Poker News

Team Europe Wins Inaugural Caesars Cup

Team Europe emerged victorious in the first ever Caesars Cup, claiming the heads-up and two-on-two matches by a 4-1 margin. Daniel Negreanu captained the American team, while Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad headed the European squad.

Four two-on-two matches were held, with Patrik Antonius and Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies defeating November Nine member Phil Ivey and Huck Seed in the first pairing. The format saw one team member play before the flop and then pass their hole cards to the other team member, who played the next street. The action alternated like this until the hand was completed. Only 50 big blinds were in play, ensuring an overly-aggressive style of play. In addition, blinds increased every 10 minutes and the aim was to complete each match within 45 minutes.

With the European team up 1-0, Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth took on Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier and Betfair qualifier John Harvey. In the key hand of the match, Harvey pushed pre-flop holding A-3 and Hellmuth called despite only seeing an ace in his hand. Sure enough, Hellmuth’s other card was also an ace, making the American squad a dominating favorite pre-flop. However, the first three cards ran out K-2-4 and the five of diamonds fell on the turn to give Harvey and Grospellier a straight. Eventually, the European team took a 2-0 lead.

Doyle Brunson and Jennifer Harman took to the felts for the American team, defeating Dario Minieri and Obrestad. The European team won a sizable pot holding A-8 against A-6. However, Brunson and Harman made four of a kind after being dealt a wired pair of aces, vindicating the earlier bad beat. The American squad narrowed the lead to 2-1, avoiding what likely would have been an insurmountable 3-0 deficit in the first ever Caesars Cup.

In the fourth and final two-on-two match, John Juanda and Barry Greenstein teamed up to take on Gus Hansen and reigning World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate. In less than 20 minutes, the match was completed, as Greenstein raised with K-Q and Hansen pushed with A-8. Greenstein called with his tournament life on the line and the board bricked out, shipping the pot to Hansen and improving the European team to a 3-1 lead.

A heads-up match occurred for the fifth encounter of the Caesars Cup. To compete, the American squad appropriately picked Seed, the 2009 National Heads-Up Poker Championship winner and the holder of the top record in the NBC tournament series. The Europeans countered with Obrestad, the 2007 WSOP Europe Main Event Champion and up-and-coming internet sensation. The match lasted a short nine minutes. After missing a flush draw in an early hand, Seed was all-in with A-3, but ran into Obrestad’s A-7. Obrestad spiked a seven and the Europeans triumphed in the best-of-seven series by a 4-1 score.

The Caesars Cup was filmed for ESPN and will be shown on February 7th in a two-hour broadcast. Obrestad commented on the future of the Caesars Cup, which WSOP officials note has not yet been determined: “I think the Caesars Cup is a really cool concept. It is something that has never been done before. I hope the Caesars Cup goes on for every year, from now on.” Greenstein was a last-minute replacement for Full Tilt Poker pro Chris Ferguson. The American team could have been drawn from North America, Central America, or South America. However, seven of its eight members hailed from the United States (Negreanu is from Canada).

Here were the final rosters that made up the Caesars Cup, which was held the day before the start of the 2009 WSOP Europe Main Event:

Team Europe: Annette Obrestad (Team Captain), Peter Eastgate, Dario Minieri, Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies, Patrik Antonius, Gus Hansen, and John Harvey (Betfair Qualifier)

Team Americas: Daniel Negreanu (Team Captain), Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Huck Seed, John Juanda, Jennifer Harman, and Barry Greenstein

Busquet stages comeback to win Borgata Poker Open

The 28-year-old online poker player entered the final table as the commanding chip leader but soon found himself in trouble when opponent Jeremy Brown started busting player after player.

Brown eliminated three players and by the time they were down to heads-up play Brown held a 3-1 chip lead over Busquet. The situation went from bad to worse for Busquet, who by the 18th hand had only 1.5 million chips to Brown's 29 million.

Somehow Busquet found a way to battle back and, after a few lucky hands, finally landed the knockout blow to eliminate Brown and claim the $925,514 for first place.

"I'm a little bit overwhelmed by the whole thing," said Busquet shortly after his victory. "Making a WPT final table is every tournament poker player's goal but to actually win the tournament is unreal."

The 2009 Borgata Poker Open was unique for the WPT because organizers opted to lower the buy-in from the standard $10,000 to a more recession-friendly $3,500. The experiment seems to have worked as the event drew the largest field in WPT history with 1,018 players.

Many poker pros were in Europe playing the WSOPE but the Borgata Poker Open still managed to draw marquee players like J.C. Tran, Gavin Smith, Chino Rheem, Kenna James, Michael Binger, Amnon Filippi and several others.

Busquet, who is known as livb112 or adonis112 online, is a legend in the online community for his heads-up prowess but this is his first major live tournament win.

The next event on the WPT schedule is Marrakech, which takes place Oct. 11-18, but the WPT won't be returning to North American soil until Oct. 21 when Festa al Lago kicks off at Bellagio in Las Vegas.

The complete final table payouts are as follows:

1. Olivier Busquet - $925,514

2. Jeremy Brown - $453,519

3. Ivan Mamuzic - $251,955

4. Yanick Brodeur - $216,681

5. Keith Crowder - $188,126

6. Kenny Nguyen - $156,212

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Canadian Entertainment Company to Start Poker Television Station

While there is poker on television and different outlets that offer podcasts, currently there isn’t a one that is dedicated to poker 24/7. A Canadian entertainment company is looking to change that with the rollout of an internet television station.

It was announced on Thursday that HeadsUp Entertainment, a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange, will unveil sometime in the fourth quarter of 2009 CanadianPokerPlayer.tv for poker aficionados. The company, which also owns the Canadian Poker Tour and Canadian Poker Player Magazine, recently finished sponsorship negotiations for the station and will provide poker programming that should offer entertainment for all parts of the poker community, according to HeadsUp Entertainment president Kelly B. Kellner: “Players and fans will be given an innovative and effective means to pursue their interest in the sport and we couldn’t be more excited.”

In an exclusive interview with Poker News Daily, Kellner detailed out what CanadianPokerPlayer.tv will offer: “Some of the programming for the station will include over 20 hours of content produced in Canada over the past four years from the Canadian Open Poker Championships in 2006, 2008, and 2009 from Calgary,” Kellner commented. “We are currently working with several of the online poker sites to include programming from around the world that they have produced as well. Some original programming will commence immediately and we will be incorporating live feeds from events in Canada and around the world.”

“The programming wheel is currently being structured and plans also include movies and features relating to the poker and gaming industry,” Kellner continued. “We intend to offer viewers numerous watch and win promotions and incentives to tune in on a daily basis.”

In North America, something along these lines has yet to be unveiled. “We haven’t seen any real networks online that have incorporated the format that we are attempting with our station,” noted Kellner. “Those who have had an opportunity to see the Poker Channel in the United Kingdom will have a good example of what a mainstream media network would be doing.”

