WSOP Evaluating Merits of Rebuy Tournaments, by Dan Cypra - Poker News Daily - 16th December 2008

Heading into the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP), the major change handed down by tournament officials was the introduction of a 117 day break prior to the start of the Main Event final table, which occurred in November. The move was considered by many to be a resounding success, as television ratings and interest in poker boomed as a result. Heading into 2009, rebuy tournaments may become a distant memory.

Poker News Daily has confirmed a rumor that WSOP officials are considering doing away with rebuy events for the 2009 tournament series. There were five rebuy contests held during the 2008 schedule:

Event #5: $1,000 No Limit Hold’em with Rebuys
Event #18: $5,000 No Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball with Rebuys
Event #28: $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys
Event #34: $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys
Event #44: $1,000 No Limit Hold’em with Rebuys

World Series of Poker Communications Director Seth Palansky told Poker News Daily, “For rebuys, we are simply in discussions on the benefits and drawbacks of having these events as bracelet events. We like rebuys and think they are a fun and exciting game for poker players, but at the same time, we are questioning their place in the World Series of Poker.”

In many cases, the rebuy period ends after the first two levels of play in a tournament. However, players can often play very loosely during this time and, if their bankroll allows for it, simply rebuy if they are eliminated. However, this has raised eyebrows as to whether a bracelet is warranted for potentially just having the deepest pockets. For example, during Event #5, Suk Song re-bought 23 times. In 2006, PokerStars pro Daniel Negreanu reloaded an amazing 46 times and added on twice during a rebuy tournament.

In Event #18, Todd Brunson invested a whopping $140,000. To put that number in perspective, Brunson would have had to finish fourth in order to break even; he ultimately did not make the money. Negreanu invested $85,000 in Event #28. This time, however, his gamble paid off, as he finished seventh and cashed for $129,000.

In Event #34, the number of rebuys was up a remarkable 53% in 2009 in comparison to 2008, causing the total prize pool to balloon by 43%. Layne Flack invested $33,000 in the tournament, which meant that he needed to place 12th or better out of 320 entrants in order to make his money back. Luckily, Flack ended up winning the entire tournament and taking home $577,000, or 17 times his buy-in, for his sixth WSOP bracelet.

The $1,000 rebuy tournament first became a part of the WSOP in 2004. In 2005, two $1,000 No Limit Hold’em rebuy tournaments were held, a trend that has existed ever since. One player re-bought 17 times in Event #44 in 2008, although WSOP officials declined to name who he or she was. The top 27 players received $18,000 or more.

Palansky elaborated further, “The bracelet and its prestige are of paramount importance to us and we want to ensure that anyone who does win a bracelet does so because they played the best poker throughout an event.” In 2007, there were six rebuy events held as part of the WSOP festivities. In 2006, there were four, which was one fewer than in 2005. The 2008 WSOP featured 54 bracelet events in total, meaning that rebuys accounted for roughly 9% of the tournaments. The Main Event is a $10,000 buy-in freeze out.

WSOP and Harrah’s officials will likely take into account views from its Players Advisory Council when making a decision. The discussion may focus on whether rebuy tournaments favor deep-pocketed poker players and whether the merits of having a portion of the WSOP schedule devoted to rebuys jeopardizes the esteem of a bracelet.

No timeline has been set for an announcement one way or another and the 2009 WSOP schedule has not been released. (Credit: Poker News Daily)

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Exclusive Canadian Poker Tour Finals Qualifiers On PartyPoker.com - Win CPT Sponsorship For One Year!

17th December 2008

Warm up the winter by joining the http://www.partypoker.com exclusive qualifiers for the 2009 Canadian Poker Tour Finals, which take place in the Dominican Republic between January 20 -22 2009! What’s more, the winner of this tournament will also receive a one year sponsorship deal with the Canadian Poker Tour which has an estimated value of $100,000. The prestigious event sees Canada’s top poker players battle it out for a $500,000 prize pool and the big bonus of the CPT deal!

All you have to do is win a luxury tournament package worth $8,500 and PartyPoker.com is the only online poker site offering qualifiers. The 2009 CPT Finals will be held in the Ocean World Casino Resort, a fantastic adventure park, marina, and casino entertainment complex near Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. You’ll enjoy seven nights all-inclusive luxury in the breathtaking Sun Village Resort and Spa in nearby Cofresi – the ideal place to relax and get yourself in the mood for your game. The weather is also sure to help!

Online qualifiers for the event are exclusive to PartyPoker.com and start from as little as $2. They run until January 4, 2009. Each $8,500 package includes your buy-in, accommodation, and spending money. The main $425 + $35 runs every Sunday at 20.10 ET, with one package given away for every 20 players participating but as ever PartyPoker.com provides a diverse qualifying structure.

Full details can be found at:

http://www.partypoker.com/news/items/canadian_poker_tour.html

http://www.partypoker.com/news/items/canadian_poker_structure.html

The Canadian Poker Tour is committed to the development of grassroots poker and has held numerous events in 2008 with an estimated total prize pool this year alone of over $2,700,000! More details on the tour can be found at: http://www.canadianchampionshippoker.com/Events/08CPTfinals.html

PartyPoker.com is also offering other winter warmers this December with online qualifiers for the PartyPoker.com Irish Poker Championship, Asian Poker Tour Philippines and the World Poker Showdown in the Dominican Republic. Details on all the qualifiers can be found here:

http://www.partypoker.com/news/items/irish_poker_championship.html

http://www.partypoker.com/news/items/apt_manila.html

http://www.partypoker.com/news/items/wpshowdown.html

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Poker News Media Top 5 Online Poker Websites

Media Man Australia Australia top 5 online poker websites, based on a combination of usability, customer service, affiliate experience and overall experience, starting from the top:

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Europe's First Major Poker Tournament Of 2009 – The PartyPoker Irish Poker Championship

The first major European tournament of 2009 will take place from January 2-5. The €2,000 buy-in PartyPoker Irish Poker Championship will be hosted at the Radisson SAS Hotel in Galway, Ireland. Coverage of the main event will be televised and distributed internationally.

A wealth of big Irish poker names have already signed up for the event including Noel Furlong, Donnacha O'Dea, Marty Smyth, Padraig Parkinson, Ciaran O'Leary, Premier League II winner Andy Black, Liam Flood and last year's champion Jude Ainsworth. From overseas expect to see Mike Sexton, Kenna James, Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott, Surinder Sunar and 2008 Irish Open Champion Neil Channing.

Ian Langstaff of Winmedia Ireland Ltd, an industry leader in poker tournament coverage, said: "We are delighted to be producing and transmitting coverage of the PartyPoker.com Irish Poker Championship on RTÉ again this year. The fact that RTÉ are transmitting eight episodes of coverage rather than the six they did last year shows the popularity of the IPC."

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Poker Staking Sites Grow in Popularity, by Dan Cypra - Poker News Daily - 13th December 2008

The perception of poker staking has evolved considerably over time. Previously being associated with those who needed money or were generally unsuccessful, staking has now become commonplace, even among the world’s best players. Recently, Poker News Daily sat down with Jim Leitner from ProPokerExchange and Chris Grove from PartTimePoker to unearth some of the challenges the industry still faces.

Leitner’s site allows prospective backers to buy a piece of four of the world’s most recognizable tournament poker pros, including 1983 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Tom McEvoy. The former champ owns four WSOP bracelets in total, including hardware in Limit Razz and Limit Omaha. According to the staking site, McEvoy owns over $2.6 million in lifetime tournament winnings. Also on Pro Poker Exchange’s roster are 2005 World Poker Tour (WPT) Legends of Poker runner up “Cowboy” Kenna James, Card Player Magazine contributor and editor Mark Gregorich, and WPT Gold Rush Season I winner and WSOP bracelet holder Paul Darden.

Leitner told Poker News Daily, “None of them need money, but staking is a big part of the tradition of poker and has value to them as well. It reduces variance and can put them in more tournaments than they were planning to play.” Buyers wishing to purchase a piece of McEvoy’s, Gregorich’s, or Darden’s action will receive their share of 70% of the pro’s earnings in the tournament. For James, 60% is returned to backers. Shares are issued at $5 each and current opportunities on the site focus on the Five Diamond World Poker Classic, which is ongoing at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

Backing allows players not to have to risk all of their own money when entering an event, which reduces variance in returns. Many players tend to become less risk averse when being staked, as the pressure of needing to finish in the money in order to make a living is also reduced. Finally, backing allows the casual poker fan to be linked to some of the industry’s high-profile stars.

