Poker News

Poker News in Brief: March 1-7, 2010

Between the LAPC and WPT Invitational winners, Isildur1 getting busy online and the start of the NBC National Heads-Up Championship there was nary a dull moment for poker fans.

As usual, we’re going to list some of the poker stories you might have missed as part of our ongoing Poker News in Brief feature.

This week we’re going to take a look at online gambling in Iowa, a WSOP all-star game, Roland de Wolfe winning a London tournament and more.

Legal Online Gambling in Iowa?

Iowa is the latest U.S. state apparently looking at legalizing online gambling.

Rep. Doug Struyk of Council Bluffs told the Quad City Times that 50,000 people in Iowa already participate in online gambling and the government could provide better protection for them if the industry was legalized and regulated.

Struyk’s proposal would regulate the practice through the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission.

If the proposal goes through Iowa would become the first state in the country to allow online gambling.

Tiger Woods Turns Down Paddy Poker Deal

Many of Tiger Woods major sponsors have dropped him since his sex scandal broke but at least one online poker room seems to have no problem with the golfer.

Ireland-based Paddy Power Poker reportedly offered the disgraced sports star a five-year deal worth $75 million to represent the site.

Although Woods has already turned the offer down, Paddy Power Poker has claimed it is planning on coming back with an even better offer in the future.

It’s not the first time a poker organization has offered a deal to a fallen sports star. Last summer the Asian Poker Tour invited Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps to its Macau event.

A picture of Phelps holding a bong surfaced on the internet in early 2009, which led to several sponsors dropping the multiple gold-medalist.

Check Paddy Power Poker for more.

Roland de Wolfe Wins London Open

Full Tilt pro Roland de Wolfe outlasted 110 players to win the 2010 Mansion Poker Les A London Open last week.

De Wolfe overcame a final table of mostly unknown players to win the £77,000 first place prize. The Hendon Mob’s Ross Boatman came in eighth place for £6,600.

The inaugural £2,000+£200 buy-in Mansion Poker Les A London Open ran February 23-24.

WSOP to Introduce All-Star Tournament?

It appears Harrah’s is interested in hosting some form of an all-star tournament at the 2010 WSOP.

Harrah’s released a cryptic message via the WSOP Twitter account this week that read:

“Which 20 WSOP Bracelet-Holders would you like to see compete in an All-Star game? Stay tuned…”

Last summer the WSOP held the 40th Anniversary Champions Invitational, which was open to every player that had won the Main Event. The tournament was won by 1983 World Champion Tom McEvoy.

In previous years, Harrah’s held a Tournament of Champions that featured a large number of notable pros. Annie Duke, Mike Matusow, and Mike Sexton were all winners of that event.

More Gold for Cake Poker Players in March

Cake Poker is giving its players two exclusive promotions during the month of March.

The first is the Cake Poker Turbo Gold Cards March Madness event that features Gold Cards dropping four times more often.

Gold Cards randomly appear in your account when you are playing ring games on Cake Poker. The cards are redeemable for cash or tournament entries depending on what card you receive.

Cake Poker will also be offering more satellites to the 2010 Irish Open, starting March 14.

"Dublin is a wonderful town and when you bring a major tournament there with the accompanying insane side action, it's hard to beat,” said Cake Poker room manager Lee Jones.

To learn more visit the Cake Poker website.

Visit PokerListings.com

Tiger Woods Turns Down $75 Million Paddy Power Poker Sponsorship

Recently, gossip site TMZ reported that embattled professional golfer Tiger Woods, fresh off a highly publicized marital tiff, turned down a $75 million sponsorship offer from the online sports book, casino, and poker site Paddy Power.

As its name implies, Paddy Power makes its bread and butter off the Irish poker market. TMZ explained that the multi-faceted online outlet approached the 14-time major champion with an offer it thought Woods couldn’t refuse. TMZ recounted, “Tiger Woods just blew off a $75 million endorsement offer from an Irish gambling company – and that is how you know you’re rich.” The offer was reportedly for five years, but Woods snubbed the lucrative proposition despite its long-term potential.

The news comes one day after five-time NBA champion Dennis Rodman became the official celebrity endorser of the Cake Poker Network site Only Poker. Despite being dumped on the first round of negotiations, Paddy Power will apparently return to the bargaining table with another offer, according to TMZ. Paddy Power is a member of the massive iPoker Network, which is the fourth largest worldwide according to the traffic ranking site PokerScout.com. The network does not accept members from the United States.

Despite not accepting action from the populated North American nation, Paddy Power Poker could have used Woods’ recognition around the world to attract customers to its site. Woods has won golf tournaments across Europe, Asia, and Australia in addition to his domination on the links in North America. He’s arguably the most recognizable name in the world of golf.

In late 2009, disaster struck for Woods. A purported past of infidelity finally caught up to the golf superstar, leading to an infamous run-in featuring his wife Elin Nordegren, a Cadillac Escalade luxury SUV, a golf club, a fire hydrant, and a tree in front of his Florida home. As news of Woods’ crash spread around the internet like wildfire, major sponsors began questioning their relationship with the 34 year-old.

Among the first Fortune 500 companies to cut bait with Woods was Accenture, followed by AT&T, Gatorade, and Gillette. According to a study released by the University of California – Davis in late December, Woods’ extracurricular activities could have cost shareholders of associated companies between $5 billion and $12 billion. The study examined businesses including Accenture, AT&T, Electronic Arts, Gillette, Nike, Gatorade, TLC Laser Eye Centers, and Golf Digest. The study added that Woods raked in $100 million annually from endorsements, “more than any other athlete.”

Woods spoke to the media in mid-February about the incident and may return to golf. The Masters, which Woods has won four times, will kick off from Augusta National Golf Course outside of Atlanta on April 6th. He last took down the high-profile tournament in 2005.

Paddy Power Poker has a bevy of promotions taking place, including Cashpoint, whose format is similar to PartyPoker’s Gladiator. Paddy Power Poker players who rack up 100 points for 10 days or more during the month of March are eligible to win cash prizes. The site will take a player’s 10 highest earning point days during the month and match $1 for every 20 points earned on the lowest day. The minimum payout is $5 and players can also qualify for a $2,000 Cashpoint freeroll.

Other sites on the massive iPoker Network include bet365, CelebPoker, Chili Poker, Mansion Poker, Noble Poker, Sun Poker, Titan Poker, and William Hill. The publicly traded company Playtech owns and operates the network. Playtech is traded on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol “PTEC.”

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest poker gossip on Woods and other celebrities.

New March promotion for Cake Poker

Cake Poker is offering players extra rewards this month in the form of its Turbo Gold Cards March Madness with Gold Cards being dropped up to four times more often than normal throughout the month.

Microgaming Adds GoldBet to Poker Network

The Microgaming Poker Network announced the addition of longtime sports book GoldBet on Wednesday, bringing its roster of poker rooms to almost 50. GoldBet, founded in 2000 in Innsbruck, is one of Europe's leading online bookmakers and had not had a poker offering until now.

In a press release, GoldBet Casino and Poker Manager Luigi Amadio said, "We are delighted to be entering into this new partnership with Microgaming and we have found that its Poker product offering more than lives up to its reputation as best in market. With simplicity, usability and security being key parts of our mission statement, Microgaming software delivers in every respect. CSR is also a key component of the way we operate as a business, and we were delighted to find that our values in this respect were reflected in Microgaming’s own socially responsible programmes and activities."

Online sports books are attractive partners for poker networks, as the poker players who come over from the sports betting side are typically considered "fish."  These players are frequently sports bettors first and poker players second.  With the focus of the industry quickly shifting to the recreational player, casual players who are simply experimenting with poker using sports betting winnings are very attractive to both the networks and more serious players.

As such, it should come as no surprise that Microgaming's CEO, Roger Raatgever, is excited about GoldBet.  "We are proud to welcome yet another established and respected sportsbook operator to the Microgaming Poker Network," he said.  "We are working closely with GoldBet to ensure that our product is completely tailored in order to ensure smooth integration with their existing platform. We are looking forward to playing our part in making GoldBet the complete one stop shop in gaming entertainment."

Earlier this year, Microgaming announced that it was changing its rake calculation policies to discourage ultra-tight players and the more serious grinders who are only after rakeback.  The rake calculation method switched from the "contributed" method, in which each player who puts money into the pot is credited with an equal split of the rake, to a "weighted contributed" method, where each player who puts money in the pot is credited with an amount of rake proportional to how much money he contributed.  For example, if one player put half of the money into the pot and two other players contributed one-quarter of the pot each and the rake was $1, then $0.50 would be attributed to the first player and $0.25 would be attributed to the other two.

While Microgaming used to be one of the dominant poker networks in the industry, its standing fell quickly after it stopped accepting American customers when the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was passed in 2006.  According to PokerScout.com, the network now ranks ninth in average cash game traffic, just behind Everest Poker and just ahead of the Cake Poker Network.

Dennis Rodman Joins Only Poker: The Bad Boy is Back

Five-time National Basketball Association (NBA) champion Dennis Rodman has officially signed with Only Poker. An anonymous employee of the site confirmed the news to Poker News Daily and Rodman now appears on Only Poker’s website.

As first reported by Poker News Daily in February, Rodman will become the latest celebrity spokesman for an online poker site. Only Poker is part of the USA-facing Cake Poker Network and seeks to make a big-time splash by landing the 6’8” NBA superstar. A graphic that appears on Only Poker’s home page shows the tattooed marvel donning an Only Poker hat and black polo shirt. The headline above his image reads, “The Bad Boy is Back.”

The site’s motto is, appropriately, “No Bullshit, Only Poker.” It offers a 110% sign-up bonus and makes its home on the massive Cake Poker Network alongside sites like Cake Poker, DoylesRoom, Lock Poker, and Red Star Poker. The Cake Poker Network is the 10th largest worldwide by the number of cash game players according to the traffic ranking site PokerScout.com. It boasts a seven-day running average of 1,920 real money ring game players and its traffic is on par with that found on the Entraction and Microgaming Networks.

An anonymous employee at Only Poker leaked the signing to Poker News Daily in February, cryptically explaining that a “major sports celebrity who has won numerous championships during their career” would soon be inking an agreement to represent Only Poker. That figure was widely speculated to be Rodman, whose magical runs with the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls in the 1990s earned him five NBA championship rings. Rodman was an NBA All-Star in 1990 and 1992 and led the league in rebounding for seven years. He last appeared in the NBA in 2000 as a member of the Dallas Mavericks.

One of this author’s fondest memories of Rodman occurred in early 1997, when he kicked courtside cameraman Eugene Amos in the groin after chasing a loose ball. Rodman was suspended by the NBA for more than 10 games as a result of the incident, which sent shockwaves through the Chicago market. Rodman was briefly married to Carmen Electra and won Season 4 of ABC’s “The Mole.”

The new Only Poker pro was a contestant on NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice,” appearing on the same cycle as UB.com pro and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke. Rodman was fired in the fifth week of the show after a real-life boardroom intervention. The basketball star’s apparent alcohol abuse led to his demise on the show.

Following his stint on “Celebrity Apprentice,” Rodman appeared in the third installment of “Celebrity Rehab” with Dr. Drew Pinsky. Others who appeared on Rodman’s season of the VH1 show were “Pearl Harbor” actor Tom Sizemore, Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss, and country music artist Mindy McCready. Rodman was scheduled to play in the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Ante Up for Africa event hosted by Duke, but did not turn out.

This isn’t Rodman’s first poker rodeo. He appeared on Bravo’s “Celebrity Poker Showdown” in 2004, winning his first match over “Third Watch” actor Bobby Cannavale, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, “Curb Your Enthusiasm” actress Cheryl Hines, and comedian Ryan Stiles. “E.R.” doctor Mekhi Phifer ultimately took down the championship tournament, defeating Rodman, “Friends” actor Matthew Perry, former “Saturday Night Live” comedian Kevin Nealon, and “Doogie Howser, M.D.” namesake Neil Patrick Harris.

Only Poker gives no further information as to Rodman’s involvement with the site. An official press release about the signing is scheduled to go out on Thursday. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest poker rumblings.

Victory Poker Officials Recap First Two Weeks

On February 6th, the crew from Victory Poker celebrated the launch of the new Everleaf/UPN network site at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas. Now, one week after the festivities and two weeks after its debut, Victory Poker appears to be chugging along.

The diverse team of pros at Victory Poker includes Andrew “good2cu” Robl, who finished third in a $5,000 Limit/No Limit Hold’em event during the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) for $144,000, outlasting everyone except for poker superstars Erick Lindgren and Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo in the 332-player field. Robl told Poker News Daily how Victory Poker has been faring in its first few days in operation: “The launch went really well and there was a lot of buzz and hype in the poker community. Overall, people’s reactions have been positive and the website has been getting a lot of traffic.”

Officials from the USA-facing room told Poker News Daily that Victory Poker’s website has been seeing 1,500 visitors per day. According to the traffic ranking site PokerScout.com, the Everleaf/UPN family of sites has seen its traffic grow steadily since the end of January. On February 1st, a peak of 623 real money ring game players took to the network’s felts. Now, that number sits at 698 and is growing steadily. Robl added that the traffic figures were “better than we expected.”

Winning a date with Sara Underwood is one of the promotional opportunities on the horizon for Victory Poker users. Underwood, the 2007 Playboy Playmate of the Year, is a sponsored pro of Victory Poker and finished fourth in a charity poker tournament held during the site’s kickoff party in Sin City. Other promotions that allow customers to interact with Victory Poker pros in a live setting will follow.

Some in the industry questioned why Victory Poker would join the relatively small Everleaf/UPN network rather than a larger USA-facing entity like the Cake Poker Network. Robl explained, “A lot of sites have become so big and so corporate that there’s no real feeling of a community. Our pros will be playing on the site and even playing small stakes. You can come on Victory Poker and play $0.50/$1 with Antonio Esfandiari. That’s pretty cool.”

Other Victory Poker pros include former DoylesRoom Brunson 10 member Alec “traheho” Torelli, former Full Tilt Poker pros Paul Wasicka and Lee Markholt, Chinese Poker guru Danny Wong, “Flying Bilzerian Brother” Dan Bilzerian, and online poker pro Brian “tsarrast” Rast. Despite the strong group, Robl commented that the site will expand its roster of pros: “We definitely want to get more pros involved – maybe some foreign players – but we’re going to be very selective. We only want elite players. We don’t want to be like PokerStars or Full Tilt and have 200 pros.”

Despite being in business for less than half a month, Victory Poker has already had a considerable amount of exposure in the live arena. Wasicka recently took down the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit Championship in Tunica, earning $139,000. He defeated Larry Gurner heads-up in a final table that also included Lock Poker’s Matt “All In At 420” Stout, Carter “BdyBldngpkrplyr” Phillips, and Dwyte Pilgrim. Wasicka earned his first gold ring as a result, but gained fame in the poker world for finishing as the runner-up to Jamie Gold in the 2006 WSOP Main Event for $6.1 million. Wasicka donned a Victory Poker patch in Tunica, giving the nascent room some much-needed face time.

Robl is passionate about Victory Poker succeeding. He explained that the team at Victory Poker is dedicated to seeing the site flourish: “We all want Victory Poker to do really well. We really believe in our vision for the company and we’re all going to work very hard to bring Victory Poker into the top five or 10 poker sites.”

Other Everleaf/UPN network sites include flagship room Everleaf Poker, Minted Poker, and Poker4Ever.

PokerScout Weekly Online Poker Traffic Update

Every Sunday, our friends at PokerScout.com release their Weekly Online Poker Traffic Update, which gives us a feel for the current trends in player activity around the industry.  PokerScout monitors real money cash game player traffic at over 30 different online poker rooms and networks and ranks them according to their seven-day averages.  Visitors to the site will notice that these numbers come in well short of what the poker rooms report in their lobbies.  This is because tournaments and play money games are not counted.  Players who multi-table, however, are counted multiple times; the traffic counts reflect the number of real money cash game seats occupied.  For the first week of February, several poker rooms traded spots in the rankings.

The majority of the movement was in the bottom half of the top ten.  The Cake Poker Network, home to Power Poker, DoylesRoom, the brand new Unabomber Poker, and its flagship Cake Poker, jumped both the Microgaming Network and International Poker Network (IPN), climbing from tenth to eighth in the cash game traffic standings.  As of Tuesday afternoon, there is not much separating the three networks, as Cake Poker has a seven-day average of 2,250 players, while Microgaming and IPN are tied at 2,200.  Microgaming is comprised of almost 50 rooms, including Gnuf and Unibet.  Boss Media's IPN is headlined by the once independent Paradise Poker as well as Yahoo! Poker and Poker Heaven.

Just above those three networks is the CEREUS Network, made up of Absolute Poker and UB.com. CEREUS switched places with Everest Poker, the former falling to seventh and the latter bumping up to sixth. Out of the bottom half of the top ten, only the Cake and CEREUS Networks accept players from the United States.

Elsewhere in the rankings, the Everleaf Network continued to move since merging with the Universal Poker Network, moving up another spot to 18th.  The launch of Victory Poker is also possibly giving the network a boost, as it is offering attractive bonuses and rakeback to attract new customers.

PokerScout.com named Pacific Poker as its standout performer, as it saw its cash game traffic increase 25%, likely because of new promotions.

At the top of the rankings, there has been no movement for the fifth straight week.  PokerStars still dominates everyone, with 32,600 cash games players on average.  Full Tilt Poker is next at 16,600, followed by PartyPoker at 5,400 and the iPoker Network at 4,850.  Overall, PokerScout reported that online poker traffic increased slightly from the previous week after falling for three weeks straight.

Compared to the same time a year ago, the most notable gainers in traffic were Full Tilt (68%), PokerStars (43%), and the Cake Poker Network (42%).  The iPoker Network (23%) and Svenska Spel (20%) were the most notable losers in the first week of February.

