Lady Gaga & Kid Cudi – Poker Face (Piano Version) Montreal 11/27/2009
Poker Face Performed At The Bell Center In Montreal, QC.
Categories: Poker Videos Tags: 2009, Ball, Bell, Center, Cudi, Face, Gaga, Her, Kid, Lady, Live, Make, Monster, Montreal, Poker, Quebec, Say, The
Full Tilt Poker Players Rushing to Claim Holiday Hundred Bonus
Only a few days remain in the Full Tilt Poker Holiday Hundred promotion, offering online poker players a $100 bonus on the world’s second largest site. The room has seen its high-stakes action balloon in recent weeks thanks to Isildur1.
Happy Holidays from Full Tilt Poker. One month before poker players awake on Christmas morning or participate in Hanukkah and Kwanzaa festivities, Full Tilt Poker players can claim a special $100 Holiday Hundred bonus. Players have until the end of the day Eastern Time on December 6th to cash in. All they have to do is open the Full Tilt Poker Mac or Windows client, log in, and click “Requests” on the top menu bar. Then, select “Check My Bonus Offer” and click on “Accept Offer.”
Full Tilt Poker members have 30 days to release their bonus money by earning Full Tilt Points (FTPs) in real money ring games and tournaments. Every FTP earned means that players will claim $0.06 of the Holiday Hundred bonus, which will be paid out in increments of $10. Simple math will allow you to calculate that 167 FTPs are needed to clear each $10 increment and 1,667 are required for the full bonus to be unlocked. For each dollar that Full Tilt rakes from a pot, every player who was dealt cards in the hand will receive one FTP. Each $1 paid in tournament entry fees means that players will earn seven FTPs.
Now, for the fine print. Players who have never deposited on Full Tilt Poker before should sign up for the site and clear the initial 100% first-time deposit bonus by the end of the day on November 30th. Then, Full Tilt will issue the Holiday Hundred bonus by December 2nd and players must accept it by the 6th. Full Tilt Poker customers who already hold active bonuses have until the end of the day on November 30th to clear their full value. Then, Full Tilt will place the Holiday Hundred bonus in their accounts by December 2nd and it must be accepted by the 6th.
The world’s second largest online poker site has seen its high-limit table action increase since the beginning of the month after the arrival of Swedish online poker mystery man Isildur1. The newcomer has battled a bevy of Full Tilt Poker pros in Pot Limit Omaha and No Limit Hold’em games. His cast of opponents has included newly-minted site pro Tom “durrrr” Dwan, 2009 World Series of Poker November Nine member Phil Ivey, Durrrr Challenge participant Patrik Antonius, and CardRunners pros Brian Townsend and Cole South.
According to PokerScout.com, which tracks online poker room traffic, Full Tilt boasts a seven-day running average of 18,800 real money ring game players. During peak hours, the site approaches 30,000 cash game enthusiasts. It’s the second largest site worldwide behind PokerStars and happily accepts customers from the United States. Besides Ivey, Dwan, and Antonius, other members of Team Full Tilt include Howard Lederer, Gus Hansen, Andy Bloch, Jennifer Harman, and bad boy Mike “The Mouth” Matusow.
Full Tilt Poker is gearing up for the second running of the Mini Full Tilt Online Poker Series (MiniFTOPS), which kicks off on December 9th and wraps up 11 days later.
Categories: Poker Directory Tags:
Washington State Online Poker Opponent Considering Keno Expansion
The state of Washington has a long and complicated history with gambling and a new piece of legislation proposing expanded Keno games is just the latest chapter. A recent bill is proposing around-the-clock Keno games starting every four minutes as a possible solution to the state’s projected budget shortfall of more than $2.5 billion.
The game of Keno is already legal in the state, but it currently only runs once daily and the prize pools range from $1 to $100,000. The new proposal suggests expanding the current Keno system, making tickets readily available for purchase and displaying video screens in restaurants and bars.
The Seattle Times recently reported that none other than Margarita Prentice, the state’s Senate Ways and Means Chair, is contemplating sponsoring the Keno bill. Some may remember Prentice as the woman who spearheaded the 2006 law banning online poker in the state. The law was successfully passed and made gambling online a Class C felony, on par with animal cruelty and possession of child pornography. The ban was an amendment of the state’s 1973 Gambling Act.
A blog by Caleb Hannan on the Seattle Weekly’s website suggested that Prentice pushed through the online poker law in order to protect the interests of Washington State Indian reservations. These tribal groups also contributed heavily to Prentice’s campaign, leading local media like the Weekly to question the motives behind her actions.
