Poker News

Jamie Gold to Host Cannes Charity Poker Tournament

On May 17th during the Cannes Film Festival on the French Riviera, the Wilhelm and Karl Maybach Foundation and Sunflower Children Foundation will team up to offer a charity poker tournament featuring “Rounders” star Edward Norton and 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Jamie Gold.

The tournament kicks off at 10:30pm local time and will be held at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc (Cap d'Antibes). Norton appeared in 1998’s “Rounders,” a film that caused many established pros in the game today to become aware of No Limit Texas Hold’em. Also starring in the poker classic were Gretchen Mol, John Malkovich, and John Turturro. Norton appeared in subsequent hits such as “Fight Club,” “Keeping the Faith,” “Red Dragon,” “Death to Smoochy,” “The Italian Job,” “The Illusionist,” and held the title role in “The Incredible Hulk,” which was released in 2008. Previous events held by the Maybach Foundation have included appearances by Dennis Hopper, Quincy Jones, Kirk Douglas, and Naomi Campbell.

Serving as the event’s emcee in Cannes will be Gold, who took home $12 million after winning poker’s most prestigious tournament three years ago, defeating Paul Wasicka heads-up. A press release distributed this week revealed that Gold has helped raise over $100 million for charity during the past two years. The winner of the Cannes poker tournament will take home a 2009 WSOP Main Event prize package, including the $10,000 buy-in to the high-stakes tournament, hotel accommodation, airfare, and private coaching from Gold.

On May 18th, which is the day after the fundraiser with Norton and Gold, the Maybach Foundation will hold a private luncheon featuring a bevy of celebrities. In addition to his monumental finish in the 2006 WSOP Main Event, the largest tournament ever held as part of the annual tournament series, Gold took 35th in the 2007 WSOP Europe Main Event for £27,150. That contest was ultimately won by Betfair poker pro Annette "Annette_15" Obrestad, who became the youngest WSOP bracelet winner ever at the age of 18. Heads-up, the youngster defeated fellow Betfair pro John “kunkuwap” Tabatabai and is among the leaders at the ongoing European Poker Tour (EPT) Monte Carlo Grand Final.

The Maybach Foundation was founded in 2006 to help “particularly gifted young people reach their full potential by providing an innovative mentoring program and financial support,” according to the press release. The organization focuses on instilling mentoring skills and has offices in San Francisco and Stuttgart. The Sunflower Children Foundation is based in New York and provides aid to disadvantaged children in Cambodia, Colombia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Brazil, Guinea, India, Kenya, South Africa, Nepal, Niger, Nicaragua, Peru, Romania, Guatemala, and the Philippines.

The Cannes Film Festival takes place from May 13th through May 24th in the southern French city. Last year, “The Class” took home the prestigious Palme d'Or prize, while “Gomorrah” grabbed the Grand Prix award. Other accolades given out during the 10 day festival included Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best Actress. American actor and filmmaker Clint Eastwood took home a “special prize” during last year’s Cannes event. The very first Film Festival was held in 1946 and has taken place every year but twice since.

On May 9th, Gold will bring his charitable spirit to the 1736 Family Crisis Center in Los Angeles. The event is hosted by “Seinfeld” actor Jason Alexander and takes place at Hollywood Casino Park. The 2006 WSOP Main Event winner and former Hollywood talent agent was part of the winning squad in the second Dream Team Poker tournament, which was held at Caesars Palace in March. Besides Gold, other members of Team ACED included Ashley Nataupsky and Houston Waldie. Team ACED pocketed nearly $60,000 for the win. The inaugural Dream Team Poker event was won by Team Bluff, which was headlined by recent WSOP Caesars Palace Circuit Event champion Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo and also included Matt Parvis and Eric Morris.

Ziigmund stays quiet at EPT finale

The Finnish nosebleed-stakes player -known for calling out such high-profile opponents as Gus Hansen and Mike "The Mouth" Matusow, among others- plays pretty quiet in the live arena.

The aggression, however, remains.

Having spent Day 2 at the PokerStars.com European Poker Tour Grand Final a near-silent observer at a Table of Doom that featured Sorel Mizzi, Sebastian Ruthenberg, Dennis Phillips and Liya Gerasimova, Sahamies indulged Mizzi in a bit of post-game analysis at the end of play.

"What did you have those two hands when I laid it down to your three-bet?" Mizzi asked the phenom.

Sahamies shrugged and kept his mouth shut. But Mizzi persisted.

"Air," the Finn said. "I had air."

