While online poker, and certainly land poker for that matter, is said to be a game of skill, often played by men of great skill. The same can hardly be said for former Full Tilt Poker (FTP) Pro – Brandon Adams’ communication skills. He gets online at 2plus2 and makes some of the most incredibly odd statements; quite honestly we don’t know why he doesn’t just keep his mouth shut; he would be much safer that way – more than likely so too would FTP.
It makes entertaining reading when a former FTP poker pro goes to such trouble to put both his feet in his mouth at the same time!
First off he has been credited with defending his former employer during the aftermath of Black Friday. Nothing wrong with that – at the time nobody really knew what was going on. It is not so much that he said anything – it’s really just what he said when he tweeted “FTP is run by much more honorable people than PokerStars. So your money is much more likely to be safe there”…oops!
OK, so Brandon has been maligned by the online poker community as a whole for some of the things he has said about PokerStars. But it does not all end there; he also admits that he made dumb comments after drinking wine; that he has no guilt in the FTP saga, and that he has always spoken his mind regarding controversial matters. Pity that?
Adams also goes on to say that much of the stuff he talks about will be proven badly – in fact he used the word ‘terribly’ wrong, and that he had no idea that FTP was unable to cover deposits. He spouts all kinds of crazy cra…anyway, if you fancy taking a look at the thread, you will find it online at 2plus2 – check out page 22. Does anyone want to wager that Brandon Adams might be subpoenaed to appear at DoJ court proceedings at some stage?
Gary Johnson, the former governor of New Mexico who is seeking the Republican nomination for President of the United States in the 2012 election, is firmly supporting online poker.
The 58-year-old presidential candidate, a successful businessman who built up one of New Mexico’s largest construction companies, has created a web page in which he openly courts poker players. Johnson now makes history as the first presidential candidate to target the votes of online poker players.
“Support me for President, and I’ll support your freedom,” Johnson says on his site. “The federal government should not be involved in restricting lawful commerce that doesn’t harm anyone.”
Johnson entered the political arena in 1994 and was elected governor of New Mexico in his first campaign for public office. During his first six months in office, he was nicknamed “Governor Veto” for using his veto powers on half the bills presented to him. He served a second term with a successful re-election campaign in 1998. A two-term limit statute prevented Johnson from seeking a third term as governor.
“He cares about this issue,” said Poker Players Alliance executive director John Pappas, who dined with Johnson in the state capital last month. “He also realizes there is a serious voting block of people out there and believes that their ideologies, not just on poker but [on] other issues, probably align with his.”
Johnson’s website also informs online poker players that, “You’re Getting a Raw Deal. It’s Your Money. The Government Has No Business Telling Adults How They Can Spend It.” The website solicits donations by featuring poker chips that supporters can click on to donate to Johnson’s campaign.
A physical fitness enthusiast, Johnson is an avid bicyclist and adventurer who has scaled the highest peaks of four of the seven continents and has also participated in several triathlons, according to his website.
Johnson is due to be in attendance at the TwoPlusTwo.com World Series of Poker party in Las Vegas on Thursday evening at the Wynn poker room.
Huge congratulations are in order for poker pros Barry Greenstein and Linda Johnson, who have officially earned the title of "legend" with their having been voted into the Poker Hall Of Fame, where they're joining the likes of Doyl Brunson, David "Chip" Reese and Stu Ungar. The duo beat out eight other finalists that were nominated for the 2011 class including Annie Duke, Huck Seed and Scotty Nguyen and they'll be officially inducted into the hall before the finale of the World Series of Poker Main Event on November 8th.
Barry Greenstein's famous for the way he donates his poker tournament wins to various charities while using his cash winnings to keep his career going. He has donated over $3,000,000 over the course of his poker career. Johnson is highly influential among players, having helped establish the World Poker Tour and owning Card Player Magazine for some time. She has also written three books on the game and was given the nickname of “First Lady of Poker” by Mike Sexton himself.
In a statement, Greenstein said that he was happy to be inducted alongside Johnson, whom he called "the most fervent ambassador for poker for as long as I can remember."
With these two additions, the Poker Hall of Fame now has 42 members, 20 of whom are still with us.
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Absolute Poker and UB.com are preparing to liquidate their assets to pay players who have been unable to withdraw money from their sites since the owners of the online poker rooms were named in a criminal complaint by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in April.
Blanca Games, which owns the online poker rooms, has presented a liquidation proposal to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York for consideration, according to a press release issued by The Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC) Thursday. The KGC regulates and licenses Absolute Poker and UB.com.
Both poker rooms, which operate on the CEREUS Network, were forced to block Americans from real-money games in the wake of April's criminal complaint. While the poker room has remained open for players outside the U.S., traffic has plummeted; PokerScout.com reports that over the last seven days, an average of 23 players have been on the site. The sites processed limited withdrawals for players outside the U.S. for a few months this summer, but those withdrawals have slowed to a trickle according posters on several Internet poker forums.
"The Commission’s foremost concern in this matter has been, and remains, the reimbursement of both US and non-US players, as quickly and completely as possible," the KGC statement reads
Russian poker player Andrey Pateychuk won the European Poker Tour San Remo Main Event last night in one of the most dramatic final tables ever witnessed in a live tournament.
During the climax to the six day event, any of the top four overnight chip leaders could have gone on to victory had the right card fallen at the right time, yet most of the support at the beginning of the day was for the four players with the least amount of chips.
Setting the Scene for EPT San Remo Final Table
As the players took their seats, Australian poker player Daniel Neilson was in a very strong position. Never out of the top two on the leaderboard, his chip stack was 50% larger than his nearest competitor – Bulgarian Dimitar Danchev – and more than twice the average. Following Neilson and Danchev were Slovakia´s Jan Bendik and Andrey Pateychuk, who had shown he was a fearless battler during the conclusion of Day 5 when he crushed sixth placed Yorane Kerignard and eliminated Italy´s great hopes – Alessio Isaia in 12th and Angelo Tarallo in 11th.
In fifth place overnight was UK legend, Barny Boatman, who had a vociferous support in San Remo and thousands of well wishers following his fortunes on Twitter. The two short-stacked players were probably the two best supported of all. Italian Rocco Palumbo had been responsible for the long time chip leader Chris McClung on Wednesday and was the last remaining hope of the home supporters, while Kevin MacPhee had taken over the role of chip leader until losing a massive pot to Dimitar Danchev and was the last remaining chance for a dual EPT Champion to be crowned at this event.
Place Name Nationality Chips
1 Daniel Neilson Australia 6,700,000
2 Dimitar Danchev Bulgaria 4,435,000
3 Jan Bendik Slovakia 3,980,000
4 Andrey Pateychuk Russia 3,105,000
5 Barny Boatman UK 2,490,000
6 Yorane Kerignard France 2,145,000
7 Rocco Palumbo Italy 1,160,000
8 Kevin MacPhee USA 1,115,000
The World Poker Tour’s World Poker Finals at Foxwoods Resort and Casino played down to the money bubble on Saturday evening, leaving just 27 players in the running for a WPT title. Heading into the 4th day of play, reigning WPT Player of the Year Andy Frankenberger is in the chip lead with 658,000 in chips.
The money bubble actually ended play on Day 3, but not without generating some controversy. According to reports from the World Poker Tour website, there were 30 players remaining in the tournament with only 25 minutes left in the final scheduled level of play. The floor staff asked the players whether they’d like to continue playing on to the next level should the money bubble not break before the scheduled end of play. While 29 of the 30 players agreed to this, Thomas Schreiber rejected the idea, and since any change to the schedule had to be agreed to unanimously, the day was once again scheduled to end at the end of the level.
However, the next five minutes changed the situation unexpectedly. Darren Elias was knocked out by Chris Klodnicki, and the Kathy Liebert was eliminated by Bob Carbone. That left 28 players in the tournament – just one away from the money bubble – with 20 minutes left to go before the end of the level.
The situation got even more heated when Alistair Melville was crippled just a few minutes later. Melville lost a hand to Matt Stout, and was left with just 5,500 chips – or less than two big blinds (the tournament was in the 1,500/3,000 level with a 500 ante).
With the situation suddenly changed, the staff once again consulted the players. Tournament officials had already announced that only four more hands would be played to finish the day; however, with apparent unanimous consent, the decision was made once more to change plans and wait for an elimination to end the day.
Sure enough, Melville was soon eliminated – and that’s when the controversy began, with several players complaining about the situation on Twitter.
“That’s about the 15th thing wrong that the floor did this tourney,” said Jason Mercier, who was eliminated earlier in the day.
“Foxwoods. You just don't get it! And when I say it, I mean everything,” tweeted Matt Glantz, who is still in the tournament with an above-average stack. “GG Foxwoods. Can't wait to see the turnout next year.”
Some players took the other side of the argument. Christian Harder, who is also still playing in the event, tweeted a response to some of the criticisms: “FWIW I think you are wrong here, player isn't a total amateur and we gave him the option to decide.”
For the remaining 27 players, however, the focus remains on the final two days of play. Every player remaining is guaranteed to win at least $19,916, while the eventual winner will take home $449,910.
An announcement released by the Kahwanake Gaming Commission has raised hopes that Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker could be paying some of the money back owed to players after their effective shutdown on Black Friday.
Since April, practically nothing has been heard from the online poker sites – with traffic practically coming to a standstill on the Cereus poker network. Now, the press release indicates that the parent company of the two beleaguered online poker sites could be liquidating some of their own assets to “facilitate the reimbursement of both US and non-US players”.
The Statement in Full
“Since the actions taken by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (the “SDNY”) on April 15, 2011, the Commission has been in close and regular discussions with its licensee, Blanca Games Inc. (“Blanca”), operating as Absolute Poker and UB.com (“AP/UB”), to facilitate the reimbursement of both US and non-US players. The Commission has also received regular updates of discussions between AP/UB and the SDNY.
Over the past several weeks, we were advised of a potential solution prepared by Blanca and its representatives, establishing a process to liquidate Blanca’s assets and distribute proceeds to players. We understand that this process has been presented to SDNY for consideration and approval.
The Commission’s foremost concern in this matter has been, and remains, the reimbursement of both US and non-US players, as quickly and completely as possible.
To avoid further prejudice to affected players, the Commission has demanded that all parties complete their discussions and implement a reimbursement solution without further delay.”
The Motive behind the Announcement
Blanca Games, who only acquired the Cereus poker network, UB Poker and Absolute Poker in August 2010, also have a controlling interest in Helix Gaming International and BingoMania.com – two sites that would benefit from the regulation of online gaming legislation in the States. A considered motive behind the announcement issued by the Kahwanake Gaming Commission could be that the top brass at Blanca Games want to clear out any obstacle that might prevent some of their other brands from expanding Stateside in the future.
Could Blanca Games Raise $54 Million?
Whether Blanca Games has the assets to liquidate the $54 million it is alleged to owe to online poker players worldwide and be able to remain in business is another question. However, at least it would appear that they are doing something pro-active to pay back players, whereas the new “investors” behind Full Tilt Poker seem to be doing everything they can to avoid putting any money into the company – including asking poker players to buy shares in the disgraced online poker site. At last there is some good news for players who, by now, may have written off their UB/AP bankrolls. Let´s hope this does not deteriorate into another Full Tilt Poker saga.
Poker Players Alliance has its own history and on that front names like Howard Lederer, and Chris Ferguson are famous. While this may be the case, former New York Senator Alfonse D’Amato was appointed the PPA board’s new chairman in 2007. Most of these people have been associated with poker since their youth and they are poker enthusiasts. Alfonse has been promoting the online poker agenda ever since he testified in support of online poker at the congressional hearing.
For questions regarding online poker that were directly posed at him D’Amato had good answers. For example, Gregg Harper questioned D’Amato stating, “Does Poker Players Alliance receive dues or contributions from either Full Tilt Poker or Ultimate Bet?” to which D’Amato did not hesitate and answered “No we don’t.” and added that “one way to deal with Full Tilt and people like that who have taken advantage of the system is to provide a tough, strong, enforceable, licensing bill.”
It would be wise for D’Amato to begin distancing himself from Full Tilt, since the site seems to be in trouble most of the time, and has been accused of operating a “ponzi scheme” and cheating players. PPA and D’Amato have now started maintaining their distance from Full Tilt Poker. Although D’Amato has been a skilled politician and his answer to Gregg Harper’s question was a smart one, it would be better for him if he maintains that distance. The PPA states that Full Tilt supported them through the Interactive Gaming Council and it spent millions in lobbying for the same in Washington. Full Tilt was backing IGC financially.
John Pappas who is the executive director of the Poker Player’s Alliance said that Full Tilt has stopped its support to the IGC since January 2011 and that “They have been a contributor in the past indirectly, but they no longer are.”