Prentice commented to the Seattle Times about the new Keno bill, suggesting it differs from online poker, slot machines, and video poker, all forms of gambling she has previously fought against. She claimed that the four-minute intervals between games offered people a chance to “cool their heels” and not let the game get out of control.
What seems to be swaying the politicians of Washington more than the nature of the game itself is the potential revenue it brings to the cash-strapped state. The Keno initiative could bring in as much as $30 million in revenue annually, an amount that is getting the attention of numerous Washington officials, including Governor Chris Gregoire. The Times published an article on Friday that said that Gregoire was “seriously considering” the legislation, according to legislative director Marty Brown.
The state legislature is set to meet in January to discuss its budget crisis and they will consider the keno proposal, other cost cutting measures, and potential tax hikes. This is not the first time the state has considered a gambling initiative to add to revenue. In 2004, it put a ballot initiative pushing for slot machines in bars in restaurants to a vote and it was defeated by a 60% to 40% margin. The Governor’s office claims this new Keno proposal differs from the failed initiative in that it is not expanding gambling in the state, but rather building on the existing Keno system.
There has been no action on the Keno legislation just yet, but the reports from Seattle indicate that it will merit serious consideration as the state budget woes continue into 2010. The current budget is set to cover the state’s needs through 2011.
Categories: Poker Directory Tags:
APPT Sydney Grand Final Kicks Off December 1st
The PokerStars Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) is preparing to wrap up its 2009 schedule with the $6,300 AUD APPT Grand Final running from December 1st to 6th at the Star City Casino in Sydney. Team PokerStars Pros and former World Champions Peter Eastgate and Joe Hachem are among the several hundred players expected to participate in the tour’s flagship tournament.
The APPT Sydney schedule kicked off with the $200 AUD Pink Diamond Ladies No Limit Hold’em tournament on November 22nd. Several other preliminary events are taking place before the Main Event gets underway, including a deep stack No Limit Hold’em tournament and a Pot Limit Omaha event. Once the Main Event is underway, side events include the $15,300 AUD High Roller, a $550 AUD Ladies Tournament, a $1,100 AUD team event, a $3,200 AUD Heads-Up event, and the $340 AUD Camp Quality Charity Event in aid of the Australian Children and Families Cancer Charity.
Last year, Martin Rowe defeated fellow Aussie Jason Gray for the APPT Grand Final title and $1 million AUD ($648,046) prize. The event was Aussie-dominated, as 39 of the 48 players who reached the money were from Down Under. The first ever APPT Grand Final was won by Grant Levy, who snagged USD $850,000 for his achievement and is now a member of Team PokerStars Pro Australia.
This season’s APPT champions – Dermot Blain, Simon Watt, and Dong-bin Han – won a seat to the APPT Grand Final as part of their victories. Blain collected $541,072 for his win at APPT Macau in August, while Watt earned $154,043 at APPT Auckland in October. Han took home $156,722 after claiming the APPT Cebu title earlier this month. The event in Cebu broke participation records for an event in the Philippines. The APPT Seoul event, scheduled for September 17th to 20th in South Korea, was postponed due to construction delays at the 7-Luck Casino and will be rescheduled once the construction is completed.
Overall, the APPT has been very pleased with the tour in 2009. Jeffrey Haas, President of the APPT, said: “This season’s APPT has been a great success with over a thousand players competing in the three events already held in Macau, Auckland, and Cebu. This has been made possible by massive enthusiasm for the tour right across the region. This season’s Grand Final in Sydney is set to cement the tour’s reputation for providing incredible events in great locations.”
On December 7th, the annual APPT Tournament of Champions event will take place. This invitation-only tournament features winners from the APPT as well as some of the biggest names in poker competing to help their favorite charities. The first year the tournament was held, Joe Hachem won; last season PokerStars Pro Vanessa Rousso took home the title.
Categories: Poker Directory Tags:
Lady Gaga – Poker Face Montreal 11/27/2009
Poker Face Performed At The Bell Center In Montreal, QC.
Categories: Poker Videos Tags: 2009, Ball, Bell, Center, Face, Gaga, Lady, Live, Monster, Montreal, Poker, Quebec, The
William Brindise Wins US Poker Championship Main Event
Despite the promise of a televised final table for both its Pot Limit Omaha Championship and Main Event, it was a small crowd at the United States Poker Championships (USPC), with only 32 players entering the Omaha event and 154 taking part in the Main Event.
