The Australian Poker Hall of Fame Adds a T.D.
Casino Grand Lisboa, Macau, China

Danny McDonagh

At the commencement of the Macau Poker Cup: Red Dragon, it was announced that Danny McDonagh had been inducted into the Australian Poker Hall of Fame.

Ok, so he didn’t win big bucks in a grueling tournament, but being the the first non-player to be inducted into the Australian Poker Hall of Fame is a big win in my book. McDonagh is considered the leading Tournament Director authority in the Asia-Pacific region and works officially as the PokerStars Director of Live Operations. This man makes it happen and is credited for having one hell of an impact on poker tournaments worldwide. What has he done, you ask? Just the biggest events in the region, including the Aussie Millions, Asia Pacific Poker Tour, and Macau Poker Cup series at PokerStars Macau. Well played, Sir.

Operation USA Scores $53,800 in an Epic Show of Generosity
Epic Poker Charity Event – The Palms Las Vegas, Las Vegas NV

On August 7th, Epic Poker held its first charity poker tournament as part of its Inaugural Event. While Andy Frankenberger mowed down the likes of Gavin Griffin, Dwyte Pilgrim, Justin Young, and Mike McDonald, the big winner of the evening was Operation USA, through whom 100% of the $53,800 raised will benefit the victims of the tornadoes that devastated Joplin, Missouri.

While I’m not really sure exactly how many people played in the charitable event, I have it on pretty good information (I read it on the Epic Poker website) that the total funds raised included all of the $200 buy-ins and rebuys and an additional $2,000 that Frankenberger donated to the the cause out of his $2,500 First Place prize money. Way to raise the bar, Andy!!! I hope others follow the example you have set. Frankenberger didn’t walk away empty handed though, he was the first person to ever receive the Epic Poker Champion’s bracelet and Champion’s Ring.

You again!!! Crane Ships it at Borgata a Second Time
$300K Guaranteed Deep Stack Double Play- Borgata, Atlantic City NJ

Russell Crane - March 30, 2011 | Photo by Jay WhoJedi Newnum

Borgata’s Deep Stack Double Play was a scheduled 4-day No Limit Hold’em poker tournament that began on August 7, 2011. Even in these lean times, Borgata managed to attract 400 players to pay the $1,650 buy-in during the course of the double day entry period for a shot at the $300,000 guarantee, doubling the prize pool to a whopping $600,000.

Russell Crane AKA “rcrane082985″ beat out 399 poker players to secure a repeat shoutout here on Pokerati and, in doing so, made a little extra pocket change to the tune of $148,704. This 23 year old is on a serious heater. This latest score marks his third 1st place finish in a row since winning $37,308 in $1,000 NLH Deepstack at the Foxwoods Poker Classic on March 30th. Keep an eye out for this one… I’m willing to lay odds that he on route to Connecticut.

Saucedo Gets Max EV for Pocket 3s in the Mega Millions
Legends of Poker Mega Millions Event – The Bicycle Casino, Bell Gardens CA

Fausto Saucedo | Photo by Marie-Lizette C. Acoba

The Bicycle Casino kicked off its annual Legends of Poker signature series with a $1,000,000 Guarantee for the mind-blowingly low buy-in of $250 (plus an $100 optional rebuy). It took 20-flights spread over ten days, but when all was said and done, a total of 7,239 players, including Maria Ho, Tiffany Michelle, Cuong (Soi) Nguyen, Scott Clements, Frankie O’Dell, and Brent Carter took a shot (or two, or three, or more) at the guaranteed $300K for first.

With a record number of entries, bested only by the WSOP, and 5,939 rebuys, the prize pool bloated to an astronomical $1,453,811 (that’s a lotta bank for your buck). Former WSOPC Ladies Event Champ, Greg Sessler (invested for nine bullets) found himself heads-up against admitted Moneymaker Effect protégé Fausto Saucedo, and was poised for the biggest cash of his poker career. However, it was not meant to be. After a 4-hour long heads-up rollercoaster ride, Saucedo claimed the Wild Bill Hickok trophy and $340,191 worth of bragging rights when his pocket 3s bested Sessler’s A/J off, all-in pre.

Season One – Tournament Series One Goes to Chino Rheem
Epic Poker League Main Event – The Palms Las Vegas, Las Vegas NV

If you don’t know that David “Chino” Rheem won a Million Dollars in the 6-Max Epic Poker Inaugural Event, you may want to crawl out from under the rock you’re living under. If you didn’t follow along on Twitter, Facebook, or EpicPoker.com, poker-trivia whiz Kevin Mathers recapped the 4-day event from “Way Outside” right here on Pokerati.com.

David "Chino" Rheem | Photo by Marie-Lizette C. Acoba

The exclusive No Limit Hold’em tournament was only open only to Epic Poker League members and 9 Pro/Am Qualifier Main Event seat winners, but still drew an impressive 137 players to pay the $20,000 “no-rake” buy-in. Although it was disclosed that $400 from each buy-in would go to pay the dealers, the $400,000 added to the prize pool negated the expense guaranteeing that 18 finalists would get a minimum 5-figure piece of $3,085,200.

The star-studded final table began on Friday, August 12th with Hasan Habib in the lead, Erik Seidel, Chino Rheem, Gavin Smith, Jason Mercier, and short-stack Huck Seed rounded out the final 6. Seed did what he could to rally from behind, and after a third of the total final table hands had been dealt, he was back in the game until Mercier sent him packing in 6th place, followed by crowd favorite Smith in 5th. Early in the match Rheem crippled Habib’s stack, then dealt the final blow sending Habib to the rail in 4th place. Seidel, having won several high-roller events this year got Mercier out of the way and it was heads-up: Rheem vs. Seidel. The two traded the lead on more than one occasion, and both the grand-stand sweaters and twitter rail were kept on the edge of their seats while the button past back and forth like a ping-pong for 50 some-odd hands. Both Seidel and Rheem made exceptional showings, but in the end the $1,000,000 and Championship ring went to Rheem (and his eager creditors).

