Poker News

Full Tilt players can now run it twice

Fans of popular TV programs like Poker After Dark and High Stakes Poker are likely to have seen their favorite cash game legends "run it twice" on more than one occasion.

Essentially, running it twice allows heads-up opponents in a cash game pot, with one or both all in, to agree to have the remaining community cards dealt twice.

The winner of each outcome takes half of the pot. With Full Tilt's new software update, cash game players will now have that option online.

In addition, the software update includes a new Cashout Tournament format, giving players the option of cashing out some or all of their chips before the tournament has ended.

The tournaments follow the same rules as standard tournaments, except that each buy-in is split between a regular tournament prize pool and a Cashout pool.

Players compete for a share of the tournament prize pool as they would in a standard tournament, but also have the option of cashing out some or all of their chips.

For more information on all of Full Tilt's new features click here.

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Party Gaming Revenue Down 4% in Q3 2009

In figures recently released by Party Gaming, the parent company of PartyPoker, revenues were off 4% in Q3 2009 compared to Q2. Company officials noted that the decrease was “in line with the normal seasonal pattern seen in previous years.”

The acquisition of Cashcade actually ballooned Party Gaming’s revenue to $112.7 million during the third quarter, up 11% from Q2. However, removing Cashcade’s impact meant that revenues decreased 4%. PartyPoker revenues were $45.1 million during the most recent three-month period, a slide of 8% versus Q2. Party Gaming management attributed the fall to “higher player numbers offset by lower yields.” The $45.1 million in poker revenue represented a significant dip from the $65.0 million reported in Q3 2008.

PartyCasino’s revenue clocked in at $49.2 million, up 2% from the previous quarter, and the company’s sports book revenue registered at $4.2 million, up 31%. The company reported Bingo revenues of $13.8 million, nearly seven times the total accrued by the division during the same period last year. Party Gaming CEO Jim Ryan commented in the company’s release to the London Stock Exchange, “Poker remains challenging from a competitive standpoint, but we are encouraged by the increased player traffic during September and into October on the back of our new retention initiatives such as the enhanced loyalty program, improved VIP offer, and automated reactivation campaigns.”

Party Gaming boasted a base of 7.3 million users in 2009, up 24% from the 5.9 million users it placated to in 2008. The online giant played host to 79,200 average daily players, up from 63,900 in 2008, or 24%. However, its yield per active player day was down significantly in the third quarter of 2009 to $15.40, a slide of 23% year over year and 11% quarter over quarter. The company blamed the dip on “higher bonus costs driven by the acquisition of Cashcade and the costs associated with the new retention initiatives.”

A total of 208,100 new real money sign-ups occurred during Q3 2009 company-wide, a climb of 51% from the 137,600 who registered during Q3 2008. The number of unique active players during the period was 726,300, up 35% from 2008, and the company reported average daily net revenue of $1.2 million, down 5% from 2008, but up 10% over the previous quarter.

All told, PartyPoker boasted 4.6 million active players during the third quarter of 2009, a slide of 2% year over year. The online poker site, which does not accept customers from the United States, hosted 50,400 daily average players, even with 2008 figures, and a $9.70 yield per active player day, down 31% from the $14 recorded last year. PartyPoker saw 120,100 new real money sign-ups during the third quarter, up a colossal 30% from the 92,100 who signed up during Q2 2008. PartyPoker had average daily net revenues of $489,700, a dip of 31% year over year and 9% quarter over quarter.

Company officials explained the poker business unit’s lackluster performance: “Despite the competitive challenges in poker, we continued to sign up large numbers of new players and achieved an absolute increase in player numbers versus the previous quarter despite seasonality. Player yields declined year-on-year due to foreign exchange movements as well as competitive pressures.” On Thursday, it was announced that PartyPoker Ambassador Mike Sexton is the lone member of the Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2009. The World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner has served as the host of the World Poker Tour (WPT) since it debuted on The Travel Channel in the United States in 2003.

According to PokerScout.com, PartyPoker is the fourth largest online poker site worldwide, featuring a seven-day running average of 5,200 real money ring game players. During its peak hours, which occur in the evening throughout Europe, over 10,000 cash game players can be found on its felts. Party Gaming is traded on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol “PRTY.”

Mike Sexton Previews the WSOP November Nine

The entire poker world is anxiously awaiting the final table of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, which will be played this November.  The finalists have been dubbed the “November Nine” because of the four-month delay of the final table.  It’s a final table that has created tremendous interest because it has everything – an amateur with a massive chip lead, three guys in their 20s, and great players from around the world.  It’s also got Phil Ivey – and that is huge for the WSOP.

I often get asked, “Who do you think is the best poker player in the world?”  Well, when asked the same question years ago, Doyle Brunson said, “You judge a hunter by the number of furs he brings home”  (I love that phrase).  Well, nobody has brought home more “fur” than Phil Ivey.  I consider Phil Ivey to be the best player in the world.

Ivey is the best in every poker category you can come up with – cash games, tournament poker, and online poker.  I would bet that he’s the most successful cash game player of all-time and he will become the all-time tournament money leader if he finishes in fourth place or better at the WSOP Main Event final table.  If he’s not the most successful online player out there, then he’s certainly one of them.  When it comes to playing poker (and that includes all games), put Ivey at the top of your list.

One thing’s for sure – in addition to most players, Harrah’s, the WSOP, and ESPN are thrilled that Phil Ivey is at the final table. Because he’s there, I look for ratings for the WSOP final table to at least double from last year.  And that’s good for poker.

OK, here are the November Nine and their chip counts:

Darvin Moon – 58,930,000
Eric Buchman – 34,800,000
Steven Begleiter – 29,885,000
Jeff Shulman – 19,580,000
Joe Cada – 13,215,000
Kevin Schaffel – 12,390,000
Phil Ivey – 9,765,000
Antoine Saout – 9,500,000
James Akenhead – 6,800,000

The November Nine chip leader is Darvin Moon.  He’s a 45 year-old amateur poker player from Oakland, Maryland.  Playing in his first-ever big-time tournament, he could become the next Chris Moneymaker.  Moon is an amazing story.  He won his seat in a qualifying tournament in West Virginia and thought about taking the $10,000 first place prize and putting it in the family business.  His brother talked him out of that and encouraged him to go ahead and enter the WSOP (brother knows best).  Experience or not, with nearly 60 million in chips, I can’t imagine anyone being a bigger favorite than him to win.  Will it be a “Full Moon” in November?

Starting in second chip position with nearly 35 million is Eric Buchman.  Eric is a 29 year-old pro from New York.  He’s been a pro for about 10 years and this marks his 23rd cash at the WSOP.  Prior to this tournament, he had nearly $1 million in career tournament cashes.  With his experience and chip count, he could be the man to beat.

In third chip position with nearly 30 million is 47 year-old Steven Begleiter from Chappaqua, New York.  He was a strategist for the investment bank Bear Stearns for nearly 25 years.  He qualified for the WSOP Main Event on the Newcastle Poker Tour and poker league.  He’s really popular there, as he plans to donate 20% of his winnings to his poker league.  Now that is a friendly game!

The only guy who has been to the WSOP Main Event final table before is 34 year-old Jeff Shulman, the editor of CardPlayer Magazine.  He’ll be starting out in fourth chip position with nearly 20 million.  Shulman created a controversy by saying he would “throw the bracelet in the garbage if I win”  (that’s because of his strong opinion of unfair media treatment by the WSOP).  Like most, I’m shocked by that statement considering Shulman is in the business of promoting poker.  Shulman’s experience could bode well for him in November, but hopefully he’ll change his mind about throwing the bracelet in the garbage.

On a side note, that 2000 WSOP Main Event is still vivid in my mind because I felt I had a real shot to win it.  I ended up finishing in 12th place and was knocked out by Shulman (who was the big chip leader at the time and won a race for all of my chips).  It turned out to be a heartbreaking tournament for Shulman as well because, for the first time in WSOP history, only six players made it to the TV table and Shulman was the massive chip leader with seven players left.  He ended up going out seventh.

The youngest player at the table, 21 year-old Joe Cada from Michigan, will be starting out in fifth chip position.  If he wins, he will break Peter Eastgate’s record of being the youngest WSOP Main Event champion ever.  Cada plays a lot of heads-up poker and likes his chances if he gets short-handed.  He’s young, confident in his abilities, and believes he’s got a good chance to win.

Kevin Schaffel, 51, has been playing poker for 30 years.  This super nice Floridian claims to be “semi-retired,” but he is a scratch golfer and plays a lot of poker.  Do you think he works much?  Kevin recently finished second in the WPT’s Legends of Poker at the Bicycle Casino and, I can tell you, he played very well there.  If he doesn’t dub any shots on the green felt in November, he could very well be crowned champion.

Phil Ivey is “the man” at any poker table.  Although he’s starting in seventh chip position with less than 10 million in chips, many are wagering on him to win.  I’m sure he feels pretty good about his chances and why wouldn’t he?  He’s already won two bracelets at the 2009 WSOP and then bet $20,000 on himself to win the Main Event at 100-1 odds when there were still 2,400 players left!  Like many, I would love to see Ivey win.  I think it would be great for the poker world if the greatest player in the game won the biggest event in poker.

Antoine Saout, 25 years-old and from France, will be starting in eighth chip position.  He qualified for this tournament by winning a $50 online satellite.  Word has it that he crushes online tournaments.  I know some French players who really respect his game.   When he told his mom he wanted to become a poker pro, she was not happy.  With this finish and becoming a guaranteed millionaire, mom has changed her mind.  “Bon chance,” Antoine!

James Akenhead, 26, from England, discovered poker a few years ago while he was pursuing his other love, pool.  He practiced pool 10 hours a day and was ranked 15th in the U.K. in nine-ball at one time.  Akenhead has been a poker pro for three years and several top players from England have told me that he’s a very tough player.  Although he’s starting on the short stack, if he can double up early, they really like his chances.  A Hall of Fame poker player once said, “Poker is like pool.  Some days you make every shot and other days you hit nothing but the rail.”  Can this pool player parlay the short stack into the title?

One thing’s for sure:  It’s going to be a great final table in November.  Like all poker players, I can’t wait.

Kevin Schaffel Interview with Poker News Daily

When play resumes in the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, Kevin Schaffel, a PokerStars sponsored pro, will hold the sixth largest stack. Just weeks after play ended at the Rio, Schaffel proved he was no fluke, final tabling the World Poker Tour (WPT) Legends of Poker event. He sat down with Poker News Daily to discuss his recent run.

Poker News Daily: Talk about your runner-up finish to Prahlad Friedman in the WPT Legends of Poker. That had to vindicate you as not being a one hit wonder, even though you’ve had a tremendous amount of success during your poker career.

Schaffel: You never know when you’re going to get that deep in any tournament. It was even a surprise to me since it was so soon after the WSOP ended. You feel like you’re playing with confidence, you feel like you’re making good decisions, and you still need some luck to get there. It was a great feeling and a great run. It was very unexpected.

To almost do the same thing in [the European Poker Tour London Main Event] was insane. To make three in a row would have been terrific, but the cards didn’t cooperate with me. There was no disappointment coming in second to Prahlad. I really believe that if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. I thought I played as good as I could have and learned a little bit along the way as well.

PND: The 2009 November Nine has performed admirably, with Antoine Saout and James Akenhead making the final table of the WSOP Europe Main Event. Talk about being associated with this talented crop of players.

