ToteSport Casino To Defect From UK’s Gaming Regulation
December 31, 2007
Totesport Casino will soon be able to advertise without being subject to government interference. Deviating from their operations from Curacao to the Channel Islands of Alderney, Totesport will not have to pay taxes or adhere to UK regulation. Totesport is a branch of The Tote Bookmaking Ltd., UK’s fourth largest government owned bookmaker since its inception in 1928 by the Act of Parliament; the Act’s primary function for the bookmaker was to handle cash pool bets on horseracing.
Though the effort to reform UK government gambling regulations and attract online gaming through advertisements and sponsorship was made possible by the new Gambling Act, top poker and casino operators decided not pursue a UK license. The gaming sector came to their decision based on Prime Minister Gordon Brown's fifteen percent online poker and casino gaming tax; Remote Gaming Duty. This tax is to act as a deterrent for off-shore companies wishing to carry out their gaming business in the UK. Prime Minister Brown is reported to have a very strict views regarding gambling and as Treasury Chancellor, he had made a previous proposal to tax casinos gaming profits up to fifty-percent.
This past September, The Gambling Act of 2005 became a deregulating statute of the gaming industry. The gaming and betting market will be affected by this the most which includes casinos, gaming machines, lotteries, licensed bingo, football pools and bookmaking.
The move to Alderney by Totesport Casino was strategic because of the lower tax rates. The Tote however did not make this decision lightly; they consulted with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) beforehand. Reportedly according to an unnamed DCMS spokesperson, “This is a business decision for The Tote. The Tote is run as a business.”
This recent move has apparently been in the works for an estimated seven years. It has not occurred until now because the European market denied their proposal supposedly due to a violation of state aid rules. It has also been reported since The Tote is in final negotiations; it will be a source of embarrassment to UK Ministers who have prided themselves since the Gambling Act of 2005, as a world leader in the approach to online gaming regulation.
PokerStars Sunday Million Won By Mighty L
December 31, 2007
The PokerStars Sunday Million took a little over 10 hours to complete but it was well worth it for the 1802 poker players vying for the $1,802,000 prize pool. This was PokerStars $1,000 buy-in Sunday Million held quarterly and was the third highest prize pool in Sunday Million history.
There were two tournaments with higher prize pools but they each had PokerStars contributions to make the higher totals. The highest was in May of this year with over a $2.4 million prize pool but PokersStars added $250,000 to celebrate the 1 billionth hand dealt. The second was March 11, 2007 with a $2.1 million prize pool were PokerStars was celebrating the tournaments anniversary and raised the guarantee to $1.5 million.
270 poker players were paid out in this event with the winner, barring any chops, was getting $353,552.40. It took 4 hours and 25 minutes to break the money barrier when dragONslay3r was sent to the rail in 271st.
Several hours later, diehardmick had the distinction of setting the final table. It didn’t take to long for the 9 player table to get down to 8 as Belabacsi was the first to be eliminated. As play continued, loftus222 and NVmania were the next to be eliminated respectively and the first rumblings for a deal came up in the chat. Pattymelt15, the shortest stake at the time but still over 1 million in chips, broke the ice but was ignored totally by all the other players.
McShove was the next to go when his pocket aces ran into a set of sixes and again Pattymelt15 asked for interest in a deal, this time with just over 870,000 in chips and again got no responses. Unfortunately the table was right and Pattymelt15 was the next eliminated.
Now down to four it was Tulkaz who brought up a chop deal and this time thechemest83 was interested but a “Not yet” vote by Mighty L and no comment from Dao69 keep the table going.
Dao69 was the next to go and another deal was asked about in the chat window. This time all players agreed to stoppage to see what could be worked out. Mighty L asked the PokerStars admin for a break down according to chip stack to see were they stood. At the time thechemist83 was slightly ahead, Mighty L second and Tulkaz a close third.
PokerStars host for the table StaffBryanS reminded the players that $40,000 must remain on the table for the overall winner as per PokerStars rules and gave them the break down according to chip counts at the time. That was:
thechemist83: $233,152.78
Mighty_L: $213,512.75
Tulkaz: $172,145.68
After a brief time of no one saying anything they all agreed and play continued. After the deal action picked up and Tulkaz was eliminated leaving Might L and thechemist83 heads up and Might L with a commanding chip lead which he turned into a win.
Poker Stars Sunday Million final results were:
- Mighty_L — $253,512.75
- thechemist83 — $233,152.78
- Tulkaz — $172,145.68
- Dao69 — $102,714
- Pattymelt15 — $80,549.40
- McShove — $60,727.40
- NVmania — $42,707.40
- loftus222 — $26,489.40
- Belabacsi — $15,857.60
Online Poker Site Sets Player Record
December 31, 2007
According to PokerScout, a company that tracks traffic to online poker rooms, PokerStars became the first online poker site ever to reach 20,000+ simultaneous real money ring game players. In a somewhat ironic twist, the site can thank the U.S. and the passing of the UIGEA as a major contributing factor in their newfound traffic influx.
Before the UIGEA was passed in October of 2006, the online poker site Party Poker had the record at 16,960 players and was the biggest poker room online. Since then Party Poker has moved out of the US market and PokerStars not only assumed the top position but dominates the player traffic.
