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Posts Tagged ‘online-poker’

March 3, 2010

Heads-Up Team Breakdown

We’ll be seeing the brackets for the National Heads-Up Poker Championship soon (drawing party is tomorrow) … and with some help from KevMath, I put together a list of who’s going to be represented at the mini-tables in this made-for-TV event. The list isn’t complete — feel free to let me know if we missed any representatives that are already settled and we’ll update accordingly — but it does give an interesting snapshot of where things stand in the competitive online poker landscape-dot-net circa early 2010.

Totals:

Full Tilt – 21
PokerStars – 15
UB – 4
Victory Poker – 2
PartyPoker – 2
Doyle’s Room – 1
Bodog – 1
Betfair – 1
Expect – 1
bet365 – 1
Cake (Unabomber Poker) -1
Non-Poker (GoDaddy) -1
Unknown / Undecided / For Sale – 8

Should be interesting to see how at least a few of these unknowns end up. (Darvin Moon, for example, and Jamie Gold.) Click below for a breakdown by player …

More…

Posted by DanM at 8:31 pm

February 25, 2010

The Federalist PPAers

Taking DC’s cause to the states

The PPA was in Massachusetts this week, testifying before a joint committee on behalf of H4069, which would classify poker as a game of skill — apparently important as that state considers a variety of casino-related legislation.

Go Massachusetts Skillaments, but elsewhere, far more is at stake for states that could care less about the nuances of what is and is not technically gambling amongst avowed gamblers. Thus, PPA Executive Director John Pappas has been crisscrossing the country addressing states considering intrastate online poker, trying to persuade them not to muddy the online semi-gambling waters with legislation that comes to the table inherently flawed, legally and from a competitive market standpoint.

Pappas was in Florida last week, addressing a Senate committee on regulated industries. Florida, as we know, has been working on more and more legal poker for the past five or six years with much success, so why not extend that to the internet? Well, Pappas explains, because problems needing fixin’ at the federal level first. Without it, anything any one state creates, he says, automatically will exist in a a legal gray area that could be challenged in a variety of federal ways. And because of this gray area, and the way poker works, regulated “state monopoly” sites will struggle to compete against the unregulated likes of Full Tilt and PokerStars. (He doesn’t mention those sites by name, but players know that’s who he’s talking about.)

It’s an important argument to begin honing, because right now we have California and Florida moving aggressively in the intrastate direction — supposedly with Iowa and Wyoming about to jump on the bandwagon. Legislation can be a rather cut-and-paste enterprise these days, so if those four states go, then it’s only a matter of time before some 40+ others follow suit, which could undermine, or at least complicate, years of work on by poker’s favorite grassroots advocacy group.

Have a listen. In addition to bringing the California arguments to Florida, for the first time we hear the PPA start to lay out some of the details on how internet poker taxation would work under either the Frank or Menendez bills — with provisions included for individual states to receive their revenue share from the federal regulatory system. We also learn of a new organization — the Poker Voters of America — that has effectively brought the idea of intrastate online poker to the Florida legislature. On its surface, the PVA doesn’t look too different from the PPA. But strategically, they’re fighting the UIGEA in a much different way. Well-meaning but misguided is the gist; can we have your donor list?

More…

Posted by DanM at 5:45 am

February 23, 2010

Canadian Lottery Group to Open Regional Online Poker Room

The Atlantic Lottery Corporation, aka Loto Atlantique, plans to get into the poker business — bringing a new regional dynamic into play as it opens new online poker tables to citizens of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Labrador and Prince Edward Islands.

They already offer online lottery tickets, online bingo, sports betting, competitive crossword puzzles (for money), and online mini-golf. While we may want to balk at newcomers trying to get in on the international action with their own localized version of it, ALC could be an interesting group to watch. They’ve already got mobile platforms in play, partnerships with brick and mortar casinos, and have some quite different sorts of marketing ideas to the table. For example, currently spreading the viral word of ALC’s games is a money contest catering to those with social media prowess to get your dog featured on a lottery ticket.

Why do I think that no matter what does or doesn’t pass legislatively around the world in the next few years that online poker will look very different in the not-too-distant future? Kinda shocked that we haven’t yet seen the Spuds McKenzie of Poker.

RELATED: This comes in the wake of Quebec planning on its own provincial online poker set-up — an attempt to “cannibalize illegal gambling sites” — before (temporarily?) pulling the plug just last week at the frantic request of health officials fearing major addiction problems for certain Canadian hosers.

Posted by DanM at 9:30 am

February 9, 2010

Hour of Power

The Poker Beat

The award-winning cast of The Poker Beat breaks down last week who did and did not make the cut of the Bluff Power 20, and we analyze the launch of Victory Poker. Is there space (six years after Chris Moneymaker) for a new online poker site in the sector — one that does not include Full Tilt pros, PokerStars-size tournament fields, and AP/UB’s Kahnawake-ness?

The Poker Beat
2/05/10

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Posted by DanM at 5:59 am

February 3, 2010

Isildur Playing at Betfair (as Omlphalotus)?

Though Isildur1 player names have popped up on the microstakes tables at PokerStars, Absolute, and PartyPoker … there’s one new player over at Betfair — Omlphalotus — that looks possibly to be the real Isildur attempting to work on his game / shore up his bankroll.

From our friends at the Betfair blog:

Firstly, the player in question is Swedish – the same nationality as Isildur1 – and is certainly playing the type of nosebleeds stakes expected from the most talked about online player for years.. A railbird told me he was seen recently with just under 400k at the tables waiting for action at some 250/500 and 100/200 NL HU tables.

[...]

Other factors that have stoked this rumour include railbirds noticing Omlphalotus playing a similar style to Isildur1 as well as enjoying long sessions multi-tabling.

More details here from a site with an arguably less-compromised interest in pimping high-stakes games on Betfair.

Also: a $27k Omlphalotus suckout.

NOTE: Omphalotus (without the extra 1/l) is a funky-looking but poisonous mushroom.

Posted by DanM at 5:40 am

January 24, 2010

RE: Sega Poker Room

Bill Rini has some screenshots (that America-based interneters can’t see.) And some good analysis of what this means for the online poker landscape in coming years.

Posted by DanM at 7:31 am

January 21, 2010

SEGA Poker Room Launches

Sonic the Hedge-bettor.

More new players trying to get in on the online poker game … SEGA, the what-happened-to-them video gaming pioneer just opened its interactive online gaming/gambling sites … SegaCasino and SegaPoker … with more TK in 2010 they say.

At least we think the sites are live. With players from the US and Japan forbidden to play, I get a 403-Forbidden error when trying to access SegaPoker.com.

Posted by DanM at 6:00 am

January 13, 2010

California Indians Hold Online Poker Summit

Would it be racist to call the conference a pow-wow?

The California Nations Indian Gaming Association’s 15th Annual Western Indian Gaming Conference got underway yesterday, in Palm Springs … and one hot topic of discussion seems to be dominating all others: Internet poker.

As is always the case in regulatory debates, it’s about who gets what cut. And the California Indians are split over what their involvement in it all should be, if any.

From the Palm Springs Desert Sun:

Jacob Appelsmith, bureau chief of the California Department of Justice Bureau of Gambling Control, called the Internet poker initiative that could resurface in 2010 a complex, difficult issue for tribes.

