Poker News

Jan Skampa Wins EPT Prague; Becomes First Czech EPT Champ

Hometown hero Jan Skampa took down the Main Event of the European Poker Tour (EPT) Prague stop, banking €682,000. Skampa is a 23 year-old economics student at St. Charles University in Prague and became the first Czech champion in EPT history.

A total of 584 players turned out for the EPT Prague Main Event, which came with a €5,250 price tag. The event’s central location attracted a truly diverse international field, as seven countries were represented at the eight-handed final table. Among those at the feature table was Team PokerStars Pro member Luca Pagano, who finished in sixth place for an even €100,000. In October, Pagano final tabled the EPT Warsaw Main Event to the tune of over $100,000, one of his four EPT feature table appearances in 2009. Pagano has 13 in the money showings in EPT events.

Following his monumental win, Skampa told PokerStars officials, “It feels great to win. It’s my fourth EPT and I won it in my home town – that must be one of the greatest accomplishments you can have in poker. It was tough when we were three-handed, but once Stefan Mattsson was out, I felt confident I could win.” Here were the final results from the 2009 running of EPT Prague:

1. Jan Skampa (Czech Republic) – €682,000
2. Eyal Avitan (Israel) – €454,000
3. Stefan Mattsson (France) – €255,000
4. Anthony Roux (Czech Republic) – €171,000
5. Larry Ryan (Ireland) – €135,000
6. Luca Pagano (Italy) – €100,000
7. Gustav Ekerot (Sweden) – €71,000
8. Sven Eichelbaum (Germany) – €55,500

This was the third running of EPT Prague, which debuted during the fourth season of the EPT with Arnaud Mattern emerging victorious from a field of 555 runners. Last year, Italian poker player Salvatore Bonavena took home the crown after besting a group of 570 poker players. Attendance at the Czech event has increased gradually each year, as this season’s crop of 584 players represented a 2% increase year over year.

In the defining hand of heads-up play, which ran for three hours, Eyal Avitan pushed all-in with J-9 and Skampa woke up with pocket jacks. The dominating hand held and Skampa was crowned the 2009 EPT Prague champion, sending the hometown fans into a frenzy. Avitan sent Stefan Mattsson packing after he flopped a straight with J-10 against Mattsson’s Q-10. The fourth place finisher at EPT Prague, Anthony Roux, hit the rails after coming out on the short end of a race with pocket tens against Avitan’s A-K.

Larry Ryan, a PokerStars qualifier, hit the skids in fifth after running pocket jacks into Mattsson’s pocket aces. Ryan, who also qualified via PokerStars for the upcoming Caribbean Adventure, could not overcome being a 4:1 underdog and earned €135,000. Pagano’s EPT Prague title hopes were dashed when his A-J could not draw out on Mattsson’s pocket queens.

Next up for Season 6 of the PokerStars-sponsored EPT is the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, which takes place from January 4th to 14th at the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort in the Bahamas. The tournament marks the EPT’s only trip to the Western Hemisphere in a joint event with the Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT). In 2009, Canadian Poorya Nazari took home a massive $3 million grand prize from the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, which attracted a record-setting 1,347 players. In side tournament action, Team PokerStars Pro member and former Main Event champion Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier took down the $25,000 High Roller contest.

The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event comes with a $10,300 price tag. Side festivities include battleship events, ladies only events, and tournaments in Omaha, Eight Game, and Badugi.

Hometown Hero Wins EPT Prague

Just a few weeks removed from his first PokerStars European Poker Tour final table in Portugal, Jan Skampa won his first title, taking down EPT Prague in his hometown.

“It feels great,” Skampa said, moments after booking the win and an €682,000 first-place prize.

“It’s just my fourth EPT and I win an EPT in my hometown. It’s one of the greatest accomplishments in poker one can have.”

With 584 entrants, EPT Prague was the largest poker tournament in Czech Republic history, a fact that was not lost on the new hometown hero.

“It was the biggest tournament in Czech Republic ever, so it feels marvelous,” he said. “I had lots of support from the rail, lots of people cheering me on.”

The final eight set up as one of the most notable in EPT history.

Not only was it back-to-back finals for the 23-year-old Skampa, who finished fourth at EPT Vilamoura in Portugal, but it marked Luca Pagano’s record breaking sixth final table.

Plus, WPT and WSOP finalist Stefan Mattson and WSOP and WSOPE finalist Anthony Roux were added to the mix, both looking for a breakthrough win to add to their resumes.

German Sven Eichelbaum was actually the first out of the final eight, running ace-jack suited into Laurence Ryan’s aces.

Shortstack Swede Gustav Ekerot was the next to go, throwing rags at Eyal Avitan’s aces before Mattsson suddenly took over the table.

Pagano’s record sixth final table came to an abrupt end when he four-bet shoved ace-jack into Mattsson’s aces.

Then, just moments later, Ryan ran jacks into Mattsson’s queens to bust fifth and hand the aggressive Swede a massive chip lead.

Skampa turned things around, however, when he got Mattsson to call his five-bet shove.

The Prague native had kings against the Swede’s queens and doubled up to take over the chip lead.

Winamax Pro Roux was out next, losing a flip against Avitan, and three-handed play began as a virtual dead heat between Skampa and the Israeli, with Mattsson not too far behind.

Avitan inched his way into the lead and then took care of Mattsson after three hours of three-handed play, flopping a straight and fading a combo-draw after getting it in with jack-ten versus the Swede’s queen-ten.

Avitan then took a 2:1 chip lead into heads up with Skampa, but the young pro chipped away until more than three hours of careful play had passed and he had grabbed the advantage.

In the end, Avitan shoved in with jack-nine offsuit facing a Skampa raise.

Skampa called with pocket jacks and had the Israeli drawing dead by the turn as the pro-Czech crowd went wild, draping Skampa in the nation’s flag and roaring in appreciation.

“Both of us were trying to avoid races it seemed, and as the time went on I felt like my opponent was getting tired a bit,” Skampa said. “Especially during this last level I tried to put the pressure on him a bit more. I just felt I had a solid grasp on his play already.”

An economics student at St Charles University in Prague who has been playing quite succesfully online for the past three years, Skampa said the money would not change his life and he plans to continue playing European Poker Tour events throughout this season and beyond.

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Poker News in Brief: Nov. 30-Dec. 6, 2009

With all that quality front page poker news there were a number of stories that almost fell through the cracks here at PL.com.

Fortunately, we publish our Poker News in Brief feature every Sunday and we’re going to recount some of the lesser-known stories below.

This week we’ll take a look at the original WSOP location shutting down its hotel, an Australian going back-to-back at the APPT High Roller’s event, a UB Poker pro winning a side event at Bellagio and more.

Binions Hotel Shuts Doors

Binions Gambling Hall & Hotel, the original location of the World Series of Poker, will be shutting down the hotel component of the business, according to a statement from owners this week.

Lisa Robinson, a spokesperson for Owners TLC Casino Enterprises, told the Associated Press the decision was made to keep the rest of the property operational.

She went on to say the facility was heavily affected by the economic downturn and the hotel rooms were no longer competitive.

The casino and legendary poker room will remain in business.

The property was originally known as Binion’s Horseshoe and it was there that Benny Binion conceived the WSOP.

The WSOP brand was sold to Harrah’s in 2004 and the next year the tournament was moved to the Rio All-Suites Hotel.

Graham goes back to back at APPT Sydney High Rollers Event

Jarred Graham pulled off an unlikely repeat performance as the APPT Sydney High Roller champion this week.

The young Australian outlasted 26 players including notables Jeff Lisandro, David Steicke and Terrence Chan to take down the $156,000 (AUD) first place prize.

This is the second year the $15,300 (AUD) buy-in event has been held and last year was actually more difficult for Graham, as he had to beat 36 players.

Graham now has life-time tournament earnings of $468,602, which puts him 21^st on the Australian all-time money list.

PartyGaming Wins Poker Operator of the Year

PartyPoker won Poker Operator of the Year honors at the eGaming Review Awards (EGR) in London this week.

An independent judging panel recognized that PartyPoker had made the most headway in the real-money poker sector over the last year. The judges were looking at originality, growth, scale, usability, payment processing and marketing.

Other notable poker winners included PKR for Best Online Marketing Campaign with special mentions to Betfair for Mobile Gaming Operator and ChiliPoker for Rising Star of the Year.

Russian Takes European Masters of Poker Slovenia

A Russian stole the show at the Slovenia leg of the second season of the European Masters of Poker this week.

Vladimir Mefodichev outlasted 252 opponents to take down the €58,190 first place prize in the three-day event.

The €1,000 buy-in event drew players from across the globe and the final table had players from Denmark, Russia, Israel, Sweden, France and Romania.

The European Masters of Poker now heads to Casino Las Canaria, Spain for the next tournament, which takes place Jan. 28-31.

Michael Binger Wins Five Diamond Side-Event

UB sponsored pro Michael Binger added yet another side event title at the 2009 Bellagio Five Diamond series this week.

Binger outlasted 127 players to win the $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em event for $124,160.

Since bursting onto the poker scene with a third place finish in the 2006 WSOP Main Event for $4.1 million, Binger has taken down the 2008 WSOPC Lake Tahoe title for $181,379 and side events at the L.A. Poker Classic and Five Star World Poker Classic.

Adding in numerous cashes from around the globe, Binger has slightly more than $6.2 million in lifetime tournament earnings.

Power Hours on UB, Absolute Poker

Absolute Poker and UB players now have opportunity to earn twice the frequent player points during certain times.

Starting this week both sites will offer Power Hours from Monday-Saturday between the hours of 1-4 a.m. ET and 1-4 p.m. PT where players will earn twice the UB or AP points. The promotion is open to both tournament and cash-game players.

On Sunday, all players can earn double points between the hours of 1-4 a.m. ET with a special 1-5 p.m. ET session just for cash game players.

Players do not need to sign up and the points will simply be added to their account balance.

Full Tilt Signs Jani Vilmunen

It appears that Full Tilt Poker has signed Jani “KObyTAPOUT” Vilmunen as their latest red pro.

At the start of the week, the Finnish PLO-expert was still playing by his KObyTAPOUT alias but by mid-week a red Jani Vilmunen showed up at the tables on Full Tilt.

Vilmunen is most well-known as a fierce high stakes online cash game player, but he’s also had success in tournaments. Vilmunen won the Pot-Limit Omaha event at the WSOPE this fall for $336,396 and he also won the $2,100 PLO Six-Max WCOOP event on PokerStars for $172,140.

Full Tilt has yet to publicly confirm it has signed Vilmunen.

UB, Poker Player Magazine Hold Tournament for Armed Forces

Poker Player Magazine and UB Poker will host a freeroll this January to benefit those serving in the United States armed services.

All members of the armed forces, including veterans, are encouraged to participate, but the event is open to all players who would like to show their appreciation for men and women in uniform.

“This is a great event for everyone,” said Poker Pro Media Vice President Will Jordan, a former Marine. “But it is especially gratifying because we will be getting our servicemen and women involved. They deserve our gratitude, and this is just one small way to show it.”

The grand prize will be a $10,000 seat in the 2010 WSOP Main Event, along with $2,000 in expense money.

To sign up for the freeroll simply go to UB.com by Dec. 27 and use the promotion code PKRPRO.

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Pagano Makes Record 6th EPT Final

“There is no secret,” he told PokerListings. “It’s a little bit because of my style of game. I am very solid and I don’t take that many risks. And it’s a little bit because this year we have a new structure with more chips and a lot of play, which is giving solid players like me more opportunity to find the right spots.”

When the money bubble burst at EPT Prague on Day 3 and Pagano was still standing, the Italian was guaranteed a record 13th cash on the EPT.

However, the most prolific player in EPT history admitted skill isn’t the only reason he’s been incredibly consistent.

“This is probably a year where I’m getting some good cards as well,” he said. “I would say it’s a mix of luck and adapting to the new structure.

“The fact that I’m getting good results and a player like (Jan) Skampa is making another final table as well, is showing that playing the right way, with some luck and according to the structure, can be very good for professional players.”

After finishing fourth at EPT Vilamoura just weeks ago, Skampa, a budding superstar from right here in the Czech Republic, will enter Sunday’s final with the chip lead.

It’s just his fourth European Poker Tour event, but he believes the experience of Vilamoura will prove invaluable to him here at home.

 “It’s a tremendous help that just two weeks ago I was playing in similar situations,” he said. “In Vilamoura I had a somewhat difficult seat draw for the final table and now it’s somewhat better. But it really was the best possible training for this situation.”

Outside of the venerable Pagano, Skampa’s biggest threat appears to be Purple Lounge Pro Stefan Mattson, who will bring a massive stack and the experience of both a WPT and WSOP final table to Sunday’s fight for a €682,000 first-place prize.

“I feel really confident,” Mattsson said. “I knocked out some of the toughest players in the tournament as well so I’m feeling really good. Jan has a big stack, so he’s still a big threat, but otherwise, I feel very comfortable at this final table.

“I don’t think I will get quite as nervous as the other guys. I don’t even think about the pressure.”

Joining Pagano, Mattson and Skampa in the final is the suddenly red hot Anthony Roux, who now adds an EPT final table to the WSOP and WSOPE finals the Winamax pro has found himself at this year.

And with half the group full of top pros it appears the EPT has made some strides in distancing itself from a reputation that its final tables are often filled with unknown players.

Although, the second half of the group still includes relative unknowns Larry Ryan from Ireland, Germany’s Sven Eichelbaum, Swede Gustav Ekerot and Israeli Eyal Avitan.

Despite his record number of cashes and final tables, a win on the EPT has still eluded Pagano, but with another opportunity right in front of him Sunday, he believes a breakthrough is in the cards.

 “I know that it’s the only thing I’m missing, but it will come,” he said. “I just have to play my game. I think I proved to myself that I can play poker and the trophy will come.”

To follow all the action from the PokerStars EPT Prague final table, beginning at 12 p.m. CET Sunday, click through to PokerListings’ Live Updates.

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Becker Getting Better With Each Stroke

And while his teaming with PokerStars was widely criticized for being more of a publicity stunt than a legitimate move into the poker world when he first sat down to play at the European Poker Tour’s Grand Final in Monte Carlo in 2008, it’s obvious now he’s taking the game seriously.

“I have a better feel for the game and understanding at the table,” Becker told PokerListings at EPT Prague. “It naturally comes with the territory. The more you play, the better you get and I think I’m much better than I was last year.”

Becker fizzled out fast in that first appearance on the felt, but did manage a final table finish at a €500 side event in Monte Carlo that year.

However, his first real sniff at poker success came at the $25,000 WPT Championship in April of this year when he made the money finishing 40^th for $40,855.

While he’s enlisted the aid of several Team PokerStars Pros to help him learn the intricacies of the game, there are certain things the former World No. 1 tennis player and six-time Grand Slam champion already brought to the table.

“The mental game is very similar to tennis,” he explained. “You shouldn’t be afraid of big table or the big stage. For me it’s more about learning the details of the game, not so much about overcoming a fear of being on a big table or playing for a lot of money. That’s not something I worry about. It’s more about understanding the game better.”

Learning the game is one thing - having a passion for it another. But if there were ever any doubts Becker has a love for poker, one need only look inside his London home.

This past summer, Becker moved into a $9 million shrine to the game that brought him worldwide recognition.

The seven-bedroom home sits about 100 steps from Centre Court at Wimbledon, where Becker rose to tennis prominence winning the game’s most coveted title at age 17.

Wimbledon’s indoor practice courts are visible from the yard, but tennis isn’t the only game being played there.

Becker has built a room dedicated to poker inside, complete with a classic table, plush chairs and enough chips to get a serious game going.

“It’s really coming along,” he said. “My wife is a great player and we have many games together with friends. It’s nice because we are at home and it’s a bit more of a relaxed atmosphere. We have a lot of fun and some pretty good cash games there too.”

Becker’s home games are played mostly for fun, but with EPT founder John Duthie and fellow German Team PokerStars Pros Sandra Naujoks, Sebastian Ruthenberg and Florian Langmann having already stopped by to play, he’s been able to pick up a few tricks along the way.

Becker and his wife Lilly Kerssenberg are expecting a baby this February, but the New Year has even more for him to be excited about.

For the past two years, illness has kept Becker from playing the EPT’s annual trek to Germany.

But this year, with rumors the tour will be stopping in Berlin in March instead of Dortmund, he’s hoping to have the chance to show his native country a little bit of what he’s learned.

“I really hope to be willing and able to play,” he said. “I want to show the German fans that there is more to Boris Becker than tennis.”

Becker busted from EPT Prague before the money bubble burst, but the event continues with just 24 players left and Israeli Eyal Avitan holding a massive chip lead. For comprehensive coverage click through to PokerListings' Live Updates.

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High Heels Poker Tour Signs Sponsorship Deal With PokerStars

Poker has traditionally been a masculine pursuit, but women have been making inroads into the game since the boom earlier this century. One only has to look at Annie Duke’s performance in the first WSOP Tournament of Champions or Vanessa Rousso’s runner-up finish at this year’s National Heads Up Poker Championship to realize that women are a formidable part of today’s poker world. A tournament schedule to promote female participation in the game, the High Heels Poker Tour, recently signed on PokerStars as a sponsor to further the number of women who participate in poker.

In an announcement late last week, PokerStars will help to support the tournaments that make up the HHPT schedule from this point on. “PokerStars has all of the attributes in a online partner that female players crave…an incredible variety of quick, entertaining games that range from low buy in sit and goes and cash games to serious tournament play, all in an environment where women can learn the game, develop their skills, and truly become champions”, Lauren Failla, founder of the High Heels Poker Tour, stated during the announcement. “With champions like Vanessa Rousso, Katja Thater, and Vicky Coren, our players have a whole new set of role models to emulate and challenge, online and at the tables.” As a part of the new sponsorship with PokerStars, the High Heels Poker Tour will be conducting their Grand Final as a part of the festivities of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas this January.

The first HHPT event, which was held on August 22nd at the Turning Stone Resort Casino, was won by Texas’ Kathy Talerico and leads into what will be a hectic two months of action on the HHPT schedule. After New York, the tour heads south to Florida, where four tournaments are set to take place across the state.

First up for the players on the HHPT is Dania, FL, and a $125 buy in tournament at Dania Jai-Alai. Set to begin at 4PM on September 12th, players will start out with 6000 chips and play down to a champion that evening. After the Dania tournament, players on the HPPT will have the opportunity to relax before heading into a three tournament run in the month of October.

On October 2nd, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino will play host to the High Heels Poker Tour in Hollywood, FL. The tournament is scheduled to start at 6:30PM and, as of yet, the starting chip stacks haven’t been determined. The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino is demonstrating its support of the HHPT by making their tournament a prominent part of its “Main Event Tournament Week” schedule. The month of October finishes off with a couple of charitable outreaches by the HHPT with a trip to Tampa Bay Downs on October 10th for the “Battle of the Sexes To Battle Breast Cancer” and the organization will be in charge of the poker activities at the Trump International Beach Resort on October 17th for a benefit for the Friends of the Israel Defense Fund Casino Night.

The High Heels Poker Tour will be looking to expand to several different locations in 2010. While dates are not yet locked in for the tournaments, the HHPT is in discussion with such casinos as the Horseshoe in Hammond, Indiana, Harvey’s Lake Tahoe in Nevada, the Canadian Poker Expo in Toronto, Canada and others to hold HHPT events.

The High Heels Poker Tour also holds their very own Academy, with 2010 dates to be announced soon, that assists in teaching the game to more women. Such popular female players as Women In Poker Hall of Fame members Barbara Enright, Susie Issacs and Marsha Waggoner, along with current pros Kristy Gazes, Karina Jett and Joanne “J. J.” Liu, offer the wealth of their experience for other female players to learn from. For more information on the organization, visit the High Heels Poker Tour website to learn more.

Jay Rosenkrantz Talks 2 Months, $2 Million on G4

Debuting on Sunday, August 16th at 9:00pm ET on cable station G4 is the brand new online poker reality franchise “2 Months, $2 Million.” As part of the show, four players must earn $2 million collectively over a two-month period. “2 Months, $2 Million” participant Jay “Krantz” Rosenkrantz sat down with Poker News Daily to share his thoughts heading into Sunday’s premiere.

Poker News Daily: Tell us how you guys are connected. How did this group of four that will compete on “2 Months, $2 Million” come about?

Rosenkrantz: I was concentrating on taking a year off from poker to finish up at NYU. Then, I moved into the house and started playing high-stakes. I would be playing sessions and Emil Patel would mention how’d he play hands differently. It opened up a whole new way to play.

Brian Roberts is the most brilliant poker mind of anyone I know and he’s managed to maintain a lot of anonymity. People started calling us Team Israel. Three of us are Jews and Emil is a token Jew. Dani Stern moved in with us the following summer and we had been friends with him for a while. He stepped up and filmed the show after Ariel Schneller didn’t want to do it. Dani was always one of our friends and is the heart of Team Israel.

PND: Can you give us some insight into your strategy for “2 Months, $2 Million”?

Rosenkrantz: Heads-up poker is the easiest way to make money. We’re all Heads-Up No Limit specialists. It’s easy to make a lot of money playing directly against another player. You don’t have to fight other opponents at the table as well. You become really good at getting money out of pots. You become really good at folding big hands and making big bluffs.

Our general strategy was to play as big as possible as often as possible. You’re also adhering to G4’s production schedule, so you can’t always be around for every game. It quickly became apparent that big games weren’t running as often as they had in past summers, so we had to plan. We had to make sure that one or two of us were playing all of the time. We also started playing a good amount of Pot Limit Omaha. Emil and I have been learning that game and Dani and Brian played a lot of high-stakes Mixed games.

PND: How did you get started in poker?

Rosenkrantz: I’ve been playing since I was 12 years-old and we all have the same general story. Brian dropped out of high school, won $100 in a private club, and felt he was God’s gift to poker. He believes he’s the best and, to his credit, he’s good. For me, I didn’t know what I was doing. I started talking about poker to lots of people and then started grinding.

PND: What has been the reaction from your family and friends to your appearance on “2 Months, $2 Million”?

Rosenkrantz: It’s being billed as a quest show. It’s a documentary-style reality show, so it’s more about what life is like as an online poker player. All of these young people play professionally and have the freedom to travel the world. Now, the veil is being peeled back. My family and friends are supportive. We’re in a strange situation for people in their early 20s. Most people with money at our age are independently wealthy or world-class athletes. We just became good at a game. You’ll see every common theme about poker explored in this show and I’m proud of what we did.

Barney Frank’s Internet Gambling Bill Breaks 50 Co-Sponsors

This week saw Congressman Barney Frank’s (D-MA) HR 2267, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act, officially break 50 co-sponsors. The bill establishes a complete licensing and regulatory framework for internet gambling outfits to solicit U.S. customers.

The addition of two Congressmen officially pushed the support to over 50 co-sponsors. On July 27th, just a few days removed from the conclusion of National Poker Week, Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA) lent his name to the bill to become co-sponsor #50. One day later, Congressman Dan Maffei (D-NY) joined on. Flanking Thompson and Maffei are Congressmen from both sides of the aisle. Each has come out to support legalizing the internet gambling industry in the United States and reaping tax revenue in return. Here is a full list of HR 2267’s co-sponsors, as given by the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative (SSIGI), along with the political party each belongs to (Democrat or Republican):

Alaska
Don Young (R)

Arizona
Raul Grijalva (D)

California
Michael Thompson (D)
George Miller (D)
Michael Honda (D)
Linda Sanchez (D)
Bob Filner (D)

Colorado
Jared Polis (D)
Ed Perlmutter (D)

Connecticut
Joe Courtney (D)

Florida
Robert Wexler  (D)
Alcee Hastings (D)

Hawaii
Neil Abercrombie (D)

Idaho
Walt Minnick (D)

Illinois
Luis Gutierrez (D)
Bill Foster (D)

Indiana
Andre Carson (D)

Massachusetts
James McGovern (D)
Barney Frank (D)
Michael Capuano (D)
William Delahunt (D)

Michigan
John Conyers (D)

Nevada
Shelley Berkley (D)

New Hampshire
Paul Hodes (D)

New Jersey
Robert Andrews (D)
Frank LoBiondo (R)
John Adler (D)
Steven Rothman (D)

New York
Tim Bishop (D)
Steve Israel (D)
Peter King (R)
Carolyn McCarthy (D)
Gary Ackerman (D)
Joseph Crowley (D)
Jerrold Nadler (D)
Edolphus Towns (D)
Mike McMahon (D)
Charles Rangel (D)
Paul Tonko (D)

North Carolina
Melvin Watt (D)

Ohio
Steve Driehaus (D)
Tim Ryan (D)

Oregon
Earl Blumenauer (D)

Tennessee
Steve Cohen (D)

Texas
Ron Paul (R)
Ciro Rodriguez (D)

Virginia
Bobby Scott (D)
Tom Perriello (D)
James Moran (D)

Washington
Jim McDermott (D)

HR 2046, introduced during the last Congressional session and labeled the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act, garnered 48 co-sponsors. Frank unveiled it to the world in April of 2007, but it was not acted upon. The new version forbids gambling on any event that would violate the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. However, Poker Players Alliance (PPA) Executive Director John Pappas noted during National Poker Week that sports leagues are seeking clearer language in the bill. He explained, “Changes need to be made to explicitly outlaw sports betting.”

HR 2266 was introduced on May 6th, the same day as HR 2267, and calls for industry compliance with the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) to be delayed by one year to December 1st, 2010. The measure is dubbed the Reasonable Prudence in Regulation Act and is up to 32 co-sponsors. On its sister bill reaching the milestone 50th co-sponsor, SSIGI spokesperson Jeff Sandman commented in a press release, “Reaching this milestone illustrates that momentum is growing for a shift in U.S. policy and a rewrite of U.S. internet gambling laws. We also expect an increased spotlight on internet gambling as a way to augment federal revenues and help cover the cost of necessary policy initiatives.”

During a Fly-In orchestrated by the PPA as part of National Poker Week, over 100 meetings were held with Congressmen and their staffs from around the United States. Attendees included 33 PPA State Directors and a handful of poker’s elite, including Poker News Daily Guest Columnists Annie Duke and Linda Johnson, PokerStars pros Dennis Phillips and Greg Raymer, Full Tilt Poker pros Andy Bloch and Howard Lederer, and online poker sensations Chris “Fox” Wallace and Jordan “iMsoLucky0” Morgan.

Over 375,000 concerned players signed an online poker petition, which was presented to U.S. President Barack Obama last week. In addition, nearly 200,000 letters and e-mails were sent to Representatives and Senators during National Poker Week. The PPA’s Randy Law admitted that just 80,000 were sent during the entire 2008 calendar year. The organization currently has over 1.2 million members after boasting only 50,000 in mid-2006.

Poker News Briefs, June 23rd, 2009

A battle continues in Israel over legal poker tournaments in that country, pitting the Israel Poker Federation against Israeli police...

Gambling Law Expert Nelson Rose Comments on Online Poker Seizure

The seizure of over $30 million in online poker payment processor funds has sent shockwaves through the industry. One of the foremost gambling law experts is Professor I. Nelson Rose of the Whittier Law School in Costa Mesa, California. Rose sat down with Poker News Daily to discuss the legal challenges of the seizure.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York called for the freeze of over $30 million belonging to more than 24,000 online poker players. Authorities cited the Wire Act of 1961 and Illegal Gambling Business Act as statutes that legitimized their actions, which the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) claims violated due process. Rose told Poker News Daily that a variety of states, including New York, do not have legislation outlawing internet gambling: “There is no Federal law that applies to players and half of the states don’t have laws on the books that make it a crime to place a bet. It’s a tremendous gamble on the part of the U.S. Department of Justice to go after players and even more of a gamble to go after poker players.” Much of the enforcement until this point has been directed at online sports books and their payment processors.

The PPA is engaged in a dialogue with the Southern District over the contents of the accounts that were seized from banks in California and Arizona. However, the professor questions who will ultimately have standing to challenge the Southern District’s actions: “A lot of the payment processors are making good on the money that’s owed to players, which means they haven’t been injured and wouldn’t have standing. Payment processors won’t want to show up in court in the U.S. and, even if you could find a player, would they be willing to testify under oath?” In total, several obstacles exist on both sides in order to reach a resolution.

The Obama Administration assumed office on January 20th, one day after the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) were enacted. The entire financial services industry must come into compliance by December 1st, a date that is quickly approaching. Many in the industry were surprised by the continuing attack on the internet gambling industry by an administration that was assumed to be more amiable to the cause. Rose explained, “The unusual thing is that this is the Obama Administration. This isn’t the George W. Bush Department of Justice, so it’s unusual that they’re continuing to use intimidation.”

Rose shared several other explanations that have been floating around the online poker industry as to why the seizure occurred. One theory states that the National Football League (NFL), a longtime opponent of any expansion of internet gambling, pushed the Southern District to act in retaliation for the introduction of Congressman Barney Frank’s Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act (HR 2267) on May 6th. Frank also introduced the Reasonable Prudence in Regulation Act (HR 2266) on the same day, which would delay the regulations of the UIGEA from being enforced until December 1st, 2010.

Another possibility is that the Southern District acted in order to boost the chances of either Frank bill passing. Rose explained the reverse psychology: “When Bingo was illegal in California, police raided a retirement home to help the public understand that the law was ridiculous.” Finally, Rose speculated that the Federal Government may have acted for monetary reasons given the difficulty of finding an opposing party to appear in court. Jeff Ifrah, attorney for the payment processors in New York, told Poker News Daily that the seizure could have been timed to coincide with the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP).

HR 2267 is supported by major industry companies like Harrah’s and YouBet.com. The measure is up to 30 co-sponsors, including four that signed on late last week: Steve Driehaus (D-OH), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Steve Israel (D-NY), and Jared Polis (D-CO).

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest legislative news.

Timoshenko takes WPT Championship

Timoshenko cut his teeth in the game winning some of online poker's biggest tournaments, including the PokerStars Sunday Million, the daily $100 rebuy and the Sunday $200 rebuy.

Before his 21st birthday, he began playing live events wherever they would let him, booking solid results in prelims at the Irish Poker Open, Paris Open and the Aussie Millions before taking down the 2008 APPT Macau main event.

Ukranian-born and raised in Washington State, Timoshenko followed those results with final table appearances at the World Series of Poker Europe and the EPT Barcelona prelims.

But Saturday Night in Las Vegas he topped it all, winning more than $2.1 million and one of poker's most prestigious crowns.

"I feel great," he told PokerListings minutes after the win. "I'm really elated right now."

Courtesy of a massive hand where he busted seventh place finisher Brian Rast on the tournament's penultimate day, Timoshenko walked into the final six with a healthy lead.

But despite the advantage, he understood nothing was set in stone.

"I wasn't expecting to win," he said. "I hoped to win, but in tournaments you can't expect anything. Especially at a final table as tough as this one.

"I just hoped to play my best and come out ahead and luckily that's what happened."

Veteran pro Scotty Nguyen headlined a final table of solid players carrying a chance to become poker's all-time leading money winner should he take first.

But it was not to be for Nguyen as he lost most of his chips calling short stack Shannon Shorr's shove with just pocket sixes against tens.

Then Nguyen was outkicked by Christian Harder after making trip aces to bow out sixth.

Shorr was the next to go, taking fifth after running suited connectors into a Timoshenko wired pair.

Next was a huge double elimination that began when two-time EPT finalist Christian Harder open shoved with A 8.

Israeli Ran Azor, who won his seat to the championship after taking down a $2k Bellagio Cup prelim in 2008, made the call with A 7 and WPT Festa al Lago champ "ElkY" Grospellier came over the top for just 180,000 chips more with A J.

Azor called, flopped a seven and suddenly found himself heads-up with Timoshenko after the turn and river bricked.

While Harder took fourth, Grospellier's third place finish ensured he would also take home WPT Player of the Year honors.

Timoshenko went into heads up with a smile on his face and a 2:1 chip advantage.

"I got very fortunate for Ran to hit the seven," Timoshenko said. "I'd say of all three players left, he was the player I wanted to go heads-up with the most because he's an amateur.

"He's a very nice guy but he doesn't play as much poker and he's not as good at poker as ElkY and Christian Harder, both of who play a lot online and would have given me a tough time."

Timoshenko said he just stayed focused and did his thing.

"I just played my game," he said "I stayed patient. I didn't want to play big pots out of position, or even in position. I just wanted to grind it out and keep the pots small.

"I didn't really want to get it all in pre-flop. I prefer to see flops and chip away at him like that."

Obviously elated with the win, Timoshenko said he's off to Monte Carlo for the EPT Grand Final immediately and has his sights firmly set on the upcoming World Series of Poker and his first chance at WSOP gold.

"I can't wait," he said. "I'm probably going to play a lot at the World Series. I'd really like a World Series of Poker bracelet."

For a full recap of all the big hands at the final table hit up PokerListings' Live Tournaments page.

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Final table set at WPT Championship

Not only can Scotty Nguyen become poker's all-time leading money winner with a win, but Team PokerStars Pro Betrand "ElkY" Grospellier can take the WPT Player of the Year title with a fourth place finish or better.

However, Grospellier's sole focus remains the WPT Championship title.

"I just want to win honestly," he said. "I'm just thinking about winning. If I get fourth that's great, I get player of the year, but my main focus is on playing my best and winning the tournament."

2008 APT Macau champ Yevgeniy Timoshenko will come in with the best shot at the title, holding 13.3 million in chips and a massive lead over the field.

However, the 21-year-old told PokerListings he has no plans to come in and steamroll the other five players.

"I don't have a plan, I'll simply sit down and feel the table out," he said. "I never play poker with a premeditated strategy. I make my decisions in the heat of the moment."

Two-time EPT finalist Christian Harder will come into the final table second in chips with 7.4 million, just above Grospellier's 5.95 million.

ElkY, who took down the WPT Festa al Lago title this past October using a big stack to bully the competition at the final table, plans to play a little tighter tomorrow.

"I'm going to be very careful with the spots I take," he said. "I have Scotty on my left and Yevgeniy on my right, which is not so good because he's going to be opening a lot of pots.

"I've been playing with him the last few days and we play online so he's a tough opponent for sure, but it's OK."

Next on the current leader board is a very confident sounding Nguyen with 3.2 million in chips.

"That's plenty of chips for Scotty," Nguyen said. "It always feels good to come from the bottom and win it."

The short stacks coming in are Israeli Ran Azor with 2.5 million in chips and 2006 Bellagio Cup champ Shannon Shorr on 1.3 million.

PokerListings will have comprehensive coverage of the final table on our Live Tournaments page beginning at 4 p.m. PT Saturday.

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Nguyen can make history at WPT Championship

Should Scotty Nguyen bank the $2,149,960 first-place prize in the offing at Bellagio, he will become poker's all-time leading money winner with almost $12.6 million, surpassing 2006 WSOP Main Event winner Jamie Gold's $12.1 million.

"That's right," Nguyen told PokerListings as he sat bagging his 5,880,000 in tournament chips. "That's my goal. That's what I promise the poker world and the fans."

Earlier this year at the Los Angeles Poker Classic, Nguyen told PokerListings TV he would quit poker if he made less than $4 million at the 2009 WSOP.

A few days ago here at the Championship, he booked a bet with Mike Matusow getting 3:1 on $5,000 that he would earn $4 million over the next three years.

"He's dead," Nguyen said, with the WPT Championship title clearly in his sights. "Count on it baby, he's dead."

To book this win, the 1998 WSOP Main Event champ will have to get through a bevy of great young players still in contention.

APT Macau champ Yevgeniy Timoshenko will come into the final ten holding 5.1 million in chips and two-time EPT final tablist Christian Harder is not far behind on 4.6 million.

Justin Young made second at the WPT Five Diamond back in December and is currently fourth in chips with 4.2 million.

2006 Bellagio Cup winner Shannon Shorr and 2008 WSOP $5k Pot Limit Omaha final tablist Brian Rast have a little over three million chips each, while 2007 WPT Five Diamond champ Eugene Katchalov holds 2.3 million.

Just below the two-million chip mark sits the ever-dangerous Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier, looking to repeat his 2008 WPT Festa al Lago win here at Bellagio.

The two shorter stacks include the relatively unknown Israeli Ran Azor and France's Aviation Club manager and 2007 WSOP $50k H.O.R.S.E. runner-up Bruno Fitoussi.

Regardless, Nguyen said he's just going to do his thing and let the chips fall where they may.

"I'm just going to play Scotty Nguyen style, baby," he said. "Fearless, baby; Fearless and confident."

The Vietnamese-born Nguyen sits on the edge of history with unmatched bravado and the poker skills to back it up.

"Think about it, how many people do you know who will look straight at the camera and say 'I will win four million dollars this year'?" he asked. "None. I'm the only one. That's why they have people betting on me five to one, four to one, three to one, you know, baby? I take it all.

"Whoever wants to bet against me, I take it all. I told you, this is my year."

The play down from ten to the final table of six at the WPT Championship will begin at 12 p.m. PT in Las Vegas and PokerListings will have all the action on our Live Tournaments page.

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Israeli takes the honours at Golden Sands, Bulgaria

A larger than expected field of 311 players gathered at the Golden Sands Resort near Varna in Bulgaria last week to compete for the second leg on the 2009 European Masters of Poker Tour. The €1,100 buy in event, which attracted players from as far afield as Canada and Thailand, was eventually won by Israeli Reuven Dayan who claimed a first prize of €77,750.

Andrew Feldman Joins Full Tilt Poker

U.K. poker player Andrew Feldman is the newest Full Tilt Poker red pro according to a press release from Check-Raise Management. He’s an esteemed cash game player and is the biggest winner on the current installment of “The Poker Den.”

Feldman was the winner of the 888 U.K. Open IV in October of 2007 and bested Gideon Barnett heads-up. Two months later, he finished fourth in a €2,000 buy-in No Limit Hold'em tournament during the European Poker Tour’s (EPT) Prague stop for €28,000. He finished 58th in the 2008 Aussie Millions for AUD $25,000. Feldman commented on his signing as a red pro: “I’m totally thrilled to sign with Full Tilt Poker as a red pro. In many ways, it’s a dream come true. The site has the best software and strongest team of players, so I hope I can do them and myself proud.”

