Poker rooms archive

When the PokerStars.com domain was closed down on Friday 15th April this year – the day was dubbed ‘Black Friday”. Ok, they were not the only US online poker operation closed down, but they certainly were the largest, most liquid and most well known. Fortunately this site had not rested on its laurels in the US market. After snatching up what business Party Poker had left behind in the US after their departure, following the promulgation of UIGEA, PokerStars took the time and money to investigate, and enter already open and emerging online gambling markets. In other words, despite their millions of US members, they established themselves internationally, although much of their focus was still with the US online poker marketplace.

Black Friday was a massive knock for this site, as it was for Full Tilt, and the others effected. Of the domain names seized, only PokerStars and FullTilt managed to open their virtual doors to their public in UK and European facing countries. FullTilt has since been closed down by their licensing jurisdiction in Alderney, but PokerStars is going full tilt, appointing a new head of corporate communications.

After a six-month head-hunt they have appointed Eric Hollreiser to lead their global communication team. He will be responsible for both external and internal communications, corporate social responsibility and public relations. He is a veteran professional in the communications field and has a long list of big brand PR involvement under his belt. Not least of which are executive positions with Walt Disney, Microsoft and Activision as VP of PR for Guitar Hero. This former journalist is also a partner at Hollreiser Epstein and brings an eclectic mix of Fortune 100 business acumen, entrepreneurial passion, and communications experience to the PokerStars senior management team. He has already been found consulting with them, providing “invaluable counsel as well as strong leadership”.

One of the more popular online poker sites in Europe, Titan Poker, is maintaining its offer of a secure online gaming environment to all poker players despite the rapidly changing industry. Although there have been numerous legal actions again a number of major online casinos, including the recent total suspension of Full Tilt Poker, Titan Poker continues to allow guests to enjoy playing their favorite casino games at cash tables, make deposits as well as unrestricted withdrawals, and have fun at a secure, safe, and visually pleasing online casino room.

Currently, Titan Poker offers all new players an amazing First Deposit Bonus, which goes up to the highest possible level of 200 percent and up to a maximum of $1,000. Players get the bonus automatically when they enter different rooms at Titan Poker.

After the creation of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in 2006, Titan Poker withdrew itself from the American market. Currently, Titan Poker offers guaranteed prize tournaments, stability, and user friendly software to players outside of the United States.

After the announcement of Full Tilt Poker’s suspension of its license and all operations, the vice president of marketing for the affiliate program that is behind the brand Titan Poker, Euro Partners, Marc Kenigsberg, said in a statement that the loss of Full Tilt online casino is a major blow to the industry and has left a number of poker affiliates as well as online poker players inquiring about the future of the online casino industry. Kenigsberg said that the affiliate of Titan Poker, Euro Partners, is extremely confident in saying the online casino industry will continue to do well as long as it continues to abide by the rules and regulations set up by not only the online poker industry but also rules and regulations set up by different countries.

Hi,

I am here to alert you guys about the Titan procedures in live tournaments qualifiers.

I qualified to WSOP ME 2011 in the Titan $535 buy in super satellite, but with my regret I could not travel to Las Vegas.
When i was at the airport to check in I started to feel ill with chest pains and breathing difficulties, where the host would not let me board and advised me to go to hospital for observation.
I was devastated by this situation since it is my dream to go play the WSOP.

I contacted Titan the next day and explained the situation and enclosed the medical evidence, the ticket plane and the ESTA application to enter USA, for them to refund me the buy in of the tournament, let me play in the next year or a similar live event, or even tokens to they majors.
The first contact I had from them was on the phone where they told me they will figure out some kind of bonus. After 3/4 days with no answer I contacted them again by email where they answer me they would not refund me at all, because of their terms and conditions:

“*The first prizes are non-refundable, non-transferable and cannot be converted to cash. You must play or forfeit the seat.
*The hotel package is non-refundable and cannot be converted to cash.
By playing or winning the WSOP Side Events super satellite you declare that you are ready and able to travel to Las Vegas (Nevada, U.S.A) in order to play at the WSOP Side Events (Event #48 and Event #54). This includes any and all documents required for travel to the destination.
winning players will represent the card room they come from.
***Entrants must be at least 21 years of age.”

