PokerUpdate.com

North Carolina Proposes Poker Bill

Charles Rettmuller — Fri, 18 May 2012 05:29:12 +0100

While several states are considering online gambling legislation to complement their live casino offerings, North Carolina is seemingly a step behind with their latest proposal that would allow live poker and blackjack in the state's only casino.

A bill introduced by lawmakers this week proposes to allow the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to provide live poker and blackjack, with a share of all profits going to state coffers to benefit education. An agreement of 30 years would commence with 4 percent of the new revenue earmarked for the state to eventually be increased to 8 percent. Tar Heel State Gov. Beverly Perdue brokered a compact with the Cherokee tribe last November that set the tone for this latest piece of gambling legislation.

Currently, the casino offers only video poker, as the state has strict laws against live poker and is of the view that poker is a game of chance. The proposal won approval from the Senate by a 33-14 vote and now moves to a vote before the House, which, like the Senate, is Republican-controlled. However, there may be some opposition from liberal Democrats and social conservatives in the House.

No Full Tilt, But Tapie Schedules Massive Poker Tournament

Charles Rettmuller — Thu, 17 May 2012 06:19:38 +0100

Despite losing in his bid to purchase Full Tilt Poker to the monolithic PokerStars, Laurent Tapie has scheduled a poker tournament to be held in May of 2013 at London's Wembley Stadium as part of the International Stadiums Poker Tour (ISPT), a tournament series of huge proportions that is the brainchild of the father and son Tapie duo and Prosper Masquelier.

The tourney is set to feature 30,000 players playing live at Wembley via tablet computers until the top 3,000 remain, at which point the players will abandon their mobile devices and shift to a live game format. Critics have blasted the idea as being difficult to accomplish and not entirely feasible. The first ISPT event will run from May 31st until June 6th, 2013.

The ISPT website dubs the event as the "biggest tournament ever" with registration opening soon. The prizepool is expected to be 20,000,000€ with a buy-in of 600€, and the tournament will be televised in more than 28 countries.

Insiders believe that the purchase of Full Tilt was planned to be used in tandem with the ISPT through online qualifiers by Group Bernard Tapie. The failed acquisition of Full Tilt delayed the tour's launch, but did not cause its demise. The demise may be caused by several other factors, including the logistics of 30,000 players gathered together in a stadium playing on a format "midway between live and online," as the ISPT website promotes the tournament.

India Offers Huge Untapped Market Of Online Gamblers

Charles Rettmuller — Thu, 17 May 2012 05:12:53 +0100

A recent study by an online casino portal found that India could generate up to $1.5 billion in tax revenue by legalizing online gambling.

India is experiencing rising wealth, including a middle class that is enjoying a higher standard of living. Along with that comes an increase in Internet usage, with many Indians finding their way to online gambling sites. Although gambling is heavily restricted in India, it is not stopping punters from wagering online.

The current gambling law in India is somewhat vague and undefined. Legislators enacted the Federal Information Technology Act in May of 2011 in an attempt to curtail online gambling. The law 's intent is to put the burden of prohibiting access to offshore gambling sites on Internet service providers. The site operators--not Indian residents--are the ones subject to possible prosecution from Indian authorities. But the laws are seen as unenforceable because the gambling sites are not on Indian soil and out of jurisdiction.

The study, which was done by OnlineCasino.in, found that a regulated online gambling market in India may be worth up to $5 billion annually, with 15-30% of that being lost by the country based on tax figures in regions where online gambling regulation is prolific. The study also indicated that those numbers are expected to increase over time as more Indians join the burgeoning middle class.

The popularity of poker is rising in India, spawned by televised broadcasts of the World Poker Tour and World Series of Poker events. There is a live tournament, known as the India Poker Championship, held every month aboard a riverboat casino in Panjim, Goa, that features buy-ins in the range of 5,000 to 25,000 rupee. About $100 to $450 in U.S. dollars, far too low to attract world-class players and international attention. However, not bad for a country that still allows casino gambling in only two states.

Revolution Gaming To Offer 36% Rakeback

Charles Rettmuller — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:19:52 +0100

In acquiring Cake Poker and rebranding it the Revolution Gaming Network effective June 1, Lock Poker has announced that it will offer players 36% rakeback at the new network, the highest rake available on the market, up from the 33% previously available.

Rakeback for new players at Merge was discontinued in June of 2011. Leaving the Merge Gaming Network means that Lock Poker will bring its own estimate of 40% of the current Merge player traffic with it to its new network. If those numbers are accurate and including an influx of new players expected to try out the site, as well as to take advantage of the generous rakeback deal, Revolution Gaming is poised to overtake Merge as the top online poker network that still accepts U.S.players.

Lock is also implementing a new VIP loyalty program, a $1 million rake chase, and a new Internet poker tournament format that starts with a $100,000 Guaranteed Superstack event on June 3, according to Gambling911. No word yet whether the LOCKOPS tournament series will be reinstituted after Merge put the kibosh on that event just prior to Lock's decision to leave the Merge Network and acquire Cake.

"The world of online poker has been overwhelmed with so much disappointment and broken promises," said Lock CEO Jennifer Larson, in reference to Black Friday and the Full Tilt debacle. "We understand the incredible desire for players to be given some hope and reassurance. Lock and Revolution Gaming are passionate about bringing back the players' trust, excitement and sheer fun that feels like a distant memory. Its time for a Revolution!"