According to the traffic report at Pokerscout.com, 4 of the top ten sites allow US poker players including the top 2 but the PokerStars player count alone would surpass the 2nd and 3rd sites combines. The top ten traffic sites according to PokerScout (as of Dec 30th) are:
- PokersStars
- Full Tilt
- PartyPoker
- Ongame Network
- iPoker Network
- Everest Poker
- Ultimate Bet
- Svenska Spel
- IPN (Boss Media)
- Absolute Poker
Jacob, a PokerStars support manager said of setting this record,
"PokerStars is proud to be the first online poker room to have reached this milestone; it is a testament to the loyalty of our players that we have been able to do so. We look forward to continuing to grow in upcoming years and to carry on as the world's largest poker room."
Online Gambling Review 2007 – Legal Technicalities.
December 31, 2007
2007 has been an action filled year for online poker players, in fact it's been quite the roller coaster for gamblers internationally, both off and on the tables.
NETeller Freezes US Funds
Days after the DOJ arrested co-founders Stephen Lawrence and John Lefebvre, you will remember NETeller freezing U.S. deposits, some online gamblers recall that incident more than others. The total amount frozen came to $150 million.
NETeller returned US gamblers funds to them in July of 2007, NETeller dropped the US Market like hotcake's.
2007 brought with it Congressman Barney Frank’s IGREA
In the early spring of ’07 the online gambling world made a friend in Congress. Mass. Congressman Barney Frank went public against what he called one of the "stupidest laws" ever passed. He has since proposed HR 2046 also known as the Gambling Enforcement and Regulation Act (IGREA). IGREA seeks to license and regulate online poker and online gambling in the USA and repeal the UIGEA. As of the end of the year this proposal has garnered 45 Congressional co-sponsors and is on its way to a solid base of support.
Bodog.com Domain Seized
Many online poker players, with cash in their accounts found a dead website upon visiting bodog.com. A patent infringement claim filed by 1st Technology LLC. filed against a shocked Bodog.com resulted in a history ruling from a Washington State Judge that awarded a $49 million judgment in favor of 1st Technology LLC. Bodog's website registrar (a company like Godaddy.com) was further ordered to take the website down. It took close to two days for Bodog to move the website to a temporary home online, NewBodog.com before their eventual moving into their current home at BodogLife.com
Calvin Ayre said, "We are fighting this dispute and are confident that we will win." Though everything is back to normal and bodoglife is where the action can be found for Bodog Poker, casino and sportsbook players, the dispute over the Bodog copyright is still going on.
iMEGA sues over UIGEA
iMEGA finally saw it's day in court, and as reported by 4Flush, was able “to argue that the UIGEA was unconstitutional and violates the rights of citizens in the U.S. to gamble in the privacy of their own homes."
The Internet Media Entertainment & Gaming Association (iMEGA), according to their website, "was founded in 2007 as a professional association dedicated to the continued growth and innovation of the Internet. We seek constructive engagement with government at the Federal and State levels to ensure that the challenges of this still nascent medium are addressed with the full participation of the people and companies that have built the Internet into the powerful influence on society it has become."
The case is being tried in Trenton, N.J. and presided over by U.S. District Court Judge Mary L. Cooper. The first decision was delayed and as of this writing, the online gambling world is still awaiting a decision.
Europe and the United States cut a deal in regards to Online Gambling.
The official settlement was released as:
"A bilateral agreement which provides EU service suppliers with new trade opportunities in the US postal and courier, research and development, storage and warehouse sectors, the US also made concessions in the testing and analysis services sector."
Antigua & Barbuda WTO Decision
The small Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda has been fighting a legal battle against the US government since 2003. The UIGEA provided legal fuel to the fire. After winning their case with the WTO, negotiations between the countries began. Antigua looking for $3.44 billion in compensation and when the U.S. countered with $500,000, the case went to arbitration.
The arbitration panel, after several delays, made public their decision awarding Antigua and Barbuda won the right to violate copyright protections on goods like films and music from the United States for a total of $21 million a year.
Remote Gambling Association
The Remote Gambling Association, representing European Internet gambling companies, filed a compliant with the WTO. As report by 4Flush right before Christmas, the complaint states,
“the U.S. discriminates by prosecuting foreign gambling companies. The claims argues that by threatening and prosecuting criminal cases that enforce penalties and forfeitures against foreign gaming companies all the while letting domestic gaming operators continue to operate normally (those that offer racetrack betting primarily) is both discriminatory and violates WTO rules.”
This complaint forces the EU to investigate and if the find that the US had acted discriminatory, can again negotiate with the US or present a case to the WTO.
Colorado Casino’s Going Non-Smoking
December 29, 2007
New Year’s Eve, a time of reflection, hope and resolutions. In Colorado, it will also be a time to put out those cigarettes inside the casinos. January first, smokers can expect a gentle tap on the shoulder and a polite invitation to join other smokers on new outside terrace's designated for smoking.
Golden Casino Group oversees three casinos in Black Hawk, Colorado. Jeff Bauer, the group’s vice president and general manager said, "The ban is already going to dramatically, negatively impact our business. We want to be able to mitigate that loss as much as possible but stay within the law."
The three casinos owned by Golden Casino Group created an employee task force to come up with how workers should deal with the inevitable and defiant casino players. The Golden Casino Group has spent over $1 million on construction of the terraces for its smoking clientèle.
On dealing with smoking guests, Bauer said, "One of the things we are doing is offering a complimentary cigarette to any guest who is inconvenienced or feels inconvenienced or starts to, you know, get upset about it. We say, 'Here's a free cigarette. Here's our smoking terrace. Please enjoy'.”
