Poker News

Online Poker Tournament Recap: Monday, August 31

PokerStars, the world’s leading online poker site, once again generated the largest turnouts Sunday, as its major events extended well beyond their guarantees. The site, which is preparing for its World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) this week, drew nearly 9,000 players to its flagship Sunday Million tournament. Five players struck a deal and each received a six-figure payday.

PokerStars Sunday Million

A massive field of 8,993 turned out for the Sunday Million on August 30, creating a prize pool of $1,798,600, the largest in months. Last week saw 7,431 participants in the weekend’s largest tournament on the internet, but the site added $300 bounties on each of its sponsored players this week to add some flavor.

Daniel “KidPoker” Negreanu, J.C. Alvarado, Jason Mercier, and Victor Ramdin were among the Team PokerStars Pro players in attendance. Railbirds flooded the chat boxes late into the night as online stars Steve “gboro780″ Gross and David “BodogMaven” Chicotsky made deep runs, but Chicotsky was eliminated in 10th place when he moved his short stack in with 7-4 and found himself up against an opponent’s pocket tens. Gross was taken out in sixth place when his A-K couldn’t hold up against BigBradley’s A-Q and the remaining five players agreed to a deal. The big winner was CesarSPA, who added $208,845.93 to his account, while Georgia’s angiebug4 went on to win the tournament and $126,921.72.

1. angiebug4 - $126,921.72
2. CesarSPA - $208,845.93
3. BigBradley - $173,454.74
4. siggen001 - $131,719.96
5. suckabig1 - $100,530.55
6. Steve “gboro780” Gross - $53,958.01
7. SebiXXXX - $35,972.01
8. Whitfield74 - $19,784.61
9. Spoli4tor - $12,590.21

Full Tilt Poker $750,000 Guaranteed

The Full Tilt $750,000 Guarantee attracted 4,144 entrants to build a prize pool of $828,800. Costa Rican pro Felipe “clotilda” Montenegro was the biggest name at the final table and settled on a four-way chop to walk away with $72,000. Montenegro ultimately took fourth place in the tournament, while ADCampbell collected $104,929.51 after earning the win.

1. ADCampbell - $104,929.51
2. ypma - $62,660
3. mich_alumni - $98,967
4. Felipe “clotilda” Montenegro - $72,000
5. zsunset - $34,229.44
6. kenneoin - $25,361.28
7. quivan96 - $19,062.40
8. shhhant - $14,918.40
9. PatrickJ89 - $11,105.92

PokerStars Sunday 500

A handful of online professionals reached the final table of PokerStars Sunday 500, which drew 1,029 entrants this week. Nick “CPT CRUX” Stowell took seventh place for just over $15,000, while Thayer “THAY3R” Rasmussen finished sixth for $20,322.75. In the end, Laurence “rivermanl” Houghton of the United Kingdom got the best of long-time online tournament specialist faithless to take home a prize of $88,802.70.

1. Laurence “rivermanl” Houghton - $88,802.70
2. faithless - $64,312.50
3. omgfml - $48,877.50
4. WARN-YOU - $35,809.20
5. DeuceBuster - $25,467.75
6. Thayer “THAY3R” Rasmussen - $20,322.75
7. Nick “CPT CRUX” Stowell - $15,177.75
8. sharam_nuts - $10,032.75
9. MisterJJW - $5,659.50

Full Tilt Poker Sunday Brawl

New Jersey’s Jims619, who took fifth in the Full Tilt $750,000 Guarantee last week, one-upped himself on Sunday with a runner-up effort in the Sunday Brawl for $63,201.60. PoutsoKefalos bested 2,393 competitors to win the tournament for $97,651.26. Full-time pros kennl and Bryn “OneUponAStar” Kenney also reached the final table.

1. PoutsoKefalos - $97,651.26
2. Jims619 - $63,201.60
3. HellaStacks_ - $46,922.40
4. white_chocko - $35,431.20
5. Javatinii - $24,897.60
6. kennl - $16,279.20
7. mightyscv - $11,012.40
8. blackjustin77 - $7,660.80
9. Bryn “OneUponAStar” Kenney - $5,745.60

Ultimate Bet $200,000 Guaranteed

Ultimate Bet’s Sunday major didn’t quite make its guarantee, as 994 runners played for a prize pool of $200,000. When it was all said and done, MAKE_IT_RAIN and BELANDATOR forged a two-way deal, although the final figures are unknown. They split up the remaining $71,300. Up-and-coming online whiz kid Michael “ROCK3656” Rocco finished third for $18,100 and Eric “SHEETSWORLD” Haber made $4,900 for his eighth-place result.

1. MAKE_IT_RAIN
1. BELANDATOR
3. Michael “ROCK3656” Rocco - $18,100
4. YOD0UG623 - $12,900
5. ANALPROBE - $10,900
6. MSUJENNY - $8,900
7. C00KEMONSTER - $6,900
8. Eric “SHEETSWORLD” Haber - $4,900
9. MAHI-MAHI - $3,400

Gary Kaplan Pleads Guilty in BetOnSports Case

Gary Kaplan, the founder of BetOnSports, has pled guilty to violations of RICO and the Wire Act in a Missouri courtroom. He will face between 41 and 51 months behind bars and pay the United States Government $43.65 million.

According to a press release distributed by the U.S. Department of Justice, Kaplan established businesses in Costa Rica, Antigua, and Aruba. One company was BetOnSports, which advertised heavily to U.S. customers and offered the following technological prowess: “Kaplan’s toll-free telephone lines terminated in Houston or Miami and then were forwarded to Costa Rica by satellite transmitter or fiber-optic cable. Some of Kaplan’s Web servers were located in Miami and were remotely controlled from Costa Rica.”

The Department of Justice contends that in 2004, BetOnSports had 1,700 employees in Costa Rica alone and nearly one million registered customers. Its clientele issued more than 10 million bets that combined for over $1 billion. Also in 2004, BetOnSports held an initial public offering (IPO) on the London Stock Exchange that earned Kaplan $100 million. He was arrested in March of 2007 and sentencing will take place on October 27th. He has been held without bond ever since being detained by U.S. authorities.

Former BetOnSports CEO David Carruthers pled guilty to racketeering charges in April and now faces up to 33 months behind bars. Carruthers, who was detained in St. Louis, will learn his fate during a sentencing hearing on October 2nd. In June, Neil Scott Kaplan, Lori Kaplan-Multz, and Penelope Tucker all pled guilty for their roles with BetOnSports. None will receive jail time, although Tucker was issued a one year probation. Kaplan’s trial had been scheduled for September 21st before last week’s plea agreement was announced.

Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA) Chairman Joe Brennan, who has been closely monitoring the actions in the BetOnSports case, told Poker News Daily, “It sounds like Kaplan’s plea agreement is complex. However, his risk against going to jail for a long time seems to have been minimized. There may also be some recognition that he’s already spent a significant amount of time behind bars.” Last August, William Hernan Lenis, Will Lenis, and Manny Lenis became the first BetOnSports staffers to admit guilt. The trio advertised the online sports betting outfit; one stunt involved bringing an RV to a St. Louis Rams game in 2002, enabling fans to place bets before entering the stadium.

In June, the Southern District of New York (SDNY) seized over $30 million in payments destined for more than 24,000 online poker players in the United States, marking one of the first times that the industry has been the target of federal law enforcement actions. Brennan explained, “Under the new administration, there has been no softening of the stance by the Justice Department towards internet gambling. When you look at what happened with Kaplan and what’s happening with the SDNY, it may be discouraging to those who thought that with the new administration, there would be less hostility towards internet gambling.”

On Friday, attorneys for Account Services will appear in the Southern District of California calling for the return of $14 million seized by the SDNY in June. Recently, Douglas Rennick, an individual associated with the company, was indicted on bank fraud, money laundering, and illegal gambling charges. He faces up to 55 years in jail and $1.75 million in fines. Brennan forecasted, “I’m sure that during the course of Friday’s hearing, there is going to be some discussion that the Department of Justice may prefer to see the criminal matter resolved before any civil action can move forward.” The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) has submitted an amicus brief in the case outlining that poker is a game of skill and therefore not illegal gambling.

FBI Special Agent John Gillies noted that Kaplan’s guilty plea was monumental: “Today’s guilty plea should have a lasting effect because Kaplan was not only the founder of BetOnSports, he was also one of the pioneers of illegal online gambling.”

Chesterboy speaks about Pitbull Poker

Poker News Daily has been following the Pitbull Poker controversy since the story broke some weeks ago.  At the 2+2 forums a user by the name of “Chesterboy” started a thread that quickly gained a large following accusing the site of foul play.  Among the things alleged against Pitbull Poker were superuser access amongst certain players and “stack shaving,” where money disappeared off the table without explanation.

We caught up with Chesterboy to get his current perspective of the controversial situation involving Pitbull Poker following the poker room’s statement issued last week.

NOTE: Chesterboy’s claims are entirely his own and do not reflect PND’s views or position in any way.

 

PND: Can you give a brief introduction of yourself and your online poker background?

CB:  I am 27 and I have been playing online poker for a living for 7 years.  I primarily play as a prop in low limit games up to $10/$20 limit Hold’em and $1/$2 NL Hold’em and PLO.   I have made $50k-$100k a year as a pro, with my average around $70k. 

PND: What drew you to play at Pitbull Poker in the first place?

CB: We had it as a prop site and they had a good rake race promo that added a lot of value to the normal prop pay. 

PND: How long had you been playing there and when did you start to notice what you perceive to be suspicious behavior?

CB:  I noticed strange play the first time I ever played in the $2/$5 NL games.  It took me about 10 days to become convinced I was being cheated.  I don’t believe there was much cheating in the lower limit games or in any non Hold’em games. 

PND: Can you give a quick summary of why you believe the site has superusers and how you’ve detected them?

CB:  I have faced numerous opponents that all play the same style, which involves donk betting at an abnormally high frequency, typically 2 big blinds, no matter what the size of the pot.  I noticed this before I sat in the games, and these players are the reason I decided to sit.  I normally don’t play higher than $1/$2 but these guys looked like free money so I joined the games. 

 

However I quickly noticed they would only donk bet when I missed the flop or had a draw.  If I tried to raise the donk bet, they would call, and make another 2bb donk bet on the turn.  If I had a draw and hit, they would check fold every time. 

I basically was never able to get any action when I had them beat, and they consistently made small bets at me when I had air.  The accuracy was way too high to be possible without seeing my cards. 

I have never faced so many players that play this style on any other site.  Anywhere else you play, if someone donk bets that much it is great because you get all their money eventually, but on Pitbull Poker they are never wrong.

Several other long time professionals had come to the same conclusion as me, each of us independently, and we eventually we talked about it and realized we weren’t just imagining things and there probably was some cheating going on. 

PND:  You posted on the 2+2 forums your case and communications with Dave Brenes (Pitbull Poker’s Manager).  How do you feel the support has been for your argument from the other users on the forum?

CB:  Initially it was assumed I was imagining things, which is to be expected.  There are a few posts a day about site xxx being rigged and 99% of the claims are baseless.  Fortunately for me other long time players had experienced something fishy too and people realized we were maybe on to something. 

PND:  Part of your argument against Pitbull Poker is that they are virtually an unlicensed and unregulated poker room.  Some say, however, that it’s “buyer beware” out in the Internet gaming landscape.  Do you feel Pitbull is at fault for possibly being unlicensed, or the players’ fault for playing on a site with that type of background?

CB: I don’t fault Pitbull for being unlicensed.  The legal environment for online poker is rather vague and their offices are located in Costa Rica, where they do not need a license to operate.  However, I do fault them for lying and claiming to have a UK license.  They also claim to encrypt data being transmitted for server to client, when in fact they send hole card data unencrypted.  They actually have their servers in Panama, which I believe means they legally need a Panama gaming license, which they do not. 

When I initially viewed their site I didn’t intend to play there because the software was horrible and it just seemed like an out-of-the-basement kind of operation.  The only reason I played there was because they said they had a UK gaming license.  I assumed no one would lie about this because it is easily verified.  I have learned my lesson now and will never play on a small site without verifying their license. 

The fact that Pitbull Poker ownership is so comfortable with lying and possibly breaking laws does not inspire confidence in my mind that they can be trusted to not cheat their players. 

PND:  You received 1,000 hands from Pitbull Poker to analyze for suspicious play, however, they were not the 1,000 hands you requested. You had requested the hands from a certain time period and against certain players, correct? Why were you not given these hands?

CB:  Dave Brenes told me that getting the hand histories was extremely tedious and involved some manual processing.  I proposed he simply get 1,000 specific hands for analysis and we could let those hands stand as evidence of cheating or innocence.  The specific hands we were talking about were hands played by another prop who posts under the screen name “Rapala.”  They were 1,000 hands of $10/$20 limit Hold’em where he claims he was never called by a worse hand.  These hands were played in a mostly 4-handed game.  I am sure anyone that plays limit Hold’em knows that it is impossible to never get called by a worse hand in a shorthanded game.  This seemed like the clearest way to prove guilt to the poker community with the least amount of work for Pitbull staff. 

Rapala had already asked for these hands repeatedly over several months.  Initially Dave replied that he would get him the hands soon and it was no trouble to do so.  But he quickly changed his story, eventually saying it was simply impossible.  His main excuse was that some programmers had left and some workload was being redistributed.  This became a rather humorous statement when we realized this was the same time that Dimensus Ltd, the company that owns Pitbull Poker, was dissolved.

Somehow Dave Brenes managed to confuse those 1,000 hands we were requesting with the ones he actually sent me.  The hands he sent me were played after I realized I was being cheated.  I was avoiding the cheaters and playing a fair bit of PLO while I waited for them to process cash-outs.  So if I was ever cheated, it wasn’t in the hands he sent me. 

Now that they have demonstrated they have the ability to get 1000 hands, I repeat the challenge to get us the 1000 hands of 10/20 LHE Rapala played for public analysis.     

PND:  Have you been able to do any analysis of the hands given to you, and if so, what are your findings, and if not, what are the obstacles in front of you in making an attempt at analyzing them?

CB:  Some people on 2+2 are doing some work with them.  They are converting them to a format that will work with a standard poker database.  Quite frankly I am not too interested in looking at those hands as I know that they will not show any cheating.  As I said earlier, I was avoiding the cheaters at the time that I played those hands.  I did post them publicly so that we can figure out how to convert them so that we will be prepared to analyze the relevant hands if we ever get them. 

PND:  Pitbull Poker is an extremely small poker room with a very small amount of players on the site (69 during peak hours according to PokerScout). In your estimation why should the industry care what happens at this particular poker room?

CB:  I don’t expect the industry to be too interested.  I primarily wanted to make sure that no one else got cheated so I wanted to make sure this got some exposure in the online poker community. 

PND: At the end of this journey, what are you expecting to find and what are you hoping comes out of the investigations?

CB:  If Pitbull ever releases full hand histories I think it will show obvious cheating.  I expect they will blame this on hackers, which isn’t too unrealistic considering that they don’t encrypt hole card data.  My only hope is that no one else will be cheated.  I don’t expect Pitbull to ever release evidence that would incriminate anyone, so I don’t think legal action will ever be taken, unless it is against Pitbull for operating servers in Panama illegally. 

I also hope this will show small operators that they had better stay honest because one poker player on a site like 2+2 can cause quite a bit of trouble.  In my initial private correspondence with Dave Brenes I let him know that if he didn’t work on getting us some hand histories I was going to take this public and it would get ugly.  He basically told me to go for it because no one would believe me.  I hope this incident will show other site owners that they can’t lie and possibly cheat without any consequences.

Ashton Griffin: From bust to Bobby’s Room

When Ashton Griffin got his, he did something completely different.

Otherwise known as Ashman103 on Full Tilt Poker, Griffin went straight to the Bellagio and found himself a seat in Bobby's Room surrounded by the best poker players on the planet.

At just 20, Griffin is playing against poker's best on a regular basis, for sums of money your average American twice his age doesn't make in a year.

"I wouldn't think it's too out of the ordinary," Griffin told PokerListings, despite the fact playing for so much at such a young age would be unfathomable for most.

Apparently nothing seems too out of the ordinary when you've been a millionaire, near broke and back, all in under a year - and all before you're legally allowed to drink.

Griffin's path to Bobby's Room and the highest stakes online has certainly been a turbulent one.

With self professed "tilt and money issues," Griffin has repeated a vicious cycle, running up huge sums of money only to bust in a single night.

He first found the game playing 5¢/10¢ with his Mom and Sister, but didn't take it seriously until he played with friends in high school.

That's when he realized the game could be both fun and competitive.

It didn't take long for Griffin to take that love of competition online. He was almost immediately "mass multi-tabling $60 SNGs and small-stakes six-max," and continued that routine throughout high school.

Although with his studies and the high school wrestling team, he never had enough time to take the game too seriously, Griffin always knew he had a knack for poker.

"I told my dad my sophomore year that I was going to be a millionaire in two or three years," he said. "He half believed me and I only half believed myself because I knew I was too erratic with my bankroll."

The summer after high school Griffin was on the downswing of one of his now infamous build-up-and-busts.

With just $200 to his name he knew he needed to get serious. He took a landscaping job, but quickly decided it wasn't for him.

"I told myself that I was going to take poker seriously and be rich," he said. "I had a lot of time to think and focus on what my plan was. I turned the $200 into about $10k around the end of August and decided to quit school."

But that isn't the end of the story. Those "tilt and money issues" were doomed to rear their ugly head again.

In just a year's time, Griffin grew that $200 nub into a roll that was big enough to play $25/$50 full time "with stellar results."

In August 2008, just a year after the initial run, Griffin made $1.2 million in the first 29 days of the month. He lost just under a million the very next week.

"I was playing a mix of $500/$1,000, $200/$400, $300/$600, and $2,000/$4,000 Limit O8," he said. "Most of my losses were to [Phil] Ivey and [Hac] trex [Dang]."

Tilt manifests itself in many different ways, and in Griffin's case, it came in the form of bad game selection.

Ivey at Rail Heaven, trex in the mixed games, and Benyamine at his best game: Omaha Eight or Better.

Left to rebuild once again, Griffin put his nose to the grindstone and made back $600,000 over the next four months.

He also made a prop bet with the HSNL forum on 2+2 that he wouldn't play stakes any higher than $25/$50 until he made $500k in a one-year span.

He lost that $20k bet in February 2008 when he dropped $400,000 in a single night.

"It was more about the embarrassment for me," he said. "I felt pathetic."

Determined to fight back once again, he restarted the bet the next day. He lost a little over the next two months and by April was looking for a stake.

Once staked, Griffin found some marginal success right away; eventually he paid off his backers and began rebuilding with $8,000 in his online roll. He hit the tables starting at $1/$2.

"I had a good day and by the end of the week was short stacking $5/$10," he said. "By the end of the month I was short stacking $25/$50 and the following month I won $600k playing $25/$50."

To cap off the rebuild, Griffin booked a $23k prop bet win by passing the $500k mark at $25/$50 or lower and won the $25,000 Heads-Up tournament on Full Tilt Poker for $551,250 the very same day.

"It all happened pretty fast and one thing that made it a little more awesome was that I won the prop bet like hours before the $25k heads-up started," he said. "Otherwise I couldn't have played."

Griffin has also had some success in live poker, final-tabling the San Jose, Costa Rica leg of the PokerStars Latin American Poker Tour.

However, his bread and butter has always been heads-up online.

"I have never had as much success at a game as I have with heads-up," he explained.

Though he's back on top these days, the question remains: Is history doomed to repeat itself?

Griffin doesn't think so. He's come to terms with the volatility of the game and hopes to minimize it the best he can by exercising good game selection at all times.

"I'd like to be playing $100/$200 or $50/$100, but the $200/$400 games have been wild," he said.

"I'm taking some calculated shots in those games. Things have been going phenomenal and I've only been playing when I feel like the players in the game are tilting, tired or not playing their best.

"It doesn't happen too often because these are the world's best, but it does happen."

And about that under-aged trip to Bobby's room? While Griffin was successful, it probably won't be a regular thing.

"I don't see myself playing in Bobby's Room too often," he said. "Unless it's heads-up."

Be sure to check out the full transcript of the Griffin interview in our blog.

Visit PokerListings.com

Pitbull Poker Under Fire Over Security, Superuser Accounts

What started as a collection of threads making arguments against the legitimacy of play at the small online poker room Pitbull Poker has grown into a firestorm of allegations over illegal activities.  On most of the major online poker forums, there are threads spanning dozens of pages accusing Pitbull Poker of a plethora of security issues.  Some of the posts are wild speculation, but there also appear to be serious accusations made about the site’s security, superuser accounts, and more.

Pitbull Poker is part of the Flash Poker Network, which is based in Costa Rica with servers hosted in Panama City, according to PokerScout.com.  The site is ranked 21st in the world in terms of real money ring game traffic and usually has a 24-hour peak of around 65 players at cash tables.  There is no software to download, as the poker room has been built using Adobe Flash web technology.

One of the major allegations goes back to December of 2008 for “stack shaving,” where money in a player’s stack would simply disappear between hands.  According to several posts, players reported that the range of money that would vanish was between $0.02 and $25.  A posted reply from Network Manager Dave Brenes of Pitbull Gaming appears to admit that this error took place and that players would be reimbursed.

The harshest of the posted allegations came from players claiming they have faced superusers.  A superuser is an account that has the ability to see everyone’s cards at the table.  The allegations outline instances of opponents making call-downs with perfect accuracy and check-folding whenever the hero in the hand flops well.  Dozens of examples have been posted.

Brenes has agreed to an interview with Poker News Daily that will run later this week.  He responded in detail on the TwoPlusTwo forums to the main controversial threads.  The players’ dissatisfaction comes from their desire to receive hand histories in a useable text format.  This would allow the players to convert them into a format that can be imported into Hold’em Manager or PokerTracker 3 so the community at large can analyze the hands.  This was the same method used to expose the superuser account controversies at Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker a few years ago.

Unfortunately for the poker community, Pitbull Poker stated that it would not release any hand histories beyond the format currently provided.  The hand history system is based on a tab from within the Flash-based poker room software.  Once a user clicks on a link to a hand, it loads in a graphical format.  Many users have stated that this reporting system for looking over hand histories is slow and even unstable, as many searches time out and are reset.

More allegations came in the form of holes in the software that apparently expose cards during a hand.  Although the poster in the forums making the majority of allegations edited his e-mail, he stated that one of his associates was able to see someone else’s cards during a hand.

Many on TwoPlusTwo called for the group that felt cheated to organize and make more rational arguments rather than provide vague examples of their misfortunes.  The debate rages on whether those making the allegations have any tangible proof or if the site should produce hand histories in a readable format for the community to analyze.

In the last few days, the staff at Pitbull Poker has continued to field complaints and tried to work towards a mutually beneficial conclusion.  During the course of the investigation conducted by the general public in recent days, allegations that hole card data was unencrypted were made.

Brenes has stated that readable hand histories are coming.  These hand histories are expected to shed light on potential irregularities and finally settle the rumors. Poker News Daily is following this story closely and will be bringing an exclusive interview with Brenes later this week to discuss the allegations.

Americas Cup of Poker kicks off

Players in theU.S., Mexico, Ecuador, Canada, Colombia, Uruguay, Chile, Venezuela, Peru, Costa Rica, Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay are invited to play in any of the Americas Cup of Poker daily tournaments.

Players from outside these countries can also help their country get involved through wildcard tournaments.

The countries have been split into groups, with each facing a new challenger each week.

Players score points for their country by making the top 100 in the daily freerolls, and $0.20 and $5.50 tournaments beginning today.

The country with the most points wins each match. When all the group matches are complete the two countries with the most wins in each group move on to a live final in Argentina.

The teams headed to the live event to represent their country will be made up of the five players earning the most points during the group stage and a Team PokerStars Pro.

The live tournament will be held at a Bariloche ski resort in the Andes with a $100,000 first-place prize up for grabs.

Check out PokerStars for more information. The groupings and schedule is also available on the PokerStars Americas Cup of Poker page right here.

Visit PokerListings.com

PokerStars Launches Americas Cup of Poker

PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker site, has unveiled the Americas Cup of Poker, bringing players from 13 countries in the Western Hemisphere together to do battle. Up for grabs is a $250,000 prize pool.

Players from the United States, Mexico, Ecuador, Canada, Colombia, Uruguay, Chile, Venezuela, Peru, Costa Rica, Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay will take to the felts as part of the quarter-million dollar Americas Cup of Poker. The tournament is a hybrid of live and online poker. In the end, eight teams will make their way to a ski resort in Bariloche, Argentina with the Andes Mountains serving as a picturesque backdrop. Text found on the PokerStars website touts the unique experience: “It’s the trip of a lifetime that gives you the chance to explore one of South America’s most beautiful regions - and play poker for cash and the glory of your country while you are there.” Bariloche serves as the gateway for mountain crossings into Chile.

In a similar setup to a soccer tournament, the 13 participating countries have been divided into four groups, labeled A, B, C, and D. The United States, Mexico, and Ecuador will battle in Group A. Canada, Columbia, and Uruguay will compete as part of Group B. Chile, Venezuela, Peru, and Costa Rica will take to the felts in Group C. Finally, Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay will comprise Group D. Each group except C will include a wild card country, which will be determined by the nationality of freeroll winners on July 24th, 25th, and 26th.

Countries in each group will do battle in daily freerolls, $0.20 buy-in tournaments, and $0.50 buy-in tournaments. A total of three rounds will play out: July 27th through August 2nd, August 3rd through August 9th, and August 10th through August 16th. Players who reach the Top 100 in each tournament will receive points for their country and the two countries with the most number of wins in each group will qualify for the live final in Argentina. Players with the top five point tallies from each country will make the sojourn, with the following prizes up for grabs. Each will be distributed evenly among the finalists for each country:

1st Place: $100,000
2nd Place: $60,000
3rd Place: $30,000
4th Place: $20,000
5th Place: $10,000
6th Place: $10,000
7th Place: $10,000
8th Place: $10,000

For wild card countries, the player who won the qualifying freeroll will automatically head to Bariloche should their country finish as one of the top two in the Group; the top four point earners will join them. In addition, a member of Team PokerStars Pro will be added to each team in Argentina to bolster the skill level. Members of Team PokerStars Pro from Americas Cup countries other than the United States include J.C. “PrtyPSux” Alvarado (Mexico), Leo Fernandez (Argentina), Maridu Mayrinck (Brazil), World Poker Tour Bellagio Cup V winner Alexandre Gomes (Brazil), Andre Akkari (Brazil), and Humberto Brenes (Costa Rica).

Here are the Round 1 match-ups in the Americas Cup of Poker, which will play out from July 27th to August 2nd:

Group A:
United States versus Ecuador
Mexico versus Wild Card

Group B:
Canada versus Uruguay
Columbia versus Wild Card

Group C:
Chile versus Venezuela
Peru versus Costa Rica

Group D:
Brazil versus Paraguay
Argentina versus Wild Card

First place in a daily freeroll awards 600 points to a player. Winning a $0.20 tournament results in 1,500 points, while champions of each $0.50 event will receive 3,000 points.

The final event in Bariloche is tentatively scheduled to take place from September 4th to 6th and will be filmed for television. Players who claim allegiance to multiple countries will be assigned to the nation that their PokerStars account is registered to. Starting on July 27th, the daily tournaments can be found by visiting the “Tourney” lobby of the PokerStars client and then clicking on “Regional.”

Third Circuit Court of Appeals Hears iMEGA UIGEA Case

On Tuesday, lawyers from the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA) argued in front of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia. The objective: prove that the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) is unconstitutional.

iMEGA’s case was the second on the docket on Tuesday in the Third Circuit behind a legal battle over whether a Yeshiva school could be constructed on the grounds of a synagogue based on zoning rights. One of the central issues discussed by the trade organization and counsel  for the United States Attorney General’s Office was where a bet placed online actually occurs. iMEGA Executive Director Joe Brennan explained, “We argued that the bet took place in another country like Costa Rica. When a person enters into a bet, it comes from an account already placed on the site.” However, it could be argued that bets originate on a person’s computer, on a server, or somewhere along the way in cyberspace.

Also at the forefront of the debate on Tuesday was whether iMEGA had standing to sue, something Brennan noted was preserved at the District Court level. iMEGA has online poker sites and individual players as members. Brennan recalled, “There was a ruling from the Third Circuit that concluded whether or not third parties could come forward if members were harmed, but [U.S. Attorney General counsel] Nicholas Bagley wasn’t familiar with it.” On his overall impressions, Brennan admitted, “It’s tough to tell. The three judge panel spent a lot of time with us. They didn’t spend as much time with the Government’s attorneys.”

Also questioned was whether it would have been advantageous for iMEGA to find an internet gambler who was harmed to appear in court. It’s a similar quandary that the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) has found itself in with regards to the online poker funds seizure in New York. In essence, anyone who stepped forward would be required to testify under oath that they played online poker. Brennan noted, “We said that, per the language of the statute, a person would essentially incriminate themselves in order to challenge the UIGEA. While there are no criminal sanctions, there are civil penalties for players.”

Judges Dolores Sloviter, Thomas Ambro, and Kent Jordan listened to attorneys for iMEGA and the Federal Government on Tuesday. The panel will now deliberate and return one of a wide variety of verdicts. One of the questions posed concerned the status of bills to license the industry in the United States and delay the implementation of the UIGEA’s regulations. Both were introduced on May 6th and referred to the House Financial Services Committee. HR 2266, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act, is up to 40 co-sponsors. HR 2267, the Reasonable Prudence in Regulation Act, has attracted 23 co-sponsors. Neither has been scheduled for mark-up or discussion on the floor of the House of Representatives. One possible outcome is the Third Circuit deferring a resolution until Frank’s bills are acted on.

Many in the industry are now scrambling to ascertain when the Third Circuit will hand down a decision. Brennan revealed that the court’s average turnaround time is three months and iMEGA does not expect to hear back in the next 30 days. At the District Court level, the organization was left in the dark for nearly six months.

In the meantime, iMEGA will turn its attention to the Commonwealth of Kentucky, where briefs were filed to the state’s Supreme Court in May. To open the year, the Kentucky Court of Appeals in Louisville overturned a lower court ruling by a two to one margin and asserted that the Commonwealth did not have jurisdiction to seize 141 internet gambling domain names. The State quickly appealed. There has been no word on whether the Kentucky Supreme Court will take the case.

Visit the official website of iMEGA.

Bankroll Management for the Casual Player

Let’s talk about bankroll management. But let’s talk about it in a different way than most advice-lenders do. Most articles about bankroll management discuss it from the perspective of a professional player, or at the very least, a semi-pro. What I want to do is discuss proper bankroll management for the casual player. The kind of player who plays to have fun first and to make money second. As a casual player, you may have dreams about that big score and winning that huge tournament, but in the end, you are happy if you can enjoy yourself at the poker table and scratch out a small profit in the long-run. Of course, if you are a more serious player, this article isn’t for you. Move along, there’s nothing to see here.

Poker Money is Poker Money

First and foremost, never, ever, ever, ever, never, never, ever, ever mix your poker bankroll with the money you need for everyday expenses. Your poker bankroll is just that – your poker bankroll. For you, the casual player, poker is an entertainment expense (true, you might never lose, but let’s be realistic), just like going to the movies, going to a baseball game, or attending a concert. Just like you wouldn’t skip a mortgage payment to go on a trip to Costa Rica, you shouldn’t skip a mortgage payment to reload your online poker account.

Not only is keeping your poker bankroll segregated from your household accounts the responsible thing to do, but it will also make your poker playing more enjoyable. Poker can be a stressful enough game to play under normal circumstances, even if you are primarily playing for fun, but having your child’s tuition hanging in the balance adds a whole new layer of pressure.

If you hit a bad stretch and have no more discretionary income with which to play poker, just stop playing for a while. It’s just a game. It’s not worth taking food off the table to play another hand.

Play Comfortably

When it comes to choosing table stakes, I recommend playing at a level that will make you comfortable, not one at which you think you “should” play. There are formulas out there that determine what blind levels you should play at based on the size of your bankroll, but I don’t really buy into that. Play at a level where you can handle the competition and where you won’t break into a cold sweat when all pf your chips are on the table because you can’t bear to lose that money.

That doesn’t mean play at stakes so low that they don’t mean anything. The element of risk is one aspect of poker that makes the game fun. You do want to be a little nervous, but you don’t want your stakes to be so high that it would severely damage your poker bankroll if you dropped a buy-in or two.

Many people would look at my poker bankroll compared to the low stakes that I play and consider me crazy. I should move up, they would say. But you know what? I’m not a pro. While I try to make money when I play, profitability isn’t the end all, be all for me. I could probably move up and do okay for myself, but I enjoy playing low-stakes because I feel comfortable there. The tables where I play allow me to make a moderate profit while having fun and not fretting on the occasions when I get stacked (those are rare, right?).

That all said, if you want to “take a shot” once in a while, then go for it. It can be fun to try your hand at a richer, tougher game on occasion, but don’t make it a habit and don’t shoot so high that it will drain your roll if you lose. Tournaments are a great way to take a shot while limiting your downside potential.

Reward Yourself

For the longest time, I would deposit and withdraw over and over and various online poker rooms, just building my poker bankroll. Through winning play or deposit bonuses, I pretty much grew my bankroll with no real goal in sight. But recently, I had part of my house remodeled and decided to pull out some of my poker bankroll and put it towards the construction. However lame it might have been, I finally used some of my winnings to reward myself.

Many players probably do the same thing I had been doing. Their poker winnings went right back into poker. And that’s fine. You want to keep building that roll, but you should treat yourself, too. What good is all of that money sitting in your poker accounts if you can never do anything with it besides play poker? Take some out and buy yourself something. Heck, pay down some debt that you wouldn’t have otherwise paid down if that’s your style. Reward yourself for your success.

DiCaprio to appear in online poker movie

Leonardo DiCaprio has been named to star in a yet untitled and unscripted film about the world of Costa Rican based online casinos, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

DoylesRoomAffiliates.com Locks Arms with RakeTheRake.com to Give Affiliates and Players More

Renewed relationship between most trusted online poker room and major affiliate powerhouse launches with several rake-related contests San Jose, Costa Rica – May 21, 2009 – DoylesRoomAffiliates.com, the online poker affiliate program for …

DiCaprio to star in new online poker movie

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Paramount has picked up an as-yet-untitled film about the world of Costa Rica-based online casinos from writers Brian Koppelman and David Levien, the team who penned the now-infamous Matt Damon/Edward Norton vehicle Rounders.

The baby-faced DiCaprio has also reportedly signed on to star in the project, and given his seemingly unstoppable success, it could mean the film will move from pre-production purgatory into actual production rather quickly.

Koppelman and Levien most recently wrote  Steven Soderbergh's The Girlfriend Experience, and were responsible for the slick Las Vegas film Ocean's Thirteen - perhaps suggesting a taste for gunfire and heist scenes, which is sure to make the legions of poker fans around the world fist-pump the air with delight.

No release date has been set for the film. DiCaprio will next bless the screen in the new Martin Scorcese film, Shutter Island.

Visit PokerListings.com

Leonardo DiCaprio to Star in Online Poker Movie

Move over, “Titanic,” there’s a new sheriff in town. Hollywood heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio will star in an untitled film about internet gambling outfits in Costa Rica, according to the Hollywood Reporter and Entertainment Weekly.

The screenplay will be written by Brian Koppelman and David Levien, who both served in the same capacity in the 1998 film “Rounders,” which turned many of today’s poker prodigies onto the game. According to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB), “Rounders” marked the first official writing credits for Koppelman and Levien. The duo has also teamed up with DiCaprio to bring “Beat the Reaper” to the big screen. The film, which will be released next year, has the following plot according to IMDB: “ER doctor Peter Brown’s life is turned upside down when he crosses paths with a mobster who appears to know him from his former life as a hitman.”

No release date has been given for DiCaprio’s online poker movie. An article on MTV.com noted that DiCaprio’s plate is quite full: “DiCaprio has an enormous list of films in pre-production. For the time being, at least, he’ll be working on Christopher Nolan’s ‘Inception.’ Whenever he’s finished with that, he will probably have developed five more projects.” IMDB notes that DiCaprio has 21 films in development.

Whether the film will focus on online poker, casinos, or sports betting remains to be seen and various websites pitch the movie in several different ways. Tokwiro-owned online poker rooms Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker are both based in San Jose, the Central American country’s capital city. A report by CBS News program “60 Minutes” identified the offices of the sites as being located in a “strip mall.” Both Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker comprise the CEREUS Network, which was formed in November.

Action Poker, the flagship site of the network of the same name, has offices in Costa Rica. Joining the site in the tropical nation is Doyle’s Room, which opened the 2009 calendar year by jumping to the USA-friendly Cake Poker Network. Ten-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Doyle Brunson, whose “Texas Dolly” moniker has made him one of the industry’s foremost faces, is the site’s namesake. Also holding a presence in Costa Rica is PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker site. According to PokerScout.com, which ranks online poker site traffic, PokerStars has a seven day running average of 22,000 cash game players. It happily accepts customers from the United States.

“Rounders” starred Edward Norton and Matt Damon. The movie was released five years before Chris Moneymaker became a household after the Tennessee accountant defeated Sammy Farha in the 2003 WSOP Main Event. Since then, Koppelman and Levien have kept their love for poker alive, teaming up for ESPN’s short-lived series “Tilt,” which starred Michael Madsen as Don “The Matador” Everest. “Tilt” premiered in 2005, ran for one season, and featured appearances by poker superstars including Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, Erik Seidel, and T.J. Cloutier. Negreanu is fresh off a cameo in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.”

Finally, Koppelman and Levien wrote “Oceans Thirteen,” which came out in 2007. It was the third installment of the franchise, which stars Damon, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Andy Garcia, and Julia Roberts. “Oceans Thirteen” returned to its roots in Las Vegas as the team sought revenge on casino owner Willy Blank (played by Al Pacino). The movie also stars Don Cheadle, who founded Ante Up for Africa along with Norman Epstein and “Celebrity Apprentice” runner-up Annie Duke.

We’ll have more information for you on DiCaprio’s online gambling movie as it becomes available right here on Poker News Daily.

Latin American Poker Tour

The Latin American Poker Tour, currently being sponsored by PokerStars, had their LAPT Mar del Plata event start this week in Argentina with a $5,200 Main Event. This prestigious poker tournament was capped at 600 entrants, both internet pros and top live tournament circuit players, with two separate starting days. The LAPT Mar del Plata event is held at the Casino Central, one of Argentina’s most luxurious casino and resort destinations.

The structure of the event was similar to most “Main Event” tournaments, with each player starting with $10,000 in tournament chips and blinds starting at a modest $25-$50. Unlike the WSOP Main Event, which starts with $20,000 stacks and sees levels increase every two hours and, the LAPT main events move up their blinds every hour. Although the event was capped at 600 players, approximately 280 made the long trek from around the world to Argentina to play in arguably the LAPT's most prestigious event.

Day 1a took off on Thursday and featured 140 players from every corner of the planet. Notable players included Maria Mayrinck, Chris Moneymaker and illustrious names such as Boris Becker and LAPT Viña del Mar winner Fabián Ortiz. Apparently, players did not arrive at the LAPT to enjoy sitting down for very long as two tables broke down out of the starting 14 set up during the first hour alone. Becker was outlasted on Day 1a by his wife Lilly Kerssenberg, who in turn was busted while sitting at Moneymaker’s table. Also eliminated on Day 1a were Mayrinck, Moneymaker and Ortiz, who hoped to make a big splash in this event but fell short.

Play was suspended for Day 1a when the field was trimmed down to 27 players. The big contrast of the dasy was that 77-year-old Jaime Ateneloff of Uruguay finished the day with the chip lead while 19-year-old Jorge Landazuri De Los Rios sits a close 2nd in chips. Of the 27 remaining players from Day 1a, none are notable tournament circuit pros or members of Team PokerStars Pro. The surviving Day 1a field is a diverse one, with 15 players from the hosting country of Argentina, while Mexico, Spain, Uruguay and the Netherlands still have players alive. The United States has a single player remaining alive out of Day 1a in Ryan Smith, a PokerStars Online qualifier who sits with 51,100 in chips, good enough for 13th in the Day 1a remaining field.

Currently, Day 1b is playing at the Casino Central and notables including Humberto Brenes, Alex Brenes, Dennis Phillips, Andre Akkari, Joseph Hachem and Team Pokerstars pro and recent SCOOP event winner JC Alvarado. The event isn’t without its cast of characters as well, performing antics typically reserved for the World Series of Poker’s Main Event where players try to get noticed for television coverage. Although there are no camera crews televising the event, PokerStars.tv has been filming small videos for self-broadcast. Notable shameless self promoters include United States player Zachary Hall who is wearing a ridiculous rainbow-umbrella hat that has gained some attention from media and cameras. Hall won entry into the tournament as an online qualifier.

This is the second year that the LAPT has gone through Central and South America with PokerStars heavily promoting the event in hopes of gaining a marketing foothold in a part of the world where poker has yet to be heavily adopted. With notable Latin players such as JC Alvarado and Humberto Brenes attending the tournament events, as well as international poker superstars like Joseph Hachem and Chris Moneymaker, it seems that PokerStars is getting a leg up on the competition gaining market share in the Latin American markets.

The LAPT Mar del Plata held $550+$50 super satellites the day before Day 1a began and other tournaments during the LAPT’s visit include a $460+$60 No Limit Hold’em Turbo, a $1,020+$80 “Second Chance” tournament as well as a $10,000 high roller event that begins on Saturday, April 18th.

The tournament series has made its way through Costa Rica, Mexico, Uruguay and now Argentina to wrap up the second season of the tour. Although there has been no announcement about a third season it seems that the widespread coverage and enthusiasm that the events are getting this year makes a third season an almost surety.

BetOnSports Ex-CEO David Carruthers Pleads Guilty

In breaking news out of St. Louis, former BetOnSports CEO David Carruthers has pled guilty to “federal racketeering conspiracy charges,” according to the Associated Press. He faces up to 33 months in prison and sentencing is scheduled for October 2nd.

According to a statement released by iGamingNews on Wednesday, “Mr. Carruthers agreed to not appeal provided that the sentence doesn't exceed 33 months, which is under the terms of the agreement, as well as to not engage in offshore gambling businesses during the time of supervised released or thereafter.” Carruthers also agreed to cooperate against BetOnSports founder Gary Kaplan and others still in custody.

Carruthers has been under house arrest since 2006 and even ran the St. Louis Marathon during his detention, posting a time of four hours, five minutes, and 27 seconds. He was originally detained in Texas while in transit from the United Kingdom to Costa Rica before being moved to St. Louis. According to the St. Louis Post Dispatch newspaper, despite believing that internet gambling and sports wagering may have been illegal in the United States under laws such as the Wire Act of 1961 and Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), Carruthers “continued to advertise to U.S. customers that the company was 'legal and licensed' while 'furtively or covertly' collecting bets and paying out money owed to gamblers.”

Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA) Chairman Joe Brennan speculated as to why Carruthers would finally plead guilty, ending the three year ordeal. He told Poker News Daily, “Carruthers is a citizen of the United Kingdom and isn't a resident of the United States. He was a foreign national that had been detailed in transit. He went three years trying to make the best of a bad situation and wants to go home.”

In July of 2006, Carruthers was fired as CEO of BetOnSports. The company stated at the time, "Clearly, while he remains in the custody of the U.S. government, he is unable to perform his duties.” In August of that year, the company vacated the U.S. market entirely, two months prior to then-President George W. Bush signing the SAFE Port Act and its accompanying UIGEA rider into law. Brennan noted that while BetOnSports was navigating its future business plans, Carruthers was still held up in Missouri: “The U.S. Government won a war of attrition. He's an older guy who hasn't been home in three years. He was under house arrest with no trial.”

The admission of guilt comes on the heels of a plea bargain made by former Party Gaming Co-Founder Anurag Dikshit in a New York court room last December. Dikshit agreed to pay $300 million over three installments and faces up to two years in prison. However, his sentencing has been delayed until December of 2010. Comparing the two high profile internet gambling proceedings, Brennan explained, “Carruthers' case is obviously more severe than Anurag's, who is free to go wherever. It's disappointing to see a guy who has been standing on his principles beaten down enough to forge a plea.”

Visiting BetOnSports.com from the United States yields the text, “This website does not accept wagers on sports or sporting events from persons in the United States. It is a violation of United States Law to transmit sports wagers or betting information to this website from the United States.”

We'll have more for you on this breaking story has it develops right here on Poker News Daily.

PokerWorld Moves to Cake Poker Network

On Sunday, April 5th at 4:00pm ET, PokerWorld will host a $1,000 freeroll celebrating its move from the Gold Chip Network to the Cake Poker Network. Players on PokerWorld will also be able to take advantage of Gold Chip and Gold Card promotions, which are staples of the Cake Poker family of sites.

The $1,000 freeroll is open to any PokerWorld member and registration will be available the day before the tournament. Aside from the freeroll, PokerWorld members will now be able to take advantage of the monthly $250,000 Guaranteed, which boasts a buy-in of $268. Weekly, the Cake Poker Network hosts a $162 buy-in $100,000 guaranteed event. Both tournaments, which are held on Sundays, kick off at 5:00pm ET during the peak hours in North America, which where many players on the USA-friendly Cake Poker Network are located. A $50,000 guaranteed event with a $109 price tag serves as the warm-up for both of the six-figure prize pool tournaments. It kicks off at 3:00pm ET.

Gold Chips can be exchanged for tournament buy-ins or items from the PokerWorld Mall. In the latter, you'll find gifts like the 8 GB iPod Touch, an Xbox 360, a Canon PowerShot camera, and a Samsung 46 inch LCD television. There's even a genuine American Alligator billfold that will set players back 2,580 gold chips. Players can earn Gold Cards by playing at real money ring game tables. They are awarded randomly and can be exchanged for cash and prizes. Gold Cards will be used in conjunction with a promotion to send PokerWorld members to the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) to play in Event #54, a $1,500 No Limit Hold'em contest.

On Sundays at 4:30pm ET, a time when many high-stakes players are on the site to battle it out in the $100,000 Guaranteed or $250,000 Guaranteed, PokerWorld offers a $455 satellite into the 2009 WSOP Main Event. One prize package (which includes the $10,000 Main Event buy-in plus $3,000 in cash) will be awarded for every $13,000 in the prize pool. Cash satellites beginning at $5.50 are available and run daily. Three step sit and go tournaments as well as Gold Chip qualifiers are also available.

The move of PokerWorld to the Cake Poker Network may spell the end of the Gold Chip Network. Other sites that made their home on it included RaiseAndFold, which recently sent its players to Intertops. The U.S. version of SportsInteraction has followed PokerWorld's lead and jumped from the Gold Chip Network to Cake Poker. Landmark Poker also redirects players to download a skin of the Cake Poker Network. Three sites that previously existed on the Gold Chip Network – 2bet, Miami Poker, and The Greek – no longer exist. Finally, Full Bet now redirects to Everest Poker, which is the official sponsor of the WSOP and does not accept players from the United States.

The Cake Poker Network recently welcomed Doyle's Room and PokerHost to its ranks. Besides its flagship site, the Network also includes PlayersOnly, City Poker, RedStarPoker, and Sportsbook.com, among others. According to traffic ranking site PokerScout.com, the Cake Poker Network is the 10th largest worldwide with a seven day running average of 1,740 cash game players. Its 24 hour peak is 2,442.

The Gold Chip Network uses Dobrosoft as its software provider and is based in San Jose, Costa Rica. At the time of writing, one of the only Gold Chip sites to open up to the Network's software is Century Poker. PokerScout, which has not yet updated its site list for the Gold Chip Network, reveals that it has a seven day running average of just 36 ring game players with a 24 hour peak of 50. The Gold Chip Network also accepts players from the United States.