When D’Amato was in the US Senate he was known for hosting poker games on a weekly basis and most often he would himself emerge as the winner in those games. D’ Amato also used to bid for Full Tilt Poker. And now it seems that he is using the example of Full Tilt’s downfall to support the need for this online poker agenda that he is a part of, since regulations and legislations are something that would make a great difference to this online scenario.
Proponents of Internet poker legalization gained a high-profile ally 10 days ago.
Billionaire real estate developer Donald Trump partnered with a New York hedge fund and announced plans to launch a gambling website bearing his famous name once Congress legalizes and regulates the activity.
"Internet gaming makes total sense," Trump said, wanting to keep Americans' gambling dollars within U.S. borders.
Apparently, Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Calif., missed that directive.
Last Tuesday, Bono Mack, who is chairwoman of a House subcommittee studying the pros and cons of legalizing Internet poker, suggested during a Capitol Hill hearing that Congress should move slowly in analyzing a potentially $3 billion a year industry.
Supporters of Internet poker remain hopeful that a proposal would be considered by the House-Senate "supercommittee" that is tasked with finding ideas to slice the federal deficit by $1.2 trillion. The deadline for a plan is Nov. 23.
Bono Mack's message was not what Trump wanted to hear.
"There is so much money leaving the U.S. and the country is losing potential revenues," Trump told me Monday, the day before Bono Mack put the brakes on an Internet poker bill backed by Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas and Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev.
Trump, the one-time presidential aspirant who gave up his White House dreams for another season as host of "The Celebrity Apprentice," is now a vocal advocate for online gaming.
"Other countries are taking a lot of business away from the U.S.," Trump said.
Union Gaming Group estimated Americans wagered some $3 billion annually on Internet poker before April 15, when federal prosecutors indicted the owners of three online poker websites and shut down the operations.
All told, Union Gaming Group said Internet gaming accounted for $24 billion in revenues last year. The U.S. commercial casino industry had revenues of $34.6 billion in 2010, according to the American Gaming Association.
Trump operates two Atlantic City casinos through Trump Entertainment. He is on a growing list of casino industry executives favoring Internet poker legalization.
They are also willing to pay for it.
Roll Call cited figures supplied by the Center for Responsive Politics showing that the Poker Players Alliance has spent more than $800,000 this year lobbying Congress in favor of Internet poker. The American Gaming Association, the industry's Washington D.C. lobbying arm, has spent $1.2 million.
Association President Frank Fahrenkopf Jr., said regulatory technology would protect U.S. gamblers.
"The subcommittee heard clear evidence that millions of U.S. residents who play online are being put at risk because they are playing illegally with companies that are poorly regulated and, in the vast majority of the cases, outside the reach of U.S. law enforcement." Fahrenkopf said.
In the past, Caesars Entertainment Corp. CEO Gary Loveman was the lone industry voice in favor of Internet poker. At the Global Gaming Expo, MGM Resorts International Chairman Jim Murren said the time has come to legalize the activity.
Last week, Fertitta Interactive, which is owned by the founding family of Station Casinos and former owners of the Golden Nugget, acquired an online gaming software developer.
However, opposition to Internet poker has surfaced.
Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley sent a letter to the "supercommittee" co-chairs Oct. 20, asking Congress to take Internet poker off the table. He fears legalization would destroy his state's lottery business.
O'Malley wasn't alone. The North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries, which represents 52 lottery organizations, issued a resolution opposing federal legalization of Internet poker as encroachment on a state's right to regulate its own gambling system.
Kentucky Lottery President Arthur Gleason Jr. told the U.S. Attorney General his state does not plan to sell lottery tickets through the Internet, but wants to save that option.
Meanwhile, California lawmakers passed a resolution asking its large Congressional delegation to preserve the Golden State's right to operate an Internet gambling system within its borders.
Clearly, the lines are being drawn.
Lotteries, commercial casinos and Indian casinos co-exist in several states. Somewhere, a happy medium needs to be found.
If Trump is serious about Internet gaming, maybe getting a bill through Congress could be a task undertaken by his latest group of B-list "Celebrity Apprentice" candidates.
The congressional hearing regarding internet poker that recently took place focused mainly on how the regulations should be handled in the future and not about federal licensing of online poker in the US. However, the discussion regarding online poker has taken an interesting turn and much to the surprise of the poker community, the event drew out more supporters for online poker than anticipated. For a change, people at the congressional hearing discussed how regulations could help with consumer protection. The house subcommittee members also spoke in favor of internet poker. The hearing is now put up for everyone to see on the C-SPAN website.