So what happens if there are still some smokers who want to cause problems? Employees are directed to contact their managers and then if necessary get casino security.
Bauer said, "There's no way Black Hawk police can deal with every single smoker who is going to be a little difficult at first. People have to be reasonable about this."
Black Hawk’s city manager, Richard Lessner states that it is usual for the casinos security to handle any disputes or problems before calling for police support and he doesn’t see any changes from the norm.
"If they feel then that they need the assistance of the police department then, of course, we'll respond," Lessner said.
Violations carry a $200 fine within a calendar year, the second violation is $300 fine and a third, $500 fine.
"I don't think you're going to find smokers to be unreasonable," Lessner said.
Josh “JJProdigy” Field Banned From PokerStars PCA Event
December 28, 2007
Josh Field, also known as “JJProdigy” on most poker sites and poker forums, is probably best remembered for having to forfeit his $140,000 payday in the PartyPoker $500k because he played on two accounts during the tournament. Once word of the scandal was discovered, he was promptly banned for life at both PartyPoker and PokerStars. The incident seems to still cast a dark shadow on not just Field himself, but online poker in general.And online poker’s first infamous “multi-accounter” just got a tough reminder from his past handed down by PokerStars – that cheating is not something easily forgiven or forgotten.
The former up-and-comer, who had made plans to attend the 2008 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, was denied an invite. Even though he turns 18 before the event was to begin, PokerStars decided that the lifetime online ban from their site would also carry over into the upcoming land-based PCA.
Josh Field recently attempted to reach out to the communities at Pocket Fives and 2+2, publicly apologizing for his past errors in judgment and asking for a clean slate. Unfortunately for him, his apology wasn’t exactly welcomed with open arms. Scores of online poker players lobbied to PokerStars support to make sure the player formerly known as “JJProdigy” was not allowed to play in next year’s PCA. The flood of emails seem to do the trick, as PokerStars sent this email to inquiring players that was posted on PocketFives:
Hello xxxx,
Thank you for your email.
PokerStars management has decided to extend player's JJProdigy current ban
to the PokerStars Carribean Adventure (PCA) event.If you have any further questions, please let me know.
Regards,
Jacob
PokerStars Support Manager
Poker After Dark’s 3rd Season Schedule
December 28, 2007
Poker After Dark Season 3 will begin another late night line up on December 31st. Ali Nejad will return as the commentator and Marianela Pereyra will premier as the new late night poker princess. The main focus will still be the 6-handed match-ups featuring the top poker players putting up $20,000 per match to win the $120,000 winner take all prize.
There will be a few notable newcomers to this year’s schedule. Making their debut will be, Robert Williamson III, Hoyt Corkins, Scotty Nguyen, Chau Giang, Gavin Smith, Sam Grizzle, Beth Shak, J.J. Liu, Roland de Wolfe, David Oppenheim, Erica Schoenberg, Berry Johnston, Mark Gregorich, and John-Robert Bellande.
Maybe the most notable newcomer will be Ken Light who won his seat in a FullTiltPoker.net freeroll and will choose his own personal dream table to play at in the opening match.
Other matches will include a Champions Week, featuring 6 players who have won the World Series of Poker Main Event, International Week, Commentators Week, bachelor Gus Hansen will sit at a table of ladies in a Gus and the Ladies match and Hecklers Week with 6 of the games best trash talkers battling it at with cards and wit.
The first two seasons saw 57 poker players compete and here are some interesting trivia they have brought us:
Three players have won 2 matches:
1) Howard Lederer
2) Clonie Gowen
3) Phil Ivey
Two players are winless:
1) Phil Hellmuth - 0-6
2) Mike Matusow - 0-5
No player has eliminated the whole table but 3 have eliminated 4:
1) Johnny Chan
2) Clonie Gowen
3) Howard Lederer
Fasted Eliminated:
1) Gus Hansen - 6th hand
Biggest Comeback:
1) Jennifer Harman – Down to 4,000 in chips
Longest Heads-Up Play:
1) Antonius and Brad Booth - 120 hands
Poker After Dark's 3rd season dates and matches:
| Match 21: Dream Table (Week of 12/ 31)Daniel Negreanu
Phil Hellmuth Scotty Nguyen Ken Light |
Match 26: International (Week of 2/ 25)Patrik Antonius (Finland)
Johnny Chan (China) Roland de Wolfe (England) Daniel Negreanu (Canada) Gus Hansen (Denmark) John Juanda (Indonesia) |
| Match 22: 19th Hole (Week of 1/ 7)Gavin SmithDavid OppenheimErick Lindgren
Phil Ivey Daniel Negreanu |
Match 27: Jam Up (Week of 3/24)David WilliamsHoward Lederer
Barry Greenstein Antonio Esfandiari Eli Elezra |
| Match 23: Hecklers (Week of 1/14)Gavin SmithSam GrizzleJohn-Robert BellandeMike MatusowShawn SheikhanPhil Hellmuth | Match 28: Gus and the Ladies (Week of 3/31)Gus HansenVanessa RoussoJ.J. LiuClonie GowenBeth ShakErica Schoenberg |
| Match 24: World Champions (Week of 2/11)Chris FergusonJohnny ChanBerry Johnston
Jamie Gold Phil Hellmuth Huck Seed |
Match 29: Love at First Raise (Week of 5/12)Jennifer HarmanDavid BenyamineJennifer Tilly
Marco Traniello Erica Schoenberg Phil Laak |
| Match 25: Cowboys (Week of 2/18)Doyle Brunson
Chris Ferguson Chau Giang Andy Bloch Hoyt Corkins Gabe Kaplan |
Match 30: Commentators (Week of 5/19)
Mark Gregorich Chad Brown Ali Nejad Robert Williamson III |
37 Invites to 2008 National Heads-Up Poker Championship
December 28, 2007
NBC has sent out 17 more invites to join the 20 already invited to the 2008 National Heads-Up Poker Championship that begins Feb 28th at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
The tournament is a $20,000 buy-in invitation only event that runs a bracket style system (like NCAA basketball tournament) and will be contested over a span of three days. The overall winner will claim $500,000 and the heads up title that proves they bested one of the most difficult fields of professional poker players assembled into one tournament.