The Second Time is a Charm at Foxwoods
Mega Stack Challenge Poker – Foxwoods Resort & Casino, Mashantucket, CT

Sal Morello | Photo by Jay WhoJedi Newnum

Salvatore Morello redeemed himself on August 14th, after coming in second place in the Foxwoods Spring into Summer Mega Poker Championship last month, by claiming first place in the Foxwoods $600 Mega Stack Challenge event. Morello beatout 499 players, and single-handedly eliminated 5 of the 9 final tableists (including runner-up Ronnie Pease, who maintained the chiplead for the majority of the 2-day event) to claim the trophy and the first place prize of $60,202.

Across the Pond, Fintan Gavin Won the UKIPT Edinburgh
UK & Ireland Tour – Edinburgh Corn Exchange, Edinburgh, GB

Fintan Gavin, Winner's Photo

The last, but not least of this week’s Big Winners, Fintan Gavin is the first Irish champion of the 2nd Season of the PokerStars UK & Ireland Tour. The UKIPT attracted a field of 519 poker players in the £500 Main Event, creating a prize pool of £251,715.

When it got down to heads-up, I suspect people had their money on Gavin. A veteran at the felt, Gavin showed Hawksby (playing his first live tournament) how it’s done, grabbing the title and £61,500 in prize money. With $1.2 million in live cashes, Gavin is an old hand and is one of the organisers of Irish Poker Championships.

The tournament brought plenty of controversy as it always does, summed up into two divisions: (1) whether or not men should be allowed to enter the “ladies-only” tournament, and (2) should there even be “exclusive” tournaments within the WSOP schedule of events.

While there are great arguments as to why ladies poker tournaments should remain exclusive and equally compelling arguments why exclusivity is an exercise in discrimination, sometimes the best explanation as to why things are the way there are is simply: TRADITION!

Don’t get me wrong, this is my fourth re-write of this opinion editorial. Why? Because my gender, my ethnicity and my profession leave me little other choice but to appreciate all the perspectives on the issues of exclusivity (and some pretty good insight into oppressive traditions). That being said, my strongest statement on the matter is that I don’t have an opinion one way or the other … to me it’s just poker, and the event is a ladies’ poker tournament whether there are 9 men or 500 men. Regardless of who my opponents are, the game of poker is ever-changing and I must always adjust my play accordingly. While I see both points, I believe polarizing the issues surrounding the WSOP Ladies Event to left and right is the ultimate FAIL. The conservatives and liberals have completely missed the role of tradition in the spirit of the WSOP.

Moreover, the back-and-forth bickering continues to compound the problem rather that solve it. Haven’t we all learned by now that players change their hair color for attention, wear ridiculous hats for photo ops and make complete asses of themselves for five seconds of fame on ESPN? Perhaps if, last year, Shaun Deeb had been left to make a comical buffon out of himself instead of being catapulted to the center of a political firestorm, there would have been no need for this article. However, already we can see … even though the overall field size in the WSOP Ladies event stayed virtually the same, the number of men that entered this year increased compared to last by nearly 45 percent — from 9 to 13 … and that was without a player like Deeb leading the charge.

It is a well known fact that both the Seniors’ and Ladies’ events are simply targeted toward specific groups of poker players based on age and/or gender for little reason other than to draw a larger crowd to the halls of the Rio. As such, neither event can actually deny a person their right to play solely on the basis of age, gender, race, ability, or sexual orientation; to do so would be discrimination and subject to a cause of action. In particular, it is the Ladies Event that gets tongues wagging long before the first card is dealt.

When it comes to ladies only poker tournaments, everybody has an opinion. Even WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel went on record this year, stating that he had no respect for any man who would play in an event that has such special meaning to the female participants. Following the very public debate from 2010 and Effel’s statement, members of the poker community rekindled the discussion related to ladies’ poker tournaments in their blogs, in social media groups and in poker forums.

Some believe that, in this day and age, there should be no special WSOP bracelets for women (nor employees or seniors, for that matter). The arguments range from legitimate legal perspectives to, “Ah, hell …  just let the li’l ladies have their fun.” (Southern twang added.) In addition to the political debates, the table talk in the Rio Pavilion Room was split between male players calling men who registered for a ladies event “Tools” or “Douche Bags” and the female players swearing they hate playing in all ladies tournaments because such events are nothing but “Donkaments.”

Oddly enough, for all that has been said, few seemed to address tradition, as if it even mattered.

The Ladies’ Event is nearly as old as the WSOP itself. Started back in 1977, some say the WSOP Ladies’ Event was created by male poker players so that their wives and/or female companions would have something to do so as to not bother the Good ol’ Boys who who were playing big-boy games for “real” money. The buy-in for the first WSOP Ladies Event was just $100, and most of the ladies were staked by the men they were with. Perhaps it didn’t start out as a noble cause, but because the women in poker believed in themselves and had enough foresight to see that the sport of poker transcended gender, the WSOP Ladies’ Event became something of its own.

The WSOP Ladies’ Event has since become a WSOP tradition as (1) a “female-only” No-Limit Hold’em championship and, quite frankly, (2) a proposition opportunity for the men that back them. But before all the ladies get their panties in a bunch over the term “proposition,” allow me to clarify: I mean prop-bets. For a male professional poker player, putting his wife, girlfriend, and/or courtesan into the WSOP Ladies Event could translate into a rewarding investment. Not only will it increase his chances of getting good action at home, but also many men enter into side-bets as to whose “filly” will last the longest. That’s right ladies, it may be a women’s poker tournament, but it is still a classic sword fight behind the scenes. I know first hand what it is like to have a boyfriend stake me in the WSOP Ladies Events and I can tell you that the build up begins at the felt, months before the WSOP schedule is ever even announced.

As the fields have gotten deeper and more women are paying their own way, the history behind the women’s event has gotten lost in the shuffle. Equal rights, discrimination, favoritism … whatever. The WSOP Ladies’ Event has and always will be a major part of the World Series of Poker experience for both men and women, and in the grand scheme of worldwide traditions, I would be hard pressed to participate in any discussion that women getting together every year to play a poker tournament is a tradition that needs to be hotly debated.

