Internet Poker 24/7
CAKE POKER LAUNCHES POKER PROS NETWORK
2011-02-22
Bouncing back from the loss of Doyle's Room?
The Cake Poker Network appears to have a strategy to counter the recent loss of Doyle's Room (see previous InfoPowa reports), launching the new Poker Pros Network this month through CDV Software Development, a company registered in Panama and operated from Costa Rica.
Poker Pros Network is being presented as a unique concept in online poker, offering players the opportunity to pit their skills against some 35 top players in private games and other poker related events around the clock.
The pro team has some impressive names such as Hall of Famers T.J.Cloutier, Barbara Enright and Marsha Waggoner; top tournament stars like Paul Darden, David Levi and Chris Reslock; noted authors and poker coaches like Vince Burgio and Chris "Fox" Wallace and online specialistslike Krazy Kanuck, Josh Brikis and Brandon Jarrett.
Just to get the ball rolling, Cake is offering first-time players on its network a deposit bonus of up to $500.00 in its Pro Bounty series.
ONLINE POKER - NEW INITIATIVE IN CALIFORNIA (Update)
2010-12-08
Democrat launches new attempt at legalisation
You have to say one thing for the Morongo tribal band in California - their determination to corner a chunk of the internet poker action in the sunshine state is pretty impressive.
This week the news surfaced that the tribe, which previously allied itself with California cardrooms in a similar quest, is involved in the latest attempt to legalise online poker in California, a legislative proposal launched Monday by Santa Ana Democrat Senator Louis Carrea.
The San Bernardino-based San Manuel Band - another tribal casino owner - is the third party in the drive.
The LA Times reports that Sen. Correa's proposed Senate Bill 40 may be an attempt to get an intra-state system in place before Senator Harry Reid's reportedly federal launch of similar legislation (see previous InfoPowa reports) gains traction.
SB40 makes provision for select tribes and others to run state-sanctioned Internet poker games, with a cut of the action going to state coffers, the newspaper reports.
"People play offshore now. All of that money goes offshore," Correa told the LA Times. "What we’re trying to do is take a whole exploding industry that is illegal (in California) and make it legal and tax it to fund state services."
Correa apparently acknowledges that other Californian tribes have concerns about the proposal, which critics say has the potential to let select tribes operate Internet poker websites that would take customers away from brick-and-mortar casinos.
There are also fears that Indian tribes that oppose online gambling for competitive reasons may resurrect their threats to withhold payments to the state from slot machines if Internet poker is allowed. This strategy was reportedly effective in helping to derail a similar measure introduced last legislative session by Sen. Roderick Wright (see previous InfoPowa reports.)
NEW TELEVISED POKER SERIES
2010-10-01
Eurosport to screen ‘The Cash Game Battle”
Televison production company Emblaze has announced that it has started production of a new televised poker series for the Eurosport channel titled ‘The Cash Game Battle.’
The series will be broadcast in Britain and France and is produced in association with Eurosport Poker which is currently hosting online qualifying events. Actual filming is scheduled to start in London on November 18th 2010.
The ‘Cash Game Battle’ will feature top English and French poker pros, including Liv Boeree and Neil Channing representing England. French pros will include Basile Yaische aka Basou, Marc Inizan aka Locsta and Ludovic Lacay aka Sir Cuts.
This will be the first event of its kind as internet qualifiers also compete in this France versus England themed event. Internet qualifiers will each be given Euro 5 000 to play with from which they will keep any profit made.
The TV series will screen from December 3rd 2010 with 7 episodes airing weekly both in the UK and in France. Qualifiers are currently running on www.eurosportbet.co.uk
James Hopkins, founder and managing director of Emblaze Productions, said “We are looking forward to producing this unique series alongside Eurosport and Eurosport Poker and launching what promises to be a thrilling new European Cash Game event.”
Mark Cooper, UK manager for Eurosport Poker, said “We are pleased to enter the TV poker arena with a unique cash game that will focus on the best players the UK has to offer against the French Pro’s. We are also pleased to announce that we will be offering two seats at the same table for internet qualifiers from the UK and France.”
AMERICANS WANT LEGALISED ONLINE POKER
2010-07-23
PPA chairman reminds US lawmakers that millions of players have made their wishes known.
