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Nuclear Blast Records has issued the following announcement about launching a new online poker platform:

"Heavy metal fans have found a new online home to party, poker and rock out. Nuclear Blast, together with kuuluu AG, launches Nuclear Blast Poker a free-to-play social platform. Nuclear Blast Poker is not just an online poker game but also a community platform where metal freaks interact, show their love for metal by styling their avatar with cool hardcore items from the shop all whilst listening to the newest music releases from Nuclear Blast label on an integrated music player. Join the game at this location or visit and play as a guest on the Nuclear Blast website.

"Nuclear Blast Poker allows all metalheads to congregate, meet new like-minded people, compete for stellar prizes and live-out their passion for metal fashion. The in-game shop players have the chance to choose items for their poker alter-ego avatar from a huge selection that shows the rest of the world what they’re really made of.

"Nuclear Blast Poker is free-to-play and all about giving metal fans the opportunity to meet each other in a new and exciting environment. Players can choose from casual tournaments, challenge friends or simply take a seat directly at a regular sit-down table to win virtual chips, gold and experience points. Furthermore, the user experience is designed with the metal fan in mind with stunning backdrops, hardcore avatars and rockin’ items, and to top it off the Nuclear Blast Player on SoundCloud blaring out the latest tracks of the label.

"The game also provides metal fans with the opportunity to compete against some of their biggest idols. Scott Ian of Anthrax and Damian Wilson of Threshold both enjoy playing poker and will surprise fans at the tables and tournaments. Fans will even win exclusive 'Meet & Greets' with their heroes."

Threshold’s Damian Wilson states: “I love poker and I love music. Putting the two together is like introducing girlfriends. Could be heavenly or may be all out war. See you on the Nuclear Blast Poker tables!”

“I am excited and curious to meet our fans on Nuclear Blast Poker and I can’t wait to see who’s got the skills to beat me on some of the tables,” says Scott Ian (Anthrax).

As a welcome gift, the game is giving fans the chance to take part in a one-off “Registration Lottery” to win a signed artwork on canvas from Nightwish’s latest album and upcoming movie “Imaginaerum.” Together with a 50€ Nuclear Blast mailorder merchandise gift card, one lucky fan is gonna have a grand New Years. Anyone who registers for the game before the end of December will be entered into the prize draw.



Nuclear Blast Launches Online Metal Poker - in Metal News ( Metal Underground-com )

Play at Bodog and make some money: Bovada Poker




Welcome

Play at Bodog and make some money: Bovada Casino



Welcome

It depends upon the player strategy but It not good for long time in the game.

Damn
why they do that ?

It will be a historic day, just three days from now Full Tilt Poker will once again resume business as usual; did any one else receive the email from Full Tilt Poker welcoming back players? My buddy in Nevada just forwarded me a copy, if you didn’t receive your invite, below is what was stated. I would love to hear your opinions so please comment below.


------------
Dear XXXX,

Good news; Full Tilt Poker is back online for play-money games.

As someone who has enjoyed the play-chip tables on Full Tilt Poker in the past, we are pleased to welcome you back, following a successful re-launch.

Click here to download Full Tilt Poker play-money version.

The Rational Group, which owns and operates PokerStars, acquired assets of Full Tilt Poker in August 2012 and appointed new senior management to re-open and operate the site.

Please note that we will not offer real money online poker in the U.S. until such time as there is regulation and licensing permitting this. As such, only our play-money games are available to U.S. residents.

Our agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice allows for PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker to apply for relevant gaming licenses if and when they are made available. We look forward to the opportunity to provide real-money online poker to U.S. players in the future.

Thank you – and welcome back on Full Tilt Poker.

Sincerely,

Full Tilt Poker
----------------------------


Would love to know how many of you are going back to play and why?

And would also love to hear from others that think it is just a bad idea and why?

Let your voices be heard!

