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David "Chino" Rheem may have won the inaugural Epic Poker League main event two weeks ago at the Palms, but not everything is as sunny as it appears to be. Apparently, Rheem did not take home the $1,000,000 he won because he was backed for 70 percent and 10 percent was reserved for charity (as part of the staking agreement). That left Rheem with 20 percent, perhaps less because it was rumored he had swapped 8 to 10 percent with another participant in the tournament. If that were true, Rheem would have earned just $120,000 for his win. On to of all this, Ben Lamb, Tom Dwan and Joseph Cheong (among others) are calling out the pro for welshing on debts owed to them at cash games and for money staked to him at various events.
Live reports from the event indicate that while Rheem was happy to take the money from the payout cage, he was less enthused by the response from those waiting for money from him: a long line of them queued up to get their share of his winnings. Most layers were only paid 10-20% of what they were owed with only Ben Lamb and a couple of others getting their full repayments after confronting him angrily.
As a result of all this, the Epic Poker League has been forced to put their very first champion on probation.
Despite widespread support, it appears that intrastate online poker will not be legalized and regulated in California this year. It still seems, however, that it is a matter or “when” and not “if” for online poker in the Golden State.
In a letter to stakeholders, including Native American tribes and card rooms, California Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said that while he supports online gaming, “significant, unresolved issues remain,” issues that just simply won’t be ironed out by September 9th, the final day of the legislative year.
“We believe the concept of bringing intrastate internet gaming to California has merit and is worth pursuing in a smart, methodical way. But if we go down this road, it is important to strike a balance between the potential significant fiscal benefits to the state coffers, impacts on sovereign nations’ interests as well as the conceivable positive and negative affects gambling has on our state,” wrote Steinberg.
Some of the aforementioned issues include “tribal exclusivity and waiver of sovereignty immunity, the types of games that would be authorized, and who would be eligible to apply for licenses and potential federal constitutional questions.”
There are actually two internet gaming bills being considered right now in California. One, introduced by Senate Governmental Organization Committee chair Rod Wright, would legalize all forms of online gambling, while Senator Lou Correa’s SB 40 is a poker-only bill. The latter is supported by the California Online Poker Association (COPA), a group led by the Morongo and San Manuel bands of Mission Indians.
While some tribes back the Correa bill, others are opposed to it, feeling that they and others will be left out of the mix, largely because of the prohibitive $50 million proposed licensing fee. Essentially, they fill the bill would cater exclusively to the largest entities.
Although issues do remain, Steinberg wrote the he believes, “absent unforeseen circumstances, we fully expect an objective proposal will be developed in the interim in time for consideration when the legislature reconvenes in 2012.”
The Senate Governmental Organization Committee will hold a hearing in January 2012 “for the purpose of moving a bill through the committee.”
While most poker players would agree that any online poker is better than none at all, many do not like the idea of ring-fencing each state, limiting players to sites where they would only be allowed to compete with people from the same state. Phil Hellmuth voiced his criticisms with Washington, D.C.’s plans for legal intrastate internet poker, saying that there simply will not be enough players for it grow to any sort of significance. At the same time, California is magnitudes larger than the United States capital, with over 37 million residents, compared to just 601,000 for the District of Columbia. California’s online poker rooms would also be privately run, as opposed to D.C.’s, which would be managed by Intralot in a partnership with the city’s government. COPA has already partnered with Playtech, owner of the iPoker Network, to provide its gaming platform.
Who came out on top in the weekly $100,000 guaranteed online poker tournament held this past Sunday, August 21st? KunkMan took first place this week, earning $23,647.20 They were followed by starrent ($13,627.20) and ESCALERA , who rounded out the top three spots while earning $9,118.200. Here's the rest of the final table results: imawhale26 ($7,014.00); boozeorlose ($5,711.40); RiverRatt33 ($4,509.00); Cynika ($3,306.60); skinphon ($2,204.40) and LONGJOCK1 ($1,302.60).
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New York Yankees All-Star third baseman Alex Rodriguez will be seeing Major League Baseball officials on Friday about the allegations leveled against him in the past few weeks. If you've been living under a rock, the 36-year-old baseball superstar allegedly participated in high-stakes underground poker games that were part of the Brad Ruderman scandal.
