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.
Phil Ivey Down But Not Out at 2012 Aussie Millions Main Event
With just 12 players left at the 2012 Aussie Millions Main Event, Saturday afternoon will featured six-handed play until only seven players remain. Those seven will play the official final table on Sunday afternoon.
One of those 7 players could be Phil Ivey, perhaps the most recognized name in the world of poker today. Heading into Saturday, Ivey had the lowest number of chips among the remaining 12 players however.
Leading the pack was relative unknown Canadian players Yann Dion.
Phil Ivey Going Strong at 2012 Aussie Millions Main Event
Poker pro Phil Ivey is among remaining 26 players at the 2012 Aussie Millions Main Event.
Ivey has mostly been out of sight since the online poker room he represented, Full Tilt Poker, went under last summer. He has also been embroiled in a high profile nasty divorce battle.
Zynga Online Gambling Revenue Could be $5 Billion Claims JP Morgan
Zynga, which offers the largest free online poker site in the world, has gone all in with its push to offer “real money play” games. JP Morgan claims that Zynga can potentially generate $5 billion in revenue after the company announced it was in conversations with interested parties to offer the “cash play” platform.
Zynga Adds Bingo Game to Facebook
Gaming powerhouse Zynga has just introduced a brand new Bingo game.
The new Zynga bingo game is played like traditional bingo, Where one tries to get five consecutive numbers in a row or all four corners.
Bingo is one of the most successful games in the real cash world of online gambling. Its introduction follows news that Zynga is exploring opportunities to enter the real cash online gambling foray once the industry becomes legalized in the US.
Zynga also employs the social networking aspect of Facebook with features such as real time chat and themed rooms.
Tom Dwan on Full Tilt Poker: “There was Enough Mischievousness That They Did”
The man who promised to pay back players owed by Full Tilt Poker with over a million dollars of his own money if they failed to pay is probably wishing he hadn’t made such a rash promise. After all, Tom Dwan had only signed on with FTP a few months prior to the company’s collapse post April 15 of this past year and the New Jersey-born player has yet to be implicated in any wrongdoing (unlike fellow FTP pros Chris Ferguson and Howard Lederer).
Full Tilt Poker’s Chris Ferguson Allegedly Funneled $45 Million
US Feds allege Full Tilt Poker stakeholder and professional poker player Chris “Jesus” Ferguson was embroiled in an elaborate ponzi scheme. Now it is being reported he funneled $45 million of his $60 million in Full Tilt distribution payments into bank accounts held for him in the name of Pocket Kings Ltd.
PPA: Majority of Those Playing Poker Online Prefer Regulated Environment
Of the Americans still playing online poker, nearly 90 percent would prefer playing on sites licensed and regulated pursuant to U.S. Federal law, according to a recent survey commissioned by the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the leading poker grassroots advocacy group with more than one million members nationwide. The findings also showed that, despite the Department of Justice’s crackdown of online poker on April 15, 2011, nearly half of online poker players are still playing online poker on offshore sites.
26 Left at Aussie Millions 2012 Main Event: Phil Ivey Among Them
Poker phenom Phil Ivey remained among the top 10 chip leaders at the Aussie Millions 2012 Main Event with just 26 players left in the field entering Day 4.
The leader was Matthew Turk, a British player with only two prior cashouts on the live circuit.
Australian Tim O’Shea had the next largest chip stack at 1,376,000. He, too, has only had two previous cashouts.
Poker Pro Thor Hansen has Terminal Cancer
Norwegian poker pro Thor Harald Hansen has terminal cancer, it was revealed on Wednesday. The 64-year-old player is one of Norway’s best known players, often referred to as “The Godfather of Poker”.
Doctors have told Hansen he has no more than two years to live following the cancer’s spread to the lungs, liver and lymph nodes.
Hearing On Internet Poker With Justice Department Officials Likely
House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Manufacturing Chairwoman Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.) advised Tuesday that she is considering holding another hearing on legalized Internet poker that would feature experts from the US Justice Department.
Online Poker Traffic Down 2 Percent This Week: Playtech Poker Revenue Down 20 Percent
Real cash online poker play activity over the past week was down 2 percent. Among the top 10 sites, decliners outpaced advancers seven to three.
Hawaii the Latest State to Consider Legalizing Internet Poker
Hawaii, one of two states that does not even offer a lottery, is in the process of considering three different bills that would allow for both land-based and online gambling including Internet poker.
Last month, the US Justice Department opened the doors for states to begin allowing both poker and casino games on the Web.
The first bill would allow for the establishment of a state lottery while the second bill calls for that lottery authority to manage an online gambling platform. A third bill would look to establish stateside casinos in Hawaii.
Biggest Guarantee Yet at Americas Cardroom
Americas Cardroom, one of the world’s fastest online poker rooms, has announced it is upping the ante once again by hosting a $75,000 Guaranteed online poker tournament this coming Sunday, January 29th at 6 pm EST.
i-Dating Conference in Miami Beach a ‘Must Attend’ for Online Gambling Interests
Who would have thunk it? i-Dating and online gambling the perfect marriage. It is if you have someone like Marc Lesnick running this type of event.
Lesnick, who was one of the leading Internet gambling and affiliate conference organizers back in the day and remains a close friend of the Gambling911.com website, has branched out into other industries.
This week’s Internet Dating Conference in Miami Beach may very well be his most successful conference to date, attracting somewhere in the area of 450 attendees.
