Poker News

PartyGaming Co-Founder Anurag Dikshit Severs Ties With Stock Sale

Ending a relationship that dates back to the beginning of the online poker industry, Party Gaming co-founder Anurag Dikshit has divested himself of any ownership in the company with the sale of his remaining stock on Tuesday.

According to the London Stock Exchange and the British newspaper The Telegraph, Dikshit owned slightly more than 38.8 million shares of Party Gaming PLC, which is traded in London under the symbol PRTY. Because of his ownership of the stock, Dikshit held voting rights that would have continued to hold a significant influence on the company’s track. With the sale, however, Dikshit has fully divested himself of any connection with the company he helped start back in the late 1990s.

The 38.8 million shares of Party Gaming stock held by Dikshit amount to £114 million and helped to drive the price of Party Gaming PLC up during trading on Tuesday and Wednesday. Opening at 277.10p at the start of trading Wednesday, Party Gaming PLC trended up 14.2p over the course of the day, finishing at 292p.

It is estimated that Dikshit has cashed out stock in the company that eclipses £700m in value. Through his involvement with Party Gaming, Dikshit has also become one of India’s wealthiest citizens. With the sale of his remaining ownership in the company complete, Dikshit is expected to return to the many philanthropic trusts that he oversees, including those that fund medical and educational interests in India.

Since the creation of Party Gaming in the late 1990s, Dikshit had been a formative figure in the company. Along with husband and wife Russ DeLeon and Ruth Parasol as well as Vikrant Bhargava, Dikshit – who was the creator of the Party Gaming software that the company uses – drove the company to reach the pinnacle of the online poker industry with PartyPoker. By 2005, when the foursome took Party Gaming public on the London Stock Exchange, PartyPoker had even become a force in the live poker world with a sponsorship deal at the World Series of Poker (WSOP).

2006 proved to be a pivotal point for the company, however. With the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) by the American government, Party Gaming was forced to prohibit American players from participating on PartyPoker (as a publicly traded entity, it could not violate the laws of another country and remain on the LSE). Since that time, Party Gaming has been passed in the online poker industry by two rooms that still accept American players, PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, and battles for the third spot consistently with another non-U.S. facing entity, the iPoker Network.

Dikshit has been the only founder of Party Gaming to ever face American authorities as far as their gaming actions are concerned. After the passage of the UIGEA, The Telegraph reports that Dikshit was “increasingly worried about the ramifications of the company’s operations being declared illegal in America” and stepped down as the director of Party Gaming. This led to his admission of guilt in December 2008 in a U. S. court to violating laws regarding online gaming. Still facing the possibility of two years in jail for his guilty plea, Dikshit has paid $300 million in fines and, according to Justice Department officials, has been assisting them in their ongoing investigations. Whether Dikshit will face any jail time when the case is reviewed in December 2010 is still unknown.

The sale of Dikshit’s remaining stake in PartyGaming comes at a time when the company is looking at several merger options, according to The Telegraph. The outlet states that PartyGaming is “continuing to hold discussions with a number of companies in the gaming sector regarding potential consolidation opportunities” and speculates that industry competitor bwin is a possible merger partner.

CNBC Illegal Gambling Feature to Air on Wednesday

On Wednesday night at 9:00pm ET, CNBC will air a one-hour exposé entitled, “The Big Business of Illegal Gambling.” The report from CNBC’s Melissa Francis will put the multi-billion dollar industry into focus and include a segment on internet gambling.

Wednesday’s show marks one of the most high-profile television programs about internet gambling since “60 Minutes” aired a feature on the cheating scandals at the online poker rooms Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker one year ago. According to a preview found on CNBC’s website, the show will “take viewers inside this high-stakes business that brings some people immense wealth, while others pay the ultimate price.” Francis is co-anchor of the CNBC show “The Call,” which airs for one hour beginning at 11:00am ET during the week.

The CNBC description begins, “The one-hour program delivers an in-depth look at just how mainstream illegal gambling has become.” Francis will speak with a bevy of industry representatives, including a bookmaker simply named “Paul” and a professional gambler named "Vegas Runner." Among those CNBC will speak to with a first and last name is Nick Sarillo, whom the show describes as “a restaurant owner who freelances as a bookie [and] crosses the Mob and pays a heavy price.” These three will likely be offline gamblers.

Then, Francis and company will explore the world of internet gambling. The preview of the CNBC special explains, “Technology has made illegal gambling much more accessible and the same computer used for work or to connect with family and friends can also be used to wager outside the law.” Among those to be interviewed is Jay Cohen, the co-founder of the World Sports Exchange who was found guilty of violating the Wire Act of 1961. He was sentenced to 21 months in jail and fined $5,000; World Sports Exchange boasted revenues of $200 million and he was freed in 2004.

Also featured is Scott Damiani, the Executive Director of the Outreach Foundation. The show’s website explains, “Illegal gambling costs Scott Damiani is home, business family... and almost cost him his life. After hitting rock bottom, he picked his life back up and now devotes his time to helping other gambling addicts as the Executive Director of the Outreach Foundation.”

Poker News Daily has also learned that Tokwiro Chief Operating Officer Paul Leggett filmed an interview for the CNBC program. The two Tokwiro-owned online poker rooms, Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker, were at the heart of a ten-minute feature by the CBS news program “60 Minutes” over Thanksgiving weekend in 2008. The report questioned why no one had been prosecuted in the case and ended with segment reporter Steve Kroft calling Russ Hamilton’s home in Las Vegas. Hamilton, who won the 1994 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, was fingered as the main man responsible in the Ultimate Bet cheating scandal. To date, no one has been convicted.

Finally, Francis will dive into a high-spirited internet gambling debate featuring Congressmen Jim McDermott (D-WA) and Bob Goodlatte (R-VA). Online poker players can thank the latter for helping to bring the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) to life back in 2006. McDermott, meanwhile, has authored legislation seeking to extract 2% of deposits from licensed internet gambling companies in the United States under legislation proposed by Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA). Curiously, Frank’s name does not appear on the preview for the CNBC program despite being legalized internet gambling’s number one proponent on Capitol Hill. Also absent is the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the industry’s main lobbying group.

Poker News Daily will have a recap of the show after it airs on Wednesday night. Video clips, slideshows, and even an illegal gambling quiz can be found on CNBC’s website.

CardRunners Offers a Chance to Win a Piece of Taylor Caby

Those looking for a good sweat or just looking for a little extra cash before the holidays may want to investigate a new promotion from the online poker training site CardRunners. The site recently launched a promotion in tandem with TrulyFreePokerTraining.com in which one lucky person has a chance to win as much as $5,000 courtesy of CardRunners co-founder and instructor Taylor “Green Plastic” Caby.

The promotion, called Piece of Taylor, offers the chance to win a 1% stake in Caby when he participates in the final table of the televised invitational tournament, the Full Tilt Poker Million. Caby is one of the six players in the 72-person field to advance through the preliminary and semi-final heats of the shootout style event to secure a spot at the final table. He will be joined in the finals by recent ninth place finisher in this year’s World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event James Akenhead, online poker pro Luke “FullFlush1″ Schwartz, Dag Martin Mikkelsen, Juha Helppi, and online qualifier Peter Vasiliou. A seventh player, an online qualifier from Full Tilt Poker, will also be added to the lineup. The final table is scheduled to play out in London on December 3rd, with action airing live on the Sky Sports network in Europe.

Caby and the others will be battling for the top prize of $500,000, but each will walk away with a minimum payout of $50,000. That means that those who take part in the Piece of Taylor promotion will win anywhere from $500 to $5,000 depending on where Caby ends up finishing. In order to participate in the promotion, players must register with TrulyFreePokerTraining.com, a site that allows players to take advantage of both CardRunners and StoxPoker just by earning points on Full Tilt Poker. To be eligible for the Piece of Taylor promotion, users must sign up before December 3rd. A random drawing will be held on December 7th to determine a winner.

There is no cost to enroll with TrulyFreePokerTraining.com, which credits users with subscriptions to the two training sites based on how many Full Tilt Points a player earns. For example, if a user earns 3,000 points on Full Tilt, they get one free month of StoxPoker training, while 5,500 points merit one free month of Cardrunners. Players do not have to cash in their Full Tilt Points in order to redeem their free memberships, they simply have to sign up through the site and log time at the tables.

Caby spoke with Poker News Daily about how the idea for the promotion came about: “To be honest, we saw Full Tilt had a promotion where they were giving away 1% of [Phil] Ivey at the WSOP Main Event final table, so we thought we’d offer a version of that at CardRunners. Kind of just to be funny, but also to give members and people that signed up for TrulyFreePokerTraining something to sweat while I’m at the final table.” Caby also emphasized that, even if someone doesn’t win the promotion, there is still a lot to be gained just by signing up for the benefits of the site: “A lot of people are getting their CardRunners subscriptions fully paid for just by playing at Full Tilt.”

This is the first major live final table for Caby, who is better known as a cash game player than a tournament pro. He and the other players will start the match with the same number of chips they ended with in the semi-finals, putting Caby in the middle of the pack. He offered some insight on how he plans to approach the event when he returns to London in a couple of weeks: “The structure is pretty shallow. I think the chip leader has something like 40 or 50 big blinds, so there’s not really a whole lot of room for crazy maneuvering. To be honest, I’m just going to try to go in and play the best strategy I can for having a shorter stack and I’m not too concerned about any certain player.”

While Caby expressed enthusiasm about his own chances at winning a half-million dollars, he was equally excited about the chance to win money for someone taking part in Piece of Taylor: “I’m not really going to change how I play, but I’ll feel a lot better if I can send someone a lot of money.”

Win a share of Taylor Caby’s Poker Million

Taylor Caby, co-founder of world famous poker video training site Cardrunners, is offering you the chance to get a little bit richer – he is appearing at the final table of the Full Tilt Poker Million and giving away 1% of his action.

Mike Sexton Inducted into Poker Hall of Fame

Doyle Brunson kicked off the Poker Hall of Fame induction ceremony dinner at the Brasilia Room at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino. The festivities honoring Mike Sexton occurred during the dinner break of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event final table at 7:00pm PT.

The guest list read like a “who’s who” of the poker community, including Howard Lederer, Phil Hellmuth, Jack Binion, Ali Nejad, David Singer, and Dewey Tomko. Also in the house was World Poker Tour (WPT) Co-Host Vince Van Patten, who told Poker News Daily, “I couldn’t miss this. Mike is such a great champion and a great friend of mine. What we share together on the WPT is one of the most important parts of my life. So many laughs and Mike is such a great guy. He is the real thing.”

The WPT is currently filming its eighth season. In fact, The Foxwoods World Poker Finals, the November WPT stop, is currently playing out at the Connecticut casino. On Van Patten and Sexton’s chemistry after eight seasons, the Poker Hall of Fame nominee’s co-host told us, “We could go for 25 years. We don’t get bored with it, we love it, and we’re not faking it. We’d probably do it for no money. We love it that much and we enjoy each other’s company. He’s one of a kind, a great family man, and the real thing in poker.”

Those on stage were Brunson, Jack Binion, Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2009 candidate Tom McEvoy, and T.J. Cloutier. The latter told the assembled crowd of about 175, “We both went broke plenty of times… This man would bet on anything… Mike always thought he was the best split pot player of them all. He could always play those eight or better games.” In fact, Sexton’s lone WSOP bracelet came in 1989 in a Seven Card Stud High-Low Split tournament.

McEvoy then took to the podium and admitted, “This man holds a grudge,” referencing a story from the first WSOP Pot Limit tournament ever held. Binion, a Poker Hall of Fame member who helped popularize the WSOP, commented, “Mike was the one who got PartyPoker started, the one who got the software started. He’s the one who really made poker.” Sexton currently serves as the ambassador for PartyPoker, whose parent company, Party Gaming, recently completed the purchase of the WPT for $12.3 million plus a percent of future gaming revenues.

WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack formally presented Sexton’s trophy and his speech was preceded by an emotional speech from Tom Sexton. The new Poker Hall of Fame member’s brother stated, “Mike has the gift of vision, where he can see things that others can’t in the poker world.” Sexton’s brother also referenced the WPT host testifying in a poker court case in South Carolina and serving as the spokesperson for approximately 500 players shut out of Day 1D of the 2009 WSOP Main Event when the contest reached capacity.

One of Tom Sexton’s most memorable quotes came when referencing the “Daddy Hall of Fame,” which he revealed, “If there were a Daddy Hall of Fame, Mike would be in it.” Young Ty Sexton, whose nursery has overrun the Sexton home’s dance floor, is just 15 months; Mike is 62 years-old.

Sexton received a 30 second standing ovation upon being introduced and recognized each of the other eight candidates for the Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2009: Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Erik Seidel, McEvoy, Dan Harrington, Scotty Nguyen, Men “The Master” Nguyen, and Barry Greenstein. Ivey, who was one of seven players remaining in the WSOP Main Event at the time, even stopped by, flanked at the door to the Brasilia Room by Layne Flack, Lacey Jones, and Nejad.

Sexton took the time to recognize a bevy of individuals, including Linda Johnson, Steve Lipscomb, and Brunson. He also recalled a phone call received over Christmas in 2000 from Ruth Parisol, co-founder of Party Gaming, who asked him to fly to India to launch the then-nascent online poker site. After eight months, PartyPoker was born, quickly challenging Paradise Poker for tops in the industry.

JAQK Cellars presented the two-hour affair, which wrapped up at 9:00pm PT. The living Hall of Fame members then took to the stage of the Penn and Teller Theater to resume play in the WSOP Main Event final table, with Sexton issuing the evening session’s “Shuffle Up and Deal” command.

Akenhead makes Poker Million final

The British Full Tilt Pro, who will come into the final table of the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event next month as the shortest stack, recently finished ninth in the WSOP Europe main event.

Now, Akenhead has made the final of Poker Million, a made-for-TV event sponsored by Full Tilt.

"I've watched previous Poker Million's on television, so to get to the final table in my first appearance is something I'm proud of," Akenhead said. "It's the biggest tournament of this structure I've ever played in."

Akenhead's run to the final included knocking out Tom "durrrr" Dwan and Antonio Esfandiari along the way.

Those who will join him in the final include Juha Helppi, Full Tilt's Dag Martin Mikkelsen, Cardrunners' co-founder Taylor Caby and Peter Vasiliou, a travel consultant from London who qualified online at Full Tilt.

UK nosebleed stakes loudmouth Luke "FullFlush" Schwartz will come into the final table with the chip lead.

The seventh and last spot in the final can still be won online at Full Tilt Poker through the site's Poker Million - Last Chance 5000 FTP point freeroll on Nov. 22, where the winner will bypass the heats and semi-finals going directly onto the final table.

The Poker Million final will take place in December and air live Sky Sports TV.

Visit PokerListings.com

Anurag Dikshit Sells Remaining Stake in Party Gaming

According to an article that appeared in eGamingReview (EGR) on Tuesday and filings to the London Stock Exchange, Party Gaming Co-Founder Anurag Dikshit will sell his 28% share in the company for at least ?188 million.

It’s a curious twist on a story that began developing last December, when Dikshit appeared in the Southern District Court in New York. The Party Gaming personality pled guilty to violating the Wire Act of 1961 and agreed to fork over $300 million to the U.S. Government. He also faces up to two years behind bars, with sentencing scheduled for 2010. Dikshit’s spokesperson, Shimon Cohen, told EGR, “Anurag has paid the $300 million fine that he was asked to pay by the U.S. authorities and has decided it is time to move away from the company.” The Wire Act has traditionally applied to online wagering on sports, not online poker. Read the entire EGR Anurag Dikshit article.

Dikshit was originally rumored to be selling two-thirds of his 28% stake in Party Gaming; however, EGR later reported that the entirety of his shares would be unloaded. PartyPoker, the online poker arm of Party Gaming, withdrew from the U.S. market in 2006 shortly after the passing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), which was attached to the SAFE Port Act in the waning moments of that year’s Congressional session at the urging of then-Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN). The regulations of the UIGEA were approved as midnight rules by the outgoing Bush Administration and will be fully enforced on December 1st.

In a filing to the London Stock Exchange on Tuesday, where Party Gaming is traded under the symbol “PRTY,” Anurag Dikshit, under the names BT Nominees Limited and Crystal Ventures Limited, is listed as selling 75 million shares of PRTY, or two-thirds of his original total. The filing explains, “Crystal Ventures Limited is wholly owned by BT Nominees Limited who hold shares in PartyGaming Plc under a declaration of trust in favor of Mr Dikshit.” Dikshit owned 113 million shares prior to the sale posted on Tuesday in London and retained nearly 39 million “indirect voting rights.” The sale of the remaining interest has not yet been posted.

At the close of trading on Tuesday in London, shares of PRTY were fetching 240.10p and EGR noted that Dikshit expects to pull in at least ?188 million as a result of the transaction; the sum will be donated to charity. On Monday, PRTY was trading at 284p before Dikshit’s sale, which promptly sunk the share price by 15%. All told, Dikshit’s agreement with the U.S. Government last December ballooned the firm’s stock, which sat at below 140p before quickly climbing above 200p. Exactly one year ago, shares of PRTY were valued at 123p.

Ruth Parasol and Russ DeLeon, who founded Party Gaming along with Dikshit, were not expected to follow suit, according to EGR. In the meantime, PartyPoker officials have heralded the election of its ambassador, World Poker Tour (WPT) Host Mike Sexton, to the Poker Hall of Fame. Sexton is the lone representative of the Class of 2009 and will be officially inducted in ceremonies taking place on November 7th during the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event final table. Sexton is a WSOP bracelet holder and re-signed with PartyPoker in April.

In August, Party Gaming acquired the WPT for $12.3 million, outbidding a subsidiary of Playtech, which owns and operates the massive iPoker Network. Four months earlier, the company entered into a Non-Prosecution Agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, agreeing to pay the Federal Government $105 million. In the process, Party Gaming admitted that it solicited U.S. customers prior to the UIGEA’s passage and agreed not to do so in the future until the industry is licensed and regulated.

Emilio Gomez Steps Down from Party Gaming Board of Directors

Party Gaming lost a member of its Board of Directors last week, when Non-Executive Directors Emilio Gomez stepped down from his post for personal reasons.  The official statement from Party Gaming announcing his resignation made no mention of a future replacement and noted a balance between Executive and Non-Executive members of the Board in the wake of Gomez’s departure.

Now that Gomez has moved on, the Board consists of seven members, including Chief Executive Officer Jim Ryan, Non-Executive Chairman Rod Perry, and Finance Director Martin Weigold.  Gomez first began his tenure as one of the group’s Non-Executive Directors in December of 2007 and served as the representative for Party Gaming co-founder Anurag Dikshit.

In December of 2008, Dikshit became the first online gambling mogul to face legal action in a U.S. Court when he agreed to forfeit $300 million in earnings from the company after admitting to breaking laws related to the Wire Act in conjunction with Party Gaming.  In exchange for the monetary settlement, Dikshit avoided jail time until at least December of 2010 and continues to reside in Gibraltar, where Party Gaming is based.  Dikshit stepped down from the Board of Directors in 2006 to serve as the company’s Head of Research and Special Projects.  There has been no announcement as of yet as to how Gomez’s departure will influence Dikshit’s influence on the Board.  Party Gaming can be found on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol “PRTY.”  It is the parent company of the popular online poker site PartyPoker.

Gomez’s resignation is just the latest in a long list of changes for Party Gaming this year.  The company’s purchase of World Poker Tour Enterprises (WPTE) in August as well as numerous business-to-business ventures like the purchase of the online bingo company Cashcade and the launch of an Italian online poker site in tandem with Intralot have headlined a busy 2009 for Party Gaming.  In its mid-year financial report, Ryan said the company would continue to pursue these profitable business-to-business deals and invest more time and effort in Party Casino, its online casino business.

In the week following Gomez’s announcement, PRTY shares have seen a slight drop in value, falling from a high of $282 on September 23rd to a low of $263.80 towards the end of day on the 24th.  At the close of the business day on Friday, shares were trading at $267.60. Despite the slight drop this week, Party Gaming stocks have been on a rise as a whole in 2009, increasing in value from $195 in January to a high of $283 in May to its current trading price of $267.60.

Industry Reacts to Phil Hellmuth WSOP Main Event Tirade

It took all of three episodes of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on ESPN for 11-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth to get the industry buzzing. Hellmuth used a parade of words not fit for television during ESPN’s Day 1C recap. This article contains language that is not suitable for all audiences.

Known for his short fuse, Hellmuth was seated at Table Two on Tuesday night during Day 1C coverage. After a player holding K-8 bested his pocket jacks, Hellmuth went off the deep end. He commented, “What the fuck? Calling a fricking raise with K-8?” Hellmuth then strung together four expletives in a row followed by the word “man.” The Ultimate Bet pro returned to the table and, while taking his seat, muttered, “Fucking moron players.” No penalty was handed down.

In a separate hand, an opponent rivered a flush against Hellmuth, which once again sent the “Poker Brat” away from the table steaming: “Is this some kind of fucking joke? I can’t even fucking believe what I’m seeing.” Again, no penalty was assessed. WSOP Communications Director Seth Palansky told Poker News Daily, “Our player conduct rule is about abusing tablemates and dealers. That’s what we’re trying to avoid so a person’s playing experience is not unpleasant. There is no anti-cursing rule. If it’s mean-spirited, then it’s a penalty, but it’s up to the discretion of the dealers and supervisors who are there to hear it.”

There were a total of 185 penalties and warnings assessed throughout the 2009 WSOP festivities at the Rio using a new database system to log infractions. Among them were players throwing cards at dealers, celebrating wildly, taunting opponents, loudly waving in order to attract the attention of ESPN cameras, and, in one instance, banging a set of cymbals. Poker News Daily Guest Columnist and Tournament Directors’ Association (TDA) co-founder Linda Johnson explained, “Hellmuth didn’t do anything terribly egregious. I possibly would have given a warning when he started talking about ‘morons.’ He’d better be talking about himself, which he wasn’t. I don’t have a problem with the ‘f’ word, although you should get a warning at some point.”

Given her association with the TDA, Johnson is typically by the book. The “First Lady of Poker” was outraged at antics by Hellmuth and Scotty Nguyen in 2008, but noted that the atmosphere at this year’s WSOP was much-improved: “I’m glad the WSOP cleaned up their act. It was a much more pleasant atmosphere this year. Kudos to their tournament officials for not allowing abuse.” In fact, the only actions that have raised Johnson’s eyebrows during telecasts of the 2009 WSOP on ESPN have involved players discussing the contents of their hands. She told Poker News Daily, “You have to be careful. There’s a rule that says you won’t tell someone what you have in your hand.”

PocketFivesLive.com Tournament Reporter Court Harrington, who has traveled the WSOP and World Poker Tour (WPT) circuits for the popular live coverage site, shared his take on Hellmuth’s antics: “For all of the publicity Hellmuth brings to the game, his antics surely cause passive players that might pull up a chair to stay away instead of putting themselves in an awkward situation with a top pro berating them.” On Tuesday night, ESPN announcer Norman Chad continuously reiterated Hellmuth’s now-famous “idiots from Northern Europe” quote from last year’s WSOP Main Event.

Harrington has seen novices and pros battle it out on the felts of the world’s most prestigious tournaments. He even broadcasts his opinions on PokerRoad, where he sits alongside industry staples like Joe Sebok, Gavin Smith, and Joe Stapleton. Harrington explained the dilemma that tournament officials often face: “Player conduct rules should be very situation-specific. In poker, keeping novice and amateur players comfortable is important. At the same time, pros have a responsibility to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner for the same reason - to make amateur players feel comfortable at the tables and more likely to return.”

Thanks from all of us here at Poker News Daily to Palansky, Johnson, and Harrington for their insight into the issue. Tell us what you think! Was Hellmuth out of line? Where should the line be drawn? Leave a comment and voice your choice.

FTOPS Guarantees $5.7 Million this Weekend on Full Tilt Poker

At least $5.7 million will be on the line this weekend as part of the 13th Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS). The $535 buy-in Main Event caps off the festivities and comes with a $2.5 million guaranteed prize pool.

The Main Event kicks off on Sunday at 6:00pm ET and will be hosted by Gus Hansen, one of the premier members of Team Full Tilt. Last time out, the FTOPS Main Event drew a whopping 4,581 runners and shelled out $432,400 to its winner, Pocketownage420. Others who made the final table included azzabentonaces (second place for $262,500), iDubDeuce (third place for $170,000), Hartwith (fourth place for $132,500), nickeltwenty (fifth place for $100,000), -NinG- (sixth place for $75,000), RonFezBuddy (seventh place for $57,500), baDONKaD0NK88 (eighth place for $43,750), and oiltrader (ninth place for $32,500). The top 648 players finished in the money, with 18 banking at least five-figures.

Kicking off this afternoon at 2:00pm ET is the $2,620 buy-in FTOPS Two-Day Event, which boasts a $2 million guaranteed purse. The challenging tournament is hosted by Patrik Antonius and will pause tonight when Level 17 has concluded or when the final two tables remain, whichever comes first. Then, the action resumes on Sunday at 2:00pm ET and will play down to a winner.

2007 Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic winner Travis “TravestyFund” Rice grabbed the win in the FTOPS XII Two-Day Event, earning $460,000. Others in the top nine last time out included Claws of Gix (second place for $290,000), BickleAce (third place for $215,000), GnightMoon (fourth place for $165,000), CiegoBoY (fifth place for $125,000), marlin5555 (sixth place for $90,000), pzyclone (seventh place for $60,000), HaiducF (eighth place for $46,800), and phat_cat1 (ninth place for $34,000). The FTOPS XIII Two-Day Event will be played in a six-max format.

Kicking off today at 3:00pm ET is the first-ever FTOPS Ante Up for Africa event. The tournament, which is hosted by Ante Up for Africa Co-Founder Don Cheadle, will set players back $120. Full Tilt will donate the entire $20 entry fee to charity; Matt Damon and Mekhi Phifer are two of the celebrities scheduled to play. Ultimate Bet pro Annie Duke and Norman Epstein also co-founded the organization, which raises money and awareness for victims of the crisis in Darfur. The Ante Up for Africa charity poker tournament comes with a $100,000 guaranteed prize pool and features an ante from the start format.

The final event to play out this weekend is a $129 buy-in No Limit Hold’em Knockout tournament, the 24th on the FTOPS XIII schedule. Erica Schoenberg will host the high-stakes bounty contest, which kicks off tomorrow at 2:00pm ET and features at least $750,000 up for grabs. A $256 buy-in No Limit Hold’em Knockout Six-Max event last Sunday drew a crowd of 4,644 runners, the second largest FTOPS XIII field. In the end, mikeyG16 walked away $177,000 richer for his efforts.

In September, the MiniFTOPS festivities will take place on the world’s second largest online poker site. The tournaments are similar to their high-stakes FTOPS counterparts, but come with one-tenth of the buy-in. The MiniFTOPS Main Event takes place on September 20th at 5:00pm ET and carries a $500,000 guaranteed prize pool. During FTOPS XII, MiniFTOPS tournaments were held concurrently with traditional events, causing many players to gravitate towards the smaller buy-ins. Consequently, a bevy of overlays occurred in the high-stakes FTOPS tournaments.

Full Tilt Poker brings back Sit and Go Madness next weekend, August 21st to 23rd. More than $125,000 in cash and prizes, which includes a $50,000 freeroll, will be on the line during the 48 hour affair.

WSOP on ESPN Ratings Down 8% After Two Weeks

Poker News Daily has learned that ESPN’s coverage of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) has experienced an 8% dip in television ratings through two weeks to 0.72. Last year, the mark was 0.78.

In addition to ratings seeing an 8% slide, household impressions also fell, albeit a modest 5%. The total number of household impressions through two weeks of the 2009 WSOP was 714,904, compared with last year’s tally of 750,315. Four one-hour episodes have aired so far, with 26 more comprising coverage of the Ante Up for Africa charity tournament and the prestigious $10,000 buy-in Main Event.

ESPN media contact George McNeilly told Poker News Daily that, despite the ratings slip, he remained optimistic: “These are very small declines and we’re just four telecasts into the season. We have almost 30 more episodes to go, so it’s way too early to start drawing any conclusions. One interesting trend we are watching is how ratings are flat among men 25 to 54, which bodes well for the rest of the season.”

Figures released after the July 28th kickoff telecast revealed that viewers were up 2% among men age 18 to 34. The number of viewers age 25 to 54 was up a commanding 16% after the first episode of the 2009 WSOP debuted on ESPN and the number of viewers age 18 to 49 was on par with the 2008 broadcast. The first telecast of the 2009 WSOP on ESPN featured the $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP. In the end, Vitaly Lunkin dominated the 201 player field en route to a $1.9 million first place prize. He defeated Isaac Haxton heads-up in a star-studded final table that also included Greg Raymer, Ted Forrest, Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, and Alec “traheho” Torelli.

On August 4th, the weekly Tuesday timeslot saw the WSOP Champions Invitational come to life. In one of the first non-bracelet events ever broadcast by ESPN, the Champions Invitational featured 20 former Main Event winners take to the felts. The unconventional 10-handed final table saw 1983 champ Tom McEvoy come out on top, taking home a vintage red 1970 Corvette Stingray and the Binion Cup. McEvoy defeated 2002 Main Event winner Robert Vakonyi heads-up in a final table that also included Peter Eastgate, Carlos Mortensen, Doyle Brunson, Huck Seed, and Dan Harrington.

Next week, the Ante Up for Africa charity poker tournament will headline ESPN coverage and begins at 8:00pm ET. The gala featured a veritable “who’s who” of the celebrity world, including “Rounders” star Matt Damon, “Pearl Harbor” actor Ben Affleck, “Celebrity Apprentice” candidate Herschel Walker, “Seinfeld’ star Jason Alexander, “Everybody Loves Raymond” star Brad Garrett, rapper Nelly, and legendary boxer Mike Tyson. The latter has developed a cult following stemming from his cameo in the blockbuster hit “The Hangover.” Tyson did not bring his tiger to the red carpet.

Poker stars who turned out to the charity event included Ante Up for Africa co-founder Annie Duke, Greg Raymer, Erik Seidel, Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, Jennifer Harman, Joe Hachem, Jason Mercier, and Andy Bloch. ESPN Coordinating Producer Jamie Horowitz told Poker News Daily what makes airing the charity gala unique: “We are excited to present a different type of poker tournament. In the Ante Up For Africa event, the story is more about the journey (the celebrities, the stars, and the pros) than the destination.”

Twenty-four hours of coverage of the 2009 WSOP Main Event will air on ESPN beginning on August 18th. The Main Event final table is scheduled to air on November 10th beginning at 9:00pm ET. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest WSOP news.

Nancy Todd Tyner Interview with Poker News Daily

Poker News Daily: You were camped out over the last two months at the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP). How did this year’s tournament series compare to years past?

Tyner: It was more organized this year. There was actually a cap on the number of entrants for each event, which is helpful to the players. I learned the hard way that feeling great on a Sunday and registering for a tournament on a Monday doesn’t mean I’ll be up for it when the time comes, so I’m through doing that.

PND: Rebuy tournaments were stricken from the 2009 WSOP schedule, as Harrah’s officials claimed that they favored players with deep pockets. Where do you stand on the issue?

Tyner: I hate rebuys and I’m absolutely thrilled. To me, they are not a test of poker skills. They are just pocketbooks against pocketbooks until the rebuy period is over.

PND: You’re one of the founders of the Ladies Diamond Poker Club. Talk about how you became involved with the organization, which introduces women to the game.

Tyner: [Co-Founder] John George and I met at a poker table. He’s a nice guy and a hard worker in getting this going. I’m thrilled to have him as a partner. It’s intimidating for women at the tables. We’re trying to get a lot of women over the hump and help them become secure enough to play.

The Ladies Diamond Poker Club designed for entertainment; it’s a club. It’s for that lower level player who wants to come in and play. I wouldn’t play in it. It’s not my idea of fun to take time away from my family and play in a $200 buy-in tournament, but there are a lot of women who enjoy it. We’re not catering to top-notch female tournament players.

PND: Are women still treated differently at the poker table than men or is that a vestige from years past?

Tyner: Nothing intimidates me, but I’ve been in politics for 30 years, so it’s hard to bother me. It’s not a friendly environment at a poker table if a person is inexperienced. Everyone at the table hammers on them. It is the nature of the beast and if we can do anything to make them feel more comfortable, then we’ve done our job.

PND: Nearly everyone who leaves a Ladies Diamond Poker Club tournament receives prizes. Talk about the importance of that.

Tyner: Everyone wants to leave a poker tournament a winner. We try to make people feel good about themselves. It’s a tough game. I like to do whatever I can get to more people included in it. It’s not set to compete with the World Poker Tour, but we’ve developed our own niche.

Linda Johnson on National Poker Week, Pentagon Visit

As part of National Poker Week, Tournament Directors Association Co-Founder and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Linda Johnson lived the high life in Washington, DC. She received a guided tour of the Pentagon and took a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Arlington National Cemetery. Johnson relived her travels with Poker News Daily.

Poker News Daily: Tell us about your Pentagon visit this afternoon.

Johnson: The Pentagon was one of the highlights of my life. I got to have lunch with Brigadier General Sandy Dittig, who is one of the top-ranking females in the military. She invited us to go to the executive dining room at the Pentagon. It was incredible service and a great atmosphere. When we sat down, they had these big plates that said “U.S. Army” on them. It was very fancy and very nice.

After that, she took us on a tour through the halls of the Pentagon and pointed out several department heads and we got to visit some of their offices. Then, we went to the 9/11 memorial and she gave us a tour of Arlington Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. They actually saluted her when they came out for the changing of the guard. We found out all of the protocols on who has to salute who. Since she’s so high-ranking, they have to salute her. Until she salutes back, they have to continue to salute. You can really mess with someone if you want.

PND: Refresh our memory as to how you met Dittig.

Johnson: We met Sandi last year at a fundraiser for the Paralyzed Veterans of America in Washington, DC. We also met Lt. Colonial Pete Derouin, who gave us a tour of the city at night because our plane left at 3:00am. We saw all of the monuments and it was another incredible evening. We invited them to play in the charity poker tournament this week. Sandi is really not a poker player, but she’s excited. Last night, we played in a private tournament in Washington, DC and they were impressed that we were professional poker players and we were impressed that they were in the military.

PND: Talk about what the pros are doing at the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) Fly-In as part of National Poker Week.

Johnson: The pros are at the Fly-In to aid support for the cause of the PPA. We have assignments to meet with some of our legislators and we are going to try to convince them to support HR 2267, which basically is going to regulate online poker. That’s our mission.

PND: Are you looking forward to meeting with Congressmen?

Johnson: I am so excited I can’t stand it. We have actually been role-playing all week. We’ve been practicing our talking points and we’re ready to go.

PND: You’ve probably been practicing with your longtime friend, Jan Fisher. Has she been the Congressman or the pro?

Johnson: She’s been both. My brother, who just learned to play poker a few years ago, is also with us and he’s really excited. He’s a layman who just plays poker part-time. Like we do, he finds it incredible that someone would try to take away our freedom to play online poker. I have friends in Canada who tease me that I’m from the “Land of the Free” and yet we can’t play online poker. That is appalling to me and it’s time to kick some butt on Capitol Hill and get this law overturned.

PND: Has the attendance at National Poker Week been what you thought it would be?

Johnson: I’m pleased to see so many people here. I have met a lot of them at various functions across the country. A lot of the State Directors are friends of mine. It is pretty much what I expected. There’s a lot of buzz and a lot of excitement. Everyone is ready to meet with staffers or Congressmen and let them know what’s on our mind.

Robert Wexler Speaks at PPA National Poker Week Fly-In Dinner

On Monday night at the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) Fly-In held as part of National Poker Week, a working dinner featured Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL), PPA Chairman Alfonse D’Amato, and PPA Executive Director John Pappas.

A host of poker pros were in attendance at the Capitol Room inside the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. They included 2004 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Greg Raymer, Full Tilt Poker pros Andy Bloch and Howard Lederer, Tournament Directors Association Co-Founder Linda Johnson, former World Poker Tour (WPT) statistician Jan Fisher, and “Celebrity Apprentice” runner-up Annie Duke.

D’Amato kicked off the festivities by noting, “One person at the forefront… and has stood up specifically for… player versus player, and not versus the house, games – No one has been stronger than Bob Wexler.” The audience of about 50 people erupted into a chorus of applause after Wexler’s name was spoken. The Florida Congressman and former author of the Skill Game Protection Act last session called D’Amato a “class act in the finest sense of the word.” Wexler then outlined the goal of National Poker Week and the PPA Fly-In: “To put a face on the issue is very important.” He continued, “It’s an apple pie issue. Poker is a game that has been played in the White House, the Supreme Court, and… by some of the biggest names in American history.”

Wexler also reminded Fly-In attendees, which included 30 of the PPA’s State Directors, that follow-up contact is critical: “When you go meet with your Congressmen, your job is only half done. When you get back home, follow up with your local office. You can’t imagine how important that is. Spend 15 minutes with the director of the local office.” Wexler called the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), which was passed in 2006 and attached to an unrelated port security measure, an “absurd law” and labeled Congressmen Barney Frank an “important ally.” He then hit up the buffet to grab a snack before exiting with a staff member.

D’Amato then returned to the podium to rally the troops: “I’m very hopefully we’ll be able to get one of the staunchest allies we have to be supportive of legislation that will give you the right to play poker on the internet.” He labeled an unspecified meeting this afternoon a “major breakthrough.” The PPA’s Chairman emphasized the importance of letting Congressmen and staffers know how many members the organization boasts. D’Amato added, “This is about civil rights and civil liberties.” A hearty round of applause followed that comment. He also recalled a bad beat story in which he was busted from a seniors’ poker tournament with pocket jacks after an opponent spiked an ace on the river. He concluded with, “Thank you for coming. Don’t get discouraged. We are making progress.”

An overview of briefing packets given out to Fly-In attendees followed. Stats highlighted included that 10 million Americans play online poker, while 70 million compete in poker. Guests were encouraged to arrive 10 to 15 minutes before their scheduled Congressional meetings in order to go through security. Pappas encouraged attendees to convey their personal story and ask support for HR 2267, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act, which was introduced in May. Pappas also gave updates on upcoming Senate legislation to legalize online poker in the United States, over-blocking by credit card companies of internet transactions, and the Southern District of New York seizing over $34 million from more than 27,000 online poker players.

We’ll have more for you from the Fly-In, including complete coverage of Tuesday’s charity tournament, right here on Poker News Daily.

FTOPS XIII Schedule Announced; $19 Million Guaranteed

The thirteenth installment of the Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) has been announced and will kick off on August 5th. FTOPS XIII consists of 25 events, culminating in a $535 buy-in $2.5 million guaranteed prize pool tournament on August 16th.

In a major change from FTOPS XII, MiniFTOPS events will not occur until September. Each MiniFTOPS event carries a buy-in that is one-tenth of its FTOPS counterpart and the festivities begin on September 9th. A variety of games will grace the FTOPS XIII schedule, including Hold’em, Omaha, Stud, HORSE, and Razz. Heads-up, short-handed, full ring, and knockout tournaments will all be played. Last time out, Full Tilt Poker member Pocketownage420 took home $432,000 for winning the FTOPS XII Main Event. The runner-up, azzabentonaces, received a healthy $262,000 consolation prize and the top five players cashed for at least six figures.

FTOPS XIII also features an Ante Up for Africa tournament, a $120 buy-in charity event. Ante Up for Africa Co-Founder Don Cheadle is a Full Tilt pro and at least $100,000 will be in the prize pool. Full Tilt will donate the entire $20 entry fee to charity. The 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Ante Up for Africa tournament attracted 137 runners and generated over $300,000 for its beneficiary organizations.

Without further adieu, here is the schedule for FTOPS XIII:

Wednesday, August 5th at 9:00pm ET
Event #1: $216 No Limit Hold’em
$1 Million Guaranteed

Thursday, August 6th at 2:00pm ET
Event #2: $322 No Limit Hold’em 4x Shootout Six-Max
$250,000 Guaranteed

Thursday, August 6th at 9:00pm ET
Event #3: $216 Omaha Eight or Better
$200,000 Guaranteed

Friday, August 7th at 2:00pm ET
Event #4: $216 No Limit Hold’em Cubed (One Rebuy Plus One Add-On)
$500,000 Guaranteed

Friday, August 7th at 9:00pm ET
Event #5: $216 Stud
$100,000 Guaranteed

Saturday, August 8th at 2:00pm ET
Event #6: $535 Pot Limit Omaha Six-Max
$350,000 Guaranteed

Saturday, August 8th at 4:00pm ET
Event #7: $109 No Limit Hold’em with Rebuys
$500,000 Guaranteed

Sunday, August 9th at 2:00pm ET
Event #8: $256 No Limit Hold’em Knockout Six-Max
$750,000 Guaranteed

Sunday, August 9th at 4:00pm ET
Event #9: $535 No Limit Hold’em Heads-Up
$500,000 Guaranteed

Sunday, August 9th at 6:00pm ET
Event #10: $322 No Limit Hold’em
$1.5 Million Guaranteed

Monday, August 10th at 2:00pm ET
Event #11: $216 Half Pot Limit Hold’em, Half Pot Limit Omaha
$200,000 Guaranteed

Monday, August 10th at 9:00pm ET
Event #12: $1,060 No Limit Hold’em Ante from Start
$1.5 Million Guaranteed

Tuesday, August 11th at 2:00pm ET
Event #13: $322 No Limit Hold’em 3x Shootout
$200,000 Guaranteed

Tuesday, August 11th at 9:00pm ET
Event #14: $535 HORSE
$300,000 Guaranteed

Tuesday, August 11th at 9:00pm ET
Event #15: $216 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max Turbo
$500,000 Guaranteed

Wednesday, August 12th at 2:00pm ET
Event #16: $256 Pot Limit Omaha Eight or Better Knockout
$200,000 Guaranteed

Wednesday, August 12th at 9:00pm ET
Event #17: $322 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max Rebuy
$1 Million Guaranteed

Thursday, August 13th at 2:00pm ET
Event #18: $216 Pot Limit Omaha Heads-Up
$150,000 Guaranteed

Thursday, August 13th at 9:00pm ET
Event #19: $216 Limit Hold’em Six-Max
$150,000 Guaranteed

Friday, August 14th at 2:00pm ET
Event #20: $216 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max
$400,000 Guaranteed

Friday, August 14th at 9:00pm ET
Event #21: $322 Razz
$150,000 Guaranteed

Saturday, August 15th at 2:00pm ET
Event #22: $2,620 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max Two-Day Event
$2 Million Guaranteed

Saturday, August 15th at 3:00pm ET
FTOPS Ante Up for Africa
$120 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max Ante from Start
$100,000 Guaranteed

Saturday, August 15th at 4:00pm ET
Event #23: $109 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys
$350,000 Guaranteed

Sunday, August 16th at 2:00pm ET
Event #24: $129 No Limit Hold’em Knockout
$750,000 Guaranteed

Sunday, August 16th at 6:00pm ET
FTOPS XIII Main Event
$2.5 Million Guaranteed

All players who reach a final table in an FTOPS XIII tournament will receive a commemorative jacket. Winners receive a gold FTOPS jersey and an avatar to don while battling on the virtual felts of the world’s second largest online poker site. The FTOPS XIII leader board champion will take home $7,500 worth of buy-ins to FTOPS XIV tournaments. Visit Full Tilt Poker for more information.

Alex Bolotin Wins WSOP Ante Up for Africa; Mike Tyson Enters

The 2009 installment of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Ante Up for Africa charity tournament brought out Hollywood’s elite and poker’s biggest names. In the end, Alex “Diesel” Boloton emerged victorious, winning $176,000 and donating half of his earnings to the ENOUGH Project and International Rescue Committee.

A total of 137 players took to the felts inside the Amazon Room for the Ante Up for Africa event, one of four tournaments that will be televised as part of ESPN’s coverage of the 2009 WSOP. In 2007, the charity gala attracted 167 runners, while just 88 turned out last year. Prior to the festivities kicking off on Thursday, Ante Up for Africa Co-Founder and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke told reporters, “I knew how effective poker was as a fundraising tool. However, you can throw as much money at a problem as you want, but ESPN will help get awareness of things going on.” The Celebrity Apprentice runner-up added, “Poker players know how fortunate they are. We have a different view of money and what money is for. A lot of poker players are very socially responsible.”

A red carpet entrance preceded the festivities, with a bevy of stars lending their names to the $5,000 buy-in charity event. Among the first entrants down the red carpet was “Everybody Loves Raymond” star Brad Garrett, who told reporters that he’d want his tombstone to read, “I could smell it from here.” Following Garrett was former professional basketball star and current NBA on TNT analyst Charles Barkley, who explained that he was frustrated after poor performances in the Ante Up for Africa event over the past two years. He told People Magazine that the Cleveland Cavaliers acquiring Shaquille O’Neal was “a really good pickup.”

WSOP bracelet winner Jason Mercier, fresh off inking a sponsorship agreement with PokerStars, explained, “This feels really weird. I’m here with celebrities and stars of the poker world.” When asked what celebrity he ogled the most, Mercier responded, “Charles Barkley – I watched him play basketball since I was a little kid.” Mercier then joked, “Watch me take this down.” Others who followed Mercier down the red carpet included comedian Sarah Silverman, NBA on TNT analyst Kenny Smith, actor Dean Cain, “Seinfeld” star Jason Alexander, Ben Affleck, “Rounders” star Matt Damon, and rapper Nelly.

One of the surprise turnouts to the 2009 WSOP Ante Up for Africa charity poker tournament was legendary boxer Mike Tyson, who has recently gained a cult following as a result of his cameo in the box office blockbuster “The Hangover.” Tyson told Poker News Daily that he does not regularly play poker, but was looking forward to competing. A tiger did not accompany him down the red carpet. Media outlets in attendance included US Weekly, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the L.A. Times, ABC Radio, the Hollywood Reporter, the Associated Press, and a variety of local television stations and Hollywood photo services.

Poker’s elite dominated the final standings, with Rafe Furst, Full Tilt Poker pro Erik Seidel, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Phil Gordon, Jennifer Harman, Steve Zolotow, and Ultimate Bet pro Matt “mattg1983” Graham all making the money. Other poker stars that turned out included 2008 WSOP Main Event Last Woman Standing Tiffany Michelle, Andy Bloch, Brandon Cantu, Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, Greg “FBT” Mueller, Barry Greenstein, Greg Raymer, Robert Williamson III, Dennis Phillips, Ylon Schwartz, Peter Eastgate, and Victor Ramdin.

The tournament ran for 10 hours, about twice as long as WSOP officials had estimated prior to the event. At the end of the day, $362,000 was raised for charity. The top 10 finishers were as follows:

1. Alex Bolotin - $176,449
2. Adam Richardson - $109,194
3. Rafe Furst - $72,308
4. Erik Seidel - $51,601
5. Chris Ferguson - $38,550
6. Phil Gordon - $30,760
7. John Hennigan - $25,900
8. Matt Kay - $22,970
9. Jennifer Harman - $21,439
10. Phillip Tom - $15,713

ClubWPT Offering Seats At World Poker Tour Events

The dream of many poker players is to play on the famous final table stage of the World Poker Tour. ClubWPT, the subscription based online poker room operated by the WPT, will be offering its members that very chance through a special series of tournaments at the online poker room.

With their Season Eight schedule announced recently, the WPT will be criss-crossing the United States with a series of twelve events that feature some of the most famous casinos in the country. These tournaments – in Los Angeles, Connecticut and Mississippi, just to name a few – frequently draw the best in the professional poker world to battle it out for a cherished WPT championship. Through ClubWPT, two players who demonstrate their abilities at the tables by winning the special WPT Seat tournaments will have the opportunity to choose which $10,000 WPT event they wish to play in.

“Honoring the true competitive spirit of this great game – the only sport in the world where the average Joe can sit down with the professionals and earn life-changing money and celebrity status – ClubWPT is going to give two lucky winners the chance to take their shot at millions in a WPT Main Event,” stated WPT co-founder and CEO Steve Lipscomb.

There are seven events that the winners can choose from, including the Bay 101 Shooting Star at Bay 101 Casino in San Jose, CA; the Southern Poker Championship at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, MS; the Legends of Poker at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles; the L.A. Poker Classic at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles; the Foxwoods World Poker Finals at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, CT and the inaugural Hollywood Poker Open at the Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg, IN.

The $10K WPT Seat tournaments will require a 500 point buy-in, which players earn through playing other tournaments on the site, and satellites are currently running to earn an entry for less than the 500 points that it will take. The WPT Seat tournaments will run Saturday, July 11th and Saturday, July 25th at 9PM (Eastern Time).

In addition to the two seats to a WPT event, ClubWPT is also offering some other events that should draw their members’ interest. The PPI Elite Bounty Series will give ClubWPT members the chance to play against top professionals, who will carry a bounty on their heads. For knocking out one of the pros, a player can earn a $50 bonus in their ClubWPT account. There will also be chances offered for players to earn their way into the WPT Boot Camp, where amateur poker players can sharpen their skills through instruction by some of the top professional players in the game such as T. J. Cloutier, Mike Sexton and Mike Matusow.

ClubWPT is a subscription based room that, for a $19.95 per month charge, offers free play tournament poker. Over $100,000 in cash and prizes is offered each month for members to win. For more details on the Season Eight WPT Seat tournaments or to learn more about ClubWPT itself, visit ClubWPT.comfor more information.

Poker Players Alliance Announces National Poker Week

Mark your calendars now for the first ever National Poker Week, which kicks off on July 19th and runs through the 25th. The grassroots initiative is the brainchild of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the industry’s one million member strong lobbying force.

The PPA unveiled National Poker Week at a press conference on Monday inside the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino during the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP). The gala featured Congresswoman Shelley Berkley (D-NV), whose Internet Gambling Study Bill was introduced during the 110th Congress, but failed to be marked up by the House Judiciary Committee. Also in attendance were PPA Chairman and former three-term Senator from New York Alfonse D’Amato, Poker News Daily Guest Columnist and Tournament Directors Association Co-Founder Linda Johnson, and 2004 WSOP Main Event Champion Greg Raymer. Following the press conference, Berkley issued the “Shuffle Up and Deal” command to start play in the Amazon Room.

PPA Executive Director John Pappas told Poker News Daily about Monday’s press conference announcing the initiative: “I thought it went very well. Shelley Berkley was magnificent with her command for the issue and stated why it’s important for poker players to get involved in a meaningful way. She explained that the poker community should rally around the initiatives that the PPA is putting forth in order to make sure that legislation like Barney Frank’s bill will get passed.” Frank has two measures in Congress: HR 2267 establishes a licensing and regulatory framework for the internet gambling industry in the United States. HR 2266 delays the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) from being implemented for one year to December 1st, 2010.

The PPA will fly in of over 30 of its State Directors to Washington, D.C. as part of National Poker Week. While in the nation’s capital, the State Directors will meet with their elected officials to pitch support for legislation like HR 2266 and HR 2267. In addition, the crew will deliver a petition to U.S. President Barack Obama calling for exemption of poker from the UIGEA. Over 10,000 concerned players have signed the virtual poker petition, which will be delivered on July 22nd. It opens with a simple statement regarding the rights of poker players: “I am a voter and a fellow poker player asking for your support of my right to play games of skill like poker on the Internet.” In order to sign the petition, a person’s first name, last name, e-mail address, and mailing address are required. As I wrote this paragraph, 20 players have lent their names.

Professional poker players slated to be part of the event include Howard Lederer, Andy Bloch, Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke, Jan Fisher, Linda Johnson, and 2008 November Nine member Dennis Phillips. On July 21st, a charity poker tournament benefiting the United Service Organizations (USO) and the Malone House at Walter Reed Army Medical Center will take place. The PPA is fronting the costs for the event in order to ensure that all of the money raised goes directly to the beneficiary organizations. The prizes and buy-in for the tournament were not available at the time of writing.

A key element leading up to National Poker Week is the launch of MyPokerStory.com, which invites poker players from around the country to submit a video of why the game is important to them and why the U.S. Government should legalize the Great American Pastime. All videos will be entered into a drawing for a two night Las Vegas package complete with airfare for two people. A total of 16 amateur videos are currently posted, including a clip from Congressman Joe Barton (R-TX). In addition, World Poker Tour Host Mike Sexton, “Cowboy” Kenna James, and Lederer have all submitted recordings. Interested WSOP spectators and players can produce their own videos at the PPA’s booth outside the Amazon Room.

Media present at the 45 minute long event on Monday received a tutorial on the PPA’s new National Poker Week web tools. In addition, it was revealed that a variety of telephone and e-mail campaigns will take place.

More Guilty Pleas in BetOnSports Case

Neil Scott Kaplan, Lori Kaplan-Multz, and Penelope Tucker have all pled guilty to U.S. District Court Judge Carol E. Jackson, according to an article published by Bloomberg on Tuesday. Now, BetOnSports Founder Gary Kaplan faces trial on September 21st.

Former BetOnSports Chief Executive Officer (CEO) David Carruthers pled guilty in April and faces up to 33 months behind bars. Carruthers’ sentencing is scheduled for October. A statement released by iGamingNews at the time noted that Carruthers planned to cooperate against others who were still being held by the U.S. Department of Justice. Now, only Kaplan remains. The other defendants pled guilty to “racketeering conspiracy and the illegal transmission of bets,” according to Bloomberg.

Kaplan was arrested in the Dominican Republic in March of 2007. An article published by BBC News two years ago noted that BetOnSports reaped 95% of its profits from U.S. residents and exited the market in August of 2006. That October, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was signed into law by then-U.S. President George W. Bush. The measure prohibited the transfer of funds from banks and other financial institutions to illegal internet gambling outfits, although it failed to specify what activities were permissible. The regulations of the UIGEA were approved as “midnight rules” in November and implemented on January 19th, one day before President Barack Obama took office. The financial services industry must come into full compliance with the UIGEA by December 1st.

Carruthers was kept under house arrest in St. Louis after being picked up by U.S. authorities in Texas in 2006. According to Bloomberg, Kaplan faces charges of “racketeering conspiracy, mail fraud, and wire fraud.” His brother, Neil, told Judge Jackson, “Having seen my brother’s companies advertised openly on billboards in New York and other places, I believed his company was lawful.” His sister, Lori, pled guilty to “racketeering conspiracy and the illegal transmission of wagers,” according to the U.S. news outlet.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted that Neil, Lori, and Tucker each will fork over money held in Swiss bank accounts as part of the agreement. The former two will spend time in a halfway house, but not be imprisoned for soliciting U.S. customers. Tucker will receive a one year probation and pay $15,000. The Post-Dispatch explained, “Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Holtshouser said the sentences reflect the minimal roles that Neil Kaplan and Kaplan-Multz played, their lack of decision-making power there, and their willingness to surrender their BetOnSports money.”

Party Gaming entered into a non-prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York in April. As part of its agreement, the company agreed to pay a $105 million fine over a three and a half year period. In December, one of its co-founders, Anurag Dikshit, admitted to violating the Wire Act of 1961 in a New York courtroom. He faces up to three years behind bars and will be sentenced later this year. Dikshit is in the process of paying a $300 million fine. Forbes noted that Dikshit has a net worth of $1 billion and currently resides in Gibraltar. He developed the client software for Party Gaming, which owns and operates PartyPoker.

Also in the background of today’s developments is the seizing of over $30 million in online poker payment processor funds by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District, which is the main office charged with handling financial crimes. No legal action has yet been filed in the case. Poker Players Alliance Chairman Alfonse D’Amato, appearing on Fox Business, explained, “It is not illegal for a person to play poker on the internet. What the [UIGEA] did was say that the payment processors, the financial community, could not distribute these funds.”

No indication was given as to what Kaplan’s future now holds.

Eric Baldwin (basebaldy) Emerges as Champ of WSOP $1,500 No Limit Holdem

It took a grueling three-day battle through 2,095 players and 11 hours on Thursday but, as the clock passed Midnight, online poker player Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin emerged as the champion of the latest $1,500 No Limit Hold’em tournament at the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP).

As the final day of play began, 21 players were in the hunt for their first WSOP bracelet and some were looking to add another one to their collection. Such pros as 2009 bracelet winner Roland de Wolfe and Team PokerStars Pro member Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier took to the felts. Corwin “mig.com” Mackey (a 2007 WSOP bracelet winner), Praz Bansi (2006 bracelet holder), and poker veteran Young Phan (a WSOP Circuit Event ring owner) were all gathered for battle at one table, all but ensuring that at least one wouldn’t survive to the finals.

The early action wasn’t kind to some of the pros on the felt. Bansi was eliminated in 19th place and Mackey followed him out the door in 18th. A cooler knocked out ElkY in 13th place when his pocket Kings ran into pocket Aces. After nearly four hours of play, only Phan and de Wolfe made the final 10 players, but were the short stacks. Jonas Klausen had the chip lead with slightly over 2.3 million chips, 600,000 more than Baldwin, his closest pursuer, and more than six times what Phan and de Wolfe held.

Phan did not record an official final table finish, as he was eliminated in 10th place. After the dinner break, de Wolfe, who had nursed his short stack in an attempt to claim his second bracelet of this year’s WSOP, left the festivities in fifth at the hands of Klausen. An hour and a half after de Wolfe’s departure, the final duo was determined with the two players who came to the final table with the most chips, Klausen and Baldwin, began to battle for the bracelet.

Both players were nearly dead even in chips as the heads-up battle started. Over the first 45 minutes of heads-up play, Klausen was able to crawl into the lead, only to see Baldwin cripple him 10 minutes later when Klausen flopped top two pair on a flop, moved in, and was called. Baldwin’s set of fours decimated the stack of the Danish player and, on the next hand, Baldwin sealed the deal when his pocket 10s outraced the of Klausen. For his efforts, Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin, who was also the member of a Division III NCAA baseball championship team in 2005, walked off with his first WSOP gold bracelet and the $521,932 first place prize.

There will be a bit of a delay in Event #35, the $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha tournament, before final table action begins today. Eleven players were remaining in the field when the 3:00am curfew hit and there are plenty of dangerous players remaining. Team Betfair member Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi, Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy, and Isaac “westmenloAA” Baron are all on one of the two tables remaining. Other notable tournament names like Peter Jetten (who finished second last year in the $10,000 World Championship of this event) and Brazil’s Felipe Ramos are also in contention.

Two tournaments will be active with Day Two today. In Event #36, the $2,000 No Limit Hold’em tournament, 609 players return from the original 1,695 that entered. Corwin Cole will be the chip leader at 185,700 in chips, but there are threats everywhere. Top pros such as original “November Nine” member David “Chino” Rheem, John Myung, Shaun Deeb, Shannon Shorr, and Kenna James are just some of the remaining players in hot pursuit.

Day Two of the $10,000 World Championship of Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo, Event #37 on the WSOP schedule, will also be in action this afternoon. A total of 110 of the original 164 players are still alive, with only 16 taking away something for their efforts. As to be expected in a big money buy-in tournament, there isn’t a table remaining that doesn’t have at least three or four top pros on it, but they will all be chasing former World Poker Tour (WPT) Champion Tuan Le and his 234,000 in chips. WPT Co-Founder Lyle Berman and poker pro Jeffrey Lisandro are in second and third place at this point, respectively, and it is entirely possible that a final table will not be determined by the 3:00am curfew.

Only one event is scheduled for its Day One on Friday. The $2,000 Limit Hold’em, Event #38 on the WSOP schedule, is set for play at Noon in the Amazon Room at the Rio.

James Van Alstyne Wins First Bracelet; Wolpert Defeats Duthie in $10K Heads-Up

Just days after finishing runner-up to Zac Fellows in the $3,000 buy-in HORSE event, poker pro James Van Alstyne made another HORSE final table, this time in the $1,500 buy-in HORSE tournament. While he just missed the mark at the former final table, he finally captured the elusive gold bracelet in this most recent event.

Van Alstyne has a long list of poker accomplishments to his name, including over $3 million in tournament winnings and six World Series of Poker (WSOP) final tables, but he was missing that final piece of the puzzle – the bracelet. So far this Series Van Alstyne has been close to the title on several occasions; in addition to finishing second in the $3,000 HORSE event, he also took 6th in the $10,000 Mixed Games championship event which was won by Ville Wahlbeck.

At Monday night’s final table Van Alstyne started out near the bottom of the chip counts, but managed to rally back once play got down to the final six players. After the other big names at the table, online pro Shannon Shorr and Bryan “The Icon” Micon, were eliminated in 5th and 4th place respectively, Van Alstyne made quick work of his two remaining opponents Mitch Schock and Tad Jurgens. Schock went out in third place and Jurgens was eliminated in second just half an hour later. Van Alstyne earned $247,033 for his victory. With his win, Van Alstyne is now tied with Brock “t_soprano” Parker for third in the WSOP Player of the Year race with 220 points.

Just a few tables away from Van Alstyne’s HORSE final table, another gold bracelet was on the line. Play in the $10,000 buy-in Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em event was initially scheduled to end Monday, but after a long day of matches, the two finalists, semi-professional online poker player Leo “Pechorin” Wolpert and EPT co-founder and PokerStars Pro John Duthie, were given a night to rest up before playing out the championship match.

Play in the finals kicked off at noon on Tuesday where the players played a total of three matches before a champion was crowned. While the rest of the tournament was single elimination, the finals were conducted in a best-of-three format.

Wolpert jumped to an early lead in Match One, but doubled Duthie back up to even when his A-Q lost a race to Duthie’s pocket tens. From that point forward, Duthie proceeded to chip away, eventually taking down Match #1 in a matter of 96 hands. The players took a short break and returned for Match #2 which was done in a flash. Match #2 lasted a grand total of nine hands before Wolpert put it away with a monster hand.

With the blinds at 15,000/30.000 Wolpert raised to 90,000 and Duthie called from the big blind. The two then proceeded to get it all-in on the flop with Duthie holding for top pair, top kicker and Wolpert holding for a set of sixes. The set held and Wolpert was right back in the thick of things in a matter of minutes.

The end of the tournament was still a long ways away though. The third and final match lasted an astounding 191 hands and several hours before a winner was determined. On the final hand of play, Wolpert got it all in on a holding for two pair versus Duthie’s for top pair. The treys and fives held to give Wolpert his first WSOP bracelet at his second WSOP final table.

Wolpert, who divides his time between playing online and attending law school at the University of Virginia, was ecstatic after his big win. However, in his post-victory interview he remained level headed about his achievement. “[Life] won’t change”, he explained. “I will have more money in the bank. But I am still going to be in law school next year.” Wolpert is right, he will definitely have more money: he earned $625,682 for his win while Duthie took home $386,636 for second.

Wednesday will see two more bracelets awarded. The twelve players remaining in the $10,000 buy-in World Championship of Limit Hold’em will return at 1PM to play down to a winner. Kenny Hsiung is the current chip leader, but several other known pros including Full Tilt Pros Jennifer Harman and Greg “FBT” Mueller as well as Daniel Alaei and PokerStars Pro Chad Brown remain in the field.

A winner will also be crowned in the $2,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em Event. Chip leader Jason Boynes and Peter “Nordberg” Feldman are amongst the 19 players still in contention for the bracelet.

With a little more than half of the events in the books, the WSOP has awarded $64,293,644 in cash prizes and drawn 32,136 participants. There are still a couple dozen more tournaments to go, including the Main Event, so expect those numbers to grow substantially as play continues into July.

European Commission: US in Violation of WTO over Internet Gambling

As a result of a complaint filed by the Remote Gambling Association (RGA), the European Commission has found the United States to be in violation of its World Trade Organization (WTO) obligations due to its stance on internet gambling.

According to a statement posted on the European Commission’s website, “The report concludes that the U.S. measures constitute an obstacle to trade that is inconsistent with WTO rules. As a result, WTO proceedings would be justified.” However, the Commission may elect to forge an agreement with the Obama Administration rather than pursue WTO action. The RGA represents a bevy of European internet gambling companies, many of which are traded on major stock exchanges in London and Vienna. Its member roster includes Party Gaming, 888, Ladbrokes, Sportingbet, and Playtech, which owns and operates the popular iPoker Network.

The 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) drove publicly traded internet gambling sites out of the U.S. market in deference to shareholder interests. However, U.S.-based sites that permit online wagering on horse racing were allowed to flourish. In addition, sites like PokerStars and Bodog, which are not publicly traded, continued to solicit customers from the North American nation. The Commission’s final report assessed, “There are serious adverse effects for the E.U. They include revenue and stock market value lost by affected companies as a result of their absence from the U.S. market and also the threat of serious sanctions hanging over them that affect their normal operation outside of the U.S.”

The European Commission’s investigation was launched in March of 2008. In the end, its report outlines many of the ambiguities and shortcomings of the UIGEA, including the lack of a definition of “unlawful internet gambling” and the propensity of credit card companies and other payment processing companies to “overblock.” The latter has taken center stage in North Dakota and New Hampshire, where legal online lottery purchases have been stunted by UIGEA regulations. Moreover, the report dives into the specifics of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), which allows sports betting in several U.S. states, including Delaware and Nevada. In total, the European Commission report spends countless pages assessing convoluted U.S. gambling laws.

As a result of withdrawing from the U.S. market, the stock price of publicly traded internet gambling companies took a nosedive. Party Gaming, 888, and Sportingbet lost 75% of their value for a sum of ?5.7 billion between January of 2006 and October of 2006. In addition, bwin, which is traded in Vienna, lost €120 million as a result of exiting the U.S. market. In December of 2008, Party Gaming Co-Founder Anurag Dikshit admitted to violating the Wire Act of 1961 in a New York courtroom. On the same day as Dikshit’s agreement was struck, shares of Party Gaming shot up 27%. According to the Commission, the increase is evidence of how “uncertainty created by the [Department of Justice] investigations is affecting the business prospects of E.U. remote gambling and betting companies.”

Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative spokesperson Michael Waxman told Poker News Daily, “We hope that members of Congress are paying attention to all of these very compelling arguments about why regulation is needed. We hope that, following Congressman Barney Frank’s leadership, members of Congress will start paying attention and move in support of regulation.” Frank’s Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act (HR 2267) outlines a comprehensive regulatory environment for the internet gambling industry in the United States. It was introduced on May 6th and is up to 30 co-sponsors.

On the future of the European Commission’s activities, a recent Wall Street Journal article noted, “The E.U. said Wednesday it would hold off on filing a formal complaint in hopes of negotiating some sort of solution with the Obama Administration.”

2009 Aruba Poker Classic Dates Announced

Mark your calendars. The 2009 Aruba Poker Classic will take place from October 3rd to 10th at the Radisson Resort on the sunny island. Officials from Ultimate Bet, which serves as the event’s presenting sponsor, are expecting 550 runners.

The Main Event in Aruba will carry a $5,500 buy-in and begin on October 5th, crowning a champion five days later. The event’s website has even received a makeover to mark the countdown to the festivities, which begin in just 170 days. In a press release distributed by Ultimate Bet this week, one of its main faces, 11-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, commented that he’s already ready to head to Aruba: “Aside from winning my 12th bracelet, the week-long Aruba Poker Classic poker experience is what I’m looking forward to the most this year. Millions in prize money, more players than ever, UB’s 10th birthday bash, and unbelievable parties. I mean, what’s not to love?”

Tournament Directors’ Association co-founder Matt Savage will serve as the officiate in Aruba. Also slated to appear is Ultimate Bet pro and Celebrity Apprentice runner up Annie Duke, who is fresh off reaching the final two of the popular NBC reality show. Ultimately, comedian Joan Rivers bested her in the season finale, but Duke raised over $730,000 for her charity, Refugees International. In addition to the Main Event, Duke, Hellmuth, and others in attendance will be battling it out in a series of preliminary tournaments. Here is the full schedule of events for the 2009 Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic:

$5,000+500 Aruba Poker Classic Championship Event: October 5-10th
$2,000+100 Two-Day No Limit Hold’em Tournament: October 7th
$1,000+60 No Limit Hold’em Tournament: October 8th
$2,000+100 No Limit Hold’em Six-Handed Tournament: October 9th
$500+40 No Limit Hold’em Tournament: October 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 9th
Charity Poker Tournament to Benefit the Aruba Community: October 8th

The Aruba Poker Classic Main Event’s reigning champion is Matt Brady, who pocketed $1 million for the win last year. In 2007, Travis “TravestyFund” Rice emerged victorious from the field of 548 players en route to an $800,000 first place prize. In 2006, it was Devon Miller, who went toe to toe against then-Ultimate Bet pro Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy, who parted ways with the site in December. In 2005, two-time WSOP bracelet holder Feddy Deeb took home the title for $1 million. Eric Brenes stole the show in 2004, besting 646 players, while another Eric, Full Tilt Poker pro Erick Lindgren, won it all in 2003. The very first installment of the Aruba Poker Classic took place in 2002 and was won by Juha Helppi, who defeated Phil Gordon.

Deeb’s win in 2005 marked the last time that the Aruba Poker Classic served as a stop on the World Poker Tour. In October of 2006, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was passed in the United States, leading to events like the Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic and the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure looking for new tour partners. The latter is now part of the European Poker Tour (EPT); Ultimate Bet’s remains an independent event. Despite the flux, Ultimate Bet will celebrate its decade-long anniversary in Aruba and host a Welcome Party on Day 1, which it touts as the “don’t miss social event of the Aruba Poker Classic.”

Ultimate Bet, which comprises one-half of the CEREUS Network, recently rolled out a software update that includes ante games, a “final table view” design, and automatic tournament pop-ups in case the software client is closed or disconnected. Absolute Poker also makes its home on the CEREUS Network, the seventh largest worldwide in terms of cash game traffic according to PokerScout.com. The Network boasts a seven day running average of 2,150 real money ring game palayers with a 24 hour peak of nearly 3,000.

Lee Jones Signs with Cake Poker

On February 6th, longtime industry icon Lee Jones left his post as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of poker training site CardRunners after nearly a year with the company. Now, Poker News Daily can confirm that Jones has signed with Cake Poker.

StoxPoker co-founder Jim Varnon became the new COO of CardRunners, leaving supporters of Jones in the United States and around the world to wonder what the next chapter in his tale would be. On his reason for leaving CardRunners, Jones commented in a post on the site’s forums, “The issue is that we’ve got too many managers for the work that needs to be done, and that’s too many mouths to feed. Everybody else is tied to CardRunners by a substantial equity position, so I’m the natural candidate to step aside.” StoxPoker and CardRunners merged in September. Four months later, the two sites teamed up to introduce Truly Free Poker Training through Full Tilt, where CardRunners instructors are sponsored pros.

In the same post, Jones speculated on his future, claiming, “I don’t expect to be taking a regular job in (or out of) the poker industry in the foreseeable future. I have a couple of poker-related projects I’m looking at, but nothing even approaching full-time.” He’ll now join Cake Poker, the flagship site of the Cake Poker Network. The USA-friendly family of sites currently sits as the 10th largest worldwide according to traffic ranking site PokerScout.com, boasting a seven day running average of 1,660 real money ring game players; its 24 hour peak is a healthy 2,624. Other sites on the Cake Poker Network include Doyle’s Room, which is fronted by 10-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner and industry legend Doyle Brunson. Also making its home on the Network are Lock Poker, which played host to March’s Bluff Online Poker Challenge, and Players Only.

Poker World moved to the Cake Poker Network in April, while Poker Host joined in February after leaving Microgaming. Cake Poker happily accepts players from the United States and is part of the fourth largest USA-friendly network behind PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and CEREUS. Jones gained fame in the industry by serving as the Poker Room Manager of PokerStars until 2007. He epitomized top-notch customer service, earning PokerStars a reputation as a highly consumer-oriented site. He spent one year working with the European Poker Tour (EPT), which is sponsored by PokerStars, before heading back to the United States to work with CardRunners.

Many in the poker industry proudly own a copy of Jones’ best-selling book, “Winning Low-Limit Hold’em.” It was released in 2000 and can even be purchased on Amazon.com for the affordable price of $16.47. The book has received acclaim from Amazon.com customers, as out of 140 reviews submitted at the time of writing, 95 were for five stars, or 68%. Jones’ publication includes a series of quizzes to ensure learning along the way and weighs in at over 200 pages.

The Cake Poker Network now stands to gain a considerable amount of publicity and credibility as a result of adding Jones. Chris Wallace, an instructor for PokerXFactor.com who is known in the online poker world as “Fox,” told Poker News Daily, “Lee Jones signing with Cake Poker is going to mean that the site gets more exposure and people will know the name. Hopefully, Lee brings more professionalism to Cake Poker in terms of upgrading the online poker site’s software and getting people to show up.” The room is in the midst of qualifying its players for the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas through an ongoing Gold Chip Lottery. To date, a total of 53 Cake Poker members are headed to the “Big Dance” at the Rio to play in preliminary tournaments.

We’ll have more for you on Lee Jones joining Cake Poker as information is released right here on Poker News Daily.

Don Cheadle joins the team at Full Tilt

The award winning actor and co-founder of the Ante Up For Africa charity Don Cheadle is the latest big name to join the ranks of Full Tilt Poker. The star of Hotel Rwanda, Crash and Ocean’s 11 has become a Friend of Full Tilt Poker and will appear in red any time he is playing on the site.

Don Cheadle Signs with Full Tilt Poker

Ante Up for Africa co-founder Don Cheadle has signed on to be a Friend of Full Tilt Poker. Cheadle is one of the world’s leading actors and has appeared in the hit movie “Crash” as well as the “Oceans Eleven” trilogy.

Cheadle founded Ante Up for Africa along with Celebrity Apprentice candidate Annie Duke and Norman Epstein. The organization will be featured prominently during ESPN’s coverage of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas. The $5,000 buy-in Ante Up for Africa tournament starts on Thursday, July 2nd and is one of three events that compose the television network’s coverage. According to a press release distributed by Full Tilt Poker this week, participants are asked to donate 50% of their winnings to charity. In many cases, the tournament’s winners give their entire payday to the organization, which raises money and awareness for victims of the crisis in Darfur.

Cheadle is no stranger to the poker spotlight. Besides his work with Ante Up for Africa, he has also appeared on NBC’s National Heads-Up Poker Championship, a tournament most recently won by Huck Seed, who boasts the best record in the series’ history. In 2007, Cheadle defeated Full Tilt Poker pro Phil Ivey in the opening round of the National Heads-Up Championship before falling to Scott Fischman in the second round. Fischman, in turn, lost to poker pro Kristy Gazes in the round of 16. In 2008, Cheadle squared off against Gus Hansen in the first round, but was bested by the three-time World Poker Tour (WPT) champion.

In 2009, Cheadle defeated David “The Dragon” Pham in the first round at Caesars Palace, but fell to 2006 WSOP Main Event runner up Paul Wasicka when 32 players remained. The acclaimed actor has appeared on Poker After Dark, which also airs on NBC. He commented in a press release, “I’ve done alright in the televised tourneys I’ve participated in and I’ve won several tournaments around town. I have yet to play in the WSOP events, but I hope my schedule will permit me to do so in the future.” Other films that the newest Friend of Full Tilt has appeared in include “Hotel Rwanda,” “Traffic,” “Reign Over Me,” and “Traitor.” He will also appear in next year’s follow up to “Iron Man,” which stars Robert Downey, Jr.

Other Friends of Full Tilt include Bruce Buffer, who currently works with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Buffer appeared at the final table of the WPT Invitational during Season III, finishing sixth and earning $5,000. Poker author Michael Craig is a Friend of Full Tilt, as is All-In and Bluff Magazine columnist Jay Greenspan. Others include Niklas Heinecker, Gabriela Hill, Matt Hughes, Gary Jones, Stephan Kalhamer, Brian Koppelman, Maxi Muller, Ali Nejad, Jeremiah Smith, Mike Swick, Johnathan Wendel, and Yueqi Zhu.

Full Tilt Poker is kicking off its relationship with Cheadle by hosting a $5 + $5 private charity tournament online to benefit Ante Up for Africa. The date for the event has not yet been announced, but is expected to take place prior to the $5,000 buy-in contest in Las Vegas at the Rio. A bevy of Team Full Tilt pros will also be in attendance during the 10 week-long WSOP festivities, including Chris Ferguson, reigning WSOP Europe Main Event Champion John Juanda, Jennifer Harman, Phil Gordon, Erik Seidel, Andy Bloch, and Durrrr Challenge participant Patrik Antonius.