"I'll be talking to you guys on Friday afternoon," Rodriguez said to a popular sports website "I can't wait."
According to the Star Magazine report that kicked off this whole fiasco, Rodriquez played in at least two of the games at a record executive’s Beverly mansion. Reports indicated that cocaine was openly used during one game that Rodriguez was in and a fight broke out as well. The Yankees’ controversial slugger injured his right thumb during Sunday’s game against Minnesota, his first appearance since returning from a knee surgery.
Rodriguez, 36, currently the highest paid player in baseball, has been involved in a number of controversies since his arrival in New York, including issues with steroids and several high-profile personal relationships. Rodriguez had reportedly been warned in the past by Major League Baseball not to take part in any illegal poker games.
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Just a quick heads-up that Bodog will soon be offering up VIP packages that will get you in one of the best events in the world of poker: the Punta Cana Poker Classic!
The Punta Cana Poker Classic is a 5 day Texas Hold’em poker tournament hosted from November 8th to 13th, 2011. This ultimate poker holiday is hosted at the luxurious, all inclusive five-star Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic and you can get there free with Bodog!
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The campaign to legalize online poker in the United States has a new player.
FairPlayUSA was launched with the goal of persuading Congress to set up a regulatory structure that will allow Americans to legally bet on online poker games, Executive Director Marisa McNee said.
The coalition has attracted high-profile advisers such as former Homeland Security chief and ex-Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge to support efforts to fully legalize online poker. The advocacy group is also seeking to clarify the nation's online gambling laws to define what is legal and what is not.
"We are not doing lobbying of any kind; we are doing outreach trying to educate the public and Congress on the need to reform federal Internet gambling laws," said McNee, whose group is based in Washington, D.C.
The group's website features a petition calling on Congress to address problems associated with offshore Internet gambling, give law enforcement the tools to crack down on illegal sites and establish a strict regulatory framework.
McNee stressed the need for a group like FairPlayUSA with a "broad and diverse" base of support to push for the regulation of online poker.
"The federal laws aren't working," she said. "We need to fix the system."
In 2006, Congress passed a Republican-sponsored bill to crack down on Internet gambling in the United States by barring payment processors such as credit card companies and PayPal from handling payments for online bets.
But it did allow for online bets for horse races and Internet-based state lotteries.
However, critics argue the bill, known as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act of 2006, has done little to stop Americans from gambling online and denies the federal government potential tax revenues.
The act also, critics argue, exposes U.S. participants to potential fraud and abuse because most Internet gaming sites are based overseas.
On April 15, federal indictments were released against the owners of PokerStars, FullTilt Poker and Absolute Poker. On May 24 federal officials in Baltimore also seized 11 bank accounts and shut down 10 Internet poker websites.
Despite the federal crackdown, online poker games for money are still available to U.S. players. PokerScout.com, which tracks the top 49 poker sites, reported Tuesday that nine websites accept sign-ups from U.S.-based players.
U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, has introduced a bill that would legalize online poker and direct the U.S. Department of Commerce to set up licensing and consumer-protection agencies.
Barton's bill would authorize online poker only in states that allow it.
McNee said her organization had received some startup funding from MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment Corp. She declined to discuss contributions by Las Vegas-based gaming companies.
"There is a need for advocates from varied points of view," said Alan Feldman, senior vice president public affairs at MGM Resorts. "We are certainly supportive of their efforts to bring in law enforcement and Internet security experts."
Feldman reiterated MGM Resorts' position that it prefers federal legalization.
"A state-by-state solution is chock-full of problems," he said, "It's not what is needed now. A state-by-state solution calls out more for a federal response to the issue."
McNee said the group hasn't taken a position on the Barton bill and only favors legalizing online poker and not other forms of online gaming.
The online poker community of California was upset to learn that online poker might not be legalized before 2012. The lawmakers of the state were considering two bills to legalize online poker play, but have come across a number of hurdles. In the first place, the federal government is also considering legalization of online poker, and in the second, the Native American tribes in California have exclusive gambling operation rights. Two separate bills have been proposed by senators in California. First, Senator Lou Correa proposes that only online poker should be legalized and that providers of online poker services should be located within California, thereby enabling local gambling operators to monopolize online poker. According to Correa, his bill will generate 1,300 new jobs for the state and over $1.4 billion revenue through taxes during the following decade.