It goes to the heart of tribal sovereignty, Appelsmith said. Tribal involvement in intrastate poker legislation with California card rooms also holds potential to jeopardize the exclusivity rights that tribes have to conduct gaming, he said.

The initiative already has polarized tribes, among them the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, which has not wavered in its objection to intrastate online poker with tribes and California card rooms.

And how ’bout this kicker:

Daniel Tucker, chairman of the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation and newly elected chair of CNIGA, the nonprofit association comprised of federally recognized tribal governments, told tribal leaders in a letter last week that the drive by members of Congress to legalize Internet gaming nationwide represents the greatest threat to Indian gaming in the past 20 years.

Reminds me of Texas vs. Oklahoma legal battles … and the Californindians are still deciding which side to fight for.

Posted by DanM at 3:28 pm

December 23, 2009

Hitler Playing (Online) Poker

This video overwrite is almost two years old … but new to me, and kinda funny to post Hitler stuff around Christmas considering the issues emerging related to an online site’s control of a player’s funds:

(And this came out even before the maker of it could know that Joan Rivers accuse Annie Duke of being Hitler1.)

Also makes you wonder … surely there is at least one world leader out there, good or bad, who has an online poker account (or three). Brings us one step closer to the day where international trade disputes and military conflicts can be replaced by heads-up sit-n-gos …

Posted by DanM at 12:27 pm

December 14, 2009

Montel Williams Sued over Team Poker Venture

Man, 2009 sure has been a year full of lawsuits, no? People seem to need money these, and I suppose they gotta find it somewhere … and that may or may not alter their perception of who really owes what to whom. Beyond the frivolous, sometimes the big guy screwed the little guy, other times the little-guy with big-money poker dreams (but little experience in poker) defrauded backers and/or customers, and other times plans just didn’t work, and the parties can’t seem to agree on what they agreed on.

In this situation, Guardian Gaming is suing Montel Williams and the International Team Poker League in federal court over a $300k apparently investment gone awry.

The plan called for a team tournament concept attached to live casino events and a (new) online poker site. I dunno … sounds to me a little like the Poker Bowl meets WorldPokerParty.com, maybe with a dash of Sports Legends Challenge?

Without looking too deeply into the Montel case, we can tell you:

More…

Posted by DanM at 7:45 am

December 10, 2009

Patrik Antonius on Isildur

Check it out … Phil Gordon (”dean” of the Full Tilt Academy) sits down with one of Isildur’s key opponents, Patrik Antonius, to discuss what’s really going on in these highest-stakes online games vs. the biggest mystery opponent of 2009/in history.

Part 1 is an 18-minute interview where they discuss the Isildur1 phenomenon, the advantages of playing anonymously, and other matters relevant to those risking six- and seven-figure sums against him.

Part 2 gives nearly 30 minutes of actual hand analysis where Antonius discusses what was going through his mind at the time.

Posted by DanM at 3:02 pm

December 8, 2009

Gambling U.

More kids and poker, man … it was gonna be an issue anyhow, and Joe Cada’s WSOP win maybe made it even more so. I got an email from a student at Rollins University who’s doing a paper for his English Composition class on something that has indeed become if not a hot topic, a warmer than usual one on college campuses across the U.S.

Below are the questions Tyler in Winter Park, FL, sent me. While #1 is probably the hardest to answer — and ahh, the memories brought back by #2 — I think it’s interesting to see where his thinking is coming from … how the internet is obviously part of the issue, but not nearly all of it … and in general, the starting perception that gambling is a “problem”.

Questions

1.What is your profession?
2. Did you gamble in college?
3.How do you feel college administrations should address this problem? Do we need more awareness or intervention programs on campus?
4.Do you think this is a serious/risky problem for college students today? Why? Does the internet play a major role?
5. Can you comment on these areas of my argument
-Gambling can lead to addiction (colleges already educate on alcohol and drug addiction)
-Gambling can lead to risky behavior (financial problems, crime etc)
-Gambling can negatively affect academic progress

Posted by DanM at 11:02 am

Special Poker After Dark This Week

High-stakes Durrr vs. Ivey + Everyone Else cash games

The Poker PROducers showing they can feed the poker die-hards:

This week, and next, Poker After Dark is forgoing its usual $20,000 short-handed sit-n-go (yawn) for a Full Tilty high-stakes cash game with a $100k min and $250k max buy-in. (No rebuys maybe? Not sure … ). The players: Tom Dwan, Patrik Antonius, Phil Ivey, and Gus Hansen + Daniel Negreanu (representing PokerStars) and Phil Hellmuth thrown in for good measure.

I’m guessing Mori Eskandani doesn’t know who Isildur1 is either?

While PAD generally makes solid stumble-upon viewing, it’s been a while since they’ve assembled such a unique game that should play as real what everyone’s been watching on their computer screens lately. Sounds like there should be a lot of interesting (big) hands … and you gotta wonder just how much at least four of these people really want to give up about their cash-game play under the watchful eye of the hole-card cam.

I also wonder: would they ever do a similar show with the game being Omaha? The biggest hands (in history) these days seem to be playing out mostly in PLO … but conventional poker wisdom says, supposedly, that non-Texas hold’em doesn’t play well on TV.

Posted by DanM at 2:07 am

November 23, 2009

A Little More Joe Cada on ESPN

Joe Cada is no longer a 21-year-old — he turned 22 last week … and spent the weekend on the sidelines of the Michigan-Ohio State game (Wolverines < Buckeyes) after this recent (to me) appearance on ESPN's First Take. He breaks down his backer deal (again) ... and also says, as might be expected from a young online pro, that he doesn't put much stock in physical tells. Gotta wonder though what Joe Navarro might say about his comfort level when discussing the age when he got his start.

More…

Posted by DanM at 7:59 am

Pollack Gets Sasquatched, Isildur Wreaking Havoc, Cada is King

The Poker Beat

On last week’s episode, we took a deeper look at Jeffrey Pollack’s split with the WSOP, discussed what Joe Cada may or may not mean for poker, speculated wildly on WhoTF this Isildur1 character is … and then they turned to the Wolfman for an update on all things UIGEA, where my take was pretty much: Dec. 1 … I dunno … your guess as good as mine! But could Isildur really be Darvin Moon?

The Poker Beat
Huff, Caldwell, Nemeth, Wise, Michalski, Stapleton
11/19/09

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Posted by DanM at 1:10 am

November 21, 2009

First $1,000,000 pot played online

Patrik Antonius and Isildur1 butted heads for some 500/1000 action Saturday night, eventually getting involved in a pot worth over $1.35m, the biggest hand in the history of online poker (for now). To see how it happened, check out the video below:


from Bluff.com — Hand Analysis Poker Forums

Posted by Kevin Mathers at 7:55 pm

November 20, 2009

Semi-legal Online Poker: the Regulation Paradox

Hmm, you know, it’s what been perplexing me, too … how some of the people who are pushing hardest for “our issue” are the people who stand to lose the most (in the short-term at least) should the Barney Frank or Robert Menendez bill(s) pass. The only explanation I can come up with is religious in nature … like sacrificing a cow.

But a drinky Steve Lipscomb and even drinkier online poker exec were offering up a bit more at G2E this week.