"And what did you have when I folded to you on that ace-high flop?"

"I had king-high," he said. "You?"

"Ace-ten," said Mizzi, shaking his head. "Why do I give you so much respect?"

Indeed, with Sahamies' reputation as a hyper-aggressive maniac at the tables, even an acknowledged LAG-tard like Mizzi looks tight in comparison.

That super-aggro style has paid dividends for Ziigmund, who learned poker after meeting fellow Finn Patrik Antonius at the pool tables.

Over the last year he's up over $4.4 million in all online cash games.

It's not just his earnings he's known for, however. The 2+2 forums are filled with examples of his vitriolic chat-box rants.

The prototype for fellow chat box assassin _FullFlush1_, Sahamies has called out everyone from Hansen, Matusow and David Benyamine to George W. Bush.

He told PokerListings.com it's nothing to take personally.

"It's just talk," he said. "With Gus, I'm just joking, but some of the other players just want to take it like I'm being serious."

He certainly stays quiet in person, spending Thursday's allotted seven levels sitting quietly, stacking his chips and avoiding the spotlight.

Even when prodded, Sahamies demurred from making any comments that could be considered controversial.

"I don't know," he said when asked which of his online opponents he thought was weakest. "I can't say any names. There are some weak players, but I can't say any names."

And what does he think of Luke "_FullFlush1_" Schwartz?

"I can't really say," he said. "I've only played a few hands with him so I can't really say what I think."

Sahamies did consent to tell PokerListings who he thinks is his strongest online opponent.

"Patrik Antonius," he said. "Absolutely."

Along with Sami "LarsLuzak" Kelopuro (a "solid" player, according to Ziigmund), Sahamies and Antonius make up a fearsome Finnish high-stakes triumvirate.

Collectively, the trio is up more than $10 million in online cash games over the last year of play.

Sahamies, though, had few answers when asked why his compatriots have had such success.

"That's a good question, because there are only about five million people in Finland and a lot of us are high-stakes players," he said. "Maybe it's just a coincidence."

"The real question is, why are the top three high-stakes players in the world from Finland?" Kelopuro added.

But neither he nor Sahamies was able to provide the answer.

Sahamies finished up Day 2 in Monte Carlo with about 200k in chips and is in great shape to add to his $327k in career tournament earnings with an in-the-money finish here in Monaco.

But as with all nosebleed-stakes players, the opportunity cost for his playing this event is enormous. Why, then, play tournaments at all?

"I want to play tournaments like every other player," Sahamies said. "It's fun and a little draining.

"A win would be very nice. I haven't ever won an EPT event and it's not really what I'm playing for, but it would be nice."

With about 149 players left in the field and three more days left to play, Sahamies has a long way to go before he can start thinking about winning.

But will he keep his vaunted mouth shut when he's sitting on the €2.3 million first prize? Only time will tell.

EPT Grand Final action continues with the play down to 32 on Friday. Tune in to all of the action in the PokerListings.com Live Tournaments section.

Visit PokerListings.com

Free Million Dollar Game to kick off WSOPE

The Free Million Dollar Game will include players from 15 regions around the world battling for a $1 million top prize.

There is also the potential to win a £10,000 WSOPE Main Event seat, a £5,000 WSOPE Pot-Limit Omaha seat and a £1,000 WSOPE No-Limit Hold'em seat.

The first step to getting in the game is finding your daily regional freeroll to play. The freerolls started April 13 and will run for 18 weeks.

The regions that will be included in the promotion are:

• United Kingdom: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
• Ireland
• Greece/Cyprus
• DE/AUT/CH: Germany, Austria, Switzerland
• Spain/Portugal
• Italy
• Eastern Europe: Bulgaria, Czech. Rep., Romania, Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, Slovakia, Croatia, Slovenia
• Denmark
• Sweden
• Norway
• Finland
• France/Belgium
• Russia
• Rest of World (ROW)
• Canada

The top 18 players from each daily regional freeroll will advance to the weekly regional freeroll.

There will be 18 weekly regional freerolls, and the winner of each one will win a seat in the live regional final. The prize includes travel and accommodation for the live regional final.

The winner from each of the 15 live regional finals will be sent to London to play in the Free Million Dollar Game final.

Each live regional final will also award cash prizes to second through fifth place:

• 2nd - $1,500
• 3rd - $750
• 4th - $500
• 5th - $250

There are currently unlimited entrees into the daily regional freerolls. Starting May 4, all players will only have one entirely free entry but can earn more entries into the freerolls by earning Betfair Poker points.

For more information about this and other promotions, visit Betfair Poker.

Visit PokerListings.com

Betting for Value

We all know what the point of playing poker is. To make money. Well, considering it is a game, the point is also to have fun, but you don’t need to learn strategies about having fun now, do you? You want to make money playing poker. For some, a good day at the tables is finishing up five bucks. For high stakes players, a good day could mean finishing up five hundred bucks. Regardless of the limits you play, you should always be looking for opportunities to extract that extra bet from your opponent. And that is where the value bet comes in.

There are varying opinions of what exactly a value bet is, but in a nutshell, it is a bet (and for the purposes of this article, we’ll stick to a river bet) you make when you believe you have the best hand and you want your opponent to call because you don’t think you’ll be able to make more money any other way. You are trying to get every last ounce of value from the hand. It is easily one of the toughest bets to make in poker, as it is far from an exact science. Let’s look at a few things to consider.

Opponent’s Hand Strength

This is the most important part of the value bet, for obvious reasons. Without having any idea of what your opponent might be holding, you will have no clue how to properly bet. If you think he has a monster, you of course don’t want to bet into him. If you think he has nothing, it doesn’t matter what you bet, as he is extremely unlikely to call you. Anything in between, as long as you believe it to be worse than your hand, and you have some decisions to make. Putting your opponent on a hand is one of the basics of poker, but it is still one of the most difficult aspects of the game to come remotely close to mastering. Like anything, it takes practice. Only The Amazing Kreskin is born with hand reading abilities.

Your Image

Part of determining your bet size, once you conclude that you have the best hand, is to be self-aware, to understand how your opponent views you. If your table image is one of a maniac or a big bluffer, you may be able to induce a call with a huge bet. If the only time you bet on the river is when you have a winning hand, then you may have to bet smaller. If your opponent views you as a strong player, he is unlikely to try anything tricky against you, so you will be able to get a better read on his hand based on what action he takes.

Opponent’s Image

Just like the image you project will affect how your opponent plays the hand, so will your view of your opponent affect how you play the hand. If you believe he is skilled, he is likely to play in a reasonable manner and at the same time know a little something about poker math and things like pot odds. If he plays loose, this will tell you one thing. If he plays tight, this will tell you another. If he gets married to hands, you will be able to bet more. If he lays down most non-nut hands, you will have to play small ball.

Let’s look at an example of the thought process behind a value bet.

The game is $1/$2 No-Limit Texas Hold’em. You have 8s-9s in late position. Two opponents in middle position limp, you call, the small blind folds, and the big blind checks (for simplicity’s sake, let’s just say stack sizes are not a factor here). The flop comes 8h-9d-Jc. The first limper makes a $6 bet into the $9 pot. The second limper folds, and you decide to smooth call with your two pair. The big blind folds, so it is just you and one opponent in a $21 pot.

The As hits on the turn and your opponent checks. You bet $12 and he calls. The 2s is dealt on the river and your opponent checks to you again. What is your play?

The most important thing here is to figure out what sort of hand he might have. You have determined that he is a pretty average player and he limped pre-flop, so it is very unlikely that he has a big pocket pair, A-K, or even A-Q. He did open the action with a decent size bet after the flop out of position, so chances are, he had something he liked. Top pair seems like a solid guess so far. Chances are he didn’t flop a set of 8’s or 9’s, not only because you have one of each, but also because he probably would have tried to trap or at least go for a check-raise, despite the board looking a little dangerous.

The check on the turn is very telling. You view this opponent as a fairly straight-forward player, which means that the Ace likely made him nervous. In a different situation, you might think he just hit something big like a set of Aces or maybe two pair with A-J, but since we ruled out a big pair earlier, the set is very unlikely. A-J could be a possibility, but there wouldn’t be much reason for him to slow down now if he had that since he already bet on the flop. Top pair still looks like a good guess, and since he looks to be afraid of the Ace, we could surmise that he has K-J or Q-J, as those are also two hands the run-of-the-mill players like to limp with pre-flop. He obviously still has something, though, or would not have called your bet.

The deuce on the river does nothing to change how we perceive the hand, and since he checked again, it looks like that K-J or Q-J very well could be what he has and he just doesn’t want to risk a check-raise. We want to make a bet that won’t scare him off, but at the same time is large enough to give us a nice profit.  I say an appropriate bet would be relatively small, less than half the pot. If he has K-J, he might still think it has a chance to be good and that your turn bet may have just been trying to get him out of the pot. A $15 bet into the $45 pot could work – it’s not much larger than the turn bet, so it will feel more manageable to your opponent and might make it look like you are also a bit wary of your hand, since you aren’t ratcheting up the betting very much. $20 might work, as well, but I wouldn’t go much higher than that. In my opinion, erring on the side of underbetting is the prudent move if you aren’t sure how much to bet, as I’d rather sacrifice a few bucks and still extract a final bet from my opponent than bet too much, have him fold, and not make any more money in the hand.

Much of this changes if your perception of your opponent is different. For instance, if he hasn’t shown any ability to let go of hands, then you can make a larger value bet, since he will probably call it. Similarly, if you have a crazy bluffer table image (we assumed, for this example, that everyone sees you as a solid player), you could get away with betting more, as your opponent may see it as a bluff.

Now, if your opponent all of a sudden check-raises you on the river, you will need to lay down your hand. This type of ABC-style opponent isn’t going to mess around with a bluff here.

Assassinato sets sights on EPT San Remo

At first glance, it's a final table devoid of star power, but there's no shortage of exciting finalists here on the Italian Riviera.

Among the final eight is 21-year-old Alex Fitzgerald, a Seattle-based online pro who has become a staple on PokerStars-run tournaments around the world.

Fitzgerald, who goes by "Assassinato" on most online sites, has qualified into tournaments on the European, Asia Pacific and Latin American Poker Tours but hasn't managed any major scores as of yet.

He comes into play on Thursday fifth in chips with 721,000.

"I feel great," he told PokerListings.com. "I really didn't feel like I played that well today.

"I've bubbled a lot of final tables where I felt like I was playing my best, but today I felt like I got pretty lucky."

That said, Fitzgerald is not going to let today's sub-par performance affect his final table outlook.

"This is the biggest tournament I've ever gone deep in and I'm just going to come in tomorrow and treat it like it's a new day," he said.

The former commercial fisherman turned pro at age 18 and now makes his living online playing the big buy-in MTTs and mid-level cash games.

Among his biggest scores is a fifth-place finish in the Sunday Million last September for $54,000 and a victory in the $100 rebuy on Full Tilt Poker for $31,150 earlier this month.

So how do live tournaments like these compare to the big online donkaments?

"In live tournaments I can pick up on a few more tells," Fitzgerald said. "I can see how comfortable or uncomfortable a person is at the tables and make a few more decisions based on someone's appearance or age, but the basic math remains the same.

"I'll try not to freak myself out when I snap-shove for ten big blinds."

Fitzgerald told PokerListings.com he has a decent read on most of his competition.

"Constant Rijkenberg is incredibly reckless, but he doesn't really care, which is pretty good in tournaments," he said. "He doesn't have many chips anymore, so he may not be as dangerous."

Of Dragan Galic, who has held the end-of-day chip lead after every day in the tournament, Fitzgerald said, "He's playing decently. He seems to want to gamble, which could be a problem."

William Reynolds is the second American at the table and though the Iowa native has very little in the way of live tournament results, Fitzgerald told PokerListings he thought highly of his countryman's cash-game skills.

Romania's Ovi Balaj is a "dead standard player who's maybe a little too tight," but Swede Gustav Sundell, whose 2.6 million is second only to Galic's 3.2, is the player to watch.

"He's sick," Fitzgerald said. "Very calculated and calm. I don't want to give away too much of what I know about him, but he's probably the one I like most to win it. Him or William Reynolds."

"Or me," he said.

Final table action kicks off at 2 p.m. local time from the Casino San Remo. Follow along with all of the action in the PokerListings.com Live Tournaments section.

Get full chip counts here.

Visit PokerListings.com

Scott Clark Comments on Quitting the Best Damn Poker Show

The turning point of Season 2 of Fox Sports Net’s “Best Damn Poker Show” was the abrupt departure of contestant Scott Clark. Patrick Karst, a member of Team Annie Duke, ultimately won the series, which was in its second season. Clark sat down with Poker News Daily to discuss his experience and quitting the show.

Poker News Daily: Tell us how you became involved with the “Best Damn Poker Show.” What was the sign-up process you went through and what was asked?

Clark: At the World Series of Poker in July, Ultimate Bet held auditions at the Rio over two days. First, you filled out a lengthy questionnaire and hoped they’d call you back for an on-camera interview with a panel of judges who asked about your poker experience, your style of play, and personal achievements. They also asked you to name as many WSOP Main Event Champions as you could in ten seconds. I rambled off seven or eight quickly. I finished my answer and Mark “P0ker H0” Kroon said, “Have you ever heard of a guy named Phil Hellmuth?” I replied, “I heard he has a few WSOP cashes!”

After the on-camera interview with judges, hundreds of contestants hoped to be called back for the final on-camera interview with Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke. Thousands of hopeful applicants also sent in online video submissions. I received word that I had been selected in August and I was very excited to play the game I love on television.

PND: What’s a typical day like on the show? Take us for a behind the scenes tour.

Clark: So many people worked hard on the "Best Damn Poker Show." We had a lot to get done and a small window of time to do it in. There were also egos, personalities, and talent within the contestant pool and very little gossiping, jealousy, or personality clashes. In my opinion, the biggest egos in the contestant pool exited the show early, with the exception of yours truly. The minor disagreements between Annie and Phil were the only drama. Duke and Hellmuth team members often intermingled socially after hours. It was a very interesting time on and off the set.

PND: What was Phil Hellmuth like, in your opinion?

Clark: I think we are similar in many ways. Phil and I are egomaniacs, poker players, and the same age. I use words like “generous” and “thoughtful” when I speak of Phil, much to the surprise of those who inquire. I thought he was an amazing poker mind. I understand Phil and I think he got me. Often, Phil told me what he was thinking with just a glance or facial expression. I like Phil and, ultimately, I failed Phil. I really do not feel good about it.

PND: Phil Hellmuth told Poker News Daily that he found out about your departure while he was in his trailer. Do you regret quitting the “Best Damn Poker Show?”

Clark: I have mixed feelings about it based on the fact that I allowed myself to get into a situation and lost all creative input after the fact. I did not expect Fox Sports Net to be kind. Based on the edited show that aired, I do not regret leaving based on the trust issues I had with its producers after the incident.

PND: The incident was defined as a turning point for Team Hellmuth. Do you agree?

Clark: Yes. Team Hellmuth undoubtedly had the better team. Annie is probably the better coach in a format like this, but Phil possesses a greater poker mind and assesses talent better. Had I returned, I feel Team Hellmuth was a 60/40 favorite at that point. Team Hellmuth member Jason Lee played magnificently after I left. He nearly won an Aruba package in my absence when he shoved in the dark versus Karst.

PND: How has this experience changed your poker career?

Clark: I have not played on Ultimate Bet since the show. I play tournaments online and prefer to play No Limit Hold’em cash games live. I have been concentrating on my live play at Lumiere Place. I play tournaments part-time on Full Tilt Poker and compete in Omaha High-Low home games around St. Louis. I do miss playing at Ultimate Bet. I stated during the auditions, “UB has been very good to me,” and it had been. My online tournament fees and rake dollars are spent in many poker venues, but UB will have to pay me to play there.

PND: Would you consider returning for the Best Damn Poker Show Season 3 if asked?

Clark: I would consider it “unfinished business.” I hated watching Annie celebrate a victory I effectively handed her. I never considered that aspect when I decided to leave the taping of the “Best Damn Poker Show” and it makes me ill. I really do not know the answer to your question. I suppose it is one of those decisions that an individual would have to actually be faced with in order to speculate “what if.”

PND: Are you recognized now as a result of the show? What are people’s reactions?

Clark: I remain pleasantly surprised by how many people actually watched it. I think I put on a good show and assured Annie during the auditions that I would. Most people ask about Phil and his off-camera personality. Overall, they all seem to have enjoyed the show.

PND: Tell us about your 2009 World Series of Poker plans.

Clark: I will be in Las Vegas during the WSOP. Live tournaments do not rank very high on my list of things to do, but the WSOP is a festive atmosphere. You really cannot plan life, Vegas, the WSOP, or poker!

Check out Scott Clark’s blog to learn more.

Ultimate Bet to Sponsor UFC 97

Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell will don an Ultimate Bet logo at the upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event in Montreal on April 18th. Liddell will square off inside the Octagon against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

The Tokwiro-owned online poker site recently sponsored Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann at UFC’s first ever event held in Nashville, Tennessee on April 1st. Kampmann bore Ultimate Bet logos on his trunks and shirt as he won a judge’s decision over Carlos Condit. Tokwiro Chief Operating Officer (COO) Paul Leggett told Poker News Daily what makes the UFC a perfect fit for Ultimate Bet: “In our minds, online poker and the UFC have a lot in common. They each share a similar highly competitive spirit. Both MMA and poker have been around for a long time and recently, UFC and Texas Hold'em have also exploded in popularity. We look forward to a long marketing relationship.”

Anderson Silva squaring off against Thales Leites headlines the UFC 97 card. Other matches include Krzysztof Soszynski versus Brian Stann, Cheick Kongo versus Antoni Hardonk, Steve Cantwell versus Luiz Cane, Eliot Marshall versus Vinicius Magalhaes, Denis Kang versus Xavier Foupa-Pokam, Jason MacDonald versus Nate Quarry, and David Loiseau versus Ed Herman. The Bell Centre in Montreal will play host to the festivities, which get underway at 10:00pm ET and will unfold live on Pay Per View.

As part of its sponsorship of UFC 97, Ultimate Bet will receive not only a logo on Lidell’s in-ring attire, but also billboards and commercials at the venue. In addition, four other UFC fighters will don Ultimate Bet logos – Leites, Soszynski, Hardonk, and Marshall. All told, the CEREUS Network online poker site will receive a considerable amount of exposure. Leggett explained, “Personally, I am a huge fan of poker and the UFC, and I think I'm fairly typical of many poker fans who enjoy both sports. Our sponsorship of UFC is a great opportunity for us to showcase Ultimate Bet to an adult audience of sports fans. I can’t wait to see the UFC 97 event in Montreal on April 18th.”

Ultimate Bet was the official Canadian sponsor of World Wrestling Entertainment’s (WWE) WrestleMania XXV, which saw poker player Alex Cummings head to Houston. Cummings was the winner of an Ultimate Bet promotion that dished out two tickets to the marquee WWE event along with a variety of promotional items. He witnessed WWE legend Triple H retain his title against Randy Orton in WrestleMania’s featured match. Other highlights included The Undertaker defeating Shawn Michaels to retain his undefeated streak at WrestleMania (a healthy 17-0) and John Cena defeating both Edge and Big Show to become the new World Heavyweight Champion. The Ultimate Bet promotion was only open to Canadian members of the online poker community.

Leggett admires the marketing efforts of UFC, which has grown its product worldwide in recent years. He told Poker News Daily, “We are thoroughly impressed with the success of UFC's marketing strategy, specifically how exciting they have made Mixed Martial Arts. We are working on many initiatives this year to make online poker at Ultimate Bet more compelling for our players than any of our competitors, and we are confident we will see similar success.” There had been rumors swirling last month that UFC may switch online poker sponsors from Full Tilt Poker.

The CEREUS Network includes Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker, which merged player bases last November. According to traffic ranking site PokerScout.com, CEREUS ranks as the seventh largest worldwide with a seven day running average of 2,400 real money ring game players. Its 24 hour peak is 3,273. CEREUS sites accept players from the United States. Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke and 11-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth serve as the main faces behind Ultimate Bet.

Ultimate Bet Sponsors UFC fighter Martin Kampmann (The Hitman)

Tokwiro-owned online poker site Ultimate Bet began sponsoring Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann last week. Ultimate Bet's logo was displayed prominently on Kampmann's trunks and shirt at the series' event in Nashville, Tennessee.

Wednesday, April 1st marked the first ever UFC stop in Nashville. It was held at the Sommet Center, home of the National Hockey League's (NHL) Predators. The welterweight bout saw Kampmann take on Carlos Condit. This isn't Ultimate Bet's first venture into the industry, as the online poker site also served as the official Canadian sponsor of World Wrestling Entertainment's (WWE) WrestleMania XXV, which takes place tonight from Houston, Texas. Alex Cummings, the winner of a special Ultimate Bet promotion, saw the red carpet rolled out for him at the event, which features a headliner of Triple H versus Randy Orton for the WWE Title.

On the site's newest splash into the sports and entertainment market, an Ultimate Bet spokesperson noted in a press release distributed last week, “We’re mega excited to have our logo associated with Kampmann, a master of his craft and one of UFC’s world-class fighters. Our collaboration with ‘The Hitman’ continues our inroads into some of the highest rating pay-per-view sports shows on air, and we’re pulling no punches when it comes to any opportunity to get involved with UFC.” Kampmann won a split decision in Nashville in a fight that aired in Spike TV. He holds a stunning 15-2 record in UFC matches and went 4-0 as a middleweight before dropping down to the welterweight class.

On March 25th, Poker News Daily brought you a story revealing that UFC may be on the verge of changing its online poker sponsor from Full Tilt Poker. At the time of writing, Full Tilt banners could no longer be found on the UFC's home page, which instead featured Budweiser, AutoZone, and BSN ads. Kampann, appropriately, hails from Las Vegas and is 26 years-old. He is 6'0” tall, weighs 170 pounds, and is a former accomplished Thai boxer.