Schaffel: One of the coolest things is having people come up to me who have had great runs in the past. J.C. Tran sat next to me in London, looked at me, and said, “It’s some run you’re having.” I didn’t even know he knew who I was. It’s nice to be recognized by other very good tournament and cash game players. It’s definitely been a big boost from a mental standpoint to know that others recognize me.

PND: You are sixth in chips heading into November play at the Rio, but you still have a healthy stack. What are your emotions as you near the finale?

Schaffel: Anybody who is going to win in November is going to have to get a good run of cards, including the chip leader because he only has one-third of the chips. I think everybody is probably in the same mindset. The five short stacks are all looking to double up or increase our chip stacks significantly early so we feel like we can play a bit. The shortest stack has 30 times the big blind and I have 50 times the big blind. If I were playing 300/600 and I had 30,000 in chips, I wouldn’t even think about being rushed, so even though I’m behind, I don’t feel a lot of pressure to go all-in. I’m hoping to increase my stack early to 20,000 or 25,000 so I can play a bit more.

PND: Have you sought any coaching?

Schaffel: I chose not to, whether it’s right or wrong. I’ve been playing a long time, I’ve gotten here, and I’m obviously doing something right. I don’t want to make a decision based on someone else saying that it’s the right thing to do in a spot and then regret it later. I look at a lot of the plays that others are making and ask myself what I’m missing. They are 3betting with Q-2 and other things that I don’t consider doing too often. I have my own style of play and I’m going with it right or wrong. I may regret a play I make down the road, but it’ll be my fault.

PND: How did you get started in poker?

Schaffel: I stared playing as a kid when I was 11 at some friends’ houses for quarters. We’d meet every weekend and then I played through high school. I started playing more in college and then played in home games after getting out. The home games progressed 10 years later into my first tournament. We were playing Limit poker back then, it was a $500 buy-in, and we got 100 people. I did a really stupid thing and I won it for $19,000. The reason I say it’s stupid is because I thought I was the next Phil Hellmuth and lost there or four times that amount over the next year.

I continued playing small tournaments with very little success and then my cousin offered to put me into the 2004 WSOP Main Event, my first major buy-in. I ended up coming in 42nd and started playing in three to five tournaments per year after that. I switched over to No Limit cash games in 2004 and haven’t played Limit since.

PND: Would you rather have continued playing the Main Event in July? Where do you stand on the break in general?

Schaffel: There may be an in between point they might get to in the future. I could easily see a one-and-a-half to two month break. I don’t think that too many people are reading up and looking at old videos that will help. You can see the plays as they appear on television and obviously Phil Ivey is getting the most airtime. I might have had two hands aired and we’re three weeks away from finishing it. I don’t think I’m going to get anything because I saw Ivey bluff one hand after he was checked to twice. From that perspective, I don’t think the break is helping someone to improve their game that much. The biggest thing is having my friends and family experience this with me. To have friends and family out there means so much to me and you can’t do that if it plays out a day or two later.

Yevgeniy Timoshenko, Antoine Saout Added to PartyPoker World Open V

The PartyPoker World Open V action gets underway on Sunday and some last-minute additions to the lineup have made the event even more of a star-studded affair.  The roster of players, which already included the likes of World Poker Tour (WPT) host Mike Sexton, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, J.C. Tran, Phil “The Unabomber” Laak, and Luke “Full_Flush1″ Schwartz, added new names to the fold, including several players who have been on some serious hot streaks as of late.

The newly confirmed players include World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Layne Flack, Andrew Feldman, Bruno Fitoussi, Teddy Sheringham, Roland de Wolfe, Sammy “Any Two” George, and recently-crowned poker endurance world record holder Paul Zimbler.

Three other players recently agreed to participate in the event and may be ones to watch considering their string of recent results.  November Nine member Antoine Saout will be playing in the World Open V.  The Frenchman appears to be squeezing in as many tournaments as he can between now and the WSOP Main Event final table in November.  He is fresh off a final table showing at the WSOP Europe, where he finished in seventh place.

World Open V participant J.P. Kelly also had a successful run at the WSOP Europe, winning a bracelet in the first preliminary event.  With his win in London, Kelly became the first British player in the three-year history of the WSOP Europe to win a bracelet at the London-based event.  In addition to his WSOP Europe victory, Kelly won a bracelet earlier this year at the WSOP in a $1,500 Pot Limit Hold’em event.

Online poker pro Yevgeniy “Jovial Gent” Timoshenko also signed on to play in the World Open V.  Timoshenko has had an amazing run in 2009.  He took down the WPT Championship back in April, won the PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) Main Event last month, and made a deep run in the WSOP Europe Main Event.  At 21-years old, Timoshenko already has tournament poker winnings in excess of $6 million.

PartyBets set odds on all 48 of the participants and Dwan is currently the favorite, with odds currently going off at 11-1.  Even PartyPoker is inclined to agree with that assessment, as a spokesperson for the site noted, “The early money is for Durrrr, which isn’t really a surprise, but favorites do not have a good record in this competition.”  The spokesperson continued,  “We’re delighted with the field. Every heat features a super strong line-up. For example, two online qualifiers have to deal with the likes of Yevgeniy Timoshenko, James Akenhead, [Schwartz], and Ian Frazer, and that is only in heat one!”

As the spokesperson noted, online cash game player Schwartz is scheduled to play in Heat One, while his self-proclaimed nemesis durrrr will be playing in Heat Six along with Fitoussi, Felipe “Mojave” Ramos, J.C. Tran, and others.  Though Schwartz and Dwan will not meet in the preliminary heats, there are still a couple of scenarios that could pair the two at the same table.  Should both players win their heats, they will advance to play each other at the final table.  If one or both of them finishes as the runner-up in their heat, they will advance to the second chance heat, where the six runners-up will vie for a spot at the final table.

Action will take place at the Palm Beach Casino in London, England and PartyPoker says spectators are welcome to come by and watch the action.  The event will be taped and televised on the Five network in Britain later this year and will feature commentary from Jesse May.

Full_Flush Allegedly Banned from Grosvenor Casinos for Sandwich Theft

The recent antics of British online poker pro Luke “Full_Flush” Schwartz have only helped to cement his reputation as a bad boy and a poker brat, as he has supposedly been banned not once, but twice from Grosvenor Casino properties.  First, he received a ban from the Victoria Casino for improper headgear and now he has allegedly been banned from all Grosvenor Casinos for stealing a cheese sandwich.

According to the forums and several European poker outlets including the Betfair blog, the first incident at the Victoria Casino, known to locals as “The Vic,” came when Schwartz refused to remove his hat in the casino’s poker room.  Popular and influential local gambler Eddie Hearn stepped in on Schwartz’s behalf and convinced the casino to lift the ban on the young British pro in time for him to participate in the European Poker Tour’s (EPT) London stop.  While the tournament changed venues this year, moving from the Victoria to the Hilton London Metropole, the tournament staff was comprised of poker room employees from The Vic who were initially not keen on seeing Schwartz participate.

The high stakes pro’s troubles did not end there, though.  While he played in the EPT London Main Event, it took mere minutes after he busted out midway through Day Two before Schwartz found himself in hot water with the casino staff once again.  A blog post by one of Poker Listings’ tournament reporters, Martin Derbyshire, reported that Schwartz allegedly lifted a pickle and cheese sandwich from the food stand just outside the tournament area and walked away without paying for it.  Apparently, Schwartz insisted that he was a VIP player and did not deserve to be charged for the snack and refused to pay even after being stopped by security.

The act of thievery, combined with his unwillingness to pay for his food, led to Schwartz’s second ban from Grosvenor properties and this time it appears as though no reprieve is in sight.  Derbyshire also wrote that the word around the tournament area was that Schwartz received a warning from EPT staff about his behavior.

While Schwartz confirmed the details of the hat incident, he has yet to speak out on how much truth there is behind “Sandwichgate 2009.”  True or not, the stories only further cement Schwartz’s reputation as one of “bad boys” of online poker.  Schwartz first garnered attention earlier this year when he had choice words about some of the other high-stakes online cash game players, notably Tom “durrrr” Dwan.  Schwartz bashed Dwan in print and television interviews, commenting on both his style of play and social life.

Though Schwartz may have to deal with a ban from Grosvenor Casinos, he is not done playing live in London just yet.  He is set to take part in both the PKR Grand Slam Heads-Up festivities and the PartyPoker World Open V.  Dwan is also on tap to participate in the two events.  The draw for the PKR event’s first round is already complete and should Schwartz and Dwan both advance to the semi-finals, they would compete against each other in a highly-anticipated live match.  The World Open V does not pit the two players against each other in preliminary heats, but there is still the possibility that they will meet at the final table of the shootout-style event.

Hopefully, Schwartz won’t get himself banned from either of the events before they start, as the potential face-to-face encounter between Full_Flush and Dwan have had the online poker world buzzing for months.

DoylesRoom Offers WPT Five Diamond Seats from $0.22

On December 13th, the World Poker Tour (WPT) will head to the Bellagio in Las Vegas for the annual Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic. Among those in attendance will be members of DoylesRoom

Last year, World Series of Poker (WSOP) November Nine member David “Chino” Rheem outlasted the field at the Five Diamond event and earned $1.5 million. Heads-up, he defeated poker pro Justin Young in a final table that also included Evan McNiff, Steve Sung, Amnon Filippi, and “The Alabama Cowboy” Hoyt Corkins. A total of 497 players turned out, creating a $7.2 million prize pool. In 2007, 626 players competed in a tournament won by Eugene Katchalov.

Steps for entry into the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic begin at $0.22. Both standard and turbo tournaments are available at that price tag and entry into the turbo format can be obtained by placing first or second in a Gold Chip event. A total of 10 steps are on the docket for players to qualify for the WPT tournament. The final event is a $3,750 buy-in contest that awards a $17,000 prize package to its winner. Second place will take home another Step 10 entry, while third place will earn $250.

DoylesRoom members can buy in at any step they’d like. Step 1 weighs in at $0.22. Step 2 comes with a $0.68 buy-in, Step 3 has a $2 price tag, Step 4 has a $5.85 buy-in, Step 5 has a $17 price tag, Step 6 will set players back $49, Step 7 costs $145, Step 8 will run you $438, and Step 9 requires an outlay of $1,289.50. If successful, players will be treated in style in Sin City. Text found on the DoylesRoom website notes, “You won’t be just another player in Doyle Brunson’s tournament. You’ll be the player who experienced a full weekend of legendary Las Vegas indulgence with Doyle Brunson the weekend before the first hand was dealt.”

Players who make their way to Las Vegas after parlaying $0.22 into a WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic seat will also take home a Vegas Experience package, which includes first class airfare, hotel accommodations, VIP club access, tickets to a hot show, and even a chance to meet “Texas Dolly” himself. Players will receive $1,000 to use towards travel and accommodations and also be given a private coaching session with Brunson, a 10-time bracelet winner.

The promotion runs until December 4th on DoylesRoom, which happily accepts players from the United States. The site makes its home on the Cake Poker Network, which, according to PokerScout.com, is the tenth most popular worldwide with a seven-day running average of 1,780 real money ring game players. During its peak hours, which occur in the evening across North America, 2,400 cash game players can be found battling it out. The Cake Poker Network is the fourth largest worldwide that accepts customers from the United States.

Weekly on Wednesdays at 9:30pm ET, DoylesRoom hosts its signature $50,000 Guaranteed Bounty tournament featuring Brunson, the “Mad Genius of Poker” Mike Caro, and a bevy of celebrities and guest pros. DoylesRoom is fresh off adding online poker pro Chris “moorman1” Moorman to its Brunson 10, a group of pros that also includes Amit “amak316” Makhija, Alec “traheho” Torelli, and Zachary “CrazyZachary” Clark. Moorman recently reached the apex of the PocketFives.com Online Poker Rankings and is one of the most respected players in the game today.

Qualify your way to Las Vegas for the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic on DoylesRoom.

Dirty Stack Poker, Propaganda Poker May Leave iPoker Network

Poker News Daily has learned that Dirty Stack Poker and Propaganda Poker may soon be leaving the iPoker Network, according to a high-ranking official. Our source explained, “Both rooms are currently not accepting deposits nor giving rakeback to players as promised and both will be leaving in the next few days.”

Last month, posters on the TwoPlusTwo online poker forum reported cashout issues with Dirty Stack Poker similar to ones that unfolded with Eurolinx, which was liquidated by its parent company, the Linx Media Group, in August. A representative of Dirty Stack Poker sought to clear the air by posting, “Sorry for the lack of updates, because of the pending merger we’ve had issues with deposits - cashouts are operating as normal. You won’t have any ‘Eurolinx debacle style issues’ with us.”

The merge in question was with Dafa Poker, another iPoker Network site. The same representative noted in a September 25th post, “We were meant to be merge with Dafa Poker mid next week, but it looks like someone at iPoker has jumped the gun and merged us in the last 24 hours. Dirty Stack Poker Customer Support is and will be contacting players with their new username and password on Dafa, as well instructions on where to download the software from.”

Now, it appears that Dirty Stack Poker and Propaganda Poker may be sent packing by the iPoker Network entirely. The high-ranking source explained, “From what I heard from within the industry, the liquidity they brought was dwarfed by their illegal rakeback and player poaching activities.  The network, in response, is clamping down on rooms that are taking this route, as it hurts most of those partners that spend millions on player acquisition and growing the network.”

Another post on TwoPlusTwo stated that Propaganda Poker’s new home would be revealed today. The post, originally written in Norwegian, read in part, “Propaganda Poker is out of the iPoker [Network], but you can play as normal until we change the client.” The post noted that the room had violated iPoker Network rules regarding players and its new destination would be one with high liquidity. At the time of writing, Propaganda Poker has not distributed a press release unveiling the new network.

Speculation on Propaganda Poker’s new destination has ranged from Boss Media’s International Poker Network to the USA-friendly Cake Poker Network. One poster on TwoPlusTwo, “Mrbait” noted that Propaganda Poker was set to merge with Betsafe, which makes its home on the Ongame Network. He explained, “They got bailed out for their customer database and Betsafe promised them to secure funds for their clients.”

The iPoker Network is the third largest worldwide and the most populated site or network not to accept players from the United States. It owns a seven-day running average of 5,300 real money ring game players, with a 24-hour peak of just over 9,600. At the time of writing, which is late afternoon across Europe, a total of 7,905 cash game players are logged into the iPoker Network’s family of sites.

The iPoker Network does not offer rakeback on its partner sites. Instead, iPoker Network rooms like Titan Poker offer VIP programs that closely mirror rakeback. A representative of BonusWhores.com told Poker News Daily why sites like Titan Poker and PokerStars would rather offer VIP programs in lieu of rakeback: “Rakeback is really competitive, so when sites start offering it, it cuts into margins and there is a clear indication of who is offering the better program. With bonuses and VIP programs, the situation is a bit more ambiguous.”

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest on the possible departure of Propaganda Poker and Dirty Stack Poker from the iPoker Network.

Absolute Poker College Challenge Kicks Off October 4th

Starting on October 4th, satellites will be available for the Absolute Poker College Challenge, which makes its return to the popular Tokwiro-owned online poker site. $30,000 in prizes can be won, including a $10,000 grand prize tuition for the Player of the Year.

Cash qualifiers for the Absolute Poker College Challenge range from $0.25 to $5 in buy-in and a variety of freerolls are also available. The top nine players from each daily event (regardless of the buy-in amount) will qualify for a freeroll that will take place the next day. In it, the top 15 will earn entry into the Weekly Main Event Qualifier that takes place on Sundays at 9:00pm ET. The first Weekly Main Event Qualifier kicks off on October 11th and the final one will take place on November 29th. Each tournament carries a $200 prize pool.

The top nine players in each Weekly Main Event Qualifier will make their way to the Absolute Poker College Challenge Main Event, which is scheduled for Monday, November 30th at 8:30pm ET. The action isn’t done there, however, as the top six players in the Main Event will head to sunny Los Angeles for a live final table that will air on the official website of Bluff Magazine. The Player of the Year will take home $10,000 for tuition.

Matt “Plattsburgh” Vengrin, an Absolute Poker pro and consultant for the site’s College Challenge, commented in a press release distributed by the USA-friendly online poker site, “This tournament is a fun and easy way for college students to compete for an alternative way to pay for tuition and we believe that this program is one of the best ways to create real added value for college students.” In addition to the $10,000 grand prize, the promotion’s Player of the Year will earn a custom-crafted championship ring and a story in Bluff Magazine, one of the industry’s premier poker publications.

The other five players at the live final table won’t walk away empty-handed. Second place will earn $5,000, third place will snag $3,500, fourth place will pocket $3,000, fifth place will see their bankroll grow by $2,250, and the first person sent packing from the six-handed live finale will earn $2,000. Each person also receives $750 to use for travel to Los Angeles.

Those not heading to the West Coast city will also receive prizes. The seventh and eighth place finishers will earn $750, while the ninth place finisher will pocket $550. In total, the top 18 places will pay out at least $200. Daily freerolls take place at 8:15pm ET, while $0.25 cash game qualifiers are available at 8:30pm ET. $5 qualifiers kick off at 8:45pm ET nightly.

Absolute Poker makes its home on the CEREUS Network along with its sister site, Ultimate Bet. According to PokerScout.com, which keeps tabs on online poker room traffic, the CEREUS Network is the sixth largest worldwide with a seven-day running average of 2,400 real money ring game players. During its peak hours, which occur in the evening across North America, over 3,500 cash game players can be found on its felts. At the time of writing, which is 1:30pm ET on a Sunday, a total of 2,449 real money ring game players have hit the felts of Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker. CEREUS is the third largest network to accept players from the United States behind PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, which rank first and second, respectively.

Representatives from Ultimate Bet, meanwhile, are busy preparing for the Aruba Poker Classic, whose $5,500 buy-in Main Event kicks off on Monday with the first of two starting days. The marquee poker tournament crowns a champion on October 11th.

Full Tilt releases dates for FTOPS XIV

FTOPS XIV will run Nov. 4-15 with a total of 25 events in No-Limit Hold'em, Pot-Limit Omaha, Razz, Seven-Card Stud, H.O.R.S.E. and Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo.

Buy-ins range from $109 to $2,620 with over $16 million guaranteed in the series.

Full Tilt will also be throwing Turbo, Shootout, Knockout, Rebuy, Heads-up and Short-handed events into the mix.

Players will likely want to note Nov. 14 and Nov. 15 as two of the biggest days for the series.

On Nov. 14 Full Tilt will host a two-day $2,500+$120 event with a $2 million guarantee while on Nov. 15 the series will culminate with the $500+$35 main event, which carries a $2.5 million guarantee.

Although hosts for the events were not announced there was a bit of minor controversy yesterday when, for a brief period of time, Tom "durrrr" Dwan was shown as the host for the $120+$9 Pot-Limit Omaha Rebuy event on Full Tilt's website.

Dwan is currently not a Full Tilt pro and the poker forums were buzzing about the prospect of the celebrated cash game player signing with the room. Nothing official has been released by Full Tilt Poker.

In August, online player Poligraph outlasted 5,305 players to win $453,663 in the FTOPS XIII main event. Notable winners in the series included Kevin "GETPWN3D" Saul.

Qualifiers for FTOPS XIV are already running on Full Tilt for as little as $4.40. Check the Full Tilt website for more details.

The complete FTOPS XIV schedule is below:

Date/Time	Game	Guarantee
Event #1 Wednesday November 4th 21:00 ET	$200 + $16 NL Hold 'em 6max	$1,000,000
Event #2 Thursday November 5th 14:00 ET	TBA	TBA
Event #3 Thursday November 5th 21:00 ET	$500 + $35 NL Hold 'em 3xShootout	$300,000
Event #4 Friday November 6th 14:00 ET	$200 + $16 NL Hold 'em 1 rebuy and 1 add-on	$600,000
Event #5 Friday November 6th 21:00 ET	$200 + $16 Stud/8	$100,000
Event #6 Saturday November 7th 14:00 ET	$500 + $35 PLO 6max	$350,000
Event #7 Saturday November 7th 16:00 ET	$100 + $9 NL Hold 'em Rebuy	$600,000
Event #8 Sunday November 8th 14:00 ET	$240 + $16 NL Hold 'em Knockout 6max	$800,000
Event #9 Sunday November 8th 16:00 ET	$500 + $35 NL Hold 'em Heads Up	$500,000
Event #10 Sunday November 8th 18:00 ET	$300 + $22 NL Hold 'em	$1,500,000
Event #11 Monday November 9th 14:00 ET	$200 + $16 PLO/8	$200,000
Event #12 Monday November 9th 21:00 ET	$1,000 + $60 NL Hold 'em 6max	$1,500,000
Event #13 Tuesday November 10th 14:00 ET	$300 + $22 NL Hold 'em 4xShootout 6max	$300,000
Event #14 Tuesday November 10th 21:00 ET	$500 + $35 HORSE	$300,000
Event #15 Tuesday November 10th 21:00 ET	$200 + $16 NL Hold 'em turbo	$500,000
Event #16 Wednesday November 11th 14:00 ET	$240 + $16 PLO Knockout	$200,000
Event #17 Wednesday November 11th 21:00 ET	$300 + $22 NL Hold 'em 6max rebuy	$1,000,000
Event #18 Thursday November 12th 14:00 ET	TBA	TBA
Event #19 Thursday November 12th 21:00 ET	$200 + $16 Limit Hold'em 6max	$150,000
Event #20 Friday November 13th 14:00 ET	$200 + $16 NL Hold 'em	$400,000
Event #21 Friday November 13th 21:00 ET	$300 + $22 Razz 6max	$150,000
Event #22 Saturday November 14th 14:00 ET	$2,500 + $120 NL Hold 'em Ante From Start 2 Day Event	$2,000,000
Event #23 Saturday November 14th 16:00 ET	$100 + $9 PLO Rebuy	$400,000
Event #24 Sunday November 15th 14:00 ET	$120 + $9 NL Hold 'em Knockout	$800,000
Main Event Sunday November 15th 18:00 ET	$500 + $35 NL Hold 'em	$2,500,000

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Chris Moorman Signs with DoylesRoom

With the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe Main Event on the horizon,  DoylesRoom has made a splash, signing Chris “Moorman1” Moorman to its prestigious Brunson 10.

Moorman is 24 years-old and recently ascended to the top of the Online Poker Rankings on PocketFives.com, jumping over previously number one ranked player Shaun “shaundeeb” Deeb. Moorman owns the second best PLB Score and Pro Poll Ranking on PocketFives.com and has claimed a record-setting eight Triple Crowns. The accolade is given to players who take down three $10,000 prize pool non-satellite tournaments across three online poker sites within a seven-day period.

Moorman boasts career earnings of more than $1.6 million. The Brit is currently on his home turf at the WSOP Europe festivities in London, with the Main Event of the prestigious series kicking off on Saturday. On his play at the tables, PocketFivesLive.com Tournament Reporter Jessica Welman told Poker News Daily, “Chris has an unpredictable style of play that always keeps his opponents guessing and serves him well at the tables. I think you only need to look at how long he’s been ranked in the Top 10 on PocketFives.com to see how much his peers respect his game.”

Welman noted that, despite his age, Moorman’s maturity at the tables separates him from the pack: “During the Main Event of the WSOP, I watched a pivotal hand in which Chris was able to lay down bottom set in a huge hand. As I watched him play back the hand in his head, I was really impressed that he was not only able to make a really good laydown, but he also managed to control his emotions in a situation that many others would find frustrating and potentially tilt-inducing.”

The Brunson 10 sported three members prior to Moorman’s addition this week. Alec “traheho” Torelli, who finished fourth in the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Bellagio Cup V and Slovakia stops, also sits on the team. Torelli’s major claim to fame occurred during the 2009 WSOP, when he finished sixth in the $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP. He banked $326,000 in the event, nearly the same total as he raked in for finishing as the runner-up to Kenny Tran in the World Championship of Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em during the 2008 WSOP.

Also part of the Brunson 10 is Amit “amak316” Makhija, who finished as the runner-up to John “The Razor” Phan during the 2008 WPT Legends of Poker. Makhija scooped $563,000 for his efforts at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles and finished fifth in the World Championship of Pot Limit Hold’em during the 2008 WSOP for another $198,000. That tournament aired on ESPN and marked the first bracelet win for Nenad Medic. Zachary “CrazyZachary” Clark rounds out the Brunson 10. Clark joined Makhija at the Legends of Poker final table in 2008, finishing third for $281,000.

Doyle Brunson praised the arrival of Moorman to DoylesRoom, explaining in a press release, “Moorman reminds me a lot of me, except for the British accent. He’s a poker natural, a legend in the making, and that’s why I’ve handpicked him to be the next member of The Brunson 10, my new team of elite poker players who truly are young legends of the game.”

DoylesRoom happily accepts players from the United States and makes its home on the popular Cake Network, which, in addition to its flagship site, also includes Lock Poker, Players Only, Poker Host, and Stryyke. According to the traffic ranking site PokerScout.com, the Cake Network is the 10th largest worldwide, sporting a seven-day running average of 1,680 real money ring game players. During its peak traffic hours, which occur during the evening in the United States, over 2,500 cash game players call the network home.

In addition to its Brunson 10, DoylesRoom also features “Texas Dolly” (Brunson), Hoyt Corkins, Todd Brunson, and “The Mad Genius of Poker” Mike Caro. In an interview with PocketFives.com, Moorman revealed that a recurring high-stakes cash game is in the works featuring the four poker veterans and members of the Brunson 10.

Ladbrokes Irish Poker Festival Packages Sell Out

Popular European poker site Ladbrokes, part of the Microgaming Network, announced that all of its €950 Ladbrokes Poker Killarney packages have sold out.  The only way for a player to enter this exclusive event is to qualify through a €60 live super satellite where 30 seats will be awarded.  Players for this tournament will be allowed one €50 rebuy and one €50 add-on.  This super satellite event will be held in Killarney at the Irish National Events Center.  Last year’s event attracted 300 players and this year, it’s expected to exceed that total.

The Irish Poker Festival is one of the best value live tournaments of the year for European players.  The €250,000 Main Event prize pool is one of the richest for Irish players.  Ladbrokes has gone to enormous lengths to market itself to this segment of the European poker playing market.  Last year, notable Irishmen Marty Smyth, Roy Brindley, Jon Kalmer, Ken Doherty, and Steve Davis all made appearances at the event.  This year, the rumor mill is saying that Doherty will be back to make a bold final table prediction.

Poker players who participate in the Main Event will start with 15,000 in chips and play through one hour blind levels.  European ranking points will be earned for players buying into this event.

Kate McLennnan, Head of Ladbrokes Poker, commented in a press release, “The Ladbrokes.com Irish Poker Festival ticks all of the boxes for the savvy poker player.  We promise players great value, a brilliant time, an excellent venue, and the opportunity to experience the legendary Ladbrokes hospitality. The low buy-in (€550) allows us to host affordable satellites and introduce live poker play to a wider audience.”

In addition to this Main Event, Ladbrokes is hosting two one-day events during the Irish Poker Festival.  A $270+30 event will begin on October 3rd and a $150+20 tournament will start on October 4th.

Ladbrokes Poker is part of the Microgaming Network, which is currently ranked ninth in the world for overall traffic.  According to PokerScout.com, the network has a seven-day running average of 1,840 cash game players with peak hours garnering over 3,600.  The site offers a full variety of Hold’em games along with tables for Omaha, Seven Card Stud, Five Card Draw, and Razz.

Recently, Ladbrokes had a huge Bad Beat Jackpot hit as part of the many promotions that regularly run on the site.  At a $0.50-$1 table, two players were involved in a hand where a seven-high straight flush lost to a jack-high straight flush.  The winning hand won an extra $75,000, while the losing hand won a whopping $151,000.  Every other player at the table claimed a share of the jackpot to the tune of $18,940.  To qualify for the Bad Beat Jackpot, hand a player must lose with four eights or better.

Another promotion at Ladbrokes centers on the Master Classics of Poker in Amsterdam.  Throughout the month and into October, the site is promoting the opportunity to win €8,000 packages to the Master Classics of Poker.  The event starts on November 9th and concluding on the 15th.  Satellite winners will receive a full VIP package, which includes a buy-in to the event, accommodations, and €820 for travel and spending money.  Qualifiers start at €3.30 and can be found in the Tournament > Satellites > Masters Classics lobby in the Ladbrokes client.

New players to Ladbrokes can receive a first-time deposit bonus of 2,000% up to $1,000 with a minimum of $50 in currency equivalent.  Players have 45 days from the time they make their first deposit to play and earn points.  The points release bonus dollars and players can continue to make deposits during the 45 day period to maximize their bonus.  One dollar in rake is equivalent to 10 Poker Points.

Ladbrokes Irish Poker Festival Packages Sell Out

Popular European poker site Ladbrokes, part of the Microgaming Network, announced that all of its €950 Ladbrokes Poker Killarney packages have sold out.  The only way for a player to enter this exclusive event is to qualify through a €60 live super satellite where 30 seats will be awarded.  Players for this tournament will be allowed one €50 rebuy and one €50 add-on.  This super satellite event will be held in Killarney at the Irish National Events Center.  Last year’s event attracted 300 players and this year, it’s expected to exceed that total.

The Irish Poker Festival is one of the best value live tournaments of the year for European players.  The €250,000 Main Event prize pool is one of the richest for Irish players.  Ladbrokes has gone to enormous lengths to market itself to this segment of the European poker playing market.  Last year, notable Irishmen Marty Smyth, Roy Brindley, Jon Kalmer, Ken Doherty, and Steve Davis all made appearances at the event.  This year, the rumor mill is saying that Doherty will be back to make a bold final table prediction.

Poker players who participate in the Main Event will start with 15,000 in chips and play through one hour blind levels.  European ranking points will be earned for players buying into this event.

Kate McLennnan, Head of Ladbrokes Poker, commented in a press release, “The Ladbrokes.com Irish Poker Festival ticks all of the boxes for the savvy poker player.  We promise players great value, a brilliant time, an excellent venue, and the opportunity to experience the legendary Ladbrokes hospitality. The low buy-in (€550) allows us to host affordable satellites and introduce live poker play to a wider audience.”

In addition to this Main Event, Ladbrokes is hosting two one-day events during the Irish Poker Festival.  A $270+30 event will begin on October 3rd and a $150+20 tournament will start on October 4th.

Ladbrokes Poker is part of the Microgaming Network, which is currently ranked ninth in the world for overall traffic.  According to PokerScout.com, the network has a seven-day running average of 1,840 cash game players with peak hours garnering over 3,600.  The site offers a full variety of Hold’em games along with tables for Omaha, Seven Card Stud, Five Card Draw, and Razz.

Recently, Ladbrokes had a huge Bad Beat Jackpot hit as part of the many promotions that regularly run on the site.  At a $0.50-$1 table, two players were involved in a hand where a seven-high straight flush lost to a jack-high straight flush.  The winning hand won an extra $75,000, while the losing hand won a whopping $151,000.  Every other player at the table claimed a share of the jackpot to the tune of $18,940.  To qualify for the Bad Beat Jackpot, hand a player must lose with four eights or better.

Another promotion at Ladbrokes centers on the Master Classics of Poker in Amsterdam.  Throughout the month and into October, the site is promoting the opportunity to win €8,000 packages to the Master Classics of Poker.  The event starts on November 9th and concluding on the 15th.  Satellite winners will receive a full VIP package, which includes a buy-in to the event, accommodations, and €820 for travel and spending money.  Qualifiers start at €3.30 and can be found in the Tournament > Satellites > Masters Classics lobby in the Ladbrokes client.

New players to Ladbrokes can receive a first-time deposit bonus of 2,000% up to $1,000 with a minimum of $50 in currency equivalent.  Players have 45 days from the time they make their first deposit to play and earn points.  The points release bonus dollars and players can continue to make deposits during the 45 day period to maximize their bonus.  One dollar in rake is equivalent to 10 Poker Points.

PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona Day 1B: Matt Woodward Surges

Day 1B of the PokerStars European Poker Tour in Barcelona saw an upping of the pace as 270 more players came in search of the title. The field was impressively rich with talent, as numerous bracelet holders, high-stakes cash game players and former...

Brunson, Harman, Antonius, Sahamies Join Caesars Cup Lineup

With the Caesars Cup getting ready for its inaugural action in just over three weeks, both American captain Daniel Negreanu and European captain Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad have been busy filling out the remainder of their squads. Earlier this week, each named two additional members to their teams, bringing the total to six of the eight that they will need.

Captain Negreanu, who seems to have been leaning towards more experienced players, continued to choose veterans with the selections of Doyle Brunson and Jennifer Harman. They will join a stellar lineup that also includes 2009 “November Nine” combatant Phil Ivey, 11-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner and former World Champion Phil Hellmuth, and reigning WSOP Europe champion John Juanda. If there is one drawback to Team Americas, it is that Negreanu seems to have chosen players with a wealth of cash game expertise, which could potentially override their tournament poker backgrounds.

Little needs to be said for Doyle Brunson’s inclusion. The grizzled veteran of the Texas road games was among those who brought poker to Las Vegas and brings the vast experience that his 50-plus years in the game has honed. He has captured ten WSOP bracelets in his career, with two from the Main Event. He continues today to be at the forefront of poker and has a nearly unequaled library of knowledge that will be critical for his teammates to tap into during the Caesars Cup competition.

If Negreanu was looking for a female to be a part of Team Americas, then Jennifer Harman had to be on the top of his wish list. The only woman who has multiple open tournament victories in the history of the WSOP, Harman has been one of the high-stakes poker staples for the past 25 years. Her steely determination and intuitive style of play will give opponents fits as they try to determine where they are in a hand.

Captain Obrestad has chosen a tactic almost directly the opposite of Negreanu by going for the younger, internet-seasoned players for Team Europe. Captain Obrestad has tapped two Finns, Patrik Antonius and Ilari Sahamies, to join her and defending WSOP champion Peter Eastgate of Denmark, Italy’s Dario Mineri, and France’s Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier on Team Europe.

Antonius brings one of the strongest games, tournament or otherwise, of any of the players in the Caesars Cup. While he is, so far, the oldest member of Team Europe at 29, he has traveled the world in his profession of high-stakes poker. In tournaments, he has earned over $2.8 million, including a European Poker Tour (EPT) championship in 2005, and has made untold amounts as a cash game player. Currently, Antonius is also engaged in one of the epic battles of 2009, the Durrrr Challenge, with Tom Dwan.

While he may not have the list of titles of other players in this event, Sahamies has the chops to be included in the Caesars Cup. Known as “Zigmund” online, Sahamies has claimed over $300,000 in tournament winnings and is especially known for his skills in high-stakes Pot Limit Omaha. Sahamies will also bring some chatter to the felt as he uses his verbal skills to attempt to throw his opponents off their games. Sahamies is also the face behind Power Poker.

Both Negreanu and Obrestad have two more choices for their respective teams before the Caesars Cup can be contested. Obrestad has one of her choices removed from her discretion, as WSOP Europe sponsor Betfair is offering a place on the team for an online player yet to be determined. All in all, the field is coming together as one of the strongest player lineups for a made-for-television competition in years. Poker News Daily will have all the details on the final selections, as well as the format of the Caesars Cup, in the near future.

iPoker Network Launches Monthly Million Tournament

Starting in September, a $1 million guaranteed prize pool tournament dubbed the Monthly Million will take place monthly on the massive iPoker Network. The $535 buy-in gala will kick off on September 13th at 18:00 GMT.

Titan Poker is one of several iPoker Network sites gearing up for the first-ever running of the Monthly Million, the same term used by PartyPoker to describe its recurring high-stakes event. A bevy of roads to qualify are available, including $1.10 buy-in tournaments that take place Monday to Saturday at 17:15 GMT. In order to promote its new addition, Titan Poker announced that marketing materials were available to affiliates in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Swedish, Russian, Dutch, and Portuguese.

Daily except for Sunday, Titan Poker holds a $66 buy-in freezeout that awards three seats into the Monthly Million. Held the same days of the week at 14:30 GMT are $6.60 rebuys that award at least eight seats into the seven-figure prize pool tournament. On Sundays at 18:30 GMT, Titan Poker holds a $6.60 buy-in satellite that doles out at least 20 seats. In the week leading up to the first Monthly Million on September 13th, the qualifying schedule changes, so check out Titan Poker and other iPoker Network sites for more information.

The Monthly Million features 30-minute blind levels and players will start with a chip stack of 10,000. After playing out on September 13th, the Monthly Million will make its grand return on October 11th at 18:00 GMT. A press release distributed by Titan Poker noted that the contest will be a welcome change from the regular $250,000 Guaranteed weekend tournament: “Titan Poker stages a highly popular $250,000 Guaranteed Prize Tournament every Sunday night, however on September 13, the focus will turn instead to the $1,000,000 Guaranteed. Many players have already guaranteed their seats at the hugely anticipated million-dollar event.”

According to PokerScout.com, which keeps tabs on online poker room traffic, the iPoker Network is the third largest worldwide. It’s the largest that does not accept players from the United States and boasts a seven-day running average of 5,400 real money ring game players. Its 24-hour peak is roughly double that total and, at the time of writing, which is late afternoon across Europe, a total of 7,726 cash game players have descended on the iPoker Network’s virtual felts. A ticker found on Titan Poker notes that over 18,000 active players are battling on the iPoker Network across more than 3,000 tables. PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker are the two most populous online poker sites in the world, respectively; both accept customers from the United States with open arms.

Besides Titan Poker, other sites that call the iPoker Network home include BetFred, Boyle Poker, CD Poker, Chili Poker, Expekt, Mansion Poker, Noble Poker, Poker Plex, Sun Poker, and VC Poker. The iPoker Network is owned and operated by Playtech, a subsidiary of which unsuccessfully submitted a bid to purchase the World Poker Tour (WPT) earlier this month. Instead, the WPT, which is traded on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange in New York City under the symbol “WPTE,” was purchased by a subsidiary of Party Gaming called Peerless Media.

The PartyPoker Monthly Million takes place on the first Sunday of every month and boasts a $640 buy-in. The gala kicks off at 12:45 ET and a full qualifying structure is available with tournaments starting at $1. Like Titan Poker, PartyPoker does not accept players from the United States; it boasts WPT Host Mike Sexton as its ambassador. PartyPoker’s Cash Machine promotion, in which Party Points are matched dollar-for-dollar with site bonuses, kicks off on September 1st.

Run it Twice — Ray Henson Discusses Limit Poker Hand

Ray Henson is a professional cash game player who travels from his home in Houston, Texas to Los Angeles to play at the Commerce Casino, and he sat down with Card Player to discuss a limit hold’em hand he played recently.

Sportingbet, Entraction Partner in Europe

Sportingbet, the parent company of Paradise Poker, has partnered with the Entraction Network to bring online poker into additional areas of Europe. Paradise Poker currently makes its home on Boss Media’s International Poker Network.

In a press release posted on Entraction’s website yesterday, Peter Astrom, its CEO, commented, “We are proud to welcome Sportingbet to our network. The deal shows that Entraction is an attractive partner for the largest players in the online gaming industry.” The press release added that Sportingbet had already launched its first site on the Entraction Network. The specific markets that Sportingbet was targeting were not given.

An Entraction Network representative told eGamingReview Magazine why the partnership is attractive to the burgeoning family of sites: “Sportingbet has high standards and would not have signed up with us if it felt our software wasn’t up to scratch. While we started off with smaller operators, this deal shows we are now starting to recruit bigger and more established operators.” Paradise Poker is one of the staples of the online poker industry and was absorbed by Sportingbet in 2004.

The International Poker Network is the ninth largest worldwide, boasting a seven-day running average of 1,620 real money ring game players according to PokerScout.com. At its peak, more than double that number can be found on its virtual felts. Besides Paradise Poker, other members of Boss Media’s online poker network include CelebPoker, Classic Poker, Fortune Poker, i4Poker, InterPoker, and Poker Heaven.

The Entraction Network is slightly smaller, weighing in at 13th worldwide with a seven-day average of 1,100 cash game players. Its 24 hour peak is 2,241 and its traffic is comparable with that found on 888’s Pacific Poker and the Swedish gambling outfit Svenska Spel. The Entraction Network plays host to customers from sites like Devilfish Poker, NoiQ Poker, and Wasa Poker. Its parent company is based in Sweden; the Entraction Network’s servers call Malta home.

Sportingbet is a publicly traded company on the London Stock Exchange, where it can be found under the symbol “SBT.” At the time of writing, which is late afternoon throughout most of Europe, the company’s stock was up £1.75 on the day to £60.75, representing a jump of nearly 3%. Amid the worldwide financial meltdown late last year, shares of SBT traded as low as £23.25 in October. By December, it had crossed the £30 threshold and leapt over £40 for good in March.

Three weeks ago, Sportingbet divested itself of Sportingbet Italia, selling the entity to local management for what it termed “nominal consideration.” Over the first 11 months of the fiscal year, the Italian arm had turned in an operating loss for Sportingbet of £1.5 million. Sportingbet Italia was procured in 2006 with the expectation that payouts would increase, specific software would be developed for Italian customers, and “in-running betting” would be allowed. None of these changes occurred and, combined with the growth of brick and mortar gambling outfits in Italy, eroded Sportingbet Italia’s profit potential. The company took a loss of £7.1 million in order to rid itself of its failed venture, draining cash on-hand by £1.6 million.

eGamingReview speculated that the partnership between Sportingbet and the Entraction Network is set to expire in February. Neither Entraction nor the International Poker Network accepts players from the United States. The largest network that does not accept U.S. players is the iPoker family of sites, which includes BetFred, Better Poker, Boyle Poker, CD Poker, Chili Poker, Expekt, Mansion Poker, Noble Poker, PokerPlex, Titan Poker, and VC Poker. The iPoker Network is owned and operated by Playtech, which can be found on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol “PTEC.”

PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker Named in Online Poker Warrant Applications

Last week, Judge Laura Swain of the Southern District of New York (SDNY) asked attorneys for the United States Government to explain how the indictment of Account Services’ Douglas Rennick affected information contained in the warrant applications used to seize over $30 million from more than 24,000 online poker players.

As a result of the document filed by the Government last Wednesday, new information was released on the background of Account Services, including the company’s association with PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. Half of the warrant applications used to seize funds from California branches of Wells Fargo and Union Bank were redacted (crossed out) when the documents were unsealed and released last week. However, Judge Swain commented, “The Court finds that certain other previously redacted portions of the materials should now be unsealed.”

In a section of the warrant application entitled, “Account Services’ History of Providing Payment Services for Online Gambling Companies,” the text reads, “Account Services has previously provided payment services for companies providing online gambling services, including Pokerstars and FullTilt Poker, the largest internet poker businesses in operation.” Dana Conte, the FBI Special Agent who swore to the affidavits, noted that the Wells Fargo account was likely used to transfer payments from PokerStars and Full Tilt, both of which accept players from the United States.

The document also profiles Rennick’s involvement with Account Services. The newly-released warrant application reveals, “There are multiple links between the Defendant Account and Douglas Rennick, a Canadian citizen who has previously processed winnings for the internet gambling industry. Rennick is one of the signers of the Defendant Account. Rennick is also associated with Alenis Limited.”

Rennick had indicated that the funds contained in the bank accounts would be used for activities like processing rebate checks and affiliate checks. J.P. Morgan closed the Wells Fargo and Union Bank accounts in December of 2008. Rennick had been associated with KJB Financial Corporation, Account Services, My ATM Online, Alenis Limited, and Check Payment Financial.

International money transfers from Cyprus were used to finance the Account Services operation. Conte noted, “I also learned that in April 2009, the individuals who applied to have the Defendant Accounts opened instructed Union Bank to list ‘Check Payment Financial Co.’ as the entity issuing checks… rather than ‘Account Services Corp.’” The Union Bank warrant application is dated June 24th, nearly two weeks after the seizure of funds took place.

Still redacted is the SDNY’s evidence for identifying PokerStars and Full Tilt. After fingering the two online poker behemoths, the warrant application notes, “There is probable cause to believe that the Wells Fargo Account Services Account was providing payment services for these online gambling companies in 2008 and 2009.” Then, a page of redacted text appears. In the Wells Fargo warrant application, sections entitled “The Defendant Account is Used to Transmit Gambling Payout Checks,” which continues for several pages, is fully redacted.

In July, Account Services filed a motion for return of property, namely $14 million in funds destined for online poker players. A hearing in the Southern District of California is scheduled for this Friday in the matter despite Rennick’s indictment on bank fraud, money laundering, and illegal gambling charges. He faces up to 55 years behind bars and $1.75 million in fines. The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) has filed an amicus brief on behalf of Account Services asserting that poker is a game of skill and therefore not illegal gambling.

PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker are the two largest online poker sites in existence. According to PokerScout.com, which monitors online poker room traffic, PokerStars boasts a seven day running average of 25,000 real money ring game players, with a 24 hour peak of 35,239. Full Tilt owns a seven day running average of 15,400 cash game players, with a 24 hour peak of 22,259. Trailing the duo is the iPoker Network, a non-USA friendly family of sites operated by Playtech.

Durrrr Challenge Promoter Reveals Plans for London Event

The Tom Dwan Million Dollar Challenge will make its live debut in London, England next month in conjunction with the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe festivities, according to its promoter, Matchroom Sport’s Eddie Hearn.

Dwan will square off against four opponents for 500 hands. Each player must buy in for $500,000 and blinds will be $500/$1,000. London cash game pro Sammy George was the first to accept Dwan’s challenge, with three more poker hopefuls waiting in the wings. Hearn sat down with Poker News Daily to discuss the background of the high-stakes live spectacle.

Poker News Daily: Tell us where the idea for the live version of the Million Dollar Challenge came from.

Hearn: I met Tom for the first time during the filming of the PartyPoker Premier League in London. I found him quite fascinating, to be honest, and as a poker fan, I admired his play and watched quite a few of his online sessions. I found it intriguing that someone so young with such a “normal” background was prepared to gamble with such huge stakes.

From a marketing perspective, I could see Tom was becoming a phenomenon. Every post on every forum that featured his name was attracting huge numbers and he was clearly creating headlines throughout the industry. The launch of his online challenge was mind-blowing. Offering 3:1 odds to the greatest players in the world? That’s like Tiger Woods offering Phil Mickelson strokes! I wanted to take advantage of his huge hype and televise the biggest cash game challenge that the world has ever seen.

PND: Why is Dwan a marketer’s dream for these types of high-stakes heads-up challenges?

Hearn: Tom is perhaps the only player in the world that is prepared to play anyone for any stakes. That’s what makes him so special. He is totally fearless. It’s also why he is so fun to watch because he is relentless. He will continuously put pressure on you and grind you down. As a television spectacle, it’s going to be something really special.

PND: What was your reaction when you found out that Sammy George would face off against Dwan in London?

Hearn: I have known Sammy George for a while and he is a good friend of mine. He was the first person I asked when I announced the challenge because this is made for him. Sammy loves the limelight and the buzz, two things that this event features. Sammy is a competent player and has played plenty of hands in high-stakes games. While he is not someone you would list as one of the best players in the world, he has deep pockets, a big heart, and plenty of balls. He won’t be scared of Tom. Instead, he’ll look him in the eye during every hand and test his metal at every opportunity.

PND: Four players are scheduled to face off against the youngster as part of the Tom Dwan Million Dollar Challenge. When will you announce the other competitors?

Hearn: There have been many players who have come out recently stating they would like to play Tom. It’s a different story when we ask to see their money. We have laid out the challenge to a number of players, including the world’s very best, and we will announce the other participants in the coming weeks. I guess it’s different than an online challenge in that there are no hiding places and buttons to sit out. It’s just you and the most fearless cash game player of all-time battling it out under television cameras for $1 million.

PND: As you said before, Dwan offered his online challengers 3:1 odds on a $500,000 bet. Will any odds be given in London?

Hearn: There will be no odds. It’s a simple heads-up cash game with a $500,000 buy-in. The edge is in the sample size. Online, his challenge is over such a huge sample that he feels his skills will overcome his opponent. Over 500 hands, it gives his opponent a much better chance, but it’s heads-up; sometimes there is no escaping getting it all-in on a coin flip.

PND: Where and when will the four heads-up poker matches take place?

Hearn: The games will take place in London during the WSOP Europe. They will either be just before the Main Event or during its final table (providing Tom and his opponents don’t make it). With all due respect to the WSOP Europe, it’s been a real disappointment in terms of organization, exposure, production, and television distribution over the last few years. The Durrrr Million Dollar Challenge carries significantly more hype than the WSOP Europe ever could.

PND: Besides Sammy George, what other players would be good fits to play against Dwan in London and why?

Hearn: They say in boxing that styles make fights and it’s the same thing when selecting the opponents for this match. That’s why Sammy is such a great pick because it’s like matching two big punchers with plenty of heart. I want Dwan to play against the best and so does he. Tom has left it completely in my hands and when I asked him if there was anyone he didn’t want to play, the answer was simple: “No.” Everyone is crying out for a match between Dwan and Luke “__FullFlush1__” Schwartz. Tom would love to play him for sure. I think the challenge may come a little early for Luke, but I know he is trying to get his bankroll together to make it happen.

PND: Tell us about Matchroom Sport and its promotion of the event.

Hearn: Matchroom Sport is the world’s leading producer and distributor of televised poker. We produce over 100 hours of fresh content every year with events like the PartyPoker Premier League, PartyPoker Poker Den, The Big Game, The World and European Opens, and the Full Tilt Poker Million. Away from poker, we are market leaders in sporting content, producing darts, boxing, pool, golf, snooker, fishing, and bowling events throughout the world.

Sammy George to Play Tom Dwan in London Durrrr Challenge

Sammy “Any Two” George will square off against online poker sensation Tom “durrrr” Dwan in the Million Dollar Challenge that will take place in London next month. George is the first player to take Dwan up on his unique proposition bet. Three more will be announced.

A total of 500 hands will be played between George and Dwan heads-up. The buy-in is a scant $500,000 and blinds will be set at $500/$1,000. According to Matchroom Sport, which is promoting and organizing the festivities, “No player can leave the contest until either the 500 hands are up or the player has bust.” Dwan is currently battling against Full Tilt Poker pro Patrik Antonius in the online version of the Million Dollar Challenge. However, there has been no action in the high-stakes contest since June, leaving many to wonder if the Durrrr Challenge will see an ending.

George hails from London and told Matchroom Sport, “I’m buzzing – what could be sweeter than playing in the world’s biggest heads-up match against Durrrr? I’m stepping up to the plate and putting my money where my mouth is and it will be an honor to represent my country against the best the U.S. has to offer.” George has appeared on “Poker Million,” finishing sixth in its semi-final last December for $20,000 after battling against a talented table that included David “Devilfish” Ulliott, Marty Smyth, Roy Brindley, and Tony G. George finished 21st in the 2009 World Poker Tour (WPT) Bellagio Cup for $23,000. Alexandre Gomes, a member of Team PokerStars Pro and one of the finest Brazilian poker players in the world, won the $15,000 buy-in tournament.

The Durrrr Challenge between Dwan and Antonius kicked off in February on the virtual felts of Full Tilt Poker. The duo has logged 20,647 hands of $200/$400 Pot Limit Omaha and need 50,000 to finish. When the requisite number of hands has been completed, if Dwan is ahead by at least $1, Antonius must pay up $500,000. If Antonius is up by at least $1, Dwan will shell out $1.5 million. In addition, bragging rights for years to come are on the line, as are the spoils of the 50,000 hands. However, mid-June marked the last action in the Million Dollar Challenge, leaving many to doubt its future.

In July, Dwan announced that a live version of the Million Dollar Challenge would be held in London this September. Four players will take him on in the European city in what will surely be one of the most unique live poker promotions ever held. In George, Dwan will battle against a top-tier cash game player who regularly hits the felts in high-stakes games venues around London. No date or location for the spectacle has been announced.

On September 18th, the WSOP Europe tournament series will kick off at the Casino at the Empire in London. The £10,000 buy-in Main Event begins on September 26th. It’s a five day tournament that will feature two starting days. In 2007, Team Betfair pro Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad brought home the gold in London, while John Juanda claimed victory last year.

Antonius was one of 500 players shut out of the $10,000 buy-in WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas after Day 1D sold out in July. Also left out in the cold were five-time bracelet winner Ted Forrest, Poker Hall of Fame member T.J. Cloutier, and “Captain” Tom Franklin, the Chairman of the World Poker Association.

Three more challengers are waiting in the wings for Dwan in London. We’ll have breaking news on the Tom Dwan Million Dollar Challenge as it becomes available right here on Poker News Daily.

Sammy George to Play Tom Dwan in London Durrrr Challenge

Sammy “Any Two” George will square off against online poker sensation Tom “durrrr” Dwan in the Million Dollar Challenge that will take place in London next month. George is the first player to take Dwan up on his unique proposition bet. Three more will be announced.

A total of 500 hands will be played between George and Dwan heads-up. The buy-in is a scant $500,000 and blinds will be set at $500/$1,000. According to Matchroom Sport, which is promoting and organizing the festivities, “No player can leave the contest until either the 500 hands are up or the player has bust.” Dwan is currently battling against Full Tilt Poker pro Patrik Antonius in the online version of the Million Dollar Challenge. However, there has been no action in the high-stakes contest since June, leaving many to wonder if the Durrrr Challenge will see an ending.

George hails from London and told Matchroom Sport, “I’m buzzing – what could be sweeter than playing in the world’s biggest heads-up match against Durrrr? I’m stepping up to the plate and putting my money where my mouth is and it will be an honor to represent my country against the best the U.S. has to offer.” George has appeared on “Poker Million,” finishing sixth in its semi-final last December for $20,000 after battling against a talented table that included David “Devilfish” Ulliott, Marty Smyth, Roy Brindley, and Tony G. George finished 21st in the 2009 World Poker Tour (WPT) Bellagio Cup for $23,000. Alexandre Gomes, a member of Team PokerStars Pro and one of the finest Brazilian poker players in the world, won the $15,000 buy-in tournament.

The Durrrr Challenge between Dwan and Antonius kicked off in February on the virtual felts of Full Tilt Poker. The duo has logged 20,647 hands of $200/$400 Pot Limit Omaha and need 50,000 to finish. When the requisite number of hands has been completed, if Dwan is ahead by at least $1, Antonius must pay up $500,000. If Antonius is up by at least $1, Dwan will shell out $1.5 million. In addition, bragging rights for years to come are on the line, as are the spoils of the 50,000 hands. However, mid-June marked the last action in the Million Dollar Challenge, leaving many to doubt its future.

In July, Dwan announced that a live version of the Million Dollar Challenge would be held in London this September. Four players will take him on in the European city in what will surely be one of the most unique live poker promotions ever held. In George, Dwan will battle against a top-tier cash game player who regularly hits the felts in high-stakes games venues around London. No date or location for the spectacle has been announced.

On September 18th, the WSOP Europe tournament series will kick off at the Casino at the Empire in London. The £10,000 buy-in Main Event begins on September 26th. It’s a five day tournament that will feature two starting days. In 2007, Team Betfair pro Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad brought home the gold in London, while John Juanda claimed victory last year.

Antonius was one of 500 players shut out of the $10,000 buy-in WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas after Day 1D sold out in July. Also left out in the cold were five-time bracelet winner Ted Forrest, Poker Hall of Fame member T.J. Cloutier, and “Captain” Tom Franklin, the Chairman of the World Poker Association.

Three more challengers are waiting in the wings for Dwan in London. We’ll have breaking news on the Tom Dwan Million Dollar Challenge as it becomes available right here on Poker News Daily.

Lock Poker Signs Nine Players, Promotes Eric Lynch to VP

Officials at the Cake Poker Network room Lock Poker have made a splash in the last week, signing nine of the game’s top players. In addition, Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Eric Lynch (Rizen) has become the site’s Vice President of Product Development.

Among the new additions to Lock Poker is World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Jason Young, who earned his coveted piece of hardware by taking down the $1,500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em Shootout last year. Joining him will be Mike “goleafsgoeh” Leah, who sits at #6 on CardPlayer’s 2009 Player of the Year standings. Last month, Leah won a $1,000 buy-in tournament held during the Venetian Deep Stack Extravaganza for $119,000. In March, Leah won the challenging $100 rebuy on Full Tilt Poker for $42,000.

Matt “All In At 420” Stout joins the roster of Lock Poker. Stout is one of the world’s top online poker players and won the PokerStars Sunday 500 in December for $105,000. Stout owns a WSOP Circuit Event gold ring, having taken down a $500 buy-in tournament held at Caesars Atlantic City in early 2008 for $59,000. Joseph “JOEYTHEB” Brooks and Kyle “kwob20” Bowker will also sign with Lock Poker. In 2006, Bowker became the first player ever to win two PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) titles in the same year. Incidentally, neither win came in a Hold’em tournament; Bowker won a $530 buy-in Seven Card Stud High-Low event and a $530 buy-in Omaha High-Low contest.

Also making their way to the popular online poker site are Lee Childs and Jonathan Jaffe. The latter finished as the runner-up in the 2008 World Poker Finals, a stop on the World Poker Tour (WPT), for $670,000 in an event won by Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little. Childs took seventh in the 2007 WSOP Main Event. Over the weekend, Poker News Daily learned that David Zeitlin and Vinny Pahuja will sign with Lock Poker. Pahuja finished 10th in the 2008 CardPlayer Player of the Year race.

On becoming Lock Poker’s Vice President of Product Development, Lynch told Poker News Daily, “It was something we had been talking about for a long time. We had been talking about it from the beginning and I’m excited that it’s a reality.” For Lynch, the sense of responsibility harkens back to his profession prior to becoming a full-time poker player. He explained, “I had an opportunity to do some similar things back before I was a poker player in the corporate IT world, but never with something that I was this passionate about.”

Lynch is looking forward to working with the star-studded group of players that includes WSOP bracelet and ring winners, Sunday Major champions, and some of the top minds the game has to offer. He remarked, “They’re all amazing players with different strengths and talents, ranging from bracelet winners to younger guys with a bright future. It’s going to be a great mix of skills and personalities to utilize moving forward.” Lynch added that Lock Poker officials are dedicated to tailoring the room to its players.

No specific promotions were announced to coincide with the signings. However, Lynch forecasted, “We’re trying to do some things that are truly unique in the poker industry with our promotions.” The Cake Poker Network is the 10th largest worldwide in terms of real money ring game traffic, according to PokerScout.com. It boasts a seven-day running average of 1,500 cash game players and a 24-hour peak of 2,230. On the Network, players from Lock Poker battle against customers from sites like Cake Poker, DoylesRoom, Players Only, and Poker Host.

Negreanu picks his favorite of Hall of Fame nominees

Negreanu criticises the criteria of Hall of Fame, even though it has been always the same. He thinks some aspect of the criteria are not as important as they used to be. He remembers that when he started playing poker, you could never get inducted to the Hall of Fame by  playing tournaments.

The criteria is as follows:

(1) Must have played against top competition.
(2) Played for high stakes.
(3) Played consistently well, gaining respect of their peers.
(4) Stood the test of time.
(5) Contributed to the overall growth and success of poker with positive and lasting results.

The last part of the criteria is the hardest one to accomplish. Negreanu names one cash game player, Ralph Perry, for an example. He has played against the best in high stakes for a long time and people respect his skills, but being a cash game player, he has not contributed much to the growth and success of poker.

However, Mike Sexton has contributed a great deal to the overall growth and success of poker. Most people know Sexton for his role as the WPT commentator, but Sexton has done a lot before the poker boom, most notably being the mastermind behind the Tournament of Champions”.

Negreanu don’t like the idea that the public gets to nominate the players. He thinks it becomes too much of a popularity contest.

Tom Dwan is one player whose nomination Negreanu don’t really understand. Daniel thinks that Dwan is a great player, but still he is only 22 years old. It is not yet proved that Dwan can stand the test of time. Negreanu remembers himself being a great 22 years old player, then a tilted 24 years old player after bouncing back. No-one knows what will happen to Dwan.

Negreanu is flattered about his nomination, but he thinks that he should be not be voted in. He do think that he’ll get voted in eventually, but now is the time for Mike Sexton to get voted in the Poker Hall of Fame.

Source: Negreanu Blog

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Negreanu picks his favorite of Hall of Fame nominees

Richard Ashby Up Over $1m in July.

Richard Ashby has had, like all high-stakes cash game players, ups and downs. He can write off July as a massive “up” however, as he won over $1,000,000 in the past month playing anywhere from $25/$50 NLHE to $300/$600/$100a PLO tables.

Joe Cada Interview with Poker News Daily

Poker News Daily: After being the victim of a one-outer against Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, it has to feel good to be a member of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) November Nine. Tell us about your emotions a few weeks after the fact.

Cada: I’m still really excited. It’s definitely hit me now that I’m back in Michigan since everyone is talking about it. It’s kind of weird and I’m not used to it.

PND: What are people asking you?

Cada: They tell me congratulations, ask me how it was, and ask me if it was hard. Those are basically your standard questions.

PND: Would you have rather returned to the Rio to play down to a winner or are you comfortable waiting until November?

Cada: I’m cool waiting. I’ve had enough poker for a while. If you’re chip leader, there’s more hype, but if you have fewer chips, it’s no big deal.

PND: You’re fifth in chips entering the final table. Are you planning to pursue any coaching or adjust your game in any way?

Cada: I’m not pursuing any coaching. I’m trying to continue to play and improve. I guess you can play sit and gos online, but the structure will be shorter. I’m playing more live tournaments like the WSOP Europe, European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona, and the World Poker Tour (WPT) Legends of Poker in Los Angeles.

PND: We spotted you donning Ultimate Bet gear. Are there any sponsorship plans for the final table that you can share?

Cada: I haven’t negotiated deals with any sites yet. The deal with Ultimate Bet was a one-day agreement. It was something that was there to make some money on the side.

PND: Would becoming the youngest WSOP Main Event winner ever mean something to you?

Cada: The bracelet is what I want, especially the Main Event bracelet. It may be my only shot to get one. Winning the bracelet would be the bigger accomplishment, but being the youngest Main Event champion ever would mean something too.

PND: How did you get started in poker?

Cada: During the poker boom with Moneymaker. I had friends who played professionally at the time. I was always into cards and competition. Poker was fun and I went to friends for advice like Dean Hamrick, Tony Gargano, and a few people from school that were better than I was.

PND: You’re primarily a cash game player. Can you tell us what stakes you normally play?

Cada: I typically play $10/$20 heads-up. Since I made the November Nine, I haven’t jumped in stakes because I don’t feel like I’m ready.

PND: Because you play so many heads-up games online, will that give you an edge at the final table?

Cada: I feel that the more short-handed it gets, the bigger edge I’ll have unless it’s against Ivey, who has a great edge short-handed. However, over the majority of the field, I have an advantage.

PND: Is it daunting to be up against a final nine in the Main Event that includes poker pros Phil Ivey and Jeff Shulman?

Cada: I wouldn’t say so. I play against good players all the time. They are great players, of course, but it’s just like playing against other great players.

PND: Is playing heads-up a good way to build your bankroll?

Cada: If you’re a good heads-up player, that’s where the most money is to be made. You have to control your emotions and you don’t get any hands off. When you lose a few buy-ins and let it get to you, you’re sunk. It’s definitely mentally draining over nine-handed or six-handed games. I go back and forth, but I mostly play heads-up in shorter sessions.

PND: Talk about the rail that turned out to support you for the final day of the WSOP Main Event.

Cada: I really didn’t have a big rail, but my friends were loud. Tony was there to root me on and he had 1% of me.

PND: You finished second in the $150 rebuy on Full Tilt Poker just a few days removed from making the November Nine. Are you playing with more confidence now?

Cada: It’s definitely a lot easier to play now. Nothing affects me. After the recent score, I can’t complain about anything. If I take a bad beat, oh well. I just ran well in the Main Event.

Fredrik Paulsson Interview with Poker News Daily

Fredrik Paulsson is a well known Swedish cash game professional who makes his online home at Party Poker. His blog, http://fredrikpaulsson.blogspot.com/ has received worldwide followship from fellow cash game players and his insights into tilt control and 6-handed game theory have catapulted him into the mid-stakes where he is one of the top steady winners over the last year. Poker News Daily caught up with Fredrik at the World Series of Poker’s Main Event in Las Vegas where he was making his WSOP debut and gave unique insight into a European cash game player’s perspectives on Las Vegas, meeting big name pros and how to mentally handle playing in the Main Event.

PND: Can you give a brief introduction of your poker history and your current poker stakes/game?

FP: Basically I’m an online cash game player, and I started playing in the fall of 2005. I had dabbled a little at Paradise Poker around 1999 but stopped. I had completely missed the “poker boom”; my return to online poker had nothing to do with Chris Moneymaker or anything like that, but it was simply a matter of me being sick and bored in a hotel room in Mexico. So I spent some time playing online poker, and got hooked.

PND: How did you satellite into the World Series of Poker Main Event?

FP: A website I frequent, CardsChat, had set up a deal with Party Poker to run a $5 tournament where the first prize was a $12,000 Main Event package. So for $5, I had a share of about $13,000 (2nd and 3rd place paid as well) which also had an overlay, which was the main reason I entered to begin with. I don’t like to play tournaments, and I don’t particularly like to play live, but it was an investment like that I just couldn’t pass up on.

PND: As a European making his first trip to Las Vegas, what were your first impressions of the city and many casinos (and more specifically poker rooms)?

FP: Very first impression? “Wow, they sure like to place slot machines everywhere.” Lori – my wife – called the strip “one big amusement park” which I think is spot-on. My impression of the poker rooms is… Well, I don’t know. I can’t say that I really formed an “impression.” Play is obviously softer than it is online (online, I’d be happy to find a table with one guy doing stuff like limping J5o; live I more often than not found that half the table would be doing stuff like that), and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that drinks were free, but other than that I’m not sure what to say about it.

PND: How did you mentally prepare yourself for the Main Event?

FP: In a couple of different ways, addressing a couple of different factors:

1. I reminded myself that unless I draw a very tough table, I’m likely to be among the better players at my table on the first day. I reminded myself not to be intimidated by live players just because they can do chip tricks (and I can’t) or because they’re physically bigger or tougher-looking than I am. I reminded myself that their need to look tough (sun glasses, hood, tough-guy stare, “bling”) is their way of compensating for lack of actual poker skill.

2. I thought about how it wouldn’t matter if I didn’t do well in the tournament. It was, essentially, a freeroll and the worst case scenario would still be a big win for me – it’s maybe a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

3. That said, I was still there to maximize my chances of winning. Trying to “stay in the tournament” was not my goal, it was to make as much money as possible. I thought about playing aggressive and not being afraid to take the necessary risks when the opportunities presented themselves.

PND: Did you do anything online like play in big field tournaments to prepare your game for the Main Event?

FP: You know, I thought about doing that, but no – I didn’t. I did, however, hire Matt Matros (a StoxPoker coach and seasoned tournament player who’s done well for himself) to guide my thinking in the right direction when it came to tournament poker, as I’m almost exclusively a cash game player. It was a very interesting hour of tips and tricks and I think anyone who’s willing to pay $10,000 to play in a tournament would do themselves a favor and pay another couple of hundred dollars for coaching before they go. I was very happy with the coaching itself; too bad it didn’t work out this time, but such is the nature of tournaments.

PND: You got caught up in the entire Day 1D registration mess. Can you talk about what caused that debacle in your circumstance as well as how it was resolved by eventually getting you a seat?

FP: I honestly don’t know the exact details, but to the best of my understanding, what happened was that Party Poker had a verbal agreement with Harrah’s staff about their players registering each morning. On day 1d, as you know, all seats were sold out, which meant that we – there were 16 of us playing from Party Poker that day – were essentially shut out. However, they did arrange for us to get seats as 16 other players had been eliminated. This is the strongest indication that the screw-up was on Harrah’s side and not Party Poker’s, since 300-or-so other players were NOT allowed late entry and I don’t see why Party would have received special treatment in this.

So I got to start late, after the first break, with a full starting stack. I’m not happy about missing the first level of play – especially since that’s when play was 300 blinds deep, which is good for a cash game specialist – but there wasn’t much I could do about it.

PND: When you sat down to start playing the Main Event, you ended up sitting at a table with then chip leader Josh Arieh. Also at your table were several known poker pros that regularly play $5-$10 and $10-$20; can you speak to that experience?

FP: I think it bears mentioning that I didn’t know who Josh Arieh was. No disrespect to Mr. Arieh, of course, it’s just that I don’t follow poker on TV and unless you’re a known pro whose blog I like to read (and there aren’t even many of those) or a former Main Event winner or an author of a poker book I happen to own, the chances of me recognizing you are pretty slim. That said, I figured from various interactions – and his Full Tilt attire – that he may be a “noteworthy pro” and after I was done playing for the day I googled “full tilt pro josh” (he had referred to himself as Josh at some point), found pictures of Josh Arieh, learned that he had won two bracelets and that was that. He seemed like a nice guy.

Some other guys at the table mentioned in passing that they played mid-to-high stakes online, and after some awkward moments of trying to decipher online nicknames/IDs into something pronounceable it turned out that some of them had played each other. Like I mentioned above, I felt good about my chances of being one of the better players at the table, but unfortunately, this table was not one of them. I wasn’t the worst at the table, but my edge on any of these guys was probably small to negative. Anyway, after finding out who some of the other players were, the dynamics of the table shifted radically. Especially one guy, seated immediately on my left, overadjusted and managed to outlevel – thinking that I-know-that-you-know-that-I-know-that-you-know one time too many – himself in at least two spots with thin value bets that then were “forced” to call a raise because he-knew-that-they-knew, etc. It was funny.

PND: Sorry to bring up an old wound, but can you talk about how you busted and the hands that led up to it?

FP: The hands that led to it were essentially every hand I was dealt in the entire tournament. I wasn’t exactly card dead, but I got the good cards at the wrong times. Most of the Main Event was for me an exercise in slowly bleeding chips. I won only a single pot in the first level I played, and that pot was small. And when I had a strong enough hand to open, Josh Arieh had a knack for 3-betting me. Of course, he 3-bet everyone almost all the time (I’m not saying he went after me specifically), but the times he did it to me I just happened to have the weakest part of my range and had to fold. There was a lot of that.

Finally, coming back from the last break into the last level, I believe the blinds were $200/$400 with $50 antes and my stack had dwindled down to about $9,000, and so I was in push/fold mode. Double up or go home. I guess some people might play conservatively at that point because I was so close to reaching day 2, but… What was the point of me starting day 2 with a tiny stack? No, as I had told myself before even going to Las Vegas, I was there to play the best poker I could and that included being aggressive with a major risk of being eliminated when the circumstances dictated it. And here they clearly did.

I got a little unlucky early on in the last level, being dealt aces and squeezing a raiser and a caller with my shove but unfortunately no one looked me up. I was then dealt AK a little bit later and shoved over another guy’s open-raise, but he folded, too. With hands like that, I’m not looking for the fold equity, I’m looking for the double up, so I was a bit unhappy about the folds. I did get the call a little while later, though, when it was folded to me in the cut-off and I shoved with 99, and the button called with AA. His hand held up, I said good night to the table and went back to the hotel. Very undramatic.

PND: For Europeans making the trek all the way to Las Vegas to play in the World Series, do you have any specific insight to share with them to make the trip and experience of the Main Event a successful one?

FP: Arrive in Vegas early and deal with the jetlag. Despite landing four days prior to playing, I was still pretty sleepy when I reached the end of day 1. If you plan on touching down the day before playing, make sure to adjust your time zones before you leave for Vegas (i.e. stay up late). Bring plenty of money because when you’re eating in restaurants on The Strip, you’ll pay for the pleasure. Oh, and breakfast’s not included in the hotel rate, which you should probably be aware of (I wasn’t). Also, don’t bring a 3-month old baby if you can avoid it (I couldn’t), because you’ll find that there are preciously few things you can do with a kid that old in Las Vegas.

PND: While at the Rio or during your stay in Las Vegas did you run into any poker celebrities (be it online or “live”) and if so, who did you meet and how did it go?

FP: Depends on what you mean by “run into.” I spotted several big-name pros around the Rio, but I didn’t bother talking to any of them or even taking their pictures. I’m not all that impressed by fame, really. I did get to shake the hands of Dr. Pauly and Short-Stacked Shamus, however, two poker bloggers I respect a great deal and that was cool; they were both surprisingly nice to me given that they were there trying to work and probably had better things to do than deal with people like myself. And of course, I sat at the table with Josh Arieh (who, as mentioned above, I wouldn’t have been able to name before or even during my play in the WSOP), and Mike Sexton was the Party Poker representative so I guess I met him, too. He was cordial enough.

PND: What are the chances that you’ll head back out to play in the Main Event again in the foreseeable future?

FP: Close to zero. The chance that I’ll manage to satellite myself into another tournament ticket is pretty small to begin with and I won’t even try unless I can find another big-overlay tournament like the one I won this year, and I’m definitely not going to pony up the entry fee myself. It was great meeting a lot of people, and it was interesting to see Las Vegas, but I’m not itching to go back. Like I said, I stayed for much longer than I really wanted to (I think 5 days would have been plenty) and right now, with less than a week distancing myself from Vegas, I’m not enthusiastic about going back. Maybe that’ll change. But if I do go back, my visit will be shorter and I’ll try my best to either not bring the family or find a baby sitter for the baby for the time we’ll go there. Since the latter is unlikely and my wife is currently in a state of “over my dead body” when it comes to the idea of flying anywhere (let alone Las Vegas,) and I’m not sure I’d want to go alone, I think the earliest I’ll be back is 2011. And even that’s unlikely.

PartyPoker Launches Genius Promotion

Starting today, Party Poker is squaring the pot of every 50,000th hand played on its virtual felts. Also as part of the Genius promotion, which runs for 10 million hands, every millionth hand will receive a massive boost.

The Genius promotion kicks off at 12:00 ET on Monday and will run for a total of 10 million hands on the world’s fourth largest online poker site. Every 50,000th pot will see its value squared, a calculation many players have not made since high school algebra. The minimum pot in a jackpot hand is $100, while the maximum payout is $5,000. For example, if a 50,000th hand milestone were to occur at a table with a pot of $5, the jackpot would actually pay out $100, not $25, under the Genius promotion. Likewise, if it occurred at a table with a pot of $50, the pot would be boosted to $2,500 (or $50 squared).

Every player involved in a Genius hand will divide the extra payout equally, while the pot’s winner will scoop the original total. The maximum payout in any single hand is $5,000, which equates to about a $71 pot. Winning hands will be shown online on PartyPoker’s website, although its Flash replayer is not compatible with the popular Firefox web browser. All cash game tables with $0.10-$0.25 blinds and higher are eligible and include Limit ($0.25-$0.50 minimum), No Limit, and Pot Limit Hold’em along with Pot Limit Omaha and Seven Card Stud.

Also as part of the Genius promotion on PartyPoker, every millionth hand will feature at least a $10,000 prize pool. The ten-millionth hand, which will mark the end to The Genius, comes with at least a $100,000 purse. These sizable bankroll boosts do not apply to heads-up cash game tables on PartyPoker. Players dealt to in a hand will share in its bonus prize and uncalled bets are not counted in the pot’s value. A tracker of the number of Genius pots won and their combined payout is available on PartyPoker’s website.

Finding a cash game to suit a player’s bankroll and interests is simple on PartyPoker, the second largest in the world behind the iPoker Network that does not accept customers from the United States. According to PokerScout.com, which tracks online poker room traffic, the site boasts a seven-day running average of 4,800 real money ring game players. At its peak, 8,000 cash game players can be found on PartyPoker, which recently re-signed World Poker Tour (WPT) Host Mike Sexton to serve as its ambassador and card room consultant. The online poker site has fiercely lobbied for Sexton to join the Poker Hall of Fame. Public voting for the 2009 class ended on July 2nd and the top 10 nominees will be unveiled on Thursday, July 9th.

On the first Sunday of every month, PartyPoker hosts its Monthly Million, a $640 buy-in tournament with at least $1 million up for grabs. It features a Championship blind structure and qualifiers begin at a scant $1. Daily country-specific freerolls and points qualifiers are also available in addition to cash satellites. Players start with a stack of 20,000 chips and blind levels tick off every 20 minutes. The price of poker begins at 25-50 and antes come into play beginning with Level 6, when blinds are 250-500. The high-stakes event typically pays out around $200,000 to its winner and $130,000 to its runner up.

The online poker site is also in the midst of qualifying members for the Asian Poker Tour’s (APT) Macau event, which takes place from August 12th through 23rd. PartyPoker holds weekly $750 buy-in satellites on Sundays that award one $7,000 Macau prize package for every 10 entrants. It includes the $4,300 APT Macau Main Event buy-in, seven nights’ hotel accommodation at the Rio (not to be confused with the home of the 2009 World Series of Poker), and $1,600 in spending money.

The Hunt for the Next World Champion Starts Today!

The World Series of Poker in 2009 will be remembered as the year of multi-bracelet winners, Jeffrey Lisandro leading the way with three bracelets on his name. Three other players also managed to win twice, Phil Ivey, Brock Parker and Greg “FBT” Mueller.

Other notable winners this year include Vitaly Lunkin, who won the special tournament that celebrated the 40th anniversary of World Series of Poker. Lunkin also made it to the $50k HORSE final and he leads the earnings list before the Main Event with $2,696,305.

David Bach conquered the coveted HORSE crown and won his first bracelet. Matt Hawrilenko, who is widely considered as the best Fixed Hold’Em cash game player in the world, showed that he can do the tournaments as well, as he also won his first bracelet in a $5k six-handed NL Hold’Em tournament.

For sure the Main Event winner will be the money list winner this year again. The largest and the longest poker tournament of the year will last over three months and the new world champion will be crowned in November on the same fashion like last year.

First day of the tournament is divided in four parts and second day is also split in two. Not until 10th of July every remaining player will be playing at the same time. The final table, or should I say the new November Nine, will should be figured out after eight long days of tournament poker action.

The final event will start on 7th of November and the successor for Peter Eastgate should be found on 10th of November.

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The Hunt for the Next World Champion Starts Today!

Run It Twice — TV Edition — Peter Eastgate

Primarily a cash game player before winning the 2008 World Series of Poker, Peter Eastgate stepped it up to the highest-staked cash games offered with his newly padded bankroll. He was recently featured on the latest season of High Stakes Poker on GSN. Eastgate talked to Card