THE INSIDE STRAIGHT:
Officially, they want to be regulated, but …
Unofficially, large online poker sites have the best of both worlds

After his segment, Lipscomb found the executive at the bar — “three or four drinks ahead of me,” he said this week at the Global Gaming Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The executive had just finished an interview in which he said he wants his business to be regulated and taxed in the United States, instead of operating in a legal gray area. He had a different story for Lipscomb.

“He said, ‘Are you kidding me?’ ” Lipscomb said. “ ‘I don’t want to be regulated and taxed. That’s the most ridiculous thing in the world. I’m making money without being taxed, without being regulated.’ ”

The executive’s conflicting statements illustrate the fractured nature of online poker in the U.S., Lipscomb said.

Word I’m hearing, btw, is that we’re drawing dead to a 1-outer in a 47-card deck for any anti-UIGEA legislation passing in 2009 … though I am (supposedly) eagerly awaiting to hear “good news” on the UIGEA delay — a move being pushed through the executive branch, not the legislative — like today … which I have come to learn in political circles probably means like Tuesdayish or maybe never.

More…

Posted by DanM at 12:21 pm

November 13, 2009

Jeffrey Pollack Bids Farewell to the WSOP

Harrah’s Interactive says no plans to replace Commish

photo: BJ Nemeth

A shocker but not really … Jeffrey Pollack and Harrah’s are breaking up.

The WSOP Commissioner, President, and Twitterer in Chief’s last day with Harrah’s and the World Series is today.

“I’ve made the decision after four years of successfully leading the WSOP as a global sports and entertainment property,” he says. “[Today] is my last day. Friday the 13th.”

Pollack — who has never played a poker tournament — took over the reigns shortly after the 2005 WSOP, the first year Harrah’s ran the 35-year-old tournament series bought from Binion’s.

The list of accomplishments under his aegis include drawing more competitors from more countries (putting it on par with the Olympics in terms of numbers), supporting women in poker, helping Don Cheadle and Annie Duke build Ante Up for Africa into a Hollywood A-list charity event, and working closely with players (via the Players Advisory Council) to steadily improve what is undeniably the biggest and arguably the best annual festival of poker tournaments in the world. He credits his team for incorporating TV broadcasting (most recently securing a new long-term contract with ESPN), new media, sponsorship, licensing, and summer-time side events that have made the Rio a real home for the WSOP and part of sure-to-endure poker lore.

“I’ve achieved everything I set out to do and more,” Pollack says.

More…

Posted by DanM at 2:30 am

November 9, 2009

Moon vs. Cada, Amateur vs. Pro, Logger vs. Logger-inner

More semi-historical perspective

Though personally I don’t expect Darvin Moon to look anything like Sammy Farha en route to 2nd place … you gotta love the debate going on over who will, and who should win … let alone whose victory would be “better for poker”.

Super-young but true online pro vs. the “Ultimate Everyman” … you know, if everyman happened to cut trees for a living.

As you know by now, I’m probably as much a Cada fan as I am an Aston Villan (I’ve got Fake$100 invested in his winning) … but the hubbub going on right now reminds me a bit of funny-in-retrospect conversation as WSOP things got down to heads-up in 2003 …

From my first poker magazine piece in the first issue of (the recently resurrected) ALL IN:

On the last day of the 2003 WSOP main event, a handful of eliminated pros gathered around the final table to watch the action. Moneymaker — the Tennessee accountant who had never before played a live tournament — had amassed a sizable chip lead when Mike Matusow turned to fellow professional Eric Siedel and said, “I can’t believe another donkey is going to win the World Series of Poker.”

“You better hope he wins,” Seidel responded. “If Moneymaker can pull this off, it’s going to be worth at least $5 million to you and me over the next two years.”

“Are you crazy?” Matusow said, dismissively.

The only difference this go-round, of course, is that the world has already been introduced to online poker, and the Sammy Farha pro character is being played by a 21-year-old who stands to be the youngest WSOP main event champ in history (for the second year in a row).

Posted by DanM at 2:55 pm

Darvin Moon Pimping Wheeling Island Casino

It’s pretty safe to assume that Darvin Moon didn’t get the memo that complementary promotion of the NFL goes against the ways of the pay-for-play online sites. However, it is not clear if his donning of attire for his local card room came at a cost. Check it out … though I didn’t see this yesterday, he’s clearly getting some good logo placement for the Wheeling Island Casino in Wheeling, West Virginia:


click for more Darvin

We’ll see if we can’t find out what sorta deal is in place there if any, or if this is just a friendly gesture to the card room where he won his seat into the WSOP. Regardless though, it does make you wonder why sponsorships from the likes of The Venetian, Caesar’s, Bellagio, and other B&M card rooms have yet to come in play.

Beyond being the alligator on Darvin Moon’s Izod, here’s what we do know about the place, via the ThePokerAtlas:

Great Room
Wheeling Island
Wheeling, West Virginia
by fiftyouts

Even though this room has only 20 some tables it is very nice. Great staff and friendly folks. This is a “MUST PLAY” room if you’re in the area. The casino is upscale (you might think you’re in Vegas) with good action. This is the ‘Best Kept Secret’ of West Virginia !!!

photos: IMPD for WSOP.com

Posted by DanM at 1:07 pm

November 7, 2009

Meet the New President (of the WPT)

(He works for PartyGaming as of Monday)

I went to Bellagio yesterday for free danish a little poker suit ho-down to learn more about the PartyGaming-World Poker Tour merger/acquisition/absorption … and was thinking how this meeting that included outgoing WPT president Steve Lipscomb and incoming new boss Adam Pliska might be kinda like George W. Bush handing the keys to the White House over to Barack Obama — you know, peaceful transition of power, new regime, new direction … change … then I thought, nah, that comparison might not be fair, and might be stretching things a bit.

But then, upon meeting Pliska a few minutes later …

lipscomb pliska

Hmm … White House, WPT House, WPTE House … Party Politics … workshop … but still, there might be something there.

Click below to read the corporate bio of a guy who stands to be rather influential in shaping poker’s future. But first, here’s another pic (taken at the actual White House) of the new WPT president, who was in town to talk about plans for what he believes will be a major poker stimulus:

pliska white house


More…

Posted by DanM at 6:23 am

October 31, 2009

Pink-Ribbon Poker

Low-stakes Charity Tourney for Borgata Ladies Player

Nicole Rowe, fighting cancer and rallying poker players for a good cause with rebuys.

Pokerati loves charity poker and, of course, healthy breasts … which is why it’s our pleasure to contribute to the grab-bag of prizes for the upcoming Bad Beat on Cancer Poker Challenge, to be held Nov. 12 on PokerStars.

It’s a simple concept — a $10 tourney with rebuys where all the money minus shipping and handling goes to Bad Beat on Cancer … all on behalf of Nicole Rowe and her own fight against the disease. The donated prizes range from a lifetime subscription to DeucesCracked (the 2 Months 2 Million guys’ poker school) to all sorts of other coaching, boot camp, and lifestyle experiences (like drinking with Gavin Smith and Joe Sebok) to signed books to Skullcandy headphones to … for those oh-so-lucky 44th-49th place finishers … Pokerati T-shirts. The top 50 all get something, and that’s what should make this low-stakes fundraiser pretty fun.