The rakeback payout scheme at Revolution Gaming is said to be via a deposit to player accounts every Wednesday. More details on the changes to the Lock VIP program should be forthcoming prior to the June 1 launch date.

Illinois Lawmakers To Consider Online Gambling Proposal

Charles Rettmuller — Wed, 16 May 2012 08:04:05 +0100

A proposal to expand online gambling in Illinois has been tacked onto an existing bill and may be considered by Illinois lawmakers sometime this week.

Just two months ago, Illinois became the first state to sell lottery tickets over the Internet to residents within the state. Land of Lincoln lawmakers will now look at legalizing other games within the online gambling realm by creating a new “Division of Internet Gaming” that will branch off from the Illinois Lottery.

Remember that Illinois is the state that is responsible for last December's ruling by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) that found that the 1961 Wire Act applied only to sports betting. It was the desire of Illinois and New York for clarification on the Act, as both states were interested in selling lottery tickets online, that prompted the DOJ to elucidate the true meaning of the Wire Act. Because of that ruling issued just prior to Christmas, many individual states are now considering online gambling legislation.

Senate President John Cullerton penned a letter to Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and other legislators that informed them of his plans to make Illinois the state that "could organize the first major poker pool, garner worldwide popularity, and position itself as a ‘hub’ for multi-state and international iGaming.”

There are several clauses in the bill that would be hard-pressed to win favor with some Illinoians. For instance, existing land-based casinos would not be allowed to participate, but the state's Lottery Division would be allowed to partner up with providers that have the required technological online gambling experience. Illinois has over a dozen casinos and several horse-racing tracks. It is difficult to envision lawmakers in those districts agreeing to an Internet gambling scheme that does not include their existing brick-and-mortar gambling establishments.

If the gambling proposal were approved in its current form, the estimated additional revenue has been pegged by state officials to be in the ballpark of hundreds of millions of dollars. However, state legislators, as often seems to be the case in politics, are scheduled to adjourn their current legislative session at this month's end. Realistically, there is expected to be a great deal of opposition and too many details to be ironed out before legislators could possibly even consider approving such a bill.

Microgaming Network to launch Blaze Poker

Stewart Hardie — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:32:27 +0100

StanJames poker, one of the leading skins on the Microgaming network, has announced the planned launch of 'Blaze Poker'. It'll provide an experience extremely similar to that of PokerStars Zoom Poker. Blaze will certainly be a welcome addition to players on the European network, a fast-paced and exciting alternative to the standard cash game tables.

Just as Zoom, Blaze Poker will allow players to join a large pool of players from the same stake range with the ability to fast-fold hands. This removes a lot of the boredom associated with waiting on slow paced tables to be dealt another hand and means that hands are played quickly and continously. Blaze will also include the ability to multi-table, although of course you'll never be seated at the same table more than once, so won't play against yourself.

Microgaming riding the wave of change

It's a statement of intent from a network who has always been relatively good in keeping their software and offerings up to date. They of course offer a time bank and miscellaneous tables, and this move shows that they're keeping up with the recent curve in online poker developments as many operators are moving to provide a more social and recreational product to the casual gamer.

For full information on Blaze Poker, see here.

Full Tilt Player Reimbursement Scheme To Be Announced At End Of May

Charles Rettmuller — Tue, 15 May 2012 11:39:52 +0100

An announcement regarding the negotiations between PokerStars, Full Tilt and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), including the timetable agreed upon for the reimbursement of player funds, will come at the end of this month.

The exact date of the announcement has not yet been finalized due to the logistics involved in paying back players in the U.S. and throughout the world, but iGaming Post has reported that PokerStars officials are confident that the details will be ironed out within the next ten days and that the DOJ will give its blessing to the payback scheme.

It is also believed that the negotiations include the guarantee that PokerStars and Full Tilt will be allowed to apply for licensing to offer online poker in the U.S. marketplace if and when legislation is passed.

This comes as good news to Full Tilt players who have been waiting more than one year for reimbursement of funds that have been frozen on Full Tilt virtually since Black Friday. The hopes of players of receiving payment were first sky high when Group Bernard Tapie announced it had agreed to purchase the beleaguered poker site about eight months ago. That deal fell through about three weeks ago when Tapie could not agree to full reimbursement of players within a 90-day period.

PokerStars then swooped down and came to the rescue, either as a knight in shining armor or a monopolistic behemoth threatening to exert a chokehold on the entire online poker industry, whichever way you care to look at it, and agreed to purchase the dormant site. Let's hope that this is the real deal and players waiting for their money will not have to suffer through another up and down swing of elation and depression regarding finalization of negotiations and full repayment of player funds.

Titan Poker Clarifies Depletion Of Pro Team

Charles Rettmuller — Tue, 15 May 2012 02:02:23 +0100

The recent departure of Sam Trickett and Marvin Rettenmaier from the pro roster of Titan Poker had many observers wondering if the poker room was closing shop, but the site formally announced that the depletion of its pro team was not based on any solvency issues.

Titan Poker announced on its website that it would hereafter center its attention on "pursuing a new branding strategy which moves away from focusing on a pro team and emphasizes our appeal to main stream and recreational poker players."

Both European pros had incredible runs in 2011 representing Titan, which is one of the top sites on the iPoker Network. Though Titan's rather short explanation regarding a strategy aimed at attracting more casual players is duly noted, it can be argued that popular pros such as Rettenmaier and Trickett have tremendous appeal to recreational players.

