Boris Becker turns Poker celebrity

Former Wimbledon Tennis star Boris Becker is the latest poker celebrity. Becker is known for having been the youngest player ever to win the men’s singles final almost 25 years back. Now at 42, he is showing his never ending competitive spirit in the poker game and tables and has turned into a pro.

Becker’s tryst with Poker started after a tennis match was cancelled due to heavy rain and he started playing card games with his tennis colleagues. Becker now, looks forward to playing in Dortmund, his hometown, and then in the Tour de grand final at Monte Carlo.

According to reports, Becker had been trying to enhance his poker skills for a while with the aim of becoming a real international poker star. We believe he has what it takes as Becker is used to pressured tennis and Poker is certainly a pressure game. Poker might coincide with tennis skills as they are both sports that require a clear and calm head, collected and continuous anticipation of your opponent’s moves. It also, like tennis involves a lot of traveling.

WSOP: Michael Davis Wins Seniors Championship

Michael Davis had plans to move to Las Vegas due to its warmer winters compared to home state Iowa. Talk about making a statement when coming to town.

Davis was able to beat Scott Buller and his impressive chip lead to win the USD 1,000 Seniors No Limit Hold’em World Championship (Event 43), USD 437,358, and the World Series of Poker gold bracelet Wednesday night.

“I sold my (home inspection) business last week, now I don’t have a job to go home to,” Davis, 58, joked after the win.

Davis won the championship when his A 9 was able to beat out Buller’s A J . The flop came down 4 3 5 , but the 9 on the turn put Davis ahead. A jack or a deuce would keep the game going, but the 4 on the river ended the tournament and gave Davis the win.

The 2-1 chip lead Buller had as he and Davis began heads-up play quickly swapped. Davis raised from the button with A A and Buller went for the knock out, re-raising all in with 9 9 . Davis jumped even further ahead hitting the A on the flop, and Buller was unable to catch up.

Davis was able to pull closer to Buller’s massive chip lead by eliminating Barry Bounds to face Buller heads up. Bounds moved all in with A 6 and Davis called with A Q . The flop came down 4 2 7 and Bounds would need a six or runner-runner for a straight. The 5 hit on the turn to give him a two-way straight draw on the turn and when the 8 came on the river he turned around and gave former Main Event Champion Tom McEvoy, who had been sweating him the entire day, a high five, not realizing the card gave Davis a flush. Bounds left with USD 179,210 for finishing third.

“I got lucky,” Davis said. “Both those guys played great. Everybody at that table deserved to win. “I feel I was lucky during the entire tournament,” he said. “It was unbelievable fun.”

The tournament, held specifically for players at least 50 years old, had a record field with 2,707 creating a prize pool of USD 2,463,700. This was the second time Davis entered in the event, finishing 115th last year.

“I figured I’m not getting any younger,” he said. “Make it a yearly pilgrimage.”

As with most final tables at the WSOP, the last 10 were going to combine, but as one table said good bye to Ted Garner in 11th, Mitch Garshofsky was all in at the other table and lost the hand. So, instead of playing down to the official final table, Davis, Buller, Bounds, Dan Delatorre, Robert Beck, Michael Morusty, Richard McCall, Art Duncan, and Charles Simon made their last table change to play for the gold bracelet.

The group played only for a few minutes before going on dinner break, and played only a few hands before losing three players.

Beck was the first eliminated when he moved in with top pair against a set. Holding K J , he pushed on the J 6 8 flop and Morusty instantly called, holding 6 6 . Needing another running cards, the turn and river came 9 and Q , sending Beck out in ninth, collecting USD 53,208.

Then, almost immediately after, McCall was knocked out, again, with top pair. He made his move with Q J on the board of Q 7 2 , but DeLatorre made the call with K J . Like Beck, McCall would need runner-runner for a full house, but the K and 6 eliminated him in eighth. He won USD 56,903.

The third elimination of the table came about 20 minutes after play resumed when Duncan was knocked out. He re-raised Simon, who opened from under the gun, with K J , and Simon made the call with K Q . The A Q 6 flop gave Simon a pair, but Duncan was able to improve his odds to win by picking up the straight draw with four outs instead of the three he would have had with the jacks. The next two streets, however, came 3 , 9 , and Duncan was sent to the rail in seventh, winning USD 64,047.

After the Razz tournament wrapped up at the feature table, the seniors made their move to the stage. The bright lights, however, were unkind to DeLatorre as he was the next to leave. He made a push from under the gun with Q 4 hoping to get the blinds and antes, but Morusty, to his right, had kings. The board ran out 8 3 2 6 8 and the K K of Morusty stood up. Delatorre took USD 76,118 for the sixth place finish.

Simon was eliminated soon after as well. He moved all in from the small blind after Buller raised from under the gun. Simon’s A Q was the underdog to Buller’s A K going to the flop, which came down J 6 2 . The K gave Simon a straight draw to a ten, and the 9 on the river gave him and the crowd some excitement, but was ultimately not enough. He finished in fifth for USD 95,332.

But the excitement and disappointment from that hand was no match for the next elimination. Morusty re-raised Buller’s under the gun raise from the big blind and Buller moved all in, which Morusty instantly called. The crowd went insane when Morusty flipped over A A , which was a huge favorite to Buller’s A K . The audience was much calmer when the flop came K 3 8 . They almost cried when the 4 hit on the turn, and Buller channeled the excitement they used to have. The river came with another club, 7 , and Morusty was out. He took USD 126,863 for the fourth-place finish, and Buller took a dominating chip lead three-handed.

Final table results and payouts
1. Michael Davis - USD 437,358
2. Scott Buller - USD 268,507
3. Barry Bounds - USD 179,210
4. Michael Morusty - USD 126,863
5. Charles Simon - USD 95,332
6. Dan Delatorre - USD 76,118
7. Art Duncan - USD 64,047
8. Richard McCall - USD 56,903
9. Robert Beck - USD 53,208

WSOP: Kabbaj Puts The Kabosh On The Field

Two hundred and seventy five players sat down Tuesday for the USD 10,000 World Championship Pot Limit Hold ‘em (Event 45). Only a small field of 85 took to the felt at the beginning of Day 2, and by end of play on Wednesday evening only 14 were left standing.

At the end of the night it was John Kabbaj who sat at the top of the leader board with a massive stack of 2,026,000. JC Alvarado and Billy Kopp were not far behind with healthy stacks of 924,000 and 772,000 respectively.

Kabbaj has made his second cash of the 2009 World Series of poker and will be aiming to take his first WSOP gold bracelet.

Tucked away in a far corner a stacked tabled developed which included Isaac Haxton, Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, Darryll Fish and Bobby Firestone.

Haxton shot himself up the board when he led-out with a bet of 53,000 on the turn of a board that read [10s] 8 Q 9 . Action folded all the way around the table to Dmitry Gromov, who was seated to Haxton’s right. The bet sent Gromov into the tank for several minutes and a small crowd of players gathered around the table. Gromov eventually slid his remaining 135,000 into the middle and Haxton snap-called. Gromov flipped over [Jx] [10x] for gut-shot straight but Haxton turned over the nuts, J K , making the higher straight. Gromov’s hope for one of three outs for a chopped pot ended when the 5 hit on the river. Gromov made his way to the rail and left Haxton with a healthy stack of 410,000.

Grospellier was severely short stacked when he was dealt Q Q . He moved his small stack of 10,000 into the middle and was called by Firestone who showed A K . The very first card on the flop, the A set the stage for Grospellier’s exit. The remainder of the board ran out 7 5 8 9 and the current number one ranked player was done for the day.

Firestone’s victory did not last long. Ten minutes later he ran his pocket nines into Haxton’s pocket tens. Haxton raised from under the gun, Firestone moved all-in on the button and Haxton made the call. The board of 7 A 4 6 3 failed to improve either player’s hand and Firestone was wheeled away.

Michiel Brummelhuis of Netherlands began Day 2 as the chip leader and stayed in the lead till around 9 p.m. Brummelhuis lost his lead when Bryn Kenney took down a monster pot against Andrew Feldman at another table.

Once his lead was lost Brummelhuis was unable to reclaim it and was eventually sent to the rail by Alvarado. Alvarado dealt Brummelhuis his first serious blow of the tournament a few hands earlier, when Alvarado moved all-in with pocket Jacks. Brummelhuis made the call and showed A 6 but the board ran dry and Alvarado’s Jacks held up. Brummelhuis made his fourth cash of the 2009 WSOP.

The remaining 14 players will return Thursday at 1 p.m. to play for top prize of $633,335 and a WSOP bracelet.

WSOP: Mark Tenner Grabs Lead As Day 2 Ends

Day 2 of the USD 2,500 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better (Event 46) ended with Mark Tenner in the lead. Play began Monday with 425 players but only 196 returned for play on Tuesday. When the chips were bagged at the end of the night only 23 remained.

Tenner ended the night with 285,000 in chips and made his eighth World Series of Poker career cash. Tenner will be aiming to take down his first WSOP bracelet.

