Poker News

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Poker News - #365 – NBC Heads-Up Championship #15 – Load Up on Guns and Bring Your Friends

#365 – NBC Heads-Up Championship #15 – Load Up on Guns and Bring Your Friends
This was a wild day of poker at the Heads-Up Championship. We’re down to eight players and what a concentration of world-class talents we have. Here’s the line-up for the Sunday quarterfinals:...

#366 – NBC Heads-Up Championship #16 – The First Quarterfinals
GAME FACE In the first pair of matches in the quarterfinals, everybody has their game face on. Seed v. Benyamine, Bloch v. Hershiser....

Poker News - College Poker Life: New York University System

College Poker Life: New York University System
With just a few weeks left in the school year for students attending New York University, those students have enjoyed a healthy year of poker options, ranging from many campus-sponsored events to local home and dorm tournaments...

Florida Poker Expansion Bill Passes State Senate Committee
A bill designed to liberalize poker offerings in Florida successfully passed through a state Senate committee earlier today. The bill, designed to improve the selection and availability of poker at Florida parimutuels, was sponsored...

Playboy issue featuring Jennicide is on newsstands
The poker community has known for some time now about Jennifer “Jennicide” Leigh’s appearance in the May issue of Playboy, and the wait is now officially over. The May issue has hit newsstands, according to neverwinpoker.com:

The poker community has known for some time now about Jennifer “Jennicide” Leigh’s appearance in the May issue of Playboy, and the wait is now officially over.

The May issue has hit newsstands, according to neverwinpoker.com:
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#371 – NBC Heads-Up Championship #21 – Queens Rule – Match Two - Ferguson
Cards were in the air for Match #2 in the best-of-three format at about 7:45 PM. Andy Bloch was responsible for me meeting Penn Jillette and Jimmy Carter on the same day. Chris used to be an avid basketball and...

#370 – NBC Heads-Up Championship #20 – The Brain Trust - Match One - Bloch
To me, this is almost an anticlimax. Andy Bloch? Chris Ferguson? How could I choose between them. They both enriched the FULL TILT POKER STRATEGY GUIDE tremendously, and well as my own skills and my life. Two of the best...

Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony Highlights Upcoming Jennifer Harman Nevada SPCA Fundraiser
Jennifer Harman and friends, both human and canine, met on the grounds of the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) no-kill animal sanctuary Monday afternoon for a ribbon cutting ceremony and press conference...

The Other Side of the Felt, Vol. #7: Dewey Tomko, Part 2
I always enjoy spending time with Dewey as we have the same interests for the most part -- poker, golf, and as it turns out we are equally picky about food, although it doesn't look that way. He has some of the greatest stories...

#364 – NBC Heads-Up Championship #14 – Special Delivery
I had to delay writing this because after the last round ended I was standing talking with Phil Ivey and Mike Matusow and Phil started asking about food. What’s around here? I was thinking of getting a slice of pizza...

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Poker News - More Congressmen call for details on U.S. gambling settlements

More Congressmen call for details on U.S. gambling settlements
Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, and Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) have requested more information from the United States Trade Representative on U.S. concessions regarding foreign online gambling and poker operators. The two high-ranking Congressmen want to learn more about ��...full article

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, and Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) have requested more information from the United States Trade Representative on U.S. concessions regarding foreign online gambling and poker operators.

The two high-ranking Congressmen want to learn more about a deal brokered with the EU, Japan and Canada to award compensation for the United States’ lockout of gambling interests, which went against the country’s trade agreements.
(more…)

Montel Williams to play for Team USA in Poker Nations Cup
Talk show host Montel Williams will represent the United States on the felt. Williams was selected by team captain Robert Williamson III to join Team USA for the PartyPoker.com Poker Nations Cup, which will be held in Cardiff, Wales, from April 7-10. He joins teammates Jamie ��...full article

Talk show host Montel Williams will represent the United States on the felt.

Williams was selected by team captain Robert Williamson III to join Team USA for the PartyPoker.com Poker Nations Cup, which will be held in Cardiff, Wales, from April 7-10. He joins teammates Jamie Gold, Chris Ferguson and Chad Brown.

According to cardplayer.com:

Williams will compete in the $5,000 buy-in event against Sweden, Britain, Ireland, Netherlands, and Germany for a team prize of $100,000 while the winners of individual matches will take home $20,000. Party Poker have added $100,000 to the prize pool.

There are six heats and players score points according to their finish in the heat. The final sees the team captains make tactical substitutions and strategic time outs.

Whole thing here.

Sweden won the event last year and has been installed as this year’s favorite by oddsmakers.

Asian Poker Tour releases 2008 schedule

There will be events in Macau, South Korea and Singapore after that. The venues and dates for those legs of the tour haven't been announced yet.

Each tournament on the APT will offer a $1 million guaranteed prize pool this year, which the APT says is sure to attract poker players from all over the world. There will also be online qualifiers to each event to ensure online poker players will get a shot to play against some of the game's top pros in a live setting.

During the 2007 APT, pros such as Liz Lieu and Johnny Chan made their way to some events. Tony G even won the Singapore event in 2007.

"The Asian Poker Tour will definitely be a top-class brand. This is such an exciting time for poker players in Asia and we feel that with our expertise and skills, we can make the APT a bigger and better series of events each year," said Chris Parker, AsianLogic CEO.

