UltimateBet Awards Half-Million Bad Beat Jackpot
January 28, 2009
Online poker room UltimateBet has seen its Bad Beat Jackpot steadily climbing at break-neck pace since joining forces with Absolute Poker on the new CEREUS Poker Network. As the Bad Beat Jackpot soared past the $500,000 mark, one exceedingly (un)lucky online poker player has cashed in big!
Just nine days earlier, a 19-year-old poker fan signed up an account with UltimateBet under the username “QUANTOM47”. With dreams of sky-rocketing fortunes, much like that of 11-time WSOP Bracelet winner and UltimateBet staple Phil Hellmuth, “QUANTOM47” took to the virtual felt.
Playing Texas Hold’em tables that qualified for the Bad Beat Jackpot, this young online poker player from Ontario, Canada hit the luckiest of all unlucky hands, bursting the $534,132.92 Bad Beat Jackpot to walk away with a $173,693.20 pay off.
“QUANTOM47” found himself holding an immaculate hand of Quad Queens – a sure fire winner at most any poker game, but not this one. His beautiful ladies faltered when they came up against a sterling Royal Flush, held by “RUSTY_1”.
For winning the incredible hand, “RUSTY_1” also received an enormous chunk of the UltimateBet Bad Beat Jackpot, pocketing $86,796.60 for the amazing win.
Other players at the Bad Beat Jackpot tables at the time of its release also benefitted from QUANTOM47’s extraordinarily bad luck. Everyone participating at a Bad Beat Jackpot table gets their own piece of the pie. There were 373 other participants at the time, including the players at the table where it went down, who got to split their share of another $86,796.60.
Don’t bother getting your calculators out. That’s what us big time news reporters are for 
Each of the participants at UltimateBet’s Bad Beat Jackpot tables earned a tidy sum of $232.69 simply for being there when it happened.
If you’re wondering what happened to the other 35% of the Bad Beat Jackpot, 25% ($133,533.23) goes to reseed the next Bad Beat Jackpot, while 10% ($53,413.29) is delivered back to UltimateBet for administrative fees.
Bodog Poker Celebrates Super Bowl Weekend With Two Special Tournaments
January 27, 2009
Special Flight Club Semifinal and Super Bowl Special Tournament with $20,000 in prize money added
BodogLife.com - The Super Bowl is the biggest weekend in all of sports, and Bodog is celebrating this year's big game with two big tournaments that will have online poker players battling it out on the virtual turf for some seriously super cash prizes and VIP packages to the LAPT event in Punta del Este, Uruguay.
First, on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 4:00 pm EST, Bodog will host a $125 + $10 buy-in Special Flight Club Semifinal that will award one $6,000 LAPT Punta del Este package for every 48 players who enter the tournament, with at least one package guaranteed. The $6,000 Flight Club package includes the $3,700 buy-in to the LAPT Punta del Este Main Event and $2,300 for travel and accommodation.
On the big day itself, just as the pre-game coverage is starting at 4:00 pm EST, Bodog will host its Super Bowl Special tournament with $20,000 in prize money added. So tune out the talking heads on television and tune into the amazing value Bodog Poker is offering for this event. By juicing the prize pool of this $100 + $9 buy-in event with an extra $20,000 in prize money, your buy-in becomes worth more the instant you sit down at the table.
And for those looking to score big this weekend but want to do so on the cheap, you're in luck. Just like the Super Bowl itself, which hosts a Media Day on the Tuesday before the big game, Bodog will host a Media Day Combo Qualifier on Tuesday, Jan. 27, at 9:43 pm EST. The
$27 + $2 buy-in No LImit Holdem qualifier will have players suiting up for their chance to win a seat into both big tournaments over Super Bowl weekend. The top two finishers will each be awarded a guaranteed seat into both the Special Flight Club Semifinal and the Super Bowl Special with $20,000 Added. Another package will be awarded for every additional T$244 in the prize pool.
For more details on the Bodog Poker Flight Club, check out the Flight Club tournament overview (http://poker.bodoglife.com/tournaments/flight-club-overview.html
) and the Flight Club qualifying schedule to see when your next chance is to win a package to travel to some of the world’s most exotic locations and play in the world’s finest poker events.
Below are more details on the special Super Bowl tournaments at Bodog:
Name: Special Flight Club Semifinal
Date: Saturday, January 31 at 4pm ET
Buy-in: $125 + $10
Prizes: 1 player for every 48 entries will win a $6,000 Bodog Flight Club Prize Package to the LAPT Event in Punta Del Este, Uruguay from March 18 to 20. Prize package includes $3,700 buy-in to the Main Event and $2,300 for travel and accommodation. 1 prize package is guaranteed!
