UltimateBet’s 10th Anniversary celebrations continue with Aruba Big Seat Giveaway this Weekend
July 30, 2009
Win a package for this year’s Aruba Poker Classic online at UltimateBet in this Sunday’s 25 Seat Super Satellite, and you’ll be one step closer to joining the UB Pro players beachside.
UltimateBet is serious about giving online poker players an easy ride to some beach side fun and an eight-day poker festival that will deliver the perfect mix of ‘Holiday and Hold’em’. Slap on the sunscreen, slip on your Ray-Bans, and get ready to party it up in Aruba, because UltimateBet guarantees to award at least 25 Aruba Poker Classic prize packages in this Sunday’s 25 Seat Super Satellite at 17:30ET….and one of them could be yours.
Log onto UltimateBet on Sunday, August 2nd to discover one of the easiest ways to play your way to a little piece of poker paradise. The 17:30ET $500+30 buy-in poker tournament can be found in UB’s poker lobby under the official tag “Aruba 25 Seat Super Satellite”, awarding a minimum of 25 Aruba Poker Classic prize packages, each valued at $8,500, including a healthy $3,000 cash towards travel and accommodation costs.
If you’re looking for a cheaper road to Aruba, be sure to check out the “Aruba 25 Seat Satellite”, also on Sunday August 2nd at 14:45ET, where the $60+6 buy-in guarantees to give away 15 qualifying spots into the 17:30ET Aruba 25 Seat Super Satellite.
The leading online poker site’s 10th Anniversary celebrations are riding a perfect wave of excitement that are set to continue with the 8th annual Aruba Poker Classic at the stunning Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino & Spa, from October 3rd to the 10th. Be part of the action in Aruba this year to earn a share of a multi-million-dollar prizepool up for grabs in the week-long poker festival hosted by the leading online poker site, UltimateBet (“UB”).
UltimateBet’s signature land based poker tournament promises to deliver an event to remember. Now recognized as one of the premiere international events on the poker calendar and a confirmed favorite amongst the world’s best players, attendance at UB’s marquee ‘tournament in the tropics’ has continued to climb steadily since its inception in 2002. A growing number of devotees will return to the island oasis this October for their annual fix of cards and the Caribbean, where players will enjoy action-filled cash games and poker tournaments, invitation-only parties, mingling with Hollywood ‘celebs’ and UB’s burgeoning stable of Pro players, plus guaranteed sun drenched days on what is arguably the world’s best beach.
UltimateBet invites you to play poker and party with the tightest online poker community on the planet. Register now at the Aruba Poker Classic Website to receive regular updates, and visit http://www.UltimateBet.com for full details of the many ways you can qualify for the 2009 Aruba Poker Classic.
ESPN to Extra WSOP Coverage Online with New Poker Show
July 30, 2009
Yesterday ESPN confirmed that they will be offering extended coverage of the 2009 World Series of Poker with their new web-only poker show called ESPN Inside Deal. The new show will feature footage from this year’s WSOP as well as give poker fans an opportunity to learn more about their favorite pros and the poker lifestyle.
Inside Deal will begin on August 4th at ESPN.com and poker fans will be able to get an insider’s look at the lives of professional poker players as well as information on the November Nine as they get ready for the Main Event Final Table.
The new show will be hosted by pro player and ESPN.com columnist Bernard Lee, ESPN.com poker editor Andrew Feldman and Laura Lane a contributor at ESPN the Magazine. The first episode of the show will kick off with Chris Moneymaker as the guest with Daniel Negreanu and Joe Hachem soon to follow.
Poker fans can also email the show or get in touch via Twitter or Facebook and ask questions they would like to be answered by the poker pros. Online sweepstakes will also gives fans an opportunity to earn WSOP prizes.
The show will also focus on never before seen footage of hands during the WSOP Main Event. these hands were omitted from the original footage airing from ESPN. Each member of the November Nine will also be interviewed and analyzed before the Final Table begins so players can get a feel for what is to come.
The new show will hopefully be a hit as it will show more coverage of the WSOP. ESPN has shown limited footage of this year’s WSOP and many of the biggest stories of this year’s series were overlooked.
PokerStars Announces Inaugural Americas Cup of Poker
July 29, 2009
PokerStars is known for being the number one online poker room for many reasons, but one of those reasons is the major tournaments the online poker room produces, whether they be land or online. From the Asia Pacific Poker tour to the European Poker Tour, the list goes on and on. PokerStars has now added one more tournament to their list, the Americas Cup of Poker.
The 2009 Americas Cup of Poker (ACP) will see teams of sixteen different nation’s battle to make the live final which will be held at the Cerro Catedral Ski Resort in the Patagonia region of Argentina. The players are competing for $250,000 in prize money and $100,000 of that money will be split among the winning team’s players.
Players can compete online in daily free rolls and qualifiers at PokerStars to take part in the Americas Cup of Poker. The free rolls and qualifiers start as low as $.20 so everyone can have a chance to participate.
The sixteen teams participating in the ACP will be split into four groups. The sixteen teams will represent thirteen Nations from the American continents and three will be Wild Card entries. The four groups will be:
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Group A: USA, Mexico, Ecuador, Wildcard 1
Group B: Canada, Columbia, Uruguay, Wildcard 2
Group C: Chile, Venezuela, Peru, Costa Rica
Group D: Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Wildcard 3
Over the next three weeks each group of teams will compete in head-to-head, round-robin matches. The top eight teams overall, the two teams from each group with the best records, will move on to the live final which will take place in Argentina. The top five players from each nation will represent their team in Argentina at the finals. The top players will be determined by points earned during the qualifiers.
Each team at the live final will also have one Team PokerStars Pro competing as well. This will make things interesting as the Poker Pros are thrown into the mix. The Americas Cup of Poker looks to be a very interesting new tournament that players are sure to enjoy at PokerStars and it will be interesting to see which nations make it to the live final.
The Asian Poker Tour Macau Festival Publishes Full Schedule
July 29, 2009
The Asian Poker Tour Macau Festival Publishes Full Schedule
First Four Side Events Feature Guaranteed Prize Pools
Debuts for Ladies’ and Head-Up Events
The Asian Poker Tour, Asia’s original poker tour, is delighted to publish the full schedule for The Asian Poker Tour Macau Festival which will run from August 12–23, 2009 at the Galaxy StarWorld Hotel and Casino in Macau.