Full Tilt Poker is the second largest site worldwide with a seven day running average of 11,400 real money ring game players. Its 24 hour peak is over 16,000 and the site happily accepts customers from the United States. It is one of only a handful of online poker rooms that appears on the list of 200 sites distributed for censorship by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety to 11 of the world’s largest internet service providers (ISPs). Other USA-friendly sites on the list, which was generated randomly and made public last week, include Bodog and Players Only.

iMEGA Sends Letters to Minnesota Internet Service Providers

In the wake of the order by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety to 11 internet service providers (ISPs) calling for the blockage of 200 internet gaming domain names, the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA) has struck back.

iMEGA sent a letter of its own to ISPs, which states, “iMEGA wants you to know that it believes that the Notice lacks any legitimate foundation in the law and requests that you not block access to the websites identified.” The Department of Public Safety charged that ISPs were in violation of the Wire Act of 1961, which has traditionally applied to online sports betting. Nevertheless, USA-friendly online poker sites such as Bodog, Full Tilt Poker, and Players Only were among the 200 affected. Also coming under fire were a number of online poker rooms that do not accept U.S. customers, such as Everest Poker, Titan Poker, and CD Poker. The former is even the on-felt sponsor of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas, which begins later this month from the Rio.

iMEGA asserts that the Wire Act “simply does not apply to website operators and imposes no duty upon you to comply with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s request.” The question of whether multi-faceted companies such as Verizon and Comcast, which offer residential home telephone service, high-speed internet, and cable television, constitute “common carriers” as outlined by the Wire Act was also addressed. To answer it, iMEGA quoted a Congressional statement: “It is the policy of the United States… to preserve the vibrant and competitive free market that presently exists for the internet and other interactive computer services, unfettered by Federal or State regulation.”

iMEGA charges that the Minnesota Department of Public Safety is overstepping its bounds, noting that ISPs have been asked to “block access to certain websites by your Minnesota end-users even though these websites are not located within Minnesota.” The trade organization also warns that, prior to blocking a site, ISPs must provide written notice to their customers of any service changes. The letter questions whether the Department of Public Safety’s request entails a violation of the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution or a “blatant” trampling of First Amendment rights.

For ISPs that are unfamiliar with the internet gambling industry in the United States, iMEGA’s letter points out, “The Notice shows evidence of selective enforcement insofar as the list of websites identified is not exhaustive. The website list is also inaccurate insofar as it lists some websites that are not accessible by Minnesota end-users and other websites that are defunct.” In addition, it questions why Time Warner Cable, which provides internet services to Minnesota residents, was not among the 11 companies that received notices.

John Fleischaker of Dinsmore and Shohl LLP’s Louisville office sign the letter. ISPs were expected to respond within two to three weeks of receiving the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s notice. In addition to the aforementioned online poker sites, the casino arms of Ladbrokes and Party Gaming are also listed; publicly traded companies on the London Stock Exchange own both sites. Party Gaming yanked its online poker site, Party Poker, from the U.S. market shortly after the 2006 passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). The company has even signed a non-prosecution agreement with the U.S. Government. One of its co-founders, Anurag Dikshit, admitted to violating Federal law and is in the midst of paying a $300 million fine.

Today, Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) introduced legislation outlining a comprehensive licensing and regulatory framework for the internet gambling industry that focuses on consumer protections. In addition, the Massachusetts lawmaker and Chairman of the House Financial Services Industry introduced legislation to delay the implementation of UIGEA regulations by one year to December 1st, 2010.

List of 200 Banned Internet Gambling Sites in Minnesota Released

The list of 200 internet gambling sites that have come under fire by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety has been released. Many of the websites identified do not accept players from the United States, leaving leaders in the industry scratching their heads.

Headlining the contingent of targeted sites is Party Casino, which is owned by the same publicly traded parent company as its online poker room counterpart, Party Poker. Neither accepts U.S. players and to complicate matters further, Party Gaming, which can be found on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol “PRTY,” recently reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice admitting to Wire Act violations similar to one struck by company co-founder Anurag Dikshit in December. Party Poker is not on the list. Also appearing is PokerRoom, which shut its doors earlier this month along with sister site CasinoRoom (which is also on the list) and funneled customers to bwin.

Bodog appears on the list as “BoDog.com,” but the corresponding URL points to its casino arm. Bodog accepts players from the United States, as does Full Tilt Poker, whose domain is officially under fire by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Cake Poker Network site Players Only also is part of the group of 200 affected sites. Notably absent are PokerStars, Ultimate Bet, Absolute Poker, Lock Poker, Carbon Poker, Doyle’s Room, and Cake Poker. No informational or forum sites appear to be targeted at the moment. The list spans genres such as online poker, online casinos, and online sports books.

The Action Poker Network’s flagship site appears on the list, as does Titan Poker, one of the largest sites on the massive iPoker Network. Neither site accepts U.S. players. Fellow iPoker Network site Betfred’s future may now be in jeopardy, as is the longevity of Microgaming site Betway. iPoker Network sites CD Poker, Mansion Poker, and Noble Poker all appear on the list of 200 sites. One of the most visible rooms to find itself in hot water is Everest Poker, which is the official sponsor of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP), which kicks off next month from the Rio in Las Vegas. This is Everest Poker’s second year as the spectacle’s presenting sponsor. Its logo will don WSOP felts and also appear in signage at the Rio.

Other websites that have been flagged by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety include Gnuf, Golden Palace, Hollywood Poker, and InterTops Casino, which actually appears twice on the list. Publicly traded company Ladbrokes’ online poker site, despite not accepting U.S. players, is on the list, as are PokerRoom School, River Belle, and Spin Palace. Crazy Poker’s dot com and U.K. domain names are both listed. According to Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division Director John Willems, the list of 200 sites was drawn “randomly” without regard to the type of internet gambling employed.

The Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA), which has been at the forefront of the fight for the industry in Minnesota, was puzzled by the final list distributed by the Department of Public Safety. Joe Brennan, its Chairman, commented in a press release on the organization’s website, “We question how much thought was put into the selection of these sites. To propose censoring Minnesota residents’ Web access and not to know which sites are even in the U.S. market makes me wonder just how seriously the Department of Public Safety is taking this action. It comes off as a half-baked attempt at intimidation rather than thoughtful enforcement.”

The ISPs that received notice have up to three weeks to respond. They include some of the largest telecommunications corporations on the planet: Verizon, AT&T, Qwest, and Direct TV, just to name a few. The letter sent to each ISP reads, “We are therefore requesting these enterprises not be allowed to transmit gambling information to your Minnesota customers.” The letter also states that the Federal Communications Commission (incorrectly labeled as “Federal Communication Commission”) received a copy. Each gambling site is listed alongside its IP address and telephone number, although the latter is not present for every site on the list. The Department of Public Safety is also calling for telephone access to be blocked where appropriate.

View the entire list of 200 internet gambling sites in jeopardy in Minnesota.

iMEGA Will File Kentucky Supreme Court Brief by June 1st

On April 2nd, the Kentucky Clerk's Office approved the Commonwealth’s brief in a case that pits the state against owners of 141 internet gambling domain names. The approval means that the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA) must file its brief to the Kentucky Supreme Court by June 1st.

The timeline is setting up a summer showdown in the United States between the organization and the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet. In January, the Kentucky Court of Appeals ruled by a two to one margin that the State lacked jurisdiction to seize and force the potential forfeiture of 141 internet gambling domain names, including those belonging to online poker sites such as PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. The industry originally received word of the forfeiture back in September.

Although Commonwealth attorneys originally asked for more space to outline their discord or more time to pare the document down, the final brief weighed in at 50 pages, which is the maximum number allowed by law. The State’s brief opens, “Wagers are accepted in an unregulated underworld without effective age verification, identification, or financial accountability… Persons can instantly wager and lose retirement savings or college funds in secrecy.”

The State also notes that internet gambling may be cutting into its revenues for legalized forms, including horse racing. The city of Louisville is just three weeks away from playing host to the annual Kentucky Derby, which is held on the first Saturday in May. The spectacle takes place at Churchill Downs and brings in an extensive amount of revenue to the state’s economy. The Commonwealth’s brief claims that 2,500 “unregulated sites” solicit U.S. customers. They include 1,083 online casinos, 592 sports books, 532 online poker rooms, 224 Bingo sites, 49 skill game websites, 30 betting exchanges, 25 lotteries, and 17 backgammon sites. These figures are sourced from a Casino City study in 2006.

The brief also gives a lengthy history of arrests and admissions of guilt in the internet gambling industry. Commonwealth attorneys alluded to Party Gaming Co-Founder Anurag Dikshit’s $300 million settlement with the U.S. Government in December of 2008, decisions by ClearChannel and Infinity Broadcasting to cease running advertisements for online gambling sites in 2003, a $7.2 million settlement between Sporting News and the U.S. Department of Justice in 2006, and the arrests of the founders of Neteller.

The question of whether iMEGA and the Interactive Gaming Council (IGC) have standing to sue is also brought into light. The brief asserts, “IGC and iMEGA have refused to identify a single owner they seek to represent. iMEGA has even failed to identify any Domain Defendants its unidentified members claim to own. Appellant has no way to verify whether the associates have the authority to represent an actual entity claiming ownership interest in a domain.” Last March, Judge Mary L. Cooper granted iMEGA standing to sue to declare the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) unconstitutional. That case also currently sits in appeal.

In October, Judge Thomas Wingate did not overturn the seizure order by Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear. The decision prompted iMEGA and the IGC to file a petition for the state’s Court of Appeals to intervene. The organizations’ pleas were granted, setting up a December hearing in Louisville. In January, Judges Michelle Keller and Jeff Taylor agreed that the Commonwealth did not have proper jurisdiction to force the forfeiture of the 141 internet gambling domain names in question. Judge Michael Caperton submitted a dissenting opinion arguing that domain names are part of a much larger “gambling device,” a term that traditionally refers to physical objects like slot machines or roulette wheels found in an underground casino.

No date has been set for the Kentucky Supreme Court to hear the case. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from the battle in the Bluegrass State.

PartyGaming agrees to $105 million settlement

"The resolution of our position with the US authorities marks an important day for PartyGaming," CEO Jim Ryan said.  "It has been a long and complex process but we have reached an amicable solution with the USAO that makes commercial sense for our business and is in the best interests of shareholders."

Essentially, the USAO will not prosecute PartyGaming or any of its subsidiaries, including PartyPoker, for providing internet gambling services to US customers prior to the enactment of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in 2006.

PartyGaming has also accepted a Statement of Facts admitting they offered gaming services in the US from 1997 until 2006 and that certain transactions processed by third parties for PartyGaming were contrary to US laws of the day.

Under the terms of the agreement, PartyGaming has also agreed to stay out of the US internet gambling market under current legislation.

The $105 million settlement will be paid in semi-annual installments through September 2012, beginning with a $5 million payment April 10.

PartyGaming stopped allowing US players on its casino and poker sites when the UIGEA came into force in October 2006 and has been in talks with US authorities regarding the legality of its previous practices since 2007.

This past December, PartyGaming co-founder Anurag Dikshit also pleaded out to Wire Act charges regarding the companies activities and was sentenced to pay a $300 million fine.

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