"From the four events that will take place this year, the APT plans to expand to a total of six events in 2009. We are continually working to set up some of the world's most exciting and prestigious poker tournaments."

Online gaming company ESL-Asia, a subsidiary of AsianLogic, took over the APT and will organize all the online and land-based tournaments associated with the tour, as well as handling brand management for it.

The opening leg of the APT is slated to be a poker tournament of world-class standards, according to an APT press release. More than 400 players are expected to battle it out at the felt during six days of poker in Manila, Philippines.

The buy-in for the event is $2,500, and the other three events are expected to have the same buy-in and same $1 million guaranteed prize pool.

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Hansen takes on ladies on

Four-time World Poker Tour title winner Gus Hansen will have his hands full at the Poker After Dark tables this week as he takes on five of poker's most prominent female players.

With more than $5 million in tournament winnings, and six previous appearances on the show, including one win, Hansen may prove to be a tough opponent for the women lined up against him this week.

However, these aren't ladies who will be easy to steamroll at the table, either. Clonie Gowen has made three appearances on Poker After Dark as well, winning twice and finishing in fourth place just behind Gus Hansen in a February 2007 session of the show.

Vanessa Rousso has also made a couple of appearances on the show as well. Plus she has nearly $800,000 in tournament winnings, much of which has come from World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour cashes.

The remaining three ladies heading to the table are new to Poker After Dark, but they all have fairly impressive poker pedigrees.

Erica Schoenberg switched from professional blackjack to Texas Hold'em in 2005. Since then she's racked up nearly $600,000 in tournament winnings. That includes cashes in three WPT and three WSOP events.

Beth Shak also hasn't been playing that long, though she has the advantage of also being married to professional player Dan Shak. She has two WSOP final-table appearances on her resume and not quite $400,000 in tournament winnings to her name.

Perhaps one of the more formidable ladies at the table will be JJ Liu. Not only has she cashed in more than 40 major tournaments around the world, including several WSOP and WPT events, she also became the highest-placing female in a WPT event in 2007 with her second-place finish at the Bay 101 Shooting Star event.

Her tournament career has added up to more than $1.6 million in winnings, putting her the closest to matching Hansen's accomplishments.

The question is will Hansen have what it takes to conquer the ladies at the poker table, or will he find that his status as one of People magazine's 50 most beautiful people in 2004 means nothing when it comes to female pros gunning for a $120,000 prize?

Play begins tonight on NBC and will continue with episodes all week long and a recap on Saturday night. Check your local listings for times.

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Poker News - U.S. misses net gambling proposal deadline

U.S. misses net gambling proposal deadline

According to the Antigua Sun, up to late Monday neither Mark Mendel, Antigua's attorney in the WTO matter, nor the local Directorate of Gaming had received any word from the U.S. Trade Representative in the matter.

Mendel had said last week they were anticipating a proposal from the United States on Monday, but they were adopting a "wait and see" approach. There was no indication what the U.S. proposal might be if it were to show up, and Antigua hadn't submitted a proposal of its own.

During the five-year online gambling trade dispute, the process has seen many delays and missed deadlines. The United States has repeatedly failed to meet deadlines on actions imposed by the WTO after its ruling that the online gambling ban flouted trade regulations.

The United States stopped fighting the ruling in 2007, giving Antigua the opportunity to ask for compensation in the dispute. The United States also decided to pull its commitments with the WTO in regards to online gambling, which opened it up to compensation claims from other nations that allow the industry.

Antigua took its initial compensation claims to a WTO arbitration panel which awarded it $21 million per year in trade sanctions. It has also requested arbitration for its second claim for the United States pulling out of agreements.

Mendel had told the Antigua Sun last week that any proposal put forth by the United States would cover both compensation claims to bring both aspects of the dispute to a close.

Several other countries have filed claims against the United States since it announced that it was withdrawing online gambling from its WTO agreements. Costa Rica was the latest to reach a settlement agreement with the United States, along with Canada, Japan and the European Union.

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Prime Table Games weighs in on net gambling

The ad, placed by Prime Table Games, was timed to coincide with the House subcommittee hearing on the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act taking place Wednesday in Washington D.C.

The statement in the Wall Street Journal is titled "Who Will Face the Issues" and outlines the regulatory problems with international Internet gaming. According to a press release from the company, the primary concerns are gaming fraud, consumer protection and protection of intellectual property rights.

"It is well known that there are off-shore based Internet gaming operators who are engaged in deceptive practices with American consumers and international players, and there is no adequate system in place to ensure full and appropriate regulation," said Derek Webb, founder of Prime Table Games. "Congress needs to take action soon, or these practices will only get worse."

Prime Table Games' ad encourages Congress to adopt specific regulatory strategies for online gambling consumer protection. The company believes those regulatory strategies should include:

Limitations on solicitations and incentives to gamble, such as bonuses and cash back
Prohibition of affiliate relationships
Standard player verification procedures
Giving players the ability to self-exclude and have it automatically apply to all online gambling sites
Site operators assume responsibility for identity verification

Prime Table Games would also like to see the Internet gambling sites verify that players can afford to gamble at their chosen level. Internet gambling debts shouldn't be legally recoverable, and players who don't pay gambling debts should automatically be placed on an exclusion list.