Canada has provided several of the top poker players in the game and several could be an active part of the network, according to Kellner. “We have tremendous relationships with many poker pros,” Kellner commented. “We are looking to build on that to incorporate innovative programming to follow their poker careers. I can tell everyone now that there are two original shows currently being negotiated, but we can‘t comment beyond that. More news on that to follow!”

Once the network hits the internet, North America will have a dedicated poker channel and HeadsUp Entertainment is promising that it will be a first class product. The launch is expected soon.

Bodog Network Launched Featuring Former Ongame Executive

Former Ongame Network CEO Patrik Selin is leading the launch of the Bodog Network, whose player base consists of customers of Bodog Europe, the Morris Mohawk Gaming Group, and Haydock Entertainment.

The newly forged network plans to incorporate non-Bodog domains starting in 2010. A gaming license for the European Union will also be unveiled next year. Selin commented in a press release distributed by Bodog, “I intend to build one of the largest and most reputable poker networks in the world. We are building a model that is founded on security and integrity, and Bodog Network partners will never need to disclose or put their customer databases at risk. The initial discussions I’ve had regarding potential candidate partners have been overwhelmingly positive.”

The news comes on the heels of the launch of Bodog.ca, which serves as the popular online poker room’s Canadian-facing portal. Bodog Europe holds the rights to market the site to the Canadian market. Founder Calvin Ayre commented on the fast-paced growth of Bodog, which has seen its market share slide over the past year: “I am extremely excited about this new licensee of BodogBrand.com - Bodog Network is the first business to business enterprise to license the brand and the fit simply couldn’t be better. Patrik Selin’s very detailed business plan and proposal were very compelling, and after building Ongame into a network powerhouse under his leadership, his abilities and credibility are unquestionable.”

Selin was at the helm when bwin acquired the Ongame Network back in 2006. He has also been successful on the poker felts, turning in a runner-up performance in 2007 in a £2,500 buy-in tournament held during the National Poker League in London for £20,000. He finished in the winner’s circle in the Ritz Club Poker Tournament, which was also held in London, for £22,000 in 2006. Selin finished 500th in the 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, banking $26,000, albeit a far cry from the $12 million pocketed by eventual winner Jamie Gold.

Upon bwin’s acquisition of Ongame in 2006, Selin served as the President and CEO of GNUF and Betway. BodogBrand.com is based in Antigua and is the licensing arm for Bodog across the world. Bodog ranks as the 15th largest site/network globally according to PokerScout.com, boasting a seven-day running average of 810 real money ring game players. During its peak hours, which occur in the evening across North America, nearly double that total can be found battling it out on its virtual cash game tables. Its traffic is comparable with that found on PKR.

Bodog is the fifth largest site to accept players from the United States, trailing only PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, CEREUS (Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker), and the family of rooms that make up the Cake Poker Network. Year over year, Bodog’s traffic is off by 8% according to PokerScout.com, while that found on Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars is up 110% and 56%, respectively.

Bodog plans to unleash a “much-anticipated and unique solution to the rakeback challenge” this week at an event in Copenhagen, according to its release, but did not provide any further details. Its family of pros consists of David Williams, Evelyn Ng, online poker staple Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, and “Survivor: China” castaway Jean-Robert Bellande, who recently re-upped his deal.

Bodog recently announced that players would receive double poker points if more than 2,000 were earned in a calendar month. Bonus points are placed in a customer’s account at the end of each month and can then be exchanged for cash or used as buy-ins to designated tournaments. Points are earned in cash games depending on the rake taken from each pot and in tournaments at a rate of three points per $1 of tournament fees.

Bodog Launches Bodog.ca, Now Accepts Canadian Players

Starting on Thursday, online poker players from Canada can officially sign up for Bodog, one of the world’s largest sites, through Bodog.ca. Previously, Bodog did not accept players from the North American country, which has produced some of the game’s top-tier players.

The news coincides with the 15 year anniversary of the Bodog brand. A press release proudly announcing the launch of Bodog.ca noted, “The Bodog brand is celebrating its fifteenth year anniversary this year – an absolutely remarkable pedigree and testament to its enduring values in an industry that quickly kills off mediocrity. The brand has gone through quite an evolution during that long history and Bodog Europe is looking forward to carrying the torch forward for at least another fifteen years of world-class customer service, unbeatable promotions, and, above all – fun.”

The aforementioned Bodog Europe holds the rights to Bodog.ca and is led by Keith McDonnell. The marketing outfit is licensed and regulated in Antigua and now conducts business across two continents. Morris Mohawk owns the rights to market Bodog in the United States. McDonnell commented in the same release, “We’re extremely excited to be able to bring the unique Bodog experience to Canadian players. Canadians are passionate sports fans and are extremely savvy consumers. The Bodog brand is known world-over for its unmatched customer service and here at Bodog Europe, we put the player’s experience and entertainment ahead of all else.”

Bodog Europe’s flagship website is Bodog.co.uk. Poker News Daily became aware of Bodog.ca last week. However, Bodog made no official announcement about its purpose until this morning.

Canada has produced some of poker’s top players. Among them is Team PokerStars Pro member Daniel Negreanu, a four-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner. Negreanu was born in Toronto and took down his first bracelet 11 years ago in a $2,000 buy-in Pot Limit Hold’em tournament. In that event, he cashed for $169,000 and trumped a final table that also included Chris “Jesus” Ferguson and Lee Markholt. Negreanu is the all-time money leader on the World Poker Tour (WPT) and has captured two titles.

Also coming out of Canada is one of Bodog’s featured pros, Evelyn Ng. The Toronto native took second in the WPT Ladies Night event in 2003 and is currently dating Lex Veldhuis. Team Bodog also includes David Williams, Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, and “Survivor: China” castaway Jean-Robert Bellande. Bodog’s weekly $100,000 Guaranteed attracts the site’s skilled players, as a five-figure overlay is commonplace in the $162 buy-in Sunday tournament.

Nenad Medic took down the $10,000 buy-in World Championship of Pot Limit Hold’em during the 2008 WSOP to give Canada another bracelet. Medic is a product of Waterloo and won the Foxwoods World Poker Finals during Season V of the WPT for $1.7 million. Other famous Canadian poker players include 2008 WSOP November Nine member Scott Montgomery, Steven Paul-Ambrose, and online poker stud Mike “SirWatts” Watson. The latter came out on top in the Bellagio Cup IV WPT event for nearly $1.7 million.

Canadian Bodog players will also be able to take advantage of the site’s sports book and casino, which features 80 games to choose from. Bodog is doubling Poker Points for players who earn at least 2,000 in a calendar month. When the stanza is over, Bodog will deposit the hard-earned bonus points into a player’s account. These can be exchanged for cash or used to buy into Poker Point tournaments.

According to traffic ranking site PokerScout.com, Bodog is the 15th largest room/network worldwide with a seven-day running average of 750 real money ring game players. During its peak hours, nearly double that total can be found battling it out on cash game tables. At the time of writing, which is midday across North America, a total of 554 players are seated at its real money ring games.

WPT Legends of Poker Attendance Drops 25%

Saturday marked the lone Day 1 of the 2009 World Poker Tour (WPT) Legends of Poker, which emanates from the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles. This year, 279 runners turned out for the $10,000 buy-in tournament, a 25% decline in attendance.

