Archive for November, 2009
11 30th, 2009
The PokerStars APPT is finishing up its 2009 run with a six-day tournament extravaganza at the Star City Casino in Sydney tomorrow, culminating in a $6,300 grand final at which PokerStars Pros and former world champions Peter Eastgate and Joe Hachem are expected.
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11 30th, 2009
With the upcoming in Copenhagen next week, the topic of the environment has never been hotter.
The common assumption is poker players know how to protect a stack of chips and think of little else, let alone the environment.
In most cases, that may be not far from the truth, but should it be?
With the growing threat of global warming and climate change, poker players are not exempt from having to care about the environmental consequences of their actions.
And if you’ve ever been around a major poker tournament, you know the poker community has room to move when it comes to reducing its environmental impact.
The Big Picture
With hundreds of major tournaments around the world, the poker industry is a prominent offender when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions.
Perhaps no more than any other travel or sports industry, but between flights, rental cars and straight-up energy consumption in casinos around the world, it’s safe to say there’s a surprising volume of negative environmental issues involved with simply playing cards.
Poker tournaments generate a large amount of waste. Disposable plates, food wrappers, cigarette butts, soda and water bottles are just the beginning.
Combine this with a lack of proper recycling programs in Las Vegas and most casinos around the world, and the landfills get a little larger with every one.
Of course, bringing a few thousand people to one location for any big event will likely create a similar amount of waste.
But that’s no excuse for poker players, according to Kristen Ostling, Communications Specialist in Climate Change for the world-renowned David Suzuki Foundation.
“This is the way of the future and not just for individuals,” said Ostling. “Businesses, organizations and individuals should all be looking at ways to reduce their carbon output. It’s also good for the bottom line in terms of dollars in most cases.”
Airline flights are among the fastest growing sources of global warming gases and air travel is a necessary evil on the world’s poker tours.
EPT Prague drew 555 players in 2007, but fewer than 20 actually resided in the Czech Republic.
11 30th, 2009
Former professional footballer Tony Cascarino has won the GUKPT Grand Final main event. The former Ireland striker outlasted a field of 183-runners at The Vic to win the showpiece tour event and with it the first prize of £168,800.
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It’s a given that online players rack up more hands than their bricks and mortar counterparts. Russian pro “innerpsy” has taken that maxim to its extreme by breaking the world record for the most hands played in a 24-hour period.
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11 30th, 2009
Cannock based poker pro Jonny ‘Texas’ Hewston has narrowly avoided a spell at Her Majesty’s pleasure due to the timely intervention of his wife. The former World Open runner up was facing the prospect of a three-month spell behind bars due unpaid motoring fines totalling £2,772. He left Cannock Magistrates court a free man though after his wife produced the cash on the spot to pay the fine.
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11 30th, 2009
The first session began Sunday afternoon with action over four $500/$1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha tables.
The largest pot of the day came when Isildur1 tried to bluff Sahamies with nothing but a pair of threes. Sahamies, holding the second nuts with a king-high straight, instantly made the final $200k call to take down a $709k pot.
Despite winning the largest pot, Isildur1 schooled Sahamies for the duration of the 1,060 hands, grinding large profits from all four tables and ending the session up $1.7 million.
After taking an hour long break, Sahamies returned to the $500/$1,000 PLO tables to try and earn back some of his losses. The second session lasted only 30 minutes, Sahamies losing another $111k before logging off once more.
Two hours later Sahamies returned for a third and final session of the day. A total of 1,882 hands were dealt over three hours with the pair seated at five heads-up $500/$1,000 PLO tables.
This time it was Sahamies’ turn to leave in the black, making back over $1.2 million from Isildur1 before both players called it quits. With the day complete, Isildur1 was still the overwhelming winner, up $626k.
This latest victory leaves the still unidentified Isildur1 up $1.9 million since he showed up at Full Tilt’s high-stakes tables.
Below are replays of the three largest hands of the day, or you can watch more hands by heading to .
A bluff gone bad
A big turn for Sahamies
The best hand held
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11 30th, 2009
Or, we should say, to Phase One of the new PokerListings.com
As the first of several site-wide improvements in the works for 2010, loyal PokerListings readers will notice the first major development on their screens this morning:
A major overhaul of our look and feel.
It’s a big step up from our old look(s) (check the wayback shot below if you’re in the mood to reminisce) and, bottom line, we think will serve our readers in three critical ways:
1. Help players new to the game find and make full use of our extensive poker rules and poker strategy sections - the most comprehensive available online.
2. Make it even easier for players looking for the best poker deals online to find, compare and take advantage of our exclusive bonuses and freerolls.
3. Showcase our world-class poker content – breaking news and exclusive features, great poker blogs, insightful and engaging live poker coverage – like never before.
Think of it as the first step in a multi-level project to get the information poker players want directly into their hands quicker, easier and with more style.
Several new tweaks and features are to come in the New Year – a new and improved online poker stats section; live chats from live tournaments around the world; more great bloggers joining pros Matt Stout and Jason Mercier – so stay tuned.
Design tweaks are also ongoing, so expect to find things a little smoother each day as the kinks are worked out.
11 30th, 2009
A number of high profile charity celebrities, sports stars and poker pros are expected to take part in the $5,250 event set for Jan. 8 at the Atlantis Resort and Casino on Paradise Island in the Bahamas.
Half the entire prize pool will go to amfAR to support the organization’s research and help raise HIV/AIDS awareness.
Already confirmed are former National Hockey League great Mats Sundin, tennis legend Boris Becker, French rugby star Sebastien Chabal and Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu.