"Internet gaming, by its very nature, has great potential for abuse," Webb said. "Site operators also should pay fees towards problem gambling treatment and research."

On Wednesday, the House Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade and Technology will meet to discuss the proposed UIGEA regulations that help further ban online gambling by preventing money transactions to online gambling sites.

The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. and will include testimony from representatives from the Federal Reserve System and the U.S. Department of Treasury.

Several representatives of financial institutions are also listed on the witness list, including Harriet May, who will be speaking on behalf of the Credit Union National Association; Wayne Abernathy, representing the American Bankers Association; Leigh Williams, from the Financial Services Roundtable; and Ted Teruo Kitada, on behalf of Wells Fargo & Co.

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) already has a bill before the House that would take the United States away from an online gambling ban and put in a regulatory system instead. He introduced the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act last year and has been working on gaining support for the bill.

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EPT lands in Italy Tuesday

According to the EPT Web site, the event is already sold out despite it being the first time the tour has staged an event in Italy. Among the players signed up to play are Team PokerStars pros Daniel Negreanu, Tom McEvoy, Vanessa Rousso, Raymond Rahme, Lee Nelson, Dario Minieri, Luca Pagano and Katja Thater.

There are plenty of online players heading for the live event courtesy of PokerStars as well. More than 160 players qualified for the EPT event at PokerStars.

Some prominent online players who will be in attendance include Ryan "Daut44" Daut, Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier and Danny "THE__D__RY" Ryan, among others.

With a full 500-person playing field expected for the €4,700 buy-in plus €300 fee event, the prize pool should top out at more than €2 million. Prize pools for EPT events have reached €2 million or more at eight out of the nine events on the tour so far this season, leaving the winners with €600,000 or more.

This event is the final leg of the tour before the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo. The Grand Final is scheduled for April 12-17.

The winners of the Season 4 EPT events thus far are:

Barcelona Open: Sander Lylloff
London: Joseph Mouawad
Baden Classic: Julian Thew
Dublin: Reuben Peters
Prague: Arnaud Mattern
Caribbean Adventure: Bertrand Grospellier
German Open: Mike McDonald
Copenhagen: Tim Vance
Warsaw: Michael Schulze

Play in the San Remo event begins at 3 p.m. local time for Day 1a. The second half of the playing field will begin play on Wednesday with the tournament scheduled to crown a winner April 5.

PokerListings.com will be on the scene to bring you the best live updates, reports, interviews, photos and more from the Casino San Remo. Check it out in the Live Tournaments section.

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Free minds, free markets - and free poker!

"Poker Night At Reason HQ" will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 local time at the magazine's offices, located at 1747 Connecticut Avenue in Washington D.C.

In attendance will be Team Full Tilt pro and former MIT Blackjack Team member Andy Bloch and 2000 WSOP Main Event champ Chris "Jesus" Ferguson. The two poker pros will join Reason for a panel discussion on a wide variety of poker topics before joining the attendees in a game.

Hosting Reason's poker night is Radley Balko, a senior editor at the magazine. Balko testified before Congress on the issue of Internet gambling last year, and has been a consistent critic of local police departments' use of SWAT teams to break up private poker games across America.

According to Balko, more than 100 individuals have sent RSVPs so far, and press outlets such as the Washington Post, Washington Times and the Associated Press will be on hand for the event.

"We've gotten a very favorable response," he says, noting that the magazine's small office will likely be filled to capacity - no surprise given the star power of the pros in attendance.

I talked to Balko today about the Reason poker night, the legal state of online poker, and how the poker community can best pitch its case to the public.

The future of online poker

The cloud of negativity that hung over the poker community after the passage of the UIGEA has begun to lift in recent months thanks to a number of factors, including the WTO's rulings in favor of Antigua and the slow but steady progress of pro-online legislation such as Massachusetts representative Barney Frank's proposed Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act. The sense that legal online poker is coming back to the United States has been hard for some poker aficionados to shake.

For his part, Balko doesn't seem to think it's quite as close.

"I think Rep. Frank is doing great work, and we have seen some Democrats defect over to the pro-legalization side. But my general perception is that we're still a long way from the Frank bill being passed."

Among the other bills currently before Congress that would benefit online poker is the Skill Game Protection Act, proposed by Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.). Rep. Wexler's legislation would carve out an exemption for skill-based games like poker and backgammon without touching the rest of America's shaky legal framework with regard to online gambling.

"The Wexler bill is a little problematic in this idea of drawing distinctions and carve-outs for skill-based games," says Balko.

"If you try to carve out exceptions like that they can be revoked as easily as they can be passed. [A carve-out] is certainly better than a prohibition. But I do think it's important to make the broader-principled argument that it's none of the federal government's business and [prohibition] is not going to work anyway."

With what Balko describes as a "moral crusade" on the right and a "Nanny Statist mentality" on the left lined up against online poker's supporters, the push for legalization is bound to be a tough one.

"Your best hope here is to win over some libertarian-minded Republicans and the Democrats like Frank who still sort of understand the importance of civil liberties," say Balko. "But I think in general we're a long way from any kind of legalized regulatory scheme. I hope I'm wrong but I don't see it in the near future."