“With so many issues before Congress, we are encouraged that ensuring player protections for online poker was raised for consideration by this committee,” said Alfonse D’Amato, the chairman of the Poker Players Alliance, who was also a witness to the hearing.
“Clearly Congress is hearing the voices of the thousands of poker players across the country who have expressed their frustration at the government’s actions to restrict their personal freedom to play this great game,” he added.
Joe Barton, a subcommittee member who was strongly backing the bill that he had introduced to regulate and license online poker was once again very useful in maneuvering this discussion in the people’s perspective. He said, “I learned to play poker, believe it or not, in the Boy Scouts. If you learn something in the Boy Scouts, it’s got to be a good thing, right?”
Other witnesses who had links to their written testimony were D’Amato, Ernest L. Stevens, chairman of the National Indian Gaming Association, Parry Aftab a board member from FairPlayUSA and Kurt Eggert, a professor at Chapman University.
“I think what the committee will discover in the course of this hearing is that the status quo is badly broken and benefits no one — not my members, not the federal or state governments, not minors or problem gamblers, not the financial services sector and certainly not the U.S. economy,” D’Amato said.
Keith Whyte from the National Council on Problem Gambling, and Dan Romer from the Annenberg Public Policy Center’s Adolescent Communication Institute were also present.
The hearing was opened by subcommittee chairman Mary Bono Mack who knew a lot about the issue and about poker terms, since they were generously used in her speech talking about the forthcoming showdown on Capitol Hill, and the high stakes at risk. It was also said that a UCLA survey stated that 85% of US adults indulged in gambling at least at some point in their lives.
Representatives from the PPA were pleased with the overall turnout and the support towards online poker in the congressional hearing.
Thousands of affiliates joined the race to drive traffic to EP's online poker rooms, but only one drove away with the top prize - a brand new Porsche Carrera
Earlier this week, the online gaming affiliate program Euro Partners announced the long-awaited winner of its exclusive Poker Porsche promotion. The lottery-style contest called upon the program's wide network of affiliates to increase promotional efforts for its online poker rooms, Titan Poker and Mansion Poker. Of the thousands who participated, EP's Research & Analysis team short-listed the top 50 who succeeded in driving the largest amounts of traffic.
Davin Jacobson, EP's newly-appointed Head of Affiliation, had not yet joined the company when the promotion began, but was pleased to be part of the prize giveaway. "Our winner is the owner and operator of several successful industry portals, including pokerinside.com. He's a long-standing member of our program, and we're happy that the prize is going to such a worthy contestant."
Launched late last June following the highly-publicized Full Tilt Poker scandal, the promotion was intended to offset some of the negative backlash which had reverberated throughout the poker affiliate community. "Those were precarious days for the industry and doomsday speculations were running rampant", Jacobson said. "This promotion was our way of telling the affiliates that Euro Partners would remain a solid and reliable partner."
Titan Poker, Euro Partners' flagship poker brand, is currently running its own exciting promotions for online poker fans, including Titan Time, which offers $20,000 in weekly cash table and tournament races throughout the month of October, and European Football League, which offers $30,000 to players who correctly guess this season's match results. For additional details, visit Titanpoker.com/promotions.
The President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Gaming Association, Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jnr, issued a statement this week to coincide with a special hearing held by the Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade Subcommittee which was entitled ‘Internet Gaming: Is there a Safe Bet?’
The president’s statement said that Tuesday’s hearing made is clear that a ‘safe bet’ would be to allow states, following federal guidelines to license and regulate online poker in the United States.
“Such action would protect U.S. consumers, keep children from gambling on the Internet, and provide the tools law enforcement needs to shut down illegal Internet gambling operators. It would also create new jobs and tax revenue at a time when our country sorely needs both,” he said.
Fahrenkopf said that it has been proven that new technology and processes used in e-commerce today can be successfully adapted in jurisdictions where internet gambling is legal, giving as examples certain provinces in Canada, as well as in the United Kingdom, France and Italy.
The AGA, said its president, supports state licensing and regulation, following federal guidelines on internet poker as it is “substantially different than other forms of gaming.”
He said that poker is a game that a vast number of Americans have historically played and continue to play. “Second, unlike other forms of Internet gambling, poker is primarily a game of skill. And, poker is played between or among individuals, whereas in other forms of Internet gambling the customer is playing against the “house.” Finally, the support we’ve seen around the country is really focused on online poker and not on other forms of Internet gambling.”