The underdog story of the night went to Frenchman Patrice Boudet who was playing in his first Omaha 8 tournament. Boudet began Day 2 with the shortest chip stack, a mere 2,500. After many ups and downs throughout the day he was sitting on one of the biggest stack in play at 205,000.

Something was amiss in the Amazon Room as players seemed to be out of sorts, confused and argumentative throughout the tournament.

At table 77 a shouting match ensued when Fabio Coppola insisted he should have won the low half of the pot that was awarded to John Juanda. With four cards on the board Juanda had two pairs with a bad low, but was awarded the pot when Coppola mucked his cards. Coppola insisted he had Ace-deuce, which would have given him the low and that half the pot was his.

The dealer, Juanda and most of the table argued that it did not matter what Coppola may have had in his hands, when he did not show his cards his hand was dead. Coppola refused to concede and the floor was called. “It’s real simple,” the floorman told Coppola. “If you don’t table your cards, you don’t have a live hand. You must table your cards. The whole pot goes to John.”

When moved to table 80 Coppola accused the dealer of cold-decking him. “It’s obvious you’re setting me up. I haven’t won a hand since you sat down,” he yelled. The dealer insisted he was not cold-decking or cheating in any other way but it was not enough. Coppola soon started mucking every hand dealt to him, and did not let up until a new dealer took a seat at the table.

Later at table 72 the issue of tabling hands came up again. A player claimed he was entitled to half the pot, but the dealer insisted the hand was dead because the player did not table the cards.

The floor was again called and this time took to reviewing the tapes to determine if the player had tabled the cards. In the end the floor ruled the cards had not been tabled and the hand was dead. Like Coppola, the player was not awarded half the pot he claimed to have won.

More drama was found at table 86 when Todd Brunson and an opponent were in a pot on a board reading 9 6 5 Q K . Brunson turned over Q Q [10d] 9 and the opponent proclaimed “I have a straight” as he flipped over A 2 [10s] 7 . The dealer double checked the hand before telling the player “You have nothing.” The player was sure he had Brunson beat and insisted “I have a straight. Five, six, seven, nine. Oh, wait.” The dealer then slid the chips to Brunson.

The remaining 23 players will return tomorrow at 1 p.m. to play down to a final table. The winner will take home an amount just shy of USD 230,000 and a WSOP bracelet.

Excalibur Removes Automatic Poker Tables

The Excalibur Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas will be going back to a traditional setup and live dealers as it will be removing the touch-screen poker playing monitors from its poker room.

The hotel’s parent company, MGM Mirage and tablemaker PokerTek Inc. said all the tables will be removed by July 5.

The touch screen poker games allow players to control the action at the tables with no chips, cards or dealers. MGM officials have found that players prefer playing at live dealer tables instead of automatic tables.

2009 WSOP: Tom Thomas Tops Seniors #43

It’s down to the last 28 in the 2009 World Series of Poker Event #43, $1,000 Seniors World Championship. Tom Thomas leads the 50-and-over set with 917,000 in chips, followed by Charles Simon with 626,000, Scott Buller with 541,000, and John Bennett with 487,000. Each remaining competitor is already guaranteed cash of at least USD 10,149. Those making the final table will receive a minimum of USD 53,208, while the winner gets USD 437,358 and a WSOP bracelet.

Day 2 began at 2:00 p.m. with 397 of the original 2,707 veteran players left. The usual practice this year is to play down to a final table or until 3:00 a.m., whichever comes first. However, in deference to the reduced average stamina that comes with advancing years, tournament officials made a last minute decision to end play at the end of Level 20, which occurred at about 2:15 a.m.

David Tuffing took an early chip lead, being the first to pass the 100,000 mark, after he flopped a set in the hole and the flop. He was paid off handsomely by an opponent who couldn’t get away from top pair/top kicker. The money bubble was reached just before 5:00 p.m. Two players — Mark Dolan and Charles Glorioso — went out at the same time during hand-for-hand play, but from different tables, meaning that they split the 270th-place prize money of USD 1,921, for USD 960 a piece.

As it usually happens, there was a flurry of bust-outs after that point. In fact, the players were exiting at such a clip that the field lost another 170 over the next four hours — just under one per minute, on average. “Minneapolis” Jim Meehan was eliminated in 206th place (USD 2,044). With blinds and antes at 100/2000/300 in Level 14, he pushed his last 21,000 chips into the pot from the button and was called by the small blind. Meehan couldn’t pair either of his overcards when the board came and he hit the rail.

1986 Main Event champion Berry Johnston was taken out in 185th place, good for USD 2,044, though details of his final hand were not recorded. Similarly, we know that Barbara Enright took USD 2,621 for her 76th-place finish, but not how the hand went down. Noted tournament director Jack McClelland took a rough road to the exit. He took his stand preflop with A-K against a player holding just A-J. He didn’t want to see his namesake card hit the board, but that’s just what happened, and that jack sent McClelland to the exit in 132nd place, worth USD 2,414. Overnight chip leader Lloyd Shinn couldn’t keep up the pace and went out in 130th, taking home USD 2,414.

This is not the crowd in which one would expect to see official penalties handed out for lack of decorum. But Adolfo “Speedy” Gonzalez was given one for excessive celebration. At least he had a good reason for his exuberance when he hit a two-outer on the river. His , all in preflop, was way behind his opponent’s after the flop came , and the turn didn’t help either. It was the river that launched Gonzalez into a screaming outburst of “Oh yeah! Ship it! I told you! Ship it!” as he ran around in circles and hugged random onlookers. In one of the last hands of the night, Gonzalez won another race, beating the exact same , this time with in the hole, receiving a much-needed double-up. Nevertheless, he will return for Day 3 as one of the shortest stacks, at 107,000.

The remaining players will reassemble at 1:00 p.m. PDT Wednesday and continue until a winner is determined.

2009 WSOP: Tom Thomas Tops Seniors #43

It’s down to the last 28 in the 2009 World Series of Poker Event #43, $1,000 Seniors World Championship. Tom Thomas leads the 50-and-over set with 917,000 in chips, followed by Charles Simon with 626,000, Scott Buller with 541,000, and John Bennett with 487,000. Each remaining competitor is already guaranteed cash of at least USD 10,149. Those making the final table will receive a minimum of USD 53,208, while the winner gets USD 437,358 and a WSOP bracelet.

Day 2 began at 2:00 p.m. with 397 of the original 2,707 veteran players left. The usual practice this year is to play down to a final table or until 3:00 a.m., whichever comes first. However, in deference to the reduced average stamina that comes with advancing years, tournament officials made a last minute decision to end play at the end of Level 20, which occurred at about 2:15 a.m.

David Tuffing took an early chip lead, being the first to pass the 100,000 mark, after he flopped a set in the hole and the flop. He was paid off handsomely by an opponent who couldn’t get away from top pair/top kicker. The money bubble was reached just before 5:00 p.m. Two players — Mark Dolan and Charles Glorioso — went out at the same time during hand-for-hand play, but from different tables, meaning that they split the 270th-place prize money of USD 1,921, for USD 960 a piece.

As it usually happens, there was a flurry of bust-outs after that point. In fact, the players were exiting at such a clip that the field lost another 170 over the next four hours — just under one per minute, on average. “Minneapolis” Jim Meehan was eliminated in 206th place (USD 2,044). With blinds and antes at 100/2000/300 in Level 14, he pushed his last 21,000 chips into the pot from the button and was called by the small blind. Meehan couldn’t pair either of his overcards when the board came and he hit the rail.

1986 Main Event champion Berry Johnston was taken out in 185th place, good for USD 2,044, though details of his final hand were not recorded. Similarly, we know that Barbara Enright took USD 2,621 for her 76th-place finish, but not how the hand went down. Noted tournament director Jack McClelland took a rough road to the exit. He took his stand preflop with A-K against a player holding just A-J. He didn’t want to see his namesake card hit the board, but that’s just what happened, and that jack sent McClelland to the exit in 132nd place, worth USD 2,414. Overnight chip leader Lloyd Shinn couldn’t keep up the pace and went out in 130th, taking home USD 2,414.

This is not the crowd in which one would expect to see official penalties handed out for lack of decorum. But Adolfo “Speedy” Gonzalez was given one for excessive celebration. At least he had a good reason for his exuberance when he hit a two-outer on the river. His , all in preflop, was way behind his opponent’s after the flop came , and the turn didn’t help either. It was the river that launched Gonzalez into a screaming outburst of “Oh yeah! Ship it! I told you! Ship it!” as he ran around in circles and hugged random onlookers. In one of the last hands of the night, Gonzalez won another race, beating the exact same , this time with in the hole, receiving a much-needed double-up. Nevertheless, he will return for Day 3 as one of the shortest stacks, at 107,000.

The remaining players will reassemble at 1:00 p.m. PDT Wednesday and continue until a winner is determined.