Last year’s six day event has doubled in size and will be transformed into a record breaking 12 day extravaganza, creating Asia’s first festival of poker. The success of the Asian Poker Tour sponsored poker room at the Starworld Hotel and Casino has led organizers to lay out these ambitious plans that represent another huge leap forward for poker in the region. The Asian Poker Tour Macau will also be the backdrop to the filming of the first Chinese language poker film, ‘Poker King,’ starring A-list Chinese actors, actresses and pop stars. With such a high profile film being made, many believe it could have the same impact on the Asian region as 1998 Hollywood movie Rounders did on aspiring poker players in the western world.
The Asian Poker Tour Macau hosts over 21 events with 15 official side events - the first five taking place between the 12th – 16th August featuring guaranteed prize pools. These are the HK$2,500 welcome event that guarantees HK$100,000, an Asian Poker Tour Open re-buy and add-on event with a $1,150 entry fee that guarantees HK$50,000, a Greed event that costs HK$2,500 to enter but offers the chance for one player to scoop all the HK$100,000 guaranteed prize pool if they choose, and the Hong Kong Game Club HK$1,150 re-buy and add-on tournament that guarantees HK$150,000. This will be followed by a second HK$1,150 re-buy and add-on tournament and much more, all ahead of Day 1A of the Main Event which kicks off on the 20th August.
In addition, there will be other head-hunter, six-handed, eight-handed, invitational, and celebrity tournaments. There will also be a ladies’ tournament and heads-up event, both believed to be firsts for the region and an example of just how far the game has moved on in Asia in the last twelve months. Taking part in the head-hunter tournaments will be ‘The Poker Pack’, the top professionals who are ambassadors of the Asian Poker Tour on the world circuit, as well as other famous names such as Johnny Chan. The Poker Pack, who will also have prominent roles in the ‘Poker King’ movie, are made up of the awesome poker abilities of JC Tran, Nam Le, Steve Sung, David ‘Chino’ Rheem, Quinn Do and Kwang Soo Lee.
The comprehensive side event schedule also includes a HK$164,000 buy-in high rollers event with other side events having a buy-in as little as HK$1,000. Another highlight includes the ‘Battle of the Nations’ team event. This is a team No Limit Hold’em tournament featuring teams of three members from the same country. There will be two teams facing each other at each table, so the tables will be six-handed. The goal is to eliminate all the members of the other team. This will play down until there is one team left! Sponsors of the side events and marketing collaterals include the Hong Kong Game Club, DafaPoker, Dafa888, the Poker King Movie, JBET, PartyPoker, Bwin, 777baby Casino, Zipang Casino, and PKR.
The cards are in the air for the first of two day one’s of the Main Event on the 20th August, with the final table scheduled on the 23rd of August.
Matt Savage, the world’s leading Tournament Director overseeing the action said: “This is an ambitious tournament schedule and there is something for everybody within it, there’s no doubt it is player friendly. Macau’s poker scene is booming and some of the formats will certainly be firsts for the region. The guarantees are great and it is exciting to see the heads-up and ladies event on the schedule. What shouldn’t be forgotten as well though is that The Asian Poker Tour hosts the most legendary parties – the one in Macau even won awards last year!”
Chris Parker, CEO of the Asian Poker Tour said: “We’re delighted with this schedule - it really shows just how far the game has come in this part of the world. Our objective was to put player’s interests first in all scheduling as Macau will be a poker heaven in August!”
Amongst the online networks already committed to sending players are the Ongame Network, the iPoker Network and PartyPoker. In addition, online rooms Bwin, PKR, DafaPoker, JBET Poker, 888.com, Titan Poker, RedKings, Chilipoker, and 32Red are in on the action guaranteeing a significant online qualifier contingent. Last year, the event attracted some of the most famous names in the game including Doyle Brunson, Jack Binion, Johnny Chan, John Juanda, Huck Seed, Liz Lieu, Todd Brunson, Kenny Tran and ‘The Poker Pack.’ The 2008 Asian Poker Tour Macau Main Event was won by then 20-year-old US hotshot Yevgeniy Timoshenko, who scooped US$500,000 after emerging triumphant from the star-studded field that featured players from over 40 countries. Timoshenko has since gone on to win the WPT Championship and is currently one of the hottest prospects in the game.
The buy-in for the Main Event is set at HK$34,400, while high-limit games and sit-n-go tables will run throughout the duration of the festival. As well as the action on the felt, the play off the felt promises to be extremely lively too with The Asian Poker Tour looking to top the legendary and award winning party held in Macau last year. Full details can be found at http://www.asianpt.com/APT_Macau/Macau_2009/Asian_Poker_Tour_2009_Macau_Schedule
Team RedKings Adds Two Poker Pros Just In Time for APT Macau
July 28, 2009
Online poker room, RedKings, recently announced the addition of two new poker pros to their poker team. Both new team members are from Singapore, one a new comer and one a seasoned veteran. Both players were signed just in time to compete in the upcoming Asian Poker Tour Macau Festival of Poker.
Jason Samsonov and Jeffery Tan are the newest poker pros to join Team RedKings. Samsonov is one of the newest and hottest players competing in the current Asian poker scene. Tan is a veteran of the game having sixteen years of live playing experience under his belt.
This will be the first major live event for Jason as he has been playing online for the past few years. He has been doing well at the Sit-N-Go tables playing high stakes and is also known for his coaching talents. It will be interesting to see how well he does in his first live event.
Jeffery began playing poker when he was in college in the United States. He used his talent of the game to earn cash to help pay his college tuition. This will be Jeffery’s second APT event in Macau and hopefully he will do very well.
Jani Kontturi the Asian Marketing Manager for RedKings commented: "We are absolutely delighted to add both Jason and Jeffery to our Team. Given our overall marketing strategy and long term investment in Asia we expect both players to add greatly to the impact of our promotion in the Region. RedKings is fast becoming a worldwide brand so it was an easy decision to sign these high profile Asian poker superstars to Team RedKings."