The tournament series, hosted by the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, ran from November 2nd until shortly before Thanksgiving and featured a total of 24 different events with buy-ins ranging from $340 to $5,250. Prior to the start of the series, the tournament staff announced that cable television channel Spike TV would be on hand to film a couple of the contests.
The first televised event was the $2,625 buy-in Pot Limit Omaha tournament. Although the field was a scant 32 players, it was packed with some big name pros, several of whom made it to the final table. Amnon Filippi, Matthew Matros, Matt Glantz, and Allie Prescott all made the feature table, with Prescott taking home the victory worth $36,000.
The second televised tournament, the USPC Main Event, drew a much larger crowd than the Omaha contest and saw substantial growth over last year’s running. The combined appeal of a televised event plus a smaller buy-in helped to essentially triple the size of the field between 2008 and 2009. Last year, the event featured a buy-in of $10,000 and only drew 52 runners. Some of the 154 players who turned up to play in this year’s tournament included Matt “All In At 420” Stout, UB.com pro Liv Boeree, Allen Kessler, Michael and Nick Binger, Joe “hoodini10” Udine, Adam Junglen, Jeff “yellowsub” Williams, and Thayer Rasmussen.
The final table featured a number of notable names, including the 2001 USPC Champion Men “The Master” Nguyen. Nguyen defeated fellow pro John Juanda heads-up in 2001 to take the $228,000 first place prize. This time around, the tables were turned and it was Nguyen who had to settle for a runner-up finish. Nguyen was joined at the final table by Nick Binger, World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Brian Lemke, and online poker player Eric “avrilsharapova” Ladny.
The chip leader going into the final table was not one of the known pros though, it was William Brindise, a New Jersey local who started the final seven-handed table with more than 1.5 million chips – twice that of his next closest competitor, Nguyen. Ladny rounded out the top three and the trio of players started and ended the day in the exact same positions on the leaderboard. Ladny busted out in third place, setting up a heads-up match between Nguyen and Brindise. It would be the local who prevailed over the professional, as Brindise defeated Nguyen to take down the first place prize worth $261,800; Nguyen earned $138,600 for his runner-up finish.
Although he may be lacking the experience of his formidable heads-up opponent, Brindise is no stranger to poker success. Prior to his win at the USPC, he had nearly $130,000 in tournament winnings to his credit, including a win in a Trump Classic event in 2005, several cashes at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, and an in-the-money finish at the 2004 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. With the victory in Atlantic City, Brindise’s career winnings are now close to $400,000.
Here are the results from the final table of the 2009 USPC Main Event:
1st Place: William Brindise – $261,800
2nd Place: Men “the Master” Nguyen – $138,600
3rd Place: Eric Ladny – $77,000
4th Place: Gordon Eng – $53,900
5th Place: Brian Lemke – $46,200
6th Place: Nick Binger – $30,800
7th Place: Anton Smolyanskiy – $23,100
Categories: Poker Directory Tags:
Top Poker Pros Discuss What They Are Thankful For
Most Americans spent Thanksgiving Day huddled around the dinner table, noshing on roasted turkey, stuffing, potatoes, gravy, and a variety of desserts. Poker News Daily was able to talk to several pros to hear what they are thankful for.
Many poker players took the day off from the tables to spend time with their families. Beth Shak was quite reflective when she said, “I’m thankful for my health and the heath of my family. I’m thankful for the love from my family and friends. I’m thankful for love and laughter in my life.”
Even those who may not have originally called the United States home were able to get in on the tradition with their families and bring some of their own flair to the holiday. Marco Traniello, who sat in on Thanksgiving with wife Jennifer Harman and their children, noted, “We are very thankful for our wonderful family and friends that we have. This year, though, we substituted the turkey with an authentic Pilgrim’s dish… lasagna!”
There was even more fun in the Joe Sebok household, as one of the wittiest poker players in the game today commented on his Thanksgiving by saying, “I am so thankful for all of my peeps that I am close with, all the opportunities that I have been given this year, and yes, even the crazy world of poker that I have found myself in somehow.” After a moment of pause, Sebok added, “Oh, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, too!”
Some of the pros in the poker community talked about their activities on Turkey Day. Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little headed to the ski slopes instead of watching football and commented, “I was planning on working out, but I can hardly move from skiing. I think I will have enough time to crawl to the tournament at Bellagio,” where the Five Diamond World Poker Classic will begin. Pamela Brunson thought about all the food she ate when she said, “I gobble gobbled but good! Time to start a new exercise regime! I’m starting by two-steppin’ on Friday!”