2009 WSOP: Tom Thomas Tops Seniors #43

It’s down to the last 28 in the 2009 World Series of Poker Event #43, $1,000 Seniors World Championship. Tom Thomas leads the 50-and-over set with 917,000 in chips, followed by Charles Simon with 626,000, Scott Buller with 541,000, and John Bennett with 487,000. Each remaining competitor is already guaranteed cash of at least USD 10,149. Those making the final table will receive a minimum of USD 53,208, while the winner gets USD 437,358 and a WSOP bracelet.

Day 2 began at 2:00 p.m. with 397 of the original 2,707 veteran players left. The usual practice this year is to play down to a final table or until 3:00 a.m., whichever comes first. However, in deference to the reduced average stamina that comes with advancing years, tournament officials made a last minute decision to end play at the end of Level 20, which occurred at about 2:15 a.m.

David Tuffing took an early chip lead, being the first to pass the 100,000 mark, after he flopped a set in the hole and the flop. He was paid off handsomely by an opponent who couldn’t get away from top pair/top kicker. The money bubble was reached just before 5:00 p.m. Two players — Mark Dolan and Charles Glorioso — went out at the same time during hand-for-hand play, but from different tables, meaning that they split the 270th-place prize money of USD 1,921, for USD 960 a piece.

As it usually happens, there was a flurry of bust-outs after that point. In fact, the players were exiting at such a clip that the field lost another 170 over the next four hours — just under one per minute, on average. “Minneapolis” Jim Meehan was eliminated in 206th place (USD 2,044). With blinds and antes at 100/2000/300 in Level 14, he pushed his last 21,000 chips into the pot from the button and was called by the small blind. Meehan couldn’t pair either of his overcards when the board came and he hit the rail.

1986 Main Event champion Berry Johnston was taken out in 185th place, good for USD 2,044, though details of his final hand were not recorded. Similarly, we know that Barbara Enright took USD 2,621 for her 76th-place finish, but not how the hand went down. Noted tournament director Jack McClelland took a rough road to the exit. He took his stand preflop with A-K against a player holding just A-J. He didn’t want to see his namesake card hit the board, but that’s just what happened, and that jack sent McClelland to the exit in 132nd place, worth USD 2,414. Overnight chip leader Lloyd Shinn couldn’t keep up the pace and went out in 130th, taking home USD 2,414.

This is not the crowd in which one would expect to see official penalties handed out for lack of decorum. But Adolfo “Speedy” Gonzalez was given one for excessive celebration. At least he had a good reason for his exuberance when he hit a two-outer on the river. His , all in preflop, was way behind his opponent’s after the flop came , and the turn didn’t help either. It was the river that launched Gonzalez into a screaming outburst of “Oh yeah! Ship it! I told you! Ship it!” as he ran around in circles and hugged random onlookers. In one of the last hands of the night, Gonzalez won another race, beating the exact same , this time with in the hole, receiving a much-needed double-up. Nevertheless, he will return for Day 3 as one of the shortest stacks, at 107,000.

The remaining players will reassemble at 1:00 p.m. PDT Wednesday and continue until a winner is determined.

WPT Bares Season 8 Schedule

With the Bellagio Cup V only three weeks away, World Poker Tour (WPT) officials have released the schedule for Season VIII. A dozen tournaments will be held, including the brand new Hollywood Poker Open, which will debut from the Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.

The entire series will be filmed in high-definition, providing a unique experience for viewers watching the action unfold on Fox Sports Net. The cable station returns as the television outlet for Mike Sexton, Vince Van Patten, and the rest of the WPT broadcast crew for the second straight season. The first five seasons of the WPT aired on The Travel Channel, while Season VI could be seen on GSN. After a management change at GSN, WPT officials were left scrambling for a new media partner.

“As this great game has evolved over the years, we have seen the tour grow and develop into something truly incredible. Each year seems to top the last, from stops in exciting new venues to historical moments to breakout players to unbelievable action. We’re looking forward to seeing what the eighth season brings and then watching it broadcast in HD!,” WPT Founder and CEO Steve Lipscomb commented in a press release Wednesday.

Hollywood Casino was formerly known as Argosy and is housed outside Cincinnati. The 270,000 square foot riverboat casino on the Ohio River will host four WPT events, including the brand’s first televised tournament in the Midwest. Blue Diamond Almonds will once again sponsor WPT Live Updates, which Amanda Leatherman delivered last season.
Here’s a look at the schedule of events for WPT Season VIII, which kicks off in three weeks from Las Vegas, Nevada:

Bellagio Cup V
Bellagio (Las Vegas, NV)
July 13th to 19th, 2009
USD 15,000 + USD 400 buy-in

Legends of Poker
The Bicycle Casino (Los Angeles, CA)
August 22nd to 26th, 2009
USD 9,800 + USD 200 buy-in

Borgata Poker Open
Borgata Hotel, Casino, and Spa (Atlantic City, NJ)
September 19th to 24th, 2009
Buy-in To Be Determined

Festa al Lago
Bellagio (Las Vegas, NV)
October 20th to 26th, 2009
USD 15,000 + USD 400 buy-in

Foxwoods World Poker Finals
Foxwoods Resort Casino (Mashantucket, CT)
November 5th to 10th, 2009
USD 9,700 + USD 300 buy-in

Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic
Bellagio (Las Vegas, NV)
December 13th to 19th, 2009
USD 15,000 + USD 400 buy-in

Southern Poker Championship
Beau Rivage (Biloxi, MS)
January 24th to 27th, 2010
USD 9,700 + USD 300 buy-in

L.A. Poker Classic
Commerce Casino (Los Angeles, CA)
February 20th to 25th, 2010
USD 9,600 + USD 400 buy-in

WPT Invitational
Commerce Casino (Los Angeles, CA)
February 27th to March 1st, 2010
Invitation Only

Bay 101 Shooting Star
Bay 101 (San Jose, CA)
March 8th to 12th, 2010
USD 9,600 + USD 400 buy-in

Hollywood Poker Open
Hollywood Casino (Lawrenceburg, IN)
March 20th to 24th, 2010
USD 9,600 + USD 400 buy-in

WPT Championship
Bellagio (Las Vegas, NV)
April 17th to 24th, 2010
USD 25,000 + USD 500 buy-in

In addition, the WPT will host two tournaments outside the United States in coming months. From August 26th through September 5th, the WPT Slovakia will take place at the Golden Vegas Casino in Brataslava. The Main Event has a price tag of GBP 4,400 and follows a deep stack structure. WPT officials are estimating a total prize pool of GBP 2.8 million, with players receiving 30,000 in starting chips and blinds of 25-50.

From September 6th to 12th, the tournament series heads to Cyprus for the WPT Merit Cyprus Classic. The event is expected to be televised regionally and carries a USD 10,300 buy-in. In June, the WPT Spanish Championship played out from Casino Barcelona. In the end, Markus Lehmann banked GBP 537,000 for his win in the annual overseas tournament, which attracted 226 entrants to the Spanish city.

US Asset Freeze Hits PokerStars Hard

A couple of days ago the US Government froze USD 33 Million in player transactions coming from poker sites accepting US players. PokerStars is the poker room that got hit the hardest while Full Tilt Poker and Cake Poker takes this as an opportunity to build their player base.

The traffic at PokerStars went down by 7 per cent during June. This is a direct effect of the US players having trouble making a deposit using eChecks, which is the most popular deposit option for US players.

FullTilt and Cake Poker on the other hand have taken advantage of the current situation, and they have seen their traffic rise by 3 per cent each in June.

Poker players at Full Tilt Poker were also hit by these problems in the beginning but the people in charge at Full Tilt have been able to set up alternative options for player transactions very quickly. On poker forums around the internet public opinion seems to be that PokerStars have been taking a very long time to solve this issue, and players are not happy with this.

It will be interesting to see how player traffic is going to be affected in coming weeks. Unless PokerStars can find a solid solution to this issue soon, they are likely to lose more market share to FullTilt and Cake Poker.

'Miami’ John Cernuto Collapses During WSOP Razz

After collapsing at the table during Day Two play at the USD 2500 Razz tournament at the World Series of Poker and being wheeled away on a stretcher, professional poker player “Miami” John Cernuto is reported stable and is undergoing tests at a Las Vegas hospital.

Cernuto’s collapse went unnoticed for some time before it was recognized that he was unconscious. Around 6 P.M. (Pacific Time), players around the felt assumed that Cernuto was sleeping during play. His problem was detected only after one of his competitors nudged him and he collapsed on the table.

Play was immediately stopped and paramedics were called to assist Cernuto. After approximately half an hour, paramedics wheeled the now conscious “Miami” John from the tournament arena to a round of applause from the Brasilia Room players and audience. Much like a valiant gladiator, Cernuto acknowledged the crowd with a wave and was on his cell phone, presumably to contact his family. While most people thought that Cernuto had suffered a heart attack, he contacted World Series of Poker Media Director Nolan Dalla at 9 P.M. to update on his condition. Initial testing at the hospital revealed that Cernuto was suffering from internal bleeding and had to be held overnight for testing.