I did understand why they wanted to buy time and I can explain this later.

After that I sent them an email asking them why they paid a $12.5K package to a portuguese player who qualified in a freeroll and didn’t want to play in 2007, until now I have no answer

WSOP 2007 - Que grande desilusão!!

Tcmoreira repete vitória nos satélites das WSOP


I guess I am not a high roller, but its great to know that if you pay a $535 satellite and you have a health problem you got ZERO, but if you qualified in a freeroll and don’t want to play you got the money package.

What is the terms and conditions here😟 It’s the way you look?? Or how much money you spend in the site?? (I have nothing against this player, hes a great guy and a great player, my problem its only against Titan policy)

I also asked them why on June 26 this year i played the 200K Gtd when in their page was on a promotion in which all the players who would not reach ITM would play a 5K Gtd tournament.
When I finished the 200K Gtd tournament out of ITM, i searched for the 5K tournament which was not in the lobby.
I contacted the support where they explained me that the promotion in question was over, but they did not take that promotion page from the site at time.
Since it was Titan failure, at the time they decided to ignore their own terms and conditions and in order to compensate me they gave me a token for another tournament of low value.

I guess the terms and conditions are only valid for they own benefit.

In short:

If you are not a high roller or have some conections in Titan I advise to not play for live events there, because if you have any problem until the event day you will get ZERO. If you are a high roller or have conections in Titan you can play there, they will pay you the all package.

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission has managed to anger many online poker players by announcing that its renewing its Secondary Client Provider Authorisation license to Full Tilt Poker.

The news comes only weeks after Full Tilt Poker had its operating license revoked by the reputable Alderney Gambling Control Commission, where it was ordered to "cease to register new customers, accept deposits from existing customers, allow existing customers to withdraw funds that are held in their accounts, and permit customers to participate in any form of poker game play or gambling transaction."

Full Tilt Poker players are up in arms over Kahnawake's decision, so soon after Alderney's ruling. Thousands remain unpaid and it is estimated that the online poker room owes millions of dollars to its players who have been unable to withdraw funds since Black Friday, April 15th of this year. Full Tilt Poker is currently negotiating an acquisition deal with a group of unidentified European investors, but progress seems to be slow and nothing dramatic has been announced since talks began.
Kahnawake's Response

In a statement issued by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission regarding the renewal of Full Tilt Poker's Secondary CPA license, it was stated:

"To maintain a Secondary CPA, a licensee must maintain a valid license to operate interactive gaming that has been issued by a comparable jurisdiction (the "primary jurisdiction"). Accordingly, the Commission is closely monitoring the proceedings being conducted by the Alderney Gambling Control Commission concerning the egambling licenses held by Filco Limited, operating as Full Tilt Poker."

"The AGCC has confirmed to the Commission that, although the egambling licenses held by Filco Limited are presently suspended pending the outcome of a hearing, these licenses are still considered to be valid."

Players looking for a legal and safe environment for their online poker gaming are flocking to Titan Poker, the leading online poker room in Europe.

Titan Poker's generous 200% up to $2,000 First Deposit Bonus, which is easily redeemed through game play at Titan Poker's cash tables and tournaments, has been extended through August due to its popularity among new players.

Players depositing for the first time at Titan Poker participate in $10,000 worth of New Depositors Freerolls. All depositors at Titan Poker receive entries to Depositors Freerolls with a monthly guaranteed prize pool of $5,000.

Online poker monitor site Poker Scout has reported a 23% increase in player liquidity across the iPoker Network since the closure of Full Tilt Poker. Much of that growth has been noted at Titan Poker, the flagship room on the network.

In recent online poker tournaments, Titan Poker players have proven their poker skills. At the $200,000 Guaranteed tournament on July 17, Titan Poker players filled six seats at the final table and ended up winning the top three places.

Poker novices and veteran poker players alike are invited to try out the free poker download at Titan Poker and experience the hot poker action this summer at Titan Poker.

Thanks to all IX games members who have enjoyed playing in this Summer's 2011 "World Series Of Playmoney"
It was a huge success resulting in us becoming a charter 'featured showcase' club by the great folks at Pokerstars Home Games.
The Playmoney Poker Tour WSOP Play Money continues on Pokerstars HomeGames
Club ID:439262
Monthly points Leaderboard as well as exciting series mirroring actual Poker tours w/Playmoney versions.

EPT kicked off in August with EPT:Tallinn
Here are the Playmoney version 2011 EPT:Tallinn Event winners:
EPT:Tallinn Event
1: BrUnOptU
2: MyNaMeIsToBi
3 Main Day1a: ryanup2000
3 Main Day1b: BrUnOptU
3 Main Day2: appydawg88
3 Main Day3:FORKINATOR
3 Main Day4:Skilplayer54
3 Main Finale:alWAYzHIGH22
4: FORKINATOR
5:MultiMaster8
6:serg3588
7: SDK1987
8:betkiller
9:ntaylor007,FTW17
10:SDK1987
11:ntaylor007,stonecolds86
12:kz626
13:betkiller
14:TECHNOLF,kz626
15:callingtoo22,ntaylor007
16:kz626
17:FTW17
18:Anti-State
19:ntaylor007

We're proud to be a charter(first) Pokerstars HomeGames SHOWCASE featured club.
(Click the Home Games tab in the Pokerstars Lobby)
Join Club, club ID:439262
Invite Code: 2011wsop
PassCode subject to change so join now! Don't miss out!
After joinin, click in th Club lobby click Options then 'opt out of emails' to avoid hassle of receiving th automated emails announcing the many events that get scheduled over the course of the month.

We welcome everyone to play and participate in the exciting events this fall. Go for the Showcase Player Of The Month by being the best on the Points Leaderboard Standings! Thanks again to everyone who helped make 2011 World Series Of Playmoney a HUGE success, let's continue. Good Luck and have fun ya'll😡

While most of the Merge Network has remained available in the United States, one of the biggest poker rooms on the network – Carbon Poker – announced earlier this year that they would be temporarily leaving the United States market while they dealt with a variety of customer service and payout issues. Now, Carbon Poker is coming back to the USA market, and plans to open its doors to American players again by the end of August. The Merge Network was one of the larger poker networks that stuck with the US market after the events of Black Friday, when PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and the Cereus Network were targeted by the US Government and essentially forced out of the USA market.

The result was that several other poker rooms and networks began picking up a significant number of American players who were looking for new places to play online poker. Merge Poker Network was one of the biggest beneficiaries of the change, with the largest gains being made by popular rooms such as Carbon Poker and Lock Poker.

However, the influx of players came with some unanticipated difficulties. Carbon Poker in particular found it hard to service their suddenly expanded player base. As a reaction, Carbon Poker announced they would temporarily stop servicing USA players in order to better prepare to service those players. It would seem that these concerns have been met, as Carbon Poker is expected to reopen to Americans sometime in the next two weeks.

For American players, the number of options available has become somewhat limited, though this situation may change in the near future. Momentum appears to be building rapidly for a federal solution to online poker, leading many to believe that an online poker regulation bill could be a reality in the United States by the end of the year. Conversely, Bodog has announced that they will leave the USA market at the end of 2011, as they plan to focus more on their worldwide operations.

Following the Black Friday incident of April this year when three of the biggest names in the poker industry got shut down by the US Department of Justice, the sites’ large population of players moved on to different online sites that were available, and these include Carbon Poker. Things however turned to a different direction as Carbon Poker wasn’t able to cope up with the sudden surge of population which led to customer service problems and some cash out issues as well. In turn, it has announced that it would leave the US market but they did promise to be back after a few months.

US poker players have started to lose hope in the world of online poker and some even moved to different parts of the world in order to continue on with their chosen profession. Now US poker players can rejoice as Carbon Poker announces its own reopening in the US market this month anywhere from August 15 to 31.

Back Then

Carbon Poker was one of the top 10 sites with the most traffic right after the Black Friday incident. Of course, this wasn’t at all great news for Carbon Poker as the poker site wasn’t at all capable of handling such a huge rush of players coming in. As the players were in desperate search for a viable destination for online poker, they have set their eyes on Carbon Poker and its soft competition. Players however were starting to experience problems in terms of the withdrawals and the customer support team wasn’t able to accommodate such a large number of complaints.

No More Issues

Carbon poker has announced its reopening. Throughout the past months of inactivity, it has slowly improved its customer service department which enables its staff to cope with a larger population than ever before. Another worthy improvement is its cash out options. Players will now have a wider range of withdrawal options to choose from, plus the waiting period for the withdrawal process to be completed is cut to a significant amount, so you won’t have to wait long before you get your cash. Carbon Poker also has an improved cash back system that allows its players to earn up to 47% in cash back bonuses. The VIP system has also been improved as players will be able to earn points as they make wagers, which they can exchange for cash rebates at any given time.


Carbon Poker

The leading online poker room in Europe celebrates 6 years of operation with a series of promotions for its players.

Titanpoker-com, the leading online poker room in Europe, will mark its 6th year anniversary during the month of September with a series of celebratory promotions for its players.

As part of the celebrations, Titan Poker will stage its first-ever Heads-Up Championship. Players will compete in 24-hour races scheduled throughout the month to win one of the 32 spots in the elimination bracket format of the championship. A total of over $25,000 in prizes will be awarded with $7,500 reserved for the top 8 players in the finals.

All players who earn more than 60 Titan Poker Points during the month of September will be able to participate in Titan Poker's $6,000 Anniversary Freeroll, which will take place on Thursday, October 6th at 20:00 GMT+1.

Titan Poker will reward its players with additional promotions and surprises throughout the month as part of its Mystery Week Giveaway Poker Promotion. A new mystery giveaway will be revealed to players each week. In order to be eligible for the giveaway, as well as to the other anniversary celebrations, players must opt-in to indicate their desire to participate in the promotions.

Poker novices and veteran poker players alike are invited to try out the free poker download at Titan Poker and join the online poker room in its 6th year anniversary celebrations.

About Titanpoker-com:

Titanpoker-com is the number one online poker room in Europe and part of the iPoker Network. Titan Poker's software is developed and maintained by Playtech, a public company and leading gaming software developer. With tens of thousands of online players at peak hours, Titan Poker guarantees millions of dollars in monthly prizes, offers an easily redeemed first deposit bonus, features special sit 'n' go tournaments with progressive jackpots as high as $300,000, and awards players with entries to major worldwide poker tournaments. The Titan Poker brand is promoted exclusively by Euro Partners.

Players at Full Tilt Poker has just gotten to the point where they didn't think things could get any worse. Unfortunately for them, they have. A new revelation has revealed that American poker players may have to pay taxes on their winnings - should they ever receive them.

According to Poker News Report, the IRS has its eyes on Full Tilt Poker, as the tax bureau could stand to make a great deal of revenue from American poker players. Despite Full Tilt Poker's inaction, there is still hope that players will be able to withdraw their winnings, and the IRS awaits that moment.

The United States is one of the few countries around the world that requires gamblers and lottery winners to pay taxes on their winnings. According to American Treasury regulations, gambling winnings are considered 'constructive receipts', meaning that they are taxable by the American government.

Previously, online gambling escaped the grasp of the IRS, and players were not required to pay taxes on their poker and casino winnings. However, now that the American government involved itself in the market on Black Friday, it is no wonder that poker players will now face paying taxes on their winnings.

Why is Party Poker making changes to its rake structure that could work against it in the long run? The online poker room announced that starting immediately, it will be using the “weighted contributed” method to calculate raked hands, moving away from the traditional “dealt method” found on the site up until now.

In the dealt method, players are credited with a raked hand if cards were dealt, no matter whether he or she played tightly or loosely. This is obviously a preferred method for tight players as they can score raked hands simply for having cards dealt, and this helps them redeem promo and bonus requirements.