One of the difficulties of backing is the assurance that pros will receive money from their investors and, in return, share a portion of their winnings. Pro Poker Exchange solves this potential stumbling block by requiring its pros to sign a contract, a sample of which is available on its website. Part Time Poker utilizes a full-fledged forum which identifies crooked individuals. Leitner described the process of “rolling,” which involves rising online poker players taking off with cash generated from backers. He stated that $17,000 was recently rolled, which prompted his site to create a contract.

On rolling, Grove told Poker News Daily, “Far and away, the biggest concern is a player running off with a stake. While this does happen, we’re always surprised at how minuscule of a percentage of overall staking activity results in fraud.” Online poker sites will often help staking sites identify problematic individuals. However, no money is held in escrow. In live tournaments, Pro Poker Exchange sends a representative to each event to track its four brand name pros. The staff member will accompany the player to the cage after they have busted out in order to enforce the contract.

Collusion is another setback that staking sites face in their operations. After all, what would stop two players who have a piece of each other from agreeing not to play in hands against one another or worse, telling each other what cards they have and sharing strategy? Leitner commented, “What we’ve done is require players to keep a solid piece of themselves so that their interests are aligned with investors’. If you have Tom and Mark at the same table, they have no common interest in each other.” Grove told Poker News Daily that he does not believe collusion is a big obstacle to the legitimacy of staking online, where fields are often much larger. In addition, players do not know who the backers are on Pro Poker Exchange.

Over time, staking has grown in both popularity and prestige. Grove noted, “Backing is becoming far more common among top players, reducing any negative stereotype once associated with it. We have a number of well-known, winning players that use our site frequently and their presence signals to other members that backing can be part of a successful, profitable, and professional player’s career plan for poker.” Players who have used Part Time Poker in order to be staked include Aaron Bartley (GambleAB), jonrubs, tarheelkid, eppy, mattdogg2443, mossified, TwinMSU, max_pot, Quadducks, mx4ever, Johnny36, and TerrellK11, who took home $232,000 in a WSOP event this year.

Leitner claimed that the way to overcome the perception that staking is for the poor is to make its purposes clear to prospective customers: “The reality is that there is a lot of staking going on. Online, there’s a breakthrough because people see the value of staking and making it transparent. We make sure people understand the reasons behind it.”

In February, the World Poker Tour will host the L.A. Poker Classic at the Commerce Casino. Leitner is looking to expand his roster of pros from four to at least 15 by the time the tournament starts. The minimum buy-in is $25 for investors. The company is owned partly by Poker News Daily contributor Linda Johnson, co-founder of the Tournament Directors Association and inaugural member of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame. On Part Time Poker, “Buy a Piece” threads are sold based on the amount of the tournament’s buy-in, ranging from $3 to $10.

In general, the transparency of the poker industry has helped the staking industry grow in legitimacy. The use of programs like Sharkscope, which displays the results of online poker players for the entire world to see, has allowed backers to research past performances. Investors can also hop online and watch their sponsored player compete on the virtual felts. Sites like Card Player offer live tournament coverage and results for Pro Poker Exchange’s stable of players as well as other event entrants.

Finally, in the case of Part Time Poker, the site actually places an asterisk next to the names of individuals who have a staking ban. Players who have opted out of Sharkscope or Online Poker Rankings (OPR) are not eligible to be staked. Database programs such as PokerTracker and Hold’em Manager also record a player’s tendencies on online poker tournaments. Each comes with an accompanying Heads-Up Display (HUD), which shows these stats in real-time. (Credit: Poker News Daily)

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Quick Ruling Expected in Kentucky Internet Gaming Case, by Dan Cypra - Poker News Daily - 12th December 2008

Friday marked the resumption of the case involving the seizure and possible forfeiture of 141 internet gambling domain names by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. It pits the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet in the state against some of the most popular online poker, online casino, and online Bingo websites.

This time around, the proceedings took place in Kentucky’s largest city, Louisville, which plays host to the Kentucky Derby. The “Run for the Roses,” as it’s commonly referred to, plays out every May at the Churchill Downs racetrack. The Kentucky Court of Appeals held center court on Friday after Judges Michael Caperton, Michelle Keller, and Jeff Taylor approved petitions by the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA) and Interactive Gaming Council (IGC). The two groups sought intervention by the Court of Appeals to act, arguing that the Commonwealth lacked jurisdiction to seize domain names and that allowing the case to play out would result in irreparable harm to the domain names involved.

Jennifer Brislin, Communications Director for the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, told Poker News Daily that she was pleased with Friday’s hearing: “There is illegal activity occurring and that came across crystal clear. It’s now up to the Court of Appeals to determine whether these illegal sites will continue to thumb their noses at the Commonwealth.” In the case, Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet Secretary J. Michael Brown has been the front man for the State, not its Attorney General. Brislin stated that she expected the higher court to rule as soon as possible in the high-profile rift.

Four attorneys took to the floor during the 50 minute appeals hearing. Online poker was brought up specifically, according to Associated Press writer Brett Barrouquere, who was present at the hearing. Barrouquere stated that the defendants argued that not every domain name in jeopardy belonged to an internet gambling site. That included mentions of online poker rooms involved. In the case, the domain names of Full Tilt Poker, Bodog, PokerStars, Cake Poker, Ultimate Bet, and Absolute Poker (among others) are at risk. The latter three sites have stopped taking Kentucky customers in order to adhere to a ruling by Judge Thomas Wingate at the Circuit Court level. However, if online poker is not “gambling,” then the sites may be exempt from the case.

Barrouquere told Poker News Daily that each party was grilled during the Court of Appeals hearing: “The three judge panel was well-prepared. There were a lot of interesting questions from the judges. Judge Keller focused on why the State didn’t treat illegal gambling the same way as it treated illegal drugs. Why not just go after the gambler as opposed to the website?” The State’s response: “The legislature specifically exempted the player from the legislation,” according to the Associated Press article.

Barrouquere revealed that tough, pointed questions were the theme of the day, with the judges involved having thoroughly reviewed the briefs and the lower court decision prior to taking the floor on Friday. Like iMEGA’s Chairman Joe Brennan and Brislin, Barrouquere expects an expedient resolution to the case. He explains, “They will rule fairly quickly. I don’t expect it to drag out. A lower judge has already agreed to let the suit go forward. If the State is correct and this is illegal gambling, then it’s still going on right now. If the State is incorrect, then it’s in everyone’s best interest for these sites to be able to operate without this cloud hanging over their heads.”

Judge Wingate upheld the Commonwealth’s seizure of the domain names on October 16th. Central to the case’s future are the answers to the several questions. First, does the State have jurisdiction to seize domain names, which are located in cyberspace, by using the “gambling devices” statute? iMEGA attorney Jon Fleischaker told Poker News Daily, “What you have in Kentucky law is that the forfeiture of gambling devices is in the criminal code. Forfeiture comes after a finding of violation of the penal code. You can’t have a violation of the penal code without a criminal statute. What the Commonwealth is trying to do is treat this as a civil proceeding.” The Commonwealth asserted that the URLs were “gambling devices,” similar to any of the objects such as slot machines and roulette wheels that would be found in an underground casino.

In addition, do the actions by Governor Steve Beshear and Brown violate the U.S. Constitution? The Commerce Clause (which states that the Federal Government is charged with regulating commerce with foreign nations) may have been trampled on. In addition, due process and free speech rights may have been overlooked.

We’ll keep you posted on further developments right here on Poker News Daily. (Credit: Poker News Daily)

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First CAP Down Under a 'Great Success'

First Ever Online Gaming Affiliate Marketing Trade Show Held in Australia was a Resounding Success, Reports CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com and Media Sources; CAP TV Recap Out Today

Irvine, CA (PRWEB) December 11, 2008 -- CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com (CAP), the leading online marketing resource and community website for Internet casino affiliates, has announced that its first annual CAP Down Under event, held the last week of November in Sydney, Australia, was a resounding success.

180 people -- of which 80 percent were Australian and 66 percent were affiliates -- attended the four-day affiliate marketing conference, according to company representatives. Held at Sydney's premium, five-star Shangri-La hotel during the last week of November, 2008, CAP Down Under was the first Australian-based iGaming affiliate marketing conference ever. It was held partially in response to requests from members of the CAP Forums, a highly trafficked social networking community administered on the main CAP site that boasts almost 8,000 members, an industry-leading figure.

"This was an incredible event; CAP Down Under attracted a ton of participants from all over the world," reported Alex Pratt, an organizer for the conference. "From the opening party sponsored by Rewards Affiliates in the Opera Bar with its stunning views of Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, to the attendance of Australian Boxer Jeff Fenech, who played heads up poker against the delegates for prizes, there wasn't a dull moment.

"And with a huge variety of experts in the affiliate marketing and search engine marketing fields, there was no shortage of informative discussion, either."

"The team at CAP Down Under/CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com has done awesome," stated Greg Tingle of Media Man Australia and Casino News Media, a participant who also served as moderator and assisted with coordination duties. "It's been a great conference ... some of the stuff that we've seen, slots and poker and search engine news ... it was very impressive, and I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more about CAP Down Under here in Australia."

The event's exhibitors included Referback, CanBet/IAS, CentreBet, 888.com, Rewards Affiliates and Bluff Magazine. For video coverage of CAP Down Under, view the December 10 edition of CAP TV at http://www.casinoaffiliateprograms.com/captv. Additional footage of the event can also be found at http://www.capdownunder.com.

About CAP Down Under
CAP Down Under is a four-day trade show organized by CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com that gathers the top names in the iGaming affiliate marketing community together in Australia. Like the company's other popular and highly successful conferences in London and Barcelona, CAP Down Under boasts exhibitors from all corners of the globe, with many of the industry's brightest stars among them. For more information on CAP Down Under, please visit http://www.capdownunder.com.

About CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com
Founded in 1999, CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com (CAP) is the largest and longest-running online gaming affiliate resource, featuring an active community forum, chat rooms, marketing tools, industry news/articles, scam alerts, and many more industry-specific tools and services for affiliate marketers. The company offers its signature CAP Certification Process as a means to protect players, affiliates marketers, and the integrity of the online gaming industry as a whole. For more information, please visit http://www.casinoaffiliateprograms.com.

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Media Man Australia Inks Deal With PartyPoker.com

Adding to its already strong line up of poker brands such as PKR.com, Virgin Poker and Pacific Poker, Media Man Australia has come to terms with PartyGaming's PartyPoker.com

PartyGaming and PartyPoker.com were not featured at Australia's CAP Down Under, of which Media Man Australia chaired day one, however PartyGaming will be the platinum sponsor of CAP Euro, London 2008.

Media Man Australia and Casino News Media director, Greg Tingle said, "We are absolutely delighted to be now doing business with yet another of the world's leading gaming brands. PartyGaming and PartyPoker.com are right at the top of the online gaming and casino world and we are excited to be doing business with them, already reaping the benefits of the association".

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Giving Something Back

December 9, 2008 (InfoPowa News) -- Players in the recently completed PokerStars Asia Pacific Poker Tour reconvened for some charity action this week in the APPT Tournament of Champions.

The invitation-only, single-table, ten-player tournament featured winners from the APPT like Martin Rowe, complemented by internationally recognized and respected poker pros, including Vanessa Rousso; 2007 APPT Macau High Rollers champion Eric Assadourian; 2005 WSOP Main Event champion and Team PokerStars Pro Joe Hachem; 2008 APPT Manila champ Van Marcus; Lee Nelson; 2008 APPT Auckland winner Daniel Craker; Grant "Grunter" Levy; 2008 APPT Macau champ Eddy Sabat; and Team PokerStars ace Chad Brown.

The format for the tourney saw the ten champs representing their chosen charities with a AU $50,000 prize pool divvied AU $45,000 to the winner's charity and AU $5,000 for the second placed winner's favorite, with the accent on good gamesmanship and entertaining poker.

The climax of the game saw current APPT Sydney champ Martin Rowe facing respected pro Vanessa Rousso in the heads up, with a 2-to-1 chip lead. But the game -- and the major donation -- went to the fairer sex after an entertaining back-and-forth. Rousso had chosen the No Limit No Profit Initiative, which received the winner's check. Rowe's Save The Children charity nevertheless benefitted by the second-place AU $5,000 award.

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Aussie Insurance Man Wins APPT Grand Final

December 8, 2008 (InfoPowa News) -- The Asia Pacific Poker Tour's Grand Final tourney ended in victory for 34-year-old Sydney insurance worker Martin Rowe this weekend, giving his bank account a boost of $1 million Australian (about $643,000 in U.S. bucks) for surviving a 477-player entry list that included WSOP champs Peter Eastgate and Chris Moneymaker, and winning the popular event after a nine-hour final table.

Rowe, who only two months ago started a business building financial models for life insurance companies, said he may now consider life as a professional poker player. "I think I might take a break from work," he said.

The final table, which included seven Aussies in all, assembled Sunday at the Star City Casino in Sydney after a week of poker as the 477 entry field was whittled down to Antonio Fazzolari holding the final table chip lead, Tom Rafferty, Hai Bo Chu, Daniel Kowalski, Frank Saffioti, Jason Gray, Martin Rowe, Timothy English, and Tony Basile.

Fazzolari looked set to dominate the final as he used his big stack to good effect and eliminated several players, but he was overtaken by the steady and disciplined Rowe and eliminated in fourth place, earning AU $182,000.

Rowe went on to eliminate other players until he faced professional player Jason Gray in the heads up with an almost 7-to-1 chip lead. The match might have ended quickly with such a disparity, but Gray delivered a spirited performance of skill and determination, drawing out the heads up to around two hours of gruelling play. It was not enough to stop the tenacious Rowe, however, and Gray was finally eliminated in second place, taking home AU $476,000.

It was Rowe's first major tournament title, for which he collected the AU $1 million top prize, a sponsored seat in the APPT Tournament of Champions and an impressive trophy.

Rowe has come a long way since he started playing in pub poker tourneys three years ago, and said he was both thrilled with the win, but a little bewildered by it.

"It feels great; but it hasn't really sunk in," he said. "I haven't really made any decisions at all about how it's changed my life or what I'm going to do with it."

After building his experience in pub tournaments, Rowe started playing the Star City tournaments six months ago, where he honed his poker skills.

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Martin Rowe wins $1m Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) grand final in Sydney - The Australian - 8th December 2008

He started out playing in pub tournaments just three years ago, but 34-year-old financial analyst Martin Rowe is now $1 million richer after taking out the Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) grand final in Sydney.

Mr Rowe, from North Sydney, finished king of the tour after a gruelling nine hours of competition on Sunday at Sydney's Star City Casino.

The tournament began on Tuesday with 477 players, but by Sunday only nine players, including seven from Australia, were left with chips on the table.

Mr Rowe said he was "absolutely thrilled and a little bewildered'' to be $1 million richer.

"It feels great; it hasn't sunk in,'' he said.

"I haven't really made any decisions at all about how it's changed my life or what I'm going to do with it.''

Mr Rowe had been playing tournament poker for only three years when he entered a tournament at his local pub.

But he quickly outgrew that and six months ago began playing in tournaments at Sydney's Star City Casino, where he continued to refine his game.

The APPT was his first major tournament, and featured an impressive starting field, including current world champion Peter Eastgate, and former champion Chris Moneymaker.

"Three years ago a pub near me started up a normal league, and I started playing in that because I was interested in the game, and how the odds came together,'' he said.

"I started out hoping not to make a fool of myself, and rapidly improved.''

Mr Rowe, who only two months ago started a business building financial models for life insurance companies, said he may now consider life as a professional poker player.

"I think I might take a break from work,'' he said.

"I haven't made any decisions about where I go from here. I won't be making any decisions until after tomorrow.''

(Credit: The Australian)

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Poker Comp Heats Up At Media Man Australia

The battle for supremacy in the online poker world continues, as Media Man Australia has received numerous high level approaches from some of the world's strongest poker brands and entities. Some of the poker brand and entities in the thick of the action at present include, but are not limited to:

PartyPoker.com

Pacific Poker - 888.com

Virgin Poker

V*Points

PKR Poker

Jeff Fenech

Shane Warne

PokerNews.com

LuckyAceCasino.com

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Bluegrass Institute on 60 Minutes, Kentucky Case, by Dan Cypra - Poker News Daily - 7th December 2008

Last week, CBS News program “60 Minutes” ran a feature story outlining the cheating scandals that erupted on online poker rooms Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker. The story claimed on multiple occasions that online poker was “illegal” in the United States. Jim Waters, Director of Policy and Communications for the Bluegrass Institute, sat down with Poker News Daily to discuss the episode.

