Just last week, the Massachusetts House of Representatives shot down a bill that would have licensed casinos in the state. A timely study may have some rethinking that decision. The study by researchers at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth found Massachusetts residents spent $1.1 billion at gambling ��...full article
Just last week, the Massachusetts House of Representatives shot down a bill that would have licensed casinos in the state. A timely study may have some rethinking that decision.
The study by researchers at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth found Massachusetts residents spent $1.1 billion at gambling establishments in Connecticut and Rhode Island last year. The two New England states generated more than $230 million in tax revenues from gambling conducted by Massachusetts residents.
According to a Boston Herald story:
[The study] found that Bay State citizens spent $846 million at Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, and $195 million at Twin River and Newport Grand in Rhode Island in 2007.
The fifth annual study by professor Clyde Barrow says Massachusetts residents made more than eight million visits to gambling facilities in other New England states in 2007.
FTP and CardRunners have new solution for “pro” problem
Full Tilt Poker and CardRunners have offered a proposed solution to try to quell some of the grumblings about the recently signed deal between the online poker site and the online poker education/training site. First the backstory.
Full Tilt Poker and CardRunners have offered a proposed solution to try to quell some of the grumblings about the recently signed deal between the online poker site and the online poker education/training site.
First the backstory.
Cantu rides recent success into POY race
Although the top three names on the list remain the same as at the start of March (Men "The Master" Nguyen, Mike McDonald and Phil Ivey), our newest player had a great couple of weeks of play, propelling him into fourth place.
Brandon Cantu, who had an excellent showing in the preliminary events at the Wynn Classic before winning the championship at the World Poker Tour's Bay 101 Shooting Star, demonstrated why he's being touted as an upcoming star of the game.
With 1,854 points so far this year, along with three final tables, Cantu is primed for taking a shot at the top as the year moves along.
Bertrand Grospellier broke out of the logjam of players who have won a top-tier event this year by making a final table during the Wynn Classic. Even with those newfound points, however, Grospellier actually dropped to fifth in the POY standings.
Cantu's success over the past two weeks is the reason for Grospellier's fall, but we can expect that "ElkY" will be a factor in the POY race for the entire year.
Another new name in the Top 10 this week is a bit more surprising. While he hasn't been out of the top 50 of the POY race yet this year, William Blanda's name is still little-known.
The Texan got off to a great start in January by making two final tables at the Borgata Winter Poker Open (including one win) and has now followed it up with another title in a preliminary event at the Wynn Classic. The points he earned for those finishes push him into the Top 10 for the first time this year, in sixth place.
The remainder of the Top 10 is occupied by players who have been there since the start of 2008. Alexander Kostritsyn, Gavin Griffin, Tim Vance and Howard Lederer hold down seventh through 10th on this week's rundown.
| Player | Country | Points | FTA | 2008 Earnings |
| 1. Men Nguyen | United States | 2,436 | 7 | $514,426 |
| 2. Mike McDonald | Canada | 2,140 | 3 | $1,487,214 |
| 3. Phil Ivey | United States | 2,000 | 1 | $1,721,000 |
| 4. Brandon Cantu | United States | 1,854 | 3 | $1,034,514 |
| 5. Bertrand Grospellier | France | 1,740 | 2 | $2,011,097 |
| 6. William Blanda | United States | 1,640 | 2 | $315,115 |
| 7. Alexander Kostritsyn | Russia | 1,600 | 1 | $1,452,000 |
| 8. Gavin Griffin | United States | 1,600 | 1 | $1,401,109 |
| 9. Tim Vance | United States | 1,600 | 1 | $1,210,699 |
| 10. Howard Lederer | United States | 1,600 | 1 | $1,100,000 |
Completed qualifying events: 2008 Wynn Classic (Events 1-4, 6, 8-10, 12-13, 15-16 and the Championship Event), 2008 Majestic Star Deep Stack Poker Championship Main Event, WSOPC Caesars Atlantic City, GUKPT Leg 3-Victoria, 2008 Heartland Poker Tour Tama, WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star, EPT Polish Open, 2008 Canadian Open Poker Championship, 2008 Spring Poker Festival Austria (€1,500 event and Championship Event).
There are threats bubbling up underneath the Top 10 players. Two more champions from the past couple of weeks find themselves in the second 10 on the POY rankings. Michael Schulze (the champion at the EPT Polish Open) and Eric "Sheets" Haber (the victor at the WSOPC Caesars Atlantic City) both have the same number of points (1,600), but Schulze's earnings give him the tiebreaker between the two. Schulze sits in 11th place currently; Haber is only two spots back in 13th.
Another dangerous professional player joins in the mix as well, just behind Schulze and Haber. After making four final tables this year (but without a championship yet), 2007 WSOP Championship Event final-table finisher Lee Watkinson is in 17th place, in position to take a run at the mountaintop.