UFC has a worldwide presence and can be seen in over 100 countries and 17 different languages. It is in its 16th year and boasts a roster of pros headlined by Brock Lesnar, a former WWE wrestler. Rashad Evans holds the light heavyweight title, while the popular Anderson Silva claims the middleweight championship. Its Hall of Fame includes many of the fighters who put UFC on the map and helped popularize its now infamous octagon-shaped ring: Dan Sevem, Mark Coleman, Ken Shamrock, Randy Couture, and Royce Gracie. Silva will take on Thales Leites to headline UFC 97: Redemption in Montreal on April 18th. Other bouts include Chuck Liddell against Mauricio Rua and Krzysztof Soszynski against Brian Stann.

Heading into the encounter in Nashville, Kampmann told UFC officials in an interview, “I’m coming there to whip Condit’s ass, and I’m sure he’s coming to bring some heat too, so I think it’s gonna be a clash and a good fight. That’s my goal – to make it a fight to remember.” He's a transplant from Denmark and one of the most feared fighters that UFC has to offer.

Kampmann is sponsored by a site that is part of the CEREUS Network, which just saw Absolute Poker member DOOSA777 take down the Bad Beat Jackpot for the second time in two months. This time, she grabbed $161,000 from the $487,000 Jackpot, improving her total take to $263,000 since February. In the hand, DOOSA777 lost with quad jacks against SHERLOCKGT3's straight flush. Her second Bad Beat Jackpot win occurred exactly two months after her first win, which happened on February 4th. DOOSA777 is 46 years-old and hails from Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina.

888 Operating Income Grows 21% in 2008

In its 2008 end of year results released this week, 888, the parent company of Pacific Poker, revealed that its operating income grew by 21% last year to $262.5 million. In 2007, it reported operating income of $216.9 million.

888's casino arm saw its revenue balloon by 14% to $135.1 million in 2008, up from $118.1 in 2007. However, Pacific Poker's revenues dropped by 4% from $80.8 million in 2007 to $77.2 million last year. All told, 888 posted a profit before tax of $48.6 million during the 2008 calendar year, up 6% from 2007. This resulted in a final dividend of 2.9 cents per share.

Operational highlights for the brand in 2008 included 14 new business customers, including an arrangement with Sportech PLC, which was forged back in June. The addition of two new Bingo customers brought its total stable to nine and, on the same day as its earnings were released, 888 announced a partnership with the Racing Post, which it describes as “the pre-eminent horse-racing industry publication.” Also during 2008, the company launched 888sport.com and 888ladies.com.

888's Chief Executive Officer, Gigi Levy, commented in the company's earnings release, “We believe that this successful model, offering both B2B and B2C businesses, is key to growth in the online gaming market in the coming years. Despite the difficult economic circumstances during the last few months of 2008, our underlying business remained strong.” The company warned that its first quarter revenues in 2009 will likely be lower than its fourth quarter revenues in 2008, reflecting the downswing in the global economy.

In 2008, Pacific Poker became available in 11 languages: Russian, Polish, Czech, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Romanian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian, Greek, and Japanese. The report by 888 also revealed that Pacific Poker may receive a makeover in 2009: “The Pacific Poker site will be given a new look and feel, with additional products and poker side bets enhancing the customer experience of the poker room.” Pacific Poker, like other online poker sites owned by publicly traded companies, does not accept customers from the United States. The decision came after the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in 2006.

The number of active customers on Pacific Poker sank from 170,988 during the first quarter of 2008 to just 158,557 during the fourth quarter. Consequently, its average revenue per customer fell from $128 to $107. On its lackluster close to the 2008 calendar year, 888 officials explained, “Due to the prolonged and deepening economic downturn, unprecedented challenging trading conditions were experienced following the end of the summer holiday season. Active customers played slightly less and volatile adverse foreign exchange movements exacerbated the effect on US$ denominated revenues.”

Nearly a quarter of a million new players deposited for the first time on 888's poker or casino platforms last year. It inked poker agreements with Poker Dome, Littlewoods, and Lucky Ace in 2008, further growing its presence in the marketplace. Similar to other internet gambling sites that do not accept U.S. players, 888 is keeping close tabs on the developments between the European Commission and World Trade Organization. Last week, the Commission's preliminary findings revealed the U.S. is in violation of its trade obligations due to its stance on internet gambling. A final report is due this month.

