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.
Is This the Beginning of the End of MCC 7995 for Online Gambling in Regulated States
The new Ultimate Poker, Station Casino’s online poker property, is now accepting Mastercard transactions, making them the first licensed poker room in the United States to do so.
Judge Rules That Atlantic Club Casino Can Seek New Buyer
(Associated Press) - After paying an $11 million advance to a struggling Atlantic City casino it intended to buy, the parent company of the world's largest online poker website was left with nothing for its troubles Friday when a judge ruled the casino had the right to scrap the deal.
Superior Court Judge Raymond Batten said The Atlantic Club Casino Hotel could terminate the contract it signed with The Rational Group, the British parent company of PokerStars, when the company failed to get New Jersey's preliminary approval by April 26 to own a casino.
iGaming Super Show Amsterdam 2013 Lands GCB’s AG Burnett as Speaker
iGaming Business have announced that AG Burnett, Chairman of the Nevada State Gaming Control Board (GCB), will be speaking at the iGaming Executive Conference. This C-level, invite only event is one of the seven concurrently-held conferences that take place on June 12th as part of the iGaming Super Show, which is being held in Amsterdam on the 11th – 14th June 2013.
Paul Leggett, Phil Hellmuth Absolved From Wrongdoing in UB.com Poker Scandal
On the surface, it would appear that both former UB.com COO Paul Leggett and poker pro Phil Hellmuth have been absolved from any wrongdoing in a much publicized UB.com online poker insider cheating scandal.
Max Altergott Wins €100,000 Super High Roller at EPT Grand Final 2013
German online high-stakes cash game player Max Altergott had never cashed in a live poker event before, but today he took down the prestigious €100,000 Super High Roller event at the PokerStars and Monte-Carlo®Casino EPT Grand Final for a massive €1,746,400 first prize.
The other six players to make the money were Canadian Sorel Mizzi, Altergott’s roommate here in Monaco, who finished third, WSOP bracelet winner Timothy Adams, PCA High Roller runner-up Vladimir Troyanovskiy, PCA Super High Roller winner Scott Seiver and WSOP-E High Roller champion Mike Watson.
Lock Poker Accelerates Payouts
Following an exclusive Gambling911.com interview with Lock Poker CEO Jennifer Larson this week, Lock Poker has begun to accelerate payouts to customers after a prolonged period of what it deemed to be “processing delays”.
Skrill payouts for those residing outside the US began coming in even for the maximum amount of $10,000. There were even reports of Skrill payouts being received within one week of the initial requests.
Gambling911 World Exclusive: The Russ Hamilton Recordings, Who Knew What
The poker community listened with fascination and disgust this week, after Russ Hamilton's personal assistant, Travis Makar, released audio of secretly recorded meetings between Ultimate Bet founders and lawyers.
Partouche Online Poker Parts Ways, Closing Shop
France online poker venture, Partouche, is shutting down.
The company announced plans to cease existence effective next month (June 2013).
Partouche cited France’s stringent tax code, combined with a limited player pool, as reason for its failure.
Asia Pacific Poker Tour Macau Season 7 Schedule Released
The PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) has released its APPT Macau* Season 7 schedule (see below), which will take place at 'PokerStars LIVE at the City of Dreams' from June 7-16.
Ware is he Now: Former WSEX.com Owner Lives in German Brewery
A co-founder of now defunct World Sports Exchange (WSEX.com), Hayden Ware, is living quite the intoxicating life, Gambling911.com can report.
Hidin' Ware?
Ware and his German-born wife now reside in a converted German brewery.
The Wares paid around 655,000 euros (about $890,000) for the 3,230-square-foot space located in Berlin.
Whether any of that money belongs to players of WSEX.com is unknown as Ware’s involvement in the shuttered online gambling company during its later years remains somewhat of a mystery.
Tribes in California Craft Own Draft Legislation for Internet Poker
Tribes in the state of California have put together their own draft legislation to legalize online poker.
The proposal would allow Tribal casinos and the state’s 88 card rooms to license Web poker sites.
The Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians near Temecula and the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians in the Coachella Valley are currently pushing the draft legislation.
State Senator Rod Wright (D-Ingelwood) has introduced his own bill (Senate Bill 51) that would permit horse tracks to hold such licenses.
DOJ Freezes Accounts Between Bitcoin Exchange and Dwolla: Maryland Center Stage
The US Department of Justice on Tuesday froze accounts belonging to one of Bitcoin’s most prominent exchanges, Mt. Gox.
Tiger Woods to Host $10k Buy-in Poker Tournament This Weekend
The world number one golfer Tiger Woods is set to host a $100,000 buy-in poker tournament this coming weekend in Las Vegas.
The two-day charity tournament, known affectionately as “Tiger Jam”, has raised approximately $14 million to benefit college access programs of the Tiger Woods Foundation.
Poker pros joining Tiger will include Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth and Mike Sexton, among others.
Iovation Investigated by Nevada Officials: Company Linked to Poker Cheating Scandal
Nevada State Gaming Control Board Chairman A.G. Burnett has stated in an email that regulators are looking into identification verification firm Iovation and its relationship to licensed online poker company UltimatePoker.
Iovation had ties to an insider cheating scandal at UB.com, a now defunct online poker site.
Minted Poker Moves to Fledgling Plutos Poker Network
Everleaf Poker Network’s flagship room, Minted Poker, has jumped ship to the newly started Plutos Poker Network.
Minted has offered a 100 rakeback deal to long time Minted Poker players who have been unable to play as a result of Everleaf’s reported insolvency. The company claims that Everleaf owes it a substantial amount of money.
Hedge Fund Tycoon Talal Shakerchi Loses £850,000 in Poker
A London tycoon, Talal Shakerchi, has lost more than £850,000 in a poker game held over the past weekend.
The 49-year-old head of hedge fund, Meditor, staked 500,000 euros (£424,112) along with five other players for an unofficial game at the European Poker Tour in Monaco this past weekend.
Jason Mercier Leads at Final Table of 2013 Super High Roller EPT Grand Final
Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier, who bust the Main Event in seventh place two days ago for €137,000, is chip leader for the final table of the PokerStars and Monte-Carlo®Casino EPT Grand Final €100k Super High Roller.
Mercier, who also won the Open Face Chinese tourney for €48,000 at the start of the festival, leads a star-studded final which includes PCA Super High Roller champion Scott Seiver, Vladimir Troyanovskiy, who was runner-up in the PCA $25k High Roller and EPT Barcelona Super High Roller finalist Mike Watson.
Paul Leggett Hiring by Amaya Under Review by Nevada Gaming Commission
Former UB.com COO Paul Leggett has been tagged as the next head of gambling firm Amaya but the Nevada Gaming Commission might not be too happy.
UB.com closed shop following a 2011 indictment by the US Government owing millions of dollars to players.
The website LegalPokerSites.com begged the question, with so many other folks from the online gambling sector unemployed, why bring on Paul Leggett?
Atlantic Club Claims it Knew Nothing About PokerStars Running Afoul of US Law
Responding to a lawsuit filed by PokerStars, Atlantic City casino The Atlantic Club insists it knew nothing about PokerStars legal problems in the United States despite extensive mainstream press surrounding the matter.
Interview With Lock Poker CEO Jennifer Larson Part II
Gambling911.com continues its interview with Lock Poker CEO Jennifer Larson, who addresses the departure status of two pros. Additionally, Ms. Larson responds to concerns over Lock’s communications process, which she describes as a “work in progress”.
In case you missed Part I of this interview, you can find it here.
Blue Monday’ Online Gambling Beneficiaries Jailed, Forced to Resign
It’s been nearly two years since close to a dozen online gambling domain names were seized as part of a payment processing sting operation.
Jason Mercier Leads Super High Roller EPT Grand Final 2013
Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier, who bust the Main Event yesterday in seventh place, is chip leader in the PokerStars and Monte-Carlo®Casino EPT Grand Final €100k Super High Roller at the end of Day 1. Mercier has 1,183,000 with Sorel Mizzi currently second with 885,000. There were 41 players today, with seven re-entries. 30 players made it through Day 1 but those who were eliminated today have until play starts tomorrow at noon to re-enter.
Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke Revealed as Part Owners of Defunct UB.com Poker Site
Shocking revelations have come out over the past week regarding poker pros Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke’s affiliation with shuttered UB.com. While both were well known as the faces behind the company, taped conversations released in recent days shows that the two players actually had part ownership in UB.com.
Crockford’s Claims Phil Ivey Exploited Cards: Won’t Pay £7.8m in Winnings
Following news that poker pro Phil Ivey has sued London’s oldest casino, Crockford’s, that establishment has fought back claiming that Ivey won £7.8m by 'reading' the back of cards.
Crockford’s refuses to pay out the £7.8m. Ivey insists he did nothing wrong.
The Daily Mail explained how the alleged scheme transpired:
Lock Poker Exploring Bitcoin Options
One of the largest US-facing online poker rooms has confirmed they are exploring a Bitcoin payment platform. This is the biggest online gambling company to date that has announced plans to offer the digital currency.
“We are indeed looking at Bitcoin as an alternative (payment solution),” Lock Poker Founder and CEO Jennifer Larson tells Gambling911.com.
Gambling911.com World Exclusive: Lock Poker CEO Jennifer Larson Interview
In her first ever sit down interview, Lock Poker Founder and CEO talks about recent concerns surrounding her company and the strategy moving forward.
Lock Poker last year migrated to the newly formed Revolution Gaming Network and the growth pains have been felt ever since. Compounding these growing pains is the lack of payment processing available. This has led many to question the company’s financial stability.
Steve O’Dwyer Wins EPT Grand Final Main Event 2013 and €1,2 million
Steve O’Dwyer has won the PokerStars and Monte-Carlo®Casino EPT Grand Final Main Event for a massive €1,224,000 first prize after what many consider to be the best final table in history.
EPT Grand Final High Roller 2013 Winner Will Receive €1,211,600
The winner of this season's PokerStars and Monte-Carlo®Casino EPT Grand Final €25k High Roller will receive a whopping €1,211,600 first prize. There were 121 players in the event which, combined with 37 re-entries, means a total of 158 entries - creating a €3,871,000 prize pool.
As well as their cash prize, the winner will also receive a stunning bracelet worth €8,000 from Shamballa Jewels, Official Bracelet Sponsor of EPT Season 9.
Daniel Negreanu, Jason Mercier at Final Table of EPT Grand Final 2013
Two of the biggest names in poker, Daniel Negreanu and Jason Mercier, will represent the final table of the EPT Grand Final 2013.
Andrew Pantling Leads for Day 5 of EPT Grand Final
Canadian player Andrew Pantling won a massive pot against Norwegian Team PokerStars Pro Johnny Lodden in the last few moments of Day 4 to take the lead in the PokerStars and Monte-Carlo®Casino EPT Grand Final. He has 2,248,000 and Lodden is down to 1,352,000. Pantling, 30, from Ontario, won the €5k heads-up tourney here at the Grand Final three years ago, and was third in the 2009 Irish Open.