Phil Laak Replaces Doyle Brunson at the PartyPoker Premier League IV

Anticipation is growing for the PartyPoker Premier League IV, which is set to be played from February 12th to 18th. Today came the announcement of where the tournament will be held and who will be replacing poker legend Doyle Brunson.

PartyPoker and Matchroom Sports, who are the sponsors of the PartyPoker Premier League IV, have selected the M Resort & Spa Casino on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip to play host for what is recognized as one of the most prestigious invitational poker tournaments in the game today. The M has earned kudos as one of the best new hotels in Vegas, with 92,000 square feet of casino area. Over the weekend, however, it will be the 14-table poker room that garners the attention of poker fans during the PartyPoker Premier League IV.

During the announcement of the venue, it was also disclosed that poker professional Phil “The Unabomber” Laak will be stepping in to replace the legendary Brunson in the $100,000 buy-in tournament. Laak, who won the PartyPoker World Open V last year, steps in for Brunson due to the two-time World Champion’s current health issues. Also confirmed for the PartyPoker Premier League IV are defending champion J. C. Tran, defending World Poker Tour (WPT) champion Yevgeniy “Jovial Gent” Timoshenko, former World Champion Phil Hellmuth, Roland de Wolfe, European bad boy Luke “FullFlush” Schwartz, Daniel Negreanu, Vanessa Rousso, David Benyamine, and the newest member of Team PartyPoker, Antanas “Tony G” Guoga.

Laak is excited about the chance to play in one of the biggest buy-in tournaments in the world, but he is also aware of the stakes. “This is the most money I have ever wagered against the toughest field I have ever faced,” Laak said during the announcement. “Collectively, my opponents have over $45 million in tournament winnings, so this will be the best ride ever.”

Laak also broke down the field that he will face during the event, offering critiques in his usual off-kilter manner. “I hear Tony G has a bike now,” Laak stated. “I hope he doesn’t send me off on it!” When the topic turned to Schwartz, whom Laak defeated for the PartyPoker World Open V championship and who is notorious for his antics at European poker events, Laak jabbed, “As for FullFlush, there will be free sandwiches.” Earning the most praise from “The Unabomber” were four opponents that he faces. “Negreanu and Hellmuth (are) ranked two and four on the all time money list. Truly amazing,” Laak observed. “Vanessa Rousso is always thinking, while Roland de Wolfe is full of sharp wit and is amazingly entertaining, always.”

Laak has earned over $1.8 million in his tournament poker career, according to the Hendon Mob database, with a WPT title among his achievements. His quirky style at the tables, where he will do push-ups and offer money for opponents to show their cards, is only topped off by his attire of a hoodie and sunglasses that earned him the nickname “The Unabomber.” He recently also opened his own poker room, Unabomber Poker, which is part of the Cake Poker Network.

The 12 player field for the PartyPoker Premier League IV will be filled out with two additional players yet to be determined. One seat is reserved for one of 16 online qualifiers who will determine a champion prior to the start of festivities in Las Vegas. The second will go to the winner of a special tournament between Team PartyPoker members. The 12 players who make the PartyPoker Premier League IV roster will battle it out in two six-handed semifinal matches and the Championship Event, which will be filmed for television.

With Laak replacing Brunson and the final players almost determined, the prize pool for the PartyPoker Premier League IV will reach $1.5 million, with the extra $300,000 contributed by PartyPoker. The action should be riveting, as some of the top players in the game today vie for a championship that has been won in years previous by such names as Tran, Irish poker champion Andy Black, and Finnish poker star Juha Helppi. Poker News Daily will have all the results as the PartyPoker Premier League IV determines its champion starting this Friday.

Everybody Settle Down

I have a cool job.  I write about poker.  Sure, the money I make doesn't compare to what many of my MBA classmates are likely making right now, but I get to work in a fun industry, I have gone on some great "business" trips, and the job allows me to work from home and not miss a day of my kids' lives.  Being Mr. Mom during weekdays in addition to working is tiring, but it's extremely rewarding.

But there are days when I get really tilted by certain aspects of my industry.  Recently, what has put me on edge is the immaturity and small-mindedness of many people in the online poker community.  Since I am on the internet a lot for my job, I see the same tired act week in and week out, most recently in the first week of February.

Many of you may have already heard about it, but there was recently a bizarre incident on the Cake Poker network where a pot was shipped to the wrong player.  In a $0.02/$0.04 No Limit Hold'em game, the player in the big blind and the player on the button were all-in pre-flop, the big blind with K-K and the button with A-Q.  Once all the community cards were dealt, four hearts were on the board, giving the button the best hand, an cce-high flush.  Shockingly, though, the player with K-K was given the pot, even though he had just a king-high flush.

Of course, the internet message boards exploded once someone posted the hand history.  Players were renouncing their accounts at Cake Poker, players were claiming the site was rigged, that an investigation by a third party should commence, that Cake employees should resign.  The sky was falling!  The sky was falling!

I don't know if it's the young average age of internet message board posters, the overdone distrust of online poker rooms, or the ease with which one can make bold proclamations online that one would never make in person, but something causes mass panic and outrage when any little issue comes up at a poker room. It just tilted me to no end that more people flew off the handle than actually remained calm and thought logically.

Just because a computer is running the game doesn't mean that it's impossible for a mistake to happen.  "But, but, but, Dan," you may say to me, "if a life-threatening mistake like this could happen once, why should we assume it has never happened before?"

Well, I guess we can't assume with 100% certainty that it has never happened before at Cake Poker, but considering how glaring an error it was and how quickly it was caught, I think it's safe to assume that if something so obvious had happened previously, it would not have gone unnoticed.  Believe it or not, most people notice if they had the best hand and did not get the pot.

Fortunately, Cake Poker's Card Room Manager, Lee Jones didn't panic.  He quickly addressed the poker community, confirming that the mistake did happen, and vowed to get to the bottom of the matter.  And guess what?  The software team figured out what happened and it really was a "once in a billion" type event.  I won't get into the gory details, but basically there was some sort of lag between a player's client and server that caused the game to think there was a side pot between that player and the person with K-K.  The player with K-K won that pot and since there were no more chips for a main pot, the hand ended.  It was truly a freak occurrence and the bug has been fixed.

Jones has gone a step further in remedying the situation, though.  For their troubles, Cake is giving the player with A-Q $500, the person who reported the error $250, and the rest of the players at the table $250 combined.  Additionally, the poker room will give $500 to anyone who finds a future instance of this bug.

After Jones announced all of this, there were a good number of people who gave him the kudos he deserved for the professional way he and the Cake team handled the situation.  There were also a number of people who still wanted heads to roll, for some reason.  They just didn't understand that no matter how rigorously programmers test the software, there may be an unforeseen convergence of rare events that could still cause a glitch.  In this case, there was really no reason for any to expect this sort of error to happen.

There were even people criticizing Jones, essentially implying that he was being disingenuous and that the monetary offer was just a way to appease the mob.  One person actually asked anyone who was reading if they would be praising a bank manager for being honest about a glitch that caused a customer's money to go to someone else's account.  Uh…yes.  If a bank manager was upfront about what happened, apologized, assured me that the problem was fixed, and gave me 50 to 100 times the transaction amount to make up for it, then yes, I would extol his virtues to anyone who would listen.

Things happen sometimes, everybody.  Whether it is a software bug, a typo on a poker room's website, or a simple miscommunication, not every little issue you encounter in online poker is a huge deal.  If everyone would just act like reasonable adults and allow those who make the mistakes to correct them, we would all suffer fewer headaches and enjoy the game more.  And if you are one of those people who can't settle down, then just tell me your poker screen name so I can sit at your table, put you on monkey tilt, and watch you spew chips in my direction.

Blog - Online oddities

So the big news in the online poker world, besides the massive January
wins and losses suffered notably by Gus Hansen (+$1.74m) and Patrik
Antonius (-$1.75m) is of upsets at Cake Poker and the iPoker networks.

Poker News in Brief: Feb. 1-7, 2010

Full Tilt, PokerStars and UB all awarded millions of dollars last Sunday, and throughout the week Cole South, Brian Townsend and Patrik Antonius took turns winning hundred thousand dollar pots in the high stakes cash games.

There were a few stories that didn’t make the front page of PokerListings.com, however, and as part of our Poker News in Brief feature we’ve compiled a list below.

This week we’ll take a look at Isabelle Mercier’s latest promotion, two poker sites switching networks, UB teaming up with an MMA promoter and more.

No Mercy Cash Games on BetClic

It’s been months since Isabelle “No Mercy” Mercier signed with BetClic, but the room is offering its first major promotion involving the famous French-Canadian.

All this month Mercier will host her own “No Mercy” cash game table on BetClic with stakes ranging from €.12/€.25 No-Limit all the way up to €2/€4 No-Limit.

BetClic will also offer No Mercy Magic Hands where any player that makes a straight flush on the Mercier tables is entered into a special Sit ‘N’ Go with up to €2,000 up for grabs.

The No Mercy cash game tables can be found under the private tab of the BetClic lobby.

To learn more go to the BetClic website.

