Weekly Freerolls: The Hits Keep Coming

This week the Titan Poker takes center stage with an epic $5,000 freeroll set to take place on Thursday. The event costs just 25 Titan Points to buy in, so make sure you get a piece of the action.

Also worth looking into this week is the $2,500 William Hill freeroll, which kicks off later today, and the Betfair $3,000 freeroll on Sunday.

As a reminder PokerStars will once again be offering a mega-freeroll on Jan. 15 with $15,000 in Sunday Million tickets. Every player that earned 100 player points in December is eligible so be sure to check if you qualified without realizing it.

If you're not a PL.com registered player on any of the following sites, click on the site's name in the list to sign up for an online poker account.

William Hill Poker

William Hill is running an exclusive $2.5k freeroll for PokerListings players in the first week of January.

Date: Jan. 8 Value: $2,500 Buy-in: 10 William Hill Points Sign up here

Betfair Poker

PokerListings players will want to check out the Betfair Poker $3,000 freeroll on Jan. 9.

Date: Jan. 9 Value: $3,000 Qualify with: 5 frequent player points Qualify between: December 1-31 Sign up here

888poker

PokerListings players will have access to a $500 freeroll by 888poker.

Date: Jan. 11 Value: $500 Qualify with: 100 status points in December Sign up here

Titan Poker

Titan Poker is running a $5,000 freeroll for PokerListings players that costs just 25 Titan Points to buy into.

Date: Jan. 13 Value: $5,000 Qualify with: 25 Titan Points Sign up here

PartyPoker

PokerListings players have access to exclusive monthly $2,000 freerolls on PartyPoker.

Date: Jan. 15 Value: $2,000 Qualify with: 100 Party Points Earned Qualify between: Dec. 1-30 Sign up here

Absolute Poker

Absolute Poker runs $5,000 monthly tournaments for PokerListings players.

Date: Jan. 15 Value: $5,000 Qualify with: 100 raked hands in December Qualify between: Dec. 1-30 Sign up here

UB Poker

PokerListings players get a shot at the UB Poker $5,000 exclusive monthly tournaments.

Date: Jan. 16 Value: $5,000 Qualify with: 100 raked hands in December Qualify between: Dec. 1-30 Sign up here

Poker770

Poker770 is hosting an exclusive $1,000 freeroll for PL.com players.

Date: Jan. 16 Value: $1,000 Qualify with: New deposit Qualify between: Any day before Jan. 16 Sign up here

PokerStars

PokerStars is running a massive $15,000 Sunday Million freeroll on Jan. 16.

Date: Jan. 16 Value: $15,000 in Sunday Million tickets Qualify with: 75 VPPs Qualify between: Dec. 1-30 Sign up here

bwin Poker

bwin Poker is running exclusive monthly $1,000 freerolls for PokerListings players.

Date: Jan. 23 Value: $1,000 Qualify with: 50 frequent player points Qualify between: May 15-Jan. 22 Sign up here

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Prahlad Friedman Joins Team UB.com

Following last week’s overhaul at Team UB.com that saw Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth depart on the same day, the USA-friendly CEREUS Network site has picked up its newest pro. On Thursday, site officials announced that Prahlad Friedman had joined Team UB.com.

Friedman seemingly hinted at joining an online poker site back in November. The 32 year old California native Tweeted, “I said I would never sign with a poker site. Should I ever reconsider? What y’all think? I would have to get over the fact that I’m ‘selling out.’ I’m the only player in the world that hasn’t wanted a deal that I know of.” UB.com promoted Friedman as “one of the world’s greatest cash game players, online and off, with millions in winnings earned since 1999.”

Friedman’s first major live cash came eight years ago in the Main Event of the Five Diamond World Poker Classic at the Bellagio, where he booked $101,000 for his runner-up finish to Full Tilt Poker’s Erick Lindgren. One year later, he notched his first (and so far only) World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet in a $1,500 Pot Limit Hold’em tournament and banked $109,000 in the process.

In 2005, Friedman played second fiddle to Chris Ferguson in the WSOP Circuit Championship at Harrah’s Rincon to earn another $363,000. One year later, this author remembers being at the Rio in Las Vegas and following Friedman through the WSOP Main Event. There, he turned in a 20th place finish for nearly a half-million dollars and fell just short of the coveted Main Event bracelet.

He’d make amends in August 2009, when Friedman took down the Legends of Poker, a stop on the World Poker Tour (WPT). His victory in the California poker tournament was worth a colossal $1 million and saw Friedman outlast a final table that included November Niner Kevin Schaffel, Todd Terry, Toto Leonidas, and Sam Stein.

Friedman was a victim of the superuser scandal that rocked UB.com and drew the ire of PokerStars pro Daniel Negreanu for signing with the site that had wronged him. “Kid Poker” responded to a variety of Tweets last weekend, among them one sent to fellow poker player Alex Outhred that read, “Like you, I’ve known him for years, which makes it all the more shocking. I’ve defended Prahlad on many occasions. Can’t here.”

Negreanu added to Outhred, “UB will always have to offer more than face value [for a sponsorship] because given a choice that’s close, no one would choose UB. Or shouldn’t… UB has to offer more money obv. He used to say it wasn’t about the money. I don’t believe that anymore… He used to speak out against all corporations, claiming he stood for something. Then, the money was right and his tune changed… I get it happens. I’m disappointed it did happen. I’ve always liked Prahlad and still do despite his decision. Just shocking.”

Nevertheless, Friedman will join UB.com just in time for the sixth UB.com Online Championship, or UBOC, which gets underway on January 16th. The 29-event series will stretch all the way until January 30th, when a $1,050 buy-in Main Event will kick off. The $1 million guaranteed feature tournament will deal No Limit Hold’em and be played as a Monster Stack.

Running alongside the sixth UBOC schedule is a MiniUBOC series, which features the same 29 tournaments, but with buy-ins that are generally one-tenth as large. The MiniUBOC slate ends with a $55 buy-in Monster Stack Championship Event that comes with a $50,000 guaranteed purse.

Following the departures of Hellmuth and Duke, UB.com’s stock of pros now includes Friedman, Joe Sebok, Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin, Brandon Cantu, Tiffany Michelle, and Maria Ho. The site happily accepts players from the United States and joins Absolute Poker on the CEREUS Network.

Play with Prahlad Friedman today only by visiting UB.com.

CEREUS add more money to 2011 Tournament Leaderboard

Absolute Poker and UB.com, together known as the CEREUS poker network, have added some CEREUS cash (sorry) to their Tournament Leaderboard for 2011. The system, awarding prizes to the best tournament players on the network, has been given a new structure for 2011 that means only one thing – more money for you, the player.

UB.com and Absolute Poker Add More Money, More Winners to 2011 TLB

For many, the New Year means a fresh start and an opportunity to make positive changes.  Online poker rooms are no exception.  The CEREUS Network, comprised of UB.com and Absolute Poker, has revamped its Tournament Leaderboard (TLB) for 2011 and will award more money to more players.

The biggest change has been made to the Multi-Table TLB, where CEREUS will be dishing out $116,000 in prizes to the year-end leaders along with $15,000 in total to the top 20 players each month.  For the yearly TLB, the overall winner will receive $10,000 plus a $10,000 seat in the 2011 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event.  The runner-up will receive $5,000 and a WSOP seat.  The rest of the top ten at the end of the year will also receive cash prizes and the top 100 will have the opportunity to play in an exclusive $50,000 freeroll.

At the end of each month, the player atop the multi-table TLB (for that month only) will win $5,000, second place will get $2,500, and third place will receive $1,000.  Fourth through tenth places will bank $500 and the remainder of the top 20 on the monthly TLB will get $300.

St. Louis resident “C_SWEENZ” finished 2010 atop the multi-table TLB and won $10,000 plus a seat at the 2011 WSOP Main Event.  “Winning the 2010 leaderboard was a huge rush and great accomplishment! I’ve played a lot of hands and learned a lot,” said “C_SWEENZ” in a CEREUS Network press release.  “I’m looking forward to improving my all-around game by continuing to play all of the great tournaments on UB and making another run for 2011. Good luck at the tables everyone!”

“FUTUREPROQQ,” from Lincoln, Nebraska finished second in the TLB and will also play in the WSOP Main Event on the poker network’s dime; he also collected $5,500.

The Sit and Go TLB is divided into three groups: Diamond, Heart, and Spade.  Diamond is for players competing in sit and gos with buy-ins of $6.50 or lower, Heart is for $6.51 to $25 buy-ins, and Spade is for $26 buy-ins and higher.  For each division, a player’s highest total score for 20 consecutive tournaments is what counts, which means that you aren’t rewarded for simply playing around-the-clock.

There are only weekly TLB prizes for sit and gos.  A total of $1,000 will be split among the top 50 players every week in the Diamond group, $3,000 will be spread among the top 40 in the Heart group, and $5,000 will be chopped among the top 20 in the Spade group.  All monetary prizes are awarded in Tournament Dollars.

At first blush, the TLB formula seems complicated, but it’s really not.  For multi-table tournaments and sit and gos, points are calculated by taking the square root of the total prize pool and dividing by the player’s final position taken to the power of two-fifths.  Got that?  In other words, the two inputs that matter are the total prize pool and the final standings.

The formula was devised not to take into account the buy-in directly so that the TLB field will be level for users of all bankrolls.  The buy-ins come into play when determining the prize pool, but since more players will typically register for lower buy-in tournaments, the prize pools will tend to even out.  Higher buy-in events have tougher fields and lower buy-ins have larger fields, both presenting their own challenges.

Taylor Paur (ambiguosity) Wins 2010 CardPlayer Online Player of the Year

Earlier this week, Taylor “ambiguosity” Paur was named the 2010 CardPlayer Online Player of the Year after edging out defending titleholder Steve “gboro780″ Gross in the final days of December. Paur stockpiled an all-time record of 11,030 points for the year, besting previous winners Gross (2009), Alex “AJKHoosier1″ Kamberis (2008), and Isaac “westmenloAA” Baron (2007) in that department.

Paur, 22, won the Full Tilt Poker $75,000 Guaranteed on December 27th for nearly $25,000 to help put a stranglehold on the crown. In total, he amassed more than $1 million in online poker earnings for the year, making up more than two-thirds of his lifetime winnings. He won 13 tournaments in 2010, six of them for scores of $80,000 or more. His biggest payday came in May when he took down the Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) $150 Rebuy for $192,228.90.

