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Poker Player Tossed Out Of Borgata For Offensive Body Odor

July 31, 2008

As a reporter and analyst of online gambling, I’ve spent several years now studying the online poker industry. I could write paragraph after paragraph of the differences between online poker and land-based poker rooms, and the advantages presented by each. But today’s story out of Atlantic City beats all reasoning I’ve ever managed to come up with, as long-time poker player Michael Wax was thrown out of the Borgata Casino for offensive body odor.

Pokerstars Banner He must have been on a roll that day, having played 17 hours straight at the poker room before 440-pound Michael Wax was approached by a casino manager when he entered the restroom. Wax was told that his body odor had become offensive to his fellow table-mates and several complaints had been received.

Dismissing the message, Wax attempted to return to his table, only to be notified again by casino managers of the situation, this time accompanied by a request to stop playing and leave the premises. Michael asked the manager if the casino would grant him a free hotel room, just long enough to freshen up. The casino refused, forcing Wax to leave immediately.

At 54 years of age, Wax claims to be a frequent poker player at the Borgata. The incident resulted in his immediate filing of a complaint against the casino with the Casino Control Commission for embarrassing him in front of the other poker players. The complaint is currently under review to decide whether any gambling laws or relative regulations had been broken.

Though he admits there definitely was an issue of personal body odor, Michael would at least like an apology from the casino for his public embarrassment. In the casino’s defense, there was an attempt made to inform Mr. Wax of the situation in a private manner (within the restroom). In the same token, Wax was not forced to leave until returning to his table, thereby creating an awkward situation for everyone.

Again, as an analyst of the gambling industry for many years now, I understand exactly how comps and benefits work at both land-based and online casinos. A frequent player, such as Wax claims to be, especially one who had spent the last 17 hours creating profits for the casino, should certainly have been offered the chance to wash-up and continue his poker game at no charge – at least in my opinion. If such a customer is not valuable enough to the casino to supply a little hot water and complimentary soap, perhaps Michael Wax would be better off playing elsewhere anyway.

Which brings me to my last obvious point: online poker rooms have a lot of advantages, and the ability to avoid complaints – both to and from a player - of offensive body odor is the newest addition to a long and continuously expanding list.

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    Written by Donna Norman · Filed Under Casino News, Online Gambling News, Poker News 

    Players in the Spotlight on ESPN’s WSOP Broadcast

    July 31, 2008

    Team Bodog player Grant Hinkle and pros David Williams and Justin Bonomo will be featured the next two weeks during ESPN’s final table coverage of the 2008 World Series of Poker*

    From the moment the first cards were dealt at the 2008 World Series of Poker* to the final days of the Main Event, Team Bodog enjoyed a terrific run this summer in Las Vegas, and tonight poker fans will be able to see one of Bodog’s very own capture the ultimate prize, a WSOP* bracelet, when ESPN airs its coverage of Event No. 2 ($1,500 buy-in No Limit Holdem). The two-hour, final table coverage begins at 8:00pm ET.

    During tonight’s ESPN broadcast, viewers will witness Team Bodog player Grant Hinkle, a 27-year-old marketing manager from Kansas City, Mo., best a talented final table featuring poker legend Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, young gun Theo Tran and tournament ace David Bach. Along with his impressive victory in an event that drew 3,929 players, the largest non-Main Event field in WSOP* history, Hinkle took home a life-changing $831,462.

    Hinkle’s early bracelet win proved to be momentous for Team Bodog. Just a day later, the team was back in the spotlight with Bodog pros David Williams and Justin Bonomo seated side-by-side at the final table for Event No. 4 ($5,000 buy-in Mixed Holdem). With an all-pro final nine, including 2008 WSOP* Player of the Year Erick Lindgren, this will be one to watch when it airs on ESPN on Tuesday, Aug. 5, at 8:00pm ET.

    Like Williams and Bonomo, Team Bodog pros Jean-Robert Bellande and Evelyn Ng also found great success at the tables this summer. In the final tournament before the Main Event, Bellande racked up a second place finish to pocket $173,564, and Ng saw herself cashing in two events this summer including an impressive deep run in the Main Event. All together, Team Bodog pros and qualifiers walked away with a combined total of $1,888,629 in winnings from the World Series in Las Vegas.

    “We are extremely proud of our Team Bodog pros and qualifiers for their successes at this year’s World Series,” said Morris Mohawk Gaming Group CEO Alwyn Morris. “The WSOP* has been very good to Bodog players for several years now, including a Main Event win in 2006 and a number of bracelet titles. We expect to see even more success at the WSOP Europe this September and across the globe at WPT, EPT and APT events throughout the year.”