So far, first time invites are 2007 Bluff magazine’s Player of the Year, Bill Edler and Kenny Tran who had great runs at the WSOPE Event and the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. WSOP Main Event.
The 37 invitees so far are: (these players have received invites but none have yet to be confirmed)
| Doyle Brunson | Shannon Elizabeth |
| Annie Duke | Johnny Chan |
| Chris Ferguson | Antonio Esfandiari |
| Jamie Gold | Ted Forrest |
| Jennifer Harman | Barry Greenstein |
| Howard Lederer | Phil Ivey |
| Jonathan Little | Erick Lindgren |
| Scotty Nguyen | Mike Matusow |
| Brian Townsend | Gavin Smith |
| Jerry Yang | Paul Wasicka |
| Chad Brown | David Benyamine |
| Freddy Deeb | Todd Brunson |
| Eli Elezra | Bill Edler |
| John Juanda | Clonie Gowen |
| Daniel Negreanu | Phil Laak |
| Greg Raymer | David Pham |
| Erik Seidel | Kenny Tran |
| David Williams | Vanessa Rousso |
| Shawn Sheikhan |
There are 24 more invites that should be sent by the end of the month. The final three spots will go to players from online and Caesars Palace qualifiers.
2007 WSOP Bracelet Winner Wins PokerStars High Stakes Freezeout
December 27, 2007
Online phenom Steve “MrSmokey1” Billirakis took down one of the most prestigious internet poker events of the year this past Sunday on PokerStars.
The event, aptly named the ‘Sunday $5,200 Winner-Take-All Freezeout,’ showcased some of the best online poker players on the planet duking it out for the $100,000 first-place prize. WPT Finalists like Darrell “Gigabet” Dicken and Kevin “BeLOWaBOve” Saul were on hand for the event, as well as PokerStars’ first SuperNova member Dario Minieri!
The tournament started with 2 tables and 10 players to a table. Deal-making was also not allowed in this winner-take-all MTT. The tournament lasted for an amazing 6 hours, with 2007 WSOP Bracelet winner ‘MrSmokey1’ eventually beating ‘supernova9’ heads-up for the title and the $100,000 payday.
This tournament will be on replay for the remainder of the week on PokerStars, and ALL of the players’ hole cards will be shown for your viewing pleasure. This amazing lineup of online players is rarely seen for an event as unique as this one, so it should be an amazing replay to watch.
Final Table ONLY Results of the $5,200 Winner-Take-All Freezeout
- MrSmokey1 ($100,000)
- supernova9
- oznec
- batoelrob
- holla@yoboy
- –db-
- RockAClock
- lilholdem954
- GigaBet
- TheCleaner11
Germany To Ban Online Gambling January 1
December 27, 2007
Germany will ban online gambling effective January 1, 2008. 13 of the 16 German states have already ratified an accord that will keep in tact the country’s state monopoly for lotteries and most other forms of betting. According to a Heese government spokesman,
"That's the required majority and we expect to have all the rest coming in by New Year's Eve.''
The question now becomes, how long will this law stay in effect.
In mid December, all state legislatures voted to approve the new law which was negotiated after the Federal Constitutional Court rules last year that the formal model was unconstitutional. Bwin Interactive Entertainment AG, Fluxx AG and Tipp24 AG have been highly critical of the new rules that will not expire until 2011.
The new rule defines illegal gaming as anyone betting within German territory over the internet with a company not based with Germany. It will also make it illegal to advertise gambling on television or over the internet. Print advertising and other forms of advertising will no longer be allowed to invite players or prompt them to action; they can only inform that it is possible to do so. The regulations also give states the right to order ISP’s to block web sites that violate the new rules and also order banks to stop money transfers to them.
Some of the online gambling companies are not worried though. Tipp24 stated that they don’t foresee and threat to their existing business model mainly due to the fact that they do not expect the new regulations to hold up in court. The company released a statement and in it stated that they believe the regulations are,
“…clearly contrary to law and will sue for its rights if necessary.”
Bwin’s license was issued under the East German government before unification and has another portal under a Gibraltar license. They believe that the licenses should take precedence over the new regulations and plan on continuing their operations as normal. Bwin already has a case pending from Oct 30th when they sued 4 German states seeking to continue offering their online gambling services after the new rules become effective.
In an interview earlier this month, Bwin spokesman Hartmut Schultz said, ``We think that in the second half of 2008 the European Court of Justice will have stopped this futile effort to keep us out of Germany.''