Paur’s biggest feat, though, may have been fending off Gross, whose accomplishments in online tournaments are simply unparalleled. Gross, who has more than $5 million in earnings since 2005, finished as the runner-up to Kamberis in the 2008 CardPlayer Online Player of the Year race before earning the honor in 2009 and finishing runner-up again in 2010. His consistency and dedication to the game have landed him among the elite players in the industry.

Rounding out the top five in the 2010 Online Player of the Year standings were Casey “bigdogpckt5s” Jarzabek, Chris “Gettin Daize” Oliver, and Jon “apestyles” Van Fleet. Jarzabek, who helped open the online training site Tournament Poker Edge this year, totaled $782,355 in winnings to claim a spot in the Top 10 for the second straight year. Oliver, meanwhile, burst onto the scene in 2010 and spent several weeks as the #1 ranked player on PocketFives.com.

There’s a certain set of criteria for tournaments that count toward Card Player’s Online Player of the Year standings. Sites included in the rankings include PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, UB.com, Cake Poker, Absolute Poker, and Bodog and only tournaments with a buy-in of $100 or more qualify. The prize pool of a tournament must be at least $100,000 and prize packages such as trips or live tournament buy-ins do not count.

Here’s a look at the Top 20 in the 2010 Card Player Online Player of the Year Standings:

1. Taylor “ambiguosity” Paur – 11,030 points ($1,099,435 in earnings)
2. Steve “gboro780″ Gross – 10,320 points ($1,023,658 in earnings)
3. Casey “bigdogpckt5s” Jarzabek – 9,932 points ($782,355 in earnings)
4. Chris “Gettin Daize” Oliver – 9,268 points ($854,769 in earnings)
5. Jon “apestyles” Van Fleet – 9,164 ($859,489 in earnings)
6. Zach “HustlerGrune” Gruneberg – 8,984 points ($776,347 in earnings)
7. “kirbynator” – 8,878 points ($1,143,749 in earnings)
8. Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy – 8,874 points ($837,089 in earnings)
9. Raj “BadcardsAA” Vohra – 8,688 points ($1,319,012 in earnings)
10. Aditya “Intervention” Agarwal – 8,432 points ($739,105 in earnings)
11. Mark “dipthrong” Herm – 8,250 points ($811,208 in earnings)
12. Jamie “TheCronic420″ Rosen – 8,126 points ($664,588 in earnings)
13. Jordan “Jymaster11″ Young – 8,088 points ($751,593 in earnings)
14. Nick “Grippolio” Grippo – 8,044 points ($688,878 in earnings)
15. Ross “zestfullyclean” Myers – 7,960 points ($618,388 in earnings)
16. James “croll103″ Carroll – 7,898 points ($712,167 in earnings)
17. Mickey “mement_mori” Petersen – 7,792 points ($737,838 in earnings)
18. Ryan “ryanbluf” Karp – 7,712 points ($648,334 in earnings)
19. “mralan2950 – 7,710 points ($777,994 in earnings)
20. Chris “cdbr3799″ Dombrowski – 7,704 ($817,196 in earnings)

Sorel Mizzi Wins 2010 Bluff Player of the Year Title

Titan Poker pro Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi is the 2010 Bluff Magazine Player of the Year, officials announced on Friday. Mizzi entered the top spot in the Player of the Year rankings in March and never relinquished his lead.

The 2010 CardPlayer Player of the Year, Tom Marchese, finished in second place in the Bluff standings. Mizzi ended the 2010 calendar year with a whopping 1,777 points, the highest score ever turned in, while Marchese racked up just 1,257 during the stanza. Others in the top 10 included PokerStars pro Vanessa Selbst, recent World Poker Tour (WPT) event winner Dwyte Pilgrim, and UB.com pro and former CardPlayer Player of the Year winner Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin.

Mizzi got the 2010 calendar year started off on the right foot by taking third place in the Aussie Millions Main Event for $659,000. Tyron Krost took down the marquee poker tournament and Mizzi quickly ratcheted his first six-figure score of 2010. Mizzi then won two preliminary events during the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Snowfest stop in March for nearly $150,000 total.

In April, Mizzi’s victory parade stopped off in Atlantic City, where he won the East Coast Championship Event during the Borgata Spring Poker Open for $170,000. That tournament drew 62 players and featured a top nine that included Chris “SLOPPYKLOD” Klodnicki, David “Davidp18” Peters, and former Full Tilt Poker pro Lee Markholt.

At the end of April, Mizzi final tabled the High Roller Event during the EPT’s Monte Carlo Grand Final for $190,000. Two weeks later, he ran deep in another High Roller Event, this time at WPT Paris. Just footsteps from the Eiffel Tower, Mizzi played second fiddle to Absolute Poker pro Freddy Deeb and walked away with $159,000.

In August, Mizzi placed second in the EPT Tallinn High Roller Event for $98,000. He concluded 2010 by bubbling a pair of WPT final tables, taking seventh in the Foxwoods World Poker Finals for $88,000 and grabbing ninth in the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic at the Bellagio for $59,000. Remember, televised WPT final tables are played six-handed.

All told, Mizzi racked up nearly $1.9 million in earnings from live tournaments tracked by the Hendon Mob database last year. Along the way, he provided poker coaching to November Niner Matt Jarvis, a fellow Canadian. Jarvis ultimately bowed out in eighth place in the $10,000 buy-in tournament in Las Vegas for over $1 million.

Mizzi, who has been linked to several incidents on online poker sites in the past, has nevertheless remained a central figurehead in the industry. He told Poker News Daily in an interview in November that surrounding himself with talented poker friends has been critical: “I think it’s one of the most important things… That is how I got my start. I found players and tried to pick their brains. You know, it’s like anything in life, that’s the best way of learning, you find mentors. At least, for me, [it’s been] finding people where you want to be and trying to pick their brains as much as possible.”

Here were the top 10 players in the 2010 Bluff Player of the Year standings:

1. Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi – 1,777.77 points
2. Tom “Kingsofcards” Marchese – 1,257.30 points
3. Fernando Brito – 1,060.53 points
4. David Peters – 1,009.26 points
5. Vanessa Selbst – 986.77 points
6. Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin – 943.92 points
7. Dwyte Pilgrim – 896.23 points
8. Chris Bjorin – 889.25 points
9. Jason Mercier – 882.40 points
10. Chris Bell – 879.63 points

Jason Mercier took down the 2009 Bluff Player of the Year title. Other past winners have included John “The Razor” Phan (2008), Bill Edler (2007), Chad Brown (2006), and Phil Ivey (2005).

Weekly Freerolls: Happy New Year!

This week PL.com players will want to pay close attention to the 888poker $1,000 freeroll on Sunday and the $2,500 William Hill Poker freeroll on Wednesday.

Next week the action will get even hotter with a 5,000 Titan Poker freeroll to look forward to on Jan. 13 as well as a $5,000 freerolls on Absolute and UB Poker on Jan. 15 and Jan. 16.

PokerStars will once again be offering a mega-freeroll on Jan. 15 with $15,000 in Sunday Million tickets.

There is still time to qualify for most of these events so sign on and treat yourself to a few hands of poker in the New Year.

If you're not a PL.com registered player on any of the following sites, click on the site's name in the list to sign up.

888poker

PokerListings players will have access to a $1000 freeroll by 888poker.

Date: Jan. 2 Value: $1000 Qualify with: 100 status points in December Sign up here

William Hill Poker

William Hill is running an exclusive $2.5k freeroll for PokerListings players in the first week of January.

Date: Jan. 8 Value: $2,500 Buy-in: 10 William Hill Points Sign up here

Betfair Poker

PokerListings players will want to check out the Betfair Poker $3,000 freeroll on Jan. 9.

Date: Jan. 9 Value: $3,000 Qualify with: 5 frequent player points Qualify between: December 1-31 Sign up here

Titan Poker

Titan Poker is running a $5,000 freeroll for PokerListings players that cost just 25 Titan Points to buy into.

Date: Jan. 13 Value: $5,000 Qualify with: 25 Titan Points Sign up here

PartyPoker

PokerListings players have access to exclusive monthly $2,000 freerolls on PartyPoker.

Date: Jan. 15 Value: $2,000 Qualify with: 100 Party Points Earned Qualify between: Dec. 1-30 Sign up here

Absolute Poker

Absolute Poker runs $5,000 monthly tournaments for PokerListings players.

Date: Jan. 15 Value: $5,000 Qualify with: 100 raked hands in December Qualify between: Dec. 1-30 Sign up here

UB Poker

PokerListings players get a shot at the UB Poker $5,000 exclusive monthly tournaments.

Date: Jan. 16 Value: $5,000 Qualify with: 100 raked hands in December Qualify between: Dec. 1-30 Sign up here

Poker770

Poker770 is hosting an exclusive $1,000 freeroll for PL.com players.

Date: Jan. 16 Value: $1,000 Qualify with: New deposit Qualify between: Any day before Jan. 16 Sign up here

PokerStars

PokerStars is running a massive $15,000 Sunday Million freeroll on Jan. 16.

Date: Jan. 16 Value: $15,000 in Sunday Million tickets Qualify with: 75 VPPs Qualify between: Dec. 1-30 Sign up here

bwin Poker

bwin Poker is running exclusive monthly $1,000 freerolls for PokerListings players.

Date: Jan. 23 Value: $1,000 Qualify with: 50 frequent player points Qualify between: May 15-Jan. 22 Sign up here

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Annie Duke Leaves UB.com

In breaking news, former “Celebrity Apprentice” runner-up Annie Duke has parted ways with UB.com. A blog revealing that she had left the online poker site appeared around 1:30pm ET on Thursday. Duke had been with UB.com for nine years, including both the pre- and post-Chris Moneymaker era.

Duke told Poker News Daily, “After some thought, I made a decision to leave UB.com because I would like to explore other avenues of business and personal growth. I realized I needed to spend my time on other things.” Duke, the sister of Full Tilt Poker front man Howard Lederer, has over $1.1 million in career World Series of Poker (WSOP) earnings and scooped a bracelet in 2004 in a $2,000 Omaha High-Low Eight or Better tournament that featured Erik Seidel and Todd Brunson at the final table.

Also in 2004, Duke was the last person standing in the inaugural WSOP Tournament of Champions, an invite-only, winner-take-all tournament that featured 10 players. Duke banked $2 million for the win and received nearly instant poker fame. Her company at the Tournament of Champions table included Chip Reese, Main Event champ Greg Raymer, Doyle Brunson, Lederer, and former UB.com colleague Phil Hellmuth, who was the runner-up. This year, Duke bested Seidel in the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, which aired on NBC.

Duke wished the crew at UB.com nothing but the best going forward, telling Poker News Daily, “I wish them all the best and wish nothing but good things for the brand. I think that UB.com started some of my development as a businessperson. That was very much the most enjoyable part of it. I wanted to do more of that. I wanted to do much more of that than I had an opportunity to.” Among Duke’s other endeavors are MyMixedNuts.com – a custom trail mix outfit – and Ante Up for Africa, a charity that brings money and attention to the victims of the crisis in Darfur.

Duke explained to Poker News Daily that she does not plan to sign with another online poker site in the future.

Duke made a name for herself last year by competing in the hit NBC reality series “Celebrity Apprentice.” The Donald Trump-led show, which raises funds for various charities, saw Duke finish as the runner-up to comedian Joan Rivers, who at one point compared the former UB.com pro to a Nazi and called the poker playing community “trash.” Rivers and her daughter, Melissa, were both contestants on the series.

Duke was one of the main faces of UB.com, a site that now features players like former “Poker2Nite” host Joe Sebok and former “Amazing Race” contestants Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho as its primary pros. Duke and Hellmuth had served as the central figures of UB.com since the site’s inception nine years ago, long before anyone knew the name Moneymaker.

According to PokerScout.com, which logs online poker room traffic, the CEREUS Network, which includes UB.com and Absolute Poker, is the seventh largest worldwide, with a seven-day running average of 2,100 real money ring game players. At its peak, around 3,000 cash game players call the Network home. CEREUS is the third largest family of sites to accept action from the United States, trailing only PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker in that department. The Network was created in 2008 after the player bases of UB.com and Absolute Poker were merged.

We’ll have more for you on this story as it develops right here on Poker News Daily.

Lee Jones Resigns from Cake Poker

In breaking news from the world of online poker, Lee Jones has stepped down as Card Room Manager of Cake Poker, effective immediately. Jones posted in a thread on TwoPlusTwo around 3:00pm ET on Tuesday, “This is a brief announcement to let you know that, as of yesterday, I have resigned my position at Cake Poker and will not be making any further posts here. Their management has made some strategic decisions with which I’m not comfortable.”

Despite departing the site, Jones, who is also a Guest Columnist here at Poker News Daily, spoke highly of his former colleagues: “Please direct any questions or concerns to the Cake support staff; they are top-notch people.” Cake Poker is the flagship site of the USA-friendly Cake Poker Network.

Also departing Cake Poker concurrently with Jones is Serge Ravitch, who is known in the online poker world as “adanthar.” Ravitch served as Cake Poker’s Tournament Director and Jones affectionately dubbed him the “Minister of Tournament Arts” in homage to the Harry Potter franchise. Ravitch was one of the figureheads in uncovering the cheating scandal at Absolute Poker.

Ravitch posted in the same TwoPlusTwo thread on Tuesday, “It sincerely pains me to say that, for the same reasons, I am also no longer affiliated with Cake in any way. I wish them the best of luck going forward.” What “strategic decisions” Jones and Ravitch alluded to were not clear at the time of writing. In addition, Cake Poker has not released any statement.

Jones could only tell Poker News Daily on Tuesday afternoon, “I’m just not comfortable with some of the decisions that the Cake management was making.” However, the veteran of the poker world hopes to remain in the industry, explaining to us, “I have a couple of irons in the fire. I certainly have every intention of staying in the poker business, so I’ll have to see what pans out.” Jones formerly brought customer service to new heights while with PokerStars and also worked with the European Poker Tour and CardRunners.

In TwoPlusTwo’s “Cake Poker Feedback Thread,” which is where Jones dropped the bombshell, posters weighed in en masse. The first responder explained, “This isn’t totally unexpected. Best wishes in your future enterprises.” Another poster predicted that Jones and Ravitch would land on their feet: “Lee and ‘adanthar’ are top-notch in my opinion and won’t need luck, but agreed nonetheless.”

According to PokerScout.com, which keeps tabs on online poker room traffic, the Cake Poker Network is the 24th largest worldwide and boasts a seven-day running average of 740 real money ring game players. Its peak traffic passes 1,100 cash game players and the family of sites happily accepts action from the United States.

Besides Cake Poker, other rooms on the Network include the Doyle Brunson-fronted DoylesRoom, Only Poker, Poker4Green, Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies’ Power Poker, Red Star Poker, Phil Laak’s Unabomber Poker, and Victory Poker, the latter of which joined in August.

The holidays have not been kind to the Cake Poker Network, which has not eclipsed the 1,300-cash game player mark since December 21st. In the 30 days prior, it passed 1,300 ring game players 14 times.

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for more developments on this breaking story.

Weekly Freerolls: Happy Holidays!

PokerListings players will have access to yet another 888poker $500 freeroll on Tuesday but the real action will come in the first two weeks of the New Year.

Players have a $5,000 Titan Poker freeroll to look forward to on Jan. 13 as well as a $5,000 freerolls on Absolute and UB Poker on Jan. 15 and Jan. 16.

PokerStars will once again be offering a mega-freeroll on Jan. 15 with $15,000 in Sunday Million tickets.

Fortunately there is still time to qualify for most of these events so sign on and treat yourself to a few hands of poker over the holiday break.

If you're not a PL.com registered player on any of the following sites, click on the site's name in the list to sign up.

888poker

PokerListings players will have access to a $500 freeroll by 888poker on Dec. 28.

Date: Dec. 28 Value: $500 Qualify with: Previous sign-up and 2 status points in November Sign up here

William Hill Poker

William Hill is running an exclusive $2.5k freeroll for PokerListings players in the first week of January.

Date: Jan. 8 Value: $2,500 Buy-in: 10 William Hill Points Sign up here

Titan Poker

Titan Poker is running a $5,000 freeroll for PokerListings players that cost just 25 Titan Points to buy into.

Date: Jan. 13 Value: $5,000 Qualify with: 25 Titan Points Sign up here

PartyPoker

PokerListings players have access to exclusive monthly $2,000 freerolls on PartyPoker.

Date: Jan. 15 Value: $2,000 Qualify with: 100 Party Points Earned Qualify between: Dec. 1-30 Sign up here

Absolute Poker

Absolute Poker runs $5,000 monthly tournaments for PokerListings players.

Date: Jan. 15 Value: $5,000 Qualify with: 100 raked hands in December Qualify between: Dec. 1-30 Sign up here

UB Poker

PokerListings players get a shot at the UB Poker $5,000 exclusive monthly tournaments.

Date: Jan. 16 Value: $5,000 Qualify with: 100 raked hands in December Qualify between: Dec. 1-30 Sign up here

Poker770

Poker770 is hosting an exclusive $1,000 freeroll for PL.com players.

Date: Jan. 16 Value: $1,000 Qualify with: New deposit Qualify between: Any day before Jan. 16 Sign up here

PokerStars

PokerStars is running a massive $15,000 Sunday Million freeroll on Jan. 16.

Date: Jan. 16 Value: $15,000 in Sunday Million tickets Qualify with: 75 VPPs Qualify between: Dec. 1-30 Sign up here

bwin Poker

bwin Poker is running exclusive monthly $1,000 freerolls for PokerListings players.

Date: Jan. 23 Value: $1,000 Qualify with: 50 frequent player points Qualify between: May 15-Jan. 22 Sign up here

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

December 23rd – Weekly News Update

Welcome to your weekly fix for this week’s poker news, I’m Sean Gibson and in our PND weekly update, I’ll be recapping the hottest headlines for this week.

We start out with maybe the biggest name in poker… and MORE exposure of UB.com’s Phil Hellmuth is just what the poker world needs. In recent days, Hellmuth potentially dropped a bombshell by Tweeting:

“OMG! Phil Hellmuth (me!) on ‘Dancing with the Stars!’ Outrageous! Might make a fool out of myself on worldwide television one more time.”

ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” is entering its twelfth season, which is set to hit television airwaves in the beginning of Two Thousand Eleven.

Despite multiple media outlets asserting that Hellmuth is a lock for “Dancing with the Stars,” let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet. The cast for the new cycle has not yet been announced, but is apparently due out in January.

According to Politco, Senator Jon Kyl is keeping his Two Thousand Twelve reelection plans close to the vest, which is creating uncertainty about the future hierarchy of his party’s leadership. Kyl is the Senate Minority Whip, the second ranking position in the Republican Party.

Poker players know Kyl as Capitol Hill’s current public enemy number one to online poker. He was one of the key players behind the UIGEA four years ago. The bill, which aimed to stop the flow of funds to offshore internet gambling sites, was attached to the must-pass SAFE Port Act in the middle of the night just before Congress adjourned for the year.

Since Two Thousand Six, Kyl has continued to fight against online poker. Earlier this year, he blocked the appointment of several of President Barack Obama‘s nominees to the United States Treasury because he was upset that the UIGEA implementation deadline had been pushed back six months. This month, he was the most vocal opponent of Senator Harry Reid’s failed attempts to legalize and regulate online poker.

The sixth UB.com Online Championship, or UBOC, will kick off on Sunday, January Sixteenth. A record-setting twenty nine events will comprise the new series, culminating in a one thousand fifty dollar buy-in No Limit Hold’em Monster Stack Championship on January Thirtieth. All told, at least five million bucks will be shelled out to UB.com faithful during UBOC Six.

Running concurrently with UBOC Six is Mini UBOC Six, which offers the same slate of events, but with buy-ins that are one-tenth as large. This allows players of all bankrolls to compete in the wide range of tournaments on the docket. In addition, the entire UBOC Six schedule is open to players from UB.com’s CEREUS Network sister site Absolute Poker.

The very first PokerStars SuperStar Showdown took place on Sunday and featured Isaac Haxton squaring off against Isildur1. In the end, Haxton boosted his bankroll by forty-one thousand dollars over the twenty five hundred hand match and was declared the winner. Both Haxton and Isildur1 bought in for one hundred fifty thousand dollars.

According to the PokerStars Blog, the lively rail for the very first SuperStar Showdown match featured high-stakes pros like Kevin [MICK-FEE] MacPhee and Chad Batista. The group watched one of their own battle against an unknown Swedish online pro who many believe to be Viktor Blom. Four No Limit Hold’em tables at fifty/one-hundred blinds served as the battleground for the Showdown.

The next SuperStar Showdown opponent for Isildur1 has not yet been announced and interested players are encouraged to e-mail showdown@pokerstars.com. On its blog, PokerStars claims that a match may take place at the upcoming PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, although whether Isildur1’s true identity would be revealed at that time remains to be seen.

Looking to expand its brand further into the global marketplace, Caesars Interactive Entertainment has entered into a joint venture with one of Italy’s top online poker companies, Microgame.

In an announcement last Friday, Caesars Interactive and Microgame revealed a long-term agreement to co-brand Microgame’s online poker outlet, PeoplesNetwork.it, with the World Series of Poker name and logo. Through the agreement, Caesars Interactive and Microgame will offer online and live events to the Italian market prominently featuring the WSOP brand. Additionally, Microgame will become the official satellite outlet for Italian players entering the WSOP.

The movie that helped spark the poker boom is returning to fire a second barrel. Miramax Films announced this week that it will be teaming up with the Weinstein Company to produce “Rounders Two,” a sequel to the cult favorite that was released more than a decade ago.
According to IMDB, “Rounders Two” is currently in development and scheduled to hit theaters in Two Thousand Twelve. The cast and crew have not been announced, but Matt Damon and Edward Norton have supposedly signed on for the project, as has original director John Dahl. It’s unknown whether John Malkovich or John Turturro will return for the sequel, leaving fans to speculate where the story will take the lead characters this time around. Miramax broke the exciting news in press release late last week.

That does it for this week’s top headlines in the world of poker. We thank you for watching our Weekly News Update and encourage you to visit our site every day for the latest in poker news. I’m Sean Gibson, wishing you a very happy holiday season and of course … for you to crush the games for a late year heater. See you next time!

UB.com Announces UBOC 6 Schedule

The sixth UB.com Online Championship, or UBOC, will kick off on Sunday, January 16th. A record-setting 29 events will comprise the new series, culminating in a $1,050 buy-in No Limit Hold’em Monster Stack Championship Event on January 30th. All told, at least $5 million will be shelled out to UB.com faithful during UBOC 6.

Among those looking forward to watching UBOC 6 play out on the virtual felts of the USA-friendly online poker site was Joe Sebok. The former “Poker2Nite” host and current UB.com pro commented in a press release distributed last week, “Not too long after those New Year’s hangovers wear off, get back on UB.com because it’s time for UBOC 6. The UBOCs are my favorite online tournament series because they just keep getting bigger and bigger every time out. Now, if I can just figure out how to win an event, the excitement will be complete.”

Despite primarily catering to U.S. players, UB.com has added several tournaments to the UBOC 6 slate on Wednesdays that cater to its European clientele. These Euro-facing events kick off at 16:05 ET and include a $162 No Limit Hold’em event (#8) and a $209 No Limit Hold’em with Rebuys tournament (#22). Returning in UBOC 6 is the popular Rock Star Bounty event, which is in the books for January 17th and features Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian, who is also a UB.com pro.

We’re done keeping you in suspense. Here are the 29 tournaments that comprise the UBOC 6 schedule:

January 16th at 14:00 ET
Event #1: No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack
$500+30 buy-in, $250,000 Guarantee

January 16th at 16:00 ET
Event #2: Sniper No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack
$300+20 buy-in, $200,000 Guarantee

January 16th at 18:30 ET
Event #3: No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack Ultra Turbo
$300+20 buy-in, $100,000 Guarantee

January 17th at 20:05 ET
Event #4: No Limit Hold’em Four-Max
$300+20 buy-in, $100,000 Guarantee

January 17th at 20:05 ET
Event #5: No Limit Hold’em Rock Star Bounty
$200+15 buy-in, $100,000 Guarantee

January 18th at 20:05 ET
Event #6: Pot Limit Omaha Six-Max
$200+15 buy-in, $50,000 Guarantee

January 18th at 20:05 ET
Event #7: No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack
$300+20 buy-in, $100,000 Guarantee

January 19th at 16:05 ET
Event #8: No Limit Hold’em
$150+12 buy-in, $50,000 Guarantee

January 19th at 20:05 ET
Event #9: Pot Limit Omaha Cubed
$200+15 buy-in, $100,000 Guarantee

January 19th at 20:05 ET
Event #10: No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack Six-Max
$500+30 buy-in, $250,000 Guarantee

January 20th at 20:05 ET
Event #11: No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack
$150+12 buy-in, $75,000 Guarantee

January 21st at 20:05 ET
Event #12: Sniper No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack
$150+12 buy-in, $75,000 Guarantee

January 22nd at 15:00 ET
Event #13: No Limit Hold’em Heads-Up
$1,000+50 buy-in, $128,000 Guarantee

January 22nd at 16:00 ET
Event #14: No Limit Hold’em Turbo Triple Chance
$200+15 buy-in, $100,000 Guarantee

January 23rd at 14:00 ET
Event #15: No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack
$300+20 buy-in, $150,000 Guarantee

January 23rd at 17:00 ET
Event #16: No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack High Roller
$2,000+100 buy-in, $750,000 Guarantee

January 23rd at 18:30 ET
Event #17: No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack Ultra Turbo Six-Max
$300+20 buy-in, $100,000 Guarantee

January 24th at 20:05 ET
Event #18: No Limit Hold’em Cubed
$200+15 buy-in, $150,000 Guarantee

January 24th at 20:05 ET
Event #19: Eight-Game Mix
$200+15 buy-in, $50,000 Guarantee

January 25th at 20:05 ET
Event #20: Sniper No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack
$200+15 buy-in, $100,000 Guarantee

January 25th at 20:05 ET
Event #21: No Limit Hold’em/Pot Limit Omaha Mix
$200+15 buy-in, $50,000 Guarantee

January 26th at 16:05 ET
Event #22: No Limit Hold’em with Rebuys
$200+9 buy-in, $50,000 Guarantee

January 26th at 20:05 ET
Event #23: Pot Limit Omaha Eight or Better
$200+15 buy-in, $75,000 Guarantee

January 26th at 20:05 ET
Event #24: No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack Ante from Start
$300+20 buy-in, $100,000 Guarantee

January 27th at 20:05 ET
Event #25: No Limit Hold’em Centerfold Bounty
$150+12 buy-in, $75,000 Guarantee

January 28th at 20:05 ET
Event #26: No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack
$150+12 buy-in, $75,000 Guarantee

January 29th at 16:00 ET
Event #27: No Limit Hold’em Turbo with Rebuys
$200+9 buy-in, $100,000 Guarantee

January 30th at 16:00 ET
UBOC Championship: No Limit Hold’em Monster Stack
$1,000+50 buy-in, $1 Million Guarantee

January 30th at 18:30 ET
Event #29: No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack Ultra Turbo
$300+20 buy-in, $100,000 Guarantee

Running concurrently with UBOC 6 is Mini UBOC 6, which offers the same slate of events, but with buy-ins that are one-tenth as large. This allows players of all bankrolls to compete in the wide range of tournaments on the docket. In addition, the entire UBOC 6 schedule is open to players from UB.com’s CEREUS Network sister site Absolute Poker.

Visit UB.com for full details.

Weekly Freerolls: ‘Tis the Season

This week Absolute Poker and UB Poker are playing Santa Claus with huge $5,000 freerolls. The Absolute event will take place on Saturday while the UB Poker freeroll kicks off on Sunday so it’s possible to play both of the events.

It takes only 100 raked hands in November on both sites to take part so check to see if you’ve already qualified.

Also worth checking out this week is the PartyPoker $2,000 freeroll on Saturday, which is open to any players who earned 100 Party points in November.

If you're not a PL.com registered player on any of the following sites, click on the site's name in the list to sign up.

Absolute Poker

Absolute Poker runs $5,000 monthly tournaments for PokerListings players.

Date: Dec. 18 Value: $5,000 Qualify with: 100 raked hands in November Qualify between: Nov. 1-30 Sign up here

PartyPoker

PokerListings players have access to exclusive monthly $2,000 freerolls on PartyPoker.

Date: Dec. 18 Value: $2,000 Qualify with: 100 Party Points Earned Qualify between: Nov. 1-30 Sign up here

UB Poker

PokerListings players get a shot at the UB Poker $5,000 exclusive monthly tournaments.

Date: Dec. 19 Value: $5,000 Qualify with: 100 raked hands in November Qualify between: Nov. 1-30 Sign up here

bwin Poker

bwin Poker is running exclusive monthly $1,000 freerolls for PokerListings players.

Date: Dec. 19 Value: $1,000 Qualify with: 50 frequent player points Qualify between: May 15-Dec. 15 Sign up here

Poker770

Poker770 is hosting an exclusive $1,000 freeroll for PL.com players.

Date: Dec. 19 Value: $1,000 Qualify with: New deposit Qualify between: Any day before Dec. 18 Sign up here

888poker

PokerListings players will have access to a $500 freeroll by 888poker on Dec. 21.

Date: Dec. 21 Value: $500 Qualify with: Previous sign-up and 2 status points in November Sign up here

Titan Poker

Titan Poker is running a $5,000 freeroll for PokerListings players that cost just 25 Titan Points to buy into.

Date: Dec. 23 Value: $1,000 Qualify with: 25 Titan Points Sign up here

William Hill Poker

William Hill is running an exclusive $2.5k freeroll for PokerListings players in the first week of January.

Date: Jan. 8 Value: $2,500 Buy-in: 10 William Hill Points Sign up here

PokerStars

PokerStars is running a massive $15,000 Sunday Million freeroll on Jan. 16.

Date: Jan. 16 Value: $15,000 in Qualify with: 75 VPPs Qualify between: Dec. 1-30 Sign up here

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Last Chance to Qualify for Our UB & Absolute Poker $1,500 Freeroll - Just a Deposit Required to Play!

The next UB & Absolute $1,500 Freeroll is this Sunday and it could not be easier to qualify, but you have until tonight to do so.

UFC, NFL, and Movie Picks from Poker in Twitter

Over the weekend, one of the big subjects of Tweets from poker players was the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) rematch between defending welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck.

“Official weigh-ins start pretty soon, lots of people in here at Bell Center,” 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion Jonathan Duhamel Tweeted on Friday afternoon. “We can feel the energy for GSP!” As the weigh-ins were conducted, Duhamel noted, “OMG GSP is so focus right now, Koscheck is gonna get kill 2moro, no doubt about it.”

When the bout rolled around on Saturday, it seemed that St. Pierre was getting the most backing from poker players. “So many people are picking GSP on Twitter and at the party I’m at, the anarchist in me is suddenly rooting for a Kos victory,” Eric “willing2die” Sonstegard Tweeted to his followers. Once the fight began, it was obvious that St. Pierre was in control. “20-18 through two,” Terrence “unassigned” Chan noted. “Those people who said GSP was afraid to strike after the Hardy/Alves/Serra etc. fights? Y’all can go home now.”

The fight went the distance, with St. Pierre battering Koscheck around the octagon for much of the evening. After St. Pierre defended the title by a unanimous decision, Chan and Gavin Griffin discussed the final outcome. “I wanna see pics of that eye the next 5 days, Urijah Faber style,” Griffin Tweeted to Chan about the damage Koscheck received during the fight.

The National Football League (NFL) is into its final month of the regular season and poker players were putting their bets down across the board. “Bet Packers (-6.5), Cleveland (Even), and Patriots (-3),” UB.com pro Phil Hellmuth Tweeted to his followers. “Bet over 38 points in Patriots/Bears game! On Thurs, late Titans score cost me $$$!”

Hellmuth got into the action on the Sunday night game as well, Tweeting, “I am betting Philadelphia (-4) over Dallas for game, and Phili (-3) for first half! @TexDolly bet Phili as well, and he is a sharp bettor!” For the record, Hellmuth lost his game bet on Philadelphia, but won the half. He also lost his Packers and Browns bets, but won on his Patriots wagers.

Those not betting on sports were watching with interest, however. “Watching the Packers lose to the Lions will soften the blow of watching the Bears get severely out-coached,” Tweeted Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin.

Another avid Bears fan, Joe Sebok, was stunned by the way the Patriots/Bears game played out, Tweeting, “wow. me + a bunch of my friends could play the Patriots better than this.” This prompted fellow poker pro Jonathan “FatalError” Aguiar to respond, “That’s what the Bears thought watching the Jets.” Taylor Caby was at the game and all he could Tweet was, “What a miserable Bears game! Sometimes I wonder why I do this to myself. Defrosting.” The Patriots have beaten the Bears and Jets in back-to-back weeks by a combined margin of 81-10.

Two new movies in the theaters captured the attention of the poker community. “Black Swan. Intense. Wow,” was all Sebok could say about one of the rumored favorites for the Academy Awards this year. After Absolute Poker’s Trishelle Cannatella asked him, “But do we like it,” Sebok responded, “Anxiety inducing and disturbing. It was very good.”

Another film, the new Mark Wahlberg boxing flick “The Fighter,” received approval from Annie Duke and Joe Reitman. “The Fighter is amazing,” Duke Tweeted after seeing the film. “Christian Bale does a much better Boston accent than DiCaprio in as much as he actually keeps the accent consistent the whole movie.” Reitman agreed with his paramour, Tweeting, “Bale was awesome in The Fighter, so I guess if he wants to be a pain on the set, I’d have to cut him slack too.”

For the best Tweets from the weekend, we’ll start with some philosophic thoughts from Marcel Luske: “Some people give, others drain… Select them carefully.” Bryan Devonshire was also in deep thought: “Why don’t more poker players live where they’re stoked to be alive? The freedom of this job is the greatest perk available.”

Finally, Cannatella got the first sign you’re getting older when she Tweeted, “Omg. Lol. Watched Paul McCartney on SNL with my nephews and asked if they knew him. They were like ‘Huh? Yeah we know Jesse McCartney.’”

Maria Ho to Host UB.com Charity Tournament Benefiting North Wales Library

We’re already into the second week of December and, as such, the online poker room UB.com is set to host its monthly Second Sundays charity tournament.  This month, the beneficiary of the fundraiser is the North Wales Library in Pennsylvania.

The tournament will begin at 2:45pm ET today and requires a $10 buy-in, with no additional fee going to the house.  The entire prize pool will be given to the North Wales Library, along with a 100% match by UB.com.

The top ten finishers in the tournament will receive a free entry into Sunday’s $200,000 Guaranteed, a $215 value.  The winner will also be awarded a Wireless Poker Controller.  Additionally, whoever knocks out tournament host Maria Ho, the newest member of Team UB.com, will win a $66 entry into that day’s $7,000 Guaranteed, which kicks off at 9:30pm ET.

Those who wish to donate, but are unable to participate in the tournament can do so via a player-to-player transfer to the account “CHARITIES.”  The first name “Charity” will be needed to complete the transfer.

The North Wales Library dates back all the way to 1927, when it was founded in the basement of the North Wales Elementary School.  As one might expect, the library outgrew the small space and that, combined with its administrators’ desire for additional facilities for activities, resulted in the purchase of a new building in 2008.  It took two years to renovate the building to suit the library’s needs and it re-opened at the beginning of this year.

Despite housing over 30,000 volumes and containing a space for community functions, there is a continual need for funds to support the facility.  It is more than just a local library today, serving many more people than just the North Wales locals.  In addition to North Wales, people come from Lansdale, Hatfield, Upper Gwynedd, as well as the Montgomery and Towamencin Townships to use the facilities and take advantage of its programs. North Wales is approximately 20 miles north of Philadelphia.

Ho, the last woman standing in the 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event and a competitor on the CBS reality series ” Amazing Race,” was introduced as a member of Team UB.com last month.  She is particularly excited to be involved with this charity event:

“Second Sundays is truly a way for people to play a game that they love, all the while helping a great cause, and I am proud to be a part of such a philanthropic gesture on behalf of UB.com,” she said in a statement released this week. “Growing up, I frequented my local library and had my nose buried in books any chance I got, so helping to raise money for the North Wales Library is something very close to my heart. We should all be in support of improving the quality of learning and educational tools for Americans of all ages.”

As might be apparent from the name, “Second Sundays” tournaments are held on the second Sunday of each month on UB.com.  Players on Absolute Poker, UB.com’s sister site on the CEREUS Network, may also participate in the event.

Last month, Second Sundays was hosted by Team UB.com member Joe Sebok and raised $4,172.50 for the Justin Shronk Memorial Scholarship Fund.  Shronk was a beloved member of the poker media, having worked at PokerNews, Bluff, CardPlayer, and Sebok’s PokerRoad Radio.  Shronk passed away in April 2009.  To honor his life, the Fund was established at the Temple University School of Communications and Theater to provide scholarships to Broadcasting, Telecommunications, and Mass Media students with financial needs.

Other organizations that have been beneficiaries of Second Sundays include the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Program, the San Antonio AIDS Foundation, and the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.  To date, UB.com and Absolute Poker have raised over $32,000 for their causes.

Antonio Esfandiari Leads WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic with 15 Left

For the third straight day, Victory Poker pro Antonio Esfandiari leads the way in the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Five Diamond World Poker Classic. There are 15 players remaining and, as was the case after Days 2 and 3, Esfandiari owns a stranglehold on the rest of the field.

Esfandiari owns 2.6 million in chips and is the only player above two million. Hot on is heels is World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event runner-up John Racener, who owns a stack of 1.9 million. Racener, who entered heads-up play in this year’s Main Event as a 6:1 underdog in chips against Jonathan Duhamel, is in search of his first WPT final table. He bubbled the six-handed finale of the Season 5 Borgata Poker Classic, bowing out in eighth place for $166,000.

Legends of Poker champ Andy Frankenberger was the final casualty of the day on Monday at the Bellagio, the site of the Five Diamond. Frankenberger pushed all-in on a flop of Q-7-4 with two clubs and showed K-10 of the suit for a flush draw. He received a call from Kirk Morrison, who tabled 7-4 for two pair and dodged the draw on the river when the nine of spades hit. Morrison, the runner-up in the Season 5 WPT Championship, holds the fifth largest chip stack at 1.5 million.

Doyle Brunson, the face of DoylesRoom and the Five Diamond, was bumped in 18th place after an impressive run. Brunson ran A-J into the A-K belonging to Kia Mohajeri on his final hand and the board came 9-6-6-5-4. Coverage found on the official website of the WPT detailed Brunson’s exit: “The Fontana Lounge gives Brunson a hearty round of applause as he exits the tournament area.” Brunson has recorded three WPT final tables.

Eugene Katchalov, who won the 2007 running of this tournament, was eliminated on Monday in 19th place. Katchalov committed his stack with A-K and found himself in a race against Racener’s pocket queens. The board ran out five cards jack or lower and Katchalov headed to the rails with $33,000 in tow. Three years ago, Katchalov’s Five Diamond win was good for $2.4 million. Due to a lower buy-in and smaller prize pool, this year’s champ will take home just one-third of that total.

Also ousted yesterday was Absolute Poker pro Freddy Deeb. DoylesRoom Brunson 10 member Amit “amak316” Makhija made a boat with pocket jacks to send Deeb home in 24th place for $25,000. Makhija owns the 12th largest stack after four days of play in the WPT tournament at 756,000. He’s in search of his second WPT final table after finishing as the runner-up in the Season 7 Legends of Poker for $563,000.

Here are the 15 players remaining in the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic:

1. Antonio Esfandiari – 2,680,000
2. John Racener – 1,900,000
3. Andrew “good2cu” Robl – 1,750,000
4. Kia Mohajeri – 1,694,000
5. Kirk Morrison – 1,545,000
6. Luis Velador – 1,423,000
7. Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi – 1,380,000
8. Ray Dehkharghani – 1,148,000
9. Andrew “luckychewy” Lichtenberger – 915,000
10. Vanessa Rousso – 888,000
11. Chris DeMaci – 801,000
12. Amit “amak316” Makhija – 756,000
13. Ted Lawson – 400,000
14. Danny Fuhs – 247,000
15. Charles Caris – 125,000

The tournament’s play down day will occur this afternoon and a winner will be crowned on Wednesday. If you’re at the Bellagio and want to rail the action on Tuesday, the tournament will be held in the poker room while the television set is being constructed in the Fontana Lounge. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest.

LeBron James Returns to Cleveland from Poker in Twitter

While they were camped out at the Bellagio in Las Vegas for the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Five Diamond World Poker Classic, players were also keeping their eyes on the sporting world. One of the big events that drew their attention in recent days was LeBron James’ return to Cleveland as a member of the Miami Heat.