Second, Senator Rod Wright proposes that all types of online gambling should be legalized and that only three operators should be issued licenses although operators from outside the state can bid for these licenses.
Since the legislative year ends on September 9, lawmakers in California do not have the time to consider either of these bills; moreover, President Steinberg says that the issues are too complex to be hurried, while simultaneously indicating that the bills might be considered in Jan 2012 when the legislative year begins.
Experts feel that Correa’s bill might be passed because it has the California Online Poker Association’s (COPA) support. COPA is not only launching a number of TV and radio advertisements demanding legalization of online poker, but has also signed a deal with Playtech/SciPlay this June to provide an online poker brand, which will initially provide online poker services for fun, but will then shift to real money poker once the online poker laws in California become favorable.
According to one of COPA’s advertisements: “Unfortunately, nurses, police, fire and services for the poor and disabled will all be cut again if California doesn’t find US$4bn in new revenue by December. There is a solution. By approving online poker, California has the ability to tap US$250m in new money immediately and billions in years to come.”
Simultaneously, not everybody in California is for the legalization and regulation of online poker. Some people are of the opinion that while legalization of online poker will boost the economy of the state, it will also give rise to a number of people with gambling addiction issues.
Remember the guy back in December who brazenly walked onto the floor of the Bellagio wearing a motorcycle helmet and wielding a pistol? He helped himself to a backpack's worth of poker and casino chips before sprinting across the lobby and hopping onto a motorcycle parked outside. He made off with $1.25m in chips, but that didn't get him very far, as a judge has just sentenced him to 3 to 11 years.
Anthony Carleo pleaded guilty in June to armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon in a deal with prosecutors that saw eight other felony charges dropped entirely. Carleo, the son of a Las Vegas Municipal Court Judge, was finally busted for the crime in February at the very place he'd robbed. He was busted trying to sell some of the stolen cranberry-colored $25,000 denomination chips to an undercover police officer at a heavy discount.
Carleo is the sun of a Las Vegas Municipal Court Judge, which may help explain the deal that was cut for him. Armed robbery generally carries a minimum sentence of 15 years in the state of Nevada.
We don't normally do gossipy bits here at The Beat, but this morning we read a thing that made us feel like we were passing notes during class. Daniel Negreanu may have had a less-than-stellar World Series of Poker for a pro of his calendar — he only cashed three times for a total of $77,047 — but he walked away with a former Miss Hungary. Negreanu met his new girlfriend, Hungarian FHM model Krisztina Polgar, at this year's event. The 24 year old learned to play poker from her ex-boyfriend, online poker pro Richard Toth and was playing in the main event. Despite busing out on Day 1C, she was railbirding.
In an interview, Negreanu explained how they met: "I met my new girlfriend at the World Series. She plays poker too. She just came up; she was just saying ‘Hi’ cause she knew some friends and stuff. So, we just started, you know, hitting it off, and she’s super cool. She lives in Budapest, Hungary. She was Miss Earth Hungary in 2008. She’s there now, but I’m gonna go visit in a bit."
With this blonde girlfriend at Negreanu's side. maybe Mike Matusow and Matt Savage will stop acting like 7th graders and accusing him of being gay. Come on, guys. It's 2011.
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The state of Nevada has pressed ahead with legislation to allow the regulation of online poker should the federal government pass a law permitting it. Should the US Congress legislate to permit online gambling there is likely to be a scramble from various states to find ways to benefit from the tax revenues that will be generated, and Nevada lawmakers have decided to put the required regulations in place in advance so as to benefit immediately from any movement on the issue.
Nevada’s Gaming Control Board released its proposals for the regulation of online poker this week, with its chairman Mark Lipparelli commenting: “Internet poker has become a multibillion-dollar business around the world. The technology supporting it, while not perfect, has improved dramatically since its introduction. Similar to our land-based requirements, Nevada will establish high standards giving players as much confidence as possible in the entities and technologies that might eventually gain approval.”