Indicative of many poker players, one of Cernuto’s first questions for Dalla was comically what happened in the play of the hand. He is reported to have said that he looked at his hand, saw three small cards and entered into the action before he lost consciousness. While his desire to know if he won the hand is admirable, the point was moot. Tournament directors killed the hand and there was no outcome.

A former air traffic controller, Cernuto has been a stalwart at the World Series for the past 20 years. He has been able to earn three WSOP bracelets in his career in three different disciplines, Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo (1996), No Limit Hold’em (1997) and Limit Omaha (2002). He has also made a final table on the World Poker Tour and has numerous cashes in other events around the world. With two cashes at this year’s WSOP in the USD 10K World Championship Mixed Event (won by Ville Wahlbeck and the $1500 Seven Card Stud event (won by Jeffrey Lisandro), Cernuto has 47 WSOP cashes and earned more than $4.6 million in tournament earnings.

Strangely enough, this isn’t the first time that this type of situation has presented itself at the World Series. In 2007, poker pro Paul “Eskimo” Clark collapsed in not one but two events, including this Razz tournament. Clark suffered a stroke during play and, rather than seeking medical assistance, continued on to finish fourth in the tournament that was won by German professional Katja Thater.

After the scare by Cernuto on Tuesday night, play will continue today in the tournament. Jeffrey Lisandro, who has already captured two bracelets this year, is looking for a third as he is the chip leader in the tournament. Lisandro is followed by Steve Diano, Vegas pro Don Zewin and Kenna James and the champion of the event will be determined tonight. Poker News Daily will have a report on all the action from the Razz final table and wishes a quick return to the tables for “Miami” John Cernuto.

Matt Graham Battles Back, Bags Bracelet in 2009 WSOP: PLO #40

Day 3 of Event #40, $10,000 World Championship Pot-Limit Omaha, began with 25 players returning to take a shot at the bracelet and the USD 679,379 top prize. Among those left in the hunt for WSOP gold were Barry Greenstein, Josh Arieh, Van Marcus, Vitaly Lunkin, David Williams, and Markus Golser. The final table was reached relatively quickly, but then action slowed and a marathon session commenced which lasted until almost 4:30 a.m. Matt Graham completed a remarkable come-from-behind victory late in the day to take down his second gold bracelet.

Sixteen players needed to hit the rail before the final table could kick off. Several bust-outs occurred in the first hour of play, including Markus Golser’s elimination in the 20th place. His chips went in against the David Podgurski. Golser was unable to connect with the board and Podgurki’s kings sent him to the rail. David Williams soon followed in the 16th place. He moved in with aces, but ran into a set of queens from Matt Graham


Noah Schwartz was the dominant chip leader coming into the day, but fell six spots shy of the final table in 15th place. All of his chips went in preflop against the Stefan Mattsson. Mattsson flopped trip jacks and Schwartz hit the rail. Howard Lederer made a deep run in this event, but “The Professor” finally took his leave in 12th. On the flop, he check-raised all in against Robin Keston, and Keston called with top pair. Lederer tabled for a wrap. The turn fell the and river the to give Keston a full house and send Lederer packing.

Chau Giang was ousted in the 11th in a multi-way pot. Giang, Josh Arieh, and Stefan Mattsson all saw the flop. Giang potted, Mattsson folded, and Arieh then re-potted to put Giang all in. Giang called with two pair. Arieh flipped over the top pair with Broadway draw. The turn gave Arieh Broadway and the on the river failed to complete a full house for Giang. Nathan Doudney became the final table bubble boy. Josh Arieh raised to 80,000 and Doudney potted to 252,000 total. Arieh made the call and the flop came down. Doudney shoved and was quickly called by Arieh. Doudney tabled for an overpair while Arieh held for only a flush draw. The turn fell the complete Arieh’s flush and Doudney was drawing dead. Doudney took home $61,838 for his tenth-place finish.

Matt Graham held a slight lead heading into the final table. Both Vitaly Lunkin and Richard Austin were looking to become the fourth multi-bracelet winner of the 2009 WSOP. Here’s how the final nine started final table play:
Seat 1: Ferit Gabriellson -- 1,200,000
Seat 2: Matt Graham -- 1,400,000
Seat 3: Barry Greenstein -- 780,000
Seat 4: Josh Arieh -- 1,050,000
Seat 5: Stefan Mattsson -- 850,000
Seat 6: Richard Austin -- 1,030,000
Seat 7: Van Marcus -- 500,000
Seat 8: Vitaly Lunkin -- 850,000
Seat 9: Robin Keston -- 1,000,000

Two hours of play passed before the first player was lost. Vitaly Lunkin made the pot 120,000 preflop and both Barry Greenstein and Josh Arieh called out of the blinds. The flop came down and action was checked to Lunkin, who bet 200,000. Greenstein then check-raised to 800,000. Lunkin went into the tank for awhile before reraising enough to put Greenstein all in. Greenstein called and revealed top pair, a wrap, and a flush draw. Arieh showed a pair of aces and open-ended draw. The turn and river failed to complete either of Greenstein’s draws and he was eliminated from the event in ninth place. USD 82,746 was Greenstein’s reward for a tournament well-played.

Richard Austin’s run at his second bracelet came to an end when he was sent home in eighth place. Vitaly Lunkin raised to 120,000 preflop and Austin called from the big blind. On the flop, Austin bet out 120,000 and Lunkin bet enough to put Austin all in. Austin called and tabled for a wrap and Lunkin tabled for a pair, a smaller wrap, and the nut-flush draw. The turn missed both players. The river completed Austin’s straight, but gave Lunkin the nut flush and sent Austin to the rail. Austin’s eighth-place finish netted him USD 88,681.

Josh Arieh was the next player to get the hook, but at least he could tell people that he went out against a monster hand. Arieh was all in preflop with against the of Ferit Gabriellson. The flop gave Gabriellson top set and left Arieh needing help. The turn gave him some hope when the fell to give Arieh the nut flush draw. But the river put an exclamation point on the hand for Gabriellson when the fell to give him quad kings. Arieh finished the day in seventh place and took home USD 99,856.

Action slowed after Arieh’s elimination, and the final table remained six-handed for over three hours. It was the wee hours of Tuesday morning before another player was lost. Vitaly Lunkin raised to 210,000 and Stefan Mattsson repotted. Lunkin bet enough to put Mattsson all in and Mattsson made the call. Lunkin held and Mattsson tabled. The flop came down, giving Mattsson a pair and a flush draw. The turn fell to give Lunkin a flush draw. The river gave the pot to Lunkin and sent Mattsson out in the sixth place. Mattsson took home USD 118,463 for his deep run as Lunkin moved to over 4 million in chips and held a stranglehold on the chip lead.

Ferit Gabriellson finished in the fifth place at the hands of Matt Graham. Gabriellson potted to 280,000 preflop and Graham called. On the flop, Graham bet out 250,000 and Gabriellson moved in. Graham called and flipped over for a pair and gutshot draw. Gabriellson tabled for a pair of kings. The turn fell the to give Graham the lead with a set. The river was the to end Gabriellson’s run. Ferit Gabriellson took home USD 148,439 for his fifth-place finish.

As play approached three in the morning, two players were lost in the span of five minutes. Robin Keston put his last 785,000 to risk against Matt Graham. Keston held against the of Graham. Graham only neeeded ace-high to win, as Keston failed to connect with the board, but Graham rivered a pair of aces anyway to eliminate Keston in fourth place. Keston took home USD 196,994 for his final table run. The popular Van Marcus soon followed Keston out the door in the third place. Marcus was all in preflop against Matt Graham with against the Graham. The turn gave Graham a set of aces and Marcus a Broadway draw. Marcus was unable to make it to Broadway and hit the rail in third place. Van Marcus received USD 278,409 for three day’s work and had a chance to get home “early” to get some sleep.

Going into heads-up play, Matt Graham held a slight chip advantage of 4.5 million to 4.35 million over Vitaly Lunkin. As play continued past 3 a.m., Graham had to like his chances. He won his first bracelet in last year’s USD 1,500 Limit Hold’em Shootout after surviving a final table that lasted until almost 8 a.m. With the stacks nearly even, the potential was there for a marathon heads-up confrontation.

The chip lead shifted back and forth between the two opponents until a huge hand left Matt Graham crippled. Vitaly Lunkin made it 300,000 to go preflop and Graham re-potted. Lunkin pushed all in and received a call. Graham held against the Lunkin. Lunkin flopped a wheel when the flop came down. He also held the nut flush draw. The turn paired the board with giving Graham outs to a full house. But the river fell the to double Lunkin up to 8.25 million and leave Graham running on fumes with only 600,000 in chips.

Matt Graham had been in this situation before. In last year’s WSOP, he was down to around two big bets in his heads-up match and battled his way back to win the bracelet. Graham proceeded to take a series of pots off of Lunkin to fight his way back and overtake the chip lead. He first doubled through with aces up to move over 1.2 million. Next, he doubled again with queens up against Lunkin when Lunkin was unable to hit his draw. His third double-up gave him the chip lead. Graham’s chips went in preflop with against the of Lunkin. The flop fell, giving Lunkin two pair and Graham a wrap. The turn completed Graham’s straight. The river failed to fill Lunkin up and Graham moved up to 4.5 million.

