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.

Kevin ‘Civell’ Vandersmissen Latest Lock Pro: Jackpot at Over $800K

With live tournament cashes across multiple countries and continents including two EPT runner-up finishes, Kevin ‘Civell’ Vandersmissen has already amassed $863,633 in live winnings and over $550,000 online, placing the young 23 year old pro from Belgium at 3rd on the Belgium All Time Money List. He has quickly earned major respect on the live circuit as well as the virtual felt, having recently been ranked in the top 1% online, 115th in the Epic Poker League’s Global Poker Index (GPI), 144th in the 2011 BLUFF/ESPN Power Rankings and 148th in the 2011 Cardplayer POY race.

Submitted by Ace King on, Jan/07/2012

Suspects in Jonathan Duhamel Home Invasion Like Drinking, Being Promiscuous and the Law

When asked during a bail hearing Thursday what interests a woman charged in the home invasion of World Series of Poker champion Jonathan Duhamel, Bianca Rojas Latraverse responded with a smirk:  “I really like law”.

Submitted by Ace King on, Jan/06/2012

Joran Van Der Sloot Erratic Courtroom Behavior (Video)

Joran van der Sloot, the Dutchman accused of killing a young Peruvian college student, Stephany Flores, stopped short of pleading guilty on Friday after expressing apprehension over some of the charges.

Submitted by Ace King on, Jan/06/2012

Van der Sloot May Plead Guilty

The Dutchman accused of killing a Peruvian woman he met in a casino while attending the Latin American Poker Tour may plead guilty to the murder.  Joran van der Sloot is accused of killing college student Stephany Flores in May of 2010.  He has long been the prime suspect in the disappearance of High School grad Natalee Holloway on the island of Aruba nearly 7 years ago. 

Submitted by Ace King on, Jan/06/2012

Person-to-Person Fees Waived at Americas Card Room, Christie Favors Online Gambling, More

A popular method now for transferring money at online poker rooms is via person-to-person.  Americas Cardroom has just made life easier by waiving fees on such transfers.

Submitted by Ace King on, Jan/06/2012

Carbon Poker Bad Beat Jackpot Nears $800,000

Some lucky winner (or loser, depending on how you look at it) is about to walk away with more than $800,000 a la the Carbon Poker Bad Beat Jackpot

Submitted by Guest on, Jan/06/2012

Irish Poker Open 2012 Schedule Announced

PaddyPower.com has revealed the entire Irish Poker Open 2012 schedule, which kicks off 5 April at the famed Burlington Hotel in Dublin.  Seven side events in addition to the €3,500 Irish Open Main Event have poker players licking their respective chops. 

Below is the full Irish Poker Open 2012 Schedule

Submitted by Guest on, Jan/06/2012

High Stakes Poker News: Isildur1 Up One Day, Down The Other

Isildur1, also known as Viktor Blom, continued his rollercoaster ride winning close to $200K yesterday then lost $278.  Nevertheless, he is up $1.7 million in the past month. 

From HighStakesDB.com:

Submitted by Patrick Flanigan on, Jan/05/2012

UConn Poker Addict Balks at Proposed Legalization of Internet Poker in State

A UConn graduate claims that Internet poker nearly destroyed his life and balks at the idea that Connecticut and other states might consider legalizing the activity.

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on, Jan/05/2012

Jonathan Duhamel Ex Girlfriend Planned Home Invasion: Tipster Was Part of Threesome

The former girlfriend of 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event winner Jonathan Duhamel is alleged to have planned the forced entry and robbery of his home outside of Montreal just days before Christmas (both are pictured).  A woman who participated in a ménage à trois with the couple just months before the attack acted as a tipster. 

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on, Jan/05/2012

Cake Poker Awards First $10,000 
Gold Card Prize of January

Three days into January and Cake Poker has already awarded its first $10,000 prize to player, powerhaus555, in its month long Match & Win promotion. In this, Cake Poker’s richest Match & Win promotion ever, any player who receives a 2012 Gold Card Ace at the cash game tables, can redeem it for a prize of up to $10,000 in cash throughout January.