Feldman is listed on the online poker room’s website as a “Full Tilt Pro.” Others include World Poker Tour (WPT) Bay 101 Shooting Star Champ Steve Brecher, reigning WPT World Champion David Chiu, John D’Agostino, online poker pro Peter “Nordberg” Feldman, and 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) November Nine member Scott Montgomery. He’s also surrounded himself with some of the world’s best athletes off the poker felts, having competed under the British flag in badminton at the Macabbiah games in Israel. He can also be found rooting for the Watford FC on a daily basis.

His agent at Check-Raise Management, Nick Ferro, commented in a press release, “Andrew is a phenomenal natural talent and it’s not surprising that he has signed with the best in the business. He’s still only young, so expect much more from him as he develops over the coming years. The prospects are, quite frankly, frightening.” Feldman stormed onto the live poker scene by grabbing third in a £750 buy-in No Limit Hold'em tournament held during the Grosvenor U.K. Poker Tour stop in London in 2007. He cashed for £8,610 in the event, which was ultimately won by David Lloyd.

Full Tilt Poker’s primary selling point is that Average Joes can play with the game’s best. The site’s Team Full Tilt includes Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, John Juanda, Jennifer Harman, Phil Gordon, Erick Lindgren, Erik Seidel, Andy Bloch, Mike Matusow, Gus Hansen, Allen Cunningham, and Patrik Antonius. Other groups associated with Full Tilt include the pros from poker training site CardRunners as well as the Hendon Mob.

Starting on May 6th, each event held as part of the Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) will be hosted by a Full Tilt pro. The Main Event takes place on May 17th at 6:00pm ET and is a $535 buy-in $2.5 million guaranteed tournament. In a similar fashion to the ongoing PokerStars Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP), each FTOPS event will have a MiniFTOPS counterpart, guaranteeing a total of $18 million. Everyone who makes the final table of an FTOPS XII tournament will grab a limited edition jacket. Winners of FTOPS tournaments will also claim a gold jersey and a special avatar to display when they are battling it out online.

A special FTOPS Tournament of Champions takes place on May 20th. Winners from tournaments during FTOPS IX, X, XI, and XII will compete in a freeroll with a 2009 WSOP prize package on the line. The tournament series in Las Vegas begins on May 27th with a $500 buy-in Casino Employees No Limit Hold’em event. The $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP begins the next day.

Feldman is a native of London. According to Full Tilt Poker, the youngster prefers ring games to tournaments “because skill will always prevail and by the end of the month, the best players will always show a profit.”

Eli Elezra Interview with Poker News Daily

Poker News Daily: You're a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, a World Poker Tour (WPT) event winner, and have successfully played in some of the largest cash games around. In your opinion, what's your biggest poker accomplishment?

Elezra: Over the last five years, I have been invited to all of the shows on GSN like “High Stakes Poker” and on NBC, like the National Heads-Up Poker Championship. I love poker, but it is not my main source of income. I have several big businesses in Las Vegas and my family runs a lot of them, so I give myself to poker. I played last night until 6:00am with Sammy Farha, Doyle Brunson, David Benyamine, and all of the big names. I love the action. It moves me every time. The WPT tournament was a big win and this year, I'm gong to try to win another WSOP bracelet.

PND: Barry Greenstein gave you 10:1 odds that you'd win a bracelet in 2007, which paid off. Talk about the bet.

Elezra: Chip Reese and I were playing at the Bellagio and someone asked what the odds of winning a bracelet were. We went back and forth making bets with Barry, Phil Ivey, and Doyle. It was ranging between 3.5:1 and 5:1. Barry said that he'd give me 10:1 odds and I grabbed it. The bet was for $25,000, so I won $250,000. That year, I was the only one of them who won a bracelet.

That win was also big because every place you go, they don't necessarily know much about the WPT, but everybody asks how many bracelets you have. Finally, I can say I have one.

PND: Whose tournament game do you respect the most?

Elezra: Whoever plays No Limit Hold'em can tell you that the best player is Phil Hellmuth. As much as people don't like him, he can play the game better than everyone else. Gus Hansen has improved his game so much it's scary. He's proven that he can compete in big tournaments. You also have to look at the accomplishments Daniel Negreanu has.

PND: What about the player with the best cash game? Is it still Hellmuth?

Elezra: Phil hardly plays with us anymore since he started playing online. In cash games, you have Jennifer Harman, who is really good. At 75 years-old, Doyle can still play like he's 28. He plays much better now than when I played with him 15 years ago. David Benyamine is one of the biggest winners our cash game.

PND: Have you been able to travel back to Israel to play poker? Is the game booming there?

Elezra: I've never played in Israel. They tried to start a $10,000 buy-in tournament, but it didn't work. Poker has become so popular there that I'm getting calls now. High Stakes Poker started airing in Israel eight months ago and now they know they have an Israeli boy on the show. I go almost every year to Israel and get a lot of requests to appear on shows or talk in schools.

PND: What advice do you have for newcomers in the game?

Elezra: Patience, patience, patience. Play tight and play online. When you play online, play very low-limit cash games. You have to spill a lot of blood in order to see the fruits of your labor. You're going to lose a lot. When I started, I lost millions of dollars. Seven or eight years ago, I wasn't a big winner. Of course, people coming up will see guys like Phil “OMGClayAiken” Galfond, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, and Justin “BoostedJ” Smith, but no one knows about the tens of thousands of kids who didn't make it. I used to tell people to go to college first, but the biggest suggestion I can give is to take your time and be patient.