SportsBook.com, PlayersOnly.com Move to Merge Network

PlayersOnly.com and SportsBook.com are leaving the Cake Poker network in favor of the Merge Poker Network.

Jezette Enterprises, which owns both sites, made the announcement on Wednesday citing the chance to give players a better platform on which to play.

“This is an industry changing deal and we are delighted to have an agreement with Jazette Enterprises,” said Anthony Taylor, CEO of Merge Gaming.

The migration, which is scheduled to occur by mid-April, 2010, will see Jezette move all its brands onto the Merge Gaming Network.

PlayersOnly.com and SportsBook.com will join sites such as Carbon Poker, Poker Nordica and ACED on the Merge Gaming Network.

Meanwhile the Cake Poker network recently added a number of new rooms including the signature room of Phil Laak – Unabomberpoker.com.

Honeybone Finds Gold in Auckland

Established Kiwi poker pro James Honeybone won the SkyCity Auckland Anniversary Championships this weekend.

He outlasted 121 players including poker pros Dan Sing and Martin Cardno to win the NZ$36,030 prize for first place.

Honeybone finished fifth at APPT Korea in 2007 and also made an $84,970 score at the Ongame Network Poker Classic in Barcelona in 2005.

The win in Auckland catapulted Honeybone into ninth place on the all-time New Zealand tournament money list with $161,806.

TSN, PokerStars Launch TSN Poker Club

Canadian sports broadcaster TSN has teamed with PokerStars.net to create a custom built poker environment for poker players.

"Poker's popularity in Canada continues to grow and the TSN Poker Club gives poker players of all levels a chance to get into the action and win exclusive prizes," says Geoff Fardy, Canada Country Manager, PokerStars.net.

The club will allow members to enter a series of free-to-play tournaments with prizes like poker tables and snowboards, all while learning the game of poker.

PokerStars.net and TSN will launch the club with three daily tournaments from now until July 31.

UB Teams Up with MMA Promoter

UB has entered into an exclusive sponsorship deal with the Bellator Fighting Championships.

The agreement will see UB logos in upcoming Bellator fights while UB will advertise for the fighting brand in its poker client lobby.

"We’re super excited to tie the new UB logo to Bellator—the hottest MMA success story of 2009—and are proud to partner with them in their sophomore year," said Paul Leggett, chief operations officer of Tokwiro, the owner/operator of UB.net.

The Bellator Fighting Championship began last year with headline bouts involving MMA stars Hector Lombard, Eddie Alvarez and Joe Soto.

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Only Poker Review

The Quick Summary

Only Poker is a recent addition to the Cake Poker Network, which encompasses over 50 online poker rooms, including such industry stalwarts as DoylesRoom and PokerHost, and has been in business since 2004. The big drawing point for Only Poker is seen in its tagline, “No bullshit, only poker,” meaning you won’t find a sports book or online casino with the site. This is something that will definitely draw those who are interested in just playing poker and not in the other “bells and whistles” sites may offer.

Popularity: 6 of 10 – Good

With Only Poker being a part of the Cake Poker Network, you can anticipate finding a game at any time. The Cake Poker Network is one of the top ten online poker destinations for players in the game today. According to the online poker tracking site PokerScout.com, there is a seven-day average of 2,150 cash game players. The player counts have previously peaked at nearly 3,200 cash game players, which don’t include their tournament action.

One of the appealing aspects of Only Poker is that it is U.S. player friendly. This ensures that there will be action on the tables throughout the day, with peak traffic occurring in the early evenings in the United States. Only Poker has the community appeal of its smaller size, which some players may prefer to the larger online poker rooms in the industry.

Security: 9 of 10 – Excellent

Only Poker had to go through a tremendous effort to become a part of the Cake Poker Network, which is noted as one of the most secure in the industry. They are one of the few networks that disallow third party software such as PokerTracker and Holdem Manager, which some players believe give an unfair advantage. While this may be a drawback for some, others might find this refreshing.

In addition to preventing the use of third party software, Only Poker allows players to change their screen names as often as every seven days. On its website, Only Poker states that this “negates the effectiveness of shared or prolonged poker data tracking.” Only Poker also uses state of the art 256-bit TwoFish encryption for play and financial transactions and is vigilant against several other potential issues in online poker such as collusion and bot usage.

Player Competition: 5 of 10 – Fair

While there are currently no sponsored professionals for the site, Only Poker is making inroads to change that situation. It is rumored that five-time NBA champion Dennis Rodman will soon sign with the room, giving it one of the most flamboyant personalities in the celebrity world today. If Only Poker continues to pursue top flight celebrities and poker players, they could become a major player.

Site Software: 9 of 10 – Excellent

Only Poker’s software offers two different views that a player can use for their experience. One is a near-3D viewpoint, with players at the tables being presented as avatars. The second is an overhead view that just gives the basic information that a player needs like the names of opponents and their chip counts. Either option is very fluid in play and glitches are rare.

The lobby is easy to navigate and particular games are quite simple to find. Only Poker uses an excellent filter that will only present games that meet your search criteria. This makes for a quick entrance into games that a player wishes to play.

Customer Support: 6 of 10 – Good

There are several different methods that Only Poker offers for players to contact the company. Help is available 24/7 through not only phone support, but also e-mail options. For those who look for a speedy response, players can either call a toll free number or fax Only Poker. For those with less immediate concerns, they can e-mail support and usually receive a response within 48 hours.

Company Ethics: 8 of 10 – Very Good

Only Poker, as previously stated, doesn’t allow third party software and also is continuously on the lookout for any possible shenanigans on the site. The option to change your player name on a weekly basis is meant to safeguard a player’s anonymity.

Site Promotions: 8 of 10 – Very Good

Only Poker offers many of the staples that are a part of the Cake Poker Network. Players earn Gold Cards and Gold Chips through their play, which can be used for entries into special tournaments. There is also the Gold Stacks program, where players can earn cash back for completion of certain Gold Stacks on the site.

Tournaments are a huge part of Only Poker’s offerings. There is a $125,000 Guaranteed tournament every Sunday, with the last Sunday of the month offering a $250,000 Guaranteed tournament. Players can earn entry into these through buying in, satellites, or even using their Gold Cards and Gold Chips. There are also special satellites for major live tournaments.

Initial player offerings at Only Poker are some of the best in the online industry. Players can earn a 110% first-time depositor bonus and there are excellent freerolls offered.

Overall Review: 7.28 of 10 – Good

Only Poker has many things that players will find appealing. If they build a solid base of either celebrity or professional poker player endorsers, it will only add to their appeal. Being a part of such a prominent network also makes Only Poker a solid addition to the online poker world.

Dennis Rodman May Sign with Only Poker

The Cake Poker Network site Only Poker may sign former five-time NBA champion Dennis Rodman. Rumors abound that the announcement of the NBA bad boy joining the site will be made in two weeks.

A source close to the USA-friendly Only Poker told Poker News Daily, “We have just signed a major sports celebrity who has won numerous championships during their career.” Whether the mystery man or woman will turn out to be Rodman remains to be seen, but Only Poker appears to be ramping up its efforts to become one of the online poker industry’s household names. The site makes its home on the Cake Poker Network alongside industry giants like Cake Poker, DoylesRoom, and Poker Host.

Rodman has five NBA championship rings after stints with the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, and Chicago Bulls. He led the NBA in rebounds per game for nearly a decade and has become one of the sports world’s most recognizable faces. He’s also been associated with World Championship Wrestling (WCW), where he teamed up with industry icon Hulk Hogan to fight former Utah Jazz great Karl Marlone and Diamond Dallas Page in 1998.

Rodman was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1990 and 1991 and was an All-Star in 1990 and 1992. His championships came in 1989, 1990, 1996, 1997, and 1998. Last year, he appeared alongside UB.com poker pro Annie Duke in NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice.” Rodman lasted all of five weeks on the Donald Trump-led reality show and his final episode featured a real-life intervention. The “Celebrity Apprentice” cast grew leery of Rodman’s prolific drinking and confronted him in the boardroom. However, he was ultimately fired. The finale of “Celebrity Apprentice” featured Duke squaring off against comedian Joan Rivers.

Rodman has been tied to high-profile women like Madonna and Carmen Electra and is currently a member of the cast of “Celebrity Rehab 3.” The show features Dr. Drew Pinsky of MTV’s “Loveline” fame. Rodman’s housemates on the VH1 show include Lisa D’Amato, Heidi Fleiss, Joey Kovar, Mindy McCready, Kari Ann Peniche, Mackenzie Phillips, Mike Starr, and Tim Sizemore, whose list of credits includes the iconic war movies “Saving Private Ryan,” “Pearl Harbor,” and “Black Hawk Down.”

The Cake Poker Network will soon see the departure of PlayersOnly and Sportsbook.com, which will likely head to the rival Merge Gaming Network around mid-April. The Cake Poker family of sites stands as the ninth largest worldwide in terms of real money ring game traffic, according to PokerScout.com, with a seven-day running average of 2,150 cash game players. During its peak hours, well over 3,000 call the site home. At the time of writing, which is around 11:00am ET on Friday, 1,748 cash game players are logged in. The Cake Poker Network happily accepts players from the United States.

If Rodman does not sign with Only Poker, other sports stars who match the description given by the site include Kenny Smith, Joe Montana, and Jose Conseco. The latter won World Series titles in 1989 and 2000 and has appeared on the roster of seven Major League Baseball franchises. Montana is a four-time Super Bowl champion and may be in attendance this weekend when the New Orleans Saints face the Indianapolis Colts in the 44th running of football’s biggest game. Smith appeared at the 2009 World Series of Poker Ante Up for Africa charity tournament and is a two-time NBA champion.

To find out whether this mysterious sports celebrity is, in fact, Dennis Rodman, visit OnlyPoker.com.

Wrong hand won on Cake Poker

Now there’s a new online poker scandal. This time it’s about a hand on Cake Poker where the worse hand won.

Ace high flush loses to king high flush

According to the nickname “Demonic”, who started a topic on 2+2 forums, the hand was played at the $0.02/$0.04 NL Hold’em table on Cake. Players went all-in pre-flop showing AQ and KK. The board ran 4c 4h 8h 6h 9h, with four hearts the AQ player should have won with his ace high flush. There was some glitch in the system and the pot was won by the K high flush player.

Hero (UTG): $6.78
MP: $2.35
CO: $1.13
BTN: $2.71
SB: $1.81
BB: $3.94

Pre Flop: ($0.06) Hero is UTG with 2s Ts
2 folds, MP calls $0.04, BTN calls $0.04, 1 fold, BB raises to $0.28, MP calls $0.24, BTN raises to $2.71, BB raises to $3.92, 1 fold

Flop: ($5.72) 4c 4h 8h

Turn: ($5.72) 6h

River: ($5.72) 9h

Final Pot: $5.72
BTN shows Ah Qs
BB shows Kd Kh
BB wins $5.36
(Rake: $0.36)

The thread was just started on 2+2 when the well respected Cake Poker Cardroom Managed Lee Jones hopped in:

“Hi folks -
Unfortunately, at the moment, this appears to be real. What’s bizarre is how it happened this one time out of the tens of millions of hands we’ve dealt. Needless to say, our software people have dropped everything else to track this down. I’ll update you as soon as we understand what happened.
Best regards,
Lee Jones”

You can follow the thread here. The conversation is really wild at the moment.

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Wrong hand won on Cake Poker

Blog - Bluff Magazine’s Power 20 – a discussion

Before I get into this blog, I’d like to talk briefly about the pot awarded to the losing hand at Cake Poker. In a post-Russ Hamilton/UltimateBet world, this sort of thing is naturally going to set alarm bells ringing all over the online poker community.

Cake Poker awards pot to losing hand; Lee Jones takes charge

There were shockwaves on the Two Plus Two forums as a thread was started by a player at Doyle’s Room who claimed to have been in a hand where a pot was awarded to a losing hand. Turns out, it wasn’t a novice Omaha player misreading the hole cards either.

The Nightly Turbo: MasterCard Blocks Poker, Cake Poker Ships It the Wrong Way, and More

In tonight's Nightly Turbo, we'll tell you which credit card company is making it a little bit harder on you to deposit money in your favorite online poker site, the story on Cake Poker awarding a losing player the pot, and more.

PlayersOnly, Sportsbook.com to Move to Merge Network by Mid-April

In press statements released on Thursday, it was revealed that the move of PlayersOnly and Sportsbook.com from the Cake Poker Network to the Merge Gaming Network would occur by mid-April.

A press release distributed by the new home of PlayersOnly and Sportsbook.com proudly boasted, “Merge Gaming, the designer, developer, and licensor of software to the international online poker industry, today announces it has successfully agreed to migrate the online poker gaming activities of Jazette Enterprises to the Merge Gaming platform.” It was previously rumored that the shareholders of Jazette Enterprises had purchased the Merge Gaming Network entirely; however, that does not appear to be the case. Instead, PlayersOnly and Sportsbook.com will migrate their players to the new network by mid-April.

Anthony Taylor, Chief Executive Officer of Merge Gaming, commented in the same release, "This is a industry changing deal and we are delighted to have come to an agreement with Jazette Enterprises. This deal will bring massive liquidity to the network and see the online poker industry landscape change overnight. We are delighted to sign such an established partner to the network, it’s through our great software and superior backend we are able to attract a group of this size to the network.” According to Cake Poker Network officials, PlayersOnly and Sportsbook.com contained largely seasonal player bases, as the two sites focused heavily on online sports betting.

Roger Whitaker of Jazette Enterprises added, “Our goal is to provide our players with the best poker experience possible, which is why we decided to make this move. We’re confident that our players will enjoy the groundbreaking features, generous loyalty rewards program, and improved overall playability that Merge’s poker software provides.”

The Merge Gaming Network’s flagship site is Carbon Poker. According to the traffic watchdog site PokerScout.com, the network stands as the 20th largest worldwide, with a seven-day running average of 245 real money ring game players. During its peak hours, which occur in the evening throughout North America, nearly 500 cash game aficionados are typically logged in. PlayersOnly and Sportsbook.com will join a lineup of sites that also includes ACED, Iron Duke, Poker Nordica, and Reefer Poker.

An anonymous source told Poker News Daily that the addition of PlayersOnly and Sportsbook.com could boost Merge’s traffic by four or five times. Posters on TwoPlusTwo, citing inside information, threw out similar figures.

Meanwhile, the Cake Poker Network is the ninth largest worldwide, with a seven-day running average of 2,150 cash game players. Its lineup of sites includes network namesake Cake Poker, DoylesRoom, Lock Poker, Poker Host, and Stryyke. Both the Cake Poker and Merge Gaming Networks accept players from the United States. The former recently saw the addition of Phil “The Unabomber” Laak’s Unabomber Poker, which opened its doors for business last week.

Despite its smaller stature in the industry, the Merge Gaming Network is looking forward to providing longevity for its new partners: “With the same dedicated team behind us, players can rest assured that our new poker offering comes with the same steadfast adherence to player protection, security, and fairness we have been providing since 1996.” The network expects a “seamless transfer” of the player bases of PlayersOnly and Sportsbook.com to their new homes. Also hopping over to the new network is Superbook.com, which is another Jazette Enterprises site.

Posters on the popular online poker forum TwoPlusTwo discussed the impact of PlayersOnly and Sportsbook.com changing networks: “Very interesting. Hopefully the recent merges will allow either Everleaf or Merge to become another viable alternative for US players, or even better, both of them.” Others cautioned that the departure of sports book players might tighten the competition on the network: “this might make cake a little less soft.” The actual impact of the move remains to be seen. In addition, no timeline other than “mid-April” has been set.

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest on the move of PlayersOnly and Sportsbook.com to the Merge Gaming Network.

PokerTracker Now Supports Rush Poker

It took all of two weeks for the major tracking and analysis programs to release patches accommodating Full Tilt’s Rush Poker. Recently, PokerTracker released a real-time updating Heads-Up Display (HUD) for the poker variation.

PokerTracker and Holdem Manager are the market leaders in poker tracking software. Each strives to out-innovate the other and, with the release of Rush Poker on Full Tilt, both scrambled to issue patches. Holdem Manager’s version came out several days prior to PokerTracker’s. Instead of a customary HUD, stats like voluntarily put money into the pot (VPIP), aggression factor (AF), and pre-flop raise (PFR) percentage appeared in the notes section on Full Tilt. While this was a serviceable workaround, Holdem Manager boasted no full-scale HUD.

Enter PokerTracker. Text found on the program’s website explains the delay in issuing an update for Rush Poker: “We weren't satisfied in giving you guys something silly like stats in exported notes or to make you look up your opponents manually in a list of players. We wanted only the best. We wanted to give you exactly what you have on every other table you play on.” In essence, PokerTracker bills its patch as a real-time updating HUD while players whisk around the ever-changing felts of Rush Poker logging 200 to 300 hands per hour.

PokerTracker’s Rush Poker HUD has a few drawbacks, however. First, it does not display session stats or hero stats. Instead, the patch focuses on providing you with up-to-the-minute stats on your opponents. Second, players are unable to mark hands for further review via the HUD. In addition, if you want to add player notes, you’ll need to do so before your table changes, which occurs every time your action in a hand ends. Full Tilt Poker added a special “Quick Fold” feature to expedite the action even further. Finally, your mucked hands do not appear via PokerTracker when playing Rush Poker on the world’s second largest online poker site.

PokerTracker developers have not yet test-driven the software on the variety of mods that are available for the site, so players using anything other than the layouts and themes provided by Full Tilt Poker may experience issues with the HUD. In addition, Rush Poker support is only available for the Windows version of PokerTracker. Those using the tracking program on a Mac will remain in the dark for now.

In the same release of PokerTracker, developers touted that every online poker site except Bodog now has Omaha support. Site representatives noted, “Unfortunately, we did not receive a large number of Omaha hand histories to test with, so there will most likely be occasional hands that won't import. If you encounter one that errors out or doesn't import properly, please send it to our support team so we can get it fixed.” The latest release, dubbed Beta 30.2, adds Omaha support for the CEREUS Network, Microgaming Network, Ongame Network, Pacific Poker, Everest Poker, the Boss Media Network, the Cake Poker Network, and the Entraction Network.

In addition, PokerTracker now supports the auto-import of hands and an HUD on the CEREUS Network, which includes UB.com and Absolute Poker. The site adds, “We've also improved the stat interaction on the HUD by allowing CTRL+click and drag to move the stats on the table.”

The popular poker software review site PokerSoftware.com called PokerTracker “the most powerful tool an online poker player can use to enhance their career.” A 60-day free trial of the program is available. When it comes time to purchase, customers can choose between a $44.99 Small-Stakes version and an $89.99 Full version. Graphs and hundreds of stats make PokerTracker one of the poker software industry’s staple programs.

PokerTracker Now Supports Rush Poker

It took all of two weeks for the major tracking and analysis programs to release patches accommodating Full Tilt’s Rush Poker. Recently, PokerTracker released a real-time updating Heads-Up Display (HUD) for the poker variation.

PokerTracker and Holdem Manager are the market leaders in poker tracking software. Each strives to out-innovate the other and, with the release of Rush Poker on Full Tilt, both scrambled to issue patches. Holdem Manager’s version came out several days prior to PokerTracker’s. Instead of a customary HUD, stats like voluntarily put money into the pot (VPIP), aggression factor (AF), and pre-flop raise (PFR) percentage appeared in the notes section on Full Tilt. While this was a serviceable workaround, Holdem Manager boasted no full-scale HUD.

Enter PokerTracker. Text found on the program’s website explains the delay in issuing an update for Rush Poker: “We weren't satisfied in giving you guys something silly like stats in exported notes or to make you look up your opponents manually in a list of players. We wanted only the best. We wanted to give you exactly what you have on every other table you play on.” In essence, PokerTracker bills its patch as a real-time updating HUD while players whisk around the ever-changing felts of Rush Poker logging 200 to 300 hands per hour.

PokerTracker’s Rush Poker HUD has a few drawbacks, however. First, it does not display session stats or hero stats. Instead, the patch focuses on providing you with up-to-the-minute stats on your opponents. Second, players are unable to mark hands for further review via the HUD. In addition, if you want to add player notes, you’ll need to do so before your table changes, which occurs every time your action in a hand ends. Full Tilt Poker added a special “Quick Fold” feature to expedite game play even further. Finally, your mucked hands do not appear via PokerTracker when playing Rush Poker on the world’s second largest online poker site.

PokerTracker developers have not yet test-driven the software on the variety of mods that are available for the site, so players using anything other than the layouts and themes provided by Full Tilt Poker may experience issues with the HUD. In addition, Rush Poker support is only available for the Windows version of PokerTracker. Those using the tracking program on a Mac will remain in the dark for now.

In the same release of PokerTracker, developers touted that every online poker site except Bodog now has Omaha support. Site representatives noted, “Unfortunately, we did not receive a large number of Omaha hand histories to test with, so there will most likely be occasional hands that won't import. If you encounter one that errors out or doesn't import properly, please send it to our support team so we can get it fixed.” The latest release, dubbed Beta 30.2, adds Omaha support for the CEREUS Network, Microgaming Network, Ongame Network, Pacific Poker, Everest Poker, Boss Media Network, Cake Poker Network, and Entraction Network.

In addition, PokerTracker now supports the auto-import of hands and an HUD on the CEREUS Network, which includes UB.com and Absolute Poker. The site adds, “We've also improved the stat interaction on the HUD by allowing CTRL+click and drag to move the stats on the table.”

The popular poker software review site PokerSoftware.com called PokerTracker “the most powerful tool an online poker player can use to enhance their career.” A 60-day free trial of the program is available. When it comes time to purchase, customers can choose between a $44.99 Small-Stakes version and an $89.99 Full version. Graphs and hundreds of stats make PokerTracker one of the poker software industry’s staple programs.

Cake Poker Grabs WSOP Bracelet

The online poker room put in the winning bid of $4,006 on eBay to secure a gold WSOP bracelet up for auction that was originally won by T.J. Cloutier in 2005.

“This was actually done basically on a whim,” explained Cake Poker card room manager Lee Jones. “We talked about it and thought, ‘Wow this is kind of amazing. We could find something cool to do with it.’”

When Cake Poker bid on the bracelet they weren’t aware it belonged Cloutier and Jones confirmed they will return it to him when they are finished with it.

Although Jones and the group at Cake Poker are still deciding what exactly they will do with the bracelet, they’re already throwing around ideas involving photo shoots with the bracelet and taking turns wearing it to home games.

Jones did mention they will treat the bracelet with respect.

“We’re still not sure exactly what we are going to do with it but we certainly understand a bracelet’s place and we’re not going to do anything inappropriate with it,” he said.

Cake Poker has been active lately with redesigned software, a new blog and a larger presence at tournaments like the recent Aussie Millions.

“We’re getting more mainstream players on Cake so we’ve tried to amp up our satellite offerings,” said Jones.

One Cake Poker qualifier, Steven “ringboy69” Silva, finished in 31st place earning $27,689 at this year’s Aussie Millions.

Cake Poker is now running qualifiers for the Irish Open and Jones mentioned he’s expecting an even bigger Cake presence there.

For more information on Cake Poker visit the website here.

 

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PlayersOnly, Sportsbook.com to Leave Cake Poker Network

Rumblings in the recent London Affiliate Conference (LAC) were that by mid-April, PlayersOnly and Sportsbook.com would be departing the Cake Poker Network. Instead, Sportsbook.com's parent company, which owns both sites, will head to the Merge Gaming Network. Poker News Daily sought comment from the Cake Poker Network.

Likely by mid-April, PlayersOnly and Sportsbook.com will join the Merge Gaming Network, whose flagship site is Carbon Poker, although a firm timeline does not appear to be in place. Both sites, according to Cake Poker Network officials, brought seasonal player bases to the table, as operating a sports book remained their central focus. Major sporting events brought a spike in traffic, which then fizzled during the low season. Sportsbook.com has been a member of the Cake Poker Network since 2006, while PlayersOnly began accepting customers from across the globe in October. Prior to that, PlayersOnly was only available to poker fans in the United States and Canada.

Cake Poker officials told Poker News Daily that the family of sites will still experience growth in 2010 despite the rumored departures: “We’re expecting good growth in 2010 as a result of some significant new partners and the expansion of existing brands on the network.” For example, Phil “The Unabomber” Laak recently launched Unabomber Poker on the Cake Poker Network, bringing his unique flair to an online site. A total of eight new Cake Poker Network rooms hopped onboard in recent days, a list that also includes 7Win Poker, Redback Poker, Amsterdams Poker, Safari Poker, Dimeline, Rags2Riches Poker, and Burro Poker.

Cake Poker Network officials labeled the potential departure of PlayersOnly and Sportsbook.com “unfortunate, since they were a great group to work with,” but touted their surge of new partners as well as a new poker client expected to debut in the near future: “We’re working on a new client that we are really excited about. It has new features, better graphics, and higher reliability. We’ve put a lot of thought and a lot of work into this and hope to have a beta into some players’ hands no later than April.” The network’s software allows users to change screen names with regularity, hindering the ability of database programs like PokerTracker and Holdem Manager to keep track of the competition.

Rumors also abounded during the recent London Affiliate Conference (LAC) that DoylesRoom, fronted by ten-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Doyle Brunson, was on its way out of the Cake Poker Network as well. However, Poker News Daily can squash those rumors. DoylesRoom, which will host this week’s Bounty Tournament at 9:30pm ET tonight, features a stable of pros that includes Chris “moorman1” Moorman, Zachary “CrazyZachary” Clark, Amit “amak316” Makhija, Dani “ansky” Stern, and recent World Poker Tour (WPT) Southern Poker Championship winner Hoyt Corkins.

In addition to Carbon Poker, the Merge Gaming Network includes ACED, IronDuke, Poker Nordica, and Reefer Poker. Its cash game traffic, according to PokerScout.com, has shrunk in recent months. It saw a 24-hour peak of 632 real money ring game players on December 14th, but has jumped above 500 just once since. At the time of writing, the Merge Gaming Network boasted a seven-day running average of 245 real money ring game players, good for the 20th largest tally worldwide. The Merge Gaming family of sites welcomes players from the United States.

The Cake Poker Network, meanwhile, is the tenth largest in the business, boasting a seven-day running average of 2,100 cash game players, or nearly 10 times the traffic of the Merge Gaming Network. Besides Cake Poker and DoylesRoom, other network sites include Power Poker, Poker Host, and Bet US.

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest on this story.

PokerStars, Full Tilt Lead the Way as Online Poker Donates Millions to Haiti Relief

Year in and year out, poker players have shown themselves to be among the most generous people around.  Whether it is through live charity tournaments to benefit worthwhile causes, mass donation drives to help the victims of the Katrina disaster, or even something as simple as helping a fellow player in a time of need, poker players are more than willing to share their bankrolls.  The poker community's mettle was on display once again in January after Haiti was devastated by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, which left millions of the country's mostly poor citizens dead, injured, or homeless.

