PokerStars is at it again.  The world’s largest online poker site is ready to launch its latest new endeavor with the creation of the Italian Poker Tour (ITP).  Already featuring a full slate of other poker stints, the site feels the time is right for Italian expansion.  It is a joint business venture as PokerStars has been working with one of its own sponsored pros, Italian Luca Pagano, as well as Federpoker to make this possible.

Pagano is best known for his stellar performances on the site’s wildly popular European Poker Tour circuit.  Fans of the EPT might recall Pagano’s final tables at the Monte Carlo Grand Final as well as the Dortmund tournament.

Italian Poker Tour will visit lots of marvelous spots in Italy, starting with the San Remo event, which would run from June 1st through June 7th.  In a statement released on Thursday, Fabio Angeli Bufalini, Poker Stars Italian Manager, said:

“PokerStars is really happy with the developments in live and online poker in Italy. The great success has been registered on the PokerStars website and the record breaking turnout for the San Remo leg of the PokerStars Season 5 EPT makes us hopeful that the PokerStars Italian Poker Tour will entice huge interest in Italy and all over Europe.”

Currently, there are 532 total players registered to take part, making it the second largest PokerStars live tournament of the year, trailing only their Caribbean Adventure, which is a well publicized annual event.  Although the tournament is set to begin, the site is still running satellites on its Italian website and will be giving away a minimum of 10 more seats in a large qualifier, Saturday night.

The IPT joins a number of PokerStars-sponsored tours, which includes the European Poker Tour, the Asia Pacific Poker Tour, the Latin American Poker Tour, and the Russian Poker Tour. PokerStars is also the official sponsor for the World Cup of Poker and the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.

Posted by Diana Sterling in Poker Articles, Poker News, Poker Tournaments | No Comments » May 30th, 2009

There is only one tournament that can guarantee poker immortality, and only one online poker site that is making it convenient than ever to get there. BodogPoker has guaranteed 5 WSOP Main Event Prize Packages every week, two awarded on each Sunday.

Due to a considerable decline in tournament entries, it has become especially easy to win a seat in the 2009 WSOP Main Event via the online poker room. Jean-Robert Bellande, Bodog Poker Pro expressed, “The Main Event is the one tournament we all dream about winning, and the simplest and easiest way to make that dream come true is here at Bodog.”

In the past two weeks, Bodog has seen an average of 66 players competing in the Sunday tournament. Even with such low entry rates, Bodog Poker continues to dole out the two promised WSOP Main Event Prize Packages each weekend.

It costs $250 to buy-in to the tournament directly, but more affordable satellite tournaments are held throughout the weekend, awarding a seat in Sunday’s WSOP Main Event Semifinal tournament. As to why participation levels have been so low, this can only be speculated; but the fact that the Sunday Main Event Semifinals are held at 3:15 a.m. ET might have something to do with it.

Each 2009 WSOP Main Event Prize Package awarded by Bodog Poker is worth $12,000. The first $10,000 goes to cover the buy-in costs at the World Series of Poker Main Event. The remaining $2,000 is awarded to cover travel costs and accommodations throughout the tournament, plus spending cash.

The 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event is scheduled to kick off July 3rd in the Amazon Room of the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Bodog Poker will be hosting WSOP Main Event Semifinals every Sunday through the end of June, up until the start of the poker world’s most prestigious event; the World Series of Poker.

Win WSOP 2009 Main Event seats at Bodog Poker!

Posted by Diana Sterling in Poker Articles, Poker News, Poker Tournaments, WSOP | No Comments » May 28th, 2009

Titan Poker is the premier poker room in Europe and the largest domain on the iPoker Network. In the forthcoming World Series of Poker 2009, the room is guaranteeing a record breaking forty Main Event packages. The cumulative cash value of guaranteed prizes is a hollering $520,000 as each package is worth $13,000.

