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For the past 26 years, Freddy Deeb has left his mark on the tournament poker world. He won his second WSOP bracelet at the $50,000 HORSE event, he earned a WPT title in 2005, and in 2010 took down a high roller event in Paris. He may have become memorable thanks to his "lucky shirt" (as mentioned on ESPN's WSOP broadcasts), but Deeb's talents extend far beyond his ability to pick the right shirt for the occasion. In total, Deeb has earned more than $7.7 million on the tournament felt, but until Thursday night, he had never cashed on the World Series of Poker Circuit. That first cash turned out to be the sixth-largest of his career, worth $171,810, as he defeated the field of 549 in the tour's first appearance at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles. Deeb's victory in the three-day event offered an interesting twist. As part of the adjustments to the 2011-12 WSOP Circuit schedule and structure, players could re-enter the event, normally during the first two opening days. However, Deeb didn't play on Day 1A or Day 1B. Registration was open until the start of play on Day 2 and Deeb elected to spend the $1,500 at that point to begin his tournament with a paltry 20 big blinds, less than half the average stack. By five levels into the day, Deeb was among the chip leaders and was one of the final 17 players moving on to the final day of the tournament.

According to the WSOP, on the second hand of Day 3 action, Deeb was involved in a three-way pot where he and Cy Williams were all-in against Chris Summers. Deeb's J-J held against Summers' A-K and Williams' 9-9 to become one of the chip leaders in the event. When nine remained, Deeb was the chip leader, but quickly lost his grasp on that position after losing a big pot to David Singontiko.

Deeb chipped up into the top spot once again with his eliminations of Julie Franks (eighth), Tsung Lu (seventh) and Brandon Crawford (sixth), but his lead wouldn't hold after dinner as he dropped into last after a substantial all-in preflop pot with 5-5 to Alex Masek's 3-3. Masek moved into the chip lead a short time later, and Deeb would hang on to enter the final three in last place (Tong Le was eliminated in fifth, Singontiko in fourth).

After Deeb doubled through Leroy Spires, he'd knock him out a short time after with a devastating river card. Spires was all-in and ahead with a turned flush holding Jh-9h on a board of Jc-8h-3h-Qh against Deeb's set of eights. Deeb needed the board to pair and it did, with a three falling on the river, eliminating Spires in third. With nearly three quarters of the chips in play, Deeb turned up the aggression and whittled Masek down to the point where two double-ups for Masek didn't really dent his stack. On the third all-in and call, Deeb's pocket queens held against Masek's A-K, and the 56-year-old pro had earned another title.

In addition to the prize money, Deeb also secured his spot in the 2011-12 WSOP Circuit National Championship where he'll be playing for at least a $1 million prize pool.

Here are the final table results from the 2012 WSOP Circuit stop at the Bicycle Casino:

1. Freddy Deeb ($171,810)
2. Alex Masek ($106,185)
3. Leroy Spires ($77,570)
4. David Singontiko ($57,505)
5. Tong Le ($43,245)
6. Brandon Crawford ($32,900)
7. Tsung Lu ($25,520)
8. Julie Franks ($20,025)
9. Vince Cardella ($15,935)

The next WSOP Circuit stop is already underway in Choctaw, Okla., where there first event attracted a field of 1,219 entries, up more than 30 percent from a year ago. The series will run for another nine days when another main event champion will be crowned on Jan. 22.

PCA Update:

Two players made history at the 2012 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure final table. Anthony Gregg became the first player to make a second appearance at the PCA final table. In 2009, Gregg finished in second to Poorya Nazari to earn $1.7 million. He entered this year's final table as the short stack, but battled his way into a sixth-place finish worth $364,000.

The other player to change PCA forever was Xuan Liu who became the first woman to make a PCA final table. Liu is no stranger to the final table scene, as he had a third-place finish at EPT San Remo last April.

Faraz Jaka held the chip lead to enter the final table, which was shown on Friday with hole cards on PokerStars.tv on a 40-minute delay.

On Day 2 of the $25,000 High Roller event, Jonathan Duhamel held the chip lead with two tables remaining. The final 16 players will earn at least $58,020, with the champion taking home $1.1 million. The final table of that event will be broadcast Saturday on PokerStars.tv at 2 p.m. ET.

Small blinds: 2009 WSOP main event champion Joe Cada won the $2,000 side event at PCA for $175,550. This was Cada's largest cash since his main event victory. … The first event of the 2012 Aussie Millions, 1,000 AU$ no-limit hold 'em, featured a field of 525 players. Only 66 players survived to Day 2, including bracelet winner Andrew Hinrichsen, Grant Levy and Mel Judah. … Golfer Sergio Garcia finished in 51st place in the 2012 PCA main event. He earned $35,000. … Epic Poker will now air on Europe's The Poker Channel. … If you had any questions about what the recent Department of Justice memo regarding the Wire Act meant, Gambling Compliance's Chris Krafcik explains it all.