25 Sports Legends Face 25 Poker Pro’s in the The Ultimate Sports Fantasy Event
July 27, 2009
THE SPORTS LEGENDS CHALLENGE INVITES FANS TO GO ‘ALL IN’ FOR THE ULTIMATE SPORTS FANTASY EVENT
World-Class Sports and Gaming Event Teams 25 Sports Legends, 25 Poker Pros and Avid Sports Fans Liddell, Couture, Hawk and Messier Added to Roster of Sports Icons
ATLANTA, July 27, 2009 – For the first time ever, sports fans have a chance to go beyond a typical athlete meet and greet or autograph session to actually play with and against 25 of the world’s greatest sports superstars. The Sports Legends Challenge is the sports fan’s ultimate fantasy featuring four days of casino gaming and golf cash prize tournaments with some of the biggest names in sports, including: Troy Aikman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Richard Petty, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Joe Namath, Reggie Jackson and many others. To up the ante, the event will also feature 25 of the world’s top Online and Land based Casino Poker Pros such as Jamie Gold, Annie Duke, Johnny Chan and Mike Sexton, who will play with and coach event participants.
The Sports Legends Challenge announced today that it has secured mixed martial arts super stars Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture; skateboard icon Tony Hawk; and hockey legend Mark Messier to round out the list of 25 athletes who will participate.
The star studded poker event is confirmed for Sept. 14 – 17, 2009 at the luxurious Atlantis Paradise Island resort and casino in the Bahamas. The Sports Legends, Poker Pros and participants will compete in a variety of events including No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em, blackjack, slots and golf tournaments to vie for up to $10 million in prize money.
“The Sports Legends Challenge is one of the most elite and exclusive sporting events in the world,” said
Bruce Bibbero, founder and chief executive officer, Sports Legends Challenge. “There has never been an
event where a select group of sports fans can cross the line from spectator to competitor in a multi-day
gaming and golf experience with 25 of the biggest names in U.S. sports history. It’s simply unprecedented.”
Event participants will compete individually and with a team in a variety of events including No Limit Texas
Hold ‘Em, blackjack, slots and golf tournaments during the four-day event. The week culminates with the
Sports Legends All-Star Poker Challenge, matching up the Sports Legends, Poker Pros and top-finishing
competitors in a winner-take-all, No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em grand finale. This event will pair the top 25
finishing poker players with a Sports Legend in two-player teams, along with a Poker Pro as their coach, for
a cash prize. The Sports Legends All-Star Poker Challenge will be televised nationally by FOX Sports
Network on Nov. 26, 2009, Thanksgiving Day.
“With the addition of Liddell, Couture, Hawk and Messier, we will enhance the experience for participants
and entice a whole new audience of sports fans to be part of this event,” Bibbero said. “We’ve had an
unbelievable response to this first-ever event. The support from the sports, poker and fan communities
reinforces our vision to turn the Sports Legends Challenge into a series of worldwide events.”
The Sports Legends Challenge also announced today that PokerNews, the world’s leading Poker Web site,
has been named as the title sponsor for the organization’s ultimate sports fantasy and gaming event now
known as the PokerNews Sports Legends Challenge presented by AbsolutePoker.net. PokerNews will
provide unique coverage and content of this event to millions of readers across the international poker
community.
Additionally, the World Series of Poker Academy will hold a special three-day academy program as part of
the Sports Legends Challenge headlined by all 25 of the Poker Pros in attendance. The Poker Pros will
provide strategy, tips and offer instruction to the event participants.
In addition to the casino gaming, the Sports Legends Challenge also features a series of golf tournaments at
the world-renowned Ocean Club Golf Course.
The sports icons participating in the event include:
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Laffit Pincay
Sports fans interested in participating should visit www.sportslegendschallenge.com or call 404-869-5000 for
information on how to register. Prices start at only $3,799 per person based on double occupancy.
“For most sports fans, the opportunity to meet just one of these athletes is something they would remember
and talk about the rest of their lives,” Bibbero said. “We are creating an opportunity for participants to not
only meet all of these athletes, but spend significant time with them playing poker, golf and hanging out for
four fantastic days. There are a variety of packages available at a great value for an event of this caliber.”
The Poker Pros participating in the event include:
PokerStars Moves EPT Moscow Event to Ukraine
July 27, 2009
PokerStars was gearing up to go to Moscow, Russia to begin the sixth season of the European Poker Tour but the Russian government decided to close many of their casinos especially those close to the capital. EPT organizers had to scramble and figure out what to do with so many people ready to travel and many prize packages given out, they had to do something. So the EPT event has now moved from Moscow to Kiev, Ukraine which is not too far from the original destination.
The Moscow event is now going to be called the EPT Kiev Sports Poker Championship and will take place at the Kiev Sports Palace in Kiev, Ukraine. This event is being held in partnership with the Ukrainian Poker Federation as well as under the regulation and authority of the Ukrainian Poker Federation. The event is still scheduled for August 18th through the 23rd and the event will have a 5,000 EUR buy-in.
Every player who qualified for the Moscow event can now come to the Ukraine to compete in the tournament. But if a player does not want to come to the Ukraine and they already have a prize package, PokerStars has given them the option to come to another EPT event instead or exchange their entry for cash.
PokerStars sent out a press release to explain the change. An excerpt read: “Euro Poker Tour Ltd. sincerely apologizes to all players who were intending to attend the Moscow event, but unfortunately these circumstances were beyond our control. Players are encouraged to consider attending the Ukrainian event instead, and to participate in the opening of the EPT's sixth season."
In my opinion PokerStars and the EPT organizers really did a great job with the sudden occurrence of the Russian Government to closing the casinos. They were given tough circumstances and rose to the challenge to give the players of PokerStars and those who were going to attend the event a chance to compete.
$4,000 Guaranteed Freeroll
July 27, 2009
Tomorrow at 20:15 BST Betfair Poker will host the latest in the series of Card Gang Freerolls and will be giving away a guaranteed $4,000 in prize money!
Bluff Europe has announced that on Tuesday 28th July at 20.15 BST, readers will have the chance to compete for $4,000, including $545 worth of tournament seats all for FREE at Betfair Poker.
