Poker
What are some of the hottest headlines in the world of poker? Here you will find all the latest juicy stories along with other important news and tournament results. A must read for the poker enthusiast with articles published throughout the day.
WSOP.com Real Money Online Poker Site, Massachusetts, Illinois and More
The topic of legalized real money poker will be hot this week as the World Series of Poker gets ready to kick off.
Pokerati.com predicts the WSOP.com new real money Internet poker site could come online in conjunction with the 2013 WSOP kickoff Wednesday.
Indecisiveness, Exclusion Prevented Federal Online Gambling Bill From Passing
Former Nevada Congressman Jon Porter blamed the casino industry’s indecisiveness for the failure to pass federal legalization of online gambling over the past few years.
Porter, who is now a lobbyist for the industry, also said that gaming interests refused to recognize the importance of Tribal casino groups and state lotteries.
Bitcoin No Liberty Reserve: Shutdown to Affect Only One Online Casino
Anonymous payment solutions company, Liberty Reserve, has been shut down by federal authorities out of the Southern District of New York on Tuesday.
The indictment alleges Liberty Reserve, a company incorporated in Costa Rica, has for years operated as one of the world’s largest digital currencies. Law enforcement refers to the company as a “PayPal for criminals” that allegedly laundered money to the tune of $6 billion over the past 7 years.
Viktor Blom Wins $1 Million at SCOOP Main Event
Another $1 million win for Viktor “Isildur1” Blom.
The online poker phenom has just won the popular SCOOP Main Event and the $1 million cash prize that comes with that honor.
Blom has been winning big in recent weeks at the high stakes tables on Full Tilt Poker, now owned by PokerStars.
Carbon Poker Announces Improvements to Sit & Go Offerings
Carbon Poker announced on Monday great improvements to their Sit & Go offerings including changes to the buy-in amount and VIP point entries just to name a few.
Here is a summary of the changes made:
Name Standardization
David Sands Wins WPT World Championship Super High Roller
It is very rare that you make a World Poker Tour televised final table and still walk away empty handed, but that was what happened to three players on the final day of the World Poker Tour World Championship $100,000 Super High Roller event.
The high buy-in tournament attracted 21 players and so only the top three would walk away with prize money at Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Lock Poker Cash Payouts Resume
Large batches of payouts have been sent out from Lock Poker in recent days utilizing the cash transfer method following lengthy delays.
Company CEO Jennifer Larson acknowledged extensive processing issues and backlogs from the first quarter of 2013.
“The E-comm team works constantly to find new, reputable payment processors to provide secure, fast options to our players,” Larson told Gambling911.com in an exclusive interview two weeks ago. “Our number one priority right now is reducing payout times over the next few weeks.”
Federal Internet Poker and Casino Bill Intro Pushed Back a Few Weeks
The introduction of a bill to legalize Internet poker and online casinos in the USA will not take place before the end of May but instead is anticipated within the next two to three weeks (June 2013).
“The Internet casino and poker bill will not be ready for introduction before congress adjourns for Memorial Day recess,” John Pappas of the Poker Players Alliance announced this week.
Controversial Poker Player Chino Rheem Wins $1.2 Mil at WPT Championship
David “Chino” Rheem has just won the 2013 $25,000 World Poker Tour Championship and the $1.150,297 cash prize that comes with it, much to the behest of some in the poker community.
Rheem, a finalist at the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event, has been a polarizing figure in the world of poker.
Jason Mercier Offers 3-1 Odds of Winning Bracelet at 2013 World Series of Poker
Poker pro Jason Mercier announced Thursday via Twitter that he will be offering 3:1 odds that he will win a bracelet at this year’s World Series of Poker.
No easy task to be sure.
The 24-year-old from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, already has two WSOP bracelets. He did not win a bracelet last year.
He tweeted:
Looking for action at 3 to 1 on winning a bracelet this summer. Also willing to bet on myself vs almost anyone and lay small odds...
The minimum bet is $3000 to win $1000 and money would be escrowed according to Mercier.
International Stadiums Poker Tour Attendance Confirmation at 550 Players
PokerNews.com is reporting that 550 players have been confirmed for the highly anticipated first ever International Stadiums Poker Tour at Wembley Stadium.
The event, with an initial kickoff online to determine live qualifiers, will take place May 31 thru June 1.
From PokerNews.com:
Full Tilt Poker Engineers Help Launch Jawfish Games in US
Some of the engineers behind Full Tilt Poker have worked to create a new Seattle-based platform of online gaming called Jawfish Games.
Offerings will include multi-player real time poker tournaments.
The company has a ton of cash behind it thanks to a $3.65 million infusion from angel investors.
Jawfish Games is also partnering with Amazon to offer word games.
Bitcoin Economy Now Worth $1 Billion
The Bitcoin economy is now worth a whopping $1 billion and, despite a few near death experiences, continues to grow.
This past weekend, some 1000 people attended the Bitcoin 2013 event in San Jose, California.