Just as he did in 2008, Graham was able to storm back from being crippled to take down his the gold bracelet. On the flop, Graham check-raised pot against Lunkin. Lunkin made the call and the fell on the turn. Graham bet out 1.1 million and Lunkin shoved. Graham made the call and tabled for a set of tens. Lunkin flipped over for a gutshot straight draw and a flush draw. The river fell the and after a quick count, it was determined that Graham had Lunkin covered. Vitaly Lunkin finished in second place and took home USD 419,832.

After a marathon session that lasted until 4:30 a.m. PDT, Matt Graham took down his second WSOP bracelet. Graham’s experience in last year’s shootout tournament proved invaluable as he was able to once again battle back from a crippled stack to take down both the bracelet and the USD 679,379 top prize. 40 events are now completed with 17 bracelets yet to be awarded.

Facebook, AlertPay to stop selling poker chips

Facebook, the social networking online site and AlertPay, an online payment firm have just agreed to sign an agreement, terminating the numerous online gambling operations which have been selling virtual poker chips for use on Facebook’s “Texas HoldEm Poker” application, says reports on the eCommerce Journal.

This setup was potentially illegal and according to a statement on AlertPay’s official blog, the two firms have now negotiated the basic issue on the following structure: “Facebook does not permit online gambling on its platform and some sellers attempted to convert the Texas HoldEm Poker application into monetized online gambling.”

The blog added, ‘Sites offering for sale virtual poker chips for use with Texas HoldEm Poker are violating AlertPay’s User Agreement and is potentially violating state and US federal law prohibiting unlicensed and/or online gambling, as well as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006.

WSOP: Traply Wins USD 5,000 No Limit Hold’em Shootout

No one at the final table of the USD 5000 No Limit Shootout (Event 41) was older than 24. The average age was just 22.

Peter Traply, 22, however, was able beat his younger opponent, 21-year-old Andrew Lichtenberger and some of the biggest names in the poker for his first World Series of Poker bracelet, USD 348,728 and the first championship for Hungary.

Traply bagged the championship when he moved all in with A K and Lichtenberger called with A J . An ace was in the door of the 5 3 A flop and the board paired queens on the next two streets, coming Q ,Q .

“Oh my God, I’m the happiest person in the world,” he said. “Winning a bracelet was one of my poker dreams and it came true.”

Lichtenberger was crippled when he moved all in against his Hungarian opponent with A K and Traply called with 6 6 . An ace hit on the flop with the A 8 9 and Lichtenberger’s freinds applauded, but the crowd at the feature stage erupted on the turn when the 6 peeled off the deck. The 2 came on the meaningless river and Lichtenberger was left with just under 300,000 in chips, while Traply had 7.1 million.

Despite the overwhelming chip deficit, Lichtenberger was able to come back to 3.4 million after doubling up three times. He was unable to complete the comeback, however, finishing second, earning USD 215,403.

“Andrew, of course, is a world-class player,” Traply said. “It was a tough final table, a tough field overall.”

Five players returned for the final day of Event 41 — Lichtenberger, Traply, Max Lykov, 21, Danny Wong, 24, and Nasr El Nasr, 23 — after outlasting superstars like Phil Ivey and David Pham on Monday for what might be the youngest final table in the history of WSOP. It is impossible to know the youngest, and oldest, final tables in history as the ages of the first WSOP contestants were never recorded.

After two hours without any big showdowns, El Nasr took a big hit when his aces were cracked by T 9 . Lichtenberger raised from under the gun with the suited connector before El Nasr re-raised with A A . The two moved all in with El Nasr having the chip and percentage advantage. The flop didn’t give Lichtenberger the best hand, but it made him a slight favorite as the 6 7 9 came off to give him a pair, a flush draw and a straight draw and a 53 per cent chance to win. The T on the turn gave the New York-native the best hand. El Nasr, from Germany, would need an ace, six or seven that wasn’t a diamond for the win or an eight for a chop, but the J came and gave the pot to Lichtenberger.

A few hands later El Nasr moved all in with 3 3 and was called by Traply called with 8 8 . El Nasr was never able to catch a three and was knocked out in the fifth place, earning USD 82,697.
The oldest player at the table, Wong, 24, was the next one eliminated. With the board reading T 2 2 7 , Wong made a push with top pair, holding A T , but Lichtenberger has the one holding aces this time. Lichtenberger slowplayed his two black aces perfectly, smooth calling Wong’s button raise from the small blind and checking on the flop and turn, when Wong eventually moved in. When Lichtenberger showed the A A on the turn, Wong would need to hit another ten on the river, but the 2 came, sending him to the rail. Wong left with USD 105,609 for the fourth-place finish.

Lichtenberger took out Lykov to face Traply heads-up for the championship. Lykov, who was the short stack with about 1 million in chips, moved all in with A T and Lichtenberger had two jacks. The Russian was never able to catch an ace and was eliminated. He took USD 145,063 for the third.

Poker Players Alliance (PPA) Unveils National Poker Week

The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) is planning a National Poker Week from July 19 to July 25. The PPA is the industry’s one million member strong lobbying force.

The PPA unveiled National Poker Week at a press conference on Monday inside the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino during the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP). The gala featured Congresswoman Shelley Berkley (D-NV), whose Internet Gambling Study Bill was introduced during the 110th Congress, but failed to be marked up by the House Judiciary Committee. Also present were PPA Chairman and former three-term Senator from New York Alfonse D’Amato, Poker News Daily Guest Columnist and Tournament Directors Association Co-Founder Linda Johnson, and 2004 WSOP Main Event Champion Greg Raymer.

After the press conference, Berkley issued the “Shuffle Up and Deal” command to start play in the Amazon Room.

“I thought it went very well. Shelley Berkley was magnificent with her command for the issue and stated why it’s important for poker players to get involved in a meaningful way. She explained that the poker community should rally around the initiatives that the PPA is putting forth in order to make sure that legislation like Barney Frank’s bill will get passed,” PPA Executive Director John Pappas said on Monday at press conference.

Frank has two measures in the US Congress. HR 2267 establishes a licensing and regulatory framework for the internet gambling industry in the United States. HR 2266 delays the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) from being implemented for one year to December 1st, 2010.

The PPA will fly in of over 30 of its State Directors to Washington, D.C. as part of the National Poker Week. While in the nation’s capital, the State Directors will meet with their elected officials to pitch support for legislation like HR 2266 and HR 2267. In addition, the crew will deliver a petition to President Obama calling for exemption of poker from the UIGEA. Over 10,000 concerned players have signed the virtual poker petition, which will be delivered on July 22. It opens with a simple statement regarding the rights of poker players: “I am a voter and a fellow poker player asking for your support of my right to play games of skill like poker on the Internet.” In order to sign the petition, a person’s first name, last name, e-mail address, and mailing address are required. As I wrote this paragraph, 20 players have lent their names.

Professional poker players slated to be part of the event include Howard Lederer, Andy Bloch, Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke, Jan Fisher, Linda Johnson, and 2008 November Nine member Dennis Phillips. On July 21, a charity poker tournament benefiting the United Service Organizations (USO) and the Malone House at Walter Reed Army Medical Center will take place. The PPA is fronting the costs for the event in order to ensure that all the money raised goes directly to beneficiary organizations. The prizes and buy-in for the tournament were not available at the time of writing.

A key element leading up to National Poker Week is the launch of MyPokerStory.com, which invites poker players from around the country to submit a video of why the game is important to them and why the US Government should legalize the Great American Pastime. All videos will be entered into a drawing for a two night Las Vegas package complete with airfare for two people. A total of 16 amateur videos are currently posted, including a clip from Congressman Joe Barton (R-TX). In addition, World Poker Tour Host Mike Sexton, “Cowboy” Kenna James, and Lederer have all submitted recordings. Interested WSOP spectators and players can produce their own videos at the PPA’s booth outside the Amazon Room.

Members of the press present at the 45 minute long event on Monday received a tutorial on the PPA’s new National Poker Week web tools. In addition, it was revealed that a variety of telephone and e-mail campaigns were being planned.

Poker Players Alliance Bares National Poker Week, Other Steps

The Poker Players Alliance has unveiled several new initiatives as part of its build-up for this year’s National Poker Week, set for July 19-25, 2009. The new measures were unveiled at a press conference at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino on Monday. In addition to debuting several new online sites designed to increase poker players’ participation in the political process, the conference also announced plans for this year’s PPA “fly in” to Washington DC, where dozens of high-profile professionals and state PPA representatives are expected to lobby for the game.

The midday conference included participation by several major PPA figures, with PPA Executive Director John Pappas opening the meeting and returning to detail several new PPA programs. In between came brief but energetic speeches from PPA Chairman Alfonse D’Amato and US Representative Shelley Berkley (D-NV), plus short appearances by PPA board members Linda Johnson and Greg Raymer.