Online Gambling Not A Threat To Land-Based Casinos

Charles Rettmuller — Mon, 14 May 2012 06:20:11 +0100

The American Gaming Association (AGA) has confirmed what many poker players already know--that online gambling tends to increase participation by gamblers at land-based casinos instead of eroding the revenue at the brick-and-mortar establishments.

Internet gambling complements casino gambling because younger players who tend to be more computer-oriented than the older generation become more comfortable and familiar with gambling through their online participation and eventually find their way to the land-based casinos, AGA president and CEO Frank Fahrenkopf told the Las Vegas Sun.

Fahrenkopf spoke out following the release of the latest yearly installment of “State of the States: The AGA Survey of Casino Entertainment” that examines the casino industry in the U.S. on a state-by-state basis. The findings contradict what many Indian tribes who oppose online poker and gambling believe to be true--that legalization of Internet wagering will cause a decline in revenue at the tribal casinos.

Some interesting statistics from the survey showed that most people that gambled in 2011, 44 percent, played the lottery. Gambling at a casino was enjoyed by 27 percent of those polled, while another 23 percent admitted to "casual betting." Fifteen percent played some form of live poker--be it home games or casino action--while 8% enjoyed playing the ponies and four percent gambled online.

2 + 2 Forums Online Again

Charles Rettmuller — Mon, 14 May 2012 05:33:01 +0100

Poker players will once again have the opportunity to post their observations, questions and complaints at the industry's most popular online poker forum as Two Plus Two has announced that proper security is now in place and the site is online once again.

A computer miscreant who was able to compromise security and obtain emails and passwords of site members caused the poker forum to cease operations for slightly more than two weeks. The breach has now been rectified and players can once again spew their thoughts on everything poker at the site after first resetting their passwords.

NJ Online Gambling Bill Approved By Assembly

Charles Rettmuller — Fri, 11 May 2012 14:53:58 +0100

Despite recent reports that Gov. Chris Christie may be wavering in his support for Internet gambling in New Jersey, the Assembly Regulatory Oversight and Gaming Committee approved an online gambling bill on Thursday.

Bill A2578 now will move to a full floor vote along with a companion bill, S1565, which was approved by a Senate committee in April. New Jersey lawmakers, led by Sen. Raymond Lesniak, are still attempting to compete with Nevada in being the first state to legally offer online poker and gambling on an intrastate basis.

“We want to take the lead," Lesniak said. "We don’t want Nevada to take the lead.” Lesniak added that state coffers would have been $200 million richer had Christie not vetoed a similar bill in 2011, eGaming Review reported.

But Garden State legislators may again be thwarted by Christie, who is rumored to have political ambitions beyond his current role as governor. His name has been tossed around as a possible vice-presidential candidate alongside Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. Christie had said just a few months ago that he was in favor of online gambling provided that the Internet servers were located in Atlantic City. However, rumors are now circulating that he will delay any such decision until after the presidential election.

Part of the reason may be due to Las Vegas Sands chairman Sheldon Adelson, who is a huge contributor to the Republican party and has outspokenly denounced online gambling as being not in the best interests of Americans. Romney also made known his stance against online gambling in February.

It is unclear whether Christie will do what is right for his state or allow his political career to get in the way of approving online gambling in New Jersey. Sen. Lesniak, who has the backing of the Casino Association of New Jersey, as well as a good portion of his constituency, appears adamant about getting his proposal approved.

Online Gambling Increase Downplayed By AGA

Charles Rettmuller — Fri, 11 May 2012 01:07:29 +0100

The American Gaming Association (AGA) released its yearly survey of casino gambling in the United States that showed a rise in online gambling among respondents, but the AGA pooh-poohed the results as perhaps not being an accurate reflection of the true increase.

The survey looks at the forms of gambling enjoyed by Americans on a state-by-state basis. In 2011, which saw online poker participation among U.S. residents plummet due to the Black Friday shutdowns of PokerStars, Full Tilt and Absolute Poker, four percent of those polled admitted to placing an Internet wager, which was a significant gain from 2010's one percent.

“While the State of the States polling shows a slight uptick in Internet gambling participation, I wouldn’t read too much into the data,” AGA President Frank Fahrenkopf said. “The increase is within the 3.5 percent margin of error and the survey sample is fairly small. Therefore, it is not really clear if Internet gambling participation truly has increased significantly enough to draw broad conclusions from the data.”

This was the 14th annual edition of "State Of The States: The AGA Survey Of Casino Entertainment." With Nevada and a few other other states gearing up for legalized intrastate online poker in 2012, next year's AGA survey is bound to look a bit different, taking into account a regulated online poker and gambling market by a handful of states.

Titan Poker Pro Team Now At Zero

Charles Rettmuller — Thu, 10 May 2012 01:15:56 +0100

Although one of the top poker rooms on the iPoker Network, Titan Poker has ended its relationships with team pros Marvin Rettenmaier and Sam Trickett, leaving the poker site without representation by any professional poker players.

Titan made no formal announcement regarding the decision to deplete its pro roster, yet both players took to Twitter to inform the poker community about the amicable parting of ways. Trickett tweeted his departure on May 3, while Rettenmaier said this through his account last Sunday, “@titan_poker has decided to part ways with its Pro Team. I am very thankful for the opportunities and I had a great time representing them.”