2012 World Poker Tour Coming to Tampa, Florida in March: Hopes to Repeat Past State Success
The Silks Poker Room at Tampa Bay Downs will play host to the 2012 World Poker Tour Regional Series. A WPT event held late last year in Jacksonville was the biggest poker tournament on record for the state of Florida and organizers hope to duplicate this success.
Carbon Poker Reveals New Tournament Series
Starting March of 2012 Carbon Poker is going to run the first ever tournament series.
“We are confident this will be a massive event and it is something that players have been asking for consistently for a while now,” a spokesperson for the company advised Gambling911.com on Wednesday.
The event will be called Poker Maximus and will officially start on March 4th 2012. Satellites will start running for the events in late January 2012.
Five-Year Long Investigation Into Online Gambling About to Wrap Up?
Gambling911.com sources have revealed that a more than five-year investigation related to online gambling, telemarketing and alleged bank fraud is about to wrap up.
“Law enforcement agencies are under intense pressure to conclude ongoing investigations ahead of inevitable legalization of online poker, casino games and possibly even sports betting,” our source tells us. “But some of these agencies are just out for blood.”
Aussie Millions 2012 Main Event: Daniel Negreanu, Joe Hachem and Erik Seidel Out
The third and final day of the Aussie Millions 2012 Main Event signup period witnessed the largest number of players at 317, bringing the total field to 657. Tuesday’s play witnessed an epic showdown between one of poker’s elite Phil Ivey and Australian cricketer and 888.com Poker spokesperson Shane Warne.
From OnlinePoker.net:
Lock Poker Elite Pro Jared Hubbard’s j-HU-b’s Challenge
Heads Up, Any Day, Every Day in February, at any Stakes !!!
25 January 2012 – London, UK: Online poker phenomenon and Lock Poker Elite Pro Jared ‘Jhub’ Hubbard is inviting his fans to battle with him Heads Up at any stake they wish every day this February. The contest was announced by PokerFacePR (www.pokerfacepr.com) CEO Matthew Spurr.
Should the fan defy the odds and get the better of Jared he is graciously admitting defeat by offering them 30 minutes free coaching in whatever discipline they desire.
Playtech Wants New US Partner in Bid to Lead Internet Poker Sector
Playtech, one of the leading software providers for the online gambling and Internet poker sector, revealed Tuesday it was in talks with a number of potential partners to begin offering legalized Web gambling in the United States.
iPoker Network Latest to Change Rake Structure
The world’s number three largest real cash online poker network has announced its plans to change the site’s rake structure beginning in March.
iPoker Network will be shifting from a dealt distribution to a weighted rate.
Bet24 Poker Signs on 7 New Pros
Scandinavian online poker room Bet24 has brought on 7 new pros, one of whom has won more than $1 million in live tournaments thus far.
Bet24 appears to be following a similar model as that of Lock Poker, a Gambling911.com marquee sponsor that has bucked the past year’s trend by developing its professional player team while other competing sites continue cutting back.
Connecticut Tribes Want Online Poker
Connecticut’s two Tribal casinos are watching carefully for any developments concerning the Department of Justice change of stance as it applies to online poker. The DOJ last month announced that The Wire Act will no longer apply to poker. The decision allows individual states to move forward with their own regulation of the industry.
Golden Opportunity: Jamie Gold’s $1000 an Hour Poker Coaching Gig
It came to light this week that 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event winner Jamie Gold is now charging a $1000 per hour fee for his poker coaching and he appears to have some clientele.
Senate Hearing on the U.S. DOJ Opinion on Internet Poker to be Held Feb 9
Yet another hearing will take place as it involves legalizing online poker and potentially other forms of Internet gambling.
A Senate hearing on the U.S. Department of Justice opinion on Internet poker will be held February 9. Gambling911.com will provide a link to the live hearing as that date nears.
Low Turnout to Kick Off Aussie Millions 2012 Main Event
Speculation is that the $100k Challenge may have acted as a distraction for a number of the big name pros in attendance at this year’s Aussie Millions. Day 1C was likely to attract a decent number of participants when compared to the lukewarm results of both Day 1a and Day 1b, as PokerListings.com can attest to:
Poker Pro Miikka Anttonen: Many Top Pros are ‘Stoners’
When playing poker, is smoking dope the way to make your opponents look like dopes?
At least one top poker pro thinks so!
And he's not afraid to say so publicly!
Finnish poker pro Miikka Anttonen, writing this past week in his blog, says that many of the top professional poker players in the game today are "stoner types" who "smoke bongs" and that's why they make "millions of dollars.
Another $5 Million Check From Sheldon Adelson to Pro-Newt Gingrich Pact
Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Adelson was reportedly sending yet another $5 million check to a pro-Newt Gingrich pact following the former House Speaker’s big South Carolina primary win.
From the New York Times:
Scientific Games Shares Fall 10 Percent: Relationship With Playtech Turbulent
Scientific Games Corp (Nasdaq: SGMS) witnessed a sharp decline in its share price on Monday following reports it may be ending a joint venture with Playtech, one of online gambling’s leading software providers and poker networks.
eGaming Review claimed the joint venture between the two was reduced to a "strategic partnership" from a full-blown joint venture. More news was forthcoming.
Buyer of Peter Eastgate WSOP Charitable Bracelet Identified as William Haughey
Until recently, the buyer of 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event winner Peter Eastgate’s bracelet has remained anonymous. Now he’s finally stepped forward after over a year since the purchase to explain why he made the purchase.
William Haughey told PokerNews.com:
