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.
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:
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.