In the end, all of the players – and many Americans themselves – thought of those who couldn’t be with those they love. Eric Mizrachi, gathering with the Mizrachi clan, said, “I’m thankful for what all the people did to have such a nice country that we are living in today. I’m proud to be an American and at least I know I’m free!” The effervescent Absolute Poker pro Lacey Jones enthusiastically responded to Poker News Daily, “I’m thankful for our troops! And I want to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!”
Poker News Daily wants to thank all those who responded and join with them by wishing everyone the happiest of Thanksgivings.
Categories: Poker Directory Tags:
Poker Industry Reacts to UIGEA Regulations Delay
Twenty-four hours after it was revealed that mandatory financial services industry compliance with the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) would be delayed by six months, the poker industry has had a chance to react.
The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) was one of several organizations that successfully petitioned U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to push back conformity with UIGEA rules until June 1st, 2010. The 1.2 million member strong lobbying organization’s Chairman, Alfonse D’Amato, commented in a press release distributed on Friday, “We are thankful to our co-petitioners, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and the American Greyhound Track Operators Association, and for the dozens of members of Congress who voiced their support for this petition through letters to Secretary Geithner and Chairman Bernanke. The PPA looks forward to working with regulators and legislators to pass legislation that protects consumers and the great game of poker.” News of the extension originally broke on Wednesday.
The two horse racing outfits co-authored a letter with the PPA to Geithner and Bernanke outlining the potential for overblocking by financial institutions, which could have led to legal online wagers being denied by companies like Visa and MasterCard. According to the PPA, the possibility of an extension beyond the current six-month time frame exists. Ideally, Congress would formulate proper internet gambling legislation in the near future.
To that end, Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative (SSIGI) spokesperson Michael Waxman commented, “This decision is the latest evidence that momentum is building for a shift in policy and a rewrite of U.S. internet gambling laws to provide for regulation and taxation instead of prohibition. Over the next six months, Congress should act to create a framework that regulates internet gambling to protect consumers and collect billions in much-needed revenue for critical federal and state government programs.”
Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), whose House Financial Services Committee will host a hearing on two internet gambling bills next Thursday, gave his two cents on the UIGEA compliance date being postponed: “The Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve Board of Governors deserve a great deal of credit for suspending these midnight regulations promulgated by the Bush administration which would curtail the freedom of Americans to use the internet as they choose and which would pose unrealistic burdens on the entire financial community. This will give us a chance to act in an unhurried manner on my legislation to undo this regulatory excess by the Bush administration and to undo this ill-advised law.”
On the PocketFives.com online poker forum, Rich “TheEngineer” Muny, who serves as the Kentucky State Director for the PPA, broke the news early on Black Friday. While many online poker players were out hunting for deep holiday discounts, PocketFives.com member “mordan” was on the message boards candidly responding, “Everyone in the poker community just won a 30/70 with this development. Although this doesn’t guarantee regulation in the future, our odds have significantly increased with the U.S. Treasury recognizing problems with this bill.”
The future of the legality of games like online poker remains up in the air. In the PPA forum on TwoPlusTwo, poster “Distajo” questioned, “Was the delay granted more for the clarity of the UIGEA rules? Thus, being more beneficial for banks? Like don’t fund poker accounts, but allow horseracing wagers?” Past attempts to clarify the UIGEA have mandated that “laundry lists” of legal activities be created. If a bill like Frank’s HR 2267 is passed, the entire industry seems likely to be legalized and regulated in the United States.
Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest UIGEA headlines.
Categories: Poker Directory Tags:
British Columbia Poker Championship Winner Sophon Sek Arrested
Less than a day after winning this year’s British Columbia Poker Championship and earning the first place prize of $364,364, 30 year-old Sophon Sek was arrested on charges of manslaughter and breaking and entering. As a result, his prize money is being held at the casino at the request of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and there is a chance it will be confiscated from Sek altogether.
Sek is the sixth person arrested in connection with the Surrey Six murder case. In October of 2007, six people were shot in the head and killed in the Surrey area high rise apartment building Balmoral Towers. The murders are believed to be an act of gang violence, as four of the six victims were known to be part of the British Columbia drug trade. The men suspected in the murders are members of the Red Scorpions, one of the largest and most influential gangs in British Columbia. The Surrey Six slayings are considered to be one of the worst instances of gang violence in modern British Columbian history.