    Regardless of how they fared at the tables, no Team Bodog qualifer walked away empty-handed as everyone donning the black and red of Bodog was treated to an unparalleled VIP experience the moment they touched down in Las Vegas. From an exclusive party at The Palms Hardwood Fantasy Suite filled to the rim with Bodog Girls to private helicopter excursions to the Grand Canyon and an adrenaline-filled day at the racetrack driving high-performance Corvettes, Bodog’s WSOP qualifiers experienced Las Vegas like no one else – in total Bodog style.

    The World Series in Las Vegas is just one of a number of tournaments held around the world that poker players can win seats to for as little as a dollar at Bodog every week. From the Asian Poker Tour in Macau this August to the WSOP Europe in London this September and WPT events across North America, Bodog’s Player’s Choice packages give winners the chance to compete for millions of dollars while experiencing some of the most exciting and exotic locations in the world as only Team Bodog members do.

      Written by Lady4Flush · Filed Under Online Gambling News 

      Professor Recommends Online Poker Be Legalized

      July 31, 2008

      After an extensive study, Professor June Cotte of the University of Ontario is recommending legalization of online poker. The results of the study revealed several key issues that Cotte believes could be stamped out through regulation of the online gambling industry in the US.

      Working alongside fellow Professor Kathryn Latour of University of Nevada, the two spent a great deal of time studying the online poker industry and its effects on online gamblers. Throughout the study, 20 regular casino gamblers and 10 online gamblers were interviewed at length.

      The staggering $12-$15 billion brought in by the online gambling industry came as a surprise to Cotte, knowing the risk US players undergo to gamble over the Internet in an unregulated market. “The horse is out of the barn,” Cotte expressed in a Times magazine interview. “There are a huge amount of people doing this already.”

      A few key factors came to light during the study of online poker. Internet gamblers had a tendency to play much more frequently and aggressively, and when things weren’t going their way, often paid less attention to the amount of money they lost.

      According to the study, online gambling operators were deemed problematic. Located offshore, some of these companies occupied a legal ‘gray area’, lacking proper regulation to guarantee players security and provide a responsible gambling environment.

      Cotte believes that there are great benefits to legalizing online poker because it would grant players – who are already gambling online regardless of the risks – a regulated market. Through regulation, says Cotte, much of the harmful effects of online gambling could be controlled.

      Cotte suggested a few elements of online poker regulation, including the addition of enforcing ‘cooling-off’ periods when a player suffers significant losses. Cotte suggested a pop-up window that would warn players how much time they have spent playing online poker in a single session. The availability of online counseling was also proposed.

      In October of 2006, the US government passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), which re-enforced the prohibition of online gambling in the United States. Since that time, a number of studies have been executed and numerous public officials, mostly lead by Congressman Barney Frank (Mass), have fought to halt implementation of the UIEGA.

      Thus far, all attempts have failed. Perhaps, (seemingly against all odds), Cotte’s study will enlighten a few more influential individuals enough to turn things around in the US, opting for legalization and regulation of the online poker industry.

        Written by Donna Norman · Filed Under Online Gambling News, Poker News, UIGEA, iMega, Gambling Ban, United States Gambling Law 

        Bodog Founder Under Secret Indictment In US?

        July 31, 2008

        Recently, $24 million was seized from Bodog-linked bank accounts and it is apparent that the online gambling company is under heavy investigation for allegedly facilitating illegal gambling in the United States. According to a report on Forbes.com, there is a lot of speculation as to a secret indictment somewhere in the US for Bodog’s founder, Calvin Ayre.

        The Canadian tycoon has continuously claimed that he is not on the lam, yet no one seems to be able to find him. Reports indicate that Ayre is believed to be settled somewhere in the island nation of Antigua and Barbuda, but multiple attempts to contact him – through his Calvin Ayre Foundation web site, Bodog web site and various other contacts – have proved fruitless. Is the one-time billionaire and media termed “playboy” really on the lam, or is he just avoiding contact with the press?

        It is certain the Us government would love to get their hands on Calvin Ayre for his operations of Bodog, a popular online sports betting, poker and casino site that continues to cater to US gamblers, regardless of US laws put in place in 2006 that prohibit such activities. Industry experts are alluding to the investigation as a “witch-hunt”, suspecting Ayre would be prosecuted to the harshest extent of the law as an example, hoping to frighten other illegal online gambling operations into ceasing operations with the US.