In 2008, 373 players were on-hand for the festivities, which ended with John “The Razor” Phan besting online poker pro Amit “amak316” Makhija. As a result, Phan earned his first WPT title and boosted his bankroll by $1.1 million. Phan is a two-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner. This year, the champion of the WPT Legends of Poker will take home just over $1 million, with the following payouts up for grabs:

1st Place: $1,009,000
2nd Place: $471,670
3rd Place: $231,300
4th Place: $144,600
5th Place: $116,225
6th Place: $89,220
7th Place: $64,400
8th Place: $52,320
9th Place: $39,240
10th to 12th Places: $32,700
13th to 15th Places: $26,160
16th to 18th Places: $22,240
19th to 27th Places: $18,285

A total of 38.4% of the prize pool is earmarked for the winner, who will also take home a $25,000 entry into the end-of-season WPT Championship at the Bellagio. The 2009 attendance number is the second smallest for the Legends of Poker, which drew just 134 players in 2002, one year before the monumental win by Chris Moneymaker changed the game forever. In 2002, the buy-in to the event was just $5,000.

Six levels lasting 90 minutes each were scheduled to pan out on Saturday. However, given the lower attendance, only five will occur. Early eliminations in the Bike’s new Events Center included Beth Shak, Carlos Mortensen, and Joe Sebok. Mortensen shoved with 10-8 after a flop of J-9-5, but was called by a player holding A-10. A nine on the turn and deuce on the river sealed the former WSOP Main Event Champion’s exit. He became short-stacked after being five-outed with pocket tens.

Sebok was bumped after pushing with A-Q on a flop of A-8-5 with two hearts. His opponent flipped up J-9 for a flush draw, which promptly hit on the turn. Among those who excelled on Day 1 of the Legends of Poker was Alexandre Gomes, a member of Team PokerStars Pro who recently took down the WPT’s Bellagio Cup. Gomes called an all-in holding 5-6 on a board of A-Q-7-4-3. His opponent revealed 7-4 for two pair, but Gomes had the stone cold nuts and took down the pot. At the time of writing, Gomes is the chip leader.

Court Harrington, who is on-site at the Bicycle Casino reporting on the action for PocketFivesLive.com, told Poker News Daily, “I don’t think anyone expected the field to be huge, but dropping almost 100 players from last year surprised a lot of people. Not long ago, a WPT field under 300 was unheard of.” Harrington added that, despite the smaller crowd, the mood remains universally upbeat, as players have their sights set on the seven-figure payday for first place.

Just 268 players turned out for the WPT’s Bellagio Cup V in July, a drop of 40% from the 2008 figure. Last season on the WPT circuit, two North American events had fields of fewer than 300, the Southern Poker Championship (283) and Foxwoods Poker Classic (259).

Stay tuned for the latest from the 2009 WPT Legends of Poker right here on Poker News Daily.

Hellmuth, ElkY, Juanda and Dario join Caesars Cup

In addition to Phil Ivey, captain Daniel Negreanu has chosen 11-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth and the 2008 WSOPE Main Event champ John Juanda to represent Team Americas.

Meanwhile, captain Annette Obrestad has added WPT and EPT title holder Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier and WSOP bracelet winner Dario Minieri to a Team Europe roster that already includes 2008 WSOP Main Event champ Peter Eastgate.

Modeled after golf's Ryder Cup, the Caesars Cup is a made-for-TV tournament taking place Sept. 26 during the 2009 WSOP Europe.

The event pits Europe's best against North America's top players in a battle for international bragging rights.

The format will feature both heads-up and team contests and include alternate betting and other non-traditional elements as players aim to win points for their respective teams.

Each team will eventually consist of eight players.

Team Europe will also have one member qualify through a leaderboard race on Betfair Poker.

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Poker on the Warped Tour: An Exclusive Interview with NOFX Front Man Fat Mike

As the Vans Warped Tour plows through North America for the 15th year, there's a good chance that on any given night, once the crowds have left, many players in participating bands are sitting down to play poker. The game has become an increasingly...

Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker Launch 7-Deuce Holdem

On Saturday, the CEREUS Network announced that its two cornerstone rooms, Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker, have introduced 7-Deuce Hold’em. The unique twist on an old favorite has players from around the online poker world buzzing.

The game that “takes a minute to learn and a lifetime to master,” to quote the great World Poker Tour (WPT) Host Mike Sexton, has received a facelift on Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker. Starting on Sunday, players can challenge 7- Deuce Hold’em. In order to take their place at a 7-Deuce table, players must pay a side bet ranging from one-and-a-half to two times the big blind. The amount depends on whether a table is four-max, six-max, or a full nine-player ring game. The side bet pays out whenever a player seated takes down a pot with the worst starting hand in No Limit Texas Hold’em, 7-2.

Ultimate Bet front man Phil Hellmuth, an 11-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, commented in a press release about the newest addition to Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker: “The 7-2 side pot adds an adrenaline-pumping element to Hold’em that you need to experience to believe. I once bluffed Mike Matusow off of two kings with 7-2 as my hole cards. Everyone at the table was floored, but I was on top of the world after collecting $500 for pulling it off with the worst hand in poker. Now, this awesome side pot game is available online at Ultimate Bet and Hold’em will never be the same again.”

Tables may see an increased level of bluffing given the new 7-Deuce side bet. At the very least, the addition of 7-2 online poker games on Ultimate Bet may attract a few newcomers to the site for Sunday’s 25 Seat Aruba Super Satellite, which kicks off at 17:30 ET and features a $530 buy-in. The 2009 Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic will start on October 3rd from the picturesque island. The $5,500 buy-in Main Event begins two days later and crowns a champion on October 10th. Last year, Matt Brady claimed the title and pocketed $1 million for his efforts.

For players whose Sunday is booked up, another 25 Seat Aruba Super Satellite tournament will play out on August 30th. On September 13th, players will have one last chance to satellite their way into the annual Aruba Poker Classic, as 50 seats will be on the line. Each package is worth $8,500, which consists of the $5,500 Main Event buy-in plus $3,000 to use for travel, accommodations, and other expenses. Weekly, Ultimate Bet hosts a three package guarantee on Sundays with a $530 buy-in, a one package guarantee on Tuesdays with a $215 buy-in, and a $109 rebuy that guarantees one package and takes place each Wednesday.

In May, Ultimate Bet’s developers rolled out ante games, which typically feature increased action due to larger pot sizes pre-flop. In ante games, each player must pay an ante in addition to the traditional small blind and big blind. Last week, the online poker site eradicated the use of nicknames and added a level of security to player-to-player funds transfers. Now, players can automatically approve or block transfers from fellow Ultimate Bet members.

According to the traffic ranking site PokerScout.com, the CEREUS Network sits as the seventh largest worldwide with a seven-day running average of 1,840 real money ring game players. At its peak, which occurs during the evening hours throughout North America, nearly 3,000 players call the Network home. At the time of writing, which is 1:30am ET early Saturday morning, a healthy 2,406 players are competing on the virtual felts of the Tokwiro-owned online poker rooms. Check out 7-Deuce No Limit Hold’em games today on Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker.