Chips: 3,000
Levels: 15 minutes
And on Super Bowl Sunday, Bodog will replace the "$100,000 Guaranteed"
with:
Name: Super Bowl Special - $20K Added
Date: Sunday, February 1st at 4pm ET
Buy-in: $100 + $9
Bonus: Bodog will add $20,000 to the prize pool
Chips: 2,500
Levels: 15 minutes
Bodog will also run a "combo qualifier" during Super Bowl's Media Day where winners will get an entry into both of these Super Bowl specials. Here are the details for this qualifier:
Name: Media Day Combo Qualifier
Date: Tuesday, January 27th at 9:43PM ET.
Buy-in: $27 + $2
Payout: 1 player for every $244 in the prize pool will win a seat to the "Special Flight Club Semifinal" and the "Super Bowl Special - $20K Added".
Chips: 1,500
Levels: 12 minutes
Note: The guaranteed prize pool will be T$488, meaning at least two T
$244 prizes will be awarded.
New Poker Network For Doyles Room: Opening To US Players?
January 22, 2009
Last week, members of Doyles Room online poker site received an email declaring the upcoming integration of a new poker network. Doyles Room has been a long time member of the Microgaming Network, but will the change bring back US player acceptance?
Microgaming is currently the leading online gaming software, leaving many members to ask why the online poker room would leave such an enormous association. If you’ve been keeping up with the online poker news over the last 5 months, you probably came to the same conclusion as millions of other players and analysts.
In September of 2008, the governor of Kentucky sought to seize 141 online gambling domains for providing “illegal online gambling” in the Commonwealth state. Among those 141 domain names was Microgaming.com. The company folded, stating Microgaming casinos and poker rooms would no longer accept US players.
Since then, Doyles Room has been left stewing on the back burner. Most of its members, from long-time players to new sign-ups, came from the US. The only feasible solution would be for Doyles Room to switch to another poker network more accommodating to US online poker players.
An exact date for the integration of the new poker network software at Doyles Room is not known, but is estimated to be on or around the 25th of January.
In addition to the possibility of US player acceptance, there are a few confirmed benefits of the new Poker Network. The email, signed by the legendary Doyle "Tex_Dolly" Brunson himself and sent out to all members of Doyles Room Poker, boasted:
“Get ready for over $5,000,000 in monthly guarantees, multiple daily and nightly guaranteed tournaments, an all new rewards program and the most active network that we've ever called home. It's more of everything you love about DoylesRoom.”
Kentucky Appeals Court Overturns Ruling To Seize 141 Online Gambling Domains
January 21, 2009
The Court of Appeals in Kentucky has returned its ruling on the Commonwealth’s case that sought to seize 141 online gambling domains. The courts overturned the original ruling, stating that Kentucky does not have the right to seize online gambling domain names.
While the ruling was a major victory for the defense team, the Kentucky Court of Appeals did rule that online gambling domains are considered “gambling devices”. However, it was decided that the Commonwealth of Kentucky does not have the jurisdictional rights to seize online gambling domains located outside of its borders.
“We are humbled by this decision and by the overwhelming support received from Internet businesses and free speech organizations everywhere,” came the response of Jeff Ifrah, a member of the law team that represents the Interactive Gaming Council. “The Court of Appeals has now corrected a fundamental misunderstanding by the trial judge in this proceeding of the nature of the Internet and the legality of online poker in Kentucky.”
Back in September of 2008, Judge Thomas Wingate ruled in favor of the Commonwealth, signing the forfeiture order that would allow Kentucky to seize all 141 online gambling domains in question. The forfeiture hearing was originally scheduled to take place in December, but was postponed until the Appeals Court ruling.
All 141 online gambling domains brought up in the case are affected by the overturned ruling, including Absolute Poker and UltimateBet, under dual ownership of Tokwiro Enterprises, who gave in to the court’s pressure by geo-blocking residents of Kentucky from accessing its online poker rooms.
Obama Asks What Americans Want: Legal Online Poker!
January 16, 2009
On Change.gov, the official web site of Barrack Obama, the US President-elect has asked Americans to voice what changes they wish to see in the coming administration. Ranking #2 on the list is a call for regulation of legal online poker.