“PokerStars is bringing a truly innovative and fulfilling cause to the PCA this year through their partnership with amfAR,” Negreanu said. “As a member of Team PokerStars Pro, I feel very lucky to be able to participate in, and contribute to, such a worthwhile cause in the name of AIDS research.”
PokerStars will be running qualifying satellites for the event over the next month.
In addition to the amfAR charity event, the 2010 PCA will host 50 tournaments Jan. 4-14 and participants will be encouraged to donate to amfAR.
“amfAR is grateful to PokerStars for providing this opportunity to bring AIDS awareness to a new audience and to raise critical funds for AIDS research,” said amfAR’s vice president and director of development Gregory Boroff.
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Only a few days remain in the Holiday Hundred promotion, offering online poker players a $100 bonus on the world’s second largest site. The room has seen its high-stakes action balloon in recent weeks thanks to Isildur1.
Happy Holidays from Poker. One month before poker players awake on Christmas morning or participate in Hanukkah and Kwanzaa festivities, Full Tilt Poker players can claim a special $100 Holiday Hundred bonus. Players have until the end of the day Eastern Time on December 6th to cash in. All they have to do is open the Full Tilt Poker Mac or Windows client, log in, and click “Requests” on the top menu bar. Then, select “Check My Bonus Offer” and click on “Accept Offer.”
Full Tilt Poker members have 30 days to release their bonus money by earning Full Tilt Points (FTPs) in real money ring games and tournaments. Every FTP earned means that players will claim $0.06 of the Holiday Hundred bonus, which will be paid out in increments of $10. Simple math will allow you to calculate that 167 FTPs are needed to clear each $10 increment and 1,667 are required for the full bonus to be unlocked. For each dollar that Full Tilt rakes from a pot, every player who was dealt cards in the hand will receive one FTP. Each $1 paid in tournament entry fees means that players will earn seven FTPs.
Now, for the fine print. Players who have never deposited on Full Tilt Poker before should sign up for the site and clear the initial 100% first-time deposit bonus by the end of the day on November 30th. Then, Full Tilt will issue the Holiday Hundred bonus by December 2nd and players must accept it by the 6th. Full Tilt Poker customers who already hold active bonuses have until the end of the day on November 30th to clear their full value. Then, Full Tilt will place the Holiday Hundred bonus in their accounts by December 2nd and it must be accepted by the 6th.
The world’s second largest online poker site has seen its high-limit table action increase since the beginning of the month after the arrival of Swedish online poker mystery man Isildur1. The newcomer has battled a bevy of Full Tilt Poker pros in Pot Limit Omaha and No Limit Hold’em games. His cast of opponents has included newly-minted site pro Tom “” Dwan, 2009 November Nine member , Durrrr Challenge participant , and CardRunners pros Brian Townsend and Cole South.
According to PokerScout.com, which tracks online poker room traffic, Full Tilt boasts a seven-day running average of 18,800 real money ring game players. During peak hours, the site approaches 30,000 cash game enthusiasts. It’s the second largest site worldwide behind and happily accepts customers from the United States. Besides Ivey, Dwan, and Antonius, other members of Team Full Tilt include , , , , and bad boy Mike “The Mouth” Matusow.
Full Tilt Poker is gearing up for the second running of the Mini Full Tilt Online Poker Series (MiniFTOPS), which kicks off on December 9th and wraps up 11 days later.
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The state of Washington has a long and complicated history with gambling and a new piece of legislation proposing expanded Keno games is just the latest chapter. A recent bill is proposing around-the-clock Keno games starting every four minutes as a possible solution to the state’s projected budget shortfall of more than $2.5 billion.
The game of Keno is already legal in the state, but it currently only runs once daily and the prize pools range from $1 to $100,000. The new proposal suggests expanding the current Keno system, making tickets readily available for purchase and displaying video screens in restaurants and bars.
The Seattle Times recently reported that none other than Margarita Prentice, the state’s Senate Ways and Means Chair, is contemplating sponsoring the Keno bill. Some may remember Prentice as the woman who spearheaded the 2006 law banning online poker in the state. The law was successfully passed and made gambling online a Class C felony, on par with animal cruelty and possession of child pornography. The ban was an amendment of the state’s 1973 Gambling Act.
A blog by Caleb Hannan on the Seattle Weekly’s website suggested that Prentice pushed through the online poker law in order to protect the interests of Washington State Indian reservations. These tribal groups also contributed heavily to Prentice’s campaign, leading local media like the Weekly to question the motives behind her actions.
Prentice commented to the Seattle Times about the new Keno bill, suggesting it differs from online poker, slot machines, and video poker, all forms of gambling she has previously fought against. She claimed that the four-minute intervals between games offered people a chance to “cool their heels” and not let the game get out of control.
What seems to be swaying the politicians of Washington more than the nature of the game itself is the potential revenue it brings to the cash-strapped state. The Keno initiative could bring in as much as $30 million in revenue annually, an amount that is getting the attention of numerous Washington officials, including Governor Chris Gregoire. The Times published an article on Friday that said that Gregoire was “seriously considering” the legislation, according to legislative director Marty Brown.
The state legislature is set to meet in January to discuss its budget crisis and they will consider the keno proposal, other cost cutting measures, and potential tax hikes. This is not the first time the state has considered a gambling initiative to add to revenue. In 2004, it put a ballot initiative pushing for slot machines in bars in restaurants to a vote and it was defeated by a 60% to 40% margin. The Governor’s office claims this new Keno proposal differs from the failed initiative in that it is not expanding gambling in the state, but rather building on the existing Keno system.
There has been no action on the Keno legislation just yet, but the reports from Seattle indicate that it will merit serious consideration as the state budget woes continue into 2010. The current budget is set to cover the state’s needs through 2011.
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