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YOUNG GUNS TO TAKE ON POKER VETERAN
2011-04-05
Will youth and enthusiasm overcome experience and cunning?
US poker fans will have a rare treat on NBC's 'Poker After Dark' this week as young poker aces battle it out against the legendary Doyle 'Texas Dolly' Brunson - a veteran who has seen off many challengers in a long and illustrious career on the felt that includes 13 appearances on the popular television program.
Opponents queuing up for a crack at Doyle include Annette Obrestad, Andrew Lichtenberger, Eric Baldwin, Melanie Weisner, and Tom Dwan, all of whom have ponied up $50 000 to be part of the action and the chance to carry away the $300 000 main prize.
The competition will run over five early mornings, starting at 2.05am, with full details available on the Poker After Dark.com website.
A TRULY INTERNATIONAL POKER EVENT
2011-01-11
Schedule for third series of European Masters of Poker released
Season three of the popular European Masters of Poker tour promises to continue the tradition of truly international poker, detailing a 2011 schedule with six stops.
The preliminary schedule is:
January 20 to 23 — Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
March 23 to 26 — Lisbon, Portugal
June 2 to 5 — Tallinn, Estonia
July 28 to 31 — Dublin, Ireland
September TBC — Malta
November TBC — Barcelona, Spain
Christer Larsson, product director at Entraction network, said, "We're thrilled to return for season III of the European Masters of Poker. In a short period of time it has become a highly respected and popular tour on the busy European circuit [with] the numbers growing steadily, bigger prize pools, and locations that offer a world class poker experience."
He added that qualifying satellites are now underway for the Euro 1,000 + Euro 100 main event on the first stop of the tour, which will be held at Casino Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands from January 20 to 23, 2011.
EMOP III main events feature an improved tournament structure which will see new levels introduced such as 150-300 with a 25 ante, and 1200-2400 with a 300 ante.
ZYNGA RELEASES ANDROID GAME: ZYNGA POKER
2010-11-05
First game for the Android platform
Social gaming and mobile game developer firm, Zynga announced its first game for the android platform, Zynga Poker, at Facebook headquarters in California where Facebook is showcasing its latest mobile developments. Zynga Poker was launched on Facebook in 2007.
Justin Cinicolo, general manager of Zynga Mobile said the app has 6 million players every day, that’s 54 times the number of people who visit Las Vegas everyday. At any given moment, it has 375,000 concurrent users. At any given minute, 90,000 players are going “all in.”
ONLINE POKER SITE DIRECTOR IN COURT
2010-09-11
Stryyke Poker sequel sees executive arraigned for failing to pay Euro 50 000 in player winnings.
According to the 2plus2 poker forum and media coverage in Malta through di-ve.com, the tribulations of recently de-licensed Stryyke.com have spilled over into a criminal court case.
The reports indicate that a forty-year-old Indian-born German national, Rajiv Giri, has been arraigned in court in his capacity as a director of the company for failing to pay out more than Euro 50,000 in winnings.
During initial proceedings Giri entered not guilty pleas, claiming that the outstanding amount was only Euro 6,000 since the winners did not present proper methods of identification in order to be paid.
Malta police Inspector Maurice Curmi said that while the prosecution was not opposing bail, it was asking for a substantial financial guarantee to ensure that the accused returned to Malta for subsequent proceedings.
Giri was granted bail against a personal guarantee of Euro 20,000 and was given permission to leave the island to travel to other EU countries.
The case follows a series of player allegations that have been posted on a number of major online gambling message boards, and presumably complaints made to the Malta regulator, the LGA, which suspended Stryyke’s licensing on September 3rd (see previous InfoPowa report).
THREE MORE BRACELETS AWARDED AT WSOP (Update)
2010-07-02
Gold for Michael Linn, Chance Kornuth and Ryan Welch
Three more gold bracelet have been awarded to players at the 41st World Series of Poker over the past twenty-four hours as the world’s biggest poker spectacular closes in on the much-anticipated Main Event 57.
Michael Linn bested an entry field of 2,543 in event 49, the last of the $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em contests this year, in Day 3 action. The field was reduced to 290 players by the end of Day 2, and just 23 started Day 3, with Linn holding the overnight chip lead.
Taylor Larkin shone on Day 3 of the competition, taking out much of the opposition and entering the nine man final table as chip leader, facing Michael Linn, Mikhai Manole, Benjamin Smith, along with Tyler Cornell, Erle Mankin, Justin Zaki, Alexander Kuzmin and Chadwick Grimes. The last five players all busted out within two levels as the action mounted.
Cheered on by uncle Barry Greenstein, Linn ultimately entered the heads up late Wednesday night against Larkin in a close-fought and exciting finale in which Larking almost managed to snatch the game despite having to fight back from two crippling losses.
Larkin’s 2nd Placing was worth $378,905, whilst Linn claimed his first WSOP bracelet and the $609,493 main prize.
In event 50 - a $5,000 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha competition, Chance Kornuth (24) emerged triumphant from a tense final table when he dispatched Kevin Boudreau to the rail after a heads-up battle in which at one point, Boudreau threatening to call the clock if Kornuth didn't stop thinking and make a move. The tactic misfired when Boudreau was told that Kornuth was still within the limits, and it appeared to motivate the winner to take his challenger out.
31 players had earlier started the final day of action in the event, with Robert Mizrachi in the lead and some very competent players still in the running. By the time the final table was reached, most of them had been eliminated, although Mizrachi remained a threat.
With the elimination in third place of Danny Smith, Kornuth and Boudreau commenced the lengthy heads up, notable for its at times aggressive dialogue between the two players. Boudreau suffered a massive loss late in the clash and in the end it was Kornuth who claimed his second WSOP cash, his first bracelet and the main prize of $508,090.
Boudreau’s runner-up prize was worth $313,792.
Event 51, the $3,000 buy-in Triple Chance No-Limit Hold'em competition entered Day 3 Thursday afternoon with just 12 players, all that was left of the original field of 965.
Jon Eaton held the chip lead, well ahead of his nearest rival Frank Rusnak. By midnight Thursday the winner was not one of the bigger stacks at the start of the day; Ryan Welch, who had begun play on Day 3 around fifth or sixth on the chip list, won his first bracelet and the $559,371 first prize.
When Guillaume Darcourt was sent packing in third place for $223,459 it set the scene for the two hour heads up between Welch and Jon Eaton, a clash that turned out to be more than a little exciting.
Although starting at a 1.5 to 1 disadvantage, Welch clawed his way back into the game as the two players went up and down in chips, vying for the top spot. Around halfway into the heads up Welch began to gain the ascendancy, but by the final hand the players were almost even again.
Welch then initiated a big river shove to force the rest of Eaton's stack into the pot just slightly covered. When he turned over the nuts he ran over to his delighted wife on the rail, leaving Eaton with the second placing consolation of $344,830.
Late Thursday night there were still 20 players slugging it out in event 52, the $25,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em Six Handed contest, after a day which started with 69 survivors from the original field of 191.
Alexander Gruibem started the day with the chip lead, pursued by Jason Sommerville and Sam Trickett - all ahead of a hungry pack intent on making the money bubble at position 18, with pros like Isaac Haxton, Daniel Negreanu, John Juanda, Frank Kassela, Vanessa Rousso, Sorel Mizzi, Barry Greenstein, Scott Seiver and Phil Galfond still in the running.
Late night Thursday level 19 had been reached and the money was in sight as 20 players battled to stay in at least as far as position 18, where the cash kicks in at $58 699 in this expensive tournament.
Holding the lead on 2 million was Bryn Kennedy, chased by Abe Mosseri on 1.47 million and Frank Kassela (1 million).
Average chip stacks over the field were 716,250
The action was still in progress late Thursday night after event 53 - the $1,500 buy-in Limit Hold'em Shootout went into Day 2 that afternoon with 63 players following a disqualification on which no information was made available. 548 players registered for the field originally.
The objective – to reduce the field to just 8 on a final table.
By late night Thursday all but one of the final table positions had been decided, with the list as follows:
1 Michael Schneider
2 Jonathan Little
3 Terrence Chan
4 Sijbrand Maal
5 Ben Yu
6 Brendan Taylor
7 Joseph Mcgowan
Vying for the final place were Brian Tate on 200,000 and Feming Chan on 160,000
One of the two will go home while the other will advance to the final table
The last of the popular $1,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em events, number 54, predictably attracted a massive entry field which will be run off in two Day 1 heats initially.
Day 1a, which started Thursday afternoon saw 2,340 entrants taking their seats with almost every recognisable name in international poker among the field.
By late night Thursday the surviving 350 had reached level 9 when Day 1a was wrapped – a remarkable attrition rate of around a player every four minutes.
Leading the Day 1a field is Eelke Arjaans on 75,550, Alan Keating on 62,000 and Ron Schutsky on 62,000.
Big names who did not survive the day included Tom Dwan, Chris Ferguson, Matt Hawrilenko, Berry Johnston, Faraz Jaka, Dennis Phillips, Brandon Canto, Scott Montgomery, Allen Kessler and Dwyte Pilgrim.
On the positive side, those going into Day 2 will include: Liv Boeree, Tony Dunst, Nikolay Evdakov, Shannon Shorr, and Kara Scott.
Event 55, the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha competition also kicked off Thursday afternoon with a field of 346 entries, an impressive improvement on last year’s 295.
In this event each player is allocated a start bank of 7,500 chips, in addition to three red add-on chips worth an additional 7,500 each.
These add-on chips can be optionally used at anytime during the first four levels. So a player may choose to cash them in immediately to start with a deep 30,000-chip start bank, or they can save them up and use them if they get stacked.
The 346 entries included Andy Black, Vitaly Lunkin, Tom Dwan, Shaun Deeb, Michael Mizrachi, Marco Traniello, Annette Obrestad, Eric Froehlich, David Benyamine, David Chiu, Andy Bloch and defending champ Matt Graham.
Also spotted in action were David Levi, David Bach, Gavin Smith, Sam Farha, Dan Heimiller, Erica Schoenberg, Men Nguyen, Nenad Medic, Amnon Filippi, Kathy Liebert, Mike Matusow, Michael Binger and Thor Hansen.
By late night Thursday the field was still going strong at level 6 and numbered 252, having shed 92 entrants.
Noah Boeken was in the lead on 120 000, with Men Nguyen his closest rival on 98,000 and Venessa Selbst on 92,000. Average chip stacks were at 41 190.
Notable exits included Max Pescatori, Florian Langmann, Chad Brown, David Williams, Kevin MacPhee and Mike Matusow,
NO WSOP FOR THIS PLAYER
2010-06-09
New York man dies on route to Vegas
A New York professional poker player and fan of the game suffered what appeared to be a heart attack and died on his way to the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas this week, reports the New York Post.
Paul "Smalls" Kitsos, (55), a one-time Greek basketball player, fashion industry businessman and professional poker player, was aboard a United Airlines flight bound for San Francisco Monday evening, intending to connect through to Las Vegas.
About 20 minutes after takeoff, Kitsos called for cabin assistance, complaining of feeling ill and apparently having difficulty breathing. Shortly thereafter a doctor aboard the flight pronounced him dead, and the pilot returned to JFK airport.
Kitsos had some poker action in mind, and was carrying $11 000 in cash, reports indicated. He was a competent Texas Hold’Em player, earning $387,764 on the World Poker Tour, and recording 18 cashes in various tournaments since he began playing professionally five years ago.
He finished 320th in the 2008 World Series of Poker in November 2008, earning $32,166 and his biggest paycheck — $103,500 – came in June 2009, when he finished fifth in the Borgata Summer Open.
His wife, Stella Spanakos, told The Post her husband of 20 years had a love for poker and a zest for life. He fell in love with Texas hold ‘Em when it became popular after the 9-11 tragedy, and he was always a very sharp card player, reading voraciously on the subject, she said.
LOCK POKER MOVING TO MERGE NETWORK
2010-03-25
No download site was previously with Cake Network
Lock Poker.com has announced it is in the process of moving from the Cake Poker network to the Merge Gaming network.
The launch of the new Lock Poker site is set to happen during the month of April, manager Jennifer Larson revealed, adding: "Merge is a natural fit for us. They are aggressive, innovative and very progressive in design and development."
Merge Gaming CEO Anthony Taylor said: "We are delighted that Lock Poker have agreed to join the network and we are thrilled to be working with such an innovative and experienced marketing group. This deal will bring even more liquidity to the network and aid our continued growth."
Eric Lynch, VP of Lock Poker remarked: "I am very excited about the move to the Merge network and I will be working closely with them to further innovate Lock's product. We will also now be able to offer great rewards to the North American market. Our philosophy is built on investing in the true poker player, and appreciating and rewarding their passion and dedication. We now have the tools to achieve that."
Lock follows Pokerhost, which joined Merge’s US-facing poker network earlier this month. Sportsbook.com-owner Jazette Enterprises moved its Sportsbook.com, PlayersOnly.com and Superbook.com brands to the Merge network from the Cake network earlier this year.
Lock Poker launched in 2007, and recently released a Mac compatible casino product.
ONLINE POKER PROVIDER IN CANADIAN ICE HOCKEY SPONSORSHIP
2010-01-05
Ultimatebet.net partners up with the National Hockey League's Calgary Flames
Ultimatebet, the online poker site owned by Tokwiro Enterprises and a member of the Cereus Network, has signed a sponsorship agreement with Canadian National Hockey League team the Calgary Flames, integrating tickets in its games into its promotional activities.
The agreement includes provision for Ultimatebet's logo to appear on dual rinkboards at the Flames' home arena when the Alberta team takes to the ice against the Toronto Maple Leafs on January 2nd, 2010.
To celebrate the Calgary collaboration at eight home games during the month of January, UB.net is giving U.S. and Canadian players a chance to earn one of four pairs of prestige tickets to attend the NHL match up between the Flames and the Ottawa Senators at Pengrowth Saddledome on March 11th.
Players with a penchant for first class hockey who want to benefit from the promotions can participate in one of eight daily UB.net online poker satellite tournaments, where the top 100 players from each qualifier will win a seat into a Sunday Main Event, details of which are available on the Ultimatebet website.
Starting on Sunday, January 3rd, the Texas Hold ‘em satellites will take place every Sunday through Saturday throughout the month, at three hour intervals intervals from 6am until midnight. Each UB.net Calgary Flames Main Event awards the winner with the top prize of two tickets to the Flames Vs Senators game, plus $1 000 cash for travel expenses.
An additional pair of tickets to the luxury hospitality suite at the Flames V. Senators ‘face-off' will be given away on location at one of the eight home games. The random lucky in-arena winner will go head to head on the Jumbotron with a pre-recorded Phil Hellmuth in a hockey-trivia game of "Truth" or "Bluff". If the challenger can beat the Poker Brat at correctly guessing which facts are true or false, then the tickets are theirs for the taking.