To Waters, the 60 Minutes story demonstrated that the industry’s participants, in this case the players, were able to govern the industry adequately. Waters told Poker News Daily, “It was interesting that the players themselves saw this problem. This is an example of what happens when government tries to get involved in regulating matters that should be left up to individual liberty and choice.” The United States Congress passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in 2006, which prohibited the transfer of money to “unlawful internet gambling” activities. However, no definition of this term was given. Banks and other financial institutions are ultimately charged with its enforcement.

The Bluegrass Institute is focused on limiting government interference in free market activities and is based in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Waters commented, “Individuals with proper incentive will usually do the right thing if allowed to. When government gets involved, it has to serve special interests and political issues. It may or may not even consider the Constitution. Individuals who have the incentive to do the right thing will do a better job than an outside force would. Who spends your money better than you?”

Waters and company have been focused on the case in Kentucky regarding the seizure and potential forfeiture of 141 internet gambling domain names. On Friday, December 12th, a Court of Appeals in Louisville, the largest city in the state, will hear arguments from the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA) and Interactive Gaming Council (IGC). The Court of Appeals elected to hear the arguments made by IGC and iMEGA that the Commonwealth did not have jurisdiction to act and that the seizing of domain names violates the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution.

In Waters’ eyes, there is an important parallel between the 60 Minutes story and the case in Kentucky. He commented, “The parallel is that, while cheating should not be acceptable to any of us in any realm, sometimes the solution to a problem is much more harmful than the problem itself. The solution is much worse when you talk about seizing website domain names and using the courts to determine individual choice.”

Many have questioned why Beshear would want to seize 141 internet gambling domain names in the first place. Arguments have ranged from moral reasons to wanting to protect the state’s horse racing industry and lottery. Waters hypothesized, “There’s a lot of hypocrisy involved. I question the motives of the government and those involved in wanting to seize these sites. I don’t think it’s because they want to protect Kentucky from the evils of gambling. It’s because they want to protect their own economic interests.”

TwinSpires.com is a site that allows online wagering on horse racing. It is owned by the parent company of Kentucky-based Churchill Downs and is not among the 141 internet gambling domain names named in the suit. Moreover, the Kentucky Lottery has an online option for second chance entries of tickets. Judge Thomas Wingate, a Circuit Court judge, upheld the actions by Beshear, claiming that the internet, despite its advances, was not above the law.

Waters summed up his hopes for the proceedings on Friday in Louisville: “Hopefully, the Court of Appeals will uphold, defend, and protect the Constitution. It’s not the Judiciary Branch’s job to make laws or get involved in how these operations run. It’s their job to look at the case in the light of the law and what our rights are.” (Credit: Poker News Daily)

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Asian Poker Tour Ambassador JC Tran Wins PartyPoker Premier League III

December 2, 2008 (London, UK) – Asian Poker Tour Ambassador JC Tran is the PartyPoker.com Premier League III champion after taking down the most formidable final table in the event's history! Tran, widely regarded as one of the finest and consistent tournament professionals on the circuit, scooped the $300,000 first prize in the elite tournament organized by Matchroom Sport that saw 12 of the world’s finest players battle it out for a $1.25 million prize pool! The buy-in was $75,000, with $350,000 added by PartyPoker.com.

"This is brilliant and I am so happy," said Tran. "I have been feeling good all week and it is amazing to win this event. Until this week I had never played in Europe before -- I really couldn't ask for more! Perhaps I should move here! I would like to thank everybody who has made my trip to London such a wonderful experience."

Tran, who also represents PKR at poker tournaments, has a close knit group of friends with whom he travels on the poker circuit, and they were all there to watch him triumph in a spectacular and masterful fashion at the deep-stacked final table. World-class pros Nam Le and Quinn Do, two fellow Asian Poker Tour ambassadors, and David 'Chino' Rheem, were there for their friend cheering him on every step of the way.

Tran reached the final table as chip leader, as the favorite to win with www.partybets.com, and the overall league winner after fantastic displays that saw him pick up three first places and two second places in the heats. It wasn't all plain sailing though as Tony G fought hard and also provided a spectacular domineering performance to finish runner-up.

At the start of the heads-up, Tony G had the advantage and held 1,150,000 to JC Tran's 780,000. It looked like it was going to be Tony's day until a key hand turned everything on its head. Pre-flop, a super confident Tony G raised to 75K with 8s 6s and Tran called with 10h 8c. After the flop came 10d Qh 6d Tony led out with 95K, which was called quickly by Tran. The turn brought a Qs and Tony bet 110K that prompted JC to raise it up to 260K. Tony folded and JC gained the chip lead and there was no going back. With the blinds at 20K/40K, Tran limped in with 9c 7d and Tony checked with Ks 8d. The flop came 5d 7h 6h and Tony G checked raised all-in only to be called by JC. Tony needed a king, four or nine to double-up and take a formidable chip lead. The turn came Js and a 2s on the river gave Tran victory. "I brought my best game but it just wasn't good enough," said Tony G, who played some spectacular poker on a final table that exhibited huge skill and class.

The action at the start of the final table certainly didn't take long to get going and it was the fifth hand of the night that swung the balance of power. Unsurprisingly, Tom 'Durrr' Dwan was at the centre of the action, just like he had been all week. Tony G raised pre-flop with 10s 9h and was re-raised another 21,000 by Durrr with Qc 4c. Tony G called and the flop came down 4d Jc 10c. Durrr bet 43K and Tony moved all-in. Tom's super-aggressive play had been a factor all week throughout the heats and Tony G had put a massive marker down. Dwan called with a flush draw and the turn was a 3h with a Kh on the river. Tony G doubled up to 434K and with chips the 'mouth from down under' started getting under the skin of his opponents as the verbals escalated. It looked like after a third place in season two that Tony G was the man to beat and that he might take the Premier League title he desperately seeks.

Even though Tom Dwan was short stacked, 2008 WSOP Main Event champion Peter Eastgate was the first to exit. Eastgate had impressed all week and went to the final table second in chips. Most observers predicted that it would be a battle between the Dane and JC Tran for the title. Eastgate ran into Tran's pocket aces when his Ks 9s was no match on the final board of Js Kd 5d Jd Ac. The World Champion had raised pre-flop and when Tran flat called with his aces -- it enticed Eastgate to move all-in on the flop and hang himself. Out in fifth was Roland de Wolfe, who failed to improve on his second place finish in season two after reaching the final table through the heads-up play-offs. Roland’s Kd Ks was crushed by Juha Helppi’s Ad Qc when an ace came on the flop. As all of this was unfolding, Tony G continued to talk, with commentators Jesse May and Phil Hellmuth convinced that he was winning the psychological battle. It even seemed at certain points that he might be getting under the skin of the super cool Tran.

Tom Dwan’s Premier League debut had received rave reviews all week but he finally bit the dust in fourth place. It was none other than Tony G who sent him on his way when “Durrr” found his 8h 6s up against Tony G’s Jc 8d. The flop came down 7s 8c 5h. Dwan failed to hit the open-ended straight draw and one of the most feared players of PartyPoker.com Premier League III was on his way. Tony G was in fine form singing “If you’re happy and you know it” and telling his rivals to get on their bikes. He was the chip leader and table captain and had more than double the stack of JC Tran. Finland’s Juha Helppi, winner of the inaugural PartyPoker.com Premier League was next to go in third place when his As 10d ran into Tony G’s Ad Qc and a queen came on the flop.

A PartyPoker.com spokesman said: "JC Tran's performance was truly outstanding and there is no doubt at all that he is one cool cat and that he deserved to win. The standard of play all week from all the players involved was really something to remember."

Eddie Hearn, Director of Matchroom Sport said: "The PartyPoker.com Premier League III lived up to all expectations and then some. Newcomers Eastgate, Dwan and Obrestad played some simply stunning poker that will be watched over and over again and JC Tran's performance was pure genius from beginning to end. This series has completely raised the bar for televised poker and we are already planning the next installment!"

JC Tran, from Sacramento, California, is of Vietnamese origin and recently signed a deal to become an ambassador for the Asian Poker Tour. He went to the final table as chip leader and league winner with 450,000. Second in chips was 2008 WSOP Main Event champion Peter Eastgate with 390,000. Season one winner Juha Helppi was third with 340,000. Sitting in joint fourth place at the start of the final table was Tom 'Durrr' Dwan and Tony G, both with 260,000. The short stack was Roland de Wolfe with 230,000. The deep stacked final table started with blinds at 2,000 – 4,000.

Tran, Eastgate, Helppi, and Dwan all qualified automatically for the final table from their positions in the league table. Dwan and Tony G both finished with 26 points but 'Durrr' got the automatic spot based on his superior league record. Roland de Wolfe beat Annette Obrestad 2-0 in the first heads-up play-off to secure his seat at the grand finale, while Tony G beat Vicky Coren 2-0 to fix his place. Both De Wolfe and Tony G made the final table in season two with De Wolfe eventually finishing runner-up to champion Andy Black and Tony G finishing third.

PartyPoker.com Premier League III has not been so kind to Phil Hellmuth, who still holds the record of winning four heats in the Premier League but was unable to replicate the form that led him to dominate season one. He narrowly missed out on a place in the final eight but took part in a heads-up with JC Tran in the heats that people are already labeling a classic. Also relegated were defending champion Andy Black, Nenad Medic and David 'Devilfish' Ulliott. The final heats were particularly difficult for De Wolfe and Coren, who both had to play tight and hope other players busted themselves to secure enough points to finish in the final eight.

ABOUT THE ASIAN POKER TOUR (APT)
The Asian Poker Tour (APT) is Asia's biggest and original poker tour. The Tour was acquired by AsianLogic (AIM:ALOG) in early 2008 and has held two successful events: one in the Philippines and the other in Macau. The APT plans to hold at least four major events in 2009 where each tournament is set to attract live players as well as Internet players who will qualify via online satellites. For more information, log on to the official web site at www.asianpt.com.

ABOUT ASIANLOGIC (ALOG)
AsianLogic (AIM: ALOG) is a leading online and land-based gaming company focused on the Asia-Pacific markets. Listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange, it operates several online casino and online poker brands and is engaged in the development, operations and marketing of peer-to-peer gaming, Asian-themed games, and sports betting. The Company also owns the Asian Poker Tour, a premier live poker tournament.

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. It enjoys strong commercial relationships with leading gaming providers including Playtech and LVS.

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Aussie Millions Schedule Released

December 4, 2008 (InfoPowa News) - The next major poker tournament down under -- the Aussie Millions -- will run from January 4 - 26, 2009, according to a statement from the organizers.

Following a 2008 championship in which records were broken seemingly every day, the 2009 Aussie Millions Poker Championship will deliver a new set of historic firsts. The 2009 Aussie Millions will feature 18 different championship events in almost every variation of poker.

Readers can find the full schedule at http://www.aussiemillions.com/schedule.

The 23-day extravaganza will unfold at Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia, and is annually the Southern Hemisphere's richest gaming tournament, ranked fifth in the world by prize-money.

In all, the 2009 Aussie Millions will feature various events where players can choose from an impressive line-up of cash tournaments including the Pre-Championship Satellites (4-8 January), H.O.R.S.E (2-day event), Feature Event No Limit Hold 'em with a Bounty player on each table, the $100,000 No Limit Hold 'em Challenge -- and, the one everyone wants to win: the coveted $10,500 (AU) NLHE 'Main Event'.

"If you've dreamed of becoming an Aussie Millions Champion, this is the year to enter," says Crown's Chief Operating Officer for Gaming Richard Longhurst. "With 18 opportunities to win, more events than ever before, and FSN television coverage of the 'Main Event', the Aussie Millions stage has never been brighter."

Sunday 18 January 2009 is the first of three start days for the most anticipated event of the championship, the Aussie Millions No Limit Holdem 'Main Event'. Filmed and developed into an eight-part television series by FSN for an international audience of over 100 million, and featuring a guaranteed first prize of AU $2 million, the Final Table is set to be played out on Saturday 24 January 2009.

In January 2008, a total of 780 entrants competed in the No Limit Holdem 'Main Event' with a prize pool of $7.8 million and first prize of AU $1.65 million; it was won by 21-year-old Alexander Kostritsyn from Moscow, who will return in January to defend the title.

Visiting poker professionals include 2005 World Series of Poker Champion Joe Hachem, 2007 Aussie Millions Champion Gus Hansen, Team Full Tilt pro Phil Ivey, former Finnish model Patrick Antonius, 2000 World Series of Poker Champion Chris 'Jesus" Ferguson, World Poker Tour co-commentator Mike Sexton, international poker star Kenna 'Cowboy' James, Antonio 'The Magician' Esfandiari, Phil 'The Unabomber' Laak, and Hollywood stars Jennifer Tilly, Michael Vartan, and Shannon Elizabeth.

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60 Minutes Investigates Online Poker Scandals, by Dan Cypra - Poker News Daily - 30th November 2008

Airing as the first feature on CBS News program “60 Minutes” on Sunday night was an investigation into the online poker scandals that rocked Ultimate Bet and its sister site, Absolute Poker. Both rooms are owned by Tokwiro Enterprises. Correspondent Steve Kroft traveled to several countries as part of the story, which ultimately claimed that internet gambling was illegal in the United States.

The news program opened up its show by discussing when the poker boom began, which it stated was the moment that Chris Moneymaker defeated Sam Farha in the 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, taking home $2.5 million and proving that, in poker, amateurs can compete toe to toe with resident pros. Also at that final table were 1995 WSOP Main Event champion Dan Harrington and bracelet winners Jason Lester and Amir Vahedi. 60 Minutes cameras showed footage of the 2008 World Series of Poker.

The story then focused on online poker in particular. Kroft stated, “We should tell you that this $18 billion industry is illegal in the United States, but the ban is almost impossible to enforce since the internet sites and the computers that randomly deal the cards and keep track of the bets are located offshore, beyond the jurisdiction of U.S. law enforcement.” In a 2004 article, gambling law expert I. Nelson Rose commented on the legality of online poker: “It depends mostly on where you live. It depends also on how the game is being run. And, in the real world, it depends on whether anyone is going to do anything about it.” A 2005 Ipsos-Reid study claimed that 15 million Americans played poker online for real money.

The news program then turned to an interview with Todd Witteles, who is better known online as “Dan Druff.” Witteles was one of the main figures involved in unearthing the scandal on Absolute Poker. On the super user account “Graycat,” Witteles commented, “He was playing in a style that was sure to lose, but he was killing the game day after day.” David Paredes, a victim of cheating by the NioNio account on Ultimate Bet, told Kroft, “I’m probably down somewhere in the range of $70,000 to [NioNio]. There were a number of players who lost more than me, in the range of $250,000, $90,000, $70,000, and $210,000.”

Serge Ravitch, who goes by “adanthar” in the online poker world, inserted questionable hands into PokerTracker, a popular database program, and told 60 Minutes, “When the other person was bluffing, he would always go all in. When the other person had some kind of made hand, he would always fold.” Players can now relive some of POTRIPPER’s play in several videos posted on YouTube that use the hand replayer of poker training site PokerXFactor.

Russ Hamilton won $1 million by taking down the 1994 WSOP Main Event. In that tournament, he defeated Hugh Vincent heads-up and, 10 years later, masterminded a $20 million cheating scandal on Ultimate Bet. Hamilton was publicly named in a report distributed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC), the licensing agency for many of the world’s online poker rooms. 60 Minutes claimed that the Kahnawakes “register and service more than 60% of the world’s internet gaming activity.” Its servers are housed in a converted mattress factory on its reservation located just outside of Montreal, Canada.

Joe Tokwiro Norton, according to a memo distributed by Ultimate Bet as well as CBS News, is the owner of Tokwiro and its two online poker rooms. However, Norton is also a former Grand Chief of the Kahnawakes. When Kroft asked current Kahnawake Grand Chief Michael Delisle why the KGC did not suspend the licenses of either Tokwiro room, he responded, “They were afraid that if the rug was pulled out from under them, the players wouldn’t be paid.” Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet were fined a combined $2 million. Players have since been compensated for their losses.

According to an accompanying article that was featured in the Washington Post newspaper on Sunday, “Until he issued a news release in October 2007, even some of the most powerful members of his tribe had no idea Norton owned the poker sites.” Delisle told the Post, “I was as surprised as anyone else.”

The ending to the 60 Minutes story questioned why Hamilton and the five other unnamed accomplices in the Ultimate Bet scandal have not had any charges filed against them. Delisle commented, “We’re willing to work with anyone who wants to bring these people to justice. I believe that anyone else, named or not, will be brought to justice if they can be found.”

Hamilton, according to footage shown 60 Minutes, resides at the Tournament Players Club in Las Vegas. The news program aired a clip of Kroft allegedly calling his home and leaving a message for Hamilton. However, the call was not returned. The story then ended with Witteles speculating that other cheating that is less “greedy and blatant” may be transpiring on other rooms besides Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet.

We’ll have reaction to the program from around the industry for you on Poker News Daily. (Credit: Poker News Daily)

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60 Minutes "Could Have Been Worse" - 1st December 2008

Early consensus of online poker players on the poker message boards seems to be that the widely publicised CBS 60 Minutes television program Sunday did not make the industry look as bad as it could have done. Despite having rather confused perceptions on the "illegality" of the game in the United States, and some negative statements from player "Dan Druf", the program proved to be generally accurate on the cheating scandals at UltimateBet and Absolute Poker, most opined.

The introduction did not bode well, leading in with the comment:

"In the wild, wild west, when a poker player was caught cheating it was a capital offense, with the punishment quickly dispensed right across the card table. But today if you're caught cheating in the popular and lucrative world of Internet poker, you may get away scot-free.

"At least that seems to be what is happening in the biggest scandal in the history of online gambling. A small group of people managed to cheat players out of more than $20 million.

"And it would have gone undetected if it hadn't been for the players themselves, who used the Internet to root out the corruption. As a joint investigation by 60 Minutes and The Washington Post reveals, it raises new questions about the integrity and security of the shadowy and highly profitable industry that operates outside U.S. law."

Presenter Steve Kroft went on to trace the point at which online poker started to make the headlines; when Chris Moneymaker -- the hitherto unknown Internet player with the news-friendly name -- won the World Series of Poker in 2003. His win inspired many more to try the online environment, which snowballed into a multi-billion dollar industry with hundreds of thousands of players across the world participating.

"These people could be playing from anywhere in the world. They could be here in the United States. They could be, you know, in India. They could be in South Africa," Australian computer security expert Michael Josem told Kroft, who went on controversially to assert that " ... this $18 billion industry is illegal in the U.S., but the ban is almost impossible to enforce since the Internet sites and the computers that randomly deal the cards and keep track of the bets are located offshore, beyond the jurisdiction of U.S. law enforcement." He added that there is " ... almost no official regulation, enforcement, or supervision", presumably referring to the United States exclusively.

Kroft interviewed players involved in unmasking the AB and UB cheating scandals, fleshing out the program with the details of the cheating scams that are now well known to everyone involved in the industry. Players "fleeced" by the cheaters recounted how their suspicions were aroused and how much they lost in games against the cheaters over a period of time.

David Paredes, a Harvard grad who has made enough money playing poker to pay off his law school loan and live in an expensive New York apartment, got fleeced by a player called "Nio Nio." Asked how much he lost, Paredes told Kroft, "I'm probably down somewhere in the range of $70,000 to that particular player."

Paredes says there were other players who lost higher sums. "In the range of $250,000, $90,000, $70,000, $210,000."

Serge Ravitch, another lawyer-turned-poker pro, began using a software program called "Poker Tracker" to review thousands of old hands, he told Kroft. "What I saw did not make any sense. This account was simply winning too much money for the type of game that he was playing. And he was doing it by never having the worst hand. When the other person was bluffing, he would always go all in. When the other person had some kind of made hand, he would always fold."

It was almost as if the player knew what everyone's cards were, recalls Ravitch, recounting that the Internet poker forums, chat rooms, and blogs were soon buzzing with reports about suspect players. And when Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet failed to respond to complaints, the online poker community undertook its own investigation.

The most likely explanation seemed to be that someone had access to an administrative or security account at Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet that would permit them to see all of the cards in the game as they were being played.

"Somebody with access to a server, a computer server that would give that information to them in real time?" Kroft asked. "Yes," Ravitch replied.

"So either a really good hacker or somebody on the inside?" Kroft asked. "Exactly," Ravitch replied.

Kroft went on to detail how the player-detectives were lucky enough to obtain the hand histories of one cheater using the handle "Potripper" at Absolute Poker. It was inadvertently sent as a comprehensive Excel spreadsheet containing 65,000 lines of data detailing the games played by the cheater, and it enabled a detailed analysis by the players.

Michael Josem told Kroft that the players were able to recreate some of the hands, as the cheater would have seen them, and turn them into a video that he posted online, along with a statistical analysis of the cheater's win rate. He goes on to explain the graphic and its proof of cheating, telling Kroft: "We did the mathematical analysis to find that they were winning at about 15 standard deviations above the mean, which is approximately equivalent to winning a one-in-a-million jackpot six consecutive times. Now, this sort of stuff just doesn't happen in the real world."

But more importantly, the Excel spreadsheet also listed the user account and the IP address of the suspected cheater, which the sleuths traced to the computer modem of an Absolute Poker employee.

The company, which is headquartered in a shopping mall in Costa Rica, was finally forced to acknowledge that a former employee had cracked its software code and cheated online players by looking at their cards, 60 Minutes reported. And what really made the victims angry was that Absolute Poker cut a deal with the cheater to protect his identity, in exchange for a full confession of how he did it, Kroft commented.

This gave the program the opportunity to introduce and describe the Kahnawake Gaming Commission on the Mohawk reservation a short drive from Montreal in Canada. As the licensing and hosting jurisdiction, the Commission was the best hope of redress for the cheated players.

Grand Chief Mike Delisle was interviewed and emphasized that his tribe were not Canadians, but members of the Haudenosaunee Five Nation Confederacy with sovereign rights in their 35,000 acre reservation. "We're Mohawk Kahnawake people. We're not Canadian," Delisle asserted in explaining why his tribe is involved in online gambling as a lucrative income stream for the community.

Kroft says the tribe now registers and services more than 60 percent of the world's Internet gaming activity from a highly protected but nondescript building that used to be a mattress factory. 60 Minutes drove by the former factory with The Washington Post's Gil Gaul, who worked on the story with 60 Minutes, in the program.

The operation is overseen by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, whose three commissioners meet in secret, 60 Minutes reveals. The commission is independent of tribal leaders, including Chief Delisle, and its investigation of Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet is alleged in the program to have been neither transparent nor particularly aggressive.

This is the cue for the program to mention the owner of AB and UB parent group Tokwiro Enterprises, Joe Tokwiro Norton. He is described as " ... a former grand chief of the Kahnawakes, who helped establish the gaming commission that cleared him of any wrongdoing in the scandal."

In an interview with present chief Delisle, Kroft recalls the $2 million in fines levied on the two poker sites by the KGC as a consequence of the cheating scandals, but notes that they remain in operation.

"Here you had a gaming commission. It was originally set up by Joe Norton. And his two companies come before the board and they get a slap on the wrist," Kroft remarked to Delisle.

"Well, I don't think it's a slap on the wrist," Delisle replied. "We are comfortable in saying that through the gaming commission, they have done the investigation, saying that he didn't have a part in the cheating scandal."

Asked why the commission didn't suspend Norton's license, Delisle says, "Well, they were afraid that if that happened and the rug was pulled out from under them, so to speak, that the players wouldn't be paid."

Regrettably, neither the KGC nor Norton would participate in the 60 Minutes program, although it reveals that in a statement the two bodies claimed they were victimized by insiders and former employees and accepted blame for overlooking the security problems with the software.

The only clarity in the investigation was provided by Frank Catania, a former director of New Jersey's Gaming Enforcement Division, who was hired by the tribe to look into the cheating that the players themselves helped expose.

Catania was emphatic in crediting the players with uncovering the scandals: "We owe it to the players themselves for finding this out," he said. Catania found that the scam at Ultimate Bet went on for four years, and says the mastermind appears to have been a former giant in the world of poker.

Asked if he knows who did the cheating, Catania said, "Well, the one name has already been released by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. That's a fellow by the name of Russ Hamilton."

Hamilton is described as a former poker champion. In 1994, he won $1 million and his weight in silver for winning the main event at the World Series of Poker.

According to the gaming commission, Hamilton and five still-unnamed conspirators used multiple screen names and accounts to cheat online players out of more than $20 million, Catania told Kroft. And so far they seem to be getting away with it, Kroft concludes. "Because of jurisdictional issues, no criminal charges have been filed, and no one even seems to be conducting a criminal investigation," he commented to Chief Delisle.

