been argued that research does indicate optimism for the development and implementation of responsible gambling or safety features for new gambling technology (Peller, LaPlante and Shaffer, 2007). Unfortunately, the methodology of this research has been basic and limited in scope (Peller, LaPlante, and Shaffer, under review).
It is suggested that the history of safety features for other industries is that they become safer as they evolve and mature (Peller, LaPlante and Shaffer, 2007). For example, the effectiveness of automobile safety features has improved dramatically over time (Armes, 2005; Hasbrook, 1956). Empirical research investigating the causes of passenger injuries has been essential to improving the engineering of automobiles (Green and Woodrooffe, 2006; Motao, Cummings, Haitao, and Cook, 2007; Shladover and Tan, 2006; Woodruff and Gregory, 2005). Ultimately, the creation of parameters that promote safer gambling for new technologies will need to involve collaboration between researchers, industry officials, and policymakers. Informally, research participants have indicated that responsible gambling features only work for recreational and not problem gamblers. My research hopes to clearly identify features that players believe would work.
PND: How will you use the data and how is it presented at the end of the study?
Jawad: The data submitted will be totally anonymous, recorded securely, and submitted to the University of Wales. I hope the conclusions of my study will offer evidence-based recommendations that may assist organizations in targeting and designing prevention and education services that aid at-risk and problem gamblers.
The study will use qualitative methods which result in textual or narrative information that is either descriptive or subject to other forms of analysis. Quantitative research questions, unlike their qualitative counterparts, tend to be very specific in nature. Even appropriately conducted qualitative methods can be highly invasive. My qualitative research questions emphasize deriving an understanding of how responsible gambling can be perceived and constructed.
PND: How can the results of your study help poker players in the future?
Jawad: Gambling is a compulsive and potentially addictive activity. Societies have traditionally sought to control it proactively. For the majority of Internet gamblers including poker players, they are buying entertainment and having fun. To date, the available research offers little insight into the extent and nature of problems associated with Internet gambling and the effectiveness of protection options in helping players control themselves. Most information is based on general population prevalence studies. There is a distinct of lack of research that has investigated features of responsible gambling and their efficacy. What little has been done has been either inconclusive or has only found partial support for their effectiveness. It is hoped that the results of this study will inform players who might be having problems with their gambling.
Check out Jawad’s internet gambling study. (Credit: Poker News Daily)
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Poker News
Recently, Poker News Daily became aware of a study by Caroline Jawad and Stephen Griffiths that sought to find ways to curb problem gambling on the internet. The authors are giving readers of Poker News Daily a sneak preview as to what they can expect from their research as well as a chance to participate. Poker News Daily sat down with Jawad to learn more about her University of Wales research. Click here to participate.
Poker News Daily: Tell us how your research became focused on internet gambling.
Jawad: Gambling has been a popular source of entertainment for many centuries across many cultures. The emergence of internet gambling has been one of the most significant and controversial developments over the past two decades. Though clearly economically substantial, little is factually known about this sector, its customers, and its social and economic impacts. Online poker and electronic video-poker machines have become increasingly popular in recent years and players have begun to compete in online poker rooms.
Television stations regularly broadcast poker tournaments and the game has received substantial media coverage. But while the explosion in online gambling and online poker popularity has brought fame and fortune to some, it has brought addiction to others.
PND: Tell us about your study. What does it seeking to investigate and what methods are involved?
Jawad: Internet gaming is an industry of tremendous growth. Revenue has increased from $30 million in 1994 and, according to a PriceWaterhouseCoopers study, worldwide legal gambling revenues are set to reach $100 billion by the end of the decade. Online gambling revenues represent approximately 4% of the total global gaming market (Centre for Policy Initiatives 2004). The number of sites has increased from 30 in 1994 to over 2,000 in 2005 (GamCare, 2006).
However, there are many concerns related to the growth of internet gambling. I am trying to determine attitudes and awareness of responsible gambling and problem gambling with the help of readers of Poker News Daily. The ideal method would involve contacting a random sample of customers, most likely through e-mail, and requesting their consent to participate in an online survey. Another option is to include a link on a gaming site that asks customers to participate in a research study. While tentative approaches have been made to individual sites, it is anticipated that with the assistance of organizations promoting responsible gambling, a gaming site will approve such a link.
PND: Have other studies been done that are similar to yours? What have they found?
Jawad: A review of 60 popular internet poker, casino, and sports-betting sites revealed wide variations in the extent and types of player protection strategies (Wiebe, 2006). Information ranged from as little as a statement of age limits or a link to Gamblers Anonymous to self-exclusion options, an on-site counselor, and opportunities for setting time, money, and loss limits (Jawad, 2006, Wiebe 2006).
The independent online gambling authority, eCogra, released the results of its survey of online gamblers from 100 different countries in 2008. According to the survey, the typical online casino player was most likely to be female (54.8%), aged between 46 and 55 years old (29.5%), play two to three times per week (37.0%), and wager around $50 per session (18.1%). The survey found out that while women tend to spend more time playing at the internet casinos, they spend less money than men, who play for shorter periods of time, but more money.
The top three things people want in an online casino are good bonuses (76.2%), variety of games (62.0%), and different depositing methods (56.8%). The average online poker player is more likely to be male (73.8%), between 26 and 35 years-old (26.9%), plays two to three times per week (26.8%), and feels that there is more skill involved than luck (31.9%).
The available research offers little insight into the extent and nature of problems associated with internet gambling and the effectiveness of player protection options. Most information is based on general population prevalence studies. There is a lack of research that has investigated features of responsible gambling and their effectiveness. What little has been done has been either inconclusive or has only found partial support for their effectiveness (Blaszczynski, Sharpe and Walker 2001; Loba et al 2002; Schellinck and Schrans, 2002).
What is clear is that further research is urgently needed to investigate the applicability and the general effectiveness of responsible gambling features. This needs to be done in ecologically valid settings with the help of the operators and other industry stakeholders rather than in psychology laboratories at academic institutions. Only then can competent conclusions be reached regarding their role in social responsibility in the remote gambling environment.
PND: What do you expect to find when you’re done? Are there any preliminary results?
Jawad: My review of internet gambling and responsible gambling literature found disproportionately fewer studies addressing the issues of responsible gambling features. However, it has been argued that research does indicate optimism for the development and implementation of responsible gambling or safety features for new gambling technology (Peller, LaPlante and Shaffer, 2007). Unfortunately, the methodology of this research has been basic and limited in scope (Peller, LaPlante, and Shaffer, under review).
It is suggested that the history of safety features for other industries is that they become safer as they evolve and mature (Peller, LaPlante and Shaffer, 2007). For example, the effectiveness of automobile safety features has improved dramatically over time (Armes, 2005; Hasbrook, 1956). Empirical research investigating the causes of passenger injuries has been essential to improving the engineering of automobiles (Green and Woodrooffe, 2006; Motao, Cummings, Haitao, and Cook, 2007; Shladover and Tan, 2006; Woodruff and Gregory, 2005). Ultimately, the creation of parameters that promote safer gambling for new technologies will need to involve collaboration between researchers, industry officials, and policymakers. Informally, research participants have indicated that responsible gambling features only work for recreational and not problem gamblers. My research hopes to clearly identify features that players believe would work.
PND: How will you use the data and how is it presented at the end of the study?
Jawad: The data submitted will be totally anonymous, recorded securely, and submitted to the University of Wales. I hope the conclusions of my study will offer evidence-based recommendations that may assist organizations in targeting and designing prevention and education services that aid at-risk and problem gamblers.
The study will use qualitative methods which result in textual or narrative information that is either descriptive or subject to other forms of analysis. Quantitative research questions, unlike their qualitative counterparts, tend to be very specific in nature. Even appropriately conducted qualitative methods can be highly invasive. My qualitative research questions emphasize deriving an understanding of how responsible gambling can be perceived and constructed.
PND: How can the results of your study help poker players in the future?
Jawad: Gambling is a compulsive and potentially addictive activity. Societies have traditionally sought to control it proactively. For the majority of Internet gamblers including poker players, they are buying entertainment and having fun. To date, the available research offers little insight into the extent and nature of problems associated with Internet gambling and the effectiveness of protection options in helping players control themselves. Most information is based on general population prevalence studies. There is a distinct of lack of research that has investigated features of responsible gambling and their efficacy. What little has been done has been either inconclusive or has only found partial support for their effectiveness. It is hoped that the results of this study will inform players who might be having problems with their gambling.
Check out Jawad’s internet gambling study. (Credit: Poker News Daily)
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Wednesday, February 11, 2009
PKR Live to return to London this spring
10th February 2009
LONDON, England -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- PKR.com has announced that its hugely popular land based festival PKR Live will return to London's Loose Cannon this spring. Taking place between April 17-19, the highlight of the three day festival will be a $500 buy-in main event with an expected prize pool of $75,000.
The inaugural PKR Live took place in November 2008 and proved a huge hit with players coming from as far a field as Canada and Russia to meet the faces behind the avatars. The community spirit at the event was unparalleled, and was a recurring theme throughout the hundreds of positive player comments the event received. Such was the atmosphere, Stacked Magazine Editor Rick Dacey said: "I've been to tournaments in Monte Carlo and Las Vegas, the Bahamas and Barcelona, but I've never experienced such a sense of goodwill and enjoyment as I did at PKR Live."
Participation in PKR Live II is strictly limited to satellite qualifiers and invited guests. A range of satellites are now running at PKR.com, allowing players to win $1,000 packages that include buy-ins to all three tournaments running over the weekend. $600 'seat only' packages – providing entry to all PKR Live II tournaments only – are also available. The complete satellite structure can be viewed here.
Simon Prodger, Marketing Director at PKR.com said, "We're delighted to announce our return to the live arena! PKR Live was great fun to be a part of and showed that PKR has the most vibrant poker community anywhere online. We look forward to providing another 150 of our players with a weekend to remember!"
A full list of player comments following the first PKR Live can be found in the PKR Live forum thread, and official photos can be viewed in the online gallery.
Feedback from PKR Live
Here's what some of the PKR.com users had to say about the event:
"Firstly, can I pass on a massive THANK YOU to everyone involved at PKR for organising such an excellent weekend of poker. This event was truly TOP CLASS. I can honestly say it was absolutely faultless, and I enjoyed every minute." Catweasil
"The PKR Staff rocked, the dealers were fantastic and the PKR players were unbelievable. This was my first live event and the players made me feel so comfortable all hint of nerves were gone." MRDICKIE
"One of the best live events I have ever been to, with undoubtedly the best people and atmosphere of the lot!" Soosick
"PKR Live was a massive success…the event was a triumph for COMMUNITY" Azurecoil "Best weekend I have had in agessssssssssssssssss. It was fun to finally put some faces to some of the amazing characters who play on this site!" theruffler
"PKR live was as good as......Hhhmmm, No, BETTER than... SEX!!!" eyesofgreen
"A fantastic event, great poker, bad beats, sick moves, scantily clad promo girls, massage girls, alcohol (aplenty), chocolate and chipsets all rolled into 1 weekend what more could you ask for?" rockafellagio
"3 cheers for PKR, long live PKR!!!!... a well organised, well structured and just a simply great event." callmebabe
"Massive thanks to PKR for an awesome weekend, was a pleasure to meet and play against so many friendly people." Mafio
"What a great weekend from start to finish. I didn't do that well in any off the events but enjoyed every minute of poker I played." Rockafella
"Had an awesome time at PKR Live. Great organisation, great location and a great tournament setup! Met some nice people and had lots of fun, Love to be there next year again!" FabFreddy8
"I had an awesome time and want to say thank you to everyone involved, the players and staff. PKR for life!" NutterzUK
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10th February 2009
LONDON, England -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- PKR.com has announced that its hugely popular land based festival PKR Live will return to London's Loose Cannon this spring. Taking place between April 17-19, the highlight of the three day festival will be a $500 buy-in main event with an expected prize pool of $75,000.
The inaugural PKR Live took place in November 2008 and proved a huge hit with players coming from as far a field as Canada and Russia to meet the faces behind the avatars. The community spirit at the event was unparalleled, and was a recurring theme throughout the hundreds of positive player comments the event received. Such was the atmosphere, Stacked Magazine Editor Rick Dacey said: "I've been to tournaments in Monte Carlo and Las Vegas, the Bahamas and Barcelona, but I've never experienced such a sense of goodwill and enjoyment as I did at PKR Live."
Participation in PKR Live II is strictly limited to satellite qualifiers and invited guests. A range of satellites are now running at PKR.com, allowing players to win $1,000 packages that include buy-ins to all three tournaments running over the weekend. $600 'seat only' packages – providing entry to all PKR Live II tournaments only – are also available. The complete satellite structure can be viewed here.
Simon Prodger, Marketing Director at PKR.com said, "We're delighted to announce our return to the live arena! PKR Live was great fun to be a part of and showed that PKR has the most vibrant poker community anywhere online. We look forward to providing another 150 of our players with a weekend to remember!"
A full list of player comments following the first PKR Live can be found in the PKR Live forum thread, and official photos can be viewed in the online gallery.