All you need to do is go to for further information, check out their website! If you've never played at Betfair before, they don't accept US Poker players, if you aren't from the US, and you need sing up info, keep reading. . .
Register for the tournament using the Password “Bracelet”..
“Once again we have a great opportunity for Bluff Europe readers to join in on the action courtesy of CardGang and Bluff Europe,” said Michael Caselli, Editor-in-chief. “Players should keep their eyes peeled at www.bluffeurope.copm/cardgang for monthly free-rolls and, exclusive high value tournaments.”
Betfair is the largest Internet betting exchange in the world. Founded in June 2000, they have made leaps and bounds over the last nine years to now claim 2,000,000 customers and a turnover in excess of £50,000,000 each week. Their Poker room is home to a number of top poker pros including 2007 WSOPE champion Annette Obrestad and John Tabatabai.
For more details sign up instructions, and to sign up and play, visit www.bluffeurope.com/cardgang
If you're a poker player from the United States, looking for a lucrative freeroll opportunity, take the quiz below, test your Full Tilt Poker skill. Then follow the instructions, download the software, and watch for the pop up. The pop up show you how you can become a part of the fight for the freedom to play online poker in your underware!
Sign the petition and full tilt will let you know about a free poker tournament you can enter!
Pitbull Poker Cheating Update
July 26, 2009
Recently, another online poker room, PitBull Poker became suspect in the popular online poker forums known as 2+2, the allegation? Cheating users by allowing certain users to see other player’s hole cards, you might remember the Absolute Poker cheating debacle, whereas someone on the inside compromised gaming software, causing online poker players to lose millions of dollars do to cheating in online poker tournaments.
Well there’s been a small update in this investigation, spokesperson for Pitbull Poker, the online poker room currently under community scrutiny has come forward in the poker forums and made a statement.
I am here to clarify a few things for you:
- I am not related to the excellent Brenes brothers. In Costa Rica, Brenes is a relatively common last name.
- I am a real person, hired by Pitbull Gaming over a year ago to look after the network they were building and along the line I started to taking care of other tasks to eventually look after the forums with the idea of providing an additional support venue.
- The HH policy is what I know; I follow the policies and terms that the company has set. I am not making new policies out of thin air. We have never sent HHs like the ones requested and has always been the same policy (at least since I joined the company).
- I am not attempting to be deceitful with you guys or anyone, I was actually trying to be a mediator and resolve the conflict.
- As of today I am not posting anymore and you will have to deal ONLY with Customer Support if you want to keep asking for HHs or ask for payouts or whatever you can think of.
Good bye
Dave Brenes
Network Manager
Pitbull Gaming
Pitbull Poker
Pitbull Partners
Well we didn't say it was much of a statement. After all, the folks at Pitbull are very busy today, changing all of their footers, the ones that used to proclaim they were a UK Gambling company. Now the footers hail Cyprus. It seems the company picked up its skirts and headed for cyrpus.. last night. Hot damn they got that office open in lightening fast time.
Planet Hollywood Casino fined, bars lose liquor license.
July 26, 2009
A Las Vegas strip casino is losing night-clubs fast. In fact, you might say the nightclubs at Planet Hollywood in Vegas are dropping like bar flies!
Although Prive and the Living Room both located within Planet Hollywood are both still open right this minute. Both casino bars have lost their liquor licenses and will be shutting their doors by this time next week.
Allegations were made of some particularly shady behavior for a casino bar, such as half naked women, underage drinkers, and other ‘lewd behavior’. There was also a small issue of a security agent ‘stalling’ county officials during an inspection.
Planet Hollywood doesn’t own these clubs, but the clubs do reside within the casino, therefore the county says the management at Planet Hollywood should have kept things under control. Planet Hollywood spokespersons say that the casino will pay the fine.
Allegations of Cheating, Shadyness, and Outright Ickyness at Pitbull Poker
July 25, 2009
Today we bring you, gossip, allegations, unverified facts, and a bit of soap box politics. Have you ever wondered what sort of credentials must be attained to open and operate an online poker website? What background checks must be passed? Can any criminal open a multimillion dollar gambling operation?
Why, Sir yes sir any one with 8 bucks for Godaddy can open a website, it does take a lot more skill however to design poker software... Here's the thing about that. Even if the programmer thinks they have designed a fabulous product, secure online poker that's fun for everyone, what agency tests it for holes?
American’s continuously ask our government to come and protect us. We ask that you tax and profit, and regulate the online poker industry. What do we get? More ignorance, much like the new law in Washington Casinos that allows ‘all in betting’ … up to $500, making the max bet at a ‘no limit’ poker game, either $40, or All in for $500.
We get more laws, more infringements on our freedoms, and every day we get to watch our government screw us due to the lack of the line item veto. Just little things like, poker regulation mixed in with National Security bills, or gun laws tacked onto the back of credit card regulation legislation.
Meanwhile, we hear rumors and reports of companies out and out cheating Americans, rumors like the one we’ll outline below, of online poker rooms with shady software that allows super users to see the whole cards of other online poker players.
A new story is brewing on the popular poker forum 2+2 that involves Pitbull Poker.
Poker players have done some amazing research, as has become the norm in the online poker industry, ferreting out the crooks, and those that would cheat poker players out of millions of dollars.
The story begins like this…
In the year 2000, this is pre-September 11 here folks.. way way back when online poker was still relatively new and largely unheard of, a man named Federico Schiavio, an IT employee of Binions Casino bought a website name.
He went to someplace like godaddy.com and bought the domain. Meaning that he could someday put a website there. The name of the website was WSOP.com. There's a lot more to this part of this saga, it's all quite interesting, and covered in depth on this blog.
In or around the same time, it’s rumored the Schiavio began building online poker software, software is the world you visit when you loggin to a place like Pokerstars.com or Full Tilt Poker. They look different, they offer different features, etc.
Well come 2004, Harrahs isn’t to happy to find Schiavio encroaching on their brand. As a result, in March of 2004 Harrahs begins legal action against Schiavio for the WSOP.com domain.