The 2011 Poker Hall of Fame inductees have been announced—Linda Johnson and Barry Greenstein. They are no longer just nominees, they are the 41st and 42nd individuals to be given this exceptional honor and inducted to this prestigious club.
Fifty-six-year-old Greenstein, aka the “Robin Hood of Poker,” has won more than $7.5 playing in poker tournaments around the world and has won six figures or more every year for the past nine years playing tournaments. He has three WSOP bracelets and two WPT wins. He is also an avid and successful super-high stakes cash game poker player. He’s been playing professionally for 20 years since he left his job to play poker full-time. He entered his first tourney in the WSOP Main Event 1992 and took 22nd place, which was a sign of great things to come.
Greenstein is also the author of Ace on the River and has six children. He has donated more than $3 million to charity, hence the nickname. Originally from Chicago, he now lives in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. He frequents card rooms in California and Las Vegas as well as travels the world to play in tournaments.
The second inductee is 58-year-old Johnson, who is the second female to win the honor along with Barbara Enright, who has been the only female in the club since she was inducted in 2007. Currently, Johnson lives in Vegas, but is originally from Long Island, New York. She won her first WSOP bracelet in 1997 playing 7-Card Razz, one of only 15 female bracelet winners. She has seven final table appearances at WSOP events as well. She was named the “First Lady of Poker” by Mike Sexton (also in the Poker Hall of Fame) for her lead role in making poker what it is today. She taught herself to play in the 70s and quit her job at the US Post Office in 1980 to play full-time. She played professionally through 1993.
Johnson now teaches WPT Boot Camp and hosts seminars on poker and tournaments around the US. She has also hosted nearly 90 poker cruises with Card Player Cruises. In fact, she purchased Card Player Magazine in 1993 and grew it into a major publication over the following eight years. She became poker’s ambassador and traveled all over the world sharing her knowledge of and love for the game of poker.
Johnson is also an author and has written three books on poker. She also helped establish the World Poker Tour and sits on the PPA’s Board of Directors and was inducted into the Women’s Poker Hall of Fame in 2008. She is also co-founder of PokerGives.org.
Johnson says, “I am extremely proud and humbled to be voted into the Poker Hall of Fame. I feel lucky to have been involved in many facets of poker over the past 35 years. Being recognized by the industry is a tremendous honor.”
Greenstein commented, “I’m happy to be inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside my friend Linda Johnson who has been the most fervent ambassador for poker for as long as I can remember.
Both Johnson and Greenstein will be formally inducted on November 8th towards the end of the WSOP Main Event Final Table at 4:30 p.m. at the Penn & Teller Theater, immediately preceding the three-hand finale.
We may poke a little fun at the mercurial poker megastar Phil Hellmuth, but he really is a more-than-decent guy, as shown by his actions this past weekend. The Poker Brat he hosted a massive Celebrity Poker Night at Airstar Private Hanger in San Antonio, TX. The event, presented by XBox Live, was the fourth annual event the Desperate Housewives star has hosted to help developmentally challenged children and young adults.
In addition to Longoria and Hellmuth, actor Lucas Davis brought his pet llama Chocolate and basketball pros like Malik Rose were seen at the tables. The event is a highlight of the San Antonio scene and hundreds of locals paid their dues for the meal and time playing poker.
Of course, there was a bit of a love-in on Twitter afterwards:
The World Poker Tour's World Poker Finals at Foxwoods had a controversial third day on Saturday as 66 players played down to 27 who would make the money. Those 27 players were guaranteed to make at least $19.916 but the manner by which the money line was determined was apparently shifted in the middle of the tournaments.
In a move that's been described by some as an old amateur getting preyed upon by players with a bit more knowledge, Alistar Melville found himself out in 28th place and zero dollars after Foxwoods did something that could be described by some as changing the goal posts mid-game. Two time WSOP bracelet winner Jason Mercier posted to Twitter about the situation:
"What a f***ing joke may not ever come to Foxwoods again after what I just saw. Might take a bit to explain but I’ll try my best..28 players left and 27 pay. Floor announces they drew number of hands and that 4 more hands will be played. That they will not play to the $."
"Then… Some old amateur guy gets crippled in the last 4 hands and has 4k left or so. The 4 hands finish and then the floor decides that…After a bunch of players complain, that they are going to play to the money bc this guy is short. He is going to be the big blind in 2 hands."