Peter Jetten probably had the best plan for watching the Heat/Cavaliers game when he Tweeted on Thursday, “Going to have a fun relaxing day today. Massage this afternoon then going to watch the Heat/Cavs and TNF, The 10k Bellagio is tomorrow.” When he actually journeyed to the Bellagio sports book to check out the game, Kevin “BeL0WaB0Ve” Saul amusingly observed, “Lol @ Bellagio sportsbook… they have audio for Eagles game over Cavs/Heat.”

Firmly on the side of James and the Heat were Floridians Robert Mizrachi and Eric Mizrachi. As the Heat were demolishing the Cavaliers, the former Tweeted, “That’s what all you LeBron haters get for all the ‘booing.’ Miami just opened a can of ‘ass whooping’ on Cleveland, lol. Go @KingJames.” Robert chirped a simple, “Let’s go LeBron.”

On the other side were Alex Outhred and 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) final tablist Doug Kim. Kim gave James some props when he chirped, “OK, LeBron is damn ridiculous.” Outhred, though, still held some animosity: “Miami crushing Cleveland doesn’t mean #LeBron is no longer an asshole.” In the end, the Heat destroyed the Cavaliers 118-90.

As poker players dropped from the Five Diamond, NFL football took center stage. On opposite sides of the chase for the NFC North championship race were DoylesRoom Brunson 10 member Amit “amak316” Makhija and Saul. The latter showed his true colors when he Tweeted, “And that’s another victory formation! #bears.” Makhija showed his allegiance to Green Bay: “The Packers won and I’m up to 130k the only way the first level Coulda been sweeter is with a Bears loss, still a great start!”

In another big game on Sunday featuring the Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys, tournament director Matt Savage was unflinchingly honest in his assessment of the performance of Colts’ quarterback Peyton Manning: “Favre is out of the game so we need a new Interception King. Introducing Peyton Manning as the next Hall of Famer falling apart!” Jetten wryly noted across the Twitterverse, “This game would be so much more exciting if my big Cowboys must win Super Bowl bet was still live.”

Absolute Poker pro Trishelle Cannatella was in New York for the games on Sunday, but couldn’t hold back her rooting interest in the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints after the team’s come-from-behind victory against the Cincinnati Bengals: “Payton is such a badass!!!! Love it. Watching the game in NYC. Geaux @Official_Saints.”

There were some top players paying attention on the cards in the Bellagio over the weekend. As action came to a close on Sunday, Allen Kessler (“Made day 4 of #wpt #Poker 10k Bellagio event. 54 left now of 438 starters. I have 90500. Avg probably 300k.”) and Vanessa Rousso (“Done for the day. I have 694k after a late surge. 54 left. Day four at noon tomorrow.”) were ready to come back on Monday.

Players out with a min-cash for their efforts included Full Tilt pros John Juanda (“Min cash WPT Bellagio. Last hand I had AKs, ran into both QQ & KK. Turned a flush draw, but missed.”) and Jon “PearlJammer” Turner (“Out 60thish, reshoved 18bbs w T9s from c/o over h/j’s raise, btn woke up w JJ, I hit 2 pair, but he hit J”).

For the top Tweets of the weekend, we’ll start with UB.com pro “Hollywood” Dave Stann, who became a movie critic: “Oscar noms for best actress Natalie Portman, director Darren Aronofsky & film Black Swan. Twisted look into the self-torture of true artists.” Scott Ian offered his critique of the latest effort from the Black Eyed Peas, Tweeting, “The Black Eyed Peas cover of Time Of My Life = the lamest piece of music I have ever had the unfortunate experience of accidentally hearing.”

Having a problem with coyotes at her home, Erica Schoenberg found a unique cure: “I just spent 100 bucks on wolf urine to sprinkle in the backyard to repel the coyotes. Guess I need to get into the predator pee market.” On the work front, Joe Reitman explained the audition process in Hollywood: “At commercial auditions, they now ask for your barcode. If I didn’t feel like cattle, I sure as hell do now.”

Finally, Joe Sebok offered a gem from PokerRoad’s Court Harrington when he Tweeted, “Me ‘Sometimes I forget to breathe when I’m typing.’ @courtharrington ‘Don’t become a novelist.’ As usual, solid Southern logic from the hick.”

Poker News in Brief: Nov. 29- Dec. 5

Fortunately, we've found a place for them in our weekly Poker News in Brief feature.

This week the WSOPC heads to Atlantic City, Fernando Brito takes a big lead in the EPT's POY race, the LAPC schedule is released and a whole lot more.

WSOPC Hits AC

The World Series of Poker Circuit series kicked off at Harrah's Resort Atlantic City Dec. 4.

The full schedule, running through Dec. 22, includes ten official ring events.

The three-day $1,650 main event begins Dec. 12 and the second of four nationally-televised $10k WSOPC Regional Championships is scheduled for four days beginning Dec. 19.

Ladies Love The Big Easy

The High Heels Poker Tour is winding down it's 2010 schedule at Harrah's New Orleans.

The first all women’s poker tour is hosting a $175 Ladies event at the annual 2010 Bayou Poker Challenge Dec. 12.

January is also full of HHPT events with from the PCA to the Southern Poker Championship and the Chad Brown Poker Invitational Ladies Event.

For additional information, including dates, times and buy-in’s, go to www.highheelspokertour.com.

Brito Leads EPT POY Race

Fernando Brito, the 51-year-old businessman from Portugal who made the final of the EPT London Main Event, has a massive lead in the PokerStars EPT Player of the Year race.

After winning a €10,000 event at EPT Barcelona, Brito is now 660 points ahead of his nearest rivals.

So far this season, Brito has won €466,000 on the EPT.

EPT Vilamoura winner Toby Lewis is currently tied for second place with EPT Barcelona winner Kent Lundmark.

LAPC Schedule Released

The Commerce Casino in Los Angeles has unveiled its lineup of tournaments for the 2011 LA Poker Classic with $2 million in guarantees.

The schedule features 53 events running Jan. 19- Mar. 3 including the $10k WPT LA Poker Classic main event beginning Feb. 25 and the hugely popular WPT Celebrity Invitational starting Feb. 19.

There will also be a $25,100 High Roller tournament and $5,100 heads-up and 8-game events.

The full event schedule can be found at www.CommerceCasino.com.

UB, AP Launch Security Token

UB and Absolute Poker have launched a new Security Token program.

Players can now add an extra layer of user authentication preventing unauthorized account use.

The token is a small electronic device require to be at hand when a player logs in to their account.

Visit http://www.ub.com/support/security/additional-authentication for further information and to opt in to the Security Token program.

All-In Winter at Titan

Titan Poker is offering $220,000 in total prizes during the months of December and January as a part of its All-In Winter Poker Promotion.

Cash game, MTT, and Sit & Go players on the site will be eligible for different weekly and monthly prizes during December and January.

Plus, all Titan players can qualify for two All-In Winter $10,000 Freeroll tournaments by generating 100 Titan Poker Points each month.

PKR Wins E-Gaming Award

PKR picked up Poker Operator of the Year honors at the 2010 E-Gaming Review Awards in London this week.

Judges praised PKR for demonstrating how originality and constant innovation could build a successful business in the face of liquidity challenges.

"It is a fantastic achievement for PKR to have won this prestigious award," said PKR CEO Malcolm Graham. "2010 has been an astounding year for us."

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Poker News Daily Weekly Update

Hello and welcome to the Poker News Daily Weekly Update, I’m your host Sean Gibson and I’ll be bringing you this week’s top headlines in the world of poker. Let’s get right to it!

Players on UB.com and Absolute Poker will be able to make it a lot more difficult for their accounts to be compromised through the use of security tokens. The security measure was introduced this week and can be purchased in the UB Points Store.

If you’ve never heard of a security token, it’s a small device that generates a numeric code. When you log into your UB.com or Absolute Poker account, you’ll need your user name and password along with the code generated by the security token. If you don’t have all three pieces of information, you won’t be able to sign in. The code randomly generates and will be different from login to login.

If your user name and password are compromised, a would-be hacker won’t be able to log into UB.com or Absolute Poker without the code generated by the security token. Visit UB.com or Absolute Poker for more information about it and how to purchase one.

If you are a well-known poker player who has something valuable to sell, it looks like this is the right time to do so. Peter Eastgate put up a World Series of Poker bracelet, as did Eskimo Clark. Now, Team PokerStars pro Vanessa Rousso is offering up her yellow two thousand seven Lamborghini on eBay.

Rousso purchased the sports car last year as a treat for herself with her poker winnings. In a video interview with CardPlayer, Rousso said that she had been planning the purchase since she was teenager. Even though she could afford to pay the sticker price for the vehicle, she bought it used to benefit from the depreciation in value in its first year.
This model originally retailed for one-hundred eighty thousand dollars, but you can head to eBay to buy it now for just one-hundred twenty-six thousand bucks.

This month, PartyPoker is holding the Five Star Poker Challenge, offering thirty-one freerolls worth five thousand dollars each plus other high-stakes cash prizes. All you have to do to take full advantage of the Five Star Poker Challenge is rack up five Party Points in a single day. Then, PartyPoker will grant you entry into a five thousand dollar freeroll the next day.

If you qualify for five of the aforementioned freerolls, you’ll score entry into a fifty thousand dollar freeroll that will be held on January Second. You’ll be ringing in the new year in style as you vie for a five-figure prize pool, all for playing on one of the world’s largest online poker sites.

After a nearly two-month break, the Durrrr Challenge between Tom “durrrr” Dwan and Dan “JungleMan12” Cates returned last week. Two sessions were held, the first of which totaled thirteen hundred hands and saw Cates win thirty-five thousand dollars. Then, an eighty-minute session saw another seven-hundred hands played with Dwan cutting into Cates’ lead by forty-seven thousand bucks. Cates now leads by six-hundred forty-five thousand dollars overall after nearly ten thousand hands. Fifty thousand hands are required for completion of the Durrrr Challenge.

Cates had been at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City playing a tournament prior to the resumption of the Challenge. Meanwhile, Dwan was last seen playing in nosebleed cash games in Macau along with players like Phil Ivey and Chau Giang.

Rush Poker Mobile has been pulled from the Android Market. Originally, the program was unavailable “due to maintenance,” but Poker News Daily has learned that offering real money gambling could be to blame.

On the Android Market’s website, language against real money gambling games is given …

“Apps with gambling themes or that include simulated gambling should be rated ‘Teen’ or above. Real gambling is not allowed in Android Market.”

Whether the app will be reintroduced to the Market in play money form remains to be seen.