In April, the European Commission’s request to Germany to reconsider the new regulations saying that they were “disproportional” was rejected as Germany says they are only trying to protect German citizens from the dangers of gambling. (4Flush note: Interesting commit since German’s gambling with German companies are not effected by new regulations)
It was on December 20th that Wolfgang Kubicki, leader of the FDP opposition party in Schleswig-Holstein's Parliament, said in an interview that,
"I am pretty sure the commission will escalate the process and send a formal warning the day after the new law takes effect. Berlin will have something in the mail on Jan. 3.''
The European Commission does have the authority to sue members and force them to comply with current European Union law.
2007 Player Media Poker Player of the Year
December 26, 2007
The 2007 Card Player Poker Player of the Year (POY) has been clinched an this years title will go to David "The Dragon" Pham. Pham locked up the title in a win at the WPT 5 Diamond World Poker Classic NL Holdem Event 8 tournament.
The POY was started in 1997 and goes to the poker player who has had the best yearly tournament results. Card Player Media COO Barry Shulman explains, "The POY point system is based on poker tournament finishes throughout the year and is a benchmark used throughout the poker industry to measure accomplishments on the felt. We at Card Player Media would like to congratulate David Pham for his exceptional accomplishment."
This award is the oldest poker tournament ranking system and past winners include Daniel Negreanu, Michael Mizrachi, Men "The Master" Nguyen and T.J. Cloutier. This is the second win for David Pham who also won the title in 2000. Only Men Nguyen and T.J. Cloutier have multiple titles with four and two respectively.
“The Dragon” took the over all lead in August and never relinquished the spot for the rest of 2007. He finished with a total of 6,562 points with J.C. Tran only 814 points behind.
David’s 2007 included 18 in the money finishes, 11 final tables and 4 events won. His biggest was possibly the $5,000 heads-up event at the Mirage Poker Showdown. His over all earnings were more than $1.8 million.
Final Player of the Year standings was:
1. David Pham - 6,562 points
2. J.C. Tran - 5,748 points
3. Jonathan Little - 5,272 points
4. Scott Clements - 5,138 points
5. William Edler - 4,777 points
Online Gambling Christmas Promotions and Poker Bonus Specials
December 24, 2007
Merry Christmas From the News Staff at 4Flush
The staff here at 4flush would like to share in the holiday spirit with our readers by providing a list of some of the greatest holiday specials and promotions from the online gambling industry. This holiday season can be especially rewarding for all online poker fans if only they know where to look.
We'll begin with Full Tilt Poker, who's decided to 'Ring In The New Year' with a special, double-points promotion. Until midnight January 4th, 2008, players will earn double Full Tilt Points in all ring games. Every day brings a new opportunity to earn double points in ring game play, so long as the player earns at least 20 points for that day. There is no limit to the amount of points that can be double - earn 100 points, receive 200, earn 200 and receive 400, etc.
Remember, it's ring game play only, tournament play won't award double points, and players must earn a minimum of 20 points in a single day to double all points earned that day. This promotion began December 17th, so if you haven't taken advantage of the double points promotion yet, there's still time. Full Tilt Poker is well known for offering some of the coolest poker gear of any online poker room. Earn your double points now to get your hands on some great Full Tilt Gear.
Visit Full Tilt Poker - New Player Full Tilt Poker Bonus 100% up to %600
Join in the holiday spirit at Absolute Poker this week to take part in the online poker room's $10,000 Festive Freeroll tournament. Make your way to the final table at this special holiday event to claim your share of $10,000.
The $10,000 Festive Freeroll costs nothing to enter, however players must finish in the top 100 at any of the daily Absolute Holiday Freeroll Qualifiers to enter the $10k event. Absolute Poker's Festive Freeroll is set to begin at 14:30 ET, on December 29.
Absolute Poker is running another notable Christmas promotion at the Absolute Rewards Store. Instead of the regular poker gear, players will find the hottest Christmas Gifts on everyone's wish-list.
Rack up the Absolute Rewards Points this holiday season to trade in for a PlayStation 3 (PS3), xBox 360 or Nintendo Wii for the kiddos and young at heart, or for that special lady in your life, pick up elegant jewelry from top designer David Yurman, or her favorite perfume.
Other great gift ideas, tradeable for poker points at the online poker room, include AP Mini iPod Folding Speaker System, a selection of iPod Nano and iPod Video Players, Apple MacBook Notebooks; the online poker room is even offering the complete Seinfeld series, season 1-9 box set, and Sex And The City complete series box set. Check out the Absolute Poker Store for more gift ideas like home theater systems, LCD TV's, portable DVD players, TomTom navigators, and the list goes on.
Ladbrokes Poker has filled their Christmas sack with loads of specials and promotional offers for their members this holiday season. New players who sign-up at the online poker room will receive a Christmas bonus of 100% up to $500 on their first deposit, plus heightened points accumulation. The 12 Days of Christmas, ending January 5th, 2008, is awarding over $50,000 in additional cash and prizes. Enter special Christmas tournaments for cash and awesome prizes, like a prize package to the European Ladies Championship. Watch the Ladbrokes Poker Daily Bulletin for more upcoming holiday promotions.
Mansion Poker has also provided a spectacular way for their members to celebrate this Christmas - enter the Christmas Cracker tournament, scheduled for 22:00 GMT Christmas Day (Dec. 25) to claim awesome prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. Prizes include a brand new Sony Viao Laptop (1st place), Sony PlayStation 3 (2nd place) and an XBox 360 (3rd place). Registration for the holiday tournament is already open - don't miss a chance at these awesome Christmas gifts.