"Instead of getting a redraw for the next day. The guy doesn’t know any better and all these pros took total advantage of him #wptfoxwoods…That’s about the 15th thing wrong that the floor did this tourney. #shocker #suchajoke."
"Only person in the room who felt bad for the guy was @MattGlantz who was unaware of what was going on until I told him #standupguy"
In the end, though, Mercier admitted he may have overreacted:
"I may have overreacted , apparently the guy plays alot. Either way he deserved a redraw. The floor definitely should have handled it better."
Daniel Negreanu had something to add once Mercier and other pros vented about the situation:
"I skipped Foxwoods and wouldn’t give them my business unless they address the floor staff situation. All I hear are horror stories."
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According to recent reports, online poker players from the United States attempting to play at Poker Stars have had their accounts frozen by the online poker room. Since Black Friday, in mid April this year, when the Department of Justice cracked down on the online poker room, players from within the US borders have been unable to play for real money at the site.
However, many US players have attempted to open an account using a Virtual Private Network in the hope that their true location wouldn’t be discovered and they could carry on playing at one of the world’s biggest online poker sites. The VPN essentially reroutes the internet connection to a server which is hosted in a country acceptable for real-play money at Poker Stars.
Unfortunately for them, Poker Stars has started cracking down on these players and many have found that their accounts have been frozen “pending further legal review”. Poker Stars rules are clear: No VPN play permitted.
“Real money play is not allowed from the US under any circumstances. Players who attempt to play for real money from inside the US with the aid of VPNs or other technical workarounds will lose their playing privileges and/or funds in their accounts,” warns Poker Stars on its site.
When asked what will happen to the frozen accounts, the VIP Manager for Poker Stars, Steve Day replied: “We are not really sure what will happen. The accounts get frozen, and then we wait for guidance from the independent moderator who was appointed by the Department of Justice what to do with the funds in these accounts and what to do with the accounts in the future.”
It seems that Poker Stars is desperate to work by the book since Black Friday and will do all it can to make sure that US player do not access its site through any way.
Some of America’s wealthiest people are forging investment and partnership strategies in anticipation of the legalization of internet gaming, especially online poker.
U.S. Digital Gaming, a company founded by Richard Bronson, a former executive of Mirage Resorts, is aimed at providing advertising and software services to gaming companies and government agencies, believing that gambling regulations will surely become a reality in the near future. Bronson’s company has received investment capital from the likes of shopping mall baron and owner of the NBA’s Indiana Pacers, Herbert Simon, as well as real estate tycoon and chairman of Vornado Realty Trust, Steven Roth.
“They are all in it for the long haul,” said Bronson, who also inked deals with William and Robert Taubman, children of billionaire Alfred Taubman. “Not one of them thinks this will be a sprint, they think it will be a marathon.”
Just ten days ago, Donald Trump officially showed his cards in proposed gambling legislation, partnering with billionaire hedge fund aficionado Marc Lasry, saying, “we have been looking at this for a while.” Lasry’s Avenue Capital Group manages an estimated $12 billion in funds. The billionaires filed an agreement with the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission forbidding each to sign other investment deals that would compete against each other through May of next year.
“This has to happen [online gaming legislation] because many other countries are doing it and like usual the U.S. is just missing out,” Donald Trump said.
Some billionaire partnership ventures for internet gambling haven’t always panned out. Las Vegas casino honcho Steve Wynn had inked an agreement in April with PokerStars, but was forced to cancel the partnership a few days after signing when PokerStars was indicted along with Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker in the Black Friday allegations that have rocked the online poker industry. Wynn hasn’t publicly revealed any new course of action regarding online gaming, but does support online poker legislation. “We are convinced that the lack of regulation of internet gaming within the U.S. must change,” Wynn said.
Wynn wasn’t the only billionaire who had to terminate an agreement with one of the three online poker companies facing charges in the Department of Justice’s crackdown on poker sites accepting US players. Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, the wealthy brothers who co-own Station Casinos, tore up their deal with Full Tilt Poker following the Black Friday filings. But the billionaire brothers haven’t been frightened away from internet gaming. Fertitta Interactive, co-founded by the pair in 2010, is going strong, having recently purchased CyberArts, a California-based company that focuses on producing online gaming software. “Fertitta Interactive fully supports the federal regulation of online poker in the United States,” Lorenzo Fertitta stated last month.