        Though Ayre consistently denies trepidation if US law enforcement, he licensed full control of Bodog to Morris Mohawk Gaming in the Kahnawake Mohawk Territory of Canada in September of 2007. It has even been reported by Ayre himself (on a web site) that he signed over full ownership of the Bodog company to Morris Mohawk, headed by chief Alwyn Morris, stating “It’s true; I’m packing it in.”

        If you’ve kept up with recent Bodog news and press releases, you’ve probably noticed that all quotes regarding Bodog now come from Alwyn Morris himself, and no longer the former head, Calvin Ayre.

        The US government has spent nearly two years now targeting online gambling operations, but more so online payment processors that facilitate monetary transfers between US players and online gambling operations. In January of 07, the co-founders of NETeller were arrested in Florida when attempting to switch planes to their next destination. Just this summer, Canadian online payment processor, ESI Entertainment Systems, found themselves the target of the same prosecutors, choosing to enter a “deferred prosecution agreement”. This basically means they admit to wrongdoing and agree to fork over $9.1 million after processing more than $2 billion worth of online gambling funds for US customers.

        Calvin Ayre, now 47 years old, and his family have had troubles with law enforcement for years now, even before he founded Bodog. Though Ayre himself was never charged, close family members were convicted on drug trafficking charges. Later in 1996, Calvin was officially banned from interactions with the British Columbia securities industry for 20 years for offenses related to the stick market.

        In early 2006, (before the US UIGEA gambling ban ever existed) Calvin Ayre found himself plastered on the front page of Forbes Magazine as world’s most prominent billionaire. Bodog was said to be handling $7.3 billion across the boards.

        In his 2006 Forbes interview, Ayre stated, “One of the things that drives me is the excitement that I could fail. What better buzz can you get?”

        When the UIGEA came to pass later that year, Bodog’s profits plummeted and Ayre was no longer a staple on the Forbes list.

          Written by Donna Norman · Filed Under Bodog Life, Online Casino News, Online Gambling News, Poker News, UIGEA, iMega, Gambling Ban, United States Gambling Law 

          Online Poker Extraordinaire Alex “AJKHoosier” Kamberis; King of MTTs

          July 30, 2008

          Over the last two years, Alex “AJKHoosier” Kamberis has worked his way through various online poker tournament tables, earning a massive amount of cash and a special place in the hearts of all online poker players who seen him in action – at least those who were not at the receiving end of his extraordinary poker skills.

          Amazingly, at only 22 years of age, Kamberis has gone from online poker newbie to legendary winner of more than $1 million in just two short years. From Bloomingburg, Indiana, Alex Kamberis has earned in excess of $1 million at PokerStars alone, another $500,000+ at Full Tilt Poker, along with significant cashes at Absolute Poker and UltimateBet, as well.

          Though his most common username at online poker sites (PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and UltimateBet) is the most well known, “AJKHoosier”, Kamberis can also be found at Absolute Poker using the nickname “aayomagic”.
          Kamberis’ most recent cash, and largest to date, came just this month. Alex took down the Full Tilt Poker $1,000,000 Guaranteed, whittling his way through a field of nearly 3,000 to take the top prize of $134,895. Just a week later, Kamberis impressed the online poker world again by earning 1st position in Absolute Poker’s $150k GTD, worth $27,500 for the win.

          Carlos PokerDespite his largest cash coming from Full Tilt Poker only a few weeks ago, Alex maintains his favorite place to play online poker is PokerStars. It comes as no surprise really, seeing as the young poker pro has earned more than $1 million from PokerStars alone.

          Alex “AJKHoosier” Kamberis’s current online poker tournament earnings are broken down below:

          PokerStars (AJKHoosier): $1,039,223.54
          Largest Cash: $57,475

          Full Tilt Poker (AJKHoosier): $572,672.03
          Largest Cash: $134,894.80

          Absolute Poker (aayomagic): $127,483.88
          Largest Cash: $37,500

          UltimateBet (AJKHoosier): $181,350.05
          Largest Cash: $20,250

          Alex Kamberis has gotten more and more involved with live poker tournaments as well, revealing increasing success in the offline poker circuit. Kamberis has pocketed more than $120,000 in live tournaments, his largest cash coming in the WPT Doyle Brunson Classic in December of 2007. He earned $57,815 for finishing in 30th place. Kamberis earned a single cash in the 2008 WSOP as well, finishing 34th in a $5,000 NL Hold’em event for $16,147.

          Kamberis took a two year break from his college studies to play poker professionally, but has gained the invariable respect of the professional poker community by declaring his intention to return to the University of Indiana to complete his education – a rare instance among most professional poker players.

            Written by Donna Norman · Filed Under Absolute Poker, Full Tilt Poker, Online Gambling News, Poker News, PokerStars 

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