Poker News

UB.com Cancels 2010 Aruba Poker Classic

The annual UB.com Aruba Poker Classic will take a leave of absence in 2010, according to officials from the USA-facing online poker site. Instead, UB.com plans to increase its presence at other live events and expand its online tournament offering.

In 2009, Brandon "AreTheseUtz" Hall defeated a field of 475 players in the UB.com Aruba Poker Classic Main Event to collect a $753,000 first place prize. The $5,500 tournament’s prize pool swelled to well over $2 million and a throng of online poker players flocked to the Radisson Aruba Resort and Casino to partake in the annual pilgrimage. Now, the tournament will be put on the shelf for 2010.

In lieu of the annual gala in paradise, UB.com will focus its efforts on expanding its live and online tournament schedules. In the virtual world, a monthly $500,000 Guaranteed is in the works. As it stands now, UB.com and its sister site, Absolute Poker, hold a weekly $200,000 Guaranteed that regularly draws over 1,000 entrants. Last week, 2008 PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) winner Carter “ckingusc” King took down the contest and earned $48,000.

The Ultimate Bet Online Championship, or UBOC as it’s commonly referred to, will be expanded to run twice per year. It last appeared in January and featured two $1 million prize pool events, the first of which saw its purse grow to $1.5 million. When a second UBOC would occur is not yet clear. Full Tilt runs its Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) four times per year, while PokerStars’ WCOOP and Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) take place in September and May, respectively. The $500,000 guaranteed UB.com tournament may ultimately grow to become a $1 million event.

Tokwiro COO Paul Leggett commented in a press release on Wednesday, "It is with great regret that we are announcing that the Aruba event will not run this year, but 2010 is going to be an exciting year for UB and its players. Over the last year, we've been redefining the UB brand in every way. We love the Aruba Poker Classic event, but we think we can do a lot more for our players by investing in new events and rewards." Tokwiro is the parent company of UB.com and Absolute Poker. Both sites happily accept customers from the United States.

UB.com will also continue to qualify players for land-based tournaments on the World Poker Tour (WPT) as well as the World Series of Poker (WSOP), which kicks off in late May from the Rio in Las Vegas. In addition, “major WSOP incentives and additional loyalty benefits for top players” are being planned, according to the same press statement.

In 2002, Juha Helppi defeated Phil Gordon in the first ever running of the UB.com Aruba Poker Classic, which appeared as part of the WPT schedule during Season 1 in 2002. One year later, Erick Lindgren took down the $500,000 top prize in a final table that also featured Barry Shulman. During Season 3, Eric Brenes tangled with Layne Flack and came out on top for $1 million, with Mike Matusow and John Juanda also reaching the final table. In 2005, Freddy Deeb took down the Aruba Poker Classic title in the tournament’s final year as a stop on the WPT circuit.

The 2006 installment featured Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy battling heads-up against Devon Miller. The pro ultimately fell short and Miller banked $775,000. In 2007, Travis “TravestyFund” Rice emerged victorious, while Matt Brady took down the 2008 UB.com Aruba Poker Classic. Whether the tournament will reappear in 2011 remains to be seen.

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest on this breaking story.

Hometown Hero Takes Hold at Bay 101

Faraz "The-Toilet" Jaka picked up the game in the dorms at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign while earning a degree in economics and business management.

He soon started playing live here at Bay 101 when he was at home and online while at school, quickly taking to the game, booking massive scores and winning packages to play in high-stakes events all over the world.

However, a year and a half of following the PokerStars European Poker Tour and his first half a dozen shots at WPT glory did not bear even a single cash.

Then suddenly, one year ago right here at home, things turned around in a big way.

He booked his first WPT cash at the 2009 Bay 101 Shooting Star before moving on to make third at the hotly contested 2009 World Series of Poker $5k Six-Max event.

Then, when Jaka finished second at the Bellagio Cup this past summer and third at December's Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic, he took the lead in the World Poker Tour's Player of the Year race and hasn't given it up yet.

Add in a final table appearance at the inaugural PokerStars North American Poker Tour's $25k High Roller Bounty Shootout and the San Jose native has cashed for almost $2 million in live tournaments over the past 12 months.

"It's kind of ironic, considering I played so many of these tournaments and then all of the sudden I start doing really well, but it's really just variance," he said. "Obviously I'm constantly improving a little bit, but I don't think there's been anything drastic."

Despite the rough start, having played thousands of tournaments earning over $1 million online before he ever stepped foot on the high-stakes live tournament stage, a 24-year-old Jaka says his confidence never wavered.

"I always thought I was good enough to be at the top of these things and win a few," he said. "It's always been just a matter of time."

Now in the midst of the kind of successful run that would turn even the most seasoned pro green with envy, he's still missing one thing: A major tournament victory.

"I'm definitely ready for a win," he said. "It's frustrating getting second and third so I'm definitely hungry."

Yet he seems to understand opportunities like this won't last forever.

"I'm obviously running amazing this year and it's not going to keep going, I understand that," he said.

In the end, Jaka's just hoping to keep playing his best and let the chips fall where they may, especially here at home.

"This is my hometown," he said. "So this tournament is a little more personal for me. I grew up playing here. It brings back so many memories and I still recognize so many of the dealers here from like four or five years ago.

"It would be really nice to do well here."

Action at the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star continues through March 12. For comprehensive coverage, tune in to PokerListings' Live Updates and News.

Bounty Hunting at Bay 101

Created by Bay 101 owner Marko Trapani 14 years ago, tournament director Matt Savage says the concept was based on the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, which draws some of the best golfers in the world, a host of celebrities and thousands of spectators to the Northern California coast every year.

Trapani's original plan was to try and draw the world's best rounders to a fan and player friendly $1k buy-in event in the Bay Area.

When it first started, the bounties were a bunch of Trapani's friends, but it slowly grew and when the World Poker Tour came along seven years later, Savage says they bumped up the buy-in and had a perfect fit.  

"It's great for TV and the fans because it's a really unique tournament," he said. "With the $5k bounties, $10k for the chip leader at the end of the first day and six-handed play with 36 left, it's unlike any other tournament in poker."

Unique tournament structures also make for unique tournament strategies.

"Some people chase the bounties," Savage said. "The local players sometimes are just out here to get the bounties. They think, 'Hey, I won my way in through a $200 satellite, now I have the chance to pick up five thousand,' so they might make a loose call.

"That's why one or two of the shooting stars make the final table every year, because people are going after them and if they pick up chips, they're tough to get."

Team UB Pro Brandon Cantu loves the format and actually won the event in 2009, collecting a record six bounties on his way to the title.

"This is one of my favorite tournaments," he said. "And I actually do hunt the bounties. It's nice to try and get the buy-in back, so I'm really a fan of going after the bounties."

Cantu went wire-to-wire in 2008, taking the chip lead on his Day 1 and the $10k prize it came with.

He says that's the kind of thing that really makes the event fun to play and keeps the fans on the rail entertained throughout.

"I was actually going for it," he said. "When I was 8,000 behind late in the day, I really went for it. I wanted it."

What Cantu didn't enjoy was being a bounty for the first time last year.

"People played really differently against me," he said. "It seemed like they were up to no good all the time and it just changed my whole mindset.

"I didn't know where I was in a hand as much as I usually do. I didn't like it."

Phil Laak has a bounty on his head and says it changes just about everything.

"I love it, but it really sucks as a bounty when your chip stack starts diminishing," he said. "You are forced to get real hands, because people are going to call you down, often correctly.

"But it is nice when you have some chips, because people are going to take some incorrect lines to try and chase you."

Like it or not, with a rail full of fans watching the biggest names in the game here in San Jose this week, Trapani's plan has worked.

Action at the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star continues through March 12. For comprehensive coverage, tune in to PokerListings' Live Updates and News.

CEREUS Network Offering Bonus Money to WSOP Qualifiers

The CEREUS Poker Network is offering hundreds of thousands of dollars to players this summer through its two online poker sites, Absolute Poker and UB.com. On March 3rd, CEREUS announced its "Show Up, Get Paid" promotion that pays every qualifying player who shows up at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event at least $1,000 in cash. The online poker site also revealed a final table sponsorship promotion that's worth up to $750,000.

CEREUS began running WSOP Step tournaments and multi-table satellites on Wednesday and is offering a Main Event bonus to anyone who qualifies for the tournament through Absolute Poker or UB.com. Players can qualify for the Main Event through the Step tournaments by investing as little as $0.10 on UB.com and Absolute Poker and the sites will also hold weekly $530 Super Satellites as well as a 25-seat Guaranteed tournament on June 6th and a 50-seat Guaranteed tournament on June 20th.

Once a player has qualified for the WSOP Main Event through the CEREUS Network, he or she is promised at least a $1,000 bonus by wearing approved branded gear at the Main Event. The more CEREUS players there are in the Main Event, the bigger the bonus will be, as the site will add $1,500 per player to the progressive prize pool. That number could grow up to $5,000 per player based on how many players take advantage of the promotion. Of the total bonus prize pool, 75% will be split among all participating players and the remaining 25% will be shared among those who cash.

CEREUS is also handing out money in the form of a final table sponsorship deal to players who go deep in the Main Event. Players will have a chance at $750,000 simply by representing UB or Absolute Poker at the final table as part of the November Nine. The 2010 Main Event kicks off on Monday, July 5th, and the final table members will return on Nov. 6th to play for the title.

For those interested in winning multiple WSOP Main Event packages, CEREUS is offering a "Win the Most Satellites" leaderboard competition that will award over $10,000 in Tournament Dollars to the top five players who win the most Main Event seats. The extra Tournament Dollars are on top of the $12,000 in cash that players will receive for each additional seat won.

This year's World Series of Poker will get underway on Friday, May 28, with the $500 Casino Employees Event and the first ever $50,000 Players Championship. A total of 57 tournaments will take place at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino. The full schedule can be found here.

For more information on qualifying for the World Series of Poker, visit AbsolutePoker.com or UB.com.

Microgaming Adds GoldBet to Poker Network

The Microgaming Poker Network announced the addition of longtime sports book GoldBet on Wednesday, bringing its roster of poker rooms to almost 50. GoldBet, founded in 2000 in Innsbruck, is one of Europe's leading online bookmakers and had not had a poker offering until now.

In a press release, GoldBet Casino and Poker Manager Luigi Amadio said, "We are delighted to be entering into this new partnership with Microgaming and we have found that its Poker product offering more than lives up to its reputation as best in market. With simplicity, usability and security being key parts of our mission statement, Microgaming software delivers in every respect. CSR is also a key component of the way we operate as a business, and we were delighted to find that our values in this respect were reflected in Microgaming’s own socially responsible programmes and activities."

Online sports books are attractive partners for poker networks, as the poker players who come over from the sports betting side are typically considered "fish."  These players are frequently sports bettors first and poker players second.  With the focus of the industry quickly shifting to the recreational player, casual players who are simply experimenting with poker using sports betting winnings are very attractive to both the networks and more serious players.

As such, it should come as no surprise that Microgaming's CEO, Roger Raatgever, is excited about GoldBet.  "We are proud to welcome yet another established and respected sportsbook operator to the Microgaming Poker Network," he said.  "We are working closely with GoldBet to ensure that our product is completely tailored in order to ensure smooth integration with their existing platform. We are looking forward to playing our part in making GoldBet the complete one stop shop in gaming entertainment."

Earlier this year, Microgaming announced that it was changing its rake calculation policies to discourage ultra-tight players and the more serious grinders who are only after rakeback.  The rake calculation method switched from the "contributed" method, in which each player who puts money into the pot is credited with an equal split of the rake, to a "weighted contributed" method, where each player who puts money in the pot is credited with an amount of rake proportional to how much money he contributed.  For example, if one player put half of the money into the pot and two other players contributed one-quarter of the pot each and the rake was $1, then $0.50 would be attributed to the first player and $0.25 would be attributed to the other two.

While Microgaming used to be one of the dominant poker networks in the industry, its standing fell quickly after it stopped accepting American customers when the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was passed in 2006.  According to PokerScout.com, the network now ranks ninth in average cash game traffic, just behind Everest Poker and just ahead of the Cake Poker Network.

Dennis Rodman Joins Only Poker: The Bad Boy is Back

Five-time National Basketball Association (NBA) champion Dennis Rodman has officially signed with Only Poker. An anonymous employee of the site confirmed the news to Poker News Daily and Rodman now appears on Only Poker’s website.

As first reported by Poker News Daily in February, Rodman will become the latest celebrity spokesman for an online poker site. Only Poker is part of the USA-facing Cake Poker Network and seeks to make a big-time splash by landing the 6’8” NBA superstar. A graphic that appears on Only Poker’s home page shows the tattooed marvel donning an Only Poker hat and black polo shirt. The headline above his image reads, “The Bad Boy is Back.”

The site’s motto is, appropriately, “No Bullshit, Only Poker.” It offers a 110% sign-up bonus and makes its home on the massive Cake Poker Network alongside sites like Cake Poker, DoylesRoom, Lock Poker, and Red Star Poker. The Cake Poker Network is the 10th largest worldwide by the number of cash game players according to the traffic ranking site PokerScout.com. It boasts a seven-day running average of 1,920 real money ring game players and its traffic is on par with that found on the Entraction and Microgaming Networks.

An anonymous employee at Only Poker leaked the signing to Poker News Daily in February, cryptically explaining that a “major sports celebrity who has won numerous championships during their career” would soon be inking an agreement to represent Only Poker. That figure was widely speculated to be Rodman, whose magical runs with the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls in the 1990s earned him five NBA championship rings. Rodman was an NBA All-Star in 1990 and 1992 and led the league in rebounding for seven years. He last appeared in the NBA in 2000 as a member of the Dallas Mavericks.

One of this author’s fondest memories of Rodman occurred in early 1997, when he kicked courtside cameraman Eugene Amos in the groin after chasing a loose ball. Rodman was suspended by the NBA for more than 10 games as a result of the incident, which sent shockwaves through the Chicago market. Rodman was briefly married to Carmen Electra and won Season 4 of ABC’s “The Mole.”

The new Only Poker pro was a contestant on NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice,” appearing on the same cycle as UB.com pro and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke. Rodman was fired in the fifth week of the show after a real-life boardroom intervention. The basketball star’s apparent alcohol abuse led to his demise on the show.

Following his stint on “Celebrity Apprentice,” Rodman appeared in the third installment of “Celebrity Rehab” with Dr. Drew Pinsky. Others who appeared on Rodman’s season of the VH1 show were “Pearl Harbor” actor Tom Sizemore, Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss, and country music artist Mindy McCready. Rodman was scheduled to play in the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Ante Up for Africa event hosted by Duke, but did not turn out.

This isn’t Rodman’s first poker rodeo. He appeared on Bravo’s “Celebrity Poker Showdown” in 2004, winning his first match over “Third Watch” actor Bobby Cannavale, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, “Curb Your Enthusiasm” actress Cheryl Hines, and comedian Ryan Stiles. “E.R.” doctor Mekhi Phifer ultimately took down the championship tournament, defeating Rodman, “Friends” actor Matthew Perry, former “Saturday Night Live” comedian Kevin Nealon, and “Doogie Howser, M.D.” namesake Neil Patrick Harris.

Only Poker gives no further information as to Rodman’s involvement with the site. An official press release about the signing is scheduled to go out on Thursday. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest poker rumblings.

Poker In Twitter: Winter Olympics Wrapup, WPT LAPC, and a New Hostess For Poker2Nite

With the advent of the world of Twitter, people can fill you in on their lives in quick, 140-character bursts. Poker’s royalty have taken to the medium to inform their fans of their latest activities as well as their views on different issues. Poker News Daily continually tracks these Tweets to let you know what the latest buzz is in the poker community.

Last weekend, poker players were torn between performing their jobs on the felt and following the end of the Winter Olympics. Of particular interest to many was the gold medal hockey game between the favored Canadian national team and the upstart Team USA. A week prior to the game Sunday, the Americans had surprised the Canadians by defeating them 5-3 in pool play and the gold medal match – which was also the last medal awarded at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver – was a chance at redemption for the boys from the Great White North.

As the game began on Sunday, poker players announced their allegiances across the Twitterverse. Unlike many who watched the gold medal game on television, poker player Terrence Chan was one of the fortunate who saw the game live at Canada Hockey Place in Vancouver. “Sec 120 row 4 seat 106. Ten feet from (Canadian goalie Roberto) Luongo,” Chan Tweeted prior to the start of action, drawing a reaction of, “So jealous you’re there,” from fellow pro Shaun Deeb. Lining up on the Americans’ side were poker players such as Deeb, Eric Mizrachi, and Joe Sebok, while the Canadians held a rooting section that included Chan, Brad “Yukon” Booth, and Isabelle Mercier.

As the game played out, Tweets flew nearly as fast as the pucks and Canada moved out to a 2-0 lead. Playing in the L.A. Poker Classic at the time, UB.com pro Annie Duke took the time to jokingly Tweet, “LOL! I'm a little surprised team USA can't find a goalie fat enough to block the entire net.” The Americans grinded their way back and, with less than 30 seconds to go in the game, tied the score at 2-2. Even L.A. Poker Classic tournament director Matt Savage was sidetracked by the gold medal game as he Tweeted, “Tournament room @LAPokerClassic went crazy when USA tied the game 2-2. @RealKidPoker (Daniel Negreanu) not happy!”

As the sudden death overtime period played out, many of the top names in poker were on pins and needles as the game continued. “High Stakes Poker” hostess Kara Scott alluded to this when she Tweeted, “Ugh, so tense with the Hockey. Come on CANADA.” After Canada’s Sidney Crosby slipped the game winner past Team USA’s Ryan Miller almost eight minutes into overtime, the victorious Canadian poker players/fans had much to say. “Yaaaaaaaaa!!!! What a game. Canada continues to reign supreme on the ice. Oh that was so awesome!,” Daniel Negreanu fired out over the Twitterscape after the win. “Poker2Nite” host Scott Huff was less than impressed when he Tweeted, “Oh come on. Canada celebrating winning the gold in hockey is like me celebrating paying my bills on time.”

Poker’s best also found some time to play in the L.A. Poker Classic while the Winter Olympics were wrapping up. Duke, who played deep into the WPT championship tournament, noted in her Tweet, “HowardHLederer just got drawn to my table. Luckily he's on my right lol.” Adam “Roothlus” Levy admired the chip stacking skills of Full Tilt’s Carlos Mortensen in his Tweet and accented it with a picture, saying, “Carlos Mortensen's stack. He should be an architect. Such vision.”

Negreanu lamented his table on Sunday when he Tweeted, “Brutal seat @lapokerclassic Steve Sung on my right Carlos Mortensen on my left, and to his left the guy who crushed me yesterday.” The table must have been difficult, as soon after “Kid Poker” came back and Tweeted, “Very disappointed on how I played the last hand. Going to cool off by chilling in LA for a bit. Weather is awesome. Should have shoved!” The pros didn’t do badly during the LAPC WPT Main Event, with Negreanu cashing in 66th place, Duke dropping out in 19th place, and Sung and Mortensen falling short of the WPT final table in eighth and ninth place, respectively.

On the lighter side of Twitter, players Lacey Jones and Alex Outhred bantered about Outhred potentially having to sit in for Jones on “Poker2Nite.” With Jones facing flight delays in Canada and potentially missing the taping of the popular poker show, Outhred volunteered to take her place. “@Poker2Nite get me a wig, razor, man-spanx, and make-up. I think I could double for @LaceyJones,” Alex Tweeted to the producers. Lacey was quick to fire back, “@alexpokerguy Ur a life saver. But don't forget to stuff your bra! Haha.”

Twitter continues to provide entertainment for millions around the world and the poker community just makes it better. Poker News Daily follows poker in Twitter and adds to the enjoyment itself. Be sure to follow @pokernewsdaily on your Twitter account for all the latest news and information from the world of poker.

Poker as an Olympic Sport

The International Federation of Poker will be accepted into the International Mind Sports Association in April.  This means that poker will join a list of games including Chess, Bridge, and Go as an official game of skill, according to Bluff Magazine Europe.  The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognizes the International Mind Sports Association (IMSA), meaning poker will be considered an official game of skill for the Olympics

This development may not mean that we’ll be seeing poker in the Olympics in the near future, but it is certainly a first step in the right direction.  Acceptance into the IMSA and recognition from the IOC gives poker another strong argument in court.  The nature of online gambling might be in question, but courts have been pretty lenient in allowing games of skill.  Will this IOC distinction assist in the efforts to legalize online poker in the United States?

“I am encouraged that the IOC has recognized what we poker players have always known. Poker is an honorable game of skill,” commented Rich Muny, a board member for the Poker Players Alliance (PPA). “Many states have already legally codified recognition of the fact that competitions based on skill are different from wagering on dice or other events based on chance. I believe this decision will encourage more states to recognize this distinction legally.”

Anthony Holden, author of such poker books as “Big Deal” and “Bigger Deal: A Year Inside the Poker Boom,” is the current head of the International Federation of Poker.  He told Bluff Europe, “Poker is not like other casino games.  It’s a social game where people are playing against each other, not the house, and a game where skill plays a bigger role than luck.  There are 120 to 150 million poker players in the world and we deserve this recognition.”

Poker is the only card game to be accepted by the IMSA besides Bridge. This organization is a non-profit association and has over 400 national entities and close to 100 million players within its jurisdiction.  As listed on the IMSA website, current headquarters are located in Lausanne, Switzerland and Paris, France.

The IMSA held its first “IMSA Cup” competition back in 2008 in Russia.  The final day of that event was dedicated to friendly matches between masters of mind games and honorary guests of the competition, mainly diplomats.

Given that mind games are recognized as games of skill by the IOC, could poker ever make it into the Olympics?  While that remains to be seen, many poker sites including PokerStars have competitions like the World Cup of Poker, which matches players from various countries against each other.

Team PokerStars USA includes players such as Chris Moneymaker, Vanessa Rousso, Greg Raymer, Joe Cada, Barry Greenstein, Chad Brown, Gavin Griffin, Dennis Phillips, Tom McEvoy, Hevad Khan, Victor Ramdin, and Jason Mercier.  Popular online player Randy “nanonoko” Lew also hails from the United States.  Full Tilt Pros hailing from the United States include Howard Lederer, Phil Ivey, Chris Ferguson, Mike Matusow, and Allen Cunningham.  Full Tilt Poker also boasts a well known online prodigy of its own in Tom “durrrr” Dwan.

While we know the United States would field a dream team of poker players, there are plenty of other countries that would challenge for the gold medal.  Canada, which just hosted the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, would have Daniel Negreanu along with players like Darus Suharto and Wade Ackerman leading the charge.  The United Kingdom would have players like Vicky Coren, David “Devilfish” Ulliott, Roland De Wolfe, and James Akenhead at the helm.  Australia would have Joe and Tony Hachem, Grant Levy, Eric Assadourian, as well as Billy “The Croc” Argyros representing their homeland.

The IOC has outlined that a game or sport must be practiced by men in at least 75 countries and on four continents and by women in at least 40 countries and on three continents in order to be recognized.  Although we can all agree that poker is not a traditional sport that requires physical skill and toughness like pole vaulting and Greco-Roman wrestling, there might be a place for games of skill at the Olympics.   Is it really out of the question to think of a “total package” decathlon that would combine physical and mental sports?

Think about a physical and mental event where participants would have to do their best in running, swimming, jumping, throwing, and then competing in mental games such as chess, poker, and bridge.  It’s not too far-fetched to pitch that idea to an Olympic committee or get it aired on the likes of ESPN2 with a celebrity cast.

While we dream of Raymer competing against former Navy SEAL Dan Blizerian in a swimming race before heading to a poker tournament, having poker accepted as an official game of skill by the IMSA and the IOC is already a huge step in the right direction for the industry.

A.J. Benza Levels About High Stakes Poker

“High Stakes Poker” Season 6 is currently underway on cable station GSN. One notable difference from the first five seasons is the absence of commentator A.J. Benza, who was let go in favor of bringing on floor reporter Kara Scott. Poker News Daily sat down with Benza to get his take on the show’s sixth cycle, which airs on Sundays at 8:00pm ET.

Poker News Daily: What are your thoughts on the sixth season of “High Stakes Poker,” which kicked off on February 14th on GSN?

A.J. Benza: I saw the premiere. When Gabe Kaplan was speaking, I was sitting on my couch and making the same comments I would have if we were taping it. I called Gabe and said it was different. He’s one of the best commentators of our time and I’m lucky to have been with him for five seasons. I missed that most of all - we had a lot of chemistry from being from the same neighborhood in Brooklyn.

I wish I could speak to GSN about why they did what they did. When I got the call that they were going another direction, I was more than mildly upset, not to mention financially upset. I knew it wasn’t a money thing and you can’t help but take it to heart. I said the show wouldn’t be the same. Nothing against Kara Scott, but you fall into the mold of the other shows.

I know that the ratings [for “High Stakes Poker” Season 6] aren’t what they were. It doesn’t mean that I’m the best guy to have in your poker studio, but it means that Gabe and I had a chemistry that worked. The only problem with having a floor reporter is that it’s like having a sideline reporter in a football game. It’s hard to stick a microphone in someone’s face and ask them how they feel after they’ve gotten felted or lost $200,000. GSN knew they were doing something controversial, but I don’t think they understood how controversial it was until the show aired.

PND: How did “High Stakes Poker” change your broadcasting and media career?

A.J. Benza: When I was a journalist in New York, I was always doing television appearances. I came out to L.A. for a show on the E! Network called “Mysteries and Scandals” and that put me on the map in Hollywood as an on-air personality. I hosted a few other shows in Hollywood and was fortunate in that respect. By the same token, network executives step in and try to do things different ways. It taught me a lesson – that’s showbiz. It’s like the phrase “That’s poker.”

PND: What about the first five seasons of “High Stakes Poker” stands out the most and why?

A.J. Benza: I’ve gambled all my life on football and go to Las Vegas a lot. I never saw men and women that could be down a few hundred thousand dollars without any perspiration at all. I have a huge amount of respect for them. They’re all immensely talented. There is so much to learn about poker. It’s brutal, it’s messy, it’s very mathematical, and it’s a nasty game, but you have to be a gentleman about it.

PND: What’s next on your agenda?

A.J. Benza: I’m writing a screenplay. This all happened in the middle of me writing a book, so now I am balancing that as well. There are a few radio personalities doing things with me and I’m doing a play out in Hollywood. I’ve been busy.

PND: We’ve had a tidal wave of comments from PND readers calling for your return to “High Stakes Poker.” Is it flattering to see that kind of support from the poker community?

A.J. Benza: It’s beyond words. I didn’t know anything about high-stakes poker when I started. From reading TwoPlusTwo and other forums, poker players hated me at first. Gabe was off and running and I didn’t know much more than flop, turn, and river. Once I knew the game to an extent, I wanted to stay true to the guy at home who doesn’t know everything about poker. I wanted to be the armchair quarterback who asked the questions and let Gabe take it from there.

German Man Arrested for Illegal Online Poker Payment Processing

Double or Nothing Sit-and-Gos: Common Mistakes

Way back in the year two thousand nine, I wrote an article laying out basic strategy for Double or Nothing (DoN) Sit-and-Go tournaments. I had taken a break from them for a little while, just to mix up my game, but this month, I have gotten back into them full force. While it does seem that the competition in these tourneys has gotten tougher, there are still people who routinely make the dumbest mistakes imaginable. Thankfully, this has not only allowed me to make a few bucks, but it also gave me a topic for this article: common mistakes in Double or Nothing Sit-and-Go's.

Playing Too Many Hands Early

Anyone who has studied Sit-and-Go strategy knows that it is generally a good idea to play fairly tight in the early stages of the tournament. So, when I say that the most common mistake I see Double or Nothing players make is playing too many hands early, it sounds rather obvious. But I'm not talking about playing suited connectors or one-gappers too frequently. I'm talking about playing anything but the most premium of hands during the first couple levels.

To give an example, it makes perfect sense to play any pair early on in a regular Sit-and-Go, as long as you're not calling gigantic raises or anything with, say, deuces. You could flop a set and potentially win a significant pot. But it's different in a Double or Nothing. Most players are not going to stack off to you if you flop a monster. While there will always be a couple donks at the table, most of the players will have at least some idea that tighter is better. It is less likely that someone with top pair is going to get all their chips in post-flop in a Double or Nothing than it is in a standard tournament.

Even strong hands like A-Q, A-J, and Tens are suspect in the first couple rounds. When you start tossing chips around with those hands, you are getting yourself in too deep when it is likely that only those with better hands are going to tangle with you.

Calling too Much

Double or Nothings are interesting in that at first glance, the value of chips seems counterintuitive. Players who are new to these games will think that since it's easier to cash when half the table makes the money, chips are not valuable. After all, you can have one ante left and still win. But in reality, chips are more valuable in a DoN than they are in a regular Sit-and-Go.

Why? Because DoNs are all about survival. They aren't about chip accumulation. In a regular Sit-and-Go, it can be well worth it to make some speculative calls in the hopes of scooping a gigantic pot, as the goal is to build a large chip stack and outlast every single one of your opponents. There is an extra reward for coming in first place rather than second and second rather than third. In a DoN, while accumulating chips definitely helps (I won't turn down an easy chip stack double-up), you don't need to collect all the chips to win. All you need to do is to survive.

I often see players ignoring this fact and making loose calls in DoNs, particularly in the middle stages. What this does is whittle your stack down very quickly when the reward for hitting your hand isn't necessarily that great. Say you're down to 1,200 chips from the starting 1,500 and at the 50/100 blind level, you decide to call a pre-flop raise to 300. You flop a solid draw and decide to call another 300 chip bet on the flop. Here's the problem. What if the turn is a brick? You're down to 600 chips and pretty much have to bail on the hand. And typically at this stage, there are still eight players left in a ten player DoN, so you don't have much chance to get past three more players.

Remember, you need to leave yourself some fold equity. 600 chips might give you that, but at that point, you will need to find a hand worth pushing, and find it fast. In those middle stages, you really should not be entering a pot without raising. The blinds and antes are very much worth stealing and you aren't going to be able to get them by calling. All you need to do is survive. Blind stealing can help you do this, but you can't go losing your fold equity by making iffy calls all over the place.

Feeling Obligated to Call an All-in

I see this one a lot. We're down to six players, with five getting paid, and there's one very big stack who keeps calling the all-ins of the short stacks, no matter what his hole cards are. He does it because he feels that he is obligated, not only as the big stack, but often as the last player left to act, to knock that final player out of the game. To me, that's silly. If you have a significant chip advantage on the bubble, just sit back and watch the others sweat out the all-ins. You're going to be safe for several orbits. There is no extra prize for knocking out the last person. If you have a monster, sure, try to end the game right there, but there's no need to call with any two cards.

What really tilts me is when middle stacks call off most of their chips with garbage or marginal hands just to try to eliminate that sixth place player. In a regular Sit-and-Go, you might take a chance on what you think may be a coin flip in order to put yourself in a position to win, but in a DoN, I try not to call an all-in unless I feel good about my chances of being way ahead. It's not worth it. Let someone else take the chance.

Not Checking Down

I really didn't believe I would ever see this in a Double or Nothing, but I have. The best part is that about ten minutes before I wrote this, it happened at my table. And it wasn't the first time for me. I have actually been in a tournament that, when it was down to six players (again, five got paid), a short stack went all-in, two players called, and one of them bet at some point post-flop. Did I facepalm? Yes. Was I mad because I was also a short stack? Definitely.

Come on people, this isn't a difficult concept to master. Places one through five all pay the same. In fact, there's not really a first through fifth place, as nobody ever gets knocked out after sixth. When that sixth place finisher is eliminated, the player with 5,000 chips wins the exact same amount of money as the player with one chip. If you ever find yourself calling an all-in with another opponent, check it down. Check it down, check it down, check it down. It does you no good at all to steal the pot from the other caller. If you win the pot, you double your buy-in. If the other caller wins the pot, you double your buy-in. The match ends in both scenarios. Those extra chips you might win by forcing the other guy off his hand are meaningless. The way you don't double your buy-in is if the short stack wins the pot and the more players he has to go to showdown against the worse chance he has to do so.

Ontario Follows Quebec in Potential Bid to Enact Provincial Online Gaming and Poker

Following the lead of the province of Quebec, the leaders of the province of Ontario are now examining the possibility of starting their own provincial online gaming and poker outlets.

Facing a deficit of $24.7 billion this fiscal year, the government of Ontario, headed by Premier Dalton McGuinty, is attempting to find ways to make up that shortfall. McGuinty has previously shot down the idea of increasing taxes on alcohol sales in the province, but seems to be willing to discuss the province opening up its own online gaming and poker portals. With the appointment of a new director for Ontario Lottery and Gaming in Paul Godfrey, the discussion of an online operation is moving forward.

Godfrey, who is currently the president and CEO of the National Post newspaper, has stated that he believes that the implementation of a provincial online gaming and poker outlet would benefit Ontario as a whole. It is estimated that Ontario’s citizens are responsible for approximately $1.9 billion per year in action on online gaming sites and Godfrey believes that Ontario is losing out in taxes and other revenue through not having an outlet for its citizens. “Money is going out of this province to other provinces as well as offshore sites,” Godfrey stated.

The opposition to legalization and regulation of any Ontario-based online gaming outlet is pointing out many issues that concern them. In an interview at TheStar.com, Jeff Derevensky, who heads McGill University’s International Center for Youth Gambling Problems and High Risk Behaviors, weighed the pros and cons of Ontario’s ideas. With more than 2,000 online gaming sites available worldwide, Derevensky stated, “If they can recoup a slice of it, then that (money) could be better used in government-run programs.”

The downside of opening up a provincial gaming operation is that Ontario’s youth haven’t been prepared for such activity, Derevensky notes. While the Ontario school system has instruction in other possible problematic areas such as alcohol, drug usage, and underage sex, there is nothing that deals with the potential pitfalls of online gaming. If the Ontario provincial government were to open up a government run online poker site, “It puts more young people at risk,” Derevensky said in TheStar.com article.

Ontario already has an active lottery and gaming establishment, but, according to TheStar.com, the operation has faced several problems. Revenues have been declining because of a loss of previously seen American action. Because of stricter border controls, fewer Americans are crossing to take part in Ontario’s gaming options. While Ontario Lottery and Gaming pulls in approximately $6.5 billion per year, the company has had several problems that have made the news, including lawsuits from people who say their product made them gambling addicts, according to TheStar.com.

Canadians are free to participate in online gaming and poker, but the moves by Ontario and Quebec are a grab at getting their share of the money made by these sites as well as being able to enact governmental controls on such activities. The Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC), located outside of Montreal, is the hub of the online gaming industry, licensing and managing many of the top sites in the world. Because the KGC is a private company under the Mohawk Nation’s control, however, provincial governments see no revenue from the venture.

Earlier this month, Quebec announced that it would be opening its own state-run online gaming and poker site later this year. Quebec’s Finance Minister Raymond Bachand has predicted that the new operation will generate $50 million in dividends within three years of activity. With its budget shortfall, this could be what Ontario is looking at as a way of cutting into the deficit without raising taxes in other areas.

Full Tilt Poker Sponsors Kandy Masquerade Charity Event at the Playboy Mansion

FullTiltPoker.net will be one of the sponsors of the Kandy Masquerade, a sexy costume ball whose proceeds will benefit the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA). This will be the second annual production of the Kandy Masquerade, which will be held at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles, California on Saturday, February 27th at 8:00pm. The gala is presented by the Karma Foundation.

The timing will work perfectly for poker players at the World Poker Tour's (WPT) L.A. Poker Classic, whose six-day $10,000 Main Event begins on Friday. In an effort to allow any competitor who wishes to attend, L.A. Poker Classic tournament director Matt Savage has scheduled an 8:00pm break in the tournament that day, the second day of the event.

Entrance to an extravagant charity ball is, of course, not free. Kandy Masquerade tickets cost $1,000 apiece in advance. Organizers make no promises of ticket availability on the day of the event and have warned of a "very premium price." For the four-figure sum, attendees will receive admission into the Masquerade, free parking at the Roosevelt Hotel, along with a shuttle to the party, heavy hors d'oeuvres, an open bar, dinner, dessert, and entertainment. Celebrity DJ Paul Oakenfold and DJ Mister E will be on-hand to keep the festivities hopping.

All party goers are required to wear masks. Women are asked to wear "sexy, masquerade themed clothing," while men must wear all black. Anyone who has seen pictures or video of a Playboy Mansion party should have an idea of what to expect. It's not for children. Personal cameras are allowed for those who wish to share the sights with their friends.

The Karma Foundation is a social networking membership-only club best known for throwing extravagant, outrageous themed events like the Kandy Masquerade. Past events include the Kandyland and Kandy Halloween parties, both held at the Playboy Mansion, as well as the Kandy Kruise and Kandy Vegas, which was held at the Palms Casino Resort last year. Proceeds from the events go to charity. The Karma Foundation has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for such organizations as the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, March of Dimes, Children's Hospital of Orange County, and AIDS Walk Los Angeles. Membership dues for the Karma Foundation are $5,000 annually.

The NSPCA is a non-profit, no-kill animal sanctuary in Las Vegas. It is no stranger to the generosity of poker players. Full Tilt Poker pro Jennifer Harman has hosted three charity poker tournaments, two of which benefited the NSPCA to the tune of $450,000.

Full Tilt Poker under the investigation of FBI?

Online-casinos.com writes about a rumor that Full Tilt Poker is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the USA. UIGEA’s deadline is near, June first, and it is believed that the Feds are moving rapidly to prosecute someone right away.

It seems that the FBI agents have been interviewing online players of Full Tilt Poker. Even the small stakes players have been visited without warning by the FBI agents who then asked questions about the player’s transactional activities with Full Tilt Poker. The Feds have stated that they are not gathering information about the players but about Full Tilt Poker.

It is now speculated that this is going to lead into a case against Full Tilt Poker eventually. Washington state is one of the few of U.S. states which prohibits online poker. This seems like the perfect way for an FBI investigation as it could result in real convictions for firms offering online gambling to those who live in Washington state.

If the rumor is true and Washington state sues FTP, it will cause more strength for UIGEA and the downfall of UIGEA is nowhere in near vicinity.

Source: online-casinos.com

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Full Tilt Poker under the investigation of FBI?

Poker News in Brief: Feb. 15-21, 2010

Rumored to be Swede Victor Blom, Isildur1 disappeared from the high-stakes games after he went on a devastating multi-million dollar downswing in late 2009.

He returned with a vengeance this week with huge matches against Justin Bonomo and Brian Townsend.

With all the attention focused on Isildur1 there were a few poker stories that were nearly forgotten. Fortunately, as part of our ongoing Poker News in Brief feature we’ve compiled a list below.

This week we’ll look at another winner on the UKIPT, a notable player winning at the LAPC, the record-breaking sale of a poker domain and more.

Dutch Student Wins UKIPT Manchester

Twenty-one-year-old Dutch student Joeri Zandvliet outlasted 517 players to win the inaugural UK & Ireland Poker Tour Manchester event this week.

The final table was dominated by residents of the UK with only Zandvliet and Julian Hasse of Germany coming from Europe.

Zandvliet beat Newcastle native Jack Ellwood heads-up to claim the £63,200 first place prize.

“I feel very happy and lucky,” said Zandvliet after his big win. “There were five relatively strong players at the final table. Whatever I did today didn’t really work too well but I managed to get lucky a couple of times.”

The £550 buy-in event drew several big name players including John Duthie, Victoria Coren and Julian Thew.

To learn more about UKIPT qualifying visit the PokerStars website.

ChiliPoker Launches DeepStack Open

ChiliPoker released the schedule for a new French tournament this week.

The Chilipoker DeepStack Open will take place April 9-11, 2010, in the Partouche poker room in France.

The tournament will offer a deep structure of 50,000 starting chips, 50/100 starting blinds and 60 minute levels.

In contrast to large buy-in tours like the EPT and WPT, the Chilipoker DeepStack Open will offer a more affordable buy-in of €500+€50. There will be a maximum of 500 players allowed into the event.

Chilipoker will also introduce a couple unique elements to the tournament.

The first called “Extra Ball” which will see the online poker site throw in an extra 50% of the first place prize. Half of this will go the winner while the other half will go to all the players who qualified on Chilipoker.

The second feature is called “Knock-Out Insurance” and it rewards players who finished out of the money but managed to bust five opponents. Each player performs this feat will receive a free seat in the next Chilipoker DeepStack Open event.

To qualify for the ChiliPoker DeepStack Open visit the poker room’s website.

Jonathan “Fatal Error” Aguiar Wins LAPC 8-Game Event

You can add another well-known poker player to the list of players who have cashed in on the LAPC preliminary events.

Jonathan Aguiar, who plays online as Fatal Error, outlasted 106 players to win the $34,800 first place prize in the LAPC 8-Game Mix side event.

With the victory Aguiar is quickly approaching $1 million in lifetime live tournament winnings with $722,351.

Joe Tehan also made the final table of the Eight Game event but crashed out in fourth place for $9,460.

PokerListings’ blogger Jason Mercier came in 14th place and blogged about it here.

The LAPC has already seen some notable victories with Carlos Mortensen, “Miami” John Cernuto and Chino Rheem all taking down tournaments.

Betfair Poker to Sponsor Amateur Poker Association & Tour

Betfair Poker announced this week it will be the headline sponsor of one of the leading amateur poker tours.

The London-based online poker site will be the exclusive sponsor of Season 4 of the Amateur Poker Association & Tour (APAT).

“Our tie-up with APAT signals our commitment to grass roots poker,” said Matt Mowlam, head of U.K. poker for Betfair. “APAT are a professionally run, fun tour, and one that has been keenly contested by thousands of players in the three seasons to date."

Season 4 will see the APAT host 28 live tournaments in the U.K., Ireland and Europe with buy-ins ranging from £25 to £250.

The APAT has seen rapid growth over the last three seasons and is currently home to over 20,000 registered members.

The first event on the Season 4 APAT schedule will be the Welsh Amateur Championship in Aspers, Swansea on March 20. Check APAT website for the complete schedule.

Poker.org Sold for $1 Million

Poker.org became the most expensive .org domain ever sold this week when PokerCompany.com purchased it for $1 million.

PokerCompany.com, which already owns BlackJack.org, EveryPoker.com and Rakeback.org, did not announce their plans for the domain.

Previous .org sales pale in comparison with Engineering.org the closest, selling for $198,000.

The most expensive website ever sold was Sex.com, which went for $14 million in 2006.

Celebrities Flock to Weekend Charity Poker Events

First, names like Christian Slater, Jason Alexander, Slash and T-Pain rocked the Pokerstars.Net NAPT Venetian Charity Tournament in Las Vegas on Friday, raising more than $42,000 for Southern Nevada's Three Square food bank.

Then, the WPT's Celebrity Invitational drew a list of stars a half-mile long Saturday, bringing a host of railbirds and paparazzi to the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles.

This time around the charity was Chrysalis, a non-profit organization helping homeless and economically disadvantaged people get jobs. While the final numbers aren't in yet, every $200 rebuy and add-on from a record 567-player field full of poker dignitaries and household names will head in its direction.

Emmy nominated actress Teri Hatcher, Entourage star Jerry Ferrar and Sam Levine from Quentin Tarantino's Academy Award nominated film Inglourious Basterds were just a few of the famous faces seen in L.A.

Donnie Wahlberg and Marlon Wayans also dropped by - two of a few who played in both events back-to-back.

Fresh Prince of Bel Air star Alfonso Ribeiro said he really doesn't play poker but figured he'd give it a shot at Commerce for a good cause.

"A couple of buddies of mine were like, let's go play and have a good time and I said, 'let's do it, why not?'" he said. "They helped me sort of brush up to get ready. I'm a quick study, so we'll see what happens."

Emmy-winning actress Camryn Manheim is a veteran of these events and the game itself.

She plays in a number of Hollywood home games, including one that's all-female with Hatcher, Ellen DeGeneres, Portia de Rossi and Ricki Lake among others.

"People go home with four or five thousand bucks," she said. "It's not too serious, but it's not bad and some of the tournaments we've had, people have gone home with twenty grand."

Manheim even played host to her own charity tournament at Commerce this past October raising thousands for traumatized children in the Los Angeles area.

"I love poker," she said. "I love to play poker, I play in a couple of home games and as many of these events as I can. I'm a mom first though and I have a full time job, so I'm not like a freak."

Wayne's World babe Tia Carrere is a bit of a regular at the Celebrity Invitational as well, but she's no expert rounder.

"It's the only time I play," she admitted. "I used to do these small home games in between with other actors, but not really anymore."

In truth, it was the charity that drew Carrere.

"Chrysalis is a great organization because they teach people how to take care of themselves," she said. "People who were previously homeless or drug addicted. They teach them a skill so that they can be employable."

"This is what we need to do. Help people get back on their feet again instead of doling out welfare. That doesn't help anybody. You know? Teach a man to fish."

The WPT Celebrity Invitational will continue Sunday until just six players remain then return Mar. 3 for the televised final table with a $100,000 first-place prize on the line.

Marc “_myst_” Karam is the new Full Tilt Poker pro signing

The Canadian born Marc Karam is the latest addition to the Full Tilt Poker pro team. Karam has been playing professionally for years and in 2007 he placed second in the EPT Monte Carlo Grand Finale where he won €1,061,820. His current live tournament winnings are over 2,3 million dollars.

Karam hasn’t been that lucky always. Last year, when his former sponsor Eurolinx ran into economic problems, thousands of players lost their whole bankroll, including Karam.

So Karam must be really happy about his new sponsorship deal and let’s see if the new contract inspires him to play in the FTP high stakes games as well.

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Marc “_myst_” Karam is the new Full Tilt Poker pro signing

Poker.org Domain Sold For Record-Breaking $1 Million

Internet platform Sedo, a leading online domain marketplace and monetization provider, announced Thursday that it had overseen the sale of Poker.org for $1 million, easily the largest .org domain sale to date. The domain was sold by National A1 Advertising.

The buyer of the domain was PokerCompany.com, a self-titled “Super Affiliate” that works in conjunction with online casinos, poker rooms, and websites. The company also operates a number of sites, such as EveryPoker.com, BlackJack.org, Craps.net, and Rakeback.org. Right now, there is no indication of what the site plans on doing with the Poker.org domain.

“Poker.org is an integral part of our growth strategy, and will provide great dividends now and into the future,” said a spokesperson from PokerCompany.com.

Prior to the sale of Poker.org, the highest .org sale was $198,000 for Engineering.org, followed by Sexe.org, which sold for $151,400. The sale price of Poker.org is smaller than those of some of the largest .com sales, which include $14 million paid for Sex.com, $10 million for Fund.com, $5.1 million for Toys.com, and $3 million for Candy.com.

The Poker.org sale corresponds with a trend in .org domain registrations, which saw an 11% increase in 2009. The .org top level domain is now the third largest generic domain, after .com and .net, Sedo said, with eight million registered names.

"We expect to see growing demand for .org domains, as organizations and individual investors are recognizing their full value and potential," said Kathy Nielsen, director of sales at Sedo. "We reckon it has more to do with making sure that no other company recognizes the full value and potential of an applicable name, but that might just be us."

A plethora of poker-related domain names are for sale across the internet, ranging from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars. Some of the domains for sale on PokerDomainNames.com, for example, include LeisureOoker.com, pkrseries.com, poker-nations.com, and monsterpoker.org.

The importance of the unique identity of a domain name is often overlooked. You might recall Bodog, a company that had already branded its name in poker, losing control of its flagship domain name Bodog.com in September 2007. Bodog owner Calvin Ayre was forced to launch a new gambling and poker web site due to a legal order in a patent infringement dispute with 1st Technology LLC of Las Vegas. Ayre lost most of his Bodog.com domain names and poker players had to go to NewBodog.com to play.

Ayre changed the domain name to BodogLife.com before recovering the Bodog.com domain name in June 2009. The NewBodog.com and BodogLife.com domain names now redirect to Bodog.com.

Poker Player J.R. Celski Medals Olympic Short Track Event

We’re just two days into the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and poker players have already made waves. Nineteen year old J.R. Celski, an avid poker fan who hails from the United States, took home a bronze medal in the Short Track speed skating event.

According to Audrey Magazine, in addition to being an avid outdoorsman and golf enthusiast, Celski is “a serious poker player.” He’ll attend college at the University of California at Berkeley and, according to the periodical, can often be found “camping, hiking, boating, surfing, and fishing.” He began training for the Short Track event in 2002 and was not old enough to qualify for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, missing the cutoff by a matter of days.

He departed Washington State for sunny California to train with Coach Wilma Boomstra. At age 14, he qualified for the Junior World Team, but the International Skating Union noted that Celski was not of age to compete. Then, he injured his back during a race in Romania, turning his skating career upside down. Text found on Celski’s official website explains, “It was shortly after his return from Italy when homesickness, back injury, balancing school workload, and ice training, combined with burnout, was taking over.”

Celski landed medals in the 2009 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships, taking the gold in the 3,000-meter event ahead of South Korea’s Lee Ho-Suk and Canada’s Charles Hamelin. Celski also skated his way to another gold medal in the 5,000-meter event, as the U.S. team’s time of 6:51 edged out China and Japan to take the top of the podium. In the 1,500-meter event at the same games, Celski finished third behind two South Korean skaters; he finished second overall in the Championships to land a fourth medal.

After a highly publicized collision on the Short Track in Vancouver, Celski earned his first Olympic medal, a bronze. Lee Jung-Su finished with a time of 2:17.611 in the event, just inching out the United States’ Apolo Anton Ohno. Celski finished with a time of 2:18.053, about a half-second behind Jung-Su. By virtue of capturing a silver medal, Ohno moved into a tie with skater Bonnie Blair for most Winter Olympics medals in U.S. history at six. He also took down Season 4 of the ABC reality franchise “Dancing with the Stars.” In 2008, fellow Olympian Shawn Johnston, a gymnast, broke through on the series to claim the title.

Thanks to Ohno and our favorite poker fanatic, the United States has already four medals in Vancouver entering Sunday’s action in the Canadian city. Behind the United States is South Korea, who has a pair of medals to the nation’s credit. A total of nine countries are tied at one medal each: the Netherlands, Slovakia, Switzerland, Canada, Germany, Poland, Austria, France, and Russia. According to NBC.com, Celski was injured last September “when he sliced his left leg with his skate blade,” but made a full recovery. He’s from the same hometown as Ohno, Federal Way, Washington, a suburb of Seattle.

Some in the poker community were checking out the Olympics over the weekend, while others focused on tournaments as part of the L.A. Poker Classic. Full Tilt Poker front man Howard Lederer Tweeted on Saturday, “The reason I watch Winter Games? To see if some guy who won the last 3 world titles in a sport I don't care about will choke Olympics.” Meanwhile, World Poker Tour (WPT) reporter B.J. Nemeth was allegedly on location in British Columbia: “Rhapsody & I are gonna try to check out the venues @ Whistler now (in the mountains), & we might return to the USA tonight. Wish us luck!”

The 2010 Winter Olympics continue for two more weeks and coverage can be found on NBC in the United States. On Saturday night, the Canadian women’s hockey team defeated Slovakia by a record-breaking score of 18-0.

Victory Poker Officials Recap First Two Weeks

On February 6th, the crew from Victory Poker celebrated the launch of the new Everleaf/UPN network site at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas. Now, one week after the festivities and two weeks after its debut, Victory Poker appears to be chugging along.

The diverse team of pros at Victory Poker includes Andrew “good2cu” Robl, who finished third in a $5,000 Limit/No Limit Hold’em event during the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) for $144,000, outlasting everyone except for poker superstars Erick Lindgren and Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo in the 332-player field. Robl told Poker News Daily how Victory Poker has been faring in its first few days in operation: “The launch went really well and there was a lot of buzz and hype in the poker community. Overall, people’s reactions have been positive and the website has been getting a lot of traffic.”

Officials from the USA-facing room told Poker News Daily that Victory Poker’s website has been seeing 1,500 visitors per day. According to the traffic ranking site PokerScout.com, the Everleaf/UPN family of sites has seen its traffic grow steadily since the end of January. On February 1st, a peak of 623 real money ring game players took to the network’s felts. Now, that number sits at 698 and is growing steadily. Robl added that the traffic figures were “better than we expected.”

Winning a date with Sara Underwood is one of the promotional opportunities on the horizon for Victory Poker users. Underwood, the 2007 Playboy Playmate of the Year, is a sponsored pro of Victory Poker and finished fourth in a charity poker tournament held during the site’s kickoff party in Sin City. Other promotions that allow customers to interact with Victory Poker pros in a live setting will follow.

Some in the industry questioned why Victory Poker would join the relatively small Everleaf/UPN network rather than a larger USA-facing entity like the Cake Poker Network. Robl explained, “A lot of sites have become so big and so corporate that there’s no real feeling of a community. Our pros will be playing on the site and even playing small stakes. You can come on Victory Poker and play $0.50/$1 with Antonio Esfandiari. That’s pretty cool.”

Other Victory Poker pros include former DoylesRoom Brunson 10 member Alec “traheho” Torelli, former Full Tilt Poker pros Paul Wasicka and Lee Markholt, Chinese Poker guru Danny Wong, “Flying Bilzerian Brother” Dan Bilzerian, and online poker pro Brian “tsarrast” Rast. Despite the strong group, Robl commented that the site will expand its roster of pros: “We definitely want to get more pros involved – maybe some foreign players – but we’re going to be very selective. We only want elite players. We don’t want to be like PokerStars or Full Tilt and have 200 pros.”

Despite being in business for less than half a month, Victory Poker has already had a considerable amount of exposure in the live arena. Wasicka recently took down the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit Championship in Tunica, earning $139,000. He defeated Larry Gurner heads-up in a final table that also included Lock Poker’s Matt “All In At 420” Stout, Carter “BdyBldngpkrplyr” Phillips, and Dwyte Pilgrim. Wasicka earned his first gold ring as a result, but gained fame in the poker world for finishing as the runner-up to Jamie Gold in the 2006 WSOP Main Event for $6.1 million. Wasicka donned a Victory Poker patch in Tunica, giving the nascent room some much-needed face time.

Robl is passionate about Victory Poker succeeding. He explained that the team at Victory Poker is dedicated to seeing the site flourish: “We all want Victory Poker to do really well. We really believe in our vision for the company and we’re all going to work very hard to bring Victory Poker into the top five or 10 poker sites.”

Other Everleaf/UPN network sites include flagship room Everleaf Poker, Minted Poker, and Poker4Ever.

Doyle Brunson in Good Spirits Following Dental Surgery

Poker News Daily has learned that 10-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner and DoylesRoom namesake Doyle Brunson is in good spirits following dental surgery on Tuesday. He is expected to make a full recovery.

The procedure lasted six hours and Brunson returned to his Las Vegas home afterward. A source close to Brunson told Poker News Daily that the industry icon “sailed” through surgery, is in good spirits, and will play in tonight’s Bounty Tournament on DoylesRoom. In a blog posted on the official website of DoylesRoom dated February 4th, Brunson told readers that he’d be undergoing “a 5 1/2 hour surgery on my teeth and gums. That is going to require a lot of change in my schedule.” Brunson was originally slated to play in this weekend’s PartyPoker Premier League; Phil Laak will serve as a last-minute replacement.

Brunson also hinted at axing appearances at the Commerce Casino for the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Celebrity Invitational and L.A. Poker Classic as well as the North American Poker Tour’s (NAPT) stop at the Venetian. Despite the possibility of being sidelined until the 2010 WSOP in May, Brunson quickly returned to his blonde joke-telling self on Wednesday, Tweeting the following: “A blonde's house caught fire and she called the fire department. They said ‘calm down, how do we get there?’ blonde.. duh, in a big red truck.”

On Monday, Brunson told Poker News Daily in an e-mail, “2 hours and counting. Not looking forward to it,” referring to his procedure. Brunson’s final Tweet prior to the surgery came on Monday and was directed at UB.com pro and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke: “Palin used cheat notes written on her hand. Obama uses a teleprompter for everything:-) I'm not supporting her by the way.”

Brunson had previously found himself in hot water for a President Barack Obama-related Tweet that read, “The Democrats say ‘give Obama time.’ Us Republicans agree, 25 to life seems appropriate!” The gaffe was posted on January 20th and led to an outcry from some customers on DoylesRoom who preferred that Brunson refrain from commenting on the political arena.

Tonight, Brunson will return to the virtual felts of his USA-friendly online poker site to compete in the weekly $50,000 Bounty Tournament. The Bounty takes place every Wednesday night and this evening’s installment features Brunson, recent WPT Southern Poker Championship winner Hoyt Corkins, and “The Mad Genius of Poker” Mike Caro. First-time Bounty players can receive a full refund of their $27.50 buy-in and the festivities kick off at 9:30pm ET. Knocking out a single bounty earns a player $1,000, while eliminating two bounties means a $10,000 bankroll boost. Finally, knocking out all three bounties results in a $50,000 jackpot.

When we will next see Brunson on the live felts is anyone’s guess. In the same blog post, the poker pro noted that he didn’t want to invest time and money while not feeling up to snuff: “There is no use playing unless you are at your best. The competition has gotten so good you need to feel good physically as well as mentally to have a chance to win.” Brunson is tied with Johnny Chan for the second highest number of bracelets all-time at 10, trailing only Phil Hellmuth’s tally of 11. Brunson has nearly $3 million in career WSOP earnings dating back to 1976.

Online Poker Visa and MasterCard Deposit Woes Explained

In recent days, online poker players trying to use Visa and MasterCard credit cards to deposit funds into their accounts have experienced major setbacks. Due to what eGaming Review dubbed an “overnight tightening of restrictions,” deposits are now down sharply on some of the industry’s largest sites. Poker News Daily sat down with an insider in the world of payment processing to break down what happened.

Poker News Daily: Do you believe that it was ever acceptable for MasterCard to process an online poker transaction after the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was passed in the United States in 2006?

It hasn't been legal for MasterCard or Visa for over 10 years now, so this is nothing new to U.S.-facing companies in particular. What is new is the way they have caught people who were circumventing their rules.

PND: Are all transactions related to internet gambling blocked or just credit card deposits?

They are not blocked everywhere. Some seem to be operating MasterCard with no issues.

PND: Are daily transaction counts down as a result or are online poker players finding other ways to get money online?

From what I have been told, cash in is down significantly. Obviously, if you take a credit card channel as big as MasterCard away from your portfolio, there will be a big hit.

PND: Do players realize that their funds aren’t being deposited using credit cards?

The players are not notified. The deposits go through and they will still be billed for the transaction. The issue is that the gaming company never receives the funds, as they are "intercepted." The processor the gaming company used then has their account with MasterCard closed and they are fined; this is usually passed on to the gaming company directly.

PND: Does a player lose the intercepted funds?

If MasterCard closes the middleman down, they keep all funds frozen until they ascertain what happened. The player gets billed and knows nothing. The player gets his money in his gaming account and has his credit card billed. We basically just gave him free money. These companies do not settle instantly with the poker rooms and that is where the big risk comes. MasterCard doesn’t settle with the processor instantly either.

PND: How did MasterCard block internet gambling transactions?

Rumor has it that they audited thousands upon thousands of transactions manually. They looked at coded declines and then at subsequent approved transactions. This would tell them that they were being "bounced" to another uncoded source. They deemed that these transactions were illegal and closed down the processing account attached to them.

PND: Is the recent MasterCard blocking due to the UIGEA, charge backs, or some combination of both?

I'm not sure about their motives. MasterCard has always been more aggressive than others with this. We have been warned for many months that this was coming, but there is no way of knowing until it actually happens. As always, this industry is resilient and will bounce back. It always has and it always will.

PND: What has been the reaction of players you've talked to at your site?

Players are used to cards being declined fairly regularly. Obviously, some want to know why, so we try to direct them to other trusted methods such as e-wallets wherever possible.

PND: Can online poker players use debit cards to deposit?

MasterCard does not run debit cards. Visa or the bank runs them usually. I know that Canada shut off most debit cards to poker companies last year. TD, Scotia Bank, and RBC all stopped too.

Poker News in Brief: Feb. 1-7, 2010

Full Tilt, PokerStars and UB all awarded millions of dollars last Sunday, and throughout the week Cole South, Brian Townsend and Patrik Antonius took turns winning hundred thousand dollar pots in the high stakes cash games.

There were a few stories that didn’t make the front page of PokerListings.com, however, and as part of our Poker News in Brief feature we’ve compiled a list below.

This week we’ll take a look at Isabelle Mercier’s latest promotion, two poker sites switching networks, UB teaming up with an MMA promoter and more.

No Mercy Cash Games on BetClic

It’s been months since Isabelle “No Mercy” Mercier signed with BetClic, but the room is offering its first major promotion involving the famous French-Canadian.

All this month Mercier will host her own “No Mercy” cash game table on BetClic with stakes ranging from €.12/€.25 No-Limit all the way up to €2/€4 No-Limit.

BetClic will also offer No Mercy Magic Hands where any player that makes a straight flush on the Mercier tables is entered into a special Sit ‘N’ Go with up to €2,000 up for grabs.

The No Mercy cash game tables can be found under the private tab of the BetClic lobby.

To learn more go to the BetClic website.

SportsBook.com, PlayersOnly.com Move to Merge Network

PlayersOnly.com and SportsBook.com are leaving the Cake Poker network in favor of the Merge Poker Network.

Jezette Enterprises, which owns both sites, made the announcement on Wednesday citing the chance to give players a better platform on which to play.

“This is an industry changing deal and we are delighted to have an agreement with Jazette Enterprises,” said Anthony Taylor, CEO of Merge Gaming.

The migration, which is scheduled to occur by mid-April, 2010, will see Jezette move all its brands onto the Merge Gaming Network.

PlayersOnly.com and SportsBook.com will join sites such as Carbon Poker, Poker Nordica and ACED on the Merge Gaming Network.

Meanwhile the Cake Poker network recently added a number of new rooms including the signature room of Phil Laak – Unabomberpoker.com.

Honeybone Finds Gold in Auckland

Established Kiwi poker pro James Honeybone won the SkyCity Auckland Anniversary Championships this weekend.

He outlasted 121 players including poker pros Dan Sing and Martin Cardno to win the NZ$36,030 prize for first place.

Honeybone finished fifth at APPT Korea in 2007 and also made an $84,970 score at the Ongame Network Poker Classic in Barcelona in 2005.

The win in Auckland catapulted Honeybone into ninth place on the all-time New Zealand tournament money list with $161,806.

TSN, PokerStars Launch TSN Poker Club

Canadian sports broadcaster TSN has teamed with PokerStars.net to create a custom built poker environment for poker players.

"Poker's popularity in Canada continues to grow and the TSN Poker Club gives poker players of all levels a chance to get into the action and win exclusive prizes," says Geoff Fardy, Canada Country Manager, PokerStars.net.

The club will allow members to enter a series of free-to-play tournaments with prizes like poker tables and snowboards, all while learning the game of poker.

PokerStars.net and TSN will launch the club with three daily tournaments from now until July 31.

UB Teams Up with MMA Promoter

UB has entered into an exclusive sponsorship deal with the Bellator Fighting Championships.

The agreement will see UB logos in upcoming Bellator fights while UB will advertise for the fighting brand in its poker client lobby.

"We’re super excited to tie the new UB logo to Bellator—the hottest MMA success story of 2009—and are proud to partner with them in their sophomore year," said Paul Leggett, chief operations officer of Tokwiro, the owner/operator of UB.net.

The Bellator Fighting Championship began last year with headline bouts involving MMA stars Hector Lombard, Eddie Alvarez and Joe Soto.

Only Poker Review

The Quick Summary

Only Poker is a recent addition to the Cake Poker Network, which encompasses over 50 online poker rooms, including such industry stalwarts as DoylesRoom and PokerHost, and has been in business since 2004. The big drawing point for Only Poker is seen in its tagline, “No bullshit, only poker,” meaning you won’t find a sports book or online casino with the site. This is something that will definitely draw those who are interested in just playing poker and not in the other “bells and whistles” sites may offer.

Popularity: 6 of 10 – Good

With Only Poker being a part of the Cake Poker Network, you can anticipate finding a game at any time. The Cake Poker Network is one of the top ten online poker destinations for players in the game today. According to the online poker tracking site PokerScout.com, there is a seven-day average of 2,150 cash game players. The player counts have previously peaked at nearly 3,200 cash game players, which don’t include their tournament action.

One of the appealing aspects of Only Poker is that it is U.S. player friendly. This ensures that there will be action on the tables throughout the day, with peak traffic occurring in the early evenings in the United States. Only Poker has the community appeal of its smaller size, which some players may prefer to the larger online poker rooms in the industry.

Security: 9 of 10 – Excellent

Only Poker had to go through a tremendous effort to become a part of the Cake Poker Network, which is noted as one of the most secure in the industry. They are one of the few networks that disallow third party software such as PokerTracker and Holdem Manager, which some players believe give an unfair advantage. While this may be a drawback for some, others might find this refreshing.

In addition to preventing the use of third party software, Only Poker allows players to change their screen names as often as every seven days. On its website, Only Poker states that this “negates the effectiveness of shared or prolonged poker data tracking.” Only Poker also uses state of the art 256-bit TwoFish encryption for play and financial transactions and is vigilant against several other potential issues in online poker such as collusion and bot usage.

Player Competition: 5 of 10 – Fair

While there are currently no sponsored professionals for the site, Only Poker is making inroads to change that situation. It is rumored that five-time NBA champion Dennis Rodman will soon sign with the room, giving it one of the most flamboyant personalities in the celebrity world today. If Only Poker continues to pursue top flight celebrities and poker players, they could become a major player.

Site Software: 9 of 10 – Excellent

Only Poker’s software offers two different views that a player can use for their experience. One is a near-3D viewpoint, with players at the tables being presented as avatars. The second is an overhead view that just gives the basic information that a player needs like the names of opponents and their chip counts. Either option is very fluid in play and glitches are rare.

The lobby is easy to navigate and particular games are quite simple to find. Only Poker uses an excellent filter that will only present games that meet your search criteria. This makes for a quick entrance into games that a player wishes to play.

Customer Support: 6 of 10 – Good

There are several different methods that Only Poker offers for players to contact the company. Help is available 24/7 through not only phone support, but also e-mail options. For those who look for a speedy response, players can either call a toll free number or fax Only Poker. For those with less immediate concerns, they can e-mail support and usually receive a response within 48 hours.

Company Ethics: 8 of 10 – Very Good

Only Poker, as previously stated, doesn’t allow third party software and also is continuously on the lookout for any possible shenanigans on the site. The option to change your player name on a weekly basis is meant to safeguard a player’s anonymity.

Site Promotions: 8 of 10 – Very Good

Only Poker offers many of the staples that are a part of the Cake Poker Network. Players earn Gold Cards and Gold Chips through their play, which can be used for entries into special tournaments. There is also the Gold Stacks program, where players can earn cash back for completion of certain Gold Stacks on the site.

Tournaments are a huge part of Only Poker’s offerings. There is a $125,000 Guaranteed tournament every Sunday, with the last Sunday of the month offering a $250,000 Guaranteed tournament. Players can earn entry into these through buying in, satellites, or even using their Gold Cards and Gold Chips. There are also special satellites for major live tournaments.

Initial player offerings at Only Poker are some of the best in the online industry. Players can earn a 110% first-time depositor bonus and there are excellent freerolls offered.

Overall Review: 7.28 of 10 – Good

Only Poker has many things that players will find appealing. If they build a solid base of either celebrity or professional poker player endorsers, it will only add to their appeal. Being a part of such a prominent network also makes Only Poker a solid addition to the online poker world.

Dennis Rodman May Sign with Only Poker

The Cake Poker Network site Only Poker may sign former five-time NBA champion Dennis Rodman. Rumors abound that the announcement of the NBA bad boy joining the site will be made in two weeks.

A source close to the USA-friendly Only Poker told Poker News Daily, “We have just signed a major sports celebrity who has won numerous championships during their career.” Whether the mystery man or woman will turn out to be Rodman remains to be seen, but Only Poker appears to be ramping up its efforts to become one of the online poker industry’s household names. The site makes its home on the Cake Poker Network alongside industry giants like Cake Poker, DoylesRoom, and Poker Host.

Rodman has five NBA championship rings after stints with the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, and Chicago Bulls. He led the NBA in rebounds per game for nearly a decade and has become one of the sports world’s most recognizable faces. He’s also been associated with World Championship Wrestling (WCW), where he teamed up with industry icon Hulk Hogan to fight former Utah Jazz great Karl Marlone and Diamond Dallas Page in 1998.

Rodman was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1990 and 1991 and was an All-Star in 1990 and 1992. His championships came in 1989, 1990, 1996, 1997, and 1998. Last year, he appeared alongside UB.com poker pro Annie Duke in NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice.” Rodman lasted all of five weeks on the Donald Trump-led reality show and his final episode featured a real-life intervention. The “Celebrity Apprentice” cast grew leery of Rodman’s prolific drinking and confronted him in the boardroom. However, he was ultimately fired. The finale of “Celebrity Apprentice” featured Duke squaring off against comedian Joan Rivers.

Rodman has been tied to high-profile women like Madonna and Carmen Electra and is currently a member of the cast of “Celebrity Rehab 3.” The show features Dr. Drew Pinsky of MTV’s “Loveline” fame. Rodman’s housemates on the VH1 show include Lisa D’Amato, Heidi Fleiss, Joey Kovar, Mindy McCready, Kari Ann Peniche, Mackenzie Phillips, Mike Starr, and Tim Sizemore, whose list of credits includes the iconic war movies “Saving Private Ryan,” “Pearl Harbor,” and “Black Hawk Down.”

The Cake Poker Network will soon see the departure of PlayersOnly and Sportsbook.com, which will likely head to the rival Merge Gaming Network around mid-April. The Cake Poker family of sites stands as the ninth largest worldwide in terms of real money ring game traffic, according to PokerScout.com, with a seven-day running average of 2,150 cash game players. During its peak hours, well over 3,000 call the site home. At the time of writing, which is around 11:00am ET on Friday, 1,748 cash game players are logged in. The Cake Poker Network happily accepts players from the United States.

If Rodman does not sign with Only Poker, other sports stars who match the description given by the site include Kenny Smith, Joe Montana, and Jose Conseco. The latter won World Series titles in 1989 and 2000 and has appeared on the roster of seven Major League Baseball franchises. Montana is a four-time Super Bowl champion and may be in attendance this weekend when the New Orleans Saints face the Indianapolis Colts in the 44th running of football’s biggest game. Smith appeared at the 2009 World Series of Poker Ante Up for Africa charity tournament and is a two-time NBA champion.

To find out whether this mysterious sports celebrity is, in fact, Dennis Rodman, visit OnlyPoker.com.

Jason Ho Controversy Rocks Poker Coaching Industry

Online poker training sites are a very strong segment of the industry.  These sites hire winning players who have shown tremendous results to create instructional videos, which are available through a subscription and watched either through a downloaded movie file or streamed in a browser.  Players improve their game by watching these coaches in action or in a classroom format.

Sometimes these same coaches make themselves available for private coaching and such was the case for StoxPoker.com instructor Jason Ho.  Ho claimed he made over $1 million in 2008 and accepted jobs coaching players both online and at “camps” he set up.  On top of that, he approached students and colleges about a Pot Limit Omaha stake.  Recently, a flood of accusations poured in against Ho, who, according to his detractors, could have been scamming all parties during his entire career.

The allegations first surfaced in the StoxPoker.com forums and were later consolidated into a single thread.  The first element that the allegations point to is that Ho claimed to have made $1 million in 2008, yet has never offered proof that this actually took place.  One fact that his detractors point to is a 2008 bankruptcy in the U.K. that they claim demonstrates that Ho never won that kind of money.  At no point has Ho produced proof backing up his claims in a public forum.

Once the first few allegations against Ho were posted, the rest came flooding in.  There were many long and detailed accounts of players' negative experiences interacting with him in a coaching environment.  A player with the forum name “NotAJasonHoFan” detailed many different alleged examples of Ho’s actions.  Some of the more serious claims against Ho were that he isn’t a winning player and that he borrows money from students under false pretenses and does not pay them back.  He goes on to state that Ho “shouts down and berates his students” and places blame on the student when they go into a downswing.

Another serious allegation from this poster stated that several students have gone to Macau for one to two-week intensive coaching courses that were supposed to be “one on one,” but actually involved other students showing up.  There was one example of a player paying $7,000 for what amounted to about seven hours of coaching spread over a week.  During these poker coaching courses, Ho would allegedly take “personal breaks” for a day or two and lock himself in his room.

The allegations went on to say that Ho claimed he had “solved cap PLO and wanted to put together a poker crew,” which was something confirmed by Dusty “Leatherass9” Schmidt in his blog at Card Player.com.  Apparently Ho had the intention of aligning with Schmidt, who claimed that “his advice was ridiculous so I didn’t work with him again.”

The controversy continued on popular poker forum TwoPlusTwo.  One player named “rollsucker” claimed to be a small winner at 200nl and signed up for coaching in March 2008.  He was sold a guide for $2,000 saying that he could make 10 BB/100 on it.  After using the guide, the player says that he lost over $5,000 in 400,000 hands.  Eventually in October, this player hired a new coach at DeucesCracked.com, who said that Jason’s guide was “dangerous, unplayable and full of wrong information.”

After that specific post, another surfaced from a person identified as “Positively4thstreet,” who chimed in with an extremely detailed horror story of his experience with Ho in Macau at a training course.  He was also approached about a Pot Limit Omaha project and asked for funds to get it started; the project started and ended under what he felt were false pretenses.

Several people within the coaching industry have come forward, like the aforementioned Schmidt, to voice their distaste for what appears to be a mounting case against a person who has duped many out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.  The threads on StoxPoker and TwoPlusTwo have countless posts recounting stories both positive and negative about Jason Ho.

Brian “BW07507” Wilber is a small-stakes poker coach specializing in full ring and six-max play.  He weighed in on the situation: “This whole incident really shows why it is so important for a student to do their homework on a coach.  Students need to make sure they know someone is actually beating the games they are offering to coach you in.  You can do this by asking the coach to provide data such as a graph to prove he is truly beating the games and reference that against a site like PokerTableRatings.  You can also ask the coach to refer you to some of his other students to get their opinions.”

StoxPoker has since banned Ho from its forums and announced that he is no longer within its stable of coaches.  Collin Moshman, a popular instructor at StoxPoker and published author, posted, “I don’t think Stox bears a financial obligation to people who were scammed.  Maybe they bear some moral obligation … but at some point people have to be accountable for their own actions.”

Jason Ho’s official website is no longer up and running, with a “500 Internal Server Error” encountered when visiting the site.

Note that this article summarizes allegations made against Ho and in no way confirms or denies said allegations.

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Yet another Casino robbery in the USA

An armed man hit the Coconut Creek Seminole Casino in South Florida and managed to grab few thousand dollars from the Casino’s poker room. The man is thought to be in his twenties.

The robber walked in and demanded money from an employee while waving a gun.

The robber seemed to be a “casino rookie” as he was only wearing a baseball cap and nothing else. He didn’t mind the surveillance cameras at all and was just walking around “casually”. The man fled the scene in an old modelled Cadillac.

“We’re reviewing surveillance videos from multiple cameras, hoping there’s a clear image of him in one of them,” said Gary Bitner, a Spokesman for the Seminole Casino.

There has been quite many casino robberies within short period of time in the USA. Are the casinos so easy to hit or why they seem to be a target so often?

Source: CasinoGamblingWeb

You just read Poker News from HighStakesNews.com

Yet another Casino robbery in the USA

Jennifer Harman Goes “All-In for a Cure”

Jennifer Harman has pledged to contribute one percent of her poker earnings to The NephCure Foundation, a charitable organization whose goal is to support research to fight two terrible kidney diseases, Nephrotic Syndrome and Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS).  The pledge is part of the "All-In for a Cure" program started by Poker Players International (PPI), a full service poker agency.  Other poker players who have pledged a portion of their earnings include Jason Young, who will be giving one percent like Harman, and Frank Vizza, who is donating five percent.

Harman is no stranger to kidney disease, having had two kidney transplants.  After her second procedure in 2004, she founded the non-profit organization Creating Organ Donation Awareness.  In a press release distributed by The NephCure Foundation, the Full Tilt Poker pro said, "Kidney disease is extremely difficult.  It is invisible and it affects kids and adults alike. NephCure is trying to find an answer and I'm here to help by joining 'All-in for a Cure.'"

As Harman said, kidney disease can affect anyone, even the most physically fit.  Both Alonzo Mourning, a seven-time NBA All-Star, and Sean Elliott, a two-time All-Star selection, suffered from FSGS.  Both had kidney transplants.  Ed Hearn, a former Major League Baseball player, has had to go through three transplants and still has FSGS, which damages the kidneys' filtering system.  

NephCure has committed $6 million towards research of both Nephrotic Syndrome and FSGS, but unfortunately, there is still no cure for either disease.  According to NephCure's website, 84 percent of donations are put towards research, education, and advocacy, while 10 percent are used for further fundraising.  The remainder pays for management and general expenses.

The cause is also personally important for PPI's Marketing and Player Development Leader Eric Siegel, as his son has Nephrotic Syndrome.  "It is great to have someone with the pedigree and reputation of Jennifer joining PPI’s pledge program," he said.  "Having her involved in this program is a tremendous benefit to everyone and I expect it to lead to more players coming on board. She understands the responsibility to give back. By doing so hopefully we can find a cure for this horrible disease that affects thousands of people."

Siegel, himself, is a poker player and has pledged one percent of his earnings to "All-In for a Cure."  His wife, Jennifer Geisser Siegel, serves on the NephCure Board of Directors.

Harman has a history of being one of the most philanthropic poker players around.  She has hosted the Jennifer Harman Charity Poker Tournament three years running, raising over $450,000 for the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and $111,000 for the National Kidney Foundation. 

On the felt, Jennifer Harman is one of the most respected poker players in the world.  In her live tournament career, she has earned over $2.3 million and is the only female to own two World Series of Poker bracelets.  Harman is widely regarded by her peers as one of the best poker players in the world, adept at any game, and a player to be feared in the highest stakes games in Las Vegas.

Jennifer Harman Goes “All-In for a Cure”

Jennifer Harman has pledged to contribute 1% of her poker earnings to The NephCure Foundation, a charitable organization whose goal is to support research to fight two terrible kidney diseases, Nephrotic Syndrome and Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS).  The pledge is part of the "All-In for a Cure" program started by Poker Players International (PPI), a full service poker agency.  Other poker players who have pledged a portion of their earnings include Jason Young, who will be giving 1% like Harman, and Frank Vizza, who is donating 5%.

Harman is no stranger to kidney disease, having had two kidney transplants.  After her second procedure in 2004, she founded the non-profit organization Creating Organ Donation Awareness.  In a press release distributed by The NephCure Foundation, the Full Tilt Poker pro said, "Kidney disease is extremely difficult.  It is invisible and it affects kids and adults alike. NephCure is trying to find an answer and I'm here to help by joining 'All-in for a Cure.'"

As Harman said, kidney disease can affect anyone, even the most physically fit.  Both Alonzo Mourning, a seven-time NBA All-Star, and Sean Elliott, a two-time All-Star selection, suffered from FSGS.  Both had kidney transplants.  Ed Hearn, a former Major League Baseball player, has had to go through three transplants and still has FSGS, which damages the kidneys' filtering system.

NephCure has committed $6 million towards research of both Nephrotic Syndrome and FSGS, but there is still no cure for either disease.  According to NephCure's website, 84% of donations are put towards research, education, and advocacy, while 10% are used for further fundraising.  The remainder pays for management and general expenses.

The cause is also personally important for PPI's Marketing and Player Development Leader Eric Siegel, as his son has Nephrotic Syndrome.  "It is great to have someone with the pedigree and reputation of Jennifer joining PPI’s pledge program," he said. "Having her involved in this program is a tremendous benefit to everyone and I expect it to lead to more players coming on board. She understands the responsibility to give back. By doing so hopefully we can find a cure for this horrible disease that affects thousands of people."

Siegel is a poker player and has pledged 1% of his earnings to All-In for a Cure.  His wife, Jennifer Geisser Siegel, serves on the NephCure Board of Directors.

Harman has a history of being one of the most philanthropic poker players around.  She has hosted the Jennifer Harman Charity Poker Tournament three years running, raising over $450,000 for the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and $111,000 for the National Kidney Foundation.

On the felt, Jennifer Harman is one of the most respected poker players in the world.  In her live tournament career, she has earned over $2.3 million and is the only female to own multiple World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets.  Harman is widely regarded by her peers as one of the best poker players in the world, adept at any game, and a player to be feared in the highest stakes games in Las Vegas.