Party Poker’s move away from the dealt method means that players are credited for the proportion of the rake they contribute. Fast, loose players are therefore able to earn more than those who stick to tight playing.

Changes will also be made to the rake structure at Party Poker. The highest rake levels in No Limit and Pot Limit poker games will be moved down. The highest rake levels will start at $3/$6 instead of the current $15/$30. Anything below this will not be changed.

With regards to fixed limit games, one cent will be raked for every 20c in the pot of micro limit games (ie. those with blinds ranging from $0.02/0.04 to $0.05/0.10.

These changes may be good for Party Poker in terms of financial benefits, but it could chase away mid to high stake players just at the time when Party Poker should be attracting players who are migrating from troubled sites and looking for a new home.

Over the weekend, Jeff Ifrah, the attorney retained by Full Tilt Poker CEO Ray Bitar after the U.S. Department of Justice online poker indictments on Black Friday, fielded questions on the Two Plus Two poker forum about the state of Full Tilt, its efforts to find investors, and the status of player funds. While what he could legally discuss was limited, Mr. Ifrah did provide some answers that at least shed a small bit of light on the situation.

One of the biggest questions people had was the relationship between the search for an investor (read: savior) for the company and the eventual return of player deposits. There has been much talk in the poker community about rumored deals that have fallen through and people fear that Full Tilt Poker (FTP) may have actually rejected a possible deal with an investor that would have allowed it to pay players back. Ifrah denied that this was the case, saying, “Since FTP started the process of speaking with outside investors that [paying players back] has been their entire focus 24/7. They have made crystal clear to every investor that the US players and European players must be paid.”

Note: He later corrected himself, substituting, “European players” with “the rest of the world.”

In response to someone who asked whether it would be possible for Full Tilt to ever return all player funds without an investor, Ifrah said, “…it will be very difficult for the company to meet all obligations without the help of an investor.”

That said, he reiterated multiple times that the ability to get customers their money back is the number one most important aspect of any deal. Potential investors are told this and no deal will be made without a payment plan in place. “Every deal requires the players to be paid,” Ifrah said. “A deal has not closed yet but that is not because of the existence of such a requirement.”

Ifrah also responded to questions about Ray Bitar’s involvement, saying that he is still the CEO and is involved in discussions with investors, but once a buyer is found, he will be out and a new management team will be put in place, the composition of which will “be driven by the investor and also by the regulator.”

Of course, many believe that Full Tilt Poker is doomed regardless of whether or not they can find an investor, that the poker site will never be able to resurrect itself. To that, Ifrah simply commented, “I believe they are doing everything possible to make it operational again.”

Throughout his time answering questions, Ifrah mentioned a series of statements that Full Tilt would soon be making. The first is supposed to be on its way this week, with two subsequent statements to be released shortly thereafter. The statement delay was actually the driving force behind Ifrah posting on Two Plus Two:

“I promised a company response today and instead had to report it has been delayed until early next week. In the interim, I felt you were owed whatever answers I could provide now. I cannot do so officially but hope I can nevertheless be somewhat helpful.”

As for the Full Tilt statement, it “will cover the efforts undertaken to obtain an investor and the current status of the investor.”

“The hearing [with the Alderney Gambling Control Commission on September 15th regarding its suspended license] may have a chance of being resolved or delayed if progress regarding the investor can be demonstrated,” he added. “This is merely my personal opinion. I am not involved in this proceeding.”

Has anybody had happend this to him?
i was supposed to receive my money from party poker and they told me that i have to wait 3 to 5 days.i contact them after 6 days telling that i didnt receive my money. and they told me that i have to wait another 3 to 6 days and they said "maybe" i will receive the money and i have a photo with the conversation
Also is somebody checking out this site to see if they are legit?

Don't worry ...sometimes they are a little slow.

