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.

BetCRIS.com Punta Cana Poker Qualifiers Were Huge in South America

A few years back, BetCRIS.com decided to focus its primary attention on the Latin American market.  In fact, they completely exited the North American market all together.

As a result, BetCRIS has become the biggest online gambling website in Latin America that caters to both poker players and sports bettors.

Submitted by Payton on, Nov/11/2011

Punta Cana Poker Classic 2011 Final Table Announced

The Punta Cana Poker Classic 2011 Final Table has been determined just shortly after 7 pm local time.  Alberto Fonseca of Costa Rica has been eliminated in 10th place.   Both he and his son were in the money.

The finalists appear below.  We will have the chip count later on coming into Saturday’s final.

Jose de le Guardia

Engelberth Varela

Carlos Sobenes

Submitted by C Costigan on, Nov/11/2011

Jessica Perez Eliminated From Punta Cana Poker Classic

After a great run, Cuban poker player Jessica Perez has been knocked out of the Punta Cana Poker Classic 2011 in 11th place.  Only one other female remained as the Final table was to be determined. 

CrazyJulius provided us with the breakdown….

Submitted by C Costigan on, Nov/11/2011

Caesar’s Head Gary Loveman: “$5 Billion From Internet Poker in US a Conservative Figure”

Caesars Entertainment Corp. Chairman Gary Loveman, speaking during the company's third-quarter earnings conference call with analysts, said he believed his casino operation would have an Internet poker site up and running within 12 to 14 months of legislation passing in the US.  He also balked at the idea that the industry would take in a mere $5 billion.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Nov/11/2011

27 Left at Punta Cana Poker Classic 2011: Phil Nagy Out!

Submitted by C Costigan on, Nov/11/2011

Punta Cana Classic 2011 Bubble Boy Is….

The poor sap who was on the bubble managed to get eliminated just before making it into the cashout category of 50 players Thursday evening.

Jose Luis Ruiz is our bubble boy.  Jose Luis min-raise to 15,000, the small blinds moves out of the way and Jared Pacifie comes over the top, Jared made it to around 120,000 and put Jose’s life at risk. Jose thinks for a few minutes and decided to make the call.

Submitted by Payton on, Nov/11/2011

WSOP Champ Pius Heinz The "Poker Pope" in Native Germany

2011 World Series of Poker champ Pius Heinz received a heroes welcome of sorts in his native Germany, where he is being hailed as the “Poker Pope”.

Heinz is the first German to win a WSOP main event.  The 22-year-old from Cologne is bound to draw plenty of attention having won a whopping $8.7 million and some change.

Afterwards, he celebrated with fellow third place finisher and “Poker Player of the Year” Ben Lamb.

Submitted by Ace King on, Nov/10/2011

Tatjana Pasalic at the Punta Cana Poker Classic: “I Think It’s Awesome”

Sadly, the three big name Bodog Poker female pros, Tatjana Pasalic, Amanda Leatherman and Evelyn Ng all busted out of the 2011 Punta Cana Poker Classic before making the top 50 in-the-money.

Submitted by Payton on, Nov/10/2011

Remaining Punta Cana Poker Classic Players Now in the Money

At approximately 10:45 pm local time Thursday evening, the 51st player was eliminated from this year’s Punta Cana Poker Classic.  He goes home with….well….nothing.

50th place through 1st place will all finish in the money. 

Among the notables still in:  Panamanian pros Bolivar Palacios and Jose Miguel de la Guardia. 

Submitted by C Costigan on, Nov/10/2011

Punta Cana Poker Classic Day 2 Underway

Day 2 of the Punta Cana Poker Classic 2011 was underway with the field dropping fast.  A dinner break was going from 7 pm local time to around 8 pm with play expected to last throughout the late evening. 

It was a beautiful day here in Punta Cana with sunny skies and a brisk breeze off the ocean.  The Gambling911.com crew spent much of the day sipping Pina Coladas on the beach as play was about to resume.

Someone on Saturday was going to win $136,950.  Gambling911.com will be here to break the news who wins when it happens. 

Enjoy these pics….

Submitted by Payton on, Nov/10/2011

Follow Up Hearing On Internet Poker Scheduled

The US Government is inching closer to legalizing Internet poker as a follow up hearing has just been scheduled for November 18.  Once again, the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade will oversee the hearing. A list of speakers is yet to be finalized.

Last month’s hearing focused mostly on the pros of online poker with concerns expressed over Indian gaming sovereignty, under aged gambling and collusion in card rooms, specifically how to prevent so-called “bots”.