The 11th edition of the European Poker Awards takes place on Jan. 25 at the Aviation Club de France in Paris.

The awards feature nine categories; Rookie of the Year, Best Tournament Performance, Player of the Year, Casino Staff Person of the Year, Leading Lady of the Year, Rob Gardner Memorial Award for the Poker Personality of 2011, Internet Player of the Year, Lifetime Achievement Award, and a new addition – the Best Event of the Year. This new category will reward the event marked by the quality of its organisation, its field, or its prize pool.

Fighting it out for Player of the Year are Jake Cody, Bertrand Grospellier, Pius Heinz, Eugene Katchalov, Andrey Pateychuk, and Sam Trickett.

Nominations for Internet Player of the Year include Jude Ainsworth, Viktor Blom, Rui Cao, Chris Moorman, and Ilari Sahamies, while Liv Boeree, Victoria Coren, Nesrine Kourdourli, Barbara Martinez, Natalia Nikitina, and Cecilia Pescaglini are all in the running to become Europe’s Leading Lady.

World Series of Poker main event champ Pius Heinz shows up in two other categories – in Best Tournament Performance the German is up against Benjamin Spindler, Fabrice Soulier, and once again Sam Trickett and Jake Cody; and in Rookie of the year Heinz takes on Adrien Allain, Sam Holden, Oleksii Kovalchuk, and Andrey Pateychuk.

The remaining categories see Neil Channing and ElkY among other familiar names up for Poker Personality of the year, and the European Poker Tour London takes on World Series of Poker Europe Cannes and other prestigious events for Best European Event of the Year.

The Lifetime Achievement award winner will be announced on Jan. 25.

Colorful poker pro Freddy Deeb's list of accomplishments in poker is long and remarkable, yet somehow he'd never won at World Series of Poker Circuit ring. That streak was broken this week when he took the top spot in the most recent World Series of Poker Circuit Championship, held at The Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles. In addition to being his first tournament win on the Circuit, it was also his very first cash.

Deeb is probably best known among poker fans for his victory in the 2007 WSOP H.O.R.S.E. championship, a tournament whose $50,000 buy-in kept anyone who wasn't absolutely confident in their abilities out of the running. While it's relatively modest in comparison, this week's win was just as tough. Deeb hit the final table as chip leader, but things went wobbly for him relatively quickly. He lost the chip lead multiple times and was ranked last in chips when play went fourhanded and again when it went three-handed. At one point, in fact, he was all-in and needed to pair on the board to keep playing, but he caught his card and soldiered on.

Deeb's victory was especially well-earned because of the tenacity and skills that runner-up Alexandru Masek showed. The four-time circuit winner is a recent law school graduate from San Diego who's been impressing many on the circuit. As for Deeb himself, he didn't have much time to celebrate the victory: he's just opened a new Lebanese restaurant in Claremont, CA and had to get back to work th next morning.

Federal prosecutors may have cracked opened the door for individual U.S. states to operate Internet poker websites without Congress passing online poker legislation.

At least a half-dozen states -- including Nevada -- and the District of Columbia have enacted laws or are contemplating regulatory changes that would allow some form of Internet poker within their boundaries.

States that operate lotteries could also move forward with Internet poker initiatives.

How pervasive individual states become in online poker activities has been the subject of debate among gaming industry financial analysts and gaming attorneys.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Dec. 23 that it revised a long-standing opinion on the federal Wire Act of 1961, which made all forms of Internet gambling illegal. The new opinion, sought by the New York and Illinois lotteries, Justice Department attorneys said the Wire Act applies only to sports wagering, not to the sale of lottery tickets over the Internet. The reinterpretation seemingly cleared a path for federally regulated Internet poker websites catering to American gamblers.

Not so fast, Deutsche Bank gaming analyst Andrew Zarnett said.

In a recent research report, he told investors that the hyped-up enthusiasm expressed by many Internet poker proponents toward the prospects of federal legalization was misplaced.

"We do not feel it provides clarity that the Department of Justice has softened its stance on all Internet gaming," said Zarnett, who analyzes and researches the high-yield debt of several casino companies.

Still, Zarnett said the debate over Internet poker has evolved from "whether" some forms of the activity will be legalized to "when" Americans would be able to gamble for money on their home computers.

NO CONCLUSIONS YET

Las Vegas gaming attorney Jennifer Carleton, a shareholder with Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, cautioned that future Justice Department opinions could reverse the latest interpretation.