Both players signed with Titan in March, 2010, and both also renewed their agreements last June to continue through 2011. Trickett had an incredible 2011 as a Titan pro, winning an Aussie Millions $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em event and taking second place a few days later in the $250,000 Super High Roller No-Limit Hold’em tourney. He also won the Partouche Poker Main Event in September in Cannes, France, and made final tables in events at the European Poker Tour as well as the 2011 WSOP Europe.

Rettenmaier cashed in 25 live tournaments last year, pocketing more than $600,000. The German pro recently won the €2,000 No-Limit Hold’em event held at the EPT Grand Final. Expect both pros to sign deals to represent other poker sites in the near future.

Unibet Revenues Skyrocket

Charles Rettmuller — Thu, 10 May 2012 00:26:51 +0100

Unibet Group PLC has enjoyed an outstanding 36% revenue increase in the first quarter of 2012 over the same period last year, taking in £51.12 million ($82.6m), compared to £37.50 million in 2011's first quarter, according to financial results released by the Nordic gambling company.

The poker offering at Unibet is accountable for roughly 8% of its revenue and saw an increase in those numbers from £3.98 million in the first three months in 2011 to £4.27 million for the same period this year.

“Even with the poker industry finding it more difficult to monetise its players effectively and hit a decent bottom line, Unibet Poker is achieving relatively good results and is very confident that the casual player strategy will succeed by putting Unibet in a very strong position for the future,” the company said in a statement.

Unibet recently purchased Bet24 and has also entered the high-speed fast-folding poker marketplace by launching Fast Poker. Since forming in 1997, Unibet has become one of the largest online gambling operators serving more than 6 million customers throughout approximately 100 different countries.

WSOP Promoting Chatter On TV

Charles Rettmuller — Wed, 09 May 2012 03:33:21 +0100

In an effort to make televised poker broadcasts more exciting for viewers watching at home, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) is encouraging players to engage in more table talk in discussing hands in progress.

Deciding that more back-and-forth between players makes for "good TV," WSOP officials are hoping that in heads-up all-in situations being shown on television, players will verbally reveal their hole cards and thought processes prior to deciding whether to call the bet. In recent years, players had been reticent to discuss hands still in play in accordance with WSOP regulations. The WSOP's flip-flop on the issue is aimed at livening things up and getting "a little more talking at the table," said WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel.

"We’d like to see more players talk at the table because we feel it's an integral part of the game," Effel added, while speaking to media members via a conference call that outlined several changes to WSOP rules. "If no other player in the hand has a decision to make, you can speak freely."

The WSOP has also flip-flopped its stance on exuberant celebration. Following a 2007 tournament event in which Hevad Khan became overly excited with joyful emotional outbursts, the WSOP rewrote the table rules in an attempt to tone down displays of emotion that were viewed as out of control. The rules have again been changed, citing the fact that "a poker room is not a church," allowing players to show their excitement in winning large sums of money, said WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart.

Pokerstars Launch Innovative Social Media Hand Replayer

Stewart Hardie — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:18:39 +0100

Meet Boomplayer, a newly developed piece of software integrated in to the Pokerstars client which allows users to share their hands with the world through Twitter and other social media sites at the click of a button.

Once again Stars are showing that they're ten steps ahead of the pack, continuing their innovative consolidation of their existing market. In an age of social media, the concept itself isn't groundbreaking, but of course the execution looks spot on and leaves one begging the question "Why is nobody else doing this?". The progression seems so obvious, yet other 'players' in the industry with undoubtedly large development budgets and room to manoeuvre seem to be lagging behind.

Improving the 'Fun' factor in poker

There's a lot of indsutry buzz right now about focusing on improving the user experience of the recreational player, and not just that of the gambler. We've heard rumours and murmurings of innovative developments from the likes of 888 and Bwin.Party, but other than the development of Aces Hangout, a Google+ based application allowing users to bring their home game online and interactive (which admiteddly looks rather awesome), we haven't seen much else.

The general Industry vibe is one of innovative, adapt, or die. It's refreshing, and it's really the attitude we need to ensure the long term viability of the industry and to achieve a more welcoming, enjoyable and sustainable experience for online poker players.

Bwin.Party Partners With California Indian Tribes

Charles Rettmuller — Tue, 08 May 2012 03:52:37 +0100

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment has entered into a partnership with a California tribal gaming community in anticipation of regulated online poker in the state.

The U.K.-based online gambling company has joined forces with California’s United Auburn Indian Community (UAIC), signing a 10-year operating agreement to be prepared when online poker is legalized in the nation's most populous state.

"Combining our own significant assets and resources with those of UAIC will create a strong partnership that is well-placed to seize the opportunities that will arise if appropriate online poker legislation is enacted in the Golden State,” Norbert Teufelberger and Jim Ryan, Bwin.Party co-CEOs, said jointly in a press release.

Bwin.Party has already partnered with MGM Resorts in Nevada and is prepared to offer online poker in the Silver State under that alliance. Its new allegiance with UAIC, operators of Thunder Valley Casino Resort, continues the company's mission to gain a strong foothold in the U.S. online poker marketplace.

The proposed online gambling bill in California, SB1463, is currently undergoing revisions by its sponsors, Sen. Roderick Wright (D-Inglewood) and State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), to appease various cardrooms and powerful Indian tribes. The issues being rewritten include the $30 million licensing fee thats payable in only three years, as well as deciding who will be allowed to apply for the coveted online gambling licenses.

The legislative session in California ends August 31. If SB1463 has not passed through the legislature by that time, the process will start from scratch next year. Amendments to the bill are expected to be completed soon. Though there is considerable in-fighting among the state's gambling interests and past attempts at online gambling regulations have failed, the Golden State's budget deficit in excess of $9 billion is spurring lawmakers to accomplish the task of approving Internet gambling legislation.

Lock Poker To Launch Revolution Gaming Network

Charles Rettmuller — Tue, 08 May 2012 00:54:01 +0100

Lock Poker has officially announced that it will purchase the assets of the Cake Network and re-brand the new entity as Revolution Gaming effective June 1.

In a press release informing players of the acquisition and upcoming changes, including leaving the Merge Network, Lock CEO Jennifer Larson said that the expanding poker site has "outgrown" the Merge Network and that Lock must "forge our own path to continued success."

Lock has assured its current players that the transition to the Revolution Gaming Network will be problem-free, requiring only a software update on May 31. Account balances and VIP statuses will remain intact, but Lock is promising increased rakeback percentages for players on the new network. Details regarding the percentage amounts have yet to be released. Lock's marketing strategy for Revolution Gaming will focus on "player rewards and implementing a richer tournament schedule," as well as continuing with its core philosophy of "partnering with our players."

An upheaval of market share is expected among poker rooms and networks that are still accepting U.S. players. The Merge Network is currently 1st on that list according to PokerScout tabulations, but the loss of Lock Poker, one of the largest skins on the network, will undoubtedly erode that ranking. At the moment, the Cake Network trails both Merge and Bodog in player traffic of U.S.-friendly poker rooms, but with Lock taking over Cake with a master plan of enticing a greater number of players by offering greater rewards, the new Revolution Gaming Network is poised to grab a significant piece of the market share.

The two largest skins currently on the Cake Network, Intertops and Cake Poker, are believed to be set to operate as skins on the Revolution Gaming Network, although the press release made no mention of that detail. Lock Poker, which had established its own stand-alone cashier on the Merge Network to escape the 3-5 week cashout time frame that players on Merge had to endure, did promise players that withdrawing funds "will be as fast and easy as they are now." With the additional player traffic expected at the Revolution Gaming Network, only time will tell if that promise will be kept.

Lock Poker To Purchase Cake Network And Abandon Merge

Charles Rettmuller — Mon, 07 May 2012 01:48:31 +0100

Lock Poker will be leaving the Merge Gaming Network and is acquiring the Cake Network, with grand plans to re-brand its new acquisition and incorporate a new philosophy designed to attract more players.

In a move that industry insiders saw coming following Merge's sudden cancellation of Lock Poker's LOCKOPS tournament series this month and the fact that Lock had instituted its own cashier independent of other network skins on Merge, Lock Poker will leave the Merge Network and its slow cashout times behind, Gambling911 has reported.

In taking control of the Cake Network, industry scuttlebutt has it that Cake and Intertops Poker, the marquee brand on the network, will continue to be run as individual rooms. It is believed that the growing stable of Lock Pros, including the latest member to join the team, World Series of Poker Europe Main Event champion Annette Obrestad, will have a pivotal role on the new network.

Players looking for the best bonuses and rewards are advised to keep an eye on these developments, as Lock is said to be contemplating many such changes that will add to its growing popularity, including an enhanced tournament schedule and higher rakeback percentages.

The Cake Network was purchased by PokerListings.com just prior to Black Friday and currently sits in 23rd place on PokerScout's ranking of sites according to player traffic. The Merge Gaming Network is in 8th place on that list, but is 1st overall in networks that currently accept U.S. players. With Lock set to leave Merge, expect its player traffic to plummet. And with an anticipated marketing drive and additional incentives to entice players to be introduced by Lock for the Cake Network, the player traffic and market share for rooms that allow Americans is poised to change dramatically.

However, this may all be for naught in the future when U.S. legislation takes hold, as U.S. players will most certainly favor sites that are safely regulated and located in their own backyard and not overseas. Apparently, Lock feels that they can make a splash in the marketplace. Perhaps a collaboration with a Nevada or New Jersey casino may not be far behind in order to remain a player in the U.S. marketplace following the anticipated online poker legislation in the U.S.

Even though Lock currently has its own payment processing procedures in place, will they be able to handle the influx of additional players of the entire Cake Network? The reason that they established their own cashier in the first place was to make life better for their players who were experiencing 3-5 week cashout times at Merge. Let's hope that their growing independence and philosophy of doing right by their players will continue as they take on this new challenge.

Table Limit Increased For Zoom Poker Players

Charles Rettmuller — Sat, 05 May 2012 02:03:46 +0100

PokerStars has increased the maximum amount of tables permitted to be played on Zoom Poker, the fast-folding variant of Full Tilt's Rush Poker.

Fast-acting multi-tablers can now seat themselves at eight Zoom cash tables simultaneously. Previously, PokerStars' policy was to allow a maximum of 24 non-Zoom tables to be played at one time by multi-tablers. Under that format, one Zoom table was seen as the equivalent to four regular speed ring game tables. The new limit amends the equivalency factor to only three cash tables per a single Zoom table.

Also, the 24-table maximum is no longer a hard and fast rule thanks to Randy "nanonoko" Lew, who set a Guinness World Record in January for playing the most online poker hands in an eight-hour period and turning a profit. The multi-tabling expert was allowed to go over the 24-table limit for his marathon, playing nearly 40 tables at some points, racking up 23,493 hands in his record-setting adventure. Lew turned a profit of $7.65, averaging 48.94 hands per minute and 2,936.63 hands each hour. But the statistic probably most important to multi-tablers is the 22,784 Frequent Player Points (FPPs) that Lew accumulated in his eight-hour workday.

Lew's accomplishment was indirectly responsible for PokerStars' updating its software and subjecting players to an automated system that allows for the maximum number of tables to exceed 24 if a player can act quicker than the average allotted time. Players who act slower than average will also see their maximum table limit reduced. Also, players are allowed to mix and match Zoom tables with regular speed table action.

Popular Online Poker Forum Remains Mum

Charles Rettmuller — Fri, 04 May 2012 00:32:15 +0100

2 + 2, the popular online poker forum where players spew their thoughts and observations on everything poker, will remain silent until sometime next week as a result of a computer hacker who may have gained access to the accounts of the site's users on April 26.

Although the rest of the website's offerings, such as the online magazine and forum archives, remain accessible, the forum allowing players to express their views will not be available until proper security features are in place.

“We want everybody to know that we want to get it back up as soon as it can come back up," said 2 + 2 owner Mason Malmuth. "Things are being worked on. We will bring it up when we can.”

Although it is not known how many emails or passwords may have been breached by the computer miscreant, the website advises players to change passwords, including those passwords on other sites that may be identical to 2 + 2 passwords.

PokerStars To Give Limit Hold'em Some Respect

Charles Rettmuller — Thu, 03 May 2012 07:01:06 +0100

Although limit hold'em has often been treated as the red-headed stepchild of the poker world, PokerStars is attempting to change that image by hosting a Limit Hold'em Challenge featuring a heads-up match between Daniel Negreanu and rUaBot, an online limit hold'em specialist.

Scheduled for May 5 at 2 pm, the two poker legends will face-off by playing 1,250 hands on two tables at stakes of $200/$400 with bankrolls of $75,000 each.

rUaBot, who chooses to keep his real identity under wraps, feels that the limit game should get more respect among poker strategists. "In my opinion, fixed limit is more strategic than no limit," rUaBot said. "In no-limit, you always have some guessing games like 'would he bluff here or wouldn't he?.' Of course, such situations often happen in fixed-limit, too, but there is much more space for general strategic adaptions than in no-limit."

A scan of just about any online poker site lobby clearly shows that players prefer no-limit by a wide margin over fixed-limit action. However, there has always been and probably always will be that segment of players who enjoy limit poker. With the trend in online poker as of late toward enhancing the game for recreational players, its surprising that fixed limit still gets a bit of the short shrift. Perhaps the Limit Hold'em Challenge can begin to change that.

Tapie Planning New Online Poker Site

Charles Rettmuller — Wed, 02 May 2012 01:41:38 +0100

In the wake of the failed negotiations to purchase Full Tilt Poker between Group Bernard Tapie and the U.S. Department of Justice, Laurent Tapie has sent an email to Full Tilt employees that were working on a relaunching of the site, expressing his desire to start a new online poker room.

Audacious attempt to hire Full Tilt staff

Not wanting the more than half a year spent in negotiations with the DOJ and FTP to go to waste, Tapie has asked all key personnel of Pocket Kings, the parent company of FTP, to join him in his latest endeavor of launching a new website "that will be best of breed in 6-7 months," it was reported by Diamond Flush Poker.

The younger Tapie explained in his email that following the breakdown in negotiations and as an alternate plan, he offered FTP honcho Ray Bitar the option to "license the {FTP} assets on a temporary basis, in order to relaunch the site, preserve the value of the assets and participate in an eventual auction as a bidder in the future." Tapie believes it would be legal to do this, in spite of FTP's insolvency. However, Bitar apparently consults with DOJ officials on all such matters and would not agree to this proposal without the DOJ's blessing.

Tapie's latest business model is to use the funds designated for the FTP purchase in launching a new poker room under his Game Cubed company in Ireland, provided that the Pocket Kings' staff joins him at their current salaries with additional stock options. The plan also calls for Full Tilt players throughout the world (except the U.S.) to be given the option to "recover their lost balances" just as they would have under the failed acquisition plan, if they sign up and play poker at the new site.

Tapie ambitious

In urging Pocket Kings employees to sign non-disclosure agreements and partner up with him in this endeavor, Laurent Tapie says, "I have the money to make this happen" and that he is in contact with Alderney licensing officials to secure a license and to work out a repayment plan. In conclusion, Tapie asks for commitments from key Pocket Kings staff expeditiously in order to "build the best poker site in the business."

It is not clear at this time how many, if any, Pocket Kings personnel will team up with Tapie in this venture. Although their job security is currently not very stable, the choices of remaining with Pocket Kings and possibly working as PokerStars employees if the reported deal becomes final, or joining Tapie's new online poker site, seems to be a no-brainer, as PokerStars appears to be the model of efficiency in operating a business. Also, building a new site from the ground up takes time, certainly more than the 6-7 months that Tapie has estimated.

Affiliate plans

Tapie says " I am also negotiating with Poker Strategy to resurrect an affiliate arrangement similar to that which I was negotiating with FTP."

It's yet to be confirmed whether or not the E-mail / source reporting this news is legitimate, but if true the plans would only proceed if the right people decided to take the leap of faith with GBT as mentioned. If that did happened, it would surely go some way to ruffle the feathers of Pokerstars and we could see a new player join the game.

Tapie Shafted In Full Tilt Purchase?

Charles Rettmuller — Tue, 01 May 2012 05:14:43 +0100

The negotiations between Full Tilt Poker and Group Bernard Tapie were broken off last week apparently over GBT's insistence in being allowed more than 90 days in which to pay back all players. The U.S. Department of Justice seemingly felt that 90 days was an adequate time frame within which to accomplish full reimbursement.

However, GBT's attorney, Behn Dayanim, claims that he told the DOJ in February that more time than three months would be required to make full repayment, PocketFives reported. Dayanim also added what everybody probably already knows, that "deals don't come together in a few days." In other words, PokerStars could not have been sitting idly by while the DOJ was in the midst of working out a deal with Tapie and Full Tilt. Then, when the deal fell through over the 90-day payback period, PokerStars moved in and made an offer for $750 million to acquire the assets of Full Tilt and pay back players in 90 days? Just like that an agreement was brokered after months of negotiations with GBT? Highly unlikely.

Was GBT negotiating in good faith while the DOJ was not? Was the Tapie Group used as a bargaining chip for the DOJ in their talks with PokerStars?

Business deals of this magnitude are very complex, especially when assets being acquired are still mired in legal proceedings. But it certainly seems quite fishy that Pokerstars would swoop in immediately after talks break down with GBT and have a deal in place to acquire Full Tilt. There had to be negotiations going on with PokerStars prior to the failed deal with Tapie.

GBT was in the process of acquiring a gaming license with the AGCC, had set up new subsidiary companies with Full Tilt names, and was undertaking massive hiring in preparation of relaunching. That's quite optimistic in regards to whether they thought a deal was imminent. Common sense tells you that you wouldn't commence with those actions without a strong likelihood that the acquisition would be successful.

Did GBT get played?

Although not an expert on business ethics, it certainly seems like Tapie got played by the DOJ on this deal. According to their lawyer, the DOJ knew two months ago that a 90-day payback period was unworkable. Maybe in secret negotiations between PokerStars and the DOJ that the public was not aware of, PokerStars agreed to this time frame and other considerations that made the deal with PokerStars better than the one with GBT, at least from the DOJ's perspective. It certainly is better in the eyes of most poker players who will apparently be fully reimbursed within 90 days of a finalized agreement.

Only time will tell if PokerStars' purchase of Full Tilt and their continued dominance in the online poker market will be good for the industry as a whole. We apparently will never know how the market would have shaped up with GBT running Full Tilt. However, something is not quite right with the way the negotiations suddenly broke off and all of a sudden its PokerStars to the rescue. It certainly looks as if Group Tapie may have gotten shafted on this deal.

PokerTableRatings To Allow Players To Control Profiles

Charles Rettmuller — Tue, 01 May 2012 01:12:31 +0100

PokerTableRatings has introduced a new option called PTR Link that will allow players to customize and have more control over their player profiles.

Currently in beta testing, the latest feature will permit players to create a biography, add an image as an avatar, and to edit or delete comments made by other players. In the past, opponents had been able to make whatever comments they so desired on a player's PTR profile, which often contained derisive and spiteful remarks that did nothing but berate and insult players.

The new Link is available to players with accounts at PTR's featured networks of Merge, Cake, OnGame, iPoker and PartyPoker. PTR is working on expanding the features available at PTR Link to include privacy settings and increased customization.

The launching of PTR Link is a direct result of PokerStars' recent demands that PokerTableRatings stop using the profiles of its players. Less than two weeks ago, PTR finally acquiesced to the threat of legal action issued by PokerStars and removed the world's top poker room from its database. PTR is said to be developing an opt-in or opt-out feature that will fully allow players to decide whether their playing statistics can be public information, hoping to once again be able to include PokerStars' players in its database.

Poker Legend Amarillo Slim, 83, Dies

Charles Rettmuller — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 04:08:31 +0100

Four-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner and 1992 Poker Hall of Fame inductee Amarillo Slim has passed away at the age of 83 after a long illness.

Born Thomas Austin Preston, Jr. on December 31, 1928, in Johnson, Arkansas, the colorful player known for his proposition bets and Stetson cowboy hats, won the WSOP Main Event in 1972 in the third year of its staging against a field of only eight players. Following his victory, Preston made appearances on "The Tonight Show," "60 Minutes" and had a cameo role in the film "California Split." The story of his life was said to be an inspiration for the popular poker song, "The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers.

Preston also won a Texas Hold'em WSOP event in 1974, as well as pot-limit Omaha tournaments in 1985 and 1990. His last cashout in a WSOP tourney was in 2008, bringing his career earnings in WSOP events to well over half a million dollars. However, Preston's lifetime earnings are said to be much loftier than that total due to his prowess in cash game poker action.

Preston, Brian "Sailor" Roberts and Doyle Brunson were Texas road gamblers in their younger days, traveling around the state and playing in underground, barroom poker games prior to making their way to Las Vegas. Many accounts of Amarillo Slim's experiences playing poker on the road have been chronicled in his 2003 book entitled "Amarillo Slim in a World of Fat People."

In 2003, Preston faced felony charges of indecency with a child that were eventually reduced to misdemeanor assault charges to which he pled no contest in order to avoid further embarrassment to himself and his family. Although maintaining his innocence, the allegations caused him to be shunned from certain members of the poker community.

Preston's family issued a statement via the WSOP website that said, "We hope everyone will remember our beloved Amarillo Slim for all the positive things he did for poker and to popularize his favorite game, Texas Hold'em."

Calif Tribes Strongly Oppose Current Online Gambling Bill

Charles Rettmuller — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 11:45:48 +0100

The Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations (TASIN) sent a letter to the California lawmakers sponsoring the Golden State's current online gambling proposal and requested that the authors amend several key elements of the measure to appease the state's tribal gaming interests.

TASIN, which consists of nine tribal governments in Southern California recognized by federal authorities, said that SB1463, as proposed by President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacremento) and Senator Roderick Wright (D-Inglewood) "is deeply flawed and undermines tribal sovereignty and the progress toward self-sufficiency that California tribal governments have achieved."

The letter touched on five key areas that the Indian tribes request to be amended, which are: that tribal sovereignty demands respect and the bill's blanket waiver of Indian tribes' sovereign immunity is not acceptable; Internet gambling licenses should go to only tribes and card rooms that currently offer poker; the bill should be poker only and not add other online casino games after two years as is currently proposed; to not violate the exclusive provisions of current compacts between the state and Indian tribes; and to do away with the bill's proposal to amend the terms of the online gambling licenses after three years.

Other tribes in California, including those not represented by TASIN, seem to be in agreement on SB1463's purported lack of respect shown to tribal interests. The various tribes in the state don't always see eye-to-eye on issues, but are united in their displeasure with SB1463. Chief among their concerns is lack of being properly consulted on the matter, as well as being viewed by lawmakers as commercial businesses instead of sovereign entities. The California Tribal Business Alliance (CTBA) has also come out against the proposal, calling it an “inferior legislative product,” said Leslie Lohse, CTBA’s chairwoman. Lohse also added that if approved in its current form, the measure would constitute a “harsh slap in the face” to California Indian gaming interests.

The state's tribes and card rooms vehemently oppose allowing California's horse-racing industry to be granted a license for offering online poker. However, the state's largest racetrack is in the legislative district of Sen. Wright. It is hard to fathom that one of the bill's sponsors would agree to a proposal that would seemingly ignore his most loyal constituency. Whether the proposed bill is amended or not, it's safe to say that any online gambling legislation introduced in America's most populous state will be hard-pressed to satisfy all of the parties or interests involved.

PokerStars Launches Mobile App For European Players

Charles Rettmuller — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 01:45:51 +0100

With their purchase of Full Tilt Poker rumored to be near completion, PokerStars made another move aimed at dominating the online poker market by launching an application that allows European players to play poker on their mobile devices.

Following successful launches in U.K. and Italy recently, PokerStars Mobile is now available in Sweden, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Finland and France. The world's top poker site introduced the client to users of PokerStars.eu last week, and made the app available for PokerStars.fr players this week.

Offering real-money poker action in Texas Hold'em and Omaha, players can download the app free of charge and play in the same cash games, tournaments and SitNGos on their mobile devices that they have enjoyed on both their desktop computers and laptops. Features available include the recall of hand histories, as well as multi-tabling capabilities of either four or five tables depending on the mobile device utilised.

In addition to the app for playing poker on the go, the industry's leader in Internet poker has also released a PokerStars TV app available on Apple devices that features TV shows, new and classic PokerStars videos of major online and live events, and more.

Bay State Online Poker Bill May Favor Everest Poker

Charles Rettmuller — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 04:22:40 +0100

Everest Poker, an independent international poker site operating out of Malta and France, is hoping to enter the U.S. marketplace in Massachusetts by working in tandem with the lawmaker proposing an online poker bill in the Bay State.

Rep. Dan Winslow (R-Norfolk) has introduced legislation allowing for three intrastate Internet poker licenses to be issued in the state. An amendment to the proposal calls for any license applicant who has taken Internet wagers from U.S. customers following passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in 2006 to be denied licensure. Everest Poker refused to accept bets from American players post-UIGEA, and with an established office in Massachusetts, seems to be poised to secure one of the three licenses available if lawmakers approve Winslow's proposal.

"The bill presents Massachusetts with a great opportunity to be a pioneer in legalizing Internet poker in the U.S., and there’s no question that Everest Poker is better positioned than any other operator to take advantage of that opportunity,” said Everest Gaming CEO Tim Dent.

Catering mainly to the European market, Everest Poker currently ranks 10th in player traffic among worldwide sites, according to PokerScout. It is also eyeing developments in New Jersey and Nevada in hopes of splashing the pot and making a name for itself in several anticipated U.S. intrastate markets.

888 Poker Showing Explosive Growth

Charles Rettmuller — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 03:01:07 +0100

888 Holdings released a financial statement this week that show the poker arm of the company's gambling offerings up an astonishing 88% in the first quarter of 2012 from the same period last year.

The jump in revenue is attributable mainly to increased player traffic, with 888 Poker now recording 405,000 active poker players, which is 83% more than the pre-Black Friday tabulations of last April. This is welcome news to shareholders, who now enjoy 73% more value per share.

"Our focused strategy has led to another excellent quarter, with ongoing strength in poker driving March to the highest ever monthly revenues in the history of 888," 888 CEO Brian Mattingly said in a press release.

With 888 Poker expected to be a player in new U.S. gambling markets in individual states such as Nevada and New Jersey sometime this year through a partnership agreement with Caesar's Entertainment, revenues may increase even further. 888 currently ranks fourth in online poker traffic, trailing only PokerStars, iPoker and PartyPoker.