The Vancouver Sun newspaper reported that Sek is believed to be an associate of the Red Scorpions as well. Statements from Corporal Dale Carr of the police force gave little insight on why Sek was arrested and faced lesser charges than the other five men previously detained in the killings, but the Sun reported that Sek is not believed to be one of the murderers. According to the paper, the RCMP believe that it was Sek who let the perpetrators into the high rise, though it is still unclear whether or not he was aware of their intentions.
Howard Blank, Vice President of the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation, reported that the RCMP requested Sek’s winnings from the $2,700 (CDN) buy-in event. Sek outlasted a field of 679 players including poker pros Gavin Smith, “Yukon” Brad Booth, Mike “SirWatts” Watson, Tiffany Michelle, Maria Ho, Greg “FBT” Mueller, and Scott “BigRiskky” Clements, who made the final table, finishing in seventh place.
Sek was set to return to River Rock Casino in Vancouver, the site of the event, to pick up his winnings Monday, but his arrest prevented him from doing so. He is currently being held in custody until his trial date on November 30th. His lawyer, Alan Ip, spoke to the British Columbia Globe and Mail about the seizure of Sek’s winnings. According to Ip, unless the money was taken as evidence in the case, it was unjustly seized. Carr told the Sun he was not aware of the RCMP’s request for the casino to hold the funds and could not provide an explanation as to why the money would be seized in relation to the case. Ip also emphasized how saddened his client was at the prospect of losing his tournament earnings, as he planned to pursue his love for poker and play in other events in the future.
One of the five other suspects in the case, Dennis Karbonavec, has already pled guilty and was sentenced to life in prison. Following his admission of guilt, three others were arrested in relation to the case in April of 2008 and have been in pretrial custody ever since. The charges against the men include first and second degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and various firearms-related charges.
This is not the first time Sek has had a run in with the police. He was previously charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm in July of 2008.
Categories: Poker Directory Tags:
UIGEA Regulations Officially Delayed Six Months
Online poker players in the United States have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season. On Friday, CNBC and the Associated Press confirmed that U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke had granted requests to delay the mandatory compliance date of the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) by six months to June 1st, 2010.
Word of a potential delay first broke on Wednesday from Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA) Executive Director Joe Brennan. However, no official comment had been handed down from Geithner, Bernanke, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), or the office of Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA). Around 12:15pm ET on Thursday, cable station CNBC ran a segment touting the successful six-month delay. An Associated Press article hit cyberspace 15 minutes earlier.
The six-month delay will take the internet gambling industry to June 1st, 2010. In the interim, the theory goes that sensible legislation governing the industry in the United States will be passed. Frank introduced HR 2267 back in May. The bill, which has attracted 63 co-sponsors, establishes a full licensing and regulatory framework for online gaming outfits to solicit U.S. customers.
An Associated Press article sourced both the Treasury and Federal Reserve as saying that the UIGEA’s regulations would indeed be pushed off until mid-2010. The news service explained, “The rules seek to curb online gambling by prohibiting financial institutions from accepting payments from credit cards, checks or electronic fund transfers to settle online wagers. The financial industry complained that the new rules would be difficult to enforce because they did not offer a clear definition of what constitutes Internet gambling.” Since the UIGEA was approved in 2006, a Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruling stated that the legality of internet gambling may depend on state law, similar to the way that the brick-and-mortar version is governed.
Next Thursday, December 3rd, the House Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing discussing the merits of HR 2266 and HR 2267. The former bill delays mandatory industry compliance with the UIGEA by one year to December 1st, 2010. Its relevance given Friday’s confirmation that the regulations would be pushed back six months is up in the air. The hearing kicks off at 10:00am ET in Room 2128 of the Rayburn House Office Building. Witnesses for the informational hearing have not yet been announced and the proceedings can be followed via a live webcast accessible from the Committee’s website.
Potential overblocking by credit card companies like Visa and MasterCard led the PPA, two horse racing organizations, and members of Kentucky’s Congressional delegation to petition Geithner and Bernanke, urging that the regulations of the UIGEA be shuttled back to December 1st of next year. PPA Executive Director John Pappas told Poker News Daily 10 days ago, “Many believe what you’ll see is overblocking of legitimate transactions. It’s not a good thing for players. It won’t just affect poker; it’ll affect horse racing, lotteries, and other online entities.”
Around 1:00pm ET, the PPA confirmed the news. The organization’s Chairman, Alfonse D’Amato, commented in a press release, “The PPA is extremely pleased with the decision by the Federal Reserve and Treasury to grant the six month extension. This is a great victory for poker, but an even greater victory for advocates of good and fair public policy.”
Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest news and events from Capitol Hill.
Categories: Poker Directory Tags: