2008 European Poker Awards Nominees Announced

It is that time of the year again, when one year winds down and the poker industry looks at the accomplishments of the players of the exiting year. Though the actual awards won’t be held until January 15, 2009, the nominees have been announced for the 2008 European Poker Awards.

Last year, the big winners at the ceremony of recognition were 19-year old Annette Obrestad as Tournament Performer of the Year, Russian Alex Kravchenko as Player of the Year, and Katja Thater for Europe’s Leading Lady, and Soren Kongsgaard for Rookie of the Year. And Thomas Kremser was giving the Lifetime Achievement Award to top off the festivities.

The 2008 European Poker Awards are set to take place at the famed Aviation Club in Paris, France on the evening of January 15th, where outstanding European players and casino staff will be honored at the awards ceremony. Several players have been nominated in multiple categories, like Neil Channing, Sebastian Ruthenberg, Marty Smyth, David Benyamine, and Bertrand Grospellier. And Madeleine Harper, who won an award last year, is up for two more this year. All of the nominees are as follows:

Rookie of the Year:
Stephen Chidwick, Ivan Demidov, Davidi Kitai, Jeper Hougaard, Sebastian Ruthenberg, Alexander Kostritsyn, Peter Eastgate

Best Tournament Performance:
Neil Channing, Bertrand Grospellier, David Benyamine, Marty Smyth, Jesper Hougaard, Sebastian Ruthenberg, Peter Eastgate

Player of the Year:
Bertrand Grospellier, David Benyamine, Andreas Krause, Marty Smyth, Neil Channing

Europe’s Leading Lady
Sandra Naujoks, Isabelle Mercier, Kara Scott, Annette Obrestad, Svetlana Gromenkova

Casino Staff Person of the Year
Thomas Kremser, Sylvie Berlanger, Jonathan Raab, Simon Trumper, Madeleine Harper

Rob Gardner Award for Innovation:
Rob Young, Gene Gioia, Jonathan Raab, PokerStars Team (Francine Watson, Conrad Brunner, Madeleine Harper)

The recipient of the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award has yet to be announced.

All categories have tough competition, and all players nominated in their respective categories are not only popular in Europe – as well as on a more global level – but have all had successful years that put them in contention for those awards.

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Latin American Poker Tour to Launch in 2008

The first ever Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT) is scheduled for a 2008 launch and will make stops in eight countries. This will be the first series of poker tournaments to focus specifically on Latin America. Dec 26, 2007

• Poker After Dark Wraps Season with All-Star Lineup
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• EPT Season 5 Kicks Off With Awards in Barcelona
• New WPT Show to Debut on Fox Sports on October 5

 

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TO: You – FROM: Pacific Poker

Open your gift from Pacific Poker and get ready to play – even though the qualifying period started on the 20th  of December, the great opportunity to freeroll into cash and fun are far from over. Dec 23, 2008

• 2008 European Poker Awards Nominees Announced
• Chino Rheem Joins APT Poker Pack
• Aussie Millions Seats Available Now at Lucky Ace Poker
• Get Your Holiday RakeBack at Ladbrokes Poker
• Charity Report: Commerce Hosts TLC Charity Tourney Jan. 17
• Sportsbook Poker has $5 Million in Guaranteed Tournaments

 

Aussie Millions Seats Available Now at Lucky Ace Poker

Are you are interested in winning your share of over $7 million? Or maybe you could you use a cool $2 million all for yourself? If you can use a huge cash windfall right now, Lucky Ace Poker is offering you your chance of a lifetime!

Thanks to Lucky Ace Poker, you could win your way to the 2009 Aussie Millions, known as the southern hemisphere’s premier poker event! The Aussie Millions takes place each January at Crown Casino in beautiful Melbourne, Australia. The first Aussie Millions event was held in 1998 with a $1,000 buy-in and a prize pool of $74,000 and 10 international entrants. Since then, the event has grown by leaps and bounds, becoming a highly respected and anticipated event by players from around the globe!

The 2009 Aussie Millions Championship will be comprised of 18 tournaments, concluding with the AUD$10,500 No Limit Hold ‘em Main Event. The 2009 prize pool is expected to reach AUD$8 Million with a first guaranteed first prize of AUD$2 Million! When ranked by prize pool size, the Aussie Millions Championships ranks as the sixth largest poker tournament in the world! And, in 2009, the Aussie Millions will become the home of the World’s Largest Cash Game with an AUD$1 Million Buy-in!

For the New Year at the Aussie event, more than 2,000 individual entrants will participate in the two-week series of the Aussie Millions Championships. With over 400 international visitors expected to attend hailing from Russia, The United States, England, Ireland, Sweden, Holland and Lebanon this is sure to be a huge event! To make it even better, now you will have multiple opportunities to prove that you have the skills to get to the 2009 Aussie Millions in beautiful Melbourne, Australia! That’s because Lucky Ace Poker is offering Aussie Millions 2009 Qualifiers each and every Sunday at 20:00 GMT (16:00 LAT)!

When you give it all you’ve got and find yourself in the winner’s seat, you will receive a $16,000 package to the 2009 Aussie Millions event! That’s right; you can play your way to Melbourne for as little $6+ $0.60 by joining one of Lucky Ace Poker’s satellites! Or, you can choose to buy-in directly to the 2009 Aussie Millions Qualifier for only $500 + $25.

You can find the 2009 Aussie Millions qualifying events under the Multi-table tab “@ Live Events” radio button. Play early or play late, but play often, for your chance to win your $16,000 package to the 2009 Aussie Millions taking place in January 2009! At this prestigious event, you will have the opportunity to match wits against the best of the best. And, each prize package includes your Aussie Millions Main Event buy-in as well as your travel expenses, accommodations, and exclusive access to Lucky Ace Poker events!

If you haven’t tried Lucky Ace Poker yet, now is the time to Download! And, be sure to use the bonus code: PokerWorks so you will receive a special deposit bonus of 100% up to $400 AND the cool PokerBility software free! Make your season bright, start playing at Lucky Ace Poker today and win your way to the 2009 Aussie Millions Championship!

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New Sit n’ Gos on Tap Now at Ladbrokes Poker

Ladbrokes Poker wants to give players everything possible to make your playing experience all that you want it to be – and then some. That’s why Ladbrokes Poker now gives you even more Player Points than ever before as well as a broad new variety of Single Table Sit n’ Go Tournaments! Dec 14, 2008

• Carbon Poker has $787,000 Bad Beat Jackpot
• Your Free $$$ Are Waiting at Chili Poker
• Sportsbook Poker has $5 Million in Guaranteed Tournaments
• Win Main Event Packages at Hollywood Poker!

 

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Aussie Millions Seats Available Now at Lucky Ace Poker

Are you are interested in winning your share of over $7 million? Or maybe you could you use a cool $2 million all for yourself? If you can use a huge cash windfall right now, Lucky Ace Poker is offering you your chance of a lifetime! Thanks to Lucky Ace Poker, you could win your way to the 2009 Aussie Millions, known as the southern hemisphere’s premier poker event! Dec 22, 2008

• Get Your Holiday RakeBack at Ladbrokes Poker
• Charity Report: Commerce Hosts TLC Charity Tourney Jan. 17
• Sportsbook Poker has $5 Million in Guaranteed Tournaments
• The Round Table – Sights and Sounds from Las Vegas – Bellagio Five Diamond
• Stack Dynamics
• Full Tilt Fever: Give the Gift of Online Poker

 

Get Your Holiday RakeBack at Ladbrokes Poker

The holidays are special and to prove it, at Ladbrokes Poker you can get your share of $1,000,000 in cash rewards! All this cash will be given away to players – just for playing at the Ladbrokes Poker cash tables! Of course you can get in on the windfall by Downloading Ladbrokes Poker. And, when you download the software, you will be entitled to the special deposit bonus of 100% up to a whopping $750!! Now you are ready – to play and earn cash back!

When you play at Ladbrokes Poker, for every real money hand you play that qualifies, you’ll get Player Points you can use for Cash Back! Or, you can use them to enter into the frenzy of Ladbrokes Poker Point freerolls bonanza and get in on some hot holiday action!

The best news is you still have time to get your cool cash back, when you play until Sunday, January 4th!  Ladbrokes Poker is offering you the opportunity to join in on their $500,000 Freeroll Bonanza and all you have to do is play, to win your share of over more than $500,000 in cash and prizes! Just earn your player points at Ladbrokes Poker tables and then select the bonanza freerolls you wish to participate in!

Plus you have two levels of rake back to choose from at Ladbrokes Poker!

First, you can earn 30% Rake Back with a Player Points balance of at least 25,000 Player Points! You don’t have to do anything except play and you will receive an automatic cash payment back of 30% of your rake contribution!

Next, there is the level for 25% Rake Back. All Ladbrokes Poker players with a Player Points balance between 10,000 and 24,999 that submit their claim form will receive a handsome cash back payment of 25% of their rake contribution! And all you have to do is what you already are doing – play poker! Earning your Ladbrokes Poker Player Points is just that simple – just play in any cash games and tournaments. And to make earning those points easier, you will earn 25% more points when you play Fixed Limit Cash games!

Points add up fast on Ladbrokes poker because for every $1 raked on Fixed Limit Cash Games, you’ll get 25 Player Points. And, for every $1 raked on No Limit & Pot Limit Cash Games you’ll get 20 Player Points. In addition, you will be awarded 20 Player Points for each and every $1 paid in tournament entry fees! With all these easy ways to earn points, you will want to keep a close eye on your Player Point balance. And, that is so easy to do by clicking on the Menu located on to the left of the menu bar that is across the top of the Ladbrokes Poker lobby. Once in the lobby, click on My Account and select Player Points Freerolls.

Getting your cash is easy! To claim your rakeback, just fill out your Claim form! Forms are located on the website as well as in the poker lobby. Remember, you must submit your claim form by 23:59 GMT on Wednesday 7th January 2009 and you will need to keep the required number of Player Points in your balance.

Hurry over to Ladbrokes Poker and play through the holidays to earn your points at Ladbrokes Poker today!

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Sportsbook Poker has $5 Million in Guaranteed Tournaments

Sportsbook Poker is definitely one place where you’ll always have the opportunity to win lots of cash in poker tournaments.  That’s because Sportsbook gives out $5 million in guaranteed tournament money every month.  And if a tourney prize pool fails to reach its guaranteed amount then Sportsbook Poker will make up the difference. Dec 21, 2008

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• PokerStars Has Your Passport To Worldwide Poker
• Win Main Event Packages at Hollywood Poker!
• Carbon Poker has $787,000 Bad Beat Jackpot

 

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Get Your Holiday RakeBack at Ladbrokes Poker

The holidays are special and to prove it, at Ladbrokes Poker you can get your share of $1,000,000 in cash rewards! All this cash will be given away to players – just for playing at the Ladbrokes Poker cash tables! Of course you can get in on the windfall by Downloading Ladbrokes Poker. Dec 22, 2008

• Charity Report: Commerce Hosts TLC Charity Tourney Jan. 17
• Sportsbook Poker has $5 Million in Guaranteed Tournaments
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• Stack Dynamics
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PokerNews and 888 Poker $100k Guaranteed Holiday Series

The festive season just got even better with the launch of the PokerNews & 888 Poker $100k Guaranteed Holiday Series. Starting December 20, players can participate in a series of freerolls that award free seats to 888 Poker’s Sunday $100k Guaranteed Tournament. In a rare first, most of the freerolls do not even require a minimum deposit – just a 888 Poker account that’s signed up via PokerNews.

The freeroll schedule is as follows:

Daily from December 21 – 25
Registered 888 Poker account via PokerNews only – No minimum deposit, no points requirement
Winner to receive a free seat to the 888 Poker $100k Guaranteed Tourney on Sunday December 28

December 26
Registered 888 Poker account via PokerNews, minimum deposit and a time period of December 20-24 to earn 15 Frequent Player Points
Top five winners receive free seats to the 888 Poker $100k Guaranteed Tourney on Sunday December 28

Daily from December 28 – January 1
Registered 888 Poker account via PokerNews only – No minimum deposit, no points requirement
Winner to receive a free seat to the 888 Poker $100k Guaranteed Tourney on Sunday January 4

January 2
Registered 888 Poker account via PokerNews, minimum deposit and a time period of December 27-31 to earn 15 Frequent Player Points
Top five winners receive free seats to the 888 Poker $100k Guaranteed Tourney on Sunday January 4

It’s that simple – visit Freerolls for a look at the full schedule.

Ed Note: Pacific Poker also offers PokerNews players a fantastic first deposit bonus of 100% up to $400 including 25% instant first deposit bonus up to $100!

Poker Room Review: Terrible’s Sands Regency Casino Hotel, Reno, NV

The poker room at the Sands Regency Casino Hotel is named “Mom’s Poker Room”. It’s a misnomer. It should be called, “Grandpa’s Poker Room” – filled as it often is with older local guys. Even so, it’s a lively and noisy place, located in what may be the casino with the best bargain rooms in Reno.

The Sands is trying hard to keep its small, three-table room vibrant. It’s open seven days a week, going until the last game breaks at 1:00 AM or so. They spread two $25 no-limit tournaments every day, at 10:00 AM and 7:00 PM. Players get a great deal. Just $1 of the buy-in goes to the house. These are bounty tournaments as well, with $5 of the buy-in awarded for every player knocked out. They tend to last about two hours.

The standard game that gets going once the morning tournament ends is $3/6 limit hold’em. Other games are spread at the customer’s request. But the once-weekly Omaha-8 game, that used to be spread on Tuesday evenings, has been discontinued for lack of interest. No-limit hold’em is sometimes spread on Fridays and Saturdays, with $1/2 blinds and a $300 maximum buy-in.

The house rakes 10% with a modest $3.50 maximum per pot. There’s an additional $1 drop that funds a progressive bonus hand promotion for players who hit quads or straight flushes. Players earn $.80/hour with their player’s cards, and get free drinks while playing.

The room is unenclosed – more a squared-off space without complete walls. It is somewhat depressing, with low ceilings (with mirrors on them), cheap looking tables, older, somewhat dirty chips, and smoking. The casino, in fact, promotes the room as a smoking room. Not surprisingly, it attracts many smokers – shut out as they are from all of the non-smoking rooms these days.

I visited on a weekday evening and played some $3/6. I was the only “non-regular” player, and the only player without gray hair. I was literally called “Sonny” when I sat down – and I’m 51! Though the room itself was depressing, the players and staff were anything but. They were friendly, warm, and welcoming. And they all seemed to know each other. I felt like I was stopping in on an inviting home game for a bunch of retirees.

The play of these guys was, for the most part, moderately tight and extraordinarily passive. Were it not for me, I don’t think the hand would have been raised pre-flop more than 10% of the time. Typically, three or four players saw the flop for $3. The flop was often checked around. It was not a tough game to beat.

Reno is going through a tough time right now, with the slowed economy. Even so, the Sands is trying its best to attract tourists. The casino is now offering an $18/night rate. Though I didn’t stay in one of the casino’s rooms, other players told me that they were the largest in downtown Reno. The food, at any of four restaurants, is also very reasonably priced. There are 99-cent shrimp cocktails from the Pipeline Lounge. And the steak buffet, at the restaurant eponymously named “The Steak Buffet”, is only $12.99. Not a bad deal.

As a non-smoker, I can’t say I’d return to the poker room, though I surely would feel welcome and at ease if I did come back. Without question though, if you’re a smoker and like small no-limit tournaments or easy low-limit hold’em action, this is a great spot to play.

Terrible’s Sands Regency Casino Hotel
345 North Arlington Ave.
Reno, Nevada
775-348-2200

EU Court Approves Cut-Rate Business Taxes for Gibraltar

On Thursday a European Union court in Luxembourg ruled in favor of Gibraltar’s state aid case, thereby allowing Gibraltar to levy a corporate tax rate of just 15% of profits on offshore companies. The ruling enables Gibraltar to remain an attractive destination for international businesses, including those of the online gaming industry, many of whom have chosen the British territory as a base for their operations.

The ruling comes in response to a challenge by the European Commission, which had based its objection on the fact of Gibraltar’s fiscal autonomy from the United Kingdom. That challenge dates back to 2002 when Gibraltar’s Chief Minister, Peter Caruana, proposed a new corporate tax system for the territory. The European Commission, believing the new system gave Gibraltar-located companies unfair advantages over their U.K. counterparts, charged that for taxation purposes the territory should be considered part of the U.K. and therefore be subject to its corporate tax rates. Caruana countered by pointing back to Gibraltar’s 1969 constitution which explicitly gives the territory fiscal autonomy.

The European Commission’s challenge had culminated in a 2004 decision by the EC against Gibraltar. Yesterday’s judgment annuls that decision, however, with the EU court specifically dismissing the EC’s conclusions regarding the relationship between Gibraltar and the U.K. In its ruling, the EU court drew on a 2006 judgment on the tax regime of the Azores (an archipelago belonging to Portugal) to support its decision that from a constitutional standpoint, Gibraltar’s political and administrative status is indeed separate from that of the U.K. government.

Among the many online gaming companies based in Gibraltar, the most prominent for poker players are PartyGaming Plc (Party Poker), 888 Holdings (888.com and Pacific Poker), and Mansion (Mansion Poker). Many of these Gibraltar-based online gaming companies are listed on the London Stock Market. It is estimated that the online gaming industry employs more than 12% of the overall workforce in the territory.

The Year in Poker: January, 2008

From a big score down under to business deals and international trade battles, January of 2008 was a fair harbinger for what the year would bring. Alexander Kostritsyn captured the year’s first million-dollar title by besting Erik Seidel at the Aussie Millions, while the massive Harrah’s buyout was finalized, heading several important business and legal matters affecting poker. Here are some of the most important stories from the first month of 2008:

Alexander Kostritsyn Captures 2008 Aussie Millions Main Event

The Aussie Millions is annually the largest poker gathering in the southern hemisphere, with the winner of the AUD $10,000+500 main event instantly joining poker’s upper echelon of players. In 2008 that honor went to Russia’s Alexander Kostritsyn, who broke into an ear-splitting grin after besting American star Erik Seidel for the title. Kostritsyn’s triumph over a tough final table was worth AUD $1,650,000. Seidel collected $1,000,000 as the runner-up, while Michael Chrisanthopoulos, Antonio Casale and Nico Behling also logged final-table runs.

Harrah’s Sale Completed

Among the business deals affecting the poker world, few could be judged more important than the leveraged buy-out of Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. Harrah’s, a mammoth presence in America’s brick-and-mortar casino and entertainment industry, was taken private in the deal orchestrated by private-equity firms Apollo Management, L.P. and TPG Capital, L.P. Harrah’s owns the World Series of Poker, for decades the world’s largest poker series. The buyout, which was negotiated in December of 2006, wasn’t finalized until January 28th, 2008 due to regulatory requirements. The deal called for the private firms to pay $17.1 billion and assume another $10.7 billion in existing Harrah’s debt. The structure of the buyout, it would later develop, became difficult to manage when 2008 brought a financial-markets crisis, an economic downturn, and a softening of consumer demand in the casino industry.

Antigua, Costa Rica File for WTO Arbitration

The ongoing World Trade Organization dispute between the United States and much of the rest of the world regarding online gambling seemed to have reached a point of clarity when the WTO issued a final ruling in favor of Antigua & Barbuda, granting an annual $21 million trade judgment in the process. But America’s intransigence and refusal to deal with other affected nations in the matter – a circumstance in place to this day – soon led Antigua and its Caribbean neighbor in the online-gambling world, Costa Rica, to file for arbitration with the WTO. At issue was America’s announced intent to unilaterally withdraw from its WTO-monitored GATS (General Agreement on Trade in Services) without compensation to other countries. The arbitration filing is one of several WTO/online gambling matters still to be resolved when a new US Trade Office administration begins work in the Barack Obama presidency.

Kahnawake Releases Final Audit on Absolute Poker Scandal

The uncovering of an insider-cheating scandal in 2007 at Absolute Poker by affected players fascinated a segment of the poker world, with reverberations still being felt to this day. Early in 2008, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, based near Montreal, issued its formal final audit on the Absolute Poker situation. Without naming the principle cheater involved, the report did identify the seven different accounts used in the cheating, and announced a $500,000 fine placed on Absolute. Cash-game players were refunded about $1.6 million after the thefts were uncovered.

Bart Tichelman Wins WSOP-Circuit Tunica Ring

World Series of Poker Circuit series final tables run the gamut from being loaded with unknowns to offering several stars. January’s stop in Tunica, MS, was among the latter, with a final that offered reigning WSOP Player of the Year Tom “Donkey Bomber” Schneider, plus such noted tourney-circuit veterans as Ryan Young, Jordan Rich and Mark Garner. Despite the star power present, it was Atlanta’s Bart Tichelman who overcame an early short stack and surged to the win, worth $482,210. Donald Nicholson finished second, worth 236,163, and Giovanni Marcacci claimed third for $129,760.

European Union Investigates Germany, Sweden

Battles over online gambling stretch far beyond the World Trade Organization struggle between the United States and Antigua. Similar disagreements over national rights marked the European Union block of countries, and in late January, the EU’s judicial wing, the European Commission, issued formal notices against member countries Germany and Sweden over national bans against other EU-based online gambling services. In both cases, the countries had sought to protect lucrative state-run gambling monopolies by effectively barring private competition, a practice not allowed under EU trade rules. Germany and Sweden are among the dozen or so EU member countries to run afoul of the trading bloc’s guidelines in regards to online gambling. Negotiations continue, with the industry waiting to see how and when Europe will deal with its future.

PartyGaming Founder Pleads Guilty to Illegal Gambling Charges

In stunning news to the poker industry, enough so that it made mainstream media news like Associated Press and Reuters as well, Anurag Dikshit, one of the founders of PartyGaming, has pled guilty to illegal online gambling charges and agreed to pay $300 million to the U.S. Department of Justice for the infraction. The guilty plea was made in person in a New York federal court in response to charges that he violated the Federal Wire Act.
 
Dikshit was one of the 1997 founders of PartyGaming, which is the parent company of the familiar PartyPoker.com online poker site, among other gaming ventures, but stepped down from the company’s board of directors in May of 2006 to pursue other projects for the company. But his participation in PartyGaming and creation of its software platform made him a billionaire and the 207th richest person in the world, and he remains the largest shareholder in the company with 30 percent of its stock.

PartyGaming pulled out of the United States market upon passage of the UIGEA legislation, though the U.S. Department of Justice did pursue talks with PartyGaming after the fact with regard to online gambling activities that took place before the company made itself unavailable to U.S. customers. PartyGaming was said to be in willing discussions with the U.S. in order to clear itself of any wrongdoing. However, with the prosecution of Dikshit, his guilty plea, and his acknowledgement of wrongdoing, an entirely different light has been shed on the industry.

In response to the charge that he, during his work with PartyGaming, violated the Wire Act because his clients used the internet to pay gambling charges and fees for the services provided by the company, Dikshit’s attorney Mark Pomerantz told the judge that his client had “a growing awareness of the illegality of the conduct” before PartyGaming left the U.S. market.

“I came to believe it was in fact illegal under U.S. law,” Dikshit remarked to the judge. “I have taken full responsibility for my actions.”

The result of the plea was the $300 million fine, of which he paid $100 million, will pay another $100 million in three months, and pay the final $100 million by September of 2009. Dikshit still faces two years in prison and one year of supervised release, but the sentencing date has been postponed until December of 2010, and he will be allowed free on multi-million bond until that time.

PartyGaming released a statement on December 16th in response to the agreement between Dikshit and the U.S. Attorney’s Office but refused to comment on Dikshit’s case in particular. “Any such developments are completely independent from those of the Company and as such should not be seen as bearing any guidance to the nature of the Company’s own discussions.”

It continued, “The Company’s discussions with the DoJ have made good progress and it is currently negotiating the final terms of a possible settlement with the DoJ… However, on the basis of the discussions to-date, PartyGaming expects any settlement with the DoJ to involve a payment by the Company of an amount that is significantly lower than that reported to be paid by Mr. Dikshit in today’s Financial Times. In addition, the Company believes that any such settlement is unlikely to include a criminal plea on the part of the Company or any director.”

The potential fallout from Dikshit’s plea, notably that he believed catering to the U.S. market as an internet gaming company was wrong, has the poker industry reeling. Not only does this set a bad precedent for companies that contend they are not violating U.S. law, specifically sites like PokerStars and Full Tilt, but it gives fodder to the anxious and aggressive U.S. Department of Justice to pursue those sites on the basis of this case’s success.

The weeks and months ahead will dictate the future of online gaming in the United States. But will the new Obama administration take a different attitude and perspective on the law? Will Rep. Barney Frank and others in Congress be successful in their efforts to overturn the UIGEA and/or exempt poker from that law? We may have answers in 2009.

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Internet Gambling Prohibition Act

The following information is taken from an email sent to me by The Poker Player's Alliance. Please do NOT delay in contacting your representative and letting them know that you play poker on the Internet and that you find it unbelievable that anyone would try to prohibit people in the United States from their right to freedom in usage of the Internet. May 24, 2006

• Unlawful Online Gaming Bill Analyzed
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PartyGaming Founder Pleads Guilty to Illegal Gambling Charges

In stunning news to the poker industry, enough so that it made mainstream media news like Associated Press and Reuters as well, Anurag Dikshit, one of the founders of PartyGaming, has pled guilty to illegal online gambling charges and agreed to pay $300 million to the U.S. Department of Justice for the infraction. Dec 19, 2008

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Steve Sung Still Seeking WPT Title, Bellagio Final Table Set

The Doyle Brunson Five Diamond Poker Classic in Las Vegas is one of the favorite stops on the World Poker Tour each season. Not only is it a $15,000 buy-in event, but it is the last major tournament prior to the holiday season and the end of the year. Thus, the Fontana Lounge at the Bellagio was packed with players, all with the hopes of scoring big before heading into 2009.

Blinds for both of the starting days were 50/100, and each player had 45,000 in chips. A total of 203 players took to the felt on Day 1A, and the field was packed with professional players, including the man the tournament was named after, Doyle Brunson. Players were leaving in a fairly quick fashion despite the deep starting stacks, and among the ones who left early in the day were Will Failla, Josh Arieh, Barry Shulman, Joe Sebok, Shannon Shorr, John Juanda, and Peter Feldman. As the day progressed, they were joined on the rail by Brandon Cantu, David Williams, and Theo Tran, the latter of the two who took their eliminations at the hands of Phil Hellmuth.

The eliminations and consistent chip accumulation of Phil Hellmuth put him at the top of the leaderboard when the day concluded, and he sat there with 188,150. Gary Gibbs held up second position with 169,075, but not far behind was Clonie Gowen, Kido Pham, and Ryan Young. Also in the top ten were Luke Staudenmaier, Nenad Medic, Devin Porter, Greg Raymer, and Amnon Filippi – a star-studded leaderboard by all counts. There were 150 survivors from Day 1A.

Day 1B brought another 294 players to the field, creating a total field size of 497 and a total prize pool of $7,231,350. The top 100 finishers were scheduled to be paid, with first place taking home $1,538,730 for the win.

Again, the field was stacked with recognizable pros, with one table being notably full of champions – WPT, WSOP, and EPT – including Patrick Bueno, Glenn Chorney, Carlos Mortensen, Michael Martin, David Chiu, David Sklansky, and Mark Newhouse. The first player eliminated in the day was not well known, however; it was Ed Brogdon who left just under 30 minutes into the day’s action. Others who followed were Scotty Nguyen, Allen Kessler, Sammy Farha, and J.J. Liu.

By the end of the day, the chip leader, Paul Niemela with 260,775, had overtaken the overall leaderboard’s top spot by quite a large margin, and Evan McNiff finished with 190,375 to take second. The rest of the Day 1B chip leaders included Marco Traniello, Kevin Schaffel, Carlos Mortensen, Lex Veldhuis, Jared Rubin, and Jim Routas.

A massive crowd of 376 players returned to play Day 2 at the Bellagio. First to go was actress-turned-poker pro Jennifer Tilly, and Paul Wasicka didn’t take much time heading to the rail himself. Daniel Negreanu was also eliminated as the day moved along, as was Alan Goehring, Amir Vahedi, Rhynie Campbell, and John Phan.

Isabelle Mercier made a tough stand with a short stack midday when she quadrupled up, then tripled up to sit with 32K. But her good run wasn’t meant to hold up, as she was finally eliminated by Kevin Saul. Others who left the tournament were Bob Stupak, Vivek Rajkumar, Jennifer Harman, Michael Gracz, David Pham, Ivan Demidov, Erik Seidel, and Bertrand Grospellier. Ultimately, only 139 remained when the five levels of play completed.

Ahead in the chip counts was Justin Young with 552,900 in chips, closely followed by Chuck Kelley with 540,900. Others at the top of the leaderboard were Evan McNiff, Tuan Le, Kido Pham, Clonie Gowen, and Phil Hellmuth, making the playdown to the money look all the more interesting.

Day 3 began with those 139 playing to the money and completing five levels or hitting the final six, whichever feat would be accomplished first. Kevin Saul was one of the first out for the day, and Nenad Medic, Eli Elezra, Thor Hansen, Jason Potter, and Layne Flack were close behind. With 116 players left, the action slowed.

Over time, Allen Cunningham was able to take one of those players out, Matthew Glantz and Burt Boutin left the event, and Sorel Mizzi, Dennis Phillips, Gabe Kaplan, and Liz Lieu did so as well. Joe Hachem went out very close to the money when his kings were cracked by the A-K of Robert Mizrachi, and Jon Friedberg was eliminated in 102nd place.

And just as hand-for-hand was ready to get underway, it was discovered that another player busted just after Friedberg. It was a pot between Jason Dewitt and Chino Rheem where the latter put Dewitt to the test with an all-in move on a J♠-10♦-10♥-A♦-9♥ board. Dewitt called for all of his chips, but when Rheem showed pocket aces for the full house, Dewitt mucked his cards and left in 101st place as the bubble player.

That made way for Kevin Schaffel to be eliminated in 100th place with a $21,620 prize. Other notables ousted shortly thereafter included Marco Traniello in 97th, Devin Porter in 94th, Phil Hellmuth in 93rd, Johnny Chan in 92nd, and David Sklansky in 91st. After Humberto Brenes went out in 78th place and Annie Duke in 76th, it was Jon Turner and Minh Ly who were eliminated in the same hand by Barry Greenstein in 74th and 73rd places, then Kristy Gazes and Curt Kohlberg tied for a 70th place exit. Rene Angelil, husband of Celine Dion, left in 68th place, followed by Michael Binger in 67th, Doyle Brunson in 66th, Victor Ramdin in 61st, Antonio Esfandiari in 59th, and Dutch Boyd in 58th.

Play stopped at the end of the fifth level of the day with 55 players still standing – or sitting, as it were. Evan McNiff was the chip leader with 1,035,000, and was clearly the most consistent player in the field thus far with spots in the top ten for three playing days straight. Second on the leaderboard was Chino Rheem with just over 900K, followed by Jack Wu, Steve Sung, and Nick Schulman in the top five.

As was the case on the previous day, Day 4 would play for five levels or until the final six players were determined, whichever came first. The action began with the elimination of Tim Vance in 55th place, which was worth $23,420, and Tuan Le was next in the 54th spot. Other significant bust-outs for the day included:

Allen Cunningham – 48th place ($28,825)
Nam Le – 47th place ($28,825)
Matt Giannetti – 46th place ($28,825)
Scott Bohlman – 43rd place ($28,825)
Kido Pham – 42nd place ($28,825)
Jonathan Little – 39th place ($36,030)
Barry Greenstein – 38th place ($36,030)
David Oppenheim – 30th place ($43,235)
Brad Berman – 29th place ($43,235)
Andy Bloch – 27th place ($43,235)
David Benyamine – 25th place ($43,235)
John Hennigan – 23rd place ($43,235)
Jacobo Fernandez – 22nd place ($43,235)
Tom Franklin – 20th place ($57,645)

And with the elimination of Steve Landfish in 19th place, the final two tables were set, and shortly thereafter, play ended for the day. Clonie Gowen and Mike Matusow both doubled near the end of the evening to stay alive and well going into the next day, but it was Ben Straate who was the dominating chip leader with 3,197,000 in chips. Brett Richey was second just over a million less in chips, followed by Justin Young, Evan McNiff, and Mike Matusow to round out the top five.

Day 5 was to be the final day of play, where the six survivors would prepare to go to the coveted WPT televised final table. Bill Klein wouldn’t make it, though, as he was eliminated on the sixth hand of play at the hands of McNiff. Bill Tollerene left a few hands later in 17th place, and Tom Pniak was ousted by Hoyt Corkins to accept a 16th place finish.

Clonie Gowen went on a tear and got involved with Martin de Knijff and Jack Wu preflop. Clonie showed pocket queens, de Knijff had A♣-J♣, and Wu turned over A♥-Q♣. The board came 6♠-5♦-2♦-2♣-10♣, and the two male players were eliminated in 15th and 14th places.

Nick Schulman was mounting a comeback by doubling through Matusow and Corkins, but when he went up against Justin Young, he couldn’t repeat the process. His pocket jacks went down to the A-K of Young when an ace and a king came on the flop. Schulman took 13th place and the $72,060 that went with it.

Brett Richey lost a battle with Rheem and left in 12th place for $72,060, and Robert Mizrachi was eliminated in 11th place by McNiff. The final ten players took seats at the same table, and it took only ten hands to see the next player take leave of the action. It was Clonie Gowen, whose pocket sixes were no good against the A-Q of Steve Sung when a queen came on the flop and an ace on the river for good measure. Gowen grabbed $86,470 for tenth place.

Mike Matusow was the next to go, courtesy of Justin Young. Matusow’s A-Q lost to the A-K of his opponent, leaving him with $100,880 for ninth place. Ben Straate was let go in eighth place by Steve Sung, and Straate went to the cashier cage for his $115,295 prize.

The very next hand saw the final elimination of the day when Joe McGowan pushed all-in from the big blind with pocket fours. Rheem called with pocket nines, and the board brought nothing for the short stack when it showed A♣-A♠-5♥-6♠-8♥. McGowan took seventh place and the $165,735 that went with it.

And the final table was set with Sung in the chip lead and a star-studded and camera-friendly group for the WPT final. The chip counts and seating assignments were as follows:

Seat 1:  Chino Rheem – 4,240,000
Seat 2:  Amnon Filippi – 2,750,000
Seat 3:  Hoyt Corkins – 2,295,000
Seat 4:  Steve Sung – 5,885,000
Seat 5:  Justin Young – 2,410,000
Seat 6:  Evan McNiff – 4,805,000

The final table will play out at the Bellagio at 4pm on Friday, December 19th.

(Thanks to WPT Live Updates for specific hand and chip count information.)

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News in the poker industry is filled with information about high stakes poker games, whether online, in poker rooms like the Bellagio or Commerce, private games like those hosted by Larry Flynt, or on the set of shows like High Stakes Poker or Poker After Dark. Once in awhile, a film or television celebrity will participate in a high stakes game as well. But billionaires on the Forbes family yacht playing for a $200,000 donation to charity? Not exactly something we hear about often.

It’s not as if poker isn’t played in varying circles of people, from rich to poor, and many of them participate in the increasingly popular charity poker tournament. But when no professional poker players are involved, it rarely makes the poker news. Matthew Miller of Forbes.com did post the story, however, of a select group of billionaires who played a bit of poker for charity, and those high rollers just happened to be members of the Forbes 400 playing on a Forbes family yacht.

The four players in the game converged upon Manhattan to board the yacht, each with tens of thousands of dollars in hand. Stewart Rahr made his billions in pharmaceuticals, Tom Siebel did well in the software business, John Catsimatidis was referred to as a real estate magnate, and Phil Ruffin made his money in casinos (former owner of the New Frontier Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas), oil, and other endeavors. Reportedly, the net worth of the four billionaires at the table was $8.1 billion, which may be able to put any Vegas cash game players to shame.

Each player bought into the game for $25,000 for as many chips, and unlimited rebuys were set at $25,000 for the no-limit hold’em game. While Rahr suggested the buy-in be $50K, the others argued that a lower buy-in would encourage more rebuys, so the lower amount was fixed. The winner at the end of the night would declare which charity would benefit from the entire amount in the pot.

Ruffin was admittedly the most familiar with poker of the foursome, even taking down the first hand of the night, but Siebel tried to give himself a bit of an edge by reading a strategy book on the flight there to overcome his status as the rookie.

Catsimatidis was the first to risk all of his chips and lose with a flush when Rahr called with the nut flush. But Catsimatidis immediately rebought for another $25K and continued to play.

But it was Rahr who had the best weapon of all — the presence of friend Annie Duke. She came in with actress and model Brande Rockerick who came to pick up a check from Rahr, as Roderick was participating in a charity challenge as part of Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice television show. (It has been rumored that Duke was also a contestant on the show.) At Rahr’s request, Duke play a few hands for him after he had to rebuy, though she wasn’t able to do much good for him. “You’re very unlucky,” she told Rahr when he returned.

Siebel was out of the game soon, followed by Rahr who finally stopped rebuying. Ruffin ended up winning the very last hand, eliminating Catsimatidis and taking the $200,000 pot to donate to the American Diabetes Association. Ruffin then told the reporter, “Bring better players next year. I want real competition.”

According to Miller’s recount of the events, most of the crew never stopped conducting business, despite the amount of money on the table. For a billionaire putting tens of thousands of dollars on the table, money that would ultimately be a charitable write-off, that seemed no reason to stop text-messaging. Nevertheless, the donations to charity that happened that night, including the $50K given to Roderick, were impressive. And Rahr was headed to Las Vegas to play in a Justin Timberlake charity golf game the next day.

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