"Without a doubt, the opinion has significantly altered the gaming landscape with regard to the placing and receiving of wagers over the Internet and possibly opens the door for states to allow online poker and other forms of Internet gambling," Carleton said. "Gaming practitioners and entrepreneurs interested in Internet gaming must remain alert, attentive and proactive during the period of rapid legislative and regulatory changes that is likely to follow."

Nevada Gaming Control Board Chairman Mark Lipparelli said further analysis of the opinion is needed.

"Clearly, there was a major shift in policy understanding," Lipparelli said. "But it's too early to jump to any final conclusion."

With Congress showing little outward movement toward passing any gaming legislation -- lawmakers are sitting on two Internet poker bills -- Zarnett said the attention has turned toward individual states.

Using history as a guide, Zarnett said Internet poker would roll out on a state-by-state basis in the same manner as other forms of gambling, including lotteries, horse racing and casinos.

"Already some states are working hard to prepare for-profit online gaming," Zarnett said. "It is clearer now that not-for-profit state lotteries will be involved, maybe even have a first-mover advantage."

Nevada approved Internet poker regulations on Dec. 22 to capitalize on a business opportunity should Congress overturn a ban on Internet wagering. The state would serve as the licensing and regulatory arm for online poker providers.

The regulations also allow the state's casino companies to operate Internet poker sites limited to in-state players.

Lipparelli said the agency has received 10 applications for interactive gaming from casino operators, equipment providers and manufacturers. It's unclear how long investigative process will take. The technologies being proposed will need proper vetting.

"The devil is in the details," Lipparelli said.

AT THE FRONT OF THE LINE

South Point owner Michael Gaughan said he will continue to operate southpointpoker.com, a free play Internet poker website launched in October. The site offers cash and noncash prizes, including trips to the South Point to compete in live poker events.

But Gaughan said he applied with state gaming authorities to operate an intrastate poker website that would accept wagers only from Nevada residents or gamblers within the state's borders. Gaughan said the free play website has found marginal success. It has more than 22,000 customers, but not many from Nevada.

"It's gotten my name out there, and I need to get the pay site up so I can get a leg up on everyone else," Gaughan said. "I think I'm first in line."

He said the Department of Justice opinion "changed the game" for everyone, landing the push for Internet poker with individual states. He said Nevada's small population means an Internet poker website catering to just the state won't be "as lucrative as everyone once thought it would be."

Gaughan said he would have to find partners in other states that legalize Internet poker -- a tribal casino in California, for example -- if he wants to expand the player pool.

Mark Hichar, a partner with the Edwards Wildman Palmer law firm in Boston who represents lottery system and gaming technology providers, said states could increase their potential player pools by forming compacts with other states.

He said the Justice Department opinion doesn't prohibit that action as long as the states have similar Internet poker regulations.

The arrangement would be similar to the Interstate Horse Racing Act, which authorizes interstate Internet wagering on horse races. States have the right to regulate gambling and the act provides states any necessary federal assistance.

More than 20 states are part of the Interstate Horse Racing Act.

"I would expect states will enact reasonable laws and regulations that measure age control and location controls,

The largest growing social media network Facebook has a lot to offer the cyber world, whether its just keeping up with latest news from your friends or playing games on a mass scale with millions of other users.

Zynga, the maker one of the leading social network poker games, has an opportunity to offer real money games to its following. According to reports though and despite the new rules clarifying present gambling rules by the Department of Justice Zynga is not interested in that part of the market. Zynga doesn’t want to risk losing their millions of loyal players and has not even looked at the potential of real money gambling in jurisdictions where the laws already allow the past time.

Zynga’s online poker offering is extremely popular, and with Zynga Casino and Bingo coming soon to a terminal near you the player base will get even bigger. Real money infrastructure is already available so the possibility is looming.
The recent public offering of Zynga shares at $10 is getting battered by the competition in the very competitive market place. Castleville is the latest in the fray which is capturing the attention of Facebook users has a player base of 37 million active players every month. Cityville the makers of Castleville is giving the consumer more options which Zynga must counter with new and creative games to survive in a fickle market.

Zynga has begun to think outside of the Facebook box and offer games on the Google + platform as well as the Apple operating system. Google TV applications have also been launched by the Zynga Poker network. Most insiders believe that the Zynga gurus are poised to launch real money gambling applications just to stay ahead of the competitive curve presented by an expanding market. Money after all is what all firms try to generate so why would Zynga be any different.

Now that the US Department of Justice (DoJ) has modified the Wire Act of 1961, making online betting on non sports activities legal and ruling that poker is legal since it is not a game of chance, the online gaming industry is intensifying its pressure on the Congress that it must legalize the online poker industry at the earliest possible. Obviously, the DoJ announcement, made just before Christmas, has intensified the struggle for the legalization of the online poker industry, with lobbyists as well as lawmakers urging for a proper online poker law at the federal level.In April, Washington DC will start offering online blackjack and online poker services and Illinois will start selling lottery tickets online by the same time. Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey, said this week that his state has the potential to be the epicenter of online betting.

John Pappas, the executive director of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), issued a statement to POLITICO, in which he said, “The writing is on the wall. The states are going to do this. The first three or four months of the year is going to be pretty important for Congress to act.”

Those who are pressing for the implementation of a federal law say that the US states are too small and financial weak to face the challenges of online gaming, owing to which the Congress must make a definite move right away. Simultaneously, the state officials are quite confident of making state online poker regulation work.

The DoJ announcement makes it easy for states such as New Jersey and California, as well as Connecticut and Iowa, to follow in the footsteps of Washington DC and Illinois and create online gaming laws during their legislative sessions. While making proper online poker laws is not easy, the states are eager to create regulatory frameworks because online poker will definitely generate revenue streams to help solve their financial problems.

Legalizing the online poker industry at the federal level also has opposition. Last year, the NASPL had passed a resolution, in which it had opposed the creation of a federal online gaming law on the grounds that it will deprive the states of their rights to regulate online gambling.

The federal bills enable states to opt out, but local officials state that a federal laws can devour state-run lotteries that generate funds for a number of development projects such as schools, roads, and so on.

This evening at 8 p.m. on PaddyPowerPoker.com three Irish Open packages will be given away in a €200 + €15 no-limit hold’em freezeout. The packages are worth €4,600 each and include the €3,200 + €300 main event buy-in, €395 for five nights accommodation and breakfast at the Burlington Hotel in Dublin, €50 for handling ipoker fees, and €655 for flights and spending.

If tonight’s satellite doesn’t work out, there is always tomorrow. At 8 p.m. on Mondays there is a €25 + €2 no-limit hold’em re-buy/add-on event with one Irish Open seat for the taking.

Feeders for the satellites run daily at PaddyPowerPoker.com and feature various buy-ins and formats.

The 2012 Irish Open takes place at the Burlington Hotel in Dublin from Apr. 6 to 9 and features a full schedule of events to whet the appetite.

Anyone who qualifies for the Irish Open via PaddyPowerPoker.com will be eligible for the €100,000 Sole Survivor promotion. The longest lasting qualifier in the Irish Open main event will win a €100,000 sponsorship package in addition to any prize money won.

Elsewhere the site is giving away $30,000 in prizes in its latest promotion 4 Skins. It’s just about to go into its second week where players will be hunting for beaver skin as the second points race rolls out.

In the US, the Department of Justice has taken some very serious steps against Internet gaming. Despite the fact that there are thousands of casinos that operate online, some of them simply are not reliable. Despite the fact that online gaming is illegal in certain states, it simply means that any online gambler should think twice before they register themselves on any casino website and deposit money into an account. The Department of Justice has already frozen many of the accounts of US players. In scenarios such as this, online gambling is increasingly risky for anyone who wants to play online poker while in the US. These setbacks have caused many online casinos to stop operating in the US, as these rules and regulations are increasingly strict. Many PokerStars players in the United States have recently reported that their online gaming accounts have been frozen. However, according to the Department of Justice, those players on PokerStars within the United States' jurisdiction are violating the rules and laws of online casino gambling. Therefore, they will have to face the consequences, which is having their real money account frozen. These events have caused a tremendous setback in the online casino market in the US. In addition to actions against PokerStars players, the Department of Justice actually had a basis for freezing the accounts. In a mutual agreement between PokerStars and the Department of Justice, point 5.11 clearly stated that any resident of the United States as well as players and other American territories are not allowed to play at a real money online casino. This point also prohibits anyone in the US or other American territory to play for real money at other gambling events aside from poker. These players are only allowed to withdraw their existing deposit from their account at the online casino, but are not allowed to make any deposits into other online casino games. These rules are applicable to any player that resides in the United States or its territories, regardless of whether they are a citizen of the United States or not. Anyone who has violated these rules by providing a false location will be considered as breaching the agreement and will face legal consequences. Clients from the Virtual Private Networks have been sincerely affected by these crackdowns of online casinos in the US. Despite the fact that they feel safe while they are playing within the network, their true location is revealed once they log off the system. For this reason, PokerStars Online Casino has maintained that anyone who provides false location or other false information to their website, and is caught playing at their site after providing this false information, will lose all the funds in their account. For this reason, it is in the best interest of all players at any online casino to abide by the laws in their respective country while playing at an online casino, whether poker or otherwise. It is also strongly recommended to anyone that wants to play at an online casino or poker website, do their research and read the terms and conditions on their chosen casino's website before making any deposit.

To celebrate its name change, Bet Victor Poker is doing some early spring cleaning and giving its players the chance to win some limited edition and collectable merchandise featuring the site’s former brand name, Victor Chandler Poker.

A variety of online freerolls called the Great Merchandise Giveaway will celebrate the makeover from today, Jan. 16, on into February.

First of all, there is a freeroll called Two Decks One Cup every day at 9.45 p.m. (CET) until Feb. 15. Entry is 1 VIP point and the top three finishers receive two decks of 100 percent plastic VC Poker playing cards and a VC Poker coffee mug.

At 8.45 p.m. daily, for just 10 VIP points, players can enter Home Game Freerolls and battle it out for a presentation aluminum case holding a Victor Chandler Poker chip set, two decks of VC Poker playing cards, and five casino dice.

At 9.15 p.m. daily there will be a Sterling Silver Freeroll with one of only 200 limited edition, silver Victor Chandler card protectors up for grabs. Second and third-place finishers will receive a bronze Victor Chandler card protector. Entry to this event costs 25 VIP Points.

In addition to this, a new €2,500 freeroll, the Two Five Special, will take place every second Sunday of the month at 8.30 p.m.. Those who have earned 100 VIP points or more in the previous calendar month can take part, but those who have not can still qualify via feeders with just 1 VIP point (earned in the 24 hours running up to the start of the tournament). The feeders offer three seats a day for the Two Five Special.

Aside from this there are cash prizes for the taking in the Daily Bankroll Builder Weekly League which takes place Sunday to Thursday at 9 p.m., and also features a €500 weekly leader board prize pool.

Last but not least, starting on Jan. 22 and running until Jan. 26 is the €21,000 Winter Tournament Series. The Series is split into two leader boards, one featuring a €7,000 prize pool and the other, a €14,000 prize pool. The low leader board €5 buy-in events take place at 7.45 p.m. and have a €500 guarantee, and the high leader board €50 buy-in events take place at 8.15 p.m. and have a €1,000 guarantee.

On Sunday afternoon, a huge $1 million Bad Beat Jackpot was hit on the Merge Gaming Network with the loser of the hand “Eulson” collecting a cool $355,092 for having his quad 7′s cracked.

In the hand in question, “Eulson” was playing on a $0.5/$1 Fixed Limit cash table when “123maryc” with pocket queens raised to $2 with “Eulson” holding pocket sevens then making it $3 to go, before “123maryc” re-popped to $4.

The action flop of 7s-Qc-Qh then had “123maryc” cunningly check-calling Eulson’s $1 bet, before check-raising his opponent four times all-in on the turn when a 7c fell. After an Ah fell on the river, “123maryc” subsequently revealed quad queens to take the $34.70 pot from “Eulson” with quad sevens.

Luckily for the players, however, the Merge Gaming Network Jackpot is released after quad 7’s or better are beaten at one of their Bad Beat Jackpot tables and a minimum of four players are dealt cards in the hand. Therefore, the fortunate player’s had plenty of reasons to celebrate afterwards.

Consequently, although losing the hand “Eulson” took away a massive $355,092 for the indignity of losing to a 1 in 3,243 situation, while “123maryc” collected an additional $177,546 payout for being the winner. Furthermore, the remaining seven players received a healthy $25,363 each for merely being at the table when the hand was dealt.

In total, 70% of the jackpot went to the players, while the house took a 10% administration fee and 20% went towards the next Bad Beat Jackpot. Since being struck, the jackpot is now already above the $219,000 mark.

The Merge Gaming Network ranks 12th biggest in terms of online poker cash game traffic and is the largest network still accepting US players. Its reliable skins include such sites as, Carbon Poker, Cake Poker and PDC Poker.

As we compiled yesterday’s casino winners it was Michael G. of MO who walked away with the top spot after winning $48,205 playing Mister Money online slot machine.
As Michael was enjoying his winners high, we also had Sue K. of FL make her way to the top with a $38,231 win playing a Bodog Casino favorite, Mermaid Queen online slot machine.

Other big Bodog Casino winners from yesterday included:
David D. of OK worked his magic on the Blackjack tables and won a total of $7,112.
Jennifer Y. of CA took a trip down under and won $5,592 playing Red Sands slots.
Congratulations to all of our casino players for today who used their finely tuned gaming skills at Bodog Casino to their advantage to walk away with a big win!
With only a couple more days left until Thanksgiving, make sure to line up your favorite Bodog Casino games for those upcoming holiday lulls when listening to cousin Peter talk about his countless blind dates seems to lose its entertainment value.

Every week, Bovada hosts thousands of poker tournaments, ranging from single table events to their massive $100,000 guaranteed tournaments - and that includes the holidays! There's really no way we can cover all of them, but we do want to make sure you keep up with who won the biggest of the big games so you know how hot the action is there.
So, who took the top spot in this past Sunday's $100,000 guaranteed online poker tournament? Cory C took first place this week, earning $22,727.53. He was followed by Andrew R ($15,151.50) and Chris B, who rounded out the top trifecta while earning $11,538.45. Here are the rest of the final table results: David T($8,449.87); Daniel A ($6060.60); David E ($4545.45); Eric H ($3,379.95); Kurt A ($2,272.72) and Adam F ($1,515.15).

In addition to show-stopping Sunday events, Bovada hosts a series of regular big-money weekly tournaments for players, and here are the winners of last week's events!

January 9 — $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: Stefan B ($2,528.96)
January 10 — $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: Douglas H ($2,674.16)
January 11 — $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: Mike C ($2,444.21)
January 12 — $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: Howard S ($2,770.96)
January 13 — $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: Howard S ($2,831.41)
January 14 — $10k Guaranteed Turbo Double-Stack: Jon B ($2,662.00)
January 15 — $15k Guaranteed Turbo Double-Stack: Erica N ($3,696.00)
January 15 — $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: Robert H ($2,760.00)
January 8 — $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: Keith W ($2,710.40)

Bovada'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 Bovada and get your share!

The Irish Open 2012 online payment gateway is now up and running at PaddyPowerPoker.com for all those wishing to buy in to the main event or any side events of one of the oldest and most prestigious tournaments in the world.

The online payment gateway will be available until Mar. 30 and accepts credit card, bank transfer, or cheque. After that the only method of payment will be chip and pin credit cards or cash at the Burlington Hotel in Dublin on Apr. 6.

Paddy Power, Communications Manager for the site, said, "The Irish Open online payment facility is a quick and easy way to guarantee your seat in the Irish Open this April. The system is safe and secure and is extremely easy to use, with step by step instructions on how to pay with credit card, bank transfer or cheque.”

Internet poker first started in the United States, with Planet Poker in 1998. Party Poker which launched in 1999, would go on to become the largest online poker-room. That was before Black Friday; the online poker world in the U.S. came tumbling down on April 15th, 2011. The Justice Department on that day filed charges on Poker Stars, Full Tilt, and Absolute Poker for money laundering and bank fraud. The sites quickly stopped allowing U.S. players access.

Fast forward 8 months, the beginning of an election cycle, and everybody is looking for votes. More than votes they are looking for money, donations to campaigns, and fundraising. The companies that own these poker sites are ready to tap into a giant U.S. market. Opening their wallets may be the first step to getting online poker legalized in the U.S. Nevada has already passed legislation outlining how to get your permit to run online poker sites in that state. The Justice Department this past Friday decided to reverse their position on whether online poker is illegal or not. The official position now is, being poker is not a sport, it is not covered by the Wire Act of 1961. Texas Representative Joe Barton will introduce legislation to legalize online poker this next spring. California, not to be left behind has also introduced legislation to legalize online poker.

With the brick and mortar casino companies throwing their money and influence behind online poker, it is only a matter of time before we can all enjoy playing poker from our couches or offices again. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada was opposed to online poker until Caesar's Entertainment along with Bally's Technology reversed their positions, announcing interest in wanting to get into the online poker business. Reid now wants to regulate and tax online poker.

Like everything else, poker players need to get ready for a license fee of some sort. Whether it is a state, federal, or a combination of both, it will happen. Hunters pay a fee, fishermen pay a fee, drivers pay a fee, and poker players will pay a fee. The difference is poker players would pay the fee gladly to be able to play from home. From home there is no travel time, no gas money, no airline ticket, no out of pocket cost what so ever. Just sign on, and join in, choose the game and amount you want to play.

The government will need to be involved. We need safe guards to prevent online sites from coming into a market, accepting players and their money, and then disappearing into the night. Had the government taken this position in the beginning, Black Friday players might still have their money, some may never get that money back. It is easy looking back to blame, but looking forward we have the opportunity to get it right.

Playing online gives a player so many options, so many choices. Two recent World Series of Poker Main Event winners came from the Internet, Greg Raymer and Chris Moneymaker, both won their seats online. Many players will have that option again in some fashion, sooner, rather than later.

J. Brackston is a veteran of three World Series of Poker appearances, two World Series of Poker circuit events in Oklahoma and Louisiana, and an appearance in The River Poker Series in Oklahoma. Has won many local poker tournaments since beginning playing competitively in 2004.

Seventeen online poker players made it to Bovada's Super Bowl Freeroll Finale and after a mere four hours of play, Adam Greear of Riverview, MI took the top spot and earned himself an expenses-paid trip to Indanapolis's Lucas Oil stadium for Super Bowl XLVI.

How'd he get there? By sticking to his guns and waiting to strike. After three and a half hours of play, the tension was understandably high: the winner was getting the most coveted seats in the game. One hand in particular seemed to tilt the game in Adam's favor, though, and he wasn't even playing in it.

Player #12 raised from the button while holding a well-disguised 6c3c. Player #9 called while holding Qs9s and looked to have it in the bag when the flop fell: QQT, giving him a set. Player #9 went all-in against his opponent, but ended up getting booted by a Club flush thanks to Ac on the turn. All the hoping in the world didn't help, however, and that miracle full house never appeared, leaving Player #12 facing off against Adam.

Heads-up play between the two lasted a scant ten minutes before both players were dealt ultra-premium hands that virtually ensured that all their chips would end up in the pot. After a raising war pre-flop, Adam and his opponent both found themselves all-in with 5 cards to come. Adam held AdQd while Player 12 held pocket 10's. The 7-high flop was surely welcomed by the pocket 10's, but once again, the game changed radically on the turn as Qh, giving Adam the winning hand that would get him to Indianapolis.

How'd Adam get the win? Turns out he's been playing for almost a decade now: the 25-year-old started playing poker with his friends in his Junior year of High School after seeing the 2003 WSOP Main Event. And despite having a 13 month old daughter and a brand-new 2 month old son, he stays pretty active. "I enjoy getting out and going golfing along with playing in spring/fall softball leagues with all my friends I grew up with. Other than that I'm a huge fan of all the Detroit/Michigan sports teams and always have their games on," he said in an email interview.

And as for the game itself? "I'm a die hard Lions fan, so now that they're out I really don't have a preference. I suppose I'd like to see the Broncos make it so that we can confirm Tebow is the Messiah." "

"That's a joke," he added quickly. Unfortunately, Tebow's team won't be in the big face-off, but with lots of stuff happening in Indianapolis along with the big game, Adam's definitely going to make the most of his ultra-swank Bovada prize package. When he was asked if he was going to take advantage of Bovada’s online sports betting services, he replied with a calm, cool and collected "Yes. Yes, I am."

Wow.. What a lucky guy! If I have won such an amount, I will stop on playing take what I have won.

_________________

Oh so good!!

Traffic goes whenever you get a lot of players and you can't even join a single table due to the room being crowded. That sucks!

_________________

Oh so good!!

PokerStars.com has generated the wrath of its loyal players after it announced changes to its rake structure and VIP program. The online poker room informed players recently that it would be altering its VIP Player Points (VPP) system. Before the change, players received rewards each time they were dealt a raked hand and all those who contributed to the pot were able to share the rewards equally. Poker Stars, however, has now opted to move to the ‘weighted contribution’ system, where rewards are given based on how much players contribute to the pot.

Needless to say, poker players, especially high stake players, were not happy with the announcement and decided to protest in two ways. First of all, they simply stopped logging into their accounts and playing at Poker Stars. Secondly, they logged into active cash tables but would not play – in protest of the changes.

The results could be felt across the board, but especially at the French arm of the online poker room, PokerStars.fr. This site reported a 10% drop in traffic volume to cash games, which meant that the top ranking which Poker Stars enjoyed in France is a thing of the past and the site had to step aside for Winamax.fr to take the number one position.

Online poker sites all over saw a significant increase in traffic volume to cash games, with PartyPoker reporting a 25% increase and iPoker enjoying a 12% increase. However, PokerStars’ increase was only 5%, another result of the players’ protest.

The biggest problem with the new system is that high stake players, because of their tight gaming style, proportionally make lower contributions to the pot, leading to less rewards. If Poker Stars upsets its high stake players, it has the potential to affect the site badly over time.

Sky Poker TV are pleased to announce that, as part of their continued improvements, poker professional Stuart Rutter has joined their team. The online poker company confirmed the position and Rutter's next appearance on the Sky Poker Channel on Thursday 19th January from 8pm.

Rutter is one of the most recognisable poker players and represents a breed of players who are making a great impression on the poker world. He joins the latest Team Sky Poker arrivals Ryan Spittles and Julian Thew as analysts on the TV channel and will be seen on Sky Poker channel 865, making a live appearance on Thursday night's GBP 15,000 Sky Sports Bounty Hunter.

Hailing from Birmingham, Stuart has almost GBP 500,000 in live tournament earnings, has won a GUKPT title (Coventry 2010) and final tabled a WSOP event in 2010, shortly after his GUKPT success.

Claire Cook, Head of Channel at Sky Poker TV said "Stuart's addition to the Sky Poker analyst team gives you some idea of the ambition we have in the industry. We're all set to relaunch the channel this February including a greater variety of shows to cover all levels of poker ability. Stuart is just one of a handful of successful British poker players who will now appear on your screens to bring you top poker tips and advice. He's one of the most charismatic players on the circuit and I am sure viewers will enjoy Stuart's regular appearances on the Sky Poker TV channel."

To find out more about Sky Poker & the Sky Poker Channel visit: skypoker.com

About 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).

After a stunning flip-flop by the Department of Justice right before Christmas, Internet-gaming fever has been spreading across the nation to many in positions of power in state governments.

While Nevada has brazenly taken a big lead in efforts to establish the first intrastate web-gaming industry — poker-only at first in its case — other states are grappling with the idea of taking gambling to the final frontier.

Sensibilities on both sides of the argument are digging in for legislative warfare, with proponents dangling carrots of tax revenue, jobs and consumer protection and opponents citing increases in crime, debt and addiction that come with gambling.

In Nevada, casino interests have already won an easy fight.

The District of Columbia beat Nevada to the punch legislatively by adding an online-gaming provision onto a budget bill in Dec. 2010, but since then has accomplished nothing toward licensing and regulating games.

According to The Washington Times, controversy has surrounded a lottery contract in the omnibus bill, causing some lawmakers to regret not making Internet gaming a stand-alone measure.

A hearing will be held later this month to reportedly discuss the web-gaming program and its possible repeal. D.C. Council member Michael Brown reportedly said that it “would be a tragedy” if the District of Columbia is leapfrogged to the marketplace.

In Iowa, a state with a scant potential player pool, gaming regulators recently released a study on Internet poker that concluded a 22-percent tax could yield as little as $3 million for the state. Consequently, a lawmaker there with a bill in the works wants Iowa to join forces with other jurisdictions, according to the Des Moines Register. With a brutalized local casino industry, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie supports broad online gaming — as long as it’s headquartered in Atlantic City. He vetoed a bill last year, but with the DOJ ruling and some tweaks to the proposal, he now has given the persistent Sen. Raymond Lesniak some political affection.

Lawmakers in the Garden State are also still trying to figure out if web gaming should go to a referendum.

In Ohio, The News Record reported that the state lottery is contemplating a venture into online casino games. The DOJ’s broad clarification on the Wire Act was in response to New York and Illinois seeking to use the Internet for lottery sales. Neither of those states has splashed around with the idea of casino games for the web.

Besides a federal bill, California, with its nearly 37 million people, represents the coup de grâce for anti-Internet gaming sentiment in the U.S. The state will revive consideration for Internet gaming in 2012, but Gov. Jerry Brown remains skeptical on the issue and its potential help to the budget deficit, according to the L.A. Times.

The tribal casino industry in the Golden State, which forks over hundreds of millions per year for gaming compacts, is fiercely divided on the issue.

Robert Smith, Chairman of the California Tribal Business Alliance, said last year that many “stakeholders” would be “irreparably harmed” if a bill was rushed.

In an effort to protect Connecticut’s tribal gaming industry — powered by Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun — against an arms race for more casinos in the Northeast, Gov. Dannel Malloy is advocating online gaming, according to the Associated Press. He reportedly called the industry “inevitable.”

Despite its close proximity to the gambling capital of the country, Utah has legislation in the works that would preemptively ban online gaming — just in case a federal bill ever gains traction. Other states like Hawaii, North Dakota and Florida have considered Internet poker, but efforts didn’t survive in their respective legislatures and don’t appear at the moment to have second lives. Florida has been busy lately with an uphill battle to authorize a multibillion-dollar casino in Miami.

While numerous states struggle to find entry into an intrastate online-gaming industry, Nevada has already started to review some of the paperwork for potential web-poker licensees. Regulators are also adding more substance to the industry’s rules, but the core framework is in place.

No one has publicly stated when the first potential licensee will be brought to the Nevada Gaming Commission for approval, but some companies are looking to get approved as soon as possible.

If and when a handful of states offer Internet poker, the potential is there under the law for an inter-play between player pools, according to leading gaming attorneys — making the business more lucrative.

David Schwartz, Director of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, said casinos want to have everything in place by the time the market goes interstate.

“It’s not that this is going to be a gold mine for revenue, but it will say ‘Hey look, here’s a concept, we can do it, and it’s working,’” he said.