Rush Poker Mobile’s departure from the Android Market doesn’t mean that players can’t use it. Instead, the application is still available from Full Tilt Poker’s website. A web-based version is available, as is a QR code that can be scanned. You’ll need Flash Version Ten Point One or higher on your phone in order to use Rush Poker Mobile.

The World Series of Poker Circuit has added two new stops to the ongoing season. From February Seventeenth to March First, the WSOP Circuit will invade the Palm Beach Kennel Club Poker Room in Florida. The state, which recently saw a vast expansion of poker, is also hosting a World Poker Tour stop next year and is quickly becoming a hotbed of poker.

Also hosting a new tour stop is Harrah’s Chester, located on the Delaware River in Pennsylvania. The state has seen the recent expansion of table games and will now attract a flood of poker players between April Twenty-Eighth and May Ninth. The Chester poker room features twenty-five tables and Harrah’s officials will also turn its convention center into a fifty-table poker room for the full slate of Circuit events.

Finally, Peter Eastgate’s two thousand eight World Series of Poker Main Event bracelet, which had been up for auction on eBay, sold for one hundred forty-seven thousand dollars. Overall, it saw a stunning one hundred sixteen bids. Eastgate put the bracelet up for auction to benefit UNICEF. The identity of the buyer is not yet known… and if it’s you, please shoot us an e-mail at support@pokernewsdaily.com…

Well, that does it for this week’s PND Weekly Recap and we invite you to visit our site every single day for the latest news in the world of poker. If you haven’t done it yet, also be sure to follow us at twitter dot com slash poker news daily. I’m Sean Gibson and have a terrific week at the tables!

The Nightly Turbo: Security Tokens Launched at UB and Absolute Poker, Titan.fr Opens, and More

The Nightly Turbo is bringing you the day's top poker news stories including UB and Absolute Poker's Security Tokens, Titan.fr's launch, and more.

UB and Absolute Poker introduce new security token

The CEREUS network, UltimateBet and Absolute Poker, have introduced new security tokens in order to reinforce the accounts of its players. The new token can be purchased with UB points in their store.

UB.com and Absolute Poker Introduce Security Token

Players at the USA-friendly CEREUS Network sites UB.com and Absolute Poker will now be able to make it a lot more difficult for their accounts to be compromised by using security tokens. The security measure was introduced this week and can be purchased in the UB Points Store.

UB.com’s Joe Sebok was elated to bring the added layer of security to life for players on his home online poker site. Sebok commented in a press release distributed by CEREUS officials this week, “We are committed to doing everything possible to safeguard our network and players and we want to provide every option to boost their personal security, particularly those who keep sick amounts of cash in their accounts day-to-day. The security token will provide the most up-to-date security solution to ensure that every player’s personal information and bankroll are always protected.”

If you’ve never heard of a security token, it’s a small device that generates a numeric code. When you log into your UB.com or Absolute Poker account, you’ll need your user name and password along with the code generated by the security token. If you don’t have all three pieces of information, then you won’t be able to sign in. The code randomly generates and will be different from login to login. Just press the button located on the device, which is synched with UB.com’s servers, to see what the code is.

Therefore, if your user name and password are compromised, a would-be hacker won’t be able to log into UB.com or Absolute Poker without the code generated by the security token. CEREUS officials have dubbed it a “two-factor authentication process: the password plus the unique security code generated by the ‘one-button’ device.”

The security token is available for 6,500 points in the UB Points Store and a separate link is given for players from Canada to purchase one. Text found on UB.com explains the importance of coughing up the necessary points for a security token: “Because the code is only displayed on your security token and nowhere else, your account will remain safe in the event that your username and password fall into the wrong hands.”

Once you receive your security token in the mail, you’ll need to log into UB.com to activate it. Just click on the “Cashier,” “Account Information,” and then “Security” and you’ll be on your way. If you incorrectly enter your security token code three times, then you’ll be locked out of your account. To be reinstated, contact UB security via e-mail at security@ub.com.

Players on the CEREUS Network can also elect to use a SecureID pin number, a five-digit code that must be entered at login in order to access the virtual felts. The SecureID Pin was introduced to UB.com in the middle of 2009 and can be used in tandem with the security token. To access the SecureID Pin, visit the “Security” menu within the UB.com software.

Other online poker sites also offer security tokens to protect their players. Full Tilt Poker offers branded and un-branded security keys for 5,000 points in the store that generate a unique six-digit code every 30 seconds. The site also boasts a mobile version of its security key that can be utilized on a cell phone. The price of PokerStars’ RSA security token varies based on a player’s status in the VIP program.

UB.com and Absolute Poker happily accept players from the United States. The former’s team of sponsored pros includes Sebok, Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke, and 11-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth.

Excapsa, Blanca Games Finalize Ultimate Bet Dispute

Former Ultimate Bet owner Excapsa Software has apparently put the final touches on the ownership transfer of the online poker room, ending a multi-year saga following the downfall of the Ultimate Bet superuser scandal. Antiguan-based Blanca Games, which acquired the CEREUS Poker Network in August from Tokwiro Enterprises, settled on a deal with Excapsa through a liquidator to put the seemingly endless financial struggle to rest. Read more.

XMT Liquidations, the court-appointed “Liquidator” selected to wrap up the affairs of Excapsa Software, released a document this week that broke down the deal with between the two sides: “After canvassing the Inspector and several shareholders of Excapsa following the unsuccessful settlement conference, and taking into account the time, costs, and uncertainty associated with the continuation of legal proceedings and enforcements of justice, the Liquidator concluded that the final settlement with the Tokwiro Group should be pursued. Negotiations ensued, and the Liquidator has reached an agreement with the Tokwiro Group and its successor in interest, Blanca Games.”

Once the final details are settled and the court approves the settlement, Blanca Games will acquire Excapsa’s interest in the debt and related security for a total payment of $2 million, of which $1 million will be paid on closing and the balance will be paid on March 31st. The payments originally appeared to be in jeopardy.

In the event that Blanca sells or merges the business and assets it acquired from Tokwiro on or before March 31st, 2013, Excapsa will receive 8% to 20% percent of the net proceeds attributable to the UB.com brand assets. Excapsa will also acquire the remaining interest in the gaming software, which Tokwiro had retained to use for internal business purposes. XMT claims it is confident that the majority of Excapsa’s shareholders will sign off on the deal.

The news of the settlement leaves many wondering if the truth about the Ultimate Bet hole card scandal will dissipate now that the principals have parted ways with the brand. It is assumed that a non-disclosure agreement was part of the settlement, which would restrict the details of the scandal from the poker community from this point forward.

Tokwiro was also in the news last week regarding an article published by a radio station in Tennessee that warned area residents of a “scam” being pulled by Tokwiro Enterprises ENRG. Tennessee District Attorney General Mike Bottoms said in a press release that several area residents had filed complaints regarding a “collection agency” type scam. Residents reported they had received letters through the mail from “Tokwiro Enterprises ENRG” stating that they had been contracted to collect debts amassed in the victim’s name. According to Bottoms, the letters indicated that “Ultimate Bet” or “Absolute Poker and Debt Alliance Corporation” had contracted with “Tokwiro” to collect the monies.

On Tuesday, Tokwiro responded with a statement saying that it is no longer in a business relationship with Debt Alliance America Corporation or any other debt collection entities seeking to make good on claims of monies owed to the CEREUS Network.

“Tokwiro is not a part of any current or continuing efforts to collect on funds owed to any online interactive gaming businesses or interests,” said Joseph Norton, principal of Tokwiro. “Any claims that such demands for payment came from Tokwiro are wrong. Tokwiro is no longer even involved in the operation of CEREUS. We will take vigorous steps to protect our good name and reputation from false claims.”

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest headlines.

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Maria Ho Signs with UB.com

Maria Ho, the last woman standing in the 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, has joined UB.com. The 27 year-old becomes the newest face of the CEREUS Network site, which recently saw the departures of Billy “Patrolman25” Kopp, Matt “mattg1983” Graham, and Michael Binger.

Ho was elated to be joining Team UB, whose roster of pros includes 11-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth and reigning National Heads-Up Poker Championship victor Annie Duke. She told Poker News Daily, “To be a part of Team UB, which boasts a well-respected roster of pros that have achieved so much and stood the test of time in the game such as Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke, as well as newer pros to the scene that have incredible success and talent such as Eric Baldwin and Adam Levy, is something I am proud of.”

The site has undergone a wealth of changes ever since the Russ Hamilton-led cheating scandal rocked it several years ago. Now, Ultimate Bet has been re-branded as UB.com and currently resides on a new URL. Ho explained, “I am excited about the new vision and direction of UB, especially with the guidance and input of Joe Sebok, who has his finger on the pulse of the poker community at all times.” Sebok has served as the main liaison with players in the aftermath of the scandal while the process of reimbursing patrons and combing through hand histories has occurred.

Ho also told Poker News Daily that she brings unique talents to the table: “I believe that I can bring a fresh and unique dynamic to the team by reaching out to an untapped demographic by writing strategy articles and posting videos in both English and my native language of Mandarin Chinese. I also feel as though my experiences primarily as a live high-stakes cash game player will bring a different perspective to a lesser known part of the poker world that interests people.” Ho originally hails from Taiwan and moved to Los Angeles with her family at age four. She is renown for her Limit poker skills.

Ho gained mainstream exposure through the CBS reality series “Amazing Race” during its 15th cycle. She paired with fellow UB pro and close friend Tiffany Michelle on the series and finished in sixth place. In the team’s final leg, Michelle and Ho were unable to conquer a carnival high striker in the Netherlands and comprised the last all-female team remaining. On her friendship with Michelle, Ho told Poker News Daily, “I get to be on a team with one of my closest friends in poker and life, Tiffany Michelle, which is just another reason among many why I am excited about joining Team UB.”

In addition to the Emmy Award-winning “Amazing Race,” Ho has appeared on television shows like “American Idol” and “Anderson Cooper 360.” Appropriately, she holds a degree from the University of California, San Diego in Communications.

Ho’s first live event as a sponsored pro of UB.com was at this weekend’s PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Los Angeles stop. Ho played on Day 1B on Saturday and, as of late Saturday night, was nursing one of the short stacks in the room at 9,500. Ho’s table draw certainly hasn’t helped her case, as her company on Saturday included Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka, Isaac “westmenloAA” Baron, and Nacho Barbero.

