Poker News

The iPad and its Potential With Online Poker

Although most online poker players use Windows PCs, there has been a growing swell of players using Apple Mac computers like MacBook Pros and iMacs.  The Mac-centric poker niche is growing, with four major sites having native software clients: PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, UB.com, and Absolute Poker. The popular hand history tracking utility PokerTracker 3 came out recently with a Mac OS X beta edition of its software.  With the release of Apple’s tablet computer, the iPad, there has been plenty of speculation about the machine's future with online poker.

When thinking about the iPad and its potential for being used for online poker, we need to keep the following questions in mind:

• What are the hardware specs of the iPad?
• Is the interface going to be applicable to an online poker software program?
• Will the screen quality and resolution level make online poker practical?
• Does the iPad have enough bandwidth to have a lag-free online poker experience?
• Is the iPad OS something that a poker site can work with to create an App?
• Will the legal environment allow a poker site to release an App?

The iPad is a high-resolution 9.7-inch LED-backlit computer that weighs just 1.5 pounds.  It’s touted as being perfect for web browsing, watching movies, and viewing photos.  The unit works in either portrait or landscape mode, very similarly to an iPod Touch or iPhone.  The multi-touch screen on the iPad is based on the current iPhone technology, but has been totally re-engineered for the larger surface to be more precise and responsive.  The battery life is said to last up to 10 hours by using a special lithium-polymer technology.  The iPad uses an A4 chip that was custom designed by Apple engineers to be extremely powerful, but at the same time very power efficient.  Units will have an option for 16, 32, or 64 GB of internal flash storage.

All iPad units will have built-in WiFi with 802.11n, which is currently the fastest wireless protocol available.  In addition, there will be 3G models with data speeds up to 7.2 MB per second on the AT&T network for coverage anywhere without a WiFi network, but with a 3G signal.  Units are expected to start shipping at the end of March and the base version costs just $499.

The iPad interface is the multi-touch screen that has been made more precise and responsive to help counter the potential problems it would face with a much larger screen.  The resolution of the iPad’s 9.7-inch screen is 1024x768, which is a bit inferior to what most experts predicted it would be.

With all the glitz and glamor of the iPad now out in the open, as poker players, we’re wondering about its capabilities for online poker.  The unit, on the surface, seems like a great little online poker machine.  The touch screen appears to be perfect for interfacing with a poker table.  You could use the bet slider with the flick of a finger, fold or check by tapping the appropriate button, and even muck your cards by flicking them into the middle of the table.  Interface-wise, there’s no question that the touch-screen of the unit will work splendidly.

The next question for whether or not the iPad would be feasible for an online poker player is how a table would look on the screen.  There’s plenty of screen available for a single poker table to load up in the 1024x768 space.  In fact, it’s probably feasible to have four tables load up at the same time.  The graphics capabilities of the unit were rather impressive during Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ presentation with a few video games, so we know it can handle the minimal graphics required by many of the poker rooms.

Another question we have to answer is about the iPad bringing the necessary bandwidth to play one or even four tables at the same time.  Since most poker rooms only require a dial-up connection, which is surpassed in spades by both WiFi and 3G connections, there’s absolutely no concern about the unit not having enough bandwidth to handle the rigors of playing online poker.

The iPad uses a new operating system that works very similar to the iPhone OS, with more capabilities to take advantage of the unit’s more robust power.  Because the development kit is already available to software developers, there wouldn’t be much of a stumbling block to developing a solid iPad version of the software.

With the all of the questions answered fairly positively when asking the question whether or not the iPad will work with online poker, we’re down to our final one: Will the current legal environment allow it?  Since Apple is based in California and controls the App Store, the worldwide distribution of Apps for the iPad will be based on U.S. laws.  The legal environment in the United States is murky at best with online poker, with virtually no chance of Apple approving an App created by a major poker site for real money poker play.  With that being the case, it would seem foolish to expect a poker site to invest money and resources toward a project that would only meet failure.

The potential future of the iPad and real money online poker is bright.  The unit is perfect for those who want to sit on their couch, relax, and play a few hands of poker.  Maybe you’re stuck at the airport or who knows where and you want to log on and play a few hands.  The iPad certainly has the technological power to handle the task.  The only stumbling block is left up to the legal environment.  For now, we’ll probably just enjoy whatever random Texas Hold’em video games Apple approves in the iPad App Store to satisfy our poker craving.

Online Poker Community Donates $1.5 Million to Haiti Earthquake Survivors

The online poker community has raised $1.5 million for victims of the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that rocked Haiti earlier this month, according to a press release distributed by the Poker Players Alliance (PPA).

Full Tilt Poker saw 22,785 donations come in from concerned members of the industry for total donations of $293,211. In a gracious showing, the world’s second largest online poker site doubled contributions from its patrons for a total donation of $586,423, or over one-third of the figure cited by the PPA. Aid for Haiti play and no-play tournaments were held on Full Tilt Poker and a special user account was created to accept incoming transfers benefiting the relief efforts.

As expected, PPA Chairman Alfonse D’Amato, a former three-term Republican Senator from New York, was elated to see the giving mood of the online poker community. In a press release distributed by the lobbying organization this week, D’Amato commented, “Like the rest of the world, the poker community is eager to do anything it can to aid Haiti in the wake of the devastating earthquake. I applaud PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Cake Poker for providing poker players across the globe an easy way to make a contribution. The generosity online poker players are showing makes me even more proud to be part of this community.”

PPA Executive Director John Pappas echoed D’Amato’s sentiments in an interview with the online poker forum PocketFives.com, calling the massive effort “a tribute to the generosity of the poker community.” Pappas added that the seven-digit donation mark does not include private contributions made by poker pros and other members of the industry to organizations like the Red Cross and UNICEF, which hit the ground in Haiti shortly after the epic January 12th tremor.

The PPA revealed that 50,000 online poker players have donated a total of $760,000, an average of about $15 each. With online poker sites matching the funds dollar-for-dollar, the total amount generated surpasses $1.5 million. On PokerStars, donations are being accepted until January 31st at Noon ET. No-play Haiti Earthquake Relief tournaments have buy-ins ranging from $1 to $1,000. Text found on PokerStars’ website succinctly explains, “You will not need to play an actual tournament; instead, all of the 'entry fees' go straight to the fund.”

PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker site, also created a special player account called “Haiti Fund.” Users can transfer funds to the account and PokerStars will match all money raised for the relief effort. The website, which has campaigned for a variety of charitable causes like Ante Up for Africa over the years, reminded its clientele, “PokerStars has been quick to facilitate this after previous disasters, and once again it is giving you an easy way to donate cash.”

Meanwhile, Cake Poker, a USA-friendly site that features Lee Jones as its Poker Room Manager, is taking donations until Midnight ET on January 31st. Five “holding tanks” were created for players to donate to the cause in $5, $25, $100, $200, and $500 increments. Past charity efforts by Cake Poker include involvement in the Aces and Angels Celebrity Poker Tournament and Oregon’s West Side Poker Club.

Other sites, including RedKings, UB.com, Absolute Poker, and DoylesRoom held poker tournaments last week to raise money for the cause. On the CEREUS Network, 717 players turned out for a $5 rebuy benefiting earthquake victims. In addition, customers on the Network’s two sites, UB.com and Absolute Poker, can donate their player points in each room’s store. On DoylesRoom, a special Haiti Bounty saw Academy Award nominee Mickey Rourke hit the felts.

A magnitude 5.9 aftershock hit Haiti shortly after and the Red Cross noted that three million people may have been affected. We’d like to salute members of the poker community who donated.

Online Poker Player wins 2nd Sunday Million

Poker in Twitter: Biloxi, Aussie Millions and the MA Senate Race

Now that the poker community has returned from the Bahamas and are no longer racking up expensive roaming charges on their cell phones, they have been posting on the social networking website Twitter with a newfound dedication.  In the past couple of days, players have been dropping Tweets about the Massachusetts Senate race, Biloxi and Australia prelims, their latest big scores and, of course, current events ranging from politics to television.  With so many Tweets and so little time, we know you might be feeling a little twitterpated, so Poker News Daily has taken the time to cull the best Tweets from the past few days for your reading pleasure:

The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) may be over and done with, but the poker community never rests.  Players have already arrived at both the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi and the Crown Casino in Melbourne Australia for the Southern Poker Championship and Aussie Millions, respectively.  Some of the players who headed South for the winter and some action at the tables are Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier, Brent “Astrolux85” Roberts, Full Tilt’s Gavin Smith and Allen “The Chainsaw” Kessler.

According to Mercier’s Twitter feed (@JasonMercier), his hot streak has continued into 2010, as he already made not one, but two final tables so far in Biloxi.  Mercier filled in his followers on his progress on the 19th, writing, “Beau Rivage event 24 final table 5th place finish.” He followed up his impressive showing in the $500 Pot Limit Omaha with rebuys event with another final table run in the $1,000 No Limit Hold’em event.  When Mercier last posted late Wednesday afternoon, he was poised to book his first win of 2010: “Goin to heads up. I have 1.3 vs guys 900k 68k for first!!!”

Another player who notched their first victory of the year is Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad. The Norwegian online poker sensation headed down under following the PCA and was rewarded with a win in the Aussie Millions Pot Limit Omaha event.  Obrestad posted her tournament progress throughout the event on her Twitter feed (@Annette_15) and let everyone know the event was over with a simple, “yayyyyy i won!!!!” Jon "pokertrip" Friedberg had an idea about one way Obrestad could spend her tournament winnings: “are u playing in the 100k...assuming they r running if this yr? Glgl.” Friedberg is referring to the High Rollers event at the Aussie Millions, which boasts an entry fee of AUD $100,000.

While many players had poker on the brain, a number of pros had their attention fixed on the Massachusetts Senate race.  The election determined which Senator would fill the seat previously occupied by the late Ted Kennedy and many poker players expressed frustration and disappointment over the contest’s results.  The always outspoken Alex Outhred (@alexpokerguy) was quick to post his thoughts on Republican Senator Scott Brown’s victory: “Congrats to Dems for putting in a complete scrub. Well done. Idiots. Congrats to Repub's for beating a complete scrub. Well done. Idiots.”

Annie Duke (@RealAnnieDuke), on the other hand, took the win with a grain of salt and could not resist injecting some humor into her Twitter post reacting to the news: “Upon learning that Mass elected a republican senator I glanced out my window and saw 4 scary looking characters riding in on 4 horses.”

A number of members of the poker community seemed more concerned with another battle taking place, namely for control of “The Tonight Show.” Poker Twitterers seem to be loyal members of Team Conan and several of them have Tweeted about how much they enjoy the redheaded funnyman’s treatment of what is a very awkward, uncomfortable and sensitive situation.  World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Live Updates Hostess Amanda Leatherman made it very clear whose side she is on in a post on her @mandaLeatherman Twitter account Wednesday evening: “Conan is f***king amazing. #teamconan.”

Finally, we will leave you on a positive note with a Tweet that just might be the most random thing we’ve seen the past few days.  Online poker player Shannon Shorr previously tweeted that he was skipping out on the PCA in order to support his alma mater, the University of Alabama, and its football team.  Shorr was one of the thousands of people in attendance at the BCS National Championship game at the Rose Bowl during which the Alabama Crimson Tide bested the University of Texas Longhorns to win the title.  While that may give you some inkling as to how loyal a fan Shorr may be, his most recent Tweet on his @shannonshorr feed revealed his dedication as a fan is on a whole different level: “Impulse bought an Alabama Snuggie from CVS Pharmacy.”