As the new President Obama prepares to take office, being a professed poker player, many poker playing Americans have begun to show renewed faith in the government. The Citizen’s Briefing Book of Change.gov asks Americans to come together and “share your ideas on any issue facing the new administration, then rate or comment on other ideas.”
The people of the United States have done just that, voicing their opinion so overwhelmingly on the idea of legalizing online poker that it has soared to the #2 ranked item on Obama’s web site – “Boost America’s Economy With Legal Online Poker”.
“Let online poker players in the United States play legally and without fear of prosecution,” reads the topic, created by user ‘AAHues’. “Reform the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act to exempt poker, a game of skill, from the law. Boost the economy by letting American companies and American players make money and pay taxes instead of sending online poker businesses offshore. Protect online poker players by regulating the industry to ensure that no one is ever cheated.”
Created Monday afternoon, the topic has already received a massive response. By 12:30pm (ET) on Friday, there were 1,370 replies to the post, most in favor of repealing the UIGEA to legalize and regulate online poker. The general consensus is that poker is a game of skill, not luck, therefore should not be prohibited as other forms of online gambling.
There is also a button to vote Yes or No to the idea of the US legalizing online poker. Each Yes Vote adds 10 points in favor of the topic, while a No Vote deducts 10 points. Currently, there are 43,360 points favoring legal online poker in the US, with well over 30,000 votes recorded.
We at 4Flush.com would like to encourage all Americans to make their voice heard and cast their own vote. To visit the Citizen’s Briefing Book on Obama’s web site for yourself, please click the following link: Boost America’s Economy With Legal Online Poker.
On an interesting side note, the current post popular topic on the Citizen’s Briefing Book at Change.gov is “Ending Marijuana Prohibition”.
Titan Poker Sets The Stage For $2.5M GTD In March
January 15, 2009
According to a press release issued today, Titan Poker will be holding an awesome $2.5 million guaranteed online poker tournament in early March. The pride and joy of the iPoker Network, Titan Poker averages around 30,000 players at peak hours, and is sure to attract a massive crowd for this latest promotion.
Titan Poker has already begun hosting Satellites to the valuable online poker tournament, covering both Sit’n’Go and Multi-Table fields. For a minimal investment of as little as $1.20, members of the online poker room can win their way into a seat in the $2,500,000 guaranteed tournament.
The $2.5M GTD Main Event will take place on March 8, 2009 at Titan Poker. If battling your way through satellites isn’t your cup of tea, you can buy-in directly for $1,500+$80, competing a single day for your share of the immense prize pool.
This exceptional online poker tournament is only the latest in an extensive series of record breaking tournaments for Titan Poker. In March of 2008, the online poker room hosted a $2,000,000 guarantee, followed by another $2,500,000 guarantee last September. The infamous European Championship of Online Poker (ECOOP), also hosted by Titan Poker, awarded nearly $5 million in prize pools over 14 events just last month.
Titan Poker has gained a stellar reputation for sending its members to many of today’s top live poker tournaments as well, including the World Series of Poker, Aussie Millions, Irish Open and World Poker Tour events.
Online Poker Room Reveals Team Titan Poker 2009
January 14, 2009
Titan Poker has announced the much anticipated results of the 2009 Team Titan Poker. Four months in the making, the new online poker team consists of 12 exceptionally talented online poker players who will represent Titan Poker at live tournaments around the world.
Thousands of online poker players battled it out for the honor of joining Team Titan Poker. Now, with the winners revealed, the new members of Team Titan Poker will be sponsored by the online poker room for the next six months, donning the site's logos and apparel at live poker tournaments of their choice.
Titan Poker devised a regional country race that began back in September of 2008. Members from each region competed against their countrymen through a rigorous series of events. The winners progressed through the tournament up until the Final Country Tournaments in mid-December. The top finishers in these final tournaments became the elite 12 of Team Titan Poker, hailing from Italy, Canada, Finland, Germany, France, Russia, Spain and the Netherlands.
“I’m honored and overjoyed at the opportunity to participate in my first live tournaments as part of the Titan Poker Team," said 32-year-old Kolinci, who will represent Italy on Team Titan Poker. “My philosophy in life is ‘Carpe Diem’ (Eng: “Seize the Day”), and this is what I intend to do this year!"
The 12 elite members of Team Titan Poker will proudly represent their native countries, as well as the online poker room. All winnings the elite 12 manage to collect on their road to hopeful victory will be their own to keep.
Young Cancer Patient Receives Encouragement From Doyle Brunson
January 12, 2009
A young 15-year-old girl by the name of Margaret Hussman (pictured left) is in need of your encouragement, thanks to the heart-warming words of poker pro Doyle "Texas Dolly" Brunson. The legendary “Texas Dolly” wrote the following about this young cancer patient on his online poker room blog (www.DoylesRoom.com/blog).
“There is a 15-year-old young lady named Margaret Hussman, a niece of a longtime friend, who has untreatable cancer and has less than 90 days to live,” read Brunson’s blog post. “My ex-roomate in college, Ray Hibler, called and asked me to write her an encouraging letter recounting my “terminal” battle with cancer 55 years ago. Margaret is a poker enthusiast and I’m certainly going to call. She is trying to spend her remaining days doing something new and enjoyable. Send Margaret an e-mail at anne@ddgoose.com I know she will appreciate it. For all of us, there is no promise for tomorrow. Happy New Year and lets all have a great 2009!”
Margaret Hussman has been diagnosed with terminally cancerous Wilms’ tumors, located in the lower lobe of her right lung and right hip. Doctors have determined the tumors to be inoperable, giving her only three months to live.
On behalf of 4Flush.com, Doyle Brunson, and everyone who has dealt with terminal illness – whether it be their own, or that of a friend or relative – I would like to encourage all who read this story to send an email to young Margaret Hussman.
Email Margaret at: anne@ddgoose.com
For more information…
Read more about Margaret Hussman at the El Paso Times: http://www.elpasotimes.com/margaret
Doyle Brunson’s Blog: http://www.doylesroom.com/blog/?p=109
PokerPlex Loses Track of Time in Rolex Tournament, Cheats Players.
January 11, 2009
A $3000 guaranteed freeroll appeared in the lobby at PokerPlex, an online poker room and 72 Poker Plex poker players registered to play. The online poker players battled it out in the Poker Plex freeroll that was said to pay the winner a brand new Rolex watch.
$3000 in prize money was then to be divided up among the 2nd through 9th place finishers. After the tournament, all of the winners recieved their prize monies, and poker player 'wwwpkr4ucomforum' began to wait excitedly for his shiney new Rolex to arrive in the mail.
The tournament had a maximum player entry of 1500 people, though there was no marketing, no press releases, no news stories, in fact, I'd never personally heard of PokerPlex before today, so there weren't a lot of players registered to play.
A few days after playing in the tournament, and taking down first place, the first place winner 'wwwpkr4ucomforum' began to wonder when he'd receive his prize, the brand new Rolex watch. He decided to email the poker rooms support for further clarification.
Everyone knows that to be considered a true ballah in the poker game, you must own a bad a$$ watch, this player was no different, he needed his new watch, preferably in time for Christmas!
Looking for a trustworthy poker room with a record of fast payouts and honest games, check out Players Only, the online casino made for Ballah's.
Feel free to include pictures of yours in your comments.
'wwwpkr4ucomforum' said in a public forum that he waited a week for PokerPlex customer support to get back to him and they never did, in fact when he finally did get a hold of them it was via their online chat support system.
They did not to congratulate him on his first place victory, or to tell him they've just put his brand new Rolex into the box, and that it sounds simply musical when it ticks.
Nope.
The online support agent explained to him that the tournament was somehow scheduled incorrectly. The support agent told him to continue to await further responce, that Playtech had to be contacted, they also promised to compensate the player.
Another week went by..
Finally, a representative by the name of Scott replied via email:
I’m sorry for the delay in getting back to you. We have now heard back from Playtech and as this Tournament was a non advertised or scheduled tournament it was not valid and no payments should have been made. Any players that did not withdraw funds won from this Tournament have already had them removed and no further payments are due. Procedures have now been put in place to prevent invalid tournaments running.
However as a good will gesture I have credited your account with 200 EUR and wish you the best of luck in our future Rolex Freerolls.
The would be Rolex winner obviously had some things to say in an email we were unable to obtain thus far, and in reply from PokerPlex came the following:
This is not a joke and we are not treating it as one. As an invalid Tournament it had no monetary value at all. As I stated in my previous email any funds that players were awarded from the Tournament were also removed.
If your Bank made a credit to your account in error you wouldn’t and couldn’t expect them to give you this money just because they had made an error. Like wise, even though Playtech posted this Tournament on the wrong date we are not liable for any invalid winnings. You would have know from the number of entrants and all of the Promotional material that this was not the correct date and that any winnings would also be invalid.