Submitted by C Costigan on, Nov/10/2011

Jessica Perez of Cuba Making Waves at Punta Cana Classic: Tears Shed by Some

Cuban player Jessica Perez was among the chip leaders ending play early Thursday morning at this year’s Punta Cana Poker Classic.  A total of 415 players ultimately registered.  The second annual event required a room three times the size of last year’s event, which featured just over 200 players. 

Submitted by C Costigan on, Nov/10/2011

Punta Cana Poker Classic 1st Prize Will be $136,950

Submitted by Payton on, Nov/09/2011

Humberto Brenes Does a “Chayote” on Felipe Montenegro

Famed Costa Rican poker pro Humberto Brenes eliminated fellow countryman Felipe Montenegro from the Punta Cana Poker Classic with what organizers were calling a “Chayote”.

Here we go with our somewhat haphazard explanation of what a “chayote” is:

Submitted by Payton on, Nov/09/2011

Barry Greenstein and Linda Johnson Inducted into Poker Hall of Fame

Barry Greenstein and Linda Johnson were officially inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame Tuesday. 

“Poker’s enabled me to see the world. I’ve gotten to play in 3o countries. Poker’s allowed me to give back,” said Johnson, who is one of the founders of PokerGives.org. “Poker’s made me believe that you’re never too old to learn. These young guys have taught me to three-bet and four-bet with air.”

Submitted by Ace King on, Nov/09/2011

Punta Cana Poker Classic 2011 Kicks Off

Over 450 registered and several more walk-ins were taking part in the Punta Cana Poker Classic 2011 and Gambling911.com is covering the event right through Sunday.

Play kicked off Tuesday November 9 at 3 pm local time.

Last year, Peter Cross defeated a tought field of 204 players to receive the first place prize.

The event exceeded turnout expectations in its inaugural event in 2010 by more than doubling its $100,000 guaranteed prize pool to more than $200,000.

Submitted by C Costigan on, Nov/09/2011

More Than 450 Registered for 2nd Annual Punta Cana Poker Classic… Now Under Way

Players from around the world have gathered in beautiful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic for the second annual Punta Cana Poker Classic, which has just gotten under way at 3 pm local island time (1 hour before Eastern) Wednesday afternoon November 9.

Submitted by Payton on, Nov/09/2011

Scotty Nguyen on Winning the WSOP Main Event: “Baby, Just Relax!” (Must See Video)

World Series of Poker Main Event winner Scotty Nguyen says it’s harder to win now than it was over a decade ago when he took home the bracelet.

“Now you have to deal with more players,” he said.  “You know Baby!”

He added:  “You cannot count on luck all the time, skill will bring you home.”

As for the final three players coming into Tuesday night, Nguyen predicted a win for Pius Heinz, who ultimately won it all early Wednesday morning.

Submitted by Ace King on, Nov/09/2011

German Pius Heinz Wins 2011 World Series of Poker

German poker player Pius Heinz has won the World Series of Poker main event.

The 22-year-old walks away with $8.72 million in cash along with the WSOP bracelet.

"Honestly I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the money," Heinz said early Wednesday after winning the main event in a marathon session of Texas Hold 'em. "Probably my family is going to get a couple gifts."

He added:  "It's got to be the happiest day of my life," Heinz said. "But I can't believe what happened — it's unreal."

Submitted by Ace King on, Nov/09/2011

Chaos In Punta Cana as 1st Prize Likely to be Near $200K

With close to 450 registered to play at this year’s Punta Cana Poker Classic, Gambling911.com can confirm that another close to 100 walk-ins arrived late in the evening Tuesday.  With the combined registrations and walk-ins, this year’s $500,000 guaranteed Punta Cana Poker Classic could present a prize of close to $180,000, officials suggested.   

Submitted by C Costigan on, Nov/08/2011

Ben Lamb Out Fast at World Series of Poker Final Three

Ben Lamb was the first to go of the three remaining poker players at this year’s World Series of Poker final.  Play resumed Tuesday with three remaining players.  Six of the finalists were eliminated on Sunday.

Lamb is widely considered the most likely candidate to receive “Poker Player of the Year” honors.  He was already named the “WSOP Player of the Year” for 2011. 

Pius Heinz of Germany and Martin Staszko were vying for the $8.72 million grand prize.