If you are as addicted to Twitter as we are, be sure to follow us @PokerNewsDaily so you can stay up to date on all the breaking news in the poker world and be a part of some PND Twitter exclusives in the coming weeks.

Cornell University Study Shows Playing More Poker Hands Means Less Profit

The old poker adage “tight is right” may seemingly have gone the way of the Dodo, especially in the current online poker age of constant aggression. A recent study by a sociology student at Cornell University suggest that the adage, however quaint, may actually be correct.

A recent article published on the website Science Daily, and the actual study – published by the Journal of Gambling Studies, – state that players who enter into more hands often lose more money overall than their more conservative fellows. Cornell sociology doctoral student Kyle Siler, a longtime online poker player who performed the experiment, came to the conclusion that when players win more hands, they often end up on the losing side of the balance sheet. Siler determined that when players won, they often made small profits on their hands. When these same players lost, however, the amounts were greater and put them into the red as to their overall earnings.

Siler used PokerTracker to compile 27 million hands, broken down between small, medium, and high-stakes players, and analyzed the entirety of the results. Siler suggests in his study that players overvalue the number of wins versus what the players should actually be looking at, the overall cash won or lost. Siler is quoted in the article saying that his results “coincide with observations in behavioral economics.”

Of particular interest to poker players, and especially those who play at smaller stakes or are inexperienced at the game, could be Siler’s assertion as to the value of particular pocket pairs for hole cards. In his study, Siler found that smaller pairs – deuces through sevens – were actually more valuable than what he called the middle pairs, eights through jacks: “This is because small pairs have a less ambiguous value, and medium pairs are better hands but have more ambiguous values that small-stakes players apparently have trouble understanding.”

The article goes on to break down how the different playing levels (small, medium, and high-stakes) articulate the behaviors of human beings. Poker “speaks to how humans handle risk and uncertainty,” Science Daily quotes Siler. “Riskiness may be profitable, especially in higher-stakes games, but it also increases the variance and uncertainty in payoffs. Living one’s life, calibrating multiple strategies and managing a bankroll, is particularly challenging when enduring wild and erratic swings in short-term luck and results.”

For many who play poker, either recreationally or for a living, the findings of Siler’s study are well known. Many poker books, including Phil Hellmuth’s Play Poker Like A Pro and the seminal offering from Doyle Brunson, Super/System, have espoused the theory of playing only strong starting hands such as high pocket pairs or strong aces. With the advent of online poker and the offbeat playing styles of celebrities such as Gus Hansen, Daniel Negreanu, and Dario Minieri, the play of less than quality starting hands has proliferated. Siler’s study contends that, while it may be a more exciting way to play poker, it is not the most profitable method.

New Jersey Gaming Revenues Fall 13.2% in 2009

According to figures released by the New Jersey Casino Control Commission, gaming revenues in Atlantic City dipped 13.2% during the 2009 calendar year compared to 2008. All told, area casinos raked in $3.9 billion.

Revenue derived from slot machines and table games were both hit hard. Funds pulled from the one-armed bandits dropped 13.1% in 2009 to $2.72 billion, while table game revenue fell 13.5% to $1.22 billion. Casino Control Commission Chair Linda Kassekert commented in a press release, “Casinos continued to suffer in 2009. The weak national economy, growing competition across our borders, and the partial ban on smoking in casinos combined to depress gaming revenues.” Officials in New Jersey are eyeing gambling expansion in Pennsylvania and Delaware as additional competitive pressures. In response, New Jersey State Senator Raymond Lesniak recently introduced a bill to allow intrastate internet gambling.

Despite the rapidly increasing competition and shrinking sources of revenue, Kassekert remained optimistic that Atlantic City’s uniqueness would continue to attract visitors to its casinos: “Atlantic City has a lot to offer visitors in addition to gambling. When the economy improves and people have more money to spend on entertainment, Atlantic City will draw more and more people interested in visiting our shops, enjoying a concert, dining in our fine restaurants, and relaxing on our beach.”

During the 2009-2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit schedule, Atlantic City plays host to a pair of events. In December, Harrah’s Atlantic City held a slate of 17 poker tournaments. Its $5,150 buy-in Main Event saw Chris “SLOPPYKLOD” Klodnicki best a field of 195 players to earn $215,000. Heads-up, Klodnicki defeated fellow online poker player Kyle kwob20 Bowker, who pocketed $128,000. The WSOP Circuit returns to the New Jersey city in March for the Caesars Atlantic City festivities. The casino is fresh off awarding a record-setting $553,000 Bad Beat Jackpot to Delaware native Steven Gedney.

New Jersey casinos’ taxable gross revenue in 2009 was $3.7 billion, which meant that gaming establishments paid $295.3 million to the State. The funds, which represent 8% of taxable gross revenue, go directly to the Casino Revenue Fund, which benefits senior citizens and New Jersey residents with disabilities. Casinos also coughed up $49.3 million in reinvestment costs. On that cash outlay, the Commission explained, “They are required to reinvest 1.25 percent of taxable gross revenues in projects approved by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority.”

In December, casino revenue slid 9.8% year over year to $272.1 million. Hit hardest during the final month of the decade was Trump Marina, whose revenues plummeted by 25.2% to $10.1 million. The second largest decline was seen at Trump Plaza, where revenues skidded 18.9% year over year to $13.0 million. At the Atlantic City Hilton, the news on casino “win” was equally poor, as revenues dipped 17.3% in December 2009 compared to December 2008 to $11.7 million. Caesars Atlantic City, contrastingly, saw a 4.4% rise in revenue in December.

For the 2009 calendar year, every single casino in Atlantic City posted lower revenue than in 2008. Three locales – Atlantic City Hilton, Trump Marina, and Trump Plaza – saw win dive by 20% or more year over year. Virtually untouched amid the sagging economy was the Borgata, whose revenues of $695.3 million in 2009 trailed its 2008 figures by just 5.9%. Only one other casino’s revenue fell by single-digits year over year, the Trump Taj Mahal. Beginning on Wednesday at the Borgata is its annual Winter Poker Open, which runs through February 5th. The Main Event, which has a $2 million guaranteed prize pool, begins on January 31st.

In Las Vegas, casino gambling revenue rose in November year over year, posting the first monthly gain in nearly two years. In Atlantic City during the same month, revenues slid 13.4% compared to November 2008.

Poker2Nite Pays Homage to Amir Vahedi

Wednesday night’s installment of the Fox Sports Net poker news show “Poker2Nite” featured a stirring tribute to the late Amir Vahedi. Layne Flack paid a visit to the UB.com sponsored series, which airs at 11:00pm ET on Wednesdays.

“Poker2Nite” host Joe Sebok recapped his trip to the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) in the Bahamas. When asked by fellow host Scott Huff where he finished in the Main Event, Sebok jokingly explained, “They don’t keep finishes in the first three hours.”

Two key hands were recapped. In the first, Sebok held 7-8 on a flop of 7-7-5 and was up against a player with pocket sixes. His opponent bet 1,200 and Sebok made it 4,000. The player with the wired pair of sixes called and the turn was a four. His opponent check-called a bet of 8,000 to a six on the river. Sebok’s foe had made a boat and fired out a bet of 11,000. Sebok called with a straight and promptly lost two-thirds of his stack.

In Sebok’s final hand at the 2010 PCA Main Event, the player in the small blind raised to 1,900 and the “Poker2Nite” host, in the big blind, shoved for 8,500 with pocket tens. However, his opponent made the call and flipped up pocket aces. The board ran out 5-6-7-J-9 and Sebok was eliminated from the $10,000 buy-in tournament.

Attention then turned to the passing of Vahedi. Footage of Vahedi was shown and Sebok commented, “Amir Vahedi was one of the sweetest men in poker. He was always there with a laugh and always there with a word of encouragement. In my poker infancy, he was always there.” “Poker2Nite” closed with Huff telling viewers that Vahedi was the first player he ever interviewed. A portion of the 2005 questioning then aired, with Vahedi noting, “This is my job. I’m having fun while I’m doing it. That’s my personality.”

Flack opened his segment by squaring off against Huff in an arm wrestling match. The six-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner is also a two-time Montana state arm wrestling champion. Flack gave Huff a spot before quickly polishing off the broadcaster. Flack won two bracelets in 2002 and two more the following year before going on a dry spell until 2008. On his streakiness, Flack told his “Poker2Nite” fans, “I used to be such a strong offensive player. When the internet became involved, we had these younger players who were firing hard and going at it. I had to devise a defensive strategy.”

2009 WSOP Main Event runner-up Darvin Moon, donning a blurred out New Orleans Saints cap and a gray hoodie, went “Into the Tank” to recap a hand against eventual winner Joe Cada heads-up in last year’s tournament. Cada flopped top pair, but Moon turned a higher pair to give him the chip lead momentarily.

A segment called “High Stakes, Low Profile” reviewed several highly successful live and online poker players who receive little to no hype. First up was Amnon Filippi, who was the runner-up to Vadim Trincher in the World Poker Tour (WPT) Foxwoods World Poker Classic last April. Huff explained, “He shares information with some of the biggest and best minds in poker and it’s paid off.” Next up was Justin Young, who was the runner-up to Chino Rheem in the 2008 WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic. Sebok noted, “Sneaky, good player. Another guy with a brain trust.”

Scott “BigRiskky” Clements already owns two WSOP bracelets and two WPT titles, yet his name is overlooked in many poker circles. Sebok added, “I don’t know why everyone and their mother doesn’t know who he is.” Last up was DoylesRoom Brunson 10 member Amit “amak316” Makhija, who Sebok boasted might have “the most No Limit Hold’em potential out of all of these guys.”

Finally, Dana Workman dished out the “Weekly Misdeal,” featuring a satirical look at the week’s poker news. Topics included rumors of former Playboy Playmate of the Year Jayde Nicole dating Cada, PCA amfAR charity tournament participants, and the L.A. Kings alumni poker tournament.

“Poker2Nite” airs on Wednesdays at 11:00pm ET on Fox Sports Net. Check your local listings for more information.

Harrison Gimbel (gibler123) Recaps 2010 PCA Main Event Win

Banking $2.2 million for winning the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) Main event was 19 year-old Harrison “gibler123” Gimbel, who became the youngest champion ever of the $10,000 buy-in feature tournament. Gimbel sat down with Poker News Daily shortly after the win to recap his monumental run.

Poker News Daily: Congratulations on your historic win in the PCA Main Event. Can you tell us a little bit about your heads-up opponent, Tyler “puffinmypurp” Reiman?

Harrison Gimbel: He’s a really good player and I knew that going into the final table. The first time I played with him live was at the final table. When we got heads-up, he had 28 million to my 17 million at 100,00-200,000 blinds.

PND: You’re only 19 years-old. Talk about going up against a former Full Tilt Poker $1K Monday winner and successful online poker player heads-up. Did any nerves set in considering you were out-chipped?

Harrison Gimbel: Not at all. People were shocked that I stayed so calm. If anyone watched the webcast, I really wasn’t nervous and I played my game well. The biggest hand of the heads-up match was when I bluffed him off of a straight.

PND: In that hand, you check-called a bet of 630,000 after a flop of 5-6-4 with two hearts. The ten of clubs hit on the turn and you check-called a bet of 1.8 million from Reiman. The seven of hearts on the river put out straight and flush possibilities. You check-raised Reiman all-in and he folded 7-8 face up. Can you walk us through that hand, in which Reiman flopped the nuts?

Harrison Gimbel: I had Ah-4x, so I knew he didn’t have the nut flush. I figured check-shoving that board means that I either have a straight or a flush. I wasn’t necessarily putting him on a straight, as he could have been value betting a set or maybe even two pair. Me check-shoving there looks mostly like a flush.

PND: Were you surprised to see him fold 7-8?

Harrison Gimbel: Not really. I still think it’s pretty hard from him to call with an eight there. I was surprised he folded so fast, though. I had actually thought he called.

PND: How does it feel to be the youngest PCA Main Event champion ever? Is that important to you?

Harrison Gimbel: Yes, for sure. I think that is the most important part; being the youngest person to accomplish anything is an amazing feat. I just accomplished something at 19 that most people don’t do ever.

PND: What does this win do for your confidence and can you tell us about your future poker plans?

Harrison Gimbel: My confidence is at an all-time sky high. I came into this tournament thinking I was going to win. After Day 1 when I had 100+ big blinds, I told a friend that I was going to win this tournament. As for the future, I would love to travel the circuit. I can’t do too many tournaments, though, because I’m only 19, but I have an early lead for Player of the Year, so maybe if I win something else, I can lock it up.

PND: You told us that you got into poker through playing in $5 and $10 buy-in home games during the Moneymaker Boom. Do you play full-time now?

Harrison Gimbel: I should be a freshman in college. I went for two weeks and took the semester off. I don’t think I’m going back next semester either, so I’ll probably play poker full-time now.

Harrison Gimbel (gibler123) Recaps 2010 PCA Main Event Win

Banking $2.2 million for winning the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) Main event was 19 year-old Harrison “gibler123” Gimbel, who became the youngest champion ever of the $10,000 buy-in feature tournament. Gimbel sat down with Poker News Daily shortly after the win to recap his monumental run.

Poker News Daily: Congratulations on your historic win in the PCA Main Event. Can you tell us a little bit about your heads-up opponent, Tyler “puffinmypurp” Reiman?

Harrison Gimbel: He’s a really good player and I knew that going into the final table. The first time I played with him live was at the final table. When we got heads-up, he had 28 million to my 17 million at 100,00-200,000 blinds.

PND: You’re only 19 years-old. Talk about going up against a former Full Tilt Poker $1K Monday winner and successful online poker player heads-up. Did any nerves set in considering you were out-chipped?

Harrison Gimbel: Not at all. People were shocked that I stayed so calm. If anyone watched the webcast, I really wasn’t nervous and I played my game well. The biggest hand of the heads-up match was when I bluffed him off of a straight.

PND: In that hand, you check-called a bet of 630,000 after a flop of 5-6-4 with two hearts. The ten of clubs hit on the turn and you check-called a bet of 1.8 million from Reiman. The seven of hearts on the river put out straight and flush possibilities. You check-raised Reiman all-in and he folded 7-8 face up. Can you walk us through that hand, in which Reiman flopped the nuts?

Harrison Gimbel: I had Ah-4x, so I knew he didn’t have the nut flush. I figured check-shoving that board means that I either have a straight or a flush. I wasn’t necessarily putting him on a straight, as he could have been value betting a set or maybe even two pair. Me check-shoving there looks mostly like a flush.

PND: Were you surprised to see him fold 7-8?

Harrison Gimbel: Not really. I still think it’s pretty hard from him to call with an eight there. I was surprised he folded so fast, though. I had actually thought he called.

PND: How does it feel to be the youngest PCA Main Event champion ever? Is that important to you?

Harrison Gimbel: Yes, for sure. I think that is the most important part; being the youngest person to accomplish anything is an amazing feat. I just accomplished something at 19 that most people don’t do ever.

PND: What does this win do for your confidence and can you tell us about your future poker plans?

Harrison Gimbel: My confidence is at an all-time sky high. I came into this tournament thinking I was going to win. After Day 1 when I had 100+ big blinds, I told a friend that I was going to win this tournament. As for the future, I would love to travel the circuit. I can’t do too many tournaments, though, because I’m only 19, but I have an early lead for Player of the Year, so maybe if I win something else, I can lock it up.

PND: You told us that you got into poker through playing in $5 and $10 buy-in home games during the Moneymaker Boom. Do you play full-time now?

Harrison Gimbel: I should be a freshman in college. I went for two weeks and took the semester off. I don’t think I’m going back next semester either, so I’ll probably play poker full-time now.

The Nightly Turbo: Vanessa Rousso Wins Ladies Event, UBOC Early Registration and More

Amir Vahedi Dies After Diabetes Complications

In a tragic story coming out of Las Vegas, World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Amir Vahedi has passed away after complications arising from diabetes, according to fellow poker pro Mark Seif. He was 57 years-old.

In the early morning hours of January 10th, Seif, an Absolute Poker pro, posted on his blog, “I’ve just been told by close friends of Amir Vahedi that Vahedi passed away in Las Vegas on January 8, 2010, due to complications involving blood sugar levels.  Waiting for more details. Devastating news. Very very sad.” Vahedi finished seventh in the 2008 World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, earning $237,000. His bracelet win came back in 2003, when Vahedi bested Cleve Haley in a $1,500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event for $270,000 during the WSOP.

A wave of support streamed in via Twitter. UB.com pro Annie Duke commented on Sunday morning, “Still thinking about Amir. What a nice, sweet, funny soul. I keep picturing him with his cigar and his smile. 2 things he always had.” She further speculated that Vahedi passed away due to complications with diabetes. Fellow UB.com pro and 11-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth added, “Amir Vahedi Rest In Peace my old friend...Amir was one of the nicest, gentlest guys on tour, and everyone loved him...Very sad, diabetes...”

“Hollywood” Dave Stann weighed in on the death via Twitter as well, reminiscing about a poker tournament that played out in November: “Amir Vahedi rocked. Just saw him @ my bday HORSE tourney & have vid footage of him there, which now is so much more precious. RIP, friend.” Stann called for a charity tournament to take place during the upcoming L.A. Poker Classic in honor of Vahedi. The WPT Main Event at the California casino kicks off on February 26th and crowns a champion on March 4th.

On PocketFives.com, a thread entitled “RIP Amir Vahedi” was flooded with posters paying homage to the WSOP bracelet winner. Site Mod “Dissident” weighed in, “always though Amir was a class act. RIP.” Fellow online poker player “ill flu” recalled pertinent words of advice that Vahedi once spoke: “He actually said, ‘In order to live, you must be willing to die…’ I actually remember that out of his mouth.”

Finally, longtime poker player “CalBandGreat” shared his memories of the affable Vahedi: “I have played with Amir dozens of times and he was always a class act and very friendly. He would play in a lot of midstakes MTT's at Hollywood Park, The Bike or Commerce and he would be one of the few people in the tourney who everyone recognized, so a lot of people went up to talk with him and he was nice to everyone. Very sad news.”

Vahedi was an Iranian transplant and served as a poker mentor to actor Ben Affleck. In a comment posted on the website of Bluff Magazine, “Cowboy” Kenna James fondly spoke of Vahedi’s spirit: “Amir lived life and made no excuses. He played the game hard and fast and put opponents on their heals. But always with a broad smile and a laugh that exposed his love of the game.”

Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Nolan Dalla gave his two cents on the life of Vahedi on Bluff’s website, explaining, “Amir was one of poker’s nicest players and most colorful personalities. His life story was right out of a novel, immigrating to this country from a repressed war-torn region, ultimately becoming one of the most beloved people in an entire industry.” Other Iranian-born members of the poker community include Shawn Sheikhan, Mansour Matloubi, and three-time bracelet winner Farzad Bonyadi.

Poker News Daily would like to extend our condolences to the entire Vahedi family.

E-Books: Future of Poker Training

In the last two years, poker training sites have exploded.  Mainstays like DeucesCracked and StoxPoker, which have been around for years, are contending with upstarts like Drag the Bar, which just wooed Dusty “Leatherass9” Schmidt into its ranks.  Over the years, these sites revolutionized the way poker players learned through videos.  Moving into 2010, the poker training market might be moving toward an old friend in the form of books, but this time with a digital twist.

The digital revolution has fully crossed over into book sales, as Amazon’s e-book device, the Kindle, sold like hotcakes this holiday season.  The device broke sales records in November thanks to hefty marketing, a price drop, and an international release.  Without revealing numbers, Amazon announced that more Kindle books were sold than real books through Amazon on Christmas Day.  The announcement shows a growing segment of the public leaning towards e-book readers.  What does this have to do with poker?  It’s maybe a taste of things to come in 2010 for poker training content.

Two books from well-known poker players, Ed Miller and Schmidt, were recently released.  The books were self-published and both are available in an e-book edition through the authors’ personal websites.  There is little doubt that e-books are the wave of the future and, for authors, it gives them freedom to publish a book like never before.  Will future poker strategy authors create e-books for sale while video training websites die off?  That’s very unlikely.  Will future strategy books be sold and distributed the way that Miller and Schmidt are doing now, with tie-ins to training videos?  Absolutely.

Poker News Daily graciously received e-copies of each book.  We’ll offer a quick summary and unbiased opinion of each.

“Small Stakes No-Limit Hold’em” by Ed Miller, Sunny Mehta, and Matt Flynn
Cost: $99.95 (35% off until January 15th)

About the Book

This book is the highly-anticipated follow-up to “Professional No-Limit Hold’em,” which had a six-week run at number one on Amazon’s poker and gambling best seller list.  This time around, the authors have focused on beating $1-$2 Six-Max online cash games.  Structured as an example-driven content piece, the book aims to teach critical No Limit concepts.  The authors believe that if a player can consistently beat this game, then they can beat 99% of the games online.  The book is available for e-book readers such as the Amazon Kindle.

Impressions

As a player who competes in $0.50-$1 Six-Max games, it would seem that this book is aimed at someone like me.  I want to move up to the $1-$2 games, but there’s a definite barrier, as those games are a lot tougher than the ones I play, but the money to be made borders on a professional level.  The topic and focus they’ve chosen are perfect, as many agree that if you can beat $1-$2 Six-Max, then you’re able to rise the ranks once your bankroll allows it.  The subject matter in the book covers key points such as stealing pots from opponents, barreling, and how to get value.

There are a lot of good topics that can be applied even if you are playing in micro-stakes games.  In addition, readers will find a lot of sections that will make you re-think your game in a more scientific manner. You’ll also understand 3bet/4bet/5bet theory and how to handle opponents’ aggression.

The final part of the part book is summed up nicely by its title, “7 Easy Steps to No Limit Hold’em Success,” and just about every online poker player should read it.  One of the better sections of the final part was “Keep Your Head In The Game,” where the mental aspect of playing poker is addressed.

The price tag seems a little hefty, but for the discounted rate of roughly $65, the book is a tremendous investment.  As a player dying to jump into the games addressed in the book, I feel like I have a lot more knowledge about beating them than I did before reading it.  The book is best read by small-stakes grinders aching to get ahead and increase their “Poker IQ” so that they can climb the cash game ladder.

“Treat Your Poker Like a Business” by Dusty “Leatherass9” Schmidt
Cost: $39.99 (E-Book Version PDF or Printed Version), $59.99 for both

About the Book

Schmidt is the ultimate grinder who has made millions of dollars playing online poker after starting out at the micro-stakes and watching strategy videos.  His career has spanned seven million hands and he plays as many as 20 tables at a time in the mid- and high-stakes levels.  With this book, he’s not promising to make you the next Phil Ivey, but he’ll outline a way to monetize your abilities.  The book’s focus is best summed up in a quote from Schmidt: “All of the poker books and training sites have made poker players’ games better, but they haven’t necessarily taught them to make money.”

Impressions

There are two types of poker books I’ve read in my years of studying and playing the game.  There are those that teach you the facts, mathematics, plays, and strategies necessary to win.  These types of books are extremely valuable if you ever want to improve enough to keep moving up in stakes.  The other type of book deals with topics never covered before, but gives essential tips to surviving in the industry.  “Treat Your Poker Like a Business” is one such book.

The topics covered include bankroll management, how to rationalize variance, why you should be playing more tables, and how to avoid tilt.  Essential topics also include when and how to move up in stakes, discovering new sources of revenue, and how to be more profitable.  The book isn’t a difficult read, but it goes into detail of what Schmidt put together to create a successful formula for becoming an online poker pro.  There are some endearing chapters, one of which is written by his wife about dealing with the social stigma of playing poker professionally.

The story of Schmidt should be one that inspires many of us to start monetizing our skills and passion for the game.  Schmidt’s book is available as a traditional book or a PDF e-book that will load on to any reader like the Amazon Kindle.

Online Poker Funding Methods for the U.S. Player

It is the year 2010. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) has been on the books in the United States since late 2006. While the deadline for implementing its regulations has been pushed back to the middle of this year, many financial institutions have already begun clamping down on transactions to online poker rooms. Options for American players have become limited. In this article, I will present several funding methods that are still available to U.S. online poker players. Even though they aren’t all inexpensive, foolproof, or even widely available, there should be suitable options for everyone.

Credit/Debit Cards

Most online poker rooms accept VISA and MasterCard credit cards nowadays, as well as debit cards with the VISA or MasterCard logo. These are hit or miss, though, as many card issuers block online gambling transactions. Before the UIGEA passed, credit and debit cards were actually oddities as deposit methods for Americans, as there were plenty of reliable e-wallets to use. Many card companies didn’t allow gambling transactions on their cards back then, not because of any laws, but because they didn’t want to expose themselves to increased chargeback risks. Post-UIGEA, as other funding methods began to dry up, online poker rooms began looking for ways to get credit and debit card transactions to go through.

e-Checks

Personally, I have found e-Checks to be the easiest and most reliable online poker funding method at those poker rooms that use it. The two largest online poker rooms, Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars, readily accept e-Checks, which is likely one contributing factor to their market dominance.

e-Checks are just what they sound like, electronic checks. You just enter the information found on your check, including the bank account number and routing number, and the funds hit your poker account instantly.

e-Wallets

Back in the day, before that nasty UIGEA, most online poker players used e-Wallets to fund their poker accounts. For those unfamiliar with the concept, an e-Wallet is an online account from which you can transfer money to and from poker rooms and your bank. It really is just like a wallet; you take money from your bank account, put it in your wallet, and then take that money and use it at a store. With online poker, you transfer money from your bank to your e-Wallet and then move some or all of it to a poker room. E-Wallets are great for keeping track of your online poker funds, as you can stash your bankroll all in one place and quickly move it in and out of poker rooms.

Unfortunately, most of the good e-wallets, namely Neteller and ePassporte, have left the U.S. market since the UIGEA. The ones that do accept U.S. customers are now few and far between (eWalletXpress is one that several poker rooms still use). The big problem is that they all are typically fee-heavy; there are fees to move funds from your bank to the e-Wallet and fees to transfer funds out. There are no fees, however, to transfer to and from online poker rooms. To minimize the impact of fees, I recommend making the largest deposit you are comfortable making when you are being assessed a flat fee.  Also, some deposit fees are lower or even eliminated if you are willing to wait for your transfer to clear rather than having the funds appear in your account instantly.  If you can be patient, you can save a little bit of money.

Western Union/MoneyGram

If you don’t want to give your bank account information to an online poker room or e-Wallet and don’t want to try a credit card, then sending money via Western Union or MoneyGram can work very well. I won’t go into the whole procedure here, but in a nutshell the poker room will give you their recipient information, which you then take with your cash to a Western Union or MoneyGram location. When that’s done, you log into your poker account with some additional information from the retail location and you’re all set. As with e-Wallets, there are fees involved, but you can usually deposit $1,500 or more per day, so if you max it out, the fees aren’t too bad. You actually have to leave the house to do it, however, which can be a drawback for some players.

The four deposit options I just detailed aren’t the only ones out there, but they are the most common and usually the quickest. In today’s online poker environment, sometimes we just have to take what we can get.

Chris Moorman (moorman1) Wins PocketFives.com Yearly PLB Title

DoylesRoom sponsored pro Chris "moorman1" Moorman stormed through the competition in 2009, capturing the Yearly PocketFives.com Leaderboard (PLB) title. In addition, he claimed the Monthly PLB for December, his second of 2009.

Moorman’s claim to fame during the year came in August, when the British online poker pro chopped a Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) $322 No Limit Hold’em with Rebuys event for $204,000. His second largest cash to date on the virtual felts came in April, as Moorman made the final table of a PokerStars Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) event for $113,000. In February, Moorman was in the winner’s circle of the PokerStars $100 Rebuy for a cool $88,000.

Moorman was a beacon of consistency throughout 2009. In the first Online Poker Rankings update on PocketFives.com, which occurred on January 7th, Moorman sat at number two worldwide. Three weeks later, the youngster overtook Alex “AJKHoosier1” Kamberis for the Rankings’ top spot, a position that he held until February 25th. On that date, Steve “gboro780” Gross, CardPlayer’s Online Player of the Year winner for 2009, ascended to the top of the PocketFives.com Rankings, pushing Moorman back to second worldwide.

Gross had a stranglehold on the top spot in the Rankings until August 12th, when Shaun “shaundeeb” Deeb overtook him. Deeb, of course, announced in mid-November that he was retiring from tournaments due to burnout. On September 23rd, Moorman was back on top in the same month that he officially became a member of the Brunson 10, the group of online poker players handpicked by Doyle Brunson to represent DoylesRoom. Moorman held the top spot in September for a week until the 30th, when Gross once again led the way.

On November 25th, Dan “djk123” Kelly stole the top spot from Gross just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. Moorman then ascended to the head of the class on December 30th, with the next Rankings update to be released on Wednesday, January 6th. The Rankings encompass tournaments with at least 100 entrants and prize pools of $1,000 or more. Each event must have a buy-in of at least $1 and only scheduled tournaments are tracked. Only non-satellite tournaments with real money buy-ins are counted across some of the world’s largest online poker sites like Absolute Poker, Betfair, Bodog, Cake Poker, Carbon Poker, Full Tilt, PartyPoker, PokerStars, Titan Poker, and UB.com.

On the PocketFives.com Yearly PLB for 2009, Moorman logged 20,850 points, comfortably edging out Kelly, who netted 18,606. Moorman’s largest score was 716 points, whereas Kelly’s single greatest PLB tally was double that. Gross took third on the Yearly PLB for 2009. Here were the final results:

1. Chris “moorman1” Moorman – 20,850.97
2. Dan “djk123” Kelly – 18,606.93
3. Steve “gboro780” Gross – 18,472.42
4. Shaun “shaundeeb” Deeb – 18,061.15
5. Tony “D1rtyR1v3r” Nardi – 17,616.29
6. Kevin “ImaLuckSac” MacPhee – 17,514.48
7. David “Doc Sands” Sands – 17,354.60
8. Jeremy “daisyxoxo” Fitzpatrick – 17,167.12
9. Felipe “improved” Montenegro – 17,134.04
10. Ben “NeverScaredB” Wilinofsky – 16,323.68

Moorman finished fourth on both CardPlayer’s and Bluff’s Online Player of the Year leaderboards for 2009. He joined the Brunson 10 in September, becoming the fourth member of a talented group of players that already included Amit “amak316” Makhija, Zachary “CrazyZachary” Clark, and Alec “traheho” Torelli. In November during final table play of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, the Brunson 10 welcomed “2 Months, $2 Million” cast member Dani “ansky” Stern to its ranks. Stern was the youngest personality to appear on the G4 online poker reality show.

DoylesRoom happily accepts customers from the United States as a member of the Cake Poker Network. Other site pros include Todd Brunson, Hoyt Corkins, and “The Mad Genius of Poker” Mike Caro.

Tony G May Stake Isildur1

Poker pro Tony G may soon be funding the bankroll of Swedish online poker player Isildur1. The revelation, which appeared in a blog posted on TonyGPoker.com, comes at the same time as Isildur1 revealed that he may file a complaint concerning data mining on Full Tilt Poker.

Tony G explained in his blog that he had conversations with Isildur1 over the phone. In addition, he noted that the mystery Swedish player had only learned how to play Pot Limit Omaha eight months ago. The brash poker pro noted, “Anyway, it is likely I will stake him in some big cash games in the future, this is what I do after all. I like to give people a chance in life to do well.” Isildur1 stormed onto the high-stakes online poker scene on Full Tilt back in November, racking up as much as $5 million in earnings. However, he later crashed back down to Earth and currently stands with career losses of $2.6 million, according to PokerTableRatings.com.

Tony G had originally fingered Viktor “blom30” Blom as the man behind the Isildur1 moniker. However, to open December, Blom told Bluff Europe Magazine that he was not the man of the hour: “I am not the one you are looking for. Keep searching.” In a chat that appeared on Full Tilt at a high-stakes table, Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies addressed Isildur1 by name as “Viktor” and the statement went uncorrected. Perhaps due to stringent tax laws in Sweden, the real identity of Isildur1 may never be known. It remains a plot reminiscent of an episode of “Murder, She Wrote.”

The potential new backer of the Isildur1 empire gave his take on the poker world finding out the real identity of Isildur1: “I also have to say that earlier I was guessing and I will never reveal who he is from here on out. I think it’s more exciting for everyone, leaving the mystery as a mystery.” Guesses as to who Isildur1 is have ranged from Blom to Robert “Gulkines” Flink to Todd Brunson, even though the latter is American and a sponsored pro of the Cake Poker Network site DoylesRoom.

Isildur1’s career peek, according to PokerTableRatings.com, came on November 15th, when he racked up $5.03 million in earnings. Within a week, that number had been cut by 90% before a nearly $3 million losing day on December 8th sent his bankroll plummeting into the red. He told PokerNews.com that, despite the adversity on the virtual felts of Full Tilt Poker, he would make his triumphant return in 2010.

In mid-December, a $4.2 million win by Brian Hastings, a CardRunners instructor, at the expense of Isildur1 made waves after it was revealed that Hastings used hands compiled on the Swedish pro to his advantage. Fellow CardRunners pro Brian Townsend took the fall in the end and had his Red Pro status suspended for one month.

Hastings gave credit to Townsend for his performance, telling ESPN columnist Gary Wise in a December 14th interview, "Honestly, I give most of the credit to Brian Townsend here. I mean, Brian is honestly the hardest worker I know in poker. He analyzed a database of heads-up hands that Isildur1 had played and constructed ranges of what Isildur1 was doing in certain spots. In a way, I feel bad that it wasn't Brian who got this win instead of me.”

Tony G was the final table bubble boy in the $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament commemorating the 40th running of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in 2009, earning $172,000 for his 10th place finish. His demeanor in the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Grand Prix de Paris earned him a spot among the bad boys of poker.

