Ultimate Poker, Nevada’s first and currently only operational legal money online poker site, dealt it’s 10 millionth hand on Thursday.
It took just over 3 months for the milestone hand to hit the virtual felt and, when it did, it would be professional poker player Steve Kelly, who was sitting at a $0.25/0.50 table at the time the hand was dealt.
For winning the hand, with a mere ace high, Kelly won the nominal $6 and change plus a sizable bonus of $5000, dished out by Ultimate Poker as part of their milestone hand promotion. His table mates each received $500.
Over the course of the promotion, the fledgling poker site gave out $23,000 in cash bonuses.
Ultimate Gaming Deals 10 Millionth Hand | Pokerfuse Online Poker News
Although the regulations for online poker went into effect over a year ago in Nevada, it took some time for anyone to step up and open shop with their own online poker room. In April, that momentous occasion occurred when Ultimate Poker (owned by Station Casinos) became the first online poker site to open for business. Now, three months later, Ultimate Poker is celebrating its first major milestone while questions remain as to who will join them in the burgeoning industry or when it will be.
On Thursday, Ultimate Poker reached its 10 millionth hand dealt after a week of celebration of that occasion. Once 9 million hands were reached, players on the site battled it out on the cash game tables as 21 other milestone hands were celebrated leading up to the 10 millionth hand. Ultimate Poker awarded all of those milestone hand winners $500 (while each player on the virtual table received $50) but, of course, the big payout would be for the table involved in the 10 millionth hand.
That hand was deal out at 1:22PM on Thursday and it was a familiar name to many poker fans who took down the pot and the $5000 award (each player on that table received $500 in the penultimate hand). Poker professional Steven Kelly, playing under his screen name ‘SteveKelly,’ was on a $.25/$.50 No Limit Hold’em table and took down a pot of $6.85 with only ace high. That was the magic hand, however, as Ultimate Poker cracked the 10 million hands played mark and awarded Kelly (who cashed five times at the recently completed World Series of Poker and has over $1.1 million in career tournament poker earnings) the $5000 prize for winning the hand.
“It’s incredible to be talking about our 10 millionth hand only three months after opening the doors,” the Chief Marketing Officer of Ultimate Gaming, Joe Versaci, noted after the 10 millionth hand was dealt. “It gives us a good opportunity to look back at how far we’ve come and an even better excuse to run a great promotion.”
The week of celebration over their 10 millionth hand has definitely driven Ultimate Poker up in the rankings of the online poker industry. According to PokerScout-com, Ultimate Poker is now the 33rd ranked online poker room in the industry, peaking at 700 players while the players attempted to be a part of the 10 millionth hand on Thursday. Since that time, the peak numbers on Friday (328) and Saturday (292) have dropped down to their normal average.
With Ultimate Poker passing the 10 million mark in only three months (and with final regulatory approval from the Nevada Gaming Commission to operate at the end of July), it does leave the poker community wondering where the potential competition for the online site is and when they will come online.
After massive promotion throughout the WSOP and a great deal of hype over its debut at some point during the event, Caesars Entertainment has yet to roll out their WSOP branded online poker offering for the state of Nevada. During a conference call on the second quarter financials of Caesars Entertainment, the chairman, Chief Executive Officer and president of the company Gary Loveman, expressed some excitement over the debut of their online poker site sometime during the third quarter of 2013, but added no exact date for that debut to occur.
The Caesars Entertainment effort is supposed to be spearheaded with their partnership with 888 Holdings (who operate the Caesars operations on an international basis).
Other potential operators, such as Boyd Gaming and South Point Poker, also have yet to get off the ground. Boyd Gaming, partnering with bwin.Party Gaming (who has another agreement for providing software with MGM Resorts), has also been pushing their interests in the upcoming opening of the New Jersey online casino gaming industry (Caesars Entertainment is also working in that area), while South Point Poker has been working on developing their own software. Neither company has announced an exact date when they will enter into the Nevada market.
Ultimate Poker Deals 10 Millionth Hand; Where is The Competition?