'Scary stuff'

A number of larger problems surround the legal issues currently of concern to poker players. Balko says that the government's proposed regulations for enforcing of the UIGEA, which PokerListings.com summarized a few weeks ago, has some of the most disturbing possible consequences.

"This idea of deputizing financial institutions to start monitoring your transactions - that's scary stuff," say Balko. "They're basically asking your bank to become a cop to monitor everything you do."

Then there's the issue of state laws attacking free speech, such as the statute in Washington state that put the act of publishing hypertext links to gambling Web sites into the category of "aiding and abetting" a crime.

But most dangerous of all, according to Balko, is the use of violent force against nonviolent citizens to enforce the law.

As the author of the Cato Institute's Overkill: The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids in America, which profiles the use of SWAT teams and other dangerous tactics by police departments against American citizens, Balko is familiar with the local crackdowns on poker games across the country.

I asked him if there was much public awareness about the police using violent tactics against citizens playing low-stakes and charity poker games.

"I don't think there is," says Balko. "I think there would be a lot more outrage if people were more aware of it. We're trying to do our part [at Reason] to make people aware. We've written on the issue and produced a video with Drew Carey specifically on the American Legion outpost in Texas that was holding charity poker games and raided by a SWAT team. We're trying to draw attention to the issue."

Balko notes that the SWAT response that started with the War on Drugs has moved on not only to poker players, but also to others.

"We had a guy here in the D.C. area [37-year-old optometrist Salvatore Culosi] who was shot and killed in a SWAT raid. He was under investigation for nothing more than betting on football games with his friends. He had no prior criminal history and wasn't a violent guy.

"These SWAT raids are ridiculous. These are non-violent crimes, [involving] people who are getting together to have fun and are being subjected to these really excessive, overkill police actions."

Getting the word out

Balko says that the lack of public outrage regarding legal issues of importance to the poker community can be countered by getting the word out.

"I think the poker community could do a better job of publicizing when these raids happen," he says. "When we did the Drew Carey video… we got dozens of offers from lawyers to represent the people at the club who were facing charges pro bono. If you look at even non-poker sites like reddit and digg that linked to the video, the reaction was pretty one-sided against those sorts of tactics."

Most importantly, says Balko, the poker community needs to emphasize that it's everyday citizens who are being targeted in such raids.

"When people hear the words 'underground poker game,' they think of The Sopranos or some sort of shady dealings with armed guards at the door. I think it's important to get it out that these raids are happening to regular people who enjoy the game."

Even with all the forces aligned against the average poker player, Balko still thinks the game has a bright future in America.

"I think the good guys in this debate have the winning argument," he concludes. "I just think they need to do a better job of getting it out."

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NYU discussion on poker, business today

The discussion is co-sponsored by the NYU-Stern chapter of the student-led Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society, the NYU Professional Development Society and the Quantitative Finance Society.

It is part of an ongoing series of forums, summits and speaking engagements by some of the top poker experts and players in the world, put on by the GPSTS.

Caby will talk about how he has used the strategies that make him a winning poker player to create a thriving online business. The 24-year-old is a highly successful online poker player, and since graduating from college he also co-founded a poker education company online.

"We are absolutely thrilled to host Taylor Caby at our NYU-Stern chapter. Mr. Caby is exactly the type of individual that the GPSTS is interested in, in that while he has found success at the poker table he has found even greater success in applying the strategies he learned playing poker to the wider business world," GPSTS Executive Director Andrew Woods said.

"He has a highly informed sense of how poker simulates behaviors in the boardroom and at the negotiations table."

The GPSTS was founded by Harvard Law Professor Charles Nesson in 2007 to organize student poker societies at major universities and help them promote the use of poker as a teaching tool.

The GPSTS believes that poker teaches and sharpens important life skills, making it more than just a fun game. So the group is dedicated to sharing the poker strategic thinking philosophy, staging strategic poker matches between chapters and schools, hosting conferences and seminars that explore the strategic thinking inherent in poker and exploring new ways to use poker as a life skills educational tool.

Past participants in GPSTS seminars have included poker celebrities such as Jim McManus and Mike Sexton.

Today's seminar with Taylor Caby will take place in Room UC60 of Tisch Hall at 40 West 4th St., New York, N.Y.

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Asian Poker Tour releases 2008 schedule

There will be events in Macau, South Korea and Singapore after that. The venues and dates for those legs of the tour haven't been announced yet.

During the 2007 APT, pros such as Liz Lieu and Johnny Chan made their way to some events. Tony G even won the Singapore event in 2007.

The buy-in for the event is $2,500, and the other three events are expected to have the same buy-in and same $1 million guaranteed prize pool.

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Ladbrokes Poker brings back ELC

"The European Ladies Championship is the FA Cup of the poker circuit. Amateurs pit their wits against some of the best online poker players around for a shot at the title and the glory," said Samantha Alleyne, Ladbrokes Poker PR manager.

"It's a really prestigious event and the beauty of the tournament is like the FA Cup, it's an unmissable tournament guaranteed to deliver a few shocking results!"

Some of the best female poker players in Europe will be playing, including Annette Obrestad from Norway.

"This year's ELC line-up includes 19-year-old Annette Obrestad, who last September at just 18 won the £1,000,000 first prize in a poker tournament with a majority male field," Alleyne said. "We've got women from all walks of life playing in the tournament including an astrophysicist, housewives, an array of businesswomen and a 19-year-old student. If this does not show that poker is for everyone nothing will."