In April of 2004, some other interesting activity is going on. A company named Dimensus Ltd is put together as the parent company of an up an coming online poker room, Pitbull Poker. (pitbullpoker.com).
Shortly thereafter, an arrangement is apparently made between Shiavio and involving his website WSOP.com and Pitbullpoker.com.
It’s rumored that the guys at Pitbull Poker even used Shiavio’s software, remember, the software he was alledgedly creating back in 2000 or so.
Enter Kevin Baronowsky: according to the online poker sleuths at 2+2 Baronowsky owns a few websites of his own. There's pherx.com website that sells pherehormone's and a couple typo domains, such as pitbullpokr.com and xardplayer.com. Both of the two typo websites redirect to pitbullpoker.com (meaning if you go to xardplayer.com your computer will automatically take you to pitbullpoker.com).
Now let’s look as the online poker players at 2+2 have, at an Internet screen name, dsscanuck, a user name used online at a forum that talks about receiving satellite television illegally.
There’s a person on THAT forum that shares with the community that he was busted for selling illegal satellite equipment, he turned state and provided evidence about his clients to the government to save his own skin.
If you check out dsscanuck.com you’ll be greeted by banners for … pherx.com as well as eczemaderm.com. So what’s eczemaderm.com? eczemaderm.com is a 
website that sells steroid cream. What’s steroid have to do with this particular conspiracy theory? Absolutely nothing. However, eczemaderm.com is hosted on the very same servers as pherx.com and none other than.. WSOP.com.
Now in addition to all of this fascinating information… there has been online poker cheating allegations made against Pitbull Poker, same old story... super users with the ability to see hole cards.
Players have also allegedly asked Pitbull Poker for hand histories, delivered in a format that they could use. The online poker website allegedly refused to deliver.
In fact, as of today, you just flat out cannot have an online hand history. So no one's saying there ARE superusers, nothings been proven, but some people might be saying that Pitbull is making it awfully difficult to prove or disprove their existence.
Makes you want to complain to the owner doesn’t it? Ask him what’s going on?! Is your money really safe at this online poker room? Well, that’s what we’re here for... to provide you with ownership information. . .
The parent company of Pitbull Poker was apparently dissolved on March 10th of 2009. So, as far as we, and the folks at 2+2 can discern, there is no owner! A poster on 2+2 “PBDave” says that the ownership was transferred to a company based in Cyprus, no records have been produced to support this claim.
Dimensus, the former parent company never actually had a gambling license (Semantics right?!?) however, the company claims to be in Costa Rica, where they actually wouldn’t need one.
Costa Rica? Wait, Pitbull claims to be a UK Company.
The UK Gaming commission has been informed of the possibility of an illegal gambling business.
Poker Players – Represent your country and win $100,000!
July 24, 2009
Pokerstars players all over the free world and perhaps a bit outside the free world, are gearing up for the PokerStars Americas Cup of Poker. The tournament series is a team event where regular everyday online poker players, who have won some very affordable satelites will team up with Team Pokerstars Pros and compete for their perspective countries in live events that will take place in Argentina (Poker in Argentina, that's going to rock!).
Not only will poker players act as poker playing soldiers for their homelands, they will also compete for a prize pook of $250,000.00.
Here’s how the Pokerstars America's Cup of Poker works:
Poker players from thirteen countries will have a shot at representing their entire nation in the live final. In addition to these countries, a wildcard catergory is available for members of all countries not listed below. The countries involved are:
- The United States
- Mexico
- Ecuador
- Canada
- Columbia
- Uruguay
- Chile
- Venezuela
- Peru
- Costa Rica
- Paraguay
If you're in one of the above countries, you qualify to compete for your chance to represent your country.
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Each country will face off against the other countries week after week, beginning on the 27th of this month. During each of the qualifying weeks, player's are invited to play in any o f the America's Cup of Poker freerolls, as well as in the .20 cent and $5.50 tournaments for your country.
Your Goal:
To accumulate as many points as you possibly can for your team.
At the end of the group matchups, the two countries that have accumulated teh most wins in each group will advance to the live poker final in Argentina.
Group Schedules
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Poker players will compete in online poker tournaments against the other teams in their group in a series of weekly online poker rounds. Each individual poker round will continue for one week, and include daily online poker freerolls, $0.20 and $5.50 tournaments.
The best strategy here of course is to play in every single event for your tearm.
Schedule from Pokerstars.com:
Group A - USA, Mexico, Ecuador and a Wildcard country
Round Matches Dates Times 1 USA Poker Players vs. Ecuador Poker Players
Mexico Poker Players vs. Wildcard 1Every day, July 27-August 2 Freeroll: 20:30 ET
$0.20: 21:00 ET
$5.50: 21:30 ET2 USA Poker Players vs. Wildcard 1
Mexico vs. EcuadorEvery day, August 3-9 Freeroll: 20:30 ET
$0.20: 21:00 ET
$5.50: 21:30 ET3 USA Poker Playersvs. Mexico
Ecuador vs. Wildcard 1Every day, August 10-16 Freeroll: 20:30 ET
$0.20: 21:00 ET
$5.50: 21:30 ETGroup B - Canada, Columbia, Uruguay and a Wildcard country
Round Matches Dates Times 1 Canadian Poker Players vs. Uruguay Poker Players
Uruguay vs. ColombiaEvery day, July 27-August 2 Freeroll: 20:30 ET
$0.20: 21:00 ET
$5.50: 21:30 ET2 Canadian Poker Players vs. Wildcard 2
Uruguay Poker Players vs. Colombian Poker Players
Every day, August 3-9 Freeroll: 20:30 ET
$0.20: 21:00 ET
$5.50: 21:30 ET3 Canadian Poker Players vs. Colombian Poker Players
Uruguay Poker Players vs. Wildcard 2Every day, August 10-16 Freeroll: 20:30 ET
$0.20: 21:00 ET
$5.50: 21:30 ETGroup C - Chile, Venezuela, Peru and Costa Rica.