We have given you a credit that we think is fair for your inconvenience considering there is no obligation to give anything''
There is no word yet on how many of the 8 other winners got the money out of their accounts, or how many had it removed from their accounts without their permission from PokerPlex.
Tournament Terms and Conditions from PokerPlex.com
Terms and conditions:
- In order to register for this tournament players must have made at least one real money deposit before 15:00 UK time on the day of the tournament.
- The model of Rolex may differ from the model shown in promotional material.
- The $3,000 runner's pot will be paid at the end of the tournament.
- The winner will be contacted by email to confirm delivery address details with the watch being delivered within 21 days of confirmation.
2009 World Series of Poker Schedule (WSOP) Where oh Where are you!?
January 10, 2009
Get ready online poker world, it's.. almost.. time to qualify for the 2009 World Series of Poker. We here at 4flush are gearing up with some satellite strategies, some fresh poker tips and tricks for getting yourself to the 2009 World Series of Poker, in fact, a couple of our ladies intend to play in the 2009 WSOP Ladies Event.
So where's the schedule. Back in 2004 the last WSOP to be held soley at Binion's Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas was announced during the final week of November.
In 2005, the WSOP schedule that included the main event won by Joe Hachem was in our hot little poker playing hands by the last week of October (Happy Holloween!)
In the meantime, US poker players can check out Players Only for WSOP Satelites!
In 2006, we saw a finalized WSOP schedule by the first week in November. The schedule that year was originally released in October. The 2007 WSOP schedule was first released in tiny pressbite size increments, the final schedule was released in the second week of January.
We didn't see the 2008 World Series of Poker schedule until December, but well before we kicked off the new year. So where is 2009 World Series of Poker Schedule you ask?
Acc
The 40th annual World Series of Poker will be staged at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The 2009 schedule is expected to be released by January 2009. The schedule will be posted online at www.worldseriesofpoker.com. Pre-registration will be available sometime after the schedule is released.
UltimateBet Makes Changes To UBOC Online Poker Series
January 9, 2009
UltimateBet online poker room has announced that there has been change in one of its more lucrative, yet expensive, tournaments of the UltimateBet Online Championship (UBOC) series. According to UltimateBet’s Cardroom Consultant, Annie Duke, the change was made to make the UBOC event accessible to a wider range of online poker players.
The 6-Max NL Hold’em Event scheduled for January 11 at 5:30pm ET previously held a buy-in of $5,000+$200, guaranteeing a prize pool of $1,000,000. The online poker room has significantly decreased the buy-in to $300+$20 – a 94% drop in price. The prize was lowered, as well, now worth $300,000 Guaranteed – a 70% decrease. Even though the purse is quite a bit lower, the value is boosted incredibly by a mere 6% buy-in rate.
“We’ve listened to our players, modified our UBOC tournament schedule and repositioned one of our championship tournaments within reach of more online poker players,” came the explanation of UltimateBet Cardroom Consultant Annie Duke. “With a $ 1 million Championship event and a $ 300,000 Championship event, our new UBOC schedule promises to thrill more players looking to be a part of the most exciting online championship series in poker.”
Overall, the UBOC will now be guaranteeing nearly $2.5 million in prizes over the course of the online poker tournament series. The UBOC kicks off today, January 9th, 2009, with the first of a 10-day, 22-event series, culminating into the UBOC Main Event on January 18. The Championship event at UltimateBet will feature a $1,000+$200 buy-in with $1,000,000 guaranteed.
UltimateBet.net Goes All In to Support JCC Scholarships and Children’s Programs
January 8, 2009
Leading free online poker site donates tournament entries and swag to prize pool of charity poker tournament.
Miami, FL (PRWeb) January 7, 2009 – UltimateBet today announced that it is once again taking its game offline in support of making the world a better place. The online poker site today announced the sponsorship of the Merage JCC’s Fifth Annual No Limit Texas Hold’em tournament. The charity poker tournament gets underway on Sunday, January 11 at 3pm PT at the Merage JCC in Irvine, California. All proceeds collected will benefit Merage JCC Scholarships and Children’s Programs.
The buy-in for the charity Texas Hold’em tournament is $200 with multiple re-buys available until the first break. In addition to a mix of prizes on the line that includes vacations, sports tickets, home electronics and others, all 10 players at the final table will be awarded with a package of UltimateBet.net swag that includes t-shirts and caps.
The winner of the tournament will receive a much sought-after UB hockey jersey, similar to the one sported by Phil Hellmuth when he won his record-shattering 11th bracelet at the World Series of Poker.