Qualifiers so far include:

Louise Duffy, Central London
Dawn Jones, East London
Jackie Meecham, - Leytonstone (Defending champion)
Helena Gannon, East London
Liv Boeree, South London
Jacqui Terry, North London
Helena Gannon, Essex
Bev Pace, Kent
Cheryl Burton, Oxord
Kelly Jackson, Birmingham
Kat Hartree, Shropshire
Michelle Bennet, Yorkshire
Tina Ainsworth, Mansfield
Helen Aspinall, Leeds
Kim Wheatley, Cheshire
Pauline Ring, Kings Lynn, Norfolk
Elizabeth Costa, Anwick, Lincolnshire
Hazel Birchnall, Tyne & Wear
Louise Rumsey, Wales
Kate Barnbrook, Newport
Anne McDonnel, Co.Antrim, N.Ireland
Patricia McClean, N.Ireland
Lorna Mcdermid, Scotland

The ELC has proved to be very popular since its initiation, according to Ladbrokes Poker. Initially the tournament was developed as a way to introduce women to playing live poker, but the tournament has now established itself as a mainstay on the poker circuit.

There are four weeks left to qualify for the ELC at Ladbrokes Poker, and the tournament will take place May 3-4 at the London Studios.

The qualifiers for the tournament take place weekly on Mondays at 9 p.m. (GMT) at Ladbrokes Poker. It has a $250 buy-in but players can win their way into the qualifiers for as little as $5.

Winners of the weekly qualifier will receive a $2,500 prize package that includes:

$2,000 ELC buy-in
Two tickets to the ELC Party on May 2
Accommodation for two in London
Four Green Room passes for London Studios
Transport between the hotel and the studios

The ELC will have a guaranteed $100,000 prize pool. The highest-placing Ladbrokes Poker qualifier will also receive an added $14,000 Ladbrokes WSOP package sending them to the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event.

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Hansen takes on ladies on

Four-time World Poker Tour title winner Gus Hansen will have his hands full at the Poker After Dark tables this week as he takes on five of poker's most prominent female players.

With more than $5 million in tournament winnings, and six previous appearances on the show, including one win, Hansen may prove to be a tough opponent for the women lined up against him this week.

The remaining three ladies heading to the table are new to Poker After Dark, but they all have fairly impressive poker pedigrees.

Her tournament career has added up to more than $1.6 million in winnings, putting her the closest to matching Hansen's accomplishments.

Play begins tonight on NBC and will continue with episodes all week long and a recap on Saturday night. Check your local listings for times.

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Josh Arieh taken out of blogger tourney by Abby17

Josh Arieh didn't get much of a chance to make any moves in the tournament however, as Abby17 took him out fairly early to collect the $100 bounty.

Abby17 found his chance to take out Arieh when the Team Bodog pro decided to make a move with pocket sevens. Abby17 called him down with A-Q and won the race when an ace hit the river.

Arieh went out in 47th place, and Abby17 put his chips to use to earn himself a third-place finish in the tournament.

Coming out on top of it all, however, was StinkyBritches, who won $156 plus T$109 for first place.

The final-table results were:

Place	Name	Prize
1st	StinkyBritches	$156 + T$109
2nd	TripJax	$104 + T$109
3rd	Abby17	$62.40 + T$109
4th	RecessRampage2	$52 + T$109
5th	emptyman	$41.60 + T$109
6th	Newinnov	$33.80
7th	JL514	$28.60
8th	raisydaisy22	$23.40
9th	TheDutchster	$18.20

Not all the players outside the money walked away empty handed either. The five bubble players received their buy-ins to next week's blogger tournament as well.

The blogger tournament costs $11 to enter and takes place each Tuesday at 9:05 p.m. (EDT). The weekly tournaments make up the 18 qualifying tournaments of the Bodog Poker Blogger Tournament Series.

The first event took place in early February and the last one is scheduled for June 3. The top 30% of players in each weekly tournament will be awarded points based on their finish and ranked over the four months.

At the end of the series, the top 18 players will play in the Final Tournament June 10, in which the first-place winner will receive a $12,000 World Series of Poker prize package.

The prize package includes the $10,000 buy-in for the Main Event plus money for travel and accommodation.

The hearing is titled "Proposed UIGEA Regulations: Burden without Benefit?" and will take place at 10 a.m. (EDT) in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington D.C.

The Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade and Technology subcommittee is a part of the House Financial Services Committee, which is chaired by Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.).

Frank has been an outspoken opponent of the UIGEA and even introduced legislation last year that would overturn the new law.

His bill, the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act, seeks to legalize online gambling and set up a system to regulate the industry rather than trying to ban it.

Frank's bill includes provisions that licensing requirements would include protections against underage gambling, compulsive gambling, money laundering and fraud. It also gives the Director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network the authority to establish regulations and license Internet gambling operations including poker and casino Web sites.

In order to operate legally in the United States, online gambling site operators would have to apply for a license. During the process, they would be subject to review of their financial condition, corporate structure and criminal background checks.

The companies would have to agree to be subject to U.S. jurisdiction, and those that obtain a license would also have to agree not to accept any type of bet or wager that is initiated or terminated in a state or tribal land that prohibits that type of Internet gambling.