Rowe, if you don’t remember, is the player who finished 2nd in a Borgata Ladies event in September, losing to Abraham Korotki, not a lady, who also turned down a chop offer when the two were heads-up and virtually even in chips. “You bastard!” screamed the poker masses, though Rowe herself insists she holds no animosity for her worthy, breastless opponent.

Rowe says she plays poker to escape from her daily battle with cancer, but is also using her winnings to help pay for uncovered expenses related to multiple surgeries and treatments.

Mark your calendars, and click here for a complete list of prizes and other tournament details.

Posted by DanM at 2:32 pm

October 16, 2009

Friday Night Video(s)

It’s an ad for just, um … online poker. New to me; I somehow missed it in 2005. In case you did, too, it’s an amusing reminder of how far we’ve come in nearly five years since not even Moneymaker, just Raymer:

Posted by DanM at 6:47 pm

October 7, 2009

RE: Bots on Trial

We’re not the only ones intrigued by the Kennedy vs. Full Tilt bot case.

Courthouse News Service took note. It’s like a Thrillist for lawyers … a subscription newsletter keeping attorneys abreast of “the most prolific and weighty litigation” in virtually all the courts in the USA (and Canada, Puerto Rico, and Guam).

And the Financial Times (the Wall Street Journal of the UK, you know, where all those European online sites that don’t accept American players reside) sees it as a bit more of a federal case:

Full Tilt accused of flouting US internet gambling rules

Posted by DanM at 1:14 am

October 4, 2009

RE: Yet Another Full Tilt Lawsuit (Bots on Trial)

Case summary

Here’s the actual Kennedy vs. FTP lawsuit, 19 pages, filed by Cyrus Sanai, a lawyer out of Beverly Hills.

And here’s the 2+2 thread from 2007 when the key plaintiff — Lary Kennedy (aka “pokergirl_z” on Full Tilt) — first spelled out her beefs that led to this lawsuit … mostly stemming from a series of heads-up matches against a Full Tilt player known as “TheComplainer”.

Kennedy is the real plaintiff. Greg Omoroy is just a guy who owned another account she used (which is a whole-nother issue altogether). And though they aren’t formally seeking class-action status, they do seem to be laying the groundwork for such a possibility — an aggressive legal play for sure.

Essentially, the allegations are that Full Tilt — with unfettered ability to label a player a bot, confiscate her money, and smear her name by calling her a bot — constitutes organized crime … being perpetuated by Californians against Californians, in violation of all sorts of California business and gaming laws.

They also say that “Playing Against the Pros” is tantamount to gambling against the “house” … there’s an added boogeyman with allegations that Full Tilt is running its own bots on the site … and a new-to-me company gets discussed, too: Verta Enterprises, out of St. Kitts.

On the surface, that seems less shakedown/extortion-y than other California lawsuits against Full Tilt. But the class-action possibilities suggest this suit is really looking for penalties in the hundreds of millions or more — you know, the kind of money the Feds have been collecting from longtime online gambling purveyors looking to get on the USA clean list.

If it turns out pokergirl_z was not a bot — and she claims to have video proof — it could be quite the expensive security goof.

Click below for further breakdown of the suit:

More…

Posted by DanM at 6:24 pm

October 1, 2009

Yet Another Full Tilt Lawsuit: Not Bots, Plaintiffs Say

Two players in California have sued presumable principals of Full Tilt Poker in LA Superior Court. Lary Kennedy (aka Poker Girl) and Greg Omotoy (a Vegas-reared LA nightclub manager) claim that Full Tilt confiscated $80,000 from their accounts, believing they were bots.

We haven’t seen the legal docs yet, but named in the lawsuit: Chris Ferguson, Mike Matusow, Howard Lederer, and Phil Ivey (a November Niner).

From TMZ.com:

Poker Legends Sued for Robot Fraud

For all the obvious attempted shakedowns and plausibly legit payment beefs, this one (not sure how much they are seeking in damages) could be downright fascinating — on its surface at least — because it cuts to some key issues that are super-relevant to the past, present, and future of online poker … where the decisions any court renders (assuming there’s at least a smidgen of factual basis for the claim) affect not just the plaintiffs and defendants, but 10s of thousands if not millions of players.

More…

Posted by DanM at 10:47 pm

September 30, 2009

RE: Pitbull Poker Shuts Down, Owner(s) Arrested in Costa Rica

According to this Bluff Latino America piece, there were some arrests made when the night shift employees grew suspicious and asked the police to stop it.

According to, now former employees of Pitbull Gaming, the owners decided to tell the night shift that they were going to make maintenance to the building. The night shift crew were suspicious about this and decided to stay to see what was really going to happen. The employees saw how a truck started gathering all the office equipment. This is the moment when employees went to the police and explained the situation and went back with the police in order to stop the process. Apparently, there are some arrests and right now the employees are in court explaining the situation to the authorities, to explain them that he is in a “flight risk” situation and should not let the owners out of Costa Rica.

Posted by California Jen at 9:07 am

September 28, 2009

PokerStars Sets New High Water Mark for Online Poker

This just in over the transom …

POKERSTARS SMASHES GUINNESS WORLD RECORD
WITH OVER 300K PLAYERS ONLINE SIMULTANEOUSLY

PokerStars.com breaks ‘Most Players at an Internet Poker Room’ Guinness World Record

ISLE OF MAN, UK, SEPTEMBER 28, 2009 – PokerStars.com, the world’s largest poker site, has shattered its own world record for hosting ‘THE MOST PLAYERS AT AN INTERNET POKER ROOM’ – an achievement that’s been certified by the Guinness Book of World Records. On Sunday September 6, 2009, PokerStars.com recorded 307,016 players at 42,814 tables playing online poker simultaneously – smashing the old record by over 100,000 players.

This new record comes less than two months after PokerStars.com destroyed another of its own Guinness World Records; the ‘Largest Online Poker Tournament’, officially certified by the Guinness Book of World Records. The largest online poker tournament was held on Sunday July 19, 2009, when a total of 65,000 players from 155 countries came together to play in the same tournament.

Damn, that’s a lot of poker. Can anyone figure out the rake on that? If we were to go really conservative on the estimate, say $40/hr per table (because not all can rake as much as others, right?), you’re talking $1.6 million in the peak hour alone. Fugk, let’s just take about 30 percent of that — $500k/hr and say for only 20 hours a day … that would be $10 million a day. My numbers can’t even be close to right, but whatever the real figures are, you gotta wonder how much PokerStars is putting aside for the U.S. government, should the country ever decide to make let them pay up for the right to have these monies heavily taxed.

(I’m suddenly believing the $62 billion figure the DC politicos are using to press for online gambling regulation.)

Posted by DanM at 11:17 am

September 23, 2009

Phil Hellmuth Fires First Shot at Harrah’s

Threatens WSOP secession

“Mark my words,” he says.

Phil Hellmuth — fresh off the announcement of his coaching relationship with Harrah’s-hater Jeff Shulman and apparently still on tilt about having to pay for his own room at the WSOP this summer — appeared on the Hardcore Poker Show today (on the internet and Sirius 98) to reveal a Glenn-Beckish unease amongst some big-time pros about the WSOP’s intent to launch its own online poker site … and hints that Full Tilt, PokerStars, and Ultimate Bet might be talking about colluding cooperating to start their own WSOP alternative … a move he suggests could make the WSOP “worth nothing”.