D’Amato, who also took part in Monday’s Seniors Event at the 2009 World Series of Poker (his first-ever WSOP appearance), detailed some of the history of the legislative fight over online poker and Internet gaming in his talk. Berkley, who after her appearance gave the traditional “Shuffle Up and Deal!” command to the Seniors players, outlined the manner in which the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was shoved through Congress, attacking the act’s insertion into an unrelated “must pass” port-security measure as a blatant attempt by then-Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN) to buttress his own presidential aspirations, which fell apart only weeks after UIGEA’s passage.

The majority of the conference, though, was spent looking forward, with the PPA's Pappas outlining several new initiatives, including hinting at the near-future reintroduction of a “skill games” bill by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ). This possible second go-round for the bill would provide an exemption for games of skill to be played over the Internet, specifically separating them from “house” forms of gambling. Games like poker, backgammon and mahjongg would be included in the proposal.

Progress on Congressman Barney Frank’s own ongoing legislative efforts to overturn the UIGEA was also detailed, with the possibility of a hearing by Frank’s Finance committee to be held during the late-July PPA fly-in.

The PPA also announced three separate participatory programs designed to increase poker’s awareness on the federal and state level, continuing the organization’s overriding theme of helping poker players to organize and help themselves. Each of the three programs contains a dedicated web site. The first, at nationalpokerweek.com, includes a summary of planned events surrounding the July Washington D.C. fly-in, and includes methods for players to contact their own elected officials on poker’s behalf.

The second site, at pokerpetition.com, includes an online petition designed to be delivered to President Obama during the National Poker Week. While the existence of the online petition was leaked a couple of days before Monday’s official unveiling, around 7,500 players quickly signed up in the first few hours of the petition’s formal existence, with hundreds of thousands of poker players expected to take part.

The third site, at mypokerstory.com, is an attempt by the PPA to humanize and modernize poker as an everyman’s form of entertainment, and dispense with decades old, false stereotypes of backroom gamblers and con artists. The mypokerstory.com includes a contest for PPA members as well, with each participant invited to share a story about how he got involved in poker and what the game means to him. The contest winner will receive a trip for two to Las Vegas, donated by Harrah’s. Participation can be done either online or at the PPA’s Rio Convention Center booth for the duration of the 2009 WSOP.

Seniors event breaks all records at WSOP

Any WSOP event that draws nearly 3,000 entrants has to be considered a tremendously popular tournament. Other than the Main Event it's usually the USD 1,500 No Limit Hold'em events which draw this kind of fields with internet players entering en masse.

The biggest event at the Rio Convention Center on Monday, however, doesn't have too many internet kids in the field.

The USD 1k Seniors No Limit Hold'em World Championship shattered expectations, drawing a record 2,707 entrants for the three-day event. A record USD 2.4 million prize pool has also been raised for the event with the first place paying out an impressive USD 437,000.

The event drew all kinds of legends from the poker world. "Amarillo Slim" Preston, T.J Cloutier, Tom McEvoy and Humberto Brenes all bought in. Other big names in the event included PPA Chairman Alfonse D'Amato and legendary ring announcer Bruce Buffer.

"It's fantastic," said Cloutier. "This turnout is a lot more than what I expected." "I don't know how many played last year but I know it was a decent turnout. But this is fabulous." Preston shared the same opinion about the event but argued the buy-in should have been larger.

"Why didn't they make it a USD 2,500 entry fee like everything else?" Preston said. "Everyone here would buy in for USD 2,500, why not make it like other tournaments? This is a good event." Preston said he's gearing up to bring back his signature event to Las Vegas soon, perhaps increasing the number of senior events.

"I'm fixing to activate the Super Bowl of Poker next year," Preston said. "We'll play down at Binion's. It'll be homecoming from where all this started."

Cloutier's tough day at the tables came to an end when his pocket nines were cracked by AJ, but he's sweating one of his good friends the rest of the way. "I'll tell you who I'd like to see win - Tom McEvoy," Cloutier said. "He's my best friend, and I'm pushing for him to get into the Hall of Fame this year. There are a lot of us pushing for him, Hall of Famers pushing for him."

The pace has been conservative and relaxed around most of the tournament tables, a change from the usual frantic pace in the early rounds of most WSOP events, when aggressive players are gambling and trying to build a deep stack early.

Utah Transit Authority Cracks Down on Net Gambling, Porn

The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) is cracking down on passengers’ internet usage, says a story which appeared on Fox 13 in Salt Lake City Now. Viewing porn or gambling online will attract a USD 300 fine.

Fox 13’s Arikka Von broke the story, which appeared last week. When asked why the UTA management implemented the new rules, Von explained, “UTA says it’s not because they had complaints. The old ordinances are just that: old, at least 10 years old, so they have some new policies which include some of the new services like free WiFi.” On a national scale, online poker players have faced the same difficulties interpreting age-old laws like the Wire Act, which was enacted in 1961, nearly 50 years ago. The Wire Act, although passed before the arrival of the internet, has been largely extended by the US Department of Justice to include internet gambling.

“A train ticket gets you free internet once you agree to the Terms of Service. That means no online gambling or porn. The UTA now has a new ordinance that fines passengers for illegal internet use on the train. The first violation will attract a fine of USD 300. Do it again and it could cost you USD 500.” The UTA is one of the growing number of transit systems to include internet onboard. American Airlines recently debuted Gogo Inflight Internet on cross-country trips. The service is available for a fee.

Enforcement of the UTA’s ban on internet gambling and pornography is done by the organization’s police force. Fox 13 noted, “These are real police officers,” and explained, “An officer will always try to educate first. Riders say they’ve never seen anyone watching porn on the train.” UTA has enacted a full appeals process if riders feel they were targeted unfairly. A representative of the transit system admitted that identifying what is acceptable and what is not can be a complicated process. “The definition can be very difficult to pin down for everyone.”

Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA) Executive Director Joe Brennan said, “I’m surprised that they’re going to waste time enforcing internet gambling. I’m also disturbed with the constant association with pornography. Our opponents try to constantly link gambling and porn. All you have to do is look at the acceptance of all things gambling. There is no comparison between the two activities.” The term “internet gambling” is mentioned in the Fox 13 story just once, while references to pornography pervade the rest of the two and a half minute piece.

Regarding enforcement of UTA’s guidelines through law enforcement personnel on trains, Brennan commented, “They’ll have police looking over the shoulders of riders. This announcement is someone grandstanding politically. The claim on internet gambling is dubious. The claim on pornography is also misguided.” Brennan added that viewing pornography is typically done in private, not in the middle of a commuter train in a major metropolitan area.

According to text found on UTA’s website, the internet service provided by the transit system filters content automatically. “UTA’s service providers use content-filtering software that restrict access to offensive sites; however, no content-filtering software is totally effective. Please use the same precautions you would use accessing any public wireless network.” The service is available for riders aged 18 and over.

iMEGA is fresh off filing a lawsuit against the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS), which attempted to force the censorship of 200 internet gambling domains by its residents. The DPS served notice to 11 of the world’s largest internet service providers (ISPs) calling for blockage. However, after iMEGA’s suit, it rescinded its notice.

US Congressmen Introduce Law On Problem Gambling

Last week, Congressmen Jim Moran (D-VA), Lee Terry (R-NE), and Frank Wolf (R-VA) introduced bi-partisan legislation to curb the problem of gambling in the United States. The bill, HR 2906, is dubbed the Comprehensive Problem Gambling Act of 2009.

A revolutionary legislation, the Comprehensive Problem Gambling Act allocates USD 71 million in the next five years for problem gambling public awareness, research, and treatment. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has been given the responsibility of overseeing the program. The National Council on Problem Gambling has been the major driving force behind the legislation, which is among the first of its kind.

The organization’s Executive Director, Keith Whyte, shared his thoughts on why no serious solution for problem gambling has been approved on a national level: “It’s surprising and frustrating. Part of the blame is on us. We’ve been around for 37 years, but part of that reflects the real stigma people have in seeing problem gambling as a preventable and treatable disorder. In addition, by and large, most people believe that gaming should be regulated and taxed at the state level. They are not as quick to see a Federal role.”

HR 2906 is divided into three parts, allocating funds annually to each. The Comprehensive Problem Gambling Act allocates USD 200,000 per year towards public awareness. Information on problem gambling is directed through television, radio, cable, and print advertising. Funds are authorized to focus on “the business sector of the United States” and “professional sports organizations and associations.” Sporting and gambling events are targeted in the campaign, which is directed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

HR 2906 also directs funds towards research of problem gambling. A total of USD 20 million over five years is allocated towards research, which will be coordinated among several Federal agencies including the National Institute of Health, the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Justice, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Recommendations of the National Gambling Impact Study Commission should also be taken into consideration.