The investment of capital in online poker and gaming by some of America’s wealthiest people in anticipation of regulations coming either federally or at the state level is not something to be taken lightly. Billionaires know where the money is. That is one of the reasons that they are, indeed, billionaires. The online gaming market in the U.S. has for years been operating in the gray area of U.S statutes with much of the wealth and riches being enjoyed by offshore companies. But with prominent U.S. billionaires now putting their cards on the table and investing heavily in U.S legislation, it appears that online gaming legalization is only a matter of time.
The poker experts reveal a week full of guaranteed jackpots and further prizes
From renowned poker firm, Sky Poker, comes the first ever UK Online Poker Series. Setting the benchmark for all future online poker events, this poker fest takes place between 31 October - 6 November 2011. With eight events to be played over just one week, the UKOPS is set to become one of the most popular online poker circuits on the British poker scene. With a £140,000 GTD prize fund, visit SkyPoker.com and start winning!
The first event, starting today 31 October, is an incredibly tantalising £20,000 Bounty Hunter. This first of eight further consecutive events, all with huge jackpots, promises to get Sky Poker's UK Online Poker Series off to a great start. Starting at 8pm, players can buy in for £110 and start with 4,000 chips.
The other events include; Tuesday's £10,000 Omaha, Wednesday's £10,000 Double Stack, Thursday's £25,000 High Roller, Friday's £15,000 Rebuy, Saturday's £15,000 Turbo Rebuy & £10,000 No Limit Hold'em and Sunday's £40,000 Main Event.
As if that wasn't enough, Sky Poker players will be able to win a small fortune for a small buy-in thanks to UKOPS Satellites. The Satellites run throughout the week and players can qualify for as little as £1.20. Sky Poker will also be running Micro Satellites throughout the day for micro prices - as little as £2.40.
For more information on everything UKOPS, visit Sky Poker UK Online Poker Series on SkyPoker.com
Sky Poker is the British Sky Broadcasting's online poker division, which allows users to play poker online on their website and screens selected hands from various tournaments and cash games on Sky Poker TV, allowing players on the site to become the stars of the TV channel. Sky Poker focuses on UK poker players, with all play at the tables in pounds rather than dollars, as well as its own Sky Poker Tour around the country.
Sky Poker is licensed and regulated by the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC).
PKR Poker is not just an online poker site, it is an online poker experience. With the most advanced graphics engine in the world, players are immersed into a complete 3D environment that looks and feels like a live poker experience.
Players at PKR have the ability to fully customise their player avatars so that they can create any type of look that they wish. In addition to this, in game players have the ability to learn fancy chip tricks that they can show off to the other players at the table
Aside from the best graphics and game play, PKR offers new players with one of the best sign up bonuses as well. New players are greeted with a 100% up to $800 sign up bonus. Simply sign up for PKR via the exclusive Miller's Guide links then make your first deposit. PKR will then match your first deposit by 100% up to a total of $800. This is a great way to get started in online poker and is also a great way to try out a new online poker site such as PKR.
For those players looking for great online tournaments and guarantees, the good news is that PKR run over 150 tournaments every day and offer online tournaments with buy-ins starting from $0.22 all the way up to $270 with guarantees all the way up to $100,000.
It makes entertaining reading when a former FTP poker pro goes to such trouble to put both his feet in his mouth at the same time!
First off he has been credited with defending his former employer during the aftermath of Black Friday. Nothing wrong with that – at the time nobody really knew what was going on. It is not so much that he said anything – it’s really just what he said when he tweeted “FTP is run by much more honorable people than PokerStars. So your money is much more likely to be safe there”…oops!
OK, so Brandon has been maligned by the online poker community as a whole for some of the things he has said about PokerStars. But it does not all end there; he also admits that he made dumb comments after drinking wine; that he has no guilt in the FTP saga, and that he has always spoken his mind regarding controversial matters. Pity that?
Adams also goes on to say that much of the stuff he talks about will be proven badly – in fact he used the word ‘terribly’ wrong, and that he had no idea that FTP was unable to cover deposits. He spouts all kinds of crazy cra…anyway, if you fancy taking a look at the thread, you will find it online at 2plus2 – check out page 22. Does anyone want to wager that Brandon Adams might be subpoenaed to appear at DoJ court proceedings at some stage?