Everest Poker turns five

Everest Poker, on the other hand, has stood the test of time and is now celebrating its fifth anniversary.

In honor of its five years of operation, Everest is now offering five exclusive promotions for its players.

Perhaps the most interesting is a $500,000 guaranteed tournament that will see the final nine players play down to a winner at the actual 2009 WSOP Main Event final table in Las Vegas, with Everest covering flights and accommodations.

The rest of the promotions include a $5,000 freeroll for players who refer five friends in July or August, a bonus payout if you play in the five-billionth hand, another bonus payout if you're in hand 5,555,555,555, and finally, if you earn five Summit points a day, every day, for one month you'll qualify for a $5,000 freeroll.

Although Everest doesn't accept U.S. players, the site is well-known in North America as the official table sponsor for the WSOP.

Owned by GigaMedia, Everest Poker remains one of the most popular online rooms in Europe and Asia with a team of professional players that includes Steven van Zadelhoff, Voitto Rintala, Wooka Kim and Maria Maceiras.

Recent 2009 November Niner Antoine Saout also qualified for the WSOP Main Event through a $50 satellite on Everest.

Check the Everest Poker review here for more on the exclusive $500 PokerListings.com sign-up bonus.

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2009-2010 WSOP Circuit Event Schedule Announced

Eleven stops will take place as part of the 2009-2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit, announced by Harrah’s officials on Friday. The festivities will head to Harrah’s St. Louis for the first time.

Not every poker player can make the trek to Las Vegas for the world’s richest tournament series. Consequently, a WSOP Circuit Event brings the excitement of big buy-in events to Harrah’s-owned casinos around the United States. David Norton, Chief Marketing Officer of Harrah’s Entertainment, commented in a press release, “WSOP Circuit Events are a great way to welcome new guests to Harrah’s properties around the country. Whether you are a new player or a casino regular, you will find a great playing experience.”

While WSOP events in Las Vegas dish out gold bracelets to winners, Circuit Events award a prestigious gold ring to each champion. Preliminary tournaments are held along with a $5,000 buy-in Main Event, half of what the championship contest in Las Vegas costs to enter each year. While the schedule for each stop has not yet been formally released, look for the WSOP Circuit to traverse the United States as follows over the next year:

October 16th through October 25th, 2009
Horseshoe Hammond (Chicago)
Reigning Champion: Steve “MrSmokey1” Billirakis

October 23rd through November 2nd, 2009
Horseshoe Southern Indiana (Louisville)
Reigning Champion: Samuel Oberlin

November 5th through November 15th, 2009
Harvey’s Lake Tahoe
Reigning Champion: Michael Binger

December 4th through December 20th, 2009
Harrah’s Atlantic City
Reigning Champion: Brent Roberts

January 20th through February 11th, 2010
Harrah’s Tunica (Memphis)
Reigning Champion: Kai Landry

February 18th through March 2nd, 2010
Horseshoe Council Bluffs
Reigning Champion: Jesse Hale

March 3rd through March 14th, 2010
Caesars Atlantic City
Reigning Champion: Samuel Chartier

March 18th through March 31st, 2010
Harrah’s Rincon (San Diego)
Reigning Champion: Dwyte Pilgrim

April 1st through April 14th, 2010
Harrah’s St. Louis
Reigning Champion: New Event

April 14th through April 30th, 2010
Caesars Palace Las Vegas
Reigning Champion: Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo

May 7th through May 19th, 2010
Harrah’s New Orleans
Reigning Champion: Jean “Prince” Gaspard

The 2008-2009 schedule featured 10 stops in largely the same order as they appear on the new slate of events. The brand new St. Louis tournament series fills a gap in time that previously existed between Harrah’s Rincon and Caesars Palace. In addition, the Circuit stops in Hammond and Southern Indiana will overlap. The venues are separated by more than 250 miles of Interstate 65, which traverses Indiana from Louisville to Chicago.

The addition of a stop in St. Louis for the WSOP Circuit mirrors a similar move by the World Poker Tour (WPT), which dropped its North American Poker Championship and Foxwoods Poker Classic for Season 8 in favor of an event at Hollywood Casino outside of Cincinnati in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. The venue will be the first riverboat property to host a WPT event and provides a convenient destination for poker players from around the Midwest. The Hollywood Poker Open will take place from March 20th to 24th.

Buy-ins for preliminary tournaments held during Circuit Events typically begin around $250, allowing the area’s poker pros and amateurs alike ample options to try their hand at the Great American Pastime. WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack commented in a press release, “World Series of Poker Circuit Events are a great way to gain live tournament experience, get a feel for what the World Series of Poker is all about, and have a lot of fun. Every stop on the WSOP Circuit has a local flair and provides a best in class poker-playing experience.”

The 2009 WSOP Main Event enters Day 4 on Saturday. A total of 810 players remain, with Team PokerStars Pro member Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier dominating the field. The two-time WPT event winner holds 1.4 million chips, well ahead of Ludovic Lacay’s second place stack of 896,000.

Celebrities Thriving in 2009 WSOP Main Event

It’s not every day that the Average Joe can play a game of poker alongside “Seinfeld” actor Jason Alexander. However, for eight players on Day 3 of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, battling against George Costanza will be a reality.

Alexander will be seated at Table B2 to open play on Friday for Day 3. Joining him will be poker pro Marc Karam, a member of Team Eurolinx who won a $500 buy-in HORSE tournament in 2007 during a WSOP Circuit stop at Harvey’s Tahoe. Karam has final tabled the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) North American Poker Championship twice, once during Season V and once during Season VII. All told, he has nearly $400,000 in lifetime WPT earnings and will duke it out against Alexander for poker immortality. “Seinfeld” ended its run in 1998 and Alexander has since become actively involved in poker.

Three members of the cast of NBC’s “I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here” entered the 2009 WSOP Main Event. In the end, only Lou Diamond Phillips remains to see Day 3. Phillips, who gained a considerable amount of fame after appearing in “La Bamba” and the “Young Guns” franchise, can be found at Table R132, Seat 4. Joining “LDP” will be Team Betfair pro Peter Jepsen, who sits with a stack of 119,500, well below Phillips’ tally of 192,300. Jepsen won the 2007 installment of the European Poker Tour’s (EPT) Warsaw stop. The other two cast members of “I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here” to enter the Main Event, Torrie Wilson and John Salley, were each eliminated on Day 1. Phillips won the second season of the hit NBC reality show.

L.A. Lakers Guard Jordan Farmar sits with a stack of 75,500 entering Day 3 on Friday. The Lakers won the NBA title this season after defeating the Orlando Magic in five games, giving Farmar a championship ring. Farmar averaged 6.4 points per game and 2.4 assists per game during the regular season in 65 appearances to go along with 39.1% field goal shooting. Farmar will be seated at Table R105 today and will be flanked by Allen Kessler. The runner-up in a $2,500 buy-in Omaha High-Low Eight or Better event to Todd Brunson in 2005, Kessler has well over $400,000 to his name from WSOP and Circuit events. He also owns two final table appearances in WPT tournaments, most notably a sixth place effort in the Season V Foxwoods Poker Classic for $136,000.

“The Simspons” Co-Creator Sam Simon, who briefly appeared on the most recent season of GSN’s “High Stakes Poker,” sits with one of the event’s short stacks at 47,500. Simon finished 20th in the $10,000 buy-in World Championship of Pot Limit Hold’em this year for $24,000. In 2007, ESPN cameras closely followed his deep run in the Main Event, which ended with Simon busting in 329th place. “The Simspons” has been on the air for 20 years and, in 2007, the franchise rolled out a feature-length movie.

Australian cricket star Shane Warne also remains in the hunt for the WSOP Main Event title. He owns a sizable stack of 173,700, but will have his hands full at a talented table that also features recent WPT Foxwoods Poker Classic winner Vadim Trincher. Another non-U.S. celebrity who will take to the felts on Friday is French actor and singer Patrick Bruel. He owns a stack of 64,500 and can be found at Table B16, Seat 8.

A total of 2,044 players remain in the 2009 WSOP Main Event. The world’s most prestigious poker tournament will play down to its final table on July 15th. Then, the action will be paused for four months, with the feature table resuming on November 7th. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest news, notes, and nuggets from the Rio.

Ivey, Eastgate first picks for Caesars Cup

The event, modeled after golf's Ryder Cup, will take place Sept. 25 during the 2009 WSOP Europe and will pit the best of Europe's poker players against the best of North America's pros in a battle for international bragging rights.

The format will feature both heads-up and team contests and include alternate betting and other non-traditional elements as players aim to win points for their respective teams.

Negreanu, heading the Americas Team, and Obrestad, heading the Euro Team, announced their picks at a WSOP ceremony this week and will fill out their rosters with six team members in total over the weeks leading up to the WSOP Europe kickoff Sept. 17.

Obrestad's team will also have one member qualify through a leaderboard race on Betfair Poker, the presenting sponsor of the WSOP Europe.

The top 200 players on the monthly low-stakes leaderboard (tracking sit-and-gos and MTTs with less than a $22 buy-in) will be entered into a "Heat Low" freeroll.

The top 100 players on the monthly high-stakes leaderboard will be entered into a "Heat High" freeroll. The top 18 finishers in each move on to a $5,000 Guaranteed Monthly Final that awards Caesars Cup points to the top finishers.

In August, the top nine players on the Caesars Cup Leaderboard will then battle it out for a spot on the team. Positions 2-9 will share a $25,000 prize pool while the winner heads to London to join the European Team.

"The lineup for this year's WSOPE Caesars looks like a who's who of poker." said Obrestad in a press release.

"The fact that a member of the public can qualify to sit alongside some of the best players in the game will be a massive attraction to players on Betfair Poker. I look forward to captaining our team to glory."

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WPT President Steve Lipscomb Discusses Season 8

Recently, World Poker Tour (WPT) officials released the  Season 8 schedule. The action kicks off on July 13th with the Bellagio Cup V. In addition, a brand new tournament debuts at the Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Poker News Daily sat down with WPT President, Founder, and CEO Steve Lipscomb to learn more.

Poker News Daily: Give us your thoughts on the Season 8 WPT schedule. What went into its development?

Lipscomb: We continue to strive as hard as we can to provide the best tournament experience for players, whether it’s up and coming stars or those who have helped grow the WPT. You look at our major events and we are continuing to focus more on them. We also have a couple of additions that are exciting. The Hollywood Casino is one of the places we are wowed by. We have yet to provide a major presence in the Midwest. Walking into the Hollywood Casino was kind of like when we walked into the Borgata in Atlantic City.

PND: The feedback we’ve received is excitement over the addition of the Hollywood Casino event and disappointment over the North American Poker Championship no longer appearing on the WPT schedule. Can you talk about both?

Lipscomb: The feedback has been a mixed bag. We enjoyed having the event in Fallsview, but we heard a lot of people on the other side of the equation who weren’t happy going there. Players thought it was tough to get to and they didn’t enjoy it. It was partially that and partially the challenges that Canadian casinos have with poker and the strong presence of online gaming companies at these shows.

Change is good and change is bad. I continue to be jazzed with the central spot in Indiana. At the same time, I hope that we can find new ways to partner with online sponsors to grow multiple events in Canada. It’s a great market that deserves a large WPT presence.

PND: Talk about the elimination of the second Foxwoods event.

Lipscomb: Not having the Foxwoods Poker Classic partly had to do with the market. The large events in places like Los Angeles and Las Vegas are well subscribed and people are thriving in those cities. The original intent of the second Foxwoods event was to do it for one year. Then, we decided to try it for a second year. This year, we looked hard at the schedule.

The international market for poker tournaments is exploding. Whereas it used to be just the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and WPT, there are now European Poker Tour (EPT) events and tournaments like the Aussie Millions. We don’t want big players to have to make decisions.

PND: What changes can players expect, if any, during this season of the WPT?

Lipscomb: We had some long final tables last season. Once an audience has been there for 11 hours, they are gone. It takes away from any chance of it being a spectator event. If it’s about endurance as opposed to skill, then that’s what blinds and antes are all about. We can’t just sit back and wait for huge hands because that’s pure luck. We’re going forward with a change at the final table. We’ll keep the small incremental blind levels, but we’re bringing the time for each down. Blind levels will now be 60 minutes at the final table and 30 minutes when play is heads-up.

PND: How excited are you to see the action unfold in HD?

Lipscomb: It’s exciting. I’m jazzed about it, although there are challenges. The format we created is driven by the poker signal, which is good in a 4:3 ratio. That’s the perfect size to frame up a person. You can see a player and their hand perfectly. When you’re looking at a person in 4:3, you’re not looking at a huge expanse of space next to them like you will in HD. It will be a fun challenge this year.

PND: Will Amanda Leatherman be returning? What are your plans for the Season 8 hostess?

Lipscomb: We’re still working on what to do Live Updates. My sense is that we won’t have a hostess in Season 8. Most of the things we did with the hostess in Season 6 and before we accomplished by holding a microphone in front of someone last year and it worked. We’re trying to make it more about poker.

First bracelet of 2009 for Holland WSOP June 21

Naalden outlasted a field of 446 players to take his first WSOP title in the $2k Limit Hold'em event. The Dutch native takes home $190,770 for the first-place finish.

Naalden isn't very well known in the U.S., but he's earned more than $1 million in tournaments since turning pro in 2005.

Naalden had previously cashed five times at the WSOP, including one final table appearance.

"It's great," said the 40-year-old pro. "This is my fourth WSOP. I have played in a lot of events ... and third place was my best finish."

"It is very hard to win a WSOP event. Finally, after all of those efforts, it feels fantastic."

Naalden went into the final table with a sizeable chip lead and never looked back, eventually outlasting Steven Cowley in heads-up play.

"Yeah, you tend to over-exaggerate your chances because you have a big chip lead," Naalden said.