Phil Hellmuth on Hardcore Sports Radio – excerpts
Sep 23 2009

“There’s a huge battle brewing …”

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Find the whole interview here.

In addition to the warning, Hellmuth calls out Harrah’s for “not giving any of [money] back to the players” and takes a pop at Jeffrey Pollack for not reassuring him that everything is gonna to be alright; but it seems, without naming names, that his fear and vitriol is really directed at Mitch Garber — FTP, Stars, and UB’s old rival at PartyPoker, who’s never really played nice with any of them before.

My question: How did UB outplay Doyle’s Room for third position in the unofficial alliance of American-friendly online poker rooms?

Posted by DanM at 9:00 pm

September 22, 2009

Senator Proposes Online Gambling Regulation
to Offset Health Care Costs

Could Frank bill become Baucus bill amendment?

The idea of using online gaming tax revenues to help fund elements of health care reform became part of the Congressional conversation this weekend. On Saturday, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) introduced a possible amendment to the Baucus bill (America’s Healthy Future Act of 2009) that would rely on the passage of Rep. Barney Frank’s HR 2267 to set up a regulatory structure that would provide health care revenue.

According to the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative, the tens of billions of dollars collected by the U.S. government from online gaming could offset health care costs going forward:

An increased focus on the benefits of Internet gambling regulation are expected as the Senate Finance Committee considers a proposal introduced on Saturday to use Internet gambling revenue to offset the costs of health care reform. The amendment offered by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) would dedicate Internet gambling tax revenue generated through implementation of the currently pending Internet Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act (H.R. 2267) to increase low-income subsidies provided through the America’s Healthy Future Act of 2009. A PricewaterhouseCoopers analysis shows that collecting taxes on regulated Internet gambling would allow the U.S. to capture up to $62.7 billion over the next decade.

Wyden is a chairman of the Senate Finance subcommittee on International Trade, Customs and Global Competitiveness.

Posted by California Jen at 9:25 pm

September 16, 2009

Advice to Congresswomen Opposing Online Poker Bills: Man Up?

Nolan Dalla’s latest article on Poker News Daily has a point. Much of the focus is on the men who helped pass the UIGEA, giving little attention to the powerful women in Congress who now oppose our attempts to pass reasonable online poker regulation bills. No argument on that, but when he cites the female members of Congress who stand in the way of positive change, he lists:

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA)
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA)
Gov. Christine Gregoire (D-WA)

Ummm, the last person is a governor! While she certainly screwed up online poker in Washington in a major way, she has little to do with the passage, or lack thereof, of federal legislation. Methinks Mr. Dalla got a little carried away with women who are “bad for poker.”

His advice to the PPA and the voting public is well-taken, though. The PPA should consider refocusing its media attempts at constituents who can make a difference, whether by votes or campaign donations. His closing remarks after the break:

More…

Posted by California Jen at 8:07 pm

More Payment Processor Seizures in Maryland

The Feds have made another grab at money in US banks that at some point passed through online gambling and/or poker sites — seizing three more accounts held by payment processors with claims that the undisclosed sums in them are “forfeitable”.

This time it was the Maryland district going after accounts in California belonging to HMD, Inc.

In late July, Maryland-based federal authorities seized six other bank accounts from Electracash, Inc., also a payment processor alleged to be involved in laundering “proceeds of an illegal gambling business”.

Click here for a little more detail in the Baltimore City Paper, along with the latest seizure warrants.

In all these cases, the US District Court in Maryland has kept investigators’ affidavits calling for the warrants under seal. The New York Southern District handled their June payment processor seizures the same way, until the folks behind Gambling911 filed a motion that forced the courts to unseal them (with redactions).

A year ago, Maryland authorities charged (but did not arrest) two men — Edward Courdy and Michael Garone — with money laundering connected to $24 million seized from various bank accounts during an ongoing investigation of Bodog. The charges against Garone and Courdy stem from two specific transactions they allegedly facilitated — one from Germany to Georgia (for $1.5 million), the other from Dublin to Nevada (for $2.4 million).

G911 claims the most recent payment processor seizures involve online gambling and operations other than Bodog.

Posted by DanM at 9:12 am

September 11, 2009

KGC Spokesperson Says List of Hamilton Co-Conspirators Will Not Be Released/Leaked

As soon as the Kahnawake Gaming Commission released its final decision in the UltimateBet cheating scandal, the questions started hitting. Most of them concerned the secrecy around the list of 31 names said to be associated with Russ Hamilton. A discussion with Chuck Barnett, member of the Board of Supervisors of Mohawk Internet Technologies, provided his reasons for not releasing that list of names.

Mr. Barnett first told me that implicating Hamilton in the scandal was not a problem, as it was “very clear” that he was directly connected and responsible for the crimes being alleged. The names of the 31 individuals associated were another story, he says. The Commission had lengthy discussions regarding the release of those names and ultimately consulted their legal team and law enforcement officials.

On the legal front, they deemed it a civil liability issue, as the suspects are directly linked to Hamilton or the 117 accounts listed BUT there is the possibility that they had no knowledge of the scheme. If they were accused and found to be completely oblivious to or innocent of the crimes, there would be liability in falsely accusing them. There is also some question as to each person’s level of culpability, which can’t be known until they are questioned by the proper authorities. And per law enforcement, naming the individuals would impede a criminal investigation, as anyone named may be able to flee the country, hide, etc. With all things considered, the KGC made the decision to withhold the names.

When asked about the law enforcement agencies involved, Mr. Barnett wouldn’t say much. Legally, all he said he could say was all information from the KGC investigation was turned over to “law enforcement,” which had expressed a distinct interest in pursuing the case. He could not say, however, whether those were Canadian or U.S. authorities, only that there were discussions with “regional and national” agencies.

If/when indictments are handed down or prosecutions are made, or if some other permission is given by law enforcement, the KGC will make public the names – and be happy to do it. Until then, based on overwhelming advice, the list will remain a mystery.

Posted by California Jen at 6:03 pm

KGC Issues Final UB Scandal Report

Account Names Released, Hamilton Said to Have 31 Co-Conspirators

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission’s investigation into the UltimateBet cheating scandal has been concluded with the release of its final decision. The 11-page document does provide some new information.

• In total, Tokwiro, owner of UltimateBet, refunded $22,054,351.91 to players affected by the cheating incidences.
• Tokwiro paid $1.5 million in fines, plus the costs of the investigation, to the KGC.
• Tokwiro is on a one-year “probation” period, during which time it must provide all details of daily operations, including financial and gaming records.
• Going forward, Tokwiro must maintain three sets of web/game logs, one of which will be housed at the offices of the KGC.
• All officers, directors, shareholders, and key people associated with Tokwiro must be known to the KGC.
• There were 23 accounts and 117 usernames used in the cheating.
• Much of the stolen money was disbursed through player-to-player transfers on UB.
Russell Hamilton, associated at the time with eWorld Holdings Group, was primarily responsible for the scandal. The “vast majority” of the IP addresses used were directly connected to Hamilton.
• Hamilton’s actions that constituted “criminal behaviour” were associated with 31 other individuals, whose names were not released in the document.
• All information has been provided to law enforcement authorities to determine if criminal charges can be filed.

The entire decision can be accessed here by clicking on the “News” link.