This is not the National Council on Problem Gambling’s first go-around with legislation supporting the organization’s goals. “We’ve had bills introduced in previous Congresses and this is our third go-around. Building support has been incredibly difficult. I think it’s a good example of folks that don’t understand gambling issues in general,” Whyte said. Around 3 to 4 per cent of the American adult population met the criteria for problem gambling, or more than six million people, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling’s press release.

Finally, USD 10 million per year is allocated towards the treatment of problem gambling. The bill notes, “The Secretary may make grants to States, local, and tribal governments, and non-profit agencies to provide comprehensive services for the treatment and prevention of problem gambling and for education about problem gambling.” Grants are permitted for various organizations to target their share of the USD 10 million up for grabs every year.

One of the original co-sponsors of the bill is Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), who introduced a pair of bills on May 6 to alter the landscape of internet gambling in the United States. On Frank’s support for the Comprehensive Problem Gambling Act, Whyte said, “It’s appropriate that Frank is a co-sponsor. He was a co-sponsor of our earlier efforts and has been consistent on this. He has been concerned about these issues in the past. We hope to get 25 co-sponsors in total.” Besides Frank, Congressman Howard Berman (D-VA) is one of HR 2906’s four original co-sponsors.

HR 2906 was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Marc Naalden Wins WSOP USD 2,000 Limit Holdem Event

The Netherlands’ Marc Naalden has won the second World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet in the history of his country. Marc Naalden dominated final table play, suffered a slight setback during heads-up action, and came back to win Event #38, the USD 2,000 Limit Hold’em tournament.

The final table was determined early Sunday morning from the original 446 runners. Naalden, who had dominated the field since it was around 25 players, came to the featured table with a sizeable chip lead. His two closest competitors, Danny Qutami and Steven Cowley, didn’t even have as many chips combined as Naalden with his stack of 755,000. When play began at 2:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon, the players went to work quickly, with Cowley eliminating pro Rep Porter in the ninth place after an hour of play.

Naalden extended his lead when he crippled Jared O’Dell with pocket aces, jumping up over one million in chips. O’Dell was eliminated soon afterwards in the seventh place and was immediately followed by Naalden’s elimination of Qutami, who bled chips at the final table. After Naalden eliminated Alex Keating in the fifth place, he held over half of the chips in play.

Once Tam “Tommy” Hang (who finished in third place in last year’s USD 10,000 World Championship of this discipline) was eliminated in the fourth and 2006 WSOP bracelet winner Ian Johns dropped in third, heads-up play came down to Naalden and Cowley. While it seemed that it would be a quick ascension to the bracelet for Naalden, who had Cowley dominated by over 7:1, it would actually prove to be one of the more exciting battles of this year’s WSOP.
Over the first 30 minutes of heads-up play, Cowley put on a surge that actually pushed him into the lead. In that time span, he either won or chopped every pot that was contested and had the Scandinavian scratching his head. After an hour, Naalden gathered himself and pushed back the Cowley assault, retaking the lead that he had held for much of the late action in Event #38. Naalden continued to batter the valiant Cowley until after two hours of heads-up play, he was able to catch a queen against Cowley to win the gold WSOP bracelet and USD 190,770 first place payday.

Two tournaments enter their final day of action with quite a bit of work to be done. Event #39, a USD 1,500 No Limit Hold’em tournament that started with 2,715 players on Saturday, could only get down to 26 by the 3:00 a.m. WSOP curfew. There is some controversy as to the chip count of the player at the top of the leaderboard, Michele Iacovone, as he has quoted his stack at 1,605,200 and there are no tournament chips of the 100 denomination in play. Nevertheless, he is atop the remainder of the field, with former World Poker Tour (WPT) champion Joe Bartholdi, veteran Raymond Davis, Alex Jacob, Nam Le, and WSOP bracelet holder Brandon Cantu in hot pursuit of the USD 657,787 first place prize.

The stacked tables of professional players remain in Event #40, the $10,000 World Championship of Pot Limit Omaha, and they were also unable to work their way down to the final table on Day Two. There are still 43 players remaining in the fight from the original 295 starters. Noah Schwartz is at the head of the field, which also includes bracelet holders such as Full Tilt Poker’s Howard Lederer, PokerStars’ Barry Greenstein, Bodog’s David Williams, and Josh Arieh. The USD 40,000 Anniversary Special champion, Vitaly Lunkin, and Padraig Parkinson are a couple of the European players also in the mix. At the end of the rainbow when the tournament ends tonight: a highly prestigious gold WSOP bracelet and a USD 679,379 bankroll boost.

A total of 280 players stepped up to take part in Event #41, the USD 5,000 No Limit Hold’em Shootout, and after the carnage of Day One, 30 players remained on five tables. There are some notable names that are alive as Day Two starts, like Peter “Nordberg” Feldman, Mark Teltscher, Barney Boatman, Jennifer Harman, Amit “amak316” Makhija, Jean “Prince” Gaspard, and David “The Dragon” Pham. Even with this much star power, the attention of fans gathered at the Rio will be on 2009 double bracelet winner Phil Ivey as he aims for a third this year, a feat no one has accomplished since Ivey in 2002.

Day One of the USD 2,500 Mixed Game tournament, Event #42 on the WSOP schedule, drew a 412 player field eager to attack the eight disciplines of poker that it features. The combination of games could conceivably be a more difficult challenge than HORSE and the quality of some of the remaining players in the tournament shows the skill necessary to battle in this arena. 2009 WSOP double bracelet winner Jeff Lisandro, David Sklansky, John Juanda, Robert Williamson III, Marcel Luske, and Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi are some of the top names that are still in contention for this championship.

Two tournaments will start play today in the Amazon Room at the Rio: the USD 1,000 Seniors No Limit Championship and the USD 2,500 Razz tournament, Events #43 and 44 respectively. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from the 2009 WSOP.

Veldhuis, Young talk WSOP $5k Shootout

According to Lex Veldhuis, today's $5,000 No Limit Hold'em shootout might as well be a different sport. The game is so different from a standard NLHE tournament that the Dutch pro says, "comparing it to a No Limit Hold'em tournament is like comparing Texas Hold'em to Omaha." The key difference, Veldhuis says, is the table draw.

In a shootout format, players compete in a series of single-table tournaments, with the winner of each table advancing to the next round. The WSOP's $5k event features three rounds in total, with the starting field slated to be distilled to a five-handed final table by Day 3. 

Since players don't move tables as in a normal tournament, avoiding the big name pros and SNG icons while registering can be key. "Your table matters more in a tournament like this," Veldhuis told to leading online site. "It's so much more important." Beyond table draw, which is uncontrollable, the pros point to the importance of adaptability as a key to success.

"I noticed in this tournament a lot of people were going wild preflop, so I'm sitting back and waiting for hands," said 2007 WSOP bracelet winner Ryan Young. "At the same time, people have been noticing that I'm playing tight so I've been able to get away with a couple of big bluffs."

Veldhuis, meanwhile, took the opposite tack on his Day 1 table. "You have to adjust for going from full-ring to shorthanded play," he said. "I try to pick on people who switch gears too late. "I try to double my stack early by putting pressure on people who are playing too tight. If I get to four-handed play I usually have the chip lead.

"I've made plenty of blow-ups with eight or nine people left too," he said. "But it's all about pressure." Young told that he found the shootout format easier than a normal freezeout-format tournament. "I like it," he said. "You've got to know how to play from ten players down to heads-up. For every player that you lose it's a different game. "It's also good because you're at the same table the whole time, so you can adapt to the players' different strategies."

In Day 1 action, Veldhuis emerged victorious at a table that included Philippe Rouas and Jerrod Ankenman. He'll return to action on Monday for Round 2 guaranteed $16,740 in prize money. Also advancing to the second round were Phil Ivey, Davidi Kitai, Danny Wong and Joe Serock.

A total of 280 players bought-in to the Shootout event, including poker icons Ivey, Phil Hellmuth, Jennifer Harman and Chris "Jesus" Ferguson. Hellmuth was eliminated after a sometimes testy heads-up battle with Andrea Bonelli, while Ferguson, J.C. Tran, Isaac Baron and Jonathan Little also numbered among the eliminated.

William Hill To Host No Surrender UK Poker Classic

iPoker Network site William Hill has teamed up with the No Surrender Charitable Trust to bring the first ever No Surrender UK Poker Classic to life. The online event will raise money for a cancer-related social network and research institute.

The tournament is slated for Friday, June 26 and has an expected prize pool of USD 30,000. Its grand prize winner will take home a one-of-a-kind VIP trip to Las Vegas, Nevada worth USD 10,000

Organizers are gunning for 1,000 players in the online event, which will play out on the virtual felts of William Hill. A longstanding fixture in the online poker industry, William Hill is a publicly traded company on the London Stock Exchange, where it can be found under the symbol “WMH.” The UK Poker Classic comes with a price tag of USD 30 with USD 20 re-buys available for those finding themselves short on chips.