What’s more, the top three finishers in the Texas Hold’em tournament will each secure a seat in an online poker tournament featuring a $200,000 guaranteed prize pool.
UltimateBet.net has a strong history of reaching out to the community and supporting worthy organizations. UltimateBet.net is a longtime supporter of Ante Up For Africa, an organization created to raise public awareness and funds for the humanitarian crisis in Darfur.
The online poker site has also supported several other charity tournaments including the TASER Foundation for Fallen Officers, an organization dedicated to providing financial support to the families of local, state/provincial, and federal law enforcement officials in the US and Canada who were lost in the line of duty. Eva’s Heroes, a foundation dedicated to enriching the lives of those with developmental challenges and helping children and young adults with special needs to integrate and flourish in society, has also benefited from UltimateBet.net sponsorship.
More information on the Merage JCC’s Fifth Annual No Limit Texas Hold’em tournament can be found at ultimatebet.net.
About UltimateBet.net
Designed with the assistance of the best poker players in the world - Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke - UltimateBet.net is an information only online site that provides the best free poker games available on the net. Players can download the free poker software, play in free ring games and tournaments and get tips from these pros to learn the sport or to enhance their playing strategy. UltimateBet.net currently has over 2 million registered players.
Online Poker Juggernaut PokerStars Soars Into 2009
January 8, 2009
It’s no shocker that PokerStars leads the online poker industry in active, real-money player traffic. The online poker room has been doing that for quite some time now. PokerStars had an immensely successful year in 2008, however, and is soaring into 2009 on titanium wings!
The juggernaut of the online poker industry, PokerStars saw so much success in 2008, especially in the last quarter, that industry analysts are now reporting PokerStars to control a staggering 35% of the online poker market.
Dan Stewart, owner of PokerScout and long-time assessor of online poker traffic stated, “That market share is the highest it’s ever been for PokerStars.”
The online poker room consistently draws in excess of 100,000 active, real-money poker players at any given time. PokerStars currently holds a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for facilitating the most online poker players participating in simultaneous games at 151,758; as well as the largest poker tournament participation levels at 35,000. That’s much higher than even the WSOP has ever drawn.
The mounting success of PokerStars may pose a grave challenge to smaller online poker rooms in the new year as PokerStars continues to attract myriad poker fans to its site. Bigger names like Full Tilt Poker shouldn’t have too much to worry about as Full Tilt also saw extreme growth in the final quarter of 2008.
Full Tilt’s Tom “Durrrr” Dwan Challenges Online Poker Players; Benyamine, Ivey & Antonius Accept
January 7, 2009
Last week, Full Tilt Poker’s elite online poker pro, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, announced an interesting challenge. He is asking any and all high stakes cash game players to face him in a heads-up match, paying 3-to-1 odds.
“I'm making this heads-up challenge to the world. Anyone can accept,” Dwan told Bluff Magazine. “Four tables, minimum of $200/$400, and I'll put up $1.5 million to their $500,000. We play 50,000 hands minimum and if they end up a dollar after rake they keep the side money or whatever. So basically, if you and I played and you won a dollar, you would get my $1.5 million and if I won a dollar I would win your $500,000. So I'm giving a million dollars free if anyone thinks they can do it.”
The only exception was apparently Dwan’s good friend, Phil “OMGClayAiken” Galfond, who was apparently excluded from accepting the unprecedented challenge.
So far, several online poker players have taken Dwan up on the offer, including three big names in the poker world – phenomenal poker pro David Benyamine, 5-time WSOP Bracelet winner Phil Ivey and Full Tilt Pro Patrick Antonius.
The 50,000+ hand sessions have yet to take place, and at this point, it’s not even confirmed that they will. In a podcast interview with Barry Greenstein, Phil Ivey stated that Benyamine will take on Tom Dwan first, then himself (Phil Ivey), followed by Antonius.
Phil also commented that “somebody could go broke”, referring to the requirement of minimum $200/$400 stakes over 50,000 hands. Ivey predicted the extreme likelihood of a $10 million downswing at such nosebleed tables.
No official statement has come in from Tom “durrrr” Dwan in regards to accepting all three challengers, nor how soon such a competition would take place, though it is presumed they would occur at Full Tilt Poker. No doubt there would be a multitude of railbirds present, most hoping Dwan eliminates Benyamine just to keep the challenge going.
Mind-Blowing To Brain Scanning; What’s PKR Poker Up To Now?