"We're willing to work in collaboration with anyone who wants to bring these people to justice," Delisle responded.

"In this case, you have somebody who you know was cheating. It's like the person's gotten away with it," Kroft probed.

"I believe that anyone else, named or not, will be brought to justice," Delisle says. "If they can be found. That's really the defining factor."

However, 60 Minutes claims it had no trouble locating Hamilton at his home in a security gated golf community in Vegas. The producers left a message for the former champ, but the call was not returned, and that seems to have been the program's sole attempt to interview the only man so far named in the scandals.

It was disappointing that 60 Minutes did not pursue Hamilton with more vigor, having allegedly spent four months investigating the issue in collaboration with The Washington Post. And the lack of criminal action against Hamilton and the claimed five other -- still unidentified -- accomplices remains a source of dissatisfaction and distrust in the player community despite the claims that protection was given in return for information that enabled the company to discover how the cheating took place and who was responsible.

The refusal to be interviewed in the program by Norton and the KGC has also evoked some negative comment in the poker forums.

Finally the omission of important recent developments in the cheating story has also been noted -- some days before the 60 Minutes program was screened, Excapsa, the former owner and software provider for AB and UB settled with Tokwiro associate Blast Off Limited to the tune of $15 million. Excapsa is in process of liquidation. (Credit: InfoPowa News)

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Take on the best! - PKR

Play this week's 'APT Pro' $10,000 GTD Bounty and take on four of the world's hottest players.

Bracelet winner, WPT title holder and Bluff-ESPN #1 ranked player in the world, JC Tran. 2008 WSOP Main Event final tablist David 'Chino' Rheem. WPT title holder and winner of the APPT High Rollers Event Nam Le. 2008 LA Poker Classic runner up Quinn Do. Between them they have almost $20m in lifetime tournament winnings - they'll all be there, and you get to play them.

The action kicks off this Thursday at 20:00 GMT. Buy-in is just $20 with a guaranteed prize pool of $10,000. What's more, felt any one of our superstar bounties or win the tourney and you'll get a $250 seat for any one of our 'APT Manila Weekly Final' tournaments. See you there.

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JC Tran’s Dominance Continues

The ongoing PartyPoker.com Premier League tournament has seen American professional poker player JC Tran continue his great run of form by finishing in second place in the third game after winning both of the first two heats.

As a result, Vietnam-born Tran now sits at the top of the table with 26 points halfway through the competition and ten points beyond second placed Peter Eastgate, the winner of the most recent World Series of Poker (WSOP) event in Las Vegas.

Tran is also representing Team PKR at the London event and won his first heat at the expense of Eastgate before continuing his great form in the second game where he defeated Vicky Coren heads-up. Eastgate had his revenge in the third game by knocking out Tran heads-up even though the Sacramento-based player had taken an early chip lead.

“It’s going great here in London,” said Tran.

“Maybe I should move here. I was very pleased to come back in the heads-up after being a 9/1 dog but I was confident there was a way back as there was still so much play left at the table. It is a shame I couldn’t eventually win this heat but I am very happy with 26 points and topping the table.”

The PartyPoker.com Premier League series features twelve of the world’s best players competing in a unique league format. Every one of the players will play six times in the preliminary stages with the leading four progressing to a final table while the next four then battle it out in heads-up matches for the final two seats. Besides Tran, Eastgate and Coren, the field also includes Tom ‘Durrrr’ Dwan, Nenad Medic, Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliott, Tony Guoga, Annette Obrestad, Roland De Wolfe, Andy Black and Juha Helppi.

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Poker Gaming Act of 2009: Poker is a Game of Skill - 28th November 2008

The fight for poker around the world, in the minds of many, has boiled down to whether the game is ultimately based on skill or chance. Is luck the dominant factor in poker or is skill? In Texas, State Representative Jose Menendez has introduced House Bill 222, the Poker Gaming Act of 2009. It seeks to legalize poker within the state.

The Act begins, “All poker gaming conducted in this state and authorized by law shall be regulated and licensed under this chapter unless state or federal law specifically provides otherwise.” Moreover, it explicitly declares that poker is a game of skill and that the game is actually beneficial to society. It claims that poker “will benefit the general welfare of the people of this state by enhancing investment, development, and tourism… resulting in new jobs and additional revenue.”

As an important caveat, the Poker Gaming Act of 2009 is specifically aimed at live poker in brick and mortar casinos, not video poker or online poker. A poker regulatory body will dole out licenses and determine the maximum number of tables that each location will be able to operate. In the case of charities operating events, the Act notes, “A separate permit must be obtained for each charitable poker tournament conducted by a licensed operator.”

Under a section entitled “Mandatory Issuance of Commercial Operator’s License,” it is prescribed that licenses will be given to businesses that hold an alcohol permit or a pari-mutuel license. Federally recognized Indian tribes will also be given a permit to operate a poker room. In the case of each of the aforementioned businesses, they must file a proper application, pay applicable fees and taxes on time, and meet any other requirements that the poker commission requires.

The rules governing charitable poker tournaments are lengthy. Some of the highlights include that all proceeds must be turned over to a recognized non-profit within 30 days of the event. In addition, “The expenses of conducting the tournament deducted by a licensed operator may not exceed 30 percent of gross receipts.” Specific expenses are outlined as well and include advertising and marketing.

The costs to becoming a legal poker room in the state of Texas include both application and licensing costs. Application costs for a commercial enterprise and charitable tournament are $1,000. The application fee for a dealer is $100. Licensing fees are the same amounts, but are paid to the State every year.

Other revenue sources for Texas from poker include the blanket taxation of the industry, which is set at 18% of gross revenues. Pari-mutuel license holders are only on the hook for 16%. In the case of charitable poker tournaments, the Act prescribes, “The tax rate is five percent of the gross receipts received by a licensed poker operator.” Up to $100 buy-in tournaments are allowed and the operator may not collect a fee of more than $30.

In Menendez’s bill, poker is specifically deemed to be a game of skill, which is an important distinction in many jurisdictions to the sport being legalized. In the case involving the seizure and potential forfeiture of 141 internet gambling domain names in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, for example, Circuit Court Judge Thomas Wingate commented, “Chance, though not the only element of a game of poker, is the element which defines its essence. In the end, no matter how skillful or cunning the player, who wins and who loses is determined by the hands the players hold.” Many industry professionals would argue that components of poker such as bluffing involve winning without the best hand, which would run contrary to Wingate’s statements.

The Texas Card Players Association (TCPA) is hosting its third annual State Championship Poker Tournament at the Howard Johnson Inn in San Antonio near I-10 and Loop 410 on Sunday, November 30th. The tournament begins at 2:00pm and boasts a buy-in of $200. There is no tournament fee (rake) taken. The home page of the TCPA states, “Under current law it is unclear exactly when it is legal to play poker and when it is not. What is prosecuted in one county is not prosecuted in another county, and yet no person in Texas has ever been convicted of playing poker.” (Credit: Poker News Daily)

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60 Minutes Airs Report on Online Poker Cheaters November 30th, by Dan Cypra - 26th November 2008

Poker News Daily has confirmed that the story by CBS News program “60 Minutes” concerning the cheating scandals on Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker will air this Sunday, November 30th. The story serves as the finale of a four month-long investigation by 60 Minutes as well as Washington Post newspaper correspondent Gilbert Gaul. The piece is entitled “How Online Gamblers Unmasked Cheaters” and will hit the airwaves at 7:00pm ET on CBS.

A teaser video posted by 60 Minutes features an interview that correspondent Steve Kroft conducted with Todd Witteles, an online poker player who is better known as “Dan Druff.” Witteles commented on the Absolute Poker scandal, “This GRAYCAT person was new and at first he seemed like a live one. He seemed terrible. He was raising just really, really bad hands against very good hands. He seemed to play crazy. He seemed like he was giving his money away, except the only thing was, he wasn’t losing.” Witteles explained why the run-in with GRAYCAT on Absolute Poker was out of the ordinary: “He was playing in a style that was sure to lose, but he was killing the game day after day.”