Fugu Poker is the newest addition to ixgames poker rooms with 110% up to $600 you are sure to get a head start while playing cash games or tournaments. Fugu poker belongs to the cake poker network just like power poker and colt poker. Apart from giving out a generous deposit bonus you can engage in all the popular poker games; Texas Hold'em, Omaha and omaha hi lo games. Fugu also features the fugu casino with table games, slots and video poker for anyone that wants to visit the online casino.

This poker room is sure to fizz your mind just like any other cake poker site so visit fugu poker to start player poker with others around the world.

HiLife Poker is the newest, quickest and most convenient way to enjoy poker from the comfort of your home. If you’re making your very first real money deposit at HiLife Poker, you are eligible to receive our 110% First Depositor Bonus of up to $600.

HiLifePoker welcome you to give HiLife a try, on them. You’ll receive a 110% First Depositor Bonus plus a seat in our New Depositor $500 Freeroll playing Saturday’s at 2 PM ET.

HiLife Poker founded in 2011, is an online poker site on the Revolution Gaming Network (former Cake Network, rebranded in June 2012).

Yоu саn trасk fіrѕt dероѕіt bоnuѕ аt “mу ассоunt” tаb іn HiLife Pоkеr саѕhіеr.

Welcome

If you enjoy a hefty bonus and a licensed poker room in the EU then Euro Club Poker could be a great entrance to the cake poker network. The operator Cake Gaming N.V. have launched numerous other poker rooms including: Power Poker and Colt Poker and a few others.

Euro Club Poker Features a complete online casino as well but in comparison of casino software giants like microgaming and realtime gaming they are still underdogs.

Euro Club Poker Bonus: 200% Up To $2000

If you do want to try your luck at the casino they offer following deposit promotion: 100% Up To $500.

Toronto-born poker pro Evelyn Ng is a picture of glamour in a game dominated by disheveled men in sweatshirts.

The 37-year-old broke into the scene in 2004, just as the “poker boom” was taking hold. In the eight years since, she has routinely pulled in five-figure tournament winnings, racked up scores of TV gigs and once competed in a 2006 charity poker tournament that saw billionaire investor Warren Buffett go broke in less than 45 minutes.

And it all started underground. Ms. Ng hustled pool at 15, got a job dealing in an illegal Toronto “card club” at 17 and after a bit of study, was pulling in “easy money” before her 19th birthday.

“As soon as I saw poker, I knew that that was something that I wanted to become good at,” she told a PokerListings-com interviewer in 2007.

Every night, basements and backrooms across Toronto are packed with gamblers looking for a poker fix — and grinders looking to make the rent. Stakes are high, venues are shady and players are haunted by armed robberies and police raids alike. But while Toronto’s seedy gambling underbelly has spawned some of Canada’s greatest poker talent, its storied reign may be coming to an end. Read More: Toronto becoming an online poker haven as its storied, seedy underground card scene fades into obscurity | Posted Toronto | National Post

The first Sunday in November launched a big month of online poker excitement. And when women get jazzed about poker, they show up in large numbers to participate and show support. They could also participate in Double Vision, which offered two Sunday Kickoffs, Warm-Ups, Storms, and Millions. Double the fun, as they say!

November has much more in store for players. The PS Women Live qualifiers are now in full swing to award $3,250 prize packages to the Ladies Event at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in January. This weekend's $215 qualifier had 24 players and ended up awarding the package to twinkie. And then the Women's Poker League just announced Team Pro November, wherein Team Pros will participate in many of the league tournaments with bounties on their virtual heads. And for all players, the MicroMillions III series will begin on November 15 and offer 100 micro buy-in tournaments with $5 million in guarantees.

Are you ready for all of that poker action? We know you are.

Today, the Women's Sunday drew a very nice crowd of players for the $10K guaranteed weekly tournament:

Total players: 258
Prize pool: $12,900.00
Paid finishers: 45



Amazing Mayzey wins November 4 Women's Sunday - PokerStarsBlog-com

Looks very nice!!

Looks very nice..!!

Tuesday, November 6 is the day Americans go to their polling places to cast their vote for the person they wish to be the next President of the United States. There will be other local, county, and state elections on each ballot, but the focus tomorrow will obviously be on the Presidential race between the Democratic incumbent Barack Obama and the Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

Everybody has their own reasons for voting for a certain candidate (or voting against one), but if you are passionate about poker and are determined to make that the deciding issue in this election, here is a little cheat sheet on where the men stand on our beloved pastime:

Barack Obama

The Democrats are generally considered more sympathetic to the plight of poker players than Republicans. Our own President has even been known to play in some home games now and then. But while most would assume that a vote for Obama is a vote for poker, that’s not necessarily true. It’s not necessarily untrue, either, and that is part of the problem. The Obama camp has never really taken much of a stand on online poker.

President Obama himself has never addressed the issue publically, which is not particularly surprising, given the more important national and international issues on his plate. In May, however, Deputy Director of the National Economic Council Brian Deese, during the White House’s “We the People” campaign, did offer some opinions on internet gambling in response to an online poker petition. Unfortunately, they offering nothing that we haven’t heard before.

Deese said that while “The Administration understands that many Americans engage in paid online poker games for entertainment purposes,” online sports betting is against the law and it is up to the states to determine if other forms of internet gambling are legal. He then proceeded to list the dangers of online gambling, citing problems with location and age restrictions, fraud, and money laundering.

On a slightly positive note, he added, “The Administration will continue to examine this issue and is open to solutions that would help guard against the use of online gambling sites as tools for conducting illegal activities or preying on unsuspecting individuals to the extent that online gambling is permitted.”

Mitt Romney

Mr. Romney is without question against online poker, letting it be known that he supports a block on the game during the Nevada primary. With that opinion, he is right in line with his party’s platform. In August, the official Republican Party Platform spelled it out in black and white on page 32: Read More: Presidential Poker Politics

The online poker bill being drafted in Congress is rekindling harsh feelings in Antigua and Barbuda, the tiny Caribbean nation that has been engaged in a long-running dispute with the United States over Internet gambling.

The sides have failed to come up with a settlement after Antigua filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization and won a 2004 ruling that U.S. laws against online gambling violated an international trade treaty.

Officials in the twin-island nation, population 82,000, where licensed online gambling companies contribute to a $1 billion annual gross domestic product, have complained they are being stonewalled.

They argue now that an online gambling bill being formed by Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., adds insult to injury. While legalizing Internet poker, it would draw a tight ring to exclude offshore companies by requiring U.S. operators to be physically based and licensed in the United States.

"There's no way the Antiguans would be able to get a license under this bill," Mark Mendel, an attorney representing Antigua, told The Hill newspaper and news site.

Mendel could not be reached Thursday, but told the Capitol Hill publication last week that passage of the Reid-Kyl bill would worsen trade relations between the nations.

The U.S. government has declared it never intended to include Internet gaming among its commitments in the General Agreement for Trade in Services, one of the treaties policed by the World Trade Organization, and has taken steps to withdraw it.

The Reid-Kyl bill would cement the U.S. position in law, according to a draft that has been made public.

The bill declares the World Trade Organization ruling was "erroneous," and that no trading partner should have had any expectation to access U.S. customers for online gambling.

Harold Lovell, the minister of finance and the economy for Antigua and Barbuda, said the bill "is nothing short of legislating historical fiction."

"Given that the U.S. has been immersed in a trade dispute for the last decade with Antigua and Barbuda, the evidence is there for all to see that remote gaming was always at issue," Lovell said in a statement.

The Reid-Kyl bill would give the U.S. trade representative 180 days to resolve the dispute with Antigua or "take all available steps" to complete arbitration.

"We are encouraged to have a time frame adopted by the U.S., which continues to stonewall all efforts by the government of Antigua and Barbuda to resolve this dispute," Lovell said. "However, good faith negotiation requires much more adherence to international law than this legislation is offering."

"It would seem to us that a settlement prior to adoption of legislation, which then incorporated the terms of the settlement, would be the wiser and more appropriate course of action," he said.

Kristen Orthman, a Reid spokeswoman, said the legislation still is being written.

"The bill that has been leaked is just a draft and is a premature version of the online poker legislation. We continue to work with all stakeholders to address concerns," she said.

Antigua has sought up to $3.4 billion in countermeasures, an amount the U.S. government disputed. An arbitrator ruled in 2007 the island nation was entitled to no more than $21 million annually.

W. Baldwin Spencer, the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, met in April with Ron Kirk, the U.S. trade representative, in an effort to move the matter forward.

"Antigua and Barbuda's Internet gaming sector has been decimated by the actions of the United States and we believe that we must be fairly compensated for those losses," Spencer said.

For his part, Kirk said "the United States remained committed to working with Antigua and Barbuda in finding a solution to the case."

A U.S. trade representative spokeswoman said last week the U.S. government "is actively engaged at high levels with the government of Antigua to find a way to amicably resolve the trade dispute in a mutually beneficial manner."

- Steve Tetreault

LAS VEGAS NO. 2 IN SUPER PAC CONTRIBUTIONS

Las Vegas is near the top of yet another list - this time money and politics.

The city is No. 2 on a list of top 10 cities for contributions to super PACs, or political action committees, with a total of $48.7 million this election season. That's according to MapLight, a nonpartisan group that tracked data filed with the Federal Election Commission from Jan. 1, 2011, through Oct. 29, 2012.

And most of that money came from Las Vegas Sands Corps. Chairman Sheldon Adelson. Adelson and his wife, Miriam, are super PAC donors, contributing $46.5 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

The Las Vegas couple contributed $10 million in October, for example, to the pro-Mitt Romney super PAC Restore Our Future as it launched a $17.7 million ad campaign targeting voters in swing states, including Nevada. The Adelsons had previously given $10 million to the PAC after getting behind Romney after the GOP primaries.

President Barack Obama is edging his GOP challenger in the pre-election polls in Nevada, but Republicans have made the state competitive and are hoping for an upset victory on Election Day on Tuesday.

So which city was No. 1? Washington, D.C., of course, where lots of lobbyists and big money players are located. Washington topped the list with a total $71.6 million in donations during the campaign season.

The other cities on the list in order were: New York City ($40.8 million); Houston ($36.4 million); Dallas ($32 million); Chicago ($16.6 million); Los Angeles ($13.7 million); Jackson Hole, Wyo. ($12.3 million); Detroit ($10.9 million); and San Francisco ($9.2 million).

Lots of outside money is being spent in Nevada, too, and not just in the presidential race.

The U.S. Senate race between Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., and his Democratic challenger, Rep. Shelley Berkley, is among the top five across the country for out

Sun Poker closed today without giving players any notice. The poker room shut down operations and almost immediately emailed players and affiliates to let them know that the company would be leaving the online poker business. The company operates Omni Casino and that online casino brand will continue to operate.

Sun Poker blamed their issues on the iPoker split. The network moved its biggest skins to iPoker2. This affected most lower limit No Limit Texas Hold’em games. Sun Poker stated in their email to players:

Due to changes made on the iPoker network in September 2012, we could no longer provide our valued members the poker experience they have come to know and enjoy at SunPoker.

Since the controversial network split was in September 2012, it is not a stretch to say that Sun Poker was openly blaming the network’s split for their troubles. More recreational players are found on the iPoker2 side, but only the biggest skins made the cut. The iPoker2 skins are William Hill, Bet365, Paddy Power, Titan Poker and Poker770. Some of the smallest iPoker skins would never have a chance to compete with these skins and make the cut to iPoker2. It seems Sun Poker threw in the towel due to this process.

Sun Poker was a big name in online poker during the boom years. It launched on the Cryptologic Network in 2002 as Caribbean Sun Poker and later rebranded as the abbreviated Sun Poker. It was popular among bonus chasers who could clear monthly bonuses that paid out over 100% rakeback when combined with other promotions. Cryptologic was one of the first online poker networks that allowed rakeback and was the first to create a system for players to get paid rakeback automatically, something that is common today.

Hard times hit the Cryptologic Poker Network. The software failed to keep up with competitor’s innovations and U.S. players were eventually banned after passage of the UIGEA in 2006. Big skins started leaving the network. Betsafe moved to Ongame. Betfair bought PokerChamps and migrated their players there before eventually moving to Ongame. Littlewoods moved to 888, while William Hill moved to iPoker. Some skins such as WPT and Playboy outright closed. Interpoker was the last skin to stay on the network. They moved to Boss Media on March 17, 2009. Cryptologic continues to operate an online casino software.

Some of these moves were made by the rooms to leave the network due to declining traffic. Some of the moves were made after Cryptologic announced the poker room would close.



Sun Poker Closes Without Notice

Daniel “w00ki3z” Cates – the poker player formerly known as “Jungleman” – has won the inaugural PokerStars All-Star Showdown heads-up event for a tidy $550,000 return on his $100,000 investment.

Cates beat Ben “Sauce123” Sulsky in 3,178 online hands which took around 11 hours to complete. Sulsky had previously beaten Haxton – whose move to Team PokerStars Online pre-empted the Showdown series – in an epic 19 hour semi-final and picked up $250,000 for his second place finish.

Other vanquished participants in the eighthanded affair which saw four quarter finalists proceed to semi-final before two finalists were decided included Tobias Kuder, Alex Millar, Alexander Roumeliotis, Phil Galfond, and Ben Tollerene.

Elsewhere in Team PokerStars news Irish pro Jude “jthaddeus13” Ainsworth has confirmed on Twitter he is no longer part of team pro. He tweeted: I'm no longer a team pro, would like to wish the team @ Pokerstars all the best in the future.



Daniel Cates Wins All-Star Showdown For $550,000 - Poker News

BetVictor Poker recently announced the launch of its new online poker community ‘the BetVictor Club,’ which gives players the opportunity to join its ‘Free Play League’ and compete for over €10,000 in cash prizes every month.

Now, popular poker author Lou Krieger has been signed on as the site’s coach and will host a section of the BetVictor Club called “Ask The Coach,” aimed at improving the player’s poker skills. Krieger would seem a perfect match for the role as, in addition to being a top player himself, he has also written 12 in depth books on the game.

Explaining the benefits of his coaching section at the BetVictor Club, the poker expert said: “The more players take advantage of BetVictor’s ‘Ask the Coach’ feature, the more rapidly their skill will improve, and the faster their decision-making skills will rise to a professional level.”

In order to join the BetVictor Club a player must first create a profile and score at least 80% on ‘The Quiz’ after which they will enjoy access to all the site’s freerolls and resources. However, Krieger has already helped prepare potential members pass The Quiz by composing five tutorials specifically designed for that purpose. These cover a range of all the areas necessary for demonstrating a basic understanding of playing competent poker, including sections on single and multi table table tournaments, cash games and bankroll management.

Commenting on their new partnership with Lou Krieger, BetVictor head of poker Andy Horne, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Lou to the BetVictor Club. He brings a serious track record in clear poker thinking and developing winning strategies and we’re sure his Ask The Coach thread in our forum will prove very popular with players hoping to take their game to the next level.”



www-onlinepoker-net/poker-news/poker-pros-news/lou-krieger-coaching-betvictor-club/17239

Despite Black Friday grabbing national headlines in April 2011, online gambling, and poker specifically, has not been a significant issue in presidential politics this election cycle.

With other issues, such as the economy in a systemic crisis and heavy, violent involvement in the Middle East, this type of Internet business has largely been an after-thought and arguably irrelevant for the Barack Obama and Mitt Romney camps.

Even though Senators Harry Reid (D-NV) and Jon Kyl (R-AZ) are backing an effort to legalize web card playing, a federal bill is not necessary in order for states to move forward with the idea, although it seems likely it would speed the industry along. Nevada casino giants prefer a federal bill, but they are aggressively hedging their bets with intrastate models.

Individual states — Nevada and Delaware — have already authorized the business. Others are expected to follow in 2013, leading the way for potential state compacts.

Legalizing online gambling is also a highly contentious proposal on Capitol Hill, not only because many politicians object to the very idea of it, but also because it’s nearly impossible to come to a compromise with all the casino and lottery interests that would be affected.

In other words, there’s little indication that there won’t be big winners and big losers as a result of anything the Reid-Kyl bill or Rep. Joe Barton’s (R-TX) plan puts into law.

Romney did briefly address the issue when asked about it by Las Vegas political journalist Jon Ralston. The interview came before Romney received the GOP nod.

Romney told Ralston that he wouldn’t be supportive of legalizing web gambling as president.

“Gaming has a social effect on a lot of people,” Romney said. “I don’t want to increase access to gaming. I feel that we have plenty of access to gaming right now through the various casinos and establishments that exist.”

In response to the Obama Justice Department’s relaxed stance on intrastate web gambling, the Republican platform announced in August that it wants to reverse the December 2011 legal opinion on the 1961 Interstate Wire Act.

The Democrats didn’t address the issue at their national convention held in September.

Although his administration finds it OK at the state level, President Obama himself has not addressed the idea of legalization at the federal level.

Then there’s former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, from the Libertarian Party, who maintains that he would be supportive of web gambling. He wants small-time government.

He wrote on his website that “the federal government should not be involved in restricting lawful commerce that doesn’t hurt anyone.”

Johnson, on the ballot nationwide, doesn’t stand a chance to win, but even if he were to be elected federal online poker legislation would still hinge on Congress. If past sentiments are any indicator, such a proposal faces a daunting task of making it through. Some gaming industry insiders are so pessimistic that they don’t see one ever coming to fruition.

The president’s stance on federally authorized Internet gambling could, in some sense, be meaningless because a law authorizing it might not ever reach his desk.


Internet Poker Largely Irrelevant In Presidential Race

One of the United States’ largest gambling and entertainment group, MGM Resorts, is on its way to receive an online poker license from the Nevada Gaming Commission, after the state’s Gaming Control Board recommended its request to operate a poker site. If all goes well, as expected, MGM Resorts may have official permission by the authorities by the end of this month to open a poker site in authorized US States.

MGM Resorts is one of many groups which has applied for an intrastate license from Nevada authorities, although, if truth be told, it would prefer online poker legislation on a federal level instead of the current state-by-state trend seen right now.

The Chief Executive Officer of MGM Resorts, Jim Murren stressed the need for individual states to work together in order to make the market more viable. “We feel strongly that if it is in fact state-by-state, the states themselves need to compact with one another to create a more viable business model,” said Murren. “Any one state going on its own presents an economic challenge, particularly in a small state like Nevada.”

However, it’s clear that online poker isn’t the priority of federal lawmakers and the chance of things moving ahead on this level in the near future are not very high. If there is any hope of anything happening, it will more likely take place in the lame duck session of congress after the elections.

Caesars Entertainment’s CE, Gary Loveman, however, wasn’t too optimistic of any progress made during the lame duck session either. “There are some very pressing issues for the country’s finances that remain in front of the Congress in the lame duck session,” he said. “Caesars has also applied for a Nevada Internet poker license. It’s possible that the online gaming question will be called in that period, but I think it’s probably less likely rather than more likely.”



MGM Receives Approval for Online Poker License