Last week, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) issued a press release stating that the online poker community had donated $1.5 million for earthquake victims.  Now that January has come to a close and the final tally is in, the donations have easily exceeded that figure.

PokerStars alone contributed $1,492,780.52, half donated by players and the other half a matching donation made by the world's largest poker room itself.  PokerStars players were able to donate by transferring money to a special account called "Haiti Fund," registering for special no-play Haiti relief tournaments, or by purchasing donations in the VIP Store.  The entire sum is going to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

PokerStars' closest rival, Full Tilt Poker, also stepped up in a big way for Haiti.  According to its website, the second largest online poker room in the industry received 23,161 donations totaling $329,736.64.  After matching the donations dollar for dollar, Full Tilt is sending $659,473.28 to the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, and UNICEF.  Full Tilt's donation channels were essentially the same as those offered by PokerStars: a special "Aid for Haiti" account that accepted player transfers and several no-play tournaments.

While the total donation does not come close to the totals of PokerStars and Full Tilt, Cake Poker was one of the first to announce its plans for helping Haitian victims.  It set up "holding tank" tournaments at five different buy-in levels: $5, $25, $100, $200, and $500.  According to Lee Jones, Cake Poker's Card Room Manager, Cake players donated $16,000 and, after Cake's match, $32,000 will be contributed to relief efforts.

In addition to the preceding three poker rooms – as well as the numerous other online poker rooms that accepted donations from players – Bodog.com founder Calvin Ayre issued a challenge to members of the iGaming industry to open their wallets for Haiti.  In return, he promised that his private foundation, the Calvin Ayre Foundation, will match any documented donation to Oxfam up to $1 million.  To date, the Foundation has matched £155,316 ($247,911) from a variety of industry contributors, including the International Gaming Awards and online gaming watchdog site, Casinomeister.

Even though most of the online poker rooms have closed their donation drives, there is still an overwhelming need for aid in Haiti.  If you wish to donate money, please contact your favorite charitable organization directly to see what you can do.

Mansion Poker Hosts Aid for Haiti Tournament

The outpouring of support to the millions of people affected by the devastating earthquake in Haiti continues, as online poker room Mansion Poker is the latest site organizing an event to raise money for the cause.

Mansion Poker is partnering with Casino.com to host a charity online poker tournament on Sunday, January 31st in which all of the profits will be donated to the Red Cross.  Additionally, Mansion Poker and Casino.com plan to match all donations.  The tournament is scheduled to take place at 6:00pm GMT and will feature a $10 buy-in.  The top ten finishers will all make the money, with the winner of the event earning a $1,000 prize and fourth through tenth places each receiving $100.  The tournament will not include any additional registration fees and all of the residual prize pool after the top ten are paid will go to charity.

Should players on Mansion Poker not have time to play on Sunday, but still want to make a contribution, the site has set up a series of eight “Holding Tank” lobbies in which players can donate sums of money ranging from $1 to $500.  Like similar tournament lobbies set up on other online poker sites, players will register for a dummy poker tournament and the buy-in will go straight to the Red Cross.  Mansion Poker will also match donations to these Holding Tank lobbies.

Jeff Turner, Marketing Director for Mansion Poker and Casino.com, encouraged users to reach into their wallets and help out a worthy cause.  “Players can be confident that the donations generated from the online poker tournament will be used to the maximum benefit,” Turner explained in the official announcement of the event.  “Be sure to register for the tournament and help the victims of Haiti!”

The Aid For Haiti tournament is a network-wide event, so players on other iPoker Network rooms like William Hill Poker, Titan Poker, Paddy Power Poker, Blue Square Poker, and CD Poker can also take part.  The Holding Tank tournament lobbies will also be available on the various iPoker sites.  All of the rooms on the iPoker network do not accept customers from the United States.

So far, the online poker world has generated an impressive $1.5 million in donations thanks to similar charity tournaments at PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, the Cake Poker Network, and UB.com.  The players themselves have also organized fundraising efforts, including pledging a percentage of their online tournament winnings and donating pieces of their live tournament scores at events like the Borgata Poker Open.

According to The Chronicle of Philanthropy, since the January 12th quake, more than $560 million has been raised worldwide to go towards the relief efforts.  Over $66 million was raised during the telethon hosted by actor George Clooney last week and another $6 million came from the text message campaign put on by the Red Cross.  Even though it has been over two weeks since the earthquake hit, Haiti still appears to be on the hearts and minds of people worldwide as the donations continue to pour in.

Mansion Poker Hosts Aid for Haiti Tournament

The outpouring of support to the millions of people affected by the devastating earthquake in Haiti continues, as online poker room Mansion Poker is the latest site organizing an event to raise money for the cause.

Mansion Poker is partnering with Casino.com to host a charity online poker tournament on Sunday, January 31st in which all of the profits will be donated to the Red Cross.  Additionally, Mansion Poker and Casino.com plan to match all donations.  The tournament is scheduled to take place at 6:00pm GMT and will feature a $10 buy-in.  The top ten finishers will all make the money, with the winner of the event earning a $1,000 prize and fourth through tenth places each receiving $100.  The tournament will not include any additional registration fees and all of the residual prize pool after the top ten are paid will go to charity.

Should players on Mansion Poker not have time to play on Sunday, but still want to make a contribution, the site has set up a series of eight “Holding Tank” lobbies in which players can donate sums of money ranging from $1 to $500.  Like similar tournament lobbies set up on other online poker sites, players will register for a dummy poker tournament and the buy-in will go straight to the Red Cross.  Mansion Poker will also match donations to these Holding Tank lobbies.

Jeff Turner, Marketing Director for Mansion Poker and Casino.com, encouraged users to reach into their wallets and help out a worthy cause.  “Players can be confident that the donations generated from the online poker tournament will be used to the maximum benefit,” Turner explained in the official announcement of the event.  “Be sure to register for the tournament and help the victims of Haiti!”

The Aid For Haiti tournament is a network-wide event, so players on other iPoker Network rooms like William Hill Poker, Titan Poker, Paddy Power Poker, Blue Square Poker, and CD Poker can also take part.  The Holding Tank tournament lobbies will also be available on the various iPoker sites.  All of the rooms on the iPoker network do not accept customers from the United States.

So far, the online poker world has generated an impressive $1.5 million in donations thanks to similar charity tournaments at PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, the Cake Poker Network, and UB.com.  The players themselves have also organized fundraising efforts, including pledging a percentage of their online tournament winnings and donating pieces of their live tournament scores at events like the Borgata Poker Open.

According to The Chronicle of Philanthropy, since the January 12th quake, more than $560 million has been raised worldwide to go towards the relief efforts.  Over $66 million was raised during the telethon hosted by actor George Clooney last week and another $6 million came from the text message campaign put on by the Red Cross.  Even though it has been over two weeks since the earthquake hit, Haiti still appears to be on the hearts and minds of people worldwide as the donations continue to pour in.

Pam Brunson to Oversee DoylesRoom Brunson 10

Like father, like daughter. Doyle Brunson’s daughter, Pam Brunson, will manage the Brunson 10, according to officials from DoylesRoom. The stable of up-and-coming poker pros numbers four, with six men and two women yet to be named.

A press release distributed by DoylesRoom in recent days notes, “As Manager of the Brunson 10, Pam Brunson will be responsible for overseeing PR requests, handling scheduling and managing the Brunson 10 internally. As the world's biggest poker legend continues to fill spots on his team of poker professionals, Pam Brunson will be tasked with managing their relationship with one of the fastest growing online poker sites and its players.” The younger Brunson is a regular in the online poker site’s weekly Bounty tournament, which offers a refund of the $27.50 buy-in for first-time players.

Amit “amak316” Makhija, Dani “ansky451” Stern, Zachary “CrazyZachary” Clark, and top online poker pro Chris “moorman1” Moorman currently comprise the Brunson 10. Stern is the group’s newest addition, having joined the clan during final table play in the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event in Las Vegas. A press conference was held at the Wynn for Stern’s introduction, with “2 Months, $2 Million” housemate Jay Rosenkrantz on-hand to witness the festivities.

Meanwhile, former Brunson 10 member Alec “traheho” Torelli departed the online poker site to join Victory Poker, whose roster of pro players includes Antonio Esfandiari, Andrew “good2cu” Robl, and Full Tilt Poker defects Paul Wasicka and Lee Markholt. The site is set to debut on February 1st on the merged Everleaf/UPN network, with a launch party to occur after the Trash Talk Championship of the World Straddle Tournament at the Hard Rock on February 6th.

On replacing Torelli, DoylesRoom officials told Poker News Daily that a fifth member of the Brunson 10 will be named no later than mid-March. In addition, the forthcoming announcement may include the introduction of two new faces to the Cake Poker Network site that welcomes action from the United States. The newest additions will fall under Pam Brunson’s wings.