Caesars to Debut Online Poker Site in Nevada by End of Summer
(Reuters) - Caesars Entertainment Group said it plans to go live this summer with an online poker site in Nevada, the only U.S. state so far to offer legal Internet gambling, and will promote the nascent service to thousands of poker players at its World Series of Poker (WSOP) tournament in Las Vegas starting May 29.
Caesars is among several gaming companies preparing to go live with online sites in the United States which could eventually generate billions of dollars in revenue for the casino industry and local governments.
’60 Minutes’ to Offer Update on WSEX Story, Discuss Schillinger Suicide
Gambling911.com’s Thomas Somach has confirmed that the CBS news magazine “60 Minutes” will be airing an update on a story about online gambling that featured co-founders of the now defunct sports betting site World Sports Exchange
Somach tells Gambling911.com "60 Minutes" will simply be mentioning the suicide, likely at the end of an upcoming program. The exact date is not known. The original story about WSEX.com and Schillinger from 12 years ago is not likely to be re-aired.
Dutch Online Gambling Market to Open Up by 2015
The Netherlands gambling monopoly will be coming to an end, it was announced on Wednesday.
Foreign i-Gaming firms will soon be permitted to operate under strict licensing guidelines.
And…as one might suspect….there will be a tax imposed on licensees.
From DutchNews.com:
2013 World Series of Poker Europe Schedule Unveiled
The 2013 World Series of Poker Europe schedule has been released with the High Roller No-Limit-Hold’em event to take place October 22.
The Main Event will kick off on October 20 and continue on for seven days.
Altogether there are a total of nine events taking place during this year’s WSOPE.
2012 WSOP Main Event Champ Greg Merson Throws First Pitch for Orioles Tuesday Night
Greg Merson, the $8.5 winner of the 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event, threw out the first pitch at Tuesday night’s Orioles-Yankees game (May 21).
Merson announced the news on his Twitter feed:
Red Bull Announces Exclusive Partnership With International Stadiums Poker Tour
It was announced on Tuesday that energy drink Red Bull will act as the official beverage choice at the first ever International Stadiums Poker Tour (ISPT).
Bwin.Party Revenues Fall to Lowest in Three Years
Bwin.Party quarterly revenues have fallen to their lowest in three years.
Chief executive Norbert Teufelberger said revenues were unlikely to start improving until the second half of the year, but was confident the group would hit targets outlined in March.
“We guided the market that we expected revenues will decline this year by up to 10 per cent versus 2012,” he said. “Despite the first quarter revenue performance, we remain comfortable with our guidance,” he added.
PokerStars Eliminates Bumhunting, Ratholing
The world’s largest real money online poker room, PokerStars, announced this week it will no longer permit the practice known as bumhunting.
The new practice is aimed at protecting players.
So what exactly is bumhunting?
This is where regular players set up online poker tables and effectively lie in wait for novices.
Pat Steele Wins $155k on Heartland Poker Tour
Mount Pleasant, MI - Just before play began Monday at Heartland Poker Tour’s nationally-televised Final Table, 37-year-old Pat Steele said he was “going to have a lot of fun here.” That he did.
Federation Internationale de Poker Association New 2013 International Poker Rules
Birkirkara, MALTA - The Federation Internationale de Poker Association (FIDPA) announces the launch of the revamped fidpa.com website, featuring the 2013 International Poker Rules (the IP Rules) and its all-new Mobile App, designed for today’s traveling poker player on-the-go.
Jamie Gold Auctions Off His World Series of Poker Bracelet
The biggest World Series of Poker (WSOP) winner of all time, Jamie Gold, has sold his bracelet.
Gold won the 2006 WSOP Main Event and the $12 million cash prize that came with it. Gold was later forced to share half of that amount with another individual, Crispin Leyser, who had entered into a business relationship with Gold prior to the event.
Annie Duke: ‘I Never Used Tool That Gave Me Access to Hole Cards’
Poker pro and former UB.com representative/owner Annie Duke released a statement on her Facebook page over the weekend insisting she never used a tool that allowed her to see other players hole cards while online.
Skrill Unauthorized Logins Have Online Gamblers Worried
A spate of reported unauthorized Skrill logins have the online gambling community on edge.
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Skrill, formerly known as Moneybookers, is a popular money transfer platform for those gamblers living outside the United States. It is similar to PayPal.
UltimatePoker Peaks at Near 350 Players Over Weekend
The 24-hour peak traffic for UltimatePoker.com was coming in at 350 over this weekend, decent numbers considering they only take customers from the US state of Nevada.
UltimatePoker.com became the first legal US-based online poker site to allow play for real money last month.
US Federal Online Poker Bill to be Introduced by End of Month
The Poker Players Alliance is reporting that a federal bill to legalize online poker could be presented as early as this month (May 2013).
Affidavits Provide Window Into Russian Mob Tied Gambling Operation
A major gambling ring bust last month netted the head of a prominent art gallery, a so-called “Poker Princess” and associates of an alleged Russian-tied crime organization.
Bitcoin Online Poker Room Infiniti Poker Launch Pushed Back to August
Infiniti Poker has delayed its launch another few months after originally targeting an early spring debut. The room will allow US players via the digital currency Bitcoin.
Infiniti Poker released the following statement this weekend:
