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.
17 Players Remained Heading Into 2013 EPT Berlin
German player Roman Herold was the chip leader going in to Day 5 of EPT Berlin.
The 26-year-old has 4,485,000 after winning a monster pot against fellow German Alexander Helbig in the penultimate hand of the day. There were 17 players left in the tourney heading in Friday, all guaranteed at least €27,000 but all hoping to snag the first prize of €880,000.
Ray Bitar Must Give Up $3m Mansion, Surrender 18 Bank Accounts
Former Full Tilt Poker CEO Ray Bitar may not be serving any jail time but he will have to surrender several coveted assets including a $3 million mansion in Glendora, California.
Bitar was among those indicted for his role in running an illegal online poker room, Full Tilt Poker. He recently plead guilty to charges of fraud and violating a 2006 gambling prohibition act.
Zynga Shares Were Down Another 6 Percent Thursday
After falling 10 percent in after hours trading Wednesday, social gaming company Zynga witnessed another 6 percent drop in its share price heading into Thursday afternoon.
The company's surprise profit in the first three months of this year was overshadowed by reported revenue decline, a drop in the number of users and a lower-than-expected second-quarter forecast.
Revenue fell 18 percent to $263.6 million, from $321 million.
Analysts, on average, had expected revenue of $264.5 million, according to FactSet.
Khac Trung Tran Wins 2013 APT Philippines Main Event
Australia native Khac Trung Tran has won the 2013 APT Philippines Main Event and the $124,000 grand prize.
205 players took part in the $2,700 buy-in event at Resorts World Manila.
Until recently, Tran has had 20 cashes in live poker events, having amassed just over $100,000 total. This is his biggest win to date.
Energy Drinks Should be Banned From Poker Rooms Says Sludikoff
In an interesting editorial written by Poker Player Newspaper Publisher Stanley R. Sludikoff, the question is asked: Should energy drinks be banned from poker rooms?
Sludikoff suggests there is good reason to do so.
Aku Joentausta Still the Chip Leader Going Into Day 4 of EPT9 Berlin
Finnish player Aku Joentausta was the overnight chip leader yet again Wednesday.
The 21-year-old, who came 14th at EPT Barcelona at the beginning of the season, goes into Day 4 of EPT9 Berlin with 1,039,000. He is one of 55 players who have made it through from the 168 who started the day. The survivors also include tennis legend and Team SportStar Boris Becker who is recording his best ever live event cash, guaranteed at least €15,000. His previous best was 97th at EPT Barcelona for €8,000.
Borgata Hotel Unveils Online Gambling Plans
Fast forward to 2024 and $3.23 billion had been generated over the past year from online casino gaming in the U.S. with New Jersey accounting for a cool $1.5 billion.
Art Gallery With Alleged Ties to High Stakes Poker Probe, Russian Mob Reopens
The Helly Nahmad Gallery, located within the confines of the ritzy Midtown Manhattan Carlyle Hotel, has reopened.
Zynga Shares Drop More Than 10 Percent in Extended Trading
NEW YORK — (Associated Press) - Zynga Inc.'s surprise profit in the first three months of the year got overshadowed by a revenue decline, a drop in the number of users and a lower-than-expected second-quarter forecast.
The online game maker's stock fell more than 10 percent in extended trading Wednesday after the first-quarter results came out.
Heartland Poker Tour Expands to West Coast
Lincoln, CA – Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) announced a West Coast expansion of their popular tour with a nationally-televised event at Thunder Valley Casino Resort near Sacramento, California. The series, September 20th-29th, will include a deepstack event, nationally-televised Main Event with three starting flights, and a full schedule of cash tournaments and qualifying events.
Two Men Sentenced in Poker Player Extortion Plot: Hacked and Stole Naked Pics
Keith James Hudson, 39, has plead guilty to hacking into professional poker players accounts and stealing naked pictures then attempting to extort money. Hudson will serve two years prison time.
Also pleading guilty, Tyler Schrier, 23, who was sentenced to 3 1/2 years behind bars. He was sentenced for conspiracy, extortion and unauthorized access to another personal's computer information without permission.
888.com Expects Big Dividends From Online Poker in US by 2015
LONDON - (Reuters) - Gambling company 888 Holdings Plc expects to launch online poker in Nevada this summer and should start to see the full effects of more open U.S. markets from 2015.
Nevada, home to gambling centre Las Vegas, granted the London-listed company a licence last month and 888 is also seeking clearance to operate in New Jersey, another state where a ban on Internet betting is being lifted.
Will BuddyBet be the Next Social Online Gambling Phenom
Social gambling website BuddyBet has secured $3 million in funding from private investors.
BuddyBet lets buddies play against one another as opposed to playing against the actual website or a bookmaker. The site itself focuses exclusively on sports betting but will move into other sectors in the coming months.
VentureBeat.com explains the BuddyBet concept:
Colorful Characters Emerge in High Stakes Poker Case With Russian Mob Ties
NEW YORK — (Associated Press) - It’s a case teeming with colorful characters: a reputed Russian mob boss once accused in an Olympic scandal, a wealthy art world impresario who hung out with Leonardo DiCaprio and a woman named Molly Bloom who gained a celebrity following by hosting them at high-stakes poker games.
Aku Joentausta Leads at EPT Barcelona
Finnish player Aku Joentausta, who came 14th at EPT Barcelona at the beginning of the season, is chip leader going into Day 3 of EPT9 Berlin with 751,300.
Day 2 started with 478 players and 168 have made it through including tennis legend Boris Becker and Team Pros Liv Boeree, Theo Jorgensen, Alex Kravchenko, Jan Heitmann, Sandra Naujoks and Team Online's Mickey Petersen.
The 912-strong field has made this the second biggest EPT in Germany, generating a €4,423,200 prize pool and €880,000 first prize; 136 players will get paid.
- Source: www.pokerstars.com
European Poker Tour 2013 Main Event: Michael Mizrachi Leads
Lock Poker pro Michael Mizrachi leads after day 1b of the European Poker Tour 2013. 565 players registered at the start of day 1b. 314 remained by day’s end.
Mizrachi is one of the most successful poker players, having won over $14 million in live tournaments to date.
Bet365 Named in Affidavits Tied to Criminal Complaint
Bet365 was recently mentioned in the affidavits supporting a criminal complaint filed against two individuals in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York who are accused of money laundering connected with an Internet gambling operation. Bet365 was not named as a defendant, but the question remains; can a non-U.S. facing site be at risk for prosecution as a result of customers who obtain access to their sites through masked IP addresses?
Anonymous Poker Players Busts Out of APT Philippines 2013: $10k Pay Day
The world’s first anonymous poker player at a live event promised to pay anybody who managed to kick him out of APT Philipines $1,000, that man was a very pleasantly surprised Mark Dalimore.
Jonas Odman, President of the Bodog Poker Network, who funded the mystery player’s entry, commented: “Zorro did pretty well making Day 2 and we’ll certainly bring him out again at another big tournament in the near future. Anonymous poker is no longer just an online phenomenon.”
WSEX Founder Shoots Self in Head: Commits Suicide
World Sports Exchange founder Steve Shillinger killed himself late Saturday, it was learned by Gambling911.com.
The company he founded was forced to shut down this past week as it was insolvent.
Shillinger shot himself in the head.
It was not immediately clear if the other two founders of WSEX.com, Hayden Ware and Jay Cohen, still had access to player funds.
European Poker Tour Announces First-Ever Monaco Cup for Grand Final Festival
ONCHAN, ISLE OF MAN – The European Poker Tour announced today that there will be an inaugural €1,100 Monaco Cup (event 26) as part of the 50-strong event offering at the PokerStars and Monte-Carlo®Casino European Poker Tour Grand Final. It will have a guaranteed prize pool of €500,000.
The newly named event, which will take place from May 11-15, forms part of the spectacular 11-day festival at the PokerStars and Monte-Carlo®Casino European Poker Tour Grand Final, which runs from May 6 -15.
EPT9 Berlin Results: Day 1A
German player Ronny Voth is leading the EPT9 Berlin Main Event at the end of Day 1a with 196,100 in chips. There were 347 players today including tennis legend Boris Becker and Team Pros Liv Boeree, Matthias de Meulder, Johnny Lodden, Max Lykov, Michael Keiner, Jan Heitmann and Marcin Horecki.
Please click for: Day 1a survivors | Day 1a players
Day 1b players are set to include Team Pros Vanessa Selbst, Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier, Eugene Katchalov, Sebastian Ruthenberg, Luca Pagano, Dario Minieri and Jake Cody as well as former Berlin champ Kevin MacPhee.
Pieter de Korver Wins First Ever Berlin Cup Poker Tournament
EPT5 Grand Final champion Pieter de Korver has won the inaugural Berlin Cup after defeating German pro Sebastian Gohr heads-up. De Korver, 30, cut a three-way deal with Gohr and Russian player Anatoly Filatov to take €145,400 for his win.
Although de Korver, who comes from Leeuwarden in the Netherlands, has been taking a two-year break from EPTs, he has had a phenomenal run in the last few months including runner-up in the Amsterdam Master Classics in November and third place in the Hold'em Challenge Winter Edition in Namur in December.
Poker Princess Pleads Not Guilty in High Stakes Poker Russian Mob Probe
A woman cited for running high stakes poker games for celebrities, athletes and Wall Street bigwigs has pleaded Not Guilty.
Bloom and 33 others were indicted this past week in connection with their affiliation to a multi-million dollar international gambling ring alleged to have ties to the Russian Mafia. She was arraigned in a Manhattan federal court on Friday.
Anatoly Filatov Chip Leads at Berlin Cup
Russian player Anatoly Filatov is chip leader for the final table tomorrow of the inauguaral €1,100 Berlin Cup event. The 24-year-old has 5,880,000 after eliminating Eddy Scharf.
Also still in contention for the €180.000 first prize are EPT Snowfest champion Vladimir Geshkenbein from Russia, EPT Grand Final winner Pieter de Korver from Holland and German pro Sebastian Gohr.
Lock Poker to Offer Its Own Exclusive Online Tournaments
Lock Poker has unveiled its own exclusive online tournament schedule due to network changes.
Details of these network changes were not immediately known, however, Gambling911.com has been provided with the new tournament breakdown for Lock Poker, which appears below.
These tournaments occur daily Monday thru Saturday.
Better still, there will be a bounty on one of Lock Poker's pros in every tournament.
Geshkenbein Leads at Berlin Cup 2013
EPT Snowfest champion Vladimir Geshkenbin is leading the remaining 36 players as the debut €1,100 Berlin Cup goes into Day 3 with 1,500,000 in chips. The 24-year-old Russian has already accrued more than $1.1million in live tournament winnings, including the €390,000 he snagged for taking down Snowfest in Season 7.
Full Tilt Poker $4 Million Guaranteed MiniFTOPS XXII Kicks Off Sunday
DUBLIN –At least $400,000 will be won this Sunday at Full Tilt Poker as MiniFTOPS XXII kicks off, starting with Event #1, a $24 + $2 No Limit Irish Knockout tournament.
Later that day, $350,000 guaranteed is on the line in Event #2, a $20 + $2 No Limit Hold ‘em event taking place at 13:00 ET.
Irish tournaments are one of three new and exclusive tournament types featured on the schedule, which also includes a 5-Card Stud Tournament (Event #25) and an Escalator Tournament (Event #30).
Poker Brat Phil Hellmuth Left Out of Commemorative High School Year Book
Wisconsin native and – yes – high school graduate Phil Hellmuth has apparently been left out of that school’s commemorative yearbook.
Hellmuth, the current record holder for most World Series of Poker bracelets at 13, is arguably among that high school’s most famous alumni.
The self-proclaimed “Poker Brat” tweeted Thursday evening:
Caesars Interactive Entertainment Seeks New Jersey Online Gambling License
Caesars Interactive Entertainment is the latest company to apply for an online gambling license in the state of New Jersey.
Caesars Entertainment operates the World Series of Poker and currently holds an Internet poker license in Nevada. But the Silver State only has around 3 million people living there compared to New Jersey’s nearly 9 million along with the other couple million just across both rivers in New York City and Philadelphia. New Jersey will permit anyone to access licensed online gambling sites provided they are physically located inside the state.
Tampa Downs Summer Series 2013 Announced: Second Big Florida Poker Tournament
The Players Poker Championship has unveiled its Tampa Downs Summer Series 2013 schedule, which runs July 15-21.
The two-day Main Event will take place on July 21. The event itself be held at the Silks Poker Room.
This is the second big poker tournament to be announced for the state of Florida in recent days.