The accompanying press release stated:

The decision released today reviews the corrective actions that have been taken by Tokwiro over the past 12 months, and concludes that Tokwiro has provided sufficient evidence to justify the continuation of its license to operate, subject to a number of additional conditions of licensure.

“Despite the unfortunate circumstances that resulted in this cheating, we are satisfied that the actions taken by the Commission provided an equitable result for affected players – our first priority. We remain optimistic that this experience and the lessons learned from it will result in a higher standard of gaming regulation for companies licensed and regulated within the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake and elsewhere,” said Chairman Montour.

Posted by California Jen at 2:13 pm

Harrah’s Takes Big Step Toward Online Gaming with 888

It was no secret that Harrah’s Entertainment planned to enter the online gaming business, especially after hiring former PartyGaming bigwig Mitch Garber as the CEO of its new Interactive Entertainment division in May of this year. But the next big step was announced today.

Gaming Intelligence reported that Harrah’s signed a deal with Dragonfish, a subsidiary of online giant 888, to support Harrah’s entry into the online market with the World Series of Poker and Caesars Casino.

“This is a ground breaking deal for 888 and demonstrates our ability to provide real value to globally renowned, land-based casinos and their leading brands,” said Gigi Levy, Chief Executive Officer of 888.

“We have the structure in place to realise our B2B division’s full potential over the next 18 months and beyond and today’s announcement of our partnership with an industry giant is further vindication of this strategy.”

Mitch Garber, CEO of Harrah’s Interactive Entertainment, added: “As we develop and roll out our interactive strategy, we have chosen to work with 888, primarily for their world-class technology, scalability, and a strong commitment to compliance, and responsible gaming,” said Mitch Garber, Chief Executive Officer of HIE.

No specific time frame was given for the official launch.

Posted by California Jen at 12:46 am

September 9, 2009

Isabelle Gone From Stars, Tiffany Renewed With UB

While the criteria for getting, retaining, or losing online poker sponsorship deals remains a mystery in many cases, decisions are made, and we regurgitate from press releases report. Some are not surprising, like Jason Mercier signing with PokerStars, while others (like half the Full Tilt roster) are baffling. Regardless, two developments came to light today.

First, UltimateBet announced that Tiffany Michelle has been re-signed to another one-year deal with the site. In addition to again noting her deep run in the 2008 WSOP Main Event, the press release cites “accomplishments in land-based events and UltimateBet’s online poker tables.” Coincidence that the announcement came on the same day as her photo appeared on the Amazing Race website?

“I’m happy to be signing on for another year with UltimateBet and I’m eager to get back to playing in live tournaments and exclusively at their online tables,” said Tiffany Michelle. “The corporate team at UB has been so welcoming and supportive and I’m thrilled to be working with them. I can’t wait for the exciting things in store for us.”

Second, the European Poker Tour Barcelona live reporting team let it slip (after a commentator first did on the EPT Live broadcast earlier in the day) that Isabelle Mercier is no longer a PokerStars-sponsored player. Since sites usually give no reason for dropping players, much less release that information themselves, we can certainly speculate don’t know why Isabelle was dropped. The blurb from the PokerNews reporter:

Incidentally, owing to the folks on the live feed and their tendency towards verbal incontinence, it has just now become public knowledge that Isabelle Mercier is leaving Team Pokerstars. The very best of luck to Ms. Mercier in all her future poker endeavors.

Posted by California Jen at 4:57 pm

September 7, 2009

UltimateBet/Absolute Scandals Revisited

Many in the poker industry consider the UltimateBet and Absolute Poker scandals resolved, at least as much as we can expect them to be considering the sources of any information and the lack of the ability to involve U.S. law enforcement due to jurisdictional issues. And while some of us still have eyes and ears open for further developments, such as those that may appear on a Russ Hamilton twitter feed, Haley Hintze, former Editor-in-Chief of PokerNews, has decided to put out all of her well-informed conjecture on her own blog and gives one of the more detailed explanations of how, when, and why the UB/AP scandals were perpetrated. Though she has only posted Part 1, the rest of the story, we presume, is forthcoming.

Part 1 dives into the beginnings and how Hamilton got involved and possibly recruited help. Here is a portion of the post:

There are three reasonable scenarios for how the cheating spread, as spread it surely did:

1) One or more software engineers working on the UB code recognized the illicit profit potential for themselves, and also began to slice money from the games;

2) Hamilton himself recruited one or more Costa Rican workers to assist him in the cheating, as a way of expanding the total money being stolen;

3) Someone at UB caught Hamilton — probably noticing unusual withdrawal amounts relative to the amount of play Hamilton was logging — and decided to cut himself in for a slice of the action.

From some time in 2006, I believe, it was game on in a big way for the cheats. I’d heard whispers as far back as 2005 that something was wrong with the cash games at UB, but I played there very little, only at small stakes, and couldn’t really speak to it.

The post in its entirety can be found here.

Posted by California Jen at 11:02 pm

August 28, 2009

Asian Poker Boom Is on, or at Least Getting on

They’re in the money (and just waking up for Day 3 right now) at the APPT Main Event in Macau, and sure enough, Season 3 saw a record number of entrants and prize pool. 429 players, $2.1mm prize pool, $540k first prize. Click here to follow the action.

This comes on the heels of the APT Main Event in Macau earlier this month, which saw 326 players and $1.4mm prize pool, up from 257 last year.

(All figures in US$, though buy-ins and payouts were in HK$.)

Business Week has taken note:
In Macao, Betting on a Poker Boom

Despite a slow start for Macao casinos as a whole, the article points out that new poker rooms are opening almost monthly in the Phillipines, and:

The poker industry seems to recognize the potential for further growth, both for land-based as well as online poker operators. But significant entry barriers remain. One of the biggest: Online gaming is illegal in most Asian countries, making it difficult to show poker tournaments on TV to popularize the game. The Philippines, for instance, has become the fastest-growing poker nation in Asia with about 18 poker rooms around the country, thanks in part to TV broadcasts.

BTW, for those wondering … the APPT (Asia-Pacific Poker Tour) is the PokerStars-sponsored series, modeled after the EPT. The APT (Asian Poker Tour) is an independent operation, hosted by Matt Savage and assisted by a consortium of online sites, including bwin, PartyPoker, PKR, Titan, JBet, Winamax, Chilipoker, and a new-to-me Chinese site called Dafapoker (which I have since learned is an 888 operation).

Posted by DanM at 4:54 pm

August 24, 2009

Betfair Considers $2.5 Billion Public Offering

And other European online gambling maneuvers

Apparently our good friends across the pond are a bit more optimistic about the notion of the US opening its online gambling market in 2010 than we are … and in preparation, the buzz around England is that Betfair — the British online poker-and-more company and title sponsor of WSOP-Europe — is getting serious about making an estimated £1.5 billion ($2.5 billion) initial public offering.

The intent would be to raise capital in preparation for all sorts of crazy consolidation and forthcoming acquisitions in the online gambling sector.

At least one Betfair exec dismisses the talk as little more than speculation, despite meetings with Credit Suisse and other banking advisors that have the European financial press getting their knickers in a bunch as “companies seek to position themselves to enter the world’s biggest gambling market.” Should the rumored floatation happen, it would be the first major listing on the London Stock Exchange since the global economic collapse.