The UIGEA is currently in the implementation stages as the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve work together to come up with a set of regulations to put the new law in place and enforce it.

In the meantime, the law has continued to face criticism from the online gambling industry as well as organizations such as the Poker Players Alliance.

The list of witnesses and speakers at the hearing has not been released yet, but it is likely that many of the UIGEA's detractors will be on hand to weigh in.

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Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Poker News - Titan Poker sending players east

Titan Poker sending players east

Sunny Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, is set to host the APPT event starting May 29, with the final table taking place on June 1. The tournament forecast calls for over 400 players to compete for the winner's share of a guaranteed $1 million prize pool.

Right now, you can find daily satellites running for as low as $3.30+3¢ to win a seat in one of the APPT Manila Super Satellites. The super-satellites, running March 31 to May 12, cost $250+$18 to buy in directly.

The winners of the super-satellites will be rewarded with a $6,000 APPT package for the Manila event, including:

$2,500 main event buy-in
$3,500 for flights and spending

With $1 million being the highest guaranteed prize pool ever offered in Asia, the Manila APPT event promises to deliver a world-class poker experience, and the chance for another online satellite winner to make his or her mark in the world of live poker.

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Norwegian Poker Championships moved to England
Norwegians won’t be able to play their country’s poker championship in their own country. Because poker’s legal status is uncertain in the Scandinavian country, officials for the Norwegian Poker Championships have decided to move the event, scheduled for April 28 to May 5, to Nottingham, England According ��...full article

Norwegians won’t be able to play their country’s poker championship in their own country.

Because poker’s legal status is uncertain in the Scandinavian country, officials for the Norwegian Poker Championships have decided to move the event, scheduled for April 28 to May 5, to Nottingham, England

According to pokerpages.com:

Several police raids on live poker events last year and Norwegian authorities declaring poker to be ‘illegal’ under current Norwegian lottery law have prompted the move. Widespread media coverage of Norwegian success stories such as the meteoric rise of Annette Obrestad who at 18 won the 2007 WSOP Europe, also served to put poker in the spotlight, making it a clearer target for poker foes as well as increasing its popularity.

Whole thing here.

The event still expects to draw about 500 players, according to the story.

D.C. think tank slams UIGEA
With a Congressional hearing on the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act scheduled for this week, a conservative think tank released a paper that says the law is bad for the United States. The Competitive Enterprise Institute’s white paper on the UIGEA highlights problems with the law ��...full article

With a Congressional hearing on the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act scheduled for this week, a conservative think tank released a paper that says the law is bad for the United States.

The Competitive Enterprise Institute’s white paper on the UIGEA highlights problems with the law and its applications in the United States.
(more…)

Poker News - Unibet appeal of Netherlands gaming act violation is denied

Unibet appeal of Netherlands gaming act violation is denied
Unibet lost an appeal in a Netherlands court this week, in which the online sportsbook and gaming site was deemed to be infringing on the market of the Dutch state lottery, De Lotto. According to pokernews.com: Unibet had been judged guilty of violating the Dutch Gaming Act ��...full article

Unibet lost an appeal in a Netherlands court this week, in which the online sportsbook and gaming site was deemed to be infringing on the market of the Dutch state lottery, De Lotto.

According to pokernews.com:

Unibet had been judged guilty of violating the Dutch Gaming Act and infringing upon the market rights of the Dutch state lottery, De Lotto (The Lotto). The October, 2007 ruling called for Unibet to pay De Lotto €100,000 per day, up to a maximum of €3,000,000, plus legal costs, for continuing to serve the Dutch market in offering wagering on amateur soccer games in the Netherlands. The recent denial upheld the decision in favor of De Lotto.

One report notes that this is the 17th time that competitors to De Lotto’s market interests have been struck down in court rulings.

The ruling comes as the Netherlands considers legislation like the United States’ Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

EPT lands in Italy Tuesday

There are plenty of online players heading for the live event courtesy of PokerStars as well. More than 160 players qualified for the EPT event at PokerStars.

Some prominent online players that will be in attendance include Ryan "Daut44" Daut, Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier, Danny "THE__D__RY" Ryan and others

With a full 500-person playing field expected for the €4,700 buy-in plus €300 fee event, the prize pool should end up at more than €2 million. Prize pools for EPT events have reached €2 million or more eight out of the nine events on the tour so far this season, leaving the winners with €600,000 or more.

This event is the final leg of the tour before the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo. The Grand Final is scheduled for April 12-17.

The winners of the Season 4 EPT events thus far are:

Barcelona Open: Sander Lylloff
London: Joseph Mouawad
Baden Classic: Julian Thew
Dublin: Reuben Peters
Prague: Arnaud Mattern
Caribbean Adventure: Bertrand Grospellier
German Open: Mike McDonald
Copenhagen: Tim Vance
Warsaw: Michael Schulze

Play in the San Remo event begins at 3 p.m. local time for Day 1a. The second half of the playing field will begin play on Wednesday with the tournament scheduled to crown a winner April 5.

PokerListings.com will be on the scene to bring you the best live updates, reports, interviews, photos and more from the Casino Sanremo. Check it out in the Live Tournaments section.

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Ladbrokes Poker brings back ELC

"It's a really prestigious event and the beauty of the tournament is like the FA Cup, it's an un-missable tournament guaranteed to deliver a few shocking results!"