"But (I) only had 25 percent of the chips in play. So, I have only about a 25 percent chance of winning," he said

"And, plus the fact there are quite a few strong players - so I thought to myself, don't get too excited. But I went on a big heater."

Cowley cashes for $117,902 in second place, while former WSOP bracelet winner Ian Johns placed third.

Negreanu, who won this event last year, finished 26th.

Hellmuth finished in the money in 17th place, giving him 72 career cashes at the WSOP, the most all time.

Event 39 - $1,500 No Limit Hold'em

The latest $1,500 No Limit event began with another huge field, but now the original 2,715 have been whittled down to the last two tables.

Amazingly Nam Le was playing this event and the $10k Pot-Limit Omaha World Championship simultaneously all day long.

Notable names still in it include Raymond Davis, former WPT Championship winner Joe Bartholdi, Brandon Cantu, Alex Jacob and Benjamin Kang.

The bracelet will be awarded tomorrow, with play beginning at 2 p.m.

Event 40 - $10k World Championship Pot Limit Omaha

The $10k PLO championship is among the most prestigious events for the serious pro and this year saw another absolutely stacked field.

Nam Le was the unfortunate bubble boy in this event, having multi-tabled it along with the $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em event.

Erick Lindgren was next out as the first person to get paid.

Noah "fouruhaters" Schwartz is the overwhelming chip lead with Euros Stefan Mattsson, Marcus Golser, Vitaly Lunkin and Robin Keston close behind.

Matt Vengrin, Josh Arieh, Matt Graham, Barry Greenstein, Howard Lederer, David Williams and Nenad Medic are representing North America in the playdown to the final table, beginning at 2 p.m.

Click through for full live updates.

Event 41 - $5k No Limit Hold'em Shootout

Many big names started amongst the field of 280, but few made it to Day 2.

Phil Ivey will be going for bracelet number three of 2009 with Jennifer Harman, Barny Boatman, David "The Dragon" Pham and Neil Channing still in the hunt.

30 players are coming back at 2 p.m.

Event 42 - $2,500 Mixed Event

It's another all-star field for the $2,500 Mixed Event.

The mixed games seem to be a format that the pros love, and this tournament is no exception.

Day 1 kicked off today with Daniel Negreanu, Jennifer Harman, Gavin Smith, Phil Hellmuth, J.C. Tran and a host of other big names in the field.

Play resumes at 2 p.m. Monday, and the event is scheduled to play down to a final table, which will be played Tueday.

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Euro edge? Ziigmund and durrrr talk PLO

PLO, a game once favored only by hardcore Euro-rounders, has seen a huge resurgence on this side of the Atlantic, including those who play at the highest stakes online.

"It's a more complex game than No Limit Hold'em," explained Tom "durrrr" Dwan, the American poster boy for nosebleed stakes online.

"There's more gambling and more variance and that makes it more enjoyable."

While the poker boom in North America was in full swing over the past few years and millions were flocking to No Limit Hold'em, European card rooms continued to spread PLO regularly for the core of players on the other side of the pond.

As a result, Finn Ilari "Ziigmund" Sahamies, who frequents the same high-stakes online tables as Dwan, trading pots that often reach up to an astounding $600,000, says Europeans have always had the experience edge in the game.

"I think the average European player is definitely better than the average American," he said. "But they're getting better."

Dwan agrees.

"[Europeans] did have an edge a few years ago, but right now it's just a slight edge." Dwan said.

"Finnish players, and maybe Europeans as a whole, might still have a slight edge in experience, but Canadians and Americans are closing the gap."

Among the masses, PLO has always had a reputation as a game with more swings than No-Limit Hold'em.

However, Dwan said that may be a misconception.

"It's really not as swingy as most people think," he explained. "When played correctly, Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em can be twice as swingy. The problem is most people don't play correctly.

"There are still people who don't play Heads-Up No Limit Hold'em as aggressively as they should, but even inexperienced players know they need to be aggressive in PLO."

Sahamies says that's part of what makes the game so attractive to high-stakes players.

"The game is more fun," he said. "There's definitely more action."

While Dwan has played very few events at the 2009 WSOP thus far, he and another Finn, Patrik Antonius, have met on the virtual felt for a couple of durrrr Challenge sessions, including a 15-hour marathon that saw Dwan take a more than $700k overall lead.

The challenge consists of Dwan putting up $1.5 million to any challenger's $500,000, four-tabling PLO or No Limit Hold'em heads-up with minimum $200/$400 stakes over 50,000 hands.

Should any challenger be up when the 50,000 hands are through, Dwan will be out the $1.5 million. Of course, should Dwan end up ahead, he gets the challenger's $500,000.

Antonius was the first to accept the challenge and chose PLO.

"It's really up to whoever plays me as to what we'll play," Dwan said. "Patrick chose PLO and I think Phil Ivey will be next. I'm not sure whether he'll choose No Limit Hold'em or PLO. Whatever he wants is fine with me."

While Dwan claims he has no preference, he definitely feels it might be easier to find an edge in PLO, even against the best players on the planet.

"There's just so many more situations one has to deal with in PLO," he said. "It's easier for players to come to bad conclusions and it's easier for a player to think they're actually winning money when they aren't."

Day 2 of the $10k Pot Limit Omaha World Championship rolls on Sunday beginning at 2 p.m. PT and both Dwan and Sahamies hold healthy stacks.

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Ovechkin stars at WSOP Charity Shootout

The National Hockey League's reigning MVP joined fellow NHLers and members of Team PokerStars Pro at the PokerStars.net NHL Charity Shootout in the Amazon Room.

The ESPN feature table was transformed into a miniature hockey rink for the event, a 24-player mini-tournament that gave a few lucky online qualifiers the chance to face off against their hockey heroes in a $150,000 charity freeroll.

Among the stars to take part were Vancouver Canucks captain Roberto Luongo, Jeremy Roenick (San Jose Sharks), Mats Sundin (Vancouver Canucks), Scott Hartnell (Philadelphia Flyers) and Sheldon Souray (Edmonton Oilers).

PokerStars pros Vanessa Rousso, Dennis Phillips and Chris Moneymaker represented the professional contingent at the table.

The 24 players were divided into three tables of eight, with the winner at each table coming back later Wednesday night to crown a champion.

The online qualifiers joined six NHL stars and one PokerStars pro in each of the three first-round matches, though Kevin Connolly of HBO's Entourage filled the sixth celebrity seat in the final heat.

The stars of the rink have dominated first two heats, with hockey legends Glenn Anderson and Ed Olczyk both winning their tables outright.

Nashville Predators star Steve Sullivan was the second player eliminated at the third table, taken out by former teammate Hartnell, who shared a big laugh with Sullivan afterward.

"I don't think I did very well," said a smiling Sullivan shortly after his elimination. "I was a little intimidated, a little nervous.

"You're out of your element and that makes it a little difficult. I had fun and it was for a good cause. I had a blast."

"It's a great idea," Sullivan continued. "It takes us away from the ice and puts us in a different venue.

"It's great for the fans to see us in different aspects of our lives and just to have fun with it. I think they did a great job."

Tennessee native Chris Moneymaker shared a table with Sullivan and Hartnell, both of whom made names for themselves with the Predators, the state's only NHL franchise.

"I know some of these players, and it's nice that I got this table," Moneymaker said. "It's been a fun experience and I've really enjoyed it."

"As far as the poker goes I'm just trying to keep the pots small and stay out of trouble, hopefully let them make some mistakes and capitalize on those the best I can."

The 2003 Main Event champ hoped to fare better than his fellow pros, neither of whom managed to win their heat.

"It's great for poker and it's great for the NHL," Moneymaker said. "It's a good marriage and I think going forward it will be fun to watch."

Portions of the proceeds are earmarked for the Ronald McDonald House of Las Vegas as well as the NHL Players Association's Goals & Dreams fund, while each participating player will receive $2,000 towards the charity of his choice.

The Shootout will be broadcast on ESPN Classic and ESPN2 in the United States and TSN in Canada, as well as on the NHL Network throughout North America.

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European Commission: US in Violation of WTO over Internet Gambling

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PokerStars Lifts Ban on Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo

Once banned from PokerStars, Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, is apparently back at the popular online poker room. A few years back, Bonomo was first exposed at PartyPoker for registering as many as six online poker accounts and registering all six names in the same tournament. Shortly after, PokerStars revealed that he had done the same on their site. Consequently, both big-name online poker sites restricted him from playing at their online poker rooms.

But Bonomo’s dishonesty was not all that it was cracked up to be. He’s actually a great poker player, both online and off, and has since worked hard to smooth over his bad reputation and show the poker community that he’s not such a bad guy. In the past three years, Bonomo has steered clear of any misconduct and focused on overcoming the stigma that was attached to his name and re-establishing his career in professional poker.

After his exclusion at PartyPoker and PokerStars, Bonomo turned his attention to live tournaments, many of which he has gone on to win or cash big. In 2007 he placed 4th at the WSOP $2,000 No-Limit event and 2nd in the $3,000 HORSE WSOP Circuit. He went on to place 2nd in the 2008 WSOP $5,000 Mixed Hold ‘em event and has been around the block, placing at other big events such as the WPT Doyle Brunson North American Poker Classic in 2007. Bodog Poker saw the potential in Bonomo as a poker player and eventually signed him as a Team Bodog Pro.

What makes it clear that Bonomo is that he started his poker career at the mere age of 16 after emerging from the strategy game, “Magic: The Gathering,” like many other professional poker players (e.g. David Williams). He placed 4th in the 2005 French Open at only 19 years of age and had made hundreds of thousands of dollars by the time he reached 21. By 23, he was poker millionaire. The irresponsible kid that once tried to cheat the online poker system has grown into a diligent and respectable professional, so much so that PokerStars saw fit to lift the ban on his online poker presence.

Borgata to Offer $500K Guaranteed Tournament Prior to WSOP

There are many options for poker players to get some extra training in prior to the start of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) at the end of May. The California State Poker Championships have been moved to May from its former start time of September at the Commerce Casino. For players on the East Coast, the Borgata Casino and Spa is the place to be, as the gambling Mecca will be offering a $500,000 Guaranteed Deep Stack Tournament that should draw huge numbers.

Back in March, the Borgata, which has become one of the premier poker destinations in the United States, held its second $500,000 deep stack event, which drew in huge numbers from not only the East Coast, but also across North America. An astounding 919 players entered that event through satellite events that ran throughout the week prior or the $1,650 direct buy in. As a result, the prize pool swelled to $1.374 million. By the end of the three days of battle, two poker veterans, Canada’s Mike Leah and New Jersey’s Allen Bari, vied for the title, with Leah eventually vanquishing Bari. The prize money the two players won from the March tournament pushed them both over the $1 million mark in career earnings.

With May’s event, which will begin on the 10th with the first of the satellite events, the Borgata is looking to add to many players’ bankrolls as the WSOP prepares to start at the end of the month. With the number of satellite tournaments and players who will directly buy in to the tournament, the numbers participating in the $500,000 Guaranteed should approach those of the March event.

The first satellite is scheduled for May 10th at 11:00am, with the buy in set at $165+$35. In this tournament, one in every ten players will be able to seize their seat in the $500,000 Guaranteed Deep Stack Tournament. Action kicks up with the satellites beginning again on May 15th, with one satellite each day up to and including the start of the first Day One of the $500,000 on May 17th. These tournaments, with a $330+$50 buy in, will send one in every five players to the $500,000 Guaranteed. The start times for May 15th and May 17th will be 11:00am and the May 16th satellite tournament will start at 4:00pm.

All of the satellite tournaments will lead up to the start of the $500,000 Guaranteed Deep Stack event on May 17th. Players will begin with 30,000 in chips and blind levels at 50-100, giving those involved 300 times the big blind and plenty of opportunities to exercise strategic play. Those players who qualify for the tournament through the May 17th satellite will play on the second Day One, scheduled to start on May 18th.  The field will be winnowed down to the final table, scheduled for play on May 20th, and the champion will walk off with a minimum payday in the low six-figures.

Bodog Regains Control of Bodog.com After Legal Battle

In breaking news, Bodog has assumed ownership of its original domain name, Bodog.com. The change came as a result of the popular online sports book, casino, and poker room settling a patent infringement lawsuit with 1st Technology, LLC.

At the time of writing, Bodog.com and BodogLife.com continue to operate as independent domain names; one does not forward to the other. According to a press release distributed by Morris Mohawk, which owns the rights to market Bodog in North America, “This settlement ends the series of 1st Technology's lawsuits addressing the alleged use of patents in the 1st Technology portfolio. The settlement also resolves 1st Technology's judgment collection efforts.” Patents for what the press release calls “advanced media products” are included in the settlement and deal with transmission of data through mediums such as telephones, WiFi, and cable.

Bodog lost its domain as part of the patent infringement lawsuit back in 2007. As a result, it quickly scrambled to move its operations to an alternate domain. Alwyn Morris, who heads the Morris Mohawk Gaming Group, was looking forward to moving on to business as usual after the settlement: “We are pleased to have worked constructively with 1st Technology and its principals to bring an end to this protracted dispute. This resolution will provide certainty and will also allow us to continue to enhance our technology base for online gaming in order to provide our users with unfettered access to the best technology.”

The arrangement between Bodog and Morris Mohawk for North American marketing rights was forged in September of 2007. One month earlier, Bodog found itself on the losing end of a $48 million default judgment. Bodog promptly launched newbodog.com, which ultimately led to bodoglife.com. Interestingly enough, in an ongoing case involving the seizure and potential forfeiture of 141 internet gambling domain names in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, bodoglife.com is specifically listed, but bodog.com is not. There has been no indication as to whether bodog.com will replace bodoglife.com in the suit, which may head to the Kentucky Supreme Court.