According to traffic ranking site PokerScout.com, Pacific Poker boasts the 13th busiest network worldwide in terms of cash game volume with a seven day running average of 1,100 players. Its 24 hour peak is nearly double that number, 2,174. At the time of writing, which is late afternoon throughout Europe, nearly 1,400 ring game players are seated at its virtual felts.

WSOP 2009 with Full Tilt Poker

Full Tilt Poker’s exciting WSOP 09 promotion has started with a multitude of ways to get YOU to Las Vegas this Summer. Full Tilt have pulled out all the stops – as usual – to present their players with an array of tournaments all with one aim – to get you playing your best poker at WSOP 09!

Here’s a taster of what’s on offer at Full Tilt Poker:

$10 Million Main Event Mania

If you qualify through Full Tilt then go on to win the title then Full Tilt will reward you with $10m, what an incentive!

Shootouts

81 player shootout tournaments (similar to sit n go’s) held twice daily at 2.30am UK (9.30pm New York) and 8.30pm UK (3.30pm New York). Buy in direct for $216 or satellite into the action for as little $1 or 50 Full Tilt Points (FTP). 1 prize package guaranteed per shootout. *$12,000 prize package.

Weekly Cash Qualifiers

On a weekly basis Full Tilt are awarding at least 12 prize packages to their players through weekly cash qualifiers. You can buy in direct or choose the satellite route, satellites start from just $1 or 50FTPs. Weekly Cash Qualifiers are being held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays (as in the table below) until 21st June. *$12,000 prize package.

Buy In	Day	Time UK	Time New York	Number Seats g/teed
$300	Tuesday	2.00am Weds	9.00pm	2
$200	Wednesday	9.30pm	4.30pm	1
$1,000	Thursday	2.00am Friday	9.00pm	5
$300	Saturday	2.00am Sunday	9.00pm	2
$500	Sunday	9.30pm	4.30pm	2

150 Seat Guarantee

This is, without doubt, one hell of a tournament with at least 150 seats up for grabs – that’s valued at $1.8million! The 150 Seat Guarantee will take place on 21st June at 11.00pm UK (6pm New York), the satellites are running now and start at just $1 or 50 FTPs. *$12,000 prize package.

Race to the Main Event

Win one of 50 completely free seats to the world’s biggest poker tournament. The freerolls are running now or take a shortcut by using your FTPs, making your very first deposit or referring a friend to Full Tilt Poker and you sprint straight to the round 2 freerolls. Fantastic!! *$12,000 prize package.

Race for Bracelets

This is Full Tilt Poker’s $2K Side Events package – our schedule is here – 56 Side Events to choose from. Daily Race for Bracelets tournaments are running now with direct buy ins of $26 and $75 with at least one $2K package being won. Satellite in for $1 or 50FTPs.

$200K Stimulus Qualifier

There are 80 Seats to Event 4 at WSOP 09 up for grabs. Grab one and you’ll be amongst the largest field of players at a WSOP Side Event with an expected prize pool in excess of $5m! Buy in direct on the day to the $220K Stimulus Qualifier – May 10th , 10.30pm UK (5.50pm New York) – for $33 or join a satellite for just $1 or 50 FTPs. The $2,500 prize package includes $1,000 buy in and $1,500 for your expenses – cool!

Coming Soon…

Now, if that wasn’t enough to satisfy the most demanding of poker player there is more in the pipeline from Full Tilt Poker

Fantasy Poker – Choose the winning team for 2009 and you win a WSOP 2010 prize package – value TBA.
Mini Poker Series – Can’t make it to Vegas this year? No worries, Mini Poker Series mimics the real thing with 57 Events at 1/100th of the buy in. Proved to be very popular last year.

* The Main Event prize packages are worth $12,000 which includes $10,000 buy in to the WSOP 09 Main Event and $2,000 for expenses.

Well, what can I say, as usual Full Tilt Poker has done their players proud with a collection of promotions with something to suit every style of player, marvellous!

If you’ve not yet joined the gang to ever loyal Full Tilt Poker devotees then make the decision to sign up NOW. Learn more and download through our unbiased Full Tilt review. Use the Full Tilt Referral Code FTPGOLD and you will not only receive a first depositors bonus of 100% up to $600 but entry into exclusive Pokernews freerolls too – next one 22nd March 2009.

* Check out our WSOP 2009 Satellites and Freerolls page to all the latest on which packages are available where.