The recent controversy brought on by men registering for the WSOP Ladies’ Event is more the result of people saying that men can’t participate than it is some political statement for equal rights. Raise your hand if you loose sleep at night over this issue.

Setting aside the already spoken political correctness and affirmative action arguments, some WSOP Ladies Event supporters and “douchebag” critics (certain WSOP officials included) miss the point that they might be making matters worse by being aggressive proponents of exclusion and attempting to shame those who cross gender lines. Let’s face it, it is human nature to revolt against restriction. By way of its title, the WSOP Ladies’ event will always be a ladies-preferred tournament and it is unlikely that an increased number of male entries (be it in protest or not) will force the hand of Caesars Entertainment to remove the tradition from the WSOP schedule.

While I can’t specifically explain why men enter ladies events, I can imagine any number of reasons why they would participate. Perhaps the poor sap lost a prop-bet and was forced to wear a dress and a padded bra, perhaps he thinks $1K is good R.O.I. for a chance to stare down at some of the best cleavage in the industry, or maybe he has had a hard time getting dates at the hooker bar and sees the event as an opportunity for fresh flesh, “Nice hand, errr … can I get your room phone number?” Whatever the reason, if a man wants to surround himself with a bunch of poker playing ladies, then let him do so. It doesn’t necessarily make him a d-bag and it certainly should never give rise to such angry jeers and harassment … because that’s what it is.

I don’t really know how the cheering when a man was knocked out during during Day 1 of the WSOP Ladies’ Event turned into angry jeering every time Jonathan Epstein pulled in a pot on Day 2, but it was down-right disturbing. From my vantage point atop Media Row, I watched incredulous as spectators lined the ropes of the Amazon Blue section, at times five to six men deep – whistling, hooting and hollering whenever Epstein lost a pot, and booing, hissing and chanting whenever he drug in so much as a single chip. For a short moment, last year’s WSOP Champion Jonathan Duhamel lead the anti-rail. When an Epstein supporter made eye-contact with a Floorperson and gestured for a bit of control, the Epstein-friendly found himself ejected from the Amazon room while the anti-rail ordered another round of Long Island Iced-teas.

Hey! Don’t get me wrong…as with any sport, spectators have the right obligation to vocalize support for their team and disdain for the opposition; but not to the point where it obliterates the spirit of the game. There is a clear a difference between yelling “Hey, batter – batter – what?” from 200 feet up in a grandstand and a drunken mob chanting “Douche – Douche – Douche” one foot away from seat 3 and a very pregnant Katrina Jett.

It’s far too early to say how the anti-rail will affect the rules of future WSOP events, but if there isn’t one already, the WSOP Ladies Event Day 2 anti-rail shenanigans may very well result in a Hevad Kahan type spectator rule for the 2012 WSOP. Well played! (Sarcasm, intended) Case in point? On Day 3, I watched a player at one of the WSOP Ladies’ Event near-final tables get a an immediate warning for showboating after a knockout, yet it took several levels and complaints from players and media before anything was done a about the Day 2 near riotous behavior. While some may see the WSOP Ladies’ Event as a league of its own, it certainly is not one where the players and spectators should be allowed to play in with a different set of rules.

Again, I did not write this article on the heals of the WSOP Ladies Event to make some political statement. Truth be told, I’m delighted that female poker leagues like the Ladies International Poker Series (LiPS) and the High-Heals Poker Tour have united women poker players and promote solidarity. I’m thrilled that women get together and form life long friendships and/or create business alliances by attending poker tournaments organized by these poker leagues and leagues like them – even though I myself, am not a member and rarely (if ever) attend.

I believe in the tradition of the WSOP Ladies Event regardless of whether or not it is politically correct. I will return every year to play it, but I will never support hatred, harassment or bullying for any reason – especially on the grounds of gender, race, age , disability or sexual orientation. What the Ladies Event doesn’t need is more tough guys.

Read below for the official announcement:

The overwhelming majority of shareholders at Penn National Gaming, Inc. voted last week to change the way the company’s directors are elected. 40 million out of 67 million shares were cast for a shareholder resolution that nominees to the board must receive a majority of the votes cast in order to be seated. Under Penn’s current bylaws, a nominee needs only a single affirmative vote to be elected in uncontested director elections.

“A majority vote standard transforms the director election process from a symbolic process to a meaningful voice for shareholders,” ISS Proxy Advisory Service wrote in a report criticizing Penn National Gaming, Inc. on May 23, 2011.

The shareholder-approved reform comes one year after shareholders voted for another reform measure at Penn that would subject company directors to an annual election, a move designed to increase board accountability. The Penn board has so far failed to implement this measure. UNITE HERE was the sponsor of both resolutions.

Kate O’Neil, Senior Research Analyst at UNITE HERE said, “Overwhelming shareholder support for the proposal to adopt a majority vote standard sends a strong message to the board of Penn National that shareholders are seeking greater accountability. It is our hope that the board will adopt both this measure – and the one that received majority support last year – without delay.”

ISS recommended withhold votes for all director nominees in 2011, citing the board’s failure to enact the successful 2010 proposal for annual director elections. A significant minority of shareholders withheld votes from Directors Peter M. Carlino, Harold Cramer, and Saul V. Reibstein. Cramer, chair of the compensation committee, received over 20 million withhold votes. In past years other members of the compensation committee received significant withhold votes.

Also at the Penn shareholder meeting, shareholders approved executives pay in a new advisory vote required under the Dodd-Frank financial reform law. The majority of shareholders recommended that the advisory vote on executive pay be held annually, despite management’s recommendation that the pay plans be voted on every three years.

PENN Wires Headlines

About Penn National Gaming

Penn National Gaming (Nasdaq: PENN) owns, operates or has ownership interests in gaming and racing facilities with a focus on slot machine entertainment. The Company presently operates twenty-six facilities in eighteen jurisdictions, including Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, West Virginia, and Ontario. In aggregate, Penn National’s operated facilities feature approximately 29,000 gaming machines, 560 table games, 2,400 hotel rooms and 1.1 million square feet of gaming floor space.