4Flush Readers receive a Mansion Poker Bonus of 100% (Merry Christmas!) up to $500 on their first deposit, and a 50% Mansion Poker Bonus match up to $200 on the second deposit. Click here to check out The Mansion.
CD Poker will be giving away $30,000 in cash and prizes this holiday season in the online poker room's XMAS Race, filled with freeroll events sorted by VIP levels. For all raked ring games and tournament fees paid, players earn XMAS Points. Collect as many as you can through January 1st to ring in the New Year in rewarding style.
Merry Christmas, God Bless your families, and good luck from 4flush.
RGA Files Online Gambling Complaint Against U.S.
December 23, 2007
After settling this week its WTO cases with the EU and having the decision from the arbitration panel announced in its case with Antigua, it seems the U.S. has new complaint to deal with filed by the Remote Gambling Association.
The Remote Gambling Association came into existence in 2005 due to a merger of the Association of Remote Gambling Operators (ARGO) and the Interactive Gaming, Gambling and Betting Association (IGGBA). According to the RGA website,
"The RGA represents the world's largest and most well known remote gambling companies and provides the industry with a single voice on all the issues of importance to regulators, legislators, and key decision makers around the world. "
The complaint by RGA who is representing European Internet gambling companies states the U.S. discriminates by prosecuting foreign gambling companies. The claims argues that by threatening and prosecuting criminal cases that enforce penalties and forfeitures against foreign gaming companies all the while letting domestic gaming operators continue to operate normally (those that offer racetrack betting primarily) is both discriminatory and violates WTO rules.
A former Bush administration trade official and now a trade analyst with Alston & Bird, Nao Matsukata stated,
"If the U.S. discrimination continues, a terrible blow will be dealt to free trade worldwide and the WTO process will be weakened to the detriment of all countries."
The RGA says that the U.S. online gambling law, Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), outlawed foreign online gaming operators yet provided U.S. online gaming sites with exemptions. In addition to this, EU stock market lost billions after the UIGEA passed on October of 2006 while the U.S. companies didn’t suffer.
"How would U.S. investors and businessmen feel if they invested in a business in the United Kingdom based on international law commitments, and then suddenly the U.K. not only passed new laws forcing them to shut down their business, but then tried to throw them in jail for past activities while still allowing their domestic competitors to continue on doing the same thing?" asked Clive Hawkswood, the chief executive of the RGA.
The RGA also points to the fact that the DOJ has not prosecuted any U.S. online gaming companies.
This complaint forces an investigation by the E.U. for “discriminatory enforcement as an illegal barrier to trade." and it is filed under the EU Trade Barriers Regulation. If the investigation proves to show any discrimination, the EU can negotiate again with the U.S. or proceed with a WTO case.
Bodog Poker Announces new Sign Up Bonus
December 22, 2007
Bodog Poker has significantly increased the amount of their new account 'first time depositors' bonus! The new 110% Sign-Up Bonus announced this week by Bodog Poker is historically the biggest bonus in offered to new depositing players at Bodog in their entire online history. The new bonus features a an instant bonus for new Bodog online poker players, with the instant bonus of 10% (that's an up front bonus) an additional match bonus of 100% will be added to each poker players account as it is cleared as well.
Bodog's online poker players new to Bodog an upfront 10% cash bonus plus 100% match bonus. - All In Magazine
When a poker player new to Bodog opens their account and makes their first deposit with the poker room, that player will receive a $10 Bodog bonus, the $10 will be instantly added to the players bankroll and is available for gambling immediately.
Grab a seat at a poker table and start earning an additional match bonus. The match bonus is accumulated at a rate of $1 up to 100% ($500max) for every 10 poker points players earn at the tables.
Bodog likes the impossible and launches its best ever poker sign-up bonus. - CAPPERSMALL
Bodog Poker is the home of the $100,000 weekly guaranteed NL Holdem tournament and the Player's Choice Qualifiers: Bodog online Poker players can convert their online poker winnings into a $12,000 prize package to the world's most prestigious land-based tournaments.
Bodog Poker and Casino Players are now also invited to make their deposits in any of the following currencies:
- USD - $
- GBP - £
- EUR - €
- ZAR - R
Bodog has just finished up a recent upgrade which included a massive software overhaul. The new Bodog Poker is a much cleaner, easier to navigate, online poker room, and just plain nicer place to play poker.
Bodog Poker does accept US Poker Players. Swoop up your seat Scoops some chips, and your bonus - click here.
Slotland Online Casino Has New Charity Website
December 22, 2007
The internet casino Slotland was established in 1998. Since then it has done many things for online slot players including slot jackpots won an average of every six weeks, usually worth over $100,000 and they pioneered the mobile phone and PDA slot machine. As a company they sponsor the Canadian curling team and amateur bowling tournaments across western Canada. Readers of Strictly Slots Magazine has voted them
“Most Unique Slot Site” and “Best Progressive Jackpot Site” and they have won many other awards as well.
Now Slotland has taken on a more ambitious project, funding the construction of a school and community center in a small village in Africa called Malawi. To help with this goal, they have launched a website (www.help-malawi-children-charity.org) to help them raise additional funds to help Malawi and surrounding villages. Though the online slots and video poker site will continue to funds the center, this site will allow for the public to help by making personal donations.
Slotland is well known for its charity and two years ago they were contacted by a small group of aids workers looking for a donation. the online casino not only said yes but committed to not only funding the construction but also supporting the center until it was self reliant.
Martin Smith of Slotland said, “We’ve been reporting the progress of the project to our players for two years. So many people have told us how proud they are of what we’re doing that we provided this fund-raising website to give them an opportunity to get more involved and to make personal donations.”
The project team registered a non-profit organization in Africa which has committed itself to help communities build and develop self sustaining projects. The organization is called boNGO Worldwide, bongo stands for “Based On Need-driven Grassroots Ownership”.
“We’ve found that projects initiated by locals rather than outside agencies have the best chance to involve the entire community and succeed. Faced with increasing numbers of children orphaned by AIDS, the people of nearby Kantimbanye built several orphanages without assistance. What we’ve done is help them build a maize mill which will provide an ongoing income to support their work,” boNGO Project Team leader explained.
The work of boNGO is changing lives but of course more work is needed. Thanks to Slotland, 100% of contributions go directly to the Project Team in Malawi, since there are no administrative costs.
Donations toward current and new projects can be made on the site through secure PayPal payment processing.
2007 World Series of Poker Circuit Event Has a Winner
December 21, 2007
The 2007 World Series of Poker Circuit’s event at Harrah’s Casino in Atlantic City is now complete. The event brought 244 poker players that created a prize pool of $1.19 million and paid out the top 27 finishers.
22-year-old John Racener came all the way back after heading into the heads up play on the short end of a 2:1 chip count. For the win Racener earned 379,392, a $10,000 seat into the 2008 WSOP championship event, and the gold WSOP Circuit trophy ring.
John started off his career with a third place finish in this event last year while celebrating his 21st birthday. After that he added 10 more cashes to his resume but after this win, he excitedly admitted,
“I needed the money because I don’t work.”
Going into the heads up play it was Eric Buchman that held a dominating 2:1 chip lead. Racener began chipping away and went ahead when he flopped top pair versus Buchman’s second pair. It took two more hands for all the chips to get in the middle pre-flop, Racener with AK and Buchman A9. Racener flopped two pair and even though the river gave Buchman twp pair it was not enough and John Racener was crowned this years WSOP Circuit champ.
The final results were:
- John Racener - $379,392 + Seat
- Eric Buchman - $208,666
- Feming Chan -$106,704
- Joseph Brooks - $82,992
- Thomas Patrick - $71,136
- David Fox - $59,280
- Adrian Velez - $47,424
- James Nelson - $35,568
- Sam Skolnik - $23,712
Antigua and Barbuda’s Has Decision on Online Gambling Compensation
December 21, 2007
Antigua and Barbuda has its answer. The World Trade Organization awarded the small Caribbean island nation a mere token of the $3.44 billion in sanctions it was trying to receive. According the arbitration ruling, Antigua and Barbuda will be awarded $21 million a year from the United States in trade sanctions.
Though not $3.44 billion, it is considerably more than the $500,000 that the U.S. was counter offering to settle this dispute before it went to arbitration.
According to the Guardian Unlimited, a WTO arbitrator said that Antigua can "exercise the sanctions in intellectual property, such as films and music, for instance by lifting copyright protection, as well as in services, which includes sectors such as banking and telecommunications as well as gambling."
Neither the U.S. nor Antigua can appeal the WTO’s decision.
The panel said in its 88 page decision it felt it was “on shaky grounds” when it adopted its own approach to come up with an amount that it thought was reasonable considering the wide gap in figures that the U.S. and Antigua had in regards to the economic impact of the gambling ban.
The U.S. has successfully negotiated agreements with the European Union (consisting of 27 nations), Canada and Japan earlier this week. As of now, Antigua, Costa Rica, India and Macau have not reached any agreement.
The U.S. online betting ban will continue to be illegal under international trade rules until the U.S. can get the approval of all 151 members of the WTO. This ruling will allow Antigua and Barbuda to have the right to penalize U.S. services and intellectual property until the U.S. either allows U.S. citizens to gamble on foreign based online sites or eliminates exceptions for off-track betting on horses.
Earlier this week there was disappointment by European gambling companies over the EU accepting what some would say was minor U.S. trade concessions. The EU was reportedly looking at a possible $100 billion in trade sanctions but fell far short when the excepted a deal that, according the EU Commissioner, was
“A bilateral agreement which provides EU service suppliers with new trade opportunities in the US postal and courier, research and development, storage and warehouse sectors, the US also made concessions in the testing and analysis services sector.”
Cake Poker Offering Satellites To 2008 Irish Open
December 21, 2007
Starting today Cake poker will hosting super satellites holdem poker tournaments for the 2008 Irish open! The Irish Open is scheduled to kick off March 19th in Dublin Ireland, the event will continue through the 24th.
Winners of the Cake Poker Super Satellite events will win a prize package of $8,500.00 which will include $1,8000 for expenditures, meals, and general Irish fun while attending the event as well as the seat in the Irish Open main event.
Feeder satellites begin at cake poker for $3 a shot, winners of that satellite make their way to the $150 buy in weekly qualifier which is set to be held each Saturday at 2pm EST.
To check out Cake Poker - Click Here!
New Players to the Poker Site be sure to check out the New Depositors Only Cake Poker Freeroll for $500 also held Saturdays.