Dominating Fantasy Football Week 17 with Online Poker Skills

Week 17 of the National Football League (NFL) will feature a hodgepodge of players competing for their spot on rosters in 2010. Players like Curtis Painter and Arian Foster will become household fantasy names on Sunday. How can you use your poker skills to navigate the murky waters?

Live and online poker players are top-notch when it comes to researching their competition. Ask any player in tournaments like the National Heads-Up Poker Championship and they’ll tell you that they research their foes prior to every match. Although Full Tilt Poker recently punished Brian Townsend for compiling hands Swedish poker pro Isildur1, the practice, even though it may be against the Terms and Conditions of many sites, is still somewhat commonplace.

Think about how much information exists on players. Online, sites like PokerTableRatings.com and HighStakesDB.com offer a significant amount of information on a player, including major hands played, notorious opponents, and career earnings. Behold the power of the internet, as more information than you can possibly stomach is at your fingertips. To survive Week 17 of the NFL in a one-week league or in the traditional fantasy playoffs, a bevy of research is needed.

Poker News Daily has partnered with Fantazzle.com, which specializes in one-week fantasy sports games, to bring our readers a free Week 17 contest with a $20 prize. If you win this “freeroll” and make a deposit of $50 using PayPal or a major credit card, you’ll take home five times the value of your prize. Fantazzle.com founder Ryan Parr told Poker News Daily, “Week 17 is all about strategy and skill. At a high level, any poker player thinks they have a chance of winning money. You know football, you think you know fantasy football, and you come on Fantazzle.com to win money because you’re more intelligent than the guy sitting next to you. Some days may be a little rough and some days you won’t get a feel for the guys you’re playing against.”

Fantazzle.com offers football, baseball, racing, golf, hockey, and basketball. The latter two sports are just getting into full swing, so even as the football season winds down, there’s still plenty of fantasy action to be had. Baseball is the second most popular fantasy sport behind football and its season kicks off in April.

If you think Week 17 in the NFL is a breeze to navigate, think again. In Week 16, the Indianapolis Colts, gunning for an undefeated season, pulled their starters in the third quarter and, as a result, were thumped 29-15 by the New York Jets and handed their first loss of the season. Fantasy managers who had their seasons riding on players like Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, and Dallas Clark instead watched Donald Brown and Joseph Addai scamper for touchdowns and Painter throw a pick-six. Clark had four grabs for 57 yards, while Wayne had a paltry three catches for 33 yards.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Bears versus Minnesota Vikings game turned out to be the shootout of the week, as the Bears won 36-30 in overtime. Minnesota had given up more than 30 points just once all season. Chicago quarterback and Vanderbilt University graduate Jay Cutler threw for four touchdowns for just his second multi-touchdown performance since Week 9. Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who leads all tailbacks in fumbles with six, coughed the ball up in overtime to set up the game-winning score. If you think you know what’s going to happen on the field, think again.

Put those researching skills to the test. Who will dominate Week 17 in the NFL? Will the Colts, Green Bay Packers, and Arizona Cardinals rest their starters? Poker players should head to Fantazzle.com and give it a shot.

Full Tilt Poker Crashes on Sunday

It was an unusual Sunday for online poker players all over the world, as Full Tilt Poker, the world's second largest online poker site, had its server crash during the heart of its heavy-traffic period. The site’s stoppage affected everyone playing on the site, including those still alive in Full Tilt's flagship Sunday tournament, the $216 buy-in $750,000 Guaranteed.

The crash occurred at 7:45pm ET and players were booted from the site and unable to log back in. When attempting to open the Full Tilt client, players received a message saying, "Unable to connect to server." This went on for hours and the poker community erupted.

Full Tilt posted the following message on its site shortly after the crash occurred: "Unscheduled Maintenance In Progress: We recently experienced a network outage. We expect to be operational shortly." After failing to get the site back up in a timely manner, Full Tilt Poker cancelled all running tournaments at 9:41pm ET. Then, at approximately 11:15pm, ET, the site's support staff sent the following e-mail to players who were still playing in tournaments:

When a tournament is cancelled before it reaches the money, according to tournament rule 31.2 (http://www.fulltiltpoker.com/tourRules.php):

-In addition, the remaining prize pool will be divided and distributed according to chip count - (Remaining Prize Pool)*(Your Chip Count)/(Total Chips in Play) = Your Share of Remaining Prize Pool.

The reimbursement policy for rebuy tournaments is slightly different and several players expressed their confusion regarding Full Tilt's procedure. PocketFives.com forum member "MattElsarelli" posted the following concerning a tournament he was playing: "Does anyone know their policy on refunding for rebuys? I'm like 15 buy in deeps in the $20 rebuy, do I get refunded all of them?"

He got his answer from a fellow poster who laid out Full Tilt's Tournament Rules: "In a Rebuy tournament - the number of rebuys or add-ons a player has made does not affect the payout if a tournament is cancelled. If a tournament has not reached the money, all players will have their initial tournament buy-in and fee returned, as described in bullet 31.2. In addition, any other money in the prize and Cashout pools where applicable (excluding guarantees and money added by Full Tilt Poker), will be divided and distributed to the remaining players, based on their respective chip counts."

For tournaments that awarded a non-monetary prize, such as a live tournament package (like a World Poker Tour event), Full Tilt Poker assigns a monetary value to the prize and distributes it in cash to the remaining players based on their chip counts. In ring games, the hand being played at the time of the stoppage was considered dead and all bets were returned at the point of the crash.

As of Monday morning, Full Tilt Poker was operating as normal.

PokerTracker Releases Omaha, Mac Support

Just days before the beginning of 2010, the popular poker tracking and analysis software PokerTracker turned a new leaf of its own, releasing Omaha and Mac supported versions. The so-called Beta 30 was announced in the PokerTracker forums.

Mac poker software is quickly growing in popularity as more and more online poker players switch to the alternative computing system. Poker aficionados who received new Mac laptops for the holidays can now use PokerTracker with ease, as the programming team released support just in time for the new decade. Auto-import of hand histories for the new PokerTracker release is available for PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Ongame Network clients.

In addition to the Mac-supported version, another growing area of the marketplace received support from PokerTracker, Omaha. The up-and-coming game’s support on PokerTracker is still somewhat patchwork, as Auto-Rate is not yet functional and only hands from PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, PartyPoker, and the iPoker Network will import to the poker tracking tool. In addition, Table Tracker does not yet support Omaha. Text found in the PokerTracker forums notes, “The Omaha beta is freely available to all owners of the Holdem version and to all trial users. For those of you who do not own PT3, but have an expired trial, Omaha will be getting its own trial separate from the Holdem one soon, so please be patient.”

Beta 30 also received an extreme makeover in the form of a Setup Wizard. In an effort to make configuring PokerTracker as easy as possible, the program’s developers had the foresight to include a setup tool to add sites. A process that sometimes required a player posting on poker forums like PocketFives.com and TwoPlusTwo.com may soon be a breeze thanks to the Setup Wizard. Novice PokerTracker users and customers setting up additional online poker sites to the mix will be able to take advantage of the new feature.

Players transitioning from the Windows-based version of PokerTracker to the Mac utility can employ the software’s new backup and restore feature. Now, layouts, reports, stats, notes, and buddies can all be placed into one central zip file. This essentially creates one point of reference when switching versions or computers.

Because the new version remains in beta, a variety of bugs are expected. In fact, one day after Beta 30 was announced, PokerTracker programmers rolled out Beta 30.1, which addressed issues with the software’s Heads-Up Display (HUD), PartyPoker hand imports, and database names containing characters that sent the program into a tizzy. The site frankly states, “There's a very good probability that there will be bugs. If you aren't willing to deal with bugs and help us locate and fix them, please wait until the stable release is out.”

Bugs fixed in the Beta 30 release included importing hands from the Microgaming Network, tournament import issues on Full Tilt, and rebuy and add-on support for PokerStars. Support for heads-up tables was added for Bodog and tournament bounty support was also added across several sites. Improvements to sanity checks and keyboard shortcuts were also added.

Along with Holdem Manager, PokerTracker represents the industry-leading tracking and analysis software. At the time of writing, PokerTracker and Holdem Manager were the third and fourth highest rated programs by users of PokerSoftware.com, respectively, and both are used by thousands of online poker players. Holdem Manager launched an Omaha client, Omaha Manager, earlier this year. Poker Copilot serves as the staple tracking program for Mac players.

Posters on PocketFives.com have reported a bevy of bugs in PokerTracker’s Mac version. Member “diesel83” remarked, “It seems to be picking up my hands and results fairly well, but the HUD is worthless right now. At least it is here. Going back to fusion to run Windows until next update though.”

The Full Version of PokerTracker runs $89.99, while the Micro-Stakes Edition will set players back $44.99.

PokerTableRatings Announces Player of the Year Race

Many in poker work hard to attain various Player of the Year awards from several publications and associations, ranging from the World Series of Poker (WSOP) to PocketFives.com.  Although there are a myriad awards set aside for the year’s best tournament poker players, none have existed for those who play in cash games. This year, PokerTableRatings is giving the opportunity to all poker enthusiasts to vote for the 2009 Player of the Year for both Hold’em and Omaha cash games.

The intention of the Player of the Year race at PokerTableRatings was to finally reward grinders making money at the cash tables with some much-deserved recognition.  Instead of simply awarding titles to those who just made the most money or put the vote to an elitist group of individuals, the site has decided that the public will determine the vote.

There are ten awards that will be given out for both Hold’em and Omaha games.  The stake levels are:

Nosebleeds: $100-$200 and up
High Stakes: $10-$20 through $50-$100
Mid Stakes: $2-$4 through $5-$10
Low Stakes: $0.5-$1 through $1-$2
Micro Stakes: $0.25-$0.50 and below

Players who have played a minimum of 10,000 hands at each level qualify to receive votes.  If a player has played more than the minimum required across several stakes, they are eligible to receive votes at all qualified levels.

Each registered user of PokerTableRatings will receive ten Player of the Year votes.  Registration to the site is completely free and without obligation.  To vote for someone, users visit the profile page of a given player and select the radio boxes for the award they want to vote for and hit the “Submit” button.  Each checked box counts for one vote and players can vote multiple times for any given player.  Once a vote is cast, however, it cannot be changed and the site has gone on record saying it will not grant additional votes.  The voting is currently underway and will conclude on December 31st.

Once the votes are counted, the players with the most in each category will be declared the PokerTableRatings Player of the Year for that level.  Each player winning an award will receive a special badge for his or her profile page.

The current results page is updated every 20 minutes and displays the current vote totals for all categories.  Since voting is open to all registered voters, some have voted for their favorites, friends, themselves, and those who they feel best exemplify the title of Player of the Year.

Currently, “Isildur1” leads the vote totals for both the Hold’em and Omaha categories despite losing $2.65 million this year in Nosebleed stakes games.  He holds a slight edge over Tom “durrrr” Dwan in both categories, with the winner still yet to be determined.

In the High Stakes and Mid Stakes Hold’em categories, one player holds the leading votes for both categories in “nanonoko.”  In both stakes, the margin is extremely wide and, with over $1 million in profits this year, he looks like a lock to take the award down.  The same phenomenon is happening for the High Stakes and Mid Stakes Omaha awards, as “Skjervøy” leads both categories in voting.  Although his margin is not as great as the one that “nanonoko” enjoys, “Skjervøy” remains the odds-on favorite to win both categories.

In the Low Stakes Hold’em category, “water boat” holds a huge margin over the rest of the competition thanks to some apparent self-promotion.  One of the odds-on favorites to win the award before voting began was “jrockhaf” from PokerStars, who currently sits in seventh place with 160 votes after taking own more than $90,000 in just low-stakes action.  On the Omaha side, “TheOrangeman” leads by a nice margin over players such as “kazor” and “GaussPoker” from Full Tilt Poker.

The Micro Stakes has losing players currently in the lead for both Hold’em and Omaha categories.  Current leader “MartinK1979” from PokerStars leads despite his -$875 showing for the year over second place “GalloFX” from Full Tilt Poker, who has lost $3,560 in 2009.  Obviously, these votes might be more sentimental in nature more than anything, but it will be interesting to see who wins out in this category.  Finally, in the Micro Stakes Omaha category, “MRobot” from PokerStars leads despite his -$534 result in 2009.

All online poker players are highly encouraged to visit PokerTableRatings and cast their ten free votes to have a voice in the Player of the Year race.  Winners will be announced shortly after voting concludes on New Year’s Eve.

Isildur1 May File Online Poker Data Mining Complaint

Online poker player "Isildur1" has been careful about keeping his identity a secret since bursting onto the high-stakes scene in October. However, poker publication PokerNews.com was able to track down the unknown Swede for an interview earlier this week to discuss his poker career, nosebleed matches with the game's best, and the recent scandal involving Brian Townsend and fellow Full Tilt Pros sharing hand histories.

Isildur1 has been on a wild ride since taking a shot at the highest games on Full Tilt. After recording massive wins over Tom "durrrr" Dwan and Ilari "Ziigmund" Sahamies early on, the Swede took severe hits to his bankroll during sessions with Phil Ivey, Patrik Antonius, and Brian Townsend. The million dollar swings caught the attention of the poker world and seemingly restored the Full Tilt nosebleed games that had appeared to be drying up in 2009.

When asked by PokerNews.com who his toughest and weakest opponents were at the $500/$1,000 Pot Limit Omaha tables, the Swede didn't shy away: "Out of all the players I faced, I felt as if I had the biggest edge over durrrr. He tends to make some stupid plays, and I was able to take advantage of them. Phil Ivey was tough for me, as he only likes to play two tables at a time. But for me two tables is not enough action, and I had to play others at the same time."

While his losses to Ivey and others were gargantuan, it was a session against CardRunners instructor Brian Hastings that created a buzz never seen before in online poker. After five hours of ruthless heads-up Pot Limit Omaha action, Hastings walked away with $4.2 million of the Isildur1's money, leaving the Swede scratching his head over what took place during the richest match ever played online.

Shorty after the historic bout in an interview with ESPN, Hastings openly admitted to sharing hand histories with Townsend and Cole South in order to break down Isildur1's strategies. "Honestly, I give most of the credit to Brian Townsend here," Hastings told ESPN. "He analyzed a database of heads-up hands that Isildur1 had played and constructed ranges of what Isildur1 was doing in certain spots."

According to Full Tilt's Terms and Conditions, such a practice is not allowed: "The use of shared hand histories provides detailed information on opponents a player has little or no personal experience playing against, and is deemed to be an unfair advantage. Violating this policy is subject to the maximum penalties for prohibited software use." PokerNews.com made sure to ask Isildur1 if he knew of the restrictions that the site had in place involving data-mining and hand histories.

"I was not aware of the exact rule that you just mentioned," he replied, "but since seeing that it is in fact a rule at Full Tilt Poker, I think I am going to put through a formal complaint, as I think this is a case where the sharing of hand histories directly affected the match I played with Brian [Hastings].”

“I played with Brian Townsend and Cole South a lot," Isildur1 continued. "They were always waiting for me. The last session where Hastings won all the money, it just felt like something was wrong. Everything that could go wrong for me did. Every time I tried to pull off a bluff of some kind, it felt as if it was being picked off. At the time, I just thought it was crazy luck, but now, knowing they shared a lot of their analysis of hand histories with each other, it makes a lot more sense.”

This eye-opening information resulted in a month-long suspension for Townsend from Full Tilt as a Red Pro, meaning he won't collect any benefits (such as 100% rakeback), but should be able to continue playing on the site. He confessed to the violation in his blog, saying, "Of the three I was the sole one to break the T&C of Full Tilt. The three of us never shared hands where mucked hands were shown besides a few hands I posted on weaktight.org, and in fact all the information I received could be taken from watching the game."

Meanwhile, Isildur1 has virtually disappeared from Full Tilt Poker since his loss to Hastings, but he explained his reasoning behind his absence. "I still have a bankroll and will be back," he told PokerNews.com. " I am planning on putting in the request to Full Tilt to look into [the Townsend/Hastings situation] further, and until I hear back, I don't plan on playing much poker on the site.” Full Tilt Poker is the second largest online poker site in the industry, trailing only PokerStars.

We'll continue to bring you the latest high-stakes news involving Isildur1 and the Full Tilt Pros here at Poker News Daily.

Team PokerStars Online Announced

After 2,000 online poker players sent in applications to become members of Team PokerStars Online, the group’s 23 inaugural players were announced on Wednesday, just in time for the holidays.

Eighteen countries are represented among the 23 founding members of Team PokerStars Online. Those on the list include Steve Jacobs, known in online poker circles simply as “stevesbets.” The poker player is perhaps best known for winning the 2008 PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) $25,000 buy-in Heads-Up event for a staggering $560,000. Also in the mix is Thomas “Boku87” Boekhoff, who was involved in a challenge of his own on the world’s largest online poker site to turn a $5 bankroll into $100,000. Boekhoff is one of the world’s premier grinders, but he’s also had success in the brick-and-mortar poker scene, including a 14th place at the European Poker Tour’s (EPT) Monte Carlo Grand Final in 2008.

Grayson “spacegravy” Physioc is another member of Team PokerStars Online. He’s a former winner of the site’s high-stakes $200 rebuy and recently finished as the runner-up in the PokerStars $10,000 Guaranteed for $11,000. Many will remember Nichoel Peppe from her deep run in the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, where she took 75th place for $69,000. Known in the online world as “NicP,” the favorite of ESPN’s Main Event coverage now takes per place among the team of PokerStars-backed online poker pros.

Anders “Donald” Berg finished 37th in the 2008 EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final and took down an event held as part of the Irish Winter Festival of Poker in 2005. In November, he won the PokerStars $100 rebuy for $26,000 and, one month prior, took down the site’s $50,000 Guaranteed for $15,000. Berg hails from Norway and is a veteran of the poker industry. You can find him roving the virtual felts of PokerStars as an online team member.

To say that Team PokerStars Online constitutes an eclectic group would be an understatement. Here are its inaugural members, listed alphabetically: Andres Alisievicz (lobojiji), Jorge Arias (JorgeArias), Boumaaza Bachir (Chiren80), Anders Berg (Donald), Alvaro Blanco (VARICO), Thomas Boekhoff (Boku87), Diego Brunelli (vgreen22), Andre Coimbra (acoimbra), Mathew Didlick (chipstar1), Ta-Chih Geeng (socutiesf), Andrew Goetsch (Kid Nebraska), Martha Gonzalez (marene), Keiran Harris (K_Man2307), Steve Jacobs (stevesbets), Randy Lew (nanonoko), Karlo Lopez (elmagopr), Alexey Makarov (LuckyGump), Kristian Martin (CharismA3), Grzegorz Mikielewicz (DaWarsaw), Nichoel Peppe (NicP), Grayson Physioc (spacegravy), Sebastien Sabic (Seb86), and Amanda Thomas (ROXY24).

A press release distributed by PokerStars on Wednesday reveals that Team PokerStars Online will receive new members in 2010. In addition, modifications to the software client’s lobby will allow easier location of PokerStars-sponsored pros when they hop online. A range of games and stakes are represented in the Team PokerStars Online roster.

This weekend, just two days after Christmas, PokerStars is hosting a Guinness World Record attempt for the largest online poker tournament in history. The standing mark is 65,000, set by PokerStars in July, and the site has upped the ante this time around. The record-setting $1 buy-in tournament will kick off at 14:45 ET on Sunday and feature $300,000 in the prize pool. The event will take on a turbo format and first place may see as much as $50,000 come their way for their $1 investment.

PokerStars is the world’s largest online poker site, with a seven-day running average of 28,400 real money ring game players, according to PokerScout.com. During its peak hours, which occur in the evening throughout North America, nearly 50,000 cash game players call the site home. PokerStars happily accepts real money wagers from the United States and is based in the Isle of Man.

Bodog Running 12 Days of Poker Promotion

With the Christmas holiday upon us, many poker players have presents lined up under their trees waiting to be opened. In keeping with the holiday spirit, top online poker room Bodog is offering more presents for players as part of the 12 Days of Poker promotion.

Due to end on December 27th, the promotion gives out entries to players who participate in cash games and tournaments on the site through the accumulation of Bodog Poker Points. For every 25 and 75 Bodog Poker Points that a player earns, they will be entered once for prizes being awarded that day.

Some of the prizes that have been dished out so far over the first few days of Bodog’s 12 Days of Poker promotion include a Sony Bravia 52" HDTV, a Sony Home Theater system, a Sony PlayStation 3 (which was won by Bodog player “lionking2x”), and a TomTom GPS system (won by “salsx”). If these prizes aren’t big enough, Bodog has also handed out 25 seats to its weekly $100,000 Guaranteed, which has been dubbed by many as one of the best value buys for online poker players due to its perennial overlay.

With about a week to go in the Bodog 12 Days of Poker promotion, there are still plenty of great opportunities to pick up a Christmas gift from the online poker site. Up for grabs on Monday are five seats to the $100,000 Guaranteed and a Sony Vaio laptop. Over the remaining run of the promotion, Bodog will give away two more Sony Bravia HDTVs, a Sony Vaio Desktop Computer, a Samsung 55" LED LCD TV, a Sony HD Camcorder, a Canon PowerShot camera, and more seats into the Sunday $100,000 Guaranteed.

Even though there are some highly valuable prizes available, the $100,000 Guaranteed tickets might be one of the most coveted rewards during Bodog’s 12 Days of Poker. In the most recent $100,000 Guaranteed, played on December 20th, 451 players showed up for battle on Bodog’s virtual felts. With the $150 buy-in, this meant that Bodog added over $32,000 from its pockets for the tournament’s guarantee to be met. Of the players who entered in the $100,000 Guaranteed, it was first place finisher “mattlee3” who walked away with the $25,000 grand prize, with runner up “cbo187” ($15,000), and third place finisher “Suraj128” ($9,500), also taking away large chunks of cash.

With the 12 Days of Poker promotion, Bodog is looking to share the holiday spirit with its patrons and spread its own Christmas cheer. For a full list of the prizes being offered each day, visit Bodog and get in on the action.

Brian Townsend’s Full Tilt Poker Status Suspended for Isildur1 Controversy

In the wake of the arrival of Swedish high-stakes online poker player Isildur1, Brian “sbrugby” Townsend, a CardRunners instructor, has had his Full Tilt Poker Red Pro status suspended for one month.

According to PokerTableRatings.com, which has seen its traffic explode as a result of Isildur1 playing nosebleed stakes against the likes of Tom “durrrr” Dwan, 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event November Nine member Phil Ivey, and Patrik Antonius, Townsend took nearly $1.6 million off Isildur1 over 17,725 tracked hands. He ranks as Isildur1’s fourth “Worst Enemy” behind fellow CardRunners instructor Brian Hastings, Ivey, and Antonius.

