Internet poker online
03 4th, 2010
As most companies in the online gaming world continue to roll out their 2009 fiscal reports, many have reflected last year’s softer economy in their revenues. On Wednesday, PartyGaming PLC was the latest to announce its 2009 fiscal reports and demonstrated that the company was affected by the fiscal roller coaster of 2009.
For the year that ended on December 31st, 2009, PartyGaming showed a slight decline in overall net revenues for the year. In 2009, PartyGaming was able to show a net revenue of $446.2 million, a 5.7% decline from $472.9 million in 2008. What was intriguing about the breakdown of revenues is that the online poker room was nearly eclipsed by the online casino operation.
What is considered the linchpin of PartyGaming, the highly popular online poker operation showed a significant decline in net profits for the year. In 2009, PartyPoker drew net revenues of $196.7 million, which is a 28.3% decline from $274 million in 2008. Other gaming options were able to make up for this drop, however.
The online casino arm of the company, PartyCasino saw net revenues of $196.2 million, a 12.1% increase over its 2008 net revenues of $175 million. Two other areas of the PartyGaming operation, PartyBingo and the online sports book, each outpaced 2008 earnings by bringing in $32.8 million (an astounding 555% increase over the $5.9 million earned in 2008) and $19 million (a slight increase of 5% over its $18 million in 2008), respectively.
Two actions by PartyGaming during 2009 had a noticeable effect on the bottom line of the company. In April 2009, PartyGaming resolved its dispute with the U.S. Department of Justice as to its online gaming activities in the United States prior to the enactment of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act () of 2006. In that settlement, PartyGaming agreed to pay $105 million over the next 3½ years in semi-annual payments. Over the remainder of 2009, PartyGaming held to the settlement and issued $15 million in payments to the U.S. government.
The second action that influenced the PartyGaming was their acquisition of two components that should have a tremendous influence on the company’s future. In July, PartyGaming was able to acquire Cashcade, a successful online bingo and casino operator, for a reported £95.9 million. This acquisition made an immediate impact on the 2009 fortunes of PartyGaming, as reflected by the year-end results of PartyBingo. The second acquisition, the purchase of the venerable for $12.3 million at the end of 2009, has not yet had a significant impact on PartyGaming’s bottom line, but the future of the long-running poker tournament series seems secure in the hands of PartyGaming.
Jim Ryan, PartyGaming’s Chief Executive Officer, stated during the announcement, “We delivered a solid performance during 2009, which demonstrated the resilience of our business model that continues to generate strong cash flow, even in the most challenging of circumstances.” As to the businesses that PartyGaming acquired in 2009 and the outlook for 2010, Ryan said, “With some acquisitions and major B2B (business-to-business) deals already under our belt, we plan to do more in 2010 and I believe we are on course to meet our objective of becoming the world’s most valuable online gaming company.” Reuters reports that PartyGaming is still looking for other companies to either acquire or merge with to continue to drive their impact in the online gaming market.
Following the announcement of PartyGaming’s 2009 performance, the company’s stock price rose nicely. Traded on the London Stock Exchange under the prefix “PRTY.L,” thee stock closed at 303 pence on Wednesday. At the open of trading today, PartyGaming’s stock started at 300.5 pence and rose to 310.1 pence by the close of trading on Thursday evening in London.
Ryan is extremely confident about the outlook for PartyGaming in 2010, stating, “While the macroeconomic environment remains uncertain, we remain focused on executing our stated strategy and are confident about the Group’s prospects.”
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The first quarter of 2010 traditionally brings the announcements of 2009 yearly earnings from online gaming and poker outlets that are traded on various stock exchanges around the world. The gaming corporation PLC announced its 2009 Fiscal Report late last week; the online gaming sector helped to drive the company through a difficult year.
While overall net profits for William Hill rose by 4% in 2009 to £997.9 million versus £963.7 million in 2008, the online arm of the company was able to offset a decrease in retail betting shops. William Hill is one of the preeminent bookmaking and slot operations in the United Kingdom and Ireland, but was affected by the difficult economic situation that many companies had to contend with in 2009. The net revenues from retail outlets decreased by 4% to £757.5 million (from £790.7 million in 2008).
William Hill was able to offset the retail decrease through revitalized online operations. In late 2008, William Hill announced a joint venture with the gaming software company Playtech that had a significant effect on its online operations that include online casinos, poker, and sports books. For the year, online net revenues for William Hill rose an astounding 63% to £203.5 million versus the £125.1 million earned in 2008.
In the online end of the William Hill operations, the full integration of Playtech into the company made excellent inroads. The growth of the customer base during 2009, with new accounts increasing by 28%, portends future success with the company. The sports book showed a steady revenue, but there were increases in the amounts that customers wagered and a 30% increase in customer accounts.
Ralph Topping, who started at William Hill in a Glasgow betting shop in 1973 and became the company’s Chief Executive Officer in 2008, commented during the fiscal year announcement, “In terms of 2009, the scale and breadth of our business ensured that we were well-placed to ride out the extra volatility in sporting results and the areas affected by the economy were counteracted by good growth in gaming machines and our improving online performance.”
“We have transformed key parts of William Hill in the last year,” Topping continued. “William Hill Online is almost unrecognizable from a year ago, with highly competitive gaming products, proven marketing expertise and a sports book that has more pre-match and live betting products.” Topping also noted that William Hill has been able to move forward with new technologies in their retail outlets that will improve the quality of the gaming experience for customers.
William Hill’s poker outlet is a part of the iPoker Network, which currently ranks as the fourth largest in the industry according to PokerScout.com. Behind only U.S. facing sites and Poker, the iPoker Network consistently battles for the third place slot on the PokerScout traffic counts. Unlike the two industry leaders, however, PartyPoker and the iPoker Network do not allow American action.
With the announcement of the company’s fiscal year 2009 reports, William Hill’s stock prices have been on the rise. Trading on the London Stock Exchange under the stock code “WMH,” the stock price dipped as low as 192.5 pence during trading on Friday. Monday saw a drop in the stock to just over 191 pence, but it has rebounded noticeably since then. By the close of business on the London Stock Exchange on Tuesday, William Hill stock was trading at 200.9 pence, making the company’s estimated value approximately £1.4 billion.
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03 2nd, 2010
On Sunday night, ESPN2’s coverage of the 2009 () Europe Main Event wrapped up with Barry Shulman defeating heads-up to claim the top prize of ₤801,000.
Negreanu entered as the short stack at the table, but quickly ascended the chip counts. He flopped top pair against Markus Ristola to move to eighth in chips and then flopped a set of aces against Jason Mercier’s turned set of threes to double up and move to third in chips. His run at the beginning of the WSOP Europe Main Event final table was proof that all you need in poker is a chip and a chair. Negreanu told ESPN’s Kara Scott in a segment called “Cab Chat” that he feels at home in London because of the city’s abundance of vegan-friendly foods.
Sitting in third in chips, Negreanu called a raise to 62,000 from WSOP Main Event November Niner , who held pocket eights. The flop came 6-4-9, giving Negreanu top pair with 10-9, and Akenhead check-called a bet of 100,000. The turn was a six and Akenhead once again check-called a bet, this time of 162,000. The action went check-check when a five struck on the river and the dealer pushed the 711,000-chip pot to Negreanu, boosting him to second on the leaderboard.
Akenhead was eliminated in ninth place after running A-Q into Negreanu’s pocket kings. The board came J-6-4-9-Q, giving Akenhead ninth place finishes in the WSOP Las Vegas and London Main Events. Matt Hawrilenko was ousted in eighth place after trying to steal the blinds and antes with J-7. Shulman made the call with A-Q and Hawrilenko could not catch up.
Frenchman , another November Niner, exited in seventh place after coming out on the short end of a race against Negreanu with pocket fives against A-Q of spades. Negreanu flopped a flush draw, which hit on the river to give the pro both eliminations of the November Nine members. Shortly thereafter, poker veteran and two-time bracelet winner Chris Bjorin finished in sixth after running A-J into Negreanu’s A-Q. Negreanu ultimately moved from ninth place to first in an awe-inspiring comeback.
The first of two one-hour episodes on ESPN2 ended with Ristola departing in fifth place. Negreanu was his executioner, leading to four-handed action at the Casino at the Empire in London featuring four bracelet winners. To begin the second episode, local poker pro Praz Bansi called Shulman’s all-in with pocket kings on a flop of 6-8-4 with two spades. Shulman held A-9 of the suit and spiked an ace on the turn to double up.
Mercier, who held over 30% of the chips in play heading into the final table, was the tournament’s fourth place finisher. Mercier was all-in with a wired pair of sevens and up against Negreanu’s pocket nines. Mercier could not overcome being a 4:1 underdog and was eliminated. Negreanu had knocked out his fifth player at the final table.
Shulman doubled up again, this time after flopping top pair with K-J on a 4-K-9 board. Shulman check-raised all-in and Bansi called, turning over K-8 for top pair with a weaker kicker. The board filled out 6-10 and Shulman moved to 3.9 million in chips. Bansi was knocked out after reluctantly committing his chips with Q-2 of hearts. Negreanu called with A-Q and claimed his fifth straight victim and sixth overall at the final table of the 2009 WSOP Europe Main Event.
Negreanu held a 3:2 chip lead entering heads-up play, but doubled up Shulman after the CardPlayer Magazine owner was all-in with A-5 of hearts on a flop of 6-8-K with two hearts. Negreanu called with pocket aces, but another heart on the turn gave Shulman a flush.
Negreanu battled back and was one card away from claiming his fifth bracelet. Shulman was all-in with pocket aces against Negreanu’s Q-J on a board of 5-8-J. The turn brought another jack, leaving Shulman drawing to one of two remaining aces in the deck otherwise Negreanu would win the title. Sure enough, a bullet pierced the river and Shulman doubled up.
In the final hand, Negreanu was all-in pre-flop with pocket fours against Shulman’s pocket tens and could not draw out. Shulman won his second WSOP bracelet and Negreanu took home a £495,000 consolation prize. Former WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack presented Shulman with his championship trophy as the credits rolled.
ESPN2 will air the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Venetian Main Event and High-Roller tournament beginning on April 19th. Re-runs of the WSOP Europe Main Event will air on ESPN2 in the coming days, so check your local listings for more information.
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02 15th, 2010
Last week, the industry learned that poker author, commentator, radio show host, and professional had inked an agreement to represent Foxwoods. Now, Terry Chiaradio, Director of Poker for Foxwoods Resort Casino, shares her thoughts.
The deal brought together one of New England’s most prestigious poker venues and the area’s top media personality. Lee hosts the recurring “Bernard Lee Poker Show” in the greater Boston area and also writes a column for the Boston Herald newspaper dubbed “The Final Table.” In fact, two books have been released featuring memorable hands from his newspaper series. Furthermore, Lee serves as the co-host of ESPN’s “Inside Deal” along with Laura Lane, an internet- news show that aired weekly leading up to the final table of the 2009 () Main Event.
Chiaradio told reporters what led the land-based casino to sponsor a poker pro: “As one of the premier gaming destinations in world, Foxwoods Resort Casino believes in cutting edge ideas and is always on the lookout for top talent. A relationship with the top poker personality and professional player in the area, Bernard Lee, seemed to be a perfect match. When we met Lee, his professionalism and personality showed us that a relationship would benefit both parties.” Lee won tournaments held as part of the Foxwoods World Poker Finals in three successive years from 2006 to 2008.
Foxwoods will now sponsor Lee’s radio show and the poker pro will represent the casino’s () room. Chiaradio explained that the relationship is symbiotic: “Lee will be a valuable asset in bringing even more energy and excitement to one of the top poker rooms in the world. Foxwoods can also draw upon Lee’s vast experience from his prior career in business, specifically marketing and new business development.” Lee was formerly a marketing and new business development manager for a Fortune 500 company.
The deal runs for two years and Lee is expected to appear in marketing campaigns for Foxwoods’ poker room. In addition, the company squashed rumors of any additional players signing with the casino, telling reporters, “Foxwoods feels that we have chosen the perfect candidate, so there are no plans for any future player signings by Foxwoods Resort Casino.” Lee made his mark on the live poker scene in 2005, when he took 13th in the WSOP Main Event for $400,000.
Some in the poker industry have questioned why Foxwoods, which draws its patrons from a narrow geographic region, would sign a poker player in a similar fashion to and Poker, which market to the masses. Chiaradio commented, “Although a national and worldwide presence is important, casinos focus their efforts primarily on drawing players from the surrounding regions. Foxwoods Resort Casino is the premier gaming destination in the region and Bernard Lee is the top poker personality and professional player in area. This relationship is the perfect marriage of both.”
Lee has cashed in tournaments around the United States, including Atlantic City, Biloxi, Council Bluffs, Louisville, and Las Vegas. In a previous interview, Lee told Poker News Daily that his live event schedule might expand slightly, including trips to places like London for WSOP Europe. The question now remains as to whether other brick-and-mortar casinos will follow suit and sign players in droves. Chiaradio weighed in: “I think this could spark interest from other poker rooms across the country - maybe even the world. For Foxwoods, this relationship with Bernard Lee was a perfect fit. I believe other casinos could find a natural match as well.”
According to Bluff Magazine, Team PokerStars Pro member inked a sponsorship agreement with the Wynn in 2005. In addition, Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi formerly had ties to Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas.
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02 8th, 2010
Rupinder Bedi takes the honours in this month’s Dusk Till Dawn Deepstack with David Sparks crowned London Pub Poker champion.
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02 8th, 2010
The stereotypical view of the Dutch is of easy-going stoners, but the government has come out in force against professional poker player Steven van Zadelhoff.
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02 8th, 2010
The Super Bowl is a very popular event with poker players and Doyle Brunson has reason to celebrate more than most after winning $150,000 on the big game.
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02 4th, 2010
In an effort to solidify the 888 brand around the world, site officials have launched a bevy of promotions focusing on the number eight, including eight ways to win 88 prize packages to the 2010 () in Las Vegas.
The first part of 888’s promotional efforts includes giving $8 free to the first 50,000 registrants. You can crunch the numbers and see that $400,000 will be up for grabs in this phase of 888’s marketing campaign and the ability to receive an extra $8 has been available since January 29th. Each new player will download a “bankroll management client,” which 888 describes as “displaying low-stakes tables in proportion to their bankroll. As their bankroll increases, so will the option to play on higher stakes tables.” As long as players have not opened an 888 account before, they will be eligible for the $8 bankroll boost.
A handful of countries are not eligible for the $8 promotion, including Argentina, Albania, Belarus, Bosnia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Croatia, Georgia, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, North Korea, South Korea, Lithuania, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Philippines, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, and Vietnam. In addition, the 888 family of sites does not accept online poker players from the United States. The room’s parent company is publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange, where it can be found under the symbol “888.” At the conclusion of the free $8 promotion, players will be upgraded to the traditional 888 online poker client.
From February 8th until May 8th, 888 is offering eight ways to win 88 WSOP packages. Status point races, raked hand races, referral promotions, social networking promotions, status point races, bounty hunter promotions, tournament races, and ladies-only races represent the eight ways to win, ensuring a path that’s suited to anyone’s needs. For the bounty hunter entry method, 888 will be employing its fleet of site pros, which includes Shane Warne and Leo Margets, to send players to Sin City. The social networking qualifying method, meanwhile, will focus on popular outlets like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.
The promotional emphasis on the 888 brand follows the de-emphasizing of , which 888’s parent company also owns. The 888 Network also includes Littlewoods Poker, Lucky Ace Poker, and WSOP.com. Back in September, the American casino giant Harrah’s inked an agreement with 888 subsidiary Dragonfish to provide online gaming for Harrah’s Interactive Entertainment. In a press release announcing the accord, Harrah’s officials praised 888 for the company’s “world-class technology, scalability, and a strong commitment to compliance and responsible gaming.”
According to PokerScout.com, 888’s network is the 12th largest worldwide with a seven-day running average of 1,260 real money ring game players and a 24-hour peak of nearly 2,800. New players on 888 can receive a 100% welcome bonus up to $400, with $25 given instantly. In addition, newbies can take a shot at $54,500 in 888’s first-time depositors’ tournaments.
888 is also offering a VIP Fast Track promotion. Players have four months after registration to generate 25,000 status points, the equivalent of $12,500 in rake. If they succeed, they’ll be upgraded to VIP status, which includes the ability to receive 27% cash back. Players will be able to maintain this status until the clock strikes Midnight on the 2010 calendar year. The regular requirement to receive VIP status is 60,000 status points in a year, or $30,000 in rake. The VIP Fast Track promotion ends on March 31st.
The 888 rewards program is broken down into six tiers: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, VIP, and VIP Diamond. The Bronze level has a rewards multiplier of one and 2% cash back with no monthly point requirement. The glitzy VIP Diamond level has a rewards multiplier of 18, 36% cash back and a yearly requirement of 300,000 status points.
Check out 888 for a free $8 plus chances to win your way into the 2010 WSOP in Las Vegas.
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Rumblings in the recent London Affiliate Conference (LAC) were that by mid-2010, PlayersOnly and Sportsbook.com would be departing the Network. Instead, shareholders of Sportsbook.com, which owns both sites, have allegedly acquired the Merge Gaming Network. Poker News Daily sought comment from the Cake Poker Network.
Likely within the next couple of months, PlayersOnly and Sportsbook.com will join the Merge Gaming Network, whose flagship site is Carbon Poker, although a firm timeline does not appear to be in place. Both sites, according to Cake Poker Network officials, brought seasonal player bases to the table, as operating a sports book remained their central focus. Major sporting events brought a spike in traffic, which then fizzled during the low season. Sportsbook.com has been a member of the Cake Poker Network since 2006, while PlayersOnly began accepting customers from across the globe in October. Prior to that, PlayersOnly was only available to poker fans in the United States and Canada.
Cake Poker officials told Poker News Daily that the family of sites will still experience growth in 2010 despite the rumored departure: “We’re expecting good growth in 2010 as a result of some significant new partners and the expansion of existing brands on the network.” For example, Phil “The Unabomber” Laak recently launched Unabomber Poker on the Cake Poker Network, bringing his unique flair to an online site. A total of eight new Cake Poker Network rooms hopped onboard in recent days, a list that includes 7Win Poker, Redback Poker, Amsterdams Poker, Safari Poker, Dimeline, Rags2Riches Poker, and Burro Poker.
Cake Poker Network officials labeled the potential departure of PlayersOnly and Sportsbook.com “unfortunate, since they were a great group to work with,” but touted their surge of new partners as well as a new poker client expected to debut in the near future: “We’re working on a new client that we are really excited about. It has new features, better graphics, and higher reliability. We’ve put a lot of thought and a lot of work into this and hope to have a beta into some players’ hands no later than April.” The network’s software allows users to change player names with regularity, hindering the ability of database programs like PokerTracker and Holdem Manager to keep track of the competition.
Rumors also abounded during the recent London Affiliate Conference (LAC) that , fronted by ten-time () bracelet winner , was on its way out of the Cake Poker Network as well. However, Poker News Daily can squash those rumors. DoylesRoom, which will host this week’s Bounty Tournament at 9:30pm ET tonight, features a stable of pros that includes Chris “moorman1” Moorman, Zachary “CrazyZachary” Clark, Amit “amak316” Makhija, Dani “ansky” Stern, and recent () Southern Poker Championship winner Hoyt Corkins.
In addition to Carbon Poker, the Merge Gaming Network includes ACED, IronDuke, Poker Nordica, and Reefer Poker. Its cash game traffic, according to PokerScout.com, has shrunk in recent months. It saw a 24-hour peak of 632 real money ring game players on December 14th, but has jumped above 500 just once since. At the time of writing, the Merge Gaming Network boasted a seven-day running average of 245 real money ring game players, good for the 20th largest tally worldwide. The Merge Gaming family of sites welcomes players from the United States.
The Cake Poker Network, meanwhile, is the tenth largest in the business, boasting a seven-day running average of 2,100 cash game players, or nearly 10 times the traffic of the Merge Gaming Network. Besides Cake Poker and DoylesRoom, other network sites include Power Poker, Poker Host, and Bet US.
Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest on this story.
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02 2nd, 2010
“It is a wonderful achievement for us to be named Online Poker Operator of the Year,” said PKR CEO Malcolm Graham. “We are absolutely delighted to be honored by the International Gaming Awards in this way.”
The award recognizes the online poker room that made the most headway in the real-money poker sector during 2009. Operators are judged according to originality, growth and scale, usability, payment processing and marketing. Special consideration is also given to the most innovative operators and those with a unique and or outstanding brand setting it aside from the competition.
PKR’s unique blend of advanced 3D graphics, immersive game play and enhanced community focus through its new integrated social media platform helped it beat out nominees PokerStars, Full Tilt, PartyPoker, Betfair, Ladbrokes, Unibet, Sportingbet, Victor Chandler and 888.com.
The annual International Gaming Awards were hosted in London’s Millennium Gloucester Hotel & Conference Centre Jan. 25. Nominations were made across a range of gaming categories with judges selected from leading industry professionals, journalists, analysts and representatives of the Awards’ main sponsors.
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