Feedback from PKR Live
Here's what some of the PKR.com users had to say about the event:
"Firstly, can I pass on a massive THANK YOU to everyone involved at PKR for organising such an excellent weekend of poker. This event was truly TOP CLASS. I can honestly say it was absolutely faultless, and I enjoyed every minute." Catweasil
"The PKR Staff rocked, the dealers were fantastic and the PKR players were unbelievable. This was my first live event and the players made me feel so comfortable all hint of nerves were gone." MRDICKIE
"One of the best live events I have ever been to, with undoubtedly the best people and atmosphere of the lot!" Soosick
"PKR Live was a massive success…the event was a triumph for COMMUNITY" Azurecoil "Best weekend I have had in agessssssssssssssssss. It was fun to finally put some faces to some of the amazing characters who play on this site!" theruffler
"PKR live was as good as......Hhhmmm, No, BETTER than... SEX!!!" eyesofgreen
"A fantastic event, great poker, bad beats, sick moves, scantily clad promo girls, massage girls, alcohol (aplenty), chocolate and chipsets all rolled into 1 weekend what more could you ask for?" rockafellagio
"3 cheers for PKR, long live PKR!!!!... a well organised, well structured and just a simply great event." callmebabe
"Massive thanks to PKR for an awesome weekend, was a pleasure to meet and play against so many friendly people." Mafio
"What a great weekend from start to finish. I didn't do that well in any off the events but enjoyed every minute of poker I played." Rockafella
"Had an awesome time at PKR Live. Great organisation, great location and a great tournament setup! Met some nice people and had lots of fun, Love to be there next year again!" FabFreddy8
"I had an awesome time and want to say thank you to everyone involved, the players and staff. PKR for life!" NutterzUK
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Doyle Brunson Comments on Michael Phelps Marijuana Incident, by Tom Jenkins - Poker News Daily - 10th February 2009
In his most recent blog post, ten time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Doyle Brunson spoke out about the pictures that surfaced showing U.S. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps using a bong at a party in South Carolina in November. Phelps had been the darling of the poker world following his record-breaking performance in Beijing in 2008.
Brunson shared his views on the pictures, which originally surfaced in a British newspaper: “Michael Phelps is getting a lot of flak about his picture smoking dope. It’s too bad. He is a nice kid, but he has to realize his every move is scrutinized and he can’t make mistakes like that.” In August, just weeks after Phelps won eight gold medals for the United States in the summer Olympics, the Asian Poker Tour invited the star to play in its Macau event. Phelps, who was a short plane ride away from the gambling Mecca, did not publicly respond to the invitation.
The poker world’s fascination with Phelps began when he told the Baltimore Sun newspaper, his hometown periodical, “I think it would be cool to play in the World Series of Poker. My game is a little off right now, so I’ll have to start improving it a little bit. But I think that would be cool, and it would be cool to meet some of those poker guys.” This prompted a tidal wave of Phelps-related poker press. In September, Betfair, the presenting sponsor of the World Series of Poker Europe in London, invited Phelps to play in its £10,000 buy-in Main Event free of charge. However, Phelps once again was a no show.
During the same month, it was revealed that Brunson had dinner with Phelps and a few of his friends along with poker pros Hoyt Corkins, Jennifer Harman, Marco Traniello, and Todd Brunson. The Brunson father/son team and Corkins are pros that can regularly be found playing on the Cake Poker Network site Doyle’s Room, which led many to believe that Phelps was on the verge of signing with the online poker room. However, no such agreement took place between Phelps and any site.
In October, rumors were swirling around the World Poker Tour’s Festa al Lago event that Phelps would enter it. On Day 1A of the tournament, he was paraded around by Ultimate Bet pro Phil Hellmuth, who introduced the swimming star to major personalities in the poker world. Phelps was in town allegedly to attend the opening of the Real Deal poker stage show at The Venetian. However, Phelps was nowhere to be found at its premiere. Instead, he was competing at the Caesars Classic a few doors down. The Real Deal shut its doors in December.
Poker and Phelps were once again linked in November. On the same night that the CBS News program “60 Minutes” aired a segment about the online poker cheating scandals on Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker, a feature on Phelps also hit the airwaves as the final story of the night. The show aired on the Sunday of Thanksgiving Day weekend. The segment on the online poker incidents questioned why WSOP Main Event Champion Russ Hamilton was not prosecuted despite being named as the mastermind behind the Ultimate Bet wrongdoings. Hamilton recently ducked a Raw Vegas reporter’s questions outside of a Las Vegas golf course. Layne Flack was with Hamilton at the time of the incident.
Phelps has lost numerous endorsements as a result of his alleged marijuana use, including Kellogg’s. Brunson commented, “He has lost lots of money because he has lost some major endorsement deals. I think Michael will get back on track. Remember, he is a 23 year-old kid.” According to the Sun, Phelps has not decided whether he will compete in the 2012 Olympics, which will be held in London. He is in the midst of serving a three month ban from competitive swimming for his actions. (Credit: Poker News Daily)
Media Man Australia Profiles
Doyle Brunson
World Series of Poker
Poker
Poker News
In his most recent blog post, ten time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Doyle Brunson spoke out about the pictures that surfaced showing U.S. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps using a bong at a party in South Carolina in November. Phelps had been the darling of the poker world following his record-breaking performance in Beijing in 2008.
Brunson shared his views on the pictures, which originally surfaced in a British newspaper: “Michael Phelps is getting a lot of flak about his picture smoking dope. It’s too bad. He is a nice kid, but he has to realize his every move is scrutinized and he can’t make mistakes like that.” In August, just weeks after Phelps won eight gold medals for the United States in the summer Olympics, the Asian Poker Tour invited the star to play in its Macau event. Phelps, who was a short plane ride away from the gambling Mecca, did not publicly respond to the invitation.
The poker world’s fascination with Phelps began when he told the Baltimore Sun newspaper, his hometown periodical, “I think it would be cool to play in the World Series of Poker. My game is a little off right now, so I’ll have to start improving it a little bit. But I think that would be cool, and it would be cool to meet some of those poker guys.” This prompted a tidal wave of Phelps-related poker press. In September, Betfair, the presenting sponsor of the World Series of Poker Europe in London, invited Phelps to play in its £10,000 buy-in Main Event free of charge. However, Phelps once again was a no show.
During the same month, it was revealed that Brunson had dinner with Phelps and a few of his friends along with poker pros Hoyt Corkins, Jennifer Harman, Marco Traniello, and Todd Brunson. The Brunson father/son team and Corkins are pros that can regularly be found playing on the Cake Poker Network site Doyle’s Room, which led many to believe that Phelps was on the verge of signing with the online poker room. However, no such agreement took place between Phelps and any site.
In October, rumors were swirling around the World Poker Tour’s Festa al Lago event that Phelps would enter it. On Day 1A of the tournament, he was paraded around by Ultimate Bet pro Phil Hellmuth, who introduced the swimming star to major personalities in the poker world. Phelps was in town allegedly to attend the opening of the Real Deal poker stage show at The Venetian. However, Phelps was nowhere to be found at its premiere. Instead, he was competing at the Caesars Classic a few doors down. The Real Deal shut its doors in December.
Poker and Phelps were once again linked in November. On the same night that the CBS News program “60 Minutes” aired a segment about the online poker cheating scandals on Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker, a feature on Phelps also hit the airwaves as the final story of the night. The show aired on the Sunday of Thanksgiving Day weekend. The segment on the online poker incidents questioned why WSOP Main Event Champion Russ Hamilton was not prosecuted despite being named as the mastermind behind the Ultimate Bet wrongdoings. Hamilton recently ducked a Raw Vegas reporter’s questions outside of a Las Vegas golf course. Layne Flack was with Hamilton at the time of the incident.
Phelps has lost numerous endorsements as a result of his alleged marijuana use, including Kellogg’s. Brunson commented, “He has lost lots of money because he has lost some major endorsement deals. I think Michael will get back on track. Remember, he is a 23 year-old kid.” According to the Sun, Phelps has not decided whether he will compete in the 2012 Olympics, which will be held in London. He is in the midst of serving a three month ban from competitive swimming for his actions. (Credit: Poker News Daily)
Media Man Australia Profiles
Doyle Brunson
World Series of Poker
Poker
Poker News
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
888 Holdings 4th Quarter Figures Bad, January Good - 5th February 2009
The online poker craze appears to be going off the boil judging by 888 Holdings's fourth quarter figures, though the online gaming firm said its full-year 2008 earnings should meet market expectations, according to Thursday's Sharecast.
"The upbeat nature of 888's statement seems to have rubbed off on rivals PartyGaming, which is sharply higher ahead of a trading update tomorrow, while bookie William Hill also advances."
But have no fear say 888 Holdings company officials, and the market responded.
Shares in 888 Holdings rise 6.9 percent to 105 pence after the online gaming group says January revenues grew following the tough final quarter of 2008 which saw operating income fall 8 percent due to the impact of the weak pound and the economic downturn.
Encouragingly, January has started well, with net gaming revenue up 10 percent ... though given the weak fourth quarter -- with customers in core products down as well as more currency-led spend -- it is difficult to be confident of upgrades,' Collins Stewart analysts say. (Credit: Gambling911.com)
Media Man Australia Profiles
888
PartyGaming
Poker News
The online poker craze appears to be going off the boil judging by 888 Holdings's fourth quarter figures, though the online gaming firm said its full-year 2008 earnings should meet market expectations, according to Thursday's Sharecast.
"The upbeat nature of 888's statement seems to have rubbed off on rivals PartyGaming, which is sharply higher ahead of a trading update tomorrow, while bookie William Hill also advances."
But have no fear say 888 Holdings company officials, and the market responded.
Shares in 888 Holdings rise 6.9 percent to 105 pence after the online gaming group says January revenues grew following the tough final quarter of 2008 which saw operating income fall 8 percent due to the impact of the weak pound and the economic downturn.
Encouragingly, January has started well, with net gaming revenue up 10 percent ... though given the weak fourth quarter -- with customers in core products down as well as more currency-led spend -- it is difficult to be confident of upgrades,' Collins Stewart analysts say. (Credit: Gambling911.com)
Media Man Australia Profiles
888
PartyGaming
Poker News
The 2009 Canadian Open Poker Championships to be Held May 13-17 in Calgary - 9th February 2009
The Canadian Poker Tour, owned and operated by HeadsUp Entertainment International Inc. (PINK SHEETS: HDUP), is proud to announce details of the 2009 Canadian Open Poker Championships. The event will be held May 13-17th, 2009 at the new Stampede Casino in downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada. A total of 5 events will take place and will again this year feature a $5000 buy in Heads Up Main Event. Last year international professional poker players from around the world played in what has been branded the best structured heads up event in the world. "If only the NBC Invitational or World Series of Poker formats were half this good," commented 2005 WSOP Main event winner Joe Hachem. The Main Event will feature 128 players playing best 2 out of 3 with $10,000 in starting chips and 20 minute blinds.
In 2008, pros and celebrities such as Jennifer Tilly, Phil Laak, Antonio Esfandiari, Gavin Smith, Brad Booth and winner Huckleberry Seed all came to participate in one of Canada's premier televised poker events and this year is shaping up to be bigger and better. "The Canadian Open rocks!" stated poker pro Phil Laak known around the world as "The Unibomber", "I can't wait to come back."
With a total estimated prize pool of over $1,000,000 for the series of events, Calgary will be the centre of the poker universe during this week that is also known for its big money cash games running around the clock. Known for hosting its spectacular parties at major events, the Canadian Poker Tour will be announcing details of "The Ultimate Player's Party" to be held the night of Wednesday May 13 when brackets will be drawn for the main event.
As an officially sanctioned Canadian Poker Tour event, money winners in all 5 tournaments will earn valuable player points towards the CPT's Player's Point Championships to be held at the end of the year, crowning Canada's premier poker player. For more details please refer to www.canadianpokertour.tv or find out more in the February/March issue of Canadian Poker Player Magazine.
Registration for all events will be available next week through www.ticketmaster.ca or call the Stampede Poker room at 403-514-7058 directly. Satellite tournaments will be held daily until the event and details on online satellite qualifying will be announced later this week. For additional information please contact the Canadian Poker Tour offices at 403-269-9039.
Event Outline
Monday, May 11th - Main Event Satellites.
$65 Buy-in ($55+$10) @ 12pm. 1 for every 10 players will qualify for 7pm
satellite.
$550 Buy-in ($520+$30) @ 7pm. 1 for every 10 players will qualify for
Heads-up Main Event.
Tuesday, May 12th - Main Event Satellites.
$65 Buy-in ($55+$10) @ 12pm. 1 for every 10 players will qualify for 7pm
satellite.
$550 Buy-in ($520+$30) @ 7pm. 1 for every 10 players will qualify for
Heads-up Main Event.
Wednesday, May 13th - Event #1 - No Limit Hold'em - One day event @ 12pm.
$550 Buy-in ($500+$50) - 5000 in starting chips.
Thursday, May 14th - 29th - Event #2 - Main Event Heads-up Championship.
$5000 Buy-in ($4600+$400) - Maximum 128 players
Best 2 out of 3 match play. 10,000 in starting chips for each game.
---Bracket Drawing - Wednesday, May 13th. 10pm @ C.P.T. Ultimate Players
Party.
Friday, May 15th - Event #3 - Pot Limit Omaha - One day event @ 4pm.
$200 buy-in with $100 re-buys and $100 optional add-on.
Saturday, May 16th - Event #4 - No Limit Hold'em - One day event @ 2pm.
$1100 Buy-in ($1000+$100) - 10000 in starting chips.
Sunday, May 17th - Event #5 - No Limit Hold'em - One day event @ 12pm.
$550 Buy-in ($500+$50) - 5000 in starting chips.