Its winner and a very lucky guest will jet set to Sin City in style aboard British Airways in the carrier’s luxurious Club World class. While in Las Vegas, the duo will call the Bellagio, a Strip casino, home for four nights. The venue is rich in poker lore, playing host to the annual World Poker Tour (WPT) end-of-season Championship event each April as well as the Bellagio Cup, Festa al Lago, and Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic. It’s the equivalent of Ground Zero for the WPT tournament series and also hosts Bobby’s Room, the home of high-stakes cash games featuring poker’s biggest names.

“We are always looking for new ways to raise funds and keep within the spirit of the No Surrender Trust, which ultimately is to do it having fun! Jason would have loved this event. As a city trader before he contracted pancreatic cancer, he was hugely competitive and loved synergy between the city and a game like poker,” Marc Maley of the No Surrender Charitable Trust commented in a press release distributed by William Hill.

The “Jason” in question is Jason Boas, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer two years ago at the age of 33. Nevertheless, he has raised over GBP 150,000 for cancer-related causes, including research and a helpful social networking site for patients.

The tournament kicks off at 8:00 p.m. 70 per cent of the prize pool will be donated to the charity, while the remaining 30 per cent will serve as the event’s purse. In addition, William Hill will add USD 1,000. The USD 10,000 travel package is good for non-blackout dates before December 1. Travel is not permitted on Independence Day (July 3rd and 4th), Labor Day (September 7th), Columbus Day (October 12th), Veteran’s Day (November 11th), and Thanksgiving (November 26th), all major US holidays when tourists flock in droves to Las Vegas.

The iPoker Network’s weekly major is the USD 250,000 Guaranteed, which runs on Sunday nights at 19:00 UK time. The tournament sports a USD 320 buy-in and satellites start as low as USD 3.80. On Friday, the family of sites hosts a USD 150,000 guaranteed prize pool event, which comes with a USD 109 buy-in and unlimited re-buys are available. The high-stakes contest kicks off at 20:00 UK time and qualifiers start at an affordable USD 1.20. Finally, Saturday night sees the running of the USD 50,000 Guaranteed, which has a USD 109 price tag. Thee freezeout starts at 18:30 UK time and satellites begin at USD 8.80.

Players on William Hill battle with competitors from across the iPoker Network, which also includes CD Poker, Mansion Poker, Noble Poker, Paddy Power, and Titan Poker. The Network is the third largest worldwide and the biggest that does not accept players from the United States. 

Tentative Schedule for 2009 WCOOP Bared

Even though the World Series of Poker (WSOP) is still in full swing, PokerStars is already preparing for September through the release of a tentative schedule for the 2009 World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP).

The WCOOP, which is considered the online version of the WSOP, is the longest running online tournament series around, with the inaugural event held in 2002. Back then, the WCOOP consisted of only nine events and awarded USD 730,000, an astronomical sum at the time. In the past seven years, the WCOOP has grown into a month-long event which last year featured 33 tournaments and paid out just under USD 40 million in prize money. Over the history of the WCOOP, USD 104 million has been awarded to its cashing players and 121 champions, who receive a 14 karat gold bracelet along with a huge payday for their achievement.

The tentative schedule issued by PokerStars says this year’s WCOOP will begin on September 3. PokerStars continues to make the tournament even better by offering more events and larger guaranteed prize pools. This year’s tournament schedule offers 42 tournaments and guarantees prize pools of over USD 40 million during the 17 days that the WCOOP will run. On September 20, the traditional USD 5,200 buy in Main Event takes place alongside the USD 10,300 High Rollers Event, which has also become a staple of the PokerStars sponsored European Poker Tour (EPT).

Here’s a complete look at what is being advised by the PokerStars brass to be a tentative schedule of events for the 2009 WCOOP:

Sep 3 14:30 USD 215 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max, USD 1.25 million guaranteed
Sep 3 16:30 USD 215 Razz, USD 200,000 guaranteed
Sep 4 14:30 USD 215 Pot Limit Omaha Six-Max, USD 500,000 guaranteed
Sep 4 16:30 USD 215 No Limit Single Draw 2-7 with Rebuys, USD 200,000 guaranteed
Sep 5 12:45 USD 109 No Limit Hold’em, USD 1 million guaranteed
Sep 5 14:30 USD 215 No Limit 5 Card Draw, USD 200,000 guaranteed
Sep 5 16:30 USD 215 Limit Hold’em, USD 400,000 guaranteed
Sep 6 12:45 USD 215 Special Sunday Warm-Up, USD 1 million guaranteed
Sep 6 14:30 USD 10,300 No Limit Hold’em, USD 2 million guaranteed
Sep 6 16:30 USD 530 No Limit Hold’em, USD 3 million guaranteed
Sep 7 14:30 USD 320 Mixed Hold’em Six-Max, USD 350,000 guaranteed
Sep 7 16:30 USD 215 Pot Limit Omaha Cubed Six-Max, USD 500,000 guaranteed
Sep 8 14:30 USD 320 Stud, USD 150,000 guaranteed
Sep 8 16:30 USD 320 Badugi, USD 100,000 guaranteed
Sep 8 20:00 USD 1,050 No Limit Hold’em, USD 500,000 guaranteed
Sep 9 14:30 USD 530 No Limit Hold’em Triple Shootout 10-Max, USD 500,000 guaranteed
Sep 9 16:30 USD 320 Eight Game Mixed Event, USD 300,000 guaranteed
Sep 10 14:30 USD 530 Pot Limit Hold’em Six-Max, USD 400,000 guaranteed
Sep 10 16:30 USD 320 2-7 Triple Draw, USD 100,000 guaranteed
Sep 11 14:30 USD 215 No Limit Hold’em with Rebuys, USD 1.25 million guaranteed
Sep 11 16:30 USD 530 Limit Omaha H/L, USD 400,000 guaranteed
Sep 12 14:30 USD 530 Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em, USD 1 million guaranteed
Sep 12 16:30 USD 320 HORSE, USD 400,000 guaranteed
Sep 13 12:45 USD 215 Special Sunday Warm-Up, USD 1 million guaranteed
Sep 13 14:30 USD 25,500 Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em, USD 800,000 guaranteed
Sep 13 16:30 USD 1,050 No Limit Hold’em, USD 3 million guaranteed
Sep 14 14:30 USD 320 Half Pot Limit Hold’em, Half Pot Limit Omaha, USD 400,000 guaranteed
Sep 14 16:30 USD 320 No Limit Hold’em 2X Chance, USD 800,000 guaranteed
Sep 15 14:30 USD 320 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys, USD 700,000 guaranteed
Sep 15 16:30 USD 530 Stud H/L, USD 200,000 guaranteed
Sep 15 20:00 USD 1,050 No Limit Hold’em, USD 500,000 guaranteed
Sep 16 14:30 USD 215 No Limit Hold’em Big Antes, USD 500,000 guaranteed
Sep 16 16:30 USD 320 Pot Limit Omaha H/L, USD 500,000 guaranteed
Sep 17 14:30 USD 530 No Limit Hold’em with Rebuys Six-Max, USD 1 million guaranteed
Sep 17 16:30 USD 2,100 Pot Limit Omaha Six-Max, USD 600,000 guaranteed
Sep 18 14:30 USD 530 No Limit Hold’em Cubed, USD 1 million guaranteed
Sep 18 16:30 USD 1,050 Limit Hold’em Six-Max, USD 400,000 guaranteed
Sep 19 14:30 USD 530 Heads-Up Pot Limit Omaha, USD 500,000 guaranteed
Sep 19 16:30 USD 2,100 Eight Game Mixed Event, USD 400,000 guaranteed
Sep 20 12:45 USD 215 Special Sunday Warm-Up, USD 1 million guaranteed
Sep 20 14:30 USD 10,300 HORSE, USD 1 million guaranteed
Sep 20 16:30 USD 5,200 No Limit Hold’em Main Event, USD 10 million guaranteed

The reason that PokerStars is calling this a “tentative” schedule is that the site is seeking input from players regarding changes that could potentially be made to make it better. By e-mailing PokerStars at wcoop@pokerstars.com, the voices of those who make up the tournament fields will be heard. 

EU pressing US to legalize online gambling

A News from the EU report says the European Union is now intervening in the internet gambling dispute with the United States, and is pressing for a solution. This new EU reports appeared in the same week when the US authorities seized around USD 30 million from bank accounts believed to be connected to online poker and other gambling websites.

This helping hand from the EU is good news for the millions of online gambling amateurs and lovers currently living in the US.

The European Commission is urging the US to lift its ban on online gambling companies. They are urging them to end the ban this week, stating that the online gambling ban was passed during the Bush administration and it now violates world trade agreements. The EU is even saying they will step up and seek compensation from the World Trade Organization this time around. They claim that this ban made which bars foreign gambling websites from operating in the US violates international trade laws.

The online gambling bill introduced by Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass) was also mentioned as it aims at legalizing the online gambling industry in the United States. It safeguards clients against illegal activities like money laundering and others, thus protecting gamblers.

These talks and negotiations between the US and the European Union will hopefully pave the way for a more sensible legal structure for the online gambling industry around the world.