Although the proposals have not yet been finalized, this process will begin on September 26th with the first of a series of public consultation workshops. They have been drafted in such as a way as to be compatible with whatever form of online poker might be legalized, be it state-wide, national or international in basis. Lipparelli continued: “We can’t predict what may happen with any national legislation and we have attempted to frame these regulations in a manner that will provide appropriate flexibility. This will be a rigorous process and these regulations will, no doubt, undergo a good deal of revision.”
As drafted, the regulations would seek to tax the operators of online poker at the same rate as the state taxes bricks-and-mortar casinos. Internet gambling would be limited to poker, where players gamble against each other, rather than including games in which players play against the house, such as blackjack and roulette. Software companies, which would be subject to the same scrutiny as existing operators, would be required to keep records of all games played for a period of five years, as well as complete details of players involved in the games.
Nevada attempted to legalize online poker unilaterally, but eventually the proposal was watered down, and made subject to federal approval. While states are not explicitly prevented from authorizing online poker within their borders, current law requires federal approval. The matter has been raised in Congress several times over the last few years but is yet to get as far as a formal vote on the floor of either house. With the United States seeking new revenue streams, however, many commentators believe that the issue will be revisited in 2012, with a definitive piece of legislation likely to be passed.
While Washington DC has put in place a system of online poker, which is due to open in trial form in September with a full roll-out expected later in the year, no state has yet explicitly authorized internet poker. Nevada hopes to place itself at the forefront of the industry as soon as any legislative change comes from federal authorities.
If you're a serious online poker player, or even if you've never played before, chances are you've utilized cloud storage. Cloud storage enables you to store online poker hand histories and other information on web-based applications instead of maintaining the files locally on your own PC.
For example, if you have an e-mail account with Yahoo, Hotmail, or Google, then you are familiar with how cloud storage works. Basically, your e-mails are stored "in the cloud" and can be accessed from anywhere in the world provided you have an internet connection along with a username and password.
Cloud storage is also prevalent in the poker software world. Holdem Manager 2 and PokerTableStats store your information on their servers, which means you don't have to store the files locally on your own computer, worry about running out of disk space or losing access to your information because of an issue with your own equipment.
The benefits of cloud storage are many: for one, you can access your hand histories and database information from anywhere in the world on any computer as long as you have an internet connection. All you have to do is log into the service you've contracted with, enter your password, and the information will be conveniently displayed with organizational features to make browsing a cinch.
Another advantage is that you won't have to worry about capacity when using cloud storage programs such as Holdem Manager 2 and PokerTableStats because data storage is taken care of automatically by those programs. Regardless of whether you're a casual player with just a few hand histories or a serious grinder who plays thousands of hands per day, the information will be there waiting for you 24 hours per day without the risk of running out of space.
Even outside the online poker industry, cloud storage is extremely cheap (if not free), and "upgrading" your storage capacity is often very affordable, as is the case with web-based email storage. Many people who work online also find cloud storage extremely useful for group activities such as sharing spreadsheets, presentations, and projects because several parties can collaborate on a single document at the same time while ensuring the information is updated in real-time.
So what are the disadvantages of using cloud storage? For one, you won't be able to access your information without an internet connection. This can be extremely frustrating for someone who can't find a wireless hotspot or has internet connectivity issues, but online poker players are quite familiar with this issue and most serious players have taken steps to ensure they have a backup internet connection.
Another potential issue with cloud storage is security. When using cloud storage, your information is stored on another website, meaning you should always trust and research the service before making the decision to use the program. Online poker players should also look into how easy or difficult it would be to migrate the hand history data in case of cancellation of services.
Likewise, if you become unhappy with a particular program that is storing your information in the cloud, will you be able to retrieve your files with relative ease upon terminating your relationship? This can be extremely important for serious online poker players who could have hundreds of thousands of online poker hand histories stored.
Overall, cloud storage has a variety of benefits that are convenient for online poker players. You have the ability to access your information in real-time from anywhere in the world with an internet connection with only a username and password. You won't have to worry about running out of storage space nor will you need to fret over the possibility of losing your files due to issues with your own equipment.