About UNITE HERE!

UNITE HERE! represents workers throughout the U.S. and Canada who work in the hotel, gaming, food service, manufacturing, textile, distribution, laundry, and airport industries.

“HPT is one of the great success stories in the poker industry”

“HPT is one of the great success stories in the poker industry,” said Jeffrey Pollack, chairman of Federated Sports + Gaming. “In a relatively short period of time, the Heartland Poker Tour has firmly established itself as an important national brand with a passionate, loyal player base. We are committed to poker entertainment in the broadest sense and to serving players and fans across the spectrum. The addition of HPT to the FS+G family fits perfectly with our approach.”

Founded in 2005 by entrepreneurs Todd Anderson and Greg Lang, HPT provides poker enthusiasts across the country with a televised tournament experience that prides itself on affordable buy-ins. HPT is currently filming its seventh season and is syndicated to more than 100 million US homes each week, as well as markets throughout Europe, the Middle East and the Caribbean.

Both Anderson and Lang, along with the rest of the HPT management and production team based in Fargo, North Dakota, will continue to lead the HPT, manage its day-to-day operations, deliver first-class events and television programming, and serve the tour’s mission of “Real People, Unreal Money.”

Todd Anderson

“I believe our partnership with FS+G goes a long way to round out the American poker market,” said Todd Anderson, president and co-founder of Heartland Poker Tour. “Our tour, combined with the new FS+G professional poker league, creates an offering that serves aspiring enthusiasts of the game, as well as top poker professionals. This alliance will create bigger fields for HPT events, and even greater television coverage and viewership, which will ultimately benefit players, fans and the game.”

HPT has hosted more than 81,500 entrants, awarded more than $28.6 million in prize money, produced more than 170 hours of “high quality poker” television content, and staged nearly 90 events since 2005.

Greg Lang

“Uniting with Federated Sports + Gaming is a natural fit because we share the common goal of innovating and growing the poker market,” said Greg Lang, executive producer and co-founder of Heartland Poker Tour. “As entrepreneurs with an established history of forging an independent path, we look forward to breaking new ground in poker by leveraging the talents of the accomplished team that FS+G has assembled. As poker players, we are fired up about taking HPT to a new level of excitement and fun for our players and fans.”

Earlier this year, FS+G, in conjunction with the Palms Casino Resort, announced the launch of a revolutionary new professional poker league to serve more than 200 of the world’s top live tournament players. The first of four inaugural tournaments kicks off this August. (? Federated Sports + Gaming Released the Roster & Qualifying Criteria for the Inaugural Season of the New Professional Poker League)

The four professional league main events will feature different formats of No-Limit Texas Hold’em, including six-handed play, a heads-up tournament with an innovative seeding structure and a special multi-format tournament to round out the season. Each event week will include a Pro-Am event, a charity tournament, and a $20,000 buy-in rake-free main event.

About Federated Sports + Gaming

Federated Sports + Gaming (FS+G) was founded in 2010 to create proprietary world-class sports and gaming brands through the integration of traditional and digital media, including televised events, social media gaming and interactive digital programming. The company breaks new ground in the poker world through its launch of a revolutionary professional poker league in 2011. FS+G will celebrate the world’s top poker players by providing them with the spotlight they have long deserved. FS+G is dedicated to creating new traditions in poker entertainment by providing fans and players with an unmatched poker tournament, poker TV and interactive poker experience. FS+G offices are based out of Los Angeles and Washington D.C. For more information please visit www.federatedinc.com.

About Heartland Poker Tour

Founded by Todd Anderson and Greg Lang in 2005, Heartland Poker Tour is built on a grass-roots strategy, “Real People, Unreal Money”. HPT provides poker enthusiasts a televised “Texas No Limit Hold’em” poker tour with affordable buy-ins. HPT is currently filming Season VII and is available in over 100 million US homes each week, as well as widespread distribution throughout Europe, the Middle East and the Caribbean. For more information and a complete schedule of upcoming events, visit www.HPTpoker.com.

Sorel Mizzi

There is no question that Mizzi is an exception poker player. He placed third at 2010 Aussie Millions ($599,319) and ninth ($108,967) in 2011. More recently he won the FTOPXX leader board challenge. He’s also just qualified for the new Federated Poker League. That Mizzi can play winning poker is obvious. But can he beat nearly half a decade of bad press post-Black Friday?

In an effort toward repairing his tainted public image, Mizzi announced (through a press release) that he has decided to put “his winning ways into philanthropic endeavors.”

In the press release, Mizzi announces that he has helped establish a charitable program with an initial $10,000 donations for Poker Players Against Poverty (PPAP) under A Good Idea, a nonprofit that connects people in need with people who want to help to alleviate poverty and homelessness.

The Poker Players Against Poverty (PPAP) program will be a collective of current and rising stars in the poker community to support our fight against poverty. This support will be shown through financial support (i.e. 2% of a player’s annual tournament winnings or an initial contribution), spreading awareness, and participating in one service event each year. Currently, we are looking to put together a Steering Committee of 6-10 of the top, up and coming poker players that represent the programs values and who will help drive the program. PPAP will not only serve as an excellent positive outlet for young, up and coming players but will allow these players to leave a legacy for themselves outside of the poker world through positive press, promotion, and goodwill.

A Good Idea and Poker Players Against Poverty have been named a 2011 recipient and partner of Poker Gives. The Poker Gives mission is to provide financial and humanitarian aid to mainstream charities through support from poker players and the poker industry.

In addition to Mizzi’s first donation of $10,000, he has pledged 5% of all tournament winnings through the lifetime of his poker-playing career. He has also committed to participate in four service days annually working directly with the homeless in 2011, with plans to work with the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth.

“I am very excited for 2011 and beyond,” states Mizzi. “I will be placing equal priority on progressing as a poker player and giving back to my community. As a young poker player with a talent that brings me financial abundance, I feel it’s my responsibility to give back to people in need who are hurting financially.”

Given the current mood after the DOJ indictments and the economic state of the Union, it will be interesting to see if this move by Mizzi proves to be a well timed play or a sacrificial offering to the masses of jilted internet grinders thirsty for blood.

“We attribute this success to our R&D efforts, continued investments in game content, and improved execution.”

“During the quarter we achieved record quarterly revenue of nearly $60 million, filled some key strategic roles such as a new CEO and General Counsel, witnessed yet another quarter of phenomenal EGM performance, and we continued to grow recurring revenue,” stated Gavin Isaacs, Chief Executive Officer of Shuffle Master. “In my first two months as CEO, I have been impressed with the commitment of our employees to build upon our industry leadership, the depth and breadth of our strong intellectual property portfolio, and the many rich opportunities that I believe lie ahead for Shuffle Master.”

Second Quarter 2011 Financial Highlights

• Total revenue increased year-over-year by 18% to $59.9 million, a quarterly record, due to strong recurring revenue growth in Utility and Proprietary Table Games, and significant sales of Electronic Gaming Machines.
• Total lease, royalty and service revenue was up 12% year-over-year and approximately 3% sequentially, and totaled $26.1 million, or 44% of total revenue.
• GAAP net income continued to be strong and remained consistent at $7.9 million. Diluted earnings per share (“EPS”) was $0.14, as compared to $0.15 in the year-ago quarter.
• Selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses increased $1.4 million year-over-year from $15.7 million to $17.1 million for the quarter due primarily to a $0.7 million increase in trademark, copyright and patent expenses, and an increase in depreciation expense of approximately $0.3 million driven by improvements to the Company’s IT network infrastructure. As a percentage of total revenue, SG&A decreased by 240 bps to 29%.
• Adjusted EBITDA totaled $19.0 million, up 5% from $18.0 million in the year-ago quarter.
• Free Cash Flow, a non-GAAP financial measure, was $15.4 million as compared to $4.6 million in the prior year period.
• Net debt (total debt, less cash and cash equivalents) was $56.8 million as compared to $56.3 million as of October 31, 2010. The Company paid approximately $6.0 million on its $200 million senior secured revolving credit facility during the second quarter.
• International revenue accounted for approximately 59% of total revenues in the second quarter; Australia represented 41%.

“We continued to strengthen our balance sheet in the second quarter as we further reduced debt by $6 million,” said Linster Fox, Chief Financial Officer of Shuffle Master. “We also continued to build our recurring revenues to a record $26 million, fueled by strong shuffler, premium table game and progressive leases.”

Second Quarter 2011 Business Segment Highlights

Utility

• Total Utility lease and service revenue of $12.0 million grew 19% year-over-year driven by the Company’s aggressive emphasis on leasing, the accumulation of new lease placements in Asia during the prior year, and to a lesser extent, continued i-Deal® upgrades.
• Total Utility revenue of $19.2 million declined 9% year-over-year due to a decrease in the number of sold units, in line with the Company’s strategic focus on leasing versus sales. The prior year period also included a large sale of shufflers to Singapore.
• The Company achieved a record lease installed base of approximately 7,400 shufflers, a 22% increase in units year-over-year.
• Gross margin declined slightly year-over-year from 61% to 60% due primarily to the overall decrease in total revenue.
• The total i-Deal installed base grew to 3,217 units, of which 63% are units on lease.

Proprietary Table Games (“PTG”)

• Total PTG lease, royalty and service revenue for the second quarter increased 12% year-over-year to a record $10.4 million, primarily due to increased placements of premium games, progressives and side bets, namely, Ultimate Texas Hold’ em®, Mississippi Stud®, Blackjack Switch®, Dragon Bonus® and Three Card Poker Progressive™, in domestic markets.
• Total PTG revenue increased by 4% year-over-year to $10.6 million, largely as a result of strong recurring revenue growth.
• Gross margin increased 380 bps year-over-year to approximately 80%, primarily due to the increase in total revenue and a $0.5 million write-off of certain intangible licenses and related equipment in the prior year.
• Including approximately 200 trial units, the progressive add-on installed base totaled over 900 units. Three Card Poker Progressive™ and Fortune Pai Gow Poker Progressive® comprised approximately 70% of all progressive add-ons.

Electronic Table Systems (“ETS”)

• Total ETS lease, royalty and service revenue was approximately $3.7 million, down 10% from the year-ago quarter, due to decreased revenue resulting from removals of Table Master® seats in Pennsylvania and Delaware in the prior year as those markets transitioned to live gaming.
• Total ETS revenue for the quarter declined by 5% to $11.8 million as compared to $12.4 million in the prior period due to a 9% decrease in sales revenue. The prior year included significant sales revenue from Vegas Star® and Rapid Table Games® placements in Australia, as well as sales of Table Master seats in Florida.
• Gross margin decreased year-over-year from 63% to 41% due primarily to the overall decrease in revenue and the unfavorable margin effect from Table Master® removals in the U.S.

Electronic Gaming Machines (“EGM”)

• Total EGM revenue grew over $11 million year-over-year to $18.4 million, a second quarter record. EGM performance was driven almost entirely by the new Equinox™ cabinet, which totaled 920 units in the quarter.
• Gross margin increased 660 bps year-over-year to 61% due to the increased Equinox™ placements driving higher average sales prices as well as more efficient production costs from a better designed cabinet.
• Total placements of EGM units grew 162% from the prior year period as a result of strong customer demand for the Equinox™ cabinet.

“We’re very encouraged with our steadily improving ship share in Australia resulting from customer demand for our new Equinox™ cabinet,” commented David Lopez, Chief Operating Officer of the Company. “We attribute this success to our R&D efforts, continued investments in game content, and improved execution.”

Further detail and analysis of the Company’s financial results for the second quarter ended April 30, 2011, is included in its Form 10-Q, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission today, June 8th, 2011.

Webcast & Conference Call Information

Company executives will provide additional perspective on the Company’s second quarter results during a conference call on June 8, 2011 at 5:30 am Pacific Time. Those interested in participating in the call may do so by dialing (201) 689-8263 or toll-free (877) 407-0792 and requesting Shuffle Master’s Second Quarter 2011 Conference Call. A hardcopy of the presentation materials may be printed from the Shuffle Master, Inc. website, www.shufflemaster.com, shortly before the start of the call. In conjunction with the call, a live audio webcast may be accessed at www.shufflemaster.com. In order to access the live audio webcast please allow at least 15 minutes before the start of the call to visit Shuffle Master’s website and download/install any necessary audio/video software for the webcast. Immediately following the call and through July 8, 2011, a playback can be heard 24-hours a day by dialing (858) 384-5517 or toll-free (877) 870-5176; account number is 3055; conference I.D. number is 27059448.

SHUFFLE MASTER INC (SHFL) 10-Q

About Shuffle Master, Inc.

Shuffle Master, Inc. (NASDAQ Global Select Market: SHFL) is a gaming supply company specializing in providing its casino customers with improved profitability, productivity and security, as well as popular and cutting-edge gaming entertainment content, through value-add products in four distinct categories: Utility products, which include automatic card shuffler, roulette chip sorters and intelligent table system modules; Proprietary Table Games, which includes live games, side bets and progressives; Electronic Table Systems, which include various e-Table game platforms; and Electronic Gaming Machines, which include traditional video slot machines for select markets. The Company is included in the S&P Smallcap 600 Index. Information about the Company and its products can be found on the Internet at www.shufflemaster.com, or on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

“And we look forward to running more tournaments of this size in the future.”

Since receiving approval, the new software has already debuted at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino, and was instrumental in running the site’s first World Series of Poker tournament on twenty PokerPro tables in early May. The field began with 269 players and ended with the first place winner taking home over $25,000 in prizes, including a $10,000 WSOP buy-in.

“PokerTek’s new tournament software allows us to deliver to our poker players exactly what they have been asking for, big tournaments and a chance to play in the WSOP,” said Ron Hager, Table Games Director at Harrah’s Cherokee. “And we look forward to running more tournaments of this size in the future.”

“Seeing our new Tournaments Plus software run a World Series of Poker event on twenty PokerPro tables was exciting,” said Mark Roberson, CEO of PokerTek, Inc. “This new software changes the way multi-table poker tournaments are played, offering up-to-the-minute information, interactive player statistics and endless configuration options. The information players are used to seeing online is now available in a live environment.”

Upgrades will continue at other PokerPro customer sites in the coming weeks.

Key features of PokerPro Tournaments Plus+ include:

• A complete Multi-Table Tournament (MTT) solution, with tournament buy-ins, rebuys, and add-ons all collected and managed through the PokerPro system.
• Updated management tools that allow the operators to schedule MTT’s, register players, and collect buy-ins in advance.
• New management tools allow for large MTT’s to be run efficiently with minimal dedicated staff.
• Allows any combination of Alternates, Rebuys, and Add-Ons across multiple tables.
• Dynamic tiered payout structures, with prizes paid directly to player accounts.
• A new community Tournament Leader Board displays player rankings and chip stacks, an active tournament clock, blind levels, and tournament statistics.
• New player screens display up to the minute tournament statistics, personal hand statistics, and a complete leader board.
• MTT specific reports give complete visibility into all tournament and player activity.

About PokerTek, Inc.

PokerTek, Inc. (NASDAQ:PTEK) is a licensed gaming company headquartered in Matthews, NC that develops and distributes electronic table game solutions for the gaming industry. The company’s products are installed worldwide, and include PokerPro and Blackjack Pro. For more information, visit: www.PokerTek.com.

Allen had Maria’s 15 big blinds covered 8 to 1 when Heads-up play began, and although she played her heart out, the cards favored Allen. It finally came down to Maria’s A♠4♠ vs. Allen’s 8♥8♠. The board ran dry and Maria was eliminated in 2nd place. While not quite the coveted bracelet, the $540,020 payout she received represents the second-highest cash figure ever won by a female player in WSOP history. Translation, the 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event Last Woman Standing can now add the highest WSOP cash ever won by a female player on this side of the pond to her brag list. Only Annette Obrestad, the WSOP Europe Main Event champion (2007), has had a bigger payout.

Peter M. Carlino, Chief Executive Officer of Penn National commented:

“The acquisition of M Resort is another compelling opportunity to deliver growth and returns to our shareholders by diversifying our asset base through prudent deployment of our exceptional balance sheet and adhering to our focus on operating discipline. Through this transaction, M Resort has emerged as a financially sound, debt free, upscale locals and destination-oriented casino resort with extensive high-quality amenities. Located ten miles south of the Las Vegas Strip with access to I-15, M Resort is a premiere locals-oriented facility as well as a great property to be marketed to Southern California customers as well as to meeting and convention groups. In addition, M Resort is an attractive asset that we plan to continue marketing to our database of over 12 million regional gaming customers by offering them a world-class Las Vegas gaming experience. Since sending M Resort hotel offers to some of our highest value players earlier this year, the facility has booked over 1,300 incremental room nights which increased occupancy by almost 4 percent and contributed to first quarter property revenue of $39.8 million and EBITDA of $6.2 million.”

Opened in March 2009, the M Resort Spa Casino is situated on over 90 acres at the southeast corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and St. Rose Parkway. The resort features over 92,000 square feet of gaming space including 1,900 slot machines, 64 table games, 14 poker tables and a race and sports book. M Resort also offers 390 guest rooms and suites, nine restaurants, five destination bars, more than 60,000 square feet of meeting and conference space, a 4,700 space parking facility, a state-of-the-art spa and fitness center and a 100,000 square foot events piazza. M Resort’s master plan includes the potential to develop up to one million square feet of retail space and a multi-screen digital movie entertainment complex. In the twelve month period ended March 31, 2011, M Resort recorded revenue of $159.0 million and EBITDA (earnings before interest taxes, depreciation and amortization) of $16.7 million.