For the first time in the history of Nevada’s legalized Internet poker regime, a website won final approval from the Nevada Gaming Commission to continue its operations. The website, Ultimate Poker, was launched by Ultimate Gaming for the mandatory testing phase on April 30, 2013, and the positive results from that provisional period of operations secured a 5-0 vote for approval late last week from the Nevada Gaming Commission.
Ultimate Gaming Chief Technology Officer Chris Derossi said:
…Ultimate Poker has dealt more than 9.1 million hands of poker and operated some 100,000 poker tournaments since its launch.
“The technology has worked,” Derossi said. “We are able to offer a safe and secure online poker experience for the first time in America.”
Intrastate Only
While the Nevada Gaming Commission’s approval of the Ultimate Poker website is a watershed moment in the online poker industry, it is important to note that the approval only applies to intrastate poker, and does not permit play to extend beyond Nevada’s borders. While Nevada did pass a law permitting interstate online poker in February, approval for such a venture from the Nevada Gaming Commission has not yet materialized.
The ongoing regulatory process on both the interstate and intrastate levels will be worth keeping an eye on for gambling attorneys and those interested in Internet poker law in general.
If you are interested in learning more about this topic or pursuing a venture in this area, please e-mail us at , or call us at (212) 246-0900.
The material contained herein is provided for informational purposes only and is not legal advice, nor is it a substitute for obtaining legal advice from an attorney. Each situation is unique, and you should not act or rely on any information contained herein without seeking the advice of an experienced attorney.
Nevada internet poker website wins final approval - Lexology
Phil Ivey has long been considered the best all-around poker player in the world and few could argue with his enviable record. Since cashing in at his first live tournament back in 1998, the 37 year-old has captured nine WSOP bracelets and amassed live winnings of $17,649,220. Ivey’s online cash record has been equally as impressive and the $19,242,744 he had earned playing under his own name at Full Tilt makes him online poker’s biggest ever winner.
Despite his incredible success, however, 2013 is fast becoming a year Ivey may well want to put well behind him as a quick glance at his poker results will confirm. As far as live tournaments are concerned, Ivey’s $131,746 in winnings are his lowest ever, not including 2011 when he boycotted playing the WSOP in protest of Full Tilt’s failing to pay out its poker players balances.
Online, the story is even more grim with Phil Ivey playing at Full Tilt Poker under his latest pseudonym “Polarizing” currently down a massive $3,232,426 with -$2,980,086 of that total coming in this year alone. In fact, Ivey’s losses places him second on the list of this year’s biggest losers, behind Gus Hansen currently down $4 million.
Several reasons have been proposed for Ivey’s poor 2013, with various suggestions including Ivey having lost some motivation and desire having already accomplished nearly everything he could hope to accomplish playing poker. In addition, others have pointed out that the increasingly younger and hungrier players entering the game have eroded much of the advantages Ivey once held over his competitors. The possibility exists, also, that Phil Ivey has simply ran into some bad variance, which is purely a part of the professional hazzards accepted by the players .
Whatever the case may be, the poker community will be following with increasing interest just how Phil Ivey goes about turning around one of the biggest downswings of his impressive poker career so far.
Looking back over the past 40 years, I have been in poker both as a player and executive host/marketing director.
I have seen dramatic changes in the business. But no matter how much it changes, some things remain constant. They say you have to understand the past to move into the future, and the marketing of poker, whether online or in brick-and-mortar casinos, is no different.
There is one common denominator in the marketing business, and that is the customer. Everything we do is to attract and retain our customers, and every decision we make affects our business’ bottom line. Today we have analytics to help us with our business decisions, whereas in the past we depended more on using our best judgment to analyze the numbers put in front of us.
Ultimate Poker dealt its 10-millionth hand online
Even best poker players make occasional mistakes
Yet it is always imperative to look beyond the numbers because sometimes the raw data does not always tell the whole story. You need to understand and analyze what you are looking at, or you will fail. Your numbers may fluctuate 10 percent, which is little cause for concern, but when the number is down significantly, you have to look beyond the numbers to analyze and fix the problem in real time.