For online poker players who are interested in becoming familiar with cloud storage, we recommend PokerTableStats and Holdem Manager 2.
Recent days have seen several stories emerge concerning possible legislation to license and regulate online poker in the United States, with activity picking up on both the federal and state levels.
On the federal side, much of the talk remains primarily speculative, although some buzz occurred in the poker community following the recent creation of a Congressional "super committee" some think might prove a mechanism by which online poker could be licensed and regulated in the U.S. sooner than later.
The recent "debt ceiling" crisis in the U.S. was concluded in part by the passage of the Budget Control Act of 2011, a provision of which is the formation of a 12-member, bipartisan committee charged with finding areas in which to make cuts and raise revenue in order to reduce the national deficit by $1.5 trillion. Some believe the committee -- called the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction -- might look upon online poker as a potential revenue-producer.
The "super committee" has a late November deadline by which they must forward their recommendations to Congress for a simple "up or down" vote (with no amendments) in December. If a provision to license and regulate online poker happened to be included among the committee's recommendations -- and Congress voted in favor -- such would increase the likelihood for online poker to return to the U.S. more quickly than via the otherwise arduous legislative process of a special bill being proposed and finding its way through a committee and both houses to the president's desk. (Needless to say, that's a big "if.")
Speaking of that arduous process, the House bill proposed by Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) in June that would license and regulate online poker in the U.S., the "The Internet Gambling Prohibition, Poker Consumer Protection, and Strengthening UIGEA Act of 2011" (H.R. 2366), was referred to the House Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit in late July. It will remain there until the committee discusses it, and if they vote in favor of the bill it will move on to be considered by the entire House.
Meanwhile, a few states continue to knock around legislation that would provide for "intrastate" online poker -- that is, sites providing state-specific online poker available only to those within a given state.
Over the past year, California has been looking at two different bills, one to regulate online gambling, generally speaking, and another that would only allow for online poker. The bills have sparked much discussion, influenced in part by the backing of different Native American tribes with gaming interests in California. However, news this week from the California state senate is that legislation will not be passed during this calendar year, and that the entire situation will be revisited in January 2012.
Meanwhile, in neighboring Nevada a state senate bill was passed in May that allowed the Nevada Gaming Control Board to draft regulations for intrastate poker in Nevada. Those regulations were released on Wednesday, outlining various rules for management and auditing should the state begin licensing entities.
More work is to be done in Nevada, however. A public regulatory workshop has been scheduled in late September to discuss revisions and amendments to the suggested regulations. Also, Nevada will not start offering online poker within its borders until either a federal law is passed specifically allowing for such or the state receives written confirmation from the U.S. Department of Justice that "interactive gaming" would be allowed.
We might soon find out how "intrastate" poker works (or doesn't), however, as the District of Columbia is supposed to begin offering games within the district's borders this week.
In December 2010, the Washington city council approved a budget to create an online poker site to be available only to those within the district's borders. As it happened, it was on April 14 -- just a day before Black Friday -- that the period during which Congress could object to DC's proposed 2011 budget expired, thus paving the way for the country's first try at intrastate (or "intradistrict") online poker.
This week between 20 and 30 "hot spots" in DC hotels and bars are scheduled to become available where those who are interested will be able try out the new online poker games. Depending on how this test run goes, games will be made available throughout the district by year's end.
Few are optimistic -- and many understandably skeptical -- given recent history involving legislation and online poker in the U.S. Nonetheless, such legal machinations have begun to capture the attentions of U.S. online players.
After all, you might say that at the moment it's the only game around.
Online gambling registration costs are substantial for operators who want to keep on the up and up and when a license is granted the operator can proudly display the authority logo on its site.
A move that has not been seen very often has been taken by the Maltese Lotteries and Gaming Authority which has announced it does not have an affiliation with a web location called Lockpoker-eu. The Authority wants it to be known that “Lockpoker-eu is not licensed by the LGA,” The notice on the LGA site reads, The Lotteries and Gaming Authority (the ‘Authority’) would like to inform the public that the website Play Online at Lock Poker has no connection whatsoever with the Authority and therefore any mention of the Authority or license issued by the Authority on the mentioned website is false and misleading. The Authority advises the public to play responsibly with companies licensed by jurisdictions that have sound remote gaming regulations.