Besides her deep run in the WSOP Main Event three years ago, Ho’s poker resume includes a tenth place finish in the World Poker Tour (WPT) Bellagio Cup in July and five in the money finishes in WSOP events over the last two years.

UB.com, along with its fellow CEREUS Network site Absolute Poker, happily accept players from the United States.

Weekly Freerolls: Free Cash Frenzy

First and foremost, PlayersOnly Poker is hosting a $1,000 freeroll on Saturday where every player who deposited through PL.com for the first time in October can play.

If you can’t play on Saturday you can take comfort in the fact that sister site SportsBook Poker will run a $2,000 freeroll on Sunday.

Meanwhile PokerStars is running a massive $15,000 PCA freeroll on Sunday and players need to have earned only 75 VPPs in October to get in on the action.

If that's not enough action for you, both Absolute Poker and UB Poker are running $5,000 freerolls this weekend as well.

The following freerolls are open to all PokerListings.com players.

If you're not a PL.com registered player on any of the following sites, click on the site's name in the list to sign up.

Titan Poker

Titan Poker is running $1,000 weekly freerolls for PokerListings players that cost just one Titan Point to buy into.

Date: Nov. 13 Value: $1,000 Qualify with: 1 Titan Points Sign up here

PlayersOnly Poker

PokerListings players will have access to an exclusive $1,000 freeroll on PlayersOnly Poker in October.

Date: Nov. 13 Value: $1,000 Qualify with: New deposit of $50 or more Qualify between: Oct. 1-30 Sign up here

Absolute Poker

Absolute Poker is running a $5,000 freeroll for PokerListings players in November.

Date: Nov. 13 Value: $5,000 Qualify with: 100 raked hands in October Qualify between: Oct. 1-30 Sign up here

UB Poker

UB Poker is also running a $5,000 freeroll for PokerListings players in November.

Date: Nov. 14 Value: $5,000 Qualify with: 100 raked hands in October Qualify between: Oct. 1-30 Sign up here

SportsBook Poker

SportsBook Poker is running a $2,000 freeroll for PokerListings players in October.

Date: Nov. 14 Value: $2,000 Qualify with: New deposit of $50 or more Qualify between: Oct. 1-30 Sign up here

Betfair Poker

Betfair Poker is running a special $3,000 freeroll for PokerListings players in November.

Date: Nov. 14 Value: $3,000 Qualify with: 5 Betfair Points earned Qualify between: Oct. 1-30 Sign up here

PokerStars

PokerStars is running a massive $15,000 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure freeroll on Nov. 14.

Date: Nov. 14 Value: $15,000 Qualify with: 75 VPPs Qualify between: Oct. 1-30 Sign up here

888poker

888poker is currently running weekly $500 freerolls for players who have made a deposit through PokerListings.com at some point.

Date: Nov. 16 Value: $500 Qualify with: New deposit Sign up here

PartyPoker

PokerListings players have access to exclusive monthly $2,000 freerolls on PartyPoker.

Date: Nov. 20 Value: $2,000 Qualify with: 100 Party Points Earned Qualify between: Oct. 1-30 Sign up here

bwin Poker

bwin Poker is running exclusive monthly $1,000 freerolls for PokerListings players.

Date: Nov. 21 Value: $1,000 Qualify with: 50 frequent player points Qualify between: May 15-Dec. 15 Sign up here

William Hill Poker

William Hill is running an exclusive $2.5k freeroll for PokerListings players in the first week of December.

Date: Dec. 4 Value: $2,500 Buy-in: 10 William Hill Points Sign up here

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Exclusive UB & Absolute Poker $1,500 Freerolls This Sunday - Just a Deposit Required to Play!

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First WSOP Circuit Regional Championship Attracts 226 Poker Players

The very first World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit Regional Championship kicked off on Monday from the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana, just outside of Chicago. The $10,000 buy-in tournament, whose price tag is equal to that of the WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas, drew 226 players for a total prize pool of $2.1 million, creating the largest Circuit prize pool in three years.

The winner of the tournament will bank $525,000, which is also the largest Circuit payout awarded in three years. The last nine players standing earn spots in the Circuit National Championship, which will emanate from Caesars Palace in Las Vegas next May just before the start of the 2011 WSOP. The 100-player tournament awards a coveted gold bracelet to its winner and boasts a prize pool of $1 million.

The WSOP Circuit stop in Chicago has, by all accounts, been one for the ages. The first event was the largest Circuit tournament ever held at 1,611 players. Then, the Main Event, which sported a $1,600 buy-in, became the largest Championship tournament ever with 872 entrants.

Ryan Julius, an online poker pro, leads the pack of the Regional Championship at the end of Day 1 with a chip stack of 265,000. Among those making waves toward the end of the day was Mike Mustafa, who tripled up after cracking not one, but two players’ pocket kings with pocket queens. Mustafa flopped a queen and ducked a straight draw on the river to move to 53,600 in chips at the end of the day.

David Paredes sent Full Tilt Poker pro Gavin Smith to the rail on Monday. Smith called all-in with 9-4 of spades for a flush on a flop of J-10-7, all spades. Paredes was behind with pocket jacks and needed the board to pair on the turn or river to send the newly minted bracelet winner home. The drama was short-lived, as a seven on the turn gave Paredes a full house. Paredes shot up to eighth place on the leaderboard with a stack of 120,000 entering Day 2. You’ll recall that Paredes was interviewed on the “60 Minutes” piece profiling the scandals on Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker. Click here for more information.

PokerStars pro Vanessa Selbst tabled pocket rockets on a board of K-K-3-7-5 for aces-up. She moved to over 75,000 in chips after that hand and ended strong, skyrocketing to sixth place on the leaderboard with 130,000. Selbst and Paredes will be seated together at Table 9, whose roster will also include PokerStars pro Jason Mercier and poker icon Steve Zolotow.

Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Bernard Lee 4bet all-in on a flop of A-10-5 with two hearts and showed 6-3 of hearts for a flush draw. Kyle “kwob20” Bowker tabled K-10 of hearts for middle pair and a king-high flush draw, but a running 6-3 awarded the pot to Lee. The Foxwoods pro made it to third on the chip counts by the time all was said and done at 137,000. His competition at Table 12 today will include Steve “MrTimCaum” O’Dwyer and Chris Bell.

Here are the top 10 chip stacks after one day of play in the WSOP Regional Championship in Hammond:

1. Ryan Julius – 265,000
2. Jonathan “driverseati” Tamayo – 186,300
3. Bernard Lee – 137,400
4. Gordon Vayo – 137,400
5. Shannon Shorr – 131,500
6. Vanessa Selbst – 130,000
7. Timothy Morgan – 127,600
8. David Paredes – 120,300
9. David “Doc Sands” Sands – 113,700
10. Chad Brown – 110,100

Play resumes today at 1:00pm CT and 114 players remain. Keep it tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from the WSOP Circuit Regional Championship.

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Blanca Games Responds to Liquidation Letter, Addresses New Cheating

In September, a letter from XMT Liquidations to the shareholders of what was formerly known as Excapsa Software identified a new cheating incident on the former Ultimate Bet site. Recently, Blanca Games, the current owners of UB.com and Absolute Poker, addressed the findings and the dispute between Tokwiro Enterprises and Excapsa.

The letter, dated September 10th, references an “an unfair and unlawful advantage in online poker games in 2004 and 2005.” However, the incident was not outlined. Blanca Games shed some light on the issue last week, explaining, “The Liquidator has recently advised Blanca’s employees that the security breach at issue was closed by Excapsa in early 2005. Blanca has no knowledge of whether or not this incident is, in fact, ‘newly discovered.’ It does, however, understand that two player accounts were involved in this 2004 incident, and that the damages sustained by players were less than $100,000.” The incident was then reported to the “appropriate regulatory authorities.”

Blanca Games clarified, however, that the liquidators in question were not acting on Absolute Poker or UB.com, which together make up the USA-friendly CEREUS Network. Additionally, the press release from Blanca asserted, “The operations of the AbsolutePoker.com and UB.com sites, now under the management of Blanca, are entirely unaffected by the events referred to by the Liquidator… In short, the 2004 incident has no impact whatsoever on current players and customers of AbsolutePoker.com or UB.com.  Blanca will continue to do everything in its power to protect its players and customers by providing the highest levels of security on its sites.”

The cheating scandals on Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker were profiled in a “60 Minutes” piece in November 2008. Two months ago, Blanca Games acquired the CEREUS Network from Tokwiro Enterprises. Blanca Games is based in Antigua and has headquarters in Costa Rica, where UB.com and Absolute Poker are both located, and Stuart Gordon serves as the company’s CEO.

Blast Off was comprised of the assets of Ultimate Bet before it was sold to Tokwiro Enterprises and the liquidation at hand saw one of its major creditors elect “to exercise its rights in respect of the collateral it held as security for Blast Off’s debt.” This “major creditor” may refer to the former owners of the Absolute Poker domain, although it was not addressed in Blanca Games’ press release.

The liquidation letter added, “Blast Off intended to [end] any and all operations related to assets over which Excapsa has been granted a security interest.” This could potentially refer to UltimateBet.com, which was not included in the transfer to Blanca Games. Instead, only UB.com and AbsolutePoker.com became part of the new company. Now, UltimateBet.com forwards to an online poker affiliate site and is not associated with UB.com.

Blanca noted that the company has “no interest in that dispute” between XMT Liquidations and Tokwiro Enterprises.

In response to the press release from Blanca Games, one poster on TwoPlusTwo noted, “Further evidence as to why this industry needs to be regulated and have oversight.” The Kahnawake Gaming Commission cited Russ Hamilton as the main person responsible for the cheating scandal that erupted on Ultimate Bet. The former World Series of Poker Main Event champion is still roaming free in Las Vegas much to the dismay of many and over $20 million was stolen from players.

In a blog posted from August, UB.com pro Joe Sebok lamented the lack of prosecution in the cheating scandal: “I wish we were a police force, but we are not. I wish we could really round up all of these people and interrogate them, but we can’t… I also wish we were a court and we could try them all and jail the convicted, but again, we cannot do this. The poker community would be a better place if we could, but as of right now this just isn’t possible.”

In February 2009, Raw Vegas caught up with Hamilton in the parking lot of a Las Vegas golf course. Poker pro Layne Flack and two other unidentified people were with Hamilton at the time. Hamilton refused comment and drove away.

Read the Blanca Games statement concerning XMT Liquidations.