January 6, 2009
Since it’s unprecedented launch in 2007, PKR Poker has been renowned for its mind-blowing 3D graphics and unparalleled realism, but it looks like PKR is going not just one, but hundreds of steps farther to give online poker players everything they could possibly hope for in an online poker room.
PKR Poker has teamed up with Foviance, a company that specializes in electroencephalography (EEG) technology. Basically, Foviance scans the brain waves of individuals to discover what stimulates them; in a good way, a bad way, a confusing way, etc. Together, PKR and Foviance are attempting to uncover exactly what online poker players find to be the most emotionally engaging from a brand or service.
With the extreme capabilities of today’s advancements in modern science, PKR plans to refurbish its online poker room according to the results of the intense study, thereby offering online poker players an Internet poker paradise.
PKR is planning to re-launch the new online poker room sometime next year, complete with all of the improvements brought about by the scientific research.
“This method of user research helps us understand the all important emotional experience that customers go through when using our site,” asserted Simon Prodger, marketing director of PKR Technologies. “This is very important to PKR as we aim to provide the most engaging poker experience online. Foviance’s insight has helped us identify how we can harness and develop the unique aspects of PKR’s engaging and immersive approach to online poker to ensure that our customers enjoy the highest quality experience possible.”
Thus far, the experiment has turned out to be quite successful. The brainwave patterns examined by Foviance have revealed that PKR provides online poker players with a much higher level of positive stimulation than that of many other online poker rooms.
The study has also uncovered a few important details in regards to novice online poker players, including what areas cause confusion. PKR translates this into the importance of tutorial stages for new players.
It will be interesting to see how PKR Poker revamps its already immensely popular online poker room, with 2.5 million members in less than 2 years of operation, when the scheduled re-launch occurs in 2010.
Match brings together 6 pros not shy about telling you what they’re thinking
January 4, 2009
New Poker After Dark: “Speak Your Mind”
In the world of professional poker, there are some players who are rather quiet at the tables, not saying much, and there are those who are anything but, and who sometimes offer their views on anything and everything whether asked for them or not. This week on Poker After Dark brings together six of the latter in a match which is dubbed “Speak Your Mind.” Those participating and putting up $20,000 each in an attempt to claim the $120,000 winner-take-all prize are Todd Brunson, David Grey, Phil Gordon, Gabe Kaplan, Cory Zeidman, and perhaps the most prolific of them all, Phil Hellmuth.
Both Brunson and Zeidman are making their first appearance on the show. Todd, a feared player who writes a column for Card Player magazine, has been known to express his opinions there on occasion, as well as in person. Cory has also gained notoriety for not only expressing his opinions in the print media but also for being a player with a propensity to agitate others to get them off of their game.
There is also some history between Zeidman and Kaplan in this match, as Gabe was humorously critical of Cory’s play during the second season of High Stakes Poker, and Zeidman retaliated against Kaplan in a magazine column and by calling Kaplan names on a poker radio show. Whether the fireworks will continue should make for a compelling reason to tune in as Kaplan goes for his third PAD title in five attempts.
Phil Gordon and David Grey are both seeking their first Poker After Dark victory. Gordon, who as a commentator is paid to offer his opinions, is winless in three previous PAD attempts, and Grey, who even if he were paid not to say anything probably couldn’t contain himself, is looking to improve on his one previous PAD second place finish.
But none of the players this week can hold a candle to Hellmuth, about whom a whole book could be written about the different situations where he has spoken his mind, especially when being openly critical of others and berating them for their play. It’s probably even money that Hellmuth will get a few shots in and have some taken at him before the match concludes, regardless of where he finishes. Phil is seeking his third PAD victory in a 6-handed format.
Brief profiles of all six players follow. The match will begin airing on NBC late night Monday at 2:05 a.m., January 5, and will continue for five consecutive nights in the same time slot. A special program called the “Director’s Cut” will air late night Saturday, January 10, at 1:00 a.m., right after Saturday Night Live. This show will feature Leeann Tweeden with a behind-the-scenes look at the week with highlights and insightful player interviews. Viewers can also watch the match at www.nbcsports/msnbc.com/poker.
As one would expect, there is a lot of banter in this match, highlighted by more than one insult and some stories which may never have been heard before. This is a very entertaining week, and one that should not be missed.