The Merge Gaming Network under which Lock is functioning was given a provisional Category 4 license to operate by the Malta Lotteries and Gaming Authority back in July. The Category 4 license is established for “Operators who run a software platform to host the service of Category 1-3 licensees. Such operators are not involved in player management functions.”
The Kahnawake Gaming Commission has issued a current license for the operation of the Lock web site. Other Merge Gaming Network affiliates which include RPM, Hero, Black Chip and Overbet are proudly publishing the Malta Lotteries and Gaming Authority logo on their sites and not one of those operations has been subject to the same public discrimination. There is speculation that the disassociation by the LGA may be attributed to possible arguments between former Lock Poker professional José ‘Girah’ Macedo and the LGA, but it is pure speculation at this point because no one is commenting on either side of the issue.
The World Poker Tour's Legends of Poker event kicked off on Friday at the Bicicyle Casino in Bell Gardens, California and after three days of play, just 21 players remain out of the field of 757 that started the event. First place in the event will win $758,085 and the current payout as we go into day four is over $14, which means players are going to be going hard and furious to get their share.
Jeff Vertes leads the pack by a healthy margin, holding around 2.7m in chips, putting him over 800,000 ahead of his nearest rival, James Carroll, with 1.9m chips. Right after Carroll, there's a close huddle with David Daneshgar (1,850,000), Joshua Pollock (1,645,000), Mike Eskandari (1,597,000), and Ken Aldridge (1,541,000) all above the 1.5m mark. Other names in the race include Shawn Buchanan, who won the Mandalay Bay Poker Championship back in Season 6 of the WPT and Dan Heimille. Those eliminated on Day 3 include Dwyte Pilgrim, Allen Cunningham, Gaving Smith and Sol Nguyen.
The composition of the field for his event was a bit different from the norm. 322 players signed up to participate in Day 1A, but if they were eliminated, they were allowed to re-enter the tournament on Day 1B after paying another buy-in. This meant that over 60% of those eliminated in Day 1A came back for more so the field featuring 757 buy-ins doesn't represent the actual number of players.
Play is scheduled to resume at 1:00pm local time today. The tournament will run until the final six players are determined, at which point play will be paused until Tuesday.
Zynga, the software developer that turned Facebook into an online poker site for millions of users with their Zynga Poker app, has decided to delay their IPO due to "rocky stock markets," according to The New York Post, which cited two "reputable" sources. In June, Zynga had announced that they would make stock available for public purchase in September, but tech stocks have been hit hard in the last couple of months with the debt ceiling debate and they're delaying their IPO until November.
In addition to Zynga Poker, the company also developed FarmVille, CityVille and Mafia Wars among other titles and have recently taken over the popular iPhone/iPad/Android game Words with Friends. The company hosted a poker festival in Las Vegas over the summer that drew thousands of players with keynote speeches from the likes of Annie Duke.
Zynga's public offering is one of several social media stock events that have been planned over the next few months. Another high-profile social media IPO, Groupon’s, has also reportedly been delayed, but because of SEC accounting concerns, rather than stock market conditions.
It is perhaps a little ironic that the most vocal opponents of online poker will soon be the only people in the USA who can legally play online poker. The District of Columbia is moving forward with its plans to run the pilot program, which will allow 20 to 30 places around D.C. to offer online poker within the next week or so, despite the claims of corruption during the initial phases when the plans were pushed through the legislative process. If all goes well, the virtual poker rooms will open their doors to anyone (of age) in the District by the end of the year.
The planned system in D.C. has a lot of problems from a free market standpoint. For one, a monopoly system of government run poker room eliminates competition and the benefits that come from that. In the pre-UIGEA, pre-Black Friday era of online poker, players would quickly realize if a poker website had unfair odds, shady practices, or something as simple as bad customer service and they could and did move on to other poker rooms on the Internet. There would not be such an option for D.C. online gamblers.
Even with its problems, the D.C. online poker system would set the District on a path toward legalized online gambling. Unfortunately for poker players in the rest of the United States, they are left with a choice of either driving to the brick-and-mortar casino or moving to another country.