Thanks for the answer.but you remain surpraised when you receive this type of answers "maybe you will receive the money"

Galera's green cloth.
Due to the large homes of susseco games (Pokerstars). we are creating a club called World Cup of Poker.
with three daily tournaments. and various structures.
the 3 tournaments was always performed at the same times ... so you do not take care to lose any tournament, because they know in advance the schedule of all tournaments.
The first event occurred on September 12 ...
Then you can participate in all stages, not staying at a disadvantage in the ranking score.
with the participation of all

- Open the main lobby and click on the 'Home Games'
- Click on 'Join a Club Poker'
- Enter the ID number of the Club: 516441 - Enter Invitation Code: world cup You're done! Once you approve your application for membership, we can begin to play home games online together.
For more information, see Online Poker Games | Play for Free Texas Holdem | PokerStars / homegames
Big hug to all chip in and cloth

First was Black Friday - the US crackdown on online poker rooms, including Full Tilt. Then followed the suspension of the operating license by Alderney. A public hearing that closed its doors. Rumors of interested investors. Renewed CPA license. A hefty payment to the license authority. And now, finally, an apology.

Too little, too late?

Pocket Kings Ltd., the operator behind Full Tilt Poker, has released an announcement in which it updated players on the status of negotiations with unnamed potential investors, and which also included an apology, of sorts.

No deal

Full Tilt has revealed at least six potential investors (other operators, hedge funds, and individual investors) have shown interest in purchasing the poker brand, but no agreement was reached.

Pocket Kings will continue negotiations with additional potential investors, the announcements said.

An apology

And there were also these words in the statement: "FullTiltPoker.com apologises for its lack of communication with its customers over the last month and a half."

Not bad. There was more: "But [Full Tilt Poker] has been grappling with unexpected and complex legal and financial issues arising from 'Black Friday' and its aftermath."

It is clear that the poker site's top priority is vis a vis license authorities and its potential investors. Why must its customers come third?

Online betting shop services are on the lookout, as on September 19th, Full Tilt will be facing the AGCC to find out if their gaming license will be renewed.

The date has finally been set by the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) for the Full Tilt poker license hearing. Full Tilt Poker will be appearing on September 19th before the AGCC so they can find out if they will be able to renew their online gaming license.

The betting site was once the world’s second largest site to play poker, but has since imploded in the midst of allegations of fraud and money laundering coming from the United States Department of Justice (DoJ). The hearing is rescheduled after lawyers that represent Full Tilt were able to postpone the original hearing in August in a desperate effort to find investors.

Online betting shop services learned that the original hearing was open to the public but was then moved behind closed doors. Then it ended up being postponed. This new hearing has also been set to be open to the public, but there’s the possibility that the AGCC will again change their minds after people try to go there.

It was widely felt, especially with online betting shop services, that Full Tilt’s legal representation outwitted the AGCC at every turn. The poker site’s gaming license was suspended by the AGCC after the DoJ prevented the site from continuing to operate in the US in what has come to be known as Black Friday.

The suspension of the betting site’s gaming license saw players all over the world lose access to the money that they had in their accounts with Full Tilt poker.

Many insiders, as well as online betting shop services, feel that the chances of the site having their license returned are very slim after potential investors withdrew from negotiations to purchase the Full Tilt brand.

Developments on the fate of Full Tilt will be monitored very closely by online betting shop services everywhere.

If ever there was a way in which not to endear yourselves to the thousands of people to whom you owe money, Full Tilt Poker have mastered it.

After publicly promising to maintain communication with the public with regard to a potential investor and the fate of the poker players´ funds, Full Tilt initially released a press release at the end of August with a loose overview of their financial plight.

The release contained nothing which was not widely known and failed to introduce any new information about if or when the online poker site would be repaying the funds owed to its players.

Full Tilt Poker Plans to Reduce Costs

These players, with 100s of $millions locked away in accounts which were not segregated from the company´s operating funds, were furious to learn that the latest statement leaked to PokerStrategy.com concerned a proposed “cost optimisation program”, and failed to address any of the issues relating to the whereabouts of the funds, the hearing with the AGCC to reinstate their licence or any news relating to an investor takeover.