Submitted by Guest on, Jan/05/2012

How Internet Poker in the US Might Look in Next 12 Months: Think Powerball Model

With the US Department of Justice changing its stance on applying The Wire Act to Internet poker, individual states now have the green light to begin offering real money play to their citizens.

The vast majority of states do not have the population necessary to support a viable player pool, however. 

Case in point:  Nevada has already passed a law that would allow real money intrastate play but its under 4 million residents will only allow for a handful of profitable businesses, and that is being somewhat overly optimistic. 

Submitted by C Costigan on, Jan/05/2012

Lesniak Working With Governor Christie to Bring Internet Gambling to New Jersey

New Jersey State Senator Raymond Lesniak is wasting little time in getting a bill drafted that would legalize Internet gambling in the Garden State and he may have a very powerful ally. 

Lesniak advised that he met with Governor Chris Christie and the two seem to be in agreement:  Internet gambling in New Jersey could prove lucrative for the state’s stagnant economy.

Submitted by C Costigan on, Jan/05/2012

Joran van Der Sloot Finally Will Have His Day in Court

The Dutchman accused of killing Peruvian college student Stephany Flores will stand trial beginning tomorrow (January 6, 2012). 

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on, Jan/05/2012

Politico: DOJ New Stance on Internet Gambling Splits Tribes

A new ruling by the Department of Justice stipulating that The Wire Act no longer applies to online poker has caused a split between the Indian tribes in the US.  The tribes have long resisted legalized Internet gambling. 

From Politico.com

Submitted by Patrick Flanigan on, Jan/05/2012

Lock Poker POY to Kick Off With CardPlayer: Duhamel Ex Pleads Not Guilty, More

Big news as, not only is Lock Poker sponsoring CardPlayer.com’s Player Of The Year for 2012, they will also be presenting their own Lock Pro Player Of The Year.

“These are exciting times and we will be announcing a few new Pros signing very shortly,” said Jennifer Larson, CEO of the popular Lock Poker

The Card Player Player Of The Year was started in 1997 and is considered the industry standard. 

Submitted by Ace King on, Jan/04/2012

Would You Play at South Point Poker in US for Real Money?

The poker community in the US is excited about the prospects of South Point Poker eventually opening its doors to real money play, quite possibly in early 2012. 

South Point Poker, a proud sponsor of the Gambling911.com website, is the first Las Vegas based casino to offer an online poker site, albeit for free play only at the present time (note:  this could change if you happen to be reading this article post-January 2012). 

Submitted by Ace King on, Jan/04/2012

Duhamel Wouldn’t Have Been Sitting Duck in USA

In a tongue-in-cheek essay earlier this month about New Year's resolutions we'd like to see from poker players, Gambling911.com joked that 2010 WSOP Main Event champ Jonathan Duhamel, who was recently beaten and robbed in a home invasion, should resolve to buy a home security system and some guns.

In all reality, however, Duhamel, who lives in suburban Montreal, really can't buy a handgun to protect himself or his home, because under strict Canadian anti-gun laws, it's almost impossible for a private Canadian citizen to legally get a handgun!

Submitted by Thomas Somach on, Jan/04/2012

UK Online Gambling Tax Could Backfire

The United Kingdom is proposing a point of consumption tax on online gambling of 10 percent that could force current operators offshore. 

In anticipation of this tax, William Hill conducted its own study and found the following, a la the Telegraph:

Submitted by Gilbert Horowitz on, Jan/04/2012

Suspects in Jonathan Dahamel Home Invasion to Appear in Court Today

Four individuals charged in a brazen home invasion outside of Montreal, Quebec will appear in court today.  They are alleged to have forced their way into the home of 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event winner Jonathan Duhamel just days before Christmas.  One of the suspects is a former girlfriend who accompanied the pro to this year’s WSOP in Las Vegas.  Duhamel was badly beaten during the attack. 

Submitted by Ace King on, Jan/04/2012

Action Poker Network Now Chico Poker Network: Players Still May Be Leery

Following an announcement that PlaySafe had sold its Action Poker Network to Seychelles-based Julian International Holdings Limited, players were hopeful they may start to see their payouts in a more expedient fashion. 

