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Step up your Poker Game with Absolute Poker’s STEP Tournaments

Absolute Poker is one of the online poker rooms that offer their players STEP tournaments which are a way for players to earn seats to major land based tournaments like the 2009 WSOP. The special aspect of STEP tournaments is the fact that they begin with a low buy-in so players can begin competing for a low amount of cash. Absolute Poker offers STEP tournaments beginning at just ten cents, which anyone can afford.

Win Your Way into the WSOP with Absolute Poker’s Step Tournaments!

Absolute Poker’s STEP tournaments have ten steps with the final step offering the seat to the land based event. Players can begin on the first step for just ten cents and then work their way up the ten steps to the final. Players must finish the first step before moving on the next and so on.

The STEP tournaments are a type of Sit-n-Go tournament and each tournament consists of ten STEPS, which equals ten individual Sit-n-Go tournaments. As each STEP tournament advances the buy-ins increase.

Each STEP tournament sees the first two winners advancing to the next step without having to pay the buy-in.  For example, a WSOP hopefull buys into the first Step, and  the first two winners of the STEP 1 then move on to STEP 2 without having to pay the buy-in and the first two winners of STEP 2 move on to STEP 3 and so on.
Now here’s where it gets interesting. The third and fourth place finishers of STEP 1 get back into STEP 1 for free. So as long as you can finish in the top four, you don’t lose.

Once you get to STEP 2,  which you can buy into directly for .30 (thirty cents), you can either win your way to STEP 3 by finishing in first or second, or retry STEP 2 again by finishing in third, or if your game is a little lax, or you suffer a bad beat, you can win your way back to STEP 1 by winning fourth place. At the very least, you win a nickle (Half up on your next STEP 1) by placing in fifth place.

This advancement will continue until players reach STEP 10 and the winner earns the seat to the land based tournament that Absolute Poker is offering, right now that tournament is of course the World Series of Poker. Another great aspect of the STEP tournaments is that if you do not make it to the next STEP but you still finish high you will be given the option to replay the STEP instead of having to start over or move down a STEP.

Alternatively, players can opt to take another path during STEP 7 and win their way into a Multi Table tournament with 50 guarenteed WSOP seats on offer.

To begin playing in the Absolute Poker STEPS Tournaments players need to log on to their account at Absolute Poker and clicking on the STEPS Tournament Tab. With such a small buy-in this is a great way to try and earn a seat to a major land event without having to hurt your bank roll. With just a ten dollar deposit you could enter several STEPS tournaments at the ten cent level or move up to the fifty cent level or an even higher level. Its amazing how far just ten dollars will get you at Absolute Poker when you play the STEPS tournaments.

Kentucky Appeals Court Overturns Ruling To Seize 141 Online Gambling Domains

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.

60 Minutes To Report On Absolute Poker / UltimateBet Cheating Scandal

CBS News headliner “60 Minutes” is covering the Absolute Poker and UltimateBet cheating scandal that has been ongoing for months now. The report is scheduled to air on the evening of November 30th at 7pm ET titled, “How Online Gamblers Unmasked Cheaters”.

According to information reportedly confirmed by Poker News Daily, 60 Minutes has undertaken a 4-month investigation into the online poker story with the assistance of Gilbert Gaul, newspaper correspondent for The Washington Post.

A sneak preview for the report was posted by 60 Minutes, offering a glimpse into the interview between correspondent Steve Kroft and online poker player Steve Witteles, better know online as ‘Dan Druff’.

“This ‘Graycat’ person was new and at first he seemed like a live one,” Witteles stated in the video clip. “He seemed terrible. He was raising just really, really bad hands against very good hands. He seemed to play crazy. He seemed like he was giving his money away, except the only thing was, he wasn’t losing.”

Witteles went on to further explain why his encounter with ‘Graycat’ was so remarkably unusual. “He was playing in a style that was sure to lose, but he was killing the game day after day.”

The preview told of ‘Graycat’ winning consistently at 15 standard deviations above average, “which was approximately equivalent to winning a one in a million jackpot six consecutive times.”

The username ‘POTRIPPER’ blew the story wide open in September of 2007 when the player called Marco ‘CrazyMarco’ Johnson in a $1,000 tourney holding only 10-high. It was discovered that user number 363, linked back to Absolute Poker’s headquarters in Costa Rica, was observing ‘POTRIPPER’ at the tables.

Since then, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission began an investigation into the matter as multiple players began pointing the preverbal finger and slinging accusations of cheating throughout the online poker room. The investigation revealed that there was in fact cheating going on, and that it went all the way up to the head levels of both Absolute Poker and UltimateBet management.

The cheating first began around the time that Excapsa, formerowner of both Absolute Poker and UltimateBet, sold its business to Tokwiro Enterprises. Apparaently it was ex-managers of the online poker rooms that maintained access to the site, even after the transition to new ownership. Tokwiro was left to take the fall and subsequently pick up the pieces.

The new owner immediately responded and, upon the results of Kahnawake’s investigation, promptly filed a suit against Excapsa; the result of which lead to a $15 million ruling in favor of Tokwiro, who vowed to use those funds to repay players who had suffered losses from the escapade.

If you haven’t been keeping up with the details of this story thus far and would like to learn more, tune in to 60 Minutes on CBS, November 30th at 7pm ET and watch the segment, “How Online Gamblers Unmasked Cheaters”.

Online Poker Rooms Boast “The Future Of Poker Is CEREUS”

After months of enthusiasm and anticipation from thousands of Internet poker fans, the future of online poker is here, and it’s CEREUS. Absolute Poker and UltimateBet, under ownership of Tokwiro Enterprises, have finally merged onto the new CEREUS Poker Network.

The CEREUS platform was developed from the ground up to deliver online poker players at both Absolute Poker and UltimateBet with innovative new features, including advanced security measures and a much more lucrative tournament schedule.

“With the proud launch of the unified network CEREUS, our company is well placed to provide significantly better value and superior service to customers of both brands,” said Peter Leggett, Chief Operations Officer at Tokwiro.

“We are dedicated to providing the ultimate online experience,” Legget continued, “and with CEREUS we offer real value for every dollar our players put on the tables, and our unwavering commitment to security and fair play as the foundation of the new network,”

The transition to the CEREUS poker network had little effect on members of either online poker room, aside from a 4 hour suspension in the banking department yesterday morning. From the hours of 5am to 9am ET, members of Absolute Poker and UltimateBet were asked to hold off on making any transactions, deposit or withdrawal, to allow time for modifications to be complete.

There haven’t been, and aren’t expected to be, any negative implications as a result of the CEREUS integration. Existing members of both online poker rooms are asked to simply log onto their respective sites and continue to play online poker in the same manner as they always have. The only noticeable change is the extensively higher traffic rate – due to the merge of player bases – and bigger tournaments with larger crowds than ever before.

“CEREUS, the culmination of more than 12 months of development, delivers a secure, responsive and flexible online poker gaming experience to members of the UB and AP communities,” stated a press release issued by Tokwiro yesterday after the successful transition to CEREUS. “The new poker platform is backed by leading technology and a 24/7 Security Center to deliver a watertight gaming experience for everyone at the tables.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Online Poker Rooms Merge Onto CEREUS Network

Two major online poker rooms, Absolute Poker and UltimateBet, have united to form the CEREUS Network. CEREUS is not expected to launch until August, but the integration of players and platforms from both online poker rooms will instantly create the third largest online poker network in the industry.

Absolute Poker and UltimateBet are owned by the same parent company, therefore it comes as no surprise that the two online poker rooms would merge into one uniform network. The overall designs will be unique, but the blueprint behind Absolute Poker and UltimateBet will be modeled the same.

As of a few months ago, UltimateBet Pro Annie Duke took on the task of redesigning the UltimateBet tournament schedule and structure. As part of the CEREUS Network, both sites will be restricted to use of the same tournament line-up. It’s unclear at this time whether Duke’s revisions will remain intact, or if an entirely new schedule will be devised.

Chief Operations Officer for both UltimateBet and Absolute Poker, Paul Leggett, relayed his enthusiasm over the network merge, “I am so excited to announce the launch of our new poker network CEREUS. This is a huge landmark for our company and online poker. I’m confident that Absolute Poker and UltimateBet customers will be thrilled by the new platform and we look forward to welcoming many new players from around the world.”

Leggett went on to say, “Our company’s goal is to provide poker players with the ultimate online experience. The launch of CEREUS is a major step for us in achieving our goal and we look forward to making many more exciting announcements very soon.”

Absolute Poker and UltimateBet have spent nearly the last year headlining the online poker news industry, but not for the best of reasons. Both online poker rooms have undergone ferocious battering from the media and even the Poker Player’s Alliance (PPA) due to uncovered cheating scandals. Just when Absolute Poker seemed to be recovering from the eruption, UltimateBet found itself in nearly the same awkward position. (For more information, see Absolute Poker/UltimateBet Cheating Scandal.)

The merging of Absolute Poker and UltimateBet is a palpable attempt to regroup and breathe new life into the two online poker rooms. The tribulations of the past could not have caused too much damage to player loyalty if uniting Absolute Poker and UltimateBet into a single network has the power to generate the world’s 3rd largest online poker network.

Absolute Poker FAME: Win Anything From Bling-Bling To Free Gas

Absolute Poker launched a new promotional campaign this month that is promising to reward players with the most innovative prizes, ranging from $45,000 worth of real diamonds to free gasoline.

Deemed the “FAME” promotion, members of Absolute Poker become more “famous” as they play real money ring games, tournaments and/or blackjack, earning STATUS points. The more STATUS points a player earns in a calendar month, the higher their FAME level becomes, rising through the ranks of Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and of course, Diamond.

The Absolute Poker FAME promotion covers the two-month period of July 1^st through August 30^th. At the end of the promotion, the three online poker players who are the most famous – earn the most STATUS points – will each be awarded a genuine diamond worth $5,000.

For the month of July, the first 5 members of Absolute Poker to earn 10,000 STATUS points will each receive a diamond worth $2,000. In addition, the first 5 players to hit a Diamond Royal Flush playing $1/$2 stakes at the online poker room will be rewarded with diamonds worth $1,000.

The most unique benefit of the Absolute Poker FAME promotion is the ability to spend earned credits through Absolute Poker’s new Rewards Store, offering all sorts of valuable merchandise – even the option to purchase gasoline!

A spokesperson from Absolute Poker stated, “We believe all poker players deserve to be treated like the rich and famous, so we’re rolling out the red carpet with an unparalleled loyalty program that rewards players in incredible new ways including a real diamond giveaway that ups the ante even further.“

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