According to the traffic ranking site PokerScout.com, the Cake Poker Network is the 10th largest worldwide, offering a seven-day running average of 2,100 real money ring game players. During its peak hours, which occur in the evening across North America, nearly 3,000 cash game players call the network home. Besides DoylesRoom and Cake Poker, other sites on the network include City Poker, Lock Poker, PlayersOnly, Poker Host, Red Star Poker, Stryyke, and Phil Laak’s Unabomber Poker, which was added to the family this week.

The 2010 calendar year also saw DoylesRoom unveil its very own online store, which offers unique items like a limited edition Doyle Resitol Cowboy Hat. Other goods available in the DoylesRoom Store include DoylesRoom apparel, laptop bags, Brunson autographed merchandise, GPS systems, iPod accessories, digital cameras, Nintendo Wiis, and “the hottest lifestyle enhancing accessories.” Gold Chips are the currency of the DoylesRoom Store, which can be accessed from the online poker room’s website.

The recent World Poker Tour (WPT) Southern Poker Championship featured DoylesRoom pro Hoyt Corkins coming out on top to claim his second WPT title. Corkins earned $739,000 for his efforts and defeated a final table that also included Jonathan Kantor (second place for $366,00), Jerry Vanstrydonck (third place for $197,000), Jared Jaffee (fourth place for $135,000), James Reed (fifth place for $106,000), and Tyler “Tydean” Smith (sixth place for $87,000). The Southern Poker Championship marked Corkins’ sixth WPT final table appearance. The tournament will air as part of Season 8 on Fox Sports Net.

Pam Brunson finished 364th in the 2007 WSOP Main Event for $34,000. That year, she won a ladies’ event held during the Legends of Poker for the same amount.

Cake Poker buy TJ Cloutier’s WSOP bracelet

Recently we reported that TJ Cloutier’s bracelet won in the 2005 WSOP $5,000 NLHE event was up for sale on eBay. A pawn shop in Texas was selling the prize, stating they received it from TJ himself. Reports that he pawned it for craps money are unfounded but likely true.

The Nightly Turbo: Petition to Get Rid of Bellagio Rebuys, Casino Infected, and Cake’s Plan for a Bracelet

Tonight we're bringing you news on the petition to get rid of the rebuys at the Five Diamond at the Bellagio, a casino that got infected, what Cake Poker is planning on doing with their new piece of WSOP hardware, and what the pros think of the...

Victory Poker Launches February 1st

One day prior to Super Bowl XLIV between the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints, officials from Victory Poker will celebrate the site’s launch at a party at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas. The online poker room will open for business on February 1st.

Victory Poker will make its home on the merged Everleaf/UPN network, which has yet to take on an official name. According to PokerScout.com, the newly created network will boast traffic similar to that of Betfair, which has a seven-day running average of 610 real money ring game players. A press release announcing the Trash Talk Championship of the World Straddle Tournament at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas on February 6th revealed that the Victory Poker launch party would occur at 10:00pm following the festivities.

UFC’s Randy Couture will be sporting a Victory Poker logo when he takes to the ring in UFC 109 against Mark Coleman. The bout emanates from the Mandalay Bay Events Center near the Hard Rock and will also feature Nate Marquardt facing off against Chael Sonnen and Matt Serra fighting Frank Trigg. The first brawl takes place at 4:45pm, while televised matches start at 7:00pm. Couture will don a dot-net logo for the new online poker room.

Antonio Esfandiari headlines the Victory Poker stable of pros. A World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, Esfandiari has become widely known for his insatiable appetite for prop bets. He even co-starred with his close friend Phil Laak on the MOJO show “I Bet You,” which ran for two seasons on the cable station. Esfandiari has three WPT final tables to his credit and one title, which came in the Season 2 L.A. Poker Classic. At the tender age of 31, Esfandiari is one of the veterans of the game.

Jumping over from DoylesRoom to be a part of Victory Poker is Alec “traheho” Torelli. The Cake Poker Network site and Torelli severed ties two weeks ago. Torelli has made two WPT final tables, finishing fourth in both the Bellagio Cup V and Solvakia events. The former will air its finale at 11:00pm ET on Fox Sports Net this Sunday in a one-hour episode. Poker Hall of Fame member Mike Sexton and actor Vince Van Patten will once again provide commentary for Season 8 of the WPT.

Coming over from Full Tilt Poker are Paul Wasicka and Lee Markholt. The latter was removed in recent days as a Full Tilt Red Pro and finished fourth in the WSOP Circuit Championship in Tunica four years ago for $183,000. In addition, Markholt won the WPT Season 6 World Poker Challenge in Reno for $493,000 and owns $1.3 million in career earnings from the roving tournament series. Wasicka was the runner-up to Jamie Gold in the 2006 WSOP Main Event, earning a colossal $6.1 million.

Also appearing in the Victory Poker pro lineup is Chinese Poker sensation Danny Wong. Owning the moniker “Chinese Poker Wizard,” Wong learned to play the game’s variation at age five. Despite his success in Chinese Poker, he’s also excelled in No Limit Texas Hold’em, making three WPT final tables. Joining Wong will be online poker pro Brian “tsarrast” Rast.

Those who watched the 2009 WSOP Main Event on ESPN will recall the deep run of the “Flying” Bilzerian brothers. Dan Bilzerian, who finished 180th, will become part of the Victory Poker cast. In his final hand of the $10,000 buy-in feature tournament, Bilzerian committed his stack with A-6, but could not best Jonathan “driverseati” Tamayo’s pocket tens. His brother, Adam Bilzerian, renounced his U.S. citizenship and is now a passport holder of St. Kitts and Nevis.

Other Victory Poker pros include Andrew "good2cu" Robl, Keith Gipson, David “The Maven” Chicotsky, Sander Lylloff., and 2007 Playboy Playmate of the Year Sara Underwood. The site is scheduled to launch on February 1st and will accept players from the United States.

The Trash Talk Championship is a $1,000 buy-in charity poker tournament benefiting the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Program and Cedars-Sinai.

Cake Poker Returning WSOP Bracelet to T.J. Cloutier

This afternoon, rumors spread around the poker industry that Cake Poker, which had purchased T.J. Cloutier’s 2005 World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet, was planning to return the piece to its rightful owners. Poker News Daily can now confirm those rumblings.

In a post found on Cake Poker that was created on Wednesday night, it was confirmed that the USA-friendly online poker site was indeed the new owner of the bracelet that Cloutier won in a $5,000 No Limit Hold’em event five years ago. The tournament saw the poker veteran defeat Steven Zoine heads-up in a final table that also included John “World” Hennigan, Dustin “Neverwin” Woolf, and DoylesRoom pro Todd Brunson. Text found on Cake Poker’s blog explains, “Our initial impulse upon seeing the auction was to say, ‘Hey this is a cool piece of poker history. We love poker. We should buy a WSOP bracelet!’ So we did.”

The final selling price for the WSOP keepsake was just over $4,000; Cloutier’s prize money for winning it was 165 times that amount. However, the online poker site and flagship room on the Cake Poker Network plans to return it to Cloutier: “We can’t, in good conscience, keep it from the man who rightfully won it; which is why we’ve decided to return it to T.J. Cloutier… just as soon as we’re done having some fun with it.” No specific plans for the bracelet were given, although Cake Poker officials tossed out “photo shoots” and “wearing it to a buddy’s home game” as several possibilities. The auction closed on Sunday on eBay and the hardware is currently on its way to Cake Poker’s headquarters.

An article that appeared on Wicked Chops Poker explained what might have led to Cloutier unloading his memorabilia: "We called T.J. He didn’t want to come on the air… but told our producer the following: 'I don’t want to talk about it… yeah it's mine… I was short… I pawned it… I tried to get it back with my ticket but I was too late.'" On Monday, Cake Poker officials teased that they may have purchased Cloutier’s bracelet.

The topic has spread around the online poker community like wildfire. On the TwoPlusTwo forums, posters speculated as to why Cloutier, who has nearly $10 million in career earnings, would contemplate selling one of his six bracelets. One member chimed in, “With the recent interest in poker and his name becoming more recognized, any memorabilia he has accumulated becomes more valuable. Bracelets don't exactly do much but collect dust so why not get some value out of them.” Others have hypothesized that Cloutier’s love of craps may have caught up with him.

The other bracelet for sale, which Cloutier procured after taking down the 2007 Scotty Nguyen Poker Challenge IV, sold for $2,500. The Plano Pawn Shop saw a flurry of activity surrounding the two charms and Poker News Daily’s Earl Burton estimated that the WSOP jewelry was probably worth somewhere around $2,350. The bracelet contains 96 grams of 14 karat gold and 0.25 karats of diamonds. The high bid was submitted at 1:34pm PT on Sunday of $3,956 and stood for nearly six hours until the winning entry of $4,006 was introduced at 7:30pm PT.

Cake Poker is the flagship site of a network that also includes DoylesRoom, Lock Poker, PlayersOnly, PokerHost, Red Star Poker, and Stryyke. It happily accepts players from the United States and features former PokerStars icon Lee Jones as its Card Room Manager. The site is busy following its players in the 2010 Aussie Millions, taking place down under in Melbourne.

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest twists and turns in Cloutier’s bracelet sale.