Media Man Australia Profiles
Canadian Poker
Canadian Gaming
Poker
Poker News
The Canadian Poker Tour, owned and operated by HeadsUp Entertainment International Inc. (PINK SHEETS: HDUP), is proud to announce details of the 2009 Canadian Open Poker Championships. The event will be held May 13-17th, 2009 at the new Stampede Casino in downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada. A total of 5 events will take place and will again this year feature a $5000 buy in Heads Up Main Event. Last year international professional poker players from around the world played in what has been branded the best structured heads up event in the world. "If only the NBC Invitational or World Series of Poker formats were half this good," commented 2005 WSOP Main event winner Joe Hachem. The Main Event will feature 128 players playing best 2 out of 3 with $10,000 in starting chips and 20 minute blinds.
In 2008, pros and celebrities such as Jennifer Tilly, Phil Laak, Antonio Esfandiari, Gavin Smith, Brad Booth and winner Huckleberry Seed all came to participate in one of Canada's premier televised poker events and this year is shaping up to be bigger and better. "The Canadian Open rocks!" stated poker pro Phil Laak known around the world as "The Unibomber", "I can't wait to come back."
With a total estimated prize pool of over $1,000,000 for the series of events, Calgary will be the centre of the poker universe during this week that is also known for its big money cash games running around the clock. Known for hosting its spectacular parties at major events, the Canadian Poker Tour will be announcing details of "The Ultimate Player's Party" to be held the night of Wednesday May 13 when brackets will be drawn for the main event.
As an officially sanctioned Canadian Poker Tour event, money winners in all 5 tournaments will earn valuable player points towards the CPT's Player's Point Championships to be held at the end of the year, crowning Canada's premier poker player. For more details please refer to www.canadianpokertour.tv or find out more in the February/March issue of Canadian Poker Player Magazine.
Registration for all events will be available next week through www.ticketmaster.ca or call the Stampede Poker room at 403-514-7058 directly. Satellite tournaments will be held daily until the event and details on online satellite qualifying will be announced later this week. For additional information please contact the Canadian Poker Tour offices at 403-269-9039.
Event Outline
Monday, May 11th - Main Event Satellites.
$65 Buy-in ($55+$10) @ 12pm. 1 for every 10 players will qualify for 7pm
satellite.
$550 Buy-in ($520+$30) @ 7pm. 1 for every 10 players will qualify for
Heads-up Main Event.
Tuesday, May 12th - Main Event Satellites.
$65 Buy-in ($55+$10) @ 12pm. 1 for every 10 players will qualify for 7pm
satellite.
$550 Buy-in ($520+$30) @ 7pm. 1 for every 10 players will qualify for
Heads-up Main Event.
Wednesday, May 13th - Event #1 - No Limit Hold'em - One day event @ 12pm.
$550 Buy-in ($500+$50) - 5000 in starting chips.
Thursday, May 14th - 29th - Event #2 - Main Event Heads-up Championship.
$5000 Buy-in ($4600+$400) - Maximum 128 players
Best 2 out of 3 match play. 10,000 in starting chips for each game.
---Bracket Drawing - Wednesday, May 13th. 10pm @ C.P.T. Ultimate Players
Party.
Friday, May 15th - Event #3 - Pot Limit Omaha - One day event @ 4pm.
$200 buy-in with $100 re-buys and $100 optional add-on.
Saturday, May 16th - Event #4 - No Limit Hold'em - One day event @ 2pm.
$1100 Buy-in ($1000+$100) - 10000 in starting chips.
Sunday, May 17th - Event #5 - No Limit Hold'em - One day event @ 12pm.
$550 Buy-in ($500+$50) - 5000 in starting chips.
Media Man Australia Profiles
Canadian Poker
Canadian Gaming
Poker
Poker News
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Friday, February 06, 2009
DoylesRoom Joins Cake Poker Network, Announces Launch Party Weekend
Doors open to all players from North American and all around the world
February 4, 2009 (InfoPowa News) -- DoylesRoom.com today announced the worldwide launch of their online poker room on the Cake Poker Network. Since their launch in 2004, the Cake Poker Network has experienced exponential growth and now ranks in the top three networks that accept all players on a worldwide basis. "We wanted to offer our players a rewarding place to play and the liquidity and integrity associated with the Cake Poker Network made this an easy choice for our new partnership," says Doyle Brunson, ten-time WSOP Champion and the most storied and influential force in the world of poker.
DoylesRoom is wasting no time in getting down to business on their new network. With doors open to all players from North America and across the globe, DoylesRoom will christen the action with a $5,000 Launch Party Freeroll at 5pm ET on Saturday, January 31st. Poker players won’t have much time to rest as exactly 24 hours later, DoylesRoom will host a $100,000 Guaranteed No-Limit Texas Hold’em tournament with a reduced-fee buy-in of $150+$12 at 5pm on Sunday, February 1st. Visit www.DoylesRoom.com for details.
With this blockbuster move to the world’s hottest poker network, DoylesRoom is more committed than ever to poker players from every corner of the planet. Bigger guarantees, more players, and ironclad integrity and security backed by the most respected name in the gaming industry.
For more information about the only online poker room to proudly bear the legendary Doyle Brunson’s name and to download the software for free visit DoylesRoom at http://www.doylesroom.com.
About DoylesRoom.com:
Online since 2004, DoylesRoom (http://www.doylesroom.com) is the only online poker site endorsed by poker legend Doyle Brunson. Poker players from North America and around the world can compete for the biggest stakes on the web or sharpen their poker skills while playing Texas Hold‘em and other popular games for free. With free poker software, lessons, tournaments, a slew of sit and gos, and all games available at all limits, DoylesRoom is the preeminent poker destination for real live game play—online or anywhere. For the latest updates visit www.doylebrunson.com.
Media Man Australia Profiles
DoylesRoom
Doyle Brunson
World Series of Poker
Poker News
Doors open to all players from North American and all around the world
February 4, 2009 (InfoPowa News) -- DoylesRoom.com today announced the worldwide launch of their online poker room on the Cake Poker Network. Since their launch in 2004, the Cake Poker Network has experienced exponential growth and now ranks in the top three networks that accept all players on a worldwide basis. "We wanted to offer our players a rewarding place to play and the liquidity and integrity associated with the Cake Poker Network made this an easy choice for our new partnership," says Doyle Brunson, ten-time WSOP Champion and the most storied and influential force in the world of poker.
DoylesRoom is wasting no time in getting down to business on their new network. With doors open to all players from North America and across the globe, DoylesRoom will christen the action with a $5,000 Launch Party Freeroll at 5pm ET on Saturday, January 31st. Poker players won’t have much time to rest as exactly 24 hours later, DoylesRoom will host a $100,000 Guaranteed No-Limit Texas Hold’em tournament with a reduced-fee buy-in of $150+$12 at 5pm on Sunday, February 1st. Visit www.DoylesRoom.com for details.
With this blockbuster move to the world’s hottest poker network, DoylesRoom is more committed than ever to poker players from every corner of the planet. Bigger guarantees, more players, and ironclad integrity and security backed by the most respected name in the gaming industry.
For more information about the only online poker room to proudly bear the legendary Doyle Brunson’s name and to download the software for free visit DoylesRoom at http://www.doylesroom.com.
About DoylesRoom.com:
Online since 2004, DoylesRoom (http://www.doylesroom.com) is the only online poker site endorsed by poker legend Doyle Brunson. Poker players from North America and around the world can compete for the biggest stakes on the web or sharpen their poker skills while playing Texas Hold‘em and other popular games for free. With free poker software, lessons, tournaments, a slew of sit and gos, and all games available at all limits, DoylesRoom is the preeminent poker destination for real live game play—online or anywhere. For the latest updates visit www.doylebrunson.com.
Media Man Australia Profiles
DoylesRoom
Doyle Brunson
World Series of Poker
Poker News
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Barney Frank to Reintroduce Internet Gambling Legislation, by Dan Cypra - Poker News Daily - 4th February 2009
In an interview with the Financial Times this week, it was revealed that Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) will reintroduce legislation favorable to internet gambling “in the next few weeks.” During the previous Congress, Frank introduced HR 2046, the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act, which established a full licensing and regulatory framework for the industry in the United States.
Steven Adamske, Press Secretary for Congressman Frank, confirmed to Poker News Daily the timeline of a few weeks, although would not unearth specifics of the bill. The lawmaker from Massachusetts and Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee told the Financial Times, “I expect an Obama DoJ to be less zealous about locking people up. These outrageous arrests in transit – they should be stopping that stuff.” Frank alludes to the arrests of BetOnSports executive David Carruthers and others that occurred following the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in late 2006.
The Financial Times added that “public opinion was demanding the right to gamble online,” which served as the impetus behind Frank’s decision to reintroduce legislation. The proposed bill may take on a similar form to HR 2046, which offered licensing opportunities for companies to solicit U.S. customers. It was officially introduced on April 26, 2007 and referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection. Frank’s bill stood at 48 Co-Sponsors at the end of the 2008 calendar year, including Shelley Berkley (D-NV), Peter King (R-NY), Jim McDermott (D-WA), Ron Paul (R-TX), and Robert Wexler (D-FL). Since it was not acted on during the 2008 Congressional session, it must now be reintroduced for consideration.
On Wednesday morning, the House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law held a hearing on a remedy for so-called “midnight rules,” which is the term given to regulations created at the last minute by outgoing Presidential administrations. Among the various rules created in the waning moments of the Bush Administration were the regulations of the UIGEA. Frank told the Financial Times that the UIGEA regulations may be “included among the measures Congress will look to rescind.” The new Congress is overwhelmingly Democratic.
HR 2046 included a provision that would have allowed professional sports leagues to opt out. League commissioners had 90 days from the date of enactment of HR 2046 in order to express their desire to be exempt. A study by PricewaterHouse Coopers estimated that up to $40 billion could be generated from the internet gambling industry over a 10 year period. However, the figure’s actual total hinged on whether all sports leagues would opt out as well as whether states would embrace internet gambling. Fantasy sports have an explicit exemption from the UIGEA.
The UIGEA regulations were officially enacted on January 19th, 2009, one day prior to the swearing in of President Barack Obama. The financial services industry must come into full compliance by December 1st, 2009, about one year after the regulations were approved by the U.S. Treasury and White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). At issue in November was the role of William Wichterman, a Special Assistant to former President George W. Bush. Wichterman was a lobbyist for the National Football League (NFL) as late as 2008. Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN) authored a letter to the White House Counsel questioning his influence in pushing the UIGEA regulations through to fruition.
Other bills that may see similar versions reintroduced during the 2009 Congress include the Skill Game Protection Act, which was proposed by Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL). The bill would have exempted poker, mah jong, bridge, and other player versus player games from all federal legislation, including both the UIGEA and Wire Act of 1961. Shelley Berkley introduced the Internet Gambling Study Act, which attracted 73 Co-Sponsors. The legislation called for the examination of regulation of the industry as well as the effects of the UIGEA.
The passage of the UIGEA caused mammoth online poker rooms such as Party Gaming’s PartyPoker, Pacific Poker, and Mansion to vacate the U.S. market. A variety of payment processors also departed, including Neteller and Citadel Commerce, with many players having money tied up in the former. All told, despite its vagueness, the UIGEA’s effects have been long-lasting in the United States. The effect that its regulations will have on the industry remains unknown. (Credit: Poker News Daily)
Media Man Australia Profiles
Poker
Poker News
In an interview with the Financial Times this week, it was revealed that Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) will reintroduce legislation favorable to internet gambling “in the next few weeks.” During the previous Congress, Frank introduced HR 2046, the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act, which established a full licensing and regulatory framework for the industry in the United States.
Steven Adamske, Press Secretary for Congressman Frank, confirmed to Poker News Daily the timeline of a few weeks, although would not unearth specifics of the bill. The lawmaker from Massachusetts and Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee told the Financial Times, “I expect an Obama DoJ to be less zealous about locking people up. These outrageous arrests in transit – they should be stopping that stuff.” Frank alludes to the arrests of BetOnSports executive David Carruthers and others that occurred following the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in late 2006.
The Financial Times added that “public opinion was demanding the right to gamble online,” which served as the impetus behind Frank’s decision to reintroduce legislation. The proposed bill may take on a similar form to HR 2046, which offered licensing opportunities for companies to solicit U.S. customers. It was officially introduced on April 26, 2007 and referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection. Frank’s bill stood at 48 Co-Sponsors at the end of the 2008 calendar year, including Shelley Berkley (D-NV), Peter King (R-NY), Jim McDermott (D-WA), Ron Paul (R-TX), and Robert Wexler (D-FL). Since it was not acted on during the 2008 Congressional session, it must now be reintroduced for consideration.
On Wednesday morning, the House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law held a hearing on a remedy for so-called “midnight rules,” which is the term given to regulations created at the last minute by outgoing Presidential administrations. Among the various rules created in the waning moments of the Bush Administration were the regulations of the UIGEA. Frank told the Financial Times that the UIGEA regulations may be “included among the measures Congress will look to rescind.” The new Congress is overwhelmingly Democratic.
HR 2046 included a provision that would have allowed professional sports leagues to opt out. League commissioners had 90 days from the date of enactment of HR 2046 in order to express their desire to be exempt. A study by PricewaterHouse Coopers estimated that up to $40 billion could be generated from the internet gambling industry over a 10 year period. However, the figure’s actual total hinged on whether all sports leagues would opt out as well as whether states would embrace internet gambling. Fantasy sports have an explicit exemption from the UIGEA.
The UIGEA regulations were officially enacted on January 19th, 2009, one day prior to the swearing in of President Barack Obama. The financial services industry must come into full compliance by December 1st, 2009, about one year after the regulations were approved by the U.S. Treasury and White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). At issue in November was the role of William Wichterman, a Special Assistant to former President George W. Bush. Wichterman was a lobbyist for the National Football League (NFL) as late as 2008. Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN) authored a letter to the White House Counsel questioning his influence in pushing the UIGEA regulations through to fruition.