Mr. Carlino added:

“M Resort is a unique, differentiated property and we expect to continue improving its operating results even with a slow rebound of the local Las Vegas economy. Over time, we expect M Resort and the local economy to benefit from the core attributes that contributed to the growth of Las Vegas into one of the world’s pre-eminent entertainment destinations, including its favorable climate and low taxes. We are also confident that our operating discipline, rationalized approach to marketing and growing database of regional gaming customers, many of whom already visit Las Vegas, can further improve the property’s financial performance. We are actively working with Anthony Marnell and his team to develop other plans to drive profitable revenue at the property while maintaining the excellent customer experience and strong brand established by Anthony and his team since the facility opened in 2009.”

Anthony Marnell commented:

“The staff and management of M Resort are delighted to be joining forces with Penn National as they share our commitment to delivering exceptional guest service throughout their broad portfolio of regional gaming facilities. Penn National has brought financial stability to the facility and we look forward to welcoming Penn National customers from other markets and providing them with a first class Las Vegas experience while continuing to serve our loyal base of local customers.”

About Penn National Gaming

Penn National Gaming owns, operates or has ownership interests in gaming and racing facilities with a focus on slot machine entertainment. The Company presently operates twenty-six facilities in eighteen jurisdictions, including Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, West Virginia, and Ontario. In aggregate, Penn National’s operated facilities feature approximately 29,000 gaming machines, 560 table games, 2,400 hotel rooms and 1.1 million square feet of gaming floor space.

The prize package includes a balcony cabin for two (port fees, taxes, and gratuities included); complimentary tickets to the “WPTAPL™ Members Party” with hors d’oeuvres and drinks provided; one entry to a $500 free-roll tournament; $1,000 spending cash; a “4 of a Kind” poker package featuring four daily raffle tickets for a chance at poker items; a “single table preparation” session with Nick Brancato from WPT Boot Camp; a WPT Boot Camp raffle ticket for a chance to win a private session with a pro; and a 2011 WPTAPL cruise t-shirt.

The WPTAPL Cruise features include cash poker games with dealers, poker tournaments with buy-ins starting at $30, $500 free-roll tournaments for all group participants and a main event tournament featuring a $220 buy-in. The cruise departs from Miami, FL on the Carnival “Valor” and meals are included.

To enter for a chance to win, players of WPT^® Texas Hold ‘Em Poker on Facebook may purchase any poker chip package* during the promotion period, which runs from May 23rd – June 6th.

“We continue to provide our players with great opportunities to advance their poker skills in a fun, unique environment and are committed to delivering the best prizes around,” said David McCaman, VP of Marketing for Hands-On Entertainment. “Partnering with the WPT Amateur Poker League allows fans of the WPT Texas Hold ‘Em Poker game on Facebook to turn their online play into an unforgettable live-event experience.”

Details, rules and eligibility information on how to participate for a chance to win the WPT Exotic Caribbean Poker Cruise sweepstakes are available on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/playwpt, or follow WPT^® Texas Hold ‘Em Poker on Twitter @PlayWPT.

Live at the Bike continues to mix it up with another special episode at a special time.

On Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 7:30 p.m., the 2007 World Series of Poker Last Woman Standing Maria Ho will play host to her friends in her own special Live at the Bike No Limit Hold’em 1/3 cash game on liveatthebike.com. This may be your last opportunity to watch these rising stars in action before they migrate to Vegas for the 2011 World Series of Poker. Maria will be joined at the table by seven of her dear friends, including her bestie: Tiffany Michelle.

The first and only live cash  game captured specifically for the web, Live at the Bike is webcast direct from the world famous Bicycle Casino. Beginning in early 2005, The Bicycle Casino has captured more than 400 episodes of pure cash action…from mid limits to high stakes. With this special episode, Live at the Bike continues the tradition of bring its viewers what they want to watch.

	MARIA HO (Professional Poker Player) Famously known for being the Last Woman Standing at the 2007 World Series of Poker Championship Event, her extensive resume of live and online results include nine WSOP cashes, three WPT cashes and in just the last year, she has made four final tables in major $10k events. Outside of tournaments she is one of few females to play high stakes cash games. She is currently ranked as one of Poker’s Top 10 Female Money Earners of All Time (under the age of 30). She has also been seen on: The Amazing Race, American Idol, Anderson Cooper 360, The World Series of Mahjong and as a commentator and on-camera host for WSOP.com and ESPN 360.
	SHAUN SIPOS (Actor) Is a Canadian born actor, best known for playing David Breck on the 2009 hit TV show remake, Melrose Place. He has also been seen on Shark, Life Unexpected, Complete Savages, Final Destination 2, and CSI: Miami. When he’s not working on a show he races cars and spends time back home in Vancouver.
	JENNIFER COX (Actress) Famously known for her role as Jan in The Brady Bunch Movies. She has also been seen on film and television shows such as The Back-Up Plan, Reno 911, Pushing Daisies, and Will & Grace. She is a huge poker enthusiast and when she’s not on set she can most definitely be found at a poker table.
	NICK GONZALEZ (Actor) Is an actor seen on numerous TV shows and films like Melrose Place, The OC, Spun, True Blood and most recently starring in ABC’s Off the Map. He has been playing poker for several years and is widely known throughout the poker community. He frequents Hollywood house games, charity tournaments and was seen at the final table of the 2009 WPT Celebrity Invitational where he took 2nd Place.
	TOM MARCHESE (Professional Poker Player) Earned the title of 2010 CardPlayer Player of the Year after a breakout year where he made 10 final tables, including a 1st place victory at the NAPT Las Vegas. He is just coming off a final table finish at the WPT Hollywood Poker Open this past month. Tom has over 2.4million in career earnings.
	TIFFANY MICHELLE (Actress/Professional Poker Player) Is an actress who fell into playing poker. Her 17th place finish out of 6,844 players at the 2008 World Series of Poker broke records for the largest field conquered by a female in live poker tournament history. She was named one of Poker’s Top 10 Most Fascinating People of 2008 and in 2010 was included in Maxim’s Top 20 Hottest Celebrity Poker Players. She has also been seen on: ER, Nip/Tuck, The Amazing Race, LA Ink and The World Series of Blackjack.
	REID YOUNG (Professional Poker Player) Is a successful online cash game player as well as a poker coach and poker author at CardPlayer. Has a major in Philosophy and is the founder of Transform Poker.