With two of his final-table finishes being at WPT and WSOPC main events (he barely missed a third at the Bay 101 event, where he finished ninth), it could only be a matter of time before Watkinson is in the Top 10.
Harman's Bay 101 run lands her in Ladies POY race
#img: jennifer-harman_18150.jpg: left: Jennifer Harman works her way into the Ladies POY ranks.#
After her strong finish at the WPT's Bay 101 Shooting Star, top poker professional Jennifer Harman has powered her way into the PokerListings Ladies Player of the Year race.
Harman's third-place finish gave her 550 points, good enough to pass everyone on the list except for Marisol Banuelos, who took over the Ladies POY lead earlier this month.
While Diane Nguyen (third) and Vanessa Selbst (fourth) each fall a position on the leaderboard, Jennifer Golin is joined in a tie for fifth by strong East Coast player Karen Harris. A Connecticut resident, Harris plays in many of the ladies tournaments on the East Coast and, with a win at the WSOPC Ladies Event at Caesars in Atlantic City, moves up to tie with Golin for fifth place.
With these changes, the Ladies POY race currently looks like this:
| Place | Name | Points |
| 1. | Marisol Banuelos | 640 |
| 2. | Jennifer Harman | 550 |
| 3. | Diane Nguyen | 410 |
| 4. | Vanessa Selbst | 347 |
| 5. | Jennifer Golin | 326 |
| Karen Harris | ||
| 7. | Lorraine Bane | 320 |
| Regette Bechara | ||
| Marga G. Dominguez | ||
| GiGi Dong | ||
| Christy King | ||
| Irina Liepina | ||
| Van Tuyet Nguyen | ||
| Louise Rocchio |
Numerous tournaments will affect both Player of the Year races over the next couple of weeks. The WPT's final event in Reno is currently being played, and its stop at Foxwoods and its season-ending WPT Championship both loom on the horizon.
In addition, the WSOPC has Caesars Indiana on the schedule in the next couple of weeks, and the European Poker Tour will visit Italy for the first time late this month. Factor in some of the smaller tournaments from around the world and the PokerListings Player of the Year races could have an entirely different look a few weeks from now.
Related Articles:
- Phil Ivey Creeps Up POY Standings
- The Master Surges to PokerListings POY Lead
- EPT Win Puts McDonald Atop POY Standings
- Player of the Year Race Begins at PokerListings.com
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Mike Sexton becomes National League of Poker Spokesman
Mike Sexton, a poker professional most famous as the voice of the World Poker Tour, has signed with the National League of Poker to become their spokesman. NLOP is a free play site where players can win cash and prizes, one of several that sprung up ��...full article
Mike Sexton, a poker professional most famous as the voice of the World Poker Tour, has signed with the National League of Poker to become their spokesman.
NLOP is a free play site where players can win cash and prizes, one of several that sprung up in the wake of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in the United States.
According to pokerpages.com:
“Mike Sexton is the person that NLOP always wanted as a representative, he is well respected within the poker community and was also recognized as the top poker ambassador at the Card Player Magazine Awards Gala in 2006,” explained Michael Clebnik, CEO of NLOP. “His agreement validates our position in this new and developing marketplace and we are thrilled to have him on our team.”
In his newly created role of on-site spokesman, Sexton will have broad, hands-on involvement with the site, including playing online with members, consulting on tournaments, taking part in the new community area and representing NLOP in the offline poker community.
To learn about the NLOP, you can visit their site here.
Mid South Poker Classic to hit Cherokee
Now the casino has announced the creation of another tournament schedule to join its other popular tournament events.
David Stewart, the CEO of Cherokee Nations Enterprises (which operates the Cherokee Casinos in Oklahoma), recently announced the inaugural Mid South Poker Classic, which will start on May 15.
The 20-event schedule has a lot going for it: it will encompass almost every discipline in poker, and buy-ins will be quite reasonable, from $120 to $550, which also includes the entry fee. The tournament will culminate on May 25 with a $1,000+$80 championship event, with the final table of that tournament playing out on May 26.
For those who want to attempt to satellite into the tournament, Cherokee Casino will start offering single table satellites May 1. There are four levels of buy-ins for those events - $45, $85, $125 and $230 - which will help those on a tighter poker budget gain a crack in the bigger events.
"Our poker tournaments keep getting bigger and bigger," said Stewart. "We know that regional poker players are looking for better competition, more opportunities and more convenient locations to play poker. We are able to offer them that."
The Mid South Poker Classic joins three other tournaments on the Cherokee's roster. Its most recent event, the Oklahoma State Championship of Poker in February, set records for both attendance and prize pools.