Brunson, Todd: (Seat 1)
• Nicknamed “Darkhorse” and a highly feared high-stakes cash game player
• Owns one WSOP bracelet, that in a $2500 Omaha Hi/Lo event in 2005, and had 6 cashes in the 2007 WSOP
• Career tournament winnings in excess of $3.23 million
• Wrote the 7-card stud hi/lo section in his father’s book Super System II
• His famous ponytail has been growing for about 16 years, though he says he might cut it off if someone offered him $10,000
Hellmuth, Phil: (Seat 2)
• Known as the “Poker Brat,” a name he now embraces, and was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in July 2007
• 1989 World Champion, and won his 11th World Series bracelet in 2007, making him the first and only person in history to do so
• Career tournament winnings in excess of $10.74 million, and ranks 3rd on the all-time money list, despite never having a cash for more than $755,000
• Now has more World Series cashes (69) and has made more WSOP final tables (41) than any other player in history
• His fame has given him the opportunity to be involved in many businesses on the side, and he is highly acknowledged as the game’s best self-promoter
Gordon, Phil: (Seat 3)
• Was the lead software engineer and first employee of Netsys Technologies, Inc., a company bought out by Cisco Systems three years later for $95 million
• Owner of one WPT title
• Career tournament winnings in excess of $1.80 million
• Has raised more than $3 million for the Cancer Research Foundation of America, and his leadership in this regard was recognized by Congress in the fall of 2007
• Has provided expert commentary for several televised poker events, and is the author of several books and instructional CDs on poker
Kaplan, Gabe: (Seat 4)
• Long time actor and comedian best remembered for his role in the 1970’s hit television sitcom Welcome Back Kotter
• Proficient in many games, and has played poker for more than 30 years
• Career tournament winnings in excess of $1.34 million
• In 1980, challenged 1978 World Champion Bobby Baldwin and 1979 World Champion Hal Fowler to $200,000 heads-up freezeouts, and defeated them both
• Oft-seen analyst on several poker television programs and highly regarded for his knowledge of the game and the humor he infuses into his commentary
Zeidman, Cory: (Seat 5)
• Considers himself primarily a high-stakes cash game player, mainly in 7-card stud, and plays as high as $500/$1000, usually on weekend jaunts to Atlantic City
• Was the host on GSN’s 2007 program Ace in the House, featuring Mike Matusow, and appeared on the 2nd season of High Stakes Poker
• Was involved in one of the most memorable hands of the 2005 WSOP Main Event, making a straight flush on the river to beat Jennifer Harman’s full house
• Has contributed to poker publications, where he is known not to mince words concerning how he feels about certain players, commentators, and corporations
• Has been a professional poker player for 12 years, and resides in Coral Springs, FL with his wife and two children
Grey, David: (Seat 6)
• Known primarily as a solid high-stakes cash game player
• Holder of two WSOP bracelets, one in $2500 7-card stud in 1999 and the other in $5000 no-limit 2-7 draw lowball in 2005
• Lifetime tournament winnings in excess of $1.45 million
• Professional gambler for many years, and possesses a unique sense of humor
• Long-time player in the “Big Game” at the Bellagio
Dennis Oehring serves as the Public Relations Coordinator for the firm POKER PROductions.
Titan Poker Announces New ‘Club Titan’ VIP Promotion
January 2, 2009
On the morning of New Years Eve, Titan Poker issued a press release announcing the introduction of a new promotion for serious online poker players – Club Titan. According to the press release, this new VIP rewards program from Titan Poker can award dedicated online poker players with as much as $10,000 in free cash, paralleling a Million Dollar Race promotion worth up to $1,000,000.
The Club Titan VIP Program was developed to reward each and every member of the online poker room, from first time players to long-time veterans. However, serious online poker fans will reap the most benefits from the program, as is the nature of all VIP systems.
Titan Poker also piqued our interest with details of the Million Dollar Race, set to kick off in mid-January and continuing through April of 2009. Titan Poker's Million Dollar Race will consist of a series of cash table races, awarding mammoth cash prizes to the top finishers. Those who maintain a concealed ‘hot spot’ on the Million Dollar Race Leaderboards will also be lavishly rewarded.
Players can rake in multiple prizes in simultaneous races throughout the Million Dollar Race, where players will be showered with at least $1,000,000 before all is said and done.
The pride of the iPoker Network, Titan Poker is a famously large online poker room with a long-standing reputation for lucrative promotions. Because of its massive size, being the third largest poker network in the industry – second only to PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker respectively – Titan Poker can easily (and frequently) afford to spoil its online poker players, especially in the VIP department.