With 23 bidders and 88 bids in the fight for PokerNewsDaily, I can only imagine the joy “b***2″ felt upon binking the auction. No word on who that buyer really was. But they didn’t even play in the game for Pokerterms.com, a sister site to PND also put up for auction that went to “s***n” for $8,359.

This is the first time I’ve heard of an on-line auction for a poker site. It seems as if Protos Marketing, the site’s parent company, was trying to unload these domains (and related assets) pretty fast. I wonder if they are feeling the effects of Black Friday on affiliate-based poker media, or if the previous owners needed cash for WSOP Satellites something bigger and better yet to come.

I’ve overheard several people at the Rio talking about friendly wagers they had on the selling prices for these sites. Curious if people here participated in any prop bets … or the actual eBay auctions?

Here is what the buyer(s) really got for that price, and with the PND brand:

This marks the final week of a no-reserve eBay auction for the PokerNewsDaily domain, content, associated accounts and more. Originally posted on Wednesday June 15th, the auction has attracted significant attention in the poker world. Several thousand people have viewed the auction on eBay and it has also attracted 15 bids in the first five days.

The auction itself includes the following (stats as of 6/14):

The pokernewsdaily.com domain name.
The PokerNewsDaily brand name (there are no registered trademarks)
All of the content (articles, site reviews, player profiles, videos, etc) on the site. There are over 5,300 posts, over 3200 comments and over 3100 registered users.
The PokerNewsDaily facebook page with 236 likes.
The PokerNewsDaily twitter account with 6174 followers and 283 listed.
Any other data contained in the PND database such as registered users, external click tracking data, etc. Nothing of substance or potential usefulness will be deleted prior to transfer.
The full customized WordPress install including the custom theme and the configured plugins.
The original PSD for the theme (which was purchased in a contest on 99designs) and the .AI file for the logo (which was purchased in a separate contest on 99designs).
The PokerNewsDaily Google Apps account which includes our support@pokernewsdaily.com email address and several years of emails. This account also includes our Feedburner feed with 1552 subscribers (813 of those are email subscribers via FeedBurner).
The PokerNewsDaily Google Analytics account which has data going back to July 24th, 2009. This account has the Google Apps account as an administrator so you can simply delete our access to it once the deal has closed.

However, the auction does not include existing affiliate accounts, writer contracts or a non-compete from PND’s parent company, Protos Marketing. The full auction listing includes additional information and the full terms.

In addition to PokerNewsDaily, Protos has also put up PokerTerms.com for auction. PokerTerms is a leading online poker dictionary with over 1200 term definitions and some very high Google rankings for highly-searched poker terms. PokerTerms has attracted an additional 13 bids and significant attention.

Hi Dan,

Jake and I will be in Vegas the week of June 13. A buddy of his will be staking him in event #26. Do you have access to any kind of staking agreement we could prepare prior to the event? Thanks.

Chuck

Hey Chuck! I’m not Dan, but I am Dan-ielle so … close enough!

There are no set-in-stone guidelines for backing players but the most common practice is a 50/50 split of winnings, after the backer has been paid back on his investment. (i.e. the buy-in.) The second most common is for the backer to get his investment back and 60 percent of the remaining winnings, with the player keeping what’s leftover after that.

Backing deals can get more complex depending on if the player is responsible for paying back all or some of the money if he doesn’t cash. Usually deals that require no make up from a player would have a higher percentage going to the backer, usually 70/30 or even 80/20.

Here’s a video I found — Mike Frazin – Backing Poker Players and the Rules — explaining “make up” a little more.

Ethics play a large part in making these deals, so Jake and his backer should know each other well or both already have a trustworthy reputation before agreeing. It would be a good idea to use a lawyer to draw up a contract but if they just want to keep it simple, just make sure that each party understands the terms and writes them out, clear as day, for both parties to sign or have notarized. You may also want to be sure you both are clear about the breakdown for tips and taxes.

Hope that helps and tell Jake I said, “Good luck!”

It takes place at Aria Casino on July 7, during Day 1A of the WSOP main event. Read below for more information if you want to go. Of all the boot camps out there, I think this one will probably be the best because Vanessa’s a girl, and everyone knows girls are smarter than boys. Tee-hee.

Vanessa Rousso to Hold Main Event Prep Camp
As players head to Las Vegas this summer to compete in the most highly acclaimed poker event of the year, they will have the opportunity to gain some last minute advice from one of poker’s most successful players, Vanessa Rousso.

Vanessa is hosting a main event prep-camp for players who want to optimize their playing skill and take their game to a winning level.

Every year poker players from around the world flock to Las Vegas to participate in the game’s most prestigious two-month event, The World Series of Poker (WSOP). The event is marked by a series of tournaments where poker enthusiasts compete against players around the globe to make their mark in the poker world and increase their earnings.

July 7th marks the start of The Main Event. The 1-day prep-camp is open to all players and will be held in Las Vegas on July 7th, day 1-A of The Main Event. It will be held at the Aria Resort and Casino.

Vanessa plans to share her winning secerets and offer instruction highliting effective playing strategies built around recent changes in The Main Event structure.

There will be an opportunity for photos, autographs, and questions. With over 4 million in tournament winnings, Rousso is not only regarded as one of the top players in the world, but has become one of the most sought after poker instructors.

Vanessa is thrilled to welcome serious players to her boot camp and invites them to sign up on her website www.bigslickbootcamp.com. or register via telephone: 1-877-33SLICK.

Read the full press release below:

PPA Names Rich Muny Vice President of Player Relations

Washington, DC (June 2, 2011) – The Poker Players Alliance, the leading poker grassroots advocacy group with more than one million members nationwide, announced today that Rich Muny will serve as Vice President of Player Relations for the Board of Directors of the PPA.

“Through the years Rich has worked with the PPA, his passion for the game of poker and staunch devotion to protecting poker players’ rights has proven unparalleled,” said former Senator Alfonse D’Amato, chairman of the PPA.  “Given the growing concerns within the poker community over their inability to play online poker in the U.S., now more than ever, American players need to know their voice is being heard and I believe Rich offers the level of expertise needed to reinforce their calls to action.”

A member of the PPA Board of Directors since 2007, Rich also served the alliance as the PPA Kentucky State Director, tirelessly advocating for poker players’ rights. In his new role, Rich will serve as the liaison between the PPA and the poker blogs, forums, social networking sites as well as some traditional poker media outlets.

Prior to his work with the PPA, Rich made a living at the tables as a professional poker player. Incited by the 2006 passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), Rich made the decision to devote his time to advocate for poker players’ rights and has been working diligently with the PPA ever since.

Before becoming a professional poker player, Rich honed his project management and problem solving skills working as a mechanical engineer for GE Aviation, a skillset that has served him well both in his poker game and in his role with the PPA. His thorough understanding of the game of poker and passion for upholding its future in the U.S., has spurred him to help motivate and organize like-minded poker enthusiasts to campaign for poker rights. He regularly communicates directly with the player base on several online forums under his online handle “TheEngineer” and via phone calls and emails.

“The strength of the PPA greatly depends on the voice of its membership and Rich has proven to be an outstanding representative of poker players, not only in his home state of Kentucky, but from across the country,” said John Pappas, executive director of the PPA. “As an avid poker player himself, Rich is truly ingrained in the issues and understands the frustration players feel around the current legislative challenges to online poker in the U.S. I can’t imagine anyone more suited to directly communicate with our membership and I look forward to working with him to ensure this country establishes a licensed and regulated environment so players can enjoy this great game in any format they choose.”