Writing in an op-ed article in the Washington DC publication Politico this week, the chairman of the Poker Players Alliance, former Senator Alphonse D'Amato reminded US lawmakers that large numbers of American poker fans have repeatedly demanded that internet poker be legalised and regulated.
D'Amato points out that in addition to ongoing demands, there have been two highly publicised internet petitions in which players have made their views known.
Under the liberty and freedom section of the new GOP website America Speaking Out, more Americans voted to legalise Internet poker than weighed in on any other issue, D'Amato notes, adding that in an earlier initiative when then president-elect Barack Obama solicited ideas on his new website, www.change.gov, legalising Internet poker was one of the two top issues (see previous InfoPowa report).
"It would be easy to dismiss this as a coincidence or as a manufactured grass-roots campaign, but there is more to this story," D'Amato writes. "There are plenty of issues that face the American people and plenty of big trade groups to push those issues.
"But it takes real passion to get people to take valuable time out of their day to log on to these websites, give up a portion of their privacy and cast their vote for an issue. So it is extraordinary that making Internet poker legal consistently ranks as a top issue for the American people."
The former Senator goes on to comment that it is fashionable these days for politicians to ask for voters’ input about what they want from their government, but he asks: "When will it become fashionable for these politicians to actually listen to the voters?"
He describes the current position, where the government has tried to prohibit online poker by deputising U.S. banks to play the morality police [via the UIGEA] as "bizarre."
"Proponents of the law say that it helps deter kids from playing poker in their bedrooms. But there is little evidence to suggest that this law has deterred kids from playing poker," D'Amato opines. "In fact, playing Internet poker is still easy to do for just about everybody. Instead of playing in a more regulated industry, the law has created an environment where there is no federal oversight — because there are no U.S. companies to regulate.
"By refusing to regulate this industry, the federal government has also decided to refuse to tax it. That means that billions of dollars in potential tax revenue go uncollected. This is just about the only industry I know of that has basically begged to be taxed — only to be ignored by politicians who refuse to listen to the desires of the American people," he adds.
D'Amato describes the latest [HR2267] federal attempt to legalise online poker, describing the initiative in supportive terms.
"These are positive signs that somebody, somewhere, in Congress is starting to listen to the desires of the American people," he writes.
"The freedom to play poker is not one of the rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights. But when the Founding Fathers conceived of a new nation, they never dreamed that someday Congress would dream up a law to ban that particular freedom — especially when such a ban was so clearly against the wishes of the American people.
"What the Founders did envision was a government that would necessarily listen to the wishes and demands of those who sent them to Washington in the first place.
"The American people are saying loudly and clearly: 'Repeal this silly law.' The question today is: Are the politicians listening?"
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/40105.html
LIVE POKER TOUR FROM ONGAME
2010-06-17
Online poker giant collaborating with Betsafe, Betsson and RedKings
Bwin’s major online poker subsidiary Ongame Network has unveiled GSOP Live, a new live poker tour created in collaboration with network partners Betsafe, Betsson and RedKings.
GSOP Live 2010/2011 has been designed as a premium, four-stop tour across Europe, boasting accessible buy-ins, side events, first-class casino venues and a Grand Final seat via a live event leaderboard.
August 2010 sees the start of online finals across the Ongame Network, guaranteeing 50 prize packages to each event, and giving players the opportunity to win seats at the live tables.
The GSOP Live season 1 schedule is as follows:
• GSOP Live Riga, hosted by Betsafe, 5-9 October 2010 in Riga, Latvia
• GSOP Live Malta, hosted by Betsson, 24-28 November 2010 in St. Julian’s, Malta
• GSOP Live Budapest, hosted by RedKings, 3-6 February 2011 in Budapest, Hungary
• GSOP Live Grand Final, 13-16 April 2011 in Seville, Spain
The GSOP Live tour leverages Ongame Network’s most successful online tournament – the Grand Series of Poker – and the player recognition that Betsafe, Betsson and RedKings bring.
Each partner is an equal participant in the tour organisation, adding the player perspective combined with live event know-how to Ongame Network’s online tournament expertise.
“GSOP Live is different. It is a live tour open to everyone who loves the serious fun of competitive poker. It also showcases Ongame Network’s inclusive approach, as three partners have joined forces with us to launch this exciting network-wide product,” said Martin Lerby, Head of Ongame Network.