The allegations of possible collusion against Isildur1 stemmed from an interview with Hastings posted by Gary Wise on ESPN.com. On his $3 million day against Isilaur1 that took place earlier this month, Hastings told Wise, “Obviously I'm happy and I'll take it, but Brian [Townsend] did a ton of work. The three of us discussed a ton of hands and the reports that Brian made, so I'm very thankful to him and to Cole as well." Hastings’ comments, as benign as they may seem, ignited a firestorm of controversy around the industry as players cried foul on behalf of Isildur1.

Full Tilt Poker’s Terms of Service states, “Players are not permitted to use the hand histories for hands that they have not personally participated in.” Accordingly, poker software such as Poker-Edge, Poker Crusher, and IdleMiner are strictly prohibited because they give players an unfair leg up in the game. Examples of shunned practices in the Terms and Services also include “exchanging hand histories with a friend.”

In a blog posted on CardRunners.com, Townsend admitted to acquiring a total of 30,000 hands on Isildur1 to supplement his own chest of 20,000. The poker training instructor noted, “This is against the T&C of Full Tilt Poker and because of this violation I am going to have my red pro status suspended for one month.” CardRunners instructors are sponsored pros of the site as part of an agreement forged in March of 2008. The group also includes Taylor “Green Plastic” Caby, Isaac “westmenloAA” Baron, Andrew “muddywater” Wiggins, and 2007 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure champion Ryan “Daut44” Daut.

Townsend defended his actions, saying, “[Hastings, Cole South, and I] never shared hands where mucked hands were shown besides a few hands I posted on weaktight.org, and in fact all the information I received could be taken from watching the game.” Isildur1 has been notably quiet on the virtual felts after storming the high-stakes online poker scene last month. According to PokerTableRatings.com, of the eight largest pots in the history of online poker, Isildur1 has been involved in every single one, winning half of them. Antonius scooped the largest pot ever seen in the industry, which registered at $1.3 million.

This isn’t Townsend’s first run-in with Full Tilt Poker authorities. In September of 2008, his Red Pro status was revoked for six months after the pro engaged in multi-accounting. Townsend played under two monikers on the world’s second largest online poker site, “Stellarnebula” and “Brian Townsend,” resulting in the disciplinary action. Townsend donated $25,000 to charity to help make up for his transgressions, commenting at the time, “This is by no means me making my actions correct, but I hope that it shows some good faith towards those that I work closely with.”

In his most recent admission of violating Full Tilt’s Terms of Service, Townsend noted that he has never played on South’s or Hastings’ online poker accounts. He commented, “I analyzed the database I put together, and the three of us chatted about my analysis, and optimal strategy against Isildur.”

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest high-stakes headlines.

Applying Online Poker Skills to One-Week Fantasy Football Leagues

We’re in the midst of the fantasy football playoffs in many leagues and, with some managers not a part of the post-season, the popularity of one-week contests has ballooned. Online poker players, in particular, should be quite successful in these games.

Fantazzle.com has partnered with Poker News Daily to help our readers enter the world of one-week fantasy games and put their online poker skills to the test. Most weekly fantasy sites, in fact, have online draft lobbies that look nearly identical to the ones you’d find on your favorite poker room, showing the maximum capacity and number of players already registered. Familiar buy-ins like $5, $10, and $20 parallel sit and gos nicely, especially as it relates to understanding payouts and rake.

At Fantazzle.com, two different types of one-week fantasy sports leagues exist. The first is a salary cap format whereby each manager receives a set number of dollars with which to buy players. How does this relate to poker, you ask? In poker, you have to be able to spot value and weakness in opponents. In fantasy football, it’s the same way. If Jamaal Charles (RB - Kansas City Chiefs) is going for only $30,000 and plays the Cleveland Browns in Week 15, he might be a better one-time play than DeAngelo Williams (RB – Carolina Panthers), who might have a price three times larger and also has a tougher match-up in the Minnesota Vikings, one of the league’s top run defenses.

In poker, it’s all about spotting value. Knowing when you can profitably make a play at a pot is key, as is mathematically understanding whether a play is in line with expected value. Being able to spot value in tournament registrations, such as overlays, is also extremely important. If a tournament like the Bodog $100,000 Guaranteed has a perennial overlay, knowing this information and then registering for it increases your value in an event. In fantasy drafts, understanding value in the middle and late rounds is especially vital to your success.

Fantasy football is really all about exploiting match-ups. Who plays who typically pre-destines success or failure in a given week. If your fantasy players face off against the likes of Detroit, Oakland, and Seattle, then chances are you’ll be flying high. However, if your quarterbacks are locked down against teams like Pittsburgh, Baltimore, or the New York Giants, then look out. In one-week drafts like those you’ll find on Fantazzle.com, understanding the match-ups and compiling your team accordingly is what determines your relative success. In poker, some of the top players in the world are heads-up specialists, capitalizing on their skill relative to others in order to make a living.

Fantazzle.com has been in business since 2008 and its owner, Ryan Parr, told Poker News Daily, “You will be assigned to a group of people. You don’t have to wait around for others to come.” Unlike a poker sit and go, you won’t have to stand by until a table fills up to play. As soon as it’s game time each week, you’re off to the races. While many fantasy football managers are currently shut out of the playoffs, at Fantazzle.com, everyone is able to participate. Metaphorically, all you need is a chip and a chair.

Online poker sites are all about building credibility. Using names like Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu to sell a site’s viability results in players swarming the online poker room left and right. At Fantazzle.com, the New York Giants’ Steve Smith foots the bill, as the wide receiver is lending his autograph to tournament winners each week. Smith leads the Giants in receiving yards and receptions by a large margin and has found the end zone five times in 2009, tied for the second most on the team.

Visit Fantazzle.com today and put your online poker skills to good use!

Truly Free Poker Training Catching Fire as 2009 Comes to a Close

As 2009 comes to a close, the online poker tournament fields around the Web continue to become tougher with Truly Free Poker Training from CardRunners and StoxPoker. The program was launched earlier this year in conjunction with Full Tilt Poker.

After players enroll in Truly Free Poker Training, their Full Tilt Points (FTPs) will be tallied at the end of every month. A total of 5,500 FTPs are required for a one-month membership to CardRunners and 3,000 are needed to receive a one-month subscription to StoxPoker. For 8,500 FTPs, Full Tilt Poker customers can receive one month of poker training on each site. FTPs aren’t deducted from a player’s account; they are merely a way to ensure that customers keep coming back to the world’s second largest online poker site.

Free poker training from CardRunners and StoxPoker is actually doled out in weekly increments, with 750 FTPs required for one week of StoxPoker and 1,375 needed for a week of CardRunners. The latter’s Director of Marketing, Lana Maier, told Poker News Daily, “There are no diplomas in poker and you might as well light a bonfire with your money if you stop improving. Members of CardRunners and StoxPoker understand this and thousands of them enjoy complimentary poker training simply by playing at Full Tilt Poker. It costs no points and takes two minutes to sign up. There is no easier or more cost-effective way to stay on top of the games running today.”

Truly Free Poker Training does not affect rakeback on Full Tilt in any way and players can begin receiving their education the month after they’ve earned the requisite number of points. The total number of points a player has is displayed when customers of the site log into CardRunners or StoxPoker. Full Tilt Poker happily accepts players from the United States.

A dozen CardRunners instructors are members of Team Full Tilt, including Taylor “Green Plastic” Caby, Brian Hastings, and Brian Townsend. Hastings was the recent winner of more than $4 million at the expense of Swedish online poker player Isildur1. All told, according to Poker Table Ratings, Hastings has amassed $3.8 million from the mystery Swede in just 8,400 hands, an average of $450 per pot. Hastings has quickly emerged as one of the top high-stakes pros after his domination of Isildur1. In addition to Hastings, CardRunners instructors Townsend, Cole "CTS" South, and Haseeb "INTERNETPOKERS" Qureshi have all battled against the Swede on Full Tilt.

Other CardRunners instructors include Isaac “westmenloAA” Baron and Ryan “Daut44” Daut. Baron has taken down the Full Tilt $750,000 Guaranteed and PokerStars $100 rebuy during his poker career. In April, he emerged victorious from the field in a $55 rebuy held during the PokerStars Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) for $97,000. Daut won the 2007 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure for $1.5 million, defeating Isaac Haxton heads-up. He also final tabled that year’s Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic, a stop on the World Poker Tour (WPT).

In September of 2008, CardRunners and StoxPoker merged, creating one of the largest poker training conglomerates in the industry. Six months earlier, CardRunners instructors officially joined Team Full Tilt. In January of this year, Truly Free Poker Training was launched, with a CardRunners representative telling Poker News Daily at the time, “We’re always looking to give something back to our community. Our relationship with Full Tilt Poker made this possible. We approached Full Tilt Poker and said we should try to structure an arrangement whereby if a player is high-volume, then we can give them something for free like a CardRunners membership.”

Full Tilt Poker is the second largest site in the world, boasting a seven-day running average of 19,200 real money ring game players, according to PokerScout.com. During its peak hours, around 30,000 cash game players call the site home, giving Truly Free Poker Training customers ample ways to accrue FTPs.

CNBC Illegal Gambling Feature to Air on Wednesday

On Wednesday night at 9:00pm ET, CNBC will air a one-hour exposé entitled, “The Big Business of Illegal Gambling.” The report from CNBC’s Melissa Francis will put the multi-billion dollar industry into focus and include a segment on internet gambling.

Wednesday’s show marks one of the most high-profile television programs about internet gambling since “60 Minutes” aired a feature on the cheating scandals at the online poker rooms Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker one year ago. According to a preview found on CNBC’s website, the show will “take viewers inside this high-stakes business that brings some people immense wealth, while others pay the ultimate price.” Francis is co-anchor of the CNBC show “The Call,” which airs for one hour beginning at 11:00am ET during the week.

The CNBC description begins, “The one-hour program delivers an in-depth look at just how mainstream illegal gambling has become.” Francis will speak with a bevy of industry representatives, including a bookmaker simply named “Paul” and a professional gambler named "Vegas Runner." Among those CNBC will speak to with a first and last name is Nick Sarillo, whom the show describes as “a restaurant owner who freelances as a bookie [and] crosses the Mob and pays a heavy price.” These three will likely be offline gamblers.

Then, Francis and company will explore the world of internet gambling. The preview of the CNBC special explains, “Technology has made illegal gambling much more accessible and the same computer used for work or to connect with family and friends can also be used to wager outside the law.” Among those to be interviewed is Jay Cohen, the co-founder of the World Sports Exchange who was found guilty of violating the Wire Act of 1961. He was sentenced to 21 months in jail and fined $5,000; World Sports Exchange boasted revenues of $200 million and he was freed in 2004.

Also featured is Scott Damiani, the Executive Director of the Outreach Foundation. The show’s website explains, “Illegal gambling costs Scott Damiani is home, business family... and almost cost him his life. After hitting rock bottom, he picked his life back up and now devotes his time to helping other gambling addicts as the Executive Director of the Outreach Foundation.”