For example, when a poker tournament that averaged a thousand players for weeks only brings in 600, the data show the numbers are down 40 percent. With such a drastic decrease in the numbers, you don’t have a week to analyze the situation; you are in crisis mode. You have to act today.
To be prepared for situations like this, you always have to be aware of the factors that impact your tournament numbers. Most likely, if your tournament numbers decrease drastically, there are outside reasons. Usually your competition has out-marketed you and built a better mouse trap. What I mean by that is, if you had a $30,000 guarantee tournament, perhaps your competition started one an hour before yours with a $50,000 guarantee.
It takes a lot of research and understanding of your business to determine why your numbers are off. But a great marketing director anticipates this and is already making plans to counterattack and make adjustments in his marketing.
I remember around 2002 when I was the executive host of the Bicycle Casino, the PokerStars Sunday tournament drew only 200 players. On Monday I had a marketing meeting and told the casino management team we have to keep an eye on that number. The next week the number was 400. I had a longer meeting to talk about it. On the week after that, they drew nearly 800 players.
It looked like this could impact our business, so I reached out to PokerStars marketing director Dan Goldman to set up a meeting to discuss the rapid growth of Internet gaming. What looked like a negative turned out to be positive because it initially increased the player base, but I knew eventually this would change again and have a negative impact on the brick-and-mortar casino business.
After Black Friday, online poker has changed forever. New regulations are being put in place, but there is still a great deal to be done, especially regarding online security and responsible gambling. But there is no doubt online poker is a part of the gaming industry for good, and it is imperative for brick-and-mortar casinos to partner with online gaming companies if they are to survive.
Both businesses can combine to create a hybrid business with greater options, which is a win-win situation for the gambling business and its customers. But if the two industries continue to be at odds, some day in the not too distant future Las Vegas will be a vague memory reduced to nothing more than a black box in the desert surrounded by the bones of the once majestic megaresorts.
Online poker and casinos must work together :: GamingToday-com
As part of a new PokerStars promotion, Brazilian football legend Ronaldo, aka “The Phenomenon,” returns to Spain to take part in the upcoming PokerStars EPT Barcelona.
The poker room is offering it’s Spanish customers a chance to play with one of the greatest strikers of all time through a series of daily freeroll qualifiers. Through those freerolls, there’s 100 seats up for grabs to the “Phenomenon’s Table”—a final tournament where the last surviving two two win hotel accommodations in Barcelona, €1500 cash to help you get there and a seat at a special €5000 Sit & Go featuring Ronaldo himself.
Five other Team PokerStars Pros will fill the SNG seats, yet to be named.
EPT Barcelona opens Season 10 of the EPT and takes place August 26-September 7 at the Casino de Barcelona at Hotel Arts Barcelona, with the lucky winners of this promotion needing to be available between August 31-Sept 4.
The Brazillian football legend signed with PokerStars earlier this year. He joins “Team PokerStars SportStars” alongside Rafa Nadal, Boris Becker and others.
Ronaldo to Play at EPT Barcelona | Pokerfuse Online Poker News
Unless you’re in a nation that directly regulates online poker using one system across the board, you’re likely to have at least a few questions about the state of online poker where you live. Canada is definitely an example of a place in which it can be difficult to work out exactly what the status of online poker is at the moment, especially if you’re not familiar with the complex interweaving of federal and provincial laws.
That said, the state of Canadian online poker isn’t all that hard to understand once you sort through all of the information that’s out there. There are many good websites for Canadian poker players out there, like PokerSites.ca, that offer great advice. But to get you started we are going to give you a brief summary of where online poker stands in Canada.
Online Poker at the Federal Level
Here’s the big takeaway for the question that everyone asks about first: online poker is not illegal for you to play, regardless of what province or territory you may live in. Canadians can play at a wide variety of foreign-run online poker sites without any fear of repercussions from the Canadian government.
That said, from another perspective, you could say that online poker is illegal in Canada. Companies are not permitted to set up online gambling sites in Canada, except in partnership with provincial governments (which we’ll talk about more in a bit).
Foreign sites are not under the regulation of the Canadian government, however, which is why they have been successful in promoting online poker throughout Canada, and why players have found that they can play at these sites without fear of breaking the law.
It is also worth noting that there are exceptions for aboriginal First Nations groups. For instance, the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake regulates a large number of online gambling sites through the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. The Commission’s right to do so has been upheld, with no jurisdiction seeking to challenge whether they had the right to do so.
Online Poker in the Provinces
The most interesting developments in online poker have come at the provincial level. While Canadians have been able to play at foreign sites, they did not have locally regulated options, at which many players would feel much more comfortable playing. In addition, provincial governments realized that there were large potential tax revenues that they were missing out on because of the outflow of poker and casino play at foreign sites.
Given these concerns, it came as no surprise when Canadian provinces began regulating online gambling on their own in recent years. While not every province has decided to do so, regulating online poker and gambling has proven popular. Quebec, British Columbia and Manitoba are running regulated online gambling sites, with Ontario expected to launch its first Internet gambling sites this year.
Other provinces have instead said that they will not be pursuing online gambling regulation in the near future. Included among these are Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.
Online Poker Sites and Canada
At the moment, almost all online poker sites offer their products in Canada. There are a handful of sites that have chosen to stay away from Canadian players because of the lack of firm regulation in the country as a whole, but all of the major sites have a presence in the country and are willing to take players. Even in those provinces where online gambling has been regulated, provincial governments have taken few, if any, steps to prevent players from participating at foreign sites.
At some online poker sites, players may even find that they can play at tables using Canadian dollars. While this is rare, it is common practice for sites to now allow players to hold their account balances in Canadian dollars, making it much easier to avoid concerns about exchange rates.
News :: What's the state of Canadian online poker?
The prospect of online poker legislation making progress in California has once again hit a snag, with rumors abounding that the two Internet poker bills currently before legislators will land in the muck again this year.
If that sounds to many like a broken record, it is. Repeated attempts at online poker regulations in the Golden State continue to fail. Once again, the culprit is apparently the state's powerful Indian tribes who refuse to allow racetracks to be included in the plan.
The legislative session expires on September 6 and that will reportedly not be enough time to advance either SB 51 or SB 678. The proposals of Sen. Roderick Wright and Sen. Lou Correa, respectively, appear to be dead in the water, Card Player reported..
Tribal gaming concerns in the state have made efforts to find common ground among themselves. Eight of California's main tribes drafted their own online poker proposal in May. The following month, a tribal conference was held at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula.
While the tribes may be slowly uniting, it has not helped relations with the state's other gaming interests, specifically the racetracks. Insisting that horse racing interests not be included in the state's online poker scheme continues to impede any progress.
More than 38 million people reside in California, making it the most populous state in the nation. Other states drool at the possibility of partnering with the Golden State in an interstate Internet poker plan. But that may never happen as long as proposed bills repeatedly fail to advance in the legislature.
Online Poker Proposals in California Stall Again | PokerUpdate
Canada and the United States of America are different in so many ways but are also share many common elements. They have different government styles with the Canadian parliamentary system modeled after the British and the American political system which has a President and a House of Representatives in Washington.
Canada has one tenth of the population at 31 million but a little more land than the States. The US has many differing laws in various states similar to Canada which has different laws in their various provinces.
The laws pertaining to online gambling and online poker are governed by the provincial parliaments similar to those legislated in the individual states in the USA. In Canada there is some confusion as to whether online poker is legal to play or not. Canadians are playing at a wide variety of offshore online poker sites without any fear of repercussions from the Canadian government. Offshore online gambling operators are not permitted to set up online gambling sites in Canada, except in partnership with provincial governments and offshore sites are not under the jurisdiction of the Canadian federal government.
Aboriginal First Nations organizations such as the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake in the province of Quebec regulates a large number of online gambling sites through the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. The Commission’s right to do so has been upheld, with no other jurisdiction challenging their rights. Provincial governments in Canada have decided to offer regulated online poker to Canadian players for so called safety reasons and of course the tax advantages gained. Quebec, British Columbia, Manitoba and soon Ontario offer regulated online poker for real money while other provinces are still considering the move.
Most major online gambling firms from Europe and the U.K. offer online poker and even other casino related games to Canadians. There are a few operators that have chosen to remove their offerings in Canada because of the vague laws in the country as a whole playing it safe for now.
American politics is heavily influenced by business lobby groups and participation in what my be called partisan policies. Republicans ran a candidate in the last USA presidential election that was heavily supported financially by the owner of a major casino and resort operation that was categorically opposed to online gambling. It was even mentioned and published in the Republican platform during the election. The Republicans hold power in the Congress of the USA where currently there is a bill before the members that refers to online gambling.
Harry Reid, the Republican Senate Majority Leader is rumoured to be poised to re-launch a federally regulated online poker in law and he is prepared to significantly block the expansion of other forms of online gambling in the process. In one of the more interestingly strange ideas put forth are claims to have seen indications that Sheldon Adelson is planning on supporting Reid’s bill. Of course he would after splashing millions on the presidential campaign to elect the Republican and loosing.
This speculation on the Reid come back bill has been in response to California’s debate about regulating online poker in that state.
California, with its big population gives Nevada casinos a bit of concern should regulated online casinos be made available to Californians resulting in a reduction of revenues for Nevada. The big casino operators could get together on this to stop that from happening. California won’t need compacts with New Jersey, Delaware or Nevada with its large liquidity. California could lose the opportunity to offer other forms of online gambling should this bill pass on the Federal level. There could be other states locked out of the online gambling business with Pennsylvania and Massachusetts also considering online gambling legislation. The war for control in this lucrative industry is raging still in the USA and will probably continue for awhile yet.
It seems unlikely that we are to see positive movement on the online poker front in California this year. Despite the fact that there are currently three pieces of legislation up for debate, many industry analysts and politicians say that there is little hope of any of them becoming online poker legislation that will bring ground-shaking changes to the gambling landscape in the Golden State. As usual, it is in-fighting between the different interest groups that is preventing the bills from advancing before the current session of the California General Assembly is dismissed on September 6th.
The three pieces waiting in the legislative wings are:
A draft bill introduced by Californian tribal groups.
B 678, “Authorization and Regulation of Internet Poker and Consumer Protection Act of 2013, introduced by State Senator Lou Correa
SB 51, “Internet Gambling Consumer Protection and Public-Private Partnership Act of 2013, introduced by Senator Roderick Wright
Unless the General Assembly holds a special assembly to deal specifically with the issue of online poker in California, the bills will have to be reintroduced next year.
Those who will be involved in any potential online poker industry in California, namely card rooms, tribal casinos and horse racing tracks have a history of being unable to reach a cohesive agreement regarding legislation.
Analysts believe it is a missed opportunity not to see legislation passed this year, considering that California is so ripe for this type of industry and the fact that with a population of over 38 million, the state could be a powerhouse in the patchwork of individual states moving towards online poker legislation.
California is seen as a potential partner for some of these states – most likely Nevada – to pair up and share player pools, however none of this will happen until the different factions in the market can come to an agreement.
Hopes Fade for California Online Poker Legislation This Year
Especially if your benefactor promises to train you and help you become an even better player.
That’s the premise behind StakeMeToPlay-com, the UK’s “newest and most exciting poker staking company”, which launches this coming Friday at the Aspers Casino Stratford, near the Olympic village.
The good news is that their offer is open to players of all abilities, from beginners through to professionals, and you can play on any poker site you want. Need extra incentive to apply?
This is what Stake Me To Play are promising successful applicants:
● Aguaranteed minimum monthly income (T&C apply).
● The most generous profit splits in the staking industry.
● Use of a cool, state of the art poker HQ in Essex.
● Performance and volume rewards, such as trips to Las Vegas, and use of company’s two BMWs.
● World class coaches offering 1-to-1 training & group seminars.
● Training from some of the world’s best poker players & strategists.
● Free subscriptions to the world’s leading poker strategy sites.
Too good to be true? Only one way to find out! But, seriously, how DO you qualify for staking?
Operations director, Paul Conroy-Frost explains, “A person qualifies for staking through various things, namely the amount of profit they have achieved over a certain amount of games/hands.
The greater each of these numbers are, the more interest the player is to us. We verify these results through existing tracking software... and produce a bespoke proposal for each prospective team member.”
Good, huh? As part of the launch, a free online Master Class takes place tonight at 8 p.m. with “The Mental Game of Poker” author and leading poker coach, Jared Tendler.
He’s helped Phil Hellmuth and MikeMatusow get back to their best, amongst others, so you might want to jump on that, and register for staking at Stake Me To Play at the same time!
For a while last week, rumors were flying throughout the online poker industry that Sheldon Adelson, the Las Vegas Sands casino mogul had done an extreme about turn and was warming to the idea of regulated online poker in the United States.
However, speculation was put to rest after an official spokesman for Adelson put out an announcement, essentially denying any such thing.
A number of reputable news sources wrote that Adelson had agreed to a partnership with Nevada Senator Harry Reid to back an online gambling bill that would make provisions for legalized online poker only.
However, Adelson’s spokesman, Andy Abboud said: ”This article is not accurate. Sheldon Adelson has not changed his position.”
Anybody familiar with the industry knows exactly what that “position” is. In recent months, Adelson has launched a ferocious attack on internet gambling, beginning with an op-ed in Forbes that saw the Sands boss come under attack by the online poker community at large.
Adelson called online gambling “fool’s gold” and a “societal wreck waiting to happen”. He urged Congress to “either rewrite the Federal Wire Act, or pass new legislation making internet gaming illegal nationwide” and encouraged “greater enforcement of the laws currently prohibiting off-shore internet gaming companies from engaging in transactions with U.S. citizens.”
The poker community called for boycotts against Adelson’s famous Venetian poker room in Vegas and accused him of being hypocritical and thinking about his own bricks and mortar gambling establishments only.
Against this backdrop, it was highly surprising when it was speculated that Adelson had changed his mind and was agreeing to support Reid’s online poker bill. Now, with an official announcement putting pay to any such rumors, it seems that Adelson is still very tight in his anti-online gambling corner.
The Bodog Poker Network has made numerous tweaks to its daily schedule of multi-table tournaments (MTTs), with many guarantees increased 25% or more.
According to US affiliate and news site ProfessionalRakeback-com, The nightly $6k and $9k guaranteed tournaments are now $8k and $10k, and the $15k guaranteed, which runs every day Monday through Saturday, is now up to $20k.
The big weekend tournament schedule has also seen changes. The $60-buyin Sunday turbo now has a $20k guarantee, up from $15k, and there are similar increases at the smaller $11 and $5.50 buyin Sunday tournaments.
There have been a couple of causalities in the revamped schedule: the Saturday 10k is now a $5k knock-out tournament; the Saturday $4k is down to $3k.
Bovada, a skin on the Bodog network, is the largest offshore site still accepting players from the United States. Also on the network is Bodog.EU, which operates primarily in Canada. Bovada Poker
The burning question of online poker's legality seems even more difficult to answer, after the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed a lower court ruling which found that online poker is a game of skill.
Second Court Ruling
The Second Circuit, which was hearing an appeal in the United States v. DiCristina, did not overrule the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of New York's landmark ruling that poker is a game in which skill is the predominant factor in determining the eventual outcome.
However, the court did confuse the legal questions surrounding online poker by determining that the Illegal Gambling Business Act does not determine an independent federal definition of gambling, but rather incorporates state law.
Does Skill Matter?
Opponents of online gambling, such as Chicago gambling law attorney Mark Lavery, immediately pounced on the decision. Lavery was quoted by Forbes as saying that the Second Circuit's decision proves that "the ‘game of skill' argument was a lie perpetrated by online poker companies to deceive consumers."
Poker Players Alliance chief John Pappas rejected these outlandish claims, maintaining that skill is what matters most. He said that the court decision "only adds to the growing call for federal clarity on the definition of gambling," adding that the Second Circuit "Clearly did not dispute the district court's findings that poker is a game of skill."
Online Poker Under Attack in US Court Decision - The Headlines - Onlinecasinoreports-com
Bodog the well known and established online gambling operator is licensed to provide its services in the United Kingdom. The Arsenal football club announced recently that Bodog will be its Official Asian Betting Partner in a three year multi-million dollar deal.
Arsenal recently completed a successful Asian tour of Indonesia, Vietnam and Japan. The partnership will give Bodog the rights to Arsenals’ Asian fan base of millions of supporters in Asia, a region of that Bodog has been focusing on for some time. Marketing of the brand with consumer promotions and specific applications in the field targeting fans in the Asian jurisdiction with specials and bonuses on the team’s matches.
Head of Global Partnerships for the Gunners club Vinai Venkatesham, commented, “Our tours give our fans beyond the UK a great opportunity to see the team in action, and this Asian tour was no different with our first-team squad playing in front of hundreds of thousands of passionate supporters. As our fanbase in Asia continues to grow rapidly, working in partnership with companies like Bodog who have long-term roots in the region, provides a strong platform to further engage with Arsenal fans in Asia.”
Bodog’s Marketing Director, Izhar Biran, also commented on the arrangement, “The Premier League’s popularity in Asia is well documented and some clubs have been quicker than others to realise that potential. Arsenal has been particularly pro-active in the region for a number of years and the recent tour only serves to highlight that point. The trust and loyalty both Arsenal and the Premier League stand for, makes this the perfect partnership to continue the phenomenal growth of the Bodog brand in Asia.” Bodog has been focusing on the Asian market with great results and this deal will spur the efforts of the firm to even more success.
Harry Reid unsuccessfully tried to get an online poker bill passed during 2012. That effort fell on deaf ears, but the issue has been raised again and now the momentum seems to be on Reid's side. Sources close to Harry Reid have hinted that the Nevada Senator may well relaunch his efforts to bring legislation to bear on online poker gaming in the US. In tandem with Reid's efforts to legalize online poker, will be stronger legislation against other forms of online gambling.
Gambling States Cooperate for the Passing of a Bill
Both New Jersey and Nevada have combined forces to set up a regulatory committee to explore the possibilities with the online poker industry. A surprise supporter of regulating the online poker industry in the US is none other than the Venetian's owner - Sheldon Adelson. Once a staunch opponent of legalized online poker, Adelson appears to have done a 180-degree turn and is now supportive of the measure.
All the hoopla around the potential passing of the bill is likely related to moves in California towards regulated online gambling. Nevadans fear that if California legalizes online poker, a massive slice of the gambling market will be lost to the state of Nevada. Multiple states are exploring the possibilities of legalizing online poker within their territories. These include Illinois, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Delaware and California.
Power Players Weigh in on Online Poker Regulation in the US - The Headlines - Onlinecasinoreports-com
Since last Friday, poker pro Isaac Haxton lost $964,478 on Full Tilt Poker, according to tracking data from HighstakesDB. The American plays under the screen name “luvtheWNBA”.
It took Haxton just 1,243 hands to lose that nearly seven-figure sum. At one point this summer, he was up more than $1.5 million on 2013, but now he is in the hole about $450,000.
Haxton, and many of his peers, have been playing in massive no-limit hold’em games lately. The stakes are $400-$800 and it has been six-handed, which are details decided by unknown MalACEsia. The account from Macau has been the catalyst for the games. Haxton told Card Player this summer that the player was solid, but just not world-class. In other words, a mark.
MalACEsia lost nearly $500,000 over the past week, which brings the account’s losses this summer to nearly $2.3 million. MalACEsia was first seen at the high-stakes tables on Full Tilt in the middle of May, and since then has continuously bled money.
Despite the massive losses since last Friday, MalACEsia actually won the largest pot during this recent stretch. Here’s a look at the hand:
A player opened to $2,400, and MalACEsia called on the button. It was folded to Niklas “ragen70” Heinecker in the big blind, and he made it $11,200. The initial raiser folded, and MalACEsia called from in position against his experienced opponent.
The flop fell QDiamond Suit 9Club Suit 4Diamond Suit.
Heinecker bet $15,600, and MalACEsia called.
The turn brought the 9Spade Suit.
Heinecker bet 24,000, and MalACEsia called again.
The river was the 7Diamond Suit.
Heinecker put MalACEsia all in for just under $100,000, which was slightly less than pot.
MalACEsia called with pocket fours for a full house, while Heinecker mucked JDiamond Suit 10Diamond Suit. MalACEsia raked in the $298,911 hand, after both players had flopped monsters.
The big winner this week was Ben “Bttech86” Tollerene, who recorded a $544,972 score in the aforementioned games. The pots he won weren’t as huge as the ones MalACEsia played.
Here’s an update on who is up and who is down on the year.
Winners In 2013
cottonseed1: $3.6 million
Viktor “Isildur1” Blom: $3.5 million
Ben “Bttech86” Tollerene: $2.9 million
Rhje: $2.7 million
Alexander “PostflopAction” Kostritsyn: $2.7 million
Losers In 2013
Gus Hansen: -$3.6 million
samrostan: -$3.4 million
Phil “Polarizing” Ivey: -$3 million
MalACEsia: -$2.3 million
punting-peddler: -$1.5 million
High-Stakes Online Poker: Isaac Haxton Loses Nearly $1 Million Over The Past Seven Days
In recent months Full Tilt Poker has been consolidating its ties in the industry by announcing a team of Ambassadors to represent the site at various tours, including the Australia New Zealand Poker Tour, the Brazilian Series of Poker, the UK & Ireland Poker Tour and the Eureka Poker Tour.
Of the three Eureka Poker Tour ambassadors, Robert Cezarescu hails from Romania, Andras Nemeth from Hungary, and Hana Soljan from Croatia, a small Balkan country in Southeastern Europe with a population of just 4.3 million peole.
The young, glamorous looking Croatian comes from a journalism background and back in her native country usually divides her time between writing about Croatia’s growing poker industry, and hosting a local poker related television production. Commenting on her latest role as a Full Tilt Poker Tour Ambassadors for the Eureka Poker Tour, Hana Soljan, explained:
“I represent the brand around Europe. I play tournaments, give interviews and all that. Personally, I think it’s very good for Croatians to see that they have a chance to succeed in poker. Even if the country is small, it is good for poker to show that everyone has a chance of getting a sponsorship. Even me.”
Luckily, as well as her poker reporting acumen, Hana Soljan has all the skills necessary to compete with the best of them on the Eureka Poker Tour. Not only does Hana come from a family of card-players, but she has also shown she, too, has a unique talent for the game, explaining:
“I once played a big tournament in Zagreb and I liked it. Then, for like three or four months I just kept winning every tournament I played. At that point some friends told me it could be time for me to try some bigger events. I did that and things just started getting more and more serious.”
A quick glance at Hana Soljan’s results on the Hendon Mob’s database confirms that the Croatian has cashed seven times in tournaments over the past two and a half years for $28,276. Incredibly, Hana actually ended up winning four of those events with her biggest score to date coming in 2011 at the $90 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure for $8,490.
However, Hana Soljan’s poker results are sure to receive a boost soon, as she begins representing Full Tilt Poker at various Eureka Poker Tour events across Europe.
Poker Hottie Hana Soljan Flying The Flag For Croatia
It took just over 3 months for the milestone hand to hit the virtual felt and, when it did, it would be professional poker player Steve Kelly, who was sitting at a $0.25/0.50 table at the time the hand was dealt.
For winning the hand, with a mere ace high, Kelly won the nominal $6 and change plus a sizable bonus of $5000, dished out by Ultimate Poker as part of their milestone hand promotion. His table mates each received $500.
Over the course of the promotion, the fledgling poker site gave out $23,000 in cash bonuses.
Ultimate Gaming Deals 10 Millionth Hand | Pokerfuse Online Poker News