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.
Costa Rica Earthquake Causes Significant Damage: Online Gambling Businesses Fine
The hub for several dozen online gambling businesses, San Jose, Costa Rica, was spared any significant damage from Wednesday’s 7.6 magnitude earthquake just 100 miles to the west.
Malta-Based Online Gambling Company Head Jailed 14 Months
Dimitrios Drosos, 45, director of betting company Gold Victory Ltd, has been jailed for 14 months after being convicted of defrauding several people of a total of €500,000.
The court found that the Malta-based company had not paid winnings to several players and the accused had pocketed the money.
€70,000 paid by the accused as bail money were forfeited after it was established that Drosos,a Greek national resident in Kappara, had jumped bail and escaped from Malta.
He was re-arrested on the strength of a European arrest warrant.
Introducing iPoker 2: Online Poker Network Split in Two
The world’s second largest “real money” online poker network, iPoker, has split into two with the new entity being called “iPoker 2”.
So what is iPoker 2?
It is for smaller player pools and will feature mid to low stakes of No Limit Hold’em cash games. iPoker1 will be for larger player pools. Those on the iPoker 2 platform will incorporate skins (independent card rooms) that have at least 6000 active customers (raking $1 or more a month) and acquiring a minimum of 850 new active players a month (raking $5 in the first 30 days).
A statement from iPoker read:
7.9 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Online Gambling Hub of San Jose, Costa Rica
A 7.9 magnitude earthquake has hit the online gambling hub of San Jose, Costa Rica, one of the worst quakes in some time. The earthquake hit at 14:42 UTC, just before 9 am local and 11 am EDT.
The quake was not directly located in the San Jose region where most online gambling companies are set up. Employees were rattled by the event as one of the biggest weekend’s in online sports betting is about to kick off.
Nearby Cities
Burst Fish Tank Destroys Gulfstream Park Casino: Called ‘Catastrophic Failure’
The damage caused by a burst fish tank at South Florida’s famed Gulfstream Park Casino appears to be akin to that of a massive flood sweeping through two floors of this sprawling establishment. Hurricane Isaac didn’t even cause this type of damage to the Louisiana and Mississippi riverboat casinos. Who would have thought a ruptured 13,000 aquarium could cause such destruction?
GOP Platform on Internet Gambling May Have Been Influenced by Sheldon Adelson
Some in the gambling sector have begun to speculate that GOP political donor extraordinaire, casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, may have had a degree of influence as it relates to the newly released Republican platform from last week – You know the one, it espouses family values and how legalizing Internet gambling will lead to the destruction of such values.
Forbes: Is Zynga’s New 888 Hire a Means to ‘Exploit’ Gambling or Consumers
Inquiring minds want to know, or at least Forbes.com Financial columnist Louis Bedigian: Will Zynga's New Hire Exploit Gambling or Consumers?
The question is being asked after it was revealed that the world’s leading social media company and biggest operator of a “free-to-play” online poker room, Zynga, just hired 888.com’s former VP of Regulated Markets, Maytal Ginzburg. 888.com operates the world’s 4th largest “real money” online poker room and is widely seen as having one of the largest global Web casino businesses.
Michael Phelps Denies $100k Las Vegas Poker Win
Responding to reports that he had won $100k while playing poker at the Wynn Hotel and Casino this past weekend, Olympic multi-gold medal winner Michael Phelps shot down the story, first reported by TMZ.com.
He tweeted: "I wish I won a 100k.... Haha not true tho.”
His friends have told media outlets they were about Phelps squandering his millions playing poker, a game the now retired Olympian swimmer admits to have fallen in love with.
Circumstances Surrounding Tank Explosion at Gulfstream Park Casino Remain Fishy
The Sunday morning explosion of a 13,000-gallon saltwater aquarium at the popular South Florida Gulfstream Park casino remained a mystery Tuesday.
David Gzesh Confirms Sale of Seized Online Gambling Domains
Michael H. Berkens of TheDomains.com has confirmed that attorney David Gzesh purchased and put up for sale online gambling domain names previously seized by US authorities.
Tom Dwan's 'Girlfriend' Phil Galfond, Ben Tollerene August Big High Stakes Poker Winners
And online poker’s biggest winners for the month of August were…. Ben "Ben86” Tollerene and Phil "MrSweets28" Galfond. We’ll explain the “Tom Dwan Girlfriend” comment below. It’s pretty funny really and not meant to be a shot at Galfond as you will soon see.
From HighStakesDB.com:
America’s Cardroom Changes Online Poker Leaderboard Payout Distribution Model
Four of the biggest cash game grinders at Americas Cardroom have some serious competition.
CEO Anthony Tailor Leaves Merge Gaming
Merge Gaming CEO Anthony Tailor has resigned from a position he has held for five years. Details regarding the exit were not immediately known, however, the popular online poker network continues to thrive and, just this week, flagship brand Carbon Poker announced the return of the super popular Poker Maximus promotion (dubbed Poker Maximus II).
Muny Defends Perceived ‘Meekness’ in Poker Players Alliance Response to GOP Platform
Following a scathing report on PokerFuse.com accusing the Poker Players Alliance of not properly reacting to last week’s announced GOP agenda to essentially eradicate online gambling, that grassroots organization’s Director Richard Muny immediately went on the defensive this past weekend.
The GOP platform as it pertains to Internet gambling reads:
Lock Poker Introduces ‘Battle of the Knights’: Prizes Over $2 Million
Never one to lack when it comes to innovation, the uber popular Lock Poker has just rolled out “Battle of the Knights” (September 2012).