$400k HORSE

At the same time, Betfair last week made another move toward American soil by pledging $400,000 to the New York (Horse) Racing Association as an overlay should two specific horses face off against each other in October at Belmont Park:

Rachel Alexandra, the first filly to win the second leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown since 1924, has won her last eight races. Zenyatta is undefeated in 12 career starts, including the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic.

LOL, I didn’t even realize they had ladies events in horse racing!

Across the Chunnel: Refashioning French Poker
Arnault.

Betfair also just got themselves approved to enter France’s online gambling market, which is set to open next year … apparently with some nice poker-friendly alterations to the rake. (The new French law originally had players paying tax on every bet and raise, on every street … which can totally screw with your pot-odds calculations!) Helping get Betfair to the front of the French licensing line, with a better rake structure no less? Heavy lobbying efforts from billionaire bling merchant Bernard Arnault, CEO of Louis Vuitton, 10 percent owner of Betfair, and the 15th richest person in the world.

New-and-improved Yahoo! Poker Coming Soon

We’re talking Yahoo! Uk & Ireland, of course, not Yahoo! USA. The British arm of the web behemoth just re-upped its partnership with GTech G2, for two years, to provide real-money gaming options — and part of that deal includes plans to unveil a fully downloadable real-money Yahoo! poker room, not just the (lame) in-browser version currently available.

Magazine Moguls Jump into Mobile Gambling

PartyGaming CEO Jim Ryan recently said that the biggest threat to established online gaming brands comes from major media outlets, not current competitors. And sure enough … Dennis Publishing — the mega-magazine company behind Maxim, MacUser, Computer Shopper, Bizarre, Men’s Fitness, and more than a dozen other publications (including PokerPlayer, Inside Poker Business, and Stacked) — just launched its Monkey Mobile Casino, offering real-money online gambling on handheld devices. (The current issue of Monkey, fwiw, features a picture of Lady Gaga’s recent nipple slip.

The Swedish Taxman Cometh

Meanwhile, the Swedish Tax Authority (Skatteverket) has been studying all forms of internet commerce tax evasion since 2007, and has concluded that online poker companies with offshore servers are one of their biggest sources of uncollected e-commerce taxes.

Posted by DanM at 10:52 am

California Intrastate Online Poker Bill Going Nowhere

Just to be clear … even with tribal casinos ready to get in on the action, California’s efforts to create it’s own little bubble of online poker freedom — the anti-Kentucky if you will — are done … at least for now.

According to Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (who has the power to decide which bills get considered) last week:

With the state hurting for cash — and Democrats desperate for revenues to soften cuts to social service programs and schools — Steinberg said he essentially has one thing to say to proponents of online poker: Show me the money.

“I think it is a legitimate idea for consideration,” Steinberg said today in a press conference. “I only have one question when I hear a proposal like that: how much money for the state General Fund? It’s all I want to know. You know, is it two, three hundred million dollars? If it is, I’d consider it. But I think it’s going to take more than four weeks to analyze that kind of proposal and the potential economic benefits.”

Fair enough … maybe next time (two years from now) … maybe not.

Posted by DanM at 6:44 am

August 19, 2009

Two Months. Two Million. (Almost) Two Thumbs Up.

Finally got around to watching the new G4 show, Two Months. Two Million, that premiered on Sunday night. To be honest, the preview with the Playboy bunnies made me anticipate a cringe-worthy half hour of programming, but my reaction to it was the opposite. I actually liked it! Granted, the “chicks in bikinis” episode will make me cringe, but Episode 1 was solid.

The guys were likable, as their geeky and awkward ways made them seem like they could be anyone’s little brothers. Their attention to their online poker games was the focus of the episode (duh), and I thought it was explained well to a potentially non-poker-playing audience, complete with the emotions that come with losing/making money. Clearly, these guys have no concept of the meaning of money, but that adds the necessary aspect to the show to make it different. Ultimately, it will be ratings that equal success, so I’m curious to see results.

Personally, I dig Chef Robert and hope he has a bigger part in upcoming episodes.

Posted by California Jen at 3:24 pm

August 13, 2009

California Intrastate Online Poker: No More Reservations From Reservations?

The issue of legalizing intrastate online poker in California seemed like a longshot for quite awhile, as AB 2026 was introduced in February of 2008 and not much has happened since. Though there is no question that Cali could use some extra revenue, the tribal casinos seemed to be the biggest barrier to moving this initiative forward. No more! Morongo recently took the initiative to reach out to legislators and even promised to advance 1/2 of the $10 million it would take to establish the online poker network.

According to the Sacramento Bee:

A proposal being circulated among gambling interests calls for a management structure with two representatives from card clubs and two from tribes, including a permanent representative from the Morongo band.

The plan was discussed at a recent gathering of the Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations. The group includes Morongo and powerful casino tribes including the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians in Palm Springs and the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians in Temecula.

Morongo also circulated an e-mail inviting dozens of tribes for a conference call in which Forman and tribal councilman Damon Sandoval were to outline the “Morongo Initiative – Tribal Intrastate Poker Consortium.”

Posted by California Jen at 8:50 am

August 12, 2009

Two Months. Two Million. Update

The folks at G4 have put out some revised bios (below) on the stars of the online-poker-geek reality TV show, which debuts this Sunday (9 pm ET/PT) and runs for 10 weeks.

Wow, so that’s a lot of new poker on TV. Seriously — 2005 again? At least the shows are getting a bit creative and trying new approaches. But will some of this appeal to the non-poker masses, or will they get just downright sick of our kind?

Let’s see, we’re gonna have:

Two Months. Two Million.
2009 WSOP
Face the Ace
Inside Deal (online)
Tiffany Michelle/Maria Ho on The Amazing Race
How’d You Get So Rich (single episode)
Sam’s Game (online)

High Stakes Poker?
WPT?
Poker After Dark?

Are we forgetting anything? Seems like we might be do for a new poll on which Poker TV sucks and which doesn’t. I give 2M2MM a 62 percent chance of being OK or better:

More…

Posted by DanM at 6:24 pm

August 6, 2009

Sen. Menendez submits S 1597 to regulate online poker and games of skill

Senator Robert Menendez has submitted S 1597 (AKA Internet Poker and Games of Skill Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act of 2009) to regulate online poker and other games of skill. The full bill has been uploaded by the PPA for viewing here.

Posted by Kevin Mathers at 10:43 am

August 5, 2009

An Idea Whose Time Has Come?

Inter-site chip transfer service

I came across this new site the other day, and I think it’s kind of interesting. In short, Send My Chips appears to be working as an independent third party that lets you send your own money from one site to another (i.e., Full Tilt to PokerStars) without having to negotiate a trade with someone you may or may not know through a forum or some other site.

I must say, I haven’t tried this site and have no idea of how effective or trustworthy it may be. It looks like they’re facilitating money moves between major sites (Starts, Tilt, UB, Cake, to name a few), but I’m curious as to how those transfers are appearing in a user’s deposit/withdrawal history. Are they listed as P2P transfer or a deposit? Also, are these transactions being made with or without the sites’ knowledge or permission?

As a player, I think the concept is interesting and I certainly like having the ability to move money between one site and another if I wish. But, I also worry about how these transactions may look to the site operators? Is there anything here that could cause them to raise red flags and, potentially, put my account under review or possible suspension? Is the “convenience” worth the potential risk? I’m not sure I’m willing to find out.