Round Online Poker Matches Dates Times 1 Chile Poker Players vs. Venezuela Poker Teams
Peru Poker Teams vs. Costa Rica Poker PlayersEvery day, July 27-August 2 Freeroll: 21:00 ET
$0.20: 21:30 ET
$5.50: 22:00 ET2 Chile Poker Players vs. Costa Rican Poker Teams
Peru Poker Players vs. Venezuela Poker TeamsEvery day, August 3-9 Freeroll: 21:00 ET
$0.20: 21:30 ET
$5.50: 22:00 ET3 Chile Poker Players vs. Peru Poker Players
Venezuela Poker Teams vs. Costa Rica Poker Players
Every day, August 10-16 Freeroll: 21:00 ET
$0.20: 21:30 ET
$5.50: 22:00 ETGroup D - Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and a Wildcard country (see below for details)
Round Online Poker Matches Dates Times 1 Brazil Poker Players vs. Paraguay Poker Players
Argentina Poker Players vs. Wildcard 3Every day, July 27-August 2 Freeroll: 21:00 ET
$0.20: 21:30 ET
$5.50: 22:00 ET2 Brazil Poker Players vs. Wildcard 3
Argentina Poker Players vs. Paraguay Poker PlayersEvery day, August 3-9 Freeroll: 21:00 ET
$0.20: 21:30 ET
$5.50: 22:00 ET3 Brazil Poker Players vs. Argentina Poker Players
Paraguay Poker Players vs. Wildcard 3Every day, August 10-16 Freeroll: 21:00 ET
$0.20: 21:30 ET
$5.50: 22:00 ET
Wildcard country teams
Poker Players from every country are encouraged to participate in the event. Even if you're not from one of the 13 countries listed above. Pokerstars has included places for three wildcard country teams in the group schedule, for players not from the recognized countries, this is an even bigger challenge. Get your country on the damn map poker players!
Pokerstars is running three freeroll tournaments, scheduled for to take place beginning today July 24, 25 & 26 at 21:00 ET. The winner of each will earn their home nation a place in the group stages. To register for these pokerstars freerolls, open the PokerStars lobby, click ‘Tourney’ and ‘Regional’.
America's Cup of Poker Points:
Pokerstars online poker Players finishing among the top 100 in each group tournament will earn points for their country. Visit the Points page on pokerstars website to see the payout structure. The top two countries with the most wins in each group will make it to the live final.
Pokerstars America's Cup of Poker Live Final
Eight poker teams will advance from the group stages to the live America's Cup of Poker final in Argentina (the two countries with the most wins from each of the four groups). Each team will be made up of the five online poker players that won the most points for their team during the group stage (for Wildcard countries, the team will be made up of the top four point scorers and the player that won the freeroll that gave their nation entry into the group stages). The eight finalist countries will then battle for their share of the $250,000 prize pool.
A Pokerstars Pro will also be added to each and every team.
According to the Pokerstars website, the payout structure at the live America's Cup final is as follows.
| Position | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 |
| 2 | $60,000 |
| 3 | $30,000 |
| 4 | $20,000 |
| 5 | $10,000 |
| 6 | $10,000 |
| 7 | $10,000 |
| 8 | $10,000 |
The live tournament will take place at a ski resort in Bariloche, situated against the backdrop of the Andes, in the region of Patagonia. It’s the trip of a lifetime that gives you the chance to explore one of South America’s most beautiful regions - and play poker for cash and the glory of your country while you are there. See below to find out how you can be part of the team that will represent your nation.
Poker is all about winning big money, but it’s also about pride. And there’s no greater sense of pride than the feeling you get when you represent your homeland. Your country needs you, so you better make it count.
WSOP Academy Heads to Chicago in August
July 23, 2009
The Chicago area will be welcoming the World Series of Poker Academy for the first time every this August and several poker pros will be on hand to teach attendees about the game of poker. The event is set to take place on the 29th and 30th at the Horseshoe Casino.
The Academy will feature Annie Duke, Matt Graham, Bernard Lee the ESPN poker radio host and Joe Navarro. All four will be lending their expertise to instruct the poker players attending no matter their playing level.
Seminars will take place with question and answer periods as well as live hand demonstrations, video analysis of WSOP tournament footage and private multi-table tournaments. For those that can attend, it is a great way to learn about the game of poker first hand from professionals.
Not only will attendees be able to learn from the pros but they will also be able to play poker with them as well. The private tournament will see the players competing and the winner of the tournament will be able to compete at the 2010 WSOP Academy Tournament of Champions for a chance to win a $10,000 WSOP Main Event seat for 2010.
Brandon Rosen is from Post Oak Productions, the company that produces the WSOP Academy and he commented on the Chicago event. Rosen stated: “The WSOP Academy just finished an amazing summer at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas and we’re now excited to offer our first academy experience in the Chicago area with an amazing line-up of instructors.”
Success of National Poker Week Activities in D.C.
July 23, 2009
The Poker Players Alliance (PPA), reported on the success of National Poker Week activities this week in Washington, D.C. More than 50 representatives of the PPA, including 33 state directors, traveled to Washington, D.C. to directly deliver the message to lawmakers that poker is not a crime, and asked them to support licensing and regulation legislation that will protect the online game enjoyed by more than 10 million Americans.
“From the more than 100 meetings with members and staff to the charity tournament that raised $35,000 for our wounded warriors, I’d say National Poker Week was a rousing success,” PPA Chairman and Former Senator Alfonse D’Amato said. “Congress is preparing for hearings this fall on the licensing and regulation of the game we love, so I urge all PPA members to continue this activism and enthusiasm so our elected officials can take their marching orders and fight to protect our game.”
D’Amato kicked off National Poker Week with an in-studio appearance on the Howard Stern Show, where he signed Howard up as a member of the PPA. Highlights of the National Poker Week D.C. activities include:
- Attendance by 33 State Directors and 7 professional poker players, including – Andy Bloch, Annie Duke, Jan Fisher, Linda Johnson, Howard Lederer, Dennis Phillips, and Greg Raymer.
More than 100 Congressional meetings.
30 wounded soldiers and 10 members of Congress participating in the charity poker tournament.
$35,000 in PPA and individual contributions benefiting the USO Metro and their wounded warriors program.
70 Hill staffers and interested parties attending the PPA Congressional briefing.
375,769 signatures on the petition to President Obama calling for the licensing and regulation of online poker.
Nearly 200,000 letters/emails sent to U.S Representatives and Senators since July 20th.
In addition to the flurry of activities, the PPA launched an advertising campaign, both online and in print, targeted to opinion leaders and policymakers in D.C. and calling on them to protect the game of poker. The three print ads highlight the stories of real PPA members who play online – both as a pastime and for a living - and directly ask Congress to protect their right to play. The online ads, which can be seen here, tell Congress to “take the politics out of poker” and direct viewers to the National Poker Week site highlighting the need to support licensing and regulation.
Professional poker player Andy Bloch, who participated in numerous meetings with members of Congress and their staff, said “every single meeting and every method of communication counts. Even if you’re cynical about the political process, you’ll be encouraged to know that these members, whether they agree yet or not, are listening to our arguments and are truly surprised to know just how popular poker is in their hometowns. I truly feel we are winning on this issue, and the time is ripe for pro-poker legislation to pass into law.”
PPA also hosted a charity poker tournament and presented a $25,000 check to the USO-Metro benefiting the Malone House at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Wounded servicemen and women played alongside poker pros, PPA’s State Directors, members of Congress, and their staff, with all $10,000 of the re-buys going “all-in” to the USO. Winners of the tournament received prizes contributed by Harrah’s, AirTran, JAQK Cellars, Washington Capitals, and WSOP Academy.
Earlier in the week, PPA pulled together online security experts for a Congressional staff briefing on how Internet poker can be effectively regulated in the United States. The panelists included Dr. Parry Aftab, Executive Director of Wired Safety, Stuart Dross, Vice President of Cigital, and Paul Mathews, former executive with International Game Technology. The panelists corrected many of the misperceptions of online poker and discussed with congressional staff the effective and available solutions to properly regulate online games.
To make National Poker Week possible, PPA partnered with a variety of organizations including PokerPages.com, PokerListings.com, ConJelCo, PokerTube, Heartland Poker Tour, PocketFives.com, Bluff Magazine, Poker News, and Poker Road.
For more information and to contact members of Congress, please visit www.NationalPokerWeek.com
The MansionPoker.com frog theme is riding a winning online poker wave this summer!
July 23, 2009
The more you look at their MansionPoker.com/">online poker promotions, the more you’ll run into what’s quickly becoming a money-loving mascot for the MansionPoker.com (MansionPoker.com/">http://www.MansionPoker.com) players.
In the MansionPoker.com/promotions/reservoir-frogs/index.html">Reservoir Frogs promo, there’s a top prize of $5,000 handed out to the top points winner for July, by a bunch of gangster frogs emulating the mafia-style movie ‘Reservoir Dogs’.
And in MansionPoker.com’s Summer Splash Out online Poker League starting on July 21, there’s a further $1,500 in cash to be won by the tournament player who is best able to brave the tides of opportunity throughout the summer.
The first of these frog promotions is well underway, so if poker players have been playing any MansionPoker.com online poker games as from July 1, they’ll already have amassed some valuable points and might figure among the top 30 on the Reservoir Frogs online leader board.
There’s a total cash share of $20,000, money prizes for the top 20 earners and still time to qualify for one of those hot spots and the chance to grab a poker bonus booster.
As for the surfing frog promo – MansionPoker.com/promotions/summer-splash-out/index.html">Summer Splash Out, there are $20 and $50 tournaments running every Sunday and Tuesday from July 21 and throughout the following 10 weeks.
Players aim for the highest positions in these tournaments in order to raise their point tally; plus, they can reel in some cash by winning any of the individual online poker tournaments.
MansionPoker.com is offering a total of $5,000 during their summer online poker league, and it’s played in the evenings at a chilled pace of only 2 tournaments per week – so players can make it home after a summer’s day out in time for some riveting poker entertainment.
Once players have become part of this crazy Poker frog’s domain, they get to join the exclusive Club Mansion, earn Mansion Club Points and climb the loyalty programme levels to receive a wide selection of perks and benefits including impressive cash sums and select Club Mansion Shop items.
New players also qualify for the special MansionPoker.com 100% new member online poker bonus of up to $500.
There’s nothing wrong with that…
Hop into some MansionPoker action this summer and you could find that a mere frog turns out to be much more than you expected.
*Visit MansionPoker.com/">http://www.MansionPoker.com for full details and terms and conditions.
Two-Time World Champion Johnny Chan Returns to Asian Poker Tour Macau
July 23, 2009
After getting a taste of the Asian Poker Tour’s event in Macau last year, Johnny Chan will be back this August 12th – 23rd for more.
The two-time WSOP® champion is confirmed to be a part of this year’s Asian Poker Tour Macau event, which will be a twelve-day festival of poker this August. Chan will be on hand to play in this year’s main event as well as to take part in the filming of “Poker King”, an upcoming Chinese film about poker in Asia.
Chan, who was born in China, is one of the biggest names in poker history. Aside from winning back-to-back World Series of Poker® championships in 1987 and 1988, he is also tied with Doyle Brunson for second all-time total bracelets with ten. He currently has over eight million dollars in winnings from live tournaments alone.
Joining Johnny Chan at the upcoming Asian Poker Tour Macau event will be some of the world’s best poker players, including The Poker Pack. The Poker Pack is a team of specially selected players of Asian origin who are ambassadors for the Asian Poker Tour. The group is composed of JC Tran, Nam Le, Quinn Do, David “Chino” Rheem, Steve Sung, and Kwang Soo Lee. Together, the six have over $24 million in live tournament winnings.
The 2009 Asian Poker Tour Macau will be held at the Galaxy StarWorld Hotel and Casino in Macau from August 12 - 23, 2009. Buy-in is set at HK $32,000 + $2,400 (approximately US $4,300).
For more information, log on to the Asian Poker Tour’s web site at www.asianpt.com
Just A Few More Days Till 2009 WSOP Airs on ESPN
July 22, 2009
It’s almost that time of year again, when the old World Series of Poker footage gets a break from regular rotation while the new footage gets a prime spot on ESPN. Poker fans have just a few more days before the footage of the 2009 WSOP begins to air on the sports channel.