Some of the best female poker players in Europe will be playing, including Annette Obrestad from Norway.

"This year's ELC line-up includes 19-year-old, Annette Obrestad, who last September at just 19 won the £1,000,000 first prize in a poker tournament with a majority male field," Alleyne said. "We've got women from all walks of life playing in the tournament including an Astrophysicist, housewives an array if business women and a 19-year-old student. If this does not show that poker is for everyone nothing will."

Qualifiers so far include:

Louise Duffy, Central London
Dawn Jones, East London
Jackie Meecham, - Leytonstone (Defending champion)
Helena Gannon, East London
Liv Boeree, South London
Jacqui Terry, North London
Helena Gannon, Essex
Bev Pace, Kent
Cheryl Burton, Oxord
Kelly Jackson, Birmingham
Kat Hartree, Shropshire
Michelle Bennet, Yorkshire
Tina Ainsworth, Mansfield
Helen Aspinall, Leeds
Kim Wheatley, Cheshire
Pauline Ring, Kings Lynn, Norfolk
Elizabeth Costa, Anwick, Lincolnshire
Hazel Birchnall, Tyne & Wear
Louise Rumsey, Wales
Kate Barnbrook, Newport
Anne McDonnel, Co.Antrim, N.Ireland
Patricia McClean, N.Ireland
Lorna Mcdermid, Scotland

There are four weeks left to qualify for the ELC at Ladbrokes Poker, and the tournament will take place May 3-4 at the London Studios.

The qualifiers for the tournament take place weekly on Mondays at 9 p.m. (GMT) at Ladbrokes Poker. It has a $250 buy-in but players can win their way into the qualifiers for as little as $5.

Winners of the weekly qualifier will receive a $2,500 prize package that includes:

$2,000 ELC buy-in
Two tickets to the ELC Party on May 2
Accommodations for two in London
Four Green Room passes for London Studios
Transport between the hotel and the studios

The ELC will have a guaranteed $100,000 prize pool. The highest placing Ladbrokes Poker qualifier will also receive an added $14,000 Ladbrokes WSOP package sending them to the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event.

Related Articles:

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Monday, March 31, 2008

Poker News - UIGEA hearing to be held in U.S. on Wednesday

UIGEA hearing to be held in U.S. on Wednesday
The United States House of Representatives will hold a hearing on Wednesday about how the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act should be enforced. The House Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade and Technology subcommittee will hold the hearing regarding the rules of the UIGEA that have ��...full article

The United States House of Representatives will hold a hearing on Wednesday about how the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act should be enforced.

The House Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade and Technology subcommittee will hold the hearing regarding the rules of the UIGEA that have been proposed by the Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve Board.

The subcommittee counts a number of UIGEA opponents among its members, according to cardplayer.com:

Members of the SMPTT include Rep. Robert Wexler, who is the main sponsor of the Skill Game Protection Act, which calls for certain games, poker included, to be officially labeled games of skill. This would remove poker from the list of gambling games and would prevent the government from trying to stop people in America from playing. Wexler has also spoken out against the UIGEA at various hearings over the years.

Rep. Ron Paul, a former Republican presidential candidate, is also on the committee. He also is a known opponent of the UIGEA.

Whole thing here.

The committee that oversees the subcommittee is chaired by Rep. Barney Frank, who has proposed a bill that would do away with the UIGEA.

D.C. Think Tank 'White Paper' Assails UIGEA
With a Congressional hearing looming regarding the planned implementation of rules for 2006's Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Acgt (UIGEA), a conservative Washington D.C. has issued a 'white paper' on the UIGEA...

Unibet appeal of Netherlands gaming act violation is denied
Unibet lost an appeal in a Netherlands court this week, in which the online sportsbook and gaming site was deemed to be infringing on the market of the Dutch state lottery, De Lotto. According to pokernews.com: Unibet had been judged guilty of violating the Dutch Gaming Act ��...full article

Unibet lost an appeal in a Netherlands court this week, in which the online sportsbook and gaming site was deemed to be infringing on the market of the Dutch state lottery, De Lotto.

According to pokernews.com:

Unibet had been judged guilty of violating the Dutch Gaming Act and infringing upon the market rights of the Dutch state lottery, De Lotto (The Lotto). The October, 2007 ruling called for Unibet to pay De Lotto €100,000 per day, up to a maximum of €3,000,000, plus legal costs, for continuing to serve the Dutch market in offering wagering on amateur soccer games in the Netherlands. The recent denial upheld the decision in favor of De Lotto.

One report notes that this is the 17th time that competitors to De Lotto’s market interests have been struck down in court rulings.

The ruling comes as the Netherlands considers legislation like the United States’ Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

WSOP Champions: Where are they now, Part 1

In the glorious 38-year history of the World Series of Poker, 32 men have been able to take down the most desired prize in poker: the $10,000 Championship Event and the title of "World Champion" that goes along with it.

The stories of these men after they won the championship are almost as interesting as how they won the event in the first place. Over the next few weeks as we come up to this year's World Series starting on May 30, we'll look back in the history books to see what became of some of the greatest players in the game.

Unfortunately, eight of the men who have won the WSOP championship and been recognized as World Champion are no longer with us. Today we'll take a look at four of these players.

Johnny Moss (1970-71, 1974)

Already a legendary player before he was elected the first champion at the World Series of Poker in 1970, Moss came back the next year and won it outright on the felt. He was at the final table the next two years but didn't win.

In 1974, though, he made it back to the final table once again and took his third title, becoming the first man to win three Main Events at the World Series.

With his background and education in the gambling world of Texas, Moss was better known for his Draw game skills. Of his nine World Series bracelets, six of them were in draw games such as Lowball and Seven-Card Stud.

The nine bracelets he earned place him fourth on the all-time list behind contemporary players Phil Hellmuth and Johnny Chan and one of Moss' contemporaries, Doyle Brunson.

Moss played at the World Series from its inception in 1970 to 1995, becoming the oldest bracelet winner when he won his final bracelet in 1988 at 80 (a feat that was topped by Paul McKinney at 81 in 2005). In total, Moss cashed in 23 World Series events and was one of the inaugural inductees into the Poker Hall of Fame when it started in 1979.

When he passed away on December 16, 1997, poker lost its "Grand Old Man," one of the true legends of the early years of the World Series and of the game in general.

Walter Clyde "Puggy" Pearson (1973)

Born in the mountains of Tennessee, Puggy Pearson concentrated more on gambling than schooling. He dropped out of school after fifth grade, but more than made up for his lack of book learning with an education in the school of hard knocks. At 17, he entered the U.S. Navy and earned more money gambling than through service, setting him up for a lifetime of exploits both on and off the poker tables.

It is popularly believed that Pearson was the inspiration behind tournament poker and the World Series.

Puggy suggested to Benny Binion, the originator of the World Series of Poker, that there should be a high-buy-in, No-Limit Texas Hold'em freezeout event to determine who would be the World Champion and that it should come at the end of a schedule of events consisting of assorted poker variants.

It was, therefore, partly through Puggy's efforts that the WSOP Championship Event became what it is today.

Pearson kept Johnny Moss from winning another Main Event title in 1973 (Puggy's third WSOP bracelet that year). However, that proved to be the last of the four WSOP bracelets he would win.

Undaunted, he continued to play at the World Series of Poker until 2005, racking up three more final tables and five cashes along the way. He passed away shortly before the start of the 2006 World Series but will always be remembered as one of the forefathers of the game of poker.

Brian "Sailor" Roberts (1975)

Brian "Sailor" Roberts is a sometimes-overlooked legend of the game. In the early years of the development of poker, he was the third component of the Amarillo Slim/Doyle Brunson triumvirate that toured the Southeastern United States pursuing the game for a living.

After the threesome disbanded in the '60s, Roberts actually served time in prison for wire fraud. When he was released from jail, he headed for Las Vegas to legally pursue his vocation.

"Sailor" (so called because of a stint in the Navy during the Korean War) surprisingly had limited success at the tournament poker tables. Although he took down two bracelets (including his 1975 world championship victory), he was only able to cash one more time after that in a World Series event, when he reached the final table of the Main Event in 1982 and finished eighth. Obviously, Roberts' cash game skills were what kept him in poker.

Roberts was also one of the friendliest players in the game of poker. It wasn't uncommon for Roberts, after hearing fellow poker players lament their bad beats, to infuse their bankrolls with a healthy dose of cash.

When he passed away from sclerosis caused by hepatitis in the '80s, poker lost one of the pioneers of the game, proof that the adage "nice guys finish last" doesn't always apply.

Hal Fowler (1979)

One of the most mysterious men to have won the WSOP Championship Event has to be Hal Fowler.

Considered the first "amateur" to win the Main Event, Fowler was nearly down to the felt during the 1979 tournament.

In what many consider the greatest upset in World Series history, he was able to fight back admirably and defeat a final table that also consisted of Chip Reese, Johnny Moss and runner-up finisher Bobby Hoff. (Admittedly, Fowler committed an amateur mistake by chasing a gut-shot straight draw heads-up that came home against Hoff's pocket aces.)

After that victory, Fowler wouldn't make another World Series final table. Although he wouldn't cash in another WSOP event, he did make three final tables in tournaments during the 1980s: once at Amarillo Slim's Super Bowl of Poker and twice, including a win, at the 1984 Grand Prix of Poker at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas).

Afflicted with diabetes that damaged his eyesight and legs and eventually took his life, Fowler never could recapture the glory of 1979 and his time as a World Champion.

These now-deceased men who became synonymous with poker excellence had varying degrees of success in the game after their WSOP triumphs. In the next installment of our look back at World Series Main Event champions, we'll remember the other four champions who are no longer with us.

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Online poker developer not worried about proposed Canada ban
GigaMedia Limited, which develops and licenses online poker and casino software, said in a statement that it was not worried about the possibility of a ban of online poker and gambling in Canada that may be on the way. Canada has been considering laws — ��...full article

GigaMedia Limited, which develops and licenses online poker and casino software, said in a statement that it was not worried about the possibility of a ban of online poker and gambling in Canada that may be on the way. Canada has been considering laws — similar to what the United States has in place regarding online gaming — to stop online gambling operations in the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake.
(more…)

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Poker News - Unibet appeal of Netherlands gaming act violation is denied

Monday, March 31, 2008

Poker News - UIGEA hearing to be held in U.S. on Wednesday

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