Submitted by Ace King on, Nov/08/2011

Fast Folding Not a Violation of 70 Billionth Hand Promotion Says PokerStars

Following a controversy that surrounded the PokerStars 70 billionth hand promotion, the online poker site was forced to issue a statement insisting there were no rules broken.

Players insisted that “collusion” had occurred as the individual awarded with the 70 billionth hand had been soft-folding his cards over the previous fifteen minutes with a partner.

From PokerNewsReport.com: 

Submitted by Ace King on, Nov/08/2011

World’s Largest Poker Tournament: PokerStars Tries to Break Own Record

PokerStars is attempting to break its own record for the largest poker tournament ever held. 

The world’s largest online poker room announced an online micro-stakes MTT that will be held on December 4 costing a mere $1 to enter and with a $250,000 guaranteed prize pool.  150,000 players were expected to enter. 

PokerStars can host approximately 16,000 tables on its servers. 

Last week, PokerStars had its 70 billionth hand.

- Ace King, Gambling911.com

Submitted by Ace King on, Nov/08/2011

Bwin.party Shares Stable: Benefit Heavily From Full Tilt Poker Closure

Bwin.party reported a year-on-year revenue growth of 3 percent in the third quarter, benefiting from the abrupt closure of what had been the world’s second largest online poker firm, Full Tilt Poker.

According to Sharecast.com, third quarter pro-forma revenue of €201.1m was up from €194.7m in the third quarter of last year, ahead of the €194m Panmure Gordon had been predicting, and up 9% on the second quarter.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Nov/08/2011

Black Friday Bank Shut Down

A bank implicated in the processing of funds for three of the world’s largest online poker rooms last April 15 has finally been shut down.

SunFirst Bank in Saint George, Utah, was closed down by US Feds at the close of last week.  It is the 87th bank of 2011 to fail. 

The US Justice Department alleges that Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars and UB.com enticed officials of SunFirst to disguise online poker transactions as dog food and golf balls.  Executives of the three online poker companies were charged with money laundering and bank fraud as a result. 

Submitted by C Costigan on, Nov/07/2011

Odds to Win the 2011 World Series of Poker – Final 3

The odds to win the 2011 World Series of Poker Final 3 were now available for betting heading into Tuesday November 8 with 6 eliminations taking place on Sunday. 

Germany’s Pius Heinz was the near even favorite as the chip leader while Martin Staszko of the Czech Republic was listed with 4/1 odds and Ben Lamb at 12/5. 

Pius Heinz even (107,800,000 in chips)
Martin Staszko 4/1 (42,700,000)
Ben Lamb 12/5 (55,400,000)

Heinz has only won $108,318 to date in live poker tournaments with two cashes. 

Submitted by Patrick Flanigan on, Nov/07/2011

South Point Poker Joins The Gambling911.com Family

In case you haven’t seen their banners flashing all over the site, we at Gambling911.com would like to officially welcome South Point Poker on board as the first Las Vegas Internet poker room.

“We are very thrilled to have them on board,” noted Payton O’Brien, Senior Editor of the Gambling911.com website.  “Their entry ushers in a new era of legalized US-based casinos now offering online poker rooms.”

For now, the site will be free-to-play, however, the incentives are enormous.

Submitted by Gilbert Horowitz on, Nov/07/2011

2011 World Series of Poker Final Three

The 2011 World Series of Poker Final was down to three players heading into Tuesday’s remaining play, which will ultimately determine this year’s winner.

The three players left standing were as follows:

Seat    Player    Chips

1    Pius Heinz    107,800,000 (Germany)

2    Ben Lamb    55,400,000 (USA)

3    Martin Staszko    42,700,000 (Czech Republic)

Ben Lamb is vying to become this year’s Poker Player of the Year and will probably already receive the honor after making it this far in the WSOP Main Event.

Submitted by Ace King on, Nov/07/2011

2011 WSOP Final Table Eliminations

The first of the 2011 WSOP Final Table eliminations occurred on Sunday with the final two playing against one another on Tuesday to determine the winner of this year’s World Series of Poker Main Event.

Anton Makiievskyi was eliminated in eighth and Sam Holden of Great Britain went out in ninth place.  Badih Bounahra, a 49-year-old grocery wholesaler from Belize, finished seventh after gambling the last of his chips with an ace-five.

Submitted by Ace King on, Nov/06/2011

Breaking News

Circa Rumors Escalate

Derek Stevens, owner of the famed Circa Casino and Sportsbook in Las Vegas, had many folks talking Monday morning following a recent post.