For the past several months, the Action Poker Network has taken weeks – if not months – to pay players despite not allowing US customers.  Poker players in the US have come to expect intermittent longer delays due to the lack of payment processing ventures available.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Jan/04/2012

New Jersey State Senator Raymond Lesniak Not Wasting Time With Online Gambling Move

Following his success at getting a referendum to pass legalizing sports betting in the state this past November, State Senator Raymond Lesniak was quick to jump on the Internet gambling bandwagon even before most of us were through nursing our New Year’s Eve hangovers.

Submitted by C Costigan on, Jan/03/2012

More Stars Defections: Online Poker Traffic Up 0.1 Percent

British star John Duthie decided against extending his contract with the world’s biggest online poker room, PokerStars.  He is the latest in a series of pros who have either decided not to stick around with Stars or have otherwise been cut.

PokerStars, while being named in an infamous April 15 indictment by the US Government, has managed to continue running without a hitch.  All US players were paid in a timely fashion after the company was forced to flee that market. 

Duthie was the European Poker Tour (EPT) 2004 winner.

Submitted by Ace King on, Jan/03/2012

Online Gambling Fight Now About Who, When….Not If

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The fight to fully legalize online gambling in the U.S. is now less about whether Americans will be able to play and more about who will bring the action to them — and when.

A recent U.S. Justice Department opinion opened the door for cash-strapped states and their lotteries to bring online gambling to their residents, as long as it does not involve sports betting.

Submitted by Guest on, Jan/03/2012

Online Poker Tournaments in January 2012 Offering Double the Guarantees

Poker players at Americas Cardroom this January have a good reason to do a double take. The online poker site is starting the year off right by doubling the guarantees in all tournaments for four days straight.

Submitted by Guest on, Jan/03/2012

Chico Poker Network Enters US Market?

The Action Poker Network has been sold and rebranded as Chico Poker.  The Seychelles-based Julian International Holdings Limited took over the Action brands, which included TigerGaming.com, PokerInCanada.com and PayNoRake.com

Submitted by Ace King on, Jan/02/2012

Nothing New With Groupe Tappie Full Tilt Poker Talks With US Government

PokerNews.com spoke this week to the US-based attorney representing Groupe Tappie’s interest in Full Tilt Poker, stating that there was nothing new in regard to any attempts at reaching a settlement with the US Justice Department.  The DOJ seized millions of dollars from Full Tilt Poker on April 15, indicted two of the company’s executives and FTP has failed to pay US players since. 

Attorney Behnam Dayanim told PokerNews.com:

Submitted by Ace King on, Jan/02/2012

Poker Players New Year’s Resolutions We’d Like to See for 2012

The two most common New Year's resolutions are vowing to either lose weight or quit smoking.

But when you're involved in the gambling industry, your resolutions for the New Year usually aren't so mundane.

So what are the resolutions for 2012 for some of the noted figures in the industry?

Well, they haven't told us--yet--so we can only tell you the 2012 New Year's Resolutions We'd Like To See:

Submitted by Thomas Somach on, Jan/02/2012

Americas Cardroom Special $75,000 Online Poker Tournament With $3 Satellites

Americas Cardroom on Monday announced $75,000 on the table in a special poker tournament January 29th. When everyone screamed Happy New Year on January 1st, this is what they were talking about.

ACR is making January extra thrilling for you with this special $75k GTD. It gets underway on January 29th at 6:00pm ET. The buy-in is only $109 (1R+1A). 5,000 starting chips, 7,500 rebuy chips, 10,000 add-on chips. Satellites are running now for as low as $3.

Submitted by Guest on, Jan/02/2012

American Tribal Casino Industry: DOJ Stance No Big Deal

The US Department of Justice decision not to apply online poker to The Wire Act had the Indian Tribes greeting the news with a shrug of the shoulders, claims Gail Courey Toensing of the Indian Country News.   

Toensing referenced Indian gaming expert Joe Valandra.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Jan/02/2012

Breaking News

Instant Cash – Getting Quick Withdrawals from Online Casinos

Ever won big at an online casino only to wait days, or even weeks, to see that money? Nothing kills the thrill of hitting a jackpot faster than watching your withdrawal request sit in pending limbo. In current conditions, players want their winnings now.