The Text of the Statement

“On April 15th 2011 the United States Department of Justice unsealed a federal indictment against a number of individuals employed by major online poker operators. After the issuance of that indictment and a related civil case brought by the United States government, Full Tilt Poker withdrew from the US market. Then in a related action, on June 29th, 2011, Full Tilt Poker had its operating licenses suspended by the Alderney Gambling Control Commission.

As a result, Pocket Kings Ltd. (provider of marketing and technology services to Full Tilt Poker) has adopted a cost optimization program and estimates that they need to reduce their costs by approximately €12m. This program is intended to streamline the company’s operations in order to better position itself for future growth and profitability in Full Tilt Poker’s markets outside of the U.S.

If all of the required cost savings were to be achieved through redundancies, approximately 250 positions could be affected; however the exact number cannot be confirmed until the conclusion of a consultation process with its workforce.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, Pocket Kings firmly believes it has a very strong future in Full Tilt Poker’s Non-US Markets, and is fully committed to ensuring Full Tilt Poker restores the site and repay players in full. To this end, Full Tilt Poker has retained Sea Port Group Securities, LLC as its financial advisor with regard to raising capital and/or assisting in securing a strategic partner in order to fund continued operations of Full Tilt Poker’s non-U.S. business. The Company is in active discussions with several parties and will provide a further statement in due course.”

Early Reaction to the Statement

Ex-Full Tilt Poker players who had read the statement expressed a mixture of anger and resignation over the release of this meaningless communication. With other factors such as Full Tilt Poker requesting a further adjournment of the AGCC hearing and their solicitors indicating that they no longer wish to defend the company in the class action lawsuits made against them in New York, the consensus of opinion is that the directors and shareholders of the company will bleed as much time and money as they can from the company before declaring Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and creditors (players) will only receive a percentage of the funds owed to them.

This speculation could all change on Monday after the AGCC hearing, but for the present it looks as if nothing of any value remains at Full Tilt Poker – least of all their promises to their players!

Full Tilt Poker, the Dublin-based poker company accused of being a Ponzi scheme by the US government, is trying to seal a deal with a potential French buyer, according to the company's lawyer.


The company is in talks with the unnamed French investor and has also had an expression of interest from another possible buyer, said Jeff Ifrah, a lawyer for Full Tilt.

Full Tilt, which is regulated in Alderney and supports more than 500 jobs on the outskirts of Dublin, has been on the back foot since April when it was one of three online poker companies targeted by US authorities for alleged illegal gambling, money laundering and bank fraud. Last week, Preet Bharara, Manhattan's chief prosecutor, raised the stakes by accusing Full Tilt of being a "global Ponzi scheme."

"The future is a question of whether we can still find an interested investor," said Mr Ifrah. He declined to comment on the initial allegations made in April.

Online gambling companies have been under threat in America since 2006, when the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act was passed and prohibited banks from transferring funds to gambling sites. Full Tilt, Poker Stars, which is based on the Isle of Man, and Absolute Poker were accused by US authorities of trying to work around the ban to continue to operate in the US.

In last week's lawsuit, it was alleged that Full Tilt's ability to process payments had been so weakened that it was crediting players' accounts with money it didn't have, and now owes players $390m (£252m).

In a statement late last month, Full Tilt said that it believed "offering peer-to-peer online poker did not violate any federal laws." It added that "our players should know that Full Tilt is fully committed to paying them back in full and restoring confidence in our operations."

Full Tilt is also facing a class-action lawsuit from poker players in the US trying to recover their money. "If it's (Full Tilt) not being taken over, then someone should be stepping in to protect the interest of the creditors," said David Greene of Edwin Coe, a London law firm representing the players in the US.

A sale of Full Tilt will be further complicated because Alderney's Gambling Control Commission revoked a licence from the company at the end of July. The Commission met every day last week in a London hotel to decide whether to reinstate the licence but has yet to make a ruling.

"There is, as they say, a lot of hair on this deal," said Mr Ifrah. Full Tilt's lawyer also took issue with the claim by US authorities that Full Tilt was a Ponzi scheme. "It was completely inappropriate. It does not appear in the complaint and was not supported by anything in the complaint," said Mr Ifrah.