The Cherokee's other two tournaments, the Scotty Nguyen Poker Challenge (named after resident "house" professional Scotty Nguyen) and the Cherokee Poker Classic, have enjoyed great success during their runs and only promise to get bigger.
With the World Series of Poker on the horizon, the new Mid South Poker Classic at the Cherokee could be a way for players to build a bankroll to take to Las Vegas this summer.
For more details on the Cherokee Casino or the Mid South Poker Classic, visit CherokeeCasino.com, where you can also register for events on the upcoming Mid South Poker Classic schedule.
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PPA launches Litigation Support Network
Each week there seems to be another poker raid making the news as police target games in homes, taverns and even charity events. Now the players being targeted have the Litigation Support Network to get advice and help.
"As both the popularity of poker and the membership of PPA continue to grow, the Litigation Support Network is an opportunity to provide even more value to our members," said PPA Chairman Former Senator Alfonse D'Amato.
"With the myriad local, state and federal laws impacting poker, the Litigation Support Network is an important service that our members can and should use, and I encourage attorneys who want to defend poker players and this great American game of skill to join this effort."
The Litigation Support Network set up by the PPA provides its members with a free, legal resource if they have questions as they organize a charity poker tournament, start a poker league or get arrested.
PPA members can contact the Litigation Support Network via the PPA Web site and obtain free, preliminary legal advice over the phone. The organization can also provide a list of attorneys in the member's area who are willing to take their kind of case and provide more advice.
Additionally, the network of attorneys will be tapped to help prepare the PPA in the event the organization needs to litigate that poker is a game of skill, not a game of chance.
Patrick Fleming, an attorney and also the PPA state director for New Hampshire, is spearheading the Litigation Support Network.
"The patchwork of state and local laws relating to poker is leaving PPA members confused about what is legal and what is illegal," Fleming said.
"In our ongoing efforts to protect the rights of Americans to play poker, the establishment of the Litigation Support Network will provide members with an added level of security as they enjoy the game in their homes, at their local pub or as a way to help a local charity. I am honored to be leading this important effort on behalf of the PPA."
The Poker Players Alliance is a nonprofit membership organization with more than 900,000 online and offline poker players and enthusiast members from around the United States. They have joined together to promote the game of poker, ensure its integrity and to protect poker players' rights.
Related Articles:- PPA Names State Directors
- Organizations Stage Pro-Poker Rally
- PPA Takes on New Policy Expert
- PPA Discloses 2007 Lobbying Totals
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Poker After Dark, WPT make season debuts
Two television poker shows are set to make their return to the small screen. NBC’s Poker After Dark starts up again at 2:05 a.m. Eastern with a new episode featuring six pros competing in a tournament for $140,000, all of which goes to the winner.
Two television poker shows are set to make their return to the small screen.
NBC’s Poker After Dark starts up again at 2:05 a.m. Eastern with a new episode featuring six pros competing in a tournament for $140,000, all of which goes to the winner.
Neil Channing smashes Irish Poker Open final table
Neil "Bad Beat" Channing did the latter when he destroyed the final table of the 2008 Irish Poker Open yesterday.
Entering final table play as the chip leader with $2.75 million of the $6.67 million in play, Channing quickly took charge of the final table and never relented. It was a scene reminiscent of Brandon Cantu at the final table of the WPT: Bay 101 and perhaps even of Jamie Gold at the 2006 WSOP final table.
Channing, a poker professional and author from Sunderland, England won €801,400 million for his efforts at the Irish Poker Open and some incredible bragging rights.
Channing played the big stack perfectly and left a wake of destruction in his path. He made short work of Danilo Paulson, Tim Blake and Thomas Dunwoodie which gave him a great advantage against Ireland's Donal Norton as they entered heads-up play. Channing had a 2-1 chip lead but with the average stack at over 50 big blinds for each player many thought it might be a marathon. The poker gods had other ideas.
In a gigantic pot Norton held J-8 for trip eights when combined with the board but little did the Irishman now that Channing held K-8.
Norton was suddenly in dangerous territory and forced to make a move with pocket fives. Channing made the call with #Ac-#9h and hit trip aces on the board which dashed the hopes of the hometown crowd and gave Channing his biggest poker payday to date.
Winning the 2008 Irish Poker Open was no small feat considering 667 players including Doyle Brunson, Marty Smyth, Andy Black, Ciaran O'Leary, Rolande De Wolfe, David "Devilfish" Ulliott, Padraig Parkinson and many more came out to play in this year's event. The players competed for a total prize pool of €3 million which made the tournament one of the richest in European history.
To read a comprehensive recap blog from PokerListings' very own Finnish phenomenon Owen Laukkanen, who was on assignment in Ireland, click here.
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- 2008 Irish Open pot grows
- Two Million Reasons to Tune in to the Irish Poker Open
- 300 Plus and Counting For Irish Poker Open
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