WSOP Circuit Poker Tournament in Atlantic City – Day 2
December 20, 2007
In about 100 BC Publilius Syrus said,
“It takes a long time to bring excellence to maturity.”
Well and so it did during Day 2’s marathon 18+ hour World Series of Poker Circuit event in Atlantic City. 118 players started and after the grueling day was over, 9 remained to challenge for the gold-and-diamond champion's ring, $10,000 2008 WSOP seat and title of WSOP Circuit Champion.
There are many that where still vying for the championship when day 2 started including Richard Rosetti (Last years winner), Louie Esposito, Robert Williamson III and talk show host Montel Williams. Montel busted midway through the day but still made a respectable showing. Late into the night Rosetti also busted right before the money, ensuring a new champion will be crowned this year.
The bubble player award goes to Heung 'Scott' Yoon who pushed all in pre flop with 99 only to be called by John Racener who was holding QQ. The nines didn’t improve and Yoon was out in 28th.
It would take another 6 ½ hours to get from 28th down to the final table of nine players. The final table was not set until 6:30 am EST.
Those that did money were:
27 - Troy ONeal Huckessin - $7,114
26 - Gary Walter Frederick - $7,114
25 - Frank Vizza - $7,114
24 - Matt Brady - $7,114
23 - Konstantino Pashos - $7,114
22 - Roderick Mesina - $7,114
21 - Kayid Shawish - $7,114
20 - Matt Glantz - $7,114
19 - Mike Sica - $7,114
18 - Chad Furbay - $9,485
17 - Avdo Djokovic - $9,485
16 - Eugene Sanders - $9,485
15 - James Lee - $11,856
14 - Robert Seman - $11,856
13 - Jay Mensh - $11,856
12 - Michael Russo - $14,227
11 - Hui Zhu Scarborough - $14,227
10 - Vincent Procopio - $14,227
The final table and their chip counts will consist of Adrian Velez (755,000), Eric Buchman (870,000), David Fox (535,000), Thomas Fee (255,000), John Racener (780,000), Joseph Brooks (450,000), James "Mike" Nelson (470,000), Feming Chan (690,000) and Sam Skolnik (80,000).
When the tournament resumes, they will be playing for:
- $379,372 + $10,000 WSOP Seat
- 208,666
- $106,774
- $82,992
- $71,136
- $59,280
- $47,424
- $35,568
- $23,712
Katchalov Dominates WPT World Poker Classic Final Table
December 20, 2007
664 Players started about a week ago to decide who would become WPT 5 Diamond Doyle Brunson World Poker Classic champion. The prize pool of $9,661,200 created a first place prize of $2,482,605 which outside of the World Series of Poker and the WPT World Championship is the biggest prize in tournament poker history.
The final 6 starting by seat position was Ken Rosen, Ted Kearly, Jordan Rich, Eugene Katchalov, Ryan Daut, and David "Devilfish" Ulliott. There was a huge discrepancy in chips though as Katchalov had 8,360,000, Rich had 6,585,000 the next 4 all within 1.1 and 1.9 million and Daut coming in severely short-stacked at 330,000.
6th place was decided after the very first hand with Daut moving all in with AJ and being called by Kearly with pocket 8’s. Kearly flopped a set and Daut went home with $192,715.
At this point it would seem a foregone conclusion that Rich and Katchalov would wear down the others and fight it out for the title but that would not be the case. It was as early as the third hand that Rich raised the button and was called by Katchalov from the small blind. The flop cam Q-J-8 rainbow, Rich bet out 320,000 and Katchalov raised to 840,000, Rich re-raised to 1,620,000 and after some time mulling it over, Katchalov made it 2,640,000 and Rich mucked. We will have to wait for TV to see what each player was playing.
It was just 13 hands later that they were at it again. Katchalov raised under the gun to 300,000, Rich re-raised to 1 million. Katchalov moved all in and was called by Rich. This time though we know what they had, Katchalov had AA and Rich JJ. No help came for Rich and he was sent home 5th with $289,070 and gave Katchalov a huge chip advantage.
Rosen was the next player to be eliminated in 4th place and a $433,675 cash prize. Unfortunately for the rest of the table it was Katchalov that took him out and now had a monster chip stack of 15 million.
After a slight dent in the Katchalov armor came when Kearly pushed with QJ and doubled up through the chip leader, Katchalov got back on track soon after eliminating David "Devilfish" Ulliott. The Devilfish finished third for a win of $674,500.
It was now heads up between Katchalov and Kearly. Kearly had a long way to go if he was to fight his way back into contention. The chip count going into heads up play was:
Katchalov — 16,755,000
Kearly — 3,175,000
It didn’t take long and Katchalov road that big chip lead all the way to the title. Kearly finished second and earned a respectable $1,252,640 for his efforts. Katchalov’s win earned him $2,482,605, a $25,500 seat in the 2008 WPT World Championship and of course the title of champion for winning the WPT 5 Diamond Doyle Brunson World Poker Classic. There is one more distinction for Eugene Katchalov, he set the record for winning a final table with just 53 hands played. The record he broke was ironically Doyle Brunson’s set in the 2004 WPT Legends of Poker.
WPT 5 Diamond Doyle Brunson World Poker Classic Final Results
Eugene Katchalov — $2,482,605
Ted Kearly — $1,252,640
David Ulliott — $674,500
Ken Rosen — $433,675
Jordan Rich — $289,070
Ryan Daut — $192,715