Poker News Daily has also learned that Tokwiro Chief Operating Officer Paul Leggett filmed an interview for the CNBC program. The two Tokwiro-owned online poker rooms, Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker, were at the heart of a ten-minute feature by the CBS news program “60 Minutes” over Thanksgiving weekend in 2008. The report questioned why no one had been prosecuted in the case and ended with segment reporter Steve Kroft calling Russ Hamilton’s home in Las Vegas. Hamilton, who won the 1994 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, was fingered as the main man responsible in the Ultimate Bet cheating scandal. To date, no one has been convicted.

Finally, Francis will dive into a high-spirited internet gambling debate featuring Congressmen Jim McDermott (D-WA) and Bob Goodlatte (R-VA). Online poker players can thank the latter for helping to bring the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) to life back in 2006. McDermott, meanwhile, has authored legislation seeking to extract 2% of deposits from licensed internet gambling companies in the United States under legislation proposed by Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA). Curiously, Frank’s name does not appear on the preview for the CNBC program despite being legalized internet gambling’s number one proponent on Capitol Hill. Also absent is the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the industry’s main lobbying group.

Poker News Daily will have a recap of the show after it airs on Wednesday night. Video clips, slideshows, and even an illegal gambling quiz can be found on CNBC’s website.

Bodog Founder Calvin Ayre Featured in National Post

On Saturday, the National Post ran an article entitled “Calvin Ayre online gaming tycoon,” a profile of the founder of the popular online poker room, casino, and sports book Bodog. Ayre donned a Bodog Fight shirt for the interview’s image.

Diane Francis was tasked with interviewing Ayre in Antigua and the news outlet described the internet mogul as “semi-retired.” The article begins with Francis asking Ayre about the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), approved by better than a 3:1 edge in the House of Representatives before being attached to the SAFE Port Act at the urging of then-Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN). When asked if Canadian authorities had pursued Ayre in any capacity related to the 2006 law, he told the Post, "No. I haven't lived in Canada for ten years or been in the Canadian tax system. The legal system did not allow me to do this in Canada. Now I like living in the tropics.”

Ayre revealed that he owns the rights to the domain name Bodog.com and licenses the rights to the network to affiliates located around the globe. In the United States, for example, Morris Mohawk Gaming Group, a Canadian outfit, owns the rights to market the brand. After recently releasing “Survivor: China” castaway Jean-Robert Bellande, Bodog’s stable of poker pros currently stands at three: Evelyn Ng, Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, and David Williams.

The Post then inquired about Bodog’s revenue figures. Ayre explained, "My current deals aren't revenue based and are all different structures which I don't talk about. Forbes audited our books and based the number on the same multiple that the British public companies were trading at, or more than $1.5 billion. In 2006, Bodog made US $320 million in revenues and 25% profit." After the UIGEA was passed into law, online poker sites with publicly traded parent companies like PartyPoker and Pacific Poker exited the market, leaving sites like Bodog, PokerStars, and Full Tilt Poker to pick up the slack.

On the current legality of online poker in the United States, Ayre told the Post, “Poker is not illegal to bet online in the U.S. because it's considered a skilled game. It's a gray area, but there are lots of American companies with poker sites.” This year, Bodog forged its own poker network and will purportedly begin accepting non-Bodog domains into its ranks next year. Jonas Odman, Vice President of the Bodog Network, told Poker News Daily that a “unique solution” to rakeback will help differentiate the family of sites from others in the industry.

In September, Ayre served as the keynote speaker at the Budapest Affiliate Conference. He told event organizers at the time, “I’m very flattered to have been asked to be this year’s keynote speaker in Budapest. The iGaming space is the birthplace of the Bodog brand, and it remains one of the must dynamic and fascinating sectors in the entertainment space.” In addition to Morris Mohawk, Bodog’s licensees include Bodog Europe and Bodog Asia. The former recently opened its doors to Canadian online poker players.

According to PokerScout.com, which keeps tabs on online poker room traffic, Bodog is the 15th largest site or network worldwide with a seven-day running average of 860 real money ring game players. During its peak hours, around 1,500 cash game players call the site home. Its traffic is comparable with that found on PKR and every Sunday, the site hosts its $100,000 Guaranteed, a $162 buy-in event that kicks off at 4:00pm ET. The tournament regularly sees a $20,000 to $30,000 overlay, with $29,000 kicked in by the site last week.

Read the entire Calvin Ayre interview with the National Post.

FBI Issues Online Poker Findings; PPA Responds

Online poker players tuned into last week’s House Financial Services Committee on internet gambling can recall a letter cited by Congressman Spencer Bachus (R-AL) that claimed online poker games could be compromised.

The memo, dated November 13th and written by FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director Shawn Henry, addresses six questions put forth by Bachus regarding the current state of affairs in the online poker world. The report states, “The technology exists to manipulate online poker games in that it would only take two or three players working in unison to defeat the other players who are not part of the team.” Henry’s analysis speculates as to whether online poker sites would spend the time and money needed to combat these tag team maneuvers: “It really comes down to a cost analysis for the vendor. How much money will I make or lose by detecting cheating and implementing safeguards?”

The letter from Henry then addresses money laundering possibilities in private online poker tournaments before Bachus asked if “qualified personnel” existed to regulate the game should it be legalized. Henry responded, “FBI investigative resources are focused on our highest priorities, that being counterterrirosm, counterintelligence, and cyber threats to critical infrastructure.” No mention of online poker or internet gambling is given in Henry’s response to this question.

Henry questions the age and location verification mechanisms that online poker sites currently have in place. Henry responds, “For age verification, the possession of a credit card is usually the only validation these sites require. Credit card numbers are easily compromised and can be bought by the hundreds on several ‘underground’ websites.” On the question of location verification, Henry asserts, “While geolocation can be accurate when used to determine the physical country of residence, it becomes exponentially less accurate when determining the city or zip code.”

Also discussed in the letter from the FBI Cyber Division official are bots, programs against the Terms of Service of most major sites. In addition, Bachus asks whether U.S. law enforcement officials have had any conversations with their counterparts overseas where internet gambling is regulated about “potential vulnerabilities.” Henry emphatically claims, “The FBI has not engaged in this discussion with our foreign partners.” On casino bot programs manipulating online games, Henry admits, “While casino software could very easily be employed to manipulate games, the FBI has no data in this area.”

The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) was quick to point out the pitfalls of Henry’s letter. Its Executive Director, John Pappas, charged, “Every concern the letter raises is better addressed by licensing and regulation than by prohibition. The letter misconstrues much about the current state of online poker, but it does so in a way that clearly makes the case for why federal oversight is necessary. Licensing and regulation is the most protective measure we can take to ensure the online community can be properly monitored while maintaining our internet freedom.”

The PPA added that Congressman Peter King (R-NY), the current Ranking Member and former Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, conveyed that money laundering and terrorism financing were not taking place through internet gambling. The PPA explains that online poker sites use credit databases to address age and location and that the Department of Justice has never found evidence that organized crime benefited from internet gambling. In total, the lobbying group notes, “In defense of Mr. Henry’s letter, it is intended to address the status quo, not the internet poker landscape under HR 2267.”

Age verification was one of the many issues discussed at last week’s hearing, which focused on HR 2267. The bill, proposed by Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) crafts a complete licensing and regulatory framework for the internet gambling industry in the United States.

Internet Gambling Expert Reacts to UIGEA Regulations Delay

Over Thanksgiving, mandatory compliance with the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was postponed six months to June 1st, 2010. Poker News Daily sat down with internet gambling expert Nelson Rose to get his take.

Poker News Daily: What were your thoughts on the postponement of mandatory financial services industry compliance with the regulations of the UIGEA?

Rose: When powerful Congressmen like Barney Frank (D-MA) and Harry Reid (D-NV) tell administrative agencies to do something, they’re going to pay a lot more attention to it than when out of power members of Congress like Jon Kyl (R-AZ) weigh in. They also know that the UIGEA is a piece of garbage that was dropped on their heads. That happens to administrators: Congress passes something undoable and makes agencies figure it out.

PND: Talk about some of the pressures put on the Federal Reserve and Treasury to make this decision.

Rose: It was the Federal Reserve and Treasury, but they made a big point of saying that they consulted the Department of Justice, which they were required to do. That means that the Attorney General of the United States signed off on this.

Under President George W. Bush, we had some right-wing religious fanatics who were anti-gambling in charge, but we also had the Department of Justice that understood there were higher priorities. They knew they didn’t have a lot of good law on their side, so they were running a war of intimidation. Now, we have a sane Department of Justice led by people who understand priorities and that internet gambling isn’t a big deal compared with all of the other criminal problems in the world. Yet, there are still offices that have gone further than they did during the Bush administration by seizing the money of online poker players.

PND: Do you foresee sensible internet gambling legislation being passed in the next six months?

Rose: I think that this is the start of the process. The Democrats won’t do what Bill Frist (R-TN) did and try to ram this through when no one is looking by attaching it to a must-pass bill. They’ll have hearings, but unfortunately for everyone who is interested in it, it’s still a very low priority.

PND: What would have happened if the December 1st UIGEA compliance deadline stood?

Rose: I think nothing would have happened. I’ve talked to some banks and payment processors. They’re taking it very seriously, but they understand that the UIGEA rules specifically say don’t look at individual transactions, so they’re not going to do that. They’re concerned with setting up new accounts and no one is setting up illegal gambling operations in the United States.

PND: Give us your thoughts on overblocking, which crept up when legal online lottery transactions in North Dakota and New Hampshire were being denied.

Rose: The regulations make it clear not to look at individual transactions, but there are a lot of operators involved in things like horse racing, skill games, and free entry games that they would not do business with if they didn’t have legal opinions like the ones I’ve been writing. That’s the reason I think the regulations are actually helpful: they create a safe harbor that the banks can use to say that they’re in compliance with the UIGEA because they’ve sought out legal opinions.

Lodden: “Isildur1 is young and doesn’t understand the value of the cash”

Johnny Lodden was the online poker player everybody was talking about few years ago, when he played online under the nickname “bad_ip”. Nowadays Lodden doesn’t play online high stakes anymore and has focused more on competing in live tournaments. But the PokerStars pro still remembers the time when he was young and reckless high stakes gambler.

“It was pretty crazy,” says Lodden about the record pot that he lost to Kowssarie. “I might have smashed my computer. I smashed a lot of computers back in the day.”

In 2006, games were lot smaller than today and highest games were played with $200/$400 blinds, mostly at Microgaming Network, formerly known as Prima Poker Network. Just 21 years old at the time, Lodden couldn’t properly understand the value of money he was winning or losing.

“When you have the money online it’s different,” Lodden said. “If I had a briefcase in front of me with $3 million it would be different thing. When you just have chips and numbers on a computer, you just treat it differently.”

Lodden feels that Isildur1 is in a same place where he was three years ago, playing against best in the world in Patrik Antonius, Tom “durrrr” Dwan and Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies, all players which Lodden has played against when he was active in high stakes circuit.

“I think he’s young and doesn’t understand the value of the cash,” he said. “But I love his No-Limit (Hold’em) game. I mean, he’s really good at (Pot-Limit Omaha) but he’s much better at No-Limit (Hold’em).”

Even though norwegian Lodden made a reputation as being one of the most fearsome cash game players in the world, he says he is more than happy playing live tournaments these days.

“I really want to do well in live tournaments because this is the thing everybody cares about.” Lodden says. “I love to play tournaments, especially the EPTs and nowadays I’m not playing so high, so I have to grind it out in these.”

Source: pokerlistings

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Lodden: “Isildur1 is young and doesn’t understand the value of the cash”