Calling out to all the knights; sharpen your swords and get your armour ready. The battle is set, time to throw some cards and slice down your opponents stacks.
This is no Medieval fantasy we are talking about. It’s an actual opportunity to win over 17,000 individual prizes, totaling over $2 million.
Olympic Swimmers Behaving Badly in Vegas: Michael Phelps Wins $100k in Poker Game
First it was US Olympic medal winning swimmer Ryan Lochte romping naked in Vegas with Prince Harry, now comes word that fellow Olympian (now retired) Michael Phelps just won a huge $100k pot in Sin City playing poker.
The win was reported by TMZ.com and occurred at Caesar’s Palace.
9 Seized Online Gambling Domains Put Up For Sale Including DoylesRoom.com
Nine online gambling domain names seized as part of a sting operation by the US Attorney’s Office in Maryland have been put up for sale or license. These include DoylesRoom.com and Bookmaker.com.
Survey Says: PokerStars Could be Preparing to Enter Sports Betting, Casino Sector
Could the world’s largest “real money” online poker company, PokerStars, be looking at entering the sports betting and casino market?
Stanley Choi Wins Macau High Stakes Challenge and $6.5 Million
Stanley Choi has won the Macau High Stakes Challenge along with $6.5 million in cash.
This was Asia’s biggest tournament ever and indeed the biggest cash tournament outside of the World Series of Poker, ranking number 10 of all live tournaments to date. The buy-in was $1 million and featured 73 high rollers.
The Beast Goes Live Today!
Get prepared folks as Americas Cardroom is set to unleash The Beast.
You’ve been reading all about him on the pages of Gambling911.com and now you finally get to meet The Beast face-to-face.
Nevada Governor Not in Agreement With GOP Platform on Internet Gambling (Video)
Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval is in sharp disagreement with his party when it comes to online gambling and their platform adopted over the past week that includes a few lines promising to continue prohibition.
News 3 in Las Vegas sent reporter Sergio to talk to the governor, who has been pushing for legalization of online gambling in the state.
Zynga Hires Former 888 Poker Exec in Sign They Are Moving Towards ‘Real Money’ Play
Zynga, the world’s largest free-to-play online poker social gaming company, has reportedly hired Maytal Ginzburg Olsha, the former Senior Vice President of Corporate and Regulated Markets at 888 Holdings, the parent company of 888 Poker.
Zynga fouder and CEO Mark Pincus told analysts back in July that the company intended to have “real money” play ready for early 2013.
Zynga has seen its stock price plummet in recent months as a number of high ranking executives have chosen to leave the firm.
DOJ to Full Tilt Poker Head Howard Lederer: ‘Cry Me a River (Card)’
The Department of Justice has rejected a request by Howard Lederer’s attorneys to reconsider their client’s case on the grounds that poker was recently ruled a “game of skill” by a respected New York Supreme Court judge.
Last Man Standing Online Poker Endurance Test Begins September 1, 2012
It is the last day of August and no matter their bankroll size or regular game, players all across the Carbon Poker platform are geared up for the Last Man Standing promotion beginning tomorrow, September 2, 2012.
Four Poker Tells You Can Believe In From Expert Player Mike Caro
The legendary poker pro Mike Caro has published four poker tells he considers critical and almost 100 percent on the money, so to speak.
What are they?
First, those who buy-in with low amounts and are attempting to hide their money will almost always play conservatively. Those who flash their funds will play recklessly.
Second, players who look at their cards and then gaze away from the action are usually intending to bet or raise.
888 Online Poker is Great, Playtech Good Things Might Come to Those Who Wait
It’s a tale of two cities when discussing recent performances of top five leading online poker ventures, 888 and Playtech.
While 888 Poker, the world’s number four online poker company in terms of overall traffic, claimed this week that poker was the primary reason for its 70 percent increase in revenue for the first half of 2012, Playtech, operator of the world’s second biggest Internet poker network, iPoker, reported less-than-stellar results on the poker side of its business.
Not All Republicans on Same Page When It Comes to Legalizing Online Poker
It emerged this week that the Republican platform features wording that would look to quash the multi-billion dollar online gambling sector, and presumably Internet poker.
Millions of Americans suffer from problem or pathological gambling that can destroy families. We support the prohibition of gambling over the Internet and call for reversal of the Justice Department’s decision distorting the formerly accepted meaning of the Wire Act that could open the door to Internet betting.
Josh Hale Wins 2012 WPT Legends of Poker
Josh Hale was declared the winner of the 2012 World Poker Tour Legends of Poker held at the Bicycle Casino outside of Los Angeles. The win yielded $500,000.
Hale, a relative unknown, defeated a field of 622 players over a five day period at the $3500 buy-in event. He also managed to beat out million dollar plus live tournament career winners Max Steinberg and Jeff Madsen, among others.
Saskatchewan Looks to Host Online Gambling Through GEOBet
The GEObet Gambling Network is pleased to announce that it is currently exploring opportunities with Saskatchewan First Nations to develop an online gaming solution that will extend the reach of the Saskatchewan First Nation Gaming network operated in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan.
GEObet has made several presentations, including to the recent Special Indian Gaming Assembly in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. All parties are confident that agreements will meet and exceed Saskatchewan First Nations’ expectations of igaming.
2012 Punta Cana Poker Classic Online Qualifiers Now Available at Carbon Poker
The winter may not be here yet in the middle of October but who wouldn’t want to go to the Dominican Republic for a week-plus then and play a little poker anyways?