Other bills that may see similar versions reintroduced during the 2009 Congress include the Skill Game Protection Act, which was proposed by Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL). The bill would have exempted poker, mah jong, bridge, and other player versus player games from all federal legislation, including both the UIGEA and Wire Act of 1961. Shelley Berkley introduced the Internet Gambling Study Act, which attracted 73 Co-Sponsors. The legislation called for the examination of regulation of the industry as well as the effects of the UIGEA.
The passage of the UIGEA caused mammoth online poker rooms such as Party Gaming’s PartyPoker, Pacific Poker, and Mansion to vacate the U.S. market. A variety of payment processors also departed, including Neteller and Citadel Commerce, with many players having money tied up in the former. All told, despite its vagueness, the UIGEA’s effects have been long-lasting in the United States. The effect that its regulations will have on the industry remains unknown. (Credit: Poker News Daily)
Media Man Australia Profiles
Poker
Poker News
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Bluff Online Poker Challenge Begins March 1st, by Dan Cypra - Poker News Daily - 3rd February 2009
Thirty days, two-hundred dollars, one goal in mind: Grace the cover of Bluff Magazine. The stars will be out in force for the Bluff Online Poker Challenge, which kicks off on March 1st on Lock Poker. Some of the top (and sometimes controversial) online poker players in the world have already signed up, including Josh “JJProdigy” Fields and Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi.
Each contestant in the Bluff Online Poker Challenge begins with a bankroll of $200. They have exactly 30 days, beginning on March 1st, to build up their bankroll. The player who posts the best mark at the end of the 30 day period will be featured on the cover of the Atlanta-based magazine. The only caveats are that players may not hit the cash game felts and no reloading is allowed. Participants in the challenge may only play in sit and go tournaments and multi-table tournaments.
Eric Morris, Co-Founder of Bluff, commented in a press release, “We wanted to find a way to recognize the best players online and give them a real challenge. By putting the winner on the cover of Bluff, we’re not only recognizing the achievement, but also giving the players something to play for.” Fields’ presence should create quite a buzz. Nearly three years ago, he was found to be multi-accounting on PartyPoker using the screen name ABlackCar. It was then revealed that he was also just 16 years-old, well below the minimum age to play on many of the world’s online poker sites.
Mizzi chopped the PaddyPower Irish Open in 2007, officially taking third place for $280,000. He finished as the runner up to Theo Jorgensen in a £5,000 Pot Limit Omaha tournament held during the 2008 World Series of Poker Europe festivities for $240,000. Late last year, he won a $3,000 No Limit Hold’em preliminary event held during the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic in Las Vegas. This past weekend, the Team Betfair member finished third in the $200 rebuy on PokerStars for $23,000 and took second in the Absolute Poker $100,000 Pro Bounty in November for the same amount.
Also slated to participate is Poker News Daily columnist Eric “Rizen” Lynch, an instructor for popular poker training site PokerXFactor.com. Lynch made a deep run in the 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, finishing 24th out of nearly 9,000 people for $494,000; the tournament was eventually won by Jamie Gold. One year later, he finished second to Scott “BigRiskky” Clements in a $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha tournament for $119,000. Clements is a two-time WSOP bracelet holder; both pieces of hardware have come in Omaha tournaments.
Jeff “Yellowsub” Williams, who will also be participating in the Bluff promotion, took second in a $1,000 rebuy tournament held as part of the 2008 WSOP schedule in a tournament that was won by Michael Banducci, who goes by the name worldsgrtest in the online poker world. Williams is best known for winning the 2006 running of the European Poker Tour (EPT) Monte Carlo Grand Final, amassing over $1 million in winnings. That tournament featured a star-studded final ten players who included Canadian Tony Karam, Ross Boatman, Marcel Luske, and Thomas Wahlroos.
Garrett “GBecks” Beckman finished 31st in the 2008 WSOP Main Event for $193,000. He’s also racked up a series of impressive cashes online, where he goes by the name GBecks. He took second in the Full Tilt Poker $750K Guaranteed in June for $80,000 and won the $150 rebuy on the same online poker site in October for $57,000. Joining him will be Phil “USCphildo” Collins, who has posted wins in the high-stakes Full Tilt $1K Monday tournament as well as the PokerStars $100 rebuy.
Brett “bhanks11” Hanks, Maria Ho, Soren Kongsgaard, Jon “apestyles” Van Fleet, Brian “SNo0oWMAN” Hawkins, Adam “a_junglen” Junglen, Matt “Plattsburgh” Vengrin, Russell “rdcrsn” Carson, Brett “gank” Jungblut, Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad, and Ari “Bodog Ari” Engel are also confirmed.
One final player will have the opportunity to participate in the Bluff Online Poker Challenge. Between now and the end of February, the player who racks up the most Frequent Player Points on LockPoker will be invited to battle it out with online poker’s elite. (Credit: Poker News Daily)
Media Man Australia Profiles
Poker
World Series of Poker
Poker News
Thirty days, two-hundred dollars, one goal in mind: Grace the cover of Bluff Magazine. The stars will be out in force for the Bluff Online Poker Challenge, which kicks off on March 1st on Lock Poker. Some of the top (and sometimes controversial) online poker players in the world have already signed up, including Josh “JJProdigy” Fields and Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi.
Each contestant in the Bluff Online Poker Challenge begins with a bankroll of $200. They have exactly 30 days, beginning on March 1st, to build up their bankroll. The player who posts the best mark at the end of the 30 day period will be featured on the cover of the Atlanta-based magazine. The only caveats are that players may not hit the cash game felts and no reloading is allowed. Participants in the challenge may only play in sit and go tournaments and multi-table tournaments.
Eric Morris, Co-Founder of Bluff, commented in a press release, “We wanted to find a way to recognize the best players online and give them a real challenge. By putting the winner on the cover of Bluff, we’re not only recognizing the achievement, but also giving the players something to play for.” Fields’ presence should create quite a buzz. Nearly three years ago, he was found to be multi-accounting on PartyPoker using the screen name ABlackCar. It was then revealed that he was also just 16 years-old, well below the minimum age to play on many of the world’s online poker sites.
Mizzi chopped the PaddyPower Irish Open in 2007, officially taking third place for $280,000. He finished as the runner up to Theo Jorgensen in a £5,000 Pot Limit Omaha tournament held during the 2008 World Series of Poker Europe festivities for $240,000. Late last year, he won a $3,000 No Limit Hold’em preliminary event held during the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic in Las Vegas. This past weekend, the Team Betfair member finished third in the $200 rebuy on PokerStars for $23,000 and took second in the Absolute Poker $100,000 Pro Bounty in November for the same amount.
Also slated to participate is Poker News Daily columnist Eric “Rizen” Lynch, an instructor for popular poker training site PokerXFactor.com. Lynch made a deep run in the 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, finishing 24th out of nearly 9,000 people for $494,000; the tournament was eventually won by Jamie Gold. One year later, he finished second to Scott “BigRiskky” Clements in a $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha tournament for $119,000. Clements is a two-time WSOP bracelet holder; both pieces of hardware have come in Omaha tournaments.
Jeff “Yellowsub” Williams, who will also be participating in the Bluff promotion, took second in a $1,000 rebuy tournament held as part of the 2008 WSOP schedule in a tournament that was won by Michael Banducci, who goes by the name worldsgrtest in the online poker world. Williams is best known for winning the 2006 running of the European Poker Tour (EPT) Monte Carlo Grand Final, amassing over $1 million in winnings. That tournament featured a star-studded final ten players who included Canadian Tony Karam, Ross Boatman, Marcel Luske, and Thomas Wahlroos.
Garrett “GBecks” Beckman finished 31st in the 2008 WSOP Main Event for $193,000. He’s also racked up a series of impressive cashes online, where he goes by the name GBecks. He took second in the Full Tilt Poker $750K Guaranteed in June for $80,000 and won the $150 rebuy on the same online poker site in October for $57,000. Joining him will be Phil “USCphildo” Collins, who has posted wins in the high-stakes Full Tilt $1K Monday tournament as well as the PokerStars $100 rebuy.
Brett “bhanks11” Hanks, Maria Ho, Soren Kongsgaard, Jon “apestyles” Van Fleet, Brian “SNo0oWMAN” Hawkins, Adam “a_junglen” Junglen, Matt “Plattsburgh” Vengrin, Russell “rdcrsn” Carson, Brett “gank” Jungblut, Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad, and Ari “Bodog Ari” Engel are also confirmed.
One final player will have the opportunity to participate in the Bluff Online Poker Challenge. Between now and the end of February, the player who racks up the most Frequent Player Points on LockPoker will be invited to battle it out with online poker’s elite. (Credit: Poker News Daily)
Media Man Australia Profiles
Poker
World Series of Poker
Poker News
WSOP Tunica Championship Event Kicks off Today, by Tom Jenkins - Poker News Daily - 2nd February 2009
The Deep South plays host to another high stakes tournament this week. Fresh off the conclusion of the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Southern Poker Championship, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit Event Championship begins today. Harrah’s Casino in Tunica plays host this time around to some of poker’s top players.
Last month, the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi was the site of the WPT festivities, which saw Allen “AawwNutz” Carter take home $1 million for the win. Two weeks later, the action moves north to Tunica, located just outside of Memphis, Tennessee. The $5,150 buy-in WSOP Circuit Event Championship begins today and will crown a champion on Wednesday. Each player will begin with 20,000 chips and the blind levels will last for 40 minutes. Each level is followed by a 15 minute break and play will occur on Monday until the final 27 remain. On Tuesday, the survivors will return to Harrah’s to determine a final table. A winner will be named on Wednesday.
A total of 15 events comprise the WSOP schedule in Tunica. In the $340 buy-in opening No Limit Hold’em tournament, Ronald Sewell defeated a field of 540 entrants en route to a $37,000 payday. Sewell defeated Mark “Pegasus” Smith heads-up; the runner up took home $18,000 for his efforts. Event #2, another $340 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event, was taken down by Perry Ernest, who blazed through 446 players and walked away with $32,000. Vincent Meeks finished second in that tournament and earned $16,000.
Event #3 kicked off on January 22nd. At the end of the two day tournament, Michael Ratcliff earned $37,000 for his win in the $340 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament, besting Kevin Miles, who pocketed an $18,000 consolation prize. In the tournament series’ first $540 buy-in tournament, Reginald Roberts outlasted a field of 469 players. In the end, Roberts battled against Scotty Carroll, who amassed $29,000 for his second place showing. Event #5 saw Nic Vita and Ethan Foulkes duel heads-up, with the former winning $65,000 for first. The event attracted a healthy 905 entrants, the largest turnout in an event so far.
Event #6 was a $440 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament in which Mark Fleddermann won his second WSOP Circuit Event title. In 2005, he tasted victory in a $1,500 No Limit event in Tunica for $118,000, outlasting a final table that included poker pro Mark Seif. The $230 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament (Event #7), as expected, had a sizable field, as 621 players took to the felts at Harrah’s. The contest’s finale saw Kevin Waldie defeat Robert Castoire, with the pair taking home $30,000 and $15,000, respectively.
Dennis Booze was the talk of the town in Event #8, a $230 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament. Booze won $22,000 for his efforts, twice as much as Michael McKee, whom he beat heads-up; a total of 470 entrants turned out. It was Booze’s third WSOP Circuit Event final table; the other two came at Harrah’s New Orleans and Caesars Indiana (now Horseshoe Indiana).
Many poker players will recall Ken Smith’s run through the 2007 WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas. Smith finished 50th in the $10,000 buy-in tournament for $190,000. In Event #9 at Harrah’s Tunica, he was back to his winning ways, emerging victorious atop the field for $26,000. In the subsequent $440 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament, another Ken, Kenny Long, defeated a field of 316 poker hopefuls. Long won $30,000, besting a player who got his start in the Deep South, Team PokerStars Pro and 2003 WSOP Main Event Champion Chris Moneymaker.
Mike Carter defeated Sean McMahon in a $550 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament. The event, #11, drew 416 entries, including former WSOP Circuit Event winner Allen Kessler, who finished in ninth place. The final preliminary event completed prior to Monday’s start of the $5,150 feature tournament saw Justin Truesdell (truesyalose online) defeat Chris Love for a first place prize of $77,000.
The “Shuffle Up and Deal” order for the Main Event will be issued at Noon Central Time today. (Credit: Poker News Daily)
Media Man Australia Profiles
World Series of Poker
Poker News
The Deep South plays host to another high stakes tournament this week. Fresh off the conclusion of the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Southern Poker Championship, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit Event Championship begins today. Harrah’s Casino in Tunica plays host this time around to some of poker’s top players.
Last month, the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi was the site of the WPT festivities, which saw Allen “AawwNutz” Carter take home $1 million for the win. Two weeks later, the action moves north to Tunica, located just outside of Memphis, Tennessee. The $5,150 buy-in WSOP Circuit Event Championship begins today and will crown a champion on Wednesday. Each player will begin with 20,000 chips and the blind levels will last for 40 minutes. Each level is followed by a 15 minute break and play will occur on Monday until the final 27 remain. On Tuesday, the survivors will return to Harrah’s to determine a final table. A winner will be named on Wednesday.
A total of 15 events comprise the WSOP schedule in Tunica. In the $340 buy-in opening No Limit Hold’em tournament, Ronald Sewell defeated a field of 540 entrants en route to a $37,000 payday. Sewell defeated Mark “Pegasus” Smith heads-up; the runner up took home $18,000 for his efforts. Event #2, another $340 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event, was taken down by Perry Ernest, who blazed through 446 players and walked away with $32,000. Vincent Meeks finished second in that tournament and earned $16,000.
Event #3 kicked off on January 22nd. At the end of the two day tournament, Michael Ratcliff earned $37,000 for his win in the $340 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament, besting Kevin Miles, who pocketed an $18,000 consolation prize. In the tournament series’ first $540 buy-in tournament, Reginald Roberts outlasted a field of 469 players. In the end, Roberts battled against Scotty Carroll, who amassed $29,000 for his second place showing. Event #5 saw Nic Vita and Ethan Foulkes duel heads-up, with the former winning $65,000 for first. The event attracted a healthy 905 entrants, the largest turnout in an event so far.
Event #6 was a $440 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament in which Mark Fleddermann won his second WSOP Circuit Event title. In 2005, he tasted victory in a $1,500 No Limit event in Tunica for $118,000, outlasting a final table that included poker pro Mark Seif. The $230 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament (Event #7), as expected, had a sizable field, as 621 players took to the felts at Harrah’s. The contest’s finale saw Kevin Waldie defeat Robert Castoire, with the pair taking home $30,000 and $15,000, respectively.
Dennis Booze was the talk of the town in Event #8, a $230 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament. Booze won $22,000 for his efforts, twice as much as Michael McKee, whom he beat heads-up; a total of 470 entrants turned out. It was Booze’s third WSOP Circuit Event final table; the other two came at Harrah’s New Orleans and Caesars Indiana (now Horseshoe Indiana).
Many poker players will recall Ken Smith’s run through the 2007 WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas. Smith finished 50th in the $10,000 buy-in tournament for $190,000. In Event #9 at Harrah’s Tunica, he was back to his winning ways, emerging victorious atop the field for $26,000. In the subsequent $440 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament, another Ken, Kenny Long, defeated a field of 316 poker hopefuls. Long won $30,000, besting a player who got his start in the Deep South, Team PokerStars Pro and 2003 WSOP Main Event Champion Chris Moneymaker.
Mike Carter defeated Sean McMahon in a $550 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament. The event, #11, drew 416 entries, including former WSOP Circuit Event winner Allen Kessler, who finished in ninth place. The final preliminary event completed prior to Monday’s start of the $5,150 feature tournament saw Justin Truesdell (truesyalose online) defeat Chris Love for a first place prize of $77,000.
The “Shuffle Up and Deal” order for the Main Event will be issued at Noon Central Time today. (Credit: Poker News Daily)
Media Man Australia Profiles
World Series of Poker
Poker News
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
CAP Euro London "Biggest Affiliate Event Ever"
Industry-leading iGaming Affiliate Directory CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com Announces Success in Latest Affiliate Conference, Reported to be the Biggest Yet
February 3, 2009 (CAP Newswire) -- CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com ("CAP"), the world’s largest and longest-running affiliate marketing directory for the online gaming industry, has announced that this year’s CAP Euro London, which just wrapped up in London on Sunday, was a huge success, and the company's largest ever event.
"With more than 1,600 people in attendance -- almost double last year’s turnout -- this year's CAP Euro London was our biggest and most successful event yet," commented Alex Pratt, an organizer of the event. “Even more importantly, these numbers make this not only the biggest affiliate conference ever to be held in Europe, but also the biggest iGaming affiliate event of all time, period!
"And so far the feedback has been excellent," continued Mr. Pratt. "We've been receiving rave reviews about everything from the speakers and discussion panels, to the venue and parties."
Taking place over the weekend of January 30 to February 1 at the award-winning Novotel London hotel, CAP Euro London is CAP’s flagship conference, and has come to be known as the iGaming affiliate marketing world’s signature event.
In addition to offering CAP’s renowned brand of business networking, online marketing speaker sessions, and after-hours socializing, CAP Euro London kicked off with the hotly anticipated 2009 CAP Awards — the second annual awards celebration celebrating the most successful and innovative members of the worldwide iGaming affiliate industry, as voted upon by the community.
"We couldn’t be prouder to report our most successful affiliate conference yet -- especially in light of a number of international threats to our industry, as represented by UIGEA and similar legislation around the globe," stated Lou Fabiano, the founder and president of CAP. “This was a very positive, even historic moment for our industry, bringing the affiliate community together in larger-than-ever numbers.
"Given that fact, it's a shame that some websites, in an attempt to ramp up their site visits via spreading salacious rumors, have chosen to take the low road, falsely depicting CAP Euro in a negative light instead of reporting on the truly groundbreaking and historic nature of this event.
“But we want to remind all CAP community members that, because of the success we all continue to share, we’ll inevitably continue to be a target for lesser, envious parties. Let’s not let that take away from all our success, and let’s not allow it to dampen the spirit of celebration we’ve all worked so hard to achieve.”
Up next on the schedule of CAP events is the popular CAP Spring Break, held this year in sunny Cancun, Mexico. And following that is the all-new CAP Euro Amsterdam conference, scheduled for April 30 through May 3 in Amsterdam.
The upcoming Amsterdam event is predicted to raise the CAP Euro stakes even higher. The conference is being planned in partnership with Affiliates4u’s upcoming Amsterdam Expo, and organizers expect more than 2,000 people to be in attendance.
More than 50 exhibitors are already lined up for CAP Euro Amsterdam, including PartyPartners, Betway, TwoLinx, Affiliate SpeedPay, Commission Warehouse, 888.com, Slotland, Hollywood Affiliates, CentreBet, C-Planet, Mamma Mia, Betfair, Referback, Intertops, Rome Casino, Chilli Poker, Kharma Partners, Unibet, Scratch2Cash, Tower Affiliates, PokerHeaven, DevilFish Poker, Lucky 18 Casino, Bet365, Partnerlogic, Ladbrokes, BetUS, ChipLeader, SlotoCash, Europa Point Services, Cake Poker, Boyle Sports, Communicator Corp, PokerStars, Ned Affiliates, Expekt, SportingBet, William Hill Online, Playshare, Smart Live Affiliates, Wager Share, Prime Partners, EGO, Villento, Full Tilt Poker, Red Returns, Vegas Affiliates, and many others.
Please visit the CAP events website at http://www.casinoaffiliateprograms.com/events for further details on CAP Euro London, CAP Euro Amsterdam, and CAP Spring Break. (Credit: CAP)
Media Man Australia Profiles
CAP Euro
Casino Affiliates
Online Casino News
Casino News
Industry-leading iGaming Affiliate Directory CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com Announces Success in Latest Affiliate Conference, Reported to be the Biggest Yet
February 3, 2009 (CAP Newswire) -- CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com ("CAP"), the world’s largest and longest-running affiliate marketing directory for the online gaming industry, has announced that this year’s CAP Euro London, which just wrapped up in London on Sunday, was a huge success, and the company's largest ever event.
"With more than 1,600 people in attendance -- almost double last year’s turnout -- this year's CAP Euro London was our biggest and most successful event yet," commented Alex Pratt, an organizer of the event. “Even more importantly, these numbers make this not only the biggest affiliate conference ever to be held in Europe, but also the biggest iGaming affiliate event of all time, period!
"And so far the feedback has been excellent," continued Mr. Pratt. "We've been receiving rave reviews about everything from the speakers and discussion panels, to the venue and parties."
Taking place over the weekend of January 30 to February 1 at the award-winning Novotel London hotel, CAP Euro London is CAP’s flagship conference, and has come to be known as the iGaming affiliate marketing world’s signature event.
In addition to offering CAP’s renowned brand of business networking, online marketing speaker sessions, and after-hours socializing, CAP Euro London kicked off with the hotly anticipated 2009 CAP Awards — the second annual awards celebration celebrating the most successful and innovative members of the worldwide iGaming affiliate industry, as voted upon by the community.
"We couldn’t be prouder to report our most successful affiliate conference yet -- especially in light of a number of international threats to our industry, as represented by UIGEA and similar legislation around the globe," stated Lou Fabiano, the founder and president of CAP. “This was a very positive, even historic moment for our industry, bringing the affiliate community together in larger-than-ever numbers.
"Given that fact, it's a shame that some websites, in an attempt to ramp up their site visits via spreading salacious rumors, have chosen to take the low road, falsely depicting CAP Euro in a negative light instead of reporting on the truly groundbreaking and historic nature of this event.
“But we want to remind all CAP community members that, because of the success we all continue to share, we’ll inevitably continue to be a target for lesser, envious parties. Let’s not let that take away from all our success, and let’s not allow it to dampen the spirit of celebration we’ve all worked so hard to achieve.”
Up next on the schedule of CAP events is the popular CAP Spring Break, held this year in sunny Cancun, Mexico. And following that is the all-new CAP Euro Amsterdam conference, scheduled for April 30 through May 3 in Amsterdam.
The upcoming Amsterdam event is predicted to raise the CAP Euro stakes even higher. The conference is being planned in partnership with Affiliates4u’s upcoming Amsterdam Expo, and organizers expect more than 2,000 people to be in attendance.
More than 50 exhibitors are already lined up for CAP Euro Amsterdam, including PartyPartners, Betway, TwoLinx, Affiliate SpeedPay, Commission Warehouse, 888.com, Slotland, Hollywood Affiliates, CentreBet, C-Planet, Mamma Mia, Betfair, Referback, Intertops, Rome Casino, Chilli Poker, Kharma Partners, Unibet, Scratch2Cash, Tower Affiliates, PokerHeaven, DevilFish Poker, Lucky 18 Casino, Bet365, Partnerlogic, Ladbrokes, BetUS, ChipLeader, SlotoCash, Europa Point Services, Cake Poker, Boyle Sports, Communicator Corp, PokerStars, Ned Affiliates, Expekt, SportingBet, William Hill Online, Playshare, Smart Live Affiliates, Wager Share, Prime Partners, EGO, Villento, Full Tilt Poker, Red Returns, Vegas Affiliates, and many others.
Please visit the CAP events website at http://www.casinoaffiliateprograms.com/events for further details on CAP Euro London, CAP Euro Amsterdam, and CAP Spring Break. (Credit: CAP)
Media Man Australia Profiles
CAP Euro
Casino Affiliates
Online Casino News
Casino News
Poker Mayhem in London as Affiliates Involved in Brawl - Gambling911.com - 30th January 2009
The award-winning Novotel London West in Hammersmith, West London, was the scene of a massive brawl late Friday involving members of two different online poker affiliate groups. Police were called to the scene to disperse the crowd. Some witnesses were now telling Gambling911.com that a GPWA member, Steven Corfman, had been assaulted.
A heated argument ensued between organizers of Casino Affiliate Programs (CAP) and the Gambling Portal Webmasters Association has broken out in the London hotel where a CAP affiliate event was taking place.
"The details are still sketchy but apparently the show organizers instructed security to remove GPWA staff from the hotel (not the show) by any means necessary," the website Poker Affiliates Listings reported on Friday evening. "Apparently Steven Corfman (a member of the GPWA team) took the brunt of it and was assaulted in front of everybody by security in the lobby while being screamed at by CAP staff."
"I was unfortunately in my room when this happened," a terrified attendee relayed on the PAL forum. "I came down to the lobby and it was a massive panic. People were yelling and the Professor (Lou Fabiono) was screaming at J Todd (GPWA) to 'step outside and fight him' in front of us all. I am not going back into the show."
A month long feud has taken place on public message boards involving CAP and GPWA organizers with accusations that CAP was running a "rogue" online poker room called CardSpike.com.
ACPW, which is operated by the Gambling Portal Webmasters Association, reported that Lou Fabiono (organizer of CAP) asked ACPW's J. Todd to step outside to "settle this like men".
"Todd asked Lou if he was sure about it and Lou said lets go, so they start walking to the door. An affiliate manager got in front of them and told Todd it was not a good idea and Todd agreed. Lou however did not, it took a couple of people to calm Lou down. Warren showed up and told Todd he would never threaten him and shook Todd's hand."
Fabiono has a heart condition. Security may have been responsible for any injuries sustained by Steven Corfman, son of GPWA organizer, Michael Corfman.
(Picture is depiction based on reported events.) (Credit: Gambling911.com)
Media Man Australia Profiles
CAP Euro
Poker News
Casino News
The award-winning Novotel London West in Hammersmith, West London, was the scene of a massive brawl late Friday involving members of two different online poker affiliate groups. Police were called to the scene to disperse the crowd. Some witnesses were now telling Gambling911.com that a GPWA member, Steven Corfman, had been assaulted.
A heated argument ensued between organizers of Casino Affiliate Programs (CAP) and the Gambling Portal Webmasters Association has broken out in the London hotel where a CAP affiliate event was taking place.
"The details are still sketchy but apparently the show organizers instructed security to remove GPWA staff from the hotel (not the show) by any means necessary," the website Poker Affiliates Listings reported on Friday evening. "Apparently Steven Corfman (a member of the GPWA team) took the brunt of it and was assaulted in front of everybody by security in the lobby while being screamed at by CAP staff."
"I was unfortunately in my room when this happened," a terrified attendee relayed on the PAL forum. "I came down to the lobby and it was a massive panic. People were yelling and the Professor (Lou Fabiono) was screaming at J Todd (GPWA) to 'step outside and fight him' in front of us all. I am not going back into the show."
A month long feud has taken place on public message boards involving CAP and GPWA organizers with accusations that CAP was running a "rogue" online poker room called CardSpike.com.
ACPW, which is operated by the Gambling Portal Webmasters Association, reported that Lou Fabiono (organizer of CAP) asked ACPW's J. Todd to step outside to "settle this like men".
"Todd asked Lou if he was sure about it and Lou said lets go, so they start walking to the door. An affiliate manager got in front of them and told Todd it was not a good idea and Todd agreed. Lou however did not, it took a couple of people to calm Lou down. Warren showed up and told Todd he would never threaten him and shook Todd's hand."
Fabiono has a heart condition. Security may have been responsible for any injuries sustained by Steven Corfman, son of GPWA organizer, Michael Corfman.
(Picture is depiction based on reported events.) (Credit: Gambling911.com)
Media Man Australia Profiles
CAP Euro
Poker News
Casino News
Local Favorite Neil Arce Wins 2009 Asian Poker Tour Philippines!
Six Day Manila Poker Extravaganza Draws To A Close
Manila, Philippines – 1st February 2009 – 25-year-old Neil Arce sent the local crowd wild with delight by taking down the 2009 Asian Poker Tour Philippines at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Manila. Arce conquered a field of 262 runners representing over 40 countries to scoop the first prize of US$180,000. The runner-up was Steve ‘joonhee’ Yea from South Korea who also finished second at the 2008 Asian Poker Tour Macau in August 2008. Leading Tournament Director Matt Savage oversaw the action in the $2500 + $200 Main Event which had a total prize pool of US$635,500 with 27 places being paid.
“This is just great,” said Arce, who is a well known figure on the Filipino poker circuit through running the Metro Card Club in Manila. “I always felt it would come down to me and Steve. For me the key to winning the tournament was position. I was so lucky that Steve was sat on my right – if he was on my left it would have been a completely different final table. I played with Steve all day yesterday when he was on a charge and kept out of his way. I knew that to get anywhere at the final table I had to keep applying pressure and my game plan worked perfectly.”
Arce had been chip leader after Day 1A and had even guaranteed Asian Poker Tour CEO Chris Parker before the event got underway that he would emerge victorious in the tournament. He was third in chips at the final table and faced some formidable opponents including the impressive Yea and internationally respected professionals Liz Lieu and Asian Poker Tour Macau 2008 finalist Kasey Castle. The key hand came just after the talkative Arce had taken the chip lead from Yea. He showed willingness over a series of hands to up the pre -flop aggression. On the final hand, he made what had become a standard open for him of 100,000. Steve Yea re-raised to 300,000. Arce moved all in and Yea called in a shot. Arce held Ks Qs with Yea Ad Kh leaving Arce as 3 -1 underdog. The flop came 4s 6c 7h and Yea was two cards away from a massive double up. Then the turn came the Qh and the partisan crowd exploded. The river came 6h which was of no use to Yea and the 2009 Asian Poker Tour Philippines had itself a very popular champion! After two consecutive Asian Poker Tour runner-up spots and a dominating performance over the last few days Yea could only say, “next time I will do it,” as he was commiserated by his tight knit group of supporters. Live reporting, prize payouts and hand specific details of the event can be found at http://www.asianpt.com
First out on the nine seat final table was Kim Tae Hyung from South Korea, followed by Finland’s Vesa Leikos. Glamorous US pro Liz Lieu went seventh, followed by fellow American Ron Kluber and Japan’s Susumu Toge. Cicurel Didiwe from the Seychelles finished fourth and US pro Kasey Castle in third. When it got heads-up Yea held the chip lead with 1,572,000 to Arce’s 1,048,000. Notable cashes in the event include 12th place for Nam Le and 13th place for his fellow member of The Poker Pack Steve Sung. Australia’s Michael Pedley finished 10th and Matchroom Sport Director Eddie Hearn cashed in 16th.
Chris Parker CEO of the Asian Poker Tour said: “We would like to congratulate Neil on his fantastic win and thank all the players for making the 2009 Asian Poker Philippines such a successful event. We’d also like to thank all our partners for making this all happen, including the regulator PAGCOR.”
“There were some tired eyes after the FHM/DafaPoker party but the atmosphere around the final table was buzzing. Neil’s win is fantastic for poker in the Philippines – we hope that it strengthens the appeal of the game even further.”
Amongst those who were in the hunt for the title included Nam Le, Quinn Do, David ‘Chino’ Rheem, Steve Sung and Kwang Soo Lee – all members of the Asian Poker Tour’s elite team of ambassadors - The Poker Pack - who are currently in storming form on the international live circuit. They joined a field that also included 2008 Asian Poker Tour Philippines winner David Saab, 2009 Aussie Millions Highroller event winner David Steicke, Michael Pedley, 2009 PartyPoker.com Irish Poker Championship winner Rory Rees Brennan, Brian Huang, Ivan Tan, Andrew Scott and 1990 WSOP Main Event winner Mansour Matloubi. The Philippines was strongly represented in the field including WSOP bracelet winner Toto Leonidas. There were big contingents from South Korea and Japan, with 2008 Asian Poker Tour Philippines runner up Chris Roh and Yea leading the charge for South Korea and representatives from JBetPoker, Team J3PT and the Japan Poker League making up a formidable Japanese contingent that included Yasuhiro Waki and Yoshei Watanabe.
The Asian Poker Tour Philippines is drawing to a close and has been running since the 27th January. Amongst the side event winners are Henrik Eklund of Sweden who took down the PKR Headhunter tournament and Francis Uy of Manila who emerged victorious in the Ray Ban Invitational. Tommy Le, brother of Poker Pack member Nam Le followed his recent impressive Aussie Millions cash by making history to take down the DafaPoker Pot-Limit Omaha Hi tournament – the first time such a side event has been introduced on a major Asian Tour. Quinn Do, a member of the Poker Pack was on the final table of the event and gave 50% of his winnings to charity. A special Filipino Celebrity Charity Event also took place and was won by ‘The Playgirls’ who won 100,000 pesos for charity. Over 200,000 pesos in total went to various local charities. The FHM/DafaPoker Player’s Party took place on the Saturday night and the famous Asian Poker Tour hospitality resulted in a massive poolside party hosted by FHM cover models that went on well into the night. Down in the poker room there was a 13 card tournament.
Coverage of this year’s Main Event will be televised and distributed internationally later in the year.
The Asian Poker Tour is supported by the iPoker Network, Titan, DafaPoker, PKR, PartyPoker, JBet Poker, Everest Poker, Microgaming Network, 888, 32 Red Poker, National Poker League and the Japanese Poker League . Full details can be found at http://www.asianpt.com
ABOUT ASIANLOGIC (ALOG)
AsianLogic is a leading online and land-based gaming company focusing on the Asia-Pacific markets. The Company is listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange (AIM: ALOG). AsianLogic owns and operates eight online casino brands and two online poker rooms as well as land-based sportsbook operations through its MegaSportsWorld brand. It is a specialist in Asia-specific games such as Mahjong, Cho-Da-Di, Do-Di-Zhu and 13 Card Poker. The Company owns and operates the Asian Poker Tour. The Company also maintains a corporate advisory team specialising in the gaming sector which is an active investor in gaming-related businesses as well as providing consultancy and analytical services. AsianLogic enjoys strong commercial relationships with leading gaming providers including Playtech, ID Games and LVS. Founded as ESL in 2002, AsianLogic employs over 300 employees, the majority of whom are based in the Philippines.
World Series of Poker”® and “WSOP”® are registered trade marks of Harrah’s License Company LLC. No license, affiliation, sponsorship, or endorsement is claimed, or should be inferred from the use of these trademarks here. AsianLogic and the Asian Poker Tour is not licensed by or otherwise affiliated with Harrah’s License Company LLC or the World Series of Poker®, in any way.
Media Man Australia Profiles
Asian Poker Tour
Poker News
Six Day Manila Poker Extravaganza Draws To A Close
Manila, Philippines – 1st February 2009 – 25-year-old Neil Arce sent the local crowd wild with delight by taking down the 2009 Asian Poker Tour Philippines at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Manila. Arce conquered a field of 262 runners representing over 40 countries to scoop the first prize of US$180,000. The runner-up was Steve ‘joonhee’ Yea from South Korea who also finished second at the 2008 Asian Poker Tour Macau in August 2008. Leading Tournament Director Matt Savage oversaw the action in the $2500 + $200 Main Event which had a total prize pool of US$635,500 with 27 places being paid.
“This is just great,” said Arce, who is a well known figure on the Filipino poker circuit through running the Metro Card Club in Manila. “I always felt it would come down to me and Steve. For me the key to winning the tournament was position. I was so lucky that Steve was sat on my right – if he was on my left it would have been a completely different final table. I played with Steve all day yesterday when he was on a charge and kept out of his way. I knew that to get anywhere at the final table I had to keep applying pressure and my game plan worked perfectly.”
Arce had been chip leader after Day 1A and had even guaranteed Asian Poker Tour CEO Chris Parker before the event got underway that he would emerge victorious in the tournament. He was third in chips at the final table and faced some formidable opponents including the impressive Yea and internationally respected professionals Liz Lieu and Asian Poker Tour Macau 2008 finalist Kasey Castle. The key hand came just after the talkative Arce had taken the chip lead from Yea. He showed willingness over a series of hands to up the pre -flop aggression. On the final hand, he made what had become a standard open for him of 100,000. Steve Yea re-raised to 300,000. Arce moved all in and Yea called in a shot. Arce held Ks Qs with Yea Ad Kh leaving Arce as 3 -1 underdog. The flop came 4s 6c 7h and Yea was two cards away from a massive double up. Then the turn came the Qh and the partisan crowd exploded. The river came 6h which was of no use to Yea and the 2009 Asian Poker Tour Philippines had itself a very popular champion! After two consecutive Asian Poker Tour runner-up spots and a dominating performance over the last few days Yea could only say, “next time I will do it,” as he was commiserated by his tight knit group of supporters. Live reporting, prize payouts and hand specific details of the event can be found at http://www.asianpt.com
First out on the nine seat final table was Kim Tae Hyung from South Korea, followed by Finland’s Vesa Leikos. Glamorous US pro Liz Lieu went seventh, followed by fellow American Ron Kluber and Japan’s Susumu Toge. Cicurel Didiwe from the Seychelles finished fourth and US pro Kasey Castle in third. When it got heads-up Yea held the chip lead with 1,572,000 to Arce’s 1,048,000. Notable cashes in the event include 12th place for Nam Le and 13th place for his fellow member of The Poker Pack Steve Sung. Australia’s Michael Pedley finished 10th and Matchroom Sport Director Eddie Hearn cashed in 16th.
Chris Parker CEO of the Asian Poker Tour said: “We would like to congratulate Neil on his fantastic win and thank all the players for making the 2009 Asian Poker Philippines such a successful event. We’d also like to thank all our partners for making this all happen, including the regulator PAGCOR.”
“There were some tired eyes after the FHM/DafaPoker party but the atmosphere around the final table was buzzing. Neil’s win is fantastic for poker in the Philippines – we hope that it strengthens the appeal of the game even further.”
Amongst those who were in the hunt for the title included Nam Le, Quinn Do, David ‘Chino’ Rheem, Steve Sung and Kwang Soo Lee – all members of the Asian Poker Tour’s elite team of ambassadors - The Poker Pack - who are currently in storming form on the international live circuit. They joined a field that also included 2008 Asian Poker Tour Philippines winner David Saab, 2009 Aussie Millions Highroller event winner David Steicke, Michael Pedley, 2009 PartyPoker.com Irish Poker Championship winner Rory Rees Brennan, Brian Huang, Ivan Tan, Andrew Scott and 1990 WSOP Main Event winner Mansour Matloubi. The Philippines was strongly represented in the field including WSOP bracelet winner Toto Leonidas. There were big contingents from South Korea and Japan, with 2008 Asian Poker Tour Philippines runner up Chris Roh and Yea leading the charge for South Korea and representatives from JBetPoker, Team J3PT and the Japan Poker League making up a formidable Japanese contingent that included Yasuhiro Waki and Yoshei Watanabe.
The Asian Poker Tour Philippines is drawing to a close and has been running since the 27th January. Amongst the side event winners are Henrik Eklund of Sweden who took down the PKR Headhunter tournament and Francis Uy of Manila who emerged victorious in the Ray Ban Invitational. Tommy Le, brother of Poker Pack member Nam Le followed his recent impressive Aussie Millions cash by making history to take down the DafaPoker Pot-Limit Omaha Hi tournament – the first time such a side event has been introduced on a major Asian Tour. Quinn Do, a member of the Poker Pack was on the final table of the event and gave 50% of his winnings to charity. A special Filipino Celebrity Charity Event also took place and was won by ‘The Playgirls’ who won 100,000 pesos for charity. Over 200,000 pesos in total went to various local charities. The FHM/DafaPoker Player’s Party took place on the Saturday night and the famous Asian Poker Tour hospitality resulted in a massive poolside party hosted by FHM cover models that went on well into the night. Down in the poker room there was a 13 card tournament.
Coverage of this year’s Main Event will be televised and distributed internationally later in the year.
The Asian Poker Tour is supported by the iPoker Network, Titan, DafaPoker, PKR, PartyPoker, JBet Poker, Everest Poker, Microgaming Network, 888, 32 Red Poker, National Poker League and the Japanese Poker League . Full details can be found at http://www.asianpt.com
ABOUT ASIANLOGIC (ALOG)
AsianLogic is a leading online and land-based gaming company focusing on the Asia-Pacific markets. The Company is listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange (AIM: ALOG). AsianLogic owns and operates eight online casino brands and two online poker rooms as well as land-based sportsbook operations through its MegaSportsWorld brand. It is a specialist in Asia-specific games such as Mahjong, Cho-Da-Di, Do-Di-Zhu and 13 Card Poker. The Company owns and operates the Asian Poker Tour. The Company also maintains a corporate advisory team specialising in the gaming sector which is an active investor in gaming-related businesses as well as providing consultancy and analytical services. AsianLogic enjoys strong commercial relationships with leading gaming providers including Playtech, ID Games and LVS. Founded as ESL in 2002, AsianLogic employs over 300 employees, the majority of whom are based in the Philippines.
World Series of Poker”® and “WSOP”® are registered trade marks of Harrah’s License Company LLC. No license, affiliation, sponsorship, or endorsement is claimed, or should be inferred from the use of these trademarks here. AsianLogic and the Asian Poker Tour is not licensed by or otherwise affiliated with Harrah’s License Company LLC or the World Series of Poker®, in any way.
Media Man Australia Profiles
Asian Poker Tour
Poker News
More Ways To Qualify For Inaugural PartyPoker.com Monthly Million!
As the inaugural Monthly Million gets closer extra qualifiers are now online at http://www.partypoker.com for the $1 million guaranteed online poker tournament this Sunday.
The “50 Seat Frenzy” will run this Saturday at 11:25 ET (16.45 GMT, 17.45 CET) with 50 seats guaranteed. There are also “Super8” qualifiers running over the weekend which feature an $88 buy-in and a one in eight chance of getting through. Further to this there is an “Ultimate Qualifier” which is to be held on Sunday at 11:15 ET (16.15 GMT 17.15 CET) which has a buy-in of $340 and 10 seats guaranteed in the one in two chance.
The Monthly Million is a $1 million guaranteed online poker tournament every first Sunday of the month. The first Monthly Million takes place at the end of this week on Sunday 1 February at 12.45 ET (17.45 GMT, 18.45 CET) and features a championship blind structure. The buy-in is $600+$40 but the diverse qualifying paths means you can join the qualifiers from as little as $1. The wide range of qualifiers includes $64+$4 daily satellites with 18 seats guaranteed, a Mega Friday $50+$5 satellite that guarantees 30 seats and Super Satellite Saturday qualifiers with a $32+$3 buy-in and 25 seats guaranteed.
The paths into the Monthly Million are many – check out http://www.partypoker.com/news/items/monthly_million1.html
**22 players who won packages for the Asian Poker Tour Philippines on PartyPoker.com are in Manila for the six day poker festival that has become one of the most popular land based events in the calendar. The action is underway and blog updates by Jeremy Coleman on the progress of the qualifiers can be found at http://blog.partypoker.com
Media Man Australia Profiles
PartyPoker.com
PartyPoker.com News
Poker News
As the inaugural Monthly Million gets closer extra qualifiers are now online at http://www.partypoker.com for the $1 million guaranteed online poker tournament this Sunday.
The “50 Seat Frenzy” will run this Saturday at 11:25 ET (16.45 GMT, 17.45 CET) with 50 seats guaranteed. There are also “Super8” qualifiers running over the weekend which feature an $88 buy-in and a one in eight chance of getting through. Further to this there is an “Ultimate Qualifier” which is to be held on Sunday at 11:15 ET (16.15 GMT 17.15 CET) which has a buy-in of $340 and 10 seats guaranteed in the one in two chance.
The Monthly Million is a $1 million guaranteed online poker tournament every first Sunday of the month. The first Monthly Million takes place at the end of this week on Sunday 1 February at 12.45 ET (17.45 GMT, 18.45 CET) and features a championship blind structure. The buy-in is $600+$40 but the diverse qualifying paths means you can join the qualifiers from as little as $1. The wide range of qualifiers includes $64+$4 daily satellites with 18 seats guaranteed, a Mega Friday $50+$5 satellite that guarantees 30 seats and Super Satellite Saturday qualifiers with a $32+$3 buy-in and 25 seats guaranteed.
The paths into the Monthly Million are many – check out http://www.partypoker.com/news/items/monthly_million1.html
**22 players who won packages for the Asian Poker Tour Philippines on PartyPoker.com are in Manila for the six day poker festival that has become one of the most popular land based events in the calendar. The action is underway and blog updates by Jeremy Coleman on the progress of the qualifiers can be found at http://blog.partypoker.com
Media Man Australia Profiles
PartyPoker.com
PartyPoker.com News
Poker News
2009 Asian Poker Tour Philippines Main Even Underway!
Manila, Philippines – 30th January 2009 – The 2009 Asian Poker Tour Philippines Main Event is underway and runs until the 1st February at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Manila. Tournament Director Matt Savage has just announced that the $2500 + $200 Main Event has 262 runners with a total prize pool of US$635,500. First place will take home US$185,000 with 27 places being paid. 27th will get more than double their buy-in back. Live reporting and further details of the event can be found at http://www.asianpt.com
Amongst those in the hunt for the title include Nam Le, Quinn Do, David ‘Chino’ Rheem, Steve Sung and Kwang Soo Lee – all members of the Asian Poker Tour’s elite team of ambassadors - The Poker Pack - who are currently in storming form on the international live circuit. They join a field that also includes 2008 Asian Poker Tour Philippines winner David Saab, Liz Lieu, Kasey Castle, 2009 Aussie Millions Highroller event winner David Steicke, Michael Pedley, 2009 PartyPoker.com Irish Poker Championship winner Rory Rees Brennan, Brian Huang, Ivan Tan, Andrew Scott and 1990 WSOP Main Event winner Mansour Matloubi.
The Philippines is strongly represented in the field and are led by WSOP bracelet winner Toto Leonidas with William Te Jr and Ramil Tandoc fancied to run well by the Filipino poker community. There are big contingents from South Korea and Japan, with 2008 Asian Poker Tour Philippines runner up Chris Roh and 2008 Asian Poker Tour Macau runner-up Joon Hee Yeah leading the charge for South Korea and representatives from JBetPoker, Team J3PT and the Japan Poker League making up a formidable Japanese contingent that includes Yasuhiro Waki and Yoshei Watanabe.
Chris Parker, CEO of the Asian Poker Tour said: “We’re very pleased with the field and turnout which features players from all over the world. There are so many that are returning to play again after experiencing last year’s event. We’d like to thank all the players for coming to Manila and hope they all enjoy the famous Asian Poker Tour hospitality.”
The Asian Poker Tour Philippines has been running since the 27th January and is a six day festival of poker with extremely lively side action, with sit and gos and cash games running day and night. Amongst the side event winners so far are Henrik Eklund of Sweden who took down the PKR Headhunter tournament and Francis Uy of Manila who emerged victorious in the Ray Ban Invitational. A special Filipino Celebrity Charity Event has also taken place and was won by ‘The Playgirls’ who won 100,000 pesos for charity. Over 200,000 pesos in total went to various local charities.
The FHM/DafaPoker Player’s Party takes place on Saturday at 19.30 and promises to be ‘tastefully wild,’ with FHM cover models the hostesses. After the party, the Asian Poker Tour and FHM have hired party buses to take players around Manila’s hotspots. DafaPoker is the official partner of the Asian Poker Tour in presenting the Pot-Limit Omaha Hi tournament – a first for a major Asian Tour. The game is scheduled to take place at 14.00 on the 31st January. The buy-in for this tournament will be $185 + $15. On the same day at 19.00 there will also be a hugely anticipated 13 card tournament featuring a $460 +$40 buy-in. Other highlights include the world’s first GREED tournament.
Coverage of this year’s Main Event will be televised and distributed internationally later in the year.
The Asian Poker Tour is supported by the iPoker Network, Titan, Dafa Poker, PKR, PartyPoker, JBet Poker, Everest Poker, Microgaming Network, 888, 32 Red Poker, National Poker League and the Japanese Poker League. Full details can be found at http://www.asianpt.com
Media Man Australia Profiles
Asian Poker Tour
Poker
Poker News
Manila, Philippines – 30th January 2009 – The 2009 Asian Poker Tour Philippines Main Event is underway and runs until the 1st February at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Manila. Tournament Director Matt Savage has just announced that the $2500 + $200 Main Event has 262 runners with a total prize pool of US$635,500. First place will take home US$185,000 with 27 places being paid. 27th will get more than double their buy-in back. Live reporting and further details of the event can be found at http://www.asianpt.com
Amongst those in the hunt for the title include Nam Le, Quinn Do, David ‘Chino’ Rheem, Steve Sung and Kwang Soo Lee – all members of the Asian Poker Tour’s elite team of ambassadors - The Poker Pack - who are currently in storming form on the international live circuit. They join a field that also includes 2008 Asian Poker Tour Philippines winner David Saab, Liz Lieu, Kasey Castle, 2009 Aussie Millions Highroller event winner David Steicke, Michael Pedley, 2009 PartyPoker.com Irish Poker Championship winner Rory Rees Brennan, Brian Huang, Ivan Tan, Andrew Scott and 1990 WSOP Main Event winner Mansour Matloubi.
The Philippines is strongly represented in the field and are led by WSOP bracelet winner Toto Leonidas with William Te Jr and Ramil Tandoc fancied to run well by the Filipino poker community. There are big contingents from South Korea and Japan, with 2008 Asian Poker Tour Philippines runner up Chris Roh and 2008 Asian Poker Tour Macau runner-up Joon Hee Yeah leading the charge for South Korea and representatives from JBetPoker, Team J3PT and the Japan Poker League making up a formidable Japanese contingent that includes Yasuhiro Waki and Yoshei Watanabe.
Chris Parker, CEO of the Asian Poker Tour said: “We’re very pleased with the field and turnout which features players from all over the world. There are so many that are returning to play again after experiencing last year’s event. We’d like to thank all the players for coming to Manila and hope they all enjoy the famous Asian Poker Tour hospitality.”
The Asian Poker Tour Philippines has been running since the 27th January and is a six day festival of poker with extremely lively side action, with sit and gos and cash games running day and night. Amongst the side event winners so far are Henrik Eklund of Sweden who took down the PKR Headhunter tournament and Francis Uy of Manila who emerged victorious in the Ray Ban Invitational. A special Filipino Celebrity Charity Event has also taken place and was won by ‘The Playgirls’ who won 100,000 pesos for charity. Over 200,000 pesos in total went to various local charities.
The FHM/DafaPoker Player’s Party takes place on Saturday at 19.30 and promises to be ‘tastefully wild,’ with FHM cover models the hostesses. After the party, the Asian Poker Tour and FHM have hired party buses to take players around Manila’s hotspots. DafaPoker is the official partner of the Asian Poker Tour in presenting the Pot-Limit Omaha Hi tournament – a first for a major Asian Tour. The game is scheduled to take place at 14.00 on the 31st January. The buy-in for this tournament will be $185 + $15. On the same day at 19.00 there will also be a hugely anticipated 13 card tournament featuring a $460 +$40 buy-in. Other highlights include the world’s first GREED tournament.
Coverage of this year’s Main Event will be televised and distributed internationally later in the year.
The Asian Poker Tour is supported by the iPoker Network, Titan, Dafa Poker, PKR, PartyPoker, JBet Poker, Everest Poker, Microgaming Network, 888, 32 Red Poker, National Poker League and the Japanese Poker League. Full details can be found at http://www.asianpt.com
Media Man Australia Profiles
Asian Poker Tour
Poker
Poker News
Monday, February 02, 2009
Arce And Suzuki Top Day 1A Of APT Philippines
Day 1A of the Asian Poker Tour's second-ever Manila leg began yesterday with two WSOP bracelet-winners in the midst of the players who had paid the $2,700 to enter the event.
Among the field was 1990 World Series of Poker Main Event winner Mansour Matloubi and Philippines native Toto Leonidas. The latter gave the order to "shuffle up and deal" and play was on.
Overall, 75 runners were there to play the first day, beginning with 10,000 in chips and playing through ten one-hour blind levels. At the end of play, only 19 remained. Arce is the Day 1a leader, followed by Suzuki, Anders Andersson, Derek Hernandez, and Eddie Hearn. They will meet the survivors of Day 1B tomorrow. (Credit: CAP)
Media Man Australia Profiles
Asian Poker Tour
World Series of Poker
Poker News
Day 1A of the Asian Poker Tour's second-ever Manila leg began yesterday with two WSOP bracelet-winners in the midst of the players who had paid the $2,700 to enter the event.
Among the field was 1990 World Series of Poker Main Event winner Mansour Matloubi and Philippines native Toto Leonidas. The latter gave the order to "shuffle up and deal" and play was on.
Overall, 75 runners were there to play the first day, beginning with 10,000 in chips and playing through ten one-hour blind levels. At the end of play, only 19 remained. Arce is the Day 1a leader, followed by Suzuki, Anders Andersson, Derek Hernandez, and Eddie Hearn. They will meet the survivors of Day 1B tomorrow. (Credit: CAP)
Media Man Australia Profiles
Asian Poker Tour
World Series of Poker
Poker News
Sunday, February 01, 2009
The Poker Channel Expands Into Eastern Europe
Europe's "largest dedicated gaming TV network" makes big move
London, UK, 29th January 2009 -- The Poker Channel, Europe's largest dedicated gaming TV network, announces its first significant move into Eastern Europe today through a distribution agreement with the Vectra Group, the second largest cable operator in Poland.
Launching a promotional campaign to all Vectra's digital basic subscribers on Friday 30th January, this is first carriage agreement for The Poker Channel in Eastern Europe, and marks the continued rise in popularity of the game in the region. With the new agreement, The Poker Channel is now available to 16,000,000 cable and satellite homes in 17 European markets.
The new agreement follows this month's announcement by Gaming Media Group, parent company to The Poker Channel, of its results for the year ended 31st October 2008. The Group doubled its TV advertising revenues, and achieved a 57% increase in Group revenues overall taking into account casino, bingo and TV advertising. Profit before Tax has also grown by four times to £1 million.
Programming highlights for its launch into Poland includes the Pokerheaven European Cash Game, a high stakes cash game featuring celebrated poker pros such as World Series of Poker winner, Peter Eastgate; the Cash Game Master Class, the first ever ‘how to’ series for cash game poker; the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour.
Chris White, Commercial Director at The Poker Channel said "Our expansion in to Eastern Europe further illustrates the growing demand for poker and gaming on TV. We are delighted to partner with Vectra Group and look forward to delivering quality programming to its thousands of customers."
Malgorzata Wojtaszko, TV Product Manager, Vectra Group said, "As the game's popularity continues to grow, we're delighted to be the first platform in Poland to launch The Poker Channel, and offer subscribers of our new sports package the very best poker action from around the world."
The Channel attracts close to one million unique viewers per month across Europe, with 65% of its viewers playing poker online every day.
-ENDS-
Media Enquiries Only
Esther Whitehead, GameOn Marketing
esther@GameOn-Marketing.com
The Poker Channel (www.pokerchanneleurope.com):
The Poker Channel is Europe's largest dedicated gaming TV network and broadcasts to 16 million cable homes in 17 countries. Gaming fans all over the world can also visit www.pokerchanneleurope.com for exclusive promotions, features, videos and news -- edited by a top team of international journalists and players.
The Poker Channel launched in March 2005 and now owns Europe's largest library of poker programming with more than 600 hours of premium content including the World Series of Poker and other major tournaments, instructional shows, news, documentaries and top player profiles. The Channel attracts close to one million unique TV viewers per month, with 65% of its TV viewers playing online every day.
Watch the Poker Channel:
• In the UK and Ireland on Sky Channel 166 from 9.30pm to 4am
• In France on Noos, Numericable, Free (Channels 48, 95 and 145) and Orange
• In Germany on Kabel Deutschland, KBW, Unity Media, NetCologne, NetMartens
• In Belgium on BeTV and Coditel (Channel 168)
• In Luxembourg on Coditel (Channel 168)
• In Netherlands on UPC Digital (Channel 127) and KPN (Channel 316)
• In Finland, on Welho (Channel 212) and Canal Digital (Channel 94)
• In Norway, Sweden and Denmark on Canal Digital (Channel 94)
• In Iceland on Skjarinn
• In Spain on Imagenio (Channel 98)
• In Malta on MelitaCable (Channel 209)
• In Switzerland on Zattoo
• In Greece on OnTelecom
• In Poland on Vectra
• Pan-Europe: at 1° West with set top box tuned to 11.229 GHZ Horizontal
• Globally at www.pokerchanneleurope.com
VECTRA Group (www.vectra.pl)
Vectra Group is the second largest cable operator in Poland and triple play service provider. The company operates in 151 towns and cities and the number of its customers exceeds 700,000. In the VECTRA offer is over 130 television programs emitted in the digital technology, also in HD standard and 55 programs realized by independent local televisions. VECTRA offers also services of the broadband internet access and fixed telephony. Thanks to digital television offer - unique on the Polish market --- VECTRA gained over 170,000 subscribers and is a domestic leader of this service. VECTRA has also over 200,000 subscribers of the broadband internet and 40,000 subscribers of telephony.
Media Man Australia Profiles
Poker News
Europe's "largest dedicated gaming TV network" makes big move
London, UK, 29th January 2009 -- The Poker Channel, Europe's largest dedicated gaming TV network, announces its first significant move into Eastern Europe today through a distribution agreement with the Vectra Group, the second largest cable operator in Poland.
Launching a promotional campaign to all Vectra's digital basic subscribers on Friday 30th January, this is first carriage agreement for The Poker Channel in Eastern Europe, and marks the continued rise in popularity of the game in the region. With the new agreement, The Poker Channel is now available to 16,000,000 cable and satellite homes in 17 European markets.
The new agreement follows this month's announcement by Gaming Media Group, parent company to The Poker Channel, of its results for the year ended 31st October 2008. The Group doubled its TV advertising revenues, and achieved a 57% increase in Group revenues overall taking into account casino, bingo and TV advertising. Profit before Tax has also grown by four times to £1 million.
Programming highlights for its launch into Poland includes the Pokerheaven European Cash Game, a high stakes cash game featuring celebrated poker pros such as World Series of Poker winner, Peter Eastgate; the Cash Game Master Class, the first ever ‘how to’ series for cash game poker; the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour.
Chris White, Commercial Director at The Poker Channel said "Our expansion in to Eastern Europe further illustrates the growing demand for poker and gaming on TV. We are delighted to partner with Vectra Group and look forward to delivering quality programming to its thousands of customers."
Malgorzata Wojtaszko, TV Product Manager, Vectra Group said, "As the game's popularity continues to grow, we're delighted to be the first platform in Poland to launch The Poker Channel, and offer subscribers of our new sports package the very best poker action from around the world."
The Channel attracts close to one million unique viewers per month across Europe, with 65% of its viewers playing poker online every day.
-ENDS-
Media Enquiries Only
Esther Whitehead, GameOn Marketing
esther@GameOn-Marketing.com
The Poker Channel (www.pokerchanneleurope.com):
The Poker Channel is Europe's largest dedicated gaming TV network and broadcasts to 16 million cable homes in 17 countries. Gaming fans all over the world can also visit www.pokerchanneleurope.com for exclusive promotions, features, videos and news -- edited by a top team of international journalists and players.
The Poker Channel launched in March 2005 and now owns Europe's largest library of poker programming with more than 600 hours of premium content including the World Series of Poker and other major tournaments, instructional shows, news, documentaries and top player profiles. The Channel attracts close to one million unique TV viewers per month, with 65% of its TV viewers playing online every day.
Watch the Poker Channel:
• In the UK and Ireland on Sky Channel 166 from 9.30pm to 4am
• In France on Noos, Numericable, Free (Channels 48, 95 and 145) and Orange
• In Germany on Kabel Deutschland, KBW, Unity Media, NetCologne, NetMartens
• In Belgium on BeTV and Coditel (Channel 168)
• In Luxembourg on Coditel (Channel 168)
• In Netherlands on UPC Digital (Channel 127) and KPN (Channel 316)
• In Finland, on Welho (Channel 212) and Canal Digital (Channel 94)
• In Norway, Sweden and Denmark on Canal Digital (Channel 94)
• In Iceland on Skjarinn
• In Spain on Imagenio (Channel 98)
• In Malta on MelitaCable (Channel 209)
• In Switzerland on Zattoo
• In Greece on OnTelecom
• In Poland on Vectra
• Pan-Europe: at 1° West with set top box tuned to 11.229 GHZ Horizontal
• Globally at www.pokerchanneleurope.com
VECTRA Group (www.vectra.pl)
Vectra Group is the second largest cable operator in Poland and triple play service provider. The company operates in 151 towns and cities and the number of its customers exceeds 700,000. In the VECTRA offer is over 130 television programs emitted in the digital technology, also in HD standard and 55 programs realized by independent local televisions. VECTRA offers also services of the broadband internet access and fixed telephony. Thanks to digital television offer - unique on the Polish market --- VECTRA gained over 170,000 subscribers and is a domestic leader of this service. VECTRA has also over 200,000 subscribers of the broadband internet and 40,000 subscribers of telephony.
Media Man Australia Profiles
Poker News
Dream Team Poker Schedules Caesars Palace Tournament, by Dan Cypra - Poker News Daily - 31st January 2009
In November, the first installment of Dream Team Poker kicked off from the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas. At the end of the day, Team Bluff, which featured Eric Morris, Matt Parvis, and Bodog poker pro Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, walked away as the winners. Dream Team Poker organizers wasted no time in announcing a second running of the unique tournament. This time, the action heads to the Las Vegas Strip at Caesars Palace.
The tournament at the massive casino will occur from March 27th to 29th. The second Dream Team Poker event is expected to draw 100 teams, or a total of 300 players. The Hard Rock tournament boasted a veritable “who’s who” of the poker world, including former “Survivor: China” contestant Jean-Robert Bellande, 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event winner Jamie Gold, and Full Tilt Poker sensation Kenny Tran. A bevy of Hollywood’s elite also turned out, including “ER” and “8 Mile” actor Mekhi Phifer, Roger Cross of the FOX hit television show “24,” “The Hills” reality show star Holly Montag, former National Basketball Association player Chris Mills, and “The Simpsons” Co-Creator and WSOP regular Sam Simon.
The prize pool at Caesars Palace is expected to be $150,000, a price tag per player of $550. While the Hard Rock version was invite-only, the March tournament will be open to the general public. Jim Pedulla, Director of Poker for Caesars Palace, commented in a press release distributed by Dream Team Gaming, “This new format will create more camaraderie among the players, making this an exciting event. Caesars Palace is proud to host this event in our World Series of Poker Tournament Room, which is also the site of the NBC ‘Heads-Up Championship’ and has been the location for a number of top celebrity and charitable tournaments.”
The tournament itself officially kicks off on Saturday, March 28th at Noon local time. The event will conclude for the night when 27 players remain. At Noon on Sunday, March 29th, the survivors will reconvene at Caesars to play down to a winner. Dream Team Poker differs from the traditional version of the game in that each team’s overall score is based on the finishing positions of each of its three members. Only the two top finishes count. Both individual and team prizes are up for grabs. Once the field reaches the final 27 players, teams receive two time outs. Players remaining in the tournament can discuss ongoing hands with eliminated players during the 90 second pauses and no team members will be seated at the same table until 16 players remain in order to help curb collusion.
Daniel Delshad, Chief Executive Officer of Dream Team Gaming, commented, “The first event was such an incredible accomplishment for Dream Team Gaming and proved that the concept of team poker could be exciting, fun, and profitable for all involved. We are seeing a definite call for this game from the casinos and the players. We are honored to have Caesars Palace Las Vegas host our next tournament.”
Finishing as the runners up to Team Bluff in the inaugural tournament was Team Super Tilt, which featured Josh Chait, Travis Chase, and Mark Thompson. Coming in third place at the Hard Rock were the Dirty Tacos, consisting of Hami Gabayan, David Simhaee, and Fred Nikgohar. The tournament itself was won by Jason Lilly, who defeated Chait heads-up.
Registration is now open for the March Dream Team Poker tournament. Each team who registers will receive custom jerseys to don on game day. In addition, a welcome party and winner’s ceremony will take place. (Credit: Poker News Daily)
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In November, the first installment of Dream Team Poker kicked off from the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas. At the end of the day, Team Bluff, which featured Eric Morris, Matt Parvis, and Bodog poker pro Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, walked away as the winners. Dream Team Poker organizers wasted no time in announcing a second running of the unique tournament. This time, the action heads to the Las Vegas Strip at Caesars Palace.
The tournament at the massive casino will occur from March 27th to 29th. The second Dream Team Poker event is expected to draw 100 teams, or a total of 300 players. The Hard Rock tournament boasted a veritable “who’s who” of the poker world, including former “Survivor: China” contestant Jean-Robert Bellande, 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event winner Jamie Gold, and Full Tilt Poker sensation Kenny Tran. A bevy of Hollywood’s elite also turned out, including “ER” and “8 Mile” actor Mekhi Phifer, Roger Cross of the FOX hit television show “24,” “The Hills” reality show star Holly Montag, former National Basketball Association player Chris Mills, and “The Simpsons” Co-Creator and WSOP regular Sam Simon.
The prize pool at Caesars Palace is expected to be $150,000, a price tag per player of $550. While the Hard Rock version was invite-only, the March tournament will be open to the general public. Jim Pedulla, Director of Poker for Caesars Palace, commented in a press release distributed by Dream Team Gaming, “This new format will create more camaraderie among the players, making this an exciting event. Caesars Palace is proud to host this event in our World Series of Poker Tournament Room, which is also the site of the NBC ‘Heads-Up Championship’ and has been the location for a number of top celebrity and charitable tournaments.”
The tournament itself officially kicks off on Saturday, March 28th at Noon local time. The event will conclude for the night when 27 players remain. At Noon on Sunday, March 29th, the survivors will reconvene at Caesars to play down to a winner. Dream Team Poker differs from the traditional version of the game in that each team’s overall score is based on the finishing positions of each of its three members. Only the two top finishes count. Both individual and team prizes are up for grabs. Once the field reaches the final 27 players, teams receive two time outs. Players remaining in the tournament can discuss ongoing hands with eliminated players during the 90 second pauses and no team members will be seated at the same table until 16 players remain in order to help curb collusion.
Daniel Delshad, Chief Executive Officer of Dream Team Gaming, commented, “The first event was such an incredible accomplishment for Dream Team Gaming and proved that the concept of team poker could be exciting, fun, and profitable for all involved. We are seeing a definite call for this game from the casinos and the players. We are honored to have Caesars Palace Las Vegas host our next tournament.”
Finishing as the runners up to Team Bluff in the inaugural tournament was Team Super Tilt, which featured Josh Chait, Travis Chase, and Mark Thompson. Coming in third place at the Hard Rock were the Dirty Tacos, consisting of Hami Gabayan, David Simhaee, and Fred Nikgohar. The tournament itself was won by Jason Lilly, who defeated Chait heads-up.
Registration is now open for the March Dream Team Poker tournament. Each team who registers will receive custom jerseys to don on game day. In addition, a welcome party and winner’s ceremony will take place. (Credit: Poker News Daily)
Media Man Australia
Las Vegas
Las Vegas Strip
Poker
Poker News
Casino News
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