“Betsafe strives to give players a great playing experience and being part of a live poker tour that is so easily accessible to so many players is perfect for us,“ said Henrik Persson, CEO of Betsafe.
“Offering high-quality products is very important to Betsson and we are delighted to be one of the organising partners of the GSOP Live poker tour in co-operation with Ongame Network. Extending our poker to further offline events is ensuring we meet our players demand and keep our poker room competitive,” said Magnus Grinneback, Business Area Director of Betsson.
“GSOP Live gives RedKings significant exposure in an attractive mix of established and up-and-coming geographical markets, both at the online and live poker tables,” said Michael Golembo, CEO of RedKings.
Readers will find full information on the new offering at gsoplive.com.
BEIRUT PRO WINS POKER GRAND FINAL IN MONTE CARLO
2010-05-03
23-year-old takes home Euro 1.7 million after qualifying in a $22 online satellite
The 2010 Pokerstars European Poker Tour Grand Final is in the books after almost a week of tough action in Monte Carlo that featured major names in the game. The event attracted 848 entries, creating a Euros 8 480 000 prize pool in the tour's sixth season.
This year the respect and the massive Euro 1.7 million main prize went to Beirut pro Nicolas Chouity (23), who qualified through a $22 online satellite.
Chouity produced an impressive performance throughout, entering final table action with a massive chip lead of 6.61 million over his nearest rivals, Mesbah Guerfi and Andrew Chen, both on 3.67 million.
Other players who made the final table were Herve Costa (1.59 million); Roger Hairabedian (1.13 million); Aleh Plauski, (1.695 million); Dominykas Karmazinas (2.285 million); and Josef Klinger (1.17 million)
Chouity personally eliminated most of the opposition in maintaining his dominance of the game through to the heads up against Josef Klinger, where the young Lebanese player enjoyed a 4 to 1 chip lead which he quickly deployed to defeat his last opponent.
Klinger’s runner-up prize was a cool Euro 1 million, and third-placed Dominykas Karmazinas collected a check for Euro 700 000.
The excitement in Monte Carlo did not end with the Grand Final, as 113 top players - up from 78 at last year’s event - took their seats after ponying up Euros 25 000 apiece to compete in the EPT Grand Final High Roller event.
Among those competing as the action started was Daniel Negreanu, Gus Hansen, Tony G, Johannes Strassman, Lex Veldhuis, Barry Greenstein, Humberto Brenes, Dario Minieri, Sorel Mizzi, Jason Mercier and Vanessa Rousso, who won the event last year.
Rousso will not be repeating her triumph this year, having been eliminated on the first day.
Other Day 1 casualties included Erik Seidel, Carlos Mortensen, Barry Greenstein, Daniel Negreanu, Michael “Timex” McDonald and Boris Becker.
Only 41 players remained at the end of the day, led by Tobias Reinkemeier with 457 300 chips, ahead of nearest rival Luke Schwartz with 300 500 and Markus Golser in third position with a chip stack of 291 000.
In this event, only the last eight players cash, with prizes ranging from Euros 85 000 to the winner’s Euros 1 million. The top three places include a Euros 350 000 difference between third and second place prizes and a significant Euros 350 000 difference between second and first placings.
Day 2 saw twelve hours of play in which Yvegeny Timoshenko, Gus Hansen, William Thorson, last year’s Grand Final runner-up Matt Woodward and Alex Kravchenko heading for the exit.
When play ended, the final - and very international - table of eight had been decided. Lebanese player Dori Yacoub holds the chip lead on 1 199 000, facing US players Tom Marchese (909 000) and Allen Bari (835 000); Germany’s Tobias Reinkemeier still in with a chance on 826 000); Sorel Mizzi of Canada on 770 000; America’s Olivier Busquet (666 000); Paul Berende from the Netherlands on 327 000 and Austrian player Michael Friedrich on 112 000.
PARTY POKER HITS ON A FAVE
2009-12-18
New $25/$50 PLO virtual tables proving a big hit with players
Party Poker spokesmen this week described the launch of new $25/$50 PLO tables on the website as a significant success...so much so that virtual queues have formed and the company is busy providing more tables.
“Demand meant we recently introduced a new $25/$50 Pot Limit Omaha table but since then we have had to open up more tables for high stakes action," the spokesmen revealed. "We used to have big limit games but this is the biggest game we have had at PartyPoker.com for a long time. The high stakes action has really picked up.”