Most recently, world-famous poker champ Daniel Negreanu posted an article on CardPlayer.com detailing the process of relocating back to his native land of Canada so that he can continue to play online poker. Negreanu is not alone: many other players have been reportedly leaving the U.S. for Mexico and Costa Rica as well as Canada. Most of those immigrants are likely players in their 20’s or early 30s without families or anything holding them to a state or nation. Unfortunately for many online poker professionals, leaving the U.S. is not an option.
For those who are stuck in the U.S., a country that is increasingly invading private life and stripping its residents of their right to property and privacy, they still have some hope that the Federal government will make a move on legalizing online poker. In the current debate about debt-ceilings, government spending, and revenue, some observers believe online poker has a good chance of getting a bill through congress. Some have noted that the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction could look to legal online gambling as a way to increase revenue and because of the unprecedented power the Committee wields and limited membership, it might be the best opportunity legalized online poker has had in the last 6 years.
In response to Black Friday when the Department of Justice effectively shut-down the US online poker market, Jamie Gold has now decided to launch his own online poker site to help allow American players to still enjoy one of their favourite pastimes.
However, before you argue that the 2006 WSOP Main Event Champion is taking a huge risk pitting himself against US authorites, it should be pointed out that the poker room Gold has in mind will be 100% legal in the eyes of US law. As Jamie Gold explains:
“After Black Friday and all the negativity surrounding online poker, I asked myself what I could do to help our community enjoy playing a game they love legally…Creating FreeGoldPoker.com was the clear answer.”
Hosted on the ZEN Entertainment Network, FreeGoldPoker is looking to cash-in on the recreational poker player market much like Facebook product Zynga, and instead of taking deposits will therefore be charging customers to the site a monthly subscription fee. Cash and prizes worth up to $100,000 will then be on offer each month to customers including UFC and sports tickets and electronic products.
Jamie Gold is nicknamed the “Poker Philanthropist,” particularly as a result of his charitable institution the “Jamie Gold Foundation” which helps raise funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Laying out his ambitions for the new online poker room, Gold explained:
“This is an amazing opportunity for me to create a fun, accessible and unique experience for the poker community. As importantly, I will be able to continue to accomplish meaningful, vital and life-changing charitable goals with the additional support and commitment of the ZEN platform. It will also provide my dedicated partners a platform beyond anything I could have imagined as we are now able to create targeted demographic promotions.”
FreeGoldPoker is therefore unlikely to attract poker pros to the site, but could yet prove a hit with recreational players, and so it will be interesting to see how the business develops over the coming months.
Who came out on top in the weekly $100,000 guaranteed online poker tournament held this past Sunday, August 28th? Brother_Muzone took first place this week, earning $23,600 They were followed by pma_foyl
($13,600.00) and slikter33 , who rounded out the top three spots while earning $9,100. Here's the rest of the final table results: metsfan189 ($7,000.00); Rogen ($5,700.00); cantbeatthis ($4,500.00); m2y ($3,300.00); STEWBELLY ($2,200.00) and 0ink0ink0ink ($1,300.00).
In addition to our show-stopping Sunday events, Bodog hosts its regular weekly tournaments to players, and here's the winners of last week's events!
August 22 • $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: JessMan900 ($3,987.50)
August 23 • $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: D0ES0N ($4,083.75)
August 24 • $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: tokenjay ($3,698.75)
August 25 • $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: BWB3 ($4,015.00)
August 28 • $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: bobby_82 ($4,028.75)
August 28 • $10k Guaranteed Turbo Double-Stack whatever877 ($4,290.00)
Bodog's guaranteed tournaments mean that there's always a big cash pool and with more players getting in on the action every week, that means there's more to be won Play poker online at Bodog and get your share!
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Here's an example: you deposit $100 with Bodog. You instantly receive a $10 bonus from them. When you earn 100 points, you get an additional $10 for your bankroll. When you earn 500 points, you get an additional $40 and so on up to $1100! All you have to do is keep playing to earn even more points and bigger bonuses, even if you make more than one deposit. To sweeten the pot, Bodog gets you your money fast – other sites make you wait to get your bonus cash in your bankroll, Bodog issues bonuses to players the day after they earn the required points.
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