The teaser video explains that Graycat was winning at 15 standard deviations above the mean, “which was approximately equivalent to winning a one in a million jackpot six consecutive times.” The POTRIPPER account was the proverbial stone that broke the camel’s back, making a famous 10-high call against Marco “CrazyMarco” Johnson in a $1,000 tournament in September of 2007. Observing POTRIPPER in action was Absolute Poker user number 363, which was later traced back to the company’s headquarters in Costa Rica.

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission released the following statement about the cheating scandal that plagued Ultimate Bet, which is owned by the same parent company as Absolute Poker: “The Commission found clear and convincing evidence to support the conclusion that between the approximate dates of May 2004 to January 2008, Russell Hamilton, an individual associated with Ultimate Bet’s affiliate program, was the main person responsible for and benefiting from the multiple cheating incidents.” In July, the Ultimate Bet account “sleeplesss,” which was one of the user names associated with the cheating scandal, was positively linked to a home owned by Hamilton in Las Vegas.

On Tuesday, the player bases of Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker merged to form the CEREUS poker network. The delay in its launch may have been due to an ongoing legal battle in Canada between Tokwiro (the current ownership group of Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker) and Excapsa (the former ownership group of UB). Tokwiro was awarded $15 million in the case, which was used to pay back players who had been affected by the cheating scandal.

In a press release from November 5th, Tokwiro COO Paul Leggett stated, “Now that the main perpetrator has been named, the settlement with the previous owners is behind us, and players have received refunds, it should now be apparent that Tokwiro had no involvement in this cheating and that we have fought to correct it with every tool at our disposal.”

The other two stories slated to air on 60 Minutes this week are:

The Silver Star
Monica Brown, only the second woman to ever win the Silver Star since World War II, describes saving two wounded men during a firefight she wasn’t supposed to be near - while she was only 18 years old. Lara Logan reports.

Michael Phelps
He swam into history at the Beijing Olympics and now the 23-year-old phenom tells CNN’s Anderson Cooper what his life is like as hundreds of endorsement opportunities roll in to make this U.S. Olympic superstar a marketing millionaire.

Read the story and watch the preview video by visiting the 60 Minutes website. (Credit: Poker News Daily)

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APT Ambassador JC Tran Dominates PartyPoker.com Premier League

London – 26th November 2008 – Asian Poker Tour ambassador JC Tran’s excellent run at PartyPoker.com Premier League III has continued after he won his first two heats and finished runner-up in his third. JC now sits clearly at the top of the table with 26 points at the $1.25 million event for 12 elite players in London.

Tran, who is also representing team PKR, won his first heat on day one at the expense of World Champion Peter Eastgate and has continued his great form. Cheered on by a large contingent in the green room, including WSOP Main Event final table pal David ‘Chino’ Rheem, and ‘Poker Pack’ pals Nam Le and Quinn Do he put on other great display. When it got heads-up he held 476,000 to Vicky Coren’s 124,000 and he looked the likely winner throughout. The decisive hand saw Tran raise with A6 off-suit and pushed all-in by Coren with KK. An ace on the flop was enough to take it down.

JC’s third heat was hugely eventful. All the previous heats had seen very few eliminations in early levels but this game was different and it very quickly become a heads-up battle between JC and Peter Eastgate. The 2008 WSOP Main Event champion completely run over the field and looked to be home and dry but the blinds were only at 2,000 – 4,000. Eastgate sat with 541,000 to Tran’s 59,000, a very different scenario to when the pair met on day one when the chip counts going into the heads-up stage were more level. Remarkably, as a 9-1 underdog, Tran fought back to hold the chip lead. Eastgate, however, eventually got his revenge for his defeat at the hands of Tran on day one to pick up 10 points. Eastgate pushed all-in with K3 and was called by Tran with A7. A king on the flop was enough to seal the deal for the $9 million Dane. With 6 points from the heat, however, JC is the man to beat and holds a very comfortable lead at the top of the league table and he looks set to qualify for the deep stacked final table on Sunday.

JC said: “It’s going great here in London, maybe I should move here! I was very pleased to come back in the heads-up after being a 9-1 dog but I was confident there was a way back as there was still so much play left at the table. It is a shame I couldn’t eventually win this heat but I am very happy with 26 points and topping the table.”

PartyPoker.com Premier League III sees the buy-in elevated to $75,000 and the added money raised to $350,000, making a total prize pool of $1.25 million. The series features 12 of the world’s best players playing in a unique league format. All 12 players will play six times in the preliminary stages. The leading four players will then progress to the final table with the next four battling it out in heads-up matches for the final two seats. Phil Hellmuth leads the strongest ever line-up that includes Tom ‘Durrrr’ Dwan, JC Tran, Nenad Medic, Devilfish, Tony G, Vicky Coren, Annette Obrestad, Roland de Wolfe, Andy Black, Juha Helppi and WSOP Main Event winner Peter Eastgate.

PARTYPOKER.COM PREMIER LEAGUE III – 24th – 30th November

LEAGUE TABLE AT THE END OF HEAT FIVE ON DAY THREE

26 pts JC TRAN

16 pts PETER EASTGATE

14 pts JUHA HELPPI

14 pts VICKY COREN

12 pts TONY G

10 pts ANNETTE OBRESTAD

8 pts TOM DWAN

7 pts ANDY BLACK

6 pts ROLAND DE WOLFE

6pts NENAD MEDIC

3 pts DEVILFISH

3 pts PHIL HELLMUTH

ABOUT ASIAN POKER TOUR (APT)

The Asian Poker Tour (APT) is Asia ’s biggest and original poker tour. The Tour was recently acquired by AsianLogic (AIM:ALOG). Joining the stars are players from all over the world who won seats to the event by qualifying through online satellites at www.PartyPoker.com, DafaPoker, PKR, Titan Poker, Bodog, JBet Poker, Virgin Poker, PaddyPowerPoker and Poker Trillion. 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 is not licensed by or otherwise affiliated with Harrah’s License Company LLC or the World Series of Poker®, in any way.

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WILD TURKEY RAISES $200,000 IN CHARITY POKER TOURNAMENT, by Rebecca Harris

Wild Turkey bourbon raised more than $200,000 for the Shane Warne Foundation in the world’s largest charity poker match.

One hundred and forty Australian celebrities, sports personalities and poker professionals gathered at Melbourne’s Crown Casino last month to raise money for the foundation and to battle it out to be crowned ‘Poker Champion’.

Wild Turkey Bourbon ambassador and World Series of Poker Champion, Joe Hachem, donated $25,000 on behalf of Wild Turkey to the foundation.

“We’re proud to support our ambassador, Joe Hachem in his charitable endeavours for the Shane Warne Foundation, an organisation that enriches the lives of so many,” said Wild Turkey senior brand manager, Paul Di Vito.

Michael Chrisanthopoulos from Melbourne eventually took out the tournament and the $25,000 grand prize.

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Aussie Millions Returning To Crown Casino

The Aussie Millions is held each January at Crown Casino, Melbourne Australia.
The Championship includes 16 tournaments, culminating in the AUD$10,500 No Limit Holdem Main Event.

The 2009 Aussie Millions will have a guaranteed first prize of AUD$2 Million.
The Main Event will be televised by Fox Sports Net and broadcast internationally
Event Statistics

It is expected that there will be over 800 individual players in the $10,500 Buy-In No Limit Holdem Main Event in 2009

Over 2,000 individual entrants will participate in the two week series.

Over 400 international visitors are expected to attend from all over the world.
The Aussie Millions generated approximately 8,000 room nights across Melbourne in January 2007, including over 5,000 at Crown.

The Aussie Millions ranks as the sixth largest poker tournament in the world.
The 2007 Aussie Millions held the largest, ‘cash buy in’ tournament ever, with a $100,500 event attracting 20 players.

In 2009 the Aussie Millions will be home of the World’s Largest Cash Game with a AUD$1 Million Buy-in

History

The first Aussie Millions was held in 1998 with a $1,000 buy-in and $74k prize pool and 10 international participants mainly from New Zealand. Since then, the tournament has grown year on year, to now be a major event on the international poker tournament circuit, and a ‘must do’ for any serious poker player.

Main Event growth
2004 – 133 entrants, $1.33 million prize pool, first prize $426,500
2005 – 263 entrants, $2.63 million prize pool, first prize $1 million
2006 – 418 entrants, $4.18 million prize pool, first prize $1.3 million
2007 – 747 entrants, $7.47 million prize pool, first prize $1.5 million
2008 – 780 entrants, $7.80 million prize pool, first prize $1.65 million

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