Posted by JaKat at 5:51 pm

August 3, 2009

World Poker Tour Sold to Some Company We’ve Never Heard of

UPDATE: Titan Poker seems to be the buyer

The going price: $9 million (+ a percentage of future profits):

StreetInsider.com on WPT Sale

According to official info (click below), current operations should remain essentially in tact — meaning no friends or colleagues about to get insta-fired — and Gamynia’s big plans have everything to do with getting into the online poker market. All we know about Gamynia Limited (at the moment) is that it’s a company forming part of a privately held investment firm.

WPTE stock climbed 12 percent, to $1.49, on the news.

From WPT Enterprises, Inc.:

WPT Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: WPTE – the “Company”) today announced that Gamynia Limited (”Gamynia”), a company which forms part of a privately held investment group with substantial holdings in a range of diversified assets, has agreed to acquire substantially all of the Company’s operating assets other than cash, investments and certain excluded assets. Gamynia will pay the Company $9,075,000 plus a percentage of future revenues earned by Gamynia from the World Poker Tour(R) and Professional Poker Tour(R) brands.

Under ownership of Gamynia, the World Poker Tour and Professional Poker Tour brands will continue all operations including the Company’s television, sponsorship, distribution and licensing units and will under the agreement enter the online gaming market. Gamynia has secured the services of an industry leading online gaming marketing company Hardway Investments Ltd. which will seek to exploit and develop the WPT brands with the goal of maximizing future revenue opportunities.

Under the asset purchase agreement, the Company will sell its television library, including all related intellectual property rights, brand names, trade names, certain assumed contracts and tangible personal property. Gamynia will assume specified liabilities including one of the two corporate leases. The Company will retain its cash and cash equivalents, investments in debt securities and put rights, certain other investment and litigation assets, and future foreign sponsorship revenues from the sponsorship of Seasons Four, Five and Six of the World Poker Tour and Season One of the Professional Poker Tour by PartyGaming and the license of Season Seven of the World Poker Tour to PokerStars. The Company will also retain certain office lease obligations and all of its employee obligations.

The net cash proceeds from the asset sale will be retained by the Company and the Company plans to use the cash to develop or acquire a non-poker related business. The Company does not currently intend to distribute any proceeds from the asset sale to the Company’s stockholders.

Posted by DanM at 3:58 pm

Pitbull Poker in the Doghouse with Players

There seems to be a cheating scandal brewing at Pitbull Poker, or at least a group of well-documented incidents that don’t sit well with players, according to an ever-growing thread on 2+2. While they can’t seem to pinpoint what is wrong – not quite a superuser situation – many players are citing the fact that hand histories aren’t easy to examine, they sometimes disappear from the site, and hole cards that sometimes appear randomly.

It’s a bit confusing, but Poker News Daily seems to have broken down the allegations of superuser accounts, stack shaving, odd hand history formats, and software glitches. The latest, as of a few days ago and just before the topic was closed by 2+2, original poster chesterboy wrote the following:

I believe all relevant people and companies have have been identified.

If there was wrongdoing, I believe I should be hearing back from some people that can verify the stories, especially if the sweatshop story has any truth to it.

If there was no wrongdoing, I am now back in productive dialogue with [Network Manager Dave Brenes], and we should be able to verify these things in a somewhat timely manner.

I am sorry things had to get this unpleasant to get an appropriate reaction from pitbull. So far the only verified shortcomings of pitbull are poor communication and slow response times. Kevin, while having a questionable history has not yet been shown to have done anything wrong here. I too do not have a perfect past though it may not show up on the internet so easily. We can’t condemn someone in this case for past wrongdoings.

They have been misleading regarding licenses but this is standard for the industry and not something I intend to pursue if there is no evidence of cheating on the site. I play in a state where poker is banned so it benefits me that some companies are willing to bend the law. Being that they are in Costa Rica it is possible they have not broken any laws.

Anyone have any history with Pitbull? Does anyone even play at Pitbull?

Posted by California Jen at 11:30 am

July 22, 2009

PPA on CNBC

You can see how the debate over online poker regulation is getting more sophisticated. (And it makes a fun subplot during these times of health care debate.) While our side has effectively taken the argument away from our opponents about needing to protect children and potential addicts (and John Pappas’ TV skillz have gotten more polished), Les Bernal of Stop Predatory Gambling is now claiming the online poker model is unsustainable because it relies on 10 percent losing players to profit. (I think Full Tilt and PokerStars would respectfully disagree.)


While the opposition argument may be one of those frustrating argghs from someone who clearly just doesn’t get it — poker profits are based on rake, not degenerates who can’t afford their next buy-in — you can see we are moving to that next necessary phase of poker enlightenment, which is separating poker from other forms of gambling.

Posted by DanM at 4:12 pm

July 20, 2009

Play Money Facebook Hold’em Running Into Legal Troubles?

Kinda-sorta. Zynga’s Texas Hold’em was the most popular game on all of Facebook — more popular than its sister games Mafia Wars, Yoville, and that farming game — which was all fine and dandy until people started hocking play-money chips on eBay.

http://tweet.pkrrd.com/news/posts/zynga-texas-hold-em-maybe-a-little-too-popular

So now they’re apparently in the midst of a Facebook poker crackdown, looking to lock out multi-accounters, for example, and take play-money pushers to court. Conspiracy theorists say it has more to do with black-market undercutting of Zynga’s chip-selling business … but regardless, kinda effed up, not just because of poker, but because of the inevitable hubbub that seems to spring up whenever you see any semblance of a free market on the internet leading to unregulated virtual finance transactions.

Posted by DanM at 10:26 pm

June 26, 2009

(Way) Outside the WSOP – Day 31 Evening Update

Recapping the Friday afternoon action…

Vallo Valuable in $50k HORSE

As the players return from the dinner break, Martin Vallo is the unofficial chip leader (245,000) in the $50k HORSE event with all 95 players who registered remaining. The players are now on level four, with three more levels of play scheduled before play ends for the day. Among the early leaders, Daniel Negreanu (200,000), Jeff Lisandro, (188,000), Patrik Antonius (175,000) and Todd Brunson (168,000).

Letting Ylon’s Be Bygones

Ylon Schwartz is the current chip leader (2,000,000) with three players remaining in the $2,500 Mixed Holdem event as they return from their dinner break. John McGuiness (1,200,000) and Bahador Ahmadi (750,000) round out the field. Barry Greenstein finished in 5th before heading off to join the $50k HORSE field.

Cantu Crushing PLO8

With 36 players remaining in the $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha 8 or Better event, Brandon Cantu (525,000) is the dominant chip leader, with Tommy Vedes (225,000) a distant second. Other notables remaining: Lee Watkinson (70,000), Noah Boeken (62,000), Phil Hellmuth (58,000), and Randy Holland (46,000).

Limited Field in Limit Holdem Shootout

The late afternoon tournament, $1,500 Limit Holdem Shootout drew a field of nearly 600, seated at 64 tables. The round one winners play at eight eight-handed tables, and those winners will return on Sunday to determine the winner. No table winners have been determined yet, but expect some notable winners included in the morning update.

Catch up with all the updates over at www.wsop.com and more stuff from Team Pokerati during the evening.

Posted by Kevin Mathers at 7:50 pm