The first WSOP event to air on ESPN will be the $40K event which was created to celebrate the forty years the WSOP has been in operation. Beginning on the 28th the $40k event will air for two hours on Tuesday and then two more two hour episodes will follow the $40k event, the Champions Invitational and the Ante Up For Africa charity tournament.
The Champions Invitational will air on August 4th while the Ante Up For Africa event will air on August 11th. The main attraction, the Main Event, will begin airing on August 18th and the Main Event will be shown every Tuesday from then on from 8 and 10pm ET. Each time it airs, fans will be able to watch two hours of footage. The Main Event footage will include each of the four Day 1 flights and two of the Day 2’s.
The Main Event coverage will continue until Day 8 is shown on November 3rd. then on November 10th the final table will be aired with a one hour preview show which will introduce viewers to the November Nine. The special will be followed by two hours of final table action. Viewers will be able to see the champion crowned just a few hours after the bracelet is awarded in Vegas, which is almost as good as being there!
Poker Players Alliance Presents Check for $25,000 to USO-Metro for Wounded Warriors
July 22, 2009
The Poker Players Alliance Presents Check for $25,000 to USO-Metro for Wounded Warriors at Charity Poker Tournament
Washington, D.C. – The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) presented a check for $25,000 to the USO of Metropolitan Washington and raised an additional $10,000 through a charity poker tournament held last night at the Regency Hyatt in Washington, D.C.. The funds will support USO-Metro’s programs and services for wounded warriors and their families receiving treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the National Naval Medical Center and area Warrior Transition Units.
USO-Metro and the PPA hosted thirty wounded warriors who played alongside professional poker players including Annie Duke, Andy Bloch, Jan Fisher, Linda Johnson, Greg Raymer, Howard Lederer and Dennis Phillips. Several members of Congress including Xavier Becerra (CA), Shelley Berkley (NV), Martin Heinrich (NM), Pete King (NY), Ed Perlmutter (CO), Tom Perriello (VA) and Lynn A. Westmoreland (GA) also participated in the evening’s festivities. Army SGT Bret Chevalier was the night's big winner, taking home a trip to fabulous Las Vegas.
“The Poker Players Alliance is proud to support USO-Metro and all they do for recovering servicemen and women and their families,” said John Pappas, Executive Director of the PPA. “It was our honor to host the wounded warriors, and we are grateful to the members of Congress and professional players who came out to the tournament to show their support.”
Elaine Rogers, President of USO-Metro added, “The Poker Players Alliance provided our wounded warriors with a fantastic evening and the opportunity to play poker alongside several pros. We are thankful to the PPA for their generous donation and a great event.”
The USO of Metropolitan Washington supports service members and their families who are recovering and receiving treatment at area military hospitals through various programs including celebrity handshake tours, therapeutic programs, Texas hold em’ tournaments, emergency housing and patient excursions.
Maria Ho and Tiffany Michelle Could Be Heading for Reality Television
July 21, 2009
A few poker players have made an appearance on television and movies over the past few years and it seems as though poker pros Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho will be next to appear on the television screen.
Information has been gathered from a number of sources and it appears that Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho will be appearing in the upcoming season of the CBS hit The Amazing Race. Sources near the CBS camp have confirmed that two female poker pros will create a team on the upcoming season of The Amazing Race although they have released the identities of the two ladies.
Bluff Magazine reported information from RealityFanForum that suggests the two poker pros are going to be on the television show. A poster on the forum website took photos of contestants as the race began and one of the photos clearly shows Maria Ho. Rumors have surfaced that Tiffany Michelle is her partner because of what she stated on her blog recently.
Michelle decided to not participate in the World Series of Poker Main Event and she commented on her blog: “It’d have to be something pretty big to deter me from the WSOP Championship Event this year and trust me, IT IS! I can’t disclose much right now but I’ll be leaving to film a project for a month and it conflicts with the Main Event. … This project and my part are very huge and it’s an opportunity is just too good to pass up. At the end of the day, acting and performing have always been my passion, in fact its how I fell into poker to begin with and I never want to lose sight of that part of my life and career.”
Filming began on July 12th in Los Angeles for The Amazing Race and the Race began on the 15th. More information was found on Michelle’s Twitter from July 13th that stated she was filming a project so all signs point to the two being on the show but nothing has been confirmed.
Jamie Gold Charity Poker Tournament at The Casino at the Empire
July 21, 2009
Poker Champion Jamie Gold and Poker in the Park are teaming up to host the Jamie Gold Charity Poker Tournament at The Casino at the Empire during the Poker in the Park festival in Leicester Square, London – 13th and 14th August.
The tournament which aims to raise money for The Jamie Gold Foundation’s numerous charities, will be co-hosted by 2008 WSOP Main Event winner Peter Eastgate and will commence at 7.30pm on Thursday, 13th August at The Empire’s Shadow Lounge.
It will be a 50 player No Limit Texas Hold’em Freezeout Tournament with starting stacks of 6,000 chips. Forty seats will be available at £400 per seat – the other ten seats will be given to poker pros and celebrities personally invited by Gold and Eastgate.
PRIZES
While cash buy-ins will be donated to The Foundation, the top three final table winners will receive prizes.
• PokerStars are generously donating a seat to the London EPT main event worth £5,200 as first prize.
• The Maven, Bluff Magazine’s 2008 Online Player of the Year, is donating one-on-one poker strategy training via his site TheMavenVT.com worth £3,000 to the second place finisher.
• The third place winner will receive a Gevril watch, established in 1758 and favoured by top celebrities including James Caan, Eva Mendes, Martin Sheen, Sting and Denzel Washington, worth £1,500 compliments of Bluff Europe magazine.
Jamie Gold and Peter Eastgate will also be giving lectures on both Thursday and Friday at Poker in the Park. On Thursday they will talk specifically about strategy for small tournaments (less than a hundred runners) similar to what will be played at Poker in the Park’s Poker Dome and at the Gold charity event. On Friday, they will do a follow-up lecture on tournament strategy, with stories and references from the Charity Event held the night before.
Both Jamie Gold and Peter Eastgate will be on hand to accept donations for The Foundation and to sign autographs.