In an article that appeared in the Vancouver Sun newspaper in August of 2007, patents that were violated included “software used by Bodog customers to facilitate its gaming activities.” Bodog did not respond to 1st Technology initially, leading to the multi-million dollar default judgment. Speculating as to why the online poker site chose to ignore 1st Technology’s threats, the newspaper commented, “One possibility is they were scared away by the U.S. Department of Justice, which has declared war on Internet gambling.” Last April, Bodog founder Calvin Ayre left the company to pursue work with his Antigua-based Foundation. The billionaire currently resides in the Caribbean island nation.

Dr. Scott Lewis heads 1st Technology, which is based in Las Vegas. He’s a leading expert in multimedia technology and holds a doctorate degree from Oxford. He also received a Master of Business Administration from Harvard, one of the top business programs in the world. He commented on Monday night, "We are pleased to have finally resolved this dispute and applaud Mr. Morris for his proactive and constructive approach." Terms of the settlement were not disclosed. However, the squabble between 1st Technology and Bodog appears to have been resolved permanently.

Customers are able to log into the online poker site as normal on Monday night; no additional downloads are required. The news comes less than one week removed from the start of the third Bodog Poker Open, which kicks off on April 26th. The festivities consist of three separate tournament series comprising a total of 26 events, which vary daily by series and include money added tournaments as well as those boasting guaranteed prize pools.

Bodog happily accepts customers from the United States. The independent site is the 15th largest worldwide in terms of cash game traffic with a seven day running average of 700 players, according to PokerScout.com. It is the fifth largest to accept U.S. poker enthusiasts, trailing only PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, CEREUS, and the Cake Poker Network.

WPT Championship Attendance Falls 38%

The second of two starting days in the seventh annual World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship played out on Sunday. When the smoke cleared, just 337 players had entered, a drop of 38% from last year’s tally of 545.

Attendance at the WPT’s Foxwoods tournament, which took place earlier this month, was also down significantly. During this year’s running of the Connecticut tournament, 259 players turned out, representing a 25% slide from Season VI. In the end, Vadim Trincher stole the show, capturing the WPT title along with a $731,000 payday. Now, he leads the WPT Championship field 2,500 miles west at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. In fact, he is the only player with over 300,000 chips, leading the 301 remaining runners. Trincher’s opposition at Table 54 today includes online poker pros Phil “USCphildo” Collins and Brent “bhanks11” Hanks as well as Carlos Mortensen.

Here are the top ten chip stacks entering Day 2, which plays out on Monday:
1. Vadim Trincher - 309,725
2. Johnny Chan - 291,675
3. Burt Boutin - 281,000
4. Shaun Deeb - 269,900
5. Danny Fuhs - 254,200
6. Brian Powell - 254,075
7. Ryhnie Campbell - 239,600
8. Steve Billirakis - 232,450
9. Justin Young - 231,425
10. Bruno Fitoussi - 230,650

Full Tilt Poker pro Allen Cunningham suffered a loss in a 172,000 chip pot late in the day, sending his stack diving to just 22,000. The pot was 72,000 on a board of K-4-3-3-9 with three spades. Cunningham checked, Francois Safieddine led out for 50,000, and the five-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet holder called only to see that he was beaten by the absolute nuts, pocket threes. Cunningham did not survive Day 1B as a result and will look to claim his sixth bracelet when the 2009 WSOP starts on May 27th.

Each winner of a WPT tournament during the season receives a buy-in to the Championship, which represents the final event of Season VII. This season’s champions who turned out for Day 1B on Sunday included Mike Watson (Bellagio Cup), Glen Witmer (North American Poker Championship), Allen “AawwNutz” Carter (Southern Poker Championship), Freddy Deeb (Celebrity Invitational), and Steve Brecher, who took down the Bay 101 Shooting Star event last month in San Jose. All but Witmer survived Day 1B. Others who fell by the wayside on Sunday included WPT investor Lyle Berman, Clonie Gowen, and Team Ladbrokes pro Jon Kalmar.

Dan Heimiller, a WSOP bracelet holder who finished third in the Season VII Borgata Poker Open for $387,000, will hold the 34th largest stack when play resumes. He got off to a healthy start on Sunday by cracking former North American Poker Championship winner Scott “BigRiskky” Clements’ pocket aces with 6-7 of diamonds after flopping both flush and straight draws; the latter finally hit. The hand sent Heimiller to nearly 200,000 in chips, which is nearly the same amount as he’ll start Day 2 with. Clements, contrastingly, did not survive Day 1B.

Notable names remaining in the top 50 at the Bellagio include:
13. Matt “mattg1983” Graham - 222,775
16. J.C. Tran - 218,300
17. Shane “shaniac” Schlager - 215,150
18. David Benyamine - 211,975
19. Freddy Deeb - 210,425
20. Andy Bloch - 208,800
23. Mark Seif - 206,775
25. Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier - 206,275
31. Dan Heimiller - 188,350
36. David Singer - 176,075
39. Scott Montgomery - 170,000
45. Sam Farha - 163,475
49. Brandon Cantu - 157,600

Play kicks off today at Noon local time for Day 2. The tournament will crown a champion on Saturday; its victor will find their bankroll boosted by $2.1 million. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from one of the world’s most prestigious live events.

PokerWorld Moves to Cake Poker Network

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Game Over for PokerRoom.com

PokerRoom.com was founded in Sweden just before the big poker boom and it quickly grew and became the biggest poker room on the internet.

In December of 2005 the owners decided to sell PokerRoom.com together with the whole Ongame Network to the Austria based company bwin.com. Bwin.com bought PokerRoom.com together with the Ongame Network for the total sum of $500 Million. At the time of the deal PokerRoom.com was the biggest online poker room in the world (Yes, even bigger than PokerStars.com) and they had a lot of success in the North American countries.

Three years down the line it is a completely different story and bwin have now decided to close down PokerRoom.com and move all of the players over to bwin Poker. All PokerRoom.com players are offered a cash bonus for transferring their account over to bwin. The upside to this story is that enjoyed playing at PokerRoom.com will still have access to all the same features at bwin Poker as they are using the same poker platform.

All PokerRoom.com players are asked to log on to their player accounts for full instructions on how to move their player accounts over to bwin Poker.

Karl Hevroy Wins LAPT Punta del Este

A total of 327 players signed up for the 2009 edition of the PokerStars LAPT Punta del Este. After 2 days of play there were only nine players remaining and amongst these players was Karl Hevroy, a 20 year old poker player from Norway.

Hevroy was the only European player left in the tournament when it came down to the final table and he found himself surrounded by players from South- and North America. Hevroy had over $1 Million in chips when the final table started and he had a healthy lead and was the favorite to take down the first price.

Later in the tournament it would also become apparent that he was meant to win this tournament and he got some much needed help from the poker gods in certain hands. More than once he found himself going all in with the worst hand but every time he managed to either out flop his opponents our draw out on them on the turn and river. When it came down to heads-up play he found himself holding a 6 to 1 chiplead over Alejandro De Arruabarrena who was the only remaining player to beat.

After only one hand of heads-up play the players found themselves all-in and when Karl Hevoy flipped over his cards showing a Full House for the nuts his opponent was drawing dead on the river.

Karl Hevroy from Norway ended up winning the tournament and took down the first prize of $283.500.