Poker News

Estonia Moves to Legalize Online Poker

Starting this year citizens of the small Northern European country will be able to legally play online poker on the nation-based Olympic Casino group platform, which was developed by industry giant Playtech.

“We are truly glad of this opportunity to start our partnership with Olympic as the leading casino entertainment provider in Central and Eastern Europe,” said Mor Weizer, executive manager of Playtech.

In 2011, the laws will change again, allowing international operators into the country as long as they are able to satisfy requirements set by the Estonian government.

A former economic leader, Estonia was one of the hardest hit countries by the world-wide recession in the late 2000s.

Last year retail sales plummeted and the government is hoping that regulating and taxing the online gambling industry will help stimulate the economy.

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Estonia Legalizes Online Gaming

Estonia, a small European country bordering with Russia, has recently legalized online gaming as a way to increase its tax income. The decision seems to have been aided by the success of the Baltic Poker Festival hosted by PokerStars.

For now, Estonian citizens will only be allowed to play on Estonian-based platforms such as Playtech's collaboration with the Olympic Casino Group, before opening up to international operators in 2011. This leaves the Playtech group in a very favorable position at the moment as the main provider of legal online gaming in the land. Playtech's Executive Manager, Mor Weizer, commented on this development: "We are truly glad of this opportunity to start our partnership with Olympic as the leading casino entertainment provider in Central and Eastern Europe."

Estonia is one of the smallest European Union (E.U.) countries, with only 1.33 million citizens. It borders north and west with the Gulf of Finland and Baltic Sea, respectively, as well as Latvia on the south and the Russian Federation on the east. Because of its bridging position between Europe and Russia, Estonia was invaded by the Soviet Union and Germany before regaining independence in 1991. At this point, Estonia started an aggressive and effective reform and growth program, which saw it become one of world's fastest-growing economies for several years. It joined the EU in May 2004 and was hoping to adopt the Euro as its currency by 2013. This is where online gambling comes in.

Estonia seemed a shoo-in for the Euro currency until the 2008-2009 economic crisis, which left it with the second most damaged economy of the EU, down by about 36%. A country must meet strict criteria to join the Eurozone and Estonia is taking pains to bounce back from the depression in time to join. The Estonian government hopes that taxing gaming operators will help revive its economy with the added income and influx of new jobs.

According to the Estonian Free Press, large international online gaming operators are currently showering Estonia with attention in the form of large advertising campaigns about upcoming services and there are rumors about millionaire investments planned for the country, which is seen as a gateway to the whole Baltic region's market.

Although online gambling remains a sore topic in the European Commission, where nations such as Germany and France block all online gaming in order to favor their state monopoly operators, more and more countries are opening up to its legalization and taxation. Estonia joins the likes of Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden in creating legislation that allows online gambling, ensures it is taxed appropriately, and ensures its citizens are safeguarded against negative side effects like fraud, money laundering and underage gambling.

FTOPS XV Schedule Announced

Kicking off on February 10th on Full Tilt Poker is the 15th Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS). The quarterly tournament series is the first of 2010 and features 27 events with more than $17 million in guaranteed prize money.

Continuing the tradition, the Main Event of FTOPS XV will be a $535 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament featuring at least $2.5 million up for grabs. The event takes place on Sunday, February 21st at 18:00 ET. During the Main Event of FTOPS XIV, 5,471 poker hopefuls took to the felts of the world’s second largest online poker site, with “zhivago2” emerging victorious for $418,000 after a three-way chop. Also involved were “ItsTime2Win” (second place for $316,000) and poker pro Adam Junglen, who cashed for $290,000 and officially took third.

A Full Tilt pro hosts each of the 27 FTOPS XV events and the kickoff tournament takes place on February 10th. The $216 buy-in contest boasts at least $1 million up for grabs and is sure to draw a crowd. Knockouts, shootouts, cashouts, six-max, and heads-up events will be held across a variety of poker disciplines including Texas Hold’em, Omaha, HORSE, Seven-Game, Stud, and Razz. As if that weren’t enough, the MiniFTOPS XV schedule will pan out from March 10th to 21st after a one-month break.

Here is the schedule for the 15th FTOPS. All times are Eastern:

Event #1: Wednesday, February 10th at 21:00 ET
$200 + $16 No Limit Hold'em
$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event #2: Thursday, February 11th at 14:00 ET
$240 + $16 Pot Limit Omaha Eight or Better Knockout
$250,000 Guaranteed

Event #3: Thursday, February 11th at 21:00 ET
$500 + $35 No Limit Hold'em 3x Shootout
$350,000 Guaranteed

Event #4: Friday, February 12th at 14:00 ET
$200 + $16 No Limit Hold'em Cubed
$600,000 Guaranteed

Event #5: Friday, February 12th at 21:00 ET
$200 + $16 Limit Hold'em Six-Max
$150,000 Guaranteed

Event #6: Saturday, February 13th at 14:00 ET
$500 + $35 Pot Limit Omaha Six-Max
$350,000 Guaranteed

Event #7: Saturday, February 13th at 16:00 ET
$100 + $9 No Limit Hold'em with Rebuys
$600,000 Guaranteed

Event #8: Sunday, February 14th at 14:00 ET
$120 + $9 No Limit Hold'em Knockout
$800,000 Guaranteed

Event #9: Sunday, February 14th at 16:00 ET
$500 + $35 No Limit Hold'em Heads-Up
$400,000 Guaranteed

Event #10: Sunday, February 14th at 18:00 ET
$300 + $22 No Limit Hold'em
$1,500,000 Guaranteed

Event #11: Monday, February 15th at 14:00 ET
$200 + $16 Omaha High-Low Split Eight or Better
$200,000 Guaranteed

Event #12: Monday, February 15th at 21:00 ET
$1,000 + $60 No Limit Hold’em
$1,500,000 Guaranteed

Event #13: Tuesday, February 16th at 14:00 ET
$300 + $22 No Limit Hold'em 4x Shootout Six-Max
$300,000 Guaranteed

Event #14: Tuesday, February 16th at 21:00 ET
$500 + $35 HORSE
$300,000 Guaranteed

Event #15: Tuesday, February 16th at 21:00 ET
$200 + $16 No Limit Hold'em Turbo
$600,000 Guaranteed

Event #16: Wednesday, February 17th at 14:00 ET
$200 + $16 Seven-Game
$150,000 Guaranteed

Event #17: Wednesday, February 17th at 21:00 ET
$300 + $22 No Limit Hold'em Six-Max with Rebuys
$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event #18: Thursday, February 18th at 14:00 ET
$200 + $16 No Limit Hold'em Cashout
$150,000 Guaranteed

Event #19: Thursday, February 18th at 21:00 ET
$200 + $16 Stud
$100,000 Guaranteed

Event #20: Friday, February 19th at 14:00 ET
$200 + $16 No Limit Hold'em Six-Max
$500,000 Guaranteed

Event #21: Friday, February 19th at 21:00 ET
$300 + $22 Razz
$150,000 Guaranteed

Event #22: Saturday, February 20th at 14:00 ET
$2,500 + $120 No Limit Hold'em Ante From Start Two-Day Six-Max
$2,000,000 Guaranteed

Event #23: Saturday, February 20th at 16:00 ET
$100 + $9 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys
$400,000 Guaranteed

Event #24: Saturday, February 20th at 21:00 ET
$500 + $20 No Limit Hold'em Super Turbo Six-Max
$250,000 Guaranteed

Event #25: Sunday, February 21st at 14:00 ET
$240 + $16 No Limit Hold'em Knockout Six-Max
$800,000 Guaranteed

Event #26: Sunday, February 21st at 16:00 ET
$200 + $16 Pot Limit Omaha Heads-Up
$150,000 Guaranteed

FTOPS XV Main Event: Sunday, February 21st at 18:00 ET
$500 + $35 No Limit Hold'em
$2,500,000 Guaranteed

Full Tilt Poker happily accepts customers from the United States and trails only PokerStars in terms of traffic.

2009 WSOP Europe Air Dates Announced

Fans of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe won’t have to wait long for the tournament series to air on ESPN. The first episode kicks off on Sunday, January 31st at 11:00pm ET and a total of 10 hours will air.

The opening episode will be one of two recapping the Caesars Cup, a made-for-television tournament that featured Team Europe taking on Team Americas. The former ultimately crushed the Americas squad four matches to one, with the stars of poker turning out to compete on behalf of their continents. Team PokerStars Pro member Daniel Negreanu captained the Americas squad, which also featured DoylesRoom namesake Doyle Brunson, 2009 WSOP Main Event November Nine member Phil Ivey, 11-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, reigning National Heads-Up Poker Championship winner Huck Seed, 2008 WSOP Europe Main Event winner John Juanda, Big Game player Jennifer Harman, and Barry Greenstein, who was a last-minute replacement for Chris Ferguson.

The American squad held a total of 45 gold bracelets and more than $50 million in career earnings. Their foes: Team Europe, led by 2007 WSOP Europe Main Event Champion and Betfair pro Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad. Her group of young guns included 2008 WSOP Main Event winner Peter Eastgate, Italian poker sensation Dario Minieri, 2008 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure victor Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, Power Poker front man Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies, Durrrr Challenge participant Patrik Antonius, Gus Hansen, and Betfair qualifier John Harvey, a 47 year-old pipe inspector from Scotland.

On March 1st, the second of two hours dedicated to the Caesars Cup will air on ESPN. The festivities kick off at Midnight ET and serve as the run-up to the WSOP Europe Main Event, which will begin on February 7th. The £10,000 buy-in tournament drew a crowd of 334 runners and featured one of the toughest final tables ever assembled in WSOP Europe history. Two members of the November Nine – James Akenhead and Antoine Saout – reached the feature table in London, a feat accomplished in 2008 by Ivan Demidov.

Also at the WSOP Europe Main Event final table was Negreanu, the face of the “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge,” who took fifth in the same event in 2008. Joining Negreanu was Barry Shulman, whose son, Jeff Shulman, reached the final table of the Main Event in Las Vegas. The duo was seeking to make poker history as the first father/son team to win poker’s most coveted bracelets in the same year. The final table lasted 16 and a half hours and the entire WSOP Europe schedule panned out at the Casino at the Empire in London.

Here is the schedule for the 2009 WSOP Europe Caesars Cup and Main Event on ESPN. All times are Eastern and each episode runs for one hour:

Sunday, January 31st: 11:00pm (Caesars Cup)
Monday, February 1st: 12:00am (Caesars Cup)
Sunday, February 7th: 10:00pm (WSOP Europe Main Event)
Sunday, February 7th: 11:00pm (WSOP Europe Main Event)
Monday, February 8th: 12:00am (WSOP Europe Main Event)
Sunday, February 14th: 11:00pm (WSOP Europe Main Event)
Monday, February 15th: 12:00am (WSOP Europe Main Event)
Monday, February 15th: 1:00am (WSOP Europe Main Event)
Sunday, February 28th: 9:00pm (WSOP Europe Main Event)
Sunday, February 28th: 10:00pm (WSOP Europe Main Event)

Poker PROductions filmed WSOP Europe for ESPN. The same company also brings poker television staples like NBC’s “Poker After Dark” and GSN’s “High Stakes Poker” to life. Last August, ESPN and the WSOP reached an agreement to keep the tournament series on the cable station until April 2018. The WSOP attracts a total viewing audience of more than 80 million people each year and at least 32 hours of coverage will air annually.

WSOP Europe air dates outside of the United States will likely be announced soon.

PokerStars Guinness World Record Attempt Attracts 149,196 Players

On a night when Full Tilt Poker’s software went down much to the dismay of players everywhere, PokerStars set the Guinness World Record for largest online poker tournament ever held. The event weighed in at 149,196 entrants.

The mark to beat was 65,000 players, set by PokerStars back in July, meaning that the site trumped the standing record by nearly 85,000. PokerStars was quick to put its record-shattering attendance into perspective, saying, “It would fill the Rose Bowl or Wembley stadiums and still have another 60,000 people with tickets waiting outside in the tailgating parking lot.” In addition, the attendance represented well over 20 times the field of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event and 30 times the number of rooms at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The Guinness World Record attempt was a $1 buy-in tournament that guaranteed $300,000 in the prize pool. It played out in less than six hours in a Turbo format and oskar69 earned an amazing $50,000 for first place, or 50,000 times his buy-in. Text found on PokerStars’ website admits, “We're sure oskar69 is happy about the ROI from the win today, as no deal was reached and the entire $50,000.00 was awarded for besting this massive field.” Second place went to Bommel222, who earned a not-so-paltry $30,000. A total of 30,000 players finished in the money.

Others who made the final table in the historic poker tournament included TLWPB (third place for $20,000), willis59 (fourth place for $10,000), kruglay (fifth place for $8,000), madmick62 (sixth place for $6,500), DS1982 (seventh place for $5,250), denmil53 (eighth place for $4,000), and bigsnapper7 (ninth place for $3,000). The top 16 players grabbed at least $1,000 for their 100-penny contribution to the pot.

The PokerStars Sunday Million, the site’s hallmark $215 buy-in weekly high-stakes poker tournament, drew 9,344 entrants yesterday, creating a prize pool of $1.8 million. In the end, PokerStars member coach6999 banked $266,000 for the win, defeating BBOY3110 heads-up. The second place finisher claimed a $196,000 consolation prize and the top 1,350 spots paid out. Others who reached the feature table in the Sunday Million included tsakalias (third place for $139,132), schnaggels19 (fourth place for $93,440), mystinen60 (fifth place for $74,752), OBVAMENTS (sixth place for $56,064), robvleugel (seventh place for $37,376), plusmillion (eighth place for $20,557), and Mr Puckey (ninth place for $13,082).

The Sunday Warm-Up, another $215 buy-in online poker tournament that played out on PokerStars yesterday, generated a field of 4,605 entrants, shattering its $750,000 guaranteed prize pool. In the end, NinjasTyle87 banked $144,000 for first place, while .dmmarquez finished with a $107,000 bankroll boost for second place. The top 675 players finished in the money and others who could be found jumping for joy on Sunday afternoon included JBlaze20 (third place for $75,983), montjeu8 (fourth place for $52,037), Comeback2008 (fifth place for $39,143), Steinapride (sixth place for $29,933), haneferd (seventh place for $20,723), ReadOnYou (eighth place for $11,513), and pokerwille (ninth place for $7,368).

Appropriately, PokerStars is the industry’s largest online poker site, according to PokerScout.com, boasting a seven-day running average of 27,800 real money ring game players. During its peak hours, nearly 50,000 call the site home. PokerScout.com claims that PokerStars’ traffic has grown by 37% year over year and, at the time of writing, which is late morning Eastern Time on Monday, 36,000 cash game players are seated. That figure represents more than double the number of players currently found on Full Tilt Poker, the world’s second largest site.

Full Tilt Poker’s $750,000 Guaranteed, Sunday Mulligan, and Sunday Brawl, among other events, did not play out on Sunday due to a software malfunction. Players were refunded based on their chip counts at the time of the crash.

Poker News in Brief: Dec. 21-27, 2009

This week the front page of PokerListing was slammed with huge stories like Brian Townsend getting suspended by Full Tilt Poker, Tom “durrrr” Dwan making a desperate charge to get even for the year and Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler finally finding a structure he likes.

Of course, like every week, there were still a few lesser-known stories that threatened to get lost in the shuffle. Fortunately, on PokerListings.com we compile all those stories in our ongoing Poker News in Brief feature.

This week we’re going to take a look at Poker2Nite heading to Europe, new poker chip technology, a new PokerStars rewards program and more.

The Poker Channel Europe Airs Poker2Night

It’s already a hit in North America but the Joe Sebok and Scott Huff hosted Poker2Nite made its debut in Europe last week on the Poker Channel Europe.

The channel is airing episodes of the show every Wednesday at 22:00 CET for the entire run of the first season. Repeats will run Thursdays and Saturdays at 16:00 CET. The channel is Europe’s largest dedicated gaming TV network and shown in more than 18 million European homes.

Poker2Nite is now its fifth week of operation in North America, where it appears on Fox Sports West on Wednesday at 23:00 EST.

To celebrate the show’s success, UB is also currently running a Poker2Nite Pro Challenge promotion, awarding two WSOP packages.

Nicole Rowe Applies for Million Dollar Challenge

Cancer victim Nicole Rowe will be trying out for a spot on the PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge.

Rowe is perhaps most well-known in the poker world for finishing second to Abraham Korotki, a man, in the 2009 Borgata Ladies Event.

Inspired by witnessing a taping of the Million Dollar Challenge, Rowe decided to enter a 10,000 player tournament on PokerStars just for the chance to audition for the show. She won the tournament and has since posted her audition video on YouTube.com.

“My plan is to come out and beat Daniel Negreanu for the $1 million and use that money for breast cancer awareness and donate a portion of my winnings to breast cancer foundations such as the Susan G Komen,” said Rowe in the video.

Earlier this week 911 Veteran Mike Kosowski became the first player in the show’s history to win all his heads-up matches and take home the $1 million first place prize.

PokerStars Introduces VIP Stellar Rewards

PokerStars upgraded its VIP program this week with the announcement of VIP Stellar Rewards.

Starting Jan. 1, 2010, PokerStars players who earn 750 VIP player points will be able to go to the PokerStars store and spend 1 frequent player point (FPP) to receive $10.

It doesn’t stop there as players will have the opportunity for 18 cash bonuses as they journey from 750 VIP points all the way up to 90,000 Supernova status.

In total, players will receive an extra $1,000 if they make it all the way to Supernova thanks to the VIP Stellar Rewards program.

To learn more go to PokerStars.com.

GPI to Unveil New Poker Chip Technology

Gaming Partners International Corporation will present a dramatic new approach to the construction of poker chips at the 2010 International Gaming Expo in London on Jan. 26-28.

At the Expo, GPI will introduce RFIDPoker, which is being developed to improve accuracy and increase the speed of various actions at the poker table.

Easily fitted to any poker table the technology sees every chip outfitted with a small RFID chip, which makes calculating a pot size error free. The system can also calculate pot-size in real time, while a hand is being played out.

According to GPI’s studies, RFIDPoker has the potential to increase hands per hour by as much as 30%.

Titan Launches 2010 Irish Open Promo

The 2010 Irish Open doesn’t start until April, but Titan Poker is already running satellites to the tournament.

Titan Poker will run a weekly Super Satellite on Sundays that will award a $7,200 package, which includes the €3,500 buy-in. It’s possible to qualify for these weekly satellites for just $2.20.

The Irish Poker Open is the longest running No-Limit Hold’em tournament in Europe and it typically takes place over Easter weekend in Dublin.

Last year Christer Johansson beat Kara Scott heads-up to claim the €600,000 first place prize.

Titan Poker generally has a large presence at the Irish Open and last year sent 32 players to represent the brand.

Click here to learn more about Titan Poker’s Irish Open promotions.

Mattern Seeks EPT Prague Repeat

After rising to poker stardom with a win in Prague during the European Poker Tour’s fourth season and the kind start Tuesday that could lead to another deep run, who can blame him.

“It’s always good to come back to a tournament where you had a big score,” Mattern told PokerListings after bagging 86,000 in chips at the end of Day 1a. “I have a real crush on all the Eastern European countries, but I truly love Prague.”

Mattern started the day six-betting an opponent off his hand with nothing but a pair of fours and after flashing one card, he said he knew it was going to be a good day.

“The table was on tilt,” he said. “It set the right tone for the day.”

A total of 219 players began Day 1a in Prague, but just 117 made it through.

EPT Dortmund finalist Marc Gork ended with the chip lead, but using the selectively aggressive style he’s built a reputation for, Mattern accumulated chips throughout the day and sits within striking distance just outside the top 20.

However, the veteran French pro understands the road to a repeat in Prague is not going to be an easy one.

“The tables are really tough,” he said. “Most of them have at least one or two really good guys fighting to get the chips from the fish at the table.”

Here in Eastern Europe and all over the EPT, Mattern said it appears the skill level is getting better every day.

“I think everybody is getting smarter,” he explained. “It takes more skill, stamina and mental toughness to achieve your goals because play is improving. You need to play you’re A-game all the time.”

When he returns to the tables for Day 2 Thursday, Mattern will be sitting on an above-average stack, but has no plans to play the bully.

In fact, he has no plans at all.

“It really depends who is at my table,” he said. “I don’t really like to make a lot of plans. Obviously if everybody has 40k at my table I’m going to have some fun and not play only sets and straights, but it really depends who is at my table and what kind of mood I am in.”

For now he just wants to play solid poker and focus on winning in Prague again.

“I know it’s very easy to have a really big party here and that would be a good excuse,” he said.

PokerStars EPT Prague continues with Day 1b Wednesday. For comprehensive coverage, click through to PokerListings’ Live Updates.

Full Tilt Poker Players Rushing to Claim Holiday Hundred Bonus

Only a few days remain in the Full Tilt Poker Holiday Hundred promotion, offering online poker players a $100 bonus on the world’s second largest site. The room has seen its high-stakes action balloon in recent weeks thanks to Isildur1.

Happy Holidays from Full Tilt Poker. One month before poker players awake on Christmas morning or participate in Hanukkah and Kwanzaa festivities, Full Tilt members can claim a special $100 Holiday Hundred bonus. Players have until the end of the day Eastern Time on December 6th to cash in. All they have to do is open the Full Tilt Poker Mac or Windows client, log in, and click “Requests” on the top menu bar. Then, select “Check My Bonus Offer” and click on “Accept Offer.”

Full Tilt Poker members have 30 days to release their bonus money by earning Full Tilt Points (FTPs) in real money ring games and tournaments. Every FTP earned means that players will claim $0.06 of the Holiday Hundred bonus, which will be paid out in increments of $10. Simple math will allow you to calculate that 167 FTPs are needed to clear each $10 increment and 1,667 are required for the full bonus to be unlocked. For each dollar that Full Tilt rakes from a pot, every player who was dealt cards in the hand receives one FTP. Each $1 paid in tournament entry fees means that players will earn seven FTPs.

Now, for the fine print. Players who have never deposited on Full Tilt Poker before should sign up for the site and clear the initial 100% first-time deposit bonus by the end of the day on November 30th. Then, Full Tilt will issue the Holiday Hundred bonus by December 2nd and players must accept it by the 6th. Full Tilt Poker customers who already hold active bonuses have until the end of the day on November 30th to clear their full value. Then, Full Tilt will place the Holiday Hundred bonus in their accounts by December 2nd and it must be accepted by the 6th.

The world’s second largest online poker site has seen its high-limit table action increase since the beginning of the month after the arrival of Swedish online poker mystery man Isildur1. The newcomer has battled a bevy of Full Tilt Poker pros in Pot Limit Omaha and No Limit Hold’em games. His cast of opponents has included newly-minted site pro Tom “durrrr” Dwan, 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event November Nine member Phil Ivey, Durrrr Challenge participant Patrik Antonius, and CardRunners pros Brian Townsend and Cole South.

According to PokerScout.com, which tracks online poker room traffic, Full Tilt boasts a seven-day running average of 18,800 real money ring game players. During peak hours, the site approaches 30,000 cash game enthusiasts. It’s the second largest site worldwide behind PokerStars and happily accepts customers from the United States. Besides Ivey, Dwan, and Antonius, other members of Team Full Tilt include Howard Lederer, Gus Hansen, Andy Bloch, Jennifer Harman, Andy Bloch, and bad boy Mike “The Mouth” Matusow.

Full Tilt Poker is gearing up for the second running of the Mini Full Tilt Online Poker Series (MiniFTOPS), which kicks off on December 9th and wraps up 11 days later.

Patrik Antonius and Isildur1 Play Largest-Ever Online Pot at $1.3 Million

Two more take Pokerstars’

The show's debut, which saw a poker-playing-priest win $100,000 and U.S. Army National Guard sergeant walk away with $25,000, drew four million viewers, making it the most successful poker show in television history.

This week, Oluwasegun "Big Mike" Odumuyiwa, a 35-year-old music manager from Northville, Michigan, is hoping to get a chance at the $1 million grand prize.

Odumuyiwa, who played basketball and football at Eastern Illinois University says he will use the money to take care of his late brother's family.

Also taking his shot at the cash will be Brian Barboza, a 31-year-old wine and liquor salesman from Raynham, Massachusetts.

Barboza says he's hoping to win enough money to buy his way into the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event.

But to get to the cash, both Barboza and Odumuyiwa will have to first beat one of the show's celebrity defenders, including Super Bowl Champion Jerome Bettis, four-time NBA Champion John Salley, UFC champion Tito Ortiz or Playboy Playmate of the Year Jayde Nicole.

Round two will then see them take on a Team PokerStars Pro, either WSOP Main Event Champion Chris Moneymaker, Barry Greenstein or Vanessa Rousso.

The contestants will have Daniel Negreanu's help the whole way, but then they will have to decide whether to take $25,000 and walk away or take on Negreanu heads-up for $100,000 and a chance at the $1 million grand prize.

The show will air on FOX Sunday, Nov. 22, immediately following the network's NFL coverage.

Third Bullet Merges with Cake Poker

This week, Third Bullet Poker, a site on the popular Cake Poker Network, announced that it was merging its player base with the network’s flagship site.

In an official e-mail sent to its players earlier this week, Third Bullet Poker stated that the move had been in the works for some time and that, from today on, the company would be a part of Cake Poker: “Cake Poker has been operating and hosting our games for quite some time now. I’m sure you will agree that they have done a fantastic job. We are happy to announce that we are merging our players with Cake Poker.”

When players log into Third Bullet Poker, they will be directed to download the update that will move them to Cake Poker. A player’s login information will remain the same as what they had at Third Bullet and any funds that a player has on the site will also transfer over. If a player has an account already on Cake Poker, their Third Bullet Poker funds will be merged with their previous funds and the customer can play on Cake without any setbacks.

The reasons given for the switch to the new network are many. According to the e-mail message from Third Base Poker management, “You will have access to an increased technical and marketing support team that will make your play experience even better.” It adds, “We have full confidence that you will find continued play on Cake Poker to meet or exceed the level of professionalism and customer service you have come to know at Third Bullet.” The e-mail finishes with a statement that Cake Poker personnel will be contacting players within days and that any future inquiries should be directed to Cake Poker’s support team.

Cake Poker is currently in the middle of a revamping of its tournament offerings. Led by legendary Poker Room Manager Lee Jones and assisted by poker professionals Serge “adanthar” Ravitch and Eric “Rizen” Lynch, Cake Poker has instituted longer late registration periods, de-emphasized rebuy tournaments, and added new tournament schedules to their product. The poker tournament lineup is undergoing many other changes that should be completed by April of 2010.

Cake Poker currently has some excellent choices for players in the tournament arena and in their cash games. Besides offering satellite events for stops on the European Poker Tour and a chance to play at the Aussie Millions in January 2010, Cake Poker also has cash games that give players a chance to take on some of the biggest names in poker. These “Pro Tables” draw players such as Doyle Brunson and his son Todd, Phil “The Unabomber” Laak, and Ilari ‘Zigmund’ Sahamies to take on all comers at the 5$/$10 and $10/$20 limit cash games starting at 7:00pm Eastern Time Monday through Friday.

The Cake Poker Network encompasses 43 different poker rooms. The most prominent jewels in the network are arguably DoylesRoom, the site sponsored by the legendary Doyle Brunson, and PokerHost, both of which joined the Cake Poker Network earlier this year.

EPT Warsaw under way

PIC Club, Merge Gaming Network Dissolve Relationship

When the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006 was enacted, the goal was to prevent online gaming enthusiasts from financing their accounts. With credit cards unusable and online processors such as Neteller no longer accepting gaming transactions, online poker players looked for other outlets to finance their accounts. In the time since then, PIC Club has stepped up to fill that void.

PIC Club is an online payment processor created last year that allows a player to invest in the company while playing poker at several different sites at the same time. One dollar is deducted from each deposit and put in a special account and represents the player’s investment in the company. A player can put their bankroll on PIC Club and, depending on where the best games are, move their money to different rooms with little or no delay. Over 130 different sites accept transfers from PIC Club for players to use in cash games and tournaments. In addition to offering a deposit option, the service also boasts Team PIC Club, a group of top professional poker players such as former World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion and recent Tournament of Champions victor Tom McEvoy, the legendary T.J. Cloutier, and Poker Hall of Fame member Barbara Enright.

In a recent e-mail to members, PIC Club stated that its business arrangement with the Merge Gaming Network would be terminated. The Network is made up of over 40 poker rooms, including Carbon Poker, Poker Nordica, and ACED, and is currently the 17th most populated worldwide according to PokerScout.com. According to PIC Club, “Transactions to or from the rooms on the Merge Network will cease at 11:59PM (Eastern Time) on October 18th, 2009.”

The e-mail, signed by PIC Club Chief Executive Officer Chuck Kidd, addresses several issues that may face players who remove their money from Merge Gaming Network rooms: “If you choose to withdraw funds from any Merge Room back to PICClub, they will remain in a pending status, subject to review and approval by Merge management and if approved will only be released from the pending status when we receive the funds from the Merge Gaming Network to cover your withdrawal.”

No reason is given in the e-mail for the ending of the relationship, but Kidd’s statement seems to put the onus on the Merge Network: “We regret the dissolution of this business relationship. However, we believe it is in the best interest of PICClub and our Valued Members.” Kidd also states that PIC Club will enter negotiations with the individual rooms on the Network to provide PIC Club’s services to them directly.

Sportingbet Reports 28% Increase in Earnings for FY 2009

The yearly fiscal report is out for Sportingbet PLC and the results for the publicly traded gaming company were generally positive.  Sportingbet, the parent company of online poker room Paradise Poker, saw growth in net revenue, earnings, money wagered, and profit thanks in part to a focus on emerging online gambling markets.  While the sports betting and casino ventures have been on the rise for the company, it appears as though it is paying less attention to its poker holdings, which saw a decline in earnings from 2008 to 2009.

Sportingbet, which is publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol “SBT,” saw its net gaming revenue jump to £163.6 million from £144.3 in 2008, an increase of 13%.  Profits saw a 26% increase as well, coming in at £31.1 million thanks to more than £1.5 billion wagered on the site over the course of the year.  Last year, the company received a total of £1.35 billion in wagers.  The company’s Chief Executive, Andrew McIver, commented on Sportingbet’s performance in the official audited results through July 31st, 2009:

“This has been a very solid year for the Sportingbet Group. We are now seeing consistent profitable growth resulting from the structural changes made following our withdrawal from the U.S.  Our focus on sports betting and geographical diversification is helping to support earnings in these troubled economic times. Additionally, our commitment to offer industry-leading sports betting products and excellent customer service has helped us to recruit and retain core customers.”

The diversification McIvan spoke of includes launching versions of the site in Romania and South Africa as well as moving into other emerging markets like Canada and Brazil.  While the company continues to struggle against stiff competition in Britain, its efforts in Eastern Europe have been much more successful.  Sportingbet blamed the global recession and an expensive and over-saturated media market for its performance in the U.K., but its results in Eastern Europe more than compensated for its 21% decline in the British Isles.  The Eastern European revenue for Sportingbet grew by 26% and now accounts for more than 15% of the company’s total revenues—more than the entirety of its online poker operation.  The company attributed some of its success in that region to a launch of more than 90 Flash-based casino games.

The company saw several other changes this year as a number of national governments addressed the issue of online gambling via new laws, regulation, and licensing. The company noted, “Regulation continues to define the internet gambling industry across Europe and the rest of the world.  In general, we continue to see pressure on European countries to justify their national gambling regimes in light of the free-trade requirements of international law.”

Sportingbet took a pro-regulation stance on the issue and representatives of the firm are continuing to meet with a number of national regulatory bodies, including the U.S. Department of Justice, to discuss Sportingbet’s legal standing.  Sportingbet and Paradise Poker do not accept U.S. customers, which has resulted in a steady decline in revenue for its online poker venture since the site’s withdrawal from the American market following the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA).

In Europe, Paradise Poker’s revenue is down 7.6% from last year, bringing in only £22 million of the company’s total earnings.  The poker branch of Sportingbet used to be a major component of the company’s holdings, but it now represents only 12% of total revenue.  The company attributed its struggle in the online poker market to a high level of competition, “with certain large U.S.-focused poker companies using their significant cash flows and high liquidity to continue to attract customers from existing European only companies.”  This is a similar complaint to the one voiced by Party Gaming executives in its mid-year report, which was released last month.

Sportingbet is currently traded on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange, but the recent report revealed that the company would try to move to the General Equity Market in the near future.  At the close of trading on October 14th, Sportingbet stock was fetching $76 per share.

Poker News in Brief: Sept. 28-Oct. 4, 2009

With all the news out of London, it was easy to forget about the rest of the poker world. Fortunately, as part of our ongoing Poker News in Brief feature, we've broken down some of the lesser-known stories below.

This week we'll take a look at a renowned poker player going cosmic, five poker players getting a big relief and a new WSOP promotion from Milwaukee's Best Light.

Guy Laliberte blasts off

Cirque du Soleil founder and alleged high-stakes fish Guy Laliberte became the first Canadian space-tourist on Wednesday.

Laliberte, along with a Russian cosmonaut and an American astronaut, successfully blasted into space aboard a Soyuz spacecraft headed for the International Space Station.

The French-Canadian billionaire is isn't just along for the ride and on Oct. 9, if all goes according to plan, he will be the master of ceremonies for a global performance involving 14 cities and noted celebrities like Bono, Shakira, David Suzuki and former vice-president Al Gore.

The show is to promote the One Drop Foundation for access to clean water.

Laliberte is scheduled to return to earth on Oct. 11.

Milwaukee's Best Light starts poker promotion

Milwaukee's Best Light, the official beer sponsor of the WSOP, is giving their customers a chance to win a seat in the 2010 WSOP Main Event.

The promotion is part of the brand's two-month "Online Poker Challenge" which will see two seats awarded to the 2010 Main Event.

From now through Nov. 22, those 21 and older can visit www.wsop.com and click the Milwaukee's Best Light banner to register and compete in Texas Hold'em online.

At the end of each week, the 1,000 participants with the highest point totals will be eligible to participate in that week's final tournament, which will determine the top 100 point holders.  Those top 100 qualifiers will advance to the month-ending grand prize tournament.

Players will also have the opportunity to earn bonus points by referring friends, answering trivia and obtaining codes inside specially marked boxes of Milwaukee's Best and Milwaukee's Best Ice.

Pro-online poker bill hits 60 co-sponsors

Rep. Barney Frank's Internet Gambling, Consumer Protection & Enforcement Act of 2009 reached 60 co-sponsors this week. Among the newest to sign on board with the bill are Rep. Lyn Woolsey, William Clay, Adam Schiff and Christopher Murphy.

The bill is currently waiting to be heard before committee, but support is starting to grow in the Republican Party.

Frank originally said the bill would be heard by Easter this year, but it was pushed back to July and then September. It's now likely the bill won't be discussed until the new year.

In the meantime, Frank has introduced a second bill that would postpone the coming enforcement of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act Dec. 1, 2009.

Judge dismisses case against Mt. Pleasant poker players

The decision to convict five South Carolinian poker players has been reversed.

Bob Chimento, Jeremy Brestel, Michael Williamson, Scott Richards and John T. Willis were originally found guilty of violating South Carolina's anti-gambling laws for running a private Texas No-Limit Hold'em game in 2006.

The group didn't profit from running the games, but money was raked from the pot to help cover expenses.

Earlier this year, South Carolina Circuit Judge R. Markley Dennis ruled that poker was a game of skill, not chance, but the five were still found guilty of operating a gambling house.

Thursday Dennis released a letter stating he had decided to reverse the convictions of all five players. The municipal court found the evidence "overwhelming" that Texas Hold'em is a game of skill.

Poker advocacy groups like the Poker Player's Alliance are touting it as a victory for poker players in the U.S.

WSOP on ESPN Ratings Reach Highest Levels of 2009

With Day 3 of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event set to kick off on Tuesday night on ESPN, network officials have announced that ratings for the September 8th broadcast were the highest of the 2009 season.

The preview for next week’s WSOP Main Event on ESPN broadcast features 11-time bracelet winner and 1989 Main Event champion Phil Hellmuth proclaiming, “Turbulence is coming.” However, it’s been smooth sailing so far for ESPN during the 2009 installment of the world’s most prestigious tournament series. The 8:00pm ET hour of last week’s telecast scored a 0.97 rating, while the second hour came in at 1.13. So far, the network is 11% ahead of last year’s resoundingly successful broadcast.

Doug White, ESPN’s Senior Director of Programming and Acquisitions, told Poker News Daily, “We’re all very pleased with the ratings thus far. We try not to get too high or low on ratings, but it’s nice when things are moving in a positive direction, so we’re extremely pleased with it.” White was instrumental in keeping the WSOP on ESPN until at least April of 2018 under an extension inked one month ago.

The September 8th broadcast logged a 0.93 rating during the first hour and 0.73 rating during the second hour among males age 18 to 34. The telecast turned in a 0.88 average rating among males age 18 to 49 and 1.03 for males age 25 to 54. ESPN’s broadcast on September 8th netted 954,000 household impressions during the first hour and 1.11 million during the second hour.

ESPN’s WSOP ratings have trended upwards in recent weeks and the network will broadcast its 15th hour-long installment on Tuesday night at 8:00pm ET. On the rise in the ratings, White speculated, “I’d like to think it’s because the quality of our shows are great. Our talent has been tremendous and the production quality has been excellent.” Lon McEachern and Norman Chad once again provide commentary for two hours each week, with Chad recently falling to Full Tilt Poker pro Howard Lederer in a chess match during the popular segment “The Nuts.”

Next week’s Day 3 coverage teases the presence of Hellmuth, Jeffrey Lisandro, Jennifer Harman, Phil Ivey, Phil Laak, Humberto Brenes, Joe Hachem, Dennis Phillips, and Andy Black. In it, McEachern dramatically narrates, “With the field now united, it means our next Main Event champion is in the building. Amongst the players still in the hunt are some of the biggest names in the game, including one man who is the clear favorite to become Player of the Year.” McEachern alludes to Lisandro, who took home three bracelets in the preliminary tournaments leading up to the $10,000 buy-in Main Event for nearly $750,000 total.

The 2009 WSOP Main Event final table features an assortment of characters, including fan favorite Phil Ivey and CardPlayer Editor Jeff Shulman, who has threatened to throw away the Main Event bracelet should he win. On Shulman and Ivey’s presence at the final table, White commented, “I don’t know if it sways our audience positively or negatively, but it brings about discussion. People are talking about it and that’s a good thing. It means the final table is on people’s minds. It’s a fantastic opportunity for players to showcase their personalities and skills on the biggest stage in poker.”

Here is a look at the remaining first-run episodes of the 2009 WSOP Main Event on ESPN. Replays also hit airwaves throughout the week on ESPN’s family of stations, so check local listings for more information. All times are Eastern:

September 15th to September 29th: 8:00pm to 10:00pm
October 6th to November 3rd: 9:00pm to 11:00pm
November 10th: 9:00pm to 11:30pm: WSOP Main Event Final Table

The Borgata Poker Open Is Underway

PokerStars 2009 WCOOP Starts Thursday

PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker site, is gearing up to present the seventh annual World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) on Thursday. The 45-event series will span across 17 days and culminate with a $5,200 buy-in No Limit Hold’em Main Event on Sunday, September 20.

PokerStars has tagged guarantees to each of the 45 tournaments, as players will have a shot at a prize pool of at least $40 million. Fourteen events have guarantees of at least $1 million, including three High Roller tournaments. The Main Event will award a minimum of $10 million to those participating. Winners of each WCOOP event will also receive a personally engraved gold bracelet from PokerStars.

One thing is certain: The online poker community is eager for the launch of the 2009 WCOOP. “I’ll be playing almost all of the No Limit Hold ‘em events,” said Ben “NeverScaredB” Wilinofsky, who is currently ranked #14 on the PocketFives.com Online Poker Rankings. “I don’t play many other games, but I dabble in Pot Limit Omaha and will probably play the heads-up and a few of the six-max events.”

Like Wilinofsky, online pro Nick “agriffrod” Mitchell will partake in most of the No Limit events as well as some of the Pot Limit Omaha and Mixed Hold’em tournaments. “WCOOP is the biggest series of the year,” Mitchell told Poker News Daily. “The Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) comes around four times a year, so it’s a little less exciting. As far as value goes, I’d say WCOOP is better because the tournaments are all huge. There’s even a $100 tournament with a $1 million guarantee.”

PokerStars has been running satellites to each WCOOP event for weeks and will continue to do so throughout the duration of the series. Players can win a seat in a number of different ways by using Frequent Player Points (FPPs) or buying in for as little as $0.50. The tournament staff has even added special satellites to its schedule based on the requests from members of various poker forums, further tightening the site’s grasp as tops in the industry at customer service.

“PokerStars has done a phenomenal job with their satellites to this year’s WCOOP,” Wilinofsky added. “The extreme satellites were a smash hit and the variety of steps that are running means that there’s a way for every bankroll to make it into WCOOP. I think that that adds a lot of value for both the people winning satellites and the regulars, so kudos to PokerStars for doing a bang-up job.”

Here’s a look at the comprehensive WCOOP Schedule All events are listed in Eastern Time and guarantees appear in parenthesis.

Thursday, Sept. 3, 14:30 - $215 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max ($1.25 million)
Thursday, Sept. 3, 16:30 - $215 Razz ($200,000)
Friday, Sept. 4, 14:30 - $215 Pot Limit Omaha Six-Max ($500,000)
Friday, Sept. 4, 16:30 - $215 No Limit Single Draw 2-7 with Rebuys ($200,000)
Friday, Sept. 4, 20:00 - $109 8-game ($50,000)
Saturday, Sept. 5, 12:45 - $109 No Limit Hold’em ($1 million)
Saturday, Sept. 5, 14:30 - $215 No Limit 5 Card Draw ($200,000)
Saturday, Sept. 5, 16:30 - $215 Limit Hold’em ($400,000)
Sunday, Sept. 6, 12:45 - $215 $215 No Limit Hold ‘em ($1 million)
Sunday, Sept. 6, 14:30 - $10,300 No Limit Hold’em ($2 million)
Sunday, Sept. 6, 16:30 - $530 No Limit Hold’em ($3 million)
Monday, Sept. 7, 14:30 - $320 Mixed Hold’em Six-Max ($350,000)
Monday, Sept. 7, 16:30 - $215 Pot Limit Omaha Cubed Six-Max ($500,000)
Tuesday, Sept. 8, 14:30 - $320 Stud ($150,000)
Tuesday, Sept. 8, 16:30 - $320 Badugi ($100,000)
Tuesday, Sept. 8, 20:00 - $1,050 No Limit Hold’em ($500,000)
Wednesday, Sept. 9, 14:30 - $530 No Limit Hold’em Triple Shootout ($500,000)
Wednesday, Sept. 9, 16:30 - $320 Eight Game Mixed Event ($300,000)
Thursday, Sept. 10, 14:30 - $530 Pot Limit Hold’em Six-Max ($400,000)
Thursday, Sept. 10, 16:30 - $320 2-7 Triple Draw ($100,000)
Friday, Sept. 11, 14:30 - $215 No Limit Hold’em with Rebuys ($1.25 million)
Friday, Sept. 11, 16:30 - $530 Limit Omaha H/L ($400,000)
Friday, Sept. 11, 20:00 - $320 No Limit Hold ‘em ($300,000)
Saturday, Sept. 12, 14:30 - $530 Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em ($1 million)
Saturday, Sept. 12, 16:30 - $320 HORSE ($400,000)
Sunday, Sept. 13, 12:45 - $215 Special Sunday Warm-Up ($1 million)
Sunday, Sept. 13, 14:30 - $25,500 Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em ($800,000)
Sunday, Sept. 13, 16:30 - $1,050 No Limit Hold’em ($3 million)
Monday, Sept. 14, 14:30 - $320 Half PLHE, Half PLO ($400,000)
Monday, Sept. 14, 16:30 - $320 No Limit Hold’em 2X Chance ($800,000)
Tuesday, Sept. 15, 14:30 - $320 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys ($700,000)
Tuesday, Sept. 15, 16:30 - $530 Stud H/L ($200,000)
Tuesday, Sept. 15, 20:00 - $1,050 No Limit Hold’em ($500,000)
Wednesday Sept. 16, 14:30 - $215 No Limit Hold’em Big Antes ($500,000)
Wednesday Sept. 16, 16:30 - $320 Pot Limit Omaha H/L ($500,000)
Thursday, Sept. 17, 14:30 - $530 No Limit Hold’em with Rebuys Six-Max ($1 million)
Thursday, Sept. 17, 16:30 - $2,100 Pot Limit Omaha Six-Max ($600,000)
Friday, Sept. 18, 14:30 - $530 No Limit Hold’em Cubed ($1 million)
Friday, Sept. 18, 16:30 - $1,050 Limit Hold’em Six-Max ($400,000)
Friday, Sept. 18, 20:00 - $215 No Limit Omaha Hi/Lo ($200,000)
Saturday, Sept. 19, 14:30 - $530 Heads-Up Pot Limit Omaha ($500,000)
Saturday, Sept. 19, 16:30 - $2,100 Eight Game Mixed Event ($400,000)
Sunday, Sept. 20, 12:45 - $215 Special Sunday Warm-Up ($1 million)
Sunday, Sept. 20, 14:30 - $10,300 HORSE ($1 million)
Sunday, Sept. 20, 16:30 - $5,200 Main Event ($10 million)

Card Player Cruises Releases 2009-2010 Schedule

Starting in November, Card Player Cruises will return to the high seas aboard the 138,000 ton Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines’ Explorer of the Seas. Destinations over the next year for the cruising company include Alaska, the Mediterranean, and Mexico.

The nine-night Canada and New England Fall Foliage cruise will depart from Cape Liberty Cruise Port in New Jersey in November and steam up the eastern seaboard of the United States. Ports of call include Portland, Bar Harbor, Saint John, Halifax, and Boston and the cruise starts at $550 per person. Card Player Cruises partner and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Linda Johnson commented in a press release distributed by the travel company, “This trip will feature some of the most spectacular scenery on the Eastern Seaboard. There’s no better time to visit this region than in the fall, when the foliage stands out in every imaginable color.”

Besides the fall foliage outside of the ship, the other main attraction on the November cruise will be its poker room. $100 to $200 buy-in poker tournaments will abound, with private seminars and free poker lessons also taking place. In addition, the press release notes, “Passengers can play as much or as little as they want during the week.” The Explorer of the Seas also features a rock-climbing wall, ice skating rink, miniature golf course, basketball court, disco, spa, fitness center, pools, Jacuzzis, and shops. In addition, what would a cruise be without a parade of food?

Here is the upcoming schedule for Card Player Cruises:

Canada and New England Fall Foliage nine-night cruise – October 15, 2009
Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas
Departs from Cape Liberty Cruise Port, Bayonne, New Jersey

Mexican Riviera seven-night cruise – November 15, 2009
Royal Caribbean’s Mariner
Departs from Los Angeles, California

Western Caribbean seven-night cruise – March 7, 2010
Royal Caribbean’s Voyager
Departs from Galveston, Texas

Mediterranean Venice 12-night cruise – May 15, 2010
Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance
Departs from Barcelona, Spain

Alaska seven-night cruise – August 27, 2010
Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody
Departs from Seattle, Washington

Eastern Caribbean seven-night cruise – September 25, 2010
Royal Caribbean’s Oasis
Departs from Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Mexican Riviera seven-night cruise – December 5, 2010
Royal Caribbean’s Mariner
Departs from Los Angeles, California

The poker room closes while the ship is parked in port and opens while the vessel is out in the open water. Card Player Cruises customers make up between 25% and 40% of the total number of passengers onboard, so traditional cruising activities still occur day and night. In order to play poker, Card Player Cruises guests must be at least 18 years-old, while some special events, such as the PartyPoker Million, feature a different age requirement.

Besides tournaments, each ship’s poker room hosts a wide variety of cash games, ranging from limits of $1/$2 to $30/$60. Customers with children are more than welcome to participate as well. Card Player Cruises explains, “There are extensive programs for children that provide entertainment for the kids from morning until night. Some of the activities are scavenger hunts, arts and crafts, talent shows, pizza parties, disco parties, trips to the spa/gym, video games, etc. Children are able to sail at reduced rates on most cruise lines.”

Prices for the above schedule vary between $448 per person and $1,719 per person. The cost covers food, cabin, nightly entertainment, and use of the ship’s amenities. According to Johnson, the majority of players who board a Card Player Cruise are recreational and several are celebrating milestones like birthdays and anniversaries. Players can call 888-999-4880 for additional information and to book passage.

PokerStars Teams With Fox Network Television For New Poker Show

PokerStars, who has been on the hunt for an outlet for some poker related television programming of its own in the United States to keep up with other online poker sites, has announced that they will team up with Fox Sports for a national network broadcast of a heads up poker program that is called the “PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge.”

The program is set to premiere on October 11th either before or following – the tentative schedule states that the start time is 4PM, but could be adjusted depending upon the region of the country and any football conflicts – the regional broadcast of the National Football League. The “PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge” will feature a challenge somewhat along the same lines as NBC’s “Face The Ace.”

Players will have to battle their way through several Heads Up No Limit Hold’em matches against some of the top poker professionals in the world (as with Full Tilt Poker’s sponsorship of “Face The Ace” and the resulting Full Tilt pros on the show, it is expected that the “PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge” will prominently feature the PokerStars stable of poker players.) If they are able to make their way to the top of the mountain, they will take on PokerStars professional Daniel Negreanu – who will have also coached the players in their previous matches – for a $1 million prize.

Qualifying for the “PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge” is quite unique in that players don’t have to pay a dime for the chance to be on television. There are daily freeroll qualifying tournaments at 8PM and 11PM (Eastern Time) that players start with and which will run until November 25th. In those tournaments, the player has to finish in the Top Ten to be eligible to continue on to attempt to qualify for the program. Rather than determining the players on the “PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge” through poker ability, however, a different method will be employed to determine who will head for California.

If a player finishes in the Top Ten, the player then has to submit a two minute video to PokerStars as to why they should be considered as a player for the “PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge.” These two minute videos will also have to feature two friends that will also come with the player to participate in the show. The friends will be an integral part of the show, as they will be able to offer advice to the player as they are competing on the program. Players who are chosen by the PokerStars Team will then be on their way with their buddies to the Fox Network television studios and could compete on the show.

The remaining episodes of the “PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge” will extend through the remainder of 2009. Episodes will be broadcast on October 18th, November 22nd, December 13th, and four of the top winners will return for what is being called a “grand final” which will be shown on December 27th. Because of the Fox Network’s commitments to the NFL, the show is scheduled to be aired at 4PM but could be moved to a different time on Sunday afternoon, according to how the NFL schedule is laid out.

With the unveiling of the “PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge,” poker is seeing a renaissance on television overall and exposure on the major networks in particular. With “Face The Ace” on NBC and the ongoing showings of “Poker After Dark,” the World Poker Tour and “High Stakes Poker” on GSN (among others), poker is almost as prevalent on television as it was five years ago. For more information on the rules of the competition or to take part in the freeroll tournaments, visit PokerStars to learn more.

$19.000.000 Guaranteed NOW at Full Tilt Poker

Already the 13th FTOPS just started at Full Tilt Poker. There’s total of 19 million dollars in guarantees and it will run until August 16th when the Main Event starts.

Join now for the tournament series: Download Full Tilt Poker

Unlike in FTOPS XII, MiniFTOPS will not run at the same time, instead the MiniFTOPS events will be held between September 9th and 20th. The MiniFTOPS Main Event has a $55 buy-in and $500.000 guaranteed prize pool.

The FTOPS XII Main Event was won by Pocketownage who beat almost 4600 players to a $432.000 payday.

The biggest change this year is the Ante up for Africa charity poker tournament. This event will raise funds for the crisis in Darfur. It will take place on Saturday, August 15th. The tournament has a $120 buy-in and $20 is donated to charity and it has a $100.000 guaranteed prize pool.

One of the more interesting tournaments has always been the Two-day Event. This year’s Two-day tournament is Event #22. It has a $2620 buy-in and at least a $2 million prize pool. The tournament is Once again in a six-max format and the first day pauses after level 17 or when there’s two tables left. Everyone starts with 300 big blinds and the levels go up in every 30 minutes.

Full FTOPS XIII schedule. All times are Eastern:

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

August 6th
2:00pm: Event #2: $322 No Limit Hold’em 4x Shootout Six-Max, $250,000 Guaranteed
9:00pm: Event #3: $216 Omaha Eight or Better, $200,000 Guaranteed

August 7th
2:00pm: Event #4: $216 No Limit Hold’em Cubed, $500,000 Guaranteed
9:00pm: Event #5: $216 Stud, $100,000 Guaranteed

August 8th
2:00pm: Event #6: $535 Pot Limit Omaha Six-Max, $350,000 Guaranteed
4:00pm: Event #7: $109 No Limit Hold’em with Rebuys, $500,000 Guaranteed

August 9th
2:00pm: Event #8: $256 No Limit Hold’em Knockout Six-Max, $750,000 Guaranteed
4:00pm: Event #9: $535 No Limit Hold’em Heads-Up, $500,000 Guaranteed
6:00pm: Event #10: $322 No Limit Hold’em, $1.5 Million Guaranteed

August 10th
2:00pm: Event #11: $216 Half Pot Limit Hold’em, Half Pot Limit Omaha, $200,000 Guaranteed
9:00pm: Event #12: $1,060 No Limit Hold’em Ante from Start, $1.5 Million Guaranteed

August 11th
2:00pm: Event #13: $322 No Limit Hold’em 3x Shootout, $200,000 Guaranteed
9:00pm: Event #14: $535 HORSE, $300,000 Guaranteed
9:00pm: Event #15: $216 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max Turbo, $500,000 Guaranteed

August 12th
2:00pm: Event #16: $256 Pot Limit Omaha Eight or Better Knockout, $200,000 Guaranteed
9:00pm: Event #17: $322 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max Rebuy, $1 Million Guaranteed

August 13th
2:00pm: Event #18: $216 Pot Limit Omaha Heads-Up, $150,000 Guaranteed
9:00pm: Event #19: $216 Limit Hold’em Six-Max, $150,000 Guaranteed

August 14th
2:00pm: Event #20: $216 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max, $400,000 Guaranteed
9:00pm: Event #21: $322 Razz, $150,000 Guaranteed

August 15th
2:00pm: Event #22: $2,620 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max Two-Day, $2 Million Guaranteed
3:00pm: FTOPS Ante Up for Africa, $120 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max Ante from Start, $100,000 Guaranteed
4:00pm: Event #23: $109 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys, $350,000 Guaranteed

August 16th
2:00pm: Event #24: $129 No Limit Hold’em Knockout, $750,000 Guaranteed
6:00pm: FTOPS XIII Main Event, $2.5 Million Guaranteed

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$19.000.000 Guaranteed NOW at Full Tilt Poker

FTOPS XIII Starts Wednesday

The Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) returns on Wednesday for its 13th installment. This time around, the recurring tournament series boasts $19 million in guarantees and runs through August 16th.

Unlike FTOPS XII, MiniFTOPS events will not occur concurrently with their high-stakes counterparts this time around. Instead, MiniFTOPS XIII events will take place between September 9th and 20th on the virtual felts of the world’s second largest online poker site. The MiniFTOPS XIII Main Event is a $55 buy-in, $500,000 guaranteed prize pool tournament.

The high-dollar FTOPS XII Main Event was won by Pocketownage420, who barreled through a field of nearly 4,600 players en route to a $432,000 payday. Heads-up, he defeated azzabentonaces in a final table that also included iDubDeuce (third place for $170,000), Hartwith (fourth place for $132,000), and nickeltwenty (fifth place for $100,000).

One of the most visible additions to the FTOPS XIII schedule is the Ante Up for Africa charity poker tournament. The event, which raises money and awareness for the crisis in Darfur, will take place on Saturday, August 15th at 15:00 ET. Full Tilt Poker pro Don Cheadle co-founded Ante Up for Africa three years ago along with Ultimate Bet front woman Annie Duke and Norman Epstein. The tournament boasts a $120 buy-in, with the $20 entry fee donated entirely to charity. The FTOPS Ante Up for Africa tournament also includes a healthy $100,000 guaranteed prize pool.

Also one of the highlights of each FTOPS schedule is the Two-Day Event. Last year, Full Tilt Poker member Grndhg25 pocketed $400,000 for taking down the multi-day extravaganza. This year’s Two-Day tournament is Event #22 and features a $2,620 buy-in and at least a $2 million purse. It will once again be played in a six-max format and crowns a champion on Sunday afternoon, August 16th. The first day of play pauses after Level 17 or when two tables remain, whichever occurs first. Each player starts with 300 big blinds and the price of poker increases every 30 minutes.

Here is the full FTOPS XIII schedule. All times are Eastern:

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

August 6th
2:00pm: Event #2: $322 No Limit Hold’em 4x Shootout Six-Max, $250,000 Guaranteed
9:00pm: Event #3: $216 Omaha Eight or Better, $200,000 Guaranteed

August 7th
2:00pm: Event #4: $216 No Limit Hold’em Cubed, $500,000 Guaranteed
9:00pm: Event #5: $216 Stud, $100,000 Guaranteed

August 8th
2:00pm: Event #6: $535 Pot Limit Omaha Six-Max, $350,000 Guaranteed
4:00pm: Event #7: $109 No Limit Hold’em with Rebuys, $500,000 Guaranteed

August 9th
2:00pm: Event #8: $256 No Limit Hold’em Knockout Six-Max, $750,000 Guaranteed
4:00pm: Event #9: $535 No Limit Hold’em Heads-Up, $500,000 Guaranteed
6:00pm: Event #10: $322 No Limit Hold’em, $1.5 Million Guaranteed

August 10th
2:00pm: Event #11: $216 Half Pot Limit Hold’em, Half Pot Limit Omaha, $200,000 Guaranteed
9:00pm: Event #12: $1,060 No Limit Hold’em Ante from Start, $1.5 Million Guaranteed

August 11th
2:00pm: Event #13: $322 No Limit Hold’em 3x Shootout, $200,000 Guaranteed
9:00pm: Event #14: $535 HORSE, $300,000 Guaranteed
9:00pm: Event #15: $216 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max Turbo, $500,000 Guaranteed

August 12th
2:00pm: Event #16: $256 Pot Limit Omaha Eight or Better Knockout, $200,000 Guaranteed
9:00pm: Event #17: $322 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max Rebuy, $1 Million Guaranteed

August 13th
2:00pm: Event #18: $216 Pot Limit Omaha Heads-Up, $150,000 Guaranteed
9:00pm: Event #19: $216 Limit Hold’em Six-Max, $150,000 Guaranteed

August 14th
2:00pm: Event #20: $216 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max, $400,000 Guaranteed
9:00pm: Event #21: $322 Razz, $150,000 Guaranteed

August 15th
2:00pm: Event #22: $2,620 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max Two-Day, $2 Million Guaranteed
3:00pm: FTOPS Ante Up for Africa, $120 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max Ante from Start, $100,000 Guaranteed
4:00pm: Event #23: $109 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys, $350,000 Guaranteed

August 16th
2:00pm: Event #24: $129 No Limit Hold’em Knockout, $750,000 Guaranteed
6:00pm: FTOPS XIII Main Event, $2.5 Million Guaranteed

2009 WSOP on ESPN Debuts Tuesday

Tonight marks the return of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) on ESPN. At 8:00pm ET, the network will air the $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP.

A star-studded final table will take to the felts in the event, which was the second on the 2009 WSOP schedule. It attracted 201 entrants and, as has been heavily touted in commercials for the program, generated a $7.7 million prize pool. The final table features some of the top names in live and online poker. Here’s how the chip stacks will look when final table play in Event #2 of the 2009 WSOP kicks off on ESPN this evening:

1. Isaac Haxton - 5,955,000
2. Vitaly Lunkin - 4,565,000
3. Lex Veldhuis - 3,805,000
4. Greg Raymer - 3,345,000
5. Alec Torelli - 2,340,000
6. Justin Bonomo - 1,685,000
7. Dani Stern - 1,300,000
8. Noah Schwartz - 660,000
9. Ted Forrest - 560,000

Lunkin won a $1,500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event during the 2008 WSOP and banked $628,000, defeating Brett Kimes heads-up. Raymer won the 2004 WSOP Main Event, becoming the third amateur in a row to take down the feature $10,000 buy-in tournament. Torelli, who recently signed with the Cake Poker Network site Doyle’s Room, is fresh off a fourth place showing at the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Bellagio Cup V for $271,000. Bonomo is a Bodog pro making his third WSOP final table appearance. Forrest owns five bracelets and was famously shut out of the Main Event this year after Day 1D sold out at over 2,800 runners. Finally, Stern will compete as part of G4’s “2 Months, $2 Million,” a poker reality show that debuts on August 16th.

With the all-star cast lined up for the final table of the kickoff WSOP on ESPN event, show producer Jamie Horowitz commented in a conference call last week, “This is the most excited I’ve ever been for a season of the WSOP, not just because we get to kick it off with new events we’ve never done before, but also because we’re doing a record number of hours of [the Main Event] this year.” In fact, ESPN will broadcast 24 hours of the world’s most prestigious poker tournament. The final table will take place on November 10th and air just hours later on the Worldwide Leader in Sports.

Tuesday is once again poker night on ESPN. Here’s the schedule for when you can tune in to catch the action in high-definition. All times are Eastern:

July 28th from 8:00pm to 10:00pm: $40,000 Special Anniversary Tournament
August 4th from 8:00pm to 10:00pm: WSOP Champions Invitational
August 11th from 8:00pm to 10:00pm: Ante Up for Africa Charity Tournament
August 18th to September 22nd from 8:00pm to 10:00pm: WSOP Main Event
September 29th from 8:00pm to 11:00pm: WSOP Main Event
October 6th from 10:00pm to 11:00pm: WSOP Main Event
October 13th to November 3rd from 9:00pm to 11:00pm: WSOP Main Event
November 10th from 9:00pm to 11:30pm: WSOP Main Event Final Table

This year’s November Nine, who comprise the final table of the Main Event, include two brand name pros, Full Tilt Poker’s Phil Ivey and CardPlayer Editor Jeff Shulman. Ivey has already won two bracelets at the 2009 WSOP, while Shulman threatened to throw his piece of hardware in the garbage if he won. Horowitz explained the allure of this year’s group: “It’s long been discussed in the modern era of poker if a pro could win the Main Event. Having Phil Ivey as part of our November Nine has added a new level of interest to poker. There’s an elevated sense of excitement for this season.”

Ivey is ESPN poker commentator Norman Chad’s perennial pick to win the $10,000 buy-in Main Event. He explained to reporters why Ivey has become one of the industry’s staples: “Anytime you’re playing with a pro, there’s going to be a sense of intimidation, but there’s some mystical magical quality about Phil Ivey that actually elevates him above the rest. He has an amazing table presence that’s unequaled in the game.” Chad told Poker News Daily on the Ante Up for Africa red carpet that he expected Ivey to win the charity tournament as well.

We’ll look forward to seeing the $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP unfold tonight on ESPN and ESPN HD.

PokerStars And Full Tilt Poker Battle For Guinness Record

Over the past weekend, poker players had a difficult decision to make, with the ability to say that they were a part of a Guinness World Record on the line.

Both Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars ran tournaments on Sunday in an attempt to set the record for the largest online poker tournament ever. At stake was the opportunity to submit their claim to the official statistician of world records, Guinness World Records (formerly known as the Guinness Book of World Records) for the largest online poker tournament ever. Unofficially that claim was already held by PokerStars with a tournament from December 2008 that drew in 35,000 players.

Each tournament featured extra money added to the prize pool by each respective site. PokerStars doubled the prize pool from whatever amount of players signed up to take part of the $1 buy in tournament. Full Tilt Poker, on the other hand, put a guaranteed $500,000 on the line for its $5 buy in tournament. With each tournament starting at nearly the same time, players had some difficult decisions to make as to whether to multi-event or to take a shot at one or the other.

PokerStars was the first to take their shot and they set a high bar for Full Tilt Poker to overcome. By Saturday, pre-registrations passed the 35K mark that would be required to set the new record and the numbers continued to climb as the tournament drew near. By the time the tournament started slightly past 2PM (Eastern Time), 65,000 players were on the virtual felt for the event and PokerStars doubled the prize pool to offer $130,000 to the 16,250 players who could survive to cash out of the tournament.

Surprisingly, the tournament only lasted ten hours as PokerStars preferred to stick with its traditional ten minute levels and starting stacks of 2000 chips. In the end, it was “004 license” who was able to outlast “I_SCORPIO_I” to take the championship of the Guinness World Record Attempt Tournament. For his efforts, “004 license” took home $13,000 and “I_SCORPIO_I” had to settle for $11K.

Although the bar was set pretty high by PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker proved to be up to the task of challenging for the Guinness record. Players turned out in force for “The Record Breaker” – which was featured as a part of Full Tilt Poker’s fifth anniversary celebration “FIVE” – and either put up the $5 buy in or were able to satellite in for less. With the guaranteed prize pool of $500,000, it made the ROI on that entry fee more than tempting for many on the site.

The stable of Full Tilt professionals left the tournament alone, preferring to see one of the site’s dedicated amateurs take the title. By the time the tournament started at a little past 3:30PM (Eastern Time) on Sunday, 50,000 players took part in “The Record Breaker,” not quite beating PokerStars’ field but still a tremendous achievement. Overall, players may have liked this tournament better when it comes to that all important issue:  payouts. 7500 took some money away from this event, with “breo40” taking home $45,000 after defeating “gustavincho2,” who earned $31,450.

Now the debate can begin as to who truly took down the title of “Largest Online Poker Tournament” for Guinness World Records. The two tournaments featured different buy ins, different prize pools and different payout structures. It is unknown if this will play into the decision of the personnel of Guinness World Records, but congratulations to both PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker on their successful attempts at shattering the old record.

2009 PokerStars WCOOP Schedule Announced

The popular PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) returns on September 3rd and consists of 45 tournaments, an increase from the 33 that were run in 2008. Hold’em, Omaha, Razz, Stud, HORSE, Badugi, and 2-7 Triple Draw events will be held.

The WCOOP is regularly one of the richest tournament series held and has taken place annually after being introduced in 2002. The world’s top online poker players regularly head to PokerStars for the WCOOP gala, including Daniel Negreanu, a sponsored pro of the site. “Kid Poker” commented in a PokerStars press release, “There are hundreds of exciting tournaments all year round, but nothing compares to the WCOOP – it’s the ‘must play’ event of the year for any poker player. Last year, over 20,000 players came together from across the world to compete in the largest ever online poker event for their chance to become a World Champion.” At least $40 million will be up for grabs during the 2009 festivities.

Brand new events for the this year’s WCOOP include a $320 buy-in Fixed Limit Badugi tournament, a $530 buy-in Heads-Up Pot Limit Omaha contest, and a Big Ante No Limit Hold’em event. The festivities will culminate in a $5,200 buy-in No Limit Hold’em Main Event that will run for two days. Kicking off the same day is another high-stakes contest, a $10,300 buy-in High Roller HORSE tournament. The events come with $10 million and $1 million guarantees, respectively.

PokerStars released a tentative tournament offering last month and solicited player feedback. Here is the final schedule of events for the 2009 WCOOP. All times are Eastern:

Event 1: September 3rd at 14:30
$215 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max
$1,250,000 Guaranteed

Event 2: September 3rd at 16:30
$215 Razz
$200,000 Guaranteed

Event 3: September 4th at 14:30
$215 Pot Limit Omaha Six-Max
$500,000 Guaranteed

Event 4: September 4th at 16:30
$215 No Limit Single Draw 2-7 with Rebuys
$200,000 Guaranteed

Event 5: September 4th at 20:00
$109 Eight-Game 10 Minute Levels
$50,000 Guaranteed

Event 6: September 5th at 12:45
$109 No Limit Hold’em
$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 7: September 5th at 14:30
$215 Pot Limit Five Card Draw
$200,000 Guaranteed

Event 8: September 5th at 16:30
$215 Fixed Limit Hold’em
$400,000 Guaranteed

Event 9: September 6th at 12:45
$215 No Limit Hold’em
$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 10: September 6th at 14:30
$10,300 No Limit Hold’em High Roller
$2,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 11: September 6th at 16:30
$530 No Limit Hold’em Two-Day
$3,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 12: September 7th at 14:30
$215 No Limit Hold’em Four-Max
$500,000 Guaranteed

Event 13: September 7th at 16:30
$320 Seven Card Stud
$150,000 Guaranteed

Event 14: September 8th at 14:30
$320 Mixed Hold’em Six-Max
$300,000 Guaranteed

Event 15: September 8th at 16:30
$320 Fixed Limit Badugi
$100,000 Guaranteed

Event 16: September 8th at 20:00
$1,050 No Limit Hold’em
$500,000 Guaranteed

Event 17: September 9th at 14:30
$530 No Limit Hold’em Triple Shootout 10-Max
$500,000 Guaranteed

Event 18: September 9th at 16:30
$320 Eight Game
$300,000 Guaranteed

Event 19: September 10th at 14:30
$320 Pot Limit Omaha Six-Max Cubed
$400,000 Guaranteed

Event 20: September 10th at 16:30
$320 Fixed Limit Triple Draw 2-7
$100,000 Guaranteed

Event 21: September 11th at 14:30
$215 No Limit Hold’em with Rebuys
$1,250,000 Guaranteed

Event 22: September 11th at 16:30
$530 Fixed Limit Omaha High-Low
$400,000 Guaranteed

Event 23: September 11th at 20:00
$320 No Limit Hold’em 10 Minute Levels
$300,000 Guaranteed

Event 24: September 12th at 14:30
$530 No Limit Hold’em Heads-Up Match Play
$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 25: September 12th at 16:30
$320 HORSE
$400,000 Guaranteed

Event 26: September 13th at 12:45
$215 No Limit Hold’em
$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 27: September 13th at 14:30
$25,500 No Limit Hold’em High Roller Match Play
$800,000 Guaranteed

Event 28: September 13th at 16:30
$1,050 No Limit Hold’em Two-Day
$3,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 29: September 14th at 14:30
$320 Mixed Pot Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha
$400,000 Guaranteed

Event 30: September 14th at 16:30
$320 No Limit Hold’em 2X Chance
$600,000 Guaranteed

Event 31: September 15th at 14:30
$320 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys Six-Max
$700,000 Guaranteed

Event 32: September 15th at 16:30
$530 Seven Card Stud High-Low
$200,000 Guaranteed

Event 33: September 15th at 20:00
$1,050 No Limit Hold’em
$500,000 Guaranteed

Event 34: September 16th at 14:30
$215 No Limit Hold’em Big Antes
$500,000 Guaranteed

Event 35: September 16th at 16:30
$320 Pot Limit Omaha High-Low
$500,000 Guaranteed

Event 36: September 17th at 14:30
$530 No Limit Hold’em with Rebuys Six-Max
$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 37: September 17th at 16:30
$2,100 Pot Limit Omaha Six-Max
$600,000 Guaranteed

Event 38: September 18th at 14:30
$530 No Limit Hold’em Cubed
$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 39: September 18th at 16:30
$1,050 Fixed Limit Hold’em Six-Max
$400,000 Guaranteed

Event 40: September 18th at 20:00
$215 No Limit Omaha High-Low 10 Minute Levels
$200,000 Guaranteed

Event 41: September 19th at 14:30
$530 Pot Limit Omaha Heads-Up Match Play
$250,000 Guaranteed

Event 42: September 19th at 16:30
$2,100 Eight Game
$350,000 Guaranteed

Event 43: September 20th at 12:45
$215 No Limit Hold’em
$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 44: September 20th at 14:30
$10,300 HORSE High Roller
$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 45: September 20th at 16:30
$5,200 No Limit Hold’em Main Event Two-Day
$10,000,000 Guaranteed

Visit PokerStars for more information.

2009 PokerStars WCOOP Schedule Announced

The popular PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) returns on September 3rd and consists of 45 tournaments, an increase from the 33 that were run in 2008. Hold’em, Omaha, Razz, Stud, HORSE, Badugi, and 2-7 Triple Draw events will be held.

The WCOOP is regularly one of the richest tournament series held and has taken place annually after being introduced in 2002. The world’s top online poker players regularly head to PokerStars for the WCOOP gala, including Daniel Negreanu, a sponsored pro of the site. “Kid Poker” commented in a PokerStars press release, “There are hundreds of exciting tournaments all year round, but nothing compares to the WCOOP – it’s the ‘must play’ event of the year for any poker player. Last year, over 20,000 players came together from across the world to compete in the largest ever online poker event for their chance to become a World Champion.” At least $40 million will be up for grabs during the 2009 festivities.

Brand new events for the this year’s WCOOP include a $320 buy-in Fixed Limit Badugi tournament, a $530 buy-in Heads-Up Pot Limit Omaha contest, and a Big Ante No Limit Hold’em event. The festivities will culminate in a $5,200 buy-in No Limit Hold’em Main Event that will run for two days. Kicking off the same day is another high-stakes contest, a $10,300 buy-in High Roller HORSE tournament. The events come with $10 million and $1 million guarantees, respectively.

PokerStars released a tentative tournament offering last month and solicited player feedback. Here is the final schedule of events for the 2009 WCOOP. All times are Eastern:

Event 1: September 3rd at 14:30
$215 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max
$1,250,000 Guaranteed

Event 2: September 3rd at 16:30
$215 Razz
$200,000 Guaranteed

Event 3: September 4th at 14:30
$215 Pot Limit Omaha Six-Max
$500,000 Guaranteed

Event 4: September 4th at 16:30
$215 No Limit Single Draw 2-7 with Rebuys
$200,000 Guaranteed

Event 5: September 4th at 20:00
$109 Eight-Game 10 Minute Levels
$50,000 Guaranteed

Event 6: September 5th at 12:45
$109 No Limit Hold’em
$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 7: September 5th at 14:30
$215 Pot Limit Five Card Draw
$200,000 Guaranteed

Event 8: September 5th at 16:30
$215 Fixed Limit Hold’em
$400,000 Guaranteed

Event 9: September 6th at 12:45
$215 No Limit Hold’em
$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 10: September 6th at 14:30
$10,300 No Limit Hold’em High Roller
$2,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 11: September 6th at 16:30
$530 No Limit Hold’em Two-Day
$3,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 12: September 7th at 14:30
$215 No Limit Hold’em Four-Max
$500,000 Guaranteed

Event 13: September 7th at 16:30
$320 Seven Card Stud
$150,000 Guaranteed

Event 14: September 8th at 14:30
$320 Mixed Hold’em Six-Max
$300,000 Guaranteed

Event 15: September 8th at 16:30
$320 Fixed Limit Badugi
$100,000 Guaranteed

Event 16: September 8th at 20:00
$1,050 No Limit Hold’em
$500,000 Guaranteed

Event 17: September 9th at 14:30
$530 No Limit Hold’em Triple Shootout 10-Max
$500,000 Guaranteed

Event 18: September 9th at 16:30
$320 Eight Game
$300,000 Guaranteed

Event 19: September 10th at 14:30
$320 Pot Limit Omaha Six-Max Cubed
$400,000 Guaranteed

Event 20: September 10th at 16:30
$320 Fixed Limit Triple Draw 2-7
$100,000 Guaranteed

Event 21: September 11th at 14:30
$215 No Limit Hold’em with Rebuys
$1,250,000 Guaranteed

Event 22: September 11th at 16:30
$530 Fixed Limit Omaha High-Low
$400,000 Guaranteed

Event 23: September 11th at 20:00
$320 No Limit Hold’em 10 Minute Levels
$300,000 Guaranteed

Event 24: September 12th at 14:30
$530 No Limit Hold’em Heads-Up Match Play
$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 25: September 12th at 16:30
$320 HORSE
$400,000 Guaranteed

Event 26: September 13th at 12:45
$215 No Limit Hold’em
$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 27: September 13th at 14:30
$25,500 No Limit Hold’em High Roller Match Play
$800,000 Guaranteed

Event 28: September 13th at 16:30
$1,050 No Limit Hold’em Two-Day
$3,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 29: September 14th at 14:30
$320 Mixed Pot Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha
$400,000 Guaranteed

Event 30: September 14th at 16:30
$320 No Limit Hold’em 2X Chance
$600,000 Guaranteed

Event 31: September 15th at 14:30
$320 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys Six-Max
$700,000 Guaranteed

Event 32: September 15th at 16:30
$530 Seven Card Stud High-Low
$200,000 Guaranteed

Event 33: September 15th at 20:00
$1,050 No Limit Hold’em
$500,000 Guaranteed

Event 34: September 16th at 14:30
$215 No Limit Hold’em Big Antes
$500,000 Guaranteed

Event 35: September 16th at 16:30
$320 Pot Limit Omaha High-Low
$500,000 Guaranteed

Event 36: September 17th at 14:30
$530 No Limit Hold’em with Rebuys Six-Max
$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 37: September 17th at 16:30
$2,100 Pot Limit Omaha Six-Max
$600,000 Guaranteed

Event 38: September 18th at 14:30
$530 No Limit Hold’em Cubed
$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 39: September 18th at 16:30
$1,050 Fixed Limit Hold’em Six-Max
$400,000 Guaranteed

Event 40: September 18th at 20:00
$215 No Limit Omaha High-Low 10 Minute Levels
$200,000 Guaranteed

Event 41: September 19th at 14:30
$530 Pot Limit Omaha Heads-Up Match Play
$250,000 Guaranteed

Event 42: September 19th at 16:30
$2,100 Eight Game
$350,000 Guaranteed

Event 43: September 20th at 12:45
$215 No Limit Hold’em
$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 44: September 20th at 14:30
$10,300 HORSE High Roller
$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 45: September 20th at 16:30
$5,200 No Limit Hold’em Main Event Two-Day
$10,000,000 Guaranteed

Visit PokerStars for more information.

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.

WPT, Slovak Poker Sport Federation Create WPT Slovakia

Continuing in its expansion and promotion of poker around the globe, it was announced yesterday that the World Poker Tour has joined forces with the Slovak Poker Sport Federation to create the WPT Slovakia, a tournament that will be held in August in the nation’s capital of Bratislava.

The first ever WPT tournament to be held in Central Europe, the WPT Slovakia will be a €4,000+€400 Deep Stack Main Event and will be played out from August 31st through September 4th at the Herna Golden VEGAS Casino in Bratislava. The tournament will be a part of the Central European Summer Poker Championship, which begins on August 26th and will play through the WPT Slovakia. Buy ins for the Central European Summer Poker Championship will range from €50 to €1500 and Steve Frezer – a well-known and respected Tournament Director from the United States – will bring his top notch team of dealers from around the world to provide a quality tournament staff.

“The Slovak Poker Sport Federation is delighted to be associated with a top brand like the World Poker Tour in the creation of this unique and attractive event in the territory of Central and Eastern Europe. With the creation of WPT Slovakia we intend to emphasize Bratislava’s attributes as a highly desirable destination for all poker players”, Dag Palovic, the President of the Slovak Poker Sport Federation, stated during the announcement. “The casino partner was also important to us, and Golden VEGAS is truly a location worthy of the players, the poker media and the WPT event.”

“WPT Slovakia is a unique and exciting addition to the World Poker Tour‘s expanding international tournament offering”, added Steve Lipscomb, the WPT Founder and CEO. “We have found a great partner in Slovak Poker Sport Federation, who are truly dedicated to growing the sport of poker in the Central and Eastern European territory.”

The Slovak Poker Sport Federation is an organization that supervises poker as a sport throughout the nation. The organization joins together the interests of poker players, poker clubs and poker fans in the Slovak Republic to promote the game in much the same way as other sports, such as soccer and chess, have organized federations. The Slovak Poker Sport Federation is also a founding member of the International Federation of Poker, which was formed on April 29th of this year as a global governing body for the sport and features noted poker writer Anthony Holden as its president.

The WPT has been very active in establishing national poker tournaments around the world. With the addition of the WPT Slovakia, five foreign locales now play host to tournaments under the WPT banner. The original tournament, the WPT Spain, was first played in 2008 and will once again feature a tournament on the International WPT schedule that starts tomorrow at the Casino Barcelona. Back in May, the WPT Venice played out at the Casino Di Venezia, with Sweden’s Ragnar Astrom taking the championship over a 397 player field. Other international events, along with the WPT Slovakia, include the WPT Cyprus (scheduled for play from September 6th through the 12th) at the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino and the WPT Marrakech (October 12th through 19th) at the Casino De Marrakech.

Poker impregnates Playboy TV

Would you include Playboy Playmates Brande Roderick (2001 Playmate of the year), Deanna Brooks, Stacy Fuson and Andrea Lowell?

Thanks to being the co-creator of the Simpsons, Sam Simon is one ridiculously wealthy man.

And one of the ways he's been known to enjoy his money has been by spreading a legendary home poker game.

Celebs, models, some of the world's raunchiest and funniest comedians and world-class poker players have all been known to frequent the game, and he'll apparently invite anyone who won't get upset after being called a ****ing *****t **** *****r for winning a pot.

In fact, Simon's home game became so legendary (and not necessarily for the poker) that the execs at Playboy TV phoned him up and asked him to film "Sam's Game" for the network.

"The stakes aren't the biggest, the players aren't the best, but the game is definitely the funniest," Simon said.

"I've spent years in development to try to get shows on the air. When a network calls and says, 'We want to shoot this,' the answer is yes."

A look at the action:

The show is filmed in "Hef's exclusive Sky Villa" at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas and premiered last night; look for episode 2 next Thursday at 9 p.m. Eastern & Pacific.

Check out the official webpage for the show here.