The World Series of Poker 2009 Main Event, scheduled for July, would be represented by the champions of Titan Poker. The prize package, each worth $13,000 would provide a golden opportunity to the players to participate in the esteemed $10,000 No Limit Hold’em World Championship Main Event, complemented by 7 nights’ of luxury accommodation at the Rio Hotel and Casino, travel allowance and cash expenditure.

Online poker players can have buy-ins to the WSOP 2009 Mega Satellite at Titan Poker for $500 + $30. However, they may also win their seats at qualifier satellite tournaments, which continues round the clock with entries as low as $1.

Qualification for the 2009 World Series of Poker is possible in a number of ways. Super Satellites is being staged every Sunday by the recognized poker room and has won many players tickets to Las Vegas and poker glory.

Apart from that, Titan Poker is also proffering a $25,000 “Executive Package” to the WSOP 2009 for the winners of 6 consecutive “WSOP 2009 Executive Jackpot Sit’n'Go” tournaments. Winners are entitled to an exorbitant package with 16 nights’ of accommodation, tickets to the “Beatles Cirque du Soleil” show, Limo pick-up from and to the Las Vegas Airport and much more. Moreover, they also receive the buy-in the WSOP Main Event and an augmented World Series of Poker bracelet tournament.

In the past, players have annexed seats to the 2009 WSOP World Championship of Pot-Limit Omaha and to two WSOP No Limit Hold’em $1,500 Buy-in Events.

Posted by Diana Sterling in Poker Articles, Poker News, Poker Promotions, WSOP | 1 Comment » May 28th, 2009

Florida lawmakers may have done a good turn for online poker players recently when a measure was placed into an unrelated regulatory bill that could see online poker becoming legal in the sunshine state. The move could make Florida the first to embrace online poker for the citizens of the state.

Passing the Florida Legislature by overwhelming margins, bill 425 contains a clause requiring the legislature’s policy research arm to carry out an analysis of the effects of online poker on Florida’s land based poker rooms.

Lobbyists representing American Poker Ventures pushed to have the house bill introduced. It requires the policy arm to report by December 1st 2009, “regarding the enactment of laws to provide for protection and remedies from existing and unregulated online poker activities.”

A political consultant from California, Jim Tabilio, heads up the newly organized American Poker Ventures LLC. Mr.Tabilio is also president of Poker Voters of America. This is a grassroots national lobbying group that is dedicated to protecting poker players’ rights by keeping elected officials as well as media informed about the impact of federal and state laws on poker players in the USA. Florida’s regulated card rooms are the proving grounds for the first attempt to regulate and control the very lucrative online poker industry.

This Florida bill is not quite the same as that introduced in California back in February 2008 by the democrat Lloyd Levine. AB2026 was a bill introduced to allow poker players to play online within the USA.

The non-profit group Poker Voters of America takes a different tack from some of the different groups such as the PPA that are out there now.

Poker Voters of America are those political people who know how to get things done when it is legislative or campaign oriented. The group’s message is obvious; stating that there is no substantive difference between the way 70 million people play poker every week than the way they play online. Lots of people like to play and it is a harmless and fun entertainment value. People ought to be able to make up their own minds about how they want to spend their entertainment dollar.

Posted by Diana Sterling in New Poker Sites, Poker News | No Comments » May 26th, 2009

Dan Martin, popularly knows as Wretchy would be able to join Poker Stars once more on the 6th of August this year. He was proscribed for three months by the world’s largest online poker site for multi-accounting under two different nicknames, Wretchy and WhatsLogic.

He proclaimed on the PocketFives forums that his girl friend cannot play on the same cash game tables or tournaments as him anymore. Although she was not proscribed from Full Tilt Poker, the former could not escape penalty and was proscribed for a month. The nickname Wretchy was used to play world’s top class tourneys whereas WhatsLogic was used to play cash games.

The pro further revealed that both of them had played 45 tourneys together, one fifth of which were from the same IP address. This happened over a period of one and a half years. According to Martin, he recently got a wireless data card, prior to that, he did not posses two IP addresses.

The altercation rose on surface after Martin made a post on PocketFives which read, “I played under WhatsLogic for a few months… unknown this bish!” The comments came in response to a posted hand history involving an all-in pot that was called by Martin using the name Wretchy. On 9th May, PocketFives moderator Murderer made a post wondering if the two accounts were somehow related. Martin then posted a summary of the entire situation after sorting out the whole incident with PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. However, he was quite forthright about the whole situation.

Now, he intends to move to Las Vegas to participate in WSOP 2009 and may also play on FullTilt Poker and Ultimate Bet after the expiry of his ban. Although he was able to draw his cash from PokerStars, his money at Full Tilt remains tied up until the end of the one month period.

On PokerStars, Wretchy and WhatsLogic had played three tourneys simultaneously in September 2008 with buy-ins ranging from $109 to $215. On Full Tilt, the two accounts played in the same multi-table tournaments several times during October 2007.

Generally, major online poker sites do not allow multiple user names. The only website that allows this is CakePoker. Managed by Lee Jones recently, the US-friendly site allows user names to be altered once every week.

Posted by Diana Sterling in Poker Articles, Poker News, WSOP | No Comments » May 26th, 2009

Dream Team Poker will present the third tournament in its history in July. The team gaming concept will make its way to the Rio from July 12th to 13th during the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP). The buy-in is $560 per person, or $1,680 per three-man team.

Though the number of tables for the tournament at the WSOP has not yet been determined, it is not out of the question for 150 teams to register, surpassing the sell out crowd of the last event at Caesars Palace. Each team consists of three players where each of them plays in a standard No-Limit Hold’em freeze-out.
While relatively new to the poker scene, Dream Team Poker has found quick success with its events in Las Vegas. It hosted its inaugural event in November 2008 and followed that up with a successful event in March 2009.

The last time out, 148 teams and 444 players mobbed Caesars Palace for a sold out tournament, the first one held by Dream Team Poker that was open to the general public. In the end, Team ACED, which consisted of then-ACED Poker pro Jamie Gold, Ashley Nataupsky, and Houston Waldie, dominated the field and banked nearly $60,000. Other teams that finished in the money included The Claddaghs (second place for $33,300), The Clones (third place for $15,984), Party at the Mansion (fourth place for $10,656), and the Hellmuth Busters (fifth place for $6,660). Players who hit the felts included Bodog Poker pro Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, Ultimate Bet personality Phil Hellmuth, Johnny Chan, David Williams, Paul Wasicka, and TJ Cloutier. Needless to say, the poker world was out in full force.

“After seeing the terrific response to the recent Dream Team Poker tournaments in Las Vegas, we thought a team-based event would be a fun addition to the end of the WSOP,” said Jeffrey Pollack, WSOP commissioner.

“The Dream Team Poker event is one of the many new elements added in 2009 that will help make this summer a memorable one for all WSOP players and fans,” he further added.

The first 300 teams that pre-register on the website will receive personalized jerseys for the tournament. Dream Team Poker will also have a booth outside the Amazon Room throughout the World Series of Poker with staff on hand to answer questions about the tournament and to explain the rules and structure.

Posted by Diana Sterling in Poker Articles, Poker News, Poker Pro Players, Poker Tournaments, WSOP | No Comments » May 23rd, 2009

There is a fresh entrant in the current online gambling assault by the name of Capitol Hill; and as compared to lobbying mainstays like the Christian Coalition, who are the staunch supporters of 2006’s UIGEA bill, NFL can prove to be a more pretentious antagonist for the new online poker bill as proposed by Barney Frank. The league is highly recognized and well-endowed and has stated its plan to barricade any legislation, adducing “the integrity of our game”.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy, the spokesperson for NFL asserted:” We understand that illegal gambling currently occurs, but there is little we can do about that. However, we can exercise our right to oppose Internet betting on our games… Gambling on our games – online or off line – threatens the integrity of our games and all the values they represent.”

The NFL has in place an appalling lobbying disposition. In 2008, they recruited a full time lobbyist and were able to collect appropriation to safeguard UIGEA, by launching a political action committee. It decided to use all its drills to affray pro-gambling groups, when spurts to repeal the controversial law began to dismantle.

The most astonishing thing about this battle is the abstraction with which it is being fought; not appeased at clogging wagering on NFL games in general or sports betting in particular. On the contrary, the NFL is impetuously controverting all gambling which at present is being brooked into by poker.

In addition to groups such as the Christian Coalition and its abettors who are opposed to gambling on moral grounds, the league does have prospective confederates in various professional sports leagues including the NCAA.

On the other hand, organizations such as the Poker Players Alliance are also filing suit. On the countenance of any pro-gaming bill, $3 million are secured for lobbying Congress; and the credit for this goes to PPA’s grass root expeditions and proponents like the Interactive Gaming Council.

Posted by Diana Sterling in Poker Articles, Poker News | No Comments » May 22nd, 2009

888, in concurrence with Winmedia, a television production company has announced the details of its upcoming Poker Ashes 2009, an event which decides which country has the best poker know-how; England, led by former Yorkshire captain Darren Gough, or Australia, led by bowler Shane Warne. Each team will have four international cricketers plus two online qualifiers, and five test matches will be filmed on Jun. 22 and 23 in London.

Currently, qualification for berths on each of the teams is in progress where players may register themselves up at 888’s website by expending the code ASHES100.

Players from England can certify for the online final through the weekly freeroll which is held every Thursday at 8 p.m. or the $1 satellites running from Sat-Wed at 8 p.m. Australian players, on the other hand can try for a berth in the online final by means of daily freerolls, Mon-Sat, at 8 p.m. (AEST) or through the $5 buy-in satellites held daily at 8.45 p.m. The much anticipated online final would be held on Jun. 7 at 8 p.m.

Sponsor of the conjecture, as part of the Poker Ashes 2009 will donate $50,000 to the charity chosen by the winning team, which will either be the Shane Warne Foundation if Australia takes the leading position or the Professional Cricket Association if England takes the title.

Shane Warne, the Australian captain stated:“Aussies don’t like to be beaten by the Poms – whatever the sport. And I can tell you that Darren Gough and his English Poker Ashes team will face a stern test from our boys! We are taking this very seriously — I’m getting the very best poker players from the Aussie changing rooms and you Poms are set for an absolute flogging!”

The televised tournament, produced by Ian Langstaff and Winmedia, would be telecasted on Sky Sports 2 from July 15-19 at 10 p.m. in the U.K., Australia, India, South Africa, and New Zealand. Those who qualify to the event would get their tournament admission, commutation, and accommodation paid for, as well as $1,000 as spending money, and an autographed cricket souvenir.

Posted by Diana Sterling in Poker Articles, Poker News, Poker Tournaments | No Comments » May 21st, 2009

An amateur player beat a Vegas star to capture the 2009 Canadian Open Poker Championship at the Stampede Casino, Calgary with the championship coming down to a battle between a tournament-tested eminent and an online poker enthusiast.

David had slain Goliath, after the chips fell the last time on Sunday. Benjamin LaBlond, 22, of Hull, Quebec, whose only real experience is playing poker online, took home $100,000 in tax-free cash after beating Jeff Madsen, the runner up, who is a World Series of Poker bracelet winner from Santa Barbara.

The major turning point for the event was their best-of-three heads-up match in which LaBlond secured the second and third games on Sunday evening.

LaBlond expressed, “The tourney has really boosted up my spirits and given much confidence as competing against real players is very different from playing online.”

However, success for LaBlond did not come out of the blue. He had been battling fiercely with poker champions Brad Booth and Phil Helmuth all along the weekend. He shared that as the entry fee for the World Series of Poker contest was $10,000; he had saved his winnings for that.

“It’s all about how you invest again in the trade,” he stated smilingly.

Jeff Madsen, his antagonist, is the youngest ever champion of a World Series of Poker bracelet. He was very affable in annihilation, though the $50,000 runner-up prize helped. “It feels really great to be a part of this tournament; and I am satisfied with my performance”, he said. “I was not intending to attend this event as I had plans to take some rest before the World Series of Poker event in Las Vegas, but I am happy now at my decision.”

The players had a choice of participating in three different conjectures; a Pot Limit Omaha, three No Limit Hold ‘em events and Heads Up, the main event which spread over four days.

The contestants, in that event accosted each other in one-on-one expulsion draws. This was, in effect the real ambush of the weekend where novices got the opportunity to test their capabilities in terms of artifice, tolerance, brilliance and chance, by competing against some legends in the online Poker world. The aggregate prize pot was brought to $425,000 approximately; with 93 players and the buy-in price of $5,000 per head.

Mr. Kelly Keller, the CEO and President of the Canadian Casino said that the idea of taking home one year’s salary by working for just a weekend brought them out in multitudes. Further, he said, “You’ll never beat Tiger Woods at a round of golf, but on a poker table at any particular day, you can change your destiny if you play with the right strategy.”

Posted by Diana Sterling in Poker Articles, Poker News, Poker Tournaments | No Comments » May 19th, 2009

Glad tiding for the 4,581 participants of the FTOPS main event; sad for Full Tilt Poker.

Each participant of the event bequeathed $500 + $35 to register their self for the tournament; that means approximately $2.3 million dollars were augmented to the prize pool by a total of 4581 players.

The FullTiltPoker main event had a confirmed prize pool of $2.5 million dollars; which means that unfortunately, the website had to measure out more than $200k to meet its guaranteed prize obligation.

This was the main factor for FTOPS XII event losing out on their guarantees. One can surely tell that Full Tilt Poker definitely misconstrued the aggregate of premium in FTOPS XII.

Another probability could be that the players low on cash ingenuously consigned to oblivion the attempt to capacitate for FTOPS events by means of a satellite and in preference, cynosure on mini-FTOPS events; perhaps as they were more recognized.

Full Tilt just gained a little more than $160k as the aggregate fee on account of the main event. However, they suffered a tremendous loss as they were coerced to measure out more than $200k to meet its guaranteed prize obligation.

Without any traces of doubt, they did enfilade cash from the entirety of satellites; however, it cannot be inferred for sure if the amount was sufficient to make up for the $50k misfortune.

Full Tilt envisages making a humongous amount of cash every time they hold an FTOPS event, as it is an inaugural conjuncture.

Now if one was to look at the most recent edition of the WCOOP, one could conveniently notice that Pokerstars enfiladed almost two million dollars from the 33 event tourney series but not from the hundreds and thousands of satellite events.

Pokerstars enfiladed more than $430k for the central conjecture of WCOOP and over $220k for the 6th conjecture of the 2008 WCOOP.

Although Pokerstars is a much larger event when compared to Full Tilt, one cannot find a WCOOP (or SCOOP) main event missing its guarantee by huge dollar amounts. Also, no more than one or two of their events can be found missing their guarantees, if any at all. On the contrary, at least 50% of the FTOPS XII events seem to be missing their guarantees, though the final figures have not yet been calculated.

The Full Tilt Poker enfilades a crazy amount of cash daily. Moreover, one should not be bewildered to find some modifications in the FTOPS moving ahead.

Full Tilt Poker FTOPS XII 18 Million Guaranteed!

Posted by Diana Sterling in FTOPS, Poker Articles, Poker News, Poker Tournaments | No Comments » May 18th, 2009