Several years have since past and the FIDPA almost drifted from memory. However, earlier this week Luske and Lau announced the launch of their new FIDPA website, www.fidpa.com and the publication of  The International Poker Rules (The IP Rules).

FIDPA was founded by professional poker players, Marcel Luske and Michelle Lau, who continue to promote and implement the IP Rules. The IP Rules are a standardized set of technical rules, policies and procedures for tournament play, which incorporate and reference the latest version of the Poker Tournament Directors Association (TDA) rules.

Michelle Lau

“In wake of the recent Black Friday developments in the United States, concerning the ban of online poker, we felt that it was critical to launch the FIDPA website at this time. We believe that poker players and the industry will be well served by a standardized set of written rules. The IP Rules will help bridge the gap, as players make the transition from online to live tournaments, here in the US and when travelling around the world.” ~ Michelle Lau.

The IP Rules consist of 81 technical rules, policies and procedures, in a user friendly format. FIDPA states that The IP Rules are modifiable, seamlessly integrated and intended to provide poker players and the poker industry with a base set of rules. FIDPA assures that subscribers to the new website will be able to view and search FIDPA endorsed card rooms and partners, as well as their modifications to the IP Rules. The FIDPA website promises to provide registered subscribers with official updates to The IP Rules and will be offered the rules in French, Dutch, German, Spanish and many other languages. Card rooms, tournament organizations and service providers can apply online for an endorsement from FIDPA on the new website.

Marcel Luske

“The new FIDPA website and The IP Rules will ultimately have a worldwide impact on the poker world. Poker has become an international sport and it’s time that the industry comes together to operate like it. It is ridiculous that all around the world, we play poker by an unwritten set of rules, not knowing what to expect. Our goal from the beginning was not to dictate how a Tournament Director or card room operates, but rather create a set of player friendly rules and to point out those in the industry that are willing to run fair and friendly poker. As poker players, we need to ask the industry to disclose what those rules are and we need to have a base set of rules so we can easily take notice of their changes. We believe the new site provides the best way for players learn the rules and to help the game of poker to continue to grow.” ~ Marcel Luske

FiDPA International Poker Rules

There are two sides to every coin. In response to my prior article: “New Coaching Site? or Another PTN Ponzi Pyramid!,” Chris Levick (PokerDomeAA) offered the following dialog on Twitter:

Moreover, any inference that Mr. Levick’s website was unavailable for insidious reasons would appear to be unfounded. As promised by Mr. Levick, his website (www.chrislevick.com) is back up and running again, with all of the original content that I found in the cache.

Accordingly, below are the original blog posts about the Poker Player Academy in Mr. Levick’s own words, including one that I previously missed.

Time For Vegas – Work & Wynn Classic

Vegas is calling and this time I am listening! On Monday I depart Australia’s shores to commence the real work for Poker Player Academy. As many know, we are locating our offices in Las Vegas Nevada so we can be right in the middle of all the action. Poker Player Academy is in the process of [...]

Poker Player Academy Update

Hello Everyone, I was wanting to give you an update on the most exciting opportunity to hit the poker scene in years. It’s called Poker Player Academy. As most of you may already know, last week I signed on as CEO to Poker Player Academy. Since my signing on as CEO, there have been a number of exciting [...]

Historic Deal

An historic deal was concluded this week when I travelled to Thailand. Poker Player Academy LLC is about to be launched, it wont just be another poker training site like all the rest. This business will be using cutting edge web based training methods never before seen. This technology has been described by senior educators [...]

Hopefully this information will help you decide whether or not The Poker Player Academy is a campaign that you should embrace. (I offer this advice to The Poker Player Academy: invest a few moments of your time and add a publicly available “About Us” page to your website so that the general populous can glean some idea about who you are and what you hope to accomplish.)

A friend of mine sent me a text message the other day, asking me if I was excited about the launch of The Poker Player Academy. I had zero idea what she was talking about but found @PPAcademy following me on Twitter and a Facebook Poker Player Academy fan page with over 78 “Likes.” How the heck did these guys sneak under my radar?

The first thing that struck me was Bruce Buffer’s screaming mugshot! After I got past that, I was able to read:

“Poker Player Academy is proud to announce our commencing line up for the upcoming launch. Antonio Esfandiari, Scotty Nguyen, Kathy Liebert and Blair Rodman. Our official ambassador is the veteran voice of mixed martial arts and accomplished poker player in his own right Mr Bruce Buffer.” ~ Poker Player Academy

Wow! Sounds pretty exciting. Unfortunately, for all the effort exerted by PPA into posting rousing status updates that boast about an impending launch, I could not readily find basic information about who they are and what the heck they are so excited about launching. Over and over my inquires were redirect to a single-page website that is nothing short of a mailing list sign-up form.

Needless to say, I am not easily discouraged. When I want to know something, there is no place safe to hide. Sorry, Mr. Levick but you may delete your website, but I can always retrieve the cache.

Long story short, if you had put those harassing Facebook messages and Spammer tweets from the Poker Training Network behind you, believing that the concept of selling poker training software in a multi-level marketing scheme was such an obvious hustle that nobody would ever try that again…

Poker Player Academy provides the opportunity to earn money via helping people to learn from a pro and by referring people into the business. We provide you with the most advanced viral marketing system ever built that virtually does all the work. ~ Chris Levick

My work here is done. Well, almost. Here is the PPA recruiting video: Intro to Poker Player Academy. And a few more tasty morsels of food for thought:

• Antonio Esfandiari and the gang at Poker Player Academy have some fun during the recent taping of the pre-launch videos. How much would it take to get Dave to shave his head?
• More fun with the gang at Poker Player Academy. This time Antonio wants to know how much it would take for Dave to lose his wedding ring and not tell his wife it was for a bet. Take a look at how it plays out……………..

Now it’s up to you to be the judge.